Chapter 172: The Affairs of That Year When I Knocked on the Gate

Suddenly, Xu Xing felt something stir within him.

It was the front-line battlefield—someone had invoked the power of 【Moon Shadow】! 【Moon Shadow】 was his life-bound sword; whoever summoned its power, he as its master would naturally sense it.

But under normal circumstances, would such a thing be necessary? That could only mean…

"Heaven, Xuan has moved in the starry void—what do you think caused it?" Xu Xing said.

"…"

Heaven fell silent.

Xu Xing would never lie to Him without cause—it made no sense.

Which means…

Xuan truly has moved in the starry void! What scenario could force Xuan to act?

This point need not be explained.

The plan has gone awry.

"The Dao of Heaven is ever-changing. I am too deeply entangled with the Cang Clan; thus, even though I am born of Hun Tian Yi's manifestation, I am still bound by Heaven's Dao."

Hun Tian Yi was extracted and sealed by the human immortals, so under the current rules of Heaven's Dao, His existence as Hun Tian Yi's avatar is no different from the countless living beings of the Xuan Realm.

"Don't blame everything on Heaven's Dao. Was the Cang Clan's ancient defeat not their own doing?" Xiang Yuanjun said slowly.

"…" Heaven fell silent again for a moment. "Xu Xing, Xiang Yuanjun—for the sake of humanity and yourselves, you two must seriously consider My proposal."

Just as the Cang cannot perish, neither can Xuan.

As long as Hun Tian Yi has not been fully worn away, He too is immortal.

And for humanity to completely wear down Hun Tian Yi is no task of a day or a night—so He is not truly worried.

Xu Xing: "…"

Talking to a fool is exhausting.

He raised his hand slightly, and a crimson longsword appeared in his palm.

Crimson radiance, like a waterfall, instantly filled the small space formed from his heart-qi, resembling a celestial paradise.

The colorful light in the slender figure's eyes was immediately suppressed by this crimson glow.

'Heaven' became 'Friend Friend Friend Meng Xuan' again.

Seeing this, Xiang Yuanjun quietly exhaled in relief.

Friend Friend Friend Meng Xuan's eyes, now restored to her true self, held confusion—but when she saw the two before her, a fierce hatred flashed through them.

"Master Jianzu—!"

Yet that fierce hatred vanished instantly, replaced by bewilderment.

Hatred and bewilderment flickered endlessly in her eyes, and her state grew increasingly bizarre.

Beneath her skin, something began to writhe incessantly—as if a terrifying entity were trapped within her exquisite, perfect flesh, struggling to break free.

Under her relentless struggle, Bai Xi's tight, smooth skin stretched like rubber, and Friend Friend Friend Meng Xuan's form began to swell grotesquely, as if an inflated balloon being forced open from within.

Xu Xing and Xiang Yuanjun exchanged a glance and stepped back simultaneously.

In an instant, her swelling form shattered the elegant pavilion.

The ruins of the collapsed pavilion dissolved into strands of colorful threads—varying in hue and thickness—that drifted away and vanished.

Among the countless rising, drifting threads stood a monstrous creature, several meters tall, covered in countless spines, with seven purple tentacles and three massive heads.

Its body bore patterns of all colors—some faint, some deep, some large, some small.

The drifting colorful threads had been corrupted into writhing, worm-like creatures, hissing softly, forming a cryptic, incomprehensible yet irresistibly alluring poem that ensnared the mind.

She resembled a demon god—where was the grace she once had?

The once-exquisite, perfect flesh had stretched into a semi-transparent membrane, yet showed no sign of rupture.

Through the semi-transparent membrane, her crimson eyes stared down at the two below, filled with complex, indescribable emotion.

Until now, most of the time, it had been Heaven's will intertwined with hers—this was pure her.

"Master Jianzu… Xiang Yuanjun…"

Her voice was no longer cold and detached, nor did it carry the fierce hatred of before.

Xu Xing and Xiang Yuanjun looked at her, their expressions equally complex.

The Immortal Path is perilous; if one fails to breach the gate, the cultivator suffers backlash—and the nature of that backlash depends entirely on the cultivator's inner state at the time.

Those like Sister Ji, who suffered great cultivation loss, were relatively lucky—the worst cases ended in immediate death.

But as for Friend Friend Friend Meng Xuan before us—transformed into this grotesque, terrifying monster—it was not merely her inner state, but also Gu's interference at work.

"Friend Friend Friend Meng Xuan, fellow cultivator…"

"I intended to lure her into the trap, but was instead controlled by her," Friend Friend Friend Meng Xuan said without preamble, calmly recounting her past experiences.

Back then, after failing to breach the Immortal Gate, she suffered a violent backlash.

But just as she awaited her Dao's collapse, Gu came to her.

He plainly stated his intent: to use her failed Immortal Gate breach as a catalyst, to use her as a vessel, to welcome 'Heaven' back.

All she had to do was preserve her true heart; when signs of Heaven's revival appeared on her, if she resolved to die, she might deal a grievous blow to 'Heaven.'

So she agreed.

Gu Feng died by Heaven's hand—how could she not hate?

"Now I realize: he took advantage of my shattered inner state after failing the Immortal Gate, using illusions from my past to stir the hatred I bore toward Heaven."

Otherwise, she could never have accepted such an absurd condition.

From then on, everything spiraled beyond redemption.

Her true heart was crushed beneath suppression—she had no strength to resist.

Heaven, too, used the power of her Immortal Gate breach as nourishment, absorbing the essences of the other three Cave-Realms, and began slowly reviving.

During this time, her true heart was continuously eroded, and hatred toward the Master Jianzu gradually rose within her.

In the end, out of desperation, she divided her true heart into two parts, but under Heaven's methods, the stronger inner part was suppressed.

The weaker part attached itself to the physical form, cold and heartless, and harbored intense hatred toward the Master Jianzu.

"... Sorry."

Xu Xing shook his head: "This is not your fault."

Even without Friend Friend Friend Meng Xuan, Gu would have sought out other failed aspirants.

Who among those who came from that era does not harbor intense hatred toward the Cang Clan?

…………

The stars, the front-line battlefield.

Xuan fought one against two, yet despite the two human Immortals joining forces, he still firmly suppressed them.

Five spectral shadows—the bronze mirror, the alchemical cauldron, the giant hammer, the silk threads, and the ancient zither—restrained his residual power, as red light and purple qi continuously clashed.

Countless palaces, grand halls, and interstellar fortresses seized this opportunity to retreat backward.

Xuan's expression was indifferent; he did not pursue them.

The far side of the starry void where the Cang Clan hid was built beyond the reach of the collective power of the human Immortals.

Further ahead, even though the human Immortals could not leave the Central Continent, their power had already reached that point.

Even if he were as confident as he was, he would never be so arrogant as to face a siege by all the human True Immortals.

"Xuan!"

The white-haired human Immortal, fearless and relentless, straightened his hunched frame, his white hair streaming, launching his assault in a posture with virtually no defense.

His immortal body was shattered repeatedly by Him, yet he kept charging forward without pause.

The shadowy human Immortal chuckled "Jie-jie-jie!" as he hid behind the white-haired Immortal, striking unexpectedly from time to time.

It's time to go.

Xuan thought to himself.

With these two Immortals here, he could hardly send another essence to the Central Continent.

In the very instant he conceived the thought to retreat!

Zong!!! A clear, resonant sword cry rang out, echoing in all directions—the red light colliding with the purple qi retracted entirely.

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(Chapter end)