Mu Tianyou lowered his head, looking at those rotting faces, those hollow eye sockets, and those gaping mouths.
He suddenly felt that these things were also pitiable.
They had once been human, the commoners of Jiao Mu Kingdom, his subjects.
They were dead, yet they could not rest in peace. They had been refined into monsters, wandering aimlessly across this plague-ridden land in a daze.
Kill them? They could not be killed.
Save them? They could not be saved.
They could only live like this—neither alive nor dead, neither human nor ghost.
“I am sorry,” Mu Tianyou said. “I have failed you all.”
Mu Tianyou felt his body collapsing, his flesh falling away in chunks, his bones shattering one by one.
He fell into the pile of corpses, amidst those who had once been his subjects. His consciousness began to blur, and his vision grew hazy.
But he saw, in the darkness in the distance, Wan Xiu still standing there, fanning himself with a gentle smile on his face.
As if he were watching a grand play.
Mu Tianyou wanted to curse him, to damn him, to rush forward and kill him.
But he could no longer move.
He had no strength left.
He didn't even have the strength left to hate.
He closed his eyes, feeling the darkness swallow him whole.
Then, he heard a voice.
Very faint, very distant, as if coming from another world.
“Oh? Excellency, you are here as well. It has been a long time.”
Wan Xiu fanned himself, looking toward a certain direction in the darkness with a smile.
“I was wondering who was bold enough to directly destroy Wing-Fire Snake’s formation,” he said. “So it was your gracious presence.”
From the darkness, a figure dressed in a black robe slowly stepped out.
His face was blurred, his features indistinguishable, leaving only a pair of eyes as cold as the abyss.
Wan Xiu folded his fan and bowed slightly.
“I am Wan Xiu, a walking envoy under Lord Qing Lu. I had the honor of meeting you once before.”
“There is no need for such wariness, Excellency. I am merely passing through and happened to see an old acquaintance, so I thought I would say hello.”
“Besides, Lord Qing Lu is also very interested in you.”
Chen Zhou raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected that within Jiao Mu Jiao's memories, Wan Xiu would be able to converse with him in such a manner. He asked bluntly, “Was it your people who released the plague in Tianchi Province?”
Wan Xiu paused for a moment, then laughed.
“Excellency truly is sharp.” He admitted candidly, “Indeed, the plague in Tianchi Province was a seed planted by Lord Qing Lu.”
“A thousand years ago, there were too many living beings on this land—so many that it affected the balance of the Central Province. Lord Qing Lu merely made a slight adjustment to return the population to a reasonable range.”
Chen Zhou said, “At its peak, the Jiao Mu Kingdom had a population of over a hundred million. Now, not a single living soul can be found. Is that reasonable?”
Wan Xiu tilted his head, as if he didn't understand why Chen Zhou would ask such a thing.
“With a rank as high as yours, you should understand this principle.”
“The lives of mortals are, by nature, consumables. They die today, and more will be born tomorrow—ceaseless and infinite.”
“Are there not still over three hundred survivors in the Royal Capital?”
“Excellency need not feel sad for them. Those who died, those who were refined into hundred corpse patchworks... they have not vanished. They have simply changed their form of existence.”
“Suffering is cultivation; it is sublimation. They are now higher-dimensional beings. You should be happy for them.”
Chen Zhou looked at him, his eyes as calm as a pool of stagnant water.
“Do you even believe the words coming out of your mouth?”
Wan Xiu’s smile grew even more radiant.
“Excellency, you joke,” he said. “I am but a lowly walking envoy under Lord Qing Lu, here only to carry out his will.”
“I am merely following orders. As for anything else, it is not for me to consider.”
“The fact that you could cause such a stir in Tianchi Province and even destroy Wing-Fire Snake’s formation... I truly underestimated you.”
“But it doesn't matter. It was Zhu Pan’s anyway. Lord Qing Lu is more than happy to see Zhu Pan get a smaller share of the spoils.”
Chen Zhou asked calmly, “Are you finished?”
Wan Xiu nodded. “I am.”
With those words, Chen Zhou suddenly raised his hand, and pitch-black Hatred Fire ignited in his palm.
“Then it is my turn.”
Wan Xiu looked at the cluster of flames, the smile on his face unchanging. “Excellency intends to strike?”
Chen Zhou pushed the flames forward. “Since you know I destroyed Wing-Fire Snake’s formation, how do you dare appear before me?”
The Hatred Fire transformed into a black fire dragon, lunging straight at Wan Xiu.
Wan Xiu’s figure flickered, vanishing from the spot. The Hatred Fire, as if sentient, swerved and continued the pursuit.
Wan Xiu flickered three times in succession but could not shake off the Hatred Fire.
Finally, he stopped and sighed.
“Why bother, Excellency?”
“I am merely a messenger. Even if you kill me, it won't change anything.”
Chen Zhou ignored him and continued to drive the Hatred Fire.
The fire dragon pounced, coiling around Wan Xiu’s body.
Wan Xiu’s body began to burn, the pitch-black flames searing his skin and flesh.
But he did not scream, nor did he struggle.
He simply stood within the flames, looking at Chen Zhou.
“Excellent technique, Excellency,” he said. “But it is useless.”
“This is merely a projection. Even if you burn it, I can simply manifest another.”
“You cannot kill me.”
Wan Xiu spread his fan, upon which sat a recording stone.
“It is still this simple little toy—low grade, but useful.”
Expressionless, Chen Zhou drove the Hatred Fire to incinerate Wan Xiu’s projection along with the recording stone he had left inside Jiao Mu Jiao’s body.
Wan Xiu shook his head and sighed, “Excellency truly is a man of passion.”
“But no matter. I have delivered the message anyway.”
“Your actions in Tianchi Province were indeed beyond my expectations.”
“But they were not beyond Lord Qing Lu’s expectations.”
“To be able to destroy Wing-Fire Snake’s formation proves your capability.”
“But unfortunately...”
He paused, and the smile on his face became meaningful.
“Someone betrayed you.”
Chen Zhou narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”
Wan Xiu shook his head. “Guess for yourself, Excellency.”
“Tianchi Province is vast, and the waters are deep.”
“Now that you have come, do not think you can leave so easily.”
His body gradually dissipated within the flames, leaving only his mouth still moving.
Chen Zhou bound Wan Xiu’s mouth with Hatred Fire and frowned. “Trying to slip away again? Are you not afraid I will destroy the Jiao Mu Jiao formation here as well?”
Wan Xiu replied nonchalantly, “Excellency may do as you please. Lord Qing Lu’s goal has already been achieved. As for a piece of trash that no longer has any utility, feel free to do whatever you wish with it.”
“But let me give you one final warning.”
“Excellency must also be looking for the Eternal Scars. To think Old Man Purity and Filth had such an extraordinary individual among his subordinates who knew of such an existence.”
“He certainly kept his mouth shut; he didn't reveal a word for a thousand years. Fortunately, I have reunited his corpse with Purity and Filth. Otherwise, such important information might have truly slipped past me, which would have been a grave sin.”
“As it happens, Lord Qing Lu also calculated the location of the Eternal Scars a few days ago. That is not something you can covet.”
“As for that thing which was right before your eyes all along, allow me to accept it on Lord Qing Lu’s behalf.”
With that, Wan Xiu’s figure vanished completely.
The flames died out, leaving only a few wisps of smoke drifting in the air.
Rate on N.U.
