Nightfall

Sangsang set off from the walls and drifted toward the Ark in the clouds.

Ning Que held her legs and would not let her go.

Just like many years ago when the gate to Haotian’s Divine Kingdom opened in the clouds above the Wilderness, she floated toward the sky while he stood firmly in the Wilderness and held her legs tightly.

At that time, Sangsang floated up together with him, but the Headmaster eventually got them. Now the Headmaster was gone. Even though he did not want her to go, how would he overcome the entire human world?

Sangsang left the wall and drifted to the sky.

He could not stop her and only held onto one of her shoes — the cloth shoes that he bought for her.

Sangsang landed on the bow of the Ark and threw the indigo lion into the clouds.

The indigo lion turned back to its original size of hundreds of miles in height, and howled to clear the clouds. He spared no effort and pulled the Ark toward the sky.

The City of Chang’an reacted with the God-Stunning Array. It was preparing for the swiftest and fiercest, sky-cracking killing intent, gathering energy from everywhere in the city, and getting it ready to set off at any time.

Many Tang citizens came out of their houses and crowded the streets. They looked at the bright sky in the south, the incredibly giant Ark and the indigo lion pulling it, and were filled with awe and fear.

The God-Stunning Array did not attack the Ark because the Ark was heading out of the city. But the Tang citizens did not drop their weapons out of fear or awe. Some even started collecting rocks.

Sangsang stood at the bow of the Ark and held her hands behind her back. Brilliant lights projected her lofty figure onto the ground and dimmed the city as well as Ning Que’s mood.

The indigo lion pulled the Ark through the clouds toward the sky. It was slow at the beginning but gradually accelerated. Somewhere afar in the sky, a golden line appeared.

That golden line was not the gate to Haotian’s Divine Kingdom, because the gate to the Divine Kingdom was destroyed by the Headmaster many years ago. It was Sangsang’s destination.

As long as there was a destination, she would not need a gate. She could reach the destination using her supreme wisdom, which was evident in her encounters with the Headmaster, the Buddha, and even herself.

“You left just like that. Was everything just my illusion?” Ning Que stood on top of the walls and stared at the giant Ark in the sky. He questioned emotionlessly, “The decades I spent to build the Buddha statue for you — was that just an illusion? I raised you up with my own hands — were those memories also just illusions? The famine was another illusion? And Min Mountain? The City of Wei and the City of Chang’an — were they all illusions?”

Sangsang stood silently at the bow and did not turn back.

“Let’s forget about Min Mountain and our past. Let’s just talk about the thousand of years we spent together. You didn’t even make one cup of tea for me. Now you are leaving for good. Do you think it’s fair?” Ning Que forced a smile and said bitterly to the Ark that was floating further away.

Sangsang still stood silently at the bow without turning back.

Ning Que took hold of his iron cutlass and said to her in slightly lower voice, “I think that’s not fair. Therefore you are not leaving!” He pulled out his iron cutlass and slashed toward the giant Ark in the sky.

They built the Buddha statue inside the chessboard and studied Buddhism together. She discovered the truth of the compassionate Ark. During that time, he also learned how to assemble the will of all living beings.

Tremendous Qi of Heaven and Earth was gathered by the God-Stunning Array, and charged into his body via the Core Vajra. Numerous blades flew out of their sheaths. Tens of thousands of blades appeared again in the human world.

Two fierce slashes soared above Chang’an and arrived in the sky instantly. They formed the character of “people” with their crossing point right at the bow.

Years ago in the City of Chang’an, the Tang people assembled their strength and with the help of the God-Stunning Array he wrote a People Talisman in the sky. It destroyed the Abbey Dean.

In the Buddha’s chessboard, he built the Buddha statue on top of the mountain and collected the worshipping of tens of thousands of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. With the help of Sangsang, he wrote another People Talisman and freed themselves from the thousand year imprisonment.

It was the third time that he had ever written this talisman. What would this bring about?

Ning Que knew that his talisman could not break Sangsang’s giant Ark because it was an Ark of belief. Therefore he aimed at the space in front of the bow.

The indigo lion was marching through the clouds. There was an invisible cord between it and the bow. That was where he aimed at.

Ning Que wanted to cut the cord.

Two slashes appeared in the sky and enveloped the giant Ark.

Sangsang finally turned back. Without any expressions, she pointed one finger at the slashes. Her finger was slim, and the point of her finger was tiny.

Ning Que’s slashes were about to tear up the sky. The crossing point of the slashes covered at least several square miles.

However, her finger point was able to cover the several square miles.

Numerous bouts of Qi splashed around and tore the brilliant could into flocs.

The Ark kept moving forward.

She pointed one finger at it and destroyed Ning Que’s People Talisman.

The two strokes drifted apart and eventually disappeared. They turned into Talisman Intent and was randomly blowing in the wind, and were finally voided by the brilliant light.

Ning Que became speechless upon seeing this.

The moment he slashed his iron cutlass, he realized that it was not pure and powerful enough. The People Talisman was barely finished but he could not understand why.

Because of fear? Probably. The Tang people had a stronger willpower. No matter how godlike the Abbey Dean was, he was merely a human being in their eyes. But Haotian was after all, Haotian. How could they not be afraid?

There were millions of Chang’an residents on the streets. Many of them were holding their weapons and willing to protect their homes. Yet not all of them were courageous enough to stand against Haotian.

Without the assembled will, the People Talisman could not release its ultimate power. Without the united strength, how could the city withstand against Heaven?

“In the chessboard, you wrote that talisman and cracked the sky because I was inside of you. They worshipped you because of me. You should know that even in Chang’an City, the living beings are my followers. How would they listen to you? I’m no longer there. How could you write that talisman again?” Sangsang stood at the bow and said to him calmly, “I am relieved that you comprehend the will of the living beings. Observe the Ark closely and you will comprehend much more.”

Ning Que said after a pause, “Relieved? Comprehend? What the fuck?!”

Sangsang said, “If we are going to meet again, then it will be a fatal encounter. If you want to defeat me, then you will need to learn how to write that talisman by yourself. Until then, we won’t see each other again.”

Ning Que said emotionlessly, “I would probably be dead by then.”

Sangsang stared at him silently. She said nothing further and was about to turn away.

Suddenly Ning Que said, “Do you think that’s it?”

Sangsang frowned slightly.

Ning Que laughed and said, “When we were in Min Mountain, there was no Butcher and I did it myself. Even if I can’t defeat you today, you won’t going anywhere. Don’t you remember? Although I have never won throughout the years, you were not able to leave either.”

Upon those words he turned his wrist and stabbed the cutlass into his chest. He stabbed it very hard. The sharp black blade broke through his flesh and bone, and pierced into his chest. It was pointed right at his beating heart.