"Ha ha ha ha--"

Chu Jiang laughed again, "I knew it, that blockhead is the one you truly love. What a pity, isn't he right here!"

Chu Jiang stretched out his arms in a welcoming gesture.

"He and I were originally one person. To be more precise, he was merely a part of me. Now that he has returned to his original self, that is his blessing. Yan Qing, I ask you—"

Chu Jiang suddenly teleported, appearing right in front of her, their noses almost touching. His voice was still gentle, but devoid of any emotion.

"Is the Azure Dragon Coffin Carrying the Phantom in your hands?"

"The Azure Dragon carrying the coffin?" Yan Qing shrugged. "What do you mean? You should be more familiar with that instance than I am, right? I was able to ride in the Azure Dragon carrying the coffin all thanks to you! -- Sorry, I really didn't know."

Chu Jiang exhaled a breath at her, "Really? I don't believe it."

His voice grew softer and softer, spoken so intimately, almost touching her face. This made Yan Qing extremely uncomfortable, yet she was completely powerless to resist.

She can't move.

The storage ring on Yan Qing's hand unlocked automatically.

"Hmph, little girl, you're still trying to play tricks on me at a time like this."

Chu Jiang was absolutely certain that this little girl was very cunning, and the item must be in her storage ring.

Yan Qing's storage ring did indeed contain many things, even all eighteen complete Asura Netherworld Tokens, but what he wanted most was missing.

Chu Jiang didn't believe it and checked the place three more times, inside and out, before finally looking at Yan Qing with a livid expression.

"You brat, where did you hide that thing?"

Yan Qing still looked completely innocent. "I already told you, I really didn't!"

"Impossible?!" Chu Jiang's emotions were completely out of control. "The Azure Dragon Coffin was the object she used to attain enlightenment, and it's also related to her life. This object must be with her, otherwise, how could you still be alive? Tell me! Where did you hide it?"

Yan Qing still had the same expression, and it looked like she was about to cry.

Now, Chu Jiang could hardly believe it. "Could it be that this item has really fallen into the hands of the old monk?"

The old monk went to such lengths to open the seventh level of the Seven Star Pagoda, definitely not to save anyone. Rather, he was fulfilling the red-clad woman's thousand-year-old wish, representing Famen Temple to see her off on her final journey.

After the celestial soul leaves the body, it will return to dust and ashes a thousand years later.

Famen Temple, having received such immense kindness from her, has remained steadfast in its commitment to compassion for nearly a thousand years. Naturally, it cannot possibly coexist with a world of supernatural tales and post-apocalyptic rules.

This made her even more curious. Even though the old monk had committed such atrocities, he still resolutely opened the third floor of the Seven Star Pagoda. It couldn't have been just to give it to her.

There are things she doesn't know about this.

Yan Qing checked the time and realized that it was already past midnight. In twelve hours, the woman in red would disappear completely.

Chu Jiang clearly saw her subtle movements, and his face grew even paler.

Yan Qing was roughly grabbed by him and thoroughly searched from head to toe. In the end, Chu Jiang had to admit that the item was indeed not on her.

"Oh no, how could I forget about Xiao Tao? You, Yan Qing, you actually played this game with me!!"

Chu Jiang slapped his forehead and stormed downstairs to catch the person.

Beside the stone platform, only Yan Qing and the sleeping woman in red remained.

"Why--"

A sigh drifted over, and suddenly a woman's voice rang out in the wind, sounding soothing and peaceful.

"You've come—"

"I have been sleeping alone for a thousand years, and to have you see me off at the last moment is already a perfect ending."

The voices echoed in the void, but the woman on the stone bed did not wake up, and the source of the voices was unknown.

"Who are you?" Yan Qing asked cautiously.

"I am you. We were originally the same person, but after a thousand years of reincarnation, you are now a completely independent individual. Even without me, I believe you will live a good life."

On the stone bed, the corners of the woman in red's mouth slowly curled up.

"I want to thank you, thank you for bringing it back to me."

A miniature azure dragon carrying a coffin slowly flew out of her body and began to hover leisurely above her head.

Yan Qing was puzzled. "The Azure Dragon Carrying a Coffin, what exactly is it?"

The woman's voice carried a hint of laughter.

"This thing doesn't belong here, nor does it belong to me. It has protected me for too long, and now it's time for it to leave."

"I don't know the origin of this thing. The gods say that it is something that the Heavenly Dao cannot control. It has been wandering in the spatial rifts of various worlds for many years and has incredible power. The reason why I was able to be resurrected and transformed into a strange body is also thanks to it."

The bronze coffin began to spin rapidly, as if something was being forcibly extracted from the woman's body.

The woman's voice was noticeably weaker.

"In the universe, everything has its gains and losses. My celestial soul, you seem to have something to say."

Yan Qing mustered her courage, "Can Yue Qi come back?"

The woman's voice once again carried a hint of laughter. At the same time, the Azure Dragon carrying the coffin, which was suspended in the air, suddenly leaped and disappeared into the void.

"Don't worry, he's not dead. I will bless you, and one day you will surely meet again."

The woman's voice grew softer and softer, becoming increasingly faint and indistinct.

"My life has been filled with unavoidable circumstances. Though the past is unbearable, I have never regretted it. Your intelligence far surpasses mine. Therefore, this is all I can give you in the end."

A golden light flew out from her body and disappeared into Yan Qing's body.

On the stone bed, the woman's figure began to gradually become ethereal.

Yan Qing asked anxiously, "Isn't there still half a day left? Why is it going to disappear so soon?"

A silvery laugh echoed from the void, sounding exceptionally pleasant.

"I was just lying to you—the seventh level of the Seven Star Pagoda is my true trump card. Even if it hasn't been a thousand years, as long as someone opens the seventh level, I will surely die. Remember to pass on my message: the sins of Famen Temple are for the sake of saving the world. Heaven and earth have eyes, and this is a meritorious deed."

As she finished speaking, the woman in red on the stone bed transformed into a ball of golden light, slowly rising into the air before finally disappearing completely.

Yan Qing looked up, and whether it was a hallucination or not, she seemed to see that familiar black Yaksha statue. The woman in red, bathed in golden light, smiled at her.

— Compassionate yet mysterious.

Yan Qing stood there, stunned. How could that woman in red be with the Yaksha King? Could it be that, as she said, her mission was truly accomplished?

Sadly, she has passed away, and all the answers have vanished with her.

The echoes lingered in the void, with a woman's voice barely audible.

"In the end, I still feel I have failed you in my entire life—"

Yan Qing didn't hear those words because she had already seen someone arrive.

A stumbling figure reappeared, accompanied by a heart-wrenching scream of pain.

"No--!!"