Chapter 119: Finale Birth, old age, sickness, death, resentment, fear, jealousy, greed, stupidity, the departure of loved ones, the pain of never getting what one wishes for… The world gave birth to all living things. People are born and they suffer through numerous hardships. Demons are born together with suffering, never to die, never to be extinguished. Good thoughts ascend one to be a god and evil thoughts corrupt one to be a demon. Fortunately, though everything in the world is born in darkness, it is the light that they seek. In the many battles between the gods and demons, the gods have always won overwhelming victory. They expelled the demons, sealing them into the narrow and dark abyss. But the demons never gave up, constantly thinking up of ways to influence all the worlds, to imprison humans in the suffering of their hearts and to release the darkness. They turned good thoughts into evil intentions, triggering crimes, stirring up war and finally turning the world into a dark and twisted hell of blood. If the World Tree were to be corroded, the small worlds would become dark hells, breeding more villains. When the tainted small world matures and falls into the galaxy, the demons would grow infinitely and spread to all worlds like a plague. All the evil thoughts that were naturally in everyone would be triggered to arise. The light would constantly be swallowed up. Even the gods would completely die and no longer exist. For however long the Phoenix god was in a coma was also how long the Celestial Emperor was worried… He dispatched all the gods that had any possibility of waking the Phoenix god. But their hearts were invaded by the demons. No matter how much external force was exerted, in the end, the Phoenix god needed to wake up by himself. Every god who returned from the small world had ugly expressions on their faces. They failed so miserably that most of them chose to block their memories from the small world. They didn’t want to remember anymore, for fear that they would be bedeviled… Not long ago, General An Long finally returned from the small world. He no longer stubbornly toughened it out.
The Emperor of Heaven had great hopes for An Long. After all, he and the Phoenix god were close friends who had guarded the seal over the demons for many years. He had a naturally combative spirit. He was steadfast and courageous. His willpower was one of the very best among the gods. He especially liked fighting and he spared no thoughts for sentiments or affection. When he had nothing to do, he would look for the Phoenix god for a match, to temper his strength. They were equally matched. He had once beaten the beautiful face of the Phoenix God, covering it with wounds; he had even lost a few of his beautiful feathers. The gods looked at it and felt distressed. They tried to dissuade An Long and An Long regarded them with utmost contempt. “Wuhuan is a man. What is he doing caring so much about his appearance? He has also plucked a lot of my scales and you don’t see me crying about it!” “A man’s face is not important. What is important is strength.” “I won’t ever waste time looking for some bullsh*t Daoist companion.” “Wuhuan, that useless guy. He can’t even see through this facade. I’m going to the small world and laugh at him!” The gods were speechless. Then… After General An woke up from the small world, the first thing he did was to slap his own mouth. His face turned from red to black, from black to red. It changed several times; it was a sight to behold. The Celestial Emperor and the waiting gods had never seen him look like this before. They were shocked. They really wanted to know what had happened. General An used a term from the technological worlds and said profoundly, “This is my eternal black history.” Without giving any of the gods crowded around a chance to ask, he quickly sealed off his memory of the small world.
What a f*cking disgrace! He didn’t want to think of this ever again! Otherwise, he’ll never have the face to go to Phoenix for another match! Damn demons! He was going to demon-occupied territory and personally tear apart a few of the great demons to vent his anger! He turned into a black dragon, flicked his tail and went to slaughter the demons. The gods: “???” The Celestial Emperor let out a breath. “Who else is in the small world?” The gods thought for a while. “There’s no one else there anymore…” The Phoenix god was probably beyond help. The god realm was about to be destroyed. …… After Song Qingshi woke up, his mind was confused because he had done too many tasks. For a long time, he sat in the corner of the temple and sorted out his memories. The emperor finally remembered his existence, and found that this stone was still dazed after waking up. He looked no different from before. Not holding onto any hope, he walked and casually asked, “How was your mission?”
Song Qingshi raised his head and pointed to the direction of the Phoenix Temple. From the clouds, the divine messenger flew over. In a loud voice, he announced the happy news, “He’s woken up! The Phoenix god is awake!” The gods were overjoyed and couldn’t attend to anything else. They set up magical carts, spread their wings, boarded magical artifacts; all of them rushed to the Phoenix Temple to visit the Phoenix god. The Celestial Emperor was surprised and asked Song Qingshi, “You succeeded?” Song Qingshi nodded. We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts. “How did you do it? What did you do?” The Celestial Emperor hurriedly asked. He simply couldn’t fathom how this stone without a heart could awaken the Phoenix with his Qi Qiao Ling Long Heart. He followed up with a series of questions but when saw that the other had been confused by all this queries, he finally remembered that Song Qingshi couldn’t speak. To make things simpler, he changed the question and said calmly, “Could it be…luck?” Vbcu Hlcurtl atbeuta obg j ibcu wbwfca jcv cbvvfv jujlc. “P xcfk sbe kfgf j iemxs mtliv.” Ktf Jfifralji Swqfgbg fzmlafvis qjaafv tlr tfjv. Lf aglfv ab atlcx bo ktja tf kbeiv ilxf jcv gfkjgvfv tlw klat mbecaifrr agfjregfr jcv ybbxr. Ktfgf kfgf wliilbcr bo ybbxr, lcmievlcu bcfr jybea atf frrfcmf bo jii kbgivr, agfjregfv mbiifmalbcr bo atf Glnlcf Efjiw, jr kfii jr j ybbx bo atf kbgiv ifoa ys atf ubv bo mgfjalbc. The Celestial Emperor was such a good man. Song Qingshi received a huge reward, and his eyes lit up with joy. The books were very tempting.
He wanted to run home immediately and read decades worth of books. The Celestial Emperor saw that he liked them very much and that he was very happy. He ordered the divine messenger to directly send the rewards to courtyard amongst the clouds. He had him go back to rest, ‘be a good child, don’t be like that idiot General An who went to fight as soon as he got up’. The World Tree had withered severely. Once the Phoenix god regained his spirit and managed to restore the small worlds, the Celestial Emperor was going to have the Phoenix god go and thank him personally. Given the immensity of the debt, no matter how generous the gift the Phoenix god presents, it wouldn't be enough… When the Celestial Emperor finished comforting Song Qingshi, he was about to step into his precious cart and visit the Phoenix Temple, when he looked back and saw Song Qingshi’s very happy expression. He suddenly realized that something wasn’t quite right. When did this stone start to feel ‘happiness’? He couldn’t help asking, “Just what kind of luck did you get to awaken the Phoenix god?” Song Qingshi turned around and said, “It is the lucky one gained after one thousand three hundred and fifty failures.” The Celestial Emperor was stunned. The stone he refined could speak? …… Song Qingshi made a detour to the Phoenix Temple. He wanted to see Wuhuan, but found that crowds of gods thronged the outside of the temple. They had it completely surrounded. They held gifts of sympathy and were stood in long lines, vying to visit the sick.
He had once heard that the Phoenix god was the most beautiful and popular deity in the Three Realms. All creation liked him and many beings vied to be his Daoist companion, the gods were no exemption. Today, Song Qingshi finally realized the extent of Wuhuan’s popularity… He couldn’t squeeze in through the crowds. The gods have tried before to greet or talk to Qingshi Shenjun, but they never got a response. The scene was too embarrassing. Now, seeing Qingshi Shenjun, they didn’t know what to say. They looked at him curiously and then shifted their attention back to the happy event of the Phoenix god’s awakening. Song Qingshi peered around outside for a while, and he heard everyone discussing in full swing: “The god has suffered a serious hardship this time, he will probably have his memory sealed, right?” “General An sealed his. He will probably also seal his as well……” “Those painful events, what about those would be worth holding onto? He will definitely have it sealed.” “Given his perfectionism and obsession with cleanliness…” “……”
Song Qingshi felt that what everyone was saying made a lot of sense. Wuhuan’s body in the small world had been a fake one and even his soul there had only been a fragment. Now, that he’s been purified, even their Daoist marks were gone, their relationship had been broken. So long as Wuhuan’s memory was sealed, any remaining extreme-ness and pathological behavior would disappear. He would still be that original Phoenix, flying in the sky, free and happy. He thought for a long time, and decided not to rush to report to Wuhuan. He would give him space and the freedom to choose. The Phoenix was born from primal chaos and he has lived for millions upon millions of years. The time he spent in the small world was but a drop in the ocean of his long life. It couldn’t be considered much of anything at all. Song Qingshi knew how much Wuhuan has suffered and how much he has been wronged. It would also be a good thing if he wanted to seal his memory… Anyway, it had been his own decision to go to the small world to find the Phoenix. He had never thought about getting anything in return. Now the Phoenix was awake. This was the best reward. The objective has been achieved. So, Song Qingshi happily went home to read. …… Many, many year before he went to the small world, in the courtyard high up in the clouds, Song Qingshi would sit by the window, reading for long stretches of time. Whenever he grew tired, he would look at the clouds outside the window.
The white clouds would transform into various shapes in the air, which he found very interesting. He never got tired of it. However, what he liked most was the golden red glow that would appear outside the window everyday towards the evening. Song Qingshi couldn’t remember when the Phoenix first appeared. Maybe about ten thousand years ago? The first time he had seen him, he had stared blankly for a long time. He hadn’t had any idea what it was, but the clouds that he usually saw were different. They had very bright colors. Later, he flipped through books for a long time, and finally found a few appropriate words to describe it: gorgeous, magnificent, bejeweled, a riot of color and of great beauty. Afterwards, the Phoenix would fly past his window every day. From time to time he would even let out a song like heavenly music. The monotonous clouds now had different colors. The books say that this is what is called a ‘beautiful scenery’. And so, Song Qingshi would sit in front of the window, right on time, every day, waiting for the appearance of the Phoenix. He would watch the most magnificent scenery and listen to the most beautiful voice… Gradually, this matter had become his habit. It seemed to have become the most important part of his life. One day, the Phoenix suddenly disappeared. From then on, he would sit alone in front of the window, looking at the clouds towards the end of the day. He would wait for a long, long time…
The skies would grow dark and then light and then dark again… He waited for many days without seeing the Phoenix appear. The book in his hand had lost its charm. He could no longer understand even a single word. Where had the Phoenix gone? Song Qingshi found pen and paper and wrote the question down. He handed it to the Celestial Emperor’s divine messenger who came to deliver his books. This divine messenger had been the one delivering his books for many years and he had a very good temper. And so, he told him about had befallen the Phoenix. Song Qingshi looked out the window. He thought about it for a long time, and decided that he was going to find the Phoenix and bring him back. The Celestial Emperor spoke with him for a long time, telling him that this matter was very difficult. But, he didn’t care. He was a stone. He didn’t understand emotions and principles. His only wish was for the Phoenix outside his window to come back, to fly proud and beautifully amongst the clouds. This view was the most important thing in his life. He was willing to pay any price for it. Even if he were to have his body smashed to pieces and his bones ground to dust, he wasn’t afraid…
…… In the small world, the first expression of emotion he had learned was crying. It turns out that human beings could be in so much pain that they would be reduced to tears. While crying, he had written down this important insight in his notebook. Later, he understood what anger was, why he wanted to hit someone when he was offended. He understood what missing was, what panic was, what fear was, what abashed was, what embarrassment was, what shame was, what joy was…… Wuhuan said that he liked him. He said that he looked good with a smile. Finally, he understood what like was and what it was to smile. He liked books. He liked to study, liked to research, liked medicine, liked solving questions, liked watching clouds. What he liked most was Wuhuan. Every time he reincarnated, his liking for the Phoenix grew even stronger. He had to bring the Phoenix back. ……
“Wuhuan?” Song Qingshi woke up from his memories. He wanted to look for Yue Wuhuan to chat about the interesting things he had just remembered. But then, he realized that he was no longer in the small world. Yue Wuhuan was long gone from his side. The Phoenix outside the window also hasn’t appeared for a long time. Where did the Phoenix go? Song Qingshi was dazedly holding his book. His thoughts were sluggish. He thought for a long time and suddenly burst into tears. It turned out that this was loneliness. It turned out that he didn’t like being alone. He didn’t like loneliness. He didn’t like dull and boring. And he didn’t like watching clouds alone. What he liked the most wasn’t the beauty of the Phoenix, but his company as he flew past his window every day. It made him feel like he wasn’t alone. … It was ice-cold in this room full of books; and as silent as death. Taking advantage of no one being able to see him, that he wouldn’t lose face, Song Qingshi lay on the table and cried until he was gasping for breath. He decided to wait until he was done crying and then he’ll read 10,000 papers, and put the sadness to the back of his mind… Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. Was the divine messenger not finished delivering his books?
Song Qingshi quickly wiped away the tears with his sleeve and opened the door. The gentle rays of sunset came spilling in. The Phoenix god had already put away his gorgeous wings. He was draped in golden red clouds. Standing outside the door, he smiled softly, “I’m tired from flying in the sky. So, may I stop in your house?” His beautiful eyes were filled with anticipation. Song Qingshi was stunned. He hurriedly invited the Phoenix god in. He then took out the cakes and spirit tea and pushed them all to him. Shenjun watched him and said with a smile, “You were always like this. As long as it was something I liked, you would always give them to me.” Song Qingshi nodded, and affirmed, “En, I gave them all to you…” He suddenly realized that the Phoenix god was talking about the small world. “The Celestial Emperor asked me to give you my deepest thanks. But, even the entire Phoenix Temple wouldn’t be worthy of your gift. I couldn’t think of anything to give.” The Phoenix god gently wiped away the tears left in the corners of his eyes and straightened his messy hair. He asked carefully, “So, I want to give myself to you, may I?” This gift was a bit big, but he liked it very much. Song Qingshi happily accepted, “Thank you, this is the most beautiful gift of my life.”
If the Phoenix god was willing to seal his memories, it was a good thing. But it was an even better thing that the Phoenix god wasn’t willing to seal his memories Since the Phoenix god has chosen him, he was going to be properly responsible. Song Qingshi racked his brains. He promised that he was going to be a good ‘gong’. He was going to do his best and spoil his Daoist companion to death. The Phoenix god smiled and asked, “How are you going to spoil me?” Song Qingshi belonged to the ‘take action’ group. Without the least bit of hesitation, he unwrapped his gift and did his exercise problem. He used all the skills he learned in the small world. He was particularly confident in this exam and felt that now that he has returned to the divine realm, there was absolutely no problem with his body. No matter what they played, he would never beg for mercy. Finally, the room was covered with Blood King Vines. From within the exam room, came unharmonious gasps and cries. “Wuhuan, I like you.” “En, I know.” “Wu, Wuhuan, I really like you.” “……”
Afterwards, the Phoenix god contentedly hugged Song Qingshi in his arms, quietly listening to his heartbeat, as though he could never get enough of hearing it. Song Qingshi thought for a long time, and finally asked a question that had been buried in his heart for a long time. “Wuhuan, there’s something I don’t understand.” “En?” “Why do you pass by my window every day?” “There are tens of millions of ways to the Phoenix Temple, but I take this one every day. Can you guess why?” “You like me?” “Every day, I have been waiting for the stone to give birth to a heart. I’ve been waiting for a long time.” “Wuhuan, my heart was born for you. I give it to you.” “Thank you, this is also the most beautiful gift of my life.”