He Piaojian's first reaction was to warily scan his surroundings, without suspecting Fan Daoyi at all.
The rich floral fragrance concealed a dangerous signal; his hand gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, the blade trembling slightly, as if poised to strike.
The Flower Tender gently touched her beloved little flower, and the vine delivered a thorn to it.
"Dao Yi, watch out!" He Piaojian raised his sword and blocked Dao Yi's Dao Yi, cutting off the vine.
"Oh dear, how cruel! My little flowers are crying to me," the Flower Tender said coquettishly.
She held the flowers tenderly, her eyes filled with pity.
Just then, billowing miasma suddenly surged up from all around, spreading rapidly like thick ink and obscuring everyone's vision.
"Dao Yi."
"Grown ups."
Both sides spoke in unison, He Piaojian paused, even if he was slow to react, he realized what was happening.
"You should make your choice now." The Flower Tender's voice drifted through the miasma, tinged with a hint of mockery.
He Piaojian quickly jumped back, creating distance between himself and Fan Daoyi. His sword-wielding arm trembled slightly with anger and disbelief.
"Fan Daoyi, you..."
Before he could finish speaking, a thorn emerged from the miasma like a ghost, piercing him through with a soft "whoosh."
The barbs pierced deep into He Piaojian's flesh, and with each struggle, it felt as if countless tiny knives were tearing at his muscles, ripping chunks of flesh off with them.
Although, as long as He Piaojian uses the [Being Shameless Is Invincible] ability, these injuries are nothing to him.
But...
The light in He Piaojian's pupils dimmed; at this moment, he may have been thinking about many things.
A betrayal from a respected elder
A betrayal from a loved one
The more joy is used to mask sorrow,
He was a little tired...
"What's wrong, He Piaojian?" Fan Daoyi's voice was still gentle, even carrying a hint of concern, as if there had never been any betrayal or hurt between them.
Why didn't you fight back?
The barbs of the thorns slowly pierced He Piaojian's throat, making his breath barely audible. He struggled to tilt his head back, the pain in his throat making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
He thought that all he had to do was mock the person in front of him, just slightly raise his middle finger.
"Ha..." He Piaojian forced himself to lift his head, enduring the sharp pain in his throat.
The thorns pulled and tugged at a part of his flesh.
His low, hoarse laugh carried an endless sorrow.
"In no mood..."
His voice was hoarse, like that of an elderly man.
He didn't mock Fan Daoyi, but only ridiculed himself.
He slowly closed his eyes, but his final thoughts were completely different, containing an irrelevant absurdity.
Dao Yi seemed to be missing the bamboo staff he always carried with him.
The Flower Tender slowly approached along the vines, his eyes shifting between complex emotions as he looked at Fan Daoyi: "My lord, I am very pleased with your choice."
Fan Daoyi cupped the Flower Tender's cheeks in his hands, saying affectionately, "Yes, Flower Tender, I'm very happy too."
This time, the thorns turned the Flower Tender into a hedgehog.
The Flower Tender pulled at the thorns, leaving his own flesh and blood on them. Just as he broke free from their grasp, they swarmed him again.
The Flower Tender sank into the thorns that were with him.
"See? You've made your choice." There was no resentment or anger in the Flower Tender's voice. She nestled quietly among the thorns, as if this were her final resting place.
Fan Daoyi remained silent; the Flower Tender died amidst the thorns.
He followed the trail of the remaining people and found their corpses.
He could have easily saved these people's lives, but he didn't; instead, he killed them with his own hands.
His actions were contradictory, yet he also slaughtered all the creatures of the Guixu. This behavior was utterly ridiculous.
The Sculptor melted into flames, the Puppeteer perished by suicide. The Apothecary breathed his last, and the rest of the creatures fell into annihilation.
"Haha, cough cough, hahaha... You've made your choice." The Apothecary laughed maniacally; he showed no fear of his own death.
"Yes, I made my choice." Dao Yi Yiyan smiled, "And this choice is so absolute and unique."
He chose neither humanity nor the Guixu.
Dislike, loathe, depend on, yearn for.
A mix of emotions brought him to the boundary between black and white once again.
This time, all was silent, and no one called his name anymore. White and black blended together, like ink spreading on rice paper, the boundaries gradually blurring.
That towering structure rising into the clouds is the gate, which can now be pushed open.
Dao Yi reached out and pushed him away, his voice ringing out.
You've even deceived yourself.
Road."
The door was pushed open, and behind the massive door lay a figure bound by chains.
His face looked exactly like theirs.
Dao slowly opened his eyes, the chains binding him vanished as phantoms, and an indescribable divinity manifested within him.
"I thought I would succeed," Dao said with a hint of regret, "But even you can find out, so how can I avoid other people's attention?"
What is your purpose in doing this?
"Purpose? Dao Yi, I've been reminding you of that all the time."
Dao waved his hand, and the clouds in the sky changed shape, revealing a bright and vast starry sky before their eyes.
"The world is vast, and we are but a drop in the ocean. When I first looked up at the sky, I realized how insignificant I am..."
Look, they are a complete world, just like us.
"That's not surprising. We've always known that other races exist beyond this world," Dao Yi replied.
Dao shook his head slightly. "They're not the same."
The chains reappeared, and the path pointed upwards from them, boundless and limitless.
What if the world exists solely for sustenance?
"Support..."
In the starry sky above them, chains meandered from countless realms, intertwining and finally converging at one end.
"Dao Yi, have you realized it?"
So, the current result is...
"Fail."
Dao dispelled the chains and slowly approached Dao Yi.
"I wanted to hide my own existence, and so you came into being. You replaced me, and were observed. And I, in the long passage of time, pondered how to escape surveillance."
But you found me. And the end result of attempting to rebel and escape is death.
"But you personally guided me here; you've deceived yourself."
"Haha..." Dao chuckled softly, "Because this is the way out I've found."
In an instant, the chains binding Dao attacked Dao Yi. They imprisoned Dao Yi, while Dao retreated step by step from the gate.
"Dao Yi, you stay here in my place. And I will die in your place."
Dao Yi stared intently at Dao's every move, and after Dao had completely left, a bright smile finally bloomed on his face.
Okay~
Dao's expression changed drastically, clearly not expecting Dao Yi to agree so readily.
Before he could react, the inky black lakebed beneath his feet suddenly churned like quicksand, quickly engulfing him.
Dao Yi, now entangled, revealed his wicked smile.
That smile... it was clearly Dao Er's.