Wandering Swordsman |

"Alice..." Odin's pupils contracted sharply, his voice almost choked with sobs. Even with half his face destroyed, he recognized his daughter at a glance. His eyes instantly filled with tears, his body trembled violently with emotion, and he even forgot his severe injuries.

The sword in Hua Tianyou's hand clattered to the ground. He took a step back, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Albert's mouth dropped open, and his right hand unconsciously loosened its grip on Thorne's arm.

Knight Commander Thorne immediately knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face: "Miss... is it really you?"

Only Shen Mo remained calm, his gaze falling on the faceless one—no, Alice's face, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

Alice slowly knelt beside her father, blood dripping from her right hand, pierced by the sword, staining Odin's clothes red. Her fingers gently brushed across Odin's face, tears falling like broken pearls onto his blood-stained beard.

"Father... I'm sorry, I only just remembered." Her voice was gentle and trembling, filled with childlike innocence and guilt.

Odin struggled to raise his hand, trembling as he touched his daughter's disfigured cheek, tears streaming down his wrinkled face: "My daughter... after you disappeared, I searched the world for you. I thought... I thought I would never see you again..."

The wind whipped up the dust on the ground, brushing past the reunited father and daughter.

The setting sun in the distance dyed the sky blood red, as if sighing for this moment of reunion and heartbreak.

Albert and Thorne exchanged a glance, both seeing an indescribable shock and relief in each other's eyes.

Alice slowly knelt beside her father, blood dripping continuously from her right hand pierced by the sword, yet she still stood firmly in front of Odin.

She raised her half-disfigured face, her emerald eyes showing no fear, only a calm resolve. "Hua Tianyou," her voice was weak yet clear, like a candle flame flickering in the wind, "If you truly seek revenge, I will repay you with my life. Just don't touch my father."

Odin struggled to raise his hand, trembling as he stroked his daughter's cheek, tears streaming down his wrinkled face. "My child," his voice was hoarse, yet filled with an unprecedented tenderness, "to see you alive before me, I have no regrets even in death. Live on, and I will repay the debts of your past valor."

Tears welled up in Alice's eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

She gently grasped her father's hand. Blood from his right hand, pierced by the sword, stained his clothes, but it couldn't suppress the surge of familial love in her heart. "Father," she whispered, "since I lost my memory, I've been searching for it, because an indelible longing has always guided me. Now, I've returned."

Hua Tianyou stood frozen in place, the sword in his hand feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds. He recalled his father's face before his death—the paleness eroded by poison gas, the regretful look in his eyes, and his final words. He had sworn to avenge his father, but now, his enemy was the father of a disfigured daughter. His fingers trembled involuntarily, the tip of the sword drooping slightly, yet he could not bring himself to pierce it.

He recalled the vow of revenge he had made to himself on his journey out of the far west. But now, standing at the end of his quest for revenge, he found himself unable to go any further. The image of his father's dying face intertwined with the reunion of this father and daughter before him, leaving him with an unprecedented sense of bewilderment.

"Heavenly Demon Lord," Shen Mo's voice rang out like a clear spring, breaking the frozen air.

He slowly stepped forward, walked behind Hua Tianyou, and gently patted his shoulder. The pat wasn't heavy, but it carried an undeniable power, as if saying, "I'm here."

Hua Tianyou shuddered, as if he had been jolted awake from a dream.

He turned his head and saw Shen Mo's calm and firm gaze, a gaze that contained no blame, only understanding and support.

"If you can't make a decision," Shen Mo's voice was low and firm, "leave the rest to me."

These words were like a thunderclap, cleaving through the fog in Hua Tianyou's mind.

He looked at Shen Mo, then at the father and daughter kneeling on the ground, and finally slowly loosened his grip on the sword hilt. The sword fell to the ground with a "clang," making a crisp sound, as if it had also relieved him of the heavy burden in his heart.

Shen Mo's gaze swept over Odin and Alice, a subtle, complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

Alice's blue eyes watched Shen Mo warily, and her body instinctively took a half step back.

She could feel the terrifying power emanating from Shen Mo, a power that was not something an ordinary martial artist could possess, but rather a terrifying presence like a god descending to earth.

"Don't be afraid," Shen Mo's voice was calm and gentle, yet carried an undeniable authority, "I won't hurt you."

Alice bit her lower lip and did not answer.

She knew that every word Shen Mo spoke could contain deadly intent. She recalled the time she had spent traveling with Shen Mo—he was always so calm, as if everything was under his control. She had personally witnessed how easily he defeated those self-proclaimed masters of knighthood and banditry; his strength was beyond her comprehension.

"Odin!" Shen Mo's voice was deep and powerful. "Back then, in your pursuit of the ultimate martial arts, you coveted Hua Shenyong's demonic energy and poisoned him to death. Now, you must bear the consequences."

Before he finished speaking, Shen Mo gently raised his right hand, palm facing Alice.

An invisible force surged from his palm, instantly lifting Alice and suspending her in mid-air. Alice opened her eyes wide in terror, trying to struggle, but found that she couldn't even move a finger.

"Let Alice go!!! I beg you, let her go!!!" Odin roared, his voice hoarse and desperate.

He tried to get up from the ground, but fell back down because of his weight. His eyes were filled with pain and helplessness. He was no longer the invincible lord who looked down on the world, but a father who was worried about his daughter with all his heart.

Shen Mo ignored Odin's roar. He slowly walked to Odin's side, bent down, and gently placed his palm on Odin's dantian.

A gentle yet powerful force surged from Shen Mo's palm, beginning to draw upon Odin's inner strength.

Odin's body trembled violently, and his face turned deathly pale. But he stared intently at Alice in mid-air, his eyes showing no reluctance to part with his inner strength, only worry for his daughter.

Odin's voice trembled, "Don't hurt her!"

Shen Mo did not answer, but continued to use the Dispelling Power Technique to gradually draw out the internal energy from Odin's body.

As his inner strength dissipated, Odin's breathing became weaker and weaker, and his face grew paler and paler.

His dantian began to deplete, and he could no longer gather even a trace of true qi. For a martial artist who pursued the ultimate martial art, this was undoubtedly a punishment more terrible than death.

"Since you covet Hua Shenyong's Heavenly Demon Qi in your pursuit of the ultimate martial arts," Shen Mo's voice was as cold as ice, "then I will completely destroy your path of martial arts."