Chapter 70 - The Judge And The Executioner

For reader Petals-and-Shadows, because when I thought to give up on this story, you gave a reason to continue. Thank you. 💖

The instant Qiongqi signaled, nearly a hundred weapons were launched at the group, striking indiscriminately. This unrelenting assault forced Zhu Yan to draw on his demonic energy more than ever, summoning his own array of weapons to counter the attack and lessen the number of enemies they had to confront individually.

Initially, they tried to remain close together, so that anyone in need of help could quickly receive it. However, keeping this formation was a daunting task in an unfamiliar domain where the seal covering much of the area concealed more than just a stockpile of living weapons. Traps hidden in the ground would suddenly activate; at times, the earth would crack open to unleash grotesque creatures, while at other moments, it would erupt with toxic gas or violent blasts that they barely managed to escape.

Everything unfolded at a dizzying pace, and just a few minutes in this chaos felt incredibly perilous. They soon found themselves covered in cuts, and whenever Bai Jiu or Zhu Yan attempted to heal them through their connection, it backfired severely, causing more harm than good. To make matters worse, hidden arrays sometimes led them to inadvertently strike one of their own.

For instance, Zhu Yan inadvertently grazed Yichen with an attack that was never meant to come close to him. Thankfully, Yun Guang sensed the danger, allowing Yichen to evade most of the strike, which resulted in only a minor cut on his arm.

"Baobei, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you," Zhu Yan apologized to his husband, his face showing genuine concern. With little time to offer comfort amidst the chaos, Yichen simply smiled at him.

"Ā Yan, don't worry. Our bond is strong, and I know it wasn't your fault," he instructed Zhu Yan as he fought against every threat that approached. Nevertheless, this incident made Zhu Yan hesitant to unleash his full power, fearing it might unintentionally cause harm to his beloved.

They tested nearly every option in their store, both together and individually. Despite their diligence, the only effective measures were the sword strikes from Yichen and Ying Lei, as their divine weapons were unaffected by the mysterious power of the seal. However, they couldn't channel their own energy into the swords, or it would backfire too. All other attempts seemed to be in vain, no matter how much effort they exerted.

They discovered they were caught in a seal designed to reverse intentions, turning healing into harm, protection into peril, purpose into threat, and connections into disorder. The mayhem was such that even Zhu Yan struggled to keep pace. Although his primary focus was on keeping Yichen safe, his efforts ironically resulted in the opposite effect.

The more Zhu Yan tried to protect Yichen, the more he inadvertently endangered him—a never-ending cycle. Yichen was deeply troubled about Yixuan, who was in turn worried about Li Lun, battling with his own seal amidst horrifying scenes. Ying Lei was anxious about Bai Jiu's potential breakdown under extreme pressure, understandably shaken by the ongoing failures.

Meanwhile, Pei Sijing was extremely concerned that Wen Xiao would become overwhelmed as her visions spiraled uncontrollably with conflicting possibilities. Lastly, Yun Guang was deeply worried about the risk of Siheng's semi-human status being undone by the intense reversal effects, especially since Siheng continued to be sustained through their now corrupted core link.

Everything felt off-balance, with Yun Guang, as a weapon blessed with divine protection, being the only one not directly affected. If the situation did not change, they all faced the grim possibility of death, whether from the numerous traps and berserk weapons or by their own intentions being reversed. The situation represented the worst possible scenario they could have found themselves in—challenging them physically and destabilizing them mentally.

Li Lun watched helplessly as events unfolded, feeling on the edge of collapse while he struggled hard to free himself and join the fight. He blamed himself for the group's current difficult situation and its effect on Yixuan. Li Lun sensed Yixuan's worries about him, along with his own anxiety, frustration, exhaustion, and concern for Yichen, which was in turn gravitating around Yixuan in worry for his brother's emotional well-being. Yixuan's anger was building like a storm about to break, and given the overwhelming amount of pressure he was under, he may.

Yixuan was fiercely trying to reach Li Lun's cage, but so far, it had proven to be an impossible task. No matter how many living weapons he tossed aside or how many grotesque creatures he killed, he could only take a few steps toward Li Lun before being blocked again by more creatures or traps. His desperation was escalating, fueled by his own frustration and Li Lun's struggle for freedom. The fact that he could not be there to protect him was killing him. Yichen could feel Li Lun's pain as his own. It was quite shocking to see such a powerful demon being defeated by a seal.

Then again, thinking about it, he sensed that something was off. For a seal to possess the power to reverse intentions was akin to wielding divine power, and he was certain Qiongqi was not a god. Even Zhu Yan, who was the closest to a divinity, couldn't achieve that, so how did this great demon manage it? What was the secret behind it? Yixuan was sure that Qiongqi did not have that level of power on his own. Could it be that he was drawing malicious energy from beyond the seal?

For now, Yixuan lacked enough opportunities to see if there was a transfer of energy from the land into Qiongqi or from other demons he had fed on, like Huan Jing. What he did have in abundance were those skull weapons at his disposal. However, even those seemed off. They should have radiated demonic energy in waves, yet even if the energy of those weapons was tainted, it didn't even match the intensity of the demons they had battled in the Forest of Convergence back home. This was strange, given that those skulls were anything but ordinary. They were nearly indestructible.

"This is madness! We can't keep this up forever!" Bai Jiu shouted as he was struck by one of those noise blasts those skulls made when screaming, but Ying Lei caught him before he could fall to the ground.

"We wouldn't be in such a tight spot if it weren't for this seal turning our own strengths against us! Is there any way we can restore it to normal?" Siheng asked through their link, but no one had a viable solution to their dilemma. They had no time to even pause for a moment.

"I can try to use the remnants of Bing Yi's power. Perhaps it can at least break the seal and allow us to have a fair fight," Yichen proposed. Yet, he knew using his energy on Yun Guang had been risky before, not to mention the potential danger of Bing Yi's freezing spell that might backfire disastrously.

"That's not an option in these circumstances. If it reverses, we're finished," Wen Xiao cautioned.

"Yun Guang, any ideas?" Siheng asked.

"I can fend off the weapons and perhaps destroy many of those things with my internal energy, but that won't be enough to break this seal. It's such a massive formation, and searching for a weakness in my sword form would take too long. If I shift to human form, Yichen will be without a weapon to fight, and I can't allow that," Yun Guang explained.

"I can use one of Zhu Yan's weapons instead," Yichen remarked, aiming to give Yun Guang more autonomy to try to solve their problem.

"Absolutely not! My weapons can backfire as well, and I won't leave my Baobei defenseless," Zhu Yan retorted. As they exchanged words amid the ongoing battle, Yixuan found himself pushed to his breaking point. His typical calm and self-control had been strained past their limits, or perhaps the negative influence of the seal effects was really getting to him. Either way, he was on the edge of losing everything dear to him.

Damn it! This isn't how it was meant to end! Yixuan thought, frustration boiling within him as he pushed himself harder. He couldn't let his loved ones—his mate, his brother, Zhu Yan, and his friends—be killed in the demon world. They were tougher than that, and he was capable of more than what he was currently achieving. They had faced setbacks before, during Zhu Yan's training, yet they had rebounded and become even stronger. What he needed was not self-doubt, but the conviction that he could sever the grip of darkness that was choking them.

Yixuan activated his golden eyes, refusing to let a seal reverse his intentions any longer, as he was born with the power to see beyond deceptions or illusions and to purify tainted energy. For the first time, it worked as it was supposed to, and he discovered the true nature of those living weapons. To his horror and increasing anger, he realized that these weapons were once divine beings, blessed by the heavens, now reduced to mere shadows, bones sustained by a spell that should never have been created. 

He could sense their suffering and despair, as vivid as his own. Their once-beautiful forms had been transformed into vessels of dark energy—monsters that had once roamed happily in primordial times. Their screams, which had previously served as weapons, were now howls of profound agony and pleas for salvation. The sight was truly terrifying and heart-wrenching all at once. The seal itself was a distortion of the sacred energy of the primordial era, twisted to such an extent that it had turned divinity into torment and hatred.

"Nuwa, I am your vessel, born of the people you created and entrusted with protecting the world. Bing Yi, you are my ancestor, the blood that flows through my veins and the foundation of my family. If ever there was a moment worthy of your blessings, let it be now. A demon that has judged the righteous and turned them into tools for evil, does not deserve to wield what was once divine. I plea for the souls of those divine beasts that could never reach the heavens. Allow me to give them true justice." He softly begged for the opportunity to correct these wrongs.

"Zhuo Yixuan, you have shown compassion for the fallen. You have resolved to protect the living, regardless of who they may be. Your wrath has been reserved solely for those who have committed great evils. Your heart has not strayed from the path I entrusted to humanity. Your plea has been granted by the will of the heavens. Awaken to your legacy, for your mission transcends the mere exercise of power. It's about restoring order and returning the world to the state it was in at the dawn of time." Nuwa's voice echoed in Yixuan's mind. Meanwhile, the flower Li Lun had given him from the Crystal Valley pulsated in his magical pouch, eager to offer its own blessing as well. Yixuan was unexpectedly taken aback by that, yet he had no time to reflect on its meaning

As soon as Nuwa bestowed her blessing, everything changed radically. Time appeared to slow down, freezing everything in place—the wailing weapons, the monsters emerging from holes, the seal's power, the poisonous clouds, and even the darkness that was consuming them. Li Lun, Wen Xiao, the Pei siblings, Bai Jiu, and even Qiongqi were all caught in this stasis. Only Yichen, Ying Lei, and Zhu Yan witnessed the descent of a higher order as Yixuan began to awaken.

Then a golden light burst forth from his core, enveloping him in a warm cocoon resembling amber from a tree. A golden dragon and a white snake circle the amber of energy. Immediately after, a cold wave emanated from deeper into his core, numbing his body as he transformed into something unexpected. Given his dragon blood and Nuwa's serpent nature, he assumed he would become something in between—but he was mistaken.

His awakening was not designed to make him closer to a god, like Yichen. Instead, it was to fulfill the will, judgment, and order of the heavens. Qiongqi had been the master of his game for far too long. He had wagered that reversing their intentions would lead them to self-destruction, allowing him to enjoy the unfolding drama. What he never anticipated was that by pushing them too far, he would trigger the heavens' own judgment that he could never control again.

Yixuan sensed his body growing stronger, not because he was transforming into a dragon or a serpent, but due to the immense weight of that higher power being too much for a mere human. He felt Bing Yi's divinity shielding his mortal form from being overwhelmed. Horns emerged, serving as conduits for Bing Yi's energy, and heavenly symbols adorned his skin. Yet he remained human, enveloped in an ethereal golden glow as he descended to the ground. The ground shook under him and broke, as if a mountain had fallen from the sky. Such was the weight of the heavens' will, tamed only for his survival.

"Restore." Yixuan murmured, and time resumed its flow. However, nothing moved, as the seal shattered into millions of pieces, including Li Lun's seal, who ran to him, but halted when close enough, as he didn't want to interfere with his task.

To the shock of his companions, they finally saw the reality behind the veil of dakness. The spirits of primordial beasts—dragons, phoenixes, tigers, Qilins, and countless other divine beings—were now visible, bowing to Yixuan not in reverence, but in gratitude for restoring relief, happiness, and freedom to their once broken souls, now ready to return home. A beam of light from the sky descended upon Yixuan, making him look even more beautiful, who smiled and pointed toward the majestic gate that had opened for the souls of all those divine beasts to finally experience peace and a new life. 

"Cleanse." Yixuan let the word be carried by the wind, his gaze into the heavens, his bestowed power covering land and air like a gentle mantle. Then as the souls soared toward the heavenly gate, guarded by the Black Tortoise, thousands of flower petals in every color rained down, purifying the air, the ground, and everything they touched, leaving behind a sweet fragrance. 

The land purifies, malicious energy vanishing from everything it had tainted, transforming the tundra into a field of flowers like a massive rainbow. Scattered trees grew tall in mere seconds too, blooming with flowers and fruits, bringing the place new life, restoring the original order to something Yichen had seen in his dream once, before it had turned into a nightmare of malicious energy taking over. Now, his beloved brother had brought back beauty and joy into a harsh, cold land. 

"Order." This time, his word meant to bring back normalcy, with reverse intention no longer having any effect on them. A pearly rain began to fall, and they all witnessed their many wounds healing as they got soaking wet. It felt as if Bai Jiu had summoned the power of the Sacred Tree, which perhaps had also answered the call of the heavens. It makes Bai Jiu feel stronger, more in tune with his own heritage, and glad to witness the vastness of the Sacred Tree's endless love for life. The entire area felt as if it had been cleansed from the ground up. There was no longer a game to play, only beauty to admire. 

"Zhu Yan, as son of Ying Long and inheritor of this world, the punishment is up to you. That one is too much for me to deliver. No human in nature can open the gates of hell." Yixuan said as the golden density around him started to diminish and his pressure on the ground to subside.

They turned their gaze to Qiongqi, who was paralyzed with terror for the first time in his long life, fully aware of the fate that awaited him. He had wrongly assumed that the older brother only had Bing Yi's inheritance, but it turned out he had also Nuwa's. His game had come to an end, and the divine energy he once wielded was now as gone as it had been before he stole it. His judgment had been overturned. Zhu Yan was now his executor, and he could feel his anger rising to a critical level. Li Lun was no different, rage consuming his heart too, but when Yixuan fainted after channeling the gods' will, he caught him, prioritizing his lover above all else.

"Qiongqi, your game is over. You lost." Bai Jiu stated, glad that their nightmare was now a thing of the past. Ying Lei moved in to pull him close, offering warmth against the chill of their soaked clothes. Sijing did the same for Wen Xiao, while Yun Guang used a harmless flame to dry Siheng, and Zhu Yan cast a one-word spell for both himself and Yichen. Then he stared harder at Qiongqi.

"You should know by now that even if, most of the time, I play the mischievous and shameless great demon, deep inside I possess a power capable of burning worlds. You assumed my Baobei was my weakness, thinking that threatening him would cloud my judgment, making me focus on his safety rather than unleash my full strength against you. You tried to fracture our bond, to sow doubt between us, pushing us to the brink of self-destruction in our efforts to protect and heal and turning pure divine beasts into weapons..." Zhu Yan slowly moved closer to Qiongqi as he cowered in the presence of something far worse than a mighty dragon, something older and more frightening. Zhu Yan's original form, the white ape, already starting to show. With each step he became more and more like his true self. Qiongqi then snapped out of his despair and tried to get away.

"Freez." Zhu Yan paralyze him in place with his one-word spell.

"Zhu Yan!" Yichen called out, fearing he was on the verge of losing control. Zhu Yan, however, turned to face him, his usual crimson eyes now looking like molten perls. 

His transformation was already halfway for Yichen to see. Zhu Yan's shoulders had broadened considerably, white fur spread across his skin like frost racing over winter stone. He was also much taller, his fingers lengthened and thickened, and now he could see fangs as his head became more ape-like. Silence spread like a wildfire. Awe and astonishment take over those who witness something no one else had before. 

Not even Li Lin had seen Zhu Yan in his original form, and for a moment he was glad for Zhu Yan's restraint. He now understood why both Bing Yi and Ying Long exhausted themselves teaching Zhu Yan how to control his power and how to keep his most destructive part buried deep inside. He understood why Ying Long let him be shameless, mischievous, and fascinated with humans. It taught him love, it taught him devotion, and it taught him endurance without losing control. Shame watched over Li Lun, because he had always got him wrong.

"There is no need to worry about me, Baobei. The heavens have already sealed his fate with a punishment that promises nothing less than a horrifying death. Now, please turn around for me. I'd rather you not witness as I carry out heaven's sentence." Zhu Yan said softly, his molten eyes not losing the compassion or love they always showed. He was sparing him for his executioner role, which only made him respect him more.

"Alright, but once you finish, come back to me. I loved the white dragon as much as I love the white ape." At that, Zhu Yan smiled awkwardly, because it was the first time Yichen saw him as an ape, and fear was not what he inspired. Then Yichen turned his back on him, and so did the others. And just to make sure no one was tempted to peek, he erected a pitch-black barrier before he focused back on Qiongqi.

"You see, Qiongqi, my Baobei will never weaken me. What he does, quite beautifully, is hold me back. He keeps me being myself at all times. So when a creature like you dares make me graze his exquisite skin, brings despair to his beloved brother, toys with my friend's guilt and emotions, or attempts to twist protection, safety, trust, and sacrifice into something far less holy, there is no redemption for you. Behold the beast that love had always kept restrained, Qiongqi, and tremble, for nothing will remain of you when I am done erasing your wicked existence. Let this world bear witness to the heavens' fury!" Zhu Yan roared, and the land trembled under his power.

And before anyone could do more than brace themselves for the impact, they heard Qiongqi scream his heart out in terrifying agony that echoes inside their dark barrier. Zhu Yan roared even harder, and the scent of blood was overwhelming as well as the sound of limbs being turned apart. Then there was an even stronger tremor that did not cause damage over the land, followed by the sound of millions of wailing voices, pain, despair, terror, and torment from sinners, much like Qiongqi, as the gates of hell opened to collect one of their biggest sinners. Then there was silence and the purifying sensation of a place that was now sacred again.

The barrier dissolved, and as Yichen turned again, he was embraced in Zhu Yan's human form. just as he had asked. That ordeal was finally over, and he loved Zhu Yan ten times stronger.

AN: Here you go, as promised, a bit late, but done. Thanks, dear Petals-and-Shadows, for cherishing this story as your favorite. It means a lot to me. 🙇‍♀️ Also for everyone else that came back. As long as you guys like it, it will keep going. 💖💖💖