Celestial Dragon Sword Venerable

"If it weren’t for me, how could my daughter have helped you so much? With your strength, could you shatter the laws of heaven and earth with a single punch? Could you have stopped the Ancient Divine Beast Taotie from destroying your body?"

The man’s questions left Ye Tianling stunned for a moment.

A crucial question suddenly occurred to him.

"What, figured it out?"

the man said coldly.

His tone was filled with disdain.

This wasn’t mere contempt, but an arrogance ingrained in his very bones.

"Father, please, don’t say any more,"

Little Dragon Girl pleaded, her expression complicated.

"Hmph! You’ve sacrificed so much for him, and he doesn’t even know it. What do you see in an idiot like him?"

the man questioned Little Dragon Girl.

Little Dragon Girl couldn’t help but look at Ye Tianling with her clear, adorable eyes, the same innocently cute look in them as always.

"I don’t care! I believe in him! Father, you have to help me!"

Little Dragon Girl began to act spoiled.

The man’s brow twitched. He was clearly annoyed, but he was also rendered helpless by his daughter’s petulant and unreasonable demands.

Although he was stern and imposing, Ye Tianling’s Soul Talent could still faintly sense the gentle, fatherly love beneath it all.

Strictness wasn’t a flaw, merely a deeper expression of a father’s love.

This scene suddenly improved Ye Tianling’s impression of the man significantly.

This was despite the fact that the man had repeatedly looked down on him.

But, given the man’s status, it was all perfectly normal.

"Fine. Get up. I promise you, I’ll help him. But as you know, my abilities have their limits. Therefore, taking action comes at a price."

The blood-colored figure sighed, sounding rather resigned.

"Th-thank you, Father."

Little Dragon Girl was thrilled. She immediately started shooting glances at Ye Tianling, her eyes seeming to say, ’Quick, go on and thank my father!’

Ye Tianling gave a wry smile. "Thank you, Demon Heart... Elder Evil Venerable."

Yes, the blood-colored figure before him was the very Demon Heart Sword Body that Ye Tianling had used before.

But this person was the true Great Success Demon Heart Sword Body, an existence with an Independent Will. He was far beyond the ’Demon Heart Sword Body’ Ye Tianling had wielded, which had contained only a single drop of Demon Heart Blood.

That was why Ye Tianling had been so shocked, yet felt such a sense of familiarity, when the man’s true form and aura were revealed.

After all, he had previously achieved a near Unity of Celestial Dao by fusing completely with the Demon Heart Sword Body. How could he not be familiar with it?

"Technically, for destroying a drop of Demon Heart Blood, I should have erased you completely. However, considering my daughter went to great lengths to help you unleash the full potential of that Demon Heart Sword Body—even damaging her Mechanical Heart in the process—I will let the matter slide.

"State your request, and then think about what price you can afford to pay."

The blood-colored man, the ’Evil Venerable,’ finally reined in his arrogance.

His coldness and imposing manner were merely the overprotectiveness of a father for his daughter.

"Elder Evil Venerable, I want to—"

Before Ye Tianling could finish, the blood-colored man cut him off.

"My surname is Ji. My given name is Ji Tianxie. Given that you are one of the inheritors of the Demon Heart Sword Body bloodline, you may call me Elder Tianxie. I do not like the title ’Evil Venerable.’ And my daughter is not some ’Little Dragon Girl.’ Her name is Ji Yueqi, and she currently lives with her Soul sustained by the Mechanical Heart."

Ji Tianxie frowned slightly, glanced coolly at Ye Tianling, and spoke words that made his very heart tremble.

"Father, why did you reveal my secret... You..."

Little Dragon Girl looked stunned, a hint of panic and helplessness appearing on her face.

She seemed afraid to face Ye Tianling.

"There is no need for secrecy. If he cares for you, hiding the truth only hurts him. If he doesn’t, your secret is nothing but self-deception—meaningless!"

Ji Tianxie’s voice was harsh. He continued, "So, you should understand that if the Mechanical Heart is damaged, my daughter will face a life-or-death crisis. Now then, as a father, if you were in my shoes, how would you treat yourself?"

Ye Tianling fell silent.

"Elder Tianxie, I’m sorry. I have truly... wronged your daughter, Yueqi."

Ye Tianling sighed.

"Tianling, I’m the one who failed to protect you and deceived you. It’s my fault."

Little Dragon Girl—Ji Yueqi—lowered her head again, her small face filled with guilt and self-reproach.

She was like a child who had done something wrong, periodically stealing glances at Ye Tianling as if afraid he would be angry.

Ji Tianxie shot Ye Tianling an indifferent look, his attitude toward him growing even colder.

Ye Tianling had his pride.

But the current situation was unique—he had not only used and destroyed the man’s Demon Heart Sword Body, but had also received so much help from Little Dragon Girl.

At this point, even though it left a bad taste in his mouth, he still stated his request. After all, he had a price to pay.

"Elder Tianxie, I want to... revive all my loved ones. What price must I pay?"

Ye Tianling hesitated slightly before speaking his mind.

"Your mother, Long Qingzhuo, is suppressed deep within the eighteenth level of the Ancestral Dragon Abyss, in the Celestial Demon Blood Domain. She is being tormented by the Law Shackles of Order because she touched upon a forbidden Law. Her life is not in immediate danger. She will not die until she has been tormented for a certain period of time, and even if she did, the Celestial Dao would manifest an opportunity or miracle to resurrect her.

"Therefore, if you want to save her, you would have to sell the entire Sword Ancestor Star—and even that price would be too low. Of course, you don’t have the ability to sell the entire Sword Ancestor Star anyway."

Ji Tianxie calmly stated the facts.

Ye Tianling said, "My mother... I won’t save her for now. Then what about Ye Fengyang, Ouyang Ruoxue, and the others? What are their conditions? What is the price to save them?"

Ji Tianxie pondered for a moment before speaking. "Ye Fengyang has indeed been reduced to soul fragments. There is still time to save him, but if you wait any longer, those fragments will gradually be destroyed."

Ye Tianling’s heart trembled. "But he’s a Child of Celestial Mandate. Weren’t they... not supposed to die so easily?"

Ji Tianxie snorted. "Correct. For him, this moment *is* his fated opportunity. So, are you going to save him or not?"

Ye Tianling felt a strong sense of vertigo. ’My coming to the Forgotten Dust World... is Ye Fengyang’s opportunity?’

’This... actually seems to make sense.’

’If I don’t act, if I don’t ask Ji Tianxie for help, what will happen to Ye Fengyang? Will some other miracle come along to save him?’

"You can take that gamble. If you don’t pay the price, I won’t lift a finger to save him. We’ll see if another opportunity comes along to keep him alive,"

Ji Tianxie sneered.

Ye Tianling asked, "What’s the price?"

"Usually, it’s a life for a life."

"My life? In exchange for my father, Ye Fengyang’s, life?"

"No. Your life is worthless. The price is my daughter’s life for your father’s."

"What? Are you insane? You want to take your own daughter’s life?"