Chapter 94
Shoutout to nyanmaru for the commission!
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Thanks to the Alliance Leader selling the fox for one million taels of gold, many small sects finally obtained reconstruction funds, and the wandering cultivators were also properly resettled.
Several months later, Yuchi Rui used his spiritual power to rebuild most of the collapsed Dai Mountain, barely forming the shape of a mountain again. Then, on the site of the former Immortal Alliance, he built a new Tui’e.
No one was more familiar with the internal structure of this massive building than Yuchi Rui. He and Gong Wei collaborated to restore the original drawings, even marking all the secret doors and passages clearly. After the new Tui’e was built, everything inside—the halls, rooms, gardens, corridors, and even every blade of grass—was exactly the same as before.
Except for one person—Ying Kai.
The plain-dressed, frugal, and courteous Alliance Leader, who wielded a bronze ancient sword that shook the world and treated everyone with kindness, would never return.
Many people had complex feelings about Ying Kai. After ascending, he immediately began to destroy the world, but initially, the construction of the Great Heaven Dao Path was a joint effort of all Xuanmen sects. He caused so much fear and disaster, but in the end, he sacrificed his life and godhead, dealing a heavy blow to the chief culprit, the Ghost Crown Prince.
For these complex reasons, the Immortal Alliance internally defaulted to not giving Ying Kai any posthumous rituals, including burial, memorial tablets, or tomb. The stone tablet forest specifically recording the previous heads of the alliance only had Ying Kai’s name and years of birth and death, with no other details. Presumably, in a few decades, people’s memory of this Alliance Leader would fade away to just a name.
Only in Tui’e, at Yuchi Rui’s insistence, did Ying Kai’s former study remain. Every pen stroke and piece of paper in the study was completely restored to its original state, as if one could see the young man in his deep blue robe sitting behind the desk, earnestly reviewing endless documents just by opening the door.
“Do you think one day I’ll become like Ying Kai?” On the day Tui’e was completed, Yuchi Rui stood at the open door of the study, lost in thought for a moment before suddenly blurting out.
Gong Wei sat cross-legged on the handrail of the corridor behind him, cracking walnuts with his teeth lazily as he replied nonchalantly, “No, don’t worry too much about it, just relax.”
Yuchi Rui said sorrowfully, “But yesterday, I was forced by Chengfeng to read documents for a full four hours…”
In the life of Yuchi Rui, the Sword Sect Master, there were only three things: practicing swordsmanship, sleeping, and collecting various stories of praises of himself. For him, reading documents for four hours was worse than fighting with the Ghost Crown Prince for four hours. Chengfeng must have used very frightening methods to make Yuchi Rui submit. Gong Wei was about to comfort him, but at this moment, they heard the hurried voice of Changsun Chengfeng from behind, “I’m really sorry, Bai Xian, can you help me guard Julu City for another month? I’m afraid I won’t be able to return even during the Mid-Autumn Festival…”
Gong Wei and Yuchi Rui both turned around.
They saw Changsun Chengfeng walking quickly along the corridor, with an image formation floating beside him. In the formation, there was the figure of Bai Xian with folded arms, sounding somewhat unhappy, “But Lord Chengfeng, you haven’t been home for two months.”
Changsun Chengfeng sighed wearily, “The succession ceremony of the Alliance Leader has not been fully prepared, the ruins of the old Tui’e have not been cleaned up yet, and there are still books, scrolls, calligraphy, and treasures buried under the ruins waiting to be salvaged…”
“The newly elected Alliance Leader, isn’t he the Sword Sect Master?” Bai Xian questioned, “Lord Chengfeng, are you not deceiving me?”
“I didn’t! Why would I lie to you! I’m just stuck here!…”
Changsun Chengfeng’s swearing figure disappeared at the end of the corridor. After a while, Gong Wei turned back to look at Yuchi Rui, and both of them fell into silence without planning.
“Maybe you should put a little pressure on yourself.” Gong Wei suggested tactfully, “It wouldn’t be good if you end up pushing Chengfeng to become another Ying Kai. Although he might not ascend, he’ll become a fierce warrior.”
Yuchi Rui: “…”
Yuchi Rui gazed deeply at the study, trembling from the depths of his heart as he said, “I miss Ying Kai.”
Gong Wei couldn’t help but sigh, “Chengfeng misses him more than you do.”
“Has Ying Kai not been reincarnated yet?” Yuchi Rui asked for the hundred and eighth time in despair.
Although the destruction caused by Ying Kai’s world-ending flames couldn’t compare to the War of Annihilation nine thousand years ago, it was still considerable. Gong Wei spent several months settling the merits and arranging rebirths for the victims one by one. It cost a total of eight hundred thousand taels of silver to repair the heavily damaged Linjiang City and Suicheng, all of which was funded by the richest man in Cangyang Mountain, Xu Shuangce.
Although all the damage had been minimized, it didn’t mean that Ying Kai’s punishment would be reduced as a result.
In order to atone for his sins, Ying Kai would have to endure several reincarnations plagued by illness, and the first life would likely land him in the animal realm. Gong Wei had prepared for Ying Kai’s first life to be reborn as a cat or a dog, but Xu Shuangce unexpectedly smashed Ying Kai’s soul into the reincarnation pool, making it impossible to predict what Ying Kai and Xuan Jinghe would be reincarnated as.
Gong Wei shook his head regretfully, “During that time, too many people died and were reborn. The judge of the underworld said that the mouth of the reincarnation well was blocked. It may take a while before Ying Kai and Xuan Jinghe can be reincarnated.”
… What a realistic reason.
After a moment of silence, Yuchi Rui raised a very crucial question, “Is Xu Shuangce lucky?”
Gong Wei replied seriously, “Of course, in every aspect, Xu Bai is the most formidable!”
Yuchi Rui looked down at him condescendingly and said calmly, “You’ve ruined your brain with dual cultivation, haven’t you? Isn’t it me who’s the most formidable in every aspect?”
Gong Wei was about to argue his case, but at that moment, he saw Yuchi Rui’s face change as he tried to slip away. Before he could take a few steps, he was entangled by the flying soldier puppets who swooped down from the sky, almost falling face-first into the mud.
Gong Wei turned around, “Chengfeng?”
Changsun Chengfeng hurried over, still holding onto the warriors’ threads, and bowed to Gong Wei, “Lord Mirror Immortal.” Then he turned his head to the struggling Yuchi Rui, “Lord Alliance Leader.”
Lord Alliance Leader stubbornly said, “I’ve already reviewed the procedures for the succession ceremony and approved the documents. I’m supposed to practice swordsmanship this afternoon…”
Changsun Chengfeng cried and laughed helplessly, “A cultivator just reported that something was unearthed when clearing the ruins of the old Tui’e site, and the disciples didn’t dare to act without your approval, so they want you to take a look.”
Gong Wei asked curiously, “What is it?”
Changsun Chengfeng replied, “A bronze coffin.”
Even Xu Shuangce hurried over from Cangyang Mountain with a single sword. He was now standing in front of the collapsed foundation of the old Tui’e, wearing white robes and black clothes, exuding an imposing aura.
Gong Wei, holding two peeled walnuts, happily approached, but before he could say “Xu Bai”, Xu Shuangce reached out and wiped the corners of his mouth, cleaning off any walnut residue. Then Xu Shuangce took the two walnuts, poured out the kernels into his palm, and fed them to Gong Wei one by one before saying, “Let’s go inside.”
With that, he took Gong Wei’s hand and led the way into the underground passage.
Watching all this from behind, Changsun Chengfeng murmured enviously, “I miss Bai Xian…”
Yuchi Rui hurriedly said, “Then you should hurry back to Julu City.”
Changsun Chengfeng turned back and coldly appraised the new Alliance Leader, saying, “No, my conscience does not allow me to do so.”
Yuchi Rui: “…”
After the collapse of Tui’e, all the treasures in the secret vault were buried underground, the scrolls and scriptures were burnt to ashes, and most of the fragile treasures were smashed. In order to salvage the remaining items, disciples had to dig tunnels leading to the ruins below. Four people traversed through the winding tunnels for hundreds of feet until they finally reached an open space.
They found themselves in a tomb chamber, mostly collapsed, but luckily, a bronze coffin remained intact. The heavy coffin lid had been partially pried open by a fallen beam.
Yuchi Rui recognized it, “Isn’t this the bone of the Ghost Crown Prince’s wife… Ghost Crown Prince’s master?”
This bronze coffin had been passed down in the Immortal Alliance for generations and was said to contain the remains of the Ghost Crown Prince’s master, left behind after his ascension.
In the butterfly dies and the dream is born, Ying Kai sealed this bronze coffin with golden water and placed it alongside the Mirror Coffin of the Ghost Crown Prince and the golden coffin of Gong Wei, and Xu Shuangce prepared a empty coffin himself, into the deepest part of the ninth floor underground of Ding Xian Ling. But in the mortal world, Ying Kai never built Ding Xian Ling, so this bronze coffin remained undisturbed under Tui’e, never being touched by anyone.
“Where did the remains come from? When Xuan Jinghe ascended, his bones had turned to dust. Later, I brought a small shovel to dig, but all I found was buqi sword.” Gong Wei found it quite curious. He walked around the huge bronze coffin, laughing and joking, “But Xuan Jinghe said his sword intent was within his heart, so he passed on the buqi sword to the future generations of the Iron Sect, hoping that they would use it to vanquish demons and protect the mortal realm.”
Gong Wei turned to Changsun Chengfeng with a raised chin.
They saw Changsun Chengfeng kneeling on the ground, bowing deeply three times and kowtowing nine times to the bronze coffin. He held the buqi sword solemnly, saying, “Senior, I will always remember your teachings and will not disappoint your trust!!” Then he turned his head and gave the new Alliance Leader a stern look.
“?” Yuchi Rui moved behind Xu Shuangce inexplicably, “What are you glaring at me for when you’re supposed to protect the mortal realm?”
Xu Shuangce asked, “What’s inside the coffin?”
“It should be a set of clothes put in by his disciples.” Gong Wei tiptoed and peeked through the gap in the lifted coffin lid, smiling, “It seems that Xuan Jinghe had many burial artifacts. Changsheng, come help me lift this coffin lid. We’ll repair the artifacts we find later, so that when Xuan Jinghe reincarnates, he can still use them… Be careful, Changsheng!”
Boom!
Yuchi Rui lifted one corner of the coffin lid with one hand, muscles bulging, and with a sudden force, the heavy bronze lid fell to the ground heavily, creating a huge pit in the tomb chamber floor.
“Cough, cough, cough…” Gong Wei’s mouth and nose were buried in Xu Shuangce’s palm, still coughing incessantly, curiously peering inside.
Xuan Jinghe ascended as a warrior, leaving only a coffin for the world to worship, so naturally it wasn’t a white burial shroud inside, but rather the garments of a warrior from the Iron Sect. The entire set of robes was arranged in the shape of a person, with various colored treasures spread out underneath. However, most of them were not top-quality items; some were even fragmented and incomplete, clearly collected hastily.
Changsun Chengfeng helped with the inspection while sighing, “Such a grand ascension, yet the burial items are so crude…”
Gong Wei took a small basket and packed the somewhat acceptable items. He sighed, “It must be because of the final battle of the nine thousand years ago when the Immortal Alliance exhausted all their resources, leaving almost no treasures behind. It’s already quite good to have managed to gather this coffin.”
He rummaged through the basket, feeling satisfied with the items inside, then turned back and said, “Changsheng, let’s close the coffin lid. When Xuan Jinghe reincarnates, we’ll find an opportunity to give him these artifacts.”
Yuchi Rui followed the instructions to lift one end of the coffin lid, while Changsun Chengfeng, fearing damage to the senior’s coffin, hurried to help lift the other end. One in front and one behind, they lifted the massive bronze coffin lid. Yuchi Rui gritted his teeth and asked, “Why do you never ask Xu Shuangce to do the work?!”
Gong Wei quipped, “You’ve already sold me to him. Do we still have the authority to order him around?”
“…”
Yuchi Rui had nothing to say. Together with Changsun Chengfeng, they placed the coffin lid onto the coffin. Just as they were about to exert force to close it, Xu Shuangce seemed to notice something. With two fingers gently closed together, he stopped the heavy coffin lid abruptly. “Wait.”
Everyone was puzzled, but they saw Xu Shuangce furrow his brows, then reach into the coffin and rummage through a pile of crumpled papers-like scattered talismans. He accurately picked up a nondescript, one-foot-diameter iron basin.
Changsun Chengfeng was shocked: “The Treasure Gathering Basin?!”
Could it be that the surviving cultivators from nine thousand years ago found the accompanying items too simple and couldn’t bear it, so in the end, they had to reluctantly gather some money?
Inside the small iron basin was a seal with a note attached, written in a spell, which had not faded for nine thousand years. Everyone gathered around to see, and the thin, hard handwriting was clearly from Xuan Jinghe:
“In this era, the immortal sect is almost completely destroyed, and I cannot return after this battle. After my death in battle, you can withdraw the accumulated wealth of one million taels of gold to be used for the revival of the immortal sect in future generations. I hope that future generations will not disappoint the aspirations of their predecessors, eliminate demons, protect the world, and bring peace. Xuan Jinghe, signing off.”
The tomb chamber fell silent.
Gong Wei: “…”
Xu Shuangce: “…”
Changsun Chengfeng: “…”
Yuchi Rui was completely stunned, muttering, “One million taels, one million taels, one million taels…” Then, trembling, he tore open the seal on the small iron basin.
The next moment—Boom!
The earth shook, the sky collapsed, and the whole world seemed to tremble!
A total of one million taels of glittering gold coins surged out like a fountain, collapsing the entire tomb chamber.
In the nick of time, Xu Shuangce and Gong Wei swiftly retreated from the underground passage like lightning, followed by Changsun Chengfeng, who was the second to leave, and a dirt-covered Yuchi Rui. Just as the four of them retreated to the surface, they heard a series of thunderous crashes behind them, and the entire passage collapsed in the shaking!
Outside, all the cultivators were dumbfounded, staring at this unimaginable fountain of gold coins, their expressions shocked beyond words.
“…” Yuchi Rui slowly turned his head, suddenly enlightened, and reached out to grab Gong Wei, pulling him behind him, and tremblingly said to Xu Shuangce, “Your one million taels! It’s paid off now!”
Gong Wei: “?”
Gong Wei suddenly realized, clutching Xu Shuangce’s sleeve tightly and angrily said to Yuchi Rui, “You already sold me to Xu Bai! How can you buy me back?!”
Yuchi Rui, excited and incoherent, said, “Xu Shuangce! I don’t owe you money anymore!”
Gong Wei: “Still, there’s interest!!”
Xu Shuangce: “…”
The Eastern Heaven God blocked the roaring Yuchi Rui next to him, and pulled Gong Wei, who was righteously indignant, and looked calmly at the distant continuously spouting gold pit, able to maintain composure even at this moment.
“That’s Xuan Jinghe’s accumulated gold!” Gong Wei scolded Yuchi Rui, “How can you arbitrarily send the money to the Cangyang Sect without his consent?”
Yuchi Rui almost pressed the note onto Gong Wei’s face, reading each word slowly and deliberately, “‘To be used for the revival of the immortal sect in future generations.’ Do you understand?!”
“To be used for the revival of the immortal sect…” Suddenly, Gong Wei’s voice trailed off as he realized something. “Wait, isn’t this the ‘virtue after death’ mentioned in the Heavenly Way?”
Yuchi Rui: “What?”
“You must represent the Immortal Alliance, accept the gold, and use it to revive the sect, shelter the needy, and support disciples in order to be considered for Xuan Jinghe’s virtue after death,” Xu Shuangce explained calmly. “Virtuous deeds are greatly beneficial; they can enable the soul to reincarnate early, so Xuan Jinghe won’t have to wait in line at the reincarnation well.” Yuchi Rui stood there dumbfounded.
Yuchi Rui was almost stunned.
Changsun Chengfeng, however, had already reacted, ecstatically pulling him: “Quickly accept it!”
“…”
Yuchi Rui, with doubts and suspicions, could only turn around in front of everyone and, facing the collapsed passage filled with gold coins, knelt down:
“The junior, Yuchi Changsheng, respectfully accepts the gift from Senior Xuan, and pledges to use the one million taels of gold to revive the hundred schools of the Immortal Alliance, and to shelter the wandering cultivators in need, vowing not to disappoint the aspirations of our predecessors.”
As he spoke, he bowed deeply.
As if there were an invisible balance in the universe, at the moment when his words fell, the final weight was added, and it tilted dramatically.
Xuan Jinghe’s accumulated virtue reached its peak.
A dazzling meteor streaked across the sky, shining brightly even in broad daylight, flying towards the east under everyone’s gaze, disappearing into the distant capital city thousands of miles away.
Xu Shuangce’s heart stirred, and he whispered, “Reincarnation.”
Yuchi Rui: “So quick?!”
Xu Shuangce didn’t answer, immediately took Gong Wei’s hand, and together they wielded a sword, soaring towards the direction of the capital city, shrouded in clouds and mist.
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