[In a sea of withered red magical poppy, amidst the rubble of the ruined residence]

Su Qianqian had a look of misery on her face as she cradled Rao Yinyin, whose aura had finally stabilized.

She looked at the sword wielded by the masked man hovering in the sky, and her eyes filled with longing.

The choice her family had made to take possession of the famed sword had ruined them.

To protect her family, Su Qianqian took the sword and left home. Because the sword was in her possession, many people whom she cherished died, one after another.

Things had gotten so bad that even her master was almost killed. If it had not been for Elder Sang showing up in the nick of time, perhaps even her Brother Xiaoshou might have met with that fate.

Su Qianqian clenched her fist tightly, and as much as she wanted to just let go, she could not do so.

It was still difficult to give the sword up.

She heard what the masked man had said. She already had such views even before that, for her grandfather had once told her that the wielders of such swords should expect to face death.

"Grandpa," Su Qianqian whispered sadly.

Her mind drifted as she thought of her father and her family. She recalled what the masked man said to her when he took the sword away.

"Was I wrong?" Su Qianqian asked herself.

Her eyelashes fluttered. Beads of tears dropped onto Rao Yinyin's supple face and slowly rolled down to the corner of her lips.

Rao Yinyin opened her eyes, and she touched Su Qianqian's face with her hand.

She gently scratched away the dried blood on the little girl's forehead. While her voice was weak, her words were resolute.

"Sacrifice is a path chosen by those who protect. It is because such people have love in their hearts. Those who survive would always face unhappiness. But it is because of such sacrifices that you are deemed worthy," Rao Yinyin said.

Su Qianqian shook her head slightly.

"There is no need to be sad," Rao Yinyin said.

Su Qianqian could not contain her sorrow any longer and wept as she said, "But I do not want the sword. I want my family to be around!"

Rao Yinyin cradled Su Qianqian's face and looked at the girl with gentle eyes. The young girl, who had been putting up a tough facade, finally let her guard down.

Rao Yinyin looked at her sympathetically and said, "There are times we have no choice."

"I hate that sword! I hate those people who are after the sword."

Su Qianqian broke down and cried, burying her face in Rao Yinyin's chest.

Rao Yinyin had a look of empathy on her face as she gently squeezed the young girl's shoulders.

She opened her hands and saw dried blood on them. It was from the ruins.

She visualized a vague silhouette from the dried blood on her hands as it glinted in the dim moonlight.

The silhouette looked like a girl dressed in red and bound in shackles, with her knees pulled into her chest and crying.

Rao Yinyin sighed without making a sound. Her Spiritual source wiped the blood off and the red on her hands disappeared before long.

She stroked the little girl's head and spoke in a gentle tone. "Cry to your heart's content. Vent out all your pain and frustration."

"There are times when you are not the one in the wrong, but the world itself is."

…

Voom!

The Epitaph of City Snow shook in the masked man's hand. At that moment, every swordsman present could sense its sorrow.

A drop of blood trickled from the sword, ran along its snow-white blade, and fell off its tip.

The sword trembled violently and shook itself free from the masked man's control, trying to chase after the drop of blood.

SWOOP!

But the masked man quickly reached his hand out and seized the snowy-white sword back.

He ran his fingers along the blade and after quite some time, the quivering sword finally settled down again.

The light in Xiao Qixiu's eyes dimmed.

In the end, he still could not protect what his disciple treasured the most. For now, it was the sword. But what of the future?

"Am I too powerless to protect her?"

Qiao Qianzhi rested his hand on Xiao Qixiu's shoulder. The silence at that moment was the greatest of consolation for him.

Xu Xiaoshou took notice and realized what was happening. He used his Sense to locate Su Qianqian and he could not help but sigh in sorrow.

Sometimes, people had to force themselves to do what they need to do.

"Seems like you do not need an answer. The owner of the sword has already made her choice." There was a glint of laughter seen in the eyes of the masked man.

Hehe, hehe. Cen Qiaofu chuckled.

Elder Sang's mouth twitched. The longer he looked at the two of them, the angrier he got. He clenched his fists tightly.

BOOM! BOOM!

The white flames were still burning on the two of them, and it promptly blew up. Mists of blood instantly sprayed from the two.

"Cough! Cough!"

The masked man was injured right away, but he summoned the Sword Will again and it immediately repaired the damage.

"Pfftt!" Cen Qiaofu spat blood. He glared at Elder Sang with angry eyes. "You…"

"Qiaofu!"

The masked man immediately interrupted Cen Qiaofu. He was afraid that the two aged men might fight it out again. If they were to keep fighting, both he and Cen Qiaofu would probably not have the chance to leave anymore.

"Both of you! Get lost!" Elder Sang growled.

It was the second attack by the Holy Vassal, and Elder Sang wondered if these people thought that they owned the Spirit Palace.

Turning up and leaving as and when they pleased. What was the meaning of this?

But judging from the outcome, it seemed to be the case.

Elder Sang then glowered at Ye Xiaotian.

Ye Xiaotian had told Elder Sang that he would ask for help, yet all the support they received was nothing but trash!

Ye Xiaotian wore an innocent look on his face, not expecting that the Holy Divine Palace would have treated his request with so little regard. He then glared at Jiang Bianyan.

His glowering look said it all. What a bunch of retards!

Jiang Bianyan was speechless.

…

"Let's go."

Cen Qiaofu, who looked withered and did not seem to care about his lifespan. He swung his ax at the sky and ripped the massive array.

An enormous gash appeared at the array, and Qiao Qianzhi winced at the sight of the cut.

"Hold on," the masked man said.

"There is one more thing to take care of."

"Huh?" Cen Qiaofu turned around.

The masked man turned his eyes and looked at the only young man present on site.

"Wen Ming, are you coming with me?"

Everyone looked stunned, and it took a while before Xu Xiaoshou realized what was happening.

What the f*ck? Xu Xiaoshou wondered why the masked man dragged him into it at the end.

Xu Xiaoshou backed away immediately, finding comfort when he saw the four Sovereign Stage seniors standing before him.

"Wen Ming? Who is Wen Ming?" Xu Xiaoshou asked, darting his eyes around.

The masked man looked at a loss for words.

"You are bringing the hedgehog with you?" asked Cen Qiaofu, looking shocked.

Jiang Bianyan turned around with a startled expression, surprised that the Holy Vassal had their eyes on the kid. He wondered what was so special about him.

Was it because he dared to stand around watching the fight?

Elder Sang's face became stony. He knew who the masked man sought, yet Elder Sang was surprisingly quiet. He did not seem to have any intention of interfering.

Xu Xiaoshou was feeling flustered. When the masked guy had come for him the last time, Elder Sang had been very concerned.

Why was he not doing anything now?

Xu Xiaoshou thought that perhaps Elder Sang did not care about him anymore.

Huh, men!

The masked man's eyes were still fixed on Xu Xiaoshou, and he continued to speak as if there was no one else around. "Kid... if you are willing, I could take you away from here right now."

"Nope, I am not going anywhere," answered Xu Xiaoshou, rejecting the offer outright.

"..."

"Take a little longer to consider," coaxed the masked man.

"I refuse!" Xu Xiaoshou shot back.

What was there to consider, eh? Regardless of how glorious an evil terrorist organization was, they would always end up being annihilated in the end.

Xu Xiaoshou's mind was clear. Only those with no choice would consider such an option. Besides, he had no intention of making himself a public enemy.

: Cursed, Passive Points +1.

Jiang Bianyan looked shocked and thought that the kid had guts. He dared to speak so bluntly even after witnessing what the masked man was capable of.

After hearing their exchange, Cen Qiaofu looked surprised.

"Damn, kid. Among all the young ones I have met, you are undeniably a hedgehog with the most courage. You have earned my admiration."

Xu Xiaoshou said nothing.

Everyone who knew him was familiar with how he behaved. Even the masked man had gotten used to the way Xu Xiaoshou spoke.

"Why are you not coming with me?"

The masked man ran his fingers over the massive sword in his hand and pressured Xu Xiaoshou further.

Xu Xiaoshou pretended as if he felt nothing and replied indifferently, "I am having a good time here in the Spirit Palace. So, why would I want to leave with you? It is a question you should think about instead."

The answer left the masked man speechless.

He looked stunned. The kid was sharp-tongued.

Despite having gotten used to the way the kid spoke, there were still times where he could not respond with a comeback.

"It would be a waste of your talents if you stayed here. Come with me. I will reveal to you all the ways of the sword that you could only dream about."

"All the ways of the sword?"

Xu Xiaoshou raised his eyebrows, thinking that the masked man was bragging.

But the cheeky lad had other ideas in mind.

"Sorry. But my way of the sword is not something that needs teaching from others," he retorted.