The tomb was shrouded in darkness, with red miasmic energy swirling in the air. My tears still fell uncontrollably. Xie Xiaoyu, her body slashed by the Corpse King’s claw, gazed at me with a dazed expression before suddenly reaching out—one hand seizing the Corpse King, the other gripping the Corpse Queen. A faint smile curled her lips, though her face remained eerily vacant, betraying no sign of pain.
Her eyes flickered between haze and clarity as she looked at me. In that moment, I seemed to glimpse the vibrant soul within her. A fleeting instant stretched into an eternity, revealing countless memories. My feelings for Xie Lingyu’s spirit and Xie Xiaoyu were entirely different. Xie Lingyu was mischievous and unpredictable, while Xie Xiaoyu was often endearing, someone who needed care. I treated her like a younger cousin—sometimes even a reckless daughter.
Dong Lingzi barked, “Strike now, or it’ll be too late! Do you remember the final chapter of *Celestial Extremes*? Use the ultimate technique!” Guo Furong, Guo Jue, and Hua Chongyang held their breaths.
Gu Xiulian sighed. “But the fairy-like Miss Xie… she might perish alongside them.” I hesitated, yet this was our only chance. If the Corpse King and Queen broke free, we’d never get another opportunity. That single moment felt like a lifetime.
Dong Lingzi shouted, “The soul you love can be reborn in a new body. Don’t hold back!” Xie Xiaoyu had lived with me for a year, and a subtle affection had grown between us. I bit my lip until blood welled, spitting it onto my hands and the jade ruler. The Corpse King and Queen, each restrained by one of Xie Xiaoyu’s hands, lashed out with their free limbs, tearing into her undead body.
Roaring, I invoked the Heaven-defying Four Symbols Seal from *Celestial Extremes*—a technique fueled by celestial power, a hundred times stronger than the ordinary seal. There was no time left to hesitate. I lunged forward with the jade ruler, channeling two seals—one striking the Corpse King, the other the Corpse Queen. The ruler pierced the King’s weak spot, then wrenched the Queen’s remaining fang free. Drenched in sweat, I collapsed, vomiting blood. The Corpse King and Queen, bound by my blood-sealed curse, writhed as Dong Lingzi chanted an eerie incantation. I echoed his words.
Xie Xiaoyu collapsed alongside the two corpses, and the tomb’s miasma dissipated into nothingness. Hua Chongyang crushed the Queen’s fang, feeding it to Hua Changsheng, who gradually regained consciousness.
The Earth-Nourished Corpse, Dai Zhong, finally stirred, lunging to pry open the Corpse King’s jaws. Guo Jue and Hua Chongyang seized their chance, rushing forward—only for the Earth-Nourished Corpse to glare in fury.
Guo Jue sneered, “A mere Earth-Nourished Corpse? I’ve dealt with Silver-Armored Corpses. You think you scare me?”
Hua Chongyang unsheathed a dagger, creeping closer. Guo Furong cried, “Guo Jue, watch out!” But it was too late. The blade plunged upward into Guo Jue’s body.
Hua Chongyang smirked. “You may handle Silver-Armored Corpses and Earth-Nourished Corpses… but flesh still bleeds. Flesh still dies.” Hua Changsheng pleaded, “No, Grand Elder! Killing only begets more sin!”
Guo Jue convulsed, blood trickling from his lips. The dagger had struck a fatal spot. With his last strength, he gripped Hua Chongyang’s wrist. “Did you forget… I, Guo Jue… mastered the arts of metal and wood—” Before he could finish, his cold fingers clamped down. Hua Chongyang’s withered face twisted in rare fear as golden insects swarmed up the dagger, multiplying in an instant. They devoured him alive, reducing him to bones within moments. Guo Jue, merciful even in death, spared his skeleton.
The two men, once allies against Long Youshui, had turned on each other—a tragic end.
The Earth-Nourished Corpse, bewildered by the sudden carnage, now stood unchallenged. Fate had favored the undead.
As Dai Zhong approached the Corpse King, the King twitched, his jaw dropping. A black pearl-like pill rolled out, stopping at the paws of Little Rascal, who stood frozen in terror.
Little Rascal housed the soul of an ancestor, and sometimes acted erratically—understandable for a dog sharing its body with a human.
Gu Xiulian scrambled up. “Puppy! I’ll find you five gorgeous mates—just don’t eat that!” Abe Keiko quietly drew her gun. “I’ll build you a mansion! A life of luxury!” Guo Furong added, “That pill has killed too many. You’re just a dog—spare yourself. Or I’ll pay you a million!”
But to a dog, mansions and money paled next to chicken legs.
Little Rascal barked, sniffed the pill, then—hungry from the ordeal—gobbled it down. Gu Xiulian roared, “Spit it out, or I’ll turn you into stew!”
Dong Lingzi clapped. “Marvelous! For millennia, men coveted the Elixir of Immortality—and a dog gets it. The pill dissolves instantly. No use eating the mutt now. Heaven’s will, indeed.” The others, realizing their folly, gave up.
Hua Changsheng spoke softly. “Ancient Daoist, your path offers immortality. Lady Abe… in Japan, the tale of Kaguya-hime tells of an emperor who rejected eternal life, saying, *’What use is immortality without love?’* He discarded the elixir, forming Mount Fuji.”
Abe Keiko nodded. “Fuji symbolizes eternity. The legend is well-known.”
Hua Changsheng continued, “Immortality is no blessing. To outlive loved ones is torment. With modern medicine, living centuries may soon be possible—then men will seek death.”
Gu Xiulian, enlightened, murmured, “Indeed.” Dong Lingzi grinned. “A wise monk, though you forsook your vows.”
Hua Changsheng smiled. “Enlightenment isn’t bound by robes or hair. The *Vimalakirti Sutra* teaches that worldly life can lead to Buddhahood.”
Dong Lingzi praised, “To awaken amid love and death—remarkable.”
Hua Changsheng chanted a requiem as Little Rascal, energized by the pill, dashed around the tomb.
Dong Lingzi departed without a word, as did Gu Qingqing. Some places are too heavy with sorrow.
We rested, then carried the dead outside. The Earth-Nourished Corpse staggered into sunlight, burning to ashes—pointing north, perhaps begging to return home.
Guo Jue and Hua Chongyang were buried at the tomb’s mouth. The Unrotting Bone, Hua Qianlou, and Silver-Armored Corpse Guo Dabèn rested inside. Even Hammer Lord found his poisoned grave.
In death, all are equal—a plot of earth.
Let them sleep on this island of immortals, forever chasing what they could never hold. Gu Xiulian cremated Gu Rechang, taking his ashes to Mount Sanqing. Abe Keiko did the same for her fallen men, their remains bound for Japan.
By nightfall, all was done. Guo Furong snarled, “Gu Xiulian, today I avenge Liangliang!” They fought for hours, neither prevailing.
I washed Xie Xiaoyu’s body, combing her hair with my fingers until it cascaded like silk down her back. A maiden with hair to her waist—so heartbreakingly beautiful.
I built a raft, adorning it with spring blossoms, and pushed her into the boundless sea.
Under the moon’s glow, her face shone like jade—pure, eternal, and forever lost.
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