Chapter 89: Azure Dragon Society, Golden Cicada

Tang Jue, you cannot control her. Stop dreaming. Jianghu rivalries are merely struggles among mortals. If we fail to eradicate the demon today, humanity will face an impending catastrophe. Do not miscalculate and bring about a world-ending disaster! Guan Wen still held onto a shred of fantasy regarding Tang Jue, hoping she might turn back from her errant ways.

Of course I can—once I successfully comprehend the secret technique of the Eight Legions of the Heavenly Dragons, Eight Lives and Eight Deaths, I will become half-human, half-demon, half-mortal, half-immortal. Every martial artist knows that consuming thousand-year spiritual lingzhi and humanoid polygonum multiflorum can instantly amplify one's cultivation by several centuries. In my eyes, the Rakshasa Sorceress is now nothing more than a humanoid polygonum multiflorum, possessing incalculable super energy. Once I consume her, I will possess the power to infinitely replicate worlds, planets, universes, and super-universes. I shall be the sole master of time and space, eternally invincible, forever immortal—

A swift blade slashed horizontally from behind. Tang Jue’s head flew three meters high into the air, her mouth still moving as she uttered, To become the creator of gods, to become...

As the head plummeted, Gao Xiang kicked upward, just like a football player taking a shot, sending the bloody skull hurtling toward the pond.

A ghostly hand manifested once more, snatching the head and delivering it to the side of the sorceress.

The one who had decapitated Tang Jue with a single blade was Gao Xiang. He frowned slightly, staring at the headless corpse, and uttered merely three words: I want to as well.

Gao Xiang, what are you talking about? Baoling was standing closest to Gao Xiang. Unable to comprehend the meaning of those three words, she could not help asking.

Gao Xiang raised his head, waving his hand with a half-smile: Everyone, do not misunderstand. I killed Tang Jue certainly not to save you. In fact, I am the Golden Cicada from the Azure Dragon Society, and the sole protagonist in this grand drama of demon eradication. It was I who prevented Tang Jue from finishing you off in the Palace of Summer, because the secret technique of the Eight Legions of the Heavenly Dragons, Eight Lives and Eight Deaths that he boasted about cannot fully extract the memory seed of enlightenment residing within Guan Wen's mind. In other words, amidst all these treacherous and unpredictable changes, only Guan Wen is irreplaceable. I knew this long before I incited Master Tianjiu to lead the wise men of the five nations and twelve monasteries to question Tashilhunpo Monastery. Therefore, I endured, followed, waited for the opportune moment, and finally reached this very step.

He kicked aside Tang Jue's corpse, walked toward Baoling, and sighed softly, seeming somewhat regretful: Did you think I would love you? Compared to ultimate cosmic power, even a fool would choose the latter in matters of human emotion. So I am very sorry, I have been using everyone all along. Of course, there is actually nothing to feel sorry about; since ancient times, hasn't every person perched high above used the passion and ignorance of ordinary people? I have used you, and I have used Tang Jue. By the same token, the Azure Dragon Society has been using us as well... These interlocking matters are immensely complex. In the end, no one can clearly tell whether they used others or were used by others. But right now, I know the most important thing—I am the sole victor, and that will never change.

This twist exceeded even Guan Wen's expectations.

The codename Golden Cicada had accompanied various bizarre occurrences at Tashilhunpo Monastery, lingering like a hidden puppet master, appearing and disappearing at intervals.

All these bizarre occurrences—were they your doing? Baoling asked.

Gao Xiang readily confessed: Yes, including the discoloration of the Niseli mountain spring water and the death of Trizan; they were all carried out by my subordinates. The discoloration of the spring water was a forced measure I took while scouting the entrance to the black hole, because the underground water sources of Niseli Mountain are all interconnected. I had hoped to swim through the subterranean rivers to enter this place, but despite racking my brains, I could not open up a shortcut. Having no other choice, I resorted to the clumsiest method: seizing the white bronze key in your possession and using it as a clue to drag everyone related to the 'demon eradication' into this. Now that matters have reached this point, Guan Wen, I must tell you so you won't die with eternal regret. Look, who am I—

He turned toward Guan Wen, staring at him with a sinister gaze.

As their eyes met, Guan Wen felt as though his own eyes had been pierced by poisoned needles, a piercing, heart-wrenching pain shooting through them.

Who on earth am I? I'll give you one last chance to look closely and see clearly. Hahahahaha... Gao Xiang looked down from above, gazing at Guan Wen with utter contempt. Think about it, right there at Beheading Cliff, who carved you with a thousand cuts? In every single reincarnation, who was the one that humiliated and butchered you? I am the strongest, forever the strongest riding upon your head. You will never have another chance to change this—once the sorceress emerges, the realm will fall into chaos. From this day onward, there will be no such thing as the six realms of reincarnation. Hahahahaha...

Amidst Gao Xiang's wild laughter, Guan Wen remembered the battle at Beheading Cliff.

At that time, he was the Prince of the Snow Mountains, the future hope of the people of the Snow Mountain Kingdom. To eradicate the demon, he had joined forces with Princess Zhaoge of the Kana family of Nepal, crossing the snow mountains together to enter the tutelage of the holy monk Dogyal Gyatso. Their comprehension was several thousand times greater than that of their peers, so they were chosen as the left and right guardian protectors. Embracing the two ritual instruments—the thirty-six-armed white elephant and the seventy-two-winged fierce tiger—they entered the black hole alongside seventy wise men. Their role was to guard the crystal platform after Dogyal Gyatso defeated the Rakshasa Sorceress, completing the final sealing of the earth veins.

On the eve of entering the black hole, his friend Wuguhun betrayed them, defecting to the invading army's camp and kidnapping Princess Zhaoge. To save the woman of his heart, he went to Beheading Cliff alone, where he was bound to a pillar by Wuguhun. Far from saving anyone, he was subjected to death by a thousand cuts executed by Wuguhun. Until his dying breath, he never revealed the secret of Tashilhunpo Monastery.

It was precisely because of the failure of the Snow Mountain Prince and Princess Zhaoge to keep their appointment that the seventy wise men's demon eradication mission fell short of success at the final hurdle, leaving them unable to seal the Rakshasa Sorceress within the earth veins for eternity. Those earth veins were connected at both ends; the three thousand demon-suppressing masters of the Great Tang had firmly sealed the other end, leaving the sorceress with no choice but to break through the barrier from this end beneath Niseli Mountain.

Wuguhun was none other than Gao Xiang's past life. He remembered Wuguhun's eyes; through a thousand cycles of reincarnation, that evil and cruel gaze would never change.

In every lifetime, he was loyal and upright, while Gao Xiang was treacherous and evil. Yet he had never lived to see the moment when justice triumphs over evil; instead, he was always suppressed and brutally persecuted. They were mortal enemies across lifetimes, their entanglement knotted into a dead tie that could never be unraveled.

That night at Beheading Cliff, at the very final instant of my life's end, I saw a shooting star streak across the firmament. So, I made my final wish upon that shooting star. Guan Wen suppressed all the fury within his chest, speaking in a calm tone.

He remembered that the shooting star was exceptionally bright and extraordinarily fast, plunging diagonally from the southeastern sky toward the northeast. In the flash of lightning and spark of stone, he hastily made that wish, praying that in some future reincarnation, he would be granted a miraculous reversal to exact vengeance and wipe out his humiliation. Prior to that, Princess Zhaoge, whom he deeply loved, had already departed this life a step ahead of him.

That night at Beheading Cliff was bitterly cold; his love and hatred, alongside the demise of that shooting star, came to a complete end.

Gao Xiang sneered: What wish? The former Snow Mountain Prince was a disciple of the holy monk Dogyal Gyatso, yet he also believed in this sort of Western theory?

Where is the West? Where is the East? The place we currently stand upon is fundamentally the core of the world, determining the future destiny of humanity. Guan Wen replied.

Gao Xiang touched his head and burst into laughter: The future? None of those things have anything to do with you anymore. Now, open your eyes wide and watch, watch how I subjugate the sorceress—

Abruptly, Gao Xiang lowered his head to look down. A golden pestle of subjugation had been driven straight into his back, protruding half a foot from the center of his chest, the sharp tip of the pestle flashing with a brilliant, deep golden light.

Master Dorje, it's Master Dorje! Guan Wen shouted. He recognized that pestle; it belonged to Master Dorje, Basang's master.

Upon first arriving at Tashilhunpo Monastery, Guan Wen had specifically consulted Master Dorje regarding the significance of this ritual implement. The pestle of subjugation, known in Tibetan as the phurba, is a Tibetan Buddhist ritual instrument originally belonging to a type of ancient Indian weapon. One end resembles a vajra, while the other is triangular and pointed, with the middle section featuring three Buddha heads forming the hilt—one smiling, one wrathful, and one scolding. This ritual implement is used in Buddhist esoteric practices for subjugating demonic grievances, possessing an unparalleled and fierce mystical power.

A figure stepped out from behind Gao Xiang and removed the hood from his head, revealing Master Dorje's sharp-featured, resolute, and lean face. He had blended seamlessly into the crowd brought by Tang Jue, remaining inconspicuous until the critical moment when he rose abruptly to slaughter his foes, shattering Gao Xiang's delusions of grandeur.

You just asked me what wish the Snow Mountain Prince made upon the shooting star? That wish was that in some cycle of reincarnation, an unexpected army would descend from the heavens to help me reverse my defeat. Now, that wish has been fulfilled. Tears suddenly welled up in Guan Wen's eyes, trickling down to the corner of his mouth, tasting bitterly of hardship.

Through the churning wheels of reincarnation, he had finally defeated Gao Xiang once, and this victory had not come easily at all.

Gao Xiang collapsed, and the men brought by Tang Jue fell one after another as well—all of them secretly executed by Master Dorje.

I had long since detected the conspiracy of the Azure Dragon Society. With the mountain storm about to break and their blades gleaming with terrifying sharpness, I could only feign death to evade them. Otherwise, Basang, Tang Guang, and the others would have been the very first to target me. I entered Tashilhunpo Monastery at the age of seven, and on my very first day of taking refuge, I made a pious vow inside the Chapel of Maitreya that this life was born for demon eradication and would die for demon eradication. Now is the time for me to fulfill that vow. You must evacuate immediately; I will detonate all the explosives right away, blasting the sorceress to smithereens and ending all of this. Master Dorje did not speak much, but every single word carried the weight of a falling stone.

Gao Xiang wanted to say more, but Master Dorje waved his hand and roared out a single word: Go—

Gao Xiang bowed deeply to Master Dorje, then grabbed Gu Qingcheng and Baoling, sprinting away along the path they had come.

The three of them emerged from the black hole and climbed up to Beheading Cliff, barely managing to steady themselves and wipe the cold sweat from their foreheads. Suddenly, a series of violent tremors erupted across Niseli Mountain, causing an off-road vehicle to slide during the shaking, plunge off the cliff, and burst into flames.

Is it over? Baoling asked.

It is over. Gu Qingcheng replied.

Is it over? Guan Wen asked again.

The three of them exchanged glances, suddenly feeling that tonight's darkness was somewhat unusual. They looked up, finding not a single star in the sky, as seamless dark clouds shrouded the firmament entirely. The surroundings were dead silent; even the commotion originating from Tashilhunpo Monastery could no longer be heard. They looked down the mountain—the lights had vanished, and between heaven and earth, nothing remained save for endless, boundless darkness.

What time is it? someone asked.

All three raised their wrists to check their watches, only to discover that every single watch had stopped.

Time! Someone has controlled time! Gu Qingcheng came to a sudden realization, dropping her voice as she cried out in horror.

That's right. Be careful; this is not over yet. Guan Wen drew a deep breath, pulling the two women with him as they pressed their backs against the rear of an off-road vehicle.