Chapter 55: Journey in the Mountains and Rivers (IX)

The evil spirits howled and charged towards them, but a white robe fluttered down in front of them.
The figure in the robe was slender and delicate, with a gorgeous dress that outlined a slender waist. The hem of

the skirt was embroidered with lifelike phoenix tails, and a jade pendant hung on both sides of the face under the flowing jade crown, which concealed a mysterious face.

Ji Hu, who was fighting Gui Ba in the void, was stunned and almost fell from the air when he saw the figure standing alone in front of the Eternal Water Abyss.

The crowded evil spirits rushed towards her, and the eerie aura lifted her black hair and made it fly wildly behind her.
Ji Hu said hesitantly, “Ah Heng…”
Gui Ba exclaimed in surprise, “Yanheng?”
Yanheng raised her hand lightly, and the Demon-Slaying Sword in Sui Ning’s hand responded to her call and fell into her hand.
She infused it with divine power, and the Demon-Slaying Sword suddenly emitted a dazzling sword light. The long sword was like a rainbow, and its momentum was fierce. It roared towards the evil spirits that were rushing towards her and brutally killed them.
With the release of divine power, the Demon-Slaying Sword was different from when it was in Sui Ning’s hands. Its momentum was overwhelming, and the sword light caused the calm waters of the Eternal Water Abyss to ripple.
The evil spirits that crawled out of the Wanmo Cavern were suddenly swept away, but Yan Heng remained calm and indifferent, with no waves in her eyes.
With Yan Heng in front of her, Sui Ning’s heart suddenly relaxed, and her legs became weak. Xie Changzhou hugged her tightly in his arms.
“Ningning, I’m sorry, I’m late.”
Xie Changzhou’s slender hand was attached to Sui Ning’s waist, and the warm and pure spiritual energy continuously flowed into her body, flowing along her meridians and comforting her depleted Dantian.
Her wounds gradually healed, and her exhaustion and pain subsided.
Sui Ning buried her head in his arms, shook her head gently, and said in a hoarse voice, “No, I knew you would come.”
She quietly wiped away the tears from her face, buried herself in his arms, and breathed in the cold and indifferent scent that emanated from Xie Changzhou’s body. The fear of facing the evil spirits alone gradually dissipated, and her panicked heart calmed down.

She had come dangerously close to never seeing him again.

Xie Changzhou gently patted her back and looked up at the figure of Ji Hu in the void.

Ji Hu and Gui Ba had long ceased their battle, both now wearing cold and stern expressions as they gazed at Yanheng before the Eternal Waters abyss.

Xie Changzhou’s handsome face appeared indifferent, but his eyes were filled with an icy chill. He locked eyes with Ji Hu in the void, and there was a frosty glint in his brows.

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Ji Hu felt a sense of despair. He had done his utmost to prevent this, but was it still going to end up like this?

Beside him, Gui Ba sneered, his voice cold: “Ji Hu, your plan was well thought out, but you overlooked a variable.”

He tilted his chin slightly, looking at Ji Hu. Even though Ji Hu’s posture remained upright, Ji Hu inexplicably felt as though his entire being, including his soul, was hunched over.

Gui Ba coldly eyed him and spoke softly, “Would Yanheng be willing to let someone die in her place?”

“You’ve been with her for countless years, yet you still don’t understand her.”

Ji Hu’s eyes suddenly turned red, and he glared fiercely at Gui Ba by his side. He swung his longsword towards him, aiming to cleave him.

Before the Eternal Waters abyss, with Xie Changzhou’s spiritual energy gradually healing her meridians, the depleted dantian was slowly being repaired.

She emerged from his embrace, her dark eyes fixed on Yanheng in front of her. She wore exquisite and elegant attire that fluttered as she moved, her hand holding a sword as she weaved through the evil spirits.

Wherever the Demon-slaying Sword passed, the grotesque and roaring evil spirits turned into smoke and dissipated into the void or were scattered into the Eternal Waters abyss.

The immortal soldiers within the barrier were momentarily stunned, but it only took a moment for many demons to launch surprise attacks.

Yanheng’s clear and cold voice rang out, “Generals, focus on slaying demons and don’t lose your focus.”

Familiar with the cold detachment that carried an air of authority.

The immortal soldiers quickly regained their senses and confronted the advancing demon generals. The battlefield once again became a scene of intense combat, with severed limbs and splattered blood staining the yellow sand.

From time to time, some of them discreetly cast glances towards the Eternal Waters abyss.

How could there be two goddesses? Could it be that what Gui Ba said was true?

Could the one leading them here be the fake goddess?

But her brave and determined battle against the evil spirits, her self-sacrificing actions—how could that be the work of a fake?

Occasionally, some immortal soldiers were distracted and exploited by the demons. Yanheng, who was fighting alongside the evil spirits, frowned and coldly warned, “Generals, if you lose focus again, the Immortal Realm may be lost today.”

Her cold voice unusually carried a hint of anger, dispelling any doubts in the minds of the immortal soldiers.

Even if one of the goddesses was fake, neither of them had committed any harm to the Immortal Realm.

Yanheng’s veil was lifted slightly, revealing a delicate jawline. Above it were faintly visible red lips, and the angles were familiar—it was the image that Sui Ning had looked at in the mirror for over twenty years.

Sui Ning’s gaze darkened, and she exerted a slight pressure on Xie Changzhou’s hand as she looked into Yanheng’s complex eyes.

Yanheng’s brows and eyes were sharp and cold, her expression emotionless as she reaped the evil spirits.

Just half an hour after their first encounter, she fell into a deep sleep. In the months that followed, she rarely saw her.

Seeing her alive and well once again, that palpitation from the depths of her soul resurfaced.

“Sui Ning!” Xie Changzhou looked at her with a sidelong glance and softly called out to her.

Sui Ning raised her gaze to him, suddenly coming back to her senses.

Xie Changzhou’s gentle gaze softened, and he soothingly said, “Don’t overthink it.”

He looked towards Yanheng, a hint of darkness flickering in his eyes, and gently clasped Sui Ning’s hand with his own, his fingers interlocking tightly.

“The goddess is the goddess, and you are you.”

He turned his gaze back, his dark lashes drooping as he lowered his eyes to her. “You are Sui Ning, the Sui Ning of the Limitless Sword Sect.”

“No matter what Ji Hu does, for whatever reason or position,” Xie Changzhou looked at her and softly continued, “you are Sui Ning, not some goddess.”

“You are Sui Ning of the Limitless Sword Sect, so don’t be afraid.”

Sui Ning nodded, saying, “Alright.”

Behind them, the immortal soldiers were fiercely battling the demon generals, while in the void above, Ji Hu and Gui Ba were engaged in combat. The beast occasionally roared below, wreaking havoc on the battlefield.

A crease formed between Sui Ning’s eyebrows. “Is that the soul body of the beast?”

Xie Changzhou looked over and nodded gently. “Yes.”

With icy vertical pupils and long horns on its head, the towering and majestic beast was undoubtedly the beast.

Sui Ning summoned Ba Tian from her Qiankun Bag and looked at the beast with an enigmatic and cold expression. “The beast’s soul body is strong now. Shall we wait for it to weaken before we slay it and leave its sea of consciousness?”

“Mhmm.”

But if the beast were to weaken…

No, since Yanheng has arrived, this divine battle is nearing its conclusion.

Yanheng and Gui Ba perished together. Yanheng sacrificed her divine power to seal the Wanmo cavern, while Gui Ba’s whereabouts became a mystery. However, the beast didn’t escape; it suffered heavy injuries and fled with the remaining demons to the Demon Realm. It wasn’t until tens of thousands of years later that it was sealed by the Heavenly Emperor Linglang, along with the entire demon clan, beneath the Soul-Sealing Tower.

Therefore, the conclusion of this divine battle is when the beast is at its weakest.

Sui Ning’s eyes brightened, and she quickly looked at Xie Changzhou. Her emotions stirred.

Xie Changzhou’s lips curled into a smile, and he calmly said, “Sui Ning, you’re wise.”

Now, all they needed to do was wait.

Wait for the conclusion of this divine battle.

Sui Ning looked at Yanheng, who stood proudly before them, her Sword of Demon-slaying sweeping down, ruthlessly exterminating the bloodthirsty spirits.

However, the spirits were endless, and no one knew how many resided in the Wanmo cavern.

Sui Ning understood that Yanheng would ultimately follow the original outcome.

Using her own divine soul to seal the Wanmo cavern and perish together with Gui Ba.

Suddenly, a figure plummeted from the void, crashing to the ground and raising a wave of energy upon impact.

As the dust settled, a tall figure rose to his feet, supporting himself with a sword. Bloodstains marred the silver-white battle armor, and a cold, handsome face was tinged with a chilling air, with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Gui Ba hovered in the void, coldly glaring down at Ji Hu below.

Ji Hu’s face remained icy, his gaze frigid. He raised his hand to wipe away the traces of blood at the corner of his mouth.

Guiba sneered, “You’re nothing more than a Celestial Sovereign who hasn’t even cultivated for thirty thousand years. When I emerged, you probably didn’t even know where you were. How could you possibly defeat me?”

His crimson eyes locked on Yanheng before the Eternal Water Abyss. Across the void, his gaze met her cold eyes, and a wicked smile slowly curved his lips.

“She is my adversary,the entire Upper Realm, and only Yanheng is worthy to be my opponent.”

With a swift movement, Gui Ba charged straight towards Yanheng. His billowing robe fluttered, and his pale face bore a sinister expression.

Ji Hu’s elegant face darkened, and he flew forward to intercept him, sword in hand. “If you want to face her today, you’ll have to get past me first.”

Gui Ba chuckled mockingly, “So be it.”

“Die!”

The two clashed, their silver-white sword lights piercing through the pervasive demonic energy, their pressure flattening mountains and rivers for thousands of miles and sending surrounding immortal soldiers and demon generals flying.

Yanheng stood alone by the Eternal Water Abyss, her slender figure steadfastly holding back tens of thousands of malevolent spirits.

Sui Ning found it difficult to watch, observing Yanheng’s identical brows and eyes, as if she herself were valiantly fighting enemies.

She knew Yanheng’s fate, understood she couldn’t change anything, and could only watch her march towards death.

It was as if… she were walking towards her own demise.

Feeling a reassuring grip on her hand, Xie Changzhou held tightly, his clear eyes comforting.

With a sigh in her heart, Sui Ning, alongside Xie Changzhou, gazed at Yanheng before them.

In the void, Ji Hu had been knocked down several times; his meticulously tied hair was now somewhat disheveled, and his pale face was marked with faint wounds that oozed blood.

Gui Ba’s pale and ethereal face revealed a deep, bone-visible wound; his entire countenance was smeared with fresh blood. His black robe was torn in multiple places, and his appearance was no better than Ji Hu’s.

His deep crimson eyes were filled with a murderous intent, and each word seemed to be squeezed out of his chest: “Ji Hu, you’ve angered this deity.”

Ji Hu chuckled lightly, his eyebrows relaxing, but his eyes held no mirth. “Intentionally. So what?”

Gui Ba charged towards him, and the two engaged in combat once again.

Not far away, Sui Ning, who was watching the battle, sighed inwardly. Ji Hu’s current appearance indicated that he likely couldn’t hold on much longer. However, in some ways, he and Xie Changzhou were surprisingly alike.

Both of them fought as if they didn’t care about their lives, disregarding their own safety and delivering lethal strikes to their opponents without any concern.

Xie Changzhou spoke softly: “It’s almost time.”

Confused, Sui Ning furrowed her brows. “What’s almost time?”

Before she could finish her question, Yanheng suddenly soared into the air above the Eternal Water Abyss. Her splendid attire draped elegantly, accentuating her slender and fragile figure.

Gripping the Demon-slaying Sword, she unleashed a mighty surge of divine power, firmly suppressing the malevolent spirits that had appeared out of nowhere.

Yanheng’s cool gaze turned towards the battlefield not far away, where the corpses and dismembered limbs of immortal soldiers and demon generals lay strewn across the ground.

Meanwhile, Ji Hu’s brows were cold and icy, his silver-white battle armor stained with blood. Disheveled hair clung to his face as Gui Ba’s demonic energy eroded his body.

Facing Ji Hu’s all-out and reckless fighting style, Gui Ba found it difficult to find room to counterattack. His sinister face was marked with a strong aura of death as he was gradually pushed back by Ji Hu’s relentless assault.

However, Yanheng could tell that Ji Hu’s injuries were far more severe than Gui Ba’s. He wouldn’t last much longer. Once he fell, Gui Ba would show no mercy in ending his life.

A trace of compassion appeared in Yanheng’s clear and bright eyes. Her veil fluttered in the wind as she gazed at the battlefield with a blend of mercy and coldness.

In this grand battle, too many lives were lost.

The malevolent spirits were temporarily suppressed by her divine power, screeching as they attempted to pounce toward her.

On the battlefield, immortal soldiers fell intermittently, their dying gazes filled with despair and unwillingness.

Ancient demonic beasts trampled over the immortal soldiers without restraint, leaving devastation in their wake.

As for Ji Hu, time and time again, he was knocked down from the void by Gui Ba, swaying as he stood up and charged fiercely at him once more.

Yanheng’s cool gaze held complex emotions. Her lifespan of merely forty thousand years was insignificant compared to that of the divine beings. Yet she was the daughter of the Divine Lord. When her father and mother died, she hadn’t even hatched. After her birth, she became the sole remaining deity in the world.

She had protected this realm for countless millennia, and this was to be her final time doing so.

Her gaze shifted, meeting the eyes of Sui Ning, who was looking up at her.

Though their eyes were identical, their auras were completely different.

Sui Ning’s deep black eyes held a mixture of emotions. A strong sense of sorrow welled up within her, causing her nose to tingle as if tears were about to fall for Yanheng.

Yanheng’s cool gaze swept over Sui Ning and Xie Changzhou, eventually resting on their tightly clasped hands.

She was momentarily taken aback, then smiled gently, a hint of warmth appearing in her cool eyes.

She murmured to herself, “Very well.”

Turning her attention back to Sui Ning, her gaze was filled with the utmost tenderness.

“Sui Ning, I am glad to see you. May your future… be filled with fulfillment, and may everything go smoothly for you.”

Yanheng gazed at the airborne Ji Hu, who continued to battle Gui Ba tirelessly, as if he were a relentless wolf, biting onto its prey without ever letting go.

Sensing Yanheng’s gaze, Ji Hu lifted his eyes to meet hers. His pupils slightly contracted, revealing a hint of panic on his cold and ruthless face.

“No! Ah heng, don’t!”

He rushed towards Yanheng in a panic, his face filled with fear, and his once cold and rigid voice now trembling uncontrollably.

“Don’t! Ah heng, don’t!”

“Ah heng!! Ah heng!!!”

When Yanheng’s cool gaze met his, she smiled gently. In the thirty thousand years they had been together, this was the first time she had smiled at him.

Her clear voice resounded—

“Ah Hu, don’t make mistakes.”

Her raven-like long lashes quivered, and glistening teardrops slid down.

The immense divine power around her dissipated, enveloping the nearby Gui Ba in her divine energy. Yanheng firmly suppressed him.

The malevolent spirits struggled in agony, their sharp roars piercing through people’s eardrums. Her divine power pressed them down to the ground, and a radiant circle appeared not far away, gradually expanding.

Sui Ning’s hand trembled slightly, her throat seemed to be choked up, and she stared at Yanheng in the void, dazed.

“Ah Heng! Ah Heng, don’t!!”

“Let me in, Ah Heng!”

Ji Hu almost lunged forward, but Yanheng’s divine power kept him out, preventing him from entering.

He shouted desperately, his eyes red as if they were about to shed blood, large teardrops falling like rain.

“Ah heng, Ah heng!!”

“Goddess!”

Ji Hu roared, continually pounding the barrier in front of him.

The immortal soldiers on the battlefield had tears streaming down their faces as they slowly knelt in Yanheng’s direction.

“Yanheng, you will also die!”

 Gui Ba, suppressed beneath Yanheng’s power, roared in anger, his pale and eerie face twisted in a terrifying expression.

“Master!”

“Demon God!”

Struggling to save him, the demon generals stopped fighting and came to his rescue, but were stopped by the powerful divine power of Yanheng, which scattered in all directions.

Yanheng looked down at Gui Ba on the ground with cold, indifferent eyes and a relaxed brow.

Gui Ba still screamed at her recklessly, “I won’t die, Yanheng; you can’t kill me!”

“I am a demon god! Your power can only seal the Wanmo Caverns; how can it kill me?!”

“Let me go, Yanheng, let me go!”

Yanheng said calmly, “There is only one god in the world; what are you talking about as a demon god? Just a mere demon spirit.”

Gui Ba’s eyes turned red with hatred, and he looked at her, wishing to eat Yanheng alive.

Yanheng showed no expression and looked down at him from above.

“My divine power may not be able to kill you temporarily, but I can slowly trap you to death.”

“For ten thousand years, fifty thousand years, one hundred thousand years.”

“How long can you hold on, Gui Ba?”

Yanheng’s figure was gradually disappearing with a calm tone, but it made Gui Ba tremble all over.

“No, it’s not possible.” He shook his head and muttered.

“Master!” Gui Luan screamed, trying to save him and attacking Yanheng’s formation desperately.

Ji Hu was in tears; his battle armor was covered in blood; his face was pale and panicked; and he shouted Yanheng’s name in despair.

“Ah heng! Ah heng!!”

Yanheng looked at him calmly and closed her eyes slowly, tears sliding down under her veil.

The powerful divine power scattered in all directions, and the nearby light circle whistled, sweeping the struggling and roaring evil spirits into it. Gui Ba was suppressed by the divine power and could only watch himself being gradually engulfed by Yanheng’s light circle.

“Ah heng!!!”

With the suppression of divine power lifted, Ji Hu rushed forward, only managing to grasp a few strands of luminous fragments.

“Demon Lord!” The demon generals roared, their faces filled with sorrow.

Tears welled up in Sui Ning’s eyes; her heart felt as if it were tightly clenched, her reddened gaze brimming with tears.

An unprecedented and intense sense of sorrow and despair surged over her; a sharp pain struck her chest, and she struggled to support her own body, nearly falling to the ground.

Xie Changzhou quickly embraced her, his gentle face full of concern. “Ningning, what’s wrong?”

His gentle spiritual energy flowed into Sui Ning’s body, yet he detected nothing unusual. However, tears filled Sui Ning’s face, and beads of sweat formed on her forehead, as if she were enduring immense agony.

“Ningning, Ningning!” Xie Changzhou furrowed his brows; his spiritual energy circulated through her meridians, trying to alleviate her pain.

Sui Ning shook her head, her eyes flushed and tightly fixed on the spot not far ahead where Yanheng’s figure had vanished.

Ji Hu knelt on the ground, howling in despair and agony, his face streaked with blood and tears, and his hair turning white strand by strand.

Dots of blue light emanated from his body, the radiance growing stronger. A shout echoed across the battlefield.

“The War God… he’s about to relinquish his cultivation!”

Sui Ning shook her head incessantly: “No, don’t…”

Xie Changzhou followed her gaze, and his lustrous azure eyes instantly turned cold.

Ji Hu’s body was hunched over, his disheveled black hair now covered in silver frost, his divine energy overflowing and dispersing.

He heard Ji Hu’s choked and hoarse voice.

He had never heard such a desperate sound from anyone before.

“Ah heng, my life was given to me by you, and I should return it to you.”

“Even if you’ve never liked me in the past ten thousand years, I still want to tell you.”

“I love you.”

“I know you love all beings. In the next life, don’t guard all beings anymore; just be yourself.”

“I’ll protect this world for you.”

Xie Changzhou suddenly furrowed his brows, his hand on Sui Ning’s shoulder tightening abruptly, his throat dry and tight.

Ji Hu’s kneeling and hunched figure gradually faded away, leaving thousands of immortal soldiers kneeling and bowing, tears streaming down their faces, all crying out in unison.

“Farewell… War God!”

Ji Hu’s figure completely dissipated, a faint blue light mixed with the golden fragments scattered by Yanheng, drifting into the void and falling into the Eternal Water Abyss.

Tears continued to stream down Sui Ning’s cheeks uncontrollably, the sorrow in her heart almost engulfing her. Her body seemed to be under someone else’s control, and she couldn’t stop her tears.

“Ningning, don’t cry.”

Xie Changzhou was flustered, trying to wipe away her tears, but the tears on her face just wouldn’t be dried.

Sui Ning looked at him through tear-filled eyes, her voice choked and almost incoherent: “Xie Changzhou, my heart hurts.”

Her dark eyes were tinged with red, and large drops of tears fell onto the back of his hand, the warmth causing his heart to tremble.

Xie Changzhou was at a loss; his usually calm voice was now flustered: “Ningning, let me heal you; you’ll be fine.”

Sui Ning held onto his hand, buried her head in his embrace, and whispered with a sob: “It’s useless… Some wounds can’t be healed. I don’t know… why…”

“Xie Changzhou, I feel uncomfortable…”

Her cries seemed to cut him like a knife in his heart, and he felt as if everything around him had frozen. He could only hear her weak and choked sobs, and a dense pain climbed up to his heart.

“Ningning, Ningning… don’t cry…”

He awkwardly patted her back while using his spiritual energy to try to ease her pain.

Other than that, he had no idea what to do or how to make Sui Ning stop hurting and crying.

“Kill!”

“Kill! Kill them all!”

“Revenge for the Goddess and the God of War!”

Xie Changzhou comforted Sui Ning in his arms while the sounds of battle suddenly erupted from the battlefield, followed by the continuous sound of rallying cries.

Sui Ning trembled as she looked up from his arms.

The immortal soldiers rallied and charged towards the demon generals, while several immortal leaders charged forward and engaged the demon generals in battle.

Sui Ning saw a tall and sturdy beast struggling on the ground. Several immortal generals surrounded it with stern faces, trapping it in a formation and firmly pressing it down to the ground.

The manic roar of a beast echoed throughout the battlefield, reaching Sui Ning’s ears and jolting her consciousness. She clenched onto Xie Changzhou’s wrist, struggling to suppress her own sobs, her voice particularly hoarse: “Jianzun, go now!”

“Now is the time when the beast’s soul is most weakened!”

“Sui Ning, you-“

“Don’t worry about me; we’ll all die here if we can’t kill it.”

Xie Changzhou’s eyes narrowed, and he looked deeply at Sui Ning in his arms.

“Okay, I’ll go.”

He stood up and summoned Du Wang, drawing his sword and heading towards the beast. His white robes fluttered and his powerful spiritual energy surged.

The resplendent sword light broke through the void and slashed towards the beast, but before it could even hit, there was suddenly a loud boom in the air.

Sui Ning looked up in shock.

A series of blood-red cracks appeared in the dim sky, accompanied by deafening thunder, and the entire battlefield suddenly turned blood red.

The sky…was splitting apart!