Chapter 46
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It’s too late, Gong Wei.
You’re running out of time.
In a half-dreamy state, Gong Wei’s consciousness felt as if it were placed on a blazing fire, and in his drowsiness, he uncomfortably shifted, only to be forcefully suppressed by a stronger presence deep in his mind. A distant yet familiar voice echoed from the depths of his soul, growing increasingly urgent and resounding until it reverberated in all directions—
Kill Xu Bai.
It’s almost too late—
“What’s almost too late?” asked Yuchi Rui curiously.
Outside the small flower hall where visitors to Yejinmen were entertained, the red maple trees rustled, and the flowing water murmured softly. Gong Wei suddenly came to his senses and exclaimed softly, “What?”
“What do you mean by ‘almost too late’ just now?”
Appearing unaware, Gong Wei blinked for a moment before asking, “Did I say that?”
“…Are you alright lately?” Yuchi Rui frowned, scrutinizing him for a while before saying, “You’ve been muttering to yourself. Could it be that you’re falling into qi deviation like Ying Kai said?”
Gong Wei lazily chuckled, “Even if I were losing my mind, it wouldn’t be like yours.” He stood up, stretched lazily, and said with a smile, “I have something to attend to at the Punishment Hall tonight. I’ll be off! I’ll come find you to play when your ink plum blossoms bloom!”
Yuchi Rui tersely replied with one word: “Leave!”
Gong Wei laughed heartily and left.
It’s too late.
At some point, it seemed that an hourglass had appeared in the void, with the sound of fine sand falling incessantly echoing in his ears. Gong Wei didn’t know how much sand was left in the countdown, nor did he know what would happen when time ran out.
The invisible pressure was accumulating every minute and every second.
He was waiting for an answer, but he couldn’t tell whether he hoped that the destined moment would come sooner or that this moment would freeze and never move forward.
Late on a deep winter night, a round white moon shone through the tall window lattice, and the moonlight gently swept into the main hall. Gong Wei suddenly opened his eyes, as if sensing something, got up and looked out of the hall, then put on his clothes and went to push open the carved window.
He didn’t wear shoes, and his soft bare feet made no sound as he stepped into the bamboo forest. He didn’t know how far he had walked before he stopped. In the distance, the animal-headed eaves of the main hall stood, and a tall figure stood on the eaves, looking down from above, appearing even colder and more distant under the moonlight.
Gong Wei smiled and asked, looking up, “Are you here to play with me, Xu Bai?”
The figure did not answer.
“Did you just kill someone?”
The young face looked so innocent, the soft white satin nightgown reflecting the moonlight, but dimmed by the translucent skin.
Xu Shuangce finally spoke, saying lightly, “Gong Wei.”
“Hmm?”
“For a thousand years, no one has ascended. In two months, at the Ascension Immortal Platform ceremony, Ying Kai plans to inquire about the Heavenly Dao in hopes of reopening the Gate of Heaven.”
There was a slight change in Gong Wei’s expression. After a moment, he asked, “Xu Bai, are you going to ascend?”
In the world of cultivation, seeking immortality was led by the Master of Cangyang. If the path to ascension were truly to open, it was obvious that the first one to ascend would be Xu Shuangce, no one else.
But Xu Shuangce didn’t answer.
At this point, the conflict between the Sect Master of Cangyang and the Punishment Hall Grand Elder had become very acute. Everyone knew they were sworn enemies who couldn’t coexist. No one could have imagined that they would be facing each other like this on such a chilly night, with peaceful words and no hint of hostility.
Nor did anyone know that under Xu Shuangce’s robe sleeves, there was still the frozen peak of a glacier from thousands of miles away, and the blood splattered when the head of Du Kaixun flew off.
“If one day,” Xu Shuangce suddenly said.
The remark was extremely abrupt. He paused for a moment before continuing, “If one day, I’m no longer here.”
Gong Wei blinked and stared at him, seemingly waiting for the next question.
Whoever is looked at by Gong Wei in this way would feel as if they were being completely and wholeheartedly attended to, as if they were being held entirely in someone’s heart. He naturally seemed like a light and soft dream, wrapping around, lively, unreal, sweet, and endless.
But it was just an illusion.
Xu Shuangce’s voice stopped. After a long pause, he suddenly said, “Forget it.”
He turned to leave, but at that moment, a clear voice came from behind him, Gong Wei said, “I will cry!”
Xu Shuangce stopped in his tracks and turned around.
He saw the young man smiling brightly, tiptoeing with one hand cupped near his mouth. He raised his head and added, “Really cry!”
To everyone’s surprise, Xu Shuangce looked down at him for a long time, neither uttering any harsh words nor striking his eyes with a sword. His straight nose hid his profile behind the moonlight, and his eyes seemed to flicker slightly, but his expression was unclear. After a while, the corners of his thin lips lifted into a faint sneer as he said, “Dream on.”
Then, without giving Gong Wei any chance to speak, he disappeared into the vast sky in an instant, gone without a trace.
Gong Wei’s smile gradually faded, his tiptoed heels lowered, and the blood-red color swirled like a vortex in his eyes.
It was from that moment that he finally saw clearly the path fate extended from under his feet, leading to the Ascension Immortal Platform beneath the sky two months later. The innate voice deep in his soul echoed again and again until it thundered—kill Xu Bai.
That was the sole purpose of your existence in this world.
Kill Xu Bai.
The invisible hourglass in the void finally flipped over with a thunderous roar, the sand flew and splattered, and time reached its end.
Kill Xu Bai, before the irreversible ending occurs—
Gong Wei suddenly opened his eyes.
The emptiness of his spiritual veins made him feel faint and disoriented. In the moment of awakening, he didn’t even know where he was. Subconsciously, he sat up from the bed and found himself on a high bed, and beside him, to his surprise, was Xu Shuangce!
Moonlight poured into the Xuanji Hall from the tall windows, and peach petals fluttered in the night sky, layers of veils lightly rolled up. Xu Shuangce was wearing a black inner robe, motionless as he leaned against the outer edge of the bed. From his calm profile and slow breaths, it seemed he was sleeping with his clothes on, his long and fair hands folded in front of him.
“…”
Wasn’t I on the Golden Ship? How did I return to the Xuanji Hall of the Cangyang Sect? And why is Xu Shuangce lying here?
Gong Wei’s consciousness was clear for a moment and hazy for another. His gaze, as if bewitched, fell on the other’s throat, and the killing intent that had not yet retreated from the dream surged up again from his heart. The voice was as clear as if it were right next to his ear—
Kill him.
Sixteen years ago, you already failed. You must kill him as soon as possible—
Gong Wei’s hand stretched out as if possessed, hovering in front of the defenseless neck, his fingertips trembling slightly.
“…Seventeen years ago, Sect Master Xu traveled thousands of miles to kill Du Kaixun, who was about to poison the Law Flower Immortal, in the extreme north…” “Everyone knows that after the death of the Law Flower Immortal, his blood entered the peach blossom. Otherwise, what supports the peach blossom sea in front of the Xuanji Hall all year round?” “Sect Master Xu personally plucked the soldier thread for you in front of the Ding Xian Ling. This matter is known to the entire Immortal Alliance! …”
An unprecedented, subversive thought suddenly emerged, almost occupying Gong Wei’s entire mind in the instant it was born.
He thought: “What would happen if I don’t kill Xu Shuangce?”
Sixteen years ago, Xu Shuangce didn’t die, but the destruction of fate did not come either.
What would happen if the world were allowed to reach its last second?
No one could see the hint of crimson dispersing and reassembling in Gong Wei’s eyes. In this silent and secretive night, every moment seemed endless. After an unknown amount of time passed, his sharp fingertips finally withdrew slightly.
But at this moment, as if pierced by a cold needle, he suddenly realized the difference between the surroundings and the bed he was lying on—this was not the real Xuanji Hall of the Cangyang Sect.
This was an illusion!
In the blink of an eye, Gong Wei’s mind turned like lightning. He naturally picked up the corner of the quilt and seemed to casually tuck it in front of Xu Shuangce.
At the same moment, Xu Shuangce opened his eyes, and his calm gaze looked directly into Gong Wei’s eyes.
—In the instant when the two met each other’s eyes, the peach blossom sea outside the window was swept away by howling winds, and all the illusions around them faded away like a tide, finally revealing the scene of reality.
They were not in the Xuanji Hall of the Cangyang Sect, but in a spacious inn room. The grayish-blue light of dawn was just showing through the window mullions.
Xu Shuangce got up and put on his clothes calmly, saying, “Beloved Disciple, what are you doing?”
“Greetings, Master!” Gong Wei got up and knelt on the bed, bowing sincerely, “Disciple noticed that Master was thinly dressed and might catch a cold late at night, so he took the liberty of tucking in Master’s quilt, and hopes for forgiveness!”
One side of the bed was against the wall, and the dimness covered the back of his already soaked nightshirt.
It seemed like a long time had passed, but it was only a few breaths. Gong Wei finally felt a hand lifting his cold chin, and Xu Shuangce’s dark eyes seemed to be smiling as he said, “Is that so?”
Gong Wei, in this forced posture of raising his head, said sincerely, “Disciple woke Master up, and Disciple is guilty.”
This scene was simply too bizarre. In the ambiguous light of dawn, the inn’s bed was wide and deep. He was only wearing his nightclothes, kneeling on one side against the wall, and Xu Shuangce was half-leaning against the outer edge of the bed. Perhaps because he had taken off his outer robe, from Gong Wei’s perspective, Xu Shuangce’s shoulders were broad and waist slim, and the inner garment outlined a perfect upper body, emitting an indescribable sense of oppression.
Gong Wei hurriedly lowered his eyelashes.
“Beloved Disciple’s body is infected with the soldier thread, and the spiritual veins are broken inch by inch. Disciple needs to infuse a large amount of spiritual power from the master’s sea of qi every day to heal.” Xu Shuangce leaned closer and whispered by Gong Wei’s sideburns, “Beloved Disciple should play less and rest more, understand?”
Gong Wei hoarsely replied, “Disciple understands.” Xu Shuangce smiled slightly, withdrew his hand, and got off the bed.
There were inns dedicated to accommodating cultivators all over the Immortal Alliance. The rooms looked slightly more elegant and spacious, but there was no other difference. The robe of the Master of the Cangyang Sect was hung on the clothes rack near the window. Xu Shuangce calmly walked over and put on his outer robe. Just as Gong Wei, who was behind him, finally couldn’t help but ask tremblingly, “Master, this…”
Xu Shuangce said, “Going to Tianmen Pass.”
Gong Wei obviously missed this part of the information, “Huh?”
Tianmen Pass is the most remote and difficult-to-reach of the three possible locations, close to the extreme north glacier. The climate there is changeable, and the spiritual energy is thin after passing the Yanchuntai, so flying on a sword is no longer possible.
Based on Gong Wei’s understanding of Xu Shuangce, even if there was a mechanical puppet buried in the ground cracking the world, he might not bother to go find it, let alone walk there. He was thinking about whether he should use the Alliance Leader’s seal to force Xu Shuangce to submit, but he heard Xu Shuangce say, “Regarding the soldier thread in your body, there are already preliminary clues, and it may be Du Kaixun, the younger brother of the Iron Sect Master.”
Gong Wei had already heard about the interrogation in the Sky Pavillion, but he still asked in astonishment, “What?”
“The Iron Sect Master used Alliance Leader Ying’s primordial spirit to pave the way and saw a memory behind the scenes that was given by the mastermind to Law Flower Immortal. It was the massacre of the people in the city by a World-destroying Giant. It is said that at some point in history, a previous generation of the Iron Sect Master self-detonated his primordial spirit on the battlefield, perishing along with the mechanical puppet. Because of this act of sacrificing oneself to save the world, the Iron Sect Master faced the heavenly tribulation. Just before being struck by lightning and scattered, a mirror suddenly descended from the heavenly realm and protected them, repelling the Ninefold Extreme Evil Calamity.”
Xu Shuangce stood by the window, and as he said this, his voice softened, and he turned to look at Gong Wei with a firm gaze.
In the illusion, Gong Wei was afraid of being discovered, so he kept his distance, but he vaguely saw the mirror that blocked the thunder tribulation. He said in confusion, “Huh?”
Whether it was an illusion or not, when Xu Shuangce continued speaking, his gaze was locked tightly on Gong Wei’s face, as if he didn’t miss any expression or change, as if he wanted to see through his mind:
“But just as the mirror carrying the Master’s primordial spirit ascended to the heavenly realm, a figure in black suddenly appeared, holding a divine sword, as if extremely resentful, wanting to pierce the mirror and tear apart the Master’s soul.”
“…”
Xu Shuangce asked slowly and deliberately, one word at a time, “What does beloved disciple think?”
Gong Wei thought, What can I think? That figure in black suddenly descended from the Heavenly Gate, but just before it struck the mirror, the illusion ended. I don’t even know if that unlucky Iron Sect Master ultimately ascended or not.
—Xu Shuangce stared at him, but didn’t see any surprise on the youth’s face.
His expression changed slightly.
“Disciple is dull,” Gong Wei thought for a moment, and then plucked up the courage to say, “Why… why did that celestial being want to stop the Iron Sect Master from ascending?”
As if wanting to confirm something, Xu Shuangce intensified his tone, “What do you think of that celestial being?”
Gong Wei felt a bit nervous under his gaze and subconsciously exclaimed, “Disciple is insignificant and dare not comment on the immortal gods of the upper realms, please forgive me, Master!”
The room was eerily quiet, and for some reason, there was no sound coming from above.
Gong Wei was still sitting on the bed. Summoning up his courage, he secretly glanced up, only to see Xu Shuangce with his back to the inn window, his expression indiscernible in the backlight.
“…Yes.” After a long time, he finally spoke slowly, each word exceptionally heavy, “Although I don’t know what others think, when I saw that celestial being appear in the illusion, my heart was also filled with great fear and unease.”
Sect Master Xu said he was filled with fear and unease?
Gong Wei’s inner thoughts were absurd and amusing. Holding the blanket, he cautiously shifted towards the corner of the bed, then said carefully, “Since it’s an illusion, Master doesn’t need to worry. Maybe it’s just a fabricated false image that never really happened in history.”
Unexpectedly, Xu Shuangce said, “No, it should be real.”
His tone was too certain, and Gong Wei didn’t react immediately. “Why?”
“On the battlefield, the disbandment of the army and immediate ascension, there is indeed such a person in the legend. It’s just that time has passed and rumors have distorted. The details may be somewhat different.”
Xu Shuangce paused and continued, “It’s the first story of the Dao Jing Enlightenment, the Ghost Crown Prince Consort.”
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