The Sovereign's Ascension

Lin Yun recalled what Ye Ziling said about taking control of her own life. He had a feeling that the Ye Ziling today was different from before, but he couldn’t tell how she was different. When he swept a glance at Jiang Lichen, who was beside him, the latter was staring at Ye Ziling with his eyes turning into hearts.

“Hey, do you think that she has changed, somehow?” Lin Yun asked.

“Did she? There aren’t any changes to her clothes and figure. I-I mean, she’s always different. She’s beautiful in a different way every single day,” smiled Jiang Lichen.

To that, Lin Yun could only sneer. But his sneer also woke Jiang Lichen up and the latter wore an awkward smile before he replied, “It might be related to her family from her mother's side.”

“Her family from her mother's side?” Lin Yun was surprised to hear that.

“You don’t know? Uh… Her family from her mother's side will send someone over every single year, wanting to bring her back. In the past, she has been using the ranking battle as an excuse, but she seems to have agreed this time. So she’ll probably leave the Fleeting Cloud Sword Sect after the Profound Wither Island.” Jiang Lichen’s expression suddenly became downcast, then he asked, “Junior Brother, will you be leaving, too?”

“I guess…” Lin Yun replied.

“Well, that makes sense. After all, the Fleeting Cloud Sword Sect is ultimately too small for the two of you,” smiled Jiang Lichen.

“You can also leave,” replied Lin Yun.

“Me?” Jiang Lichen was briefly stunned before he replied, “I’ve never thought about that. I feel that the current situation is pretty good. I’m watching the Fleeting Cloud Sword Sect slowly becoming strong. How good will it be if the branch sect becomes stronger than the main sect.”

“If you have the heart, why is it impossible?” Lin Yun didn’t think that it was impossible.

“Really?” Jiang Lichen asked.

“If ten years doesn’t work, then a hundred years. If a hundred years isn’t enough, then two hundred, three hundred, or even four hundred.” Lin Yun smiled while he patted Jiang Lichen’s shoulder.

Jiang Lichen was stunned when he heard that. When he recovered from his shock, he looked at Lin Yun, who was already a distance away, and yelled, “What if four hundred years still isn’t enough?”

“Then eight hundred!” Lin Yun firmly said.

Outside the Sword Saint Peak, zither and flute music perfectly mixed together. When the music came to an end, Lin Yun landed before a pavilion while holding onto the Divine Indigo Jade Bamboo Flute.

Luo Hua was donned in white as she looked at Lin Yun with a smile, “You’re late.”

Lin Yun smiled when he heard that. Luo Hua said that they would meet in the Fleeting Cloud Sword Sect, but she only came back the day before yesterday.

“The Divine Dragon Pagoda collapsed, and it’s a lot more troublesome than I’ve imagined,” said Luo Hua.

When Lin Yun heard that, his expression became awkward because he was the one at fault and Luo Hua had to deal with it for him.

“You feel embarrassed? The legendary and mysterious Flower Burial who only needs one sword to kill is feeling embarrassed?” Luo Hua smiled when she saw Lin Yun’s embarrassed expression.

“Well…” Lin Yun wore an embarrassed expression when he stood before Luo Hua.

“That’s pretty adorable. Let me pinch your cheeks.” Luo Hua smiled and came forth, wanting to pinch Lin Yun’s cheeks. But Lin Yun held onto her hand and placed it against his cheek. At this moment, he really didn’t want to let go of her hand.

“Luo Hua, can I remove your veil?” Lin Yun asked after taking a deep breath.

But when Luo Hua heard that, she smiled, “Holding onto the Divine Indigo Jade Bamboo Flute given by your little lover with your left hand and holding onto my hand with your right. When are you going to make your choice?”

Lin Yun was stunned when he heard that and didn’t know how to reply to her. But Luo Hua smiled and pulled her hand back. She went back to her zither and played it while she said, “Even if Yue Weiwei is beautiful, why not put it down if you’re not willing to recall it? Since you’ve drawn your sword for Xin Yan, why not let it be buried in the snow of the empire back then? You’ve met me, and I’ve never forgotten you.”

Lin Yun squinted his eyes and looked at Luo Hua in a daze. When they ‘first met’, Lin Yun drank too much and told her what was in his heart, about Yue Weiwei and Xin Yan. But in both his lifetimes, the person who held the greatest position in his heart was Su Ziyao.

“Actually, I don’t like to play zither, but I like to play it together with you…” Luo Hua continued. “I don’t like the Fleeting Cloud Sword Sect, but I only wish to stay here with you; I don’t wish to reason with others, but I’m willing to lower my head for you; I don’t like to drink, but I like to see you when you drink. I’m a tacky person who doesn’t know music, doesn’t like fleeting clouds, and is unreasonable. But I like you, and alcohol isn’t that hateful together with you…”

Luo Hua smiled as she sat down and began to play the zither. When she finished, Luo Hua raised her head to look at Lin Yun, who was sorrowful yet blazing. As her hands left the zither, she drifted away from it like a white cloud, “I’ll be leaving the Fleeting Cloud Sword Sect after the Profound Wither Island.”

She’s going to leave? Lin Yun recalled asking her why she had come to the Fleeting Cloud Sword Sect when they first met. Back then, she said half of the reason was for the Sword Saint Mountain and didn’t talk about the other half. He didn’t know about it back then, but he now knew what the other half was.

At this moment, he felt that Jiang Lichen was right. Everyone was great now, so why did everyone have to leave?

Lin Yun walked over to the table and placed the flute beside the zither. When he started to play it, the music sounded ripe in the beginning, but it gradually improved. After all, all music was connected, and Lin Yun possessed the noble tune.

As zither music bloomed like flowers, Lin Yun wanted to play all the emotions he felt back then. But suddenly, he couldn’t play it anymore. In the end, he still had to say farewell no matter what, since it was part of life.

When Lin Yun returned to his residence, the sky had already turned dark and Lil’ Purple was playing with Lil’ Red on the table. They were placing their hands on top of each other and competing to see who would be the last one standing.

This scene made Lin Yun’s lips twitch because Lil’ Red really seemed to have considered itself a cat. This fool seemed to have forgotten how mighty it once was as a Dragon-Blooded Horse.

“Hmph, you’re finally willing to come back. Aren’t you going to retrieve the Sovereign Divine Rune? Why are you only back now?” Lil’ Purple unhappily said when she saw Lin Yun.

Lin Yun smiled in embarrassment because he nearly forgot about this matter and said, “I’ve already talked it out with the Fleeting Cloud Sword Sect sect master to retrieve it after the Profound Wither Island, and he has agreed to it.”

“That old geezer is really polite despite having a foul temper and doesn’t seem interested in your opportunity at all. No wonder he’s an unprecedented genius in the sword. Hmph, he’s a lot better than someone else,” chuckled Lil’ Purple.

Taking a random shot, Lin Yun said, “Have I been interested in anything that belongs to you? The flute and Song of the Phoenix are all willingly taught by you.”

“Hmph.” Lil’ Purple rolled her eyes. “Don’t think I don’t know that you’re interested in my beauty. Don’t try and use those flowery words on me. I’ve long seen through your schemes, and you won’t succeed.”

Lin Yun was left speechless when he heard that and sneered, “Wow, you’re really smart.”

“Hmph, that’s for sure. I already knew that a long time ago.” Lil’ Purple smiled.

At this moment, Lin Yun wondered if Lil’ Purple had become an idiot after a hundred thousand years of imprisonment. But he didn’t have the mood to teach her a lesson right now and told her what Ye Ziling told him about the Profound Wither Island.

“What’s there to worry about? Everyone imprinted a saint rune on their core back in ancient times,” said Lil’ Purple in disdain.

“But this isn’t ancient times. The Golden Era is already gone,” said Lin Yun. Even without imprinting a saint rune on their core, Lin Yun wasn’t confident in defeating those top-tiered geniuses. After all, who knew how many trump cards they had?

“Don’t worry about that. When you manifest the constellation left behind by the Iris Sword Saint, you can easily crush them. Uh… it’s just that there are some problems…” Lil’ Purple lowered her voice towards the end.

The Iris Sword Saint’s constellation was naturally strong, but Lin Yun was nowhere close to gathering five million divine astral pellets. Now that he thought about it again, the trip to the Profound Wither Island would be extremely dangerous. The Sword Sect alone had already sent out such a huge formation, so Lin Yun couldn’t imagine the other sects.

But Lin Yun was riddled with complicated feelings and didn’t want to talk too much. Even Luo Hua would be leaving after the Profound Wither Island event. If she leaves, would he still stay behind? Feeling depressed, Lin Yun looked at the starry sky and asked, “Empress, do you know what bitter feels like?”

“You’re not feeling bitter, but just frivolous when it comes to love,” said Lil’ Purple with disdain.

Lin Yun was fortunate that he wasn’t drinking or he would have spat the water out right now. At this moment, he now knew why Lil’ Purple was imprisoned for a hundred thousand years by the Iris Sword Saint, despite having such a gorgeous appearance.