novelraw Chapter 235: A Fake Soul's Dream [5]
Chapter 235: A Fake Soul's Dream [5]
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Yang smiled warmly as he walked with Ming outside the city. Elder Kai had given them a mission to complete.
The government had approved Kai's request to establish his own sect, but he needed to prove that he had at least two powerful disciples capable of hunting Spirit Beasts on their own. Only then could they generate their own income and become independent, transforming from a government-funded school into a proper sect.
"Have you traveled outside before, Yang?"
"I once tried to escape, but I couldn't. I guess we can now."
As the two seventeen-year-olds approached the gate, the guards looked surprised that they wanted to leave.
"You're just kids. Go back to your parents."
Yang and Ming showed the guards their necklaces. Silver medals hung from them, each bearing fourteen stars, three of which glowed brightly.
"Q-Qi Refining, Three Stars?!"
Feeling the combined pressure and killing intent from the pair, the guards, who were only at the mid stage of Qi Gathering, trembled in fear and stepped back.
"W-We're sorry…!"
"Please forgive us, young masters."
"Hmph." Yang walked past them without another word, but Ming smirked with a cocky smile.
The two left the city and entered the vast grasslands. A refreshing breeze blew across the plains, the sky was lightly clouded, and the distant forest lay shrouded in mist.
"Have you hunted before, Ming?"
"I have, when I was younger, with my father. We used to belong to a hunter family that wandered the plains."
"I see. What happened after that?"
"Well…"
Ming fell silent for a moment. Sorrow filled her eyes.
"You don't have to say it if you don't want to."
"No… Have you heard about the phenomena happening outside? One of the reasons they don't let civilians leave so easily anymore is because of that."
"What?"
"The Golden Judge's Eye. Remember?"
"…?!"
A sharp pain pulsed through Yang's head. He groaned as memories suddenly flooded back: a giant golden pagoda and a presence staring at him, analyzing him, recognizing him from atop a distant mountain where sects and cultivators sought immortality.
"Golden Judge…?"
"I guess you've never heard of it. That thing took my family…"
"When I woke up, everyone was… they were gone."
Yang's eyebrows twitched. He struggled to understand what she meant.
"What?"
"They became gold statues."
As they entered the misty forest, more fragmented memories surged in Yang's mind, including the horrifying moment he had killed someone who resembled Elder Kai and turned him into a golden statue.
"Golden statues… the Golden Judge's Eye…"
As the pieces began to connect, Ming placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry about it. The Golden Judge hasn't been seen in decades. Spring Autumn City is safe. It's the last city on the plains and the most heavily fortified."
A growing sense of dread filled Yang. Could everything he remembered be nothing more than a dream? Was any of it real?
Ming quickly pulled him back to the present.
"Spirit Beasts!"
From the misty forest emerged three creatures resembling white stags with glowing emerald antlers.
Yang stared at them in silence. The stags stared back, their eyes locking onto his.
It felt as if they were peering straight into his soul.
"Yang!"
Ming smacked the back of his head, snapping him out of the trance.
"Don't look into their eyes! White stags can trap you in a world of illusions!"
"A world of illusions…"
"Fight! What's wrong with you?!"
"Sorry."
Yang nodded and advanced with Ming.
He gathered Sword Intent into his white-silver blade and unleashed a cross-shaped slash with ease.
SLAAASH!
One white stag failed to dodge and was sliced into four pieces. The other two fled while firing beams from their antlers.
"Don't let the beams hit you! They'll mess with your mind!"
"Understood."
Ming leaped swiftly onto a tree, then onto the back of one stag. With her bare hand infused with sharp Sword Intent, she sliced through its neck.
The third stag escaped.
"Aw, we lost the third one! I told you to focus. What's gotten into you, idiot?"
"I was thinking about too many things… about this world, the Judge's Eye. Doesn't that seem incredibly bizarre to you? Who is this Judge? Why is any of this happening?"
"Why would I question that? That's just how this world is."
"Hm."
"Well, we hunted two Spirit Beasts. That should be enough for today. We don't have storage artifacts yet, so we can only carry one each. Let's head back."
"Yeah, let's go."
The two young disciples returned to their master with the two white stags.
Elder Kai was overjoyed.
"Well done! Incredible! These are two powerful Rank 2 Spirit Beasts!" he laughed. "You need to hunt eight more on your own, and then we'll pass the test."
"That's good to know," Yang nodded. "What's for dinner?"
"We can't eat the Spirit Beasts since they're part of the test, but let's go out and eat something good," Elder Kai said kindly.
As night fell, the trio strolled through the streets beneath a sky full of glistening stars.
Ming seemed far more relaxed than usual. Though she was often grumpy, tonight she smiled calmly.
"Ming, I'm sorry for messing up earlier. It won't happen again."
"Eh, it's fine. Your head is always somewhere else, huh, Yang?"
She patted his shoulder, then leaned in and kissed his cheek, her face turning red.
"But I know you're an honest and kindhearted person. You always work hard for the sect… Thank you."
"Ming…"
Elder Kai raised his eyebrows, then quietly slipped away to give the two some privacy. He smiled proudly, happy to see their relationship growing.
"I also…"
As Yang prepared to confess his feelings, a sudden vision overlapped with Ming's face. Another girl appeared, with black and red hair and sorrowful red eyes.
"Don't forgive me… Louis…"
"Ah!"
Yang gasped and coughed violently. Sweat poured down his face as he looked down in disbelief.
"Y-Yang?! Are you okay? What's wrong?"
Ming caught him before he could fall.
"W-What was that? What did I see? That girl… she's…"
His eyes trembled as he gazed up at the stars. They were so beautiful, like bright eyes from the gods watching over creation.
Celestial.
Golden.
Never blinking.
Always staring.
As Yang, Ming, and Elder Kai looked at the sky, the entire city did the same.
The beautiful stars began to grow larger.
And larger.
Gold and blue in color, judging them all.
"A-Ahh…!"
"No…!"
"Why?!"
"So many?!"
"T-The Golden Judge!"
"What?!"
"Here?!"
"N-No…!"
"Run…!"
"RUN!!!"
Panic spread through the city as people screamed. The eyes in the sky shone with terrifying brilliance.
Their radiance flooded every corner.
Barrier formations activated one after another to protect the city.
Dozens of Core Formation cultivators and two at the Nascent Soul stage rushed out from the palace, pouring their lifeforce into reinforcing the barriers.
However…
BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!
The gaze of the Judge was absolute.
Countless explosions of golden light and white flames erupted across the city, reducing it to ruins in moments.
"Aaahhhh! Aaaahhh! No! No! Noooo!!!"
Ming lost her mind. She clutched her head and cried, tears streaming down her face as traumatic memories resurfaced.
"The Judge… he is here! HE IS HERE!!!"
"Ming!"
"What's wrong with her?!"
Kai was shocked. Yang was even more horrified.
"Grab her and run! Get out of the city!" Elder Kai ordered.
"B-But…!"
"Run, I said!" Kai roared, clenching his teeth. "You two… you two have to live!"
He placed his hands on Yang's shoulders, poured his energy into him, and gave him a blue ring.
With the last of his strength, he hurled Yang and Ming away from the city.
"MASTER!!!"
Yang screamed in horror as the radiance reached Elder Kai. The old man resisted for a moment, but the golden light consumed him. His body slowly melted into solid gold.
As Yang fell through the collapsing buildings with Ming in his arms, he coughed up blood.
"A-Aahh…"
He could not stop crying. Tears streamed down his face.
"Master…! No…! Why…! Why is this happening?!"
He looked up at the sky in horror. The eyes only grew larger, still judging.
"Ming…! Ming, wake up!"
"Aaahh! Yang…! We're going to die…! Yang…!"
She kept sobbing in his arms. Yang lifted her and ran desperately through the ruined streets.
People screamed as beams of light rained down, turning hundreds into golden statues.
He ran as fast as he could.
But…
BOOOM!
"Kuaaaagh?!"
A beam struck his back, smashing him through three buildings and into a wall. He vomited blood mixed with liquid gold.
"G-Guuugh…? W-Wha…?!"
His eyes widened. Half his body had turned to gold. His arms and hands were crushed and broken, and his leg was shattered.
"A-Ahh… M-Ming…?"
He looked down and saw Ming lying motionless on the ground, her head crushed from the fall, blood pooling beneath her.
"M-Ming…! MING!!!"
Tears of utter horror streamed down Yang's face. He screamed toward the heavens as his aura condensed into a single sword of gold and silver light.
"YOU DAMN BASTARD…!"
Consumed by wrath, he launched the sword into the starry sky, striking one of the gigantic eyes.
BOOOMMM!!!
The explosion was immense, yet the eye was barely scratched. It blinked once, leaking liquid gold.
Then it stared directly at him.
"Ah… Ming… Elder Kai… forgive me…"
Yang slowly closed his eyes as a radiant beam of light consumed his body entirely.
Like everyone else, he became gold, forever immortalized.
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