That sword from the Sword Sect's Sect Master, its brilliance had already far surpassed those of his killing moves that were filled with boundless destructive power.

Once upon a time, this Sword Sect's Sect Master had wholeheartedly believed that the best sword in the world was one that no one could withstand, one that would make everyone feel an irresistible sense of defeat before it.

But after delivering this sword, the Sword Sect's Sect Master seemed to realize it belatedly, swords in this world did not necessarily have to be impossible to withstand. Some swords were simply meant to be seen, and they too possessed a kind of beauty.

Watching the countless streaks of sword light drifting across the heavens, the Sword Sect's Sect Master fixed his gaze upon them, dividing his focus into countless strands to record, one by one, the trajectories of those sword lights upon the sky before him.

The entirety of his life's sword dao was contained within this single sword. As for how much that young man would learn from these sword lights, how much he would comprehend, and how much he could make his own, that was no longer something he needed to concern himself with.

The Sword Sect's Sect Master glanced at Chen Chao, then turned and left, returning to the Sword Sect.

As soon as he appeared at the Sword Sect, he saw the mountains full of sword cultivators, all of them looking up at the sky.

The Sword Sect's Sect Master stood with his hands behind his back, looking at his sect members. He did not know what he thought of for a moment, but while he was lost in thought, the sword cultivators noticed their Sect Master and withdrew their gazes, turning to look at him.

"Sect Master!""Sect Master."

Hearing those sword cultivators' calls, the Sword Sect's Sect Master came back to his senses and looked at these sword cultivators of varying ages and realms.

For a moment, he actually felt a sense of guilt.

He had been the Sword Sect's Sect Master for who knew how many years, but all this time, had he ever truly taken the affairs of the Sword Sect to heart?

As Sect Master, aside from possessing unmatched sword dao in the world, could he truly be considered qualified?

Without question, he was the Sect Master of the highest realm in the history of the Sword Sect. In terms of status, perhaps only the founding Sect Master could be compared to him. As for his sword dao attainment, it was even possible that he surpassed that predecessor.

But beyond that?

Over all these years, what had he truly done for the Sword Sect?

The Sword Sect's Sect Master shook his head.

In recent years, there had been a saying in the cultivation world, that cultivators like them had, for so many years, always been those who took things for granted. But had they ever truly done anything for this human world? Previously, the Sword Sect's Sect Master had scoffed at this notion. But now it seemed that not only had he done nothing for this human world, he had not even done much for the Sword Sect.

Thinking this, the Sword Sect's Sect Master took a deep breath, formed a sword finger, and waved it toward the sea of clouds. In an instant, the vast clouds were torn apart by an unparalleled streak of sword light, allowing the sword cultivators to witness the sword he had just displayed.

"Observe the sword carefully."

The Sword Sect's Sect Master smiled faintly.

Aside from that, he said nothing more and simply walked toward the mountains.

Meanwhile, the sword cultivators raised their heads once again and saw the countless streaks of sword light hidden above the sea of clouds. One by one, their expressions turned excited. Those with sufficient talent had already sensed what was contained within those sword lights.

Every sword cultivator in the Sword Sect had their own sword dao. Even when a master passed down their sword dao, they would ultimately tell their disciples - learning my sword is fine, but walking my path will certainly lead to problems.

Thus, every sword cultivator’s sword dao was different.

But different sword daos did not mean one could not gain something by observing the sword dao of others.

Just like now, the Sword Sect's Sect Master had laid out his own sword dao for everyone to see. Though they would not follow that path, they would certainly gain a great deal of insight.

This act of the Sword Sect's Sect Master was no different from transmitting the sword to the entire sect.

The significance of this was immense.

Before long, the Sword Sect's Sect Master arrived at the place where he had appeared earlier. The young man Song Xun had already left for a spot with a better view, but the old sword cultivator was still there.

"Qingshan, why not go take a look?"

The Sword Sect's Sect Master took the initiative to greet this old sword cultivator. As for this martial nephew of his, there had never really been much connection between them. He only remembered that, back when his senior brother had brought him up the mountain, he had been overjoyed and came to tell him that he finally had a successor, that his sword dao could be passed on. He even said that in the future, the Sword Sect would surely gain another great sword immortal.

But things had not gone as hoped. Who would have thought that the old sword cultivator would remain stuck at the end of the Great Beyond all these years, never able to step into Nepenthe, let alone reach its peak?

The old sword cultivator glanced at the heavens and said with some emotion, "If it had been sixty years earlier, not even sixty, even thirty, if I had seen this sword of Sect Master, perhaps I might have broken through that realm. But now, it is too late. Whether I look or not no longer makes any difference."

When he spoke, there was no resentment or bitterness in his tone, only calmness and ease.

Some things, when one has struggled with them for sixty years, have been struggled with long enough. One cannot remain entangled forever.

The Sword Sect's Sect Master looked at the old sword cultivator and said frankly, "All these past years, I only focused on the sword dao, intent on reaching its highest point. I did somewhat neglect you all."

The old sword cultivator smiled. "There was actually still some care. After all, I always felt that being Sect Master alone was fine, but you are not just Sect Master, you are also Martial Uncle. So I would often think, why couldn’t Martial Uncle look after us juniors a bit more? Martial Uncle, to speak frankly, don’t be angry, back then, a few of us fellow disciples who got along quite well would get together in private and cursed you quite a bit."

The Sword Sect's Sect Master smiled and said, "I deserved it."

The old sword cultivator scratched his head and waved his hand. "We all understand a simple truth, that practicing the sword is one’s own affair. Even if Martial Uncle had given us more guidance, at best we might have had a chance to become sword immortals, but not necessarily great sword immortals."

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master said nothing.

"Martial Uncle, at my age, my sword dao has already reached its end. There is no hope left for me. But my disciple is still young, with a long road ahead. If you have the time, take a look at him more often?"

The old sword cultivator chuckled. At this point, what he cared about was no longer himself, but his disciple. If that disciple could go further, reach higher places, even places he himself had never reached,that would be enough.

The Sword Sect's Sect Master thought for a moment and said, "That little fellow is called Song Xun?"

The old sword cultivator nodded and said happily, "As long as Martial Uncle remembers him, that’s enough."

The Sword Sect's Sect Master gave a soft acknowledgment and said, "He will definitely go farther than you in the future. I will keep an eye on him."

The old sword cultivator gave a solemn bow.

The Sword Sect's Sect Master was about to turn and leave, but after thinking for a moment, he asked again, "Qingshan, is there anything you still want to do in this life?"

The old sword cultivator replied without hesitation, "Martial Uncle, I plan to go to the Northern Frontier and take a look. Even if I must die in this life, I would rather not wither away alone in the mountains."

The Sword Sect's Sect Master asked, "Draw your sword to slay demons?"

The old sword cultivator nodded. "It’s not about putting on airs and saying I want to do something for the world, I won’t talk about that. If not for the world, then at least for my parents. Back then, I was also a citizen of Great Liang."

The Sword Sect's Sect Master smiled and asked, "And now you aren’t?"

The old sword cultivator froze for a moment, then laughed. "Of course I still am. I remember clearly, I was from Xinliu Prefecture. In front of my family courtyard, my father planted two osmanthus trees."

As he spoke of this, his expression dimmed. When he left home, those two osmanthus trees had just been planted not long before, blooming for the first time. But after many years of practicing the sword, when he finally thought of returning to his hometown to take a look, his parents were already gone, the courtyard had long since collapsed, and those two osmanthus trees had been dead for many years.

He had once thought that as long as he held his hometown in his heart, no matter how many years he stayed away, it would always still be there. But that was not the case.

A hometown does not remain forever. With the passing of one’s parents, it quietly becomes a foreign place.

And without a hometown, one has no roots, becoming a wandering soul.

"Though my hometown is gone, when I think that one day it might be inhabited by a group of beasts that eat raw flesh and drink blood, it just doesn’t sit right with me. If that day truly comes, and as time passes, all traces of us disappear, then everything will truly be gone."

There were tears in the old sword cultivator’s eyes. "If, when I reach the underworld, my father asks me what meaning there was in all those years of practicing the sword? I wouldn’t even know how to answer him. I became an immortal in their eyes, yet couldn’t even protect my own hometown, what was the point of practicing this sword?"

The Sword Sect's Sect Master looked at him, listening, and began to recall his own life before he went up the mountain. But for some reason, no matter how hard he tried, he could not remember much.

He had been away from home too long, practiced the sword for too long, and spent too long not caring about the affairs of the world.

Many memories were destined to fade away like this.

When they were lost, he had not cherished them. Now that he wanted to remember them, no matter how hard he tried, he could not.

The Sword Sect's Sect Master gave a self-mocking smile. In the past, he had always thought he would die in the Sword Sect. But now it seemed that even as Sect Master, he was still a traveler in a foreign land.

The Sword Sect's Sect Master said, "Qingshan, kill a few more demons."

The old sword cultivator sighed. "Hard to say, Martial Uncle. All my life, I’ve only mastered this. Maybe when I get to the battlefield, the moment I release my flying sword, I’ll be slapped to death by some great demon. If that day really comes, don’t think I’ve disgraced the Sword Sect, don’t strike my name from the rolls..."

The Sword Sect's Sect Master shook his head. "I won’t."

"But even if Martial Uncle does remove my name, it doesn’t matter much. After I die, I’ll surely return to my hometown, becoming a small blade of grass by my parents’ graves."

The old sword cultivator’s eyes were full of longing, as if he could already see that day, no longer needing to practice the sword, no longer worrying about anything, simply becoming a small blade of grass by his parents’ graves, just like when he was young, holding his father’s hand and walking through the fields.

The Sword Sect's Sect Master said nothing, only walked toward the distance.

But on that very day, the Sword Sect established a new mountain rule - sword cultivators were free to go up and down the mountain, free to go wherever they wished.

Under this rule, quite a number of sword cultivators who felt they could not advance further in this life descended the mountain and returned home, to see the hometowns they had been separated from for decades.

After seeing those hometowns which were no longer the same as in their memories, many sword cultivators took up their swords and headed north, rushing to the Northern Frontier.

This time, no one demanded it. The Sword Sect had not promised anything to anyone, nor had it forced anyone.

At this point, the thoughts of the sword cultivators were the same as those of the common people who had lived for generations in Xinliu Prefecture, the demon race must not be allowed to advance south. Once they did, their hometowns would suffer.

These sword cultivators, once they went to the Northern Frontier, were destined that only a few would ever return. Yet it seemed that none of them regretted it.

As for the Sword Sect's Sect Master, he came to the highest point of the sect. Sitting by the cliff, looking at the swirling clouds before him, he smiled and said, "I no longer remember where my hometown is,so everywhere is my hometown."

Since everywhere was his hometown, then if the demon race broke through the Northern Frontier Great Wall, they would be bringing disaster upon his homeland.

This principle was very simple.

But it had taken the Sword Sect's Sect Master a full hundred years to understand it.

Was a hundred years too long?

Yes, far too long.

But was it too late?

It did not seem so.