Chapter 564: Inner Liberation

Lingyao, Shi Lingyun, and others couldn't bear to watch. They all understood that this girl held irreplaceable significance for the Sea God; if Xu Yang's sword strike truly landed, it would signify the absolute end of the Sea God's romantic fate in this life.

However, to everyone's dismay, the Sea God remained utterly indifferent.

"Hey, old man, why are you so stubborn? Are you really just going to stand there and watch your beloved be cut down by your own disciple, doing absolutely nothing?" "Exactly, such a beautiful girl! Old Sea God, you truly have no appreciation for beauty!" Lingyao chimed in, echoing Long Kun's exasperation and fanning the flames. Yet, the Sea God's gaze remained fixed on the Ice Witch, unwavering, but he made no move.

*Rumble!* The next moment, the brilliant sword light, illuminating the entire battlefield, finally struck the Ice Witch's head, unleashing an unparalleled wave of destruction.

The Ice Witch didn't seem to struggle further. She merely smiled, gazing calmly at the Sea God—her master, the man she loved most in her life—with her grey-white eyes, as if silently bidding farewell to her beloved.

The sword light's power fully erupted; there was no room for suspense. When all the clamor on the battlefield finally subsided, the Ice Witch had vanished into nothingness, along with Xu Yang's devastating strike.

The Sea God shed a single tear, slowly kneeling on the ground as if he had aged ten thousand years in an instant.

"Bing'er, I'm so sorry..."

Long Kun shook his head helplessly, looking at the Sea God beside him with an air of profound disappointment.

"I truly have nothing more to say. You're as stubborn as a mule! So many years have passed, and we all knew the Ice Witch still loved you deep down. All she wanted was for you to humble yourself to her a little. Was that really so difficult? Even if you had to deceive her, it would have been better. Even if the future of the entire Glacier Kingdom weighed more in your heart than she did, what did it matter? Was a single white lie truly that difficult for you?"

The Sea God remained on his knees, silently weeping, unable to utter a single word. Soon, however, his soul began to burn uncontrollably.

"What in the world are you trying to do now?" Xu Yang and the others were utterly stunned when they saw his soul begin to burn.

"I failed Bing'er. Fate brought us together again, finally giving me a chance to make amends. Xu Yang, remember what you promised me: you must retrieve the codex for me, thwart the Earth God's conspiracy, and ensure my Sea God power flourishes. This is your future responsibility, and the only thing you owe me! After my soul perishes, please place my and Bing'er's remains in the same ice coffin. I will accompany her for all eternity."

The soul fire burned even more fiercely. The Sea God sought to end himself, and even someone as powerful as Xu Yang could not stop him. The energy released as his true divine soul burned was utterly astonishing.

Nevertheless, the Sea God achieved self-redemption, fulfilled his promise, and expressed his deepest love for the Ice Witch in his own unique way.

Xu Yang smiled faintly, looking meaningfully at the self-immolating Sea God. "Then I want to ask you: if you and the Ice Witch have another life, would you be willing to abandon everything to be with her, to enjoy the spring flowers and autumn moon of that life together?"

"If there truly is another life, even if the entire world faces its end, I will never leave her side again!"

"Very well, I'll remember your words!"

As Xu Yang finished speaking, he suddenly waved his hand, lifting a nearby ice statue into the air. The next instant, the statue plunged downwards, striking the surface of the Sea God's burning soul body with precise force.

The entire process lasted a full two hours. The Sea God's soul body had completely burned away, but his soul essence did not dissipate. Instead, Xu Yang sealed it within the ice statue using his freezing method.

Immediately after, Xu Yang once again performed his "Sleeve Cosmos" divine ability. To everyone's astonishment, the Ice Witch, whose ice-blue soul should have been utterly annihilated by Xu Yang's power, reappeared before them.

"My heavens, what just happened? She's alive!" Long Kun's eyes nearly popped out in shock. Little did they know, the reason they could still see the Ice Witch reappear before them was that Xu Yang had communicated with her soul before unleashing that sword. To fulfill the Ice Witch's long-held wish and to validate Xu Yang's witness to this epic romance, the Witch had agreed to cooperate with Xu Yang in staging this act, proving whether her devoted wait of hundreds of thousands of years had been worth it.

And as it turned out, the Sea God still considered the Ice Witch the true love of his life. Her devoted wait of hundreds of thousands of years had finally reached a satisfying conclusion.

This feigned death was orchestrated by Xu Yang using his "Sleeve Cosmos" divine ability. Moments before unleashing the sword's immense power, he instantly sealed the Ice Witch's soul into another dimension using the "Sleeve Cosmos" technique. The Witch, in turn, used her last reserve of power to release an ice-sealing barrier, which allowed her to traverse the void for a short time without her soul perishing.

Thus, because Xu Yang had not sealed the soul for too long using his divine ability, the Ice Witch's soul remained preserved even after traversing the void. This also granted her an unprecedented perspective from which to observe the Sea God's true feelings.

Fortunately, the Sea God finally revealed his true feelings after the Ice Witch's apparent demise, leaving no regrets for their relationship.

As for the Sea God's self-destruction, Xu Yang successfully cast a spell under the Ice Witch's guidance, thus preserving the hope for the Sea God's eventual revival.

"Thank you, Xu Yang! For the Sea God to have a successor like you is the greatest fortune of his life."

"No, for him, you are the greatest fortune of his life! This time, you were finally able to be honest with each other. I've already promised the Sea God regarding the codex. As long as I can revive him in the future, you two can rekindle your past relationship."

With those words, Xu Yang waved his hand, placing the ice statue that sealed the Sea God's soul essence into the Ice Witch's hand.

"I can do no more; the rest is up to you. If your method truly proves effective, then within a century, you two will be able to be together forever."

The Ice Witch bowed respectfully to Xu Yang, offering her gratitude to the man who had brought her devoted wait of hundreds of thousands of years to fruition.