Chapter 2115: Right and Wrong
Between heaven and earth, there are few things beyond the cognition of a Creation God.
But, as for why the Ancestral Heaven-Slaying Sword and the Evil Infant Myriad Calamity Wheel are named "Heaven-Slaying" and "Myriad Calamity," the world is destined never to know, including Creation Gods and Demon Emperors. Because the Primordial God has passed, no one can fathom their heart.
And Mo E's words...
"You... actually... know...?"
Both Ni Xuan and Mo E once believed that they were the ones who understood the other best in this world.
Ni Xuan once said to Mo Su: "Every time that stubborn old man of yours moves his mouth, I know what Creation God fart he's about to let out... oh right, actually Creation Gods also fart. That stubborn old man of yours does it about six times every hundred thousand years."
"Hmm... hmm!? You mean Li Suo? Bullshit! How can a divine immortal like Li Suo be lumped together with rough gods like us? Believe it or not, I'll throw you into the Life God Temple right now."
But, in the long years of knowing, interacting with, and understanding Mo E, he had never heard him utter a single word about this matter.
Mo E still spoke with his lifeless tone, stating the truth that only he in the world knew: "The great Primordial God was born from nothingness. Over the long ages, she created Profound Force, created rules, created the outline of the world, created the initial forms of living beings... up to the complete thought of creation."
"But to create a world, one must first annihilate oneself. And the great Primordial God, born from nothingness, had no reference for her creation, nor could she predict its course and future. If it twisted, collapsed, or crumbled... having already extinguished herself, she would be unable to interfere or change it."
"Thus, before returning to nothingness, the great Primordial God left behind two... correction instruments."
Cor... rect... ion...
These are two of the most ordinary and common words in the mortal world, but when they involve the Primordial God and the beginning of creation, these words subtly reveal an intangible unease that makes one's soul tremble.
"The first correction instrument, the great Primordial God endowed it with extreme Yang power, endowed it with the heavy and wise spiritual nature of an old man, and named it—Ancestral Heaven-Slaying Sword."
"The second correction instrument, the great Primordial God endowed it with extreme Yin power, endowed it with the purest and cleanest spiritual nature of a young child, and named it—Evil Infant Myriad Calamity Wheel."
The storms of Tai Chu Divine Realm ceased, and even space stopped trembling.
All signs and sounds of calamity vanished. Between heaven and earth, the sound of a heart violently beating rang out, vibrating like thunder.
"The mission of the Ancestral Heaven-Slaying Sword is to monitor the stability and balance of the world's rules. It is also what the world recognizes as the 'Heavenly Way'. If the Heavenly Way is in chaos, the laws will collapse, the world will suffer endless calamities until it finally crumbles."
"The two characters 'Heaven-Slaying' in Ancestral Heaven-Slaying Sword have never meant what the world believes—'its might can slay heaven and destroy earth'—but rather 'slaying the Heavenly Way'."
"If the Heavenly Way goes against order, the Ancestral Heaven-Slaying Sword will release its ultimate power, annihilate the Heavenly Way, allow the world to reshape the Heavenly Way, reshape the laws, and prevent the world from collapsing."
"But... Ni Xuan, you should understand: if the Heavenly Way is destroyed and all laws collapse, it will be harmless to us, but for the myriad souls of all worlds, it will be endless calamity. After the Heavenly Way and laws are reshaped, the world will certainly no longer be the world it once was."
"And in the current world, the greatest maintainer, supporter, and balancer of the Heavenly Way... are the two races of gods and demons."
"..." Ni Xuan was stunned for a long time, unable to speak, only the beating of his heart grew more intense.
Mo E continued: "The world has prospered boundlessly to this day. Over the long years, the Primordial Sword Spirit has long developed feelings for the world, but such feelings are destined never to override the mission engraved upon it by the great Primordial God."
He lowered his eyes, looking at the ancient bronze great sword in his hand. His calm gaze and expression were as if facing a close old friend.
"The Primordial Sword Spirit was both a teacher and a friend to me. One day, it told me the reason for its existence and the mission it bore. It told me that even someone as powerful as the Primordial God could not predict the development of the world. If the great Primordial God's consciousness still existed, facing such a world, even if the Heavenly Way were in chaos, she would certainly be unwilling to slay it and reshape."
"When the Primordial Sword Spirit said this, it was with fear. It feared that if one day the Heavenly Way truly became chaotic, the mission would override its will, and it would swing the Heaven-Slaying sword."
"So, after telling me everything, it chose... self-annihilation."
The sword was a teacher, the sword was an old friend... yet they could no longer face each other and speak.
No one knew except Mo E. Within the Ancestral Heaven-Slaying Sword, there was no longer a sword spirit, only the [Final Primordial Sword Might] remaining within.
"I once asked it, is there a possibility for the divine and demon races to coexist harmoniously?"
"It told me that the divine race and the demon race are like the two ends of a world-spanning scale. They repel each other, constrain each other, and balance each other. It has observed countless eras of change. Precisely because these two towering giants are mutually hostile and balanced, they can long remain as separate alliances, unite against external threats, and quell internal strife."
"If the two races merge, it would be equivalent to both world-upholding races losing their only constraint."
"What would result from this cannot be predicted. But... it is undeniable that there would be a possibility of balance breaking and the Heavenly Way falling into chaos. Moreover, this possibility is too great."
"Too great for the Primordial Sword Spirit to accept."
"So, before choosing self-annihilation, it had only one request... it asked me to swear that as long as I exist in this world, I must never break the balance between the divine and demon races. As long as this foundation remains stable, the Heavenly Way will never be in chaos."
Bang!
Ni Xuan's half-supported knee heavily hit the ground.
"How could I not agree to this oath, and how could I not fulfill it?" Mo E murmured. "Because the two characters 'Heaven-Slaying' are its sword's name, and also my divine name."
"My mission, on the day I was created, was firmly engraved into my divine soul, my bones and blood."
A bleak wind suddenly rose. This time, it lifted every strand of the Heaven-Slaying God Emperor's disheveled hair.
"But why did it have to be my only close friend, why did it have to be my most beloved son?"
His voice still carried not a trace of sorrow.
Because extreme pain brings no sorrow, extreme sorrow brings no tears.
"And it had to be me... the only two people in this world who cannot be stopped."
He murmured softly: "Your divine soul is engraved with rebellion. If I forcefully stop you, it will only further provoke your rebellious spirit. I had no choice but to banish the Heaven's Calamity Demon Emperor and sever this line forever."
"Mo Su's temperament appears soft and cowardly, but deep in his bones, he possesses extremely terrible stubbornness. He would give everything for what he believes in, regardless of consequences, with no possibility of ever stopping. I had no choice but to execute him with my own hands."
He hated himself, and also hated Ni Xuan: "Back then, I had him follow you for a thousand years, with mastering the Heaven-Breaking Sword as secondary. The main reason was to use your easygoing nature to resolve his stubbornness... That turned out to be the greatest mistake of my life."
Ni Xuan's five fingers sank deep into the blood-stained ground. Countless wounds covered his body, yet he could not feel a trace of pain.
Those divine eyes, originally forever brimming with smiles and carefreeness, were now a field of miserable pain and confusion.
The mission behind the existence of the Ancestral Heaven-Slaying Sword and the Evil Infant Myriad Calamity Wheel was undoubtedly the most terrifying truth in this world. And Mo E was the only one who knew. For countless years, he had borne it alone, never telling anyone... because even a Creation God, upon learning this truth, would be crushed and bound for life, unable to breathe.
No wonder, as the first Creation God, he had spent his life strictly adhering to his own path, never overstepping, almost... overly cautious.
Finally, Ni Xuan let out a voice several times drier than before: "Tell me, if the mission of the Ancestral Heaven-Slaying Sword is the reshaping of the Heavenly Way, then what is the mission of the Evil Infant Myriad Calamity Wheel?"
Mo E opened his mouth and spoke five short words: "The purification of the Human Way."
"..." The blood flow throughout Ni Xuan's body abruptly ceased.
"The spiritual nature of 'Evil' lies between righteousness and wickedness, not leaning toward either side. With a young infant as its initial spirit, it is supremely pure and clean, enabling it to directly receive and perceive the righteousness or wickedness from the world."
"If what she obtains from the world is mostly love and goodness, she will become attached to the world, protect the world, and become a wheel that blesses the world."
"Conversely, if what she obtains from the world is mostly malice and cruelty, then in her eyes, the world will be a filthy, evil world, and she will send down 'myriad calamities' to cleanse the turbid world's souls."
Mo E spoke woodenly: "By the time I learned all this from the Primordial Sword Spirit, the demon race had already committed the most erroneous and foolish act."
"The 'Evil Infant's' uncontrollable childlike temperament, coupled with her too-terrifying power, caused her to unintentionally create calamities many times. If given long-term tolerance, guidance, and care, she would gradually integrate into the demon race and become a wheel that blesses the world."
"But, a power surpassing the Demon Emperor and uncontrollable, caused the demon race to develop great fear. Ultimately, they chose to exploit her childish naivety, lure her into a formation, coax her to sleep, and then gather the power of all Demon Emperors and Demon Gods to seal her eternally."
"It would be best if it truly were an eternal seal. Otherwise, if she breaks free from the seal, with her hatred and ferocity, even I cannot imagine how terrifying the 'myriad calamities' would be."
The Ancestral Heaven-Slaying Sword slowly lowered, making a soft thud as it struck the ground.
Mo E turned around, his back as desolate as the gray dome of Tai Chu: "Ni Xuan, today's battle between you and me decides the fate of your daughter. And she is an aberrant born from the union of a Creation God and a Demon Emperor. So, no matter what, I must win, even if the victory is unworthy."
He slowly walked, the heavy sword blade carving a gradually lengthening scar on the Tai Chu earth.
His voice also echoed heavily in this discolored Tai Chu world.
"What kind of fruit the cause of today will bring, I am destined never to see. But at least, as long as I live, the union of god and demon has been prevented."
"I, Mo E, the Heaven-Slaying God Emperor, am ashamed before Mo Su, ashamed before myself, ashamed before you... but at least, I have not been ashamed of the name 'Heaven-Slaying God Emperor,' have not violated my oath to the Primordial Sword Spirit, and have not failed the heavenly mandate bestowed by the great Primordial God."
"Wait." Ni Xuan spoke out, looking at Mo E's already distant back. "You still owe me... a bet!"
Mo E's footsteps stopped, and the whole world seemed to freeze.
Finally, the frozen world showed movement. Mo E raised his hand, space split, and a pale golden barrier flew out from within, landing beside Ni Xuan.
Creation God power flowed on the barrier, within which a faint silhouette of a young girl could be discerned.
"She can live. But all demonic elements must be erased... This is my final concession."
Ni Xuan reached out a trembling hand, touching the barrier before him. Tears gushed from his gray, dejected eyes like a spring.
Suddenly, he sensed something and let out a low roar: "What did you just say... 'destined never to see'? What does that mean?"
Mo E did not stop walking, his voice like faint smoke: "Just now, it was not the second time I used the Primordial Sword Might."
"It was the third time."
Ni Xuan: "!?"
"Banishing the Heaven's Calamity Demon Emperor and her demon race was the second time."
"The first time..." Though his emotions were already numb, his voice still paused for a moment: "It was executing Mo Su."
"The daughter of Pan Ming, in order to save Mo Su, used the Pan Ming Void-Breaking Mirror to travel through Tai Chu Divine Realm and appeared beside Mo Su. I was prepared for that, but I never expected that she would also be carrying the Nirvana Demon Reversal Pearl on her."
"Two supreme demon artifacts, a dual seal of space and time. With my power, I couldn't break free. Just as Mo Su was about to be taken away by the daughter of Pan Ming, I had no choice but to use the Ancestral Heaven-Slaying Sword."
Ni Xuan's arm fell weakly, and he slowly closed his eyes.
Using the Primordial Sword three times... a loss of ninety percent of his lifespan.
"Also a spirit created by the great Primordial God, I destroyed the body and clan of the Heaven's Calamity Demon Emperor. My crime is unforgivable. I will repay with my life, and the Heaven-Slaying bloodline will also be severed forever."
"Because of my own obsession, I killed my own son with my own hands. I am unworthy to be a father, unworthy to be a god, unworthy to be a person, unworthy to linger in this world."
He turned his head and gave Ni Xuan one last deep look: "After this parting, there will be no chance to meet again. Take care, my only close friend."
He stepped forward. A cold wind suddenly rose, and his long hair, lifted by the wind, became tinged with patches of white.
In the gray world, only Ni Xuan's figure remained.
Beloved...
Close friend...
Brother...
Faith...
Right and wrong...
He raised his hand, grasping his face tightly. The knuckles of his five fingers broke inch by inch, yet he still could not suppress the sobbing sounds that kept overflowing.
...
Life God Temple.
He had once promised Jie Yuan that he would never again see the Life Creation God Li Suo, and never approach the Life God Temple.
He broke his promise.
However, in the fragments of memory, Li Suo was just a blurry phantom. He could not clearly see her immortal countenance that overwhelmed the age of gods and demons.
Perhaps it was because he deliberately blurred his gaze toward Li Suo, to uphold, to the greatest extent, his promise of "not seeing" Li Suo.
"Ni... Xuan?"
If not for the aura unique to an Element Creation God, Li Suo could not believe that this person, covered in filth, dressed in tatters, with disheveled long hair, was actually Ni Xuan.
He clearly valued appearance the most, even subtly controlling the direction in which every strand of hair floated.
Ni Xuan did not respond to her. He walked forward slowly, each step so stiff and heavy.
The "ice coffin" in his hand was gently placed on the ground. Inside, a peacefully sleeping young girl lay quietly, like an exquisitely beautiful porcelain doll.
Yun Che recognized at a glance that it was Hong'er.
"Eternal Pivot..." Li Suo murmured softly. "She is?"
"My... daughter..." Ni Xuan's lips opened and closed with such difficulty, his voice even drier like metal scraping.
Li Suo was silent for a long time.
"I have... reconstructed her incomplete soul for her, but I cannot make her soul perfectly fit... especially that... sword soul that must exist..."
Because her mother... the Heaven's Calamity Demon Emperor possessed a sword soul. It is destined that one of her soul foundations is also a sword soul.
"Li Suo, only you can do it."
"...I understand." Li Suo did not ask too much, nodding slightly.
"Than... k you..."
He murmured two words, stared fixedly at the girl in the Eternal Pivot for a while, then turned around, dragged his feet, and walked out woodenly.
"Ni Xuan!" Li Suo called out to him. "What exactly... happened to you?"
Ni Xuan let out a voice that never belonged to an Element Creation God: "I have committed... a great error..."
"So what if it was an error?" Li Suo said softly. "You once joked that there is no living being in the world that does not make mistakes. As long as the source of the heart is not evil, one need not be bound by the mistake, but must wholeheartedly correct and compensate, use the mistake to awaken oneself, and use righteousness to mend the mistake."
Ni Xuan murmured: "That is because... some mistakes can be forgiven, and some mistakes cannot be forgiven."
Li Suo was stunned for a moment, then comforted: "Whether in the divine realm or the lower realms, you have always been the most revered Creation God among all souls. The races that have received your great kindness are countless. The grace you have left for the worlds makes them willing to praise you for ten thousand generations."
"Cre... a... tion... God..."
He murmured these three words that were once so familiar, but there was not a trace of color in his eyes: "I am no longer worthy to be a Creation God, and in this world there will no longer be... an Element Creation God..."
Li Suo: "..."
Ni Xuan looked ahead, his eyes hollow: "I have caused a great disaster, unworthy to be righteous. I have never... let my heart sink into evil. If I am still worthy of a divine name, then let it be called..."
"E... vil... God..."
From him, the Life Creation God sensed extreme grayness and depression, as well as extreme regret, extreme hatred... hatred toward himself.
Ni Xuan's heavy footsteps suddenly stopped.
"Li Suo..." he asked. "Is there... a place suitable for sleeping soundly, undisturbed by anyone?"
Every word he spoke was so hoarse and weary.
Across dimensions and time, even Yun Che could clearly discern Ni Xuan's pain and escape from reality and fate.
Li Suo's feelings were undoubtedly a thousand times heavier than Yun Che's. She did not dissuade him, only said softly: "Southern Domain, at the bottom of Tianming Tower... how long do you wish to sleep?"
Ni Xuan said: "I don't know. Perhaps a million years, perhaps ten million years... until my consciousness is willing to wake up, or never wake up."
Li Suo: "..."
"My daughter, I entrust to you. Find her a suitable identity and place to belong. Do not tell her her origins. I only wish for her to have a life without worries and worries, enjoying happiness."
"But this kindness, it is difficult to repay."
He turned his head, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly... He was trying hard to show a smile, express gratitude, and make a somewhat decent farewell.
But, after countless ages, he, who had always been cheerful, could no longer show a smile... as if he had forgotten how to smile.