Chapter 100: Such Sentiment

The activation of the Tomb Gu requires extremely stringent conditions.

Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng glanced at the expressionless Qi Ran, picked up the four holy stones from the ground, and said calmly, "First, the Guardian—namely me—must, using the ability of my gold‑silver twin pupils, embed these four holy stones into the four divine artifacts. The Azure Dragon corresponds to the Condensing Seal, the White Tiger to Cold Blood, the Vermilion Bird to Spirit‑Evil, the Black Tortoise to Blood‑Siphon. I will insert them into the four corners of the Tianhe Continent, and naturally, aside from me, no one can pull them out. Then, I will sequentially trigger them to form a powerful invisible field (essentially a magnetic field)."

Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng raised an eyebrow, handed a crystal‑clear yet blood‑red jade flute to Qi Ran, and sneered, "This flute is identical to the one Xiao Yifei carries, only lacking the inner blade; I stole it five years ago. But this is the true blood flute that activates the Tomb Gu Extinction." Qi Ran's expression remained icy as they brushed the blood‑colored jade flute, saying nothing.

Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng continued, "Next, at the intersection of the four corners—that is, the very center of the field, Duanmu Cliff—I will set up a barrier. Weapons whose material matches the four divine artifacts will be arranged in a square, with an inner Bagua formation made of magnets."

He paused, a cold, faint smile curling his lips, and said, "And you will stand at the center of this Bagua, cut your wrists to let blood drip, letting the flute's wavering tone slowly fall into the Bagua's twin eyes. Once the magnetic Bagua is triggered, the entire field will resonate; anyone who has been touched by the Tomb Gu or invaded by its merging blood will hear demonic sounds in their ears and suffer unbearable pain."

"The pain will last three days and three nights, the blood never ceasing, the Gu never dissipating. Until they all become walking corpses."

Qi Ran slowly lifted their head; in the ice‑blue eyes there was no pity, no compassion, not even hatred, only a cold smile as they handed the black pill in their hand to him.

Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng smiled leisurely, calmly saying, "If I didn't still want revenge, if I hadn't encountered… I wouldn't have wanted to live in this world any longer." With that, he took the pill, tossed it into his mouth, and swallowed.

A moment later, four golden rays flashed successively in the quiet forest, shooting straight into the sky, causing the onlookers to stop and marvel at the auspicious sight. Little did they know, those four lights were precisely opening the bloody hell of the Tianhe Continent.

Yinchuan Fenglan Battlefield.

"General." A soldier hurried to Xuantian's side, too rushed to wipe the sweat from his face, bowed and said, "General, the Yin Yao allied forces have temporarily withdrawn."

Xuantian furrowed his brows as he surveyed the battlefield, worrying how many more days the city could hold. If it were only the Yin Yao two‑nation allied army, Xuantian would certainly not be afraid, but that mysterious force that intermittently assassinates our own generals and burns our supplies truly gives him a severe headache.

"Send the order! Do not let your guard down; rotate rest for the entire army to prevent enemy ambushes!"

"Yes, General!"

"General! General!!" A scholar‑type man stumbled from afar to his side, his face beaming with joy; it was his most capable deputy and strategist, Ren Zhiyi.

Xuantian's brows twitched slightly; he was about to rebuke Ren for his lack of composure, but recalling the strategist's usual steadiness, the reprimand stayed on his lips.

Ren Zhiyi pointed excitedly backward and said, "General, look who's coming?!"

Xuantian, surprised, looked into the distance, and a figure in white scholar's robes came into view. A strange joy flashed in his tiger eyes; he hurried past his deputy to meet the scholar, cursing as he shouted, "Damn it, Wen Ce, you finally came to rescue your big brother. If the Emperor doesn't send you to give old Xuan some advice again, my black hair will turn white from worry."

Wen Ce looked at the weary‑yet still heroic Xuantian, gave a faint smile but said nothing. He stepped back a pace, slightly bowed, and moved toward the corner to meet him.

Xuantian was stunned; though blunt, he wasn't a fool—only someone like… could make Wen Ce greet him so respectfully.

Sure enough, from the corner a tall, slender figure stepped out, a face so handsome it could rival the sun and moon, flashing dazzling brilliance in the sunlight. Clad in violet robes, the wind seemed to hunt around him, exuding boundless aura.

Xuantian's knees gave way; he fell to his knees, loudly kowtowing, "May the Emperor live ten thousand years, ten thousand ten thousand years!" For some reason his voice was hoarse and choked, tiger eyes glistening with tears, his emotions barely under control.

The surrounding guards were visibly stunned, standing dumbfounded as they watched their revered general kneel before the god‑like figure, seeing nothing amiss. Under the scorching sun, the man's composed, faint smile radiated innate imperial aura, leaving them rooted to the spot, unable to move.

Wei Lingfeng smiled leisurely, walked to Xuantian's side, neither helping nor bowing, simply turned his head toward the battlefield that had moments ago been filled with clashing steel, and said calmly, "Rise. Tell me about the battle these past days."

"Yes…yes, Your Majesty!" Xuantian wiped the tears from his eyes, sprang up abruptly, and began spitting words as he recounted how his troops had been attacked from both sides and struck by mysterious forces these past days.

Suddenly, in the distance, four golden lights erupted one after another, casting a yellow hue over most of the sky.

Wei Lingfeng's leisurely smirk hardened into a cold stare as he fixed his gaze on the four golden lights. His complexion darkened sharply; he took several steps forward, and once he was certain, his body involuntarily shivered.

The bewildered onlookers could only see a flash; a middle‑aged man in dark‑blue warrior garb had already steadied Wei Lingfeng and, nervous, asked, "Your Majesty, what's happening?!"

Wei Lingfeng steadied himself, his complexion easing as he waved away everyone except Wen Ce, Xuantian, and Cheng You. With a grave expression he whispered, "These four lights are clearly the emission when the four holy stones were embedded into the four divine artifacts. Why did Qi Ran trigger the Tomb Gu Extinction?"

"Could it be…" Wei Lingfeng looked up at Cheng You, feeling a buzzing in his head, his face turning ashen in an instant, "Bing Yi is in trouble?!"

Cheng You let out a reluctant sigh, unable to refute the speculation. Perhaps that lady he didn't particularly like had indeed met misfortune. Otherwise, what could drive Xiao Qi Ran mad?

He didn't care about the horrific aftermath of the Tomb Gu Extinction, nor the little girl's fate, but he still couldn't help worrying whether the sole emperor he acknowledged as his master could survive this—this emotional trial.

One month later.

On Duanmu Cliff, a dazzling golden ray flashed. Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng looked satisfied at his Bagua formation, faced the figure in a pristine white robe—Qi Ran—and said with a smile, "The barrier is set. When the demon‑encounter hour (dusk) arrives, you cut your wrists; the full Yin blood will pave the way. Once you enter, as long as your wound hasn't solidified, no one—not even me—can step inside."

"When you stand at the Bagua's center, just play the blood flute and the blood flow won't cease. Once the full Yin blood flowing into the Bagua exceeds its greedy capacity, your entire blood will be completely absorbed by the magnetic array below, leaving you a husk."

"As for how much greed, the speed of dripping blood is determined by the individual's full Yin blood's ultimate Yin‑cold degree. The more Yin‑cold the blood…," Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng smiled coldly, a childlike face bearing cruelty, "the slower you die! Qi Ran, is this spot I chose okay? You can stand here and watch with your own eyes as the Tianhe Continent turns into a blood‑soaked hell!"

"Young master—" a scream came from behind as Wen Ruobin and Bai Shengyi leapt forward to stand before Qi Ran and Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng.

Wen Ruobin rushed forward, grabbed Qi Ran's collar, and shouted, "Qi Ran! Are you insane? Do you know how severe the consequences of triggering the Tomb Gu Extinction are?!"

Qi Ran glanced at him, not bone‑chilling cold but utterly indifferent. Whether his collar was being pulled or not, he stared expressionlessly at the distant undulating mountain ridges.

Wen Ruobin jolted, reluctantly released his grip, and still asked, "Qi Ran, what on earth happened to you? What about Xiao Ruo?"

Qi Ran didn't look at him, continued gazing into the distance, a bleak smile curling their lips, and said lightly, "I'm leaving."

A flash of white, Bai Shengyi suddenly pushed past Wen Ruobin, standing before Qi Ran, and whispered hoarsely, "That woman swore she would give you happiness, didn't she?! I actually believed her at that moment!"

Qi Ran's face turned pale, their body swayed lightly, thinking: Did she say she'd give me happiness? Yes! Didn't she always say someone like me should be happy?

Qi Ran spread their hands, looking at their own pale, slender ten fingers, and in their heart shouted repeatedly: Can't grasp, can't hold. Bing Yi, please tell me, where is my happiness…?

A clamor rose from the foot of the cliff; several guards who followed Wen Ruobin climbed Duanmu Cliff, and upon seeing the strange scene before them, were stunned.

The sunset slowly slipped into the mountains; the summit of Duanmu was bathed in a layer of golden light, beautiful and enchanting.

Demon‑encounter… hour!

"Qi Ran! The time has come." Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng stared at the sunset, blood‑thirsty excitement flashing in his eyes, and said lightly, "It is time to destroy this world."

Qi Ran withdrew their hand, looked up at the blood‑colored sky, made no visible move, a cold glint flashed from their hand, and blood instantly dyed their white robe.

If I can't hate you, I'll let you hate yourself. Bing Yi, it turns out I could never let go.

"Qi Ran!" Wen Ruobin rushed forward, blocking Qi Ran's path, his face turned deathly pale, "Qi Ran! Don't let Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng use you; he only wants your blood to avenge himself!"

Qi Ran lowered their blood‑dripping hands, smiled coldly, "Don't worry! The medicine I gave him dissolves on contact; unless he commits suicide, his flesh will gradually rot over two years, suffering until death."

Wen Ruobin was stunned, looking at Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng's still leisurely face, and couldn't help to shiver at the sight of these two… demons.

Even so, he wouldn't relent; he drew a close‑folding fan and held it across the exit. He could never watch Qi Ran bleed out and die, nor see the world become a blood‑soaked hell.

Back then, that Tomb Gu Extinction was limited to a small battlefield because the four divine artifacts' positions were narrow, and Xiao Yitian's full Yin blood wasn't pure enough, so a greater tragedy didn't occur.

But whenever Wen Ruobin recalled the human tragedy he witnessed as a child, he could no longer stand by idly.

While pondering, Wen Ruobin felt murderous aura bearing down; before he could raise his fan to block, he was forced back several steps, his internal Qi and blood roiling. He stared at the cold‑smiling Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng, felt a sweet tightness in his throat, and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Qi Ran neither looked at him nor at Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng, bypassing the tense battlefield step by step toward the Bagua formation.

"Ran!!" Bai Shengyi lunged to seize him, but he easily dodged, and couldn't help shouting, "Ran! You can ignore everyone, but what about Bu Sha? Do you care about Bu Sha's life or death?"

Qi Ran's steps suddenly halted, he turned back, his blue eyes flickered slightly, and after a moment he uttered, "Bu… how is he?"

Bai Shengyi spat out a large mouthful of blood with a puff, then slumped and sat down on the ground.

Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng halted his impending attack, looked at Bai Shengyi, and sneered, "Love Gu? You've been infected with a Love Gu and still dare to appear before Qi Ran? You truly have a death wish."

Bai Shengyi ignored him, only gazing at Qi Ran, his voice weak: "Bu Sha left midway. He should have gone to protect that woman, but afterward he vanished without a trace."

Qi Ran's blue eyes shot out icy, sharp killing intent as he looked at Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng and said coldly, "No wonder the Blood Drawing is in your hands."

Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng smiled lightly, shrugged nonchalantly, "I indeed took the Blood Drawing from Bu Sha's hands, and I indeed intended to kill him, but a mysterious person rescued him." His heart, however, was somewhat startled; it seemed! He must kill Bu Sha as soon as possible, otherwise...

Qi Ran's long eyelashes fluttered slightly, he gave a faint nod, turned and flashed forward, arriving before the Eight Trigrams Formation.

"Ran!! You'll die!" Bai Shengyi lunged madly, grabbing Qi Ran's foot as he tried to lift it, his voice hoarse and sharp, yet unable to conceal his sorrow, "For that woman who abandoned you, it's not worth dying! It's not worth dying!!"

Qi Ran's face showed a sorrowful smile as he said lightly, "I also know it's not worth it. But I just can't stop."

Unable to stop, he wanted to see her future filled with regret and sorrow; unable to stop, he wanted to give his love a perfect ending.

Qi Ran shifted slightly, Bai Shengyi clung tightly to his foot, refusing to let go, spitting mouthfuls of blood onto his white robe.

In the skirmish with Wen Ruobin and his men, Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng frowned, suddenly a flash of gold and silver light burst in his eyes, he sheathed his sword and struck out with his palm, heavily slamming Wen Ruobin's chest. Wen Ruobin was flung ten zhang away, vomiting blood, and fainted.

Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng also felt his viscera churning; he barely suppressed the surging qi, then leapt suddenly to Qi Ran and Bai Shengyi's side.

Suddenly, he kicked Bai Shengyi hard.

Bai Shengyi rolled several times, landing at the cliff's edge. He lifted his head, his face covered in blood, yet he neither wiped it nor cared, only staring at the expressionless, icy, sorrowful Qi Ran and shouting loudly, "Ran! Don't give up on life yet! Wait for Bu Sha, wait for Bu Sha! He might know something about that woman; maybe that woman..."

"Boom—" Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng thrust a kick infused with his full-body true qi at the feeble Bai Shengyi; that blood‑stained white figure swayed… and plunged into the abyss, never to return.

Qi Ran silently watched the disappearing silhouette at the cliff's edge, his sky‑blue eyes brimming with sorrow as if tears might fall; then he never turned back, stepping slowly into the barrier flashing with golden light.

Moments later, the golden light within the barrier slowly, until completely swallowed by a blood‑red hue. The blood‑red, initially thick then gradually translucent, allowed one to clearly see the white‑robed youth slowly raising the Blood Flute to his face.

Drops of fresh blood trickled from his wrists into the earth. That peerless visage, reflected in the red light, looked all the more desolate.

The Blood Flute pressed to his lips. Suddenly, a lingering yet piercing melody rang out through the blood‑light, shaking the entire sky.

"Ah—" Several miserable cries rang out; only a handful of the dozen or so guards Wen Ruobin had brought remained alive, fewer than ten. At that moment, four of them suddenly went mad, clutching their own hair and screaming.

Blood dripped at a rate of one drop per ten breaths; Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng watched the slow, astonishing flow within the red light and couldn't help but be amazed—such rich… pure Yin blood, perhaps truly capable of sustaining three days.

Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng gave a cold smile, glanced at the madmen and the remaining pairs of fearful eyes, drew a deep breath. He felt the music ringing in his ears was as exquisite as a heavenly sound.

He stepped forward to the barrier, gazing upon the obvious Heaven and Harmony Continent, his childlike face breaking into a brilliant smile, "Go mad, despair, beg! All are exquisite sensations. Let us all experience together this— the thrill of world destruction!"

This person is a devil! A devil through and through! This was the unanimous thought of the few who had witnessed this scene with their own eyes.

Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng's pure smile faltered; he suddenly turned his head to look at the youth in the blood‑light who regarded him and the world with indifference, then tilted his head and departed.

Almost forgot! There's still an obstacle. Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng scoffed, shaking his head at himself; even if there were only a one‑in‑a‑billion chance, he would never allow anyone to ruin his revenge. Not even… Bing Yi could do that!

(End of chapter)