Chapter 1030

For too many people, the length of a life is difficult to predict.

Especially in this cruel world, perhaps a single accident or a single slaughter could bring it to an end.

Even one as formidable as a god has the possibility of falling; even the Sword-Wielding Emperor will eventually reach a full stop.

But... when judging whether a life is brilliant, length is never the most important standard.

Just as heaven and earth are the guesthouse for all living things, time is the traveler passing through from ancient times to the present.

The most important thing has always been the width of the life one experiences.

It is how one chooses to walk this path that belongs to one's own life.

For all living beings, this is the only freedom that can be grasped.

Like the Sword-Wielding Emperor, who guarded the human race for countless eons—even if the ending cannot be changed now, the width of his life has already spread into the memories of every human.

This is what it means to be vast.

This is what it means to be great.

And today, in the final flare of this fire of life, he finally lets go of everything, feeling a long-lost ease and a sense of being unconstrained, as if reborn.

The sparks of life, colliding within his existence, grow ever more brilliant.

Before his eyes, scenes from many years ago, when he was full of spirit and vigor, seem to emerge.

"Xia'er, Xu Qing, I, this old man, do not demand anything of your future lives..."

"But I wish to share with you an insight of mine, based on the experiences of one who has walked this path."

Outside the Moyu Holy Land, amidst the heaven and earth of the Eastern Wanggu Continent, the Sword-Wielding Emperor walks in the lead, conveying his reflections to the Empress and Xu Qing behind him.

"No regrets, no shame, no remorse."

The Sword-Wielding Emperor speaks softly.

"For all experiences in this life, because I have exhausted my utmost strength, then regardless of the outcome, having released my obsessions, I can be called regretless."

"For all things encountered in a lifetime, because I have remained true to my own heart, then regardless of how the path ahead unfolds, as long as I carry light within myself, this life exists in that light; I can be called shameless."

"If one can achieve these two points, then the people one has met and the choices one has made can be called remorseless."

"Having achieved these six words, this life is transparent; it was not in vain to have come into this world."

The Sword-Wielding Emperor's voice echoes through heaven and earth.

Falling into the hearts of the Empress and Xu Qing, it turns into ripples that linger for a long time.

The Emperor, he has indeed achieved the six words he spoke of.

Guarding the human race for countless eons, he has exhausted his utmost strength, so no matter what the future holds, he has no regrets.

For everything encountered in this life, he has remained true to his heart, and the light within his heart has never been tainted; shining upon the path ahead, it has become glorious, and he owes no shame to anyone.

As for such choices in life, he has also informed the Empress and Xu Qing through his words and deeds.

He has no remorse.

At this moment, laughter echoes through heaven and earth.

It also reaches the three Holy Lands above the Yanyue Xuantian Clan, where the clan's cultivators are currently battling the three gods.

A total of sixteen Profound-rank Holy Lands have descended upon Eastern Wanggu, with four in each of the east, west, south, and north.

Among them, in Eastern Wanggu, one of these four Profound-rank Holy Lands sits above the human race, while the other three... are all at the Yanyue Xuantian Clan.

Right now, these three Holy Lands tremble in unison.

The three Yanyue gods, each moved, retreat with their clans without hesitation, clearing a path leading to these three Holy Lands.

And within the three Holy Lands, the respective Emperors feel a roar in their hearts, their expressions heavy with unprecedented gravity, their gazes instinctively looking over...

They see the Empress, they see Xu Qing, and even more, they see the figure before them—holding a long sword, wearing wide robes, stepping forward, aged yet incomparably upright.

In their eyes, the death aura on this old man is dense to the extreme, yet the light radiating from his soul cannot be drowned out by the death aura; it shines upon him, rising across all of Eastern Wanggu, illuminating the firmament.

"Xia Xian!!"

The Emperors of these three Holy Lands feel a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering sound echoing in their hearts, their faces turning deathly pale in an instant.

Not only are they horrified, but the Holy Lands themselves tremble; as countless Holy Land cultivators feel thunder explode in their minds, the Sword-Wielding Emperor raises the sword in his hand and swings it forward casually.

In his youth, his dream of wielding the sword was to roam the world freely, slaying evil and eliminating wickedness.

After becoming an Emperor, the young him traveled the world with his sword, slaying gods and exterminating malevolent spirits; one man, one sword, branded upon heaven and earth.

In his later years, every time he recalled his life, what he remembered most was still that period of time.

Until this moment, this casual swing of his seems to overlap with his past self, as if the scenes in his memories have merged with the present world.

And so, this sword strike is executed with ease, with joy, with unconstrained freedom.

And this sword strike—the sword light replaces the light of the firmament, the sword Qi becomes the void of this world, and the sword intent transforms into the will of heaven.

With an incomparably domineering momentum, it can shatter the heavens, collapse the earth, and crush all enemies!

It lands on the Holy Land closest to him.

This Holy Land appears like a star.

At this moment, a heaven-shaking roar erupts; as if swept away by an irresistible storm, in the eyes of the three gods, amidst the shock of the Yanyue Xuantian Clan, and under the gaze of Xu Qing and the Empress...

The star-like Holy Land at the very front echoes with a massive sound, a huge chasm appearing on its surface; then, this chasm continues to sink, and within a few breaths, the entire star-like Holy Land is actually pierced through by this chasm.

It collapses directly, split into two from the middle!

The life within is extinguished by the sword light, and all things within are destroyed by the sword Qi!

One Holy Land, roaring as it falls!

Countless life forces are swept up from this falling Holy Land, rushing straight toward the Sword-Wielding Emperor, pouring into his body... not to suppress the death aura, but to serve as nourishment to fuel his combat power.

Without the shackles of the star rings, at this moment, the Sword-Wielding Emperor has not only returned to the peak of his combat power, but also gained the ability to erupt toward a higher level.

Even if this eruption is but a fleeting moment.

But... to hear the Dao in the morning, one can die content in the evening!

With gasps from all directions and the lingering echoes of heaven and earth, the three Emperors turn deathly pale; without a moment's hesitation, they retreat violently, abandoning everything, intending to flee.

Although they are Emperors, facing such Xia Xian might, they are fundamentally unable to resist.

Regarding these three, the Sword-Wielder does not even glance at them, instead speaking calmly.

"Xia'er, Xu Qing, you are my successors, but I have only given you cultivation and the Imperial Sword, and have not yet had time to pass on my divine abilities and sword techniques."

"Today, I shall pass on my Dharma to you."

"My Dao of a lifetime is entirely the sword."

"In different periods of this life, I created sword techniques separately, totaling five forms."

"The first form is named... Earth Treasury."

As the Sword-Wielding Emperor speaks, he raises his right hand and presses down slightly toward the two remaining Holy Lands ahead.

Instantly, those two Holy Lands begin to roar, shaking violently.

The firmament changes color, and the earth seems to be stirred, emitting muffled roars.

This roaring sound strikes awe into the heart and soul.

And the Sword-Wielder's voice continues to echo amidst the roaring of the earth.

"The so-called Earth Treasury is a sword technique I created back then to slay a fierce butcher who excelled in the Earth Dao; this sword primarily triggers Earth Qi, replacing Earth intent with sword intent, transforming Earth Qi into sword Qi."

"After gathering, it condenses into the Earth Sword!"

In his detailed explanation, Xu Qing and the Empress see with their own eyes that amidst the continuous trembling of the two Holy Lands, wisps of smoke rise; this smoke is the Earth Qi the Sword-Wielder spoke of.

More and more appear; in an instant, the earth of these two Holy Lands cracks, as if drained of all nourishment, turning into countless wisps of smoke that churn in the high sky, rapidly converging with one another...

Forming a heaven-shocking great sword!

The moment this sword appears, it is not just the Holy Lands that are in turmoil; even the earth of the Yanyue Xuantian Clan below ripples like the sea.

As if being pulled.

And then... the great sword formed by Earth Qi descends abruptly!

With irresistible force!

Those two Holy Lands, in the eyes of all, collapse directly; the ground turns to flying ash, and along with all living things within the Holy Lands, there is no escape, no obstruction.

In an instant, body and soul are annihilated.

Until the Holy Lands themselves are reduced to nothingness under the destruction of this sword.

Countless life forces are swept up, pouring into the Sword-Wielder's body, his aura surging once again.

With a point of his finger, the Earth Treasury sword disperses on its own at this moment, transforming into countless sharp sword Qi, carrying the aura of the earth, rushing straight toward the three fleeing Emperors in the distance.

No matter how those three Emperors struggle, it is to no avail.

The absolute gap in strength makes death inevitable.

As the sword Qi passes, the three Emperors collapse!

Along with everything they possess, they become nourishment for the Sword-Wielder; after merging into his body, his combat power erupts thunderously.

The winds rise and clouds surge, as if at the absolute peak.

Yanyue is silent, and along with the three gods, they bow their heads one after another.

The figure of the Sword-Wielding Emperor also stirs their memories.

When the Remnant Face descended and Xuanyou departed, that was the bloodiest, cruelest, and darkest period of time for the entire Eastern Wanggu Continent.

Gods were everywhere; enslavement and slaughter were the norm.

Any clan had to either bow their heads or be exterminated.

And the human race's Sword-Wielding Emperor was the only Emperor at that time, and the human race remained the number one clan.

Therefore, the gods attracted were also numerous.

Thus, during that period, the scenes of the Sword-Wielding Emperor battling all the gods who wished to enslave the human race became the focus of all clans' gazes.

Until the battle in Central Wanggu became the swan song.

His true body fell, and only his avatar remained.

But these successive battles finally caused the intention to enslave the human race in the central region to dissipate from then on, forcing many gods to put away their greed.

It seemed that as long as the Emperor existed for a day, this intention would not rise again.

This allowed the human race to survive the initial darkness.

And when the three gods took control of the Yanyue Xuantian Clan, it was after this event.

At that time, the Sword-Wielding Emperor's true body had already fallen, and only his avatar remained to guard the human Imperial Capital, threatening the gods with the power of a single sword.

Thus, the scenes of later generations came to be.

Now, looking at the figure of the Sword-Wielding Emperor, complex thoughts cannot help but rise in the hearts of the three gods.

And similar thoughts do not just emerge in the hearts of the three gods; at this moment, the Sword-Wielder's actions, like that darkest period of time, attract the gaze of all gods of all clans across Eastern Wanggu.

Especially in Central Wanggu, the only place where no Holy Land has descended, at this moment, a gaze looks toward the east.

At the same time, on the outer sea, Yu Liuchen sits on a lonely boat, looking at the void in the distance, his expression full of emotion.

"Others don't know, but according to my story, this guy chose to stay in Eastern Wanggu back then, nine times out of ten because he had a dream of showing off since he was a child."

"So, this damn guy is just a show-off!"

"It was like that back then, and now, facing death, it's clear he feels he hasn't shown off enough in this life, so he wants to show off in a big way!"

Yu Liuchen is somewhat envious and indignant, then... sighs softly.