"So that was it," Yino muttered, sighing softly in mockery. "And here I thought the Noble Family was pulling strings behind the scenes to buy off the Immortal Alliance host."
His casual tone acted like a blade, slicing directly into her deepest vulnerability.
Zhihan stood frozen, realizing her own failure. Not only was she a disappointing, useless disciple to the Primordial Sword Ancestor, but now she was exposed as a blind master who could not even guide her own charge.
Even before the tournament began, she had never truly believed in Lin Che, doubting his strength to claim a spot in the top three.
Doubt had paralyzed her. She could not bring herself to endorse him under the prestigious name of the Primordial Sacred Land. For over half a year, she had sheltered the boy, listening to him call her master every day, yet she stubbornly refused to acknowledge him as her True Inheritor.
Weighed down by shame, she stared at the floor.
"In your eyes... I must seem like such a selfish, vain, and foolish woman..."
A renowned swordmaster, she knew the fundamental truth of cultivation. To forge the perfect sword, one first had to forge the heart.
She had spent years violating her own Dao Heart.
The ancient vows made to her blade lay shattered and betrayed. Standing before Yino now, she could not even look into her own corrupted soul.
Yino offered no comfort, simply watching her dignity crumble.
Judging the woman was pointless. While the pressure of her circumstances excused some weakness, her actions in the original timeline fell miserably short of her grand title as the supreme Sword Goddess under heaven.
As a legendary genius, she had spent her life bending the knee to the threats of the Noble Family and the Lin mansion. Her path had ended in the cold dust of the Northern Region Ruins, her heart pierced by a Demoness’s blade. Her entire existence seemed designed as a sacrifice, a stepping stone for Lin Che to fall into darkness and inherit her Primordial Sword Art.
Her final drop of value had been squeezed dry for another’s growth.
The absurdity of her tragic fate filled Yino with disgust.
Looking at her trembling figure, he felt no desire to lecture her, though any impulse to offer comfort was quickly snuffed out by frustration at her lack of resolve.
"Sister Zhihan, why must you speak of yourself like this?"
Unable to watch her friend suffer in silence, Yuyan stepped forward.
Taking Zhihan’s cold hand, she squeezed it reassuringly. "I don’t think you did anything wrong. Even if Lin Che won the tournament, he did so using crude physical techniques, not the Primordial Sword Dao you teach."
"There’s no reason to name him the successor of the Primordial Sacred Land. After all, he knows nothing of your true path."
Glancing back at Yino in a silent plea for support, she spoke with warmth.
Understanding the signal, Yino offered a gentle smile. "Indeed. You only wished to preserve the pure heritage of the Primordial Sword Dao. What fault is there in protecting your legacy?"
Zhihan flinched, looking up with hesitant hope.
The illusion shattered instantly.
She could see right through his gentle words; he was merely playing along with Yuyan to placate her like a child.
His clear, piercing gaze stripped away her defenses, exposing her shameful heart to the bone.
A brilliant genius like him would naturally look down on such a pathetic creature.
"Yuyan, please... there’s no need to comfort me. I’m no longer a child."
"I understand the reality of my situation. It’s just... after watching young master Yino these past few days, I can’t help but feel ashamed of how I’ve wasted a hundred years of my life. I’ve proven to be such an incompetent master."
Pulling her hand back, she looked away from him.
She had her own struggles and didn’t expect him to understand. The world only cared about results, and since she had already failed, any explanation would sound like a pathetic excuse.
In the end, she had only herself to blame for her stagnation, remaining stuck at the Tribulation Crossing stage and wasting her innate gift.
Had she broken through to the Remnant Immortal Realm long ago, rising as a peerless swordmaster comparable to the Primordial Sword Ancestor, she would be wrapped in glory. How would Lin Yuchen have ever dared to threaten her?
Clutching the bandage-wrapped primordial sword tightly against her chest, she stood up.
"Since today’s matches are over and young master Yino is safe, I must return to watch over Lin Che. I won’t disturb your private cultivation with your husband."
"Ah... yes. Please take care..."
Yuyan watched her leave, sensing her deep torment but unable to intervene when the older woman refused to ask for help.
The two of them stood to bid her farewell.
As the door clicked shut, Yuyan looked at Yino with a softening expression, pleading silently.
Though she didn’t know the details of Zhihan’s torment, she was certain Yino held the answers.
The heavy, knowing glances they had exchanged earlier made that obvious.
"Weren’t you just jealous of our dear Sword Goddess a moment ago, Senior Sister?"
Yino chuckled softly, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her flush against his chest.
"Now that she’s gone, why the long face?"
Offering no resistance, Yuyan melted into his embrace.
"I only feel her life has been far too cruel," she murmured, resting her head against his shoulder. "Since you’ve already planned with the National Advisor to travel to the northern Jianlan Sect next spring, you must have a way to help her rebuild her shattered path..."
Her voice was thick with earnestness.
Looking down at her, Yino felt a spark of genuine curiosity.
"How strange. I never mentioned a word of this to you. How do you always read my mind so perfectly?"
"It’s simple experience," she replied with a soft smile. "The circle of women around you only grows larger with time. Wangxue, Yunjin, Lily, Ruoning... which one of them didn’t you pull from the depths of despair?"
With a sense of pride rather than jealousy, she listed the names.
"Since you’re heading to the Jianlan Sect, the next one destined for salvation must be my poor sister Zhihan."
Tilting her head up, she gave him a playful, knowing smile.
Yino smiled wryly.
The truth of his character was far darker than the noble savior she imagined.
His original intent had been simple and cruel: slaughter Lin Che, take his place, and claim Zhihan’s Primordial Sword Dao for himself once she was dead.
But the interactions of the past few days had begun to warp his cold calculations.
Even he couldn’t predict where this path would lead.
Looking at the trust in her eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to shatter her illusions, letting out a quiet sigh of exhaustion.
"Since you claim to understand me so well, have you guessed when I plan to save you?"
"I don’t know..." she whispered as her voice trailed off. "But at this rate, that day will come sooner or later..."
"Aren’t you afraid of what that entails?"
"I used to be."
Looking down for a brief moment, Yuyan suddenly leaned in close to nibble on his earlobe.
"But I’m not afraid anymore. Everyone else has endured the same. Besides, under the National Advisor’s guidance, I’ve already broken through to the Emptiness Refining stage."
"It won’t be long before I catch up to sister Zhihan. Perhaps in the future, it won’t be you saving me, but my sword protecting you."
A sharp, chilling intent flashed in her eyes.
Yino pulled her flush against his body, groaning, "You’re putting quite a lot of pressure on me, Senior Sister. You’ll have to reward me properly tonight during our cultivation. Otherwise, if my strength is lacking by next spring, how will I ever pull lady Zhihan from her misery?"
A slight prick of guilt touched his conscience.
Every step he took was a calculated move to seize opportunities. His journeys to the Liuli Sect and the Azure Forest were purely to plunder the secret realms. Even his plan for the Jianlan Sect was never about saving Zhihan, but about executing the protagonist and tearing the Primordial heritage from her broken body.
But reality rarely aligned with cold plans.
Trapped by his own web of lies, he had somehow become a legendary savior of distressed maidens in her eyes. Since things had progressed this far, he could no longer voice any refusal.
"Very well. You exhausted your vital energy fighting that little Demoness today, so I must nurture your body tonight."
With a sweet, wanton smile, Yuyan pressed her lips against his neck, leaving a burning mark infused with her cold-resisting true energy.
Night fell.
Inside the chamber of Ranmo, the air grew thick and heavy, filled with wanton cries and the rhythmic wet sounds of their shared passion until dawn.