In the blink of an eye, within the Book of a Hundred Lives, ten years had passed.

Originally, Jiang Qingyi was just a cultivator who couldn't even step into the Qi Refinement realm but now, Jiang Qingyi had reached the Golden Core realm.

It had taken her only fourteen years to go from Qi Refinement to Golden Core. This kind of talent, looking across the entire world, was already first-rate.

Jiang Qingyi was now a steward of the Dragon Spring Sword Sect.

When Jiang Qingyi reached the Nascent Soul realm, she could become an elder of the Dragon Spring Sword Sect.

Actually, it was only because the Dragon Spring Sword Sect was a major sect.

Otherwise, looking across the entire world, Nascent Soul realm cultivators could already establish their own sects.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough"

On the bed, Xiao Mo kept coughing continuously.

Xiao Mo's face was pale, his expression very poor, looking like someone whose life was running out.

After Jiang Qingyi entered the Golden Core realm, Xiao Mo indeed no longer needed to use his own lifespan as the price to use the Heaven Continuation Formula on Jiang Qingyi but over these ten years, each time he used the Heaven Continuation Formula, it caused enormous damage to Xiao Mo.

Moreover, as Jiang Qingyi's realm grew higher, Xiao Mo used the Heaven Continuation Formula on her more frequently, with each use reducing his lifespan more severely.

By now, Xiao Mo felt that his remaining lifespan might not even be thirty years.

Even if he lived another thirty years, adding the previous fourteen years, it wouldn't exceed forty-five years total.

He still couldn't reach the Book of a Hundred Lives' limit of "fifty years" but would Xiao Mo regret it? This was certainly impossible to regret.

If given another chance to choose, Xiao Mo would still do the same thing.

Because without using the Heaven Continuation Formula, forget about Qingyi becoming a top-tier sword prodigy in the world, she might not even have been able to step onto the path of cultivation.

What made Xiao Mo fortunate was that after each cultivation session, he used magic to forcibly disguise his poor complexion.

Combined with his occasional missions, each time he returned from a mission, Xiao Mo would deliberately remove the disguising spell, making his complexion look terrible.

Otherwise, if Jiang Qingyi knew the truth, without even thinking about it, she would rather die than let him use the Heaven Continuation Formula on her again.

She would even blame herself tremendously, ultimately affecting her dao heart.

Then all his efforts would truly be wasted.

Now, Xiao Mo had only one last thing left to do.

His body still had a little bit of combat power. After all, he was at the Nascent Soul realm, so he could continue protecting Qingyi's path.

After Qingyi entered the Nascent Soul realm, he could do that final thing.

"I only hope that when that time comes, Qingyi won't blame me."

Xiao Mo leaned against the bed, talking to himself but right after Xiao Mo finished speaking, he couldn't help but smile and shake his head.

When that time came, so what if Qingyi blamed him?

This was originally just experiencing a lifetime. Qingyi was originally a person who didn't exist.

Once he left the Book of a Hundred Lives, this "world" would completely end.

Thinking of this, Xiao Mo's heart indeed felt some reluctance.

After all, the time spent living in the Book of a Hundred Lives was all real.

Over more than ten years, he and Qingyi had spent day and night together, long ago establishing emotions like family.

"Sigh, I've gotten too deep into character as well. Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough" Xiao Mo coughed several more times consecutively, each one worse than the last.

Xiao Mo quickly picked up the handkerchief by his bedside to cover his mouth.

The handkerchief was stained with bright red blood.

"Master."

When Jiang Qingyi entered carrying medicine and saw her master's violent coughing, she quickly walked over.

"Master, are you alright?"

Jiang Qingyi placed the medicine on the bedside table, knelt by the bed, and looked at her master with concern.

Over these years, Master's health had gotten worse and worse.

After she entered the Golden Core realm, Master's life flame was even like a candle in the wind, as if it might be extinguished at any moment.

Jiang Qingyi didn't know what the reason was.

Master said he was injured in his foundation during missions.

At first, Jiang Qingyi indeed thought so.

Because every time Master returned, his complexion was terrible, and he would go to the medical hall for treatment but gradually, Jiang Qingyi always felt something was not right.

Because no matter what mission Master went on, even small missions, he could encounter some powerful being who would injure him.

Even if Master's luck was bad, it wouldn't be bad to this extent, right?

"I'm fine, don't worry." Xiao Mo secretly put away the handkerchief but Jiang Qingyi still saw the bloodstains on the handkerchief.

The young girl pressed her thin lips tightly together.

"Master, let me feed you the medicine." Jiang Qingyi picked up the medicine bowl.

"No need, your master isn't without hands. I can do it myself." Xiao Mo tried to take the medicine bowl, but Jiang Qingyi refused.

"Master, you just lie down. Do you remember after the New Blood Martial Competition? I was injured, and you fed me medicine every day. Now that Master's health isn't good, it's only natural for Qingyi to feed Master medicine."

"Alright then." Seeing Jiang Qingyi's determined expression, Xiao Mo didn't refuse anymore.

After feeding him the medicine, Jiang Qingyi helped Xiao Mo slowly lie down, "Master, rest well. Don't worry, you'll definitely be fine."

"Don't worry, your master won't die just yet. Besides, I haven't seen you find a reliable dao companion yet." Xiao Mo said with a smile.

"Master, don't make such jokes. As for dao companions, this disciple doesn't need one at all."

Jiang Qingyi gave her master a coquettish glance, helped tuck in his blanket, then carried the medicine bowl and walked out.

Just as Jiang Qingyi closed the door, her beautiful eyes furrowed. She placed the medicine bowl on the stone table in the courtyard and flew directly to the medical hall!

Right after Jiang Qingyi's front foot left, someone knocked on Xiao Mo's door.

"Qingyi, is there something?" Xiao Mo asked.

The door opened, and a woman walked in.

Seeing this woman, Xiao Mo's eyes froze for a moment, even revealing a trace of killing intent.

Xiao Mo knew who she was.

She was from the Liang Kingdom's Prince Xiao's manor.

To be precise, she was Xiao Mo's sword attendant.

Since Xiao Mo could remember, she had grown up alongside him.

When Xiao Mo left Prince Xiao's manor and severed ties with the manor, Xiao Mo had wanted to take this sword attendant who had grown up with him since childhood but she refused.

After that, Xiao Mo finally understood clearly.

She wasn't his sword attendant, but the sword attendant of "Prince Xiao's son."

"Xia Chan, how are you here?"

Xiao Mo frowned, his tone very unfriendly.

This wasn't because she hadn't followed him more than ten years ago.

Xiao Mo could understand her choice.

The reason Xiao Mo was so wary of her, even hostile, was entirely because Xia Chan, someone who was only loyal to Prince Xiao's manor, appeared here.

Perhaps Prince Xiao's manor was about to take some action against him.

"Young Master, it's been a long time."

Xia Chan stepped forward and bowed to Xiao Mo.

Xia Chan was still the same as before. Her every word, every action had no trace of warmth.

Since Xiao Mo had known her, she had always been this cold.

As if nothing could cause her emotions to fluctuate.

"Don't say those meaningless things. I'm no longer the heir of Prince Xiao's manor. Speak directly, what did my father send you to do?" Xiao Mo said coldly.

Xia Chan didn't directly answer Xiao Mo's question, but instead asked, "Does Young Master know how much thought and what great price the Prince paid to find a congenital sword bone for you? It was the Prince who made you into a gifted sword cultivator. The reason you could reach the Nascent Soul realm at eighteen was entirely because the Prince transplanted that sword bone into you."

Xiao Mo sneered, "Then do you know that if I had known I was transplanted with someone else's sword bone, and moreover the sword bone of a four-year-old little girl, I would rather have been an ordinary person for life! Do you also know that little girl nearly died because she lost her sword bone! And in your view, when you transplanted a congenital sword bone into me, was it really for my benefit, or was it for my father's ambition? Go ask him!"

"Young Master is still the same." Xia Chan shook her head and sighed, "Young Master is good in every way, except you inherited the Princess Consort's kindness. The Princess Consort was good in every way, except she taught you to be too soft."

As soon as Xia Chan finished speaking, a sword qi swept past her cheek.

A strand of hair was cleanly cut, slowly drifting to the ground.

Xia Chan's fair cheek was cut with a thin, long wound, blood seeping from the cut.

Xiao Mo looked at Xia Chan coldly, "This sword was for the sake of our growing up together. If you say anything bad about my mother again, the next sword qi will sever your neck!"

"What exactly do you want? Say it and then get out!" Xiao Mo had lost his patience.

Although Xiao Mo knew he was experiencing a lifetime, he possessed all the memories of this world's "Xiao Mo."

"Xiao Mo's" mother was Xiao Mo's mother.

Although Xiao Mo's mother died when he was seven, in Xiao Mo's heart, he would always remember his mother's gentleness and teachings.

He absolutely wouldn't allow anyone to speak ill of his mother.

Xia Chan paid no attention to her wound, just looked at Xiao Mo calmly and slowly said, "In the third year after you left, one of your younger brothers was born. Unlike the sword bone you were transplanted with, the Second Young Master was born with double pupils. Double pupils are no worse than a sword bone. As long as nothing goes wrong, he can at least step into the Immortal realm in the future, or even the Ascension realm! And Prince Xiao's manor will have eternal dominance! For generations, the Liang Kingdom's imperial family will be the Prince's puppets!"

"Heh heh heh heh." Xiao Mo laughed, "My father sent you to find me just to deliberately say these things?"

Xiao Mo naturally understood his father's thoughts.

In this world, emperors needed to bear enormous karma.

If a successful cultivator became an emperor, they would be entangled by karma, making it difficult for their realm to advance further. They might even mysteriously die from karma.

And if an ordinary person became emperor, cultivation would be extremely difficult for them. No matter how gifted they were, they could at most cultivate to the ninth level of Qi Refinement, unable to build their foundation. Their lifespan would at most be thirty or forty years longer than ordinary people.

His father wanted "both," wanting the power of a great nation like Liang, but not wanting to bear the karma. So he controlled the government and made the current Liang imperial family puppet emperors but doing this would certainly cause dissatisfaction in the court.

At such times, he needed extremely strong force for intimidation.

Previously, that "force" was Xiao Mo.

Now, that "force" was his half-brother.

Although Xiao Mo had never met this brother from beginning to end, he felt pity for him.

"Naturally not." Xia Chan shook her head.

"It seems Young Master still doesn't understand my meaning.

Admittedly, when you left, the Prince did have some regret, because the Prince needed you.

At first, the Prince indeed thought about calling you back but you kept refusing, gradually disappointing the Prince.

Until the Second Young Master was born.

You were completely abandoned by the Prince.

You have no relationship with Prince Xiao's manor whatsoever. Originally, I wouldn't have come to find you either but what you've done these years has forced the Prince to pay attention to you again.

The Prince never expected that the young girl from back then was actually alive.

The Prince even less expected that you would actually find her and even teach her cultivation."

"..." Xiao Mo frowned, "How long have you been monitoring me?"

"Since you left the manor and entered the Dragon Spring Sword Sect."

Xia Chan answered calmly.

"Young Master might not know, but actually the Dragon Spring Sword Sect's sect master is good friends with the Prince, and they share common interests. Your every move in the Dragon Spring Sword Sect has been under the Prince's watch.

As I said before, after the Second Young Master was born, if you had behaved yourself, or if Jiang Qingyi couldn't cultivate anymore, the Prince wouldn't have had the leisure to pay attention to you again.

But you actually disregarded your own great dao, disregarded your own lifespan, and used a technique like the Heaven Continuation Formula on Jiang Qingyi.

Unexpectedly, it actually succeeded.

Not only can Jiang Qingyi cultivate, her talent is terrifying. In just fifteen or sixteen years, Jiang Qingyi reached the Golden Core realm!

Having reached this point today, the Prince can't sit by and do nothing."

"What do you want to do?" Xiao Mo clenched his fists tightly, his nails already digging into his flesh.

"What we want to do, Young Master, you understand. The Second Young Master has unlimited prospects. If nothing goes wrong, he can at least reach the Immortal realm, or even the Ascension realm.

But this is all built on the foundation of 'nothing going wrong.'

And Jiang Qingyi is that 'something going wrong' for the Second Young Master."

"You're afraid she'll seek revenge, so you want to kill her?" Xiao Mo smiled.

"Can you do it? Currently, the highest realm cultivator in Prince Xiao's manor is that decrepit old patron, right? Or will he have the Dragon Spring Sword Sect's sect master act?

But they're all at the Jade Simplicity realm, right?

Don't forget, although I'm at the late Nascent Soul realm, my sword bone is enough for me to kill enemies across realms.

Do they dare to act?"

"Young Master is wrong. They don't need to act."

Xia Chan shook her head.

"Young Master, what do you think, if Jiang Qingyi knew that you have her sword bone in your body, and moreover, for this sword bone, your father killed her parents, if Jiang Qingyi knew everything, what would she think?"