Nightfall

Long Qing stared at the line of blood on Liu Yiqing’s neck that was becoming clearer and clearer, and said, “People like us should live to witness the big era.”

A brand new era has already unveiled. You are the one who lifted the curtain and I am the one to give the show. We should stay alive and watch it. Otherwise it would be a bit pity.

Long Qing’s words were a great compliment to Liu Yiqing. But Liu Yiqing only put on a bitter smile and did not reply. He turned to Hengmu Liren and said, “The show is about to start, but my part is already finished. Even if you are reluctant, you have to swallow it.”

Hengmu Liren shivered and lifted his head suddenly. He stared at Liu Yiqing and said, “It’s not over. How could some ordinary human being disobey Haotian?” His voice trembled and his expression was complicated. There was reluctance as well as ruthlessness. It seemed like he was still the kid who went up the mountains to chop firewood from years ago. He saw the winter cicada and felt sympathetic, but more self-pity and angry.

Upon his words, a bout of Haotian’s Divine Flame spurted from his palm and fell onto Liu Yiqing’s chest. Hengmu’s cheeks peaked while Liu Yiqing’s wound started healing.

People around them were shocked, especially the divine priests from the West-Hill. They sensed the vitality that was carried by Haotian’s Divine Flame and were stunned.

Long Qing became grim and said, “Do you even know what you are doing?”

Hengmu Liren did not answer and kept staring at Liu Yiqing. He forced Haotian’s Divine Flame out of his body. His cheeks kept peaking while his eyes became even brighter. That was the genuine Divine Skills of the West-Hill. In terms of Divine Skills, no one in the current cultivation world could surpass Hengmu Liren, not even Ye Hongyu. It was because he directly inherited Haotian’s will and glory.

The Divine Skills of West-Hill could be used to kill as well as to cure. The Divine Flame inside him came from Haotian. It could cure any dying person in this world. Liu Yiqing was dying, but not dead yet.

Hengmu Liren did not want Liu Yiqing to die at this point so he had to apply a lot of Haotian’s Divine Flame. It was obvious that he was instantly aging. But more importantly his life would be shortened and he would be seriously wounded in no time.

Since he was blinded by Ning Que years ago, Liu Yiqing never felt anything with his eyes. But right then, his eyes felt warm and itchy. He even saw a blurry white light.

Was that the white cloth or the pure Divine Flame?

Liu Yiqing was still calm and even indifferent. He knew clearly that Hengmu Liren paid such a price to let him survive so that he could torture him.

“There’s no point of keeping me alive,” he said.

No one could stop a strong cultivator at the State of Knowing Destiny from killing himself as long as he sought for death.

Hengmu Liren’s face convulsed horrifyingly and he looked like a wounded devil in the pure Divine Flame. He sounded ugly as if he was weeping. “You mole crickets and ants… You have no idea how strong I am now! If I want you to be alive, then you must stay alive even if you wish to die!”

“So what? Will that make you feel better?”

“You could still refuse to fight against me and to prove with your failure that no one could ever breach Haotian’s will. But I will throw you into endless suffering and show to the entire human world that whoever betrays Haotian will face a disgraceful end. You must live as I want you to. Because I represent the will of Haotian!”

He continued, “I want you to be alive, not to witness the damn big era, but to suffer and be humiliated. I want you to be tortured and sliced by thousands of blades everyday, to see the South Jian fall apart and your disciples in the Sword Garret get killed one by one. I want you to see your kingdom burn and your friends being slaughtered. I want you to regret being alive!”

Hengmu Liren watched Liu Yiqing’s wounds heal and the line of blood on his neck becoming thiner and thiner. He bursted into a laughter and said, “By then will you repent of what you’ve done tonight? If you were given a second chance, would you dare to disregard me again like that?” The most talented young cultivator of the West-Hill bursted into the most arrogant laughter. He sounded fanatical. His Adam’s apple shivered in the condensed air. His voice was like the harsh and sharp whistling of a group of pigeons.

The people who saw the scene and heard his laughter felt chills. Many divine priests of the West-Hill felt that they were almost losing their Taoist Heart. Even Zhao Sishou showed slight disapproval.

The imperial city was in dead silence under the darkness. Only his fanatical laughter was heard. The willows along the moat shivered timidly. The broken branches in the water sunk faster to the bottom of the moat, as if they preferred to bury themselves in the sludge rather than to hear those laughter.

Liu Yiqing felt the vitality returning to his body. He heard Hengmu’s words and laughter but did not feel any fear. He stayed calm. He looked at Long Qing through the white cloth and asked, “Is that what the Divine Halls wished for?”

Long Qing said nothing.

Liu Yiqing asked again, “A poor kid with childhood trauma?”

Long Qing still said nothing, which meant a silent agreement.

Liu Yiqing sighed and said, “The successors of the Divine Halls are indeed declining.”

Long Qing was still quiet and gave another silent agreement. He pondered, then raised his right hand. A black peach blossom bloomed in his fingers, with a sense of extinction hidden in its petals. Only this black peach blossom could stopp Hengmu Liren’s Divine Skills.

“Don’t you dare to stop me!” Hengmu Liren exclaimed while his cheeks became colourless like snow. He gazed at Liu Yiqing’s face and could not figure out why this dying South Jin man could still remain mentally and physically calm under such deadly strikes. He was even more clueless for why this person was distinctively sympathetic for him even at this point. What are they sympathetic for?

Long Qing said, “Taoism needs you to advocate for glory instead of for madness.”

Hengmu Liren continued to laugh fanatically and said, “But I feel so good now. I finally understand that only a completely crazy person like you could become a true powerful cultivator.”

The black peach blossom in Long Qing’s fingers trembled in the night breeze.

“Never try to stop me.” Hengmu Liren said, “Although you are my senior, I have no respect for you. Neither do I need to. It’s my business assigned by the Divine Halls. You should stay out of my way.”

Long Qing looked at him as if he was looking at a naive and cruel kid. The kid was walking through mountains and his worn-out indigo gown was wet from the dews. He was holding a slasher and thought that he was the sun.

Long Qing sighed deep down in his heart, but he did nothing.

Right then a sigh was heard from deep in the darkness and the mountains and rivers in Linkang sighed together.