These fairies want me to deal with them every day.

"Ye Bingluan! Some things you can save for when you're about to die! Now, are you going to fight or not?"

Ye Bingluan also raised her long sword to face Ye Yunhen.

He let out a soft sigh of relief.

It felt as if... she had returned to her lungs and dantian.

She didn't know what kind of spirit this was, but she knew she was going to win today.

Ye Yunhen strode over, each step seemingly capable of cracking the floor tiles.

His momentum was like a rainbow, and his brilliance was like the rising sun.

Such an imposing presence shocked those present, and some even began to worry about the situation of the woman dressed in the dragon robe.

They couldn't understand why this woman was so stubborn when the situation was already under control.

Throughout history, those who have become emperors have all been able to assess the situation clearly and have never acted foolishly or stubbornly.

Why would she, as a woman, take on a man alone?

Is this meant to showcase the emperor's majesty? Or is it to demonstrate her talent in both civil and military affairs?

Nobody knows, except for Ye Bingluan herself.

"clang!!"

There were almost no fancy moves, and Ye Bingluan had indeed not learned any special techniques.

She simply believed she could do it, so she met the attack head-on with her sword.

A piercing sound erupted, and a faint shockwave radiated outwards from the two people.

The sword strikes were so precise that Ye Yunhen's expression became completely distorted.

"Ye Bingluan... this is your biggest mistake. I thought I was arrogant enough, but you're even more arrogant than me!"

This sword strike caused Ye Bingluan's aura to fluctuate, making her feel quite uncomfortable. She also realized that they were indeed siblings, as their talents seemed so similar.

The two swords were evenly matched.

It even slightly overshadowed itself.

However, she did not reveal her true feelings and suppressed her surging anger. She simply stared coldly at Ye Yunhen.

"We are siblings."

"That's right!"

Ye Yunhen parried with his sword, and his subsequent horizontal slash seemed to possess the force of a thunderbolt, instantly severing the wind and snow, the sound of it tearing through the air so piercing.

The woman, however, did not dodge the sword strike!

She turned around and placed a sword at her side, the moment the greatsword struck.

Ye Bingluan even felt her tiger's mouth split open!

She couldn't help but groan and take a few steps back. Although she wasn't cut in half by the greatsword, the blood and qi in her lungs seemed to be getting out of control.

Then she felt a sweet taste in her throat and spat out a mouthful of blood onto the floor.

This scene made the imperial guards in front of the palace nervous, and some even couldn't help but comfort the young empress who was destined to be recorded in history.

Murong Ji, however, remained calm in front of the vast army.

"Quiet down!"

His eyes were fixed on the two people in the arena, a wide-open and unrestrained duel devoid of any skill.

It seems there is only one purpose, one unwavering belief.

That means it's either you or me who dies.

There was no patience whatsoever, nor any mercy whatsoever.

Anyone who sees this scene will feel a pang of sadness, but they will also understand... there is no outcome more acceptable to both of them.

Perhaps that's what he felt, and perhaps that's what she thought too.

Ye Yunhen was panting heavily, his eyes were bloodshot, and his hands were raw and bleeding, the flesh and blood sticking to the hilt of the sword.

He seemed to feel nothing but hatred towards this woman, with no trace of the brotherly and sisterly affection that should exist between them.

He just wanted to rush up and kill her, no matter the outcome, as long as he killed her...

"You have no idea how I've spent these years... You have no idea how much I've restrained myself and how much I've endured in order to pretend to be sickly... Over the years, I've met very few people, and I've only been out of the house a handful of times! You still have to be wary of me! You still have to be wary of me!"

Ye Bingluan ignored the bloodstains at the corner of her mouth. She closed her eyes slightly, then opened them again and raised her sword once more.

She has already sensed it.

She also saw it, not so long ago, in Jiuyang City.

How did that boy, with his back to him, unleash that sword strike?

It seems he never taught me or explained the underlying principles.

But at that moment, she felt she could do it.

Just as Ye Yunhen swung his greatsword, about to slash down at him,...

So she drew her sword.

"..."

It was as if there was no sound.

A beam of multicolored light shot from the tip of her sword straight to Ye Yunhen's chest.

Then it pierced through and flew into the sky, facing the falling snow.

The smile of the flying snowflakes made even the sky shine with a brief brilliance.

It was already evening.

The setting sun is like blood.

The standing man's greatsword trembled precariously; he would never again have the chance to deliver the fatal blow to his sister.

because……

"puff!"

Fresh blood was gushing out.

A brilliant burst of light erupted from his back until, with a clang, the sword fell to the ground.

Ye Bingluan's face was pale, and her body was almost swaying.

That sword strike consumed too much energy, but it doesn't matter now.

She looked at Ye Yunhen's last glance at her.

She nodded.

"I gave you a chance, but you still couldn't do it. This empire... it just won't fall into your hands." PS: We're all LXO today!! I'm not sleeping! I'll keep writing until the match starts, then I'll watch it to my heart's content. If LGD wins TI this time, I'll think about how to organize a giveaway.

30. I will savor your loneliness.

The sunset was like blood.

The snow-covered earth seemed to be stained with scarlet blood.

The heavy snow is silent, and so is the great sorrow.

But for her now, can it be considered sad?

Shouldn't we feel relieved?

Without the threat, without the ambitious older brother, he should feel genuinely relieved looking at the vast expanse of white.

"Clang."

But even after throwing away the sword, she couldn't laugh.

As Ye Yunhen lay facing the sky, his eyes seemed to stare straight at the vast sky until his death.

Is this sky beautiful?

How beautiful it is...

The woman who had thrown away the longsword in her hand also raised her head. Her hand, which was not holding the sword, was now bleeding from her sleeve.

She wasn't unscathed; in fact, she had given it her all this time, not just in the struggle for the throne... but also in many other areas.

"You are my brother, how can I not do my utmost?"

She smiled like that, a touch of ethereal, poignant beauty on her pale face.

She looked at the sky, as if searching for something. Among the layers of clouds and the gradually stopping snow, that ray of sunlight seemed like a distant shore.

What kind of boat can I take to get there?

On that other side, what kind of people will be waiting for me?

She didn't know, she only sensed the breaths of people dying and people living in this world.

Falling leaves make a sound, life and death make a sound.

What is silence?

She suddenly felt a wave of weakness wash over her, as if it had replaced all her strength.

It seems that only now can she remember that she had almost exhausted all her strength before.

She lowered her head; everyone around her was watching her.

Whether it was soldiers in armor, generals riding tall horses, or palace maids finally breathing a sigh of relief.

She finally took the first step, keeping all her weariness to herself.

Everyone seemed to be there, but the figure I most wanted to see was truly gone.

He's probably safely back in Xianzhou by now... After all, who could really hurt him? He can do anything, he can always create so many miracles.