The monk was clad only in a kasaya, one shoulder bare, upon which was tattooed a beautiful woman. His face held an expression of profound compassion, and in his hand, he grasped a jiangmo chu (demon-subduing pestle). One of his hands continuously stroked his shaven head; he appeared entirely benign, yet the occasional flicker of murderous intent in his eyes betrayed his true state of mind.

The Daoist priest, likewise, maintained an air of solemn dignity, holding a whisk, his own eyes blazing with killing intent.

As for the true form of the newcomer, a golden pearl materialized above his head, and suspended before him were four precious swords: black, white, cyan, and blue. Sharp sword energies burst forth like rays.

Seeing the adversary possessed four fearsome swords, Ye Jingyu’s expression shifted. Had this fellow managed to gather the complete Four Immortal Slaying Swords?

Just as Liang Xiaoke was about to strike, Ye Jingyu made no move to speak. Perhaps due to the cleansing effect of the two energies on his physical body, his appearance had undergone a dramatic transformation; even his former white hair had turned black, making him utterly unrecognizable to Liang Xiaoke at a glance.

Eager to gauge Liang Xiaoke’s current cultivation level, Ye Jingyu transformed into a streak of flowing light and lunged toward him before Liang Xiaoke could attack again.

Liang Xiaoke frowned. Four beams of sword light shot out, encircling his true form. Simultaneously, his two avatars attacked Ye Jingyu, bringing the jiangmo chu and the whisk crashing down upon him.

Ye Jingyu chose neither to summon the Eastern Emperor Bell nor to employ the Heavenly Venerable Blade, relying instead solely on his formidable physical body to meet the assault.

He snatched the Daoist’s whisk with one hand and yanked hard, causing the priest to stagger. Ye Jingyu followed through with a swift kick aimed directly at the Daoist’s sternum, the immense force sending him flying backward.

But the monk’s jiangmo chu was already descending upon Ye Jingyu’s head. Ye Jingyu showed no intention of evading, allowing the pestle to strike him directly on the skull.

With a sharp crack, the pestle, formed of pure energy, shattered. Yet, Ye Jingyu’s head showed not a single mark of injury.

“Damn it, how hard is this guy’s skull?” Liang Xiaoke exclaimed in shock. The four long swords encircling him shot forward at full speed toward Ye Jingyu.

The Immortal Slaying Sword, Immortal Executing Sword, Immortal Trapping Sword, and Immortal Destruction Sword—these were the four notorious, vicious blades famous throughout the Three Realms. Even Ye Jingyu, confident in his current physique, had no desire to test it further. He tried to dodge, but the four swords had sealed off every avenue of retreat; evasion was impossible.

Hesitation gone, Ye Jingyu immediately summoned the Eastern Emperor Bell, which had been hovering within his Sea of Consciousness…

As soon as the ancient bell appeared above his head, it radiated streaks of cyan light, enveloping Ye Jingyu entirely. The four vicious swords struck repeatedly against the cyan glow, causing the light to flicker violently and eliciting resonant bell chimes. Yet, they could not breach the bell’s defense.

Liang Xiaoke, who had intended to deploy the Immortal Slaying Array Diagram to set up the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation, froze completely upon seeing the ancient cyan bell.

The Eastern Emperor Bell—it was the Eastern Emperor Bell? This was his sworn brother’s personal artifact! How could it be in this man’s possession?

“Who are you? How does the Eastern Emperor Bell end up in your hands?” Liang Xiaoke stared intently at Ye Jingyu, who had been missing without a trace for so long, a worry that had gnawed at him constantly.

“Big Brother, can you not even recognize me now?” Ye Jingyu smiled faintly, though his eyes were filled with unconcealed joy. He truly hadn't expected to run into Liang Xiaoke immediately upon arriving here; all his lingering questions could now be answered.

“You are Ah Yu?” Hearing Ye Jingyu’s words, and seeing the expression in his eyes so similar to the Liang Xiaoke of his memory, yet why had his appearance changed so drastically? Even his aura felt completely different.

Ye Jingyu offered no further explanation. Instead, he instantly summoned the Heaven Overturning Seal, the Heavenly Venerable Blade, unleashing techniques like the Thunderclap Blade Skill and the Battle Soul Divine Fist, one after another. As Ye Jingyu displayed these skills, Liang Xiaoke’s mouth dropped wider and wider, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably…

“Ah Yu, Ah Yu, you really are Ah Yu! Damn it, I thought you were dead! Why the hell aren't you dead?” Liang Xiaoke cried out in joyous disbelief, throwing his arms wide open and rushing toward Ye Jingyu.

“Hahaha, if you’re not dead, how could I possibly die?” Ye Jingyu laughed heartily in return, and the two embraced tightly.

“Damn it, when was I ever alive?” Liang Xiaoke spat out a curse.

Ye Jingyu immediately fell silent, realizing he had spoken a moment of absolute nonsense.

“Hahaha… I knew you wouldn't die, kid. No matter how much time passes, you wouldn't die, you absolutely wouldn't die…” Liang Xiaoke rested an arm across Ye Jingyu’s shoulder, roaring with laughter, yet tears kept glistening in his eyes.

How long had it been? Since that massive explosion, there had been no news of Ye Jingyu. By this time, at least several thousand years must have passed.

The mortal world was laid to waste. Having lost its anchor, the Immortal, Demon, and Underworld Realms were all nearly destroyed by the repercussions. In the end, it was the chaotic energy unleashed by those two great forces that reshaped the world. This current plane they inhabited was now called the Celestial Realm—the true Celestial Realm—because the former Immortal Realm, Demon Realm, Underworld, and even the Abyss, had all been completely merged into this single domain…

“Father, is that one of your old flames? When did you develop an interest in men?…” Seeing the two men who had been fiercely fighting moments before now embracing so intimately, Liang Xing, who was standing nearby, suddenly interjected.

“Go to hell! That is your Second Uncle, Ye Jingyu! He is my sworn brother! Why aren’t you running off with that Fang boy to prepare the banquet, and make sure that bastard Fang Zhuguo gets over here too!” Upon hearing this, Liang Xiaoke exploded in anger, delivering a swift kick to Liang Xing’s backside, sending him flying.

“If you didn’t ‘go to hell’ with my mother, how would I exist?” Liang Xing grumbled under his breath after being kicked away, but he dared not return. He quickly hustled off with Fang Wu to fetch Fang Yun toward the City Lord's Mansion. Ye Jingyu? He was the Uncle Ye Jingyu his father’s generation was always talking about? Holy smokes, it was him?

“Let’s go, let’s go, Ye Jingyu, let’s sit down over here first…” Liang Xiaoke grabbed Ye Jingyu’s arm and led him forward.

“Big Brother, what exactly happened?” Ye Jingyu asked as they walked, feeling that this place was completely unlike the one etched in his memory.

“Sigh, I’ll tell you slowly!” Liang Xiaoke let out a heavy sigh and began to recount everything that had transpired since that explosion…

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