At that moment, when Jian Hong looked up, he could clearly see that the figure who had plunged the sword into him was not Ru Xue, but rather the one he once considered a God and a saving Angel. Yes, it was Luo Tianqi, the person Jian Hong had followed for hundreds of years.
For a moment, Jian Hong experienced a flashback of how it all began. It started when Luo Tianqi took him to the God's Palace, when they both fought to uphold justice, even when they depended on each other for life and death.
All those events kept replaying in Jian Hong's mind like a broken tape. Not only his body, but Jian Hong's heart also ached recalling everything. Especially on a day like this, which had to come in his life.
Luo Tianqi's smile widened as he saw Jian Hong powerless before him. He withdrew his sword, then plunged it several more times until the blood flowed heavily from Jian Hong's chest. "Now you know what happens when you dare to face me, Jian Hong," said Luo Tianqi.
For some moments before, Jian Hong's eyes—now covered with a glassy layer—kept staring at Luo Tianqi. A mixture of emotions churned inside his chest, forming a strange feeling he couldn't explain.
Yet, only one word escaped his lips at that moment: "Why?"
That soft utterance could shake the soul of anyone who heard it. Along with it, Jian Hong's tears fell. Not because of the sword stuck in his chest, but because something more painful exploded alongside the sword embedded there.
"You don't need to know why I did this. But dying under my sword—that's an honor you can have," Luo Tianqi replied.
Just as the situation began to spiral, an energy explosion shook the place. The ground trembled violently as if a massive earthquake had struck. The ceiling began to collapse, its shards raining down. Silence fell; there was no one left but Luo Tianqi and Jian Hong.
Slowly, the place transformed into an empty land with nothing remaining. And in the last moments of his fading consciousness, Jian Hong faintly saw a light approaching him. It stretched out both hands as if trying to welcome Jian Hong.
The corners of that man's lips lifted, even though the sword was still lodged there. Jian Hong knew who was coming; he could not be mistaken.
A few moments later, Jian Hong's eyes closed completely. His body collapsed to the ground, blood flooding the place. Meanwhile, Luo Tianqi, feeling victorious, withdrew his sword. He smiled as he looked down at Jian Hong lying beneath his feet.
"If you hadn't tried to enter my life too deeply, you wouldn't have ended up like today. Yes, I regret that you were so strong and great. So great that it planted a seed of hatred in me and nurtured a demon heart to kill you." The man turned and carried his sword, still dripping Jian Hong's blood. He walked away, leaving Jian Hong amidst the ruins of the illusionary world he created solely to kill Jian Hong.
---
When Jian Hong began to open his eyes, the first thing he saw was that his body was now floating in the air. More precisely, the man was falling from an endless height. He still hadn't realized anything when his gaze caught a figure of a man with dominant light energy in the Sky above.
"Wait! What happened? Didn't Luo Tianqi manage to kill me? How am I still here?" That question suddenly appeared in Jian Hong's mind. Especially when he realized that now he had returned to the real world, where everything was truly destroyed. Debris from the shattered sky kept falling, but oddly none of it hit Jian Hong's body.
When he regained balance to float properly, he focused his sight only on the energy light above. Seeing how Jia Lin's soul had fully entered the pagoda, the confusion he felt instantly vanished. The emotions in his body seemed to merge and form a massive explosion. And that was when the fire of rage burned inside him. Surrounding his entire body with flames.
In a flash, the man managed to channel his energy into both hands and forcibly snatched the pagoda from Luo Tianqi's grasp with lightning speed. Luo Tianqi, unprepared for this, was shocked. Even when Jian Hong's energy slammed hard into his chest.
"Luo Tianqi, I still forgave you when you intended to destroy the universe. But when the universe is already broken, and you still don't stop and pull Jia Lin to be destroyed along with you, then this time I truly will show no mercy," said Jian Hong. There was no expression in him. His face looked calm and flat, yet that was the dominant aura Luo Tianqi felt.
Clutching his chest that felt tight from Jian Hong's attack, Luo Tianqi could only look at him in bewilderment, "How are you here? You should have died with the Illusionary Realm I created!"
"You will never understand the law of life and death, because there was never a shred of sincerity in your heart," he answered. He dashed quickly, then attacked Luo Tianqi with brutal moves. Jian Hong himself didn't even understand why his power felt rapidly increasing from before.
But rather than dwell on things he shouldn't, the man chose to use his strength to destroy what should have been destroyed long ago. He kept attacking Luo Tianqi in the air, until their energies flashed across the sky like lightning that day.
"Damn! Jian Hong's power seems to recover fast, and I don't know why," Luo Tianqi muttered as he failed to dodge yet another attack.
His eyes stared at the nine-tiered pagoda still in Jian Hong's grasp. In terms of power, Luo Tianqi might not be able to defeat Jian Hong. But emotionally, no one knew that man better than himself.
A mocking smile clearly etched on Luo Tianqi's face. He put on the same calm stance as Jian Hong, "You don't really think you can beat me, do you? Jian Hong, you're just a sword dreaming of defeating the God of War. Do you want me to make that dream come true by putting you to sleep forever?"
The man smiled mockingly, watching Jian Hong's face tense up. Seeing Jian Hong clench his fists, Luo Tianqi already knew his plan was almost successful.
Luo Tianqi kept approaching without Jian Hong realizing the meaning behind his words and actions. "Do you know that the power increase you gained is the result of the sacrifice of the girl you love?" He paused, studying Jian Hong's expression briefly, "Yes, Jian Hong. I was the one who used the last of Jia Lin's soul to create the Illusionary Realm. Or in other words, you have indirectly killed her."
A burning sensation scorched Jian Hong's chest, and it made Luo Tianqi grow even more arrogant. Then, the pagoda originally in Jian Hong's hand suddenly vanished. The man was shocked to death because, once again, his emotions controlled him to fall into a trap abyss.
Jian Hong clenched his fists hard down there, "How dare you do that to Jia Lin!"
Without warning, he threw a fire attack at Luo Tianqi, hitting his left shoulder. Making the God of War furious in an instant, "Even though the God's Eye has been put to sleep now, just my two hands alone are enough to kill you."
After saying that, Luo Tianqi dashed and prepared to attack Jian Hong. But the man quickly formed a fire shield and blocked Luo Tianqi's attack, pushing his body slightly backward, "Eternal Fire Shield!"
Seconds later, Jian Hong pushed the shield until Luo Tianqi's body was also pushed back, "I may be just a sword. But you forget that a sword will have sharp eyes if it keeps being sharpened."
This time, Jian Hong stretched both hands until all the flames on his body blazed fiercely. Without Luo Tianqi having time to prepare, a 3-meter fire attack came toward him. Burning Luo Tianqi's body in the air. Not stopping there, he moved his hand to summon a destruction formation behind him. It was a large rotating circle with several black dots. And each dot released some blue flame swords ready to stab the enemy anytime.
Jian Hong's gaze looked cold as he swung his hand, signaling the swords to stab Luo Tianqi, "Flaming Sword Thrust, kill!"
Luo Tianqi, still burning with fire, vaguely saw the scene in panic. Then he tried to unleash inner power with all his might. Closing his eyes until his whole body was wrapped in dark black light without Jian Hong noticing.
As the formation was completed, Jian Hong's body was pushed back. Gasping for breath, he tried to control himself. His mouth spat thick red blood with a deadly pain throughout his body. Now the flames on his body began to fade, replaced by smoke from his own breath. His gaze looked weary realizing it was all over. Three worlds had been destroyed, even he himself was ruined.
What remained of Jian Hong was only emptiness and endless void. He looked up, seeing the nine-tiered pagoda still floating amidst the remnants of destruction, "Lin'er, I know you can't come back even if the universe is destroyed. But at least, I kept my promise to avenge you."
As Jian Hong dashed to grab the pagoda, a sudden explosion shook him, even the surrounding realm. Jian Hong stretched both hands to shield himself from the energy blast. From within the blaze, Luo Tianqi's figure appeared faintly. Growing clearer by the second. His body stood tall amidst the scorching blue fire.
Displaying his entire body wrapped in reddish-black light. His body pierced by swords, yet Luo Tianqi still looked strong—stronger than before. "HAAAAHHHH!"
The scream made Jian Hong look toward the explosion. As the mist gradually vanished, he was shocked because Luo Tianqi's body emitted black light thicker than his own. His body arched upward, with black light coming from his mouth and eyes. All that energy gathered in the air forming a black circle.
Besides that, Jian Hong was also shocked when the nine-sky pagoda disappeared from his sight. He turned his head around but found nothing he was looking for. Then, his gaze fixed on the object floating toward Luo Tianqi.
"Demonic Energy Explosion!" Luo Tianqi shouted there.
But what shocked Jian Hong wasn't how Luo Tianqi became stronger, but another big twist in his life, "So, Luo Tianqi also walked the path of darkness?"
Everyone who has black energy in their body is a demon cultivator. Especially if the color is as thick as Luo Tianqi's. But how could it be? Why hadn't Jian Hong realized this all this time?
The man's daydream was broken by Luo Tianqi's booming, deafening voice. "Do you think you're the only one who can secretly cultivate with demons?"
The figure floating up there no longer looked like Luo Tianqi. His clothes had completely changed to pure black. His hair was white with red marks on his face and neck. Showing that the demon energy in that man's body was even greater than Jian Hong's.
"Why did you do this, Luo Tianqi? As a God of War, have you forgotten your duty and responsibility?" Jian Hong asked softly and quietly.
"Screw responsibility! As long as I can kill you, I'll do it my way, even if it means becoming a follower of darkness."
"Fine. Then kill me today, I won't resist. But I only ask one thing from you, please return Jia Lin's soul to me, don't destroy her soul." This time there was no more anger in Jian Hong. His emotion had surpassed anger until only emptiness and void remained.
The corner of Luo Tianqi's lips curled up. He approached Jian Hong with a terrifying, devilish smile. "Do you think this is how enemies talk to each other? If I could kill you both, then why would I spare one?"
"Luo Tianqi, your grudge is with me, not Jia Lin. She has nothing to do with this. So now listen to me and free Lin'er's soul. After that, whatever you do to me, I will accept."
Luo Tianqi was playing with his fingernails while considering those words. Finally, he gave a sneering smile and looked at Jian Hong not far from him. "Fine. But in return, you must give me the divine weapon you secretly stole and purified back then."
Jian Hong was not surprised at how Luo Tianqi knew about that weapon. After a moment of silence, he nodded. "Then let's make a deal. Give me Jia Lin's soul, and I will give you what you want."
One of Luo Tianqi's hands extended, and a small pagoda floated there. Seeing that, Jian Hong's eyes immediately sparkled. His feelings warmed without reason, "Jia Lin."
But before Jian Hong could reach it, his body was first pulled by a dark hole from the formation above. How could Jian Hong forget and act so foolish? The one in front of him now was not the God of War who had shared life and death with him for hundreds of years, but a demon. And as a demon, they could be cunning and deceitful. Luo Tianqi secretly opened the formation and made Jian Hong deliberately sucked inside it.
"Damn it! Luo Tianqi, give me that pagoda!" Jian Hong shouted from above. He kept trying to resist the pull of the formation absorbing him.
But cruelly, Luo Tianqi just dropped the pagoda. Completely letting it fall into the bottomless abyss below, "You know, it's better for me to get nothing than to give you that pagoda. About the weapon, I can make it again to destroy you in the future. But before that, you must join the other sinful beings. Eternal in darkness."
Luo Tianqi's face changed drastically as he raised both hands with black energy all over them, "Endless Darkness, destroy!"
After saying that cruelly, Luo Tianqi laughed. His voice even pierced the third sky above. Of course, it made Jian Hong's blood boil. The veins on his neck bulged, holding back anger and trying to resist the pull of the formation, "Luo Tianqi, hear my vow! I swear I will destroy you and your descendants! In the future, even if you cut your own skin to beg for my forgiveness, I will rather give you endless suffering without death! I, Jian Hong, will do whatever it takes to destroy you. Even if for that I must be born eternal in darkness!"