“Clear your mind and focus. Everything within the Sword Domain is you, and you are everything within the Sword Domain…. You’re invincible within the Sword Domain!” As her voice resounded in Yang Ye’s mind, Yang Ye slowly closed his eyes. This time, he didn’t try to control the Sword Domain, he started to sense everything within it instead.

The first thing he sensed was Nether Maiden’s Laws. It was very powerful, extremely powerful! It was powerful to the point that even his sword intent couldn’t harm it. The energy of her Laws had forcefully changed everything around him. For example, the sky, the scorching sun above the sky, and everything around him were pitch black like the veil of night. Moreover, his body was clearly filled with boundless vitality, but it was gradually being transformed into Death Energy now.

It was the reversal of Yin and Yang!

It was a type of energy of the Laws, and it has surpassed the scope of techniques.

Yang Ye’s vision gradually grew clearer. He used to see everything around him with his eyes, yet now, he was using his heart to view it, and such observation through the eye of his heart allowed him to notice some things that he’d never come into contact with in the past.

It was the quintessence!

The quintessence of all things! The quintessence of energy and the quintessence of the Laws. Of course, he’d only noticed it yet hadn’t grasped it. Moreover, he understood that he’d merely noticed the tip of the iceberg.

At this moment, Yang Ye understood why the Sword Sect’s Founding Ancestor’s sword intent was that powerful. It was because it contained the energy of the Laws possessed by the Unfettered One. To put it simply, it couldn’t be considered as mere sword intent, it should be considered as sword intent of the Laws.

What were the Laws?

Yang Ye didn’t know the answer to that. Because he hadn’t grasped them. But he understood what the quintessence of things were. He could clearly sense all sorts of energy including space and time within the scope of his Sword Domain. All of them seemed like they’d been magnified 10,000 times within his mind, and every minute detail was clearly visible to him!

After he grasped the quintessence of these things, it couldn’t be any easier to break them open

and destroy them.

Now, he finally understood why his Sword Domain wasn’t strong in the past. It was because he hadn’t understood the true meaning of the Sword Domain, and he was just utilizing it instinctively to suppress his enemies. That was exactly why his Sword Domain had been shattered with a single strike from Nether Maiden that day.

Yang Ye’s eyes slowly opened up, and then Sword Intent surged out from within him. This time, the sword intent wasn’t shattered by the energy of Nether Maiden’s Laws. The sword intent seemed to be one with the space and air around Yang Ye. It could be seen and sensed, yet it left no traces behind!

The sword intent formed a ball that started enlarging with Yang Ye at the center. Everywhere it passed, space turned from black to white while Death Energy was converted into vitality. It wasn’t long before everything within Yang Ye’s Sword Domain had returned to calm. Moreover, his sword intent filled his Sword Domain, and the sword intent had merged completely with the heavens and the earth. Even space had merged with it!

Everyone in the surroundings was petrified.

“The impregnable Sword Domain!” A long time passed before the blind old man spoke.

“Another Sword Sect’s Founding Ancestor has been born!” The headless person spoke as well.

At this moment, Nether Maiden opened her eyes, and she gazed at Yang Ye for a long time before she said, “Congratulations. No one at the mid-grade Half-Saint Realm or below can kill you now!”

Yang Ye glanced at Nether Maiden, and then his figure flashed and transformed into a ray of light that vanished into the horizon.

“Your highness, he’ll definitely become a formidable enemy to our Hallowed Halls if he isn’t killed!” Those white robed elders of the Hallowed Halls appeared by Nether Maiden’s side while one of them spoke solemnly.

Nether Maiden looked towards the horizon for a short while, and then she withdrew her gaze and glanced at the old man, “You want me to die with him?”

The old man’s expression changed, and then he hurriedly said, “I dare not ask that….”

Nether Maiden paid no further attention to the old man. She turned around and transformed into a ray of light that vanished from their fields of vision. The old man’s face changed indeterminately, and he seemed as if he wanted to pursue Yang Ye. However, one of the old men by his side said, “While he has grasped some of the ability of the Sword Domain, he’s far inferior to the Sword Sect’s Founding Ancestor. The Supreme Exalts are on their way to the southern territory, so he’ll only be giving his life away by returning there. But if we pursue him now, even if we’re able to kill the Half-Saint puppets he has and kill him as well, it would be a pyrrhic victory for us. It isn’t worth it!”

The old man hesitated for a long time upon hearing this. In the end, he abandoned his intentions to pursue Yang Ye and returned to the Hallowed Halls with the others.

Meanwhile, the blind old man gazed towards the direction Yang Ye had left and said, “He’s both righteous and evil. He kills the members of the Hallowed Grounds yet kills the defiant profounders as well. If he leads the southern territory to attack us while we fight the defiant profounders in the future, then it probably won’t end well for us. He’s only 5,000km away right now. I’m 90% confident in my ability to kill him if I act now!”

“I’ll definitely eat you!” Yin’yin gazed at the old man and spoke seriously, “Even though big brother doesn’t allow me to eat people, I’ll break the rules once if you dare to kill him!”

The corners of the old man’s mouth twitched, and he said, “How cruel of you, little girl. How long have we known each other? How long have you known him? Yet you actually intend to eat me for him? I really doted on you for nothing!”

Yin’yin grunted and remained silent.

Meanwhile, the headless person spoke abruptly, “Only if the 3 of us stay together would we be able to resist the Hallowed Grounds and defiant profounders. If we fight each other, then it would be no different than courting death. Just leave that kid, Yang Ye, alive. It’s just as you said earlier. He fights the defiant profounders as well. Perhaps he might become an ally of ours in the future. There’s a very high probability for that. Because it’s obvious that he has been very good to Yin’yin!”

“Of course!” Yin’yin took her chain in her hand while pride covered her face.

“You’ve been bewitched by him….” The blind old man shook his head and vanished on the spot.

“Let’s return and cultivate in preparation for the war that’ll start 2 months from now!” The headless person vanished as well.

Yang Ye stood there and gazed off in the direction Yang Ye left towards for a long time, and then she finally went back into the city.

…

Yang Ye’s figure shot swiftly towards Profounder Continent. While he was confident in Elder Mu and Lu Yan, the experts that were coming from the Hallowed Grounds were no weaklings. Moreover, based on what Nether Maiden said, the Hallowed Lord seemed to have acted as well. So, he had to rush back no matter what.

“She had the chance to kill you earlier!” Suddenly, the Sword Spirit’s voice resounded in his mind.

“What makes you think that?” Yang Ye didn’t really believe her. Because he really felt like he was the god of the area within his Sword Domain.

She asked, “Do you think that you’ve really grasped the Sword Domain?”

“Have I not?” Yang Ye frowned.

“You’re still very far from that!” She continued, “The Sword Domain is like a world. Do you know what a world is made of? It’s made of the Spatial Laws, Temporal Laws, Life Laws, Karma Laws, Rebirth Laws…. In short, a world is made from countless Laws and countless types of materials. All of them together is what others call the ‘Dao’. Do you know why the Sword Sect’s Founding Ancestor was that strong? It was because he’d grasped his own Dao. He had countless Laws to support him within his Sword Domain, but what about you? You haven’t even grasped a single Law, so how strong can your Sword Domain be?”

Yang Ye opened his mouth but was at a loss for words.

Meanwhile, the Sword Spirit continued, “The reason I said she could kill you was that she’d grasped a trace of the energy of the Laws. You should be aware that there’s no absolute invincibility in this world. Just like your Sword Domain. If the energy of the Laws she possessed was slightly stronger, then she would still be completely capable of crushing your Sword Domain. Just like the Sword Sect’s Founding Ancestor, his strength had far surpassed the limits of this world. So, he could even pierce a hole through the heavens. But is your Sword Domain stronger than this world?”

Yang Ye remained silent for a long time before he said, “I understand what you mean. The strength of the Sword Domain depends entirely upon me. If I’m strong, then it would be strong; but if I’m weak, then it would be weak as well!”

She remained silent for a long time before she spoke again, “At least you’re not completely beyond saving. You haven’t become lost in your newfound strength.”

Yang Ye laughed bitterly and said, “If you didn’t warn me, then I might have really gotten lost in it. You know… I actually had the impulse to fight Supreme Exalt He in a one on one battle.”

“Then you would be giving your life away!” She said, “That fellow’s strength has practically arrived at the peak of this world. So you wouldn’t be a match for him even if you attain the Half-Saint Realm!”

“I’m still quite weak in the end!” Yang Ye shook his head and stopped lingering on this. After all, it wasn’t something he could rush. “Right, you said Nether Maiden could have killed me? Why?”

“Didn’t you realize that she hasn’t used her full strength?” The Sword Spirit said, “Of course, she should have been clearly aware that unless she tries to take you down with her, it would be impossible to kill you while you have the Sword Domain. In short, if you go against her in the future, then you have to be careful. Besides that, remember not to use the Sword Domain again!”

“Why?” Yang Ye was puzzled.

The Sword Spirit suddenly said, “Do you know how long more you can live for?”

“At least a few hundred years!” Yang Ye spoke frankly. After all, he’d attained the Monarch Realm, so he should have a few hundred years of additional lifespan.

“Sense it yourself and see!” said the Sword Spirit.

Yang Ye hesitated for a moment when he heard this, and then he started to check through his body. A moment passed before astonishment filled his eyes. Because he noticed that his remaining lifespan could last for a month at most!

“What’s going on?” Yang Ye spoke with shock, “Is it because of Nether Maiden?”

“No!” The Sword Spirit continued, “This is why I didn’t tell you how to utilize the Sword Domain. Because if you are to utilize it now, then you’ll have to pay a price, and you might not be able to afford paying such a price!”

“Why has this happened!?” Yang Ye spoke in a low voice.

“Earlier, your Sword Domain contained the energy of 2 Laws. The Temporal Laws and Spatial Laws. However, you haven’t grasped any one of them. So, it was like a person rashly activating a profound technique without fully grasping it, and that person would definitely suffer backlash as a consequence. You suffered backlash from utilizing the Sword Domain. Understand?” said the Sword Spirit.

“Isn’t this backlash a little too terrifying? A month….” Yang Ye had an utterly bitter expression on his face. Because if he didn’t think of a way to increase his lifespan or advance in his cultivation within this month of time, then only death would be awaiting him.

It didn’t take long for Yang Ye to arrive at the teleportation formation which led to Profounder Continent. To Yang Ye’s surprise, there was no one guarding the formation. He didn’t have the mood to think about why it was like that, and he just flashed into it.