Chapter 134: Don't Speak, Kiss Me

Ji Junhong bathed in the morning glow, surrounded by purple mist. The national destiny, surging from across the Great Zhou, poured into him, causing his aura to swell violently until he felt as if he were inextricably bound to the very earth beneath his feet.

He gazed into the distance, his eyes seemingly piercing through thousands of miles. He saw the Four Great Legions, who had set up altars and knelt before him on one knee. He saw dozens of provinces, large and small, rising in revolt to swear allegiance to his banner. In some provinces, they unfurled flags prepared long in advance, snapping sharply in the morning breeze, each emblazoned with a bold character: "Ji."

Had he not sent secret letters long ago, meticulously arranging for this uprising to coincide with the dawn, he might have been genuinely bewildered as to how he had suddenly become a rebel king.

Mr. Wen’s eyes shimmered with a faint light, fixed intently upon the sky above the capital. High above, in the invisible realm of destiny, the aura of the Great Demon—which had previously blotted out the sun—suddenly withered and faded. Beside that purple demonic presence, a golden radiance rapidly emerged. It devoured the national destiny flowing in from all directions, even consuming the essence tethered to the demon itself, and grew with terrifying speed. In the blink of an eye, the golden light transformed into a colossal, vibrant five-clawed golden dragon.

"ROAR!"

The Great Demon’s aura shrieked as it lunged at the golden dragon. Yet, the dragon, now significantly larger, lashed out, coiled tightly around the demon, and swallowed its head in one gulp.

"Pfft!" On the ground, the fox demon, pinned firmly in place, suddenly vomited blood as the golden light within it rapidly dissipated.

"Oh? Looks like the national destiny is broken." Ji Huo, clearly enjoying himself, cheered and dealt another slap. He could distinctly feel that this blow had landed with true impact; the obstructive resistance was completely gone.

Ji Junhong retracted his gaze and flexed his hand. He could feel the abundant power surging through him, a subtle connection to this vast territory. He had the distinct sensation that as long as he remained within the borders of this new nation, he would be invincible.

"Is this the power of a human emperor..."

Ji Junhong looked down at the fox demon and smiled. "Little demon, in this country, only the capital beneath our feet remains your territory. And within your territory, there are no subjects left." He paused, then added, "You are the last one. I shall call you, for the sake of courtesy, a fallen monarch."

"Bullshit!" the fox demon cursed. "There is no one like you! The entire Great Zhou has become your land in an instant! You clearly harbored treasonous intentions long ago!"

"You rebel! You treacherous villain! You were born with the bones of a traitor!"

Ji Junhong shook his head, unimpressed. "If you hadn't intended to destroy this country, I wouldn't have bothered to be emperor. It’s such a hassle."

"Bullshit! Who among you humans doesn't want to be emperor?" the fox demon retorted.

Ji Junhong shook his head, raised the Emperor’s Sword high, and spoke softly: "Stubborn to the end."

With that, he brought the blade down.

A flash of golden light erupted, brilliant and vast. The radiance instantly swept across the entire Imperial City, which had been ravaged by war and cloaked in filth. Under the upright and righteous golden glow, all impurities—the darkness, the grime, the gloom, and the twisted demonic corruption—were utterly purged.

The remaining living dead began to wail. As the golden light touched them, a sliver of clarity returned to their eyes, and their ferocious expressions softened into peace. Some looked on with regret, others wept, but in the end, they all knelt toward the golden figure in the sky before their bodies dissolved into light.

One man, having regained his senses, searched frantically with his eyes. A small hand tugged at his pant leg; a little girl, with only half her head remaining, looked up at him with a wronged expression.

"My Yaya!" The man knelt, hugging his daughter, and wept bitterly. "It is Father who is useless, it is I who am useless..."

The girl, her face smeared with the blood from her father's clothes, reached out and wiped the corners of his eyes. Finally, the two embraced and vanished into the golden radiance.

Similar scenes played out across the capital. Many people, once awakened, spent their final moments frantically searching for their families. If they found them, they would cling to each other, facing death together as they departed for the underworld. Even in the face of death, families were reunited. To be able to hold one's wife and child at the end was, in itself, a form of fulfillment.

However, many found nothing. In the end, they could only face the golden light with resignation as they faded into nothingness.

"A-Hua! A-Hua!" A lame youth limped through the crowd, his expression panicked, enduring the pain as he searched, until he found himself beneath a familiar set of eaves. At that moment, a blood-stained girl with a missing arm came running from the other side of the crowd.

The youth paused, then dashed toward her. The girl spotted him in the crowd instantly; her initial shyness vanished in an instant, and she broke into a run.

They stood beneath those familiar eaves.

"A-Hua, I have something I want to tell you," the youth said. He was already dissolving under the golden light, but the radiance seemed to sense his intent, caressing them gently and slowing his dissipation.

The surrounding living dead watched the couple with smiles, their eyes filled with relief, reminiscence, or soft sighs.

"Yes, tell me," the girl said, clutching the corner of her shirt nervously.

The youth parted his lips, his mind racing with emotions. His expression shifted until he unconsciously blurted out a line from a famous local play: "At this final moment of life, I want to say that nothing is real, save for the one truth: that we are together. I..."

As he rambled on, the girl gripped her shirt tighter, then suddenly