Mortal Dawn and Dusk, My Eternal Life - Chapter 25

As Su Mingyue’s consciousness, like a tide, receded from that blood-and-tear-soaked Tang Dynasty memory and regained control of her body bound by black chains, an indescribable weariness and heaviness, like a giant stone, pressed upon her heart. A-Mu’s eyes, filled with unwillingness and despair, the old Daoist’s venomous curse, and the pitch-black coffin shrouded in blood-colored runes… scene after scene, like the sharpest carving knife, deeply etched themselves onto her soul, making every breath she took feel piercingly painful.

“A-Mu…”

Su Mingyue softly murmured the name, her voice hoarse, filled with endless sorrow and… guilt. She finally understood. She understood the origin of this black coffin, the source of that heaven-reaching resentment, and she understood the unimaginable torment that foolish child had endured over countless years, using his entire life to protect an ephemeral “fairy sister.”

If only… if only I had discovered earlier that he had accidentally ingested my blood…
If only I hadn’t left so easily then…
If only…

Countless “if onlys” swirled in Su Mingyue’s mind, but she knew that everything was irreversible. Once the wheels of fate began to turn, they could not stop. This tragedy, born of her, this obsession that had spanned a thousand years, it was time for her to personally bring it to an end.

“Dust to dust, ashes to ashes…” Su Mingyue slowly raised her head. Her eyes, which had been somewhat vacant from entering the memory, now burned with an unprecedented determination and… resolve.

“Everything began because of me, then… let me end it!”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a decisive power! As her words fell, a majestic and pure power suddenly erupted from the depths of her body! This power was no longer just spiritual energy of the Daoist arts; it also contained the primordial power of her immortality!

“Clang—!!!”

The black chains that had tightly bound her let out wails of unbearable strain under the impact of this power, and then… they snapped link by link!

Su Mingyue, was freed from her restraints!

She slowly descended from mid-air, landing steadily in front of the black coffin, which radiated endless resentment and a terrifying aura. She could feel that within the black coffin, A-Mu’s savage aura, fused with demonic power and her blood’s energy, was wildly agitated, as if sensing her presence. However, within this aura, there was no longer any trace of A-Mu’s clear consciousness, only the most primal, formed by a thousand years of resentment and demonic erosion… pure instinct for slaughter and destruction.

“A-Mu… do you still remember me?” Su Mingyue asked softly, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible tremor.

However, her only reply was an even more furious roar from within the black coffin!

“Roar—!!!”

Immediately after, the black coffin violently trembled! Countless black chains, even thicker and more grotesque than before, surged wildly from the coffin’s seams like awakened demonic dragons, sweeping towards Su Mingyue with world-destroying momentum, overwhelming the sky and earth! These chains no longer had the old Daoist’s runes; instead, they were covered with dense, twisted, bizarre dark golden demonic patterns, exuding a heart-pounding terror!

Su Mingyue looked at the furiously assaulting chains, a hint of sorrow flashing in her eyes. She knew that the “demon” before her was no longer the A-Mu who would timidly call her “fairy sister” back then. A thousand years of sealing, endless resentment, and the demonic erosion of the wolf demon’s heart had completely annihilated his humanity, turning him into a monster that knew only slaughter and destruction.

He, no longer remembered her.

Perhaps…
Not remembering, perhaps, was also a form of release.

Su Mingyue took a deep breath, suppressing the surging pain and reluctance in her heart. She extended her right hand, and the peach wood sword that had fallen during the previous battle, as if summoned, flew back into her hand with a “whoosh.” She held her left hand with fingers joined like a sword, and lightly brushed them across the ancient peach wood sword’s blade! A crimson streak of blood appeared on the pure white blade! Her blood, being pure yang, countered all yin and evil! At this moment, this blood, imbued with her immortal essence, would become the sharp blade to end this thousand-year tragedy!

“A-Mu, I’m sorry,” Su Mingyue said softly, her voice filled with apology and resolve. “Back then, it was my unintentional mistake that caused you to endure this thousand years of suffering. Today, let me… personally set you free.”

After speaking, her eyes narrowed, and the peach wood sword in her hand erupted with dazzling golden-red light! Within that light, the pure yang power of her blood was contained, along with a fierce sword intent to sever all karmic ties! She no longer hesitated. Her figure shifted, and she actively met the furiously attacking black chains!

“Clang! Clang! Bang! Bang! Bang!”

A heart-stopping battle erupted once again in this gigantic underground space! The peach wood sword in Su Mingyue’s hand, after being stained with her blood, was incomparably more powerful than before! Each swing of the sword carried an irresistible pure yang force. The grotesque black chains, the moment they touched the sword’s edge, emitted “sizzling” sounds as if they had met their bane, releasing puffs of black smoke, and then were easily severed and crushed!

The “demon” within the black coffin seemed to sense the threat of Su Mingyue’s peach wood sword, letting out even more furious and violent roars! More black chains surged from the coffin, like raging waves, attacking Su Mingyue in succession! The entire underground space violently shook from the fierce battle, as if it could collapse at any moment!

Su Mingyue’s figure was elusive, twisting and turning amidst the dense chain attacks. The peach wood sword in her hand moved faster and faster, becoming more and more lethal! Her eyes were firm and focused, showing no retreat or hesitation. She knew this was something she had to do. For A-Mu, and for herself.

The battle lasted for a full stick of incense. Su Mingyue also gained a few scratches from the chains whipping her, but her immortal body made her completely fearless of these superficial wounds. However, the black chains surging from the black coffin, under her continuous strikes, became scarcer and weaker.

Finally, after a powerful horizontal sweep by Su Mingyue, the last few black chains were all severed by her! With no more chains to obstruct her, Su Mingyue walked step by step towards the black coffin, which radiated endless resentment. She could feel that within the coffin, A-Mu’s savage aura still roared madly, filled with unwillingness and a desire for destruction.

“It’s over, A-Mu.”

Su Mingyue stood before the black coffin, raising the peach wood sword stained with her blood, its tip pointing directly at the center of the coffin. Her eyes were filled with sorrow, yet also a hint of release.

“Break—!!!”

With a clear cry, the peach wood sword in her hand, carrying an unyielding resolve, fiercely plunged into the incredibly solid black coffin!

“Boom—!!!!!”

A deafening roar!

The pitch-black coffin, which had carried a thousand years of resentment and pain, exploded with a crash under Su Mingyue’s sword, imbued with her primordial power! Countless fragments splattered in all directions! A thick, ultimate black demonic qi, mixed with A-Mu’s final roar filled with unwillingness and despair, surged out from the shattered coffin, and then…

Under the purification of the peach wood sword’s pure yang power, it slowly dissipated, annihilated…

Finally, it completely returned to nothingness.

When all the demonic qi had completely vanished, the entire underground space fell into a dead silence. Only Su Mingyue stood quietly in place, holding the peach wood sword that had lost all its light. On her face, two lines of clear tears had fallen at some unknown time.

A-Mu…
The orphan she had unintentionally saved on a Tang Dynasty street…
The young man who had endured a thousand years of suffering because of an unintentional drop of her blood…
Finally… he was released.

Su Mingyue slowly closed her eyes, letting the tears fall. After a long while, she slowly opened her eyes. The sorrow in them gradually replaced by a sense of calm. She glanced at the now utterly ravaged underground space and the scattered fragments of the black coffin on the ground. She knew that she could no longer stay here.

She formed hand seals, chanting an ancient sealing incantation. As her incantation sounded, dense golden runes began to appear on the floor and walls of the entire underground space. These runes, like living entities, spread rapidly, completely enveloping the entire underground space. Finally, all the runes converged at the mouth of the dry well from which Su Mingyue had descended, forming an indestructible golden seal. From this day forward, everything here would be completely sealed away, never to harm the human world again.

Having completed all this, Su Mingyue turned and slowly left this place filled with sorrow and despair. Her steps were somewhat heavy, but her eyes were clearer than ever before. She knew that this karmic debt, spanning a thousand years, had finally… concluded.