Chapter 117: Annihilation

Inside the Yuanrong tower, Xie Hongchen exhausted all his cultivation, contending against Shi Wenyu.

He was trapped within the tower, but the Yuanrong tower, at this moment, was no longer the dignified artifact it was when he first entered.

Those people, tortured to the point where only pain and hatred remained, were imprisoned within the array and talismans forged into this “artifact” that shocked the immortal sects.

Shi Wenyu moved through the walls of the tower, seizing the opportune moment and suddenly entwining to attempt to seize the opportunity to kill Xie Hongchen. With the Heart Sword in hand, Xie Hongchen turned around and struck with a sword. The sword light descended, and Shi Wenyu could only evade!

Xie Hongchen quickly realized that his combat power had already been greatly reduced.

—His current body was truly too frail.

There were not many mortal bodies that could withstand the cultivation of the Spirit and Devil Book.

Otherwise, why would Xie Lingbi’s body collapse at the age of six hundred?

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The whole world was slowly melting!

“What’s going on?” Elder Qiu Cailing, Kang Xuetong, and others looked puzzled.

Everyone went forward to check. Under the accumulated snow, the dry grass would sometimes turn into sand and sometimes be slowly repaired by a strange force. However, the repairing power gradually weakened.

Qiu Cailing pondered deeply for a while and said, “It’s the will of heaven. An evil object like the Yuanrong Tower has accumulated unknown amounts of power. Shi Wenyu wants to use it to destroy the will of heaven and establish a new order!”

His command left everyone in awe. Even among those who cultivate and seek enlightenment, who would dare harbor such thoughts?

What kind of ambition could lead to the rise of destructive intentions against the heavenly path, with the desire to replace it?

Zhang Shuju watched the gradually dispersing yellow sand and said, “The restoration of the heavenly path is becoming slower and slower; we cannot sit idly by.”

The crowd returned to the front of the Yuanrong Tower, gazing at this sinister tower.

Elder Qiu Cailing solemnly said, “Our sect’s master, Xie Hongchen, is currently subduing demons within the tower. We must unite and assist him!”

He Xijin rolled his eyes and added, “Di… Di…”

Zhang Shuju promptly added, “And Di Yiqiu and Huang Rang!”

These old folks from the Yuhu Immortal Sect were quick to seize opportunities and shrink back in times of danger!

Several people silently cursed in their hearts.

Meanwhile, Huang Rang walked step by step through the streets filled with sand and wind.

The white bones buried in the yellow sand had long lost their identities and names. She walked step-by-step through the streets of the capital.

Occasionally, with a creak, a wine jug fell, shattering into a pile of yellow sand.

Huang Rang finally understood where these sandstorms were coming from.

The entire world was turning into sand.

The dry grass, wild trees, and more fragile objects had long been corroded. This world seemed deserted.

After walking for a long time, Huang Rang couldn’t help but start running.

Under the city gate of the inner city, there were skeletons everywhere.

These skeletons had not completely turned into sand, so Huang Rang searched through them one by one.

“Di Yiqiu—” she called out to this person, but amidst the scattered bones and without any clothing, she couldn’t recognize him.

“Aunt—Uncle—” one by one, she called out to these familiar people.

Only the wind responded.

Is this… the world shortly before its end?

Huang Rang sat among the scattered bones, and the yellow sand poured over her face.

It seemed like she was the only one left in this entire world.

And Di Yiqiu was still trapped in the fifth year of Chengyuan.

These were his darkest and most hopeless years. Without Huang Rang, he lost everything from the third dream and fell into the abyss of nightmares.

He was weak and without any strength; he couldn’t even think of escaping. He could only rely on the bed and gaze at the Nine-Curve Spirit Eyes on the wall.

In the Nine-Curve Spirit Eyes, Huang Rang danced a dance.

Her dance was actually not performed well, especially since Di Yiqiu had seen many palace dancers.

Huang Rang practiced the same dance repeatedly among a cluster of orchids. Because there was no music instructor, it seemed quite awkward. Unfortunately, she wasn’t paying attention and ended up twisting her foot.

Di Yiqiu seemed to be once again plunged into those days of despair and loneliness. He stared at the woman on the wall, watching her dance gradually become soft and ethereal.

As time passed, it even gained an eight-point charm and style.

Di Yiqiu didn’t know whether Huang Rang was dancing for Xie Hongchen.

Xie Hongchen might have seen her in her most perfect form.

But he was thousands of miles away, yet he could still witness the struggles and determination of this person.

Inside the Yuanrong Tower, Xie Hongchen was aware of the imminent crisis and the urgency of time.

But Shi Wenyu was very cautious about him. Like those old folks from the Yuhu Immortal Sect, he was not willing to risk his life casually. However, Xie Hongchen’s blood was not unlimited.

—As long as he lost enough blood, the Yuanrong Tower would return to his control. At that time, would he still worry about not having the opportunity to kill him?

Shi Wenyu didn’t seem to be in a hurry.

Xie Hongchen walked in a black mist, and the runes of the Yuanrong Tower rotated. Some scenes overlapped in time, appearing both real and illusory.

He was in a black mist, but in front of him was the Qilu terrace from many years ago.

There were white walls, black tiles, and a crescent-shaped arch in the middle.

Xie Hongchen stepped inside, seeing a small courtyard with a pavilion and a pond. In the triangular pavilion, there were stone tables and benches, with plum trees standing by the pavilion. Several fish swam in the pond, playing around.

In that instant, memories were like an unstoppable sandstorm, overwhelming.

Xie Hongchen walked in, and on a small table in the room, Huang Rang was sitting.

On that night, she was draped in a light veil. Xie Hongchen couldn’t even distinguish how many years ago that was.

Since their marriage, Huang Rang has always taken great care of her body, and she hasn’t changed much.

“Ah Rang?” Xie Hongchen spoke again, finding a hint of choking in his own voice.

He was the traveler who had been lost for many years and finally returned home. However, the Huang Rang in front of the small table seemed to not have heard his sound at all.

With her hands supporting her cheeks, she gazed outside the window. As if becoming impatient, she gathered the light veil on her and murmured, “Isn’t he coming tonight either?”

Seemingly oblivious to Xie Hongchen’s presence, she walked to the crescent-shaped arch, looking out.

“Ah Rang?” Xie Hongchen called her again.

She turned around, and in that moment, Xie Hongchen felt ecstatic. He even thought that Huang Rang had seen him. However, Huang Rang just sighed, rubbed her face, and smiled at herself, saying, “Huang Rang, oh Huang Rang, husband is busy again. You must be a good wife and not frown.”

With that, she went to the small table and unfolded a scroll, seemingly intending to transcribe it.

But holding the brush, after writing a few words, she threw it aside.

“Heaven knows I’m such an unsettled person.” She sighed while coming to the small pavilion, sitting on a stone bench, quietly waiting.

Xie Hongchen suddenly realized that she couldn’t see him.

He was inside the Yuanrong Tower, and these scenes were just reproductions created by the Yuanrong Tower to disrupt the heavenly path.

The Huang Rang before him was forever waiting that summer, unable to hear his calls.

Xie Hongchen forced himself to leave; he wasn’t someone who would dwell on memories.

Huang Rang was still outside the dream, and he could still pursue her. Why cling to the past?

He forced himself to be cold and ruthless, yet as he left, he couldn’t help but glance back.

In a hundred years on the Qilu terrace, he never thought about what Huang Rang was doing when he wasn’t there.

In his impression, she was always quite fulfilled.

She would make friends with fellow sect members, often do embroidery, make pastries, cleverly sell herself, and win people’s hearts.

She would apply for rice and medicine and distribute porridge and medicine, earning a reputation for generosity and benevolence.

She would sing and dance lightly for him, trying to please him.

How could such a person have such waiting and loneliness?

Xie Hongchen broke through the illusion with a sword; the sword light scattered, splashing on the ground, and the black mist dispersed.

Shi Wenyu still didn’t dare to show himself; he observed the runes on the tower wall, needing to quickly find the core of the tower.

But those old stories that should have vanished like smoke came one after another.

He took a step forward and unexpectedly entered the Emerald Peak and the Yeyun Hall.

This time, he saw himself reading in front of the desk.

“Master, Madam requests an audience,” a disciple outside respectfully reported.

The self in front of the desk frowned slightly, saying, “Let her in.”

Xie Hongchen was slightly stunned. He walked in front of “himself,” and indeed, no one could see him. The past was gone, unchangeable.

He could only watch outside the hall as Huang Rang, carrying a food box, approached step by step.

At that time, she still had a sparkle in her eyes. Seeing her husband, she smiled and said, “I know you’re busy today, so I specially made porridge. Why don’t you taste it first? How is it?”

However, in front of the desk, “Xie Hongchen” was cold and indifferent, saying, “Put it here and withdraw.”

Huang Rang was slightly stunned, evidently puzzled by the sudden coldness from Xie Hongchen.

But the Xie Hongchen in this scenario understood.

He couldn’t allow Huang Rang to come to the Yeyun Hall, but he also couldn’t reject her entry—such actions might lead to numerous speculations from the outside, thinking that the couple had issues.

So, he could only be cold. He wanted Huang Rang to understand that outside the Qilu terrace, there was no room for romantic feelings.

However, the newlywed Huang Rang was evidently not accustomed to this sudden distance.

She responded with a nod, placed the food box on the table, and glanced at her husband at the desk.

Xie Hongchen ignored her.

She could only softly say, “Well, remember to taste it.”

The person at the desk didn’t respond this time either, just saying, “Withdraw.”

This time, she finally did.

Xie Hongchen followed her out and found that her smiling face disappeared in an instant as she turned away.

However, when she walked out of the hall and encountered the disciple guarding the hall, she once again wore a graceful smile. The smile was dignified, as if she had not suffered any grievances.

She greeted everyone kindly.

She could remember everyone’s names.

Xie Hongchen wanted to follow her for a while, but it was just a fragmented scene.

He didn’t go far before the path disappeared before his eyes.

He lost track of her.

In truth, he really wanted to return to the Yeyun Hall and see what kind of porridge she had made that day.

But he couldn’t.

As a hundred years flew by, old memories vanished into layers of recollections.

No turning back.