Volume Two: Kunlun’s Fleeting Life Chapter Seventy-Nine

“The Empress is indeed as the rumors say—not an ordinary woman, daring to enter my demon realm alone.”
Shixin sat down casually, raising his wine cup to her in a toast.
Jinli made a polite gesture in return. “Demon Lord must be jesting. I merely wished to admire the scenery of the Lijiang River and inadvertently found myself in the demon realm. I ask your forgiveness.”
“It’s nothing.”
As both sides watched the song and dance, Shixin spoke again: “You remind me greatly of a friend. The very first moment I saw you, there was a sense of familiarity.”
Jinli’s heart tightened. “I have always dwelled in Lianchuan, cut off from worldly matters. That friend of yours must be an extraordinary person.”
Shixin gazed at her; his crimson eyes slowly darkened. “Enough. Leave us.”
He dismissed the singers and watched Jinli in silence. “So, Goddess of Lianchuan, have you come to destroy me or to rekindle old acquaintance?”
“Since you already know, I have little else to say. I can only urge you, Demon Lord, for the sake of peace among the six realms and the unfulfilled souls of your countless soldiers, do not start another war.”
“You’re here to negotiate?”
“I am.”
Shixin set down his cup. The six demon generals withdrew, leaving the banquet hall to the two of them. Shixin stared at his wine goblet. “She is dead. I will bury all creation with her.”
She? Who was she?
“Demon Lord, the dead are gone. Why linger in the past?”
Jinli stood to leave. In a flash, Shixin appeared before her, his black eyes glistening with unshed tears. He stared at her, on the verge of breaking down.
“Tianyu, is it you?”
He clenched the tearstone in his palm, and after three hundred years, it finally responded with warmth.
Jinli’s body froze, but she managed a smile. “Demon Lord, have you drunk too much?”
Shixin fixed her with an unwavering gaze, as if seeking confirmation. “You are Tianyu. No matter how your appearance may change, you are Tianyu.”
“I am not.”
Jinli denied it outright. Shixin didn’t approach her, only continued as if speaking to himself: “Are you still blaming me? Blaming me for casting the puppet spell on you, for making you kill Jingye?”
Indeed, he had used her, and she had come to a bitter end. Yet Jinli could not bring herself to hate him—whether as Tianyu or as her present self, she did not wish to resent anyone. If she were dissatisfied, she would act directly.
“If I were Tianyu, what would you do for me?”
Shixin looked up at her. “What do you want?”
“I want you to withdraw your troops. Will you?”
Ambition flickered in Shixin’s eyes before he replied, “But why not overthrow the Celestial Domain and rule the world with me?”
Jinli was surprised by his answer. He was no longer merely a demon lord entrenched in a remote corner, but a demon god revered by all spirits and demons, feared by all living things—a figure of misfortune, who could not possibly give up everything for a mere mortal.
Shixin slowly stepped away from her, retreating as he spoke: “Tianyu, you have returned, and that pleases me. But once I have crushed the Celestial Domain, you will be my one and only Tianyu.”
They drifted apart.
No matter who she was, she would never love him—neither three hundred years ago nor now.
Shixin’s greatest tragedy was believing he had found the deity who could save him from his nightmares—only to use her and force her to kill the one she loved most. He had hoped she would return to him, but watched her leap from Nightmire Peak before his very eyes. In her next life, he searched the underworld and the River of Forgetfulness, but found no trace of her. He built the Path of Sorrow, destroyed heaven and earth, and devoured the darkness to become a demon god. The demon realm was left without stars or flowers. In three centuries, he never set foot in the Qin Hall, for fear his tainted aura would defile the place she once lived.
Now, his deity had finally returned, but as she stood before him, he knew he could never turn back—never again.
Only when all is ended can it begin anew.
Heavenly tribulation blocks the way; neither death nor life endures.
When Jinli awoke, she did not know how much time had passed. Hearing her stir, a demon maid came to attend her. Jinli dismissed her and asked, “How many days have I slept?”
“My lady, you have been asleep for three days.”
“What of the battle?”
“My lord has breached the River of Souls and reached the Weakwater.”
Three centuries of recuperation had all led to this day. She rushed out of her chambers, but demon soldiers blocked her path. “Move aside!”
They remained silent. With a wave of her hand, she sent them flying, but more surrounded her. Jinli’s eyes glinted with a trace of murderous intent. “Move aside.”
A maid behind her cried out, “My lady! My lady! His Excellency asks you to wait three more days. In three days, he will break the Celestial Domain.”
“Nonsense!”
Jinli was surprised even at her own outburst. Wielding the Xuan Yin Sword, she broke through barrier after barrier. Suddenly, in the midst of dark mist, she and Shixin faced each other.
Clad in black armor, his expression grim, Shixin spoke. “You’re awake.”
“Withdraw your army.”
Otherwise, he would surely die in the coming battle.
“Tianyu, you know I cannot withdraw. I will never retreat. The world outside is lively right now—do you want to see?”
With a wave of his hand, a magical vision appeared: the celestial gates shattered one by one, the bones of immortals reduced to dust, their bodies disintegrating and drifting as immortal ash. The firmament collapsed, the divine altars were destroyed. The six realms were in utter turmoil. A great hole was torn in the sky, and all immortal dust was devoured by the Soul-Eater Array, feeding the demon god’s power.
Bloodlust radiated from him; greed burned in his crimson eyes. This was the demon god incarnate.
“I am not Tianyu!”
She roared, raising her sword to plunge it into Shixin’s heart. But she could not move; in an instant, he had devoured her soul.
“Tianyu, wait for me. Everything will begin anew. You and I will also have a new beginning.”
Shixin’s smile was chilling.
In his eyes, the mortals beneath his feet struggled in vain; he could crush them at will. Glaring at the sacred Celestial Domain, his gaze turned venomous.
He looked gently at the woman beside him. “Tianyu, those who hurt you will soon vanish. No one will ever dare harm you again.”
Jinli’s expression was numb.
At that moment, golden light shone from the Hall of Supreme Unity. A massive array sealed the vortex in the heavens, and the gods fought on, refusing to yield.
Jingye stood bloodied, gazing at the desolate earth.
Armed with a celestial weapon, he slew countless demon soldiers.
With the speed of light, he appeared before Shixin.
The two who had once known each other met again. There was amusement in Shixin’s eyes. “Jingye, you and I must settle this.”
“Shixin, you defy the order of the heavens and doom all beings. Your crimes demand death!”
Shixin replied lazily, tinged with impatience. “Your comrades cannot hold out. The Soul-Eater Array nears completion. The world will return to chaos; all will become nothing.”
Jingye knew the Hall of Supreme Unity could not withstand much longer. He and Shixin battled from the Celestial Domain to the mortal world. Where demon aura met divine light, it was impossible to tell life from death.
High above the Weakwater, Jingye summoned his primordial spirit, their magical weapons clashing. Shixin gave a wicked smile. “Did you think I am still the same demon lord as before?”
Jingye was startled. In a flash, Shixin appeared behind him, his hand piercing straight through Jingye’s chest, blood splattering, hair disheveled.
“It was like this, wasn’t it, when Tianyu pierced your body?”
Jingye was shocked.
“Tianyu did so much for you, gave her life willingly so you might live. And you? What of it if you are the Emperor of Nine Mysteries? Amid all the debate, you could not protect her. When the world was at stake, you did not choose her. When she suffered, where were you? When she was in mortal danger, where were you? You told her to wait—always to wait!”
Shixin’s words cut Jingye’s heart like a thousand blades.
Shixin raised his hand, and arrows rained from the sky—demon arrows falling like meteors, piercing the hearts of those Jingye wished to protect. Many fell, many wept amid thorns...
“See? You can protect nothing! You can only watch as they vanish, one by one, turning to dust. And you are left with endless grief!”
The gods in the Hall of Supreme Unity could hold no longer.
“Jingye! Wake up!”
Jingye hung his head, laughing bitterly, hopelessly. “Shixin, you are wrong. You will never understand what Tianyu truly wanted. Even if it costs me my life, today I will end you!”
“Neither death nor life.”
“All gods to the void.”
“Protect all living things.”
“Fall!”
Jingye pressed his palms together and turned. His primordial spirit radiated holy light. His comrades offered their golden bodies, joining the Demon-Sealing Ritual.
At that moment, a figure appeared in the black vortex above. She was cloaked in immortal radiance, floating in the air.
“All gods unite—Goddess offers herself in sacrifice.”
“Return!”
Shixin’s eyes filled with disbelief, helplessness, and panic. He muttered, “Tianyu, Tianyu, you must not. You must not.”
He flew at all speed for the Soul-Eater Array. The golden bodies of the gods returned to their places, everyone looked to the heavens.
The Phoenix Goddess offered her golden body and spirit.
She grasped the Xuan Yin Sword, her expression sorrowful, the divine mark on her brow carrying the hope of all living things.
The goddess falls; life arises.
Jingye heard Shixin calling Tianyu’s name, unable to believe it—shocked, his eyes reddening.
In a realm of chaos and void, two rays of light raced toward that small figure, trying to catch her.
Jinli looked upon the world through tears. “With my primordial spirit, I sacrifice myself for the Ritual, open the Demon-Sealing Array!”
The Xuan Yin Sword swept across Jinli’s neck. Blood poured into the Demon-Sealing Ritual.
Golden light blazed as the array activated. Countless swords struck toward Shixin. In an instant, before he could reach Jinli, massive chains wrapped him, dragging him to the bottom of the Weakwater. Holy light enveloped him, pulling him into darkness.
“Tianyu!”
In the end, he could not touch his goddess.
Golden light invaded his heart, his demon bones were torn out, agony beyond words wracked him, his screams echoed through the darkness.
He clutched the tearstone in his palm; it grew cold, then shattered.
“I am immortal. Here and now I swear, my six demons, bound by my blood—when the seal is broken, the six demons return, and together we walk the Path of Sorrow!”
He slowly closed his eyes and fell into slumber.
Golden light spread across the Weakwater; the black mist in the sky dispersed, and all beings were reborn.
Jingye gathered Jinli in his arms, tears streaming down his face. He pressed desperately against the wound on her neck, his voice choked with grief. “Tianyu, Tianyu, no... it wasn’t supposed to be like this... not like this...”
Jinli’s eyes fluttered open, exhaustion overwhelming her. The pain was immense, unbearable.
“...You big villain... I told you... I would never love you again...”
“Don’t... don’t ever leave me again...”
The mighty Emperor of Nine Mysteries, Lord of the Six Realms, now used all his strength to hold the woman he adored, sobbing uncontrollably, heedless of dignity or composure.
Despair, fury, and utter heartbreak exploded within him.
He could never hold on to her—no matter when or where, he could never keep her.
“...Jingye... I... am leaving... I’ve protected the world... and you... I’ve...” Protected you.
Her voice faltered and ceased. Jingye’s body stiffened, his eyes bloodshot as he watched her form slowly dissolve. He tried desperately to hold on, unwilling to let a single speck of immortal dust escape, but the harder he tried, the faster Jinli faded.
In the end, he watched her vanish in his arms, becoming nothing but immortal dust drifting on the wind.
He collapsed to the ground in agony, wracked with pain, crying her name over and over. Once again, why did Heaven have to break him anew?
Why!
He curled on the ground, cradling that trace of dust to his chest, as if holding her. This time, he shed no more anguished cries—only endless tears, tears mixed with blood.
His eyes were filled with despair; his face bore the mark of utter desolation.
She saved all creation—yet left him behind.