Chapter 219: White Emperor City, Clouds Emerge from the Gate (Part 2)
After hearing these words, Madam Mu remained silent for a long time, offering no reply.
She did not know how she should answer.
No matter how harsh or mocking White Emperor’s words were, making her deeply displeased, upon careful reflection, she truly had no way to respond.
This truth reminded her of many truths over these years.
Suddenly, she felt that these years and these events were somewhat absurd.
On the Western Sea, a lone sail cast a distant shadow; how could one bear to look back upon one’s homeland?
It was just that, from many years ago, she had grown accustomed to thinking that way and acting that way.
Truly, it had been many years.
She said with emotion, “You’ve held in these words for many years, haven’t you?”
White Emperor thought for a moment and replied, “Not really, because before, your behavior wasn’t so obvious, and our daughter was only a teenager.”
“So that’s how it is.”
A trace of loneliness flickered in Madam Mu’s eyes.
There were still many words left unsaid, though there was still time to speak them, saying them would no longer hold much meaning.
Where the heart finds peace is home—why could she never find peace? Why had she not left earlier, instead waiting to have this conversation with White Emperor?
Countless clouds surged toward that blue palace gown in the sky.
In a very short time, they formed an extremely thick sea of clouds, with white waves rising and vanishing.
It was as if all the clouds in the world had gathered above White Emperor City.
When “all” was said here, it meant truly all.
There were the cold clouds from the snowy peaks of the Falling Star Mountains, and the rain clouds from the Western Sea.
There were also the mists from mountain streams, the ice fluff from the snowy plains, and even from the distant Eastern Cloud Grave, some clouds drifted this way.
The sea of clouds grew thicker and wider, covering the sky for over a hundred miles.
Clouds were originally white, but when their numbers became too great and light could no longer penetrate them, they turned gray, and then black.
Looking up from the ground, the sea of clouds in the sky became an ocean of ink.
The sun was hidden on the other side of the cloud layer, and the world beneath grew darker and darker, until nothing could be seen clearly.
Night arrived early.
Panicked cries filled White Emperor City.
The demon clanspeople scattered in all directions again, or stood dazed on the streets, staring at the ink-black sea of clouds above.
Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong exchanged a glance, then looked up at the sky.
Tang Thirty-Six looked up at the sky.
Little De and the clan chiefs and other great demons also looked up at the sky.
Had this battle between saints begun just like that?
On that street where the bluestone had shattered, Shang Xingzhou was also watching the sky, his expression indifferent, his thoughts unknown.
A crackling sound rang out!
A bolt of lightning, as thick as a heavenly tree, tore through the sea of clouds, illuminating the entire world, then vanished in midair.
For an instant, several miles of the ink-black sea of clouds were painted an extreme white.
Then countless flashes of lightning flared up, most of them extinguishing before they could break through the cloud layer, while occasionally some did break through but could not reach the ground.
These lightning bolts must have come from above, yet they could tear through a cloud layer over ten miles deep—their power was unimaginable.
Thunder roared in, bringing countless hurricanes that howled and rampaged through the city.
The Red River prohibition sensed this and activated on its own, forming an enormous green light shield that protected the imperial palace, the Celestial Watchtower, and all the buildings of the upper city within it, yet it still could not stop the hurricanes from toppling the crude dwellings of the lower city. Countless people were battered and bloodied by the rubble.
Under the tearing of those lightning bolts, the sea of clouds churned with immense waves, occasionally spitting out tongue-like cloud wisps toward the ground—a spectacular sight.
Those lightning flashes occasionally illuminated the world beneath the clouds, but they could not bring true warmth.
The sun, isolated by the thick cloud layer, could not spread warmth to the earth, and the temperature of White Emperor City plummeted sharply.
The moisture within the clouds had no time to condense into raindrops; it turned directly into snowflakes and fell.
The cloud wisps torn apart by the lightning, like scattered dandelion seeds, endlessly sprayed out an unimaginable quantity of snowflakes.
It was an extremely rare blizzard.
Those who had fled in fear or hidden in their homes were already gone.
Those still on the streets now would naturally not leave at this moment.
They stood in the heavy snow, looking up at the sky.
But their gazes could pierce the blizzard, yet not the thick cloud layer, to see what was happening up there.
With a soft rustle, Chen Changsheng opened his yellow paper umbrella.
Tang Thirty-Six was about to step under it, only to find that Chen Changsheng had moved to Xu Yourong’s side.
The little girl who sold cosmetics called out “young master” and raised her umbrella over his head.
An Lin was healing Ling Hai Zhi Wang and the others, occasionally glancing up at the sky.
The courtyard was very quiet.
White Emperor City was also very quiet.
Only the sea of clouds kept churning, tearing apart, and spraying snowflakes down to the earth.
The world shifted endlessly between black and white, never turning gray for even a moment.
Sky and earth seemed to merge into one.
An extremely thick bolt of lightning struck far in the west.
An unnamed hill had its peak blasted flat.
The mountain stream outside the courtyard froze over, its water sounds ceasing.
Thunder rumbled without end, and the snow did not stop either.
...
...
No one knew how much time had passed, but finally, a crack appeared deep within the sea of clouds, spreading to both sides.
Sunlight poured through that crack, then grew wider and wider, once again enveloping White Emperor City.
The sea of clouds gradually dispersed, shedding countless cloud wisps mixed with snowflakes.
Those cold clouds sank to the ground of the imperial palace and the Celestial Watchtower, flowing down along the Heavenly Staircase like a waterfall.
The cloud waterfall reached the lower city, flowed out through the city gates, and eventually entered the Red River, leaving no trace behind.
Neither in the azure sky nor in White Emperor City was there any trace.
Not a single cloud remained.
In the stone hall at the highest point of the imperial palace.
Luoluo stood by the window, looking at the lingering snow, her small face streaked with tears.
White Emperor returned to that street.
He looked up at the sky.
There were no clouds there anymore.
But snow was still falling.
That snow seemed to come from nothingness.
Everything was so empty.
Shang Xingzhou walked to his side and said, “How many years have we been friends?”
White Emperor replied, “Several hundred years.”
Shang Xingzhou continued, “Back then, when you chose her, your father opposed it, I opposed it, and the ministers all opposed it.”
White Emperor gave a self-deprecating smile and said, “Today, Jin Yulü was still talking about that matter.”
Shang Xingzhou looked at him and asked, “So, what do you think now?”
“You mean, whether I regret it?”
White Emperor was silent for a long time, then said, “That’s a boring notion that only you humans and demons would have.”
If it were truly such a boring notion, why would he need to be silent for so long, to think for so long?
When the mountains crumble, the rivers run dry.
When winter thunder rumbles and summer snow falls.
When heaven and earth merge—
Only then will I dare to part from you.
This was a farewell.
The most heart-wrenching thing is parting.
Let alone a final farewell.
But was everything truly ending here?
Those dissipated clouds, this still-falling snow—they were all her, cold and damp and clinging, somewhat infuriating.
White Emperor suddenly lowered his head and began to cough. (To be continued.)