Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 146: The So-Called Bargaining Chip

The hand that appeared in front of the porcelain figurine was exceptionally beautiful. Its fingers were long and elegant, the skin flawless like jade. The five fingers were gently cupped, the index finger slightly relaxed—its pose resembled a lotus bud.

It paused hesitantly in place, not reaching for the figurine immediately. Zhuang Guiqu waited patiently for the right moment, his body tensed to just the right degree, every inch of him performing fear and wariness.

That left hand hovered for several seconds, then finally inched forward and grasped the porcelain figure.

The water mirror couldn’t reflect this, but under the crude wooden mask, Zhuang Guiqu curled his lips into a smile.

Just as the hand relaxed, ready to guide the way, Zhuang Guiqu lunged forward and grabbed it.

The scattered wild fruits and sweet potatoes burst open, revealing hidden magic weapons buried beneath. Waves of green ripples flared through the air. The porcelain figurine began to vibrate, and fine golden chains emerged from within, locking directly onto the hand.

The hand visibly paused, seemingly confused by what had just happened.

A moment later, it began to tremble violently. The fingers twisted at unnatural angles, convulsing in spasms. Though it made no sound, Fang Xiu felt as if he could hear its silent screams.

Fang Xiu stared coldly at Zhuang Guiqu through the water mirror, his nails digging into the flesh of his palm, drawing warm blood.

His limbs were ice-cold, and he felt no pain. There was only a prickling numbness. All his attention was fixed on the struggling left hand.

It must hurt terribly.

Bai Shuangying had always been good at enduring pain. Even during the Grave-Sealing ritual, when he had cut away part of his body to protect Fang Xiu, he had managed to act calm and unbothered.

To be twisting like this now meant the pain had to be unbearable.

This time was different.

From Bai Shuangying’s perspective, a century of conflict with mortals was little more than a squabble. The last time Zhuang Feng set the mountain on fire, it was at most a “shove” in terms of offense.

To a Corner of Heaven’s Will, sulking was one thing, but human harm remained negligible.

From Zhuang Guiqu’s perspective, though, this was a completely different story.

The gap in power was just too vast. How does one confront a giant beast alone?

The hardest, yet most “honorable” method was to trap it alive without direct confrontation.

A bit simpler was to find a powerful enough weapon and try to kill it.

The simplest, and seemingly least effective method was to hurt it.

For mortals, capturing a Corner of Heaven’s Will was pure fantasy, and killing it even more so. But as an exceptionally gifted cultivator, Zhuang Guiqu could theoretically achieve one thing if he tried hard enough: maximize its pain.

Sure, such pain wouldn’t damage Bai Shuangying’s core. But just as red-hot needles piercing your fingertips, there were countless ways to torment even without fatal harm.

Fang Xiu struggled to describe how he felt now. He had thought he couldn’t hate Zhuang Guiqu any more than he already did, yet his hatred had now doubled.

One part was for the ghost he loved suffering. The other was a subtle hatred of someone too similar to himself.

Fang Xiu hated the parts of himself that resembled that man.

Like now, he knew exactly what Zhuang Guiqu would do next.

Unfortunately, the others couldn’t see through it.

Across the water mirror, Zhuang Feng was filled with passion. “This is the sealing technique my Master spent half a lifetime researching. Everyone, assist him!”

The cultivators thought it was a sealing spell and sprang into action, each using their own powers with great enthusiasm to charge into the mountains. The soldiers at the base also began to organize, preparing to march upward.

The first cultivators to reach the scene spared no effort.

Some enhanced Zhuang Guiqu’s spell, helping him amplify its power.

Some brought out their most treasured artifacts to help pin down that poor left hand.

One even went so far as to burn his own spiritual core, transferring all his power to Zhuang Guiqu—the old Taoist who had lost his son. His eyes were bloodshot, and the dry hair of his beard bristled upward.

His magic coalesced into a faintly glowing red beam that surged into Zhuang Guiqu’s body.

Grief and vindication twisted his features. His once-yellowed eyes quickly shriveled into something plastic-like. Even without understanding magic, Fang Xiu could tell that his life force was draining rapidly.

His cheeks sank further, his wrinkles cracking like parched earth.

Within two minutes, the old man could barely stand. He staggered in place and instinctively looked around the human world—

As if he knew it would be his last glance.

At last, his gaze landed on Fang Xiu’s striking red robe. His misshapen eyes turned slightly, revealing a pure smile. Perhaps he was recalling the taste of pastries from earlier.

The moment he fell, his body crumbled into brownish-yellow powder. He died without a sound.

Fang Xiu didn’t respond to the old man’s final smile.

He stared silently at the handful of earth below him for a long time.

The old man died believing he was sealing a great evil, protecting humanity, avenging his son.

What he had truly done was sacrifice his life to intensify Bai Shuangying’s pain and push the world one inch closer to ruin.

Zhuang Feng was even more enthusiastic.

He stood by Zhuang Guiqu’s side. Hundreds of flaming sword phantoms spun in the air as he personally protected his master.

In the midst of the blazing magic, the only thing left untouched was the book Zhuang Guiqu had brought, lying in a corner. Its pages rustled softly in the wind.

Just as Fang Xiu had guessed, the relentless agony had driven Bai Shuangying into pure rage.

The mountains trembled violently. Birds took to the sky. The ground shook so hard people couldn’t stay standing. A’Shou drew her sword without hesitation and used it for balance.

“That lunatic Zhuang! Is he trying to get himself killed?!”

She had made tactical plans in tents, fought on real battlefields. Strategy was supposed to be cunning, but she had never seen a plan this insane.

Zhuang Guiqu had done nothing but provoke Bai Shuangying with no defenses, no escape plan. Nothing!

“…He’s very clever,” Fang Xiu finally responded softly.

“A ‘Corner of Heaven’s Will’ like Bai Shuangying, born of Heaven and Earth itself, is exceedingly rare.”

“The gods and immortals of the celestial court or the Underworld need offerings, worship, or were once mortals themselves. The human world is the foundation of their existence. They can’t just stand by and let it be destroyed.”

“In this kind of survival-level crisis, justice no longer matters. Even if Bai Shuangying has suffered the greatest injustice, the gods will still side with humanity.”

A’Shou wrinkled her face. “That’s all logical… but how can Zhuang Guiqu, the person who started it all, be sure the gods won’t come for him?”

“Because he has a bargaining chip.”

Fang Xiu unconsciously touched his lips.

“Zhuang Guiqu is a master of magic, a government official, and a highly respected figure among the people. In these turbulent times, if the gods treat him as a villain, it will throw the world into chaos.”

“On the other hand, when gods descend to fight the Corner of Heaven’s Will, they need an out—they must let humanity participate. If the Corner of Heaven’s Will holds a grudge in the future, they can point to a responsible ‘scapegoat’.”

“So for the gods, having Zhuang Guiqu serve as the mortal ‘hero’ is all gain, no loss. It helps stabilize the world, and it ensures the God of Calamity will focus his hatred on someone ‘deserving’. Perfect.”

“Zhuang Guiqu knows it. The gods know it. They just tacitly agree.”

A’Shou had no words.

After a while, she asked suspiciously, “How do you know all this…?”

“Because Zhuang Guiqu and I are the same type of person.”

Even more alike than you think, A’Shou Jie.

Fang Xiu wanted to smile at her but failed.

His palm was torn to a bloody mess by his own nails, and his heart was cold as ice.

A’Shou glanced at Fang Xiu’s bleeding fist and softened her tone. “If that damn emperor brat had even half your cunning back then, I wouldn’t have died so pointlessly.”

Around them, the shaking of the earth grew more violent. The cracking of collapsing mountains echoed nonstop. Before the sun could even set, Bai Shuangying’s massive body surged from the mountain, shimmering and shifting in the sunlight.

The remaining cultivators stared at the rapidly approaching form in shock.

Their heads tilted upward, limbs and tongues twisting into coarse black branches. A forest of black trees formed instantly. Only Zhuang Guiqu and Zhuang Feng remained standing, still attacking Bai Shuangying.

This time, Bai Shuangying didn’t target only the instigating Zhuang Guiqu.

Filled with rage and grievance, his true form surged outward through the fractured mountains toward surrounding lands.

The sky changed color again, dark like ink bleeding across the horizon.

Fang Xiu didn’t know whether Bai Shuangying wanted to destroy humanity or just force Zhuang Guiqu to stop. Honestly, his ghost’s intentions no longer mattered.

With Zhuang Feng guarding him, Zhuang Guiqu was like a splinter lodged in Bai Shuangying’s throat, nailed into the mountain.

The pain would not end.

A’Shou shielded Fang Xiu with one arm, both of them hiding behind a withered black tree.

Perhaps because Bai Shuangying resided within Fang Xiu, the wild corruption avoided them. Strangely, Zhuang Guiqu and Zhuang Feng had also survived the contamination.

…However, the elite soldiers had yet to appear. Understandably so—the Guishan Sect wouldn’t be foolish enough to repeat the same move from five years ago.

Fang Xiu could guess who had taken their place this time.

The sun was about to set. The Corner of Heaven’s Will was about to reach the town at the foot of the mountain.

Considering the size of Xushan, if Bai Shuangying’s true form spread in all directions, a third of the Kui Dynasty’s territory would fall within his reach.

At that moment, the massive creature looked like water about to spill from a cup, rising along the rim, ready to flood outward.

Finally, in the center of the dark sky, a golden light tore through the black.

Billowing auspicious clouds rolled in. Celestial music echoed, suppressing the dreadful roar of a collapsing world.

From the quaking ground below, thick gray mist rose, revealing the vague silhouettes of an army.

Dark energy surged over the land, black trees swayed, and even the white fruit on their branches let out eerie moans.

At the center of all this chaos, the childlike Zhuang Guiqu stirred.

“Karma…”

He mumbled hazily, “It’s here… Karma has arrived…”

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The author has something to say:

Xiao Bai’s anger has been revealed, and Xiao Fang’s fired up too!

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