Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 121: A Deathsworn

The strong’s karma is corrupted, rotating the tomb guardian corpses.

Command the earth demons to guard the tomb alone.

No light underground, no return for the dead.

For the first time, Bai Shuangying was the first to unravel all three taboos of the Grave-Sealing E, yet he felt no joy at all.

Fang Xiu’s theory had been correct: the taboos only targeted the strongest person the E possessed.

It first selects the strongest intruder, then forcibly swaps their soul and body to create a Tomb Guardian.

This Tomb Guardian will lose its original body and, even if it slaughters all other intruders, can only continue as an evil spirit. Whether it eventually disintegrates or continues aimlessly depends on how long its living soul holds out. Either way, the place has a stockpile of cultist corpses; all it lacks are intruding souls.

And if the Tomb Guardian is killed by another intruder? No problem. The E will just select another target. The three taboos cycle endlessly, until no one is left alive.

Once someone is trapped in that cycle, there is no way out.

Fang Xiu was still beside him, but his cognition was deteriorating rapidly. He was barely hanging on by sheer willpower… Before long, Bai Shuangying would lose him.

Just like the countless humans who died in front of him, their flesh withered to bones and their souls dissolved into yin energy. He could no longer understand them. And with every second, Fang Xiu was slipping away too.

Humans have such short lifespans. Bai Shuangying thought he had accepted that.

But when the moment of parting came, he still… didn’t know what to do.

Fang Xiu tilted his head back toward the shaft of light and moved his hand through it. In the darkness, the blood-seared characters on his hand looked almost black, but in the sunlight, they blazed bright red.

The red gleam lasted only a moment and his hand vanished in the light.

“Looks like your idea didn’t work. I can’t contact the outside,” Fang Xiu said after a pause. His voice was calm. “My condition’s worse than I thought.”

Bai Shuangying was still in chaos.

He grabbed Fang Xiu’s arm, like grabbing half-melted snow in early spring.

“There has to be a way.”

He forced himself to believe. “The Grave-Sealing E once circulated outside. There must be a way to get it out.”

“If it’s just about sending the thing out, and not the person,” Fang Xiu said thoughtfully, “then you could seize the E now and throw it out of the tomb. That would count as ‘removing’ it.”

“That way, only I die, and the others can escape more easily.”

Bai Shuangying tensed instantly, eyes locked on Fang Xiu’s contemplative expression.

Usually, the Grave-Sealing E would brainwash its host into a puppet. But Fang Xiu still had some lucidity. He might actually go through with it…

Before Bai Shuangying could stop him, Fang Xiu added, “But I’m not that kind-hearted. So, forget it.”

Bai Shuangying: “……”

Right. His human never did act out of conscience.

Fang Xiu stepped slightly away from the beam of light and pulled out the luminous cup he’d taken from Cen Ling. He carefully wiped away the blood and dust on it, then raised it in a solemn toast toward the distant light.

Bai Shuangying looked on in puzzlement.

But in the next moment, Fang Xiu smashed the goblet against the nearest stone wall. The thing was thin to begin with, and it shattered immediately.

A rush of yin wind burst forth. Fang Xiu shook his head and blinked, his eyes suddenly sharper.

“Good. It helped a bit.”

Bai Shuangying stared intently, narrowing his eyes. Fang Xiu’s karmic aura had thickened, while the Grave-Sealing E’s influence receded slightly.

Thinking it through, it made sense.

As one of the Immortal E, the luminous cup had accumulated centuries of karma. It was like how killing stains someone with karmic debt, “killing” an E would also transfer immense karma.

The Grave-Sealing E draws power from karma, so the more karma Fang Xiu carries, the harder it becomes to control him.

Of course, this was just a temporary fix. It only bought time.

…But the real question was: how did an ordinary, human like Fang Xiu, whose conscious was currently corrupted, come up with this idea?

Bai Shuangying belatedly realized that Fang Xiu had always been doing things like this.

His human had personally killed the most sinful evil spirits and people and personally dismantled every E they encountered. Even when barely lucid, Fang Xiu carried out these acts like instinct. It was a sign that this habit was rooted deep in his bones.

…Why? Was it related to his so-called “life plan”?

But he was just a human. Accumulating karma only made one’s soul tastier. There was no benefit.

Bai Shuangying couldn’t figure it out.

Fang Xiu stared at the sunlight, then crushed the cup shards underfoot without a trace of emotion. The jade crumbled beneath him with a crunch.

The light spilled through the murky air, forming a soft halo. Evil spirits vanished from the area, leaving behind an eerie quiet.

After thoroughly destroying the cup, Fang Xiu sat beside the light. Half-leaning against the dirt and rubble, he hugged his knees in thought. Knowing death was near, he didn’t rage or despair—only thought.

“My compatibility with this thing isn’t great. I probably can’t ascend as a ghost immortal,” he muttered.

True enough, Bai Shuangying thought. The Grave-Sealing E had already been refined once by a ghost immortal. Doing it again was near impossible.

“Now that it’s locked onto me, getting it to transfer voluntarily is also unlikely.”

Bai Shuangying had considered weakening Fang Xiu enough to redirect the E to Cen Ling. But the Grave-Sealing E wasn’t that smart. It would just wait for Fang Xiu to die.

“If I destroy it… maybe the Underworld would help, and I could survive, but they’d prioritize recovery. Hm…”

Seeing Fang Xiu continue to ignore him, Bai Shuangying slid over silently and sat in front of him. “You still have me.”

Fang Xiu blinked, voice a little lighter. “I know. Thank you.”

“I’m not trying to comfort you.” Bai Shuangying tried to stay patient. “You can be bolder with your plan. We are, well, partners.”

Fang Xiu in his dazed state was easier to talk to. At the word “partners”, he did soften. “So what can you do?”

“Anything you want,” Bai Shuangying said proudly.

Fang Xiu: “Overthrow the Underworld.”

“…That’s not possible right now,” Bai Shuangying admitted, though he really wanted to.

Fang Xiu: “End the ritual.”

Bai Shuangying wilted a little.

Fang Xiu chuckled. “I can tell. You’ve got your own concerns. You can’t go all out. But you don’t need to push yourself.”

Then he fell silent again, thinking without speaking, like he didn’t want to disturb Bai Shuangying.

Bai Shuangying paced around Fang Xiu, unsure how to help. Finally, he wrapped his arms around Fang Xiu from behind, feeling the body grow colder by the minute.

Fang Xiu didn’t resist. He just relaxed into the embrace and nestled there.

Ten minutes passed. Fang Xiu began to tremble faintly.

Bai Shuangying watched as he clutched the still-bleeding mark on his hand, shaking his head like he was trying to shake off the corruption. He was fighting the taboo with nothing but his own will.

Bai Shuangying was startled to find that his emotions could still feel this bad. When the Underworld and humans betrayed him, he had hated them with clarity. When starving in the seal, he had burned with righteous fury.

But now he didn’t know who to blame. The dumb E? Fang Xiu? Himself? All he knew was that Fang Xiu was fading, and he could do nothing but watch.

It was unbearable.

Bai Shuangying couldn’t describe the weight in his chest. He hugged his human tighter.

His mind was a mess, combing through spells for a solution.

In his deepest thoughts, a voice whispered: Take him now, just as a seductive ghost would. Strip his soul, extract his karma, wring out every last drop of value.

Bai Shuangying knew this was the most practical option at present.

But looking at the man still trying to think his way out, Bai Shuangying couldn’t go through with it. The idea dissolved, leaving only a bitter, strange ache.

“Bai Shuangying,” Fang Xiu murmured, gripping his arm.

“…Mm.”

“Bai Shuangying.”

“…Mm.”

“Looks like I still remember you.” Fang Xiu exhaled. “That’s good.”

“…”

Bai Shuangying tightened his arms again.

If Fang Xiu vanished… the world outside would seem so empty, so dull.

If they really parted here, Bai Shuangying wouldn’t mind going back to his original plan. After being unsealed, he’d destroy—Wait.

Bai Shuangying froze. He was shock that he suddenly had a second idea… in the same ritual!

“The Grave-Sealing E’s taboos are all based on ‘guarding the tomb,’” he said, gently tugging Fang Xiu’s cold earlobe. “…What if this place is no longer a tomb?”

Fang Xiu stiffened and turned with difficulty. “?”

“Destroy the mausoleum. Eliminate all corpses and evil spirits. Then bury this thing into the ground.”

Bai Shuangying rested his chin on Fang Xiu’s shoulder and spoke softly, “With no tomb to guard, the taboos of the Grave-Sealing E lose all meaning.”

“In theory, it’s worth a try. But it’ll be hard,” Fang Xiu considered. “If you start wrecking things, it’ll provoke the E, and it’ll go all-out against you.”

“If it’s worth trying, that’s enough,” Bai Shuangying said.

And with those words, the pressure in his chest finally eased.

Bai Shuangying closed his eyes with satisfaction.

……

Mei Lan picked up the Substitution E. The cloth doll was ice cold, like touching a corpse’s burial clothes.

“This should work as evidence! With the Underworld agent’s testimony, we can penalize those guys, right?” Guan He exhaled heavily.

He didn’t know the rules of the Disaster Relief Tower well, but he respected their opponent’s metaphysical skills. That said, Cen Ling’s “mass-producing Immortal E’s” behavior was just ridiculous.

“Will the Underworld step in? If the ritual gets halted, Fang Ge will be fine,” Guan He asked hopefully.

Mei Lan shook her head. “They’re like human police. In extreme cases like this, they’ll still go fishing for bigger prey.”

After hearing Mei Lan’s story, Cheng Songyun gave her a complicated look.

Though Mei Lan hadn’t said it outright, her “gambling operation” sounded awfully familiar, and matched the right region.

Cheng Songyun’s family had been ruined by gambling. Clearly, the Guishan Sect had been involved. If not, their paths probably never would’ve crossed.

But this wasn’t the time to dwell on that.

Cheng Songyun took a deep breath and let it go. “Xiao Mei, since you know the Sect, what should we do?”

“If Cen Ling dared to reveal an Immortal E, he’s not planning to leave anyone alive.”

Mei Lan replied without hesitation. “He’s strong. Hiding won’t help. If he finds us, it’s over. It’s better to find his location first and give him more problems.”

Guan He: “What about Fang Ge?”

“It’s because Fang Xiu is still alive that he didn’t kill us right away.”

Mei Lan sighed. “He wants to use us as meat shields and puppets, to ‘help’ him fight Fang Xiu.”

“Got it. Then let’s just focus on him,” Guan He said firmly, clearly not including “fight Fang Xiu” in their plans.

Cheng Songyun nodded as well. “If we stall Cen Ling, Fang Xiu will be under less pressure.”

Mei Lan paused, then smiled. “You’re right.”

She took out the red ink pen Fang Xiu had given her and wrote a name and birth date on the back of the Substitution E.

The others watched as the doll twisted and morphed, its features changing until it resembled Mei Lan again.

Guan He and Cheng Songyun: “???”

“It listens to me now,” Mei Lan explained. “It’s an extra fighter, essentially.”

Guan He eyed it warily. “But… why not use info from one of those Sect bastards?”

“Real names and birthdays of the Guishan Sect elites are strictly confidential. I was engaged to Zhuang Pengdao and I still don’t know his real birthday. Only people like Zhuang Chongyue or Cen Ling know everything.”

Mei Lan smiled faintly. “And this thing has a range limit. If anyone in the world could designate it, it’d be broken.”

The other two were speechless.

Now there were two Mei Lans, one on each side of them. The little black dog led the way, following Cen Ling’s scent.

Soon, the four figures were swallowed by the shadows.

……

At the same time—

Bai Shuangying carried Fang Xiu and circled the tomb.

He stayed hidden, carefully avoiding trouble. From a distant corner, he felt A’Shou’s suspicious gaze and barely-contained fury—

That ghost immortal had likely realized the luminous cup Immortal E was gone.

At that thought, Bai Shuangying held Fang Xiu tighter.

Fang Xiu clung to him, focusing entirely on resisting the Grave-Sealing E’s corruption. The two of them moved around so closely, so seamlessly, it was sickening to watch.

A’Shou glared for a while before finally looking away.

Bai Shuangying pulled out his Peach Bone Evil, leaving scattered spell residues behind him, like glowing petals buried in soil.

As long as the timing is right, once triggered, they’d cause powerful yin explosions, destroying nearby spirits and structures.

But the corpses planted by the Guishan Sect still required special handling.

Fang Xiu occasionally glanced at Bai Shuangying, then quickly looked away. He traced Bai Shuangying’s shoulder with his fingertip, lost in thought.

Bai Shuangying looked down at the human in his arms and remembered the moment the chains broke—

The first time, he’d been curious about this human.

The second time, he saw that Fang Xiu simply wanted his company.

The third time, he decided Fang Xiu wasn’t a mercenary, but a warrior.

The fourth time, he realized Fang Xiu’s perspective was abnormal. He had no fear of ghosts or gods.

The last time… he thought Fang Xiu’s mind had finally reached its limit.

Just recently, Fang Xiu had smashed the luminous cup. He didn’t care about its beauty or power; didn’t care about its origin or value. He had crushed it without hesitation, just to stay lucid.

Likewise, he never hesitated with allies. Fang Xiu showed no trace of self-sacrifice. He just fought to survive… and to keep moving forward.

Bai Shuangying stopped walking.

It was… contradictory.

Fang Xiu had a strong survival instinct, but no “desire to live”. Even with death so close, his mental breakdown imminent, he simply added it to the equation.

A thought crossed Bai Shuangying’s mind.

…What if Fang Xiu didn’t even care about himself?

…Like a deathsworn, only trying not to die before the mission is complete.

In that instant, the world seemed to shake.

He heard the crackling of fireworks exploding all around.

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