Tian Yang sighed and cracked his neck. His fingers danced in the air in front of him. As he did so, space was rapidly repaired until it returned to its normal stability.
He looked around at the destruction that was caused. Although thousands of kilometers had been razed by the two of them, it was surprisingly less damage than expected.
But that was a given. Minimizing environmental damage was another benefit of being a spatial cultivator, since they had the ability to shatter space and bring their battles into the void.
Damien also used this strategy often. Though, he never cared about environmental damage, he just did it because a large majority of his destructive spells constituted shattering space.
Tian Yang patted his hands clean and flashed away, appearing in front of Damien and Ruyue, who were still looking at the battlefield in awe.
"So? What'd you think? Your master is a badass, isn't he?"
Damien snapped out of his trance in an instant and rolled his eyes. "You would've been more badass if you had kept your mouth shut in the end."
Tian Yang's brow twitched. He grabbed Damien's ear and pinched hard. "Is that how you should welcome back your master who just fought a hard battle for your sake? What an ungrateful disciple!"
Damien winced in pain and tried to teleport away, but Tian Yang locked space and forced him to stay, pulling his ear even harder as punishment.
Damien raged. "Dammit, you old bastard! Let go of me! If you want to make me believe you struggled then at least play the part! Look at you, completely uninjured and spreading your aura wantonly like you have mana for days! Anyone in their right mind wouldn't believe a word you say!"
Tian Yang looked around and noticed the crowd around him sweating profusely. It was only after Damien's words that he realized how he was still flaring his aura.
He coughed awkwardly and let go of Damien's ear. "I'll forgive you this time."
"Tch." Damien clicked his tongue. Whether in terms of strength or shamelessness, he completely lost to the old man. In this situation, it was better to just back down.
"Ruyue, you need to help me get back at this old man in the future. I must have my revenge!" Damien spoke indignantly, but Ruyue wasn't paying any attention at all.
Her eyes were still glued to the battlefield. Everything else around her faded away.
Just a few moments ago, she was stunned into a stupor. Even though she couldn't watch the entire fight clearly, she could at least somewhat understand what was happening by using the abilities of her eyes.
But the reality of it all didn't set in until she saw the crumpled pile of meat that used to be Xue Yebai laying on the cracked ground.
Silent tears threatened to fall from her eyes. A feeling of relief spread through her cold boy, giving her an unprecedented sense of comfort.
How many years had she been waiting for this day to come? How many years was her hatred forced to seethe and marinate because she didn't have the strength to fight back?
She had been dreaming of the day when Xue Yebai died for so long, but when it finally appeared before her, it was too surreal for her to accept right away.
Her revenge…was completed. The Xue Clan would be removed from the 4 Great Clans from this day forth. Even though she didn't achieve revenge with her own hands, it felt like she had done exactly that.
After all, it wasn't a stranger that killed Xue Yebai. It wasn't a stranger that helped her get rid of all the Elders.
Those were the master that had taken her in and provided her safety and warmth at her lowest point, and the man who taught her how to feel again. They were the two most important people in her life.
So even though the majority of the work was done by them and those affiliated with them, Ruyue didn't feel the slightest sense of loss at not having contributed enough.
The tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes could no longer be controlled.
Seeing her state, Damien and Tian Yang stopped their argument. As if they had agreed on it beforehand, they teleported away to a secluded location.
And Ruyue burst out crying. She cried like a little girl for the second time in the span of the past few years, which was more than she had ever done prior.
Damien and Tian Yang smiled warmly as they watched her. Because they knew. These were tears of joy, tears of fulfillment. They couldn't be happier seeing that Ruyue was finally able to release the tears she had been holding back for twenty-something years.
'Old man, you finally did something good.' Damien sent a sound transmission so as to not disturb Ruyue.
Tian Yang rolled his eyes. 'Brat, I've been taking care of her for way longer than you have. If anything, you're the one that finally did something good.'
'Just because you looked after her for longer doesn't mean you're better than me. In fact, I dare say she likes me more than you.'
'Ha! I've always treated her like my own granddaughter! There's no way she'd be so unfilial as to forget me after falling in love for such a short time!'
'You're just saying that because you're a lonely old man without a wife of your own. She was so cold when I first met her, it was only after meeting me that her shell finally cracked. Admit it, I'm simply better than you.'
'Tch! As if I'd ever admit it! Brat, since little Yue'er is like my own granddaughter, that makes you my grandson-in-law. If you can't get my blessing, don't think about marrying her.'
'Hah?! You're saying this now?! You damn salty old man!'
'If I'm a salty old man, then you're a pretentious brat!'
'Hah?!'
'What? Want to fight?'
'Tch. A little victory over a bitch like Xue Yebai must've made you conceited. If it's a fight you want, then I'll entertain you whenever!'
'Brat, you speak as if you aren't leagues weaker than me. If this isn't asking for death, I don't know what is.'
'Oho? But you wouldn't dare to hurt your precious granddaughter's husband, would you? Imagine how distraught she would be!'
'Keuk…!'
The two might've been arguing soundlessly, but the way they were postured begged to differ. Their auras silently clashed in the air between them, their fiery gazes locked as if battle would break out any second.
That is, until Ruyue's voice cleanly cut through the atmosphere they created.
"What are you two doing?" She asked naively. One second she had been crying immersed in old memories, the next, she felt fierce battle intent filling the air around her. She really had no clue what had happened in the past few minutes for there to be a drastic change.
As if on cue, Damien and Tian Yang turned in different directions and coughed awkwardly.
"W-what are you talking about? We're just having a casual conversation between master and disciple."
"Y-yeah, little Yue'er, no need to be mad. I would never beat up your future husband."
"I never said anything about that though?" Ruyue tilted her head, glaring at Tian Yang in suspicion.
"Cough! Cough! Wow, I seem to have got something stuck in my throat!" Tian Yang replied hurriedly. His figure flashed, disappearing from the empty meadow where they stood.
Damien's brow twitched in annoyance. "Damn old man! How dare you snitch and then abandon me! I'm coming for your ass!"
Damien's figure disappeared as well. The two of them flashed around the meadow, reappearing occasionally in various comedic poses as they fought like children without mana.
Watching their antics, Ruyue burst into a fit of giggles. Soon, her giggles turned into a full-on bout of uncontrollable laughter.
That's right. From now on, she would be able to experience warmth like this unhindered. This fact alone was enough to keep her content for eternity.
