A breeze stirred, carrying the metallic scent of blood through the air.
The Dao Bone in Bai Zihan’s hand shimmered faintly—its glow dimmer now, as if it too had been tainted by the pain that brought it into the open.
No one spoke.
Even the Li and Zhao Clans held their tongues.
Because at this moment… there was nothing left to say.
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Bai Zihan stepped forward.
His legs wobbled.
His chest gaped, blood pouring freely.
But still, he walked.
Toward Bai Xinyue.
Somewhere behind, Bai Tianheng took a step—wanting to stop him. But he didn’t. He couldn’t.
Because even he understood…
This was something only Bai Zihan could do.
When he reached her, he didn’t meet her eyes.
He simply lowered his hand.
The Dao Bone hovered there—between them.
He didn’t force it into her hand.
He didn’t beg for forgiveness.
He simply handed it over.
The thing that once tore her world apart.
The thing that defined both of their lives.
Returned—not as an apology, but as it should be.
“…Take it,” he said hoarsely. “Whether you forgive me or not. Whether you ever want to see me again or not. This… belongs to you.”
Bai Xinyue looked at the Dao Bone. Then at him.
His face was pale, lips bloodless, eyes tired.
He looked like a man moments away from death.
And yet… he had never looked more alive.
“…Why?”
She whispered, barely audible.
But he heard it.
And for the first time in what felt like forever—he gave her a genuine smile.
Not smug. Not taunting. Not bitter.
Just tired.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe… I was tired of pretending it didn’t matter.”
He dropped the Dao Bone gently into her hands, its golden glow clashing against the dried blood staining her palms.
Then he turned around.
Staggered a few steps.
Bai Xinyue didn’t know what to think.
This had always been her goal: to take back the Dao Bone from Bai Zihan.
To prove that even without it, she was stronger than him.
Yet here she stood—with the Dao Bone in her hands—without even a fight.
And the irony?
She had nearly given up on reclaiming it.
After receiving the Immortal Emperor’s Inheritance, she told herself it was enough. A fair compensation.
So if that was compensation… then what was this?
The moment the Dao Bone settled into her hands, it pulsed.
Not gently.
But with a radiant surge that shook the air itself.
Golden light exploded in every direction, bathing the courtyard in its sacred glow.
It was beautiful.
Divine.
Overwhelming.
Gasps rang out again—this time not in horror, but in awe.
Because this… this was the power of a Dao Bone.
A true, unmatched treasure that defied the heavens and twisted fate itself.
A one-in-a-million kind of treasure.
As the light grew brighter, hotter, and more oppressive, envy crept into the hearts of those watching.
“No wonder he rose so quickly. It had to be the Dao Bone.”
“That Dao Bone was the source of all his strength.”
“Tch! All that arrogance—built on stolen power. If I had that Dao Bone, I’d be a genius too.”
“Same here. With that kind of cheat, even a pig could reach Nascent Soul by sixteen.”
…
Many believed that Bai Zihan became what he was thanks to the Dao Bone, not realizing that for years after receiving it, his cultivation barely progressed.
Most of his achievements and fame weren’t due to raw power—but his schemes.
But who cared?
It was easier to point at the Dao Bone than face the truth.”
As if on cue, several cultivators’ eyes narrowed on the Dao Bone.
The kind of look predators wore just before they pounced.
No one moved.
Not yet.
But the thoughts were there.
What if I took it?
They had condemned Bai Zihan for stealing it.
Called him a monster. A disgrace.
But now that the Dao Bone was right in front of them?
All that righteousness evaporated.
Greed was louder, stronger and more honest.
Some even began calculating—
Bai Zihan’s ruined.
The Bai Clan is vulnerable with Li and Zhao Clan targeting it.
If we time it right, we could take it.
It was there—in the twitch of fingers, the slow rise of aura.
But—
Before any of them could act…
The Dao Bone moved.
It pulsed again—this time with urgency.
Then—light shot out, wrapping around Bai Xinyue like ribbons of gold.
She staggered, eyes wide, as the Dao Bone dissolved—not shattering, not crumbling—but fusing.
Directly.
Effortlessly.
Into her.
WHOOM!
A blast of divine light exploded from her body, knocking back those closest in a shockwave of pure spiritual pressure.
The cultivators who had been preparing to lunge froze mid-motion.
All thoughts of snatching it—gone.
Because it was too late.
The Dao Bone had returned to its rightful place—like it had been waiting for this moment all along.
Like it had always known where it belonged—and after years of separation, it had finally come home.
The light faded.
And Bai Xinyue stood tall.
She had already become powerful thanks to the Immortal Emperor’s Inheritance.
But now?
Now she radiated something more.
A complete, terrifying presence.
“Hehe… So what excuse do your clans have now?”
Bai Zihan rasped from behind, still pretending to be on the verge of collapse.
He flashed a teasing grin.
“Maybe it’s time you go home?” freew\ebno\vel..
Li Jianhong and Zhao Wutian both frowned.
This… wasn’t what they expected.
Their plan to blackmail the Bai Clan—or, if that failed, to justify their invasion and gain the moral high ground—had completely fallen apart.
If they attacked now, it would only confirm what many already suspected: their true goal had always been Bai Xinyue.
And that truth was no secret.
They had just hoped to deceive the public. To twist the narrative.
But that had failed too.
Still, they couldn’t back down now.
Not when Bai Xinyue had become an even greater threat with the Dao Bone’s return.
If anything, it only made them greedier.
Seizing Bai Xinyue would mean acquiring not just the Immortal Emperor’s Inheritance… but also the Dao Bone.
They had already seen how powerful the Dao Bone was—just by looking at Bai Zihan.
A boy once mocked as a waste who couldn’t even break through the Qi Refining Stage.
And yet, with the Dao Bone, he’d become a monster.
Li Jianhong’s eyes darkened.
He glanced at Zhao Wutian.
Their gazes met.
And in that silent moment—two things became clear.
First: their plan had failed.
Second: they couldn’t allow Bai Xinyue to leave alive.
If they let her go now, she would become untouchable. Her growth would be exponential.
Within a few short years, no clan—not even the Li or Zhao—would be able to oppose her.
She had to die now.
Li Jianhong raised his hand slowly into the air.
The elders behind him tensed, waiting.
Bai Tianheng’s eyes narrowed.
“Li Jianhong… don’t you dare—”
“Attack!”
The order came out cold.
Clear.
And absolute.
A second later—BOOM!
A dozen golden warships in the sky lit up with runes, weapons activating all at once.
The Bai Clan had a Grade-5 Defensive Formation, but against such overwhelming attacks, it was only going to last a few more seconds at most.
The Li and Zhao Clans knew that—just as well as the Bai Clan did.
CRACK!
As expected, after a few more rounds of fierce bombardment, the formation crumbled under the pressure.
That’s when the Li and Zhao Clan members swarmed into the Bai Clan estate—their goal was clear:
Get Bai Xinyue.
Cultivators surged from both the Li and Zhao clans—hundreds of them—rushing forward like a tidal wave of blades, spells, and fury.
“Let’s go!”
“Time for Bai Clan to know who we are!”
Of course, the Bai Clan wasn’t going to let them have their way so easily. They had prepared themselves to fight tooth and nail.
CLASH! CLASH!
The first direct confrontation erupted between both sides—most of the cultivators ranged from the Golden Core Realm to the Soul Formation Realm.
The onlooker watched as the battle that they all anticipated finally took place.
Amidst the chaos, one figure couldn’t hold himself back any longer.
Li Feng!
His sole target was Bai Zihan.
“You know what to do,” Zhao Chen said coldly.
“Bai Zihan’s injured and devoid of all cultivation after taking out the Dao Bone. But don’t kill him yet. We can use him!”
Zhao Chen’s tone was calm, but the hatred in his eyes betrayed his true feelings.
He knew Li Feng wanted to kill Bai Zihan just as much as he did. But right now, Bai Zihan wasn’t a threat. He was far more valuable alive—as a bargaining chip.
Even if he no longer had a future, there was still one unpredictable factor: Bai Tianheng.
Would the patriarch of the Bai Clan truly abandon his own son?
Zhao Chen wasn’t sure—but it was a possibility worth exploiting.
“Sure,” Li Feng grinned viciously.
“I don’t want him to die easily either. I’m going to make him wish he was never born. Torture him until even begging for death isn’t enough. Hahaha…”