kingnovel Chapter 1164 A Sad Story
Chapter 1164 A Sad Story
"..."
Su Xiaoya's throat tightened, and she opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word for a long time.
She finally understood that when people are extremely sad, they really can become speechless.
The words stuck in my throat felt like they were being crushed by a boulder weighing millions of pounds, and I couldn't utter a single sound.
The little white dog seemed to sense her emotions. It struggled to its feet, and the bloody wounds on its hind legs looked even more pitiful against the backdrop of the dark blue ore.
It dragged its chain, moving slowly towards Su Xiaoya, and gently touched the back of her hand with its nose, its movements tender and dependent.
Then, it turned to look at Lei Xinyu on the stone platform, then looked down at the iron chains on its legs, its black grape-like eyes full of pleading.
After a long pause, Su Xiaoya finally found her voice. However, her voice was terribly hoarse: "You want to use the Thunder Heart Jade to cut these chains?"
The puppy nodded vigorously, its tail swaying gently behind it.
"But the ancient texts say that if you escape, the black panther will appear and wreak havoc in the world..."
Su Xiaoya frowned, feeling a dense, tingling pain in her heart, as if being gnawed by a million ants.
Deep down, she wanted to save the little white puppy.
but……
She gazed into the puppy's expectant eyes, and recalled the ancient saying, "The people are in grave danger." For a moment, she felt as if she were stuck in a quagmire, unsure of what to do.
The puppy seemed to sense her hesitation. It lowered its head and let out a pitiful whimper, as if telling her about its sorrow.
Its little claws scratched at the gravel on the ground, as if playing a sad melody.
Su Xiaoya squatted down and stared intently, her pupils suddenly shrinking.
The puppy used its bloodied paws to draw crooked words on the ground. The words were like ancient totems, but even more illegible than those in ancient books. Yet Su Xiaoya still recognized the words: "The leopard is not evil, I am not a spirit."
Su Xiaoya's heart felt like it had been struck by a heavy hammer. She stared at the puppy in disbelief, as if it were a stranger: "What do you mean? You mean, the black panther isn't an evil creature, and you're not some kind of temple-guarding spirit beast?"
The puppy nodded vigorously and continued drawing words on the ground. This time, it struggled even more, and the wounds on its paws were worn deeper, with blood gushing out and staining the pebbles red.
Su Xiaoya held her breath, carefully deciphering each word as if facing a formidable enemy. When she finally saw the words clearly, her breath almost stopped:
"I am a human, and I am a friend of the leopard."
"I am a human, and the leopard is my friend..." Su Xiaoya murmured to herself, as if a bolt from the blue had struck her mind.
She suddenly looked up and examined the skeleton on the stone platform again, her gaze sharp as a hawk's, fixed on the skeleton's right hand.
This time, she finally discovered a startling detail that had been overlooked before—the skeleton's right index finger bone was missing a section!
Su Xiaoya's gaze involuntarily fell on the little white dog's left front paw, where there was a long-healed scar that ran across the center of the paw and was perfectly aligned with the missing finger bone of the skull!
"You mean...you were once human? A...friend of Master Huiming?" Su Xiaoya's voice trembled with disbelief as she looked into the puppy's sorrowful eyes, her heart clenching as if it had been violently torn apart.
The puppy nodded slowly, its eyes welling with tears. Large tears rolled down its cheeks, splashing onto the gravel and blooming into tiny, blood-red flowers. It continued drawing words on the ground, each stroke requiring all its strength:
“A thousand years ago, an uninvited guest came to the temple. Seeing the unparalleled power of the Thunder Heart Jade, he coveted it and tried to take it for himself.”
"Brother Huiming risked his life and engaged in a thrilling battle with the visitor. I am Brother Huiming's junior brother, and my secular surname is Bai. I guard this ancient temple with my brother."
"The visitor was highly skilled in martial arts, and my senior brother gradually became overwhelmed. At this critical moment, I suddenly remembered the secret of Lei Xinyu's ability to transform. So I made a decisive move, using my own blood essence as a guide and with the help of Lei Xinyu's power, I transformed into a dog and helped my senior brother defeat the visitor."
"My senior brother was seriously injured and medicine was ineffective. Before he died, he tightly bound the demon-suppressing chain to my body and instructed me to guard the Thunder Heart Jade and protect the seal. He said that although the visitors were temporarily repelled, his descendants would definitely come to seek revenge. He was worried that I would not be able to resist them, so he used the demon-suppressing chain to enhance my power and used runes to cover my aura, and claimed to the outside world that I was the temple's guardian spirit beast."
Su Xiaoya's heart pounded like a drum, and a legend about Lei Xinyu, collected in the Su family's library, came to mind.
Legend has it that Thunder Heart Jade is formed from the essence of thunder in heaven and earth. It can not only help thunder-type cultivators break through their realms, but also has a little-known secret—the holder can use its power to undergo a "form transformation".
However, "morphological transformation" comes at the cost of shortening one's own lifespan.
Moreover, once it takes human form, it can never return to its original appearance without Lei Xinyu's help.
Could it be that……
Is this little white dog the monk surnamed Bai?
In order to protect Lei Xinyu and the ancient temple, he willingly transformed into a dog and silently guarded them for a thousand years.
"That visitor, is that Black Panther's father?" Su Xiaoya pressed, her voice hoarse.
The puppy shook its head and continued drawing words on the ground, its handwriting becoming increasingly messy, clearly indicating that it was running out of energy: "The visitor is dead, killed by my senior brother's last blow before his death."
So that's how it is! The leopard was actually that little leopard...
Su Xiaoya nodded in sudden realization, indicating that she had finally figured out this mystery that spanned 100,000 years.
Back then, in that distant past—about 100,000 years ago, right?
A wicked villain, coveting the magical power of Lei Xinyu, suddenly broke into this ancient and solemn temple to cause trouble.
When Master Huiming, who was in charge of the temple's affairs at the time, saw that the situation was extremely critical, he did not flinch or retreat even a step. He stepped forward to meet the enemy and engaged in a thrilling and life-or-death struggle!
Meanwhile, Master Huiming's fellow disciple, Bai Seng, was also busy!
This white-robed monk is also a person with extraordinary skills and powerful magic!
Seeing his senior brother trapped in a fierce battle and in grave danger, the White Monk was extremely anxious and immediately used all his skills to help him without saying a word!
As it turned out, at the critical moment, the White Monk actually came up with a brilliant plan in a moment of inspiration: to transform into human form.
He immediately hurled the invaluable Thunderheart Jade he was clutching into the air, then chanted incantations and cast a mysterious spell...
In the blink of an eye, the Thunder Heart Jade transformed into a ferocious and majestic dog that descended from the sky and pounced fiercely on the enemy!
After a fierce battle, the final battle finally came to an end!
Unfortunately, although the despicable villain of the martial arts world has been successfully killed and eliminated, Master Huiming himself is seriously injured and on the verge of death, beyond saving!
The poor white monk suffered a backlash from using a forbidden spell that excessively depleted his internal energy, and he could never regain his human form again!
Not only that, but it was later bound tightly by an incredibly powerful demon-suppressing iron chain, unable to move and forced to stay here, becoming what people call the temple-guarding spirit beast!
Ugh……
What a sad story!
However, even more unfortunate and tragic things were yet to come!
That dead gangster actually had a son who was not yet an adult!
This little guy is incredibly lucky; he escaped with his life.
However, due to his young age and lack of understanding, coupled with witnessing his biological father's tragic death on the spot, this innocent child naturally mistook the white monk for the murderer of his father and remained resentful and unable to forget him!
And so it went, day after day, year after year, for a full 100,000 years!
During this time, the surviving leopard cub endured hardships and cultivated diligently, finally achieving enlightenment and transforming into a powerful and mighty black leopard. It remained lurking and hidden around the ancient temple, waiting for an opportunity to avenge its father.
At the same time, he was determined to take back the precious Lei Xinyu jade that "originally belonged to his family"!
Yes, that's what his father told him.
Little did he know that the hatred he held so dear was a huge misunderstanding from the very beginning.
Su Xiaoya looked at the little white dog in front of her, feeling a mix of emotions.
The white-robed monk is like a silent sculpture, guarding for ten thousand years, enduring ten thousand years of solitude, and being misunderstood for ten thousand years!
He transformed into a little white dog, dragging a heavy iron chain, as if bearing the weight of the entire world—guarding a skeleton, a precious jade, and a dilapidated temple, enduring countless days and nights…
Just thinking about it made Su Xiaoya feel extremely sad.
The Demon-Suppressing Chain was like a greedy beast, frantically draining his essence. The sealed demons followed him like a shadow, constantly eroding his will. The threat of the black panther was like the Sword of Damocles hanging high, never ceasing.
However, he remained steadfast and proud, like a resilient pine tree, never giving up.
What incredible perseverance!
Taking a deep breath, Su Xiaoya suppressed her emotions and tried her best to keep her voice calm: "If I help you remove the chains, what will you do?"
There was still a slight, barely perceptible tremor in his voice.
The puppy raised its head, a hint of relief flashing in its eyes. With its last bit of strength, it drew a few words on the ground: "Restored to human form, but lifespan is about to end."
Ten thousand years of waiting have long since exhausted my energy and spirit. To see the world one last time before I die is enough.
Su Xiaoya's heart ached as if it were being pricked by needles. She looked at the puppy's cloudy yet still persistent eyes, then at the skeleton of Master Huiming on the stone platform, and at the black panther whose eyes were blinded by hatred. Finally, the struggle in her heart vanished.
"I will do it," she said firmly, her voice not loud, but filled with an undeniable determination.
The puppy's eyes lit up instantly, like a faint flame reigniting in the ashes.
It gently wagged its tail at Su Xiaoya, the movement slow and weak, yet full of gratitude.
Su Xiaoya took a deep breath and stepped onto the stone platform. She carefully reached out and took the Thunder Heart Jade from Master Huiming's skeletal palm.
The jade felt warm and smooth to the touch, with purple lightning flowing inside, like a vibrant life. A powerful surge of lightning energy continuously erupted from the jade, surging into Su Xiaoya's limbs and bones like a raging tide, instantly filling her body with lightning energy, as if it were about to break through the shackles of her dantian.
The power of this Thunder Heart Jade far exceeded her imagination, it was astonishingly strong! If she absorbed this power, her cultivation would surely reach a new level, and breaking through her current bottleneck would be within reach.
But Su Xiaoya did not hesitate at all. She suppressed her excitement and carefully pressed Lei Xinyu onto the chain lock according to the instructions drawn on the ground by the little white dog.
The runes on the clasp shimmered with a green light, intertwining with the purple lightning of the Thunderheart Jade, emitting a "sizzling" sound, as if playing a mysterious melody.
"With lightning as the guide and the heart as the key, break the thousand-year seal and untie the eternal chain." Su Xiaoya softly recited the incantation the puppy had taught her, continuously pouring her own lightning power into the jade.
"Om..."
Suddenly, Lei Xinyu burst forth with dazzling purple light, and in an instant, the entire underground cave was illuminated as bright as day, as if it were shrouded in purple lightning.
Purple lightning surged forth like a raging wave, engulfing the entire cave. The runes on the iron chains, illuminated by the lightning, emitted painful groans, as if ice and snow had encountered a raging fire, beginning to crumble and disintegrate, turning into specks of green light that fell like burning paper ash.
The latch emitted a piercing metallic tearing sound, as if something indestructible was being forcibly severed, sending chills down one's spine.
Su Xiaoya gritted her teeth and desperately poured in lightning power, her forehead veins bulging as if they were about to burst.