Chapter 273

"I saw you. I saw you suffering in the Heavenly Prison, and the torture you might have suffered after being demoted to the Underworld." Lan Chui Han said in a deep voice, "If you want to take revenge on me, just come at me. This grudge started between you and me, so it should also end with you and me."

Jiang Qu Lian looked at Lan Chui Han with tears in his eyes. His wet eyes were full of painful struggles: "I also wanted to be human. If I weren’t an Asura, nor a hungry ghost, just a human being, would we......"

Would we have different encounters and different endings?

But he didn't ask him in the end. What else could such a hypothesis do other than increasing the misery? He couldn't ask.

Lan Chui Han stretched out his hand with his palm facing up. His voice was slightly choked: "Ah Yun, return the Book of Life and Death to Official Lord Cui."

"Return it to him, and then what?" Jiang Qu Lian seemed to be crying and laughing, "If I return it to him, I’ll have to go to the infernal hell."

Lan Chui Han laughed miserably, "I'll accompany you. You can't be a human anymore, but I can accompany you in being a ghost. Let's end this."

"I don't want to be a ghost." Jiang Qu Lian murmured, "I don't want to be a ghost."

"Ah Yun......"

Jiang Qu Lian looked at Lan Chui Han grimly: "Do you still remember my former appearance?"

"I remember. Your hair was fiery red, and your eyes were big and bright......"

"Yes, I have red hair. Before I recovered the memories of my previous life, I loved to wear red clothes, and especially hated blue." Jiang Qu Lian let out a bitter laugh, "However, when I saw you for the first time in Chidi City, I still recognized you at once and still wanted to get close to you. When you said you wanted to be my cultivation partner, I was so happy and proud. It’s not like I didn’t think about living this life just like this and accompanying you to old age, but my hatred was hard to dispel. How can I forget the torture I’ve suffered?!"

"Everything started by me. If you want to take revenge, I’m at your disposal." Lan Chui Han looked into the distance. More and more ghosts were climbing over the city walls and pouring into the Underworld. He said urgently, "Do not implicate the innocent again!"

Xie Bi An's dantian had nearly run dry. He looked at the dense crowd of ghosts, and his hand clutching the Shanhe Sheji Map tightened suddenly. At this moment, the Yin Yang Monument connecting the human and ghost realms was wide open. If they couldn’t block these ghosts in Huangquan Road, they would flow into Jiuzhou. The human realm could no longer withstand such an onslaught. Then, how many people would die?

"Big brother, give me the Sheji Map."

Xie Bi An looked at Fan Wu She. He was looking at his pitch-black eyes. The black blood veins almost crawled all over the sclerae, and the ruthless Yin energy gave him a great sense of oppression.

In a flash, Xie Bi An felt that he saw the Supreme Demon Zong Zi Xiao of the previous life. The bitter hatred plus the erosion of the Yin energy of the Heavenly Secret Talisman had completely induced his inner demons, making him sinister and cold-blooded. The desire for revenge and the thirst for power eventually destroyed everything, including himself.

Fan Wu She cannot have his mind eroded by the Heavenly Secret Talisman again.

Xie Bi An shook his head: "Wu She, you also promised me that you would control yourself."

"I can. Give me the Sheji Map." Seeing the crowd of ghosts was approaching closer and closer, Fan Wu She said in a deep voice, "Big brother, there is no other way."

Xie Bi An gasped and mobilized the last of his spiritual energy.

"No!" Fan Wu She said in a stern voice, "You can't withstand this kind of spiritual energy consumption now. You'll empty yourself out!"

Jiang Qu Lian also looked at the distance in silence. The army blocked by the walls that Xie Bi An had pulled up had already surpassed the barrier and poured into the Underworld. Most of them were lonely souls and wild ghosts summoned by him and had no consciousness and mindset. Just like a hungry wolf pouncing on a lamb, when they smelled the scent of living people, they only have the instinct of eating and will no longer obey him.

Jiang Qu Lian suddenly felt very tired, as if he had never closed his eyes in these 600 years. There was a string in his heart which had always been stretching tightly, forcing him to move forward alone and racking his brains just to subvert this world he hated. But today, this string broke. It turned out that he had already gotten what he wanted. At this moment, he finally realized his deep fatigue.

Jiang Qu Lian turned his face to look at Lan Chui Han, trying to tug the corners of his mouth, and smiled a little: "If we were only mortals, how good would that be. If you ignored me, I would also keep pestering you, and a lifetime of pestering would soon pass."

Lan Chui Han’s tears rolled down: "I will definitely respond to you, look at you, remember your name, and agree to dual-cultivate with you. You are so fierce and capricious that I can only listen to you for the rest of my life."

The watery vision had already blurred Lan Chui Han’s handsome face. Jiang Qu Lian wiped away his tears with force and looked hard at Lan Chui Han again, as if this was the last time. At the same time, he took out the Book of Life and Death and the Jade Policy from his arms and threw them to Cui Jue. He raised his chin and said arrogantly: "I do not need the Underworld to judge my good and evil. Only I can judge myself." He turned around resolutely and rushed towards the army of ghosts.

"Ah Yun!"

Jiang Qu Lian let out a high-pitched ghostly howl. His hands turned into ghost claws, his red clothes danced wildly, and he smashed his claws into the ground like a ball of flame. With a loud boom, the earth split into a narrow deep gorge that ran for miles, splitting the Huangquan Road in two from it. The deep gorge was emitting an orange-red fire light, and heat waves were rising.

The army of lonely souls and wild ghosts fell into it like falling stones.

He opened the Ghost Gate that led straight to the infernal hell!

Jiang Qu Lian's Yin energy was flourishing wildly like a wave, surging in all directions, and everywhere he went, it was as if people were falling into the ice cave. He tore the Ghost Gate bigger and bigger and took the thousands of fierce ghosts he personally summoned back to hell with his own hands.

Jiang Qu Lian looked at the abyss of tumbling lava. That fiery red light and heat gave him a wonderful sense of belonging, as if it was silently calling him. He turned around, and his flying black hair was covered with bright red light by the karmic fire of hell. He showed an unprecedented gentle smile at Lan Chui Han. At this moment, the evil was washed away on his beautiful face and showed a bit of innocence.

In a trance, Lan Chui Han once again saw that simple capricious red-haired Asura youth.

"Be a good person. You’ll simply lose all interest in life if you have no feelings and desires. Eternal life is just a burden. It’s good to be a mortal." Jiang Qu Lian said with a smile, "Lan Jiang, don't forget me." He turned around and jumped into the Ghost Gate.

"Ah Yun----" Lan Chui Han's eyes were wide with anger*, and he flew over without hesitation.

"Brother Lan!" Xie Bi An quickly chased after him, but he was too late to grab a piece of Lan Chui Han's clothes.

Lan Chui Han followed Jiang Qu Lian and fell into the infernal hell. Like two fluttering butterflies, one red and one blue were entangling and flying into the deep abyss, and finally they were annihilated in the boiling lava.

The Ghost Gate, which was a huge opening on the earth, also closed.

Xie Bi An crouched on the ground. His internal organs were convulsing, and his throat was rolling with a bitter cry of sorrow. To him, Lan Chui Han was not only a close friend, but also Zhong Ming’s descendant and the successor of the Junlan sword. He felt a deep pain in his heart when he was watching Lan Chui Han fall.

Cui Jue looked at the Book of Life and Death in his hand. His brows were tightly locked, and the light of his pupils dimmed.

As soon as Jiang Qu Lian disappeared, his Yin soldiers and ghost generals also scattered like birds and animals, and the ghost willow forest returned to its stillness again. Only the limbs and rivers of blood under the tree, as well as the shrill ghost cries when the Yin wind blew, were evidence that a fierce battle had just ended here.

Fan Wu She’s body swayed. He staggered two steps before half kneeling on the ground.

"Wu She!" Xie Bi An ran over and supported him with strong arms.

Fan Wu She slowly raised his head. His eyes became almost completely black. His veins on his forehead were bulging. His sweat flowed wildly down his cheeks, and his messy hair on his forehead added a bit of wretchedness. He looked like he was possessed, fighting against the invisible forces in his body.

"Wu She, Wu She, look at me." Xie Bi An patted Fan Wu She’s face lightly and said in a voice that only the two could hear, "Look at me."

Fan Wu She raised his head and looked at Xie Bi An, but his eyes, which the black death aura had forcibly occupied, kept flickering. He struggled to see the person in front of him clearly. His lips were opening and closing slightly, "......Big brother?"

"I am big brother." Xie Bi An cupped Fan Wu She's face, endured his heartache, and said while doing his best to keep a calm exterior, "Xiao Jiu, do you still recognize big brother?"

"Yes."

"Then do you listen to big brother?" Xie Bi An felt sad and he had the urge to shed tears.

"......Listen?" Fan Wu She's voice reveals a hint of hesitation, and his pupils struggle again.

"Listen to big brother and come back to your senses."

"......"

Xie Bi An stretched out his hand, held Fan Wu She's hand, and slowly opened his fingers: "Give me the Heavenly Secret Talisman, okay?" Manipulating that ten-thousand-year-old ghost willow consumed an unimaginable amount of spiritual energy. That spiritual energy was all borrowed by Fan Wu She from the Heavenly Secret Talisman, so the price was also huge. He knew that Fan Wu She was only a foot away from entering the abyss again. He absolutely cannot use the Heavenly Secret Talisman again!

Fan Wu She clenched his hand suddenly. There was a murderous gleam in his eyes, but he was restrained by something and did not flare up. He just gritted his teeth and said, "What are you doing?"

"If you are manipulated by a magical treasure, even if your body is free, your soul hasn’t left hell." Xie Bi An gently stroked Fan Wu She’s cheek and choked. "Xiao Jiu, it was big brother who’s incompetent and couldn't save you in my previous life. I will never give up in this life. I’m here to save you. I'll take you home."

Fan Wu She looked at Xie Bi An in a daze, and his gaze was hesitant.

"You don't need the Heavenly Secret Talisman anymore. Give it to me. I want you to come back to me soberly." Xie Bi An once again held Fan Wu She's hand. His gaze was firm, powerful, and gentle.

"'Go home'?"

"Yes, go home. You've been away from home for too long. Big brother hasn't cooked you a good meal yet." Xie Bi An's tears fell quietly, "Xiao Jiu, come home with big brother."

"'Go home'......" Fan Wu She tears trickled down without warning, like a clear spring washing the filth from his eyes, it’s just that the black death aura was still struggling.

Xie Bi An gently stroked his fingers. He said with tears in his eyes: "You don’t need this kind of thing. Our home doesn’t need this kind of thing. Give it up. Don’t be dragged by hatred and desire again. Don’t lose your original intention."

A wrestle was quietly performing in an invisible place, and Fan Wu She tried his best to suppress the violence and impulse in his body.

Xie Bi An embraced him, still holding his hand in one hand, and whispered like he was coaxing Fan Wu She to sleep when he was a child: "Listen to big brother. Let's go home."

Big brother's embrace was not as thick and broad as when he was a child. It even seemed a bit weak, but it still emitted a faint orchid fragrance. It was still the warmest and most reassuring place in the world.

Fan Wu She’s tears couldn’t stop flowing down. The gloominess in front of his eyes gradually dissipated, like clearing the clouds to see the sun. His hand finally relaxed, and Xie Bi An carefully took the Heavenly Secret Talisman from his hand.

Fan Wu She fell weakly into Xie Bi An's arms and closed his eyes as if his energy had been drained. His nostrils were flaring, and he was panting wearily.

Xie Bi An's dangling heart* landed gently on the ground. He let out a long breath and was stroking Fan Wu She's hair with heartache.

Cui Jue said, "Bi An, leave the Underworld to us. You must return to the human realm now. There is still a crisis that has not yet been solved." He flipped through the Book of Life and Death, and his eyebrows did not relax for a long time, "I can't see Xu Zhi Nan’s ending, because his physical body is dead, and his soul is alive in someone else’s body. I've never seen such a situation. Even the Book of Life and Death is having some difficulty in verifying it. However, according to the changes of life in some of the Chunyang Sect’s disciples, Xu Zhi Nan should be in Luojinwu now. Go back and send him to the Underworld so he could bear the karma he should bear."

Xie Bi An nodded and helped Fan Wu She to stand up.

"Little White Master." Bo Zhu came over and said with teary eyes, "Will I be able to see you again?"

"Yes." Xie Bi An touched his head, "Definitely."

"But can you defeat that demon in the human realm?"

Xie Bi An said with certainty, “The good will always triumph over the evil. The human realm will return to peace."

"Okay, I will wait for you to come back and personally send me to reincarnate."

"It's a deal!" Xie Bi An held Fan Wu She, rose up with his sword, and flew towards the Yin Yang Monument. He turned his head and looked at the ruined Underworld, a messy ghost willow forest, and the Huangquan Road split from it. His heart was full of boundless bewilderedness. He turned his head back with only perseverance remaining in his eyes.

They returned to the human realm through the Yin Yang Monument. Xie Bi An looked at the devastated and empty Fengdu City. Thinking of the bustling scene here and the harmony between people and ghosts, he felt even more dismal.

He took Fan Wu She and flew in the direction of Luojinwu for a while. His physical and spiritual strength were exhausted, so he had to land and rest.

Fan Wu She's consciousness was faint at first. After resting, he was only slightly sober, but he was still weak: "Big brother......where are we going now?"

"To Luojinwu." Xie Bi An made him lean on him and fed him water, "Official Lord Cui said that Xu Zhi Nan is in Luojinwu. As we expected, he wants to go back and control the Chunyang Sect."

"Xu Zhi Nan has already eaten Song Chun Gui's human core, got Cheng Yan Zhi's body, and with the ice crystal and two major magical treasures to protect his body, his current cultivation level is unmatched in the world." Fan Wu She sighed, "We are now overly depleted, and are by no means his opponent."

"Unless....."

"No, you absolutely can't use the Heavenly Secret Talisman again. Once you get possessed, all our previous efforts will be wasted." Xie Bi An gently bit his lower lip, "We can defeat him. There are no invincible enemies if we join hands together as brothers.”

Fan Wu She smiled faintly, "With this sentence from big brother, I am willing to go through life and death."

Xie Bi An immediately felt a little embarrassed: "Alright, you rest well. Later, we’ll......"

"Big brother, thank you for saving me." Fan Wu She grabbed Xie Bi An's hand and interlocked their fingers.

"......I came late."

"You didn’t give up on me, so it is not late at all. I have been waiting for you, and finally I’ve waited for you to take me home."

Xie Bi An held the gentle and powerful hand back, and his heart was injected with a strong force. Just as he realized, he had to redeem himself by redeeming others. This was his real rebirth.

At this moment, it was like dawn finally arriving after a long night.

 

----

PS: a few commenters stated that this (falling into the hell together) is probably a HE for xiaohong and xiaolan. What u think? :0 (Usually SQC tends to write open endings for side characters). IDEK if that's their ending lol

PS from Emzie: I'ma just go cry now

wide with anger* [目眦尽裂]---I think is more like shock rather than anger, but SQC wrote ‘anger’ instead so…

dangling heart* [悬吊的心]---signifies one’s really scared and tense

 

Edited on 5 Aug. 21 (Emzie)

 

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