Chapter 1328: Chapter 1326: The Final Accompaniment
Shi Xiaole looked intently at Shui Lingping and asked, "Why do you help me so much?"
Shui Lingping said, "Brother Shi is my only friend."
This statement stirred a complex array of emotions within Shi Xiaole. To call them friends—what had he done for her besides conveying the news of her father’s fate?
In contrast, Shui Lingping had taught him painting, designed the top ten mansions for him, and single-handedly created the Nine Profound Array System. During the years he was missing, she even went against her vow to descend the mountain and stabilize his foundation.
The word ’friend’, coming from Shui Lingping’s mouth, felt like two harsh slaps to Shi Xiaole’s face, leaving him with shame that he could find no ground to stand upon.
"Brother Shi, oh Brother Shi, how did you become so nagging and motherly after stepping out for a while? You’re nothing like the carefree and easygoing Shi Xiaole of the past."
It seemed Shui Lingping noticed the expression on Shi Xiaole’s face and gently chuckled.
"I simply do not want to lose a friend like you. If there’s any way to save you, I will do it for you. Shui Lingping, you surely have a way, right?"
From the mouths of Shi Wuyou and the others, Shi Xiaole had learned of Shui Lingping’s various abilities and methods. Despite having early knowledge of her exceptional talents, he was nonetheless shocked.
A person who could even reverse the rules of a Sky Origin realm array, Shi Xiaole did not believe she had no means to repair his own life pattern.
"The principle of life pattern is the highest rule, unless one breaks free from the shackles of this universe. I believe that one day, Brother Shi will shatter the void, but Shui Lingping will not be around to see it."
Shi Xiaole felt a heaviness in his heart.
If that was the only way, even if he were the reincarnation of a Supreme Immortal, he could not shatter the void within a month.
Shui Lingping said, "Brother Shi, I am tired. You should go back." Having said that, she closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, her frail and solitary figure appearing all the more pitiful under the moonlight.
Shi Xiaole was at a loss for words. He wanted to do something but seeing the fatigue and chill on Shui Lingping’s face, he ultimately sighed and silently left the courtyard.
Shi Wuyou said that although Shui Lingping lived in Nine Heavens Mountain these years, even her closest confidants could not enter her courtyard. This woman, peerless in intellect before others, had she ever felt joy in her heart while depleting her life for Nine Heavens Mountain?
Shi Xiaole’s footsteps grew heavier, yet his eyes flashed with determination.
In the following days.
A wave of counter-attacks against the Outer Heaven camp surged through East Victory City, and the instigator was none other than Shi Xiaole.
The current Shi Xiaole could only be described as having power to cloud the skies in East Victory, whether in terms of strength, status, or prestige. Coupled with the hatred for the Outer Heaven Demons, his proposal galvanized immediate support, and fervent war intent spread to every corner of East Victory City.
Leading the way, Shi Xiaole began the first counterattack in decades.
Within the Overlapping Land, war drums echoed as Vigorous Air turned into surging tides, wildly slamming against the Array barriers of the Outer Heaven Army. Forced to act, the Outer Heaven Army reluctantly joined the battle.
Unfortunately, they were heavily damaged and low in morale, with the Supreme Lord level being completely overwhelmed by East Victory. The Limitless Sword Sovereign and Mirror Ancestor, despite their formidable martial prowess, were intimidated by Little Immortal Door, left with no choice but to evade passively.
The battle raged on for three days and nights.
At last, of the eleven remaining Supreme Lords of Outer Heaven, three perished, and countless other warriors fell in battle. Led by the Limitless Sword Sovereign and Mirror Ancestor, the Outer Heaven camp had to retract their lines, retreating further and further.
This was the greatest victory East Victory had ever achieved; the news sent shockwaves throughout the land. From the royal courts to the marketplace, everywhere were voices uplifted in triumph, and countless people sang the praises of the grand master.
In the back courtyard of Nine Heavens Estate.
Shui Lingping was even more haggard, her face frighteningly pale, her once luminous eyes devoid of their fundamental shine. She sat on a stone bench, leaning against the wall, bathing in the midday sun.
Since half a month ago, Shui Lingping had seen no one, even Shi Wuyou was barred from the courtyard, neither daring nor able to break through Demon Immortal Aunt’s Array System.
Today, however, a person walked in, soundlessly.
"Congratulations, Brother Shi. A grand achievement is within reach, something even the Holy Monarch has never accomplished."
Shi Xiaole stood for a very long time, not wanting to awaken Shui Lingping, until after half a 2-hour period, Shui Lingping seemed to rouse, parting her lips slightly, though her eyes remained closed.
"I’m taking you to a place."
Shi Xiaole said.
"It’s no use. Besides, East Victory City cannot do without you."
Shui Lingping refused.
"After this battle, the Outer Heaven camp will not dare act rashly. Without me, the Immortal Scholar and the others can still hold the fort."
Now that it has come to this, how can Shui Lingping not understand that Shi Xiaole’s sudden initiation of the battle was, in part, for her?
For a moment, her heart was like a bottle of mixed flavors overturned, her fine lashes quivered imperceptibly, and at last, she sighed.
One day, Shi Xiaole took Shui Lingping and left East Victory City in secret. Not long after, near the Lingkong Mountain Range of the Bei Liang Dynasty, a man and a woman appeared.
Although the Ten Great Dangerous Places were trapped by the "Seal Heaven Array", Shi Xiaole believed that Shui Lingping surely had a way to enter.
Sure enough, half a 2-hour period later, under Shui Lingping’s guidance, Shi Xiaole smoothly took her inside. Passing through the grey currents, the desolate plains, and boundless fields of flowers, Shi Xiaole carried the beauty, hurrying along the way.
During this journey, Shui Lingping’s head rested tightly against Shi Xiaole’s chest, as if she had slipped into a deep slumber.
Another day passed.
Shi Xiaole took the same path again, arriving in front of the sea of thunder. His powers now far exceeded those of the past, but the sea of thunder was even more ferocious and wild, requiring him to be mindful of protecting Shui Lingping, making the situation even more perilous than the last time.
By the 19,000-meter mark, Shi Xiaole was nearly cleaved into blood froth, and even his vitality was extinguished by the lightning.
Yet, these blood droplets still circled around the struggling-to-open-her-eyes Shui Lingping, striving to protect her from every tiny flicker of electric charge.
"Brother Shi, why must you do this!"
A string of crystal-clear tears finally flowed uncontrollably from the eyes of Shui Lingping.
She reached out, trying to grasp those flecks of blood. The dense essence of life fell from the sky, and the blood suddenly reassembled, transforming into a man dressed in green robes as fine as jade.
At the brink of life and death, Shi Xiaole’s understanding of the Life and Death Path advanced yet another step.
Two hands, firmly clasped together.
"Brother Shi, go back!"
Shui Lingping pleaded.
Shi Xiaole shook his head, "Shui Lingping, I just want you to know that if you can sacrifice your life for me, Shi Xiaole is also willing to accompany you on a journey to the Yellow Springs."
"Don’t you care about Wuyou and the others?"
Shui Lingping’s voice trembled.
"They are important, but so is your life. Without you, perhaps the Nine Heavens Mountain would no longer exist."
Carrying the woman who could no longer walk, Shi Xiaole, having gone through many life-and-death situations, finally passed through the sea of lightning and once again arrived at Moral Mount.
He heard from the third guardian elder that Moral Mount transcended the rules, and as long as this universe existed, those on the mountain could live forever.
"Young man, you really are desperate! However, I regret to inform you that this woman has destroyed a great portion of her fate on her own, and even Moral Mount cannot save her."
The third guardian elder said.
"How could this be?"
"The secret of Moral Mount’s immortality is actually very similar to your Life and Death martial path, both relying on the Life and Death Path. How can one complete a fate? Unless you reach the realm of our master and break free from the universe’s rules."
The guardian elder looked at the barely hanging on Shui Lingping and could only silently shake his head.
If Shi Xiaole had tens of thousands of years, perhaps there would be hope to save this woman, but her fate was on the brink of collapse, and she probably couldn’t hold on for even three more days.
Shi Xiaole suddenly came to a halt.
So back to square one, in the end, he couldn’t save this woman afflicted by a cruel fate?
Shi Xiaole, still unwilling to give up, asked again, "Senior, is there really no way?"
The elder was silent.
Eventually, Shi Xiaole took Shui Lingping down the mountain. He who had always been indifferent, who never dwelled on life and death, for the first time, appeared somewhat faltering and desolate in his silhouette.
The elder’s heart trembled, and opening his mouth, he finally could not help saying, "This woman’s fate is extraordinary and unparalleled; only a fate of the same level can replenish it."
At the foot of the mountain, Shi Xiaole looked towards the gradually weakening Shui Lingping and said, "You have a way, right? You’ve always known the method, but you just didn’t want to use it."
Wisps of the essence of life enshrouded Shui Lingping. During these days, Shi Xiaole spent half his time every day activating the Life and Death Path. Many times his soul form swelled to the point of bursting.
Although he couldn’t cure Shui Lingping, he ultimately delayed her condition.
Shui Lingping said, "Some ways of living are worse than not living at all. If I only wanted to stay alive, I wouldn’t have come down the mountain. Brother Shi, please let me spend my last few days in peace, this is Shui Lingping’s final wish."
Shi Xiaole looked up. Shui Lingping could feel his shaking as she sweetly smiled, "I’ve fantasized many times about who would be with me before I die, who would shed tears for me. I never expected it to be Brother Shi. Heaven has already been too kind to me!"
Hearing this, Shi Xiaole’s heart soured even more.
Leaving the Life-and-Death Unfounded Cave, the two arrived in an unremarkable small town within the Flying Horse Dynasty.
This was where Shui Lingping was born and raised. The small town had a population of several hundred thousand, with only a few main streets, and occasionally, you could see martial arts masters from the Martial World coming from the north and south.
To the south of the town, lights came on in a three-section residential courtyard that no one inhabited.
This house had been abandoned for many years but showed no signs of decay, clearly someone had been cleaning regularly. Shi Xiaole couldn’t help but wonder, did Shui Lingping plan for this all along? Without him, would she die here alone, unknown and unnoticed?
The door opened, and Shui Lingping, with her fair complexion and dressed in pink, walked out. She wore no makeup, her whole being seeming to come back to life, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, shining with an unmatched beauty, just like when he first met her.
Shi Xiaole felt a pang in his heart.
He knew she must have used a secret technique to stimulate her potential. She wanted to spend the last moments of her life in her most beautiful state.
In the following days, Shui Lingping cast aside the aura of a Demon Immortal.
She was like any normal woman, taking Shi Xiaole’s hand every day, strolling through the town. They stopped to enjoy fairs and markets, and she cheered along with everyone else in a sweet voice.
She took Shi Xiaole to a restaurant from her childhood memories, ordered a table full of food and wine, and listened to storytellers narrate tales from the Martial World. Or they searched for a cake shop only to find out that the old master who taught her had long been buried in the earth...
In one day, she took Shi Xiaole around the town, and at night they went boating on the lake, pulling him to play the zither and paint. Her small face remained ruddy, as if she had endless energy.
Shi Xiaole, with tearful eyes, accompanied her in romping and played, granting her every request.
The second day.
The third day.
In the town, lazily drifting down the river on small boats or exploring the ancient mountains nearby, their laughter and joy were left everywhere.
The morning of the fourth day.
While paddling barefoot in the creek, Shui Lingping suddenly collapsed, her body’s color drained at a visible rate.
