The Sumeru Holy Monk’s account aligned closely with what Chi Yao had described, merely conveying the brutality of cultivating such a technique.
The sixteen-year-old Zhang Ruchen fell silent.
Beside him, Chi Yao’s face paled abruptly. She could not help glancing at Zhang Ruchen, seemingly awaiting his decision.
At that time, they were still far too young, having lived lives of luxury and ease. How could their temperament and will compare to now? Suddenly burdened with such a weighty future, it struck like a bolt from a clear sky.
The heart of youth is ever hot-blooded and impulsive!
Zhang Ruchen said, “If calamity truly befalls the world, inescapable and unavoidable, then facing it head-on is the only path. No other retreat exists. I am willing to cultivate the Void Scroll! In future, I shall pass the technique to Yao Yao. Even at the cost of my life, I shall do so without hesitation. Like Weisheng embracing the pillar, unto death I hold!”
Chi Yao was evidently moved and shocked by Zhang Ruchen’s words. Her face grew yet paler. She lightly tugged his sleeve, shaking her head as she called, “Chen Ge…”
“Good! That is my son.”
The Radiant Emperor stepped forward, his gaze sharp and commanding. “When the edifice crumbles, if each soul cowers within, refusing to emerge, it invites only death. Someone must stand forth, uphold the world, spill blood, dare sacrifice.”
“We are among the few in Kunlun Realm who know the truth, and as imperial scions, duty binds us to safeguard this land.”
“The realm’s rise and fall: if those in power do not step forward, do not undertake the salvation of the world, how are they fit to rule? Shall we force the dawn folk, oblivious to the coming storm, to bear the sacrifice? If war comes, if death awaits, it falls to us to take the first stride.”
The Azure Emperor sighed deeply. “This is too cruel. I can only lament that I have already reached the Great Saint realm, unable to cultivate the technique left by the Great Venerable. Holy Monk, how mighty is the foe truly? Can even you, venerable one, not prevail?”
The Sumeru Holy Monk shook his head. “In truth, this poor monk knows not the enemy’s full might. Nurturing these two is but my final effort, grasping at a slender future. We can only grasp at that slender future!”
Zhang Ruchen and Chi Yao fell into dispute, their youthful natures tinged with ignorance and fearlessness, each vying to cultivate the Void Scroll.
The Radiant Emperor thought of something, his expression shifting. He exchanged a mental transmission with the Azure Emperor.
He said, “If they quarrel thus and reach an outcome, one cultivating the Void Scroll, the other the Real Scroll, then in centuries or millennia, upon attaining the pinnacle below divinity, their bond will deepen immeasurably. Can they truly, at that point, watch the other perish? Watch them die to fulfil oneself?”
“Indeed! The departed finds release, but the survivor… how shall they cultivate henceforth? Heart wracked with sorrow, guilt, and grief as constant companions, they could never reach the Great Venerable’s level, let alone surpass it.” As the Azure Emperor spoke, tears welled and spilled from his eyes.
The spirited, clever girl before him was his daughter, his own flesh and blood. Whether she became the one to die or the one to endure in agony, as a father, the Azure Emperor’s heart ached unbearably.
Yet no other recourse existed.
As the Radiant Emperor had said, born to the imperial house, one could not merely chase pleasure but must harbour the world in one’s heart.
The Radiant Emperor regarded the Sumeru Holy Monk, posing the same question for the umpteenth time. “Holy Monk, can I not stand in for Ruchen?”
“Your martial path and mindset are fixed. Even restarting, your achievements would be limited. Of course, if you truly wish to try, it is possible! But can you find another to cultivate the ‘King Scripture’ with you?”
The Sumeru Holy Monk pointed to Zhang Ruchen and Chi Yao, adding, “Such a burden ought not fall upon these two children. They may be too young, unaware of what their choice entails. But have you two not already decided for them?”
“This poor monk is but a departed soul, sharing the peril I know and the path to alter the future. The decision remains yours.”
The Radiant Emperor and Azure Emperor were emperors of their generation. Knowing no retreat, they set aside sentiment.
In these days, you have pondered sufficiently.
“Long pain fares worse than short.”
“This is also their trial. If they falter here, better abandon the ‘King Scripture’, let them cultivate freely, unburdened by such weight, lest they live joyless lives.”
The Radiant Emperor and Azure Emperor transmitted at length, hashing out their strategy and vision for the future.
The Radiant Emperor said, “You two: whoever seeks the Void Scroll must first accomplish one task.”
“What task? Say not one; ten I can manage.” Zhang Ruchen said.
Chi Yao vied with Zhang Ruchen. “I can too.”
The Radiant Emperor summoned saint qi, forming two short swords, and tossed them to the pair. “Plunge one sword into the other’s heart, slaying them.”
“Clang.”
The short swords clattered to the floor.
Zhang Ruchen and Chi Yao stood frozen.
Zhang Ruchen said, “Father Emperor, why jest so? It is no laughing matter!”
The Radiant Emperor’s gaze was grave, silent.
The Azure Emperor said, “We jest not. We are in earnest.”
Zhang Ruchen and Chi Yao exchanged a look. Slowly, they retrieved the fallen short swords.
“Why must it be thus? Father Emperor, have you grown muddled? If one of us dies, how then to cultivate the ‘King Scripture’?”
Chi Yao hurled the short sword away, storming toward the hall’s exit in a huff.
“Bang!”
The hall doors slammed shut.
The colliding golden portals unleashed a shockwave that sent Chi Yao tumbling back.
The Azure Emperor’s stern voice rang out. “This emperor reiterates: this is no jest. Today, you decide, or face expulsion from the imperial clan. As for the ‘King Scripture’, you two are the optimal choice, but not the sole one.”
Chi Yao had never seen the Azure Emperor so imperious. Frightened, her lips quivered like a trembling quail, devoid of any empress’s poise.
Zhang Ruchen tore open his collar, baring his chest. “Yao Yao, you strike! Rest easy; a mere heart pierce. With Father Emperor and the Azure Emperor’s cultivation, my life hangs secure.”
Chi Yao clutched the short sword in both hands, advancing step by step, arms quaking, eyes brimming with collapse.
The Radiant Emperor’s severity peaked, the earlier flicker of indecision in his gaze vanished. Coldly, he said, “Zhang Ruchen, consider well: if Yao Er strikes this blow, then she cultivates the Void Scroll.”
Hearing this, Zhang Ruchen lunged forward, flicking the sword’s edge with a finger.
The blade, gripped by Chi Yao, was wrenched into his grasp in an instant.
“Yao Yao, forgive me. This strike falls to me!”
Zhang Ruchen’s gaze burned with resolve. The sword flashed like lightning, thrusting forth.
Yet the tip halted at Chi Yao’s heart, advancing no further.
Zhang Ruchen had deemed his will ironclad, believing that knowing Chi Yao’s certain survival would let him plunge the blade, seizing the Void Scroll’s chance.
But.
“Ah…”
Zhang Ruchen roared, flinging the sword aside. He turned, dropping to one knee. “Father Emperor… I cannot…”
Chi Yao knelt beside him.
“If you falter even here, what ‘King Scripture’ dare you cultivate?” The Radiant Emperor sighed deeply, waving a hand. “Enough. From this day, you are no longer Crown Prince of the Central Empire of Shengming, no longer imperial kin. Depart the imperial city swiftly, live thence as a commoner. As commoner, you bear no duty, free to live unburdened and merry.”
Zhang Ruchen remained unrisen. “Father Emperor, do you truly deem your son craven? Unworthy of the Zhang lineage? Averse to sacrifice? I simply cannot thrust the sword at Yao Yao. But I swear to the heavens: in future, I shall yield my life to fulfil her.”
“You are certain you can yield your life to fulfil her?” The Radiant Emperor said.
Zhang Ruchen glanced at Chi Yao, resolute. “This is no youthful whim. I have weighed it thoroughly. I pray Father Emperor views me not as a child. My words, once spoken, stand as nine tripods.”
“Go then!” The Radiant Emperor nodded.
As Zhang Ruchen exited the hall, the Azure Emperor’s voice sounded. “Yao Er, remain.”
Standing beyond the doors, Zhang Ruchen faintly overheard the Radiant Emperor. “I long guessed he could not strike. Like his mother, he seems decisive in deeds, yet his heart brims with feeling. To those he cherishes, ruthlessness eludes him. Good. Let him cultivate the Reincarnation Restart, purging the Undying Blood Clan bloodline within.”
Zhang Ruchen yearned to hear more when a Buddhist chant arose behind him.
With it, darkness fell.
All before Zhang Ruchen’s eyes vanished.
His body grew immensely heavy and pained, especially his head, as if split asunder. Every inch of flesh burned, torment unspeakable.
“Zhang Ruchen… Chen Ge…”
Chi Yao’s call echoed at his ear.
Concurrently, potent divine qi flowed from his back.
Zhang Ruchen jolted awake, eyes snapping open. He sat up from the stone platform, surveying the surroundings: an ancient, ruined stone hall littered with rubble and tiles.
The Funeral Gold White Tiger, leaning close, recoiled a dozen paces in startlement at Zhang Ruchen’s abrupt rise, snapping a stone pillar.
Zhang Ruchen caught a faint, alluring fragrance. Turning, he saw Chi Yao standing behind; evidently, his head had rested in her embrace moments prior.
“Chen Ge, you are awake at last!”
Chi Yao wept with joy, her visage akin to that teenage girl of yore, bereft of an empress’s lofty bearing.
Zhang Ruchen’s eyes swivelled, pondering deeply.
“What is it?”
Chi Yao tensed, fearing his divine soul and mental consciousness too gravely wounded, rendering him daft, unfit for normalcy.
Abruptly, Zhang Ruchen shook his head with a smile, turning to the Funeral Gold White Tiger. “I see! This is the sealed memory you spoke of!”
“Your memory unsealed? How? What mental force could break such a seal.” The Funeral Gold White Tiger found it inconceivable, then realised. “Ah, I understand. The Ancestor Holder’s power.”
“The Ancestor Holder? Who is that?”
Zhang Ruchen sought to rise, but upon his feet touching ground, weakness assailed him. His body pitched backward, steadied by Chi Yao’s support.
