Chapter 359: The Final Farewell

【You act on behalf of Heaven, spreading the will to crusade against Darkness throughout Jing Tu.】

【The other eight Guardians have all returned, and the auras on their bodies have undergone earth-shattering changes.】

【They too stepped into the Immortal Realm at this moment.】

【This is their final battle, burning their lives.】

【It proves the words they spoke back then—they are remnants of an old era, and should have perished with that era long ago.】

【So at this moment, they wear smiles on their faces.】

【As if about to find release, going generously to their deaths.】

【You can sense that after you conveyed your will, the councils of elders began issuing orders down the chain of command.】

【Countless cultivators stand ready, prepared for battle.】

【All members of the Darkness Annihilation squads are ready; even a few cowards who hide away do not affect anything.】

【One cannot deny all light because of a little Darkness.】

【Just then, Rumeng suddenly asks you, "Are you going to say goodbye to Lü Ya?"】

【Your expression turns bitter.】

【That girl is still waiting alone in hardship, perhaps like the countless Mortals of Jing Tu World, still unaware of what is about to happen to this heaven and earth.】

【Say goodbye to her?】

【She would probably cry and fuss, insisting on going with you.】

【Even though she seems timid, when it comes to matters concerning you, she always behaves differently from usual.】

【"Never mind."】

【You shake your head. "If I can still come back, we'll pretend nothing happened. If we lose, everything turns to ash and Shi Jie ceases to exist—nothing I say will mean anything."】

【Failing to crusade against An Ying Zhu means the entire Living World is destined to be devoured; there will not be a second outcome.】

【Lin Rumeng said, "Isn't this a bit unfair to her? Perhaps she would want to know."】

【"Leaving without a word, she won't even be able to see you before she dies—she would have so many regrets."】

【"Many regrets can never be made right again."】

【"Perhaps if we lose, in the moment before your death, you too will desperately want to see her, to see a certain person—and you too would feel unwilling to accept it, wouldn't you?"】

【Lin Rumeng's words, every single one, struck right into your heart.】

【If you lose? Not being able to see her even once before death—how regrettable that would be.】

【They say Immortals have thin affections, but you genuinely care for that little girl, and subconsciously don't want her to worry.】

【"You're right. I should go and say goodbye to her."】

【You ultimately decide to go find Lü Ya.】

【Lin Rumeng smiled. "Go. Don't leave any more regrets."】

【As she said this, her eyes were red, tears swirling in them continuously. She seemed very sad, yet you didn't understand her sadness.】

【Perhaps in her world, she too had experienced many, many regrets.】

【Perhaps she too had someone she wanted to say goodbye to, but was unable to see them one last time.】

【You turn and leave.】

【Arriving at the Tenth Jing Tu Samsara World, atop the central lotus in the Sea of Reincarnation, a girl in a green dress was leaning against the railing, her eyes gazing at the sky, motionless as a stone.】

【Only when you drew close did her pupils slowly widen.】

【Only when she could see clearly did a smile appear on her face, and she leapt up abruptly—only to trip and fall to the ground.】

【It was hard for you to imagine that such a clumsy, ordinary girl could serve as the core existence that stabilizes the Samsara World.】

【"Young Master! I'm here!!"】

【She waved at you, dancing with joy.】

【Going to ascend the Immortal Gate this time, many years had passed—for a cultivator, a very brief span of time.】

【But for Lü Ya, it was very, very long.】

【Seeing her like this, you couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.】

【"I just emerged from seclusion after a breakthrough, and I'll be heading out again in a few days, so I came to keep you company. Is it very boring being here all alone?" Your tone had grown much gentler.】

【"A little boring."】

【Lü Ya smiled. "But it's fine, I've gotten used to it. Just knowing you remember me, Young Master, makes me very happy."】

【"For cultivators, cultivation is of course the most important thing."】

【"Young Master, I heard that when cultivators are cultivating, they absolutely must not get distracted. You can't let worrying about me cause any mishaps."】

【"Cultivation errors, qi deviation, even sudden death on the spot—they say it's all very frightening. You mustn't let that happen, Young Master."】

【"If something happened to you, what would I do?"】

【Every time you saw Lü Ya, she could talk and talk; you'd say one sentence and she'd say many. Perhaps from not seeing you for so long, she had too many words pent up inside.】

【She said so much, yet every single sentence was about you.】

【Her own affairs, what her life had been like during this time—she didn't mention a word.】

【She only said she wanted to cook for you and wash your clothes, saying she didn't understand the world of cultivators and could only do these simplest things.】

【Your heart ached for her.】

【If you hadn't come back this time, she would have held on to all these little ramblings, and when the final departure came, how sorrowful she would have been.】

【You're glad you came back—at least at this moment.】

【Over the next few days, you cooked together, cleaned the courtyard together, watched the scenery together, and slept together.】

【Every ordinary little thing made you feel very warm.】

【Your heart, which had been unable to find peace because of the impending crusade against An Ying Zhu, also found solace in these ordinary days.】

With a childlike heart, perceiving the source of all things, before meeting Lü Ya it was always you who sensed others' suffering, always you who bore others' emotions.

It was always you who spoke of redemption, you voluntarily shouldered many burdens, had lofty ideals, and everyone thought your progress was taken for granted.

Even you yourself are the same.

You feel that all of this is what you ought to do.

Until you met Lü Ya, this girl so pure that she harbors no malicious thought, who gave you no suffering, only concern for you.

And you owe her the most, not knowing how to make amends.

Perhaps defeating An Ying Zhu, returning to her side, allowing her to be safe and together with you, is the best compensation.

You tell yourself you must achieve it.

Soon the moment of parting arrives again; only at this moment, seeing her deeply reluctant expression and her reddened eyes, you realize you shouldn't have returned.

"Young master, don't worry about me; on the Path of Cultivation be careful, I will be obedient and wait here for you to return."

Her voice is tinged with sobbing.

You hold her, speak some heartfelt words to her, and in the end only one sentence remains.

"Wait for my return."

You are already an Immortal, yet at this moment you pray in your heart, hoping to safely return here and then return to her side.