Wan Hongzhuang

Chapter 340 I Became Light? No, I Said, Let There Be Light

"You are merely a manifestation of our inner fears, and even this dark world is the same. The more we fear within, the darker this world becomes, and the stronger you grow. But when I am no longer afraid of you, how can you still harm me in the slightest?"

The colossal skeleton hidden in the darkness remained motionless, no longer roaring. Only the two wisps of Netherworld flames in its eyes continued to burn. Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu were still experiencing fear. Fear was the fuel for those flames. They needed light, to find their own light. Light, what is light?

"Mu Xian found her light; her light is the beacon of hope she brings to the team. But my light is different. Once, Xiaoyu told me that no matter the sadness or despair, she would always be my light. At that time, my body was crippled, my life was plunged into darkness, and I couldn't find a single glimmer of light. She stayed by my side, never leaving, giving me everything. It was she who made me realize that light was right beside me. And I, I will also be her light, piercing the darkness of her life and illuminating the way forward. It's laughable that we still feel fear when we have each other."

Wan Lei looked at the two flames, his voice shifting from gentle to stern. "This is your doing. From the beginning, you guided us, telling us this place was dark and filled with great terror. In truth, everything is fake. I thought there would be monsters in this darkness, so monsters appeared. I thought the monsters would be endless, so wave after wave emerged. My fear deepened, and thus the monsters became more terrifying. I said that perhaps a more dreadful monster would appear and shatter everything. And then you appeared. I thought you possessed unparalleled power, formidable combat strength, and were invincible. So, with a single axe strike, you shattered my formation and destroyed the light sphere. In reality, I thought you could do it, and so you did. In the darkness, we desperately fled, and I thought your speed was immense, that no matter how we ran, you could easily catch up and attack us. So, you did. All of this only appeared because I thought it would. If I had thought we would be killed by you, then it would truly be the end, and we would truly be killed. When Mu Xian appeared, I wasn't as afraid, and that's why you couldn't attack. You are nothing; you are merely the fear in our hearts. When I completely cease to fear, when I bravely become light itself, becoming hope, this world will be illuminated. This is the lesson Mu Xian wanted to teach me. However, I don't think so. Why should fear be eliminated? Why… why can't we face our inner fears directly? Cowards need to escape; the brave will face everything."

One of the two blue flames abruptly extinguished, and the other flickered and weakened. Wan Lei no longer felt fear, and the flames had lost their fuel. The other flame belonged to Fang Xiaoyu. Wan Lei still couldn't see anything, but he knew his wife was beside him. He gently embraced Fang Xiaoyu, whispering into her ear, "Wife, don't be afraid. I'm here with you. You don't need to fear anything. All calamities will pass. We fear fear, which makes us want to eliminate it. But when we are no longer afraid of it, when we face it directly, what is fear, really?"

"Mmm, I'm not afraid. In this world, as long as you are here, there is nothing for me to fear," Fang Xiaoyu tightly embraced Wan Lei, whispering softly. The other flame also extinguished. In the darkness, a loving couple became each other's beacon of hope.

"The fear is gone. Now, what we need to do is illuminate this world. This dark inner world. Mu Xian became light, illuminating the world and the hope of her companions. But we won't become light. We are our own light. This is our inner world; why do we need to illuminate others? This is my world. I say, let there be light, and there shall be light!"

Wan Lei's voice was resonant and powerful, his words manifesting reality. The world brightened. Light emanated from them, gradually spreading and illuminating everything around. It illuminated this desolate world, the hundreds of thousands of people outside, the dim, terrifying forest, and the entire Mu Xian Secret Realm. The ground where they stood, from barrenness to lush greenery with birds singing and flowers fragrant, took only a few moments. This was the Mu Xian Secret Realm, a Mu Xian Secret Realm filled with hope and light, as it was meant to be. It was like that green-clad woman; she was weak, she was fearful, she was tender, and she had endured endless suffering, yet deep within her heart, she still clung to a sliver of brightness. This was the paradise within her heart.

At the core of the radiance, between the two of them embracing, something condensed. Wan Lei picked it up and examined it closely. It was a fan-shaped wooden token, inscribed with two characters: "Guang Ming" (光明 - Brightness/Light).

"Calculating by the arc, this resembles a circle, and this fan-shaped token is one-sixth of a circle," Fang Xiaoyu meticulously examined the token, her large eyes sparkling with excitement. "This means we've obtained one-sixth. As long as we collect the other five fan-shaped tokens, we can obtain that ultimate divine ability."

"Yes, we have accomplished what no one in the Lei Feng Realm has achieved in fifty thousand years."

"It's wonderful."

"Husband." Fang Xiaoyu tightly hugged Wan Lei, resting her small head against his chest.

"Mmm."

"Husband."

"Speak, I'm waiting to hear," Wan Lei gently stroked her small head, his eyes filled with doting affection. "You're so amazing, to have figured out the final trial."

"Of course. Now you know your husband is smarter than you, right?"

"Hmph, I'll let you have this one. This time, I'll admit you're smarter than me, hehe."

"Aren't you going to let go?"

"I don't want to let go; it feels so comfortable holding you."

"Alright, hold on. After all… your father is already rushing over aggressively."

"Ah?" Fang Xiaoyu raised her small head and saw a group of people flying towards them from a distance. They were all familiar relatives and friends, and the person leading them was Old Fang.

"Xiaoyu, Xiaoyu, are you alright? You scared your father to death," Old Fang, trembling and with tears in his eyes, came before Fang Xiaoyu, his gaze full of joy and emotion.

"Tch, you care about me? You're just afraid Mom will beat you if I die when I get home, right?" Fang Xiaoyu's lips curved into a smug smile, her face endearingly naive. This was a daughter playfully teasing her father.

"Look what you're saying. Is there anyone in this world who cares about you more than your father?"

"Yes." Fang Xiaoyu replied without hesitation.

Old Fang looked at Wan Lei, who glared back. "Old Fang, can't you also show some concern for your son-in-law?"

"Concern my foot! Your own father is right here; does it fall to me? Your father is also extremely worried. Go talk to him quickly; don't distract me from caring for my daughter."