Chapter 250 Goodbye to the Desperate Wilderness
In the silent, colorless torrent, the Kingdom of Despair ushered in its long-overdue end.
The thunderclouds vanished, the mist dissipated, and the sea flowed across the border, washing over the parched soil. The eternally dark night sky gradually faded, and along with it, the moonlight dimmed, like a pale black veil covering the vast land. A tiny, faint ray of light pierced through the veil, forming a tiny dot on the ground.
That is the light of the sun.
At the junction of heaven and earth, a white light rose. After hundreds of years of darkness, the despairing wilderness welcomed the sunrise.
The outermost layer of the Heavenly Prison border, the embodiment of the concept of despair, the "wilderness" that was unanimously recognized as impenetrable by all the supreme beings in the Shendong Realm, collapsed at this moment.
Thus, the battlefield that had been isolated by time reappeared.
The long-forgotten "past" returns to the present and flows to the other side of the ocean with the tide.
·
Senluo Secret Realm, Spiral Tower.
Karlsrud left the laboratory and flipped through countless doors, scanning a new batch of manuscripts. He was always so busy, with so many theories waiting to be tested. He casually pushed open a door—it seemed to be a meditation room last week and a tea room now—and transformed the manuscript into a cup of tea. In the corner of the room crouched a small demon-killer.
"Good progress lately, old friend," he said casually. "We're one step closer to our goal. All we have to do is pierce through that thin veil to reach the original spirit world. Who knows, if you take another nap now, you might be able to get up and have tea with us."
The ghost killer raised the corners of his mouth and smiled like a child.
"...Vansalar?"
The teacup shattered on the ground, and Karthod's fingertips trembled. He grasped at the smiling demon-slayer, and the elemental life dissipated into meaningless shadows, flowing from his fingertips like water.
"No. Don't. Don't..." Karsod's face changed drastically, "Vansalar!!!"
He knelt on the ground, frantically grasping at the water-like shadow. He used magic to shape it, he twisted time and space, he grasped the lines of cause and effect, but even if he tried everything, the Supreme Master could not reverse the doomed outcome.
Karlsode held the shadow that would eventually disappear and cried loudly.
"My best...friend..."
On this day, the entire world of Shendong was washed away by torrential rain. The furious downpour caused the waters of the Sea of Illusion to rise, carrying the Supreme Mage's sorrow to every island of dust. The relentless sound of the rain mingled with the cries of dying beasts. Slayers from across the world emerged from the shadows, wailing in mourning for their ancestors. The overwhelming emotion caused their bodies to collapse, and approximately two-thirds of the slayers perished at the same moment, ending countless tragedies.
The survivors were at a loss, and could only feel the ocean-like sorrow in their cries.
This should have been a golden opportunity for the demons, but the sea was completely silent. The doom jellyfish once again emerged from the deep sea, and the demons, fearing its presence, dared not move forward.
Olek looked at the gloomy sky and recalled the rainy night long ago when he first met his friend.
"I've told you many times that the more radical a person is, the faster they die," it said. "Only by adapting to the world can one survive. Why don't you understand..."
The dead person finally left, and from now on there will be no one to play games with it.
Its sigh drifted away with the sound of rain, like a ghost singing a sad song.
Northeast of the Senluo Secret Realm, the Eternal Salvation launched its reconnaissance unit out of the water. Having completed its interpretation of the currents, it transmitted this information back to the mainland.
"3001/4/21, 00:00:00, L-001 Collapse God 'Fear' confirmed..." The Eternal Lottery paused briefly, "Former Archmage Vansalar has died."
All Imperial units with a Sephiroth level of 5 or higher received the message, and after 0.1 standard seconds, a huge uproar erupted on the communication network. It had been a long time since a discussion involving all the high-ranking members of the Empire had taken place; the last time they witnessed such a scene was during its own birth.
While most of the real machines were calculating future developments, a few veteran members—those who had once been giants, worthy prototypes—reminisced about the past. The Eternal Sundering read through the records of the day the Spiral Tower fell, while observing the words from the past.
The Empire of Truth had no secrets or privacy; anyone with sufficient authority could access all information. It looked at the records of the Empire's top brass' discussions, as well as the day's oracle's calculations.
Regarding the top-down infectious deduction of elemental magic, evidence of one of the Spiral Tower's higher-ups communicating with Black Moon, the possibility of the Supreme Mage being exploited in the time zone... The higher-ups unanimously passed a resolution, and the Emperor took urgent action...
"What do you think, Everlode?" asked the former chancellor of the empire.
"The Empire made a wrong judgment, but this mistake only accelerated the arrival of destruction. The facts are just as the Oracle calculated. The alienation of the Supreme Sorcerer was already inevitable." said the Eternal.
"Fickle emotions are hard to trust. Many things are predetermined from the beginning. This is what people call 'fate.'"
·
Chu Hengkong felt like he had been unconscious for an hour, maybe two, because he hadn't had time to dream yet, as dreams always come during a long sleep.
When he was lifted up by his companions and opened his eyes to see their unhealed wounds, he realized that he had only been unconscious for a few tens of seconds. Ji Huaisu waved his hands vigorously in front of him, and he barely exhaled, telling his partner that he was still conscious.
"Open your eyes and look, man." He heard Fander's dazed voice, "This is probably the craziest sight we will ever see in our lives..."
The scorching sun and the black moon hung simultaneously in the sky, the interplay of day and night casting a chaotic cacophony of light. Mists dispersed, only to gather under the force of strong winds, forming a vast vortex at the zenith. The pillars supporting the wilderness collapsed, conflicting forces emerged simultaneously, and the world was in chaos, like the ravings of a madman.
The long-dry land became moist, and colorless water flowed across the earth, breaking it into fine sand. Chu Hengkong realized it was seawater, and that the land, now without support, was about to return to the ocean. He desperately wanted to move, but for a moment, he was unable to move. The sharp pain in his back had not subsided, but instead intensified. The broken death wing seemed to have taken root in his back, and he could not pull it out.
"Akong, don't touch that thing yet." Ji Huaisu was a little nervous. "You're hurt so badly right now. I'm afraid you'll die if I pull it out."
"Where are the others?" Chu Hengkong raised his head with an effort. "Is the settlement still there?"
"Tell me if it's still there, if it's very close to us." Qingye raised his hand and looked around.
They also saw the settlement, a small village protected by the light tree, approaching them like a ship without sails. The settlement, anchored by the sacred pillars, was the most solid land at the moment. In fact, they were being washed away by the sea.
Chu Hengkong estimated it would take half a minute to arrive. He turned his head and spotted a familiar figure on a sand dune that was about to collapse. The dog-like figure, Wolfka, was sitting on the dune, smiling and waving at him.
This way. Chu Hengkong was too tired to speak, so he mouthed to him, "Come this way..."
But Wufka didn't say anything, just smiled contentedly. As the sea was about to engulf the sand dunes, he let out a long cry, turned, and walked back into the sea.
Chu Hengkong understood and said goodbye to the man in the fog.
They were rushed back to the settlement, and everyone gathered around the sacred pillar. "Come here!" Fen Ya extended her vines, infusing them with vitality. Gulbo and Jie An rushed over, looking everyone over.
"Great, everyone is alive!" Gulibo cheered.
"This is great news." The cook visibly relaxed. "Sorry to say such a disappointment, but what should we do next?"
Everyone looked at each other, their initial excitement quickly extinguished by confusion. From the beginning to the end, everyone had been focused on defeating Vansalar, but no one had considered what would happen after victory. That was simply too much of a luxury. After overcoming despair, even a second of breathing was a blessing.
"Let's go out with the tide?" Qingxia said, "If we follow the sea of illusions, we can go anywhere."
"What a great idea! After defeating the Nightmare King, we'll all feed the demons together." Finder rolled his eyes. "If I were a demon, I'd be laughing like crazy. We can have a different dinner every time. We'll eat the fiery red one first, and save the tough one with the iron on it for last!"
Qingxia grabbed Fander with both hands and began to torture the Eye Demon. Everyone laughed heartily; at this moment, even a second of laughter was a victory. Chu Hengkong looked around drowsily, feeling as if something was missing.
Shax sat at the foot of the holy pillar, pointing his gun at the vortex in the air.
"From the very beginning, there has been only one path," he said coldly. "If this is the outermost layer of hell, then victory will only take you to the next layer."
A gloomy red glow shone deep within the vortex. Chu Hengkong imagined that this was exactly the route Wen Yao had attempted to escape, the deeper "Lifeless Blood Plain." He tried to find another way out, but all he saw was the vast ocean. The trees in the settlement had been swept away by the sea, and even the beach filled with tombstones had submerged, vanishing into the endless sea.
"It seems bad luck just won't let us go." The killer laughed, "A new adventure is about to begin...hahaha."
"I don't want to take this kind of risk!" Vander screamed. "I bet there are at least 10,000 guaranteed 4-point lust demons lurking on the other side of the vortex! Just waiting for us to go over there and devour them alive and fuck them!"
"Fande, you should be more open-minded. At least they won't fuck you..." Ji Huaisu comforted him.
"It wouldn't be a good thing for him to be the first to die!"
"This is your last chance. Do you want to compete again?" Qing Ye was eager to try, "Let's see who can kill the most before dying."
"Throw away the relics and then compete. You all have high-level relics, so I'm at a disadvantage." Shax said.
"Wow, you're actually jealous of this! This is a relic of my ancestor, Mr. Night Walker gave it to me!"
"I remember you stole the Miansheng yourself."
"Well, Mr. Ye Xing didn't object..."
The water was already ankle-deep, yet they continued to chat and laugh, unconcerned about life and death. At this point, there was really no reason to get excited. Isn't fate like that? Occasionally, it gives you a few surprises, but it never truly leads to a happy ending. At this point, is there any hope for anything good? Hope for a hero to come and save everyone?
Qingxia spread her wings, ready to take everyone to the sky while she still had the strength. But she couldn't fly. An invisible force, like a gentle hand, gently pressed her back to the ground.
She was stunned for a moment, realizing that it was someone's temper. When she realized this, a familiar lazy voice reached everyone's ears.
"Hey, don't leave in such a hurry."
"After all the hard work of defeating the Demon King, we're heading to a new hell? That's too bad. This isn't the kind of story we're looking for!"
The sea's spread suddenly stopped, even the light and color ceased to shift. The radiance of the sun and moon clung to the sky, like black and white snowflakes. Yet this still world wasn't silent; it was filled with the familiar sounds of laughter. Chu Hengkong could even hear the sounds of trumpets and drums. There was actually music here. He wondered what lunatic was playing such an unpleasant song at this hour.
He saw the source of the music. Researchers came running in droves, treading the seawater and holding their homemade instruments. They fired cannons, sending streamers cut from fine leaves fluttering. A few who didn't know how to play a musical instrument used sticks to hold up a banner with large, flamboyant characters written on it:
Congratulations! The wilderness has been conquered!
Chu Hengkong couldn't help but laugh, and everyone laughed out loud. In this unreasonable and hopeless world, these ignorant idiots were a godsend.
The wild warrior in black armor stood among them, wearing cool sunglasses and a flaming cape. He laughed triumphantly and said, "That's how it should be! Now that we've won, we should laugh to our heart's content!"
Chongming drew out his sword and slashed at the air.
In an instant, waves surged, the water level rose, and countless seawater disappeared, causing the virtual sea to suddenly break apart. The blade light, as solid as substance, actually pierced the sea, carving a deep ravine that seemed endless in the ocean!
The sea surged in furiously, yet its impatience prevented it from advancing an inch. The storm surged in with a white radiance, creating a wide, open path of light across the sea. His movements were incredibly casual; a single, casual slash of his sword was enough to rip apart the shackles of fate.
That road became a ray of hope, illuminating the eyes of the weary and desperate. Even the most silent of them cheered loudly. Gulibo laughed and danced, "Commander Chongming, you're so strong, huh?!"
Chongming wiped his nose and said smugly: "What a joke! I told you guys a long time ago that I'm awesome, but I was restricted from showing off my skills before! Hurry up and get in now, or I'll throw you into the blood plains and continue fighting."
"No!" Gulbo screamed and quickly jumped into the road. Fander was the first to jump in, laughing in the light.
With this cut, the settlement was divided into two distinct sections. Chongming and the people in the fog stood on opposite sides of the passage, while the brave men, warriors, and Fenya naturally stepped into the passage. Chu Hengkong was about to praise Commander Chongming for his excellent swordsmanship, but he saw that he stood still, not moving.
"Hey, Chongming!"
The warrior put away his sword, his smile rarely gentle.
"Sir, there's no reason for me to leave the battlefield," he said. "There are many important people waiting for me inside."
Qingxia, with her sharp eyes, spotted a furry head behind Chongming and quickly called out, "Grandpa!"
"Young people should go out and adventure into the vast world." Silar jumped out from behind Chongming and said with a smile, "We are enough for those who remain in this small battlefield."
It was already a being within the fog, a life based only on the Heavenly Prison, ineligible to journey into the outside world. Qingxia realized this and dropped her hand in frustration. Silar reached out his little paw and stroked her orange hair.
"After you go out, you must take care of your body and go to bed on time. You can't always control your mouth and eat nutritious food."
"Um."
"Build good relationships with everyone and don't argue with your friends," the old man gently advised. "You may encounter unreasonable things, but don't lose your temper. Work together to find a solution, and you'll always be able to resolve the problem."
"Yeah." Qingxia nodded vigorously.
Thrall raised his paw and patted his granddaughter's cheek, smiling widely at his child.
"If you want to be a knight, of course you can. Even if you want to be a nymphomaniac, that's fine too.
Don't care about your identity or race. You will always be our proudest warrior! "
"I will, Grandpa!" Qingxia wiped away her tears and smiled at the old man, "I will become stronger! And then I will go to the Heavenly Prison and fight with you again!"
The imprisoned tide surged once more, and the light from Chongming's blade began to flow. He smiled at Chu Hengkong, turned, and walked towards the sky, towards another battlefield from the past. The people in the mist followed Chongming's footsteps, following his fluttering flaming cloak. He raised his hand high before the blood-red vortex, his index finger pointing toward the rising sun.
"Final Commands!
Free and easy guys, live happily!
The 35th Resistance Army, disbanded!"
People from the past step into the vortex and head to another ancient battlefield.
The sea water submerged their footprints, and the road to the future began to flow.
Warriors step into the light.
Leave the wilderness of despair and head towards the other side of hope.
(End of this chapter)
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