Chapter 367

Accompanied by the Fishwhale Guest's technique, an invisible ripple surged outward from this spot, sweeping across the four directions—and that great array, prepared by the Mo Sect over centuries, blazed to life this very day.

As if infinite blood had ignited with light, each ray refracted shadows of the past—shadows of Xue Shen's deeds, the lingering figures of those who once stood here: cruel and heartless, carving the blood of all living beings into the array; every method, seeping into the upper echelons of nobility.

Desires without feeling, the suffering cries of common folk, the patriarch standing with hands clasped behind his back.

It was akin to a shoddy imitation of Xue Shen's Mystical Realm.

Upon this array, the illusions of that bygone era reappeared.

The silver-haired girl stood dazed, gazing at her past self seated there—Li Guanyi raised his battle halberd, his body's aura rippling, transforming into Bai Hu, fangs bared, claws gripping, bristling mane and whiskers flaring, eyes cold and fierce, shielding the silver-haired girl behind him.

The events of over a decade ago replayed!

As if ten thousand souls rushed from all directions, then bowed their heads, whispering ancient incantations, taking their positions, sitting down—men and women, old and young, all faces alight with fanaticism.

They chanted the scriptures of the so-called "Holy Sect."

Their gazes lifted and converged upon the center of the crimson array, where a young child sat—long silver hair cascading, dressed in plain robes, wearing a longevity lock, eyes calm and curious as they watched this place.

The array flared layer by layer.

Then froze.

The past reflected by the array—the events of over a decade ago—froze in place; only the myriad faces of the common folk, the frozen shadows of Mo Sect members remained—but one silver-haired figure surged forward in wild motion.

Li Guanyi stood at the center of the imperial avenue of the Western Region's Great Xia Palace, ninety-nine white jade steps on either side; on the left, a silver-haired figure dashed toward him—far younger than the Fishwhale Guest now, elegant and charismatic.

The array had been triggered, causing past events to reappear.

Demons appeared, countless desires surfaced, countless changes within the Jianghu.

And naturally—

The Fishwhale Guest breached the array!

Over a decade ago, the Fishwhale Guest had stormed into the array with both hands forming the array, charging from the left, his aura fierce and tyrannical; now, the Fishwhale Guest of this era smirked, his hair and beard whipping wildly as he landed upon the earth, beginning to break the array from the right imperial avenue.

Left and right—past and present!

Since this array remained here, it meant the actions, movements, and techniques the Fishwhale Guest used to break it had all been recorded.

And at this moment, this genius unparalleled in array arts—just as Jiankuang was unmatched in sword arts—employed an utterly inconceivable method, coordinating with his own past techniques and array formations.

He used the residual traces of his past self left here as a guide.

Together with his past self, he formed the great array.

【Raging Tide Moves Left】/【Crimson Sun Moves Right】!

Bai Hu sat here, left and right—past and future—the Fishwhale Guest's aura surged powerfully, forming the array; in an instant, the array's power erupted as if two Array Masters had struck together against this damned fate, this damned suffering!

Yin and yang flowed, left and right merged.

【Yin-Yang Wheel Turns, All Paths Cease】!

With a sound of shattering, the void array rippled.

Then shattered violently.

For a moment, it was impossible to tell—as if countless clear, pristine mirror shards fell from the sky, reflecting the glorious past and the desolate chaos of now; in a daze, one could not tell whether what lay before them was past or present.

Li Guanyi gazed at the silver-haired little girl reflected by the array—the shadow left by the array lifted its head and looked at him.

The silver-haired girl's face broke into a bright, beautiful smile.

Then she reached out toward him.

This was the true nature of Yao Guang.

The next instant, the reflected past record vanished, the array shattered, and dissolved completely—the thousand-year foundation of the Western Region's Spirit Mountain, the Mo Sect's three-century accumulation, the great array forged from sins and crimes—

The Fishwhale Guest broke it alone.

Silver hair whipped like a tidal wave past Li Guanyi's side.

The Fishwhale Guest broke the array, stepped forward.

Instantly appeared before Xiao Yuxue.

One hand reached out, gripping Xiao Yuxue's throat, dragging her forward.

The earth cracked—before the palace of the Great Xia of the Western Region stood a colossal white stone carving of a white serpent, Bai Di, scales sharp and real, as if a true dragon were about to soar into the heavens, its emerald eyes gazing down.

Xiao Yuxue's body was slammed against it, shattering the white statue.

She was forcibly embedded within it.

The Fishwhale Guest stared at her, his killing intent nearly solid—Xiao Yuxue, lifted high, stared back with eyes like a trapped beast, utterly unlike the idealized image of the Fishwhale Guest from his youth.

"Li Guanyi."

"You know my array techniques—I've reversed the effects of this three-century Mo Sect array, reclaimed Yao Guang's emotions."

A three-century array, forged from the blood and effort of tens of thousands—even hundreds of thousands.

The Fishwhale Guest succeeded in reversing it.

The Fishwhale Guest said: "It cost me ten years of effort."

"A bit of trouble, admittedly."

Xiao Yuxue watched as the array gathered, condensing an invisible substance into a crimson glow like red jade—she was the Mo Sect's leader, possessed of skill and ability; with a mere thought, she could destroy this crimson glow.

This was the Mo Sect's core heritage—an Array Master could kill her, yet struggle to stop a sect leader's innate power; Xiao Yuxue's fingers twitched slightly, but her gaze passed over the Fishwhale Guest's shoulder, fixed on the silver-haired girl.

Her fingers lifted, twitched.

Then fell, resting only upon the statue.

The Fishwhale Guest looked at her; Xiao Yuxue looked at him.

Like a beggar boy from decades ago, gazing at that little girl.

The Fishwhale Guest's killing intent burned on; neither spoke a word—their hatred was thick, real, undeniable; Li Guanyi had already rushed off to guide the array, and at this moment, Li Guanyi was immensely grateful.

Had he not once dismantled Hou Zhongyu's array in Jiangzhou and absorbed every trick and technique of Hou Zhongyu's array arts, he would have had no foundation to learn the Fishwhale Guest's array methods.

He drove his Tiger Roars Heaven Halberd straight into the ground, ran over, successfully guided the array, lifted the object with both hands, and delivered it to the silver-haired girl—the Fishwhale Guest held back his killing blow, waiting for Yao Guang.

The once arrogant and reckless Whale Fisher became extremely cautious when it came to his daughter; his soul essence watched over the silver-haired girl, and even Li Guanyi, cloaked in murderous aura, was now deeply worried.

He held in his hands a rhombic crystal, blood-red as jade.

Whether it was him or Yao Guang, the Whale Fisher realized this was the beginning of a transformation—by obtaining this object, Yao Guang would regain her past emotional fluctuations, the ripples of love, hatred, joy, and sorrow, all manner of feelings.

But this also meant the half of her bloodline that had been extracted.

The bloodline of Xiao Yuxue.

The silver-haired girl extended both hands and received the object; she looked at the boy before her and said calmly, "Then… do you wish me to reclaim these things?"

Li Guanyi looked at Yao Guang and replied:

"No matter what decision you make."

"I will stay by your side."

The silver-haired girl hummed in response, cradling the red crystal in both hands, and walked slowly forward; Li Guanyi extended his right hand, and the divine weapon, the Tiger Roars to Heaven Halberd, which had been plunged into the ground, returned to his grasp—he held his weapon against the earth and followed beside her at a steady pace.

Xiao Yuxue saw the silver-haired girl approaching step by step; the girl's features resembled her own, the silver strands at her temples swaying, until finally the girl stood before Xiao Yuxue and whispered, "Father."

The Whale Fisher remained silent and released his right hand.

The beautiful woman fell to the ground, her Wu Gong stripped away, yet still wearing a composed smile; she showed none of the hysterics of the defeated, instead raising her hand to tidy her hair, making herself appear beautiful and alluring, saying, "You've won. Take it."

"All your emotions, your feelings—they're inside."

"This time, there's not a single hidden trick."

The silver-haired girl looked at her; the array crystal, linked to her bloodline, floated in midair like a dreamlike butterfly. Then she knelt down, gazing at Xiao Yuxue, and extended her hand, saying:

"Mother."

Xiao Yuxue froze, her body trembling slightly.

The silver-haired girl raised her hand to her lips, pulling the corners of her mouth upward into a faint smile—yet this smile, at this moment, carried a faint sorrow; softly, earnestly, she said:

"Thank you for bringing me into this world."

"I've seen this world. I've met my teacher, Father, him."

"I truly have no regrets… and yet…"

The silver-haired girl extended her palm; traces flowed and shifted in the air, and the crimson crystal settled into her palm. She gently placed the crystal—formed from the bloodline, emotions, and feelings torn from herself—on the ground.

The silver-haired girl looked at Xiao Yuxue, earnestly and softly:

"I return it to you."

Xiao Yuxue's body stiffened.

The silver-haired girl's clear eyes held no ripples:

"It's yours."

"I don't want it."

Xiao Yuxue's face lost all color in an instant; her lips trembled violently. The silver-haired girl rose, her face flawless in beauty, hands folded gently over her abdomen, eyes slightly lowered, her voice calm as flowing water:

"I was raised as a child under my master and mistress. The one who met him in my youth."

"So I already possess my true nature—why would I need to reclaim anything?"

"I am Yao Guang."

"Xiao Yuxue, farewell."

Xiao Yuxue's face was blank; the silver-haired girl showed no expression. She returned to stand behind Li Guanyi, one hand gripping his sleeve, the other taking hold of the Whale Fisher's.

Far away, the old Master Siming, climbing up from the wall of the Great Xia Kingdom of the Western Regions, exhaled heavily, struggling to pull the arrows from the side of the Black Tortoise, muttering, "Damn it, the outside world's growing more dangerous—this Wang Cheng won't survive."

"But… true nature is complete."

The old Master Siming sighed, gazing at the distant silver-haired girl; she had picked it up—and already let it go. Precisely because she let it go, she had truly "reclaimed" what belonged to her.

One phrase: true nature is complete.

It surpassed the Mo Sect's three-hundred-year relentless pursuit at any cost.

The greatest prodigy in eight hundred years.

The old Master Siming whispered, "Such enlightenment… borders on Buddha and Dao."

The Black Tortoise asked, "Will she walk the path of Supreme Detachment?"

The old Master Siming simply replied:

"She would have."

The old Black Tortoise said nothing, only strained to shake its body; all the arrows fell away, none harming it in the slightest—but the arrows themselves were different, each one from the chaos of battle.

Xiao Yuxue's face was frantic; suddenly she let out a bitter laugh, seized the crystal, and used some unknown method—the lingering changes of the array split the ground beneath her, and she plunged downward. The Whale Fisher remained silent for a long while, then said, "Come with me."

The Wu Gong legend had locked its spiritual focus—Xiao Yuxue was certain to die.

He led Yao Guang and Li Guanyi forward; this was the territory of the Mo Sect. Xiao Yuxue, clutching her wound and the crystal, wandered forward in circles; the Whale Fisher followed behind, the path winding, as if returning to the past.

"Little beggar, we're holding a Buddhist chanting ceremony—would you like to join?"

"Does it come with food?"

"Plenty!"

Prayer wheels spun on either side, clanging, prayer flags fluttered, the figures of the Buddhas drifted through the air; the young Whale Fisher was nothing but a tiny beggar—amidst chaos, where was there a path for beggars to survive?

The Whale Fisher's brows tightened; his wide black sleeves hung down, silver hair trailing to his waist.

Though he had slain countless lives, not a speck of dust clung to his silver hair.

He was the peerless Array Master, transcendent and beyond the mundane.

The strongest genius in a thousand years.

Xiao Yuxue had nowhere left to flee—this was merely the scripture repository. Her face pale, she gasped for breath, gripping the crystal tightly, turning to look at them—the Whale Fisher in his flowing robes, Xiao Yuxue stared at the three of them, her eyes growing still.

At that moment, the Whale Fisher sensed another presence—but this time, he did not intervene. It was clearly Xiao Yuxue's elite Mo Sect troops; they triggered the mechanism, and arrows flew toward Xiao Yuxue.

The Wu Gong-stripped Xiao Yuxue had fled to the Mo Sect's most hidden sanctuary—only to be struck by the secret arrows of the elite troops she had once protected; the arrows pierced her clothing, and blood gushed forth.

Xiao Yuxue froze; the Whale Fisher raised his hand, not stopping any of it from happening.

Xiao Yuxue lowered her head, watching this scene; she opened her mouth, blood trickling from the corner, several figures flew out—her protected Mo Sect disciples—who knelt half-bowed, dropping their strange weapons, saying:

"Xiao Yuxue, this woman is cruel, heartless and without principle—I've long wanted to kill her."

"We came today to uphold justice by slaying our master, to cut off her head and present it to you."

The woman who had exhausted herself for the Mo Sect's survival, maneuvering among the martial world to ensure its legacy, finally sighed, sitting quietly there—saved by those she had saved, now murdered by them, ending like this.

Xiao Yuxue let out a light laugh:

"How truly amusing…"

The Whale Fisher lowered his gaze; as the Mo Sect disciples who had shot Xiao Yuxue with poison-tipped arrows screamed, they exploded outright, turning to blood that splattered both walls, staining the Buddhist sutras and verses within with crimson.

The Whale Fisher's sleeves flared as he regarded the dying Xiao Yuxue.

He raised his hand, activating his killing technique.

In his youth, it had been like this—winter, heavy snow, he nearly froze to death; back then, the most formidable young generation of the martial world were Divine Calculator Zu Wenyuan and Mad Wang Chen Chengbi, but they were far beyond his reach.

Back then, there was a chicken-feather hut.

For just three large coins a night, it sheltered you from snow; the owner would line an entire room with chicken feathers, and beggars paid to lie inside, using the feathers to stay warm—barely clinging to life.

In this chaotic age, all he hoped for was to eat; then, one day, a group of people from the West arrived in the city, preaching sutras and teachings; hearing they offered food, he went—but he never got any.

On that day, counting thoughts as he lived, never knowing when he'd become a corpse in the snow, the Whale Fisher saw through the snow a great drum, and a five-year-old girl, barefoot, spinning upon it, reciting the Prajna Sutra like a celestial maiden descending to earth.

After that day, he arrived early every day at the preaching platform, listening to the Westerners' sutras—not sure if for the thin porridge and steamed buns, or just to see that girl.

Later, when the Westerners took disciples, the girl slipped him two steamed buns; the young beggar wiped his hands, nervously clasped her hand, and traded his personal whistle for those two buns.

Inside the buns was a note—learned from listening to sutras: 【Run.】

The girl who once risked punishment, nearly becoming an experiment, to let a young beggar escape the Xiyumo Sect—now stood before him, pale-faced, the Mo Sect's master who had orchestrated all this.

The Whale Fisher's killing technique was complete, yet he asked:

"Why?"

He was not looking at this doomed woman, but at the girl who had once knelt in the snow, punished with three hundred lashes for saving him.

Xiao Yuxue had many reasons to give.

Yet now, she laughed openly, unreservedly:

"Your question, sir, is so lofty, so condescending."

She looked at the Whale Fisher, smiling beautifully: "I was born here."

"I grew up here!"

The Whale Fisher had never understood those eight words until he saw what the Mo Sect had done—using humans as raw material, not merely disregarding life, but acting with unrestrained madness, chaos, overturning ethics, ignoring kinship and blood, placing humans alongside beasts.

Xiao Yuxue was born here, and grew up in this environment.

What else could she have done?

What kind of person could she be?

Yet even now, Xiao Yuxue still believed she was right.

The Whale Fisher suddenly felt the world grow cold and desolate; he laughed without knowing why: "This world is truly absurd."

Without hesitation, he unleashed his blow!

Xiao Yuxue lowered her gaze, but at that moment, raised her hand and pressed a nearby trigger; arrows erupted—the Whale Fisher, protecting his daughter, saw Xiao Yuxue raise her hand and drive a dagger into her own heart; only after the dagger pierced her heart did the Whale Fisher's array descend.

Xiao Yuxue's gaze fixed on the Whale Fisher.

Watching the silver-haired girl sever her own heart meridians.

Perhaps a fleeting hesitation—had she let the Whale Fisher kill her himself, it might have created a crack between him and Yao Guang, fitting the Mo Sect's ways—but she did not do it.

"Truly… absurd…"

Li Guanyi swept his battle spear, shattering every incoming mechanism, and saw Xiao Yuxue sitting there—dead in her own hands, never letting the Whale Fisher's hands stain themselves with her life.

Li Guanyi saw the legendary martial figure in black robe and silver hair—his dark robe unstained by dust, yet the falling silver strands now bore a single, glaring streak of crimson.

The Whale Fisher reached out, grasping the small pouch at Xiao Yuxue's waist; inside was a bamboo whistle, ugly in shape, used decades ago by beggars to steal—often one would deliberately provoke a vendor, drawing a chase.

The accomplice would sneak off to steal, while a clever one perched high, holding the whistle, blowing it sharply when someone approached.

That was the meaning of "Wind's strong—pull out!"

It had been decades; inside still lay round pebbles, dried yellow willow leaves, straight little twigs, and crookedly copied fragments of Buddhist sutras; the Whale Fisher lowered his gaze.

The child, the adult—people must change.

The little girl of childhood, the reunion years ago, the daughter murdered.

All debts and grudges were settled today; he let go.

The array unfolded, thunder and fire roared, engulfing the dead woman; within the flames, she was swiftly consumed, finally reduced to white ash; the Whale Fisher's sleeves flared as he tossed what he held into the fire.

All past events vanished like smoke and clouds.

As Li Guanyi approached, he saw the crooked sutra characters glowing gold-red in the fire, the final passage visible—【All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows; like dew, like lightning—thus should they be viewed.】

The characters glowed in the fire, then quickly turned to black carbon ash.

Li Guanyi felt dazed.

Had the Mo Sect, Xiao Yuxue, Yao Guang's myriad emotions, all past karmic ties truly ended? This ending was not the straightforward slaughter—it was easy, because of the Whale Fisher's presence, whether the array or Xiao Yuxue's death.

The Whale Fisher suddenly said: "Li Guanyi, this world is chaotic and absurd."

"Can you save it?"

Li Guanyi said: "I cannot."

He paused, then added: "The people of the world can."

The Whale Fisher looked at him; Li Guanyi saw the Whale Fisher's gaze calm and distant—he felt a transformation, like a sword madman who had laid down his blade; the Whale Fisher whispered: "If so, then I entrust my daughter to you."

"When I came, I saw the armies of the Western tribes drawing near; I don't know how many there are, but know this—they are the very forces the West once deployed to fight Yu Langwang to the death."

"Information can lie, but numbers cannot."

"The Wolf King has fifty thousand troops. How many do they have? Guess for yourself."

"You two, leave at once!"

Li Guanyi said: "What about you, Elder!?"

The Whale Fisher turned aside, his bearing vast and desolate, and sneered: "Me?"

"There are still living people in the Mo Sect. The world has the world's grandeur; those of the Jianghu have their own rules. I will crush them—one by one—every last one!"

"In the Jianghu, revenge means wiping out entire families!"

"Every last beast of the Mo Sect."

"Kill them all!!!"

The ground trembled with a roaring sound as the formation targeted the underground palace. Li Guanyi knew he need not fear a cultivator of this realm; he grabbed Yao Guang and rushed out, seeing the vast, empty sky and earth. The silver-haired girl stared at it all, momentarily dazed.

More than ten years ago.

On that day, the Whale Fisher and the old Master Siming found Yao Guang. The Whale Fisher pulled out his daughter, his eyes red, yet saw the silver-haired girl gazing far away, her voice flat, expressionless, saying:

"I feel that in the future, I will meet someone."

The silver-haired girl reached out and scratched at the air.

"Who?"

"I don't know."

The old Master Siming was astonished, sensing the girl had a natural gift for divination and strange arts.

For predicting future events.

This was precisely the talent and ability of fortune-telling and divination!

So, the Whale Fisher sent her to the place where the world's strangest arts were strongest.

Bai Hu Da Zong, the Star Observation Lineage.

Thus, the story began to flow through time.

And more than ten years later, the same city, the same palace—only the kings, marquises, and generals had changed.

Winter finally brought snow. As the silver-haired girl jumped down, she accidentally injured her foot. Li Guanyi gripped his battle spear in one hand, carried the silver-haired girl on his back, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, then suddenly said:

"Aren't you going to ask why I didn't take it back?"

Li Guanyi said: "Isn't it because you didn't want it?"

The silver-haired girl replied: "Because if I reclaim what was lost long ago, I fear I will change. Everything in the past determined who I am now."

Li Guanyi answered: "Regardless, that is still you."

The silver-haired girl held his neck, her voice flat, replying:

"That is me."

"But it is certainly not the me who walked this path with you."

"So, I don't like it."

"That's all."

Li Guanyi paused. The silver-haired girl's face showed no expression; she tilted her head slightly:

"If I can make a decision, then I think I was always whole."

"Yet perhaps I will never feel any emotional fluctuation."

"So… do you like me like this?"

He paused, then said:

"Liniuer?"

Li Guanyi held the silver-haired girl more firmly.

Suddenly, shouts came from over there:

"Li Guanyi, little girl, hurry up!!!"

"Damn it, the enemy army's coming!"

In the end, he still struggled to regain control of his routine and barely moved forward a bit.

? I still feel today's matter must be resolved—please, a monthly vote. The double vote window lasts only seven days. Please, everyone (peaceful).

? If I can update before 3 a. m., I will. If not, rest up, everyone.