At the same time, purple lightning came crashing down from the thunderclouds that had been brewing for a long time, striking through the already broken temple roof and bringing forth a tremor so violent it was like an explosion.
The bolt split the ground.
The Heavenly Lightning was forcibly triggered and also contained the residual power from Li Yue Zhenrenâs tribulation. It struck that person, shaking his very core.
Jiang Yinghe half-knelt on the ground, holding onto Wangchen with one hand. His soulbound weapon was shaking violently.
Fresh blood spilled out of the wound caused by the lighting. The viscous liquid slowly soaked into the ground.
It was another rainstorm.
The city that held cultivators in high regard seemed to grow silent tonight.
The thunder rolled.
Rivulets of blood ran down his arms, staining his snow-white clothes, bit by bit.
Jiang Yinghe coughed, braced himself against his sword, and slowly got up.
Then another Heavenly Calamity came crashing down from where the thunderclouds gathered. Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the dark skies for a single moment.
The light shone on the moon.
When the thunder roared, more blood slid down Jiang Yingheâs injured back and soaked his body.
Did it hurt?
âŠNot really.
Jiang Yinghe held the hilt of the sword and watched his blood flow down the blade. He thought of how to get through the last three questions from the Dao that would be the most powerful.
By all rights, he shouldâve been accustomed to tribulations by now. From the moment he stepped onto the path of immortality, he had a realisationâ even if he had the talent, he would still encounter hardship sometime in the future.
He had always been in danger of dying without even a corpse left behind.
Torrential rain poured down.
In the midst of the tremendous rain, more lightning cut through the canopy.
Boomâ
The boundary that contained the Heavenly Tribulation shook with the sound.
Bit by bit, the bloodstains soaked the ground underneath Jiang Yinghe.
He was like a piece of shattered jade stained with bright red blood, or like a blade hardened with ice, radiating an irresistible, invincible sharpness.
Honed into a divine weapon that was beyond description.
The fourth calamity, then the fifthâŠ
As the last bolt of Heavenly Lightning struck him, Wangchen abruptly shattered. The solid ice molded into a blade snapped in two, the bottom half disappeared into the surrounding rubble.
Blood dripped from his fingertips as well as from the tip of the sword.
There were still the three questionsâŠ
Under the relentless assault of lightning, his convictions that had always remained stalwart were pushed to the breaking point.
Boomâ
In the midst of the storm, the Daoâs questions penetrated his mind.
âWhy are you hesitating?
Why?
He has always followed the rules of the Dao without hesitation.
Jiang Yinghe spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. He wiped the remaining traces from his lips.
Ever since he decided to become a cultivator, heâs given it his all. When had he hesitated?
He heard the sound of thunder, the crumbling roof, and the howling wind.
The eighth strike of Heavenly Lightning was coming.
âWhy are you hesitating?
Why?
He has always remained true to himself and advocated for the rights of all living beings. When had he hesitated?
Before the voice in his head could ask again, Jiang Yinghe had already realised the answer. He had never strayed from his path, unchanged since the start.
At this time, his previously snow white shirt had already been dyed thoroughly with fresh blood. The lightning coursing through his veins seemed to numb his fingertips and break all his jade-like bones.
The broken sword continued to howl.
Jiang Yinghe plunged the remaining half of Wangchen into the ground as he attempted to rise. The final bolt of Heavenly Lightning struck him then with the same, unchanged question.
âWhy are you hesitating?
WhyâŠ
The first questioned his conviction, the second his morals, and the thirdâŠ
His heart.
He was crushed back to the ground by the question. His vision was filled with the scattered traces of his blood and the cracked ground. The appearance of those around him flashed through his mind.
Why did he hesitateâŠ
Was it to preserve his reputation, to maintain the status quo between good and evil, or was it out of fear that it was all just a dream, that his feelings would no longer be returned after the split souls fused?
I might become just a footnote in someone elseâs journey, an afterthought. That person who created the world had a life of his own above the Endless Sky WatchtowerâŠ
Would he reallyâŠleave it all behind toâŠ
His heart, his sincere and innermost feelings, dripped out drop by dropâŠ
Jiang Yinghe smelled an extremely cloying and thick metallic scent as this question drilled into his foundation, threatening to splinter his soul.
At this moment, the barrier that contained the Heavenly Lighting suddenly weakened. An incomparably large beast returned to its original form and rushed into the boundary, covering Jiang Yingheâs body and blocking the lightning bolts that rained down everywhere and sheltering him from the storm.
Tianhou wrapped him in its embrace, but it was too late. Even without the last bolt of Heavenly Lightning eating away at his body, the Daoâs last question had already drilled into his heart and started to destroy him from the inside out.
In the next instant, the gigantic form of Tianhou disappeared. A red-clothed boy hugged Jiang Yinghe tightly and kissed his bloodstained lips.
A pitch black half mask was in front of Jiang Yingheâs eyes. The other half was Chang Yeâs astoundingly beautiful face. He licked and bit at Jiang Yingheâs lips, but in the midst of the kiss, he spat out his devil core and split it in two, sending half in between Jiang Yingheâs lips.
âŠIs he crazy?
The core of devils was equivalent to the golden core or nascent soul of cultivators, like a second life. A slight injury would result in a regression of cultivation, while more thorough damage would return them to their original formâŠ
But Jiang Yinghe didnât have the strength to struggle. His soul was shattering, and he could only passively endure half the devil core melding with his foundation.
Jiang Yinghe forcefully clenched his fingers around Chang Yeâs shoulders and quietly said, ââŠItâs uselessâŠâ
Why did he hesitateâŠ
He didnât know the answer to that.
There was no solution, no way around, and no escape.
Just as Jiang Yinghe lost consciousness, he heard a brief notification from the system in a daze. But he could no longer think. All he could feel was the ever approaching darkness as his soul dissipatedâŠ
The souls of those who fell from Heavenly Lightning would all become spirits and return to Heaven and Earth. Perhaps he would return on a rainy night as well.
Just as his consciousness was sinking, Chang Ye was viciously ripped from his side. Another stream of energy entered his body, enveloping Jiang Yingheâs hemorrhaging soulâ
And recondensing it.
The demonic energy in Li Huanhanâs hand rolled and boiled, suppressing all the remnants of the Lightning Tribulation before contracting the barrier to surround his Shizun instead.
âStill spacing out?â Qin Junâs voice came from behind him, hoarse and barely above a whisper, âProtect him as he reincarnates.â
Each of those five words drained Chang Yeâs mental and emotional strength.
He jolted to attention. From the sea of despair in his mind, he discovered a trace of hope.
He watched as half of his devil core melded into the spirit that slowly solidified in front of him before leaving to join the cycle.
Chang Ye stared dumbly as the condensed spirit slowly left his sight.
Only the sounds of the incessant rain interrupted the silence.
It took some time before Chang Yeâs quiet and hoarse voice could be heard.
âReincarnated peopleâŠwill they still have their memories?â
âTheyâll be able to remember with some help.â Qin Jun said.
âWhenâŠcan we meet him again?â
ââŠI donât know.â
âSo will he, will he still like me?â
âHas Shizun ever liked you?â
It was quiet again.
The rain washed away the blood, and the body had already dissipated.
Chang Ye watched as Li Huanhan picked up the broken halves of Wangchen.
His own heart seemed to break in two as well.
Chang Ye stood up without saying a word and disappeared into the pouring rain.
No one stopped him.
Li Huanhan lowered his head to wipe clean the broken sword. The force he used was very light, but because his hand was too unsteady, the blade still cut into his fingers.
Beads of blood oozed out bit by bit, merging in with the sword.
Li Huanhan paused. Only after a long while did he raise his head and ask, âThose kids in the cornerâŠâ
âNot dead.â
ââŠThatâs good.â
Li Huanhan wrapped the shattered sword with a cloth and looked down. âOtherwise, he would have blamed me.â
With that, the barrier that contained the Heavenly Tribulation completely dissipated. Only broken walls, bloodstains, and the sobbing cries of children remained.
â-
Tonight was Luo Cityâs Lantern Festival.
The day before, a heavy rain fell in the middle of the night, shattering the Immortalâs temple in the west of the city. Every household closed their doors and windows for half a night before realizing that the rain had stopped. There were concerns that the weather would affect the Lantern Festival, but there was an exceptionally bright moon in the sky tonight.
It was as if the city had not been affected at all by the storm. In the eyes of many people, it was just an ordinary and unremarkable downpour. The only thing of note was the ruined temple.
Of the 700,000 people living in Luo City, not one was killed or injured.
Chang Ye woke up in a small, unoccupied attic.
Heâd split his devil core, so his cultivation dropped several levels. He wasnât sure when exactly, but he had reverted to the form of a cat some time ago and slept deeply here for an entire day.
He regained his human form and sat on the small building, looking down at the city full of bright and shifting lanterns.
Vendors shouted and visitors shuttled about in this city filled with the red dust of mortal affairs.
A myriad of twinkling lights glittered below, keeping the darkness at bay.
Chang Ye laid on his back for a while. At that moment, he seemed to understand exactly what his Shizun was protecting.
He closed his eyes and turned back into a white cat, flicking his fluffy tail. His body was drenched with rainwater, mud, dust, and flecks of blood.
The kitten settled down in a corner sheltered from the night breeze, like a pet that was suddenly abandoned.
âŠI did what you told me to do.
So please ShizunâŠplease donât leave me behindâŠ
Authorâs Corner:
Ye-er, Shizunâs gone.
Itâs time for you to grow up.
Sahl:
Earlier⊠* Jiang Yinghe casually sends the Devil King Tianhou to babysit kids.*
Later⊠Three layers of awesomeness or âHow to Be Good Husbands.â