Chapter 16: I Will Kill for You to See

Su Ziye tucked the pure, snow-white rose into the temple of Xing Xi’s hair.

Xing Xi stood there, somewhat at a loss, as the young man smiled and said, “It looks truly beautiful.”

With that, he turned and began to walk away.

“Time to go.” He had chosen to return to the cold, snow-covered plains.

Xing Xi paused, a subtle sense that something was amiss lingering in her mind. Yet, she could not quite pinpoint what it was. She had no choice but to follow in Su Ziye’s footsteps.

Twenty days had passed since Su Ziye accepted the Dark Star’s initiation task.

The young man walked across the snowy expanse.

Xiao had erased Xing Xi’s memories of entering the sea of roses, even using her supreme divine power to shift their time back to the state it was in before they had entered. The saint’s powers were nearly omnipotent, executed without leaving a trace—a perfect display of the strength Su Ziye had envisioned for such a being.

As for the questions he had sought to answer, he now had his answers.

All that remained was to press forward, unwavering.

As for Xiao’s commission, it was not something that could be completed immediately, though Su Ziye had already decided on the reward he would ask for. It would not be too late to ask that saint to fulfill her promise when the time came.

Su Ziye retraced his steps. He truly needed to return to where the Celestial Horse Chase-Shadow was, if only to settle his wager with it. As for the lingering shadows of extreme cold in the sky, now that he had Xiao’s promise, the young man no longer concerned himself with them; as long as he left, it would be fine.

He guessed that Xiao had chosen to erase Xing Xi’s memory because she did not want Xing Xi to report her presence to the Star-Track Council. The saint had a deep and complicated history with the Dark Star—a history devoid of goodwill—and even if only to avoid trouble, this was a logical choice. Su Ziye, naturally, had no obligation to explain any of this to Xing Xi.

At the very least, most of what he had set out to do in the Forest of Fading Splendor was complete. It was time to tie up the loose ends.

There was no more idle talk along the way. The young man traveled steadily, crossing the ice plains, returning to the forest, and roughly following his previous path back to Xing Xi’s territory. This took another five days, as Su Ziye no longer stopped to spar with the minor overlord beasts he encountered on his return journey.

Finally, he arrived back where he started.

“I want to see where you live,” Su Ziye said to the void.

Xing Xi was silent for a moment before finally agreeing. She materialized before Su Ziye and began to walk forward in silence. This time, it was Su Ziye’s turn to follow her.

Xing Xi’s dwelling was a primitive stone hut. It was built from neatly cut stone bricks, each one shaped with such precision that they were nearly identical. Even without any mortar, the seams between the bricks were so tight that not even a needle could pass through—a testament to the peak of Xing Xi’s masonry skills.

Yet, no matter how masterful, it remained a humble hut built of stone. The roof was a massive, natural slab of mica, which Xing Xi had cleaved to a thickness of less than three inches, allowing light to pass through it clearly.

Su Ziye stepped inside. The space was quite small, capable of holding only seven or eight people standing. Had he not seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed this was where a Sky-Realm Overlord resided. The young man carefully observed the room. Beyond the light filtering through the mica roof, the only furniture was a white stone bed, also hand-carved, topped with a simple stone pillow. There were no furs for bedding; the room was as stark as a snow cave, unimaginably simple.

The young man reflexively looked up and saw a small bone dagger mounted on the stone wall above the pillow, like a wall hanging, with a small, cyan-green magatama pendant dangling beneath it.

Su Ziye froze.

“Why don’t you wear it?” he asked softly.

When they had last met, that cyan magatama had been around Xing Xi’s neck. Years had passed, and when they met this time, Su Ziye had not seen it, assuming she might have discarded or destroyed it. But now, he clearly saw it hanging by the bed where she slept.

“Bad things happen when I wear it,” Xing Xi said calmly.

The last time she had worn that pendant during their battle, she had nearly killed him, but in the end, she had voluntarily withdrawn, losing her only chance to end his life. Perhaps, since that day, she had never worn it again.

Su Ziye unbuttoned his sleeve and held his wrist toward her. On his right wrist, the matching cyan magatama hung.

“I have always worn mine,” the young man said quietly.

Xing Xi was silent, offering no response.

“If you have truly forgotten, then I will take it with me,” the young man said, reaching out to unhook the pendant.

Then, cold fingertips pressed against his back.

“Touch it, and you die,” Xing Xi said calmly. She reached out, her intent to kill unmasked.

Su Ziye sighed. “Even knowing who I am, even knowing that I am the one who gave you this pendant, you would kill me just for trying to take it down?”

Xing Xi did not answer, her finger still pressed against his back. They were at the closest of ranges; the young man had no way to evade her attack. Yet, in the end, she did not strike—she only threatened.

Su Ziye could only sigh softly, withdraw his hand, and turn to look at her.

“May I hug you?” he asked.

Xing Xi shook her head.

Su Ziye nodded. “Very well. I have seen what I needed to see. You want me to kill a Sky-Realm beast, right? Then I will kill one for you to see.”

With that, he walked out of the stone hut. Xing Xi watched his retreating figure. She did not follow immediately, but instead turned to look at the cyan magatama on the wall. For a fleeting moment, her cold, indifferent golden eyes betrayed an indescribable, complex emotion, only for it to be utterly extinguished the very next second.

She stepped out to follow him.

On the clearing in front of the hut, the young man calmly drew the Blade of Annihilation. His body rose naturally into the air, ascending above the forest to overlook the land below.

“You choose one for me,” Su Ziye said, not looking back at her.

Xing Xi hesitated for a moment before pointing in a direction.

The young man nodded. His Domain of Destruction unfurled in that instant, and crimson flames engulfed the sky. He flew off in the direction she had indicated.

Xing Xi stood behind, her body once again shrouded in nothingness.