The dark, inky lake surface rippled gently, and the flowing water lapped against the pebbles, making a rushing sound.

Despite being overwhelmed by resentment, Ban Xiaxi remained remarkably calm. His silver eyes held the marks of time, conveying a sense of tranquility and profound vicissitude.

The little dog gripped the bone knife and walked with difficulty toward Ban Xiaxi. He stared at Ban Xiaxi, his lips pressed tightly together.

"Little Creek, come to your brother."

Ban Xiayin's eyes were filled with tears as she opened her arms, a gentle smile on her lips.

Ban Xiaxi turned around and stared at him in a daze. It was her brother's embrace, the place she used to love the most and longed to return to.

He turned and glanced at the puppy, who was also looking at him.

Xie Shuci stood to the side, his eyes stinging.

In the end, Ban Xiaxi walked to Ban Xiayin's side with a blank expression.

Ban Xiayin sat on the lakeshore and reached out to pull him down. Ban Xiaxi silently complied with his movement, gently pressing his back against Ban Xiayin's chest and resting his head on his shoulder.

"Xiaoxi, are you happy now?" Ban Xiayin asked softly.

Ban Xiaxi looked at the people standing in front of her and nodded.

--happy.

No matter which side of Xia Xi is in, she is happy.

He saw his brother, made friends, and had no regrets.

The little dog walked up to the two of them, looking down at Ban Xiaxi, the veins on his hand holding the bone knife bulging.

Ban Xiaxi glanced at him silently, then opened her mouth and uttered, "Ah..."

It seems to be urging the puppy on.

Ban Xiayin covered Ban Xiaxi's hand with her trembling hand, her voice hoarse, "Really... do you want to leave brother alone?"

"Brother, promise me, never, ever, look at, my, past again."

Ban Xiaxi stared intently at him, as if she wouldn't look away until she got his answer.

Ban Xiayin fought back tears, her voice trembling, "Mmm..."

"I promise you."

"I will take them, all of them, and disappear... I will let my people be reincarnated. Don't be sad for me. Let everything disappear, okay..."

Hot tears slid down his cheeks. Ban Xiayin opened his mouth as if to say something, but remained silent. After a long while, he finally uttered a single word in a hoarse voice, "Okay."

Hearing Ban Xiayin's answer, Ban Xiaxi breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

The puppy crouched down beside him, and his gaze swept over it.

"Thank you, Brother Dog, go ahead and do it."

The little dog gritted his teeth. He knew what Ban Xiaxi wanted, and he knew he had to avenge his parents. He knew what he should do, but why was his hand holding the knife trembling uncontrollably?

Ban Xiaxi wanted to die, while he wanted revenge. With one slash, he could kill two birds with one stone. What was there to hesitate about?

"Ban Xiaxi, why don't you kill me?" The little dog stared at that face, his gaze complex and profound.

Ban Xiaxi asked haltingly, "Why...why...don't you leave?"

He never intended to trap Brother Dog. He tried countless times to have outsiders take him away, but Brother Dog never left.

If it weren't for Brother Dog's reluctance to leave, Ban Xiaxi would have already disappeared with those people. But he couldn't die; if he died, Brother Dog would die too.

Once the dog brother is gone, he can disappear.

This has always been Ban Xiaxi's idea.

“I…” the puppy said, but paused, “I know what you want.”

However, he still did not leave.

Perhaps for a fleeting moment, he thought that one day, Ban Xiaxi would let go of her obsession, and then he would personally kill the part of Ban Xiaxi that was tainted by resentment.

But he was wrong. Banxiaxi was not corrupted. He knew what he wanted to do and what he should do from beginning to end. He met his beloved brother and made a group of friends, but none of these things could keep him alive.

He didn't want to live; he just wanted all his past to disappear with him.

These things have tormented him for ten thousand years; they should indeed disappear.

"Let's do it." Ban Xiayin took a deep breath. He knew that Xiaoxi was eager to end all of this and wanted to unload the heavy burden on her shoulders.

He couldn't do anything; he could only give Xiaoxi the right to choose for herself.

The little dog raised the bone knife and stopped a few inches above Ban Xiaxi's heart. The violent trembling made him almost lose his grip on the hilt.

Xie Shuci felt a tight string in his heart, as if it would snap at the slightest pull.

His heart felt like it was being ripped open alive, the pain was like being submerged in water, but he knew perfectly well that this was the ending Ban Xiaxi wanted.

Xie Shuci's eyes stung as her hand, which was hanging by her side, was tightly held. She lowered her head.

Ban Xiaxi noticed the puppy's struggle. He raised his hand, gently placed his small hand on the back of the puppy's hand, pressed his hand down, and pressed the tip of the knife against his own chest.

The mountains were so quiet that not a sound could be heard. Everyone held their breath and watched this scene.

A wisp of spiritual energy was drawn into the bone knife. As the tip of the knife continued to push downwards, the spiritual energy tore open Ban Xiaxi's chest, revealing his heart, which was shrouded in black mist.

Two beams of light converged in his chest, emitting a dazzling glow.

The water in the lake surged, the ground beneath our feet trembled, pebbles rolled down from the valley, and a dark light shone into the misty sky.

Xie Shuci looked up and saw that cracks were forming in the sky above them. Cracks appeared like lightning bolts in the high sky, tearing the gray, foggy sky into pieces.

The bone knife was pressed against his heart, but Ban Xiaxi remained extremely calm.

Ban Xiayin held him tightly, as if afraid that if she wasn't strong enough, he would slip out of her arms.

"The sky is about to fall," Sikong Xin said solemnly.

They were located at the very bottom of the ocean, and if seawater rushed in, they could be crushed to death by the instantaneous impact.

The bone knife pierced Xia Xi's heart, and the blinding light vanished in an instant.

The puppy let go and stared blankly at Ban Xiaxi.

"Walk……"

He opened his mouth, revealing half of his tongue, as if trying hard to say something.

He grabbed Ban Xiayin's hand with tremendous force, "Brother, take them away..."

Ban Xiayin gritted her teeth, "If one day, your brother can bring you back, promise your brother that you will live well, okay?"

Ban Xiaxi froze, a tear sliding down her cheek. "Brother, I can't come back..."

Beneath Ban Xiaxi, a white array suddenly appeared, and several melodious bird calls came from the sky. Four startled birds, formed from spiritual energy, appeared out of thin air and swooped down. Their cries tore through the tranquility of Chunsheng Mountain and illuminated the entire gray, misty sky.

The group was stunned when they saw the formation suddenly appear.

Ban Xiayin shook her head in disbelief, "No, Xiaoxi, you can't! You can't agree to Bixie's request! You can't agree to him!"

Xie Shuci was not surprised at all to see the formation appear.

Ban Xiaxi wanted the villagers to disappear with him and to reincarnate his people. However, he was not the Heavenly Dao and could not send his people into reincarnation. Therefore, he made a deal with Bixie, giving his life to Bixie and becoming Bixie's fifth sacrifice. But Bixie was not the Heavenly Dao either, and was even an existence that was also banished by the Heavenly Dao. How could he do what he promised?

"You can't agree to him! Xiaoxi...you can't..." Ban Xiayin became somewhat hysterical. He frantically tried to stop the formation from appearing, but no matter what he did, it was all in vain.

Ban Xiaxi pouted, her tears evaporating within the array. "Brother, he promised me, he will keep his word."

"No...no!" Ban Xiayin nearly collapsed as she hugged him tightly, all traces of her gentle demeanor gone. "You can't agree to him..."

"Brother, let's go. Without you, Shuci and the others will die."

Ban Xiaxi's voice gradually weakened, and her body gradually disappeared as it was devoured by the formation.

"Bixie... Bixie..." Xie Shuci murmured the two words. Everything he encountered was inextricably linked to Bixie.

It was as if a huge net had trapped him tightly, making Xie Shuci feel suffocated.

Xie An held Xie Shuci's hand tightly. Words were useless at this moment, and Xie Shuci didn't need words of comfort. But he also had no way to tell Xie Shuci all this.

That was an undeniable fact, and he felt fear.

I don't want Xie Shuci to know the truth, so I feel afraid.

Ban Xiaxi's figure was completely swallowed by the formation. The sky, like paper, instantly shattered into pieces. The surging seawater poured in from the sky, and a huge airflow blew up a gale. The withered leaves on the mountain were flying and rocks were scattered. The huge impact rushed straight towards Xie Shuci and the others. The trees in Chunsheng Mountain were instantly uprooted, the soil and trees collapsed, and the earth shook.

"Thank you for your help!"

"Your Majesty!"

Xie Shuci shouted, grabbed the king by the neck with one hand and Xie An's arm with the other.

"careful!"

Liu Dazhuang cleaved the flying boulder with an axe and stood in front of the group.

Driven by his spiritual power, the axe swelled and expanded in his hand, attempting to block the surging seawater that was pouring down like a collapsing pillar of heaven. However, they knew perfectly well that in the face of the vast torrent, all their efforts were in vain.

Just then, Xie Shuci felt a gentle spiritual force envelop him, and his body suddenly became ethereal, slowly rising into the air. He looked around in surprise and found that others were being lifted into the air by this spiritual force, just like him.

"Lord Water God!" Xie Shuci shouted, and everyone reacted and immediately looked at Ban Xiayin, who was kneeling quietly by the lake.

"Senior, let's go!"

"Awooo! Awooo!"

Ban Xiayin looked at her empty hands, slowly turned her head, tears streaming down her face, her eyes filled with helplessness and panic, "Xiaoxi... he was sacrificed..."

"Go, Water God! Little Stream wants you to live!"

“But… I can never save him… even if I…” Ban Xia looked helplessly at Xie Shuci, tears streaming down his face. Xiaoxi had sacrificed herself, and he didn’t even have a last chance to save him…

The spiritual energy carried the group upwards, but Ban Xiayin lowered his head and sat alone by the lake, watching the river gradually dry up.

The stream... was sacrificed... became an offering to ward off evil spirits...

He should have guessed it sooner... he should have guessed it sooner...

Xie Shuci looked at his solitary figure and seemed to see Ban Xiaxi, who had been guarding Chunsheng Mountain for thousands of years. He pounded on the light blue barrier in front of him and shouted something, but the sound was too far away to be heard.

"Go! Go! Please... go..." Xie Shuci's vision blurred with tears, and she cried out in despair, but she could not move Ban Xiayin, who was sitting with his head bowed by the lake.

"Thank you, Shuci." Xie An pulled him from behind, trying to calm him down.

Xie Shuci's cheeks were red from crying. "He can't stay here, he can't do this. He promised Xiaoxi he would live well..."

"I know! I know." Xie An pressed him into his arms and gently patted his back. As the height increased, the string that had been tightly stretched in Xie Shuci's heart finally snapped. He buried his face in Xie An's chest and cried loudly. His hoarse cries were more suffocating than the surging seawater.

The sound of crying pierced Xie An's heart; he kept his lips tightly pressed together and remained silent.

However, at that moment, above the water, a crimson whip slashed through the air, and a dark blue figure swooped down, the whip wrapping around Ban Xiayin's arm on the ground, pulling him into the air.

Everyone was stunned when they saw the man suddenly appear in mid-air.

Xie Shuci lifted his head from Xie An's embrace, and when he saw the dark blue figure clearly, he was immediately dumbfounded.

"Aww!"

Upon seeing the newcomer, the king exclaimed excitedly.

Xie Shuci rubbed his teary eyes, wondering if he had seen things wrong.

That figure seemed so familiar, and I'd seen that crimson whip somewhere before...

When Sikong Xin saw the person who had arrived, his brows furrowed immediately. "A disciple's robe from the Chu family of Yingzhou."

Liu Dazhuang was taken aback. "How did you know?"

“I once sent Zixi to the cultivation world to investigate the eldest disciple of the Chu family.”

"Guiyi..." Xie Shuci called out a name in disbelief upon seeing the man who suddenly appeared. Although Xie Shuci had never seen Chu Guiyi wear this disciple's robe before, that face and that whip were undoubtedly Chu Guiyi's!

Xie An's expression suddenly turned cold.

Chu Guiyi, dressed in a dark blue robe and enveloped in a faint golden light, used his Nine-Section Flying Bird Whip to pull Ban Xiayin to his side.

Ban Xiayin snapped out of her daze and stared blankly at the man who had suddenly appeared.

“The longing to return home…” he murmured.

Chu Guiyi lowered her eyes and smiled, "Senior, I'm sorry. If you stay here, my friend will be very sad."

"Guiyi! What brings you here!" Xie Shuci stood in the blue barrier and waved to Chu Guiyi, who was not far away.

Chu Guiyi gripped Ban Xiayin's shoulder tightly, raised her eyes, and said, "Let's talk outside."

"Yes!" Xie Shuci nodded excitedly.

Xie An gritted his teeth, feeling somewhat displeased.

"Xie Shuci, how come you haven't improved at all in just a few days? You still love to cry and whine, with tears streaming down your face. You're so dirty. Only Xie An doesn't mind."

Suddenly hearing a smug voice, Xie Shuci looked up and saw Chu Wenfeng, shrouded in golden light, holding a Green Dragon Crescent Blade, standing in mid-air looking at Xie Shuci arrogantly.

Seeing a familiar face under these circumstances, even though the person was the incredibly annoying Chu Wenfeng, Xie Shuci couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat. "Little Wenfeng, I've missed you so much!"

"Ugh—" Chu Wenfeng's face turned green upon hearing this. "Can you please stop disgusting me?"

"Wen Feng, lead the way," Chu Guiyi shouted.

"Yes, Senior Brother." Chu Wenfeng was still the same as always, following his senior brother's lead without question. As soon as his senior brother spoke, he would do as he was told.

Watching the group fly across the torrent of seawater, Xie Shuci breathed a heavy sigh of relief. When he looked down at Chunsheng Mountain on the ground, a pang of sadness welled up in his heart. At the same time, he actually saw a small figure in Chunsheng Mountain, which was being irrigated by the seawater.

The figure ran wildly through the mountains where trees had fallen. Xie Shuci looked in the direction the figure was heading and saw a slope dug with countless grave pits.

Xie Shuci's heart, which had been suspended in mid-air, crashed heavily to the ground. His lips trembled as he looked at the figure on the ground, which appeared as small as an ant. He murmured hoarsely, "Little Dog... Little Dog is still down there..."

Everyone was stunned and looked down at the ground, where they indeed saw the small figure.

Ban Xiayin came to her senses and immediately said to Chu Guiyi, "Let me down."

Chu Guiyi hesitated for a moment. In that short time, in the gradually collapsing Chunsheng Mountain, the running figure seemed to sense something. He stopped, turned around, looked in the direction of everyone, raised his arms, and waved his hands vigorously at them, as if saying a final farewell.

He accompanied Ban Xiaxi for thousands of years, and now that Ban Xiaxi has disappeared, it's time for him to disappear as well.

In this vast ocean, he was as insignificant as a speck of dust, yet in the next moment, with his back to everyone, he resolutely ran in the opposite direction.

People in this world are so strange.

Some people's hearts are like bright mirrors, reflecting all the beauty and kindness in the world; others' hearts are like bottomless wells, hiding the evil that has not yet been fully explored.

"Admirable." Chu Guiyi watched the little dog's departing figure with admiration. "The dead are gone, the living remain. Let's go."

Ban Xia Yin didn't speak again. He quietly watched the little dog disappear into the sea, seemingly understanding what kind of feeling it was.

The child will not leave with them. He has been waiting here for thousands of years, not to leave, but to repay kindness and seek revenge.

Now that he has avenged himself, he feels that he has not repaid the kindness he was owed.

He won't leave.

Like the stream, he also wanted to end everything here.

What about myself? What should I do?

He wanted to stay here with Xiaoxi like that child, but he couldn't. So many innocent cultivators were trapped in his sea of ​​consciousness, and he had promised Xiaoxi that he would live well. If he stayed here, Xiaoxi would blame him if she found out.

The ending that Xiaoxi paid for with his own life was not to imprison Ban Xiayin in the past, preventing him from escaping. He wanted everything to end completely with his disappearance.

It's finally over...

"Guiyi, thank you." Ban Xiayin looked up at the man beside her.

"Senior, you flatter me. The one who should be thanking you is Chu."

Spiritual power escorted everyone to the water's surface. Xie Shuci used his spiritual power to activate the divine boat, reducing it to its original size and allowing it to float on the water.

As everyone entered the Shenzhou one after another, they breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

The sea filled up the entire Chunsheng Mountain. The seabed was surging for thousands of miles, but the surface of the water was extremely calm and peaceful.

It was as if nothing had happened.

Looking at the bright sun in the sky, Xie Shuci suddenly felt as if he had been transported to another world.

Chu Wenfeng walked over to Xie Shuci, nudged him on the shoulder, and pointed at Liu Dazhuang across from them, "What's wrong with him? Why is he staring at me like that?"

Liu Dazhuang looked at Chu Wenfeng with a scrutinizing gaze. When he saw that Chu Wenfeng still dared to look back, he immediately glared at him. Chu Wenfeng glanced at him contemptuously and said to Xie Shuci, "Why are there always these kinds of strange people around you?"

Xie Shuci: "..."

Xie Shuci was initially a little stunned, but after hearing Chu Wenfeng say a few words, her anger flared up. "Are you introducing yourself? How come you haven't grown any taller in two months? At your age, if you don't grow taller now, you might not grow any taller later."

Chu Wenfeng's face darkened. "Bullshit! If you spout any more nonsense, I wish you impotence!"

"Holy shit—who the hell taught you that?"

"With you."

"You're talking nonsense."

"You should know your own limitations." Chu Wenfeng glanced at Chu Guiyi and lowered his voice, saying, "I learned these swear words from you, and when I got back, I got a good scolding from the family head."

Liu Dazhuang watched them whispering to each other, then turned away in frustration, his lips pursed.

"Serves you right! Don't you have any ability to distinguish right from wrong? Well, you're just a little kid, of course you don't."

Chu Wenfeng crossed his arms and sneered, "Yes, I'm not like some people who cry their eyes out. If it weren't for my senior brother and me descending from the heavens, you would have cried yourself to death."

Xie Shuci glared at him, "I'll deal with you later!"

Chu Wenfeng didn't take it seriously, "Who's dealing with whom?"

Shh! Shut up!

Chu Wenfeng curled his lips.

Xie Shuci told the king to follow the little blind man, and then slowly walked towards Chu Guiyi.

"Guiyi, what brings you here?" Xie Shuci asked.

Chu Guiyi said, "I heard that the Dragon Fang Secret Realm closed early. I guess it might be related to the collapse of the Immortal's Tomb. If so, this matter is inextricably linked to Wen Feng and me. That's why I came to Huaizhou to look for you, senior, but I didn't expect to arrive too late. What about you?"

Xie Shuci said, "I also heard that the secret realm closed early, so I came to Huaizhou with them to find you, senior. I just didn't expect..."

I never imagined they would encounter so many things, and I never imagined they would learn the truth about the destruction of the Banxia clan.

Chu Guiyi glanced at him, smiled, and said, "Leaving no regrets is the best ending."

Xie Shuci sighed. Yes, Ban Xiaxi made them pay the price, sending her clansmen into reincarnation, and ended it all with her own life. She truly left no regrets.

But what about Ban Xiayin?

Xie Shuci looked at Ban Xiayin not far away. He sat quietly on the gunwale, looking at the boundless sea in the distance. His figure was so thin that it seemed as if he might disappear at any moment.

This seemingly perfect ending may not be so in Ban Xiayin's heart.

Chu Guiyi walked behind Ban Xiayin and bowed to him with clasped hands: "I am grateful for your life-saving grace in the secret realm that day. At that time... I broke my promise. If you are willing, I will offer my body to you after the Immortal Sect Selection in three months."

Ban Xiayin gently withdrew her gaze, her eyes always radiating a soft light when she looked at others. "No need. I saved you because you deserve it."

"You flatter me, senior."

Looking at the group of people who seemed familiar with Xie Shuci, Liu Dazhuang lingered before walking over to Sikong Xin, and asked hesitantly, "Who exactly are they? Why are they so close to Xie Shuci?"

Sikong Xin glanced at him. "Are you jealous?"

"You, you're talking nonsense! I just can't stand them. They're all so ugly, it hurts my eyes to look at them."

Sikong Xin curled his lip, "They met Brother Shuci in Luofang City, entered the Dragon Fang Secret Realm together, and almost died together in the Immortal Tomb. They have a life-or-death friendship."

Hearing this, Chu Wenfeng, who was sitting opposite him, gave him a disdainful look. Liu Dazhuang was furious. "So what if we've been through thick and thin together? Aren't we and Xie Shuci through thick and thin together? We've been through thick and thin together twice!"

Sikong Xin was speechless. "What's the point of comparing these things?"

"I just can't stand that little brat's arrogant attitude!"

"So what do you plan to do? Fight? Bully the weak?"

"I……"

Sikong Xin ignored him and walked directly to Xie Shuci and the others. He clasped his hands in a fist and said to Ban Xiayin, "Senior, things have come to this, please accept my condolences."

Ban Xiayin shook her head slightly and remained silent.

"Senior, would you like to rest in a room for a while?"

Ban Xiayin said, "No need, just say what you want to say, don't worry about me."

Sikong Xin bowed and said, "Yes. May I ask, senior, do you recognize the magic array that appeared on your brother? The elder of the Siming Pavilion sent us down to the border to investigate this matter. It may be related to the destiny of heaven. The connection is very wide. I wonder if senior could reveal a little about it?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Guiyi glanced at Xie Shuci, who explained, "It's the formation we saw on the stone tablet in the Immortal's Tomb."

Chu Guiyi nodded knowingly.

Xie An and Chu Wenfeng and the others appeared behind them at some point, seemingly quite interested in the matter.

When the king saw Chu Guiyi, he wanted to nuzzle him with his dog head, but Xie An ruthlessly pressed him back with one of his large hands.

"Aww..."

Ban Xiayin lowered his head, his expression somewhat sorrowful. "That is a sacrificial formation. It is a reincarnation formation that Bixie cultivated for thousands of years to achieve the Divine Transformation Path."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sikong Xin and Chu Guiyi were both stunned, staring at Ban Xiayin in disbelief.

"The Way of Transformation?"

"Bixie cultivated...the path of the Divine Transformation?"