100: Chapter 98 Guarding the Tomb?

He suddenly recalled Li Yue’s cold yet submissive eyes, Cold Moon’s gentle smile tinged with resignation, and every night the master and disciple pair wore wedding robes to please him on his couch.

Did they know their Sect originated from such a story?

If they knew, what would they think?

Chu Ye had no answer.

He temporarily pushed this question to the back of his mind and looked around.

The Ancient Battlefield remained deadly silent, broken weapons and severed halberds scattered as before, and the Dao trace left by the Sword Immortal in the air had completely dissipated.

He stood alone in the center of the scorched wasteland, with no one else around.

It was time to find those who had been scattered.

Chu Ye closed his eyes and sank into the depths of his consciousness.

The world Origin of the hundred phoenix diagram flowed slowly; the women bound to him by blood pact were like faint but clear lamps scattered across the vast map of the Heavenly Road.

The nearest lamp was about three hundred li to his southeast.

The aura was cold as frost, carrying a moon-like fluctuation that hadn't been fully restrained after a recent Breakthrough.

Li Yue.

Chu Ye opened his eyes, his figure flickering as he turned into a streak of light and sped toward the southeast.

Three hundred li was but a brief moment for a Cultivator who had stepped into the Peak of the immortal Dao.

Chu Ye landed in front of some ancient palace ruins.

This place was clearly also a Secret Realm; the palace's design bore a thirty percent resemblance to the Guanghan Immortal Palace, yet it was older and more rugged.

Moss and cracks covered the surface of the moon-white stone, and the air was filled with a dense Taiyin power, sharing the same source as the master and disciple pair, Li Yue and Cold Moon, but more primitive and wild.

Moon God Temple Ruins.

The moment Chu Ye stepped into the temple gate, he wasn't met with an attack or a Restriction, but two familiar gazes that turned toward him simultaneously.

Li Yue and Cold Moon sat side by side in the center of the hall, surrounded by taiyin origin that hadn't been fully refined; they had clearly been practicing here for some time.

Sensing an intruder, they instinctively took a defensive stance, then relaxed the moment they saw who it was.

"Revered Master."

the master and disciple pair spoke in unison, their voices carrying a slight tremor of relief that even they hadn't noticed.

Chu Ye didn't speak immediately.

He observed the Revered Master and Disciple; Li Yue’s aura had changed.

That faint "Bottleneck" that had been pressing on the Peak of her Realm had completely vanished.

The lunar power around her was no longer deliberately restrained as before, but flowed naturally into the surroundings, resonating with the residual Taiyin dao rhyme in this ancient hall.

At the center of her brow, a very faint silver mark vaguely appeared, shaped like a crescent moon, deep and reserved.

Fourth level of the True Immortal Realm.

Li Yue lowered her head, seemingly unaccustomed to the aura of her recent Breakthrough, or perhaps waiting for Chu Ye’s judgment.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, their shadows falling on her fair cheeks like the swaying wings of a butterfly.

Cold Moon’s aura had also changed.

She was originally the previous generation's palace Revered Master, but her cultivation had dropped due to certain reasons; now, in this Moon God Temple which shared the same source as the Guanghan Immortal Palace, she had finally returned to her proper height with the help of the taiyin origin refined together by the Revered Master and Disciple.

Her gentle charm, accumulated over hundreds of years, now possessed a bit more composure and ease, like an ancient sword covered in dust for many years finally being wiped to reveal its proper edge.

"Your cultivation has improved quite a bit," Chu Ye said.

"It is all thanks to the Cultivation Technique and Opportunity bestowed by Revered Master," Cold Moon lowered her eyes, her voice soft and warm. "If not for the Foundation laid by Revered Master, we, the Revered Master and Disciple, would not have been able to refine the taiyin origin here so smoothly."

Li Yue didn't speak, only lowering her head a bit further.

Chu Ye looked at her.

He remembered back in that Sword Immortal Legacy stone room, at the final moment, Xuanji’s veil had slipped half an inch.

Beneath that half-inch was a soft and fragile existence that had never been opened to anyone.

And at this moment, the small patch of exposed skin on the side of Li Yue’s neck was as fair as ever, but it had already been kissed by him countless times.

He suddenly spoke, "Do you know how the Guanghan Immortal Palace was founded?"

Li Yue and Cold Moon raised their heads simultaneously, a flash of bewilderment in their eyes.

"The records state... the Ancestral Master traveled here ten thousand years ago, saw the condensation of lunar light and the spiritual beauty of heaven and earth, and thus established the Sect..."

Li Yue’s voice carried uncertainty. "Why does Revered Master suddenly ask about this?"

Chu Ye didn't answer immediately.

He reached out and gently lifted Li Yue’s chin. He had performed this action countless times, each time with an irresistible control. But this time, his strength was unexpectedly light.

There was doubt in Li Yue’s eyes, obedience, and a faint expectation that she might not even have noticed herself.

"Your Ancestral Master," Chu Ye said, "once had a Dao Companion."

He paused.

"He was a Sword Immortal. Ten thousand years ago, she was trapped in a desperate situation, and he protected her with a broken sword until his last breath. He died, and she survived."

"Later, she founded the Guanghan Immortal Palace. The very first rule of the Sect—'Do not involve in external strife, do not provoke the Mortal World'."

"That wasn't some ascetic discipline."

Chu Ye looked into Li Yue’s eyes, which were beginning to ripple. "It was her way of guarding an empty grave, waiting for someone who would never return."

The hall was silent.

The taiyin origin flowed slowly around the master and disciple pair, reflecting their faces as if they were soaked in moonlight.

Cold Moon’s voice was somewhat strained, "How... did Revered Master learn of this?"

Chu Ye didn't answer. He simply released Li Yue’s chin and withdrew his hand.

"How long your Ancestral Master guarded that empty grave, how many years she waited, and where she finally went, I do not know."

"The ruins of that Sword Immortal in the Heavenly Road have already collapsed; perhaps no one in this world will ever know that story again."

He looked at Li Yue.

"But you know now."

Li Yue stared at him blankly.

In those eyes as cold as the moon, for the first time, a very complex emotion appeared that Chu Ye had never seen before.

It wasn't obedience, it wasn't fear, and it wasn't the numbness or resignation after being conquered.

It was an indescribable... touch, almost breaking through the surface.

"By telling us this,"

Li Yue asked softly, "what does Revered Master want?"

Chu Ye was silent for a moment.

"I don't know."

He said, "Perhaps I just wanted to tell you that the coldness and aloofness of the Guanghan Immortal Palace were not innate."

He turned and walked toward the outside of the hall.

"Since the taiyin origin has been refined, follow me to find the others. The Heavenly Road has just begun, and there are tough battles ahead."

As his back was about to vanish into the halo of the palace gate, Li Yue’s voice came from behind him.

"Revered Master."

Chu Ye stopped.

"...Thank you."

That voice was extremely light, so light it was almost drowned out by the flow of the Taiyin power. But Chu Ye heard it.

He didn't look back, only slightly turning his head.

"There is no need for thanks."

His figure disappeared outside the palace gate.

Li Yue stood in place, not moving for a long time.

Cold Moon walked to her side and gently took her slightly cool hand.

"Revered Master..." Li Yue’s voice was a bit hoarse, "The first rule of our Guanghan Immortal Palace for generations... was actually to guard a grave."

Cold Moon didn't speak, only gripping her trembling fingers a bit tighter.