Chapter Thirty-Four: Snow Blossom, Red Bell

Thunder rumbled... Thunder roared... The world echoed with ceaseless booming, and as the entire realm trembled, the ocean beneath, filled with endless extremes of cold and heat, suddenly surged with a monstrous, towering wave!

A strange, unending aura spread, mingled with a violent intent, and all rushed toward the Prince of Shadows.

"The Nine Li Demon Tribe... Such audacity..." Sensing the violent intent pervading the air, a glint of icy light flashed in the Prince’s eyes. As a bone-chilling cold surged around him, he swept his sleeve toward the two massive waves.

A power of unprecedented darkness and chill merged into the towering waves.

Crack...

Crack, crack...

Accompanied by faint, brittle sounds, the two waves began to freeze before the naked eye, transforming into colossal pillars of ice.

Though it seemed slow in the telling, it all happened in a flash—between the rise of the raging waves and their freezing, only a blink had passed.

Boom!

Immediately, one of the giant pillars of ice shattered with a thunderous crash, scattering endless frost and plunging the world into an eerie silence.

The forces of extreme cold and heat faded away; nothing remained but drifting frost in the air.

"So, that is all..." Sweeping his divine sense across the scene of devastation, the Prince of Shadows muttered to himself, a deep light flickering in his gaze.

He paused briefly, then, without delay, turned and stepped beyond the bounds of this realm.

A flash of black light, and the vision before him cleared. Three enormous, pitch-black vortices once again appeared before the Prince.

He hesitated not, striding directly into the second gigantic vortex.

Roar!!!

Dark light flashed, and a deafening howl erupted. Beneath him, tens of thousands of shadowy brute elephant spirits appeared before the Prince.

Roar!!!

Sensing his arrival, the endless spirits cried out and charged toward him.

"Eye of Nightmare."

Just then, a cold light flashed in the Prince’s eyes. He uttered two words, and behind him, a vertical, sinister eye manifested, unleashing a terrifying purple light.

Within the purple radiance seemed to dwell the power of utter annihilation. As the light swept over the brute elephant spirits, they let out heart-rending howls and exploded instantly.

They turned into countless purple points of light, which gathered behind the Prince's Nightmare Eye, forming a tiny, sinister vertical eye.

It was as if he absorbed the essence of the brute beasts for his own use.

As the endless brute elephant spirits howled in agony, the tiny purple eyes behind the Prince grew ever more numerous.

A glance revealed a dense, unsettling mass—enough to make one’s heart tremble and fill with dread.

At last, when silence returned to the world, no soul remained beneath the Prince’s feet.

Behind him, however, countless small purple eyes flickered, unleashing a tide of sinister intent.

"Nine Li Demon Tribe, brute elephant souls..."

"A band of cowardly schemers, wielding only such crude tricks..."

Sweeping his divine sense across the realm and confirming nothing else lurked, the Prince’s expression remained indifferent, disdain flickering in his gaze as he shook his head.

He turned and stepped out, returning to the three black vortices.

After a brief pause, he strode straight into the third vortex.

Yet, as dark light flashed and the realm slowly revealed itself, the Prince fell silent.

Here, apart from endless dust, hidden deep within, stood a vast green tomb.

"Ling’er..."

Gazing at the enormous green mound, worry flashed in the Prince’s eyes as he softly murmured her name and stepped across the void, swiftly approaching.

But as he drew nearer to the tomb, the scenery began to change rapidly.

The endless ruins vanished, replaced by blue sky, daylight, and a sapphire sea.

And—a small island.

"Rootless grass..."

"Snow-fated flower..."

Noticing the transformation, the Prince’s pupils contracted sharply.

Though he sensed the change and grew wary, he hadn’t expected a boundless meadow to spring forth before his eyes.

The grass was rootless, growing suspended in the void, radiating endless, vigorous life.

Among the grass, countless white blossoms slowly unfurled.

Each flower had six petals, each edged with three exquisite points. The petals were pure white, and in the center, a faint blue, ethereal flame flickered.

Indeed, the snow-fated flower.

"Do you like these flowers?"

Suddenly, a clear voice gently sounded. Surprised, the Prince turned toward it.

Unbeknownst to him, two entwined, ethereal figures had appeared among the flowers before him.

On the left was a woman, stunningly beautiful, with long brows and eyes that seemed to hold endless tenderness, captivating and delicate.

She wore a crimson gown that perfectly traced the curves of her waist.

Three thousand strands of blue-black hair were pinned up with a single jade hairpin. Her skin, like congealed cream, gave her an indescribable allure.

In that moment, she leaned against a handsome young man clad in a robe of black and gold embroidery.

He bore an uncanny resemblance to the Prince—eight parts alike!

It was his own visage before entering the cycle of ten thousand lifetimes.

And the woman—she was the one he had searched for so long: Red Ling.

"Is this an illusion shaped by Ling’er’s art?"

Looking at the two standing not far ahead, the Prince’s gaze grew deeper, and he murmured quietly, unmoving.

"If only we could spend a lifetime together in such peace..."

The woman nestled gently in the young man’s embrace, a faint smile on her lips, her voice as melodious as fairy song, softly ringing out.

"When all is settled, we’ll build a thatched hut here..."

"Each day, I’ll watch the sunrise with you, admire the crimson clouds..."

"And keep company with these snow-fated flowers..."

The young man gazed into the distant sky, gently stroking the woman’s fragrant shoulder, and smiled.

Upon hearing his words, a tremor flickered deep within the woman’s eyes. She slowly closed them, leaning into his embrace, murmuring,

"When the time comes, Ling’er will plant the entire island with snow-fated flowers..."

"And I want you, Brother Prince, to love these flowers just as I do..."

And so, the two figures gradually faded away.

Yet the endless flowers and grass seemed unable to vanish, swaying gently in a soft breeze.

Gazing upon it all, a hint of sorrow flashed in the Prince’s eyes. He slowly closed them, murmuring,

"It was then... that everything was already destined..."

The breeze brushed by, his hair danced lightly, his robes fluttered...

He slowly sat cross-legged upon the earth, a faint melancholy in his expression.

Just then, as the snow-fated flowers swayed, countless pale blue, ethereal points of light drifted from their centers, gathering before the Prince.

They outlined the graceful form of a woman.

"Brother Prince..."