Heng Xuanzhen clenched her fists without thinking and said softly, “Try it. If it truly can’t be done, then...then forget it.”

Long years had taught her a truth: some things cannot be forced.

If she truly couldn’t see her master again, then it simply meant there was no fate for it.

Ye Yu nodded and sent his divine sense searching for Lyu Nian’s location.

Fortunately, Lyu Nian’s divine body was sturdy. Even after his own disciple’s sword had split him into the earth, the body hadn’t shattered.

That was good news.

Ye Yu steadied himself and began to cast Demonic Conversion.

Radiant light descended.

Lyu Nian opened his eyes once more and surged up out of the ground, coming to a stand—

—not very steadily.

His right leg was injured; he could only balance on one leg with difficulty.

Even so, it was enough to make Heng Xuanzhen weep for joy.

She dropped to her knees before Lyu Nian and bowed, offering a reverent “Master.”

Ye Yu was pleased as well.

A fallen god-blooded being had been summoned a second time.

That meant as long as the divine body wasn’t too badly damaged, it could be summoned twice, thrice, even without limit.

So long as Ye Yu’s divine power held out, he would command an undying god-blooded host.

Tsk, tsk—he was rich now.

In his delight, Ye Yu let his gaze drift across other parts of Ancient Sword Gorge.

On the map Tao Hua had given him, this {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} was the place with the greatest number of god-blooded fallen.

Back here again, and with Heng Xuanzhen’s attention fixed entirely on Lyu Nian, how could Ye Yu not entertain other thoughts?

Just as he was weighing a suitable excuse to slip away—

—Heng Xuanzhen caught his sleeve.

Ye Yu couldn’t help arching a brow.

No way. Could this woman read minds and know exactly what he was thinking?

“My master is so cold. Does that mean...he no longer has his memories?”

Heng Xuanzhen still looked at Ye Yu with expectant eyes—

—as if in her heart, this man could solve anything.

Ye Yu covered his face with one hand and sighed. “Fellow cultivator, I’m the same as you—I’m god-blooded, and my realm is lower than yours.”

“The only reason I could call your fallen master back is because the divine art is exquisite.”

“But a divine art is a summoning, not a resurrection.”

“Do you understand me?”

At that, the light dimmed in Heng Xuanzhen’s eyes.

Summoning, not resurrection—meaning Lyu Nian was no longer the master he once was, only a summoned construct without feeling.

No matter what she said, he wouldn’t be able to give her much of a response.

Perhaps because her quiet sorrow tugged at him, Ye Yu spoke gently. “Being able to see your master again should make you happy. Don’t be too sad. It’s a reunion of another kind.”

Heng Xuanzhen’s gaze softened. She bowed to Ye Yu with solemn courtesy.

“Thank you, fellow cultivator. If I have the chance one day, I will—”

Before she could finish, Ye Yu waved a hand. “Don’t thank me yet. Would you like to see more of your sectmates? For example, your junior sister Bai Jia?”

Heng Xuanzhen stared, startled.

“How do you know my junior sister’s name?”

“In your coma, you called out several names,” Ye Yu said evenly. “I remembered them. Your master’s, your junior sister’s, and...others.” 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Heng Xuanzhen stepped forward, unable to contain herself. “Fellow cultivator, can you truly summon my other sectmates? Even if we can’t speak—just seeing them once would be wonderful. Thank you, thank you!”

“No need to be polite.”

Ye Yu smiled and waved it off.

Inside, his heart was singing.

Don’t thank me—you should be thanking yourself.

He set to work carefully combing Ancient Sword Gorge.

After nearly half an hour of searching and comparing, he used Demonic Conversion to summon four more fallen god-blooded beings.

Among them—aside from Heng Xuanzhen’s junior sister Bai Jia—the other three were all late Gold God stage.

That was the upper limit of what Ye Yu could summon.

Five in number—that was also Demonic Conversion’s cap.

Just as Ye Yu was about to bring them to Heng Xuanzhen—

—a fierce white light erupted from the earth all across Ancient Sword Gorge.

The ground began to tremble.

From the ruined rubble, tall buildings surged up one after another.

In barely a dozen breaths—

—a complete Divine Alliance stood before Ye Yu’s eyes.

On the great hall directly ahead hung a heavy plaque.

Carved on it were six large characters: Ancient Sword Gorge Hall of Fallen Heroes.

Heng Xuanzhen appeared before Ye Yu. Gazing at the buildings, she sighed. “I never repaired the alliance before. I wanted to remember my hatred for Skyreach Pavilion.”

“My plan was to rebuild Ancient Sword Gorge only after avenging the alliance.”

“But I’ve changed my mind.”

“How could I meet my fellow sectmates again in a place this desolate?”

“So I activated the Alliance Operating Grand Formation ahead of time to restore this place.”

“I wanted...to see the alliance as it once was.”

By the end, tears were already glimmering in her eyes.

Ye Yu lifted a hand, guiding the four newly summoned god-blooded, together with Lyu Nian, to stand before Heng Xuanzhen.

He also guided junior sister Bai Jia forward to embrace her.

In that moment, Heng Xuanzhen could no longer hold back. She burst into tears on the spot.

Ye Yu let out a quiet sigh.

Three million years of vengeance on her back, living alone amid these ruins—

—torment, by day and by night.

She must have suffered.

With that thought, Ye Yu turned away.

He would give Heng Xuanzhen space to be with her sectmates.

Tomorrow, he would take the Demonic Conversion summons away.

As for him, he began to wander the Ancient Sword Gorge Alliance—

—to look upon this alliance from three million years ago.

Before long, he stopped at the doorway of a great hall on the eastern side.

Heart-Sword Grounds.

The name sounded promising.

Ye Yu stepped in, curious.

The interior was vast—almost bare.

Only a single longsword floated in the air. Aside from that, there were nearly a thousand empty slots.

And the sword’s position was very near the back.

He walked up. Beneath the lone longsword rested a plaque, and on it were three characters that read: Heng Xuanzhen.