Chapter 245: Sinking Fish and Falling Geese

The empty divine realm shimmered with fragmented golden light.

Huge, palace-like fragments of starlight, flowing with magma, slowly rose and fell in the air.

Ning Changjiu wore a tattered red wedding robe. The golden light of the Asura had receded back into his flesh. His face was pale, with uncleaned blood at the corner of his mouth, and he was slender and frail, like a scholar.

He parted the girl's dishevelled long hair that had fallen across her cheeks and used his soft sleeve to wipe her dirty face.

Zhao Xiang'er's body was painfully curled up. With the previous world shattering, her subsequent power was insufficient to maintain her Five Paths realm, so she was seriously injured by the white cat's desperate attack.

The moment the world shattered, Ning Changjiu, who had been waiting for a long time, instantly locked onto the two figures and enveloped them with his Golden Crow, drawing them one after another into his own world.

This was his incomplete realm.

The Fish King slowly stood up.

Most of its fur was singed. It knew that, just as the old fish had said, it was about to return to the common destiny of all living beings.

In this world, cages nested within cages. Stepping out of what one thought was their limited space only revealed a broader prison. Living beings either accepted their fate or continued to break through into wider realms until they hit an insurmountable wall.

The heavens and earth were endless; even the wisest could not imagine their boundaries.

The young man also stood up, holding her.

The Fish King looked at him.

Ning Changjiu, in his wedding robe with dishevelled dark hair, his gentle features hardened in the golden light, becoming as sharp as a bladed edge. In this moment, with his hair unbound, he resembled a handsome, red-clad ghost from hell, yet also carried an air of desolation and abandon. Though he appeared as if he should be melted by this golden divine realm, he was, paradoxically, its master.

"What is your name?" the Fish King asked, clutching its chest and coughing.

"Ning Changjiu," the young man replied, lifting his head.

His pupils were entirely golden.

At that moment, the Fish King felt a terrifying pressure and the wrath of the entire world.

The demonic aura instantly dissipated when he looked up. Now, he resembled a god who had guarded this shattered divine realm for a thousand years, his eyes holding the light of ten thousand lonely generations.

The Fish King looked at him, slowly recovering from its shock. "A good name. I wish you both good luck."

Ning Changjiu asked, "Why did Baizang target Suzaku?"

The Fish King scoffed, "How would I, a mere Five Paths cultivator, know such things?"

Ning Changjiu asked, "Then who exactly is the Saint?"

The Fish King replied, "I've never seen it, but I know it was great, and the first to touch the edge of this world's cage. Unfortunately... even it couldn't break through."

Ning Changjiu frowned. "The edge of the cage?"

The Fish King nodded. "I haven't touched it, but I believe you will one day. This world may seem peaceful now, but the truth behind it is far more cruel than you can imagine."

"Is this a world of destiny?" Ning Changjiu asked, remembering Ye Chu.

The Fish King gently shook its head, combing its withered fur with a paw, an expression of regret and sorrow on its face. "It's not that simple. It's something far more cruel than destiny. The Saint said that death is the only destination for all living beings."

Every living being has its innate destiny, but death is the eternal winter for all things.

"What else... did the Saint say?" Ning Changjiu asked, pondering the meaning of that statement.

The Fish King thought carefully. "The Saint said many, many things, but very few have been passed down. I only vaguely remember it saying something like, 'Entrust deities with laws, rather than grant laws to deities.' Heh, if it wasn't for the Saint saying it, I would think it was a foolish madman."

Ning Changjiu pondered the meaning of the words and let out a soft sigh.

"The Saint truly lived up to their name."

"But they still died."

"Died?"

"We are all fish in a pond; hiding in the deepest mud is useless..." The Fish King remembered the stagnant water that had imprisoned it for many years.

"All life began as fish," Ning Changjiu suddenly said.

This was the history he had witnessed in the cross-section of time.

It was the beginning of life.

"Hmm?" The Fish King was slightly surprised.

Ning Changjiu slowly explained, "They were all fish... without spines, without teeth. They knew nothing, but when they saw land, some fish jumped onto it. The fish on land occasionally looked up and saw the sky, so they leaped towards the sky. This process continued for countless years, but this is what living beings do."

Listening, the Fish King also laughed.

It had once believed it could leap out of that sea.

It looked at Ning Changjiu and smiled. "You're right, why should a young person fear the endless Dao? But I am old. If you intend to kill me, I still won't surrender without a fight."

"Mm," Ning Changjiu responded calmly.

The girl in Ning Changjiu's arms curled up tighter, as if having a nightmare.

Ning Changjiu didn't want to wake her, so his sword strike was gentle.

The scales of the world tilted in his favor.

The Fish King was too heavily wounded at this moment.

It let out a cat's cry.

It disliked its own cry, which sounded somewhat like an old eunuch in a deep palace.

This was the second battle in the Ten-Eyed Kingdom.

The fire in the sky resembled connected crystals.

Light was everywhere.

The world was so bright there wasn't a single shadow.

Despite the brightness, the Fish King recalled the night of the heavy rain.

Ning Changjiu also remembered the night of the full moon.

They exchanged glances, seeing each other's reflections in their eyes.

Their gazes were ridiculous, pitiful, and resolute.

Their figures vanished simultaneously.

In the sky, scattered streaks of fire trailed long, fiery tails, continuously falling onto the ground.

The surface layer of dust and debris on the ground was scorched away, revealing a mirror-like material.

The fire grew brighter, and the shadow of the Golden Crow darted back and forth.

Time flowed on...

The first to land was the Fish King.

It lay on the ground, covered in wounds, barely clinging to life.

"Hahahahaha..." The Fish King lay on the ground, limbs twitching, and a sharp cackle suddenly erupted from its throat.

Ning Changjiu also landed, his steps unsteady.

The battle ended quickly but was extremely perilous.

This was his first direct confrontation with a cultivator of the Five Paths realm.

Ning Changjiu held Zhao Xiang'er gently, managing not to wake her.

She unconsciously wrapped her arms around his neck.

In this battle, she was not only not a burden, but the combined power of Suzaku and Golden Crow had a certain synergy, allowing him to unleash even more powerful sword techniques.

Tens of thousands of fiery streaks plummeted from the sky.

Ning Changjiu opened his red umbrella.

The falling fire landed on the umbrella, exploding into small flowers.

Crackle, crackle.

"What are you laughing at?" Ning Changjiu knew it was doomed to die. Listening to its sharp laughter, he asked, puzzled.

The Fish King did not reply.

It remembered. Only now, at this moment, did it finally remember...

Back then... after that old fish leaped onto the shore, when it stripped away its scales, the fish regretted it, wailing in pain... it begged to be thrown back into the water. But it didn't let go. It held the old fish down tightly, pressing its bleeding yet still vibrant body.

It trembled as it cut open its abdomen, taking out the secret scripture. The old fish stared at it in agony, filled with resentment and hatred.

So this was the truth of what happened back then.

It had always deceived itself, fabricating a beautiful story that it told itself every day and night until it believed it to be true.

That's why it had been so obsessed with carving out a path to survival for those fish.

It wanted to complete this false narrative...

Behind this belief, which it itself had come to accept, lay gruesome ugliness and greed.

It would have been better not to know.

"I am... the Fish King, the Fish King... Gigglegiggle... Hahahahaha..." The white cat curled up on the ground, laughing wildly.

Light was everywhere, and the darkness in its heart could no longer be hidden.

In the brilliant light, it laughed wildly, madly, and shakily rose from the ground.

It charged at Ning Changjiu on all fours, like a lion.

Ning Changjiu wielded his sword, thrusting it before him.

The Fish King lunged onto the sword.

The blade pierced its chest.

Blood splattered.

"I am the Fish King... I am the Fish King..."

It roared and laughed wildly.

There were many other demons like it in the world.

They were demons driven to madness.

In its final moments, it stared intently at Ning Changjiu, letting out a monstrous roar:

"Break out! You must break out! Don't become like me... don't become like me!!"

The Fish King's fur stood on end.

It had spoken its last words.

Its demonic eyes glazed over, and its bristling fur stiffened.

The Fish King died just like that.

A drop of blood splattered and landed on Zhao Xiang'er's neck.

It was like a red bean fallen in snow.

She hummed softly and slowly awoke.

She slipped from Ning Changjiu's arms, landing gently on the ground.

Zhao Xiang'er looked at the white cat's corpse, remaining silent for a long time before saying, "Thank you."

Ning Changjiu smiled faintly. "Husband and wife are like birds of the same forest."

"Hm?" Zhao Xiang'er was puzzled.

Ning Changjiu said, "We'll never have the second half of that phrase."

Zhao Xiang'er also smiled. "That's fitting, then."

Ning Changjiu watched her crouch beside the white cat's corpse and asked, "What are you looking for?"

"A demon core," Zhao Xiang'er replied.

Ning Changjiu offered her the umbrella-sword.

Zhao Xiang'er gently shook her head, calmly saying, "It doesn't have a demon core."

"No demon core?" Ning Changjiu was puzzled. How could a demon not have a demon core?

As he spoke, the white cat's form disintegrated into dust and vanished.

Only a scroll remained on the ground.

It was the secret scroll it had taken from the old fish's belly back then.

Zhao Xiang'er picked it up.

She didn't look at it, merely placed it in Ning Changjiu's hand, and softly said, "I have to go now."

"I... know," Ning Changjiu replied, tilting the red umbrella over her head.

Zhao Xiang'er held the hand that held the umbrella.

The fiery light on the red umbrella dwindled.

The Golden Crow's world contracted.

In the night sky, Lu Jiajia's sword completely suppressed the heavily injured Xueyuan.

Although Ning Changjiu's previous Heavenly Decree sword had not killed her, it had caused irreversible and terrifying damage.

Xueyuan was still desperately resisting, but she knew it was futile.

After the Fish King's death, she could fully await her own demise.

The Golden Crow broke through the night, its light illuminating Xueyuan's brow and eyes.

Xueyuan squinted in the intense light, looking at Zhao Xiang'er.

"Divine realm... rebirth... I... pledge loyalty..."

Her words were fragmented, almost a plea.

Zhao Xiang'er's expression was cold, and she said nothing.

Ning Changjiu held his sword and thrust it through her body.

Wind and snow faded into silence.

Two feathers fell.

One feather was icy white, like silk, and the other was golden, like lightning.

Zhao Xiang'er swept over and took them into her hand.

Xueyuan also transformed into a feather.

"I did it," Ning Changjiu suddenly said.

"Yes, you completely won our wager. Thank you... and Sister Lu." Zhao Xiang'er looked at them, gathering the two feathers in her palm. After standing still, she curtsied deeply.

Lu Jiajia smiled weakly and gave a slight bow in return.

Ning Changjiu, however, chuckled, "I wasn't talking about that."

"Hm?" Zhao Xiang'er was puzzled.

"Remember back in the Imperial City, when we first woke up?" Ning Changjiu recalled with a smile. "Jiajia was boiling medicine nearby, and we were talking on the bed. You joked that I was delicate and had the beauty to 'sink fish and make geese fall'."

"Sink fish and make geese fall..."

Zhao Xiang'er looked at the dead Fish King and the feathered Xueyuan, then after a slight pause, she smiled faintly.

Back then, it had been playful banter, mocking each other.

A prophecy fulfilled.

"You really remember everything," Zhao Xiang'er said.

Ning Changjiu chuckled, "I've kept a tally of all your teasing remarks."

Zhao Xiang'er looked at his clothing and smiled. "Indeed, Daoist Ning has not only become more 'fish-sinking and goose-falling' but also more formidable."

"Daoist Ning? Such formality deserves a penalty," Ning Changjiu said.

"How does my husband intend to punish me?" Zhao Xiang'er asked, a smile on her lips.

"The penalty is that you're forbidden to forget me."

"Alright."

She assented.

A fiery light ignited in the sky.

The night sky was like a sea of fire.

Suzaku's silhouette swept into view.

"Sister Lu," Zhao Xiang'er suddenly spoke.

"Hm?" Lu Jiajia's eyes were gentle.

Zhao Xiang'er stammered, "Um... there's something... I've always wanted to do."

"What is it?" Lu Jiajia asked.

Zhao Xiang'er leaned closer to her, bending down slightly, then suddenly tilted forward, burying her head into the soft, towering peaks.

Lu Jiajia's cheeks flushed slightly, and she looked at Ning Changjiu, a little at a loss.

Ning Changjiu watched them tenderly.

Behind them, the shadow of the Vermilion Bird arrived, its flames scorching the sky.

The firmament shone as bright as day.