"Life and death are iron laws—不可忤逆,不可违背."

Ye Zhu said with a smile, "I’ve already lived more than two hundred years. These years I’ve fought and killed all over the world, and have exhausted all my Cause and Effect and allotted fate. Now, if I want to extend my life, there is only one path."

He paused.

"To become one of the Heavenly People."

In that instant.

The entire Baihua Valley fell utterly silent.

So quiet a pin drop could be heard.

"So..."

The smile on Ye Zhu’s face slowly faded. "This is a doomed attempt. Even if you have the Longevity Lamp, even if you borrow for me that so‑called Reincarnation Skill, in the end it still won’t succeed."

Xie Xuanyi’s expression grew heavy.

The situation was worse than he had imagined.

If... the Heavenly Dao has fixed the lifespan of every Cultivator, and those whose allotted span is exhausted cannot Reincarnate...

Then Ye Zhu’s Reincarnation is doomed to fail, and Chen Jingxuan’s Reincarnation is also doomed to fail?

"Let’s try."

Xie Xuanyi did not give up.

No matter what, if a wisp of soul thought remains, then a wisp of hope remains.

What he cultivated was precisely the Path of Life and Death—

What "Heavenly Dao’s fixed numbers"?

Xie Xuanyi had never believed in that!

He himself could not yet contend with the Great Dao, but if in the Future he becomes one of the Heavenly People, becomes a True Immortal?

With this wisp of soul thought—

Xie Xuanyi would have the chance to drive the Reincarnation Skill!

"In truth... whether I live a second life or not, it no longer matters..."

Ye Zhu said with a gratified smile, "This life of mine has already been splendid enough."

Looking back on the past.

Famous in his youth, in fine clothes upon a fiery steed, he too had once been high‑spirited and proud.

When Ye Zhu came of age, he had already become the number one Sword Cultivator of Qing State. If not for Zhao Chunyang, then he would be the number one Sword Immortal of this Da Chu Dynasty!

"Senior Ye, are you certain you want to give up the chance of Reincarnation?"

Xie Xuanyi fixed his gaze on the old man and suddenly said, "Though my Master the Sect Leader’s lifespan had reached its end, he used his Divine Travel body to step into the River of Destiny... It might be that he is still waiting to see you again."

As these words fell.

Ye Zhu’s expression became subtly complicated.

"..."

The old man softly murmured the three words "Zhao Chunyang."

Many people said that Ye Zhu’s meeting Zhao Chunyang was a misfortune.

When he was young, Ye Zhu also thought so.

But as the years went by.

His thinking gradually changed.

Now he felt that meeting Zhao Chunyang was in fact a kind of good fortune.

This life of his, so vast and turbulent, truly began to grow interesting only after he left Qing State and met that fellow surnamed Zhao.

Shhhh!

The breeze flowed once more.

Xie Xuanyi, in his soul thought body, extended his palm, facing upward.

Duan Zhao’s Lotus Token floated to rest above his palm, and all the flowing wind in heaven and earth converged upon this token.

Ye Zhu hesitated for a moment, then slowly stretched out his hand and laid it upon Xie Xuanyi’s palm.

In the end, he still sent out a wisp of soul thought.

A thought, a longing.

One lives a lifetime; in the end one must leave behind at least a single longing.

What if he still had the chance to see that old fellow one more time, to fight one more bout?

...

...

"Xiao Xie, I still have some requests that may be overstepping."

"After I’m gone, I must trouble you, for the sake of our past friendship, to look after Baihua Valley a little..."

"Ye Qinglian’s aptitude cannot compare to yours, but she makes up for it in steadiness. If nothing unexpected happens, in a few more years she actually has a chance to Promote to Yang God."

"Baihua Valley has never had any desire to take part in worldly struggles over fame and profit..."

"If anyone harbors ill intent and seeks to stir up chaos, you may cut them down with a single sword."

"If there are young Disciples with decent talent who are worth guiding, I also ask that the Sword Palace look after them."

Red maples fell in a flurry.

The old man rested his palm on Xie Xuanyi’s.

His tone was very slow, he spoke with great seriousness, his manner set very low, faintly tinged with supplication.

With him here, Baihua Valley was a major power in Qing State.

But if he died.

Now Baihua Valley suffered a break in succession; the Valley Master was only at Yin God Peak. If no one watched over them, their Qi Fortune would likely gradually decline, until they eventually fell completely into mediocrity.

"Senior Ye, after today, I will leave a Lotus Token for Baihua Valley."

Xie Xuanyi’s eyes were complicated; he let out a soft sigh, then gave his promise with great earnestness: "If Miss Ye does not mind, she may enter the Thirty-three Cave Heavens of the Sword Palace, as well as the Sword Forest, to cultivate. If there are any genius Disciples in Baihua Valley, the Sword Palace will likewise spare no effort to foster them."

Ye Zhu had the kindness of having passed him sword moves.

Ye Qinglian and he were dear friends across two lives.

And... Miss Yuan...

The debt of life Miss Yuan sacrificed for him in the South Border was already one he could no longer repay.

"Good... good..."

Having obtained this promise.

Ye Zhu’s whole being clearly relaxed, his bearing loosening by quite a bit.

He knew very clearly what Xie Xuanyi’s promise meant...

This was the Future Sword Palace Master of Da Sui, and also the most powerful Seeker in a thousand years.

With Xie Xuanyi here.

The Baihua Valley legacy would not be severed.

Now, he had only one last wish left.

Before the end.

To see Xie Xuanyi display "Burning Flower" once.

...

...

"The wind is rising."

Ye Qinglian and Duan Zhao stood together on the outer edge of the tomb mounds, quietly waiting.

Countless fallen leaves gathered into a Leaf Barrier, turned into a Barrier, and shrouded Ye Zhu and Xie Xuanyi.

They could not see clearly the scene within the Barrier, nor did they know exactly what the two were talking about.

Suddenly.

The entire Baihua Valley tomb grounds were swept by a great wind, and the Leaf Barrier suddenly vanished.

Leaves all over the ground were swept up by the wind.

It was a magnificent sight: Xie Xuanyi slowly retreated, standing ten zhang from Ye Zhu. He extended two fingers and lightly tapped between his brows; the great wind thus arose, and the fallen leaves thus began to dance...

"This is..."

Duan Zhao’s eyes lit up as he muttered to himself.

"Burning Flower..."

Ye Qinglian stared at this scene, dazed, her mind lost.

In truth, she had seen this Divine Skill more than once. Ye Zhu was very fond of her and had personally instructed her in earlier years, evolving it again and again.

Only...

This was still the first time Ye Qinglian had felt such a dense, overwhelming intent within [Burning Flower].

At this moment, the entire Baihua Valley tomb grounds condensed into a world.

After Harmonization.

Xie Xuanyi’s [Burning Flower] had of its own accord fused with Life and Death Dao Intent; every leaf lifted by the wind carried within it an ultimate Life and Death Intent!

Heaven and earth dimmed, and then split into black and white.

Withered leaves rose into the Sky Vault, briefly renewing their life, turning a radiant green.

The next instant they fell, exuding a rich Death Qi, dry and shattering.

In one instant.

Ten thousand withered leaves danced like a great tree greeting spring.

In one instant.

Countless fallen petals flung themselves down as decisively as a silver torrent pouring to the ground.

Every petal, every leaf, was a strand of Sword Qi, was a single Life and Death.

Such a magnificent Divine Skill...

Had already surpassed Ye Qinglian’s understanding.

The red‑robed old man seated beneath the tree watched this Harmonized Burning Flower Divine Skill; his expression turned shaken, then entranced, then tranquil.

It was like a display of fireworks.

Exhausting all splendor.

Perhaps...

This was the ultimate extremity of Sword Intent sought by [Burning Flower].

Fallen flowers and withered leaves, burning once in a roaring blaze—did that not perfectly mirror a single Life and Death under the iron law of the Heavenly Dao?

Ye Zhu’s face faintly showed an expression of sudden enlightenment.

The past two hundred years.

Like mist. Like flowing water. Like falling flowers.

"How beautiful it is."

The old man leaned back, resting against the red maple tree, and let out a long sigh of contentment and ease.

Life being thus.

What regret could there be?

...

...

The Burning Flower Dao Rain slowly came to an end.

The tomb grounds returned to clarity and stillness.

"Ye Zhu!"

Ye Qinglian was still immersed in the shock brought by the Life and Death Intent within [Burning Flower].

Only after a long time did she return to herself.

Ye Qinglian cried out in alarm, and only then did she notice that the Life Token clutched tightly in her sleeve had already shattered. She hurried forward; beneath the red maple tree, the old man, with a satisfied smile on his face, was already in his final sleep.

"Master..." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

On the other side, Duan Zhao, heavy sword on his back, watched the figure that had walked out from within the Lotus Token, walking through the rain of petals toward the tomb grounds.

Many steles were carved here.

Many swords still remained here.

Xie Xuanyi walked past them one by one, and finally stopped before a new stele.

Moss grew faintly upon the stone.

Before the stele, a Soft Sword was still thrust into the ground, swaying with the moss in the wind.

"..."

Xie Xuanyi silently reached out and drew it forth.

He examined the sword that Miss Yuan had worn at her waist in life.

The Reed’s blade quivered lightly, in the Burning Flower Dao Rain rippling out rings of delicate ripples.

This sword.

Still retained an extremely faint, extremely faint soul thought.