Eternal Swordmaster Chapter 971 - 966 Always Two

Lin Xin had firmly resolved to silently stay beside his family, cherishing a short span of soul lifespan.

Being just a regular member of the Yang Family, even equipped with attribute enhancements and cultivation aids, achieving a transformation in the soul's core was virtually impossible.

The fleshly body's lifespan remains finite, much like the soul's own limits.

Extending life by a few thousand years meant nothing to Lin Xin.

He had endured countless partings through life and death.

Now his gaze fell upon Ruan Rujun standing before him.

Her cute and delicate face featured sleek black bangs and flowing long hair, clad in a bold black top paired with a white skirt, her slender legs sheathed in sheer stockings.

"Have you made your choice?" Lin Xin reached out, softly stroking Ruan Rujun’s small head as if caressing a kitten.

"By coming with me, you'll gain much, yet lose much as well."

"I am willing." Ruan Rujun’s cheeks flushed crimson like spilling blood, her head lowered, her voice a tiny buzz like a mosquito.

She had long harbored feelings for Brother Yang Shen. Back then, he was tender and caring, and whenever trouble arose, his presence gave her the strength to press on.

Ever since high school, from that first glimpse of Brother Yang, whenever hardships or failures struck, Yang Shen always showed up right on time.

No matter the moment, Brother Shen remained the most dependable and comforting figure.

Even now, with his power reaching unfathomable heights, that sense of utter security she felt never wavered.

Just being near him filled Ruan Rujun with deep contentment.

As her head received gentle pets, her almond-shaped eyes narrowed into crescent moons, letting out soft, delighted murmurs.

"Then, let’s get married."

Lin Xin gazed at her and abruptly declared.

"Mm." Ruan Rujun murmured absently.

"Marri.... eh??!!"

Awareness hit her suddenly, her whole body turning scarlet in an instant.

"Thi... this this... isn’t it... too rushed...!"

"What’s mine, I claim without delay." Lin Xin chuckled, his smile carrying an utterly dominant vibe impossible to defy or escape.

"I I I I...." Ruan Rujun stammered incoherently.

Before she could gather her thoughts.

Lin Xin scooped her up, one arm under her legs, the other cradling her neck, lifting her effortlessly in a princess hold.

"Ah!"

She let out a shriek, wriggling fiercely, yet all her efforts proved futile.

Lin Xin strode straight toward the back hall's bedroom with her in his arms.

"From this moment, you belong to me."

He pushed open the bedroom door, flung Ruan Rujun onto the large bed, and shut the door firmly behind.

In the hallway beyond the room.

Yang Songyu pressed against the wall, cheeks burning as she caught the noises from within. She turned and headed downstairs.

"So brazen, and it’s not even nightfall yet!" She muttered under her breath. Yet inwardly, she offered silent well-wishes for her best friend’s cherished dream finally coming true.

Descending the stairs, she spotted her parents, second brother Yang Chen, and sister-in-law gathered in the first-floor hall.

Upon the table sat white square stone slabs, inscribed with baffling runes and symbols.

Yang Qing gestured toward the slabs,

"Xiao Shen prepared these for us moments ago. Just drip your blood on them. He says they’ll prolong our lives."

"Likely some heirloom ancient artifact." Yang Chen offered his grave assessment.

"Gifts from Brother are never commonplace; I’ll start." Yang Songyu approached her slab, bit her fingertip resolutely, and let a drop of blood fall.

Sizzle....

The vivid red droplet hit the stone, hissing like meat on a hot grill.

Simultaneously, Yang Qing and the rest nicked their index fingers, dripping blood onto their slabs.

A gentle white glow began emanating from the stone slabs.

From this instant, the Yang Family's destiny underwent a total transformation.

.......

Cosmic Calendar, 14th Era, Year 1172, Aojia’s home star, Summer.

Forces of the Aojia Empire, rallied around Yang Shen, formally merged with the Empire of the Stars and declared open war on the Empire of Is.

That same year, November saw the Empire of Is surrender without battle.

The three empires united into the Silver Cantilever Alliance.

Backed by unmatched military dominance, Yang Shen claimed the Alliance Speaker role, crushing all opposition, unifying every faction, and founding the Security Department to safeguard social order across all alliance worlds.

Every hint of unrest vanished utterly beneath the Security Department's ruthless, blood-soaked crackdowns.

Humanity's grandest era of peace dawned.

14th Era, Year 1376.

Yang Shen stepped down as Speaker, handing over authority; the Yang Family withdrew from central power yet continued shaping the Silver Cantilever's undercurrents.

14th Era, Year 2890.

The Yang Family departed Aojia’s home star, settling on Enlan Star, a key world of the old Empire of Is.

14th Era, Year 6441.

The alliance crumbled as Security Department veterans aged and died off; the vast union, forged solely by force, teetered on dissolution.

Flawed mechanisms, forced tranquility, absent markets, overlooked societal shadows.

Amid iron-fisted legal oppression, a massive rebellion erupted.

14th Era, Year 9006.

The Silver Cantilever fully shook off the Yang Family's overarching shadow.

It fractured into two dominant powers.

Year 12 of the 15th Era.

......

Enlan Star.

Eastern European City of Isla · Jinmulan Public Cemetery.

Tombstones stood in orderly rows at the cemetery's heart.

Mourners in somber dark attire silently laid flowers for lost kin and comrades.

The dying sun bathed everything in blood-red hues, stretching a lengthy shadow from a tombstone in the far right corner.

A striking man in black suit, topped with a bowler hat and gripping a slim cane, stared pensively at the inscription on the stone.

’The Tomb of Father Yang Xiu, Mother Zheng Rong’

After a brief pause, the man moved slowly onward to the right.

He halted before another gravestone.

’The Tomb of Grandfather Yang Qing, Grandmother Lu Xiuqun’

"Ten thousand years have passed now....."

Gazing at the monument raised by his descendants, the man murmured, a profound emotion stirring within.

This was Lin Xin, the former alliance leader who had worn countless guises over nearly ten millennia.

The Silver Cantilever stood as the colossal entity he had forged through sheer brutality.

Now, millennia after yielding control, the alliance lay in ruins once more, divided into twin empires.

Lin Xin contemplated the stone, memories flooding of his parents Yang Chen, Yang Songyu, and kin in their final days.

They departed serenely, having maxed out their soul lifespans thanks to attribute boosts.

Until their souls fully ebbed, helpless to intervene, Lin Xin watched them go.

Their passings were tranquil.

After almost ten thousand years of life, they had savored every flavor and regarded all lightly.

At the final tombstone, Lin Xin lingered, eyes fixed on the pair of names.

’The Tomb of Yang Songyu, Ruan Rujun’

He and Ruan Rujun bore no children—deliberately so, as he prevented her pregnancy.

For at his realm, should Ruan Rujun conceive,

not only would the child fail to be born, but she would perish swiftly, her every essence devoured by the fetus.

Birthing his heir demanded cataclysmic energy.

Even draining Enlan Star entirely into pure power for her would fall short.

"Thankfully, your souls have entered the Shattered Wheel Hall for reincarnation. That eases my heart."

Lin Xin let out a quiet sigh.

Ruan Rujun had always been devoted to him beyond measure.

Utterly compliant, endlessly tender, she fulfilled his every whim without question.

A girl gentler than water, forever gazing at Lin Xin with adoring softness, pouring all her feelings—joy, fury—upon him.

"Nearly ten thousand years side by side... perhaps this ending suits us perfectly." Lin Xin eyed the tombstone, his face a tapestry of mixed emotions.

"Master, preparations are complete."

From nearby beyond the cemetery, a black-haired man in black suit drew close to Lin Xin, bowing deeply in reverence.

His aura was icy, laced with fervent zeal.

Those familiar with ancient alliance security minister portraits would identify him as Dongye, once dubbed the Wolf of Dongye.

The chaos now plaguing the alliance stemmed from his shadowy machinations, he who once swore to sow universal discord.

He had grown far steadier and more logical since pledging to Lin Xin.

"You eight—yourself, the Lai Zi brothers, Holy Lance, Mila—your aptitudes shine brightly."

Lin Xin pivoted, looming over Dongye.

"We remain your eternal, devoted followers." Dongye prostrated himself in total deference.

"I’m departing to seek what I require. You lot stay behind, embedding my legacy across this Star Domain. One day, I may return.

Any objections?" Lin Xin stated coolly.

"As you command." Dongye assented steadily.

Lin Xin had no plans to bring them, though the Netherworld gateway stood open. Be it them or his old Netherworld disciples,

how many could ascend to his soul-immortal heights?

None.

Lin Xin knew well: across the Dark Universe, only he, Huang Yuerong, and maybe the fate-unknown Fang Yu held hope for soul immortality.

His imprint graced the Eternal Mural.

Now, he must gather scattered soul shards from the Dark Universe, then grasp the ultimate blade: the Sword of Compassion.

The Supreme Jiuyue Divine Wind Sword formed the bedrock of his boundless attribute growth. Only purging its backlash would allow endless devouring amplification.

One sole path existed to conquer the Divine Wind Sword's flaws.

Mastering the Sword of Compassion.

Where the prior four swords twisted the wielder into madness and agony,

the last offered self-compassion.

The Sword of Compassion spares not others, but oneself...