Chapter 353: The Swordsman Dies

Light rain drifted over the mountain path. Heavy eaves loomed behind them, like a series of mountains from which the rain-laden dark clouds had originated.

Deer calls echoed intermittently, reverberating endlessly around Bhikkhu Peak. Looking up, the hazy sky appeared incredibly distant.

Ning Changjiu and Siming walked along the desolate streets. Occasionally, white deer would step aside to let them pass, for they were spirit beasts, all sensing the murderous aura that had emanated from the woman for days.

Three days prior, Ning Changjiu had slowly awoken from a dream where he held Lu Jiajia's and Zhao Xianger's hands. Upon waking, he found he was indeed holding a pair of hands—slender-boned yet warm and soft—Siming's hands, to be precise.

Ning Changjiu instantly sobered. He felt the lingering touch at his fingertips but had to try to pull away. Unfortunately, Siming also woke up.

They lay there on the bed, their gazes meeting and holding for a long time. Lightning flickered outside the window, intermittently illuminating their faces. Ning Changjiu had expected Siming to react angrily, but she said nothing, merely releasing his hand silently and getting out of bed.

The room remained quiet throughout.

That grand dream vaguely lingered in their minds. Many scenes had faded upon reflection, but the peaceful and warm feeling within it softly filled their hearts, impossible to shake off.

On the first day, neither of them spoke much, as if still immersed in the dream, not yet truly awake.

By the second day, Siming began settling old scores from the previous morning, not allowing Ning Changjiu to come near her.

On the third day, the residual effect still lingered.

In the days that followed, they tried to fall asleep but never had that kind of dream again. It was as if everything had truly departed with the summer in the dream; the sounds of cicadas, rain, laughter, and cheerful voices all became increasingly faint symbols in their memories.

Ning Changjiu and Siming kept their thoughts to themselves, each processing the insights gained from the scriptures in their memories. Their realms became increasingly perfect and clear, as if with just one more breath, they could break free from their old cocoons and soar into a brand new world.

The gloomy rain that enveloped Myriad Demon City never dispersed. As the two descended the mountain, the pitch-black ginseng fruit trees came into view, resembling ghouls baring their fangs and brandishing their claws.

The ginseng puppets were dozing, the plantain leaves in their hands already rotting. Yet, the furnace fire within burned ever stronger.

Siming came before the furnace and took a look. In the blazing firelight, the texture of the renowned sword Yulü had begun to collapse. Though it still retained the rough shape of a sword, its form was gradually changing.

"Looking at it, perhaps in just seven days, it can be refined," Siming said.

"Yes, the sooner, the better," Ning Changjiu replied.

Siming sighed softly, "I hope nothing goes wrong at the last moment."

A ginseng puppet nearby, with a mournful face, pleaded, "Good brother, good sister, we haven't slept in days, and we're not made of iron... Once this divine weapon is refined, will you let us go?"

The other ginseng puppets also nodded in agreement. They were all adorable child-like figures, but now their faces were smudged with soot and blackened by smoke, looking very pitiful.

"Once you complete this task, I will certainly send you to a land of ultimate bliss," Ning Changjiu said.

The young girl who had previously served them pouted and said, "Immortal Brother, don't try to deceive us. Sending us to a land of ultimate bliss just means you're going to kill us, doesn't it? We're not real children; why would we believe that?"

Ning Changjiu smiled slightly. "Don't worry, I swear I will not kill you. You will thank me in the future."

The young girl was half-believing, half-doubting, and wanted to ask more questions. But then she saw the ice-cold, silver-haired woman approach like a phantom. Having had a minor past grievance with this goddess, she dared not speak and immediately fell silent.

After a round of inspection, Ning Changjiu and Siming walked side by side towards the Demon God Temple, with no particular destination, just strolling casually.

"How do you plan to deal with them?" Siming asked.

Ning Changjiu said, "The Ten-Eyed Golden Crow Kingdom is still incomplete, and I want to restore it fully. These puppets are yin in nature, and they can serve as one of the nutrients for the Kingdom."

Siming frowned. "So cruel?"

Ning Changjiu smiled slightly. "They won't die. Under the glory of the divine kingdom, their accumulated grievances will gradually be washed away, transforming them into pure, sun-facing plants. By then, they will become the first citizens of the restored divine kingdom. I've even thought of their names: sun-facing puppets, or 'Sunpuppets'."

Siming's lips curved into a faint smile, which was quickly smoothed away by her cold demeanor. She said faintly, "You've thought of everything."

In the misty drizzle, the two arrived at the Demon God Temple. As they passed the long, moss-covered stone steps, and before they even reached the temple gate at the corner, Ning Changjiu and Siming turned around almost simultaneously.

From behind, in the direction of the outer city, a sound suddenly came.

The sound, faint by the time it reached them, must have been an earth-shattering roar at its source, given the extreme distance.

Looking into the distance, towards the southern outer city, all the raindrops in the sky had been shattered, transforming into an overwhelming dense fog. Within the fog, a golden light subtly rose into the sky, like a majestic golden dragon soaring into the heavens.

"What's happening?" Ning Changjiu murmured to himself, feeling vaguely uneasy.

"That golden light..." Siming narrowed her eyes, her gaze, like flying frost, shooting out. "A sacred artifact has appeared?!"

"A sacred artifact?" Ning Changjiu was perplexed.

Siming explained, "There is a sacred artifact in Broken Realm City, presumably a relic of a saint. But... shouldn't it be in the direction of the Demon God's Great Hall? Why is it appearing in the outer city?"

Ning Changjiu was even more puzzled. For some reason, the face of that little monkey immediately came to his mind. He felt, in some inexplicable way, that the two were connected.

"Will this concern us?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Siming shook her head gently. "I don't know, but if there's great chaos in the city, we might not have to wait for Yulü to be refined. We could just leave amidst the confusion. Perhaps it would even be a good thing for us."

"Perhaps," Ning Changjiu said softly, staring at the golden light flickering distantly in the dense fog.

The depths of the Demon God Hall were a sea of stars.

Beyond the sea of stars, a crimson-robed woman, half-snake, lay coiled, clutching a skeleton. She gazed at the sea of stars, observing the traces of the shifting constellations, remaining silent throughout.

The Golden-winged Great Peng walked up behind her.

The crimson-robed woman turned her head. Her face, thin and eerie, looked wearily at the Golden-winged Great Peng. "What?" she asked coldly. "Having eaten all the demon sparrows, do you finally want to eat me?"

Before she transformed into a great snake, she had once been a mountain sparrow.

The Golden-winged Great Peng looked at the ape skeleton in her arms, then bowed. "A hundred years have passed, and you still can't let go?" he asked.

The crimson-robed woman, known as the Myriad Demon Queen, scoffed. "He's not dead yet; he'll wake up one day. The Saint protects all demons under heaven, doesn't he? None of us will die..."

The Golden-winged Great Peng fell silent for a moment, then sighed and asked, "Does Uranus truly exist? You've searched for so long; have you found anything?"

The Myriad Demon Queen shook her head. "I don't know. After all these years, I've calculated countless times and already derived its location and trajectory mathematically, but I cannot see it... However, this was his life's long-cherished wish. Since he cannot open his eyes now, it is only right that I continue the search until my dying breath."

The Golden-winged Great Peng did not ask further, simply saying, "I came to you today because I need your help with something."

The Myriad Demon Queen asked, "If it's something even you can't solve, what good am I? How much magical power do I possess?"

The Golden-winged Great Peng said, "I hope you can observe the constellations for me and tell me the fortune."

The Myriad Demon Queen frowned slightly. She turned her head, her vertical pupils, outlined in red, eerily narrowing. "You've never believed in this before," she said. "It seems you've encountered something significant?"

"Can you predict it?" the Golden-winged Great Peng asked.

"Why should I help you?" the Myriad Demon Queen replied.

The Golden-winged Great Peng said, "You've cast your gaze towards the illusory heavens, but the life and death of the Saint and the Long-Armed Old Ape are both in the mortal realm. The Saint is currently in mortal peril. If he dies, your old ape will have no chance of living again."

The Myriad Demon Queen asked, "Your actions—are they to save the Saint?"

"Yes," the Golden-winged Great Peng nodded.

"What arrogance!" A cold smile appeared on the Myriad Demon Queen's slightly gaunt face. "You don't even dare to leave Myriad Demon City now. How could you possibly go to the eighty-one cities of the Central Lands, or the five central kingdoms?!"

The Golden-winged Great Peng frowned. "The five central kingdoms... The Saint is actually suppressed there?"

The Myriad Demon Queen sneered. "This is a heavenly secret I've glimpsed through observing the celestial phenomena over the years. When I saw this sliver, I almost went blind. I originally wanted to tell you, but... ha, what good would it do to know? Just send you to your death?"

In the center of the Central Lands were eighty-one great nations, among which were five prominent kingdoms.

They were giant cities that descended from the heavens during the Divine War five hundred years ago. Once ruins of the Celestial Court, they now stood in the mortal realm, majestic and magnificent.

The Golden-winged Great Peng said calmly, "The fifth sacred artifact has appeared."

"Hmm?" The Myriad Demon Queen's deep pupils suddenly darkened. She quickly made a calculation with her fingers. "That thing, has it finally appeared?"

"Yes," the Golden-winged Great Peng said. "And Myriad Demon City has also received a guest I've been waiting for for a long time."

"Who?"

"The Golden Crow."

The Myriad Demon Queen's snake body coiled, her pupils reflecting a crimson light. "Isn't this food delivered right to our doorstep? Great Peng Demon Saint, should I congratulate you in advance on mastering the Myriad Demon Art?"

The Golden-winged Great Peng said, "Once the sacred artifact emerges and the demon art is perfected, I will go to the Central Lands, break through all eighty-one cities, shatter the cages, and rescue the Saint. We, who are revered as Demon Kings, surviving in this world, should face the impending collapse of this great edifice with a bang, whether we live or die, shouldn't we?"

The Myriad Demon Queen nodded gently. "So you've come to me to divine the fortune of this matter?"

"Yes," the Golden-winged Great Peng replied.

The Myriad Demon Queen asked, "What odds would make you willing to go?"

"A ten percent chance would be good," the Golden-winged Great Peng replied.

"Fool," the Myriad Demon Queen said, a look of mockery appearing on her haggard face. She extended her hand into the sea of stars, and the great disc of the galaxy began to turn with the subtle movements of her fingertips.

The Golden-winged Great Peng waited silently.

On the Seven Absolutes Cliff, the demon monkey, its head bleeding, panted ceaselessly. It swung its body between the giant trees, the wind cutting past its ears like knives. On its back, in a bulging pouch, two small infant monkeys blinked, innocently observing the world around them, chirping like little sparrows.

The little monkey demon's limbs trembled. It dared not look behind it, for many pursuers with bat-wings and masks had caught up. Their figures darted between the trees, constantly closing in on it.

The monkey demon also dared not look below, for at this moment on Seven Absolutes Cliff, red pythons had swarmed out of their nests, forming a tangled, writhing red sea. A single glance could induce a nauseating feeling, as if one's scalp were bursting open.

"Hold on tight, and don't move around..." the monkey demon instructed, then leaped fiercely from the tree trunk, grabbed a vine, and swung itself away.

The small infant monkeys, thinking it was some kind of game, clapped happily.

The little monkey demon leaped onto the next tree, its teeth chattering ceaselessly. Although Seven Absolutes Cliff was vast, at this moment, looking around, it could not find any place to hide.

Many inexplicable powers had originally surged within its body, but it could not bear too much divine power. The power was too much to squander; after a few surges, it was exhausted. The pain in its limbs and bones, instead, slowed its movements.

The monkey demon felt its heart beating like a drum, every moment feeling like it was teetering on the brink of its physical limits.

Swish, swish—two sharp sounds. It glanced out of the corner of its eye, just seeing two steel cables with sharp blades attached grazing past its side.

The little monkey demon was startled; the branch under its feet was severed. It shrieked, falling towards the red python swarm below.

"Got him," said the demon catcher who wielded the blade, spreading its bat-wings and leaping away.

Below, the red pythons all opened their gaping maws, welcoming the arrival of their delicious meal.

The little monkey demon was terrified out of its wits. It shrieked involuntarily, staring at the giant pythons, its brain feeling as if it were turning to water and flowing out of its seven orifices. In its terror, it saw a pine tree extending from the cliff edge below and reached out to grab it. But its luck had always been bad; its arms were not long enough, and its fingertips brushed past the pine branch. Its mind reeled,