Chapter 161

The valley was already filled with corpses and rivers of blood. Thousands of Yin soldiers were weaving through the battlefield, rendering darkness and death boundlessly. Shouts of murder and screams pierced the clouds above and penetrated the underworld below. Blood, mutilated corpses, pain, sins, fear, what was the difference between earth and hell?

Looking at this tragic image, Zong Zi Heng's vision gradually turned bloody red. His breath almost stalled. Those cultivators who perished here, corpses that were still not cold, streaks of blood that have still not thickened, how innocent they were to die for the selfish desires of others!

All the evil causes and consequences, countless sins and debts, all the lives lost in vain, were all because of him, all because of the golden core in his belly! Looking back on his life, a mountain of guilt fell on his shoulders, and he could not bear the weight of it.

Zong Zi Heng's face looked as if he was crying and laughing as he stumbled forward.

Qi Meng Sheng chased after him from the cave, but now she was unable to lay a hand on him.

Standing on the edge of the cliff, Zong Zi Heng took in a deep breath and shouted, "Zong Zi Xiao------"

Zong Zi Xiao forced Xu Zhi Nan back with his sword and dodged Li Bu Yu's attack, leaping several times across the mountain and landing back on a boulder.

He was wounded. His face was stained with blood, not knowing who it belonged to, which dripped down from the tip of his sword all the way to the ground. His pitch-black eyes had taken up most of his pupils, like two deep, bottomless black holes, with red blood vessels spreading across the whites of his eyes. Killing is one of the emotions, and he gazed at his big brother with those inhuman eyes.

Zong Zi Heng said in a trembling voice, "Stop. How many more people do you want to kill? How many more sins do you want to create?"

"They are the ones who want to kill me." Zong Zi Xiao revealed a gut-wrenchingly fierce smile, his expression was of a madness that had never been seen before, "I will kill them all, kill, them all!" There was only one thought in his mind, and that was to kill, kill, kill! All those who dared to stand in his way, who dared to stand in the way of him and his big brother, deserved to die.

"Your power comes at a price, a price that will scatter your soul." Zong Zi Heng knew that Zong Zi Xiao had already Qi deviated. He had absorbed too much Yin energy in this battle, and who knew when that breakdown limit would come.

Zong Zi Xiao clutched the Heavenly Secret Talisman and laughed wildly, "It is they who will have their souls scattered!"

Two lines of tears flowed from Zong Zi Heng's eyes, and there was no turning back. He said with sorrow, "I brought you up with my own hands. Since you have not recognized the Lu family, then you are still a member of my Zong family. Today, on behalf of the ancestors of the Daming Zong Clan, I will get, rid, of, you.” With a sudden shout, he used his whole body's spiritual power to rush towards the spell seal on the chakra, forcing it through at the expense of seriously injuring himself.

He felt a strong contraction in his internal organs. His tendons and chakra felt like they were about to be torn apart, and the pain crushed through his whole body, and a large stream of blood spurted out of his mouth.

Zong Zi Xiao stared until his eyes were about to crack. The world was smeared with blood until it was beyond recognition, but in his eyes, it was no match for the little red on his big brother's body. He took a few steps forward, reached out his hand and was about to support him, "You ..."

Zong Zi Heng raised his hand suddenly, and the sword blade went straight towards Zong Zi Xiao's heart. His figure swayed several times before he managed to stabilize himself. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and clutched the sword in his hand. His peaceful gaze staring straight into Zong Zi Xiao's eyes.

Zong Zi Xiao looked at the sword, which was only inches away from his heart, and halted his footsteps, which wanted to come closer to big brother. That hand, which was already outstretched, dropped in disappointment and eventually formed a fist at his side.

Xu Zhi Nan, Li Bu Yu and Qi Meng Sheng all gathered around, ready to strike.

Zong Zi Xiao looked around, and finally, his sorrowful gaze fell on his big brother. He hadn't even frowned once when facing the entire immortal cultivation world's crusade, but this man had turned his blade against him, causing him pain and hatred, to the point of wanting to destroy everything.

"You want to betray me again." The hatred in Zong Zi Xiao's eyes was overwhelming, "Again and again, for yourself, and for others. Only I can be thrown away as you wish."

"Zong Zi Xiao, remember this, remember this in life and in death, I, Zong Zi Heng, have never betrayed you. But I do regret that I didn't stop you sooner." Zong Zi Heng coughed out another mouthful of blood as he endured the excruciating pain and said firmly in a broken breath, "From the beginning, till the end." He raised his sword and attacked Zong Zi Xiao.

Xu Zhi Nan and the other two also swarmed up to him.

Zong Zi Xiao let out a shrilling roar of a trapped beast and danced with his long sword. His fierce sword qi was so powerful that it can overwhelm the mountain and sea, forcing the four back for a moment.

But he was still outnumbered, and was soon blocked from the path, and began to lose ground.

Zong Zi Heng pursued him relentlessly with a fierce and desperate attack. That was a deadly way to attack. Zong Zi Xiao was so agitated by him that he almost went crazy, feeling the intertwining grief and indignation, hopelessly apathetic. One sharp and deadly sword energy attacked him ruthlessly.

Zong Zi Heng raised his sword to block it, but was still catapulted several feet away by the tremendous force. His back hitting the stone wall hard. He fell with one knee on the ground in pain, forcing his chakra to break through. He had been so badly injured that he was unable to stand up for a moment.

Zong Zi Xiao was in a frenzy. His eyes almost filled with black pupils, like a demon in fury. He looked up to the sky and roared, and the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman glowed brightly. An endless stream of spiritual energy flowed through it into him.

The number of Yin soldiers only increased, and the cultivators were nearing the end of their ropes.

Zong Zi Xiao released a majestic spiritual pressure and injected it into his sword, and began the eighth Chongtian of the Zongxuan Sword: "Wan Jian Gui Zong-----"

A giant sword descended from the sky. Its sharp silver blade plunging fiercely into the ground beneath his feet, releasing thunderous sword energy.

Li Bu Yu and Qi Meng Sheng were severely injured by the blow. Even Xu Zhi Nan, who was dressed in the Golden Carved Jade Suit, was split open by this sword energy. He had no choice but to abandon his giant form and save his spiritual energy to heal his wounds.

Zong Zi Xiao stood proudly at the top of the mountain and looked around him. The sight of lying corpses on the mountain and the flowing of blood caused him to let out a twisted, delightful laugh: "This is what will happen if you dare to disobey His Holiness. I will kill you all, I will dig out your cores, I will smash your bones and scatter your ashes, I will slaughter the whole immortal cultivation world-----"

"Zong Zi Xiao."

A call was heard beside his ears. The voice was chilly and calm, like a clear spring flowing through the scorching battlefield, not affected by the vulgar world in turmoil.

Zong Zi Xiao turned his head to look at Zong Zi Heng, only to see his big brother standing up once again, even though his clothes were stained with blood, even though his face was as white as paper, yet he straightened his back.

"Zong Zi Xiao, in fact, you really should hate me." Zong Zi Heng gazed at him, "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have come this far and become what you are today."

Zong Zi Xiao looked at his big brother grimly.

"Fate has played with me ..." Zong Zi Heng's eyes were misty with tears, "Big brother really did my best."

That "big brother" made Zong Zi Xiao's heart tremble, and a glimmer of clarity merged into his confused thoughts, accompanied by an unwarranted fear that invaded his mind.

"But I have to stop you, you can never get ... my core."

Zong Zi Xiao's pupils contracted fiercely as he watched Zong Zi Heng raise the sword in his hand.

The Zongxuan Sword, an heirloom of the Daming Zong Clan, which could only be inherited by the Human Emperor, had a blade like autumn frost and cut iron like mud. A sword that had helped the ancestor of the Zong Clan start a sect and kill in all directions, eventually unifying the immortal cultivation world, proclaiming itself emperor, and starting a three hundred year hegemony of the imperial family.

This sword, for the first time, was used to slice open the throat of Emperor Zong.

"No------"

Blood spurted out, staining Zong Zi Xiao's entire world red.

The black death aura in his eyes receded in an instant as he lunged in front of his big brother, covering the hideous bloody wound with his hands. His spiritual energy poured out furiously as he screamed "big brother" incoherently. That voice contained hatred, anger, helplessness and pleading. His heart had been torn to pieces. His body has been torn to pieces. His soul had been torn to pieces.

Zong Zi Heng's tears gurgled and slid down, mixed with the blood, thick and thin, yet making people feel grief-stricken. He did not feel pain. He felt relief and freedom in his body and mind that he had never felt before. He looked at Zong Zi Xiao's face, who was crying out in pain, and struggled to lift his hand to wipe away those tears.

All the blame he had towards Zong Zi Xiao's evil and wrongdoings, he put all of them down at the last moment. He saw his Xiao Jiu in this face again, and he wanted to wipe away Xiao Jiu's tears.

"I don't want your core, I don't want your core!" Zong Zi Xiao yelled, "I only want you, I don't want your core, big brother, don't leave me behind, don't leave me behind again!"

With all his strength, Zong Zi Heng gently swiped his thumb across Zong Zi Xiao's cheek, blood trickling uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth, blood bubbling uncontrollably from his throat, he said with difficulty, "Big brother ... let you down."

I'm sorry. Big brother failed to protect you.

I'm sorry. When we have agreed to be together forever, big brother left you behind again and again.

I'm sorry. Big brother couldn't watch you do evil and didn't want to see your soul be scattered away. There was no other way.

Feeling the life in his arms slipping away irreversibly, Zong Zi Xiao felt himself stepping towards death: "Don't leave me behind." He cried and pleaded, "Big brother, please, don't leave me behind again."

Zong Zi Heng revealed a gentle and nice smile. He smiled like how Zong Zi Heng did when he was a teenager. His brows relaxed. His eyes regained their clean and clear radiance, and he called out, "Xiao Jiu ... in the next life ... and afterlife, forever and ever, let's ... not ... meet again."

Xiao Jiu, let's not meet again.

SQC's note: Sigh, this plot is too hard to write. I wrote until I cried. But is one of the most important episodes of the whole book. The ability to set the tone bit by bit until here really made me feel very accomplished.

After this, we'll go back to the present life. 

 

---- 

PS: I can't cry on the train while translating this....must control.... T____T

PS from Emzie: He called him Xiao Jiu, I'm crying QAQ 

Edited on 8 May 21 (Emzie)

 

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