After Saving the Immortal Sect, I Became a Heartthrob - Chapter 18

“Cong Xing!”

Lan Jue let out a frantic cry, and in an instant, his long sword flew out. The strike, delivered with his full power, did not neutralize the soft sword’s momentum, but it caused the tip to veer off by a fraction of an inch. Gu Cong Xing took this opportunity to roll away, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow.

“You, a boy at the late Golden Core stage, actually have quite some skill.” Zhiluo glanced at Lan Jue, his lips curling. “However, your lives shall all end here.”

Just as he finished speaking, everyone from the Qingxuan Sword Sect felt their strength slowly draining away, as if being sucked out by an invisible, massive mouth.

“You! What did you do?” Huo Chen questioned Zhiluo in terror.

Demonic energy surged around Zhiluo, his hair floating as his eerie eyes narrowed with satisfaction. “Naturally, I am consuming nourishment. Did you really think Asang sucked you in just so you could put on a good show?”

He laughed with delight and continued, “Of course it was to drain your spiritual energy and physical stamina, allowing this illusion to persist indefinitely!”

Gu Cong Xing’s heart sank at these words. So that’s how it is! He had been suspicious earlier of why the malice of the illusion was only directed at him, Tao Xueting, and the other two, while Mei Ci, Ruan Wei, and Lan Jue were left alone. It turned out that as long as they remained within this illusion, they were ultimately doomed to die!

“If you hadn’t pulled this stunt, you would have had many days left to live. Unfortunately…” The Dream Demon gave Lan Jue a malicious smile. “It is precisely because you woke them up that everyone here will die~”

Lan Jue trembled slightly at these words, his lips tightly pursed.

“Bullshit!” Gu Cong Xing retorted angrily, his eyes flashing with a fierce light. “Even if I die here today, the only culprit is you, this damnable demon! Don’t you dare splash dirty water on my First Senior Brother!”

Lan Jue’s eyes flickered, and his amber pupils reflected Gu Cong Xing’s figure.

“Exactly! You monster, you still try to drive a wedge between us even now!” Ruan Wei said sharply. The others also joined in, showing no signs of submission even as their spiritual energy continued to drain.

Seeing this, Zhiluo’s smile slowly faded, and he let out a disdainful snort. “I’ll see how long you can hold on.”

As he spoke, Deng Zhao let out a thud and fell to his knees.

“Hey!” Huo Chen hurried to support him. He was pale and weak, clearly unable to stand again.

Gu Cong Xing was filled with anxiety. Is everyone really going to be wiped out here?!

But at that moment, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the hall, and figures began to swarm in. One of the figures was none other than the Emperor, Xiao Chujun, who had returned!

“Your Majesty?!” Seeing that yellow-robed figure, a look of panic appeared on Zhiluo’s face.

“It seems Your Excellency is indeed deeply in love with the Emperor of Xiang. Unfortunately, no matter how long a lie persists, it will never become reality. Even an illusion that has lasted a hundred years will eventually be shattered.”

Lan Jue spoke leisurely, a composed smile back on his face. Seeing him like this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. However, Gu Cong Xing noticed that Lan Jue’s left hand was tightly clenched into a fist and was still trembling slightly.

“Lan Jue?! You again! What have you done?” The Dream Demon’s eyes were wide with rage, his elegance completely gone and his demonic nature fully revealed.

“I merely gave the Emperor of Xiang a choice… I had someone tell him the true history.”

“How dare you—!!” Zhiluo let out an angry roar, his demonic energy surging as the chain-snake soft sword lunged straight for Lan Jue’s head!

“Stop! A-Luo!”

At the critical moment, it was actually Xiao Chujun who sharply ordered Zhiluo to stop. Behind him stood Xiao Wangyou and Mei Ci, both with clear eyes and weapons in hand.

“Your Majesty…” Zhiluo met Xiao Chujun’s gaze, and his aura instantly died down. He took a step back, then suddenly realized and covered his eyes.

But Xiao Chujun showed no surprise and remained the same as always. He took a step closer and spoke softly to the Dream Demon: “A-Luo, enough. Do not continue down this wrong path.”

“Your Majesty! You don’t understand if these people don’t die, this Xiang Dynasty illusion will vanish, and you will” At this point, the Dream Demon’s voice trembled, and he bit back the rest of his sentence.

“I will have to face the truth of my country’s destruction and my family’s death, right?”

At these words, the entire hall fell silent. Zhiluo’s spell had been broken, and everyone’s spiritual energy was gradually returning. They were all shocked by this turn of events. Gu Cong Xing lowered his brows and looked at Xiao Chujun. So that’s the truth. It turned out the country in the illusion had once truly existed.

He turned his gaze back to Lan Jue, who still looked calm and unruffled, but his tightly clenched hand had loosened. Did First Senior Brother know about the Xiang Dynasty in the human world all along?

“Xiao Chujun! What nonsense are you talking about, you…” Zhiluo’s hair was messy, and he looked quite disheveled. “Don’t be fooled by them!”

In the face of his beloved’s roar, Xiao Chujun remained steady and calm. He shook his head and said, “A-Luo, I have remembered everything. I am the last emperor of the Xiang Dynasty. I am not Xiao Chujun, but… Chu Lan. In the fifth year after I took the throne, General Jiang Huai’s fate became unknown, and the descendants of the Guo family murdered the heir of the Duke’s estate. Not long after, the Duke heard the news and rushed back to the capital, only to be incited to rebellion by rebels. I gathered an army to fight them, and both sides suffered countless casualties. The people of the Xiang Dynasty were already living in misery. I wanted to let them recover, but the Rong cavalry broke through Yan Pass and began burning, killing, and looting across this already ravaged land… The Xiang Dynasty is gone. My end was to commit suicide on the city walls… But A-Luo, why am I still alive?”

Hearing Chu Lan’s question, Zhiluo collapsed dejectedly onto the ground. Chu Lan walked slowly to him. Though he was shrouded in endless sorrow, his tone remained peaceful.

“A-Luo, you saved me and wove this illusion for me, but demonic energy will eventually be exhausted. You… no, it is we.” He knelt and took Zhiluo into his arms. “We have already committed too many killings to maintain this realm; let it end here.”

Zhiluo was silent for a long time before he said in a trembling voice, “But once the illusion is broken and the demonic energy is gone, you will die.”

“Yes. A-Luo, I would rather face real pain than false happiness. Otherwise, how could I face the people of the Xiang Dynasty who died because of me? I’m sorry to have troubled you.”

Zhiluo closed his eyes, and a single tear slowly fell. “You really haven’t changed at all.”

He was still that incredibly upright fool from a hundred years ago. When Zhiluo had fallen into the human world with injuries, he had entered the dreams of thousands of people to recover his demonic energy, witnessing all kinds of greed, desire, love, hatred, sorrow, and fear. Humans were so interesting. Some held high positions but had nightmares every night; some looked glorious on the outside but showed their ugly side in their dreams.

Until one day, he entered an incredibly boring dream. That person had been taught by his Grand Tutor to be like a blank sheet of paper; the only things written on it were the way of the gentleman and the words of the sages. Zhiluo had been mocking, but for some reason, his gaze gradually could only hold that one person’s silhouette.

He truly had a heart like a newborn child; his lifelong wish was to bring peace back to the long-warring Xiang Dynasty and create an era of prosperity. He was first-rate in both talent and character; if he had been born in an era of peace, he would have been a brilliant ruler. Unfortunately, the court was riddled with deep-seated problems and the country was obsessed with war; its luck had run out long ago.

Zhiluo had heard his grand ambitions as a youth, seen him turn the tide in his prime, and finally accompanied him to the end of his life as he faced his inability to save the situation. The moment he saw him raise his sword to commit suicide, Zhiluo could no longer stand it and wove a supreme illusion for him. Since the Heavens insist on destroying your life’s work, I will create a peaceful and prosperous age for you!

A great demon of a generation had remained with the human saint-king ever since. A hundred years later, his demonic energy was nearing collapse, and he began to suck energy from reality through the mulberry trees initially just dreams, then humans, and even cultivators. But only now did Zhiluo realize he had never asked Chu Lan what he would choose the broken and desperate reality, or the dream where his ambitions were fulfilled.

This hundred-year-long dream should also end.

Outside Fengqi Palace, space twisted and shifted. The mulberry trees and palace walls collapsed one after another, and the pavilions and terraces disguised by demonic energy shattered with a roar. The controlled puppets’ eyes went completely white as they fell to the ground. Endless demonic energy emerged, only to quickly dissipate like water.

Everyone watched this scene in silence, their thoughts in turmoil. At that moment, Gu Cong Xing felt something in his embrace grow searingly hot. He pulled it out; it was the mustard-seed pouch from Tiaotiao. Could it be that it sensed the vast and powerful demonic energy?

Gu Cong Xing released it, and a demon beast shaped like a silver wolf landed on the ground, letting out a low growl.

“Chi?!” Zhiluo let out a cry of shock the moment he saw Chi. He led Chu Lan to it, his gaze soft and nostalgic. “Why are you with this cultivator?”

Chi looked at him and let out a series of rhythmic cries. “I see, the Saintess also…” Zhiluo let out a long sigh. His gaze fell on Gu Cong Xing, looking him over as if contemplating. After a moment, he let out another light sigh.

“Fine. I won’t kill him. But since your power is heavily damaged, you should take this demonic energy.” He smiled at Chi. “You guy, you always have heavy responsibilities; I don’t know when you will be free.”

As he spoke, he placed his hand on Chi’s head. A silver light emerged, and endless demonic energy was steadily transferred into its body. But Zhiluo’s own body began to turn transparent, just like the illusion.

Gu Cong Xing said in shock, “He is…”

“Zhiluo has maintained this giant illusion for a hundred years; his demonic energy was already on the verge of being exhausted. What he is giving now is his final remaining power.” Lan Jue took up the explanation, then paused for a moment before adding, “He is going to die with Chu Lan.”

Gu Cong Xing’s heart was shaken, and he fell silent. The other youths were also silent, only gazing at the scene before them. Ever since, only silver demonic energy had flowed. Chi’s body became increasingly brilliant, while Zhiluo and Chu Lan’s forms became increasingly faint. Until Chi let out an ear-splitting roar and its body became like a small silver mountain, Zhiluo withdrew his hand.

In the final moment before he vanished, Zhiluo’s silver eyes swept over Gu Cong Xing, and a voice message appeared in his mind. Gu Cong Xing’s face stiffened, and he instantly lost his color.

“Cong Xing?” Lan Jue’s worried gaze turned toward him. Gu Cong Xing shook his head slightly and said it was nothing.

Before them, Zhiluo’s gaze swept around the group once. He turned back with an expressionless face and headed toward the mulberry tree with Chu Lan. The city walls and palaces all vanished, leaving only a single hundred-year-old mulberry tree standing.

Everyone’s vision went black. When they opened their eyes again, they were back in Qingsang Manor.

“We’re finally back…” Tao Xueting let out a long sigh of relief.

“The feeling of having spiritual energy in the air is so good! The cultivation world is great! The feeling of being alive is wonderful!” Ruan Wei shouted. Deng Zhao and Huo Chen high-fived in celebration, and even Mei Ci changed his gloomy expression and revealed a smile.

[Ding! Congratulations Host on completing the main mission!] [Checking results…] [Ding! Dream Baku confirmed dead; Qingxuan Sword Sect disciples confirmed all alive!] [Ding! Detected death of Dream Demon Zhiluo; triggering extra rewards!]

As the system’s voice fell, Gu Cong Xing felt his spiritual energy become increasingly abundant, showing faint signs of breaking through his cultivation level.

[Ding! Current redemption level: 20%] [Host points: 180 points]

Seeing the characters flickering on the light panel, Gu Cong Xing couldn’t help but smile. Increasing the redemption level by 10% in one go made his life-and-death experience truly worth it.

Just as he was thinking this, he felt a large hand touch the top of his head, bringing a sense of warmth. “Cong Xing, this time is all thanks to you.” The person before him still had a gentle face, his eyes reflecting only Gu Cong Xing’s figure.

“It was clearly you who planned the whole thing and saved us, First Senior Brother.” Gu Cong Xing chuckled and pulled down the hand that was rubbing his head. He had intended to let go, but unexpectedly, his hand was gripped back, their fingers intertwined.

“You…” Gu Cong Xing looked up in shock.

“Ahem, ahem, ahem!!!”

A sudden cough rang out beside them. It turned out Mei Ci had arrived at some point. “Hey, I say! Now is not the time for being lovey-dovey, right? That old man who lied to us is still hiding somewhere.”

To everyone’s surprise, the one who answered him immediately was Xiao Wangyou. “Oh? You were also tricked by the village chief?”

The other disciples also gathered around at the sound. Gu Cong Xing released his hand from Lan Jue’s.

Tao Xueting said, “You too? Could it be that the ‘cultivator who claimed he couldn’t defeat the Dream Baku and ran away’ that the fellow mentioned earlier was… you?”

Xiao Wangyou was so angry he laughed. “He actually dared to make such a story about me. He really has a death wish.” With that, he headed forward with his sword. Seeing this, Mei Ci also prepared to follow him to seek revenge, but before moving, he looked back at Lan Jue.

“Let’s go. We were deceived by him and narrowly escaped death; we can’t just leave like this.” As he spoke, the other disciples no longer felt any burden and headed off with their weapons, beginning their search for the village chief.

Gu Cong Xing also followed behind them, watching the straight silhouettes of the youths before him. The white silhouette in the center looked particularly like a pine tree or a crane. His gaze followed Lan Jue’s back, and Zhiluo’s voice message suddenly rang in his head.

“In return for saving Chi, I’ll give you a piece of advice.” “Your soul is already entangled with karma lines that do not belong to you, and one of them belongs to that Lan Jue beside you.” “If the entanglement deepens further, you… will be doomed to die.”