The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 263: Reliving the Past at "Heavenly Sound Pavilion"

Mo Ran's confession came to an end. The Danxin Hall fell silent, with no one daring to speak.

Who was right? Who was wrong?

Although each person had their own judgment, they could no longer say anything definitively.

Mo Ran didn't look at Xue Zhengyong's family. Lowering his eyelashes, he said after a moment, "Back then, I thought I was going to die in that inferno. But when I woke up, I found myself lying on the summit of Life and Death. Mister Gossip was sitting by my bedside. When he saw me awaken, he held my shoulder and told me—I would henceforth be the young master of the summit of Life and Death."

He paused and chuckled softly. "He was the nephew of my uncle."

The floor of the Danxin Hall was embroidered with blooming Duoruo flowers, and Mo Ran gazed at the vibrant colors with an indifferent expression.

"That informant probably didn't expect any reward," Mo Ran continued. "So when my uncle rescued me from the burning Drunken Jade Tower and anxiously asked if I was the child he was looking for, the man nodded." He added, "With that nod, he changed the course of my life."

Master Xuanjing sighed. "Amitabha. Patron Mo, can you find peace in your heart? After all these years, have you never thought of being honest with Lord Xue?"

"How could I not have thought about it? In those early days after I woke up, I was very uneasy and wanted to confess."

Mo Ran's gaze was somewhat hazy, as if he could see through the veil of time to those bygone years.

"But when my uncle... heard that I had woken up, he came to visit me. Auntie personally cooked me some noodles with three poached eggs, all with runny yolks, and a generous amount of minced meat on top. She told me... that she was afraid my digestion might be weak after just waking up, so she chopped it all up to make it easier to swallow. Xue Meng also came over and gave me a whole box of pastries."

He slowly closed his eyes.

"I ate that bowl of noodles and those flower cakes. After that, I couldn't bring myself to speak the truth. They smiled at me like that, treated me so well... If I were to say that I set fire to the Drunken Jade Tower, that I killed your nephew, your sister-in-law... what would happen then?" Mo Ran whispered softly, "I couldn't say it. The words got stuck in my throat, and the more time passed, the less I knew how to say it."

Master Xuan Jing sighed softly. "Ah..."

"I know what kind of person Mo Nian is. He's lazy and careless, and at first, I wasn't sure how much my uncle really knew about him, so I tried my best to imitate him. But later, when I realized that my uncle didn't know, I stopped trying to be like him." Mo Ran paused for a moment before continuing in a slow, measured tone, "In the end, there was a deep enmity between me and Mo Nian's family. Yet, I ended up taking their loved ones away from them."

The people of the Peak of Life and Death were stunned into silence, many disciples and elders who had interacted with Mo Ran standing frozen, a jumble of emotions swirling in their hearts. Xue Zhengyong and Madame Wang remained silent, staring blankly at Mo Ran's figure.

They had watched this child grow up from an ignorant youth to a great master.

But now, he was telling them that it had all been a mistake from the very beginning.

Mo Ran was not their nephew, and even worse, there was a life and a blood feud separating them.

What should be said?

What should be done?

Xue Zhengyong didn't know, and neither did Madame Wang.

They had never met "Mo Nian," so all their guilt and longing for their deceased brother were placed upon this child named Mo Ran. They didn't know who Mo Nian was, but they had stroked Mo Ran's hair, held his hand, and been called "Uncle" and "Aunt" by him countless times.

Xue Zhengyong's heart was in turmoil.

In the silence, Mu Yanli spoke up, "Mo Ran, though you are pitiful, your crimes cannot be easily forgiven. Count them—do you know how many heinous acts you've committed?"

Mo Ran had never liked the Heavenly Sound Pavilion. He closed his eyes without answering.

Mu Yanli looked down at him with disdain, her voice resonating like a bell, clear and loud, "You slaughtered innocent mortals, set fire to buildings, stole identities, pretended to be a noble—on Dragon Mountain, you knew that the blood of the Nangong family flowed through you, yet you stood idly by, your intentions inscrutable. In Solitary Moon Night, you unleashed a massacre, staining the halls with blood—what do you seek?"

"I'll say it again, I didn't kill anyone from Solitary Moon Night. It was due to the intertwining of two lifetimes after the Gate of Life and Death opened; that person wasn't me."

"The Gate of Life and Death is the first forbidden technique, sealed for thousands of years. Don't you think your excuse is preposterous?" Mu Yanli said coldly, "Perhaps it's because you're a descendant of the Nangong lineage, harboring resentment and ambition, plotting to overturn the entire cultivation world?"

"Master Mu's words are too harsh," Jiang Xi couldn't help frowning as he heard this. "From my perspective, Mo Ran has no motive to overturn the cultivation world. If he intended to do so, the Ten Great Sects would have suffered greatly with just a few tricks on Dragon Mountain. There are too many uncertainties here; we should be cautious with our words until they're clarified."

Mu Yanli glanced at him coldly. "There's no need for you, Sect Leader Jiang, to speak up for him. Even if he didn't mean to topple the cultivation world, his previous crimes alone warrant his detainment for questioning at the Heavenly Sound Pavilion."

With that, she raised her hand and gestured to her entourage behind her. "Arrest Mo Ran and take him away."

"Hold on!"

Mu Yanli turned her head to look at Xue Zhengyong. "Venerable Master Xue has something to say?"

Xue Zhengyong's face was a mix of red and blue. He himself didn't understand why he had stopped Mu Yanli. Over the years, treating Mo Ran as his own son had become a habit for him.

He couldn't just stand by and let the Heavenly Sound Pavilion take Mo Ran away like this.

But what could he say? Beg them to stay?

Xue Zhengyong closed his eyes, his teeth chattering. He felt only coldness and emptiness in his heart, as if something significant had been violently torn away.

He buried his face in his palms. Despite always being full of vitality, he now appeared aged and hunched.

"Is Lord Xue here to bid farewell to your nephew?"

Mu Yanli's words were sharp, intentionally or not, using the term "nephew," which made Xue Zhengyong tremble like a leaf in the wind.

"I... " Xue Zhengyong's throat was hoarse. "Ran... Mo Ran..."

He didn't even know how to address him.

But Mo Ran spared him further distress. He closed his eyes, took a few steps forward, and knelt before Xue Zhengyong without a word, performing the deepest form of respect with three kneelings and nine kowtows.

Some whispered, "What's taking so long? What's he doing?"

"Putting on an act..."

Mo Ran ignored them. After completing the ceremony, he stood up, ready to leave.

Just then, Xue Meng suddenly rushed into the Heart Dan Hall. His dragon robe was stained with black blood, and he looked utterly shocked as he cried out, "Outside—"

"What's going on?"

"There are a large number of Jūlóng Chess Pieces attacking from outside, and many of them are the suicidal disciples of the Dragon Mountain Confucian Wind Sect!"

Everyone was stunned! They rushed out of the hall—only to see beyond the thousand-foot-high clouds at the peak of Life and Death, countless cultivators soaring through the air with swords in hand. Half of them wore identical black robes with masks covering their faces, while the other half were dressed in crane-feathered garments with silk bands over their eyes. These were none other than the mass of corpses from the Hero's Tomb of the Confucian Wind Sect.

"This... What is happening?!"

"Didn't Nangong Si already sink all these corpses? Why have they resurfaced? Who lifted the seals?"

As soon as the words left their mouths, the answer was clear in their minds.

Who could have lifted the seals, if not someone from the Nangong family?

Many furious gazes turned towards Mo Ran.

Though Mo Ran now knew who the mastermind behind it all was, he had no way to defend himself. What was even worse was that he had lost all his spiritual energy and was unable to stop the chess pieces from invading. All he could do was watch as hundreds upon hundreds of suicidal disciples descended upon them.

The peak of Life and Death was just like in his previous life.

In an instant, the waters roiled like a frenzied dragon, and before long, it seemed as if it would turn into a sea of blood.

—It turned out that Shi Mo's so-called "surprise" had yet to conclude...

"Engage them first!"

"Repel this wave of chess pieces! Drive them back, first and foremost!"

The crowd emerged from the palace to meet the threat, but due to their lack of anticipation for this sudden change, and the aggressive onslaught of the precious chess pieces without any warning, chaos ensued in an instant.

Mo Ran stood before the palace hall, watching as chess pieces fell one after another, each representing disciples from the peak of Life and Death engaging in fierce, close-quarters combat with their adversaries, while the battling cultivators wielded spells and techniques against one another.

Silver-blue light armor clashed with black cloaks in a fierce entanglement.

He stood on the jade steps, his brow twitching with pain, as if everything before his eyes was a reenactment of memories from a past life.

In his previous life, it was he who manipulated an army of pawns, both living and undead, to slay anyone on the summit of Life and Death who dared utter a single "no" to him.

From that moment on, he grew accustomed to taking lives without mercy, treating human existence as casually as grass, spilling blood and brains across the towering mountains.

He recalled how he had once stood in the same spot before the Heart of Alchemy Hall, with the traitor Mo Weiyu smiling down at the vast multitude of heroes and common folk. At his feet lay the still-warm corpses of Xue Zhengyong and Madame Wang.

"Starting from the Summit of Life and Death, pave my path with your blood."

The mocking laughter from his past life echoed in his ears, causing Mo Ran's eyelids to twitch uncontrollably. He yelled at Xue Meng, "Don't fight, you can't win! Quickly go, all of you, just leave!"

Amidst the cacophony of voices, Xue Meng was too far away to hear him.

Mo Ran scanned his surroundings, where swords clashed and chaos reigned.

He saw Jiang Xi locked in combat with over a dozen pawns. In that moment, he remembered how Jiang Xi had fallen beneath his own blade in his previous life.

"You won't kneel before me?"

"I won't."

"You don't acknowledge me as the Imperial Sovereign?"

"I don't."

Blood splattered, as the blade fell with a swift hand.

Those who couldn't fight back...

Mo Ran witnessed the Treading Snow Palace's Palace Master lower his gaze to play a xun, its mournful melody piercing through the heavens and confusing the minds of the chess pieces. Yet, he recalled how this same Palace Master had ended up in his previous life with shattered fingers and crushed bones—

"Why persist in defiance?"

"As the ruler of this palace, though I lack the power to ensure Treading Snow Palace's safety, I will never flee."

The xun shattered, its final note echoing into silence.

They couldn't win.

In the midst of chaos, Mo Ran saw Madame Wang and Xue Zhengyong fighting side by side in the distance. Yet, before his eyes flashed the unblinking faces of the two from his past life, their sorrow and rage frozen in their eyes.

Through two lifetimes, they stared at him intently, filled with resentment.

Cold.

It was truly freezing.

Mo Ran's entire body trembled with cold, his fingertips icy. Shi Mo had actually gone this far... He had actually gone this far!

Before, he had sensed that the threat Shi Mo made before taking Chu Wanning away was not to be underestimated, which was why he had resolutely returned to the Peak of Life and Death. Now, his scalp tingled with fear—

What if, back then, he had acted on impulse and ignored Shi Mo's warning, insisting on chasing after Chu Wanning?

Half of the heroes in the cultivation world were here. If they all died inexplicably at the Peak of Life and Death, what would happen?

Shi Mo's intricate plan left no room for a moment's rest. Mo Ran looked around and saw the precious chessboard game covering the entire mountain... the living dead, unfeeling to pain or death... a mountain of corpses, a sea of blood, malevolent spirits lurking amidst the bones...

This couldn't continue, it couldn't continue like this!!

Shi Mo said this was a "surprise" for him, so it wouldn't have been set up for no reason. Since he had returned and submitted, there must be a way to resolve it! He couldn't bear to witness history repeat itself, couldn't watch the Peak of Life and Death fall, couldn't see his uncle and aunt die in front of him again.

If the past were to repeat itself, how could he face himself... and how could he face Chu Wanning?

Mo Ran snapped back to reality, pushing through the throngs of people, racing towards his aunt and uncle.

"Stop fighting! Withdraw first, leave this place, stop fighting! It's impossible for you to win!"

His voice was hoarse, his eyes reddened with exertion. He resembled a drowning man struggling towards the shore with all his might, a dead man striving for life, a moth drawn to flames, one existence striving for another.

"Stop fighting! Hurry up and go, all of you! You can't defeat them!"

They couldn't win.

I have already witnessed your deaths with my own eyes.

Please, just go.

Suddenly, a sword barred their path, its blade glinting with a chilling light.

Looking up, they saw Mu Yanli's icy expression.

"Do you intend to flee amidst the chaos?"

Mo Ran growled, "Get out of the way!"

"As a convicted criminal in the world of cultivation, I ought to—"

Her words were cut short as Mu Yanli sensed a chill behind her. Turning around, she saw a masked chess piece brandishing its sword downward. Swiftly reacting, she countered with fierce determination etched on her face. She yelled, "Mo Ran! It was truly you causing trouble!"

This woman's voice was clear and resonant, akin to an icy spring, making it easily recognizable.

Her cry drew the attention of surrounding cultivators. Indeed, they witnessed the chess piece engaging Mu Yanli in a heated battle, yet sparing Mo Ran any harm.

Only then did everyone realize that almost all the chess pieces that had descended upon the Peak of Life and Death seemed to regard Mo Ran as an ally, avoiding him and refraining from injuring him.

Someone roared in anger, "It truly is that villain Mo Ran causing mischief again!"

"He's in cahoots with these chess pieces!"

Angry faces twisted in fury, their features entwined like writhing serpents. Whispers and growls filled each pair of ears, while blood-red eyes, fueled by killing intent, fixated upon him.

Overlapping, overlapping.

Beneath such furious gazes, he transformed once more into an unflinching demonic killer. He seemed to revert to that imperial deity who trampled upon all immortals, ruling the heavens with an iron fist. He rode forth, slashing through countless prohibitions, treating this mortal world as mere filth. He was consumed by madness!

A fierce voice rang out, "Seize him!"

"Keep an eye on him, don't let him escape!"

"Just wait and see how long he can keep up this act!"

Amidst the buzzing in his ears were identical resentments, accusations, and condemnations.

The scenes from both lifetimes were too similar; he could even recall the life-and-death showdown between himself and Chu Wanning back then.

On that day, much like today, Mo Ran held the precious chess piece, controlling the living and the dead, beasts and birds, as an army surged like black ink, weapons shimmering like frost-tipped peaks against the snow.

He sat high and aloof, looking down with a faint smile, watching as the world turned upside down, daylight dimming to a dull yellow.

In the end, it was Chu Wanning who stopped him.

It was Chu Wanning who fought with all his might against Mo Ran's million chess pieces, switching weapons from Tianwen to Jiuge, then from Jiuge to Huai Sha.

Huai Sha.

Mo Ran could never forget the sorrowful chill and agony in Chu Wanning's eyes when he summoned Huai Sha for the last time.

"It's said to be Master's blade of destruction. I finally get to witness it today."

Back then, Chu Wanning had asked him, "Mo Ran, how can you let go?"

He had only laughed brightly. "I can't anymore, Master. My hands are already stained with blood. I killed my uncle and aunt, my fellow disciples... Now, if I just offer your head as a sacrifice, I'll become an unparalleled overlord—no one will be able to stop me anymore."

Chu Wanning's expression was deeply pained.

He saw it, but it didn't satisfy him. A vengeful malice raged within him, and he gritted his teeth as he spoke through clenched jaws.

"I'll kill you. Then there will be no one in this world that I cannot kill."