Chapter 340: It’s Time to Disconnect

“That’s me…” Ling Tian pointed at the girl in front and smiled from the nostalgia.

“You and Fa Yu?” Zhu Yao asked in response.

She nodded. Looking at the scene in front of her, a hint of yearning surfaced in her eyes. “We grew up together since young, and those days were the happiest in my life.” She pondered for a moment, and then shook her head immediately after. “No… I should say they were the happiest days in all of my lifetimes.”

“All of your lifetimes!?” Zhu Yao was stunned, her eyes widened. The memories from all of her lifetimes? However, before entering the wheel of reincarnation, one had to cross the River of Forgetfulness. How could she possibly still remember them?

She smiled, yet her eyes were filled with indifference. “I can’t even recall clearly just how many reincarnations I have gone through, it’s just that, the moment I’m aware of my surroundings, I understood that I exists for the sake of the stability of this world. This is my mission and fate, and it’s forever impossible for me to leave this world and ascend. That was why I had always intentionally distanced myself from others. But… In the end, I’m still human. How can I possibly be completely unfeeling?”

Her expression sank. She looked as if she wanted to raise the corners of her lips, yet there was not a single smiling intent appearing on her face. She turned to look back at Zhu Yao and softly said. “Fa Yu is that accident. When I came to know him, he was still a child…”

When her words fell, the chasing scene before them flashed, turning into view enveloped by loud thunderstorms. A frail child was presently holding onto a dagger, facing off against a group of wolves. His entire body was covered in blood, and bone-deep injuries could be seen all around him. His stance was crumbling and unstable, yet he still held tightly onto the dagger, glaring at the bunch of wolves furiously. However, how could a child possibly go against a bunch of hungry wolves? Very quickly, the number of injuries on the child grew, and the falling rainwater dyed the ground with his incessantly flowing blood. Finally, he was pounced on by a wolf and knocked onto the ground, his small arms no longer had the energy to raise the dagger in his hands. Just when he was about to be eaten by the wolf…

A spiritual sword suddenly descended from the skies, directly ending the life of the hungry wolf that pounced on him. The immense sword aura exuded from the spiritual sword chased off the rest of the whimpering wolves. Almost at the same time, the storm ended, and the dark clouds quickly dispersed. A white-robed woman appeared in the skies above. Her facial features were extraordinary, yet she held a cold look on her face, as though anything that tried to approach her would feel hurt. Though she looked really foreign, Zhu Yao felt that she was Ling Tian.

As expected, Ling Tian next to her said. “Though I understood that there would be no meaning behind this action, in the end, I couldn’t become that heartless…”

What happened next was easy to guess. Ling Tian girly brought the child back to Spirit Heaven Palace and took him in as her disciple, giving him the name Fa Yu and taught him personally. Probably because of the events he encountered when he was young, the child had the tendency to be alone, and he only depended completely on his master who saved him. However, this dependency ignited a subtle change the older he became, developing into feelings between a man and woman.

However, the lifespan of that Ling Tian’s lifetime was close to its end, while Fa Yu’s aptitude was extraordinary and would definitely achieve great heights in the future. Realizing this, Ling Tian naturally was unwilling to delay his progress, rejecting his confessions in all ways possible. She had even intentionally suppressed him, yet, all her efforts could not extinguish the small flame in Fa Yu’s heart. Furthermore, in order to help Ling Tian make a breakthrough into a Demigod, he did not hesitate to venture into dangerous depths several times to seek opportunities for her, completely ignoring the harms to his own life.

“But, how could he have known that my lifespan is not something that can be extended with cultivation alone?” A bitter smile surfaced on Ling Tian’s face. “My existence is linked to this world, and no matter how many opportunities I receive, it’s of no use to me. Cultivation… I can never become a deity in the first place, yet he…”

She took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress the flood of emotions in her heart. After awhile, she said. “I was afraid that something would happen if he went on like that, so I had no choice but to inform him of my reincarnation situation. I thought that after my looks have changed, and as long as I deny it, he will naturally understand I’m no longer me. I thought that as time passes, his feelings will naturally fade.”

Zhu Yao frowned. “Did he not believe you?”

“That child is too smart.” Ling Tian laughed bitterly, not knowing if it was out of joy or self-mockery. “He saw through me at first glance. Ever since I reincarnated, I had never brought up a single thing from the past, yet he was certain of who I was. Not to mention, in order to accompany me, he used some sort of method to damage his Nascent Soul cultivation and re-cultivate with me. Furthermore, because of something I said on the fly, he raised Grandhall Sect with his own hands. How could I possibly stay unmoved from such dedication and affection?”

Zhu Yao was silent for a moment. “In that case, why are you unwilling to wake up?” Zhu Yao was no longer in her body, so if the two of them liked each other, shouldn’t it be a happy end?

She suddenly showed an especially brilliant smile, yet Zhu Yao felt a sharp tingling in her heart. “Saintess… Because my time is up.”

“What?” What did she mean?

“I have been born for this world, and I will also disappear for this world.”

“…” Zhu Yao was dumbfounded. “But… I came to save you, I…”

“You’ve already saved me.” Ling Tian girly still smiled. “Of course, if not because you possessed my body, it would have been impossible for my final strand of life to last till now.”

“……”

“…”

“Saintess… When you came, I was already dead.”

Zhu Yao was stunned. Then why had she been going around for so many days?

“Before you came, for the sake of this world, I froze my final strand of life. However… I kept having regrets – my desire to see him.” Ling Tian took a step forward, hugged her, and then immediately released her. “Thank you. If not for you, I wouldn’t have been able to see him one last time. I hope that you won’t blame me for taking action with my own hands, and forcing you to possess my body. But… In the end, what’s stolen is stolen. It’s fine… this way…”

“You’re saying, the reason why you’re in this state right now is because I left your body?” Zhu Yao was a little flustered. After taking a closer look at the girly’s figure, she was sure that it was much fainter than she first saw her before. “Then… if I come back, you will be fine, right?”

“It’s no use.” She shook her head. Looking at the sky of this dreamscape, she solemnly said. “This world is already beginning to collapse. My time is already up…”

Zhu Yao suddenly recalled of Regretless Crossing, and that black hole above Spirit Heaven Palace. “I don’t understand. Shouldn’t the world stay uncollapsed as long as you’re here?”

“Saintess… I’m supposed to mend this entire world in the first place.” The girly said solemnly. “In your words, I’m just a patch, and it’s time for the installation.”

“……”

“…”

—————————————————

When Zhu Yao retracted her divine sense and regained her senses, Ling Tian girly was already awake. Fa Yu was hugging her, crying like a little child. His two arms wrapped around her tightly as he called out her name over and over again, as though he was afraid she could disappear in the very next second.

“Tiantian… You’re awake. You’re finally awake. Tiantian… Tiantian…”

Ling Tian still carried the same gentle smile, consoling him with her soft voice and conversing mushily as though there wasn’t anyone next to hem.

“Little Yu, don’t worry. Aren’t I fine?”

“Mn. You’re fine, I will never let anything happen to you again!”

Zhu Yao quietly turned around and left the house. Only then did she let out the waves of sour feelings in the depths of her heart. It was stuffy and a little unbearable, as tears faintly began to well in her eyes. It hadn’t been long since she knew Ling Tian girly, at most, it had only been a month. The number of times they conversed were not even in the three digits.

However, when she saw her wake up and the three letters ‘bug’ that appeared on her face, she could not help but feel a little unbearable. Only now did she understand why Realmspirit said that the world was already at the verge of collapse.

When she first woke up in Ling Tian’s body, she was already dead. The world had long begun to collapse. When Ling Tian said that she had frozen her final strand of life, she was merely waiting for the right time to wake up, in order to awaken this life of hers to fulfill her destiny.

Realmspirit’s initial plan was to have her reincarnate into the Sacred Dragon Scale. With her powers as a Gold Deity, protecting Ling Tian’s body till the right time would be an easy feat. Unfortunately, she could not let go of Fa Yu, and thus when Zhu Yao came into this world, she had Zhu Yao reincarnate in her body.

Who would’ve known that in the end, Zhu Yao would be expelled out of her body by Fa Yu, and return into the Sacred Dragon Scale?

She wondered what would happen if Fa Yu knew of the truth? However, the past could no longer be changed.

Zhu Yao sighed. Suddenly, she heard a loud bang. The entire Grandhall Sect shook and rumbled, as a gigantic magnetic field suddenly appeared in the sky. Everything began to float in the air and fly towards the sky. Mountain rocks, tiles, and various miscellaneous objects flew up one after another.

It was as if the once clear sky had been punctured with a hole, as a circular cave entrance appeared. The objects that flew into the air earlier were all sucked into the darkness. From the immensity of the pulling force, even entire mountains were beginning to approach the hole.

“It’s the same phenomenon as Spirit Heaven Palace!” Someone suddenly exclaimed in the air, and the various clans and sects had already gathered around. Because of the black hole, the Great Mountain Barrier Formation of Grandhall Sect had already disappeared. Fa Yu had sensed it as well as he flew his sword over. He looked at the crowd from the various sects with a solemn and dark look.

The sudden appearance of the black hole stirred the various sects a little, yet they became even more determined to capture Ling Tian.

“As expected, Ling Tian is a Devil. We must capture her.”

“That’s right. No matter where she goes, that strange phenomenon will appear. It must be her doing.”

“Kill her! Appease the fury of the Deities of the Higher Realm.”

“Kill her… Kill her!”

“Shut up!” Fa Yu glared at the crowd, his eyes bloodshot. “None of you shall think of touching her.”

The crowd simply did not put Fa Yu in their eyes, as they summoned their weapons one after another.

“Sect Master Fa!” Leading the pack, Fan Zhishan took a step forward and said with a look of justice. “It’s not that the various sects wish to trouble your Grandhall Sect, rather, you have seen it for yourself the mysterious appearances of these black holes. Spirit Heaven Palace was the first occurrence, while Grandhall Sect is next. This is sufficient proof that someone has angered the heavens. The inheritance of Spirit Heaven Palace has started since the ancient times, and the Sect Masters have always been people who bear the fate of the world. The term ‘Spirit Heaven’ is closely linked to the heavens, and thus upholds the will of the heavens. This is why the selection of the Sect Master must not be changed. I have already said this before, we have initially wanted to restore the order after the wrong person had take up the position, but Sect Master Fa stopped us. Now that the heavens have been angered, if we do not fix this now, I’m afraid the consequences aren’t something which Sect Master Fa can bear alone.”

“Nonsense.” Fa Yu coldly glared at the crowd, and then finally glared intensely at Fan Zhishan. “What anger of the heavens? Who can prove that? Clearly you’re just fishing in troubled waters, yet you people dare to use such a ridiculous excuse. If Ling Tian isn’t the Sect Master, could it be that a shameless and loose prostitute like you is worthy? Stop joking. For a schemer like you who absorbs others’ luck to cultivate, you dare call yourself someone who bears the fate of the heavens? Pui! Stop staining my eyes!”

Fan Zhishan’s expression changed. She was clearly stunned when she heard him talking about how she was absorbing the luck of others. Her face instantly paled and covered in fluster. The thought of refuting never crossed her mind.

Sovereign Pi Shi behind her however, frowned. He took a step forward and summoned his own weapon. “Enough bullcrap. We must eliminate the plague today, and all who blocks our path shall die!”

Fa Yu did not plan on continuing this nonsense either, as he charged out at the crowd with the disciples of Grandhall Sect. Flashes of mystic arts instantly filled the sky.

Zhu Yao however did not have the mood to care about these battles, instead, she looked at the ever-enlarging black hole. The rate of its expansion was clearly much faster than the one she saw at Spirit Heaven Palace. She intentionally released her divine sense, and realized that other than this place, there was another similar black hole a few hundred kilometers away. It was as if another black hole would appear every short while.

The world was truly beginning to collapse.

“Ling Tian…” Zhu Yao could not help but look towards Ling Tian who just walked out of the house. For a moment, she did not know what to say.

Ling Tian however had an eased smile on her face as she looked at the black hole in the sky. After awhile, she turned around and said. “I no longer have any regrets.”

Zhu Yao clenched her fists. “There might be… another way?”

She shook her head. “It’s already enough. What happens next… I’m leaving it to you.”

Zhu Yao felt as though something was blocking her heart, yet, she nodded her head under Ling Tian’s expecting gaze.

She slowly walked towards the courtyard of the main hall. As her entire being began to emit out a brilliant golden light with ever-increasing intensity, she closed her eyes. Suddenly, an enormous illusory figure appeared between the sky and earth, and it was none other than Ling Tian herself. The light surrounding her body grew brighter as she began to float in the air. A calm spiritual pressure instantly enveloped the entire world. The objects that were still constantly being absorbed into the black hole suddenly stopped. As if the scene had been paused for a moment, the objects floated still in the air.

Even the crowd that were locked in furious battles stopped as well, as they turned to look at this strange phenomenon.

Fa Yu’s face was the only one that paled, as though he had guessed something. He frantically flew towards the center of the golden light. “Tiantian, what are doing? Hurry and stop.”

However, Ling Tian did not respond, and continued to rise towards the black hole.

“Tiantian!” Fa Yu frantically tried to stop her, throwing various mystic arts to no end, yet they were all completely ineffective. No matter what he did, his powers were all deflected by the golden light. From using his sword, to mystic arts, to finally using his bare hands to knock against the light. Fresh blood began to flow from his hands, yet no matter what he did he could not break through the light. His face was first dyed with anxiety, then with anger, and finally with utter despair. “Tiantian… Tiantian, hurry and stop. Didn’t you just promise me that we won’t ever be apart again? Didn’t you promise me?”

Ling Tian however did not respond still.

“How can you be so ruthless!? Didn’t you say that you definitely won’t throw me aside in this lifetime? You said it yourself… So why… why!? Master!!” His eyes turned bloodshot, filled with despair and craze.

Ling TIan however did not pause for one moment, as she slowly sank into the darkness. Fa Yu unhesitantly flew towards it as well.

Zhu Yao gritted her teeth as she materialized a chain of lightning and pulled him back the moment he was about to enter the black hole.

“What are you doing? Release me!” Fa Yu began to struggle desperately, wanting to follow after her. “Tiantian! Master!”

In an instant, a golden light suddenly flashed from within the black hole. Even the rest of the black holes began to release out the same eye-piercing light. The moment the light appeared from within each hole, they began to shrink, little by little, and finally disappearing into thin air. It was as if they had never appeared.