The whole family is insanely eavesdropping on my thoughts Chapter 504
Chapter 504: No Regrets
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
Northern Zhao.
Xie Cheng Xi stood by the window, coughing lightly as he gazed at the layers of sinister energy looming over the horizon.
“Your Highness, His Majesty requests your presence at the Nine-Level Pagoda,” the eunuch said, draping a robe over the Crown Prince’s shoulders.
The prince had been unconscious for several months, only awakening recently. His body was still weak.
Xie Cheng Xi coughed twice, but a faint blush returned to his pale face.
“Alright.”
Donning his heavy cloak, he boarded the palanquin, heading swiftly toward the Nine-Level Pagoda.
A delicate green paper crane pierced through the sinister energy, landing on his fingertip.
“Chong Yue, are you awake?” Lu Chao Chao’s voice drifted from the paper crane.
“After my sacrifice, my cultivation dispersed, sustaining the Three Realms. I did my best to pass through the Spirit Sea, enter the Netherworld, and traverse the lands of the Spirit Realm to reclaim part of my lost power.”
“I even encountered a temple built by the common folk in my honor. Within it, a fragment of divine power resides.”
A smile spread across Xie Cheng Xi’s eyes.
He lifted his gaze to the sky, where thick gray clouds blotted out all light. Though it was daytime, they had to light lamps to see the path ahead.
“The sects of the Spirit Realm refuse to intervene, forcing Ming Kong to use the Forbidden Object. That thing… cannot remain in his hands,” Lu Chao Chao’s tone grew stern.
Chong Yue nodded lightly.
The Ten Thousand Swords Sect was founded by Lu Chao Chao and the former Sect Master. She had known that upon her death, the sect would become a target for many.
Before her sacrifice, she had prepared countermeasures.
She bestowed the Forbidden Object upon the sect, passing it only to successive Sect Masters.
Had Lu Chao Chao not forced the sects into retreat, Ming Kong would never have dared to use it.
“Chong Yue, go and awaken the Heart of Northern Zhao. Protect the Mortal Realm,” she said calmly.
Chong Yue froze.
“She knows…” She knew that the Heart of Northern Zhao was hers.
She also knew that the Mortal Realm could not exist without it. It needed the Heart to sustain itself.
The paper crane in his hand faded in energy, turning into a green leaf that fell into his palm.
Carefully tucking the leaf into his robes, he stood before the Nine-Level Pagoda.
Emperor Xuan Ping’s expression was heavy, his brows knit with urgency. “The ancestors left a secret decree—if the Mortal Realm faces calamity, the Heart of Northern Zhao must be used to resist it.”
“Cheng Xi, come with me.”
Xie Cheng Xi nodded and followed the emperor up the pagoda.
At the top, a brilliant, multicolored orb pulsed like a heart, its rhythm steady and strong.
After bowing reverently, Emperor Xuan Ping gestured to Xie Cheng Xi, who lifted both hands. The Heart of Northern Zhao floated into his grasp.
Thump. Thump. Thump…
It was her heartbeat.
Tears welled in Xie Cheng Xi’s eyes, but he forced them back. Holding the glowing orb tightly, he stepped outside the grand hall.
“Please protect the Mortal Realm, grant it peace and prosperity!” he choked out, his red-rimmed eyes fixed on the heavens.
The vibrant orb in his hands ascended, scattering into countless points of starlight that descended upon the land.
A transparent barrier rose from the earth, enveloping the entire Mortal Realm.
Sinister spirits were driven away, unable to breach the barrier’s radiant protection.
Far above, Lu Chao Chao’s face turned deathly pale. She clutched her chest as if struck by a heavy blow, her body curling in pain atop the Sunshine Sword.
The blade trembled beneath her weight. Zhu Mo swiftly rushed forward, allowing her to stand on his back.
“Chao Chao, are you alright? Why do you look so pale?” Xie Yu Zhou panicked as he saw the blood drain from her face, her lips devoid of color.
He grasped her hands tightly.
The girl, always so warm, was now icy cold. Even her fingers trembled.
Yet she forced a smile. “It’s fortunate… that I reclaimed some of my strength beforehand.”
Before she left the Mortal Realm, she had sensed it.
The time had finally come for the Heart of Northern Zhao to fully merge with the Mortal Realm.
If she lacked the power to endure it, the loss of her heart would surely end her life.
Years ago, she sacrificed herself, surrendering her divine soul and cultivation to the Three Realms. Only by walking these lands again could she reclaim some of her strength.
“I’m fine. Really.” Her nails turned white from strain.
Xie Yu Zhou, tears welling in his eyes, shakily pulled out a wooden fish.
He never wanted to be a monk, but chanting sutras could stabilize the soul.
The rhythmic knocks of the wooden fish merged with the murmured scriptures, alleviating Lu Chao Chao’s pain little by little.
Beads of sweat drenched her forehead, as if she had been pulled from water.
Yet her eyes glowed brilliantly.
Ming Kong stood above the clouds, his gaze cold as he watched the Heart of Northern Zhao seal away the miasma.
Murder flickered in his eyes.
His gaze landed on Lu Chao Chao.
Seeing the Sunshine Sword beside her, he chuckled darkly.
“So that’s why…”
So that was why the Celestial Realm sought to crush the Mortal Realm, why they hunted the Elven Clan.
She had truly returned to the Mortal Realm—she had even become its emperor!
“You really came back!” His eyes burned with madness.
“You already sacrificed yourself—why return? Had you vanished forever, the world would have credited your legacy to the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. But now that you live…”
“The Celestial Realm will fear you. What will become of the sect?”
“As long as you live, you will always overshadow the Three Realms! Why did you return?” Ming Kong’s eyes were filled with malice, dark energy billowing around him.
Lu Chao Chao stood atop the black dragon, her gaze unwavering. “Whether the Celestial Realm or the sect, I have no desire for power.”
“It doesn’t matter!”
“As long as you exist, the entire Ten Thousand Swords Sect, the entire Three Realms, will bow to you! Lu Chao Chao, you should have stayed dead! The Ten Thousand Swords Sect belongs to me!”
“Why must everyone live in your shadow? You deserve to die!” Ming Kong’s voice turned frenzied, his aura tainted with corruption.
“The Ten Thousand Swords Sect is mine!” Darkness surged around him as his spirit sword aimed at Lu Chao Chao.
“At your peak, the heavens themselves bowed before you. But now… Lu Chao Chao, you are not enough!”
Madness gleamed in Ming Kong’s eyes.
He spread his palm, revealing a radiant golden orb.
“Do you remember? This is your Divine Core!”
“You are broken, neither human nor ghost—do you regret it?” Ming Kong sneered, his eyes mocking.
Lu Chao Chao met his gaze calmly.
“I, Lu Chao Chao, have never regretted my choices. Whether broken or obliterated, I would make the same decision again.”
She still loved this world.
With no regrets.
“Stubborn fool!”
Ming Kong activated the Divine Core, unleashing a violent storm. Waves surged, the sheer force knocking Zhu Mo from the sky.
A-Wu tumbled, her red skirts flaring as she plummeted.
Zhu Mo caught her just in time.
With a loud splash, Xie Yu Zhou fell into the water.
“Someone—gurgle gurgle—help me!” he cried, swallowing mouthfuls of seawater.
Lu Chao Chao clashed with Ming Kong, feeling the Divine Core suppress her.
“No one can stop me!”
Miasma gathered ominously, an inky mass blotting out the sky.
Lu Chao Chao soared, gathering every ounce of spiritual power. Her small hands spread wide, countering the corruption.
All the mortals looked up.
A tiny figure fought for their future.
She shielded them from darkness, just as she had once sacrificed herself without hesitation.
Whether as the renowned Sword Sovereign Sunshine, or as a four-year-old girl, she always stood in front of the people.
Her love would never fall.