Chapter 68
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“The collapse of the Linnan sky, accompanied by a roaring wind from the black hole, turned people, regardless of gender or age, into peach petals upon contact. Any cultivator under the age of sixteen also vanished without a trace, turned into peach petals…
“Three-quarters passed as the raging wind swept through, yet the black hole showed no signs of healing. By this time, thousands of people had vanished into thin air, and twenty-eight junior disciples from nearby sects were also lost.”
“With such heavy casualties, panic spread, and the world hoped for the Immortal Alliance to lend a hand.”
The location of the sky collapse was only a hundred miles from Yejinmen. As the incident occurred, Yuchi Rui from the Sword Sect immediately led the rescue effort. After the sky hole was eliminated, they assisted the local sects in handling the aftermath. Hence, the disciples from various sects were returning one after another while riding their swords.
Continuous streams of sword energies streaked across the sky as Yejinmen, unlike its usual solemn grandeur, appeared somewhat bustling. Ying Kai crossed the long corridor silently. With a wave of his hand, the disciple reporting to him behind lowered his head deeply and respectfully retreated.
“It’s only the beginning,” Ying Kai said softly, looking up at the sky.
Standing by the railing behind him, Yuchi Rui asked in puzzlement, “What do you mean?”
Without answering directly, Ying Kai asked instead, “Do you remember what Liu Xuzhi mentioned after waking up, sporadically recounting words and phrases about the depths of the Ice Abyss, mentioning phrases like ‘Illusionary Realm’ and ‘Worldly Existence’?”
From Yuchi Rui’s expression, it was evident his thoughts aligned with common beliefs: “The ramblings of a dying man!”
Ying Kai shook his head, “What Liu Xuzhi said should be true, and the collapse of the sky now serves as evidence.”
Judging by Yuchi Rui’s expression, it seemed he didn’t quite comprehend.
Ying Kai sighed, “If the world we inhabit is indeed a grand illusion, and the illusion began sixteen years ago at the Ascension Immortal Platform, then all children born in the past sixteen years are not real individuals dragged into the illusion by the Realm Master, but rather products deduced by the illusion based on the reproduction laws of mortals.”
“As the Realm Master’s spiritual power is about to be depleted, the world will naturally begin to collapse. Therefore, the illusion first reclaims these false individuals.” Pointing upward, Ying Kai continued, “So when these children turn into peach blossoms and fly into the sky hole, they are actually reverting to spiritual power, thereby delaying the collapse of the illusion.”
Yuchi Rui widened his eyes in astonishment, suddenly realizing, “But the common people below, regardless of age or gender, all turned into peach blossoms?”
“Yes,” Ying Kai said calmly, “which means there’s only one more terrifying explanation for this: there aren’t many real people in this world.”
“Of the people dragged from reality into the illusion, there are only over ten thousand cultivators from major sects. The rest of the millions of common people are all products of the illusion.”
Surrounded by a long silence, Yuchi Rui finally managed to squeeze out a sentence, “Ying Kai, are you crazy?”
Turning around, Ying Kai frowned, “Do I look crazy to you?”
“……”
“Can you imagine? The sky you see every day, the ground beneath your feet, the people around you, they’re all fake.” Clenching his hands behind his back, nails digging into his palms, Ying Kai’s demeanor remained composed and gentle, with only a slight change in his voice: “The relationships in this world… are probably fake too.”
Yuchi Rui’s mind buzzed, “Who did this?!”
Actually, the answer was apparent, but neither Yuchi Rui nor Ying Kai wanted to believe it.
However, as the Alliance Leader, Ying Kai couldn’t evade it. After a long silence, he finally said in a strained voice, “Among the illusionists I know, aside from Gong Wei… there’s no one else.”
Yuchi Rui turned and walked away, but Ying Kai pulled him back by the shoulder, “Where are you going?”
“To find Gong Wei. He’s currently—”
“Unavailable. I just returned from Cangyang Sect. Shuangce has erected a forbidden hall and locked him inside.”
Yuchi Rui blurted out, ‘Why is this happening?!’
Caught in his earnest and puzzled stare, Ying Kai hesitated to speak. However, it wasn’t the time for tactful evasion, so he had to say, “Shuangce and Gong Wei… have a rather close relationship.”
Furrowing his brows, Yuchi Rui responded, “That can’t be. I bet this collapse of the sky has something to do with Xu Shuangce. He probably coerced or induced Gong Wei behind the scenes. Otherwise, why would he lock him up?”
Ying Kai found himself speechless and after a moment’s thought, he added, “The two of them have a coming of age bond.
Looking skeptical, Yuchi Rui questioned, “Coming of age bond? Weren’t you the one who presided over the bonding ceremony when we became of age?”
A silence filled the air as the two men exchanged glances.
Finally, Ying Kai could only say, “…They practiced dual cultivation.”
Yuchi Rui’s eyes widened gradually, filled with shock.
After a while, he exclaimed in disbelief, “Xu Shuangce is such a generous and kind-hearted person! How much spiritual power did he give Gong Wei?!”
Ying Kai looked at the Sword Sect Master, which he had nurtured single-handedly, not knowing what to say.
At that moment, there was a commotion in the distance. Both men turned to look and saw several young disciples gathering outside the archway, looking perplexed. One of them exclaimed in confusion, “Senior Uncle! Senior Uncle, what’s wrong with you?”
Ying Kai furrowed his brows and swiftly flew tens of meters into the air before landing and quickly approaching.
The disciples hurriedly bowed to the Alliance Leader and the Sword Sect Master, and behind them, there was a golden core cultivator crouching in a corner near the archway, trembling all over with a terrified expression, as if he were immersed in an extremely frightening illusion.
Yuchi Rui recognized him at a glance and asked in suspicion, “Is that Daoist Spiritual Master Jinghui?”
He was indeed a senior cultivator from Yejinmen. The young disciples beside him were at a loss, seeing their Sect Master as their savior, “Senior Uncle took us to rescue the local sect near the southern border, but we were almost blown away by the demonic wind from the sky hole on the way. We managed to pull him back, but he had already fainted by then! We immediately escorted him back, but unexpectedly, as soon as he woke up, he… he became like this…”
“Alliance Leader?” Amidst the chaos, Daoist Spiritual Master Jinghui suddenly spotted Ying Kai, trembling as he uttered the words.
Then, as if a drowning man had suddenly found a life-saving straw, he rushed forward and grabbed Ying Kai tightly. However, his gaze seemed to pierce through Ying Kai, seeing even more terrifying and bloody scenes in the void, “N-No, this is bad, Alliance Leader! The God of Slaughter is coming! He’s going to ascend the Ascension Immortal Platform!! We can’t stop him at all. No one in this world can stop him…”
The group exchanged glances, and Yuchi Rui questioned, “…The God of Slaughter is ascending the Ascension Immortal Platform?”
But Ying Kai seemed to realize something from the incomprehensible words of Daoist Spiritual Master Jinghui. He spoke with a heavier tone to confirm with the disciples, “Did Daoist Spiritual Master Jinghui become like this after being blown into the sky hole?”
“Yes!”
Ying Kai immediately turned to Yuchi Rui, “Was Daoist Spiritual Master Jinghui from your sect also present at the Ascension Immortal Platform ceremony sixteen years ago?”
When the grandmasters attended the Ascension Immortal Platform ceremony, they usually brought along their highly esteemed and deeply cultivated disciples,” Yuchi Rui nodded. “Yeah. What’s the matter?”
Ying Kai’s expression couldn’t help but darken, as if he had thought of some extremely ominous speculation.
“He’s coming… he’s coming!” At this moment, Daoist Spiritual Master Jinghui suddenly looked up, his eyes staring straight into the air as if he had truly seen a blood-drenched, ascending God of Slaughter. Even his pupils trembled violently with fear. “We mustn’t let him come, stop him! Stop him!!”
With a clang of his sword, he drew his sword amidst the exclamations of the crowd, exerting all his strength to slash downwards!
Boom!
Ying Kai decisively intervened, using his Mountain Ocean Order Divine Sword to block the chaotic slashes from Daoist Spiritual Master Jinghui, then delivered a heavy blow to his forehead.
Before Daoist Spiritual Master Jinghui could even groan, he slumped down unconscious.
Ying Kai waved his hand, signaling everyone to step back, then used his spiritual power to force blood from his fingertips, quickly drawing an incredibly complex and obscure symbol on Daoist Spiritual Master Jinghui’s forehead—a Soul Entry Symbol. Immediately, he separated a part of his soul and forcefully plunged it into Daoist Spiritual Master Jinghui’s body.
This was to treat the victims of illusions by entering their souls to investigate the horrifying scenes they had seen. However, separating a part of one’s soul was inherently fragile, even for a strong cultivator like Ying Kai. Yuchi Rui frowned, squatting beside him with his hand gripping the hilt of his sword, ready to intervene if anything unexpected happened.
Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, Ying Kai’s whole body trembled, and his eyes opened. The separated soul was forced to retreat back.
“I can’t see anything,” Ying Kai gasped urgently, shaking his head as he stood up. “His soul is too weak, his consciousness is too chaotic, I can’t see clearly what illusions are in his mind… If Shuangce were here, perhaps he could take the risk. He is more knowledgeable about Soul Entry Symbols than I am.”
Typically, when someone stands at the peak, they might graciously praise a lower-ranked individual for their strengths, but they would likely hesitate to admit that another high-level cultivator is stronger in certain aspects.
However, Ying Kai was straightforward and unreserved, without any hesitation, even in front of everyone. Yuchi Rui also stood up and asked, “What should we do? Should we get Xu Shuangce?”
Ying Kai looked at Daoist Spiritual Master Jinghui, who was unconscious, and pondered for a moment before shaking his head. “The situation in the south is chaotic, and since you are the head of Yejinmen, you should stay here to stabilize the situation.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll go back to the Immortal Alliance and request the Alliance Leader Seal, then summon the Sect Master of the Cangyang Sect, Xu Shuangce,” Ying Kai looked up at the overcast sky, gritting his teeth. “I must have a good talk with him.”
***
Dark clouds covered the sky, obscuring the sun, and there was a vague sense of impending doom in the air.
Fortunately, the return to Dai Mountain from Yejinmen was not far, and Ying Kai swiftly returned to Tui’e before nightfall. The collapse of the sky had left the various sects in turmoil, and there were already more than ten sect leaders waiting anxiously to see him. However, Ying Kai waved them all away and entered his study alone, closing the door behind him. He retrieved a seal made of white gold and green jade from a hidden cabinet.
The seal was small but heavy, not easily shown to others. Ying Kai put it into his robe sleeve, just as he was about to turn around and leave, his fingertips suddenly touched another heavy object in his chest. He took it out and looked at it, feeling slightly surprised.
It was the bronze wedge-shaped box that had slipped from Xu Shuangce’s sleeve in front of the Forbidden Hall.
Creak…
The window lattice had somehow been blown open at some point, papers on the desk fluttered, and the brush stand swayed slightly. In the cold wind, there seemed to be a faint, bitter taste and a whistling sound, but upon closer inspection, it was a sharp wail.
Who was crying?
For some reason, Ying Kai suddenly felt restless in his heart.
Without thinking, he walked up to close the window, intending to drive away the incessant cries. However, as soon as the window closed, an even stronger gust of wind pressed against his face, and the faint bitter taste suddenly became clear—
It was the smell of something burning.
Crackle!
Crackle!
Sparks exploded on the rafters, cries and shadows gathered, and a huge fire blazed in the city.
With a deafening roar, the city wall collapsed, and boundless flames surged into the sky, engulfing Ying Kai’s limbs and bones!
A loud bang awakened Ying Kai. Suddenly coming to his senses, he found himself standing upright by the closed window, his cold sweat soaking his heavy clothes. Unconsciously, he had dropped the bronze box to the ground, causing it to emit a bright sound.
“…?” Ying Kai staggered back to lean against the desk. “How…?”
Blood, screams, and boundless flames… cries resounded from all directions.
That day on the golden ship, he used his divine sense to clear the way for everyone and entered the illusion of the battle of destruction, witnessing giant soldier puppets slaughtering countless beings. Since then, he had been having similar nightmares intermittently, and recently, the nightmares had become more frequent, causing him unbearable agony whenever he fell asleep.
But why did scenes that were clearly only seen in dreams suddenly appear during the day?
Ying Kai forcefully swallowed his dry saliva, feeling inexplicably restless in his heart.
“No, I can’t,” he thought instinctively.
“I am the Alliance Leader, everyone in the world is watching me. I can’t let others see me like this.”
He forcibly suppressed the restlessness and anger in his heart, and bent down to pick up the bronze box on the ground. However, the box, made of bronze wedges, scattered as soon as it was dropped. Ying Kai blamed himself for breaking someone else’s things, intending to pick up the box and put it back together. However, he saw a thin scroll exposed among the scattered bronze wedges. When he inadvertently touched it with his fingertips, it silently turned into blood.
Ying Kai’s mind was greatly shocked.
The next moment, the blood rushed towards him, so fast that he was caught off guard and it plunged directly into his mind!
The surroundings of the study quickly blurred, like blocks of color drenched in water. The whole world seemed to sink into deep water in an instant, and even his senses were overwhelmed.
What was this, an illusion?!
Ying Kai struggled violently but to no avail. Just as he was suffocating, suddenly an invisible giant hand violently pulled him out of the water, and a foul, salty, Yin wind rushed towards him—
A deafening roar rang out from all directions, and the field of vision was filled with turbid yellow floodwaters, rolling and surging, connecting the heavens and the earth into one.
Before Ying Kai could react to what was happening in this illusion, he felt endless exhaustion and intense pain rising from his limbs and bones, causing him to involuntarily kneel down. It turned out that his spiritual power had been exhausted to the limit.
A familiar voice came from behind, “You’re still alive, huh?”
Ying Kai recognized the voice and turned around in astonishment.
He saw Xu Shuangce, in a miserable state, standing in mid-air with his sword, soaked and pale all over, his clothes and accessories different from usual, and looking like ancient clothes from thousands of years ago.
“…Shuangce?!”
Xu Shuangce seemed to be only in his twenties, with sharper eyebrows and eyes than now, exuding a young and arrogant temperament. However, due to exhaustion from excessive use of spiritual power, his voice was already hoarse, “If the floodwaters are not controlled within the Taihu area within an hour, all eight river mouths downstream will inevitably burst, and by then, the entire water flow will be out of control.”
At this moment, another gust of wind whistled by, and in the wind, faint cries of the people from afar could be heard tearing apart. Xu Shuangce propped his forehead with one hand, his eyes showing some impatience, “We’re not dead yet, why mourn?”
Whether it was the towering flood disaster in front of him or Xu Shuangce’s unusual words, Ying Kai was too shocked to speak. But at this moment, he had no time to think— the embankment ahead collapsed in the earthquake, and the towering waves rushed towards them like a thousand horses, covering their entire field of vision in an instant!
“…Forget it,” Xu Shuangce drew his sword, took a deep breath, and said heavily, “We might really die here
Ying Kai’s expression changed drastically, and he didn’t even have time to draw his sword before the massive flood covered the sky and earth, engulfing all his senses!
Boom—
The rolling thunder echoed over Mount Dai, illuminating the layers of eerie clouds.
“Has the Alliance Leader not come out yet?” “He’s been alone in the study for most of the night…” “All the sect leaders are waiting to see him. Is everything okay with the Alliance Leader?”
…
Finally, an inner servant from Tui E brought tea and arrived at the door of the study, cautiously knocking, “Alliance Leader? Alliance Leader?”
With a sharp sound, the study door opened.
The inner servant subconsciously looked up, just as a thunderclap sounded from outside the window, illuminating Ying Kai’s figure behind the desk.
Ying Kai sat straight, half of his body immersed in darkness, while the other half was illuminated by lightning. He stared straight ahead, his face devoid of any expression, resembling a lifeless statue, with only a hint of blood light flickering in his eyes.
The sudden fear seized the inner servant’s heart. His hand trembled, and the teacup fell to the ground, shattering it with a bang!
“Alliance Leader, forgive me, forgive me! I’ll go now—”
Ying Kai uttered a few hoarse words, “Leave.”
The inner servant froze for a moment, but out of concern, he couldn’t help but stammer, “Al… Alliance Leader, are you feeling unwell? Do you need to summon a doctor from the Medical Sect to come and check…”
Amidst the thunderous noise, the table cracked into pieces, and Ying Kai’s roar was hoarse, “Get out!!”
The inner servant had never seen the usually gentle Ying Kai so furious, and he could hardly believe his ears. He fled out of the threshold, leaving even the broken pieces of porcelain behind. Just before closing the door, he took one last look and saw Ying Kai sweeping his sleeve into the air, conjuring a black sealed space from the void— the Mustard Seed Jar.
Hidden within the mustard seed is the universe, where the sun and moon are stored. This mysterious treasure is used to confine oneself.
Ying Kai seemed to be enduring pain and rage, with veins bulging from his neck to his hand. He covered himself with the Mustard Seed Jar, and disappeared from the messy study, leaving nothing behind.
“…Alliance, Alliance Leader…”
The inner servant sat trembling on the ground, full of shock and confusion. Just as he was full of doubt, suddenly, a deafening—
Boom!!
He shuddered and looked up. The thunderous roar split the sky, illuminating the night sky like daylight.
***
The thunder, muffled by layers of curtains, became indistinct, like distant waves on the sea.
“Xu Bai…”
Under the covers, Gong Wei moved slightly, murmuring softly. Xu Shuangce hugged him tighter, whispering, “It’s okay, go to sleep.”
Gong Wei’s cheek pressed against his neck, his flowing hair brushing against Xu Shuangce’s chin as he murmured, “Did the sky fall?”
“It’s just thunder.”
Gong Wei nodded, seeming to be somewhat relieved, “The sky can’t fall anymore.”
Xu Shuangce stopped patting him, staring straight ahead in the dark. After a while, he finally asked, “You’ve been in the hall all along. How did you know about the sky falling?”
“I can feel it.”
“…”
“Weird,” Gong Wei opened his eyes in confusion, furrowing his brow. “Why can I feel it?”
Xu Shuangce sighed silently but didn’t let Gong Wei notice. He gently covered his eyes with his hand, “Don’t think about it, just sleep.”
Outside the window, lightning and thunder raged, and the whole world seemed to turn into a roaring sea. Only this forbidden Gong Wei was like a lone boat drifting alone. The bed curtains enclosed a private and warm little world, guarded by Xu Shuangce’s strong arms, keeping out all the upheavals of the world, and not letting even a breeze or rain penetrate.
The layers of eerie mist and heavy darkness, along with the murderous intent, all drifted away with the torrential rain, turning into a blurry background.
“I seem to suddenly be able to sense a lot of movements in this world… The dark clouds churn in the sky, cracks extend in the depths of the earth, and many mountain ranges in the distance are about to collapse.” Gong Wei remained motionless in Xu Shuangce’s arms, sighing, but his words dissolved into the boundless darkness the moment they left his mouth. “I feel so uncomfortable, Xu Bai. Is the world going to be destroyed?”
There was a faint fragrance of peach blossoms in his hair, and Xu Shuangce gently stroked it until the slightly cool strands were completely smoothed out before he said, “No, it won’t.”
“Why?”
Xu Shuangce replied, “I will find a way to keep it going.”
But what other way could there be?
Mountains and rivers would collapse, rivers would dry up. There was nothing in this world that lasted forever, just like a beautiful dream that would eventually end. Even if it meant exhausting the last bit of spiritual power, squeezing out the last drop of blood, it would only delay the moment of awakening a bit longer, allowing the warm illusion to linger a little longer.
Gong Wei’s consciousness fluctuated between clarity and confusion, unable to distinguish between reality and dreams, as if floating between the folds of time and space. After a moment, he gently asked, “Xu Bai?”
“Yes?”
“I feel like you’re a little sad.”
“… “
Xu Shuangce’s hand paused as he stroked his hair.
“Don’t be sad, I like you.” Gong Wei lifted his head, looking at his profound and clear jawline in the darkness, and said, “Let’s talk for a while.”
This time, Xu Shuangce finally didn’t ask him to go to sleep again, whispering, “What do you want to talk about?”
Gong Wei thought for a moment, then smiled and asked, “When did you start liking me?”
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Thank You for the chapter ❤٩(•౪•٩)
I feel bad for ZSC, trying to put off something that seems inevitable.