"cough……"
Xie Shuci clenched his teeth, his mouth filled with a strong taste of blood, and his teeth ached from being bitten so hard, as if they were about to break.
"Boom—" The sound of lightning striking the bronze medicine cauldron was so sharp it seemed to tear everyone's eardrums apart.
A low groan reached Xie Shuci's ears, and all the voices seemed to fade away. His muscles were numb, and every inch of his skin was burning with intense pain. Xie Shuci vaguely heard someone calling his name from a very far place. He wanted to look up, but his body wouldn't obey him.
Who is it? Who is calling him?
Wait a minute, wait a minute, I'll come find you after I block the lightning tribulation.
But why hasn't the tribulation stopped yet? What if it damages the bronze medicine cauldron? My senior brothers will definitely complain about me again.
But it's okay, they're all tough on the outside but soft on the inside, they definitely won't blame me.
"Bang--"
"Bang--"
The thunderclouds in the sky gleamed with a reddish-black luster, hanging above everyone's heads. The half-open gates of the Floating Pagoda Realm and the Crimson Sky Realm seemed to have carved a huge hole in the sky, and the endless stream of thunderbolts rolling downwards was the Heavenly Dao venting its anger at them.
Thunder rumbled, and Xie Shuci felt warm liquid oozing from his mouth, nose, and ears. He didn't know what it was, nor did he want to know.
"Thank you, Shuci! Thank you, Shuci!"
"If this continues, Xie Shuci will die!"
"Xie Shuci will be struck by lightning!"
"Damn it, how do I interrupt the Lightning Summoning Technique?"
"Xie Shuci absolutely cannot die here!"
"Brother Sikong! What should we do? Brother Xie will be struck dead by lightning!" Liu Dazhuang's eyes were bloodshot as he looked at the bronze medicine cauldron and Xie Shuci, which were being struck by lightning repeatedly on the high platform in mid-air.
The bronze medicine cauldron is an ancient artifact that can barely withstand the heavenly lightning without causing harm. However, Xie Shuci is only made of flesh and blood, and his body cannot withstand it at all. He will be struck to pieces!
Sikong Xin tightened his jawline and said, "We have no way to stop it..."
“Spirit beasts are fine,” Sikong Ye said in a deep voice. “Let Green Flame infiltrate their sea of consciousness and disrupt their heart meridians, which will stop the Lightning Summoning Technique.”
Sikong Xin was taken aback for a moment, "Disrupt their mental processes..."
Liu Dazhuang gasped, "Purple Breath and Green Flame? Disrupting the heart meridian will backfire! They are your contracted beasts; if they cause a backlash, you will too..."
Sikong Ye's voice turned cold as he said, "There is no other way. If the death of Xie Shuci by the heavenly lightning is not the end of the matter, then everyone in Sangqi City will be doomed."
"Brother, let Zixi and I go."
"No need. You use Purple Breath to protect Xie Shuci's heart meridian, which should help him hold out for a while. Green Flame!"
"exist."
"Go into their sea of consciousness and kill them one by one."
"yes."
"elder brother!"
"The lightning tribulation will kill Xie Shuci! Everyone, take out any weapons you have that can withstand it. Xie Shuci is helping us block the lightning tribulation!"
"Go to hell with the Floating Pagoda Realm! I used to wonder why a perfectly good Heavenly Dao Saint would insist on cultivating the Path of Slaughter. It seems you beasts forced him into it!"
"Who the hell wants to go to the Floating Pagoda Realm? They're all a bunch of scum!"
"Those with weapons, help block the lightning; those without weapons, take the injured out of the Wind and Cloud Platform!"
Looking at the tragic scene on the Wind and Cloud Platform, the head of the Chu family suddenly realized why the Xie family had come to Sangqi City and deliberately revealed their identities to him. They probably had foreseen what would happen today, which was why they took the initiative to expose their identities.
Thinking of this, the head of the Chu family shouted to everyone, "There is a Joyful Inn in the south of the city. Take all the injured people there; someone there can save them!"
The situation was extremely critical, and they had no time to ask any more questions. They carried the injured people away from Fengyuntai and headed to the inn that Chu Feixiong had mentioned.
Bixie stood quietly amidst the chaotic crowd, seemingly the only orderly presence in the mess.
His wounds had long since healed without him even realizing it. He quietly raised his head and looked at Xie Shuci, who was bleeding from all seven orifices on the high platform, his eyes filled with endless sorrow.
Looking at this person, he seemed to see the Luo Jingyu of the past.
No matter how many years have passed, the scene of watching Luo Jingyu die in front of me is still vivid in my mind, as clear as if it happened yesterday.
Xiao Xun's idea was wrong. Death is not just death. No matter how many years have passed since he died, no matter how many lifetimes he has been reincarnated, he is still himself, and he can still be recognized by him at a glance in a crowd.
Even though you've seen the future, even though you know the ending is already predetermined, the human heart is always so uncontrollable. No matter who you are, no matter how ruthless you are, no matter how many years you've held onto your beliefs, even if you've paid the ultimate price, when you meet someone you care about, all your principles, bottom lines, and persistence will vanish in the blink of an eye.
Bixie knew clearly in his heart that he had seen the future, he knew the future, and everything he did was to bring about their future.
He paid the ultimate price for it.
But……
However, seeing Xie Shuci in such pain, he actually began to back down.
He didn't want to continue; he didn't want to personally drive Xie Shuci to his death again.
Xie Shuci's consciousness began to blur. Even the ancient divine artifact, the bronze medicine cauldron, showed a clear crack on its body, and this crack also appeared on Xie Shuci's body at the same time.
A crack appeared on the back of Xie Shuci's hand, as if it had been cut by a sharp knife, but no blood flowed from the wound. Instead, a silvery-white spiritual energy emanated from the crack on the back of his hand and drifted into the air.
"Xie Shuci!" Chu Wenfeng jumped to Xie Shuci's side with a large sword in hand. When he saw the silvery-white spiritual power constantly evaporating in the air on the back of Xie Shuci's hand, his expression changed drastically.
"Brother Chu, you go and shield him from the lightning tribulation, I'll protect his heart meridian!"
Chu Wenfeng nodded with red eyes, gave Xie Shuci a deep look, and then leaped onto the bronze medicine cauldron.
Sikong Xin released his purple aura, and the two of them simultaneously pulled their consciousness into Xie Shuci's body, using their spiritual power to protect his heart meridian, which had become vulnerable under the lightning tribulation. Once Xie Shuci's heart meridian was destroyed, there would truly be no way to save him!
Xie Shuci felt extremely tired, as if a huge mountain was pressing down on his body, making it so heavy that even blinking was extremely difficult.
He could clearly feel something slipping away from him, and as it did, he felt as if he were being buried in snowflakes, with an endless chill running through him.
In a hazy state, he seemed to hear a clear bell sound coming from a distant place.
That voice sounds so familiar, is it the little blind man?
Is the little blind man... is the little blind man still alive?
On the high platform in the center of the Wind and Cloud Terrace, a figure shrouded in white mist was struggling desperately. He used all his strength to try to break free from the constraints around him, but he had consumed too much spiritual energy and was unable to break through the restrictions on him.
Xie Shuci is here? Why would Xie Shuci come here? He'll die! Anyone can die, but Xie Shuci absolutely cannot!
Why……
Why!
Why did we come?
"Thank you, Shu, Ci." He murmured his name, as if doing so would immediately bring him back to his side.
Xie Shuci cannot die... Xie Shuci absolutely cannot die... He will not let Xie Shuci die...
But the shackles on his body kept him firmly in place, and he couldn't even get up to look at him.
Xie An's face was pale, and he closed his eyes slightly. "Bixie, I regret it."
"Yeah."
A muffled laugh sounded in my ear, "What a coincidence, I regret it too."
Yes, he regretted it.
Even though he knew very well that only by doing this, only by driving them all to the brink of despair, could their future be secured; otherwise, it would just be a repeat of the same mistakes.
However, he could not bear to watch Xie Shuci die again.
So, he regretted it.
"Xie An, I regret it, so go die."
Bixie walked up to the Grand Elder, a golden spiritual energy emanating from his palm, instantly invading the barrier surrounding the Grand Elder and forcibly disrupting his heart meridian. The Grand Elder's eyes widened, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, pointing at Bixie with furious eyes, "You..."
"I regret it. I want Xiao Xun to die."
The Lightning Summoning Technique was forcibly interrupted, and the cultivators at the various array points of the Floating Pagoda Realm all suffered backlash, with screams echoing continuously.
The elder's face turned ashen with rage. "What exactly do you want?"
Bixie lowered his head, looking at the ground in confusion. Yes, what was he trying to do?
He was just one step away from achieving his goal, so why did he suddenly stop?
He just... just didn't want to see Xie Shuci in so much pain, didn't want him to disappear again...
he……
But they were just one step away from having a future.
"Boom—"
The lightning, no longer subject to the pull of the heavens, finally struck Xie An.
The platform beneath his feet was struck by gravity and instantly crumbled, but Xie An did not fall. His figure was held up in mid-air by an invisible force. The crimson lightning seemed to be tied to his body with a rope, and every bolt of lightning that fell struck Xie An's head.
The crowd watched this scene from afar, standing on the ground, observing the white figure standing alone and helpless in mid-air, so vast and boundless compared to the sky.
He was as insignificant as a speck of dust, yet he dared to defy the will of Heaven.
"jingle--"
A bolt of lightning struck the bell at his waist. The unprotected bell shattered into pieces, letting out a final mournful cry in mid-air before falling from Xie An's waist.
Xie Shuci vaguely heard the voice. Without the support of spiritual power, the bronze cauldron shrank to the size of a palm and returned to Xie Shuci's side, instantly bringing the blocked sky into view.
Xie Shuci fell backward and was caught in Sikong Xin's arms.
"How are you?" Sikong Xin asked, frowning.
"Xie An... Xie An..." Xie Shuci murmured his name, looking up at the sky, but strangely, everything in front of him was pitch black and he could not see anything.
"The tribulation lightning... has it stopped?" Xie Shuci didn't know who was next to him. He grabbed the person's clothes tightly, hoping to regain some strength.
"Xie An... Xie An... where are you..."
Xie Shuci heard no response. He reached forward and groped around. At that moment, a pair of hands grasped his. "Xie An... Xie An? Is that you?"
No, it wasn't Xie An's hand.
What about Xie An?
Where are they?
Say something?
Am I locked up again?
Why is nobody here?
"Xie Shuci? Xie Shuci?" Chu Wenfeng flew back to the stone platform and grabbed Xie Shuci's hand, which was constantly groping ahead.
Xie Shuci's lips moved as if he were saying something, but no sound came out.
Zi Xi bent down, placed his hand on Xie Shuci's forehead, and said in a deep voice, "His heart meridian is still damaged."
Chu Wenfeng's expression froze. He suddenly cupped Xie Shuci's face in his hands. Thick black blood was already oozing from the corners of Xie Shuci's eyes and mouth. Chu Wenfeng's eyes trembled, and tears streamed down his face.
Zi Xi said, "Most of his internal organs have been damaged, and I can only help him recover temporarily."
Sikong Xin gritted his teeth. The matter wasn't over yet, and Xie Shuci couldn't be left like this. He nodded and said, "Let him recover first."
"yes."
Xie Shuci felt a gentle spiritual energy coming from between his brows. His numb body seemed to gradually regain sensation in this spiritual energy. He felt tearing pain all over his body. As the pain approached, he gradually heard some sounds, and images began to appear in his blurry vision.
"Xie Shuci, how are you?"
Chu Wenfeng's voice rang in her ears, and a moment later, his tear-streaked face appeared in Xie Shuci's sight.
"Where is Xie An..." Xie Shuci murmured a few words, his voice like a broken bellows, extremely unpleasant.
Chu Wenfeng gritted his teeth and said, "See for yourself."
He turned his body to the side, and Xie Shuci looked up into the sky, where he saw Xie An, who was suspended in mid-air and constantly being struck by lightning.
Xie Shuci's pupils dilated, and he tried to sit up, supporting himself with his hands on the ground. "The tribulation lightning hasn't stopped yet?"
Sikong said, "If Xiao Xun doesn't die, the tribulation of lightning won't stop."
“No…” Xie Shuci shook her head, her face pale. “No… Xie An can’t die… He’ll disappear if he dies… He can’t die… I… I have to save him… I have to save him…”
"What do you want to do?!" Chu Wenfeng grabbed his collar, tears streaming down her face. "Do you even know what you've become? Look at yourself! You're about to die!"
Chu Wenfeng's scalding tears dripped onto Xie Shuci's hand. Xie Shuci stared blankly at him, "Don't, don't cry... I can be reincarnated, I can be reincarnated again... But Xie An can't, the little blind man can't... If he dies, he'll be gone, he'll have nothing left... He can't die..."
"Can you save him? Even if you shield him from the heavenly lightning, even if you get struck dead, will the tribulation stop?! You can't save him... none of us can save him..."
Xie Shuci shook her head blankly, "I... I can save him. Bixie said that whether Xie An lives or dies depends on my choice... As long as I die, he can live..."
“Wen Feng, Chu Wen Feng, I hid my bell on Jingyu Mountain. Inside, inside are my memories. As long as I see the bell, I will remember Xie An. Tell him to come, tell him to come find me. I will not forget him, I can remember him…” Xie Shuci murmured.
Chu Wenfeng broke down in tears, nearly collapsing. He hugged Xie Shuci tightly, his tears wetting Xie Shuci's hair. "Idiot! You idiot! You're all idiots! Xie Shuci, if you die, I will find you and I will break you up!"
Xie Shuci felt a little pain from his hug and lightly hit him, saying, "I'd rather die than be with him, and you still want to break us up? How cruel of you!"
"Fuck your mother, you idiot!"
I've told you so many times, don't use the words I taught you to insult me, you brat.
Xie Shuci pushed him away and activated the bronze cauldron again. This time, he had a sudden inspiration and channeled all his spiritual power into his feet, using it to lift himself and the bronze cauldron up at the same time, slowly approaching Xie An in mid-air.
"Xie Shuci? It's Xie Shuci? What's he up to?"
"Don't go! Don't go! It's too dangerous!"
Bixie raised his head, staring blankly at Xie Shuci in mid-air, his pupils trembling slightly.
Xie Shuci used his spiritual power to slowly rise to Xie An's side, where he saw Xie An trapped inside a barrier, his fate unknown.
He's still alive... he should still be alive...
The tribulation lightning had not yet stopped, and Xie An was not yet dead.
He was still alive, but he simply closed his eyes quietly, waiting for the heavenly lightning to strike him and annihilate him, without offering any resistance.
At the same moment Xie Shuci approached, Xie An seemed to sense something and suddenly opened his eyes.
When he saw Xie Shuci fly over him into the sky, his eyes widened in fury, and he roared, "Xie Shuci!"
He tried to pull Xie Shuci back by channeling his spiritual power, but Xie Shuci pressed the bronze medicine cauldron down on him first.
"Xie Shuci, how dare you! Come back!" Xie An's heart-wrenching voice came from mid-air. Xie Shuci turned around and glanced at him, seeing his bloodshot eyes staring at him intently.
"I am Xie Shuci, what do I have to be afraid of?"
Xie Shuci flew high into the sky and cut off the line connecting the sky to Xie An. Only by killing him and destroying the bronze medicine cauldron could he continue to strike Xie An below.
"Thank you, Shuci! Thank you, Shuci!"
Seemingly enraged to the extreme, he shouted Xie Shuci's name, each sound like coughing up blood.
Xie Shuci raised his head, not daring to look into Xie An's furious eyes.
"Boom—"
A bolt of lightning struck down, and Xie Shuci let out a muffled groan, surprisingly feeling no pain.
Silvery-white spiritual energy began to seep out from the gaps on the back of his hand again.
"No...you dare, Xie Shuci, you dare..." Xie An's face turned pale as he struggled to break free of the bronze medicine cauldron, but his injuries were no less severe than Xie Shuci's, and he was powerless to resist this ancient artifact.
"You can't die... Xie Shuci, you can't die!"
"Boom—"
"hiss--"
Xie Shuci gasped for breath, another crack appeared in her body, and something inside her was rapidly leaking out.
"No..." Xie An's voice was so hoarse that it was almost inaudible.
His lips trembled as he said, "Xie Shuci...you can't die..."
"You'll disappear when you die..."
Xie Shuci was taken aback.
Xie An, as if grasping at a last straw, said, "You cannot die. You are banished by the laws of heaven and earth. If you die, you will also disappear..."
It seemed that knowing this would stop Xie Shuci's "foolish" behavior.
"Me?" Xie Shuci looked at him in confusion. "Why? I've never done anything wrong, why would I..."
Xie An stretched out a hand to him, "Because you don't belong here, you're an anomaly. Come here, don't be silly, I have a way to avoid the lightning tribulation, come back first."
Xie An tried his best to appear calm and to keep his tone even.
But he seemed unable to do it; the tremor in his voice was obvious.
"Boom—"
Xie Shuci looked at him in confusion, shook her head and said, "No, you're lying to me, you're lying to me, you're definitely lying to me, you have no way to avoid the lightning tribulation."
"I...I'm not afraid of death..."
Tears streamed down Xie Shuci's pale face. Was he someone banished by the Heavenly Dao? He had never done anything wrong! Even if he wasn't from this world, he didn't come here willingly... Why? Why treat him like this?
Why was he banished by the laws of heaven and earth?
When the dog demon sent him to find Bixie, was it not because Xie An was an exiled person, but because he himself was an exiled person by the Heavenly Dao?
……Why?
Tears rolled down his cheeks without him realizing it. Xie Shuci didn't actually want to cry; he was just confused and bewildered.
It's like someone who has never done anything wrong being branded a murderer. It's so strange; the rules of this world are so strange.
He could barely feel the pain of being struck by lightning anymore; the images before his eyes and the sounds around him were gradually becoming blurry.
Will he disappear when he dies?
Will he disappear like Xie An after he dies?
That……
"Xie An..."
Xie Shuci called out his name in a trembling voice, forcing a smile, "Xie An, you...you're right, death is death. Whether you can be reincarnated or not, it's all the same. So...it doesn't matter if I disappear...it's just death anyway. You won't come looking for me anyway, and I don't remember you anyway, so it doesn't matter...death is death..."
Xie An's eyes were bloodshot as he shook his head blankly. "No, I was wrong... Death is not disappearance, death is not disappearance! You can't... you can't disappear..."
Xie Shuci was plunged into darkness again. He could no longer see Xie An's face or hear Xie An's voice. He was about to disappear. He would never see Xie An again... He would disappear.
He even copied his memories into the bell, thinking that as long as he could remember Xie An in his next life, Xie An would come looking for him. But he would disappear; Xie An wouldn't look for him, and he couldn't find him at all.
What does it feel like to disappear?
Will it look like you're asleep?
Fortunately, death and disappearing from this world are no different for the little blind man. Death is death, and disappearance is disappearance. So there should be no difference between him dying and him disappearing.
It's so strange. He can't see, hear, or feel anything, yet he's still alive.
He had heard that before death, the brain activates a defense mechanism to block out pain. That's probably why he couldn't feel pain.
But……
But he longed to feel the pain again, as if he were still alive.
It seems like he's about to die; his body is about to empty out.
I really want to see Xie An again.
I really want to...
I really want to...
I'm so reluctant to leave...
Xie An, I'm so reluctant to part with you...
The final bolt of lightning struck Xie Shuci.
Black lightning cleaved a slit in his face, and silvery-white spiritual energy gradually floated upwards.
Xie Shuci's body was covered with white cracks, like a piece of porcelain that had been shattered and pieced back together, looking so fragile.
The gates to the Crimson Sky Realm slowly closed at some unknown time, and the lightning rolling in the clouds seemed content, lazily flashing within them.
The enraged Heavenly Dao was appeased, retracted its fangs, and silently gazed upon this land.
"The tribulation lightning has disappeared?"
"Xiao Xun didn't die, so why did the lightning tribulation disappear?"
"Xie Shuci...it was because of Xie Shuci! The lightning tribulation killed Xie Shuci!"
"No, the lightning tribulation will stop once Xie Shuci is struck dead?"
"Why?"
Sikong Xin looked at Xie Shuci in mid-air with an extremely ugly expression. "Xie Shuci... is also someone who has been expelled by the laws of heaven and earth?"
Zi Xi was also taken aback. "In the eyes of Heaven, are his sins comparable to Xiao Xun's?"
Xie Shuci slowly closed his eyes, letting his consciousness sink into the deep sea.
The moment he lost consciousness, the spiritual power that had been supporting him in mid-air vanished, and the bronze medicine cauldron that had been pressing down on Xie An was sealed again, shrinking to the size of a fist, and plummeting rapidly from the sky.
Along with it, Xie Shuci's lifeless body also fell.
When Xie Shuci, covered in white cracks, fell before his eyes, Xie An seemed to only then come to his senses. His mind went blank, leaving him no room for thought. He desperately jumped down from the sky and reached out his hands, trying to grab Xie Shuci's falling body, but he was always just a little short and couldn't catch him.
His vision seemed to be obscured by fog, making it difficult to see clearly. He opened his eyes wide, trying to make Xie Shuci's appearance clearer, but it was no use; the fog in front of him grew thicker and thicker.
"Xie Shuci..."
His choked voice was almost torn apart by the wind, unable to form a complete sentence.
Xie Shuci's body seemed to be scattered by a strong wind in the air, turning into many fragments. As the silvery-white light drew beautiful traces in the air like the Milky Way, his body fragments disappeared.
"Xie Shuci..."
On the ground, almost simultaneously, everyone who knew Xie Shuci flew from all directions toward Xie Shuci's falling body.
They instinctively wanted to grab him and keep him.
Just as Xie An was about to grab him, just as everyone was about to grab him, the last fragment of his body, along with the overflow of silvery-white spiritual energy, turned into dust and dissipated in the air.
The world is filled with Xie Shuci's presence, but Xie Shuci's figure is nowhere to be seen.
The world seemed to lose its color in an instant.
Apart from the sound of the wind, everything was silent.
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