The Sacred Martyrdom Life-Offering Soul-Locking Array was dissipating.
The array's residual power was escaping through its core.
Because Hong Zheng and his wife served as the array's core and had hovered between life and death all this time, the escaping power projected their spiritual forms outward—like sunlight passing through a rose window, casting brilliant beams of colored light.
In truth, this was merely a fleeting rally before the end.
Once the power of the Sacred Martyrdom Life-Offering Soul-Locking Array dissipated completely, the two would die once and for all.
When Yu Xian saw the couple appear before him, his steps halted immediately. Then he noticed the wounds covering Hong Zheng and his wife. Holes were pierced through between their eyebrows, and cuts and gashes marred their chins, throats, temples, and abdomens.
"The two seniors are still suffering the agony everyone endured before dying in the Sacred Martyrdom Life-Offering Soul-Locking Array!"
It was clearly the final moment, and even the Sacred Martyrdom Life-Offering Soul-Locking Array was about to vanish, yet they were still enduring torment.
Looking at their wounds, Yu Xian felt a pang of sorrow. For over five hundred years, they had endured the pain of those wounds and the recurring agony of death.
Worse still, their consciousness had been kept awake by the Sacred Martyrdom Life-Offering Soul-Locking Array, leaving them unable to live and unable to die.
Yu Xian stepped forward quickly. He wanted to do something for the two seniors, but after running through every ability he possessed, he could only think that the Blood Healing Art from blood magic might remove their negative states.
Immediately channeling the Blood Energy in his body with both hands, he cast the Blood Healing Art upon them. But when the crimson light washed over them, it had no effect whatsoever.
In truth, the array would soon dissipate, and Hong Zheng and his wife would disappear with it.
Yet Yu Xian simply could not stand by and watch them suffer. Even if just for a single second, he wanted them to find a measure of peace in their final moments.
His Super Brain analyzed frantically, plan after plan flashing through his mind and being discarded in turn.
Ultimately, he placed his hope in his remaining divine power. Raising his hands, he invoked the Blood Healing Art with Falsehood Divine Power. In an instant, two streams of emerald light drifted from his hands and settled upon Hong Zheng and his wife.
It worked!
Yu Xian noticed Hong Zheng and his wife's wounds gradually fading. Gritting his teeth, he continuously poured out Falsehood Divine Power to cast the Blood Healing Art, mending their wounds bit by bit.
He knew full well that this was purely wasting what little Falsehood Divine Power he had left. Once the Sacred Martyrdom Life-Offering Soul-Locking Array vanished entirely, everything he had done would be meaningless.
Yet sometimes, one didn't do something for personal gain, nor did it have to have a practical purpose.
Yu Xian only knew he wanted to do it, so he did.
Squeezing out the very last drop of Falsehood Divine Power, he finally repaired all of Hong Zheng and his wife's wounds. Looking at them, a smile of quiet satisfaction appeared on his face.
Not for gain, not for anything else.
He only hoped this could bring a moment of peace to the two heroes, freeing them from agonizing torment.
At that moment, the dissipation of the Sacred Martyrdom Life-Offering Soul-Locking Array accelerated abruptly. Hong Zheng and his wife slowly opened their shut eyes. Surprised, they glanced at each other first, and then seemed to understand what had transpired.
The two immediately embraced tightly. Only after a good while did they release each other and turn toward Yu Xian.
"Junior Yu Xian pays his respects to the two seniors."
Yu Xian took a deep breath, then bowed deeply to them.
Looking at Yu Xian bowing before them, the couple glanced at each other again, their eyes warm with gratification. The moment they saw Yu Xian, they knew their choice had not been in vain—their sacrifice was worth it.
"How is Huaxia now? Have the issues with supervillains and superbests been resolved?" Hong Zheng asked with a smile once Yu Xian straightened up.
Yu Xian nodded and answered, "Senior, all is well in Huaxia. The country now possesses formidable transcendent might. Any supervillain who dares commit crimes is brought to justice, and the superbests have all been driven out of the cities. Ordinary people can live and work in peace and contentment, without fearing the threat of transcendent forces."
"That really is wonderful. Xiao Zhen and I were orphans raised on the charity of our neighbors. Our original reason for founding the Torrent Society was simply so future children wouldn't lose their parents to transcendent power like we did," Hong Zheng laughed joyfully.
He then asked many more questions, all of which Yu Xian answered in turn. The conversation was warm and lively.
Cui Xianzhen watched them with a smile. Suddenly remembering something, she looked over at the skeletal remains not far away and said, "Yu Xian, most members of the Torrent Society came from orphan backgrounds. If possible, could we trouble you to bury everyone's remains at Mount Luo? That was the Torrent Society's base, and it is home to all of us."
"That's right—the base at Mount Luo is thoroughly concealed. It requires a blade and a butterfly to open. The blade is right here, and the butterfly is on Xiao Zhen's natal Gu insect. Once the base gate is opened, this blade and butterfly will be our gift as seniors to a junior. They will belong to you from then on," Hong Zheng added as the thought struck him.
Yu Xian looked at them, moved. He wanted to say he didn't need anything from them and was more than willing to take the remains of everyone from the Torrent Society to Mount Luo for a proper burial.
Before he could speak, however, Cui Xianzhen lightly tapped his forehead between the eyebrows. A cyan butterfly pattern surfaced there, only to fade away just as quickly.
"Thank you. Ah Zheng and I know how hard it must have been to accomplish all of this. Being able to see such a wonderful successor at the end, and knowing our choice wasn't wrong, is already the greatest gift to us. So consider this our return gift!" Cui Xianzhen said with a faint smile.
By "how hard it must have been to accomplish all of this," she was referring to wiping out the Namo race sealed within the Sacred Martyrdom Life-Offering Soul-Locking Array, as well as healing the spiritual trauma they had borne for five hundred years.
At that moment, a butterfly appeared in Yu Xian's spiritual world.
In an instant, the butterfly pulled his consciousness to a place far beyond, and boundless Gu master knowledge surged into his mind like a torrent.
Evidently, Cui Xianzhen possessed an exceptionally profound understanding of mental power and consciousness. She was utilizing the lingering power of the Sacred Martyrdom Life-Offering Soul-Locking Array to impart knowledge to Yu Xian.
Yet the fact that the Torrent Society had discovered the Namo race in the first place proved that they must have had a Transcendent with deep research into mental power. Without a means to detect the Namo race, they never could have sealed them using the Sacred Martyrdom Life-Offering Soul-Locking Array.
While Yu Xian was immersed in the sea of knowledge, the dissipation of the Sacred Martyrdom Life-Offering Soul-Locking Array accelerated because Cui Xianzhen had drawn on part of its power to impart her legacy.
Hong Zheng and Cui Xianzhen knew their time was almost up. In this moment, only each other remained in their eyes.
"I'm sorry. I promised you a good life," Hong Zheng said, closing his eyes as he gently embraced Cui Xianzhen.
Leaning in Hong Zheng's embrace, Cui Xianzhen smiled softly. "Mm. Then remember to fulfill that promise in our next life. Don't you forget."
The radiance radiating from the Sacred Martyrdom Life-Offering Soul-Locking Array grew dimmer and dimmer. Gradually, the motes of light upon the two also faded away. Finally, the light went out, leaving only Yu Xian standing in place in the dark.
Chapter 136