"Young Master, the Prince has given his orders. Don't blame this old man for what comes next."
Ye Sandao sighed, but he wasn't surprised.
'As far as the Prince was concerned, he had plenty of sons. But only those with value were worthy of the title.'
Following Xiao Jing's command, Ye Sandao raised his saber and slashed at Xiao Mo.
Xiao Mo kicked at the longsword hidden in the sole of his shoe, sending it flying. The blade shot out, thrusting toward Ye Sandao's throat.
The instant Ye Sandao tilted his head to dodge, Xiao Mo was already upon him. He grabbed the hilt of the flying sword and swung it horizontally at Ye Sandao's head.
Ye Sandao raised his saber to parry from an awkward angle.
"CLANG!"
Ye Sandao felt a massive impact. It didn't feel like he'd been struck by a sword, but rather smashed by a hammer.
Ye Sandao crashed through a rockery, sending rubble tumbling to the ground.
"Go!"
Not wanting to prolong the fight, Xiao Mo turned, scooped up Jiang Qingyi, and headed for the exit.
Coming to her senses, Jiang Qingyi began acting like a willful little girl, pounding on Xiao Mo's chest. "Let me go! I don't need you to save me! Let me go!"
"Since you've come, don't even think about leaving." Xiao Jing took a Token from his robes and infused it with Spiritual Power.
Just as Xiao Mo was about to fly out of the Xiao Mansion, the mansion's Array activated, enveloping the entire estate and preventing anyone from leaving.
'Alas…' Xiao Mo sighed to himself. 'So close.'
"Move!"
Suddenly, Jiang Qingyi shouted, braced her hands against Xiao Mo's chest, and shoved him away.
In that very instant, a saber slash flew through the space between them.
Ye Sandao slashed at Xiao Mo once more.
Xiao Mo met his attack with his sword.
Their attacks were a blur, too fast to be seen clearly.
All around the Xiao Mansion, rockeries exploded and buildings collapsed.
Jiang Qingyi charged downward, her longsword aimed straight at Xiao Jing, planning to take down the leader to end the fight.
"It seems I'm being underestimated."
Xiao Jing sneered, drew his sword, and slashed at Jiang Qingyi.
Jiang Qingyi swung her own sword to meet his, and the residual Sword Qi from the clash carved a deep trench in the ground behind them.
But for a Nascent Soul Realm Cultivator like Xiao Jing, killing an injured Golden Core Realm cultivator like Jiang Qingyi was all too easy.
As their blades were locked, Xiao Jing saw an opening. Simultaneously redirecting her force, he kicked her in the stomach.
Jiang Qingyi spat out a mouthful of blood, rolling endlessly on the ground.
Xiao Jing seized the opportunity, thrusting his sword down to finish her off.
"CLANG!"
Just as Xiao Jing's strike was about to land, Xiao Mo reached Jiang Qingyi's side and parried it with an upward slash.
Xiao Jing was shocked. He hastily parried, but was still knocked back ten meters.
"A man at death's door!"
Xiao Jing's brow furrowed. With a thought, he activated the Array, sending a Fire Phoenix swooping toward Jiang Qingyi and Xiao Mo.
He truly wanted Xiao Mo dead, without a shred of pity in his heart.
He didn't care that removing the Sword Bone would cause Xiao Mo's Divine Soul to dissipate, erasing even the possibility of reincarnation.
"BOOM!"
Xiao Mo shielded Jiang Qingyi with his own body and took the full force of the attack!
"No!" Jiang Qingyi screamed.
Xiao Mo fell backward. Jiang Qingyi clutched her master tightly, sensing that his Life Fire was about to be extinguished.
"Han'er, go and kill that woman, then take his Sword Bone. Once you have both your Double Pupils and the Sword Bone, you will be invincible!" With the situation well in hand, Xiao Jing addressed his son.
"Yes, Father!" Xiao Han walked toward them with a dagger, not hesitating for a second.
Though Xiao Han had never met this older brother, he despised him.
No matter what he did, he was always compared to Xiao Mo.
This infuriated Xiao Han.
'Xiao Mo is just some loser with a transplanted Sword Bone. What right does he have to be compared to me?'
'And when he learned the Sword Bone belonged to someone else, he actually left the Xiao Mansion to find that woman.'
'Utterly ridiculous!'
In Jiang Qingyi's arms, Xiao Mo coughed a few times, his fingertip lightly tapping the ground.
The ground rippled like the surface of a lake, with circles spreading outward from Xiao Mo and Jiang Qingyi.
Before Xiao Han's eyes, the two of them suddenly vanished.
"Father..." Xiao Han whipped his head around, thinking they had escaped.
"This Sword Bone truly is remarkable, to allow a Sword Cultivator to manifest a Sword Realm," Xiao Jing said, walking forward. "Don't worry, son. They haven't gone anywhere."
Xiao Jing picked up a stone and tossed it over. The stone instantly shattered, as if it had hit an invisible wall.
"This is the Sword Realm of a Sword Cultivator. Xiao Mo has pulled Jiang Qingyi inside, which is why they appear to have vanished."
Xiao Jing turned to ask Ye Sandao, who was beside him.
"How long will it take to break his Sword Realm?"
"In response to the Prince, I will only need three strikes," Ye Sandao said confidently, stroking his beard.
...
Every person's Sword Realm is different.
Xiao Mo's Sword Realm was a clear lake, its surface reflecting the blue sky and the white clouds drifting lazily past.
"Master, you won't die... You won't die..."
Within the Sword Realm, Jiang Qingyi knelt on the surface of the lake as ripples spread out from her.
The water reflected both of their images.
"Silly girl. No one is immortal. It's just a matter of sooner or later."
Resting in his disciple's arms, Xiao Mo's breathing grew weaker and weaker.
But in the next moment, streams of water rose from the lake's clear surface.
Like ropes, these streams of water bound Jiang Qingyi and suspended her in midair.
"Master, what are you trying to do?"
Jiang Qingyi struggled, but she was completely unable to break free.
Xiao Mo struggled to his feet and walked toward Jiang Qingyi step by step. "I'm not doing anything... just returning what's yours."
Jiang Qingyi froze for a second, then screamed, "Xiao Mo! Are you crazy? Let me go! I don't want that Sword Bone! I can still get my revenge without it!"
Xiao Mo pretended not to hear, simply continuing to walk until he was behind her.
"Xiao Mo, I'm warning you! If you dare give me that Sword Bone, I'll hunt you down for all of eternity! I said I would kill everything connected to Xiao Jing! That includes you! If your very soul is annihilated, how am I supposed to kill you?! I don't want to use something you've used! Get away from me!" Jiang Qingyi's voice grew louder and louder.
But Xiao Mo remained deaf to her pleas. Gripping his longsword, he cut open her smooth, pale back.
One section of Jiang Qingyi's spine was formed from Spiritual Power.
Xiao Mo shattered this spiritual spinal bone directly.
"AHH!"
Jiang Qingyi's limbs went taut with pain as she let out a wretched scream.
Immediately after, Xiao Mo controlled his Flying Sword to slice open his own back. Reaching behind, he pulled out the Sword Bone.
Xiao Mo held the crystal-clear Sword Bone and placed it into her back.
As if returning home, the Sword Bone rapidly fused with Jiang Qingyi, and even the torn flesh stitched itself back together.
Xiao Mo walked in front of Jiang Qingyi, his body gradually dissolving into motes of Spiritual Power.
Xiao Mo smiled at his disciple, reaching out to place a hand on her head, just as he had when he'd first brought her into the sect:
"Qingyi, forgive Master. This is the last time..."