Chapter 62:

Xuanxin Zunzhe and He Xianwo, along with other cultivators, retreated far from the battlefield. Everyone watched in confusion and bewilderment at the three entangled figures whose identities were hard to distinguish.

Who was the enemy and who was the ally? They couldn’t tell anymore…

“Nan Xuyue… it’s actually the Tianming Scroll…” Xuanxin Zunzhe gazed complexly at the white-robed figure. “Born with ten spiritual apertures, he truly is a reincarnation of a divine being.”

“Then who is Xie Xuechen?” He Xianwo looked perplexedly at the red-robed Demon Sovereign. “Nan Xuyue called him Demon Sovereign Zhaoming. This person is so powerful, yet we’ve never heard of him before.”

Xuanxin Zunzhe turned his gaze to the wide-opened gate of the Demon Realm, where the crimson moon hung silently in the night sky. Not a single demon soldier emerged. Feeling something amiss, Xuanxin exchanged a glance with He Xianwo and flew toward the Demon Realm’s gate.

Soon after, the two figures flew back with a puzzled expression, bringing a shocking report.

“The Demon Realm is empty.”

Empty? What did that mean?

There were no demon soldiers or generals at all…

The entire Demon Realm was desolate and silent.

“Perhaps the Demon Sovereign has absorbed all the demons, which is why he’s so powerful,” He Xianwo speculated.

Xuanxin Zunzhe suddenly chuckled bitterly.

“I never imagined that the greatest demon slayer would actually be the Demon Sovereign himself.”

He Xianwo was also confused. “Then, is he the Demon Sovereign or Xie Xuechen?”

“It should be Xie Xuechen,” Xuanxin Zunzhe said confidently. “Otherwise, Jun Tian wouldn’t still recognize him as its master.”

Nan Xuyue wielded his brush-sword, calmly unleashing sharp waves of chaotic energy. Despite the strong demonic aura, it was naturally suppressed by the chaotic energy. The blade’s intent corroded the demonic aura, leaving wounds on Xie Xuechen. However, now possessing the body of a Demon Sovereign, he no longer bled; instead, demonic aura seeped from the wounds, causing him pain. Mu Xuanling shielded him from attacks, and Nan Xuyue intentionally avoided her, but she kept throwing herself into the path of his blade, staining her white robes with blood.

Nan Xuyue slightly furrowed his brows and angrily said, “Xuanling, step aside!”

Ignoring his words, Mu Xuanling charged forward. Nan Xuyue’s eyes sharpened. He opened his left palm, and a bamboo scroll materialized.

“The Tianming Scroll!”

That was Nan Xuyue’s original form and also his magical artifact. When the brush-sword touched the scroll, it could inscribe karma and alter destiny.

The Tianming Scroll was a chaotic artifact belonging to the divine race. If a divine being invoked Tianming, they would bear the consequences. But if the Tianming acted for itself, it had to bear the burden alone. Back then, Nan Xuyue had refused Azhu’s request to reverse Tianming because the cost of reversing Tianming was unbearable for them.

Nan Xuyue unfurled the scroll and pressed the brush-sword onto it.

Mu Xuanling was horrified. She rushed toward Nan Xuyue without hesitation. The brush-sword pierced her chest, instantly soaking her white robes in blood.

“Xuanling!” Xie Xuechen cried out in alarm, chasing after her.

Nan Xuyue looked up, seeing the blood on her chest, his pupils constricted. Mu Xuanling’s attack arrived in an instant. He raised the brush-sword, chaotic energy gathering at its tip, aiming at her forehead.

He wanted to drive her back, holding nothing back.

She wanted to stop him from rewriting fate, also holding nothing back.

A mutual destruction, both sides wounded!

A scene from ten thousand years ago flashed through his mind. Nan Xuyue’s breath caught as Mu Xuanling’s attack struck his spiritual aperture. A powerful surge of chaotic energy violently shattered his aperture, sending him flying.

Nan Xuyue spat blood and fell to the ground, tightly gripping the Tianming Scroll. He looked up at Mu Xuanling, a bitter smile on his lips, his voice hoarse. “You refused to wear a wedding dress for me, yet you’re willing to stain your white robes for him…”

Mu Xuanling hesitated, withdrawing her hand and staring at the fallen Nan Xuyue. “Why did you withdraw your attack?”

She had clearly felt the blade pierce her skin, but at the last moment, he had pulled back completely, not even trying to dodge her strike, taking the full force of her attack defenselessly.

Blood continued to spill from Nan Xuyue’s mouth as the Tianming Scroll vanished from his palm.

“Wounds from chaotic energy aren’t easily healed…” he rasped. “A blade to the heart… you would die… I couldn’t bear it…”

“Xuanling!” Xie Xuechen pulled her swaying body into his arms, but she shook her head gently. “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

Nan Xuyue looked at the two clinging together. They were so close, leaving no room for him to intervene. She had felt hatred, gratitude, remorse, and pity for him, but never a shred of love. He thought endless time would be enough for her to forget the past, but ten thousand years had passed… Even for a god, ten thousand years was several lifetimes of upheaval. Yet time and reincarnation could not erase their bond.

Had he not understood?

He only failed to grasp the sweetness of love, but tasted deeply the bitterness of longing.

“Xuanling… that day in Mirror Flower Valley, I acted out of selfishness, not saving Xie Xuechen… I always thought, as long as Xie Xuechen was gone, one day you would see me… But I never expected you would die for him…” he coughed lightly, blood speckling his lips, his bright eyes filled with bitterness. “In the days and nights I watched over you, I regretted endlessly…”

Suddenly, Mu Xuanling realized the person before her was not Tianming, but Nan Xuyue.

But Tianming and Nan Xuyue were one and the same…

“I didn’t want to hurt you, yet I hurt you the most… Xuanling, you once promised me a bit of affection, but in the end… you even took that away… leaving only remorse for me.”

Nan Xuyue looked up at Mu Xuanling, his moist, gentle eyes reminiscent of their first meeting in the woods. He stood before her, smiling as he lowered his head, carefully raising his fan to shield her from the scorching sun.

—”Meeting you for the first time felt like meeting an old friend. The bright moon over the horizon, the deepest longing day and night…”

“Nan Xuyue…” Mu Xuanling stepped before him, kneeling halfway, sorrowfully grasping his gradually cooling hand. She could only say sorry, knowing he didn’t want to hear it.

Nan Xuyue weakly grasped her fingertips, smiling hoarsely, his eyes flickering with a broken smile. “If I can only have remorse… then let it be more… If I die by your hand… with your tender heart, will you remember me forever…”

Mu Xuanling’s heart ached, tears spilling from her eyes onto his palm.

“Xuanling… tell me… did I… this… this count… as love?”

Nan Xuyue died, but the Tianming Scroll did not. He returned to his divine status atop Luowu Mountain.

“The Sire is the Tianming Scroll. He shares the same lifespan as Heaven, never dying, only sleeping, perhaps for ten thousand years, perhaps twenty thousand…” Mu Xuanling said sorrowfully. “If Heaven had feelings, even Heaven would age. He should have remained high above, untouched by dust, not ending up like this.”

“He wanted you to remember him. His wish was fulfilled,” Xie Xuechen said.

Mu Xuanling cautiously looked at him, softly asking, “Are you angry?”

Xie Xuechen chuckled, gently squeezing her soft hand. “Not angry, just a little annoyed.”

He had sacrificed his cultivation and died to save Mu Xuanling, his Dao heart shattered, descending into demonhood. Now as the Demon Sovereign’s body, without the restraint of a Dao heart, his words and actions were more casual and spontaneous. Sometimes influenced by demonic aura, he was easily swayed by emotions, displaying his feelings openly, arrogant and unrestrained. Other times, the soul of Saint Jun Zhaoming took over, making his consciousness clearer, his behavior more composed and refined.

From him, Mu Xuanling learned what happened after she consumed the immortal lotus. She finally understood that the person who saved her seven years ago was actually the future Xie Xuechen!

No wonder he had forgotten—it was because that memory had never existed…

At that time, he had died before her eyes, and her only thought was to save him at any cost. She had never understood the source of the surging power from her body, thinking it was just demonic energy. How could she have known her true form was the Chaos Pearl?

“After you scattered your cultivation and became a demon, why did you become the Demon Sovereign?” Mu Xuanling asked in confusion. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

Xie Xuechen solemnly asked, “Xuanling, do you remember what happened ten thousand years ago?”

Mu Xuanling shook her head blankly. “I remember nothing… My earliest memory is at the Bright Moon Manor.”

Seeing Xie Xuechen’s grave expression, she anxiously asked, “What happened ten thousand years ago?”

Xie Xuechen sighed softly. “Ten thousand years ago, the divine race ruled over the Three Realms, treating all beings as ants. I stormed the Divine Realm and was sealed by the Tianming in the Molten Abyss. The Tianming erased my identity and name, so the world no longer knew of me. I was once the Human Emperor, Zhaoming Saint Jun.”

“Zhaoming…” she murmured his name softly, as if a cat’s paw had brushed her heart, a slight ache.

Hearing the familiar call, Xie Xuechen smiled gently, planting a kiss between her brows.

“It feels familiar, yet I can’t recall…” Mu Xuanling frowned in frustration. “Could it be because Tianming altered my memories? But… that shouldn’t be possible. His power shouldn’t be enough to affect me.”

“I have other questions too. What happened after I was sealed? Why did the divine race disappear? Where did the demons come from?” Xie Xuechen’s gaze darkened as he pondered. “I think, there might be someone who knows the answers.”

At Luowu Mountain.

Lunjing Shenshen wiped non-existent dust from the Wheel of Reincarnation mirror, suddenly smiling.

“You’ve come.”

He showed no surprise, slowly turning to face the two standing side by side behind him.

The red-robed Demon Sovereign and the white-robed celestial maiden.

With their restored powers, the Demon Sovereign and the Chaos Pearl could easily reach the Divine Execution Platform.

“Lunjing Shenshen, the last time we met, you mentioned someone had covered the truth of the world with lies, even deceiving you. Do you remember now?” Xie Xuechen asked.

Lunjing Shenshen slightly nodded with a smile. “A few days ago, the Tianming Scroll returned.”

Mu Xuanling’s eyes flickered.

Lunjing Shenshen looked at her. “The Tianming Scroll has returned to silence. I took a peek while I could. You should know that all written destinies remain forever on the bamboo scrolls, so I saw everything, and remembered everything.”

“What do you mean by ‘everything’?” Xie Xuechen pressed.

“First, naturally, the existence of Zhaoming Saint Jun. You know this best,” Lunjing Shenshen said with a smile.

Xie Xuechen nodded. “I want to know what happened after I was sealed. And why Xuanling lost her past memories.”

Lunjing Shenshen’s gentle gaze swept over Mu Xuanling as he sighed. “After you were sealed, the Chaos Pearl stormed the Heavenly Palace, forcing the Tianming Scroll to reverse fate and release you. But reversing fate required an unknown price, so the Tianming Scroll naturally refused. They clashed, both sides were severely wounded, and both fell into silence. After the Tianming Scroll fell silent, there was an opportunity to replace heaven and earth. That was the only way to rescue Zhaoming Saint Jun.”

Lunjing Shenshen turned his back, his long sleeves brushing the Wheel of Reincarnation mirror. A silver light flashed across the mirror’s surface, rippling like a pond, gradually becoming clear.

In the mirror, a young girl identical to Mu Xuanling was covered in blood, barely alive. Weakly leaning against the celestial pillar, she stretched out her right hand, pressing it against her forehead. With great pain, she forcibly pulled a golden-red soul essence from her brow. Her face turned pale from the agony, sweat drenched her, nearly causing her to faint.

That golden-red divine blood was gently wrapped in chaotic energy. She lovingly gazed at the soul essence, softly calling out—”Zhaoming”…

Though she was so reluctant, she still let go, allowing the soul essence to fall into the mortal world.

A round mirror appeared before her. She extended her right hand, letting drop after drop of blood fall onto the mirror. The mirror emitted strange light. After a long while, a figure of a man in green robes appeared in the mirror. The man’s face was elegant and dignified, slowly stepping out of the mirror—it was Lunjing Shenshen.

“From today on, your name shall be Lunjing,” she said hoarsely. “I have given you the power to reverse time and space. You shall be Sichen.”

Sichen knelt before her, respectfully calling, “Lunjing pays homage to the Supreme Deity.”

She coughed weakly, utterly exhausted. “My time is short. Listen carefully… I have destroyed the divine race, turning them into demons, burying them in the Molten Abyss. I am about to fall into slumber, losing all my power and memories, unable to save Zhaoming. I can only cast his soul into the cycle of reincarnation. After thousands or ten thousands of years, when the time is right, his soul will enter the Molten Abyss, merge with his original body, and regain his past memories. After observing countless cycles, this is the only chance…”

The Tianming Scroll controls the laws of fate, while the Chaos Pearl controls the power of time and space. But fate cannot control her destiny, and she cannot reverse the laws of fate. Only through mutual destruction could there be a glimmer of hope.

“You will probably forget all this soon… All memories of Zhaoming will be erased by fate. You only need to remember, you must wait here. Many years later, someone will come here. No matter what wish he makes, you must grant it, help him.” She tightly furrowed her brows, afraid to say too much, fearing that fate might erase her, ruining everything.

Sichen dared not ask more. He bowed in agreement.

“If the Supreme Deity loses her memories, can she find Zhaoming’s soul again?”

A pale face revealed a gentle and determined smile. “After thousands of years, in the sea of mortal beings, the person I will fall in love with will be him.”

The scene in the Wheel of Reincarnation mirror gradually blurred, leaving only that voice echoing in the temple.

Sichen’s ethereal voice slowly said, “So I was not a god, merely the embodiment of the Supreme Deity’s time and space power. The former divine race became today’s demons. When water is full, it overflows. When the moon is full, it wanes. This is the way of heaven. When the divine race became too powerful, they declined. One thought makes a god, one thought makes a demon.”

He turned around, slowly bowing to Mu Xuanling. Green smoke drifted from his body, his form gradually becoming ethereal.

Strands of time and space power floated toward Mu Xuanling, entering her spiritual aperture. Her power filled her aperture, and her memories gradually became clear.

Sichen respectfully said, “Welcome back, Supreme Deity.”

Sichen’s voice echoed, but his form returned to the mirror, eventually disappearing. The miraculous Wheel of Reincarnation mirror slowly landed in Mu Xuanling’s palm. The sands of time no longer flowed, the mirror surface calm and dark. Flipping it over, drops of blood seeped into the mirror, leaving layers of vermilion color, like thousands of blooming peach blossoms.

“Zhaoming…” her voice softly called, deeply touching his heart.

“That day, I told you I came from chaos, that the life and death of all beings meant nothing to me. So you secretly went to the Heavenly Palace alone, facing death. You thought you were no different from all beings in my heart.”

“But Zhaoming, back then I didn’t understand. You were different from all beings in this world. I don’t care about the rest of the world, only about you.”

“I waited for you ten thousand years, searched for you ten thousand years, just to find you and tell you in person.”

“Whether as Azhu or Xuanling, for thousands of years, I want to be with you forever, life and death inseparable.”

“Now, do you understand?”

In response, she was embraced warmly. Behind her was his solid chest, his hands covering hers, fingers caressing the petals of peach blossoms on the mirror. Each petal was a hidden longing, silently growing unseen, waiting for this lifetime to bloom.