In the grand hall of the Great Sealing Sect, Tian Fan’s expression was cold as Yin and Yang energies swirled around him, one black and one white, resonating with the Dao.
Everyone’s expressions changed drastically. Tian Fan had actually acted to shatter the “Sword Immortal Decree.” This was a monumental matter, difficult to resolve. It was common knowledge that the Sword Immortal Sect held an unshakable position on the Divine Martial Continent. The “Sword Immortal Decree,” a symbol of their sect, was unparalleled and sacred, with no one ever daring to defy it—let alone destroy it.
“You—you actually dared to do this!”
Long Daotian stared at the Yin-Yang Sword in Tian Fan’s hand with a trace of fear, but it was fleeting. He soon erupted into wild laughter:
“Ha! You actually shattered the Sword Immortal Decree! Ha-ha! You’re dead for sure! Do you even know what you’ve done, you useless wretch? The Sword Immortal Sect, an existence even the Soaring Dragon Dynasty fears, and you destroyed their symbol? Now, by the authority of the third prince of the Soaring Dragon Dynasty, I banish you from the dynasty!”
Tian Fan showed no emotion. The Yin-Yang Sword in his hand vanished, returning to his body. His figure disappeared from the grand hall, leaving only a faint voice echoing:
“I am not of the Long family. My name is Tian Fan…”
Li Yunyang and the others looked displeased. They shot a sharp glare at Long Daotian before turning to leave.
“Young Master Long, please, do not expect us to see you off!”
Sun Shennan said indifferently, leaving Long Daotian alone in the hall. His expression was twisted with rage as he wiped the blood from his mouth and stormed out, his face gloomy. He had suffered utter humiliation today.
*****
In the maple forest, Tian Fan sat quietly on a set of stone steps. Memories of the past swirled in his mind. It was already autumn, and as he gazed at the falling golden leaves, a faint melancholy arose within him.
“Little Tian Tian!”
A soft, gentle voice called out from behind. It was Zi Ying. Tian Fan turned to see Li Yunyang, Sun Yueying, and the others. He smiled faintly at them.
They approached and sat beside him on the steps. The surrounding trees shed their leaves in the gentle breeze, and the setting sun cast a dim golden glow over the land.
“Little Fan, are you really a prince?”
Li Yunyang finally couldn’t hold back and asked. Everyone turned to look at Tian Fan.
“A prince?…”
Tian Fan’s tone carried a trace of sadness and self-mockery. Watching the distant sun slowly sink below the horizon, he began to speak:
“For twenty years… twenty years, I was ignored and ridiculed there every single day, without even the right to leave…”
An overwhelming sorrow emanated from Tian Fan as he recounted his life in the Soaring Dragon Dynasty. The pain and helplessness of those years deeply wounded his heart. Despite being a prince, his inability to cultivate had stripped him of all dignity and respect, even from his father and brothers.
“That’s outrageous! How could they treat you like this?”
Zi Ying was indignant on Tian Fan’s behalf. Her kind and innocent nature made it hard for her to believe that such a father and brothers could exist. If she hadn’t seen Long Daotian’s attitude toward Tian Fan today, she wouldn’t have believed it at all.
“Little Fan…”
The group could feel Tian Fan’s sadness. These were his closest kin, yet they had treated him so cruelly. They wanted to offer words of comfort but could only sigh in the end, gently patting his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. To be honest, I wanted to leave long ago. But back then, even such a trivial request wasn’t something they would agree to—or something I had the right to ask for. Now, I feel free…”
Though Tian Fan smiled, everyone could sense the bitterness and sorrow in his heart.
“It’s not as grand as the Soaring Dragon Dynasty, but if you’re willing, this can be your home.”
Sun Yueying spoke, unusually refraining from showing any disdain toward Tian Fan.
“Thank you. Thank you all.”
Seeing their sincerity, Tian Fan felt deeply touched.
The following days were happy ones. Minmin and Yiyi, the two lively and adorable children, often hovered around Tian Fan. Ever since they had seen him battle Xiang Yufei, they idolized him, vowing to become as strong as him one day, which made Tian Fan smile.
Meanwhile, the Tiger Xiao Hua continued their mischievous antics, often lurking around the Great Sealing Sect’s kitchen. After consuming a “spirit pill,” they could freely change their size, making them even harder to catch. The sect’s kitchen suffered greatly as a result, and many disciples were outraged, especially when they occasionally found tiger fur in their food.
During this time, Tian Fan rose early every morning to cultivate amidst the morning dew and sunrise. He could sense danger looming and knew he needed to constantly improve his strength. Though the Yin-Yang Sword was powerful, he understood that the Yin-Yang Sect could seal it from afar or even summon it back using secret methods. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have casually passed it to Yin Shitian.
The Yin-Yang Sect was bound to act against him; it was only a matter of time. More pressing was the fact that he had confronted Long Daotian and destroyed the Sword Immortal Decree. Given Long Daotian’s personality, he would undoubtedly exaggerate the matter before the elders of the Sword Immortal Sect, further darkening Tian Fan’s situation.
*****
As expected, one day, the Northern Region was shaken. A scroll shrouded in black demonic mist appeared in the heart of the Divine Martial Continent’s Northern Region. Blood rain fell around it as bone-chilling murderous intent spread. The pitch-black scroll unfurled, revealing an image of Tian Fan, lifelike and unmistakable.
“The Sword Immortal Sect—oh my heavens! The number one immortal sect has appeared!”
“It’s the Demon Extermination Decree! Who is this person?”
“It looks like Tian Fan, the recent champion of the Four Sect Martial Competition!”
“What? The Four Gates champion? Why would he end up on the Demon Extermination Decree?”
“Sigh, another genius is destined to fall…”
The Sword Immortal Sect had two tokens: the “Sword Immortal Decree” and the “Demon Extermination Decree.” The former summoned heroes, while the latter targeted all demons. For Tian Fan to appear on the latter was shocking. Many began eyeing him with interest. Killing him would grant them entry into the Divine Martial Continent’s top immortal sect—a temptation too great to resist.
At the same time, a beam of golden light shot from beyond the heavens, landing in the Great Sealing Sect and leaving a bold message in golden characters in the air:
“Surrender Tian Fan, or face annihilation.”
Within the sect, Sun Shennan’s expression darkened as he shattered the table beside him with a palm strike.
“Grandfather, what should we do?” Sun Yueying asked worriedly.
“What else? Damn it, let’s fight them to the end!” Li Yunyang roared, his anger boiling over. This was blatant bullying. Li Yunhua and the others nodded in agreement, furious at the Sword Immortal Sect’s oppressive tactics.
That day, the disciples of the Great Sealing Sect were all enraged. They vented their anger on everything around them, swearing not to surrender Tian Fan and to fight to the death against the Sword Immortal Sect.
*****
In the back mountain, Tian Fan’s face remained calm as he gazed at the full moon. He had long known this day would come but hadn’t expected it to arrive so soon.
“Farewell, everyone. I will miss you…”
He turned back for one final look at the Great Sealing Sect before his figure vanished into the night.
The moonlight was like water, and a gentle breeze carried fallen autumn leaves into the air. Who would know that a young man had once sighed here, leaving behind his reluctance and sorrow…
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