Chapter 47: “How Much Longer Can She Hold On?”
Xiang Hanyu didn’t want to leave Lingzhou anymore; she wanted to stay by Yan Buqiu’s side.
Yan Buqiu promised to endure the Heavenly Tribulation with her every hundred years.
She seemed happy but couldn’t help but shake her head.
Tears welled up in her eyes. She didn’t respond to the promise, just silently vowed to become stronger.
She didn’t want Yan Buqiu to be injured for her sake every time.
“Then what happened?” Mu Tao hugged her knees tighter, resting her chin on them, her large eyes filled with curiosity and concern. “Why is she sick?”
“…” Xiang Hanyu remained silent, her gaze fixed on the distant resentment.
After a long moment, she lowered her gaze and spoke again, a bitter smile on her face.
She said that she had always strived to become stronger.
In the past, it was to prove she was stronger than Yan Buqiu; later, it was to lessen Yan Buqiu’s burden during the Heavenly Tribulation.
She cultivated defensive techniques, hoping that during the next tribulation, she could stand firm like Yan Buqiu had that night, unyielding even against the heavens’ might.
Mu Tao: “Did you succeed?”
“Almost,” Xiang Hanyu smiled faintly, but there was no joy in her eyes.
She said she was almost there.
During the second Heavenly Tribulation after her return to Lingzhou, Yan Buqiu endured nine bolts of lightning for her.
And during the third, only three.
She thought that during the next one, Yan Buqiu wouldn’t have to be injured for her anymore.
Even if she couldn’t achieve immortality, as long as she could endure the tribulation herself, she could stay by Yan Buqiu’s side forever.
Xiang Hanyu’s hopes were high, but during those three hundred years, the resentment in the human realm deepened, and Lingzhou, not entirely isolated from the world, was inevitably affected.
“It’s this city, this resentment…” Xiang Hanyu said softly. “It changed everything.”
When resentment intensified, demonic calamities became rampant, and humans weakened.
This was supposed to be a good thing for demons, so what was there to fear?
If a demon didn’t want to harm humans, they could simply retreat to the mountains and live in seclusion.
But Yan Buqiu wouldn’t run.
She had been protecting Lingzhou even before achieving immortality, and now, after becoming an immortal, worshipped by generations of Lingzhou’s people for nearly a thousand years,
She couldn’t abandon them.
As the resentment in the human realm deepened, a strange bird with a rat-like tail, called a Jie Gou, arrived in Lingzhou.
That year, a plague swept through Lingzhou.
The plague was brought by the Jie Gou, which spread its poisonous spiritual energy, devouring the life force of the infected and the blood of the dead to strengthen its cultivation.
“Such a monstrous creature exists!” Mu Tao gasped.
“The Jie Gou is incredibly cunning. Buqiu and I searched for it countless times, but it always escaped.” Xiang Hanyu’s expression turned serious. “With the plague spreading, Lingzhou was filled with its hiding places; we couldn’t track it with its spiritual aura.”
Within months, the desolate mountains outside the city were filled with the bodies of plague victims.
The infected were gradually gathered in one place.
Abandoned by their families, or unwilling to infect them, they went to the south of the city, awaiting death in pain and hunger.
The people of Lingzhou prayed for the Silver Bamboo Immortal to save them.
Yan Buqiu finally made a decision.
“She said she couldn’t wait any longer.” Xiang Hanyu traced a bamboo stalk in the red snow with her finger. “She was always like this, wanting to help everyone…”
Yan Buqiu wanted to protect Lingzhou, as she had for millennia, shielding it from demons.
So, she risked Heavenly Tribulation, expending a significant amount of her spiritual energy and cultivation, using the Soul Searching Technique to cover the entire Lingzhou, finally finding the Jie Gou.
As the sky changed color, rain and lightning descended.
Bolts of lightning struck her, but her eyes were fixed on the escaping Jie Gou.
Yan Buqiu, who had always used her power for protection, now used it to kill for the first time in millennia.
Amidst the storm, she destroyed the Jie Gou’s demon core.
The plague’s poison dissipated with the Jie Gou’s death.
But before dying, the Jie Gou used its last bit of strength to attack her.
Weakened by the Heavenly Tribulation and the Jie Gou’s counterattack, she couldn’t defend herself.
The moment the poison entered her body, her immortal energy vanished.
The immortal who once protected Lingzhou was now seen as a plague-bearing demon.
That day, Xiang Hanyu carried Yan Buqiu, enduring the Heavenly Tribulation, escaping the terrified gazes of the people.
This was the first time she endured Heavenly Tribulation for Yan Buqiu.
The tribulation for violating the heavens’ laws was far more painful than the tribulation demons faced to extend their lives.
She flew for a long time, until the rain stopped and the sky cleared, before finally collapsing, exhausted, in the cold wilderness with the unconscious Yan Buqiu in her arms.
But soon after, a group of cultivators from an unknown sect appeared.
They tracked the poisonous aura and, without understanding the situation, attacked them as demons spreading the plague.
Xiang Hanyu couldn’t remember how they escaped back to the mountains.
She only remembered that she couldn’t fly anymore, that she carried Yan Buqiu, running, both of them injured again and again by the pursuing cultivators.
Finally, they reached the familiar mountain forest, and the spirits there, alerted to their plight, intercepted the cultivators.
She finally brought her back to the peaceful sanctuary.
But the peace was shattered.
Yan Buqiu was sick. The Heavenly Tribulation had crippled her cultivation, and the Jie Gou’s poison had stripped her of her immortal power.
The cultivators’ relentless pursuit had cost her the best chance to detoxify.
The poison had seeped into her soul, damaging her spiritual root, her condition worsening day by day.
Initially, the mountain spirits tried to sustain her by transferring their demonic energy.
But gradually, even that became ineffective.
Her senses began to fade, and the poison within her spiraled out of control.
The mountain forest they grew up in became a toxic wasteland, filled with miasma, forcing more and more spirits to flee. Even the people of Lingzhou feared the place.
Xiang Hanyu chuckled coldly. “She saved Lingzhou, but now, there’s not even a temple for her.”
“Sometimes, I really resent her, why did she have to protect those ungrateful humans?”
“When she protected them, they worshipped her as an immortal. When she could no longer protect them, they saw her as a demon. She suffered so much for them, yet when I asked if she resented them, she said there was nothing to resent…”
Yan Buqiu had nothing to resent; she said it was the path she chose, and she had already anticipated the worst possible outcome.
If she hadn’t been able to accept that, she wouldn’t have chosen this path.
As for the people of Lingzhou, their fear was understandable.
She was now the source of the plague, and even the weaker spirits in the mountains had to flee, let alone ordinary humans, vulnerable to the poison.
“But…”
“There’s no rule that says just because you protect someone, they have to be eternally grateful, even if you end up harming them.” Yan Buqiu smiled nonchalantly. “If it were me, I wouldn’t just accept it either. No one is that foolish; they would naturally avoid danger…”
“…I wouldn’t.”
“That’s because you’re foolish.”
Yan Buqiu’s voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, as if a gentle breeze could carry it away.
Her eyes were unfocused; her fading senses blurred her vision; perhaps she could only see shadows now.
Yet, she still managed to smile.
And not just smile, but also call someone else foolish.
Xiang Hanyu didn’t know whether to be angry or not.
She was silent for a long time, not knowing what to say.
That winter was incredibly cold; snow blanketed the entire mountain forest.
Yan Buqiu, having lost her immortal power, usually couldn’t withstand such harsh winters, but this year, although her face was flushed from the cold, she didn’t even shiver.
Yan Buqiu also noticed this.
Her body was weakening, but she could no longer feel it.
Her remaining spiritual energy was fading, like an unhealing wound, continuously bleeding, slowly, gradually, unstoppable, irreplaceable, even external replenishment was ineffective.
When the wound finally drained her dry, her life would end.
She looked out at the snow-covered forest, unsure if she could still see the birds flying among the trees.
She must be thinking about how long she had endured, Xiang Hanyu thought.
After a moment of reflection, Yan Buqiu asked softly, “The next Heavenly Tribulation is in forty-something years, right?”
Xiang Hanyu: “Why are you asking? I don’t need your help anymore.”
Yan Buqiu: “Mm.”
She replied softly, a thoughtful look on her face.
Xiang Hanyu closed the window and crouched down, taking Yan Buqiu’s icy cold hands in hers.
She transferred her demonic energy, hoping to offer some warmth.
The silence was so profound that she almost thought Yan Buqiu had fallen asleep.
But she hadn’t. After a long moment, she whispered,
Yan Buqiu: “Hanyu, I can’t stay with you much longer.”
Xiang Hanyu: “…”
She knew, she had always known.
But why did Yan Buqiu have to say it out loud?
She had been trying so hard to deceive herself, pretending that this could continue, pretending that this year was no different from last year.
Yan Buqiu was just a little weaker than before; there was nothing wrong with that.
A little weaker, and she wouldn’t overexert herself.
A little weaker, and it would be Xiang Hanyu’s turn to protect her.
The mountain forest was quiet now, the spirits who couldn’t adapt to the poison had left, only those who accepted them remained.
This was good, she wished it could last forever.
She wished…
…she would never lose her.
But they both knew this peace wouldn’t last.
Xiang Hanyu fell silent, her empty gaze fixed on the pale red snow.
Mu Tao hesitated several times, unable to find any words of comfort.
Li Yu sighed softly, just as she had months ago, witnessing the tragedy of the southern kingdom.
She knew she was just an observer, unable to change the past.
If she could help, as long as it didn’t interfere with retrieving the Upper Spirit Lamp, she would do so without hesitation.
But before breaking the formation, she had said she needed to assess the cost, that she might have to deal with her own matters first.
Xiang Hanyu clearly didn’t accept this condition, which was why she had revealed so much, hoping to sway Li Yu, to make her prioritize saving Yan Buqiu.
Li Yu understood.
After all, the black-robed figure’s power was unfathomable. If she were Xiang Hanyu, she would also be worried that her only hope might be unable to help after dealing with him.
Xiang Hanyu’s desperation implied that saving Yan Buqiu would require a significant amount of spiritual energy.
If she helped Xiang Hanyu first, she might not have enough strength left to confront the black-robed figure.
Li Yu hesitated.
Xiang Hanyu spoke again, her voice soft.
“I know…the reason this place is like this is because of what the black-robed figure did three hundred years ago.”
“Buqiu would sacrifice herself to protect others.” Her voice was filled with bitterness. “I have no excuse for stealing the Upper Spirit Lamp for someone who wants to revive the Heavenly Demon and bring chaos to the Three Realms.”
A deep sense of helplessness washed over Xiang Hanyu, threatening to crush her spirit.
“But…it has been over twenty years; she can’t hold on much longer, and I can’t do anything to help.” Her eyes reddened, her voice barely a whisper. “Then, at that moment, the black-robed figure told me that Buqiu could still be saved, as long as I obeyed him…”
Li Yu: “…”
“I know, he was the one who caused all of this. I also know that he didn’t approach me out of kindness or guilt, but just to use me…” Xiang Hanyu forced a smile. “But I still wanted to try.”
She just wanted to try, even if there was only a sliver of hope.
So she brought all her fellow Winged Clan members who were willing to follow her and came here with the black-robed figure, helping him create this formation, regardless of the consequences.
As the resentment in the human realm intensified, the black-robed figure gathered demons who reveled in chaos.
It was these demons who helped her steal the Upper Spirit Lamp.
Before going to Mount Chao Yao, the black-robed figure taught her a formation and gave her the power to activate it.
He promised that if she brought him the Upper Spirit Lamp, he would give her the power to heal Yan Buqiu.
But he lied…
She brought him the Lamp, but she received nothing.
It made sense; someone who wanted to revive the Heavenly Demon wouldn’t waste his power on empty promises.
“To make me work for him, that black-robed figure once transferred his spiritual energy to Buqiu. His spiritual energy is different from that of other demons; it can flow into her damaged spiritual root!” A flicker of hope appeared in Xiang Hanyu’s eyes.
“He avoids the heavens’ notice, so he must be an immortal or a god!” She looked at Li Yu pleadingly. “Demonic energy can’t replenish Buqiu’s spiritual root, but immortal or divine energy can! And if it can replenish it, it should also be able to repair it…”
Li Yu: “…”
Xiang Hanyu: “Exalted Immortal Li Yu, please, I beg you, save her!”
Li Yu: “…”
Xiang Hanyu: “I know, you’re a born god, the only Exalted God in the human realm now. If you’re willing, you can definitely save her!”
Li Yu: “…”
Xiang Hanyu suddenly stood up, took two steps forward, and knelt before Li Yu, kowtowing in the cold snow.
Li Yu: “You…”
Xiang Hanyu: “As long as you’re willing to help, I’m willing to serve you for the rest of my life!”
Mu Tao hesitantly stood up and tried to help Xiang Hanyu up.
But Xiang Hanyu shook her head resolutely and kowtowed again.
Li Yu frowned and said in a low voice, “Xiang Hanyu, I promise you, I will do my best to help, but the matter of the Upper Spirit Lamp concerns the safety of the human realm, and I must prioritize it.”
Xiang Hanyu: “But…”
Li Yu: “How much longer can she hold on?”
Xiang Hanyu: “She won’t survive this winter.”
Li Yu: “…”
“Exalted God, even if you can’t save her now, can you just come with me to Lingzhou? Just a little bit of your spiritual energy, to help her hold on a little longer, please?” Xiang Hanyu’s eyes were red as she kowtowed again.
She said she was willing to compromise, just a little spiritual energy was enough.
She knew where the Upper Spirit Lamp was. As long as Yan Buqiu could survive this winter, she would take them to it and help them retrieve it.
“She’s dying, she really can’t hold on much longer…”
She muttered, her voice trembling.
Her hands, pressed against the red snow, clenched tightly, as if desperately trying to hold onto something.
Li Yu couldn’t bear it and helped her up.
Perhaps she should go to Lingzhou first. If they flew, it wouldn’t take long.
If everything Xiang Hanyu said was true, and Yan Buqiu was truly a kind and virtuous person, she shouldn’t die like this.
If it only required a small amount of spiritual energy, it wasn’t a big loss, just a small act of kindness, and they would gain an ally. It was a win-win situation.
Seeing that the system didn’t object, Li Yu felt slightly reassured.
“I’ll go with you,” Li Yu said, looking into Xiang Hanyu’s tear-filled eyes, her tone solemn. “I’ll give her some spiritual energy to prolong her life, and after the Upper Spirit Lamp is returned to Mount Chao Yao, I will come back and heal her spiritual root, I promise!”
Xiang Hanyu’s eyes reddened, and she was about to kneel again when Mu Tao quickly stopped her.
“Don’t kneel, my Master doesn’t like that,” she said, glancing at Li Yu.
Li Yu nodded, sighing softly.
Her little disciple understood her; she really didn’t like people kneeling, it felt…inauspicious.
Although as an immortal, such things shouldn’t matter to her, she was still a modern person who felt uncomfortable with such grand gestures.
It was difficult to tell day from night in the City of the Undying. To prevent the black-robed figure from tampering with the formation again, they had to wait for the human cultivators to arrive before leaving.
Mu Tao helped Xiang Hanyu sit down. Xiang Hanyu wiped away her tears, seeming calmer now.
They sat in silence on the red snow.
The boundless resentment above, like a calm sea suddenly whipped into a frenzy, churned and roiled.
But this silence couldn’t last.
Li Yu, unable to stand it, finally broke the silence.
Li Yu: “Did the black-robed figure approach you himself?”
Her question was abrupt but appropriate in this situation.
“Yes,” Xiang Hanyu replied quickly.
Li Yu asked again, “Did you see his face clearly, or hear his voice?”
Xiang Hanyu shook her head. “He seemed to have no face; I could only see a starry sky. His voice was strange, not human, but I could understand what he was saying.”
Just like what she had seen in the memory fragment.
Xiang Hanyu must have interacted with the black-robed figure quite a bit; surely she noticed something else.
Li Yu: “Was there anything…unusual about him?”
Xiang Hanyu frowned, thought for a moment, and shook her head again. “No, just the black robes, no accessories.”
“This guy, besides the black robes and the stellar energy, has no face and no voice…” Mu Tao muttered, tilting her head. “Who is he? Why is he so secretive?”
“Indeed, he rarely acts directly, but I can tell that his power far surpasses mine and Buqiu’s. He’s no ordinary immortal.” A puzzled look appeared in Xiang Hanyu’s eyes. “But I’ve traveled the human realm for a long time, heard many stories about immortals and gods, and the only one I know who can control the power of the stars is…”
Mu Tao: “Then wouldn’t that narrow it down?”
Xiang Hanyu: “No.”
Mu Tao: “Why not? Isn’t there only one?”
Xiang Hanyu: “But that person…no longer exists in the Three Realms.”
Mu Tao blinked, stunned into silence.
Li Yu couldn’t help but ask, “Who?”
Xiang Hanyu looked surprised. “The ancient god who absorbed the Heavenly Demon Soul Seed four thousand years ago and fell into darkness.”
She then asked, “Didn’t you also participate in that battle, Exalted Immortal Li Yu?”
Li Yu: “…”
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