Chapter 473 - Illusion and Dream

The wait felt extremely long. After a long while, Luo Wushuang still hadn’t heard the answer he wanted.

He slowly withdrew his right hand. “Forget it. If you hadn’t clung to your ego so much, you would've had a fifty percent chance of winning. By refusing to acknowledge my rules, you’ve lost your chance!”

The heavenly might seemed ten times stronger than before, yet it still couldn’t fall upon him. Faintly, an angry will descended. “You insolent creature!”

Luo Wushuang acted as if he hadn’t heard, smiling. “Father, this is actually just the beginning. I have also prepared a small gift for you. You will see shortly. I hope you will be satisfied.”

As his voice faded, that majestic figure collapsed with a crash. Luo Wushuang remained unfazed as he knew better than anyone else. What the others faced were merely illusions the Gold List created from their natures and obsessions. On the other hand, everything he faced was real.

***

Inside Xue Yu’s illusion, ten years had already passed. After Gu Han left, she and Xue Mao found a quiet valley within the Great Flame Empire’s borders. She devoted herself to the dao of the zither, while Xue Mao diligently studied alchemy techniques. From time to time, Yun Fan and Zhao Mengyou would come to visit, so she didn’t feel too lonely.

One day, Yun Fan rushed to the valley, bringing news of Gu Han’s return. However, many from the outer domain were chasing him. She completely lost it. Ignoring Xue Mao’s objections, she immediately followed Yun Fan to search for Gu Han. Along the way, she also encountered everyone who cared about Gu Han’s safety.

However, after searching for a long time, they could not find Gu Han. All they found was a bloodstained strip of cloth and a broken black sword somewhere within the forbidden zone.

Xue Yu's blood ran cold as despair washed over her. So, when he said, "See you," ten years ago, was that actually their final farewell? Since the first time she met Gu Han, she had never dared to look him in the eye. That was one regret she would never get over. After regret came self-blame. She hated her own incompetence, her own weakness. Why couldn’t she be of help to him?!

After asking Fatty for Gu Han's strip of cloth, she returned to the valley, her heart heavy with grief.

With a hollow gaze, she gently took out the strip of garment. “Young Master, I’ve composed another song during these ten years. Still... still you will be the first to listen...”

However, this song had already lost its original meaning. As she played, the melody grew more desolate and forlorn, until a hint of death wish crept within. Xue Yu grew more and more haggard until she was at death’s door.

At the last moment of her life, she clutched that strip of garment tightly, using her last ounce of strength to play the final note. Though it was off-key, it carried her sorrow and longing. The trace of mysterious power within the final note shattered everything before her.

A hint of life suddenly appeared in her eyes. “It was... fake? Young Master... isn’t dead?”

At that moment, a beam of golden light fell from the sky, slowly landing before her. Within the golden light, each musical note moved with an indescribable mystery, radiating endless wonder. It turned out to be a sheet of music!

***

With each passing day, Zhao Mengyou’s torment grew. As a Feather Transformation realm cultivator, she could already faintly sense the day of her death approaching. She was powerless to resist her gradual aging.

In the blink of an eye, another thousand years passed, and nine thousand years had gone by since Gu Han left. Time was merciless. She had long since transformed from that peerlessly beautiful, city-toppling Divine Maiden, into a white-haired, decrepit woman.

One day, within her secluded dwelling, she saw her reflection in the lake. From that day on, she never spoke another word. Zhao Mengyou completely isolated herself, destroying everything that could reflect her appearance. Several more years passed, and she finally reached her end. As her consciousness gradually faded, carrying endless regret, she slowly closed her clouded eyes.

In her daze, a voice suddenly came from outside. “Divine Maiden Zhao, Gu Han here. May I see you?”

It was a voice she had longed for day and night for nine thousand years. Is it really him?

As her vitality faded, a fierce unwillingness surged within her. She had waited nine thousand years all for the sake of that promise to meet again. Alas, he returned only after she could no longer see him!

The more she thought about it, the more unwilling she became. Dragging her decaying self, she even burned her divine soul, mustering her last bit of cultivation to shatter the restrictions outside. She would overcome every obstacle in her path! Thus, the nine-thousand-year illusion shattered.

At last, a mass of white light greeted her, carrying countless profound Great Dao’s principles.

Without realizing it, she had regained her youth, but only a single thought occupied her mind. Where is he? What I want to see isn’t this!

***

Meanwhile, Ah Sha clung tightly to Gu Han, chattering nonstop about her experiences over the past ten-plus years. From beginning to end, Gu Han only listened, rarely speaking.

After a long while, a hint of drowsiness appeared in Ah Sha’s eyes. “Young Master, I’m sleepy.”

“Then sleep for a while.”

“I want to eat fried chicken.”

“When you wake up, I’ll bring you some.”

“Okay.” Ah Sha nodded, but seemed to think of something else. She raised her head with a serious expression. “Young Master, now that you’ve come this time, don’t leave anymore, okay? Even if you have to leave, take me with you! I don’t like this place, and I don’t like the people here. Except for Steward Yue, none of them are good people!”

Gu Han nodded firmly. “Okay! I won’t leave.”

Feeling completely at ease, Ah Sha soon drifted back to sleep.

Gu Han then gently picked her up and placed her back on the bed. A trace of reluctance and longing flashed in his eyes. “Ah Sha, wait for me. I will definitely find you and bring you back.”

Everything before his eyes, including Ah Sha, grew hazy.

***

At the same time, within the Yue Clan in the Canglan Ancient Realm, another earth-shattering crash rang out as a wave of destructive force spread outward. Just like that, a magnificent palace crumpled into dust. It was Ah Sha’s handiwork again.

For Steward Yue, the first time was a surprise, the second time familiar... By now, he had grown accustomed to it.

Go, leave nothing standing! As long as you are happy! Given our clan's wealth, even if she destroyed one palace every day, it would still take eighty or a hundred thousand years to bankrupt us!

Upon thinking this, his form blurred, and he found Ah Sha’s trail in the rubble once more. He asked cautiously, “Did you have another nightmare?”

Contrary to her usual behavior, Ah Sha ran to Steward Yue, brimming with joy. “No. It was a good dream this time! Steward Yue, I dreamed of him again. He was so, so close. I talked to him about so many things! He even promised to stay with me forever and take me away!”

Hesitating for a moment, Steward Yue asked, “What did you say to him?”

Ah Sha thought for a moment as she frowned. “So many things. I told him I don’t like this place, and I don’t like anyone here. Of course... except for you. You’re still very good.”

Steward Yue’s heart ached at her words, and he nearly weeped.

Suddenly, Ah Sha seemed to remember something. She jumped up, messing her already disheveled hair into a complete tangle with frustration. “I forgot something!”

Steward Yue’s heart dropped. “What’s wrong?”

Ah Sha seemed a little sad. “In the dream, I clearly knew his name, but I forgot it after I woke up!”

“That is for the best.”

“Why?”

Steward Yue sighed softly. This is the safest thing now.

***

As Gu Han watched everything gradually disappear, he forcefully suppressed the urge to wake Ah Sha again. This is an illusion.

He had known it the moment he arrived here. For him, who had overcome the human tribulation and possessed a resolute will, breaking the illusion was actually just a single thought away. However, just like Feng Xi, he couldn’t bear to break it. Even if it was merely an illusion, he could finally see Ah Sha again. How could he bear to part with it?

I definitely will find a way to cure you!

The moment this thought flashed through his mind, a sudden change occurred. The bed, Ah Sha, the illusion, and everything else vanished. In its place, there was a surging, great river that nearly spanned heaven and earth.

Unable to see either its source or its end, he couldn't tell how wide it was. “What is this?!”

The river surged like a roaring dragon. The water was a turbid yellow, extremely murky. As it churned endlessly, countless ghastly white bones rose and fell without end. At the center of it was a black, sky-piercing monument covered in mottled marks and scratches, radiating an endlessly ancient and weathered aura. It stood firm despite the river’s relentless surge.

Instinctively he looked up toward its top. “Hmm?”

He realized the monument was only half. The upper half was completely gone! At that moment, another change occurred. A faint ghostly light flashed on the monument, and a chilling aura of death seeped into him. With his cultivation at the peak of the Transcendent realm, he couldn’t resist it in the slightest.

In an instant, the killing intent smothered all the vitality within him. The river surged and swept toward him. In his daze, countless skeletons rose up on end, reaching toward him as if trying to drag him into the river. Another loud crash rang out. That surging great river, the bones within it, and that half-sky-reaching monument, all dispersed. The killing intent inside him vanished just like that.

He breathed a sigh of relief as his back was already soaked with sweat, yet confusion flickered in his eyes. Even though he caught only a glimpse of half the monument, he vaguely made out the countless dao patterns engraved upon it. Woven among those patterns was an ancient writing the size of a mountain, “Spring.”

“Spring?” Pushing down the shock in his heart, he frowned deeply. “What spring?”