Chapter 138: Ending

Chapter 138: The End

The coffin lid slid open slowly, and the first thing to appear before everyone’s eyes was a man of jade-like countenance, wearing a jade hairpin and sporting a handsome beard.

Though his features were youthful, the aura he exuded was one of majesty and gravity, absolutely not that of a young man unweathered by the vicissitudes of life.

Besides his appearance, what drew the eye most about the man in the coffin was the garment he wore. It was a long robe of a dark, profound hue, its hem embroidered with crimson flames, while its sleeves and chest bore waves stitched in silver thread.

Be it the look or the texture, it was anything but ordinary.

Cradled in the corpse’s arms was a thread-bound book, its cover yellowed and brittle, inscribed with elegant, handsome characters:

*Records of Cultivation in the Jiazi Cycle*

"Who is this..." The Queen narrowed her eyes, a guess forming in her heart, yet she dared not be certain, and looked to her teammate.

"Yin-Yang Sanren!"

Zhang Yuanqing didn't beat around the bush, giving the answer directly.

Yin-Yang Sanren... the teammates exchanged bewildered glances.

It really was Yin-Yang Sanren. The official strategy guide didn't mention him at all. Wasn't Yin-Yang Sanren just a background story character? Speaking of which, when exactly did Yuan Shi trigger the hidden quest? I've been following him the whole time and didn't notice a thing. Is this the genius who cleared two S-ranks in a row?

Amidst her shock, the Queen's admiration for Yuan Shi Tianzun rose another notch.

The hidden quest must have been discovered when dealing with the Curse Cat, right? He said he wanted to conduct an experiment. But how did he discover the hidden quest? Li Chunfeng prided himself on being clever and learned, but while he could analyze that the hidden quest was related to the Curse Cat, he couldn't fathom how Yuan Shi Tianzun had triggered it.

How did Yuan Shi discover the Curse Cat could trigger the hidden quest... He had the Queen search this water area earlier. Did he already know the coffin would appear here?

At that time, the coffin should have been in a "hidden" state. It only "spawned" after the Evil Mage was killed. Is the hidden quest related to the six characters? Just how did Yuan Shi trigger the hidden quest? It's unreasonable. No matter how I think about it, it's unreasonable... Li Li was thinking more than anyone else.

Li Li Yuan Shang Cao asked: "Where is the item that turns the tide?"

"This robe." Zhang Yuanqing propped up Yin-Yang Sanren in the coffin and called out: "Help me hold him up, I need to take the robe off him."

Guan Ya stepped forward immediately, not letting anyone else interfere.

Zhang Yuanqing promptly handed Yin-Yang Sanren to Guan Ya, his own hands moving deftly to strip the garment away. During this process, his heart remained suspended.

Not because he feared Li Xianzong would come to kill them, but because he feared Yin-Yang Sanren would rise from the dead.

He had been given a psychological shadow by that old geezer.

Soon, Zhang Yuanqing had stripped the robe from Yin-Yang Sanren, grasping the artifact in his hand. Only now did he truly see the robe's full aspect: a pitch-black base, crimson flames embroidered at the hem, silver water patterns on the chest and sleeves, and on the back, a black-and-white Taiji fish.

A few seconds later, the item information appeared:

[Name: Yin-Yang Taoist Robe]

[Type: Clothing]

[Function: Water & Fire, Formations]

[Description: It is the ritual robe worn by a certain supreme existence when offering sacrifices to the heavens. The lower hem bears flames, the upper body bears waves, the back bears Yin and Yang. It is named: the Yin-Yang Taoist Robe.]

[Note 1: It is a component of the ceremonial sacrificial vestments. The remaining three pieces are: Boots, Crown, Belt. Legend says that assembling the full four-piece set can unravel the secret of longevity.]

[Note 2: Draped in this robe, one can command water and fire. This robe has been nurtured by the righteous qi of heaven and earth, and can ward off filth and curses.]

【Note 3: Unfurling the robe forms an array covering a thirty-meter radius. While the array is active, outsiders may not enter, and neither the caster nor the trapped may leave; duration: ten minutes. Within the array's bounds, the array-master becomes a body of water and fire, immune to physical attacks. If the array is not dismissed within ten minutes, the flesh shall be irrevocably lost.】

【Note 4: Curb your longing for immortality; your personality may fluctuate slightly, but do not worry—it will only affect you for twenty-four hours.】

Zhang Yuanqing stared blankly at the item properties, a single thought dominating his mind: I'm rich!

This was an artifact possessing the dual class capabilities of a Fire Master and a Water Ghost, and moreover, an unheard-of set item.

A single robe this powerful—if he could one day assemble the full set, would he not be invincible in Songhai, felling a Dog Elder with every punch?

Yet it had flaws: against exceptionally powerful foes, or those with impenetrable defenses. Also, this artifact was the natural bane of Water Ghosts and Fire Masters... hmm, that didn't matter; if offense fell short, he could substitute other artifacts...

The secret of immortality lay hidden within this artifact... The Yin-Yang Recluse built this town, its layout secretly conforming to Yin and Yang, corresponding to the Taiji fish on the robe. He likely sought to mimic the array within the robe, laying out a grander formation to seize eternal life?

The scheme looked unreliable. Right—the Recluse in his twilight years had likely been driven mad by the artifact's price, obsessing over longevity until he lost his mind.

Besides, the Yin-Yang Recluse inside the coffin resolved the doubts in Zhang Yuanqing's heart.

Namely, why the Recluse's descendant had died at the hands of a Mage and a motley crew.

Because she never mastered this powerful artifact; the Yin-Yang Robe remained on the ancestor. When the Mage captured her and failed to obtain the robe, he killed her in a rage.

Wang the Rascal participated out of lust for the descendant's beauty; as for Magistrate Zhao and Blacksmith Wang's motives, Zhang Yuanqing knew not—they belonged to the Evil Faction's plotline.

But it mattered no longer.

"How is it?" Li Chunfeng asked impatiently. "What are this artifact's functions? Can it counter Li Xianzong?"

The Queen recalled the staff's terror, her voice trembling with lingering fear:

"If it can merely contend, we have hope for a turnaround. We outnumber them; the Evil Faction has only two left."

She wore the look of one bracing for a desperate battle, yet tinged with a sliver of hope.

Guanya and Lili Yuanshangcao watched Zhang Yuanqing, awaiting his reply.

"Barring accidents, I should be able to duel Li Xianzong alone. You all withdraw later—stay clear of this area lest the curse affect you." Zhang Yuanqing was brimming with confidence.

"Really? Can we really turn the tables?" The Queen's smoky-eyed face blossomed with wild joy.

Zhang Yuanqing nodded, giving an affirmative answer.

Guanya and the others beamed with relief, unburdened at last.

"Right, return my artifacts to me, and you can leave."

Urged on by Zhang Yuanqing, the four departed swiftly, carrying the unconscious Chi'ou and the Fire Master, fleeing into the distance.

Withdrawing his gaze from his teammates' retreating forms, Zhang Yuanqing turned to the booklet inside the coffin.

"The Jiazi Cultivation Record..."

He picked up the booklet, flipped to the first page, gave it a cursory scan, and revealed a look of surprise and excitement.

It recorded the Yin-Yang Recluse's cultivation journey.

This was invaluable—information left by a powerhouse contemporary with the Old Codger, which could help him better understand the Spirit Realm, the secrets hidden beneath reality, buried in history.

"Hmm, now's not the time for reading. Let's see if it can be stored in the inventory."

A thought stirred in his mind, and the booklet in his hand vanished, reappearing within a slot of his inventory.

At that very moment, Zhang Yuanqing’s ear twitched; he heard the sound of frantic sprinting, approaching with terrifying speed.

He turned his head. At the end of the blue-brick paved street, two figures appeared: Li Xianzong, clutching a pitch-black staff, and the Ratman, his back hunched.

Trailing behind them, the Red Dancing Shoes followed listlessly, stubbornly giving chase.

The Bewitching Demon possessed a skill to "Mark" prey; once marked, escape was nigh impossible.

This was precisely why Li Chunfeng believed guerrilla tactics would only buy them a few more moments of life.

The instant Zhang Yuanqing spotted the enemy, Li Xianzong spotted him as well. He immediately quickened his sprint, simultaneously calculating the distance in his mind. The moment they closed to fifty meters, he would unleash a wide-area curse.

Give the opponent no chance. Leave no hidden dangers.

"Boss, those guys are gone. Might be an ambush." The Ratman’s bean-sized eyes darted left and right.

He had always been cautious; with victory in sight, he must not stumble at the finish line.

"Those people are further away, fleeing." Li Xianzong sensed the positions of the other marks.

"Fleeing?" The Ratman froze for a beat, then let out a strange laugh. "Staying behind alone to cover his teammates' retreat? Since he loves playing the hero so much, we’ll grant his wish. Boss, let's make this quick. I can't wait to enjoy those two beauties."

The distance between the two sides shrank rapidly, soon closing within the fifty-meter range. The sharp-eyed Ratman, blessed with exceptional vision, suddenly spoke up: "Huh? What’s that kid wearing?"

Li Xianzong wasted no words. He raised his staff high.

On the other side, Zhang Yuanqing leaned back, swung his arm, and hurled a fireball compressed to its absolute limit toward them.

The fireball shrieked through the air, landing between the two parties. With a "Boom," it detonated. Amidst the expanding bloom of fire, Zhang Yuanqing’s figure manifested. The distance between them shrank from fifty meters to just over twenty.

Fire Walk!

At that moment, the staff in Li Xianzong’s hand rippled with a dim, gloomy light.

Thump, thump! Zhang Yuanqing felt his heart convulse violently within his chest, then cease its beating. Familiar agony and suffocation surged forth, but this time, the sensation of palpitations and pain lasted less than a second.

The curse was blocked by the Yin-Yang Taoist Robe.

Huh? The curse doesn't work on him? Seeing Zhang Yuanqing unscathed, Li Xianzong’s expression shifted.

Zhang Yuanqing gazed at Li Xianzong not far away, the corners of his mouth curling into a dangerous smile.

"Clatter~"

He shrugged off the Yin-Yang Taoist Robe and flicked it into the air.

This action caused both Li Xianzong and the Ratman to halt their sprint simultaneously. The latter raised his bamboo tube and blew a poison needle aimed at Zhang Yuanqing.

Pfft! The needle shot into empty air; Zhang Yuanqing’s figure vanished into thin air.

At that very instant, the robe flung skyward abruptly unfurled. Its hem and sleeves seemed pulled by invisible threads, spreading out like a sheet of paper to its utmost limit.

The Taiji Fish on the back of the robe rotated. The black fish sprinkled clear, illusory streams of water; the white fish sprayed scorching tongues of flame. Fire and water cascaded down, forming a Taiji Fish diagram covering a radius of thirty meters.

Fire on the left, water on the right.

"What's happening? What's happening..." the Ratman shrieked. "What kind of artifact is this?"

The Ratman stood within a domain covered in flowing water, feeling one undercurrent after another shoving against him; a person caught in such a place was like duckweed, struggling just to keep their footing, let alone fight.

Li Xianzong's heart sank, a terrible premonition rising within him.

Without a word of nonsense, he immediately retreated, seeking to escape this bizarre zone first.

Hum! A transparent barrier of qi blocked the two of them.

They couldn't get out?

"Damn it, we can't get out! We're trapped!" The Ratman pummeled the qi barrier fist after fist, sending out transparent ripples.

Li Xianzong's face darkened as he whipped his butterfly knife against the barrier; compared to the slow ripples from the Ratman's fists, the knife's tip produced rapid, sharp undulations, yet still it could not break the qi barrier.

Blue veins bulged at Li Xianzong's temples, his arm muscles knotting, driving the ripples to grow ever more violent.

After a few seconds of deadlock, he withdrew his butterfly knife, his expression darkening further:

"We can't get out!"

Hearing this, the Ratman's composure cracked somewhat; his beady eyes darted left and right, baring his teeth in a roar:

"Yuanshi Tianzun, get out here! Get the hell out here! You think this can trap us? How long do you think you can hold us?"

After painstakingly killing the Boss, then surviving the perilous staff-snatching battle, finally reaching the end with victory in sight, only for another complication to arise... anyone's mindset would collapse.

"Hehe..." a light chuckle drifted from the central area shrouded in illusory water: "Trap you? You're mistaken. I'm not here to trap you."

Li Xianzong and the Ratman looked toward the sound, only to see a mass of illusory water slowly rising in that central region, coalescing into a humanoid shape, its features faintly resembling Yuanshi Tianzun.

This figure held a large-caliber handgun in its hand, wearing black-rimmed glasses.

On the other side, the same voice suddenly rang out: "Killing you is my purpose. Are you ready to kneel and beg for mercy?"

Li Xianzong and the Ratman whipped their heads around to see, in the area covered by flames, at its center, clusters of fire condensing into a constantly flickering, burning humanoid figure, wielding a Demon-Subduing Pestle and a Bloodthirsty Blade.

Water and Fire Avatars!

At the feet of this flame figure lay a black-cased speaker, its amplifier echoing a somewhat tragic song:

"You are like a fire, blazing flames warming me, you are like a fire, blazing light illuminating me..."

The Water Avatar had just begun to speak: "Li Xianzong, I said..."

The Fire Avatar immediately cut in: "Is there a possibility that today, the one kneeling to beg for mercy..."

The Water Avatar seized back the narrative: "Is you!"

Zhang Yuanqing's current sensation was wondrous; he possessed two bodies, two sets of sensory systems, yet felt not the slightest dissonance, as if he had been born with two forms.

If one must name the sole dissonance, it was that his consciousness had split in two: one part belligerent and irritable, the other cold and cutting.

Additionally, in avatar state, he could not open his inventory; already withdrawn artifacts could be used, but those not yet taken out were "sealed" within the inventory.

Without another word, Li Xianzong raised his staff high, letting the gem at its crown ripple with a dim, heavy glow.

Two figures stood in the distance, unmoving. The Fire Clone laughed. "Useless."

The Water Clone spoke flatly. "Curses hold no sway over me."

Every trace of expression vanished from Li Xianzong’s face. The defiance was gone, the arrogance was gone. The hand gripping the butterfly knife trembled faintly from excessive force.

The Ratman shrieked, "Impossible! You had this artifact—why didn't you use it before?! This is impossible!!"

He still refused to accept the reality before him.

*Bang! Bang!*

The Water Clone raised its muzzle, squeezing the trigger at the hunchbacked Ratman.

The Ratman recoiled in horror, dropping low to lunge sideways—but phantom torrents surged forth, coalescing into invisible shackles that shoved at him from all eight directions, pinning his body fast in place.

"Damn it!" The Ratman screamed, his body writhing like a fish. The oily sheen of his fur shed the crushing current, and by the narrowest of margins, he dodged two fatal rounds.

"Oh? A water rat, are we?"

The Fire Clone sneered, stomping a foot down.

The Yin-Yang robe in the air whirled; the water-and-fire millstones swapped positions. Li Xianzong and the Ratman were swallowed into the burning half of the Taiji.

*Sizzle...*

Smoke curled from the Ratman’s fur, reeking of char. He shrieked as the flames seared him.

The Flame Clone vanished without a sound, executing a Fire Walk to appear behind the Ratman. The Bloodthirsty Blade slashed at the hunched back.

Li Xianzong surged forward in two swift strides, his staff crashing down hard on the Fire Clone’s wrist. The fiery arm detonated with a boom, the Bloodthirsty Blade flying from its grasp.

*Bang. Bang...*

The distant Water Clone swiveled its muzzle, spitting rounds trailing dark crimson trajectories. Suppressive fire forced Li Xianzong to duck and weave.

The Fire Clone’s arm reknit itself. It didn’t retrieve the Bloodthirsty Blade. Instead, it thrust a hand into the roaring inferno and seized a longsword wreathed in searing heat, bringing it down in a sudden, vicious cleave.

The Ratman was remarkably agile; powerful hind legs coiled and sprung, evading the death-dealing blade.

He had no time to breathe relief. A gunshot rang by his ear, simultaneous with a sharp pain in his lower abdomen. A round tore through his tough hide, blasting two exaggerated wounds.

The Water Clone, bearing the Eye of Insight, had predicted his movement.

The Fire Clone followed seamlessly, stepping forward, the flame longsword slashing upward from below. *Whump.* Dazzling fire erupted from the Ratman’s midsection.

He curled in agony. His abdomen didn't bleed—the high temperature cauterized the wound—but his viscera were near charred. Death was now inevitable.

"Impossible..." A resentful murmur rasped from the Ratman’s throat, the light in his pupils fading into extinction.

Witnessing this, Li Xianzong’s pupils contracted violently, as if struck by a massive shock. He instinctively summoned the wooden box, snapping the lid open to let the Mist of Confusion envelop the area.

The Fire Clone laughed with wild arrogance. "Useless. This is my turf. My home field."

The Water Clone spoke coldly. "Water is my eyes. Fire is that guy's breath."

As the words fell, both clones moved as one. The Water Clone fired into a specific spot in the dense fog; the Fire Clone hurled high-temperature fireballs that detonated with the force of high-explosive grenades.

The dense fog shuddered under the shockwaves, briefly parting. Li Xianzong’s figure emerged. He was draped in a filthy, reeking greatcoat, kneeling on both knees. The bullets threaded past him perfectly; the explosive shockwaves were blocked by the black radiance emanating from the coat.

Li Xianzong returned the wooden box to his inventory, then summoned a stick of white chalk and drew a circle around himself.

This was his final trump card!

A pillar of earthen-yellow light descended from the heavens, enveloping Li Xianzong. Seconds later, the light dispersed, yet he remained rooted to the spot.

...A touch of despair surfaced in Li Xianzong's eyes.

At that moment, the Fire Clone arrived, bringing down its flaming longsword with crushing force, a wave of heat rushing forth.

Li Xianzong had no choice but to break off his "Prayer." He leaned back, dodging the flame blade, while crimson runes flared in his eyes.

The Fire Clone froze abruptly. In the next instant, its body detonated. A savage shockwave, wreathed in searing flames, slammed into Li Xianzong's chest in layered, relentless impacts.

*Pfft!* Li Xianzong spat a mouthful of blood, his face draining to a deathly pallor.

The Fire Clone coalesced in the distance, sneering arrogantly: "Good thing I reacted fast, blew myself up in time."

"Yuanshi Tianzun... h-how did you discover this artifact..." Li Xianzong gritted his teeth.

He could not accept that a rookie he had once crushed beneath his heel could perform so outstandingly in this instance—so brilliantly it stirred jealousy in him.

"Running an instance requires using your brain. All you know is killing and slaughtering. Back at Pingtai Hospital, you just bullied me because my level was lower. Did you really think you were some hero? I've achieved in half a month what took you half a year. What the hell are you?" the irascible Fire Clone cursed vehemently.

Rage flickered across Li Xianzong's face, but a profound sense of frustration and powerlessness welled up in his heart.

*Bang! Bang!*

The Water Clone fired calmly, forcing Li Xianzong into a roll. The Water Clone sneered:

"Idiot. Why waste words on him? Just kill him. The Demon-Subduing Pestle's purification requires a blood sacrifice. You're no longer flesh and blood—what use is it to you? Just drop it."

"Makes sense, makes sense!" The Fire Clone realized suddenly, tossing the Demon-Subduing Pestle aside. "Switching turf."

The Water Clone stomped a foot down. The Water-and-Fire Millstones swapped positions, dragging Li Xianzong into a water formation roiling with dark currents.

Omnipresent, surging dark currents instantly shackled Li Xianzong's agility.

The Water Clone tossed out bullets and glasses, tone flat: "You shoot."

No sooner had he spoken than he clenched both hands. *Whoosh.* Illusory dark currents surged from all directions toward Li Xianzong, sealing him in place.

Simultaneously, the Water Clone skimmed across the water, charging at Li Xianzong. Mid-stride, he leapt high, driving a knee upward.

*Bang!*

Utterly unable to dodge, Li Xianzong dropped his waist and lowered his stance, bracing his staff horizontally across his chest.

The Water Clone shattered against Li Xianzong's chest, the impact drawing a stifled grunt from the latter. Seizing the opening, the Fire Clone squeezed the trigger maniacally, unleashing a hail of bullets.

Slowed by the dark currents, Li Xianzong reacted a beat too late. Though he evaded most, a round struck his right chest.

His face blanched instantly, beads of sweat the size of beans welling on his forehead.

"Let me give you something more interesting!"

The Water Clone snapped his fingers. From the river channel several meters away, jets of water erupted like snow lions or white dragons.

These true waters were absorbed by the Water Clone, forming a three-meter-tall giant that embraced Li Xianzong.

Bang. Bang. Bang... The fire clone squeezed the trigger in a frenzy, spitting out round after round.

Crimson trajectories blanketed Li Xianzong, trapped in the water with nowhere to flee, piercing the water clone to slam into his body one after another, blossoming into sprays of blood.

The three-meter-tall water clone was instantly dyed red with fresh blood.

"Gurgle..."

Li Xianzong spewed a mass of bubbles from his mouth, his body riddled with bloody, mangled pits.

His consciousness blurred rapidly; scenes from the past flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern.

He thought of the mother who had abandoned husband and child, of the gentle, kind father who was bullied for his goodness. He thought of those years of hardship shared by father and son. These memories ultimately transmuted into a towering rage and unwillingness.

His originally muddled consciousness cleared with a final, dying lucidity.

To think I would die by his hand... Li Xianzong struggled, summoning the last shred of his will to open his inventory.

In the next instant, the filthy, reeking trench coat, the butterfly knife in his right hand, the Decay Staff in his left, and the chalk in his palm—all were recalled into the inventory.

Summoning items from the inventory, recalling them—both were but a single thought.

With that done, Li Xianzong let his head droop in defeat, allowing the current to wrap around him; the bubbles surging from his nose gradually grew fewer, smaller.

"Bang!"

The fire clone fired another shot, blowing apart Li Xianzong's head.

Only then did the water clone disperse its "Dharma body," letting the river water crash down with a clatter.

Immediately after, Zhang Yuanqing dispelled the formation. The Taiji fish on the back of his Daoist robe reversed; tongues of fire rose and plunged into the white fish, while strands of illusory dark currents returned to the black fish.

The Yin-Yang Daoist Robe descended, settling perfectly onto Zhang Yuanqing below.

...

In an alleyway some distance from the riverbank, Guan Ya and the Queen sat on the ground, seizing the time to recover their stamina. Li Li tended to the poisoned, unconscious Fire Master.

Li Chunfeng stood watch at the alley entrance.

Chi Ou had already awakened, slowly regaining his energy. Watching the silent, grave-faced crowd, he apologized, "Sorry, I wasn't any help at all."

No one acknowledged him. Everyone's hearts remained suspended in their throats, waiting for a message, waiting for a verdict.

Finally, a familiar Spirit Realm prompt chimed in their ears:

[Ding! Congratulations on completing the Multiplayer Spirit Realm Mission—Yin Yang Town, Code 2273, Difficulty Level A. Settling rewards...]