Chapter 207: The Awakening (Five)
Chapter 207: The Awakening (Five)
“Samsara, turn!”
As Tang Ni’s cry of “Samsara, turn!” faded, the entire Mortal Realm once again echoed with a dirge of death.
The Void began shattering piece by piece. Countless Cultivators, Mortals, beasts, and Demon Beasts—everything was sucked into that Black Hole.
“Argh!”
As the Mortal Realm’s destruction worsened, the slumbering will of the realm abruptly awakened, unleashing an unimaginable pressure.
“Without destruction, there is no rebirth. All this is an illusion! Halt!”
Feeling the resurgent will of the realm, Tang Ni showed no fear. Instead, his eyes brimmed with sorrow as he spoke.
After Tang Ni’s words, the will of the realm, which had begun to struggle, ceased its resistance. It fell silent, watching everything unfold peacefully.
Its impulse to resist was instinctual; its choice to accept was equally instinctual. This same scene seemed to have repeated endlessly in its existence, etching into its very soul a resigned acceptance—to quietly await the world’s demise.
It would be fine. Everything would begin anew.
“Huang Biaozi, one last time—this is the last time. I, Tang Ni, have cycled through Samsara countless times. I am weary. If this final cycle cannot break Samsara… then let me, Tang Ni, obliterate this world. This broken realm no longer deserves to exist!”
As Tang Ni spoke, he lifted his head. His weathered gaze fixed mournfully on the infinite sky.
Riiip!
Moments later, Tang Ni was likewise drawn into the Black Hole.
…
While the Mortal Realm shattered and crumbled, in a pitch-black expanse of darkness:
“Tang Ni, this favor… this old man will remember it!
Certainly, certainly… this must be the last time! Even if his appearance fails to alter Samsara, one more repetition will change everything!
It must be. It has to be!
For this old man has already smelled it… the scent of hope. Something white—a speck of white within the darkness!”
In the suffocating dark, the voice grew frail, yet it clung fervently to this fragile hope, yearning desperately.
…
Elsewhere, within another endless abyss of darkness:
“No… wrong! All wrong!
Am I Wang Feng?
Or… Tang Jinbiao?
Or perhaps Huang Biaozi?
Who am I?
Why am I here?
What does my existence signify?
Has the world… chosen me?
Did the world choose me, or did I choose the world?
Why?
Why?”
A voice echoed ceaselessly in the darkness.
But suddenly, other sounds intruded upon the pitch-black void.
“Brother Biao!”
“Brother Biao, where are you?”
“Brother Biao, we’re still waiting for you to come back!”
“Brother Biao!”
Those voices seemed to belong to Tang Hu and the others.
“Ah Hu, Ah Bi, Ah Bu? Is it you? Is it really you?”
Hearing those sounds, warmth flooded Tang Jinbiao’s heart, and he immediately called out.
However, the moment Tang Jinbiao uttered those words, the voices instantly dissipated, leaving behind only empty silence.
There was nothing here but darkness. Pure, unbroken darkness. Not even an echo lingered. It felt profoundly lonely.
“What? What? What’s happening?”
Tang Jinbiao didn’t understand. He couldn’t grasp why everything was happening so suddenly.
“Brother!”
Just as Tang Jinbiao was lost in confusion, a childlike voice rang out.
“Tang Song? Tang Song? Is that you? Is that your voice?”
That was Tang Song’s voice. Tang Jinbiao remembered it distinctly.
But again, the same pattern; as soon as Tang Jinbiao spoke, the voice gradually faded away and vanished completely.
“Why? Why? What exactly is going on?”
Tang Jinbiao couldn’t comprehend why this was happening. He had only questioned his own existence. He had only questioned the reality of this world. But merely entertaining such doubts felt like a complete negation of his very self.
“Tang Jinbiao!”
Right as Tang Jinbiao was having these thoughts, another voice sounded, sharp and proud—a woman’s voice.
“Tang Yilin? Tang Yilin? Tsundere Woman? Tsundere Woman? Is that you? Is it you?! Tsundere Woman!”
The moment he recognized that voice, Tang Jinbiao frantically scanned the darkness, searching for any sign of Tang Yilin, but found absolutely nothing.
Predictably, as before, when Tang Jinbiao spoke, the voice immediately vanished.
“Why? Where exactly is this place?”
Tang Jinbiao repeated the questions silently in his heart.
“Oh, no… no!” Suddenly, an internal scream erupted within Tang Jinbiao. Yet no matter how desperately he tried to shout, he found he couldn’t open his mouth. He couldn’t even force his eyes open.
He even felt that at that moment a large hand was gripping his throat ferociously, and an inexplicable immense pressure was pressing down on him. Moreover, an indescribable icy coldness was constantly assaulting him, as if his entire body from head to toe had turned into frost crystals.
“You shouldn’t come back anymore!” “Why did you come back?” “You are not welcome here!” … “Get lost, you are not welcome here!” “Why don’t you just die?” “Wah wah wah…” “Hoo hoo hoo…” If it were only like this, Tang Jinbiao might not have felt pain, but in this boundless darkness, numerous voices echoed relentlessly in his mind. Those voices sounded like they came from men and women, old and young—some sharp, some deep, some hoarse, some pleasant—but every one of them seemed filled with hostility, accompanied by what resembled a little girl’s crying. “Ah!” The voices were like sharp daggers, stabbing continuously into Tang Jinbiao’s head, threatening to pierce through and delve into his deepest thoughts. He couldn’t help but scream out in agony, though in reality, he made no sound because he was unable to utter anything. “Die!” “Don’t come back!” “You are not welcome here!” The voices revolved endlessly around Tang Jinbiao’s ears, refusing to fade. “Get lost!” Finally, Tang Jinbiao seemed to reach his limit; his throat suddenly moved, and a great cry burst from his mouth. “Wah wah wah!” “Hahaha!” “Hee hee hee!” But the moment Tang Jinbiao made a sound, those voices abruptly faded away, vanishing swiftly into the distance.
Bang!
The instant the voices disappeared, Tang Jinbiao’s mind jolted violently—this scene had happened before.
“This… this… this can’t be, it can’t be!”
In that moment, Tang Jinbiao became afraid, truly terrified from the depths of his heart, because at that instant, he felt he had grasped the truth.
This was the world he had accidentally glimpsed during the teleportation mishap when he and Tang Yilin were being transported.
Everything was too similar, frighteningly similar.
What was the most frightening thing?
The most frightening thing was the monotony of an unchanging existence!
In that other world, Tang Jinbiao’s life had been utterly monotonous, so he grew weary of it.
That was why, when he saw the car coming toward him back then, he didn’t dodge but deliberately stepped forward—he wanted an excuse for his cowardice.
He had wanted to attack a certain rich bully, but he lacked the courage; he didn’t dare!
But he couldn’t face the shame; he chose to be hit by a car instead. If he didn’t die, although embarrassing, it was better than being humiliated to death. So back then, he preferred being struck by a car over confronting an unbeatable enemy!
He never expected that after the car hit him, he would never wake up and ended up inexplicably in this world.
Similarly, in this world, he suffered endless humiliation, yet deep inside, he clung to a shred of goodness.
But when he decided to change his way of life and fight for himself, everything shifted.
“Let me go, let me go!”
Recalling all his past experiences, tears streamed from Tang Jinbiao’s eyes, and he roared inwardly with all his might.
This was the first time he felt a desire to break free from these chains, the deepest cry from his heart.
Yet as he roared internally, he felt his body grow colder and colder, and the grip on his throat squeezed tighter, making it hard even to breathe.
“No, no, I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die! I’d rather be embarrassed than die! Save me, save me, who can save me?”
Feeling death approach, Tang Jinbiao grew tense.
“Ah Huang, Ah Huang, please save me, save me now!
No, Azure Dragon, Azure Dragon, Azure Dragon Demon King, save me, save me quickly!
Huang Biaozi, Great Immortal Huang, where are you? Save me, save me!
Ah Hu, Ah Hu, save me, save me!
Ah Bi, Brother Bi, save me!”
Tang Jinbiao called out repeatedly in his heart, trying to shout, but nothing escaped his lips.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Contrary to expectations, Tang Jinbiao wasn’t saved; instead, his body felt entirely frozen, his blood ceasing to flow, and he began to turn into tiny frost crystals, gradually fading away.
“Ah, no, no, I can’t die, I must not die!”
Tang Jinbiao realized his body was disappearing bit by bit, roaring inside, but no matter how unwilling or how he cried out, his form dissolved steadily.
Transforming into small white sparks, those glimmers looked beautiful yet terrifying in such darkness.
“I’m dying, I’m dying!”
Tang Jinbiao had completely surrendered and quietly shut his eyes.
White!
But the instant he closed his eyes, he saw a light, a white radiance appearing before him.
“What is this thing? Why white?”
Tang Jinbiao’s vision was already blurry, and he mumbled hazily.
In truth, it wasn’t white but a spirit stone, merely stained with a few drops of blood.
“I want to sleep so badly!”
The spirit stone seemed magical—Tang Jinbiao looked at it a couple of times, felt unbearably sleepy, and the pressures on him vanished without a trace. Slowly, he shut his eyes.
…
“Haha, haha, finally, this day has finally come!
A millennial era has passed, a millennial era, and I, old man, have waited so long for your soul to turn white—that gorgeous white, a color I adore!
Haha, haha, I’ve devoted my entire life awaiting this day!
Changed, changed, this time we can truly change!”
The moment Tang Jinbiao closed his eyes and sank into sleep, an aged voice echoed through an endless darkness…