Heavenly Sword Saint
In the Divine Realm, the Jian Clan was renowned as the Holy Land of the Sword.
Its disciples cultivated the sword from birth, and every generation produced extraordinary geniuses capable of shaking the world.
The Lin Clan, on the other hand, was famous for its powerful bloodline and exceptional Spirit Veins. Although it was slightly inferior to the Jian Clan in overall strength, it remained one of the most influential ancient clans in the Divine Realm.
To strengthen the relationship between the two clans, the patriarchs forged a marriage alliance over twenty years ago.
The young master of the Jian Clan, Jian Chen.
The young lady of the Lin Clan, Lin Xue'er.
Both possessed top-grade Spirit Veins and displayed astonishing talent from a young age.
As they grew older, they cultivated together, trained together, and explored countless ancient ruins together.
The Divine Realm regarded them as the most enviable couple of their generation.
Many believed they would one day become husband and wife and lead their respective clans to even greater glory.
Jian Chen believed the same.
To him, Lin Xue'er was not merely his fiancée.
She was the person he trusted most in the world.
...
The Heavenfall Secret Realm.
A mysterious realm that appeared only once every ten thousand years.
It accepted only cultivators below the age of thirty.
Within it were ancient inheritances left behind by supreme experts from forgotten eras.
Every time it appeared, countless young geniuses risked their lives to enter, hoping to change their destiny.
Deep within the Secret Realm...
Jian Chen and Lin Xue'er finally arrived before an ancient palace.
Broken swords littered the ground, each emitting an ancient Sword Intent.
At the center of the palace floated a weathered jade scroll.
The moment Jian Chen touched it
Boom!
A pillar of golden light shot into the sky.
The jade scroll dissolved into countless streams of light that entered his body.
An ancient inheritance surged into his soul.
His mind trembled.
Before he could even discover what inheritance he had obtained
Pfft!
A sword pierced through his back.
Its bloodstained tip emerged from his chest.
Fresh blood splashed across the stone floor.
Jian Chen froze.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
He slowly lowered his head.
The sword piercing his chest...
Was the Frost Snow Sword.
The very sword he had forged for his fiancée.
"...Xue'er?"
His voice trembled.
He slowly turned around.
Standing behind him was Lin Xue'er.
Her beautiful face was as cold as ice.
Without hesitation, she pulled out her sword.
Blood gushed from Jian Chen's wound.
He looked into her eyes, hoping to find even the slightest trace of guilt.
There was none.
Only indifference.
"Why...?"
His voice was filled with pain.
"We've known each other for over twenty years."
"We're engaged."
"I trusted you more than anyone."
"So why?"
Lin Xue'er's expression remained calm.
"Because I have never loved you."
Jian Chen's breathing stopped.
"I only stayed by your side because of the marriage alliance between our clans."
"You were useful."
"Nothing more."
Those words struck him harder than the sword through his heart.
At that moment, dozens of figures emerged from the shadows.
Every one of them wore the robes of the Lin Clan.
They had been hiding all along.
Their powerful auras instantly sealed every escape route.
Jian Chen finally understood.
This wasn't a coincidence.
It was a trap.
A trap carefully prepared for him.
Footsteps echoed through the silent palace.
A young man dressed in golden dragon robes slowly walked forward.
His bearing was noble, and every movement exuded supreme confidence.
The Lin Clan experts immediately bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Crown Prince."
Jian Chen's pupils contracted.
"Long Tian..."
The Crown Prince of the Great Eternal Divine Dynasty.
The most outstanding genius of the imperial family.
Long Tian smiled faintly.
"The greatest genius of the Jian Clan..."
"What a pity."
"You were only one step away from obtaining this inheritance."
He walked beside Lin Xue'er.
Without hesitation, she stood at his side.
Long Tian naturally held her hand.
This time...
She did not refuse.
Instead, a gentle smile appeared on her face.
A smile Jian Chen had never seen before.
Long Tian looked at Jian Chen with pity.
"Allow me to tell you the truth."
"Lin Xue'er has always loved me."
"The engagement between you two was nothing more than an agreement between your clans."
Lin Xue'er looked directly into Jian Chen's eyes.
"I have loved Long Tian since I was young."
"For the sake of our plan..."
"I stayed by your side."
"I smiled at you."
"I cared for you."
"I made you trust me completely."
"But every moment..."
"...was an act."
Jian Chen felt as if hisentire world had collapsed.
Twenty years.
Twenty years of companionship.
Twenty years of trust.
Twenty years of love.
Everything...
Had been nothing more than an illusion.
His chest continued to bleed.
Yet the pain in his heart was far greater than the wound inflicted by the Frost Snow Sword.
He looked at Lin Xue'er.
The woman he had loved since childhood.
The woman he had dreamed of spending the rest of his life with.
His lips trembled slightly.
"So..."
"Not even once..."
"...did you ever love me?"
Silence filled the ancient palace.
Lin Xue'er met his gaze without the slightest hesitation.
"No."
"Not even once."
"My heart has always belonged to Long Tian."
"I merely played the role of your fiancée."
"I smiled when I wanted to cry."
"I comforted you when I wanted to leave."
"I endured twenty years..."
"...just for today."
Every word she spoke was like another sword piercing Jian Chen's heart.
He slowly closed his eyes.
Scenes from the past flashed before him.
The day they first met.
The countless days they cultivated side by side.
The nights they watched the stars together.
The promise they had made beneath the ancient divine tree.
"I will always stand beside you."
He had believed every word.
Now...
Every memory had become a cruel joke.
Long Tian looked at Jian Chen and laughed.
"The greatest genius of the Jian Clan."
"The man whom everyone believed would become the youngest Saint in history."
"And yet..."
"You were defeated by your own heart."
He slowly walked toward Jian Chen.
His eyes were filled with mockery.
"Do you know why I allowed Lin Xue'er to remain by your side for twenty years?"
Jian Chen remained silent.
"Because only she could make you lower your guard."
"Only she could bring you to this inheritance."
"And only she could deliver the fatal strike."
Long Tian stopped a few steps away.
"You should feel honored."
"You've served your purpose well."
Jian Chen slowly opened his eyes.
Although his face was pale, his gaze remained sharp.
"You think you've won?"
Long Tian smiled.
"You're dying."
"The inheritance is ours."
"What else can you possibly do?"
Jian Chen suddenly laughed.
His laughter echoed throughout the ancient palace.
It was not the laughter of madness.
Nor was it the laughter of despair.
It was the laughter of a man who had finally seen through the world.
"I, Jian Chen..."
"...have spent my entire life pursuing the Sword Dao."
"I believed loyalty would be repaid with loyalty."
"I believed love would be repaid with love."
"It seems..."
"I was wrong."
He slowly raised his head.
His eyes, once filled with warmth, had become as cold as an unsheathed divine sword.
He looked at Lin Xue'er one last time.
"When we meet again..."
"I will no longer ask why."
"There will only be life..."
"...or death."
For some reason, Lin Xue'er's heart trembled upon hearing those words.
It lasted only an instant.
Then she suppressed it.
To her...
Jian Chen was already a dead man.
Long Tian raised his hand.
"Kill him."
"I want his body."
"If the inheritance still remains within him..."
"We'll extract it by force."
The experts of the Lin Clan immediately stepped forward.
Their killing intent erupted, filling the entire palace.
Jian Chen tightened his grip on his sword.
Blood dripped from its blade onto the ancient floor.
His body was gravely wounded.
His enemies surrounded him.
There was no path of retreat.
But a swordsman...
Never turned his back on death.
He slowly drew a deep breath.
Then...
He raised his sword.
A deafening sword cry echoed across the ancient palace.
Clang!
The countless broken swords buried throughout the palace suddenly trembled violently.
As though they had sensed...
The fury of the greatest swordsman of his generation.