North of Luoyang, inside the Crown Prince's residence.
The current Crown Prince, Liu Bian, stood beside a middle-aged man in black ceremonial robes, his expression worried.
The middle-aged man sat on the ground. A striking fissure marked the center of his brow, and with every breath he took, his jet-black hair visibly frosted over.
After a long while, the man's hair had turned completely white, and the marks of time—carved into his face like knife and axe strokes—had aged him by decades.
He slowly opened his eyes, a trace of regret showing in his gaze.
"Imperial Tutor, how are your injuries?" Liu Bian leaned forward, his expression anxious and his eyes full of concern.
"I can cling to life for another twenty years, but less than one percent of my strength remains," the Imperial Tutor said quietly.
"You are a pillar of the realm, Imperial Tutor. To suffer such grievous injuries for my sake—it was far too great a price."
At his words, Liu Bian's face filled with self-reproach. The Han dynasty's fortune dragon had been slain, and now, if they also lost the Sword Sage's protection, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Your Highness need not blame yourself. These injuries have nothing to do with you. The Heavenly Dao is reclaiming my Dao fruit."
Wang Yue shook his head slightly, a faint smile touching his lips. As the pinnacle of this world, only the Heavenly Dao could have grievously wounded him in the blink of an eye.
He had attained the Dao by relying on this world, and the instant the heavenly blade struck him, he had understood many of its secrets.
This blade had not only struck him; at almost the exact same moment, it had fallen upon the heads of every other pinnacle expert.
From this day onward,