Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 109 - Fate Ends (1)

Outside the palace, the night was cold, with a chilling wind blowing.

The scales on the shark demon’s face grew darker, exhibiting a sinister shade of blackness. Despite the cultivators’ efforts to engage him, the shark demon’s demonic power seemed terrifyingly strong. Gu Baiying could hold his own against him, but both were now injured.

“Why is he getting stronger?” Mu Cengxiao furrowed his brows. “His demonic power seems endless.”

“Perhaps there’s something peculiar about it. This won’t do. None of us are his match,” Meng Ying said as she charged forward with her sword.

“Not good!” Tian Fangfang turned around and saw the black mist surrounding Princess Lizhu gradually tightening. Princess Lizhu’s face was contorted in pain, and it seemed she was about to be strangled to death. He raised his axe and swung it towards the black mist, but as soon as the blade of his Qianyang Axe touched the mist, it was repelled.

Yin Ying laughed maniacally at Princess Lizhu, “Since you’re in such agony, why not accompany him in the afterlife!”

The black mist suddenly tightened, and Princess Lizhu’s breath became weaker and weaker. The cultivators attempted to approach the black mist, but before they could get close, they were corroded by its demonic power, unable to get any closer.

“Stop!”

At the critical moment, a clear voice suddenly came from the sky. In the vast emptiness, a sudden burst of green light appeared, shining brightly in the night. It shot straight towards the black mist surrounding Princess Lizhu, like a bolt of lightning, splitting the dense mist apart.

The black mist quickly dispersed, and Princess Lizhu fell to the ground, caught by Tian Fangfang. Everyone looked up to see a woman with green clothes and black hair holding a floral-patterned staff, landing in front of Yin Ying.

“Yang Zanxing?” Gu Baiying’s eyes flickered with surprise as he called out her name for the first time, a hint of joy in his tone.

“You’re not dead?” Yin Ying was surprised. “How is that possible?”

“Just lucky,” Zanxing looked at him. “Yin Ying, stop this madness. I’ve seen Yin Li, you can’t continue like this anymore!”

Yin Ying was momentarily stunned, then he sneered, “Disciples of the sect, indeed skilled in deceitful words, capable of spouting any nonsense. Yin Li died forty years ago, how could you have seen him? Dream on if you think you can make me stop!” He struck towards Zanxing with his palm.

“It’s true,” Zanxing evaded his attack, “his soul is currently attached to mine!”

“Nonsense!” This seemed to enrage Yin Ying even further. He violently shook his embroidered robe, and from within it, thick clouds of demonic energy billowed out.

“Not good! Get away quickly!” Pu Tao’s expression changed drastically as the surging demonic energy harmed everyone around. Gu Baiying wielded his spear to confront it, the tip of his spear hitting the black mist, shattering it several times. However, in moments, the mist regenerated, entwining around his Xiu Gu spear.

A trace of blood appeared at the corner of Gu Baiying’s lips.

Zanxing, seeing this, was alarmed. This shark demon was too strong. Yin Li had once said that shark demons’ demonic power was not remarkable. They could struggle against ordinary people but would never stand a chance against cultivators. Yet, the demonic power of this shark demon present far surpassed that expectation. It was likely that all the cultivators present combined were not his match.

As the black mist continued to grow, Zanxing mobilized her qi, swinging her staff towards Gu Baiying, hoping to lend him a hand. However, as she made her move, she sensed that something was amiss.

Her cultivation had advanced to the late Foundation Establishment stage before she left the Li’er Country, with only a step away from Core Formation. However, after arriving in the Li’er Country, with all the chaotic events surrounding her, Zanxing didn’t have much inclination to cultivate. Just now, after walking through the demon-slaying formation, her qi had depleted significantly. Normally, at this moment, she could only utilize about one-third of her cultivation base.

However, the qi flowing through the spiritual veins, gentle and soothing like a murmuring stream, wrapped around the areas injured by the black mist. She could feel the qi within her body rising rapidly, fluctuating like the tide. She could clearly perceive every inch of the Imperial Mausoleum. A warmth was gradually expanding in her dantian, and Zanxing could sense that within her body, a bead was gradually forming. This bead was round like a goose egg, emitting a clear and verdant green light, like the reflection of slender willows in a lake on a spring day, brimming with vitality.

In her mind, there was unprecedented clarity.

In a daze, she saw a woman in white standing under a giant tree in the deep night. The tree was hung with colorful paper lanterns, which illuminated the long field brilliantly. At the far end of the sky, fireworks exploded in the night sky, a dazzling display of colors. A man’s voice rang out, with a hint of teasing laughter: “The lanterns are like a fire tree and silver flowers, shining brightly on the branches.”

“Boring.”

Immediately after, the figures gradually dissipated, leaving only the brilliant fireworks at the end of the sky and the lights on the branches. The flowing traces of light gradually became blurred, fading into the silhouette of a green staff.

“Advance two steps, kick once. Retreat one step, strike the withered tree’s roots. Back off and exit, turn to face the hole, sneak and roll, all fours.”

The woman’s tone was as steady as ever, even somewhat aloof, yet at this moment, it made Zanxing feel an unprecedented sense of intimacy.

Meng Ying swung her sword to disperse the condensed black mist in front of her, then turned around and looked ahead, her expression revealing surprise. “Junior Sister?”

Mu Cengxiao followed her gaze.

The black mist surrounding Zanxing gradually dissipated, and the verdant color of her Tianji Dharma Robe appeared particularly bright against the dark backdrop. The woman held a flower staff in her hand, her swinging movements not swift, yet with each strike, the dispersed black mist did not coalesce again.

The night sky was gradually illuminated by this long staff, like fireworks blooming by the seaside, casting a silvery glow.

Yin Ying also took notice of this scene.

His demonic energy was no longer growing endlessly as before, and Zanxing dispersed the last trace of black mist and charged straight towards him.

“Just a cultivator who hasn’t reached the Core Formation stage dares to act arrogantly.” Yin Ying sneered, his claws as sharp as they could shred a person’s soul. He met Zanxing head-on. “Today is the day you die!”

The long staff collided with the sharp claws.

The mist-like demonic energy surged towards the glowing green tip of the staff.

Zanxing felt countless swamp-like thick black mists enveloping her, those things crawling up her body along the staff as if trying to attach themselves to her bones, trying to drag her into an abyss of hell, forever entombing her in darkness.

She gripped the long staff with both hands and swung it fiercely downwards. “Qing’e Flower-Picking Staff, Second Form — Fire Tree and Silver Flowers!”

A dazzling white light shot out into the air.

The Milky Way was dispersed, turning into a shower of light raining down to the ground.

For an instant, the long night of the Li’er Country seemed as bright as day.

Those brilliant, burning stars fell one after another, embroidering a magnificent picture on the dark and cold earth. It reminded people of the New Year in the capital, where the spring night was short-lived, and joy lasted through the night. With longing in their hearts, young girls would sweetly lean their heads on their loved ones’ shoulders.

The people of Li’er Country looked up, marveling and exclaiming in awe. Innocent children clapped their hands joyfully, cheering enthusiastically.

The east wind blew across the pavilions, making the white jade railings appear even colder. The brilliance and noise gradually faded away, leaving only the cold ashes of the fire. Like scattered flowers after a feast.

The same crimson fire and silver flowers might have existed in the old dreams of lost loved ones, but dreams always end, just as flowers always wither. The illusory warmth will fade, and brilliance has always been fleeting.

It flared up in an instant, and then it went out.

That’s how fireworks have always been.

Zanxing lowered her head to look at the person in front of her.

Yin Ying was half-kneeling on the ground, the black mist around him completely dissipated. He had been hit in the chest by the stick just now, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. The “fragments” of the fire tree and silver flowers had burned his scales, and he looked a bit miserable.

“My Junior Sister is actually so powerful,” Tian Fangfang muttered in disbelief, “She defeated a shark demon that even my martial uncle found difficult to deal with in one move.”

Gu Baiying glanced at him, and Tian Fangfang lowered her head to check his Qianyang Axe, pretending that he hadn’t said anything just now.

“You are indeed very impressive, I was mistaken.” Yin Ying wiped the blood from his lips and said lightly.

“I know you want revenge for Yin Li,” Zanxing looked at him, “But even if you want revenge, you must first make sure who you should seek vengeance upon. The innocent girl is not the reason Yin Li was killed all those years ago, so why bother.”

Yin Ying chuckled softly, “Revenge? You’re overestimating me.” Madness flickered in his gaze, “What does Yin Li’s death have to do with me? If he wants to die, no one can stop him.”

Zanxing said, “Is that so? If you don’t care about him, why won’t you leave the Western Sea? Didn’t you say you intended to leave this place long ago?”

Yin Ying was taken aback, raising his head to look at Zanxing, “How do you…”

“I’ve already told you, I’ve seen Yin Li,” Zanxing paused, “He also misses you.”

Silence enveloped the surroundings.

After a moment, the calm voice of the shark demon sounded.

“It’s too late.”

Zanxing asked, “What’s late?”

“Shark demons should live in the sea, not on land.” A strange smile appeared on Yin Ying’s face.

Zanxing realized something, but before she could speak, she heard Pu Tao shout from afar, “No good, the sea is flooding into the city!”

In the distance of the Country of Li’er, the wind roared, and the strong wind whipped up huge waves. The Western Sea, which was as gentle and peaceful as a sapphire, was now rushing in like a ferocious beast. The earth began to tremble, and countless flocks of seabirds took off from the end of the sea line.

“What did you do?” Zanxing turned to look at Yin Ying.

The shark demon laughed, and he said word by word, “I want to turn this place into the Western Sea, and I want there to be no more land south of Duzhou!”

Zanxing simply couldn’t communicate with this madman.

The seawater surged towards the shore, eager to engulf everything in Li’er Country. The imperial mausoleum started to become noisy, and the screams of the fishermen by the sea floated to the ears of the cultivators with the wind.

The cultivators could find ways to protect themselves, but were all the people of Li’er Country doomed to be buried at the bottom of the sea tonight?

Gu Baiying pressed a spear against Yin Ying’s throat and angrily said, “Stop now, or I’ll kill you!”

“Go ahead and kill me,” Yin Ying replied with a faint smile.

He had already resolved to die.

At that moment, a sigh echoed across the heavens and earth.

The sigh was gentle, as if it couldn’t bear to blame anyone, filled with helplessness. Immediately, a layer of silver ripples spread out from the sky, gradually expanding into a river of stars, which flowed towards the distant Western Sea.