CBGC - ch153

Chapter 153: Alive

A fishy stench reeks from his mouth, and his body is covered in blood. Strange, fish-like scales have even grown on the surface of his skin, making him appear extremely terrifying.

His cultivation has suddenly become unfathomable, exerting pressure even on Su Tingyun.

However, Su Tingyun doesn't divert her attention to him. Instead, she focuses all her energy on controlling the Heavenly Fire. The flames on the Beauty Scroll shine brightly. Black marks, burned by the fire, have appeared on the second and third beauties on the painting. Flames have already ignited on their bodies, and in that instant, the color of the flames changes, accompanied by the faint sound of women crying and wailing.

Destroy the Beauty Scroll?

Will the souls of the beauties on the diagram also be destroyed along with it?

A thought flickers through Su Tingyun's mind, but she takes a deep breath and stops thinking about it. Regardless of anything, now is not the time for mercy. It's either he does or she does. She cannot afford to be softhearted.

Zhang Zhizi relentlessly strikes her spiritual barrier. Seeing cracks appear on her protective barrier, Su Tingyun's expression changes slightly. With a flicker in her eyes, she immediately withdraws all the spiritual energy applied to the Beauty Scroll and directly envelops Zhang Zhizi.

The Beauty Scroll won't be destroyed in a short while. Her target isn't the Beauty Scroll itself; it's Zhang Zhizi!

Now is the best opportunity!

The demonic energy surges within the Dual Realm Mountain. The power of the Haoran Zhenqi Sword is insufficient. However, she possesses the strongest move imaginable! In fact, Su Tingyun only knows that the Haoran Zhenqi Sword has immense power within the world formed by the ring. She hasn't tried forming a sword intent within the ring and then slashing it to the outside world!

Although unsure if it will work, Su Tingyun doesn’t hesitate for a moment and gets on with it.

She instantly disappears, entering the world within the ring. Then, the Springwater Sword emerges, forming the Haoran Zhenqi Sword within the ring's world. Stepping out from the ring's world, the sword energy surges. Heavenly Fire adheres to the Springwater Sword, and the five elements' ethereal energies merge into one, slashing towards Zhang Zhizi.

In theory, Heavenly Fire exists only alongside the soul and is impossible to coexist with other substances outside of the Divine Tree. But at this moment, within Su Tingyun's ring, where the five elements merge, the power of Heavenly Fire exists within the Springwater Sword. With the addition of Haoran Zhenqi, the sword shines brightly, roaring like a dragon, illuminating the dark sky as brightly as day.

"Watch out!" The Beauty Scroll moves towards Zhang Zhizi, but it's too late!

With a swift strike, the widely grinning Zhang Zhizi is split in half. But there‘s not a drop of blood on his body. Instead, it's filled with countless poisonous insects. These creatures fear fire and actively avoid the Heavenly Fire and Divine Tree. Now, a large number of them rush towards the entrance of the Dual Realm Mountain, unwilling to stay outside for another moment…

Even though Zhang Zhizi has been split in half by the sword, he's not dead yet. His body writhes, but Li Xinmei's eyes gleam as she sends a message, "There's a black stone in his chest."

Corrupted by demonic energy, Zhang Zhizi is already a mindless puppet, his body invaded by demons, his consciousness gradually consumed. Eventually, he will become a complete monster.

Su Tingyun slices through the approaching Beauty Scroll and engages in battle with the enraged Bai Lu and Xi Guang. She communicates to Big Bai, "Dig out that black stone."

Though Big Bai dislikes black objects and finds Zhang Zhizi dirty, she’s the best at digging stones. Just like how she effortlessly pulled out the red stones from the snow, she easily grabs the black stone from Zhang Zhizi's chest. With the stone removed, the two halves of Zhang Zhizi's body, which were struggling to merge, finally stop moving. The Beauty Scroll, previously attacking fiercely, collapses as if losing all its strength.

At this moment, an overwhelming force emerges from the Beauty Scroll, so powerful that it extinguishes the Heavenly Fire on it directly. Su Tingyun slashes with her sword, but the Beauty Scroll erupts with intense light, forcing Su Tingyun back three steps, causing even her spiritual energy to become somewhat disordered.

Xi Guang has already been forcefully pulled into the Beauty Scroll, while Bai Lu looks frantic. Her feather fan is stuck into the ground as she looks up at Su Tingyun, tears streaking her face. "I don't want to go in..."

"I don't want to keep sleeping."

"I don't want to continue suffering, trapped in darkness!" Her body is gradually pulled into the Beauty Scroll. The feather fan inserted into the ground is no match for the force inside the Scroll. It leaves a deep imprint on the ground, and the longest feather breaks with a snap. At this moment, Bai Lu's eyes widen, and she vomits a stream of black blood. Suddenly, she bursts into laughter, "Yan Yuqing, I know you're at the entrance. You're just a substitute chosen by that person. You'll only avoid death if you accept the Beauty Scroll!"

She remembers now. She had forgotten many things, but at this critical moment, she remembers the most important thing.

Yan Yuqing is the substitute chosen and cultivated by that demon. As long as Yan Yuqing is regarded as that demon and dissipates within the Dual Realm Mountain, he can continue to exist in the world! Until the next cycle!

That demon was born at the dawn of the world, formed from the misfortune of the Celestial race. When the Celestial race was completely annihilated, this demon, which feeds on the resentment of that race, will also dissipate. This is the law of the heavens, equality among all beings.

However, it didn’t want to disappear just like that. It temporarily concealed itself from the heavens by sealing itself, becoming an ordinary creature. But as time passes, the seal weakens, and it awakens, knowing its true identity. In order to continue living, it starts cultivating substitutes, nurturing them into creatures with similar auras, and sealing them in the Dual Realm Mountain to be devoured in its place...

Yan Yuqing is that substitute! His aura is so close to that person, and his sword intent is identical. Moreover, he is trapped within the Dual Realm Mountain...

All of this is the best proof.

"Yan Yuqing, you'll only have a chance to evade the rules of the heavens and escape the devouring of the Dual Realm Mountain if you accept the Beauty Scroll!" Bai Lu desperately tries to grasp onto something, but everything is futile. She screams. A piercing, desperate voice.

Bai Lu's feather fan breaks inch by inch, and her body is completely sucked into the Beauty Scroll. The Beauty Scroll flies into the crevice of the Dual Realm Mountain. Su Tingyun tries to grab it, but she can't even get close to the Beauty Scroll.

However, just then, the Beauty Scroll suddenly hovers at the entrance of the Dual Realm Mountain, as if stuck in the crevice.

In the darkness, the figure of a person becomes visible.

Yan Yuqing reaches out and firmly grasps the Beauty Scroll in his hand.

The scroll unfolds slowly, and he looks at the beauty in the painting, his face devoid of any expression. He stands quietly at the entrance, staring intently at the scroll, his expression icy cold. Behind him, dark energy billows, making him seem as if he's standing in a vast black vortex.

"Little Uncle." Su Tingyun nervously speaks up. She didn't expect the Beauty Scroll to end up in Little Uncle's hands.

Will he end up like Zhang Zhizi?

"Little Uncle, once controlled by the Beauty Scroll, one will completely transform into a monster, devoid of their own thoughts and consciousness. It's not looking for a master; it just needs a puppet," Su Tingyun anxiously explains, worried about the Beauty Scroll finding a master. The Springwater Sword in her hand keeps trembling, and the lingering resentment of the young dragon's soul deepens her unease.

The sword spirit within the Springwater Sword evidently mistakes Little Uncle for the person who killed it. However, Little Uncle is only a little over three hundred years old, so he couldn't possibly be that person.

But the sword spirit wouldn't be so far off base, meaning Little Uncle's sword intent and aura are very similar to that person's. Su Tingyun also heard what Bai Lu said just now. Is Little Uncle the chosen substitute?

"I know," Yan Yuqing unexpectedly speaks up. He looks up at Su Tingyun, his expression stern, and slowly says, "Becoming a monster or completely dissipating— which one would you choose?"

A difficult choice?

No, Su Tingyun responds without hesitation, "If it were me, I'd rather die."

Even if she dies, it's better than being a monster who knows nothing but killing. If that day truly comes, her friends and family will be heartbroken, while she knows nothing and ends up harming the people she cares about. So, for Su Tingyun, this question isn't difficult at all.

Yan Yuqing furrows his brow slightly, enunciating each word carefully, "If it means becoming stronger, I can forsake justice."

"If it means staying alive, I can forsake my humanity."

He carefully wraps up the scroll bit by bit, then inserts his broken sword directly into it, using the Beauty Scroll as a sheath. Only then does he speak in a deep voice, "So, I am not you."

Zhang Zhizi didn't turn into a monster instantly.

Only by staying alive can he seek revenge.

And for him, death means truly having nothing.

"Whose body are you using now?" Yan Yuqing suddenly asks, his gaze piercing into Su Tingyun, his eyes deep.

"My own," Su Tingyun responds, feeling somewhat unnerved by his gaze. At this moment, she struggles to control her emotions, her hand gripping the Springwater Sword is trembling.

The current Little Uncle is completely different from the person she remembers. The Springwater Sword clamors to slay him, but Su Tingyun can't bring herself to do it.

However, she knows she can't let him return to the Dual Realm Mountain like this!

"Little Uncle, you've always been the backbone of the Obliteration Sword Tower. Everyone likes you very much. Will you come back?"

"Likes me? So you expelled me from the sect?" Yan Yuqing rarely smiles, but he smiles at Su Tingyun's words. He shakes his head. "I like you too... all of you. But I like strength more."

When he joined the sect, he chose the stronger faction, the faction of killers. Since then, he has been practicing crazily every day, feeling the surging battle intent and killing intent at the bottom of the Cleansing Sword Lake. To maintain these, he constantly takes on missions to earn spirit stones.

In front of the strong, he becomes stronger. Protecting his fellow disciples is just one aspect; facing strong opponents and feeling the boiling killing intent is the main reason.

He believes he is naturally suited for the killing faction, using killing to stop killing, using blood to sacrifice to the sword. Su Tingyun's sudden rise in power and every defeat in their sparring matches serve as even greater motivation for him to become stronger.

"My master is still alive?" Yan Yuqing mentions Elder Yan again, a glimmer of light appearing in his icy gaze before quickly fading away.

Su Tingyun doesn't answer. With a low hum, the Springwater Sword slips from her hand and flies towards Yan Yuqing.

"I said I would come back." Yan Yuqing uses the scroll to block, deflecting the Springwater Sword from the crack between the two mountain halves. Then he retreats, disappearing completely into the barrier.

Su Tingyun wants to chase after him, but even with Xiao Mei's help, and knowing where the entrance to the barrier is, she can't break the strange stone no matter how hard she tries. She's exhausted, her mental energy nearly depleted. It's all in vain.

Big Bai crouches nearby, watching anxiously, and cautiously speaks up, "Is the Dual Realm Mountain going to open soon?"

She's quite scared herself and doesn't react after speaking. Big Bai breathes a sigh of relief but feels somewhat annoyed. After hesitating for a moment, she adds, "Are all the bad guys in the Demon Realm dead?"

Now, there's no more movement. Seeing Big Bai like this, Su Tingyun's somber mood slightly lightens. She reaches out and pats Big Bai's head. "Big Bai is so good."

Who could have imagined that things would end up like this?

Although Zhang Zhizi is dead, the Beauty Scroll has ended up in Little Uncle's hands. As for the source of evil that is seeking a substitute, where could it possibly be hiding…