The Sacred Ruins

“Chu Feng, how come you still haven’t returned?” This was Ouyang Feng’s message. He seemed utterly anxious as his writing was rather illegible.

“It’s been three months, Father. Could you even come back? You still haven’t told me where our treasured heirloom is. Why didn’t you set up a will before?”

Upon reading this Chu Feng wanted to take out the Little Daoist. He was indeed unfilial.

Then he saw Ying Zhexian’s message. She was remarkable in her literary talent. There weren’t a lot of words, but they had a spiritual aura. Reading her message made one feel soothed. The last line of words was wishing Chu Feng well.

Qin Luoyin’s words were there too, beautiful and exquisite. Her words were reserved but he could see her concern.

Yet Ying Xiaoxiao’s comment was completely anguished. The whole piece of writing was of “rallying cries”, such as, ” Ah, brother-in-law, don’t die! Brother-in-law, hurry up and revive or my sister will have to live as a widow...”

Chu Feng looked at though he wanted to beat someone up. He was well and alive, and this silver-haired loli was howling about nothing. Furthermore her sister didn’t seem to be indisposed when it came to parting. At the very least Ying Zhexian’s words didn’t show it.

“Chu Feng, rest in peace. Have a safe journey, I will look after my ister!” This was Ying Wudi’s message.

Chu Feng’s liver was in pain. He really wanted to grab him and punch him up. His wife’s younger brother’s wishes of him dying were still present, while his love for his sister was unyielding. He should truly be put down!

The following words shocked Chu Feng considerably and were all left by the Little Daoist.

“Father, it’s been ten years but you still haven’t returned!”

“Father, it appears that you’ve already been met with misfortune. A hundred years have passed but we haven’t witnessed your return yet. I hope you are at peace underground. I have already tried to persuade Mother to treat this situation as a recollection and remarry so that she doesn’t bear the hardship anymore.”

Chu Feng’s heart trembled when he read the first half of the message. A hundred years had passed already? He had no idea what they were experiencing in this world. Then his face darkened as he saw the latter half of the message. He wanted to grab the Little Daoist and beat him viciously. How dare he urge his mother Qin Luoyin to marry someone else soon?!

At the same time his faith began to waver. It was not surprising that all of the gods ultimately believed in determinism. Perhaps there was indeed some foundation for it, otherwise how was there a response on this side just as he renamed the Six Daoist Temporal technique. This would also turn into a memory.

Further on there were annotations from the Little Daoist telling Chu Feng that ever since he disappeared the millstone transformed and radiance was once dashing through the skies.

“Apart from me no one else was capable of approaching the land here. I’m guessing it’s related to the talisman since after all I touched it and I have its mysterious energy within me.”

This was the Little Daoist’s message.

“Oh no Father! We can’t come back as there’s no way of returning to the Dameng Pure Land through the vortex in the sky. It’s disappeared so we’re trapped in this world!”

“The ancestral demonic cauldron was battered and the alternative path is cut off too!” According to what the Little Daoist was saying, people from Mount Eternal had also came to this world before. They controlled the second path, but in the end it was cut off when a godly force from this world striked!”

Then Chu Feng saw messages upon messages on the rocks. They were all inscribed by the Little Daoist. According to what he said there was no way of the others reaching this place.

“Father, we have been detained in this world for 150 years, far beyond the hundred-years time limit. Everyone wants to leave but we can’t find any way out.”

“Father, Ouyang Feng told me to tell you that he will support your wife as his own so that you don’t have to worry.”

When Chu Feng saw this he was so angry that smoke spouted from his seven orifices and he nearly jumped up. This bastard Ouyang Feng whas speaking nonsense.

Then he saw the Little Daoist’s annotation; Ouyang Feng’s literary grace was poor. He in fact wanted to say he would take care of his father’s wife and family, and Chu Feng shouldn’t think too much about it.

Then why did you inscribe it? Chu Feng wanted to smack Ouang Feng. At the same time he wanted to beat this son up.

“Father, I want to cry. We truly can’t return. It’s been two hundred years and we can’t find any way out. The hair of Mother’s spirit is no long radiant and her roots are white. The life expectancy of the people here are very low and it’s so infuriating how little life one has here!”

Chu Feng’s heart shook upon reading these words. He recalled what he had learnt on the Vicious Beast Plateau. The people of this world use unusual techniques to evolve rapidly, but also have early deaths. They were not that much stronger than mortals. In particular they deteriorated in their later years with all kinds of unfortunate and terrifying disasters happening to them.

“Father, they said misfortune had already occurred when you jumped into the millstone and made a miserable shriek, and that it was possible you had already died at that moment. I know this is probably true. Now everyone’s sentimental and in despair when you are mentioned.”

“Father, 230 years have passed. We truly can’t return and it can be said that there’s no way out. In addition, some of our people have passed away. I don’t want to mention their names, in case you too will be upset if you found out down there. They were all my uncles and they’re... gone now.”

“We still haven’t ascended to become gods. Some were killed by that Martial God bastard, who still hasn’t died. His qi and blood should have waned. Our current situation is rather bleak.”

“Father, it’s been 260 years. Mother is genuinely old and still hasn’t married anyone. She has been waiting for you all along, yet you never returned in the end. She didn’t wait to see you for one last time.”

As he read this Chu Feng’s mouth and heart trembled.

“Mother went peacefully, yet she was unhappy her whole life. She was in a tangle with you over old scores in her early life before coming across you again in this world after having me. Finally things took a turn for the better and you could have walked on together. Yet you vanished, dead within the millstone for many years. I knew Mother was depressed even though she said nothing. I once saw her looking into the distance in silence alone, tears in her eyes as she gazed in the direction of the millstone.”

“With not much left in her life, at the last moment she not only cried out the names of the Dameng Pure Land and the family, master that would miss her, I also heard her softing calling your name. Although she was very weak and it was almost inaudible, I truly heard it. You were indeed in Mother’s heart.”

“Mother... she’s gone forever! Father I want to cry, I want to cry loudly! The entire world is so dull and grey!”

Tears emerged in Chu Feng’s eyes as he read this.

“Father, I come again. Mother has already left us for one year, but I can’t help but miss her! She passed away soundlessly and I will never forget her. In her last moments she murmured as she held my hand, unable to be at ease. Then I knew, all along her gaze was towards one direction. Her muddy eyes were looking towards the coordinates of the millstone. At death she still didn’t witness your return. She was agonized and unwilling to let go. Her heart was regretful and in misery...”

“Mother, I don’t want you to go!”

It was as if Chu Feng could hear the Little Daoist’s heart-wrenching sobbing and see this lamentful, bitterful scene from the past float in front of his eyes.

He clenched his fists as his heart shook. His eyes ached as tears silently rolled down.

It was as though these people, these events happened yesterday.

“I want to ascend to become a god. A hundred years ago someone amongst the uncles and aunties from Mount Eternal was on the verge of becoming a god. Yet there was an accident where many uncles perished. I decided I won’t let that happen to me. I will become a god and destroy those old Martial God bastards!”

Through these words on rocks Chu Feng could see the Little Daoist’s unstoppable resolve.

“270 years later, auntie Ying Zhexian has too passed away. She was beautiful even at the last moments of her life, but her spirit’s hair was white as snow. Although she didn’t say anything, I knew she wanted to see you return in the last moments of her life. She wasn’t completely rational but neither was she out-of-this-worldly indifferent. She was just too reserved. She said nothing before leaving and just gazed blankly in a certain direction.”

Grievance filled Chu Feng’s heart. Crystal clear tears trickled down from the corner of his eyes noiselessly.

“Auntie is old as well. She cried deeply when sending her older sister off, unable to accept it.

“Uncle Wudi, Ouyang Feng and a group of uncles from Mount Eternal passed away many years ago. I don’t want to go through it in detail as I’m afraid that you will too be in deep sorrow if you found out in the underworld.”

Seeing these words Chu Feng wanted to cry. His eyes were completely bloodshot as tears flowed down. He couldn’t help but howl in a low voice.

“Finally, auntie Ying Xiaoxiao has left too. I’m sad, yet unable to cry, because as they left me one by one my tears have already dried up after the many sorrows and it’s hard to shed tears again. But my heart is indeed aching! This time the whole world is in silence and I am the only one remaining. I no longer have anything to worry about, so I’m going to ascend to become a god!”

“281 years later, I have become a god!”

“I’m going to kill that old Martial God bastard and sweep through the Vicious Beast Plateau! Father, if you are conscious in the underworld or perhaps still alive, please give me your blessing. I must succeed and, even if I die in battle, I must pull up that Martial God bastard!”

“Father, it is now the autumn of year 282. I have survived to come here and offer you a sacrifice. I have killed the Martial God as well as the Wizard God. I’ve flattened the Vicious Beast Plateau and avenged my uncles! The process was rather arduous and I don’t want to go into details. A man doesn’t shed grieving tears, he bleeds blood!”

“I feel as though there’s a massive problem with my unusual technique. I haven’t yet reached my later years but some strange things have already manifested upon my body. Father, I will not come here again for a long time. I need to go and study, to look into all kinds of bizarre techniques to find a solution.”

“It’s been 500 years. Father, as I watch you come by I too have gradually aged. A god’s life expectancy isn’t long either. Evolvers in this world have too short a life span. Time doesn’t wait for me!”

“700 years and the flames of life are flickering. I have already entered my miserable declining years with no heirs or children by my side. All along I have been by myself. You’ve all passed away, leaving just me. My time is limited and many terrible things have came true on me.”

“Now I’m old and my vitality has withered away but I can just about champion over the world. No one is a match for me, yet I am so lonely. I miss Mother and my uncles, as well as my aunt, Ouyang Feng and the others.”

“When one reaches one’s old ages they are always reminiscing. I can’t help but want to weep, but when I wipe my tears with my hand I find I haven’t been able to shed a tear long ago.”

“Father, there’s not a lot of feelings between us. You didn’t look after me and it was Mother who brought me up. I won’t haggle you about old matters like how you stole my black talisman. It’s no use arguing over it as I already have one foot in the grave. There may be new gods emerging, and I will soon die...”

Chu Feng stood there, his body trembling. He truly couldn’t hold it in any longer and spirit tears hung from his face.

“Father, it’s been 750 years. This is probably the last time I come to visit you and I will soon reach the end of my life. All kinds of strange and adverse things happened on me. The new god has already appeared and will come to engulf me at any moment. However I don’t want to take the path of the millston. I need to find a peaceful place and bring it to an end.”

“I really miss the days I spent with Mother and aunt and everybody else. Although life was full of joys, sorrows, sadness and regret, it was also very loving and worthy of cherishing for a lifetime. Looking back on my life, I have still truly failed. As someone with the ability to become a deity, I was however stranded in foreign lands and dying here. But I am very content. Mother and the others treated me well and I will never forget their sincere affection. I don’t know if there is another life after death and if I could see them again. And so in these last moments I can only look up to the sky and lament!”

“I had many regrets this lifetime, for example between you, my father. We were truly father and son, yet no true fate together. Well, on mentioning this I remember an old matter. In the end what was the so-called treasured heirloom in our Chu family? Something that can be considered as a matter gnawing at my mind, how funny that that it comes to mind now!”

“Father, see you again, or perhaps I should say I will never see you again. Your son Chu Wuhen ends his final words!”

Chu Feng stood here, tears across his whole face. Chu Wuhen... as in living without a trace?

At this moment Chu Feng broke down into tears.