Chapter 187 [Alien] Back to the Past
"Underworld Emperor Urn? Ten thousand years?—I want this rule rewritten today!" Array patterns soared into the sky, colliding with the chains of order with a resounding roar. Lightning plasma and blood patterns devoured each other, and the cracks in the sky rapidly widened. For the first time, the giant golden pupil revealed an "emotion"—the fluctuation called "fear."
"Dongfang Liu, you're crazy."
"I've been crazy for a long time," the Nether King replied softly. He suddenly released the long blade, allowing the chain to pierce his throat. But at the last moment, he used his finger as a pen and carved a blood covenant symbol exactly like Zuo Qianqian's between his eyebrows.
That was the "fate talisman" that Zuo Qianqian had personally drawn on his heart two thousand years ago.
The moment the talisman was completed, Tiandao's pupils were shaken. "You actually want to—"
The Nether King raised his face, a smile mingled with blood and fire. "Qianqian died for me, and I will be buried with him. If you seal me, then seal this talisman along with me. When the talisman shatters, I will die with him."
The golden pupil remained silent for a moment, then suddenly closed. The next moment, a massive bell rang from outside the Ninth Heaven, sounding like a verdict, yet also like a lament.
【Imperial Decree——】
[The Netherworld King Dongfang Liu, who defied Heaven and murdered the Way, is unforgivable.]
[Now, it is sealed with the "Eternal Night Seal" and suppressed at the bottom of the Hades Emperor's Urn. The soul lamp cannot be lit, and the sea of consciousness cannot be opened. It will never see the light of day for ten thousand years.]
[Their life talismans are sealed together. If there is any abnormal movement, they will be destroyed together.]
boom--
The cracks closed, and the Chains of Order transformed into a massive, inverted bronze urn, falling from the sky. Black light emanated from the urn's mouth, swallowing up the Nether King and the entire Star Tower. In his final moments, the Nether King maintained that bloody smile.
"Qianqian...wait for me."
The lid of the jar closed and there was dead silence.
The barrier that separated them also dissipated. Ye Ying'er watched everything in horror, and the empress dowager had already fainted from fright.
She went forward to pick up the Hades Urn. The ghostly aura remaining on it was truly terrifying.
Hunting Ground
Zuo Qianqian used himself as the center of the formation, but now that he is gone, the formation is naturally broken.
When the Marquis of Zhenbei saw that the formation had been broken, he led his men in to charge in and headed straight for the platform. The surrounding area was covered in blood due to the destruction caused by the soul-eating evil spirits.
"My Lord, this..."
The soldiers had seen many fighting scenes, but this was the first time.
The Marquis of Zhenbei reined in his horse, his armor gleaming coldly under the blood-red moon. In the heart of the hunting grounds, scorched earth was ripped apart, and broken limbs and blades littered the ground. The wind blew, and the stench of blood was so thick it choked his throat.
"Follow me and fight our way in to rescue the prince!!"
"Save the prince!"
"Save the prince!"
"Save the prince——!"
Roars rolled over the sea of corpses and blood, iron hooves crushing the scorched earth. Deep in the hunting grounds, beneath the wreckage of the high platform, the remains of the black-armored guards and evil spirits lay scattered in a mess.
The Marquis of Zhenbei dismounted and crushed half of the ghost's skull with one foot. His eyes were like knives: "Search!"
A moment later, a hoarse response came from the west: "My Lord—the Prince is here!"
Everyone ran towards the sound.
Beneath the broken walls on either side lay a corpse. Zhenbei Hou approached and nervously turned the body over. Only then did he see clearly that it was Mu Xiuwen's bodyguard—Zheng Hao. His chest had been pierced by a sharp blade, and the blood had drained away, but his fingers were still tightly gripping a broken banner, their knuckles white.
The Marquis of Zhenbei's eyes darkened, and he slowly reached out to close Zheng Hao's eyes: "...Loyal soul. Buried with honor."
"My Lord!"
The Marquis of Zhenbei looked over again and saw Ye Hean appear in front of everyone, holding Mu Xiuwen. He waved his hand and everyone gathered around him.
"Marquis Zhenbei, you are so brave that you dare to rebel?" Ye Hean was already injured and his blood was almost drained. He knew very well that he was now at the end of his strength and he could not defeat so many people in the Zhenbei Army.
Furthermore, such a big incident happened today. The Marquis of Zhenbei led his troops to rescue the emperor, but the emperor had already been murdered. There was no way for him to survive...
"If it weren't for His Majesty pressing my son step by step, why would the Zhenbei Army have come to this point!"
Ye Hean sneered. He looked at the person in his arms. After all, they were not destined to be together in this life. He made so many efforts, but Mu Xiuwen didn't even look at him. He was like a dog that was not liked by its owner.
"I forced you?" He took a deep breath. "How could I force you and the Queen Mother to take over the power? You've forced me into a corner."
The blood moon hung low in the sky, and the only sound in the hunting grounds was the howling wind.
Ye Hean hugged Mu Xiuwen tighter, like he was protecting the last piece of driftwood. The man in his arms was pale, and a dark blue finger mark on the side of his neck was the mark of the ghost's throat. However, there was still a very faint rise and fall in his heart, proving that he was still alive.
"But none of this matters anymore. I can't leave this hunting ground today anyway." He put the man on the ground. "Marquis Zhenbei, don't worry about Xiuwen. I didn't touch him."
He closed his eyes, as if saying his final goodbye, and said, "Go ahead..."
The soldiers came forward and Ye Hean stood there waiting, but the pain did not come. He opened his eyes and saw the Zhenbei Army carrying Mu Xiuwen away.
"My Mu family has been loyal to the emperor for generations and never do anything to rebel. But what Your Majesty has done is really chilling. It chills the hearts of not only the court officials, but also the people of the world!" The Marquis of Zhenbei looked at Mu Xiuwen. It was not that he did not have the ability to kill Ye Hean to avenge his son, but the people and power that Ye Hean cared about were gradually moving away from him. This was the greatest punishment for him, making his life worse than death.
For the rest of his life, he can only be a puppet emperor and will never have real power.
"Today, I will completely pretend that I have never seen Your Majesty, and Your Majesty will also pretend that I have never been here. As for Xiu Wen..." He averted his gaze, "I will let him return to his hometown in Liangzhou, and Your Majesty will never see him again."
After that, the Zhenbei Army retreated.
…The blood moon sank, and a streak of gray-green appeared in the east.
Ye Hean knelt in the scorched earth, watching the torches of the Zhenbei Army wind their way like a black dragon, disappearing into the horizon. The morning breeze swept past, extinguishing his last shred of hope. He suddenly laughed, each laugh becoming lower and lower, yet more frantic—"Ha...haha..."
The laughter startled a few crows, which fluttered over the broken flag, shaking off broken feathers and blood.
Ye Hean laughed until he coughed up blood, mixed with black ash, like burnt paper money. He raised his hand to wipe it, but the more he wiped, the dirtier it became. Finally, he simply smeared it all over his face, as if he was trying to cover himself with a new skin.
He staggered to his feet. His dragon robe was already soaked with blood and mud, and the golden thread was broken, hanging heavily on his body like a pair of rusty shackles.
In the distance, only half of the throne was left leaning in the ruins, and the carved dragon was missing its eyeballs, looking at him blankly.
"I—" he said hoarsely, facing the throne, "I am still the Emperor!"
No one responded, only the wind tore the words into pieces and blew them into the dust.
At the same time, Mu Chi was holding Hua Jin, and the mirror in his hand suddenly moved, spitting out a group of people.
They are all people from various sects, and there are also many disciples from Yinyou Valley.
Zhu Yingyan stood up and looked around.
Because the people from various sects were trapped in the mirror for too long, their golden elixirs were affected and they are now unconscious. Only Zhu Jianye was sucked in while he was awake and he didn't stay there for long, so he didn't suffer much harm.
Zhu Yingyan saw Mu Chi holding Hua Jin and asked, "What happened to him?"
"Soul enters the formation banner..."
Suddenly the mirror of the heart began to flicker.
"Do you want to save your apprentice?"
Mu Chi looked at the mirror.
"Zuo Qianqian is wrong about one thing. He is not the soul in the banner, but in my past. In my past, my master has unresolved regrets and is obsessed with it. If you can find my master, resolve his obsession, and find my whereabouts in the past, you can bring him back—"
The mirror of the heart suddenly surged, like mercury stirred by an invisible hand, and ripples spread out, reflecting a familiar yet unfamiliar city.
"Well, will you—will you come?"
Zhu Yingyan was the first to speak before Mu Chi: "No! No, you are the master of Yinyou Valley. If you can't come back, then..."
"Then it's up to you to support the new Valley Master." Mu Chi had made up his mind. He looked at the elders and Zhu Yingyan who had come to rescue him. "I'm willing. You don't have to dissuade me. He's my disciple. I saved him just as he wants revenge for me. But this matter must not be made public, for fear of chaos in the Demon Realm. I have relatives in Yan, so just say I'm going to visit them."
"Okay, the time in the mirror is different from reality. If you can't get out within a year in the real world, you will be trapped in the past forever." A round ball appeared from the mirror. "The dimming of this crystal represents the change in real time. If the crystal is dark and without light, you will not be able to get out."
Mu Chi took it.
The mirror surface surged and boiled, its mercury-like ripples suddenly congealing into a dark blue vortex, engulfing Mu Chi and Hua Jin whole. Zhu Yingyan reached out to grab them, but only tore off a piece of his sleeve, torn by the wind.
“Valley Master——!” The vortex closed, and the Heart-Reflecting Mirror fell to the ground with a clang. The mirror surface instantly became dim, like the night sky soaked in ink. Only the crystal ball was left floating at the place where Mu Chi disappeared, with a faint light inside, like a candle wick that was about to go out.
Zhu Yingyan knelt down, holding the crystal ball in his hands, his knuckles turning white from the strain. Behind him, the elders of Yinyou Valley knelt silently in a row, like reeds bent by frost.
The heart-reflecting mirror smashed onto the scorched earth, making a dull sound like bronze hitting bones, and a spider web formed on the mirror surface.
Suddenly, a dazzling white light seeped out from the crack, as if someone had lit a soul lamp at the bottom of the mirror.
Zhu Yingyan's pupils suddenly tightened - in the light, a very thin jade slip slowly emerged, with two lines of small characters engraved on it:
【There is a path through the underworld, led by a shared destiny.】
【As long as the lights are on, people can return. 】
After Zhu Yingyan finished his business in Yandu, he took the elders and disciples of Yinyou Valley back. The major sects felt ashamed and did not stay there for long. When they saw the people from Yinyou Valley leaving, they also left.
After this, Ye Hean remained the emperor of Yandu. He sat on the powerless throne, day and night plotting how to regain his power and also wanting to see Mu Xiuwen. Mu Xiuwen, on his way to Liangzhou, felt a sense of unease. Although Ye Hean hadn't touched him during the two weeks in the palace, it had cast a significant shadow on him, making it impossible for him to face his beloved. He felt he had let Qiu Rou down, so he became even more aggressive in his treatment of them.
Because of what happened in the past half month, Ye Ying'er decided to go to the upper cultivation world to find her biological father, His Highness Yu, and improve her cultivation.
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