Chapter 77 - Oh, The Living! Continue Forward

Xin Yu walked through the desolate city, a long sword tucked into his sash at his waist. The sword was sheathed, its hilt sakura-colored, and the end of the hilt bore a cherry-blossom-like motif, looking exceedingly beautiful.

A Claw Deadmask, hidden in the darkness, silently emerged from its hiding spot. With completely silent steps, it slowly approached Xin Yu's back. When only a few meters separated them, the Claw Deadmask shot out in an instant, its body becoming a blur as it pounced towards Xin Yu's back.

A distinct sound of rushing air was already audible from behind him. Even so, Xin Yu showed no intention of running, dodging, or even turning his head. He simply continued to walk forward calmly. Could it be that the young man had given up on living?

However, when the Deadmask's claws were mere millimeters from Xin Yu's body, its form froze rigidly in mid-air. Xin Yu still didn't look back, merely walking forward silently, not even drawing the long sword at his waist. And behind him, the body of the Deadmask, frozen in mid-air, began to transform, starting from its outstretched claws, piece by piece, into cherry blossom petals that drifted into the air.

The Deadmask offered no resistance, its body simply turning into harmless cherry blossom petals. A gust of gentle wind swept up these petals, carrying them away towards some unknown distant place.

The Golden Core realm enhanced not only physical strength and cultivation power but also brought about a fundamental change in one's essence. To put it accurately, one had already mastered a certain conceptual alteration.

Now, Xin Yu could truly tamper with the established principles within a certain area around him. He could make ascent become descent, heaviness become lightness, pain become pleasure, sickness become health. This wasn't a reversal, but a tampering.

It was an erosion and distortion of the real world.

The essential power for this erosion came from the Herrscher of Corrosion of the previous era, which had been sealed in that Black Box.

Xin Yu had devoured all the power within that Black Box long ago, and from that sealed consciousness, he had obtained some memories of the Previous Civilization, although many past events were already unclear to that consciousness due to the long passage of time.

The various powers contained within that Black Box had been sealed by Xin Yu within his own body. It wasn't until Yae Sakura's complete death that the surging emotions made it impossible for Xin Yu to continue suppressing the energy, leading to the condensation of his Golden Core, and even the appearance of a long sword.

Jizo Mitama. This was the original name of this long sword. However, after Xin Yu reforged it, it transformed from its original black form into a long sword with a sakura-colored hilt and a purple blade.

Xin Yu named this sword, exclusively his, Sakurafubuki, to commemorate those two hundred years.

With a few nimble leaps and turns, Xin Yu arrived outside the city. There stood a small mountain, and on it, a shrine.

Yae Shrine.

Xin Yu gazed at the wooden plaque hanging above the shrine, his expression somewhat dazed. He pushed open the closed main gates and walked inside.

The interior was very unfamiliar, vastly different from the shrine he had lived in hundreds of years ago. The layout had changed. Opening a room door, he could see that although it retained designs of ancient style, it had already stepped into modernity.

Xin Yu walked through this unfamiliar shrine. In a trance, he suddenly heard a woman's light laughter. Pushing open a nearby room door, he saw a mature miko combing her younger sister's hair, while another version of himself sat to the side, a gentle smile on his face, watching this warm, everyday scene.

Xin Yu lowered his gaze. The three figures in the room instantly vanished, and even the layout that had quietly changed reverted to its previous state.

That was a fragment of reality distorted by his power, just a scene that had disappeared into the past.

He continued walking until he reached the rear of the shrine. There, a small, stone-paved path, evidently well-maintained, extended up the mountain.

Xin Yu followed the path up the mountain until he reached its end. There stood two graves, both appearing to have been specially renovated.

The stone tablets before the two graves were respectively engraved with:

Tomb of Yae Rin

Tomb of Miko Yae Sakura

Xin Yu stared in silence. At this moment, he actually had many, many things he wanted to say, wanting to recount many events from their two hundred years of daily life together. He wanted to tell his wife that he truly loved her. But what was the point?

The words spoken by the living, the dead ultimately cannot hear. Every word we speak before a grave, in the end, is spoken for ourselves to hear.

What meaning is there if I say "I love you" here a thousand, ten thousand times?

Ultimately, it is merely self-deceiving comfort.

Xin Yu turned and walked away.

To continue lingering here in sorrow and tears, to continue hesitating, would bring no change.

We can only keep moving forward, because the future is filled with infinite possibilities, because I myself am a symbol of miracles existing.

If Golden Core isn't enough, then Nascent Soul. If Nascent Soul isn't enough, then Soul Formation. If Soul Formation isn't enough, then Integration. If Integration isn't enough, then Mahayana. As long as I haven't achieved my goal, I will keep climbing upwards.

Until I can awaken you from the long river of history.

Sakura, I didn't lie to you. I said, you've merely fallen into a long, deep slumber. Rest well, sleep well. When you wake up, you will still see me.

This is a promise given as your husband, your god, and also as a man who should take responsibility.

......

"A Pseudo-Herrscher at Senba Academy? This school is really something, producing a Herrscher of Thunder, and now a Pseudo-Herrscher."

Listening to her subordinate's report, Theresa actually wanted to add that her own niece was also studying at Senba Academy, and if she wasn't mistaken, she could also be considered the Herrscher of the Void.

If that was the case, this small school in the Far East had gathered three Herrschers. She really didn't know whether to praise the school for its excellent location choice or to say it was unlucky.

The principal, completely unaware that her school would in the future earn the title of "Far East Demon's Den," shook her head and sighed.

"Alright, since we already know the location of that still-nascent Pseudo-Herrscher, leave it to me to handle. You all wait for me on the battleship. After I've dealt with that thing, I'll send you a message. Then we can go to that young man's original home together and see if we can find some things for you."

Theresa shouldered her Oath of Judah and quickly set off.

Seeing the somewhat worried gazes of her three students, Murata Himeko yawned, a smile on her face as she said, "Don't underestimate Theresa. No matter what, she was once Schicksal's top S-rank Valkyrie and participated in the battle to subjugate the Herrscher of the Void. Now it's just dealing with a Pseudo-Herrscher; there won't be any problems."

Kiana scratched her head. Although it felt a bit wrong to say so, a strange feeling told her that her great-aunt seemed to be in for some bad luck.