The Word of Heaven

Chapter 354 All Living Beings
The rain stopped pouring down.

That ray of morning light rising from the horizon was like the heavens opening their eyes to observe the world.

The wind was still howling.

Walking amidst the surging flames, his tattered clothes fluttered wildly, making him appear even more disheveled. Gu Zhuo gazed at the ray of morning light.

No one knows what he is thinking at this moment.

"Come."

Gu Zhuo spoke again.

The voice remained calm, but it was also tired, hoarse, and dry: "Kill me, or be killed by me."

The sky after nightfall was a deep blue, not bright, covered with a very faint layer of gray.

The wasteland was shrouded in fine raindrops, painted a blood-red hue by the lingering firelight.

The blue of the sky and the red of the ground.

Under the morning light, these two colors mysteriously became pigments, painting the same picture in the eyes of the world.

That painting contains the breaking of dawn, blood, fire, and rain.

Someone is quietly observing the world in the rain.

Perhaps for a moment, or perhaps for a very long time.

The man in the rain suddenly smiled.

Her smile was as warm as spring flowers in bloom.

……

……

In the beginning, no one could understand why the Demon Lord was laughing.

To say he's lost his mind would be a stretch, and mockery doesn't seem like it at all.

The soldiers of Qin suddenly felt an even stronger sense of unease, their heartbeats pounding like drums in their ears, bringing them increasing anxiety.

Driven by these emotions, the generals exchanged glances and made a decision in silence.

This is an unprecedented decision.

When the barbarians charge, the Qin cavalry will launch another attack... Yes, this will be the first time since the founding of the Qin Dynasty that it has joined forces with the barbarians.

The military orders were disseminated to each captain at lightning speed, and then passed on to their subordinates. The same silence, without any distinction, continued to occur during the transmission of the orders.

These proud elite Qin soldiers could not imagine that one day they would actually have to fight alongside the barbarians. However, faced with the overwhelming military orders, they had no choice but to remain silent.

Arrows inscribed with intricate runes were once again nocked onto the crossbow and aimed at the man through the layers of rain.

The difference is that this time, all that was left behind was his back.

After emerging from the inferno, Gu Zhuo faced the mountains.

The mountains are the homeland of the barbarians.

Those wild people who cherish faith all came from there.

At this moment, some snow that had not yet melted remained in the mountains, scattered as unsightly white spots on those tattered clothes.

What was born from suffering and sorrow was not weariness, but a more intense madness in the eyes of the barbarian priests.

Only when you see your life's desire right before your eyes can you experience such radiant light.

No one doubts the Wildlings' determination.

This determination was truly revealed in the next moment.

A priest began to move forward, charging towards Gu Zhuo with his body.

Just as they approached within a hundred feet of Gu Zhuo, a blazing light suddenly appeared on his body.

This is blatant self-immolation!

Following this, more people from the wilderness seized the opportunity to move forward and head towards Gu Zhuo.

As they ran, their bodies underwent changes, and various inhuman features burst forth from their flesh in an instant, just like Yu Yang outside the Red Yin Sect's mountain gate.

The muddy ground, washed clean by the torrential rain all night, trembled again, not from the sound of hooves, but from the many wild men digging holes.

Numerous winged figures appeared in mid-air, and the morning light shone on those dirty wings, making them look less sacred and more like a swarm of enormous flies that blotted out the sky.

Almost at the same time, the Qin soldiers released their bows and arrows.

Countless arrows pierced the sky, flying precisely towards Gu Zhuo's back, forming an encirclement with the barbarians.

Gu Zhuo was still smiling.

The gentle glow of the stars and moon that lingered on him had all dissipated.

The balance of heaven and earth has long been broken, and the true essence is no longer inexhaustible; the oil has run out and the lamp is about to go out.

The wounds inflicted on his soul by the direct confrontation with the White Emperor were still throbbing with pain.

How can we find a glimmer of hope in the midst of despair?
Gu Zhuo could not provide an answer.

So his choice was simple.

The last remaining essence began to burn.

Heaven and earth responded to it.

The countless raindrops suddenly stopped moving, the thin mist stopped drifting in the wind, and even the still-burning flames froze.

The iron arrows that had been hurtling through the air could no longer advance and came to a standstill in mid-air, turning into a dense cluster.

A forest of arrows suddenly appeared out of nowhere on the wasteland.

The arrow that came closest to Gu Zhuo was less than three zhang away from him.

The people of the wilderness, driven by their faith, did not stop because of this scene. They pressed on with unwavering determination, even as wound after wound appeared on their bodies, causing the flying creature to explode into a bloody mist and the creature buried in the ground to be crushed into a pile of flesh.

The whole world fell into dead silence.

Only that ray of sunlight remained vibrant.

At that moment, everyone on the wasteland felt a strong intuition.

This will be the Demon Lord's last sword strike left in the mortal realm.

This sword will not be aimed at anyone, because it is meaningless.

The sword's edge will be pointed towards the heavens.

This is its only destiny.

……

……

The Demon Lord's choice at the last moment of his life undoubtedly brought a long sigh of relief to many people. The aches and pains that they had been forcibly enduring with their willpower returned with the relaxation, appearing in every corner of their bodies.

The Qin soldiers remained silent, but both generals and soldiers could sense that each other was relaxing.

No one tried to stop it from happening.

Perhaps it was because the morning light shone on the earth, making those tragic scenes come into full view, that these Qin elites, who possessed unwavering faith, began to feel exhausted.

Too many people died during that long night: two generals who stood at the highest point in the army, dozens of military elites, and more than two thousand cavalrymen... and even the heavy losses unseen outside the battlefield.

Even the most resilient person will become weary in such a situation.

Let's end it here.

Everyone is satisfied.

……

……

Gu Zhuodao's mind is at peace.

When the last wisp of true essence is burned out, he will draw his sword with the broken blade.

As their intuition told them, this sword would strike the heavens, for he was beginning to have thoughts during this long night. These thoughts, however, brought him not enlightenment, but a question.

Getting the answer to that question wouldn't change his situation; death would still come, so the choice was actually meaningless, but... it was the only meaningful choice.

That's enough.

As for other things, he certainly wanted to continue the promises he had made, but things never change because of this, just like the river of time flows forward forever and never flows backward.

All thoughts return to stillness.

Gu Zhuo was about to draw his sword.

He still hasn't solved the second question and hasn't been able to return to the realm of ascension, but he is still himself.

No one can be sure how powerful this sword will be.

Even he himself doesn't know.

The truth will only be revealed when the sword falls.

Just as the sword was raised, a shout came from afar, but it was impossible to hear what it said.

Gu Zhuo didn't go to see it either.

Fatigue is one of the reasons.

More importantly, he had done countless calculations from the very first moment he entered the game.

In those calculations, there is no one who appears at this moment.

This inference is correct.

Therefore, there was more than one voice at this moment.

One sound after another, one after another.

Unlike the Qin soldiers who sang "How can we say we have no clothes?" with great pride, these shouts were chaotic, non-repetitive, and dry and hoarse, but they all expressed the same meaning.

—The Taoist sect has arrived.

It's just those four simple words.

……

……

The generals of Qin suddenly turned around and looked.

I witnessed a scene that had been absent from the world for over a hundred years.

The entire Taoist community mobilized.

……

……

The people of the wilderness keenly perceived this change and moved forward with even greater determination.

At that moment, chaos suddenly broke out in the advancing ranks.

A priest's head was severed on the spot by a long sword from beside him, and blood splattered everywhere.

The young barbarian wielding the knife was not swayed by the heat of the blood. Without hesitation, he swung his knife at another priest, and then... died on the way.

Without any communication, dozens, even hundreds, of identical assassinations occurred simultaneously, reaping lives.

Even the wildlings who disregarded life and death were deeply shocked and bewildered at this moment, completely unable to understand why any of their people would rebel at such a time.

But this did not prevent them from reacting, and the battle began quickly. Then, with the overwhelming numerical advantage, the rebels were killed one after another.

Some angry barbarians tried to question them, but all they received was a desperate counterattack, with teeth, broken bones, or whatever else they could get their hands on.

The scene was incredibly bloody.

And absurd.

Even the most imaginative humans could not have imagined that the Wildlings would suddenly descend into internal strife and fight for the Demon Lord.

……

……

Whether it was the emergence of the Taoist sect or the internal strife among the barbarians.

All of this was in Gu Zhuo's eyes.

The Qin cavalry began to turn and charge towards the Taoists, and countless people were to die.

Those wild people from the mountains and idyllic paradise are fighting desperately, using every means possible to risk the lives of their people and themselves.

Chen Chi and Qiu Zhi stood in the Taoist gate, waving at him, whether to curry favor or for some other reason was unclear.

Pei Jingge, who was on the verge of collapse, hadn't left. She sat there alone, quietly watching him.

Raindrops streamed down her flawless face, and a small white flower, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, lingered on her lips.

He wondered if this was a case of pear blossoms in the rain.
This idea did not last long.

A thin, thread-like ray of light entered his eyes.

That's a sword.

Its name is not yet...

Gu Zhuo looked in that direction.

Lin Wanyi was covered in blood.

Nan Zong lost his arm.

Suddenly, Gu Zhuo had an epiphany.

In this life-or-death battle, he never considered breaking through to a higher realm, because he knew his realm was too high.

He didn't even think about the second question left by the abbess, because in this war... he always stood on the opposite side of all living beings.

People like him are often given a certain title in this world.

I, the lonely one.

Since I am the only one, how can I possibly solve the problem of all living beings?
Until now.

……

……

Amidst a multitude of thoughts, Gu Zhuo did not linger.

He grasped the returning Qieman and thanked it.

The Yishui Sword, covered in rust, once again gleamed with sharpness.

Gu Zhuo took a step forward.

Draw your sword.

It slashed towards the sky above the wasteland.

Countless raindrops were cut off from it.

The sea of ​​clouds suddenly parted, revealing a thin line in the sky.

As dawn broke, the Daoist Master, sword in hand, walked toward the heavens.

It felt like ascending to heaven and becoming an immortal.

……

……

A figure appeared almost imperceptibly before Gu Zhuo, illuminated by the sword light.

After a moment of silence, he asked that question with a sense of weariness and vicissitude.

Should I address you as Yuandai, or Yingxu?

(End of this chapter)