Luo Xiu desperately waved his hands, trying to grasp the increasingly blurry figure of Yaya. But no matter how hard he tried, his efforts were futile.
By now, the sea of blood beneath him was devoid of corpses, and its crimson color was rapidly fading.
"Little Mule, I'm leaving... You have to live on. Protect Qin Xiaodou, and find Sister Hongye."
Luo Xiu withdrew his trembling hands and lowered his head.
Yaya gifted him a smile and then suddenly waved her little hand. "Don't be like this. My mother said that since we of the Kun Tribe devour countless lives, in death, we must repay the Great Dao and all living beings. This is the destiny of our tribe."
"Little Mule, I truly don't regret this. As long as it can save Qin Xiaodou and everyone else, I would do it a hundred times over."
"If there is a next life, we must be good friends again."
"Okay."
"Also, you must not forget me!"
"Okay."
Luo Xiu slowly raised his head and watched the joyfully soaring great fish until it disappeared into the endless darkness.
"Yaya, thank you."
...
A long time passed.
A silent coldness surged in like a tide, and Luo Xiu once again fell into a deathly silent darkness.
Because his own Divine Soul was sufficiently powerful, coupled with the aid of the Indestructible Divine Flame and Yaya's final act of help, his soul flame did not extinguish or weaken. Instead, it grew ever stronger.
However, this vigorous soul flame seemed to be trapped in a dark cage, making it impossible for anyone on the outside to detect it.
Not even Master Ping could perceive it.
...
The sun set in the west.
Night fell upon Henghai Provincial City. Everyone had departed, leaving only the endless night.
Atop the altar, a delicate flower vine crawled as slowly as a snail. It took a long time to spread across the altar, then it began to slowly climb up the skeleton Luo Xiu had left behind.
Slowly, so slowly, it climbed...
Finally, after a great while, the flower vine wrapped around the Holy Lotus Jade Pendant hanging from the skeleton's neck. It emitted a faint light, injecting the very last shred of its life force into the jade pendant.
Then, the flower vine began to wither. But it remained entwined around the jade pendant, like a girl asleep in her lover's arms.
After receiving the vine's life force, the Holy Lotus Jade Pendant suddenly pulsed with a faint green light, as if coming to life, and drew an invisible soul flame into it.
At the same time, a mysterious golden aura flowed from the well-preserved skeleton into the Holy Lotus Jade Pendant, which then vanished into thin air.
...
...
Day after day, time flew like an arrow.
Two months had passed since the end of the Slaughter Grounds Calamity. But even after two full months, people had not yet emerged from their sorrow.
That brutal reality, a scene like a slaughterhouse of Asuras, yet as surreal as a dream, remained vivid in the memories of the people of Hua Country, as if it had happened only yesterday.
Shattered cities could be rebuilt.
But the heroes who had passed away would never return.
They would, however, be remembered forever.
...
Capital of Hua Country.
Imperial Palace.
In a quiet and elegant little courtyard, Di Xuanji sat weakly on the sofa. She appeared much older, and several strands of white now streaked her black hair.
After examining her condition, Master Ping said, "Empress, your life is saved, but from now on... you can only live as an ordinary person, unable to cultivate again."
Di Xuanji nodded gently. "I had already sacrificed myself. To have survived is already a great fortune."
"Live well," Master Ping said. "As the ruler of a nation, you bear a great responsibility. You cannot continue to be so dejected. Besides, you promised Lu Nianjiao you would protect Hua Country and your people."
"Moreover... you can't let the sacrifices of Luo Xiu and Yaya be in vain. If their spirits are watching from the heavens, they would not wish to see you like this."
The thought of Luo Xiu and Yaya plunged Di Xuanji into silence.
A moment later, she looked up at Master Ping, her gaze growing firm. "I will."
"By the way, Master Ping, what are your plans now?"
Master Ping chuckled. "I plan to take a stroll in the Upper Realm."
...
Meanwhile, in the World Inside the Vase, Master Ping posed the same question to Luo Ying and the others, asking about their plans for the future.
Luo Ying said, "I want to go to the Upper Realm to avenge His Majesty and reclaim the Green Lotus."
Luo Qianye grasped Luo Ying's hand tightly. "This vengeance must be paid! There will be no peace until we do!"
"Then you must count me in!" Kuang Pi boomed.
Xiao Luanzi and Yao Ritian exchanged a glance before stepping forward together.
"Then you definitely have to count us in too!" Xiao Luanzi declared. "Now that the boss is dead, we can't go back to the Shanhai Territory. And we demons can't live in this New Era, coexisting peacefully with the humans of today."
Pig Dragon nodded vigorously. "Exactly! The humans of this New Era have no vision. If we stay here, we can't just eat whoever we want. We might as well go make a living in the Upper Realm!"
At that moment, Lei Luan sighed. "I just wonder about Xi Yue, Qian Qing, and Yueyue..."
Master Ping's voice drifted from The Void. "Give them some time. Don't you humans always say that time is the best medicine?"
...
...
Vast green mountains stretched for thousands of miles. Auspicious clouds drifted across the sky, and auspicious beasts roamed the land. The entire world was filled with the endless life force of the Great Dao.
POP.
A lotus-shaped jade pendant, entwined with a withered flower vine, appeared from thin air and fell into an inconspicuous little pond.
The water was so clear that the bottom was visible, where schools of golden carp swam. The jade pendant slowly sank to the shallow bottom, attracting a swarm of curious golden carp. But upon discovering the pendant was not food, the fish scattered, disinterested.
The jade pendant lay quietly at the bottom of the pond, just like the nearby stones that had rested there for countless years, unnoticed and accompanied only by cold and solitude.
Day after day, spring gave way to autumn. Year after year, the seasons turned.
In the blink of an eye, thirty years passed quietly.
During this long time, people came to the pond to drink, beautiful women came to bathe, and demon beasts came to rest... But no one ever discovered the jade pendant's existence.
It just lay there quietly, witnessing the changing seasons, witnessing the comings and goings of all.
Finally, one day, the jade pendant gradually dissolved, revealing the lotus seed it had enshrouded.
In just a few days, the seed cracked open and sprouted.
A few months later, a touch of tender green appeared in the tranquil pond. It was a lotus leaf.
The golden carp in the pond swam about joyfully, as if celebrating this newborn life. The demon beasts that resided there began to guard it carefully, fearing the delicate green leaf might be harmed.
Another ten years passed.
A Green Lotus bloomed in the pond.
A baby boy was born from within the lotus.
...
---
Brothers and sisters, our story's Lower Realm arc has come to an end here.
Looking back on the path Luo Xiu has traveled, I'm filled with emotion.
Here, I also want to thank the brothers and sisters who have accompanied me along the way and spent your money to subscribe. My deepest thanks.
But I always feel there were many parts I didn't write well, that weren't perfect, leaving behind many regrets.
But perhaps that is life—always imperfect, always with regrets.
I'm sure everyone realized early on that this book isn't truly an urban novel, but a cultivation story disguised as one.
Personally, I'm not very good at writing urban stories, nor do I want to be constrained by the genre.
Plots where the protagonist is stuck in a small circle, fighting for money or benefits, and engaging in repetitive "face-slapping" with rivals get tiresome after a while. They really do, and they aren't very interesting.
What I wanted to write was a protagonist who fights back when challenged—an imperfect hero who has the same seven passions and six desires as any common person.
For the Upper Realm arc, and the Celestial Realm arc that follows, I will do my absolute best to write them well.
I hope all of you, my brothers and sisters, will continue to support me. Please, continue to lend me your support.
Your support is the greatest motivation for me to keep writing!
Thank you
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