Chapter 314 - The End
The figure that fell like a shooting star stabbed Xie Xingzhi's eyes.
He, along with Lu Pihan, Pei Chunzheng, and Zhou Yan, could only watch as Qiao Wan fell, divided into two, then three... and finally disappeared into the flood of beasts.
Accompanied by Ma Huaizhen's furious roar, the sky slowly split in half.
The bloodthirsty god, with eyes red, raised his hand and unleashed a flurry of attacks, as if a heavy rain fell upon the twilight sky.
Countless arrows rained down from the heavens towards the approaching horde of beasts.
The arrows were fast and fierce, skillfully avoiding the hundreds of figures below the sky and piercing through the crowd of beasts.
That was an army brought by the monsters. The elite soldiers of the monsters were shooting arrows with their curved bows, pulling the bows like full moons.
More than two hundred surviving cultivators, wearing ragged clothes, silently looked towards the sky.
In the sky, more than ten snow dragons soared and flew, like a river of stars hanging upside down. Their snow-white scales reflected the light from the sky, sprinkling onto people's hair, shoulders, and bodies like scattered stars.
Chu Tongzheng stared blankly and reached out her hand, catching the starlight.
How beautiful, symbolizing the hope of life.
Xiao Boyang and the others were carried by these ten snow dragons, soaring into the sky, crossing the rift in space, finally leaving this blood-colored hell.
But no one spoke, everyone looked tired, even the toughest men had red eyes and glistening tears.
Just a moment ago, Qiao Wan disappeared.
To save them, she forcefully used the Evil Sword Book, cutting off her own neck with a sword and pounced towards the horde of monsters.
After the war, Ma Huaizhen crossed through a crack in space and arrived in the demon realm. He sat in a wheelchair, watching as the disciples of the secret department moved through the desert, searching through the remains of the demon beasts, hoping to find some flesh and blood.
At Ma Huaizhen's feet lay a bloodstained bag, filled with fragments of cloth. After a busy half-day, the disciples were only able to find a tiny piece of flesh, no bigger than a fingernail, which they carefully wrapped in a cloth.
This was Qiao Wan - a tiny piece, no bigger than a fingernail. The white dragon, who had transformed into a human shape, had a pale face and couldn't help but burst into loud sobs upon seeing this tiny "Qiao Wan".
Demon Emperor Jia Yin, on the other hand, didn't say anything. He calmly commanded his subordinates to help the cultivation alliance clean up the aftermath. From afar, his silent figure seemed to blend into the blood-red sunset.
In the end, they had arrived a step too late.
Wang Wu watched Ma Huaizhen in silence, this tough and cold-hearted man. Unable to bear it, he turned his eyes away quietly. His voice was hoarse as if blood was seeping out, "Alright, wrap it up."
Did Hall Master Ma cry?
Wang Wu sniffled and wiped his eyes, shocked. In a quick glance, he only saw Ma Huaizhen's bloodshot and dry eyes, there were no tears falling. Perhaps the tears had already flowed back into his heart.
Yuan Liu pushed Mei Kangping, who looked like a bloody figure, in a wheelchair.
His lower body was completely shattered, and he exerted all his strength to release the primordial energy, but ended up in his current state...
Mei Kangping coldly watched the busy disciples of the secret department. As he watched, blood kept regurgitating from the corners of his mouth. It was due to the broken bones piercing his internal organs. But the disciples of the secret department, who wanted nothing more than to bite him to death, certainly wouldn't help him heal.
As long as he didn't die, it was fine.
"I'm asking you," Ma Huaizhen's voice was faint, "Did you release this wave of beasts?"
Mei Kangping didn't want to answer at first, but when his gaze fell upon the small piece of flesh the size of a fingernail, his throat suddenly choked up.
He felt inexplicably tired and closed his eyes. "It wasn't me, it was Feng Zhao," he said.
"Several hundred years ago, after discovering that the battle in Fufeng Valley was a complete scam, he defected to the demon realm. He was the best puppet master in the world, turning his fellow disciples into shadow soldiers to accompany him."
Ma Huaizhen knew about this.
After the shadow soldiers appeared during a previous gathering of cultivators, the cultivation alliance suffered greatly in the following years. The reason was simple: they couldn't face their former comrades, friends, and elders.
Since joining the demon realm, Feng Zhao had been helping Mei Kangping create human sacrifices. Fang Lingqing also fell into his hands and was transformed into a puppet on a whim.
"I have a question for you," Ma Huaizhen said, his gaze focused. "What's the connection between that kid from Sun Tao College and Feng Zhao?"
Mei Kangping said, "After he joined the demon realm, he separated his good and evil thoughts. The good thought became Yu Xingzhi , and the evil thought became him, now the pure him."
He did indeed have feelings for Wang Ruyi . Because he was a cultivator and lived a dangerous life, never knowing when he might die on the battlefield, he worried that Wang Ruyi's father, Wang Qin, wouldn't approve, so he kept his identity a secret.
Later, after he returned alive from Fufeng Valley, he had become that pure evil ghost. He deceived Wang Ruyi and killed her. Originally, he planned to turn her into a puppet to accompany him forever, but because the righteous path was chasing him, he didn't have enough time. He could only temporarily seal her inside a wall and leave, planning to retrieve his new bride in the future.
As a result, Yan Shiyuan who survived bought the inn. He placed the inn in a small space and traveled around with it, finally settling in the ghost city.
During the cultivation meeting, he witnessed the existence of a man named Yu Xingzhi. He didn't want him to survive. In just a few years, with the help of Cen Qingyou, they wiped out Sun Tao College completely. However, by a stroke of luck, Yu Xingzhi managed to escape.
Now it seems that this was not a coincidence, but rather a deliberate act by Cen Qingyou. Ma Huaizhen remained calm, listening silently.
"Where is he?" Ma Huaizhen asked.
In his heart, he wanted to kill him.
"He's dead," Mei Kangping replied.
The man said coldly, "He was shot by Su Rui while trying to save his nephew. He was thrown into the demon realm and devoured by the demons."
Feng Zhao was a madman just like Shiyuan. He didn't care about the demon realm or the cultivation world. He only had savage beasts and zombies as company. In the end, he met his demise at the hands of the demons he had allied with.
After asking, Ma Huaizhen stared intensely at Mei Kangping.
He did want to kill him.
But he couldn't, as he had many concerns. He could only suppress his killing intent, close his eyes, and let Yuan Liu bring him away.
Next, Xiao Huan was brought up.
Xiao Huan looked disheveled, covered in blood and sand, but still maintained a dignified appearance. He smiled bitterly and said, "Hall Master Ma, it's been a long time."
Who could have expected that after joining the demon realm, he would end up in such a situation?
Xiao Huan thought silently.
He had worked hard all his life, but in the end, it was all in vain.
It was all because that Demon Emperor started a war, with the help of the demon tribe, and now the demon realm, after the death of the Primeval Origin, was in chaos. Mei Kangping was exiled and everything fell apart.
Ma Huaizhen didn't bother to deal with him. He commanded his undercover disciples to knock him down, drag him away, and await further punishment.
As for Cen Qingyou, when he was brought up, their eyes met, and the young man only said one sentence.
"Master can still be saved."
Ma Huaizhen's eyebrows twitched. "What do you mean?"
He looked at the storage bag and calmly said, "After learning of the reason why our master fell into the dark path, I secretly placed a protective spell on him, ensuring that a strand of his spirit would not perish. This spell was also the reason why the Blue-eyed Evil Buddha could be reincarnated."
"If we gather all the sorcerers and priests from around the world, and use their magic to search for his soul, then place his body in a temple to receive offerings from the people, our master will be able to survive. Not only will he survive, but he will also be able to eliminate his remaining negative karma."
"What? Venerable One Miaofa can survive?!" Ma Huaizhen was immediately shocked when he heard this, he paused for a moment, then furrowed his brow and asked, "What about Qiao Wan?"
Cen Qingyou fell silent for a moment and replied, "I don't know. But if we can gather all the sorcerers and priests to search for her soul, and find even a fragment of her remaining spirit, she might have a chance at survival, just like our master."
Before master passed away, he extracted Meng Guangze's soul. As long as we find a body to fuse it with, Meng Guangze will be able to come back to life soon. Qiao Wan is the one he created with his own blood and flesh, perhaps when he wakes up he will have another solution.
Regardless of whether Cen Qingyou's words are true or not, Ma Huaizhen furrowed his brow and quickly lowered his voice, instructing Yuan Liu to take Cen Qingyou and Qiao Wan's storage bag downstairs to make arrangements.
All the injured people have been placed in the steel airship constructed by Qiao Wan, getting ready to fly to Kunshan early tomorrow morning.
There is a camp set up specifically for receiving the injured from the battle against the demons.
Warm lights hang from the ceiling. Xiao Boyang and Fang Lingqing lean against the ship's wall, holding hot water in their hands, their eyes resting on the busy doctors and healers.
Mrs. Cen arrived, looked at their injuries, and softly comforted them, telling them not to worry.
The cultivators from the Immortal Alliance passed by, with a familiar figure among them. The man wore a bloody Daoist robe, looking noble and dignified. His hair, however, was messy and completely white.
That was Xie Xingzhi.
After leaving the demon realm, everyone was surprised to find that Xie Xingzhi's hair had turned completely white overnight. They followed the dark disciples to the bow of the ship, listening to the solutions proposed by Ma Huaizhen and the others.
They were planning to gather cultivators from all over the world to search for the souls of Qiao Wan and Venerable One Miaofa.
Xie Xingzhi looked puzzled, hesitated for a moment, and his cheek twitched. He glanced at Jia Yin, who was not far away.
When the Demon Emperor's gaze fell on the small bundle in Xie Xingzhi's hands, he suddenly stopped. He looked away and said in a deep voice, "If there is anything useful that the demon clan can do, feel free to ask."
Could they really blame Demon Emperor Jia Yin for being unfaithful? In fact, if it weren't for the betrayal of the demon and dragon clans, this war would not have ended so quickly.
Gathering the cultivators from all over the world to search for the souls of Venerable One Miaofa and Qiao Wan may sound easy, but in reality, it is difficult.
In this great war, only the remnants of Miaofa and Qiao Wan's souls can be found. Most of the disciples, including Li Pan and Yuan Liu, died in this war. There is little hope left for finding the souls.
After the order was given, Ma Huaizhen sat in the cabin, closing his eyes to rest. As soon as he closed his eyes, he could only see the flickering image of a pink figure in his mind.
Suddenly, Yuan Liu's surprised voice came, "Leader! You have to see this!"
The other person held a torch and looked down below in astonishment.
As soon as this news spread overnight, the Northern region was filled with cultivators who rushed here after hearing about the battle in the demon realm. They didn't have time to prepare and some were even wearing thin clothes, without any warm clothing, only bringing the magical tools needed to search for souls.
The torches on the icy plain gathered together, creating a warm crimson sea.
They stood in the wind and snow, their hair flying in the wind. An old man, with a hunched figure and a wrinkled face, took a step forward, bowed, and said that they all came to find the souls for Venerable One and Fairy Qiao.
The spell lasted a full forty-nine days, and they searched high and low to find a few traces of the Buddha's soul.
But Qiao Wan's soul remained elusive.
No.
No.
After forty-nine days of searching, they had nothing to show for their efforts.
By the fiftieth day, Ma Huaizhen knew deep down that they wouldn't find it.
Qiao Wan had completely dissipated from this world.
This time, there were no miracles, but no one wanted to believe it.
Su Rui left with Pei Chunzheng, determined to find another solution.
Xiao Boyang inherited the Xiao family.
Fang Lingqing, Bai Shanhu, Meng Canglang, and Qi Feidao returned to Chongde Ancient Garden.
Gan Nan and Jia Yin kept a close eye on any other news.
Yu Xingzhi and Wang Ruyi stayed behind to help rebuild Buping College.
Xie Xingzhi took Qiao Wan, a woman about the size of a fingernail, and walked away. The girl he had just met died in such a tragic way in front of him. The young man's hair turned white overnight and he silently left Kunshan with Qiao Wan.
Lu Pihan occasionally visited Chaotian Mountain, and upon his return, he would pass by the quiet and empty cave, coughing up blood.
Mu Xiaoxiao, a woman who was on the southern front of the battlefield, returned to Kunshan. After returning, she hesitated for a moment and voluntarily went to Precept Hall, asking them to release a certain Souvenir Image.
This Souvenir Image spread widely. The girl risked being possessed by demons, connected her consciousness to a spider-faced person, and finally, cut off both her arms at a critical moment. This image, along with her charging towards the horde of beasts, deeply engraved itself in the hearts of the people.
It turns out that everything was just a misunderstanding.
Three years later, the former war god of the demon realm, Meng Guangze, woke up. Xie Xingzhi brought him and Mei Kangping to Chaotian Mountain, calling him "father" with respect.
The statue of Venerable One Miaofa was brought into the temple, and many people came to offer incense.
Three years later, Cen Qingyou went to take a look at the statue in the temple.
Surrounded by smoke, the statue had golden eyebrows and closed eyes, with a calm expression. It looked different from the other Buddha statues in the temple, which had long ears and a peaceful appearance.
The statue had a slender figure, with a style similar to the Gandhara art from the Western region. Its upper body was slightly exposed, with six extended arms.
Behind the statue, there were flowing emerald green and red ribbons, and the apricot, goose yellow, and emerald green robes adorned with jewel ornaments flowed down on the pedestal like clouds.
Maybe soon, this statue would be able to step down from its high platform.
Later, people also made a statue of Fairy Qiao.
The young girl's clothes fluttered, holding a long sword, and the sword gleamed with cold light.
Her white jade skin blushed slightly, like a spiritual master, and her pupils were like black jewels, shining brightly and full of liveliness. Two bright pearls were inlaid in the butterfly-like hairpin that was inserted diagonally into her cloud-like hair.
The sunlight dappled the surroundings with patches of light and shadows. The young girl's dark hair and eyebrows were surrounded by a soft halo, making it hard to clearly see what was real and what was not.
Once upon a time, there was a fairy who was as radiant as a flame. However, in this world, there was no longer a woman named Qiao Wan.
