Chapter 73: Immortal Bone and Demon Bone Descend

At the cliff’s edge, the cold wind pierced like knives.

The ground was carpeted in blood. Moments ago, Xue Cheng had been chatting and laughing freely, but now he spat up blood in great gulps. He yanked the sword from his chest, forcing himself to stand at the precipice, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at the group of dead assassins who had appeared out of nowhere.

Scattered corpses lay around them.

Blood splattered the tree trunks and branches, dripping from the tips of emerald leaves. Not a single one of the guards who had been lively and dreaming of the future just before survived.

These assassins had lain in ambush well in advance, emerging without warning half a shichen ago.

This was a desolate, remote wilderness with no one around. The assassins came prepared, equipped with bows, crossbows, and blades. They massacred everyone, driving them to this dead end.

The turn of events was too sudden. Even the general hadn’t anticipated it. The Old Emperor was so muddle-headed that, with enemies glaring covetously from outside, he struck ruthlessly the moment Qin Yan passed through Qing Tang City and showed a bit of achievement.

Xue Cheng spat out a mouthful of bloody water, his gaze icy as he stared at the assassins. He exerted every ounce of strength to keep from collapsing, half-kneeling and propping himself up. With his last breath, he cursed.

“…Fuck your mother!”

His words scattered with the wind.

…

The wind carried a chill.

It whistled through the bottomless valley like the tearing roar of a wild beast, sending chills down the spine upon hearing it.

The incident happened too abruptly. In the chaos, Gu Changhuai only caught a glimpse of Qin Yan riding off on horseback to draw away most of the assassins. By the time he chased after, he saw Qin Yan pierced through the heart by two swords under the assassins’ siege, plummeting off the cliff, his fate unknown.

Gu Changhuai leaped down after him without the slightest hesitation.

But he existed in the dream as a light, ethereal soul. A gust of wind blew him off course, and he watched helplessly as Qin Yan vanished into the darkness.

Someone had slashed the Ghost Face Mask, cracking it in two. It fell from Qin Yan’s face, and one half drifted to Gu Changhuai during the descent, landing in the same spot.

“Huh?”

Gu Changhuai was astonished. The half-mask flew toward his chest. He instinctively reached out to touch it—and felt something solid.

This had never happened since the dream realm formed. Gu Changhuai gripped the mask and landed in a corner of the abyss.

The area was completely shrouded by dense forest, a place untouched for years, rife with miasma. Towering, bizarre trees blotted out the sky, plunging everything into darkness.

Only the hanging willow branches were dotted with faint firefly lights for illumination.

Gu Changhuai turned in a circle, groped for his bearings, and headed toward where Qin Yan had disappeared. But after walking for a good while with no trace, he suddenly looked down at the half-mask in his hand.

“Not sure if this will work…” He pinched his fingers in a spell and tapped the mask, then flung it into the air. “Go—find him.”

No sooner had he spoken.

The surrounding willow branches stirred without wind, and the fireflies scattered in fright, filling the sky.

A silk thread shot from Gu Changhuai’s fingertip, looping around the half-mask. It paused for a moment, as if connecting to some information, then shot forward abruptly.

A tracking spell.

It worked.

Gu Changhuai’s brows relaxed, and he hurried after it.

…

A single firefly drifted lazily onto the sword hilt, its faint glow tinged with a bit of blood-red.

When Gu Changhuai arrived, he saw Qin Yan sitting cross-legged at the cliff’s edge like a statue. Upon seeing Qin Yan’s current state, he hesitated to approach for a moment.

Pathetic?

Far more than that.

Qin Yan was one step away from death.

His entire body seemed soaked in blood. His head drooped slightly, eyes tightly shut, supported only by one hand gripping his sword to keep from toppling. The blade was drenched in blood; it seemed all the blood in his body had drained out, leaving his face deathly pale.

Gu Changhuai approached quietly and picked up the other half of the mask from the ground, piecing it together whole and setting it aside.

Knowing he couldn’t interfere with the past, he watched for a while, then slowly sat down beside Qin Yan.

Sensing Qin Yan’s breathing grow fainter and fainter, almost ceasing, his fingertip trembled as he murmured lowly, “…You’re not going to die here, right?”

It was like a question, more like a soft mutter.

Boom!

Thunder crashed in the sky, the sound echoing thunderously into the valley. It was like a blaze sweeping across the plains. Countless swirling fireflies died in an instant, falling like raindrops.

They burned upon landing, reborn in flames, regaining their glow and flocking to Qin Yan’s side. The sight was bizarre, startling Gu Changhuai into wide-eyed staring.

In the next instant, lightning flashed and thunder roared, raindrops falling.

Gu Changhuai watched as a withered, desiccated vine on the cliff edge sprouted buds and climbed in the turn of fortune, greeting spring anew.

He turned his head and saw a faint glow emanating from Qin Yan’s spine. The spiritual energy surging in the air rushed toward him at a terrifying speed.

Withered wood meets spring.

The dead revive.

Demigods have Demon Bones; immortals have Immortal Bones.

The Immortal Bone brings life after death—a treasure coveted by all in the Cultivation World, something no one could cultivate in a lifetime, no matter how they tried.

Gu Changhuai stood, his long lashes drooping slightly as he gazed quietly at Qin Yan.

This was the Demon Venerable’s goal.

The Demon Venerable hadn’t obtained the inherited Demon Bone, so he sought the Immortal Venerable’s Immortal Bone.

To turn immortal into demon.

The realm was false, but the man was real.

The descent of the Immortal Bone brought its own awareness. The Gu Worm in Gu Changhuai’s dantian churned, sending waves of pain. Amid his breaths, a command pierced his ear—”Kill him! Take the bone!”

“Get lost!”

Gu Changhuai forcibly suppressed the surging Gu Worm, a flicker of killing intent in his eyes. Shattered Shadow cloaked his five fingers as he dug them viciously into the stone wall. He closed his eyes slightly to suppress the Demon Bone.

It was clearly the Gu Worm causing the pain, yet his back felt scorching hot.

Only by drawing in surrounding demonic energy could the burning sensation ease somewhat.

…

Something was wrong.

This scene felt familiar to Gu Changhuai. He snapped his eyes open, pulled out a small mirror, and checked his back. Sure enough, a spine glowed red.

Next to him, Qin Yan’s spine glowed white.

Damn it!

When did the Demon Bone transfer to him? Was this a buy-one-get-one-free deal?!

Gu Changhuai broke out in cold sweat from the pain—scorching and tearing, especially now with the Gu Worm acting up, intertwining with the Demon Bone’s agony, leaving him no room to think of anything else. He was overwhelmed.

His mind was full of pain.

It hurt so much.

He wanted to stab himself a few times with a sword.

Pfft!

Without hesitation, he plunged his hand into his dantian. His fingertips stirred, and in an instant, he found the mischievous Gu Worm.

He yanked it out forcefully.

A pitch-black, plump worm was pinched between his two fingers. Gu Changhuai stared at it for a moment, then let out a sudden cold laugh.

Normally, he wouldn’t dare do this. But now, with the inexplicable Demon Bone providing endless demonic energy to repair his dantian, he could.

He crushed the Gu Worm. Gu Changhuai’s lips paled, and he sat cross-legged weakly nearby, gasping feebly. He repaired his dantian while enduring the bone-deep pain from the Demon Bone as best he could.

Unknowingly.

His eyes drifted shut, and he lost consciousness.

The instant he lost consciousness, Qin Yan beside him opened his eyes. In a flash, a layer of radiance enveloped him, washing away the bloodstains. The Qiankun Sword gleamed anew, emanating a chilling aura.

As his eyes opened and closed, the jade-green hue vanished, replaced by a serene amber.

Rong Ye had foreseen everything.

With the Immortal Bone returned and memories restored, the realm opened by the Dream-Making Flower was mere illusion—nothing compared to the perils of those years.

He looked to Gu Changhuai at his side, his gaze falling on the bloodstain at his dantian. His brows furrowed slightly as he sighed softly, reaching out to pull the man into his arms.

One palm covered the start of the spine at the nape of the neck, the other over the forcibly torn-open dantian, channeling spiritual power meticulously to mend.

Of the same origin, there was no fear of rejection.

Feeling the man in his arms tremble uneasily, Rong Ye brushed his lips against Gu Changhuai’s forehead and soothed lowly, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”