Duan Yushu hugged Lu Xuanzi tightly, as if trying to meld her into his body. He didn't respond to what Lu Xuanzi said.
Ning Yitao found it a bit strange. Duan Yushu's obsession for thousands of years was to revive Lu Xuanzi. However, the person he wanted to revive had flatly denied the plan he had been preparing for so long.
Ning Yitao thought that no matter what, Duan Yushu should be angry. But he wasn't.
He just buried his head deep in Lu Xuanzi's shoulder, trying to hide his tears. He mumbled his yearning in a muffled voice, like a insecure puppy seeking comfort in its owner's arms. He said, "But Xuanzi, I miss you. I want to see you all the time. I want to give you a new life. We can start anew in a new world. I'll wipe out all the people you hate. I just want you to live again..."
Listening to Duan Yushu, Lu Xuanzi stroked his hair, her words full of pity. "Huahua, I don't hate anyone. I just feel sorry for you. Don't hurt others. Only then can we have a new turn of events."
"Huahua, we can't make one wrong step after another."
Lu Xuanzi was like a gentle teacher guiding a wayward child back on track. She was extremely patient, soothing Duan Yushu's heart with each stroke of her hand.
Duan Yushu in Lu Xuanzi's arms was already sobbing uncontrollably. When he heard Lu Xuanzi say that she didn't hate him, the tears just kept flowing. His long - held obsession finally dissipated at this moment.
In front of Lu Xuanzi, Duan Yushu could always let go of all his concerns. As long as it was what Lu Xuanzi hoped for, Duan Yushu would surely do it.
Duan Yushu would never refuse Lu Xuanzi, no matter what.
Duan Yushu answered Lu Xuanzi seriously. "Okay, I promise you."
Under everyone's gaze, the two people who were kneeling on the ground hugging each other turned to ashes at the same time and drifted with the wind, returning to the world.
Duan Qinghuai didn't know how to describe his current mood. In his heart, the last family member in this world was gone.
But Duan Yushu's death ensured Ning Yitao's safety. Now Ning Yitao was free from all threats.
Duan Qinghuai looked at Ning Yitao with a determined look in his eyes. He believed that Ning Yitao would surely be able to seal the mountain pass formation's eye.
However, as soon as Duan Yushu died, Ning Yitao felt something was wrong.
The formation's eye was bound to Duan Yushu. Duan Yushu had sacrificed his soul to activate the formation's eye.
As soon as Duan Yushu died, the power of the formation's eye soared. Ning Yitao faintly felt that she was about to lose control of the expanding black hole.
She had to speed up, which meant it was time for her to say goodbye to this world.
Ning Yitao looked back longingly at her companions who thought the crisis had been resolved. Looking at the smiles on their faces, Ning Yitao couldn't help but smile too.
They thought the most difficult problem was Duan Yushu. Now that the greatest threat was dead, they thought no one would stop Ning Yitao anymore.
After Ning Yitao became a god, their trust in her reached an all - time high.
Ning Yitao always made them feel safe.
They didn't know that Ning Yitao had just made a deal with the Heavenly Dao, and the price was her life.
Ning Yitao looked back at them deeply, trying to engrave them in her mind forever.
Among them, only Duan Qinghuai noticed that Ning Yitao's expression was off. She was smiling, but there was a deep sadness in her eyes.
Duan Qinghuai asked warily, "Taotao, what's wrong?"
As soon as Duan Qinghuai spoke, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Ning Yitao.
Eve's eyes were full of worry. Thinking that Ning Yitao needed help, she struggled to get up and said, "Taotao, I'll help you."
Duan Qinghuai wanted to go to Ning Yitao's side, but he was too badly injured. He got anxious. Ignoring the reopening of his wounds, he forced himself to stand up and walked towards Ning Yitao.
In the fight against Duan Yushu, Duan Qinghuai was the most reckless one.
It was a miracle that he was even awake. Every step Duan Qinghuai took, a pool of blood would form under his feet.
Duan Qinghuai didn't care at all. He just walked towards Ning Yitao step by step with a determined look in his eyes.
Ning Yitao watched as the two of them got closer and closer to her.
Suddenly, she hooked up a smile, but the bitterness in it was only known to her. Ning Yitao left them with her last words. She said, "Goodbye."
Then she fell backwards into the black hole behind her. The black hole was like a greedy monster, tearing Ning Yitao's body apart.
Ning Yitao sacrificed herself with her divine form to seal the formation's eye.
Eve let out a scream and ran over, but she still couldn't catch Ning Yitao. Before she could even touch the black hole, it had disappeared.
Duan Qinghuai stared fixedly at the place where Ning Yitao disappeared. He couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe that Ning Yitao was just gone.
The few steps he had just taken had exhausted all his strength. He fell to the ground with a thud, but he crawled all the way to the location of the formation's eye.
Duan Qinghuai felt as if his heart was being brutally cut open by a blunt file.
He had an indescribable feeling in his heart, as if all the bitter gallbladders in the world were churning in his stomach.
He couldn't bear it and wanted to vomit out this bitterness, but as soon as it reached his mouth, he swallowed it back down, leaving only a bitter taste in his mouth. His heart was in excruciating pain.
Duan Qinghuai was going crazy trying to find a trace of Ning Yitao, but he found nothing, absolutely nothing.
His fingertips were already rubbed raw and bloody, but Duan Qinghuai didn't want to give up. He had to find Ning Yitao.
But Duan Qinghuai could no longer feel the contract connection with Ning Yitao in his body.
Just before Ning Yitao jumped in, she had severed the contract.
Now there was not even the slightest trace of Ning Yitao's aura left.
...
The barrier dissipated.
The body of the upper god nourished a piece of land.
The high and deep sky was a clear blue. White clouds drifted leisurely across the sky.
The smooth water surface reflected the blue sky and white clouds clearly. When the gentle breeze blew, tiny ripples appeared on the water, making it sparkle.
Flowering trees bloomed everywhere, covering the mountains and fields. Flowers filled the branches, blooming in the wind. The flowering trees seemed to be covered with a thin veil, looking ethereal.
Golden flowers swayed in the wind, and the fragrance filled the air.
The whole village and the forest were completely renewed, reborn. Nourished by Ning Yitao's divine power, the severely depleted mountain forest power in this area had all recovered.
Since Ning Yitao left.
Tombstones were erected for her in the streets and alleys. The whole country mourned her death.
Ning Yitao's name was inscribed on the champion's pedestal of the program.
She was the well - deserved champion.
In the following years.
Duan Qinghuai took over the responsibility of maintaining the reputation of the Taoist temple for Ning Yitao.
He knew that if Ning Yitao came back one day, she wouldn't want to see the Taoist temple become desolate again.
However, although the Taoist temple didn't decline, Duan Qinghuai seemed to have lost his soul. He didn't care about anything. He firmly believed that Ning Yitao would come back. As long as anyone said that Ning Yitao was dead, he would fly into a rage and argue that Ning Yitao wasn't dead.
She would surely come back.
This was the only thought in Duan Qinghuai's mind.
Yun Lianmeng got an opportunity during the previous blessing. She repaired her soul and rightfully moved into the Taoist temple. The incense offerings in the Taoist temple were enough to support her to stay and work there.
Yun Lianmeng, with the evidence she had finally obtained, sent the Yun Fanghai family to jail once and for all.
She was finally cleared of her false charges.
Eve became famous overnight because of the program. She got the ranking she wanted, but she wasn't happy. She had lost her best friend.
Eve knew that she would never meet a friend as compatible as Ning Yitao again. Their shared experience of life and death was their greatest testimony.
Zhaocai and Liu Qiaozhi also chose to stay at the Taoist temple. They knew that if Ning Yitao came back, she would surely come to the Taoist temple.
Zhaocai called this strategy "waiting for the hare by the tree stump".
Days passed by quietly.
Duan Qinghuai's obsession deepened.
But none of them knew where Ning Yitao was at this moment.
As a divine being who died, Ning Yitao should have been listed among the immortals. However, she was killed by the God - Slaying Formation.
This meant that once she jumped into the God - Slaying Formation, she would be crushed to pieces, and even her soul would be torn apart. There would be no chance of rebirth.