Yue Ning rushed forward. "Shou Heng!" Several heavenly soldiers reacted.Golden spears blocked her path. Heavenly Guard Chen stepped forward with a frown. "Stop her!" Attendant Ruo xin's expression changed. "Lady Yue Ning! You cannot approach the condemned!" Golden chains shot from the ground and attempted to wrap around her wrists. But Yue Ning didn't even look at them. She pushed through. The chains shattered against her spiritual energy with a loud crack.One official gasped in shock. Official Yan widened his eyes. "She broke Heavenly restraints?" General Jin Wei quietly exhaled and shook his head. "No…" His gaze remained on her trembling figure. "She simply doesn't care anymore."
Yue Ning reached Shou Heng. She dropped onto her knees beside him. Her hands gently cupped his face as if she was afraid he would disappear if she loosened her grip even slightly. His skin was cold.Her tears continuously rolled down her cheeks. "Don't talk anymore…" Her voice trembled helplessly. "Please don't say another word." She shook her head desperately while tears splashed onto his robes. "They don't deserve your words. They don't deserve your explanations. They don't deserve..." Shou Heng quietly looked at her.
Around them,Heaven remained silent. Hua Lin lowered her gaze toward the scroll in her hands.Mu Qing clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Attendant Rong frowned deeply. "She is lost!" General Jin Wei looked at him and quietly answered, "No. She simply loves him." His answer silenced several officials.Official Han sighed heavily. "This is becoming unbearable to watch." Official Su quietly whispered to himself, "Why… why does it feel like we're the ones being judged?" Nobody answered him because everyone was beginning to feel it.
Then thunder exploded across Heaven. *BOOM!* The entire Heavenly Court shook and stars beneath the crystal floor trembled and floating islands outside the palace froze in place. Then the Heavenly Father's voice echoed throughout the endless heavens. "Enough."Shou Heng and Yue Ning both slowly lifted their heads. Upon the highest throne sat the Heavenly Father, ancient and unreadable. His eyes slowly landed on Shou Heng. "Shou Heng." He paused before speaking again. "Tell me your final wish."
Shou heng stared at him for several moments before smile appeared on his face. "Final wish?" He coughed softly and more blood dripped onto floor. "Should I say thank you for that?" The Heavenly Father remained silent. Shou Heng slowly looked around him. His gaze moved across every official, every attendant, every heavenly soldier and every immortal standing there watching him die. Then he quietly spoke, "You all really opened my eyes."
Nobody answered.Official Wen slowly lowered his gaze. Attendant Rong frowned but remained silent. Shou Heng continued speaking. "When I first came here…" He laughed weakly. "I thought Heaven was magnificent." His eyes slowly moved upward. "I thought Heaven was where fate was written. Where justice existed. Where every life had meaning." His smile slowly disappeared. Then he shook his head. "But now…" His eyes became colder. "I know." He looked at everyone. "There is no fate." His voice echoed throughout the endless Heavenly Court. "There is no red thread. There is no destiny." He slowly swept his gaze over every single face before him. "Whatever beautiful names you gave it…" His voice hardened. "It was all nonsense."
Several officials instinctively lowered their heads.Attendant Rong opened his mouth but couldn't say anything besides him official han slowly closed his eyes.Mu Qing's jaw tightened and Hua Lin's fingers slightly trembled around her scroll.Even General Jin Wei quietly looked away. Yue Ning tightened her grip on Shou Heng's hand. Her tears continuously fell onto his fingers. Shou Heng quietly laughed again but this time there was no anger inside it anymore. Only disappointment. He slowly looked upward at the Heavenly Father. "You call yourselves guardians of fate." He paused. "Yet the only thing I've learned here…" His eyes slowly swept over Heaven once more. "…is that Heaven fears love more than demons."
She gently pressed her forehead against his shoulder and shook her head through tears. "Don't say anything else…" she whispered helplessly. "Please don't waste your breath on them anymore." Her voice broke completely. "They don't deserve it." Shou Heng slowly lowered his gaze toward her. Even now, when his entire body was falling apart, his eyes softened the moment they landed on her. He weakly lifted his hand and carefully brushed away the tears on her face. "Yue Yue…" he whispered softly.
But before he could continue, thunder exploded again across Heaven.*BOOM! * The Heavenly Father's voice echoed throughout the endless court. "Enough!" Yue Ning and Shou Heng both slowly looked upward. Then he spoke again. "Shou Heng." His voice echoed heavily. "You may speak your final wish." Shou Heng stared at him for several moments before suddenly laughing weakly again. Blood immediately stained his lips afterward. "Final wish…" He smiled bitterly. "How ironic." His eyes swept across Heaven once more. "You spent all this time deciding my life…" He coughed heavily. "…and now you ask me what I want." He laughed quietly. "Interesting."
Yue Ning shook her head and held his face between her hands. "Stop…" Tears continuously rolled down her cheeks."Please stop talking…"Shou Heng slowly looked at her and smiled gently. Then he looked upward once more. "I do have a wish." The Heavenly Court instantly fell silent again. The Heavenly Father spoke. "Say it." Shou Heng slowly intertwined his fingers with Yue Ning's hand. His voice became softer than before. "I want to see her happy." He paused. "Without judgment." His eyes never left Yue Ning. "Without Heaven deciding whether she deserves happiness." Another pause followed. "I want her to live freely."
Yue Ning froze and her eyes widened as tears poured even harder. "Shou Heng…" He smiled at her. "I want her to laugh again." His breathing suddenly became uneven. "I want her to stop crying." Yue Ning shook her head. "No…" Her voice cracked. "What are you saying?" She grabbed his robes desperately. "I'm not leaving you alone." Her entire body trembled. "I don't know what red threads are." More tears fell down her face. "I don't know what fate is." She grabbed his hand tighter. "But I know one thing." Her voice completely broke apart. "I want to stay by your side." She looked directly into his eyes. "I don't care whether it's tomorrow…" Her tears dripped onto his hands. "Or my coffin." She shook her head desperately. "I don't want to leave."
Shou Heng quietly stared at her for several moments. Then he slowly lifted her hand and gently kissed her fingers. "No…" His voice had become weak now. "You have to live." He smiled faintly. "For me…" He paused as another cough escaped him and blood spilled from his lips. "…and for him." Yue Ning shook her head harder. "I can't." Her entire voice shattered. "I can't do it."
Before she could continue, Shou Heng suddenly struggled to breathe. His chest rose and fell heavily. Yue Ning instantly panicked. "Shou Heng!" He weakly reached toward her face. "Yue Yue…" She grabbed his hand with both of hers. "I'm here!" Tears fell endlessly from her eyes. "I'm here!" Shou Heng gently touched her cheek. "Sorry…" His voice was barely audible now. "I couldn't give you the home you dreamed of." He smiled weakly through the pain. "I failed you."
Yue Ning burst into tears. "No…" She shook her head over and over. "You didn't fail me." Her voice trembled violently. "I was happy." More tears rolled down her face. "Every day I spent with you…" She smiled through tears. "I was happy." Her hand covered his. "And that home you're talking about…" She leaned closer. "…I already had it." Shou Heng quietly stared at her. Yue Ning cried harder. "The moment you held my hand…" She smiled through tears. "The moment you promised to stay beside me…" Her entire voice broke apart. "That home was always you." Shou Heng's eyes slowly reddened.
Yue Ning shook her head helplessly. "I'm sorry…" she whispered. "Because of me, you're here…" Her tears landed on his face. "And I can't help you." Shou Heng slowly moved closer to her. With the last bit of strength he had left, he gently kissed her forehead. Then he whispered softly, "I always loved you." His hand slowly slipped from her cheek. His body suddenly became still. Yue Ning froze. The entire Heavenly Court froze. For several seconds, she simply stared at him. Then her entire world collapsed. "Shou Heng?" Her voice trembled. She shook him gently. "Shou Heng…" Then louder. "Shou Heng!" Tears poured endlessly from her eyes. "You can't leave me like this!" Her voice echoed throughout Heaven. "You promised!" She shook him desperately. "Wake up!" Her voice cracked. "Fulfill your promise!"
Then suddenly Shou Heng's body slowly began to glow. Soft golden light emerged from his chest. Then his entire body gradually transformed into countless colourful flower petals. Endless petals floated upward into the sky. They floated around Yue Ning gently as if saying goodbye one final time. The entire sky became a sea of flowers. Even the stars above disappeared beneath them. Yue Ning sat there completely broken, one single petal landing softly into her palm. She stared at it while tears continuously fell.
At present shrine became silent once again. The scene had already disappeared, but the emotions they left behind still lingered in the air like invisible scars.Nobody spoke for several moments. Everyone was still trapped inside the emotions of what they had just witnessed. Xu Yang slowly exhaled and looked toward the shrine."…So this is where it all began." Chen Yu lowered his gaze toward the ground. His fingers unconsciously tightened around his staff. "I didn't expect it to hurt this much." Yan Luo folded his arms, but even he looked unusually quiet. "No wonder these memories are unstable." Zhao ming sighed softly and adjusted the talismans hanging from his sleeves. "His pain never ended."
Beside them, Lin Chen quietly wiped his eyes with his sleeve.His nose was slightly red. "Why…" he whispered softly. "Why does this feel sadder than any story I've ever heard?" Hei Long was still thinking about what just happened but suddenly soft voice appeared beside his ear. "I missed you." Hei Long's pupils instantly shrank. He turned around but nobody was there. His breathing halted for a second. Then Lin Chen noticed him. "Hei Long?" Hei Long didn't answer his eyes scanned the surroundings once. Then twice. Then a third time. Confusion slowly appeared on his face. "…Did anyone hear that?" Zhao Ming looked between them. "What happened?" Hei Long hesitated for several seconds. "Someone spoke."
Everyone instantly became alert. Xu Yang straightened his posture. "Spoke?" Hei Long slowly nodded. "Near me." Chen Yu frowned. "What did they say?" Hei Long's gaze slowly drifted toward the shrine again. "They said…" He paused. "…I missed you." Everyone exchanged glances immediately. Yan Luo frowned deeply. "Nobody said anything." Zhao Ming nodded. "I didn't hear anyone either." Xu Yang looked around suspiciously. "Was it another memory?" Hei Long slowly shook his head. "No." His expression became strange. "It felt…" He paused. "real." Qing Li looked toward him. "Real?" Hei Long slowly nodded again. "Like someone was standing beside me."
Lin Chen instinctively moved closer to everyone. "That's not creepy at all." Xu Yang lightly smacked the back of his head. "Don't make it creepier." Lin Chen defended himself. "I'm not making it creepy! It already is creepy!" Chen Yu frowned while staring at the shrine. "Could this place be reacting to us now?" Zhao Ming quietly spoke. "We've seen too many memories already." Yan Luo narrowed his eyes at the black threads floating around the shrine. "Or perhaps…" He paused. "…something inside the shrine is beginning to wake up." Everyone looked toward the shrine.Hei Long kept staring at it without blinking. Something is wrong he thought.
Then several flower petals suddenly drifted through the air even though there were no flowers nearby. Hei Long's eyes widened slightly. His hand unconsciously reached forward. But before he could touch them, the petals vanished into countless tiny lights. Xu Yang noticed too. "Did everyone see that?" This time everyone nodded. Zhao Ming slowly gripped his talismans. Chen Yu tightened his hold around his staff. Yan Luo's eyes sharpened instantly. Lin Chen quietly hid behind Xu Yang without shame. "If anything scary appears, I'm letting you handle it first." Xu Yang rolled his eyes. "Very brave of you." Lin Chen nodded seriously. "Thank you." But Hei Long wasn't listening anymore. His gaze remained fixed on the shrine. Then,he whispered to himself. "Who was that?"
For several moments, nobody spoke. Then Lin Chen slowly stepped forward. His eyes remained fixed on the shrine while his expression became unusually emotional. "How lonely must they have been?"Everyone looked at him. Lin Chen swallowed hard before speaking again. "Imagine loving someone so much…" He paused and lowered his head for a second. "…only for the entire world to tell you that your love is wrong." He slowly looked at everyone around him. "That's terrifying."
Yan Luo folded his arms and sighed softly. "The saddest part is that neither of them did anything wrong." Zhao Ming quietly nodded. "Yet they were the ones punished." Chen Yu lowered his eyes toward the ground. "Sometimes people are afraid of things they don't understand." Xu Yang smiled bitterly and shook his head. "No." Everyone looked at him. Xu Yang stared at the shrine for a moment before speaking. "Sometimes people understand perfectly." He paused. "They just choose not to accept it." Lin Chen slowly clenched his fists. "That sounds even worse." Xu Yang nodded once. "It is."
Hei Long remained silent throughout the conversation. His eyes never left the shrine. Qing Li noticed him. He stepped beside him and spoke softly. "Are you okay?" Hei Long blinked once before looking at him. "…I don't know." Qing Li frowned slightly. "Still thinking about that voice?" Hei Long slowly nodded. "It felt familiar." Li chen's expression softened immediately. "Maybe this place remembers you too."Hei Long froze for a brief moment after hearing that. Then he slowly looked back at the shrine again. Before he could say anything else, Chen Yu suddenly turned toward Xu Yang. "Who was that person Shou Heng told Yue Ning to live for?" Xu Yang immediately went silent. Chen Yu tightened his grip around his staff. "And…" He hesitated for a second. "…what happened to Yue Ning afterward?"
Everyone's eyes slowly drifted toward the shrine. Xu Yang quietly exhaled. Then he slowly walked closer to it. His footsteps echoed faintly against the floor. He raised his hand and pointed toward the shrine itself. "This…" He paused. "…is how everything started." His expression slowly grew heavier. "This shrine isn't ordinary anymore." He looked at everyone one by one. "It's connected to their memories." He pointed toward the black threads surrounding the building. "Every regret." Then toward the floating flower petals still lingering in the air. "Every promise."his gaze returned to the shrine itself. "Every unfinished emotion." Chen Yu frowned. "You mean all of this…" He gestured around them. "…exists because they couldn't let go?" Xu Yang slowly shook his head. "No." Everyone looked at him again. His expression became strangely sad. "Because they weren't allowed to finish their story." Zhao Ming lowered his gaze. "That's different." Xu Yang nodded. "Very different."
Lin Chen suddenly spoke again. "So what happened to Yue Ning?" His voice was much softer this time. "Did she survive?" Xu Yang didn't answer immediately. Instead, he slowly stared at the shrine. The wind suddenly became colder. Flower petals drifted around his feet. Then he quietly said, "Some things are better to not know!" Everyone froze. Chen Yu frowned. "What do you mean?" Xu Yang slowly looked at them. "I mean…" He paused. "…Maybe they didn't want to let us know!"
Before they said anything more suddenly, threads surrounding the shrine began moving again. At first, they drifted slowly through the air. Then dozens of them began circling around the shrine like a living storm. Everyone noticed and became alert.Yan Luo narrowed his eyes. Lin Chen took one step backward. "They're moving again…" Then another step. "…Why do they always move when things start becoming emotional?" Xu Yang sighed. "Because emotions are exactly what's controlling them."
Before anyone could say anything else, the threads suddenly gathered together above the shrine. Thousands of them intertwined, forming enormous black spirals across the sky. Then a voice echoed out once more. The voice was sad and angry. "Why can't people just accept love?" Everyone immediately fell silent. Lin Chen's eyes widened. He pointed upward. "The threads are talking again!" Zhao Ming looked up seriously. "No…" He quietly corrected him. "Shou Heng is talking." Lightning suddenly flashed across the clouds. The entire shrine trembled slightly. Then the voice rose again. "What's wrong with demons?" The sky darkened and wind howled around the shrine walls. "Is it my fault that I was born a demon?"
"Tell me." More lightning spread across the sky. The threads began twisting around themselves. "What's the difference between demons and humans?" Nobody answered. They simply stood there.Then after several minutes xu yang stepped forward. Everyone looked at him.He smiled sadly while staring at the threads above. "Nothing." The threads froze for a second. Xu Yang slowly raised his head. "Demons have the right to love too." His voice became firmer. "Demons laugh." "Demons cry." "Demons protect people." "Demons have families." He slowly pointed toward the shrine. "Demons dream about growing old with someone too." The threads trembled slightly. Then a faint laugh echoed from within them. But it wasn't a happy laugh. It was a broken one. "So tell me…" The threads suddenly spread throughout the sky. "What exactly is the difference?" The voice grew louder and angrier. "Why did they treat us like that?"
Chen Yu slowly lowered his staff and quietly spoke. "I don't know." The threads paused. Everyone looked at him. Chen Yu swallowed hard before continuing. "I don't know why people do that." He slowly looked toward the shrine. "Sometimes… people fear things they don't understand." Then he shook his head. "But fear isn't an excuse." Lin Chen suddenly stepped forward too. His eyes were red from all the memories they had witnessed. "I agree." He looked upward. "You didn't deserve that." His voice trembled slightly. "Nobody deserves that." Yan Luo folded his arms and quietly spoke. "The world likes dividing people into categories." He looked at the sky. "Human." "Demon." "Immortal." "Monster." He slowly shook his head. "But pain feels exactly the same for everyone." Zhao Ming nodded quietly. "So does love."
Hei Long remained silent the entire time. His eyes never left the shrine. Then he suddenly spoke. "And so does loneliness." Everyone immediately looked at him. Hei Long's expression softened slightly. "Nobody chooses to be born." He paused. "But everyone deserves to choose who they love."
The threads above suddenly trembled and bitter laugh echoed again. "You all say beautiful things…" The threads slowly descended lower around them. Their voices multiplied. One voice became ten and ten became hundreds. "But people always say beautiful things." "Then they do terrible things." "They promise understanding." "Then they judge." "They promise fairness." "Then they abandon others." "You are all the same."
Lin Chen instinctively grabbed Xu Yang's sleeve again. "He's angry." Xu Yang sighed softly and looked upward. "He has every reason to be." Then he quietly added, "But anger isn't the answer anymore." The threads suddenly froze. Lightning flashed across the entire sky. The voice slowly echoed one last time. "Then tell me…" "What is the answer?"