Chapter 154: As a Teacher, As a Father

With a deafening roar, the canyon was completely shattered by their battle. A winding canyon hundreds of kilometers long was abruptly and thoroughly cleaved apart right at the epicenter of their clash.

The mountains on both sides completely collapsed into ruins. The canyon floor was piled high with fallen debris, and atop the rubble lay vast patches of snow, blurred in shades of red and white. Yet, amidst the pitch-black abyss of this colossal pillar of energy, color had long since ceased to matter.

Following the thunderous explosion, Xia Chuan lay amidst a massive crater. He had lost his entire right arm, and his body was covered in crack-like fractures. It was the tragic end of a hero; his gaze was hollow, and the last remaining spark of life within him flickered, on the verge of being extinguished by the biting cold wind.

Moyuan stood with his foot planted squarely on Xia Chuan's chest. Beneath his mask, a grim, ferocious smile curled his lips. He breathed heavily, the white mist exhaled from his lungs instantly dissipating in the freezing air.

On the shoulder guard of Moyuan's battle armor, there was a wound—small and shallow, resembling a knife cut, lacking even a trace of blood. Instead, wisps of dark vapor constantly drifted from it, endlessly attempting to heal the breach. Yet, it was real; it had truly pierced his armor and inflicted a wound upon him.

This was the desperate, all-or-nothing blade intent of Xia Chuan.

"Xia Chuan, you are strong. Truly strong. Even in my era, those capable of refining blade intent to this level could be counted on one's fingers."

"Had you been born in my era, your achievements would have far surpassed the mere Nascent Soul realm you hold now! In that era when heroes vied for supremacy across the realm, you could have unleashed your full potential, unfettered and unbound as you are today."

"You are a man possessed of the aptitude to attain immortality. What a pity. This world has already changed; it is at its twilight. Here, your achievements can only go this far, and your life must end right now."

Moyuan let out a profound sigh, genuinely lamenting Xia Chuan's fate.

"I... in life, I am a man of Great Xia; in death, I remain a soul of Great Xia!" Xia Chuan's lips moved with arduous effort. His voice was faint and weak, yet his tone remained resolute and unquestionable. A sudden glimmer of nostalgia surfaced within his hollow eyes.

It was the day he first entered the military camp. The sun was setting, casting a warm, orange glow across the barracks. Hearty laughter echoed through the camp, the kind of hazing every recruit had to endure. Naked to the waist, Xia Chuan and the others bathed in the fading sunlight together. Behind them fluttered the banner of Great Xia. Amidst the rising laughter, Xia Chuan, blushing, bare-chested, and standing straight, swore a solemn oath alongside his comrades.

Men of Great Xia, the State of Great Xia, the Soul of Great Xia! While the men live, the nation lives! While the nation lives, the soul endures!

Xia Chuan's body gradually fractured and crumbled. This was the side effect of the forbidden technique he had unleashed: denied entry into the cycle of reincarnation, his divine soul would be utterly obliterated, erasing him completely from this world, both in this life and the next.

"The soul of Great Xia... Is this Great Xia truly worth it, Xia Chuan?" Moyuan asked softly, withdrawing the foot resting on Xia Chuan's chest, watching quietly as the man's body steadily dissolved into nothingness.

"In this world, is there ever such a thing as something being 'worth it' or not? There are only a handful of fools who follow their own convictions to the end." Xia Chuan smiled faintly at the very end, mocking himself, yet perhaps mocking Great Xia as well.

"Truly... a fool," Moyuan scoffed, watching as the man's soul shattered into countless fragments and finally drifted away with the wind.

This soul was one he could not shackle.

With the battle concluded, he dusted off his hands, considering it a decent stretch for his muscles. Moyuan turned and walked toward Lu Qinglian. He had fulfilled his promise, and all that remained was to deliver her safely to a destination.

"Where is Brother Mo? Give him back to me!" Released from her restraint, Lu Qinglian screamed, flailing her fists directly at Moyuan.

"Hey, you were merely a bargaining chip in a transaction between him and me. Learn your place."

"I am not going to treat you as nicely and gently as your 'Brother Mo' did. I saved you, but if I decide to kill you right now, I still won't be breaking any promises."

Moyuan frowned, deeply disgusted by the woman's unreasonable screeching. As he had stated, he had indeed saved her for now, but should she truly become a nuisance, he wouldn't mind raising a hand to slaughter her.

"You won't kill me! Brother Mo must still be out there! If I die, you will never, ever get out of that box!" Lu Qinglian declared, emboldened by her perceived leverage.

"There is something you might have misunderstood. I do indeed need that little fellow's help to get out, but that does not mean I am subject to anyone's control."

"Lu Qinglian, you have no idea who I am. I will never, ever accept a compromise doled out as charity by others, nor will I care for the reckless threats of petty mortals."

"I really *will* kill you, and there are countless ways to make that fellow open that box for me."

"For instance..."

Moyuan formed a hand seal with his right hand, pointing his index and middle fingers straight ahead. A surge of black current swept outward, several wisps of dark vapor merging into a single line as it darted fiercely toward a specific direction.

*Bang!* Like two sharp pieces of metal colliding, a harsh, piercing sound erupted from the spot Moyuan pointed at. Amidst the darkness, a faint golden glow flashed into existence.

"He cares about more than just you alone."

"Oh? Stinky old man, just how much longer did you plan on hiding?" Moyuan raised his chin slightly and said.

"This poor Taoist came here for only one person, for only one matter," a slightly deep voice echoed.

"You should thank your lucky stars that you didn't arrive here sooner, or the moment I awoke, I wouldn't have spared a little mouse like you." Moyuan felt a growing irritation as he looked at the increasingly brilliant golden glow.

"Yet now, this poor Taoist is filled with regret. Had I arrived earlier, my disciple would not have been reduced to such a state." A golden flash cut through the air, and the figure of Jinxuanzi materialized before Moyuan and Lu Qinglian.

"Hmph, your messy affairs are truly troublesome, Baili Mo." Moyuan let out a deep sigh, the endless string of complications wearing thin on his patience.

"My disciple's affairs are this poor Taoist's affairs. I kindly ask the Exalted One to return my wayward disciple." Jinxuanzi shook the white horsetail whisk in his hand and spoke with solemn gravity.

"You people are truly annoying, one after another. Suddenly, I'm sick of this. Stinky old man, for the sake of this kid, take this little girl and get lost. I can spare your life." Moyuan spoke from on high, his gaze filled with haughty disdain.

"I won't leave! Unless you give me back Brother Mo! I will never leave!" Lu Qinglian quickly interjected.

"See? That boy is waiting for my disciple to return. Coincidentally, back on my mountain, there is also an unruly little disciple waiting for his eldest senior brother to come home. If I were to let you talk me out of this in just a few words, the little girl back at my home would dismantle these old bones of mine."

Jinxuanzi stroked his long white beard, completely ignoring Moyuan's steadily darkening expression. In fact, hearing Lu Qinglian's defiant words seemed to amuse him greatly.

"Heh... Heh heh. Are you all deliberately testing my bottom line? Do you really take me for someone who negotiates everything politely? Or do you assume I have no temper at all?" Pushed to fury, Moyuan laughed coldly, clenching his fingers into a fist until his joints popped ominously.

"That night, this poor Taoist already missed my chance once. I do not wish to miss a second time. No matter what the Exalted One says, today I will take my disciple back!" Jinxuanzi stated calmly. Golden light erupted from his body, and the spiritual pressure he radiated was countless times stronger than Xia Chuan's had been.

"Is this brat really worth all of you throwing your lives away?! Do you truly believe you can defeat me?!" Moyuan leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowing—a clear sign that he still harbored a degree of caution toward Jinxuanzi.

"As for the secret of the Great Xia Forbidden Box, this poor Taoist knows a thing or two. The fearsome reputation of the Dark Abyss Sovereign is something I have read of in many ancient texts. But your era has passed, and you have been dead for tens of millions of years. No matter how powerful you once were, it is time for your curtain to fall!"

"The Dark Abyss Sovereign? It has been a very long time since I last heard that name. But that title belongs only to this world. In that other vast universe, I am known as the Immortal Emperor Moyuan!" Moyuan licked his lips, which had been chapped by the freezing wind, a hint of nostalgia flashing in his eyes.

"So what if you are?! Right now, you are nothing more than a remnant of a remnant! No matter what, this poor Taoist will not take a single step back today, because... because that child called out! He called me 'Father'!"

"As a parent, whatever disaster that stinky brat has stirred up, this old Daoist will bear it!"

Jinxuanzi smiled. It was a bright, genuine smile, yet the wariness in his eyes remained undiminished. By coming here, he had already resolved himself to die. He had hesitated once out of momentary indecision and arrived too late, factoring in far too many things. The only thing he had forgotten was the promise he made the very first time he held that swaddled infant in his arms.

*From this day forth, you are Jinxuanzi's disciple. As your master, I shall protect you for the rest of your days, safe and sound.*

Brilliant golden light burst forth, and Jinxuanzi's aura climbed continuously. Behind him, a colossal figure slowly took shape, gradually solidifying into a towering entity of pure gold.

It was Jinxuanzi's Nascent Soul—a peak-realm Nascent Soul, tempered over hundreds and thousands of years, entirely different from the infant-like Nascent Soul Xia Chuan had briefly touched upon when he entered the realm.

Behind Jinxuanzi, that enormous figure stood tall, brilliant, glorious, and majestic, reaching a height of a hundred zhang. It was identical in appearance to Jinxuanzi himself. From another perspective, it bore a striking resemblance to the Daoist concept of manifesting one's Dharma Form to touch the heavens, though structurally it was merely an external semblance; a true Dharma Form of Heaven and Earth was far beyond what a mere Nascent Soul cultivator could ever wield.

"Peak Nascent Soul? No... Half-step Deity Transformation. You are far stronger than that Xia Chuan."

The mask on Moyuan's face remained ferocious. A pillar of black vapor, thick as a human body, suddenly erupted. The battle armor on Moyuan's body rattled audibly as he stared with utmost gravity at Jinxuanzi before him.

Jinxuanzi flicked the horsetail whisk in his hand, and the white strands instantly blazed with golden light. The golden threads whipped forward, entangling toward Moyuan. The golden threads pierced straight through the swirling dark qi in the air, bringing brilliant flashes of gold into the gloom and dimming the oppressive darkness significantly.

Clad in his black battle armor, the wound on Moyuan's right shoulder completely healed within moments. With a fierce punch of his right hand, accompanied by the shrill wails of tormented ghosts, he tore a massive rift across the ground. His fist met the countless golden threads head-on, producing a crisp, metallic chime of impact.

The shockwaves generated by their clash forced Lu Qinglian to retreat repeatedly. The sheer caliber of combat at this level was far beyond what someone at the Foundation Establishment realm could witness up close. If Jinxuanzi had not intentionally diverted a portion of his residual energy to shield her, Lu Qinglian would have long since been blasted away by the shockwave, her heart vessels shattered.

Realizing this, Lu Qinglian could only continuously distance herself from the battlefield. Until this ordeal reached its conclusion, she was destined to be nothing more than a burden.