Chapter 523

Chapter 523: The Wrath of the Gods

This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation

Yan Qing watched helplessly as the beauty before him turned into lifeless bones.

The face he had memorized over and over in his mind was now gradually reduced to a mere skeleton.

With a desperate lunge forward, he cried out in panic, “Shu’er, no!”

He tried to use his divine power to hold her together.

But an obsession, once fulfilled, will naturally fade. Li Shu had waited for those words, and with them, her lingering attachment dissolved, breaking all earthly bonds.

He gripped Li Shu’s hand.

Yet, the once delicate and soft fingers crumbled into cold, pale bones within his grasp.

Even in death, she still wore her wedding robes. No longer crimson and vibrant, the fabric now appeared dull, yet strikingly piercing to the eyes. A single clear tear slid down Yan Qing’s cheek.

Suppressing his sorrow, he clutched her skeletal hand tightly.

“I was too late. It was my fault for being late, for letting you and A-Man suffer.”

“I let you endure so much disgrace and pain.” He did not dare to imagine the agony Shu’er must have felt upon hearing the villagers’ scorn earlier.

“What’s the point of this display?” A-Man’s voice was ice-cold.

“You are a god, blessed with millennia upon millennia of life.”

“My mother was mortal—brief and insignificant.”

“Yet, in those fleeting years, she lived in sorrow. The happiness she yearned for, the man she once placed her hopes in, only dealt her a cruel blow.” A-Man pushed him away, then slowly closed the lid of the coffin.

“She heard your words at last, and with that, her soul could rest.”

Picking up the torch from the ground, she tossed it back into the fire.

Flames roared once more, casting a fiery glow upon the girl’s reddened eyes.

“She should be free now,” A-Man said in a low, pained yet composed voice.

Yan Qing wanted to intervene, even considering extinguishing the flames with divine power. But the girl turned to him, meeting his gaze firmly.

“You deceived her for a lifetime. Shouldn’t you at least grant her freedom now?”

Yan Qing’s throat tightened. He could not utter a single word.

His fists clenched, his eyes burned red, and he watched as the raging fire consumed everything, leaving nothing behind.

He was a god. In the boundless expanse of eternity, his heart had long been void of emotion.

Li Shu had only existed for two months.

Yet, in his endless years, she had left the deepest, most vivid mark.

He had created a debt of karma.

A-Man knelt before the fire, her sobs uncontrollable. Yan Qing hesitated, reaching out his hand…

But in the end, he let it drop, powerless.

In the village square, the villagers were dumbfounded. None had imagined that A-Man was of divine blood.

A god’s bloodline!

She had lived among them, had been raised among them. If not for their act of placing her on the pyre today, Yan Qing would have continued protecting Bai Li Village for her sake.

But now…

They were about to face the wrath of a god.

A-Man turned, gently helping the old lady up. “Grandmother, are you alright? Can your body endure this?”

The old lady waved a hand dismissively.

Yan Qing glanced at her, hesitating. “Your soul…” It seemed to have layers, overlapping—unlike an ordinary soul.

A-Man immediately stepped between them, shielding the old lady.

“What now? You want to question her too? My grandmother saved my mother from drowning, stood against the entire village to protect me, and took me away from the isolation forced upon us. What more do you want?” Her eyes burned with fury.

She had always known her grandmother was different.

But all she wanted was to protect her only family.

Yan Qing withdrew his gaze and no longer pried. His voice softened. “A-Man, I bear you no ill will.” He paused before continuing, “Your father has been absent for years, and all I want is to make amends in the time we have left. A-Man, will you give your father a chance?”

He had successfully cultivated the Glazed Purification Flower and would soon return to the Celestial Realm to report his success.

She was his only daughter. Naturally, he wanted her by his side.

“Father?” A-Man scoffed.

“Who would acknowledge you as their father?”

“Do you think I spent all these years searching for you just so I could have a father?”

Yan Qing was not angered. He knew A-Man harbored deep resentment toward him.

“No matter your reasons, they mean nothing to me. My mother’s suffering cannot be undone.”

“I only sought you out to see what kind of heartless man could make her die with her eyes open.” A-Man waved a hand dismissively, inhaling deeply as she helped her grandmother back into their home.

“I will not go with you.”

“From now on, we have no blood ties. Let us part ways.” Her mother had already forgiven him, had already let go. Why should she cling to it any longer?

She walked away without looking back.

“Are you relieved?” Xie Yu Zhou whispered to Lu Chao Chao, watching her reaction. “Why are you afraid of A-Man leaving with Yan Qing Celestial Sovereign?”

“You have a grudge against him, but A-Man does not.”

Lu Chao Chao immediately sprang up. “It doesn’t matter! He abandoned his wife and child, caused his wife to be drowned, and left her unable to rest in peace. He does not deserve forgiveness! Yes, exactly!”

With that, she cheerfully ran after A-Man.

Xie Yu Zhou scratched the back of his head, puzzled. “Really? But you seem awfully guilty.”

What was she hiding??

The grudge over turning the Glazed Purification Flower into pig feed wasn’t enough?

The more he thought about it, the more something felt off. Shaking his head, he followed after them.

As they departed, the square fell into an eerie silence.

Yan Qing Celestial Sovereign remained, his gaze lowered, standing before the Bai Li villagers. His cold, detached eyes swept across them… and all broke into cold sweats, trembling in fear.

How ridiculous.

His protection had only served as a blade against his wife and daughter.

Old Madam Chen trembled as she slowly rose. “It was the village chief—it was all the village chief’s doing! He wanted to take Shu girl as a concubine, but she refused him.”

“Later, he tricked her into the mountains, and when they left…”

“I saw it! He dragged Shu girl into the forest. She had a fiery spirit—bit off half his ear and fled in panic…”

That was when she encountered Yan Qing again.

“Even today, burning A-Man, destroying the coffin—it was all his doing to win your favor.”

“The Li family has ruled as village chiefs for a thousand years…” The old woman kowtowed frantically.

The village chief straightened, his eyes bulging as he glared at her. “You old hag, what nonsense are you spouting?!”

“You coveted A-Man’s house! You were the one urging me to drive her out to fend for herself!”

“Old hag, are you any better than me?!”

“You were the one who dragged Li Shu to be drowned!”

Their bickering soon turned into a physical fight. Yan Qing Celestial Sovereign gently closed his eyes.

He had protected this village.

Yet, every single one of them had trampled upon his wife and daughter.

“Mountain God, please believe me—” Old Madam Chen pleaded, but before she could finish, a gentle gust brushed past her throat.

Her mouth opened, but only blood gushed forth.

She collapsed lifelessly, eyes wide with unfulfilled regret.

The village chief stood frozen, a yellow stain pooling beneath his feet.