Their eyes met.
The Xiao You in his sight was no longer the childish girl who never seemed to grow up in his memory.
Now she had grown into a young woman, her eyes bright and clear. The sudden smile on her face curved her eyes like little crescent moons. She carried a serene, otherworldly grace, and a natural elegance glowed between her brows.
Even though her appearance had changed, Feng Qi recognized her at a glance.
This was the same Xiao You who once followed him over mountains and across countless domain worlds, the one who lazed around every day, who constantly overreacted to small things, and always complained about being hungry.
The image of the Xiao You in his memory overlapped with the young woman standing before him now, stirring something deep in Feng Qi's heart.
To him, time had only seemed to pass in a fleeting blur.
But for Xiao You, over a thousand years had truly passed. She had lived through so many stories since then.
Wei Wei had left him a message in the mailbox, saying that after attending his funeral, Xiao You had taken the shattered fragment of the Demon Blade and chosen to retrace the path he once walked—the Ascension Challenge.
He understood why she made that choice.
It wasn't just to build up the strength needed to stand firm in the brutal new world of fifteen hundred years later.
More than that, Xiao You wanted to relive the stories they had once shared by walking that old path again.
With no photo album to remember those days, retracing the Ascension Challenge had become a slow-turning memory album for Xiao You. Every step she took was a step back into those memories.
And along that path, those memories surely resurfaced again and again.
For Xiao You, seeing him again now was the long-awaited reunion after endless years apart.
It was nothing short of a miracle.
The last bit of blood essence within his body surged from his heart, beginning to rebuild Feng Qi's flesh and blood.
His skeletal body quickly regenerated until he was fully restored, though his face remained pale.
Looking toward Xiao You, Feng Qi's lips curled into a smile.
"Xiao You, I've kept you waiting."
"Mm."
Even though they were still far apart, Xiao You heard his words clearly and nodded hard in response.
At that moment, powerful emotional fluctuations surged from Jian Ji, who was still floating in the air.
The speed at which the negative emotions eroded his primary consciousness was accelerating.
One was his lifelong nemesis—the Demon Blade.
The other was the obsession to destroy what he viewed as his heart demon.
Even the Burning Heaven Sword trembled violently in Jian Ji's grip under the influence of his turmoil. His overwhelming killing intent swept out like a bitter cold wind.
On his chest, the Million Sword Spirit Formation spun wildly, releasing blinding light.
Terrifying waves of energy rippled outward from Jian Ji as their center.
He slowly raised the Burning Heaven Sword in his hand. The madness radiating from his body intensified, and the sword was now completely wrapped in swirling black and red energy.
He hadn't even swung yet, but the space around Jian Ji had already collapsed under the pressure, distorting into a pitch-black spatial vortex.
Facing Jian Ji's looming full-force strike, Xiao You slowly raised her head to meet his gaze.
Her expression was cold and indifferent, showing no sign of preparing to counter.
It was as if Jian Ji's most powerful sword strike was nothing more than a boring joke in her eyes.
That unbothered, effortless attitude made Feng Qi feel like she was showing off.
But showing off required true strength as the foundation.
From this alone, Feng Qi could tell Xiao You had absolute confidence in stopping this strike with ease.
Seeing this scene filled Feng Qi with emotion.
If he looked back to the time before the final battle with Jian Ji, he would never have believed that Xiao You would reach such a level.
Back then, in his eyes, Xiao You wasn't someone cut out for cultivation.
He had tried countless ways to push her to train seriously.
He had believed that her bloodline potential was exceptionally good and worth nurturing.
But Xiao You had always been the type to burn out after just a few days, constantly slacking off no matter how he tried to set her straight.
Sleeping, eating, and talking nonsense had been her daily routine. Only when she was in the mood would she dabble in crafting spatial tools or other energy items.
The reason was simple—Xiao You had never shown any real ambition.
So in Feng Qi's eyes, she had never stood a chance of becoming a true powerhouse.
It had actually been Po Jia, the least talented in their team, who showed the strongest drive. Despite his mediocre bloodline, Po Jia had always worked hard to improve himself, dedicating every spare moment to growing stronger.
That, Feng Qi had thought, was the true mentality of a future powerhouse.
As for Xiao You, he had already given up on the idea of molding her into a strong cultivator back then.
He had thought it was fine for her to stay carefree and cheerful forever.
Looking back now, it was clear just how much Xiao You had changed after his death.
That change had pushed her to stop wasting time and begin earnestly growing stronger.
With her bloodline potential and the help of the Demon Blade, Xiao You had risen to where she stood today.
Even the Demon Blade Squad he had founded had undergone a massive transformation under her leadership.
There were now far too many unfamiliar faces in the squad.
This proved that even after his death, Xiao You had carried on leading the Demon Blade Squad, pushing its growth as its leader.
Maybe from the very moment she chose to walk the Ascension Challenge again, the Xiao You who had once grown under his protection had already begun showing the potential to stand on her own as a true powerhouse.
While feeling proud, Feng Qi also felt an ache in his heart.
He could imagine just how much effort Xiao You had poured into this, how much suffering she must have endured.
Behind that smile of hers… there had to be countless untold hardships.
Jian Ji's power-up continued. The spiritual energy in the air grew more chaotic under the disturbance.
Xiao You remained motionless, but the people behind her started whispering among themselves.
"Why isn't Boss making a move yet? Should I go instead? I've had it with that lunatic."
"Pfft, as if. Other than Boss, no one here can handle Sword Maniac that easily. You go up there, and you're just asking to get smacked."
"Did you guys notice? It looked like Boss glanced at that guy standing not far behind Jian Ji. Do they know each other?"
"Yeah, it does seem like that. Too bad I joined late. You guys who joined earlier, anyone care to explain?"
"I joined pretty early, but I've never seen him before, and Boss never mentioned this guy. Who the hell is he?"
…
The Demon Blade Squad members whispered among themselves, curiosity rising as they tried to figure out who Feng Qi was.
Right then, Jian Ji suddenly slashed his Burning Heaven Sword toward Xiao You.
A spiral of intertwined red and black sword energy shot toward her. Even standing a distance away, Feng Qi could feel the sharp sting of the sword aura against his skin.
That strike carried the terrifying force to split the heavens and crack the earth. The shockwave from the slash ripped apart the dark clouds above, blowing away the swirling sand that had covered the Demon Blade Squad.
Finally, Xiao You moved.
She raised the Demon Blade upright, its tip pointing straight at the spiral sword energy.
A thin black crack shot from the tip of the blade, like a streak of black lightning tearing toward the sky.
From Feng Qi's view, it looked like the frozen frame of the world was being torn in two by that twisted black fissure.
She hadn't even swung the blade, yet the released power was utterly terrifying.
The spiral sword energy touched the black fissure and disappeared in an instant, swallowed whole by the crack.
As the second spiral sword energy surged toward her, Xiao You's figure vanished on the spot.
At that moment, Po Jia stepped forward. His graying hair swayed in the wind as he locked his gaze on the oncoming sword energy.
As Po Jia clenched his fist, Feng Qi saw a familiar crimson Fiend Soul emerge from Po Jia's body.
The Fiend Soul's energy form rapidly expanded until it stood like a towering mountain, radiating an oppressive, dominating aura.
The crimson Fiend Soul raised its massive hand and slammed it down toward the spiral sword energy.
Before Feng Qi's stunned eyes, the spiral sword energy was grabbed and compressed in the Fiend Soul's hand until, with a loud boom, it shattered into countless sparkling fragments of light.
That seemingly unstoppable attack had been effortlessly neutralized.
Even though Po Jia had aged, it was clear he had already broken past the shackles of his lifespan, surpassing the limits of his bloodline, and undergone a complete evolution.
Seeing this, Feng Qi couldn't help but give him a silent thumbs-up in his heart.
He had seen Po Jia's hard work with his own eyes. Po Jia deserved this level of power.
All of them had grown in ways he couldn't have imagined during the years he had missed.
Feng Qi's gaze shifted back to Jian Ji, who stood floating in midair.
Xiao You had already appeared right in front of Jian Ji, the Demon Blade in her hand glowing with swirling streams of energy, as if forged from countless elemental forces.
Sensing danger, Jian Ji raised his sword and swung toward her with full force.
But Xiao You calmly waved her hand, dispelling the glow around the Demon Blade, returning it to its simple, unassuming form.
She then met Jian Ji's swing with a strike of her own.
The Demon Blade expanded in the wind, growing to over 100 meters long in the blink of an eye, and with a mighty slap, it sent Jian Ji crashing into the ground.
Boom!
Jian Ji didn't stand a chance in front of Xiao You and was instantly slammed down.
Xiao You turned to look at Feng Qi, flashing a brilliant smile before swinging the Demon Blade again.
Countless purple energy orbs filled the sky, raining down like a meteor shower toward Jian Ji as she brought the blade down again.
Watching this scene, Feng Qi suddenly realized what Xiao You was doing.
She was using the blade techniques he had once created.
As the dense barrage of blade energy meteors struck the ground, Xiao You's figure vanished again, reappearing beside the fallen Jian Ji, continuing her relentless assault.
The Dump Truck Slam, Blade Qi Meteor Shower, Heaven's Rift Lightfall… every move she used was from the blade techniques he had invented.
By the time the sequence of attacks ended, Jian Ji was already coughing up blood.
Even though Xiao You had clearly held back, Jian Ji could barely endure it. He was completely overwhelmed.
Then, Xiao You's blade style shifted.
Her next movements looked more like a graceful dance, the purple Demon Blade twirling around her like a living spirit, weaving circles around her body.
Like a startled swan, like a swimming dragon.
Graceful and flowing, yet every now and then revealing flashes of terrifying sharpness.
Under the power of the Demon Blade, Jian Ji's body was quickly slashed again and again, blood streaks opening up all over his skin until, in the blink of an eye, he was completely covered in blood.
It was as if Xiao You was using this battle to show him just how much she had grown and changed.
From the very start, mimicking Feng Qi's blade techniques, Xiao You had slowly walked her own path. Her blade's style and the very form of the Demon Blade had evolved along with her.
Clearly, that was the turning point that marked her rise.
In a normal situation, facing someone like Xiao You—someone he couldn't possibly defeat—Jian Ji would've already chosen to run.
But the Jian Ji who had fallen into madness had long lost the emotion called "fear." His bloodshot eyes flared with beast-like rage, and through gritted teeth, he let out a crazed roar as he kept swinging the Burning Heaven Sword, desperately trying to cut Xiao You down.
At that moment, Xiao You suddenly twitched her ten fingers.
Countless strands of purple energy threads instantly appeared from her hands, coiling around the floating handle of the Demon Blade.
With a sharp motion, she spread her hands apart.
In an instant, the Demon Blade split into thousands of copies.
She flicked her finger, and one of those blades shot toward Jian Ji like a bolt of lightning.
Crack!
A crisp bone-breaking sound rang out as Jian Ji's left arm was severed and sent flying. The exposed cross-section revealed a swirl of black and red blood and flesh.
It was clear that the power of the negative emotions had already deeply infiltrated Jian Ji's body.
With another flick of her finger, another blade shot out and sliced off Jian Ji's left leg.
Next was his right arm, then his right leg.
Before Xiao You's overwhelming blade mastery, Jian Ji, in all his madness, looked like nothing more than a clown—a puppet being toyed with.
No matter how frenzied he became, he couldn't even pose the slightest threat to her.
Even after his limbs had all been severed, Jian Ji continued to roar.
But the Burning Heaven Sword slipped from his grip, fell to the ground, and sank halfway into the earth.
Jian Ji himself dropped from the sky, crashing heavily onto the ground.
Xiao You suddenly yanked her hands together again, and all the thousands of Demon Blade copies fused back into a single blade, which she firmly grasped.
She leapt down from the sky, her blade aimed straight at Jian Ji.
It seemed she was ready to end Jian Ji's life with this strike.
Seeing this, Feng Qi instinctively moved forward, ready to stop her.
If he couldn't kill Jian Ji as the Feng Qi of the main timeline, the next timeline would see Winterfell City face the same tragic massacre again.
But just as he took a step forward, he froze.
Feng Qi realized that Xiao You clearly knew his situation. She wouldn't actually finish Jian Ji off.
Back in the sacrifice timeline, when he had fused with the Demon Blade, they had shared each other's memories. The Demon Blade knew his secret and had even made a promise with him to one day eliminate Jian Ji.
Otherwise, Xiao You would have already killed Jian Ji long ago and wouldn't have waited for his return.
Just as he had expected, Xiao You's blade tip landed squarely on the Million Sword Spirit Formation on Jian Ji's chest.
A blinding light instantly flooded Feng Qi's vision.
Terrifying energy waves kicked up clouds of dust and sent gales howling through the air.
Crack!
The sound of something shattering rang out.
When the blinding white light finally faded, Feng Qi saw that the Million Sword Spirit Formation on Jian Ji's chest had shattered completely.
[Well, damn. I've actually been worrying about this. That formation carries the consciousness of millions of Winterfell citizens. I was afraid killing Jian Ji would wipe them all out along with him. But I guess I don't have to worry about that anymore.]
Feng Qi had considered that possibility as well.
His plan had been to let the human warriors in Dawn City try to break the formation fused with Jian Ji's body first.
If he tried to destroy it himself, the risk would've been far too high.
There was a real chance he might have erased millions of Winterfell's people from existence entirely.
But now, Xiao You had taken care of that problem, so he no longer had anything to worry about.
After finishing this task, Xiao You slowly pulled her blade back and turned her gaze toward the Burning Heaven Sword lying not far away.
Then she lightly patted the Demon Blade floating before her.
"Brother Blade, if you absorbed this Miracle – Fortification Gem, your strength could increase several times, maybe even dozens of times. Your potential would be nearly limitless. What do you think?"
In response to her question, the familiar old voice echoed out.
"That broken thing might be good for someone else, but to me, it's garbage. Hurry up and smash it already. I've been sick of looking at it for a long time. I think I'm strong enough to stand against any Miracle as I am."
Hearing the slightly irritated tone in the Demon Blade's voice, Xiao You let out a soft giggle.
Then, with that same blooming smile, she turned and walked toward Feng Qi, her smile growing brighter with every step.
When she stopped about five meters in front of him, Xiao You stood still.
"It's been a long time. You've grown up."
Her long hair fluttered in the wind, and Feng Qi returned her smile as he greeted her back.
Xiao You smiled and nodded, then slowly spread her arms wide before suddenly dashing toward him.
Under the stunned gazes of the Demon Blade Squad members, Xiao You dove straight into Feng Qi's arms, rubbing her head hard against his chest.
"Boss, I missed you so much!"