192: Chapter 192 Entering Chaos

Northwest, Rift Zone, late autumn.

Three months had passed.

Lu Mingyuan stood atop the Mount Buzhou ruins, overlooking the land he had guarded for an entire autumn. The wind below the mountain was cold, cutting across his face like a knife. Yet he didn't feel cold because there was a fire in his heart. It wasn't a large fire, but it burned—burned in the darkness, burned in the resentment, and burned in the despair. As it burned, it brought warmth.

Bai Ze crouched on his shoulder and unfurled the bai ze map. Golden light flickered as a massive map manifested in the air. Mountains, rivers, villages, rifts, mine shafts, and sentry posts were all marked one by one. Three months ago, this map was covered in red dots, dense and packed like a pot of boiling chili water. Now, the red dots were fewer, and the green dots had increased.

"Bai Ze, report the results of these three months."

"Yes." Bai Ze's voice carried a rare trace of excitement. "In these three months, you have relocated the people of sixteen villages, totaling over two thousand three hundred individuals. Not a single person died during the relocation."

"Four great barriers have been established, sealing off three major channels of Devilish Qi diffusion. The barriers remain unbroken to this day; the Devilish Qi is blocked to the north, and the people to the south are safe."

"Four mine shafts were sealed, and two were purified. All six Devilish Qi supply points have been neutralized. The demonic soldiers have been reduced by seventy percent. Five demon generals were purified, and two were killed—those were the ones who refused purification."

"Thirty-two people corrupted by Devilish Qi were saved. They regained their sanity and became human once more. Twenty of them have joined our ranks, while the rest were sent back to their respective Schools."

"An early warning system has been established. Eighty-one sentry posts cover the entire Northwest Rift Zone. Beacon towers, horns, and messengers are all in place. At the slightest movement of Devilish Qi, news can reach all strongholds within half a day."

"Regarding the Zhenyi Alliance, you sent Zhou Zheng to coordinate, and they dispatched fifty Cultivators for support. As for the Imperial Court, Shi Hu went to coordinate, and they allocated three hundred soldiers for joint defense. From the Loose Cultivator Alliance, Liu Rushi went to coordinate, and over forty Loose Cultivators arrived."

"Currently under your command, there are seventy formal Cultivators, two hundred Mortal warriors, eighty sentries, and thirty messengers. A total of three hundred and eighty people. The defensive line of the Northwest Rift Zone has stabilized."

Lu Mingyuan listened, but there was no smile on his face. It wasn't that he wasn't happy; it was that he felt it wasn't enough. Three months, two thousand three hundred people, three hundred and eighty followers, six mine shafts, and four barriers. It sounded like a lot, but compared to the entire Dharma-Ending Kalpa, what did this amount to? The Northwest was just a corner of the Rift Zone. There were rifts in the east, south, west, and north. The world was vast, and The Rifts were many. How much could he alone, even with three hundred and eighty people, guard?

"It's not enough," Lu Mingyuan said. "It's far from enough."

"But you are only one person," Bai Ze said. "You cannot possibly mend all The Rifts in the world."

"I know. But if I don't mend them, who will? The Sages are in Zixiao Palace, waiting. They are waiting for someone capable of Mending the Heavens to appear. I have appeared, but I am not yet enough. I need to be stronger, greater, and brighter. Strong enough to mend the largest rift, great enough to contain all the hatred and resentment, and bright enough to illuminate all the darkness."

"So you're going into Chaos."

"Yes. To Chaos, to find the Origin of Mending the Heavens. The Daos of the Sages all came from Chaos. Pangu split the heavens; Chaos gave birth to Taiji, Taiji to the Yin and Yang, the Yin and Yang to the Four Symbols, the Four Symbols to the Eight Trigrams, and the Eight Trigrams to all things. Mending the Heavens must also begin from Chaos. By finding the Origin of Chaos, I can find the fundamental method for Mending the Heavens."

Bai Ze was silent for a long time. It looked at Lu Mingyuan, the scholar who had walked out of Heyin City, the man who had spent three months guarding a corner of the Northwest. There was no fatigue in his eyes, no fear, and no retreat. There was only light—a light so bright it was like the sun. That light shone upon the land of the Northwest, upon The Rifts, and upon those standing guard at the sentry posts.

"When do you leave?"

"I'll leave once everything here is settled. In three days."

---

Lu Mingyuan used those three days to say goodbye.

On the first day, he went to the eastern river valley to see the sentries. Liu Laogen was at a sentry post in the middle reaches of the valley, wrapped in a padded coat, crouching behind a rock and staring at the river surface. The river water was still black, but the blackness had not spread southward. The barrier held it back; the Devilish Qi could not pass.

"Liu Laogen." Lu Mingyuan walked over.

"Mr. Lu?" Liu Laogen stood up, his face full of surprise. "What brings you here?"

"I came to see you. You've worked hard guarding this place for three months."

"It's not hard. It's easier than farming. Farming requires bending your back; this doesn't. You just sit here."

Lu Mingyuan smiled. "I'm leaving."

"Leaving? Where to?"

"To a very distant place to find a way to mend the heavens. I don't know how long I'll be gone—maybe a year, maybe ten, maybe a hundred. While I'm away, keep guarding. Hold the line and wait for my return."

Liu Laogen looked at him for a long time. Then he nodded. "Alright. You go. We'll guard. Whenever you come back, that's when we'll hand over the shift."

On the second day, he went to the wind gap. Shi Hu was with several hunters, crouching at the mountain pass and watching the wind direction. The wind was fierce, making it hard to stand. But they didn't retreat, tying themselves to rocks with ropes to endure it.

"Shi Hu."

"Mr. Lu?" Shi Hu turned around, his face flushed red from the wind. "What brings you here?"

"I came to see you all. I'm leaving for Chaos."

"Chaos? What kind of place is that?"

"The place before heaven and earth were opened. No sky, no earth, no time, no space. Only Chaos."

Shi Hu didn't understand, but he knew that where Lu Mingyuan was going must be very important. "Alright. You go. We'll keep an eye on things here. If the wind changes, we'll send a signal. If the barrier cracks, we'll mend it—with stones, with mud, with wood. If we can't mend it, we'll block it with our lives."

Lu Mingyuan patted his shoulder. He didn't speak. There was no need for words; they both understood.

On the third day, he went to the small town. Zhao Sanniang was at the city gate, holding an oil lamp and waiting. Gousheng sat at her feet, peeling peanuts to eat.

"Zhao Sanniang."

"Mr. Lu." Zhao Sanniang stood up. "I heard you're leaving?"

"Yes. To Chaos."

"Where is Chaos?"

"Far away. Beyond the heavens, beyond the Universe, beyond everything."

"Will you come back then?"

"I will. I definitely will."

Zhao Sanniang handed the oil lamp to him. "Take this. If the lamp is lit, you'll know the way home."

Lu Mingyuan took the oil lamp. The lamp was very old, its copper casing blackened, but the wick was still lit, flickering like a beating heart. He didn't refuse. Because this lamp wasn't just a lamp; it was Zhao Sanniang's heart. She had given her heart to him, and he had to carry it. Since he carried it, he couldn't lose it. Since he couldn't lose it, he had to return.

"Alright. I'll take it. I'll return it to you when I come back."

"No need to return it. I gave the lamp to you, so it's yours. Just coming back alive is better than anything."

Gousheng stood up and looked up at him. "Mr. Lu, when you come back, will the sky be bright?"

"It will. I promise."

---

Mount Buzhou Ruins, the fourth day, early morning.

Lu Mingyuan stood alone at the mountain peak. Behind him were three hundred and eighty people. Loose Cultivators, hunters, villagers, sentries, and messengers—everyone had come. They stood on the slopes, amidst the ruins, in the wind. No one spoke; only the wind blew.

Lu Mingyuan turned around and looked at them.

"I am leaving. To Chaos, to find the way to mend the heavens. I don't know how long it will take—maybe very quickly, maybe very slowly. There is no time in Chaos, so I cannot say for sure."

"While I am gone, continue to guard. Guard the sentry posts, guard the barriers, and guard the people. Guard for as many days as you can; guard every inch you can. If you hold the line, wait for my return. If you cannot hold it, then run. If you run, don't look back. Living is better than dying. If you live, you can wait for my return. When I return, I can mend the places you couldn't hold."

"Do not be anxious, do not be impatient, and do not be obsessed. Guard slowly, guard steadily, guard gently. Guard one day at a time, one year at a time. Guard until the dawn breaks, until I return, until you can all go home."

No one spoke. The wind blew through their hair, their clothes, and the flags in their hands. Liu Laogen stood at the very front, Shi Hu stood beside him, Zhou Zheng stood beside Shi Hu, and Zhao Sanniang stood at the very back, no longer holding her oil lamp—it had been given to Lu Mingyuan. But she still had Gousheng, and Gousheng held her hand.

"Go," Lu Mingyuan said.

He turned, facing north, toward the direction of Chaos. Bai Ze crouched on his shoulder and unfurled the bai ze map, its golden light pointing beyond the heavens.

He set off. Not anxious, not impatient, not obsessed. Walking slowly, walking steadily, walking gently. One step at a time. One day at a time. One year at a time. As he walked, he would eventually arrive. Once he arrived, he could find the way to mend the heavens. Once found, he could return. Once he returned, he could mend the heavens. Once mended, the sky would brighten. Once brightened, they could all go home.

Behind him, three hundred and eighty people stood. They did not leave, they did not scatter, and they did not retreat. They stood there, on Mount Buzhou, in the wind, between hope and despair. There was light in their eyes—a light so weak it was like a firefly. Yet that light would not go out; it would not be extinguished by the wind, the deepening darkness, or the heavy despair.

That light was called waiting. That light was called perseverance. That light was called hope. That light was called Lu Mingyuan.

---

The sky in the Northwest was still overcast, with rifts, Devilish Qi, and hatred. But The Rifts were shrinking, the Devilish Qi was thinning, and the hatred was lessening. Because people were guarding, mending, and waiting. Guarding day by day, mending inch by inch, waiting year by year.

Lu Mingyuan walked along the road, toward Chaos. In his heart, that small tree was still growing. Two zhang nine, three zhang. It was very slow, like a snail's crawl. But it was growing—growing in the darkness, in the resentment, and in the despair. As it grew, it would eventually become large. Once large, it could support a greater sky, block more demons, and save more people.

That tree was called Xuan Shu. That tree was called Wanxiang. That tree was called Quasi-Sage. That tree was called Lu Mingyuan.

Chaos was in the distance. No sky, no earth, no time, no space. Only a hazy expanse, like the state before heaven and earth were opened. It was the source of all things and the destination of all laws. He had to enter it and find the root of Mending the Heavens. Then he would return and mend this sky.

On Mount Buzhou, three hundred and eighty people stood, watching him walk away. His silhouette grew smaller and smaller, as small as an ant, as small as dust, as small as a grain of light. That light shone in the hazy world—weak, like a firefly. Yet that light would not go out; it would not be extinguished by the wind, the deepening darkness, or the heavy despair.