Chapter 100 Three Thousand Worlds - The End of Dharma Era (Part 8) The True Goddess...
The Qiankun Star in her palm was faintly burning. Fu Liuwan had concealed her emotions very well. "I don't know either. I'm sorry, Brother Li."
“This has nothing to do with you.” Li Fuchao recalled the Xuanhe Sword. “The Nine Nether Soul Devouring Array is no small matter. The Nine Heavens Immortal Mansion will naturally make thorough preparations. But Miss Fu, you and Young Master Wu fought side by side. Whether he is an evil god or not, we have our own judgment. But today, strange phenomena have appeared and natural disasters have occurred frequently. We can’t put all the blame on one person.”
"Right now, what we should be doing is not revenge. Finding out the real reason for the anomaly and rescuing innocent people is the most important thing. I believe in Shishi and Young Master Wu's character. They will definitely be willing to put aside their past grievances and join us in the plan to save the world."
Fu Liuwan was about to retort when she saw Li Fuchao change the subject and look questioning.
"But what I'm curious about now is why Miss Fu, you appeared at the foot of the mountain in such a disheveled state at such a critical moment. If you came down the mountain to help, why were you without any companions? Moreover, I heard that the disciples of the Nine Heavens Immortal Mansion who came down the mountain were recalled to their sects three days ago."
Li Fuchao never stared at someone for long, considering it extremely impolite. But at this moment, his gaze held a hidden pressure and scrutiny, tightening her breath inch by inch: "Miss Fu, please answer me, what exactly happened at the Nine Heavens Immortal Mansion?"
Fu Liuwan bit down hard on the meat in her mouth and quickly looked away.
He remained silent for a long time.
Li Fuchao had no intention of making things difficult for her any further, so he sheathed his sword and turned around, saying, "Then we'll meet again."
"Have you ever thought about why the Nine Nether Soul Devouring Array has never been successfully activated?!" Fu Liuwan's long fingernails dug into her palm, the excruciating pain causing her to resent the cold and stubborn man before her.
"That's because the only way to activate the formation is through sacrifice."
This is why the Nine Heavens Immortal Abode takes in refugees.
"Not only those who activated the formation, but also those refugees and those Wushan tribesmen—none of them will survive! If you continue to persist, you will only be drawn into the formation and become sacrifices!"
Fu Liuwan's eyes were red-rimmed, and the grievances she had held for days finally erupted: "And me! You ask me why I'm here? It's because my father wants to sacrifice me! I can't go back, so how can I let you go to your death? The Nine Nether Soul Devouring Array is incredibly powerful, and perhaps even more sacrifices will be made. Father and the others have made thorough preparations; you alone cannot withstand it. Song Qingshu chose to join because she didn't want to live; it was her own choice. We have no right to..."
“Miss Fu.” Li Fuchao interrupted her. The sky was overcast and the stench of blood was strong. His appearance remained unchanged, as handsome and upright as ever. “You think too little of me.”
Fu Liuwan was taken aback.
Li Fuchao gazed in the direction of the Nine Heavens Immortal Mansion: "Life is endless, all things are one, all things are my heart, and my heart is all things. Even without Qing Shu, I would still have to venture into the Nine Heavens Immortal Mansion."
Even if it means death?
"Even if it means death." The young man did not hesitate, his voice firm and powerful, his eyes shining. "At first, I began cultivating the Dao to gain a better and stronger ability to govern the country. I wanted the people of Chaoyun to live in peace and prosperity, free from worries about food and clothing. I wanted Chaoyun to become stronger than any other country. But along the way, I have realized that the Dao in the world is like rivers and valleys flowing into the sea; those who persevere have the will. As for death?"
He smiled backlitly, his expression serene: "I have cultivated for many years, not for immortality, but for cultivating my heart and my true self. The immortal path values life and aims to save countless people."
“Miss Fu, this is the Qingyun Token. Just keep heading north and you will reach the Qingyun Sect. Don’t worry, this road has been cleared and is very safe. I hope we will have the chance to meet again.”
Fu Liuwan's eyelashes trembled, and she lowered her head without saying a word. The Azure Cloud Feather in her hand felt heavy, and she knew what it represented.
Li Fuchao didn't want to waste any more time and turned to leave, but the person next to him was one step ahead and hugged his waist.
"You're such a stubborn fool, but Brother Li, I think I really like you, so you'll succeed."
Li Fuchao's hand reached out in mid-air, but in the end he did not push her away. His hand hung at his side, and he only whispered to comfort her, "Miss Fu, everything will be alright."
The boy's figure disappeared into the white mist. Fu Liuwan lowered her eyelashes and looked at her palm, where only a Qingyun Feather lay quietly.
She gave a bitter smile.
Fu Liuwan, aren't you a fool too?
--
The Demon Palace was completely renovated, with festive silks adorning the beams and silver bells jingling in the breeze.
The young man leaned back on the enormous throne, dozing. He propped his head up with one hand, his features exquisitely detailed in the night. His body and bones had grown considerably larger than before, yet his thin, empty frame remained beneath his dark gold robes.
The stench of blood lingered in the hall. At the feet of the lantern-bearing demon maids lay the still-wet heads of demonic beasts and cultivators, along with their mangled corpses. Recalling the carnage just moments before, the demon maids couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines. Their hands, holding the lanterns, trembled with silent fear. They gritted their teeth and concentrated intently on holding the lanterns.
Their arms ached terribly, and the red silk ribbon brushed against their skin, bringing a tingling, oxygen-like sensation. One of them cautiously glanced up at the boy on the throne, then quickly lowered his head again.
The quiet in the room was broken by a series of hurried footsteps, and the maid's heart jumped. When the graceful figure appeared in his sight, the young man slowly opened his eyes. He seemed very uncomfortable with the bright light. Before he could even frown, the figure had already excitedly rushed into his arms.
"Wu Xiutang".
The girl's voice was muffled, filled with grievance and deep dependence, "I miss you so much. It feels like we haven't seen each other for ages, even though we just slept together."
The boy's body stiffened the moment she hugged him. He pursed his lips and did not give the reaction the girl expected.
Shi Xianxue noticed something was wrong and looked up from her embrace, looking rather unhappy. "Why aren't you saying anything? And what's with that expression?"
Wu Xiutang tilted his head, his ink-black eyebrows and eyes displaying a half-smile, "Then what expression should I make?"
He straightened up and pushed the girl away from his arms.
"Missing me?"
The girl nodded shyly. "I saw the wedding dress. It's very beautiful. I really like those unique silver bells. It would be better if they were made of gold instead."
Wu Xiutang chuckled softly but did not speak.
"But I don't know why, the closer the wedding day gets, the more anxious I become. I always feel like something bad is going to happen. So, Wu Xiutang, you'll be good to me from now on, won't you?"
The girl became uneasy.
A cool breeze swept into her collar, like snow falling on jade branches. A long, slender, and twisted shadow rose behind her. Her eyes reflected the flickering candlelight as she gazed intently at the person opposite her.
The boy did not answer immediately; his dark eyes were fixed on her face, as if observing her expression, trying to detect any difference in the subtle details.
Shi Xianxue simply squinted, leaned closer, and innocently let him scrutinize her like a prisoner.
Wu Xiutang suddenly changed his expression, his gaze softening like never before. His love was unrestrained and poured out without reservation, its intensity so intense it seemed to burn. He simply kept saying, "I love you very much, Shi Xianxue. We will be together forever."
Shi Xianxue met his gaze, her chest burning, her rapidly beating heart revealing her emotions.
"We will be together forever," he repeated, extending his hand to her with fervent expression, "through life and death."
Hearing such sweet words made Shi Xianxue's scalp tingle. It seemed that she couldn't resist Wu Xiutang's words from the bottom of her heart. The moment their skin touched, a hot breath entered her palm.
She quickly withdrew her hand, turned her palm over, but found nothing unusual.
"You don't want to?" The boy's face suddenly darkened.
“How could that be?” She took his hand again, the silver bells jingling, her voice tinged with a hint of eagerness to prove herself. “Of course we’ll be together forever.”
Seemingly pleased by these words, the gloomy aura that had been building up around him suddenly dissipated, and he slowly raised the corners of his lips, holding her hand even tighter.
"You're being really good right now."
"I'm very happy."
Shi Xianxue nestled back into his arms, her posture obedient, but her trembling eyes betrayed her true emotions.
She is of course not Shi Xianxue, she is Shi Huaiyu.
Shi Xianxue is dead.
At the moment she was stripped away, she was in so much pain that she lost consciousness and her soul became completely transparent. The pain at that moment was absolutely genuine. She even thought that she was the one being stripped away. It wasn't until she regained her senses and her world was bright again that she could no longer perceive Shi Xianxue's presence. Only then did she realize that Shi Xianxue had truly disappeared.
Now, and in the future, only Shi Huaiyu remains to control this body, to become a goddess and survive.
Although she didn't know why she still had memories, at least being alive was a good thing. Three thousand lifetimes had been destroyed, and she was no different from her brother as a discarded pawn; she had long been abandoned.
Shi Huaiyu held Wu Xiutang's hand tightly.
She hates Shi Xianxue, she hates Shi Xianxue more than anyone else in the whole world!
They both came from the same divine soul, they were the same, yet everyone only liked Shi Xianxue.
Li Fuchao, Song Qingshu, Wu Xiutang... they all said that "Cultivation of Immortality" was a story fabricated by the system in order to make Shi Xianxue's appearance more reasonable.
But she truly possessed that memory. In that memory, Wu Xiutang was neither the God of Order nor the Prince of Nan Yue. He only wanted to obtain supreme power and destroy this world; he was a complete villain.
She had read the story in its entirety and found that the general direction of the story was roughly the same, with only the ending being slightly off. All the developments were for the purpose of resurrecting her sister, while her brother was born in ancient times. Although he was human, he was different from other humans. His body and bones were similar to those of a god. When he finally noticed the existence of the last fragment of his sister's soul, he sacrificed his god-like body to reverse time and return to before the beginning of the story.
He almost sacrificed everything—his body, his memories, and half of his power—to reverse time and pry open a crack in the three thousand lifetimes, allowing Shi Xianxue to finally return to the real world.
As for why she was able to retain her memories twice... Shi Huaiyu thought that perhaps it was because of her goddess body that she was so gifted that ordinary methods could not erase her memories.
She knew exactly how the story was going to unfold, yet she still suffered a crushing defeat. Why did everyone like Shi Xianxue? Even her brother, who was ruthless, cunning, and cruel, showing no sincerity to anyone, repeatedly showed mercy to Shi Xianxue.
But so what? In the end, it was Shi Huaiyu who possessed all of this.
Shi Xianxue shouldn't have appeared in the first place.
Now that her wish has been fulfilled, she should be happy, but why is there a feeling of emptiness slowly rising in her heart?
A languid, gloomy mist hung in the air, mingling with the persistent drizzle of raindrops during the plum rain season. The whole world seemed to have become damp, and not a trace of sunlight could be found.
Shi Huaiyu looked at the blood-red moon through the open window. She seemed to have forgotten something; it seemed that something bad would happen when the blood moon appeared.
But now, she no longer wanted to delve into it, since all the misfortune had disappeared with Shi Xianxue.
From then on, the only true goddess was Shi Huaiyu.
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