The Sovereign's Ascension

The tenth level was a legend, so it wasn’t surprising that everyone was curious about it. Sensing everyone’s gazes, Lin Yun fell into deep thought briefly before he spoke out, “There’s nothing on the tenth level. No legend or treasures. There’s only a dream.”

“A dream?” This made everyone shocked as they began to discuss among themselves.

Lin Yun then went on to share what he experienced in the Black Lotus Palace and what he saw on the tenth level. When he was done, everyone in the camp fell into silence. If what Lin Yun said was true, then there was truly nothing on the tenth level except for a dream left behind by that mysterious man.

That man had already died, but his sword still protected his ancestors’ legacy. It was just as he said, his glory lasted for an eternity.

“I’m afraid that no one can accept that there’s nothing on the tenth level aside from us,” sighed the Sword-Bearing Elder. Everyone in the Sword Firmament Pavilion were swordsmen. So they could understand why the mysterious man did that.

Luo Feng smiled, “The other sects probably thought that we got a supreme treasure and ganged up on us.” 

“Well, they deserved what they got. This can be considered a lesson for them,” said the Sword-Bearing Elder coldly.

Mentioning this topic, Lin Yun cupped his hands together, “I’m sorry for bringing trouble to the sect…”

But before he could finish, the elders smiled. Luo Feng explained, “Lin Yun, I believe you still don’t understand our sect’s style. We never take a step back. This is a teaching left behind by our ancestor, Jian Wuming. We must be unwavering like our swords, so as long as we maintain our guts, there’s no way the Sword Firmament Pavilion will be extinguished even if we decline.”

Lin Yun was briefly stunned. He was touched by those words.

The Sword-Bearing Elder continued, “Even if it was another disciple in this position today, the sect would still protect him. After all, how can we continue to stand in the empire if we retreated today? The Primal Origin Sect has been eyeing on taking the mountain back and annihilating our legacy. We were threatened with annihilation many times, but we still stood firm. Those words are also the reason why we can exist today.”

“I understand,” nodded Lin Yun.

“Okay, we’ll call it a day today. The treasures you handed over are too important and I have to consult Guardian Plum on how to reward you,” said the Sword-Bearing Elder. “But you don't have to worry about it. The sect won’t make you suffer a loss.”

“There’s no hurry for that. I’ll take my leave first,” said Lin Yun.

Looking at Lin Yun, the Sword-Bearing Elder revealed a gratified smile. He now knew why both Guardian Plum and the Pavilion Master paid attention to Lin Yun. Based on the treasures he gave to the sect, the people who died didn’t lose their lives for nothing.

All the elders sighed when they saw this scene. They might not have Lin Yun’s composure if they were in his position. After all, who wouldn’t be tempted by so many treasures?

After all the sects left the Extermination Barrens, the Sword Firmament Pavilion decided to stay behind for a full day to rest. They wanted to drag out the time as long as they could, but they knew that it was impossible to stay forever because they had to return to the sect as soon as possible.

The blizzard was strong at night, but it would disappear the next day just as quickly as it came. Lin Yun sat in his tent and tended to his injuries. The injury on his chest wasn’t fatal, but the saber intent was what made it a fatal attack. Lin Yun was only in the Profound Martial Realm, so it was impossible for him to get rid of the saber intent by himself.

But it was fortunate that the Sword-Bearing Elder was around to remove it for him. The wound might seem nasty, but Lin Yun could recover from it in three days. He had over exhausted himself in this battle, so he needed some time to recover.

When footsteps came from outside his tent, Lin Yun opened his eyes to see Wang Zhen, Tang Tong, and a few other senior brothers. They were here to show concern for his injury. They were from the same sect and they were also acquainted with Lin Yun, so it made sense for them to come.

They felt relieved when they heard that Lin Yun’s injuries weren't serious and then they started to talk casually. As their conversation continued, they gradually talked about the battle. Although they had been in the sect for a long time, they had never experienced such a huge battle. They were fortunate to make it through.

Thinking back on it, all of them fought with the potential of dying. When their conversation slowly moved to Liu Yue, they agreed that Liu Yue wasn’t so bad.

Now that Lin Yun thought about it, Liu Yue had never oppressed him with the fact that her father was the general of the Divine Guards. This meant that Liu Yue wasn’t born with a vicious heart. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be difficult for her to mess with him.

“What are you guys talking about?” Xin Yan walked into the tent.

“Senior Sister, we were talking about Liu Yue and why she helped us,” said Wang Zhen. This made Tang Tong smile bitterly because he knew that Wang Zhen was courting death with those words.

Xin Yan smiled with her eyes narrowed into slits. She replied, “Isn’t it because of our junior brother’s charm? He probably captured her heart when he saved her. After all, which girl doesn’t yearn for a hero? It must be because our junior brother has charm.”

Lin Yun merely smiled. He didn’t say a word because he knew that Xin Yan had some opinions about Liu Yue.

“Alright, you guys can leave. I’ll tend to junior brother’s injuries,” said Xin Yan.

“Alright.” Everyone instantly felt relieved, especially Wang Zhen. He even winked at Lin Yun.

Very quickly, only Lin Yun and Xin Yan were left in the tent. Xin Yan revealed a charming smile and she asked, “Are you removing your clothes yourself or do you need me to help you?”

Lin Yun knew that Xin Yan was teasing him again, so he smiled, “I’ll do it myself.”

He started removing his shirt, revealing his injury. Aside from the one on his chest that was so deep that his bones could be seen, there were also other smaller injuries left from the fight. Many of his injuries hadn’t dried up yet.

Xin Yan kept smiling and a droplet of water appeared on her palm. It was the Aquamoon, Xin Yan’s Martial Soul. It couldn’t be casually used because Xin Yan had to rest for a long time in order to recover.

Xin Yan first used her Martial Soul to cleanse Lin Yun’s wounds before bandaging them for Lin Yun. Speaking of which, Xin Yan was a publicly known beauty in the Sword Firmament Pavilion. She had a wonderful figure and anyone would be charmed by her if they weren’t composed.

Lin Yun didn’t have those thoughts though. Then again, that didn’t mean he was a saint. He could sense that Xin Yan was like family and he cherished their relationship.

“Senior Sister, I initially intended to give you the sword. But senior brother was more suitable with it, so I gave it to him.” Lin Yun started a conversation to break the awkward silence. 

Xin Yan casually smiled, “It’s all the same. He’ll use the sword to protect me anyways.”

“But I noticed that senior brother didn’t seem too happy about it. Does he have another cosmic artifact?”

“Haha, he’s just acting. He needs to maintain his image of a senior brother in front of you, right? I saw him swinging the sword when I was walking over here and he quickly hid it when he saw me. I wasn’t too bothered about it at first, but I know the reason now. He must be worried that I’ll take it from him.” Xin Yan smiled, “Big brother is composed on the surface, but he’s actually worried that I might snatch it from him. Do you also think I’m that sort of person?”

“Of course not,” smiled Lin Yun.

“But I feel that you still have to give me another one. Otherwise, I might really take it one day.”

“Sure,” replied Lin Yun.

“You promised too quickly. That’s not fun,” smiled Xin Yan as she tapped on Lin Yun’s forehead. “Alright, go to sleep.”

Before Lin Yun could react, Xin Yan released a gentle light that flowed into Lin Yun’s body. In that split second, Lin Yun felt that all the pain had disappeared. Now that he finally relaxed, he was overwhelmed by the exhaustion and his consciousness slowly blurred.

Lin Yun closed his eyes and he slowly collapsed. Xin Yan’s face was pale as she looked at Lin Yun sleeping. She stared at his face for a long time before she left.