As he wiped his sword, he chuckled and sighed, "Parents in the mortal realm all say they hope their sons will become dragons and their daughters will become phoenixes. My disciples can be considered to have both dragons and phoenixes..."
As soon as he finished speaking, a deafening bell rang out from the top of the tower.
Qu Fuyi's smile vanished, and she gripped her sword, charging to the top of the tower. Someone was attempting to break into the tower; the bells were sounding an alarm.
Within the array bathed in golden light, the Buddhist artifact, the Pestle, was placed. Those attempting to break through the tower stood before the array, trying to seize the Pestle.
Qu Fuyi flew up behind the man, pointed her sword at the back of his neck, and said, "Anyone who trespasses into the Floating Pagoda and steals the Buddha-killing pestle shall be killed without mercy."
Upon hearing this, the person slowly turned their head, and Qu Fuyi was taken aback. "It's you."
Qu Surou carried the food box she had made herself and headed towards the Pagoda. On her way, she saw the Pagoda ablaze with fire in the distance, and divine soldiers and celestial generals rushing toward the Pagoda.
Qu Surou pulled over a celestial general and asked, "What happened?"
"Reporting to the fairy, the demon race and the monster race have joined forces to launch a night attack on our celestial realm and steal the Buddha-Slaying Pestle! The Floating Pagoda has now fallen!"
Qu Surou's heart skipped a beat. "How is my master now... how is the immortal lord guarding the tower?!"
"I don't know either... According to my comrades at the front, the immortal lord guarding the tower fought against both the demon and monster races single-handedly, and I'm afraid he's already..."
The food box fell to the ground, and Qu Surou flew up into the clouds and headed straight for the Pagoda.
Divine soldiers and immortal generals clashed with demons and monsters, the sounds of weapons clashing and screams of pain filling the air, and blood splattered all around the pagoda.
Qu Surou desperately searched for the figure she was looking for in the sky, but the scene was chaotic and she couldn't find it at all.
The gates of the pagoda swung open, and countless demon generals and soldiers poured in. The Buddhist light surrounding the pagoda dimmed, and the sound of the bell to warn people grew weaker with each strike.
The doors and windows at the top of the tower were violently shaken open, and the resulting strong wind forced Qu Surou to retreat. Dust filled the sky, and she saw Qu Fuyi's figure confronting another person at the top of the tower.
She flew over quickly and got a clearer view of Qu Fuyi's figure. She saw that Qu Fuyi's hair was disheveled, her clothes were stained with blood, and the sword in her hand was broken in two. Yet she still refused to retreat an inch, stubbornly protecting the Buddha-Slaying Pestle behind her from being taken away.
Qu Surou suddenly felt a bad premonition.
Suddenly, the person confronting Qu Fuyi summoned a sword and condensed a sword array. Within the sword array, thousands of flying swords were born, each wrapped with a chilling killing intent and bursting out with a dangerous black light, attacking Qu Fuyi at the same time!
Qu Surou slipped and nearly fell off the cloud. "No—"
Qu Fuyi heard the voice and met Qu Surou's eyes through the murderous sword formation. Qu Surou opened her mouth to speak, to tell him to escape, to tell him to escape quickly, but when the words reached her lips, she felt her throat was choked with sobs and she couldn't utter a single sound.
Qu Fuyi smiled gently at her, and countless flying swords pierced through Qu Fuyi's body. His body was like a lifeless shell, collapsing helplessly to the side.
Qu Surou's pupils constricted. She picked up her sword and slashed at the enemy's back. The enemy dodged to the side, easily avoiding her attack. She did not pursue him further. Instead, she stumbled to Qu Fuyi's side and saw that his body was riddled with countless bloody holes from the sword. There was not a single intact spot. Blood gushed out of his wounds continuously, as if trying to drain all the blood from his body.
Qu Surou was stunned. She reached out to pick up Qu Fuyi, but she was afraid that touching him would hurt him. She stood there, not knowing what to do.
Qu Fuyi's eyes slowly focused on the void. His vision was blurry, and he could only vaguely make out the figure of a woman, whose outline was indistinct yet familiar.
He moved his fingers and slowly reached them toward the woman.
Qu Surou knelt down with a thud, hugged Qu Fuyi in her arms, and cried out in anguish, "Master...no...no..."
A warm drop of water landed between Qu Fuyi's eyebrows, and it took him a long time to realize that it was a tear.
Qu Fuyi wanted to wipe away her tears, but he couldn't even lift his hand. He struggled to open his lips, and blood from his shattered internal organs flowed from his mouth, "Rou...er...don't cry..."
"Don't... seek revenge..."
Qu Fuyi's eyelids closed heavily, and her blood-stained hand fell limply to the ground, where she remained motionless.
Qu Surou clung tightly to Qu Fuyi's body, feeling the warmth draining from his body bit by bit, his blood congealing and drying. Her eyes widened in fury as she stared at the culprit, her whole body trembling, "Huan Changming..."
The sword in her hand suddenly flew out and attacked Huan Changming. Huan Changming dodged backward and retreated into the air. A breeze blew away the bloody smell in the air and came towards him. He looked back and saw Lu Pianpian riding the clouds.
Lu Pianpian looked at Huan Changming, and their eyes met in mid-air. Huan Changming suddenly turned around, left the Pagoda, and quickly disappeared into the crowd.
Lu Pianpian had been staying in the Underworld for the past few days, patiently trying to persuade the Underworld King to find out another way to convert Huan Changming. Suddenly hearing about the great changes at the Pagoda, she rushed over.
He descended from the clouds to the top of the tower and saw his senior sister with tears streaming down her face, holding a person whose face was covered in blood and obscured. He stopped in his tracks.
Qu Surou cried until her eyes were red and swollen. "It was Huan Changming... He led the troops to invade, he killed Master!"
Lu Pianpian didn't say anything. She walked to Qu Fuyi's body, squatted down, checked his pulse, then his breath, and finally, still not giving up, checked his neck. He was completely still.
Only the dead would do this.
"Do you still have feelings for Huan Changming? Are you still unwilling to believe me because of him?!" Qu Surou shouted at him hoarsely, "Of the three of us, only you have learned that sword formation! You gave your spiritual bone to Huan Changming, and he used your moves to deal with Master!"
"Lu Pianpian! You'd rather believe that treacherous ingrate than believe me?"
"I saw him kill my master with his sword formation! He took my master's life!"
Qu Fuyi's left hand, which lay on the ground, remained clenched into a fist, as if holding onto something, refusing to let go even in death.
Lu Pianpian gently grasped Qu Fuyi's cold hand, pried open Qu Fuyi's fingers one by one, revealing what was lying in his palm.
Those were a pair of earrings.
The black jade, shaped like a teardrop, seemed to be quite old, now somewhat dull from being stained with blood.
These are earrings that Lu Pianpian once carved by hand and gave to Huan Changming, carrying her wishes that Huan Changming would be healthy and happy, repair his spiritual bones as soon as possible, draw qi into his body, and embark on the path of immortality.
Lu Pianpian's eyelashes fluttered as she picked up the pair of black jade earrings and held them in her palm. She said in a deep voice, "I believe you."
Jun Tian rushed over and, seeing the horrific scene inside the tower, urgently asked, "Who killed Master?"
Qu Surou cried out, "It's Huan Changming!"
Jun Tian summoned his weapon, his voice as cold as ice: "This time, I will kill him with my own hands."
"No need."
Lu Pianpian walked towards the Buddha-Slaying Pestle, which was sealed by the array. Buddhist light and seals passed over him, but did not hinder him in the slightest. He entered the eye of the array unharmed, picked up the Buddha-Slaying Pestle, and in an instant, sand and stones flew and golden light filled the air.
Lu Pianpian picked up the Buddha-slaying pestle, "I'll do it."
After he finished speaking, he leaped down from the pagoda on a cloud. Suddenly, Langxu rushed out from the crowd and blocked his way, saying, "Hand over the Buddha-slaying pestle."
Jun Tian Shenjun arrived with his sword, blocking Lang Xu for Lu Pianpian. "Senior brother, you go first."
Lu Pianpian crossed Langxu, and Juntian clashed with Langxu.
Langxu revealed his demonic form, and the dragon circled Juntian, releasing lightning. Juntian carried a sword in one hand, and suddenly a strong wind arose all around, turning the vast starry sky into dense thunderclouds. Countless bolts of purple lightning struck the dragon's body. The dragon, being so large, had nowhere to hide and was struck so many times that it fell heavily from the sky and crashed to the ground.
Huan Changming, covered in blood, made his way through the crowd and saw Juntian about to sever the dragon's head from Langxu with his sword. He quickly flew over, summoned his sword, and confronted Juntian.
Jun Tian glanced at him and once again unleashed the Purple Lightning to strike Huan Changming. Huan Changming sheathed the Purple Lightning with his sword, the blade instantly covered in lightning, turning into a chilling purple light. He attacked Jun Tian with his sword carrying the lightning, but Jun Tian closed in, his blade clashing with Huan Changming's, creating dazzling sparks.
The floor beneath their feet shattered, and the power of the blades and swords was about to exceed their limits. Huan Changming and Juntian simultaneously sheathed their blades. Juntian was thrown back by the strong wind and fell to the ground. He clutched his chest, sat up, and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
Huan Changming frowned and approached Juntian, about to speak, when he saw Juntian calling out from behind him, "Senior Brother..."
Suddenly, a golden Buddhist light surged up behind Huan Changming. He turned around abruptly and saw Lu Pianpian holding the Buddha-Slaying Pestle high. The next moment, she used the Buddha-Slaying Pestle to pierce through his heart.
The bell of the pagoda shattered instantly, the lingering sound still murmuring in the air. The Buddha-slaying seal added to the Buddha-slaying pestle shattered Huan Changming's heart, destroying the seal he had hidden in his chest along with it. His spiritual bones shattered, and a pair of golden wings flew out from within.
The wings, which had been trapped in Huan Changming's chest for two hundred years, regained their freedom, their luster as good as new, shimmering with golden light, and they couldn't wait to return to their master's side.
Lu Pianpian's back, which had been severed by the bone, was now covered with new flesh. Her wings were back in place, ready to take flight, and the breeze she stirred up carried pale golden phosphorescence.
Huan Changming felt as if his internal organs were shattered. He stared at Lu Pianpian with a look that was both amused and tearful, and said in a hoarse voice, "You won't even give me a chance to explain..."
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt the Buddha-slaying pestle stuck in his heart move forward an inch more forcefully.
Lu Pianpian's eyes remained calm as she said in a low voice, "No need."
A note from the author:
Update 2 later
Chapter 65
The sacred pestle used to kill the Buddha was stained with the blood of the Buddha's disciple; the Buddha's seal faded, and the Buddha's light dimmed.
Lu Pianpian withdrew the Buddha-slaying pestle, her expression indifferent.
Huan Changming collapsed weakly into Lu Pianpian's arms.
Huan Changming's blood stained Lu Pianpian's snow-white clothes, and his bewitching and lively blue eyes were covered with a hazy mist, losing focus and becoming lifeless.
But he stubbornly kept his eyes open, and it was unclear who he was looking at.
The next moment, his figure slowly became transparent, turning into dust. A gentle breeze blew the dust away cleanly.
The dragon suddenly rose from the ground and roared deafeningly. The divine soldiers and celestial generals could not stop it and were torn to pieces one after another.
The blade in Juntian's hand flew out, mercilessly severing the dragon's head. The dragon died with its eyes wide open, staring intently at Juntian, "You..."
Jun Tian got up from the ground and walked towards Lu Pianpian.
The Buddha-slaying pestle in Lu Pianpian's hand clattered to the ground. He calmly looked at his junior brother who was walking towards him and said, "I have avenged our master."
Jun Tian responded, "Mm."
He watched as his senior brother's black hair turned white in an instant, his clear and bright eyes were covered in blood red, and a black and red butterfly grew between his brows, its appearance lifelike, as if it had fallen into the abyss of the earth and could no longer take flight, forced to be tainted with a turbid and gloomy aura.
"Senior brother," Juntian called softly, "you've fallen into demonic possession."
Lu Pianpian raised her hand, stained with Huan Changming's blood, to her eyes and whispered, "I've fallen into demonic possession..."
Jun Tian grasped his blood-stained hand, "Senior brother, you still have me."
"I will plead your case with the Heavenly Emperor. You did not willingly fall into demonic ways. I will restore you to your position as a divine child."
Lu Pianpian wanted to nod, but she felt as if all her strength had been drained away and she fainted.
The demon and monster races launched a night attack on the celestial realm, destroying the Floating Pagoda. The guardian immortal Qu Fuyi single-handedly fought against the Demon Lord and protected the Buddha-slaying pestle, ultimately dying and her soul being annihilated.
The divine son, Shao Yan, arrived shortly afterward, took out the Buddha-slaying pestle, and killed the Demon Lord amidst the chaos of war, restoring order and protecting the Heavenly Realm. However, he also fell into demonic possession and lost his divine status because of killing the Demon Lord.
This story was recorded in the annals of the heavens.
The Heavenly Lord Juntian reported all the details of what happened at the Floating Pagoda to the Heavenly Emperor. “The Immortal Envoy Qu Fuyi, who guards the pagoda, has rendered meritorious service and should be posthumously honored. The Divine Son Shaoyan, who rectified the chaos, should be rewarded even more.”
The Heavenly Emperor sat solemnly on his high throne, saying, "The Tower Guardian Immortal Envoy should naturally be posthumously honored, but the Divine Son, Shao Yan, has lost his divine status and cannot be rewarded with divine office..."
The fact that a divine child has fallen into demonic possession is a horrifying thing. If this matter were to spread, the prestige of the heavenly realm would surely be damaged. How would we then convince the people?
Moreover, Lu Pianpian did not kill an ordinary demon general, but a reincarnated Buddha. The Buddhas of the Western Paradise will soon come to punish her.
"While the Heavenly Emperor prioritizes the greater good, I cannot agree." Jun Tian straightened his back and said, no longer bowing. "It is fine if the Heavenly Emperor is unwilling to reward the Divine Child. Now that the Divine Child has fallen into demonic possession, allow me to ask, how does the Heavenly Emperor intend to deal with the Divine Child?"
The Heavenly Emperor remained silent for a moment, then sighed and said, "The Heavenly Realm is the place where gods and Buddhas reside. Since he has fallen into demonic ways, he can no longer reside here."