World of Cultivation Nine Hundred and Fifteen – The Ending

Wei Sheng and Lin Qian faced each other in the vast expanse of the sky.

The instant Lin Qian issued his challenge, Wei Sheng was already in the air. Wei Sheng’s paramount duty was to ensure the safety of Gongsun Cha, Bie Han, and the others. Lin Qian was the sole significant peril to them.

The two confronted each other in an uninhabited void.

“This locale is perfect for our ultimate confrontation,” Wei Sheng declared with solemnity.

Lin Qian offered a smile. “There’s no need for collateral damage in the battle between us. A desolate place such as this serves as an excellent battlefield.”

“You possess concern for the innocent?” Wei Sheng scoffed coldly.

“Unless it benefits Kun Lun, I have no inclination to take lives,” Lin Qian stated with frankness.

Wei Sheng’s eyes gleamed. “As anticipated, you’ve achieved a breakthrough.”

“A single step behind you.” Lin Qian inclined his head. His expression betrayed no hint of pride. “Kun Lun’s gravest error was likely our mishandling of the Wu Kong Sword Sect.”

Wei Sheng countered, “Kun Lun’s most significant mistake is its insular focus. Are we the only ones standing against Kun Lun?”

Lin Qian remained silent.

Then, a laugh escaped him, and he flicked the Immemorial Shen Sword with a single finger.

The sword’s pure hum resonated throughout the entire void.

“In the end, the matters of right and wrong are not so numerous!” Lin Qian stood tall, his smile vanishing as his gaze sharpened. “There are only victory and defeat!”

Wei Sheng shook his head. “Numerous matters lie beyond the scope of victory and defeat.”

“Then what else exists?” Lin Qian inquired with a dismissive smile.

Wei Sheng’s eyes held a distant, reflective gleam. His heart was utterly tranquil. “Belief!”

Lin Qian did not engage in further debate but nodded. “Indeed, yet while you hold your beliefs, I hold mine! Let us settle this with our swords!”

Lin Qian raised his shen sword.

“Agreed!” Wei Sheng likewise lifted his shen sword.

Liang Wei, with his exceptional skill in surprise assaults, initiated a maneuver of unprecedented scale.

In truth, this action could hardly be classified as a mere sneak attack.

The moment the allied yaomo army materialized within Kun Lun’s domain, utter terror engulfed the entire sect.

Liang Wei inwardly despaired. Had Kun Lun comprehended that the Mo King, newly unified the yaomo, was none other than Zuo Mo, they would have never dared to risk everything.

The disparity in power between the two factions was immense.

Compared to Lin Qian, King possessed a significantly superior hand.

Contemplating this, Liang Wei couldn’t help but pause. He pondered, yet failed to grasp how King’s advantages had grown so substantial without his awareness.

He shook his head, dismissing the extraneous thoughts. They held no relevance to him.

This engagement presented no challenge for him. Lin Qian’s counter-offensive had consumed nearly all of Kun Lun’s forces. Their advance met no opposition, only the sight of panicked and desperate crowds.

“Do not falter! Accelerate! Advance with utmost speed!” Liang Wei commanded.

The yaomo army surged across Kun Lun like a fierce gale.

“What!” Xue Dong’s countenance turned ashen, his extremities growing cold. He stammered, “An allied yaomo army! Didn’t... weren’t they on the verge of conflict?”

His voice quivered with disbelief.

Within the tent, all present wore expressions of pallor. They understood the dire implications.

They held no fear of the Mo Cloud Sea launching a rear assault. Every xiuzhe faction stood against them; escape was impossible. However, the invasion by the allied yaomo army signified that Kun Lun now faced formidable adversaries on both its front and rear.

Kun Lun’s local defense contingents possessed minimal combat effectiveness and could not stem the advance of the allied yaomo forces.

Even more detrimental was the potential for news of the yaomo army’s invasion to shatter the morale of their own troops.

This was not a disciplined or elite fighting force. The vast majority were conscripts who, mere half-months prior, had never set foot on a battlefield. Should they discover their homes were in peril, then...

Envisioning the catastrophic repercussions, Xue Dong shuddered. He swiftly regained composure and declared sternly, “Issue an order: confiscate all sound transmission tablets! No one is permitted to retain a sound tablet! Communication with the outside is forbidden...”

Before he could conclude, a figure stumbled into the tent.

“Disaster! Disaster...”

Chaos had already erupted outside.

The commanders’ already bloodless faces turned utterly devoid of color.

“The Heavens decree Kun Lun’s demise!” Chao Xin murmured. He expelled a mouthful of blood and succumbed to unconsciousness.

“People of Kun Lun, if you surrender and return to your homes, we pledge to spare your families and safeguard your property...”

The sound tablet broadcasted the message urging surrender.

This identical message was disseminated across the Four Realms.

Even the Mo Cloud Sea was taken aback by the sudden turn of events. The clandestine revelation of Zuo Mo’s identity as the Nether King was known only to a select few within the Mo Cloud Sea. The general populace merely anticipated Zuo Mo’s imminent return.

The public exposure of Zuo Mo’s true identity via this announcement delivered a crushing blow to Kun Lun’s forces.

Originally, Kun Lun had channeled their remaining might to confront Mo Cloud Sea. Their strategic foresight dictated that a full-pronged assault would allow them to overpower Mo Cloud Sea before turning their attention to the yaomo.

However, the revelation that the Nether King was, in fact, Zuo Mo, plunged all of Kun Lun into profound despair!

A grim realization dawned upon them: any hope of victory had evaporated.

None whatsoever.

Their military endeavors had lost all purpose. Even if they could breach Mo Cloud Sea's defenses, the triumph would be hollow!

The disparity in power between the two factions was insurmountable.

The devastating impact of Zuo Mo's long-concealed trump card was immense. Had Zuo Mo deployed it prematurely, he would have faced a Kun Lun ensconced within its defensive shell.

Such a premature strike would have cost him dearly, perhaps leaving him significantly weakened.

Yet, he astutely preserved Kun Lun's sense of impending victory, emboldening them to risk their all, only to deliver a crushing blow at the decisive moment.

Kun Lun was denied even the slightest opportunity to mount a counterattack.

Chaos ensued!

Utter pandemonium!

The rear lines were being overrun by the allied yaomo forces. The formidable army of two million four hundred thousand fractured into disarray. Kun Lun's once-vaunted glory seemed to vanish completely in that instant. Despite Xue Dong's draconian orders for patrols to execute deserters, the tide of fleeing soldiers could not be stemmed.

Entire battalions dissolved into flight or signaled their surrender.

Their sole desire was to return to their homes, to be reunited with their loved ones.

Fear, like a virulent contagion, swept through the ranks!

This vast human expanse, which had once threatened to extinguish all hope, collapsed like an avalanche of snow.

Within the command tent, the somber assembly of battle commanders slowly regained their composure.

Xue Dong's complexion remained pallid, yet his gaze was incisive enough to pierce through any mortal.

“We have been defeated. Kun Lun has failed. Our prospects for victory are nonexistent. Let those who wish to surrender do so.”

He arose, adjusting his shen equipment. His bearing was one of solemn dignity.

“To meet our end with surrender would be a profound disgrace upon Kun Lun’s legacy.”

“Oh, Kun Lun! Even in your final moments, you must display unwavering bravery to honor your name.”

Mu Xuan rose to his feet. The assembled officers followed suit in silent reverence.

They exited the tent. Only a handful of individuals remained standing outside, observing their emergence.

Upon witnessing Xue Dong and his officers emerge, these xiuzhe began to orderly form ranks. No words were exchanged. From the initiation to the conclusion of this solemn act, an unbroken silence prevailed.

They stood in precise formations, resembling a phalanx of unyielding spears.

An immense host advanced towards them from the distant horizon.

The clash of sword energies between the two combatants reverberated through the very air!

The propagating waves of shen power inflicted devastation upon the heavens and earth wherever they surged. The landscape itself seemed to fracture under the strain.

They were cleaving the very earth. Fissures spiderwebbed across the sky, and countless chasms opened in the ground below. Pockets of earth fire erupted, raging uncontrollably.

Neither side exhibited any restraint.

Both combatants bore numerous wounds, yet they seemed impervious to pain.

Their relentless battle had raged for ten days and ten nights without a single moment of respite.

Abruptly, the two warriors ceased their assault.

Their gazes fixed upon the distance.

Reinforcements were arriving!

Members of both factions understood that the side receiving aid would undoubtedly be the victor. Only those who had achieved victory would possess the available resources to dispatch reinforcements.

When Lin Qian's eyes fell upon Zuo Mo leading the approaching contingent, his face drained of color, and his very presence seemed to falter.

They had lost!

Kun Lun had been defeated!

He forced himself to steady his trembling form. After engaging in combat at peak intensity for ten days and nights, both he and Wei Sheng were at the absolute limit of their endurance.

They were being sustained solely by the thinnest thread of willpower.

A considerable retinue followed Zuo Mo. A Gui, Zong Ru, Ceng Lian’er, Luo Li Wo Li, Lan, and the elder. Each of these individuals possessed pseudo god-level strength.

Zuo Mo had marshaled all of Mo Cloud Sea's pseudo god-level experts.

Lin Qian wore a look of utter powerlessness, a grimace etched upon his features.

This indicated that the battle on the plains had concluded, definitively. Only then would Zuo Mo dare to bring forth all his elite forces.

Kun Lun... within his grasp...

Lin Qian lowered his gaze, his eyes fixated with dazed sorrow upon the Immemorial Shen Sword...

Plink!

A solitary tear fell upon the sword, transforming into minuscule droplets that ascended into the air.

“Master, I am sorry...”

The tears traced a path down the sword's length.

“Master, I am sorry... sorry...”

He wept openly, like a child overcome by grief.

Sky Moon Jie

Wu Kong Mountain.

Wu Kong Mountain lay obscured by a thick mantle of weeds and overgrown vegetation that blanketed its dilapidated structures.

Zuo Mo and Wei Sheng surveyed the weeds, now towering over them. Without uttering a word, they commenced the arduous task of clearing the area.

Soon, their efforts resulted in the complete restoration of Wu Kong Mountain's grounds.

The mountain remained, a silent sentinel, but its inhabitants were gone.

“Shidi!” Wei Sheng suddenly broke the silence.

“Hm?” Zuo Mo turned towards him.

“I intend to construct a dwelling here and reside permanently,” Wei Sheng declared, his voice imbued with a wistful nostalgia. “We shall name it Sword House!”

“Excellent!” Zuo Mo affirmed with a nod. “And do not forget to attend my wedding to A Gui, of course.”

“Haha! Ensure there is plenty of good wine!” Wei Sheng responded with hearty laughter.

The two shared a knowing smile.

The End.

Translator Ramblings: And it’s over! Fang Xiang seems to always build up and then it never pays off. It’s more like a balloon slowly deflating than one that shoots out air and flies around.

I sort of stopped commenting to your comments over the past year as my life became busy. I’ve usually ended up reading all the comments in one go right before scheduling posts. I appreciate all the comments and it always brings a smile to my face when I see a familiar username pop up everyday.

And in reference to WanderingGummi’s note below, I really think the epilogue started when Zuo Mo came back alive in the Nether Realm. The climax was the battle with Chief Elder, the rest was just the denouement.

Editor’s note:

So I imagine people will think this ending was rushed and lacked excitement, but honestly the outcome was more or less set in stone after Zuo Mo became Nether King and conquered the Mo Marshall Alliance. So to me at least, everything after that battle has been a 20 chapter epilogue.

An amazing effort by Wyhcwe: two and a half years, one a day every day and never missed a day. I can’t make the same claim as I joined the team around chapter 70 (?). I also missed 1 chapter because of a silly counting mistake, I fixed it a few hours later but not sure that counts anymore. The experience has been amazing. The community has grown a lot over this time and there have been some big events, but our readers have been great the entire time. I can’t recall any negative interactions with readers. So, thank you for that.

I’m going to cheat today. You get two, because I have mixed feelings. Happy the project is finished and sad it is over.