Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 350 - Star (1)

“Heh.”

In the great hall, a sudden light laugh echoed. A gold-robed youth, looking disheveled, leaned against the divine pillar and sat down, his expression full of mockery.

Gui Yansheng had also arrived at some point.

He had been backlashed by the myriad demons and Asura. Though the remnants of the Demon King’s soul had healed his wounds, he had lost all his celestial demon powers. Now, his original soul was incomplete, no different from an ordinary person who couldn’t even lift a chicken.

Gui Yansheng looked at Zanxing, his voice laced with sarcasm: “So you and I are the same, ultimately unable to escape the manipulations of fate. It seems that the celestial demon bloodline and the half-demon bloodline make no difference at this moment. In ‘its’ eyes, you and I are nothing.”

They were nothing.

The Xiao Yuan Pearl, which people fought over as if it contained the ultimate power of the Three Realms, was merely a glamorous trap set by the Heavenly Dao for ants.

Shaoyang Zhenren said: “The divination of the Immortal Hexagram has foretold that the destruction of Douzhou is inevitable. Only if someone from outside the world appears, might there be a glimmer of hope in this desperate situation.”

Someone from outside the world.

Zanxing’s heart stirred. So that was it.

She was someone from outside the world. In some ways, she was a demon and not a demon. Demons would not save the people, but humans would.

She was a pawn, but a pawn outside the game.

From the very beginning, she had stepped into a book destined to end in tragedy. She would become one among the myriad lives and collapse along with Douzhou. Or she might abandon everything beneath her feet and walk alone to the summit of the nine heavens.

To be the perfect protagonist or the insignificant supporting role?

In the central void of the vast sky, countless streams of spiritual energy flew towards it. The vital force of everyone in the hall was uncontrollably leaving their bodies. Soon, they would all become ordinary people, just as the flowing water cannot stop itself from converging into the sea.

The game on the Imperial Platform required the lives of billions in Douzhou to fill the gaps in the chaotic chessboard. Every moment of delay meant countless lives were lost.

The Heavenly Dao was forcing her to make a choice.

The massive pillars supporting the great hall were already covered with fine cracks, as if they could no longer bear the weight of the heavy sky above and were about to collapse, overturning heaven and earth.

Would she watch Douzhou crumble with her own eyes?

Zanxing sighed softly. She extended her hand into the void, and from her palm, a mix of azure and black light emerged. The suction from the vortex was momentarily diminished, and the loss of vital force slowed down.

Compared to being a cold and detached deity with perfect merit, she seemed to prefer being an ordinary person with emotions and sensations of warmth and cold.

After all, that was the true Yang Zanxing.

Gu Baiying stared at her intently, trying to shatter the light barrier and rush in. He said angrily, “Yang Zanxing, don’t act impulsively.”

“Yes!” Tian Fangfang spoke urgently, “Let’s think of another way. There must be other options. Why must people be sacrificed for no reason? The divination by the Immortal Hexagram might not be accurate. Perhaps it is deliberately misleading us!”

“Indeed,” Mu Cengxiao also spoke, “It is not yet the end of the road.”

Meng Ying said, “Junior Sister, step back.”

“Yang Zanxing!” Men Dong’s voice was tinged with suppressed tears, “Don’t scare us, stop now!”

Zanxing’s gaze swept over each of them.

When she first arrived in Douzhou, everything seemed unreal.

She was fearless, greeting everyone with a smile, always feeling that what she saw before her was just a dazzling, bizarre dream.

Later on, she met many people, experienced many things, and advanced hand in hand with her companions. Through laughter and anger, she had long been immersed in the story.

In the Abyss of Extreme Ice, when the flower mark on her palm disappeared, she thought she had broken free from her destined fate. In reality, it was only a brief respite. By twists of fate, the Xiao Yuan Pearl would still return to her hands, and she would remain unable to change her own outcome.

But because of this, Douzhou gained a glimmer of hope.

The Heavenly Dao, too, could not force all ants to comply.

Xiao Shuang called out, “Your Highness!”

Bu Jiang looked at her, clutching the Vajra Bracelet and suddenly lunging towards her, only to be rebounded by the light barrier. She shouted unwillingly, “Zanxing! Don’t listen to that old fool!”

Zanxing sighed and looked at her with some helplessness. “It’s too late, Mother.”

The surroundings fell silent.

“This celestial power is identical to the aura of the Xiao Yuan Pearl within me,” Zanxing said softly. “Before ascending the Heavenly Ladder, I had already lost control of it.”

The Jianmu Tree rose from the ground, its dense canopy reaching the clouds. She felt the Xiao Yuan Pearl within her resonate, as though it was controlling her. Standing at the base of the Jianmu Tree, she hesitated, unsure whether to head towards the unknown yet destined tragic end.

The Demon King stood before her, asking meaningfully, “Do you know what the most important quality is for being the leader of Heishi City?”

Courage, boldness, composure, decisiveness, strength?

None of those. The most important quality was sacrifice.

Sacrificing oneself could save countless people. There would be no demon who wanted to save the masses.

“I will be the first,” she said.

In an instant, a fierce storm erupted from the vast, starry sky. A dark vortex, from which torrents of water continuously flowed, suddenly expanded. A massive blue flame rose from Zanxing’s body.

The Demon King’s bloodline exploded instantaneously. The blue begonia on her forehead bloomed more brightly and splendidly than ever before, as if the most beautiful scenery of her life had condensed into this moment.

“Yang Zanxing!” Gu Baiying rushed over with a spear, his Xiu Gu spear violently stabbing towards the blue flame surrounding Zanxing. The flame, seemingly gentle, extinguished the spear’s tip in an instant.

He suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. The silver spear faltered, and the massive spirit weapon shot into the sky, fiercely attacking the blue flame again.

The blue flame surged, enveloping the silver spear entirely.

The young man threw away his silver spear and, staring at the person surrounded by the flame, tried to pull her back, shouting angrily, “Yang Zanxing, how dare you!”

Zanxing smiled at him.

His white robes were scorched by the flames, his eyes brighter than the blazing fire. He gritted his teeth and said, “I disagree. You can’t make this decision on your own!”

“Gu Baiying, do you remember the question I asked you?”

“What?”

“If I really took seven male concubines, would you really sever ties with me for the rest of our lives?”

Gu Baiying’s eyes reddened. Despite his hands being burned by the flames, he stubbornly refused to give up. He asked, “What are you trying to say?”

“Just consider that I’ve taken seven male concubines and that we’ll never see each other again.” She joked with a smile, “After all, you’re so wonderful, and not lacking admirers. If you focus on the path to greatness, you will eventually achieve great success. And if you seek daily life, you’ll find a kindred partner, with whom you’ll have children and build a family.”

“Yang Zanxing, don’t even think about it!” he said through gritted teeth. “I will wait for you, I will always wait for you. You can never sever ties with me!”

“Gu Baiying.” Zanxing looked at him gently. “I once said that in human relationships, it’s either meeting or parting. Parting happens more often than meeting, and that’s just how life is.”

“I have been very happy to walk this road with you every day.”

“Now, it is time for us to part.”

Ten thousand streaks of starlight poured down, shattering her figure into pieces. Her long hair traced a fleeting path in the night sky.

A silver giant beast roared, soaring into the clouds, carrying that bright star into the vortex of endless void.

“Yang Zanxing!” The young man’s eyes were bloodshot.

It seemed like many people were calling out her name from behind, but Zanxing did not turn back.

Looking back now, Heaven’s Dao had already subtly given her many hints.

The shark demon of Li’er Country had told her that fate was predetermined and could not be forced. The snake shaman in Wufan City had taught her that beauty was fleeting and would eventually disperse. The swrodsmith in the treasure trove had repeatedly told her that all transactions in the world were unfair. The monk in the Five-Wheel Pagoda, for the benefit of the people, had imprisoned himself in a realm of dark nightmare.

Time and again, they had warned her of the inevitability of destiny. But Zanxing had chosen not to believe.

She wanted to strive against fate, to change her own destiny, thinking that by cultivating the Peerless Heart Sutra and reclaiming the Xiao Yuan Pearl, she could expect a climax to the story, only to find herself unknowingly inching towards the conclusion.

A climax and an ending.

When she was young, she read a line in a book: “In a play, there are countless names, but all are mere supports. At its core, it is set for one person alone.”

‘At the Summit of the Nine Heavens’ was a story born for Mu Cengxiao. The Mu Cengxiao in the story had reached the summit of the nine heavens, leaving everything beneath as past events, ready to be cast aside.

For Mu Cengxiao, it was a comedy, but for the countless supporting characters in the story, it was an undeniable tragedy.

Zanxing was an ordinary person, and she didn’t like tragedies.

She preferred a grand, happy ending.

In the darkness of the night, the vortex grew larger and larger. Zanxing felt every inch of her body being crushed and then reassembled, surrounded by dazzling light. She became a twinkling star, flying towards the magnificent, colossal endgame of the world.

She could not change the Dao of Heaven. She remained a chess piece throughout.

But this chess piece changed the ending of the story.