Chapter 40

After fleeing Fuguang Mountain, he had been hiding and drifting with nowhere to go, when he happened to hear of the events at Chishuang Mountain.

"They say that on the day Venerable Zhu underwent his tribulation, you desecrated the Heavenly Dao and fell into a demonic trance, attempting to seize the Zhaohuang Sword to hinder your master's ascension. Venerable Zhu had no choice but to uphold righteousness over kinship and strike you down. Because you were deeply eroded by demonic energy and interfered with by the Heavenly Tribulation, the Sect Leader of Chishuang Mountain, Venerable Sheyun, was also implicated and died while protecting Zhu Xuanguang."

Zhe Er’s tone was strained. He thought that if it came to misery, Xie Chang'an was truly worse off than he was; it was no wonder her temperament had changed so drastically.

"So, when Venerable Zhu ascended, he announced to all of Chishuang Mountain via voice transmission that the rebellious disciple Xie Chang'an had been expelled. From that day forth, she was neither a member of the Chishuang Mountain sect in life nor a disciple of Zhu Xuanguang in death."

"This is the news that came out of Chishuang Mountain. I have relayed it exactly as I heard it. You… are you alright?"

"Did that Zhu Xuanguang truly ascend?"

Xie Chang'an spoke as if listening to someone else's story, her expression devoid of any ripples.

"It must be true. It is said that the Heavenly Gate opened, and everyone saw him with their own eyes ascending the Heavenly Staircase step by step until he vanished behind the heavy clouds. There was even the manifestation of the Phoenix Nirvana, which was praised by all—something even Venerable Shen Liuzhi did not have when he ascended."

After having her throat gripped just moments before, Zhe Er did not dare to put on a bitter or hostile front; his tone even turned gentle.

"So, what is the truth? I believe you, of course. With the cultivation level of Venerable Sheyun, even if you had fallen into a demonic trance, it would have been difficult for you to harm him. Could it have been an accident..."

Xie Chang'an suddenly laughed.

Zhe Er was startled and instinctively leaned back.

"Don't laugh like that, it's terrifying!"

Xie Chang'an: "I remember now."

Zhe Er: "?"

Xie Chang'an: "I did not kill Sheyun, but I know how he died."

Zhe Er: "Ah?"

Xie Chang'an suppressed her laughter and said slowly, "It was Zhu Xuanguang who killed him. At that time, only the three of us were on Chenhua Peak. The lightning array was set, making it hard for outsiders to see what was happening inside. Zhu Xuanguang was right in front of me, and he killed Sheyun with his own hands."

Zhe Er felt like a quail—a quail whose neck was being pinched; every time someone squeezed, he would let out a chirp.

"...Huh?"

Zhe Er did not know what kind of person Zhu Xuanguang was very well. However, given the reputation and legends surrounding him, Zhe Er would rather believe that Lin Mengdu had ulterior motives than believe that Zhu Xuanguang would kill Venerable Sheyun.

"No one will believe it," he said dryly.

"Right, no one will believe it," the young girl replied with a sneer.

Because the whole world knew that Zhu Xuanguang had only this one successor, who had entered the Sword Heart state at such a young age. He had poured his heart and soul into teaching her; why would he smear the reputation of his only disciple?

Zhe Er remained silent for a long time before remembering what he wanted to say. He forced himself to continue, "I have been fleeing all the way, not daring to go where there are many people. I just walked and walked until I ended up here. I never expected to run into you; it must be fate that we are both in the same sorry state."

The Zhaogu Realm—the shore of the Yellow Springs, the destination of lost souls.

The girl was indifferent. She looked down, saw the jade pendant on her chest, reached out, grabbed it, and before Zhe Er could stop her, tossed it into the nearby stream, where it was swept away by the river in an instant.

"Don't...!"

Zhe Er stood up in a panic, straining his wounds and turning deathly pale from the pain.

"Are you insane?! That jade could stabilize your soul!"

Xie Chang'an said calmly, "What is the point?"

Zhe Er: "As long as your soul doesn't dissipate, there is hope. You can take revenge in the future..."

Xie Chang'an: "Take revenge on whom? Zhu Xuanguang, or all of Chishuang Mountain?"

Zhe Er: ...

Even if she went through untold hardships to become human again, how could she take revenge on an Immortal?

"My life should have ended in Chang'an City. It was Zhu Xuanguang who saved me. No one at Chishuang Mountain mistreated me; on the contrary, they gave me a home and taught me cultivation. If we are to talk about debts, I owe them much, not the other way around. Now, it is nothing more than returning this life to them. If it helps Zhu Xuanguang become an immortal, let that be my parting gift as a disciple. From this day forward, he and I have nothing to do with each other."

She looked coldly at Zhe Er, as if seeing through his inner thoughts.

"If you want to find an accomplice for revenge, go find someone else. I will not join you; stop following me."

With that, she stood up and left, stumbling, never looking back.

Zhe Er did not care about anything else and hurried to follow.

"Regardless of everything, we have known each other for a while, and we even have the shared history of hacking at the Immortal Records together. If you don't want revenge, I certainly won't force you, but now that you’ve become a wandering ghost and threw away the jade, you need to find something to inhabit. It’s better to live a wretched life than to die, don't you think? Hey, Xie Chang'an, are you listening—"

His voice stopped abruptly.

Both of them realized they were surrounded.

In the gloom, pairs of flickering eyes appeared like red lanterns swaying in the wind. Looking closely, one could see black, worm-like threads flowing within them, tempting people to stare until they were lost in that eerie, chaotic color—

Until the back of Zhe Er's head was struck hard!

"Ow!"

The sharp pain snapped him out of the state of being bewitched and walking forward unknowingly. It wasn't just the pain; Xie Chang'an's hand felt like a block of ice, leaving him with the sensation of being struck by an icicle.

His already severe injuries were exacerbated, and he nearly collapsed, unable to rise. But after that strike, the bewitching sense of confusion vanished.

He looked again and realized those were not lanterns at all, but the eyes of monsters.

These monsters had human forms, yet were not entirely human. They had green faces and fangs, with saliva constantly dripping from their mouths. Not only were there black threads swimming within their blood-red, lantern-like eyes, but they were also present on their bodies. Their shells looked like mud, with long, worm-like threads burrowing into one spot and emerging from another. The grotesque sight made Zhe Er’s scalp tingle; he regretted having looked so closely.

The Zhaogu Realm was home not only to ghosts but also to demons and monsters that were neither human nor ghost. This place was not in the mortal world, but a chaotic land bordering it, where stray souls drifted and evil spirits were everywhere; it was no surprise to encounter anything here.

The only rule was: no living being may enter, and those who do, die.

Zhe Er carried the scent of a living person and was a cultivator, making him the favorite food for the beings of the Zhaogu Realm. The time he had spent lingering here was enough to draw these monsters together, drooling as they waited to feast on this grand meal.

His Queyue Sword was gone, and he only had a sword he had picked up during the battle at Fuguang Mountain, belonging to some unknown disciple.

Zhe Er slashed wildly, channeling his remaining spiritual power to repel the monsters, but that spiritual power acted like the aroma of a freshly cooked meal, making the monsters even more frenzied. Soon, one lunged regardless of the consequences and bit a chunk of flesh off Zhe Er!

He was incapacitated by pain, and then a second one followed, then a third...

The pain spread, devouring his consciousness. His limbs gradually lost their strength, and even the hand holding the sword went limp. He had never expected that he wouldn't die at Fuguang Mountain, but instead die in this place of the Yellow Springs where life was severed.

A sharp, overbearing sword aura swept across—

All the monsters were cut in half at the waist, their remains hanging off Zhe Er, splattering his face with blood and flesh.

He forgot the horrifying, nauseating scene, his attention entirely fixed on Xie Chang'an.

"How do you still have the Liutian Sword with you?"

Zhe Er was confused. He had never seen a ghost before and didn't know if a life-bound sword could follow its master even after death.

The latter had finished slaying the monsters, and the sword aura in her hand dissipated. Her already unstable soul trembled even more violently, as if it might disperse at any moment.

She stumbled a few steps; she did not vomit blood, but her face showed agony, and her figure became even more transparent.

Zhe Er snapped out of his daze and rushed over to support her, but he grabbed only empty air, which made him panic.

"I told you not to throw away the Heart-Stabilizing Jade, but you wouldn't listen! Now look at this, and I don't have any soul-stabilizing artifacts on me either!"

Xie Chang'an panted heavily, too lazy to pay him any mind. She simply closed her eyes and collapsed onto the ground, uncaring.

Everything was over; the world was silent, and she no longer had to listen to this annoying chatter.

She lay among the blood, flesh, and corpses of the monsters, like a broken flower fallen into a mire.

Since the flower was broken, it would soon wither and become part of the mire completely.

That was fine.

Life had been full of hardships; she only wished to forget.

Snow began to drift from the sky, though she didn't know if it was truly snowing or just a hallucination before her soul dissipated.

The snow could even land on her eyelashes, light as a feather.

She blinked, and the snowflake melted in her eyes.

It was very icy, very cold.

Just like the heavens and the earth.

...

Xie Chang'an did not expect to wake up again.

A cold wind whistled past her ears.

Zhe Er was sitting not far away, needles and thread flying in his hands as he mended something.

Above her was a Yin Willow, a willow tree that grew in the Zhaogu Realm. The willow tree was inherently dark, and a willow from the Zhaogu Realm was darker still. Many weak, lost, and undissipated souls clung to the Yin Willow, swaying gently from the branches, looking at first glance like willow leaves dyed in silver light.

She looked down and saw her semi-transparent form, her clothes stained with blood and falling apart, but she had not dissipated as she had expected.

Why was this?

Xie Chang'an, the new ghost, felt a rare, confused curiosity.

"You're awake? Here, try this and see if it fits."

Zhe Er handed her an umbrella.

It was a very old, tattered umbrella. To cover all the holes, Zhe Er had even had to tear off pieces of his own clothing. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not hide the ugliness and ruin of the umbrella.

Using such an umbrella on a rainy day would only leak; even the poorest family would never think of using it again.

Xie Chang'an stared at the umbrella for a long time without moving.

Zhe Er explained proactively, "This is for your soul to inhabit. Don't look at how broken it is; I found it was made of willow wood when I picked it up. It’s perfect for nourishing your soul, especially since you threw away that Heart-Stabilizing Jade. Here, I’ve sewn up the holes; it's fortunate I carry a needle and thread with me."

Xie Chang'an was expressionless. She hadn't wanted to say a word, but the other party kept staring at her, clearly intending to stand there until she responded.

"...You are truly virtuous."

Zhe Er was not ashamed: "It’s nothing. Whenever my junior brothers and sisters scraped their clothes while practicing martial arts, I was the one who mended them. If you think this umbrella is too plain, I can embroider a flower on it."

Xie Chang'an: "Embroider your head on it."

Zhe Er said resentfully: "Why have you become so fierce? You weren't like this before."

Xie Chang'an replied coldly: "All fierce ghosts are like this. Stay away from me."

Zhe Er probed, "Look, you still have sword aura and sword intent protecting you, so you won't dissipate for a while. Why don't you come with me? We might find a way to return your soul, and you can help me find a medicinal herb to heal my injuries, otherwise, I'll be dead soon."

Xie Chang'an said indifferently: "What does your death have to do with me?"

Zhe Er: "If I'm alive, you'll have someone to vent your anger on, right? If I become a ghost too, who knows where my soul will drift, and where will you find a punching bag then?"

Xie Chang'an: ...

Only then did she notice that the other party's complexion was pale and blue, even weaker than when they first met. His brow was dark and his eyes were sunken—the look of someone whose time was running out.

"Where are you wounded?"