Volume Two: The Mortal Realm - Chapter 138: The Agony of Separation

Jian Jiu had already mentioned that secret path, but paused for a moment with some hesitation before slowly continuing.

"However, that path may not be safe." His brows knitted slightly.

"As long as there's a chance to get through, it will be fine. I know what kind of endeavor I am undertaking, and I will prepare myself accordingly," Ye Mingke looked at him and smiled lightly.

Jian Jiu pondered for a while, then said to Ye Mingke, "The tens of thousands of miles of frontline where the Wilderness borders Central Province, the Western Lands, and the Southern Sea is not entirely garrisoned by both sides. Even an army of a million could not stretch a frontline that long."

"What truly separates the Wilderness from the other realms is the natural hazard of the Wilderness known as the Azure Silk Miasma. No matter why it shrouds the outer perimeter of the Wilderness, it is a toxic miasma so potent that even Ascension-realm masters struggle to endure it upon entering. It is precisely this bizarre miasma that restricts travel between the Wilderness and other domains to only a few pathways."

Upon hearing this, a subtle ripple stirred in Ye Mingke's heart. He had read an introduction to the Azure Silk Miasma in the academy's books on natural philosophy. Unlike Jian Jiu's remark that its origin was unknown, the academy's texts explicitly recorded that the Azure Silk Miasma was a natural barrier evolved from the dragon pearl of the Ancestral Dragon Panlong, meant to shelter the demon race.

"Every major thoroughfare connecting to the Wilderness is guarded heavily by troops and array formations on both sides. Therefore, the main roads are impassable, leaving only the minor paths. Nowadays, as the war between the two sides spreads, even the accessible trails are shrinking. Most of the surviving paths are extremely remote and secluded, controlled by humans who maintain close ties with the demon race."

"Close ties with the demon race?" Ye Mingke keenly grasped the crucial point.

"On the borders of the Wilderness lies a place where the boundaries between humans and demons are blurred. Humans and demons live mixed together; humans serve as slaves to demons, or demons are kept as servants by humans—all of this is extremely common. There, humans and demons coexist while simultaneously slaughtering one another. Many human villages remain at an extremely low level of civilization, where eating raw meat and drinking blood is far from rare."

Jian Jiu gazed at the shadows ahead, still untouched by the dawn light, and spoke slowly.

"Outsiders entering the domain of the Azure Silk Miasma must be guided by the indigenous people. I only know of a path leading to the Wilderness originating behind an isolated, secluded ancient town. Although the civilization of that town has not degenerated to the point of eating raw meat and drinking blood, there is something deeply eerie about it."

"Near it lie numerous ancient burial complexes dating back to some unknown era. The last time I intended to infiltrate the Wilderness, I was drawn into a bizarre opportunity near that place. My Fengdu was bestowed upon me by that encounter."

He turned his head to look straight into Ye Mingke's eyes and said solemnly, "Fengdu is a divine weapon."

"A divine weapon?" Ye Mingke repeated the term with a hint of incomprehension.

"Cultivation artifacts in this world are classified into spiritual weapons, immortal weapons, and divine weapons, with saintly treasures residing above immortal weapons. The mortal realm is not like the upper realms; even immortal weapons are exceptionally rare, let alone divine weapons corresponding to the divine realm."

"Near that small town lies a treasure of the divine weapon tier. And treasured grounds are often perilous places. Although I did not discover any abnormalities while in that ancient town—it appeared quite ordinary on the surface—it may still harbor secrets unknown to me."

Ye Mingke nodded in understanding, a sense of vigilance and preparation rising in his heart.

"If you intend to pass through that town to reach the Wilderness, remember the taboos given to me by the person who told me about the town."

Jian Jiu looked at him gravely.

"First, do not linger outside alone at night, and do not respond to any sounds or people outside your door."

Ye Mingke nodded, his expression turning solemn as well.

"Second..." Jian Jiu paused for a moment, his voice lowering, "Beware of your shadow."

"I do not know the cause behind the taboos of that town, but based on what I encountered there, my spiritual perception tells me not to violate these taboos."

"Aside from that, for the most part, the town should not differ much from other small towns in the mortal realm."

"Beware of your shadow," Ye Mingke repeated this strange taboo quietly to himself, then nodded to indicate he had committed it to memory.

Having learned the precise location and route to the small town from Jian Jiu, Ye Mingke inquired about the whereabouts of Liu Xi and Xu Zixian.

He learned that on the day they rescued thirty thousand commoners slated for sacrifice, they had blown up the Ascension Platform, wreaking havoc in Yangjing, raised the banner of the Winter Army, and subsequently led their newly formed troop into this very expanse of mountains—the Myriad Dragon Ridge.

Liu Xi and Xu Zixian had both visited yesterday, but as night fell, knowing Jian Jiu was present and mindful of their fledgling army facing a mountain of tasks not far away, they had returned early. At the very least, Liu Xi would return shortly.

...

The sun slowly climbed over the edge of the sky, casting the fragile winter sunlight upon the clusters of accumulated snow on the tree branches, reflecting the crystal-clear purity of the snow like a forest full of pear blossoms in full bloom.

Liu Xi had not yet arrived, but Jian Jiu, carrying the orders of his sect upon his back, had reached the time to depart.

Holding Aru's hand, he bid farewell to Ye Mingke on the snowy ground in front of the wooden cabin.

Although they had already exchanged farewells outside the walls of Yangjing, parting once more still stirred an unavoidable sorrow, yet it was tinged with a greater calmness. Even farewells are something people can grow accustomed to.

Aru did not cry this time; her eye rims merely rimmed with red. Raising her head, she looked earnestly at Ye Mingke and said, "Wooden, it was my choice to leave you. Even if everyone's destiny is predestined, the bond between you and me must not have ended yet."

"Wooden, I want to save up our bond and hide it away for a very, very long time, just like a piece of candy I like so much I can't bear to eat it. Wooden, I want to wait until I grow up to come find you."

"By then, will you still remember Aru?"

Her opening words were spoken with a mighty effort to smile, but in the end, her eyes grew red and her voice choked with sobs.

"Of course." Looking at the tiny figure, Ye Mingke squatted down, gently ruffled her small head, and smiled. "As soon as there's a chance, or in a few years when you grow up, I will come to the Eastern Sea to see you."

His clear eyes met Aru's wide, reddened pupils.

"Aru, you must cultivate diligently. Destinies are not necessarily unchangeable. If Aru grows into someone truly formidable, then no external force in this world will ever be able to tear Aru apart from the person she holds dear."

He reached out to grasp Aru's small hand, lifting both of their hands up before their eyes.

"Destiny is something you can seize."

He smiled, his expression radiant. "Let's work hard together, alright?"

"Aru will definitely work hard to seize it. If you don't come find me, Wooden, then Aru will come find you herself." The tiny girl gripped that familiar, warm hand tightly, earnest and sincere, like making an unalterable vow.

A long, lingering wind swept across the branch-tops of the valley, sending the pear-blossom-like snow flying and scattering like falling petals.

After parting with Jian Jiu and Aru, Ye Mingke stepped across the drifting snowflakes falling from the branches, walking slowly back toward the lonely white-roofed cabin nestled in the mountains.

Before he had taken many steps, at the doorway of the wooden cabin, he caught sight of Liu Xi and Xu Zixian arriving hand-in-hand from not far away.

Both of them gazed slightly upward toward the stream of light left by Jian Jiu as he rode his sword into the sky, their faces bearing a wistful look of parting.

"Aru has left. It seems we arrived a little late," Liu Xi lowered her gaze, a gentle sorrow hidden in her lustrous pupils as she looked at Ye Mingke.

"Not too late, at least you caught my farewell." Ye Mingke smiled softly.

He looked earnestly and carefully at Xu Zixian, who—though still wearing that strange pair of glasses—now carried a gaze much sharper and more majestic than when they last met days ago, and at the woman standing firm amidst the heavy snow like a green pine. It was as if he wanted to imprint their appearances and every single detail into his memory.

Having drawn closer, Xu Zixian and Liu Xi heard those words and subconsciously slowed their pace.

"Is it really... this urgent? Can't you stay a little longer?" Xu Zixian adjusted his glasses, his voice carrying a heavy weight.

"Let's stay one more day. I'll set off tomorrow morning. This time, I'll likely travel very far—all the way to the Wilderness." Ye Mingke drew a deep breath and spoke softly.

"We may lead the army to retreat toward the vicinity of the Western Lands desert. The Winter Army has just been established; it's best to steer clear of the Ministry of Watchers' upcoming counter-offensive." Xu Zixian said slowly.

"One to the south, one to the northwest—both are the farthest extremities of the world."

"From here on, the martial world is vast, the winds high and unpredictable, and meeting again may not be so easy."

Liu Xi and Xu Zixian looked at Ye Mingke, their gazes heavy with melancholy.

That day, the three people about to part drank large bowls of wine together in the snow-shrouded wooden cabin. This time, they could finally drink their fill with relative relaxation, free from the descending divine executioner of light and unburdened by the lives of thirty thousand commoners weighing upon their hearts.

That day, they opened their hearts to one another, speaking of their pursuits and dreams.

Ye Mingke recounted to them the half-dream, half-reality tranquil small town, the endearing people within it, and how he was going to journey to the highest place in the world to find those who knew the whereabouts of his origins.

Xu Zixian boldly outlined his vision for the future of the Winter Army.

"Do you know why I want to relocate the Winter Army closer to the Western Lands? Haha, the biggest reason, of course, is that we have nowhere else to go! To the south are a million garrison troops led by the Ministry of Watchers; to the north lies a barren, freezing snowfield devoid of a blade of grass; the east is most heavily influenced by the Eastern Sea Immortal Realm; only the Buddha realm in the west is relatively aloof from worldly strife."

"Besides, Buddhism teaches that all living beings are equal—even though that equality is often just a slogan, the Western Lands remain the region most deeply imbued with the philosophy of equality."

"Flame civilization is a civilization driven by the progress of creation technology, requiring the liberation of human thought and initiative. Therefore, not only will I forge the most powerful firearms this world has ever seen, but I will also build the most egalitarian nation this world has ever known."