The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 291: The Apex of Life and Death, Two Lifetimes Entwined

Heaven-Stepping Lord stood in the midst of ten thousand peaks, his black robes billowing like ink in a tempest.

He narrowed his eyes, his voluminous sleeves fluttering wildly as the power of spirits in his palm surged like a dragon swallowing the sun, abruptly tearing through visible frost and unseen dimensions.

_BOOM!_

Suddenly, a deafening explosion echoed, a bolt of lightning cleaving through the sky like a razor-sharp blade, shattering the heavens in an instant!

A moment of deathly silence followed, then the waters of Heavenly Lake surged backward, snow from Kunlun Mountain cascaded furiously, yellow clouds rolled across the earth, and biting winds swept the skies... In the past, when Chu Wanning had first come to this mortal world, he had only left a faint trace. Later, Shi Mo had painstakingly repaired that trace and followed him into this realm.

But those two breaches in time and space were mere scratches, quickly healed by the primordial chaos. Even when Xu Shuanglin had opened a massive rift using the Five Divine Weapons on Dragon Mountain, it was only a temporary breach of the barrier between the two worlds.

But this time, the tear created by Mo Ran was entirely different. The sky was instantly suffused with a deep crimson, and two suns and two moons rose simultaneously, casting a sickly pale light high above the dome of the sky.

From the Jiangnan to the northern desert, from the ends of the earth to the farthest corners of the sea. Almost everyone stopped what they were doing, looking up at the bizarre and terrifying phenomenon.

In Impermanence Town, a child learning to speak wailed, held tightly in his mother's arms. She kissed his face and soothed him softly, "Don't cry, don't cry, my baby, be good. Mother is here, Mother is here."

Yangzhou City. A wizened old woman with white hair and shriveled skin leaned on her cane, hunched over, her voice hoarse as she stammered, "T-Two moons... and two suns in the sky... G-God, what is happening...?"

Feihua Island. Sun Sanniang, with her thick brows raised, stood by the shore with her hands on her hips, sternly ordering everyone to retreat into their homes and extinguish their lights for safety. She also instructed her servants to take in all the homeless, elderly, weak, and sick on the island and provide them shelter.

She stared intently at the strange sight in the sky, her eyes ablaze with determination.

Not to mention major factions like Solitary Moon Night, Phoenix Fire Pavilion, or Indifference Temple – whether they were willing to accept it or not, almost every cultivator now clearly understood one thing:

The Gate of Life, Death, Time, and Space had truly opened.

Mo Ran soared through the air, his eyes filled with bloodlust, his pupils shimmering with an excited and frenzied light.

He had been repeatedly driven to the brink of death and back by Shi Mingjing, his memories shattered and fragmented. Now, only a single wisp of his soul remained within him.

As a result, he was more insane than ever before, even less comprehensible than before.

Destruction on an apocalyptic scale.

Soon, half the kingdom was shrouded in this black cloud. Heaven-Stepping Lord looked up and laughed long and hard – but what was he laughing at?

He had no clue, nor did he know.

His mind was in chaos, with only his Master's command echoing incessantly within his chest.

He narrowed his eyes, gazing at the translucent barrier beneath the rolling black clouds. A sneer formed on his lips as he lifted his hand and spoke in a low voice, "No Return."

No Return appeared instantly.

Heaven-Stepping Lord traced his fingers along the blade, polishing it section by section.

Then, with ferocity, he slashed down at the barrier that separated the Mortal Realm!

A moment of deathly silence followed—

Suddenly, a thunderous rumble erupted from deep within, as if everything was charging forward relentlessly.

The Door of Time, Space, Life, and Death was finally opened, severed, and shattered by him completely.

In an instant, the landscape transformed, its colors shifting dramatically.

His fierce and domineering spirit energy, combined with the unstoppable divine martial aura, ripped the fissure wide open – it would be impossible to seal it again within a hundred years!

Mission accomplished.

Heaven-Stepping Lord stood at the edge of the howling gale in the torn sky, squinting his eyes for a moment. Then, he turned to glance at the mortal world before pausing. Finally, he turned and stepped into the realm that truly belonged to him –

As the whistling wind subsided around his ears, he lifted his eyelids.

Before him stretched an endless expanse of pristine white. He had returned to the world where he reigned as emperor, to the Treading Snow Palace of his past life, in Kunlun.

"Your Majesty."

"Long live the Imperial Lord's return."

He stood on the vast, snow-covered wilderness, with a multitude rushing towards him. They continuously knelt on the snowy ground like waves, prostrating themselves three times and bowing nine times in his direction.

Heaven-Stepping Lord remained silent, his hawk-like eyes scanning the rows of cultivators, each draped in black cloaks.

Endless in number, they stretched all the way down to the foot of the mountain.

Leading the way was an unsteady elderly figure, his silver-streaked forehead hair fluttering in the chilly north wind. It was none other than Uncle Liu, who had served him for many years.

The year Heaven-Stepping Lord passed away, Uncle Liu was also dismissed along with the other palace attendants and sent back to his hometown. It was believed that everything would come to an end there, but before long, a virtuoso from the Medicine Sect named Hua Binan emerged, baring his monstrous visage. He astonishingly resurrected Heaven-Stepping Lord's remains as a zombie, manipulating them for his own purposes.

However, this living dead retains a certain amount of emotions and will. He is quite dissatisfied with the mute servants sent by Hua Binan to attend to him. It is not until Hua Binan retrieves the old palace maids from the Wushan Hall that he finally relents.

Hua Binan later vanished from the mortal world for reasons unknown to Old Liu, leaving only the Emperor lingering in a state of living death, unable to find solace in either continued existence or the release of demise.

After a long time, even the most obtuse person could see that the Emperor had always been manipulated. Old Liu was no exception. But what could an old, thorny man like him, whose neck was half-buried in the earth, do about it?

Alone in the world with no kin or friends, his only source of comfort was serving Heaven-Stepping Lord as his last vestige of purpose, attending to his duties with unwavering dedication and simplicity.

It was precisely due to this reliance that when Uncle Liu saw him again, his eyes revealed both joy and concern, appearing far more genuine than others.

Heaven-Stepping Lord's lips twitched. "Old Liu."

"Your Majesty," Uncle Liu bowed deeply, "you have finally returned."

"I... do you know?" Unwittingly, as he spoke, Heaven-Stepping Lord seemed like an eager child anxious to share good news with an elder. "This seat has seen him again."

Uncle Liu was taken aback. "…Grandmaster Chu?"

"Mm-hm, we've met several times. My spirit core has also recovered. Once my important business is finished, I'll be able to—"

Perhaps he saw his own exhilarated reflection in the old man's hazy eyes, and Heaven-Stepping Lord abruptly stopped, glancing around at the kneeling crowd with a touch of embarrassment.

Fortunately, no one dared to laugh at him.

He pressed his lips together, recomposing himself into an aura of cold severity. With a flick of his sleeve, he said, "Enough. No need to kneel. All of you, rise and follow this seat back to Wu Mountain Palace."

As he flew back to Shu on his sword, the landscape he passed by was bleak and desolate, with nine out of ten homes empty.

There weren't many living people left in this mortal world, and he had long grown accustomed to it. But after spending time in another world and seeing the hustle and bustle of life again, returning to this hellish realm still brought a twinge of loneliness.

That night, he uncorked a vintage pear blossom white wine and sipped it alone in the empty Wu Mountain Palace.

Since obtaining Grandmaster Mo's spirit core, his body had regained much of its strength, allowing him to do things that only the living could, like drinking and eating. However, no matter how much he restored himself, he was still a corpse. The flavors he could taste on his tongue were but a third of what they were in life.

Still, he was content with this.

After three rounds of wine, he felt slightly tipsy. Supporting his forehead, he lay on the soft couch, idly reminiscing about old memories. These memories were not pleasant, and when paired with alcohol, they only multiplied his melancholy.

He used to avoid thinking about them, but now he was no longer afraid.

With two mortal worlds connected, even the most unpleasant past could be transformed quickly. Squinting his eyes, he twirled the red tassel on his wine flask with his slender fingers, murmuring, "Chu Wanning..."

Rising from his seat, he decided to visit the long-neglected Red Lotus Water Pavilion. Upon reaching the entrance, he bumped into Uncle Liu emerging from inside. Both of them were taken aback upon seeing each other.

"May the Emperor be at peace."

Heaven-Stepping Lord inquired, "Why are you here?"

As he spoke, his gaze fell upon the basket Uncle Liu was carrying, filled with cleaning supplies like rags and feather dusters.

"Cleaning up?"

Uncle Liu sighed. "Yes, I don't know when the Emperor might come back, so I'm afraid that the items would rot or break if unused for too long. Thus, I tidy up every day." He paused, then added, "It's still the same inside, Your Majesty. Please go in."

Suddenly, Heaven-Stepping Lord found himself at a loss for words.

He strolled alone to the edge of the lotus pond, where its enchanted waters ensured eternal beauty. In the depths of the blooming lotus, a frog, unaware of the passing seasons, croaked away. He tilted his head to listen for a while and gradually recalled a sunny afternoon when they stood on this very bridge. The summer breeze had left them both dazed, and in a sudden whim, he had kissed Chu Wanning's forehead without preamble.

Back then, their interactions beyond physical intimacy were scarce, so the unexpected kiss held no hint of flirtation, leaving Chu Wanning slightly bewildered.

A few cicadas chirped from the trees, while the frogs in the pond responded with equal vigor.

Gazing at those slightly widened phoenix eyes, he found it increasingly amusing and suggested, "Since there's nothing else to do, why not play a game for some amusement?"

Before Chu Wanning could decline, he placed a finger against his lips, "Shh. Let me finish."

"..."

"We'll make a bet. When I count to ten, if the frogs in the courtyard croak, you lose and must fetch me a jar of sour plum soup. If the cicadas in the trees chirp first, I lose, and... I'll take you down the mountain for a change of scenery."

Going down the mountain was indeed an irresistible temptation. Initially, Chu Wanning had no intention of engaging, but after living together, Heaven-Stepping Lord knew all too well how to exploit his vulnerabilities, making it impossible for him to refuse the proposition.

The handsome man smiled, "So, shall we begin?"

"One, two, three..."

A deep and smoldering voice flowed slowly, both of them intent on listening to the croaking of frogs or the chirping of cicadas. But it seemed the Human Emperor's luck was not on his side. As he began counting, the cicadas grew louder, while the frogs lazily fell silent, as if retreating from the scene.

"Eight, nine..." The more he counted, the more drawn out his tone became. It was so blatant that it provoked Chu Wanning to turn his head and give him a cold stare.

Heaven-Stepping Lord, however, had incredible audacity. Despite being looked at like that, he simply stopped at "nine," refusing to continue, and instead asked Chu Wanning, "Do you think this frog is dead?"

Silence.

"Why isn't it making a sound otherwise?"

More silence.

"Wait a moment, let me check if it's still alive. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fair," he said, picking up a stone from the ground and throwing it at the obviously lively green-skinned frog—

"Ten!"

"Croak!"

Startled, the frog leaped into the pond with a splash, sending ripples across the water's surface alongside its croak. Heaven-Stepping Lord burst into laughter, rubbing the dirt off his fingers as he said to Chu Wanning, "You lost. The frog called first."

Chu Wanning tried to leave with a flick of his sleeve, but it was held back. Heaven-Stepping Lord, having gained an advantage, was in high spirits. The scent of lotus blossoms wafted through the pond, and he laughed despite Chu Wanning's anger, saying, "The plum soup should be icy, extremely icy."

"Do you still have any shame?" Chu Wanning gritted out through clenched teeth.

"That stuff doesn't help cool you down or quench your thirst, so what's the point?" Heaven-Stepping Lord said, poking him on the forehead. "Go on, remember to use less sugar."

Perhaps because he was in a particularly good mood that day, after drinking a pot of sweet, icy plum syrup in the scorching sun, even the croaking of frogs sounded pleasing to the ear.

In the evening, he suddenly said to Chu Wanning, "It will soon be three years."

"What?"

Seeing his reaction, a hint of displeasure darkened the young Emperor's face. "My ascension to the throne. It will soon be three years since I became Emperor."

As Heaven-Stepping Lord spoke, he tried in vain to find a trace of emotion in Chu Wanning's eyes. He wrinkled his nose slightly, looking somewhat gloomy and resentful. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly said, "You've been with me for three years now."

"..."

"Considering how delicious this iced plum soup is, I'll take you down the mountain for a stroll. But not too far, just to Impermanence Town."

The carriage was prepared, complete with bamboo curtains, cool pillows, tea cups, and folding fans. Standing before the newly-expanded entrance of the Peak of Life and Death, Heaven-Stepping Lord traced the gold-inlaid jade hairband on his white steed. Turning to Chu Wanning, he said, "Does this look familiar? This is the carriage you used to like riding in. It wasn't in the way, so I didn't have anyone dispose of it."

Chu Wanning didn't show any sign of joy, but he stepped onto the yellow sourwood step as he once did and brushed aside the bamboo curtain to enter the cabin.

The servants were stunned, looking at the Heaven-Stepping Imperial Lord in awe under the setting sun. This man had a gloomy disposition and was known to kill indiscriminately without reason. They wondered what kind of courage the Master Chu had, to be so disrespectful as to enter the cabin and sit down before the Imperial Lord himself.

To their surprise, however, Heaven-Stepping Lord seemed not to mind at all. He even narrowed his eyes and chuckled with interest, "Look at that, he still thinks of himself as Elder Yu Heng."

Just as he was about to follow and get into the carriage, a soft and gentle female voice came from behind him.

The woman called out softly, "Aran."