The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 235: Dragon Mountain's Desperate Situation

"How…" Mo Ran took a step back and shook his head, muttering, "How is it possible? It really is you…?"

"Indeed, it is I."

Heaven-Stepping Lord examined him leisurely before smiling. "Mmm… I originally thought that after your rebirth, you wouldn't remember much from your past life. But judging by your current state, it seems you still remember everything clearly?"

"..."

"And from the look on your face, it seems you've guessed at my existence to some extent. In that case, you're not too slow-witted."

Mo Ran stammered. He had so much he wanted to say; those words were roaring to burst out of his throat, but the one that made it through was an incredulous roar of anger. "But you're clearly dead!!"

"Oh?"

"You took the poison in Wu Mountain Hall, the king of all poisons, leaving no chance of survival! You died in front of the Tower of Heaven, buried under a flower tree in your coffin. You're already dead!!"

Heaven-Stepping Lord chuckled lightly. "That's not a convincing enough reason."

With those words, he slowly lifted his eyelids, revealing a mocking smile. His gaze was now as sharp as a predator's beak, ready to peck at Grandmaster Mo's body and pierce through it.

"In that case, how about I tell you one?" He spoke softly and leisurely, with the air of someone who held all the cards, and chuckled. "Yes, this seat has indeed died. The person who can best attest to my departure is standing right before me."

Mo Ran: "..."

"You are the soul that escaped death," Heaven-Stepping Lord laughed. "The most benevolent Grandmaster Mo, even from beyond the veil of the mortal world, people would often inform me of your... how should I put it, heroic deeds?"

He sneered.

"You are truly amusing. I thought you didn't remember much of your past life, which is why you could act so nonchalant. Yet, you actually do remember."

"..." Mo Ran clenched his back teeth.

"Sigh, Grandmaster Mo, do you think that by keeping silent, no one will uncover the truth? Do you believe that by putting down your weapon, you can start anew? Most importantly, do you think..."

Heaven-Stepping Lord tightened his grip even more ruthlessly, digging his nails into Chu Wanning's neck, causing the skin to turn purple under the pressure. Chu Wanning frowned in anger but was unable to utter a single word.

"Do you really think that since my world has lost its fire, I would still be so benevolent, allowing you to bask in the light alone?"

"Don't touch him!"

Heaven-Stepping Lord scoffed. "Don't touch him? Don't you find it ridiculous that you're the one saying this to me?"

With Chu Wanning in his grasp, he slowly circled around.

He and Mo Ran were locked in a gaze.

Heaven-Stepping Lord was staring at Grandmaster Mo.

Mo Ran was staring at Mo Weiyu.

The past was staring at the present.

Heaven-Stepping Lord taunted, "Don't you know how I've been touching him? Now you're pretending to be concerned, acting like a good guy."

"Stop talking!"

"Hmm? Why shouldn't I? Don't you find those matters intriguing, enjoyable? After being separated for so many years, with life and death hanging by a thread, don't you think it's time to reminisce and share these stories with delight?"

Mo Ran couldn't help shaking his head; his expression was likely even more grim than Chu Wanning's at that moment. He was filled with anger and helplessness, guilt and despair. "Don't say anything."

"Oh, you want me to shut up that badly? How amusing, our wise and benevolent Grandmaster Mo seems to be...” Heaven-Stepping Lord paused, carefully choosing his words before uttering three: "Very scared."

Mo Ran could no longer wait. He watched as Chu Wanning was tightly constrained in Heaven-Stepping Lord's embrace, and a tempest raged within him. He didn't know what to do, he just wanted to silence this devilish creature, to bury all the ugliness and the past deep underground, locked away in a coffin.

With a curse, a radiant light flared up, swiftly striking at Heaven-Stepping Lord. Crimson starflames crackled, their glow fiercer and more relentless than ever before.

Dodging the assault, Heaven-Stepping Lord's expression shifted. "...Heaven's Inquiry?"

No, he had already found the answer in his own words. This glowing red willow vine was not the Heaven-Questioning Sword.

"...Your new divine weapon is quite intriguing," Heaven-Stepping Lord said with a complicated expression. He stared at the vine whip for a moment, then looked at Mo Ran with an even colder gaze.

"Since that's the case..."

He gracefully moved backward and passed Chu Wanning to one of his subordinates. Then, raising his hand, he summoned Unreturning. "Come, let's exchange blows. I'm curious to know whether I'm more formidable with Unreturning in my hand or more vicious with this vine whip."

As he spoke, Heaven-Stepping Lord's fingers traced the blade of the strange sword, causing Unreturning's emerald light to surge, its spiritual energy reaching its pinnacle.

As Grandmaster Mo's fingers brushed past the willow vine, Ghost's body glowed with an eerie red light, and flames burst forth fiercely.

"Heaven-Stepping Lord sneered, "Although I possess a dual-element spirit core of wood and fire, I clearly recall being more proficient in wood than fire. Why the change in your temperament?"

Mo Ran remained silent, his expression cold and stern, lips tightly pressed together, his eyes revealing a hint of despair.

They were the eyes of someone standing on the edge of a cliff, teetering on the brink of falling.

"Zing!"

Two identical figures leaped into the air, clashing fiercely mid-air in a deadly struggle.

Ghost and Unreturning roared silently, their spiritual currents surging like a flood, colliding like a dragon encountering a whale or a deluge sweeping towards a beast. Instantly, bricks from the Dragon Soul Hall scattered, stones flew, and the lava in the Dragon Blood Pool was stirred up, spurting several yards high before spilling onto the ground.

Everyone activated their spirit-infused feet to avoid being scalded by the overflowing molten lava.

Heaven-Stepping Lord and Grandmaster Mo were no exception. Their intense battle was evenly matched, swords clashing, vines swirling like a storm. Black shadows clashed against black, bloodthirsty eyes locked onto despairing ones, each move and countermove at the pinnacle of skill, flames and lightning surging!

Another sharp cry of weapons echoed as both men's toes touched the ground, propelling them back into the air. The vine whip met the broadsword, the collision reflecting off their pale faces, splashing with spiritual energy.

A resurrection from the dead.

A life that pales in comparison to death.

As their powers clashed, Heaven-Stepping Lord's eyes blazed like a thousand snowdrifts, and he roared fiercely, "Unreturning, temper your spirit!"

Grandmaster Mo gritted his teeth, his voice low and intense as he cursed, "Damn it, temper your spirit."

In an instant, their spiritual energies surged wildly into their Divine Armaments, causing both weapons to glow with radiant splendor. A blazing crimson and a deep emerald clashed and fought fiercely—until there was a resounding "bang," as Unreturning struck Mo Ran's shoulder and Damn It pierced Heaven-Stepping Lord's left arm.

Both grunted, landing on the ground, one to the left, one to the right, gasping for breath. Ignoring the pain in their wounds, all their attention was fixated on each other. They were like fierce beasts locked in a cage, where one's survival meant the other's demise.

With a dark glint in his eyes, Heaven-Stepping Lord observed, "Your technique with the vine whip is eerily similar to his."

"He" naturally referred to Chu Wanning.

Grandmaster Mo was unwilling to become entangled with Heaven-Stepping Lord, his gaze filled with deadly intent. "Haven't you had enough?!"

"Order this seat to scram?" Heaven-Stepping Lord sneered. "Mo Weiyu, what qualifications do you have? Having worn that sheep's hide for so long, have you forgotten that your lips still bear the stain of sheep's blood?"

In the midst of their unaligned words, they clashed once more in a deadly duel. Heaven-Stepping Lord dashed forward with molten lava seething beneath his feet, sparks of stardust scattering in his wake. But Mo Ran knew every move of his opponent like the reflection of himself in a lake. Before the lord's blade could descend, Mo Ran had already retreated several paces, his own feet engulfed in scorching flames.

Their advance and retreat, each gesture and motion, unfolded precisely as the other anticipated. In the blink of an eye, they exchanged over a hundred rounds of intense combat, neither gaining the upper hand.

Mo Ran's forehead was sheathed in a fine sheen of sweat, while Heaven-Stepping Lord panted heavily. They continued to circle and watch each other, their movements intertwined in endless cycles.

Sweat trickled down between Mo Ran's dark brows, pausing momentarily before swiftly cascading down his face.

With gritted teeth, Mo Ran whispered, "Why are you doing all of this?"

"I've made it clear, my domain is no longer home to the Flaming Man. Don't entertain delusions of seizing this last ember all for yourself."

Mo Ran suddenly erupted with fury, "That was your last flame as well!"

"But I cannot have him," Heaven-Stepping Lord said in a chilling tone. "And what difference is there between you and I? My hands are stained with blood, but are yours any cleaner? Why should I be the one to drown myself in wine and dreams on endless nights alone, while you get to cherish Shi Mo, protect Chu Wanning, and guard your ridiculous uncle and cousin—why you?"

Hearing this, Mo Ran was suddenly struck dumb. After a moment, he said, "You have experienced it before."

"..."

Mo Ran gazed at his past self, the words he had kept hidden in his heart finally spilling out: "What you once possessed, you trampled beneath your feet... You were the one who extinguished him yourself."

Heaven-Stepping Lord's expression suddenly turned perilously dark. His nose wrinkled slightly, and his eyes seemed to hold a malevolent serpent stirring within their depths. He was so grim that even his self-address shifted without him realizing it: "I destroyed him? How laughable. How would you know if it wasn't he who destroyed me?"

"You have no idea about the truth behind the Heaven Splitting incident!"

"I don't need to know," Heaven-Stepping Lord said coldly. "Mo Weiyu, it's already too late. I think this is fine. As long as he lives, as long as he belongs to me and is under my control, whether he's happy or resentful, whether he hates me or holds a grudge against me, it doesn't matter."

He paused. "I just want to see him."

Mo Ran's voice was laced with anger and pain, torn apart by overwhelming guilt and trembling fear. He shook slightly. "You've already destroyed him once. Are you going to destroy yourself and the version of him in this world... a second time?"

Heaven-Stepping Lord suddenly smiled, his dimples deepening as he examined Mo Ran's face.

Then he said, "What does it matter if he's destroyed or not? Isn't that what you think? It doesn't matter if he's alive or dead, as long as he's in your grasp, anything goes."

Mo Ran shook his head, closing his eyes. His voice was rough as he replied, "You're wrong. You shouldn't treat him like this. He... he's the best person to you in this world."

"Heaven's irony," Heaven-Stepping Lord's smile twisted abruptly. "The best person to me? What about Shi Mo? Grandmaster Mo, don't you find yourself ridiculous? The one you should be thinking about is Shi Mingjing, who has always treated you kindly and never looked down on you. Yet, you tell me that Chu Wanning is the best person in the world? Do you even know what you're saying?"

"You're the one who doesn't know what you're talking about!"

Their bodies were close, spiritual energy crackling and colliding between them.

Mo Ran's eyes were rimmed with red.

"He gave you his all with sincerity, but he's just foolish. He did so many things... so many foolish things without telling you. Wake up! The person you like isn't Shi Mo. In all these years, have you ever had any romantic notions towards him? Who were you thinking of when you lay alone in the empty bed of the Wu Mountain Temple?"

"Heaven-Stepping Lord doesn't deny that it was pleasurable with him," he said indifferently. "But so what? He could never replace Shi Mo."

Upon hearing this, although it was the voice of his past self, Mo Ran's anger boiled, his head ringing as he gritted his teeth. "You're not allowed to insult him."

Heaven-Stepping Lord narrowed his eyes. "Is that so? You're defending him now because you're back together with him?"

"..."

"Did you also take advantage of him in this life?"

His narrowed gaze was like a snake's.

Their hands and spiritual energy continued to clash, their powerful spells causing the surrounding chess pieces to falter, some even collapsing to the ground.

Heaven-Stepping Lord gazed at Mo Ran for a moment before his gaze shifted to Chu Wanning. He murmured, "Grandmaster Mo, I've heard that in this mortal world, Shi Mo is still alive and well. Yet you treated him like this."

Mo Ran was momentarily at a loss for how to argue with someone who had come back from the threshold of life and death, and somehow resurrected.

Finally, he said, "What about you? Now that you've come to this mortal world, Shi Mo is still alive. But when I entered, why did you cling so tightly to my master?"

"Your master?" Heaven-Stepping Lord rolled his eyes with mocking disdain. "Hmph, what is your master to me? You should know that yourself."

"..."

"You're asking if I can hold onto him?"

Mo Ran, desperate to have him release Chu Wanning, replied, "Is this how you show respect to Shi Mo?"

"Heavenly-minded as Shi Mo is, he's not to be profaned," Heaven-Stepping Lord said nonchalantly. "But Chu Wanning is different. He may seem aloof and untouchable, strong and arrogant, but don't you remember what kind of wanton figure he cuts when he lets loose?"

Mo Ran hadn't expected such lewd and candid words from him and was momentarily taken aback.

Yet he couldn't help but recall Chu Wanning's suppressed groans beneath him. Even more so, despite his unwillingness, he remembered how in their previous life, under the strongest and most potent aphrodisiac, Chu Wanning had eventually succumbed to desire, entwining with him wildly, actively responding, their bodies drenched in sweat, engaged in a feral and passionate lovemaking.

Those phoenix eyes, filled with both resentment and humiliation yet veiled by a misty sheen, fluttered shut. Chu Wanning's gaze grew unfocused, his lips parting as he gasped for air...

He abruptly closed his eyes, only to reopen them, now ablaze with fury: "I am nothing like you! I will never... never..."

"What will you never do?" This time, it was Heaven-Stepping Lord who was perplexed.

He believed he had never shown mercy toward Chu Wanning, and thus could not fathom Mo Ran's love and self-restraint in bed.

It took him a while to comprehend the mixture of anger and embarrassment in the other's gaze, but upon realization, his shock surpassed all else.

"Are you joking?"

"..."

"Have you not... been intimate with him yet?"

Mo Ran gritted his teeth, his cursed red glow nearly manifesting into a tangible force, ready to shatter the entire Dragon Soul Temple.

Heaven-Stepping Lord suddenly burst into laughter. "Grandmaster Mo, at this moment, I suddenly feel that there's no connection between us anymore. Are you still you? Huh?"

The two of them were like a mad dog and a loyal hound.

One was baring its teeth and snarling in ridicule.

The other was silent and bashful, obstinately and resolutely standing their ground against him.

But when faced with the monumental mistake he had once made, the bewildered expression on the loyal hound's face was truly pitiful and helpless.

Despite their intense clash, victory could not be determined.

Heaven-Stepping Lord gradually grew weary.

Suddenly, he said, "Enough playing around. Grandmaster Mo, let's see what you're really made of."

As he spoke, he waved his hand. The precious chess pieces that had been obediently standing by earlier now lunged forward to attack, surrounding Mo Ran from all sides, leaving him unable to escape.

"This is your true strength?"

Heaven-Stepping Lord withdrew from the intense battle, strolling leisurely towards Chu Wanning while turning his head with a cold smile, "The pawns I have set in motion are naturally part of my strength. How can they not be considered genuine?"

Mo Ran watched as he lifted Bu Gui, the bloodied blade gently brushing against Chu Wanning's cheek, then fiercely pinching his face while sweetly whispering something to him.

Unable to endure it any longer, fueled by his fury, he forgot about the apparent connection between Chu Wanning and Bu Gui. He yelled, "Bu Gui!"

The strange blade flashed with a brilliant light, actually trembling in Heaven-Stepping Lord's palm. It seemed to be hesitating, struggling.

It was unsure whom to obey.

Heaven-Stepping Lord slightly raised his eyebrows, looking down at his knife, "Oh? You want to listen to him?"

In that very moment, Chu Wanning suddenly experienced an excruciating headache.

The fragmented dreams he had once had, like a torrent of sand and gravel, flooded his mind.

A crimson canopy, the pungent smell of beast hide.

Entwined limbs.

Kneeling persistently outside the grand hall, the palace maids' arrogant taunts echoed.

Noticing his unusual behavior, Heaven-Stepping Lord lifted his hand to lift the silencing spell, asking, "What's wrong with you?"

Chu Wanning did not respond; the pain was unbearable for him, as if his entire skull were about to shatter.

He beheld a sky darkened by the ashes of bones, a leaden gray firmament heavy with the soot of death. Amidst this desolation stood a man clad in black, his wide sleeves billowing as he towered over a landscape strewn with corpses and ravaged souls.

"Master," the man turned around, revealing Mo Ran's face, grinning mischievously.

He held something slippery and crimson in his hand.

Upon closer inspection, it was a pulsating heart, still beating with life.

"You've finally come. Are you here to stop me?"

With a slight exertion of force, the heart burst in his palm, revealing a dazzling, translucent spirit core within. Mo Ran absorbed the spirit core into the palm of his own hand.

He advanced toward the other, each step bringing him closer and closer.

"I never imagined that after a lifetime as master and disciple, we would still end up in this inevitable confrontation."

"!"

Chu Wanning abruptly shut his eyes, veins pulsing visibly on his forehead as blood rushed through his veins.

Noticing something amiss in his expression, Heaven-Stepping Lord raised a finger to touch Chu Wanning's cheek, then gently lifted his chin. "What's wrong? Does it hurt?"

"..." Under the touch of the other man's fingertip, Chu Wanning trembled slightly.

This only furthered Heaven-Stepping Lord's misunderstanding, causing him to frown. "You didn't sustain any significant injuries. Why have you become so fragile all of a sudden?"

Seeing that Chu Wanning still didn't respond, he furrowed his brows, about to say more. But before he could speak, a heavy cracking sound echoed from outside.

Heaven-Stepping Lord's face paled slightly. "Someone has forcibly broken through Dragon Mountain's barrier?"

With lightning-fast reflexes, he turned his head abruptly.

A willow-yellow figure darted towards them at an astonishing speed. Its trajectory was eerie and sinister, like a ghostly apparition flickering unpredictably.

In the blink of an eye, Chu Wanning was snatched into that person's palm.

Mo Ran exclaimed, "Shifu!"

Heaven-Stepping Lord called out, "Wanning!"

"..."

The two men, who had shouted at the same time, exchanged a glance. Both of them despised the other, but quickly, Mo Ran and Heaven-Stepping Lord turned their heads back to focus on the uninvited guest floating in the air with his monk's robe billowing.

Master Huaizui.

Huaizui's expression wasn't pleasant. Compared to five years ago, he looked much more haggard, but the sharpness in his eyes remained unchanged, like the gleam of a river or sea, rippling with waves.

Mo Ran felt a sense of relief. He didn't know why Huaizui had suddenly appeared here, but since this man was willing to use the Rebirth Spell to save Chu Wanning, it seemed unlikely that he would harm his shifu.

However, Heaven-Stepping Lord had never seen him before, so his expression was quite menacing. "Aren't you a little baldy? Where did you crawl out from? Do you want to become an enemy of this seat?"

Huaizui glanced at him, then his gaze fell back onto Mo Ran.

He seemed unsurprised by the simultaneous appearance of two Mo Weiyus. On his face, worry surpassed astonishment at this moment.

"Patron Mo," Huaizui waved his sleeves. With too many people around, he used a sound transmission technique to convey his words discreetly to Mo Ran, "I cannot stay here for long. Hurry to Dragon Blood Mountain and meet me."

Pausing, he added three crucial words, "You must be swift."

With that, he vanished as swiftly as he had arrived, leaving no trace behind. The precious chess pieces and the barrier of Dragon Mountain seemed powerless to stop him.

For an instant, Mo Ran clearly saw a cultivator grab his arm, but in the next moment, Huaizui was already far beyond the temple gates, leaving the cultivator with nothing but a cold gust of air in his hand.

Heaven-Stepping Lord attempted to dash after them, only to be interrupted by a shrill whistle echoing through the sky. His expression hardened, and he cursed inwardly, "At this moment?"

The piercing whistle grated on his nerves, causing his brows to furrow. Glancing at Mo Ran, he reluctantly withdrew his finger from mid-air, "You're lucky this time. Next time, we'll have our showdown."

With that, he led the surging tide of chess pieces and retreated hastily towards the Soul Summoning Platform.

The fierce battle had come and gone with equal intensity.

In an instant, both Huaizui and Heaven-Stepping Lord disappeared, leaving the Dragon Soul Temple empty. Mo Ran chased after them to the Soul Summoning Platform, only to witness Heaven-Stepping Lord leap into the heart of the dark array, followed closely by the precious chess pieces which were swiftly swallowed by the boundless darkness.

And as the last wave of cultivators entered, the array immediately shriveled and twisted, dissipating into the night sky, leaving behind only a crescent moon at the horizon, tinged with crimson threads.

The Gate of Life and Death in Time and Space closed.

Mo Ran stood on the Soul Summoning Platform, where the biting wind whirled. He gazed into the boundless darkness and at the devastation before him, feeling an icy chill that left him numb for a long while. It all felt like a dream, but he knew it wasn't. Deep down, he was acutely aware that this was just the beginning.

He... was a ghost who had escaped death.

Some things were inevitable; there was no escape.

His heinous crimes loomed over him like a sword of Damocles.

Finally, they were demanding justice, seeking his life.

He could almost see Heaven-Stepping Lord's blood-red, malevolent eyes, sneering, "Atone? How do you atone? You're the same as me. You'll never be able to wash away the blood on your hands."

He saw Xue Meng from his past life screaming at him with heart-wrenching rage, "Mo Weiyu! I'd rather cut you into a thousand pieces! In all my lifetimes, I will never forgive you!"

He heard Song Qiutong's horrifying screams as she fell into boiling oil, followed by Ye Wangxi's declaration that not one man among the seventy cities of the Confucian Wind Sect was worthy. He saw Xu Shuanglin standing resolutely and anxiously before Ye Wangxi, ready to protect him at any cost.

"Foster Father!"

A piercing cry that seemed to pierce through the eardrums.

Blood flowed like a torrent.

In the flickering shadows, amidst the stench of old memories and the nightmares of yesterday, he saw a figure.

Pure and serene.

Standing beneath the flowering crabapple tree, the figure turned its head, smiling slightly amidst the sky's light and cloud shadows.

"Mo Ran."

Silence.

"I wronged you; you have no reason to bear a grudge, even in life or death."

He suddenly knelt down. Having fought through a night of bloodshed, his clothes were now tattered, his body drenched in blood. Under the bright moon and clear sky, he stood in a daze for a moment. Then, like an ant curling up, he bowed his entire body on the ground, trembling and weeping.

"Master... Master..."

He wailed, his voice choked with sobs. "It wasn't like that... That wasn't me... Please... Please... That wasn't me..."

"I want a second chance, I want to start over, no matter the cost... Please..."

"I'd tear out my own heart if it meant not having to die in the name of Heaven-Stepping Lord."

"I truly... Truly don't want to be that person anymore... Please..."

He thought of Xue Meng and Shi Mo.

He recalled the string of sugar-coated haws that Xue Meng had once offered him, taunting him with a haughty attitude.

He remembered Xue Meng's tears as he clutched at his robe before their separation, pleading, "Brother, don't lie to me."

He thought back to his youth when Shi Mo had brought him hot dumplings, saying, "Aran, we both lost our parents. From now on, let's be a family, alright?"

He envisioned Shi Mo on the Soul Summoning Platform, his eyes empty, tears of blood streaming down. "In truth, you never understood me at all."

Then his thoughts drifted to Xue Zhengyong and Madame Wang.

He remembered how they had perished in their previous lives, and the face of Xue Meng, immersed in a sea of vengeance.

He thought of Chu Wanning.

Suddenly, he choked back tears.

His fingers dug into the ground with fierce determination, so forcefully that his knuckles bled and his skin split open.

"What should I do... What can I possibly do..."

He let out a despairing, mournful growl, like a beaten and mangled beast, its flesh and bones blurred from relentless whipping.

Only now did he realize that if Heaven-Stepping Lord felt like an outsider in this mortal world, wasn't he one as well? Suddenly, he didn't know where in this vast universe he could find solace. He suddenly didn't know who among his old acquaintances could forgive him, despite their continued existence.

He was an extra, an outlier.

He curled up, shivering.

He howled in agony, hugging himself tightly.

Just like years ago, beside his mother's decaying bones in the chaotic burial ground.

Tears streaming down his face, he wandered without knowing where to stop or where he could call home.

At this moment, he felt even more wretched than when he was a child—

Suddenly, he wasn't so sure who he, Mo Weiyu, truly was.

Imperial Emperor of Immortal Steps, Grandmaster Mo.

The seventh-generation descendant of the Southern Palace family, the second young master picked up from the Peak of Life and Death.

An unforgivable demonic fiend, a benevolent and righteous master of the Clear and Pure Sect.

In an instant, he became a scattering of fragmented pieces, each edge sharp enough to flay him a thousand times, tear him apart, and pierce him until he was beyond recognition.

Dead.

Alive.

He was always alone.

"I'm not Heaven-Stepping Lord…" he muttered, shivering with cold. The Soul Summoning Platform was too frigid; every inch of his bones trembled. He closed his eyes, tears sliding down his cheeks as he sobbed, "I'm not Heaven-Stepping Lord… What should I do… I really don't know what to do anymore… Spare me… Spare me…"

But whom could he beg for mercy? Chu Wanning? His past self? The countless vengeful spirits and wronged souls he had slain? Or perhaps the tumultuous fate that had befallen him?

No one could grant him forgiveness. No one at all.

Burying his face in his palms, he finally choked back his sobs amidst this desolate expanse:

"What can I possibly… What can I possibly do anymore…"