ch 21 The Devil’s Garden

The land between heaven and hell was forbidden to all — except devils.

And yet, Rui Xuan stood there.

Blood stained the hem of his celestial robes. His sword, silver-edged with divine flame, still dripped with ichor — not his own, but the corrupted blood of beasts conjured from Mo Jue's realm.

Above, the skies were torn.

Below, the earth sighed with shadows.

> "Come no further, Protector," came a voice — smooth, deep, threaded with dark laughter.

A slow figure emerged through the black lilies that bloomed without sun.

Mo Jue.

No longer armored in war-spikes or crimson bone. No beastly mask.

Bare-chested, barefoot, his long hair loose like storm-thread across his shoulders. But even bare, he looked dangerous. The air around him shimmered like heat rippling off a blade.

Rui Xuan raised his sword.

> "This is sacred land. You defile it with every breath."

Mo Jue stepped closer, unbothered.

> "And you," he said, eyes glinting, "come alone. No guards. No celestial horn sounding your arrival. Why is that, little guardian?"

Rui Xuan stiffened.

He hated that name. "Do not twist words, Devil."

> "Twist? No," Mo Jue said. "I only admire how far you'll go to chase me. Even into hell's garden."

Rui Xuan slashed the blade forward — not to kill, but to warn. The air sparked with holy light.

Mo Jue didn't flinch.

In fact, he smiled.

> "You still haven't killed me," he said softly. "Why?"

Rui Xuan's jaw clenched.

> "Because I'm not like you."

> "Ah," Mo Jue murmured, stepping within blade's reach. "But you dream of being like me. Just once. To stop holding back."

His hand rose — fingers brushing the air near Rui Xuan's cheek, not touching, just close enough that Rui Xuan could feel the heat.

> "You burn too clean. It must be exhausting."

Rui Xuan knocked his hand away. "I didn't come to be seduced by a creature who thrives on destruction."

Mo Jue's smile faded slightly.

> "Then why did you come?"

Silence stretched.

Because Rui Xuan didn't know anymore.

At first, it had been duty.

Then vengeance.

Then… obsession.

He couldn't stop thinking of that night — when Mo Jue, wounded, cornered, had smiled like a boy caught in the rain.

> "I came to end this war," Rui Xuan finally said. "Even if I have to bring your head back to the heavens myself."

Mo Jue didn't move. His voice turned low.

> "Then do it."

He stepped forward.

Pressed his chest against the tip of the divine sword.

> "Kill me now, Rui Xuan. Prove you are your title."

Rui Xuan's hand tightened on the hilt. The blade glowed.

But it did not move.

> "Coward," he whispered. "You think dying at my hands wins you something?"

> "No," Mo Jue said, voice unreadable. "It only proves I was right. That I've taken a piece of you you'll never get back."

Rui Xuan struck — not to kill, but to push.

Their bodies collided.

The sword fell between them.

And Rui Xuan's palm slammed into Mo Jue's chest — where his cursed heart beat, slow and strange.

They were too close.

Too human.

Too much.

> "You disgust me," Rui Xuan said through gritted teeth.

> "And yet," Mo Jue whispered, "you never leave."

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End of Chapter 21