Chapter 1489: Holding a Chess Piece, Unable to Decide

After the Mysterious Gate and the Buddhist Schools fell into decline, no one could stop the Taotie.

Jiu Fengchun's bouts of madness grew increasingly frequent. His bottomless appetite kept him in the state of the Taotie for long periods, devoid of reason. He absorbed Spiritual Energy and devoured cultivators and mortals alike. Wherever he passed, all living beings fled, rivers and mountains ceased their flow, and vegetation withered.

Xiao Dongxu constantly followed behind him. With every place they passed, he witnessed the tragic devastation, and killing intent inevitably stirred within him.

But how could he kill him?

Could he even kill him?

Xiao Dongxu looked up at the sky. Even heaven's will, in the unseen workings of fate, tacitly permitted this. What could people like them, living beneath the heavens, possibly do?

The Mysterious Gate had retreated, the demonic path ran rampant, and the Literary Dao was using its meager remaining strength to sustain the world.

Under such circumstances, was there any point in planning further?

Xiao Dongxu could not see even a sliver of hope.

Now, with the great tribulation looming ahead, they were still fighting endlessly among themselves. Did such struggles truly hold any meaning?

A profound sense of disappointment washed over him.

"It might be better to let the Taotie devour everything. That way, perhaps peace would finally be restored."

Xiao Dongxu sighed softly and continued walking forward.

Much later, whenever Jiu Fengchun regained his senses, he grew increasingly silent. He did not dare to look back, nor did he dare to look at his surroundings. He knew exactly what kind of tragic wasteland lay behind him, and that all of it had come by his own hands.

He wandered the world like a lost traveler, bearing sins he should never have had to bear—unable to hide, unable to escape.

When he was lucid, Xiao Dongxu would often meet with him.

Along this journey, Xiao Dongxu was probably the only person who would occasionally speak a few words to him.

Jiu Fengchun didn't quite understand. He asked, "I've already become like this, yet you still talk to me. Mister Xiao, what exactly are you doing this for?"

Xiao Dongxu took a deep breath and said, "I've been wondering what I'm doing it for, too. Sometimes I feel like I'm an accomplice in this Tribulation. Other times, I think that perhaps what I'm doing isn't wrong. Even though many of my actions would earn me a terrible reputation if they were known, if they can bring about a good result, wouldn't that still be a great merit?"

Jiu Fengchun opened his mouth and said, "I will only eat this world empty. Without Spiritual Energy, I will start eating people. I'll eat everything—mountains, rivers, not even sparing the dead and withered. Aren't you worried, Mister Xiao?"

Xiao Dongxu nodded. "Of course I'm worried. But in comparison, I am far more worried about this world. If this world were on the right path, they should be coming to kill you, rather than continuing to fight among themselves, trying to eke out an existence amidst this Tribulation."

Jiu Fengchun pressed his lips together, unable to answer.

He stared at the campfire before him, his thoughts turbulent for a long time.

He said, "If the day comes when I truly forget everything, when I am truly about to destroy this world, then please draw your sword, Mister Xiao."

Xiao Dongxu looked at him but remained silent.

Jiu Fengchun looked up, meeting his eyes. "Didn't you hide karmic consequences within the Spirit-Devouring Three Methods long ago, Mister Xiao?"

Hearing this, Xiao Dongxu paused, his gaze locked with Jiu Fengchun's.

Ever since he began cultivating the Spirit-Devouring Three Methods, Jiu Fengchun had gradually discovered what was hidden within it. Although it was buried exceptionally deep, he had eventually stumbled upon it by accident.

It was something capable of taking his life at any moment.

Xiao Dongxu had rewritten the five-element cycle of Spiritual Energy, weaving it together and hiding it between the lines of the manual. Once Jiu Fengchun cultivated it, hidden dangers were planted throughout his meridians. Taking advantage of Jiu Fengchun's unconscious state, Xiao Dongxu had gathered all those hidden dangers into one place, condensing them into a short sword concealed within Jiu Fengchun's heart meridian.

Xiao Dongxu let out a breath and asked, "When did you find out?"

Jiu Fengchun replied, "A long time ago..."

He looked at Xiao Dongxu and said, "Mister Xiao, I forgot to mention one problem. I transform into the Taotie. During this process, the positions of my meridians and my heart meridian shift. That condensed sword drifts around within my body along with them. I can't dispel it, but with every transformation, its position shifts so that it is no longer capable of instantly taking my life."

Xiao Dongxu blanked for a moment, only to see Jiu Fengchun suddenly raise his head and point to a spot two inches below his heart.

"And now, it is here. After I transform into the Taotie, this short sword will hang directly over the Taotie's heart meridian. With just a raise of your hand to activate it, my heart meridian will instantly shatter, killing me."

"Please remember this location, Mister Xiao."

Jiu Fengchun continued, "Since I am destined for such an end, then why not let me orchestrate it myself and put an end to it all? At the very least, this counts as my own choice, doesn't it?"

Xiao Dongxu was at a loss for words. He noticed that Jiu Fengchun's eyes were slightly red.

Did he truly want to die?

Jiu Fengchun was terrified of dying. He constantly fled, constantly moved on—wasn't it all just to keep himself alive? Eking out an existence for all these years, what else could it possibly be for?

But now, he had merely figured one thing out.

He refused to be a puppet, left with no choices under the oppression of heaven, earth, and this world.

Perhaps death was, in the truest sense, a release.

Xiao Dongxu let out a long sigh.

"I will remember it..."

"Mhm."

Such silence was truly heartbreaking.

Xiao Dongxu had long understood that the young man before him was not evil.

But it was precisely because of this that the situation felt so agonizing.

To kill one person to save the world—such a scenario had actually appeared right before his eyes. Sometimes, it was truly difficult to decide.

Xiao Dongxu had a premonition that perhaps one day, he would personally end Jiu Fengchun's life. Moreover, that time would not be far off; it might even be right in front of them...

But for now, he still remained deeply conflicted.

...

That year, Xiao Dongxu went to the Mortal World.

He sought out Chen Changsheng once again.

After Mister Zhong's departure, it became difficult for him to find anyone to confide his inner conflicts to. In his impression, this Mister Chen, a man of unknown origins, was the only person left to whom he could pour out his heart and ask for guidance.

However, the quietness of this Daoist temple made Xiao Dongxu feel a little uneasy.

To his surprise, the man sitting in the chair at the front of the hall seemed to have become an entirely different person in this brief span of time.

Chen Changsheng rested his head on his hand, seemingly asleep.

He looked entirely haggard, exuding an aura of ancient, time-worn desolation. He was just like a dying old man sitting at the village entrance, watching the sunset.

Seeing this, Xiao Dongxu did not disturb him. He stepped forward and sat down on the steps, waiting for Mister Chen to wake up.

A light rain began to fall from the sky, accompanied by the faint rumble of thunder.

The rain wasn't heavy, yet it weighed upon the heart, inevitably bringing about a stifling gloom that settled over everything along with the drizzle.

It was incredibly quiet here.