My home is filled with children and grandchildren, a household of wealth and luxury, a family with a legacy spanning a hundred generations, never weary of fine foods and delicate tastes...

Martial Artists respect me, revere me, seek me, and the Imperial Court honors me, uses me, respects me...

In leisure, I drink tea and call friends; when busy, I manage affairs, and a single call brings a hundred responses...

I am a model for the world, a leader of the Nobility, an esteemed elder of Yanjing, a scholar of the Cabinet...

The day before yesterday, I was discussing national affairs in the Cabinet; yesterday, I was selecting heroes with the heads of various families...

So now...

"It's just a nightmare."

Crane Tears pushed the little Sasajeluo out of his arms, this Star Position Martial Pillar of the three-eyed Titan still looked so young and adorable, with tender skin like a child jumping into a grandfather's arms. But the insides of his body had been shattered into pulp by the light explosion of Crane Tears' 'Mountain Collapse' and 'Sea Overturn', with a dark, foul liquid oozing from his lips. Once pushed by Crane Tears, he fell silently to the ground, as light as a doll.

The technique of the Omniverse Battle is well-known for striking a distant target and is the second choice of the noble martial artists—the first choice being the Sword Holding Technique—which leaves the corpse intact and injures invisibly, with elegant movements and a posture that overpowers. When Crane Tears first came in contact with it, he was determined that the Omniverse Battle Technique was a field he was willing to devote his life to studying.

Even though later he was called the 'First Divine Speed of Glory' for mastering the Lingxu Battle Technique, Crane Tears still favored the Omniverse Battle Technique. He was well aware that using a sword or gun could fully harness the prowess of the First Divine Speed. However, Crane Tears insisted on using the Omniverse Battle Technique, even if it took him more than a decade to form a new tactical system.

Crane Tears was known as the 'Pillar of Stopping Killing', a title not only praising his swift and elegant moves but also with a hint of sarcasm that he was only good for 'stopping killing'—the fastest martial pillar, but just the fastest.

However, this time, Crane Tears encountered an enemy that completely neutralized his speed. The three-eyed Titan's 'Eyes Reflecting the Present' could freeze him for several instances, nullifying his speed advantage.

After decades of practicing the Omniverse Battle Technique, tonight it finally found its own stage.

But the cost was extremely heavy.

Crane Tears sat against the crumbling wall and lowered his head to look at the two sword hilts piercing his chest and abdomen. To find an opening, he had to expose a weakness to lure Sasajeluo into his embrace.

He succeeded, as Sasajeluo did not miss the exposed weakness and willingly exposed himself under the hands of Silver Bell Uncle; he also failed, as the feigned weakness was turned into a real one by Sasajeluo.

With trembling old hands, Crane Tears gripped the sword hilts with all his remaining strength, glanced around to confirm no one was nearby, and then gritted his teeth to pull out the shortsword, howling in pain, with tears streaming, as he hunched over in agony like a prawn.

It took him quite a while to catch his breath. Leaning against the wall, his right hand glowed with a soft green light as he placed it on his wounds. Regardless, the Inner Scenic Battle Technique was a compulsory one for the Nobility, and naturally, Crane Tears knew it too, but in the past decades, it was always the Medical Officer who treated him—it's his first time treating himself.

After all, he was of noble birth, a guard of the royal power, a pillar of the Imperial Court, born with privileges most could only dream of. His exceptional talent led him to be hailed as a child prodigy with the bearing of a leader. Groomed from a young age, he was meant to lead others and guide the people, with no one comparable or admirable to him...

So... how did he end up like this?

His grand position as the Chief Minister had been usurped by a mere gardener; the responsibility of the Imperial Court's guards was overtaken by that young fellow Yu Ke. Though the leader of Yanjing's Nobility, he had no military power, no real authority. Aside from those 'noble prestige' amusements, the past decades indeed felt wasted.

As Cha Huan said, he called himself 'old man' in every sentence. This seemingly indicated that other than age, he had nothing to surpass others...

So is it all Cha Huan's fault? Yes, it must be his fault. Had it not been for his harsh lessons in the Imperial Academy, how would he have become so hesitant, indulging in the luxuries of Yanjing and contented with his noble status?

Thinking this way, Crane Tears felt a bit better, but he quickly shook his head with a bitter smile.

He knew it had nothing to do with Cha Huan, as he started his path of genius when Cha Huan went on the run, becoming the top of the Nightmare division in his sophomore year at the Imperial Academy, and starting his official career as a blue operative, with endless glory and prospects...

He once held youthful enthusiasm, wanting to become a matchless national hero, capable of supporting the empire for millennia. In modern terms, he'd become a historical figure eligible for inclusion in 'Unmatched Kill'...

But such enthusiasm would always be worn down little by little by the desire for fame and wealth, by the passage of time, and by the unpredictable world—with each wear, it wears down one's whole life.

In the end, he neither became a fierce general guarding the land nor the Chief Minister ruling the empire, but like countless ancestors, became a noble upholding tradition.

A noble living in a dream.

Compared to the past, this nightmare seemed to make Crane Tears feel more alive. At this moment, he was not the Pillar of Stopping Killing, nor the Silver Bell Uncle, but the noble protecting Yanjing, the Imperial Family, the people!

"Cough!"

Crane Tears coughed up a mouthful of blood froth, he glanced down and found that while he had stopped the bleeding on the outside, inside he was still full of wounds.

His organs were crying out, his blood was escaping, and his seemingly strong exterior couldn't hold back the crumbling mess underneath.

Sasajeluo had used some combat techniques, so although Crane Tears' injuries appeared to be mere sword wounds, the interiors were shredded to pieces. Had Crane Tears not been a martial pillar, he would have already fainted from internal bleeding and shock, and then simply died.

But even as a martial pillar, he merely avoided the 'fainted and shocked' process.

Crane Tears looked at the silver bell in his hand and sighed: "Sima Huo... come save this old man... I can still be saved..."

He let his hand fall weakly, looking up at the starry sky, with the occasional fireworks blossoming in the night.

After an unknown amount of time, a strange force suddenly surged within Crane Tears, prompting his last call:

"Cha Huan!"

"I've wanted to say something to you for a long time, I don't know if you can hear me, but I have to say—"

"I! F**k! Your! Mother!"

…

…

In the ruins amid broken walls, Cha Huan suddenly turned his head to look around.

"Principal, what's wrong?" Yu Ke asked: "Are there other enemies?"

"No, I just felt like someone was calling me."

"Maybe someone is expressing respect to the Principal in their dying moments," Yu Ke laughed: "If I were about to die, I would definitely thank the Principal for your teachings with all my heart."

"Why can't you thank me while you are still alive?"

"That wouldn't do, it's too awkward, and after I die there'd be no need to hear your sarcastic remarks."

"Can you two leave anything unsaid until later when we are at the graves?" Xie Chenyuan couldn't help but speak: "The Demon Emperor isn't dead yet."

Indeed, while Cha Huan and Yu Ke were chatting, the smile was still on the battlefield, but it hadn't gone on the offensive, remaining in a defensive stance for several minutes, even as Cha Huan and the others tore at its flesh without it showing any intent to retaliate.

Even if Cha Huan paused for a chat, it didn't attack.

For such an enemy willing to act as a punching bag, though Cha Huan and the others had never seen one before, they naturally would go all out when hitting it, having even more fun fighting it. But soon enough, they discovered a problem—

They were exhausted.