Chapter 56

"Ah!" The poaching team, except for Shahe, was instantly turned into a pool of blood as they were engulfed by the endless sea of blood, becoming part of it.

"You! You are..." Shahe, who was barely able to speak, convulsed as he struggled to maintain the Blood River Seal. Compared to this endless sea of blood, the human essence he had absorbed was like the difference between a firefly and the sun.

How could such a small body possess such vast power? The sea of blood contained the life force of countless beings, perhaps numbering in the billions. This was a level of mastery that even the Blood River Seal at its peak could not reach.

This was already a legendary supreme power, a heaven-defying force that a human body could hardly grasp.

"Snap!" After supporting for a dozen seconds, the blood shield around Shahe finally turned into a pool of blood and was swallowed by the endless sea of blood.

"You are... the Sovereign..." In his final moments, Shahe, who had cultivated his supernatural power, suddenly realized Xiaoxiang's true identity, even seeing the shadow of a giant snake with nine heads in the endless sea of blood.

"Amitabha... So this is my fate..." In the last instant before death, Shahe recalled the sins he had committed, the secret realm races he had slaughtered, and the human essence he had consumed without hesitation to cultivate the Blood River Seal.

It's not that there was no retribution; it just hadn't come yet. Being swallowed by this sea of blood was his retribution.

"Unreturnable... Unknowable... Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion..." Before his body melted into blood, Shahe used his last strength to utter his final Buddhist phrase, a golden light flashing in the endless sea of blood.

"Damn! How dare you do such a thing!" Xiaoxiang was furious, but it was too late to intercept Shahe's final Buddhist light.

This was not an attack, but a self-sacrificing great spell cast by the enlightened Shahe on the spatial passage to the secret realm "Zhou Chong," causing the passage to begin to restore itself.

The passage was already in an extremely unstable state, and the tear Xiaoxiang had created was shrinking every day. Shahe's final self-sacrificing great spell accelerated this process several times over.

As a result, the tear in the passage was almost too small to accommodate Xiaoxiang's true form, and the time she could stay in this world was reduced to a countdown.

If she didn't return before the countdown ended, her true form would be trapped in this secret realm for a long time, which was no laughing matter.

She was not the sovereign of this secret realm, and her power here was less than half of what it should be, even weakening the longer she stayed.

A powerful sovereign like her should not be in this small secret realm, so this weakening was irreversible and could even cause great harm to her true form.

How much time was left? An hour, half an hour? Xiaoxiang moved her true form to the half-torn passage and realized the situation was beyond saving.

Even if she didn't return now, she would soon suffer injuries that required her to fall into a deep sleep, and the spatial storm was not something just anyone could endure.

However, despite knowing she had to return, Xiaoxiang hesitated. Although she had already ordered her true form to squeeze into the spatial passage, she couldn't bring herself to take that final step.

Just one step, and she would leave this secret realm with her true form, bid farewell to everything here, and return to the safe and secure Qingxu.

In Qingxu, she was the sole sovereign, the ruler of all things, with nothing to fear.

But now, what was this feeling?

Regret, frustration, anxiety—why was she feeling this way, why was her heart so bitter?

"Just a little more time, give me a little more time." After apologizing to her suffering true form, Xiaoxiang quickly rushed out of the secret realm.

This was the last time they would meet, the final farewell. Xiaoliu, I'm sorry, I couldn't fulfill your promise.

One last time, one last look, and then it would all be over.

The rising sun illuminated the waves crashing against the sea, casting a golden glow on the sandy beach filled with memories. Meixue was anxiously waiting for Xiaoliu's arrival, the longevity charm in his hand polished again and again, already spotless but still polished to ease his nervousness.

Xiaoliu seemed to be a bit late today. Was something holding him up?

Why did he have such a bad feeling, as if something terrible had already happened?

Xiaoliu, are you okay?

"Boom!" A huge wave crashed from the near sea, drenching Meixue, who was waiting.

In the flying spray, the familiar red figure appeared before Meixue, her eyes filled with indescribable anxiety and regret.

"Xiaoliu, you're here." Meixue wiped the water from his body and smiled shyly.

"Sorry, I think..." Xiaoxiang, feeling extremely dejected, almost couldn't bring herself to tell Meixue that she was about to leave, seeing how happy he seemed.

These days had been so pleasant.

She had played the role of Xiaoliu so smoothly that she almost couldn't tell if she was Xiaoliu or Xiaoxiang.

The time from the Boundary-Breaking Pearl hadn't run out, and she had so many things she wanted to do.

But it was over. Because of her momentary carelessness, she hadn't noticed the monk's final self-sacrificing spell, and now she had to suffer the consequences.

These happy, carefree days would never come again.

So, she had come to say goodbye to Meixue and tell him the truth.

Today, she didn't have to play the role of Xiaoliu. She was Xiaoxiang, and she needed to tell him now, because she had no more time.

Human life was so short. By the time she returned from Qingxu with the Boundary-Breaking Pearl, it would be a hundred years, and they would probably never see each other again.

The farewell came so suddenly that she didn't know what expression to show. She wanted to smile, but her nose was always tingling.

Why hadn't she noticed? This was the time Xiaoliu had been looking forward to, and she had lost the last few days because of a simple mistake, one she could hardly forgive herself for.

"Xiaoliu, I want to give you something." Meixue looked earnestly at the red-clad girl before him, his eyes burning with passion.

In his eyes, she was the sun, the sea, the most beautiful girl in the world.

He didn't care about her identity, race, or background. At this moment, he simply liked her, truly loved her.

So, he placed the longevity charm, which emitted a fragrant scent of ancient wood, in her hand.

"Xiaoliu, I like you."

Simple words, no need for sweet talk. This was Meixue's sincere confession, his heartfelt declaration.

Xiaoxiang was stunned, looking into Meixue's clear, large eyes, she was momentarily entranced.

What kind of eyes were these, innocent and passionate, with no trace of falsehood, seeing only the gentle red-clad girl in them.

The girl was familiar yet strange.

Was it her?

No, it wasn't. Because Meixue liked the gentle, innocent, and naive girl, not her, the sovereign of Qingxu who had just swallowed a group of humans in the endless sea of blood.

What Meixue saw and liked was always that pure girl, not her, the monster with blood-stained hands.

Yes, Meixue liked Xiaoliu. From the beginning, didn't she already know this? If she and Xiaoliu weren't one and the same, as long as she didn't reveal her killing intent and pretended to be like Xiaoliu, no one could tell the difference. She wouldn't have been able to be with him.

Because she was the murderer who had given him a fatal blow on their first meeting. That sword through the edge of his heart was no joke, but a real attempt to kill.

If Meixue had shown any signs of being a celestial mage at that moment, he would have been killed instantly.

Yes, she was that murderer, willing to shed rivers of blood to protect Xiaoliu without hesitation.

Cruel and brutal, exterminating humans without mercy—this was the sovereign of Qingxu, this was her true self.

So, of course, she couldn't be liked, couldn't be confessed to, and didn't even have the right to accept this gift.

Because everything about her was a lie, a disguise. She had never possessed the gentleness of Xiaoliu, had never thought of treating humans with a gentle heart.

In her eyes, all humans should be enemies, objects to be killed at will.

It should have been like this...

But why was she feeling such pain, such regret, even tears welling up in her eyes?

Was it envy, or jealousy? No, it couldn't be. He was just a human, a weak human she had to temporarily take care of to fulfill Xiaoliu's wish.

He had no supernatural powers, nothing to compare with her, no right to be with her.

He just bought her candy, went to the river to catch crabs with her, always told jokes that made her laugh, and was always there with her, looking at her as an equal, listening to her voice, making her feel less lonely.

Just these insignificant little things.

Just things no one had ever done for her before.

Just because Xiaoliu liked it, and she... also did.

Just because she would never see him again.

In her heart, something fragile finally shattered, something precious she had never realized she possessed.

Holding Meixue's charm tightly in her hand, memorizing every word on it, Xiaoxiang gave Meixue her final smile, a bitter, almost tearful smile.

"Idiot! You've got the wrong person, I'm Xiaoxiang!"

Then, a blood shadow flashed, and Xiaoxiang's figure appeared behind Meixue.

"You will pay a price! I will always remember you. When I come out next time, I will definitely find you. No matter how old you are, whether you're an old man, as long as you're alive, I will find you."

"Xiaoliu is a genius, a true genius. She will find a way. When the time comes, I will take you to my world."

"Time... is up..."

"Goodbye, Meixue."

The red figure lowered her head and gently kissed the unconscious Meixue under the rising sun.

It was the final farewell kiss, and the girl's first and only kiss.