Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 176: The Other Side of the Door

Bai Shuangying was gleefully toying with the immortals when he suddenly sensed that something was off.

Their fighting style had been cautious before, clearly probing for weaknesses. But just moments after Cen Ling escaped upward, the attacks from above became much more aggressive.

Protected by the golden ribbon, Cen Ling charged straight into the hospital and vanished behind an open window.

In the small garden, only the anxious “Uncle Hous” remained, along with Fang Xiu’s team aboard the boat.

The wooden ferryman stared up at the sky in shock. “Oh god, there’re more immortals than locusts down here!”

Song Zheng was curiously fiddling with the Murder-Intent Seismograph and found, to his surprise, that the strongest killing intent wasn’t coming from the celestial garden battle but from the direction where Cen Ling had fled. Maybe things weren’t as bad as he thought.

Xiao Tian and Xiao Li, living by the motto of “a funeral’s only fun if it’s a big one”, leaned over the side of the boat. “Holy crap, that’s so cool.”

The cultivators, however, were far less relaxed.

Yan Yan shrank down to the size of a teacup poodle and hid behind Jiao Jiao’s feet.

As wild fox spirits, his family had long heard tales of the God of Calamity. He knew Fang Xiu was unpredictable, but he never expected him to go so far as to punch a hole in the sky.

And he had been the one helping Fang Xiu sniff out those Immortal E’s.

If the immortals decided to hold someone accountable, he would be in serious trouble. His father’s entire bloodline cultivation could get dragged into this. Imagining the backlash waiting for him at home, Yan Yan couldn’t help letting out two pitiful whimpers.

Jiao Jiao glanced sideways at her shrinking partner, then turned her focus back to Fang Xiu.

Fang Xiu showed no sign of anxiety. He looked like Cen Ling as if he wasn’t one of his enemies but rather a mouse that had scurried away. Lifting his head, he gave Jiao Jiao a casual smile.

Thump, thump, thump.

With a wave of Fang Xiu’s hand, the air trembled three times. Beside the boat, a pair of hospital-style wooden double doors suddenly appeared.

The doors stood wide open. Beyond them wasn’t darkness, but a corridor within the hospital.

“Yoo-hoo!” The boatman perked up. He swung his oar, and the boat surged toward the doorway.

“The ritual is technically over. Act however you like,” Fang Xiu said. “Help me or protect yourselves, it doesn’t matter. Just stay far away from here.”

“I only ask one thing. Don’t turn against me, or I can’t guarantee your safety.”

“Take care!”

Xiao Tian waved boldly at Fang Xiu and Bai Shuangying. “I believe in you two! You both look like you’ve had a hard life—”

Xiao Li let out a deep sigh and muttered under his breath, “Is it because most of the immortals are old coots…”

Jiao Jiao grabbed her partner by the scruff and turned toward the building, not looking back.

With a heavy clang, the boat and the door vanished together. The garden’s surrounding seals flashed gold and returned to their original intact state.

“Very clever,” Bai Shuangying praised his human companion without reservation.

“This is my territory.” Fang Xiu shrugged. “And the death taboos are always the strongest ones.”

“You haven’t actually used it to kill anyone yet.”

“You’ll see soon enough.”

Fang Xiu pinched Bai Shuangying’s sleeve. “Now you can go all out… remember what I told you earlier?”

“Of course,” Bai Shuangying casually twirled the red thread in his fingers. “Next, they’ll try using the Heaven-Breaking Technique to sever my connection to my true body in Xushan.”

“And then?”

“I must learn to control a new power.”

Bai Shuangying reached out and hooked Fang Xiu by the waist, lifting him to his side.

“…Next, I need to learn how to use ‘you’.”

“Correct.”

Bathed in radiance of spell magic, Fang Xiu kissed Bai Shuangying’s cheek right in front of the immortals above.

“I’m ready.”

……

In the hospital corridor—

Cen Ling was running at full speed, no longer trying to hide anything. He was openly searching for the Immortal E.

His right hand flipped through signs as he muttered incantations. Soon, a red spider-silk thread emerged from his fingertips, floating and pointing in a specific direction.

Cen Ling remembered clearly that before resolving the E’s, Fang Xiu had handed a red collar to a small black dog.

And during the Grave-Sealing ritual, that dog had always stayed near two of Fang Xiu’s teammates—a middle-aged woman and a teenage boy.

The Guishan Sect’s karmic influence over the “God of Xushan” hadn’t yet dissipated. He could still sense the location of that collar Immortal E.

Knowing Fang Xiu, he would have placed his teammates in the safest spot.

…For example, right next to his own body.

That way, they could stay out of the conflict while also guarding his true body, killing two birds with one stone.

Unfortunately, after destroying his family, Fang Xiu now seemed only interested in provoking the immortals and treated him like a powerless leftover.

Cen Ling was determined to prove that Fang Xiu had made a fatal mistake.

He drew a dagger from behind him and gripped it tightly.

It came in an ornate silver sheath, its blade etched with dense, blood-red runes, occasionally sparking. Unlike the cold yin aura of the E’s, this dagger radiated a warm, almost breathing presence.

Blood-Quenching Dagger.

Forged from special materials and imbued with the True Fire of Samadhi, it was one of the Guishan Sect’s most precious treasures.

With a live blood sacrifice, it could ignite its inner fire and pierce any Immortal E.

Cen Ling darted through intricate stairways and countless branching corridors, following the red thread with ghostlike speed.

Soon, he spotted Guan He pacing near the corridor wall. Before Guan He could react, the black dog at his feet began barking ferociously, growling threateningly at Cen Ling.

Cen Ling sneered, slapping on a concealment talisman and vanishing into the air.

That black dog wasn’t afraid of any Immortal E’s. It was very likely a ghost immortal.

If the Underworld allowed Fang Xiu to summon such beings during the ritual, there had to be other restrictions.

If his guess was correct, the ghost immortal probably couldn’t interfere in conflicts involving the sacrifices—it could only sound the alarm.

Just as he thought, the black dog circled Guan He, barking madly. It could clearly sense his presence but didn’t attack.

“Who’s there?” Guan He reacted immediately.

He stood with his back to the hospital room door, anchoring his stance and preparing for defense.

So naive. You’ll be the perfect blood sacrifice.

The Blood-Quenching Dagger slashed toward Guan He’s throat.

Guan He’s eyes widened in place, unaware of the approaching danger. The blade reached his neck—

And passed through it with a hollow swish.

What the… phase shift? Ghost step?

Cen Ling froze. Guan He lunged toward where the attack had come from.

Cen Ling quickly backed up half a step, barely avoiding being touched. With the ambush failed, Guan He retreated to the doorway and resumed a defensive posture.

That guy could use phase-shifting abilities in such unpredictable ways. Clearly, direct physical attacks wouldn’t work. Cen Ling widened the gap between them, holding his breath and preparing to cast a spell—

“Yaaahoo—hey—”

The long nasal call of the boatman echoed as the boat burst through thin air, ramming straight into Cen Ling’s back. He dodged just in time.

At the bow, Song Zheng held the Murder-Intent Seismograph high. The bronze ball shook wildly in Cen Ling’s direction.

“We’re here to help!” Xiao Tian called cheerfully.

“Fang Xiu and the gods are fighting up there. No way for us to get involved!”

Guan He: “?”

What a weird and surreal explanation. Weren’t they in the middle of a sacrificial ritual?

Xiao Tian didn’t care how confused Guan He was. She gracefully hopped off the boat.

With one hand, she made an “OK” sign and blew through the ring of her fingers. In an instant, the corridor filled with dreamy pink bubbles.

An anomaly skill.

Cen Ling held his breath, repositioning silently. But before he could move again, a bubble popped beside him.

It caused no damage, but burst into a cloud of glittering sparkles that stuck to his body. No matter how he tried to wipe or conceal them, they glowed brightly and wouldn’t come off.

Damn it. It’s an anti-stealth spell. Cen Ling’s heart clenched.

The moment the sparkling glitter revealed his location, Xiao Li launched himself from the boat and snatched the boatman’s oar, swinging it at Cen Ling.

Song Zheng held the Seismograph in one hand and tossed a vial of magical reagent with the other, something Jiao Jiao had given him earlier.

The vial shattered, instantly corroding a narrow, deep hole into the floor. Several nearly hit Cen Ling’s head, but he deflected them with his magic just in time.

No good. There were too many enemies.

Cen Ling’s eyes scanned the scene. He took a deep breath and unleashed a whirlwind of yin energy. As the others scrambled to defend themselves, he lunged for the closest target and grabbed Guan He, pressing the dagger’s tip to his throat.

Guan He reflexively tried to phase out, but no matter how he struggled, he couldn’t activate his ability.

“Your phase-shifting ability was borrowed from an evil spirit,” Cen Ling said quietly, the yin energy around him growing more turbulent. “If I suppress that spirit, your ability will naturally stop working.”

As he spoke, he began inching toward Fang Xiu’s hospital room.

He remembered that Cheng Songyun used the Resentful Ghost Shield. She was likely stationed inside, guarding the room. Once he entered and sealed the door, she would be the perfect blood sacrifice.

Open the door, seal the room, kill, and kill again.

As long as he moved fast and completed these four simple steps, the God of Calamity would lose his freshly forged Immortal E.

Seeing Fang Xiu’s teammate held hostage, the mushroom trio instinctively froze.

Cen Ling stared hard at the three agitated figures. Using Guan He as a human shield, he had already reached the hospital room’s door. The yin energy around him swirled into near-tornadoes, and the pressure sent Jiao Jiao’s hair flying in all directions.

Under the wild strands, Jiao Jiao’s eyes held a smile.

Just as Cen Ling reached for the door, her arm flicked.

Something bright red rolled through the yin energy like a bowling ball, landing at Cen Ling’s feet. From the red fur poked a narrow snout, which bit hard into the back of Cen Ling’s ankle.

With a cry of pain, Cen Ling reflexively looked down—and met a fox’s explosion of fire magic straight to the face.

Yan Yan didn’t linger. After harassing Cen Ling, he spun around, bit down on Guan He’s shoe, and bolted.

A Fox demon’s strength was no joke. Before Guan He could react, the palm-sized red fox yanked him to the ground and dragged him away at high speed.

The second Guan He hit the floor, Xiao Li pulled out Xiao Tian’s coral hairpin and hurled it straight at Cen Ling’s chest.

The coral pin pierced Cen Ling’s heart with perfect accuracy.

Elsewhere, Yan Yan only released Guan He’s shoe after hauling him into the boat. He smacked his lips, letting out a very human-sounding gag.

“Finally done with him,”

Yan Yan returned to human form with a sigh. “That guy’s strong, he…”

“Watch out!” Guan He grabbed him hard.

The others hadn’t fought Cen Ling before, but he had. He would never forget it.

Cen Ling had tempered his living soul with yin energy, his power nearly rivaling a ghost immortal’s. As long as his soul still lingered, he would not be judged as dead. This was intel Mei Lan had sacrificed herself to obtain.

Sure enough, Cen Ling didn’t fall.

Everything was going exactly as he predicted. These people were always like this. As long as he had a hostage, they would focus on that and ignore more important matters.

“This is bad. After him!” Song Zheng shouted.

Cen Ling didn’t waste time observing. He didn’t even pull out the hairpin in his chest.

While the others were caught off guard, he turned the hospital room’s doorknob and rushed in.

Immediately, he slammed the door shut behind him. His eyes shifted, and countless talismans sealed the doorway, creating a new golden seal array.

Inside, Cheng Songyun was using the Resentful Ghost Shield to protect Fang Xiu’s body, completely unguarded herself.

Before she could react, the Blood-Quenching Dagger tore open her throat.

The ghost shield shattered like a soap bubble.

Blood soaked the blade. The runes on the dagger lit up, and fire wrapped the weapon.

Cen Ling flicked the blood from the knife and let out a long breath.

He walked slowly toward the hospital bed.

On it lay Fang Xiu, eyes closed, eyelashes motionless. A respirator covered his face, and thick and thin tubes ran across his body.

Draped in a pale hospital gown, he looked bloodless, especially fragile and ghostly.

This was the God of Calamity’s Immortal E? How laughable.

Below the bed, Cheng Songyun’s body lay still, blood spreading rapidly across the polished floor, soaking through Cen Ling’s shoes.

“Your people gave me a little trouble,” Cen Ling said. “But only a little… You were too focused on the gods, Fang Xiu.”

He stood beside Fang Xiu and raised the flaming dagger high.

“Now, let me finish the job my family couldn’t.”

The dagger plunged downward.

Just like the coral pin, the blade pierced Fang Xiu’s heart with precision.

His soul wasn’t in the room, but within seconds, his heart had been reduced to ash by Samadhi Fire.

Soon, Fang Xiu’s whole body caught fire.

His hair curled and turned to ash. His skin blistered and blackened. That once-handsome face twisted into a skull-like grin. The air reeked of scorched flesh.

The flames flickered in Cen Ling’s pupils.

“Return. Return.”

“Your merit is complete, all is well.”

…It was over.

At last, Fang Xiu had died by his hand.

The Hierarch had protected him. In the end, the Hierarch was hundreds of times more reliable than that inhuman “God of Xushan”.

The God of Calamity might go berserk upon sensing the loss of his E. But those immortals should have already used the Heaven-Breaking Technique—he wouldn’t be able to cause much damage now.

Time to report back. Cen Ling pulled the coral pin from his chest, sending a spray of blood into the air.

He wondered if his family had regained their senses yet…

He removed the sealing talismans from the door and opened it.

And the moment he saw what lay beyond, his blood turned to ice.

Darkness.

The other side of the door wasn’t a hallway but only endless, bottomless black.

Why? He had burned Fang Xiu’s body.

Why did the taboo still remain?

Cen Ling whipped around to look at the burning hospital bed.

Cheng Songyun’s corpse had somehow risen and was now seated on the bed, smiling brightly.

Fang Xiu’s burnt body had also sat up, resting against the headboard, tilting his skull mockingly at Cen Ling.

Outside the window, the white mist had vanished. Something was moving. First flesh-colored, then white, then black.

…It was a massive, dim, black eye.

Its shape was beautiful, disturbingly familiar. The gigantic pupil stared at Cen Ling through the window.

And then, very slowly, it began to curve upward.

Outside the door.

“…”

Yan Yan silently picked up a severed arm and let it drop with a thud.

“He’s dead.” Yan Yan sucked in a cold breath through his teeth and turned to Guan He. “Didn’t you say as long as the guy’s soul was intact, he couldn’t die?”

Before them, Cen Ling had collapsed across the threshold—half his body inside the room, half outside.

Just moments ago, he had opened the door and taken a single step in and then fell without a sound.

The swirling yin energy had vanished in an instant. Everything halted so suddenly it sent chills down their spines.

It was so absurd, it felt like one of Cen Ling’s tricks.

Even Cheng Songyun was startled inside the room, nearly dropping her ghost shield.

“…I don’t know.” Guan He stared blankly at the corpse. “I don’t understand.”

“His soul is gone.”

Jiao Jiao idly toyed with a tarot card and spoke in a low voice.

“As I see it, there’s only one way someone can die that irrationally—he broke a death taboo.”

As if in answer to her words, the door that Cen Ling had opened slowly stopped swinging.

Knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock.

It let out a soft, rhythmic sound.

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