The Weight of the Future

Under the pitch-black night sky, flames danced between the trees. A gentle breeze carried the fragrance of wildflowers, while unknown beasts growled in the distance. Occasionally, a night bird would startle into flight among the forest.

Xiao Chen added more firewood to the blazing pyre. The bright firelight illuminated the grove. He steadily turned the wooden fork over the flames; the tiger meat had turned a golden brown. Grease dripped onto the fire with a sizzling hiss, and an enticing fragrance drifted through the woods.

Keke's large eyes were glued to the fragrant, sizzling roast tiger meat, staring with desperate anticipation.

The chubby Niu Ren chuckled. "Little one's drooling."

"Ya ya ya!"—as if saying, "Where, where?"—the little beast hurriedly wiped its mouth with its fluffy little paw, then glared at Niu Ren in annoyance.

"White tiger leg meat is truly a delicacy of the mortal world, something money can't buy. We're fortunate to have it today," Liu Mu said from across the fire. From his personal dimensional space, he produced several jars of old wine. He slapped off the clay seals, and an intoxicating aroma immediately filled the forest.

They were in the mountains outside Yin Capital. After Xiao Chen's battle sweeping through the Six Heroes, Liu Mu and Niu Ren had appeared to meet him while he was dealing with the aftermath.

The tiger meat was golden and crispy, fully cooked. Xiao Chen, Niu Ren, and Liu Mu each filled their cups, drinking under the moon and chatting freely. Little Keke ate with oil dripping from its mouth and wanted to imitate them by drinking wine. But the moment the wine touched its lips, it spat it out with a bitter face, making the three burst into laughter.

"Not good, not good!"—it actually blurted out human speech, a tender, soft voice. But then it could only manage "ya ya" sounds again. It tugged at Xiao Chen's sleeve, not letting him drink either.

He picked the most tender piece of meat for it. Only then did the little thing settle down, beginning to enjoy its meal with relish.

"'Singing while drinking—what is life?'" Liu Mu sighed. "Yi Zhen is dead. Who would have thought our last parting would become an eternal farewell? The monk left too soon." Though Xiao Chen had avenged Yi Zhen, thinking of the days past, he still felt regret. "Let us offer a toast to our wine-and-meat monk in the underworld," he said. The three poured their wine onto the ground, then fiercely tore off large chunks of roast tiger meat, as if they were biting into the White Tiger Saint Emperor himself.

Xiao Chen said, "The two of you should go to the Ancient Village. The disciples of the Half-Ancestors are running rampant. The outside world is too dangerous right now."

Little Fatty Niu Ren was an optimist. He grinned naively and shook his head. "You slaughtered the Six Heroes in one night. If those Half-Ancestor disciples want to make a move, they'll have to think twice. Every sect has its own junior disciples. While they want to kill others, they also have to consider their own people."

Liu Mu nodded as well. "Where there is danger, there is challenge. We won't die."

Both refused Xiao Chen's goodwill. This was not only the dignity of the strong but also a sign of confidence. Relying on another for shelter was not the nature of a cultivator who aspired to the summit.

Keke had long since eaten its fill, rubbing its round little belly and mumbling drowsily, "I… I'm drunk." Then it pulled over Liu Mu's pristine white robe to wipe its mouth, leaned against Xiao Chen, and fell fast asleep.

The three were all amused by it. The little thing had spat out half a glass of wine and still claimed to be drunk.

Liu Mu raised his glass. "You swept through the younger generation of the Cultivation World, shaking the Nine Provinces. Let us drink to that."

Niu Ren added, "I think after you break through to Nirvana, you might skip straight past Deathless Longevity. You'll leave many of your peers far behind. Nirvana is truly a wondrous realm."

By now it was deep night. All three were somewhat drunk.

Xiao Chen drained his cup and gazed at the dim stars, feeling uncertain about the path ahead. "Who in this world can stand undefeated? Even Half-Ancestors must die. And our cultivation path is even more perilous. Death is very close to each of us."

"You… you cannot die," Niu Ren slurred, clearly very drunk. "With the Mortar of Yellow Earth at your side, even Half-Ancestors can do nothing to you. Brother, I believe in you."

"Glory is only temporary. When the splendor fades, everything will return to its original form," Xiao Chen said. He felt truly drunk. He sighed. "I have killed too many… I will not come to a good end."

"Why… why do you say that?" Liu Mu swayed as he brought out more jars of old wine, slapped off the seals, and filled their cups. "How many have you killed? Even if you have, so what?"

"I have killed so many that I myself cannot count them." Xiao Chen downed three cups of strong liquor. "I have reached this point by treading on the corpses of many cultivators. Though many deserved death, those who take lives will themselves be killed. I… already have a premonition."

"Impossible. You… cannot die." Niu Ren wobbled over to sit beside Xiao Chen, clinking his glass forcefully with him before draining it. "Brother, I'm still… still waiting to see you become a Half-Ancestor, sweeping the world."

"I… I also want to see you defy the Sun Holy God in the east, stop the White Tiger Saint Emperor in the west, and slay the Three Infants Demon Lord in the south," Liu Mu added. Though his mind was still clear, his speech was no longer smooth.

"I didn't say I would die soon… it's just a premonition." Xiao Chen clinked glasses with them. "Even Half-Ancestors are ultimately judged. How could I be an exception?"

"You're overthinking… don't believe that feeling." None of them used mystic arts to purge the alcohol; all three were nearly drunk.

"In truth… my end is already written." Xiao Chen shook his head hard to clear his mind, speaking thickly. "When the Half-Ancestors fall… that will likely be the moment of my death as well."

"Even if a miracle occurs, and I survive that calamity, the Mortar of Yellow Earth will surely leave after burying the Half-Ancestors. Then… the direct disciples of the Half-Ancestors will strike, and I will surely perish, body and soul."

"You… will definitely be fine." Niu Ren shook his pair of massive ox horns. "If it really comes to it, hide in Paradise Lost."

"Sometimes… death cannot be avoided." Xiao Chen swayed and pointed at the sleeping Keke. "I worry greatly for this little one. If I truly meet with misfortune… what will become of it?"

"Rest assured. You will not come to harm. And if something does happen, we will take care of it until it grows strong enough to make even Half-Ancestors tremble."

Xiao Chen burst into laughter, hugging a jar of wine as he drank deeply. "So I must kill… kill throughout the land. While I still have the power, I will help you eliminate all potential threats. That way, even if I die one day… I can find some peace."

"You… will not die."

"Some hatred cannot be resolved. From today on, I will become a great villain, clearing obstacles for you—slaughtering throughout the land."

A wine jar fell to the ground. All three collapsed into drunken slumber among the woods.

At dawn, sunlight streamed through the forest. Xiao Chen, Niu Ren, and Liu Mu bid each other farewell, each going their separate ways.

Liu Mu and Niu Ren were about to step into the Nirvana realm. They needed to find a quiet place for secluded cultivation. The nine death trials were approaching. All of them felt lost about the road ahead—the path of Nirvana, where nine deaths bring one life. Only one in ten could survive the journey of death. They did not know if they would ever meet again in life.

"Farewell. We must all live." The three looked back at one another one last time, then turned away, never looking back.

Though summer had just begun, the mountains were filled with the sorrow and solemnity of autumn.

In the following ten-plus days, Xiao Chen sailed east across the ocean, slaughtering the young experts of the Cultivation World. He was unstoppable, successively defeating the strong disciples of Fang Tianqi, Ye Tian, Ling Xuyan, and others. He stirred up a storm.

Then he marched north into the great grasslands, seeking enemies from the Cultivation World and the World of Immortality. He killed twenty-three outstanding young experts in a row.

Next, he traveled west out of Hangu Pass and wiped out an important stronghold of the Tiger Clan. Several members of the Tiger Clan's younger generation fell.

This was a true slaughter across the four directions. Blood rained everywhere. Xiao Chen fought so that no one among the younger generation dared to contend with him, leaving all the young heroes of the world speechless. Everyone fell silent.

Within a single month, Xiao Chen killed one hundred and ninety-three young elites of the world, focusing mainly on the disciples of Half-Ancestors such as the Sun Holy God, the White Tiger Saint Emperor, and the Three Infants Demon Lord.

Such action was undoubtedly mad. Everyone now understood the cause and effect. Some rejoiced, some worried at Xiao Chen's posture of "I'll kill you first, no negotiation."

With the Mortar of Yellow Earth in hand, no one in the world could harm him. Xiao Chen roamed freely, leaving blood wherever he went. He was now a veritable demon star.

The slaughter lasted a month. Xiao Chen returned to the Ancient Village for over ten days of quiet cultivation, comprehending various profound techniques and sensing the changes in his own strength.

His progress over this period was astonishing. In recent days, he had charged through two death barriers, advancing to the Fourth Heaven of Nirvana.

After leaving the Ancient Village, Xiao Chen traveled far from the Yellow River and journeyed south to the Nanjiang region of the Nine Provinces. This was the land of the Baiyue people. Though considered barbarian territory, its landscapes were unparalleled beneath heaven.

The mountains here rose abruptly from the ground in countless forms; the waters wound in crystal-clear streams like mirrors.

After undergoing several great battles, arriving at this pure, scenic land felt like a purification of Xiao Chen's body and mind.

He had come because the Undying Sect Leader had secretly invited him.

The Undying Sect was founded here, drawn by this place's concentrated spiritual excellence.

As he entered the core grounds of the Undying Sect, what met his eyes was like a real ink-wash landscape painting unfurled before him, hanging between heaven and earth—simple, misty, harmonious, and tranquil.

Light mist swirled. Verdant hills, no more than a hundred meters high, were a dripping green, hazy and indistinct. Each exquisite mountain had its own unique form—some like a pair of goat horns, others standing tall like bamboo shoots. It was a true earthly paradise.

Coming out to greet him was a familiar face—Yan Qingcheng.

After a long absence, this peerlessly beautiful woman had become even more ethereal and refined. Her red lips were like dots, her moth eyebrows delicately arched, and a mist seemed to swirl in her bewitching eyes, making it hard to look away.

She lived up to her name: a beauty who could topple cities.

Yan Qingcheng was very calm, as if she had forgotten all past grievances. She led Xiao Chen inward, introducing the picturesque scenery along the way.

"Sister Qingcheng!" At that moment, a twelve- or thirteen-year-old golden-haired girl came bouncing over. She intimately hugged Yan Qingcheng's jade-like arm, tilted her head to look at Xiao Chen, and then revealed a look of surprise. "It's you…"

"You are…" Xiao Chen looked at this doll-like golden-haired girl with confusion.

"Squeak squeak ya ya!" Keke widened its fiery eyes, performing wildly, making a demonic gesture with claws bared.

"Little thing, don't slander me! I'm not a bulging-muscled dragon. I am the most beautiful angel, Rona!" the golden-haired girl glared at Keke angrily.

"You're that hot-tempered little wyrm?"

"I am not hot-tempered!" The little wyrm, Tina, glared at Xiao Chen, fuming. "I am a beautiful dragoness, Tina. I am now a Dragon King!"

Xiao Chen was extremely astonished. Back then, when the Little Defiant Dragon was at the Undying Sect's back mountain, it had taught this talking little wyrm ancient combat techniques. He had never imagined that it had now evolved into a Dragon King.

"Hoo hoo…" Keke didn't care about the little wyrm's threats at all. It exaggeratedly imitated a tyrant dragon, then pointed at Tina.

"I am not a tyrant dragon!" Tina's forehead was full of black lines as she stared at Keke in annoyance. But then, as if remembering something, she forced herself to smile and asked, "Where is Brother Little Defiant Dragon?"

"He is fighting against various other Dragon Kings. No one knows where he has gone now," Yan Qingcheng said. She led Xiao Chen to a verdant valley, then stopped. She forcibly pulled the little wyrm away and left.

Three thatched huts dotted the green valley. A winding stream gurgled past, its pleasant tinkling like a beautiful melody.

Xiao Chen sat down at a stone table in front of the huts and waited quietly for the Undying Sect Leader to arrive.

With a "creak," the door of the hut was pushed open. A blurry figure—half phantom, half real—slowly stepped out.

Xiao Chen was greatly alarmed. With his current cultivation, everything within several hundred zhang should have been within his spiritual perception. It was extremely difficult for anyone to approach this closely without his notice. But this person had been right beside him all along, and Xiao Chen only noticed him when he emerged—a truly terrifying feat.

The blurry figure seemed formed of gathered clouds and smoke; even his features were impossible to make out. He walked over and sat across from Xiao Chen at the stone table, gazing at the exquisite green hills in the distance. "Picturesque mountains and rivers…"

Who was this person? Though Xiao Chen could not sense the other's cultivation, his instincts told him this was a terrifying figure far more powerful than the Undying Sect Leader.

The mysterious figure still looked at the distant mountains. "Where there is light, there is darkness. Where there is good, there is evil. Where there is right, there is wrong. For everything in this world, an opposite can be found. Do you know what the opposite of 'man' is?"

Keke made a fierce gesture—claws out, teeth bared—as if to say ghosts.

Xiao Chen looked at the mysterious figure in silence, waiting to hear what he truly wanted to say.

"Are you still alive?" The blurry figure turned to Xiao Chen.

If anyone else had asked that, Xiao Chen would have just slapped them with the Hand of the Supreme. But facing this strangely spoken person before him, he simply nodded. "Of course."

"It's hard to be certain. How do you know that you and I are not someone else's dream?"

"How do you know that we are someone else's dream?" Xiao Chen retorted.

"So I said it's hard to be certain." Xiao Chen remained silent, feeling that this person was far too strange.

"For everything in this world, an opposite can be found. Then what is the illusory realm corresponding to the real world?"

"What is it that you truly want to say?"

"The blood of the sky, the essence of the earth. Yin and Yang in combat, blood weeping Xuan and Yellow. I speak of reality and illusion. I speak of how the world will be destroyed."

Xiao Chen's mind shook. He stared at the man in shock. "Who are you?"

"Who I am is not important. Close your eyes and feel with your heart. You will see Half-Ancestors roaming heaven and earth. You will see many legendary figures flying across the sky. They are roaring. They are terrified. The music of destruction has already begun…"

Xiao Chen roared: "Hoo! Hoo! Or else I cannot prevail against the Half-Ancestors. Gods, grant me strength!"