Love & Redemption
Chapter 273: The Final Volume of I am Liuli - 32 Forgetting Three Lives (Part 2)

Chapter 273: The Final Volume of I am Liuli Chapter 32 Forgetting Three Lives (Part 2)

Before he could finish speaking, a clamor erupted from outside the palace doors like a mountainous wave. The royal guards had clearly found their way here, and discovering that only this temple stood unharmed amidst the ruins, they began to shout in frantic joy. But since the Heavenly Emperor had set boundaries, no one could enter, and in desperation, they beat against the doors.

Xuanji’s face drained of color as she glared toward the back of the tent, unsure if the Heavenly Emperor was going to break his promise and, taking advantage of their numbers, seize them all.

The Heavenly Emperor said, "Wuzhiqi, you may go with them. I entrust two Divine Generals to escort you to Yidu, where you shall be dealt with by Emperor Hou Tu."

Wuzhiqi complied with a nod, briskly went to open the door, and had just touched the doorframe when a "bang" followed by a loud clang resounded. The palace doors had been knocked down by the people outside, crashing to the ground, and like the dust they stirred up, those people surged in and quickly surrounded Wuzhiqi, nearly stabbing him into a hornet’s nest with their weapons.

"Impudent Monkey! What insolent act do you dare commit against the Heavenly Emperor?!" someone bellowed at him.

Wuzhiqi just smiled and did not speak. The others then noticed the Divine Generals lying unconscious behind the throne, and in the blink of an eye, Xuanji and Yu Sifeng were encircled, with swords and blades gleaming, ready to strike at these few criminals. Another person called out, "Heavenly Emperor! Are you all right?"

From behind the tent, the Heavenly Emperor ordered, "Stand down. Do not harm them. Help these Divine Generals get outside."

Those people were still half in doubt, hesitantly helped the sleeping Azure Dragon and the others out, when suddenly recalling something, they asked, "We’ve searched all over Kunlun Mountain and have not found a trace of Emperor Bai. Is he with the Heavenly Emperor?"

Upon hearing this, the Heavenly Emperor sighed deeply, his voice filled with profound sorrow. After a long pause, he finally said, "He... has passed on to reincarnation to attain enlightenment anew. The position of Emperor Bai is temporarily vacant. Tomorrow, I shall make an official announcement to Heaven."

The crowd was shocked. To ’pass on to reincarnation’ was akin to death. Emperor Bai was dead — what ominous sign was this?! Tengshe had been holding back his grief, but hearing the Heavenly Emperor’s proclamation that he had passed on to reincarnation and was to attain enlightenment anew, his heart ached unbearably, and he could not help but wail in sorrow. Remembrance of his previous kindness and benevolence swept over him, and he wept as if about to faint. At first, the others couldn’t believe it, but upon seeing Tengshe cry like that and spotting a patch of ashes scattering in the wind — as fine as grains of light-emitting glass sand, still possessing spiritual essence — they finally believed that Emperor Bai was dead, and that those were his ashes. A chorus of mourning erupted. Someone remembered that only Xuanji had the power to burn Emperor Bai to death. Unable to restrain themselves any longer, they raised their halberd to strike at her, but the Heavenly Emperor was too late to stop them.

Xuanji, still stunned, didn’t even react as the Fangtian Halberd approached her face. Suddenly, Tengshe burst forth, seizing the Fangtian Halberd, his voice stern as he said, "Don’t make a move!" Before his words fell, the flames in his palms had already melted the halberd, severing it to the ground. The onlookers, knowing his mightiness and that he was Xuanji’s spiritual beast—which made him part of the rebellion—could only curse loudly from behind, none daring to act rashly.

Xuanji lifted her head blankly, only to see Tengshe’s side profile, his long eyelashes damp, his face covered with tears. He did not look at her or speak, and in truth, she herself didn’t know what to say to him. Although Xuanji had not personally caused Emperor Bai’s death, she had harbored the intent to kill him. Liuli was Luo Hou, no different from her; they were originally the same person.

She lowered her head and said quietly, "Tengshe, you blame me, don’t you?"

Tengshe was taken aback and asked oddly, "Blame you... for what?"

Xuanji was also startled, "You... don’t know that the Luminous Glass Vase and I... we are..."

"What are we?" Tengshe was even more puzzled.

"No... it’s nothing..." Realizing he was unaware, Xuanji sighed and said, "I’ll explain in detail later. Tengshe, if we are to dissolve our pact, I must sever one of my arms, which I would find too painful, and I’m sure you would be unwilling as well. So, I’ll allow you to permanently leave my side, to return when you wish, and to depart if you choose, no longer bound by our pact."

At the time she had decreed that he must return to his master within three days, or his Divine Power would progressively dwindle— which had turned Tengshe’s hair to a dark red. Now, by offering permanent leave, and to act as he wished unless Xuanji died—in which case her spiritual beast would also have to die—it was essentially the same as dissolving the pact.

A restless frustration filled Tengshe, and he nodded in a messy fashion. Once, such an offer would have thrilled him, but now with Emperor Bai dead, he felt as if a father figure was gone, leaving a grief too profound for words. As an immortal, unless there was warfare like a Shura attack, there was no suffering from birth, aging, sickness, and death. He had never before considered what "death" or "reincarnation" meant. Those notions, so distant to lowly mortals, seemed irrelevant, laughable, and even the death of a few mortals was just a journey to "reincarnation" without an end to their long life.

He now finally understood that life and death were not as simple and cold as he thought. A death takes more than just life; it leaves behind the affection, regrets, and memories of those who were close to the departed. One must not trifle with or scorn life— the Heavenly Emperor’s words, once regarded as idle talk, now resonate with painful understanding in his willful and reckless behavior.

"Tengshe! You sided with these traitors and killed Emperor Bai!" The people whose Fangtian Halberd had been burned up shouted furiously.

Tengshe didn’t wish to argue with them and simply shook his head. He bent down to gather the ashes and the remains of the melted Luminous Glass Vase from the ground, tore off a part of his robe to wrap them up, and carefully placed them against his chest. This action reminded Wuzhiqi, who hastily raised his hand and called out, "Hey hey, I just remembered something, Heavenly Emperor! I’m really sorry, but could you let me return to the human world for a moment? I have some matters to attend to, I promise I’ll be right back!"

The Heavenly Emperor was always at a loss with Wuzhiqi’s lazy nature but still asked, "What is it?"

Slapping his chest where Zi Hu’s ashes still lay, Wuzhiqi answered, "I have a friend... the little fox who was killed by the Divine Witch. I want to bury her ashes."

To everyone’s surprise, the Heavenly Emperor didn’t get angry but instead praised him, saying, "That is as it should be. Humans are sentimental, and though you and she were demons, your affection for each other does not pale in comparison. I grant you leave to descend to the Lower Realm to bury the ashes. Return within an hour."

Grinning towards the tent, Wuzhiqi said, "I knew it, the Heavenly Emperor really is a great guy. Off I go! Wait for me right here, I’ll be back before you know it!"

With that, he disappeared from outside the hall in the blink of an eye. Someone tried to stop him, reaching out a hand, but he dissipated like the wind.

The crowd urgently said, "Heavenly Emperor! This demon has always been unruly. Now that we have finally caught him, how can we let him go? Moreover, Emperor Bai was also killed by these people..." They glared fiercely at Xuanji and the others as if they could kill them with their gaze.

The Heavenly Emperor stated, "This matter has nothing to do with them. It was Emperor Bai’s own demons that led to his end. My heart is more pained than yours, yet we cannot impose that pain on others."

The crowd then argued, "Even if the death of Emperor Bai has nothing to do with them, Kunlun Mountain has been burned to the ground, and Heaven itself was left in shambles due to the fire. How can such great crimes be easily forgiven? If word spreads that the mighty Heaven was burned down by few madmen from the Lower Realm, what would be left of Heaven’s dignity?"

Suddenly the Heavenly Emperor’s tone became grave, almost reproachful, "In the past, you all focused too much on the so-called face of Heaven, so much so that you disregarded the beings of the Lower Realm, leading to many wrongdoings! Does Heaven stand so high above that it can act recklessly and not bear any punishment? The fall of the Heavenly Fire is also a warning! Put aside your pride as Divine Beings immediately, be strict with yourselves to prevent irreversible mistakes in the future!"

The crowd, silenced by his words, could only slink away, supporting the unconscious God Generals as they left the hall. A few remained to guard Xuanji and the others. Hesitating, Xuanji said, "Heavenly Emperor... we..." They had come storming to Kunlun Mountain hot-blooded for revenge, not expecting such an outcome. Even with their revenge fulfilled, there was no joy in their hearts. It seemed that among them, Luo Hou, who had turned into the Luminous Glass Vase, took the greatest pleasure. He and Emperor Bai, sworn enemies, perished together in the Shura Fire, rejoicing even as they journeyed down the Huangquan Road.

Though a human may have a thousand virtues, she still couldn’t help but envy and reminisce about such unbridled joy and sorrow, such an existence without attachments. This was true freedom and unrestraint.

Yu Sifeng had been observing. He arrived late and was not clear about the intricacies between Xuanji and Heaven, but being naturally intelligent, he discerned something from the Heavenly Emperor’s words and Xuanji’s expressions. He realized that speaking more on the subject was probably futile, thus he stepped forward and spoke confidently, "The Heavenly Emperor is magnanimous. With matters here concluded without further concern, we who trespassed on Kunlun Mountain and disrupted the order of Heaven, acknowledge our deep sins. We beseech the Heavenly Emperor to decree our punishment, without daring to utter any objections."

By yielding, he sought a way out, recognizing that Heaven had feelings of guilt toward Xuanji but preemptively lowered his own stance, effectively asking the Heavenly Emperor to let them go.

The Heavenly Emperor, however, smiled slightly and said, "Many years have passed, Star Lord, yet you remain sharp and astute. Have you forgotten the tranquility of Heaven amid the hustle and bustle of the mortal world?"

This question left everyone stunned. Yu Sifeng was utterly confused.

The Heavenly Emperor lamented, "The Star Lord was once the first star to rise on the banks of the Heavenly River at dawn, always diligent and never slack. There was a fossilized Weaver by the Heavenly River who wove every day. Captivated by her beauty, the Star Lord took the form of a young man to meet her—have you forgotten this past, Star Lord?"

Yu Sifeng was extremely embarrassed, having never expected to have such a history. He couldn’t help but steal a glance at Xuanji, fearing she might be upset. Unexpectedly, a blush appeared on her face, first showing delight, then a hint of anger, and finally a calm acceptance.

The myriad changes in her expression further confounded him, and he could only bow and say, "I... I have long forgotten about my past life."

The Heavenly Emperor laughed, "The Star Lord’s romance with the Weaver became known, and hence the Star Lord was punished to experience trials in a hundred lives in the Lower Realm. In this life, you reincarnated as a Golden Winged Bird and I never expected to see the Star Lord again today."

Yu Sifeng responded anxiously, "May I ask the Heavenly Emperor, what was the purpose of placing a mark on me, causing me to wander the Netherworld? Does it relate to my past life?" (To be continued. For more, please visit www.qidian.com. The story continues with more Chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)