Chapter 99 In the vast palace, only she remained as an ordinary second master…
Looking back at the perspective of the immortals in the Nine Heavens from Bitao's point of view, this is the first time in her life that she has experienced the feeling of "being stepped on in the face".
"The Fairy of the Peach Blossom is the true deity..."
"The Immortal of the Peach Blossom Sect dragged the heart of all living beings of the immortal and indestructible patriarch of the Xuanmen Sect into the bridge. There is no more appropriate punishment than this kind of sealing, making him a bridge of reincarnation for the living beings he has harmed."
"Who were those who were howling and barking like dogs on the Silver River before? They said that the Fairy of the Peach Blossom was shameless in order to gain merit and had rejected the marriage proposal of the Mysterious Immortal of Bright Light. Now that the Fairy of the Peach Blossom has forcibly summoned her Dharma form to save people and successfully made the Ancestor of the Mysterious Sect admit his sins, and even built a bridge with her own body, why are those 'dogs' no longer barking?! Have they run out of breath?"
"I never knew that Fairy Bitao held the ancient immortals in such high regard. Her debate with the Xuanmen Ancestor was truly brilliant. So what's the point of arguing between a merit dog and a donkey? But her comment about the Luofeng Mountain Emperor defecating in his pants is just a bit...hahaha..."
"The merits of the Fairy of the Peach Blossom are far ahead of the rest, they've gone crazy, and they've already exceeded 500,000! The Fairy of the Peach Blossom has completed the merits for ascending to heaven and attaining her position! Is her next step to ascend to heaven? This time, she's still number one!"
"I know! I know! The Fairy of the Peach Blossom had a long talk with the two Earthly Fiend Ghost Kings before, and mentioned that merit can reshape a remnant soul. The Fairy of the Peach Blossom must be planning to use merit to reshape her soul!"
"Now that you mention it, I remember... But isn't that cheating? The Earthly Fiend Ghost King is a celestial being who accompanied the competition. He told her that merit could shape the soul, so she used her body as a bridge."
"You bow-legged, cross-eyed idiot! Merit can be used to shape remnant souls; this is recorded in the ancient books of the underworld. You don't really only know how to grind grain and never read books, do you? Otherwise, why do you think Mingguang Xuanxian is collecting Tao Tao's remnant soul like a madman?"
“I knew it, Peach is the best! I always said there was a reason for everything she did.”
"I am utterly impressed. What kind of mind could conceive of using one's body as a bridge? What are 500,000 merits? All reincarnated and reborn beings in this world must cross the Bridge of Reincarnation, including even flies, ants, and mosquitoes. From now on, every being who crosses the Bridge of Reincarnation must contribute a merit to the Fairy of the Peach Blossom..."
"Hiss... This is absolutely terrifying! What celestial rank will the Fairy of the Peach Blossom Palace hold when she returns to heaven? Let's all guess!"
"Waaaaah, am I the only one who pities Mingguang Xuanxian? Mingguang Xuanxian watched helplessly as his beloved Bitao Shenxian died, her heart meridian already severed. It was forcibly reattached by everyone, but she will still slowly suffer from the five signs of decay. Who knows how many more years she has left to live in the mortal realm..."
"Huh? Before the Peach Blossom Fairy's Dharma form was punished, the Koi Fairy rushed into the thunderstorm and was teleported to the Underworld with the Peach Blossom Fairy. Shouldn't they have gained merit together? Why hasn't her merit changed at all?"
"Hahahaha, I just tracked down Zhan Kui. Because she insisted on going back to save the Moon Immortal, she entered the Underworld a step too late and couldn't hang on the Peach Blossom Immortal's Reincarnation Bridge to gain merit. Instead, she plunged into the River of Oblivion... The Koi Immortal finally had some bad luck! Why do I feel so good, hahaha! I'm so bad! Hahahaha!"
...
Zhan Kui was indeed very unlucky; he was just a little too late, just one step away!
If she had been born earlier, Bitao could have wrapped her up in a peach branch and hung her on the Bridge of Reincarnation as a pendant, allowing her to comfortably accumulate merit from then on.
Instead of being trapped in the River of Oblivion, unable to escape no matter how hard they try to swim.
Logically speaking, it wouldn't be a big deal if a fish entered the river, but the River of Oblivion is not a real river; it is formed by the accumulation of countless ghosts and their remnants.
Remnant souls cannot be reincarnated, and many of these remnant souls have remained here for thousands of years.
If a soul lingers in the underworld for too long, not only will a remnant soul be eroded by the turbid energy, but even a complete soul will eventually disappear, its vitality and memories eroded by the turbid energy.
The remnant souls piled up in this River of Oblivion have no human intelligence whatsoever. They have become a bunch of monsters missing arms, legs, heads, and buttocks, writhing, groaning, and roaring. Their only remaining desire is to devour.
They devour everything they can, because within their souls lies the unrealistic hope of completing their own souls for reincarnation.
Zhan Kui falling into this situation was like throwing a piece of gold into a beggar's bowl.
It's like placing a bowl of fragrant braised pork in front of a starving ghost who has been starving for thousands of years.
From the moment she fell in, countless people were grabbing her, tearing at her, and devouring her plump carp body.
Zhan Kui was in so much pain that he dared not stop for even a moment, and kept frantically swimming in the River of Oblivion, wagging his tail, in order to slow down the rate at which his body was corroded.
Guanghan, whom she held in her mouth, had been unconscious for a while. She had been warmed up by her spiritual energy and was now somewhat better, but she was still lying in Zhan Kui's mouth, unable to move.
In the pitch black, Guanghan sighed and said, "Why did you have to turn back to save me? Now that we're in such a predicament... even dying will be difficult."
Guanghan already knows that Bitao has transformed into the Bridge of Reincarnation, and will surely accumulate immeasurable merit in the future.
When Zhan Kui rushed towards Bi Tao during the tribulation of judgment, it must have been because Bi Tao had told her beforehand that she would take her with her to reap the merits.
Now everything is messed up because of him.
Zhan Kui was already in excruciating pain and wished he could grind his teeth against the Moon Palace.
He yelled in a less-than-friendly tone, "What nonsense are you spouting? We were once lovers, and now you're chasing after me to my death. Do you think I'm just going to stand by and watch you die?!"
Guanghan remained silent for a long time before finally whispering, "But don't you like that shooting star?"
“You like him. You always say how good he is to you. He can cook and sew. He even wants to summon a ghost to kill me. He has already killed one Tianhua. He doesn’t allow anyone to get close to you.”
Zhan Kui: "...So why did you suddenly run back to Mingguang's side? Were you afraid of dying?"
"I do like him a little, but I like you even more!"
Zhan Kui said, "Besides, don't you already know? He doesn't like me at all; he just wants to possess me!"
"As for why he doesn't allow anyone around me, it's probably because he thinks that if he possesses me in the future and becomes a woman, I won't be able to accept having had so many lovers..."
Even when Zhan Kui's love blossoms, it is incredibly vast, like a boundless ocean that can accommodate many people swimming naked at the same time; the shooting star is just one of them.
The will of Heaven wanted her to be unable to have what she desired, and she truly "could not have it." After all, in this world, there wasn't even a Nanfeng Pavilion. Wasn't Zhan Kui unable to enjoy the blessings of having multiple wives?
Moreover, her love turned into hate as easily as eating and drinking. Now, just mentioning the meteorite makes her angry, and she says in a melodious voice, "Hmph! During the tribulation, if his soul hadn't been attached to Bitao's natal sword, I would have sat on him and killed him! He even dared to try to possess me, the dignified Koi Fairy!"
Guanghan was somewhat unaccustomed to hearing Zhan Kui's voice, but to comfort her, she said, "He failed to possess her, and he even gave you the voice of bewitching."
He gets all excited when Zhan Kui is mentioned.
"How about my voice now?! Hehehehehehe... Hahahaha... Hehehehehe... Listen, no matter how I laugh, it's still so captivating!"
"Those who dare to covet the Koi Fairy will only end up losing more than they gain!"
"From now on, with my great voice, won't I be able to make any man fall head over heels for me as soon as I open my mouth?"
This time, Guanghan remained silent for a long time.
Zhan Kui tried to talk to him several times, but because he couldn't see his own mouth, Guang Han, despite having her eyes open, didn't answer Zhan Kui at all.
Zhan Kui thought he had fainted again, so she had to whip her tail wildly to prevent more souls from devouring her body, while also using some spiritual energy to nourish Guang Han.
Guanghan turned over in the darkness and sighed very softly.
What he really wanted to say was: Why do you care about me?
Why turn back?
A heartless and ungrateful person should not be turned back.
If Zhan Kui doesn't turn back, they can still get along like before.
When they're happy, they can roll around together; if they find someone else they like, they can help each other with their plans.
But now... Zhan Kui gave up a great opportunity to gain merit for him, what if he doesn't make it to heaven...?
These living souls are all devouring Zhan Kui. Her ridiculously round body is not because she is fat, but because of her luck. Guang Han is also a heartless and ungrateful person, but he can try to repay his debt of love. But what can he use to repay the luck of a koi fairy?
After an unknown amount of time, Zhan Kui could no longer bear the pain and began to groan and call for Guang Han again.
"Talk to me, will you? I can't swim anymore... How are you recovering?"
"I'm swimming towards the shore as far as I can now. When I whip my tail hard, I'll open my mouth and spit you out. You can get to shore first."
"Once you get ashore, run to the ghost soldiers and officials and identify yourself. You're so weak right now, your chest and back are practically exposed, don't let the other ghosts tear you apart and eat you!"
As Zhan Kui spoke, he began to swim laboriously toward the shore.
She wasn't doing anything particularly good for Guanghan, or rather, she herself didn't even realize that her actions were giving her all for someone.
When women are deeply in love, they often like to sacrifice everything for their partner.
However, Zhan Kui is Bi Tao's friend. The two of them have been able to get along for so many years not only because they are both wild and unruly, but also because they share many of the same views.
They are definitely not among the women who would sacrifice everything for love or for others.
Subconsciously, within their capabilities, they define themselves as powerful guardians.
Zhan Kui simply felt that it was absolutely impossible for a koi fairy like her to die in the mouths of these broken souls.
As long as Guanghan gets ashore first, she can unleash her spiritual energy without restraint, roll and struggle, and she will surely get out soon!
However, these words hurt Guanghan even more than when he formed the array or attacked the meteor.
He opened his mouth, but his throat was dry, as if... he had lost his voice.
In the end, he couldn't utter a single word.
He was born after the deaths of both his parents. The person responsible for teaching him only gave him the "inheritance" of the Southern Dipper Star Lord before passing away early.
As a star god, he learned nothing. None of his six star attendants obeyed him; they each stayed in their positions and ignored him completely.
Guanghan, relying on her status as the inheritor of the ancient immortal clan and her slick ways, managed to get by Mingguang's side as a servant.
However, because of his dissolute nature, Mingguang disliked him and never took him along on his official duties when he went down to the mortal realm. Even for these two competitions, he never really made any plans for him.
Guanghan had long been accustomed to being alone.
Passing through a sea of flowers, not a single petal clings to me.
He always thought he was incredibly cool, and he still thought so until Zhan Kui swallowed him in the midst of a sky full of lightning.
He had encountered so many female immortals and had interactions with so many people. So many people had loved him, were captivated by his gentleness and beauty, wanted to stay with him for life, and even sought death for him.
But Guanghan was never moved. He felt that love was just like that, only suitable for filling loneliness.
Yet, ironically, the one who treated him the worst, who beat him at the drop of a hat, and who was completely only after his looks and bedroom skills, and who was just as heartless and ungrateful as him, naturally "risked his life to protect" him.
This isn't like those self-proclaimed devoted lovers who can simply hang themselves from a rafter and go hungry for a few meals to earn a reputation for deep affection.
Zhan Kui might actually die here.
Bitao has already transformed into the Bridge of Reincarnation, so she can no longer help Zhankui.
Although those ghost soldiers and ghost officials could manage to bring out Zhan Kui, they could not interfere with or assist in the competition for immortality.
Amidst the turmoil in Guanghan's heart, Zhankui had already managed to reach the shore.
After a fierce swish of her tail, she opened her mouth and said to Guanghan, "Run!"
Guanghan wasn't stupid; he knew that if he went out, he might be able to find a way to rescue Zhankui.
He struggled to muster his spiritual power, bursting out of Zhan Kui's mouth and soaring towards the shore—
However, there are too many lingering souls in the River of Oblivion. They have been dead for too many years and have become evil spirits that cannot be redeemed.
Having finally found a piece of "raw meat" to eat, how could they bear to give it up?
Just as Guanghan soared into the air, the dead souls in the River of Oblivion transformed into towering waves, fiercely enveloping Guanghan and pulling her back into the River of Oblivion.
In the blink of an eye, Guanghan vanished into the writhing remnant souls of the River of Oblivion!
Guanghan is not Zhankui. He does not have Zhankui's thick fish scales as armor, nor does he have that thick fortune to support him.
He was also seriously injured, and it won't be long before he's completely torn apart.
Seeing this, Zhan Kui disregarded everything and began to swallow water fiercely towards the spot where Guang Han had fallen.
These are all remnants of the underworld, carrying the most filthy energy in the world. For Zhan Kui, a living immortal, they are nothing short of a poison that corrodes his very bones.
She was in so much pain that the whole fish almost spasmed, but luckily her belly was big enough that she couldn't curl up, and in just a few bites, she successfully sucked Guanghan back.
Those remnant souls that were devoured were squeezed out of the fish gills by Zhan Kui, but her internal organs were seriously injured as a result.
She could no longer move her tail and could only float on the River of Oblivion, letting those remnant souls burrow into her scales, tearing away her fortune and feasting on it.
She anxiously asked Guanghan, "My darling, are you alright?! I'm so sorry, I didn't expect them to be able to create waves and pull you down, it was terrifying! Those remnant souls are too ferocious!"
Guanghan was in a bad situation. He was already seriously injured, and falling into the water nearly took his life.
The meridians that Zhan Kui had carefully nurtured and restored for him were now torn beyond recognition.
But he knew that Zhan Kui was in worse shape than him; he could smell an extremely strong stench of blood coming from Zhan Kui's chest.
Guanghan spoke, her voice dry, "I'm fine, you saved me just in time."
Whether in the past or now.
"We need to plan this carefully; we can't just jump out like this again." Zhan Kui wasn't discouraged at all; he even shared some of his spiritual power with Guang Han.
Guanghan said, "You don't need to worry about me."
You really don't need to worry about it.
Let's just spit him out.
He died in the mouths of those lingering souls, at least he didn't have to suffer the torment in his heart.
He's so useless.
He has never been ambitious since childhood, spending his days indulging in frivolous pursuits. Now, he is unable to even protect himself and has to rely on a woman to risk her life for him.
During the first competition, Guanghan was perfectly content to live off her boyfriend.
But now every bite of "soft rice" he eats is made from Zhan Kui's flesh and blood.
Zhan Kui, however, was completely unaware of anything amiss. He gently nurtured Guang Han and chatted with him about other things to distract himself from the pain of being constantly corroded.
She struggled to swim away, wagging her tail, unaware that the souls she had swallowed and then expelled from her chest, nourished by the fortune, quickly materialized into hands and feet, completing the incomplete souls.
Then, from the River of Oblivion, he raised his hand and, amidst the pull of countless remnant souls, clung to the shore, struggling to crawl outwards.
When the first person crawled out of the River of Oblivion, the ghost messengers were so shocked that their jaws almost dislocated.
Occasionally, a complete soul can crawl out of the River of Oblivion in the Underworld to be reincarnated, because the River of Oblivion in the Underworld is hundreds of thousands of times larger than that in this world.
Every day, countless evil spirits and souls are thrown into the River of Oblivion to be punished.
There are also many... such as that fool who got tired of being the Purple Star a while ago and insisted on using the River of Oblivion to grind away his destiny of being an emperor for all eternity, making the souls in the River of Oblivion feed on his destiny. Some relatively intact souls were transferred out of the River of Oblivion.
However, the souls of those who have been trapped in the River of Oblivion in this world have been lingering for thousands of years, and there was originally no possibility of them being reincarnated...
But as soon as they helped the first person up, a second person quickly crawled out of the River of Oblivion...
Feeding the remnants of ghosts with one's own fortune—some do it voluntarily, some involuntarily—is the most difficult act of merit to perform in this world.
Above the Milky Way in the heavens, Zhan Kui's merits finally began to move.
Although it is far slower than the growth rate of merit points from the Peach Blossom, it is still incredibly fast.
Because these remnant souls, which had been replenished by the flow of fortune, had been devouring each other in the River of Oblivion for over a thousand years, ferrying one person across was practically ferrying a thousand, or even ten thousand.
Even Guanghan, who was being nurtured within Zhan Kui's body, was rapidly accumulating merit because she had been torn apart after falling into the River of Oblivion.
Compared to the three in the underworld, the other immortals were not so lucky.
Mingguang continued to dig deep throughout Wuman Mountain, searching high and low, climbing trees and wading through rivers, gathering the remnants of Bitao's soul. His eyes, like the blazing sunset, were fixed on every corner of the mountain range, never stopping for a moment.
Yun Chuan and the others reattached the protective bone and followed Ming Guang in searching for Bi Tao's remnant soul.
And almost all of those who sought immortal positions, just as Bitao had planned, ended up with nothing but empty promises and injuries.
The crowd was in low spirits. They didn't have the superior perspective of Yin Hangu, and they didn't know that Bitao was not dead, but had transformed into the Bridge of Reincarnation, frantically collecting the merits of this world.
They all thought that Bitao was really dead, or that she had died saving them.
Her physical form was submerged under the thunderous whip of the Heavenly Dao of myriad realms, and her shattered soul, along with the meteor of the Xuanmen Ancestor of this place, was forever imprisoned in the yellow earth.
As the sun sets and the moon rises, the fragments of Bitao's soul that the group found remaining in the mountains and forests dwindled.
But those souls hiding in various places still rise up day and night, just like the myriad lights of the human world, flying towards the entrance to the underworld.
The former prosperity of this place can be glimpsed in these countless "ghost lamps".
This grand gathering of ten thousand ghosts rushing towards rebirth was witnessed not only by cultivators but also by ordinary people in the mortal world.
Because of the revelations by Bitao and the Xuanmen Ancestor, countless ghost soldiers and officials, as well as a huge number of day and night wandering gods, were transferred from this underworld.
The people were not afraid of these soaring "ghost lamps," nor were they afraid of the ghost soldiers entering the mortal world to carry out their duties, or the wandering gods catching ghosts day and night.
They actively reported the whereabouts of evil spirits, and some even dared to inquire with the ghost soldiers whether their relatives who died many years ago had been reincarnated.
Life cannot improve in a short time, but everything becomes orderly because the bridge of reincarnation is continued.
Because they were simply too busy, the ghost officials dispatched to this realm by the Lord of the Underworld even sought help from cultivators in the cultivation world.
They requested that these monks temporarily serve as day and night patrol gods to assist the underworld in capturing the evil spirits causing trouble.
Within the Supreme Sword Sect—
As the Reincarnation Bridge was reconnected and the heavens and earth trembled, the Gale Cliff behind the mountain collapsed.
The disciples, now leaderless due to the absence of their master and his personal disciples, had no idea what had happened and only remembered that their senior brother had told them to guard the sect.
They gathered together to check on the situation at Gangfeng Cliff.
As a result, they found Zhang Yuluan, the second senior sister, bound like a rice dumpling in Gangfeng Cliff.
When Zhang Yuluan was rescued, she had only taken two or three bites of the pancake around her neck.
With the help of her junior brothers and sisters, she left Gangfeng Cliff, still cursing her third junior sister in her heart.
He vowed that if he saw her again, he would beat her so badly that even her own mother wouldn't recognize her.
As soon as Zhang Yuluan came out, she saw the magnificent scene of ten thousand souls ascending to heaven.
Another junior disciple told Zhang Yuluan that someone from another sect had come to deliver a message saying that the Wenxin Pavilion had collapsed. All the sect elders and sect leaders had disappeared without a trace.
The Bridge of Reincarnation in the Underworld has been reconnected, and the newly appointed ghost official has turned to these sect cultivators for help.
The junior brothers and sisters asked the second senior sister, who was now the only one who could make decisions, how many people should be sent out as day and night patrol gods.
Zhang Yuluan pushed away her junior sister who was supporting her and hurriedly ran forward a few steps.
But she stopped again soon after.
She felt the ground trembling beneath her feet, the earth groaning, and the wailing of countless souls filling the sky.
I knew it was all too late.
She had previously guessed that her master, senior brother, and third junior sister would be planning something "big".
Later, the eldest brother came back specifically to warn his junior brothers and sisters not to leave the mountain, and the third sister also came back specifically to tie her up tightly.
He also told her... that everything she guessed was never wrong.
Zhang Yuluan gazed at the countless souls filling the sky, tears streaming down her face.
She leaned on a stone tablet belonging to the Supreme Sword Sect, which stood proudly atop the mountain peak.
He slowly slid down to sit on the ground.
At this moment, she even felt a little annoyed with her so-called ability to understand one's own mind and nature.
She knew that from now on, she would no longer have a master or a senior brother.
There are no more third junior sister and fourth junior brother.
Perhaps... she's long gone.
The Supreme Sword Sect was once a powerful and influential sect, but even in its current state of decline, it still has thousands of disciples.
But now, overnight, it's like a tree whose thick trunk has been cut off.
She was the only weak branch left, and the only ordinary second senior sister left.
This is called... what can a lone tree support?
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