After Sheng Jun Chapter 31 (Part 2)
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 31 Fulfilling Promises (part 2)
The heavenly staircase extended from the pool water, leading to the great hall.
As Jiang Xingzhi stepped onto the staircase, Zhong Ming's voice came from beside him, "Still spacing out?"
"Contemplating life," he said profoundly.
"Stop contemplating," Zhong Ming reached out to pat his head, "It's not like you'll come up with anything clever anyway."
"......"
Jiang Xingzhi angrily swatted his hand away.
With Zhong Ming's interruption, Jiang Xingzhi temporarily composed himself and returned his attention to what was before him.
The heavenly staircase beneath their feet rose in tiers, with each one hundred and eight steps forming one level. Nearly two thousand six hundred steps in total, with only those at the late Mahayana stage able to pass the final step.
Both Jiang Xingzhi and Zhong Ming were at the peak of Mahayana, so they ascended while chatting along the way.
When they reached the front of the hall, the two stopped.
Jiang Xingzhi had been to the Tongtian Hall before and, like an old hand, shared his experience with Zhong Ming, "Behind the hall doors is the Formless Inheritance. The moment you step in, you'll enter the Inheritance realm—a boundless wilderness with thunder, wind, and rain... But don't worry, together we can handle it easily."
Zhong Ming listened patiently to his chatter, appearing receptive.
After Jiang Xingzhi finished talking, he caught his breath and continued, "Once we break through the Inheritance barrier, we'll see the Formless Divine Statue in the hall. There's... there's an opportunity hidden on that statue, but don't take it."
He said, "It might be problematic."
Zhong Ming looked at him and softly responded, "Mm." After a pause, he suddenly asked, "When did you realize it had problems?"
"What?" The question was so abrupt that Jiang Xingzhi's train of thought broke.
After all, if a normal person had doubts, they would ask "How do you know there's a Inheritance in the hall?" or "Why can't we take the opportunity?" or even "How do you know there's a problem?" Any of these would be more relevant than this unimportant question.
"Never mind, it's nothing," Zhong Ming withdrew his question.
He didn't know why he had blurted that out, or what kind of answer he was subconsciously expecting.
Thinking calmly now, what could the answer be? Of course, it would be when the opportunity went wrong and caused Jiang Xingzhi's tribulation to fail—it couldn't be that he found the opportunity problematic as soon as he saw it, otherwise there'd be no reason to take it.
Seeing Jiang Xingzhi still stunned by his question, Zhong Ming raised his sword hilt and knocked it against his head. Boink.
"Hey!" Jiang Xingzhi immediately covered his head and glared at him, "You..."
Zhong Ming unconsciously curved his lips.
Jiang Xingzhi paused briefly. Zhong Ming asked, "Are we going in or not?"
"Oh." Jiang Xingzhi looked at him a couple more times, suppressing certain inappropriate feelings of déjà vu.
...Body double literature, begone!
The hall doors were pushed open.
The moment the two stepped into the hall side by side, the scene before them suddenly changed.
Just as Jiang Xingzhi had said, they were surrounded by a gray, desolate wilderness. Withered rocks jutted from the ground, and overhead was a dark, gloomy sky, faintly revealing flashes of lightning, as if thunder was hiding within.
The wind began to pick up.
Jiang Xingzhi's outer robe fluttered as he looked up toward the horizon. His long sword appeared in his hand, and the blade vibrated. Zing!
"Bai Mu, it's coming."
"Mm." The ancient sword, surrounded by murderous energy, was raised. Zhong Ming's arm was slightly longer than Jiang Xingzhi's, subtly protecting him behind the blade.
Two long swords—one silver, one dark—their blades aligned.
As soon as the words fell, a fierce wind arose from all directions, forming a huge vortex of cloud fragments and stones, carrying a force that tore through space, charging straight toward the two figures in the wilderness.
In the next moment, both figures leapt into the air simultaneously.
With their peak Mahayana cultivation, they charged into the vortex like a strong wind breaking through waves, without any hesitation.
......
Wind, rain, thunder, earthquakes, tides.
The Inheritance realm cycled through the most powerful natural disasters of heaven and earth.
With one sword strike like snow clearing the sky, Jiang Xingzhi split the towering tidal wave crashing down. As the surging waves disappeared before his eyes, they were replaced by flickering lights behind the gloomy sky.
—As if thunder was about to strike.
As if to confirm his guess, a giant silver python tore through the clouds, splitting the sky in two! The lightning bolt was aimed directly at Jiang Xingzhi's position.
In that moment, it strongly resembled the day of his tribulation.
Jiang Xingzhi was about to meet it head-on when his heart inexplicably seized! He instinctively pressed his hand to his chest. "Ugh..."
His hand seemed to lose control, unable to hold his sword. With a clang, Tingxue fell by his feet. Jiang Xingzhi's breathing became rapid, as excruciating pain like a tide flooded his sea of consciousness.
Everything happened in a flash.
"Jiang Xingzhi!" Zhong Ming quickly noticed his distress.
The enormous lightning bolt was about to strike in an instant. Zhong Ming moved in front of Jiang Xingzhi, raising his sword to meet it. As sword energy was unleashed and the two forces collided, Zhong Ming realized how terrifying the lightning's power was—perhaps not much weaker than heavenly tribulation lightning.
Only by using his full strength with the Great Void sword intent could he repel the heavenly lightning.
He glanced back at Jiang Xingzhi behind him, his body reacting faster than his mind—he threw out several formation talismans and tools, then turned to pull the man into his embrace.
BOOM—! The protective barrier shattered, earth and rocks crumbled.
His broad back shielded against all the lightning, while only the small space within his embrace remained untouched by the storm.
Jiang Xingzhi opened his eyes from the intense pain to see a dazzling white light before him and heard a muffled groan nearby. Zhong Ming held him tightly, his sword-wielding hand trembling under the pressure.
"Bai Mu!" Jiang Xingzhi's heart tightened. Fighting through the pain, he grabbed the Tingxue sword by his feet, his vision piercing through the blinding light to find the core of the energy behind the clouds.
With his hand gripping the sword so tightly that his knuckles turned white, Jiang Xingzhi used all his strength to thrust toward the energy core—
Swoosh! The stream of light penetrated the clouds, and the thunderous lightning dispersed with a boom.
Finally, everything around them quieted down. The wind stopped, and the scene no longer changed. With one sword strike breaking through the barrier, they had emerged.
"Bai Mu." Jiang Xingzhi quickly looked at the man before him. "How are you?"
Heavy breathing fell on his neck, and broad shoulders slumped. Zhong Ming still maintained his embrace, but upon hearing the sound of the barrier breaking, he exhaled a breath of turbid air and rested his head on Jiang Xingzhi's shoulder.
It hurt so much—from his limbs to the depths of his consciousness—that veins nearly bulged. Was this how painful it was when Jiang Xingzhi faced his tribulation?
Zhong Ming leaned against Jiang Xingzhi, his breathing trembling.
A gentle spiritual energy covered his back, helping to alleviate his pain. He recovered slightly but didn't want to get up. Not only did he not want to rise, but he tightened his arms, holding Jiang Xingzhi even closer.
Time really flies. From finding Jiang Xingzhi, to expressing his feelings toward him, to now—altogether not more than two months.
Now that they had broken through the barrier, the opportunity lay in the great hall ahead.
What if Jiang Xingzhi really went back? What would he do?
He was the one who least wanted Jiang Xingzhi to go back, yet he was also the one helping him block lightning, break formations, and find opportunities. Zhong Ming didn't know why he was so contradictory. If he were even a bit more selfish, he wouldn't be clinging to these last moments of warmth like this.
......
After using spiritual energy to ease Zhong Ming's pain for a while, seeing that he was no longer trembling and that the arm holding him still had quite some strength, Jiang Xingzhi said, "Do you want to get up and turn your back to me so I can check your injuries?"
"No." The muffled voice came from the crook of his neck.
Jiang Xingzhi was at a loss.
He should push the person away, but found himself unable to.
Zhong Ming was half a head taller than him, and when he bent down to embrace him, his waist and abdomen formed an arch. Jiang Xingzhi tentatively pushed against that arch but couldn't move it.
He then patted the other's shoulder.
"Jiang Xingzhi," Zhong Ming suddenly spoke, his voice still hoarse, perhaps from the pain, "You still owe me one request."
Jiang Xingzhi's memory returned, recalling that day in the cave when Bai Mu had dispelled the cold and healed his wounds. He did indeed owe him a promise that hadn't been fulfilled yet.
He responded, "Go ahead."
An intense heartbeat transmitted from the chest pressed against his.
Zhong Ming held him tight, "Then don't push me away. Let me hold you a little longer."