Recalling the image of Meng Shuying calmly facing death in the previous life, Fuguang couldn't help but laugh.
Who would have thought that Meng Shuying, who sacrificed her life for that fragment of divine consciousness in the past life, would give away the divine bone so easily in this life?
Human hearts are truly fickle.
Being a demon is better—born without a heart.
To think that he had once believed his daughter was truly someone capable of deep emotions. But of course, someone as cold and heartless as he was could never have produced a daughter who was so sentimental.
"If you knew everything, why didn't you stop it?" Meng Shuying asked, puzzled.
Since Fuguang had sensed what was happening, he should have known what would follow. With his power at the time, if he had intervened, Wen Miaomiao would have stood no chance.
"Because I'm the ultimate victor," Fuguang replied, tilting his head, the smirk on his face widening. "And what winner would turn down the temptation to win all over again?"
Giving them a sliver of hope only to crush it later was far more satisfying than simply winning.
With the precedent of success in the past, Fuguang was confident that he could win even more brilliantly this time. In his meticulous plans, the human realm was already his for the taking, requiring no more effort than reaching out his hand.
And indeed, despite a few minor setbacks, he had won this life more swiftly and elegantly than before. The most delightful surprise was that after breaking the rules, Wen Miaomiao had lost her qualification to ascend, and the heavens no longer favored her.
With her, the greatest obstacle, out of the way, the demon army swept through the world like an unstoppable force, soon to conquer everything.
Once he learned that Wen Miaomiao couldn't ascend, Meng Shuying's existence became inconsequential to him. With her, it was an embellishment; without her, it made little difference.
Besides, since Wen Miaomiao could no longer ascend, it was likely that Meng Shuying, who had helped her break the rules, had also forfeited her chance. From then on, she had no hope of becoming immortal.
Thus, after his battle with Wen Miaomiao, Fuguang hadn't bothered to check on Meng Shuying. In his heart, this daughter had completely lost her value.
Meng Shuying asked again, "If you knew about my deal with Wen Miaomiao, why did you still give me the divine bone?"
"Because at that time, I didn't know Wen Miaomiao would be unable to ascend in this life," Fuguang replied, a flash of pleasure crossing his face as he recalled the near-fatal blow he had dealt Wen Miaomiao.
"My greatest concern when reliving this life was her. After fighting her for so many years, I knew her character better than anyone. Wen Miaomiao wouldn't have risked resetting the world without being certain of her chances. But she couldn't have anticipated that this time she would face the punishment of the heavens."
By the time he finished speaking, Fuguang's grin had grown uncontrollably wide. "It's poetic justice, really. If she hadn't restarted the world, she could have led humanity to struggle on for a while longer. But now—"
His gaze turned cold as he looked at Meng Shuying, his voice dripping with malice. "Considering you share my blood, I'll give you two choices. One, submit to me alongside your Daoist partner and serve me. Two—"
His cold snort made it clear what the second option was, even if he left it unsaid. Meng Shuying, having never regarded him as a father, felt no emotional stir at the murderous intent in his words. She remained unmoved, her heart calm.
She lowered her eyes in thought, then raised them to meet his. "My choice is—"
She hadn't even finished speaking when Fuguang smiled, convinced she would make the "right" choice.
Now!
While Fuguang was off guard, Meng Shuying gathered her spiritual consciousness into a fine needle and, without hesitation, shot it toward him!
She only needed to buy a moment, and she could break free. All her earlier patience, drawing Fuguang closer step by step, had been for this exact moment.
But things took an unexpected turn. A rustling sound filled the air as the black threads surged toward Fuguang, forming a shield in front of him. Her spiritual consciousness vanished upon contact with the black threads, like a stone sinking into the sea.
Fuguang's face darkened immediately. "You're truly incorrigible."
With a wave of his hand, more black threads rushed toward her, wrapping tightly around Meng Shuying and draining her life force, as if preparing her for slaughter.
At that moment, a soft laugh broke the silence.
In the gray world around them, brilliant light suddenly bloomed. In the next instant, flowers began to sprout from the light, their buds unfolding, flourishing in the air.
The petals of these flowers shimmered with silver threads, and as the threads wove through them, the entire lotus flowers began to glow, radiating a rainbow of colors. When the black threads of annihilation touched the rainbow light, they evaporated instantly, like snow melting in the sun.
Within the glowing light, Fuguang felt the undeniable force of life—an energy so powerful that it dwarfed his own.
Who was it?!
He spun around and saw that the spot where Su Luowei had stood was now empty.
Following the source of this life force, he floated into the air and saw a lotus throne materialize out of nowhere. Standing on that throne was a figure—a figure who was looking directly at him.
Like a celestial maiden from the murals of heavenly palaces, her beauty was radiant and flawless. She stood there, expressionless, her eyes devoid of joy or sorrow. Though she seemed as cold as frost, there was a hint of compassion in her gaze, as if she pitied all living things.
"You're the one who doesn't understand."
She raised her hand, and the 81 peaks of Kunlun lit up with dazzling light. Fog, light, and lotus petals intertwined, forming a vast net that slowly closed in on Fuguang, who stood at the center of his demon realm.
Meng Shuying had already broken free from the black threads and stood by her Senior Sister's side, sword in hand, her gaze icy as she watched him.
"In this life, you still chose this path," Su Luowei said softly. With a slight movement of her fingers, the lotus petals severed a few black threads, sending them toward her. The black lines coiled around her jade-like fingers, and she observed them for a moment before igniting them with a flicker of flame, reducing them to ash.
These black threads weren't ordinary spells—they were threads of karmic sin. Just as cultivators who passed the Immortal Tribulation could no longer absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, demon lords like Fuguang, once they reached his level, could no longer draw power from their bloodline. To maintain their strength, they had to absorb karmic sin.
Karmic sin was born from fear and hatred. The more people feared and hated Fuguang, the more power he gained. It was the source of his strength—and the very thing that was devouring his life force.
The heavens were fair to all. They had given the human realm a second chance, just as they had given Fuguang a chance to live longer.
If, in this life, Fuguang had not brought calamity upon the world, if he had refrained from harming the living, his lifespan would have far surpassed that of his previous life.
But he had squandered his second chance, indulging in the ecstasy of victory without noticing the blade descending toward his neck.
No one could say for certain who the real victor was until the very end. And now, Fuguang had lost.
He stared at Su Luowei in disbelief as she softly declared, "It's time for this to end."
Fuguang's face twitched in confusion, a look of stunned realization slowly spreading across his features.
"Impossible! I can't lose!"
The demon shadow behind him flickered into view once more, but before its face could fully form, it was sliced apart by the lotus petals, disintegrating into black smoke that dissolved into the radiant light.
He gathered all his remaining strength to summon the demon shadow again, but each time it formed, the petals shredded it into pieces, scattering the remains into the air.
Finally, his shadowy figure could no longer reconstitute itself, vanishing into the void.
With a shudder, the demon realm crumbled. When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves standing atop the peak of Kunlun.
The demon realm had been destroyed.
Fuguang now appeared as nothing more than a shadow of his former self, his face pale and aged. Summoning the demon and sustaining the demon realm had drained much of his life force, and the collapse of the realm had dealt a heavy blow to his spirit.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and the fear in his eyes was palpable as he looked at Su Luowei.
"Who are you? You're not Su Luowei!"
Su Luowei and Meng Shuying merely gazed at him in silence.
After a few seconds, realization dawned on him. In a fit of madness, he shouted, "I know now! You're the owner of that divine bone! The fragment of divine consciousness!"
When he had first found Meng Shuying, Fuguang had immediately recognized the white jade ring she carried as an immortal artifact that once housed a piece of divine consciousness. But because he hadn't cared much for his daughter, he never investigated whose consciousness it was.
Now that he had guessed, Su Luowei no longer concealed the truth. "Yes, that's right. It's me."
Fuguang ran a hand through his hair, seemingly regaining his composure, though his eyes were still filled with a sinister gleam. "All the immortals of the human realm have perished. I wonder which one you were."
He had never heard of a dissipated divine consciousness coming back to life. If she could, then surely he could as well.
"You're not worthy to know her name."
As soon as Meng Shuying spoke, the lotus petals in the sky began to close in, tightening the space between them, as if the world itself was collapsing. With no escape, Fuguang sank to the ground, resigned.
"I am, after all, your father. Is this really necessary?" His voice was low and raspy, interspersed with coughs. "Even if you kill me, you gain nothing. Why not let me go?"
"I'm not killing you for myself," Meng Shuying replied, her tone calm and gentle. "I'm doing it for the world. As long as you live, peace will never return."
Fuguang chuckled darkly. "So you think killing me will bring peace? Meng Shuying, do you really believe your hands are clean?"
He raised his frail hands to his eyes, examining them carefully. Once long and strong, they were now gnarled and withered, a sign of his dwindling life force.
"Do you think killing me will atone for the sins you've committed? Would you dare tell your Daoist partner about all the terrible things you've done?"
His voice was soft, filled with a coaxing menace.
"You wouldn't dare. You're afraid. Afraid that once she knows, she'll hate you. You think you can escape the burden of your guilt by hiding it. But why not join me? Together, we can build a new world."
"I refuse," Meng Shuying answered with serene finality.
She had no interest in a new world. All she wanted was to live a peaceful life with the one she loved. Now that she had that, her heart was content, unshaken by anything or anyone.
This was more than enough for her.
She locked eyes with Fuguang. "The sins I've committed, I'll atone for them. It might take a long time, but one day, I'll have redeemed myself. And along the way, I won't be alone. My Daoist partner, my friends—they'll be there with me. But you? You've always been alone. You sat on your throne by yourself, and today, you'll die alone. After this, no one will remember you. You'll be truly forgotten."
Fuguang's face twisted with rage, only to quickly regain its cold composure. His eyes bored into hers as he sneered, "How naive! If they knew the things you've done, they'd despise you. How could they ever forgive you?"
He believed that her fate should mirror his—eternal darkness, devoid of light or hope.
"No, you're wrong," Su Luowei interjected. "I know she did terrible things alongside you in the past, but I still love her."
Her gaze was clear, her expression filled with unwavering determination.
"I know it was all because you manipulated her. I'll never blame her for it. From now on, I'll always be by her side, facing everything together."
"How could you possibly accept her?!" Fuguang roared, his voice cracking. "You know what she's done—you should hate her more than anyone! Only hatred can make her suffer!"
"Because I'm her Daoist partner," Su Luowei said calmly. "I love her, so I choose to trust her, forgive her, and accept everything about her—good and bad."
Her eyes reflected a quiet sympathy as she looked at Fuguang. "You'll never understand human emotions."
Side by side, Su Luowei and Meng Shuying stood—one dressed in black, the other in white. Though their temperaments were vastly different, together they looked perfectly harmonious, as if they were meant to be together all along.
Above them, the lotuses had fully bloomed, while the gray aura surrounding Fuguang grew heavier. His face continued to age, and after losing so much of his life force and karmic energy, he was running out of time.
Meng Shuying lowered her gaze, gently covering her Senior Sister's eyes as she sent Fuguang off on his final journey.
Her sword pierced through his chest, and Fuguang dissolved into a pool of black water, staining the snow beneath them.
That was the last trace of his existence.
From this moment on, Fuguang was no more.
Snowflakes began to fall once again, covering the ground in a pristine white. As the snow stopped, the sky began to clear. Golden sunlight pierced through the clouds, casting a warm glow over the land, as if draping the world in a soft, golden veil.
Wen Miaomiao had already dealt with the three demon generals, and Mingjing had buried the other two in the ground. Though both were injured, their lives were not in danger.
Just as they had arrived, the four of them began their descent down the snow-covered mountain path. The snow had stopped falling on Kunlun, and as they walked, they could see the vibrant autumn waiting for them below, a golden world brimming with life.