The End of the Secret Realm

Ye Jiuhuang's eyes widened, nearly fainting from happiness.

A grand wedding?

The extravagant hope she had yearned for day and night for eight thousand years, begged bitterly before the Buddha for eight thousand years, and dreamed about... was actually going to come true?

"Is... is it true?"

Ye Jiuhuang felt the world spinning around her, on the verge of passing out.

This happiness came too suddenly, too unrealistically, like an illusory bubble.

"It is true."

Ye Xuan nodded calmly, his expression so indifferent it was as if he were talking about a trivial matter that had nothing to do with him:

"However, I just promised your disciple to make her my official wife."

At this point, Ye Xuan paused deliberately, his gaze becoming profound as he looked meaningfully into Ye Jiuhuang's eyes:

"You need to discuss this matter properly with her."

"You cannot force her, understand?"

How clever was Ye Jiuhuang? She instantly understood the subtext in Ye Xuan's words.

Official wife?

Heh.

As long as she could legitimately marry Ye Xuan, as long as she could stay by his side, she would gladly accept being a concubine without any status!

As for that silly disciple...

Ye Jiuhuang lowered her head, hiding the fleeting sneer in her eyes.

As long as she locked her up in the isolated forbidden grounds of the Sword God Palace, brainwashed her day and night with righteous principles, combined with her absolute authority as a master whose grace was as heavy as a mountain...

Wouldn't it be a piece of cake to make her voluntarily bow her head, give up the position of the official wife, and obediently become a concubine?

"Rest assured!"

Ye Jiuhuang raised her head again, her eyes flashing with the confident light of controlling everything, and a benevolent smile curled on her lips:

"That child Qianqiu listens to me the most."

"I will have a good talk with her."

"Since she loves you, she naturally hopes that I can find happiness too. In the future, calling each other sisters... will also be a beautiful tale."

Ye Xuan coldly watched Ye Jiuhuang's solemn pledges, noting how she had even begun to plan a harmonious harem life in her mind, and sneered repeatedly in his heart.

Stupid woman.

Truly gullible to the extreme.

But this was fine too. With you, this astonishingly lethal Number One Sword in the World, acting as my most loyal watchdog, I would like to see who in this world would dare to cuckold me.

"Ye Jiuhuang."

Ye Xuan took the initiative to hold her hand. His eyes suddenly became incredibly affectionate and gentle in an instant, even forcing a few pitiful crocodile tears from the corners of his eyes:

"I beg you."

"In this life, I only ask for no more turmoil."

He raised his head slightly, looking up at the void at a forty-five-degree angle, letting the tears stubbornly swirl in his eyes without falling, showing her a heartbreakingly fragile beauty:

"I really cannot bear it anymore."

"If even Bai Qianqiu chooses to betray me..."

"Then wouldn't my reincarnation through ten thousand lifetimes become the biggest joke?"

"I might as well destroy my own soul and completely disappear from this world to find peace."

"Do not speak nonsense!"

Ye Jiuhuang was scared out of her wits by his last sentence. She lunged forward, tightly covering Ye Xuan's mouth, her eyes full of extreme terror and madness:

"You are not allowed to die! Absolutely not allowed to die!"

"With me here, no one can make you suffer grievances! Not even Bai Qianqiu!"

"Rest assured, I will absolutely not let her betray you! Even if I have to use chains, I will lock her into the shape you desire!!"

Ye Xuan's death threat, a tactic of retreating to advance, was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, completely piercing through Ye Jiuhuang's already fragile psychological defenses.

To save this man's life, to keep him from committing suicide.

This Sword Heaven's Son, who was once as noble and pure as a profound maiden of the nine heavens, finally completely darkened and fell into demonic obsession, willingly becoming the sharpest, most obedient, and most cruel blade in Ye Xuan's hands.

"Alright, it is almost time."

Ye Xuan withdrew all his fragility and gentleness. He glanced at the sky in the distance and felt the faint tremors coming from the secret realm space, knowing that the secret realm was about to close.

He pulled his hand back and coldly issued a command:

"Remove the barrier."

"Remember, when we go out in a moment, do not make any eye contact. Do not let Bai Qianqiu notice anything unusual."

"Okay, I will listen to my husband."

Ye Jiuhuang nodded obediently. Although she was extremely reluctant to part, she obediently let go of Ye Xuan's hand.

Along with the flow of spiritual energy, the aura around her instantly changed, once again restoring the aloof, holy, and inviolable appearance of the Number One Sword God in the World.

Crash.

The Great Dao barrier dissipated into nothingness like shattered glass.

Bai Qianqiu, who had been waiting bitterly in the distance and suffering torment, saw the barrier removed and that her master and Ye Xuan had finally finished talking. She hurriedly stumbled over, filled with apprehension.

She looked at the indifferent Ye Xuan, whose expression was normal, and then looked at her master, who had regained her aloof majesty that made people dare not look directly at her. Swallowing hard, she cautiously inquired:

"Um... Master, Ye Xuan, how... how did your talk go?"

Ye Jiuhuang did not even look her in the eye. She just glanced at her coldly, her thin lips pressed tightly together. Without saying a single word, she turned her back to her.

Just as Bai Qianqiu's heart grew cold, Ye Xuan turned around. The indifference on his face instantly melted like ice and snow, revealing a smile as warm as the spring sun.

He strode up to Bai Qianqiu, gently reached out his hand, and adjusted her collar that had been messed up in the wind. His voice was so soft it could drip water:

"We didn't say much."

"I just reasoned with your master a bit, letting her know what love is, and what responsibility is."

"By the way, I told her she must protect you well and personally escort you back to the Sword God Palace."

"Really?" Bai Qianqiu's eyes widened, somewhat unable to believe her ears. Her master, who had always been rigid and treated romantic love like a catastrophic flood or a ferocious beast, was actually so easy to talk to?

"Of course."

Ye Xuan took the opportunity to wrap his arm around her waist, leaning close to her fair ear, and spoke affectionately in a low voice that only the two of them could hear:

"Rest assured."

"Wait for me to finish dealing with the mess outside, wait for my cultivation to be successful..."

"Then I will go to the Sword God Palace in grand style to marry you."

"Just wait for me in the Sword God Palace. Do not go out under any circumstances; there are many bad people outside."

Hearing her lover's deeply affectionate confession, the doubts in Bai Qianqiu's heart instantly vanished into thin air. A huge wave of warmth surged in her heart as she nodded vigorously. Her eyes were slightly red, filled with undisguised, passionate love:

"Okay! I will listen to you!"

"I will wait for you at home! I won't go anywhere!"

"So good."

Ye Xuan dotingly tapped her nose, his eyes full of affection.

The two of them tightly embraced each other without any scruples right in this devastated secret realm, right in front of Ye Jiuhuang.

Ye Jiuhuang stood quietly to the side, watching this scene like an outsider.

Although the veins bulged on the back of her hand gripping the sword hilt, and her heart was sour with intense jealousy, she wished she could draw her sword right now and cleave this eyesore of a disciple in half.

But thinking of the grand wedding promise Ye Xuan had just made inside the barrier, and thinking of his instruction to watch her like a prisoner.

She took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the urge to draw her sword.

Hug, just hug.

She sneered coldly in her heart.

'Anyway, there are still long days ahead.'

'Once we reach the Sword God Palace and you enter your master's cage, we'll see how your master... trains you little by little.'

"This position of the main wife belongs to none other than me."

A deafening roar suddenly came from the depths of the sky, and massive spatial array patterns tore across the firmament like a spider's web.

A teleportation vortex appeared in the sky. The time for the secret realm was up.

"I'm leaving."

Ye Xuan slowly released his arms from around Bai Qianqiu's waist, his fingertips deliberately lingering on her soft and warm clothes for half a second with reluctance.

He turned around and took one last, deep look at her.

In those abyss-like eyes, emotions surged.

In his gaze, there was love and reluctance, but more than that, there was a deeply hidden... expectation.

'Bai Qianqiu.'

'Don't let me down.'

"Husband, take care!"

Bai Qianqiu's eyes were completely red. She desperately chased forward a half step, tears bursting from her eyes like pearls from a broken string. She waved her hand frantically, shedding tears on the spot.

With a flash of light.

Accompanied by the violent fluctuations of spatial power, Ye Xuan's tall, white-clothed figure was instantly swallowed by the spatial turbulence and disappeared into the vortex.

Watching Ye Xuan leave.

The humbleness and frailty on the face of Ye Jiuhuang, who had been standing to the side with lowered eyes, vanished in an instant. Her expression immediately became incredibly stern, even revealing a trace of cold-blooded brutality.

She suddenly reached out her hand, her five fingers gripping the back collar of Bai Qianqiu, who was still staring blankly at the horizon and constantly wiping her tears, like iron pincers. The terrifying pressure of the Mahayana stage was suddenly released, lifting her up as if catching a little chick:

"What are you crying for? So worthless!"

"Go back with your master!"

Outside the secret realm. Under the cloudless blue sky for tens of thousands of miles.

On the Emperor Boat. This giant ship, as massive as a mountain and flowing with the brilliance of luxurious array formations all over its body, was quietly suspended above the sea of clouds.

As streams of light of various colors flew out from the exit of the secret realm like a fountain.

Those mighty figures who had been anxiously waiting outside for several days now all stretched their necks without any regard for their image, fully opening their divine senses to search for their own prodigies.

"They're out! They're out!"

"How is it? Did you get the treasure?"

"Oh my! How did you get hurt like this?"

The clamor soared into the sky; some were happy and some were sorrowful.

Some prodigies were covered in blood but returned fully loaded, some prodigies were missing arms or legs and let out shrill wails, and for some, their life jade slips had long shattered, leaving them inside forever.

And at the front of the most conspicuous and luxurious white jade deck of the Emperor Boat.

The Great Xia Empress Wu Lingxiao and the Heavenly Demon Sect Master Zi Yao had long shed their usual imperious majesty. Just like two mortal women waiting for their husbands to return home, they stretched their necks and stared fixedly at the exit.

"Why isn't he out yet..."

Zi Yao stomped her feet in anxiety. Her stunningly beautiful face was full of agitation, and her long, sharp manicured nails dug deeply into the ten-thousand-year Purple Lightning Wood, almost clawing the railing to pieces:

"Could something have happened? I sensed a massive fluctuation of demonic energy inside!"

Wu Lingxiao was also as pale as paper. She tightly pursed her red lips. In that jade hand that had once ruled over a vast empire, an extremely precious ice jade teacup had long been crushed into powder, the ice-blue dust falling rustlingly through her fingers:

"Shut up! Don't say such inauspicious things!"

"I gave him so many life-saving talismans... He will definitely be fine... definitely..."

Just as these two Half-Step True Immortals were about to suffer a mental breakdown.

Swoosh!

Accompanied by a crisp sword cry piercing the air, a familiar white-clothed figure they had been yearning for day and night leaped out from the deep vortex. With his clothes fluttering, he landed steadily on the deck of the Emperor Boat.

The newcomer's white clothes surpassed snow, his hair flying in the wind.

Although his eyes and brows bore a bit of the travel-worn weariness from the trial, his aura was steady, and he had not suffered any serious injuries.

"Young Master!"

"Benefactor!"

Wu Lingxiao and Zi Yao almost simultaneously let out a piercing scream. Completely abandoning all reserve, they rushed forward without regard for their image like moths darting into a flame. Bringing a fragrant breeze, they tightly hugged Ye Xuan from the left and right.

"Wuwuwu... You scared me to death! You're finally out!"

"If you hadn't come out, I would have charged in!"

"Are you hurt? Let me see! Where does it hurt?"

The two Half-Step True Immortals, whose mere stomp could shake the Nine Provinces, were now crying like two helpless tearful figures.

With trembling hands, they groped all over him, anxiously feeling and checking Ye Xuan's broad chest and arms, terrified that he might be missing a piece of flesh.

Ye Xuan did not resist, merely letting them hug him tightly like a wooden puppet.

He slightly tilted his head back and took a deep breath of the outside air.

His nasal cavity was instantly filled with the scent of cosmetics. Although it was full of the powdery smell from these two women that made him nauseous and disgusted him, in the cultivation world full of murderous intent, it weirdly brought him a long-lost sense of security.

He quickly sneered coldly in his heart and adjusted his mood. When he opened his eyes again, his face quickly revealed his signature, cynical, yet slightly pitiable and exhausted smile:

"Alright, alright, what are you crying for."

"Haven't I returned completely intact?"

"I said it long ago."

Ye Xuan extremely naturally opened his arms, his left hand wrapping around the Empress's slender waist, and his right hand hugging the Demon Venerable's fragrant shoulder. Hugging one on each side, he slightly raised his chin, his tone arrogant:

"In this Nascent Soul secret realm."

"I, Ye Xuan, am invincible."

"Yes, yes, yes! Young Master is the most amazing!" His personal maid Ying'er also rushed over with a flushed face in excitement. She tightly hugged Ye Xuan's waist and rubbed against it, her voice sickly sweet: "Master is so great!"

Looking at these three completely devoted women surrounding him.

Deep within Ye Xuan's profound eyes, however, it was as cold as a ten-thousand-year icy pool, without the slightest ripple in his heart.

While maintaining a gentle fake smile, his gaze imperceptibly passed through the gaps in the dense crowd and flying boats, looking extremely covertly towards the distant Sword God Palace camp.

In the sky above that vast sea of clouds.

A peerless and independent figure wrapped in blinding sword light was roughly carrying a young girl who was flailing her hands and feet in constant struggle. Transforming into an earth-shattering rainbow of destructive force, they instantly disappeared into the far northern horizon.

Seeing this scene.

Ye Xuan's heart, which had been hanging in his throat, finally settled down completely as the sword light faded away.

Ye Xuan carelessly withdrew his gaze, lowered his eyelids, and looked at Wu Lingxiao and Zi Yao, who were still crying hypocritically in his arms.

In a dark blind spot where others could not see, the corners of his mouth uncontrollably and slowly pulled upwards, curving into a cruel and delighted smile.

'Bai Qianqiu is safe.'

'Then next...'

'It's time to properly accompany you two bitches and continue... acting out this play.'