Chapter 92 Southern Yue - Star River Tracker (XI) Love is truly...
The young palace maid woke up groggily, and as soon as she opened her eyes, the vengeful spirit of the tragically deceased pressed against her face and attacked her. Before she could react, her dark pupils froze instantly.
Bloody pieces of corpses were piled up in Chongyang Palace. The bluestone pavement was washed clean of blood, and the strange and terrifying beast heads seemed to come alive, opening their bloody maws and closing in on her.
Nianrong scrambled to escape, but her palm touched something warm and damp, sticky. Trembling, she looked down and realized it was the head of her former friend, who died with his eyes wide open in disbelief.
She had no idea what was happening; what she saw was a scene that terrified her.
Your Majesty, Nianjiao, Young Master... What on earth happened?! He just took a nap, why did things turn out like this?
The scene of corpses strewn across the field made Qi Lingyu extremely uncomfortable. Physiological tears welled up in her eyes. She leaned against the door frame, bent over, and dry heaved, cleverly concealing her expression.
She was jealous of Qi Lingjie.
From childhood to adulthood, she has always lived in the shadow of Qi Lingjie's fame.
Music, chess, calligraphy, painting, needlework, and other arts—no matter how hard she tried, she could never compare to the exceptionally talented Qi Lingjie. Qi Lingjie seemed to learn everything so easily, always holding her head high like a swan. Although the two were inseparable twins, their parents favored her, her younger brother took her as his role model, and even the Emperor had a special affection for his older sister.
But it was clearly her who fell in love with His Majesty first.
She hated her older sister for stealing her parents' love, her brother's protection, and the chance to grow old with the one she loved.
Now her wish has finally come true; Qi Lingyu is about to become the Queen of Nanyue.
But... is this really what she wants?
She gazed at the still calm and handsome man, wiping away the tears that had streamed down her face without her noticing, her eyes gradually hardening with determination and ruthlessness.
Once the move is made, there's no going back; she no longer has the chance to turn back.
She fixed her cold gaze on Nianrong. Nianjiao was already dead, so this loyal dog that barked at Qi Lingjie should naturally die for its master as well. She would do a good deed and grant her wish.
But just as she was about to plunge the knife into Nianrong's chest, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her elbow.
She screamed, and the dagger fell to the ground.
"Lou Su, you..." The words of her rebuke were swallowed back when she saw Lou Su's face clearly. She staggered back two steps, her eyes filled with terror.
"Your face."
His left side of his face was normal, but the skin on the right side looked as if it had been burned by fire, revealing black, demonic bones.
Lou Su didn't look at her, and calmly picked up the terrified Nian Rong.
Even though he had already decomposed most of his power back to the summit of Beiyong Snow Mountain when Shi Xianxue attacked, this was still his original body, which had only recently awakened. When the Heavenly Fire and the spell of the Order God burned over, it was indeed meant to crush his spiritual veins and bones into ashes. If it weren't for his sister's repair technique, this physical body would probably not have survived. Naturally, he no longer had the ability to suppress the demonic bones.
He knew he was no longer fit to stay there.
Pei Zheng was also surprised to see him like this, but he always trusted Lou Su and never questioned him. As long as he could achieve his goal, he didn't care whether Lou Su was human or demon.
"High Priest, that child..."
"He won't die; at least, with our capabilities, we can't kill him completely right now."
Pei Zheng's expression changed slightly.
"The Star River Tracker will only seal him away. After eighteen years, the seal will be complete, and that will be the turning point for Nan Yue and the world. I will set up an array in Chongyang Palace to prevent anyone from getting close. I will come back a year later to take him away from here."
He looked at Qi Lingyu's slightly protruding belly and gave her an enigmatic smile. "By the time I return, this child should have been born. This is His Majesty's first prince, the Crown Prince of Nan Yue. What should we name him?"
Pei Zheng was taken aback and followed his gaze.
The first prince?
He said maliciously, "Why not call it Huaguang?"
Before re-entering hibernation, Lou Su took Nian Rong to the Qingyun Sect.
The night wind was chilly, and the fishy smell of the pond water wafted through the air. Ripples appeared on the once calm surface of the water, and two small red fish intertwined their necks beneath the swaying water plants.
The water mirror clearly reflected the young man's image. He slowly touched his right cheek, which had been devoured, and an overwhelming feeling of disgust welled up from the bottom of his heart.
She clearly hated him to the core, wishing he would make the disgusting and barbaric race he created disappear from the world, but if she wanted to revive her sister, she had no choice but to rely on his power.
The demonic power within his body grew increasingly rampant with his emotional fluctuations. If he attempted to use the demonic bone to achieve his goals, he would have to bear the pain of being devoured by the backlash.
The demon bone wants to hollow out his body.
He leaned against the pillar, his face pale.
The door creaked open from the inside, and the moonlight illuminated Nian Rong's flushed face. Her clothes were disheveled, her eyes were vacant, and she walked blankly to Lou Su's side, taking his hand and placing it on her lower abdomen.
Sensing the presence of a new life that resonated with it, the black, misty vapor excitedly rushed into Nianrong's lower abdomen.
After a long while, Lou Su's expression softened considerably. He smiled weakly at her and said, "As expected of the purest Jiuyi bloodline. I look forward to him becoming the next Demon Lord."
The reflection in the pond gradually disappeared under the moonlight. "Ten years later, I will come back to find him."
As silence fell, the dark aura in Nianrong's eyes dissipated, and she seemed to only then realize what she had encountered. She clutched her chest and screamed.
Shi Xianxue was caught in a vortex of time and space. With each year she traveled through, her spirit was weakened. After sixteen years, it stopped and awakened Shi Xianxue.
It took the shape of a golden flame, flew over, and kissed Shi Xianxue's face.
Shi Xianxue woke up with a scream, clutching her face. Her cheeks were burning. She rubbed her scalded face and, upon seeing what was in front of her, made a sound of confusion.
What are you?
--
When Shi Xianxue's spirit returned to her body and awoke, less than an hour had passed since the seal was completed. The secret chamber beneath the tracking device was like a maze, quiet yet strangely eerie.
Shi Xianxue walked through the deep, dark path, only able to hear her own footsteps and heartbeat.
She didn't know if the flow rates were the same in the two timelines.
All she knew was that during those nearly two years, in that unfamiliar time and space, she had dreamed of Wu Xiutang countless times. In her dreams, they were still living a peaceful life in the Corpse Village, undisturbed by anyone. He would smile at her and affectionately call her "sister." But in the blink of an eye, he would become angry and insecure, repeatedly seeking reassurance of his love for her because of his humble status.
She awoke from her dream with a start, and her longing and guilt towards him only deepened.
Shi Xianxue slowed her pace. She knew Wu Xiutang was here, but when she was about to see him, she had the thought of backing down. She wondered if one day Wu Xiutang knew all of this, knew that all the pain in his life came from her, would he resent her, and would he still love her as before?
Distracted, she didn't notice her footing and slipped on something, almost falling. Fortunately, a pair of strong hands caught her waist and pulled her into their arms.
"Shi Xianxue." The long-lost, clear voice of a young boy filled her ears. His body temperature was cool, but when she was held in his arms, she did not feel cold. "I have already sent you away, why are you so disobedient? Do you know that it is dangerous here?"
It turns out that her two years here were but a fleeting moment.
"Why aren't you saying anything? I didn't mean to blame you," the boy released her and looked down to find her eyes. "I'm actually very happy that you came here to find me, Shi Xianxue. After we get out of here, let's stay together forever and never be apart again, okay?"
Of course, that would be great.
But how could she tell him about what happened eighteen years ago? He certainly had the right to know, and she had to tell him, but could he really accept it all?
Seeing that she did not respond, Wu Xiutang lost his composure. He wanted to say something, but when he opened his mouth, he spat out a mouthful of blood. Shi Xianxue was terrified and tried to touch him, but found that he was already covered in bloodstains.
"Wu Xiutang, what happened? Why are you so badly injured?"
In the fleeting glimpse, she finally saw clearly that the protruding stones were not pebbles at all, but rather corpses dressed as court ladies.
Wu Xiutang pressed down her hand and gently shook his head to indicate that she should not worry. "My divine bones are suppressed here by my blood relatives. I can't exert even 30% of my power. After dealing with those ladies, I was already at my limit. If I want to get out, I'm afraid I'll need your help."
Okay, how can I help you?
Shi Xianxue's vision was gradually illuminated by the distant sycamore trees. Only then did she notice that there was a sycamore tree that could glow, and under the tree sat Queen Qi Lingjie, who had willingly died seventeen years ago, holding her child.
He placed a nearly white-polished dagger into her hand, saying, "Use this knife to stab her heart."
Before Shi Xianxue could speak, he revealed a vulnerable and sorrowful expression: "I know who she is and what she did, so I have to kill her. But here, I can't get close to the paulownia tree at all, and the power of blood makes it impossible for me to do it. Shi Xianxue, I don't want to die, I want to live and be with you."
Shi Xianxue gripped the sword hilt tightly. "I know, I'll help you."
"When the golden phoenix tree senses an unfamiliar aura, it will actively release golden needles to attack. You are the Goddess of Wushan, and your healing speed is only slightly faster than the speed at which the golden needles pierce and lock your meridians. Then you can enter the phoenix tree and help me kill her."
Shi Xianxue frowned and asked, "Are you alright?"
Wu Xiutang was taken aback, seemingly not understanding the meaning behind her words, and subconsciously asked, "What?"
"It's nothing." Shi Xianxue turned around only after reaching the vicinity of the sycamore tree. Her eyes were mischievous and lively, just like when she first met him eighteen years ago, unforgettable at first glance. "But do you know what?"
Wu Xiutang: "?"
She swiftly slashed her palm, immersing it fully in the blade, and then launched a surprise attack on the golden sycamore tree.
The phoenix tree, under attack, immediately launched a counterattack. Countless golden needles shot towards the two like a net. The Star River Tracker, which had accumulated the power of the sun and moon for eighteen years, was not to be underestimated. Lou Su had just dodged the needle that was about to pierce his brow when the dagger he had given to Shi Xianxue landed on his neck.
"Even if Wu Xiutang dies, he would never put me in danger. Lou Su, didn't you do your homework beforehand?"
When the silver sword light collided with the golden needle light, the person in front of him had completely changed his appearance. He was wearing a white jade mask, with only his eyes showing.
Shi Xianxue couldn't see his face, but she could clearly hear the cold sneer coming from his throat. He moved his neck, completely ignoring the sharp blade cutting his skin, and bright red blood flowing down his neck into his collar.
He sighed regretfully.
"Little Goddess, why expose me? We both know perfectly well that Shi Yun doesn't hold much weight in your heart. You are Shi Xianxue, from the Three Thousand Worlds, and you have your mother. The way to quickly return to the Three Thousand Worlds is to kill him. You've repeatedly obstructed me; could it be that you've changed your mind and are preparing to stay with him until old age, abandoning your mother?"
“I’ve said it before, I won’t kill Wu Xiutang just to go home. That was true then, that is true now, and that will be true in the future. You’ve tested my sincerity for him time and time again. You’re just wasting your time, you know that?”
The sword went in an inch deeper. "Either you let him go and we find a way back to the Three Thousand Worlds together, or we both perish together and neither of us will have a good outcome."
Let him go? How could that be? The astrological chart has never been wrong. The supreme God of Order chose to be human, and that meant certain death. There was no other possibility.
She risked her life to nourish the power of the stars, not because of her womanly compassion, which would lead to failure at the last moment.
He looked at the golden phoenix tree with a natural expression. "The eighteen-year period is almost here. When the seal is complete, even without you, even if I have to pay a great price, I will still get what I want."
The moment the words were spoken, the illusion surrounding Shi Xianxue was broken.
The figures beneath the golden sycamore trees were finally revealed.
Wu Xiutang sat quietly beneath the sycamore tree, the scattered golden light outlining his body in gold. His eyes were closed, his face still handsome but lifeless, truly resembling the supreme deity enshrined in a celestial temple.
"Wu Xiutang".
She called his name softly, but the sword in her hand unconsciously veered away. Receiving no response, her heart sank to the bottom.
No matter the time or place, he always seems to lose the initiative because of himself.
The golden sycamore tree, sensing someone approaching, shone even brighter, its golden needles menacingly warning the intruder.
Shi Xianxue's eyes stung and throbbed from the bright light. Touching the golden light on her skin felt like being plunged into a pot of boiling oil, or like being sliced by a knife. She could hardly imagine the kind of suffering Wu Xiutang was going through.
"Do you think I'm the only one in this world who wants him dead? Rongrong, didn't you see it with your own eyes? His biological parents also long to kill him completely. Instead of asking me how to let him go, why don't you ask the Queen who was suppressed with him for eighteen years? See if she will let your Wu Xiutang go."
Shi Xianxue turned around and glared at him angrily.
But the eyes beneath the mask curved into a smile, "Today I will make you give up that idea."
With a wave of his hand, a graceful figure appeared before her.
Even in the shadows, Qi Lingjie still looked the same as she had over a decade ago, dressed in a pure white holy robe, appearing even more innocent and flawless. As Shi Xianxue sized her up, she was also observing her.
“Nianrong?” Qi Lingjie recognized her in the next instant. She showed a pure and innocent expression without any reservations and sincerely praised, “So this is what you look like. You are very beautiful.”
Shi Xianxue had no intention of reminiscing with her and simply looked away in silence.
At this moment, countless sword energies streaked across the sky outside the underground palace. Lou Su seemed to sense something, his brows furrowed beneath his mask, and he clicked his tongue: "What a nuisance."
He pushed Shi Xianxue forward: "Rongrong, you just watch him get sealed away and be unable to turn things around. I'll come back for you after we deal with those flies."
In the blink of an eye, only a few of them remained in the underground palace. As if Qi Lingjie were invisible, Shi Xianxue swept past her and went forward alone, ignoring Qi Lingjie's cries of alarm and dissuasion, and ignoring the pain of her meridians being locked by golden needles. She passed through the golden light and sat side by side with Wu Xiutang.
Blood spilled from the corner of her lips as the golden light backfired, and her locked meridians greatly hindered her next move, but she still stubbornly endured the pain and clasped their hands together.
The cold poison still lingers in his body.
Shi Xianxue's heart tightened, her breathing became heavier, and she pursed her lips as she intertwined her fingers with his.
Qi Lingjie knew her identity, and naturally also knew that she and Hua Guang were lovers.
But she had imagined countless times what it would be like to see Rongrong again, thinking that Rongrong would beg her for Huaguang's sake, or that after being rejected, she would give up and scold her for being heartless towards Huaguang.
However, Rongrong didn't say anything, but surprisingly, she silently and stubbornly did something completely out of character.
She couldn't contain herself any longer. If she remained silent, who would she tell her prepared words to? How could she proclaim her selfless love for His Majesty, become a role model for lovers throughout the land, and be remembered as a virtuous empress in the history books of Nanyue?
This was clearly beyond her expectations.
Qi Lingjie's soul began to drift restlessly, trying to enter the area enveloped by the golden light. "Why don't you say anything? Why don't you ask me anything? Why don't you beg me? Do you want to die with him?"
Shi Xianxue had just intertwined their fingers when she heard this, and couldn't help but look up at her with a strange expression.
That person is really shameless, actually going out of their way to get insulted.
There's no point in talking when you don't see eye to eye. Shi Xianxue has never had any liking for her hopeless romantic brain.
She gripped Wu Xiutang's fingers even tighter, and the serpentine sacred mark belonging to the Wushan God Clan on her forehead lit up.
Shi Xianxue's silence drove Qi Lingjie crazy. Her soul had been imprisoned in this dark and sunless underground palace for eighteen years, and her mentality was no longer as free as before. She began to panic and become anxious, and began to be suspicious in the endless suppression.
If she was absolutely certain of their relationship at the beginning, then as time went by, she finally came to a profound understanding of the power of time.
She started to change, learning to interpret Pei Zheng's intentions with the most sordid and dark thoughts.
If he's been lying to himself, if he's been using him, if he won't take him out after the eighteen-year period, or if he already has a beautiful new woman by his side.
She couldn't accept it.
She was the eldest daughter of the Qi family, a noble lady whom her parents had painstakingly raised. From the time she could remember, she had never slacked off, working diligently every day. She seemed to have been born to be an empress, someone dignified, sacred, and inviolable, not someone who lived like a rat in this filthy underground palace.
People's hearts are fickle. She desperately needs someone to listen to her. As long as she opens up, she can take the opportunity to tell her her thoughts. She is also a victim, she is innocent, she did nothing wrong, and her parents and even the people of the world will be proud of her.
She smashed the entire underground palace into chaos, emitting sharp screams. Shi Xianxue was extremely disturbed; what was she yelling about?
"What do you want me to say? To sing praises of your great contributions to the Southern Yue state, to extol your unwavering love with Pei Zheng, or to say that Your Majesty is so righteous that you would sacrifice yourself and your children for your husband and his kingdom?"
Shi Xianxue sneered: "I'm afraid you'll be disappointed, because I know exactly what kind of person you are."
Golden light enveloped Shi Xianxue's eyebrows and eyes. She looked like a true goddess, scrutinizing Qi Lingjie from top to bottom, mercilessly dissecting her hypocritical facade from the inside out.
"Oh, you do have many merits. You have exceptional patience and are more clear-headed than anyone else. You discovered Pei Zheng and Qi Lingyu's affair long ago, yet you remained silent because you didn't believe in Pei Zheng's sincerity. You were only afraid of losing your position as queen. You said you treated Nianjiao and Nianrong as your own sisters, yet you refused to make arrangements for their future, letting their bodies be crushed and their souls turned into evil spirits, never to be free again. How hypocritical you are! You used my words to manipulate me into devising strategies for you, summoning the young general but refusing to follow the plan. You just wanted to make a big fuss about this, to let everyone in Nan Yue remember the sacrifices you made for Nan Yue, and the greatness of you as the Queen of Nan Yue."
“We are all pawns in your pursuit of fame and fortune, and we can be sacrificed for you at any time.”
Qi Lingjie clearly has such a bright and kind face, but at this moment she appears extremely gloomy, and the form of her soul causes her facial expressions to twitch uncontrollably.
She wanted to stop her from continuing.
"But you've miscalculated. You overestimated Pei Zheng's word of honor. Nobody in Nan Yue remembers you now. Do you know who the Queen is or who the Crown Prince is? Even if he keeps his promise and releases you, can you still be the Queen of Nan Yue?"
"You're talking nonsense! Shut up!"
"Have you ever really looked at Wu Xiutang closely? He's the child you carried for ten months and gave birth to. Your features are so similar. Do you know how he's survived all these years? I think you don't care, you only care about yourself."
"Shut up! Shut up! What do you know? You don't know anything!"
Having achieved her goal, Qi Lingjie began to fall into an unstable and anxious state, and Shi Xianxue really shut up.
She has her own things to do.
She wanted to save Wu Xiutang, just as he had chosen her without hesitation; no matter the cost, she would save him.
Shi Xianxue remembered the method the spirit of the Lord had told her, clenched her fist, and looked at the person beside her who was completely unaware.
The boy was still sleeping peacefully, his thick eyelashes drooping down to cover his beautiful eyes, and his dark hair tangled between their fingers, as if the boy's warm breath was washing over her skin. Shi Xianxue suddenly felt an overwhelming attachment to this feeling.
The divine contract and the parasitic curse constantly swirled and exchanged within their bodies. She condensed the two forces into a knot, focusing intently on impacting the power of the sun and moon.
The Kongsang lineage controls the power of the moon, which is why her finger and tailbone can be used as materials to create the Sun and Moon Guide. The Star River Tracker also relies on the power of the sun and moon to operate. Lou Su spent four hundred years recreating and cultivating a body for the goddess. Although the divine bones cannot compare with Zhou Huaiyu's body, they are enough to temporarily stop the Star River Tracker from operating.
“I hate your mother. I hate her hypocrisy, selfishness, and fame-seeking. I hate even more that she uses you as a bargaining chip to gain fame and fortune, using the blood ties that should be inseparable between you to persecute you to this extent. She is more despicable than anyone else and deserves to die more than anyone else.”
The process of extracting the divine bone is so clear, but the pain is always long.
She was in so much pain that every pore on her body trembled, her nails digging into her palms. Her thoughts were hazy, and she could only keep muttering to the boy beside her, who couldn't hear her at all, repeating over and over again: "She doesn't want you, I want you, she doesn't love you, I love you."
Tears welled up in her eyes in despair, and guilt almost overwhelmed her. Shi Xianxue choked out the words buried deep in her heart: "But Wu Xiutang, if you knew that all of this today was because of me, would you hate me?"
--
Qi Lingjie wanted to go out; she couldn't wait any longer. The seal was almost complete, and he couldn't escape. She wanted to see Pei Zheng and see what the Southern Yue Palace was like eighteen years later.
She drifted outwards towards the moon, and as a gentle breeze brushed her fingertips, the moon in the sky suddenly disappeared.
The smile on her lips froze. As if sensing something, she suddenly turned around and met a pair of light gold eyes that were approaching.
The Wheel of Order emitted a scorching light. With a wave of his hand, the two-colored Dharma Wheels landed in the boy's palm as magical artifacts. He was even colder than when they first met. There was no hatred or murderous intent, as if all emotions had been stripped away. His gaze towards her was like snowflakes falling from the sky, inhuman and lifeless.
Just as Qi Lingjie was about to say something, the Order Wheel magnified countless times in front of her, and she could clearly feel her soul being sucked into the wheel and gradually crushed.
She wanted to touch the boy's face, but such a simple action was now as difficult as climbing to the sky. She lowered her arm unwillingly and disappeared into the world with hatred in her heart.
As the Star Tracker exploded, the sun and moon shone together, and the celestial vortex reappeared after eighteen years, as if opening the door to another world, with colorful rays of light rushing in.
Even Mount No Return was generously illuminated.
Feng Yun, having broken the finger bones of the person beneath his feet, naturally witnessed this extraordinary scene.
A young demon beside him was yelling, "What are these? A sign of the end of the world?"
Feng Yun's lips twitched. He kicked aside the cultivator who was in his way, raised his eyes to look at the top of the sky, and said, "What do you mean by world destruction? You ignorant fool. This is life force, the infinite life force that the gods have bestowed upon the world."
The system was awakened amidst this cacophony of noise. It had just booted up and hadn't even figured out what was going on when someone seized its fate by the neck in a void.
"Host, host..." Before it could establish contact with its host, a tight black cover was placed over its head, cutting off its connection with the outside world once again.
The girl's soft body was held in Wu Xiutang's arms, her clothes fluttering, her black hair brushing against her delicate face. He slowly lowered his eyelashes, the golden light spreading in his eyes almost extinguishing all emotion.
When he woke up again, he could not feel any change in temperature, smell any flowers, or see any of the world's vibrant colors.
Only the girl in his arms was warm and vibrant.
He had already experienced the girl's special nature eighteen years ago.
"Love me?" The dual-colored Dharma Wheel was returned to this mortal body. He lowered his head and touched the girl's slightly dry lips, a childlike innocence showing in his cold golden eyes.
"If this is what it means to love me, then love is truly an interesting thing."
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