Chapter 408

Chapter 408: Chapter 407 "Help you with something? I’ll have to see about that. If you’re asking for revenge, it might be difficult. The person who ambushed you all those years ago is probably dead, considering it was ten thousand years ago. I can’t speak for other places, but on Earth, no one can live for ten thousand years. Besides, if that person is still alive after ten thousand years of breakthroughs, he’s likely an Emperor-level Expert by now. Do you think I could be his match?" Ye Tianchen couldn’t help but shake his head and chuckle.

Sword Elder glanced at Ye Tianchen, then picked up his jug of wine and took another sip, laughing as he spoke, "Revenge is just one aspect. So many years have passed, and I’ve come to understand many things. There are more important matters in my heart I wish to tell you about. The top-notch expert who ambushed me that year definitely isn’t dead. Don’t ask me why; it’s just a gut feeling. Moreover, he hasn’t broken through to the Emperor’s Realm. If he had truly become a Great Emperor, the Great Dominator of the universe, he would have definitely come to gather the ancient ten swords. He is most likely still cultivating on the Emperor Star."

"Then what is this more important matter you’re talking about?" Ye Tianchen asked.

Upon hearing Ye Tianchen’s question, Sword Elder took a fierce drink, then stood up and walked to the side of the thatched hut, looking at the stars around. This was the Different Space inside the Xuanyuan Sword, evolving a separate small world. Everything here was authentically real, but for those who entered, finding a way out was difficult. The only path was to conquer the Xuanyuan Sword. The six individuals before Ye Tianchen were all unparalleled experts, their cultivation energy so strong they were close to stepping into the Emperor Realm. Unfortunately, they all failed, slain by the Heavenly Dao power of the Xuanyuan Sword. These six individuals, upon arriving in this Different Space, held themselves in high esteem, confident that their great divine abilities could suppress and subdue the Xuanyuan Sword. None of them had the inclination to exchange words with Sword Elder like Ye Tianchen did; they just directly attempted to subdue the Xuanyuan Sword and thus all met a crushed and broken end.

When Ye Tianchen arrived in this space, Sword Elder had actually been observing him already. He noticed that although Ye Tianchen was young and his cultivation not particularly high, in terms of his age, reaching the peak of the King-level Superpower Realm at twenty, if it weren’t for the lack of cultivation energy on Earth preventing a breakthrough, Ye Tianchen would have probably already reached the Emperor-level Superpower Realm. He was undoubtedly a prodigy with immense talent. More importantly, at such a young age, Ye Tianchen’s willpower was extraordinarily resolute, an iron will that Sword Elder hadn’t anticipated. For those in cultivation, reaching the real strong realms without a determined heart, a relentless spirit that never yields, would be absolutely impossible, because the path of cultivation is fraught with countless trials and not only requires astonishing talent and insight but most importantly, indomitable perseverance.

It was precisely because Sword Elder saw this in Ye Tianchen that he thought him to be a moldable talent and decided to test him. Indeed, Sword Elder still had things he wished to conceal, even planning to entice Ye Tianchen to directly attempt to conquer the Xuanyuan Sword. Little did he know that Ye Tianchen saw through it all, which made Sword Elder regard him even more so. Perhaps Ye Tianchen might actually become, after those six experts, the seventh person who could truly subdue the Xuanyuan Sword, although the likelihood was still very slim, since compared to the previous six experts, Ye Tianchen’s cultivation was far lesser, and he might very well meet the same shattered fate.

"Sigh, back then I wasn’t yet the number one Swordsmith in the world. At that time, there were many cultivators on Earth, with numerous sects and countless strong individuals. Many sought divine weapons that suited them, naturally making this swordsmith very busy. Back then, I was only one of the top swordsmiths, and I had my rivals. So, I really wanted to become the top Swordsmith in the world, which led me to forge swords day and night, resulting in my wife leaving with my daughter!" Sword Elder sighed heavily, seeming full of regret and becoming somewhat downcast.

Ye Tianchen paused for a moment, then asked, "Where did they go?"

"Emperor Star!" Sword Elder looked up at the sky and said.

"Emperor Star, it seems to be a mysterious existence. I wonder what kind of world it is. I’d really like to see it!" Ye Tianchen couldn’t help but smile and say.

Sword Elder then sat back down at the wooden table, picked up the jug and started to drink again, gulping it down to the end, clearly showing the pain and regret inside him for only wanting to be the top swordsmith in the world back then, neglecting his wife and daughter, not taking proper care of them, which led to them going to the Emperor Star alone.

"After she and her daughter left for Emperor Star, I still forged swords day and night, striving to become the world’s greatest Swordsmith, completely oblivious to the fact that being number one doesn’t matter in the end—it all leads to death, unable to achieve eternal life. Instead, I should have had a happy life with my family... Eventually, I did become the world’s top Swordsmith, but by that time, I was old. Looking back, I found myself alone, and I began to miss my wife and daughter more and more. That’s when I realized how important family is, especially for those who cannot achieve eternal life. The time you have with your loved ones might be just a few decades, so I decided to head for Emperor Star to find them. But just then, I obtained the iron that would become the Xuanyuan Sword and, like possessed, I hammered away day and night; you know what happened afterward," Sword Elder said with deep regret.

Ye Tianchen was stunned for a moment; he could feel how deeply Sword Elder regretted, seeing in his eyes the desire to reunite with his wife and daughter. Unfortunately, it was difficult now, as he only left behind a spiritual mark. Were it not for its preservation in Xuanyuan Sword’s different space, it would have completely dissipated, leaving nothing behind.

"Family is the most important, especially when one can’t live forever. But what’s the use of cherishing it? You can’t escape death. It doesn’t matter if I die, but watching your loved ones die before your eyes, feeling utterly powerless, that feeling is a thousand times more painful than killing yourself. So, whether it’s for myself, for my parents and sister, or to empower myself to return and avenge their destruction during the apocalypse, I, Ye Tianchen, must go to Emperor Star to forge!" Ye Tianchen couldn’t help but firmly resolve in his heart.

"But it’s been ten thousand years, your wife and daughter, even if they went to Emperor Star, it’s very likely that they have already..." Ye Tianchen didn’t want to crush Sword Elder’s last bit of hope, so he hesitated.

"I know you want to say they are already dead. However, I want to tell you that Emperor Star is called ’Emperor Star’ not only because it has been visited by a few legendary Great Emperors since the beginning of the universe but also because it is a world filled with fantasy. There, with countless strong ones who can fly and control the weather, exist humans, demons, and monsters. That’s why everyone there seeks power and immortality. It’s a place where living a ten thousand years isn’t rare, although it’s not easy to achieve. When my wife left Earth for Emperor Star, she was already a beginner-level Martial Saint and, in terms of comprehension and talent, she was above me!" Sword Elder said seriously to Ye Tianchen.

Ye Tianchen was dumbfounded by Sword Elder’s words, not expecting Emperor Star to be that kind of world. What surprised him even more was that both Sword Elder and his wife were beginner-level Martial Saint experts. With ten thousand years passed, it’s unknown what sort of being Sword Elder’s wife might have become. Could she have become an Empress? To know, within the vastness of the Great Universe, there has been no legend of an Empress in ancient times or nowadays!

"You’ve never been to Emperor Star. How do you know it’s such a world?" Ye Tianchen couldn’t help but ask.

"Well, let me tell you what Earth was like ten thousand years ago," Sword Elder said with a slight smile.

Sword Elder then described to Ye Tianchen what Earth looked like ten thousand years ago, and Ye Tianchen was continuously astonished. Back then, Earth was in its primordial era, a true era of cultivation whether it was humans, animals, or plants, all could cultivate; the methods and realms of cultivation varied. It was indeed an era where many schools of thought contended and countless powerful beings existed. There were also transmission arrays on Earth capable of traveling to other planets. Sadly, to activate Earth’s transmission array to travel to Emperor Star, one had to have the strength of a Martial Saint. Moreover, once you reached Emperor Star, returning was difficult because there was a formation barrier that only an Emperor could break, not like the transmission arrays which allow free travel to other planets. This is why Emperor Star could never evolve as Earth did over the years.

Earth used to be such a world, entirely a world of cultivation, but for some reason, the cultivation energy gradually diminished until it was no longer enough to allow strong beings to break through their realms. That led many powerful beings to leave Earth through the transmission arrays. Those who didn’t leave gradually died off, and eternal life remained just a dream for all cultivators. Sword Elder speculated that it might have been a war among Supreme Strong beings that destroyed Earth and its transmission array. As for the history that modern humans know, such as the age of dinosaurs, that was just something the Great Divine Ability Users did, not wanting others to discover any secrets, deliberately covered up by great magic.

"Is it still possible to set up a transmission array now?" Ye Tianchen couldn’t help but ask this most crucial question. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to come to Starting Point (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)