Apocalypse: Master of Soul Beasts

The journey back to CH Town was not as easy as Cyclops had imagined. Wen Yu had to use the Netherworld’s Instantaneous Movement Ability numerous times en route, causing his aura to become erratic and indistinct. Fortunately, Wen Yu was present. With Wen Yu and Cyclops cooperating, the group finally returned to HL Town on the second night.

They chose not to rest in HL Town for the night. HL Town was not far from CH Town; even at a strolling pace, it wouldn’t take Wen Yu and his three soul pets more than ten minutes to cover the distance. So, after a brief survey of HL Town’s dilapidated environment, Wen Yu decisively chose to continue onward. The three soul pets naturally had no objections. Thus, as the Blood Moon reached its zenith, Wen Yu, like a weary traveler, returned with all he possessed to the former battlefield.

From a distance, CH Town, as it was now, perhaps no longer deserved to be called a town. Back then, in the battlefield between the two realms, the corrosive barriers had relentlessly contracted. The result was that everything the barriers passed over was scorched to dust—buildings, plants, animals, absolutely everything! Not a blade of grass grew. It was like a vast, empty desert. This was the true state of CH Town. Perhaps the only thing still standing there was the tombstone Wen Yu had erected for Sun Ruixing.

The demon plague had not damaged Sun Ruixing’s tombstone. There were no people here, no living beings. In the eyes of the Demon Fiends, this place was likely just a worthless patch of sand, so naturally, there were no battles. Without plants, there was no soil to support mutant creatures, so very few of them would migrate to this area. The former battlefield between the two realms had, ironically, become a sanctuary free of conflict.

What a joke fate plays.

Staring at the tombstone for a long while, Wen Yu slowly looked away. It was hard to describe his current state of mind. Originally, Wen Yu had thought he would feel sad, nostalgic, or pained. But now that he was actually here, he suddenly realized he felt nothing at all.

This was true.

Call him unfeeling or cold-hearted, but Wen Yu truly couldn’t find even a trace of sadness. As the sole victor of the battlefield between the two realms, revisiting this old place, the only sensation he had was perhaps that the night wind was a bit chilly. Realizing his true feelings, Wen Yu couldn’t help but let out a self-deprecating laugh.

No matter how unforgettable, the past is just the past. And the past is exactly that—past. For me, no, for most people, past events are probably not important at all. It’s like that famous saying from before the Apocalypse: ’Do not be disordered by the heart, nor troubled by emotions. Fear not the future, dwell not on the past. Thus, all is well.’ Thus, all is well...

Thinking this, Wen Yu smiled and greeted Sun Ruixing’s tombstone.

”My friend, are you doing okay over there?”

Wen Yu didn’t much believe in talk of an afterlife. Before the Apocalypse, he had heard a saying: What are tomb visits for? They’re about burning paper offerings for the living to see! If there really is some kind of afterlife for the dead, then do they reincarnate or not? Do the living want the dead to remain as ghosts or be reborn as humans? If they’re truly reincarnated, can they still receive the paper money burned by the living?

Wen Yu thought there was some sense to this. However, ancestral customs shouldn’t be discarded. Before the Apocalypse, it was due to societal expectations; now, he simply wanted to express his feelings of remembrance in a simple way. That being the case, if he was going to pay respects, he should do it properly.

Recalling a custom from his hometown, Wen Yu took out three cigarettes from his space ring and placed them before Sun Ruixing’s tombstone. He waved for his few soul pets to go look around as they pleased, then sat down directly on the empty ground in front of the tombstone.

Lighting a cigarette for himself, Wen Yu was about to speak when he suddenly recalled he had missed a step. When visiting a tomb, one can’t go without paper money.

Casually rummaging through his space ring for a moment, Wen Yu took out a stack of currency notes issued by the Yanjing Assembly Site after the Apocalypse—worth about ten Level 5 magic crystals in total. He casually took out a lighter, set them ablaze, and tossed the burning paper money into the air. The burning pieces of paper scattered, fluttering and dancing like butterflies.

And at this moment, Wen Yu also found his words. Don’t burn ’mute paper,’ don’t make a ’mute visit’ to a tomb—in simple terms, when visiting a grave, you should say a few words to the deceased. This was also a tradition in my hometown.

”Old Sun...”

”I’ve done what I promised you.”

...

After thinking for a long time, Wen Yu still couldn’t figure out what to say to Sun Ruixing.

Talk about past events? The past events weren’t pleasant... Talk about the ideals and ambitions they once discussed? Discussing such things with the deceased, especially a ’deceased person’ who died by my own hand—who am I trying to mock?

After much deliberation, Wen Yu could only talk about Sun Xuewei.

”I told Sun Xuewei about the skill and your death. She was very sad.”

How could she not be sad? After all, it was her father who died.

”She’s doing well now, so you don’t need to worry. The last time I saw her, she had formed a small group with her close friends. It looks like they’re managing quite well. Plus, with your legacy, Sun Xuewei’s future safety should be secure.”

At this point, Wen Yu paused for a moment.

It seems that ever since I first went to Yanjing and met Sun Xuewei, I haven’t paid any more attention to her situation. Is this my fault? It probably is...

Thinking this, Wen Yu silently took out a bottle of Baijiu from his space ring. He poured half of it before Sun Ruixing’s tombstone, then downed the rest himself. The fiery liquid slid down his throat, bringing a faint warmth to him.

Then, Wen Yu continued, ”After I met your daughter that one time, I never saw her again.”

”Perhaps that’s my fault. I’m afraid. I’m afraid of bringing disaster to your daughter.”

”You probably don’t know how many things have happened recently.”

”But I know that after all these things, my understanding of myself has become a bit clearer!”

”I’m a jinx, a harbinger of disaster! I bring calamity and destruction to everything around me! Like the Flashing Bluestar treasure land, like the battlefield between the two realms, like everything from the past.”

”If you have awareness in the netherworld, if your spirit lingers, I hope you can protect your daughter. Protect her so that she never meets me again!”

Wen Yu smoked his cigarette and drank his Baijiu, remaining silent for a long while. After a lengthy silence, he slowly got up, patted the dust off his backside. His lips moved slightly, and after a moment, he calmly uttered two words.

”Goodbye.”

Will we meet again in the future? No. Separated by life and death, never to meet again in this life... I don’t believe in gods, ghosts, an afterlife, or reincarnation. Death is like a lamp extinguished. Ever since the battlefield between the two realms, there was already no possibility of Sun Ruixing and I meeting again!

He was reminded of a song lyric: ”Don’t mention the past again; life has already had many storms.” The past has become a recollection, and recollections will inevitably fade with the wind.

Wen Yu didn’t know how long this recollection would remain in his heart, but it was an undeniable fact that his perception and memory of Sun Ruixing were blurring.

Fear not the future, dwell not on the past. Thus, all is well.