Decisive Battle of the Twelve Stars of the Sky and Sea 1
As soon as Huaiwen finished speaking, the three of them were suddenly pulled out of the tomb as if they had been grabbed by ropes.
"boom--"
After the sound, they found themselves in a vast, empty sea.
What is Kukai?
The sea stretches as far as the eye can see, yet the water only reaches ankle-deep. Here, the sky is a gradient of blue and purple, with twelve constellations hanging high in the sky. As the seasons cycle, each constellation will light up naturally in accordance with the season. When all twelve constellations rise together, it will be the time of the change of the three realms and the demise of the universe.
The three stood on the empty sea.
The melodious strains of the zither drifted in, poignant and tender, crisp and sweet, as a cool breeze swept through, carrying the fragrance of flowers. The three couldn't help but show surprise; this was a tune only played on the zither mountain.
The three followed the sound of the zither and saw a tall, handsome man gently playing the instrument. As they drew closer, they realized that the person playing the melodious music was the esteemed Crown Prince, the revered Heavenly Emperor.
The Heavenly Emperor raised his eyes, glanced at the three of them, and smiled with delight, his eyes sparkling. His voice was clear and bright: "Three hundred years have passed. When you listen to the music again, the people have changed."
The three did not answer, and the Heavenly Emperor smiled knowingly again: "Does this melody remind you of anything?"
Nan Zhi felt a heavy weight in her heart. The person before her was Tian Jun, the Crown Prince of Yin, and her junior brother. She had always thought that even if she wasn't as close to Tian Jun as she was to Fu Lin, they were at least able to chat casually and were kindred spirits.
After thinking for a while, Nan Zhi said with emotion: "I think of the few days we had when we were happily drunk at Fengqin Mountain."
"Oh, that's about what I thought." The Heavenly Emperor raised his eyebrows.
Huaiwen remained silent. Tianjun glanced at her, then looked at Xuan Ye beside him, stopped playing the zither, and slowly stood up, saying, "Three hundred years have passed, Lingshan. Our bet is finally over."
Xuan Ye's expression was cold and fierce. He frowned slightly and looked at Huai Wen with some hesitation. He explained, "It is to make Pei Suqin completely disappear."
Huaiwen nodded thoughtfully, when Tianjun suddenly laughed, "So you plotted to kill a king? As expected of the Demon King, you've thought it through thoroughly, using others to avenge you. Huaiwen, do you think you've found a good person?"
Xuan Ye clenched his fists, feeling a dryness in his throat. He wondered what Huai Wen would think. Before he could explain, Huai Wen answered the Heavenly Emperor for him: "Whether someone is good or bad is not for you or me to judge. Who is right and who is wrong is just a matter of perspective."
"It seems you've grown again." The Heavenly Lord smiled with satisfaction, then asked, "But, can you do the same in front of your master?"
Huaiwen stood tall and straight, his eyes stern, and asked, "Where is my master?"
The Heavenly Emperor said, "Your master... died for you."
The sea rippled, creating layers of waves, a breathtaking sight. But they had no heart to appreciate the magnificent scenery. For the three of them, the death of Furu was a complex mix of emotions, difficult to process for the time being.
"Is he really dead?" Huaiwen asked after a long while.
The Heavenly Emperor smiled and said, "He should have died two thousand years ago."
"Are you grieving for your master?" the Heavenly Lord asked with a smile. "Do you know what he did for you? Do you know... that your death in the Void Mirror was also arranged by him... do you know that?"
The three of them froze, their brows furrowing. Nan Zhi couldn't believe that her kind-hearted junior brother was the real culprit who plotted to kill Huai Wen...
But then she heard the Heavenly Emperor say, "Do you all think he was always forced into this situation?"
Nan Zhi shouted, "Wasn't it you who forced him to do this?!"
"If you really want to know..." the Heavenly Lord tempted, "why not activate the Rewind Technique and go back to the past to take a look?"
The Art of Rewind!
Fu Lin disappeared because of the Rewind Technique. Because of the Rewind Technique, he lost his soul and his true self.
To this day, whether Fulan is alive or dead... they don't know.
Huaiwen was the most silent among them. The Heavenly Lord glanced at the silent Huaiwen, whose smile seemed even more sinister.
A gentle breeze swept by, and Huaiwen calmly displayed the history book. The Heavenly Emperor's brows furrowed in surprise, but he quickly softened again.
The Heavenly Emperor said, "History always brings sorrow and makes people want to hide away."
Huaiwen said indifferently, "History is never hidden; it's just a matter of knowing or not knowing."
"Ah—" the Heavenly Emperor hummed softly, "If that's the case, then let's make a choice."
"Smack—"
The shallow sea suddenly surged with waves hundreds of meters high, scattering the three of them. The Heavenly Lord lightly waved his sleeve, causing stars to shimmer and reflect on the water's surface.
Three people in the water surfaced.
It was the Imperial Preceptor, Fulin, and Luyuan.
The three were shocked! The Heavenly Lord smiled faintly: "They are all citizens of my Yin Kingdom. Let them fight for their country. However... I must remind you of one thing: winning the victory will be recorded in history... but they will die forever."
Nan Zhi shouted, "You actually sealed the Imperial Preceptor's soul for over two thousand years!"
The Heavenly Emperor said gently, "You're wrong, it was his own choice."
"So you killed him?" Xuan Ye questioned Lu Yuan.
The Heavenly Emperor shook his head and replied, "It's you. Have you forgotten?"
Xuan Ye gasped, then chuckled and said, "You're the one who caused him so much suffering. He could have easily become an immortal by cultivating properly, but you spread the rumor that only killing demons could lead to immortality... It was you... it was you... who killed him."
The Heavenly Emperor remained unfazed: "But killing demons can indeed lead to immortality. If Huaiwen hadn't stopped everyone from killing you in the Void Mirror, she would have already attained immortality by now. Instead, she would be covered in curses, tormented for three hundred years, suffering endless pain, and on the verge of death."
Huaiwen scoffed: "The reason why I cannot become an immortal is clearer to the Heavenly Lord than anyone else."
The Heavenly Lord said, "That's true. Because your master reports to me every time. He says it's good that you haven't become an immortal."
Bloodshot eyes had unknowingly filled Huaiwen's eyes. During her time cultivating on Fengqin Mountain, her master said he would pass on all his knowledge to her. She learned everything well, surpassing her senior brothers and sisters in everything. People often asked her, "Since you are so amazing, when will you become an immortal?"
She always said that the time was not right and that fate had its own plan.
What is real? What is her master still lying to her about? This suffering is truly unbearable.
Huaiwen clenched her fists and shouted resolutely, "Those who hide in the shadows come to the land of light, believing they are destined for greatness and have attained immortality. The world kneels before you, yet the epics never record a single word about them. You don't just stay up three days and nights; you make millions of people in the Yin Kingdom never sleep."
"You are not worthy to be His Highness the Crown Prince, and you are even less worthy to be a king!" Huaiwen roared as he conjured the Mingjing Sword and slashed it heavily at the Heavenly Emperor.
The Heavenly Emperor dodged backward, and Fu Lin stepped forward to block the sword. The Imperial Preceptor and Lu Yuan immediately attacked, and the three of them began to fight, exchanging dozens of blows.
"Master!" Huaiwen shouted.
But Fu Lin showed no reaction whatsoever; he simply continued to fire ice arrows. At this moment, he was a cold-blooded, thoughtless puppet. He used the shallow seawater as a weapon, relentlessly attacking Huai Wen.
"Crack—"
The sound of ice swords shattering lingered in Huaiwen's ears, and she seemed to see the past through those ice arrows of varying lengths.
Huaiwen first met Fulin not at the place where the demons and humans lived, but in the grove. She had noticed someone secretly spying on her long ago, because of her bet with the little demons.
Something about Fulin was drawing her attention.
She never understood it. All she knew was that from the day she met Fulin, she could sense his presence.
The perception disappeared after she returned to Fengqin Mountain with Fulin. At the time, she didn't investigate it further. Thinking back, she realized that she could no longer predict the future after that. When she told fortunes, she always used the small props that demons and yokai possessed.
So, is it really true, as the Heavenly Emperor said, that everything her master did to her was intentional?
Huaiwen shattered all the ice arrows, but then retaliated by sending the ice fragments back at Fulin. Fulin seemed to offer no resistance; he simply endured the attacks.
Huaiwen couldn't bear it; she felt as if her heart was being sliced off piece by piece with a sharp knife.
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan, with his green pupils, brandished his sword and said to Xuan Ye with an imposing air, "Didn't I tell you? Don't spare my life, or you will die by my hand."
“I have already killed you,” Xuan Ye replied.
Lu Yuan's face stiffened as he retorted, "You didn't... that's why I came to kill you."
Are you sure you are?
Lu Yuan was stunned for a moment, then thrust forward: "It's because of you that I haven't attained immortality."
Xuan Ye leaped across the net, dodging Lu Yuan's sneak attack, and replied, "If killing me will allow you to attain immortality, then why not give it a try?"
Lu Yuan's anger flared, but something forced him to calm down. He became an expressionless puppet, his only thought being to pierce Xuan Ye.
Meanwhile, on Nanzhi's side, the Imperial Preceptor was also constantly changing various spells and incantations to attack Nanzhi.
Nan Zhi tried to awaken the Imperial Preceptor, but no matter how she called out, he did not respond. She could only think of one thing: the Imperial Preceptor in front of her was no longer the Imperial Preceptor. More than two thousand years had passed, and this was no longer a simple soul, but a ghostly soldier under his control.
"Boom—" Nan Zhi was forced back by the Imperial Advisor. As the Imperial Advisor raised his sword to come over again, Nan Zhi did a backflip. Looking down from above, her eyes flashed.
Nan Zhi shouted, "Oh no! Shi Yuluo has been sealed inside the Imperial Preceptor's body!"
Upon hearing this, Huaiwen and Xuanye went to investigate and found that, just as Nanzhi had said, Shi Yuluo was sealed inside the Imperial Preceptor's body, Jiang Liyan was sealed inside Fulin's body, and Canglun was sealed inside Luyuan's body.
“Ayan is just a mortal!” Huaiwen asked in alarm.
The Heavenly Emperor feigned contemplation: "Really? But isn't he one of you? Didn't you say you wanted to attain immortality? I'm giving him this opportunity."
"You!" Huaiwen was stunned and retorted, "To you, are our lives like ants? Worthless!"
“No…you are valuable,” the Heavenly Lord laughed, “but I don’t want you anymore.”
The clash of swords and the sound of blades echoed continuously in the sky and sea. Huaiwen and her two companions could not finish off their opponents with a single strike; they were mostly on the defensive. If this continued, they would exhaust all their strength and ultimately simply wear themselves down.
Huaiwen used her Mingjing Sword to slash the seawater, sealing the three imperial advisors inside bubbles. She then attempted to separate the other three individuals sealed within their bodies.
However, the Heavenly Emperor touched the bubble with his hand, and the bubble burst, causing Huaiwen to be thrown back by the impact.
A powerful aftershock struck, and Xuan Ye caught Huai Wen safely. He advised, "Huai Wen, don't fight alone. We are one. Always remember, we are behind you."
Nan Zhi chimed in from the side, "He's right! Huaiwen, we never fight alone! You need to know that it's not just you who's fighting him, it's us too!"
"Huaiwen!" Xuan Ye roared as he slashed at the Heavenly Lord with his Wei Yuan sword, "You must live!"
Huaiwen's eyes reddened, her heart heavy with bitterness. All of this was because of her, and she didn't want anyone else to get hurt. In Pengxi Jade Forest, she had truly intended to end it all, but Xuan Ye's burning cherry blossom fire fox within her held her back, preventing her from staying.
Perhaps only by living could he resolve the regrets he left behind. So, in that instant, Huaiwen desperately wanted to live, forcing out his divine nature.
The divine spark brought new power, and some of Huaiwen's suppressed abilities surged forth. She summoned the golden dragon, and suddenly realized that her divine spark was very similar to that of her master. Suddenly, she mastered everything he had taught her, and suddenly she could rewind to the past.
Two thousand years ago, Fulin did not die because his destiny was similar to that of the Heavenly Emperor, and the Heavenly Emperor spared him.
People with similar destinies will have one strong and one weak, with the stronger one even using the weaker one as a substitute. With a substitute, whether the stronger one ascends to immortality, undergoes tribulations, or suffers illness, chaos, or misfortune, the substitute can shield them.
Her master was a scapegoat, and so was she.
She is the new scapegoat.
With such a divine mandate, who can remain at ease?
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