Xie Shuci had never seen the feathered robe he wore before, nor had he ever seen such a sacred and solemn little blind man.

The little blind man, dressed in a feathered robe, with a star crown on his head and a holy son's mark on his forehead, even with his legs bound by iron chains, still resembled an unfortunate fallen god, inspiring a sense of awe in those who looked upon him.

This was the first time Xie Shuci had truly experienced his status as a holy son. His solemnity and awe-inspiring presence made people afraid to act disrespectfully towards him; it seemed as if speaking loudly in his presence would be a sin.

But this little blind man seemed so far away from him, as if he had never known him at all.

He was as indifferent as a statue, his eyes staring straight ahead, as if nothing in the world could enter his eyes, like a...cold Buddha statue.

As the prison van drew closer, Xie Shuci noticed that the unfamiliar blind boy still had that familiar string of blue bells hanging from his waist.

The bells jingled together, their crisp, unusual sound echoing like thunder in Xie Shuci's ears.

"Xie An..." Xie Shuci opened his mouth and silently murmured two words.

Even though he knew perfectly well that he was wearing a disguised appearance, and he also knew that Xie An had no memory of him, he still hoped that those numb and empty eyes would once again cast a familiar gaze upon him.

Before he knew it, Xie Shuci was already in tears.

He bit his lower lip hard, refusing to make a sound, and watched Xie An, sitting in the prison cart, pass by him. From beginning to end, his numb and cold eyes never looked anywhere else, as if he were just an empty shell, so empty that it was heartbreaking.

Sikong Ye, who was walking in front of the prison cart, noticed Chu Guiyi and Chu Wenfeng in the crowd. He winked at Chu Guiyi and Chu Wenfeng as a greeting, seemingly not recognizing Xie Shuci.

As the prison van drove further away, the people on both sides of the street watched the Holy Son of Heaven on the van with the utmost devotion, like believers of a god, until his figure gradually disappeared from sight.

Even though everyone present knew that this Holy Son of Heaven had defied the Heavenly Dao and cultivated the Path of Slaughter to oppose it, they still couldn't help but feel awe towards him.

“Words of speech…”

Xie Shuci's legs felt weak, and Chu Guiyi turned around and supported his body with her palm, calling out softly.

Xie Shuci leaned half his body weight on Chu Guiyi's arm. The little blind boy looked so unfamiliar to him. Xie Shuci could even imagine that this was Xie An's true appearance before his father's tragic death—so closed off and distant.

Xie Shuci didn't understand. He was supposed to be executed in public during the Immortal Sect Selection in two days, so why was he still being paraded through the streets in the shell of the Holy Son of Heaven? Was it to prove to the world that the Heavenly Dao was absolutely inviolable? But before he was born, did Xie An ever think that he would have to bear the great fortune of the Heavenly Dao?

Does he not even have the right to choose how he wants to live?

Seeing Xie An like this, Xie Shuci finally understood why he defied fate and insisted on cultivating the path of slaughter, leaving himself no way out.

Such a way of Heaven, wantonly toying with the people, is truly disgusting!

The sound of bells ringing as the wheels turn seems to be the only glimmer of truth in this desolate and hypocritical world.

To avoid attracting attention and implicating the Chu family, Xie Shuci changed his clothes and continued moving forward with the prison cart. He didn't know what the future held for him and Xie An; he just wanted to take the opportunity to see him more, to etch this person into his heart and lungs, and to remember his appearance forever.

"Tsk... This is the Heavenly Dao Saint Son?"

"Has the Way of Heaven become a joke?"

"Does he even deserve to wear this outfit? This star-studded crown? It's absolutely laughable!"

"Since he's being paraded through the streets as a public spectacle, how can we let him go back unscathed?"

Xie Shuci, hiding in the crowd, suddenly heard a carefree conversation coming from ahead. He looked up and saw a group of disciples from the Yin family, holding an inkstone they had somehow obtained, preparing to throw ink at Xie An. Xie Shuci had heard people mention that this thing was called an inkstone, and once ink got on it, it was almost impossible to wipe it off. Xie Shuci glared at them fiercely from behind, thinking, "A bunch of idiots!"

"Smack—"

While everyone was stunned, a disciple of the Yin family splashed ink at Xie An. Xie Shuci's heart tightened, and just as he was about to use his spiritual power to stop it, he suddenly felt his body freeze in place, as if something had deeply embedded his body into the ground, making him unable to move.

Who is it?

Xie Shuci looked around in astonishment, but found no presence approaching him. Why was he suddenly unable to move? At the same time, he clearly felt a sharp pain in his legs, and the more he tried to take a step, the more intense the pain became.

Who exactly is it?

Xie Shuci tried hard to break free of the shackles, but no matter how hard he struggled, it was to no avail.

Before the spilled ink could even get close to Xie An, it was blocked in mid-air by a wave of air.

The man, who had been as cold and indifferent as a statue, finally reacted.

Under everyone's gaze, his long eyelashes trembled slowly like cicada wings, and finally he looked up at the Yin family disciples by the roadside.

Although his eyes were calm and still, when the Yin family disciples met his gaze, it was as if a sharp knife was pressed against their throats. They immediately held their breath, their bodies stiffened, as if the slightest movement would result in an instant death by the invisible blade in their throats.

The man swallowed hard, staring in horror at the Heavenly Saint Son on the prison cart. How could this be? How could he dare to make a move here? Unless he truly had no regard for his life…

The next moment, a glint of crimson light flashed in the eyes of the Heavenly Dao Saint Son, and a red sword light appeared out of thin air. Before everyone could react, they heard a scream. Their hair stood on end, and they looked at the Yin family disciple with shock and fear. They saw that the man's golden core had been severed by a sword in mid-air, and his body instantly went limp.

The Holy Son of Heaven calmly withdrew his gaze, as if nothing had happened.

If this Heavenly Saint Child cares about his own life, why would he cultivate the Path of Slaughter?

There will always be fools who can't see this.

"Xiao Xun! How dare you kill a disciple of my Yin family!"

Several disciples of the Yin family went up

They blocked the prison cart's path, their eyes red with rage. A member of the prestigious Yin family had been killed in full view of everyone, without any chance to fight back. They hadn't even seen how Xiao Xun drew his sword. If this got out, wouldn't their Yin family be ridiculed?

"What do you want to do?" Sikong Xin coldly looked at the Yin family disciples blocking the prison cart.

"Has the Yin family gone mad? It's one thing to run wild in the cultivation world, but they actually dare to act wildly in front of the people from the Fate Pavilion?"

"You all saw it! Xiao Xun murdered a disciple of our Yin family in public! Aren't we allowed to demand an explanation?"

Those around them were surprised by the Yin family's audacity and couldn't help but feel a bit like watching a good show.

The thing that had been binding Xie Shuci suddenly disappeared. He let out a heavy sigh and regained his ability to move.

Despite his immediate observation of his surroundings after regaining his mobility, he still couldn't detect any clues.

What exactly happened? Who was it? What did they do to him?

Sikong Ye looked at the Yin family disciple with a smile and asked, "Did you see who made the move?"

The Yin family disciples turned pale. Of course, they didn't see it. In fact, none of the people present saw how Xiao Xun made his move. They only saw that in the blink of an eye, the Yin family disciple's golden core was severed by a single slash, and he died instantly.

Sikong Ye scoffed and said, "If you didn't see it, then get out of the way and don't delay our parade."

"you……"

"Let me do it!"

Just then, a roar suddenly erupted from the sky, and a burly man wielding a large axe descended from the heavens, cleaving the road in front of him with a single blow. The Yin family disciples were unable to dodge in time and were thrown several feet away by the shockwave generated by the axe. A cloud of dust rose from the ground, and Sikong Ye and his companion couldn't help but cough.

"Liu Dazhuang!" Sikong Xin glared angrily at the burly man who had suddenly appeared.

Enjoying the astonished gazes of those around him, Liu Dazhuang slung the axe over his shoulder and shouted, "Who dares to act wildly in front of me? Huh?"

"Get lost!" Sikong Xin kicked him from behind.

Once the dust settled, Sikong Ye crossed his arms, leisurely pointed to the prison cart behind him, and sighed, "Brother Dazhuang, you've really gotten yourself into trouble this time."

After the dust settled, everyone saw that Xiao Xun, who had been chained by the legs and bound to the prison cart, had disappeared and escaped right before their eyes.

"Xiao Xun escaped?"

"Damn it, Xiao Xun actually escaped!"

Sikong Xin turned around abruptly, "Oh no!"

Liu Dazhuang's face also paled. "My goodness! Where is she? Didn't she say she wouldn't run away?"

Sikong Ye shrugged indifferently. He was just there for the fun of it and didn't care about Xiao Xun's arrest at all. "Oh dear, Xiao Xin, how are we going to explain this to the Si Ming Pavilion?"

Sikong Xin glared at his elder brother and said loudly, "Yin family disciples, your obstruction of the parade directly led to Xiao Xun's escape. I will report this matter to the Si Ming Pavilion truthfully."

The Yin family disciple, who had been cleaved in two by Liu Dazhuang's axe, lay on the ground, his face ashen.

However, the moment Liu Dazhuang appeared, before Xie Shuci's shock could fade, his body was swept into a dark alley by a gust of wind.

His body was completely out of control, and his vision was blurry. Xie Shuci's body only came to a stop when his back slammed hard against the wall. Due to the huge impact, his internal organs were compressed, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Cough..." Xie Shuci clutched his chest and knelt down. He looked around warily, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, and said in a deep voice, "Who goes there?"

He was surrounded by darkness, with only the howling wind and the almost stopped snowflakes responding to him.

Xie Shuci sensed danger approaching, but his limbs felt as heavy as lead, and under the pressure of the gale, even the simple act of raising his head was extremely difficult for him.

Had his identity been discovered? Fortunately, Xie Shuci had changed out of the Chu family disciple's robes before parting ways with Chu Guiyi and the others; otherwise, it would have been terrible if he had been caught as a Chu family disciple.

Faced with unknown dangers, Xie Shuci no longer felt fear. He even thought that being captured by them might not be a bad thing, as he might be imprisoned in the same place as Xie An.

So Xie Shuci simply gave up struggling. He sat on the ground, exhausted, with his back against the wall, taking a couple of light breaths, waiting for the danger lurking in the darkness to approach him.

But as the danger drew closer, Xie Shuci wasn't sure if he had misheard, because he could faintly hear the sound of familiar bells in the wind.

"who……"

Hearing the sound of the bell, Xie Shuci murmured in confusion.

A very light footstep echoed in the deserted alley. Although the whistling wind around him was as chilling as a ghostly cry, the faint footsteps were so clear that it felt as if each step was right next to Xie Shuci's ear, making it impossible for him to ignore.

"Ding-dong—"

The clear sound of the bell stopped in front of Xie Shuci.

Xie Shuci suddenly realized something, and his whole body instantly stiffened. He stared incredulously at the figure in the darkness. In the pitch black, the figure stood silently in front of Xie Shuci, his body the color of snowflakes, without making a move for a long time.

Xie Shuci stared intently at the figure in the darkness, as if his breath had been taken away, but he couldn't utter a sound.

Slowly, the figure bent down, and a cold hand pressed against Xie Shuci's cheek, instantly dismantling the disguise on his face.

Without pausing, the hand brushed away the bloodstains at the corner of Xie Shuci's mouth, gradually moving downwards, and finally gripping his vulnerable neck.

The sudden feeling of suffocation made Xie Shuci let out a muffled groan, but the hand did not loosen its grip; instead, it became heavier and heavier, as if it were about to snap his neck.

Xie Shuci subconsciously grasped the man's arm. The moonlight was too strong, and there was no light in the dark alley. He could only feel a pair of eyes staring at him like wolves in the darkness.

"Cough..." Xie Shuci wanted to reach out and touch his face, but his hand was immediately intercepted by his other hand halfway through the air.

He grabbed Xie Shuci's neck with one hand and gripped Xie Shuci's wrist tightly with the other.

Xie Shuci sensed intense anger emanating from him, and he wouldn't be surprised if the man strangled him to death the next moment.

The man kept lowering his body, getting closer to Xie Shuci. Xie Shuci's lips curled into a smug smile. Even with her neck still in his hand, she continued to move closer until his deep breaths sprayed on her face. Xie Shuci then leaned close to his lips and gently kissed him, saying with difficulty, "I missed you so much."

"Thank you, letter, resignation."

When Xie Shuci heard the person squeeze out his name through gritted teeth, his heart felt as if it had been punched hard, and tears instantly streamed down his face from the pain.

What did you promise me?

In the darkness, Xie Shuci could vaguely see the other person's eyes, which were tinged with red, and the hand on his neck loosened its grip considerably.

Xie Shuci placed one hand on his cheek, tilted her head back, and kissed him.

Before he could react, her cold, trembling lips slipped her tongue between his lips.

Xie Shuci could feel his trembling. At one point, he even put cold tears mixed with blood into his mouth. For a moment, he couldn't tell whether the tears were his own or Xie An's.

In fact, Xie Shuci had already regretted it.

He would rather one of them die than have Xie An truly forget him.

He didn't want to bear this memory, this longing, this unease alone, because it was truly too painful.

"You lied to me..."

He didn't know when, but Xie Shuci was put on the ground. He buried his face in Xie Shuci's chest and whispered the same sentence.

Xie Shuci covered her eyes with her arms, hot tears streaming down her face. "You lied to me too."

Mud, sweat, tears, and blood stained Xie An's feathered robe, and the star crown on his head fell to the ground without him even noticing.

In the deserted alley, just a few walls away from the long street, after a long silence, Xie Shuci's clothes were gradually taken off.

Their actions were tinged with madness and despair.

A heavy burden of fate weighs on them, as if only this moment of indulgence and loss of control can temporarily liberate them.

Xie Shuci clung tightly to his feathered robe as if it were a lifeline, and even though the pain was unbearable, she never let go for a moment.

In a hazy state, Xie Shuci saw the fiery red holy son mark between Xie An's brows, and a mocking laugh suddenly came from his chest.

What Heavenly Child... what Symbol of Heaven... what utter nonsense about Heaven...

Don't you want him to be your tool? Don't you want him to be a cold, lifeless Buddha statue?

Look at him now, his eyes are bloodshot, and he has a wolf-like aggressiveness. Is he still the Heavenly Child you created?

No... he's not some Heavenly Saint Child...

He is my Xie An, he is my little blind man.

"Xie An..."

"Um?"

Xie Shuci wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and said in a hoarse voice, "I missed you so much."

"Um."

Xie Shuci rubbed her cheek against his chin with dissatisfaction, "Don't you miss me at all?"

Xie An chuckled softly in his ear, "I want to."

"You little liar, you've deceived me so badly," Xie Shuci said, her voice choked with emotion.

"You lied to me too. You promised me you would stay in Tianzhu City, so why did you come here?"

Xie Shuci gently bit his chin. "Who knows when the Book of Reincarnation will be completed? What if it takes decades, hundreds, or thousands of years? How can I wait that long?"

The memory of that night was particularly vivid for Xie Shuci.

Whether it was Xie An's tireless conquests or the warmth of their bodies pressed together, Xie Shuci remembered them all vividly.

Even in his hazy state, he heard Xie An's voice, choked with sobs, in his ear, saying, "Xie Shuci, I'm begging you, leave this place. You..."

Xie Shuci couldn't remember what happened next.

But how could Xie Shuci leave?

He silently refused Xie An's request.

As dawn broke, snow piled up on the eaves, but the space around them seemed to be sealed off, with a barrier keeping the falling snow out.

During the days since leaving Xie An, Xie Shuci had never let down his nerves. Until this moment, in endless exhaustion and peace of mind, he leaned against Xie An and fell asleep.

Xie An half-embraced him, leaning against the cold wall, enjoying the moment of tranquility.

He looked down at Xie Shuci's pale face and felt so powerless and lost for the first time. All he wanted to do was hold the person in his arms tightly. Nothing else mattered.

The dawn light slanted across the eaves, casting its rays from the distant sky into the quiet alley where they stood.

The golden light spread across their overlapping robes, as if hope had risen after despair.

Xie Shuci was probably extremely tired, his breathing was very heavy.

Xie An held Xie Shuci tightly, leaned his head against the cold wall, and stared at the eaves dripping with water droplets after the snow melted, lost in thought.

The whole city already knows that Xiao Xun escaped in public.

From time to time, hurried and tense footsteps could be heard coming from the long street just a few walls away. They probably never imagined that Xiao Xun, who had escaped successfully, would be just a few walls away, holding Xie Shuci and not leaving all night.

His pristine white feathers were stained with dust, like wings fallen into the dust, but he had no time to care.

This rare moment of embarrassment seemed less unbearable because of Xie Shuci's presence.

In the quiet alley, a deep sigh echoed from the void.

Xie An's eyelashes trembled slightly. "Why did you tell him about me?"

On the side facing the sunlight, a figure appeared faintly on the ground.

He was like a shadow reflected on Xie An.

“He’ll find out sooner or later,” the man said.

"At least not now."

Bixie turned around, looked at Xie An calmly, and suddenly said, "Do you know why I found you in the first place?"

Xie An lowered his eyes and did not respond.

Bixie didn't care and said to himself, "Because you are the Holy Son of Heaven, representing half of the Mandate of Heaven."

“Since your birth, destiny has been divided in two: one half is the twelve startled birds, and the other half is your soul and body.”

Bixie slowly took half a step forward, looking at Xie Shuci in his arms with a deep and complex gaze, mixed with a hint of affection, and asked, "Xie An, do you think this is an unsolvable situation?"

Hearing this, Xie An finally reacted, slowly raising his head to look at him, and asked, "You have a solution?"

Bixie smiled and said, "Yes, I have a way, the only way to coexist with him."

Xie An lowered his eyes to look at the person in his arms, "What's the plan?"

"I told you long ago that you and Jingyu Bird each possess half of the Heavenly Dao. Do you still remember what conditions are required to refine the Reincarnation Scroll?"

Xie An paused for a moment, "Sacrifice twelve souls banished by the Heavenly Dao. After being refined by the Reincarnation Array, they will become twelve startled birds corresponding to the Heavenly Dao."

"That's right."

Bixie walked up to Xie An, half-squatted down, stared intently at him, and said, "But you were originally half of destiny, which means..."

Xie An's long eyelashes trembled, as if he understood something.

Bixie continued, "In other words, if you sacrifice another person, you can refine the Book of Reincarnation. As long as you are willing to become the slave of the Book of Reincarnation, the vessel of the Book of Reincarnation, at my beck and call and call, whether you are in a physical form or a soul, you can refine the Book of Reincarnation and save Xie Shuci."

It's laughable, really.

He chose the path of slaughter because he was unwilling to become a slave to the Way of Heaven and be driven by it.

But now Bixie is telling him that he should become a slave to the Book of Reincarnation and be at its beck and call. If that's the case, why did he have to put himself in such a predicament in the first place, leaving himself no way out?

Looking at Xie An's expression, Bixie chuckled softly, "However, I also know that someone like you would rather die than become a slave. Anyway, you made up your mind a long time ago to abandon him, didn't you?"

Xie An neither refuted nor spoke.

He wanted Xie Shuci to live, but he didn't need them to live together.

From the moment he stepped into the path of slaughter, he had already made up his mind that his life, everything he had, could only be in his own hands, even in death.

Moreover, he had already planned a satisfactory path to his death.

"Will you keep your promise to me?" Xie An asked softly.

Bixie's gaze deepened considerably. "Yes, as your reward, even if you die, I will still refine the Book of Reincarnation and allow Xie Shuci to enter reincarnation."

Xie An looked at the pale, delicate face of the person in his arms, his eyes softened, and his voice lowered as he said, "That's enough."

"That's enough?" Bixie seemed to have heard something out of the blue, lowered his head, shrugged, and laughed until tears almost flew out.

How could you say that?

Do you know where the true exorcism is? Do you know why he cultivated the path of transformation into a deity? Do you know why he extracted the soul of the path of transformation into a deity and left it in the past?

you

How can you say "that's enough" when you know nothing?

Fortunately, I have seen the future, and I know the future.

"The Book of Reincarnation... The first person resurrected by the Book of Reincarnation will become its master. If he lives, the Book of Reincarnation lives; if he dies, the Book of Reincarnation dies. Once the Book of Reincarnation disappears, all those resurrected by it will also disappear."

——

"The world avoids you, but I do not."

Even if the world doesn't love you, I will still love you.

The distant sound, carried by the winds of seven thousand years ago, reached my ears.

Then, seven thousand years later, it will be returned to you in the same way.

"If I respect you, the world will respect you in return."

"I love you, and the world will love you too."

What he wants is to coexist with you, to make you a god, and to have millions of people look up to you like believers and be driven by you.

Therefore, merely refining the Book of Reincarnation is not enough.