Chapter 309: [Sisheng Peak] Mo Ran Is Not Far Away

He was not joking around, nor was he threatening. He was stating a fact, a condition that he had thrown away.

For a time, no one dared to retreat. They could only bite the bullet and close their eyes in fear.

A thousand meters… a hundred meters…

Closer…

BOOOOOOM!

Waves crashed down, eardrums vibrated, and the heavens and earth shook. It was like hundreds of millions of people were throwing hammers, and even the sun and moon were shattered by these waves. The veins on Taxian-Jun's arm bulged and his teeth snapped.

Behind him, Chu Wanning came to the intersection of the Space-Time Door of Life and Death. He patted Xue Meng who was struggling to survive.

Xue Meng turned his head, revealing a very calm face.

Although there were some wrinkles at the corner of his eyes, his expression was the same as when he was young.

"Shizun."

Chu Wanning looked at him, "I'm here."

A bright green light shone, and the Jiuge appeared in this world. Chu Wanning stood like the wind, the zither strings twanging. The edges of the Gate of Life and Death began to close at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Retreat." While playing the zither, he said to the crowd, "All of you, come behind me."

Of course, he didn't need to repeat escaping a second time. However, this time, most of the people, including some who were afraid of death, were no longer scrambling.

None of them competed for the upper hand. Some supported their wounded companions, while others carried some wounded soldiers whom they had never seen before, and slowly walked towards the back.

The edge of the spatial Gate of Life and Death was near Mount Kunlun. When they reached the Kunlun road, many people stopped retreating.

They stood there, looking at the figure of Chu Wanning standing in front of the snowy plains. Their wide sleeves fluttered as the zither music rang out…

Who said that cultivation meant one needed to have an immortal body that would last for ten thousand years, possessing the power to destroy the heavens and the earth?

Some people could live for 10,000 years, but they were nothing more than a rock. Some people even hurriedly walk through the human world, but leave a trail of bright flowers.

For example, at this moment in time, in front of the Door of Life and Death, there was an Immortal who was using his flesh and blood, ten fingers of chanting, to transcend the mortal world, proving his own Immortal Dao.

Snow began to fall from the sky, falling onto his shoulders.

Someone noticed something and was surprised, "Eh? This is not snow…"

It was the Flame Emperor Divine Wood of the Extreme East Sea that was being perceived. The ancient Chinese flower that prided itself on the primordial era blossomed, and it was different from the other flowers as it emitted an extremely fragrant aroma. The snow-like crystalline petals floated from the ends of the sky and floated all over the world.

The petals rose up, the clouds cleared up. The bright hair was like a stream of stars, rushing to the edge of the Gate of Life and Death, helping to heal the mortal world…

Within the dancing petals, many cultivators were reminded of a legend: Last time, when the heavens and earth were about to fall, Shennong had planted the Flame Emperor's Divine Wood, saving the world from falling into the ground. Time flowed on. Fuxi had passed away, Nuwa had fallen into a deep slumber, and the Flame Emperor had disappeared. However, Shennong was still there.

His body was like a dying tree, covering the sky of the Nine Prefectures.

Seeing that the crack in space was getting smaller and smaller, Taxian-Jun turned around to look at the person beside him and said: "Retreat. Take advantage of the fact that the gates of life and death have yet to close, and get lost."

Surprisingly, not everyone immediately retreated as quickly as they could. Some expressed that they could still support him, while others indicated that they wanted to fight until the very last moment.

Who doesn't have a little bit of the Blood of the Hero in their bones?

Even if one was buried deep within the heart by time and life, there would still come a day when one would feel the heat and the excitement.

On the other hand, Taxian-Jun laughed angrily: "Are you guys leaving or not? If you can't leave, you're just trying to make this Venerable One feel angry, aren't you? Get lost!"

Those people started to leave one after another.

Suddenly, he heard a trembling voice as he said, "Emperor… What about you…"

Taxian-Jun was stunned for a moment before he slowly turned his head. He saw an old man stooping far away in the rain, looking at him.

"… Liu-gong?"

Perhaps he was seeing things, but he actually felt that the old man was looking at him with a gaze of indescribable pity and pain. It was like a father looking at his child.

Ridiculous.

Borrowing the old servant's ten thousand guts, this old man shouldn't have dared to treat the savage and fiendish Taxian-Jun as his own child. However, right at this moment, Taxian-Jun vaguely remembered that the old fellow had just lost his son in the war when he entered the imperial palace to serve him.

If the kid was still alive, he should be about his age.

Taxian-Jun closed his eyes and said, "With my abilities, this Venerable One will naturally be the last to leave. You needn't worry."

"Emperor…"

"Go." Taxian-Jun turned his gaze away from the old man. "To another world."

"…"

"Maybe your son is still alive in that world." He suddenly grinned, showing his sharp canine teeth and deep dimples, "Scram, Old Liu. Accompany him well."

The Gate of Time and Space and Life and Death was shrinking, and the people in front of the Black Tortoise Barrier were retreating. Every time a guard was removed, the force that Taxian-Jun exerted on the Black Tortoise Barrier would increase, until finally, there were only a hundred people left.

Taxian-Jun narrowed his eyes, after considering the situation, he said with a stern voice, "Everyone, stop. We have passed through the Gate of Life and Death."

At this time, the Heavenly Rift had already shrunk to the height and width of an ordinary gate. Seeing that a new wave was approaching, the remaining cultivators finally stopped and passed through the rift one by one, returning to another world and to the snowy plains of Mount Kunlun.

However, the speed of the huge wave was too fast. Most people didn't even get the chance to cross the boundary before the wave fiercely slammed into the Black Tortoise Spirit Formation.

Right now, the barrier was only supported by Taxian-Jun. No matter how talented he was, he was under a lot of pressure. He couldn't help but let out a groan as pain showed on his face.

The great waves were like a gale, and the whales broke the waves. In the depths of the vast ocean, there seemed to be a dragon-girl dance, causing the earth to shake and the mountains to shake.

Someone was hesitating at the intersection of the Gate of Life and Death. "Mo-zongshi…"

When Taxian-Jun heard this, he suddenly got angry and cursed, "Mo-zongshi your ass! Will you scram? Scram!"

He didn't know where he had touched his sore spot, but he didn't dare to make another sound. He lowered his head and stepped over the threshold of life and death. The remaining cultivators also followed one by one as they crossed the boundary. The Gate of Life and Death also became smaller and smaller. However, the Xuanwu enchantment was already on the verge of breaking. When Taxian-Jun looked back, he saw that there were more than ten cultivators who had yet to enter. He couldn't help but curse in his heart. His scarred hands continued to cover the barrier as the veins and muscles on the back of his hands became visible.

But he couldn't hold on.

Although he was the number one powerhouse of the Mortal Realm, in the end he was still only a tiny existence. How could he fight against the Hongmeng world?

The crisp sound of the clanging could be heard.

"The barrier is about to break!"

Taxian-Jun In front of the monstrous flood, he didn't even turn his head back as he shouted out to the people behind him who had yet to leave.

"Get lost!"

Black blood seeped out from his lips, and his long eyelashes drooped down. Taxian-Jun looked at his left foot — it was slowly being corroded, turning into dust…

He sneered, but he was not afraid.

He was the living corpse that had been revived by Shi Mei. As long as he died, his body wouldn't be able to hold on for long and would turn into ashes very soon.

He felt that it was enough to have a fight with fate before he turned into ashes.

However…

Turning around, he saw Chu Wanning's blurry figure behind the Gate of Life and Death. The crack was still shrinking, leaving only four or five people inside. In addition, there was also the current era's Xue Meng and the Mei brothers who had yet to cross the border.

The people at the peak of the mountain could not help but step forward, and anxiously said, "Young Master!"

Xue Meng coughed and pointed at himself. "Your Young Master is that person, not me."

Young Xue Meng: "…"

"One mountain does not allow two tigers. How could there be two Xue Meng in a world? Wouldn't that be a mess?" Xue Meng laughed, and a frown appeared at the corner of his eyes. "I don't belong to this mortal world of yours. Now that I was able to do my last bit for these two lives, my wish was fulfilled. Furthermore, I've been tired for too long, I've been wanting to rest for a long time now."

He turned around and walked in the direction of the Black Tortoise Spirit Formation. At this time, the enchantment had already cracked to the point of being mostly broken, and there were chapped holes everywhere.

He walked to the side of Taxian-Jun and gave a complicated look to that man. Then, he opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something.

But in the end, he still couldn't say it out loud.

"Young Lord!"

"Young Master Xue!"

Behind him was Sisheng Peak, calling out to him, but so what? Even in this era, his father and mother were no longer present.

Furthermore, his life had nothing to do with the mortal world. If he were to forcefully stay, he would not know where to start.

Xue Meng let out a sigh. He raised his hand and rubbed the back of his neck, which was pulsing with blood vessels. Suddenly, he grinned.

This was what it was like when you were old. Sometimes, you would suddenly feel dizzy and absent-minded. For example, when he was in a daze, the sky and earth were not dark. Many times, he would be able to see Xue Zhengyong's figure and Madam Wang's smile.

Many times, he would see three little fellows from his youth shouting around a white-robed cultivator, "Esteemed Shizun, esteemed Shizun!"

These were all things that belonged to him, and no one could take them away.

Visiting old friends but most are ghosts, can enjoy each other's company only in a glass of wine. Before anyone could even react, he had already passed through the Black Tortoise Formation and was thrown into the surging tides.

He belonged to this world of mortals. Even if he was torn to pieces and the world drifted away, he still felt that he should return to this place.

He didn't feel much pain, but it was like falling asleep in a drunken stupor.

I am willing to give my remaining years just to remain blissfully dreaming.

If only return to share wine with you.

Delightful. He, Xue Ziming, had endured for more than ten years.

Everyone fell into a deathly silence. A moment later, all the disciples at the Sisheng Peak knelt down and did not utter a single word. The people of the Taxue Palace seemed to have suddenly realized something. Many of their expressions changed as they looked towards the Mei brothers.

"Eldest Brother! Come here, don't stay there…"

"Come back quickly… Come back here…"

"Aiyo, I'm not coming back, I'm not coming back." Mei Hanxue smiled and waved at them from behind the barrier. "A single Mei Hanxue can bring disaster upon half of the beautiful women in the cultivation world. If there were two of me in this world, wouldn't it be a mess? In order to pity the girls who were half-way up the mountain, I'm leaving, brothers. Farewell to the martial arts world."

Méi Hánxuě stood beside his younger brother and gazed at the snow-capped Mount Kunlun, the lofty and sacred mountain. He gave a proper bow to the Sect master who had long passed away in his generation, "Disciple Méi Hánxuě greets the Sect Leader today."

The two of them seemed to be speaking very easily, but everyone knew that their thoughts were unshakable.

Ming Yuelou closed its eyes and sighed into the wind.

The younger brother smiled brightly, and his older brother nodded. The heavy responsibility that the two of them shouldered had been accomplished, and he would live up to his kindness, his best friend, and his world. Facing the torrential torrent of water, they actually felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from their shoulders. Their eyes were closed as they plunged into the vast ocean — their figures disappeared without a trace like the petals of a falling plum in water after a single wave had passed.

At this point, everyone had either retreated behind the Time of Life and Death or returned to the vast and boundless Great Sea.

At this moment, the sound of the zither disappeared.

Chu Wanning raised his eyes, and Jiuge turned into a ray of golden light, returning to his blood and bones. In the snowy plains of Kunlun, his white robes fluttered as he stood with his back facing the crowd.

For a moment no one knew what he was going to do.

"There's still one last crack." He turned his head to the side, and the wind began to blow. It gently caressed his clothes and his tattered pitch-black hair.

"After I leave, all the cultivators close them. They can ensure the peace of this world."

"…"

After a few moments of silence, someone suddenly reacted and shouted, "Grandmaster!"

"Chu-zongshi!"

Xue Meng's hair stood on end as he staggered and rushed over from the snow at Kunlun, "Shizun! Shizun!" But the snowy road was too slippery, and he was running fast. Suddenly, he fell to the ground, his pair of black beast-like eyes looking at Chu Wanning in despair.

"Shizun…"

Hearing his voice, Chu Wanning turned around.

His dark eyes gazed at him from afar, and finally, Chu Wanning said, "…I'm sorry."

Sorry for what?

Xue Meng's pupils shrank in fear. It was as if the top of his head had been drilled open. Someone was pouring a thick layer of snow and ice into his skull.

Sorry for what?! Sorry about his relationship with Mo Ran? Sorry for the deception? Or was it because…

He gulped and swallowed.

Or was it because…

"No! Don't go!" Xue Meng finally collapsed. He knelt on the snowy plains and wailed, "Don't leave! Why are you all like this. Why do you have to leave me all alone… Why am I the only one left?!"

Tears kept streaming down his bloodied face, leaving streaks of white marks.

The heart-wrenching wail seemed to have been dug out from his throat along with the fresh blood. It was as if his liver and gall were shattered, and his flesh was a mess of blood and gore.

"Don't leave me… Come back! Come back!"

He howled like a beast, kneeling on his knees in the snow, the snow falling silently around him, as if he were a man crushed by the falling snow.

He couldn't get up again.

"Please… Come back…"

What do I have?

Father. Mother. Brother. Friend.

Even the Longcheng was destroyed.

Come back.

Don't take my last spine.

Shizun… Please…

However, Xue Meng did not know that Chu Wanning was already dead.

A person was placed on a altar. Because he was too powerful, he had to carry a heavy burden that made it hard for him to breathe.

He watched his lover close his eyes in his arms.

He personally dismembered his lover.

He had to confront an old friend with a sword.

Just one thing was enough to empty his heart, not to mention that he had experienced all of these. He could never look back.

— I did my best to keep you alive.

So now, can you let me be selfish and die with him?

Chu Wanning finally set foot into the Time of Life and Death sect. He returned to the turbulent Broken World, leaving the Snow Region of Kunlun behind.

Over there, the sky and the earth lost their color, and mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas all turned into a vast ocean.

The sun and moon were unknown, and only one person remained in the land of the Nine Prefectures.

Chu Wanning came up to the man and embraced him from behind. Then, he raised his slender fingers to cover the wound on Taxian-Jun's palm.

Taxian-Jun was shocked. He suddenly turned his head and asked, "What did you —?!"

Chu Wanning smiled. Under his long eyelashes was a pair of soft black phoenix eyes.

"I did."

"…"

"Hell is too cold. I'm here to die with you."

His warm body embraced his cold body. The body of Taxian-Jun had been destroyed to such an extent that his left leg had almost completely disintegrated, becoming nothing but ashes.

The expression on his face was extremely complex. He pursed his lips and finally turned his face away.

"… The most annoying person is you, there's no need for you to accompany me."

However, it was as if his heart had exploded, and all that flowed out of it was gentleness. He knew that he was only a corpse, but at this moment, he suddenly felt that it was extremely hot.

After a moment of silence, Taxian-Jun turned around and said, "That's right. Actually, there was one thing. I should tell you."

"What is it?"

He raised his head and suppressed the stifling sensation in his heart. Then, he looked at Chu Wanning resolutely, "Before I tell you the truth, can you tell me the truth first?"

"…"

"Do you really hate me like this? The one you are unwilling to part with is the Mo-zongshi that died in your arms."

After he said these words, his eyes actually turned red from humiliation.

If it were not for the collapse of heaven and earth and the separation between life and death, he probably would never have used such a despicable tone to seek the answer to this question. He asked, feeling humiliated. His fingers could not help but clench into a fist – but he suddenly realized that even the fingertips of his left hand had started to turn into sand. Slowly, they had turned into ashes…

He waited for a long time, but there was no reply. His burning heart gradually cooled down.

It was as if the beating organs in his chest had been crushed, turning into plaster.

"Forget it." Taxian-Jun turned his head, "This Venerable one knows the answer. It doesn't matter, since this reputed one has…"

Before he could finish, a pair of warm hands held his face.

Chu Wanning looked at his handsome face that had been cut into pieces, but his eyes were more sincere and full of passion than ever before.

"Are you stupid?"

"…"

"Both are you." Chu Wanning hugged him. The Black Tortoise Spirit Formation flickered and darkened, and was finally extinguished.

There was only darkness left in the world. The last wave of the rivertide surged in with winning pride. The sounds of the stampede seemed to mock the weak and insignificant strength of humans. How could they dare to fight against life?

"I've told him that too."

Chu Wanning embraced his disappearing lover. Before the torrential flood, when the end of the world was approaching, his expression was calm but his gaze was solemn.

"It doesn't matter if it's Mo-zongshi or Taxian-Jun. It's all you."

The sand had already spread to his arms, gradually encroaching to his chest.

The black eyes stared at him.

"I will always be yours as well," Chu Wanning said.

"No regrets."

Taxian-Jun stiffened for a moment, then abruptly closed his eyes. Tears could be seen beneath his long and slender eyelashes.

He finally took off his cold mask, and his expression slowly relaxed. He used his remaining hand to hug his back tightly, pressing his lover against his chest. He lowered his head to kiss his hair, his cheek gently rubbing against his forehead.

"You're right." He sighed. "I was too stupid…"

Taxian-Jun whispered, "Wanning, I'm sorry."

How many years of love and hatred entangled, most of the life grudges, in this sigh dust settled.

After a while, Chu Wanning heard him press his head against his ear. His voice was low and deep. It was the peace which was a rare moment in the life of an Taxian-Jun, "Well, there's not much time left… It's time I told you the secret."

"What secret?"

Taxian-Jun lowered his eyes. "It has something to do with Mo-zongshi."

"Actually, ever since I merged with his heart, I could feel it." He paused, "Mo-zongshi merged his soul into my body."

"…" Chu Wanning was stunned. Then, he suddenly raised his head and looked at the smiling face of Taxian-Jun in disbelief.

"The fragments of the soul. Always inside me. However, my heart is like a rock. I feel that even if I am crippled, a wisp of my soul will have its own determination. That is why I am unwilling to merge with the three spirits and the five spirits."

"However, when it comes down to it, if I am the only one capable of confessing to you, then it would be too unfair."

"…"

"Wanning…"

Taxian-Jun closed his eyes, and the faint smile on his face gradually faded.

"Don't be sad, he's always here."

Under Chu Wanning's astonished gaze, Taxian-Jun instantly opened his eyes. They were clearly the same eyes, yet they didn't have the same shade of black to the point of turning purple. Instead, they were pure and gentle.

"… Mo Ran?!"

With a bang, the huge wave crashed down, and the Black Tortoise Spirit Formation was finally completely destroyed. In the torrential waves of the whale, Mo Ran didn't say anything first and just hugged him tightly. They sank into the vast ocean with him, disappearing deep into the ocean.

Water and crystal bubbles swirled around him, and in the blue sea, Mo Ran opened his eyes.

The water was deep, like love in those dark eyes.

Amidst the waves, Mo Ran's lips moved as he silently said something to Chu Wanning.

—

Shizun, don't worry, it's me.

I was there all the time.

I will be in the future.

Thus… Go back. Don't stay here.

Believe me, I'll be fine. I'll try my best to see you, to be with you.

I'll wait for you in another world.

He closed his mouth, and finally called Jiangui out of him. Jiangui covered Chu Wanning's entire body, sending him to the final inch of the Gate of Life and Death.

"Mo Ran… Mo Ran! What do you mean? You bastard! What do you mean!"

Mo Ran floated smilingly in the water. His broken body had already turned into sand and dust, and that crazy, sweet, innocent, evil face had turned into mottled dust at this moment.

They gradually distanced themselves from each other.

Go back. Wanning.

You have to believe me.

I'll be fine. I'll always be by your side.

Forever.