Chapter 679: Actually... I've Been Lying to You All Along

Chapter 679: Chapter 544: Actually… I’ve Been Lying to You All Along

“That masked woman may have left the land of the Yuzhu, but in my opinion, she can’t have gone far!”

“Why don’t you all join us and take a gamble!”

“Once we’re out, we can fight for the Demon Pill based on our own abilities. That’s still better than letting it fall into the hands of the Human Race!”

“Everyone, I will clear the way!”

Song Cultivator knew many had been swayed. Without hesitation, he began burning his own Essence Blood to forcibly activate his Heaven and Earth.

Song Cultivator was well aware that forcibly burning his Essence Blood in his current critically injured state would not only shorten his lifespan, but would very likely trap him in the Nascent Soul Realm for the rest of his life, with no hope of further advancement.

But now, he had no other choice.

At the same time, seeing how frantically Song Cultivator and Jin’an were fighting, the other cultivators felt their own courage ignite. They all decided to risk it all!

In an instant, a sky full of Techniques rained down like a torrential storm, blanketing the area in a massive bombardment.

Several Lifebound Magical Artifacts, shrouded in multicolored auras, shot toward Xiao Mo in a concerted killing blow.

Many cultivators, hoping to get lucky, tried to sneak through the distorted void gate behind Xiao Mo while he was exhausted and preoccupied with the assault.

But Xiao Mo stood like a Door God, not yielding a single inch.

Under the crowd’s relentless, frenzied assault, more and more cracks began to appear on Xiao Mo’s Heaven and Earth.

Even Xiao Mo’s own body looked like a dry, cracked riverbed, as if the slightest touch would shatter it into a thousand pieces.

Xiao Mo’s Heaven and Earth raised its oppressive gaze and slowly swept it over three of the cultivators.

The three of them, who had been charging toward Xiao Mo at full speed, suddenly faltered in unison as their eyes glazed over.

By the time they came to their senses, they found themselves wielding their Lifebound Magical Treasures, inexplicably attacking the companions beside them.

Song Cultivator keenly seized the fleeting opportunity. With a sharp swing of his longsword, a fiercely powerful stream of cyan Sword Qi howled out, slashing straight for Xiao Mo.

Xiao Mo raised his fingers and struggled to form the hand seals for a Technique, trying to conjure an illusory White Jade jing to block the Sword Qi.

But by now, he was completely spent, his Spiritual Power almost depleted.

The White Jade jing he had barely managed to conjure in mid-air was as fragile as paper. In just an instant, the cyan Sword Qi sliced it apart, and it shattered with a boom.

The Sword Qi passed through Xiao Mo’s body without any resistance.

A gash so deep the bone was visible was instantly torn open on Xiao Mo’s left shoulder. Blood gushed out, staining a large patch of his robes crimson.

He looked up. His Heaven and Earth was also beginning to slowly crumble, no longer sustainable. Rubble-like motes of spiritual light drifted down and dissipated into the air.

“Xiao Mo! Die!”

At that very moment, Jin’an leaped up, pulling a heavy, pitch-black Pill Furnace from his Storage Pouch. He raised it high with both hands and brought it crashing down on Xiao Mo.

Jin’an’s eyes were filled with hatred.

His losses on this trip to the Yuzhu Secret Realm had been far too great.

Not only had he failed to obtain many Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, but his hopes of ever reaching the Jade Realm were now dashed, his future ruined.

But there was at least one thing left for him to do: refine Xiao Mo alive and use his flesh and vital energy to make up for his losses.

However, the grievously wounded Xiao Mo seemed to pay no mind to the heavy Pill Furnace descending upon him.

He didn’t even glance up at Jin’an, but simply turned around slowly.

His gaze passed through the crumbling world, through the chaotic battle, and settled on a distant point. His eyes were as gentle as a spring breeze caressing the surface of a lake.

“Life is an illusion, as is the path of cultivation… What in this world is real and what is false? Was it Zhuang Zhou who dreamed he was a butterfly, or the butterfly that dreamed it was Zhuang Zhou?”

Xiao Mo’s voice was very, very soft, as if he were whispering to someone far away, or perhaps just talking to himself.

“This is the final question posed in the *Great Dream of Yellow Millet*.”

“Before, I never knew the answer.”

“But now… I think I’m beginning to understand.”

“What if it’s real? What if it’s fake?”

The corners of Xiao Mo’s mouth lifted slightly, blooming into a faint smile.

“It is all but… a great dream.”

“It is all but… a dream of yellow millet.”

Xiao Mo slowly retracted his distant gaze and let it fall back upon the cultivators charging madly toward him.

The killing intent of those cultivators was reflected in his eyes.

Yet deep within his eyes, it was as if their figures weren’t there at all.

As empty as distant mountains, as cold and clear as autumn waters.

…

“You’re so handsome! What’s your name?”

When the skinny little boy first set foot in Tushan Mansion, a little girl with a fluffy, snow-white fox tail swishing behind her came skipping up to him on her short little legs. Her eyes were sparkling, as if filled with all the stars in the sky.

“My name is… Tushan Jing Ci. What about you?”

The little girl tilted her head, her smile as bright and innocent as a blooming flower.

…

“Xiao Mo, studying is so hard…”

On the first day of school at Cold Mountain Academy, the little girl came home and flopped onto her desk, resting her chin on the surface and listlessly dangling her little feet.

“Did you understand everything the teacher said? Why is it that I recognize every word he says, but when they’re all put together, it’s just a muddle in my head?”

She pouted, her face a picture of utter despondency. She felt that school was no fun at all and was making her very unhappy.

“Actually, what the teacher taught wasn’t difficult. It was quite simple and easy to understand,” the little boy said with a gentle smile. “It’s just that Miss was daydreaming during class and wasn’t really listening.”

“I… I was not daydreaming!”

The little girl’s face immediately turned red as she hastily tried to defend herself.

“I was… I was only staring off into space because I didn’t understand! It’s not the same as daydreaming!” she mumbled, then started to wheedle him. “Okay, okay, let’s not talk about that. Xiao Mo, come on, help me with this homework. The teacher is going to check it tomorrow.”

“Miss, homework is something you have to do yourself,” the little boy sighed helplessly.

“I don’t wanna!” The little girl pouted, hugging Xiao Mo’s arm tightly and rocking it back and forth, refusing to give up.

“Xiao Mo, just teach me, please…”

“Please…”

…

“Xiao Mo, are you planning to go into seclusion?”

Outside the courtyard, a young woman who had blossomed into a graceful beauty gazed infatuatedly at the young man before her, her eyes filled with reluctance to part.

“Mm,” the young man nodded lightly, his tone gentle. “I’ve hit a bottleneck and want to enter seclusion to think things through.”

“Then… when will you come out?”

“It shouldn’t take too long,” the young man smiled faintly. “Perhaps I’ll come out when the peach blossoms cover the mountain.”

The young woman clutched her sleeves tightly, her knuckles turning white. Her voice was soft but firm. “Then I’ll wait for you.”

“Okay.”

…

“Xiao Mo, I think… I’ve fallen for you…”

Beneath the watery moonlight, the young woman lifted her head, her eyes gazing seriously at Xiao Mo.

Every word seemed to cost her a lifetime of courage.

…

“Xiao Mo, promise me you’ll come back from Quicksand City alive.”

“You said you would never lie to me.”

“Right?”

…

In Xiao Mo’s mind, every little moment spent with the young woman echoed over and over, along with every word, every syllable she had ever spoken.

Although only a few breaths had passed, Xiao Mo felt as if he had relived his entire life.

“Jing Ci, I’m sorry.”

“The truth is… I’ve been lying to you all along.”

A fierce wind howled past, violently whipping at Xiao Mo’s blood-stained hair.

He lowered his head and burned the last of his Essence Blood, condensing it into a single, pitch-black game piece.

He lightly pinched the piece.

He held the piece, and let it fall.

…

「Tushan, Moon Spring Peak.」

The woman who had been reading quietly in the courtyard suddenly snapped her head up, her gaze fixed on the distant horizon.

“Miss, what’s wrong?” Yue Shi was startled by her mistress’s expression and hurried forward to ask with concern.

“Huh? I… I…”

The woman dazedly came back to her senses, still looking lost.

She reached up and touched her own fair cheek.

Glistening teardrops, one after another, rolled silently from her enchanting fox-like eyes.

Her vision blurred.

The tears stained her dress.