12dz Chapter 946 Sakura and Reincarnation
Chapter 946 Sakura and Reincarnation
The cherry blossoms in the temple's backyard rustled, their pink and white petals falling like snowflakes, carpeting the bluestone path like a gentle brocade carpet. Yun Yao leaned against the white marble railing, gently picking up a petal with her fingertips, watching it twirl in the wind. She was transported back to that spring day when she first arrived in the world of cultivation. Back then, she was trapped in the palace's backyard, where even the sparrows on the branches could freely peck at the scraps on her windowsill. She had never imagined she would now stand in this temple, a place that controlled the laws of the universe.
"What are you thinking about?" a familiar voice called from behind, three parts smile and seven parts tenderness. Chu Mochen's black robe swept across the fallen petals on the ground. The gold-embroidered cloud pattern on his dark hem and the silver thread pattern on Yun Yao's skirt complemented each other, a perfect reflection of their intertwined destinies. He reached out to catch a petal about to fall into Yun Yao's hair, his slender fingers inadvertently brushing her earlobe, startling her blush.
Yun Yao leaned slightly to gaze at Chu Mochen's angular profile. The war-god jade pendant pinned in his hair shone with a gentle glow, its twelve pairs of wings faintly visible in the sunlight. The once aloof and aloof prince of a neighboring nation had now become her most solid support. "When I first met you, you were as cold as an iceberg, almost mistaking me for an assassin," she chuckled, her tone full of teasing.
Chu Mochen's eyes dimmed slightly, and he suddenly gripped her hand with such force that Yun Yao couldn't help but gasp. "Yao'er, I knew then that you would be the calamity I couldn't escape." His voice was low and hoarse, as if it contained a thousand words. "Throughout my reincarnations, every time I watched you perish for me, I wished..." His Adam's apple rolled, and a trace of pain flashed in his eyes, "I wish I had never appeared in your life."
Yun Yao's heart trembled. Of course she remembered those reincarnations, remembered the warm blood of Chu Mochen every time he fell into her arms, remembered his final words, "Live on." But now, seeing the emotions surging in his eyes, she suddenly realized that these years of reincarnation had perhaps been a hundred times more burdensome for him than she herself had endured.
"But without those reincarnations, how could we be here today?" Yun Yao stood on tiptoe and gently kissed the wrinkles between his brows. "Look, we created the Yunlan Realm, rewrote the laws of heaven, and saved the Three Thousand God Realms." She pointed in the direction of the distant temple, where the monks' laughter rang out. "Isn't everything we have now the result of our utmost efforts?"
Chu Mochen was about to speak when his expression suddenly changed. He fiercely shielded Yun Yao behind him, and twelve pairs of battle wings instantly unfolded, illuminating the entire back garden with golden light. "Be careful!" His voice was filled with unprecedented vigilance.
A dark shadow darted out from behind the cherry blossoms like a ghost, so fast that Yun Yao could barely make out its features. Chu Mochen swung his sword to block it, and the War God's Sword collided with the shadow, unleashing a deafening roar. Yun Yao quickly summoned the Heavenly Dao Compass, and a purple glow intertwined with golden sword energy, sending the surrounding cherry blossoms flying all over the sky.
"Who?!" Chu Mochen shouted coldly.
The shadowy figure landed on the ground, revealing a young man in a black robe. He removed his hood, revealing a face somewhat similar to Chu Mochen's, though his eyes flickered with a strange red light. "Brother, how are you?" He raised his lips, his smile filled with sarcasm. "How come you can't even recognize your own brother?"
Yun Yao's pupils shrank. She had never heard Chu Mochen mention having a younger brother, and she had never expected to see him under such circumstances. Chu Mochen's body stiffened noticeably, and the veins on his sword-gripping hand bulged. "Haven't you already..."
"Dead?" The black-robed man laughed, his laughter tinged with madness. "Thanks to you, I did die once. But the Void Heavenly Dao gave me a new life and told me an interesting secret - it turns out that our Chu Mo family has been a pawn of the Heavenly Dao from the very beginning!"
"Shut up!" Chu Mochen roared, swinging his sword at the other man. The black-robed man didn't dodge, allowing the sword energy to penetrate his body. The next second, his body dissipated like smoke, then recondensed ten meters away. "Brother, do you think you can hide the truth by killing me?" He pointed at Yun Yao, a hint of malice in his eyes. "You dare tell her why you deliberately approached her in your first reincarnation?"
Yun Yao felt Chu Mochen's body tremble violently. She suddenly remembered that in all the reincarnations, Chu Mochen's appearances were always too coincidental. Were those "accidental" encounters really just coincidences? "Mochen, he said..."
"Yao'er, don't listen to his nonsense!" Chu Mochen turned around anxiously, holding her shoulders tightly with both hands. "I was indeed ordered to approach you back then, but from the moment I first saw you dancing with a sword alone in the backyard of the palace, everything changed." His eyes were full of panic and earnestness. "My feelings for you have always been true!"
The black-robed man sneered, "I'm touched. I'm truly touched. But Yun Yao, aren't you curious why, in every reincarnation, you always fail before breaking through the Rule Realm?" He stretched out his hand and grasped in the air. A ball of black mist condensed into a mirror, and a shocking scene emerged in the mirror—
Yun Yao was engaged in a fierce battle with the Void Heavenly Dao when Chu Mochen suddenly attacked from behind, pushing her into the abyss of nothingness. The scene shifted to Yun Yao in seclusion, where Chu Mochen secretly planted a restriction in her spiritual veins. Most terrifyingly, the final scene in the mirror showed Chu Mochen sitting across from the Lord of Heaven, a respectful smile on his face.
"Impossible!" Yun Yao stumbled back, only to be caught by Chu Mochen. She stared at Chu Mochen's pale face, countless questions welling up in her mind. The images were too real, so real that they frightened her.
A trace of pain flashed across Chu Mochen's eyes. "Yao'er, these images do exist, but they are not what you see. Back then, the Lord of Heaven told me that only by letting you experience ten thousand failures can you truly comprehend the true meaning of defying the laws of nature. I... I have no choice." His voice became increasingly low. "But every time I hurt you, my heart bleeds."
The black-robed man laughed wildly. "What a touching explanation! Unfortunately, the truth is always more cruel than you imagine." He suddenly transformed into a dark shadow and rushed towards Yun Yao. Chu Mochen stood in front of her without hesitation. The Sword of the God of War collided with the shadow, bursting into a dazzling light.
At this moment, Yun Yao suddenly felt a sharp pain in her mind. Dust-stolen memories flooded back like a tide—in a previous reincarnation, she had accidentally overheard a conversation between Chu Mochen and the Lord of Heaven; another time, after she discovered her breakthrough had failed, Chu Mochen drank alone under the moon, his eyes filled with regret. It turned out that she had already seen the clues, but simply chose to believe him.
"Enough!" Yun Yao suddenly attacked. The Heavenly Compass transformed into a golden scepter, and a purple light enveloped the black-robed man. "No matter who you are, or what your motives are, don't even think about destroying the trust between us." Her voice was cold and firm. "Mo Chen, we will face this together."
Chu Mochen looked at her, a hint of surprise and emotion flashing in his eyes. He gripped the Sword of the God of War tightly and stood shoulder to shoulder with Yun Yao: "Okay, let's face it together."
The black-robed man roared in frustration amidst the light, his body dissipating. "Yun Yao, Chu Mochen, do you think this is the end? The power of the Chaos Heavenly Dao is far beyond your imagination..." His voice faded, leaving only his final words echoing in the air. "Wait! The true test has just begun."
After everything calmed down, Yun Yao and Chu Mochen remained standing, silent for a long time. The cherry blossoms scattered across the ground, affected by the previous battle, their originally pink and white petals now stained with blood, resembling an eerie painting.
"I'm sorry." Chu Mochen suddenly spoke in a low and hoarse voice, "I should have told you everything a long time ago."
Yun Yao turned around and gently covered his mouth with her hand. "No need to say sorry. Thousands of reincarnations, countless lives and deaths, we've already been each other's everything." She leaned into his arms, listening to his strong heartbeat. "No matter what conspiracies and schemes the future holds, or what chaotic laws of nature may lie ahead, as long as we're together, there's nothing we can't overcome."
Chu Mochen hugged her tightly, as if he wanted to rub her into his body. "Yao'er, thank you." He whispered in her hair, "Next time you reincarnate, it will be my turn to protect your dreams."
The wind picked up again, and new cherry blossoms fell, gradually covering the bloodstains on the ground. The bells of the distant temple rang out, melodious and peaceful, as if telling that the legend of Yun Yao and Chu Mochen continued, and that their story would never end.