Chapter 7
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Chapter 7: I Want to See Her Smile!
For Yougui, this path is unprecedentedly difficult to traverse.
It is not because the road is long, nor because his body may collapse at any moment.
In layman’s terms, he is just playing a crappy game.
In a normal game, you can go through the game level by level, fighting each boss and figuring out each character’s strategy as you go. Whenever the progress bar reaches 100%, it means that you have gained a new level in the game.
The sense of accomplishment that comes in that moment completely overcomes the tedium of the journey.
This “game” is different now.
Since his eyes can no longer open…
Since his Divine Sense can no longer be spread out…
The ever-roaring North Wind fills the air around him.
As Yougui drags his battered body across the tundra, he receives almost no feedback.
He flips over the ice hills. He struggles to climb out from the snow valley, and he even falls into an ice cave twice.
After crossing these difficulties, he still cannot find happiness.
Before him is still the seemingly endless darkness!
He doesn’t know where he has gone.
He doesn’t know if he is on the right path.
He doesn’t even know if he can really make it to the Sea Grape Spring Garden before he dies.
That darkness feels like a gaping abyss, threatening to swallow him whole if he slips up even slightly.
But don’t think the abyss is warm, moist, and comfortable.
There… it’s hell!
It is a hell of fear and despair!
Just by looking into its eyes, Yougui feels like his soul is about to be torn into pieces.
As he proceeds, he hears the voice of a young girl several times in his ears.
“We don’t have to fight anymore.”
“Stop, it doesn’t matter what promises were made. I’m not going to blame you.”
“Wouldn’t it be nice to stay here with me?”
Yes.
Perhaps just finding a place to lie down and waiting for the last bit of heat to dissipate from his body would mean no longer needing to be accompanied by fear and despair.
At that moment, he finds a thick sheet of ice and sits down.
Once his tense muscles relax, he feels himself enveloped by a wave of heat.
What a comfortable experience this is!
Yougui’s eyes still cannot open, but he sees a bright spring through the darkness.
At present:
The tundra is no longer a tundra.
The snow mountains are no longer snow mountains.
The green willow sways in the breeze by the warm stream.
Three or five children chase and play around.
In a place just three feet away from him, a young maiden stands gracefully, draped in an elegant sheer garment.
She still looks the same as she did back then.
Her light purple long hair emits a refreshing scent that soothes the heart and soul.
The girl doesn’t speak, and neither does Yougui.
He slowly closes his eyes.
In the last moments of his life, he wants to etch this image into the depths of his soul.
In this gentle spring breeze, a hand gently taps his shoulder.
“It is not yet time to go to sleep.”
“Hmm?”
“It is not yet time to go to sleep.”
It is still that sentence.
Yougui’s back gradually becomes straighter.
He… Did he really almost fall asleep just now?
Yougui “opens” his eyes again, and the spring light is gone, as is the young girl. He is still in the dark, with the roaring north wind in his ears.
However, everything is completely different from before.
His Divine Sense is obviously unable to be emitted, yet he can sense that an invisible person is standing in front of him!
The person says to him, “Go this way.”
“You…”
Yougui’s body starts shaking violently.
He remembers!
The girl once said to him that when she was plagued by that immortal curse, there was always an invisible friend supporting her.
Later, the girl chose to kill herself also because the invisible friend had disappeared.
“Why?”
Yougui doesn’t advance according to the instructions of that “person.”
He clenches his fists tightly and shouts with all his might—his voice holds seven parts anger and three parts confusion.
His actions are merely a waste of effort.
The only response he gets is the sound of wind and snow.
He stands like that for a long time, but in the end, he has to compromise.
Let’s go.
Take advantage of the last bit of his strength while he still has it.
Yougui clenches the Dirty Knife in his sleeve.
He follows that invisible person like a zombie.
Then…
During the rest of the journey, he no longer falls into any danger.
He also encounters a group of people, from whom he learns that the Sea Grape Spring Garden is just ahead.
Yougui stops.
The invisible person also stops to wait for him.
He doesn’t know whether to cry or laugh.
“So why didn’t you stay by her side in the first place? Now that it’s too late to make up for it, you can’t win her back anymore.”
“…”
She?
The female cultivator behind Yougui furrows her brows.
She seems to have guessed wrong.
It doesn’t seem that the support given to Yougui was loyalty to the Hades Hall.
This question is quite profound, and she doesn’t quite understand it all.
But it doesn’t prevent her from feeling that the hunchbacked figure looks very tall.
Clearly, she could crush Yougui with one finger, yet a voice in her heart keeps telling her that Yougui is unbeatable.
A moment later…
A gust of nothingness blows from outside the valley, swirling around Yougui.
Yougui, who finds even walking difficult, floats up like a kite on a string and slowly drifts back down.
The female cultivator’s pupils contract.
“He burned his soul?!”
Doesn’t this mean that Yougui is already on the path of death?
When the soul is burned to ashes, there will no longer be Yougui in this world…
When the soul is burned to ashes, there will no longer be Yougui in this world.
As for his current state, even burning his soul wouldn’t be able to harm Jiang Jing.
The female cultivator hesitated, uncertain whether she should continue to follow.
Until she saw Yougui plunge into that palace.
In that moment, as a pebble falls into a still pool, a gentle white light rippled out from the palace gate like a wave.
One lap.
Another lap.
After counting to three, the entire palace lit up.
But the most eye-catching of all was the dragon statue at the entrance of the palace.
The dragon’s eyes, emitting a faint light, became brighter and brighter, as if the statue had suddenly come alive.
“Go in and have a look!”
The female cultivator clenched her teeth. She leapt at once, and in a short time, she had flashed into the palace.
—
The monsters roared in the sky.
A fierce atmosphere wrapped itself in piercing red light.
It looked like a bloodstained heavy hammer, ready to come down with a heavy thud at any moment.
What surprised Bai Lian was that, even after her meridians and dantian completely opened up to contain massive influxes of spirit Qi, Jiang Jing still didn’t launch a further attack.
“?”
Did Jiang Jing get stunned by her “arrogance,” or was he secretly plotting something?
Bai Lian was stumped.
However, this was not a big problem. She was best at giving up thinking when she couldn’t figure something out!
She just needed to do her best.
In theory, Bai Lian didn’t need to interact with Jiang Jing.
Her goal was not to kill Jiang Jing but to take the Lord of the Hades Hall back.
She just needed to seize the opportunity to snatch the Lord of the Hades Hall and then quickly run away.
The key issue lay in the disparity between her actual cultivation base and Jiang Jing’s, which were several levels apart.
Want to run?
It’s not that simple.
Once caught up by Jiang Jing, she would have to rely on devouring the inferior Immortal Spirit Stone to fight him.
This brought up another problem.
At that time, Jiang Jing would surely realize that she had been bluffing all along.
If Jiang Jing chose to confront her head-on, she might have a slight chance of winning.
If Jiang Jing chose to remain passive and not fight, there would be no need to delay for too long. As long as he waited until the power of the Immortal Spirit Stone dissipated, he could easily capture her.
That scene would be quite scary.
Bai Lian could tell that Jiang Jing had a deep hatred for the Witch Queen.
For some reason, Jiang Jing recognized her as the Witch Queen.
In short, in this situation, once she fell into Jiang Jing’s hands, it seemed that the villain’s oft-quoted saying “you can’t live, you can’t die” would come true.
Mental torture.
Physical abuse.
Will pressure.
Bai Lian suddenly came up with dozens of more sinister images than the “humiliation” scenes in the Battle of the Gods.
Well.
If graded, 18x was barely acceptable; only 21x was reasonable.
So, there was no escaping it.
After experiencing many things, Bai Lian knew how big an effect morale had on a battle.
Strengthen oneself, weaken the opponent.
As long as she didn’t reveal a flaw, then before she took action, she was the undisputed queen here!
That is to say…
Bai Lian must keep up her momentum.
Strengthen it to the point of shaking this palace.
Strengthen it to the point where it could cause the stars to tremble.
Strengthen it to the point that it could even break through the towering “Immortal World” in front of her!
—
Now.
Bai Lian’s right eye suddenly shot out a brilliant silver light as she looked towards Jiang Jing.
Special effects: full open!
Qianhuan Real Eyes, Ready, Go!
In a split second, her starry blue pupil suddenly divided into two.
In no time, the two overlapping pupils dispersed into a skyful of stars.
The most dazzling of them all was the ★ in Bai Lian’s eye corners.
Accompanying this magnificent and stunning performance was a huge Star and Moon Disc opening up behind Bai Lian.
The stars were not ordinary stars.
The moon was not an ordinary moon either.
It was as if they were playthings plucked from the heavens by Bai Lian herself.
They slowly revolved along the trajectory of the Star and Moon Disc.
One breath.
One day.
One year.
One era.
Overlook the ages and witness the cycle of life and death!
—
“Hiss—”
Jiang Jing took a deep breath of the cold air.
He had heard countless times of the commotion Bai Lian made when fighting, which could shake the stars.
Only when he saw this scene with his own eyes did he know how terrifying it was!
Bai Lian was standing on a sea of countless waves.
Bai Lian had a sparkling endless galaxy of stars above her head.
The stars and sea appeared to connect at the edge of visibility, forming a great cage built by the Field.
At the very center of this prison stood Bai Lian.
She was the ruler of this world!
She was a deity who had returned from antiquity!
The divine beast Fu Zhu leaped around in the sea, pushing up water pillars to the sky to congratulate her arrival.
Endless stars drifted through the night sky and the sea plane like seekers coming to listen to the divine sermon.
—
In a moment, Jiang Jing suddenly noticed that Bai Lian had become light.
He stood in a world of silver and white, and with just one glance toward where Bai Lian was, he felt his soul being frozen like ice.
“Is this the [Field] that an Immortal Emperor holds sway over?”
Jiang Jing lowered his head in panic.
No way.
He must stand up.
He must not let Bai Lian see through his true intentions, or else he would have no chance of survival.
—
Bai Lian felt pain.
It was the same pain she experienced when she last used the Dirt Free Sword to slay the sea monster.
Although her cultivation base had improved significantly, the pain had not lessened in the slightest.
“If I have to endure this a few more times, will the pain alone be enough to render me immobile?”
Blocking out the five senses was useless.
The pain coursed through every part of her body, and even her soul began to twist under the force of the divine power.
However, Bai Lian wasn’t paying attention to her suffering.
She suddenly realized that with the assistance of the Immortal Spirit Stone, the visual representation of her Special Effects had increased more than tenfold.
“Can this be called a pleasant surprise?”
Bai Lian forced a smile from the corner of her mouth.
She slowly raised her right hand, gently clenched her fist, and then placed it between her breasts.
At that moment, memories flooded her mind—her master, her Martial Sisters, and people like Si Yunshang.
She remembered not only their faces but also every word they had spoken and everything they had done together.
Whenever she thought of them, her cold heart would soften just a little.
The last person to remain in her mind was Tong Yao, who had shrunk into a corner of the wall and stayed silent.
—
Actually, although she was not a gossip, Bai Lian often complained about how Tong Yao spread rumors about her.
But if asked honestly, she would have to admit, “Yes, I have a good opinion of Martial Sister Tong Yao!”
Where did this fondness come from?
Bai Lian couldn’t say for sure.
It wasn’t out of guilt, and it wasn’t tied to any specific event.
The feeling seemed to have existed for a long time—so long that she couldn’t trace its origin.
Like spring rain, it quietly nourished her without her noticing.
After years of being together, one day she suddenly realized:
[It’s nice to stay with Martial Sister Tong Yao.]
[I want to see her expression when I tease her.]
[If we can continue like this, it will be alright.]
It wouldn’t be bad.
That wasn’t Hell—it was a peaceful cottage in the mountains during spring.
Quiet. Comfortable. Elegant.
To make all her dreams a reality, the first thing she needed to do was survive and escape from this hell.
“I can’t die.”
“I won’t die either.”
—
As she mused, the silver stars in Bai Lian’s eyes grew brighter.
When she began summoning the Dirt Free Sword, she realized something else—her heart was responding with genuine warmth for the first time.
“This…”
Was this good news or not?
Bai Lian smiled and tilted her head upward.
She looked at Jiang Jing without hesitation and said, “I don’t have any animosity towards you. There should be no hatred between us.”
—
“…!”
Jiang Jing gritted his teeth.
Curse you!
Green Moon Sword Venerable made me this ugly monster, but you and Xianyuan Emperor are equally guilty.
Bai Lian ignored Jiang Jing’s thoughts and continued speaking.
“But because of you, the person I care about has suddenly stopped smiling. She might never smile again.”
Her expression turned intensely serious as she stared at Jiang Jing.
Her voice was devoid of emotion as she uttered embarrassing yet heartfelt words:
“I want to see her smile!”
“I want to see her smile genuinely!”
—
Both Jiang Jing and Black Spirit Lord widened their eyes.
What exactly was Bai Lian trying to say?
She continued:
“I want to walk side by side with her on the mountain road to Qingyu Peak!”
“I want to watch the sunset with her at the top of Qiongming Peak!”
“I want to accompany her and retrace every single road we walked as children!”
“I want to help her find her home again!”
“I want to gently stroke her hair!”
“I want to tell her more—”
“Your Elder Martial Sister is back! Your Elder Martial Sister didn’t break her promise!”
—
Suddenly, Qiang!
Bai Lian flicked her right hand forward lightly.
The void vibrated, and water-like waves flowed.
A delicately and gracefully shaped sword hilt emerged from her chest—it was the Dirt Free Sword!
Bai Lian declared, “I have a sword. It may not be able to open the sky, cover the sea, or defeat evil monsters, but it can help me do things that make her smile!”
It wasn’t the most impressive battle cry, but it was the perfect expression of Bai Lian’s feelings.
As the word “smile” left her lips, Bai Lian drew the Dirt Free Sword in one fluid motion.
—
The stars and waves surrounding her body immediately erupted into a celebration.
They surged, flashed, and danced, offering gifts to honor their king’s arrival.
Boom!
A surge of killing intent swept out, and a fearsome aura erupted from Bai Lian’s Qianhuan Real Eyes, scattered with silver star-like specks.
In an instant, the crimson hell that had seemed impenetrable was torn apart.
—
Jiang Jing’s body trembled uncontrollably as his momentum broke.
Bai Lian’s fighting style was completely different from the Witch Queen’s, but Jiang Jing knew he was in deep trouble.
Without hesitation, he shouted, “Kill her!”
Dozens of monsters surged from the scarlet hell and rushed toward Bai Lian.
—
He gave a loud cry.
Under his command, dozens of monsters circled around the scarlet hell and flew towards Bai Lian.
Red clouds billowed.
Fortunately, this palace possessed the terrifying power to suppress the energy impacts from Transmigration Stage cultivators. Otherwise, the impact of this moment would have been enough to turn the surrounding land to ruins.
To Bai Lian now, none of this mattered.
Pain?
Can you feel the tearing from within?
She charged up to the altar with the Dirt Free Sword.
She didn’t have much time left, so she had no intention of getting entangled with those monsters.
She wanted to rush to the altar as quickly as possible and kill Jiang Jing, just like when she killed the Sea Monster.
Tear—
In a single stroke, the Dirt Free Sword unleashed a torrent of stars, slicing the monster standing in front of Bai Lian into countless pieces.
That monster wasn’t a weak one.
Its body was broken, but it still had life.
A drop of black blood crawled, and in only a breath of time, it coalesced into half a body again.
However, that was all it could do.
Bang!
A swift white fist shot out from the left side, slamming into the monster’s head like a hammer.
“Die!”
Bai Lian softly muttered, as if reciting a curse.
The monster’s body exploded into a million pieces in the next moment.
This time, it fell into the field called [Past Master] woven by the Qianhuan Real Eyes.
In that strange and chaotic world, it no longer had the possibility of finding its source.
It was wrapped in black fog, and in the blink of an eye, its traces of existence were erased.
Bai Lian didn’t pause for even a moment.
No matter how painful it was, she pressed forward towards the altar with a determined face.
—
Jiang Jing swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
That’s the kind of pressure!
So did the Witch Queen!
He…
He couldn’t defeat the Witch Queen using normal methods.
But the opportunity was here.
Jiang Jing was surprised to discover that Bai Lian’s full attention was on him.
Now!
He shouted loudly, “Immediately cast the Lord of the Hades Hall into the path of the underworld!”
Relying solely on the Lord of the Hades Hall couldn’t completely open the path to the underworld.
However, it was enough to make the monster sealed inside manifest its avatar.
Although the Witch Queen was powerful, she couldn’t easily handle that kind of monster.
That was his chance to turn the tables.
If he operated properly, he might even be able to control the Night Saber Demon and break through to the Immortal Emperor level in one go.
Jiang Jing spread out myriad talismans to resist Bai Lian’s sword.
As he did, he laughed heartily, “Witch Queen, you shall pay for your arrogance…”
At the moment the shield constructed by countless talismans was shattered, Jiang Jing’s voice suddenly stopped.
—
Something is wrong!
He jerked his head.
In his turbulent vision, he saw Black Spirit Lord standing still, not intending to cast the Lord of the Hades Hall into the underworld at all.
“You…”
Jiang Jing was furious.
Are you out of your mind?
Do you think the Witch Queen will forgive you for betraying me now?
He almost exploded in rage and spat blood.
After a brief pause, Black Spirit Lord apparently realized his mistake.
“Throw it! I’ll throw it right away.”
He took a step towards the entrance to the path of the underworld and then smashed the Lord of the Hades Hall heavily.
—
In a flash.
A deep blue light glimmered on the stone floor.
At first glance, the situation seemed to be going well.
But upon gazing at the strange runes, Jiang Jing couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease bubbling up in his heart.
