Chapter 234
by 肉包不吃肉Chapter 234: The Return of the Dragon Mountain Imperial Lord
At that moment, at the foot of Dragon Mountain, all cultivators had managed to escape except for those from the Jiangdong Sect, whose whereabouts were unknown. As they stepped out of the barrier, many were already exhausted and collapsed on the ground despite knowing they were still not safe.
Ma Yun sprawled on a large rock with a pained expression, groaning, "I can't take it anymore, I can't endure this. My friends, let's all return home and fortify our defenses. I really don't have the strength to keep going."
Jiang Xi said, "We haven't thoroughly investigated that mysterious array or the people who came out of it. Are we really going back now?"
"What else can we do? If we still had the energy to fight them, we wouldn't have fled in such a pathetic state."
Grandmaster Xuanjing also spoke, " Sect Leader Jiang, listen to Lord Manor Owner Ma this time. Instead of stubbornly resisting here and ending up in a heroic yet tragic situation, it's better to regroup and prepare anew."
Jiang Xi pressed his lips together, not saying a word as he looked towards the people from Death Peak. However, Xue Zhengyong and Xue Meng both seemed extremely disoriented, staring at the main path of Dragon Mountain until a figure emerged from the billowing dust.
"Mo Ran..." Xue Meng murmured.
Mo Ran was the last one to exit the Dragon Mountain barrier. He knitted his dark brows, glanced at everyone, and said, "It was a game of Zhenlong Chess, possibly related to the first forbidden technique, the Door of Time and Space. If that's the case, we don't know what kind of figure might emerge from there. You should all leave quickly; don't wait here to die. Your lives come first."
He paused and then said to Jiang Xi, "Sect Leader Jiang, please trouble yourself to lead everyone to Linling Island. It's protected by the Black Tortoise Barrier and can resist Hua Binan for a while. Besides, your sect is the Medicine Sect, so it would be convenient to deal with those affected by the Heart-piercing Worms."
Jiang Xi asked, "And you?"
"I'll return to the mountain to assist my Master once you all leave. After settling everything, I'll meet up with you at your esteemed sect."
Jiang Xi was silent for a long while. Eventually, he crossed his arms and bowed to Mo Ran, saying, "Lord Solitary Moon Night, farewell."
The group, wounded, weary, and maimed, prepared to depart this troubled place alongside Jiang Xi. Mo Ran suddenly called out to him again.
"Headmaster Jiang!"
"Does Grandmaster Mo have something else to attend to?"
Mo Ran began, "Miss Ye..."
"I understand. No one will harm her again under my watch," Jiang Xi assured.
Only then did Mo Ran feel relieved. Though Jiang Xi and the others had left, the people from the Summit of Life and Death remained still. Xue Zhengyong hesitated for a while before approaching with a frown and a raspy voice, "Ran'er, what on earth happened here?"
Mo Ran glanced at his uncle and then at his cousin. A wave of sorrow surged in his heart, but he forced a smile and said, "It's a long story. Uncle, please take Xue Meng and leave first. I'll explain everything in detail later."
Xue Meng, however, was not willing to wait that long. His heart burned with impatience as he said, "No, how can you be from the Confucian Wind Sect? You've always grown up on the Summit of Life and Death. You – you –"
He stumbled over the word "you" for a while before, with reddened eyes, he finally managed to say, "You're my brother, right?"
Mo Ran gazed at him.
Xue Meng was trembling, though he tried his best to suppress it.
His confused and sorrowful expression was too pitiful. Mo Ran's throat constricted, and he didn't know what to say.
In the end, he stepped forward and patted Xue Meng's shoulder.
"When I first arrived at the Summit of Life and Death, you didn't even want to acknowledge me," Mo Ran smiled bitterly, not daring to look again into Xue Meng's wide, misty eyes.
Those eyes were too pure, too intense.
And he was tainted.
He was afraid.
Xue Meng fell silent for a moment before finally speaking, his voice hoarse. "…Can you give me a straight answer?"
He gripped Longcheng, the curved saber that Mo Ran had embedded with crystals for him.
He clutched it as if it were his only lifeline.
In just one short night, he had witnessed Nan Gongsi jump into the dragon pond, seen Shi Mo's eyes destroyed with uncertain fate, and watched Mo Ran shed blood to unlock a seal that only a member of the Nan Gong family could.
He was gasping for air, feeling as if he was drowning.
Mo Ran couldn't bear it. "…Alright. I'll give you that answer."
He held Xue Meng's shoulders, unsure whose trembling they were – Xue Meng's or his own. But it didn't matter anymore. He looked into Xue Meng's eyes, enunciating each word deliberately.
"Listen. I've never been part of the Confucian Wind Sect. In my entire life, I've never done anything to harm the Summit of Life and Death. If possible, I'd dedicate the rest of my life to serving the sect."
Xue Meng's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but before he could speak, tears tumbled down his cheeks. He bit down hard on his lower lip, trying to hold back, but eventually broke down. "Shi Mo said I never understood him. Actually… actually, I never understood you either… I was too wilful before. I never thought about any of you. I didn't know anything, I just acted recklessly… but… but…"
He paused, tears cascading down his face.
"But I truly care about you both. I promise I won't scold you or bully Shi Mo anymore... I want everything to go back to how it was before... as long as things can be like they used to be." His voice broke by the end, tears streaming down his face. "Brother, don't lie to me..."
Unable to bear seeing him like this, Mo Ran gently pushed Xue Meng towards Xue Zhengyong. His voice was soft and moist, like dew on flowers at dawn.
"Be a good boy and go with your uncle. Once this is all settled, I'll come find you both right away."
With that, he turned and returned to the Dragon Mountain barrier, casting the seal without looking back.
The Dragon Soul Pond's hall lay in ruins, pillars fallen, the aftermath of a fierce battle leaving only lingering smoke. Heaven-Stepping Lord held his broadsword against Chu Wanning's neck with brutal force, drawing a vivid trail of blood that seeped onto the black blade.
Chu Wanning closed his eyes, pursing his lips in silence.
"Master, you were far too distracted in this battle," said Heaven-Stepping Lord.
Silence.
"You weren't focused," the celestial being remarked as he pulled Chu Wanning up from the ground. With a casual gesture, the Mobei blade vanished instantly; however, at the same time, he placed the most potent sealing spell upon Chu Wanning. A vivid emerald glow bound him tightly, and he held Chu Wanning's chin, forcing him to lift his head.
"Tell this Seat what has been on your mind," he demanded.
Chu Wanning slowly opened his eyes, only to see that achingly familiar yet eerily unfamiliar face reflected in his gaze.
He felt a chill run down his spine.
He knew this wasn't Mo Ran, but every move and gesture of this person was so similar to Mo Ran's. What was even more terrifying was that he suddenly realized he seemed to have seen this face in his dreams.
How many times had he intertwined with Mo Ran in his dreams, with this slightly pale and slender face? Handsome yet imbued with an underlying wickedness, his dark eyes devoid of warmth, filled only with ferocity and madness.
"In truth, it makes no difference whether you tell me or not," he spoke softly, "Your Master must be wondering who I am, what nonsense I'm spouting, and where I've come from."
His fingertips affectionately brushed against Chu Wanning's cheek.
"There's no rush. I can... reveal all these things to you at my leisure. By the way—" His gaze shifted downward to Chu Wanning's left hand.
"You won't be able to summon Elegy or Huai Sha. I've taken precautions, and there will be no repeat of the past."
Upon hearing the names of his other two divine weapons mentioned, Chu Wanning's expression turned even more grim. Though his phoenix eyes were dark and brooding, they also held confusion. Heaven-Stepping Lord seemed amused by his stubborn and bewildered demeanor, chuckling softly.
He caressed Chu Wanning's face. "Why are you surprised that I know about Elegy and Huai Sha? It's understandable, though. Before arriving, I had already received information and have some understanding of this world. I know that in this timeline, 'I' haven't yet crossed mountains of corpses and seas of blood, forcing you to draw your swords against each other. 'He' has naturally never laid eyes on those two divine weapons."
"In this mortal world... you?"
Heaven-Stepping Lord smiled but didn't reply.
Chu Wanning suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He sensed that Mo Ran was looking at him as if he were a corpse or an illusion. The gaze was too bare, too obsessed, filled with intense emotions that could drive any ordinary person mad.
"Door of Time, Life, and Death," he said slowly. "This forbidden technique, I believe, is well-known to you, Master."
"!"
"You've been dead for many years in another cultivation realm, Master."
He watched as Chu Wanning's face grew increasingly pale, the last traces of color draining from his skin. Heaven-Stepping Lord stared at him with a glittering intensity in his eyes.
Suddenly, it was as if a sharp blade had been unsheathed, a dragon breaking through the water.
The calmness this person had maintained seemed to snap. He abruptly pulled Chu Wanning up, his demeanor verging on madness. "Yes... exactly like this, this face."
"...”
"It's this face... I've gazed at your face, watching you lie like a living corpse in the Red Lotus Water Pavilion, day and night... No trace of life in your cheeks, your body decaying yet forever silent, never opening your eyes. In that world of cultivation, you were long dead to me—yet you've come back to haunt me!"
He gasped, his eyes ablaze with a fierce light.
Despairing, they crackled with electric flames, as if dragons and serpents danced within.
"Chu Wanning, I hate you. You left me alone."
But even as he spoke, he reached out and embraced him, pulling him close into his arms.
So hot.
Like fire.
Stung by this long-lost warmth, he let out a low, rumbling sigh. He clung to him tightly, holding him close, wishing to meld him into his very bones, to devour him and make him part of his being. From now on, whether in life or death, warmth or cold, he would no longer be alone.
No, no—
Yet Chu Wanning felt a chill run down his spine and his vision blurred. He was at a loss as to what was happening. Who had died? Who was left behind?
The Dragon Soul Pond's palace gates creaked open once more.
Amidst the swaying shadows, a figure hurriedly approached, calling out anxiously, "Master!"
A hundred weapons were brandished in defense, blocking the way forward.
Upon hearing this voice, the Deity of Exaltation of Immortals was briefly taken aback before he let out a cold laugh. "I wonder who it could be. It's 'him'." With an indifferent wave of his hand, he told the pawns following him, "Scatter. There's no issue. Let him in."
Throughout the journey, Mo Ran had been pondering over the Jenoa Chess pieces and the Door of Time and Life. He was convinced that Hua Binan was not the final player. If everything was part of Hua Binan's plan, there would be no reason for him to harm Xu Shuanglin in front of the Soul Summoning Platform. Xu Shuanglin would have recognized him.
So, who could the final player be?
The Jenoa Chess game, the Door of Time and Life, the Unreturning Path – two ancient legends intertwined in the mortal realm. Each piece of the puzzle connected, giving birth to a wild notion in Mo Ran's mind. The thought sent shivers down his spine, but he refused to believe it. Running with all his might, he refused to accept that this could be real.
Not until he burst into the Dragon Soul Palace.
Not until he saw that person clearly.
Mo Ran felt a buzz in his head as blood rushed to his skull, leaving him momentarily breathless. His lips quivered, and his eyes widened with disbelief.
No...
No!
How could this be true?
The man in the hall, surrounded by others, appeared so disdainful, cold, and disdainful, with a mocking glint in his eyes.
He looked at Mo Ran with a detached gaze.
Same eyebrows, nose, lips, same face, aura, physique.
The difference was barely noticeable. It was as if he were looking into a mirror, or peering through the torrent of time to see his ghostly, haunting self from yesterday.
Heaven-Stepping Lord curled the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile steeped in bloodiness.
He pulled Chu Wanning in front of him, his fingertips grazing the latter's lips as he cast a silencing charm. Then, he turned to the person at the door and laughed,
"Well, Grandmaster Mo, I've long heard tales of your renowned prowess, and I must say, I'm quite curious. Now that the Gate of Life and Death has opened, we finally have the chance to meet."
He paused, his eyes shimmering with an eerie glow. His stark white teeth clicked together, forming two chillingly sweet words.
"It's a pleasure."
0 Comments