Exquisite Blood Cleansing
Everything was white, indistinguishable between sky and earth. I was enveloped in it, the texture soft and sticky, like being in the womb, yet every inch of ground beneath my feet was so hard.
Where am I? And who am I?
In a daze, someone asked: "Cen Chaolan, the mortal world you tread, your suffering, accumulation, annihilation, and path, are nothing but an illusion created by a fragmented soul. Can you accept those unbroken paths of the Great Dao?"
The chaos dissipated, revealing indistinct outlines.
Chao Lan waved her hand in the void, and everything finally felt real.
"Chaolan! Did you hear me clearly?"
Someone was moving before his eyes—his elder brother, the Emperor. The once glorious era was crumbling, teetering on the brink of collapse amidst its splendor.
The emperor never appointed a crown prince, and the court was in turmoil. The eldest prince, the only one who had a chance of being named heir, was imprisoned.
Chao Lan stared at his elder brother for a long while before finally uttering, "Elder brother."
“Your Majesty did not want to involve you, but the situation is dire and the heavens are in peril. You have been cultivating diligently on Chaoyun Mountain for more than ten years, so you should understand my predicament.”
Chao Lan looked down and saw the table covered with evidence of her father's crimes. One of the most prominent was that the Empress had been imprisoned in the Cold Palace, left to suffer from illness without care or treatment, without being given a single meal, and left to live or die at her own discretion.
The Empress, his mother.
Space twisted and shifted, and he stood amidst his father's wine pool and meat forest, holding the Dream-Slicing Blade.
"What do you think you're doing, you expendable pawn?! Guards! Guards!"
The main hall was in chaos, with chickens and dogs running amok and many concubines fleeing in all directions, their clothes tattered.
The handle of the Dream-Cutter Knife was so slippery that it was impossible to hold, so Chaolan tied it to her hand with a strip of cloth.
An uncontrollable sorrow surged forth, and the person standing behind his father strangely manipulated him, making his father appear utterly ridiculous.
Cen Chaolan leaned down and severed the man's head. What rolled off the platform was her father's terrified face.
"ah!!!"
"Brother, well done. You have saved the world and deserve to be called the God of War."
Cen Chaolan vomited violently, expelling all the filth from her internal organs.
The Dream-Cutting Blade, capable of beheading tyrannical rulers and slicing through treacherous officials, has fulfilled its original purpose in being forged.
He buried his face in his hands and wept bitterly, wanting to hide in some airtight room.
But then the emperor's elder brother walked out of the hall carrying the emperor's head: "Thank you, I will be a benevolent ruler."
A thousand swords hung from his head, surrounding Chao Lan in an impenetrable array, and pierced him through.
His entire body was stripped away by some force, leaving only his head able to move. He looked at his elder brother's face, which seemed so distant, while his father, who had been cut off alive, was right in front of him.
He struggled to turn, drawing strength from who-knows-where, even though he couldn't feel his limbs.
With one bite, he bit down hard on his elder brother's neck, refusing to let go even as his head was severed from his body. He had already committed patricide, so killing his brother would only be a matter of course.
His wrist was burning hot, and the Dream-Cutting Blade was summoned, piercing through the Crown Prince's chest.
Blood splattered all over Cen Chaolan's face. With a blood-red sword, he revealed his ghostly face, his wrist glowing with golden light. He smiled, and the world returned to chaos, absorbing all the filth.
He had already finished that dream.
Despite the blood soaking his body, he already possessed the courage to take out his heart and wash it repeatedly.
With firm steps, Chao Lan followed her intuition as she walked through this boundless octagonal compass.
The road ahead was long, and Chaolan didn't know how long she had walked. There were no landmarks to guide her, no signs, no end in sight, no sound, only a deathly silence... Only her heart was still beating, and her hands were still burning hot.
The blood hadn't disappeared; it clung stickily to his face and clothes. So he began to sing, some court music, some folk music, or perhaps an unknown tune that person hummed in quiet or joyful moments.
Slowly, a touch of color seeped out from the pure white. He ran towards it, but could never reach that tiny dot. Chao Lan rested for a while, then walked over, unhurriedly.
Finally, the small dot drew closer, its lush green spreading outwards. Chao Lan felt a sense of familiarity, step by step, step by step.
Oh, it's that bamboo grove. It's that bamboo grove. He walked over.
The green sea surges, and the bamboo leaves, like blades, rise, fall, pierce, and drop.
Then he saw it.
Snow fell.
Snow hung heavy on the green branches, and the world seemed to lose its color again. The bamboo leaves struggled but could not open the branches. A deathly silence descended, and the whole world even began to turn gray and wither.
Then, he saw it.
He saw Zhu Xun, who was late. Chao Lan dared to say that Zhu Xun had died at that time and had no chance of survival.
Zhu Xun's mouth agape, his eyes sunken deeply, and absolute fear spread across his face.
Zhu Xun used both hands and feet, crawling on his knees and falling to his death.
Then, Chaolan followed Zhuxun and saw the shocking scene that he never wanted to see again in his life.
Kunlun jade shattered, and Langgan jade crumbled.
Youju lay lifeless on the ground, unable to move.
"There are oranges!" The shout tore at Chaolan's heart.
"Master." Chao Lan was short of breath, and he subconsciously stepped forward.
This was the most painful time for Zhu Xun.
Zhu Xun held You Youju and cried loudly until her voice was hoarse. Blood splattered, leaving a cinnabar mark on the pale earth.
Zhu Xun and You Youju were cheek to cheek, what were they saying? Chao Lan couldn't hear them.
Even though You Youju was completely dead, Chaolan, who knew that it was all in the past, couldn't help but shed tears upon seeing this scene.
Zhu Xun trembled like a leaf, crying out for You Youju to return, his heart breaking.
Youyouju's body began to dissipate, and Zhuxun kept tugging at his clothes, begging him not to leave.
The surrounding temperature plummeted, and a sharp, broken plea echoed through the sky. Chao Lan saw that You Youju's temples were frosted with white. Then, like snowflakes, it melted away on the earth, leaving only a tattered garment held in Zhu Xun's arms.
Zhu Xun knelt on the snow-covered ground, remaining motionless for a long time. Snowflakes fell on his head and shoulders, and he couldn't lift his head for a long time, like a statue.
Chao Lan felt as if a piece of his heart had been ripped out, but he knew even more that Zhu Xun's pain at this moment was something he could not bear.
Then the space distorted again, and Zhu Xun fell to the ground, not moving until the "stage" was set up.
Like a walking corpse, he returned to the direction he had belatedly come from.
Finally. The same scene and plot were repeated two or three times. Zhu Xun became more and more broken down, and the syllables of her cries could only be squeezed out of her throat dryly and stiffly.
If this continues, he will definitely go "crazy".
Chaolan tried to pull him back, stop him, yell at him, and push him over... but all to no avail.
It seems he has no choice but to start with his master.
You Youju fell into Zhu Xun's arms again, her face pale and lifeless. Chao Lan finally heard what You Youju said.
He said,
wait for me.
Chao Lan felt conflicted. He was unwilling to see his master die again and again, but amidst his grief, he felt a twisted jealousy and a morbid sense of satisfaction.
This gave him quite a fright.
The fourth time, he was the first to drag away You Youju—no, it couldn't be You Youju.
Just as Zhu Xun pounced over, he pinned down the man who was baring his teeth and claws: "Wake up! He's back! You Youju is back!"
Zhu Xun's eyes cleared for a moment, but he kept muttering "Uncle, Uncle."
Chao Lan blindfolded him again, trying to pull him out of the scene, and this time it finally worked.
"Wake up, Cen Zhuxun! He's still waiting for us to save him!"
Zhu Xun collapsed, powerless. There was no wind, and the bamboo forest gradually dissipated, returning to a chaotic white expanse.
Zhu Xun rubbed his forehead to calm himself down, then looked around at Lan and urged, "There's no time, get up quickly!"
Zhu Xun uttered a few words, his voice dry and mocking: "Where is my uncle?"
Chao Lan stepped forward: "We haven't found it yet. You'd better get up quickly, because Master may be going through something even more painful."
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