Ye Xuan gazed ahead, his black eyes as deep and distant as the eternal night.
"It’s coming," Ye Xuan spoke slowly.
Ming Jing Great Emperor couldn’t help but turn his head, looking towards the Lantern Sea, feeling a bit tense.
The Lantern Ancient Beast was rapidly approaching.
Without the golden runes, it was difficult to spy the Lantern Ancient Beast’s presence in the dark.
But from the lanterns rising and falling on the sea’s surface, it was clear that a giant ancient beast was speeding towards Broken Bone Cliff.
From the perspective of Ye Xuan and Ming Jing Great Emperor, it was noticeable that the endless dark fog ahead was parting to the sides.
Boom!
The next mont, a hideously fierce Lantern Ancient Beast flew out, with a large lantern on its head and a smaller lantern inside.
It stopped under Broken Bone Cliff, bowing its head towards Ye Xuan, making a few cries, seemingly trying to claim credit from Ye Xuan.
Ye Xuan waved his hand, and the Lantern Ancient Beast set down the small lantern from the large one before retreating back into the dark mist, disappearing without a trace.
And that small lantern gently flew towards Ye Xuan.
Ye Xuan lightly manipulated the void, making the small lantern fly towards Ming Jing Great Emperor beside him.
Ming Jing Great Emperor caught the small lantern, looking at Ye Xuan with a hint of unease.
Ye Xuan nodded slightly.
Ming Jing Great Emperor took a deep breath, steadying his emotions, and applied slight force with both hands.
Buzz————
The next mont, the small lantern dispersed into specks of light.
But those lights did not disappear; they paused there, then intertwined again, forming a graceful silhouette.
It was a young woman, appearing to be just in the bloom of her youth, dressed in a simple green dress, her eyes closed, as if half asleep.
Seeing this young woman, Ming Jing Great Emperor felt a twinge in his nose, opening his mouth, struggling to suppress his trembling voice, he softly called, "A Lian."
The woman was indeed A Lian!
A Lian heard the voice, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes, with surges of spiritual energy converging in an instant.
The gentle call from Ming Jing Great Emperor was like a beacon in the dark, awakening A Lian, who had been asleep for countless years.
A Lian seed sowhat bewildered, and upon seeing Ming Jing Great Emperor, she softly murmured, "Brother Ming Jing?"
"It’s ," Ming Jing Great Emperor cried with joy.
Everyone says that once you reach the pinnacle of the world, achieving greatness, you will be beyond joy and sorrow, utterly detached.
But actually, the more you reach such a level, the clearer you recognize your emotions, subsequently handling them in the most direct way.
Moreover, Ming Jing Great Emperor was indeed different from other great emperors.
"Wasn’t I dead? How can I see you..." A Lian was still sowhat dazed, murmuring as she looked at Ming Jing Great Emperor.
"It was my failure to take care of you, I’m sorry," Ming Jing Great Emperor said, full of guilt.
A Lian gently raised her pale hand, wanting to wipe away Ming Jing Great Emperor’s tears, but found herself unable to touch him. She paused, then put her hand down and looked at Ming Jing Great Emperor, softly saying, "Brother Ming Jing always took good care of A Lian; you did nothing wrong to A Lian."
Ming Jing Great Emperor shook his head repeatedly, saying, "No, if it weren’t for insisting on coming to the Dao Chu Ancient Land back then, you wouldn’t have died. It was all my fault."
Back then, he insisted on coming to challenge the Dao Chu Ancient Land, and A Lian ca with him, but he acted recklessly on Broken Bone Cliff, nearly losing his life. At the last mont, it was A Lian who pushed him away, sacrificing herself to the Forbidden Power of Broken Bone Cliff, and her soul was buried in the Lantern Sea.
If it weren’t for him, A Lian wouldn’t have died.
This matter has always burdened him with imnse guilt.
Even now, he hasn’t been able to untie this knot in his heart.
"Brother Ming Jing, do you rember what you said to A Lian back in Piyun Village?" A Lian smiled gently, saying, "You said back then, Brother Ming Jing, that you would spend your life taking care of A Lian, and you truly did your best!"
"At that ti, we were re mortals, occasionally witnessing cultivators flying with swords, thinking that the Cultivation World was so high, that cultivators were like immortals with trendous power. To care for A Lian well, you went through countless hardships to beco a cultivator."
"As soon as you beca a cultivator, you ca to teach A Lian, so that A Lian could also beco a cultivator."
"In this world, there’s only one Brother Ming Jing like you."
"In those years as a loose cultivator, although life was hard, you always gave the best things to A Lian."
"A Lian often felt apprehensive, always feeling like a burden to Brother Ming Jing, and she also wanted to care for Brother Ming Jing soday. So, regarding the incident at Broken Bone Cliff, Brother Ming Jing shouldn’t bla himself. That was simply A Lian’s one and only chance to help Brother Ming Jing."
"Though A Lian has died, she does not regret it and is even very happy."
A Lian smiled knowingly, looking at the one in front of her, and softly said, "At least at that mont, A Lian felt she had so small purpose."
"It’s just..."
A Lian’s tone suddenly turned somber. She looked at Ming Jing Great Emperor with red-rimd eyes, her voice trembling, "It’s just that at that mont, truly leaving Brother Ming Jing, and seeing Brother Ming Jing in madness, my heart felt a pain I had never known."
"At that ti, A Lian didn’t want to die either, wanting to always be by Brother Ming Jing’s side, but alas, the dark was too overwhelming, drowning , unable to open my eyes, until a long, long ti later..."
"I never expected to see Brother Ming Jing again!"
A Lian burst into tears while smiling.
Ming Jing Great Emperor quietly listened to all of A Lian’s words, always looking at her. When A Lian smiled, he felt that nothing else mattered, but when A Lian cried, his heart could not help but ache.
Watching the tearful yet smiling A Lian, Ming Jing Great Emperor reached out to touch A Lian’s face, and although there was no sensation, it felt alright.
Ming Jing Great Emperor softly said, "Perhaps back then, we might as well have lived as re mortals in Piyun Village all our lives, and that would have been fine too."
But A Lian glared at Ming Jing Great Emperor, lightly snorting, "Have you forgotten how those cultivators fighting occasionally affected our Piyun Village? If Brother Ming Jing hadn’t beco a cultivator, Piyun Village would have been long gone."
"Anyway, Brother Ming Jing shouldn’t feel bad because of ."
"At least, we can see each other now, and that’s good enough, isn’t it?"
A Lian smiled.
However, in her heart, A Lian still had a small regret, which was that she could not give her Brother Ming Jing a true embrace.
But to see Brother Ming Jing again was already wonderful, and she dared not ask for more.
She only wished for ti to freeze at this mont.
Until forever.
Ming Jing Great Emperor was touched in his heart and nodded slightly, "From now on, we’ll always be together."
But A Lian kept shaking her head, saying, "How could that be? Brother Ming Jing, didn’t you say that you would ascend to the peak of all worlds and beco the supre emperor? When that ti cos, then we’ll always be together."
Ming Jing Great Emperor smiled slightly, "Actually, I’m already dead."
"Ah?!" A Lian looked puzzled at Ming Jing Great Emperor, shaking her head, "That can’t be, you look perfectly fine."
Ming Jing Great Emperor just smiled, looking at A Lian, without saying a word.
"In fact, he already fulfilled your promise, becoming the supre emperor, but he did not pursue his imperial path. Instead, he chose to return to where you had sacrificed for him, just hoping to resurrect you."
A voice ca from the side.
A Lian looked over, seeing Ye Xuan sitting cross-legged.
"And you are..."
A Lian was sowhat puzzled.
Ye Xuan didn’t answer A Lian but looked towards Ming Jing Great Emperor, smiling slightly, "Is it as you wished?"
Ming Jing Great Emperor shook his head, then nodded, looking at Ye Xuan, stepping back three steps, and bowed three tis to the ground, solemnly saying, "Teacher’s great kindness and virtue, Ming Jing has no way to repay. Today, Ming Jing shall perish completely, and the emperor’s corpse left behind is to offer so filial piety to the teacher."
"You are... Brother Ming Jing’s teacher?" A Lian was utterly astounded.
However, soon enough, A Lian covered her mouth lightly in disbelief.
Looking at Ming Jing Great Emperor, she stamred, "Brother Ming Jing, you... you are really dead?"
Ming Jing Great Emperor smiled gently, "Since we couldn’t be together forever in life, then let us be together in death!"
Ming Jing Great Emperor spread his arms, flying towards A Lian.
A Lian’s emotions fluctuated, finally relieved, she rushed into Ming Jing Great Emperor’s embrace.
At the mont they embraced, they both turned into specks of starlight, dissipating continuously.
Ye Xuan watched that scene without speaking.
For a long while.
Ye Xuan exhaled lightly, muttering, "Life may be hard, but the return of a good person makes it worthwhile."
User Comments
0 comments from readers