Chapter 667

Chapter 667: The Weight of Life

Lu Chao Chao opened her eyes before the break of dawn.

As consciousness returned, she found herself momentarily dazed, uncertain whether she was still in a dream or back in reality.

She pinched her own little arms and legs before finally letting out a secret sigh of relief.

“I actually dreamed of Xuan Yu…” Lu Chao Chao murmured, sitting up in bed, her small hands propping up her chin.

“After I sacrificed myself, my seven disciples were elevated to divine status.”

“Xuan Yu was bestowed the title of God of Darkness, entrusted with the governance of the reclaimed Fiend Realm on behalf of the gods. Later, he came into conflict with the Celestial Realm over reviving me.”

“In his rage, he rebelled against the Celestial Realm and became the Lord of the Fiend Realm.”

“That boy… Ai… Back then, his entire village was slaughtered by the fiends, yet he became the Fiend Lord.” She did not know how Xuan Yu was faring now.

“If I have the chance, I must go see him. He probably isn’t living well among the fiends…” Lu Chao Chao’s heart was heavy with worry. Among all her disciples, she had already reunited with the others, but Xuan Yu remained trapped in the depths of the Fiend Realm, struggling through endless hardships.

She let out a long, deep sigh. Xuan Yu was truly pitiful.

He should be the one who loathed the fiends the most.

After thinking about him for a while, she tucked her feet and belly under the blanket before sinking into deep sleep again.

Mother always said that cold enters from the feet, and that the belly and feet must not be exposed. Lu Chao Chao always listened.

Just as she drifted into slumber, the room across from hers opened lightly.

Shan Shan stood at the doorway in a daze.

[Little Master…]

[Little Master… Wake up…]

[Little Master… Do not alert anyone! Remember, you must not wake anyone!] The summons in his ears grew more distinct, each call more urgent than the last.

At just over a year old, he walked steadily, though he wobbled slightly, resembling a little duck.

“Where are you?” he whispered softly.

Following the voice, he walked straight out. The entire courtyard seemed to have fallen into deep slumber, oblivious to his departure.

He wandered alone through the dark, empty streets, yet he felt no fear.

A soft breeze swept up the fallen leaves, swirling them around him as he drifted through the streets.

Occasionally, he would come across a few locusts, but he paid them no heed.

The voice calling to him seemed to reach his ears through some secret art.

Step by step, he moved forward…

He finally stopped before the palace walls, tilting his head in confusion.

[Little Master, activate the hidden gate…]

Shan Shan lifted his small hand and traced symbols in the air. Though his mind was blank, his hands instinctively formed a mystical array.

Lines connected in the air, forming a grand glowing sigil. Before him, a luminous portal emerged.

Without hesitation, he stepped inside.

The portal led to a long, shadowed corridor. He walked for what seemed like an eternity before his surroundings suddenly opened up.

A vast underground palace unfolded before his eyes, leaving him momentarily stunned.

The instant his feet touched the ground, countless voices from every direction echoed in unison, “Welcome home, Master!” The sound was thunderous, brimming with an undeniable excitement.

Shan Shan surveyed the scene. The hall was filled with masked figures dressed in black.

Two figures at the forefront, however, wore no masks and bore strikingly similar appearances—he recognized them.

During their previous confrontation with Lu Chao Chao, he had personally stabbed one of them with a sword.

“Mud… Have you healed?” His voice, still tinged with childlike innocence, was soft and round, like a little cub.

The black-clad man opposite him trembled with emotion when he realized Shan Shan remembered him. “Thank you, Little Master, for your mercy. Jian Yu has fully recovered.”

“Little Master, I am Jian Yu, your Left Guardian.”

“This is Jian Feng, your Right Guardian. We are twin brothers who have always served you.”

Jian Feng appeared to be the more outspoken of the two. At this moment, he was seething with fury. “Little Master, that wretched Han Chuan dared to harm you!!”

“The Celestial Realm is filled with scheming liars! That bastard deceived us!!”

“Back then, you were captured by Lu Chao Chao and imprisoned in the Celestial Realm. He claimed he would send you into mortal reincarnation to help you reclaim your former power! That treacherous bastard threw you into Lu Chao Chao’s household instead! You were reborn as Sword Sovereign Sunshine’s own younger brother!!”

“My Master, you have suffered greatly.”

“To lose to Lu Chao Chao in the past life and now be oppressed by her since childhood in this life—Master, your fate is too tragic!” Jian Feng’s eyes were red, his voice choking with emotion.

“Your identity was exposed last time. Does she mistreat you? Does she torment you?” Jian Feng wiped his tears, sorrow-stricken.

Shan Shan’s small face stiffened as he nodded.

“She… She’s terrible!!”

Both guardians were heartbroken. “Master, you have suffered! All because of that wretched Han Chuan!! That beast!! He never meant to help you; he wanted to see you dead!”

“Master, life must have been unbearable for you. You must have barely escaped death countless times!” Jian Feng’s tears fell freely, while Jian Yu, though silent, had reddened eyes.

The thought of their Master being born into the Lu family felt like their entire world had collapsed.

Shan Shan nodded pitifully. “She… She doesn’t feed me!!”

“She spanks my bum…”

“She even smacks my mouth…” Shan Shan’s eyes reddened as he accused her, leaving the two guardians weeping profusely.

“Master, it’s alright now! You have returned home. Home is where you belong.”

“Han Chuan has given us a formation capable of disrupting the mortal realm’s balance. With this, disasters will befall the world, countless mortals will perish, and the surge of negative energy will bolster your strength.”

“In time, we will cut off Lu Chao Chao’s head and storm the Celestial Realm!” Jian Yu’s eyes gleamed with a murderous intent.

“When the mortal world becomes a living hell and humanity is annihilated, who will be left to oppose you?!”

Shan Shan trembled at the thought, shaking his small head frantically.

His little face paled.

“No no no…”

“No no no no…” Destroy the mortal realm? His sister would chop off his head and kick it like a ball!

“Absolutely not!!” He broke into a cold sweat and blurted out in panic.

“Han Chuan… is using me as a blade! No! I refuse to take the fall!” He gritted his tiny teeth, fuming with anger.

Lu Chao Chao already made him take the blame for everything; now Han Chuan wanted to as well?!

Enough! He refused!

Jian Feng and Jian Yu exchanged glances. “But the countless souls suffering in the mortal world will grant you real power. Even if Han Chuan harbors ulterior motives, as long as you gain strength, we won’t have to fear him!” They were well aware Han Chuan wouldn’t lend a hand without hidden intent.

Shan Shan pursed his lips, fuming.

Han Chuan sought to annihilate the mortal world, but if he acted first, he would become the villain of the Three Realms.

And then Han Chuan could rally the Three Realms to eliminate him while claiming the glory for himself.

After being framed by Lu Chao Chao so many times, Shan Shan was very familiar with this tactic!!

“I refuse to bear the burden of countless mortal lives for his scheme!” Killing was not an option.

His sister would be furious!!

In the past, mortal lives meant nothing to him. But now…

He understood the weight of life in his sister’s eyes.

Human lives were his sister’s bottom line.

Shan Shan looked around. “Destroy the formation!” His small face was tense with urgency.

“Master!!” Jian Feng’s gaze snapped toward him.

“We’ve spent so long preparing this! If we destroy the formation, all will be lost!”

“What are mere human lives? Master, your destiny is carved in blood! Have you become soft-hearted in this reincarnation?” Jian Yu asked, disheartened.

Shan Shan gazed up solemnly, sadness in his eyes.

“It is not that I am soft-hearted…”

“It is that her sword, Sunshine, will take my head.”

Jian Yu and Jian Feng: …

“She marked me with an imprint. No matter where I go, she can find me,” Shan Shan was on the verge of tears.

“Destroy the formation…”

The weight of life?

No, no, no—it was the weight of my own life!