Chapter 145 Shenlan
The woman in red stood alone on the boundless snow cliff, the cold wind blowing silently, as if she were the only one in the world.
Blood mingled with her breath, her dress fluttered in the wind and snow, and she tilted her head back and closed her eyes.
At this moment, she had become mortal, neither demon, nor immortal, nor god.
She was just an ordinary mortal.
The sunlight shone on the woman, and nine stars circled before her—
She wanted to take these stars back to Fengdu, to the River of Oblivion, and destroy them completely.
How should she go? The woman opened her eyes and looked at the vast world and the boundless expanse of the earth.
She has attained the Great Dao and has no regrets in this life.
On the snowy cliff, the woman in red smiled softly. Holding her sword, she walked into the dark abyss, accompanied by stars.
Suddenly,
She remembered that night, one particular night.
In an unnamed forest in Danzhou, she gossiped with the scholar, the aloof female doctor nodded and introduced herself, Zhang Xuan lowered his head feeling both happy and embarrassed, Wen Chuan smiled helplessly, Cai Cai slept soundly in the carriage, they sat around the fire, sparks crackling and leaves rustling in the wind, keeping them quiet.
Actually, they didn't say anything. They didn't have any heart-to-heart talks, nothing dramatic happened, nothing at all.
But in that instant when she thought back, all she felt was a strong, desperate desire to go back.
It was a longing, a hopeless longing.
She could go back, but the place was empty and deserted.
In the darkness, she closed her eyes, and a single tear silently rolled down her cheek.
A gentle snowstorm sweeps across the vast expanse, while a dark abyss sighs softly.
"Child, you have already,"
"You did a great job."
In the void, gently, Qingyu opened her eyes—
A misty, azure realm, like the sky and the sea, stretches endlessly into the distance, covered by vast expanses of light blue mist, occasionally rippling like water, yet as soft as clouds.
As Qingyu walked, it was as if she were stepping on the waves of the blue sea, or as if she were truly entering the soft clouds of the blue sky.
Where am I...?
Qingyu looked up and down. This place was like a fairyland, yet it also felt like an endless prison.
In the distance, she saw a figure from behind.
A flowing veil, flowers glistening with dew, a gentle gesture—it's as if spring itself has arrived.
Unbeknownst to her, the figure turned around and looked at her with a smile.
Qingyu's breath hitched for a moment. Light and shadow drifted by, spring mist was like water, a branch was broken, and a person in heaven appeared.
She was like a goddess in a dream.
"Little Flower?"
The goddess smiled softly, looking at Qingyu, her tone calm and innocent.
May I call you that?
Qingyu looked at her intently, and suddenly said, "I've seen you before."
She had seen this goddess in a dream.
That year, a baby girl mysteriously appeared in Qishan, sleeping peacefully amidst a sea of flowers.
At that time, when the baby girl opened her eyes, what she saw was not the sky, nor the earth, but flowers.
The petals swayed gently, as if a drop of dew had fallen into the baby's eye. In that instant, the image of a goddess flashed by, and the baby waved and cried, instantly coming back to life.
"I've seen you before, you are..."
Qingyu looked at her, and for the first time, the woman seemed so bewildered. "You are... the one who created me..."
The goddess smiled and shook her head. "Yes and no."
"Little Flower,"
She said so gently, "Tell me, what do you want?"
Qingyu smiled, a smile that was calm yet tinged with amusement. "Is everything alright?"
The goddess thought for a moment, then replied very seriously, "Everything is possible, even time."
Qingyu lowered her eyes for a moment, then looked up again and said,
"I don't want anything."
"I feel great, everything is great."
We walked those roads together, step by step. Perhaps, for a fleeting moment...
The river flows gently in the distance, even the wind seems to marvel at our reunion, and the vast blue sky above softly sketches our image.
Finally, as the years passed, the earth covered our story.
We have always been ourselves.
In the end, she felt good.
Perhaps this ending seems a little sad, but she is very content.
All feasts must come to an end; every season has its own flowers blooming; everything is natural.
The goddess smiled, seemingly with a hint of understanding. She raised her hand, her slender fingers lightly touching the ground, a gentle breeze flowing into her heart—
"In that case, let me tell you a story."
"That's a story from a very, very long time ago."
...
Ancient times.
All things were in darkness, the sky and sea were like a ball, then a tree was built, supporting the sky above and sinking into the sea below.
The stars in the sky illuminate the world, and the sea creates land known as the Nine Provinces.
The pillar was built from a tree, and the spirit maiden was like a snake. Afterward, all the gods were born.
...
In the distant past, Kunlun.
At that time, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was waning, the Jianmu tree cracked, the long night was difficult to see, the sea was raging, and disasters were constantly occurring, with signs of the world's destruction looming.
The gods argued endlessly about this, and it seemed there was only one solution—
The collapse of the Jianmu tree was unavoidable, but the gods responded with their own spirit, supporting the heavens and opening the earth. As the sea surged and purified everything, the nine provinces were reborn.
...
The sea surges, the sun sets gently, and the moon turns silently.
At this moment, inside the Star Palace.
The man stood alone, gazing up at the endless starry sky, silent and oblivious to everything else.
Have you made your choice?
He turned around upon hearing this, and there came the Flower Goddess. The woman smiled calmly, her expression serene and serene.
The Star Lord smiled, "I'm not in a hurry... but didn't you say you weren't coming?"
The spirit maiden said that since they would be leaving eventually, the gods should each choose a favorite star from the myriad stars above the Star Palace and cast it into the River of Oblivion.
In the future, these stars will replace the gods and continue to walk the world, shining brightly throughout the land.
The Flower Goddess smiled and said to the Star Lord, "You don't need to worry about me... I heard that the Heavenly Dao also came to choose a star the other day?"
Since the Spirit Maiden made her suggestion, many gods have come here to choose a star. They have even bent the Bridge of Helplessness by trampling on it. Lord Taishan, who lives at the head of the bridge, is almost driven crazy by their noise.
Oh, Gu Mo was even bolder, nagging and insisting that Tai Shan fix his star in a certain group—it seemed to be something, Liu Jin?
Their relationship is good, and no other deity can interfere.
Ultimately, these stars represent the final selfish desire of the gods.
"It's strange, the Heavenly Dao has always been ruthless towards all living beings in the world, but for some reason, it also agreed to the Spirit Maiden's suggestion and chose a star to go to."
The Star Lord shrugged and sighed helplessly, "His choice has made my Star Palace even more lively. Yesterday, even Tai Shan himself came all the way from Fengdu to choose one from here—"
"You also know that Taishan has never liked the Heavenly Dao. The meaning of choosing that star seems to be that, by using the power of the Lord of Fengdu, he will turn this star into an all-knowing person in the human world. In any case, it is definitely more powerful than that star of destiny."
The Flower Goddess sighed helplessly, "...Taishan is the same. Omniscient people never live long. Why make things difficult for the stars?"
Besides, the only thing that can rival the Star of Destiny is probably the deep sea.
Otherwise, even if all the stars chosen by the gods were added together, they might not be able to surpass it.
Star Lord: "Enough said. You've come here today to choose a star, haven't you?"
The goddess of flowers smiled, pursing her lips, and looked up at the boundless starry sky, saying...
“I have no interest in these things… but my husband heard that the heavens chose a star, so he asked me to choose one for him as well… balance is always good.”
"He...so be it,"
The Star Lord smiled. Over the years, the gods have only seen the Heavenly Dao and have never seen the deep sea. It is said that the god has the same strength as the heavens, but he is very low-key. Even in the Nine Provinces, there are very few people who worship the sea god.
On another note, it's unclear how the Flower Goddess got involved with that person, but on a certain day of a certain month of a certain year, the Wind God saw the couple in the mortal realm, and in an instant, the wind blew back and forth, and all the gods knew about it.
"The stars in my Star Palace are the brightest in the world, it doesn't matter which one... so hurry up and choose, don't drag it out too long."
Flower Goddess: "Why are you in such a hurry... I'll choose slowly."
The Star Lord waved his hand dismissively, then turned and walked to the high platform of the Star Palace, leisurely drinking his wine while chuckling softly.
"The Snow Maiden from the mortal realm also came yesterday. I don't know if it's because of the Heavenly Dao... Anyway, she spent a long time choosing from me but couldn't make a choice, and then she left."
Flower Goddess: "So?"
Star Lord: "That's why it was so cold in my palace yesterday, so cold that my wine got cold."
It's ice cold and doesn't taste good.
Flower Goddess: "..."
The woman smiled helplessly, then looked up at the starry sky again.
The vast, deep starry sky is like a dream, its darkness tinged with purple, occasionally punctuated by flashes of white light.
One star after another twinkled, some slowly, some quickly, some dimly, some shimmeringly.
Actually, they are all very different stars.
"Just that one."
She smiled as she looked at the quiet star; it pleased her, and thus pleased the sea.
The Star Lord put down his wine glass and smiled softly.
"You've chosen for someone else, but you're really not going to choose for yourself?"
"No selection,"
The Flower Goddess smiled as she gazed at the dazzling stars, saying, "These stars are the last thing the gods left for the Nine Provinces."
"But whether it's good or bad remains to be seen."
"I won't add to the trouble."
After saying that, she turned to leave, but then, as if suddenly remembering something, she turned back to the Star Lord and said...
"Drunkenness can lead to trouble, be careful,"
"These stars, separated from the sky, can only be cast into the River of Oblivion to be reincarnated. It would be bad if they mistakenly entered the human world."
The Star Lord, half-reclining on his high seat, waved his hand to indicate that he understood.
The Flower Goddess smiled and left.
After what seemed like an eternity, the man awoke to the smell of wine. He casually propped his forehead up and looked at the starry sky: one, two, three... nine stars.
He and the goddess of flowers thought differently. She was for the sake of blooming flowers, seeking nature in the mud, while he was a celestial star, the first star in the world.
Stars all yearn to shine brightly in the world.
If that's the case, he will choose nine stars—
"The Way of Heaven?"
The Star Lord rose to greet him, but only saw the Heavenly Dao standing there quietly.
“I had a single, biased thought, which transformed into a star and has now entered the River of Oblivion.”
"Swish swish swish swish swish swish swish!"
Shocked, the Star Lord's hand trembled for a moment. When he looked up again, all nine stars... had fallen to earth...
...
Qingyu snapped back to reality in an instant, as if returning from that natural and distant past—
"This is..."
This is the origin of the calamity that befell the Nine Provinces today, and also the truth behind why Wuming, who was devoted to the Heavenly Dao, strayed into the evil path...
The Flower Goddess sighed helplessly and looked tenderly at Qingyu.
"When the gods were about to fall, Kunlun was reduced to ruins. At that time, we also struggled and argued endlessly. There were even duels between gods, which brought disaster to the human world."
"At that time, it was the Heavenly Dao that suppressed it. As the God Lord, he was always ruthless. With him around, the gods naturally calmed down."
"We never thought of it,"
I never imagined that after years of working together, sharing drinks and laughter, we would become confidants.
Heaven, too, does not wish for the gods to perish.
Even if it's just for a moment,
In an instant, a fleeting thought transformed into that obsessive, destined star, which was cast into the world.
What does this star actually want to do? Is it to become a god?
Yes and no. What he really wanted to do was to forge a divine sword with the Nine Stars, create a divine body with all the spirits, and finally cleave open the illusory Kunlun Mountain, so that the gods could be revived.
That is the thought of Heaven.
At that time, only the Heavenly Dao, the Star Lord, and Mount Tai knew about this matter.
The Flower Goddess also wondered why Mount Tai had suddenly become so concerned about that deep-sea star, going to great lengths and even entrusting the Spirit Maiden and the Flower Goddess to travel through time and space to personally bless the child and give him a celestial sword.
Only in the end, when the Jianmu tree collapsed, the celestial sea raged, the gods fell, Kunlun closed and the mortal world was reborn, did she and the Spirit Maiden piece together this absurd truth—
The spirit maiden used everything she had to remain in the mortal realm, dissipating her spiritual energy, severing her tail to become human, and deceiving the heavens to transform into a mortal.
In the end, the goddess remained in the human world after the flood in mortal form, passing on the power of words through generations in an attempt to defy the will of heaven.
The Flower Goddess simply walked peacefully towards her demise along with the other gods. In her final moments, the woman turned back to look at the heavens and the earth, at the world, and at all living beings.
Gently, the goddess who follows the natural way also graces this land of humanity.
A drop of water flowed down.
Sighing tears.
...
"I am yours..."
Qingyu looked at the goddess, who gave her a calm and gentle smile.
Longevity is natural, as are the stars and the myriad muds.
You realized, you saved, you exhausted everything, until finally—
The gods have favored you.
In an instant, the Heavenly Sea Realm shook, and the goddess vanished like smoke before our eyes.
There was no time to search, no time to think. In an instant, the waves rolled and crashed towards her. The icy, bone-chilling seawater poured into the woman's mouth and nose, and the salty smell ravaged her. She struggled desperately, but was overwhelmed by all the darkness and chaos.
The Great Way is impartial, yet it follows the law of cause and effect.
In the very end,
In the deep sea, the woman sank painfully downwards, reaching out her hand into the darkness ahead—
Suddenly, golden light appeared.
...
In the first year of Shengxi, in the South China Sea.
The blue waves rippled and shimmered, and suddenly a little girl on the large ship cried out, "Wah wah wah!"
"Dad! Uncle! There's a sister here! Dad!!!"
"Quickly, get them out of the water! Come on, everyone help!"
"Xiaoman! Step back, don't get hurt!"
"Great! Ah! This older sister..."
She...she is...
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