Chapter 533
"Is this what it feels like to have lived an ordinary life... Well, it's not so bad after all."
"She must still be at the South Gate..."
Li Mo thought to himself, his consciousness gradually fading.
No one can resist the passage of time. He had never admitted defeat in his life, but now it was time to surrender.
His only regret was that he never got to see her again.
But life is full of imperfections. He had seen her face countless times, yet his greed made it so that no matter how many times he looked, it was never enough.
Suddenly, the blinding sunlight was blocked.
He could feel gentle footsteps approaching the head of the bed; he was no longer cold.
Li Mo opened his eyes, and through his blurred vision, he could clearly see her face.
She wore a dark robe, her hair tied up with a jade hairpin, just as she had looked when they first met.
"You’re still as beautiful as the first time I saw you."
"....."
Ying Bing sat at the head of the bed.
She could sense the aura of decline emanating from him, spreading to his limbs, yet he still smiled with such warmth.
But that couldn’t change the outcome; it meant disappearance, it meant that after sleep, there would be eternal rest.
Unable to help herself, she gently traced the lines of his aged brow and eyes with trembling fingers.
"If only I could grow old with you..."
"You silly girl."
He was so weak, yet he spoke with such conviction.
But he was truly exhausted, his voice barely audible, and with a hint of reluctance, he tried to shift his body but failed.
Ying Bing sat on the bed, using her thigh as a pillow for him, adjusting to a more comfortable position.
"Just sleep well. A good nap will do you good."
"Really?"
Li Mo looked up at her.
From below, he gazed at this woman who had single-handedly frozen the South Gate, preventing calamities from entering the city. Her face was bathed in the morning light, her eyes filled with affection for him.
Anyone who locked eyes with her would surely be lost in her gaze, unable to pull away.
As if sensing his thoughts, Ying Bing smiled and said, "When you wake up, you’ll see me again."
"Mm...."
Li Mo never doubted a word she said.
His smile appeared much brighter, reminiscent of his younger days.
He closed his eyes, and his consciousness began to sink.
What awaited him was not a cold abyss, but an ordinary and warm afternoon...
A true spirit, cast from the Map of the Nation, emerged from him.
Death meant an end.
The true spirit soared into the azure sky.
....
This scene, witnessed by the crowd outside, turned into a sigh, causing those who had held expectations to feel a sense of loss.
"In the end, he couldn't resist the passage of time..."
"To be fair, he did well. Just the fact that he diligently developed Wang Village to this point over the decades is commendable. Remember, he started as a mere blacksmith."
"I refuse to accept it! Why should Li Shaoxia descend upon Ren City? Even if the Earth City had a rough start, it should have been more than this."
"Forget it, forget it. To fall asleep in the embrace of the Cold Fairy after witnessing several rounds of the Celestial Trials, there’s no better ending than that..."
"Does that mean the Cold Fairy is returning to the Heavenly Clan? Then Jiang Yu will have to step down, right?"
"The Crown Prince is truly lacking in his role as an emperor; perhaps if he did nothing, he might make fewer mistakes."
The people of the imperial capital, both martial artists and common folk, couldn't help but feel regret.
They could see what the powerful could not. After watching for so long, they no longer regarded Li Mo as a lofty figure.
Which noble could spend all day forging iron and working in the fields?
He was too down-to-earth, earning respect without fear, without barriers.
Many wished to see him go further in the trials.
....
Meanwhile, a certain emperor of Da Yu shared the same expectation. He turned to the old woman and frowned, saying, "Old Granny, the Map of the Nation is about to release Li Mo."
Jing Tai was also surprised by this.
Although Li Mo had done some things that changed Ren City, it was far from enough to warrant the old woman's praise.
Could it be that the old woman had misjudged him?
"I know," the old woman nodded slightly.
Jing Tai then asked, "Do you mean I should intervene?"
He could still leave a true spirit within the Map of the Nation.
This action would attract criticism, but he didn't care.
"No need to trouble Your Majesty; just observe. Someone will take action," the old woman replied.
Jing Tai furrowed his brow and looked up, suddenly taken aback.
In the azure sky, a rift appeared, its depth unknown.
An irresistible force was drawing the true spirit into it.
Suddenly, a full moon rose from the sea of clouds without warning.
"Is she trying to snatch him from the Map of the Nation?!"
**Chapter 605: He Escapes, She Pursues!**
In ordinary circumstances, Ying Bing could not contend with the Map of the Nation.
But now, within the realm of the incomplete Heavenly Phoenix Domain, she possessed the other half of herself, making her half a master of this realm.
Thus, the true spirit truly lingered in mid-air, not being drawn into the rift.
At the same time, Ying Bing's delicate brows suddenly furrowed.
"Someone is activating the Map of the Nation, and it’s not Jing Tai..."
The sea of clouds was suddenly dyed into a flowing golden lake, layers upon layers, with purple energy rising from the east.
Countless rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds, each layer shining brighter than the last, until it transformed into a great sun illuminating the world.
The great sun seemed to be the gaze of some existence, coldly observing Ying Bing and the true spirit.
In an instant, the sun and moon shone together.
"Is that the consciousness of the Map of the Nation?" someone in the imperial capital asked.
"It seems so."
"It appears His Majesty believes the Cold Fairy is inappropriate; Li Shaoxia should not have a second chance?"
"But Li Shaoxia has been born from Ren City; it has never been fair from the start."
"Can the Cold Fairy contend with the consciousness of the Map of the Nation?"
It was well known that the Map of the Nation was a heavenly instrument; even the power of the seventh realm seemed like a child before it, enough to create a gap between eighth realm experts.
If it were anyone else, there would be no doubt.
But Ying Bing had already brought them too many extraordinary events...
"Anyone entering the map must follow the rules and release the true spirit."
A grand voice, not quite human, echoed from within the great sun, as if its every word and action represented the rules.
It actually spoke!
Many who had witnessed the Celestial Trials in the imperial capital had never heard the consciousness of a heavenly instrument speak.
"This is not your vast land."
Ying Bing made no move.
She and Li Mo no longer needed to say much.
Upon entering the Celestial City, she had already understood his thoughts.
Becoming a mortal was, in fact, Li Mo's own choice; he was also searching for his own inner landscape.
In that moment, both sides were on edge.
The moon and sun faced off, and in the Celestial City, mortals knelt, afraid to look up, while warriors trembled in fear, and even the Heavenly Clan fell silent.
The true spirit wrapped in light was also suspended in mid-air.
Though neither side had yet made a move, neither was willing to relent.
"Boom—"
At that moment, an unexpected change occurred.
"From the otherworld..."
Ying Bing's thoughts just began to form.
Suddenly, mist surged in the void, resembling a bewitching sea of blood, endlessly rolling.
A black coffin emerged from the depths of the blood sea, and as it revealed its head, the stench of blood was palpable.
With a crash—
The coffin slid open, and an arm reached out from within, its color dark and bruised.
Clearly a lifeless object, yet the boiling blood stirred up a whirlwind of energy.
Blood God!
The first round of calamity had just passed, and He couldn't wait to make His appearance!
Clearly, He was not here for Ying Bing or the consciousness of the Map of the Nation.
He was here for Li Mo.
"Why?"
Some were puzzled.
The actions of the Cold Fairy and the consciousness of the Map of the Nation were understandable.
But strictly speaking, the Blood God stood in opposition to both of them, yet He had come to join the fray.
The intentions of the three parties were all different.
As soon as the coffin opened, one could feel the unmasked gaze falling upon the true spirit; He was not mistaken.
"Hehehe... you all needn't quarrel."
"I'll keep him here, then make him disappear. Wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?"
Before the voice even reached the surging blood sea, a dark hand had already reached out.
At that moment.
Inside the cocoon of light, Li Mo, with his eyes closed, stirred slightly.
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