Chapter 996 - 440:

On Heroic Sword Peak, old comrades drank freely.

The wine was buried back when the Spirit Realm had not yet fallen and the Dao Sect was still flourishing, and it had been personally sealed by Qiao Rumu, then Peak Master of Heroic Sword Peak.

The people were all those who had once walked out of the Spirit Realm together, meeting when they were nobodies, gathering now atop the peak.

So there were too many things to say, too many feelings to pour out, too many old days to remember.

"Old Turtle, do you still remember those days in the Dao Sect? Back then you really were a damned survivor, obviously strong as hell, yet insisting on keeping a low profile. Those elders and peak masters all misjudged you—turns out you were the strongest among us…"

"I vaguely remember—back then you and I roamed the Dao Sect unhindered, and now, all our old friends have become grave mounds…"

"Withered Fate, Taiqingzi, Tianchenzi… if they knew the Dao Sect had ended up like this, they should finally be able to close their eyes beneath the earth."

Everyone sighed, not using any mana, letting this Spirit Wine that had crossed thousands of years of time numb their nerves and open every last defense of their hearts.

"How exactly did you survive?"

After drinking heartily for a long while, Xiang Yuntian couldn't help but ask in curiosity, "Evergreen Immortal Venerable, that old bastard, was vicious as hell when he struck. Come on, tell us—how did you cling to life?"

Li An smiled as well and said, "I once met a Longevity Seeker."

At these words, everyone was a bit shocked. A Longevity Seeker—this was a figure that existed only in legend.

You could say that all the suffering in this lifetime came from that person. Evergreen Immortal Venerable and Yunluo Immortal Venerable found his Red Beauty Coffin, and only then did the world plunge into chaos, the old Heavenly Court collapse, and weirdness spread everywhere…

"In truth, the great upheaval of the world was all just because he wanted to save his beloved beauty."

Li An did not conceal it, recounting that part of the story. When the crowd learned the tale of the Longevity Seeker, and then realized that all the world's slaughter and the bloodshed of heroes had been wrought solely by the obsession of this one Longevity Seeker, the expressions on all their faces became incomparably complicated.

The single obsession of a supreme being may well be an unbearable, terrifying catastrophe for all living beings under heaven.

"Before the Longevity Seeker dissipated, he did give rise to a single kind thought. Knowing that his selfish attachment might cause all living creatures in this era to perish, he poured a strand of power into my life. That power can break the methods of longevity—it is the only possible way to sever the sacrificial law of 'offering up the world'…"

"He wanted me to atone for his sins in his stead."

Li An voiced the story he had long since composed in his heart, feigning a sigh as he said, "From that angle, perhaps I ought to thank him, and thank Yunluo Immortal Venerable and Evergreen Immortal Venerable as well. Otherwise I truly would never have come back."

Everyone was even more dumbfounded. Xiang Yuntian froze for a moment before saying, "You old schemer, you mean—you can stop Yunluo Immortal Venerable's world-sacrificing ritual?"

Li An nodded, raised his cup, drank a mouthful, and his eyes grew slightly wistful. "According to what the Longevity Seeker said, that is indeed the case. It's just that now it's useless. The power in my body can only be activated by Longevity White Mist, and in today's world, where would one go to seek Longevity White Mist?"

"Besides, right now…I don't want to die."

He smiled faintly.

A thoughtful look flashed in the eyes of the Purple Fairy, An Li, and the others, but they said nothing, merely continued to raise their cups in celebration.

"By the way, where is Xiao Xiao? Where is she now?"

After drinking for quite some time, Li An finally asked.

Li Nianxue sat beside him and said softly, "When I sent out the summons, the Supreme Shangguan replied directly, saying you should go out yourself to see her—she can't be bothered to come over."

"She also said…"

She seemed somewhat hesitant.

"Said what?"

"She said you're her disciple, and you've been so unfilial all these years. When you go to see your master, don't forget to bring some gifts to make amends, or you won't even get through the door."

Hearing this, Li An froze for a moment, then the corner of his mouth couldn't help but curl up, and he laughed from the heart!

Back in the Dao Sect, he had once gone to Shangguan Xiaoxiao to ask about arrays, and later Shangguan Xiaoxiao always liked to claim herself as his master.

Li An never argued the point. After all, in a certain sense, Shangguan Xiaoxiao was the one who had stayed by his side the longest in this life, and the guidance he received from her really was considerable.

This girl… she's still the same as back then, proud and awkward!

"I'll go see her tomorrow."

Li An said with a smile.

Seeing the smile at the corner of his lips, a faint trace of gloom flashed inexplicably across Li Nianxue's face. Even though she had long since understood in her heart the feelings between Li An and Shangguan Xiaoxiao, in this moment she still couldn't help the ripples in her heart.

Whenever Shangguan Xiaoxiao was mentioned, Li An's smile… really was different.

She even had the sense that, even facing everyone present here, even facing Xiang Yuntian, the brother who shared life-and-death with him, Li An's smile still carried a bit of reserve—but only when it came to Shangguan Xiaoxiao…

She gently picked up a cup of strong liquor and drank it herself. The wine was very good, yet faintly bitter.

...

"By the way, Supreme, now that you've returned, what thoughts do you have regarding the current state of the world?"

An Li couldn't help asking again.

Even the others all fell silent, waiting to listen.

The main thing was that all living beings in the world had already fallen into despair, trapped in an unprecedented great annihilation. As for Yunluo Immortal Venerable and the great calamity of world-sacrifice, they had become the matters most concerned about under heaven.

And Li An, without a doubt, had the greatest right to speak.

Li An let out a soft sigh and shook his head. "There's nothing to be done."

"I once tried to change some things, but regrettably I failed. As I am now, my cultivation has already been lost, leaving only a broken body behind…"

"After Evergreen Immortal Venerable died, there truly is no one left in this world who can block Yunluo Immortal Venerable."

At these words, everyone inevitably grew desolate.

In a few short sentences, Li An might well have spoken the fate of all beings.

...

Only after a long time did the banquet finally end. Xiang Yuntian stubbornly insisted that he and Li An share a couch tonight, but in the end he was the first to get drunk and collapse.

"Supreme,"

When the lights were dim and sparse, Li Nianxue finally spoke softly. "There is another person, who was also once your old acquaintance. Would you be willing to see her?"

"The world says I've already killed her," Li An said coolly.

That she was guessed so easily didn't surprise Li Nianxue. A hint of self-mockery flashed across her face. "In the end, I couldn't bring myself to do it."

Li An hesitated in his heart for a moment, but still said, "She's still alive… then let me see her once."

Li Nianxue rose at once and led Li An toward the Demon Ancestor's summit. Here, she had set up all kinds of taboos and cages, confining a single wooden house.

She did not go inside. Li An came alone and saw, under the moonlight before the wooden house, an old woman. Her hands were already trembling, clutching a wooden stick, as if she were embroidering something.

Tan Qingxue.

This woman had intertwined with his life in many ways.

Back then in the Profound Yang Sect, she had been a genius disciple of the Talisman Hall, yet lost her standing in the sect's internal strife, and went together with Li An to Qingyang market. It was there that the two of them became husband and wife.

Partway through, Tan Qingxue truly let go of many things, only asking to have a home with Li An. She begged Li An to give her a child, but what she awaited in return was only Li An's Dao Heart like iron, and Tan Qingxue left in desolation.

Later, when the Profound Yang Sect was destroyed, Li An gave her a letter so she could avoid the disaster in advance.

After that, Tan Qingxue unexpectedly had a great encounter, and with the inadvertent help of Li An, became the Demon Queen of the Demon Race at the time. She secretly helped Li An a great deal, and in the end they resisted Shangguan Shengxian together.

Their fates began to diverge after entering the Dao Sect. In pursuit of the Great Dao, she cultivated a certain mysterious cultivation technique and married Li Yunxiao.

In truth, she always held Li An in her heart, until later when she and her husband were schemed against by Li An. She lost her memories. At that time Li Nianxue had sought out Li An, since Li An might be the key to restoring Tan Qingxue's memory, but when they met, Li An had Tan Qingxue forget everything.

With her heart-knot undone, she indeed severed all ties to the past. From then on she became a person like Li An, willing to pay any price for her own cultivation.

When she was in the Saint Realm, she betrayed the Dao Sect.

After that, she was imprisoned by Li Nianxue and became a captive.

...

Thousands of years passed. The other half with whom he had once become husband and wife, the beauty who had once fought shoulder to shoulder with him, had now grown old and withered. Her hair was entirely white, her face covered with wrinkles, her hands shaking uncontrollably.

Recalling how she had looked back in Qingyang market, in a white dress with bright eyes and a gentle gaze, Li An couldn't help but truly feel what it meant that time has no mercy.

Her cultivation had stalled at the Celestial Immortal realm, and enduring to this day had already been unimaginably difficult, connected to the strand of life-essence she had once received from Li An.

...

My grandfather passed away. I'm left with just half a draft. I haven't slept for two days, too busy. I'll put this out first, and then in the next day or two I'll find time to write one full chapter for the ending.

It was about to end anyway.

Sorry.