Chapter 90 The Lock of the Soul (Part 2) "Be sad for me."...
More than five years have passed in the blink of an eye.
Hua Deng walked out of Duan Yun Palace, stood under the increasingly tall locust tree, wrote a strip of cloth, and hung it on the nearest branch.
"I'm going to Windless City today. I hope it'll be a sunny day there."
This is a habit she has developed every day.
When she gets up in the morning, she writes down her wishes for the day. As long as she hangs them on the tree, someone will help her make them come true.
For example, today, she invited Su Yiqing to visit the temple fair in Wufeng City, but it had been raining for days, and her cultivation level was not enough to change the weather of the entire city.
So, she had no choice but to ask the "tree spirit" who could grant wishes for help.
The cloth strip was hung up, and Hua Deng sent Su Yi a message. When she looked up, Pillow was riding on Mule's back, the mule and "cat" flying freely.
She laughed, and Lie Tian tore through the void, carrying her to Windless City.
On the way, he asked the system, "Will Shen Zhou be alright after I leave?"
Despite having asked this question many times, she couldn't help but chime in, after all, her lifespan was running out.
She had almost accepted the situation herself, but she hadn't found the right time to tell Shen Zhou yet. If she told him too early, she was afraid he might do something wrong; if she told him too late, she was worried he wouldn't be able to accept it.
"Don't worry, host," the system reassured her as usual. "As long as you're gone, he will definitely be reincarnated or find a way to leave this world. Those people can't hurt him."
"He went to another world, and now he can't find those people either?"
"As you know, host, the original purpose of the Transmigration Bureau was to find suitable energy for the main god, so I can't guarantee that he won't be found, but leaving is better than staying here."
"That's true," Hua Deng said. "Have you been to many parts of the world?"
"Of course, in order to find the power to repair the main god, we once drained an entire plane. However, the effect was not very good. The main god needs a pure and powerful source of power, not a stagnant pool."
The system explained.
"Like the Heavenly Dao of this world, in order to survive the cataclysm of all realms, it has closed itself off from the outside world and absorbed the spiritual power of many genius cultivators through the tribulation of lightning, which has made it extremely powerful. That's why we have gone to great lengths to connect with it."
"Is it the same during the daytime?" Hua Deng asked.
"...Yes, if he stays here, they won't let him go."
As they were talking, Su Yiqing arrived. Hua Deng, clearing his mind of all distractions, looked at the umbrella in her hand and smiled, "I told you it wouldn't rain, didn't I?"
"That's really true, how strange." Su Yi exclaimed in surprise, "It's been raining non-stop for the past few days, I thought it would be the same today, but you were right, when did you become a weather forecaster?"
The streetlights just laugh.
She spent a day playing with Su Yiqing in Wufeng City, and returned to Duanyun Palace close to 9 PM, but Shen Zhou had not yet returned.
He had been in this state for the past month, which made her a little suspicious.
Lying in bed that night, she pinned Shen Zhou down and asked unhappily, "Are you hiding something from me?"
Shen Zhou put his hands behind his head and nodded readily: "Yes, there is."
He actually had the audacity to admit it!
Hua Deng was so angry that he bared his teeth and claws and attacked him.
After she had finished hitting him, Chen Zhou took her hand and asked slowly, "And you? Is there anything you're hiding from me?"
Hua Deng felt a pang of guilt, immediately withdrew, covered herself with the blanket and lay down, saying calmly, "If you don't tell me, I won't tell you, we're even."
Shen Zhou snorted, released her hand, and did not pursue the matter.
Hua Deng lay there for a while, but still felt something was wrong, something even more wrong.
For at least half a month, they slept like this, covered with blankets. Could it be that Chen Zhou is experiencing some kind of problem?
She immediately sat up and turned to tear off his clothes.
Shen Zhou watched with a calm and collected gaze. When she had almost finished stripping, she realized something was wrong and tried to leave, but he grabbed both of her wrists and pinned her down.
Hua Deng: "..."
They tried to steal a chicken but ended up losing the rice instead!
He has no problem; he is perfectly fine and in great spirits!
The streetlights didn't get a chance to rest all night.
Her hands were bound with a hairband, and she could only shout in a hoarse voice, "Chen Zhou! Let me go!"
Shen Zhou breathed heavily in her ear and said, "I was afraid of scaring you, but since you like it..."
"I don't like it!"
Hua Deng was going crazy. Tonight, Chen Zhou was closer to losing control than ever before. She could sense that it wasn't intentional on his part, but rather that he was genuinely unusually excited.
As dawn approached, she was in a daze, but she saw golden patterns on his body, as if they were engraved on his skin.
"What is this?" she asked, gently stroking it.
“It’s spiritual energy, don’t worry, it won’t hurt you.” He paused, then smiled faintly, “It will just… be a little stimulating.”
The golden lines gradually spread from his palms and his body to hers.
With each contact, this spiritual energy was cleansing her spiritual meridians and her nerves.
She screamed and cried, begging him to stop, but he just told her to bear with it, saying it would be over soon.
Hua Deng was furious, and his desire to kill him reached its peak.
She will never worry about that scoundrel again!
When it finally ended, she was completely exhausted and curled up in his arms, unable to come back to her senses for a long time.
Once she came to her senses, she immediately tried to escape his embrace, but he grabbed her hand and asked, "Are you angry?"
Hua Deng's voice was terribly hoarse, and she didn't want to talk to him.
"It's what you wanted."
Hua Deng glared at him.
Shen Zhou smiled, squeezed her palm, and said slowly, "When are you going to tell me what you've been keeping from me?"
Hua Deng opened his mouth, hesitated, and said, "Let's wait until the ninth."
His birthday is on the eighth day of the first lunar month, and she still hopes that he can have a happy birthday.
“I’ll give you a gift that day,” she said.
“Okay,” Shen Zhou said, “I’ll also give you a gift.”
*
Soon, the eighth day arrived.
When Hua Deng woke up early in the morning, she found that Shen Zhou hadn't gone out, but was leaning against the headboard with his eyes closed, still holding her hand.
She smiled, ordered him not to get out of bed, then immediately jumped off the bed and rushed into the kitchen to show off her cooking skills.
With a clatter, three bowls of longevity noodles were made. Chen Zhou took one, she took one, and the last bowl was for Pillow.
Shen Zhou glanced at the bowl on the pillow, his expression cryptic: "It had a share too?"
Hua Deng blinked: "Otherwise, what will it eat?"
Shen Zhou shamelessly said, "Spirit beasts don't need to eat."
He then confiscated the bowl from the pillow and kept it for himself.
Pillow: "Ouch!"
Having exhausted all other options, Hua Deng fed the pillow a few spirit stones and strongly condemned Shen Zhou's selfish behavior. The latter showed remorse but refused to change his ways.
After breakfast, Hua Deng ran outside to the locust tree and hung up today's banner.
"I hope Shen Zhou is happy every day."
The second thing was to take Chen Zhou to Ziyang Palace for a walk. Hua Deng originally hoped that he would receive more blessings from people, but everyone mistakenly thought they were on a date, and no one dared to come and disturb them. As a result, Hua Deng walked around for most of the time without encountering a single living person.
Hua Deng: ...Never mind.
She waved to Lie Tian and took him back to the Hua family.
Unlike the Ziyang Palace, no one here knew his identity. His parents had prepared food and wine early on, and everyone enjoyed a harmonious home-cooked meal, while also playing mahjong.
As he left in the evening, his sister secretly slipped him a piece of candy as a blessing.
Finally, night fell, and Hua Deng quickly led him to Windless City.
A large crowd has already gathered here; besides those visiting the temple fair, most are releasing river lanterns.
Hua Deng squeezed to the riverbank with him, conjured a river lantern with her hand, and said with a smile, "How about it, not bad, right?"
Shen Zhou took it and examined it closely: "You made this?"
"Mmm." Hua Deng looked on expectantly. "I also used a blessing token; they say wishes made with it are very effective. Your wish will definitely come true this time. And—"
She leaned close to Shen Zhou's ear and whispered, "Yesterday I contributed a lot of spirit stones to this river. If the river god receives them, he will also help you fulfill your wish."
Chen Zhou, carrying a river lantern, said with a smile, "Give me the spirit stone, and I can grant people's wishes."
Hua Deng glanced at him and said, "Isn't it because you said you couldn't fulfill your own wishes that I had no choice but to do this?"
Shen Zhou said, "It's a good thing I said that, otherwise I wouldn't have received today's gift."
Seeing that he liked it, Hua Deng's eyes crinkled: "I will give you other gifts, so hurry up and make a wish."
Shen Zhou hummed in agreement, then wrote something down, placed it inside the river lantern, and handed it to Hua Deng. Hua Deng took the lantern and carefully placed it on the water.
The river lantern she made was shaped like a Chinese Paladin sword, making it very eye-catching. It soon drifted away with the current.
She stood up and breathed a sigh of relief: "Don't worry, I heard what the river god said. He said your wish will definitely come true."
Shen Zhou said, "That would be best."
Hua Deng turned around with her hands behind her back, humming a tune as she walked back.
Suddenly, gasps of surprise came from behind.
She turned around and saw that, despite the cold winter, the peach trees by the river were in full bloom. Shen Zhou was standing under the trees, a slight smile on his lips, as he broke off a branch of peach blossoms and gave it to her.
...
At night, Hua Deng pondered what he would say tomorrow and then closed his eyes.
As usual, Shen Zhou used a sleep-inducing spell, and she fell asleep peacefully.
The Broken Cloud Palace is peaceful and quiet at night.
Just after midnight, Chen Zhou put on his clothes and got out of bed.
He heard the even breathing of the lantern behind him. He stood by the bed for a long time, but in the end, he did not turn around. He simply reached out and took the peach blossom from the vase on the bedside table, and then left.
Outside the door, Jinze, holding a long sword, had been waiting for a long time and asked him, "Are you ready?"
"Um."
Are you sure there's no problem?
He raised his hand and summoned a sword. A whooshing sound came as the greatsword transformed into a ring around his finger. He said calmly, "When I make a move, there is no possibility of failure."
The ring was gorgeous and alluring, as red as fresh blood.
Shen Zhou said, "Keep an eye on this place."
It then disappeared from the spot.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of miles away in the sky, the mission takers responsible for assisting the main god in absorbing the energy of the heavenly Dao all stopped working.
The same alarm sounded in everyone's minds: "SSS-class dangerous target detected, prepare for battle!"
The mission participants were on edge.
Five years ago, this man slaughtered all the mission takers across the land of Kyushu, beating them so badly that they dared not show their faces again and could only cower in their huddle to carry out their missions.
Fortunately, he did not launch another attack in the years that followed, which led them to believe that the two sides had reached a reconciliation.
And now, he's back, looking like he's going to take them all down!
Despite the menacing stares of the crowd, the man didn't linger, indifferently walking through them. Just as they exchanged glances and drew their weapons, they were surprised to find that the weapons refused to move.
Goosebumps covered my entire body. A terrifying pressure swept across the entire area in an instant, followed by a surge of black lightning!
"I'm not interested in playing with you guys today."
The moment the black lightning pierced their chests, they heard the man's emotionless voice.
At this moment, in a corner of Kyushu, two people were frantically typing on a projected screen.
One of them shouted, "Where's that Hua Deng girl? Quickly notify her system! Tell her to stop this guy!"
Another person grabbed his hair in frustration: "No, all the signals we're sending out are being blocked. We can't contact her system at all!"
"Then let's go to headquarters! Uh..."
After the excruciating pain subsided, both of them simultaneously looked down at their bleeding chests.
A dark shadow pierced through there.
"Why……"
Their location is protected by headquarters, making it impossible for anyone to discover them.
Unless, of course, the headquarters was also affected.
This conjecture was like a tidal wave; they couldn't believe that this sword, and this person, could have done such a thing!
The two figures turned to ashes. Lie Tian retreated rapidly, reverting to his longsword form, without a single drop of blood on his hands.
Shen Zhou gripped the hilt of his sword and stepped forward, each step bringing him closer to the sky.
Purple lightning, a mixture of the power of Heaven and the Supreme God, crashed down upon him. He remained unmoved, stepping directly into the lightning curtain. Countless bolts of lightning flashed, yet he was completely unharmed.
Behind him, the vast clouds were ignited by thunder and fire, turning into a sea of fire, just like the flames of revenge from the Nine Provinces.
He never stopped walking, the firelight highlighting his deep-set eyes and brows, making him appear almost ghostly.
Finally, just as he raised his longsword, a voice said, "Stop."
Deep and ethereal, neither male nor female, it was the voice of the supreme deity.
This means that He has devoured the Heavenly Way.
He said, “If you are willing to stop here, I can let you go.”
Shen Zhou remained indifferent, but suddenly remembered something and tugged at the corner of his lips: "Many years ago, the Heavenly Dao here asked me the same question."
That was his second life-or-death battle with the Heavenly Dao, and also the memory he sealed away most deeply.
Back then, when he was about to perish together with the Heavenly Dao, the Heavenly Dao said, "I'm giving you a chance to leave this world. Do you want to go, or stay?"
"Leave, and you will be free; stay, and you will never have a good end."
The supreme deity asked, "Have you answered?"
Shen Zhou said, "I answered."
He answered—
Then let me be condemned to eternal reincarnation, never to meet a peaceful end in any lifetime.
Because there is someone in this world I want to see.
His thoughts drifted away with the wind, and he pointed his sword at the sky without further hesitation.
The dark shadow erupted ferociously, and in an instant, all the light was swallowed up by Lie Tian, just like it was ten thousand years ago.
Thunder roared and raged, and the fire raged on and on, causing chaos among all living things. But the peach blossom on his chest remained unharmed and bloomed quietly.
*
Hua Deng was sleeping very well.
Just as dawn was breaking, the sudden change sensed by the soul contract pulled her from her sweet dream.
She opened her eyes and found herself covered in a cold sweat. She quickly got out of bed, put on her clothes, and hurriedly went out.
Jinze stood guard outside the door with his sword in his arms. She didn't have time to look at him, and Jinze didn't stop her either, watching her leave.
Hua Deng instinctively used Lie Tian, but her left middle finger was empty, so she knew she was in trouble. She took out the Jade Void Fan and flew away.
The sights along the way made even her heart flutter.
Wild beasts galloped through the forest, raising dust and roaring, while the rivers raged and howled. Only the river where they released lanterns last night remained shrouded in a protective barrier, seemingly no different from usual.
Outside the Beidou Hall, a phoenix with fiery red wings cried out in a blood-red lament, conveying the result of the joint deduction of several elders.
"The Dharma-ending Age is coming again! The Dharma-ending Age is coming again!"
"Calamity has descended upon the world! The Way of Heaven has been destroyed!"
An ominous aura permeated the entire Nine Provinces, but just like ten thousand years ago, Hua Deng knew that this was not a disaster, but another rebirth.
She flew to the Nine Heavens Gale, which was her limit given her cultivation level.
A blurry, ethereal figure rushed down from above, neither human nor ghost.
The system exclaimed in disbelief, "The Supreme God... how can there be the aura of the Supreme God...?"
"What did you say?" The streetlights were unusually inaudible.
"Host...I want...sizzle..."
Before she could pay any attention to the streetlights, the blurry figure was already in front of her, and she gripped the fan handle tightly in alarm.
The supreme deity reached out his hand to her.
Just last night, He discovered that He was no match for that man, and in shock, He restarted the world.
But if He restarts ten thousand times, that person will kill Him ten thousand times!
Now, He no longer has the power to restart this world.
Now that things have come to this, we have to admit that He actually lost.
He lost to a mortal who should have become His nourishment!
He spoke faintly to the lantern: "You..."
"You are the variable in this world."
Pfft!
The dark sword shadow pierced through him completely. For the ten thousand and first time, he transformed into an invisible wind and unwillingly dissipated into this world.
At the same time, Hua Deng could no longer hear the system's voice in his mind.
She finally understood what had happened, and as if she couldn't even breathe, she stopped all movement and silently gazed into the distance.
The clouds burned fiercely, forming a vast sea of fire, while purple lightning flashed across the sky, and a sudden downpour began.
Rain and red flames blend together, creating a strange and wonderful scene.
Amidst this extraordinary scenery, a snow-white figure emerged gracefully, spotless and moving with ease.
He walked towards the streetlights and landed in front of her in the blink of an eye, still with that familiar calm and collected demeanor.
He said, "It's all resolved."
The streetlights suddenly came to their senses.
"Sunset!"
She lunged forward and grabbed his collar: "Don't move! Let me see..."
"Shhh."
Shen Zhou grasped her fingers tightly, leaving no room for argument, and led her forward.
"Come with me."
Sometimes, this person does whatever he wants without any reason. Even though Hua Deng is anxious, he can only be led by him. He wants to kick him on the way, but he is afraid that he might be injured.
They traversed torrential rain and seas of fire, as the purple lightning gradually subsided along the way.
Soon, the last rumble of thunder rolled overhead and finally disappeared into the horizon. In an instant, the clouds parted and the rain stopped, and the thunder seemed like a final sigh.
The sky will clear.
Golden sunlight streamed through the clouds, dispelling the chilly rain and mist.
The land returned to silence, and all things began to thrive.
Wherever the sunlight reaches, camellias bloom in vibrant colors.
From Qingzhou to Yangzhou, from Yangzhou to Yongzhou, from Ziyang Palace to Duanyun Hall, the bright flowers sway like a waterfall cascading from the heavens.
Hua Deng stood on the clouds, watching him spread her favorite flowers to every corner of the land.
He looked down at everything, tilted his head slightly, and asked her, "Do you like it?"
Hua Deng could no longer answer.
She felt the hand holding hers was so cold, with no heartbeat or pulse.
She turned his face towards her, forcing him to look at her, and asked in a resentful voice, "What are you doing?"
Shen Zhou raised an eyebrow: "I'm killing all those who try to stop you."
It sounds arrogant and frivolous, yet it's also perfectly reasonable.
Hua Deng felt as if a razor blade was stuck in his throat, making every word incredibly difficult.
"The Way of Heaven..."
"Dead."
"The Supreme God..."
"Dead."
Seeing that she was speechless, he flicked his finger, hooked it around her little finger, and said with a smile, "They dare to try and take away your lifespan?"
Hua Deng's mind went blank for a moment: "You know...!"
Shen Zhou pressed down on the back of her neck, lowered his head, and spoke tenderly, his breath touching hers: "I'm glad you're willing to stay for me."
He said, "I know you love me."
Tears welled in Hua Deng's eyes. He must have paid a huge price to win this battle. She dared not think about what that price was; the thought made her heart ache so much she could hardly breathe.
She cried and hit him, saying, "Then you should know that I can't bear to part with you!"
But before the hand could touch him, it stopped abruptly, because golden patterns appeared on his body, like exquisite porcelain, cracked inch by inch.
It turns out that the signs started around that time.
She cried and shouted, "Shen Zhou, how dare you! How dare you!"
Before he could explain, she pounced on him, grabbed his collar, and kissed his lips.
It wasn't really a kiss; it was more like a simple bite. She bit his lip in a fit of rage, and blood flowed between their lips and teeth.
He just kept laughing, a wild and unrestrained laugh, as if he was enjoying the pain she caused.
He can still laugh at this moment!
Hua Deng wished she could take a knife and kill him, then kill herself.
But she also knew that he was that kind of person, and that was the kind of person she had fallen in love with.
They dare to kill even the Heavenly Dao, and trample even the gods under their feet. They don't care about fate or reincarnation.
He's such a despicable guy.
As she lost her strength and was about to fall, he caught her around the waist, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with his thumb, and said clearly, "No one has the right to threaten you; only I can take your life."
The hand slowly moved down, pressing against her heart.
Hua Deng remembered his words.
He was dying, so he wanted to take out her heart and keep her with him forever.
However, at this moment, she felt no fear. She gently closed her eyes, her nose tingling, and said, "Take me away, Chen Zhou."
"I am willing to be reincarnated with you."
He didn't speak; his hand pierced through her chest and touched her heart.
She felt no pain and simply waited quietly.
Suddenly, his fingers tightened, and the red thread that connected them broke in the next second.
Hua Deng suddenly opened her eyes. She tried to back away, but he held her tightly. Something hot flowed from his fingertips and into her heart.
“I have placed a shackle on your soul.” He kissed away her tears and whispered, “Even if the laws of heaven are reversed and miracles occur again, no one can take your life.”
"You are free."
Through the art of inner vision, Hua Deng could glimpse the "shackles" he spoke of. Those shackles, shaped like golden thorns, were wrapped around her heart and her soul, their power unprecedented.
Thorns are considered unlucky, and shackles are seen as constraints.
Yet the person she loved most, who clearly imposed the strongest shackles on her, was doing so to give her freedom.
"I don't want freedom, I just want you! You dare to leave!"
“I won’t leave, I’ll stay right here.” He pressed a finger against her chest. “My power will accompany you until the very end.”
Before he finished speaking, his once black hair turned to snow in an instant, and his head was now completely white. The cultivation he had pursued throughout his life had vanished without a trace.
The streetlights lifted his white hair, and his hands trembled uncontrollably: "What are these shackles made of? Why have you become like this?!"
"I refined myself into a vessel to bear the power of the Heavenly Dao and the Supreme God."
"Part of this power was injected into the earth's veins to nourish the Nine Provinces. The remaining part merged with my bones, blood, and magical power, transforming into this Soul Lock."
"I promised you I would give you a gift."
His life, his cultivation, everything about him.
Give it all to her, whether she cherishes it or squanders it.
Hua Deng was so angry that she cried and cursed, tried to bite and scratch him, but to no avail.
He took her hand and said, "What are you afraid of?"
He still maintained his arrogant demeanor, and the words he casually uttered made her heart tremble.
"If Heaven wants you to die, I will let you live again; if God wants to take you away from me, I will take His life and give it to you."
All things in this world are like fleeting clouds, but he insists on grasping a wisp of it, making it eternal.
Looking into his eyes, Hua Deng felt as if she had been transported back ten thousand years.
He was still that reckless madman, only this time it wasn't for the so-called Dao, but simply for her.
She begged him to stay.
She imprisoned him in this world, month after month, year after year.
If it weren't for her plea to stay, if I had reincarnated sooner...
If it weren't for protecting her, if he were willing to leave this world.
No other path would have led to this outcome.
All the twists and turns of fate have led to this day, bringing us to this irreversible end.
But when she said it, Shen Zhou said, "Isn't this good?"
His eyes clearly conveyed one meaning—
Their meeting was a twist of fate.
"It's terrible," Hua Deng said, choking back tears. "Why is fate treating you like this?"
Shen Zhou stroked her face, just as he had always done before. He said, "It wasn't fate; it was my own choice."
He looked down into her eyes and repeated, "Hua Deng, it's my choice."
"But...don't you want to live?"
Hua Deng couldn't believe his words, and she vented her frustrations all at once.
"Didn't you keep going until today just to survive?"
"Your thirteen lifetimes, ten thousand years, are they all just going to be wasted like this?!"
Shen Zhou gently shook his head and looked at her tenderly: "Hua Deng, perhaps you haven't noticed yet."
"You are the starting point of my reincarnation."
Hua Deng stared at him blankly, unable to understand the meaning of his words for a moment.
He didn't bother to explain, but instead smiled and said, "Meeting you has made these ten thousand years meaningful enough."
The next moment, he raised his hand and pointed to the Nine Provinces, wanting to do one last thing for her.
"All people of the Nine Provinces shall obey my commands."
Every living being in Kyushu raised their head.
"All people under heaven should regard Ziyang Palace as the most revered, and its leader as the head of the sect. They must not disobey, offend their superiors, or start any trouble."
With each word he spoke, the golden markings on his body increased, until finally his face became extremely pale, and his body seemed as if it would disintegrate with a single breath.
Hua Deng shook his head frantically as he listened to him say, "After I die, the puppetry technique can last for ten years. Ten years is enough for you to absorb most of the power in the Soul Lock."
"I don't want any of that, I just want you!"
She screamed, a loss of control she had never experienced before.
"Did you hear me, Shen Zhou? I only want you! You stay by my side and you're not allowed to go anywhere!"
Shen Zhou chuckled and flicked her forehead with his finger; the golden markings were almost covering his entire body.
“Okay, I promise you,” he said lightly.
"...Really?" Hua Deng instinctively covered his head and said blankly.
“Really.” Shen Zhou didn’t hesitate at all. “Didn’t I say? I will grant your wishes.”
Hua Deng's mind was in complete confusion, and she said anxiously, "But—"
He interrupted: "Trust me, Hua Deng."
The streetlights stood silently, gazing blankly into the distance.
He coughed up blood as he spoke each word, gazing at her and saying, "No matter how many times it is repeated... a thousand times, ten thousand times, a thousand years, ten thousand years, I will return to your side."
"wait for me……"
"never mind."
Shen Zhou paused for a moment, then revealed that familiar smile, one tinged with pain and obsession.
"—Now, feel sorry for me."
His fingers slowly reached towards her face, and just a second before they touched, they suddenly turned into specks of golden light.
He vanished before her like a gust of wind, like a dream.
Hua Deng suddenly lunged forward, trying to grasp his hand, but she missed and fell to the ground, only managing to grab a fallen peach blossom.
"Why should I be sad? I won't be sad! I won't be sad at all, not even a tiny bit! I—"
She choked on her throat, blood trickling out, and finally, unable to hold back, she collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
She cried for so long, until she lost her voice, and then, without realizing it, she noticed a figure standing not far away beside her.
She turned her head abruptly, her joy instantly dashed, and she blankly called out the person's name: "Jin Ze?"
Jinze walked up to her, bent down, and said, "He asked me to take you back."
Gradually, Hua Deng stopped crying. She raised her hand to wipe away the tears on her face, wiping them again and again, finally managing to wipe away the endless stream of tears.
She took a deep breath, brushed the hair away from her eyes, and said in a trembling voice, "Yes, let's go back. I can go back and wait for his reincarnation."
As if she had found a new direction, she gripped the flower branch tightly and swayed to her feet: "It's just eight hundred years, it doesn't matter, I will wait."
But she waited a long time without receiving a reply from Jinze.
Her already stiff eyes slowly moved, her gaze falling on Jinze's pale face. She slowly said, "...What do you mean?"
Jinze lowered his head and said, "There is no reincarnation."
He had to finish what he was saying: "Chen... He used the Fiery Heaven to sever all reincarnations, gathering his reincarnation power from countless timelines into one body, thus gaining the power to simultaneously destroy the Heavenly Dao and the so-called gods."
With a thud, the lantern fell back to the ground.
He just turned thirty.
He was destined to die no later than thirty, and this person who least believed in fate was forever trapped in such a destiny.
"But he said he would come back! He told me that!"
“Then he probably will,” Jinze said. “After all, he’s capable of anything for you.”
"What if he doesn't? What if he's lying to me?!" Hua Deng shouted hoarsely.
Jinze shook his head: "He wouldn't lie to you. How could he bear to make you sad?"
"How could I not be sad? Aren't I sad right now? I—"
The questioning abruptly ended.
Hua Deng was horrified to discover that her emotions were being gradually drained away, and along with them, all the little things in her memory about him were disappearing.
"You are the starting point of my reincarnation."
"It's because I love you."
"I want to form a bond of souls with you."
"You are the only person in this world I want to kill."
"If I'm still alive when we meet again, I'll grant you one request."
All of them are gone.
She finally realized the truth.
The figures that disappeared from the murals and the traces that were erased from the history books were not accidental or intentional.
This is the price he pays for his reincarnation.
Each time he reincarnates, he dies and his spirit dissipates, and no one knows his name or that he ever existed.
The lights stand quietly in the clouds.
After a long while, her empty eyes regained their light, and she remembered the purpose of her visit.
Today marks her breakthrough to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm.
Due to a sudden change in the natural order, she made some mistakes in her cultivation, which caused her to lose some of her memories, but that doesn't matter.
Her subordinates arrived in time to meet her, and a young man with black hair and purple eyes knelt before her, bowing his head in reverence.
"Come back to the palace with me, Master."
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