Showdown, the Conditions for a Glimmer of Hope

At this moment.

At the edge of a cliff, beneath which lay a bottomless abyss, stood a lone figure—Gu Yan. He seemed to be waiting for someone, his face unobscured by any special concealment.

Then, an unusual ripple disturbed the air.

Gu Yan didn’t turn around, his gaze fixed on the distance.

Buzz!

The next second, a crack slowly tore open in the void, and Leng Qingqiu’s figure emerged.

Clad in white, cold as snow, the longsword in her hand gleamed with a chilling light.

When she saw the familiar life essence standing at the cliff’s edge, Leng Qingqiu’s expression twisted with indescribable complexity.

He hadn’t left. Did that mean… he was ready to confront her as well?

Leng Qingqiu dismissed all her spiritual blades. She remained rooted in place, unwilling to move forward—because she needed to understand.

Was Gu Yan still Gu Yan?

"You shouldn’t have come."

Gu Yan’s voice was calm, detached, his back still turned to her.

Hearing his icy tone, Leng Qingqiu’s heart clenched painfully.

Since when had Gu Yan ever spoken to her like this?

She took a deep breath and asked slowly, "Why shouldn’t I have come?"

Leng Qingqiu had noticed something off about Gu Yan’s body, but she wasn’t entirely sure—until he finally turned around.

His face was devoid of emotion, his voice flat as he said, "Because then, you could have continued living in the illusion I crafted for you—real yet false."

!!

The moment those words left his lips, Leng Qingqiu’s mouth parted slightly, but no sound escaped.

She froze, as if time itself had stopped around her.

Because she finally realized what had felt so wrong.

It was a state she would never forget.

"Gu Yan?"

Without hesitation, she took a step forward, her voice trembling with panic. "Your body… why is it like this? Have you… lost your emotions?"

She had intended to confront him about everything he’d done.

But the moment she sensed the overwhelming aura of the Power of Night radiating from him, her thoughts scattered into chaos.

Gu Yan’s condition was exactly like hers had been back then!

Corrupted by the Power of Night, gradually stripped of all emotion!

And after that, the Power of Night would consume his eyes, plunging him into blindness!

Back then, she had slit her own eyes to resist it, but the Power of Night had healed them—only to corrupt them again, leaving her blind once more.

Now… Gu Yan had fallen into the same state?

Leng Qingqiu’s heart pounded with dread.

But then—

Whoosh!!

A surge of killing intent flashed through her mind.

She halted mid-step.

A dagger materialized abruptly, hovering right before her.

Her expression stiffened. Had she taken another step, that dagger would have pierced straight through her forehead.

Gu Yan… wanted to kill her?!

The realization struck her like a physical blow. She looked up at Gu Yan, her voice shaking. "Gu Yan… what’s happened to you?"

Faced with this unfamiliar version of him, Leng Qingqiu was at a loss.

Gu Yan spoke again, his words freezing her to the core. "Leng Qingqiu, it’s over."

"Wha…"

Her breath hitched. She stood motionless, stunned by his words. "It’s… over?"

As if to drive the point home, Gu Yan’s voice turned colder. "You already know my identity. The one who stole your dagger by impersonating the Night King—that was me."

"You’ve always wanted to know why I did it, haven’t you?"

"It’s because I knew from the start that you wielded the Power of Night. My goal was always your dagger."

Each word stabbed into her heart like a needle.

A suffocating panic rose within her, stealing her breath.

What…?

Gu Yan had known she was the Night King all along? His kindness had all been a ploy to take her dagger?

How… how could that be?

But—

Memories flashed through her mind—Gu Yan’s loving gestures, his tender words.

The ginger soup he’d made for her in the middle of the night, the sweets he’d prepared just because she liked them.

The Gu Yan who had been so gentle with her…

None of that could have been fake!

Leng Qingqiu gritted her teeth, fists clenched, and shouted at him, "No! I don’t believe it!"

"Gu Yan, you must have your reasons, right?!"

"Or is it the Power of Night that’s making you act like this?"

"I don’t blame you for taking my dagger! I can ask someone else to help cleanse the Power of Night from you!"

"Xiao Leng—yes, there’s another personality inside me called Xiao Leng! She understands the Power of Night better than I do! She’ll know how to fix this!"

From a life consumed by vengeance, Gu Yan had been the first light to break through her darkness.

He had made her fall in love. He had given her the warmth of a home.

How could any of that have been a lie?

She loved Gu Yan. And she believed he loved her too!

There had to be a reason for all this.

If she could just talk to him properly, he would tell her the truth.

But Gu Yan’s expression remained unchanged. He merely raised his hand slightly.

The dagger before Leng Qingqiu trembled violently as Gu Yan said coolly, "Leng Qingqiu, it was all an illusion—carefully constructed to take your dagger."

"Now that I have it, your only remaining purpose… is to die by my hand and help me break through my limits."

His voice dripped with malice, leaving no room for doubt.

Leng Qingqiu’s face paled, her heart shuddering violently.

Before she could react, Gu Yan continued, "You know the truth as well… The only way for the Night King to attain true power… is…"

"The heart’s blood of the one they love most!"

"Every kindness, every moment I spent making you fall for me…"

"All of it was for one purpose."

"To love you."

"And then, to kill you."

The moment his words fell—

Whoosh!!

The dagger shot straight for Leng Qingqiu’s heart.

But her mind had gone blank, paralyzed by his revelation.

What Gu Yan had said matched what Xiao Leng had told her—and what was recorded in the forbidden texts.

To kill the one you love most and claim their heart’s blood…

Had that been Gu Yan’s goal all along?

No. Impossible. Absolutely impossible!!

Leng Qingqiu clenched her jaw. Instead of retreating, she stepped forward, dropping all defenses.

Because she believed—Gu Yan would never kill her!!!

And in that instant—

Gu Yan’s heart, supposed to be devoid of emotion, trembled.

At the last moment, just before the dagger could pierce her chest—

Flick!

The dagger vanished.

Leng Qingqiu had her answer.

!!

Her composure shattered. A single tear traced down her cheek.

She stepped forward, staring at Gu Yan's life essence, her voice choked with sobs. "Gu Yan... what's happened to you? If you really wanted to kill me, you would have done it already."

"Explain it to me... like this... what are Ling'er and I supposed to do...?"

"Come back, just come back..."

She reached out, trying to grab hold of Gu Yan.

Yet.

A barrier blocked her way.

Gu Yan looked at Leng Qingqiu, his expression devoid of any complex emotion.

He only said calmly, "Leng Qingqiu, I will become the greatest evil this world has ever known."

"Everyone will die because of me."

"Whether it's Leng Ling'er... or even the Gu Family."

"This alliance with the monsters is just the beginning."

"If you can't bring yourself to kill me..."

"Then all these people... will perish."

"Let go of whatever lingering feelings you have for me. Next time... even more will die."

With that.

Gu Yan's form began to fade.

Leng Qingqiu desperately pounded against the strange barrier. "Come back! You come back right now!"

She summoned her spiritual blade, slashing at the barrier—but it was useless.

As if the barrier existed in another dimension entirely.

Her voice broke as she screamed, "Gu Yan! Come back!!"

But no matter how much she cried out, she couldn’t stop him from leaving.

As the barrier vanished, so did Gu Yan’s presence, his aura disappearing without a trace.

Leng Qingqiu slowly collapsed to the ground, sobbing in agony.

Xiao Leng... just what has happened to Gu Yan?

What am I supposed to do...

[Just as Gu Yan said, the other me... try to kill him.]

[Otherwise, everyone will die.]

Xiao Leng... do you know something?

[...]

Why? Why won’t you speak? Why is everyone keeping things from me?

Leng Qingqiu’s heart ached unbearably. She could tell Gu Yan had his reasons.

But why hide them from her? Even Xiao Leng seemed to know.

Why... why am I the only one left in the dark??

"Next time, more will die." Gu Yan was doing all this... just to force her to kill him?

He would even target Ling'er... and his own Gu Family?

No. Absolutely not. Gu Yan would never harm those close to him.

Leng Qingqiu refused to believe it. She couldn’t bear to think about it.

Deep within her consciousness.

Xiao Leng’s expression was complicated.

The last sliver of hope... came at a devastating cost.

Whether Gu Yan broke through his limits using the dagger’s rules, or Leng Qingqiu did the same...

Neither of them alone could change the doomed outcome.

Only... if both of them used the rules to surpass their limits... could they grasp that slim chance of survival!

Gu Yan could never kill Leng Qingqiu to break his own restrictions. So he chose another path—cultivating the [Abyssal Annihilation Art] by sacrificing the lives of all living beings to transcend his limits.

And Leng Qingqiu... would have to kill Gu Yan to break hers.

But... Gu Yan also knew Leng Qingqiu could never bring herself to kill him. So... he chose to stick to his original plan, forcing her to do it.

If they succeeded, all misunderstandings would be resolved.

If they failed... well, at least Leng Qingqiu would hate him enough to forget him. Maybe that wasn’t so bad.

Xiao Leng’s expression darkened.

But...

Gu Yan’s so-called "alternative" to killing Leng Qingqiu to break his limits... was just another path to failure.

When the time came...

Xiao Leng sighed inwardly.

These two... really are a handful...

.........

.........

[This story will likely conclude this month.]