The Heart of Righteousness

Guo Jiannan stood frozen in shock for a long time, his heart filled with endless emotion.

Only at this moment did he seem to truly grasp just how terrifying Brother Yi's cultivation was. Clutching the jade slip, his heart pounded like a war drum; he had completely lost the composed demeanor of a high expert, his eyes filled with immense shock and yearning.

However, Guo Jiannan was by no means an ordinary person.

Even though the vast gap in cultivation made him feel somewhat guilty and ashamed, he remembered his heavy responsibility and understood the difficult situation Brother Yi was in!

Hurriedly putting away the jade slip, Guo Jiannan's eyes filled with solemnity.

"To face a crowd of experts and still domineeringly declare he can hold them off for twenty hours—Brother Yi truly lives up to his reputation!"

"However, I, Guo Jiannan, am no shameless coward!"

"There is no need to overthink it; Brother Yi's current situation must be incredibly dangerous. Sending such a relaxed reply is surely to comfort me. I absolutely cannot let down Brother Yi's heroic spirit, nor can I slack off in the slightest!"

Guo Jiannan let out a long breath, constantly adjusting his state of mind.

He knew very well.

Brother Yi indeed possessed terrifying cultivation and unmatched loyalty. Even if he could handle the experts outside the forest and had sent the message with good intentions, the situation was definitely not as relaxed as it sounded. If those people signaled Wind and Snow Island for reinforcements, the situation would spiral out of control!

Thinking of the severe consequences, Guo Jiannan cast aside all distracting thoughts and hurriedly circulated his cultivation to continue breaking the formation!

At this moment.

Bolstered by all kinds of pressure, he seemed to enter a certain pure state of being, undisturbed by anything around him, fully focused on the crucial task of breaking the formation to save lives.

Unfortunately.

The people of Wind and Snow Island were no ordinary folk either. The Ten Directions Desolate Extermination Formation used to seal the Tree Venerable was an ancient inheritance among formations. Established by the combined cultivation of ten people, it was not something that could be easily broken.

Even though Guo Jiannan exerted his full strength, unraveling a single formation eye consumed a tremendous amount of energy. Before long, the Invincible Sword Venerable was already sweating like rain!

In the center of the formation.

The Tree Venerable, his breathing faint, watched everything with deep emotion in his eyes.

He knew better than anyone just how terrifying the Ten Directions Desolate Extermination Formation was. Even if several formation grandmasters were present, they might not dare to claim they could unravel this array.

That Old Guo could single-handedly unravel several formation eyes meant his cultivation and formation attainments were already enough to shake millions of cultivators; he was worthy of the name Invincible Sword Venerable!

Even if the progress became increasingly slow, it was understandable.

The Tree Venerable watched everything quietly with self-blame, his eyes full of guilt. Even as time passed and his vitality constantly retrogressed, his face showed only gratitude.

Alas, this formation was truly terrifying. His aura became weaker and weaker, and even standing to gaze at his old friend became increasingly difficult.

The sun rose and set; the bright moon ascended once more.

In the blink of an eye, twelve hours had passed.

The Tree Venerable could finally hold on no longer, sitting stiffly like withered wood. His torso, already suppressed in cultivation, had its vitality constantly devoured until, at this moment, not a shred of strength remained.

In his somewhat blurred vision, Guo Jiannan also stopped his movements with a conflicted expression.

Looking up, his gaze was full of bitterness.

Guo Jiannan hesitated for a few breaths before finally clenching his fist and speaking with difficulty.

"Tree Venerable..."

"I am ashamed. I can no longer continue to break the formation and rescue you from this trap..."

The two had been friends for tens of thousands of years; one look was enough to know the other's thoughts.

Before Guo Jiannan could finish, the weak Tree Venerable squeezed out a smile and nodded.

"Old Guo, there is no need to say more."

"I am not a person who clings to life and fears death, and I know where righteousness lies."

"I have seen everything that happened last night. I know deep down that Brother Yi is still outside blocking the experts of Wind and Snow Island. You and I met Brother Yi by chance, yet we are treated with such great righteousness. If we let Brother Yi continue to fight a bitter battle alone, would we not be mocked by the entire world?!"

These words, full of spirit, were spoken with almost every ounce of his remaining strength.

Guo Jiannan listened, the light in his eyes flickering, momentarily at a loss for words!

The Tree Venerable was running out of oil and his lamp was drying up. If they abandoned breaking the formation now, he would certainly perish here. Yet, in the face of such a matter of life and death, he remained clear-headed and held fast to morality. How many in this world could compare?

These resolute words were filled with loyalty and self-respect!

This mighty figure of the Demon Race had experienced countless ups and downs and had once commanded the wind and rain, aweing an entire region. Until the very last moment of his life, he remained the Tree Venerable with that transcendent bearing!

Watching his old friend force himself to speak, Guo Jiannan fell silent.

Even if he had a thousand words, he could not utter a single one.

Many years ago, he had heard it said that only at the brink of death can one see clearly what kind of person they are, and all the falsehoods of life will vanish like smoke.

At this moment, he saw the Tree Venerable more clearly than anyone.

This old friend's pride and strength of character far exceeded those so-called talents that had passed through the long river of time. Even though he was born of the Demon Race, he was a well-deserved gentleman, a true hero of the world!

Who says those of foreign races cannot be trusted?

Hearing his old friend tacitly voice the difficulty in his own heart, Guo Jiannan felt even more unwilling. His only remaining confidant in this life was facing death with such open-mindedness, leaving him alone to regret it for the rest of his life...

There is no greater regret in the world than this.

Seeing that Guo Jiannan did not respond for a long time, only gazing solemnly at him, the Tree Venerable suddenly remembered the past and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He still remembered...

When they first met in their prime, how glorious and young they were. Both harbored hot-blooded passion to resist the devils, seemingly possessing infinite drive and confidence.

However, born of different races, they both held suspicions. At that time, Guo Jiannan, carrying a long sword with black hair draping over his eyes, simply looked at him solemnly.

"I seek a comrade in the resistance against the devils; do you possess a heart of righteousness?"

That kind of sword qi that expressed his feelings directly seemed to radiate from his whole body.

The man was like a sword, capable of piercing the heavens!

Tens of thousands of years had passed.

The Invincible Sword Venerable of back then was now a white-haired old man. He no longer had that sharp, exposed heroic spirit; only his sincere eyes remained as they once were.

A blink of an eye, and a lifetime had passed, just like a dream.

To be able to become confidants with this person in this life—he could die without regrets.

A smile bloomed on the Tree Venerable's face, revealing a broad-mindedness that had let go of everything.

"Old Guo, back then I climbed high to befriend you. Now you hesitate like this; are you trying to ruin my lifetime of fame? If you put it that way, I might actually feel some regret."

Hearing the joking tone, Guo Jiannan's brows smoothed out slightly.

"Tree Venerable, you..."

The old tree's smile was full of easy grace, just like that Demon Race youth from the past whose alignment between good and evil seemed hard to distinguish.

"Hahaha..."

"You and I have known each other a lifetime; why be wishy-washy at the very end? If we were to cause Brother Yi injury or death in exchange for my cowardly survival, that is absolutely not something you or I could do."

"To have lived this life to this point, this Seat is satisfied! In the future, if you can complete the grand cause of resisting the devils, even in the netherworld, I will be able to sleep with a smile!"

Hearing these words, Guo Jiannan also squeezed out a smile.

He had not misjudged this man.

This close friend was indeed a talent whose righteousness reached the clouds. Even at the moment of his fall, he had not forgotten the heroic pact from when they first met.

A gentleman's word is harder to catch than a team of four horses.

Even if it takes a lifetime to fulfill, one does so with no regrets even in death!

This is a man's romance.

Facing such a hero, any superfluous kindness would be an insult!

Guo Jiannan finally let out a long sigh of relief, smiling and nodding in agreement.

"Good."

"If I can complete the grand cause of resisting the devils, I will surely offer a sacrifice to tell you!"

As he spoke, Guo Jiannan took out fine wine from his sleeve, light shimmering in his eyes.

Smiling as he gazed at his old friend, his vision became somewhat blurred.

The wrinkled old man seemed to turn back time, transforming once again into the high-spirited and arrogant venerable of the past, gazing over with a beaming smile.

Looking at that arrogant demeanor from their first meeting, Guo Jiannan also smiled and spoke the solemn words from all those years ago.

"Young man of the Demon Race..."

"If you have righteousness in your heart, then drink with me! With Heaven and Earth as our witness, let us resist the Devil Race together!"

Hearing these words, the Tree Venerable responded with the same tacit understanding as he had back then!

"Hahaha..."

"It is a promise! Heaven and Earth be our witness!"

The two looked at each other and laughed aloud, their hearts filled with emotion!

"Hahahaha!"

Even though their laughter was boundless and free, tears could not help but well up in their eyes.

At their level of cultivation, they had long since seen through life and death. Preserving the final dignity of his old friend, Guo Jiannan turned around, gritted his teeth, and tore open the void. Only then did his tears scatter like starlight.

When he opened his eyes again to step into the void, his gaze held nothing but overwhelming battle intent!

He would repay this blood debt ten-thousand-fold!

Being powerless to save the Tree Venerable was the greatest regret of his life. He absolutely could not let Brother Yi risk danger again. Even if it meant fighting to the death, they would advance and retreat together!