Nie HuaiSang had put the bottle into his lapels after he ate two pills and stopped the pain. He hurried, “Oh, sure.” And looked down to search for it. After he found it, just as he was about to pass it to Lan XiChen, his pupils suddenly shrunk, exclaiming in fright, “Brother XiChen, behind you!!!”
Lan XiChen hadn’t let down his guard around Jin GuangYao in the first place, tense from caution. As he saw Nie HuaiSang’s expression along with the warning, he felt something in his heart go cold. Without hesitation, he unsheathed his sword and stabbed to the back.
The sword pierced right through Jin GuangYao’s chest. His face was shocked.
The others were also surprised by the sudden turn of events. Wei WuXian shot up, “What happened?!”
Nie HuaiSang, “I-I-I… saw Brother… no, I saw Sect Leader Jin put his hands behind him. I didn’t know if he…”
Jin GuangYao looked down at the sword that penetrated his chest. His lips twitched, as though he wanted to say something, but he couldn’t even argue for himself as he’d been silenced. Wei WuXian felt that something seemed off about this situation. Before he had the chance to ask, Jin GuangYao coughed up quite some blood, his voice hoarse, “Lan XiChen!”
He forcefully broke through the spell of silence.
At the moment, Jin GuangYao was injured from top to bottom. His left hand was burned by the poisonous smoke, his right hand was severed, and his stomach was missing a chunk of flesh. Covered in blood, he couldn’t even manage to sit upright, yet right now he stood on his own without any help, like one last streak of light from a setting sun. He called again in a voice filled with hatred, “Lan XiChen!”
Lan XiChen was beyond both disappointment and sorrow, “Sect Leader Jin, I told you. If you act again, I would show no mercy.”
Jin GuangYao spat, his voice fierce, “Yes! You said so. But did I act?!”
He’d always kept up a gentle, graceful appearance in front of others, yet right now he displayed such a savage look. Seeing just how abnormal he was, Lan XiChen also felt that something was wrong. He immediately turned back to look at Nie HuaiSang.
Jin GuangYao laughed, “Enough! What are you looking at him for? There’s no use! What could you see? You never even saw through me after all those years. HuaiSang, you’re truly impressive.” Nie HuaiSang was tongue-tied, as though he was scared speechless from the sudden accusation. Jin GuangYao spoke with loathing, “How unexpected for me to fall in your hands like this…”
He tried to walk to Nie HuaiSang, but the sword was still stuck at the center of his chest. With just one step, he was immediately overcome with agony. Lan XiChen could neither give him a fatal blow nor pull out the sword rashly, exclaiming, “Do not move!”
In reality, Jin GuangYao couldn’t move either. With one hand, he grabbed the blade before his chest, steadying himself as he spat out a mouthful of blood, “What a ‘Head Shaker’! No wonder… It must’ve been quite hard to have hidden yourself for so many years!”
Nie HuaiSang trembled, “Brother XiChen, trust me, back then I really did see…”
Jin GuangYao’s face was twisted as he shouted, “You!”
He wanted to rush at Nie HuaiSang once more, and the sword sank an inch deeper into his chest. Lan XiChen shouted as well, “Do not move!”
Back then, he’d suffered many great losses from Jin GuangYao by believing in his lies. This time, it was only natural for Lan XiChen to be cautious, suspicious that he accused Nie HuaiSang on purpose after Nie HuaiSang saw through what he was going to do, just so that Lan XiChen would be caught off guard again. Jin GuangYao easily read what his eyes meant, laughing out of anger, “Lan XiChen! In this life, I’ve lied countless times, killed countless times. Like you said, I killed my father, my brother, my wife, my son, my teacher, my friend—of all the evil in the world, what haven’t I done?!”
He took in a breath, rasping, “But I’ve never even thought of harming you!”
Lan XiChen was astonished.
Jin GuangYao panted harder, gripping the word as he spoke through clenched teeth, “… Back then, when the Cloud Recesses was burned down and you fled outside, who was the one that saved you from all the danger? And when the GusuLan Sect was rebuilding the Cloud Recesses, who was the one that helped with everything he had? In all these years, when have I ever cracked down on the GusuLan Sect, when have I responded with anything but support?! Apart from this time, when I’ve only temporarily staunched your spiritual powers, when have I ever wronged you or your sect? Why have I ever demanded gratitude?!”
Hearing these questions, Lan XiChen could no longer persuade himself to silence him again. Jin GuangYao, “Su MinShan could repay me in such a way just because I remembered his name back then. You, on the other hand, ZeWu-Jun, Sect Leader Lan, are as intolerant of me as Nie MingJue—you refuse to spare me even a single breath of life!”
After he said this, Jin GuangYao suddenly drew back. Shuoyue was pulled from his chest, taking out a few splatters of blood.
Jiang Cheng shouted, “Don’t let him get away!”
Lan XiChen went forth in just two steps, seizing him again without any difficulty. In such a shame, Jin GuangYao wasn’t able to get anywhere no matter how fast he was. Jin Ling could catch him even with his eyes closed. On top of that, he was injured in many places and received a fatal wound. There was no longer a need to be careful of him.
Wei WuXian, however, suddenly realized something as he shouted, “He’s not trying to get away!!! ZeWu-Jun, move away from him right now!””
It was already too late. The blood from Jin GuangYao’s severed limb trickled onto the coffin. The blood climbed across where Wei WuXian painted on, destroying the incantations, and dripped inside the coffin through the crack.
Nie MingJue, who had been sealed, broke out from the coffin!
The coffin lid burst into pieces. A pale hand grabbed Jin GuangYao’s neck, while another searched for Lan XiChen’s. Jin GuangYao wasn’t trying to run away. Instead, he was fighting with his last breath to lead Lan XiChen towards Nie MingJue, so that they could die together!
Lan WangJi summoned Bichen, which shot at them with at speed of lighting, but Nie MingJue wasn’t at all afraid of these spiritual weapons. Even if Bichen hit him, it would likely be unable to stop him from closing the small gap between him and Lan XiChen’s throat.
Yet, just as the hand was an instant from grasping Lan XiChen’s neck, Jin GuangYao used the only hand he had left to strike Lan XiChen’s chest, pushing Lan XiChen away.
He, himself, on the other hand, was dragged into the coffin by Nie MingJue, then held up like holding a puppet. The scene was beyond frightening. Jin GuangYao used his one hand to peel away at Nie MingJue’s steel-like palm. He struggled ceaselessly from the pain, hair tangled, as heavy malice shot from his eyes. He cursed with all the energy he had left, “Fuck you, Nie MingJue! You think I’m really scared of you?! I…”
With much difficulty, he coughed up some blood. Everyone present heard a crack that was abnormally clear and brutal.
A whimper of a last breath left Jin GuangYao’s throat.
Jin Ling’s shoulders shivered. He shut his eyes and covered his ears, too afraid to keep watching and listening.