Parting Grief

The following morning, after extracting Venerable Zhu Qing from the towering stacks of ‘Advanced Alchemy Techniques,’ Luochen presented her with a cup of tea, her eyes still bleary with sleep.

Venerable Zhu Qing took a delicate sip, a hint of surprise gracing her features. “This tea”, she murmured.

”Noticing your fondness for it, I secretly acquired the recipe myself,” Luochen replied.

Luochen offered a knowing smile, an expression that conveyed perfect understanding.

Venerable Zhu Qing was momentarily speechless, then chuckled softly. ”To have found a disciple like you is truly my greatest blessing.”

Following breakfast, Luochen, as was her custom, attended the morning assembly in Venerable Zhu Qing’s stead.

Sect Master Yuxi’s discourse proved, as ever, a tedious and protracted affair; the topic of the New Year’s Eve gala alone consumed two full hours before they would finally relent.

Stepping out of the council hall, Luochen instinctively kneaded her shoulders, which had begun to ache.

New Year… she mused.

In the blink of an eye, several years had passed since her arrival in this world, and the primary quest of locating the destined maiden had progressed with commendable smoothness. Yet, her physical condition had steadily deteriorated, a decline made particularly pronounced after her last exertion of power.

Luochen found herself momentarily lost in thought, the resonant voice of the World’s Will seemingly still echoing in her ears.

[This sword is named Li Hen (TL Note: Meaning ‘Parting Hatred’), and it is utterly indestructible. You possess three opportunities to unleash its true power, yet your physical form will struggle to withstand its immense pressure. Exercise extreme caution, I implore you.]

‘Caution, then…’ Luochen murmured, almost to herself.

****

‘Ye Yuli, today, you shall not escape death.’ True Immortal Yun Qing’s chilling voice resonated throughout Moyang City.

”Hmph, so close to success, yet I’ve still been found?”

A surge of resentment coursed through Ye Yuli. Having been grievously wounded, she had spent years in hiding, eventually arriving in Moyang City to cultivate a forbidden secret art, intending to mend her injuries by siphoning the souls of the entire populace.

Yet, at this crucial juncture, on the very precipice of her ritual’s completion, she had been discovered by members of the Feibai Sect.

”Though not yet fully perfected, this much is more than sufficient to dispatch you.” As if struck by a sudden thought, Ye Yuli’s lips stretched into a truly chilling smile.

”Yun Qing, you worthless alchemist, how dare you even attempt to hunt me down?”

”While the Dao of Alchemy may not be renowned for combat prowess, my peak seventh-revolution cultivation alone suffices to put an end to you,” True Immortal Yun Qing retorted.

True Immortal Yun Qing let out a cold sneer. ‘With your Qi Sea obstructed and your Dantian damaged, how do you propose to contend with me now?’

Ye Yuli burst into raucous laughter, then effortlessly leaped into the air, confronting True Immortal Yun Qing from above.

”Is that so? I’ve heard True Immortal Yun Qing not only refines countless elixirs but also possesses a considerable understanding of formations. Perhaps you would be so kind as to enlighten me: what kind of formation is this?”

A furious gale erupted, plunging the heavens and earth into profound darkness. Moyang City, moments before bathed in brilliant sunlight, was instantly swallowed by an oppressive gloom.

From beneath the earth, countless black chains erupted, coiling madly around the city’s inhabitants. In an instant, heart-wrenching wails tore through the air, reverberating between heaven and earth.

True Immortal Yun Qing’s face turned deathly pale. ”The Soul Refining Array! How could you possibly possess such a long-lost secret art?”

”Indeed, you recognize true quality,” Ye Yuli observed, her gaze playful as she regarded True Immortal Yun Qing. ”And now, do you still possess the audacity to claim I shall not escape death?”

With that pronouncement, Ye Yuli unleashed the full might of the Soul Refining Array.

”Chains of Vengeful Souls!”

From every conceivable direction, black chains surged forward, lunging at True Immortal Yun Qing.

”Damn it all! Qiankun Cauldron!”

A colossal golden cauldron descended from the heavens, enveloping True Immortal Yun Qing in its protective embrace.

Outside the cauldron’s shimmering barrier, Ye Yuli paced back and forth with unhurried grace. ”I wonder,” she mused, ”just how long that turtle shell of yours can possibly endure?”

”True Immortal Yun Qing!’‘ A shout echoed from the distance. True Immortal Yun Qing turned, startled, to find Luochen approaching.

Luochen urgently cried out, ‘Ye Yuli is here! She’s using the Soul Refining Array to absorb souls and restore her power. You must leave quickly and seek reinforcements!’

Upon hearing this, Luochen, defying all expectation, did not retreat but instead advanced, drawing closer to True Immortal Yun Qing’s side.

True Immortal Yun Qing roared in anger. ”What in the world are you doing?! Not only are you no match for her, but even your master might struggle against her. I shall hold her at bay; you are to conceal yourself within this Qiankun Cauldron and seek out Sect Master Yuxi and Venerable Zhu Qing!”

Luochen simply waved a dismissive hand, signaling True Immortal Yun Qing to cease their protests.

Ye Yuli observed Luochen with a flicker of intrigue.’ ‘A mere fifth-revolution cultivator, choosing not to flee but to approach me instead? How… interesting.”

She licked her lips languidly, then continued.

”I shan’t refine you into a soul,” Ye Yuli purred, ”for you are entirely to my liking. And as it happens, I possess a unique ‘Furnace Cauldron Art’. What an astonishing coincidence, wouldn’t you agree?”

It was as if Luochen’s ultimate fate had already been carelessly, yet irrevocably, sealed by Ye Yuli’s words.

Luochen drew a long, shuddering breath, her gaze sweeping across the city streets. Some individuals lay already lifeless, others writhed in their final throes, and the piercing wails of still more echoed mournfully across the sky.

Meanwhile, Ye Yuli merely stood there, an embodiment of detachment, as if the unfolding horror held no bearing on her whatsoever.

”I am someone who greatly enjoys interacting with mortals,” Luochen began, her voice low and deliberate, after a prolonged silence.

”I won’t restrict your personal freedom,” the sect leader before her said, a saccharine smile playing on her lips, ‘as long as you accompany me a few times each month.’

Luochen paid her no heed, continuing her own discourse as if Ye Yuli had never spoken.

”That man three hundred meters away, tearing at the ground with his head, is named Lu Hui (TL Note: A common Chinese surname meaning ‘brightness’ or ‘glory’). He is the finest steamed bun chef in this city.”

”Every time I pass through Moyang City, I make sure to buy several of his steamed buns to bring back for my master and junior sister. My master has a fondness for meat fillings, while my junior sister prefers red bean paste.”

”He had a virtuous wife and an adorable daughter, both of whom now lie lifeless beside him.”

”The dying man behind you is named A Niu (TL Note: A common nickname, often implying a strong, ox-like build or character). He once told me he would marry his fiancée this coming New Year, and I can still recall the radiant joy that lit his face as he spoke those words.”

”That child, already lifeless beneath the mill, is called Er Bao (TL Note: Meaning ‘Second Treasure,’ a common nickname for a second child). He lost his parents young, and everyone in the city collectively raised him. He was truly everyone’s precious treasure.”

”These ordinary mortals, they possess no formidable cultivation, no treasured swords, nor spiritual elixirs. Yet, they lived lives of contentment, finding happiness in their simple existence.”

”Why, I ask you, why must you strip them even of that fundamental right?”

Luochen drew the Li Hen Sword, its gleaming blade now pointed directly at Ye Yuli. A gust of wind swept across the young woman’s face, revealing a pair of eyes beneath her straying hair that burned with sorrow and profound resentment.

Her robes fluttered around her, and a fierce anger was etched upon her brow.

After a prolonged silence, Ye Yuli finally squeezed a response from her throat.

”My apologies, but this was not truly my intention.”

She adopted an expression of profound sorrow.

”As if!”

No sooner had the words left her lips than she conjured two more chains, which swiftly coiled around the bodies of Lu Hui and A Niu. In the very next second, their struggles ceased entirely.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Ye Yuli’s laughter was exaggerated, almost theatrical, as if she intended to laugh until tears streamed down her face.

‘Tell me, just how foolish are you?’ she cackled, ‘Did listening to too many mortal storytelling performances rot your brain? Do you truly concern yourself with the lives of a pile of ants?’

”It is their distinct honor to serve as mere consumables for my recovery,” she declared with cruel glee.

”The strong, after all, exist to thoroughly humiliate the weak!”

Her laughter grew progressively louder, shaking her entire body with its intensity.

The mournful wails and Ye Yuli’s maniacal laughter intertwined, two utterly antithetical sounds assaulting Luochen’s eardrums simultaneously.

The wails, however, began to dwindle in tandem with Ye Yuli’s fading laughter, for she had found her amusement, and the city’s populace had, by then, mostly perished.

After a considerable stretch, Ye Yuli, her composure finally restored, regarded the two figures before her with a newfound seriousness.

”I suggest, young miss who dreams of saving the world, that you first consider how to save yourself.”

Luochen remained silent, acutely aware of the error she had committed. The values she had meticulously cultivated over years on Earth rendered her incapable of treating others in such a manner.

Yet, this was not Earth. Here, they truly did not regard human lives as human.

”Such errors must not be repeated in the future,” she sternly admonished herself.

Luochen silently reminded herself. Against such a beast, the only fitting response lay in the sword she gripped.

She lifted her head, and a brilliant golden light erupted, completely filling her pupils.

The aura emanating from the Li Hen Sword in her grasp surged explosively, its overwhelming pressure forcing Ye Yuli to stumble back, step after desperate step.

”Impossible! Such power… how could you possibly wield it?”

Ye Yuli roared in utter disbelief, her composed and aloof demeanor from moments prior completely shattered.

”Sword Summoning Art!”

Luochen uttered these three words with chilling indifference. The Li Hen Sword in her hand shot straight into the heavens, its golden radiance scattering the sanguine hues cast by the Soul Refining Array.

Moments later, a colossal sword, almost as vast as Moyang City itself, began its slow, majestic descent from the sky.

Ye Yuli stared, transfixed and terrified, at the colossal blade. She desperately attempted to activate the Soul Refining Array for a counterattack, but the overwhelming pressure emanating from the giant sword rendered her utterly immobile. She could only stand rooted to the spot, awaiting her inevitable demise.

With a casual flick of her wrist, Luochen’s sword-finger severed the black chains that had enshrouded the Qiankun Cauldron.

”True Immortal Yun Qing, are any of the remaining residents salvageable?”

True Immortal Yun Qing shook her head. ‘They were systematically implanted with Soul Seeds long ago. Once the Soul Refining Array was fully activated, their deaths became inevitable; it was merely a matter of time.’

Luochen nodded slowly, having already anticipated this grim outcome.

”At the very least, your souls shall no longer be defiled.”

Luochen swept her hand through the air, and the colossal golden sword, imbued with a pure, ethereal aura, plummeted swiftly downward.

”Ye Yuli,” Luochen’s voice cut through the air, ”tell me, are you a strong one or a weak one now?”

In the final, fleeting moment of her existence, Ye Yuli beheld the expression etched upon Luochen’s face.

That expression was not one of disdain, nor pleasure, nor even anger.

It was one of profound sorrow.

A sorrow, specifically, for Ye Yuli herself.

Ye Yuli’s hands clenched into tight fists, an unbridled rage igniting within her heart.

She possessed an eighth-revolution cultivation, ranking among the strongest individuals in the world.

By what right did this Luochen gaze upon her with such pity, by what right!

She fixed Luochen with a deathly stare, as if intent on devouring her alive.

The very next second, the colossal sword struck the earth. Moyang City was instantly reduced to ruins, and the resulting shockwave caused the Qiankun Cauldron to hum violently.

All the dust settled.

”By the way, True Immortal Yun Qing, I implore you not to mention this matter to anyone else, especially my master. Wielding such power comes at a great cost, and I fear her worry.”

In the final moments before losing consciousness, Luochen heard True Immortal Yun Qing’s reply.

”I promise you.”

True Immortal Yun Qing cradled Luochen, then activated the Qiankun Cauldron, carrying them both as it soared back towards the Feibai Sect.

A faint, ethereal green token silently slipped from Luochen’s embrace.