Main God Ji activated his technique, and Magpie Mountain’s vegetation and rocks gradually transformed into the solid walls of the “Undying City.”

Before long, even the Magpie Mountain main hall where we were had been “hollowed out.” Only Main God Ji’s formation beneath us continued to rotate. Main God Ji and I were sitting on this luminous formation, almost floating in mid-air, surrounded by Xie Zhuo’s barrier.

The entire Magpie Mountain and Northern Wasteland completely “merged into one.” On the Northern Wasteland, the ring city slowly revealed its future magnificence and majesty.

Looking at Main God Ji tearing apart Magpie Mountain, my eyes grew subtly hot.

I forced myself to calm down, continuously reciting Kunlun’s meditation technique in my heart.

At this moment, I only wanted to quickly eliminate the evil miasma within my soul. I didn’t want to add even a wisp of evil miasma to the Northern Wasteland or this world because of myself.

Just as I was getting on the right track, suddenly, I heard an eerie wind sound from the ground below. The sound grew louder and louder, almost to the point where I could no longer ignore it.

I opened my eyes to look and was shocked to discover that countless people infected with evil miasma were now floating in the air!

These people were not strangers; they were all…

Citizens of Magpie Mountain!

It was truly as Main God Ji had said—in just two short days, the Evil God had controlled everyone.

The Evil God’s methods now were much more sophisticated than when he was in the Snow Wolf tribe’s homeland, Mirror Forest. The people he controlled had completely lost their self-awareness.

They were pulled by the black evil miasma, like marionettes, flying up to this mid-air formation, like moths to a flame, or like locusts swarming. They covered the sky as they came forward, crashing into Xie Zhuo’s barrier with a “boom”!

The barrier blocked their first wave of attack.

Their ferocious, angry faces were completely visible to me through the transparent barrier.

They attacked the barrier Xie Zhuo had left to protect Main God Ji and me—some with evil miasma, some with swords, some with hands and teeth, using every possible means to attack.

They wanted to tear open the barrier, rush in, and tear apart me and Main God Ji… or rather, just Main God Ji.

The Evil God controlling them seemed to know Main God Ji’s intentions and was trying to prevent the completion of the Undying City.

Xie Zhuo’s barrier was very sturdy, but with Xie Zhuo absent, his barrier could not continuously withstand these relentless attacks.

I saw a crack appear in one part of the barrier, and those controlled people seemed to notice it, too.

They swarmed toward it, frantically attacking that weak point.

I knew that Xie Zhuo must be tied up with more evil spirits below.

Main God Ji was still focused on casting his technique to build the city and couldn’t divert his attention. Here, only I could protect the Main God Ji.

The Undying City must be built.

I stood up, drawing the sword from the young soldier’s waist. I stood in front of Main God Ji, focusing all my attention on the place where the barrier was breaking.

I mobilized all the soul power I could around me, filling my limbs with it.

With a “crack” sound…

The moment a small gap opened in Xie Zhuo’s barrier, a black stream of evil miasma immediately rushed into the formation.

I channeled soul power into my sword, slashing downward at an angle, cutting through the first wisp of evil miasma in one strike!

Afterward, without any time to catch my breath, the crack in Xie Zhuo’s barrier grew larger. I concentrated, guarding Main God Ji, and with another stroke of my sword, cut down a small child who had squeezed through the gap.

I had no time to feel compassion because he was a child.

I only knew that if I couldn’t protect Main God Ji here, then in the future, who knows how many children would become like this.

The breach grew even larger. I stood guard beside Main God Ji, cutting down one after another as they came.

I felt that on this day, I cut down more people than on any day before in Kunlun.

After they died, there was no blood, only evil miasma filling the space around me.

I felt the unclear miasma in my body becoming agitated, but I forcefully suppressed it.

I don’t know how much time passed, how many sword strokes I made, how many people I cut down. I was almost unable to hold on, and this young soldier’s body was also almost at its limit!

I began to get injured—bitten, my arm cut open, and my chest struck by evil miasma. But I struggled to endure, adamantly not allowing any evil spirit to touch Main God Ji.

But I knew I was at the end of my strength.

I…

I was hit by a stream of black evil miasma and knocked flying. I fell awkwardly to the ground, almost rolling to the other side of the barrier. Behind me, the still-intact barrier blocked the evil spirits outside that kept pounding and howling.

Looking up, I saw a young girl with a long sword, stabbing directly toward Main God Ji at the center of the formation.

My eyes widened in shock, with barely enough time to cry out. I only felt a gust of wind beside me.

The barrier behind me shone brightly, and as it repaired the crack, a sword pierced through that young girl’s chest.

It was Xie Zhuo again, arriving just in time.

He stood in front of Main God Ji, his sword piercing through the girl, not yet withdrawn.

I struggled to my feet and walked toward Xie Zhuo.

I thought he would quickly pull out his sword, but even by the time I reached Xie Zhuo, he still hadn’t withdrawn it.

I looked at Xie Zhuo, then shifted my gaze to the young girl’s face…

It was a familiar face.

I had borrowed her body before. I had used her hand to hold a brush at the gate of Magpie Mountain and written the two characters “Xie Zhuo.”

And this young girl, after all, had been controlled by the Evil God and became an evil spirit without consciousness.

Xie Zhuo killed her with his own hands.

“Xie Zhuo,” I called his name hoarsely.

His pupils trembled slightly.

Using my sword to support myself, I walked step by step to Main God Ji’s side. I didn’t stand next to Xie Zhuo. I turned my back to him and Main God Ji, holding my sword to face the ferocious evil spirits blocked outside the barrier.

I said, “Their lives have already been taken by the Evil God.”

I completely lacked the heart to look at Xie Zhuo’s expression. I forcefully commanded myself to be calm and restrained, speaking with almost no emotion in my voice.

“No matter how agonizing, we must continue. Continue to fight, continue to love.” I gritted my teeth, not allowing myself to show weakness. “Love yourself, and love this world. It will be fine. We will win.”

This time, we must win.

Xie Zhuo didn’t respond to my words, but I heard the sound of him pulling out his long sword. The young girl’s body was torn apart, and evil miasma surged out from her body, once again turning into black smoke in front of Xie Zhuo.

Just like all his tribespeople before.

“Protect him well…”

Xie Zhuo left these three words. I saw the barrier in the air flash with light, suddenly shrinking by a circle, and in that instant, Xie Zhuo rushed out from inside the barrier.

Before the evil spirits outside could react, he had already begun a massacre among them.

This was already the second time.

But this time, those falling under his sword were the people of Magpie Mountain who had once given him warmth.

These people far outnumbered those of the Snow Wolf tribe.

In the distance, the Undying City seemed to be nearly complete. The height of the ring city walls was very similar to what I remembered. It was almost parallel to the height of the former main hall position.

And behind the vast expanse of evil miasma in the sky, I faintly saw the morning light about to break.

So, we had been fighting all night.

So, the Undying City was completed by Main God Ji in just one night.

Finally, when the massive city gate was completed, I saw the Heart of Magpie Mountain floating in front of Main God Ji suddenly dim, followed by a crisp sound as it shattered in front of Main God Ji.

Main God Ji’s body tilted slightly to one side, and I immediately stepped forward to support him.

“Divine Lord, is the city complete?”

Main God Ji, with a deathly pale face, nodded.

At this moment, the evil spirits outside that had been frantically attacking the barrier suddenly all stopped.

They eerily floated in the air, their appearance even more terrifying than their previous frenzy.

I couldn’t guess what the Evil God was planning to do, so I continued to guard Main God Ji, my body slightly shielding him from the front.

Inside the barrier, there was a flash of light, and Xie Zhuo returned.

With the evil spirits no longer attacking, he also found it strange.

He looked back at Main God Ji and me, seeing that we were both normal, and then warily watched the evil spirits outside.

But Main God Ji hadn’t stopped. Although he was extremely weak, he still mobilized his internal energy and formed a seal with his hand.

He spoke: “The Heart of Magpie Mountain is destroyed, Magpie Mountain’s spiritual veins are severed. In the Northern Wasteland, within this city, there is no more soul power. Surviving immortals of Magpie Mountain must not leave this city. When encountering evil spirits, they must be slain.”

His voice wasn’t loud, but I knew that through the seal in his hand, he was spreading these words throughout the entire Northern Wasteland.

He was informing the cultivators in the Northern Wasteland who hadn’t yet been controlled by evil miasma about their future mission as cultivators.

After Main God Ji’s words were transmitted, those evil spirits surrounding the barrier outside all eerily opened their mouths. They stared at us inside the barrier and began to cackle strangely.

Their smiles and voices made my skin crawl.

As I felt a chill down my spine, I saw them speak in unison: “Ji, you use this city to trap me, but you can never leave either.”

The scene was truly terrifying, but neither Xie Zhuo nor Main God Ji showed any sign of retreat.

Main God Ji gently pushed me away and sat up straight.

Then I heard the Evil God, controlling all the people, continue: “My evil miasma is undying and indestructible, while you, Main God, despite your longevity, will eventually perish. In this trapped beast struggle, I will win sooner or later.”

Main God Ji’s expression remained indifferent. His face, completely devoid of human color, added to his divine nature.

He took a slightly deep breath, as if savoring the last breath of Magpie Mountain.

“Then, never rest until death.”

As Main God Ji’s words fell.

In the next moment, his body emitted the same light as the Heart of Magpie Mountain.

Xie Zhuo turned back in astonishment.

The Evil God also seemed to be burned by the light, and countless evil spirits shrieked sharply in the air.

Refining a god’s physical body to become a soul entity.

Never resting until death in the fight against evil spirits.

This scene happened right before my eyes when I was completely unprepared.

The light from the deity refining himself penetrated my body.

In this moment, I felt the evil miasma that had inadvertently grown within my soul instantly crushed.

The young soldier’s body and my soul had been stuck together. My soul was like being swept out of his body by a gust of fresh air.

The light passed through my soul, yet I felt a warmth more comforting than sunlight, a gentle caress softer than the spring equinox.

In this moment, along with the distant dawn light, it seemed to wash away all darkness in the world.

Outside the barrier, all the people who had turned into evil spirits also dissipated in this light.

And within this light, I saw a black shadow quickly dart out from behind all the evil spirits.

That silhouette!

It was Zhu Lian!

“Xie Zhuo, catch him.”

Xie Zhuo’s figure moved in response.

Afraid of losing track of Xie Zhuo, I immediately rushed to his side and followed him in pursuit.

While following Xie Zhuo to leave, I turned to look at Main God Ji, still in the mid-air formation. The light around his body, like ripples, spread throughout the entire Northern Wasteland.

Sweeping away those evil spirits, sweeping away the “black clouds” in the sky, this was the last thing Main God Ji did as a Main God.

“The power accumulated by the Evil God in the Northern Wasteland has been cleared by me.” Main God Ji’s voice seemed to come from far away. “If he is trapped in this city, then engage him in battle within the city. If he escapes from this city, Young Master Xie Zhuo…”

“I will eliminate him.”

Xie Zhuo responded in a low voice.

Afterward, no more sound came from Main God Ji.

I only saw a blue light flash on Xie Zhuo’s stone necklace, as if some technique had been hidden inside.

Xie Zhuo followed Zhu Lian’s figure to the outside of the Undying City.

At this time, the light emanating from Main God Ji’s body had already spread above the Undying City walls.

I saw a massive barrier forming above the Undying City.

At the same time, the eight characters “Exterminate all evil spirits, never rest until death” gradually appeared on the Undying City gate.

The characters were clear and forceful.

Outside the Undying City, wind and snow swirled. Light fell from the sky, gradually forming a transparent barrier at the outermost edge of the Undying City, seeming to keep the wind and snow outside.

This was the third line of defense of the Undying City, enveloping the entire Undying City within it.

From now on, this city would only allow entry, not exit.

But before this wind and snow barrier was completed, I saw that figure slip into the wind and snow outside.

Xie Zhuo pursued closely.

By the time he rushed to the wind and snow barrier, it had already descended, completely connecting to the ground.

I thought it was bad—would Xie Zhuo be blocked by Main God Ji? Just as I began to worry, I saw Xie Zhuo directly pass through the wind and snow barrier, taking me, who was attached to him, along outside.

Xie Zhuo didn’t look back, continuing to pursue Zhu Lian.

But I couldn’t help looking back at the Undying City gradually being buried by wind and snow.

I could no longer see the light in the sky, nor could I see Main God Ji’s soul. I didn’t know where he was now.

I only knew that in the future, he would always be here.

And I, from the moment I left the Undying City, continued to follow Xie Zhuo.

I no longer dared to take “shortcuts,” no longer dared to use others’ anger or despair to quickly borrow someone’s body.

As I had thought before, I didn’t want to add even a bit of power to the Evil God in this world.

And I couldn’t truly empathize with and understand another person.

I could only stay by Xie Zhuo’s side as a soul entity.

But I wasn’t idle either. I had been cultivating my soul entity, allowing myself, even as just a soul, to gather some soul power.

I had been preparing, preparing for the moment before our “separation.” I wanted to enter my own body, to overcome my soul.

I wanted to kill myself, then tell Xie Zhuo everything, and then completely resolve the Evil God!

With such an ideal in mind, I accompanied Xie Zhuo in pursuing Zhu Lian, from the Northern Wasteland to the Southern Sea, and then from the Southern Sea to Penglai.

Fortunately, Main God Ji’s self-sacrifice had severely wounded the Evil God, and Xie Zhuo’s relentless pursuit gave the Evil God almost no time to develop his forces.

After the Undying City was built, all the remaining Main Gods had made thorough preparations, with each immortal mountain setting up barriers to resist potential attacks from the Evil God.

For many years, the Evil God could no longer recreate the tragedy of Magpie Mountain in this world.

And I also knew how much Xie Zhuo and the Main Gods had sacrificed to maintain this situation.

One year, two years, ten years, a hundred years…

Day after day, as long as the Evil God remained, Xie Zhuo continued in battle, never resting for a single day.

I followed him, running to almost every place in the world.

I watched him get injured, and I watched him grow. I watched him become more and more like the Xie Zhuo in my memory, like Xie Xuanqing.

Eventually, one day, he came to Kunlun.

In Kunlun, he engaged in a fierce battle with Zhu Lian. At the most crucial moment, he sealed Zhu Lian, along with the Evil God inside him, in a cave in Kunlun.

Then, heavily wounded, he came to the Snow Bamboo Forest.

Unable to continue, Xie Zhuo collapsed in the Snow Bamboo Forest. He leaned against a snow bamboo, sitting with closed eyes, his wounds and blood giving off a metallic smell.

And it was on this day that “I,” carrying a basket to dig for snow bamboo shoots, unknowingly entered this forest.

In the air, I watched as we, through the arrangement of fate and accident, finally met.

At this moment, seeing my figure finally standing beside Xie Zhuo, I was filled with emotions, but I didn’t want to cry or laugh. I only released a soft sigh from my soul.

“I finally came to accompany you, Xie Zhuo…”

And after I released this sigh from the depths of my soul.

I saw that the past me, carrying a basket, stood beside Xie Zhuo for a while, then “I” turned my head, and actually…

Wanted to slip away!?

How could I slip away!

How dare I?

I must stay!

My heart raced with urgency. In my panic, without thinking, I directly used what I had learned over these years, using soul power to manipulate the surrounding soul energy. I just flung with my soul.

With a “swoosh” sound!

A silver light instantly shot toward me, Fu Jiuxia!

Of course, I hadn’t intended to kill myself; I just couldn’t control it in that moment!

Seeing that silver light about to pierce through the chest of my pre-immortal self!

My heart tightened, but I saw Xie Zhuo, leaning against the bamboo, almost instinctively raise his hand. Xie Zhuo directly pulled “me” into his embrace.

That silver light thus brushed past “my” ear, then past Xie Zhuo’s cheek, and finally pinned into the snow bamboo he was leaning against. It then penetrated the snow bamboo, directly drilling into the snow, melting the surrounding ice and snow.

Then “I” froze in Xie Zhuo’s embrace, which was wet, bloody, and dangerous.

“I” looked up at him, but he had already completely passed out.

“I” sat up from his embrace in amazement, scratched my head, and then carried him on my back.

I watched from the air as “I” carried Xie Zhuo toward the cave where we “fell in love.”

Suddenly, I had a realization.

So that’s how it was…

It turns out…

Rely on yourself for everything—even for love and marriage!