Chapter 535: Witnessing the Ceremony
Chapter 535: Witnessing the Ceremony
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"I came to say goodbye!"
Rice Bucket gazed solemnly at Chen Huaian and Li Qingran.
"I'm about to ascend to immortality! My main body is calling me back!"
Chen Huaian and Li Qingran exchanged glances.
He had already heard about Jade Compassion's middle corpse from Li Qingran, so this declaration didn't surprise him.
Li Qingran had made the right choice.
When the middle corpse needed to return to its main body, they shouldn't interfere.
Even if they regretted it, they shouldn't disrupt this process.Reuniting with the main body was Jade Compassion's middle corpse's destiny.
As for who would dominate after the fusion - that was Jade Compassion's own affair. Regardless of who prevailed, they would all still be Jade Compassion.
Though there might be slight personality differences.
"So urgent? You just told me the day before yesterday, and you're leaving today?" Li Qingran held Rice Bucket's hand, reluctant to let go.
"Originally there should have been more time."
Jade Compassion's middle corpse sighed, clutching her head in frustration: "The lower corpse sealed her memories and ran off to a minor world beyond Cangyun Realm, becoming a peasant girl who married a poor scholar. On their wedding night, the scholar left for imperial examinations before they could consummate the marriage."
"Later when that poor scholar passed the exams, he forgot about the lower corpse and became a princess's consort."
"The lower corpse completely lost it. She was supposed to stay in that minor world for seventy years until natural death... but she dropped the act, unsealed her memories and cultivation, then chopped that bastard into eighteen pieces!"
Chen Huaian's mouth twitched upon hearing this.
Damn.
So Jade Compassion's temper wasn't great either.
Though the scholar was scum, death seemed excessive...
"You think the scholar didn't deserve death?"
Rice Bucket crossed her arms and sneered: "That scholar lied to the princess and emperor about being unmarried. To cover it up, he actually hired bandits to massacre the entire village!"
"After all, if everyone in that village died, no one would know he'd been married! Now do you think he deserved death?"
"Absolutely!" Li Qingran clenched her fists, glancing at Chen Huaian: "All faithless men deserve death! Deserve to be chopped into eighteen pieces!"
Chen Huaian's buttocks tensed.
He wasn't a faithless man...
But he got Li Qingran's subtle warning loud and clear.
"The master also thinks he deserved it!" Chen Huaian immediately declared.
"See?" Rice Bucket spread her hands. "The lower corpse's experience is now complete."
"But wait," Chen Huaian frowned. "Didn't Jade Compassion's lower corpse fail to experience love?"
"The lower corpse represents emotions. While she didn't experience love, she witnessed so-called love and tasted its bitterness. For her, that's completion." Rice Bucket explained: "The consequence of this Three Corpses reunion will be - the ascended Jade Compassion will never believe in love again."
"Alright, I understand," Chen Huaian conceded.
"So, will you attend the ceremony?" Rice Bucket smiled. "Three Corpses reuniting for ascension is a once-in-a-millennium event! Witnessing it could help your own future ascension!"
"Of course we'll attend," Chen Huaian nodded. "Consider it our farewell to you."
"Good." Jade Compassion's middle corpse added: "Once I leave, the Demon Race will surely attack Moon Shadow Sect. Before going, I'll set up defensive formations."
"I'll try to create one that lasts as long as possible."
"But ultimately, resisting the Demon Race will depend on you, Sword Master Chen!"
"Many thanks then!" Chen Huaian cupped his hands, genuinely moved.
That Jade Compassion's middle corpse would leave a Great Ascension Stage defensive formation for Moon Shadow Sect before departing showed remarkable consideration. Normally, who would care? When about to ascend, who'd waste energy and True Essence preparing backups?
Unthinkable.
Most cultivators in Cangyun Realm were selfish.
Not to mention they weren't particularly close.
Even master-disciple pairs or Dao Companions might turn on each other over absolute benefits.
"The ceremony is in one week at Dragon Spring Mountain's peak. Don't be late!"
Rice Bucket giggled, clearly in good spirits.
She seemed to have accepted her fate.
After setting up the formation, she'd head to Dragon Spring Mountain to reunite with her upper and lower corpses.
"Safe journey," Chen Huaian said solemnly. "May you knock on the immortal gate and achieve ascension!"
"I will!" The girl nodded firmly, her bright eyes shining with youthful innocence and determination.
Chen Huaian thought:
Rice Bucket must have been devastated learning her true nature.
After all, no one wants to be someone else's fragment.
Yet she accepted it gracefully.
And resolutely marched toward reunification.
She even seemed... happy.
Happy to contribute to Jade Compassion's ascension.
Even at the cost of...
Disappearing.
...
After her farewells, Rice Bucket left.
But not before giving Li Qingran and Chen Huaian a memento.
A clay figurine wearing lotus-green skirts, with braided hair, holding divination coins and a banner on its back.
It was unmistakably Rice Bucket, exquisitely lifelike.
Yet it had no face - not Jade Compassion's features.
Perhaps she wanted them to remember her characteristics rather than Jade Compassion's appearance. This way, the fortune-telling Rice Bucket could live on in their memories, not vanish completely.
Such thoughtful ingenuity.
Yet it inevitably made emotional Li Qingran feel heavy-hearted.
Until Chen Huaian opened the sect master hall doors.
A crowd of elders from various peaks had gathered outside.
"Oh, Ancestor, you're finally out!"
"We heard Ancestor is giving birth?"
"Who's the mother? Boy or girl?!"
...
The elders craned their necks to peer inside.
Though this was the sect master's hall, no one suspected anything between the ancestor and Li Qingran.
Master-disciple relationships were taboo, and someone as virtuous as the ancestor would never act improperly, despite Li Qingran's legendary beauty.
Her fame extended beyond Moon Shadow Sect. The entire Cangyun Realm knew of the sect's breathtakingly beautiful sword cultivator.
Except for old foxes like Zhang Mengchu and Li Ziping.
Having lived so long, they could guess certain things just from a glance.
"What are you all..."
Chen Huaian's vision darkened.
As he began speaking, he felt a push from behind. Li Qingran, who had been following him out, had retreated back inside.
While pushing him out, she conveniently closed the doors.
"Qingran, you—"
"Master!"
Li Qingran's panicked voice echoed in his mind.
"Master, you can handle this! I believe in you!"
"After the ascension ceremony, your disciple will make it up to you!"
Before Chen Huaian could respond,
The sound of retreating footsteps grew distant.
Clip-clop—faster than a fleeing rabbit!
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