Chapter 138 When the Dream Ends:

He knew what it meant for his Dao heart to be shattered, but—"What is meant by proving one's Dao with a murderous intent?"

The elder's expression turned solemn.

"Do you know that the cultivation path of the Ruthless Path may seem to have many variations, but in reality, they are all quite similar. In summary, there are only two types."

Shen Bingsi immediately perked up his ears, eager to hear the cultivation manual, as it was what interested him most.

"One method is to sever thoughts, cutting off chaotic ideas at their root. Without thoughts or emotions, the mind is as calm as an ancient well, eventually comprehending the ruthless Dao and becoming one with heaven and earth," the elder said. "This method of cultivation requires years of practice, constantly testing oneself, like walking on a knife's edge until it becomes as easy as walking on flat ground."

"This is the method my master taught me," Shen Bingsi said.

“That’s right. Another method, which someone tried before, but ultimately failed,” the elder said, his gaze distant, as if looking at another time and space. “That method involves first cultivating a person you love deeply and pursue relentlessly, and then killing them with your own hands.”

"This is what is called proving one's path through killing." Shen Bingsi understood. He wasn't too surprised; on the contrary, he could quite understand this method of cultivation. Just as his master said, the human heart is subtle and fickle. The line between loving someone to the point of life and death and trying every means to kill the other person is very thin. However, someone as insightful as him would not be able to cultivate a true love in his heart. This method of cultivation is not suitable for him.

"Your comprehension is quite good." The Grand Elder rarely praised anyone, but today he praised Shen Bingsi twice. "However, this method has another name, called 'killing one's wife to prove one's Dao.' In the past... some sects used this cultivation method, and in the end, none of them escaped failure. It even caused some turmoil and division. These cultivators who supported killing their wives to prove their Dao were eventually expelled from the sect and became heretics."

“I see,” Shen Bingsi said. “Then what’s the difference between killing one’s wife to attain enlightenment and what Master said about attaining enlightenment through murderous intent?”

The Grand Elder remained silent for a long time before saying, "There is no difference."

That was a memory from far, far away. Back then, Shen Bingsi hadn't yet started learning the Path of Ruthlessness from the Grand Elder. The Grand Elder mentioned "killing one's wife to prove one's path," dismissed it as a heretical and evil practice, and that was the end of it. Shen Bingsi never imagined it would have anything to do with her.

Now, the incomprehensible events unfolding before our eyes can only be explained by this one word: With the Heavenly Demon present, why does the Heavenly Mirror show that Shen Bing Si's favorite person is Rong Xie? And why does "Shen Bing Si" do such inconceivable things after she appears? Everything points to one answer.

Things eventually took a turn for the worst. Human nature is fickle, and even those who are extremely averse to love and desire become prisoners of love and desire, secretly changing their feelings for those around them without even realizing it.

Shen Bingsi took a step back. The tremor in his mind prevented him from moving forward. Everything before him was shrouded in a blinding white light. The "Shen Bingsi" and Rong Xie in the "embrace" became distant, like two pine needles sealed in amber, or an ancient statue frozen in a glacier. Shen Bingsi watched all this indifferently, while at the same time feeling something very important to him shattering. The inside had already shattered, leaving only the outer shell that looked the same as before. However, it was only a matter of time before the outer shell shattered as well.

As the Heavenly Demon rose from the night sky once more, "Shen Bing Si" also transformed into a golden light, streaking across half the sky and striking the Blood Moon.

In the deserted courtyard, the dark red light cast by the blood moon flowed everywhere.

Rong Xie slowly squatted down, one hand covering his chest and abdomen. Large amounts of blood seeped out from under his palm, until the entire moon-white front of his shirt was stained deep red.

His face showed pain, but no surprise or anger. He seemed resigned to his fate, devoid of any human emotions, only thinking about how to endure the pain before him. He slowly lay down on the ground, his back to Shen Bingsi, and curled up.

Shen Bingsi once chased a giant deep-sea monster in the North Sea. When it appeared, it would crash into the ice surface, making a rhythmic sound like distant thunder.

At this moment, the sound came again, louder and clearer. Shen Bingsi felt her whole body shaking, her jaw trembling, and her head spinning.

That was the sound of his heartbeat.

The outer shell had shattered into pieces at some point, and when Shen Bingsi rushed towards Rong Xie, they fell to the ground with a "crash," never to be pieced back together.

"Rong'er!" Shen Bingsi's arm reached through Rong Xie's back, trying in vain to grab something. "Rong'er, get up, this is just a dream!"

He didn't want to pass through Rong Xie, so he moved to the other side and roared at the top of his lungs, words that no one could hear: "Rong'er, wake up! Let's go back together, back to reality. There will always be a way, there will always be one!"

Nothing in this world is difficult if you set your mind to it. But what if having a heart is the beginning of getting hurt?

Rong Xie's eyelids drooped, as if he were asleep.

His clothes were soaked in blood, and the dark red blood spread down his arms that hung to the ground. The warm liquid seeped into the cold stone floor of Xuanmiao Peak. The light of the blood moon, like the red gauze in a wedding hall, covered his pale, snow-white cheeks with a layer of red.

Shen Bingsi's vision began to shake violently. Another similar scene alternated with the scene in front of her. Occasionally, the two scenes would squeeze into the same field of vision, as if the world had been split in two. Past and future, dream and reality, people straddling two boats at the same time were torn apart in the middle, with blood and internal organs splattered all over the ground. The wound that she thought had healed had never stopped festering. It had just cut off the pain and covered her eyes, so she thought it did not exist.

"I will not love anyone," the arrogant young man who had just become a disciple of the Grand Elder said innocently.

But why was I so happy when I found out he still liked him?

Why did I try so hard to keep him when he left?

Why would he appear so melancholy when he was having a pleasant conversation with someone?

As long as they can be as good as before, he doesn't mind being his Daoist partner, and they will do everything that Daoist partners do.

Once upon a time, there were two people who lived together. They acted like Daoist couples in their daily lives, in their outings, and in their constant communication. To outsiders, they appeared to be Daoist couples, but behind closed doors, they did what Daoist couples did. So, what was the relationship between these two people?

What kind of heart desires to preserve this relationship?

"A blade that can shatter the heavens, a self-deceiving act."

Does he have to wait until the world-destroying demon descends and the Heavenly Mirror tells him before he'll finally acknowledge this skewed affection from the very beginning?

Does he have to wait until someone dies in front of him before he understands that everything has a time limit?

A wild, agonizing howl pierced his chest and echoed in the wind, unheard by anyone.

This was just a nightmare that Rong Xie imagined. But what were Rong Xie's feelings when he imagined such a nightmare?

Why did he come so calmly, as if he already knew he would be killed to prove his faith, calmly acknowledge their relationship, and willingly face death?

People who die in their dreams will come back to life.

But can the dream owner who dies in their own dream really come back to life?

At some point, Shen Bingsi slumped to the ground, taller than an orchid. He lay beside Rong Xie, staring intently at the lifeless face.

A sigh came from beside my ear.

"Bing Si, why are you still here?"

Shen Bingsi turned around abruptly, only to find an endless night sky and an empty courtyard behind her.

A moon-white light flashed in the corner of her eye, and Shen Bingsi suddenly turned her head back, her eyes gradually widening, her deep black pupils shining.

A layer of moon-white light separated from the cold body on the ground, gradually taking on a complete form.

The translucent Rong Xie sat up from the ground, as if he had just woken up from the bed. He looked at Shen Bing Si, a faint sorrow between his brows: "This is a dream. You shouldn't have looked at it for so long."

Shen Bingsi reached out and touched Rong Xie's face.

It's cool and smooth, just like before.

He gently stroked Rong Xie's face, down to his soft earlobe, and then to his long, supple neck. His hand stopped at the junction of the neck and shoulder, his thumb pressing down. Through the thin layer of skin, he could feel the strong, powerful pulse beating.

“Bing Si…” Rong Xie frowned, his pupils darting around as he anxiously examined Shen Bing Si’s face.

Shen Bingsi didn't know what his expression was like. He only felt something blocking his throat and chest. He suddenly leaned forward, hugged Rong Xie tightly, and buried his face in Rong Xie's neck.

"Bing Si," Rong Xie obediently let him hold her, leaning her body towards him. After a while, she raised her hand and gently patted his back. "These are all dreams. Lu Yingqi didn't die, and neither did I. After waking up, nothing happened. Don't remember anything."

Shen Bingsi buried her face in Rong Xie's neck and rubbed it closer into the crook of his neck, her wet breaths suppressed in that soft, tender place.

Rong Xie felt like he was holding a wounded lion, being repeatedly bumped backward, and just as he was about to lose his balance, he was pulled back hard, his back almost breaking, and he was then pulled into a warm embrace.

Shen Bingsi had cried like this before, but each time before, it was because of Shen Bingsi's illusions and her mental obstacles.

This time, Shen Bingsi cried for his dream.

Rong Xie was at a loss and didn't know what to do.

This dream was truly terrifying... When Rong Xie first dreamed of it, he cried for half the night. What's even more frightening is that it can come true.

After having this dream, Rong Xie thought about leaving, about questioning, about many things, but he never thought about telling Shen Bingsi about the dream.

Especially after he verified that many people and things in his dreams were real, he was even less willing to tell Shen Bingsi. He could confess his feelings, he could leave, he could disappear from Shen Bingsi's life, but he just didn't want to tell her that in a certain future, the Heavenly Mirror would give such a revelation, and that they would have such an ending.

Why? Rong Xie himself didn't know. Perhaps, this was the outcome he didn't want. While he still had hope of changing the future, he didn't want Shen Bing Si to know such a cruel ending.

"Bing Si, it's alright, it's alright, let's go out." Rong Xie comforted Shen Bing Si's back. "Don't you know that all of this is fake... it's Madam Mei's illusion?"

Amidst the strange voices carried on the wind, Rong Xie gradually pieced together the truth: he hadn't entered the dream naturally, but had been tricked by Madam Mei. Someone had been whispering in his ear, trying to wake him up.

They even intruded directly into his dreams.

This person is right in front of me.

"Hmm..." As her breathing gradually calmed down, Shen Bingsi responded softly against his neck.

The surrounding environment spun and twisted, spinning rapidly like a vortex, and everything became blurry.

Then stop.

Rong Xie opened his eyes and saw an unfamiliar rooftop. The rich scent of roses and dew filled the air. Someone was lying on his bedside, a heavy arm pressing on his stomach, straddling his body, and firmly holding his hand that was placed on the outside of his hip.