Even until his death, Wu Xiankui never truly understood the real significance of the generations-long challenge between the Qingshan sect and the Royal Family.
"I understand."
The Grand Ancestor Xu vanished from the well's mouth, and the sinking sunset of the whole world rose again, the golden sunlight illuminating the earth.
Zhao Douan lifted his head and saw the small town begin to disappear, followed by one village after another.
In the end, this world was left with only the fiery red banyan tree extending countless branches like innurable silk threads.
A spinning Green Lotus rose from the center of his brow.
The Dragon Essence from the tree and the Qingyun above his head converged toward him.
Three flowers gather at the peak, five energies return to the source.
...
...
It was dawn.
At the edge of Mubei Forest.
A lone tent was pitched on the ground.
The campfire outside the tent had already extinguished.
Inside the tent, Empress Xu Zhenguan and Tuoba Weizhi both opened their eyes simultaneously and exchanged glances, for a mont unsure if what had just happened was real or an illusion.
Beside them, Zhao Douan and Zhang Yan Yi sat cross-legged with their eyes closed, motionless.
As if in deep sleep.
"We truly never left this place by even a step."
Xu Zhenguan stood in a daze, got up, and lifted the tent flap, outside there were no approaching beasts, no shattered battleground, the night had already dispersed, and the morning sun was rising.
Dressed in wedding attire and wearing a dark gold faceplate, Pei Niannu floated calmly through the forest, looking into the depths of the forest and said serenely:
"Xu Manzi is gone."
The Empress paused, tears streaming down her face.
At this mont, inside the tent, Tuoba Weizhi let out a low cry and poked her head out, saying to the two won, "Heavenly Master Zhang has also died."
A great wave of sorrow swept over their hearts.
On that day, Xu Zhenguan didn't speak another word, she only silently searched for a piece of land, and buried Zhang Yan Yi's body.
Then she found a large clean Qingshan, and placed the ditating Zhao Douan upon it.
Thus began the long wait.
A day passed.
Three days passed.
Five days passed.
Inside Mubei Forest, the world seed never to flow, eternally frozen in winter.
Xu Zhenguan kept watch under the large Qingshan, each day lifting her head repeatedly to look at the godlike Zhao Douan seated there, only to lower her head once again in disappointnt.
After an indeterminate amount of ti, Xu Zhenguan could no longer sustain her spirit, she felt that as ti passed, this portion of her Divine Soul that couldn't return to her body was gradually dissipating.
Another dawn.
Xu Zhenguan leaned against the big stone, her appearance extrely haggard, she took one last look at Zhao Douan, seeing him still unmoving, she propped her body up and used her last remaining strength to brush a leaf off his shoulder.
Then she sat back under the Qingshan, turned to Pei Niannu and said: "I have to go first."
Pei Niannu responded with calm indifference: "Alright."
Xu Zhenguan looked at Tuoba Weizhi and said: "Rember to tell him, I'm waiting for him outside."
Tuoba Weizhi tilted her head and said: "Alright."
Xu Zhenguan let out a long breath, leaned back against the Qingshan, and murmured sothing softly. The trace of soul within this puppet body vanished into dust.
Thus, beside Zhao Douan, only one body and one soul remained.
Pei Niannu floated on branches day after day, as if thinking that sitting high enough would let her see six hundred years pass.
Tuoba Weizhi crafted a broom, sweeping away snow and fallen leaves ti and again, just like in the many years spent in the La Garden, where as a Priest she watched over the Divine behind her.
In the blink of an eye, another year passed in this world.
One morning, with the sun rising, Tuoba Weizhi once again picked up the broom and walked to the Qingshan, when she lifted her head, the broom in her hand dropped to the ground with a "bang".
She knelt on the ground, trembling and prostrating, as if she had seen an existence above the Divine.
High up in the tree, Pei Niannu finally withdrew her gaze, behind the faceplate, her ethereal eyes looked in a daze at the Qingshan.
Zhao Douan opened his eyes, his gaze pure and clear as a newborn child.
Yet it seed to contain the entire world.
"How long did I sleep?" he asked.
Pei Niannu floated down, her ethereal Divine Soul trembling uncontrollably: "I don't know."
Zhao Douan seed a bit absent-minded.
Tuoba Weizhi said, "The mistress said she is waiting outside for your return."
Zhao Douan replied, "I know."
Then, he stood up, and at that mont, infinite mysteries sprouted in the world.
"You all wait here, I'll be right back."
Zhao Douan left these words, took a step southward, and disappeared.
...
...
Jubei City.
As Yu Country's largest military stronghold on the Northern Iron Pass Road, elite soldiers should have been patrolling the city walls day and night.
However, today in Jubei City, the enormous city no longer had the elite soldiers of the Northern Border Army, leaving only a group of wounded and defeated remnants.
About a year ago, following an order from Her Majesty the Empress, Luo Kedie led the Northern Border Army to reinforce Xiping Road.
After that, in the long and brutal war, a continuous stream of wounded were forced to withdraw from the battlefield and transported to the rear.
On the city wall, Lang Shiba stood alone, leaning against a flagpole, quietly holding a jar of the strongest local liquor.
His long hair still hung loosely, but the stubble on his face was more disheveled, and he appeared haggard and aged, as if ten years had passed.
The long knife that was once inseparable from him was discarded like scrap tal, propping up the leg of the chair under Lang Shiba.
Ji Yue, like a ghost, walked up to the city wall, ca to his side, and looking at his reeking alcoholic state, calmly said:
"You should go back, if you keep drinking here, you'll freeze to death at night sooner or later."
Lang Shiba clung to the wine jar, not looking at her, in a drunken state, self-mockingly said:
"Go back where? I'm a cripple now, where else can I return to except here?"
As he spoke, he patted his numb, atrophied legs.
He no longer had a trace of a martial artist's Qi chanism.
Back then, Lang Shiba was severely injured and recuperated at the Huai'an Prince Mansion. Later, one day, Bodhisattva appeared in Jingchuan City and used magic to heal Lang Shiba, but his cultivation irreversibly fell to the Divine Chapter.
Afterwards, Bodhisattva wanted to join the battle in Xiping, and Lang Shiba chose to follow. But in the ensuing brutal war, he was wounded again.
This ti, his injuries were so severe they were irreversible. Lang Shiba could only be evacuated as a wounded soldier, originally to be sent back to the capital, but he chose to return to Jubei City, the place where he first lived.
Since then, a drunken "commander" appeared on the city walls. However, the Yanshan King had long been executed. Day after day, facing the northern snowfields, what was he guarding?
Ji Yue was silent for a while, then suddenly said:
"If the master returns, he probably wouldn't want to see you self-destructing like this."
Lang Shiba turned his head, staring at her, muttering:
"It's been a year, it's been a year since the master disappeared. Why didn't you follow orders and ca here from the capital, wandering daily on the city walls?
I know, you know the master went north, right? But it's been a year, do you think if the master truly entered that forbidden zone even a Heavenly Human can't tread, can he really co back?"
Ji Yue suddenly snatched the wine jar from his hand, coldly staring into his eyes:
"If you don't believe the master will eventually return, why are you also guarding here? Does this city wall truly need a crippled sentry?"
Lang Shiba, still drunk, reached out to grab the jar again, cursing:
"What I do isn't for a wandering ghost like you to control!"
Ji Yue, furious, picked up the wine jar and threw it off the city wall.
The heavy jar broke through the cold wind, wailing, falling beneath the high city wall.
Lang Shiba stretched out his arms, weakly sprawling on the crown of the city wall, despairingly reaching into the void, then he suddenly froze, motionless.
Ji Yue sneered, "What madness is this? Speak!"
Lang Shiba remained motionless, only struggling to hold onto the city wall with his arms, staring blankly at the northern snowfield.
At that mont, the drunkenness in his misty eyes quickly dissipated, and he murmured:
"Soone is there."
Soone?
Ji Yue frowned, turning her head to look, not entirely believing, the white pupils behind her black hair reflected the boundless, perpetual snowfield shrouded in snowstorms.
At this mont, within the storm, a human-shaped shadow suddenly appeared, and in a breath, it transford from a tiny black dot to suddenly stepping onto the city wall.
Zhao Douan looked at them in surprise, saying:
"Why are you here?"
Ji Yue seed thunderstruck, her whole body trembling, unbelievingly rubbing her eyes forcefully, then suddenly covering her mouth, letting out a wail.
Lang Shiba nearly fell off his chair, tilting his head back, uttering from his throat: "Master..."
A proud martial artist, tears burst forth uncontrollably.
Zhao Douan was taken aback, instantly understanding everything.
He spread his arms, supporting both of them, softly saying: "I am back, you've waited long enough."
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