The Demon Lord's Invasion

Chapter 43: A Miraculous Encounter Across Three Lifetimes

I shouldn’t have replied to your letter, but for some reason, I couldn’t control myself. I held back for so many days, yet in the end, I failed again. It wasn’t unintentional—it was deliberate. In my previous letter, you—being so wise—must have known why I left home. Now, though we are but a hair’s breadth apart, we are as far apart as the ends of the earth. Yet… “The handwriting here should be a bit messy, with a trembling stroke—that’s right!” Qiong Sang muttered earnestly to himself. Clutching the pen with his cat-like paws, he continued to write shakily on the letter: “The most painful kind of love isn’t being separated by vast distances and unable to see each other; it’s standing right in front of you, yet being unable to say ‘I love you.’ ” “Oh my, how come Xiao Jiang Zi’s memory is full of so much filth? It’s truly cringe-worthy.” Qiong Sang shuddered all over, then continued writing: “If this agony of longing is not severed, my heart feels as though it’s sinking into the deepest depths of hell, torn apart by malevolent winds and devoured by ten thousand demons—pain, endless, unending pain!” “If I sign it ‘Jiang Tang’s Final Words,’ it seems there’s no turning back. It wouldn’t be good at all if that hothead actually took it seriously!” Qiong Sang’s cat-like face was utterly serious. He furrowed his brow in deep thought for a long time, then suddenly wrote with a sly grin: “The Last Words of Ao Heng.” The letter transformed into a yellow sparrow and fluttered away, flapping its wings. “Hm?” Outside the high-rise, Jiang Tang watched a yellow sparrow soar into the clouds and paused in surprise for a moment. He then entered the house and immediately heard Qiong Sang, who was perched on the windowsill, ask, “Why did you come back so suddenly?” “Who were you writing a letter to?” Jiang Tang asked as he walked over to the workbench in the Dongfang part of the room and packed a microscope into his storage bag. “Who else could it be? Your wife, of course.” Qiong Sang made no attempt to hide it. “Get lost.” Jiang Tang clearly didn’t believe him. He packed away the storage pouch, stepped outside, and immediately flew away from Black Reef Island. Half an hour later, a yellow sparrow flew into Jiang Tang’s room, landed on Qiong Sang’s claw, and immediately transformed from a paper bird into a sheet of paper. When Qiong Sang saw the three characters “Piaomiao Peak” on the letter, he instantly broke into a sly, triumphant grin! Zhang Chaozhou watched as Dongfang engraved the first set of runes onto the black-gold hammer, and he was so shocked he could barely contain himself! The craftsmanship was so meticulous it bordered on nitpicking; he had never seen—let alone heard of—such exquisitely delicate and intricate runes. “No wonder you needed to purify every material to its absolute limit—without such precision, the power contained within these runes would certainly be weak,” Zhang Chaozhou said excitedly, then added, “Could you forge a microscope like this for me?” Without looking up, Dongfang continued to engrave slowly, “Ten crystals.” “No problem. And this tablet-style spirit brain and this set of tools…” “Fifty crystals for the set. If you help spread the word, I’ll give you a ten-crystal discount.” This time, it was Jiang Tang who spoke. Zhang Chaozhou looked up at Jiang Tang and said, “Fifty crystals, then. I don’t have time to help my junior brother anyway.” Dongfang’s equipment wasn’t made from ordinary materials; it was engraved with numerous runes and required the infusion of Yuan Energy to function. Even the microscope needed to be infused with Yuan Energy or Spiritual Energy before it could freely zoom in and out. The entire set was indeed quite valuable—at least five crystals. “Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Just as Jiang Tang had collected the crystals from Zhang Chaozhou, he suddenly heard a mouse squeaking behind him. He turned his head and couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time, asking, “What’s going on?” “Come here.” Qiong Sang waved his paw. Puzzled, Jiang Tang followed Qiong Sang out of the courtyard and asked, “Can you tell me now?” Qiong Sang said mysteriously, “Hurry to Piaomiao Peak—someone there wants to see you.” “Who is it? If it’s someone buying a spot, tell them to come here—I’m still busy,” Jiang Tang said irritably. “Busy my ass—it’s Ren and the monk who are busy. What are you busy with? A hammer?” Qiong Sang followed, then flew up behind Jiang Tang and shoved him, saying, “Hurry up. Time waits for no one.” “Oh my god, you…” Jiang Tang was at a loss for words. What on earth was this guy up to? But then it dawned on him—Jiang Tang seemed to have figured it out! Gao Heng had made it clear: no one was allowed to buy a spot from Jiang Tang, or else they’d be making an enemy of her, Gao Heng. Jiang Tang wasn’t the least bit afraid—after all, he still had Senior Sister Ji’s guaranteed thousand crystals as a safety net. But when Qiong Sang led him to fly up to a solitary peak, Jiang Tang’s expression immediately darkened! Upon the thick snow of Piaomiao Peak, a graceful figure stood at the very summit, letting the biting wind sweep across her face. Like a snow lotus fearless in the face of harsh conditions, she radiated her most dazzling moment, a sight as beautiful as a painting. “Go!” Qiong Sang whispered. “Fuck off!” Jiang Tang seethed inwardly, yet he also realized that Qiong Sang hadn’t lied to him after all—he’d actually been exchanging private messages with Yu Chang, and he’d definitely been using Jiang Tang’s name! Qiong Sang sighed inwardly and whispered, “Everything has to come to an end eventually. You don’t want this to just end out of the blue, do you? Besides, she invited you here—she must have you on her mind. Even if you can’t use her to take down Nikuang Mountain, you can at least give them a hard time!” Jiang Tang fell silent, staring at Yu Chang’s retreating figure for a long time without speaking, until she turned around and looked directly at him. Jiang Tang suddenly felt a bit uneasy and turned his head away, not knowing where to look. Qiong Sang, whose cat-like face was full of a sly grin, knew when to back off and slowly flapped his wings as he retreated. Apart from the sound of the wind—nothing but the sound of the wind—neither of them spoke on Drifting Mist Peak. “This is awkward!” Jiang Tang sighed bitterly to himself. Feigning nonchalance, he walked over to a cold white rock, sat down, and said in a matter-of-fact tone, “About last time… I’m sorry.” “Mm-hmm,” Yu Chang nodded. For a moment, Jiang Tang didn’t know what to do. Not sure what had come over him, he shifted his position and patted the rock, saying, “Sit down. Standing is kind of tiring.” “What the hell was I thinking? It makes it seem like I’m hoping something will happen…” Jiang Tang asked himself foolishly in his mind! Yu Chang didn’t possess Qiong Sang’s gift for reading people’s minds, so she had no idea what Jiang Tang was thinking. To his surprise, she actually walked over, smoothed out the hem of her skirt, and sat down beside him. She casually smoothed her hair, which had been tousled by the cold wind. Her cool, jade-like face showed neither joy nor sorrow; she simply kept her head slightly bowed, and no one could tell what she was thinking. Jiang Tang was even more bewildered. He thought for a long time, holding it in for a full quarter of an hour, before finally clearing his throat and saying, “Um, cough, it’s so quiet here—though the wind is a bit loud.” “Mm-hmm,” Yu Chang nodded softly. Jiang Tang fell silent again. After another quarter of an hour of holding back, he said, “Do you like it here?” “Mm.” “Then… what about me?” “What the hell was I just saying?” Jiang Tang suddenly felt like slapping himself! “I’m jealous!” “Huh?” Jiang Tang looked at Yu Chang, not understanding what she was envious of. But where there’s a question, there’s a conversation. Without a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Tang asked, “Why are you envious?” Yu Chang was silent for a long time, then slowly looked up into the depths of the clouds and said, “Freedom… ease.” Jiang Tang understood. She was different from him—she was a genius kept in a cage, a symbol of the future Xian Zong. She would have to live her entire life bound by the Xian Zong’s constraints, unable to break free. “How ironic,” Jiang Tang suddenly snorted derisively. “Others dream of becoming a genius like you, yet you hate this kind of life. To us mortals, that’s just being pretentious—do you realize that?” “Why?” Yu Chang looked at Jiang Tang in confusion. Jiang Tang stared straight ahead, his dimples deepening as he smiled even more sarcastically. “If we divide people into three classes, the lower class struggles desperately to climb into the middle class, the middle class fights tooth and nail to squeeze into the upper class, while the upper class merely envies the lower class.” Yu Chang understood. But mere envy doesn’t mean one is willing to sink to that level. “The burdens we carry are different,” Jiang Tang suddenly turned to look at Yu Chang as well. When their eyes met, his gaze flinched for a moment, but instantly returned to normal—though it remained faintly vacant. “Because of the main branch?” Yu Chang’s gaze was direct, as if her entire focus had been drawn into Jiang Tang’s eyes. “Qiong Sang!” Jiang Tang gritted his teeth inwardly, but his expression remained cold and ruthless as he said, “I will not spare my clan. You and I are destined to be enemies.” Yu Chang’s gaze grew increasingly unfocused, and she said blankly, “No, you won’t.” After saying this, Yu Chang suddenly jolted; her gaze instantly sharpened. She frowned and stared at Jiang Tang for a moment, then shook her head absentmindedly. “What’s wrong with you?” Jiang Tang frowned. He hadn’t fallen into demonic possession—there was no reason for Yu Chang to lose her composure. “Do you believe in past lives?” Yu Chang asked suddenly. Jiang Tang was startled, then replied, “Of course—I just don’t remember it.” “Eight years ago, when I first used the Seven-Star Illusion Array to experience the vicissitudes of a lifetime, you were my husband!” Jiang Tang was taken aback; he hadn’t expected Yu Chang to have already used the Seven-Star Illusion Array to experience a lifetime! “We weren’t engaged, were we?” Jiang Tang said with a wry smile. Yu Chang didn’t answer, but continued, “Five years ago, I used the power of the Illusion Array again, and the husband in that life was still you!” “Wote?” Jiang Tang was taken aback. “Not long ago, to complete the fifth refinement of my Golden Core, I entered the Seven-Star Illusion Array once more. This life was very brief—only a year. When I opened my eyes, the room was filled with objects I couldn’t make sense of. There was a young man holding me in his arms, kissing me anddoting on me. I couldn’t move. After the boy placed me on a shelf, I watched him every day—watching him sew little cloth garments for me, watching him argue with his family on my behalf, watching the loving gaze he directed at me—until a great fire broke out. He ran outside but returned shortly afterward. Just as he picked me up and turned to leave…” Jiang Tang suddenly stood up and exclaimed, “What the hell is this?” Just as the suddenly enraged Jiang Tang was about to leave, Yu Chang grabbed his hand. “What are you doing?” Jiang Tang said coldly. “His name is Jiang Tang!” Jiang Tang stared at Yu Chang in silence for a long time, then finally said with a mix of laughter and exasperation, “That’s because Ao Heng’s name is also Jiang Tang!” Yu Chang fell silent. She took out an exquisitely crafted doll and looked at Jiang Tang, asking, “What’s her name?” “Stop messing around,” Jiang Tang said, shaking his arm—but he couldn’t shake off Yu Chang’s grip. “I was holding her when I entered the illusionary array, but I never expected to become her!” “Oh my, my little great-great-uncle! Why did you even bring her along? When you think about something day and night, of course you’ll have hallucinations like this. Did you really think I was the reincarnation of that young man? That’s pure fantasy!” “There’s no such thing as ‘Arabian Nights’ in this world!” Jiang Tang pressed his hand to his forehead and remained silent for a long time. Finally, he nodded and said, “All right, you’re right. I was born with memories of my past life, but as for…” Before Jiang Tang could finish, his arm tightened, and he found himself sliding into Yu Chang’s embrace, held tightly against her. His bones were screaming in agony, yet his flesh felt the delicate softness. “Cough, cough, cough… Let… let go, let me go… I’m going to die!” A full-force embrace from a Fifth-Refinement Golden Core cultivator could easily shatter stone and sever metal—this was the first time in Jiang Tang’s life that he had so clearly felt death was this close! Yu Chang’s terror was more than a thousand or a hundred times more terrifying than that of the elderly attendant to the Prince of the Shenwu Empire! “Should I undergo demonic transformation?” Demonization would make Jiang Tang fear nothing. 89