770 Hero (1/2)
The dead silence was only broken by Yuan Changqing's laughter. ”What's going on? Finally regained consciousness?”
This old man was admiring the horrible wounds on the giant beast as he expressed his genuine awe, ”Look at how the good and bad are both destroyed together. Isn't this refreshing!”
”I just… suddenly thought things through…” The fearsome ape threw the broken sword aside and stared directly at the soldiers and horses ahead. Then, it turned around and looked back at the last city gate that it was defending.
War had finally come. It could never die, and 15 years later, it had been revived once again to burn this country, which should have been destroyed long ago, completely to the ground. Regardless of any Emperor or bloodline of the dragon, any attempts to stop this day from coming was a mistake. No one knew this better than Mr. Hu.
Perhaps he should have destroyed that thing 15 years ago, so that the Aurora, which had been forcefully prolonged, would lead him to the ending he deserved. If he had allowed this world to be flooded, the teachers would not have died and he would have had to suffer for 15 years.
Perhaps he could have chosen to remain anonymous, or perhaps he could have… gone to look for that woman that was waiting for him. They would escape from this place together and go to the World of the Dark. They could find some deserted land and build a house made of straw. A future like that might still have its pain and suffering but compared to the dull life that he was leading now, undoubtedly, the former would have been a blessing.
Perhaps, he could have chosen not to force himself to become a hero.
For all these years, he had always been thinking about another possibility, another life, another way that he could make up for his mistake. It was only until this day arrived that he finally realized that it was simply too late to try and make up for his mistake. 15 years ago, when he opened that box in front of the Emperor, his destiny had already more or less been decided. It was fated that he would not be able to redeem himself. His only choice was to drag out the rest of his life in this world and bear all the pain and regrets on his own. There would be no redemption.
But at this moment, as he was face-to-face with the impending war, he did not expect that his pain and suffering would turn into a form of relief. It was like how a prisoner would welcome his trial. At the end of this war, no matter which side won, there should be nothing left of the old dynasty?
His journey to the West was ultimately a failure. He made sacrifices, lost everything, obtain the truth and created a wise ruler… After so many changes, the outcome was still the same. Suffering for half a lifetime for nothing was simply a waste of effort. It was like a dream. And now, it was finally time to wake up from this long and arduous dream.
This was why when the bloody monster lifted its head to look at the soldiers and horses heading its way, there was a smile on its broken face.
”Look at this. This shall be my greatest achievement that no one will know about. A future that will continue on after all the sacrifices!” Mr. Hu proudly extended both his arms to show off his proudest piece of work to his enemies. There was arrogance in his eyes as he looked down on them, ”Just as you guessed… it is me who has delayed this day for 15 years!”
There was a solemn look on the face of Zhangsun Jigui. ”Indeed, you were the one that swapped the prince 15 years ago…” His eyes were cold. ”And now you are gloating. Aren't you ashamed?”
”It was a mistake that I made but unfortunately, I have decided not to repent.” The fearsome ape took a step in the direction of its enemies to block them off, ”Since I'm already going to die, why am I still stubborn? Right?”
”…” Zhangsun Jigui kept quiet and spoke no more. He did not know what to say nor did he wish to say anymore.
Just like how metal clashed with rock, their only reaction was to burst into shouts and roars of killing. As turbulence spread across heaven and earth due to the terrible movement, reckless and joyful laughter could be heard. It was Mr. Hu. He was leaning back and laughing.
After he was no longer able to make up for his mistakes, he did not learn how to forgive himself. Instead, he chose to remain stubborn.
I'm afraid there's nothing that can help me now? For the sake of this country that should have been destroyed long ago, my teachers and juniors have all died. But I have learned nothing from this. I am still so… hopelessly stupid!
Despite having regretted for so many years, he was still insistent on going down the wrong path… the only consolation was that this time around, the only person he would have to sacrifice was himself.
Amidst the roars, the images of countless palace watchtowers appeared out of nowhere on the battlefield to seal him off. The image of the Moon in the Well hung high in the vault of heaven and cast down the image of the City in the Sky to seal off both inside and outside. Soon after, the giant spirits drew their swords and charged at the fearsome ape.
The torch dragon howled in fury while the earth shattered. Countless evil beasts and spirits climbed out of the darkness and gathered together to form a pitch-black current that flowed recklessly everywhere. It was as if the terror of the depths of hell was spreading in all directions.
In the dark clouds were countless streaks of lightning and thunder. The thunder dragon screamed and appeared out of the layers of clouds. One could almost make out the shimmering formation beneath its countless streaks of electricity. On the other hand, as the slender and agile fury dragon slithered in the vault of heaven and extended downwards, both dragons clashed and created the roar of friction of metals.
In the greatest depths of the realm of aether, the gigantic projection of the City in the Sky exerted an incredible force of attraction downwards and seemed to be holding the entire ”weight” of the City in the Sky by relying on the shackle. It was a representation of heaven's wrath befalling on mankind, a chain that was capable of restraining God and catastrophe.
In an instant, the fearsome ape was covered by the lock of thunder and restrained over many layers. Shortly after, the image of the palace watchtowers in the Moon in the Well quickly turned into a platform that was a thousand feet long. On the platform, millions of nature interferences rose and fell together like an explosion of stars, creating a hopeless situation that was tens of thousands of times worse than the Dark Zone. Tens of thousands of giant spirits were dragging the lock of God's punishment while hoisting the ape of catastrophe onto the platform.
The waves of evil beasts gathered into a rumbling ocean as countless palms stretched out from within. Those slender and absurd arms were illusional and did not even possess any physical weight yet every time they touched the fearsome ape, they would suck away some of the latter's power. It was as if they were on the brink of death and were desperately reaching for life. As they continued to suck life away like the ocean abyss, the image of Hanuman began to collapse bit by bit, unveiling the host within that was being heavily restrained.
It was the immortal-bundling lock, followed by the immortal-banishing platform, then the lake of nine levels of hell. Finally, Yuan Changqing sighed and closed his eyes. A majestic suit of iron armor appeared on his body as he climbed up the stairs and stepped onto the platform.
With the boost from the City in the Sky, Chun Jun sword was undergoing a rapid transformation. It was completely covered by a thick blanket of scarlet as the weapons of the universe gathered together to form the dragon-slayer sword.
”I had wanted to have a proper battle with you. It's a pity that you didn't give me the chance…” He lowered his head and looked down at the prisoner, who was restrained on the guillotine. There was a look of pity and regret in his eyes. ”Is there anything else you want to say? You can say anything you want. You must have some last words.”
Mr. Hu kept quiet for a long time before he suddenly whispered, ”Everything that I have done has been a mistake, right?”
”Perhaps.” Yuan Changqing answered indifferently, ”But in this world, who dares to say that he is always right?”