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CHAPTER 52: The Divine Bodhi Tree (Part IV)
The terrifying frost blade shattered the canopy of the Water-Cloud Realm and tore through Chao Taichu’s grand formation with brute force.
Within the Changming Sect, Chao Taichu took the brunt of the sword qi. He was hurled violently against the mountain cliffs, coughing up a mouthful of blood. Both were at the Great Circle of the Nascent Soul stage, yet that frost blade possessed a power that was fundamentally different.
At that moment, an unprecedented dread seized Chao Taichu’s heart. It was as if the prophecy rang in his ears once more: "The Heavenly Dao shall slay the father to prove its path."
That sense of predestined fate, of turning in circles only to remain a puppet of the gods, clutched his mind. He felt a shivering terror.
Inside the Water-Cloud Realm, however, the scene was entirely different. The ashen despair on people's faces was gradually replaced by wild ecstasy. They scrambled frantically toward the fissure, as if seeing the final glimmer of light in a desperate situation. This was the last hope of survival for them all.
Yet, the jostling crowd slowed, eventually coming to a halt behind the silhouette of a single person.
Her black hair fluttered in the wind, and her white robes were as stark as snow. Her figure in mid-air appeared thin and solitary, yet for some reason, people found themselves unable to look at her directly.
She was Chao Jinsui.
The "traitor of the human race" they had been screaming to kill just a moment ago, the person whose life they had demanded, had become the savior of everyone present. They had been bent on driving her to her death, yet now, they had to flee through the path she had carved open.
The crowd fell into silence. If they had any other choice, they should have refused to take this path.
But when one can live, who truly wishes to die?
Not everyone possessed skin as thick as a city wall. Shame and basic conscience plunged the crowd into a strange silence and stagnation, their faces burning with heat. They felt shocked, confused, ashamed, and embarrassed.
"Young Sect Leader, we..."
These were the disciples of the Kunlun Sword Sect. Their expressions were the most awkward, filled with a mix of shame and guilt, unsure of what to say.
"Benefactor Chao, consider our lives owed to you!"
The monks of Lanruo Temple hesitated before stepping back, speaking with heavy gravity.
Gradually, more voices began to rise:
"Fellow Daoist Chao, we... We were misled. Consider the Leiyin Tower in your debt!"
"Young Sect Leader, great kindness needs no words of thanks. If you ever require aid in the future, we of the Five Poisons Valley will not hesitate, even at the cost of ten thousand deaths!"
...
She held her sword, her black hair flying in the sky. She did not cast a single glance at the people behind her.
Her eyes were fixed solely on the Bodhi Tree.
The Bodhi Tree had begun to wither rapidly, as if experiencing centuries of time in a single instant. Its leaves turned yellow and fell, and in the blink of an eye, it became a desiccated husk.
Chao Jinsui ignored the voices behind her, taking flight toward the tree. The expressions of the crowd grew even more uneasy.
Chao Zhaoyue, who had taken everything in, let out a cold sneer. He flew forward and shouted:
"What are you still standing here for? Go!"
"How long do you think that opening can hold? If you don't want to be trapped here again, then get out now!"
His words were incredibly blunt, but they jolted the people awake. With embarrassed faces, they sheepishly mounted their swords and streaked toward the fissure.
Chao Zhaoyue also wanted to fly toward the Bodhi Tree, but as the cultivators were nearly all gone, the cleft began to slowly close.
Chao Zhaoyue’s expression shifted. "Granny Shui, all of you leave, quickly!"
Granny Shui asked, "And what about you?"
Chao Zhaoyue flew toward the gap, the Lanyue Sword growing larger in his hand as he used it to wedge the rift open with all his might.
He gritted his teeth. "She hasn't come out yet. I’m staying here to wait for her!"
Granny Shui huffed. The last time, this brat insisted on holding up the Water-Cloud Realm; now, before his injuries had even fully healed, he was trying to act the hero again. She led the Divine Tree clansmen and headed toward the exit.
Outside the Water-Cloud Realm, Yuan Tianyu’s expression became profoundly complex the moment he led the Jade Sword Alliance out. They had thought that simply not raising their hands against her was helping Chao Jinsui, a way to repay their debt.
Until now, when their lives had been saved by her once again.
He let out a deep sigh, his heart heavy with conflicting emotions. Beside him, Xiangsi also snorted. "See? Now the debt can never be repaid."
But at that moment, they heard a commotion from the Water-Cloud Realm behind them. They looked back to see the fissure slowly sealing shut.
Xiangsi’s face paled. "Oh no, the Young Sect Leader hasn't come out yet!"
Without hesitation, Yuan Tianyu led the Jade Sword Alliance back toward the Water-Cloud Realm. Chao Zhaoyue looked at them in surprise, hadn't they already escaped? Why come back?
He watched as they rushed toward the rift together, using their swords to jam the opening.
In the next second, more people rushed over.
Ling Yun shouted, "Senior Brother Zhaoyue, we’ve come to help!"
Behind Ling Yun were disciples of the Five Poisons Valley. They pulled out their magical treasures and flew toward the crack.
Hearing the commotion, many who were about to leave stopped in their tracks. They had barely escaped with their lives, many still shaken and wearing looks of terror. Seeing this scene, they fell silent: go back? Or was staying alive more important?
First, one person moved, then a second... slowly, countless figures flew back toward the rift.
Chao Zhaoyue had been prepared to stay behind alone, just as he and Suisui had planned to fight their way out of the Kunlun Sword Sect together. But now, behind him stood a multitude.
He fell silent for a long time, and then, he let out a smile.
On the withered Bodhi Tree, the three thousand small worlds were gone, allowing Chao Jinsui to fly easily back into the tree hollow. She didn't want to leave A-Pu alone in the Water-Cloud Realm.
She took a box from her storage bag and carefully gathered the ashes of the Bodhi Heart into it. She could hear the roaring outside, but she didn't care about the noise or whether the Water-Cloud Realm would close in the next second. She only cared about meticulously collecting A-Pu’s ashes.
Amidst the ash, she saw a black, perfectly round Heaven-Mending Stone.
Indeed, the Bodhi was born from within the Heaven-Mending Stone. The third stone she needed was right beneath A-Pu’s heart. Yet, she felt no joy in obtaining it, only silence as she placed it in the box.
She thought that while she no longer had A-Pu, she still had Yan-Yan. She would wait a little longer for him to return.
But she waited, and as the Divine Bodhi Tree completely died and every leaf fell, Yan Xueyi still did not appear.
Her Yan-Yan was also gone.
She sat in silence upon the tree, her face devoid of expression. After a long time, once she was certain no further sound would come, she stood and walked outside.
It was pitch black outside. It felt as though the lights of the entire Water-Cloud Realm had been extinguished in an instant. In the vast space between heaven and earth, only the sound of the wind and her own breathing remained. It was as if she were the only person left in the world.
She thought that since the Water-Cloud Realm had closed, everyone else must have gone. Someone had saved them, their lives were secure. They would likely laugh at the greatest fool in existence for staying behind to save them, just as Chao Taichu and the others had done in her past life.
They surely thought she was incredibly stupid. Perhaps if she died here, the people outside would even mock her. Just like before, what did sacrifice matter? She had lost one precious thing after another, only to pave the way for others.
That was fine, too. She could finally be completely disappointed in the human race. If the Heavenly Dao is heartless and treats all things as straw dogs, then she would be a heartless Heavenly Dao. What of it?
Standing atop the giant tree, listening to the wind howling past her ears, she felt an immense emptiness in her heart.
Just as the darkness was about to swallow the world, her hollow gaze suddenly froze. She looked into the distance and saw an unquenchable light burning at the horizon.
The rift she had cut, it hadn't closed!
They hadn't left. Beneath that light stood a sea of people. It was this dense crowd of people who were holding up the final glimmer of light, resisting the immense force of the world closing shut.
She was stunned. The wind caught her black hair. She lowered her eyes.
She thought: A-Pu, Mother... whether this is right or wrong, I can no longer tell.
As if in response to her, a trembling movement suddenly came from the ashes inside the small box in her hand.
Amidst the ash, upon that rounded Heaven-Mending Stone, a tiny green sprout appeared!
It was a tiny Bodhi Tree!
She gasped, "Mother?"
The Bodhi Tree unfurled its leaves, slowly pushing the ashes aside as it poked its head out with vigor. She blinked; the little tree hadn't vanished. It even stretched its leaves and nudged her palm. A green wisp of Bodhi qi seemed to stroke her tenderly.
She blinked again. Had A-Pu’s eight-thousand-year calamity of life and death ended a century ago? No, the calamity had never ended. It was only at this very moment that the Divine Bodhi Tree had truly succeeded in its tribulation and gained new life.
But before she could even touch its leaves, the entire Water-Cloud Realm began to shake violently. The old Bodhi Tree collapsed with a roar. The world, having lost its final pillar, began to cave in frantically.
A massive force slammed down toward those holding the rift open!
Chao Jinsui’s gaze sharpened. She immediately gripped the Kunlun Sword and, like a white swallow piercing the night, streaked toward the fissure.
But in the next heartbeat, time froze.
The expressions on people's faces were fixed; the collapse of the world halted; the falling stones and burning ash were suspended in mid-air. Time within the Water-Cloud Realm seemed to have stopped.
The scenery around her shifted rapidly. Everyone within the Water-Cloud Realm appeared in a different space.
Countless flames burned fiercely, reflecting a crimson hue against the pitch-black sky. Beneath the cracked earth, molten lava pulsed. This was not the Water-Cloud Realm.
Chao Jinsui soon realized where they were, this was the Asura Path, the Asura Path of the Demon God.
The Asura Path only accepted the souls of those who could not enter reincarnation. A small, independent world like the Water-Cloud Realm existed outside the Five Elements and the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Dao. Those who died there could not reincarnate; they could only enter the Asura Path.
The scene was eerie. Everyone remained in their original poses and expressions, motionless. Only Chao Jinsui could move.
It was Yan-Yan!
She moved through the frozen crowd and over the leaping, scorching lava, flying toward the boundless crimson horizon. Finally, in the distance on the other side of a river of lava, she saw a tall demon.
The demon’s long hair fell like flowing water. His handsome face was marked with golden demonic patterns. He sat cross-legged amidst the surrounding karmic fire, looking like an evil spirit born from the fires of hell itself.
"Yan-Yan!"
But when that person slowly opened his eyes, she took two steps back and raised the Kunlun Sword.
She met a pair of reddish-gold pupils.
He was not Yan Xueyi.
His eyes were not the familiar black, but a cold, emotionless gold. Being stared at by those golden eyes felt like being looked down upon by a giant ancient god. His demon horns were whole, without any flaws, marked with faint golden patterns like a piece of beautiful yet wicked art. The aura surrounding him was terrifying; his every movement seemed to cause the world to tremble.
He was the Demon God, not Yan Xueyi. And not the chaotic madman, but the complete Demon God.
Chao Jinsui suddenly realized: Yan-Yan was no ordinary demon; he was the reincarnation of the Demon God. Others had lost themselves within the three thousand worlds of the Bodhi Tree, but what about him? Had he lost himself, or had he found himself?
No one knew how many lives the Demon God had lived. If he had remembered them all, would the person before her still be "Yan Xueyi"?
The Demon God did not show the madness or chaos of the future. Not only was he clear-headed, but his eyes were devoid of emotion, like a strange and solemn idol. His golden eyes were fixed on her, a gaze that made her feel as though she were being scrutinized by an ancient deity.
Just moments ago, the Demon God had felt the Asura Path tremble, as if about to receive a massive number of souls who had died unjustly. Thus, he had opened the Asura Path to receive them. But at the last moment, a power had forcibly rescued the thousands of souls that were halfway inside.
Only the Heavenly Dao could snatch people from the Asura Path.
He said, "A pleasure to meet you, newborn Heavenly Dao."
Chao Jinsui gripped the Kunlun Sword, her lips pressed into a tight line, offering no reply. The Demon God’s golden eyes locked onto her, an unprecedented pressure pinning her down.
He tilted his head expressionlessly. "However, newborn Heavenly Dao, why are you incomplete?"
The atmosphere curdled. Killing intent flared!
Cold sweat broke out on Chao Jinsui’s back, but she kept her spine straight, tightening her grip on her sword. Her spiritual energy brewed within her as she coiled like a bow ready to fire.
Ultimately, the Demon God seemed merely to be observing and evaluating the "Heavenly Dao" before him. Once finished, he withdrew his gaze.
She breathed a sigh of relief but kept her eyes fixed on him. "Where is Yan-Yan?" she demanded.
He replied, "That was but one of ten thousand memories from my tribulations." He continued, "Now that I have awakened, I shall remain until the day I return to my divine chamber."
Hearing this, the last trace of color drained from her face. She stared at him, saying word by word, "No. Give Yan-Yan back to me."
The Demon God tilted his head, his horns shifting slightly. He looked at her with an expressionless, puzzled air. "I am Yan Xueyi. Why must you distinguish us so clearly?"
He said calmly, "Heavenly Dao, you share deep feelings with my reincarnation. However, there is no need for sorrow. Once you ascend to your position, you too will sever the seven emotions and six desires."
She tightened her grip on her sword and charged at him!
He raised his golden eyes and flicked his hand. A wave of black energy slammed into her, knocking her back several steps. This was the Asura Path, the Demon God’s domain. Though she was the future Heavenly Dao, she was currently only at the Great Circle of Nascent Soul; she had no chance of victory.
Yet, as if she could not feel pain, she charged again!
The Demon God swung his sleeve, but she was like a swift bird, agilely dodging the strike. She seized the opportunity and grabbed his arm, clinging like a tenacious serpent. Using the strength in her legs, she pinned him against the rock wall.
She grabbed his collar, pulling him close. "Give my Yan-Yan back to me!"
The tall Demon God looked at her as if she were an insignificant ant, entirely unbothered by her actions. He simply looked down and said emotionlessly:
"Heavenly Dao, he was merely one of my many reincarnations. He had no parents and no attachments; he was nothing more than a mass of the world’s most vile demonic energy."
His golden pupils held no feeling, as if he were stating a simple fact. "Heavenly Dao, you merely wish to use him to restrain my return."
Her eyes wavered, and her grip on his collar loosened slightly. The Demon God was right, at the very beginning, the system had told her to get close to him only because he was the Demon God’s reincarnation.
It was true; in this world, no one cared if "Yan Xueyi" lived or died. Not even the Demon God himself cared.
But even if it started that way, what about now? During the years she had drifted within the Divine Tree, her only anchor had been Yan-Yan. Without his existence, she would have long ago lost herself in the river of time, forgetting who she was.
She tightened her hold on his collar and pulled him close again.
She said, one word at a time, "I care. I care if he lives or dies!"
The Demon God said heartlessly, "Once you return, you will also be without desire, having severed the threads of emotion."
She snapped, "At least for now, I want you to give him back!"
The Demon God said, "Heavenly Dao, you are being unreasonable."
She gripped his robes tightly. "If you don't give him back, I won't let you go. No matter what you try to do, I will cling to you until the end!"
The Demon God’s eyes locked onto hers. "You are seeking death."
She sneered. "Then kill me if you have the ability!"
She knew that if he truly acted within the Asura Path, she stood no chance. But she felt no fear, only icy, burning rage. Her eyes were cold and stubborn, as if saying: Go on, then. Do it.
The silence was absolute. After a long confrontation, the Demon God looked away. "You are the Heavenly Dao. I will not strike lightly."
She let out a cold laugh. But suddenly, a flash of insight struck her.
No. He was the Demon God, why was he acting all merciful and concerned with the big picture? If the Demon God were truly such a being, would he have destroyed the world in her previous life? Even if he was still in the midst of reincarnation and possessed reason, he wouldn't be this easy to talk to.
He should have blasted her away the moment she grabbed his collar. This was the Asura Path, his domain, after all.
She grew quiet, staring at him. "You can't kill me. It's because of Yan-Yan, isn't it?"
The Demon God’s golden eyes froze. He expressionlessly shoved her off him and walked toward the depths of the Asura Path.
She pursued him relentlessly, as if finding more cracks in his armor. "You just said that only upon your return will you sever your emotions. So right now, you still have them, don't you?"
The Demon God ignored her and stopped. His golden eyes were empty of emotion as he said calmly, "Do not attempt to provoke me, Heavenly Dao."
She sneered. "I'm going to provoke you."
Not just provoking him, she lunged forward, darting through the karmic fire like a bird. She crashed into his chest, grabbed his collar, and kissed him without a second thought.
She was gambling. Gambling that this Demon God, who had regained all his memories, still possessed the seven emotions, that he was still her Yan-Yan. He was just like her, having emerged from the Bodhi Tree and temporarily forgotten who he was.
She was far less composed than she appeared. Her lips trembled with a slight panic; she was truly afraid that Yan-Yan had disappeared. Her cold, shaking lips pressed against his thin ones, one soft, one firm, like kissing a statue.
The Demon God seemed to have no sensation. He did not return the kiss, his lips remaining unmoved. It was as if even such a passionate kiss could not stir him for a moment. He merely looked down with his golden eyes and slowly gathered a mass of black demonic energy in his palm, pressing it threateningly against her back.
He said calmly, "Let go, Heavenly Dao."
It was as if he would take her life at any moment if she continued this offense. Anyone else would have been terrified by his demeanor.
But suddenly, she smiled. One hand held his collar while the other pressed against his chest. Thus, she could feel his heartbeat.
The rhythm of that heartbeat had clearly quickened.
As if oblivious to the threat against her spine, she whispered, "Are you truly the complete Demon God? Do you truly have no desires or emotions?"
She asked, "Then why... why do you not dare to look at me?"
His golden eyes, which had been cast down, went still. She suddenly cupped the Demon God’s face, staring intently into his eyes.
"Why do you not dare to kiss me?" She leaned in, her voice low. "Is it because if you kiss me, you will remember... just how much you love me?"
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