The waves became rougher, sending up a fountain of spray.
On the small, desolate island, the cultivator with indigo, blood-stained clothes was sitting on the ground. He gazed at the boundless sea, clutching the bell which had broken into four pieces with his left hand. His face and clothes were full of flecks of blood, but he just sat there quietly, gazing at the sea with unblinking eyes.
The sun rose and set; the moon came and went.
Luo Jianqing spent three days looking at the sea blankly. Suddenly, he saw a snowy seabird flying to him, settling on the island. It was by no means an ordinary bird, but the Second-Level demon unique in the Feng Shen Sea. It was called Feng Yu Bird, somewhat similar to the seagull. It was not so powerful, but had the skin as hard as the darksteel, enabling it to stand the astral wind in the Feng Shen Sea.
When the bird landed, Luo Jianqing didn’t take a look at it at all.
The white seabird vigilantly examined this zombie-like human from the distance. The bird was carefully looking at the man, while the latter neglected it silently. After the long stand-off, the Feng Yu Bird cried and rushed towards Luo Jianqing quickly, aiming at his eyes!
When the bird was thirty meters away from him, Luo Jianqing didn’t move; fifteen meters, he still turned a blind eye to it; three meters, one foot, one inch…
Suddenly! Luo Jianqing raised his hand and nipped the beak of the bird with two fingers.
“Ow!”
Luo Jianqing tightened his fingers, and its beak broke in half. The Feng Yu Bird flapped its wings with painful cries, fleeing away.
Luo Jianqing’s clear eyes resumed liveliness. He raised his eyes slowly and looked at the bright, scorching sun in the sky. He stood up and walked to the edge of the island, bending over to scoop up a handful of seawater.
No one could imagine that the clean, lucid water was from the Feng Shen Sea. It seemed pure and harmless, yet it bred the fearsome astral wind that frightened countless cultivators. And right in this vast sea… Luo Jianqing lost his best friend.
Luo Jianqing looked at the water in his cupped hand for a long time.
It was strange that the seawater didn’t ooze through his fingers. Luo Jianqing watched it silently, and then raised his left hand, putting one piece of the blood-red bell into it. At last, he bent over again and cast the water and the piece into the sea, seeing them sinking under the water.
Luo Jianqing took out his Floating Frost Sword and instilled his spiritual power into it, making a hole on each of the remaining three pieces. Then he took out a string of Superlative Darkened-Gold Silk from his Interspatial Ring to thread these three pieces into a necklace, looping around his neck.
When he finished, he leaned on his sword and appreciated the descending sun in the far west.
Just as Mo Qiu said, the sunset on the Feng Shen Sea was enchanting. Mo Qiu hadn’t seen this beautiful scenery for many years; neither had Luo Jianqing. For any cultivator, pursuit went hand in hand with sacrifice. You couldn’t enjoy all the good things in this world. Instead, undesirable things would pop up from time to time, and you got to learn how to accept them.
However, Luo Jianqing never expected that the undesirable thing was the death of his best friend.
Actually, unlike common friendship in the cultivation world, Luo Jianqing and Mo Qiu were not that harmonious. They often mocked at each other or talked over one another. On the early years of their acquittance, Luo Jianqing even repeatedly slapped Mo Qiu’s carefully-protected face with his sheath.
Now, all of these memories were much sweeter than parting forever.
Luo Jianqing sat down slowly on the soft beach, enjoying the setting sun. He carefully appreciated the beautiful scenery that Mo Qiu couldn’t any more. As the last glimmer of light disappeared on the horizon, Luo Jianqing still gazed at the dark blue sky, never looking away.
“You cannot understand life and death unless you experience it.” A clear but bitter sound came to Luo Jianqing, “I’ve never expected that you attach so much importance and loyalty to this friendship. It’s been three days. Aren’t you going to leave?”
Luo Jianqing slowly turned around and saw vague figure gradually materialized.
That man wore an elegant indigo rope with a delicate face and refined temperament.
Luo Jianqing looked at him without saying anything, yet that man noticed his expression and said, “Luo Jianqing, you should go now.”
After three days, Luo Jianqing finally opened his mouth, “Qing Jun.”
Qing Jun said, “Are you wondering why I am here?”
A hush descended on Luo Jianqing and he didn’t know how to reply.
Qing Jun said, “When I transformed into a wick, I left a consciousness on you. I had intended to help you to finish the last two Seizures of the Nine-Petaled Lotus Heavenly Seizure Record. When I went into that lantern, I restored all my memories, everything I experienced thirty thousand years ago. My master had failed at the eighth Seizure, but Luo Jianqing, it is our bond that let us meet, so I don’t want you to fail. But If you really fail, your end will be more miserable and painful than death.”
Luo Jianqing asked, “What is the Nine-Petaled Lotus Heavenly Seizure Record? What happened thirty thousand years ago?”