Chapter 373: Evolved Heart Demon Tribulation
The final outcome of the huge battle in the sky was naturally a victory towards Shao Bai’s side. All of the enemy bugs had all been captured and locked behind bars.
From that day on, time seemed to flow especially quickly. Using the reason of sending the wedding invitation cards, Shao Bai brought her around every corner of the world, and even to where the Dragon and Qilin races resided. She met many old friends, every single person that she had met ever since she transmigrated. Even though they clearly lived in different worlds, they seemed to have all gathered together here in an instant. Furthermore, the Three Realms were experiencing peace and harmony. Other than the occasional harassments from the Devil race, the life here was considerably calm.
Everything in the world was becoming perfect, as though there was no longer an endless stream of bugs to fix. There was thus no need for her to die and resurrect again. Master, Little Radish, everyone in Ancient Hill Sect, Little Sixth, Little Eighth, all of the people of the Phoenix race, even Little Tyrant, Ye Qingcang, the Little Qings of the dandelion race and Mushmush. All of them had appeared in their best state in this present life of hers. There was no need for her to fuss about anything, and she merely had to peacefully and calmly wait to be married to the person she loved.
Everything was really perfect. So perfect, it felt as if everything that happened in the past had never occurred. However… It was just too perfect.
“Let’s go, little sister.” Shao Bai reached out for her hand. “Your practitioner-pair ceremony is about to begin. Sovereign is waiting for you. Let second elder brother bring you over to the celebratory hall.”
His smile was especially brilliant, and his entire body was emitting out a sunny glow which made people feel warm and fuzzy. It was as if as long as she reached out her hand, she would be able to hold onto the entire world. Zhu Yao however blanked while staring at his slender and long fingers.
“What is it? Are you afraid?” Shao Bai took a step forward and directly held onto her hand. “Don’t be afraid. If he dares to bully you, then let your second elder brother know. Second elder brother will always stand by your side and protect you.”
His words were sincere. Though they carried some intentions of teasing behind them, every single word of his was serious and true. It was as if she was looking at the second elder brother that came to fetch her from the bunch of large rocs. “Little sister, let me bring you home.”
Shao Bai pulled her and was planning to walk her out, but Zhu Yao did not budge.
“Little sister?”
She raised her head and stared intensely at Shao Bai’s familiar face, till a slight sense of anxiety that could not be easily detected flashed across his eyes. Only then did she slowly retract her hand.
“Little sister, what’s wrong?” Shao Bai turned around and looked at her with the usual smile, though his eyes were a little anxious.
Zhu Yao took a deep breath. “Shao Bai, thank you! You will always be second elder brother.”
He stiffened for a moment, and then immediately recovered his usual demeanour. “What kind of nonsense are you spouting? I’m naturally your second elder brother. It’s your bid day today, if we don’t head off now, we will miss the auspicious time.” As he said that, he once again reached out his hand to pull her, but Zhu Yao dodged it this time.
“Second elder brother.” Zhu Yao raised her head and looked deep into his eyes. “Actually, I’ve always… I’ve always wanted to tell you something.” She paused for a moment, and then said with emphasis on every word. “Second elder brother, I’m sorry!”
“……”
“…”
“I’m sorry… I’m not a good little sister. I’m sorry… I didn’t save you. I’m sorry… I wasn’t able to find a better path for the God race. I’m sorry… It’s my fault for making you turn towards the side of the Devils. Back then… when I activated the World Crossing Door, I initially wanted to save all of you. However, the outcome of the world crossing… did not seem to be as perfect as I thought it would.”
“You…”
“I saw Little Eighth!” He… didn’t have a good time. The others… don’t seem to have a good time either!”
“Little sister…” The smile on his face had stiffened. He finally caught her hand, but his was faintly trembling a little. “You… What kind of nonsense are you spouting?”
“I’m not sure now. Was it right for me to have forcefully sent all of you into the Three Realms?” Zhu Yao took a deep breath and suppressed the sense of fatigue in the depths of her heart. “However… I didn’t have any other choice back then. If I simply let all of you stay in that collapsed world, most likely, none of you will even have the chance to reincarnate. This is simply too unfair for all of you, who have always been suppressed by the Devil race! That’s why… even if I was wrong, I don’t regret my decision!”
“……”
“…”
“But… You’re the only guilt that I have.” A hint of pain surfaced in the depths of her heart. “Sometimes, I wondered if I’ve clearly told you all of the causes and effects, would things be different? That way, he wouldn’t have turned towards the side of the Devils, and maybe… just like Little Eighth, I would have been able to meet him again in another world.”
“… He won’t.” He replied solemnly.
Zhu Yao sighed. “That’s right, he won’t! Given his personality, most likely, he won’t simply stand idly by and watch me die!”
“Little sister…” He stepped forward and grasped her hand tightly, his face was filled with anxiety. “Aren’t things good right now? Is this really bad? Can’t we stay like this forever?”
“Good!” She nodded heavily. Looking at him for a short moment, she then said. “But it’s just too perfect, to the point where…” Everything is just too unrealistic.
His expression instantly paled.
In the beginning, Zhu Yao thought that this place was just an illusory realm. However, she had tried to use arts to break through it, but they were all ineffective. After that, she then thought that it was some sort of illusion art. However, everyone here was clearly behaving and acting the same way as they were in reality. Finally, she thought that this was her heart demon. However, the so-called heart demon would simply expose all of the perfect things in her heart, and then give her the final fatal blow. However, she had stayed here for so long, yet she didn’t feel the slightest bit of evil intentions. Instead, things were so perfect that one could sink into it, as if this place was trying to keep her here through all means possible. More importantly, she clearly knew what her own heart demon was, and it was far from what she was seeing here. Not to mention, back then, Realmspirit had given her a heart demon barrier.
That was why everything was was unreasonable, except for…
“This place is indeed really great.” Zhu Yao grasped back onto the person in front of her instead. “Unfortunately, everything here isn’t real. I am no longer Little Seventh of the Phoenix clan, and you… are no longer my second elder brother Shao Bai. The past in the past, and it can never return. Don’t you think so… Yue Ying?”
He was stunned, and then, the light in his eyes instantly extinguished, turning misty and dull. Something seemed to be slowly collapsing as tears flowed out just like that. The tears fell onto her arm, filled with the pain of heartburn. “Big sis… Yao.”
Everything that happened here was not her heart demon, but Yue Ying’s.
The scenery in the surroundings instantly began to distort and change. Ancient Hill Sect disappeared. The Parasol Tree began to collapse, as though it was returning to the day where the world of the God race was being destroyed. The heaven and earth was in chaos, and the place was filled with the cries of the three God races as one enormous figure after another fell from the sky.
A moment later, the ground turned into a barren wasteland. Corpses filled the place, piling up like a mountain. She once again looked at the entirely red bones. She finally figured out that those were actually the bones of a dead Phoenix.
“Yue Ying. You’re Yue Ying.” Zhu Yao looked at the person in front of her who had reverted back to Yue Ying’s appearance. “You’re not Shao Bai, and I’m not Little Seventh either. Do not be trapped in your past life again.”
Yue Ying raised his head, tears were still flowing down his face. However, he suddenly laughed out, his laughter was filled with chilling intent. “Yue Ying? If I’m Yue Ying… Will big sis Yao forgive me? Even if I admit my wrongs, and no longer make big sis angry, will you… believe me again?”
“……”
“…”
“Then I don’t want to be Yue Ying.” He shook his head strongly, as if he had descended in some form of madness. “I don’t want to be abandoned! I’m Shao Bai… I shall be big sis Yao’s second elder brother, alright?”
“…” Zhu Yao was stunned. So this was his heart demon. Because of her… he even wanted to kill off his own existence?
“Big sis Yao.” He tugged her sleeves a little anxiously. “Look at me, I won’t be Yue Ying anymore. I’m Shao Bai… Yue Ying made you angry, Yue Ying had done many bad things. But… Shao Bai will never do it. In the future, I will never make you angry again, so don’t ignore me anymore, alright?”
“Yue Ying…”
“I’m really changing now.” His hand was shaking, as if he was grasping onto that final bit of hope. “I didn’t kill Wang Xuzhi. I began to treat the people next to you well. I even protected Sesame when we crossed worlds. In the future… In the future, I will still continue to learn how to become a good person. The things that big sis Yao won’t allow me to do, I won’t do them… I… I won’t even be Yue Ying, alright? In the future, I will be Shao Bai, is that fine?”
Zhu Yao’s hear ached. Letting out a long sigh, she had no choice but to break apart his heart demon.
“However… You’re still Yue Ying, not Shao Bai!”
“……”
“…”
The hint of light in the depths of his eyes finally extinguished entirely.
———————————————
When she opened her eyes again, she saw a familiar white figure carrying an anxious look on his face. “Yu… Yao.”
“Master?” Zhu Yao was a little startled. “What happened to me?”
“There was a heart demon tribulation within the floor-raising light. You sank into your heart demon, and it has been a month since then.” Yu Yan explained.
“A month!” Zhu Yao was stunned. When she recalled about the matters concerning the heart demon, she hurriedly turned her head. “Where’s Yue Ying?”
Yu Yan looked towards the right not far from her. When she turned to look, as expected, she saw Yue Ying whose eyes had already opened. However, he was unmoving, and eyes were staring upwards listlessly, as if he had lost a part of his soul.
Zhu Yao frowned. After hesitating for a moment, she could not help but walk over and sit next to him. Though she did not know how she had entered his heart demon, there were some things that shouldn’t be dragged on.
“Yue Ying.”
He did not have any reaction, and simply maintained the same posture.
“I can’t lie to myself, and I can’t lie to you. “… really can’t forgive you.” Zhu Yao sighed heavily. “Everything that you’ve done, I’m really, really angry about them. I really wish that I could give you two big slaps and no longer see you ever again.”
“…” His hands that were by his sides slowly curled into balls.
“However… After calming down and thinking back about it, how can I not have the slightest bit of responsibility in everything that you’ve done?” She looked sternly at his face. “I treated you as my little brother, and I had used up all my power to teach you everything, but you were never able to learn them. Furthermore, you began to stray even further away. At the same time I despaired about you, how can I not be disappointed in myself? When a child isn’t taught properly, it’s not just because he or she is born stupid, but rather, there are some problems with the way education is brought to that child as well.”
Yue Ying was stunned. He finally had some sort of reaction, as he slowly turned his head over.
Zhu Yao then stroked his head and continued. “But Yue Ying… When you’re wrong, you’re wrong. I admit that I didn’t teach you well, but everything that you’ve done are indeed unforgivable. Even now, I still can’t find myself to forgive you. Big sis is human, and big sis’s heart is made of flesh as well. It can’t take your constant beatings. When my disappointment for you turned into despair… I no longer had the courage to continue teaching you.”
“……”
“…”
“So Yue Ying… Why don’t you be the one who show me this time?” Zhu Yao retracted her hand, and said with a serious look. “You said that you already know your wrongs, and is changing your ways. You said that you no longer want to be Yue Ying of the past. I don’t have the courage to believe you right now, so why don’t you show it to me? Let me see just how you’ve changed. From today on, I will no longer avoid you, and I won’t ignore your existence. However… You are no longer my little brother either. Let us begin right from the start as strangers. Let us witness just how great you have become. This courage of trust, give it to me.”
“Big… sis… Yao.” His eyes began to grow distant, and were being covered by mist little by little.
Zhu Yao took a deep breath, reached out a hand and said. “Hello, nice to meet you. I’m Zhu Yao.”
Tears instantly flowed, pouring out like flood. He hurriedly stood up and stuffed his head into her embrace, crying out loud. It was as if he was letting out all of the grievances, joy, discomfort and guilt. He was gasping for air as he cried, and the same words were constantly being uttered.
“Big… sis… big… sis…”