Chapter 140: Journey to the Holy Light Continent
Returning to the Li Palace, when the topic of Wang Po's departure came up again, Xu Yourong said something similar.
"The dead country."
Wang Po had given up seeking justice from the Great Zhou Dynasty and abandoned his revenge against the Chen Imperial Clan. This was an extremely difficult thing.
On a spiritual level, it was no different from sacrificing oneself for the nation.
Chen Changsheng deeply agreed, and then he thought of his senior brother's final words.
"Leaving at the right time is a very beautiful thing."
Anyone could see that this statement was about Shang Xingzhou.
Chen Changsheng did not deny this, yet he always felt that this sentence was also related to him.
"I might... be leaving for a while."
He said somewhat hesitantly.
Xu Yourong said, "Reason?"
There were many reasons, such as that sentence just now, such as how strict his senior brother was when teaching the little junior brother calligraphy, which reminded him of his master.
Also, many ministers and common people were praising that his senior brother was becoming more and more like Emperor Taizong.
But none of these reasons could be spoken, because they were all his conjectures, without any evidence, and this kind of conjecture was truly irresponsible.
He didn't say it, but Xu Yourong knew.
She said, "Perhaps you're overthinking it."
"Yes," Chen Changsheng said, looking at her seriously. "But before Emperor Taizong did those things, he wasn't necessarily the Emperor Taizong we know. He was the Prince of Qi praised by everyone. Later, killing his brothers and imprisoning his father might have been choices he was forced to make."
Xu Yourong said, "So?"
Chen Changsheng said, "I don't want him to become a second Emperor Taizong, so... I want to leave."
"If this is the only reason, I don't support it, because it's entirely a passive excuse."
Xu Yourong said, "Living should be a collection of active actions."
Chen Changsheng thought for a moment and said, "I also want to leave myself."
Xu Yourong spoke those two words again: "Reason?"
Chen Changsheng said, "I want to know where I came from."
Since he was ten years old, he had lived under the shadow of death.
That night at the Mausoleum of Books, the Heavenly Sea Saint Empress reversed his fate against the heavens, and he no longer had to think about death every day, finally qualified to consider other problems.
Beyond life and death, the most important questions in life were those three.
Who are you?
Where do you come from?
Where are you going?
To answer the third question, he first had to clarify the first two.
The war with the demon race wasn't completely over, but there was no longer any need for him to do anything.
Shang Xingzhou and the Black Robe said he came from the Holy Light Continent, and he wanted to go there and see.
"I accept this reason."
Xu Yourong said, "But don't take too long."
Chen Changsheng said with some surprise, "You're not planning to come with me?"
Xu Yourong said very seriously, "I was born in the capital."
...
...
Chen Changsheng returned to Xining Town. Even now, he was still thinking about his final conversation with Yourong, and then he remembered many years ago, in the Li Zi Yuan Inn in the capital, Tang Thirty-Six's evaluation of Yourong — she was a woman who left you with nothing to say.
This answer comforted Chen Changsheng somewhat, but he forgot that Tang Thirty-Six's evaluation of him was the same.
His sudden departure as the Pope, while not exactly irresponsible, truly left people with nothing to say.
In the deep winter, the flowering trees by the stream had become bare, there were no petals on the water, and there were no books in the old temple.
Chen Changsheng slept in the old temple for one night. Waking at five in the morning, he washed his face with stream water and walked toward that direction. That direction was where the fog grew deeper, and when it was thickest, it became clouds. In the clouds were streams, vines, easily startled deer, and many shadowy beasts of unknown origin.
These were all familiar environments to him, but they didn't make him pause at all, until he reached the foot of that solitary high peak.
A unicorn appeared, pure white all over, like a spiritual creature.
Chen Changsheng gazed at it silently.
He knew this unicorn had been waiting for him, had waited for many years.
"You don't have to be with anyone in particular; being alone is fine."
Chen Changsheng looked at it and shook his head, smiling as he said, "Go."
The unicorn reluctantly departed, taking a dozen steps before looking back at him.
Chen Changsheng watched it quietly, not turning away, until it disappeared into the thick depths of the clouds before continuing his journey.
The solitary peak was surrounded by clouds all year round, its surface very moist, covered with moss and endless flowing water.
But for a Saint Domain powerhouse, these were no difficulty, as easy as flat ground.
...
...
Nine days ago, the sun fell into the Cloud Tomb and never reappeared.
On the tenth day, Chen Changsheng arrived at the top of the solitary peak. (Note)
Apart from the sea of clouds, there was nothing here, especially desolate, making him feel a sense of loneliness.
He sat on a stone at the peak, took out a fruit, and ate it slowly and carefully.
There were many things in the scabbard, including food, prepared personally by Zhi Zhi, a large amount, but he took nothing, just ate one fruit.
Just as he chose to climb rather than use other means to reach the peak, this might be the sense of ritual he needed.
After eating the fruit, he looked up at the sky and found it right before his eyes.
He reached out and touched it, finding the sky's texture quite good, not as hard as he imagined, very smooth, somewhat elastic, like Yourong's face.
He closed his eyes.
Three thousand swords whistled out, flying back and forth above the sea of clouds, appearing extremely joyful, probably knowing they were about to go to another world.
...
...
Chen Changsheng arrived on the other side of the sky and then fell to the ground.
It wasn't very painful, because the ground was covered with lush green grass, very soft.
This was a grassland several hundred zhang in circumference.
Chen Changsheng looked back and saw the spatial crystal wall that had been torn open slowly closing, the color of the sky growing fainter until it was about to disappear completely.
He saw very clearly that the solitary peak reaching into the sky in the Central Continent looked like it was facing him directly from this side.
So the two continents were not parallel, but perpendicular.
To this place, the Central Continent was like a wall.
That grassland was really very small, and he walked out of it in just a moment.
Outside the grassland was a desert, white gravel forming a world like a white sea.
Nine suns' rays were dazzlingly bright.
Chen Changsheng casually chose a direction to walk.
One step covered several li.
Soon he encountered the original inhabitants of this continent.
More and more original inhabitants.
No one came to ask about his origins, and no one dared to stop him.
The original inhabitants looked at him with awe, parting like a tide until they revealed that altar.
The weather was really hot, but that monk in white robes sat on the altar, letting the sun bake him.
Back then, Chen Changsheng had followed the Heavenly Sea Saint Empress's divine soul and seen him by the stream in Xining Town.
"I'm about to die, my blood and qi are exhausted, so I'm a bit cold."
The white-robed monk explained to him.
Chen Changsheng said, "It is indeed a bit cold here."
The monk said it was cold for a reason, but why did he also feel cold here?
After all, the nine suns in the sky were all real.
"Have you come to take us home?"
The white-robed monk asked.
Hearing this, the hundreds of thousands of people around the altar knelt like a tide, weeping and praying, "Do not abandon the homeland."
Chen Changsheng looked at these people and remained silent.
The monk said, "Your master once promised me. If you don't agree, I will wait for your junior brother to do this."
Chen Changsheng said, "If I can return, I will seriously consider this matter."
The monk understood his meaning and said, "You want to see the path you came from?"
Chen Changsheng said, "Yes."
The monk said, "You should know that this is not the Holy Light Continent."
Chen Changsheng nodded.
He had known for a long time that this was not the Holy Light Continent.
If the Holy Light Continent were this close, the Central Continent would probably have long been enslaved by those gods.
This was once the main civilized continent, now the Abandoned Land.
Those blazing, scorching rays that seemed full of energy were not true holy light, only illusions.
This continent had lost all its energy, its vitality constantly draining away, decaying endlessly with time.
"Back then, we sent three drops of the Uncle King's blood through the altar to the Holy Light Continent."
The white-robed monk said, "And then you came to be."
The Uncle King he spoke of was Chen Xuanba.
Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment, then asked, "Can people from the Holy Light Continent come here through the altar?"
"This altar can only transmit non-living objects."
The white-robed monk shook his head and said, "The Uncle King's blood had no vitality, and the Sky-Covering Sword was not a living thing."
Chen Changsheng said, "But I am alive."
The white-robed monk said, "Haven't you understood by now? When you were sent back, you were just a fruit."
Chen Changsheng was silent again for a moment, then said, "Then how was I born?"
The white-robed monk said, "Also through ten months of pregnancy."
Chen Changsheng understood, and with a glimmer of hope said, "Is she still alive?"
The white-robed monk looked at him with some pity, like looking at that young girl more than twenty years ago.
"When you were born, she died."
Chen Changsheng was silent for a long time, then said, "You are all bad people."
The "you" in this sentence referred to the white-robed monk, the Black Robe, and his master Shang Xingzhou.
"The Holy Light Continent has always wanted to open a spatial passage through this altar."
The white-robed monk said, "The closest they came to success was over a decade ago. They waited for Shang Xingzhou to use you to initiate divine punishment, or to use my divine soul as a guide."
Only now did Chen Changsheng understand why the Saint Empress, when battling the three saints back then, was most concerned about the divine soul of the monk by the stream in Xining Town.
He looked into the white-robed monk's eyes and said, "Then you are the worst of them."
The white-robed monk was silent for a moment before saying, "I have never been to the Holy Light Continent, but I have sensed the power of the gods. It is not something we can oppose."
Chen Changsheng said, "Even so, one cannot be a vanguard for the enemy."
The white-robed monk said, "If the Holy Light Continent hadn't been replenishing this continent's energy through the altar, it would have long been completely desolate."
Chen Changsheng said, "If not for the Saint Empress, the Central Continent would also have been desolate."
The white-robed monk said, "I have always felt that the Heavenly Sea Saint Empress did not die."
Chen Changsheng remembered back in Xining Town, the Saint Empress had once said to this monk that she had her own inheritance.
What exactly did the Heavenly Sea Saint Empress's inheritance refer to? Was it Yu Ren and Chen Changsheng, or Xu Yourong?
...
...
The Abandoned Land was everywhere desert.
At the edge of the desert, hundreds of thousands of li from the oasis where the original inhabitants lived, there was a great sea.
This sea contained no living creatures, like a dead sea.
But no matter how desolate a world, there would be some very different life forms, or perhaps they were no longer life, but undead.
Huge waves rose on the sea surface, and a cold wind howled.
A netherbone dragon over ten li long constantly wove through the wind and waves.
This netherbone dragon was not trying to show off its power to heaven and earth, nor was it trying to tell the gods of its despair, but was forced to do so.
A squirrel crouched in the dragon's eye socket, like a black dot.
It looked at the oncoming waves without any fear, occasionally letting out joyful cries.
So this netherbone dragon was playing with it.
By the sea, a black sheep quietly watched the sky, not knowing what it was thinking.
...
...
"I want to go to the Holy Light Continent."
"I've never been to the Holy Light Continent, and I can't go."
"How did Su Li get there?"
"If I'm not mistaken, he should have gone through the Garuda Temple."
Hearing this, Chen Changsheng was very surprised.
He knew that Wang Zhice and Wu Daozi had been in the Garuda Temple all along, probably trying to repair the murals of old and continue the Buddhist lineage.
Everyone thought the Garuda Temple must be in some extremely remote deep mountain. Who could have imagined that the Garuda Temple was not in the Central Continent, but in the Abandoned Land.
Entering the Garuda Temple, Wu Daozi was still painting on the wall.
Then, he saw Wang Zhice.
Wang Zhice, with white hair, gently played a horizontal flute, not knowing who he was missing.
Chen Changsheng had no apology, but had respect.
So all these years, Wang Zhice had been guarding the most important passage for the human race.
If the Garuda Temple could lead to the Holy Light Continent.
"There is a spatial rift here, very unstable, needing constant repair."
Wang Zhice put down his flute and said to him, "Mr. Wu does this work."
Wu Daozi stared at the painting on the wall and sneered, "Back in the Li Palace, I don't know who beat me so badly. Now do you know how important I am?"
Wang Zhice said, "I don't have much time or energy to care about other things."
Ever since learning that Wang Zhice was still alive, there had been many bad evaluations of him.
Not caring about worldly affairs was being irresponsible.
Chen Changsheng had had similar thoughts, until today he knew these were all misunderstandings.
The Garuda Temple was too important; compared to this, the power struggles and life-and-death battles in the Central Continent were really trivial matters.
"Since there is a spatial rift here, why don't the gods break open a spatial passage from here?"
Chen Changsheng asked.
Wang Zhice said, "Because even the gods cannot guarantee that this spatial passage is one-way."
Chen Changsheng didn't understand this reasoning.
Wang Zhice said, "You'll know when you go there."
Chen Changsheng said, "Have you been there?"
Wang Zhice said, "I'm not yet ready to meet the other side."
Chen Changsheng thought for a moment and said, "Isn't what Su Li and I are doing somewhat irresponsible?"
Wang Zhice said, "Curiosity is the most beautiful trait of being human, worth risking everything for, even giving up everything."
Chen Changsheng said, "How should I go?"
Wang Zhice brought him before the mural.
Many scenes were painted on the wall.
There were buildings with pointed roofs, their lines naturally containing a sense of sanctity.
There were grasslands and white clouds, scattered cottages, bustling markets, and an arena that seemed sunny but was actually gloomy.
In terms of architectural style, these were very similar to Xue Lao City.
The mural also had many intelligent beings different from humans.
Some, like craftsman-like beings, resembled low-level demons, only shorter; some beings were very beautiful, much like the Xiu Ling tribe who lived in seclusion in the Great Western Continent.
Chen Changsheng watched more and more intently, until he heard a bell ring, snapping him back to reality.
Looking around, there was green grassland, white clouds floating in the blue sky, a bell ringing from a church ahead, and shouts coming from a square building.
That language was very close to the demon language, and Chen Changsheng could understand it. It should mean class.
So he had already arrived at the Holy Light Continent.
...
...
(Note: Of course, it's "Sheng Xie" [Rise of the Evil]. Hope Douzi [the author] quickly returns to continue writing web novels. Tomorrow is the last chapter, and there will also be an afterword. Emotions are a bit complicated.)
Important Notice
Today, "Ze Tian Ji" is coming to an end. Thank you for accompanying us every day for the past three years. Many friends are concerned about Changsheng's final choice. Actually, choices in love have never been important. If it's really impossible, just run away, like he did. This could also be considered a forced following of one's heart, right? Today, the "Ze Tian Ji" mobile game will also have its first test. Usually, I always feel that games can hardly fully recreate the imagined big world, like the Cloud Tomb, the Holy Light Continent, the ever-changing seasons of the Zhou Garden, and the bitterly cold Xue Lao City. But the quality of this mobile game is really good. Reliably speaking, it should be the mobile game with the best graphics I've ever seen. Covering my face... Well, I said last time I would never do such a hard sell again, but this time I still have to jump out and say a few words, because heaven can witness, I really didn't get paid! And thinking that the book is over, friends who like games can see Changsheng, Yourong, Luoluo, Thirty-Six and the others in the game, chat and talk with them, fly around everywhere, hmm, just like when I first saw them three years ago in the summer. It should feel good, right?
Here are the hard words: The novel "Ze Tian Ji" ends today. If you want to see them again in the future, go meet them in the mobile game. Search for "Ze Tian Ji" mobile game and enter the official website (ztj.qq.com) to pre-register. You can get non-deletion qualification (users from the next test will also be drawn from among pre-registered players. Don't ask me for an account =w=).
Please support the physical books of "Ze Tian Ji" and the "Ze Tian Ji" mobile game.
Bow, love you all.
The last chapter will still be at eight in the evening, and the afterword will follow immediately.
This is what life is like with saved drafts, so calm...
"Ze Tian Ji" Important Notice is being typed, please wait a moment,
After the content is updated, please refresh the page to get the latest update!