Chapter 148: Her Gaze is on the Distant Horizon, on the Other Side
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Ten thousand miles away, at the old temple in Xining, the night stream flowed silently.
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress looked at the monk across the stream and said, "You should be very clear about who I have always been wary of."
The monk's prayer beads in his hand stopped turning. Still keeping his eyes closed, he said calmly, "They have never been to the other side, so naturally they cannot think what you think."
She said, "I have never been there either."
At this moment, she was still atop the Heavenly Book Mound, but her gaze had fallen upon this place, tens of thousands of miles away.
No matter the distance, as long as the vital energy between heaven and earth connected, her spirit could arrive in person.
That was her by the stream.
The monk thought for a moment and said, "That makes sense."
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress looked at him and asked, "Is this the outcome you most wanted to see?"
The monk replied, "I never pre-imagined what I might see."
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress stared at him quietly and asked, "Are you the son or grandson of Crown Prince Jiancheng?"
A trace of nostalgic sentiment appeared on the monk's face. After a moment of silence, he said softly, "Crown Prince Jiancheng was my father."
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress raised an eyebrow and asked, "I don't understand. Why would your remnant clan join hands with him? You must know he was Emperor Taizong's black hound."
The monk said slowly, "No matter how much resentment, it ultimately cannot withstand time and the longing to return home. We want to come back."
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress asked, "But have you ever considered that you might be the vanguard of the alien races?"
The monk was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "The remnant clan is not an alien race. This is our homeland. No one has the right to prevent our return."
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress said, "Can you be sure that the alien races on that continent won't develop ulterior motives?"
The monk fell silent and said no more.
The clear water in the stream had long been frozen by the powerful spirits of these two.
Lotus flowers formed from coagulated blood floated here and there on the water's surface. The trees by the stream were sometimes still, sometimes swaying in the wind.
...
...
One autumn rain brings one chill. The grass, which still held much green yesterday, had now turned completely yellow.
Standing in the knee-deep wild grass, the Daoist Ji sensed the distance between himself and the black jade ruyi, then looked once more toward the Heavenly Book Mound and said, "Abdicate the throne. Like Su Li, leave this world."
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress withdrew her gaze from the small stream in Xining Town, ten thousand miles away, and said, "My sons want to be emperor. Chen Guansong wants to leave his name in the annals of history. Yin is trapped by the word 'salvation.' The White Emperor wants to fight the Demon Lord. And what about you? I have never understood—after all the things you've done, what exactly do you want to gain?"
The Daoist Ji said expressionlessly, "This was the last will of His Majesty Emperor Taizong. And you once promised me and my junior brother that you would return the throne to the Chen family."
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress said, "I have only one son. He suffered a heavenly punishment. While still in my womb, his innate solar wheel was destroyed."
As she said this, she glanced at Chen Changsheng, then looked toward a certain place within the Heavenly Book Mound.
"No matter which of my sons it is—whether kind, simple, foolish, or crippled—if he ascends the throne, who will truly rule this world?"
The Heavenly Sea Holy Empress looked toward the autumn grassland and said with a hint of mockery, "At that point, who would be the real emperor? Those worthless fools and scoundrels, or you?"
The Daoist Ji remained silent and did not answer this question.
The night wind blew across the wilderness. The yellow grass swayed with the wind like a rice field, but there was no fragrance—only the rotting stench of rain-soaked decay.
"After all this tedious talk, after seeing so many tedious people and events, in the end, you still have to kill me."
As she said this, the Heavenly Sea Holy Empress finally moved.
She took a step forward, and the hands she had kept behind her back slowly spread open.
No raindrops were falling from the night sky, but when she opened her hands, a few droplets of rain drifted from somewhere in the wind and landed in her palms.
She lowered her head to look at the crystal-clear water droplets in her hand, like pearls, then raised her head to gaze at this world that had already disgusted her to the extreme.
"Then, who dares to kill me?"
...
...
The situation tonight had already undergone earth-shattering changes.
The imperial carriage was still and silent. Within the capital, the sounds of slaughter rose on all sides, with flames and thick smoke erupting from time to time. In the distant plains, some armies stood still like tombstone statues, while others were still in turmoil. This world had already slipped from the Heavenly Sea Holy Empress's control. Even those ministers and relatives of her family who were most loyal to her had chosen to abandon her.
There was no doubt that the situation she faced had reached its worst point.
Yet she showed no fear. Looking at the peerless experts around the Heavenly Book Mound, at all the enemies in this world, she spoke those words.
Who dares to kill me?
These four words were truly domineering to the extreme, arrogant to the extreme. They echoed through the silent Heavenly Book Mound and the streets and alleys of the capital, lingering for a long time without anyone daring to respond.
No one knew how much time passed before a sound finally arose.
It was the sound of stone slabs being crushed, like the grinding of teeth, or like bones bearing an immense weight.
Creak, creak, creak.
Zhu Luo stood up from his wheelchair. His gaze moved along the white divine path and finally settled on the peak of the Heavenly Book Mound.
"I'll do it."
When he spoke these three words, there was no sense of impassioned fervor. They were very plain, as bland as water.
Perhaps this was because he was very clear about what his end would be, or perhaps it was because, ever since he opened Su Li's letter in the Ten Thousand Willows Garden, he had been waiting for this ending.
Zhu Luo, one of the Eight Winds and Rains, master of the Heartless Sect, a great figure of Tianliang Commandery—just as Su Li had said back in Xunyang City, he could die, but he could not be defeated.
Now he was defeated and crippled. So why begrudge death?
He had come to the capital tonight to die. He would use his own death to seek the greatest benefit for his family and sect.
"What do you want?"
The Daoist Ji's voice drifted over from afar. He was no longer at the autumn plain north of the city but seemed to have gone even farther.
Zhu Luo gripped the sword hilt at his waist with his left hand and said expressionlessly, "I want the Wang family to never rise again."
He did not specify which Wang family, but everyone knew which one he meant.
The Wang family of Tianliang Commandery had long fallen into ruin, leaving only one person.
Zhu Luo wanted the Wang family to never rise again, targeting that person and that blade.
The Daoist Ji's voice did not come immediately. It took a while before he answered.
Clearly, even he found this dying request from Zhu Luo somewhat troublesome.
"Fine, I agree."
Hearing this, some expression finally appeared on Zhu Luo's face, and his body straightened even more.
He walked forward. His slow steps broke the shallow water pooled on the stone platform one by one, gradually forming a unique rhythm.
He reached the foot of the divine path and slowly drew the sword from its sheath.
A powerful aura, as the bright sword left its scabbard, spread out and filled the space between heaven and earth.