Nightfall

Prince Long Qing remembered who Ning Que was.

For his whole life was looking at its brightest, and he seldom got the chance to be mocked at by others. Yet the previous time at Victory House, this scholar who now stood infront of him and his little handmaiden mocked him twice consecutively. At least that was how he felt, thus he could never forget this scholar.

His despise for Ning Que made him order his subordinate from the Judicial Department to investigate on this lad after the event. However, the investigation result was somewhat disappointing. Indeed, this Academy student was just a piece of useless junk who was all talk only, yet unable to pursue cultivation. Hence, this junk could never be his worthy opponent and since that was the case, he felt that there was no need for him to remember such a worthless person.

Before Prince Long Qing was prepared to climb the mountain, he had imagined the types of opponent he might meet on his way. For instance, it could be the young monk who had obviously come from an unknown place, or the young swordsman from South Jin Kingdom. He had even imagined that the Academy could have hidden some fighters at the final stage, but he had never thought that the person who would appear behind him was Ning Que.

He silently stared at Ning Que’s face, as a weird and unexplainable smile appeared on his face.

Since Ning Que noticed that the prince had no intention to eat the pastries, he retreated his offer as he grinned and said, “You don’t have to look so shock. This is no illusion.”

Just then, two pieces of jade green bamboo leaves gradually flew across the starry night and paused infront of them, as though they were alive. The voice of Second Brother from the Academy was heard once again from under the tree.

“The peak of the mountain would be the large boulder at the end of the mountain path. Whoever reaches the peak first would be shortlisted to enter the Second floor of the Academy. However, I must remind the both of you. Though it was only ten steps away to the final destination, the challenges that both of you would face will be much tougher than all the challenges you had experienced before. If you choose to force your way through, there is a high possibility that they will cause an irreversible damage to you physically and mentally.”

“Each of you, please hold the green bamboo leaves in your hand. Should you wish to give up, destroy it.”

Prince Long Qing and Ning Que bowed to the tree with their hands folded in front, before they each grabbed a green bamboo leaf and walked towards their final stage.

They walked side by side. There was no expression on Prince Long Qing’s face, neither did he quicken his pace. Beside him was Ning Que, who was busily munching the pastry as he walked. Allowing Ning Que to walk beside him was equivalent to admit him as his worthy opponent.

“I am actually jealous of you.”

Ning Que took a look at the prince’s side face as he wiped his dirty hand using the corner of his clothes. He then shrugged his shoulders and continued, “You are born into a good family, talented and lead a great life. Not only that, you have a beautiful partner who is crazily in love with you. Unlike me, I am born poor, have no talents and my life sucks. All I have is just a black-faced little handmaiden. To be able to match up with you is honestly tough.”

When the both of them reached the bottom of the large boulder and infront of the two very steep and narrow looking paths that were on the left and right, Prince Long Qing suddenly turned around. He looked calmly at Ning Que and said, “You’ve given me lots of surprises. If I know my opponent is you, I would not have waited.”

After which, Prince Long Qing raised the front of his clothes without hesitation and stepped onto the rocky path.

Ning Que stared blankly at the rocky path infront of him, as his heart raced. For a guy who had been struggling through thousands of near-death experiences for years, he was clear that when a strong and arrogant man said such words, the man really meant it. That was when things become truly scary.

…

…

The final two challengers were finally starting their journey towards the large boulder that was hanging at the peak of the mountain located behind the Academy. Their silhouettes were moving so rapidly that they were almost not visible.

At the far end of a wide grassland, an increased number of people were seen gathering under a large tree, as they were pointing at the large boulder and whispering among themselves. There were men and women, whereby some were sitting down while others were standing up. All in all, there were twelve people.

One was carrying a three-stringed guqin at his back, while another had a chessboard clamped under his arm. One had an ancient-looking vertical bamboo flute placed on his knee, while another was clasping a small sewing frame in her hand, with a thin silver needle placed in between other fingers.

There was also a muscular man standing behind the tree, carrying a very hefty and bulky hammer with his hands. While the others were busy in discussion, the muscular man was staring at the tall unique-looking antique crown that was placed on top of Second Brother’s head. His eyes were burning with passion and curiosity.

Chen Pipi walked out from behind the tree and was taken aback when he noticed the eyes of the muscular man. He immediately jumped out to stop the man and urged, “Sixth Brother, Second Brother’s crown will certainly be flattened like a piece of paper if you were to hammer it down, so will your head.”

Second Brother, who was sitting cross-legged under the tree, sneered coldly and gradually turned around.

Sixth Brother quickly hid his hammer to his back as he revealed his most sincere smile and explained, “Senior Brother, you must understand that I feel really uneasy if I don’t use my hammer for a day. Seeing the crown on your head just makes me feel even more unbearable today. It is like seeing a bar of metal being placed near a hot oven, where you just have the urge of hammering it down.”

The explanation was rather ridiculous, to the extent that it sounded really absurd. Yet Second Brother just nodded his head to show his acceptance towards his explanation, before he waved his hand and simply replied, “The result will be out soon.”

Yu Lian, the female professor from the Academy, was also at the peak of the mountain and she seemed to keep herself a distant away from the rest of the 11 people. She stood far away behind the tree within the parterre, as she smiled peacefully while watching the rest discussing about the situation.

The man who had his bamboo flute placed on his knee watched the seemingly toppling large boulder that had, in fact, stood strong for thousands of years under all kinds of rough weathers. He was filled with emotions as he said, “It seems like Prince Long Qing is still the strongest among all challengers. Indeed, one must not underestimate the power of No.2 in the Judicial Department of West-Hill Divine Palace. If nothing goes wrong, he’s most probably our junior brother-to-be.”

Upon hearing the words “Judicial Department of West-Hill Divine Palace”, everyone under the tree had their attentions on Chen Pipi.

Chen Pipi’s plump face turned pale as he hurriedly waved his hands and explained, “I’ve never been to the Divine Hall. When I first get to know Ye Hongyu, she had just entered the Judicial Department. Well, from my perspective, that woman is certainly much stronger than Prince Long Qing.”

“The Tao Addict is among the world’s three most addicts. No doubt it’s extraordinary.” The Senior Sister with the sewing frame smiled gently as she added.

Second Brother replied with a stern expression, “Those from the upper-class family are defintely more cultured and educated than the ordinary people. Though their acts might be displeasing to our eyes, and as compared to the Academy’s way of handling matters, they r certainly only worthy of dust. However, those acts r sufficient for them to survive in this world.”

The people under the tree expressed their agreement in unison. Yet, in each of their heart, they were thinking that if the person who sat under the tree today was their Eldest Brother, he would definitely not say such arrogant and narcissism remarks. All he would do was to honestly list out the pros and cons of West-Hill Taoism.

“Never have I thought that the person who can catch up with Prince Long Qing and become his final opponent is that lad named Ning Que.”

Once again, all eyes were on Chen Pipi.

Chen Pipi sighed reluctantly as he asked, “Senior Brothers, Senior Sisters, why all of you are staring at me again?”

The Senior Sister with the sewing frame smiled and answered, “Isn’t he your friend?”

Chen Pipi scratched his head and looked confused as he said, “I really never expect Ning Que to reach the top. Based on my own understanding towards him, this chap has a strong endurance level and his mentality is like a sicko person. He could push himself to the limit and not eat for days. Hence, the previous challenges should be impossible to stop him from advancing. Furthermore, he’ve been reading books for a year in the old library, so there’s a possibility for him to pass the Wooden Door. However, I am shocked that even the strong mist in the mountain was unable to stop him. This is really ridiculous.”

Someone questioned, “Which state is he in now?”

Chen Pipi replied, “No Doubts State.”

A light breeze blew. The person who had posted the question was taken aback as he said, “Prince Long Qing is already in Seethrough State, almost reaching the Knowing Destiny State. If he can reach the bottom of the boulder, it is no surprise. However you said that the chap is only in No Doubts State? How did he manage to reach the final stage?”

Second Brother took a glance at the person and reprimanded him in his deep voice, “Enough of the nonsense. Obviously, he walked up.”

In fact, that reply was a nonsense. Since the person who said that was Second Brother, whom everyone in the Academy respected after the Headmaster of Academy and their Eldest Brother left to travel around the world, all the juniors under the tree dare not stand out to make a noise.

Second Brotherraised his eyebrows as he said unhappily, “You’ve learnt from the Teacher for so many years, yet you are still unable to understand such simple logic! Where on earth is there a perfect standard golden rule in doing things? If everything has its own rule, then what for we still pursue cultivation? If all rules can never be changed, then why do we still eat and drink to keep ourselves alive? Why don’t we just jumped off the cliff to end all of these?”

Everyone under the tree suddenly became solemn. They knew that their senior brother was educating them, as they kept silent to listen to his teachings.

“Even though Ning Que is only in No Doubts State, does it mean that he is unable to climb to the peak of the mountain? If only people like Prince Long Qing, who is in Seethrough State and almost achieving Knowing Destiny State, can reach the top to enter Second floor, then what’s the purpose of this examination?”

Second Brother continued calmly, “Being in No Doubts State means one is unable to climb the mountain? I’ve told all of you before, our Eldest Brother used to be stuck at No Doubts State for a total of 17 years, yet he had climbed the mountain for numerous times. When did you ever see him giving up halfway and tumbling down the mountain before?”

One hesitated and asked, “Senior Brother, I agreed with what you’ve said. However, to place our Eldest Brother on par with Ning Que, aren’t you showing too much favor towards him?”

Second Brother took a glance at the large boulder at the edge of the cliff, and replied calmly, “If Ning Que succeed today, he will be the second person, after our Eldest Brother, who had managed to climb to the peak of the mountain with either a No Doubts State or lower.”

Listening to his words, the people surrounding the big tree at the top of the mountain kept silent. Only a faint bitter grumbling voice could be heard from Chen Pipi, “Our Eldest Brother had not even enter the No Doubts State, but Ning Que was already in No Doubts State three months ago. That’s a big difference.”

“Actually, it would be nice if Ning Que become our junior brother,” said the Senior Sister with the sewing frame as she smiled while watching Chen Pipi’s bun-looking plump face and continued, “though he may not be as nice to pinch as Pipi, but he had dimples on his face which makes him really cute.”

Chen Pipi subconsciously shivered slightly as he hurriedly retreated behind Second Brother and popped his head out to exclaim, “Seventh Sister, aren’t you thinking a little too far? The last stage is not that easy. I’ll place my bet on Prince Long Qing.”

Senior Sister grinned as she exposed his true thoughts, “If Prince Long Qing is the winner, aren’t you going to burst out crying?”

Chen Pipi chuckled.

“This long and winding mountain path takes into consideration of the challengers’ determination and comprehension, tests their states and reveals their true thoughts. As for this large boulder in the last stage, it only allows us to see their choices. To either Prince Long Qing or Ning Que, the difficulty is not too high.”

Second Brother spoke slowly, “Because the difficulty is not high, what it is ultimately testing is their judgement. Prince Long Qing has spent most of his life in the Judicial Department of Divine Hall where he is used to killing the women and the children with no change of expression. Most probably he should be able to make a decision fast.”

A wind blew across the mountain, as the leaves of the tree rustled and the long grass danced in the wind. The silver dark clouds by the cliff moved.

Yu Lian, who stood away from the crowd and by the cliff, turned around and watched the sea of clouds behind him. The corners of his mouth raised slightly.

Second Brother, who was under the tree, stood up instantly and his expression looked stern suddenly. He silently stared at the large boulder hanging by the cliff. After keeping quiet for a long while, he then started mumbling, “What a strong determination in Haoran Sword…did the Teacher change the last stage of challenge?”

…

…

“Why is it you again? You’ve died twice and revived twice. Do you wish to die once more? I seriously don’t understand why do you keep popping out of my head. Are you just trying to remind me of the villagers that were slaughtered by Xia Hou? Or are you telling me not to forget about how you were killed? Don’t worry, I have yet to forget the tasks you’ve left for me.”

“It’s just that do you think Xia Hou is that easy to get rid of? You better stop blocking my way as I need to be faster than that Prince Long Qing. Wait till I enter Second floor of the Academy and become Headmaster of Academy’s favorite obedient student, I’ll get my opportunity to learn all the fantastic skills from the Academy. By then whoever you want me to kill, you just have to tell me through dreams and I’ll do it for you. Now be good and let me continue my path, alright?”

“Still not letting me go? Do you want to help me in training my knife skills? Could you choose another time instead?”

Ning Que spoke as he walked towards the grey wall in the rain. He stared at his dying friend, who was sitting at the foot of the wall and revealed a weird smile on the face. He sighed reluctantly before he stretched his arm to reach for an invisible knife, slashing both the grey wall and his friend into thin air.

“Look at this. It’s the same old trick again. Don’t the people in the mountain behind the Academy have some new ideas?”

Without keeping the knife into the scabbard, he placed the podao hilt on his shoulder and walked towards the large boulder. Since the knife could be used later to slaughter more “humans”, such as those who he had not seen for a very long time. They could be his father and mother who he had not even dreamt for years, or perhaps Sangsang that handmaiden. No matter what, he knew that all these “humans” were fake, so he did not had any problem slaughtering them.

Suddenly, he stopped.

He expressionlessly stared at the two expressionless faces infront of him, as he said, “Both of you are finally here.”

…

…

Prince Long Qing was filled with fear. Facing with such horror, he did not know how to make choices.

His most adored woman was falling under a tree blossomed with flowers. Blood flow down from both of her eyes, which were not on her most favorite begonias. She was staring foolishly at herself instead.

Yet he can’t just watch her. He must look at her.

Previously when he was walking through the mountain trails, he had arrogantly thought that other than Haotian, there were perhaps no one or nothing that could make him frightened. Yet at this moment, this woman, who was showered by the holy light, was right in front of him. As he looked at her red clothing fluttering in the wind, he knew that deep within his heart, he could never sweep away the fear he had for this woman.

The whole world seemed to be filled with the holy light as it was unusually bright, to the extent that he could not clearly see the woman’s expression on her face. All he could see was her fluffy red dress, her fluffy red sleeves and the two bright red flowers that were clipped to her hair.

Dressed in red veil and dress, the woman looked bright and lovely, as well as scary. She smiled gently and said, “Long Qing, I heard that you wish to enter the Second floor of the Academy. Are you thinking that you could defeat me after entering the Second floor?”

Prince Long Qing respectfully bowed and replied, “Long Qing dare not.”

Behind him was the Flower Addict, Lu Chenjia, lying in the flower bed. More blood tricked out from her eyes.

“Do you honestly dare not do so?” The woman, showered in the holy light, calmly repeated the question.

Prince Long Qing gradually raised his head and stared into the gems-looking pair of eyes surrounded by the holy light. He kept silent for a long time and before he could make his first most courageous decision in his llfe, he saw a silhouette.

That silhouette belonged to a man. That man stood silently behind the woman, and it was as if he would not make a single noise even after several ten thousand years have passed. The holy light brushed against his face like a gale of strong wind that could lift the gemstones. It was as though Haotian was also quietly supporting the man.

Prince Long Qing gazed at the wooden sword on that man’s shoulder. He could not help but start shivering with fear.

Without any hesitation, he turned around and walked infront of the flower tree. He then pulled out his official sword at his waist and slowly pierced it into the chest of woman whom he loved.

As the edge of the sword pierced into the chest inch by inch, Lu Chenjia was quietly watching the man she loved. It was as if she felt no pain. Her eyes were no longer flowing with blood. There were no sign of hatred in her eyes, only peace and compassion could be seen.

Prince Long Qing slowly lowered his head and looked at his own chest. It was unsure when an invisible hole had appeared at his chest.

…

…

There were two faces, one was a face of a very old man, while the other was a face of a very young fellow.

Ning Que looked at the old steward, then at his childhood playmate. He remained silent for a long time before he said, “So I gotta kill the both of you again as well. No wonder I keep finding something’s not right. Now I finally understand. That’s because both of you have yet to appear.”

He removed the long podao from his shoulder. Grabbing the hilt with both hands, he did not attack immediately. That was because he suddenly realized that the place he was standing on had turned from narrow rock-made stairsteps into blackish yellow soil.

In the wilderness, numerous people lifted their heads and gazed into the sky. As an endless piece of darkness started to spread over from the other end of the sky, hopes and peace were gone from the faces of the people. The world turned dark and only a few small beams of light could seep through the thick dark clouds.

However, not everyone lifted their heads to watch the sky, at least not for the old steward and his childhood playmate who were standing infront, watching him expressionlessly. No matter where he walked to, they followed behind him quietly. Their eyes were fixed on his face.

Ning Que pointed to the sky and said to the old steward, “In my previous dream, there seems to be an opened doorway there. However, this doesn’t seem to continue from that dream. Could it be due to both of you?”

After which, he lowered his gaze and looked at his childhood playmate, who was only half of his current height. He smiled and said, “Last time, there’s an extraordinary huge and shiny golden dragon head popping out from the doorway. Actually, that scene is really dumb. It reminded me of those tortoises we saw when we were young at Pagoda Wan Yan, just that the ten thousand tortoises had their heads combined together to form one huge dragon head.”

The old steward’s and the childhood playmate’s faces remained expressionless.

“Since it’s a dream, obviously all those are fake.”

“And since all those are fake, then it is definitely not a story that has happened.”

“Since it is not a story, then there’s nothing to continue from.”

In the wilderness, a very tall and huge man appeared. His snowy white hair draped over his shoulders.

This was not the first time Ning Que had seen this tall man. He walked over as he was curious to see how this tall man looked like. However, the tall man did not appear to be turning around anytime. No matter how hard Ning Que tried, he was unable to see the other party’s face.

As he was trying to walk round the tall man, the old steward and his childhood playmate were still following him closely at his back. They turned round and round with him. The scene seemed a little comical, yet unknowingly depressing at the same time.

The tall man stretched out his finger and pointed towards the half-darkening sky as he said, “Look, the sky is really turning dark.”

Ning Que lifted his head and looked before he replied, “I saw it.”

The tall man then pointed at the light behind the clouds and said, “It’s still bright over there. Between the dark and bright, which side will you choose?”

Without any hesitation, Ning Que replied, “Why should I make a choice?”

The tall man did not answer his question. Instead, he snatched the bag of wine from a drunkard near him and started gulping from it. He then took away the piece of pork hind leg from a butcher’s back as he squatted down and started munching from it. From the side view, the oil from the meat could be seen flowing from his mouth and dripping down from his beard.

…

…

“Why do you want to kill the woman you love?”

“Because only when you do right, would you be able to keep your heart right.”

“Then are my words the right words?”

“Yes, because you represent Haotian’s will.”

Prince Long Qing walked into the pure holy light, following the pace of the woman in red dress. In the past years, he had followed her to kill many people. As years gone by and more people were killed, he started to feel more and more peaceful. It was no longer just having no expression on the face, but he had attained a stage where he could feel peace from within.

The woman in red dress suddenly turned around as she said peacefully, “If Haotian said you should kill me, what would you do?”

Prince Long Qing was naturally fearful of her, and was even more afraid towards the man who stood behind her and carried a wooden sword at his back. Yet upon hearing her words, he could only be in deep thoughts for a short while before he raised the sword in his hand and pierced through her.

Fresh red blood dripped down from the sharp edge of the sword as it pierced through the body of the woman in red dress.

The woman in red dress looked at him in admiration and continued, “Long Qing, your heart has become very strong now.”

Prince Long Qing pointed to the invisible hole in his chest as he said without any expression on his face, “Look, I no longer have a heart.”

…

…

In the wilderness, the tall man asked Ning Que with his back facing him, “How did you make a choice in the past?”

Ning Que answered him in a very serious and stern manner, “I am born in the dark, but my heart yearns for the bright.”

The tall man chortled as he leaned his body forward and backward. He used his sleeve to wipe his tears off the corner of his eyes, as he said happily, “Never thought that after so many years, I am still able to see another that bends with the wind.”

Ning Que also laughed joyfully and said, “Look, I’ve told you that it is not a must for me to make a choice.”

The tall man gradually stopped his laughter as he looked at the whirling clouds in the sky. Suddenly, he asked, “What if the sky were to fall?”

“Why would the sky fall?”

“What if?”

“Then there’ll be someone tall to support it…someone like you.”

“What if the tall person is unable to support as well?”

“Then escape?”

“If sky were to fall, where can you escape?”

“Isn’t this a ‘what-if’ question? Why would there be so many ‘what-ifs’ in this world?”

“Since it’s just a ‘what-if’, why don’t you just give me a casual reply? What are you afraid of?”

Ning Que was taken aback as he stared at the backview of the tall man. Though the man said that he only expected a casual reply from him, he was not sure why he felt that he just could not give him a reply without thinking. As he watched the sky becoming darker, he felt extremely fearful.

The temperature of the wilderness suddenly dropped. A layer of thin light frost formed on his clothings.

The tall man sighed and said, “Why not we just return to your initial choice?”

…

…

Since there was no heart, there was naturally no fear. Prince Long Qing took over the position of the woman in red dress, as he showered himself within the pure holy light. Grasping on to the great will of Haotian, he travelled around the world to get rid of the surrounding darkness.

It was until one day while he was walking in the midst of a golden sandy desert, the man who stood silently behind that woman in red dress for years had finally appeared. The wooden sword carried behind his back was slightly trembling from the blowing of the scorching strong wind in the desert.

Prince Long Qing watched the man, kept silent for a moment before he said, “From the time I’ve made my first choice, my destiny is closely tied together with Haotian. Even if you are the strongest person in this world, you can never defeat Haotian.”

A gust of wind instantly blew across the desert and pierced the wooden sword into Prince Long Qing’s chest.

Prince Long Qing lowered his head and saw the invisible hole in his chest.

The wooden sword that seemed to be able to pierce through anything in this world had coincidentally pass through the hole in his chest. Hence, it did not cause any damage to him.

Just then, a golden flower grew and blossomed from the invisble hole in Prince Long Qing’s chest, which instantly dissolved that wooden sword.

He raised his head and said to the man’s silhouette, which was gradually dissolving in the wind, “Look, this is our true logic.”

After which, he turned and left.

Enemies whom he feared most in his whole life were dead one by one. Prince Long Qing strolled proudly on the golden desert. Though he had no heart, he remained proud. He knew that from now on, he himself would be the strongest and the undefeatable man in the eyes of Haotian. All darkness shall be gone in view of his brightness.

No, all the darkness shall be destroyed.

It was not sure how many years have passed as the darkness in the world were all destroyed by him. There were no longer any enemies or guilt left, and only the purest light remained to shine across the endless field.

At this moment, the golden flower at his chest had grew even larger to the extent that it almost covered his face. Even though he was in Tianqi state, the weight of the flower seemed to be a burden to him but unfortunately, he could no longer plucked it off his chest.

All of a sudden, a faraway voice was echoed deep within his heart.

He did not know whom this voice belongs to, but he knew the words from his voice were real.

“Absolute brightness, is equivalent to absolute darkness.”

Prince Long Qing remained quiet for a very long time before he compressed the large golden flower at his chest with his hand. In a split second, the large flower shrunk rapidly and became a shiny golden sword.

He screamed in pain as he struggled to pull out the golden sword from his chest. His face filled with despair.

Indistinctly, he saw a few lost-looking faces floating in the sky.

It was the man with the wooden sword.

It was the woman in red dress.

It was the woman he loved who had fallen under the flower tree.

The three lost-looking faces stared at him, as though waiting for him to make a choice.

All around him was brightness. All around him was darkness.

Stepping forward would bring him into the light where he could continue his slaughtering acts, yet that was where the light belonged to…

Prince Long Qing was shivering as he stood in the middle of the desert. His painful expression contorted as his whole body was drenched with his perspiration.

He lowered his head and stared at the green bamboo leaf in his left hand, resembling a source of life.

…

…

All of a sudden, many people had disappeared from the wilderness.

Ning Que took a glance at the familiar face of old steward who stood infront of him, and squatted down to look at his childhood playmate. After watching them for a long time, he suddenly lifted his head and shouted to the tall man with displeasure, “I still do not understand why I need to make a choice.”

The tall man, who was back-facing him, replied, “Just as I mentioned, it’s just for casual discussion. Why are you so serious about it?”

Ning Que stood up as the thin frost on his body fell apart. He said, “I am not choosing.”

The tall man then answered, “Sometimes, some things are worth for us to sacrifice. Sacrificing is a choice too.”

Ning Que shook his head and said, “I did nothing wrong. Why should I sacrifice?”

The tall man was shocked as he questioned, “You have no one or nothing you wish to sacrifice at all?”

Ning Que frowned as he thought for a very long time. He hesitated before he replied, “Seems not.”

The tall man replied, “But a long time ago, you did make your choices.”

Ning Que looked at the old steward and his childhood playmate, before he said, “That’s because I sacrifice others.”

“Sacrificing others is also a choice.”

Ning Que admitted, “Yes.”

The tall man hung the remaining pork hind leg at the butcher’s back and said, “Make your choice again.”

The night was still the night.

The temperature was continuing dropping little by little.

Ning Que felt lost as he looked at the fast approaching darkness, as he immediately turned and looked behind the clouds where the light gathered. He could feel a formidable force coming from within as an unpreceding fear pressurized his body, causing the frost on his clothings and body to rapidly solidify into armour.

He was unsure which direction should he choose.

He stood all by himself in between the sky and the earth, which made him felt extraordinary tiny.

The old steward and his childhood playmate were standing infront of him, as their visions were seperated by an invisible piece of ice.

He grabbed tightly onto the green bamboo leaf in his hand.

…

…

On the ground infront of the Academy, everyone was silently waiting for the final outcome. At this point in time, no longer would anyone use the mocking tone to tease the Academy student named Ning Que, since he had already prove his own capability through action.

Like a suddenly downpour of rain, the sound of horse hoof broke the silence in the Academy. Yan Se, along with Sangsang, alighted without any expression on his face. People who recognised his identity appeared shocked as they hurriedly stood up to welcome his arrival. He was the strongest Minister of Offerings at Southern gate of Haotian and even at West-Hill Divine Palace, he would have his own private seat. His status was way above Mo Li, who was the Vice President of Revelation Institute, hence no one dare to show any disrespect to him.

The Instructor of academy and students soon knew about the identity of this wretched old man, as they appeared shocked while watching and whispering about him. They did not understand why this big wig had suddenly come to the Academy at such late and critical hours in determining who was eligible for the Second floor.

No one knew the motive of Yan Se, including Lee Peiyan, the Prince, and Lee Yu, the Princess. Of course, Yan Se was not that foolish to explain his reasons for coming to the people. After showing respect one by one to the people who deserved his respect, he walked to a seat and closed his eyes. His dry skinny palm would, at times, brushed across the back of his chair, revealing a little nervousness within him.

Though the crowd was curious about the reason for the arrival of this famous Divine Talisman Master, but since he did not speak a word, no one dared to ask him as well. After a moment of silence, someone started to discuss about the commotion at the peak of the mountain again.

Most people were surprised over the powerful potential which Ning Que had hidden from them, yet they were determined that person who would gained victory at last and entered the Second floor of the Academy would definitely be Prince Long Qing.

As a Divine Talisman Master, Yan Se was obviously in a very high state. No matter how soft the volume of the discussion were, he could listen to every word vividly. That fellow, Ning Que, is serious about entering Second floor and is almost succeed? Then won’t his long and hard effort in searching for his successor be gone down to drain? He could not help but feel terrible at the thought of it.

Just then, Priest Moli said calmly, “West-Hill always trust that our prince will not lose to anyone.”

“I know this chap, Ning Que, well. If you talk about dirty tricks, he’s indeed good at it. But to enter Second floor…” Yan Se slammed the table loudly and shouted, “That’s totally impossible!”

Upon hearing these words, the crowd was taken aback. They had always thought that Tang Southern Gate of Haotian was always not in good terms with West-Hill Divine Palace, to the extent that they were like enemies to one another. Yet tonight, at such important event, Yan Se was in agreement with West-Hill Divine Palace? One must know that this man was the Senior Brother of Tang Master of Nation. Could there be some important hidden meaning behind his action?

Yan Se had not thought that his true words would cause such a commotion among the people, as he immediately held his temper, stroke his beard, and was no longer willing to voice out any of his opinions. Lee Peiyan watched the old Taoist beside him as he frowned his brows and thought about it. Could it be that his emperor brother heard from the palace that for today’s Second floor examination, Ning Que was a variable and so he decided to send Yan Se over to express his interest?

Just then, another horse carriage sped in. The person who had alighted from the carriage caused another round of commotion.

Lee Yu looked at the benevolent-looking eunuch supervisor, frowned and asked, “Old Lin, why are you here?”

The eunuch supervisor from the Tang palace smiled humbly and commented, “Your Highness, I am here under the order of his Majesty to come and have a look.”

Lee Yu gestured him to step forward. She then whispered, “What is going on exactly?”

Eunuch Lin lowered his head and whispered, “His Majesty wishes to meet someone, so I am sent over to wait for that person.”

“Who is the person Father wishes to meet?” Lee Yu asked, feeling astonished.

Eunuch Lin grinned and replied, “A student from the Academy.”

After which, Eunuch Lin noticed Yan Se was sitting at the side. His expression suddenly turned cold as he said, “Master Yan, may I ask why are you here?”

Yan Se glared at him fiercely and said, “Do I need to report to you my whereabouts?”

Eunuch Lin smiled sacrastically and said, “I am only an eunuch, how would I dare to ask about the whereabouts of a Divine Talisman Master? It is just that your Majesty would like me to send you some words. Your Majesty said that Master of Nation had cheated him a few hundred taels of silver about ten years ago outside the Scent Workshop. Now that knowing your Majesty is seeking for the talent, Master of Nation chose to hide the talent instead of reporting. Your Majesty hopes to hear a good explanation from the Southern Gate.”

Yan Se looked stunned upon hearing those words as he sunk himself into deep thoughts. He felt shocked as he wondered if his Majesty had knew about Ning Que’s ability as well and wished to snatch his disciple away from him? What should he do then? The fact that he needed to snatch Ning Que away from the Academy was already a challenge for him, yet now he got to snatch him away from the emperor? Junior Brother did mentioned that he could settle this matter his way, but did that even include his Majesty?

The crowd could not help but watched the two big wigs who had just arrived. Yan Se the Divine Talisman Master was needless to say, but Eunuch Lin was his Majesty’s most trusted eunuch supervisor. Now that he had came under the order of his Majesty, what would that mean again?

…

…

Though Sangsang had followed Yan Se into the Academy, no one noticed her presence and it was not known when she had left the ground. She quietly walked into the alley between the buildings of the Academy, and headed toward the back.

She then passed by the wet ground, the dark and unlit old Academy buildings, the thick forest, and the deserted meadow. As she walked her way to the destination, she was admiring the sceneries in the Academy while trying to match up with the details Ning Que had described to her. She felt peace and warm within.

Finally, she had arrived at Woods of Glaves. With the support of a smooth tree branch in her hand, she lifted her head as she squinted her eyes to look at the treetop hanging high above her. She then looked around for a clean area before she sat down with the big black umbrella in her arms as she faced towards the peak of the mountain.

The clouds and the mist remained very thick in the mountain, preventing one from seeing the top of the mountain. Yet Sangsang, with the big black umbrella in her arms and body leaning onto the tree trunk, sat and watched quietly. For she knew that her young master was currently right there at the mountain peak and was going through a critical examination in his life.

All of a sudden, a gust of strong wind swept across the Woods of Glaves, causing the leaves and grass to rustle as they hit against the tree bark, creating a continuous whipping sound. The impact was so huge to the extent that it created damages on the tree bark. Sangsang was terrified by the scene as she hurriedly hid her behind the tree and spreaded open the big black umbrella to cover her tiny body.

Outside the dirty and old-looking umbrella, the strong wind continued to howl violently within the Woods of Glaves. Stones and branches knocked against the umbrella like flying arrows, producing loud thudding sound. This thudding sound, like the drums used in wars, could somewhat caused one to feel excited, yet solemn and tragic.

In the midst of the violent wind, about ten to twenty trees were uprooted in the Woods of Glaves, causing the dirt to fly towards the dark sky.

As though there were ten to twenty swords piercing towards the dark sky.

Spattering dark red blood into the sky.

…

…

On Pagoda Wan Yan in the city of Chang’an.

Master of Nation, Li Qingshan, looked at Huang Yang monk as he laughed and said, “It’s really unexpected that a monk came to visit today…”

Huang Yang monk smiled gently and said, “It’s simply because a love monk was enlightened by Tao, hence there is no need for you to be joyful about it. Instead, your mood seems very good today. Keen to share the reason?”

Li Qingshan stood up. He gently swung his long sleeves, sighed with emotions and said, “After tonight, our Southern Gate of Haotian will have another young genius. After a decade, our Southern Gate of Haotian will have another Divine Talisman Master. Why should I not be happy about it?”

Huang Yang monk clasped his hands together as he sincerely praised, “This is indeed something to be happy about.”

Suddenly, Li Qingshan raised his eyebrows as he quickly walked to the side of the pagoda and stared toward the southern direction in the quiet night. His right sleeve began to tremble as he started calculating rapidly with his fingers.

Huang Yang monk walked to his side, looking confused as he gazed in the same direction as Li Qingshan. He then said, “Why is there such a big commotion for the opening of the Second floor this time?”

Li Qingshan’s body froze and the expression on his face darkened as he said, “It’s impossible to snatch over now…The Headmaster of Academy, his level was indeed so much more higher.”

…

…

The violent gale within the Woods of Glaves in the Academy was only limited to the very small area and miraculously, it did not affect the surrounding environment at all. Other than Second Brother, who was at the mountain peak, and Yan Se, the Divine Talisman Master, who was currently at the foreground, the people who could sense these changes would only be the Grand Cultivators who had achieved above Knowing Destiny State, such as Master of Nation, Li Qingshan, and Huang Yang monk.

The commoners at Chang’an city were totally unaware of it. Furthermore, it was late in the night and most of them were already in deep sleep. Bloodstains were gradually surfacing on the grey wall of Lin 47th Street. Sewage in the newly-repaired drains by the Spring Breeze Pavilion suddenly appeared with red blood reflection. The lakeside small house, the blacksmith’s courtyard at Eastern City, the old and chipped stone lion display outside General’s Residence, the woodshed within the Grand Secretary’s Residence — bloodstains had gradually surfaced in these places that were once stained with blood, and rapidly dissolved within a few seconds.

…

…

Under the extreme pressure from the surrounding light, Prince Long Qing clenched his fist and broke the green bamboo leaf in his hand. As he looked around with his expressionless face, he realized that he was still at the mountain peak behind the Academy, standing below the large boulder and had yet to step upon the rocky trail.

The night breeze blew and brushed against his clothes, rapidly drying the perspiration on his body. He remained silent for a very long time before he retreated a few steps to the grass patch. He then lifted his head and stared at the large boulder hanging at the edge of the cliff, only to realize that there was no sign of other humans.

…

…

In the icy cold wilderness, Ning Que could somewhat sense a difference.

“All of you should know that making such choices are not tough for me at all.”

He exclaimed loudly to the tall man, to the steward and his childhood playmate who were standing infront of him, as well as to the brightness and darkness above him.

As he spoke, the thin frost on his lips cracked, broke and fell into pieces.

He blinked his eyes, causing the thin transparent ice that blocked his vision to break off inch by inch.

He lifted his right arm as more thin ice broke into piece and fell from his clothes.

He then threw the green bamboo leaf away as he grabbed his long knife tightly and swung it downwards.

After so many years, he had once again choose to kill the old steward and his childhood playmate infront of him.

“My umbrella is black.”

“Her face is black.”

“Since young, what I’ve done is always on the black side.”

“But that doesn’t mean that I am wrong.”

“Since I did no wrong, there’s no need for me to admit my mistake, nor there’s a need for me to atone for my crime.”

Ning Que noticed that light behind the clouds had grew brighter and brighter as he felt the bigger pressure was exerting on him. He continued, “Even if you think I am wrong, I wouldn’t care. What has your thinking got to do with me?”

He spitted mercilessly on the ground before placing the long knife back onto his shoulder, as he walked away into the darkness without much hesitation.

The tall man gazed at his backview in silence.

…

…

Walking into the darkness was equivalent to walking into the starry night.

Ning Que stood by the large boulder and the highest point of the mountain behind the Academy. He was peacefully admiring the beautiful scenery infront of him, where shiny stars filled the dark sky and the clouds were slowly floating beneath his feet. The surrounding was bright as though it was daytime.

Though currently it was still late at night.

He took a glance at Prince Long Qing, who were standing far below the boulder. He did not say a word. Instead, he turned around as he continued to admire the stars, the cliff and the clouds around him, enjoying every moment when the mountain breeze blew in the spring night.

Only arriving at the top, would one be able to enjoy such beautiful and attractive view.

“The world is flat.”

He lifted his head and glanced faraway. He could faintly see ranges of mountains — though he was not sure if they are Min Mountain or other mountains — below the starry sky on the other end of the world.

After 17 years of wandering around and drifting from one place to another, seeing many lives and deaths, he had finally reached this moment. How could his mind and heart not flooded with millions of thoughts and emotions at this moment?

At this split second, Ning Que thought of many things that happened in the past. He recalled the days when he had to walk along the mountain trails over and over again. Though he was welled up with lots of emotions at this point, yet the words that eventually came out of his mouth was so simple, honest and pure.

Staring at the marvellous scenery right infront of him, Ning Que was lost for words as he started laughing out loudly.

His laughter caused his body to shake, his tears to flow and his mucus to drip, to the extent that the sound of his laughter was almost trembling.

Then, he wiped away his tears and mucus, as he said in a serious tone, “This is f*cking beautiful.”