Chapter 627: The Long Night Fades Away (6)

Chapter 627 - The Night of the Long Vigil (Six)

Wang Xie Lan laughed heartily, poised on the brink of taking a step, yet startled by the silence behind her, she turned to see.

Only Li Qian remained standing still, his posture unshakable, the blade dangling, pointing to the ground.

“Li Qian, what madness are you still lost in?”

Just then, a voice both aged and radiant echoed through the halls.

“O Great Sage, the order of the world, the harmony of Huang Quan. When the people obey the law, the nation flourishes; when the people defy it, chaos reigns.”

Li Qian’s eyes flickered, gazing at the palace engulfed in flames.

Yan Baozhu stood resolute amid the firelight, his face streaked with blood, yet his proud demeanor remained unbroken. “The law is broken, and so is your loyalty. What more can you do to uphold the imperial order and protect the people?!”

The resonant clink of jade and steel reverberated in Li Qian’s mind, striking her heart.

Pff!

A flash of cold light appeared, sending her hair white as silk, standing upright.

“Yan Baozhu, you are a mere pawn in this game! Come with me—together we shall topple this rotten empire!”

With a sharp cry, the blade shattered against her chest, sending her flying backward into the earth, the deep trench carving through her.

“You have forgotten your true face.”

Ma Wang whispered softly, his ink-black eyes narrowing.

“Fate has caught up with me. If I had only woken up now, I would have survived your schemes!”

“Even if my solitary path is but a dream, I shall die here if you threaten me!”

The air crackled with mockery as a low, guttural voice echoed from the shadows.

“Is this all a dream? Is there any meaning here?”

Standing before her in the flickering light of the moon was Li Qian, her posture defiant, her heartbeat thundering like a drum.

“Stay silent, Li Qian. Let your body fall, and I shall spare your soul. Only then can you live to see the dream.”

A taunting laugh bubbled from the void.

A voice like thunder boomed behind her words.

“So what, the dreamer? Will you still cling to it, or face the truth?”

With a smirk, Ma Wang stepped forward, her eyes blazing with fire.

“Let me see your strength, dreamer. How much power lingers in you!”

With a swift motion, the blade pierced the air, slicing through the flames and sending Li Qian tumbling into the abyss.

“Li Qian, you’ve lost your jade armor! Follow me—together, we’ll shatter this decaying empire!”

With a final, defiant cry, the blade struck true, and the air erupted in a storm of shards.

“You are nothing but a puppet,” Li Qian whispered, collapsing to her knees.

The storm raged around her, her body dissolving into the earth.

In the pale glow of the moon, Yang Mingfeng materialized like a celestial maiden, her silken robes swirling with the whispers of the wind. Her eyes, like a storm, burned with fierce resolve.

The lonely wind rustled the leaves, a rhythm of blood and fire, echoing in the silence.

“Have you ever heard of a new way to cultivate, a path uncharted in the dream? What is this secret technique?”

The wind howled, carrying the whispers of a forgotten art.

Ma Wang’s voice cut through the tempest, sharp and unyielding.

“Your soul is already broken. If you wish to survive, you must endure this pain.”

With a scoff, Ma Wang vanished into the shadows, leaving only the echo of his words.

The rain fell in thunderous sheets, drenching the battlefield.

From the darkness emerged Yun Mingfeng, her form glowing like a celestial maiden, her gown dancing in the tempest, her gaze trailing like a river of spring.

Ma Wang’s hand closed around her, her breath hot against his skin.

“Li Qian, you are no longer the pawn you were.”

A flicker of regret passed through Ma Wang’s eyes before he vanished, his ink dissolving into mist.

The sky churned with restless shadows, and the empire trembled on the edge of revelation.

A fist flash, swift as thunder, slammed into Li Jun's vision blurred by blood.

Boom!

The excruciating pain of his sword arm being snapped surged into his mind, the surging blood burst his clenched teeth, rushing into the cold air.

"Is it that the Yin-Yang Sequence's dream is too formidable, or are you, Li Jun, merely a weakling strong on the outside but rotten within? The so‑called lone martial sequence is nothing but a dead end abandoned by the sect's martial sequence."

A foot pressed down on Li Jun's chest, each grinding step emitting a crisp crack of breaking bone.

"Enough, Batu, nobody wants to watch you swagger over a corpse; finish him quickly."

"Stop!"

In a hoarse shout, Batu's raised foot slammed down, he turned to see the frail figure barely able to stand not far away.

Crimson blood soaked dark‑gold armor shards, a wound almost cleaving Su Ce's chest open.

"Your target is me; let him go, I'll give you my life."

Batu narrowed his eyes, "Su Ce, are you begging me?"

"Yes."

Crack!

Batu crushed Li Jun's left leg, sneering, "Speak louder, old man, I didn't hear you!"

"I beg you, let him go."

"Hahahaha!"

Batu's face burst with uncontainable glee; the machinery heart within him throbbed with his master's emotions, emitting a sharp whine.

"Once the hegemon of the martial sequence that swept the empire, now you actually plead for mercy?"

Batu laughed wildly, "Su Ce, you grow more spineless with each breath."

A bitter anguish spread across his aged visage.

"Please... please, let him go."

"Su Ce, you have nothing left to bargain with us."

Batu swept his foot, kicking Li Jun beside Su Ce.

"How could I ignore the command of a mighty hegemon?"

Batu's gaze fell on Li Jun, tone mocking: "How about this: if you personally kill Su Ce, I'll spare you. Is that a fair trade?"

Clang.

A sword was flung over, picked up by a withered hand, continually shoved into Li Jun's tightly gripped left fist.

"Kid, I know what you're thinking, but forget it. I've been strong all my life, yet in old age I gained nothing—nothing at all."

Su Ce whispered, "The Chizhu is dead, the Yao district's Embroidered Uniform Guard—those brat lackeys—are all gone; now it's just us two old men. I truly don't want you to die alongside me."

"Living is more important than anything."

The old man clearly held a deadly blade, yet his movements were gentle, as if packing provisions for a child about to leave home.

Soft admonitions, nagging reminders.

"You love wandering the Yellow Liang dreamscape, don't you? Treat this as just another dream; when you wake tomorrow, you'll forget everything."

Li Jun's dim eyes resembled a flickering flame about to die; his fingers slowly loosened, grasping the hilt thrust into his palm.

"That's right."

Su Ce's face broke into a satisfied smile, yet it seemed as if his spine had been pulled out, leaving him powerless, slumped in the blood pool.

"Tonight's night is truly long."

The endless night, the old man slowly closed his eyes.

"Since you dislike the long night, old sir, let me help you set it ablaze, to usher in a new sky."

A calm voice suddenly rang out.

Li Jun rose, sword as support, the fire in his eyes swelling like a prairie blaze.

Irresistible fear clenched Batu's heart at that moment; fine fissures spidered across his face, splitting to reveal half of Yin Ji's visage, eyes brimming with despair and reluctance.

"You've already taken the blade, why aren't you dead? How could this happen?"

"Because I wield the blade not to beg for life, but to rebel. Even if the chaotic dream is an foe, I walk alone and can still cut through your dream!"

The fire in Li Jun's eyes leapt forth, engulfing his whole body; a hitherto unseen domineering power erupted from him, shattering this dreamscape inch by inch.

"Old sir, I am now a Third‑Rank Lone Sequence—have I brought you shame?"

Su Ce slowly opened his eyes; their depths brimmed with relief as he shook his head with a smile.

Bang!

The dream exploded, a vast black ocean of the soul surging forth.

Yin Ji stood upon the mirror‑like water, his eyes locked on the sole light here; though his pupils felt unbearable sharp pain, he refused to blink.

"It's only a hair's breadth away—why won't you let go? Why won't you compromise?"