Xi Jingxuan followed Guhong Zhenren and departed.

Although she felt somewhat reluctant, she was even more delighted—delighted that Jun Changxiao could immediately call out her name upon seeing her face.

“Master!”

On the road, Xi Jingxuan beamed with joy. “Decades have passed, and he still remembers me!”

Guhong Zhenren was speechless.

The stronger a warrior’s cultivation, the stronger their memory. Unless they suffered amnesia from an accident, forgetting was almost impossible—especially after a mere few decades. She really didn’t know what her foolish disciple had to be so happy about!

“Alas.”

Guhong Zhenren shook her head, thinking to herself: “The most difficult thing in the world to understand is truly the affairs between men and women.”

“Master.”

Xi Jingxuan said, “Why do I feel that the heavenly and earthly attributes in the upper realm are richer than before?”

“That’s because your state of mind has changed,” Guhong Zhenren replied.

“Oh.”

……

Jun Changxiao led his disciples aboard the Tonggu Warship, returning to the Eternal Sect. However, standing at the bow, he contemplated seriously.

The deeply scheming Lingyao Empress—did she just die like that?

“Turned to ashes.”

The system said, “Definitely dead as a doornail.”

Jun Changxiao shook his head. “This woman seized the Supreme Mystery Scripture, schemed against nine Martial Emperors to aid her ascension, showing she values cultivation realm and power extremely. How could she easily seek death?”

The system countered, “In my opinion, Empress Lingyao knew she couldn’t defeat Ye Xingchen, so she could only accept her fate readily.”

“No, that’s not right!”

Suddenly, Jun Changxiao slapped his forehead. “After Ye Xingchen was killed, his soul possessed another body to be reborn. Since that woman also cultivated the Supreme Mystery Scripture, even if her physical body was destroyed, wouldn’t she also have the possibility of resurrection?”

“This…”

The system was at a loss for words.

“Master!”

Jun Changxiao hastily summoned the Supreme Mystery Elder, carefully inquiring about matters concerning the Supreme Mystery Scripture. After all, he was the one who created the manual. The result… the answer he received was: “I did create the Supreme Mystery Scripture, but it has no function to allow souls to be reborn.”

It doesn’t?

Gou Sheng immediately frowned.

The Supreme Mystery Elder said, “Even in the upper realm, there are no martial arts that allow a warrior’s soul to be reborn. How could I, someone who focuses on array research, create such a heaven-defying technique?”

“Something’s wrong, something’s very wrong!”

Jun Changxiao rubbed his temples. “If Master’s cultivation method doesn’t have the soul rebirth effect, how did Ye Xingchen possess a body several thousand years later? Could it be… System, what do you think?”

“There’s definitely something fishy about this!”

……

Inside the cabin.

After a difficult internal struggle, Ye Xingchen still took out the Supreme Mystery Scripture that bore her lingering fragrance.

This manual held extraordinary significance for him. If he hadn’t obtained it, he wouldn’t have died at Empress Lingyao’s hands, wouldn’t have been reborn to join the Eternal Sect, and wouldn’t have his current achievements.

“Now that I’ve broken through to the Upper Truth-Seeking Realm, what use is keeping it?”

Flames gradually rose in Ye Xingchen’s hand, clearly intending to burn it and completely bid farewell to the past.

However, just as he lifted the Supreme Mystery Scripture, a letter slipped out from inside and drifted down to the floor.

Ye Xingchen frowned.

But his body honestly retrieved it, focusing on the lines of graceful handwriting.

“Night Emperor.”

“When you see this letter, I should already be dead, so congratulations—your great vengeance is avenged.”

“…”

Ye Xingchen’s eyes flashed with fury.

Before dying, this woman left a last testament—why did it feel like she was mocking him?

“In your previous life, you were devoted to the martial path, ignorant of worldly affairs, unable to understand human relationships. In this life, to have so many fellow disciples, I’m happy for you. It also proves that extinguishing you back then was the right decision.”

Reading this line, Ye Xingchen nearly burned the letter.

Killing me was right? What kind of talk is that?

“Actually, there’s something I really wanted to tell you in person, but I know of your hatred toward me, so I can only inform you through this letter after death.”

“The Supreme Mystery Scripture created by the Supreme Mystery Elder has no ability to allow a warrior’s soul to be reborn. The formulas written within were actually deliberately modified.”

Reading this, Ye Xingchen’s expression became dazed.

“You may be very curious—if it can’t enable rebirth, why did possession still occur? This is because you have another identity shocking enough to shake the upper universe and even change the order of heaven and earth.”

“Hmph.”

Ye Xingchen thought to himself: “Who is she trying to fool?”

Although the previous Night Emperor was strong in power, his intelligence clearly couldn’t keep up. Now, under Jun Changxiao’s tutelage, while he seemed foolish, his intelligence had basically reached a normal passing grade.

“You may question whether I’m deceiving you. That no longer matters, because when that day comes, you’ll understand that everything I did was for you.”

“Finally.”

“I hope you can become even stronger, until you possess the power to shake the universe, to fulfill the words you once said—’All under heaven belongs to the sovereign, all shores of the land belong to the sovereign’s subjects.'”

Ye Xingchen looked utterly bewildered.

Did he really say those words before?

The signature on the letter bore only the two characters ‘Lingyao,’ with brush strokes subtly revealing reluctance and attachment.

“This woman’s attempt at redemption is too poorly done.”

Ye Xingchen crumpled the letter into a ball. He originally intended to burn it, but after hesitating, still stored it in his spatial ring.

“Xingchen.”

At this moment, Jun Changxiao’s voice sounded in his ear: “Are you asleep yet?”

“No.”

“Come to the pilot cabin.”

……

“Something’s wrong!”

“Something’s very wrong!”

Inside the pilot cabin, the Supreme Mystery Elder carefully examined the Supreme Mystery Scripture he had created, saying in surprise: “The formulas on the last two pages weren’t written by me!”

This martial technique, which belonged to a rank above Divine Grade in the Xingyun Continent, was something he created on a whim when researching the Heaven-Seizing Fortune Array years ago. Every character, every diagram was personally written, so naturally he remembered them clearly.

“It was modified by someone?” Jun Changxiao asked.

“Correct.”

“Who modified it?”

“You’re asking me, but who should I ask?”

“…”

Jun Changxiao looked toward the constantly silent Ye Xingchen. After struggling for a long time, the latter finally took out the last testament that Empress Lingyao had left him.

“‘All under heaven belongs to the sovereign.'”

“‘All shores of the land belong to the sovereign’s subjects?'”

“Tsk tsk.”

After reading it, Jun Changxiao stroked his chin. “How arrogant and domineering these words are.”

“This disciple never said them,” Ye Xingchen stated.

“You didn’t say them in your previous life, but perhaps you said them in the life before that,” Jun Changxiao replied.

Ye Xingchen was confused.

“Xingchen.”

Jun Changxiao patted his shoulder. “If what Empress Lingyao wrote in the letter is true, you might truly have an earth-shattering identity.”

“That woman was deeply scheming. Knowing she would surely die, she deliberately left this letter to disturb my state of mind.”

“That’s quite possible.”

“Sect Master.”

Ye Xingchen said seriously, “This disciple now only wants to wholeheartedly cultivate the martial path, using my life and remaining years to defend the Eternal Sect!”

Jun Changxiao said, “This Sect Master is very gratified.”

“Go back and rest.”

“This letter…”

“Leave it with this Sect Master for now.”

“Yes.”

After Ye Xingchen left, Jun Changxiao picked up the last testament, thinking to himself: “The handwriting is quite beautiful.”

“Doesn’t the host find it familiar?”

“A little, but I can’t recall.”

“Need a reminder?”

“If you have something to say, say it quickly. If you need to fart, fart fast!”

“…”

The system stopped beating around the bush and said, “Host can randomly take out a fragment of the Seven Profound Radiant Breaking manual and look.”

These words were like a wake-up call. Jun Changxiao immediately slapped his forehead, exclaiming: “I knew it looked familiar! Turns out the writing style is extremely similar to the handwriting on the fragments!”

—