Chapter 68
The battlefield finally fell silent.
No thunder.
No swords.
No hatred.
Only grief remained.
The wind moved softly through the broken wilderness.
As though mourning someone it had known for a very long time.
Zhao Yuanzhou stood motionless.
His eyes fixed on the small locust tree root in Wen Xiao’s hands.
He said nothing.
Not a single word.
Which frightened everyone far more than tears would have.
Because Zhao Yuanzhou had always been smiling.
Always laughing.
Always carrying everyone else’s pain.
But now…
he looked empty.
As if a part of him had been buried with Li Lun.
Wen Xiao stepped forward.
Her own face was pale from the poison spreading through her body.
Yet she carefully held out the locust tree root.
A tiny thing.
Barely larger than her palm.
“This is all that’s left.”
Everyone looked toward her.
Wen Xiao swallowed.
“His soul hasn’t completely scattered.”
Hope flickered briefly.
Very briefly.
She continued.
“We can place his remaining consciousness inside the locust tree root.”
Her voice softened.
“If it is nurtured for a hundred years…”
“…he may cultivate again.”
“…and eventually reincarnate as a human.”
Silence filled the battlefield.
Zhuo Yichen lowered his eyes.
Even after everything.
After all the pain.
All the blood.
All the mistakes.
Zhao Yuanzhou still couldn’t bear to lose his oldest friend.
The great demon slowly stepped forward.
His trembling fingers touched the root.
Very gently.
As though afraid it might break.
Or disappear.
A faint green light emerged.
The final fragments of Li Lun’s soul drifted from the air.
Like scattered fireflies.
Like pieces of a forgotten dream.
Slowly.
Carefully.
The light entered the root.
The locust tree root glowed softly.
Then became still.
Gone.
Yet not completely gone.
Zhao Yuanzhou stared at it for a long time.
Then finally whispered-
“Take care of yourself this time.”
The words were barely audible.
No one knew if he was speaking to the root.
Or to the friend he had lost.
A friend he had spent twenty thousand years trying to save.
A friend who had finally found peace.
For the first time-
tears slid down Zhao Yuanzhou’s face.
Quiet tears.
The kind that come when there are no words left.
Yichen’s heart ached.
He wanted to comfort him.
To say something.
Anything.
But nothing felt enough.
Because some grief could only be endured.
Not healed.
Then-
another cry echoed across the battlefield.
“Ying Lei!”
Everyone turned.
Ying Lei was kneeling on the ground.
Still holding Bai Jiu’s body.
As if afraid to let go.
His face had become frighteningly pale.
Blood stained his lips.
His spiritual energy was almost gone.
He had already burned through nearly everything he had.
Trying to save Bai Jiu.
Trying to save everyone.
Trying to be strong.
The dragon youth smiled weakly.
“I guess…”
He coughed blood.
“…I overdid it.”
“No!”
Wen Xiao rushed forward.
Pei Sijing followed.
Yichen’s heart dropped.
Because he could see it too.
Ying Lei was dying.
Not tomorrow.
Not later.
Now.
And yet-
even now-
Ying Lei’s arms never loosened around Bai Jiu.
Protecting him.
Just as he always had.
Zhao Yuanzhou suddenly moved.
Without a word.
He reached into his sleeve.
And withdrew the final dragon scale.
The last one.
The only one remaining.
Everyone froze.
Yichen immediately understood.
His eyes widened.
“Yuanzhou…”
The great demon smiled faintly.
The same gentle smile.
The same smile that always made terrible decisions.
“He’s still young.”
His voice was soft.
“So is Bai Jiu.”
Before anyone could stop him-
he crushed the dragon scale.
Golden light erupted.
Ancient power filled the air.
Then Zhao Yuanzhou pressed that power into Ying Lei’s chest.
The dragon scale dissolved.
Its light flowing into Ying Lei’s meridians.
Repairing.
Healing.
Saving.
For a moment-
it worked.
Ying Lei’s breathing steadied.
Color slowly returned to his face.
But at the same time-
Zhao Yuanzhou staggered.
His body swayed.
Blood suddenly poured from his mouth.
A horrifying amount.
“YUANZHOU!”
Yichen caught him before he collapsed.
The sight terrified everyone.
His face had become completely white.
Almost translucent.
The loss of his inner core.
The restoration of the Cloudlight Sword.
The endless battles.
The sacrifices.
And now-
giving away the final dragon scale.
His body had reached its limit.
Yichen held him tightly.
His hands shaking.
“You idiot…”
His voice broke.
“You absolute idiot.”
More blood stained Zhao Yuanzhou’s lips.
Yet he still smiled.
Still.
Always.
“I’ll be alright.”
The lie was terrible.
Everyone knew it.
Especially Yichen.
Tears blurred his vision.
Because he suddenly understood something.
Zhao Yuanzhou never saved people because he thought he would survive.
He saved them because he couldn’t bear not to.
No matter the cost.
No matter how much it hurt.
No matter how much of himself disappeared each time.
And perhaps-
that was why everyone loved him.
Even Li Lun.
Even after all those years.
The wilderness grew quiet again.
One friend gone.
One friend saved.
One future uncertain.
And in Yichen’s arms-
the great demon smiled weakly at the sunset.
As though he had already accepted whatever came next.
❄️❄️❄️✨✨✨⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️
Days passed.
The battles had ended.
The world was quiet again.
Yet for Zhuo Yichen, nothing felt peaceful.
Because Zhao Yuanzhou was getting weaker.
Every day.
A little weaker.
A little paler.
And there was nothing Yichen could do.
The courtyard was silent that afternoon.
Cherry blossoms drifted across the stone path.
A bowl of untouched food sat on the table.
Yichen sat alone.
One hand resting over his stomach.
The other gripping Zhao Yuanzhou’s bracelet.
His eyes were swollen.
Red.
He had been crying again.
Wen Xiao entered carrying a small pot.
The scent of lotus root soup filled the room.
Yichen didn’t even look up.
Wen Xiao’s heart hurt at the sight.
The once stern commander looked exhausted.
Like someone who hadn’t slept properly in months.
She carefully placed the bowl before him.
“Eat.”
No response.
“Yichen.”
Still nothing.
Finally she sat beside him.
“Ying Lei made it.”
“He spent half the morning arguing with the cook.”
“He said if the child doesn’t get proper food, he’ll personally drag you to the kitchen.”
Yichen lowered his eyes.
The soup blurred through his tears.
Wen Xiao’s voice softened.
“It’s lotus root soup.”
“Your favorite.”
A long silence followed.
Then-
“Did you tell him?”
The question came quietly.
His hand instinctively moved to his abdomen.
The child.
Their child.
“No.”
The answer barely escaped him.
Wen Xiao looked down.
“You still haven’t?”
“I didn’t have time.”
His voice cracked.
“Everything happened too fast.”
“And now…”
Fresh tears rolled down his cheeks.
“I don’t want to.”
Wen Xiao immediately understood.
Because saying it now meant admitting there might not be much time left.
It meant seeing Zhao Yuanzhou smile happily.
Knowing he was dying.
It meant giving him hope.
Only to lose him.
Again.
Yichen covered his eyes.
Wen Xiao moved closer.
Gently placing a hand on his shoulder.
“We’re going to figure something out.”
Her voice wasn’t strong.
It wasn’t confident.
But it was sincere.
“Okay?”
Yichen laughed weakly.
“We always say that.”
Neither of them spoke for a while.
The wind rustled outside.
The cherry blossoms continued falling.
Then Yichen suddenly asked-
“Did he use it?”
Wen Xiao’s hand froze.
“The inner core.”
Yichen already knew the answer.
But he needed to hear it.
Needed confirmation.
Wen Xiao nodded.
Slowly.
“Yes.”
“To stop Wen Zongyu.”
“To repair the Cloudlight Sword.”
“To save Bai Jiu.”
“To save all of us.”
Every word hurt.
Tears fell onto the table.
Yichen finally picked up the bowl.
The soup had already cooled.
He stared into it.
Then whispered-
“He’s so stupid.”
Wen Xiao smiled sadly.
“Very.”
“He never thinks about himself.”
“Never.”
Another tear slipped down Yichen’s face.
His hand moved protectively over his stomach.
The child kicked gently.
A small movement.
Tiny.
Fragile.
Alive.
Yichen’s lips trembled.
For the first time in days-
he smiled.
Only a little.
Only for a second.
But it was there.
And Wen Xiao noticed immediately.
“See?”
She pointed toward his stomach.
“Even the baby is telling you to eat.”
Yichen wiped his eyes.
The smallest laugh escaped him.
A laugh mixed with tears.
Then he looked toward the room where Zhao Yuanzhou rested.
Toward the person he loved more than life itself.
And his heart broke all over again.
Because he wanted so desperately to tell him.
About the child.
About the future.
About the family they had created together.
But fear held the words captive.
What if it became their final conversation?
What if it became their last dream?
Outside, the wind carried another shower of cherry blossoms across the courtyard.
And somewhere in the next room-
the great demon slept quietly.
Unaware that he was already carrying two hearts that loved him more than the world itself.