Shing!
The moment Ye Xuan drew his sword, Qin Yue's hand, which was only half an inch away from Ye Ling's head, suddenly stopped. In the next instant, his entire right hand fell from his body!
Blood gushed like a fountain!
Qin Yue's face turned pale as he rapidly retreated.
He backed off several dozen feet, but just as he stopped, a faint sword light was already in front of him!
This was not a second strike; it was a strand of sword energy emitted by the first slash!
At that moment, Qin Yue was utterly terrified. He didn't have time to think, and clenched his left hand into a fist, punching forward with all his might!
This punch contained almost all his remaining strength.
Facing life and death, he dared not hold anything back!
As his fist went forth, a shockwave followed!
The sword arrived!
Shing!
As soon as the sword made contact with the fist, Qin Yue's entire left arm flew off, and blood spurted out like a spring!
At the same time, Qin Yue was knocked several dozen feet away.
Ye Xuan did not attack further because at this moment, his right arm had begun to crack, with blood constantly oozing out. Not only that, but after unleashing that strike, he felt like there was a raging storm inside his body. He felt extremely uncomfortable, even weak, as if all his strength had been drained!
It was extremely painful!
From afar, Qin Yue looked at Ye Xuan in disbelief, "Sword energy... How is that possible? You are a sword cultivator... No, sword energy... You must be a Great Sword Cultivator... No, you are clearly only at the Qi Transformation Stage, how could you possibly unleash sword energy, let alone be a Great Sword Cultivator?!"
If one could master the basics of the way of the sword, they could be called a sword cultivator. Sword cultivators could be divided into regular sword cultivators and Great Sword Cultivators. If a sword cultivator could use their sword to project sword energy, it meant they had reached the level of a Great Sword Cultivator. Great Sword Cultivators were relatively rare. In the entire Jiang Country, there were fewer than a hundred Great Sword Cultivators, most of whom were over fifty years old. Yet the Ye Xuan before him was only eighteen!
That was why Qin Yue was so shocked!
Ye Xuan gave Qin Yue a cold glance, "Are you still not getting lost?"
Qin Yue was stunned for a moment, then turned around and disappeared from the sight of Ye Xuan and his sister!
The moment Qin Yue fled, Ye Xuan collapsed, and Ye Ling, beside him, was startled, quickly supporting him, her voice trembling, "Brother, are you okay?"
Ye Xuan forced himself to sit up. Seeing Ye Ling's worried expression, he forced a smile, "I-I'm fine. Don't worry, I'll meditate for a bit."
With that, he slowly closed his eyes.
"Senior?"
Ye Xuan called out in his mind.
The mysterious woman spoke, "I know what you want to ask. The One Sword to Decide Life and Death technique is too fierce. You are too weak right now to handle its power. For you, using it is akin to injuring your enemy by a thousand, but hurting yourself by eight hundred. The reason I taught you this technique at this time is to make you understand something about the way of the sword. It's about perception and attitude. What kind of attitude you have, that's the kind of sword path you will walk."
Hearing this, Ye Xuan fell silent.
Perception? Attitude?
Why did he manage to unlock the One Sword to Decide Life and Death technique just now? It wasn't through rigorous practice; in that moment, he simply wanted to keep his sister safe. That was his only thought!
As the mysterious woman once said, this One Sword to Decide Life and Death wasn't exactly a sword technique but rather a kind of sword philosophy.
The mysterious woman continued, "The version of One Sword to Decide Life and Death you are currently using can barely be considered a high-grade profound level sword technique. The reason you suffered such severe backlash is that you haven't reached the Qi Mastery Realm yet, and you cannot truly control your qi. The sword energy you unleashed just now wasn't your own cultivation; it was due to the power of the technique itself, hence the backlash. Once you get your sister to the Imperial Capital, you must find a spirit sword to absorb, and quickly reach the Qi Mastery Realm!"
Ye Xuan nodded, "Understood! No wonder using that technique drained me completely. Still, it was worth it—at least I managed to sever that old man's arms!"
He smiled slightly at this thought.
That old man was at the Skywalking Realm!
"Foolish!"
The mysterious woman suddenly said coldly, "Though that man's cultivation was shallow, he was still not someone you could easily contend with. You managed to sever his arms partly because he underestimated you after knocking you back initially. Had he known you were a sword cultivator and been on guard, do you think you could have severed his arms so easily?"
Hearing this, Ye Xuan's expression became serious.
Indeed, if the old man had been cautious from the start, would he still have managed to sever the man's arms?
In the initial exchange of blows, he had been utterly defeated. If it weren't for his cultivated golden body, that initial palm strike could have killed him!
The mysterious woman continued, "The gap between your cultivation levels is simply too large. To challenge someone across two realms with your current power is impossible unless you can master a Dao Principle and activate the World Prison Tower within you."
Dao Principle?
Ye Xuan asked in a low voice, "Senior, you mentioned Dao Principles before. What exactly are they, and where can I find one?"
The mysterious woman replied, "Once you become a sword master, you will naturally understand what Dao Principles are."
Ye Xuan: "..."
The mysterious woman continued, "One more thing: don't only think about your sister. The seal on the second level is already showing signs of loosening. If you don't increase your strength quickly, when that seal is broken, no one will be able to save you."
Seal loosening!
Ye Xuan took a deep breath. He hadn't forgotten about what the mysterious woman had said. The first level had imprisoned a Sword Lord, who was already dead before Ye Xuan arrived. But the one in the second level was still alive. If the seal was lifted, that being might very well kill him first!
Fortunately, he still had some time.
Ye Xuan reined in his thoughts and opened his eyes. Though he still felt weak and exhausted, he was much better than before. He had to be cautious in using the One Sword to Decide Life and Death from now on. If it didn't kill the enemy, it would surely be his end.
If the old man had continued attacking earlier, he would have been done for.
There was still a gap between him and a Skywalking Realm cultivator, but if he fought with all he had, he still had a chance.
"Brother... are you okay?" Ye Ling suddenly asked.
Ye Xuan looked at her pale face and smiled gently, "Don't worry, just need some rest."
Hearing this, Ye Ling relaxed a bit, but her expression soon darkened, "Brother, I'm useless... I..."
Ye Xuan said seriously, "Don't overthink. Once you're well, I'll take you to cultivate. When you become a warrior, you can protect me, alright?"
Ye Ling looked at Ye Xuan, "Can I really cultivate?"
Ye Xuan smiled, "Absolutely!"
Ye Ling clenched her little fists, her expression firm, "Brother, I will become super, super strong one day, and I'll protect you too!"
Ye Xuan ruffled her hair, smiling, "I'll be waiting for that day!"
Ye Xuan had no idea that this casual promise would be etched in the young girl's heart forever.
After resting for an hour, Ye Xuan took Ye Ling on their way again.
Qianshan City!
Ye Xuan sped up. He noticed that Ye Ling now needed to wear thick clothing even during the day, and had to consume two Nourishment Pills to suppress the coldness within her.
If this continued, they would run out of pills in half a month, and worse, the Nourishment Pills might eventually stop working!
If that happened, it would be a dire situation!
He had to get to the Imperial Capital as quickly as possible!
Shortly after Ye Xuan and his sister left, the Qin family patriarch, Qin Ba, and the maimed Qin Yue appeared in the abandoned mansion's main hall.
Looking at the severed arms on the ground, Qin Yue's face was extremely grim, and Qin Ba's expression was equally dark.
After a moment, Qin Ba said solemnly, "Is he really a Great Sword Cultivator?"
Qin Yue nodded, "If not, how could he sever both my arms?"
Qin Ba clenched his fists, his face sullen, lost in thought.
After a while, Qin Ba sighed, "We cannot avenge this."
Qin Yue's face was dark, but he said nothing.
Indeed, a Great Sword Cultivator, and such a young one at that—just the thought was terrifying! How could the Qin family dare seek revenge?
However, Qin Ba continued, "Still, we can't let this slide entirely. Spread the word that Ye Xuan has dozens of high-grade spirit stones on him. Once that news gets out, many will take an interest in him!"
Hearing this, Qin Yue's expression eased slightly, "True. Though our Qin family cannot avenge this, others surely will."
He looked at Qin Ba, "Is this Ye Xuan also from the Ye family?"
Qin Ba nodded, "He was originally the heir, but after the Ye family produced Ye Lang, a Chosen One, Ye Xuan was suppressed and eventually forced to swear to leave the family. He's no longer considered a member of the Ye family."
Qin Yue was stunned, "Are the Ye family elders out of their minds?"
Qin Ba nodded, "The Ye family has become a joke among the surrounding towns. Ye Xuan was even challenged personally by the Kingdom's Martial Champion, and it's said that the Champion thought highly of him. The celestial phenomena seen that day were also caused by Ye Xuan, not Ye Lang, but the Ye family elders credited it to Ye Lang and celebrated lavishly... Truly, these elders and their patriarch are fools to the extreme!"
Qin Yue nodded, "Indeed foolish. How is the Ye family faring now?"
Qin Ba said, "They're struggling under pressure from several other families. Since we can't seek trouble with Ye Xuan, we might as well use this as an excuse to extort some benefits from the Ye family. Come, let's return and gather our people to settle accounts with them!"
With that, Qin Ba turned and left.
In the hall, Qin Yue looked at his severed arms, his expression complex. This grudge could not be avenged! Not only could he not avenge himself, but he also couldn't avenge Qin Shang!
Though he held resentment in his heart, he knew very well that this matter should end here.
As a small family, one must know who they could afford to offend and who they couldn't.
If the Qin family continued to seek revenge, they might face total annihilation! After all, Ye Xuan wasn't only monstrously powerful himself but was also favored by the Martial Champion. If the Qin family sought revenge, it would be sheer foolishness.
Moments later, Qin Yue also left.
Not long after, a group from the Qin family set out for Qingcheng to find the Ye family...
Ye Xuan could not be provoked, nor avenged, but the Ye family could!