69 Epilogue Part 2: Breaking Out of the Cocoon

In the wind and sand, Xie Hanjing stood still like a statue. After a long moment, he stubbornly replied, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Perhaps because they hadn't seen each other for nearly five years, Hua Lang glanced at Xie Hanjing's face and found with frustration that she could no longer see through him.

"Then consider it my mistake," Hua Lang said good-naturedly. "There are so many similar people in this world. I was just too sure just now."

Xie Han was surprised to notice that her attitude softened, and her tone faded a bit. "What do you want to say?"

Hua Lang greeted politely, "It's been so long since we last met. Your cultivation must have improved a lot, right?"

Xie Han was surprised by his question, and his expression turned cold again. "Since you chose Yan Rong over me, you should have known that our relationship as master and disciple has ended. Naturally, cultivation has nothing to do with you."

Hua Lang's heart sank, the words she had been preparing for so long stuck in her throat. Seeing Xie Hanjing's impatience, she could only open her hand, revealing the Sand City seed, and said, "Don't leave yet. I want to return it to you... I'm afraid Yan Rong will do something bad to you."

Xie Hanjing didn't even glance at the thing in her hand. He said coldly, "Master, seeing that I'm still alive, you want to trick me into going back..."

Halfway through his words, looking at Hua Lang's expression, Xie Han opened his mouth in shock and suddenly felt a little regretful.

Hua Lang was lost for only a moment. She walked forward a few steps against the wind and sand, stepped on Xie Hanjing's shadow, pried open Xie Hanjing's stiff fingers, and stuffed the thing directly in.

"Where have you been living lately?"

Xie Han was shocked by her action. It was not until Hua Lang asked again that he subconsciously replied, "...broken building."

Hua Lang thought for a moment and realized that Yan Rong and the system were lurking in the dark and might harm Xie Hanjing at any time. She said, "Come back to the mansion with me."

Xie Hanjing regained his composure. He frowned, his attitude turning cold again. "Why should I go back with you? For the past five years, the Demon Realm has been encroaching on Zhongzhou step by step, but Wu Tingque has refused to fight. So you asked Master to trick me once. Am I such a fool that you can fool me at will?!"

These words couldn't be harsher. Hua Lang's fingers tightened again and again. She didn't know how to defend herself. Time was running out and she had to save him. If she was not mistaken... she would never accept the ending of the original novel!

Hua Lang tilted her head, her voice trembling, "You've reached the Nascent Soul stage, what are you afraid of? Stop talking nonsense and follow me!"

She held Xie Hanjing's hand and went to the city. If she remembered correctly, it was here that Rong Chengchuan took action. His power obviously affected the system. The rules of the Spirit Transformation Stage were on par with the Way of Heaven. In this way, there was only one chance to bring out and completely destroy the system.

Hua Lang pulled Xie Hanjing, and the two of them crossed the city wall. When they passed the broken building again, Xie Hanjing hesitated for a moment, but Hua Lang noticed his intention to retreat, so he pulled him forward even harder, almost forcibly.

This scene was exactly the same as when Zhaoming kidnapped him.

Licking poison wrapped in sugar is like walking on ice. If you fail to pay attention, you will end up in irreparable trouble.

Will this time be the same as before, dragging him to his death?

Hua Lang seemed to have guessed his doubts, but the two of them were already estranged. Love and hate could not transcend life and death, and in the face of blood feud, they would dissipate like mist. Even if she was extremely cautious, by dawn, there would be nothing left.

Suddenly, Xie Hanjing stopped behind him, and his voice rang out, "Let go."

Hua Lang could feel him struggling to break free, "No, you absolutely cannot leave now."

Xie Hanjing exerted force and pulled his hand back completely. "Once is not enough, twice is not enough, this is the third time. Master, am I really that easy to fool?"

It's enough to do the same thing twice.

He hated his own wishful thinking and also hated Hua Lang's deception and betrayal.

"From the very beginning, even if I was standing in front of you, Yan Rong could easily steal your attention," Xie Hanjing looked at the coal ball lying on his shoulder, and his thoughts seemed to go back to the time when the coal ball told him about the time when Hua Lang and Yan Rong were together.

He thought he had defeated Yan Rong, but in the end, he still had nothing in his hands, only the blood feud on his shoulders. "Now I just want to ask one question, has Master ever been sincere to me?"

The electric buzzing in her head grew louder and louder, and Hua Lang's nerves grew increasingly tense. Upon hearing Xie Hanjing's question, she turned around, stared into his eyes, and blurted out, "No matter how much you guess, you can't even guess my true feelings. What about you? Have you been practicing the ruthless way behind my back for a long time?"

Xie Han was stunned by her words, "...What ruthless way?"

"When did I practice the ruthless way?"

Hua Lang pressed on, "Tell me the truth, you really haven't practiced the Way of Mercy?"

Xie Hanjing didn't bother to get angry with her. He also felt the feeling of having his sincerity tarnished. With a hint of anger, he subconsciously replied, "Of course not. Why would I practice the Way of Ruthlessness?!"

Seeing Xie Hanjing's genuine tone, Hua Lang could finally confirm the truth - it was Yan Rong who practiced the ruthless way from the beginning to the end!

From the very beginning, when he got the real original work, he followed the information in the book and set his sights on his own Tianshe body.

He sneaked into Zhongzhou and secretly became Rong Chengchuan's retainer, just to steal the secret scroll.

Yan Rong clearly hated Xie Hanjing deeply, but she could tolerate him growing up according to the trajectory of the original book. Perhaps it was just for the day when she could reap the benefits.

Thinking of this, Hua Lang actually smiled a little. According to her guess, Yan Rong released her now just to use her to lure out Xie Hanjing and complete the ending described in the book - when Xie Hanjing breaks through, he will use her Tianshe body and secret scroll to take away Xie Hanjing's body.

Time passed with the sound of electricity. Hua Lang took out the severed tail that Wu Tingque had given her and said to Xie Hanjing, "The spiritual energy in this tail was originally yours. The difficulty you have in achieving Nascent Soul Perfection and breaking through is all due to it. Now, returning it to you can atone for some of the mistakes I made."

Xie Han was surprised that she was still hiding this thing. He suddenly recalled the past and was stunned for a while. He finally reached out to take it. Since Hua Lang left, his spiritual energy has been restored and his cultivation has improved by leaps and bounds. Perhaps, it is the best ending for them to settle their grudges and never meet again.

As the spiritual energy wandered, white fox tails appeared. Hua Lang searched carefully and finally saw a broken tail hidden in an inconspicuous corner.

Its roots were already withered, as if they had been pulled off forcibly. When Hua Lang's fingers brushed across them, he could still feel the unevenness of the broken surface.

Xie Hanjing grabbed Hua Lang's hand. Although he didn't want to do this, compared to Hua Lang touching his tail, interlocking their fingers was nothing.

Under Hua Lang's gaze, the broken tail was connected. With the nourishment of spiritual energy, it slowly expanded and the spiritual energy began to circulate again. The countdown ticked and the thunder slowly gathered above the two's heads.

[Zizizi—The system department thanks you for your contribution in the Cannon Fodder Counterattack dungeon, Zizizizi—]

"I found you."

Yan Rong's voice and the system's electronic sound sounded at the same time.

Xie Han was so shocked that he tightly grasped Hua Lang's hand. He stared at Yan Rong with a bad look.

Yan Rong's expression remained gloomy as always. He glanced at the thunderbolt in the sky and continued, "It's time. After today, I won't have to worry about other people's opinions anymore. I've finally waited for this day."

Xie Hanjing was about to break through. He subconsciously observed Hua Lang's expression and said, "Master, Yan Rong..."

Hua Lang clarified on the spot, staring at Yan Rong warily, "He wanted to use the Tianshe technique to take over your body. We've been deceived by him for so many years. He planned this for a long time, and I only guessed his plan not long ago."

Yan Rong couldn't bear to see the disgusting sight of the two holding hands. He said in a sinister tone, "To be honest, it's all thanks to Master for helping me find Senior Brother Xie so quickly."

"To repay Master, I will send my brother off today. After he's reincarnated, I'll send you off, okay? This way, you two won't meet again in your next life and end up with a ridiculous ending where you can neither love nor hate each other."

Hua Lang shook his head. "You are not worthy of saying this, Yan Rong. If I am not mistaken, you are practicing the Way of Mercilessness."

Yan Rong: "So what?"

Hua Lang sighed softly, "You have never felt love in your life, nor have you ever let go of hatred. Is your Tao really the Tao?"

Yan Rong's face was completely hidden in the rolling thunderclouds. His beautiful features were distorted, making him look even eerie and terrifying. His aura was turbulent. Hua Lang heard 001's voice: "Host, don't listen to her. All these years of planning have been leading up to this day. The time has come. Hurry!"

Yan Rong remained silent. Seeing Xie Hanjing heading for a breakthrough, his body suddenly fell to the ground. Xie Hanjing's grip on Hua Lang's hand loosened. Hua Lang knew that the moment she had been waiting for had come!

The tribulation thunder of the Spirit Transformation Stage is different from the tribulation thunder of other breakthroughs. The suppression from the Heavenly Dao is like a balance. If there is the slightest imbalance, it will inevitably overturn.

Yan Rong has now left his body, and the system will definitely extract him. Excluding Yan Rong, he is the only one "bound" by the system. Hua Lang knows that he must destroy this alien in one fell swoop, otherwise, there will be more and more "cannon fodder" like Yan Rong.

Xie Hanjing's expression began to struggle and change, just like the one he saw Rong Cheng Yunxuan that day. The thunder was about to fall, and the roar was like a landslide.

Hua Lang and Xie Hanjing sat facing each other on the ground. Hua Lang's hands tightly grasped Xie Hanjing's shoulders. Her voice rose and fell in the lightning, "Xie Hanjing!"

"You can't possibly become a god. Everything you have now is already in jeopardy. You're a demon, but you don't have a demon pill." Hua Lang approached Xie Hanjing, not caring whether his eyes were clear or not. He spoke to himself, as if he didn't know who he was talking to. "...Have you forgotten that you killed Zhaoming, who was a human? You've already fallen from spirit to demon!"

Xie Han woke up suddenly with a start. He saw that the hand had already pierced through Hua Lang's soul, just like before, just like the nightmare for the past five years.

He finally remembered. He had clearly killed someone. How could he become a god with a demonic body? He had clearly killed someone... He had killed someone...

The memories he had abandoned flooded into his mind like a tide, and the broken demon pill was completely shattered. Xie Han pulled back his hand in shock, and he saw a pair of bloody beast claws.

Jie Lei showed signs of defeat, and 001 roared, "What the hell are you doing?!"

[Mission… zizi…Mission… zizi aborted…]

[Sizzle... You're destroying his path with yourself. You're truly crazy... Sizzle.]

"Ahem, 001..." Hua Lang felt a rare sense of relief, as if this was how her ending was supposed to be. She had lived for several years in vain, and the end was nothing more than death in a broken building.

Blood oozed from the corners of her mouth. When the thunder of the demon fell, Hua Lang had to think carefully for a while. If she could withstand the thunder punishment, perhaps joining the demon clan, this kindergarten, completely would be the best choice for Xie Hanjing.

The thunder tribulation faded away, and what followed was the devastating thunder punishment. The transformation was completed almost in an instant. Hua Lang felt a strange yet familiar force sweeping through her body. She became light-headed, and the scenery in front of her began to enlarge and expand until everything became a small dot. An unprecedented sense of lightness enveloped her.

It couldn't help but shake its new wings.

Then, it saw itself flying over thousands of mountains and lakes, and over crowds of people. The dense golden threads made her stop, and when she was landing on a piece of cloth, a pair of small hands suddenly reached out and took her away along with the cloth.

The shopkeeper smiled and looked at the boy who looked like he was made of ice and snow. "Little kid, you want to buy this fabric, but where are your parents?"

The young man took out a handful of money and put it on the counter without saying a word, then took the cloth and left without saying a word.

As it weaved through the crowd, someone's arm accidentally brushed past the short boy. Startled by the movement, it flapped its wings and continued to fly, higher and higher. Finally, it landed on a budding flower, its branches swaying gently in the night breeze, like the perfect cradle.

It was not known how long it rested until red raindrops fell, and it was disturbed again. Its branches trembled violently, and it looked at the two people in front of it who broke into the sea of flowers.

"After passing through here, we should be able to escape. After we get out..."

"Aren't you coming with me?" The young man who had been holding the cloth looked worried. "If your father knew you had escaped from the temple, he would never let you go."

"Don't be afraid. We were able to escape because he must have tacitly agreed to this. However, we haven't met anyone along the way. I'm afraid something might have happened. Hurry up and leave!"

The young man was silent for a moment, then he asked reluctantly, "Will you still recognize me when we meet again?"

Lightning illuminated the valley. The two people who were talking in the sea of flowers never noticed the figure that was following behind them like a giant mountain.

It saw it, but the rain was getting heavier, its wings were wet, and its short screams stopped abruptly, and the rain gathered into a stream and flowed past.

Clusters of flowers were crushed by the body. The giant mountain looked at the three bloody beads in his palm in the moonlight. Then he glanced at the flowers and prepared to leave.

The boy got up from the ground and rushed towards the mountain.

"Just a stupid beast." Just like pinching a wild fox waiting to be slaughtered, his hand hesitated for a moment at the position of the demon pill. Finally, he picked up the boy's sword casually. Under the sharp sword light, he admired the last struggle before death.

The mountains finally left, and the moonlight shone down again. In the warmth of the moonlight, it dried its wings.

After a long while, someone spoke first, like bubbles popping up on the surface of a river, "...I...it hurts so much, you killed...me..."

The rain finally stopped, and it struggled to flap its wings, trying to fly again. Like a bead breaking free from a cocoon, its wings regained their strength. Everything here was too boring. It flew slowly across the mountains, through intermittent rain and sunshine for several years, before finally landing in a bustling city.

The dry wood seemed to be saturated with incense, which made it linger on each moth. When it sensed someone approaching, it flapped its thin wings, flew over countless tile houses, and finally landed on a flower.

"Little butterfly?" A hand picked it up from the flower, and it flew up again impatiently, letting the hand chase it, passing through one void after another, and finally, it fell into a bustling city with a hazy red light.

"The god enters the beast, transforms into a butterfly, and after five reincarnations, finally finds his true self..."

The sound of a wheelchair rolling over the ground was heard, and a big hand casually snapped the puppet's mask. It was covered in this small world. It moved its tentacles and wings, looked at the two light-transmitting holes on the top, and began to rest.

The butterfly cocoon opened again, and it could feel one person after another passing by the stall. The voices were getting denser and denser. After a while, two people stopped.

After staring through the hole for a long time, someone finally reached out and the woman asked, "How much is this mask?"

The stall owner opened his straw fan and said, "Fairy, the Red Market doesn't accept money, only spirit stones..."

After a while, the cage was finally opened, and it couldn't wait to fly away. The blood-red light was thrown under its wings, and the sea, rivers, sun and moon were all in its sight, but it still couldn't find a place to rest, as if it was destined to be free from everything.

Finally, it landed on a piece of fragrant moth doll, and was enveloped by a tide of sleepiness. Different people picked it up and put it down again until it had woven a cocoon, but the little moth doll still could not be sold.

"Gudong" sound.

The sound of rolling beads disturbed its sweet dream.

A voice rang out from the vastness, "Take it. You don't look like a child who would fill the city. If the demons attack, you should take this E-doll and escape from Zhongzhou as soon as possible."

It felt like it was placed somewhere high and far away, exposed to wind and rain, and could never be reached.

The last cocoon broke open.

*

The calamity clouds dissipated, and everyone in Zhongzhou was shocked by the strange sight. They lived in fear for several days. Apart from the fact that there was another unknown person in the demon clan who held the urn and the tablet all day long, there was no other news.

Xie Hanjing walked forward in a daze. He remembered everything, but found it absurd. Nineteen years ago, he had clearly agreed to die with Hua Lang, but in the end, he was the only one left alive.

Fate finally stopped playing tricks on him, but he couldn't help but yearn for the past. If... if he could have died in the broken building, why did she insist on him living soberly?

It was not until the surroundings became noisy and the vast ground turned into an endless silver mirror that he saw the dazzling waves rising from under his feet and slowly realized...that he had arrived in the Demon Realm.

"There are quite a few interesting things in the mortal world. Look at this little doll I picked up..."

"If anyone wants to help, there's no charge, just a small red flower."

"The immortal sects haven't made any moves lately. Could there be some conspiracy? And that traitor from the immortal sect, why haven't we heard from him lately?"

"Ouch, who is it? You broke my Blood Ghost Egg. Can you afford to pay for it?!"

Amidst the chaotic voices, a sharp and high-pitched voice suddenly broke in, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

One demon accused him, "You run around with your egg every day, and end up making things difficult for others. How can you be like this, demon?"

The witch said without a trace of guilt, "What's wrong with me? You're just making a fuss, but I haven't seen you buy all the eggs in this basket!"

After saying that, she continued to grab the woman who had just bumped into her. Suddenly, she narrowed her eyes and said in a high voice, "Hey, don't go, you look familiar!"

Xie Hanjing held his things and just wanted to find a quiet place, but the banshee's voice was relentless and so loud that he couldn't help but frown.

The banshee continued angrily, "I remember you. Last time, you almost hit my Blood Ghost Egg, and I was so kind as to show you the way."

"Where's the little red flower you promised me last time? Why didn't I receive it? You're lying to people in the Demon Realm. Come with me to the Demon Realm Demon Service Center. I'm going to expose you to the city lord!"

Everyone covered their ears after hearing the unreasonable accusations. Xie Hanjing was about to turn around and leave, holding the jar and tablet.

A familiar voice, like a spring breeze, sounded.

"It was my fault last time, but I won't approve the little red flower unless I save the dying and the wounded. I'll buy your basket of pickled blood eggs, no matter how much you charge."

Xie Han looked in shock. In the vast sea of mirrors, he saw a person. From then on, only one person entered his sight...