The battlefield was finally still.
No more clashing of weapons.
No more cries of war.
Only the occasional clang of metal as Bai Clan disciples moved through the debris, clearing away broken armaments, shattered flags, and the remains of war.
The air, once thick with tension and killing intent, now carried only the cool breeze of dusk.
Almost all of the onlookers have also returned to their respective clans or sect with some still being stationed to keep an eye on the Bai Clan.
The Bai Clan ignored them and focused on their own affairs.
There was much that needed to be done.
First, they had to rebuild their defensive formation.
Second, they needed to honor and send off all the fighters who had perished protecting the Bai Clan.
Third, they had to convene and discuss the path forward.
***
During that period, Bai Zihan was in seclusion—though not because of his injuries, as others speculated.
No, rather it was to check all the juicy rewards that he had gotten from the System!
[ Unclaimed Rewards Available ]
Defeated Li Feng: [ 10x Cultivation Speed Card (3 Days) ]
Defeated Li Xuan: [ 3000 points ]
…
There were many rewards, but not much that interested him—except for one.
Defeated Bai Xinyue: [ Fate Severing Slash ]
He got a reward for that apparent fight which he seemingly won due to his superior weapon.
(Fate Severing Slash… Sounds powerful!)
He had been trying to find a powerful technique that could finish his opponent in one hit.
Nine Shadows Flowing Light Sword, while strong, wasn’t suited for a head-on clash.
So perhaps Fate Severing Slash was the technique he had been searching for.
Well, if it wasn’t, then he would rather give it to someone else than learn it.
He clicked on the technique description to see whether it was as strong as its name implied.
***
Fate Severing Slash (Saint-Grade)
Heaven trembles. Karma stills. All things meet their destined end.
“Saint-Grade???”
He was shocked beyond belief. It would’ve been enough if it had been Heaven-Grade—but it turned out to be Saint-Grade.
And its description, while vague and brief, definitely piqued his interest due to the phrase ’All things meet their destined end’—which implied instant death.
Then there was no need for any hesitation.
“This will be my finishing move!”
With a deep breath, Bai Zihan tapped on the reward and accepted it.
[Fate Severing Slash – Acquired]
Downloading technique into the host’s Conscious Sea…
He sat cross-legged on the jade meditation platform.
The room dimmed as the world of the System began to override reality, drawing him into a mindscape of pure intent.
Everything turned pitch black.
Then—
A silver thread appeared in the void.
Followed by a second.
Then a thousand.
Then ten thousand.
All across the horizon, fate threads stretched endlessly like glowing spider silk across the tapestry of time and existence.
(These… are fate lines?)
Each one connected to a life. To a cultivator. To a beast. To a mountain, a river, a dynasty, a sect.
Then came the voice.
Ancient. Cold. Unfeeling.
“To sever fate… is to decide the end of all paths.”
Suddenly, a phantom appeared before him—an ethereal swordsman clad in tattered robes, his face obscured by light.
In his hand was a long sword—its blade cracked, but its aura indomitable.
“Watch closely!”
The figure raised the sword slowly.
Time froze.
Even the fate threads stopped quivering.
And then—
SLASH!
A single motion. Simple, without embellishment.
But the moment it fell, all threads in front of him—no matter how thick or radiant—were severed.
Cleanly.
Effortlessly.
As if fate itself had been cleaved apart.
Bai Zihan’s pupils shrank.
He understood instinctively: the Fate Severing Slash didn’t just attack the body—it bypassed form and struck at the destiny of the being itself.
Even if someone was fated to become an Immortal, this sword could make that fate vanish.
His mind burned, flooded with knowledge of sword arcs, fate resonance, Qi focusing patterns, and something deeper—something unexplainable.
A terrifying technique…
Bai Zihan slowly opened his eyes.
He was drenched in sweat.
The floor around him had cracked, and his Sword Intent had unintentionally leaked, slicing a long gouge into the stone floor beside him.
He took a deep breath and murmured, “So this is a Saint-Grade technique… It really is insane.”
He closed his eyes once again.
A mental image had already taken root in his soul:
—him walking calmly through a battlefield, sword in hand, eyes cold and detached.
A single slash.
And an enemy’s destiny… wiped clean from the world.
Yes!
This technique—Fate Severing Slash—would be his final answer to anyone daring to challenge him.
“Should I try it out?”
Well, there was no reason why not—though just comprehending the technique had taken a lot of stamina.
He stepped into the center of the room, summoned his Eternal Spirit Sword, and inhaled deeply.
The mental image from the vision remained vivid: a single clean strike that severed all fate threads—unshakeable and absolute.
He raised his sword, mimicking the slow, measured motion of the phantom swordsman.
The air grew still.
Sword Intent surged, faint cracks forming in the ground around him.
And then—
Slash!
The sword cut forward with sharp precision.
The leaves nearby were split.
A gust of wind blew.
But… that was all.
It was a powerful sword strike—but it lacked that transcendent, destiny-rending aura.
He has all the show but not the real essence.
Bai Zihan frowned.
“Tch… It’s like copying a heavenly dragon’s roar after just hearing it once,” he muttered.
He wasn’t disheartened—just a bit disappointed.
With his Intermediate Sword Intent, he thought that he could instantly use any Sword Technique he liked.
But indeed, Saint-Grade was a different breed than the ones he was used to.
Just as he began adjusting his stance for another attempt—
A ripple of light appeared beside him.
He turned sharply, ready to strike—but immediately relaxed when he saw her.
Clad in ancient robes of silver and gold, her hair flowing like clouds, the Remnant Soul of the Immortal Emperor emerged in a wisp of starlight.
“You’ve been busy,” she said dryly.
Bai Zihan raised an eyebrow.
“You’re awake!”
For most of the time, she had been silent, and Bai Zihan thought she was still recovering her soul in the Soul-Confining Artifact.
Even in the event where Bai Xinyue was taken away, she didn’t interfere.
Bai Zihan thought it was either that she was still recovering and didn’t have the energy to intervene—or that she knew Bai Xinyue would be much safer in the hands of the Flowing Moon Sect.
“I had been awake the whole time. Your artifact is quite remarkable,” she said.
“So, why were you quiet all this time? Do you agree with Bai Xinyue being taken away by the Flowing Moon Sect?”
Bai Zihan asked, though he knew it wouldn’t matter even if the Immortal Emperor’s Remnant Soul disagreed.
Bai Xinyue had already left, and there was no way he could bring her back—even if she were to request it.
The Remnant Soul frowned faintly.
“No! I detected a powerful individual nearby—someone who might have been able to sense me if I had appeared.”
Bai Zihan’s eyes narrowed.
“Yue Wushuang?”
He asked but didn’t think she was that dangerous.
Of course, for her age, she could be called one of the strongest—but apart from her being a genius at her age, the Grand Elders of the Bai Clan were also at her cultivation level.
Sure, she might be stronger due to superior technique and artifact, but he still didn’t think she was that far above the Bai Clan’s elders.
She shook her head.
“That lass is impressive, but not there yet. It should be one of the elders from her sect—sent to look over her or something.”
(There was someone other than Yue Wushuang?)
Bai Zihan was stunned.
Of course, he didn’t dare to think he was all-powerful and knew everything—but still, he found this quite shocking.
If it was an elder from the Flowing Moon Sect, then any one of them should’ve been able to destroy the Bai Clan in a single move—even if their ancestors got involved.
He didn’t realize they had been on such a brink of destruction. One wrong move, and perhaps… he might’ve been dead.
She continued.
“I thought that it would bring trouble to you if that person was to sense me. In any case, Bai Xinyue has been taken away—but I don’t think they have bad intentions. She should be safe over there. And if she is ever in danger, I would know.”
The Remnant Soul smiled faintly, then her eyes fell on his sword.
“You’re practicing something dangerous,” she said. “It seems like a Saint-Grade technique. And I thought your Empire was a fairly weak place. Where did you even get such a technique?”
Bai Zihan grinned.
“That’s a secret!”
The Remnant Soul looked at him but didn’t ask again.
“Anyway, I will be resting again. You can call me if you need me.”
She said as she returned to the Soul-Confining Artifact.
Bai Zihan nodded.
Then again shifted his focus to Fate Severing Slash!