The system suddenly appeared after a long absence. Jiang Huai, standing in front of the system’s light screen, looked at Jiang Ning before him. He took a deep breath and sat up a bit. He gently reached out, and Jiang Ning was pulled into his embrace.
She suddenly sobbed and wailed, burying her face in his chest. Jiang Huai gently patted her back. His voice became very, very soft.
“I truly deceived myself,” Jiang Huai said softly after a long hesitation. “I knew you, who depended on me so much, would suffer greatly after I left. Yet, I subconsciously lied to myself, telling myself you would live well even without me… I’m sorry.”
“I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have saved that girl who fell into the lake. I saved her, but I hurt you. Every day, every second since rebirth, I’ve been filled with regret. So, I tried to numb myself, tried to forget. Now I understand, I can’t escape it, but it seems apologizing is meaningless…”
“When I was very young, I hated you. Because of your sudden appearance, I suddenly felt so helpless at home. My parents always compared my grades to yours, compared my obedience to yours. All day long, they told me to learn from you, to be as worry-free as you. I always quietly cursed you in my heart, calling you a burden, hating you to death.”
“Later, we both gradually grew up and became more sensible. They started envying me for having such a beautiful sister. You were so well-behaved when you were little. Perhaps sensing my dislike, you always followed me around, unconditionally calling me ‘Older Brother.’ Later, as we grew up, our parents passed away. I suddenly realized that it seemed in this world, in an instant, only the two of us were left.”
“At that time, I was in agony, as if my world collapsed overnight. But because you were there, I couldn’t be down, couldn’t be decadent. I wanted to give you everything good. To escape those painful feelings, I made my heart numb. Gradually, even I couldn’t perceive many emotions, only numbly playing the role of an older brother.”
“I couldn’t distinguish whether I was falling for you too, but I always wanted to escape your feelings… Because back then, I could only watch everything with numbness and indifference. I didn’t want to infect you with those negative emotions. Actually, when I saved that girl that day, I knew I might die… But I wasn’t afraid at all. It wasn’t because of justice in my heart, but simply out of numbness. It felt like the whole world was empty, and you had grown up, no longer needing to rely on me for your life… So… at that time, I seemed to be indifferent to everything. I was never as strong as I imagined myself to be, but rather a million times more fragile.”
“I’m selfish and good at lying. Every time I made a mistake, I only thought of deceiving myself, acting superior… This is me. What is this illusion now? Does it give me a reason to continue deceiving myself, thinking that by making amends for my debt to you in the illusion, my heart can find peace? No… it won’t be peaceful. I shouldn’t forget again, nor can I forget again… I’m sorry, Jiang Ning. I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have left you alone.”
He couldn’t accept Jiang Ning’s confession in this illusion with a clear conscience. He knew it was all false. Even if he accepted it, what good would it do to spend another three months with Jiang Ning in the illusion? It would only be to satisfy his own selfish desires. The mistakes he had made could never be rectified, never be repaid.
Illusions were the best painkillers, but if one dwelled in them and stood still, the illness would not change at all.
The moment these words were spoken, this world suddenly began to collapse.
All the darkness turned into scattered points of light. Everything in this small room began to disappear. Jiang Huai found himself in darkness again, but Jiang Ning, in his arms, was still there. He gazed at the young girl before him, her eyes looking at him so earnestly.
“Your Tribulation of Inner Demon is ending,” she said.
Jiang Huai was stunned for a moment, then slowly spoke, “What kind of existence are you?”
“Don’t ask these things. The Tribulation of Inner Demon is almost over. Just treat me as Jiang Ning, okay, Brother?” Jiang Ning suddenly winked playfully at him and leaned closer. “Kiss me again.”
“This is all fake…”
“Precisely because it’s all fake, then, kiss me again, Brother?”
The girl’s lips, as pure as flower petals, were within reach. But this time, Jiang Huai did not hesitate. He leaned in and gently kissed her delicate, moist lips. He didn’t know what he was thinking at that moment. All the sensations transmitted to his mind were so real. Her lips were sweet and soft, and her slender arms held him tightly, as if wanting to meld him into her body.
After a long while, when Jiang Huai was almost unable to breathe, Jiang Ning looked up at him. Her cheeks were already flushed, and then she suddenly showed a hint of disdain. “Brother, you’re really, really skilled now!”
“Huh?”
“Complaining a little fits the persona,” Jiang Ning suddenly pouted charmingly at him, then tilted her head and blinked her eyes. “Well then, goodbye.”
“Goodbye,” Jiang Huai said to her blankly.
The charming girl beside him left his embrace, gradually turning into specks of light that completely disappeared before him. All the darkness in front of Jiang Huai also began to collapse. When he opened his eyes again, everything before him had once again transformed into the Divine Tree Secret Realm.
He seemed to still not have recovered, extending a fingertip to touch. His fingertip seemed to still retain a trace of the warmth of the girl’s lips.
…
A “ding” sound came from his ear again.
[Congratulations to the host for breaking through the Tribulation of Inner Demon and entering Mahayana First Level.]
[Detected that the host’s body is on the verge of collapse. Please find a way to heal yourself as soon as possible.]
[This system has unlocked new permissions and will add the “Myriad Worlds Omniscient” function. The host can spend points to inquire about world guides.]
[More permissions will be gradually unlocked. Please explore patiently, host.]
At this moment, Jiang Huai had no time to explore the new system. Every inch of flesh and blood on his body was wracked with tearing pain, the price of the Dragon Heart power’s violent rampage within his body. Although it provided him with immense strength for a short period, his body was now, as the system stated, on the verge of collapse.
The world before him was undergoing a drastic change. The world space of the Divine Tree Secret Realm had been shattered by the Heavenly Tribulation, causing the entire Divine Tree world to twist. It would not be destroyed but would merge with the outside world. The scenery before Jiang Huai began to warp. On the entire Life Source Island, countless plants from the Divine Tree world now appeared, and Lin Qing and his body reappeared on Life Source Island.
At that very instant, Jiang Zhi had torn through space and arrived before Jiang Huai. She placed her hand on him and said softly, “Still alive?”
“Alive,” Jiang Huai looked up and smiled faintly at her. “I picked up a life.”
“That’s good.” Jiang Zhi let out a long sigh, but in that same instant, she sensed how severe his injuries were. Therefore, she didn’t say another word and first looked at Lin Qing before her.
Even though he had appeared calm before, this sudden turn of events ultimately brought a trace of unwillingness to Lin Qing’s eyes.
At this moment, the sky was still dark, and the light illuminating the world came from the countless lightning bolts in the sky. A downpour was falling upon this world. Lin Qing tightened his grip on the verdant Spirit Sword in his hand. He had now absorbed all the power of the Life Divine Tree he had planted, his cultivation level fixed at Ninth Realm Fourth Level. However, at this moment, there was a chasm-like gap between his cultivation and Jiang Zhi’s Ninth Realm Eighth Level cultivation.
Fortunately, he had cultivated for an additional four thousand years before Jiang Zhi.
Their figures vanished from this world in an instant. The moment their sword edges clashed, the sky lit up with streaks of blue and purple spiritual light, like shooting stars piercing the heavens. Countless raindrops evaporated instantly, and the entire world began to fill with mist, which was then dispersed by the wind surging with spiritual energy.
In a blink of an eye, the two had appeared in the heavens.
“You can’t kill me,” Lin Qing suddenly grinned. “Not even if you’re Ninth Realm Eighth Level.”
But Jiang Zhi looked at him dismissively. “You will die today. You’ve provoked someone you absolutely should not have.”
“He’s the inheritor of some cultivator from one of the three great divine realms in the Upper Realm, right? Even so, so what? Even if you can trigger the strongest lightning tribulation under the Heavenly Way Rules, what of it? The Qingmu Realm is a world where the Divine Emperor has issued a ban! If you cause such a commotion, the Divine Emperor surely wouldn’t…”
But Jiang Zhi just smiled disdainfully. She raised her hand, and myriad bolts of lightning began to converge at her command. Even though the power of this lightning tribulation would also backlash on her, causing her brow to furrow, the disdain in her eyes did not diminish in the slightest.
“I don’t mind letting you die with clarity. Incidentally, by borrowing this lightning tribulation, I’ve also just learned…” Jiang Zhi looked up at the rolling thunder in the sky.
“You’ve been to the Upper Realm, but you don’t know that the Divine Emperor cultivated for ten thousand years. After she became an Emperor, countless followers gradually forgot her surname. They only knew her as the Divine Emperor, only knew that she was peerless throughout history, invincible in the world. No one dared to mention her name again, so everyone almost forgot…”
Lin Qing’s expression suddenly revealed a hint of stunned realization.
“Before the Divine Emperor officially ascended the throne, her surname was Jiang.”
With that, Jiang Zhi waved her hand, and myriad bolts of lightning descended.
