GCCB Chapter 59

Shu Yu was pulled along by Tian Jueming as they jumped off Blossom Isle with a single leap. Her heart nearly jumped out of her throat as they descended into an abyss that seemed to be bottomless.

There was the eagerness of being close to seeing Fu Wang, there was also the instinctual fear of sharply falling from high heights, and she also very strangely recalled a scene as her mind blanked.

—— It was the time she had gone to the Spiritual Conduit Meeting and with Fu Wang, standing together on the highest tower of all, they fell together as thousand eyes were trained on them.

The scenario was different. The person was also different. Yet what remained the same was the reassuring safety that spread from the warmth of another’s body.

Some doubt flickered in Shu Yu’s eyes, but as the two of them fell further and further down, she felt like she was losing the ability to breathe. At their starting point they were within thick clouds, but as they descended the light around them started dimming, the mist or clouds around them seemed to have turned gray. They fell for a long while, but they still didn’t reach the bottom.

Shu Yu almost thought that they were going to fall all the way to hell.

Just as her brain churned with sporadic thoughts, she suddenly felt the speed of their descent slowing down, and then her feet touched a dark red ground. As their footing steadied, the near black fog around them slowly dispersed, revealing a high altar and stone staircases not far in front of them.

There were around ten or so meter squares in front and behind them, everything was a black fog when one looked upwards, not even sunlight could reach where they were. When one looked down, the dark red and hard ground extended all the way to the stone altar not far away. Only the ghostly blue flames floating in the air around them were illuminating this suffocating place.

Right there, next to the towering stone altar, was a lone figure leaning against it.

He sat there, as if he were a beautiful statue frozen in time. His head was tilted upwards, as if he were looking at some place. His eyes were closed, showing only a throat being pierced by a mottled chain.

Shu Yu liked Fu Wang’s neck. She loved how his adam’s apple would slightly bob whenever he talked and chuckled. She would often kiss him there, every time she did Fu Wang would laugh and lift her in his arms as he gave her a tender and deep kiss..

Now, it was being pierced through by a single chain. The wound was horrific, any other normal person would’ve already died; even if he did not die, how much suffering was he experiencing with it stabbed straight through his neck?

But there was no trace of suffering on his face, only a serene peace that could move hearts; however, it somehow made any who looked at him feel indescribable sorrow and grief. His head was tilted back, laid against the stone altar, the long locks of hair that Shu Yu used to love petting fell sinuously like flowing streams of water, meandering and spilling all around the altar and laying on top of his loose, crimson robes.

Fu Wang loved to wear green. It would make him seem gentle and clean. Shu Yu used to fantasize about how Fu Wang would look like wearing red clothes, and now, she had seen it.

Fu Wang was wearing clothes as crimson as fresh, dripping blood. It was nothing like what she imagined. How could anyone wear red clothes and make it feel so cold? As her vision swayed, it was as if she was seeing Fu Wang’s entire body covered in blood.

Were those truly red robes, and not bloodied clothes stained red with blood?

Shu Yu’s eyes dilated, even her heart felt like it was being crushed in someone’s grip tightly. She couldn’t help taking two step forwards, not even caring about Tian Jueming who was next to her, she could only stare at that familiar silhouette. Her footsteps were a bit weak as she walked forward, and in the end, she broke into a run.

Next to the altar were stone stairs, they were also dark red, but as Shu Yu stepped on them on her way upwards— whether it was the altar or the staircase, they started to glow a faint red color as if it were alive, similar to the beating of a heart.

Shu Yu stumbled and tripped on the staircase, then she just lunged towards the side of that unresponsive person.

At this moment, Shu Yu had forgotten everything around her. She forgot how she had previously resolved to restrain herself, she forgot how she couldn’t allow Tian Jueming to see anything off about her.

She merely felt overwhelming sorrow, her tears naturally spilled out, dropping down against her trembling hands.

It was now close to him that she realized there was another chain spearing straight through Fu Wang’s chest, where his heart was located, tightly fettering him to this place.

Shu Yu reached out to touch his cheek. It was cold to the touch, like a lifeless corpse. She then went to hold his hand, gripping that cold hand within her own.

Tian Jueming stood where they landed with his hands behind his back. He was smiling and did not stop Shu Yu. He merely observed as Shu Yu ran over, her body trembling as she reached out to touch that silhouette.

Shu Yu was heartbroken. Shu Yu was horrified. He could see all of that.

But, so what?

Was she hurting more than he did? Was her despair greater than his own?

It wasn’t until he saw Shu Yu trying to touch those chains that he opened his mouth.

“My dear disciple, what are you doing?”

Shu Yu flinched. She tightened her grip on Fu Wang’s hand as she turned to look at him.

Tian Jueming slowly walked over, stepping up the staircase, and then from behind he wrapped his arms around Shu Yu, murmuring softly next to her ear, “Have you forgotten why we came here? It is to completely vanquish the wicked Devil Lord, come here, hold the Nine Killing Needle I gave you, and then stab it into the body of the devil in front of you.”

As he spoke, he placed a single Nine Killing Needle in Shu Yu’s palm and closed her hand tightly, guiding her to stab into Fu Wang’s body. Shu Yu, who was originally frozen stiff, suddenly wrenched away with force and with a violent swing she threw the needle far away.

Tian Jueming relinquished his hold and stood behind her. He languidly said, “What is wrong, does my dear disciple not have the heart to do it? If she kills him, my dear disciple will not have to be sad again, isn’t that wonderful? For you, killing him isn’t a difficult task at all, you will find it easier more than anyone else in this world, because he will not resist.”

Hearing this, Shu Yu’s tremors worsened. She exhaled a long, harsh breath, her voice choked up and thick. “… You, are you Fu Wang?”

“What do you think?” Tian Jueming was smiling as he inquired, “A disciple of a just sect who is full of benevolence and righteousness, and a devil who has slaughtered countless, can they be the same person?”

“The Grand Advisor, Ye Linhuai, Yinlan, were they all you?” Shu Yu asked.

Previously she had some faint suspicions about it, but she didn’t dare believe it. Afterwards she probed at the ninth martial uncle several times and learnt that the ninth martial uncle indeed could not invoke that familiar reassurance within her, and then just now, when she touched Fu Wang’s body, that very same feeling assaulted her senses once again.

Famous detectives from past and present had told her one thing, and it was how the most unlikely answer was usually the truth. And a woman’s sixth sense was often the strongest as well.

After seeing Tian Jueming’s reactions now, she was practically certain of it.

This Tian Jueming who gave off an extremely similar feeling to Fu Wang, was Fu Wang himself.

Should she be happy? Fu Wang wasn’t dead; he was still by her side. Should she be angry? Fu Wang lied to her all this time, he saw her sadness and sorrow and still didn’t come clean to her. Should she cry? Or should she smile?

Shu Yu felt even more sorrowful than before, the reason being that her Da-Yu had blackened. It even seemed like his blackening was much worse than his blackening in the Original Plot too, and the cause was most likely her.

Tian Jueming stopped smiling. He reached out and touched the tears on Shu Yu’s face. “Oh? Why do you think so?”

“Because, only Fu Wang can make me feel safe this way.”

Tian Jueming suddenly leaned down and licked the tear stains on Shu Yu’s face. Their eyes locked together; their breaths mingled with one another. Tian Jueming bumped his forehead against Shu Yu’s own. “Xiao-Yu, the Nine Killing Needles can indeed completely kill me. If it is Xiao-Yu, I won’t fight back at all. How about Xiao-Yu kills me to rid this world of disaster?”

“No.” Shu Yu slowly shook her head.

“I thought between selfishness and the greater good that Xiao-Yu would choose the greater good, is Xiao-Yu’s so-called love really that important? To make you abandon your bottom line and conscience? Isn’t Xiao-Yu very kind, hmm?” Although the endearing nickname he used to call Shu Yu was coming out of his mouth, Fu Wang’s words did not possess any of the intoxicating adoration from so long ago.

He let go of Shu Yu. His expression was no longer wearing gentleness like a mask, nor cold and aloof like he had been pretending, but instead it was overflowing with bewitching sin. A pair of black eyes turned blood-red, which gave an extremely oppressing aura when staring intently at someone.

“If you were a good person, I would like you. If you were a bad person, I would also like you. The only difference is whether I’ll feel relaxed or burdened when liking you. And how could I stop liking you just like that? For you it’s been a very long time, but for me, not long ago we were still eating and sleeping together at home, how could I possibly raise my hand against you?” Shi Yu said through clenched teeth.

Tian Jueming suddenly laughed and then without any further warning, he collapsed.

Even though Shu Yu was frustrated and upset, when she saw him fall down, she still subconsciously moved to grab him.

“Fu Wang? Fu Wang, what’s wrong?”

Only after her scream did Shu Yu feel a gaze stabbing into her back. Her movements lurched to a stop. She turned her head and saw the person, whose eyes were formerly closed and leaning against the altar, open his eyes.

He sat up. The chains piercing through his throat and heart slid through his flesh, spurting dark purple blood with every movement. The scene was horrifying, even more so when seeing it in person. Shu Yu could feel phantom pain stabbing into her throat.

She saw Fu Wang raise his hand and press down on the chain going through his throat, and then inch by inch, he pulled that chain out. During this process, he didn’t even frown and instead was smiling as he turned to look at her. The long chain was completely removed and casually thrown to the side by Fu Wang, making a clanking sound as it tumbled. Then a thick and black gas appeared over that gaping hole in his throat. His throat started regenerating at a speed visible to the eye and returned to normal.

Again, Fu Wang clawed at the chain piercing his heart, but this time it didn’t work. As soon as his hand touched the chain through his chest, the chain started sparkling with electricity as if rejecting him. Shu Yu felt immense pain just by looking at it.

Seeing that he couldn’t rip it out, Fu Wang didn’t try again. He beckoned Shu Yu, who was frozen at one side. “Xiao-Yu, come over to me.”

As if enchanted, Shu Yu came closer step by step, and sank into Fu Wang’s awaiting embrace.

Fu Wang had blackened and become a much more terrifying Boss than the Original Plot’s and seemed to no longer possess the same feelings from before towards her, but Shu Yu still incredibly relieved when she fell into this embrace.

He was no longer that same Fu Wang who would not hurt a strand of her hair or who would worry about her feeling unhappy if she ever so much as frowned, but even as Shu Yu thought this, she still curled up in his arms and didn’t budge from there.

Shu Yu thought she would be angry, she thought she would be scared, but when she was actually hugged by Fu Wang, she realized that her other emotions had been pushed aside in favor of heartache. It was here that she suddenly realized—- Ah, I must’ve liked Fu Wang more than I originally thought I did.

As she thought this, Shu Yu started voluntarily hugging Fu Wang, leaning her head against his shoulder.

“Fu Wang.” Shu Yu was not sure anymore which information she had was true and which was false, but when she saw the chain through his heart ferreting him tightly in place, she subconsciously voiced out, “Are you unable to leave because you’re locked away here?”

“Yes. This body has been imprisoned here for a thousand years.” Fu Wang’s hand brushed and tidied Shu Yu’s hair, while his other hand slowly stroked her neck.

“Then what can we do, so you can escape?”

“You wish to help me break free?”

“Mhm.”

When Fu Wang received a positive answer, he laughed softly. His voice was so very tender, “I have been shackled here by the Heavenly Dao, I can only break free by consuming an endless amount of fate.¹ I previously planned to take it from the emperor of Tianyun Kingdom, however your current vessel can do it as well. You are here now, if we sacrifice you, it will work as well. See? If you insist on saving me then you will die, in spite of that, do you still want to save me?

Shu Yu was silent for a while, then she said, “Ever since I arrived in this world, I’ve never been in control of how I live or die, but right now my answer is— I want to save you. I want to help you break out, it doesn’t matter if I have to die again.”

She had promised so many times before that she would protect Fu Wang, but truth was, Fu Wang was the one always protecting her. No matter how hard she worked, she was always stuck in the position of being protected by him. The things she could do for Fu Wang have always been too few. But now, she desperately wanted to do something for the loved of her life, who’s been whittled into an unrecognizable person by the long, arduous years.

Ah, it wouldn’t be the first time anyways. Death, that is. One got used to it after one or two times. Who knew, maybe she would even transmigrate back home if she died one more time.

“I’ve always been unable to refuse any of Xiao-Yu’s requests.” Fu Wang nipped Shu Yu’s earlobe. He murmured, “Don’t be scared, it will be over very soon.”

Dense black miasma enveloped the two of them. Situ Jingjing’s body turned into dazzling, golden lights and were inhaled into Fu Wang’s slightly parted lips.

He will use this body belonging to a Child of Fate and defy the Heavenly Dao, breaking the shackles that have been placed on himself for the past millennia.

As the golden lights were completely devoured by Fu Wang, in just a moment, the black aura around Fu Wang’s body became dense, as if it were dribbling ink. That chain that he previously was unable to touch was also turned into ashes within an instant, and his wounds regenerated just as quickly.

Fu Wang didn’t pay attention to that. He sat there with a smile on his face, holding a tiny ball in the palm of his hand. The small ball had three blotches of red light and seven that were blue and quietly floated above his palm.

He cradled the little ball close to his lips. Fu Wang lightly kissed the tiny sphere, and it was as if blood was boiling within his eyes. “This time, I definitely won’t let you leave me again.”

“Don’t be scared, I will make you a much better body, you’ll definitely love it.”

As Fu Wang spoke, his hand reached into his own chest and snapped the bones inside his own body, proceeding to brutally rip out an ink-black bone from within.

“Using my flesh and blood, I shall craft you a new body. This way, Xiao-Yu and I will become the most intimate existence to one another, more than anything else in this world.”

Chapter Description: You win some, you lose some, it’s a common occurrence. Thus, Hero, please start all over again. (No that’s not right.)

Translator’s Note: THEY OFFICIALLY MEET AGAIN! /throws confetti around/ Honestly my favorite brand of Fu Wang is the one that went insane after Shu Yu died. Let’s count how many world views Fu Wang has broken within this chapter.