The End

The term “soft rib” refers to the floating ribs.

It is a hollow, a weakness, a flaw in the creation of all things by heaven; it is a place that must not be touched.

The bones of a True Dragon are impenetrable to gold or stone.

Yet the Heavenly Dao gave life to all things, and all things have a soft rib.

Even a True Dragon is not exempt.

The soft rib of the last True Dragon in the world, the Dragon Lord Yuyan, was a human.

She died ten thousand years ago, killed by his own hand atop the imperial city.

Her name was Princess Changyong.

—Inscription

(I)

I am a princess of Azure Dragon City in the Demon Realm.

My brother says my name is Yu Yong—the “Yong” from Changyong.

My brother says he hopes I will become like Princess Changyong in the future.

At first, I didn’t know who Princess Changyong was.

I went to ask many people, but this title seemed to be a taboo existence even in the Azure Dragon City; those mentioned grew secretive, and no one was willing to tell me.

It wasn’t until I snuck out of Azure Dragon City’s territory and went to Vermilion Bird City that I found a storyteller who specifically told me the story of Changyong.

It turns out Princess Changyong was the first Empress of the human race.

Rumor has it that she personally ended the thousands of years of history where the human race was the weakest race on the Qianyuan continent, suffering under oppression.

During her reign, she was brilliant in both civil and military affairs; her rule was prosperous, and the world was at peace.

These were the good things; naturally, there were also bad things.

Others say that while Changyong’s rule brought hope for the human race to rise, it was built upon endless bloodshed and conspiracy.

It was only by using the flesh and bones of the Dragon race and countless demon tribes as a foundation that she established her autocratic dynasty.

In less than a hundred years, the bones turned to ash, the dynasty collapsed, and she met her fate, dying upon her imperial throne.

“…A pity, Princess Changyong has been dead for ten thousand years; whether these rumors are true or false, history is no longer verifiable.”

The old storyteller plucked at the few remaining strands of his white beard, squinting his eyes with a knowing air as he spoke.

But I was still curious: “How exactly did that Princess Changyong die?”

“Well, in the rumors recorded in unofficial histories, it only says she met her end,” the old man pondered, stroking his beard.

“I suppose she committed too many acts of slaughter against other races, and her sins were too heavy; thus, she couldn’t meet a good end and suffered a heavenly tribulation.”

I rested my chin on my hands at the tea table, and hearing this, I couldn’t help but look back at the sky outside the building.

“Heavenly tribulation? In the Qianyuan Realm, is there truly retribution for good and evil?”

“Naturally!”

The old man’s squinted eyes snapped open, a sharp light flashing within them, and his voice became rhythmic and resonant.

“Heaven acts with constancy! Retribution for karma is never-failing!”

At the old man’s words, I sat up straight abruptly.

It wasn’t that I was startled by the storyteller, but that the sky I was looking at had suddenly changed color!

In the blink of an eye, dark clouds gathered, thunder rolled, and purple lightning hid within the heavy, city-pressing clouds, tearing through with arcs of thunder that made one’s scalp tingle.

I felt exceptionally “tingly.”

As everyone knows, controlling the clouds and rain is the specialty of the ancient True Dragon clan, and to this day, only the descendants of the True Dragons can do it.

Although I haven’t developed such a talent yet, with this kind of entrance and style, I could think of no one else but my terrifying brother.

Thus, I hurriedly rose and looked around, only wanting to find a back door to escape.

Unexpectedly, this old storyteller was muddled and had a poor memory. Just as I aimed for the narrow path to the back door, I was grabbed by him.

“Little Master, you can’t listen for free! You haven’t paid yet!”

“? I clearly gave you spiritual pearls just now, how could you—”

BOOM!

A clap of thunder drowned out my words.

I jolted and looked back, seeing a figure slowly stepping through the thunder amidst the dark wind and rain outside the building.

…There’s something I forgot to mention.

I fell off a cliff a while ago and hit my head, so I can’t remember anything of my past.

When I woke up, the only person by my side was my brother, the Lord of Azure Dragon City, Yuyan—who is also the current co-ruler of the Demon Realm.

My brother is extremely good to me. He even personally chose a husband for me, although the man accidentally died with no remains left, and even his position as co-ruler was seized by my brother.

My wedding never happened—

But my brother really is quite good to me.

Aside from not allowing me to leave his side by more than a hundred yards, he follows almost every one of my wishes.

…

For some reason, every time I see him, an inexplicable sense of dread arises from the depths of my heart.

Like right now.

“Yong’er, come here.”

A bolt of lightning split the ink-black sky outside. Yuyan stopped at the steps inside the building. He spoke deeply, his gaze intent as he slowly raised his hand toward me before that white, silk-like brilliance.

Whether it was because of this dim curtain of rain that turned day into night, or my brother’s eyes that had darkened from lake-blue to deep azure, I hesitated.

And so, I met my retribution.

A point of coldness pressed against my back, right over my heart.

“Don’t move.”

The storyteller’s rhythmic voice had turned hoarse at some point. The blade in his hand reflected a menacing cold light under the lightning.

“You as well—Azure Dragon Lord. Take one more step, and you can go to the underworld to find your sister!”

Behind Yuyan, the Azure Dragon Guards split into two rows, entering like silent ghosts beneath the rain.

The entire building was instantly enveloped in a cold killing intent.

The storyteller was likely nervous.

The hand clamping my arm trembled violently, and simultaneously, pain erupted from where the cold blade pressed against my back.

I instinctively bit my lip to stifle the groan that nearly escaped.

Only a sliver of bloody scent diffused through the rain and mist.

Swish.

Amidst the gloom, Yuyan suddenly clenched his fist and raised his arm.

Absolute obedience—even though I heard no command—the two rows of Azure Dragon Guards stopped in unison.

The old man behind me seemed to snap back to his senses, his voice trembling hysterically: “Don’t come any closer! Or I’ll kill her!”

“Withdraw.”

Yuyan turned his side, staring at me as he spoke to the person beside him.

The Azure Dragon Guard seemed to have an objection but didn’t dare speak. He hesitated for a moment before immediately making a military gesture, leading both teams of guards away.

The ghosts vanished back into the curtain of rain.

I heard the old man behind me let out a silent sigh of relief. “I don’t wish to make things difficult for the Azure Dragon Lord. What I want is simple—the Dragon Heart Scale.”

Yuyan’s figure, walking into the building, suddenly froze.

He raised his eyes abruptly, but he wasn’t looking at the old man holding me; his gaze fell straight onto me.

If a gaze could take physical form, I would likely have been split open by this look.

“…Brother?”

For some reason, upon hearing the words “Dragon Heart Scale,” the fear in my heart surged like a torrential tide.

I spoke instinctively.

The old man hissed a laugh behind me: “Azure Dragon Lord, don’t bother wasting your breath trying to trick me by saying the Dragon Heart Scale isn’t on you. There have long been rumors in the Demon Realm that you two are the blood descendants of the True Dragon clan. That True Dragon treasure, the Dragon Heart Scale, must be in your hands!”

A few breaths later.

Yuyan lowered his eyes, his lake-blue pupils hidden by his dark eyelashes, making his emotions unreadable.

“The Dragon Heart Scale… I can give it to you.”

The hand gripping my arm trembled violently. The old man was both shocked and overjoyed, his voice nearly breaking: “It’s really in your hands?!”

When Yuyan raised his hand again, a blue-gold, brilliantly glowing object had appeared in his palm.

Rather than a scale, it looked more like a rare gemstone.

“Return her to me, and you may take it.”

Gulp.

I heard the sound of swallowing right behind me. The person holding my arm instinctively pushed me forward a step, then suddenly stopped.

“Do you take me for a fool? If I trade with you like this, will you allow me to leave alive?”

“You’ve already prepared an escape array here, what are you afraid of?”

Yuyan raised his eyes coldly, tilting his head slightly.

“Then I shall swear in the name of the Azure Dragon Lord: if I prevent your departure, may I be struck down by heaven and earth, and suffer eternal damnation.”

“…Brother!” I couldn’t help but cry out, but I couldn’t stop him.

The vow was made.

The old man pushed me forward with the tip of his knife while laughing viciously behind me:

“Everyone says the Azure Dragon Lord values his sister’s life above all else; it truly is no lie. I should thank you, Princess. If not for you as such fine bait, how could I have caught our Lord? Oh no, he is the co-ruler of the Demon Realm now.”

In the rain and mist, I stopped just inches away from my brother.

The tip of the old man’s knife poked hard against my back; the pain was nearly numbing.

“You, take the Dragon Heart Scale from his hand and give it to me.”

I clenched my fingers.

The blade entered my back another inch. “TAKE IT!!”

“Yong’er,” my brother suddenly said softly, “be good. Give it to him.”

The pain was bone-deep; I raised my hand slightly, trembling.

Perhaps because of the excitement of having it within reach, the knife tip left my body for a brief moment.

I was just about to lung forward—

CRACK!

A bolt of thunder, seemingly full of rage, suddenly tore across the firmament.

A white light flared before my eyes, then died out.

Everything fell into darkness. Even the gloomy curtain of rain seemed to be wiped from my sight by an invisible black hand.

I heard a shrill, bone-chilling scream.

In the next moment, I fell into a warm, broad, and familiar embrace, losing consciousness.

(II)

When I woke up, I was back in the Azure Dragon City Lord’s manor.

The sunlight was bright and brilliant.

It was as if the scenes in my memory before waking were just a nightmare.

“Brother…” Seeing that profile cutting through the light and shadow by the bed, I couldn’t help but rise with shame. “Are you alright? Is the… is the Dragon Heart Scale still there?”

My brother’s hand gently brushed the hair at my temple. “Mmm.”

“Then… you didn’t kill that man, did you?” I asked cautiously.

“You don’t want him to die?”

“No, it’s just that you made a vow…” I grew a bit anxious. “If you kill him and the vow is fulfilled, then—”

“Look how scared you are.”

My brother laughed. “With such a small heart, how did you dare to sneak out alone?”

“I just wanted to know about Princess Changyong. No one in Azure Dragon City is willing to mention her,” I grumbled.

“It’s just an unofficial rumor; I don’t know why they are so secretive about it.”

“It’s not secrecy; it’s hatred.”

“Eh?”

I looked up in surprise. “Hatred? Do the people of Azure Dragon City hate Princess Changyong? Why?”

My brother held my hand, circulating spiritual energy to heal my wound. His tone was calm and indifferent:

“Because she personally killed the last True Dragon in the world, and annihilated the Dragon Palace and the entire Dragon-Serving Clan. Allied with the demons, she incited years of slaughter between the Heavenly and Earthly demon tribes until they were exhausted. And upon that sea of blood and millions of bones, she established the prosperous dynasty of her human race.”

I froze.

That indescribable sense of dread enveloped me once more, like a deep sea sufficient to drown me, making it hard to breathe.

After a few breaths, I slowly regained my senses. “Then… what is the Dragon Heart Scale?”

“A True Dragon’s reverse scale. It contains the True Dragon’s source power and is a supreme treasure of heaven and earth.”

I immediately grew nervous. “Did you really give it to him?”

“No.” My brother shook his head with a smile. “If it is to be given, it will be left for Yong’er.”

“Then… what about that man?”

“Don’t worry, he’s fine. I let him go; I won’t suffer the vow.”

The final breath I was holding escaped, and I nearly collapsed into the bed.

Just then, an Azure Dragon Guard came to report from outside.

My brother finished the healing, lowered his sleeves, and rose.

“I’ll come back to see you later. No running around. I told you before, your constitution is different from other demons and monsters; you have an innate deficiency. A single misstep can drain your blood essence. This time you must rest in your room for three months; no leaving the courtyard.”

“…”

I leaned back into the bed in despair.

Unexpectedly, that figure returned.

“I almost forgot.”

A beautiful hairpin, with a color suggesting a deep blue, was held between Yuyan’s fingers.

“Is this for me?” I sat up in surprise. “It’s so beautiful.”

“Is it?” He leaned close, pinning it into my hair with a smile. “Then promise your brother you will never let it leave your side.”

“Mmm, okay.”

Touching the ice-cold hairpin, I answered with a smile.

Yuyan’s figure vanished behind the closing door.

The moment he lowered the hand that closed the door and turned around, the smile faded from his eyes and brow. He looked toward the Azure Dragon Guards standing in the corridor, casually placing a spiritual barrier around the room behind him to block all sound and divine sense.

“How is it?” Yuyan stood with his hands behind his back, his profile cold and indifferent.

“Reporting to the City Lord: including the storyteller, a total of three hundred and seventy-two demons and monsters were involved,” the Azure Dragon Guard knelt. “All have been executed.”

Not a single muscle in Yuyan’s eye twitched. He spoke indifferently: “Leave no trace. Do not let Yong’er hear of it.”

“Your subordinate obeys.”

(III)

As time went on, I discovered a rather unfortunate thing—

Not only had I failed to recover the memories from before I fell off the cliff, but even current events were becoming increasingly blurred in my mind.

Often, in a moment of daze, I would snap back only to find I didn’t know where I was or why I had come there.

My brother said it was just some residual symptoms; with slow recuperation, I would get better.

Not quite at ease, I would secretly find traveling doctors to enter the manor while my brother was away.

But no matter how many I found, they all gave me the same answer: they said my soul showed signs of being obscured, but whether it was innate or acquired, not one could say clearly.

They were all quacks.

Likely fearing my blame, these quacks always vanished shortly after the consultation when I tried to find them again.

Fortunately, my memory is poor, and I would forget the next day.

Thus, traveling doctors and Daoist physicians continued to enter the manor one by one.

Until one day, a Buddhist physician came to the manor.

I wasn’t sure if there was such a thing as a Buddhist physician.

But there was one thing I didn’t get wrong: he was a bald man wearing a simple monk’s robe.

(IV)

This monk, who claimed to be a traveling physician, always gave me a sense of familiarity.

It wasn’t the man himself, but the Buddhist faith-power he used when examining me. For some reason, it made a silhouette begin to emerge in my mind.

It was a much younger monk, with phoenix eyes that didn’t look like a Buddhist at all. His willow-leaf brows flew up toward his temples, his face was like jade, and there was a blood-red auspicious mark in the center of his forehead. He looked like both a Buddha and a demon.

Like a demon monk. I must have seen him somewhere.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t be like this—the figure that was originally covered in a layer of mist grew clearer bit by bit as he circulated his faith-power to treat me.

“Have I… seen you somewhere…”

Wrapped in the Buddhist faith-power, caught between wakefulness and sleep, I couldn’t help but murmur in my dreams.

“One could say so. Benefactor has a keen eye.”

“Then you… have seen me too?”

“Buddha sees all living beings.”

“Did you come… specifically to help me?”

“Yes, and no.”

The unremarkable, plain-looking monk retracted his index and middle fingers, making a Buddhist gesture. Within his pupils, the golden light of the Swastika seal converged, and the blood-red mark on his brow flashed before going dark.

He folded his hands and smiled: “This monk remembers favors most clearly. In the past, at Hidden Dragon Mountain in the Immortal Domain, I suffered a ‘Dragon Soul-Obscuring’ technique within the Fuyu Palace villa. I have traveled ten thousand miles specifically to return your brother’s ‘favor’ from that day.”

“Soul-Obscuring—”

I still wanted to ask.

But I didn’t have time.

The final Swastika seal flicked from the monk’s fingertip, striking the center of my brow abruptly.

Like the sound of a vast bell or chime, accompanied by boundless Buddhist law, it cleansed my spiritual platform.

In the unseen, the Buddhist chants and sutra voices that enveloped the vast heavens and earth converged into a single phrase:

“Return—!”

“Come back!”

(V)

The Red Dust Buddhist’s Eye of Rebirth might still find it difficult to face the True Dragon’s original form, which is most proficient in soul techniques.

But dealing with a single Soul-Obscuring technique he had cast was a matter of only a short time.

Yes, I remembered.

I finally remembered my name, my origin; I remembered Qianmen thousands of miles away, my father, my mentors, and my junior sisters and brothers…

I also remembered Yuyan—or rather, Li Wuhuan—the Daoist companion of my wedding who nearly buried Qianmen in the abyss.

My “brother.”

As the dusk fell over the carved pearwood railings and I dissolved all memories within the evening clouds, the person I remembered last and most clearly was like a swift wind. He rushed through the corridor and courtyard, frantically pushing open the door.

Since our so-called “reunion,” this should be the first time I had seen him so panicked.

I guess he heard that a monk had entered the manor; I guess his Azure Dragon Guards couldn’t keep the other party there; I guess…

He was afraid I had remembered.

“Yong… Yong’er…”

That silhouette, that face, that person who was both bone-deep familiar and a stranger, stood in the light of the setting sun, staring at me stiffly.

I paused for a few breaths, stepped off the bed—

And lunged into his embrace.

The man instinctively opened his arms and caught me.

“Brother!”

I heard my laughter sounding just like usual—innocent and ignorant.

“How did you come back so late from your military expedition this time?”

The stiff body of the man I was holding gradually relaxed. His fingers rose tenderly, stroking my back.

“There was a situation at Two Realms Mountain last night. I went to investigate and was delayed… I’m sorry. It won’t happen again, okay…?”

Yuyan’s suspicion vanished completely after that call.

Everything in the City Lord’s manor returned to normal; I acted so, and so did he.

But he had likely forgotten.

One of the things that “I,” the former Princess Changyong, was best at was deceiving him.

(VI)

During those days of feigning compliance while waiting for a chance to escape, I could never figure out why he had gone to such lengths to save me.

And why, after saving me, he had obscured my soul and buried my memories.

He said I was his sister, meaning that even if I lost my memory, he would sever any possibility of romance between us.

He clearly hated Changyong so much, and was certain that I was her, so why didn’t he let me die?

I couldn’t figure it out.

Perhaps even he himself couldn’t.

But it didn’t matter; I no longer cared for the answer.

In the third year of playing the role of the devoted sister by his side, the moment I was waiting for arrived once more—

The ancient True Dragon clan undergoes a Molting Calamity every three thousand years. On that day, he would be weaker than a mortal.

I don’t know how many lifetimes ago it was, but as Princess Changyong, I had personally carved out his Dragon Heart Scale on the day of his Molting Calamity.

That was the cause of the Dragon City blood sacrifice and eternal hatred.

This time, what I was waiting for was still this day.

I sent a sword transmission to the Immortal Domain south of Two Realms Mountain. The night I received my Senior Martial Aunt’s reply, I knew the time for my departure had come.

I only miscalculated one thing.

I thought that after the Molting Calamity ten thousand years ago, it would have left an inescapable shadow on him, and he would surely find a place in the Demon Realm where no living being could find him to pass through it.

However, I hadn’t expected that a moment before my moon-high appointment with my Senior Martial Aunt, there would be a knock at my door.

“Yong’er,” his voice was drunken and husky, “it’s me.”

I froze before my vanity mirror, my hand holding the last piece of jade jewelry belonging to the Azure Dragon City Lord’s manor.

It was the hairpin he had personally pinned into my hair that day.

Gazing at the sliver of gold-and-blue blood within the hairpin, I couldn’t help but smile.

Right.

From the moment I recognized this hairpin he had personally handed to me, I should have known—

Tonight was destined to be a death trap.

I just didn’t know if this trap belonged to him or to me.

“Coming.”

I stood up, hiding the hairpin behind my back.

The sensation was so familiar it made me tremble. With every step toward the door, memories of my past life surged around me like nightmares and tides.

I remembered the name of this “hairpin.”

It was called the Dragon Scale Dagger.

It is the only weapon in this world that can carve out a True Dragon’s reverse scale while they are alive.

The door swung open.

The moonlight was like silver.

The person standing before the door smelled of wine and had not a shred of spiritual power, yet he opened his arms to me with a smile.

As if he were completely unguarded. As if his dragon heart had never been carved out alive.

Like a glaringly obvious trap.

I stepped out of the room, into the trap—

Smiling, I drove that hairpin into his chest.

(VII)

The blood stained his indigo-blue robes.

The blades and axes or ten thousand arrows through the heart that I had expected did not come.

Only now did I realize that outside the corridor, the night wind was silent, and not a single lamp was lit in the entire manor.

I let go of my hand.

The blood-stained jade hairpin fell into the dust, yet it didn’t transform into the Dragon Scale Dagger.

It wasn’t fake.

But the dragon blood was.

I gripped the savage wound in my palm.

The man’s smile still lingered on his lips, but his gaze was empty, nearly vacant. He grabbed the wrist I wanted to pull back, the veins on his forehead slowly bulging, making his originally handsome and refined face turn monstrous bit by bit.

“……Why?”

Another question the Princess Changyong of the past had already heard and answered.

“Why… didn’t you kill me?”

It was a question completely opposite to what I had imagined.

The beautiful face before me grew even more monstrous: “Did this lifetime make you soft-hearted? Your hands were long ago stained with the blood of ten thousand citizens of Dragon City and the entire Dragon-Serving Clan! Why bother with such false kindness and feigned affection!?”

“You were the one who said you hoped I would be like Princess Changyong.”

“THEN BE LIKE HER—KILL ME!”

“But you didn’t finish,” I slowly broke my wrist from his palm. “Be like her in what way? Like her dynasty collapsing and her dying at your hands? Or like her suffering your True Dragon’s curse, burdened by heart disease lifetime after lifetime, only waiting for you to hunt her down and slaughter her entire family, leaving her with bone-deep regret and a miserable end?”

Yuyan stared at me intently.

But I felt that his gaze was clearly piercing through me, looking at that woman atop the imperial city who stood unmoved even while stepping upon ten thousand skeletons.

He spoke with both hatred and grief: “What if I said… it was neither?”

“Then what was it?”

“It was to be like her…”

The hairpin that had fallen into the dust rose without wind, caught by him and pressed back into my palm bit by bit.

He held my hand, pressing the hairpin against his heart inch by inch, his eyes filled with an extreme, frenzied despair.

He looked at me and smiled.

“…To be like her: kill the True Dragon, enjoy the power, and possess the vast rivers and mountains, the endless territory.”

“This time, if I die, there will be no more Dragon City blood sacrifice.”

“You can enjoy the prosperous age alone, for all eternity, sleeping without worry.”

He seemed as if he would never know how to give up on her.

And it was this point that made me give up most of all.

Before the hairpin could pierce his chest, I lowered my eyes and smiled, then raised my other hand to press against his heart.

The hairpin stopped before piercing the back of my hand.

Yuyan’s gaze was filled with a grey, defeated despair. “Why?”

“Back at Qianmen, I already said it,” I looked into his eyes, speaking every word clearly. “I am Chen Jianxue. I am not your Changyong.”

(VIII)

I originally felt extremely bad for troubling my Senior Martial Aunt to travel all the way from the Immortal Domain across Two Realms Mountain to the Demon Realm to pick me up.

Until I saw the gentleman in the black robe and snow-white hair by her side.

Out of politeness, despite being physically and mentally exhausted, I asked: “Senior Martial Aunt, who is this senior?”

“Your Senior Brother.”

Having not seen her for a few years, my Little Senior Martial Aunt—who looked even younger than me—still had that lack of professional air that the sect elders criticized most.

“My dear disciple.”

The gentleman with snow-white hair and a peerless visage calmly corrected her: “Beloved companion.”

“…Eh?”

Senior Martial Aunt tilted her head to look at him.

“Since the person is here, let’s head to Two Realms Mountain. This is the Demon Realm after all,” the black-robed gentleman smiled warmly at Senior Martial Aunt. “If we delay too long and attract the personal guards of the four major cities, it would be bad to create extra slaughter, wouldn’t it?”

“True. That would be quite pathetic for you—to be replaced and then hunted by your former subordinates…”

“Master?”

“Fine, I’ll give you face and stop talking.”

The black-robed gentleman’s smile was helpless, yet extremely indulgent.

Unable to understand their relationship, I decided it was best not to interfere and quietly followed behind.

The Two Realms Mountain of today was not like it used to be.

Since the eruption of immortal power three years ago, no one below the Tribulation Realm could cross Two Realms Mountain.

Thus, in the vast Immortal Domain, it was only convenient for me to ask my Senior Martial Aunt to come.

I hadn’t expected that the black-robed gentleman by her side—who looked like a fragile scholar—would also be in the Tribulation Realm.

With the two of them acting together to protect me, Two Realms Mountain—which the powerhouses of the Demon Realm feared like tigers—didn’t seem so treacherous.

However, even for those in the Tribulation Realm, crossing Two Realms Mountain could only be done on foot; no sword flight was possible.

And the closer we got to the peak, the heavier the wind and snow became.

It nearly buried the silhouette following far behind us.

Senior Martial Aunt and her companion walked in front.

From time to time, they would leisurely look back at the billowing wind and snow behind them.

Their voices reached my ears through the protective barrier.

“According to your understanding of your former subordinates in the four major cities…”

“Alright, alright. Then based on your judgment of the Demon Realm—if their co-ruler dies back there today, they won’t pin the blame on me, will they?”

“Master.”

“You’ve had a long-standing feud with the Demon Realm.”

“And?”

“It wouldn’t exactly be ‘pinning the blame’.”

A few breaths later, Senior Martial Aunt appeared before me with a solemn expression. “I’ve thought about it. Our Qianmen motto is to take benevolence as our foundation.”

I asked sincerely: “When was this motto established?”

“Just now.”

Senior Martial Aunt didn’t blink, pointing toward the wind and snow behind me: “That fellow’s Molting Calamity isn’t over yet. If he keeps following, the Qianyuan Realm will have a True Dragon ice sculpture tomorrow—a first even among the three thousand worlds.”

“Does Senior Martial Aunt have an instruction?”

“Yes. Do you truly have nothing left to say to him?”

“I don’t see him that way.”

“Then it has nothing to do with me.”

Senior Martial Aunt was never one to force others. She sighed, turned around, and returned to her companion’s side.

A few breaths later.

Their conversation continued.

“Mu Hanyuan.”

“Mmm.”

“If you were Yuyan, what would you do?”

“What…?”

“Your clan died because I killed you. Ten thousand citizens, the lives of your entire tribe, a blood feud—all tied to me alone. What would you do?”

My figure slowed down, and finally, I stopped walking.

I knew.

My Senior Martial Aunt’s question wasn’t meant for her companion; she was asking me.

I also knew.

This was an unanswerable question.

He had no choice.

So I think, whether it was Changyong before her death or me at this moment, no one has the right to blame him. Nor have I ever blamed him.

But Qianmen was ultimately broken because of him. On that day, the blood of the Qianmen disciples truly stained the vast gate and a thousand miles of green peaks.

I can forgive, but they cannot.

I also have no choice.

“Yuyan.”

I heard my own voice, carried by the wind and snow at the peak of Two Realms Mountain, whistling toward the lonely silhouette between the vast heaven and earth in the night.

It was torn to pieces by the wind of Two Realms Mountain.

Wavering, yet resolute and determined.

“A True Dragon’s lifespan is as long as the heavens. I wish for you to enjoy eternity and endless loneliness.”

“Chen Jianxue hereby swears upon her soul—”

“In this life, until death, I shall never enter the Tribulation Realm.”

“With Two Realms Mountain as the divide—you and I: our debts of kindness and hatred are canceled; we are eternally severed. Lifetime after lifetime, may there never be another connection.”

The wind and snow finally vanished.

The world fell into a hushed silence.

I began walking once more, moving forward.

This time, I did not look back.

I knew that across this mountain peak, a new dawn would eventually rise on the other side.

After the wind and snow, there lies a new lease on life for all things.

[THE END.]