Chapter 35 Thank you, Master, for taking me in.
The upper realm, the nine heavens.
The degree of demonic possession became increasingly serious, and the Purple Mansion was eroded by turbid energy. He Mu could clearly feel that his internal organs were being damaged.
He was restless, and the ringing in his ears grew louder and louder, almost to the point of deafness.
His remaining rationality was being completely drained, leaving him with nothing but the urge to kill quickly.
But he left in such a hurry that he forgot the Three Pure Bells on Fangze Mountain. Now, starting a killing spree would only be like drinking poison to quench thirst, and would only continue to nourish his inner demons.
This won't work; he must find the Monument of Heartlessness.
With his devastating mental state, He Mu had no choice but to force himself to ascend to the Ninth Heaven.
By the time he reached the Palace of Fate in the Upper Realm, his killing intent had spread to the point that it could directly repel minor immortals within a hundred miles.
A large group of local deities huddled together a hundred miles away, trembling as they discussed whether Cang Yu was plotting a rebellion against the Heavenly Court. Several others had already scrambled to the Jade Void Palace to report to the Emperor.
He ignored Mu and stepped onto the steps of the Siming Palace.
The Palace of Fate is often described in mortal mythology as the "Temple of the Old Man Under the Moon" in heaven, where the god of fate, Si Ming, resides.
When He Mu ascended to heaven, he entrusted her with the "marriage" in his destiny chart, which she personally inscribed on the Heartless Stele.
The area outside the palace was deserted at this time, with only a palace guard in a golden robe standing there, and a bewildered rain master beside him, seemingly preparing for the next rain.
Upon seeing He Mu, the palace guards stepped forward and stopped him.
"Lord Cangyu," he bowed respectfully, "Lord Siming is resting; please come again another day—"
Before he could finish speaking, he noticed that Mu Lian hadn't paused for a second, but instead strode straight up to the gate and kicked it.
when--
With a deafening crash, the heavy palace door was kicked open.
He Mu made no attempt to restrain the murderous aura emanating from his surroundings. He forcefully ripped off the amber necklace from his neck and crushed it in his palm with a "snap".
The wooden sword sealed in amber slowly lengthened in his hand, and then suddenly burst into flames.
He needs to find the Monument of Mercy.
He wants to erase his name, strip him of his divinity, and break free from the path of ruthlessness.
The moment He Mu realized he might be going mad, he left Wen Rensheng's room.
He never intended to kill Wenrensheng, but he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't harm Wenrensheng after losing his mind, or that he wouldn't perish along with Fangzeshan.
In his haste, he left behind the lecherous killer and fled.
He Mu dared not imagine how heartbroken the child would be if he really put his sword to Wen Rensheng's neck.
She heard a voice, clearly carrying a sincere heart, and brought a carefully prepared gift, using the most sincere and beautiful words in the world to express her feelings to him.
But he himself was unable to meet these expectations.
He Mu gritted his teeth, clapped his hands together, and the raging flames vanished instantly. The wooden sword in his hand was also forged into a divine weapon, its blade as sharp as a golden crow.
The bloodshot in his eyes had not faded, and he stared intently into the palace with a heavy murderous aura.
Inside the Palace of Fate, there was only one red-haired woman, standing leisurely under a pair of intertwined branches covered with red cloth.
Her eyes were narrowed, making it impossible to tell whether they were open or closed, and the corners of her lips seemed to be raised or lowered, a smile that was not quite a smile.
"Greetings, Lord Cangyu," the woman said, bowing her head.
He Mu didn't say a word to her, his gaze falling directly on the stone tablet behind the intertwined branches.
The Monument of Heartlessness has been found.
This stone tablet only recognizes cultivators of the Ruthless Path. As soon as it senses He Mu, the inscription slowly appears.
The hostility in He Mu's eyes finally dissipated somewhat. He took a big step forward, sword in hand, and brushed past the red-haired woman, standing in front of the Monument of Heartlessness.
"name……"
He Mu's eyesight was failing, so he bent down to hold onto the Heartless Monument and, with his remaining willpower, found his name in the very center.
He Mu knelt on one knee and murmured, "Si Ming, lift the restrictions on the Heartless Stele. I want to erase the name."
The red-haired woman then turned around and looked at He Mu with a smile.
Her voice was gentle, but instead of answering He Mu's question directly, she asked, "Your Majesty has allowed you to stay in the mortal realm for a few more years. In these years, have you found a Heavenly Spiritual Root?"
When the topic of the Heavenly Spiritual Root came up, a hint of ferocity flashed in He Mu's eyes.
He sneered, no longer seeking Si Ming's help, and casually picked up a short knife from the ground, beginning to try to carve the name on the Heartless Stele.
If his name is erased, he will be stripped of his divine status and reduced to a mortal, and he might even lose all his cultivation.
But none of that matters.
You can cultivate your Dao heart again if you lose it, but some things can't be started over.
He Mu didn't hesitate at all. He had thought everything through when he came to the Si Ming Palace today. He just hoped that he could get away as soon as possible and not make Wen Rensheng wait too long.
Si Ming stood in the same spot, neither too close nor too far from him, squinting as he watched him diligently scratch the monument of indifference.
But after only a few strokes, He Mu discovered that those three damned words were engraved too deeply and couldn't be erased no matter what he did.
The deeper the name, the more resolute his initial choice was.
"You damned bastard..." He Mu cursed under his breath.
The inner demons had severely corrupted He Mu, causing his personality to become inexplicably violent. He angrily threw down his knife, and white light condensed in his palm, intending to break through the restrictions and shatter the stone tablet.
Seeing this, Si Ming coughed lightly and raised his hand to stop him.
“Wait a minute,” she said. “This stone tablet is quite valuable. If you break it, I’ll have to find a new one to carve on.”
He Mu gritted his teeth and squeezed out, "I'm in a hurry, thank you for your help."
Si Ming took two steps to the side, then asked with a smile, "You've been staying in Fangze Mountain for the past few years, haven't you really encountered any Heavenly Spiritual Roots?"
"..."
Upon hearing this, He Mu paused for a moment, then his gaze swept coldly toward Si Ming.
He clenched his palm and crushed a corner of the Heartless Monument.
It's another Heavenly Spiritual Root.
Heavenly Spiritual Root... Heavenly Spiritual Root, Heavenly Spiritual Root!
From the moment he returned to the Ninth Heaven, all the gods in the Heavenly Court buzzed around his ear like flies, clamoring about the Heavenly Spiritual Root!
Everyone was eyeing Wenrensheng's life right in front of him. He was being driven mad. The more he heard those three words, the more he couldn't suppress the surging murderous intent in his heart, and even his whole body was chilling.
Right now, he already wanted to tear the man in front of him apart with his bare hands.
"I don't know anything about Heavenly Spiritual Roots," He Mu said sternly after a moment of restraint. "If you're so capable, go find them yourself."
Having said that, He Mu forced himself to pick up the short knife from the ground again and slashed it forcefully at the Monument of Heartlessness.
Time was running out for He Mu. Although he had left Se Sha by Wen Rensheng's side, a sword was still just a sword and might not be able to protect him completely.
Hopefully, nothing unexpected will happen at this time.
Perhaps sensing He Mu's desire to leave the Dao, the Heartless Stele finally overcame the stele's restrictions and forcibly removed the first character.
He Mu immediately felt that the violent energy in his body had been suppressed, and his eyes were gradually able to see things clearly again.
At the same time, his heart began to tremble violently, as if it were struggling to break free of some shackles. The emotions that had been sealed for a hundred years found a breakthrough in an instant, causing his fingertips to go numb.
His divine essence was gradually fading away, and the lines between his brows had lost a few inches of their brilliance.
"Well……"
He Mu couldn't help but press his forehead.
Just as he expected, his body was indeed suffering from excruciating pain, as if his bones were being ripped out and his flesh was being torn away, and his spiritual energy was gradually being drained away.
But he unexpectedly felt excited; the broken name on the merciless monument echoed in his mind, as if filling a gap in his heart.
Si Ming did not stop him again. She just stood not far away and watched him, glancing at the incense burner not far away, as if to confirm the time.
After catching her breath and eagerly working on erasing the second character, she finally spoke slowly and deliberately:
“I sent a junior disciple down to the mortal realm, and it did find a celestial spiritual root, but unfortunately, the celestial spiritual root ended up in the body of a demon.”
He Mu paused, the tip of the short knife in his hand was pried off, and it flew away.
Si Ming still squinted, and said with a calm smile, "Lord Cang Yu, so your Dao heart was moved because of that little demon?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than He Mu's longsword, carrying a chilling aura, suddenly landed on Siming's neck.
"Is that fox one of your subordinates?" He Mu demanded. "What exactly does the Heavenly Court want from you?"
“The Heavenly Spiritual Root is a prodigy for ascension,” Si Ming said. “It’s simple. The Heavenly Court doesn’t want demons to ascend. If this spiritual root is in a demon, then it has to be taken back.”
He Mu laughed in anger: "Recycle? That's a life!"
“That’s not the same,” Si Ming smiled, touching his lips. “A demon’s life is of course cheaper than a human’s.”
He Mu could barely understand what this crazy woman was saying anymore.
He raised his sword and slashed, a sword aura instantly striking Si Ming's neck, almost slicing off half of her neck.
"If you don't lift the restriction,"
He Mu Hansheng said,
"My sword can even kill gods. Would you like to try it?"
Although the divine essence had begun to peel away, He Mu's sword intent still possessed the most powerful force in the heavens. As it slashed across his neck, Si Ming finally lost his composure, and a trace of fear flashed across his face.
But she forced herself to calm down, raised her hand to touch the wound on the side of her neck, and the broken flesh quickly grew back and glued together.
She gritted her teeth, forced a smile, and said, "I understand."
She then walked to He Mu's side, raised her hand to cover the Heartless Stele, and easily erased the second character.
After erasing that word, she continued the story from before: "Don't be angry. My disciple is also a demon. Although his status is lowly, he is quite clever, so I have always kept him guarding the lower realm."
"The astrologer predicted that after the Heavenly Spiritual Root was born, my disciple did a great job finding it for me, discovering that it was with a she-wolf."
He Mu's expression shifted.
This refers to... a mother who can hear human voices?
With the divine essence detached and the inner demons losing their breeding ground, they grew increasingly weak, allowing He Mu to finally find a moment of calm amidst the chaos.
Something's not right.
Did the Heavenly Court already have its eye on the Heavenly Spiritual Root that can hear human voices before I even descended to the mortal realm?
Could his descent to the mortal realm also be part of this plan...?
Si Ming continued, "After the Heavenly Spiritual Root was discovered, my disciple killed the mother wolf and planned to extract the spiritual root directly from the cub that was only a few months old."
"It's just a pity that its tail was bitten by a rabbit that came out of nowhere, and in the blink of an eye, the little wolf was carried off to Fangze Mountain—your territory."
He Mu frowned and asked, "What did you do?"
Si Ming squatted down, placed his hand on the third character, and continued, "I know that the barrier you set up cannot be destroyed by any god or demon in heaven or on earth."
“My disciple is a monster, so naturally he has no choice but to transform into a sword cultivator, infiltrate the Guiyi Sword Sect, and pretend to be an elder there, lying low for several years.”
At this point, Si Ming chuckled self-deprecatingly.
"As for me, it is my duty to play matchmaker and persuade the Emperor to send you down to the mortal realm so that you can meet that little demon."
"It will destroy the barrier of Fangze Mountain and seize the Heavenly Spirit Root in the blink of an eye when you are distracted."
Destroy the barrier?
He Mu was startled and quickly formed a spell to check the barrier around Fangze Mountain.
—Disappeared.
Just as Si Ming finally realized what trap he had fallen into, he had already erased the last word on the Heartless Stele.
With this action, He Mu's divine essence was completely stripped away, and the golden markings between his brows dimmed.
"What a pity! Why don't you listen to the Wenquxing (a Chinese electronic dictionary) and study more?"
Si Ming stood up, casually twirling the embers between his fingers.
"However, it's too late now. I've already told the Emperor the location of the Heavenly Spiritual Root. Before long, the entire Heavenly Court will know about the existence of that little monster."
"He got to where he is today because you, you idiot, never knew when to stop—"
No sooner had he finished speaking than hurried footsteps sounded outside the palace gates.
A palace guard in golden robes rushed over, knelt down on both knees, and interrupted sharply, "Lord Siming!"
His mood was interrupted, and a hint of displeasure flashed across Siming's face.
She raised her hand: "Speak."
The palace guard swallowed hard and stammered:
"Heavenly, Heavenly Spiritual Root..."
"Lord Qianxiang sent word that the Heavenly Spiritual Root in the lower realm has... committed suicide!"
Upon hearing this, both Mu and Siming turned their gazes toward the palace guards.
Si Ming frowned and hesitated before asking, "What did you say?"
Meanwhile, the Rain Master outside the palace gates finally yawned and stepped onto the celestial observatory.
He made a hand gesture for rainmaking and casually tossed it down to the mortal realm.
Suddenly, a thunderclap resounded.
A drop of water pierced through the clouds, falling all the way down from the ninth heaven, and finally hit Wenrensheng's cheek.
Then, torrential rain poured down.
The torrential rain soaked the ground, washing the bloodstains down the slope, through the collapsed trees and rocks, and finally into the wet mud, where they disappeared without a trace.
Wenren lowered his head and held the lifeless Wenren Jing in his arms, his eyes staring blankly at the ground.
The rain soaked his wolf ears.
Not far away lay a fox demon, barely clinging to life, foaming at the mouth, its body convulsing, a cold-colored longsword embedded in its back, gazing at the thunder in the distance.
Yi Jinxiang put the fan back in her hand. She glanced worriedly at Wen Rensheng, opened her mouth, but didn't know how to comfort him.
As a fellow demon, she knew that Wenren Jing's time was coming to an end, but she never expected him to leave this world in such a way.
Although she had only spent a few years with Wenren Sheng, she knew that this child valued his family the most. Now that Wenren Jing had passed away, she was afraid that he would find it difficult to get over the trauma.
Hearing the voice, he knelt on the ground, holding Wenren Jing's still-warm body in his arms.
Only after sensing Yi Jinxiang's approach did his wolf ears twitch slightly. He then slowly raised his head to look at her, his gaze calm yet filled with despair.
He said in a hoarse voice, "There's no heartbeat."
Yi Jinxiang felt a pang of pain in her heart and couldn't bear to look away.
After hesitating for a long time, she whispered, "The Heavenly Court wants to arrest you, so I cast an illusion on that fox demon and made it bring news of your death back to the Heavenly Court. From now on, you can no longer stay in Fangze Mountain."
Yi Jinxiang pursed her lips and said, "Although Cangzhou is a harsh and cold place, it is full of monsters. You won't be wronged. Come with me."
"…………"
There was no reply for a long time after hearing the voice.
Yi Jinxiang was getting a little impatient. She patted her palms with her fan and was about to pick up Wen Rensheng when he made a sound.
Hearing the voice, he gently laid the clan leader's body flat, then gathered a little strength in his fingertips and touched the center of his forehead.
The old man quickly transformed back into a rabbit. Half of his fur was soaked in blood, and his entire body looked as if it had been drained of blood, leaving only a thick layer of fur.
Hearing the voice, her lips trembled slightly, and she slowly stood up while still holding the rabbit.
His slender figure appeared exceptionally small in the rain, and water droplets from his hair streamed down his cheeks, wiping away the traces of his tears.
He stood facing the rain and sighed.
"Thank you, Master."
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Author's Note: The next chapter will connect the two parts, and then it will be a new chapter. It won't be as heavy after that. Ah, the kind little wolf will always have the ability to find happiness!
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