A peerless expert!

Yang Ye’s eyes narrowed slightly while he summoned the Demonspawn and An Nanjing within him, but he received no reply.

At this moment, Yang Ye’s heart sank to rock bottom.

The person behind him was far beyond his strength.

To submit or not to submit?

Yang Ye didn’t even consider that question.

The Sword Domain suddenly appeared here, and then two types of intents swept out of Yang Ye’s body. At the same time, a ball of flames appeared.

The Samadhi Flame!

Fight to the death!

Surrender?

That wasn’t Yang Ye’s style. If he got to live because someone else allowed it, it was better to just die.

Suddenly, the hand above his head moved to his shoulder, and then his intents vanished in an instant. As for the Samadhi Flame, it was held between two fingers.

Yang Ye was astounded when he sensed this. While it wasn’t the Samadhi Flame’s main body, it was still extremely strong. Yet now, it had been stopped just like that?

While Yang Ye was shocked in his heart, the hand released him, and the Samadhi Flame returned within him.

At the same time, the mysterious energy pressing down upon him vanished. Yang Ye’s body returned to normal.

Yang Ye turned around, and he was stunned.

It was no expert of the undying race who stood behind him, it was an extremely familiar face.

Tian Xiu!

It was Tian Xiu who was standing behind him.

Yang Ye gazed at her with astonishment, “You…”

Tian Xiu spoke softly, “Are you that surprised?”

Yang Ye nodded, “Tian Xiu, how did you…”

She asked, “Become so strong?”

Yang Ye hurriedly nodded.

She spoke softly, “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you in the future. Come with me!”

She started walking out of the hall.

Yang Ye hesitated for a moment and followed her. Once they arrived outside the hall, everything returned to normal.

Yang Lianshuang gazed at Elder Yuan with shock, “What was that?”

Elder Yuan shook his head slightly, “It’s fine. It was probably that person. Otherwise, we would be dead.”

“That person is strong!” Yang Lianshuang spoke solemnly, “I didn’t expect such an expert to exist in our large universe!”

Elder Yuan nodded, “Neither did I. However, who is it?”

Elder Yuan frowned when he spoke up to this point.

…

Yang Ye left the hall with Tian Xiu and arrived before an expanse of tombs in the city. Yang Ye had been here once. The experts of the void spirit race were buried here. Out of respect for them, he’d ordered that no one be allowed to enter this place. The people in the city naturally didn’t dare to disobey him, so this place was extremely quiet.

Yang Ye glanced at her and asked, “Tian Xiu, where have you been lately?”

She spoke softly, “I went to see someone and ask for something.”

Yang Ye hesitated for a moment and said, “You seem a little different!”

She grinned, “It’s nothing. Right, you’ve been to the undying race’s territory?”

Yang Ye nodded.

She asked, “What do you think?”

Yang Ye spoke solemnly, “The undying race is very strong and beyond anything the large universe can resist.”

Meanwhile, she suddenly turned to look at him, “Then why didn’t you surrender? If you did, then based on your talent and strength, they probably wouldn’t kill you. You’re a rare genius to them!”

Yang Ye thought for a moment and replied, “It’s easy to bend down, but it’s difficult to stand back up again. If I surrender, they will spare me, and so I would be part of the undying race. Then if the undying race encounters a race far stronger than it, and they say that they will spare me if I surrender…”

Yang Ye shook his head, “There’s a saying, it’s better to go hungry than eat from the plate of another. I think that if you’re going to live, you should live your life with dignity. Perhaps I can live if I join the undying race, but I’ll have to do as they say from then on and do things I do not want to do. If you make it sound nice, it’s very helpful; but if you be frank, it’s being their dog. I must kill who they want. So, what’s the point of living a life like that? It’s better to just die.”

The best example were those five progenitors. They’d rather be dogs for the undying race just to live.

That wasn’t something Yang Ye was willing to accept.

Tian Xiu gazed at Yang Ye for a long time and said, “I didn’t misjudge you.”

She looked up at the sky and continued, “If those five progenitors had such a mentality as yours, it wouldn’t be difficult for them to progress a step further in their life. Unfortunately, they take the future too seriously.”

Yang Ye was puzzled, “What do you mean?”

Tian Xiu spoke softly, “They care too much about their Daos. It isn’t wrong because it’s their life’s work. However, it’s bad to care too much. It’s like holding sand in your grasp. The tighter you squeeze, the faster they escape. It’s the same for the Grand Dao! The reason the Dao Progenitor and Confucianist Progenitor were stronger than the others is mainly because they didn’t attach that much importance to their Grand Dao. They attached more importance to their own principles. Actually, it’s no different than staying true to their hearts. Unfortunately, the Grand Dao still had an extremely important position in their hearts, and they weren’t able to fully open their hearts. Otherwise, they would have taken that step a long time ago!”

Yang Ye asked, “The Grand Dao and the heart conflict with each other?”

Tian Xiu shook her head slightly, “No. As far as you’re concerned, they don’t. Your Grand Dao is your heart. But it’s not like that for some people. Their Grand Dao is eternal life, and they are willing to betray their own hearts for that. Yet they do not realize that they grow farther and farther away from that Grand Dao.”

She paused for a moment and continued, “Your father wasn’t bad!”

Yang Ye gazed at her, “Huh?”

Tian Xiu spoke softly, “Your father could actually go further. Unfortunately, he didn’t want to anymore. It’s quite ironic, really. The one who could didn’t want it, but those who couldn’t were doing all they could. But they never realized that they were going in the wrong way.”

She gazed at Yang Ye and continued, “The rare quality you possess is that you stay true to your heart. Your heart is yourself, and it’s your true self. There are too many external factors in our lives, and the more we experience, the more difficult it is to stay true to our hearts. Once we lose our hearts, we lose ourselves. At that time, you won’t be the same person anymore.”

She walked over to Yang Ye and wanted to pat him on the shoulder, but she noticed that she was too short. So, she slowly floated up until she was half a head taller than Yang Ye.

Yang Ye was at a loss for words.

Meanwhile, she patted him on the shoulder, “Above the Progenitor Realm is “true”, the True Dao Realm. The True Dao Realm is a realm where Progenitor Realm experts see through the fog and recognize their true selves, their true hearts, and their true Grand Dao. Your father was actually halfway into the True Dao Realm. Unfortunately, he didn’t choose to finish the other half. Do you know why?”

Yang Ye shook his head.

Tian Xiu explained softly, “Because there were people more important to him than the Grand Dao.”

Yang Ye spoke solemnly, “Tian Xiu, I have a question. Since he didn’t take that final step because of the people who were more important to him, wasn’t he staying through to his heart and himself? Since that’s the case, why didn’t he take that final step?”

She gazed at him, “He desired death.”

Yang Ye’s figure stiffened.

Tian Xiu spoke softly, “By not taking that final step for the woman he loved, he was staying true to his heart. So, he was extremely strong. While not at the True Dao Realm, his strength was no inferior to a True Dao Realm expert. If your mother was still alive, that final step would be as easy as eating food for him. However, your mother passed away, so the Grand Dao was meaningless to him.”

Tian Xiu nodded slightly at this point, “Your father was a true man. He just gave up the Grand Dao which was right within reach, and it’s truly a rare quality. I think that’s the reason why that person respects your father. With his strength, he could have killed your father, but he didn’t.”

Yang Ye fell silent for a long time, “Are you talking about the Unfettered One?”

She nodded, “I’ve met your father, and him.”

Yang Ye asked, “What level is he at?”

Tian Xiu gazed at Yang Ye and grinned, “Do you know what his Grand Dao is?”

Yang Ye shook his head.

She spoke softly, “His Dao is strength.”

Yang Ye was puzzled, “Strength?”

Tian Xiu said, “Strength. He will ceaselessly overcome himself to grow stronger, and he can abandon everything for that goal. His heart only houses strength in it. Even his Sword Dao is just a tool for him to grow stronger.”

Yang Ye asked, “Even if he becomes invincible, what’s the point of that?”

“You’re mistaken!” Tian Xiu continued, “He doesn’t want to be invincible, he wants to advance, advance beyond his current self. It’s an obsession and a state of mind. He wouldn’t be so terrifying if he just wanted to be invincible, and it’s exactly this mentality that does not seek invincibility that makes him so strong. In your heart, your loved ones are the most important, but in his heart, the Sword Dao is the most important. You can abandon the Sword Dao for your loved ones, and he can abandon his loved ones for his Sword Dao. Strictly speaking, there’s no difference between the two of you.”

Yang Ye laughed bitterly, “Then why am I so weak while he is so strong?”

Tian Xiu shook her head slightly, “You’re wrong!”

Yang Ye was puzzled, “Huh?”

Tian Xiu spoke softly, “He may not be stronger than you at your age. You’re just looking for trouble by comparing yourself with him right now. You must realize that you’re not from the same generation. Once you’re at his age, those who come later will think you’re invincible too.”

Yang Ye smiled, “That makes me feel much better.”

Tian Xiu placed her hands behind her back and walked slowly toward the distance, “Come with me. I don’t have much time left. Let me give you some guidance while we still have time.”