The Death of Xiao Leng: Breaking Through the Heavenly Dao

CRACK!!!

In an instant.

The surrounding white space shattered like a mirror, revealing its true form!

BOOM!!!

It wasn’t a white void after all.

It was still the same space of night.

And there weren’t countless Gods of Fate around—only one... a figure with a human-like stature.

This... was the true form of the God of Fate.

He tilted his head, the threads of fate in his hand tightly coiled around Gu Yan’s wrist, which had abruptly appeared behind him.

His gaze fell on the power of the Heavenly Dao in Gu Yan’s palm, then shifted to Gu Yan himself, who had used an illusion to attempt a fatal strike at this very moment. The man was still struggling, trying desperately to drive the Heavenly Dao’s power into the God of Fate.

The latter chuckled softly. "Heh."

"What a pity."

"Your plan has failed."

As his voice faded, he flicked his hand.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!!!

"Guh—!!"

Blood sprayed from Gu Yan’s mouth as his body was sent flying like a broken kite, crashing into the ground and carving out a deep crater.

Inside, it felt as though countless blades had torn through him, agony surging like a tide.

The Life Source before his eyes blurred—his consciousness was fading.

Gu Yan twitched his fingers.

Damn it...

Every bone in his body was shattered...

The Power of Night couldn’t heal him—was it because the Heavenly Dao’s power was suppressing it?

But...

No, he couldn’t fall here.

Gritting his teeth, Gu Yan mustered the last of his strength to push himself up.

However—

SWISH!

The God of Fate appeared before him in an instant, his expression cold and mocking.

"Futile."

He raised his leg slightly—BANG!!

"Guh—!"

Gu Yan’s body was sent flying again, this time twisted at an unnatural angle.

Blood seeped and coughed from his lips.

Excruciating pain wracked his entire being.

"Gu Yan, your resistance is meaningless," the God of Fate said coldly as he strode forward. "The Heavenly Dao has already foreseen everything. You are nothing more than a pawn in his hands."

"Originally, you were meant to follow the destined path—to become the key piece in Leng Qingqiu’s destruction."

"But... you truly don’t know what’s good for you."

As the God of Fate’s voice trailed off, figures emerged one after another.

The child-like God of Fate shook his head with a sigh. "How laughable. To think you’d dare defy fate."

The female God of Fate stepped forward, a cold smirk on her lips. "Now, it’s over."

The middle-aged God of Fate remained still, his voice icy. "Illusions were your last resort. But alas..."

He opened his palm, and a thread of fate dissipated. "Even the fate line of your illusion... was known to us. Once we recognized it as an illusion, breaking it was trivial."

The young God of Fate sneered arrogantly. "This... is the price for defying the Heavenly Dao."

Blood continued to trickle from Gu Yan’s lips, his body convulsing weakly.

He couldn’t speak—even breathing was a struggle. His chest had caved in, and the Power of Night was suppressed by the Heavenly Dao’s power, unable to heal him.

Was there... truly no way left?

No...

There was still one last method.

Gu Yan hadn’t cast just one layer of illusion upon the gods.

But... two!!!

Long ago, when he had slain those border-guarding disciples of the ancient martial world—those who maintained the connection array—he had already let the gods see him... or rather, let them witness the "Illusory Extinction" in his hand.

The God of Fate had only erased the fate line of the illusion he thought he had erased.

There was still a sliver of hope.

If he could absorb the cultivation of every living being in the world to replenish himself, then wait for the God of Fate to approach, feigning his own demise...

And finally, unleash that first illusion once more, combining it with the Heavenly Dao’s power.

That way... he could kill the God of Fate!

Yes... yes... this was it!

His last chance!! The only hope left in this world!

Drip. Drip.

With each step the God of Fate took, another incarnation appeared.

"Let us end this."

"Gu Yan, this is no longer an illusion..."

The God of Fate advanced, his voice frigid as he raised his hand. "This... is reality."

Just as he prepared to deliver the final blow—and Gu Yan braced for his last gambit—

BOOM!!!

A surge of the Power of Night erupted violently.

The God of Fate frowned, halting his steps.

Then—

A cold, clear voice rang out.

"Gu Yan..."

"That’s enough."

The moment the words fell, the God of Fate watched as Gu Yan was enveloped by a shroud of black energy, a dark barrier forming around him.

He knew who had arrived and sighed dismissively. "A futile struggle. What difference does a little more time make?"

The God of Fate relished the cat-and-mouse game—especially now that there were two of them.

With a mocking gaze, he looked at the figure standing before Gu Yan within the barrier and sneered. "Leng Qingqiu. Have you come to die with him?"

Leng... Leng Qingqiu?

She came?

Gu Yan struggled to lift his head, but as soon as he heard her voice, he realized who it truly was.

"Xiao Leng... is that you?"

His voice was hoarse, torn.

"Run..."

He tried desperately to convey his warning.

But—

"That’s enough, Gu Yan."

"You’re no match for the God of Fate or the Heavenly Dao as you are now."

Xiao Leng gazed at his broken form. She reached out—only to withdraw her hand immediately. Her tone was no longer icy.

Instead, it was soft, like the Leng Qingqiu Gu Yan remembered.

She whispered, "I know you still have one last move. But... it won’t work. You’ll die the moment you try."

No... effect?

How...?

Gu Yan’s lips trembled. He wanted to speak, but—

In the next moment, he felt Xiao Leng’s hand clasp his.

Her voice was laced with nostalgia and sorrow, whispering in his ear, stirring waves of emotion within him. "It’s been so long... since I last felt the touch of your hand."

"Even though... these sensations were never truly mine to experience."

"Gu Yan... do you remember the missing fragment in the truth you uncovered?"

The truth... missing?

Gu Yan remembered.

Back then, when he had absorbed the memories from the memory bubbles through the system, there had been a gap—an unfinished sentence in his own memory.

It was about...

"So you do recall."

"That memory was about me. And I hid it from you deliberately."

"Because I was afraid... you wouldn’t be able to accept it."

Xiao Leng’s voice was tender as she held his hand, placing a blade into his grasp.

Gu Yan stiffened. "Xiao Leng... what are you doing?"

Gu Yan, who should have long lost his emotions, found them inexplicably surging within him at this moment.

It felt as though something devastating was about to happen in the next second.

He struggled, but it was futile.

Xiao Leng shook her head, a faint smile curling at her lips as she gazed tenderly at Gu Yan. "You have no strength left now."

"So... let me help you."

"You’ve always wanted to know what that missing memory was, haven’t you?"

"I’ll let you... see it now."

With that.

Gu Yan had no time to resist, no time to think.

A flood of memories rushed into his mind.

It was the latter half of the truth—the missing fragment of that memory...

[In this lifetime, there’s something special. You might encounter two versions of Leng Qingqiu with different personalities.]

[Don’t be confused. These two are, in essence, one and the same.]

[Only... one of them is special. She is.......]

Thud!!!

The sound of a blade piercing flesh echoed in his ears.

Blood splattered before Gu Yan’s eyes.

Then, something miraculous happened.

The blood was absorbed by his eyes, and he... finally saw clearly.

"Xiao... Xiao Leng..."

Gu Yan’s voice was hoarse, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at Xiao Leng, who had guided his hand to stab her own chest.

As his emotions settled, his mind went blank.

"Heh... it worked..."

"You truly... love Leng Qingqiu the most..."

Xiao Leng clutched her chest, blood trickling from her lips as her gaze dimmed.

With a heavy thud, she collapsed before Gu Yan.

"Xiao Leng!"

His strength gradually returning, Gu Yan frantically pushed himself up and gathered her into his arms.

His sunken chest, as if breaking through some unseen barrier, began to heal rapidly.

"Why?"

Gu Yan’s voice trembled. He understood the memories in his mind, understood Xiao Leng’s true identity.

But the one thing he couldn’t comprehend... was why she had done this.

Xiao Leng weakly met his worried gaze, a trace of tenderness flashing in her eyes. "Gu Yan... this was my only choice..."

Blood continued to seep from her body,

soon soaking the ground beneath them.

Gu Yan fell to his knees, cradling Xiao Leng in his arms, his hands shaking as endless sorrow welled up inside him.

Xiao Leng was, in truth, a vessel of memories—an existence separated from Leng Qingqiu of the first lifetime using her powers.

She carried all of Leng Qingqiu’s memories, from the first life to the 999,999th, every moment tied to him.

All for the sake of... this lifetime.

Xiao Leng weakly raised her hand, brushing Gu Yan’s tear-streaked cheek. Her voice was soft, her breath faint. "Gu Yan... remember how I always called you a furnace..."

"But who would’ve thought..."

"That I, too, am a furnace..."

"One that belongs only to you... and Leng Qingqiu..."

"A furnace of love."

"My birth... was meant for this moment."

"Don’t worry... absorbing heart’s blood only wounds the soul. I won’t vanish... I’ll just merge with the other me."

"When Leng Qingqiu awakens... she’ll know everything..."

Xiao Leng’s vision blurred, but she kept her eyes on Gu Yan, whispering, "Gu Yan... break the shackles of fate... find the freedom that truly belongs to you and Leng Qingqiu..."

Her breathing grew fainter, her hand gently caressing his face as tears fell.

"Don’t grieve... I am Leng Qingqiu, and Leng Qingqiu is me... only... I’ll remain by your side in another form..."

Gu Yan clutched her hand tightly, a wave of desolation and helplessness crashing over him.

He couldn’t undo this. He couldn’t stop it.

This was a plan set in motion since the first lifetime.

The slim chance of survival in this lifetime was never anything else—it was Xiao Leng.

Only if Xiao Leng willingly sacrificed herself, merging her memories with Leng Qingqiu, could they seize that fleeting hope.

"Gu Yan... live on..."

"Defeat... the Heavenly Dao..."

Xiao Leng’s voice faded, her eyes turning vacant.

It was proof—proof of the erasure of Xiao Leng’s persona.

When Leng Qingqiu’s consciousness returned, she would remember everything.

Gu Yan held Leng Qingqiu’s body tightly, his voice choked with sobs as he murmured, "So this is what ‘Gu Yan kills Leng Qingqiu’ meant..."

The three ominous prophecies flashed through his mind.

[Gu Yan kills Leng Qingqiu]

[Gu Yan destroys the world of martial artists]

[Gu Yan succeeds]

Xiao Leng... was also Leng Qingqiu...

And at the same time.

Having absorbed the heart’s blood of his beloved,

Gu Yan—

[You have broken through to "Heavenly Dao."]

The system and the ominous texts both announced it, then fell silent.

Gu Yan gently laid Leng Qingqiu’s body down.

Then he stood, his injuries fully healed, yet his presence completely vanished—as if he had become one with the world.

He raised his hand—Crack!!

Boom!

The barrier of the Power of Night shattered.

The God of Fate couldn’t comprehend what had just transpired between Gu Yan and Leng Qingqiu.

With a cold laugh, he lifted his hand toward Gu Yan. "Fighting among yourselves—"

Thud!!!

Before he could finish—

"Huh...?"

The God of Fate saw a streak of white light flash before his eyes. Then, his vision abruptly tilted downward.

Thump!!

A sharp pain exploded in his mind,

followed by an abyssal, suffocating weight.

The God of Fate’s eyes widened as he stared at Gu Yan, who hadn’t moved an inch, then at his own headless body still standing beside him.

He realized.

I...

am dead?

But as long as a single thread of fate exists, I can’t—

Before he could finish the thought—

Swish!

Every version of himself across all fate threads... was annihilated.

How?! What happened to Gu Yan?!

The God of Fate’s pupils constricted, his mind blank.

No... I must use the Heavenly Dao’s Eye...

Yet—

Thud!

Another stab of pain—his vision was gone.

Then.

"Next, it’s the Heavenly Dao’s turn."

Gu Yan’s icy voice echoed in the God of Fate’s ears.

He actually stole the Heavenly Dao’s Eye...

Is this... the power of the Heavenly Dao...?

The God of Fate’s heart filled with shock and terror as his consciousness... faded.

Next is the Heavenly Dao...

This guy... this guy... this guy...

He actually...

found another path to survival?

How...?

A mere mortal...

How could he reach the end...?

......

......

The God of Fate’s body dissipated.

Gu Yan, meanwhile, lifted Leng Qingqiu’s body into his arms. He tilted his head back, taking a deep breath.

With his emotions restored, his gaze grew resolute.

Now... only the final step remained.

What Gu Yan didn't know was this—

Deep within the underground world, in the current residence of the Gu family,

a black cat lifted its head from its nest.

Suddenly, it opened a pair of eyes brimming with intelligence, licked its paw, then yawned and settled back down.