# 581
**Chapter 582: A Life for a Life**
“A life for a life?”
Tang Yusheng furrowed his brow. “Whose life are you trying to trade for, exactly?”
Ye Fan remained silent.
Wang Qing seemed to recall something. “When we awakened, we sensed a brand-new law fluctuation—someone must’ve taken that step. Is he the one you want to save?”
“Yes.” Ye Fan nodded. “He is Great Xia’s first Sword Immortal. After slaying a god, he dissolved into the Dao and perished.”
Nie Jinshan shook his head. “Dao-dissolution is irreversible. Once his soul has merged into the world’s laws, even if you trade your life, he won’t come back.”
“He hasn’t fully merged yet.” Ye Fan’s voice was firm.
Seeing the doubt in their eyes, he went on, “Five years ago I set up a dedicated research team inside Night Watch. Using current smart-tech, we simulated what happens after a human breaks through the ceiling…
After years of work, we’ve confirmed that soul-dissolution isn’t instantaneous; it’s a gradual fusion. We calculated the rate: roughly twenty-four hours in total.
Right now, a quarter of his soul still hasn’t merged with the world’s laws.”
Tang Yusheng’s eyes lit up with curiosity.
“Science has come that far? But what made you start this research in the first place?”
Ye Fan’s lips curved in a faint smile at the memory.
“Because that year, I met him.” He said, “The moment I saw him, I knew—he would be the first to break the ceiling and reach that realm…
So the day I got back from the roadside diner, I founded the team and used him as the model to calculate every unknown possibility.
I wanted to pave the way for his future.”
Ye Fan looked down at the heart and the sword in the coffin and spoke slowly:
“He did it. He became Great Xia’s Sword Immortal, slew a god, and dissolved into the Dao… Now it’s my turn.”
Tang Yusheng warned gravely:
“To trade lives means your own soul will be absorbed into this Life-Exchange Pearl. You won’t be able to anchor your soul in any object, nor sleep within the nation’s fate as the fifth Night Watch Commander, nor even enter reincarnation…
You’ll be utterly annihilated—body and soul.”
“I know.”
“Giving your life for just a quarter of his soul—is it worth it?”
“It is.” Ye Fan answered calmly. “A quarter of a Mortal Sword Immortal still surpasses any Human Apex. If my life can buy Great Xia a Sword Immortal, what does it matter if I cease to exist?
Besides…
I owe him.”
Silence fell over the entire Buddhist hall.
The six heroic spirits gazed at Ye Fan standing before the coffin, their eyes filled with complicated emotions.
“Great Xia’s calamity has passed, but for humanity to truly stand tall, one last step remains…” Ye Fan pointed at the heart in the coffin.
“That step is him.
From the day I became Great Xia’s fifth Night Watch Commander, I’ve been building a road for the nation. Now the road is finished—only the final stepping-stone is missing…
That stone is my life.
I will complete everything I’ve prepared. In this perilous, hopeless fog-shrouded world, I will give Great Xia a foothold and humanity a place to belong!
I will let those so-called outer gods know…
Human power can triumph over Heaven itself!”
Ye Fan cupped his fists and bowed deeply to the six spirits.
“My mind is made; forgive me, seniors.”
He gripped the Buddhist beads, crushed them in one violent squeeze. Shards pierced his skin, carving bloody grooves that, under the beads, ignited in eerie golden flame.
Golden fire danced through the hall, sweeping over his body. His dark-red cloak turned to drifting golden embers and vanished into the air…
The spirits watched in silence, neither moving nor stopping him. Since this was the path Ye Fan chose, they would not interfere.
It was the greatest respect they could offer.
…
Outside the hall.
Stone steps leading up the mountain.
An electric scooter carried two riders to the foot of Mount Jiuhua.
Lu Wuwei, in a yellow delivery uniform, dismounted, yanked out the key, and locked the wheel. He tilted his head back at the cloud-capped peak.
Guan Zai stood silently before the first step, lifting the visor of his cap, eyes narrowing at the temple far above.
“He’s up there?”
“Mm.” Lu Wuwei nodded.
Guan Zai’s brows knitted; his knuckles tapped the air. Lines of code spiraled around him. He crouched slightly, then exploded upward—
Boom—!
He shattered the step beneath his feet and shot up the mountain trail like a startled swan, leaving after-images in his wake.
“Ye Fan—!!” His roar echoed across the sky.
Lu Wuwei pulled a little yellow duck from the scooter drawer, slapped it onto his helmet, and sped after him.
Zuo Qing, seated on the final step before the temple, heard the shout, frowned, and slowly rose.
Two figures raced up the flagstone path!
Guan Zai sprinted upward; the temple loomed larger and larger. Suddenly he stopped a few steps from the top, frown deepening.
There, at the end of the steps, stood a young man in a dark-red cloak, hands empty, head lowered as he gazed down the mountain—like a gatekeeper.
Guan Zai halted on the second-to-last step.
“I know you. You’re that Night Watch executive always beside Ye Fan. Your name is…” He racked his brain.
“Zuo Qing,” the young man said. “Director of Night Watch Special Operations. Zuo Qing.”
“Ye Fan is in the temple behind you.”
“Correct.”
“Let me pass.”
“No.”
Guan Zai’s frown deepened.
“You think you can stop me?” His eyes sharpened; Human Apex pressure crashed down, smothering the entire stairway.
Zuo Qing bore the weight without a flicker of change. He stood quietly and answered:
“Maybe not—but I’ll still try.”
Boom—!!
Zuo Qing’s own aura erupted, colliding with Guan Zai’s spirit-force. A silent gale swept the shrubs lining the steps into rustling waves!
Half-step Human Apex.