Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 173: Molten Fire and Metal

The Immortal E’s shattered like bubbles. The chains of karma lost their anchor points and vanished completely. The suffocating pressure of a thousand years dissipated without a trace, and power surged back into Bai Shuangying’s body. His robe swayed lightly as if drunk on the sensation of fullness and comfort.

Bai Shuangying looked at his hands and couldn’t help but smile.

Now, there was nothing left that could bind him. Only one problem remained—

As the final restraint broke, Fang Xiu absorbed the karmic power of tens of millions of Immortal E’s, while simultaneously losing the suppression they had provided. Both sides experienced a surge in strength. The balance of his “E cultivation” became unstable.

A wave of heat hit, and Bai Shuangying instinctively suppressed his aura and looked at Fang Xiu in front of him.

Fang Xiu’s body radiated an unexpected heat.

His red T-shirt was soaked in sweat at some unknown point. On his pale skin, faint trigram symbols flickered, along with increasingly visible veins of blood. Bai Shuangying could hear his heartbeat clearly. It was abnormally fast.

This wasn’t good.

As a Corner of Heaven’s Will, Bai Shuangying had simply regained his original power, and his body could naturally bear it.

Fang Xiu, on the other hand, was a mortal to the core. In the past fourteen years, he had only digested around a thousand E’s. To forcibly take in the karmic power of tens of millions now far exceeded what any human could handle.

Even after burning Cen Ling’s bronze sword and shield, Fang Xiu remained half-squatting, trying hard to suppress the sound of his own breathing.

Bai Shuangying’s smile faded without him noticing. He reached out to support Fang Xiu’s arm, quietly helping him stand.

Sure enough, Fang Xiu’s legs had already gone soft. At this rate, his body would soon be damaged by the high fever.

“Hah…” Fang Xiu exhaled. Though the weather was already warm, his breath still puffed out white vapor.

Bai Shuangying wrapped his sleeve around Fang Xiu, trying to cool him down. But Fang Xiu only grew hotter. Under the impact of countless karmic threads, his soul trembled ominously, like a dam about to break.

“The second phase…”

Fang Xiu tilted his face up and reached to touch the blood mole on Bai Shuangying’s cheek. “The second phase is up to you…”

The touch of a living fingertip felt like searing metal, just like when they first met.

There was no plan, no explanation. Fang Xiu simply smiled.

When he saw surprise flicker in those pale eyes, he smiled even more sweetly.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered, his cheek pressed to Bai Shuangying’s cool sleeve. “I’ve had to adjust a decade-long plan on the fly. Of course the risk is high…”

“But what can I say? I like you… The battlefield is like this. Anything can happen…”

After speaking, he coughed twice, bringing up a mess of red fragments—not blood, but shattered karmic threads.

As Fang Xiu’s condition deteriorated rapidly, Cen Ling finally caught his breath. He struggled to swallow another handful of pills and rose shakily to his feet.

Bai Shuangying ignored him entirely.

At that moment, his mind was working faster than ever.

His human had done extremely well on his own. Before this, Bai Shuangying had followed his lead cautiously, afraid to disrupt his human’s plans.

But just now, Fang Xiu had said, “Is up to you.”

Which meant Bai Shuangying could now do whatever he wanted—whether it concerned this ritual, the mortal world, or Fang Xiu himself.

…He was utterly, completely free.

In the corner of the garden, A’Shou clenched her fists, watching Bai Shuangying with intense anxiety. Her palms were drenched in sweat.

Fang Xiu had actually handed over the reins of the battle—perhaps even the control over his own life—to the Corner of Heaven’s Will.

Fang Xiu was cunning to a fault, but at least he had common sense and some shred of human decency. Bai Shuangying, by contrast, was a complete unknown. No one could predict what went on in his head.

Should she intervene? Try to talk to him?

Bai Shuangying harbored deep resentment toward the Underworld. Speaking out rashly might backfire. What if Fang Xiu had some backup plan? If this unrestrained Corner of Heaven’s Will decided to go wild in the middle of a city…

Then she saw Bai Shuangying pull Fang Xiu fully into his embrace, gently nuzzling his cheek against Fang Xiu’s hair.

Fang Xiu leaned against him with a relaxed look. Fine cracks spread across his skin like porcelain.

“I’m not used to being alone. That’s your fault.”

He muttered, “… And it’s strange, but I can guess what you want.”

We don’t need to show each other anything anymore. Let’s walk onto the stage together.

Amid the astonished gazes of those watching, countless red karmic threads exploded around Bai Shuangying, wrapping Fang Xiu tightly, forming a strangely shaped cocoon.

The red threads writhed gently, their ends drooping like willows—willows soaked in blood.

Bai Shuangying cradled the cocoon in a tilted hold. The corner of his mouth lifted high, his movements affectionate and careful.

Was he helping Fang Xiu ease the impact of the Immortal E’s? A’Shou wondered.

What was happening before her eyes had no precedent. It was entirely outside her realm of knowledge.

“I can do anything,” Bai Shuangying hummed softly. “I can do anything to you.”

No—that wasn’t it. A chill ran down A’Shou’s spine. This was…

Bai Shuangying was rapidly untangling all of Fang Xiu’s karmic threads. To a completely unbound Corner of Heaven’s Will, Fang Xiu’s entire life lay exposed and clear.

No, not just his life.

Karmic contamination against karmic contamination. Under Bai Shuangying’s onslaught, the Underworld’s spells began to loosen. The memories the Underworld had taken from Fang Xiu… The abilities he had used to destroy Immortal E’s… The chaotic, broken karmic lines began reconnecting and quickly restored themselves.

This was everything about the human named “Fang Xiu”.

…Bai Shuangying wasn’t merely healing. He was refining the E.

…He was forging a new Immortal E, refining Fang Xiu anew so he would no longer be constrained by mortal limits.

White fabric wrapped around the red cocoon as Bai Shuangying closed his eyes. Cen Ling tried to attack while he could, but all of his spells vanished like snow the moment they touched Bai Shuangying.

Countless pieces of information flooded into Bai Shuangying’s mind.

Fang Xiu liked red, liked firmer butter, preferably with a hint of salt.

Fang Xiu was a diligent learner. He had learned all his metaphysics from ghosts in the hospital ward, resulting in a rather eclectic skillset.

Fang Xiu was efficient in his work. His ghost business had spawned several human-world intelligence networks, though he personally didn’t care much about them.

Fang Xiu was also great at slacking off. His soul often slipped out of the hospital ward to look for a phone to watch content.

Most patients didn’t stay long in the hospital, so he rarely managed to finish novels or TV shows. Only movies could occasionally be watched from beginning to end.

…

Fang Xiu was especially afraid of pain. He feared trouble, hardship, loneliness, and above all, death.

[When I lose consciousness, you will definitely explore my karma. Bai Shuangying, by the time you see this, I’ll have already noticed you.]

Bai Shuangying even uncovered Fang Xiu’s thoughts before he lost consciousness.

To make sure they were recorded, Fang Xiu had secretly traced the words with his fingers.

[Thank you for not destroying the mortal world. Thank you for wanting to save me… Thank you for sending me home.]

[When everything is over, would you like to come home with me?]

Fang Xiu’s life lay completely open before him. It was, without question, a sincere question.

A question straight from the heart.

How rare, Bai Shuangying thought.

He had never liked humans, wasn’t sure what they would be like in the future, and Fang Xiu had zero experience when it came to feelings. This wasn’t something that could be planned. It made sense Fang Xiu would be curious.

But Bai Shuangying couldn’t be bothered to worry about something so trivial. They could try a few centuries first and figure it out from there.

“Of course,” Bai Shuangying said without hesitation. “I like your nature. I like your taste. If I endured a thousand years of hunger and sealed torment, then surely I can last even longer with you.”

“If you want to separate one day, well… I still think I’m more suitable for you than any other mortal you’ve ever met.”

After seeing the bloody, censored mess that was Fang Xiu’s life, he no longer worried about Fang Xiu wanting to leave.

He was the best choice now, and he would become the best choice in the future. That was all there was to it.

“So you’d better wake up soon,” Bai Shuangying declared solemnly. “Otherwise, I won’t be able to find my way home.”

That thought was comforting. Surely Fang Xiu also—

Suddenly, Bai Shuangying’s body burned with heat. His vision flooded with golden light.

The karmic red cocoon in his arms rapidly hardened and cracked, glowing with a thick layer of gold.

As the cocoon split open, Bai Shuangying caught Fang Xiu with sharp reflexes.

His human had grown even hotter. His soul boiled like molten gold in a furnace.

The intricate karmic threads had condensed into solid forms. Countless symbols on Fang Xiu’s body quickly contracted, forming a complete Eight Trigrams formation based on their individual configurations.

They continued to evolve, transforming into the Four Symbols, then into the Two Principles…

Finally, a Taiji pattern formed at the center of Fang Xiu’s chest and slowly sank into his skin.

As the symbol completed, Fang Xiu’s out-of-control body temperature began to fall. The cracks on his skin quickly closed.

A burning sensation flared on Bai Shuangying’s left cheek. His blood mole felt like it was on fire, growing brighter and more vivid.

If their ghost contract before had been like a single thread of spider silk, now a warm, unending gravitational pull stretched between them.

An evil spirit refined an E and became a ghost immortal. Once the intentions aligned, the Immortal E was complete.

Fang Xiu was visibly recovering and growing stronger. Bai Shuangying, on the other hand, didn’t feel much of a difference. He hadn’t had any worthy opponents before anyway, so it was hard to measure any power gain.

Wait—no. He had the perfect way to test it—

Bathed in gold light dazzling enough to blind ghosts, Bai Shuangying landed on the ground. “A’Shou, inform the Underworld immediately.”

A’Shou: “…”

She tightened her veil a little, trying to block out the blinding golden light.

What could she even say? The Fang Xiu E hadn’t been destroyed—he had instead become an Immortal E. Technically, this ritual was a success. She didn’t need Bai Shuangying to remind her; she could end the ritual on her own.

But who had they originally intended to seal with the Immortal E?

Looking at Bai Shuangying, smug and glowing with triumph, and Fang Xiu, who looked like he was struggling to wake up, A’Shou suddenly felt no desire to announce anything.

Bai Shuangying was brimming with enthusiasm. “The seal has broken. They’ll be looking for me everywhere. Hurry and tell those gods I’m right here.”

Just as he finished, Bai Shuangying realized something himself—

Fang Xiu had previously asked him to increase karmic contamination. Now that his power had grown so drastically, those gods probably didn’t even remember who he was anymore.

With a casual wave of his fingers, Bai Shuangying impatiently withdrew the contamination.

Almost instantly, the world began to shake.

In Bai Shuangying’s arms, Fang Xiu slowly opened his eyes.

He touched the Taiji on his chest, that was still faintly warm, and glanced past the shell-shocked Cen Ling and others, then looked up at the sky.

Here they come.

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