Chapter 244 Reversal of Time and Space

Chapter 244 Reversal of Time and Space

It took Ying Wujiu a century to cultivate this red lotus illusion realm, where the flames melt bones, akin to hell itself. Unless he died, the illusion would never dissipate. Those uninvolved in the past events were all isolated outside, fleeing or scattering, leaving the martial arts platform in utter chaos.

The disciples of the Immortal Sect, waiting at the foot of the mountain, rushed up to Mount Feijue upon seeing the dire situation. However, with Tang Su as an infiltrator, they were caught off guard by the demon cultivators who had been lying in wait. The five guardians—Corpse, Water, Drought, Wind, and Thunder—led the charge, pushing them back relentlessly.

Seeing this, Tan Yue knew immediately that everything was part of Ying Wujiu's scheme. His usually gentle eyes turned bloodshot under the firelight, revealing a terrifying glint:

"Ying Wujiu, do you really think I can't kill you?!"

"If you could have killed me, you would have done so years ago. The fact that I am still alive today means you cannot."

Ying Wujiu's voice was filled with mockery, his eyes brimming with malice. He raised his sword finger amidst the raging flames, and the white bone sword, as if imbued with life, lunged at Tan Yue with thunderous force. Simultaneously, his spiritual energy surged, creating countless red threads that bound Tan Yue's limbs, willing to sacrifice his essence and blood to claim his opponent's life.

Tan Yue's veins bulged on his forehead as he struggled to break free. He watched helplessly as the white bone sword pierced towards him and summoned his own sword to block it, only for it to be severed by Ying Wujiu's longsword. In desperation, Tan Yue let out a fierce cry, and a bloodied heart fragment flew out from his arm, colliding heavily with the white bone sword:

"Bang—!"

The heart fragment was instantly sent flying, and the white bone sword broke an inch but continued its relentless advance towards Tan Yue.

"Bang—!"

Another heart fragment emerged from Tan Yue's body, breaking the white bone sword another inch!

Tan Yue had long integrated his heart fragments into his body, which was why his cultivation had soared over the past century, reaching the half-step Golden Immortal realm. Now, to stop Ying Wujiu's soul-bound sword, he forcibly extracted his heart fragments, causing immense damage to his vital energy.

Ying Wujiu fared no better, grunting as a trace of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth. The white bone sword was bound to his life; if the sword fell, he would fall. With the sword now broken halfway, his primordial spirit suffered severe damage. It was a matter of who could endure until the end.

Tan Yue's eyes turned bloodshot, and he summoned another heart fragment, which collided with the white bone sword, breaking it another inch and leaving only the final half-inch segment, barely a step away from his throat.

Ying Wujiu's throat emitted a low laugh, his eyes clouded with lingering darkness. His calm tone belied a suppressed madness: "Tan Yue, you have one last heart fragment left. Dare you use it?!"

Tan Yue's eyes were red, showing signs of losing control. His hairpin cracked, and his hair flew wildly, making him look terrifying: "Fuguang! Why do you always haunt me, determined to be my obstacle?! Seven hundred years ago with Yin Chan, it was like this, and seven hundred years later, it is still the same! Today, even if I die, I will drag you down with me!!!"

With a roar, his spiritual energy surged, breaking free from the red threads formed by Ying Wujiu's essence and blood. He lunged at Ying Wujiu with a claw, aiming for his heart fragment.

Lu Yan saw the danger and immediately flew towards Tan Yue, striking him from behind. Just as he was about to finish him off, a golden light flashed above Tan Yue's head, sending Lu Yan flying. He landed heavily, spitting out a mouthful of blood due to the backlash from the Heavenly Dao's fate.

"Lu Yan!"

"Lu Yan!!"

Two voices echoed simultaneously, one from Xi Nian and one from Ying Wujiu, both filled with shock.

In his urgency, Xi Nian forgot to hide his identity: "You're crazy! I told you he is protected by the Heavenly Dao's fate. Anyone who harms him will suffer the backlash!!"

Lu Yan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, sneering: "What Heavenly Dao's fate? We are mere mortals. If he is so powerful, why hasn't he ascended to immortality yet?!"

He was determined to kill Tan Yue!

Swiftly, Lu Yan gathered his strength and struck Tan Yue again from behind. Tan Yue, locked in a palm battle with Ying Wujiu, couldn't withdraw his hand and could only watch as Lu Yan absorbed the last heart fragment from his body.

Tan Yue's expression turned horrified: "It's you!!!"

The person who stole the heart fragment that night was not Ying Wujiu but a disciple of Elder Nan Tuo?

Lu Yan was slowly extracting the last heart fragment, enduring the golden light's backlash. He swallowed the metallic taste in his throat, saying word by word: "Whether it's me or someone else, your time has come!"

Ying Wujiu had warned Lu Yan not to come, but he not only came but also infiltrated the red lotus illusion realm. His bloodshot eyes, blinded by hatred, regained a sliver of clarity. While battling Tan Yue with one hand, he forced open a small exit in the illusion, his veins bulging, gritting his teeth and growling:

"Lu Yan, get out!"

Regardless of who survived between him and Tan Yue, both would face the same fate: shattered meridians and destroyed cultivation. Ying Wujiu had prepared himself for mutual destruction. This red lotus illusion realm, fueled by his essence and blood, was too powerful for him to control once activated. If Lu Yan didn't leave now, he would be trapped forever.

The red lotus illusion realm was engulfed in raging flames, the surroundings a sea of crimson. The small opening was like the last straw for salvation, and everyone scrambled to escape, only to be burned by the flames Ying Wujiu unleashed, rolling in agony on the ground.

Lu Yan did not withdraw, continuing to extract the last heart fragment despite the scorching heat and twisted air. Through the flames, he looked at Ying Wujiu, his clothes drenched in sweat, gritting his teeth:

"We'll go out together!"

He was confident he could kill Tan Yue and reveal the truth of the past. Ying Wujiu could still rule the Demon Realm after escaping without dying here.

Why die here?

Why must he die here?

Humans value their lives above all else. Why must Ying Wujiu choose mutual destruction with Tan Yue?

However, Ying Wujiu remained silent, gazing deeply at Lu Yan. His black hair moved without wind, his once pristine face now twisted and scorched, resembling molten rock. His skin was ghostly pale, his eyes blood-red, truly transforming into a demonic fiend.

This was his true form.

Seven hundred years of red lotus flames and the white bone sword had disfigured Ying Wujiu beyond recognition. Others might find the illusion realm unbearable, but he had endured it for seven centuries. That was his personal torment and hatred, and even if he obtained rebirth through heart fragments, he would still suffer from the fire poison, enduring pain deep within his bones.

What use was such a life?

No one understood his hatred, and Lu Yan wouldn't either.

A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of Ying Wujiu's mouth. He looked at Lu Yan with a bitter smile, filled with self-mockery and sorrow:

"You don't understand!"

Lu Yan, you don't understand; my life wasn't supposed to be like this!

Once how glorious, now how much hatred!

Ying Wujiu was already at the end of his strength. Seeing Lu Xian stay by his side, he finally could not hold on any longer. The last sliver of an exit slowly closed, extinguishing the last bit of light in the illusion.

This seemed to be some kind of omen. The crimson flames in the illusion suddenly soared more than a meter high and became so intense they were nearly black. The surrounding screams grew even more piercing, sharp sounds flooding into ears, causing splitting headaches.

Lu Xian, with a burst of determination, finally stripped the last piece of Tan Yue's soul from his body. Accompanied by a roar of anger, Tan Yue suddenly erupted with pain, his surrounding spiritual energy surging and throwing Lu Xian and Ying Wujiu several meters away, slamming them heavily against the rock walls.

"Boom!!"

The entire illusion shook violently for an instant.

Ying Wujiu suddenly spat out a large mouthful of blood; his internal organs were shattered. Yet, he forced himself to stand up, leaning against the rock wall, and bent down to pick up the broken white bone sword on the ground.

Tan Yue's soul had been completely stripped, his flesh torn apart, turning him into a bloody mess. He lay on the ground, barely alive. Seeing Ying Wujiu pick up the broken sword, knowing he had no strength left to resist, he closed his eyes in despair, awaiting death.

Though the sword was broken, it remained sharp. When it pressed against his throat, it brought a jagged pain. Tan Yue couldn't help but open his eyes, meeting Ying Wujiu's dark, bloodshot gaze. His voice was hoarse and broken:

"Why?"

Tan Yue knew what Ying Wujiu was asking about and laughed, coughing up blood: "No reason. I couldn't bear to see you better or stronger than me. There can only be one top swordsman in the world, so the other must die. It's that simple."

Ying Wujiu stared at him expressionlessly, his tone cold: "I know, it's because of Yin Chuan."

"If you hadn't used deceit back then, you would have long been married and had children with her..."

The last words were soft, but unfortunately, Tan Yue could no longer hear them. The white bone sword pierced his throat without warning, blood spurting out instantly. His eyes widened abruptly, emitting a short, stifled groan as the light in them gradually dimmed, reflecting Ying Wujiu's blood-stained face.

Tan Yue seemed to want to say something but could no longer speak.

"Clang—!"

The white bone sword fell to the ground, its remaining blade breaking into two pieces.

Ying Wujiu finally exhausted all his strength, his figure swaying before he heavily fell to the ground. Suddenly, golden cracks appeared from his chest, a sign of an impending fall of a Golden Immortal.

He looked at his former enemies burning in the distant flames, hearing their cries of agony, as if witnessing something amusing, and chuckled softly, though he didn't know what he was laughing at. Finally, amidst the bright flames, he saw Lu Xian, their gazes colliding in the air, and the smile on his lips gradually faded.

Lu Xian still held the piece of soul he had stripped from Tan Yue. Thanks to this action, Tan Yue lost his lifeline, allowing Ying Wujiu to successfully kill him.

But Ying Wujiu wished Lu Xian had left the illusion earlier. Now, even if he wanted Lu Xian to escape, it was too late. They would both perish in the raging flames.

Suddenly, Ying Wujiu seemed to remember something, and a glimmer of light returned to his defeated red eyes. He reached out to Lu Xian, struggling to utter two words: "Come here..."

His tone was low, almost carrying a hint of gentleness.

Hearing this, Lu Xian hesitated for a moment, then threw the soul piece aside and staggered over, supporting himself with the rock wall. He knelt down and embraced Ying Wujiu, first recoiling from the heat of his body, then hugging him tighter, whispering soothingly: "Don't be afraid, I have a way to get us out."

He truly did have a way.

Yet, despite continuously pouring his remaining strength into Ying Wujiu, he could not stop the other's body from becoming increasingly ethereal. The golden cracks grew finer and larger, as if Ying Wujiu would turn to dust at any moment.

"I can't leave, Lu Xian..."

He had died seven hundred years ago; he was merely a resurrected corpse.

Ying Wujiu's hand silently covered his chest, and after a brief caress, he suddenly plunged his fingers into his flesh, forcibly pulling out a still warm, bloodied object—

It was his heart, containing a core within.

When Ying Wujiu was reduced to ashes by the Red Lotus Hellfire, his soul scattered, and one crucial core fell into the White Bone Sword Furnace. The energy stored there inadvertently helped him recreate his physical form, allowing him to leave the furnace.

However, this core had become his heart, inseparable. Removing it meant certain death.

But it didn't matter; he was already dying.

Ying Wujiu forcefully placed the heart in Lu Xian's hands, a chilling yet unavoidable gesture. Blood flowed from the corner of his mouth as he managed a weak smile, whispering close to Lu Xian's ear:

"The Red Lotus Illusion is collapsing... Listen... Leave quickly..."

This soul might save Lu Xian's life, perhaps even help him ascend to immortality.

"Hold onto the token I gave you... You will be the ruler of the demon realm from now on..."

The heart should have been bright red, but due to Ying Wujiu's deep-seated hatred, it had been nourished by demonic energy for seven hundred years, imbuing it with a cold, purplish-black hue. Even through the warm flesh, Lu Xian could feel the vibrant energy contained within.

Was this the soul?

The soul he had always sought to gather?

Now that he finally had it, why did he feel no joy?

Lu Xian was momentarily stunned and helpless, holding Ying Wujiu tightly: "Without your heart, you'll die."

"Death is a good thing for me, Lu Xian. Meeting you has made these days less dull..."

Lu Xian could feel Ying Wujiu's body becoming more and more ethereal, lighter, and even his sharp, hate-filled eyes were gradually dimming. Panicked, he infused blue light into his fingertips, desperately transferring energy to the other, ignoring the system's warnings until a hand gripped his arm—

"Lu Xian, the souls are gathered; we should go."

Xi Nian's voice was low, clearly disapproving of Lu Xian's actions: "Your ability is eternal life, but it doesn't mean you can grant eternal life to others."

"The fate of this character is death."

Character?

This familiar yet strange term made Lu Xian pause. Yes, this was just a world within a book, and Ying Wujiu was merely a tragic antagonist. Death was his predetermined end. Why should he feel so unwilling?

But Lu Xian was unwilling, deeply and intensely so. That strong emotion spread from his heart like a monster, almost consuming him: "But I..."

He clung tightly to the corpse in his arms, breathing heavily: "But I..."

Lu Yan felt the heart in his hand was scorching hot: "But I haven’t unlocked his entire life yet, Xi Nian. His story shouldn’t be so short and muddled!"

Could those few lines really encapsulate all of Ying Wujiu’s past suffering?! He didn’t even know what had happened to the other person before, why there was such overwhelming hatred?! The glimpses of Tan Yue’s life revealed were just the tip of the iceberg, and Lu Yan couldn’t fully understand them.

Xi Nian quietly looked at Lu Yan, finally frowning: "What do you want to do?"

He sensed something was off with his companion. Such intense emotional fluctuations shouldn’t appear in them, especially not for a virtual novel character.

"My ability is eternal life, and your ability is time reversal..."

Under the searing flames, Lu Yan felt as if he too would soon turn to ashes. He looked at Xi Nian, his white clothes stained with blood, and spoke each word hoarsely,

"Xi Nian, take me back seven hundred years to see."

"I want to see his life..."

Even if it’s just as an observer.