274: Chapter 274 Pangu's Trial (Part 2)

When Shen Nian came down from the arrow Peak, it was almost dark.

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled over the forest, dyeing every leaf a dark red, like congealed blood.

Yue Li followed behind him, and neither of them spoke, only the sound of footsteps gently echoing on the path through the forest.

The forest was very quiet, quiet to the point of being abnormal.

There were no bird calls, no insect chirps, and not even the sound of the wind could be heard.

Only that faint trace of arrow intent still permeated the air, like countless invisible eyes watching their every move.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, Shen Nian stopped and looked back at the arrow Peak.

The Peak could no longer be seen, completely covered by twilight and clouds.

But the back of the woman in white was still imprinted in his mind, as if carved into it.

"Senior, how many years has Senior Yi Xing... guarded this place?"

Yue Li thought for a moment and slowly spoke.

"I don't know. Perhaps tens of thousands of years, perhaps hundreds of thousands of years, or even longer."

"Ever since God Yi died, she has never left this forest again."

"She said she wants to guard this land for God Yi, guarding those people who no longer exist."

Shen Nian's hand paused slightly.

"People who no longer exist?"

Yue Li nodded, a trace of compassion flashing in her eyes.

"The Yi Clan was once very powerful, with clansmen spread across the sea of stars."

"But when The Designers harvested, the Yi Clan was the first to be targeted."

"Because God Yi's arrow could pierce The Designers' harvesting Magical Artifact."

"The Designers feared the Yi Clan, so they destroyed the Yi Clan first."

"Yi Xing is the only survivor."

Tears swirled in Shen Nian's eyes.

He remembered Yi Xing's icy eyes, her lonely back, and her saying "Guarding for those people who are no longer here".

Turns out, she was not guarding this land.

She was guarding those people who were no longer here.

"Senior, this Disciple wants to go up again."

Yue Li looked at him, didn't ask why, and just nodded.

Shen Nian turned around and walked toward the arrow Peak once more.

This time, the arrow intent was still there, but instead of oppressing him, it made way for him.

Like those formless arrows, bowing to him.

He walked very slowly, every step heavy.

Not because he was tired, but because he didn't know what to say after going up.

He didn't know how to comfort someone who had guarded for hundreds of thousands of years.

He only knew that he couldn't just leave like this.

He couldn't pretend he saw nothing, couldn't pretend nothing had happened.

When he reached the summit of the mountain, the moon had already risen.

Moonlight spilled over the summit, coating the entire Peak in a layer of silver.

Yi Xing was still standing there, her white clothes glowing faintly in the moonlight, her long hair fluttering gently in the night wind.

She did not look back, still gazing at the distant skyline, as if looking at something others could not see.

"Why are you back again?"

Her voice was still very soft, but not icy anymore, instead carrying an indescribable exhaustion.

Shen Nian walked to her side, stood shoulder to shoulder with her, and looked at the distant sea of stars.

"This Disciple wants to chat with Senior."

Yi Xing was silent for a moment.

"Chat about what?"

Shen Nian thought for a moment and answered honestly.

"This Disciple doesn't know. This Disciple just feels that Senior is too lonely here alone."

Yi Xing's hand paused slightly.

A complex array of emotions flashed in her eyes—surprise, a touch, and a trace of indescribable sadness.

"Lonely? This seat has long since gotten used to it. After hundreds of thousands of years of loneliness, once you get used to it, it doesn't feel lonely anymore."

Shen Nian shook his head.

"Getting used to it doesn't mean you aren't lonely. It just means hiding the loneliness. Hide it for too long, and you think it's gone. But it's still there, always there."

Yi Xing turned to look at him, her eyes filled with complexity.

"How old are you even? What do you understand?"

Shen Nian did not shrink back, looking straight into her eyes.

"This Disciple doesn't understand. This Disciple only knows that the feeling of losing loved ones is very painful. This Disciple has never seen parents, they died in battle very early on. This Disciple was raised by an uncle, but uncle also left. This Disciple's Master also left."

"This Disciple misses them a lot. Thinks about them every day. When thinking of them, the heart hurts a lot. But this Disciple knows they want this Disciple to live well. So this Disciple lives, living for them."

Yi Xing's tears fell silently.

She didn't wipe them, just letting them flow.

"Living for them... This seat is also living for them."

"God Yi's clansmen, God Yi's Disciple, God Yi's friends... Everyone is gone, only this seat remains."

"This seat doesn't know why we must live, only knows we cannot die. Because once dead, truly no one will remember them anymore."

Shen Nian's tears also welled up.

"Senior, someone remembers them. This Disciple remembers, Senior Yue Li remembers, Senior Pan Lie remembers. Everyone who knows the Yi Clan's story remembers. They will not disappear; as long as someone still remembers, they will not disappear."

Yi Xing looked at him, silent for a long time.

Then, she smiled.

That was the first time Shen Nian saw her smile, not a cold smile, not a sarcastic smile, but a smile from the bottom of her heart, carrying a trace of warmth.

"You and your Master are the same, both people who know how to speak."

She turned around, facing the sea of stars.

"You should go. This seat still has to guard here. But this seat promises you, I won't carry it alone anymore. This seat will go talk to people in other districts and go see the outside world. Go see it for them."

Shen Nian knelt on the ground, bowing deeply to her.

"Take care, Senior."

He got up and walked down the mountain.

This time, he did not look back.

Because he knew Yi Xing didn't need him to look back.

What she needed was someone to remember her, someone to remember her clansmen, someone to remember those people who were no longer here.

He remembered.

He would remember for her.

When he returned to the flying boat, Yue Li was waiting for him in front of the console.

Seeing him return safely, a trace of gratification flashed in her eyes.

"Finished talking?"

Shen Nian nodded.

"Finished talking."

Yue Li didn't ask further, just turned around and raised her hand to gently touch the crystal core.

"spacetime flying boat, target: Third District."

The crystal core lit up, and the flying boat slowly rose into the air, flying toward the Third District.

Shen Nian stood before the porthole, gazing at the increasingly distant arrow Peak behind him.

Moonlight spilled over the mountain, coating the entire mountain in a layer of silver.

The figure of the woman in white at the Peak became smaller and smaller, blurrier and blurrier, ultimately disappearing into the darkness.

But he knew she was still there.

Guarding for those people who were no longer here.

The flying boat galloped through the sea of stars, heading in the direction of the Third District.

The stars outside the porthole swept past one by one, like countless eyes watching him in the darkness.

Shen Nian sat cross-legged, placed the qinglian sword horizontally across his knees, and closed his eyes.

He was comprehending that wisp of power left behind by Pangu in the qinglian sword.

That was the power of splitting the heavens, the power of courage.

It circulated within his body, interweaving with the Green Lotus Sword Intent and fusing with the Power of Dao Protection.

His cultivation was slowly climbing, from Early Stage of Integration to the Peak of Early Stage of Integration, just a step away from breaking through to the Mid Stage of Integration.

But he was not in a hurry.

Because he knew strength wasn't built in a day.

The Dao Heart was the most important.

Yue Li sat beside him, holding that black token in her hand, the samsara lotus on the token glowing slightly.

She closed her eyes, her expression calm, but her brows were slightly furrowed, as if pondering something.

Shen Nian opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Senior, what are you thinking about?"

Yue Li did not open her eyes, only speaking softly.

"This seat is thinking, what kind of trial will the Nong Clan of the Third District give us?"

Shen Nian thought about it.

"The Nong Clan is renowned for its Life Power. Perhaps the trial is related to Life."

Yue Li nodded.

"Perhaps. But the Guardian of the Nong Clan is not Nong himself. Nong is already dead, having died in the third cycle. His power remained within the Spring of Life in the Third District. Guarding the demon god origin is Nong's descendant—Granny Nong."

Shen Nian's hand paused slightly.

"Granny Nong? Is she very strong?"

Yue Li opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Not strong. She is just an ordinary old person with not much cultivation. But she is stubborn, stubborn to the point that in order to guard the demon god origin, she would not hesitate to make an enemy of anyone."

Shen Nian's brows furrowed.

"Then how should this Disciple persuade her?"

Yue Li shook her head.

"I don't know. This seat has never seen her either. But this seat has heard of her deeds—she has guarded the Spring of Life for countless years and has never left. She said that before Nong died, he asked her to guard that spring, so she guards it. Until death, she will not leave."

Shen Nian was silent.

He thought of Yi Xing, thought of Pangu, thought of those people who had guarded for countless years.

They were all the same kind of person—for the sake of a promise, they could give their whole Life.

The flying boat sailed in the sea of stars for three days.

On the morning of the third day, the flying boat arrived at the Third District.

Looking from afar, that was an emerald-green star, smaller than the stars of the First District and Second District.

The surface of the star was covered by dense forests, with a clear river in the forest and a small wooden cabin by the river.

In front of the wooden cabin sat a white-haired old granny.

She wore coarse cloth clothes and leaned on a wooden staff in her hand. The staff was covered with dense runes, and those runes were glowing slightly.

In front of her was a well.

The well was not big, only three chi square. The well mouth was covered with moss, and the well water was very clear, so clear that the stones at the bottom of the well could be seen.

But that well had already dried up.

There was no water, only a dried-up well bottom and fallen leaves all over the ground.

Granny Nong.

Shen Nian made the flying boat land in front of the wooden cabin and walked out of the cabin door.

Yue Li followed behind him, and the two walked up to Granny Nong and bowed deeply.

"This Disciple Shen Nian greets Senior."

Granny Nong raised her head and looked at them.

Her eyes were cloudy, and her face was covered with wrinkles, like parched land.

But her gaze was very sharp, sharp enough to seem to see through everything.

"What are you here to do?"

Shen Nian took a deep breath.

"This Disciple is here to take the demon god origin."

Granny Nong was silent for a moment.

Then, she smiled, her laughter very soft, like wind blowing through withered branches.

"Take? Do you know what price must be paid to take away the demon god origin?"

Shen Nian nodded.

"This Disciple knows. This Disciple needs to pass Senior's trial."

Granny Nong stood up, leaning on her wooden staff, and walked over to the dry well.

"The trial is very simple. Make this well flow with water again. If it flows out, the demon god origin is yours. If it cannot flow out, you will stay here forever to keep this old woman company."

Shen Nian's hand paused slightly.

Make a well that had dried up for countless years flow with water again?

This was not something brute force could achieve, nor was it something cultivation alone could achieve.

This was Life Power, the power of creation, the power Nong used back then to irrigate the entire Third District.

He walked to the edge of the well and lowered his head to look at the dried-up well bottom.

There was nothing at the bottom of the well, only cracked mud and a few withered leaves.

He closed his eyes and sank his mind into the qinglian sword.

The Primordial Ancestor's Origin imprint was slumbering within the sword, and he needed to awaken it.

"Primordial Ancestor, this Disciple needs your power."

Light lit up.

The Origin imprint within the qinglian sword began to pulse, growing brighter and brighter.

A majestic power surged out from the sword and poured into Shen Nian's body.

His cultivation climbed, from Early Stage of Integration, to Mid Stage of Integration, to Later Stage of Integration.

He opened his eyes, and fourteen-colored light flashed and vanished within them.

He raised his hand and thrust the qinglian sword into the bottom of the well.

The green lotus patterns on the sword body began to glow, and fourteen-colored light surged out from the sword body, pouring into the parched mud.

Nourished by the light, the mud began to grow moist, and the cracks began to heal.

But water did not come out.

Shen Nian gritted his teeth, pouring even more power into the sword.

The qinglian sword emitted a low sword hum, and the green lotus patterns on the sword body flashed wildly.

The mud became wetter and wetter, wetter and wetter, but still no water came out.

Shen Nian's spiritual power was rapidly consuming, his complexion turning paler and paler.

His body trembled slightly, but he did not stop.

Because he knew stopping meant failure.

Granny Nong stood aside, watching him without speaking, though a complex light flashed in her eyes.

Yue Li stood in the distance, looking at his back, her hands trembling slightly, but she did not step forward.

Because she knew this was Shen Nian's trial; she could not interfere.

Shen Nian's power was almost exhausted.

His legs were turning soft, his body tottering.

But he did not give up.

He remembered what Shen Zhao had said when teaching him swordsmanship— "No matter what difficulties you encounter, never give up. Because once you give up, you will have nothing left."

He gritted his teeth, pouring his final power into the sword.

The qinglian sword emitted a crisp sword hum, like a Phoenix singing.

At the bottom of the well, a droplet of water seeped out from the moist mud.

Very small, very small, only the size of a needle tip.

But it truly existed.

The water droplet glowed slightly in the sunlight, like a tiny pearl.

Then, the second drop, the third drop, the fourth drop.

The water droplets grew more and more numerous, denser and denser, converging into a tiny stream surging out from the bottom of the well.

The well water was very clear, so clear that the stones at the bottom of the well could be seen.

So clear that Shen Nian's face reflected in the water could be seen—graying hair, a face full of wrinkles, a tired yet satisfied smile.

Granny Nong knelt by the edge of the well, cupping a handful of well water in both hands, tears streaming down her old face.

"Nong... Nong has returned... The Spring of Life... has come alive..."

She turned around, looking at Shen Nian, her eyes filled with gratitude.

"Child, you did it. You made the Spring of Life flow with water again. This old woman has waited for this day for countless years."

She raised her hand, and a dark red crystal core emerged from her palm, suspended before Shen Nian.

The third demon god origin.

"Take it. Nong's power is also given to you."

She raised her hand, and a wisp of emerald-green light surged from her palm, pouring into the qinglian sword.

That was Nong's power, the power of Life, the power of hope.

Shen Nian's cultivation climbed once more, breaking through from the Peak of Early Stage of Integration to the Mid Stage of Integration.

He took that demon god origin and stored it in his storage ring.

"Thank you, Senior."

Granny Nong shook her head.

"There is no need to thank this old woman. It was your own Dao Heart that made the Spring of Life flow with water again."

She turned around, looking at that well, looking at the clear spring water in the well, a trace of a satisfied smile on the corners of her mouth.

"This old woman has guarded for countless years, and can finally rest."

Shen Nian knelt on the ground, bowing deeply to her.

Then he got up and walked toward the flying boat.

Yue Li followed behind him, the two walking one after the other on the path through the forest.

Sunlight spilled down through the leaves, casting mottled light and shadows on the ground.

Shen Nian looked back, casting one final glance at that well.

Granny Nong was still sitting by the edge of the well, holding that handful of well water in her hands, a smile on the corners of her mouth.

Her back was very thin and small, very frail, like a leaf about to fall.

But her smile was very warm, like the spring sunlight.

Shen Nian's tears welled up once more.

He turned around, continuing to walk forward.

The qinglian sword swayed gently at his waist, the green lotus patterns on the sword body shining brilliantly in the sunlight.

The third demon god origin was in hand.

There were still four left.