you still have the energy to joke around. That’s impressive, that’s impressive…”My brother's words were laced with sarcasm, but Xi Lingzhou didn't take it to heart. He asked, "Mu Yunfan, what brings...I didn't see a full frontal view, anyway ancient people's clothes were not much different. Commoners wore simple linen clothing, while those of status wore wide robes with big sleeves, dignified and imposing.

The witch chuckled, her voice laced with a hint of helplessness: "He's already perished, but I forcibly held onto his wisp of a soul, placing it within the Wheel of Reincarnation. Otherwise, he would have been completely extinguished, with not even a trace remaining..."

"You're saying he's his reincarnation... Could it be referring to Mu Wanchen" I detected a hint of something in your words.

The witch persuaded Mu Wanchen to stay, tolerating him with one eye open and the other closed. It seemed that as long as Mu Wanchen didn't leave, she would acquiesce to anything.

"Whose body is this" I frowned.

I originally thought it was a shaman, but that's impossible. I've seen shamans with my own eyes, and even if this was her "feathered metamorphosis" dwelling, it wouldn't be in such a dark and chaotic place.

She said again this wasn't the witch, Shen Wu Xian. Then who could it be The corpse had become such a monstrous thing, laid upon an ancient throne.

The witch giggled softly, "Can't figure it out Hmph... That's his, uh, mortal, wife..."

What

Was Shen Wuwei's former queen

"Why did she become like this This isn't normal…" This black, shriveled skin, like dried leather, was the result of cultivating dark arts in life and even using sinister methods to refine her corpse after death. That's how the old monster lived, hiding in a chaotic space practicing the art of Corpse Immortals.

However, the Corpse Immortal Dao is not a righteous path after all. Only a handful succeed, and in Miao Wang's City Tomb, there was only one such example. The rest of the Corpse Kings are mostly just uncorrupted walking corpses.

Those who walk the crooked path first deviate from the righteous principles in their thoughts, which is why they resort to all means.

Could this be the result of her dabbling in dark arts during her lifetime

“Don’t talk about ordinary couples living a simple life… The two of them aren’t even on the same level. People always have seven emotions and six desires, greed is an instinct that mortals can never control.”

She loved the Great Shaman, but love couldn't keep her youthful and immortal. She tried hard, but such talent and opportunity were not something ordinary people could obtain through sheer effort. Though thanks to the Great Shaman's various methods, she lived to a ripe old age... she still wanted to hold on.

In one's seventies... To live to that age thousands of years ago must have been a miracle, right

"Retaining... Retaining... Hmph... A woman who is insatiable, truly disgusting..." The witch's voice was filled with haughty coldness.

She was a goddess from ancient times. In her eyes, perhaps, mortal love was akin to toys, so she watched with cold indifference as her brother-like great shaman, Wushi, fell in love with a human princess.

A mortal's life is but a blink of an eye, a brief nap in the mountains, a fleeting moment like a dry cosmos.

Like the wind, leaving no trace.

"Love is nothing but a momentary emotion. In the long river of time, it is merely a drop in the ocean. To consider it the entirety of life is utterly foolish, utterly foolish..." The witch's voice carried a tinge of heartbreak.

I couldn't help but interject, "But your God-King Wushang was foolish this time, wasn't he"

The shaman fell silent.

Did I get it right

"Cough... So you transcended the four seas and nine states, leaping out of the three realms, because the divine king Wu Xian died for mortals, causing you to despise and guard against such things happening again... However, a wisp of a soul was trapped by you in the Lunhun Orb, while the Tianhun and Dihun still entered reincarnation. Therefore, you have left gates everywhere in the world, allowing all those who might be related to the divine king Wu Xian to eventually come to this place through the gates..."

I tilted my head and thought for a moment: “So Mu Wanchen coming here coincides with your intentions. You don't want to care about the remaining witch clan people in the world, you just want Mu Wanchen to stay here obediently. Even if I'm here, mortals are mortals, even without illness or pain, they only have a few decades of life. After that, cultivate Mu Wanchen well, he may still become the best successor to Wu Xian”

The witch didn't deny it, she simply replied with a faint smile: "You understand, that's even better. Our dealings with mortals are complex. I wouldn't bother myself with these love affairs. Besides, we aren't like those gods and goddesses who preach asceticism and celibacy. Just stay here obediently, and everything will be fine."

"What if we didn't stay here" I ventured.

The witch chuckled coldly: "Little girl, don't be too confident. There are countless people in the world, and how many are trapped by 'unwillingness' They all fall into demons because of this. If you return to the world, three or five decades will pass in a blink of an eye. Do you dare guarantee that you will still be as pure-hearted and unstained"

"This world is a place of impurity, tainted with impurities."

This… I can’t guarantee that I won’t have any more bad thoughts in the future, but staying here with so much uncertainty, I can’t control my own destiny at all.

“No, I must go back.” I shook my head. “No matter how you try to keep me, this thought won’t change. I also have to take Mu Wanchen back with me… Why don’t we make a deal I’ll come back after I die, and Mu Wanchen can return then, too”

The witch chuckled, "I used to think the same way, but I underestimated the capabilities of a mortal woman. The same mistake, how could I possibly allow it to happen again The word 'witch' encompasses all under heaven, understanding both humans and spirits. I won't use extreme measures to control you. Think it through yourself and tell me when you're ready. Will you remain in the Four Seas and Nine Provinces, or stay within this chaos...make your decision. This former queen's corpse, hopefully, will give you some enlightenment."

My god, does this mean they want to kill me

"Hey, wait, wait, wait! Don't go yet! Can you tell me where this place is first!" I blurted out.

Is she implying that she's going to leave me here

This boundless expanse is shrouded in an eerie mist. There's only a timeworn throne, a desiccated corpse whose resurrection one can’t be sure of, and those trees resembling summoning banners that lined our path...

As I looked back on the path of my journey,

Where else is there something to come from.

I let out a long sigh. There's no way I could get out of here on my own.

At this point, there's nothing left to do but pray to heaven and earth, to gods and Buddhas...

I recited all the fairy talismans I knew, and even I found it a little ridiculous.

There are no monks or Taoists here, this is a realm beyond the mundane, touched by the power of shamans.

Great compassion, great loving-kindness. Calling upon all directions, liberating all beings. Through countless eons, freeing countless people...

Oh, divine being, I wasted my time bowing at your mountain gate and traversing the sea of suffering only to be trapped here. Now I am unsure if my prayers and recitations can bring me to the other side of the sea of suffering, allowing you to hear my plea.

As someone who doesn't usually burn incense, I could only sit cross-legged on the ground and draw circles.

I don't even know if I'm alive or dead right now. Besides the aching in my heart, I feel nothing—no thirst, no hunger, no cold, no warmth. Maybe I don't have a body anymore I can't feel anything from the outside world.

I had muttered the Bao-gao countless times. I let out a long sigh and looked up at "the sky," but I noticed some light and shadow behind the throne.

This startled me! Could the Corpse Queen from countless years ago still be moving!

I rubbed my eyes, and there seemed to be a faint glimmer behind the throne...

Halo.

Light!

I jumped up suddenly. There was no sun or moon in this chaotic place, where did the light come from

The Wugong City was isolated from the two worlds, yin and yang, by a copper mirror array. The hazy glow behind this throne seemed to emanate from an ancient, slightly arched copper mirror.

"Mu Wanchen! Ji Du Xingjun, Xiao Tongzi, Luohou Xingjun! Shizun~!" I shouted as if I had seen hope.

Before I fell into this state, both the star deities Jie Du and Luohu were present. As for Luohu, I dare not speak, but Jie Du's hot temper, surely he couldn't just let Witch Gu torment me without resistance There must still be a trace of camaraderie between us, right

And I also heard Shizun's voice, and...and... Mu Wanchen.

He's here!

A glimmer of light awoke all my hope, and I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. Even the litany and prayers flew from my mind.

I just want to desperately reach out and touch that faint glimmer!

A surge of sword energy tore through the air, and suddenly my vision blurred. A fierce aura crashed into me, shattering everything in its path.

Chaos shattered, currents surged, and light ripped through the stagnant air.

"Yin Luo!" I heard Mu Wanchen's voice.

My eyes were stabbed, I couldn't see anything, only reaching into the light. Suddenly, something cold and hard wrapped around my wrist. The piercing coldness sent shivers down my spine.

“Still closing your eyes” I heard Mu Wanchen’s soft chuckle beside me.

The laughter carried a hint of relief.

I squinted my eyes, seeing Mu Wanchen lean down, and then feeling him press a kiss on top of my head.

"...Silly girl, pray to the gods, rather than to me." with Ji.The Lord Emperor stood with his hands behind his back on the corridor. He gave me a cold glance, and I quickly straightened my posture."...Master, do you have something to ask me" I whispered...