Chapter 140: The Fall of Stars - The Truth
Zhang Xuan was in a daze when he woke up.
He drifted all the way from Nanjun to Qiyang, and from afar he could see the capital city ablaze with fire and heavy with the stench of blood. If he listened carefully, he could also hear the sounds of fighting and weeping.
For some reason, he felt very uneasy. He drifted aimlessly along the road and saw bloodshed, cries, pain, and the ravages of war in the streets.
The moon was full and cold, its red light hazy. Amidst the chaos, he heard someone crying beside him—
"Young Master Tu has massacred the Qiyang Palace! Run! He's killing people!"
"Prince Yuan has led his troops to quell the rebellion! I can't run anymore!"
"So what! I heard his wife was killed by the mutinous troops!"
"Ah! Run!"
"..."
Zhang Xuan's heart sank. He instinctively reached out to ask what was wrong, but found no one could see him. He wandered frantically and anxiously down the long street, calling out, helpless.
What happened?! Who is Gongzi Yuan's wife?! Where is Xiaoman?! Where is Fan Xiang?! Has anyone seen him?! Can anyone see him?!
He walked and floated about in a great panic. Perhaps it was a sudden connection between father and daughter that caused him to arrive at Gongzi Yuan's residence amidst his scattered movements.
The full moon shone brightly, the lamplight was blood-red, and the ground was covered with corpses, even Lin Xiang was among them...
Seemingly realizing what had happened, he paused for a moment, then slowly, very slowly, continued walking forward—
Don't go.
A familiar voice rang out, and Zhang Xuan turned around to see Qin Tianshu.
"Zhang Xuan, don't go any further."
As he spoke, the boy's mind cleared up considerably in an instant, as if he had broken free from Zhang Xuan's identity and emotions, and was no longer so numb as to want to follow him.
Even so, he still felt heartbroken. Zhang Xuan lowered his eyes and said painfully to the scholar, "I..."
Qin Tianshu smiled helplessly at his expression and said to Zhang Xuan,
"She's gone. Dr. Lin and the others are waiting for you. Come with me, the dream is about to end."
"But I still want to go see Xiaoman."
Zhang Xuan looked at Qin Tianshu, noticing the barely suppressed redness in the boy's eyes. "Even though it was a dream, I am still..."
The scholar smiled. He looked at the moon in the sky, which was now faintly glowing red, looking quite eerie.
"despair."
A very faint rustling sound of a folding fan rang out, as if reminding someone of something, but unfortunately, this sound was ultimately drowned out by the footsteps not far away and the boy's silent heartache.
"In that case, I'll go with you to take a look."
Qin Tianshu said this, and Zhang Xuan nodded. Then the two of them walked inside one after the other.
In the darkness, the scholar in blue robes led the way, followed by the young man wielding a knife.
Zhang Xuan asked, "Brother, where's your fan... What did you do in this dream?"
Qin Tianshu smiled calmly and said nothing.
Zhang Xuan was a little puzzled. The boy looked at his back and asked, "Brother?"
The scholar turned around, and he stood there, smiling at him.
"You."
Suddenly, a blue mist began to spread, and Zhang Xuan felt a headache coming on. When he came to his senses, he realized that he was surrounded by darkness, and the cold, eerie atmosphere under the red moon was chilling.
"careful!"
At that very moment, a ruthless blade of light suddenly appeared behind Qin Tianshu, heading straight for the scholar without hesitation—
"Sizzle—"
The sound of blades clashing rang out, and Zhang Xuan's hand trembled. The knife was so fast and ruthless, as if it was using all its strength to take a person's life!
"You'd better get out of here!"
Seeing that the dream was starting to go wrong, a strange blade appeared out of nowhere in the darkness. Zhang Xuan couldn't grasp it, couldn't see it, and his heart started pounding violently for some reason!
At this moment, Zhang Xuan had already drawn his twin swords, staring intently at his surroundings. "Brother, step back!"
Qin Tianshu was a scholar who was most skilled in creating illusions. Now that his paper fan was gone, he was no match for this strange thing!
Thinking this, Zhang Xuan suppressed his unease, gripped Frost Moon in one hand and Blood Moon in the other, protecting the scholar step by step.
Qin Tianshu was shielded in the center by him, his eyes unknowingly deep and unfathomable, a half-smile playing on his lips, as he reminded the young man in front of him.
"careful."
...
"Whoosh!"
A sudden, piercing sound filled the air!
Zhang Xuan spun around and took a step back, his Blood Moon Blade drawing a half-circle of silver arc, which collided violently with the crimson light that seemed to have come from nowhere!
Sparks burst forth in the darkness, becoming fleeting stars. The blood-scented aura of the blade crept up the blade, chilling his hands and making his heart tighten!
At this moment, the boundless darkness descended like a giant beast, with only a few scarlet halos flickering eerily in the mist in the distance. Zhang Xuan was calm yet terrified!
The next moment, before he could even stand up straight, a second strange blade of light grazed past his ear, the sharp energy slicing off several strands of hair, and with a "whoosh," it rushed towards his face!
"Zheng—"
Zhang Xuan held the Frost Moon Blade horizontally in front of his neck, barely managing to block the attack. This time, the blade's energy had an eerie bluish-white tinge. The instant it touched the Frost Moon Blade, Zhang Xuan felt as if his soul had been violently gripped by invisible claws—
Before anyone knew it, his clothes were torn to shreds, and the cold, blood-stained blades were aimed straight at his vital points!
A hissing sound rang out as a swift, invisible blade sliced through the skin, dripping blood that was crystal clear in the darkness and silence.
Zhang Xuan finally staggered backward, knife in hand, his boots grinding against the dark red, damp earth, the rustling sound mingling with his heavy breathing.
Who is it...where is it...? Why does this sword energy feel so familiar yet eerie, why...?
In an instant, Zhang Xuan's mind went blank. His instinct as a cultivator made him desperately clear his mind. He gripped the Blood Moon Blade tightly and cut open his own flesh. Just like many years ago, the edge of the Blood Moon Blade greedily licked the blood seeping from his arm. Dark red patterns wandered and spread on the blade, hoping to erupt!
But this power vanished in an instant—
The glint of blades in the shadows flashed erratically, sometimes carrying a scarlet, fiery killing intent, and sometimes gleaming with a chilling, deathly white!
Before anyone knew it, Zhang Xuan's clothes were soaked with blood. The dripping blood droplets hit the blade and made a faint "drip-drop" sound, which intertwined with the howling wind in the fog and the sound of the blade cutting through the air from who-knows-where, creating a deathly silence.
"puff--"
A low growl mixed with blood and foam escaped Zhang Xuan's throat. He gripped the knife, trembling, and finally knelt on one knee with bloodshot eyes. At that moment, he held the knife tightly, blood flowing into the ground, illuminated by the moonlight.
He lowered his head and sank into the darkness. Suddenly, he wondered, where did Qin Tianshu go?
At that moment, the Frost Moon Blade flickered and shimmered, emitting an eerie silver light.
"The more you struggle, the more pain you experience."
"You."
A desolate sound drifted over, carrying a familiar smile in its ethereal quality. Zhang Xuan's eyes widened, and as the cold light reflected off the sound, a wave of excruciating pain washed over his mind!
Suddenly, he understood everything. With a flick of his wrist, the young man raised his sword and threw it. The Blood Moon Blade flew fiercely into the distant black mist!
Gently, the mist dissipated, and Zhang Xuan saw the end of the blade's gleam.
The aloof and bewildered woman stood there, as if searching for something.
As if by divine intervention, they locked eyes for a fleeting moment.
It is Fan Xiang.
"don't want!"
Whether using the fastest speed of his life or the last ounce of his strength, Zhang Xuan trembled as he swung Frost Moon, attempting to sever his own sword intent. At that moment, both blades were engulfed in darkness—
"puff!"
With a gentle thud, the sword fell, and the boy knelt on the ground. The two swords plunged into his chest, straight through his own body.
The world is like an illusion, nothing more than the human heart.
My hatred kills me, my love kills me.
Kill me.
The Blood Moon frantically sucked up the endless blood gushing from his wounds, while the Frost Moon silently burned his soul. The two forces completely, utterly, utterly destroyed him.
With the two swords piercing his heart, he can no longer enter the cycle of reincarnation.
The boy finally raised his head, unable to stop spitting out large amounts of blood. The redness in his eyes faded, replaced by disbelief.
A misty haze hung in the air, and suddenly, the softest sound of a folding fan closing rang out again. Zhang Xuan refused to close his eyes, simply raising his head to gaze at the indistinct figure in the darkness—
"Why...why..."
"Why……"
"elder brother……"
In the darkness, the boy looked up at the sky in a daze, and it seemed that for a moment, he glimpsed the moon, a red moon.
He didn't receive a single reply, not one.
Not even a sigh.
The red soil wept, the silver light of the blade flashed against the black sky, and his soul silently awaited its final demise.
The frosty moon is cold and can connect yin and yang; the blood moon shines and reveals the will of heaven.
A dazzling white light pierced his eyes, and life gradually faded into darkness. In a daze, he saw endless stars beside him.
It was an incredibly beautiful sight of stars. He gazed at it intently, and suddenly heard laughter. He looked down—
Is that a fairy? So beautiful, so pure.
They were laughing. Some sat on the high platform reading quietly, some looked up at the stars with curiosity, some chatted and laughed with each other, and some swaggered around with a bottle of wine, only to be looked down upon by their friends.
Suddenly, a slight tremor ran through the air, and everyone simultaneously put down what they were doing and looked at the person approaching from not far away.
Resembling both male and female, born of the interplay of black and white, the embodiment of destiny, the origin of all gods.
That is the way of Heaven.
...
At this time, in this place, was the ancient land of the gods, Kunlun.
So, who am I?
He looked at it again and again, thought about it again and again, and finally smiled softly.
It turns out that the last ancient star was hidden in Fengdu.
It's me.
...
An unknown fool, recklessly cultivating the Heavenly Way, entered the game with his own body, and finally gathered the Nine Stars, using the sword of the gods to cleave open the Heavenly Gate.
Destiny has decreed the restart of Kunlun.
Therefore, the divine rebirth was brought forth.
With all the gods fallen, the spirits of the common people, the nine stars left by the gods, were used to reshape Kunlun, in order to seek the return of the gods.
Softly, in the mist, another sigh came.
Lord of Fengdu, Lord Taishan.
"What difference is there between a single thought of Heaven and a mere illusion?"
"Foolish child, foolish child."
...
Gently, the boy finally lowered his head, and the dripping sound of blood began, very slowly.
It was so quiet that even the sound of blood would be considered noisy.
A person dies in an instant, but the soul departs for a lifetime.
In the end, he no longer cared about so-called fate or the truth; he simply waited quietly.
Memories are veiled by layers of light, and the boy counts, recites, and yearns for them in his heart.
Ten miles of magnolias, a clear morning in Jizhou, the sun shining on the golden mountains, winter solstice snow...
It turns out we've traveled so many roads.
He longs to go back...
go back……
go back…
...
I don't know how much time passed, but everything fell into dead silence.
He is no longer alive.
Suddenly, it seemed as if an extremely faint sound rang out from the pool of blood—
"Coo, coo, coo."
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