In the Hungry Ghost realm, Xiao An was currently cultivating in Unadorned city. She snapped her eyes open and suddenly noticed her connection with Li Qingshan had been completely severed. She even lost contact with the Skull Prayer Bead she had given him.
She immediately stopped cultivating and returned to the Xuanming dwelling. She picked up a broken fragment of a formation and gazed at the rapidly rising water level, which made her immediately understand that Li Qingshan had already set off for Ruin’s End. She could not help but furrow her brows. Something unexpected must have happened, or he would not have left without bidding her farewell.
Staring at the deep, dark seawater, she crossed her fingers together firmly. “You must return. I will wait for you, no matter how long, until death do us part.”
……
At that instant, all the pain vanished, together with all the colours and sounds.
Submerged in the endless, dark water, he did not find it particularly cold, perhaps because of the Spirit Turtle Transformation. Instead, it felt warm, like a wanderer who had faced many hardships in a foreign land returning to the homeland of his dreams.
“Huff…”
Having left the chilling ice and scorching fire of hell, he could not help but exhale deeply as well. The sensation was simply unbearable. If he had a choice, he would not spend a single second in that kind of pain.
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It even made him doubt, Will the “me” in hell be able to hang on? A cold thought flashed through his head, If he can hang on, then he’ll live. If he can’t, then he can just die!
The rationality that had almost vanished within the pain rapidly returned to him. He became calmer than he had ever been before, just like the endless, black water around him.
He extended his head out from the turtle shell, which resembled both a dragon’s and a tiger’s head. He swivelled around, observing the environment around him, but he was unable to see or hear anything.
There was no pressure or rejection that he had been expecting. The world formed from the primordial spirit turtle did not seem to possess any hostility towards him, a fake spirit turtle with impure blood.
The black water wrapped around him gently, which instead felt very safe and comfortable. Compared to the chaos of the Human realm and the pain of the Hell realm, this was basically like heaven.
This was the homeland of spirit turtles. His bloodline was not pure enough, but after using the Spirit Turtle Transformation, he still came close. Perhaps that Spirit Reverend of Ocean Returnance was just trying to mislead me! But where am I supposed to find that prisoner of Ruin’s End?
Li Qingshan spread his limbs and waved them gently, diving downwards. Wherever he passed by, the black water passed automatically, such that he encountered no resistance.
He just dove like that for who knew how long. There was still endless black water around him, without a single speck of dust or lifeform in sight…
He used the Profound Light Illuminates All. As the Spirit Turtle Transformation strengthened, he could easily project scenes from hundreds of kilometres away.
However, he stopped the ability very soon, as all it revealed was black water. Let alone the innate ability, even his eyes were useless here, as there was absolutely no need to look around.
At the very least, the vast expanse of outer space was illuminated by countless stars. Each star was a world. There was also the existence of space-devouring beasts. Every single one of them was the rudimentary form of a world. They were slightly frightening, but at least it was not this boring.
After swimming for who knew how long, he basically began wishing he would encounter some kind of deep sea monster to challenge him to a battle.
He could not help but come up with a poem. “Ruin’s End, you’re full of water. Qingshan, you’re just four legs!”
He suddenly realised something. Perhaps he was not diving down, but rising up.
Due to the existence of the earth, all sea abysses, no matter how deep, had a bottom.
But in Ruin’s End, there was no earth, nor was there a sky. There was neither up nor down.
The depths of hell and the depths of Ruin’s End, it sounded similar, but they were completely different.
At the very least, hell is structured with layers. Just heading down is enough. What is supposed to be considered as the ‘depths’ here?
Not only was he unable to tell up from down, but he basically could not even find the cardinal directions because there was nothing to refer from. No matter which direction he headed off in, there was only endless black water.
So what direction was he supposed to advance in?
He could not help but sink into his thoughts. As he thought away, he yawned and suddenly felt very tired. Perhaps enduring the tortures of hell had taken up far too much willpower, as sleepiness welled up like the tide, swallowing him in the blink of an eye. Even his sturdy turtle shell seemed to feel slightly soft.
He had never felt so drowsy before, even when he had been reduced to an infant through the Nirvā?a Rebirth.
He shook his head and tried to remain conscious. He could not help but think, Perhaps… I should… sleep a little… just… a little…
He drew his head and his limbs inside the shell. His eyes gradually closed as well, only leaving behind a shell in the black water, neither rising up nor sinking down.
There seemed to be a voice speaking to him, Child, get some rest. You’re too tired. You’re home now. It’s very safe here. No one can harm you anymore!
I’m home…
In a daze, he thought of the mist he saw on the Tower of Gazing Home, that distant, surreal hometown and the two familiar faces that aged with each passing day. He could not help but say gently, “Dad, mum, are you well? I miss you.”
He could not help but draw himself even further into the shell. He felt a nostalgic pain that was insignificant compared to any of the tortures of hell, yet it broke through all of his defences easily, like a needle piercing his heart.
When he first arrived in this world, he had suffered in pain day and night. He had broken free from it after so much difficulty, and he thought he had forgotten it all already. As it turned out, he did not.
As a result, it sent him into a daze. What made him weary was not just the tortures of hell, but everything he had been through since arriving in this world.
With his thoughts, various images flashed across the pieces of the shell on his back like a merry-go-round. Everything flashed before his eyes, replaying quietly in the black water.
His struggle for survival in his childhood, the fighting and killing of the jianghu during his youth, followed by adulthood and entering the cultivation community, where the fighting grew more intense and evolved into war. In his heart, the demonic and divine clashed together, leaving him without a second to catch his breath.
Pride, shame, hatred; fury, fear, slaughter.
Even when he sang with wild joy, his heart was tense. Once the song was over and he had sobered up, he had to rush off to cultivate and fight. He could not stop. Once he stopped, he would feel weary, wanting to rest up, enjoy himself and probably lose the drive forwards.
However, no matter how far he had advanced, he would only seem to sink even deeper.
Now, he had already become so powerful. He had become the first senior brother of the Myriad sect, standing above millions. Who knew how many times more powerful he was compared to that skinny, lanky boy from Crouching Ox village, yet not only was he without any opportunity to breathe, he faced numerous hardships as his path grew more dangerous.
The tortures of hell, the black water of Ruin’s End, the undefeatable foes, the unavoidable blood oath, finding hope in despair, fighting on in dire straits.
What was the point of all this!?
Beyond the Nine Heavens?
Brother ox’s enemy could cut off his horn and imprison the Great Sages. Even if I made it beyond the Nine Heavens and fought alongside him, just how much can I achieve?
“After all… I’m just a mortal too…”
“Whatever, let’s not think about so much. Let’s just get some sleep first! We’ll see after we get some sleep…”
At this moment, he seemed to hear a familiar voice, echoing away in his heart, You must return… must return…
A pale-white face appeared on the turtle shell. Her expression was delicate, and she was dressed in silks, only six or seven years old, a child without a home just like him. Even her life had been lost. He had once shed tears for her, swearing to take her back home. Actually, that was because he wanted to go home.
However, she did not choose to go back. Instead, she gave up everything to continue onwards with him.
At that instant, her face appeared on every single piece of his shell, both from the past, as well as the present, both white bone and great beauty, all so familiar.
That was his only family in this world, Xiao An.
“No… I still can’t sleep. She’s still… waiting for me!”
He lifted his eyelids, which weighed like lead. He did his best to break free from the drowsiness.
He was overcome with a daunting fear. If he had fallen asleep just then, that slumber would have lasted a century at the very least. It would all be over by then.
By the time he had woken up, perhaps he would have reached the ninth layer of the Spirit Turtle Transformation, but he would have turned into a pure spirit turtle too. He would no longer have anything like his aspirations beyond the Nine Heavens.
Even in the tortures of hell, he had never been so feeble. The pain only tempered his willpower, yet the void of Ruin’s End constantly ate away at his willpower.
It was not exactly hostility, but it was even more terrifying than hostility. No, perhaps this was the deepest hostility.
The hostility of a world required a certain medium to manifest, just like how the Hungry Ghost realm could only deal with Xiao An through the hands of Ghost Immortals.
However, Ruin’s End only possessed the silent water and the endless void. There was no medium. The reason why it was so mysterious and terrifying was because Ruin’s End constantly assimilated with all foreign objects within it.
If he possessed the bloodline of a spirit turtle, perhaps he would be assimilated into a spirit turtle, but if he were some other race, he would only be assimilated into nothingness.
As he possessed the bloodline of the spirit turtle, the assimilation he encountered was much deeper as well. Exhaustion continued to bombard him as the sensation of nothingness seeped into his bones through the black water.
He gritted his teeth and unleashed his powers, emitting a ring of resplendent light that spread through the black water silently, which only began to fade a hundred metres away. He hoped the prisoner of Ruin’s End could see it.
However, in the endless black water, the light was so dim that it did not even come close to a firefly’s glow. It was rapidly swallowed by the darkness again.
He spread his limbs and swam forwards. No matter what, he would be advancing.
Afterwards, he emitted another glow! It was even more dazzling than the last time, but under the backdrop of the darkness, it seemed even fainter for some reason, like a feeble, twinkling star.
He constantly advanced, flashing again and again. Perhaps it was not so someone could see him, but just so that he could shine to himself in the deepest of darkness, to fend off the void.
If the world was dark, then he would shine himself. Even if there was no hope left, as long as he saw this “star”, he would be able to continue onwards.
He still could not stop here. He still had to go out to meet with her again. He still had to go beyond the Nine Heavens, to fight alongside brother ox. Even if he died in battle, he would fall like a star!
