Half Farewell to Heaven

Above the South Sea, four streaks of light intertwined endlessly.

Amidst the surging waves, four figures each occupied a corner, their auras clashing and pressing the sea surface, spanning hundreds of miles, into a deep abyss. The sea breeze, carrying salty, fishy vapors, howled past, yet it could not dispel the stagnant, tangible killing intent.

A moment later, the four streaks of light suddenly separated and each solidified its form.

The three people on the right are Lu Yuan, Zichuan, and Ren Han. Their auras are deep and serene, and their bodies are surrounded by the aura of the Purple Mansion, indicating that they have already reached the Purple Mansion cultivation level.

At this moment, none of the three looked too good. Lu Yuan had a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, and the nine summer energy patterns on the Vermilion Brightness Sword in his hand flickered erratically. Zichuan's robe on his left shoulder was torn, and although the energy of the Great Yang was still surging, his aura was somewhat scattered. Ren Han stood at the forefront, his Cold Qi like frost, freezing the sea within three feet of him into ice, but the ice was shattering at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The old man opposite him remained calm and composed.

The old man was thin, his face withered like old tree bark, but his eyes were extremely bright, like a cold pool in late autumn.

There was no fluctuation of Law Power on his body, but the five light wheels formed by Human Dao Divine Ability around him slowly rotated. Within each light wheel, the phantom images of thousands of miles of rivers and mountains and hundreds of millions of people could be vaguely seen floating and sinking.

He was Zhao Shouyi, one of the Three Heroes of Nanzhao, and the only one who survived.

They've aged considerably since then.

The five Human Dao Divine Ability behind him were all inherited from Mo Yan and Cang Lan.

The first image, like the rising smoke from countless homes, and the illusory figures of billions of people surging like a tide, represents "the Ten Thousand Households' Wishes."

The second section, like a vast expanse of fields stretching for thousands of miles, with crops, mulberry trees, and hemp clearly visible, truly represents "Gather a Trillion People."

The third path, a pale green phantom stretching across the sky, with billions of blades of grass surging like green waves, is precisely the "Grass-Blade Lives".

The fourth proverb, spoken with a deep, aged voice, rang out clearly, each word distinct—it was Mulberry and Hemp Proverb.

The fifth path depicts a blurry figure seated in the void, surrounded by a myriad of fleeting images that flicker and change like a revolving lantern—this is the "Aspects of Fleeting Life."

The five paths of Human Dao Divine Ability, the five paths are perfected.

Ren Han's gaze passed over Zhao Shouyi and fell upon the surging demonic energy in the distance, his heart sinking.

He secretly transmitted his voice to Lu Yuan and Zichuan:

"Senior Zhao has Five Laws Perfection, while the three of us have only broken through to the Purple Mansion in about twenty years. We are no match for him. The Abbot is currently in seclusion, and True Person Zilin, Protector Liu, and many Purple Mansion seniors on the mountain are fighting against the Demonic Dao in the South Sea. There are also two Great True Person currently guarding against the Witch Department in the North. We only need to stall for time and wait for rescue, or perhaps take the opportunity to escape."

Before the two could reply, Ren Han turned around and bowed to Zhao Shouyi.

"Senior Zhao, we from Qixia have no intention of being your enemy. Furthermore, the three of us are all from Nanzhao, just like you. We hope you will not prevent us from going to your aid and stopping the Demonic Dao."

Zhao Shouyi moment before slowly speaking, "Yes, they are all people from Nanzhao."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the three faces before finally settling on Zichuan's. "You lot don't think about protecting our land and its people, but instead join the ranks of those who are causing chaos in our Nanzhao. What a fine example of Nanzhao people you are."

Lu Yuan frowned upon seeing this, took half a step forward, and stood in front of Zichuan:

"Senior Zhao, your lifespan was already short, and you were injured in the chaos of Nanzhao. Fortunately, 150 years ago, the Divine Lord ascended the throne, Flourishing Wood Manifestation brought great prosperity to all cultivators, extending your lifespan by a thousand years. You should rest and recuperate before going to seek gold. Now, coming to the South Sea to aid the wicked and collude with the Demonic Dao will likely ruin your life and fortune."

Zhao Shouyi suddenly laughed. The laughter was dry and hoarse, like the cawing of a crow at night.

"The Dao Path?" He stopped laughing, a strange glint appearing in his cloudy old eyes. "What Dao Path enlightenment do I have left? Nothing but a life of mere survival."

Zichuan pursed her lips, but still couldn't help saying:

"Senior, you have the well-being of all people at heart. Now is the time for Nanzhao to rebuild after its destruction. Wouldn't it be better for you to return to Nanzhao and teach your descendants? If the injuries you sustained while blocking the Great Qing army have not yet healed, I can go and ask the abbot to obtain a Three-Transmutation Rejuvenation Pill for you, so that you can rest assured."

Upon hearing Zhao Shouyi sighed softly. The sigh was very light, yet it was like a boulder being thrown into still water.

He gazed at Zichuan, a complex emotion flashing in his cloudy old eyes:

"Back then, when you were outside Langqiong Zhao with that Confucian School youth, Mo Yan originally intended to take you in, but who knew that things would turn out so unpredictably, and you ended up joining Qixia Mountain, causing chaos in my Nanzhao."

He paused, his tone turning somber:

"If only I had known then what I know now, I should have killed you with my sword."

Before Zichuan could reply, Lu Yuan, who was standing to the side, couldn't take it anymore.

Although he and Zichuan had conflicts, they had been together since childhood, a friendship spanning nearly two hundred years.

A cold glint flashed in Lu Yuan's eyes, and with a flick of his right hand, the Vermilion Brightness Sword was already in his palm.

Nine summer heat patterns shone brightly, and with a shake of the sword, a crimson-gold sword light, carrying the Balmy Wind heat, slashed towards Zhao Shouyi.

Zhao Shouyi neither dodged nor avoided; the "Gather a Trillion People" halo behind him spun, and the illusory image of thousands of miles of fields unfolded.

Lu Yuan's sword light slashed into the illusory field, like a mud ox entering the sea, enveloped by layers of millet waves, worn away inch by inch, and finally turned into a cloud of yellowish-brown dust, falling down in a flurry.

Seeing Lu Yuan make his move, Zichuan and Ren Han acted simultaneously.

Zichuan rubbed his palms together, and a golden sun burst forth behind him, its halo suddenly illuminating the Shining Down Below.

Then he pushed with both hands, and the Great Yang's destructive light poured down on Zhao Shouyi like a torrential rain, its golden light dazzling, turning half of the sea into a crimson gold.

Ren Han leaped into the Great Void, then returned to the Great Void, appearing to Zhao Shouyi's left. He brandished his longsword, and the Cold Qi of "Lodged on a Cold Branch" surged forth from its tip, freezing the sea surface for miles around into an ice field. Countless ice spikes rose from the ice, piercing towards Zhao Shouyi.

Three attacks, three different paths, simultaneously striking from three directions.

Seeing this, Zhao Shouyi smiled contemptuously, then raised his left hand, and the "Grass-Blade Lives" halo suddenly shone brightly.

The pale green shadows of grass stretched across the sky, and countless blades of grass surged like green waves. The Great Yang Killing Light in Zichuan crashed into the shadows of grass, like a raging fire burning the wild grass, burning one crop after another only to have it grow back again, endlessly and inexhaustibly.

At the same time, he flipped his right hand, and the "Aspects of Fleeting Life" light wheel spun. A blurry figure sat in the void, with all kinds of floating life images around him flashing on and off like a carousel.

Ren Han's icy blade pierced into the myriad phenomena of life, like an old phantom being peeled away by a shattered mirror. The icy blade shattered and melted inch by inch, turning into nothingness.

"The Vermilion Brightness Sword." Zhao Shouyi's gaze fell on the crimson-gold longsword, a trace of reminiscence flashing in his cloudy old eyes. "Back then, Su Yao used this very sword to fight against Cang Lan in my Nanzhao territory."

As he spoke, the "Mulberry and Hemp Proverb" suddenly shone brightly, and an old, melodious farming proverb echoed:

"Around Qingming Festival, plant melons and beans. Around Grain Rain, transplant early rice seedlings; the solar terms are just right..."

The sound was soft, yet it struck Lu Yuan's Rising Yang Mansion like a heavy hammer. Lu Yuan felt a tremor in his heart, and an indescribable weariness surged through his limbs and bones. On his Spirit Platform, the barely perceptible yellowish dust had quietly settled.

Immediately afterwards, the "Ten Thousand Households' Wishes" light wheel burst open. Behind Zhao Shouyi, the phantom images of ten thousand lights lit up together, and trillions of tiny wishes rose into the sky like fireflies, converging into a warm yellow beam of light, vast and gentle, slowly pushing towards Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan swung his sword, and the heat of the Vermilion Brightness Sword crashed into the bright light, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea. The warm yellow light was like mercury spilling onto the ground, penetrating everywhere, seeping in little by little through the gaps in the sword light. With each bit of penetration, Lu Yuan's Sword Intent became duller, and the heat of the Vermilion Brightness Sword dimmed a little.

"The Mysterious Gate Immortal Dao fears nothing more than the influence of the mortal world," Zhao Shouyi said calmly. "You cultivate the Rainbow Clouds Path, but no matter how bright the rainbow's light, it can never penetrate the mundane world."

Lu Yuan gritted his teeth and retreated rapidly.

He lightly touched the sea surface with his toes, his whole body disappearing into the Great Void, then stepped out from the other side of the Great Void, trying to circle around behind Zhao Shouyi.

But Zhao Shouyi simply raised his hand and grabbed, and the "Gather a Trillion People" halo lit up again.

The phantom images of billions of people appeared out of thin air, like a giant wall of mortal dust blocking Lu Yuan's way.

The illusory figures showed no anger or resentment, but simply watched him calmly.

Lu Yuan was attacked from both sides by the aura of the mortal world, and the radiance around him dimmed inch by inch. He felt as if he were trapped in a quagmire, and even his escape into the Great Void became sluggish.

On the other side, Zichuan and Ren Han were not spared either.

Zhao Shouyi raised his right hand, and the "Aspects of Fleeting Life" light wheel refracted, scattered, and dissolved Zichuan's Great Yang Killing Light layer by layer. Zichuan was unwilling to give up, so he leaped into the Great Void and then poked half of his body out of the Great Void, forming hand Hand Seals with both hands, trying to attack from the side again.

But Zhao Shouyi didn't turn his head. He activated the two Divine Ability, "Gather a Trillion People" and "Mulberry and Hemp Proverb," at the same time. The vast fields stretched out, and the ancient farmers' proverbs rang out, enveloping Ren Han completely.

Ren Han's Cold Qi was peeled away layer by layer and scattered inch by inch, so that he could not even stand steadily and was forcibly forced back to the real world from the Great Void.

The three of them, working together, couldn't even touch the hem of Zhao Shouyi's clothes.

Zhao Shouyi's gaze swept over the three of them, finally settling on Zichuan.

"Back then Mo Yan wanted to take you in, but I stopped him. Mo Yan said you had a good character and were a promising talent. But I've never been good at judging people, so I said I'd wait and see. Who knew that when I waited, you'd already been taken to Qixia Mountain."

He raised his right hand, and five Divine Ability light wheels lit up simultaneously.

The warm yellow light of Ten Thousand Households' Wishes, the vast fields of Gather a Trillion People, the billions of grasses and Grass-Blade Lives, the ancient proverbs of Mulberry and Hemp Proverb, and the Aspects of Fleeting Life —these five forces intertwine, like an invisible mountain, crushing towards Zichuan.

Zichuan's face was deathly pale; the Great Yang's energy was nearly exhausted, and even the light under its Shining Down Below was as dim as a candle flame about to go out.

He mustered all his remaining Law Power to focus in front of him, but the five forces surged in like a tidal wave, crushing his defenses inch by inch.

His body was bent over by the force, his knees sinking into the sea, and the seawater beneath his feet was pressed into a deep pit.

"Zichuan!" Lu Yuan and Ren Han roared simultaneously, attacking Zhao Shouyi with all their might.

But Zhao Shouyi a turn of his "Grass-Blade Lives" halo, billions of grassroots surged like green waves, blocking the two of them outside.

Lu Yuan's sword cleaved into the grass as if cutting through a tangled mess that could never be cut; Ren Han's Cold Qi froze a patch of grass, but in an instant, new grass sprouted from beneath the ice.

Zichuan spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward like a kite with a broken string. His Great Yang energy completely dissipated, the Purple Qi around his body flickered uncertainly, and cracks covered his physical body, making it look like a piece of porcelain about to shatter.

He rolled several times on the sea surface before finally coming to a stop, kneeling on the water, his blood dripping into the sea, staining a small patch of waves red.

Zhao Shouyi watched as Zichuan flew backward, then slowly raised his right hand, and five Divine Ability light wheels simultaneously crushed down on Zichuan.

Before the five forces even landed, the sea beneath Zichuan was already dented several feet deep, the waves were crushed into dust, and even the air groaned under the unbearable pressure.

Just as the five forces were about to touch Zichuan—

The world suddenly fell silent for a moment.

A ray of light appeared out of nowhere.

The glow seemed to originate from nowhere, as if it had appeared out of thin air from some corner of the world, like the palest hue of the sunset on the horizon.

The rosy light was as fine as a wisp of silk, untouched by any dust, and contained within it a rainbow of colors, flowing like the rising sun or the blood-red sunset.

The next moment, the rainbow light suddenly spread out, transforming into a half-light, half-dark, half-illusory, half-real domain that enveloped the entire area within several miles.

Within the realm, heaven and earth suddenly froze. The sea ceased to surge, the waves stopped flowing, and even the wind stopped in mid-air.

The five descending Divine Ability light wheels, like insects crashing into amber, were frozen in the void, unable to advance any further.

Above the sky, the sunset glowed like blood, spreading out in layers. The colors of the sunset—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple—intertwined, dyeing the entire sky a magnificent crimson.

The crimson hue was neither scorching nor intense, yet it carried an indescribable "meaning"—like dusk bidding farewell to day, like the sunset bidding farewell to the evening glow, like heaven and earth bidding farewell to today.

And within that rosy glow, countless sharp edges swirled.

The sunset glow was like blood, and the afterglow like blades.

The myriad rays of light refracted, flowed, and intertwined within the domain, like countless sharp blades suspended in the air simultaneously. Each ray of light was a sword, and each streak of crimson was a blade.

Thousands of shimmering blades overlapped, enveloping the five Divine Ability light wheels within them.

Zhao Shouyi felt as if his five Divine Ability were stuck in a quagmire, unable to advance or retreat.

The rosy blades could not cut through it, but rather, like countless fine needles, they pierced into the Divine Ability from all directions, gradually "repelling" and disintegrating the five forces inch by inch.

The five Divine Ability light wheels, amidst countless rosy blades, sank into the sea of clouds like the setting sun, or flowed into the vast ocean—the five powers disintegrated on their own halfway through.

The light shattered, like the sunset clouds scattered by the night wind, like the setting sun swallowed by distant mountains, disappearing into the realm.

Zhao Shouyi.

He recognized the Divine Ability. The blood-red sunset, the sharpness of countless rosy blades, the twilight frozen in time—this was none other than the magical Divine Ability of the Rainbow Clouds Sect, "Half Farewell to Heaven."

This Divine Ability neither attacks nor defends, neither destroys nor establishes; it merely uses the colors of Rainbow Clouds to trap all attacks within its domain, and then "bids farewell" with countless rosy blades. It is like bidding farewell, like seeing off a guest, like flowing water to the east, never to be looked back.

"Half Farewell to Heaven..."

Zhao Shouyi murmured these three words.

At this moment, Lu Yuan and Ren Han simultaneously looked up at the blood-red sunset, at the five Divine Ability amidst the thousands of rosy blades, and their bodies trembled.

Lu Yuan was the first to react, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, and he exclaimed:

"Master, you've emerged from seclusion?"

A clear voice came from afar on the sea.

The sound was like a sword ringing in the heavens, piercing through layers of waves and reaching the ears of everyone present:

"Senior, back then, Mo Yan and Cang Lan were willing to die for you to seek the Dao, but later you stopped the Great Qing Heavenly Army for a moment of pleasure, severing your Dao Path. Now you want to bully the people of Qixia Sect? What kind of logic is this?"

There is a word cloud:

The South Sea surges with murderous intent; three heroes fight against five powerful enemies. The evening glow is like blood, and the blades are like a city wall.

Half Farewell to Heaven, the sky opens, a myriad of rosy blades slicing through the azure void. A single cry questions the name of the past.