Chapter 78: Twilight—Part Three

Translated by K from Exiled Rebels Scanlations 

These people thought they would surely die a horrible death at the hands of the YiLing Patriarch before becoming walking corpses under his control. They all looked scared witless. However, Wei WuXian had no interest in bothering with them any longer. After finishing reading the notice, he left the group on the ground and walked away, hands behind his back.

He couldn’t bring all the dark spirits away. On the ground, those who groaned continued to groan, those who writhed continued to writhe. None of them were able to rise.

Moments later, they suddenly saw a flash of blue sword light flash past. They immediately felt their backs lighten. Someone exclaimed, “I can move!”

Some of them got up and saw the sword shining back into someone’s sheath.

The man was handsome and very young. Wearing a white robe and a forehead ribbon, he wore a solemn expression on his face, one that seemed to conceal a hidden worry. He came at a fast pace, but he didn’t seem to be in any hurry. Not even the hem of his robe fluttered.

Holding back the pain, the cultivator whose leg was broken spoke, “Han-… HanGuang-Jun!”

Lan WangJi walked beside him and got down, pressing his leg to check the wound. It wasn’t too bad. He got up, but before he could speak, the cultivator continued, “HanGuang-Jun, you’re late. Wei WuXian just left!”

Many people knew that over the past few days, HanGuang-Jun of the GusuLan Sect had been searching everywhere for Wei WuXian, probably wanting to settle the score with him and make Wei WuXian pay for the dozens of lives the GusuLan Sect had lost. Someone hurriedly shouted, “Yes, he’s only been gone for less than an hour!”

Lan WangJi, “What did he do? Where did he go?”

People immediately started complaining, “He fought with us without any regard for anything and almost killed us all on the spot!”

Lan Wangji’s fingers, hidden beneath his snow-white sleeves, twitched slightly, as if he wanted to clench them. However, he quickly loosened them.

The cultivator quickly added, “But he already said that he would go to Nightless City to answer for his actions to the Four Great Sects!”

After the QishanWen Sect was destroyed, the main palaces of Nightless City had become majestic but empty piles of ruins.

In front of the highest point in all of Nightless City, the Palace of Sun and Fire, stood a vast plaza. Three tall flags once flew in front of the plaza, but now, two of them had been broken. The only remaining flag, the one with the sun and fire motif, was tattered and stained with blood.

That night, a square line of sects, both large and small, filled the entire square. Flags embroidered with the emblems of each sect fluttered in the night breeze. In front of the broken flagpoles was a makeshift altar. Standing in front of their line, each sect leader was offered a cup of wine by Jin GuangYao. After receiving the wine, the sect leaders raised their cups high and poured it onto the ground.

After the wine had soaked into the ground, Jin GuangShan said, “No matter what sect, no matter what family name—this cup of wine is for the fallen soldiers.”

Nie MingJue, “May their souls live on.”

Lan XiChen, “Rest in peace.”

However, Jiang Cheng still wore a gloomy expression. He didn’t say anything even after pouring the wine.

After that, Jin GuangYao stepped out from the LanlingJin Sect ranks and held out a rectangular box made of black iron with both hands. Jin GuangShan took the box with one hand and raised it high as he shouted, “This is where the ashes of the Wen Sect’s remains rest!”

After speaking, he sent out his spiritual energy and crushed the box with his bare hands. The iron box shattered into pieces, and white dust flew up with the cold wind.

Scatter the ashes!

A burst of cheers erupted from the crowd. Jin GuangShan raised his hand, signaling for everyone to be quiet and listen. As the cheers gradually subsided, he continued, raising his voice, “Tonight, the ashes of the two remaining leaders of the Wen Sect have been scattered. And tomorrow! The remaining Wen-dogs and—the YiLing Patriarch, Wei Ying!”

Suddenly, a soft laugh interrupted his solemn speech. It was too sudden, both sharp and thunderous. The audience turned to see where the sound had come from.

The Palace of Sun and Fire was quite a magnificent palace. Its roof consisted of twelve ridges, and at the end of each ridge were eight celestial beasts. However, at that moment, people realized that on one of the ridges, there were nine. That laughter had come from there!

The extra creature moved slightly. The next second, a boot and a piece of black clothing dangled from the ceiling, swaying gently.

Everyone placed their hands on the hilts of their swords. Jiang Cheng’s pupils shrank. Blue veins adorned the backs of his hands. 

Jin GuangShan was filled with shock and hatred, “Wei Ying! How dare you appear here!”

The person opened his mouth to speak. What came out was indeed Wei WuXian’s voice, but he spoke in a strange tone, “Why wouldn’t I dare to appear here? Do you guys here even count to three thousand? Don’t forget that in the Sunshot Campaign, let alone three thousand, I once fought five thousand alone. And by appearing here, haven’t I granted your wish? You don’t need to come all the way to my house tomorrow to scatter my ashes.”

Several Qinghe Sect disciples also died at Wen Ning’s hands. Nie MingJue said coldly, “How arrogant.”

Wei WuXian, “Haven’t I always been arrogant? Sect Leader Jin, how does this feel to slap yourself in the face? Who said they would let this matter slide if the Wen brothers went to Koi Tower and surrendered? And who said they would scatter my ashes and the ashes of the Wen Sect’s remains tomorrow?”

Jin GuangShan, “Let’s consider the situation as it is! On Qiongqi Pass, you slaughtered over a hundred LanlingJin Sect disciples—that’s one thing. You made Wen Ning kill at Koi Tower—that’s another…”

Wei WuXian, “Then, I want to ask you, Sect Leader Jin, on the Qiongqi Path, who was ambushed? And who should be killed? Who was the mastermind? And who was being framed? In the end, who was the one who provoked me first?”

Hidden within the vast crowd, the disciples within the formation felt quite safe. They plucked up courage and shouted, “Even if Jin ZiXun planned your first ambush, you shouldn’t have been so cruel and killed so many lives!”

“Oh,” Wei WuXian helped him analyze, “If he wants to kill me, he doesn’t need to think about whether it’s a fatal blow or not, and if I die, it’ll be my own bad luck. But if I want to protect myself, I have to think about this and that to avoid hurting him, unable to take even a single hair from him? In short, you all can attack me, but I can’t fight back, right?”

Sect Leader Yao raised his voice, “Resistance? Those hundred plus people and the thirty people in Koi Tower are all innocent. If you’re going to resist, why do you have to involve them?”

Wei WuXian, “The fifty cultivators at Burial Mound are innocent too, so why must you implicate them?”

The others spat, “What good did the Wen-dogs do you? To the point where you’re on the side of a scoundrel like this.”

I don’t think there’s anything particularly good about him. He just thinks he’s a hero fighting against the world. He thinks he’s doing justice, that he’s quite impressive, and that he’s willing to risk everyone’s condemnation!

Hearing this, Wei WuXian fell silent.

The crowd below took his silence as resignation, “Come to think of it, you are the first person to cast such a dark curse on Jin ZiXun!”

Wei WuXian, “May I ask, what evidence do you have to prove that I was the one who cast the curse?”

The person who asked the question was at a loss for words. After a moment, he said, “Then, do you have any proof that you weren’t the one who cast the curse?”

Wei WuXian smiled, “Then let me ask again—why not you? You don’t have any evidence to prove that you weren’t the one who cast the curse, do you?”

The man was both shocked and angry, “Me? How could I be the same as you? Don’t mix up black and white! You’re the most suspicious one. Do you think we don’t know? You and Jin Zixun have been enemies for a year!”

Wei WuXian’s voice was like ice, “Who exactly is mixing up black and white? That’s right. If I wanted to kill him, I would have done so a year ago. I wouldn’t have had to hold it in until now. Otherwise, I would have forgotten about such a person in no more than three days, let alone a year.”

Sect Leader Yao was shocked, “…Wei WuXian, Wei WuXian, today I finally came to see. I’ve never seen such unreasonable villains as you… Even after you kill people, you have to humiliate them with words. Don’t you have any sympathy, no guilt?”

The crowd hurled curses at him, but Wei WuXian accepted them all.

Anger was the only thing that could suppress the other feelings in his heart.

One of the cultivators standing at the front of one of the rows remarked bitterly, “Wei Ying, you’ve disappointed me greatly. I used to admire you and said that at least you were someone who founded your own sect. Now that I think about it, it’s almost disgusting. From now on, I will forever stand on the opposite side of you!”

Hearing this, Wei WuXian was initially speechless, but soon burst out laughing, “Hahahaha…”

He laughed so hard he could barely breathe, “You admire me? You say you admire me, but how come I never see you when you admire me? And as soon as I’m hated by everyone, you just jump out and wave your little flag?”

Tears of laughter welled up in Wei WuXian’s eyes. “Your admiration is a bit too cheap, isn’t it? You said you would forever stand on the opposite side of me. Okay. Does the fact that you stand on the opposite side of me affect me at all? Both your admiration and hatred are so, so insignificant. How could you be so shameless as to flaunt them in front of others?”

Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly felt something in his throat. A dull pain radiated from his chest. He looked down and saw an arrow lodged in the center of his chest. The arrowhead was lodged between two of his ribs.

He looked in the direction the arrow had come from. The person who had shot the arrow was a young, delicate-looking cultivator. Standing before the ranks of the small sect, he maintained his pose, his bowstring still trembling.

Wei WuXian knew the arrow was originally aimed at his heart, his vital part. However, because the archer was unskilled, the arrow’s power weakened in midair, missing his heart and hurtling into his ribs.

Everyone around the person who shot the arrow stared in shock, even fear, at the disciple who had done such a thing. Wei WuXian looked up, darkness covering his face. He drew the arrow and threw it hard. With a wail, the young cultivator who had sneaked up on him was struck squarely in the chest by the arrow he had thrown!

A boy next to him threw himself on top of him, “Brother! Brother!”

The sect formation was instantly thrown into disarray. The sect leader pointed at Wei WuXian with a trembling finger, “You… You… You’re so cruel!”

With his right hand, Wei WuXian casually pressed on the wound on his chest, temporarily stopping the flow of blood. His voice was indifferent, “What do you mean cruel? If he dared to shoot an arrow at me while I was off guard, he should know what he’ll face if he fails. Besides, they call me a cultivator of the heretical path, so you can’t possibly expect me to be magnanimous and leave him alone, right?”

Jin GuangShan ordered, “Prepare battle formation, prepare battle formation! We will not let him leave here alive no matter what!”

With that command, the stalemate was finally broken. Carrying swords and arrows, many disciples rushed towards the palace ceiling.

They finally attacked first!

With a bitter smile, Wei WuXian took Chenqing from his waist and pressed him to his lips. Accompanied by the piercing howl of the flute, pale hands pierced through the dust of the Nightless City square, one after another!

Corpse after corpse rolled over the white bricks lying on the ground, crawling out from the depths. Some of those who had just raised their swords and left the ground were immediately dragged back. Wei WuXian stood at the top of the Palace of Sun and Fire, his eyes flashing a cold light amidst the flute music and the night sky. Looking down, the uniforms of the various sects looked like a boiling mixture of colorful water, swaying back and forth, sometimes separating and sometimes merging. Except for the YunmengJiang Sect, all the other sects were in disarray. Each sect leader rushed to protect their respective disciples, having no spare time to attack Wei WuXian.

Suddenly, the clear notes of a zither interrupted Chenqing.

Wei WuXian put Chenqing down and turned around, seeing someone sitting on another ridge, a guqin resting on his lap. His snow-white robes seemed to burn the eyes in the darkness of the night.

Wei WuXian spoke in a cold voice, “Lan Zhan.” After greeting him, he put the flute to his lips again, “You should have known long ago—  The Sound of Clarity  is useless to me!”

Lan WangJi flipped the guqin onto its back. Instead, he drew Bichen and charged at Chenqing, as if to break the flute that was playing the wrong notes. 

Wei WuXian turned to avoid the attack and laughed, “Alright, alright. I knew from the start we’d have to have a real fight like this sooner or later. You always find me annoying, no matter what. Come on!”

Hearing this, Lan WangJi’s movements stopped, “Wei Ying!”

Even though he shouted those words, any sane person would have noticed that Lan WangJi’s voice was clearly trembling. However, at this moment, Wei WuXian had already lost his mind. He was half-crazy, half-unconscious. All the crimes were exaggerated by him. He felt like everyone hated him, and he hated everyone, too. He wouldn’t be afraid of anyone who attacked him. It wouldn’t matter who attacked him. After all, it was all the same.

Suddenly, amidst the noise of battle, Wei WuXian heard a faint voice.

The voice shouted, “A-Xian!”

Like a bucket of ice water, the voice extinguished the evil fire that was burning in his heart.

Jiang YanLi?

When is he coming to the pledge conference?!

Wei WuXian was immediately scared witless. He no longer cared about his fight with Lan WangJi and put Chenqing down, “Shijie?!”

Jiang Cheng also heard the voice. Instantly, his face paled, “Brother? Brother! Where are you? Where are you?”

Wei WuXian jumped down the palace ridge, shouting at the top of his lungs like Jiang Cheng, “Shijie? Shijie? Where are you? I can’t see you!”

He ignored the swords and arrows raining down on him. Barehanded, he pushed through the frenetic crowd as fast as he could. Suddenly, he saw Jiang Yanli’s white figure drowning in the crowd. Wei Wuxian stepped forward and tried to push through the people blocking his path, but he found it difficult to move. There was still a wide gap between them, formed by the countless crowd. At this moment, it was impossible for Wei Wuxian to charge, and neither was it for Jiang Cheng. At this point, both of them realized that behind Jiang Yanli, a ghastly corpse had stood trembling.

The corpse was already half-decomposed. He dragged the rusty sword in his hand and slowly approached Jiang Yanli.

Witnessing the horrifying scene, Wei WuXian’s voice was hoarse, “Get lost! Get lost right now! Don’t touch him!”

Jiang Cheng roared, “Get rid of that!”

He threw Sandu. A purple light shot toward the corpse, but halfway there, it was blocked by another cultivator’s sword, deviating from its original course. The more panicked Wei WuXian became, the less control he had. The corpse ignored his orders and instead raised the sword in its hand, slashing it toward Jiang YanLi!

Wei WuXian had already lost control, he shouted gallantly, “Stop, stop, right now, stop!”

Everyone was busy dealing with the corpses around them. No one had the leisure to check if anyone else’s life was in danger. The sword in the corpse’s hand swung down and slashed Jiang Yanli’s back!

Jiang YanLi fell to the ground.

Standing behind him, the corpse raised its sword again. Suddenly, a flash of the sword sliced ​​its body in half!

Lan WangJi landed in the center of the square, catching Bichen, which he then summoned back. Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng were finally able to hurry. They didn’t even have time to thank Lan WangJi. Jiang Cheng first picked Jiang YanLi up, while Lan WangJi stopped Wei WuXian. 

Grabbing his collar, he dragged Wei WuXian in front of him, his voice heavy, “Wei Ying! Stop the corpses!”

At this moment, Wei WuXian couldn’t care less. What was reflected in his eyes wasn’t Lan WangJi’s face, let alone the veins in his eyes or the redness around them. He just wanted to make sure Jiang YanLi was okay. With bloodshot eyes, he pushed her away and fell to the ground. The push made Lan WangJi stagger slightly, and he looked up at her after he had managed to steady himself. Before he could do anything, he suddenly heard another cry for help in the distance. He suppressed whatever was in his eyes and rushed to help.

Jiang YanLi’s back was covered in blood. Her eyes were closed, but thankfully, she was still breathing. Trembling, Jiang Cheng withdrew the hand he had been using to check Wei WuXian’s pulse, letting out a sigh of relief. He suddenly threw a punch at Wei WuXian’s face, shouting, “What happened?! Didn’t you say you could control it?! Didn’t you say everything would be fine?!”

Wei WuXian sat limply on the ground, his face blank, “… I don’t know either.” Desperate, he continued, “… I can’t control it, I really can’t control it…”

Suddenly, Jiang YanLi moved. Hugging her tightly, Jiang Cheng rushed over, though incoherently, “Big Sis! It’s okay! It’s okay, how are you? It’s not that bad, just a cut, it’s not that bad. I’ll put you down right now…”

As he spoke, he was about to pick Jiang YanLi up when he spoke, “…A-Xian.”

Wei WuXian felt a shiver run down his spine, “Shijie, I… I’m here.”

Slowly, Jiang Yanli opened her dark eyes. Wei Wuxian felt fear rumbling inside him.

Jiang Yanli managed to say, “…A-Xian. Just now… why did you run so fast… I didn’t even get to see you, or say anything to you…”

Hearing this, Wei WuXian’s heart pounded.

He still didn’t dare look at Jiang Yanli’s face. At that moment, her face was just like Jin Zixuan’s, covered in dust and blood. He was even more afraid of the words she was about to say.

Jiang YanLi, “I… I’m here to tell you…”

To tell him what?

Is that okay?

That I don’t hate you?

That everything is fine?

That I don’t blame you for killing Jin ZiXuan?

That’s not possible.

However, he couldn’t say the opposite either. So, he didn’t know what else he could say to Wei Wei WuXian in this situation. He just felt like he had to meet his brother again.

Jiang Yanli sighed, “A-Xian, you… you should stop first. Don’t, don’t…”

Wei WuXian hurriedly, “Yes, I will stop.”

He picked up Chenqing, placed it near his lips, and began playing with it. He only managed to calm his mind with great difficulty. This time, the corpses finally stopped ignoring his commands. One by one, strange sounds echoed in their throats, as if they were complaining. Slowly, they bowed.

Lan WangJi paused for a moment, observing from a distance. Soon after, he resumed his attack, assisting those still fighting, both from his sect and outside.

Suddenly, Jiang Yanli’s eyes widened. A powerful force surged out of nowhere, pushing Wei Wuxian hard!

Wei WuXian was pushed to the ground again by the force. When he looked up again, he saw the gleaming blade of a sword piercing his throat.

The boy holding the sword was a young cultivator who was crying for the disciple who had shot the arrow. He was still crying, his eyes glistening with tears, “You thief! This was for my little brother!”

Sitting on the dirty ground, Wei WuXian stared in disbelief at Jiang YanLi, whose head was bowed, blood continuously dripping from her neck.

He was still waiting for her to speak, to give him the final decision.

Jiang Cheng was also confused, his arms still wrapped around his sister. He hadn’t fully realized what was happening.

A moment later, Wei WuXian finally let out a bitter scream.

Lan WangJi finished his attack before he turned around.

The boy finally realized he had killed the wrong person. He drew his sword, blood gushing out. Frightened, he staggered backward, muttering, “…I-It wasn’t me, it wasn’t… I’m going to kill Wei WuXian, I’m going to avenge my brother… He’s the one who killed himself!”

Wei WuXian dashed toward him and grabbed him by the throat. Sect Leader Yao swung his sword, “Demon, let him go!”

Lan WangJi no longer cared about appearance and behavior.

One by one, he pushed aside the people blocking his path, running towards Wei WuXian. However, before he was even halfway there, before everyone’s eyes, Wei WuXian broke the boy’s neck with his bare hands.

A white-haired sect leader raged, “You! Back then… you caused the deaths of Jiang FengMian and his wife, and now you’re the cause of your shijie’s death. You suffered because of your own actions, yet you dare to take your anger out on others! Instead of turning back, you took the lives of others. Wei WuXian, your crimes—will never be forgiven!”

However, despite the criticism and rebukes he received, Wei WuXian could no longer hear any of it. As if possessed by another soul, he reached out and took two objects from his sleeves. Before everyone’s eyes, he brought them together. Half on top and half on the bottom, the two objects merged into one, emitting a resonant clang.

Wei WuXian placed it in his palm and raised it high into the air.

It’s a Stygian Tiger Seal!