野荷塘

Chapter 76.1

In the Outer Bounds of Heaven, the eternal loneliness flowed silently. Stepping on the stairs paved with green jade slabs, the blood from Xing Zhi’s shoulders dripped down along the entire path. Suddenly, whether from blurred vision or weakened legs, Xing Zhi unexpectedly fell on the long steps. The wound frozen by the Water Prohibition Technique abruptly split open, and a luminous searing flame gushed out. Xing Zhi frowned and conjured magic to freeze the flame again, suppressing the flame down by force.

The wound could not be healed… It turned out that his divine powers had degenerated to such a level…

Apparently, even without this tribulation, his life as a deity was already about to come to an end.

A deity… Who was really abandoned by heaven!

As Xing Zhi looked up at the river of stars hanging in the sky of the Outer Bounds of Heaven, he abruptly laughed: “If we talk about being indifferent and heartless, there is nothing in the world that can be compare to you; created to be used, thrown away to be discarded… How is a deity’s power comparable to the Heavenly Laws? It’s all just babbling nonsense. Now that I think about it, no matter who it is, we’re just something that you’re playing with.” Then he released a long sigh that seemed to make his breath sweep far away into the emptiness of the Outer Bounds of Heaven, “Heaven’s not benevolent at all!”

However, Xing Zhi was just feeling rueful. As he glanced at the seemingly endless long steps, he covered the wound on his shoulder with one hand to press down the raging flame and continued to walk up step by step.

It was unknown how long it took him, but the long steps finally came to an end. In that place, there was a wide platform. As Xing Zhi walked to the Altar of Deities, each step he took was solemn. When Xing Zhi walked to the center of the Altar of Deities, a golden brilliance immediately wrapped around his entire body, making his black eyes glow brightly.

On the ground, he crouched down and knelt on one knee. Then he poured divine power into the slab of green jade stone. On the circular altar, another radiance appeared from the ground, as if it reflected in accordance with the stars in the sky. It was disorganized yet harmonious. As Xing Zhi’s magic poured into the slab even more, in those golden lights, some silhouettes could be faintly seen. Like Xing Zhi, they were dressed in spacious robes, but their actions and postures were completely different.

This was the place where the deities would only come when they had important matters to discuss. Each deity had his own seat. These images were the afterimages that they had left here for the past millions of years. From a long time ago, when the deities were still around, a decision could only be implemented with the approval of the majority, but now, only one person, Xing Zhi, was left…

He placed the four seals from outside the Ruins of Heavenly Poles onto the ground.

It was not difficult to connect the seals to the Outer Bounds of Heaven. In only a moment, Xing Zhi felt a light breeze in the air that had been motionless for ten thousand years, carrying the miasma from the Ruins of Heavenly Poles. It was extremely minute, but it was easy enough to capture.

He could imagine how happy the immortals outside the Ruins of Heavenly Poles would be at this time. The temporary enchantment barrier was broken, but the gate to the Ruins of Heavenly Poles was now closed, so the demon beasts could no longer escape…

For a while, Xing Zhi knelt down on the ground due to his exhaustion. Finally, when he suppressed all the pain that he felt, he fixed his eyes ahead without looking at the afterimages of his friends from long ago, which he had never laid eyes upon. As always, he only gazed at the flight of steps, walking down step by step. Anyone could be weak. Anyone could recall the past. However, Xing Zhi could not, he still had things to do and people to save.

The blood on his shoulder saturated his clothes, flowing down his arm to his fingertips, and dripped along the ground. He was so focused on walking and keeping himself on the path that he did not look back, so he did not see the Altar of Deities stained with his blood, while the golden lights were never-endingly bright.

After leaving the flight of green jade steps, Xing Zhi immediately rode on the clouds. Now that the Outer Bounds of Heaven was connected to the Ruins of Heavenly Poles, he searched for the area richest in miasma and went in that direction. Within a short period of time, he entered the Ruins of Heavenly Poles. In the darkness, it was extremely difficult to distinguish one’s orientation, so he searched for a long time before he saw a little light like a shining star. He hurriedly went forward, but when he reached Shen Li’s side, he slowed down.

He saw that her eyes were gently closed, she had quietly fallen asleep. Her expression was peaceful, as if she was having a beautiful dream.

For a moment, Xing Zhi could not bear to wake her up. He had seen Shen Li’s sleeping face before, her brows were furrowed, her breathing was extremely shallow, and she seemed to be on guard all the time. If anyone around her dared to conspire against her, she would immediately jump up and crush that person to his or her death.

So for her to have such a peaceful sleeping face was very rare.

So he stood quietly beside her. Right now, all he needed was a spell to destroy the Ruins of Heavenly Poles. However, after he recited the incantation completely, every time a part of the ruins collapsed, it would take away a part of his divine power. If it was before, when his divine power was taken away, it just made him a little tired, but now it was different, with the disappearance of the Ruins of Heavenly Poles, it would exhaust all of his strength…

As Shen Li’s eyelashes fluttered, she slowly opened her eyes. When she saw Xing Zhi standing in front of her with a light smile, Shen Li could not help curling her lips into a smile in response: “I had a beautiful dream, then I woke up and saw you. It couldn’t get any better.”

Then from now on, I would let you have a beautiful dream every day, and I would let you wake up beside me every day…

Even though Xing Zhi’s lips moved, he could not say this promise out loud. He just smiled and asked lightly: “What did you dream about? That made you so happy?”

“Just now, I…” As she spoke, an uncontrollable smile already appeared on her lips, “Under the grapevines, I saw you reclining in the rocking chair, basking in the sun, holding a book that you haven’t finished reading in your hand, sleeping soundly. The sun was so warm, it filtered through the grape trellis like specks of stars in the sky sprinkled on your face. It was so beautiful that I couldn’t take my eyes away.”

When Xing Zhi reached out to stroke her smiling cheek, he smiled with her, too. However, his throat was choked up, so much so that he could not speak.

She was aware of the emotions in his heart, Shen Li hurriedly asked: “Back then, why did you take me home?”

As if he remembered something, Xing Zhi shook his head and smilingly said: “I have never seen such an ugly bird that didn’t even resemble a phoenix, so I wanted to take it home and observe it carefully.” He paused, “But fortunately due to my curiosity, I took it home.”

With some resentment, Shen Li muttered: “After my feathers grew back, I was still very beautiful…”

“You are most beautiful just like this.” Xing Zhi took her into his embrace and snuggled quietly against her for a while, “Shen Li, are you afraid?”

“A little bit. But since you’re holding me, I’m not anymore.”

“I’m very scared.” Shen Li may have an afterlife, but after his death, he would either scatter away into ashes or become a wisp of vitality among heaven and earth… He embraced Shen Li even tighter, “If you run away with someone else, I won’t be able to get over it…”

For a moment, Shen Li was stunned, but then she smiled again and said, “When did the Divine Sovereign Xing Zhi lose so much confidence in himself? Who else in the Three Realms can be compared with you?”