"She must die..." What a chilling statement, "She must die."
The frigid voice traveled through the long passage of time, finally enabling Zhaozhao, who had been reborn for less than a hundred years, to understand the whole truth.
Legend has it that there is a tree called the "Resurrection Tree", which is said to have the miraculous effects of bestowing immortality and bringing the dead back to life. Such alluring powers have made it the object of yearning and obsession for people in the world.
For mortals and demons alike, nothing could be more appealing than this.
Countless humans and demons squandered vast resources and efforts in pursuit of this legendary tree. Some sought eternal life, while others aimed to resurrect their most beloved ones.
However, a legend remains a legend. After a strange and frenzied search, no one had ever truly laid eyes on such a divine tree. Eventually, the world returned to tranquility.
Now, learning that such a tree truly exists, and that its power extends far beyond immortality and resurrection, capable of nurturing boundless spiritual energy, this has become the long - awaited dream of countless gods, demons, and cultivators.
How could the Heavenly Dao ever feel at ease with such a being?
"I don't know anything about the Resurrection Tree, and I've... never had the slightest intention of bringing harm to the world. Why don't you believe me?"
The illusory and real figures of Zhaozhao gradually merged, both exuding the same helplessness and pain.
A ray of golden light pierced through the clouds in the distance. Beneath the light stood a figure cloaked in rosy clouds. Calmly, she spoke, "You may have no intention of causing disputes, but the world has been thrown into chaos because of you. Greedy people can never be eradicated. As long as you exist, peace will never be possible."
"So I must die?" Zhaozhao stared at the illusory figure almost resentfully, her voice filled with unwillingness.
As her robes fluttered in the wind and her vision blurred, she saw Su Yuan dashing towards her from afar.
Of course, she was unwilling. How could she be willing?
Just when Su Yuan had finally put an end to everything, and just when they were about to leave this place and live a carefree life...
"I was born to uphold the laws of all things. Your sacrifice is inevitable." The illusory figure was like a cold and heartless stone. With a wave of her hand, thunderbolts descended. "Actually, you shouldn't have taken form so early. It was the divine dragon Su Yuan who infused you with his spiritual energy, which hastened your transformation. You voluntarily displayed your supernatural powers in front of others for his sake, thus exposing your identity. Everything is just the cycle of cause and effect, a matter of fate."
Fate? What a ridiculous word...
Zhaozhao was struck down by the lightning. The wounds on her body were scorched black, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. She longed to laugh at these words, but she didn't even have the strength to open her mouth.
The thunderbolts flashed across the sky once again. Zhaozhao closed her eyes in despair, but the expected pain never came.
When she opened her eyes again, the first thing she saw was the moon - white figure that she had envisioned countless times in her heart.
"Su Yuan..."
"Don't be afraid, Zhaozhao. I'm here."
Su Yuan single - handedly blocked all the thunder punishments, creating a small safe haven for her.
"Heartless Heavenly Dao." Su Yuan coldly glanced at the illusory figure. "I've fulfilled my promise to you. Now I have a new request. Let me take her away."
The illusory figure shook her head and sighed. "I once thought you were unaware of this little demon's true identity when you intervened before. Now that you know, how can you stop me? Su Yuan, step aside quickly!"
The protective barrier began to crack. Veins bulged on Su Yuan's face as he argued word by word, "It's not her fault that she was born this way. I will take her away and keep her far from the world. No one else will ever know her identity."
"Presumptuous!" The illusory figure representing the Heavenly Dao raised her hand. Thunder roared, and a towering wave of anger and killing intent bore down on Su Yuan's back, forcing him to kneel on one knee.
Dragon scales protruded from Su Yuan's body, and one of his dragon horns snapped off under the immense impact. He spat out mouthfuls of blood, which splashed onto the ground, a clear indication of the excruciating pain he was enduring.
"Don't!"
Zhaozhao rushed towards Su Yuan like a madwoman and hugged him tightly, trying to protect him with her tiny body.
But it was in vain. The moment Su Yuan reached her side, he had set up a deadly formation with his own body. He knew that the Heavenly Dao would not let Zhaozhao go so easily. All he could do was use all his strength to fight against the Heavenly Dao.
Although he couldn't kill the Heavenly Dao, he could at least severely wound it and make it fall into a deep slumber for thousands of years.
As long as Zhaozhao could leave now, with the innate power of the Resurrection Tree, she would surely be beyond the Heavenly Dao's easy reach after thousands of years.
Su Yuan struggled to raise one hand and held Zhaozhao's hand tightly. With the other hand, he reached for his chest and, enduring the pain of bone - splitting and tendon - tearing, pulled out his heart - protecting scale.
"Zhaozhao, take this and leave here. It will protect you for a while when I'm gone."
"What a doomed pair!" Seeing Su Yuan's determination to die, the Heavenly Dao was eager to end this before he could activate the formation.
Tens of thousands of thunderbolts fell. Everything would be instantly reduced to powder under such power.
"No!" A tremendous power suddenly erupted from Zhaozhao's body as she protected Su Yuan and blocked the thunderbolts.
But how could she possibly withstand tens of thousands of thunderbolts?
The dragon scales on Su Yuan's arms and neck began to fall off. Zhaozhao watched all this and put down the heart - protecting scale in her hand. Step by step, she walked out of Su Yuan's formation.
"Zhaozhao, come back, come back..." Su Yuan called out to her weakly, but she didn't look back.
She couldn't bear to look back, because she was so attached. She was afraid that if she did, she wouldn't have the courage to die.
"I was wrong. It was all my fault... I'm willing to die. Please save him. Please save him!" In fact, she didn't know what she had done wrong, but at this moment, she could only assume it was all her fault.
Weeping bitterly, she walked under the illusory figure. The rain soaked her entire body as she begged the Heavenly Dao, which intended to erase her, to save her beloved one.
The Heavenly Dao withdrew the thunderbolts from Su Yuan and poured them all onto Zhaozhao without saying a single word.
"Zhaozhao—!" A heart - rending roar came from behind. Zhaozhao wiped away her tears and smiled silently, leaving her last words in this world.
"Su Yuan, if there's a next life, I will surely fall in love with you again. I'll fall in love with you the moment I open my eyes..."
After countless resounding thunderclaps, everything between heaven and earth returned to tranquility. The rain stopped, and the sky cleared.
Zhaozhao left nothing behind.
"What did she do wrong?" Su Yuan hung his head so that his expression couldn't be seen. He repeated the question over and over again. "She just wanted to live. What did she do wrong? She was just a... little demon..."
The illusory figure stared at Su Yuan for a long time, and then, as if fulfilling a promise, it descended a fluorescent light that enveloped Su Yuan.
Thus, the so - called heartless Heavenly Dao erased everyone's memories of Zhaozhao.
"Since she has already disappeared, there's no need to leave any unnecessary traces."
Perhaps it was also worried that Su Yuan, overwhelmed by grief, would lose his sanity and fight it to the death. So it took action while Su Yuan was weak.
It still needed Su Yuan to maintain the balance between the human and demon worlds, so it made him more rational, free from desires.
After that, the human and demon worlds signed a treaty of peaceful coexistence. In that great war, the only casualty was the unmarried wife of the Dragon Lord, but no one would ever remember.
The young Fufeng hugged the package in his hands, not knowing where it came from, and waited in vain for his savior to return.
He ascended to the throne of the Ghost Emperor and began to learn how to handle the affairs of the underworld just like the previous Ghost Emperor.
The Dragon Lord, who single - handedly ended the war, sat on a high position. People all said that the Dragon Lord was as noble as the wind in the pines and the moon on the water, cold and detached. No one knew what kind of woman could catch his eye.
Hearing such rumors and looking at his heart - protecting scale, Su Yuan would sometimes fall into a daze for no reason. And so, many, many years passed.