Chapter 1964: A Li

Is this the end, then?

The world suddenly grew quiet, so still that even the falling snow made a sound.

Memories, one by one, flashed before his eyes, tinged with blood, making them all the more vivid.

So painful!

A piercing, heart-wrenching pain!

The shuzhong took root at the top of his head, continuously drawing from his very being. Every inch of his skin tore open.

Beneath his skin, it was no longer veins but distinct root systems of a tree, wriggling like loaches through his flesh, causing him unbearable agony.

The flickering firelight in the distance caught his eye…

That mocking, contemptuous face seemed to taunt His Majesty Yuegongli’s cowardly life…

Devoid of any splendor.

He couldn't protect the one he wanted to protect.

He couldn't become the pillar of the Hanguan clan. In the end, despite benefiting from Cuisheng, he couldn't change his essential nature as a hedonistic idler, nor could he transcend the larger scheme of things.

This ugly play, this tragic life, was it finally coming to an end here?

Yuegongli felt hazy, his eyelids heavy, blood and tears blurring his vision.

Yet, just as his eyes were about to close for the last time, he caught sight of his sister’s heartbroken cries outside Nanli Jie.

“Roar—!”

He roared, opening his eyes with a beast-like howl.

Life, at this instant, ignited a miracle. Yuegongli’s flesh shriveled bit by bit, but his essence, energy, and spirit suddenly surged.

One quarter of an hour!

One quarter of an hour, it’s not over yet!

My life can be ended, but my will shall not, and should not, be brought to a halt by you, Shennong Baicao!

He fiercely grabbed the Xiezui Bow.

Yuegongli forcefully took a step forward, heading straight for the shimmering firelight.

“Tear!”

Under everyone's gaze, the shuzhong remained fixed in place.

As he stepped forward, the roots embedded in Yuegongli’s head tore through his scalp and long hair, sending flesh and blood scattering.

“Ah—!”

Yuegongli let out a long cry as he drew the bow.

Pain could not break his stubborn, rock-like will.

Even as his head was pulled back, thick roots sprouted from his shoulders and back, pulling him backward, his body in too much pain to move forward. Yet, he vowed to take one step out of Guifo Jie…

“Ah ah ah—!”

The life roots extending from the shuzhong suddenly stretched tens of thousands of miles across the sky.

Yuegongli arrived, bow drawn to a full moon, and in a flash, appeared before the self-immolating flames of the Cangqiong Tree.

“You’re spewing bullshit!”

“Die for me!”

As the Five Domains watched in horror, and Yaozu gazed in astonishment.

Yuegongli stepped on the void with one foot and on the human face with the other. The fully drawn Xiezui Bow powered up an Xieshen Arrow, and he unleashed a direct shot at the face.

Boom!!!

At such close range, there was no escaping.

With that arrow, the sky collapsed, and the earth was directly pierced, forming a ten-thousand-zhang abyss.

The Cangqiong Tree exploded into dust in mid-air.

Yaozu’s human face couldn’t even utter half a sound before it was violently shot apart, reduced to dust.

The powerful recoil, combined with the pulling force of the shuzhong’s roots, sent Yuegongli flying backward after the shot, and he was immediately pulled back into Guifo Jie.

“Hahahaha!”

He was covered in blood, yet he laughed heartily.

With Shuzhong Guiyuan activated, 70% of the life force that the Cangqiong Tree had just devoured was forcefully absorbed by Yuegongli.

However, it was no longer fully nourishing the shuzhong but was used by Yuegongli to repair his damaged body, fighting to sustain himself—the most painful and extreme brute-force fighting style.

“Yuegongli—!”

Above the Beiming Emperor Realm, a furious voice erupted, filled with shock and humiliation, yet it did not immediately retaliate.

Yuegongli glared fiercely, lifting his head, and slammed the Xiezui Bow against his chest:

“Come on!”

“Come on!”

“Shennong Baicao! Come on!”

The Beiming Emperor Realm fell silent, even the loss of 70% of the power in the life pool seemed to be endured.

The barefoot fears no shoes.

No one could keep up with such a reckless fighting style.

Yuegongli had no one behind him, and Cuisheng allowed him to squander his life like this. Yaozu, however, still wanted to return to zero.

“It’s too late…”

Delay after delay, variables arose one after another.

The Beiming Emperor Realm, with Dashihuai enveloping the entire world, began to escape into the starry sky, seemingly wanting to distance itself from the main battlefield.

Yuegongli was insane.

Cuisheng was also insane.

Both of them fought without regard for consequences, unleashing such power.

But ultimately, they couldn’t overcome Shennong Baicao’s "Shengzhong Jidao," as the shuzhong was gradually evolving.

The more time Cuisheng gave Yuegongli…

The longer Yuegongli raged and went mad…

In fact, this was more beneficial to Yaozu’s plan, because their shuzhong was gradually developing towards the World Tree.

So, the next best move was no longer to create new complications, but to return to the plan itself.

“If I can’t obtain the Dao of Thought, and can’t suppress Mozu, there will still be other methods to use later.”

“Cuisheng can be a variable… Her goal isn’t just me, and it’s not just me who wants her to become the World Tree.”

“I can’t bother with her anymore, it’s time for the next step!”

On Dashihuai, a completely dark scythe of death suddenly appeared.

As this scythe emerged, all the little Beihuai who were still barely alive under the Jiuli Arrow in the Beiming Emperor Realm instantly perished.

Whether it was a ghost beast host or an avatar of Beihuai’s will…

They died instantly!

Without any hesitation, Dashihuai struck with a branch, shattering the scythe of death into countless streaks of black light, which were then swept up and consumed by Dashihuai.

“Rumble!”

The nine heavens shook, but there was no Dao tribulation.

At this moment, Dashihuai was distinctly divided into two colors.

Half golden-white, half grayish-black. The former radiated the brilliance of life, while the latter was imbued with the profound essence of reincarnation.

“Return to zero, now.”

Starry sky.

In a silent, nameless place, Beihuai, clad in white and barefoot, stood with half his body in a temporal rift and half at the edge of a black hole.

The opposing forces of suction tore at each other, stabilizing him perfectly, though it required more life energy to repair the incessantly splitting wounds.

And he was happy.

“Why?”

Everything that happened in the Beiming Emperor Realm was witnessed by the little Beihuai at their last moment of life, and also seen by Beihuai.

Beihuai was somewhat confused.

Why did Ah Yao suddenly abandon him and think about returning to zero on his own?

Why, after fighting Guizu for so long and refusing to let each other go, could Ah Yao suddenly obtain the scythe of death and directly swallow and digest it?

“Oh…”

Soon, Beihuai realized, belatedly, that he had been deceived.

It turned out that Ah Yao had long controlled Guizu’s authority over reincarnation, and the Guizu he had been guarding against was most likely just a "dummy" created by Ah Yao?

It was all a self-directed play?

Including himself, Beihuai, and all the ghost beast host experiments he conducted—it turned out Ah Yao had already mastered all of it?

And Ah Yao didn't even need the Dao of Beihuai to ponder the fusion and return to zero of life and reincarnation; Ah Yao already had a clear idea?

“I was deceived.”

Beihuai lowered his head. Two notebooks were still tucked into his waistband.

He stepped out from between the mutually tearing forces, and life energy surged, quickly healing his injuries.

He opened the notebooks: one, “Beihuai’s Life Research Diary,” and the other, “Beihuai’s Record Manual.”

They documented many experiments, many results that could have led to the final answer, but Ah Yao always said, "Slow down, slow down…"

Was she waiting for Mozu?

Or was she waiting for an opportunity?

Or rather, was this all just a way to use the existence of "Beihuai" and "Guizu" to divert everyone's attention away from "Yaozu"?

Beihuai stood there stunned for a long time.

He wanted to tear up the “Diary” and “Manual,” but also didn't really want to, unsure how to express his emotions.

He looked around, wanting to kill something, yet there was nothing to be killed, as his surroundings were empty.

“Lonely again.”

Beihuai crouched in the darkness of the starry sky, cupping his chin in his hands, lost in thought, pondering something unknown.

But no more little Beihuai emerged from under his feet, babbling and breaking the deadly silence.

Nor did any Beiming tribesmen’s souls boil with fear and scream, breaking the eternal stillness of life.

“It’s so quiet.”

Even when talking to himself, there was no sound or echo.

Suddenly, Beihuai realized he had become the unwanted person again. The sense of existence he had sought for so long, like Hua Changdeng, turned out to be insignificant.

Under the gaze of the Ancestor God, all are ants.

“Fun.”

Beihuai quickly shook off his gloom, a smile reappearing on his face.

He stood up and looked towards the direction of the Shengshian Continent.

He couldn’t see the shuzhong transforming into a shengzhong, nor the horrific state of Yuegongli under the backlash of the shengzhong, but he could sense and know what was happening on the Shengshian Continent.

After all, the existence of "Beihuai," while merely a smokescreen put forth by Yaozu Shennong Baicao, was also a deliberate "branching out" on his path to zero.

Perhaps this branch was weak and poor, but for the act to be real, for it to deceive Mozu's gaze, what Beihuai cultivated truly had to be the genuine path of life and reincarnation.

Yaozu had not told Beihuai the answer to the path of returning to zero. The "Diary" and "Manual" had already summarized it almost completely.

Perhaps only half a step away from practical application…

And also lost Dashihuai’s life, and the scythe of death representing reincarnation…

“Beihuai is very smart.”

The answer to this experiment had already been verified.

Throughout the entire Celestial Ladder, only Dao Qiongcang could keep up with his Dao-harmonization thoughts, so Beihuai still had this much confidence.

He used the shuzhong as his eyes, observing all living beings in the Five Domains.

His gaze then stretched further, into the cross-street of Sifutu City.

Qianshou Tailor and Chanshiren, Beihuai could see them both: one representing the "weaving of life patterns," the other the "blending of species reincarnation"—Yaozu’s hidden moves, Beihuai could see them all.

“Devouring power…”

The much-desired devouring power was also nearby, giving a sense of instant success.

“Physical body…”

The most perfect physical body, combined with the most powerful combat strength of ancient martial arts, was also nearby.

“Dao of Thought…”

From the inverted Buddha tower itself and the life aura connecting the external Guifo, he could also see "Nianzu Shentui" and "Guifo," these two of Yaozu's backup plans, submerged in the deepest part of the North Sea's life pool.

Gulp!

Beihuai swallowed his saliva.

Ah Yao suddenly ran off to play by herself.

So, from now on, how he played, it seemed he didn't have to listen to Ah Yao's nagging anymore?

“Return to zero…”

There were many ways to return to zero, including the proper way of cultivation, and of course, the method of seizing the Dao.

Beihuai never squandered himself; he abandoned the step-by-step approach and quickly came up with a new idea.

“Chanshiren.”

His gaze fixed, he locked onto the life-host body wrapped in bandages.

This guy was closest to the devouring body. If he started from here and retrieved the devouring body…

When everyone else was almost successful, he too would be almost successful, and they could all celebrate together.

However, as soon as Shengdi entered the cross street, that place exploded…

Just as Beihuai was still agonizing over whether to create a host body to possess Chanshiren, or to cripple his realm and descend into Taixu to enter,

Beihuai's eyes lit up, looking at the shuzhong that was acting up again.

“It seems I don’t need to do either?”

“Hahahaha…”

Yuegongli gasped deeply, exhaling in shallow breaths.

His consciousness spun, caused by the fission of the shuzhong.

Life force rapidly nourished him, keeping him from dissipating on the spot.

“How terrifying!”

“What will Lizu become in the end?”

Through Zhangxing, the Five Domains observed Lizu above the collapsing Guifo Jie, each deeply moved.

In fact, he could no longer be called Lizu.

The shuzhong took root and sprouted, embedding itself in Yuegongli’s head.

Roots also emerged all over Yuegongli’s body, making him look like a potato spirit, with purple-red sprouts digging into the void.

“Using an Ancestor God as a seed to forge a tree?”

This grand undertaking completely stunned the people of the Five Domains.

And Yuegongli, stuck between the two states of "tree" and "human," twitched occasionally, allowing even outsiders to imagine the torment he endured.

Yet, this fellow still refused to give up!

“Not yet finished…”

“It’s not over yet…”

“My time, there’s still a little, little bit…”

His body committed to Cuisheng, his fate unchangeable.

One about to die, what fear is there?

Cuisheng was a person who kept promises. Even though His Majesty had squandered Himself to this extent, He remained silent.

Yuegongli also no longer pursued Yaozu; he couldn’t catch up, as the shuzhong had completely bound him to the Shengshian Continent.

However, there was one place on the Shengshian Continent where no one had yet broken the equilibrium, clearly stuck in a stalemate.

Yuegongli cast his gaze towards the cross street.

Mozu!

There was only a little time left. He had to force out Mozu’s hidden moves, otherwise, he would die with regrets!

Even if he could only force out a tiny bit…

No, actually, he didn’t need to intervene specially?

The cross street itself had a guy with more destructive power than himself. All he had to do was break his predicament.

“Forbidden!”

He formed a hand seal.

Yuegongli staggered violently, his vision turning black.

The shuzhong’s suction grew stronger and stronger, nourishing itself with life force, repairing itself, and then supplying it to the shuzhong for absorption. This was merely treating the symptoms, not the root cause.

Yet, he had to act again, at least…

“Break the inner demon illusion, interrupt the power of the inverted Buddha tower… No, the inverted demon tower, and push Shenyi to Mozu’s coffin!”

“Also, I have to eliminate future worries, otherwise Shenyi won’t be able to unleash his power at all. With one strike, the realm shatters, the tower breaks, and Mozu escapes. How could this brute be good at chasing people?”

“The best way is, is… to raise the level of Dao cultivation at the cross street, to find, find… the Divine Relic!”

In a state of drowsiness, Yuegongli struggled to lift his eyelids.

With the aid of the Outer Manifestation Dharma Eye, he quickly re-anchored the location of the Divine Relic, pointing his finger to his chest, then sliding his fingertip.

“Art: Dao Law Attraction.”

This art seemed to have a delay.

After a moment, from the plane of the Divine Relic, a Dao chain transformed into a guiding light, descending, piercing through the clouds, and striking the inverted Buddha Tower beneath the central hollow of the cross street.

That tower, due to the leakage of resentment, had already been invaded by Mozu. Under the Outer Manifestation Dharma Eye, nothing could be hidden.

Thankfully!

“It didn’t miss…”

“Still, the Ancestor of Arts’ techniques are more… precise…”

Yuegongli forced a smile, finding humor in his pain, then winced again from the agony.

He was going to fall asleep!

No, he couldn't. There was one more step, he had to persist!

Yuegongli refused to loosen his grip on the Cuisheng Seal in his hand, fearing that if he relaxed, he would never be able to form a seal again. He continued his actions:

“Forbidden: Obliterating Inner Calamity.”

This time, the purple pupil on his forehead trembled and suddenly cracked open.

In intense agony, that Cuisheng Eye rapidly enlarged, pushing Yuegongli’s features down to his chin.

“Ah—!”

The pain of his distorted face overwhelmed him. Even an Ancestor God like Yuegongli couldn’t hold it together, letting out a piercing scream.

The Cuisheng Eye, which now covered his entire face, did not disappoint. It shot out a purple light, swiftly banishing all inner demons and mind arts within the demonized inverted Buddha Tower.

Shenyi, within the tower, seemed to sense something and stood up, holding his staff.

Lizu in Guifo Jie smiled bitterly, closed his eyes, and knelt down.

“Ah…”

Actually, there were many more things he wanted to do…

The Sword of Slaughter in Xiyu, the Sword Tower Dao Chain in Beiyu, and that old hag whose life form was exactly the same as the Qianshi Emperor Realm, as scanned by the Outer Manifestation Dharma Eye…

“It seems there’s no chance left…”

The shuzhong, sustaining an Ancestor God’s body covered in roots, knelt prostrate in the air, his hands, which had been forming seals, dropped limply. Soon, the Xiezui Bow in his other hand also fell.

He hung his head, his features, pushed to his chin, finally also sprouting roots from his mouth and nose, from his pupils.

Blocking his vision.

Under everyone's gaze, he died grotesquely, without dignity.

Unable to see even for a final glance, Yuegongli plunged completely into the abyss, his consciousness entirely drowned beneath that suffocating black water.

Sister…

Ah Li, it hurts…