Watching the Mountain

[Author’s Note: The reason Ye Shan is so powerful has been foreshadowed and will be explained in later Chapters. He is not at the Golden Core Realm.]

After that day, two names streaked across the world like meteors, reaching its every corner.

Everyone in the Immortal Ancient Cultivation Realm, the Demon Race, and even the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race—separated from the others by a natural barrier—came to know these two names.

One was Sword Dao Ye Shan, and the other was Master Vermilion Bird Ning Xiyue.

Regarding Ye Shan’s honorific title, the people of the Cultivation Realm were all discussing what it should be: Sword Saint, Sword God, or Sword Immortal.

But after much discussion, the people of the Cultivation Realm all felt that these titles were not worthy of Ye Shan.

Many Sword Saints, Sword Immortals, and Sword Gods had appeared throughout history, and more were sure to appear in the future.

But everyone agreed that no one, past or future, could ever compare to Ye Shan in the domain of the Sword Dao.

That day, with a single strike of his sword, Ye Shan had slain every last member of the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race who was hiding in the territories of the Immortal Ancient Cultivation Realm and the Demon Race.

The world was cleansed. In the Immortal Ancient Cultivation Realm and the lands of the Demon Race, not a single member of the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race remained.

Members of the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race are indistinguishable from the Immortal Ancient Human Race; only their soul imprints differ. They do not belong to the same world. After being slain by Ye Shan’s sword, the soul imprints of the dead manifested for all to see.

This was the proof Ye Shan left behind, a message to the world that he had not killed a single innocent person.

According to preliminary statistics, over one hundred million members of the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race were slain by Ye Shan’s sword within the Immortal Ancient Cultivation Realm and the Demon Race’s territory.

Among them were five existences Above Divinity Transformation, thirty-five experts at the Divinity Transformation Stage, over three hundred at the Nascent Soul Stage, and countless other Golden Core Formation Powerhouses.

When this data was released, the Immortal Ancient Cultivation Realm and the Demon Race were in an uproar. A chilling fear gripped everyone’s heart.

Putting aside the terrifying number of one hundred million, the number of Divinity Transformation Stage and Nascent Soul Stage powerhouses alone was nearly ten percent of the total in the Immortal Ancient Cultivation Realm and the Demon Race.

The Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race had spent countless ages laying their plans. Without Ye Shan’s sword strike, if they had been allowed to continue, perhaps it wouldn’t have been long before the Immortal Ancient Cultivation Realm and the Demon Race would have naturally withered away without even a war.

No one knew when the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race began their scheme. Perhaps they had started laying their plans during every war, going back to a time long forgotten.

And no one knew what conspiracy was hidden within the meticulous plans the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race had spent such an eternity crafting.

Because Ye Shan had said he wasn’t interested in any of that. He only wanted to use the lives of the people from the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race to unleash a sword strike so brilliant it would make the heavens and earth themselves green with envy.

Such a stunning and brilliant sword strike was beyond anyone’s imagination. The so-called "pinnacle of the Sword Dao" was not enough to describe it.

Therefore, after much deliberation, everyone could only use the title "Sword Dao Ye Shan" to honor him.

For his very existence was the Sword Dao itself.

And of all those affected, the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race were the most aggrieved.

They had poured countless efforts and the lifeblood of generations into a scheme that took endless ages to prepare, only for it all to be reduced to nothing by Ye Shan’s simple declaration: "I’m not interested." Not even the slightest trace remained.

The insult was so immense that even the people of the Immortal Ancient Cultivation Realm and the Demon Race couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

It was said that after that day, many members of the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race suffered from cultivation deviation. A few of their top powerhouses even suffered damage to their Dao Hearts, coughing up blood in full public view.

They even wanted to break the Great Dao oaths they had previously sworn and launch a full-scale invasion of the Immortal Ancient Cultivation Realm and the Demon Race, but Ye Shan’s lingering might was still present, and no one dared to make a move.

Although everyone knew that Ye Shan must have perished after that brilliant strike, the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race didn’t dare to take the gamble. Even if he was truly gone, who knew if he had left behind any contingency plans?

Therefore, for the foreseeable future, the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race would not dare to invade the Immortal Ancient Cultivation Realm.

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According to news later spread by powerhouses from the Immortal Ancient Cultivation Realm and the Demon Race, the sword strike Ye Shan unleashed that day was powered by a cultivation at least two or three major Realms beyond Divinity Transformation.

And the one who supported him in unleashing that brilliant sword strike was none other than another figure who had stunned the world: the peerless Array Master, Master Vermilion Bird Ning Xiyue.

It was said that at less than a hundred years of age, she had created the Vermilion Bird Array, a creation that surpassed the very limits of the Array Dao.

She sacrificed the telluric energy of an entire region of the world to Ye Shan, giving him enough Cultivation to unleash that brilliant sword strike that made the heavens and earth jealous.

Whenever people thought of her age, they couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss amidst their awe.

At such a young age, she could have had a long and brilliant future, yet she chose to vanish into the river of history just to allow Ye Shan to unleash that one sword strike.

It was said that after that day, every array cultivator in the Immortal Ancient Cultivation Realm and the Demon Race wept inconsolably.

Many Array Masters even pointed to the heavens and cursed Ye Shan.

They said that if Master Vermilion Bird had been given enough time to continue growing, her potential contribution would have been far beyond anything Ye Shan could compare to.

She might have even had the chance to completely expel the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race from this world.

But in the end, such a peerlessly talented Array Master had thrown away her future for that sword-swinging fellow, Ye Shan.

Ye Shan was utterly despicable, the eternal sinner of the Array Dao.

After that day, the proponents of the Sword Dao and the Array Dao argued for a long, long time.

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For the disciples of the Profound Pure Sect, their feelings were complicated.

No one had ever imagined that Ye Shan, whom they had been cursing as nothing more than a stray dog just a few days ago, would suddenly reappear in everyone’s lives in such a manner.

Whether they were older disciples who had lived through Ye Shan’s era or new initiates, everyone had come to the same conclusion—especially after the Evergreen Sword Saint’s meteoric rise and after witnessing Ye Shan demand that Ye Qingxue kill her own child. They all believed that Ye Shan was a man with no hope and no future.

Before long, he would disappear from the Sect’s history.

Yes, Ye Shan had once defined an era. He was an idol for many and had made great contributions to the Sect.

But he had since faded into obscurity.

The Cultivation Realm was never short on prodigies, and the Sect now had the Evergreen Sword Saint. All Ye Shan needed to do was live out the rest of his life in peace and quiet.

But to everyone’s surprise, he had reappeared.

And the manner of his reappearance this time far exceeded anyone’s imagination.

One sword strike to shake the heavens and earth. This was the Ye Shan they were once proud of, and in the future, he would be a source of pride for all.

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While everyone was discussing Ye Shan and Little Xiyue, Xu Ran once again ran into Ye Qingxue outside the Instructor Hall on Qing Xuan Peak.

She was still there to drop Ye Shu off for his class, but she no longer carried the aura of the Little Witch.

She was still very beautiful, but all of her beauty was now restrained.

Ye Shu’s attire had also completely changed. Ye Qingxue had always made him dress like a young Ye Shan, but now, there wasn’t the slightest trace of Ye Shan in his appearance.

Xu Ran personally heard Ye Qingxue admonish Ye Shu, "Don’t be like him."