Love & Redemption
Chapter 270: Final Volume: I Am Liuli - 29: Liuli (Part 9)

Chapter 270: Final Volume: I Am Liuli Chapter 29: Liuli (Part 9)

The Heavenly Emperor said softly, "I, too, have my selfish desires. General, you may still think my words are nothing but sophistry, and that’s fine. But please think carefully, when you were filled with nothing but resentment and fury, even if you were to slaughter everyone in Heaven to avenge your deep hatred, what would you do afterwards? With your murderous aura reaching the sky, wherever you go, you will only bring misfortune. Your obsession growing deeper, your ultimate fate is nothing but a painful end to your own life, with your resentment unable to be vented. In the end, this matter boils down to Heaven’s guilt towards you, and we should not involve the innocent beings of the Six Realms or disrupt the order."

Xuanji said coldly, "Still excuses! What right do you have to assume I would go around killing people, bringing disaster?! It is all your own conjecture!"

The Heavenly Emperor replied in a gentle voice, "General, do you not remember? In your past lives as a human, you were consumed by resentment, harming many, ending up alone and destitute."

And who was to blame for that? Xuanji did not speak, but pondered. Was it only permissible for them to use others, and not for others to harbor grievance? Or was it that she should be grateful for their exploitation, simply because they were from Heaven, immortals, the most noble group? Having her flesh refined into sharp Divine Artifacts and her soul transformed into a murderous culprit, was that her ultimate glory?

The Heavenly Emperor continued, "I later entrusted you to the care of Emperor Hou Tu, instructing him to teach you with great care. In this life, you are clever and insightful, and finally, you no longer act violently, harming others. You have also found someone more important in life, and I, too, am happy for you. General, don’t you think this is much better than being a mere murderous weapon? You once asked me where you could go, being neither god nor Shura, with no place in the world to belong. But isn’t the human world the land you yearn for? Having comprehended the true meaning of being human and protecting your own happiness, can you truly erase everything in the mortal world, preferring to drown in sin and rage?"

He asked earnestly, with genuine affection, causing Xuanji to be somewhat moved. She stood up, bowed, and said, "I dare not. The eighteen years of life in the human world have made me realize many things I had never thought of before, and I indeed gained much. Xuanji thanks the Heavenly Emperor for such arrangements."

After speaking, she suddenly turned around, her gaze sharp and cold, looking at Emperor Bai, and said, "But there is a debt for every grievance, and there is a wrongdoer for every debt. Even though I have understood many principles, I cannot forgive someone’s actions against me, and the subsequent tacit approval of Heaven. If the Heavenly Emperor thinks that I am still filled with resentment, I have nothing to say, but in Xuanji’s heart, I recognize only this principle: no one has the right to manipulate someone else’s life at will! Whether it’s Luo Hou and Jidu, or Chu Xuanji, perhaps in Heaven’s eyes, they are all but insignificant beings, not worth mentioning, whose grievances can be subdued with grand principles, finding no reason for hatred. However, even if my life is insignificant, to me, it is the most precious! It should be controlled by myself, not left to anyone else to play with! Disregarding others, whether human or god, is wrong! I cannot forgive!"

She drew out the Ding Kun Sword, and perhaps because she was back in Heaven, the Ding Kun expanded several times in size, its blue light spectral and chilling. Her eyes reflected a terrifying blue light, appearing very sinister. She stared resolutely at Emperor Bai and said in a low voice, "I don’t want your mercy, nor do I want you to surrender readily! All these postures are useless to me now. As the Emperor Bai, you naturally possess Divine Power. Let us fight a fair battle! Life and death will be decided by fate!"

The Heavenly Emperor sighed and said, "General..."

"I am not called General," she stated calmly. "My name is Chu Xuanji!"

Emperor Bai’s complexion turned pale as he stepped forward slowly, bowing respectfully toward the tent behind him, and said, "The mistakes made by your servant are so severe that death a thousand times over could not atone for them. As your servant’s last request, I beg the Emperor that no matter what the outcome, do not hold Xuanji accountable. The cause and effect, all is the doing of your servant alone, and the consequences should also be borne by your servant alone."

The Heavenly Emperor let out a long sigh and said softly, "The cause of today is the fruit of another day. So be it, I too am at fault... Xuanji, you are right, every grievance has its perpetrator and every debt its debtor. Heaven is guilty towards you, so I, in the most supreme position in Heaven, along with Emperor Bai, will bear your anger to resolve this calamitous fate."

Xuanji nodded, "Very well!"

She turned and carefully picked up the Luminous Glass Vase from the table, holding it close to her heart. The loneliness that had long since lingered, the void of not knowing where to fit in between heaven and earth, seemed somewhat filled. Inside this Luminous Glass Vase was the other self that had been forcibly extracted from her.

When Luo Hou and Jidu first fell in love, they faced sudden disaster. Had he lived, after forty-nine days, he would have transformed into a beautiful Shura woman. What would that scene have looked like? No matter if she had been with Emperor Bai or not, she would have lived better than a life worse than death. In that case, there would have been no Chu Xuanji, and she would have not experienced the annoying yet sweet incidents of this life.

The taste of being a human, she would never understand it in her lifetime.

Xuanji, unable to restrain her tears, pressed the Luminous Glass Vase and said in a low voice, "I have avenged you, Luo Hou."

The happiness she had never experienced would be continued by her. No matter how humble a life was, it had its own happiness. Being human, what was there not to like?

Heavenly Fire fell like a rain, speckling the sky, reminiscent of the Phoenix Flower rain over West Valley Town. The wind blew, scattering beautiful colors all over the sky. The magnificent Kunlun Mountain Divine Temple was suddenly engulfed in flames, with fire reaching the sky, clouds billowing, and mist spreading, making it seem as if the entire sky was covered by Heavenly Fire, igniting a blazing red.

Outside, there came a tumultuous noise that shook the earth, and the gods guarding Kunlun Mountain panicked at the sight of the Heavenly Fire descending, scrambling towards this place, shouting the names of the Heavenly Emperor and Emperor Bai. But no matter how they collided, they couldn’t break open the doors of the Divine Temple— the place had been sealed by the Heavenly Emperor, allowing exit but not entry.

The Heavenly Fire kept falling, igniting houses and plants in an instant, leaving the gods with nowhere to hide, scurrying for cover. However, after running a while, they suddenly realized that the fire had no effect on them, passing straight through their bodies and falling to the ground, not harming them in the slightest. For a moment, they all stood still, confused about what was happening.

The Heavenly Emperor spoke in a low voice, "Xuanji’s heart harbors kindness, I’m deeply grateful."

Xuanji said indifferently, "This is the fault of you and Emperor Bai, it has nothing to do with others. They are merely puppets who follow orders without understanding right from wrong. Now you’re grateful to me, but you’ll surely hate me to death later."

At first, the Heavenly Emperor did not understand, but being a mighty god, he immediately grasped her meaning. She intended to burn down Kunlun Mountain into a barren hill, ensuring these immortals could no longer descend to the Lower Realm. The fire grew higher and higher, shooting up along the auspicious light at the Heavenly ceiling, burning all the way to Heaven. It looked like she also planned to reduce Heaven to ashes.

The Heavenly Emperor then said, "You do not take lives, repaying evil with good. I remain deeply grateful."

Xuanji laughed and said, "How could I not take lives? You’re hiding behind the tent, the fire cannot reach this sanctuary, and I can’t even see what you really look like. Even if I wanted to, I can’t harm you. Since you are the Heavenly Emperor, it’s fine if I can’t touch you. But Emperor Bai’s life, how could I let that go!"

She set down the Luminous Glass Vase, took up the sword, and stepped down from the dais, walking determinedly towards Emperor Bai with no sign of mercy, clearly meaning to slay him with her blade. The Heavenly Emperor, though reluctant, could only sigh softly from behind the tent. Shura’s obsession is strong; once she’s resolved on something, she’s set on it. Even though she’s human in this life, this instinct can’t be changed. The Heavenly Emperor, wanting to intercede, knew it would be in vain.

Xuanji went straight up to Emperor Bai and looked at him fixedly. "Take up your weapon!" she demanded.

Emperor Bai shook his head, flung open his robe, and knelt on the ground, speaking softly, "I offer my neck for your execution and will offer no resistance." He undid the laces on his coat, exposing his chest, and said, "Whether you wish to behead or to carve out the heart, I will not so much as frown."

Xuanji said softly, "Take up your weapon! Are you underestimating me or the brother you once had?"

Emperor Bai gave a pained smile and replied, "In the past, I too subdued Jidu using despicable means; today, why should Jidu speak of fairness."

In the Illusion Realm, hearing him call the name Jidu didn’t seem to matter, but now, calling this name to her face, Xuanji instinctively felt a wave of emotion. All along, everyone said she was the one plagued by inner demons, but in the end, the one with inner demons turned out to be Emperor Bai. If the person standing here were the original Luo Hou and Jidu, he would have first asked a question, perhaps: Did you ever really consider me a brother? Or: What place do I hold in your heart? Or even: Do you have any regrets about all that you have done to me?

But she would not ask anything, because she was no longer Luo Hou and Jidu; she was Chu Xuanji.

"Everything from the past has dissipated like smoke," she said softly, her hand raising the Ding Kun Sword, "Luo Hou and Jidu is no longer the person from back then, but you are still the person you were. What a pitiful man you are."

As her hand rose and the sword fell, she was ready to let the Ding Kun Sword drink the blood of her enemy when suddenly she heard a ruckus from behind the hall, "Ah! There’s no fire here! Such luck, such luck!"

Xuanji couldn’t help but be startled, quickly turning her head only to see two figures hastily making their way from behind the hall, each of them covered in black soot, looking utterly ragged. The one in the lead upon seeing Emperor Bai, instantly changed expression, then noticing Xuanji standing with sword in hand in front of Emperor Bai, his eyes suddenly bulged as if they might pop out of his sockets.

"Xuanji!"

"What are you doing, you brat!"

Two voices shouted at once, it was Wuzhiqi and Tengshe. The fire outside was rampant, but they seemed unharmed despite being blackened. Xuanji felt a surge of joy and urgently asked, "You’re here! Are you alright?"

But before her words were done, she spotted another person safely emerging behind Wuzhiqi and Tengshe, contrasting their disheveled appearance, looking fresh and unscathed, not even a hair out of place.

This time, it was her turn for her eyes to nearly fall out, as she cried out in dismay, "Si Feng—"

Without pausing, she dashed over, throwing herself into his arms. The Ding Kun Sword clattered to the ground, forgotten. (To be continued, for further details, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

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