At the same time, at the foot of Mount Jiao, all the other cultivators had successfully escaped, except for Jiangdong Hall, who were missing. The moment they stepped out of the boundary, although they knew they weren’t out of danger yet, many of them were exhausted and fell to the ground.

     Ma Yun’s eyes rolled back as he lay on a big rock and wailed, “I can’t, I can’t. I can’t take it anymore. My friends, quickly go back home and put up your guard. I really don’t have the strength to do this anymore.”

     Jiang Xi said, “We haven’t found out who came out of the mysterious formation. Are you going back now?”

     “Then what can we do? If we still had the energy to fight them, we wouldn’t have had to escape in such a sorry state.”

     Master Xuan Jing also said, “Sect Leader Jiang, it’s better to listen to Villa Master Ma this time. Instead of stubbornly resisting here and falling into a heroic and miserable situation, it’s better to go back and regroup, so we can make preparations.”

     Jiang Xi pursed his lips and didn’t say a word. He looked at the people of Sisheng Peak, but Xue Zhengyong and Xue Meng were extremely distracted. They looked at the main path of Mount Jiao until a person emerged from the billowing dust.

     “Mo Ran…” Xue Meng murmured.

     Mo Ran was the last to come out of the barrier to Mount Jiao. He frowned as he swept his eyes across the crowd and said, “It’s the Zhenlong Chess Formation. Maybe it has something to do with the first forbidden technique, the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death. If so, who knows what kind of person will come out of it? You should all leave quickly. Don’t wait for your deaths here. It’s more important to save your lives.”

     He paused, then said to Jiang Xi, “Sect Leader Jiang, may I trouble you to bring everyone to Rainbell Isle? It’s protected by the Xuanwu Barrier and can resist Hua Binan for a while. In addition, your sect is the medical sect, so it will be easier for those who have been struck by the heart-drilling bug to be relieved of the curse.”

     Jiang Xi asked, “What about you?”

     “Shizun is still on the mountain. I’ll go back to help him after you leave. Once everything is settled, we’ll meet up with you at your sect.”

     Jiang Xi didn’t speak for a long time. In the end, he folded his arms and bowed towards Mo Ran. “Farewell.”

     The group of people were injured, tired, and crippled. They were ready to leave this dangerous place with Jiang Xi.

     Mo Ran suddenly called out to him.

     “Sect Leader Jiang!”

     “Mo-zongshi, is there anything else?”

     Mo Ran said, “Miss Ye…”

     “I know. I won’t let anyone hurt her anymore.”

     Only then did Mo Ran relax. Jiang Xi and the others walked away, but the people from Sisheng Peak hadn’t moved. Xue Zhengyong hesitated for a long time, then stepped forward and frowned, asking hoarsely, “Ran-er, what’s going on?”

     Mo Ran looked at his uncle, then his cousin, and his heart ached. But he forced a smile and said, “It’s a long story. Uncle, take Xue Meng and go first. I will tell you the whole story later.”

     Xue Meng wasn’t willing to wait that long. His heart was burning, and he said, “No. How can you be a member of Rufeng Sect? You grew up at Sisheng Peak.  You—you—”

     He repeated the word “you” for a long time and finally, with red eyes, managed to squeeze out, “You are my brother, right?”

     Mo Ran stared at him.

     Xue Meng was trembling. Although he tried his best to restrain himself, he still trembled.

     His confused and sorrowful appearance was too pitiful. Mo Ran’s throat was sore, and he didn’t know what to say.

     Finally, he stepped forward and patted Xue Meng’s shoulder.

     “When I first came to Sisheng Peak, you didn’t even want to recognize me.” Mo Ran smiled bitterly. He didn’t dare to look at Xue Meng’s round, watery eyes.

     Those eyes were too clean, too passionate.

     And he was dirty.

     He was afraid.

     Xue Meng was silent for a long time before speaking, his voice hoarse, “...Can you please give me a definite answer?”

     He gripped Longcheng tightly, the scimitar in which Mo Ran had given him the inlaid crystal.

     He grasped it like a life-saving piece of floating grass.

     In just one night, he had seen Nangong Si throw himself into the pool, sacrificing himself for the dragon; he had seen Shi Mei’s eyes destroyed, his fate unclear; he had seen Mo Ran spill his blood and open the seal that only people from the Nangong family could open.

     He couldn’t breathe. He felt like he was drowning.

     Mo Ran’s heart ached, and he couldn’t bear it. “...Okay. I’ll give you a definite answer.”

     He held Xue Meng’s shoulder. He didn’t know who was trembling, whether it was Xue Meng or himself. But it was no longer important. He looked into Xue Meng’s eyes and spoke word by word.

     “Listen, I have never been a member of Rufeng Sect. In my life, I have never done anything to harm Sisheng Peak. If possible, I am willing to serve the sect for the rest of my life.”

     Xue Meng’s lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but before he could say anything, tears began to roll down his cheeks. He bit his lower lip with all his might, but after a while, he broke down. “Shi Mei said that I never understood him. Actually… Actually, I never understood you either… I was too willful before and never thought about you both. I don’t know anything. I messed around with everything… but… but…”

     He paused, tears streaming down his face.

     “But I really do care about you. I won’t scold you or bully Shi Mei anymore… I want everything to be the same as before… as long as everything can be the same as before.” By the end, he was sobbing. “Ge, don’t lie to me…”

     Mo Ran couldn’t bear to see him like this. He gently pushed Xue Meng to Xue Zhengyong’s side, his voice soft and moist, like the dew on a flower at dawn.

     “Be good. Go with Uncle. I’ll come find you as soon as everything is settled here.”

     After saying this, he turned around and returned to Mount Jiao’s barrier. He removed the seal and didn’t look back.

     The tiles and bricks within the main hall of the Dragon Soul Pool were broken, and the stone pillars toppled over. The smoke of a fierce battle was all that remained. Taxian-Jun’s blade was pressed against Chu Wanning’s neck. He exerted a little more force, and dazzling blood flowed from beneath the skin, dying the pitch-black blade.

     Chu Wanning closed his eyes and pursed his lips without saying a word.

     “Shizun, you’ve been too distracted in this battle.”

     “...”

     “You’re not focusing.” Taxian-Jun pulled him up from the ground and raised his finger. The saber Bu’gui disappeared instantly, but at the same time, he placed the strongest restriction spell on Chu Wanning. The faint blue light bound him firmly as he cupped Chu Wanning’s chin and forced him to look up.

     “Tell This Venerable One, what are you thinking about?”

     Chu Wanning slowly opened his eyes. The face that reflected in his eyes was extremely familiar yet foreign to him.

     He felt a chill run down his spine.

     He knew this wasn’t Mo Ran, but this person’s moves were all so similar to Mo Ran. What was even more terrifying was that he suddenly realized that he had seen this face before in his dreams.

     There were many times in his dreams where he had made love with Mo Ran. But he always seemed to have a slightly pale and thin face, with evil lurking in his handsomeness. There was no warmth in his dark eyes, only cruelty and madness.

     “Actually, even if you don’t say it, This Venerable One knows.” He spoke slowly. “Shizun must be thinking about who I am, what nonsense I’m spouting, and where I came from.”

     His fingertips caressed Chu Wanning’s cheek affectionately.

     “No rush. These things… This Venerable One can tell you slowly. By the way…” His eyes moved down and fell on Chu Wanning’s left hand.

     “Don’t even think about summoning Jiu’ge and Huaisha. This Venerable One has long been on guard. I won’t repeat the same mistakes as before.”

     Hearing him mention the names of his other two holy weapons, Chu Wanning’s face became more and more unsightly. Although his phoenix eyes were gloomy, they also flowed with confusion. Taxian-Jun, probably amused by his stubborn and confused expression, actually laughed softly.

     He touched Chu Wanning’s face. “What’s wrong? Are you surprised that I know about Jiu’ge and Huaisha? But it’s no wonder. This Venerable One has already been informed long before I came here, so I understand this world fairly well. This Venerable One knows that the ‘me’ of this time and space has not yet stepped on mountains of corpses and seas of blood, forcing you to draw swords against him. Of course, ‘he’ has never seen those two holy weapons.”

     “This world’s… you?”

     Taxian-Jun smiled but didn’t answer.

     Chu Wanning suddenly had a very chilling feeling. He felt that this Mo Ran looked at him as if he was looking at a corpse, a dream. His eyes were too vivid, too crazy, and filled with emotions so intense that they would drive any normal person mad.

     “The Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death.” He said slowly, “Shizun should be very knowledgeable about this forbidden technique.”

     “!”

     “In another cultivation world, Shizun, you have already been dead for many years.”

     He looked at Chu Wanning’s face as it got paler and paler, watched as the last bit of blood disappeared under his skin. Taxian-Jun looked at him, his eyes shining brightly.

     Suddenly, it was as if a sharp sword was unsheathed, or a dragon broke through the water.

     This person’s calm state of mind seemed to be stretched to its limits. He suddenly pulled Chu Wanning up and gradually went mad. “Yes… that’s it. This is the face.”

     “...”

     “It’s this face… I look at your face. I look at you lying in the Red Lotus Pavilion like a living corpse, day and night… There’s not a trace of blood on your face; your body is rotting. But you will never speak or open your eyes again. You are already dead in that cultivation world—you are taking revenge on me!”

     He took a deep breath, his eyes blazing.

     Desperately, flames and lightning surged inside—dragons and snakes danced in the air.

     “Chu Wanning, I hate you for leaving me alone.”

     He said this, but still raised his arms and hugged him, pulling him into his arms completely.

     So hot.

     It was like fire.

     He was stung by this long lost warmth and let out a deep sigh from his throat. He clung to him, holding him tightly, and hated that he couldn’t knead him into his bones and blood, swallow him into his lungs. From then on, it wouldn’t matter whether he was alive or dead, whether it was warm or cold.

     He would now be accompanied, have someone to be buried together with, no longer all alone.

     No, no—

     But Chu Wanning’s scalp was numb, and his vision was turning black. He didn’t know what was going on. He didn’t understand—who died? Who left who alone?

     The door to the Dragon Soul Pool was opened again.

     In the moving light and shadows, a person rushed in. That person called anxiously, “Shizun!”

     Hundreds of soldiers were on guard, blocking the way.

     When Emperor Taxian-Jun heard this voice, he was slightly startled at first, but then smiled coldly. “I wondered who it was. So it was him.” He waved his hand lazily and said to the chess pieces following him, “Disperse. It’s fine. Let him in.”

     Mo Ran had been thinking about the Zhenlong Chess Formation and the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death along the way. He felt that Hua Binan was definitely not the last person behind all of this. If all of this was designed by Hua Binan, there was no reason for him to trick Xu Shuanglin in front of the Soul Summoning Platform. And Xu Shuanglin did not recognize him.

     Then, who was behind it?

     The Zhenlong Chess Formation, the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death, Bu’gui—

     Two ancient legends twisted together in the mortal world and linked together. He had a crazy idea in his heart. This idea made him feel cold all over, but he didn’t believe it. He ran all the way and didn’t think it could be true.

     Until he broke into the Dragon Soul Pool Hall.

     Until he saw that person clearly.

     Mo Ran only felt a buzz in his head as all the blood rushed into his brain. For a moment, he couldn’t breathe. His lips opened and closed, his eyes bloodshot.

     No…

     No!

     How could this be true?

     The man in the main hall, surrounded by the crowd, looked so disdainful and cold, his eyes contemptuous and teasing.

     He looked at Mo Ran indifferently.

     They had the same eyebrows, nose, lips, face, charm, and physique. There was almost no difference. It was as if he was looking in a mirror, but also as if he was seeing his ghostly, haunting self of the past through the torrent of time.

     The corner of Taxian-Jun’s mouth quirked upwards, and a seemingly-bloody smile bloomed across his face.

     He held Chu Wanning in front of him and tapped the corner of his mouth with his fingertip, casting a mute spell on him, then smiling at the person at the door.

     “Oh, Mo-zongshi. This Venerable One has long heard of zongshi’s great reputation, and I’m quite curious. Now that the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death is open, you and I can finally meet.”

     He paused for a moment, his eyes flashing with a ghostly light. He spoke coldly yet sweetly.

     “Nice to meet you.”