"Hall Master... it was my mistake! I should not have acted on personal grudges, disregarding the thousand-year plans of the Ancient Country! It’s my fault! The blame does not lie with the Hall Master!"

Upon hearing this, Duo Shu immediately knelt on one knee, speaking with a look of remorse.

"Duo Shu, you are not wrong! The Far North Land and the Sand Sea are filled with countless dangers. Even our Wolf Transform Clan of the Ancient Country cannot claim to rule over the Sand Sea with impunity! The Divine Demise Land is a place we can only dream of reaching; even I, as Hall Master, do not know what secrets it holds..." Shi Wujue said, shaking his head as he gazed out at the night beyond the window, continuing slowly, "Her journey from the Dragon Hidden Central Plains, to claiming kingship in the Southern Border, and subsequently unifying the Southern Country, has been too smooth. For her, that might not be a good thing. Letting her endure more hardships could indeed be beneficial..."

"Duo Shu, I know you hate her, that you hate her for killing Duo Ao, and I also know that you are surely plotting against her in secret, wanting to avenge Duo Ao’s death. I do not stop you because I believed that you are a person who acts with propriety and would never neglect the greater matters of our Ancient Country! However, until this moment, I have suddenly realized, I was wrong! I entrusted you too much!"

Saying this, Shi Wujue abruptly turned his head, looking at Duo Shu with a face full of seriousness as he said, "Duo Shu, even if you hate her, I thought you would not forget your identity and treat the plans of the Ancient Country as a joke! Minor disruptions are tolerable; after all, they won’t cost her life, and they can instead provide her with experience, increasing her odds of success when venturing to the Divine Demise Land. But you have disappointed me!"

"You knew perfectly well that the No Return Cliff in the Valley of Forgetfulness outside Yanmen Pass is a true deathtrap, yet you watched as she leaped down. Are you indirectly trying to take her life, to harm her fatally? Duo Shu, tell me, what exactly have you done?"

"Hall Master! I realize my error! I did not know she was the one chosen by the Resolution of the Bright Moon. I hated her for killing Duo Ao, for wronging the Hall Master, and for bringing disaster to the Ancient Country He Clan. Thus, before knowing the truth, I wished nothing more than for her swift death!" Hearing this, Duo Shu prostrated himself on the ground, speaking with a pained expression, "Hall Master, it is my fault! I am the culprit of ruining the grand matters of the Ancient Country. I willingly offer my life to atone!"

As Duo Shu finished speaking, Shi Wujue waved his sleeve, speaking irritably, "What use is there for mere words of atonement with death at this stage? Duo Shu, below the No Return Cliff lies the No Return Path, a path even a deity would tread with no return! Since Gu Changsheng has descended the Intestine-Breaking Cliff, she will undoubtedly step onto the No Return Path. If anything happens to her, tomorrow’s Bright Moon will not emerge in the sky! The end of the world draws near! Duo Shu, tell me, what should I do at this moment?"

"Hall Master!" Upon hearing this, Duo Shu immediately stood, speaking with a desperate resolve, "Hall Master, I will return to the Valley of Forgetfulness and go to the bottom of the No Return Cliff. No matter the cost, even death, I will ensure they do not set foot on the No Return Path!"

"Heh..." Shi Wujue scoffed coldly, shaking his head as he continued in a deep voice, "Duo Shu, your thoughts are too simplistic. Even if you prevent her from stepping onto the No Return Path, what then?"

"The No Return Path stretches across the exit of the No Return Cliff. Even if you stop her from treading it, what can you do then? Will you keep them eternally trapped at the bottom of the No Return Cliff?" Shi Wujue shook his head again, closing his eyes tightly before saying, "The No Return Cliff was created by my ancestors. No one knows its peril better than I do! Descending is easy, but ascending is incredibly difficult, returning after thousands of years is not possible! At the bottom of the No Return Cliff lies the No Return Path, a journey of no return, leading to death! Duo Shu, since they have reached the Intestine-Breaking Cliff’s Bottom, your journey would be in vain..."

"Hall Master! Then what should we do? Since Gu Changsheng carries the Resolution of the Bright Moon, she mustn’t die under any circumstances! I suddenly believe in that prophecy now. Perhaps the one chosen by fate can truly unlock the secrets of the Divine Demise Land and uncover the truth of our Ancient Country He Clan! Hall Master, let me save her. I will risk my life to bring her back!" Hearing this, Duo Shu spoke urgently.

"Hall Master! I, too, am willing to go!"

"Hall Master! Let me go as well!"

"..."

The servants in the room heard and spoke up as well.

If...

If Gu Changsheng, who carries the Resolution of the Bright Moon, can truly unlock the secrets of the Divine Demise Land and reveal the truth of their Ancient Country He Clan...

Then, Gu Changsheng would be the benefactor of their Ancient Country He Clan!

She cannot die!

She must not come to harm!

She must not meet with any misfortune!

Upon realizing these things, Duo Shu’s heart was filled with complexity, but a decision was finally made!

And Shi Wujue, observing the imploring Duo Shu and his own servants, slowly shook his head, "It’s useless. Once you descend the No Return Cliff, to come back up, you must step onto the No Return Path... even if you go, it will only result in death..."

"Alas..."

At this point, Shi Wujue sighed and turned to Duo Shu, saying in a deep voice, "Duo Shu, go and fetch the Hazy Moon Gauze!"

"Hall Master?" Duo Shu was taken aback by these words and couldn’t help but say, "Hall Master, the Hazy Moon Gauze is the Supreme Treasure of the Ancient Country. Why do you need it?"

"I need to draw a strand of moonlight and seal it within the Hazy Moon Gauze to cover my eyes. Only then can I bring them out from the No Return Path!" Shi Wujue replied, slightly lowering his eyes as he spoke solemnly.

Upon hearing this, Duo Shu was immediately shocked, stepping forward anxiously, saying in a deep voice, "Hall Master! You want to cut a strand of moonlight? Do you know how many times you’ve gone against the heavens? If this continues, even with the blood of our clan to sustain you, the line of life and death on your arm will keep spreading, and by then, you..."

"What else then? Watch her perish at the Bottom of Intestine-Breaking Cliff? Duo Shu, we already have no turning back. Gu Changsheng is our path, and all our hope lies with her alone! I absolutely will not let anything happen to her, even if I must die. Before I die, I will transfer all the Blood of God’s Descendants within me to you, so you can protect the Ancient Country He Clan. Wait for her to open the Divine Demise Land, and let the truth of the past and the Goddess Palace see the light of day again!" Shi Wujue said, looking at Duo Shu and shaking his head. His face, which could astonish the world, was full of determination as he spoke, "Duo Shu, whether it’s for personal feelings or not, I have never forgotten the mission that weighs on me! I can give up everything for her, even my life. Just make sure that as the only path I leave behind, do not do anything to disappoint me! Even for my sake, do not harm her. I have already owed her too much..."

"Duo Shu, if, truly, I cannot hold on until the time to return to the Ancient Sand Sea Country, please, in my stead, protect the Ancient Country and also protect her..."

The words, carrying an inescapable loneliness, issued from Shi Wujue’s mouth. His long, narrow eyes looked at Duo Shu standing before him, feeling endless emotion in his heart...

Duo Shu was his close aide! 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

He was the last thread of hope Shi Wujue left for the Ancient Country...

This was the first time Shi Wujue revealed his thoughts to Duo Shu!

And it was also the first time Duo Shu realized his master’s intentions, and to say he was not shocked would be a lie!

As Shi Wujue’s close aide, after the death of Shi Wei, Duo Shu was in a position of power. All orders from Shi Wujue passed through his hands. He always thought this was due to his master’s trust. Little did he know that his master’s thoughts were... to entrust the orphaned?

To entrust the Ancient Country He Clan and Gu Changsheng to him?

"No! No, Hall Master! You will be fine for sure! Hall Master, although I have done things behind your back that were against Gu Changsheng, I’ve never intended to betray you! Hall Master, we are here! With us here! As long as we live, there will be endless blood to sustain you! You will surely be fine! Please don’t say such things..." Shaking his head, at this moment, Duo Shu suddenly felt afraid!

He was Shi Wujue’s close aide, by his side from childhood, receiving the same teachings, growing up together, facing everything together...

He could wield authority solely, plot against Gu Changsheng for personal reasons, but he would never do anything to harm Shi Wujue, not even think of it!

"Duo Shu, neither you nor I know what fate has in store, but I hope to live, to see the truth my Shi Family has sought for millennia. However, the closer I get to the Ancient Country’s old land, the more uncertain I feel. Duo Shu, if I truly can’t last to see that moment, please, in the bond of master and servant, always leave her a glimmer of hope, no matter when..."

At this, Shi Wujue paused, under the snowy white hair covering his astonishing face, was an overwhelming sense of solitude as he continued mumbling, "After all, she is the only woman I have ever fallen for in this life..."

"Hall Master..." Hearing this, Duo Shu’s heart trembled, and his face showed a sad expression.

"Go, bring the Hazy Moon Gauze. I must go and bring her out. If I’m late, it may be too late!" Shi Wujue waved his hand, hiding the paleness on his face, urging Duo Shu.

Upon hearing this, Duo Shu looked at his master, tears welling up in his eyes. Finally, he nodded and withdrew to fetch the Supreme Treasure of the Ancient Country, the Hazy Moon Gauze...

Meanwhile, at the Bottom of Intestine-Breaking Cliff, completely unaware that the cliff’s real name was No Return Cliff, Gu Changsheng was confronting the overwhelming army of man-eating ants!

At this moment, the scolding voices of the Hidden World Clan were like unheard whispers to Gu Changsheng. In her eyes, there was only the army of man-eating ants relentlessly advancing toward the middle of the river...