VESSEL - Extinction Countdown 940: Hong Lin Enters the Realm

“Using Yan Yun’s body, I roamed the world and subduing Zhu Qiu before her will faded entirely.”

“Years later, as Yan Yun’s body withered, I crafted two clay figures—one for Zhu Qiu, one for Yan Yun—and buried them deep, hoping to exhaust his Blood Essence and send him on.”

“His sins, swollen by Blood Essence, were vast, requiring, by my reckoning, ten thousand years underground to cleanse him.”

“I passed first, lingering here to ensure that when Zhu Qiu rises, I’d be the first he sees.”

“And now you bring another woman?!”

Xi Qing’s furious roar echoed through the stone chamber.

After such a long tale, Ye Shisan and You Long’er finally grasped the tomb’s past.

A grim truth emerged: this was the Yin Realm, or rather a liminal zone, neither fully Yin Realm nor Yang Realm. How Xi Qing created it, none could fathom.

The true issue lay not in this marvel but in Xi Qing’s unwavering certainty that Ye Shisan was Zhu Qiu, her lover of eons.

As the black coffin overhead quaked, threatening horrors. You Long’er stepped forward, fearless:

“Xi Qing, you said Zhu Qiu needs ten thousand years to purge his Blood Essence and die, yet only three millennia have passed—you’ve mistaken him!”

Her logic was clear: Zhu Qiu’s purge required millennia, so their intrusion was mere chance, and Xi Qing must be wrong.

A shrill shriek burst from the coffin:

“Silence! Having shared countless springs with Zhu Qiu, how could I mistake him? He is Zhu Qiu!”

Ye Shisan’s mind raced: Could my Pseudo-Spirit be Zhu Qiu’s essence? Yet he was sealed in a Clay Buddha—how did he escape?Perhaps zealots smashed the Clay Buddha’s head, freeing Zhu Qiu?

No, that didn’t fit, for if he escaped then, why harm no one for decades, only to enter me as a Pseudo-Spirit later?

His reasoning held until this knot, suggesting something uncanny occurred between Xi Qing’s death and Zhu Qiu’s escape.

At this thought, Ye Shisan cast aside fear, boldly asking, “Whether I am Zhuqiu or not, what do you want now?”“Cycle of Rebirth, Renewed Past Bonds! But first, you must unite with me, so Yanyun may become our daughter!”

You Long’er flushed and leaping forward: “Pfft! Dream on! Dead or not, clinging to him like this is twisted!”

She’d have cursed more, but Ye Shisan restrained her, asking, “Xi Qing, why insist I’m Zhu Qiu?”

“Your aura! This tomb, built where I was buried, lies under Zhuxi City God’s domain. All souls within three hundred miles pass through here before reaching him!”

Ye Shisan shook his head, declaring, “I’m not dead; we stumbled here by accident!”

You Long’er added: “Right! We were a thousand kilometers away—we’d never reach this wilderness! Your Zhuxi City God rules three hundred miles, so even if we died, we wouldn’t end up here!”

Ye Shisan pressed further: “Besides, the Clay Buddha was broken before I was born. Zhu Qiu might be gone!”

The coffin fell silent, then snorted coldly: “Zhu Qiu, you’ve changed, lying to me. Heartless! Don’t think I’m powerless without my Divine Art!”

Its wail grew shrill, buzzing and shaking the stone walls with ghostly howls, deafening.

Stone spikes sprouted from the walls, probing, poised to pierce them.

Ye Shisan sensed Xi Qing’s millennia of solitude had unhinged her, fueling her relentless rage.

Shielding You Long’er, he shouted: “Xi Qing, we didn’t come by chance—give me time to explain before you act!”

“Hmph! What’s to say, faithless wretch? I’d grind you and this woman to dust!”

“What if I’m not Zhu Qiu but know where he is?”

The clamor ceased and the coffin descended, hovering three feet above the ground, motionless.

Seizing the moment as Xi Qing fell silent, Ye Shisan recounted his life, concluding sharply:

“If I don’t return, my body dies, and the Pseudo-Spirit—Zhu Qiu—dies too! I’m here, but not him. Even if my body perishes, he won’t reach the Yin Realm!”

The coffin remained silent.

As the chamber’s ceiling dimmed, plunging the room into darkness, the coffin glowed brighter and brighter.

Light coalesced into a frail figure—a girl, twelve or thirteen, with black hair trailing to her legs, heartbreakingly beautiful yet pale as death.

Her slender neck and soft waist were draped in a strange robe, revealing long legs.

Opening her pupil-less eyes, she whispered: “Mother and I can’t tell if you lie, so we’ll go with you.”

“Go?” Ye Shisan blinked.

“If you lie, we’ll kill you and all nearby,” she warned.

You Long’er gasped: “We? You mean…”

“We—Yan Yun, reborn fifty times, and Xi Qing, waiting three millennia—are no more. Only I remain.”

You Long’er stammered: “So… you’re…”

“I’ll return to the Mortal Realm with you!”

Ye Shisan welcomed it eagerly: “Good! This proves I’m no liar. You might free my Pseudo-Spirit!”

You Long’er fell silent, for while freeing Ye Shisan’s Pseudo-Spirit was ideal, it left her no reason to stay by his side, stirring a pang of loss in her heart.

Seeing their consent, the girl said:“Are you ready? I’ll take you out—a one-way journey. If you lied about living and we find no body in the Mortal Realm, your souls will scatter.”

You Long’er nodded, tightly gripping Ye Shisan’s hand. “We’re ready.”

The girl turned, raising a hand to trace a slow, ancient arc.

An ancient, strange gesture.

Ye Shisan felt it hauntingly familiar. Before he could ask, she spoke:

“You know it, for you taught me four cycles ago, and through this gesture, we met in each rebirth.”

Ye Shisan asked: “You’re neither Xi Qing nor Yan Yun—who are you?”

“I am both Zhu Qiu’s wife and daughter. I am Hong Lin.”