Jiang Minghuang had a stunned look on his face.
He widened his eyes, staring fixedly at the scene of the youth who had severed his own arm and destroyed his invincible sword heart.
It was as though an explosion went off in his head!
“So that’s what happened! So that’s what happened!!”
At that moment.
Many unresolved questions were answered.
The young Gu Changqing was born with both arms intact, but later lost one.
He was clearly the most dazzling sword dao genius in history with an invincible sword heart and clearly unrivaled in the world, yet bizarrely it was destroyed.
Gu Changqing was his brother, but on this past matter he was evasive, never mentioning a word to him.
“Big brother!!!”
Jiang Minghuang’s eyes blurred with tears, his heart torn like a knife.
He had never known that Gu Changqing had done so much for him.
…
The old Sword Saint also had not expected Gu Changqing to be so decisive.
If Gu Changqing had chosen to kill Jiang Minghuang, he would have regained his freedom, he could have descended the mountain and avenged that blood feud, and he wouldn’t owe anyone anything.
But he absolutely did not expect this.
Gu Changqing’s sword dao was pure to such an extent.
He would rather give up the sword dao that countless people longed for than betray his own conscience or worse, his brother.
The door swung open.
Gu Changqing walked right out.
Just like when he came, he only took the axe that had always accompanied him.
He trod out of the pavilion with heavy steps.
On the pure white snowy path he dragged out a long line of blood.
In the wind and snow, Gu Changqing seemed to see one familiar face after another.
“I’m sorry.”
His eyes were blurred with tears as a sad smile spread across his face.
He had repaid his master for everything he had done and he had not failed his brother.
He did not feel he had betrayed himself either.
Only, he felt a bit sorry toward his parents because the blood feud remained unavenged—what right did he have to destroy his sword heart?
He raised his axe, stared at it for a moment, then gathered all his strength and snapped it hard.
This peerless sword cultivator, who had just entered the sword dao and already made the world tremble, left his journey of sword cultivation in such a desolated state.
“I’m not practicing the sword anymore…”
In the chilling snow, he said this one sentence to himself.
…
Outside the mirror.
Jiang Minghuang was like a man possessed.
His eyes wept blood, his imperial aura in disarray, and his long black hair was turning white at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The peerless Jiang Minghuang, once as handsome as an celestial being, now resembled an ancient bearded demon.
He snarled and roared at the youth in the mirror like a madman, “Gu Changqing, curse you and all your ancestors! Who the hell said you could stop practicing the sword!”
The white-haired Jiang Minghuang bowed his head, eyes blurred with tears, lips trembling, his voice choked, unable to stop sobbing.
“I don’t care who said you could stop practicing the sword! I won’t allow it!”
“You fool! You’re the biggest fool in the universe! Can’t you put down that pride of yours and pretend to come kill me? Even if I, Jiang Minghuang, let you Gu Changqing land one strike, what then?”
“Just because you’re allowed to be my brother, I’m not allowed to be yours? Is that how brothers behave?!”
…
In times of joy, they drank and sang together.
In times of vigor, they traveled mountains and rivers together.
Against powerful foes, they faced life and death together.
In times of crisis, they went through great dangers together.
If the elder brother had trouble, the younger drew his sword and attacked. If the younger was in peril, the elder would rather die nine times over than retreat!
Their philosophy was: as long as my brother is by my side, I would be invincible in the world.
In a daze, Jiang Minghuang seemed to hear again the vows the two young boys had sworn with their hands raised high.
His heart felt like it had been stabbed and he couldn’t calm down at all.
Before this, he had hated Gu Changqing, but when Gu Changqing said in the chilling snow that he was not practicing the sword anymore, Jiang Minghuang’s heart was completely shattered.
He absolutely did not expect that Gu Changqing had done so much for him.
His peerless sword heart was destroyed because of him!
“Why did you give up sword cultivation? Why did you destroy your sword heart because of me!”
“You wouldn’t even go with me to the Upper Realms to enjoy glory and wealth—how am I supposed to repay such a favor!”
His vengeful heart was torn open into a grisly wound. The pain was unbearable and he actually vomited a mouthful of blood.
His own sister had died because of Gu Changqing, yet Gu Changqing had also given up his invincible and pure sword dao because of him—Jiang Minghuang’s emotions were more complicated than ever.
“Emperor Jiang, do not be overly heartbroken.”
“Indeed the Heavenly Emperor had done much for you, but he killed your sister after all—such grievous harm against your own kin cannot go unavenged!” Ye Chen hurriedly reminded Jiang Minghuang of this.
In reality, he felt like cursing out loud.
He was so upset now!
He had thought that once this past was revealed, the trend would reverse: those cultivators who had once admired the Heavenly Emperor would afterward despise him.
But now, the complete opposite had happened.
Not only had this revelation failed to make the cultivators go back to despising the Heavenly Emperor, but Gu Changqing made people admire him all the more.
They were clearly watching the violent past deeds of a Heavenly Emperor who had committed every atrocity, yet somehow it seemed like watching the Heavenly Emperor’s path to being redeemed!
Before this, one person, Gu Youwei, had already changed her stand.
Now it seemed even Jiang Minghuang’s heart for revenge was wavering.
Jiang Minghuang choked out, “I know what I’m doing. Once he falls, I will abandon my cultivation and hide from the world. I owe him an invincible sword heart, and I will repay it with the cultivation of a Great Emperor.”