Chapter 636: Truly Living

The heavens and earth weep blood; endless blood-red light obscures the setting sun, standing horizontally above the human world.

Upon the shattered earth, the woman in the black dress has already been blasted into a wisp of a teetering, pitch-black charred corpse.

Her body is still standing, yet her abdomen and chest have already completely vanished, leaving only a layer of residual skin connecting them.

The exposed internal organs have also ceased their beating, constantly scattering and drifting away like fine powder.

Red.

Endless red descends from above the firmament.

This is the final chapter written for her by the heavens and earth.

The life force belonging to an Ancient Divine Beast has completely vanished, yet within her single eye, there remains a final trace of vitality.

She is going to die.

She has lost.

In the final instant as her vitality dissipates—perhaps it is this instant, perhaps it was the previous one.

Those memories belonging to the human race, which had long since vanished and disappeared without a trace, emerge within her mind.

It seems that at the very beginning of her existence, she was a human.

In those days, she would worry day and night that she might die.

She was terrified.

She saw her mother and her father, who had done nothing at all, yet were severely wounded simply by being struck by the malice diffusing through the sky.

The malice corroded pitch-black brand marks onto their flesh, and the malice continuously corroded the memories that belonged to them.

"Why?"

As a young child, she had wept throughout the night.

Why on earth was all of this happening?

Since there are Ancient Divine Beasts, why must there be the birth of the human race?

Because...

The food chain.

Ancient Divine Beasts also need to eat and need to grow, so the human race was born.

The human race is food kept in captivity.

She wanted to become an Ancient Divine Beast and stand at the top of the food chain.

She became a martial artist, found an ancient tree that had transformed into an Ancient Divine Beast, and relying on the powerful flesh of a martial artist, she forcibly absorbed all the malice upon that ancient tree.

Then, she became an Ancient Divine Beast as she had wished.

In her nearly ten thousand years of memories, her history as a human lasted only a few decades.

But why?

Why, before she dies, is it not the long and domineering memories of being an Ancient Divine Beast that surface in the depths of her mind?

Instead, it is those short, few decades of memories as a human, as insignificant as an ant.

In those few decades, she had despaired, suffered, doubted, and wept.

She was never happy.

Yet, why is it like this?

As she dies, she roars internally; she wants to savor her long memories of being a powerful Ancient Divine Beast one last time.

But those few decades of human memories keep surging forth, flashing continuously.

The aura of the Dark-Devouring Mother Tree grows increasingly faint and weak.

She is utterly bewildered.

Could it be that she, as a human, was the one truly living?

Could it be that she, as an Ancient Divine Beast, was not truly living at all?

Could it be that her choice was wrong?

Until a certain moment, she suddenly remembers.

The hoarse, pleading voice of her mother, who was entwined by malice, directed at her:

"Child, kill me, kill me; Mom doesn't want to be an Ancient Divine Beast, child..."

That dying old woman, with tears in her eyes, begged her:

"Give Mom a quick end."

As a young child, she hid on the ground in terror, constantly backing away, curled up in a corner, not daring to act.

She saw that old woman, entwined by malice, lift a kitchen knife with extreme difficulty, looking at her in despair and helplessness.

Then, she hacked the kitchen knife into her own neck, one stroke at a time.

That sound.

Creak.

Creak.

Creak.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

"Give Mom a quick end!"

The old woman wailed; reason and instinct were struggling, malice and flesh were struggling.

How was she able to hack through her own neck, one stroke at a time?

Before she died, she was also begging her daughter to give her a quick end.

But her daughter was already scared to death, trembling all over.

She saw her own mother fall into a pool of blood, choking, dying amidst endless, excruciating pain and confusion.

She heard that woman whisper to her before passing away:

"Live on, child, live on."

The black-robed woman's divine sense was scattering; she suddenly wanted to scream, wanted to roar.

At that time, she hadn't heard this sentence; she hadn't heard it.

Why did this sentence appear in her memory before she died?

Why?

Why?

She did not remember her mother's final whisper.

Mother, did I actually survive?

Or rather...

I died long ago.

This was the final question of the Dark-Devouring Mother Tree.

At this moment.

Red fell across the heavens, blood-light scattered and flickered.

It was as if endless laws were being written upon the firmament.

Between heaven and earth, the birth of every Eighth Rank causes the world to tremble.

When they are born, the firmament flickers with endless morning light, signaling that a god has been born again in the human world.

When they fall, heaven and earth shed tears of blood, proclaiming their death.

Just at this most dazzling moment of blood-red color.

The final consciousness of the Dark-Devouring Mother Tree completely dissipated.

Perhaps, she had already died on the day she chose to become an Ancient God Beast.

Inside the entire Purple Universe World-Fixing Mirror.

Everyone saw the blood-light shining here, each with a different expression.

Throughout the entire world, the number of Eighth Ranks is a fixed constant.

Just those few dozen people.

There is no clear statistical count for Eighth Rank Ancient God Beasts, but there are only fewer of them.

Now, an Eighth Rank has fallen.

It is highly probable that a human Eighth Rank has fallen, after all, the war is still ongoing in the outside world.

At this moment, whether it is the Great Xia or the Five Clans Creation Realm, everyone's expression changed.

"An Eighth Rank has fallen; the war outside has become even more intense."

"I just don't know if it was a Great Xia Eighth Rank that fell."

"Chen Yan is fighting a Second Rank Domain War, could it be..."

"What nonsense are you spouting? That is an Eighth Rank Ancient God Beast; how could a Creation Realm kill an Eighth Rank? Besides, it hasn't even been a day since the Domain War started."

"That's true, I almost thought it was the Eighth Rank Ancient God Beast from that Domain War that had fallen."

"You really are daydreaming."

"However, the announcement that the Second Rank Domain War has ended hasn't appeared yet; Chen Yan is actually able to hold on for so long, impressive."

"Indeed impressive, I thought he would be completely wiped out within an hour."

Waves of discussion resounded within the Five Clans Struggle.

After all, the fall of an Eighth Rank is a matter of heaven-shaking importance.

Many people associated the fallen Eighth Rank with the Eighth Rank Ancient God Beast currently engaged in a Domain War with Chen Yan.

Some Great Xia Creation Realms even had eyes gleaming with intensity, their hearts surging.

But soon, everyone dismissed this thought.

On one hand, the Domain War has been open for less than a day, how could an Eighth Rank Ancient God Beast die so quickly.

On the other hand, absolutely no one would believe that Chen Yan could slay an Eighth Rank Ancient God Beast.

Even if the Great Xia Creation Realms hoped for it, they had to admit a reality.

The Creation Realm is the pinnacle of the human world.

But, the Eighth Rank are gods.

Once one reaches the Eighth Rank, one has already transcended the category of martial artists.

With a single thought, an Eighth Rank can annihilate a Creation Realm.

Except for those peak Creation Realms about to ascend to the Eighth Rank who know the power levels of the Creation Realm.

The vast majority of Creation Realms don't even know what the Eighth Rank is called.

This is the pressure unique to the Eighth Rank.

But there were also those who were surprised and suspicious.

That is, the Second Rank Domain War has been open for so long, and it still hasn't ended.

Many Five Clans Creation Realms even thought that Chen Yan would encounter total destruction within an hour.

But they also didn't expect Chen Yan to be able to hold on for so long.

Most of the Five Clans Creation Realms had invested most, if not all, of their Divine Spirits into Chi Xue; naturally, they hoped the Second Rank Domain War could end sooner.

As for the outside world.

The high-level officials of both the Five Clans and the Great Xia immediately began to investigate.

Exactly which Eighth Rank has fallen?

The investigation did not take long, after all, the current situation is volatile, and the high-level officials of both sides have made arrangements for their own Eighth Ranks.

Very quickly, both sides knew one point, and that is that the Eighth Ranks of the outside world had not fallen.

Then there is only one possibility, which is that an Eighth Rank powerhouse has fallen within the Five Clans Conflict.

State Ruler Mansion.

An eight-year-old little girl wearing a gold robe is running around in the corridor.

A group of servants follows behind her.

"State Ruler, slow down, don't get hurt."

The woman in a green dress, who is still holding a document in her hand, smiles gently, with a trace of pity in the depths of her eyes.

"I am not called State Ruler, I am called Xia Yiyi, Xia Yiyi!"

The eight-year-old little girl shouts.

The Imperial Calamity within this little girl's body is still adapting to her physical body and has not yet erupted.

But everyone knows.

This little girl is only eight years old; once the Imperial Calamity erupts, she will not last more than two years.

The national destiny of Great Xia is actually based upon the future tragedy of an eight-year-old little girl.

She is only eight years old.

Not everyone can possess the endurance and powerful leadership of Xia Qi at the age of eight.

Now that this little girl is so mischievous, it is the most normal thing.

But once one thinks that after the Imperial Calamity in her body erupts, she won't even be able to be mischievous.

The woman in the green dress feels incomparably miserable in her heart.

This is a sorrow unique to Great Xia.

Thinking of this, tears appear in the eyes of the woman in the green dress, but they are quickly evaporated by her blood energy.

If it were not for the long-dead Xia Qi, who used a mortal body to hold on for ten full years.

Perhaps no one would know what Great Xia would look like today.

Could it be that Xia Hanzhou should be allowed to be the State Ruler?

Once Xia Hanzhou becomes the State Ruler and bears the Imperial Calamity, the supreme combat power belonging to Great Xia will be completely gone.

The eight-year-old little girl goes around a corridor and says to the woman in the green dress:

"You tell me where my Daddy is, and I won't run around anymore."

The woman in the green dress chokes, and hurriedly smiles:

"General Xia Long has been very busy these few days, he will come to see you in two days."

The little girl in the gold robe pouts and lifts her head:

"I don't believe you, I want Daddy!"

She shouts, tears appearing in her eyes, and suddenly the woman in the green dress and the group of servants are all flustered.

High above the sky.

Xia Hanzhou stands in the clouds and sky, looking at this scene below, his gaze extremely complex.

"Little Qi..."

Xia Hanzhou murmurs, thinking of Xia Qi once again.

Looking at the State Ruler Mansion, sometimes Xia Hanzhou feels as if Xia Qi is still in his bedroom working day and night.

Perhaps it is because he is old that he often has some hallucinations.

But he is an Eighth Rank.

He is the strongest Eighth Rank in the human world after Lu Xunyang left.

It is also at this moment.

Shen Keqing, dressed in black, steps through the air and says:

"It is not an Eighth Rank of the real world that has fallen, it is one within the Five Clans Conflict."

Xia Hanzhou's brows lift slightly:

"Someone advanced to Eighth Rank within the Five Clans Conflict earlier; I fear that is the person who has fallen."

Shen Keqing nods.

A few days ago, the heavens and earth revealed endless morning light; it was clearly an Eighth Rank being born.

It is just that no one expected that the Eighth Rank would fall shortly after being born.

"At that time, the phenomenon of the heavenly morning light lasted less than a second; the aura of life and death born within that Eighth Rank was too little.

Perhaps it was just two layers of their own universe being destroyed and reborn, entering the Eighth Rank; it was too weak."

Shen Keqing nods:

"Two layers of the universe destroyed, and still able to be reborn; in a certain sense, that they could enter the Eighth Rank is also a miracle."

After all, the number of their own universes is too small; after destruction, the probability of rebirth is too low.

"How is the situation of the Long-Life King withdrawing troops from Qin Province?" Xia Hanzhou asks again.

"When the main army reached Tie Province, they encountered an encirclement by the Chen Province side, with tens of thousands of casualties." Shen Keqing's expression is somewhat ugly:

"The people of Tie Province and Qin Province have already moved to Yun Province; once they have completely evacuated, Qin Province will not hold out for long."

Xia Hanzhou nods:

"Withdrawing troops is the general trend; the land lost today will surely be recovered in the future.

Holding on stubbornly is a dead end; I do not believe that after Chen Qi takes Tie Province and Qin Province, he will not send troops to guard them."

The more I concede, the more men and horses he will have to expend.

The more the Five Clans step onto the land of Great Xia, the more obstruction they will have to suffer."

He paused:

"In one more day, I will lead the Jin Province Military Guard to head toward Qin Province."

Shen Keqing nodded heavily.

Xia Hanzhou stood with his hands behind his back, a trace of worry in his eyes.

It's just that I don't know how the Great Xia Creation Realm within the Five Clans Struggle is faring.

And how Chen Yan is doing.

Chen Yan is too young, his combat power is too strong, and his aptitude is too monstrous; once he enters, he will surely be targeted by the Five Clans in every way.

But, Chen Yan entering the Five Clans Struggle was Xia Qi's final wish.

Great Xia, just like Chen Yan, is seeking a glimmer of light in the midst of endless darkness.

…………

The weeping blood of heaven and earth vanished.

The earth shattered, and black smoke billowed.

On the horizon, the last wisp of red glow from the setting sun was swallowed by endless dark clouds.

Here, it fell into silence.

Everyone looked toward the center of the battlefield.

At the center of all the collapse and ruin.

Above the broken earth, the spikes transformed from the Evil-Ash Spears gathered like birds returning to their nests.

They lifted the broken body lying on the earth, forming a pitch-black throne that slowly floated upward.

Chen Yan lay slumped in the center of the throne, a hideous saber wound on his abdomen having almost sliced him in two.

His exposed internal organs twitched with his weak breathing, and blood pooled into winding streams in the grooves of the throne.

The Dark-Devouring Mother Tree was already dead.

But the 'Deprivation' the opponent had previously unleashed clearly had a time limit.

Chen Yan's Willpower, Qi-Blood power, and even his Heavenly God Armor were still being suppressed.

Chen Yan was on the verge of death, his consciousness nearing the edge of collapse, to the point where the malice within his body could no longer be suppressed and began to constantly corrode his flesh.

At this moment, Chen Yan could not unleash his Willpower, which was the most dangerous part.

Being unable to suppress the malice within his body meant that Chen Yan would die within a very short time.

This battle was the most dangerous one Chen Yan had ever experienced; it was already a miracle that he had survived until now.

A sense of fatigue.

An endless sense of fatigue emerged over Chen Yan's body.

He felt drowsy and wanted to fall asleep at this moment.

The last wisp of sunlight on the horizon cast its final ember across Chen Yan's face.

The great sun had set behind the mountains.

It was as if it represented that Chen Yan, too, was about to fall completely.

So tired.

Too tired.

In Chen Yan's mind, all sorts of past memories emerged.

Time seemed to have returned once again to Qingshan High School.

The glow of the sunset sliced a patch of shade across the teaching building.

All the students were sweating, lying in the shade to rest.

And he, under the scorching sun, was still running on the playground.

All this time, he had been too tired.

The era was forcing him, and his enemies were forcing him.

But the one who forced him the most was himself.

He was too tired; he wanted to rest.

Just rest like this.

Die.

Death is eternal.

…………

In the distance.

Thump.

The dying Qi Fan plucked off Chi Xue's head and knelt on the earth, blood flowing from his left eye.

"Ha..."

Qi Fan leaned his body backward:

"Ha..."

He could not laugh; his life had also reached its end.

He had killed Chi Xue, and Chen Yan had killed the Dark-Devouring Mother Tree.

Compared to Chen Yan's battle against the Dark-Devouring Mother Tree.

Qi Fan's slaying of Chi Xue, on this side, was not so important after all.

Qi Fan gasped for breath.

The most precious thing in his life was knowing exactly what he ought to do.

Therefore, he killed Chi Xue.

Therefore, the ninth level of the Creation Realm can slay the seventh.

This was the reason he could be taken as a disciple by the Longevity King.

People have their own missions.

The moment that mission was completed, his life had meaning.

Yet, blood and tears flowed from Qi Fan's eyes.

For some reason, he thought of Chen Yan's previous words.

Not a heart prepared for death, but a lifelong conviction.

That one sentence.

Stirred the deepest desire in the bottom of Qi Fan's heart.

It was precisely that sentence that changed Qi Fan.

He wanted to live on.

He wanted to see the dawn of the Great Xia with his own eyes.

But, he could no longer do it.

This, perhaps, was his final trace of regret.

He revealed a smile.

They had won.