Chapter 82

Things happened too fast; within a mere two seconds, Xuan Ye dissipated into the air as a stream of light, Jinjin’s fragmented soul remnants dove into the Deceptive God Zither, and falling before the two people currently embracing was Chief Zong, who always kept a cold face and couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to anyone except Guan Luowei.

She collapsed to the ground as everything around her turned into a silent pantomime; the crowd surged, and she saw everyone scrambling toward her. Among them were Tong Di, Ling Tian, and many faces she had never memorized, but notably absent was that cold, noble face she yearned for.

She struggled to turn her head, looking toward the woman standing outside the crowd not far away.

That face was still calm, appearing indifferent and cold amidst the various expressions pressing toward her—her nobility undiminished, her elegance still present—yet Zong Xian actually saw a trace of pity and complexity in her eyes.

Those were emotions born for her.

She suddenly remembered many years ago, that tiny young girl who had cautiously offered her a flower. Back then, she did not control her emotions as freely as she did now.

Perhaps because she had been rejected too many times before, when she finally accepted that flower, that little person who looked like a porcelain doll widened her eyes and let out a surprised laugh; those obsidian-like pupils shone brightly, and her smile was sincere and warm, like a ray of light piercing through the haze, making her own heart brighten as well.

After many years and having experienced all things, that young girl whose smile brought her warmth like the morning sun had, in the blink of an eye, become someone who rarely smiled and hid ten thousand emotions deep within her eyes.

Zong Xian gazed at her as all colors quietly faded, turning into a complete void in her eyes; sustaining her final breath, she struggled to move her lips to form a few words.

“Highness, you must smile…”

Her life was brief and plain; the only colors and ripples occurred when that figure appeared. She had also been rejected many times in this life by the same person for the same things, yet she still obsessively wanted to leave a glimmer of her own light in those eyes.

Even if it was in this manner.

The woman’s head finally slumped heavily, her dry lips remaining in their final open position, her expression peaceful with a faint smile, while only a single crystal drop slowly flowed from the corner of her eye.

Tong Di, a tall man of seven feet, felt his eyes redden; he closed them forcefully, and when he opened them again, he took a deep breath and looked toward Guan Luowei.

Amidst numerous different gazes, Guan Luowei bent down to her side and gently reached out to cover her eyes.

When her fair palm softly touched the woman’s eyes, which still retained some body heat, Guan Luowei couldn’t help but lower her gaze and tighten her lips, yet in the next instant, she slightly turned up the corners of her mouth.

Guan Luowei stood up, her heavy shadow covering most of Zong Xian’s body, and the expression on her face returned once more to calmness, as if all previous fluctuations had been hidden beneath the shadow as she rose.

“Take good care of Chief Zong,” Guan Luowei said. “We are returning to the clan.”

Tong Di and Ling Tian also stood up, their expressions returning to calm, yet they appeared even more heavy and resolute than before.

They all knew that now was not the time for sorrow; as long as the Evil Race was not eliminated, such casualties would only increase and become even more tragic.

As soon as Xuan Ye died, the Evil-Quelling Heavenly Book lost its self-awareness; those previously trapped inside the book were spat out like falling dumplings.

Some were still mindlessly waving their combat moves, while others had already lost consciousness; the scene was a mess, and after a moment, those people finally slowly regained their senses.

However, they did not know what had happened outside; they only saw an ancient book glowing with golden light floating in the air, which was indeed the main body of the Evil-Quelling Heavenly Book.

Some people began to have active thoughts, their eyes darting bailiantales.comtoward the book, but hindered by the presence of Guan Luowei and Medusa, they wouldn’t dare snatch it even if given ten times the courage.

Thus, someone asked cautiously: “To which race should this Evil-Quelling Heavenly Book belong?”

The surrounding atmosphere suddenly became tense as someone said through gritted teeth: “Your Beast clan has the Wenxin Mirror, the Demon clan has the Deceptive God Zither; this Heavenly Book should rightfully belong to us Humans…”

Sen Hao narrowed his green pupils and sneered: “You haven’t said a single word about the ownership of the Heaven-Prison Cage.”

That person sheepishly shrank back and didn’t speak again.

Sen Hao’s eyes flashed with a glimmer as he looked at Tong Di and said: “The artifact spirit of this Heavenly Book was resolved by both your Demon clan and our Beast clan, so it should rightfully belong to us. However, previously, our Beast clan’s Wenxin Mirror was taken by your Demon clan; since that is the case, this Heavenly Book should also belong to us, right?”

Sen Hao’s words made many of the Demon clan sheepishly shrink their necks; although it was awkward, he was indeed telling the truth.

There were many embarrassed people, but Ling Chenyan was naturally not among them; she was currently holding the Deceptive God Zither in her arms, silently weeping, her dense long lashes covered in teardrops. Hearing the words, she only raised her eyes to look in Sen Hao’s direction, then lowered them again, clutching the zither.

Sen Hao’s eyes flickered; the cold and hard rhetoric he had prepared was actually made difficult to say by that one look.

It was true they wanted to obtain the Divine Artifact, but they only coveted its power; to them, whether it had an artifact spirit didn’t matter much as long as there was enough power. But now, seeing Ling Chenyan crying for an artifact spirit, he silently swallowed his words, though his stance remained firm.

Tong Di’s gaze shifted, looking at Guan Luowei behind him, questioning her with his eyes.

Guan Luowei herself was not interested in the ownership of the artifacts, as these artifacts would ultimately be merged into one, but since they had brought it up now, it wouldn’t be good for her not to state her position.

Just as she was about to nod, she saw the Evil-Quelling Heavenly Book trailing [stolen content]a stream of light as it rushed directly into the Demon clan group and found Ling Chenyan sitting in the corner.

It was unconscious, yet it felt a heartfelt sense of closeness toward Ling Chenyan.

Wenxin was by her side comforting her; he had originally felt some sadness too, since the Deceptive God Zither was perhaps the most tragic among them, dying again and again, which even gave him a sense of desolation.

But such desolation vanished when he saw the Heavenly Book rushing straight toward the two of them; a strong sense of unease made his spine turn cold, and sure enough, in the next second, he saw the incoming book slapped back by the girl beside him with a “bang.”

How envious people were when it first lunged forward trailing light was matched by how shocked they were when it was slapped back.

Wenxin shook his head; he had already experienced this kind of thing once, so naturally, he wouldn’t make a fuss like the others, though remembering the feeling of being slapped away last time, it simply wasn’t very pleasant.

But the good news was that from now on, his status with Ling Chenyan would finally no longer be at the very bottom.

Wenxin looked at the slapped-away, somewhat aggrieved Heavenly Book and gave a cold sneer, thinking it served it right.

The attitude of the Heavenly Book and the attitude of the Demon clan were clear to everyone present, and for a moment, they were all somewhat uncertain.

Guan Luowei raised her eyes and said: “Your Beast clan may take the Evil-Quelling Heavenly Book.”

Medusa shook her head and spoke: “Let it stay with your Demon clan for the time being; it won’t be too late to bring it back to my Beast clan once the great war is won.”

Guan Luowei paused: “Very well.”

Medusa: “Mm.”

The group of Human cultivators who had been watching expectantly: “…”

The matter was thus settled; it had been a month since they left. Half a month was spent on the road and half a month in the secret realm; having obtained the Heavenly Book to return, they did not yet know what the situation was like outside.

Before the great war began, they each had to return to their respective clans once; only after confirming their clansmen were safe could they prepare for the subsequent war with peace of mind.

After everyone made arrangements, they bid farewell to each other and headed toward the secret realm exit.

Guan Luowei and Medusa nodded to each other, each leading their clansmen away from the place.

Before leaving, Hua Niang sighed and, amidst the differing gazes of the two, patted the top of Ling Chenyan’s head, saying softly: “If you are still unhappy, you can come find me.”

Ling Chenyan buried her head in Hua Niang’s embrace and made a muffled sound.

After Medusa’s group left, only the Demon clan remained in the vast space. Guan Luowei stepped toward Ling Chenyan, looking at the girl sitting on a rock silently holding the zither and preparing to stand up; her finger moved slightly, pressing her back down.

The surrounding demons conscientiously turned their heads away, leaving space for the two.

Guan Luowei hadn’t said anything yet when she saw the girl wipe away her tears, sniff back her nose, and say: “I’m fine now, Highness, let’s go.”

She stood up to look at Guan Luowei, her long eyelashes still hanging with fine teardrops; the way she struggled to curve the corners of her eyes to try and smile made Guan Luowei feel both pained and helpless.

She took the girl’s arm and gently pulled her into an embrace, her chin resting on her forehead, saying softly: “Yanyan, [Read on BaiLianTales]don’t cry anymore; I will find a way to bring Jinjin back to life.”

At this, the tears Ling Chenyan had struggled to hold back surged out again—half for Jinjin, and half for Guan Luowei.

This woman was clearly very sad herself, yet she still had to come over and care for her feelings to comfort her.

Please, she was also very strong, okay?

The “strong” Ling Chenyan, with red eyes, said: “Highness, I’m really fine. Let’s go back quickly; His Majesty and the others are waiting for us back in the clan.”

As her voice fell, another teardrop welled from her eye.

Guan Luowei lowered her eyes, bent her index finger to gently wipe away the tear below her eye, and answered: “Okay.”

She could see that Ling Chenyan was not just putting on a brave face, but truly pressing those emotions deep into her heart, preparing to return with her.

After Ling Chenyan calmed down and composed herself, she returned to her usual appearance; she turned to look at Tong Di and Ling Tian in the corner, and Chief Zong being held by someone beside them, her eyes filling with emotion.

Thinking carefully after calming down, she could realize that within those two seconds, Zong Xian might have moved to block for her even earlier than Guan Luowei. Because Guan Luowei was faster than her while Zong Xian was closer, in those brief two seconds, there was the image of Guan Luowei first blocking for her, and Zong Xian appearing at the final moment.

Zong Xian had initiated the move to take the hit for her so early; naturally, it couldn’t be because she wanted to protect her. It was because she was certain Guan Luowei would block for her, so she unhesitatingly blocked in front of her as well.

Guan Luowei protected her, and Zong Xian protected Guan Luowei.

That surge of sincere affection was revealed clearly at such a moment, not [read the original at bailiantales.com]only shocking bystanders but moving Ling Chenyan’s heart even more.

Zong Xian’s love was sincere and intense, a selfless giving that lasted until death.

Now that everything had returned to dust, no jealousy or unease could rise in Ling Chenyan’s heart; she only felt admiration—admiration for her loving someone for a hundred years as if it were a single day, giving her all her passion, and finally ending up with her body dead and soul extinguished, yet her obsession remained unchanged.

Ling Chenyan took a deep breath; because of the appearance of the Evil Race, the people around them were disappearing and dying one by one, and countless families similar to Chen Juan’s were being destroyed.

Now that the four great Divine Artifacts were gathered, next would be the time for the final battle.

In the quiet dense forest, the group of demons was traveling together in an orderly fashion; the exit was not far away, and they would soon be able to return to the clan.

Heaven does not always follow human wishes; when they were still a short distance from the exit, Guan Luowei saw a beast-kin rushing toward them at high speed.

Guan Luowei stopped her pace and waited for the beast-kin to draw near.

“Young Highness of the Demon clan, my Beast King has ordered me to deliver a message to you: the entrance to the secret realm ahead is sealed. She specifically invites you to come together to break the entrance by force.”

A glimmer of light flashed in Guan Luowei’s eyes as she nodded: “Lead the way.”

The beast-kin then turned around to lead the group. On the way, Tong Di couldn’t help but ask: “Highness, how could the entrance to the secret realm be impossible to open? Is someone intentionally trying to trap us here?”

Guan Luowei’s gaze was solemn as she said: “If that is truly the case, then we should return even faster.”

Wanting to trap them here suggested they wanted to do something to the people left Read on BaiLianTales behind outside. The longer time was dragged on, the greater the possibility of the clansmen left outside meeting with danger.

Naturally, not only Guan Luowei had thought of this question; everyone waiting at the entrance had thought of it as well.

At this time, Zhenling Daoren was flushed red, a mountain-toppling strike falling upon the entrance, yet it didn’t even leave a crack. Only ripples like water patterns appeared on the space before him; he shook his head and said: “It’s no use; we are likely trapped here by some array.”

“Then who could have done it?” Li Yuan, the Sect Master of the Zither Sect, asked with a deep furrow between his brows.

Since their ancestral graves were dug up, the Zither Sect had been settled for quite a long time; with the rise of Guan Luowei, they dared even less to plot against her.

The elder of the Zither Sect beside him said: “Perhaps the artifact spirit of the Evil-Quelling Heavenly Book wanted to trap us here before he died?”

Sword逍遥, the elder of the Sword Sect, said: “But he is already dead; how could he leave this array behind?”

Someone from the Beast clan cut in: “Perhaps it was his final bit of remaining strength?”

“It doesn’t look like that to me; could it be that someone has sealed the entrance from the outside?”

“If that’s truly the case, then the people left outside are in danger.”

“…”

While the crowd was discussing, Guan Luowei arrived late with the group of demons. The gazes of Zhenling Daoren and the crowd immediately fell upon her.

Guan Luowei didn’t waste [Read on BaiLianTales]words; she only exchanged a look with Medusa, and the two simultaneously struck out toward the secret realm entrance.

The spiritual energy spreading through the air was forced open by this combined strike. Ling Chenyan stood still, narrowing her eyes at the spot after the two had attacked together.

It was still unscathed.

How could this be?!

Along with her astonishment, an uneasy intuition suddenly rose in Ling Chenyan’s heart.

Seeing that physical power was insufficient, Guan Luowei and Medusa each took up their respective Divine Artifacts; the same fierce attacks also failed to leave a single trace.

A look of disappointment appeared on Zhenling Daoren’s face, and he then grit his teeth and said: “Why don’t we all join together and attack that entrance? I don’t believe we still won’t be able to open it that way.”

Since things had come to this, it seemed that was indeed the only method currently available.

Just then, Zen Master Guixu, who had been silent all along, spoke up. Holding the Heaven-Prison Cage in his hand, he stepped out of the crowd slowly and said: “This is an ancient defense array whose defensive capability is second only to the Heaven-Prison Cage. If everyone joins forces to attack, it might truly be broken, but the problem lies in the fact that another array has been applied over this defense array; its defensive power will increase correspondingly with the increase in the cultivation of the person who strikes.”

Zen Master Guixu’s words made everyone inevitably a bit anxious, and they asked: “Then what should we do?”

Zen Master Guixu smiled, chanted a Buddhist name, and held up the Heaven-Prison Cage in his hand, saying: “At this juncture, the most reliable method is to forge the Sacred Artifact, the God-Demon Heaven Sword. With the power of the Sacred Artifact, this defense array will naturally be of no consequence.”

His voice sounded exceptionally distant in the silent space; everyone’s attention was focused on the two strongest women among them, and no one noticed the flash of dark light in Zen Master Guixu’s eyes.