The mountain where Jinshen had been carried off to was nearly annihilated. A tornado of white flames still raged, howling winds tearing through the scorched peaks. Nothing survived in that storm. The chance of Jinshen making it out alive? Slim. No,impossible.
"Lianhua ran to Yanwei, clinging to his leg, her innocent, teary eyes locked on the scorched mountain. Disbelief painted across her face.
"Why... What happened?!"
Yanwei looked at Lianhua before he glared at the people holding him back.
The bystanders reluctantly let go of him. Their expression tense and slightly mournful.
Yanwei immediately bowed down in front of Lianhua, putting up a small fake smile on his face, one that might have been passed off as real.
"Its fine, just a spar-"
He was interrupted by Elder Wei who was smiling, looking down at Lianhua with a strange, mock-joking tone.
"Oh Jinshen's dead, its fine~ princess."
Yanwei glared at Elder Wei, gently ruffling Lianhua's hair before lunging at Elder Wei, but just before his fist collided with Elder Wei's face.
Ruoxue grabbed his fist, gripping it firmly, looking at Yanwei with a heavy heart, his eyes pained and tired.
"Yanwei.. Just stop."
Yanwei glared at Ruoxue but reluctantly took a step back, looking at the obviously scared Lianhua.
Deep within the mountain, beneath the rubble of collapsed stone and flame-burned earth, lay Jinshen.
The right side of his torso was gone, entirely obliterated. Just empty space where flesh once lived.
His life flashed in front of his, from his life as a slave, to the man that freed him, and every trial that led up to this.
He looked up at the sliver sky deliriously, his lips parted slightly as a whisper of breath got exhaled.
His eyes slowly fluttered shut.
As if resting. Or surrendering. Or maybe… something else.
He wandered across a vast mountain, the sun beaming down on him. But strangely, he felt amazing. Not hot or cold.
Slowly but surely he climbed, the endeavor seeming easy.
When he reached the peak of the mountain, there was the man. The man who had saved him, but this time he was holding something akin to a metal ball that glowed a divine blue.
"Jinshen, you're not supposed to waste away ya know. The 'evil', 'good', or even 'perfect' Jinshen? It was just a damn poison from Old Man Wei."
The man slowly approached him, his eye's glowing golden as the whole landscape seemed to shake just from his presence itself.
"Listen, I might be dead. But, you shall carry my will, I'll be able to revive you, but you'll need to piece together yourself. Using the Nanomachine."
Jinshen remained silent, motionless. He couldn't seem to speak, he just remained stoic, staring at the man who put his glowing hand on Jinshen's chest.
Jinshen remained silent as the man slowly faded into the background, with a small on his face but just before he completely disappeared a whisper was uttered.
"I'll be watching from up there Jinshen, grow strong, do what you want, enjoy life, morality can go die."
Jinshen closed his eyes for a moment, taking in the man's statement before opening his eyes, a small smirk on his face.
"Morality can go die I suppose."
Back on the mountain, the storm of white fire began to wane. And then beneath the rubble, a faint pulse. A blue light blinked once... twice... then vanished, like the final heartbeat of a ghost.
The news of Jinshen's death, had been spread across the Murim in a few days. Some were celebrating, most were indifferent, but one was truly sad.
"My savior, my future husband is dead?"
Muttered Xie under her breath, sitting on the windowsill as she clutched the piece of paper that held the words that made her blood run cold.
The paper crinkled, stained with tears she didn't know she had shed, her fingers turning white.
Jinshen Zhe has been executed on the basis of traitorous actions against the Demonic Sect!
Yunxia sat besides her, a small smirk on her face. She chuckled despite the harrowing news.
"Don't worry dear. Jinshen Zhe is a demon, a demon doesn't die, they might get killed, but they change. How about this, let me tell you a story."
Xie looked at her mother surprised but reluctantly nodded, putting the piece of paper aside on the windowsill.
"Around, ten years ago, probably a bit more. There was a man. Zhenwu. He tore down the Jinaghu Alliance, burning it down to rebuild it in his own vision. All alone too."
Yunxia began, her eyes narrowing as she tried to remember the tale.
"He was ultimately defeated. But he still managed to do something."
She paused, her smirk widening in amusement. She turned around to face her daughter, putting her hands behind her back.
"He was evil, very much so. But he did one good thing in his damned life. Freed one person from slavery..."
She took a few steps closer towards Xie, putting a finger on Jinshen's name. Her smirk turning into a full on grin.
"That boy was Jinshen Zhe. Zhenwu was a man who could defy death itself. I'm not surprised if he already had something planned out. After all, he planned out everything, down to his own defeat."
Lin Zhu was sitting on the bed, a small frown on his face as he looked at Yunxia, his eyes slightly narrowed.
"What does that mean for us? Jinshen will be bloodthirsty, and considering that he is probably as strong as me. If not a bit stronger, we'll need someone like Mo Yuxan or you to take him down."
Yunxia smirked slightly walking towards a Xiangqi board set on a desk as she put forward a piece, initiating the first move of the game.
"Well, we ride the wave. He'll come here for help. And we do so. The Jinaghu Alliance tried to poison us with a mosquito. We'll be sending a whole serpent their way now. One whose poison will end them."
Lin scoffed slightly, crossing his arms over his chest before sighing deeply, he seemed to be keeping his hope under control.
"We don't know if he even survived or not. He might really be dead. I've heard that the Murim Alliance was about to announce a bounty on him, I think eight hundred thousand yuan was the total...."
He paused, rubbing his chin before sighing once more as he crossed his legs.
"He killed a lot of Jianghu Alliance agents.."
Yunxia just shrugged, indifferent to that piece of information as she looked at Lin
"Like you didn't have a bounty as well. He's fine."