257: Chapter 257: The End (The End)

The Master had already made her choice, and now there was nothing to be done, so he could only ensure she had no lingering concerns.

Inside the Floating Life Pagoda, Qian Ye and Hong Ye were confronting each other.

Without waiting for Hong Ye to react, Qian Ye struck immediately, manifesting a powerful devouring force that surged directly toward Hong Ye.

"You cannot devour me." Feeling the power flooding her body, Hong Ye was fearless.

"Then let's test that." Qian Ye mobilized all her strength, doubling the size of the devouring vortex to completely engulf Hong Ye.

"Damn it, if that's the case, then one final struggle it is!" As Hong Ye spoke, she abandoned all resistance and charged toward Qian Ye.

Since it had come to this, she might as well take the initiative and seize control of this body.

Yet at this moment, she failed to notice the fleeting smile at the corner of Qian Ye's mouth.

The moment she entered Qian Ye's body, Hong Ye realized something was wrong.

"You, what have you done!"

"You lunatic."

Hong Ye struggled to escape, but she was trapped.

She had actually used her entire body as a seal, just to trap her.

The complex and numerous sealing runes inside the body were constantly circulating.

And she, at this moment, could also feel a terrifying power awakening.

"What exactly are you trying to do?" Hong Ye transformed into human form and kept slamming against the seal, but the seal only rippled slightly.

"You don't need to waste your efforts anymore."

"This seal has exhausted all of my power." Qian Ye relaxed now, sat down on the spot, and began to chat with her.

"You and I both know that I truly cannot eliminate you..." Otherwise, I wouldn't have chosen to keep you sealed all this time.

Qian Ye glanced at the empty Floating Life Pagoda again. "I had almost forgotten; it was originally called the Soul-Suppressing Pagoda."

It was meant only to suppress her alone.

"I don't know when it started, but more and more evil began to appear, one by one being sealed."

"Inside the Floating Life Pagoda, I cannot kill them."

"Look, fortunately, there is still you." Qian Ye felt light, filled with a sense of relief.

"It is finally time for it to end..." Qian Ye lay down, murmuring to herself.

Outside the Soul-Suppressing Pagoda, at this moment, rolling thunderclouds were churning incessantly above the tower.

Lightning surged within the clouds from time to time.

"How could there be a lightning tribulation?" Lord Yan and the Demon clan, two separate groups, instinctively retreated.

For them, this was a nemesis.

If they were not careful, their souls would be scattered and they would perish.

They wanted to get closer but dared not.

Xiao Hua looked at the thunderclouds, his heart completely dead.

The Master had truly already made her decision.

"spider lily, tell us, what exactly did you mean by that sacrifice?" The unease in Meng Yu's heart grew deeper and deeper.

"The evil inside the Floating Life Pagoda is actually the evil the Master separated from herself. But she cannot be eliminated unless she returns to the Master's body and accepts the lightning punishment."

Hearing Xiao Hua's explanation, Meng Yu did not understand. "Then why not just strike that evil directly? The Master is so powerful, surely she would be fine."

Xiao Hua shook his head.

"The Master is as eternal as the heavens; she would not face tribulations, nor would she face lightning tribulations."

"But..."

"This is on the condition that the Master does not use all of her power... That power is enough to destroy the heavens and the earth."

"Therefore, the Master once made a deal with the Heavenly Dao: if one day she uses all her power, the lightning punishment will arrive."

After Xiao Hua finished speaking, Blue Shadow and the others fell silent.

"...Why?" Why, just because she had the intention, what of it?

Xiao Hua shook his head. "Because the Master is the source of all evil."

"But she does not have an evil heart."

"So, every time she separates the evil within herself, it is because she fears she will be unable to suppress it..."

After he finished speaking, everyone fell silent. It was truly hard to imagine that the Master who had saved them was actually...

"What kind of damn Heavenly Dao is this? What is evil, what is good? The Master not only saved us, but she is also saving the world right now."

"Is there really no chance of survival?"

Meng Yu gritted her teeth, full of unwillingness.

Such a good Master, why... why...

The thunderclouds kept churning, as if searching for a target.

The Floating Life Pagoda suddenly emitted bursts of humming sounds.

It sounded like a mournful cry, and yet also like liberation...

One burst after another.

The top of the pagoda scattered in all directions, revealing the interior.

At the same time, it was suitable for the heavenly lightning to descend.

Colorful heavenly lightning rolled within the mist. While everyone was still admiring its colors, suddenly, a streak of crimson heavenly lightning descended at extreme speed.

Immediately following, a second, then a third...

A figure flew out from the Floating Life Pagoda, charging directly into the rolling heavenly lightning.

"Stop, quickly!"

"Lunatic!"

"You're crazy! You don't want to live, but I still want to live. If you want to seek death, do it yourself." Hong Ye, inside Qian Ye's body, struggled frantically.

She didn't want to die!

She was unwilling!

Qian Ye let her attack.

The next moment, releasing all her power, the heavenly lightning locked onto her, striking her body one bolt after another.

...

Until the forty-ninth bolt.

Only a roar of unwillingness could be heard.

The sky returned to calm once more.

The Floating Life Pagoda let out one final long cry, then slowly disappeared before everyone's eyes.

"Is... is it just over like this?" The people of the five clans stared at the void with complex gazes.

They didn't expect that the dignified Master of the Edge of the Yellow Springs Shore would just be gone like this.

Xiao Hua heard this and gave them a cold look.

Truly foolish.

"Dong..." A giant drum appeared in the sky once more.

Accompanied by a void Dharma body, surrounded by golden light.

"The duty of the Master of the Edge of the Yellow Springs Shore has come to an end. The Yellow Springs Shore is merged into the Yan Domain and renamed Yellow Springs Road.

Furthermore, after humans die, they shall tread the Yellow Springs Road to the path of reincarnation.

The five realms, including gods, demons, and spirits, shall undergo tribulations to ascend. If they die, they will completely dissipate, with no possibility of reincarnation."

"Although it is a tribulation, your sins are unforgivable. I bestow upon you several bolts of heavenly punishment."

Before Lord Yan could react, several bolts of heavenly lightning arrived, directly scattering the souls of Lord Yan and the representatives of the five clans.

The remaining ones did not dare to make a sound.

None of them dared to look directly at the divine might.

A moment later, the golden light dissipated, and the surroundings returned to complete calm.

Xiao Hua stared at their distraught appearance opposite him and sneered, "This is the result you all sought."

...

At this moment, above the Heavenly Dao.

"What do you want to do?"

Qian Ye looked at her void soul; she only had a single breath of soul left, what could she do?

"Dissipating in the human world is also quite good."

Having lived for so long is enough.

"What about your companions?" They are still waiting for you.

These words made Qian Ye pause. Waiting for her.

She...

Below, Xiao Hua and the others were unwilling. "No, this cannot be. Why wasn't even a trace of her soul preserved?"

"Impossible!" spider lily searched frantically, wanting to find a trace of her soul.

Everyone looked up at the sky with bloodshot eyes.

"Why? This is not fair at all."

Doing evil deeds results in punishment, so why does saving the common people result in no reward?

Just because she was evil herself...

"Where... where is this?"

Suddenly, countless people appeared in the open space.

"Meng... Meng Yu?"

"Blue Shadow!"

"Tai You!"

"You, you are all still alive."

"That's wonderful."

Hearing the commotion, Meng Yu widened her eyes. It was the clansmen.

That's wonderful.

Both sides wept with joy.

"That's wonderful."

"Have we... finally left that hellish place?"

Sounds of weeping and wailing.

Loud wailing.

Meng Yu recounted roughly everything that had happened to those who had survived.

She told them not to forget a god named Qian Ye.

It was she who saved them with her own being.

"Then... what about our benefactor?"

Meng Yu and the others fell silent.

The next second, all the humans knelt down and prayed toward the sky.

Praying for Qian Ye to return.

Their prayers turned into countless lights, drifting bit by bit up to the sky.

Qian Ye watched blankly as this golden light poured into her body.

Purifying the last trace of impurity within her.

"Congratulations, you have finally achieved fulfillment."

"Go now, looking forward to meeting again."

Qian Ye watched herself turn into a ball of light and drift downward.

...

Xiao Hua, immersed in sorrow, was poked on the head by Ling Ling.

No reaction.

Ling Ling poked again.

"What?" Xiao Hua still had a nasal tone.

"Look."

Xiao Hua looked up.

He saw those few golden seeds gathering together, spinning rapidly the next moment, and then transforming into a single seed.

Sensing the faint aura upon it, Xiao Hua couldn't help but let tears stream down.

"Ling... Ling Ling, I'm not dreaming, am I?"

Ling Ling reached out and pinched his ear.

"It hurts."

"Oh, pain means it's real."

"So, the Master is really still here, right?"

"What do you think?" Ling Ling watched him carefully protecting the seed in his palm, her own eyes glistening with tears.

How wonderful.

...

In the Yan Domain, Xiao Hua carefully nurtured the seed in the soil.

"I never thought that one day I would be able to watch the Master slowly grow up."

Looking at the seed that still showed no change, Xiao Hua murmured to himself, "No matter how long it takes, I will wait for you to return, Master."

Ling Ling, beside him, hugged him. "I will always stay with you."

"I'm sorry, Ling Ling."

"And... thank you."

"We will wait for the Master, won't we?"

"We will."

In the embrace of the two, that seed finally sprouted...