Ch. 126 - A Solo Celebration

"Have you said that to a lot of girls?" Lan Ke’er suddenly asked.

"I'm not interested in other girls," Xu Zimo replied, shaking his head.

Lan Ke’er gently bit her lip, giving Xu Zimo a blank stare before turning her gaze elsewhere.

From then on, the two fell into a subtle silence as they continued traveling.

At the deepest part of the Fire Region, a sea of flames hung upside down in midair. Thick magma boiled and steamed with scorching heat.

Below the sea of fire, space twisted and warped. The air was nearly melted away, and loud crackling sounds exploded in every direction.

Sparks surged through the fire like leaping dragons, and the fire spirits were denser here than anywhere else, countless flame-shaped beasts ran wild through the firestorm.

Xu Zimo floated Shadow Tyrant into the heart of the fire and sat cross-legged nearby, splitting a portion of his focus to continue telling stories to Lan Ke’er.

The blazing fire painted his face red. Lan Ke’er took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat off his brow.

Seeing Xu Zimo smiling at her, she quickly clarified, "Don't get the wrong idea. This is just payment for your story."

Xu Zimo smiled. The girl was a lot like the one he remembered… but not quite the same.

Several days later, the fire attribute tempering was complete. The dragon carved into the blade of Shadow Tyrant now looked more lifelike than ever, even emitting faint dragon roars.

The weapon had successfully advanced to the Heaven-Tier.

Looking at his newly upgraded blade, Xu Zimo noted that in addition to the shadow dragon, the weapon now bore marks of thunder, torrential water, and flame.

He put away the blade and took Lan Ke’er’s hand, leading her toward the Wind Region.

This time, Lan Ke’er didn’t resist. She simply let him hold her hand.

Along the way, aside from recounting their own past, Xu Zimo also told her strange tales and legends from around the continent.

...

The sky was drowned in endless sandstorms. In the distance, massive whirlwinds of sand raged like violent hurricanes.

This wasn't just a single storm, it was countless sandstorms merging and multiplying, forming an even larger and more chaotic system.

Among the Four Elemental Domains, the Wind Region was recognized by all cultivators as the most dangerous. As such, few dared enter.

Fierce gales howled through the air, ripping apart space itself in places. The "wooo" of the wind sounded like the cries of demons rising from the earth.

Xu Zimo tightened his clothes and gripped Lan Ke’er’s hand firmly as they ventured deeper into the Wind Region.

The sand was so intense it was hard to keep their eyes open. Not long after they entered, a voice called out in the distance:

"It wasn’t until I met you that I believed fairies exist in this world!"

Xu Zimo turned and saw a man standing amid the wind and sand, holding a Forget-Me-Not flower, shouting a love confession.

His white robes flapped violently, and his long hair whipped in the wind.

Though he looked a bit disheveled, he still gave off a strange sense of charm.

Upon closer inspection, Xu Zimo realized, it was Su Chang’an, the same man he’d seen confessing to another girl back in the Water Region.

That so-called Literary Swordsman, one of the Eight Heavenly Talents of the Azure Wood Empire.

But this time, he wasn't confessing to "Yue’er." Instead, the woman before him wore a black robe and had a striking, heroic demeanor.

"Damn, this guy’s a real stud horse," Xu Zimo said in disbelief. "To be this smooth in such a short time? Truly impressive."

He turned to Lan Ke’er and smirked, "Take a good look. That’s what a scumbag looks like. And to think you were moved by his poem earlier."

Lan Ke’er snorted and walked forward.

In the center of the swirling sandstorms, the black-robed woman heard Su Chang’an’s words and chuckled, "You’ve probably said that same line to dozens of girls, haven’t you?"

"Why won’t you believe me?" Su Chang’an looked heartbroken. "If I could, I’d tear out my heart and show it to you, just so you’d know how much I love you."

"Great, let me help you," a sudden voice said coldly.

Startled, Su Chang’an turned, only to see Lan Ke’er approaching, her aura surging.

Her power as a peak Desolate Meridian Realm cultivator was even stronger than the surrounding winds. She walked through the sandstorm with unshakable presence.

"Who are you?" Su Chang’an asked cautiously.

"Just a kind passerby," Lan Ke’er said with a smile, and attacked.

With both fists clenched, deep blue spiritforce erupted around her.

Su Chang’an quickly drew his sword to defend, but her single punch sent him flying.

He steadied himself mid-air, eyes narrowing. His sword pulsed with dark energy.

This was his signature meridian technique, an elegant and powerful sword style that looked like a painting in motion.

Every swing felt like ink strokes on a celestial scroll, swooping like an eagle, standing firm like a pine on a cliff.

Under this dazzling assault, Lan Ke’er was briefly suppressed, forced onto the defensive.

Just as Xu Zimo was about to step in, he felt a strange, mysterious aura rise from Lan Ke’er’s body.

Light-blue spiritforce condensed into a liquid state, and the surrounding air began to swirl violently.

A blue glow enveloped her. Her skin turned dark blue, so did her eyes and flowing hair.

As the energy intensified, Xu Zimo felt a strange emotion bloom in his chest, something deep, inexplicable.

The glow around Lan Ke’er surged.

Facing Su Chang’an’s blinding sword rain, she raised both hands, and space itself collapsed.

All the sword shadows vanished, and Su Chang’an’s sword shattered into fragments.

Before he could react, Lan Ke’er had him by the throat.

His face paled in panic as she stared him down with cold, killing intent. Still trying to charm her, he forced a smile.

“You know… someone once told me fairies were real. I didn’t believe it, until I met yo-”

CRACK.

Before he finished, his neck was twisted violently and broken.

Then, Lan Ke’er grabbed his sword and cut open his chest.

Her hands soaked in blood, she ripped out his still-beating heart and turned to the stunned black-robed woman.

“I dug it out for you. See for yourself, was he sincere?”

The woman swallowed hard, her face deathly pale.

Then Lan Ke’er turned back, blood dripping from the heart.

She smiled sweetly at Xu Zimo.

"Zimo, look, his heart was a cheater’s heart."

Xu Zimo forced a dry smile and nodded. He finally understood the saying: "Love really can change a person."

"What about your heart, Zimo?" Lan Ke’er asked curiously.

"If you want to see it… you can dig it out yourself," he replied.

"Okay. I hope you weren’t lying to me all this time," she said, stepping closer.

In her left hand, the bloody heart. In her right, Su Chang’an’s sword.

As the blade touched his chest, Xu Zimo closed his eyes.

To someone with the fused blood of the Hell-Suppressing Deity Physique, the heart wasn’t vital. But he knew, if she really dug out his heart, their story would end here.

He was ready for it.

But the expected pain never came.

Instead, a warm body wrapped around him in a tight embrace.

He caught the sweet scent of her blue hair and opened his eyes slightly.

She had buried her head in his chest, and didn’t want to let go.

Neither of them spoke. The sandstorms howled around them.

Above, the sun quietly bore witness.

...

In the innermost part of the Wind Region, the sandstorms were so fierce that most cultivators couldn’t even enter.

Xu Zimo sat cross-legged, letting Shadow Tyrant float in mid-air, refining itself in the storm while he continued telling their story.

Days passed, and the first stage of refinement was complete.

Thunder and water surged across the upper half of the blade. Fire and wind howled through the lower curve. The Shadow Dragon in the center finally opened its once-closed eyes.

Staring at it long enough, one could almost hear its roar echo through the mind.

...

"That day, there was no wind. The sunset lit the sky in beautiful colors. I walked away from you. That was the last time we met, Until I woke up from the dream… I never saw you again."

Xu Zimo’s voice was soft. The story had come to an end.

Lan Ke’er looked at him, and asked seriously: "If one day I leave… will you come looking for me?"

"I don’t know."

"You must. You have to!"

"Alright."

"When?"

"I don’t know..."

"I’ll wait for you. Always."

"Okay."

The sandstorm still raged. The sun dipped slowly toward the western horizon.

Lan Ke’er looked up at the dark, starless sky and said stubbornly, "Hold me while I sleep."

Xu Zimo nodded. At his cultivation level, sleep no longer mattered.

Under the silver moonlight, he found a quieter spot, held her in his arms, and slowly drifted off.

He remembered a writer once said: "Some people want to sleep not because they’re tired,

...

That night, no words were exchanged.

They simply held each other, feeling each other's heartbeat.

When the first light of dawn crept over the horizon, Lan Ke’er sat up silently, watching Xu Zimo sleep.

She tied her long hair neatly, leaned down, and kissed him gently on the lips.

Then she turned and left.

"Last time, you walked away. This time, let me be the bad guy."

In the distance, Daoist Joy and Daoist Sorrow waited for her.

Her figure slowly disappeared into the dawn.

Minutes later, Xu Zimo opened his eyes.

He smiled faintly, stood up, and silently walked off.

Children are ruled by emotion. They throw tantrums for what they can’t have.

But in the world of adults, we learn to think of others.

Lan Ke’er understood, Xu Zimo wasn’t a man tied down by love. He had ambition. He had his path.

She could have stayed by his side, but that would have hindered his martial journey.

So, she left.

Xu Zimo also knew she was gone. But he didn’t stop her.

Because he knew: cultivation came first.

And walking the path of the heavens… meant choosing fate.

He would go find her, but not now.

The martial path is a lonely one. And loneliness… is just a celebration with no one else around.

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