Chapter 42.3

At that moment, the system’s interface reappeared, like a timid thief, showing itself briefly before retreating again.

[…Calculation complete. Congratulations to the host on completing this mission. Rewards are now being distributed.]

[First, when the host jumped into the Soul Transformation Abyss, I initiated the unlocking of your spiritual veins, allowing you to complete the fake death escape.]

[Secondly, from this moment onward, the system will detach from the host, and the host will no longer be affected by the ‘Judge’ power of the mission target.]

Chi Lu swallowed, contemplating the information the system had revealed, unable to respond immediately.

She heard Jing Shuxing speak again, “Since the Young Sect Leader isn’t saying anything, I’ll take the liberty.”

In the next moment, her vision was obscured by a hand, and the clear, soothing voice whispered in her ear, “I don’t want him to disturb us.”

Chi Lu was left in darkness, unable to see anything, forced to wait helplessly.

When her sight finally returned, she saw only the silhouette of a falling figure, and the horrified expressions of the people from Fengyue City—expressions that went beyond mere shock.

Lady Ning rushed forward, clutching the cliffside, crying out, “Yi Lang!”

Chi Lu struggled to comprehend what had just happened in that fleeting moment.

The City Lord of Fengyue City, who had never regarded anyone with any importance and who hadn’t sensed any danger even in his final moments, had been effortlessly cut in half midair.

And he had fallen.

Jing Yi’s face still bore traces of murderous intent, while the others displayed a range of expressions, some of them subtly showing signs of relief.

Chi Lu looked down, then up again at the people of Fengyue City, taking a long moment to realize that Jing Yi was dead.

Killed in the blink of an eye by the man kneeling beside her.

Chi Lu turned her gaze back tremblingly and saw Jing Shuxing beaming with joy, his entire demeanor radiating three unmistakable words: “Praise me.”

“Young Sect Leader, how did I do?” Jing Shuxing’s tone lifted slightly at the end.

Chi Lu stood frozen in place, unable to process everything.

Jing Shuxing clenched his teeth lightly, his fists tightening as his handsome face clouded with frustration. “Am I still not as good as him?”

“Even though he has someone in his heart, even though he disappeared during the days you activated the formation, in your heart, I still can’t compare to him?”

He grumbled, “Jing Luoyun, what’s so great about him?”

Chi Lu widened her eyes. 

“I have no idea what’s so great about him that you would be so fixated on him.”

Then, she reached out and flicked Jing Shuxing on the forehead. “It’s me who doesn’t understand. I’m completely clueless about all this love and romance stuff. The Great Elder only just gave me those storybooks so I could start figuring it out.”

“But you ended up tearing those storybooks apart!”

Chi Lu thought about her mysteriously disappearing storybooks and was now certain that Jing Shuxing was responsible.

She was still searching for an opportunity to jump off the cliff, but after looking around for a while, she realized the giant net around them was impenetrable. Left with no other option, she turned to Jing Shuxing and asked, “I’ve treated you so poorly, didn’t you ever think about throwing me down too?”

“Outwardly respectful but inwardly assertive—at the core, aren’t I just like Jing Yi?”

Jing Shuxing’s smile didn’t waver. “The Young Sect Leader risked her life to jump into the abyss to save me. I believe there must be a reason for your actions.”

“But,” he suddenly shifted his tone, “I don’t believe it entirely.”

Jing Shuxing’s smile didn’t waver in the slightest as he said, “The Young Sect Leader risked her life to jump off the cliff and save me. I believe the Young Sect Leader must have had a reasons.”

“But,” he abruptly changed his tone, “I don’t believe it.”

His voice trembled, and Chi Lu, hearing this, couldn’t help but nervously ask, “Are you in pain again?”

Suddenly, his shoulders were pressed down, and those eyes, as if veiled by layers of twilight mist, swiftly drew close. The voice that fell by Chi Lu’s ear seemed to be torn apart, every word and sentence filled with unbearable pain.

“You clearly understand what it means to long for someone. If you didn’t, why did you convey your feelings to Jing Luoyun and confess to him on the very first day you entered the city? If you didn’t understand … , if you didn’t understand, why did you remain silent when Jing Luoyun used it as gossip to boast?”

The gentle warmth that seemed everlasting in his eyes vanished, replaced by a sinister intensity akin to that of an underworld Asura. Outside the barrier, the wails of the evil spirits were nothing compared to the sharpness of Jing Shuxing’s words.

Chi Lu struggled in vain, “There are so many people outside—they’re all watching us—”

Boom.

The barrier instantly turned pitch black, completely concealing everything happening inside.

Jing Shuxing chuckled softly and lit a small floating light, gently tucking the stray hairs behind Chi Lu’s ear. “No need to worry, now no one can see us.”

He held Chi Lu’s hand, pressing it against his forehead, his lips trembling.

“Young Sect Leader, Young Sect Leader, I… towards you…”

He was on the verge of shamelessly uttering that word.

But suddenly, the delicate hand withdrew, moved upward, and rested on the top of his head.

A cool, refreshing breeze seemed to come from nowhere, enveloping the girl’s presence and in the next moment, overwhelming Jing Shuxing’s every sense.

“I apologize for what I did to you before,” Chi Lu said softly.

Jing Shuxing’s expression was as if he was about to burst into tears. She couldn’t understand what was wrong with him, so she chose to apologize.

She leaned closer to him and said, “I’m sorry.”

“My interactions with Jing Luoyun, and everything I did before, were all under duress. In a little while, I must follow that person’s orders and jump into the Soul Transformation Abyss.”

“I also don’t understand what you mean by those things, nor do I understand what longing or deep love is.”

Jing Shuxing lightly tugged at Chi Lu’s sleeve, his neck and ears first turning a deep red as if boiled, then paling like melting snow. A faint mist seemed to gather in his beautiful peach blossom eyes.

His lips were bitten to the point of bleeding, and he clung tightly to Chi Lu’s sleeve, his body growing weak and numb, yet his heart felt hollow, like a shattered glass bottle.

She could give him joy without hesitation, yet she would never truly understand his sorrows and joys.

“Young Sect Leader…” The dim floating light illuminated half of his face, as if coated in a layer of silver glaze.

“Young Sect Leader, don’t leave me…”

Chi Lu was stunned. She lowered her gaze and looked at Jing Shuxing’s dazed expression, unable to find the words to refuse him.

It was almost certain that no matter how many times she jumped into the Soul Transformation Abyss, Jing Shuxing would desperately try to pull her back up.

Her gaze fell on the bracelet, and Chi Lu asked the system, “If Jing Shuxing also falls into the Soul Transformation Abyss, what will happen to him?“

The system replied, [The spiritual vein that is about to open can accommodate multiple people.]

Chi Lu silently calculated in her mind. She stood up from the ground and, to maintain her balance, rested her hand on the pitch-black square barrier.

As she casually pressed her hand against the barrier, she unexpectedly created a crack. Looking out through the crack, she saw several gigantic beasts surrounding the barrier outside.

The moment those giant beasts saw the crack in the barrier, they roared in unison and charged towards the opening. Chi Lu quickly waved her hand, sending out spiritual power to block them, only then realizing that the number of beasts was in the hundreds, if not thousands.

Amidst the roars, the cultivators didn’t forget to send their voices through the barrier, “Young Sect Leader, you must come out from inside! Those beasts will only attack Jing Shuxing; they won’t harm you.”

Chi Lu frowned, “Jing Yi is already dead. Why are you still doing this? Is this how a prestigious sect from Fengyue City, one of the Immortal Blessed Lands, conducts itself?”

No one responded to her.

The disordered voices of the cultivators were carried by the wind: “Who knows what secret technique Jing Shuxing has acquired to become this powerful. Now that the fierce beasts of Fengyue City are in place, even if we have to wear him down, we can kill him.”

Their tone was full of confidence.

The once impenetrable barrier began to crumble, and Chi Lu, lacking in martial strength, found her efforts to reinforce it futile.

As the barrier shattered, she raised her finger to form a protective array around herself and Jing Shuxing, but her movements were too slow. In an instant, the foul stench of the beasts’ breath brushed past her.

The cultivators had been waiting for this moment. They rushed towards Chi Lu in unison, shouting, “Protect the Young Sect Leader, don’t let her escape!”

Hands from all directions reached out towards Chi Lu; no one wanted to miss the chance to seize this all-powerful key to breaking the formation.

Amidst the chaotic shadows, invisible blades, sharp as crescent moons, traced a full arc around the center.

The cold light glimmered as the juice of pomegranates was squeezed out.

The butcher, seemingly having lost his patience, hacked wildly without care for precision. From the shattered barrier, fragments scattered, momentarily suspended in the air like pieces from a meat grinder, before tumbling down.

Jing Shuxing remained kneeling on the ground, covering his face with his hand, trembling uncontrollably. After a long time, he finally loosened his tightly bitten lips and looked up, his gaze dark and menacing, sweeping over the crowd who were stunned by the bloody carnage.

He rose to his feet, towering over the trembling cultivators at the edge of the cliff, his white robes immaculate, giving him the appearance of a god above all.

He asked, “What do you want to say?”

“Destroying the barrier and interrupting my conversation with her—is there something of utmost importance you need to convey?”

Behind them, something like a galaxy poured out, like a stage curtain falling, and chaotic noises clashed against Chi Lu’s eardrums, making her unable to resist the urge to look back.

Jing Shuxing held her shoulders and said, “Don’t look back, it will ruin your appetite.”

Chi Lu swallowed, forcing herself not to turn her head. “Thank you.”

Then she sincerely apologized, “I’m sorry, I don’t know how, but I just touched it, and your barrier was destroyed.”

This was an ability she didn’t have before, perhaps what the system referred to as “immune to the Judge’s power.”

Chi Lu decided in her heart that the next time Jing Shuxing took action, she would obediently tie her hands and not interfere with him.

The sound by her ear shifted from the rustling of leaves to terrified screams, with Lady Ning’s shrill voice standing out clearly.

Chi Lu realized what was happening and grabbed Jing Shuxing’s wrist. “Stop the killing. If you carry too much blood debt, you’ll face retribution in the future.”

Jing Shuxing’s expression remained cold, his entire being radiating murderous intent. He seemed both angry and as if he was simply venting his frustration.

When he looked at Chi Lu, the hard ice in his eyes was forcibly crushed, turning into tenderness. “It’s just an overreaching sect, trying to prolong their lives through demonic means. Eradicating them—why isn’t that an act of merit?”

Chi Lu’s face darkened slightly, but then she heard Jing Shuxing’s gentle voice say, “If you want me to stop, it’s not impossible, but Young Sect Leader, you still haven’t given me your answer.”

The blade had already sliced through the loose strands of hair on Lady Ning’s forehead, stopping just millimeters short of severing her head. Then, it suddenly froze in place.

Jing Shuxing’s eyes seemed to be touched by the autumn waters, his brows and eyes smiling as he gazed eagerly at Chi Lu, waiting for her response.

Waiting for her to give him an order.

Chi Lu suddenly jumped up and smacked him on the forehead.

Author’s Note:

Thank you all for your overwhelming support! I will finish telling this story completely and cherish the time we spend together on this journey.