Life is as splendid as summer flowers, death as serene and beautiful as autumn leaves.

Zhou Yan silently watched Ling He, yet he did not immediately recover himself, instead, he felt a sigh of life.

As for the injuries, one reason is that their recovery requires gradual progress, another is that Zhou Yan had no strong desire to deliberately recover himself and battle with Ling He.

Even though Ling He was no longer Ling He.

"Connecting the limitless green to the sky, the lotus flowers reflecting the sun are uniquely red. Ling He, I once promised your parents to take care of you, now that one of us must die, what is the necessity of fighting? If you want to take my life, then come."

Zhou Yan said calmly.

He lay on the cold ground, but now slowly sat up, with his body still stained with blood that had yet to dry, making him seem quite desolate.

No longer spirited, no longer ethereal and aloof, it seemed he had been through much, already old, with the day waning.

"If you're this dispirited, it truly disappoints me; then there's even less need for you to live."

Hong Yuqiao did not answer Zhou Yan's question, but instead spoke with a light and dismissive attitude.

"Dispirited? If you see it as being dispirited, then so be it. Anyway, you won't refrain from acting accordingly, so saying anything is meaningless. As long as you achieve your goal, why care whether I'm dispirited or not?"

Zhou Yan smiled lightly and looked at Hong Yuqiao.

Though Hong Yuqiao was still the original Ling He, Zhou Yan could no longer regard her as the Ling He of the past.

At that time, Ling Ling was perhaps somewhat naive and innocent, a bit young and green, like a little sister next door, but now, she's just a pawn on the Immortal Path.

Although Zhou Yan could see through all this, he no longer wished to interfere.

Furthermore, it resembles a point in a plane; unless the point is moved out of the plane into space, no end result can be changed.

Like a predetermined trajectory, certain trajectories have conclusions set in stone; no matter how much they change, they always remain on the plane.

"You're right. If the objective is attainable, then the process indeed isn't necessary. However, having lost to you before, my first objective this time is to defeat you, secondly to kill you."

Hong Yuqiao declared resolutely.

Zhou Yan shook his head, saying, "Go ahead, I will let you kill me, then you'll be the foremost hero under heaven."

"You promised my parents to look after me, I bring that promise forth now, and you must fight me with all your strength as a repayment of that promise."

Hong Yuqiao suddenly said.

Zhou Yan was slightly jolted, his mental state having subtle changes.

"If I lose, I will tell you the difference between Ling He and Hong Yuqiao."

Hong Yuqiao continued.

It seemed as though she was certain Zhou Yan would agree.

Yet Zhou Yan did not speak.

"If I lose, I'll tell you another great secret concerning you."

Hong Yuqiao continued.

Zhou Yan still remained unmoved.

"If I lose, I'll let you see Zhou Ying, Hou Ling'er, and Zhou Sisi."

Hong Yuqiao continued to up the stakes.

It seemed she believed there was nothing in the world that couldn't be sold out or betrayed, as long as there were enough profits and stakes.

Yet Zhou Yan remained silent.

"If I lose, I'll tell you the true relationship between Emperor Lei Yan and the Virgin, it is the core secret. Just fight me."

Hong Yuqiao had already resorted to any means, even saying words like these.

Zhou Yan stood up.

His expression had turned cold.

As cold as the boundless chill of this lifeless heaven and earth.

As cold as the frozen dry black blood of those decaying cultivators.

Zhou Yan's gaze carried no emotion, he just coldly stared at Hong Yuqiao.

And Hong Yuqiao, then displayed the demeanor of a high and mighty victor, looking at Zhou Yan with a lightly dismissive and sarcastic expression, as if these words could finally touch Zhou Yan's heart.

"In my eyes, no matter what you say or do, you're still that naive, innocent little sister to me, nothing more. Since you want to fight, let's fight. I haven't fought in ten years; I wonder if these old bones of mine have rusted."

Zhou Yan said calmly.

The voice calm, beneath the indifferent face, emotions equally calm.

There was no anger as Hong Yuqiao imagined, nor was there the coldness she expected.

It seemed that everything was unrelated to Zhou Yan, as if no matter what she did, in Zhou Yan's eyes, she was really just that little sister from the past.

Hong Yuqiao didn't like this feeling; her icy heart would experience emotional fluctuations due to such impact, which was extremely detrimental to her cultivation.

In this state, Hong Yuqiao took the initiative to strike.

She pushed forward with blazing sun, suppressing Zhou Yan with the power of the Star Domain. It was an invincible and vast attack, rising to the level of the Supreme Dao of the Venerable, carrying the immortal divine power, akin to an immortal strike.

This first move was almost identical to the second battle on the Ancient Warship.

Zhou Yan knew the outcome of this battle, and even though he was aware in advance and had the upper hand, the final result would not be much different.

Besides, reality was, after all, not a battle simulation on a warship; it was impossible to cut off the final battle process with Ru Yu's flying sword.

Thus, from the beginning, this battle was destined for one of them to die.

And indeed, Zhou Yan was not Hong Yuqiao's match. In the Ancestor Land of the Jade Fox Clan, perhaps it was a fleeting moment of Enlightenment suddenly grasped, while ten years had passed in the outside world.

He experienced a ten-year Sudden Enlightenment, comprehending a hint of the Transcendence Dao, while Hong Yuqiao had been arduously cultivating in the Laws of the Immortal Path for ten years.

The gap in between had already formed a crushing force.

However, Zhou Yan did not truly wait helplessly for his doom. The words of the other pushed him to fight; if he did not, he would truly be letting down Lee Jidao and Wan Nishang, Zhou Lingyao and Lee Xinyu.

So, Zhou Yan also underwent a Transformation to display the Combat Power of the Seventy-three Changes, also performing the ultimate Killing Dao of the Xuanyuan Sword, the Ancestor Thunder Killing Domain, and the Combat Body simultaneously manifested.

And at the same time, Zhou Yan gained the upper hand, restraining Hong Yuqiao at every turn, and temporarily seized the advantage.

This battle was also exceedingly fierce, as Zhou Yan fought to the limit, his entire body bathed in Blood Light, his Divine Body shattered, while Hong Yuqiao was also drenched in blood, looking miserable.

But ultimately, Hong Yuqiao gained the upper hand, and during the thirty-nine thousand seven hundred thirty-fifth move, unleashed a deadly strike with overwhelming waves, boundless Laws, and blazing Divine Light.

That strike brought forth the ultimate laws of the Immortal Path, unleashing the true power of the Immortal Source, which Zhou Yan could not withstand.

So, at that moment, he stopped, standing quietly, gazing peacefully at Hong Yuqiao, his eyes gentle, allowing that strike to kill him.

That strike, Hong Yuqiao did not hold back, directly striking, instantly reaching Zhou Yan's brow.

Hong Yuqiao's gaze was icy, ignoring Zhou Yan's gaze, cold as frost, her black hair swirling wildly, her long dress trailing on the ground, stained with bright red blood.

As that strike descended, a figure appeared in front of Zhou Yan and blocked the strike.

Seemingly transcending the Laws of time and space, suddenly appeared, taking on that deadly strike.

This person was Puppet Zhou Wangchen, the clone of the Mechanical Clan Zhou Wangchen, who previously intended to kill Zhou Yan but ultimately left.

That strike pierced Zhou Wangchen's brow, a chip spilled out, shattered, turning into endless energy that flowed into Zhou Yan's Divine Body, and his Emperor Blood instantly ignited, as if suddenly receiving the Ancient inheritance, reaching the Eighty Transformations in a blink from the Seventy-three Changes!

Moreover, Zhou Yan suddenly had an Enlightenment on many of the unclear Daos he cultivated within the Supreme Dao.

It was as if Puppet Zhou Wangchen from the Mechanical Clan had imparted his entire lifetime of combat experience and insights to Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan stood fixed in place, watching as this mechanical puppet fell before him, somewhat incredulous.

This scene truly impacted that dormant heart, as if casting a blazing sun upon the glacier of the spirit in an instant, at that moment, intense emotional fluctuations arose in Zhou Yan's heart.

"Your destiny is to slay the Emperor Blood bloodline. I am of one lineage with Zhou Yan, equivalent to his clone, merely in appearance as Zhou Wangchen, so little girl, your mission is complete, you can return and report to 'her.'"

"Hurry and leave, or you won't be able to leave. Actually, you're not a match for Zhou Yan, it's just that his current state is not right."

"Go quickly."

Zhou Wangchen looked at Hong Yuqiao and suddenly spoke gently.

A large amount of blood spilled from his lips, vivid as any ordinary Cultivator, seemingly besides the chip, he was no different from a Cultivator.

Hong Yuqiao stood dazed for a moment, yet said not a word, suddenly she left directly like a blazing sun.

She left with absolute decisiveness, as if Zhou Wangchen's words had completely cleared the demons in her heart.

However, at this moment Zhou Yan's gaze became complicated.

Because Zhou Yan knew that he had a chip, and even if he died, he would resurrect, so he never placed much importance on death, or on this 'clone puppet' self.

But he didn't expect that Zhou Wangchen would save him in this way.

Zhou Yan was shaken, but only looked at Zhou Wangchen with complex eyes and said, "You passed your cultivation experience to me, gave me all the chip's energy, and even imbued power into me, and also shielded me from that fatal strike, why? What's the point?"

"I'm pleased that you can ask this question."

Zhou Wangchen smiled, seemingly very happy.

His eyes appeared somewhat unfocused, but he sighed and said, "Even if it's a puppet, once the bond of father and son is born invisibly, whether you are a puppet, a human, an Ancient Demon Race, or Yin Spirit, you are my son, the son of Zhou Wangchen."

"So, Mechanical Clansman, Clone, Puppet, are merely forms, why distinguish them so intricately?"

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