351: The dying life

Xian Yunsheng could no longer be described as merely speechless; in fact, he was already filled with terror.

The Spring and Autumn Annals was a Magic Treasure he had obtained by chance. It could both attack and defend, and even an average Golden Immortal would be unable to withstand the attacks of those Flying Swords.

Yet, the monk before him had actually blocked them with such ease?

This could only be described as inconceivable, because in his impression, it was impossible for a powerhouse above the Golden Immortal level to appear in the Human Realm.

"What... what kind of monster are you!"

Xian Yunsheng could not help but swallow hard.

Shi Jingmo suddenly raised his right fist and smiled indifferently, "I am merely a Buddhist Disciple, nothing more..."

As he spoke, he had already thrown another punch at Xian Yunsheng. This punch had neither surging energy nor any flashy effects; it was simply a straight punch.

Before Xian Yunsheng could react, he had already been struck in the face by this punch, and his cheek swelled up visibly to the naked eye.

"You... ugh!"

"This punch is for the people of Chang'an City!"

Shi Jingmo was as fast as lightning. After throwing that punch, he unleashed a barrage of rapid strikes, leaving Xian Yunsheng with absolutely no power to fight back.

Xian Yunsheng finally managed to catch his breath, only to see Shi Jingmo retreat even faster, his expression solemn.

"Y-you... d-dare... to h-hit me!"

His speech was slurred, but Shi Jingmo could still understand him. He smiled slightly and said, "The attack power of your Spring and Autumn Annals is mediocre, but its defensive power is indeed very strong. However, it has a major bug—hmm, a flaw... The Spring and Autumn Annals must be actively triggered to unleash its abilities, right? As long as I beat you up severely before you have a chance to trigger it, you won't even have time to react. After all, you are really not as fast as me!"

Xian Yunsheng touched his swollen cheek and slurred angrily, "Y-you... j-just wait... I... I'll... k-kill you..."

The Spring and Autumn Annals in his hand once again bloomed with a cyan radiance. This light expanded continuously, enveloping both Xian Yunsheng and Shi Jingmo. Shi Jingmo, however, stood still, as if waiting for him to make a move.

"Swish!"

Xian Yunsheng's facial and bodily injuries instantly healed. He glared at Shi Jingmo and snapped, "This is the Historical Space of the Spring and Autumn Annals, a world that belongs solely to me. Monk, you are dead!"

Hum!

As soon as Xian Yunsheng finished speaking, Shi Jingmo instantly felt the pressure of the space around him increase, pinning him down so he could not move at all.

"Hmm, this move is a bit interesting; it is much stronger than those previous attacks!"

Shi Jingmo smiled slightly, "Is there anything else?"

"Hmph..."

Xian Yunsheng suddenly waved his hand, and a flash of cyan light passed by. Out of thin air in the Historical Space, a cyan Flying Sword appeared. Unlike the previous small Flying Swords, this one was a full four or five feet long and as wide as an ordinary person's palm. It was covered in strange runes, and a faint aura of Law radiated from the sword, making Shi Jingmo unable to help but praise: "Now this is more like it. The aura on this sword is so similar to the aura of a Saint. I must say, I am impressed by you!"

Xian Yunsheng sneered, "Laugh while you can, you won't be able to laugh for long. To tell you the truth, this sword was made by me imitating the Qingping Sword of the Tongtian Saint. Whether it is the aura or the attack power, it is comparable to the true power of the Qingping Sword itself... I said it before, I will kill you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Qingping Sword flew out from the front, piercing through Shi Jingmo's body without any hesitation, opening a huge hole in his chest.

Blood flowed out, a truly miserable and terrifying sight. Xian Yunsheng laughed triumphantly and crazily, forming a stark contrast with Shi Jingmo's solemn expression.

The monk before him, who had made him feel humiliated and afraid, had finally died at his hands!

Although he himself felt it was somewhat unbelievable, what else could he do but feel happy at this moment? Even though this happiness did not seem to come from the heart, he felt inexplicably happy!

"Finally... finally dead... finally dead!"

Xian Yunsheng laughed loudly, "You finally... finally died after all... hahahaha..."

He laughed triumphantly, laughing until tears streamed down his face.

"Are you very happy?"

A voice suddenly rang in his ears.

Xian Yunsheng was completely unaware, just nodding and laughing, "Hehe, that is right, I am very happy, really very happy!"

"Is that so? Then why are you so happy?"

Xian Yunsheng was taken aback for a moment, then immediately laughed, "Why wouldn't I be happy? My mortal enemy is dead, of course I am happy!"

"Oh, so you mean your happiness is because of the fading of a life? Is the fading of a life so worth being happy about?"

Xian Yunsheng fell silent. The feeling of happiness from just a moment ago vanished instantly, as if... as if something in his heart had been unlocked.

"The fading of a life?"

A trace of confusion flashed in Xian Yunsheng's eyes, "That is right, is the fading of a life so worth being happy about? No... fading... is not worth being happy about... but... but why did I feel happy?"

"Life—only the birth of life and the process of life are worth being happy about; the fading of life is not worth being happy about!"

The voice lingered in his ears, as if drilling straight into his brain.

"That is right, the birth of life and the process of life are truly the most worth being happy about!"

Xian Yunsheng said in a daze, "But, I do not want to be happy about the fading of a life... I... I am a cultivator, I should be saving the world and its people, why... why should I let life fade away? I... what am I doing?"

"Yes, what are you doing? Is slaughtering living beings your path of cultivation?"

The voice said, "Watching the fading of a life, how can you be so pleased? Is this your path of cultivation?"

Two lines of tears slid from Xian Yunsheng's eyes. He held the Spring and Autumn Annals in his hands, unable to believe that he had actually turned into a bloodthirsty evil demon.

"You have read many books of sages, yet you use them to harm people. Is this your Dao? What face do you have left to live?"

"Yes, what face do I have left to live? Perhaps... perhaps death is the only release..."

Xian Yunsheng raised his right hand, holding up the Spring and Autumn Annals, as if about to destroy the Magic Treasure in his hand.

"Die, death is the only release... die, just die..."

This voice seemed to have a certain magic, guiding Xian Yunsheng towards death.

"..."

"No... that is not right, this is not my Dao, I... I cannot die, I... I also do not want to kill, and I do not want to be happy watching the fading of a life... My... my Dao, the knowledge and power I have learned, are not for slaughtering living beings; I... I learned the Dao for transcendence, for saving the people of the world... I... I cannot die..."

Hum!

The scene before his eyes suddenly changed, as if he had arrived in another world. The monk before him had absolutely no wounds on his chest; instead, he was looking at him with a smile, his face revealing a meaningful expression!