The picture above is the illustration of what happens at the ending/epilogue of the novel Guardian (Zhen Hun). When Shen Wei burnt himself to offer to the lamp, how he fell from above, and when he was granted a soul fire and how Zhao YunLan catch him.😉
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Deep below the earth's surface, within place so dark and foreboding that no human had ever dared to enter them, everything was still and silent. Not even a single grain of nightmare sand moved and disturbed the peace. In this place, where the darkness was ever present, not a single ray of light from the outside world could penetrate it. The only light that could be seen was dull, and came from small candle stubs that lined the walls of the place every so often as Shen Wei, Zhao YunLan, Guo ChangCheng and Chu ShuZhi walked through them.
Now Zhao YunLan and Guo ChangCheng, or at least anyone who was sane, would know that this was a place no mortal should ever be. Every instinct that feared death and willed to survive would be screaming for them to run as far away from this place they could, and never look back.
Cold. Empty. That's how it feels to have no soul and to live in the Land of the Disrespectful, Dixing. That's how Shen Wei feel all along for ten thousand years.
Where the darkness was ever present. That this darkened realm that is seemingly cut off from the rest of the world was the home of Shen Wei, the Ghost King.
Not long after he tried to scarifice himself in the Zhen Hun Lamp before, he manage to secure the barrier of Dixing just like fulfilling his contract with Shen Nong after he thought he was dead after that. He thought he manage to secure everything but he forgot an important being.
Like many others seeking to mark their names in the lands. Even though Shen Wei become the supreme leader of Dixing that did not deter his brother however; Ye Zun lust for power and his desire to be the best, to be superior thrust his neck deep into the hairiest of situations. He always seek a way to beat the odds.
As time passed swiftly.
As Shen Wei, Zhao YunLan, Guo ChangCheng and Chu ShuZhi walking in the dark alley way of Dixing. The path can be compared to a skeleton, stripped of its flesh long ago by the locust that swarmed.
Shen Wei hated everything his eyes could devour - disaster, deception, false hope. There was stillness on both sides. If hatred was visible the air would have been scarlet. These were all that this place had left to offer, the remains of yesteryear. There was no going back, and as life goes on, Shen Wei decided so will he.
Darkness stretched ahead as long as the road they had travelled in Dixing hours, now charcoal hued and cold.
As a child Shen Wei used to wish for the sun. The darkness worried him. He even doesn't want to stay on the same roof with those demons who only know what to do is to devour and Hell supplied many beasts with fantastical jaws to lurk beyond the range of his vision.
At first the darkness of the place must have deceived him, or else his eyes were confused and dazzled by the recent glare of Zhao YunLan. For a minute or two he could make out nothing at all. There was something that made him nervous. It could have been a tincture of the wrong aroma, or the temperature being too cold - like a window had been opened in his absence.
Shen Wei wasn't sure.
They walked out of the dark alleyway few meters away from the palace. The fog, more like a thin dark mists had increased in the air since the last time. They could hear the sound of movements behind them but they kept their gaze straight.
But for Guo ChangCheng, he could see few shadows around them and he felt his heart rate increase. Everything was dark about it, faces hidden in their hooded and ragged clothes and their feet not touching the ground.
"Bro- brother C-Chu..heeeummm.." he whispered to him, tugging his arm. Chu swat his arm and give him an scolding glare. Even his whisper was loud enough for Shen Wei to hear.
"What is it?" Shen Wei asked, turned to look at Guo ChangCheng.
"Professor-- Black Robe Envoy.. the-- there are shadows creeping..." Guo told him shakily.
"No need to worry, little officer Guo. They won't hurt you. They know well than to attack us. They know who I am, they are aware of what I can do." Shen Wei said reassuringly and added, "In actuality they are friendly creatures unless you dishonor or mock them. They live in both the worlds."
"As in?" Zhao said surprisingly.
"As in here and the land of dead." Shen Wei said.
Zhao YunLan nodded but before looking ahead he saw one of the shadow stand their and giving him a hand signs but he couldn't understand a word. As they got closer to the palace of Dixing, a great flash of light fills the dark sky of Dixing. It's darkness against the light, faint yellow-bluish light came inside the palace as it strike each other breaking the barrier that covered the ghost world, the place is filled with unimaginable energy and light.
Looking from above they can see clearly translucent barrier as it's wavered from the force on the yellow-bluish light.
Shen Wei was furious, and currently only had one thought going through the forefront of his mind.
"What in the hell? What the fuck is going on here?!" Zhao shouted. Though in truth, he really didn't have to ask. He knew exactly what was going on.
"This can't be happening. Ye Zun!" Shen Wei muttered under his breath. His trembling hands could barely hold on to his sharp long sphere, "Ye Zun is breaking the barrier!"
Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan knows that those lights came from the four holy artifacts. It's like every pieces of the puzzle have been completed as Zhao soon realized that every act and cases that happened is to delayed him and reverted his attention from Ye Zun and everything about Dixing. Even disguising and act all kindly before as Shen Wei. Ye Zun manipulated everything so he could gathered all the holy artifacts once again which rose up and sank down into different continent at the last war.
He manipulated everything again and Zhao fell onto his trap.
As the light from the four holy artifacts crashed into the dark sky and into the barrier, it created wild fires splashed into the skies and landed on the ground of Dixing everywhere.
After the first wild fire exploded, the second wild fire followed immediately after, then the third, the fourth...
In this land like Hell where there was nothing but scenes of destruction, Shen Wei and the three SIU fell into a trap of flames. A crazy wild fire carried with it an annihilating aura as it rushed toward them.
Shen Wei took this chance and swung his long sharp sphere. His GongGong blade carried his full strength, falling down like an avalanche from heaven his dark power create a big transparent wave. Underneath the cover of his dark force space, the flames rapidly melted away.
More and more wild fire plummeted toward the place, dropped down one at a time. They were beams of brilliant light that covered the dark place. But as each seconds fast, dozens of wild fires fell together as if the apocalypse had arrived.
"We need to hide!" Shen Wei shouted.
From a distance, he could see two hell guards coming out of the palace dragging on a body. A dead body. Right after them came two other hell guards and they were dragging on a dead body as well watching a pool of blood trailing behind them.
Shen Wei eyed everyone anxiously and guide them out of the open ground through the large palace as fast as he could and slowed down when he neared the entrance of it. Some hell guards were gathered everywhere. Some of them seemed stressed, others terrified. The atmosphere felt tense and everyone seemed alarmingly alert. He got a bad feeling.
They hide in the walls of the palace safe from the wild fires falling.
"Your Honour?" Chu stood at the entrance and sneak a peek. They exchanged looks then Shen Wei turned his gaze to Zhao YunLan.
"I will come back. Don't leave this place, it's not safe anymore." He said nervously, concerned dent on his voice.
''Wait.. you're up against Ye Zun next. Be careful. We'll figure something out how to snatched the holy artifacts. By that, buy us more time." Zhao said agitatedly.
Shen Wei nods in answer.
''Chie-chief Zhao, do you think we can win?'' Guo ChangCheng asks curiously, shooting a look at everyone with concerned and fear.
Zhao YunLan doesn't hesitate in his answer. ''No, I don't think we can win. I know we will." he says it calmly, a cocky answer yet no arrogance seen in his eyes or expression. Like he truly believes that to be a fact – which he does.
Shen Wei raises his eyebrows in surprise. ''You're surprisingly sure about that. Care to elaborate?'' he asks, the curiosity clear in his voice.
Zhao simply lets his eyes staring outside absentmindedly at the world beyond the entrance of palace. ''Hmm... Ye Zun is strong. Really strong. But he can't win against you and I, I guarantee that.''
Zhao YunLan turned towards Shen Wei, this time Shen Wei didn't feel embarrassed, besides he feels safe with Zhao's words even though it sounds too conceited.
Guo ChangCheng doesn't seem satisfied with that answer. ''Why not? Both of them are each other source of power. Kill Ye Zun in the wrong way and you will kill yourself." Guo ChangCheng said facing Shen Wei this time as he slightly tilted his head up and the white, callous skin of his chin showed. He doesn't know where his strong courage came from to talk like that to Shen Wei but all Guo ChangCheng thought was he was also concerned about Shen Wei.
Shen Wei dare not say anything. Zhao low laughs as he look at his little friend again. ''Please, there's no need for killing. I might be confident, but I'm not stupid. I might believe our Professor Shen here is better, I guarantee that we'll win.'' Guo raises a single eyebrow, still not satisfied with his words. Zhao YunLan sighs tired of giving a hint. ''What I mean is Ye Zun really is strong, but he have his weaknesses. There's no man in the world who doesn't have weakness.''
''Weaknesses?'' surprise is evident in Guo ChangCheng's voice. ''What kind of weaknesses could he possibly have Chief Zhao?''
Zhao eyes meet his again, not a trace of doubt in them as he answers. ''Oh, he has a lot. His skills are amazing, way even better and he got himself hell guards to back him up.''
Shen Wei stays silent not knowing where this conversation of the two will go.
"..." Chu while eavesdropping.
Guo ChangCheng tilts his head in thought. ''It cannot be that piece of filth. I know he had been taken care of this before and he just broke free from the pillar. It's not as simple as that."
''Oh, you are completely wrong, little Guo. You see, Ye Zun has believed all along that he could lose. Subconsciously, that's what he think. Some kind of naivety, you could say.''
Shen Wei frowns. ''Naivety? How can you speak of naivety when you're still pretty naive yourself? No offense.''
If it someone else, Zhao YunLan have already smack the hell out of that person but since it is Shen Wei his beloved wife he just smiled fakely.
Guo ChangCheng still, his back uncomfortably straight as he looks at Zhao YunLan with unreadable eyes. Zhao YunLan raises an eyebrow but continues talking.
"Listen carefully little Guo, if ever you had forgotten, you are the incarnation of the actual wicked of the lamp. All the good karma accumulated within you. All you have to do is to light up the lamp to it's fullest you understand?"
"I have no idea how to use it anymore." Guo ChangCheng admitted bitterly as he close his fingers on the grip of his talisman.
"I believe that you will find your courage today and you will not need to worry. Old Chu, Shen Wei and I have your back." Zhao said truthfully as he inclined his head. Shen Wei gave a quick nod with a joyful smile and so does Chu.
Those last words of Zhao YunLan resonated in Guo ChangCheng's mind. Their Chief never ever said words of encouragement to him before. He was always on his cursing words and his death glare is all he can absolutely remember. Those encouragement words strongly clawed his heart, suddenly chasing the mist away from his mind. He was still confused and he still remembered almost nothing, but he lifted his eyes to Zhao YunLan and gave him a fighting smile and a nod.
"I know I can."
End.
PLEASE READ SO YOU WON'T GET CONFUSED:
Based on the original novel of Guardian (Zhen Hun)
After Shen Wei managed to seal the Land of the Disrespectful (and he tries to wipe away Zhao YunLan's memories of him) and as everything goes back to normal, Guo ChangCheng is actually one of the important character in the novel since he is the incarnation of the actual wicked of the Zhen Hun lamp. He has all the good karma accumulated within him and he has the ability to 'light up the lamp fire to it's fullest' without him dying of course. After that, Zhao YunLan started to regain his god's power; his KunLun's memory, his KunLun's power. He remember who he actually is and all the power he has. After that as the lamp starts to burn, it spews out a new Shen Wei with Soul fires. Shen Wei which is the Ghost King becomes a god. (as the novel says, every god has a soul fires so as Shen Wei was been gifted a soul fires he become a celestial god like Zhao YunLan who is the mountain god spirit, KunLun). Not only him(Shen Wei), all the ghost buddies of Shen Wei from Land of the Disrespectful manage to gain soul fires too.
As Shen Nong achieve his ambition to create a full range reincarnation where every races can now undergo reincarnation forever. Even the seal or the barrier of Land of the Disrespectful is in there, it is not necessary anymore to exist.
Besides I know I've been using Haixing for Earth and Dixing (Land of the Disrespectful) for Hell. Though Haixing meaning doesn't stands for Earth. I think it stands for a star something like that and Dixing.. well Dixing because I think from what I've heard in China, they can't use explicit words like underworld or hell or something(there's a lot of do's and don'ts in China, too many to mention). But 'underground' was applicable to use as a substitute for saying 'underworld/hell'. Doesn't really make any sense.
I'm going to elaborate how it ended up calling Haixing and Dixing (which doesn't really make sense at all). Quite a peculiar one if I may add. I will continue this on the next chapter because my author note is too freaking long now.