Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 156

Dong Zhi looked up at Long Shen from afar and heard him say, “I told you not to come.”

“But you’re here. How could I not come?” Dong Zhi smiled faintly. After calling down the heavenly thunder from the abyss to disperse the demonic qi, he was nearly drained. Even his speech was labored, yet his tone and demeanor were much calmer than when he had jumped into the hellish abyss.

If initially, he had felt fear of death and the unknown, that fear had faded over time. He hadn’t been defeated by the demonic qi, and upon seeing Long Shen, the fear had vanished entirely.

“Master, I’ve come to take you home.”

Long Shen didn’t respond for a long while. After what felt like an eternity, he finally flashed an almost eerie smile. From afar, Dong Zhi couldn’t see it clearly, but he instantly recognized that the odd, contrasting tone of the voice wasn’t Long Shen’s.

Or perhaps, after absorbing half the demonic qi, the newly awakened Mara took control of Long Shen’s body. Maybe Long Shen’s will was too strong, or Mara’s power wasn’t yet enough to dominate the abyss. The terrifying demon king hadn’t yet fully taken over the body. But if they lingered, Long Shen would weaken further.

Thinking this, Dong Zhi no longer hesitated. He stepped onto the stairway and confidently began his ascent.

Demonic qi howled toward him, but he slashed them away with his sword. Each stroke opened a gap in the dense demonic barrier that covered the stairs.

In the abyss, there was no light, except for that emitted from the Changshou Sword. It was like a beacon in an endless night, sometimes strong, sometimes faint, but never extinguishing even against the strong wind or torrential rain.

The faint light grew like a sapling into a towering tree, shielding against the storms and protecting those who once nurtured it.

Long Shen watched Dong Zhi’s ascending figure from afar. The corner of his mouth curled slightly, and a glint sparkled in his tranquil eyes, as if hiding a galaxy.

“When he’s in front of you, I’ll use your body to kill him myself. Won’t that be more fun?” Mara remarked.

“You can’t do it,” Long Shen replied calmly. “If you could fully control my body, I would’ve ceased to exist already.”

He didn’t believe that the demon inside him was benevolent. The reason it hadn’t acted was not due to mercy or amusement but because it lacked sufficient power.

It sounded amusing, but it was true. The Eight-Sided Demon Sealing Formation didn’t just seal the gateway between the abyss and the human realm; it weakened the demonic qi. Mara had awoken after many years of slumber in the abyss due to the connection with the world’s vital qi. But an unexpected thing happened with Long Shen. He absorbed almost all the escaping demonic qi and, fearing he might lose control and become a threat, chose to jump into the abyss to resolve the crisis. He never intended to leave. By sheer coincidence, this decision suppressed the awakened heavenly demon.

Mara wanted to reach the human world, but the laws of heaven prevented him from manifesting in his true form. He had to rely on Long Shen’s body. However, upon merging, he found that Long Shen wasn’t as easy to control as expected. Their powers were balanced, and neither could gain the upper hand. Mara’s power was suppressed, and Long Shen couldn’t expel him.

That was why Dong Zhi and the others still had a fighting chance. While Long Shen was restraining Mara, he was also protecting them in his own way.

However, as the time spent in the abyss of hell got longer and longer, Long Shen would only become weaker and weaker. The control over his body would eventually be completely taken by Mara. When he regained all his strength and possessed the human body, the heavenly demon Mara would truly become the terrifying Demon King.

The black demonic qi roiled around ceaselessly, howling and roaring. After being deeply corroded by the demonic qi, Long Shen didn’t even need to try hard to feel; he could hear the inner voices of these demonic qi. They were filled with countless dark desires that could instantly drive any normal human into madness.

“Look at his futile struggles!” Mara watched Dong Zhi with a smirk as he painstakingly made his way up.

He raised his hand and pointed into the void, and a demonic qi flowed from his fingertip. It morphed into a pitch-black phoenix in mid-air. Its tail, which should have been radiant, drawing a circle, but what followed was a stormy demonic qi sweeping towards Dong Zhi.

After being cleaved by the sword light, a wholly black phoenix descended from the sky, rushing fiercely towards Dong Zhi.

The demonic pressure from the phoenix was far more intense than before. This was a part of the demonic qi that Mara had differentiated from himself, a power from the ancient abyss. Even at Long Shen’s prime, it would be tricky to deal with, let alone now when he was all alone.

However, Dong Zhi remained unshaken, still raising his sword to meet it head-on. The Bu Tian Gang qi gathered on the blade, and as the sword qi clashed with the black fire spewed from the phoenix’s mouth, a tremendous shockwave erupted!

……

Yu Buhui slowly approached the peach blossom tree. The familiar sight once again evoked the deepest guilt in his heart and memories of his old friend. However, for Liu Si, it was more of a caution. To him, the peach tree wasn’t one of his kind, but a demonized entity that shouldn’t be here.

Under the tree stood a person, dressed in white, with hair tied up high, a clear and handsome face, and a faint smile, as if having been waiting for a long time.

“Yuchang Sword, long time no see,” the stranger said, his gaze falling on Liu Si, expressing surprise. “I didn’t expect to meet someone destined here.”

Liu Si paused. “What do you mean?”

The peach tree laughed. “Aren’t you also transformed from a tree? If it wasn’t for seeing you, I would have almost forgotten that my original form was the same as yours.”

Instead of being pleasantly surprised by meeting a fellow being, Liu Si’s brows furrowed.

In his eyes, the peach tree was a demon created from Yu Buhui’s memories, representing his inner demon. It might know about Yu Buhui’s past, but it couldn’t possibly know Liu Si’s origins. Doubts about his initial judgment began to creep into Liu Si’s mind.

“Are you still the Peach Tree?” he asked.

The person in white smiled. “As long as a trace of demonic thoughts remains in the world, demons are virtually immortal. Although the Yuchang Sword killed me once, after I became a demon, I escaped the cycle of reincarnation. I couldn’t be reborn or turn into a tree or a person. I could only stay in this abyss, waiting for the day someone remembers me and comes to rescue me from this misery.”

After speaking, he paused and gently asked, “Have you come to save me?”

Since it was a demon, there was nothing much to say. Liu Si replied, “The past is filled with misunderstandings and unforeseen circumstances. Whatever Yu Buhui owed you has been repaid.”

“Repaid?”

The Peach Tree seemed to have heard a joke; his gentle demeanor vanished, replaced by a mocking expression.

“What did he repay me with? If it wasn’t for saving him, I wouldn’t have lost half of my cultivation. If my cultivation wasn’t damaged, I could have escaped later and not been burnt to ashes. I took root and grew between heaven and earth, protecting countless creatures sheltering under my leaves and shading countless humans from rain and wind. I never owed anyone anything. Why was I treated this way?”

With all the grievances of his life unable to be vented, the only option left was to become resentful to retain consciousness. He gritted his teeth. “Why?!”

Each word was full of resentment, questioning not only Liu Si and Yu Buhui but also the injustice of the world.

As if resonating, the peach tree behind him began to rustle, shaking violently. Petals began to fall, creating a shower of blossoms. But to Liu Si, this wasn’t a romantic sight—it was clear murderous intent!

Liu Si reacted swiftly, pulling Yu Buhui back. However, the peach tree was faster. The petals paused in midair, then shot towards them, overwhelming and unavoidable.

“Yu Buhui, you dared to name yourself so*!” The Peach Tree laughed madly. “So, you don’t regret killing me at all? Remember, I saved your life, yet you killed me. I’ve waited here for so many years, just to see you again. You owe me two lives. I will take your heart and liver!”

*Clarity: The [Buhui] in his name means no regrets.

The petals, carrying sharp wind and dense demonic qi, arrived in a flash. Liu Si managed to whip away most of them, but some still got through, especially with Yu Buhui not helping.

“Yu Buhui!” Liu Si shouted angrily. “Wake up! It wants to kill us!”

Yu Buhui released a bright sword light, but it was too late. The petals turned into a surging demonic qi halfway. He hesitated slightly, and half of his face was corroded by the demonic qi, causing excruciating pain. A touch revealed a handful of fresh blood.

Behind him, the demonic qi swiftly approached, morphing into the human form of the peach tree. The person in white clawed at him. Yu Buhui barely fended off the frontal assault, but he was too slow to turn around. Liu Si, already overwhelmed, could only grasp Yu Buhui and took a heavy blow on his shoulder, losing a chunk of flesh.

Liu Si grunted, attempting to use his whip, but roots emerged from the ground, tangling their legs and quickly wrapping around Liu Si’s wrist.

Yu Buhui’s sword light rose and fell, cutting off the roots one after another, but the Peach Tree’s power was much stronger than they imagined. In its territory, it had an endless supply of demonic qi, while Yu Buhui and Liu Si couldn’t utilize it. The Peach Tree waved, and the surrounding demonic qi surged, wrapping the two, immobilizing them.

Under the immense demonic pressure, Liu Si couldn’t help but spit out a large mouthful of blood. His knees weakened, and he almost knelt down. However, he was constrained by the surrounding demonic qi, and his limbs were bound. The man in white, transformed from the peach tree, didn’t spare him a glance, and with a surge of killing intent, he headed straight for Yu Buhui.

Yu Buhui’s sharp sword light was also cut off by the opponent. He reached out to grab the peach tree at an amazing speed, yet he still missed. From above, a cold laugh echoed, followed by a chilling surge of demonic qi from behind him.

At the critical moment, Liu Si spit out another mouthful of fresh blood. This time, it sprayed all over Yu Buhui. The demonic qi that had been about to sever his neck hesitated for a moment.

This mouthful of blood wasn’t from the injury Liu Si had just sustained. Instead, he spat out the blood of his heart, mingled with a part of his spirit. Bound and in a desperate situation, he could think of no other way to assist Yu Buhui, opting for a risky move that could harm the enemy but also greatly injure himself.

Fortunately, Yu Buhui quickly reacted. Using the time Liu Si’s action bought him, he leaped up, the light of his sword blazing, and with a dazzling motion, slashed towards the peach tree.

When the demonic qi met the sword light in midair, the peach tree suppressed it with an overwhelming force, causing the sword light to solidify. Close to each other, the man in white looked indifferent. His face, shrouded by the demonic qi, was slightly darkened and mysteriously eerie. This familiar yet strange expression momentarily bewildered Yu Buhui, making him question reality.

“Yu Buhui!” Liu Si’s voice rang out, pulling him from his daze. The demonic qi had already wrapped around Yu Buhui’s neck and limbs, suspending him in midair. As it tightened, Yu Buhui began to suffocate.

“My name is Yu Buhui, not because I have no regrets about taking your life force and becoming a human,” he said, seemingly trying to peer deep into the eyes of the man in white, expressing a regret that was two millennia overdue. “But because I’ve spent hundreds of years with a peach tree, watching the sun, moon, and stars change, and I have never felt regret.”

After this, the man in white appeared taken aback. Yu Buhui shook his wrist, and the sword light shattered the demonic qi, targeting his opponent’s weak spot.

“A’Tao, I regret countless times that I didn’t come back in time to save you. If I could, I’d give you my life. But after you became a demon, I had no choice but to kill you.”

He didn’t know if the peach tree heard him or if this entity was just a manifestation of his inner demon all along. With teary eyes, Yu Buhui murmured.

Yet, the myriad sword lights still shredded the demonic qi, and the man in white finally vanished entirely. Faint lights mixed within the scattered demonic qi, like the unresolved regrets of the peach tree.

I’m sorry!

Liu Si was about to collapse when Yu Buhui caught him.

“He probably didn’t want to kill you. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have had a chance earlier,” Liu Si panted.

“I know,” Yu Buhui whispered, tears silently rolling down. Liu Si noticed but pretended not to. If fate hadn’t played its tricks, Yu Buhui and the peach tree might have been colleagues in the Special Administration Bureau or living together somewhere. Maybe not as partners, but definitely as close comrades.

Liu Si sighed softly.

“Hold onto me,” he heard Yu Buhui say. Acting on instinct, Liu Si did as told. Suddenly, he felt weightless, as if they had leaped into an abyss. “Before he disappeared, he told me this was a gap in the abyss. Jumping from here will lead us to its core!”

The howling wind and Yu Buhui’s words simultaneously reached Liu Si’s ears.

Before Liu Si could respond, lightning flashed, thunder roared, and a shock coursed through his body. Everything was so bright, unlike anything he had seen since entering the abyss. “Dong Zhi has summoned the heavenly thunder!” he exclaimed.

The heavenly thunder broke the darkness and the fog within it. Both of them fell from a great height and saw a gigantic phoenix charging at Dong Zhi not far away. The phoenix split into two, then four, surrounding Dong Zhi from all directions.

The dark qi that emanated from its feathers turned him into a sea of black mist. The immense demonic qi here was even more stifling than before. Liu Si couldn’t fathom how Dong Zhi had persevered under such conditions, attempting to evade the phoenix’s attacks and climb the staircase.

Ignoring the pain in his chest, Liu Si dashed forward, his whip in hand. The whip’s shadow ensnared one of the phoenix’s wings. The phoenix, agitated, turned its head. Its other wing flapped towards Liu Si, bringing with it suffocating demonic qi.

The pain from the qi felt like burning. Just as Liu Si felt his grip loosening, the phoenix flapped its wings, sending him flying. But in midair, Liu Si used his whip to latch onto the phoenix’s neck. With a tight grip, he caused the phoenix to cry out in pain.

Even so, there are still three phoenixes surrounding Dong Zhi. These phoenixes were born from the power of the abyss split from Mara. Although they weren’t true divine beasts, their power was immensely amplified here, rendering them almost invincible.

They flapped their wings and rushed at Dong Zhi. A black whirlwind trapped Dong Zhi in the center, leaving him no room to advance or retreat. Demonic qi caused wounds to appear on his body. The demonic air’s corrosiveness caused the wounds to quickly turn black, and even the blood that flowed out turned dark.

If it had been in the past, Dong Zhi would never have imagined himself facing three phoenixes with power comparable to divine beasts alone. But now, he felt his strength rapidly draining. The sword in his hand became increasingly heavy. If it weren’t for the sheer willpower he held on to, he might have already fallen.

Suddenly, a phoenix cried out in pain. Its body was torn apart by the radiance of a sword. Yu Buhui arrived from behind, and with a single swing of his sword, the phoenix turned into a black mist and disappeared.

“Go find your Senior Brother. We’ll hold them off here!” Yu Buhui shouted.

Gritting his teeth, Dong Zhi seized the opportunity that Yu Buhui provided and continued to rush towards the steps above.

His footsteps grew heavier, and his breathing became more labored. The pounding of his heart was loud in his ears, sounding as though it would burst from his chest. As his physical stamina dwindled, Dong Zhi looked up to see a figure standing at the highest point. He couldn’t discern the figure’s expression but drew strength from the familiar silhouette.

Behind him, the muffled groans of Yu Buhui and Liu Si reached his ears, along with the scent of blood and dark aura. Without looking back, Dong Zhi sensed the severity of the battle. Yet, he never turned around, persistently moving forward step by step, his pace slowing but never stopping.

“Dong Zhi.”

Suddenly, he heard Long Shen’s voice. It was neither close nor far, just like the distance between them. Dong Zhi was taken aback and looked up. Long Shen pointed towards him.

With that gesture, countless demonic qi rushed towards Dong Zhi, transforming into an army of demon soldiers blocking his path, their blades swinging. Instinctively, Dong Zhi swung his sword. The demons in front fell, but more replaced them from behind, a never-ending onslaught.

The cold air he exhaled carried a distinct metallic scent, and a bitter taste filled his mouth. Battles ensued one after another, surrounded by the suffocating presence of the demonic qi. This place, isolated from the mortal world for millions of years, offered no hope.

His protective qi became frail. A demonic qi slashed his shoulder, leaving a wound so deep that the bone was visible. Blood gushed out, splashing his face, and he couldn’t distinguish whether it was his own blood or just a hallucination.

Amidst it all, he felt increasingly isolated, his awareness fading. Memories of the world became distant: Long Shen waiting at the end of the steps, the relentless battles with Yu Buhui and Liu Si. Everything seemed to be ebbing away. Under the erosion of the demonic qi, his mind grew cold and numb; only his body mechanically responded, repelling wave after wave of demons.

Was he dying?

If he did die, would his soul forever be buried in this abyss, becoming a part of the demonic qi?

A part of him welcomed the idea. He was exhausted, yearning for rest. But something crucial remained undone.

It was more important than life itself. What was it that made him jump without hesitation…?

His actions slowed, every blink and sword swing seeming to play in slow motion. His blade, almost consumed by darkness, began to glow, illuminating his gaze and warming his dull heart.

It was the Changshou sword.

Confusion appeared in his eyes as he looked at the sword. Another demonic qi hit his back, but it felt as if his body no longer registered the pain, only reflexively shuddering.

Who gave him this sword, and what did they say?

The sword was named Changshou.

Was it named by its original owner for a loved one?

Because it means to ‘stay loyal and pure-hearted, valuing honesty and virtue’. It was a gift, hoping the receiver would use it to maintain peace in the world, purifying the world with righteousness.

And that world must include you, right?

Guarding the peace and guarding you.

Tears welled up in his eyes, dropping onto the sword, making it shine brightly amidst the dark mist.

He remembered.

He was here for the Seven-Star Longyuan Sword and for someone named Long Shen.

“Thank you,” he whispered, swinging his sword, causing the demons to cry out and shatter.

Thank you for helping me hold onto my clarity.

From a vantage point, Long Shen could clearly see the figure surrounded by layers of demon soldiers. The figure was on the verge of defeat, teetering on the brink of life and death, with his willpower visibly dissipating at an alarming rate.

Long Shen observed almost indifferently. Under the influence of the powerful demonic qi, his own emotional turmoil was waning, nearly vanishing.

Controlling Mara almost drained all of Long Shen’s life’s cultivation. If he weren’t a half-immortal, he wouldn’t have lasted this long. But it was precisely because of his half-immortal body that the backlash from Mara grew stronger.

All his willpower was focused on suppressing the demon. He couldn’t spare even a shred of attention for Dong Zhi.

Standing stiffly, blood slowly seeped from the corners of his eyes. Blood as tears—only the most profound pain could cause such an expression.

“You can’t escape, and you can’t kill me,” Long Shen heard himself say.

It was his voice but not his will; he could no longer control his body.

“Because I am Long Shen, and Long Shen is me. Even if you kill me, you’d also kill him,” Mara mocked.

With a wave of his hand, countless more demon soldiers descended, blocking Dong Zhi’s path upwards.

Blood tears slowly streamed down one side of Long Shen’s handsome face, turning into a droplet at his jawline, poised but not falling. On the other side, his eyes were narrowed, revealing a sinister and wicked smile, reveling in the suffering of all beings, their struggles in vain.

Below the steps, the brilliance of the sword light grew increasingly intense. Long Shen couldn’t move, merely watching as the other wielded the sword, miraculously regaining strength, battling amidst a vast army. From afar, he saw Dong Zhi, drenched in blood, looking as if he had bathed in a sea of it. The blood made Dong Zhi’s usually gentle face fierce.

Long Shen remembered first meeting Dong Zhi on a train. Dong Zhi, curious and fearful of unexplained oddities, was no different from ordinary people. After narrowly escaping a demonic encounter, Dong Zhi had impulsively ventured to Changbai Mountain alone. If not for meeting someone from the Special Administration Bureau, he might’ve been dead.

If time could be rewound and everything started anew, he would have sternly turned Dong Zhi away upon their first meeting on the train. He would have decisively rejected Dong Zhi’s admiring request to be taken as a disciple. Before their bond deepened, he would sever the connection between them.

Because if it had never started, Dong Zhi wouldn’t have gotten hurt and wouldn’t need to risk his life for him.

Master, this mooncake represents my heart. I hope you’ll be happy and content every year.”

Dong Zhi’s words echoed. Long Shen tried to speak but couldn’t make a sound.

He wanted to tell Dong Zhi he had something left unsaid, but more than that, he wished for Dong Zhi to live a content and ordinary life. There was nothing wrong with that either.

The fog gradually lifted, revealing a figure moving with the dance of sword light. With each swing of the blade, the demonic soldiers fell like chaff, disintegrating into dust.

From the depths of the abyss, there echoed continuous screams of fear and despair.

However, Long Shen knew this was almost a fleeting resurgence. Dong Zhi’s stamina should have already been exhausted. Even if sheer willpower was reviving him, it wouldn’t last long. Soon, he would be utterly drained and consumed by darkness, with no identical soul left in the heavens or earth.

Long Shen saw Dong Zhi leap up, his silhouette merging with the sword light, like a meteor in the long night, heading straight towards him.

But instead of feeling panic, the demon inside Long Shen, Mara, scoffed. “Your persistence is a joke. You can’t save yourself, let alone him.”

“I know.”

Dong Zhi’s voice echoed, sounding as if from the edges of the universe, yet as close as a whisper.

“But I have another choice.”

The starlight grew brighter, coming ever closer. Despite its blinding luminance, Long Shen didn’t close his eyes. Instead, he watched the oncoming sword light intently.

If this is your wish…

Long Shen smiled faintly.

Even as tears of blood streamed down his face, this smile was enough to move mountains.

He thought, ‘This is my wish as well.’

Mara’s expression finally shifted. He realized what Dong Zhi was planning!

“The four great enlightenment, heaven and the earth are eternal, by the Jade Emperor’s orders, clear the three realms—”

Thunder rumbled, accompanying the streaking sword light, deafening in its intensity. Mara summoned more demonic qi, but it shattered instantly against the sword light and thunder.

When the abyss no longer remained shrouded in pure darkness, the end of the abyss was nigh!

Intense tremors cracked and shattered the ground, disintegrating into countless pieces, which then transformed into demonic qi, dissipating upon meeting the light.

Mara no longer desired Long Shen’s body; he wanted to return to eternal slumber. Even if it took millions of years, it would be better than total annihilation. But he couldn’t leave this body, for Long Shen was holding onto him with the last of his strength.

“I can let you both go!” Mara finally shouted in anger.

But the sword light was already upon him. In an instant, everything was engulfed in an overwhelming white light.

Long Shen felt someone gently holding him.

Master, I can’t save you. We can only perish together.

The voice, laced with the metallic tang of blood, wasn’t the soft, clear tone he remembered.

But it didn’t matter. Even reduced to bare bones, it was still his Dong Zhi.

Long Shen felt as if he too reached out and embraced the other.

The heavens collapsed and the earth cracked open, the abyss of hell underwent destruction and rebirth, and their bodies became insensible amidst such drastic changes.

Soon, not just their bodies, even their consciousness would be completely devoured, ultimately dissolving into chaos.

……

Under a dim moon, the tides roared.

Dong Zhi felt as if he was swaying, rocked by the waves.

After the tempest, a precious tranquility settled. He felt like he was in a dream, yet awake. He felt he should be dead but wondered why he still had consciousness.

He lacked the strength to struggle, simply letting his body sink until an arm wrapped around him, pulling him up. The sting of the salty water on his wounds reminded him that this might not be a dream.

“Master…?”

In the sea, the two clung to each other, drifting up and down.

“Liu Si, the others…?” Dong Zhi whispered, his voice tinged with the taste of blood.

“I saw them when we were sucked into the sea,” Long Shen replied, his face showing a lifetime of fatigue. “If we’re okay, they will be too.”

Upon hearing this, tears involuntarily rolled down Dong Zhi’s cheeks.

“It was Elder Zong. She saved us.”

Between destruction and rebirth, he had heard a voice—

I will send you away.

“Yes.”

Long Shen had heard it too. He glanced back, faintly seeing two other figures drifting with the waves.

The warmth of the body in his arms was all he cherished. He never thought he would get to embrace Dong Zhi like this in his lifetime. Their necks leaned against each other, unwilling to let go.

“How did you defeat the heavenly demon?” Dong Zhi asked.

“The moment we perished together, I had already died. But the soul bound to the Changshou Sword brought me back to life,” Long Shen explained.

Dong Zhi chuckled weakly. “In the end, you saved yourself.”

“It was your presence that kept me going. Without you, Long Shen would have ceased to exist,” Long Shen kissed Dong Zhi’s forehead. “And now, our lives are intertwined. As long as you live, I live. If you die, I die.”

“Okay.”

The sea was black, and the water was cold. But at the horizon, a glimmer of starlight heralded the coming dawn. Soon, the sky would be painted with golden hues, becoming silent witnesses to the rising sun, eternal watchers of the cosmic river.

……

Deep in the Qinling Mountains, a person carried a heavy and worn-out ancient guqin, moving step by step deeper into the mountain range, seemingly tireless.

But suddenly, he stopped, lifting his eyes to see the winds suddenly rising in the sky and the clouds breaking apart, revealing the moon. The moonlight outlined the mountain range and sprinkled silver luminescence onto the guqin he was holding.

He looks at the guqin in his arms with a gaze filled with fondness and gentleness.

……

Wu Bingtian stood on the top-level terrace, looking up at the rare starry and moonlit night sky in the capital city.

Under his shoulder, one sleeve was empty. But this deputy director of the Special Administration Bureau refused to heed the advice of friends and family to get a prosthetic arm. He viewed it as a badge of honor and a tribute to his late comrades.

……

The lingering fog on Kunlun Mountain finally completely dispersed, and the world became clear, revealing the original appearance of the Lengele Gorge.

Everyone, exhausted, fell to the ground but still cheered and jumped with joy, with tears of happiness streaming down their faces.

…

In the abyss of hell, the lights of the Four Symbol Star-Setting Lamp flickered.

Dots of luminescence swirled in the air, taking the forms of the Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, and White Tiger, before finally converging into a graceful figure.

Zong Ling looked in the direction where Dong Zhi and Long Shen disappeared, smiled slightly, then swiftly spun around. Her skirt flares, and her figure abruptly shatters, turning into a sky full of stars, falling, and purifying the demonic qi into white light.

The end of the cycle, perhaps, was a new beginning.

——End of Main Text——

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The author has something to say:

The main story has finally concluded. Thank you all for accompanying Xiao Dong Zhi and Boss Long over these past few months.

Up next, there’s a side story. It’s quite extensive, covering topics like from which exit they emerged, daily sweet moments, the after-effects of demonic qi, daily happenings at the Special Administration Bureau, Dong Zhi’s promotion, He Yu watching over an octopus monster, and Kan Chaosheng, among others.

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Kinky Thoughts:

With that, we’ve reached the conclusion of the main text of this novel. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please consider supporting the author by buying the raws. You can use Google Chrome with their auto translate and this guide on how to buy novels on jjwxc. Remember, only with your (financial) support can artists continue to produce more great works.

You can also check out (what is probably Meng Xi Shi’s most famous work) Thousand Autumns which has been licensed by 7Seas.

Peerless (which I’ve read and highly recommend) has also been licensed by them, so you can look forward to that.

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