After a long night of travel, as dawn broke, Yuxie arrived at a canyon.

The rock walls on either side rose steeply, with clusters of red Jueyun chili growing in places inaccessible to ordinary people, still standing tall against the winter wind.

Snow cascaded from the top of the rock walls, scattering in the air and settling at the bottom of the canyon.

The dawn light couldn't penetrate to the depths, leaving the entire canyon shrouded in darkness.

Yuxie's footsteps crunched on the snow, echoing through the canyon.

He drew the Cloud Cutter hidden at his waist.

At the same time, in a corner at the bottom of the canyon, a dark substance began to emerge. This material had no fixed shape; some formed into blobs, while others gradually took on human forms, their features distorted and terrifying.

The war against the Demon Gods had persisted until now, and the lingering resentments of certain deceased Demon Gods had accumulated, manifesting in this form.

Many years ago, Yuxie began exploring these gathering places of Demon God resentment, and this location was one he had sought out for a lifetime.

Of course, there were other places filled with remnants of Demon Gods, but this particular spot seemed to attract them, as if some force drew them here to "settle."

In comparison, the remnants elsewhere were merely a drop in the ocean.

Yuxie didn't know when the Yakshas would arrive here to eradicate these remnants, only to be gradually eroded by them.

But today, he could eliminate these remnants himself.

Perhaps he wouldn't be able to eradicate every last trace alone, but as long as he cleared most of them, the remaining ones wouldn't be enough to erode the sanity of the Yakshas.

He didn't want to see Bonanus and Menogias kill each other, nor did he want to see Indarias succumb to madness and die.

[Warning! Your body is not suitable for combat at this time!]

[Warning! Your body is not suitable for combat at this time!]

[Fighting will further shorten your already limited lifespan!]

The system's warnings popped up in Yuxie's mind.

But Yuxie had anticipated this and paid no heed.

He tightened his grip on the Cloud Cutter and slowly moved forward.

More and more remnants of the Demon Gods rose from the ground, gradually taking the form of humans, beasts, and monstrous creatures.

They bared their teeth and twisted their terrifying faces, resembling demons, seemingly ready to consume everything that passed through.

Yuxie drew his sword.

Like the dawn light piercing the canyon, dazzling sword flashes erupted, severing the remnants of the Demon Gods.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Yet more emerged from the ground, an endless stream.

For an ordinary person, such a situation would surely drive them mad, overwhelming their sanity.

Calling this a hell on earth would not be an exaggeration.

The sound of the blade echoed.

Slice, and they reappeared.

Slice, and they reappeared again...

Time seemed to blur as sunlight finally illuminated the rock walls above the canyon. Yuxie had plunged deep into the canyon, behind him lay a chaotic expanse of white snow, while ahead loomed a mass of dark creatures.

[Overexertion detected; your remaining lifespan is estimated at half a month!]

With the system's warnings continuing, Yuxie paused for a moment, breathing heavily.

His vision began to blur; his lungs struggled to exchange gases, and his heart worked hard to pump blood.

Yuxie steadied himself, sheathing his sword.

Then he lowered his center of gravity, gripping the hilt tightly.

This was the starting stance for "Shura One Flash," a move Yuxie had used to shake mountains and level ridges, instilling fear in the Demon Gods.

He had no flashy techniques; this one was sufficient.

He closed his eyes, adjusting his breathing, with his left foot back and his right foot forward, upper body bent forward.

His left thumb lightly pushed against the sword guard, a glimmer of cold light flashing.

Opening his eyes again, they burned with intense light, as if capable of scorching the world.

In the next moment, the Cloud Cutter was drawn once more.

A blinding flash of sword light shot through like thunder, akin to searing sunlight.

Simultaneously, a sharp buzzing filled the air, piercing through the eardrums.

In an instant, Yuxie's form vanished from his spot; in that moment, he had transformed into a blade capable of cleaving through anything.

The ground trembled violently.

Under the fierce shaking, the canyon's rock walls crumbled like a house of cards, and the snow cascaded down like a tide, burying everything in its path.

.....

Liuyun arrived at the residence of the Deputy General.

At this time of day, if nothing was amiss, Yuxie would usually be sitting under the eaves, gazing off into the distance.

But now, that familiar figure was nowhere to be found.

Sunlight streamed down, causing the snow in the courtyard to begin melting, and the four snowmen gradually lost their shape.

Another night had passed, and still no sign of Yuxie.

Had he chosen this moment to use his hide-and-seek skills?

Was he somewhere, watching Guili Assembly?

Suddenly, a slight commotion arose in the courtyard's pond, the sound of fish surfacing.

After a moment of silence, Liuyun walked inside, retrieved some fish food, and tossed it into the water.

The fish, seemingly starved for a long time, quickly devoured the food.

"Honestly, I have to handle even the small things like feeding the fish. Can't you make things a little easier for me..."

She hesitated to finish her thought.

A small pile of snow fell from the leaves of the goldfish plant into the water, quickly dissolving and disappearing, just like someone's trace.

Liuyun crouched down and gently brushed the leaves of the goldfish plant.

These plants should have wilted in winter, yet this year they stood tall against the cold, like resilient pines.

Liuyun recalled the year she carelessly scattered the seeds of the goldfish plant by the pond, with Yuxie standing beside her.

At that time, she never imagined that Yuxie's life was nearing its end.

Life is such a fragile thing, delicate enough to shatter with a single touch.

But life is also incredibly strong, strong enough that even plants like the goldfish could stand tall against the winter.

"I will find you; don't think you can hide from me."

Liuyun whispered to herself, her determination as heavy as a mountain.

...

Gecheng sat under the eaves of her own residence, holding the small music box.

Sunlight warmed her as she pressed the switch, and the music box sprang to life.

A cheerful tune began to play.

But Gecheng couldn't find it in her heart to feel joyful.

She had originally thought there would be plenty of time to give this gift, that there would always be a chance to present it.

But now that opportunity was gone; Yuxie was hiding, and no one could find him.

The music box would never be gifted; did she regret it?

There had been so many chances, yet she had never managed to take that final step. It would have been so easy—just to be a little bolder and hand it to him.

What had she been afraid of back then? Afraid of rejection? Now there would be no rejection, not even a possibility of it.

Gecheng set the music box beside her, the melody still playing.

The sound of the music drifted past her ears, but Gecheng couldn't absorb it.

She looked off into the distance, remaining silent.