Chapter 73 Farewell, Xia Kaiyun.

Looking towards the future, Xia Kaiyun and Xia Ying, rushing towards the past, finally meet at the crossroads of fate.

But for a while, neither of them spoke to each other.

On the deserted highway, the car silently drove toward its unknown destination, with only the calls of migrating birds carried by the sea breeze to be heard.

“After you left, Tartarus found me.” Xia Kaiyun broke the silence first. “He fulfilled the contract he signed with you, repelled the abyssal creatures, and continued to repair and reinforce the spatial barrier, greatly reducing the chances of the human world and the demon realm influencing each other.”

At this point, Xia Kaiyun's voice carried a hint of amusement: "Tartaros often said it was a losing proposition, but he still cooperated with my research to a great extent... So during this period, we figured out several crucial issues."

Xia Ying asked in a low voice, "What do you mean?"

“First of all, I’m very curious about what is the source of our unusual attraction to the creatures of the abyss, both of us, you and me.” Xia Kaiyun raised the corners of his mouth slightly. “Later I discovered that the nature of this attraction is related to the curse of the gods.”

“A curse?” Xia Ying recalled, “Before dying, the god cursed his people with flawed souls, for they would eventually be corrupted by desires…”

"In other words, they are actually trying to fill their own gaps through this?"

“Fundamentally, yes,” Xia Kaiyun nodded. “However, the creatures of the abyss misunderstand it as an abnormally large desire and tend to deal with it in a simple and brutal way… by eating or killing it, thinking that this will bring them peace.”

Xia Ying couldn't help but mutter, "How stupid."

“Indeed, abyssal creatures are sometimes as ignorant and naive as infants,” Xia Kaiyun said. “Therefore, with Tartarus’s help, we have imbued you with a perception-confusing magic.”

She exclaimed in surprise, "Me?"

"Under the influence of magical effects, abyssal creatures unconsciously associate this attraction with lust, which they consider safer than other, more harmful desires."

Xia Ying recalled the various dangerous experiences she had before and after entering Cocytus: "It's hard to say whether it has become any safer."

“After all, abyssal creatures are still abyssal creatures, so this is indeed not enough,” Xia Kaiyun said. “I realized that I must give you the ability to resist dangerous violence. So, I created the magical artifact [Abyssal Dangerous Creature Encyclopedia].

"I already knew about this," Xia Ying said, her feelings complicated. "But, how should I put it... is this something a human could do?"

Xia Kaiyun blinked: "Ordinary humans might not be able to do that, but I am one of the reincarnations of gods, and more importantly, I am also a very talented scientist."

"Would anyone claim to be a genius?!"

"I'm just telling the truth." Xia Kaiyun's light tone gradually softened as he said gently, "The time is almost up, Xia Ying. It's about time you prepared to return to your world."

Xia Ying shifted her gaze to Xia Kaiyun's face and asked calmly, "How much longer?"

The other person glanced down to check the time and replied, "Fifteen minutes left."

Xia Ying was silent for a moment, then asked, "Do you know exactly what will happen in fifteen minutes?"

“Of course, I foresaw this day long ago,” Xia Kaiyun said. “As the third fragment of the deity, Lilith fully inherited His ambitious side. She has been waiting for the opportunity to collect all the fragments and reforge the complete divine essence, and has prepared a large army for this purpose. In order to avoid being betrayed like the deity, she chose to create soulless viruses as her followers…”

Xia Ying exposed the fact that she had been avoiding expressing herself directly.

"..." Xia Kaiyun paused slightly, then nodded and said, "That's right, Xia Ying."

Xia Ying took a deep breath, the cold wind rushing into her lungs, scraping painfully like razor blades: "Didn't you foresee this day? Why didn't you try to change it?"

"Xia Ying, the parts that have already been foreseen are unchangeable..."

Before she could finish speaking, Xia Ying suddenly jumped up from her car seat, turned sharply to the side, grabbed Xia Kaiyun's arm with one hand, and tried to grab the steering wheel with the other.

The car's smooth path suddenly veered, but in the next second, a magical rope flew out from under Xia Ying's seat, pulling her back and binding her to the seat.

Xia Kaiyun took the steering wheel again and breathed a sigh of relief: "Phew, that was close. Luckily, I was prepared in advance."

“I have indeed accepted my death, but that does not mean I should sit and wait for it. Xia Ying, even in the details that we cannot illuminate, we still have a chance to win.”

Xia Kaiyun spoke in a calm, almost cold voice.

“Although Lilith will indeed kill me, she will not achieve her goal. All she can take from my corpse is a fake, and the real fragments of the gods do not exist in this world.”

Xia Ying had a vague premonition of the other party's plan. Sure enough, Xia Kaiyun smiled and said, "Because you will take my fragments to the future from this moment on."

She continued speaking to herself, "After I die, you will return to your own timeline to continue your final battle with Lilith. She is confident that she, possessing two fragments, will be able to defeat you, but..."

"Why must I act according to your plan?" Xia Ying roared. "And why must you die?!"

“No, Xia Ying, even if you refuse to fight Lilith, I will still die.” Xia Kaiyun ruthlessly tore away the veil she used to escape herself. “If that’s the case, you will be the one who dies next, and Lilith, who has collected all the fragments, will shatter the spatial barrier, invade the human world, and drag everything into chaos.”

Xia Ying's voice seemed to be suddenly blocked in her throat, but Xia Kaiyun's cruel revelation was not over yet.

"..."

Xia Ying stopped struggling. She curled up in her seat, hugging her legs tightly as if she felt cold.

“After your death, for a long time I lived a very difficult life.”

As she spoke, Xia Ying's teeth chattered slightly.

“I moved back to our home and lived alone, but I still couldn’t learn to take good care of myself. The abyssal creatures were appearing more and more frequently, and in order to prevent others from being implicated like Xu Lu, I didn’t get close to anyone and had almost no friends.”

"Gradually, I got used to these things, but I still couldn't face my new life with equanimity because a question kept lingering in my mind, and I couldn't get rid of it no matter what I did."

She said.

"I can't stop thinking about why you died?"

"In order to find relief, I kept recalling the details of that day, trying to find clues about the truth, and unknowingly, I began to obsessively chase after your shadow."

"I have looked at your photos countless times, learned about your experiences, read your manuscripts, and even studied at the university you attended."

"Later, amidst the increasingly frequent attacks from abyssal creatures, I became aware of the existence of the Demon Lord who was protecting me in the shadows. I saw this as a good opportunity to make contact with the Demon Realm, so I deliberately exposed myself to danger..."

"Lilith probably played a part in that incident. A hole appeared in the spatial barrier, and a large number of abyssal creatures poured into the human world, causing my death in the ensuing chaos."

As she narrated, Xia Ying's breathing gradually calmed down, and her body stopped trembling.

“That was the first time I knew what death felt like. It was a terrible feeling, but I felt like I was getting closer to you,” Xia Ying said. “I succeeded. Tartarus had no choice but to show himself and, after resurrecting me, allowed me to enter Cocytus.”

"You may think you made everything possible. However, it was through countless efforts that I finally got here."

Finally, she looked at Xia Kaiyun and asked softly, "Mom, you don't need to look at the future. I'm sitting right next to you right now, so why don't you turn around and look at me?"

Xia Kaiyun, who remained calm, composed, and ruthless throughout, did not answer; her hands, gripping the steering wheel, began to tremble.

Much later, she turned her face, and for the first time since their reunion, they truly looked into each other's eyes.

Xia Ying gazed intently into Xia Kaiyun's eyes, and at the tears that slid down her cheeks, which still looked cold.

"Mom, do you love me?"

"I love you, but I don't think this love is complete."

After a long pause, Xia Kaiyun asked, "Xia Ying, do you hate me?"

"I hate it, but that's not entirely true."

The fifteen-minute countdown ended in an instant, and a massive swarm of viruses appeared in the cloud. Xia Ying suddenly looked up and summoned her sword to her hand.

She opened the car door, soared into the sky, and fought the virus with all her might.

The viruses were as numerous as a torrential downpour. Compared to the dense rain curtain covering the sky, Xia Ying's figure was incredibly frail, but she rose again as many times as she was knocked down.

Xia Kaiyun knew that her efforts were in vain, and she wanted to tell the other person that, but she couldn't.

She knew very well that Xia Ying would stick to her choice until the very end.

When the virus completely obscured the sky and replaced sunlight with countless light cannons falling simultaneously, Xia Kaiyun clearly realized that the curtain call she had foreseen was about to arrive.

She felt her body being struck, and her life began to slip away rapidly. She saw Xia Ying running towards her, her face covered in tears.

Xia Kaiyun knew very well that she was not a gentle mother, but at this moment, she still couldn't take her eyes off Xia Ying's grown-up face, and even couldn't help but feel lucky for this wonderful encounter.

She had many things she wanted to say to Xia Ying, but she thought that only one sentence was appropriate for this moment.

"Goodbye, Xia Ying," she said. "Keep moving forward."

The world didn't give Xia Ying more time to accept the farewell. She finally caught up with Xia Kaiyun's back, but couldn't stay by her side.

The moment she left this space, Xia Ying brushed past Xia Kaiyun, who had stopped walking, and ran towards her true future without looking back.

She returned to her point in time, black wings unfurled, and Tartarus caught her as she nearly fell in his arms.

"Welcome back, Xia Ying."

Xia Ying stared at him blankly, then raised her hand to touch her cheek.

Her tears dried as she ran with all her might, leaving almost no trace, but at that moment she could clearly feel a warm power in her soul.

That was a fragment of a deity that originally belonged to Xia Kaiyun.

Goodbye, Xia Kaiyun.

-----------------------

Author's Note: This story features many cruel mothers, including Xia Kaiyun, Typhon, and the gods, as well as Xia Ying herself. I actually quite like them, but I believe that children will eventually find a way to say goodbye. Fundamentally, this is a story about growing up.