Chapter 685

Chapter 685: The Former Self

"You’ve seen what I’ve seen, and of course, I don’t know what you don’t know."

"I wouldn’t waste my essence probing the way of heaven," Old Sword said, shaking his head.

"Stop messing around. Just join the Elder Council honestly and focus on gathering resources for your cultivation."

"I have enough Spiritual Swords now, but not a single Immortal Sword," Ye Xiaoyao said, his voice tinged with worry.

After receiving that large batch of Spiritual Swords, a surge of ambition filled his heart.

He dreamed of reaching the peak of this realm, suppressing the entire beast race with his strength, and becoming a legend who would save the cultivation world.

With this dream in mind, Ye Xiaoyao asked Old Sword a question.

"Can I become as powerful as Upper Zun?"

All he got in return was Old Sword’s casual reply.

"Don’t overthink it. Just focus on your cultivation. With my help, you’ll surpass him one day."

Ye Xiaoyao understood Old Sword’s meaning.

Now, he saw the sword formation again, formed by the Nine Immortal Swords and thousands of Spiritual Swords.

That powerful being had effortlessly suppressed the Invincible Beast King by controlling the sword formation through a puppet, leaving Ye Xiaoyao utterly stunned.

"You’ve got enough Spiritual Swords for now; what you’re missing are a few Immortal Swords."

"It doesn’t matter if you can’t find them here. Once you ascend to the Thousand Worlds, I’ll have plenty of ways to help you get artifact-level Spiritual Swords."

"As for your dream of saving the entire cultivation world, let it go."

"You’re not ready for that yet. Your Junior Brother Xu, though, might have been. But he lacked the aura of a person with a destined fate, so in the end, he’d only serve as a supporting figure for those who do."

Old Sword’s words left Ye Xiaoyao speechless, his face clouded with nostalgia.

"It’s been so many years. I wonder how Junior Brother Xu is doing."

"If he’s alive, he’s probably living better than you. He might’ve already become an artifact great master, basking in the praise and protection of invincible respected elders, living a pretty comfortable life."

"If he’d learned the sword formation from me back then, he wouldn’t be worrying about a few Immortal Swords now," Old Sword said lightly.

"Old Sword, you really never miss a chance to mock me," Ye Xiaoyao said, his tone a little sour.

Hearing this, Old Sword seemed to recall the past and couldn’t help but sigh.

"Ah, I’m not just mocking you. I’m mocking my former self too."

"Remember, my talent wasn’t any better than yours at first. I clawed my way up through sheer effort."

"Seeing you now feels like looking at my younger self—naive and a bit foolish."

"The only difference is, I had my moment of clarity back then, while you’re still waiting for yours," Old Sword chuckled.

Ye Xiaoyao’s mind conjured an image of a man with a simple face and sharp, bright eyes—someone who inspired trust at first glance.

"By the time I was your age, I’d already grasped the truth of this world. The power I’d built was just starting to take shape, and I was full of ambition."

"And yet, I was still betrayed," Old Sword said with a bitter laugh.

"So now you’ve turned me into someone who exploits my friends," Ye Xiaoyao frowned.

"Is it really exploitation? It’s just a transaction. Once you succeed, you can repay it, even a hundred or a thousand times over."

"The goal is to prevent you from experiencing what I went through," Old Sword said.

"Old Sword, I understand your intentions, but everyone has their own path. Even if you help me forcefully take a path that isn’t mine, I’ll eventually find my way back," Ye Xiaoyao replied.

"That’s why I haven’t interfered in your affairs these past years. I’ve only pushed you to cultivate. Didn’t you notice?" Old Sword chuckled.

"Of course, I noticed, but did you realize I haven’t visited the human race at all these years? You couldn’t interfere even if you wanted to," Ye Xiaoyao said helplessly.

When he first emerged from the secret realm filled with Spiritual Swords, he found himself in the demon race territory, and he stayed there for over a thousand years.

"You’ve collected quite a few treasures over the years. It’s time to return to the human race and get an Immortal Sword," Old Sword suggested.

"So you’re suggesting I join the Elder Council?"

"What else can you do? You don’t know any artifact great masters, so you can’t commission one."

"Alternatively, why not try to join that force we just mentioned? It seems like they have a great master in their sect," Old Sword added.

"Let’s head back to the human race first," Ye Xiaoyao said as he flew toward the teleportation gate to the two realms he had already located.

Meanwhile, in the Extreme Void Domain, a massive giant rock star was moving toward the territory of the Giant Rock Mountain Demon Clan.

Xu Fan stepped out of the small world designed for time acceleration, feeling an indescribable comfort, as if he had just consumed the most nourishing spirit herbs.

"Others enter time acceleration worlds to cultivate quickly, but I seem to be rushing toward my end," Xu Fan said with a smile.

He had the strange feeling that he was becoming addicted to the sensation of time acceleration.

"Master, there’s something that requires your approval," Grape’s voice chimed in.

"What needs my approval? Can’t you handle it yourself?" Xu Fan replied.

"The sect’s treasury is full, and the small world I expanded is nearly full too. I need your approval to use celestial tool-level spirit ore to expand the treasury world," Grape explained.

"Oh, I see. What do you need? Let me take a look," Xu Fan said with a smile.

A light curtain appeared, displaying the list of spirit ores required for the expansion of the small world. Xu Fan noticed several types of spirit ores he valued highly for crafting future celestial tools.

"Isn’t this a bit much? Do we really need so many precious spirit ores just to expand a treasury world?" Xu Fan pointed out.

"If you plan to raid those top-tier demon clans in the future, it’s better to expand thoroughly; otherwise, treasures might gather dust and lose their original effects," Grape explained.

Those demon clans’ treasuries serve more than just basic storage.

What’s crucial is the maintenance and care of the treasury, including creating the right environment for different treasures and adjusting the density of spiritual energy. It can’t just be any random spot.

"So you want to do it thoroughly," Xu Fan said reluctantly, glancing at the list of spirit ores.

"That way, we can properly safeguard the spoils."

"Then let’s proceed with the expansion; it’s inevitable," Xu Fan waved his hand.

At that moment, a small white turtle crawled out of a delicate grass nest, using its tiny legs to hop onto Xu Fan’s shoulder.

Xu Fan held a spirit feeding pill the size of a grain of rice and fed it to the turtle’s eager mouth.

The turtle happily rubbed its neck against Xu Fan, showing its delight.

"Where are my good brother and dear niece now?" Xu Fan asked.

"They’re fishing at the starlit fishing spot," came the reply.