Chapter 35: The Long Road Ahead

Pei Er—Andrea—Awenxi's Tomb.

A woman as radiant as a flower, as free as the wind.

Luo Shan poured magical power into his fingertips and, with great effort, carved these two lines on the blue stone slab with his fingers; although magical power supported it, his fingers were still flesh and blood, and thus were drenched in fresh blood. Yet, despite this agonizing pain that seemed to pierce his very heart, Luo Shan appeared completely oblivious.

In his heart he felt only immense sorrow and silence; that woman whose smile was brighter than anything had departed just like that. To protect him she gave her life, yet all he could give her was this cold tombstone.

"Pei Er." Luo Shan gazed into the distance and sighed softly.

"Are you there, perhaps happier than you were in this mortal world?"

But at that moment, he suddenly sensed a surge of overwhelming magical power, suddenly swirling in the air around him. It was a peerless master; instinctively Luo Shan drew his longsword and rose, yet what met his eyes was a sorrowful, aged face.

"Kid, what's wrong with Pei Er?"

"She... is gone." Recognizing that the person before him was Pei Er's biological father Ba Fa Li Ya, Luo Shan lowered his head. "I'm sorry, I failed to take care of her."

"What do you mean 'gone'?" Ba Fa Li Ya suddenly roared with fury, his hands gripping Luo Shan's collar. "Pei Er cannot die; she is my daughter, Ba Fa Li Ya's daughter. How could she just die like that?" "Uncle Ba Fa Li Ya, whether you accept it or not, Pei Er is already gone," Luo Shan said, expressionless, looking at him. "Losing Pei Er makes me just as heartbroken as you; that is not any less for me. The fact remains that Pei Er died because of me. If you wish to kill me in revenge, then come. I will not strike back."

"Fine, since you caused Pei Er's death, I will kill you in return!" Ba Fa Li Ya roared, a white bolt of lightning already forming in his right palm. With a long howl, the lightning surged toward Luo Shan's chest at a speed faster than the ear could catch, striking precisely at his heart. Luo Shan let out a muted groan, his body swaying as he staggered back several steps, his protective barrier wavering. Though Ba Fa Li Ya's furious strike was not at full strength, his emperor‑level power made it formidable. Luo Shan offered no defense and took the blow outright; Ba Fa Li Ya's magic coursed through his body, scattering his internal qi. It did not prove fatal, but left Luo Shan gravely wounded. "You..." Ba Fa Li Ya seemed stunned. "Why didn't you fight back?" "Pei Er's last concern while she lived was that I not harm her father," Luo Shan wiped the blood from his mouth, smiling wryly. "Given that, how could I strike you?"

"Truly, this is beyond foolish!" Ba Fa Li Ya stared at the youth before him for a long while, then ceased his attack, spat onto the ground, and stamped hard several times. "Pei Er died for you; that truly was not worth it."

"You're right," Luo Shan said gloomily. "I never deserved Pei Er's repeated rescues. I should have died that day in the Linquan River."

"If it weren't for meeting me, Pei Er wouldn't have been drawn into all these conflicts. She could have continued her simple, peaceful life. Combat was never suited to her."

"But she still chose this path," Ba Fa Li Ya suddenly sighed, his tone suddenly calm. "Kid, your life was bought with my daughter's blood; killing you is not Pei Er's wish. Leave, the farther you go the better. Live well, and do not get entangled again in the disputes with the Spiritual God Temple."

"No."

Yet Luo Shan shook his head resolutely.

"As long as I have a breath left, I vow to battle the Spiritual God Temple to the end; if I cannot rescue my parents, how can I face the world alive?"

"If you insist on opposing the Spiritual God Temple, then you will have to step over my corpse," Ba Fa Li Ya said lightly. "I am one of the sub‑hall masters of the Seven Halls of the Spiritual God, bound to fight to protect the main hall. You are currently the Spiritual God Temple's top wanted target; letting you go now is already a dereliction, yet it is within my discretion. However, if you breach Cold Mountain, becoming my enemy becomes my duty. Then, either you die or I perish."

"Whatever the outcome, Pei Er would not wish to see it, would she?"

"Uncle Ba Fa Li Ya, what exactly has the Spiritual God Temple given you that makes you willingly give your life for them?" Luo Shan frowned. "Regardless, when I am strong enough, Cold Mountain must be dealt with; I will do anything to rescue my parents. If then you still choose to oppose me, I will have no choice but to fight you."

"So, Pei Er's dying words mean nothing to you, right?" Ba Fa Li Ya sneered.

"On the contrary," Luo Shan said proudly. "If that day comes when I rescue my parents, I will indeed slit my throat in gratitude."

Ba Fa Li Ya stared at him, only sneering without speaking; both fell into silence.

Luo Shan glanced at Pei Er's tombstone, and his heart ached again.

Pei Er, perhaps I truly am about to break the promise I made to you. Yet I am not in control of my own body; you should understand.

When all this ends, I will keep this promise and slit my throat in gratitude. Then, in another world, perhaps I can fulfill your wish, accompanying you forever.

But as he thought of this, the figure of another white‑clothed girl suddenly intruded into his mind, causing a slight pain in his heart. Qin Yan... if he were to abandon the world, wouldn't that also mean giving up the hope of being with her?

If so, that kind of suffering would be unbearable.

"I, Luo Shan, keep my word. Uncle Ba Fa Li Ya, you may leave now. When the day of a true showdown arrives, I hope neither side will hold back."

Finally, Luo Shan let out a slight sigh in his heart, enduring the swirling blood‑qi within, turned around, exposing his back to Ba Fa Li Ya. "Very well, for Pei Er's sake, you may go," Ba Fa Li Ya said, turning his gaze toward the distant sky. "If I can survive the duel with Viscount Luo Fu Gu De, then I shall settle a life‑or‑death battle with you."

Luo Shan silently nodded. At that moment, a white figure suddenly appeared on the opposite riverbank. Luo Shan's body jolted, and he instantly activated the Wind‑Riding Technique, no longer caring about Ba Fa Li Ya behind him, soaring over the river. He could no longer restrain the excitement and bitterness in his heart. "Qin Yan..." his voice choked, a swirl of emotions welling up inside.

"You... are you here looking for me?"

"Luo Shan!" The girl's eyes welled up as she suddenly saw the youth soaring on the wind. "Luo Shan... I'm sorry... I didn't know... I really didn't know..."

"I know, I know you wouldn't harm me," Luo Shan held the girl tightly, at a loss for words. Though he had endured the unbearable betrayal of Viscount Luo Fu Gu De, he bore no blame toward Qin Yan whatsoever. In the end, his entanglement in the net was because of her. "How did you come here, Uncle... could your father really allow this?" A bad premonition rose in his heart at the same moment. "Father..." Qin Yan's eyes reddened. "I know how your father treated you, I'm sorry... Father wasn't always like this. I don't know why he became this way..."

"That day, I waited until my father's spell on me wore off, and barely managed to slip out of the room. I happened to see him fighting someone. My father was formidable; the opponent fled, and my father gave chase. I missed you, and while my father was away, I ran out. I walked for two whole days without food, exhausted, and could barely go further when I reached here. Seeing a river ahead, I thought to rest by its bank and drink water before moving on, and then you appeared. Luo Shan, I truly didn't know my father had set a trap for you. Otherwise, even if I risked my life, I would have told you how to escape."

"Qin Yan, stop talking, I already know," Luo Shan closed his eyes, recalling Viscount Luo Fu Gu De's deep scheming and betrayal, and thinking of Pei Er, his heart truly felt like being cut by a knife. "You must be tired; I'll take you to a house to rest, and also introduce you to someone."

"Okay." Qin Yan, having trekked for two days nonstop, was now utterly exhausted, lying in Luo Shan's arms, feeling the youth's warmth, and feeling immense peace. Yet Luo Shan's thoughts were on the lively blonde girl, whose body grew cold in his arms, and her increasingly faint murmurs. After all he had endured, no kind of tenderness could move his heart any more.

Being with Qin Yan, living a steady life together, was once the only thing he yearned for. Yet after all that has happened, how could he allow himself to crave tenderness, to forget the many responsibilities and grudges of the past in peace?

Although a tranquil life might be what Pei Er hoped he could have, perhaps she sacrificed her own life only for his simple, peaceful happiness. Yet, no matter how Pei Er thinks, he can never permit himself to simply stay that way.

The greater the power, the greater the responsibility. Since Xiao Yushan dissolved into mist, an immeasurable burden has rested on his shoulders. This weight cannot be lifted unless he breaks through the Spiritual God Temple, rescues his parents, and also Xiao Tian, Xiao Yushan's brother who has been captured for decades. Otherwise, the weight will forever press on his heart and crush his life.

However, to fulfill this mission he may have to pay with his life. Even a single Bright Light might be beyond his ability to counter, let alone the Seven Halls of the Spiritual God, whose hall masters, though now gradually waning, still have five or six fully capable warriors. Moreover, Luo Shan's former sole ally, Luo Fu Gu De Villa, has become an enemy due to Viscount Luo Fu Gu De's own ambitions. He now finds himself caught between these two overwhelmingly powerful sides, each far stronger than him, yet he must oppose both simultaneously.

It is a battle he knows he cannot win, yet he has no choice but to fight.

As for the future, as for prospects... at this moment Luo Shan cannot contemplate that much.

Qin Yan... Qin Yan...

This white‑clothed girl appeared precisely when Luo Shan fell into darkness, and again when he was about to face his final showdown, re‑entering his life. At the moment he had resolved to stake everything on a single battle, she brought tenderness and serenity. These two utterly opposite lives clash, even a matter of life and death: one is an unavoidable responsibility and destiny, the other a cherished happy ending of this life. The two met at the same instant, leaving Luo Shan momentarily bewildered. Yet the path of combat cannot be altered; on his shoulders rests the weight of so many lives, and Luo Shan cannot selfishly choose to flee now, opting for a beautiful but irresponsible seclusion.

The wind brushed his ears, a faint, biting chill. Luo Shan stared at the smiling, sleeping white‑clothed girl in his arms, his heart feeling like it was being cut.

Why, why must I hear of you and see your flower‑like smile and moving figure precisely when I have already resolved to fight a do‑or‑die battle? All this should have been a scene that gradually surfaced in my mind after the great war, when the aftermath of the calamity lingered—though the soul then might already be fragmented, the life perhaps nearing its end, at least it could give me a beautiful illusion, drifting slowly toward the finish while intoxicated. Not now, when nothing has even begun, the ending shrouded in dark foreboding, yet that person appears, pushing the once‑unbreakable faith to the brink of collapse. No, it will not collapse, because another woman's life acts as a binder, making this belief as solid as rock.

And now, nothing has even begun.

The ending—how could anyone predict it?