Enlightenment

Having broken through its shackles, the Kingdom of the Woods resumed its expansion—slow, steady, and irresistible—creeping outward from the heart of the White Nation toward the entire land. If one wished to escape from here, the unquestionable first choice would be the front-line base where the Federation had amassed heavy troops and immense power. Yet the crux of the matter was: what could they do once they reached the front-line base? Continue serving as cannon fodder and expendable assets? From the Security Bureau's perspective, nowhere could compare to the front-line base. But the problem was... Ji Jue was not part of the Security Bureau. One could only say that no matter how much the pursuers calculated, they had ultimately overlooked the depth of Ji Jue's trust in the Federation. Of course, in terms of sheer villainy, Ji Jue trusted the Federation ten-thousand-fold—after all, they were capable of every gutter-crawling trick in the book. Taking on occasional freelance gigs to earn some pocket change during ordinary times was one thing, but with the White Nation reduced to this godforsaken state, running straight into their front-line base would mean he had a hole in his head. At this moment, the craftsman's supreme wisdom told him that unless he intended to embroider a black banner overnight to welcome the Great Sin with open arms, his only option was to skirt the periphery of the entire Kingdom of the Woods and head toward the Red Nation. The Red Nation was wonderful! Business partners everywhere, and even the Knights of Homecoming had a stake in his venture. In the White Nation, he could only be an arms dealer, but in the Red Nation, he would at least count as an off-the-books local priest. No matter what, he wouldn't have to worry about the Knights of Homecoming selling him out, right? Unless they violated their covenant and abandoned their Priest-Lord altogether, they wouldn't dare dream of it! Having made up his mind, Little Niuma—disguised as a vehicle of the Evil Transmutation Cult—sped through the Kingdom of the Woods. It made a wide arc around the core of the Old Capital, tracing a curve from south to north on the map, hurtling straight in the direction of the Red Nation. Inside the quiet cabin, a sigh echoed. "Ji Jue, blindly running away solves nothing." Ji Jue stiffened slightly, then slowly turned around. He shot a sidelong glance at the 'haunting spirit' that had clipped through the vehicle's body like a video game glitch, his gaze filled with bafflement—its meaning clear: *Old geezer, why the hell are you still here?!* *Shouldn't you go find a cool spot and stay out of sight?* "By rights, I shouldn't say anything, but the issue lies in the confusion within your heart." King Ciji gazed at him and let out a rueful sigh. "Though the Shangri-La of today has changed beyond recognition, a portion of its true essence still remains. "Under the entanglement of karma, if one can advance in the face of adversity, anyone can still attain enlightenment—including you." Saying so, he paused and glanced toward Tong Shan, who sat with lowered eyes in a light doze. Across the monk-king's impassive expression, an almost illusory smile flickered. "Look, hasn't he already attained enlightenment?" "Enlightenment my ass." Ji Jue was both amused and exasperated. "If enlightenment were any use, why are all of you Kings of Chaos dead without a single one left? You're full of more crap than Lord Huaxu!" "Enlightenment has nothing to do with life and death. In a certain sense, however, it stands above both." King Ciji's expression remained serene as he countered, "To you, is there truly nothing more important than life and death?" Ji Jue didn't answer, not bothering to entertain him. Yet King Ciji chuckled. A laugh brimming with delight. "Then you have already stepped onto the path of enlightenment." Even with blood-soaked hatred surging in his heart and resentment churning relentlessly, Ji Jue chose to forcibly suppress it for the sake of others, heading in the opposite direction. Even if he walked with his back turned to destiny, perhaps this too was a long road leading toward enlightenment. The essence of Shangri-La endured. The Kingdom of the Woods had fallen into an evil realm of cannibalistic slaughter, but was not this evil realm also forged from the enlightenment of countless souls? From the moment one stepped into Shangri-La, karma intertwined, fates tangled, and everything was already sealed. Under Ji Jue's own gravity, the path grew all the more distinct. He would attain enlightenment eventually. Whether he stayed or left... King Ciji gave a soft sigh and vanished. Little Niuma continued barreling forward. Until its speed gradually slowed— On the map, nestled at the bottom of a valley between two barren mountains, stood a ruined village. A viscous aura of the Great Sin clung to it; by all appearances, it had long since been overrun by wolf packs. Unless they wanted to make an eye-catching detour, passing straight through the village was their only option. Ji Jue looked back at the barely breathing Tong Shan, then at An Ning, who was forcing herself to stay alert. After a moment of contemplation, he gave a helpless sigh. One Tianyuan, one White Stag—both completely hard-countered by the Kingdom of the Woods. If they caused even the slightest stir in a fight, alarms would likely sound within minutes. Only he, an Ember, could still manage to bring his abilities to bear. After taking stock of his inventory and phlogiston reserves, he straightened his chief priest robes, preparing to show off his acting skills. "Brother Ji Jue, something's wrong." Just as he was rolling up his sleeves to resume his role in the Evil Transmutation Cult, An Ning's eyelids twitched, and her expression instantly turned grave. A metallic stench of blood drifted from the distance. Yet as Little Niuma crept forward, not a single person poked their head out to look. The entire village remained dead silent, completely devoid of sound. Until the first fresh corpse appeared before their eyes. It looked as though it had been ripped apart in a monster's furious rampage—severed clean at the waist, its head missing, blood splattered all across the ground. Throughout the wrecked, chaotic village, severed limbs and shattered remains were strewn everywhere, amidst a shower of blood and shredded flesh. Every single wolf that had originally occupied this place was now decapitated, reduced to lifeless silence. All of them dead! Even their blood had yet to congeal... "Killed only moments ago." Ji Jue bent down, picking up a shattered skull. When he saw the razor-sharp claw marks gouged into the bone, his heart pounded. Had the Kingdom of the Woods gone mad to this extent? They were even butchering their own kind?! A lingering wisp of fierce, frenzied aura hung in the air. In its sheer madness, a thirsty wolf had left trails of deep claw marks across the ground and walls. The instant he noticed it, a sudden chill rose from Ji Jue's heart. Without hesitation, he leaped back. An Ning, despite her exhausted state, surged forward, and a beam of Flying Light shot toward the shadow behind Ji Jue. Within the darkness, a blurred silhouette abruptly emerged. The lingering, frenzied wolf bared its fangs and claws. In a momentary flash, a razor-sharp talon was already slashing down toward Ji Jue's throat. It was too fast—there was barely time to react. Amidst the sudden shift, Ji Jue raised his arm instinctively. The moment his Regeneration form took shape, his raised arm was torn clean off at the shoulder, shredded into bloody pulp. The snarling dark figure pressed in relentlessly, hooked fingers stopping mere hairs from Ji Jue's neck. Yet that infinitesimal delay was enough for Ji Jue's spiritus hand to manifest from the void, pressing down hard onto the attacker's face. Pan Ying, Chunjun, Zhanlu—three distinct spiritus fluctuations overlapped, tearing through the shadow concealing the face with overwhelming force to reveal its true features. In that nearly imperceptible instant, both Ji Jue and the attacker widened their eyes. That dark-skinned, bearded man—that familiar face... he had seen it somewhere before— Unfortunately, it was too late. There was no stopping now. Just as Ji Jue's expression hardened, unyielding, he saw it—the attacker froze. The hooked fingers capable of tearing Ji Jue's throat open halted against his neck, a hair's breadth away. Yet Ji Jue accelerated! The spiritus hand pierced through ruthlessly, penetrating the attacker's torso before emerging behind his back to pinch and stop the streak of Flying Light that was about to drive into the back of his skull. *Boom!* Taking advantage of that momentary pause, Tong Shan's telekinesis erupted. The attacker was hurled backward into the ruins with a colossal crash, throwing up a cloud of dust. ... Ji Jue stood in place, caught his cleanly severed arm, and reattached it. In just a few seconds, it restored itself to its original state. He looked toward the dust rising from the ruins. And at that face covered in dust and blood. He finally remembered. "It's you." Ji Jue raised a hand to stop An Ning from delivering a finishing strike. Staring at that twisted, wolfish visage, he froze for a moment. He had seen this face before. During the rescue mission at the illegal drug lab amid the White Stag storm, this man had slaughtered all the drug pushers. Before the floodwaters submerged the basement, he had carried all the victims on his back, walking out of the sea of flames step by step. They had brushed shoulders back then... Ji Jue had never imagined that he would be a wolf. "Can you tell me why?" Ji Jue walked over, crouched down, and studied him, unable to suppress his confusion. "Just because we met once?" "Met once?" The bearded man's face twitched in a neurotic spasm, as though fighting to restrain something. For a fleeting instant, he seemed unable to hold back, on the verge of pouncing, yet in the end he did not move. "More than once, Mr. Ji." He raised a hand, fumbled inside his coat for a long time, and pulled out a twisted, faded badge, tossing it onto the ground. With a light clink, the badge landed in the dirt. It astonished Ji Jue even more. Was that... a good deed badge issued by the Church of Chongguang? "Vagrants like us who live in the shadows, scuttling about in hiding, living hand to mouth... how could we survive without help? Heh..." Ni Lin's expression twitched into a self-deprecating smirk. "If not for running out of time, I'd probably still be assembling lighters in your factory." "..." Ji Jue remained silent for a long moment before asking, "Did Elder Longge know?" "Maybe? Maybe he guessed a little, or maybe he never gave it a thought." Ni Lin fell silent too, answering bitterly, "Even when I stole so much from him, he never held it against me... Perhaps he thought I could still be turned around... Turns out this goddamn place was beyond saving all along..." He looked at Ji Jue, then at the Evil Transmutation Cult vestment on his body, his gaze complicated. "The Elder said you're a good person." "He's blind." Ji Jue said impassively, "How could I ever count as a good person?" Ni Lin didn't speak, letting out an exhausted sigh. He looked at Ji Jue, then at the stern, cold face of Tong Shan inside the vehicle behind him. In all these years, these were the only two outsiders he truly remembered— One willing to stand at the very forefront in the face of natural disaster; the other willing to reach out a hand to those destitute wretches who had nothing left but their pain... For a fleeting moment, he had almost believed that everything could still be salvaged. Reality had proven him wrong. From the past to the present, one mistake after another; even now, he was still in the wrong. Yet he genuinely lacked the strength to lay a hand on people like this anymore. If it was a mistake, let it be. He closed his eyes. Throughout it all, An Ning never let down her guard. She warned in a low voice, "Brother Ji Jue, wolves can't be trusted." "I know." Ji Jue nodded, his resolve unshaken. Perhaps those who degraded themselves into beasts deserved no sympathy, but if someone truly embraced becoming a beast with an open heart, how could he have stayed his hand at that split second? An Ning understood what he meant. After a brief silence, she said, "He's already on the verge of losing control..." Ni Lin said nothing. Spasms rippled across his face as madness and chaos swirled within his eyes. The shadow beneath his feet squirmed incessantly, as if overcome by an intolerable thirst, repeatedly attempting to strike at Ji Jue who stood just inches away, yet constantly held back by sheer willpower. "Your name." Ji Jue pondered for a moment, then spoke up, "Tell me your name." "..." Ni Lin hesitated, letting out a bitter sigh. He glanced at An Ning. "Inayat. My name is Inayat. If the White Stag Hunter has no impression of that, she might be more familiar with another name..." "A royal guard of the White Nation back in the day, among the first batch of the Chosen to be transformed into wolves. An old wolf my family has been hunting down for years... I recognize you." An Ning coldly interrupted him, "You are 'Ni Lin.'" "..." Ni Lin remained silent, devoid of excuses. He bared his neck, awaiting the blade. *Roster verified. Inayat, male, fifty-four years old. Registered with the church nineteen years ago, totaling 970 hours of charitable aid service.* Isis's spiritus transmission arrived: *Badge serial number confirmed.* "Whether you are Inayat or Ni Lin, do you trust me?" Ji Jue scrutinized him, then suddenly broke into a bright smile. "Believing or not doesn't really matter. You're going to die anyway, so why not trust me just a little bit, alright?" The moment the words left his mouth, Chunjun materialized in his grasp without warning, plunging into Ni Lin's flesh and wedging straight into his soul. Ni Lin's eyes bulged in shock. Confusion, astonishment, hunger, and fury churned wildly, slipping beyond his control. Yet in the end, no matter what surged, it all collapsed into agonizing spasms and torment, forcing a wretched scream from his lungs! As the bone blade drove deep, the Non-Offensive hand manifested, clamping over his face. Dissociation Art erupted, sweeping through everything with irresistible force. With Chunjun stabilizing his matrix and consciousness, it tore through all the wolf sin's corruption like splitting bamboo, forcefully erecting a brand-new bulwark within his soul. It had been too long. The corruption of the wolf sin had seeped deep into his marrow and spirit. Furthermore, over all these years, Ni Lin had fed on human flesh more than once out of ravenous thirst. No matter how wicked those victims had been, feeding was feeding; he could deceive neither others nor himself. Ripping it out by force would be no different from killing him. However, Ji Jue could act directly upon his Wolfblood Oath. Relying on his own Wolfblood Oath, he forcefully suppressed the other man's, causing this oath—which had swelled relentlessly under the nourishment of the Kingdom of the Woods—to run haywire, stall, and lock down completely! Under the circulation of Three-Phase Alchemy, the scarlet brambles piercing his soul rapidly lost their vitality, sinking into a deep slumber and turning entirely dormant. Yet the intense pain and gruesome aftermath still left Ni Lin teetering on the brink of death. Yet curiously, after that momentary stupor, Ni Lin couldn't help but part his lips and burst into uproarious laughter. He felt an unprecedented sense of liberation and ease, as if a crushing burden had been lifted from his shoulders. How many years had it been? To be free of that bone-deep hunger and greed... It felt like rebirth! Ji Jue took out a vial of spiritus tonic and a ration packet, placing them before him. "This is merely an expedient measure, so don't celebrate too early. Once the Wolfblood Oath wakes up, the backlash will only be more ferocious. "Consider this repayment for you holding back your hand just now. Take advantage of this window to leave the Kingdom of the Woods. Once you're out, settle whatever affairs you have left, and then find a deserted spot to die." In an instant, the smile froze on Ni Lin's face. It wasn't regret for himself. Rather, he had finally remembered once more—even if he escaped the Kingdom of the Woods now, he was already homeless. There was nowhere left for him to return. The inside was hell, and so was the outside. They were one and the same. There was no such thing as a future or hope, which were only fit to trick children. "The outside..." He gave a wretched laugh. "It's almost gone, too... From now on, there probably won't be a White Nation anymore." Ji Jue's expression froze. "The blood of the White Nation was defiled by the wolf sin long ago. Choosing not to fall into the shadow of the Tower back then and turning to the wolf instead was nothing more than an act of desperation, drinking poison to quench a thirst. It was doomed from the start. "Fainting spells and madness are only the beginning. Now, even newborn infants are developing sudden high fevers. Once Bloodthirst Syndrome fully erupts, every single person will turn into a living corpse. "No matter how far you run, it's useless... "Before long, the Empire and the Federation will likely begin the slaughter." Ni Lin wolfed down the food Ji Jue had given him, laughing bitterly through mouthfuls, barely able to hold back tears of grief and fury. "Waiting for so many years... at last, they got what they wished for." Ji Jue remained silent. After a long while, he raised his eyes to look at the blood-red colossal tree stretching across the firmament. "A single person's selfish whim, a single misstep... how many lives must be ruined before it ends?" Ni Lin's movements paused for a split second, then he went back to frantically devouring the food, even picking up breadcrumbs that had fallen into the dirt and popping them into his mouth. After a long silence, he suddenly asked, "Mr. Ji, if you were in the same position back then..." "I don't know." Ji Jue cut him off before he could finish. "Don't ask me." He detested this pointless game of putting oneself in another's shoes, and loathed even more the wishful thinking of 'what-ifs' and 'if onlys.' Besides, what if it *had* been him? The squeeze and containment from the Federation and the Empire, foreign peril breathing down their necks, and endless waves of internal strife stirred up by proxies on both sides... Sitting on that throne, anyone with a shred of responsibility would be in agonizing torment, dreading ruin yet fearing death. Living in restless misery, yet terrified of the deluge after their demise. Even Ji Jue, if pushed to the brink of despair, would likely curse their mothers and throw himself into sin. But turning to sin on one's own was one thing; why drag the entire White Nation down, pulling everyone into hell together? A desperate death-struggle ending in exposure and ruin—it could only be called well-deserved! What was there to pity?! Wait... Ji Jue's face twitched. His vision darkened for a moment, and he instinctively stood up. "Did the Priest-King back then... really fail?" Ni Lin kept his head down, silent. Only Ji Jue stood frozen, his expression shifting rapidly, feeling as though he could hardly breathe. "Inayat, tell me—" He looked up instinctively at the blood-red tree in the sky, his voice filled with disbelief. "Did the Priest-King back then... ever truly intend to succeed?" Ni Lin kept his head bowed, still saying nothing. Yet as a former royal guard, the Priest-King's personal protector, his silence was the answer. In a brief daze, lightning seemed to flash across Ji Jue's mind. Countless scattered thoughts and clues suddenly snapped into place, as if the long-lost puzzle piece had finally been found, completing the picture. The Priest-King of that year had intentionally turned himself into a wolf, dragging the entire White Nation with him... And then, he had intentionally failed! He had deliberately exposed his plans to the outside world, and at the crucial final threshold, deliberately met his defeat amidst an encirclement. He had spared no expense to bind the entire White Nation to his own fate. He sowed the Wolfblood Oath into the bloodlines and souls of every citizen of the White Nation. Relying on the power of the wolf sin, he allowed Shangri-La to be eroded and corrupted, transforming it into a cocoon for his metamorphosis and his sole hope of resurrection. He turned the entire White Nation into an unprecedented, supermassive bomb! By leveraging the possibility of his own resurrection, he held the expansion and oppression of the Empire and Federation at bay. Using the potential disaster of total corruption, he forced everyone to leave a sliver of survival for the White Nation! So long as the people of the White Nation could maintain their meager, squalid existence, so long as there remained a tiny flicker of hope in their lives, the Wolf of the Woods would never truly be born or descend. Yet once the White Nation fell apart completely, amidst the despair and deaths of all its people, the third Wolf Sin would be thoroughly forged from their blood and hatred! It was practically like a desperate man driven into a corner who took an extreme gamble by pulling off a hostage crisis! He had strapped the entire White Nation directly across the two poles of Tianyuan! He forced the Empire and the Federation, the oppressors, to maintain a baseline. He forced them, after his death, to establish a so-called interim government, build dykes, and provide relief, thereby allowing the chaotic White Nation to endure all these years. To prevent the contamination of Tianyuan, the Federation and the Empire had no choice but to cede a portion of their interests to the local aristocracy, indirectly cultivating that gaudy, hedonistic monstrosity known as Tacheng. With the death of one man, the two most colossal entities in the mortal world were forced to act with extreme caution, compelled to make concessions, maintaining the status quo for several decades... What generations of Priest-Kings could never achieve in life, the previous Priest-King achieved simply through his death! Even if the White Nation fell into the mud... even in the mud, there was still room to scrape by! Meanwhile, the Sand Nation, whose past glory was by no means inferior to the White Nation's, had long since lost all its territory, degenerating into destitute nomads wandering through hell. Even as they died out, no one gave a damn! "..." Ji Jue raised his head to stare at the colossal tree in the sky. He finally recalled the vision he had seen before: the rotting giant wolf trapped in the shadows that had refrained from devouring him. No, even if it hadn't been bound by death, that wolf wouldn't have eaten him, would it? Even now, it was still doing everything in its power to stall the progress of the sacrificial rite, stuffing into itself the offerings that all the other wolves thirsted for... solely to slow the ritual down by even a fraction. It had abandoned the opportunity for sweeping vengeance, swallowing blood, tears, and hatred in vain, just to let the White Nation linger for a few more days. Yet in the end, it was forced to watch helplessly as everything plunged into hell. Having given up everything, not hesitating to hold the Empire and the Federation hostage, he had never foresaw that one day, driven by those very powers, the people of the White Nation would destroy their own homeland with their own hands. Even if he had anticipated it back then, he had no other recourse. How could there be so many choices in this world? Where was there another path to take? Along this dead-end road that sank deeper by the step, the White King had already walked in silence for several decades. In his daze, through the shrill wind blowing through the branches of the colossal tree, mournful wails and roars seemed to echo once more from the darkness of the dense forest. The newly expanded giant tree emitted a crimson glow, illuminating the parched wasteland. And upon that wasteland—one figure after another stumbled forward in tattered rags. Groans, howls, cries. Men and women, young and old alike—under the spread of the Wolfblood Oath, the bloodthirst was steadily eroding their consciousness and souls. As their eyes turned vacant, they degenerated into beast-like walking corpses. Gathering in packs from all directions, they moved step by step toward the Kingdom of the Woods. Marching into the abyss, into hell. After lingering for several decades, destruction had arrived at last. Amidst the mournful howls and weeping of the old wolf. Upon the giant tree, the desiccated corpse twitched slightly, yet remained powerless to break free— Only thick tears of blood trickled down from its shattered face. Falling into the thirsty dust, vanishing without a trace. "Thank you for your help, Mr. Ji." Having silently finished his last meal, Ni Lin slowly stood up. He bowed solemnly before Ji Jue, offering devout praise and gratitude according to the etiquette of the White Nation. Ji Jue hesitated, but ultimately said nothing. "My apologies. At this stage, I have nothing left to repay you with, and we probably won't meet again." Ni Lin hesitated for a moment, then pulled an aged notebook from his pocket, presenting it with both hands as he lowered his head in shame. "Over these years, I took care of some children. If I don't return, those children will..." Ji Jue's gaze remained aloof; he did not reach out to take it. "Coastal is a commercial entity, not a charity. Useless brats will be ignored, left to fend for themselves," Ji Jue said coldly. "Don't place your hopes on others, Mr. Ni Lin. Learn to handle your own affairs. Don't you feel this is a bit too shameless?" "Indeed." Ni Lin offered a self-deprecating chuckle. He gently placed the notebook on the ground before him, took two steps back, and looked at Ji Jue one last time. "Then I shall trouble you with it." He simply wouldn't listen to reason. Eating and taking what he could, and then dumping orphans onto someone else, expecting others to raise his kids—only this brand of shamelessness was truly worthy of a wolf. He had never seen such a disgraceful wolf! Did he have no sense of shame?! Yet no matter how Ji Jue mocked him with cold indifference, not a single ripple stirred in the man's eyes. He walked away step by step, looked back toward them one last time, and then, completely abandoning any attempt to hide his presence, threw back his head and howled at the sky. A surge of spiritus fluctuations erupted like a blazing torch, disturbing the Kingdom of the Woods and drawing every watchful eye. Using himself as bait, he led away all the surrounding wolf packs... And just like that, he charged into the dark wilderness ahead. Never to be seen again. "What rotten luck." Ji Jue's face was grim. Looking down at the notebook at his feet, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to kick it away. In silence, he bent down and picked it up. Behind him, King Ciji's phantom form manifested once more. Gazing in the direction where Ni Lin had vanished. "No matter how much you say, it is futile, Ji Jue." The monk lowered his eyes in pity. "He has made his decision. He has attained a measure of enlightenment, just like the Priest-King back then." Enlightenment, enlightenment, always enlightenment! To hell with your enlightenment! Ji Jue was thoroughly sick of it. He glared fiercely, yet Ciji remained completely indifferent, gazing upon the hellish scene before them with neither joy nor sorrow. It sent a sudden chill through Ji Jue. "Wait, the Priest-King back then—" "That was his own choice; it had nothing to do with me." Ciji answered serenely, "What kind of enlightenment one obtains has never been mine to decide. The only thing I can grant is the opportunity to seek enlightenment—nothing more." "Enlightenment my foot!" Ji Jue was utterly fed up. Pointing at the Kingdom of the Woods before them, he barked, "Come on, tell me, what damn use is your enlightenment? What bloody difference does it make once you've attained it?" "'...How little difference there is between humans and beasts?'" Ciji countered, "Man is the primate of all creation. Is not this enlightenment the very thing that matters most? "Whether doing good or committing evil, once one understands why they live and what they are willing to die for, from that moment on, they have crossed the divide separating beasts from primates. "In life, they will not wander in confusion; in death, they will not hesitate or fear. In comparison, hell and paradise are merely superficial forms. Is there truly any difference between your supreme virtues and great sins?" Ji Jue scoffed. "Can creatures like those wolves even be considered human?!" "Is not accepting one's own hunger and greed far more courageous than the deceit of two-faced hypocrites? "Even if hideous, being able to accept one's true face and live on as such a beast—is that not far more vivid and wondrous than muddling through life in a stupor? "Only when a person realizes their own true heart and nature can they truly be said to live." King Ciji turned his head and asked, "Setting aside beasts that willingly degenerate, looking across the world today, how many 'people' are truly 'alive'? "No matter the era, no matter the world, it is always the same. "Too many beasts, yet far too few humans. "That is precisely why enlightenment is needed, Ji Jue. Virtuous or wicked, whatever form they take, so long as they are human, it suffices. When I stepped onto this path in the past, all I wanted was a few more of my own kind." Ji Jue looked at him coldly, demanding, "Even if it causes the deaths of countless more?" "Well, indeed... an unpardonable sin." The king renowned for mercy and relief remained completely unbothered as he countered, "You have killed so many with your own hands. Have you ever regretted it?" "You know what my answer would be." "Yes, and that is your enlightenment." Ciji smiled, with both regret and anticipation. "A pity that you are still just one step away... I eagerly await the day you take that step. Ji Jue, you shall attain enlightenment." "Enlighten my ass!" The phantom shattered. Tossed aside by Ji Jue. Paying no more heed to that so-called enlightenment, Ji Jue pulled open the car door and climbed inside. Setting out once again. Turning against the radiant glow calling out behind them, they sped toward the distance. Within the deathly silent village, not a sound remained. Only the phantom of King Ciji appeared once more, lifting his head to gaze at the illusory light in the sky. Quietly waiting.