NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1813 - A Vain Life That Passes in a Snap of a Finger
Chapter 1813: A Vain Life That Passes in a Snap of a Finger
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Of the three hundred villagers, none survived…”
When Dugu Wushuang said that, he was in a rather heavy mood. In troubled times, everyone was struggling to survive, and none were more miserable than these mortals. The snow-covered village might once have flourished, but now it was deserted. In troubled times, human life was nothing.
He was silent. It was not that he did not want to speak, but he could not. Fear rose from the depths of his soul and made it difficult for him to even catch his breath. With a clang, his sword fell to the ground, and so did he. His pupils narrowed as he looked at Bu Fang in horror.
At this moment, the mortal in front of him seemed as terrible as a god.
“Immortal Master…”
Dugu opened his mouth and struggled to make a sound. It was as if there was a hand around his throat. Suddenly, the horrible aura disappeared. His whole body relaxed at once. Although it was winter, he was soaked with cold sweat, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
Looking at Bu Fang, he no longer doubted…
Bu Fang sighed with a sense of loss. He was filled with complicated emotions as he looked at the snow-covered deserted village.
Just now, he accidentally leaked his state of mind, which terrified Dugu. He had, after all, reached the top of the universe once. As a Chaotic Saint, he was supreme everywhere he went. Even though he had lost all his cultivation base, just a wisp of his will would be enough to bring one terrible pressure.
A starved camel was bigger than a horse.
Snowflakes were dancing in the sky, and the air seemed to become very quiet. Dugu sat on the ground, panting. The sound of his breathing seemed to be the only sound left between heaven and earth. Suddenly, a sigh rang out and shook him to his core.
“Go find a pheasant for me.” Bu Fang’s faint voice rang out.
Wushuang was instantly relieved. He answered, then hurriedly rang toward the distant wilderness.
Bu Fang sat cross-legged on the ground and stared at the deserted village with a complicated gaze. The voices and smiles of the villagers seemed to be still floating in front of him. These simple mortals had left quite a deep impression within him.
He saw one figure after another drifting in front of him, including Aunt Zhang, the farmer, the old village chief… Bu Fang sighed. Perhaps death was the destiny of mortals.
Wushuang soon returned with a pheasant in his hand. When he handed the game to Bu Fang, his face was full of respect and apprehension. Before, he had only guessed that Bu Fang was an immortal. But after the latter filled him with the feeling of death with only his will just now, he was certain that this young man was an immortal, and a very powerful immortal at that.
He had always been looking for the path to immortality, and an immortal like Bu Fang was exactly what he was after.
Bu Fang took the pheasant, then cleaned it on the spot as Dugu watched in amazement. He then found a black wok covered with dust in the village. After washing it, he built a fire. The rising flames dispelled the cold around them.
Wushuang had no idea what Bu Fang was going to do. After bringing the pheasant back, he sat quietly at a distance, waiting for further orders. But Bu Fang did not speak to him again. Instead, he went about his business.
The pheasant’s feathers were plucked, and its skin gradually tightened after being doused in scalding hot water. Bu Fang handled the ingredients methodically. Besides the bird, he also took out a fat fish he had brought with him, scaled it, and removed its internal organs. He worked so smoothly that he looked like a simple chef who was cooking seriously.
Wushuang did not dare to disturb Bu Fang. He just watched quietly. Soon, the air was filled with the aroma of food, but when he smelled it, a sad look came into his eyes. Taken aback, he hurriedly jabbed his body with his sword intent.
“This aroma can actually affect my mind?!” Wushuang was terrified. Bu Fang became more and more mysterious to him.
Two dishes were soon cooked: a golden roast bird and an aromatic steamed fish. Bu Fang held a dish in each hand and laid them out on the snow. The rich fragrance of food permeated the air, but it was filled with an overwhelming sadness.
Bu Fang sat in front of the two dishes. He did not eat them but was contemplating.
He had retired to this planet and returned to mortal life, but mortals would eventually die. How should he walk the path ahead of him? Lord Bird had asked him what would happen if he became a heap of soil in a few hundred years.
He had given a carefree answer. Now, as he looked at the deserted village in front of him, a sense of loneliness suddenly filled him. Death was lonely. If he should die, what would become of his friends? Nethery, who was in seclusion, Lord Dog, Er Ha, and many others…
Would they be sad if they learned that he was dead? Even the death of these villagers made Bu Fang so sad; he could only imagine their reaction. Bu Fang raised his hand and clutched his chest. He felt a pain in his heart, which seemed to rise from the depths of his soul.
“Soul God and the Great Path of the Primitive Universe both proved that the path of ruthlessness is the only way to the top, but I was lost in the emotions like a fish that had lost its way…”
Bu Fang’s eyes were full of confusion. He wanted to walk the path of ruthlessness too, but he found that he could not. There was no way he could be ruthless. Even though he had been living in seclusion in the mountains for several years, his emotions were still there.
Maybe he was an emotional person from the beginning. Although he did not like to smile or talk, and his face was always expressionless, the feeling of his heart could not deceive others. If he was really ruthless, he would not have so many friends around him.
The Primitive Great Path and Soul God were both alone. They were the most powerful beings, but also the loneliest in all universes. Bu Fang, on the other hand, was very lucky. He had many people around him, like Lord Dog, Er Ha, Shrimpy, Nethery, Whitey, Xiao Xiaolong, Xiao Yanyu…
Bu Fang shook his head, his face bitter. He stood up. The deserted village was still empty. He put his palms together before his chest and bowed slightly, saying his silent farewell to the villagers.
Standing behind Bu Fang, Wushuang’s eyes widened. He saw glimmers of light pop up in the village. In the sky, one figure after another appeared, walking or busy at work. The bustling scene of the village that had disappeared suddenly reappeared, like a projection cast from the river of time.
After a long time, everything was gone. The deserted village was still in a rundown state, and the snow covered everything like the dust of history. Bu Fang put his hands behind his back and left the village, returning to the mountain.
Wushuang took a deep breath, shocked. Without hesitation, he turned to catch up with Bu Fang. The path back to the mountain was covered with snow. They trudged through the drifts, and it was a long time before they returned to the hut halfway up the mountain.
It was late at night. Bu Fang snuffed out the candlelight in the hut and went to bed.
Wushuang stayed in the woodshed. He could not calm himself for a long time. He knew his chance to embark on the path of immortality was here. He had to seize it, or he would never have a second chance.
The night passed quickly. When Wushuang opened his eyes, he heard a rustling outside. He grabbed his sword and rushed out of the woodshed.
Bu Fang was standing in the yard with a large and heavy bag on his back. The fat chicken was stuffed in front of his chest with only its head visible, while the puppet also stood by his side with a bag on its back. Its mechanical eyes were as dull as ever.
‘Is he going on a long journey?’ Wushuang was taken aback. He grabbed a handful of snow and rubbed it on his face to make him more awake. “Immortal Master, where are you going?” he asked.
“I’m going out to experience the world… Do you want to follow?” Bu Fang glanced at Dugu Wushuang. “If you want to follow, then follow…” he said, then pushed open the fence of the hut.
Wushuang followed. Bu Fang locked the fence, clutched his bamboo stick, and walked quietly through the snow. Whitey followed with its backpack, while Eighty poked its little head out of his chest.
Without hesitation, Wushuang followed with his sword. The three figures slowly disappeared into the falling snow in the depths of the mountain.
…
Planet Immortality was not large, yet it would take countless years to cover it on foot. Bu Fang, Whitey, and Dugu Wushuang, who had been following them, wandered around the planet. Starting from the mountain, they set out all over the world.
Wushuang was like a bodyguard watching over Bu Fang and helping with a lot of things. The latter did not refuse his help.
Ten years flew by. Bu Fang’s face hardened a lot, and the wisdom in his eyes grew deeper. Wushuang was clad in ragged clothes, carrying the sword that had not been drawn for ten years, and his face was covered with a beard.
Whitey had not changed much. Its body was still riddled with cracks, and its mechanical eyes were as dull. Eighty was still small and cute. Even though they had walked a lot, it still maintained its fat figure.
…
Fifty years had passed, and they kept on walking.
Wushuang was beginning to show signs of old age. His back was bent, and blue veins appeared across his arms. But he did not complain and continued to walk with Bu Fang across the land. During the days following Bu Fang, he ate countless delicacies and even experienced an unprecedented change in his mindset.
In the past, he was known as the number one Sword God of the Empire. With the collapse of the Empire, however, people thought he was dead, and the legend of the so-called Sword God had long since disappeared from the world.
To be regarded as the Sword God, he had killed at least thousands of people with his sword. However, after following Bu Fang, it was as if he had experienced a spiritual baptism. Although he had not used his sword for decades, his understanding of the Way of the Sword had grown much deeper.
…
By the time their journey came to the hundredth year, they had traveled the entire planet. They had left their traces in the polar regions, in the endless forest, and in the vast oceans.
Wushuang had grown much older. His hair had turned gray, and his energy had withered. The Sword God of the generation was indeed getting old.
Bu Fang’s appearance had not changed much, but the trace of aging could be seen in the depths of his eyes. After all, a hundred years had passed. His physical body might not grow old, but his soul could not withstand the passage of time. His soul was already a mortal soul. However, his aura seemed more and more restrained.
Whitey and Eighty had not changed at all.
…
In the two-hundredth year, Wushuang could not walk anymore. He once stood at the top of this planet, but he had not found the way to immortality and was just a mortal.
Bu Fang also grew old. His hair was gray, and his face was lined with wrinkles. With a stooped back, he looked like an old man.
They did not continue to travel across the planet because they had been everywhere they could go. The world was big, but they had seen it all. In these two hundred years, they had seen the rise of empires and the fall of dynasties. They were tired of walking; it was time for them to have a rest.
They bought a house in the middle of town and lived in seclusion. Bu Fang went back to his old trade and opened a restaurant. Only, he ran it with a very casual attitude. He cooked only according to his mood.
Wushuang worked in the restaurant as a waiter. He had already put away his sword. Now, he did not know whether Bu Fang was an immortal or not. Why would an immortal grow old like a mortal?
However, there was no point in worrying about this anymore. He just wanted to live a quiet life. By tempering his heart in the world of mortals, he now possessed a stronger sword intent than that of the Sword God in his prime.
…
In the three-hundredth year, Wushuang’s life came to an end. He could no longer walk and continue to be a waiter in the restaurant. Bu Fang looked old and clumsy, too. He sat quietly in the restaurant all day. The neighborhood had changed many times, and so did the neighbors.
The end of life was always calm and graceful.
In the restaurant, Bu Fang filled a cup with wine and held it up toward Wushuang, who was sitting opposite him. The latter was barely breathing as he looked at Bu Fang with cloudy eyes full of mixed emotions.
Whitey and Eighty were in the restaurant as well. The atmosphere was somewhat heavy. After a long time, a sigh rang out.
“Immortal Master… Wushuang will go first.” The corners of Wushuang’s wrinkled mouth lifted slightly.
Bu Fang drained the cup with one gulp.
With a rumbling sound, a sword intent that had swept away the vanity and was extremely sharp shot into the sky, blooming into terrifying sword energy. The sword intent that Wushuang had nurtured for three hundred years shocked the world. It was as if the legendary Sword God had returned to the world.
In the restaurant, Dugu Wushuang, after releasing the sword intent, bowed his head contentedly, his hands hanging feebly at his waist. Bu Fang held his cup, the wine in it rippling. After a long time, he sighed.
“A vain life that passes in a snap of a finger…”
At this moment, Lord Bird appeared in the sky with his hands behind his back. At the same time, many figures flew across the starry sky and arrived outside Planet Immortality with complicated eyes. Their auras were all very powerful, for they were all the almighty experts of the Primitive Universe.
On this day, all the almighty experts of the Primitive Universe descended to Planet Immortality.