Undying Life

Chapter 663: Chapter 663: That Night's Brilliant Fireworks

"Zhong Shan, aren't you being too ruthless?" Yi Lan Que laughed, watching the fireworks filling the distant city.

"Ruthless?" Yin Luo Yue didn't understand.

"Xing Taidou is already in dire straits. The Great Yan Heavenly Dynasty has collapsed, and now the Xingdou Imperial Dynasty is also crumbling. Yet, you didn't think that was enough. You crushed him during the first phase of the Heaven-Crushing Plan and now you're rubbing salt into his wounds, the most painful kind!" Yi Lan Que sighed.

"Who is Xing Taidou? The founder of a great dynasty, his psychological resilience is incredibly strong. The collapse of his heavenly dynasty and imperial dynasty can't shake his composure. To turn him into a spear aimed at the Tian family, he must be driven mad. Are those measures alone enough? Even if the Tian family issues a worldwide bounty, it won't make Xing Taidou lose his sanity. So, I had no choice but to resort to this plan!" Zhong Shan shook his head and sighed.

"But will setting off fireworks here be enough?" Yin Luo Yue asked curiously.

"Sometimes, attacking the heart causes the deepest wounds! Only such wounds can drive a person to madness and make them lose their rationality," Yi Lan Que shook his head.

In Xingdou City.

Xing Taidou stared blankly at the endless fireworks. In the night, the beautiful display could soothe some psychological wounds.

Watching the sky full of fireworks, Xing Taidou seemed to forget the worldly troubles, his previous desolation, and his repeated failures. His eyes were filled only with appreciation.

"What's going on? Why are there so many fireworks in Xingdou City tonight?" Ye Qingcheng wondered.

"We don't know, Lord," replied a member of the Immortal Realm.

"Go investigate!" Ye Qingcheng ordered.

"Yes!"

Before the person could move, another firework shot up, flying higher than the others. It exploded in the sky, forming a line of colorful characters:

Congratulations to the Immortal Realm's Lord Ye for Eternal Longevity!

"Huh?" Ye Qingcheng was slightly taken aback.

This is for me? Ye Qingcheng looked at the sky, puzzled.

Following this, another firework shot up:

Congratulations to the Immortal Realm's Lord Ye for Longevity Equal to Heaven!

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And another:

Congratulations to the Immortal Realm's Lord Ye for Everlasting Immortality!

Congratulations to the Immortal Realm's Lord Ye for Sharing Longevity with Heaven and Earth!

...One after another, fireworks exploded, each with words celebrating Ye Qingcheng's grand birthday.

Ye Qingcheng's first reaction was, is today my birthday?

"Forgive us, Lord, for failing to celebrate your birthday. We are deeply sorry!" a member of the Immortal Realm said fearfully.

"Forgive us, Lord!" the others echoed immediately.

"Forget it, there's no need. I never planned to celebrate. Go, find out what's going on and who set off these endless fireworks," Ye Qingcheng ordered, frowning.

Ye Qingcheng instinctively felt something was amiss, as if being used as a pawn, but couldn't discern the details.

Back at Xing Taidou's place.

Initially, Xing Taidou, under the sky full of splendid fireworks, had temporarily forgotten his failures. His heart found a bit of solace.

But suddenly, a line of fireworks completely brought Xing Taidou back to reality.

Ye Qingcheng's birthday? This is celebrating Ye Qingcheng's birthday?

Instinctively, Xing Taidou glanced toward the palace where Ye Qingcheng resided. Countless members of the Immortal Realm surrounded Xing Taidou. Were these sudden brilliant fireworks specifically prepared for Ye Qingcheng?

"Hurry, find out who set off these fireworks and bring them to me!" someone near Ye Qingcheng shouted to a group of subordinates in the distance.

If the fireworks weren't set off by the Immortal Realm, then were they set off by someone else in the world who remembered Ye Qingcheng's birthday and deliberately sent blessings?

In an instant, it seemed as if Ye Qingcheng was being elevated to the most dazzling position, receiving blessings from the entire world. At least, that's how it appeared to Xing Taidou.

With the Immortal Realm behind him, Ye Qingcheng would never fail. As long as the Immortal Realm stood, Ye Qingcheng would always be in the limelight. He could command the world, gain power, fame, and eventually immortality.

And what about himself?

The thoughts Xing Taidou had deliberately avoided quickly surfaced.

Since leaving the Wu Tribe, he had not been in the limelight. The Great Yan Heavenly Dynasty was destroyed, the Xingdou Imperial Dynasty was destroyed, and he was still being hunted by the Tian family. Fleeing the world, he had to temporarily ally with the Immortal Realm—no, he was merely seeking shelter under their protection.

If the Immortal Realm flourished, he would be fine. But if the Immortal Realm fell, he would be hunted by the Tian family again.

Without the Immortal Realm, he would have already been surrounded by the Tian family.

The Tian family was testing the Immortal Realm, and the Immortal Realm was testing the Tian family, forming a delicate balance.

If the Immortal Realm won, that would be fine. But the Tian family had existed for tens of thousands of years—would they lose? If the Immortal Realm could not stand against the Tian family, they would definitely push him out as a scapegoat. Given the Immortal Realm's reputation, who would blame them for a minor mistake? They would only blame him for colluding with the mortal world.

He wasn't truly accepted by the Immortal Realm; he was just a lone man.

A lone man?

Staring at the dazzling fireworks, Xing Taidou's mood underwent a drastic change. A deep-seated fear arose in his heart, a fear he had never experienced before. Ye Qingcheng? An ally? As long as the Tian family existed, these 'allies' would eventually push him out as a scapegoat because the Tian family's hunt would never stop.

He had violated the rules, so he had to face the Tian family alone?

Death? Death at the hands of the Tian family?

At this moment, the already heartbroken and desolate Xing Taidou, stimulated by the fireworks, found his mind becoming increasingly twisted. The loneliness of a lone man, so lonely it freezes the soul, enveloped him in a bone-chilling cold.

If ordinary people felt this way, how much more would someone who had been in power for thousands of years like Xing Taidou?

As long as the Tian family existed, Xing Taidou would die!

In an instant, under the brilliant fireworks, the threat of the Tian family's hunt became a nightmare for Xing Taidou, planting a poisonous seed in his heart, urging him to eliminate this inner toxin quickly.

Xing Taidou coldly glanced in the direction of his 'ally' Ye Qingcheng, then coldly looked at the sky. In that moment, it seemed as if the entire world had become his enemy.

"Roar~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!"

Xing Taidou let out a long, furious roar.

The sudden roar shattered countless fireworks, shaking the entire city.

In an instant, everyone turned their gaze towards the source of the roar.

Outside the city, Zhong Shan stared intently at Xingdou City. Only when Xing Taidou's roar echoed, changing the wind and clouds in the sky, did Zhong Shan clench his fist in excitement and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Did it work?" Yi Lan Que asked, surprised.

"It did," Zhong Shan confirmed with a deep breath.

Yi Lan Que's eyes flashed with astonishment. Earlier, he had playfully teased Zhong Shan about the strength of his methods, but deep down, he didn't believe it was possible. It seemed inconceivable that mere fireworks could completely change a person and alter their character.

"Is Xing Taidou now willing to attack the Tian family?" Yin Luo Yue asked, equally surprised.

"Xing Taidou's previous mentality was like a frog being slowly boiled in warm water. He had a grudge against the Tian family, but it hadn't reached the point of risking everything. He still had an alliance with the Immortal Realm, a glimmer of hope, and a place to stay. But just now, in his moment of despair, I showed him the final fate of the frog in the pot—his death trap. Now, he's changed," Zhong Shan said confidently.

"A death trap?" Yin Luo Yue looked puzzled.

"I understand now. You planted a seed in Xing Taidou's heart, letting him amplify this emotion to its maximum. This is the emotion you wanted. Given Xing Taidou's resilient nature, no amount of persuasion from others could have the same effect as an emotion he cultivates within himself. Only his self-generated emotions would be perfectly reflected in his character," Yi Lan Que said in astonishment.

At that moment, Yi Lan Que finally saw the terrifying side of Zhong Shan. He could hide things in your heart without you realizing it and make you believe the thoughts were your own!

The most difficult thing to cultivate is not a particular spell but the human heart. Yet Zhong Shan could manipulate people's hearts. This level of manipulation was terrifying. He could change an opponent without them even realizing it.

Yi Lan Que felt a chill in his heart. Was Zhong Shan a demon? How could he be so terrifying? Just this move, "A Lone Man," was several times more potent than the entire "Heaven-Crushing Plan" from the past. He even timed the Heaven-Crushing Plan perfectly with Ye Qingcheng's birthday celebration. This level of calculation was frightening.

The second step, a lone man?

"Alright, today's task is essentially complete. Let's go back and rest," Zhong Shan said with a smile.

"That's it?" Yin Luo Yue asked incredulously.

"It's more than enough. Once the time comes, Xing Taidou and his Heaven-Realm eunuch will definitely attack the Tian family with all their might. With this second step, a lone man, you've removed another major obstacle, and the Tian family has gained another headache!" Yi Lan Que explained.

Zhong Shan left, and the fireworks continued to light up the city.

Xing Taidou's roar had drawn everyone's attention. Looking around at the crowd, Xing Taidou took a deep breath.

"Let's go back," Xing Taidou said to the old eunuch.

"Yes!"

The old eunuch noticed that after the roar, the emperor seemed to have changed somehow, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly how.

Ye Qingcheng looked at Xing Taidou curiously but said nothing more.

The next day, the events in Xingdou City quickly spread far and wide. The night of fireworks celebrating Ye Qingcheng and Xing Taidou's roar all hinted at something strange.

The news spread to all corners and soon reached Tian Xiao.

Tian Xiao read the report, his brows furrowed deeply.

"What is going on? I feel something is off, very off. Xiao Wang, take a look. Do you see anything unusual?" Tian Xiao handed the report to Xiao Wang.

"Yes!" Xiao Wang took the report and examined it carefully.

"I'm sure Zhong Shan's hand is in this. The fireworks must be related to him. But what is the issue? And why did Xing Taidou roar?" Tian Xiao pondered, frowning deeply.