The Walls of Jialing Pass
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Traces of last night's battle still remain on the walls of Jialing Pass.
Cracks on the bluestone surface stretched from the west gate all the way to the east corner tower. There were several gaps on the crenellations, smoothed out by the aftershocks of the God Level, and the limestone at the edges of the gaps gleamed golden in the morning light.
Nan Feng sat in his usual spot inside the city wall, leaning against the crenellations, his legs dangling over the outside. Below him was the hundred-zhang-high gate wall, and beyond that, a continuous stretch of military tents.
The new red ribbon on his left wrist fluttered in the morning breeze. The tower spun in his palm, its azure-gold Immortal Mark shimmering with a steady halo.
He had been sitting here for a long time.
From sunrise to mid-morning, the cheers from the Heaven Dou army subsided. The groans of the wounded were drowned out by the footsteps of the medics. The dust from the cavalry's pursuit of the routed army dissipated on the eastern horizon.
Order began to be restored inside and outside Jialing Pass. The flags of the Spirit Hall Empire were pulled down one by one, and the battle flags of the Heaven Dou Empire were raised again on the city walls.
The Nan Feng remained still.
He sensed the remnant soul within the Tower Spirit Space. The Golden Core in his dantian was spinning, Nine-Layer Cycle were running within the tower.
You've been sitting here for a long time.
Ye Lingling's voice came from behind. Nan Feng didn't turn around.
He sensed the approaching presence of the Nine Heart Begonia; its pinkish-white halo was soft in the morning light.
Ye Lingling walked to his side and sat down just like she had a few years ago on the city wall of the Nuoding Academy, with her legs dangling over the wall.
Her Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul bloomed all over her body, its petals trembling in the morning breeze.
"How did you know I was here?" Nan Feng asked.
Ye Lingling didn't look at him; her gaze was fixed on the distant wilderness.
"After every battle, you would find a high place to sit. The back mountain of the Nuoding Academy, the Heaven Dou City, the Jialing Pass. You were used to being alone."
Nan Feng was silent for a moment.
He sensed a golden immortal light flowing within the core of Ye Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul, which was the Primordial World Immortal Power she had acquired during last night's battle.
She sat beside him, asking nothing. She didn't mention a word about Bibi Dong, the remnant soul in the Tower Spirit Space, or the level of his Golden Core cultivation.
"I have cultivated myself to become Immortal Dao," Nan Feng said.
Ye Lingling turned to look at him. Her eyes reflected the morning light, and the petals of the Nine Heart Begonia bloomed in her pupils.
"I know. The golden light emanating from you is purer than any Divine Power. I saw it the moment you stepped out of the city wall."
The Nan Feng levitated the tower to its chest. The nine-story bronze tower rotated in the morning light, its body shimmering with golden immortal Immortal Mark, and the Nine Heavens Treasure Pearl at its top radiated a tri-colored celestial glow.
He sensed the Golden Core in his dantian spinning. The second realm of Immortal Dao had stabilized, and the Nine-Layer Cycle within the tower was endlessly regenerating.
"Foundation Establishment Perfection, Golden Core formed," Nan Feng said. "Above are Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, Void Refinement, Body Integration, Mahayana, Tribulation Transcendence, and True Immortal. I've only reached the second of the nine realms of Immortal Dao."
Ye Lingling looked at the tower for a while before speaking.
"How many years has it taken you since you awakened your Martial Soul at the Nuoding Academy?"
"More than ten years."
"You reached the second realm in just over a decade. Your ancestor cultivated for eight thousand years before becoming a god." Ye Lingling's voice was soft, but every word carried weight. "Your path is higher than everyone else's."
Nan Feng did not respond.
He sensed that the remnant soul in the Tower Spirit Space was suspended under the nourishment of the Three Lights Divine Water, with golden immortal light enveloping the dark purple true spirit.
Bibi Dong was once the Pope of the Spirit Hall and a successor of the Rakshasa God, who nearly destroyed the entire continent.
At this moment, she was nothing but a remnant soul, sleeping soundly in the Tower Spirit Space.
Ye Lingling didn't ask.
She reached out and touched the tower in Nan Feng's palm. The healing power of the Nine Heart Begonia surged into the tower and was absorbed and transformed by the Nine-Layer Cycle.
She sensed her Martial Soul Core vibrate the moment it touched the tower, and golden Immortal Mark appeared on the petals of the Nine Heart Begonia.
"You sensed it?" Nan Feng asked.
Ye Lingling withdrew her hand and looked at her fingertips. The petals of the Nine Heart Begonia bloomed on her fingertips, with a golden vein appearing on the pink and white petals.
"Your Immortal Power is evolving my Martial Soul. The Nine Heart Begonia was originally just a healing-type Martial Soul, but after encountering your tower, golden Immortal Mark appeared on its petals. It is transforming into Immortal Level."
Nan Feng tucked the tower into his palm and turned to look at Ye Lingling. The morning light shone on her profile, and the petals of the Nine Heart Begonia bloomed all around her.
"Ye Lingling."
"Um."
"You said before that the investment had been made," Nan Feng's voice was flat, each word carrying weight, "And now?"
Ye Lingling turned to look at him.
Her eyes were clear, just as clear as when we first met at the Nuoding Academy years ago. But there was something else in that clarity—a certainty that time had bestowed upon them.
She reached out and grasped Nan Feng's hand. Her hand was cold, and she held it tightly.
"It still is," Ye Lingling said, "And your Immortal Power is also causing my Nine Heart Begonia to evolve. Wherever you go, I'll follow."
Nan Feng sensed that the golden Immortal Mark in Ye Lingling's Martial Soul Core lit up slightly, right at the moment they shook hands.
The petals of the Nine Heart Begonia change from pinkish-white to bluish-gold.
He was silent for a moment, then took her hand in return.
"I've only reached the second of the nine realms of Immortal Dao. There are still seven more major realms above, which may take a thousand years," Nan Feng said.
Ye Lingling did not let go.
"The Nine Heart Begonia never chooses the wrong person. I've said it before, I'll always be here."
The city wall remained quiet for a long time.
As dawn broke over the eastern horizon, the city walls of Jialing Pass were bathed in gold. In the distance, the bugle call for the change of guard echoed from the Heaven Dou Army ranks, and in the wounded soldiers' camp, someone was humming Nuoding tune.
The first wisp of smoke rose from the chimney of the mess hall.
Nan Feng and Ye Lingling sat on the city wall, their fingers intertwined, watching Jialing Pass awaken from the silence of the war.
"What do you plan to do with Bibi Dong's remnant soul?" Ye Lingling finally asked.
The Nan Feng levitated the tower to its chest. The nine-story bronze tower rotated in the morning light, and the Nine Heavens Treasure Pearl at its top shone with a steady cyan- Golden Immortal light.
He sensed that the remnant soul in the Tower Spirit Space, nourished by the Three Lights Divine Water, had expanded from the size of a thumb to the size of a fist. The dark purple true spirit slept in the golden immortal light.
"When she wakes up, the eighth layer of Purification will wash away the evil aura from her soul. The Death Spider Emperor and the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor will be refined during the Purification, evolving into the Space-Time Spider Emperor and the Mountain Suppressing Spider Emperor," Nan Feng said. "Then I will use the Three Lights Divine Water to help her reshape her physical body."
Ye Lingling looked at him.
She almost killed you.
"She took the wrong path. But in the end, she saw things clearly." Nan Feng's voice was calm. "Those who are alive have the right to choose again."
Ye Lingling did not refute. She looked at the tower in Nan Feng's palm, the petals of the Nine Heart Begonia trembling in the morning breeze.
"You always give everyone a second chance. Xiao Wu, Dugu Yan, Huo Wu, Shui Bing'er, Hu Liena, Bibi Dong. The second chance you gave everyone ultimately became stepping stones for them to reach higher places."
The Nan Feng pulled the tower back into its palm.
He looked up at the eastern horizon. The morning light had completely bathed the entire Jialing Pass, and golden sunlight shone on the bluestone. The bloodstains and cracks left by last night's battle were healing under the nourishment of the divine light.
"Everyone has their own path. When their path came to an end, I just happened to be standing there."
Ye Lingling's lips curved slightly.
She stood up, dusted off her skirt, and reached out her hand to Nan Feng.
"Let's go. The war is over, but there's still a lot to do. Dugu Yan is waiting for you outside the pass to see you off. Hu Liena's tavern has reopened. Huo Wu says she wants to fight you one last time. Shui Bing'er sent ice crystals from the Far North. Liu Erlong drank all night in the tavern."
Nan Feng took her hand and stood up. The nine-story bronze pagoda spun in his palm, its body shimmering with golden Immortal Mark, and the Nine Heavens Treasure Pearl at its top radiating a tri-colored immortal light.
The new red ribbon on her left wrist fluttered in the morning breeze.
"Let's go," Nan Feng said.
The two walked side by side down the city wall. Ye Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia bloomed beside him, its pink and white petals adorned with golden Immortal Mark.
Within the Tower Spirit Space, Bibi Dong's remnant soul slumbered, nourished by the Three Lights Divine Water. Golden immortal light enveloped her dark purple true spirit.
As Nan Feng descended the last step of the city wall, he glanced back at the sky above Jialing Pass.
The morning light dyed the sky a bluish-gold color, merging with the ethereal glow emanating from the tower.
He sensed the Golden Core rotating in his dantian, and the second realm of Immortal Dao had been stabilized. The Nine-Layer Cycle within the tower was constantly regenerating. The 108 chapters of Heavenly Constellation and Earthly Fiend Divine Abilities circulated within his soul.