Chapter 516: Dusty Memory Awakens

Boom!

With a thunderous crash, their sword energies collided once more, unleashing an unimaginable, astonishing power!

"I never expected you to be so formidable, woman. I can't understand the origin of that colossal sword energy behind you. It stands before me like a towering mountain, and no matter how much force I exert, I cannot break through your great sword totem!"

Ling Yao sneered, "Do you know that among the continent's Ten Great Sacred Lands, there is one lineage dedicated to sword cultivation? I am the sole survivor of that lineage."

"Are you referring to the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land? You're from the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land?"

Ling Yao seemed surprised by his reaction. "What? Have you heard of it?"

The Guardian leader before her then burst into unrestrained laughter. "I never thought I'd encounter someone from the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land again. Fate truly works in mysterious ways!"

Ling Yao looked stunned. "Could it be that you truly have a connection to our Sacred Land?"

The Guardian leader's expression suddenly turned incredibly cold. "If it weren't for the decisions made by those people back then, I would likely be the sect master of the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land today. It was they who shattered my Innate Sword Soul. My exposure of the elders' ambitions made it impossible for me to remain in the Sacred Land, so they destroyed my foundation and cast me out into the wilderness!"

As he spoke, an endless stream of fragmented memories suddenly flashed within Ling Yao's mind. Her most cherished memories, once erased, were now reawakened!

"Are you... Brother Ah Qiu?"

The moment Ling Yao uttered the name "Ah Qiu," the Guardian leader's eyes suddenly glazed over. "Are you Ah Yao!"

Ling Yao's grip suddenly loosened, and the precious sword that had accompanied her for countless years drifted effortlessly into the void below. The overwhelming and sharp sword energy that enveloped her completely vanished.

She could no longer muster any will to fight, and the Guardian leader standing opposite her mirrored her state. Their relationship, once that of mortal enemies, completely dissolved in that instant. No one could have predicted that this confrontation would take such a dramatic and unexpected turn.

For the next two full hours, the two sat peacefully side-by-side on the mountaintop, gazing at the sky, recounting their experiences over the years, and completely resolving their emotional burdens.

It turned out that before her memories were erased, Ling Yao had a childhood sweetheart and senior disciple in the Sacred Land, and this senior disciple was Yun Qiu, the man standing before her!

This young man was once the Sacred Land's foremost talent, with cultivation abilities even greater than Ling Yao's. However, he was later crippled by the joint efforts of the Ten Elders, who destroyed his Innate Sword Bone foundation. The fact that he could still reach the peak of Tribulation Transcendence showed just how astonishingly gifted he had been in his youth.

"Fate truly plays tricks on us," he said. "If I hadn't come to Yunmeng City with the Boss this time, we might never have met again! And those soul fragments, buried deep in my memories, would never have been reawakened."

Although Ah Qiu's foundation was destroyed back then, his memories remained intact. Ling Yao, however, was the opposite: her foundation was preserved, but her past memories were completely shattered. This twist of fate led them to be separated for countless years…

Ling Yao's destiny had been entirely altered by Xu Yang. Deep in her heart, she held immense admiration and respect for Xu Yang, but she had never dared to hope to stand by his side as his woman.

Yet, in the depths of Ling Yao's heart, Yun Qiu's image had always remained. Now that they were reunited, their bond was undoubtedly rekindled.

"Ah Qiu," Ling Yao asked, "tell me what happened with Yunmeng Marsh. Why did you end up here and become a Guardian of Yunmeng City? What kind of hardships did you face?"

Although Ah Qiu was the leader of the Guardians, he wasn't the City Lord of Yunmeng City. In essence, his relationship with Yunmeng City was purely one of employment. However, the six siblings in his Guardian team had all been raised by him, orphans who had wandered the continent's wilderness in their youth.

He was the elder brother and patriarch of the entire seven-member team. In other words, the members of this elite Guardian team could ignore the City Lord's words, but they would never defy their Big Brother's commands.

According to Ah Qiu's account, after his foundation was crippled back then, he was taken from Qizhou by a mysterious elderly sword master. He then followed this elder, seeking medical treatment and enlightenment through cultivation, and through some unique fortuitous encounters, he regained the foundation for sword cultivation and resumed his training.

Later, after the elder ascended to immortality, Ah Qiu wandered alone, seeking enlightenment and gradually accumulating his current profound cultivation. Eventually, he decided to enter Yunmeng Marsh to uncover the truth about the battle that took place ten thousand years ago. By chance, he stumbled upon Yunmeng City, where he found a kindred spirit in the City Lord, leading to the formation of their current seven-member team.

In other words, for the sake of his six siblings, he relinquished the right to investigate the secrets of Yunmeng Marsh from back then, while also securing a safe place for them to settle down.

As for the secrets of Yunmeng Marsh, he never pursued further investigations. According to Ah Qiu, only the City Lord truly knew the secrets of Yunmeng Marsh from that era, along with the three survivors of that time.

Furthermore, Ling Yao inquired about other secrets concerning soul pillar power, finally gaining a deeper understanding of the source of the demonic herdsman's power.

"So, according to you," Ling Yao speculated, "this continent we're on must also contain many hidden divine inheritances, similar to Qilin Mountain? These hidden powerhouses, possessing god-tier soul pillar power, must also reside deep within those unknown regions!"

Ah Qiu nodded gravely. "That is indeed true! This continent is far more profound than we see or imagine. Many unknown powers are not as simple as they appear on the surface, and the Tribulation Transcendence realm is by no means the end of cultivation."

At this point in their conversation, Ling Yao seemed to recall something suddenly. She once again drew the precious sword she had dropped earlier and pressed its sharp blade against Ah Qiu's neck…

"I'm sorry, Ah Qiu," she said, "although I still haven't forgotten you, I am now a member of Boss's team. Without Boss, I would have died in the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land long ago. If you insist on siding with Yunmeng City and opposing Boss, then we will always be enemies!"

Ah Qiu, however, simply smiled and shook his head, gently lowering Ling Yao's blade with his hand.