An incredible silence suddenly filled the entire battlefield. After that, killing intent exploded up into the Heavens.
“KILL THEM!!” Hundreds of thousands of cultivators charged madly toward the Milky Way Sea, towards the hundreds of thousands of withering Northern Reaches cultivators.
The war… had begun!
Meng Hao left. And yet, not a single Southern Domain cultivator felt even the slightest bit upset because of that. They had attended Meng Hao and Xu Qing’s wedding, as well as the invasion of the Northern Reaches. They had also experienced the Hellwither Nineruins curse.
They only thing they felt regarding Meng Hao was sorrow, as well as hope that he would eventually have the strength to continue on.
A huge massacre unfolded on the border of the Southern Domain.
**
Meng Hao held Xu Qing; both were still wearing their red wedding garments. He held her in his arms, and she leaned up against his chest. A dark aura surrounded Meng Hao, and his body was incredibly withered. Tears filled his eyes, and his heart was torn to pieces. He felt as if he was being continuously stabbed with countless sharp blades.
A black aura also appeared on the withered Xu Qing. She had already died once, and although her body had been restored, it was only meant to survive for a hundred years.
The remaining ten percent power of the curse might not affect others very much, but to Xu Qing, well… it was something her body couldn’t handle.
The remaining ten percent of the curse power was like exponential time power. Within only a few days, she would live out an entire lifetime.
Xu Qing suddenly forced her eyes open to look at her husband as he held her. He was the most dear and important person in her entire life. Her voice weak, she said, “I want… to go back to the valley.”
She didn’t want Meng Hao to be unhappy, nor did she want to see him hurt even the smallest bit. She wanted to be happy with him forever, with no pain, and no sadness.
No matter what, as long as you are safe and sound, then I’m content.
“Alright, let’s go back….” said Meng Hao with a nod. His heart trembled as he looked at her. He didn’t want his grief to affect her, so a warm smile appeared on his face.
Except, it was a smile that was filled with silent tears.
“You did the right thing,” she murmured. “They came to attend our wedding, and we shouldn’t let the guests be harmed. We owe them now…. In the future, if I’m not here, make sure to pay everyone back.” With that, she sunk into his chest exhaustedly and closed her eyes.
When she closed her eyes, Meng Hao stopped in place. After sensing that she was simply unconscious, he felt that he could finally unleash his grief. He looked up into the sky… and tears began to pour out.
He didn’t want to alarm Xu Qing, so he held her very gently as they proceeded off into the distance. They passed over mountains and lands until they reached the Blood Demon Sect, Blood Prince Gorge, and their log cabin.
He went to seek advice from Patriarch Blood Demon, but the Immortal’s cave was sealed with a blood-colored shield, preventing him from entering. Patriarch Blood Demon was asleep, and incapable of awakening.
Back in the valley, Meng Hao held Xu Qing, and his heart ached. Straightening her hair, he softly said, “We agreed to spend a hundred years together. After that you would be reincarnated, and I would go find you….”
Xu Qing opened her eyes and smiled at him. What she didn’t see was that when he stroked his hand through her hair, it was filled with withered strands of hair that had fallen out.
Meng Hao saw, and he trembled. He quickly clenched his fingers, causing the hairs to vanish.
Xu Qing’s face was pale. Her hair, like her life, was withering away. Her face was also slowly changing. She was no longer young and beautiful. Wrinkles were spreading out across her face.
The flow of time affected her body in a way that made it seem as if many years had elapsed.
As Meng Hao watched her pretty features growing older, he felt as if he didn’t have a heart anymore. All he had was a feeling of emptiness, as if a painful black hole existed within his chest.
Xu Qing looked at the night sky, and the twinkling stars. Her voice soft, she murmured, “I wish… we could go back in time to the Reliance Sect. I could be your Elder Sister in the sect and you could be my Junior Brother….
“I would take you to meet my family. I remember that before I was taken to the sect, I had a younger brother….
“I wish… I could be with you forever….” She was growing weaker. She closed her eyes and slept.
Meng Hao could tell that Xu Qing’s life force was reaching its end. Her fleshly body was withered, and it seemed as if it might vanish at any moment. She had no energy left, like a candle in the wind….
Xu Qing was aging. She no longer appeared to be in her twenties, but rather, middle-aged. However, to Meng Hao, she would eternally be that beautiful young woman to whom he had once given a Cosmetic Cultivation Pill.
“I won’t let you w