The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 305 - "The Apex of Life and Death" - Divine Body Sacrificed to the Demon Path

Meanwhile, battles raged on all sides at the Apex of Life and Death. The rebel army charging up the mountain, the vanguard engaging the pawns, the guard team responsible for opening the barrier, and the medical soldiers running amidst the chaos... thousands of spells intertwined, igniting scattered points of fire upon the mountain, resembling a monstrous black beast.

Yet, despite this, Xue Meng's attack still stood out prominently. The flames surged forward like a bamboo breaking through the barrier, reaching towards the heavens! Chu Wanning looked back in the night wind, his heart aching. He knew that Xue Meng had begun to burn the power of his spirit core. If he could not end this quickly, Xue Meng might follow in Nan Gongsi's footsteps.

"Rise, Dragon—summon it!"

With two fingers pinching the Rising Dragon Talisman, he dripped blood onto it and threw it. A dragon's cry echoed across the sea, as the paper dragon carrying a candle broke through the rain and soared into the sky, its voice resounding like a bell.

"Chu Wanning, what brings you to summon this deity again?"

Chu Wanning's sword-like brows lowered, his voice sharp and imperious as he commanded, "Make haste to the end of the Martyr's Path."

The Quenching Candle Dragon cast its dragon eyes over the war-torn Nine Provinces, not asking further, but simply stating, "Climb on." In an instant, the man and the dragon pierced through the wind and rain, sailing like a stormy voyage, straight towards that road paved with the dead, the Path of Martyrdom. Chu Wanning looked down from the highest reaches of the sky. That path connecting the realms of gods and demons shimmered with crimson light, resembling a gushing torrent of blood from arteries, rushing towards unknown territories.

Owing to its proximity to the Gateway to the Demon Realm, the sky above the rear mountain was tinged with crimson and lilac hues of burning clouds, unaffected by the ravages of the torrential rain.

Torch Dragon plummeted downward, transforming into a golden beam of light just as it hit the ground, returning to the talisman. Chu Wanning, on the other hand, stood firmly on the Path of Martyrdom, catching his breath. He lifted his gaze—

"You're here?"

A hollow voice echoed as Shi Mo stood at the end of the path, with the fiery gates of the demonic sect blazing behind him. With Xue Meng and Mei family's brothers temporarily subduing Heaven-Stepping Lord, the protective barrier around Chu Wanning had vanished. Hearing the commotion, Shi Mo turned his exquisite profile slightly, rolling his eyes to glance at Chu Wanning.

"You're quite capable," he remarked.

The wind tousled his hair as Shi Mo's gaze shifted, landing on the distorted portal of the demonic realm.

"The Gate of Life and Death, open to the dimensions, yet you don't attempt to mend it but strive to hinder our return...,"

Chu Wanning didn't fall for the bait. "The three forbidden arts were created by the Grand Palace of Gouchen; the demonic aura amplifies their power by several times. It's not that I'm unwilling to let the Butterfly Bone Clan return home, but once the demonic realm is breached, the influx of demonic energy will widen the Gate of Life and Death even further."

"...You can't fool me," Shi Mo said after a moment of silence, his lips curling into a mocking smile.

Chu Wanning had no intention of engaging in further verbal sparring. Golden light burst from his palm, and just as Tianwen was about to strike Shi Mo, a figure suddenly darted across their path. It was Mu Yanli, sword in hand, intercepting the blow!

"I won't let you touch him," Mu Yanli declared, lifting her sword to illuminate her determined gaze. "He has suffered enough."

Shi Mo: "...Sister Mu..."

It was unknown how Mu Yanli managed it, but behind her came a vast array of over a hundred precious chess pieces, ready to pave the way for her sacrificial journey. Seeing the perilous situation, Chu Wanning tried to intercept the approaching army of chessmen first. However, Mu Yanli was swift as lightning, blocking his path.

Chu Wanning said firmly, "Get out of my way!"

Mu Yanli sneered. "Why should I? The cultivation world has never cared about the fate of the Beauty's Seat. So why should the Beauty's Seat concern itself with your lives when returning home?" As she spoke, she raised the tip of her sword and slashed at him.

At that moment, a terrifying white-gold solar flare erupted around her – this was a last-ditch effort. Mu Yanli had shattered her own spirit nucleus to gain the utmost power!

She was originally born of divine blood, even if it was a diluted lineage. Upon self-destruction, her power could still move mountains and fill seas, briefly surpassing even the Empyrean Immortal Emperor in combat strength.

"What great masters, what righteous sects..." Mu Yanli's gaze was cold and resolute. "For thousands of years, you've drunk human blood and eaten human flesh, doing anything to attain immortality and ascension!"

Her sword aura was fierce, forcing Chu Wanning to defend himself with all his might. This woman before him, though devoid of a single drop of the Beauty's Seat bloodline and distant kin to the gods, was willing to risk her life to aid the demons' return home.

In that instant, Chu Wanning's white robes billowed while Mu Yanli's golden sleeves waved. The two of them danced in the air like delicate kites, yet their every move carried deadly intent.

Clashing swords rang out, sparks flying as they locked eyes with each other.

Mu Yanli spat, "An obstacle in my way!"

Chu Wanning gritted his teeth and said, "Not everyone in this world is as you describe."

Despite having traversed the long night with icy coldness covering his body, he still remembered Lady Rong's act of kindness, Luo Xianxian's concern not to harm others before her transformation, the disciples of Death Peak who sought nothing in return for upholding justice, and Chu Xun's sacrifice to light the way home...

He still recalled the bright smiles of the villagers in Jade Cool Village, the integrity of the master of Fluttering Flower Island, Nan Gongsi's plunge into the Melting Dragon Pool to suppress demons, and Li Wuxin's sword soaring through the heavens.

He still remembered how Nan Gong Changying faded away with a gentle smile, turning into golden specks of light. His expression was warm as he said, "This world is so beautiful; flowers are enough. There's no need for it to be stained with blood."

Now, most of these figures had either fallen ill or perished, become displaced or faded away in the midst of this calamity...

Even Ye Wangxi was among them.

Back then, at the Xuan Yuan Pavilion, she had spared no expense to save an orphaned girl with butterfly bones, granting a future and freedom to that unknown Butterfly Bone beauty.

"So what?" Mu Yanli said. "Am I supposed to forgive the sins of this world just because of a few individuals?!"

Her words dripped with deep grudges, and her sword aura grew fiercer.

"My mother was such a kind soul, yet solely because she was a Butterfly Bone demon, she was devoured alive by that beastly father of mine... Was her life not worth anything?"

"..."

"Since I was a child, only she has cared for me as if I were her daughter. Apart from her, whether it's my father, the sect elders, or you cultivators, who has ever treated me like a living person?" Mu Yanli exclaimed with anger. "I have divine blood flowing through my veins, and so everyone treats me like a balance of justice, forcing me to extinguish my desires and practice heartless cultivation techniques... Why?"

Her spiritual core's power had expanded to its limits, enveloping her entire body in the divine radiance of a deity's descendant. Unlike ordinary cultivators, even her eyes and hair began to turn a pale golden hue. With every swing of her sword, it was as if she bore the weight of a thousand jin.

"The descendants of deities are destined to be heartless, and the Butterfly Bone Beauty Seats are meant to be devoured... this has been the case for thousands of years..." The blades clashed, their resonant shriek piercing through the air.

But nothing was sharper than Mu Yanli's gaze. She enunciated each word clearly, "Grandmaster Chu. Have you never looked into the records of the Butterfly Bone Beauty Seat clan?"

"..."

"That is a book about humans consuming humans... In the past, cultivators used the Beauty Seats to refine elixirs and ascend. Today, the Beauty Seats merely use you to pave their way back home!"

A deafening boom echoed as Mu Yanli poured all her strength into her life and swung her sword fiercely at Chu Wanning.

Chu Wanning suddenly pulled his arm back and called out, "Nine Songs, come forth!"

Huai Sha retreated, revealing an ancient zither. Amidst the resounding strings, a blinding golden light pierced through the heavens, illuminating the entire Peak of Life and Death! Chu Wanning unfurled a massive screen embroidered with blooming peonies before him, suspended in mid-air with his wide sleeves billowing. Before him stood Mu Yanli, her face filled with hatred.

She wasn't hating him; she was hating the injustice of the world, hating her mother's tragic death, hating the lack of freedom in life, and hating how she had always been trapped within confines.

"Let them go."

Her spiritual energy had reached its limits after failing to break through his barrier, yet it still couldn't destroy Chu Wanning's defenses, causing blood to trickle from the corner of her mouth instead.

Her voice turned hoarse as the hand holding the sword trembled.

Her spirit core was on the verge of shattering...

Mu Yanli suddenly lifted her gaze to look at Chu Wanning and softly pleaded, "Please..."

In the shallow golden irises of hers, Chu Wanning saw his own reflection.

Whose shadow was that?

The face was muddled, empty, distorted, and bewildered.

Cruel. Benevolent.

"Let them go home... Lord Chu..."

The reflection in the golden light suddenly vanished.

It took Chu Wanning a moment to realize that Mu Yanli had exhausted all her strength, and her spirit nucleus was shattered. She returned to her original form, with only her dark eyes remaining, gazing at him.

Stripped of armor, with no path to survival.

She could no longer be the cold and proud descendant of the divine race. At this moment, those eyes looked like any ordinary woman's.

She pleaded for her brother, for the demon descendant who was against her own kind.

"Let them go..."

As she spoke, the sword light in her hand abruptly disappeared, shattering into powder as it couldn't withstand the intense battle.

"Please."

Mu Yanli plummeted from the sky, her white-golden robe billowing behind her like a lotus blossom.

At her waist still adorned the emblem of the Heavenly Sound Pavilion, a symbol of justice and enlightenment that shimmered brightly in the darkness.

The voice of Heaven resounds, impartial and untainted.

Children of the Heavenly Sound, emotions must not be harbored.

In its ethereal whisper, the divine is not to be defiled.

With compassion, the Heavenly Sound honors all beings.

These verses, she had recited since childhood, bound her like shackles, whether her eyes were open or closed.

From the moment she was born, her first utterance was not "father" nor "mother," but the opening four characters of this chant: The voice of Heaven resounds.

She recited them countless times daily, kneeling before the sacred effigy of the divine.

No selfishness... No attachments... No desecration of the divine... In reverence to all life.

On her first memorable birthday, her emotionally distant father presented her with a box containing intricately molded clay figurines, painted in vibrant hues, dusted with golden sand. As the silk box opened, each figurine's smiling, curved eyebrows greeted her.

"Woah – it's so beautiful!"

Her father looked down at her with a faint expression. "Do you like it?"

"I do!" Mu Yanli lifted her head up in delight, as if thousands of fireworks had burst within her heart. "Thank you, Father!"

The man she called Father simply raised his hand to pat her head, then took the silk box from the girl's hands.

And right before her eyes, he smashed it onto the ground.

"Clang!" That was the sound of porcelain shattering.

The clay figurine couldn't speak, but its curved brows and smiling eyes still gazed at her. However, the smile was now cracked, its features shattered. Mu Yanli stood there, stunned for a moment, before bursting into tears in sheer horror, wanting to rush over and snatch back her clay doll.

A white shoe embroidered with a balance symbol landed on it.

With a creak, sending chills down the spine.

It was as if the dolls' crowns had been crushed...

Father stepped aside, revealing a ground littered with shattered gray dust where the figurines once stood in neat formation, their endearing smiles directed at her... Why? Why did this happen? Weren't they her birthday gift? What had she done wrong, what had angered Father to such an extent that these innocent clay creatures had to suffer?

"The child of Tianyin shall not harbor affection," the man said coldly before the weeping girl, "For love leads to loss of composure. Love brings bias. You are the heir of the Celestial, the arbiter of earthly justice... The true gift your father bestows upon you is to teach you never to utter the word 'love' for anything."

No attachments... No emotions...

No attachments, no emotions, no attachments, no emotions—like an evil curse tearing through her mind! Incense smoke rose, the divine visage solemn as grand hymns filled the air—Tianyin's voice—resounding—

Countless nights, she held her head in near madness, silently screaming beneath her silk sheets and gauzy canopies.

No escape could be found.

No answers...

What was a father? What was a mother?

She once longed to embrace her birth mother, Lady Lin, but Lady Lin was mad, stabbing at her with scissors, piercing her hands until they were riddled with holes, even threatening her throat with the sharp blades...

No personal attachments must exist.

Absolutely no personal attachments!

In the dark night of unbearable pain, she knelt alone before the divine statue, reciting the taboo of profaning the divine while secretly cursing, wishing to shatter the statue into dust!

And so, she transitioned from a girl to a maiden, and then to a woman.

Behind her, thousands knelt, chanting the lyrics she had long internalized and engraved in her bones: "The Heavenly Sound resounds, no room for personal attachment..."

At times, she seemed possessed, her shoulders trembling as she nearly rose to her feet, ready to slash the entire Heavenly Sound Pavilion into mincemeat before taking her own life.

But in those moments, a gentle and sweet voice, soft and youthful, would suddenly echo in her ear. It sang to her, "Reeds tall, reeds long, separated by mountains and waters, we gaze afar. On this side of the reeds lies home, beyond them, an endless sea."

Opening her eyes, light spilled from behind the divine statue, casting fragmented shadows on the ground.

By then, she was already the Master of the Heavenly Sound Pavilion. Staring at the scattered shadows, she felt as if, within the melody, she saw the reeds of the River of Forgetfulness, their blossoms floating in the air.

A woman stood amidst the reeds, her eyes curved in a gentle smile as she reached out to her.

"Reeds on this side are home... Reeds on that side are an endless sea..."

"Ama..." she murmured.

She addressed Lady Lin as her mother, with utmost respect. But there was only one person to whom she called Ama.

That was her stepmother, the nanny who had raised her since she was little. Perhaps others wouldn't understand why she didn't hate this woman for taking her birth mother's place. But those people could never comprehend—

In her life as black and white as a grid, it was during the few short years with Madam Hua Gui that she experienced laughter, tenderness, warm embraces, and sweet familial affection.

No one would believe her if she told them.

Madam Hua Gui's lullaby about reeds was the only song she had ever heard in her life, aside from the grand celestial melodies. This one tune had both calmed and haunted her throughout her existence.

"Big Sister Mu!!!"

She seemed to hear her younger brother, Hua Binan, screaming in panic. She had never heard him lose his composure like that before.

But she couldn't afford to care anymore. Using the last bit of her spiritual energy, she softened her descent. But this wasn't for survival.

Biting her teeth, she followed the path of sacrifice, crawling step by step like a maggot to the very edge.

Then—

Before anyone could react, she threw herself off the edge of the Demon Bridge with all her remaining strength!

"Mu Yanli, willingly sacrificing myself for your cause. May your wishes come true, and may you all one day return home."

At this sight, Shi Mo was on the verge of madness. He lunged forward, but it was already too late. Mu Yanli turned to look at him one last time.

This woman had always been cold and distant, her expressionless face even exuding an icy chill.

Yet in this moment, she smiled enchantingly at her half-brother, who belonged to a different race, a smile that held a hundred charms.

Her eyes curved into a smile as she fell backward.

"Big Sister—AAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

Mu Yanli smiled, her gaze ascending to the vast expanse of the heavens. This woman, who had never shown emotion, spoke to the boundless sky she had bowed to countless times: "To hell with your notion of selflessness."

In that instant, a red glow surged across the bridge once more. The scarlet flames of the Path of Martyrdom rapidly engulfed her entire body. Before being consumed by the blazing inferno, she strained to cast one last glance toward the entrance to the Demon Realm.

She seemed to hear a voice coming from behind the colossal gate, gentle and tender, like Mama singing to her on a summer's day, fanning her with a delicate silk handkerchief:

"Reeds tall, reeds long, separated by mountains and waters, we gaze afar."

On this side of the reeds lies home,

Beyond them, an endless sea...

"Chief Mu!!"

"Miss Mu!!"

Suddenly, the "pawns" on the Path of Martyrdom lost control. One after another, they rushed over and knelt before the woman who had paved the way for the demons with her divine blood, but she had already transformed into the thirtieth step from the end of the sacrificial path. Her body was entwined in the demonic flames.

Chu Wanning landed back on the ground, his fingertips icy cold as he saw the swaying figures before him.

He had initially assumed that these individuals were pawns brought by Mu Yanli, but now he realized that wasn't the case.

Most of them wore the attire of Heavenly Sound Pavilion's personal disciples, their faces strikingly beautiful. The tears streaming down their cheeks were golden...

They were the Butterfly Bone Beauty Ensemble!

Under Mu Yanli's command, the Heavenly Sound Pavilion had gathered so many surviving members of the Butterfly Bone Clan under the pretense of taking personal disciples. All of them were weeping uncontrollably, collapsing to their knees.

She had just led them through the ranks of cultivators, preparing a path of martyrdom for them to return home at any moment...

"Slaughterer!" Suddenly, someone turned and fiercely yelled at Chu Wanning, their face twisted with hatred. "You, murderer!"

"Why must you be our enemy at every turn? Why force Pavilion Master Mu down this path?!"

Each face was breathtaking, every gaze filled with deep-seated enmity.

Many of the Beauty Ensemble members charged towards him, losing all reason as they threw themselves at him like moths drawn to a flame.

Chu Wanning stood firm, his vision shrouded in darkness. It was effortless to fend off these beauties with low levels of spiritual energy; he didn't even need to raise his hand, for the barrier formed by the mere pressure from his fingertips was enough to keep them at bay.

Murderer...

Criminal.

Mastery.

Savior.

Chu Wanning couldn't help but close his eyes. What was he doing? What else could he do?

Mo Ran was gone, the space-time rift had formed, divine punishment loomed, Mu Yanli had sacrificed her divine body for the demonic path, and Xue Meng used his soul core to suppress Heaven-Stepping Lord.

Suddenly, he felt as if he was facing a wall made of sharp blades, each handle reflecting a chilling light, and he must pass through them all.

Just as not all people were evil, not all Butterfly Bone Clan members were guilty.

Yet he was the one blocking their path home.

Even if there were only twenty-nine steps left, and twenty-nine corpses.

He couldn't allow them to escape and leave the Demon Gate unsealed, for once it was open, divine punishment would likely descend swiftly, dooming both mortal realms, and the people of the Nine Provinces would have no chance to even catch their breath, let alone resist. What kind of ruthless heart did he possess to sit idly by and witness such a calamity unfold?

He couldn't...

He could afford no more hesitation, no more moments of weakness.

Mo Ran had carried the burden of guilt across two lifetimes, and Xue Meng was currently risking his life to buy time for him. Not to mention the innocent lives lost in the past, and this bloodstained path before him.

"Murderer!"

"You caused our deaths! You caused our deaths!"

"Cruel and heartless! You'll have your retribution!"

His soul was tormented like fire, yet his heart was as hard as iron.

Chu Wanning suddenly opened his eyes — he had to assume the role of the killer.

He had no other choice.

"Shi Mingjing."

"..." Shi Mo gazed at him from afar through the throngs of people. There were still traces of tears on his peerlessly beautiful face, his eyes revealing a mix of madness and emptiness.

A breeze stirred, causing his sleeves to flutter in the wind. It seemed he had accepted his fate that Chu Wanning would come to slay him. Indeed, golden light flickered in Chu Wanning's palm, and once more, Huai Sha materialized — with a crash, he used his sword qi to repel the mesmerizing beauty before him who sought to block his path.

With a leap, his gaze as sharp as a winter night's saber, he lunged his sword directly at Shi Mo!

Right at that moment, the Martyr's Path beneath their feet began to tremble violently. Then, numerous crimson pillars of light shot up from the ground, with several of them abruptly intercepting Chu Wanning's route.

Someone cried out, "Look! Look ahead!"

"It's the Demon Gate! What's happening?"

"The bridge is extending! It's connecting to the Demon Gate!!"

The cries turned into shrill shrieks, "The gate is opening!!!"

Startled, Shi Mo turned around and saw a brilliant white-golden light radiating from where Mu Yanli had fallen, stretching from the last step of the staircase and heading toward the Demon Gate with breathtaking force!

Chu Wanning's expression shifted dramatically, while an overwhelming joy flooded Shi Mo's face after his initial shock.

The Path of Martyrdom was about to open—the bridge between the human and demon realms was finally going to be connected!

A weary and aged voice echoed from behind the Demon Gate, resonating throughout the heavens and earth. The tone held a hint of praise, yet it was laced with casual indifference: "The Path of Martyrdom is receiving divine sacrifices. You young ones have taken divine lives and offered them to my path. Your intentions are commendable."

The voice was so loud that even those a hundred miles away from Death Peak could hear it clearly. Everyone on the mountain, engaged in battle, turned their heads to look towards the rear mountain.

Jiang Xi's complexion paled, and naturally, he wasn't alone. All knew that the Demon Realm Gateway was about to open...

Sure enough, the aged voice continued:

"Divine punishment is imminent. His Majesty, the Demon Venerated, seeing your merit in slaying deities, extends his mercy and pardons the last twenty-nine steps of the bridge. Immediately, the Demon Gate will open, allowing you all to return home!"

"What?!"

Instantly, chaos erupted on the mountain peak.

Even Ma Zhuangzhuang, the master of Peach Bud Manor, fell to the ground, weeping bitterly, "Heavens! What are we going to do?!"

Some faces paled, their legs trembling in fear. "The heavenly punishment is about to arrive? What heavenly punishment… What heavenly punishment?!"

The three Mei brothers, engaged in a fierce battle with Heaven-Stepping Lord, were also startled. With a flicker of distraction in Xue Meng's mind, the lord seized the opportunity to break free from his constraints, rising into the air. In response, Xue Meng was repelled by a sudden burst of force, feeling a constriction in his chest, and he abruptly spat out a mouthful of blood!

Heaven-Stepping Lord, hearing the commotion, turned his crimson eyes and glared at Xue Meng for a moment. His expression was chaotic, as if the memories in his mind had started to jumble and stir once more, while the spirits within him began to torment and battle one another. "…Xue Meng…?"

Mei Hanxue immediately drew his longsword, Frostwind, shielding his brother and Xue Meng behind him. He said solemnly, "Be careful."

However, Heaven-Stepping Lord didn't seem intent on continuing the attack. Instead, his brows knitted together, and lines formed on his forehead, his expression becoming increasingly pained.

"No… What is happening… What is happening?!"

He roared in utter confusion and fury, losing control and dashing swiftly towards the dense forest on the mountain's backside. Only then did Mei Hanxue relax slightly, turning to rejoin the other two. He asked Xue Meng, "How are you?"

"Leave me alone, go to Master! Tell him everything we prepared beforehand!"

Mei Hanxue held Xue Meng's wrist, shaking his head. "Your spirit core is on the verge of shattering. You need to heal first."

Xue Meng snarled, "Go now!!"

"I'll go first. All of you stay where you are," Mei Hanxue, aware of the urgency of the situation, pointed at Xue Meng and said to his brother, "Brother, help him with his breathing. I'll go find Master Chu."

Before the Path of Martyrdom, as the final step was completed, the pathway between the Demon Realm and the human world finally converged. A dreamlike expression appeared on the faces of the beautiful beings, and almost everyone was trembling. Nobody dared to take the first step forward, not even Shi Mo.

After an indeterminate amount of time, which could have been a fleeting moment or an eternity, the gate to the Demon Realm in front of the door rumbled and shook. Instantly, clouds swirled, winds blew from all directions, and it seemed as if the very lungs of heaven and earth were heaving, producing a stifling roar.

The lavishly adorned demonic gate split open, and a scarlet glow burst forth from the crack!

Chu Wanning sensed an unprecedentedly terrifying evil aura and martial energy surging out from that fissure – the breath of the demons that could amplify the power of the three forbidden arts...

The Demon Realm had opened!!!