Tianjian Sect, the bamboo house on Hengjian Peak.
A gentle breeze swept past, rustling the leaves.
The young girl stood quietly in the courtyard, holding a freshly fallen leaf in her hand, her eyes somewhat vacant.
"Tianmo Sect..."
Since she was a child, Ye Feng had told Ye Youning the cause of their parents' death.
At that time, she had only a vague concept of the name "Tianmo Sect."
Growing up without parents by her side, this missing familial warmth had been completely filled by Ye Feng's meticulous care.
Ye Feng had been like a sturdy umbrella, shielding her from wind and rain, allowing her to grow up free of worries. Because of this, she had never truly felt the absence of her parents; she only dimly knew that she had a powerful and evil enemy.
Until that day, when Ye Feng resolutely left like a bolt from the blue, shattering her originally peaceful life.
"Killing my parents first, and now abducting my brother?" This sentence echoed constantly in her mind, anger, grievance, and confusion intertwining, letting her truly experience the taste of hatred for the first time.
Why?
Why did it have to be like this?
The vibrant light in Ye Youning's eyes was gone, replaced by endless emptiness and confusion.
Once, she thought that as long as her illness was cured and Ye Feng's cultivation progressed smoothly, they could live happily together forever. But now, everything had changed, leaving her at a loss.
"Drip." A crystal-clear teardrop fell onto the leaf in her hand, and Ye Youning only then realized that her face was covered in tears.
During these days, in every lonely night, in every moment of difficulty when she had no one to lean on, she realized more and more deeply how heavy Ye Feng's weight was in her life, and that she could no longer live without him.
Recalling when she first heard that Ye Feng was practicing the cultivation methods of the Tianmo Sect, she had been filled with the anger of betrayal. At that time, she felt that Ye Feng had betrayed her and the bond between them.
Yet as time passed, through countless memories and self-reflection, her thoughts gradually shifted.
If she could keep Ye Feng by her side, what did it matter even if he practiced methods considered heretic by others? As long as he was still there, as long as they could be like before, that was enough.
Ye Feng... practicing those methods of the Tianmo Sect, could he be hiding within the Tianmo Sect itself?
Ye Youning lowered her gaze slightly, looking at the mysterious vortex in her palm formed by the Chaos Physique absorbing spiritual Qi too quickly. Spiritual Qi flowed within the vortex, flashing with a strange brilliance.
"Chaos Physique? I'll just have to see if you are truly as formidable as they say!"
Ye Youning slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her chest heaving violently. She clenched the hem of her clothes tightly, the veins on the back of her hands slightly protruding.
"The sins committed by the Tianmo Sect, I will definitely make them pay one by one. Even if no one in this world helps me, even if I must endure countless hardships, I will destroy the Tianmo Sect."
"Brother, you must have been bewitched by that demonic sect. No matter where you are now, I will find you and bring you home. No one will ever tear us apart. This time, it's my turn to protect you."
Her eye rims were slightly red, but her gaze was filled with unwavering determination.
The leftover candle on the cyan jade table flickered, casting light on the faint traces of blood beneath the young girl's pale fingertips. The three characters for "Tianmo Sect" twisted like a living thing in the cold wind, and wisps of black mist actually seeped out from between the ink marks. The Chaos mark between Ye Youning's brows suddenly flared, and the sword Qi within a radius of ten zhang spontaneously rang out, grinding the demonic Qi into fine powder.
"Heh." Ye Youning smiled as brightly as before, a cyan lotus of chaos blooming from between her brows. "Brother, no matter where you are."
Ye Youning's gaze gradually turned resolute, and she slowly clenched her fists, as if gathering all her strength into this single moment.
"I will find you out!"
...
Today, an uninvited guest appeared in Li Muyang's peak master hall.
Ye Youning stood quietly in the hall, her posture upright, her eyes revealing a resolute gleam.
"Youning, you are also going to participate in the Seven Peaks Assembly?"
"Yes, Grandpa Li. By participating this time, I will undoubtedly seize the position of chief disciple!"
"Good! That's the spirit! Then you shall represent Hengjian Peak in the battle!"
...
"Where did this Ye Youning pop up from? It feels like she's not even cultivating the same immortality as us."
"You actually don't know? She possesses the Chaos Physique, a born Dao child! Far more formidable than Ye Feng was back then!"
"So exaggerated? Come to think of it, Ye Feng was also a prominent figure in the Tianjian Sect before. Why did he suddenly vanish without a trace?"
"I heard through the grapevine that Ye Feng practiced forbidden arts and even attempted to harm a fellow senior sister, and was dealt with by the sect master..."
"Shh, she's looking over here!"
...
Ever since then, Ye Youning seemed like a different person. The once lively and cheerful girl poured all her time and energy into cultivation.
Ye Youning cultivated, triggering a spiritual Qi vortex; Ye Youning made a breakthrough, drawing three thousand miles of purple Qi from the east; Ye Youning ventured out on trials, slaying hundreds of evil cultivators; Ye Youning went into seclusion, suddenly comprehending the Nine Tribulations Exquisite Heart.
The world marveled that if this young girl were given a few more centuries, she would surely ascend to the summit of the entire cultivation world and become a legend of her generation.
Even Li Muyang, who had lived for a thousand years and seen it all, had never witnessed such a gifted and hardworking cultivation genius, and could only shake his head in wonder at the caprice of fate.
Naturally.
Ye Youning did not care about any of this. In her heart, there was only the vow she had made in that small bamboo house back then... and him, whom she thought of day and night.
Every night, when moonlight spilled into her room, she would sit by the bed, pick up a small knife, and solemnly carve a notch on the headboard to record the days Ye Feng had been away from her.
In her heart, every single notch was a debt that she would definitely make Ye Feng repay one by one in the future.
...
"Female Sword Immortal"
"Chaotic Divine Body"
"Born Dao Child"
Ye Youning's reputation was not only resounding throughout the cultivation world, but her legendary stories were even passed down in the mortal town at the foot of the mountain.
"Shopkeeper, have you heard? There's a female sword immortal up on the mountain. They say even the Heavenly Dao favors her, her Dao arts are unfathomable, and she's drop-dead gorgeous!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Feng couldn't help but chuckle. He gently shook his head, subconsciously rubbing his chin with a hint of undetectable tenderness flashing in his eyes, as if recalling something. "Pretty? I could tell ever since she was little."
"Bah!"
"Shopkeeper, if you and I didn't know each other so well, with an expression like that, anyone else would really think you'd met this female sword immortal!"
"Waiter, bring a bowl of noodles!" The employee hastily acknowledged and hurried off to attend to the customer.
"It seems that without me, she can still live quite well."
Ye Feng looked somewhat weary, lazily leaning over the counter as he gazed at the sky outside the door, murmuring to himself.
His heart was a jumble of emotions, unable to tell whether he was happy or sad.
Over the years, his body had deteriorated day by day under the erosion of the Karmic Fire, its functions nearly exhausted. Every breath felt like consuming the last bit of his vitality.
Fortunately, having practiced immortal arts for a few years in the past, he had barely managed to maintain this somewhat normal appearance. Walking down the street, he could still manage to hear a few calls of "Uncle."
How much longer could he hold on? Ye Feng himself wasn't sure either.
But his simulation time's "balance" was surely running low.
In a trance, the familiar peak of the Tianjian Sect seemed to emerge before his eyes, every blade of grass and tree upon it feeling as though it were right in front of him.
And there was a little girl, picking up pretty leaves everywhere in the courtyard.
...
Just...
Just stay a little longer.
Perhaps there would still be a chance to properly say goodbye.