Chapter 45: Epilogue

The night was already very deep.

The battle at the summit of Cold Mountain ultimately ended with corpses strewn across the wilderness. All who survived felt grief in their hearts. However, for those who could only reach the rank of Human Master in their lifetime, or even only Human Disciple-level mortals, how could this not be considered a fortune?

They could consider their lives not wasted, for in their limited years they were able to witness such great power.

In this brief half-day, at the summit of Cold Mountain, winds and clouds converged, the sun and moon changed color; all the talents of the continent displayed their extraordinary powers on that day, and the continent's fate, amidst this world-shaking, annihilating bloodshed, shifted several times unconsciously.

Yet in the end, all the stars still faded away in eternity.

Viscount Luo Fu Gu De, Mingguang, Bavaria, Orten, Hessen, Goth, Saxony, Silesia, Mecklenburg—these once dazzling names have now become dry bones, lying silently in the pages of history. In life, each of them could turn their hands to clouds and rain; with a single anger, they could reduce an entire town to ashes. Yet such immense power, such awe-inspiring divine might that made people change color at hearing it, after death became nothing more than a cold name on a tombstone.

Everything is merely emptiness, except for human life.

Even one as mighty as the Supreme God cannot escape death, let alone mortals.

After all, for humanity, what in this world could possibly be eternal?

Except for endless death.

Yet humans, though as fragile as ants, still persist generation after generation, fighting for their dreams. This world is so beautiful, with so many reasons worth living for and things worth protecting; humans naturally spare no effort to keep fighting. Nothing can become an eternal obstacle, nor anything that would make them abandon their hopes and ideals.

Now, the gods' illusions have shattered, the divine and mortal have fallen; humanity, amidst the bloodshed, has finally gained the means and strength to rise again. A new era begins.

Qin Yan Luo Fu Gu De embraced her father, the cold body of Viscount Rafi Luo Fu Gu De, and sat alone, dazed, on the summit of Cold Mountain. People from the Spirit God Hall and the Mountain Villa walked past her one after another, yet she remained motionless.

"Miss." A voice suddenly came—it was Si La Ke, the swordsman of Luo Fu Gu De Mountain Villa. "The viscount has passed away, Miss; you must mourn."

"Hmm." Qin Yan didn't even glance at him, merely giving a vague assent. Si La Ke clutched his chest; his earlier frontal confrontation with the Supreme God had left him gravely wounded, his breath uneven. Though he had only spoken these two simple sentences, it already pierced his heart. "Then," he said, barely enduring the pain, "I will go wait halfway up the mountain; if you have any orders, Miss, just command me."

"Si La Ke." Qin Yan gazed at the pale, blood-streaked face of Viscount Luo Fu Gu De, then softly said, "You say, Father… does he… count as a good person?"

"I dare not presume to judge the viscount's right or wrong," Si La Ke said, bowing slightly. "As for the answer, in my view, it lies entirely within your heart, Miss."

"Miss, I will take my leave for now."

As Si La Ke's footsteps faded away, the vast summit of Cold Mountain in the night finally became empty of anyone.

"Father."

She murmured, tears continuously sliding down from her beautiful eyes.

The person who had protected her for twenty years finally departed. Regardless of whether, in life, he had once sacrificed himself as bait to gain power, nearly killing the boy she held in her heart, at least at this moment he fought the mighty enemy without regard for his own life for the safety of the continent, and sacrificed his life to protect his only daughter.

All ambitions turned to ash with that blow. Yet, as Viscount Luo Fu Gu De drew his last breath, he still wore a smile.

Father… perhaps for him, such an end was already enough.

His name will shine forever bright, becoming a legend passed down through generations. Together with that boy, his name will forever be linked to the supreme honor of defeating the Supreme God, eternal and unending.

Yet now, that boy… that boy… where is he?

"Luo Shan!"

The night spread around her, the scent of blood still lingering. In this empty summit of Cold Mountain, Qin Yan felt only boundless fear and loneliness. "Luo Shan!" she screamed hysterically again. Her father was gone; if, if that boy met with misfortune, she would have nothing left to rely on in this world.

"Luo Shan!"

"I… I am here."

Just as she shouted for the third time, that familiar voice finally sounded from not far away. Qin Yan's heart leapt with wild joy; she lifted her head and saw, in the night, a flicker of light illuminating that familiar handsome face.

"I am here."

Luo Shan exhausted his last bit of magical power, condensing a faintly dark beam of light that illuminated the road ahead and the white-clad girl seated nearby on the cold ground, her eyes brimming with tears. At that moment he felt only immense tranquility and peace. After enduring all this, after that earth-shattering, massive bloodbath, he was finally able to see her, to see the girl he had longed for his whole life.

Qin Yan gazed at his slightly pale face and couldn't help but smile, her smile as lovely as spring water. Luo Shan likewise couldn't help but smile, reaching out his hand to the white-clad girl before him. "Let's go." The moment he touched Qin Yan's soft little hand, he felt his heart warm; any further hardship was now nothing.

"Good."

At this moment, with their hands clasped, what they possessed was the whole world.

Between heaven and earth, starlight twinkled, the night like water.