Chapter 293

Chapter 293 - The Jade Emperor's Longing on the Edge of Life and Death

But when midnight arrived, Chu Wanning still had not come.

Heaven-Stepping Lord first grew restless, then melancholic, and eventually, worry took over.

His black robes swept across the golden tiles as he paced back and forth, unable to help but wonder, what had happened to Chu Wanning?

With the Portal of Time and Life and Death torn open, whether to seek the truth or attempt to intervene, Chu Wanning should have come to the Immortal Mountain Palace to find him. Given the nature of the North Dipper Immortal Venerated, even with limbs missing, he would have come to cause trouble for him.

Why didn't he come?

Is he unwell? —— Impossible, that fellow would still show up even if he was sick.

Doesn't he know? —— Perhaps he didn't know before, but with the barriers between realms shattered and the heavens altering their hues, how could he not be aware?

So...

He suddenly halted. The black figure cast eerie and chilling shadows under the faint candlelight, striking fear into anyone who saw it.

Could it be... he's dead?

The thought barely had time to form before his nails dug into his palm. Heaven-Stepping Lord gritted his teeth, his entire body trembling with tension.

They had spent eight years together in the Wu Mountain Palace, two years with their bones entwined. He had spent most of his life alongside Chu Wanning. So when he returned to the mortal world and found not even Chu Wanning's ashes remained, his madness escalated beyond control.

He could accept Shi Mo's passing, but only with all his might, hoping desperately to bring him back to life.

But he could never accept Chu Wanning's death.

As night deepened, the single candle he had left burning was nearly extinguished. The wick's remains formed a pool of light that reflected in the shadows, yet his moth still had not arrived.

The fear in his heart grew more intense, spreading like ink stains on rice paper. He circled around like a vulture, back and forth, endlessly.

Finally, he slumped onto the soft couch, exhausted.

In that very moment, he heard a faint, almost imperceptible sound from the rooftop.

Heaven-Stepping Lord shot up, light and warmth seemingly returning to his body in an instant. His eyes blazed with an astonishing intensity, tinged with hatred.

If he had a mirror now, he would see that his expression was not too different from Chen Ajiao singing the Longmen Lament—both waiting anxiously for their beloved's return, simmering with resentment.

He gritted his teeth and, without waiting for the other party to make a move, kicked open the temple doors and leaped onto the roof amidst the downpour.

"Chu Wanning!"

Madness beyond reason.

"How could you fall so low just because he's dead? Have you given up on the world you've been longing for just because he's gone?"

He slashed blindly at the figure before him, their blades clashing four or five times in the rain, the cold metallic sounds piercing through the deluge.

"Weren't you supposed to prioritize all living beings over yourself? ! To come and challenge me only now after sulking for so long? What use is there in being the revered North Star Jade Scale Immortal Emperor of the Heavenly Dao?!"

The other person spoke, their voice muffled by the rain. "What nonsense...?"

Heaven-Stepping Lord narrowed his eyes.

He immediately recognized that this voice did not belong to Chu Wanning. A moment of clarity flashed through his rage, and when the blade was swung towards him once more, his gaze turned icy. Unyielding emerald light flared as he raised his weapon and struck down.

A sharp "zing" echoed as the opponent's weapon, which had never shimmered with divine radiance, was severed in two under the relentless assault of Unreturning Fury. It clanged onto the roof tiles with a resounding clash.

"...Whose damn fool is this?" Heaven-Stepping Lord grew even more irascible after realizing he'd mistaken his target. "To dare attempt to assassinate This Seat without even a decent weapon."

He swiftly raised the broadsword and pointed it at the man's head, his words icy cold. "Show your face."

"..."

The man slowly lifted his head.

A sudden clap of thunder split the sky, illuminating his pallid face in its stark glow.

Heaven-Stepping Lord's brow furrowed on his nose bridge, his expression perilously ominous. "It's you again?"

Xue Meng rose to his feet, his hands trembling slightly. Heaven-Stepping Lord followed his gaze and saw the two gleaming segments of Dragon City's shattered blade resting on the damp roof tiles. Gradually, he understood the situation.

He narrowed his eyes, gazing at the thoroughly drenched young man through the slit of his eyelashes.

"It seems I shouldn't have said 'again' it was you," Heaven-Stepping Lord said in a chilling tone. "I should have said... it's you, my dear younger brother."

Thunder rumbled, threatening to shatter eardrums.

Xue Meng closed his eyes.

"Heaven-Stepping Lord," he said, "this is your first time dueling with me, isn't it? Such an innocent and naive age. You were much more adorable than you are now."

"…Give them back to me…" Xue Meng's voice cracked as he spoke, but he continued, "Give my parents their lives back."

"You already said that to me in your past life," Heaven-Stepping Lord replied.

Suddenly, Xue Meng snapped open his eyes, rage and grief intertwining. "Give my brother his life back!"

This time, Heaven-Stepping Lord remained silent for a moment before sneering coldly. "Being a grandmaster sure has its perks. Everyone seems to be thinking of him."

"…"

"But did he ever tell you that he's my reincarnation? He remembers all the sins and hatred from our past life." His eyes glinted with frost, his teeth bared. "He's a liar!"

Xue Meng and Heaven-Stepping Lord stood on opposite ends of the rooftop, like two dark, horned beasts locked in a stare-down.

Heaven-Stepping Lord grew increasingly indignant as he spoke, his expression twisting further. "That damn scoundrel pretended at peace in the mortal world, pretended at harmonious relations with his siblings, pretended at being surrounded by friends and family, pretended at having the reputation of a virtuous Grandmaster Mo – he should have died long ago. What difference is there between him and I?"

Xue Meng gritted his teeth. "You're completely different!"

"Hah! How ridiculous!"

Rainwater rushed past them like a river, surging from the gaps in the tiles beneath their feet. "What's so different? How are you different? Do you really think he's that pure? A hundred years of rain couldn't wash away his filth!"

Xue Meng's long eyelashes were dampened by the rain. "He's a different person from you!"

"Go to hell with your two different people," Heaven-Stepping Lord said casually yet venomously. "Just keep pretending to be blind."

Madame Wang had recently lost her husband, so these words were particularly painful to hear. Fuming, Xue Meng ignited flames in his palms and hurled a spell at the Empyrean.

Even the Xue Meng of ten years later was no match for Heaven-Stepping Lord, let alone this young version before him. The Empyrean expressionlessly avoided the attack; not even a strand of his hair was singed by the spiritual fire. Instead, he raised his hand to seize Xue Meng's outstretched arm before it could retract. His dark purple eyes slowly lowered.

"The two under that eave, come out immediately and kneel before me. If you don't move, I'll crush this fledgling's claws."

Mei Hanxue and his brother climbed onto the roof corner, one holding a zither, the other a sword.

Heaven-Stepping Lord glanced at them nonchalantly, a cold smile on his lips. "Your lives are indeed fascinating. In any world, you stand unconditionally with Xue Meng."

The elder brother remained silent, but Mei Hanxue chuckled. "What else could we do? Does His Majesty the Imperial Deity truly believe that everyone is as ungrateful and heartless as you?"

This struck a nerve in Heaven-Stepping Lord, images of Chu Wanning, Xue Zhengyong, and Wang Chuqing flashing before his eyes.

Ungrateful... Heartless...

He fell silent for a moment, then sneered amidst the downpour. "The two of you really aren't afraid of death."

Veins bulged in his arm as he grabbed Xue Meng's hair, the immortal lord continuing, "Xue Meng is, after all, his junior disciple whom the Great Northern Immortal Venerated personally protected. You have no ties to this seat; don't you fear that I'll grind you both into mincemeat?"

Mention of Chu Wanning only fueled Xue Meng's rage. "You still have the face to mention Master? You monster! Beast!"

"How dare I not mention him?"

Heaven-Stepping Lord lifted Xue Meng with one hand, staring intently at the soaked face of his nemesis.

Suddenly, memories of Grandmaster Mo flashed through his mind like scattered stars: the moonlight over Fluttering Flower Island, the night rain in Impermanence Town, even the mist above the Wonderful Sound Pond... Envy sprouted within him like wild grass.

He spoke coldly, "Tell me, what is there that I cannot mention about him?"

"..."

"What was he to me? Didn't your upright and pure brother ever tell you?"

Xue Meng was taken aback at first, then his eyes widened abruptly. "W-What are you talking about...?"

"You must have had some inklings all along," Heaven-Stepping Lord said, staring into Xue Meng's eyes with a thrill of trapping his prey. "From your interactions with them, from the gossip of others."

Xue Meng froze, then began to tremble violently.

His trembling thrilled Heaven-Stepping Lord immensely.

Yes, this was it. To taint Chu Wanning, to sully him – hadn't that damned Grandmaster Mo been cautious and fearful of their relationship being exposed?

Well, Heaven-Stepping Lord would not let that hypocrite have his way.

"How could you not know?"

"No... No, no, don't say it."

"So you do know, then?"

Xue Meng trembled, his scalp prickling with fear. "Don't say it!"

Heaven-Stepping Lord burst into laughter, his gaze fierce and mad. "It seems you're well aware deep down."

"Mo Ran—!"

"Chu Wanning is the one in my bed."

Suddenly, he seemed to lose all sense of reality, as if the howling winds and torrential rain had fallen silent.

Staring at Xue Meng, whose eyes were hollow and whose body still quivered, Heaven-Stepping Lord felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. He taunted coldly, baring his teeth and claws as he feasted on the young man's heart. "In this life, the last, your master has lain beneath me on the bed. At the Windy Cliff Inn in Impermanence Town, by the Wonderful Sound Pond on the Peak of Life and Death, in the annex of Peach Bud Manor – we've shared countless storms together. Did that never cross your mind?"

Xue Meng turned ice-cold, his eyes dark and gray.

"Ah, right," he suddenly recalled another detail about Grandmaster Mo. His eyes shimmered with a cold and venomous glint as his thin lips parted, "The brother you were protecting— he was intimate with your master right in front of you."

"..."

"Before you went to Dragon Mountain, you went to Chu Wanning's room to find him. At that time, you even reached out to touch Chu Wanning's forehead, asking if he had a fever."

Xue Meng's complexion turned increasingly pale.

Heaven-Stepping Lord smiled mockingly, "Can you imagine why Chu Wanning's cheeks were flushed and his eyes held a hint of desire at that moment?"

"Stop it!!"

His angry outburst was useless; it only made Heaven-Stepping Lord more relentless, "Because just a screen away from you, under the covers, your dear brother was orally pleasing your master."

Xue Meng's face cycled through shades of white, red, and green. He abruptly turned his head away, unable to tolerate the disgust. His body convulsed as he retched dryly, goosebumps covering his entire body.

The demonic being found Xue Meng's reaction highly satisfactory. He burst into laughter, his eyes gleaming with fanaticism, "How does it feel? Do you still believe your brother is different from me? He just didn't tell you about these lascivious acts. You thought he was so—"

A deafening explosion interrupted his words.

Heaven-Stepping Lord suddenly turned his face, only to see flames erupting from the Tower of Heaven in the west. Countless monsters transformed into beams of golden light, soaring through the fierce storm.

"What's happening?"

As he asked, a distant melody of a zither sounded, like the cry of a phoenix, celestial notes weaving through the air. The monsters, in response to the music, began to assume their true forms and rushed towards a certain spot on the ground, with the wood-type creatures being the most fearless among them.

Heaven-Stepping Lord's eyes narrowed. He muttered, "The Nine Songs...?"

Disregarding Xue Meng, he didn't even spare the young man a glance. Heaven-Stepping Lord leaped into the air, summoning Bu Gui with a lift of his fingers, and flew straight towards the Tower of Heaven.

Before the tower was an ocean of fire, with numerous powerful chess pieces battling against the horde of monsters. At the heart of the conflict were two men, both clad in snowy white attire.

One stood with his hands behind his back, controlling the chess pieces—Hua Binan.

The other had a murderous glint in his eyes as he played the zither to spur on the battle—Chu Wanning.

Upon seeing Yu Heng's fluttering sleeves amidst the fiery sea, Heaven-Stepping Lord felt a momentary relief—because Chu Wanning had finally arrived. But then, anger stirred within him—because although Chu Wanning was here, he didn't come to confront Heaven-Stepping Lord first but went straight for Hua Binan instead.

All that waiting had been for nothing!

"What are you standing there for?" Hua Binan's spiritual energy was innately weak; at this moment, he relied solely on those precious chess pieces to contend with Chu Wanning. He glanced sidelong at Heaven-Stepping Lord, gritting his teeth. "Aren't you coming to help me?"

Despite the subtle headache, Heaven-Stepping Lord immediately agreed.

He leaped down from the air, positioning himself in front of Hua Binan. A dark glow shimmered in his hand as he grasped the strange blade tightly.

"You go first. I'll hold them off."

Hua Binan had already been thoroughly defeated by Chu Wanning and had nowhere to escape. Seeing Heaven-Stepping Lord intervene, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Be careful," he instructed. "After you're done, lock him up. We can't let him ruin our plans again."

With that, his ethereal figure vanished into the night.

Heaven-Stepping Lord turned back to Chu Wanning. "I knew it, Chu Wanning. You could never stand idly by. But I didn't expect you to find him first and use him as leverage."

"..."

Chu Wanning's face was pale, his gaze impenetrable, concealing his true emotions.

"Why didn't you come to see this seat first? Hm?"

Chu Wanning didn't respond. In fact, at this moment, he and Heaven-Stepping Lord were both like corpses, but Chu Wanning was more lifeless. The soul within the Great Northern Immortal Venerated seemed to have perished, leaving only a layer of instinct to propel him to fulfill his final duty in this mortal world.

Heaven-Stepping Lord leaped up, engaging Chu Wanning in a fierce exchange. Their movements were swift, with their eyes narrowed against the fire and rain. "Is it because you think you can't defeat this seat?"

"..."

The blade in his hand slashed through the air, clashing with the spiritual energy of the zither. "Is it because you don't know how to face Xue Meng?"

"..."

The pain intensified, fueling his viciousness. His swordsmanship was lightning-fast, its momentum breathtakingly ferocious. Enhanced by Grandmaster Mo's spirit nucleus, it was now even more unstoppable, closing in on Chu Wanning's zither in an instant.

"Or is it because...?"

Bitter jealousy seethed between his teeth.

Golden radiance intertwined with emerald light. The broadsword fell, Nine Songs howled, and Chu Wanning's fingertips danced, casting an impregnable protective barrier.

In an instant, a surge of spiritual energy erupted with a hiss, and his blade was pressed against his barrier.

Through the veil of shimmering peach blossom petals, their eyes met, locked in an intimate gaze.

"Or perhaps it's because..." Suddenly, the flame in Heaven-Stepping Lord's hand faltered, and when it relit, it was no longer the verdant green of wood essence, but had transformed into the fiery red of fire attribute.

That was the spirit flow color Grandmaster Mo commonly employed.

Chu Wanning was taken aback.

Amidst the intertwining flames and golden light, splashes of brilliance rained down like a deluge. Behind the barrier, Heaven-Stepping Lord's handsome face softened abruptly.

"Is it because... my Master..." Under his thick eyelashes, his gaze was filled with profound sorrow and affection, "can't bear to watch me die a second time?"

A wrong note twanged, and Chu Wanning's barrier flickered weakly. At that moment, Not Returning slashed down fiercely, shattering the golden radiance into fragments resembling blooming peach blossoms.

The immense spiritual energy propelled him forcefully to the ground, and he was about to land in a muddy puddle when a hand reached out to grasp his waist. Chu Wanning, realizing he had fallen for the trap, couldn't help but bark, "Mo Weiyu — !"

In the midst of the pouring rain, Heaven-Stepping Lord laughed triumphantly, his lips curled with the satisfaction and ruthlessness of having achieved his desire.

His gentle demeanor was replaced with a menacing edge as he spoke through gritted teeth, "Very well. You've finally decided to acknowledge someone."

"..."

Heaven-Stepping Lord seized his cheek, their noses almost touching, lips almost meeting. He said in a chilling tone, "If you remain silent any longer, I might start to think you're mute."