The sky outside remained steeped in night, yet Tai Yin had already departed long ago.

Beneath the cloak of darkness, the old Xiang family residence slumbered like a lurking ancient beast. It emitted not a single sound, its lone fangs sheathed and restrained.

The marks of time were etched upon everything here, though in a place like Ying City, the Xiang family’s ancestral home could not claim to be the most venerable.

In the time of Wing Country Duke Xiang Longxiang, the Duke’s residence was, naturally, the heart of the Xiang family.

With Xiang Longxiang’s death in battle, and his explicit naming of Xiang Bei as the future inheritor of the family, the core power of the entire Xiang family gradually coalesced in the hands of the elders, awaiting its eventual transfer to the grown Xiang Bei.

Xiang Bei, who had previously been deeply favored by Xiang Longxiang and lived directly in the Duke’s residence, was now relocated, taking up residence in the old family compound. Of course, he could not commit the act of driving out Xiang Longxiang’s direct descendants from the Duke’s residence. Yet, to continue residing there would inevitably breed discord…

As for Tai Yin’s hasty departure from Chu, Xiang Bei could roughly surmise a few reasons. While internal tensions within the Tai family were certainly a factor, a lack of caution towards Jiang Wang was likely also absent. Within the borders of Chu, he could protect Tai Yin without issue. Outside Chu, however, was another matter entirely.

Tai Yin, whose entire skill lay in the path of arrays, had used up nearly all the prepared array disks during the trip to the Mountain Sea Realm. Now, standing before Jiang Wang, he indeed possessed little self-protection.

Only…

“You gave the Origin Soul Pill to him, what will you do?”

Within the quiet room, a voice suddenly echoed. It was an aged voice, imbued with the deep wisdom of time. Yet, looking about, no second person was visible.

Xiang Bei seemed accustomed to this voice, responding simply, “What is there to do?”

“You know what I’m saying!” The voice sounded somewhat angered. “You are at a critical juncture now, the position of Xiang family heir is unstable. Failing to make up this thirty percent of divine soul origin could very well destroy you just like this!”

“Is that so?” Xiang Bei used a piece of white velvet cloth to slowly wipe the edge of his halberd, his tone still flat. “If I am so easily destroyed, then it proves I should be destroyed.”

The aged voice grew increasingly agitated. “Do you feel you are being very righteous? Does the path of the soldier teach you this kind of greenwood justice? Sacrificing yourself to help others, is that the virtue you speak of? But have you considered those who sacrificed for you to reach this point?! Do you truly know what you are doing, Xiang Bei!”

Xiang Bei quietly placed the velvet cloth over his painted halberd, saying with his rare calm, “I knew before, then I didn’t know… now I know again.”

“You… what do you mean?” The aged voice was doubtful.

Xiang Bei replied, “No matter what is said, Tai Yin ultimately came to lend me a hand, and in the Mountain Sea Realm, he prioritized my needs. His matter, I must bear.”

The aged voice countered, “Do you think Tai Yin is such a good person? Do you think he doesn’t know your current predicament? Yet look how easily he takes, how freely he leaves! I have seen many such people. Do you think he will be grateful? He merely needs you, needs your resources. You treat him as a friend, he treats you as a fat sheep. You are too ridiculous!”

“What kind of person Tai Yin is, I know in my heart. He is not a perfect friend, yet not as bad as you say. Furthermore, I am only doing what I should do, and what does that have to do with his character?” Xiang Bei said indifferently, “Moreover, this Origin Soul Pill, I originally didn’t intend to consume.”

“What do you mean?” The aged voice grew more confused.

Xiang Bei closed his eyes, tilting his head slightly. “Just now, I sat here alone. Suddenly I realized… if I don’t make some changes, I will never be able to defeat Jiang Qingyang in my entire life.”

“How is that possible? How can you actually think this way? You two are only experiencing temporary wins and losses now!” The aged voice exclaimed. “The path of the Dao is long, your future holds infinite possibilities!”

“No, I know. At the moment he grabbed the halberd edge and brought me rushing towards Tai Yin, I should have known. Pinning hope on the future, falling into a joint sneak attack… forever and ever, it will be impossible to be his opponent.”

“Why was I so angry in that moment?”

Sorrow tinged Xiang Bei’s words.

“I was angry at myself, for why I had become so strange.”

“I was angry at myself, for burying the qualification to face him in a direct fight.”

“You shouldn’t think this way.” The aged voice urged. “Xiang Bei, a soldier has no constant momentum, water has no constant shape…”

“One who can achieve victory by adapting to the enemy is called divine. Thus, the five elements have no constant victory, the four seasons have no constant position, days have their lengths, and months have their cycles of waxing and waning.” Xiang Bei continued casually, then said, “I understand the art of war, and I understand the principle. But I cannot deceive myself thus.”

“Clearly, at the bottom of my heart, I have already admitted defeat, clearly, I already dare not face him… why do I still deceive myself in this manner?”

“I have deceived myself long enough!”

Xiang Bei took a deep breath, slowly recounting, “Relying on divine soul power that far surpassed cultivators of the same realm, I was invincible. I even asked myself if I could strive for world hegemony.”

“Defeated at Viewing River Terrace by Jiang Wang’s hand, I thought I lost due to carelessness.”

“Defeated again before Yellow Beam Terrace, I admitted the gap, yet felt that after divine arrival, there was still opportunity, because I have Heaven Horizontal Double Sun, I was born with such brilliant eyes…”

“In the Mountain Sea Realm, I actually pinned hope on him being cut off from thirty percent of his divine soul origin, thus avoiding the hardship of my pursuit. Because of this, I could hold an absolute advantage on the divine soul level.”

“But what am I?”

“These days, I have not once asked myself—but what am I?”

Xiang Bei gently pressed the Cover World Halberd, then lifted his right hand, turning it towards himself. His index and middle fingers slowly separated, while the others retracted.

He moved his right hand upwards.

With a calm, almost eerie tone, he spoke, “I rely too much on my eyes. They have made me, and they have also almost destroyed me.”

“What do I, Xiang Bei, truly rely on to stand out from the crowd?”

The old voice suddenly panicked. “No! What are you doing! Stop! Don’t do something foolish!”

And Xiang Bei only continued to ask—

“Is it my eyes?”

“Heaven-born heavy pupils, thus do I, Xiang Bei, Cover the World?”

“If I strip away this pair of eyes?”

“Who am I… What do I count as?”

“Just let me… find an answer.”

Having spoken thus, Xiang Bei’s lips pursed slightly, a smile that wasn’t a smile gracing his face. And with those two fingers of his right hand, he plunged them into his eyes without hesitation!

His face instantly crumpled into a knot of agony, his mouth involuntarily opening and closing, yet not a single sound emerged… the pain was so intense he was struck dumb!

Fresh blood flowed down from his two ruthless fingers.

He collapsed onto the ground, curling up. After a long while, he finally managed to wrestle some reason from that kind of pain.

“You’re mad… you’re absolutely mad! You stupid, crazy brute, you have personally buried your future.” The aged voice was heartbroken. “You’ve destroyed everything!”

“Heh heh…”

Xiang Bei curled on the ground, breathing with difficulty. He stretched out a trembling hand, fumbling for a long time, finally grasping the body of the Cover World Halberd.

Clutching the Cover World Halberd, he seemed to find some ease.

Even with the road ahead a complete blackness, his future was still held in his grasp.

“Now I have no special eyes, my divine soul power is also very ordinary…”

He murmured, “But I have found myself.”

“It has been a very long time since I saw myself so clearly.”

“Just let me be destroyed!”

“Or. Let me recast the light.”