Chapter 158 - In a World of Suffering, May We Find Eternal Joy!
Within the Martial Realm of the Immortal Empire was the nation of Fan. As dusk cloaked the capital city, traders and soldiers who had busied themselves all day began to pack up, eager to return home.
At home, loving wives had readied delicious meals, and children awaited their fathers' return, hoping for small gifts. Thousands of lights illuminated the city, casting a peaceful glow that painted a tranquil picture of contentment.
Life here was simple—work, family, respect for the elders, and raising children. While humble, there was a quiet beauty in this life of companionship, children and grandchildren around one's knees. It was a life filled with little joys.
But even such serene lives could burst like delicate bubbles.
Inside a modest teahouse, a girl in plain clothes leaned on the windowsill, watching the bustling crowd below. With a pout, she lamented, "Grandpa, I miss Stray Dog!"
The teahouse owner, a robust old man with snow-white hair but a face flush with vitality, chuckled. "Miss him? The lad's only been gone a few days!" He popped a few goji berries into his tea.
"I don't care. I want to go to the Heavenly Realm too," the girl protested.
"Nonsense! It's chaos up there. Easy to get in, not so easy to get out. Our Martial Realm is far more peaceful," the old man advised with heartfelt sincerity.
"Peaceful?" The girl rolled her bright eyes, scheming about sneaking into the Heavenly Realm. Resting her chin on her hands, she gazed up at the sky.
"Huh?" She noticed that, at some point, a fan-shaped shadow had appeared overhead, obscuring a third of the sky. The shadow seemed to pulse, as if something within it was growing.
"What's that?" The citizens of the capital, winding down from their day, looked up, equally puzzled by the quivering shadow. Strangely, after merely a few glances at it, a profound sadness welled up within them. It felt as if some great tragedy had befallen them, a pain so intense it made eyes tear up involuntarily.
The city was awash in a sea of anguish, even though nothing had ostensibly transpired. Inside the teahouse, the burly old man, who was just steeping his tea, suddenly paused. A look of horror crossed his face.
"Peacock!" He roared low, ready to spring into action. But from the fan-shaped shadow overhead, a streak of black light abruptly shot down.
WHOOSH! With a piercing sound, the black ray tore through the air.
THUD! The beam, quick as a flash, darted into the teahouse, striking the old man square in the chest. It pierced his heart and pinned him to the floor. DING DING DING! Several more black beams followed, nailing the old man's head, torso, spine, hands, and legs. As they shimmered, their true form became apparent: they were black feathers!
"Monster..." With eyes wide in shock and filled with rage and sorrow, the old man stared at the shadow in the sky. With every ounce of his strength, he struggled, black blood pouring from his wounds.
HUM! Suddenly, the black feathers ignited, and in a blink, the old man was engulfed. Flames roared, and in moments, the entire teahouse was ablaze, a fire that threatened to consume the sky.
"Run..." With immense effort, the old man cried out one last time to the girl in plain clothes. Blood-tinged tears of defiance welled in his eyes. Then, he fell silent forever.
"Grandpa!" The girl, wide-eyed and utterly horrified, watched the chaos unfold. She collapsed to the floor, limp. Her grandfather was gone... Her mind went blank, and after the initial shock, her eyes filled with sheer terror.
"Monster! Demon..." Panicking, she scrambled to her feet and rolled out of the teahouse, narrowly escaping the engulfing black flames.
BOOM! The teahouse was reduced to ash. Trembling from head to toe, the girl numbly looked up at the menacing shadow in the sky. By then, the fan-shaped shadow blanketed half the sky, achieving an almost mythical eclipse.
It was early evening, and yet half of the heavens darkened completely. The sky churned with a misty obsidian, akin to a vast black ocean.
The girl's heart ached with profound sorrow. Yet, to her astonishment, townsfolk from every corner of the city emerged from their homes. Each of them, with hands lifted towards the sky, appeared to be embracing the heavens themselves. Tears streamed unchecked down their faces, their pain palpable.
"In this world of suffering, may we find eternal joy..." Over a million voices whispered in unison. Their eyes, fixed on the sky, seemed to find a singular hope amidst the sea of despair—like spotting the sun of faith amidst encroaching darkness.
"No! No!" The girl in plain clothes clutched a three-year-old boy beside her. Normally, he could barely string two words together. But now, with his hands raised and tears streaming, he lamented, "Only in eternal joy can our souls find release and understand the cosmic way..."
"What eternal joy? What cosmic way? Lil Fan, come with me!" She cried, pulling his hand.
Yet, with a strength that seemed inexplicable, the boy wrenched his hand free. His gaze bore into hers, and with a mocking tone, he declared, "Life is fleeting, every being has its destiny, every path has its cosmic rule. I follow the celestial decree in my cultivation. What right have you to obstruct?"
She felt as if she'd been struck by lightning, collapsing and shaking uncontrollably on the ground.
"Naive girl, look to the heavens," the toddler said with a chilling smile. Lifting her head numbly, she saw the city's sky blanketed entirely by the dark expanse above. With a resonating hum, the city lights were snuffed out, plunging the world into boundless darkness.
"My... my eyes!" The girl whispered, her gaze still fixed skyward. Suddenly, on this curtain of darkness, a myriad of cold eyes materialized—one after another—until ninety-nine pairs stared down. They seemed like the eyes of the gods or whirlpools of a crimson sea, hauntingly watching over the city. The sight was eerily unsettling.
"In this world of suffering, may I find eternal joy," the toddler murmured, and from his eyes emerged a wisp of white mist. It took his form, hands outstretched as if embracing something. Tears streamed down as it began to float upwards into the sky.
"His soul..." she whispered. As the plain-clothed girl murmured those words, the young boy's body went limp, collapsing into her embrace. His eyes, wide with a distant look, stopped fluttering.
THUD THUD! On the streets of the city, over a million citizens fell lifelessly, as if they'd fallen asleep with their eyes open, not moving an inch. Wisps of white mist, filled with fervent belief, drifted towards the dark sky and, eventually, entered those ninety-nine crimson eyes.
By nightfall, an eerie silence blanketed the city, now eerily still and desolate.
"Grandpa, I'm scared..." The plain-clothed girl wept, witnessing the unfolding scene. Yet her body automatically stood up and she murmured, "In the sea of human suffering, I seek eternal joy..."
As she finished, a wisp of white mist emerged from her eyes, floating like a bubble towards the sky. The city beneath her shrank. The looming crimson eye grew closer. Her gaze vacant, she joined a million other souls, plunging into those eyes.
BUZZ! All she saw was a vivid red. A vast sea of blood stretched before her, each drop forming the vastness. Her soul landed on this sea, tinted red and slowly solidifying into a droplet of blood, becoming a tiny part of this vast ocean.
A million souls, just a mere droplet in the sea. And within these eyes, lay ninety-nine vast oceans of blood... All was silent. Bodies littered the streets of the city, casting it into perpetual stillness. Only rats scurried about, looking bewildered at the ruins around them.
After what seemed like an eternity, the dark sky began to clear. In the vast expanse of the night, a black peacock soared, its long tail shimmering with a cold crimson gleam.
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In the bustling streets of the Immortal Empire, within the Heavenly Realm, lights twinkled and laughter echoed. Before the War of Immortals, the streets shrouded in mystical fog hummed with life, though an eerie chill lurked.
There were unexpected visitors—some out in the open, some concealed in shadows. Their cold eyes surveyed pedestrians, storefronts, and wares.
"My dear Moon." On a lively stretch, a delicate woman stood out. Draped in a cherry blossom gown and with a veil covering her face, her pristine feet touched the cobblestones of the Heavenly Realm, remaining spotless.
Stopping leisurely outside a quaint shop, she extended her dainty hand, picking up two jade hairpins. Glancing towards a silver-haired youth beside her, she inquired with a playful tone, "Which one looks better?"
"Neither," the young man, Moon Fairy, replied coolly.
"Oh?" Lady Hua Lian pouted. She quite fancied them.
"They shine because of you," Moon Fairy said, a light chuckle escaping his lips.
With a playful smirk, Lady Hua Lian placed the hairpins in Moon Fairy's hand. "Then, put them on me."
"Mm." Standing before her, as he placed the pins, their eyes locked.
"Do they look good?" With the pins in her hair, Lady Hua Lian twirled in front of him, radiant as a blooming flower.
"They're the icing on the cake; you're already breathtaking," Moon Fairy complimented.
"You sure have a silver tongue," she teased, winking.
Gazing at the vibrant street, a sigh escaped her lips. "The human world is beautiful. Once, I was a fox, sneaking peeks at this bustling world from a corner..."
"But today, you have it all," Moon Fairy remarked.
Lady Hua Lian shook her head softly. As he was about to speak again, she placed a finger on his lips, silencing him. "Let's stroll a bit more."
Moon Fairy thought, You've had me strolling half the night already! But for his beloved, he'd play the gallant companion. "Of course," he nodded. Bathed in soft light, the pair—two ethereal figures—strolled the streets, a dreamy spectacle to behold.
Yet, no one dared approach them! Shopkeepers didn't even dare to charge them because everyone recognized them as demons, walking brazenly in the Heavenly Realm. They were the esteemed guests of the Immortal Empire.
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Later that evening, in a high-rise tavern within the Heavenly Realm, in a tastefully appointed room, Lady Hua Lian leaned by the window. Bright lights of the world below filled her gaze.
"Such are the fireworks of the human world," Lady Hua Lian mused, a touch of melancholy coloring her voice.
Moon Fairy stood nearby, bathed in the ambient light, his silence enveloping him. "After wandering all night, are you not content?" he asked.
Sighing softly, Lady Hua Lian replied, "To suddenly possess what one knows can never truly be owned is like leaving an echo to the sorrowful wind."
"Do you wish for the entire human world?" Moon Fairy's tone was even.
"I don't, but someone does. Someone desires its destruction..." Lady Hua Lian murmured sorrowfully.
"Who?" Fangs peeked out from Moon Fairy's lips, suggesting danger.
Lady Hua Lian shook her head, signaling him to refrain from further inquiries. Suddenly, a chill raced down her spine. Startled, she turned.
In the shadowy corner of the room stood a towering figure.
"Eternal Joy!" Lady Hua Lian trembled, her radiant face paling, and she slowly knelt before the shadow.
The shadow took a step forward. It belonged to a middle-aged man with pale skin and raven-black hair—hauntingly handsome, his ruby-red eyes shimmering eerily in the dark. He took a seat by the window, his chilling gaze scanning the bustling world below. Deep within those eyes seemed to echo the cries of countless souls.
Throughout, Moon Fairy remained motionless, while Hua Lian knelt even lower.
"My dear Lian..." The man gently tapped the table and whispered, "Pour the tea."
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