Supreme Sword Exalt

In the Western Desert. Reminiscence aside, with Yun Ao’s ambitious and ruthless nature, he would not change his mind because of the Flame Emperor’s death. His goal had always been only one: the Dragon Mark.

To obtain the Dragon Mark, one either had to gain the recognition of the Dragon Mark itself, or be designated as the successor by the previous owner of the Dragon Mark. Clearly, the mark had not disappeared because the Flame Emperor had designated Yun Ao as its next master.

Having reverted to human form, Yun Tu gazed mournfully at the Dragon Mark. “Father, you are finally free!”

Yun Ao turned slightly cold. “Yun Tu, stop acting so nasty. You’re disrespecting the dead. He was still your father.”

Yun Tu’s smile returned as if nothing had happened. “Congratulations. Now, both the Dragon Mark and the Dragon Seal are in your hands. This has never happened before in the Yun Clan! You owe me tremendously. How do you plan to thank me?”

Yun Ao raised an eyebrow. “How about I kill you?”

Yun Tu grinned. “Sure! But as you are now, you don’t seem to be my match. If Father hadn’t extracted my Dragon Ancestor bloodline, I’d have snatched that mark and seal to play with!”

Yun Ao scoffed. “Do you even deserve it?”

With a flick of his sleeve, the Dragon Mark appeared in his hand. Immediately after, a vast and boundless draconic might descended. Having come into contact with the Dragon Ancestor’s descendant’s aura, the mark transformed into a three-cun-long golden dragon, vanishing into Yun Ao’s brow.

Yun Ao radiated a formidable aura. His cultivation broke through the shackles of the Feather Transformation realm and recovered to the Ascension realm. The more he assimilated with the mark, the faster his cultivation surged. The unification of the Dragon Mark and Dragon Seal brought him boundless benefits. In the blink of an eye, his assimilation had nearly reached ninety percent.

A trace of emotion flickered in his eyes. “After so many years... I’ve finally obtained—”

Immediately after, he froze and examined himself.

Yun Tu also sensed something was wrong. “Hm?”

Like the Flame Emperor, Yun Ao’s physical body had been destroyed. His divine soul could only survive by relying on the Dragon Seal. Even his green flames manifested from his soul power. Yet now, within the hazy green flames enveloping him, a hint of purple appeared. The purple hue shifted and transformed into a white flame. The green dragon let out a pained roar as white flames engulfed it.

Yun Ao forced the two words out with difficulty. “Yun... Tian!”

The moment the white flame appeared, he understood that the Flame Emperor had set him up. Although the Flame Emperor had died, he had left behind a wisp of white flame within the Dragon Mark, which he had refined for ten years. Whether in terms of power or rank, it surpassed Yun Ao’s own green flame by a notch.

“You truly are a schemer!”

Though he had obtained ninety percent control, that final ten percent was firmly held by the white flame. More and more white flames appeared on him, covering him entirely.

Yun Tu secretly rejoiced. “Those who can gain the recognition of the Dragon Mark are no ordinary folk. Yun Ao, you’re too arrogant. You also underestimated Father! Fortunately, he is already dead!”

He knew the Flame Emperor almost inside out, even the fact that Feng Xi was the latter’s reverse scale. That was why he was absolutely confident that if he threatened Feng Xi, the Flame Emperor would most likely yield. He never expected the Flame Emperor to take advantage of his overconfidence and turn the tables on him at the final moment. Or maybe he simply refused to believe it.

It was the Flame Emperor’s final gamble, one that wagered his very life. In the end, he won the bet. In his entire life, he had lost to Yun Ao countless times, and this was his only victory.

Looking at the ever-growing white flames, Yun Ao let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Yun Tian, I never thought that at the moment of death, you’d actually win for once. As expected of the old friend I’ve fought against for thousands of years!”

Using the green flame as fuel, the white flame swallowed him whole. The green dragon also wailed as it slowly disintegrated, never to exist again. Finally, the white flame merged seamlessly with the green flame. Strictly speaking, this situation was Yun Ao self-immolating his divine soul, except the one who lit the fire wasn’t him. Even Yun Tu, at the peak of the Ascension realm, could not help him suppress it.

Suddenly, Yun Tu said, “Yun Ao, you have one last chance to survive. Want to know how? Open your mind! Do not resist! Accept the baptism of divine power. Become a servant of the divine like me! That way, the Divine King might be willing to help you suppress it! There’s not much time. Decide quickly!”

Yun Ao fell silent for a moment, then laughed in contempt. “Yun Tu, do you know why I’m called Yun Ao? Let alone some mere divine clan, even if it were this very sky, it couldn’t make me bow my head! A loss is a loss, death is death! My defeat was only a defeat to myself!”

Yun Tu’s gaze flickered. “Is that so? Then just die like Father did!”

His brow writhed, and his third eye opened, firing a red beam toward Yun Ao.

Yun Ao laughed heartily several times. Ignoring his own state, he struck back with a palm. “Yun Tu, you’re just a spineless dog! Do you think you have the right to decide my life and death?”

A dragon of green and white, thousands of zhang long, let out a roar. Amid its agonizing pain, it collided with the red beam. The dragon disintegrated, and the red beam dissipated.

Yun Tu did not move. On the other hand, Yun Ao reached his final, exhausted state. At that moment as well, the sky veil opened wide, and a vast sword intent descended upon the Central Continent.

Yun Ao glanced upward. “The old blind man is back. Your god is in danger!”

“He will not lose!”

Yun Ao withdrew his gaze, carrying boundless defiance, and slowly closed his eyes. “Is that so? I hope that’s the case!”

As his voice faded, he gradually dissipated. His consciousness dimmed, yet he felt no trace of hatred toward the Flame Emperor. From friends, to mortal enemies, to this final mutual destruction—the bond between him and the Flame Emperor had lasted a lifetime. Memories flashed by, and they finally froze in one scene.

Within a blessed land, a youth with eyes full of defiance looked at another youth excitedly. “Yun Tian, when the Dragon Mark recognizes me and the Dragon Seal recognizes you, we won’t just be friends anymore. We’ll be the closest comrades! If you’re in trouble, I’ll help. If I’m in trouble... Well, I’ll definitely never be in trouble!”

The other youth was somewhat dull, but he was serious.

Yun Ao grew more and more excited. “One more thing! I also want to find our ancestral land and return to the homeland of the Dragon Ancestor! I want to spread the glory of the Dragon Ancestor lineage throughout all the realms! Yun Tian, will you help me?”

“Yes!”

“Haha, you truly are my best friend!”

The memory ended there abruptly. Heh, Yun Tian...

With that final thought passing through his mind, whether it was nostalgia or mockery, his consciousness was completely extinguished. Yet vaguely, he seemed to hear a phoenix cry.

As Yun Ao dissipated, a green light about a chi in diameter fell onto the scene, shaped like a dragon scale. It was the Dragon Seal itself. Not far from the Dragon Seal, the Dragon Mark also floated in midair. The connection between the two seemed weak, yet they shared an endless bond.

Yun Tu shook his head with a mocking grin. “Foolish—hm?”

An urgent-sounding phoenix cry reached his ears. The next moment, a heavenly phoenix descended onto the scene, transforming into a stunningly beautiful figure clad in a red battle skirt.

Yun Tu raised an eyebrow. “Little Sister? I only saw you from afar once back then. I never thought that after so many years without seeing each other, you’ve grown even more beautiful. Oh, right... You should know what I look like. I’m your fourth brother, Yun Tu!”

The moment Feng Xi saw the Dragon Mark and Dragon Seal, her face turned deathly pale. The misty haze in her eyes turned to tears, falling drop by drop. She seemed completely unable to hear what Yun Tu was saying, staring at the Dragon Mark and murmuring to herself, “He... Where... where is he?”

Yun Tu grinned. “Who? You mean Father? He is dead.”

All color drained from Feng Xi’s face.

Yun Tu smiled cruelly. “And also, I forgot to tell you. Just like Seventh Brother, Father also died by my hands.”

“What... what did you say?”

“If Father didn’t die, my heart would never be at ease.”

Feng Xi fell silent for a moment but the next second, two streaks of divine flame swirled through her eyes. As if she had lost all reason, she charged madly toward Yun Tu. “GO!! TO!! FUCKING!! HELL!!”