After nightfall, the beasts that came to the Grievance Tower to devour Earth Ghosts had all died. Zhou Zixi sat at the highest point of the bone pile, gripping the broken arrow until its killing intent subsided before standing up.

His shadow stretched long, merging with the surrounding darkness.

Footsteps came from ahead, deliberately made for him to hear; otherwise, the person would have approached without triggering any sound.

The young tribal chief of the Wandering Soul Tribe, Chang Yu Ye.

Chang Yu Ye stood at the base of the altar, examining the Earth Ghost who had once again come back to life, and pondered: “No matter whether your flesh and bones are crushed or your body left to rot, you can still come back to life. This is different from other Earth Ghosts. Is it because your life meridian is different, or because you as a person are different?”

Zhou Zixi didn’t answer.

Chang Yu Ye continued: “I wonder if Ming Li is also like you, able to come back to life no matter how many times she dies.”

“You think anyone can become like her?” Zhou Zixi mocked.

But Chang Yu Ye smiled: “Don’t you think it’s unfair to those who only have one life?”

Zhou Zixi turned his neck, looking toward the direction of the voice: “Is it fair to lock me here and let me die countless times?”

“Strictly speaking, you haven’t died even once,” Chang Yu Ye’s tone was leisurely as he strolled up the stone steps. “Only when you completely disappear is it true death.”

Zhou Zixi released the broken arrow in his hand. The arrow hovered beside him, slowly rotating, gradually pointing its arrowhead at Chang Yu Ye below the altar.

Chang Yu Ye said, “The Calligraphy Sage wants fairness, so he wants the life meridian to disappear. Guess what I want?”

Zhou Zixi laughed coldly: “You think what he wants is fairness?”

“To be honest, I don’t care whether what he wants is fairness or if it’s just that he wants to destroy what he can’t have. At least he brought you to me, allowing me to fulfill the Wandering Soul Tribe’s mission and create a new world.” Chang Yu Ye gave Zhou Zixi a big smile. “I should even thank you.”

Zhou Zixi stood up: “You’re speaking too soon.”

Chang Yu Ye smiled: “Now you’re relying on the Star-Shattering Talisman to isolate star power, preventing us from seeing your life meridian. You think this means we can’t kill you?”

Zhou Zixi said, “Do you have a way to kill me that bypasses the life meridian?”

“Of course.” Chang Yu Ye’s clean face revealed a sly smile. “It seems you haven’t received the news yet. Those companions of yours who went to Eastern Yang to find the Divine Martial Awakening Marrow returned empty-handed.”

“The life meridian can repair everything, but it cannot repair damage caused by certain Divine Martial or Beyond Full Meridian powers, even if it’s just the traces left after the damage is done.”

“But… you’re already blind now, aren’t you?” As Chang Yu Ye spoke, he raised his hand and pointed, instantly killing Zhou Zixi with a Qi-Circulating Incantation. “Continue resurrecting, until you can no longer hear, move, or sense star power. The moment you lose your life meridian, you will be free.”

*

Winter snow had already stopped.

Ming Li had been staying at Bei Dou’s Star-Gazing Platform recently, as she needed to craft new Divine Martial weapons.

The Star-Gazing Platform was at the highest point of Yao Guang Court, and the circular platform was piled with many things. All sorts of peculiar Divine Martial weapons were brought here by Ming Li.

She wanted to forge new Divine Martial weapons herself, needing to make different adjustments according to the opponent. Shi Fei hovered beside her, quietly watching her busy work.

When Cheng Jingbai and the other Earth Ghosts arrived at Bei Dou with Song Tianjiu, it was Chen Zhou who went to receive them.

Everyone tacitly avoided mentioning Dong Yeshou. After simple greetings, they went straight to the point.

Song Tianjiu was taken by Qing Ying to see Ming Li. At the entrance to the Star-Gazing Platform, Chen Zhou leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, glancing at Cheng Jingbai, who was about to enter: “I only recently remembered that I’ve seen you at Bei Dou before.”

Cheng Jingbai paused.

Zhou Xiang looked back, her gaze hesitant. Cheng Jingbai smiled at her, gesturing for her to go in first.

Only Chen Zhou and Cheng Jingbai remained at the doorway.

“I thought you wouldn’t remember,” Cheng Jingbai turned to look at Chen Zhou.

Chen Zhou spoke softly: “I didn’t recall it at the time. Recently, I’ve been reflecting on past events, and it was an accidental discovery.”

Cheng Jingbai looked down, his eyebrows drooping, his usual languid manner subdued as he said quietly: “For a long time, I’ve been thinking, if I hadn’t come to Bei Dou to find him that day, would all those things that happened afterward have been avoided?”

Five years ago, at Bei Dou’s mountain gate recruitment site, Chen Zhou sent a voice transmission asking Zhou Zixi to help. After finishing cooking poached eggs for Ming Li, Zhou Zixi hurried to the mountain gate and saw Cheng Jingbai mixed in with the crowd.

Cheng Jingbai had come to find Zhou Zixi to return to the Ice Wastes.

They had always known Zhou Zixi was at Bei Dou, but since Zhou Zixi said he was living well there, they hadn’t come to disturb him.

This visit was out of necessity. Martial Alliance people had infiltrated Ink City, where Cheng Jingbai and others lived, and by coincidence learned that Zhou Zixi wasn’t dead.

This matter was reported to the Calligraphy Sage.

An Earth Ghost who had been turned into black meat paste with his life meridian destroyed, yet had come back to life.

His life meridian must be different from others, or perhaps there was a strange power within him, just like his strange shadow back then.

So that Martial Alliance inspector, following the Calligraphy Sage’s instructions, captured Zhou Xiang and others to threaten Cheng Jingbai to bring Zhou Zixi back.

Cheng Jingbai was no match for the Life and Death Realm inspector, nor for the increasing number of inspectors rushing to Ice Wastes, as well as several Pilgrims who began paying attention to Ice Wastes’ movements.

Chen Zhou glanced at Cheng Jingbai and turned, saying: “Let’s go inside to talk.”

*

When Ming Li heard people had arrived, she temporarily stopped what she was doing. The table was covered with papers, each filled with various curse markings.

“Sit anywhere,” Ming Li said as she began organizing the things on the table.

Song Tianjiu sat stiffly by the table, every part of him exuding formality.

Ming Li looked at him once. Song Tianjiu felt very uncomfortable but had to force himself to deal with it. With conflicted eyes, after encouraging himself inwardly for a long time, he finally opened his mouth: “Um…”

“Which one?” Ming Li said.

Song Tianjiu froze, instantly withdrawing into himself.

Qing Ying looked puzzledly at this young sect leader from Eastern Yang, wondering why he showed no sect leader demeanor at all.

Song Tianjiu tried to seek help from the Earth Ghosts beside him. Lin Xiao simply turned his face away, clearly indicating “save yourself.”

No hope for Li Bushuo either.

Zhou Xiang wasn’t mentally capable.

Cheng Jingbai… Song Tianjiu watched as Cheng Jingbai walked up, undoubtedly a heroic entrance, especially when he stood out and said to Ming Li, “Let me explain.”

A hero.

Song Tianjiu looked at Cheng Jingbai with admiring eyes, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

Cheng Jingbai told Ming Li about the news that Eastern Yang’s Divine Martial Awakening Marrow had been stolen by the Earth Ghost Qiu Lang, and also what Song Tianjiu had been told by Song Tianjiu.

Star threads entwined around Ming Li. While listening, she continued processing the curse markings on the star threads. Only after Cheng Jingbai finished did she say: “After my breakthrough, I remembered that I did indeed sense your brother Song Tianjiu’s star power at the Northern Border Ghost Plains. His timing was unfortunate, right during the Pilgrim’s Fire burning, so he also died in the Ghost Plains.”

Qing Ying asked: “Senior Sister, what is the Pilgrim’s Fire?”

Ming Li said, “I’ve only seen it at the Northern Border Ghost Plains. It can be roughly explained as a flame that can devour the existence of star power. Unable to sense star power, one also cannot use star meridian power, becoming no different from ordinary people. So within the Pilgrim’s Fire, it’s simple to cause death to someone at the Full Meridian level.”

“So, Sect Leader Song wants to go find the Awakening Marrow?” Chen Zhou asked.

Song Tianjiu trembled at being addressed as “Sect Leader,” unconsciously straightening his back, silently chanting to himself that he was the sect leader and must take responsibility.

“Yes,” Song Tianjiu said with a dejected face. “No matter what, the Wandering Soul Tribe stealing my family’s superior Divine Martial weapon is too much, so I must find the Awakening Marrow back.”

Ming Li tilted her head to look at him: “How do you know it was the Wandering Soul Tribe?”

Song Tianjiu said, “There is a star power connection between me and the Awakening Marrow. I can feel its direction. The closer to the north, the stronger the star power fluctuations.”

Ming Li stared at Song Tianjiu for a while. Perhaps this person was more reliable than his brother.

However, Song Tianjiu’s scalp tingled under Ming Li’s gaze, wondering internally if she disliked his brother and therefore disliked him by association.

“In a few days, I will also go to the Northern Border Ghost Plains to find the Wandering Soul Tribe,” Ming Li said. “Let’s go together then.”

Unable to refuse, Song Tianjiu nodded: “O-okay.”

“I have one more matter,” Cheng Jingbai raised his hand. “It’s related to Zixi.”

Ming Li calmly said, “As it happens, I haven’t been able to find him even with Divine Machine Dream Entry lately. I was just about to ask if you had any news. Go ahead.”

Cheng Jingbai began by talking about Zhou Zixi meeting Zhou Xiang, explaining how Zhou Zixi had been imprisoned in the Martial Alliance dungeon and tortured to death countless times. Hearing this, all three Bei Dou members looked toward Cheng Jingbai.

From escaping the Martial Alliance dungeon, to sending Zhou Xiang back to Ice Wastes, then encountering the Calligraphy Sage in Ice Wastes and losing his freedom, Zhou Zixi faced numerous Earth Ghosts alone, yet was misunderstood and hated, ultimately dying at the hands of the Earth Ghosts.

Cheng Jingbai said quietly, “Everyone thought he died in the snowy mountains, but after the Calligraphy Sage left, Zixi appeared again.”

“He and Wu Liangli eventually chose to find Qiu Lang.”

“They found Qiu Lang, but Qiu Lang refused to return to the Ice Wastes. He hated humans and wanted to kill everyone except Earth Ghosts.”

“Wu Liangli also didn’t want to return because Ice Wastes was too cold.”

“This was the last voice transmission Zixi sent me, saying he was doing well at Bei Dou.”

When Cheng Jingbai saw Zhou Zixi at Bei Dou, watching him joke with Chen Zhou, he realized Zhou Zixi hadn’t lied to him. He truly was doing well at Bei Dou.

“Everything was fine, but Martial Alliance people were lurking in the Ice Wastes and learned that Zixi wasn’t dead. So they captured Zhou Xiang and the others, forcing me to bring Zixi back to the Ice Wastes.”

As Cheng Jingbai said this, he hung his head, not daring to look at Ming Li.

Zhou Xiang hesitated, then said softly: “Actually, he was also influenced by the inspector’s Heart Meridian power at that time, which is why he went to Bei Dou to call Zixi back.”

But Cheng Jingbai shook his head.

The inspector’s use of Heart Meridian power was to prevent Cheng Jingbai from committing suicide. Without the escape route of suicide, he could only watch helplessly as his dear friends were captured, causing him great pain, and thus, he followed the inspector’s demands.

Cheng Jingbai couldn’t bear to see Zhou Xiang and others being tortured. He would rather it were himself being tortured, but this was a subtle choice.

He chose Zhou Xiang, Lin Xiao, and Li Bushuo over Zhou Zixi.

It was Cheng Jingbai who let the Calligraphy Sage and others know that Zhou Zixi was at Bei Dou, a disciple of Yao Guang Court, Ming Li’s junior brother.

Because he was Ming Li’s junior brother, the Calligraphy Sage and others didn’t dare to act directly, just to avoid alerting Ming Li. Everything was done in secret.

When Zhou Zixi met Cheng Jingbai, he knew something had happened in the Ice Wastes. Cheng Jingbai didn’t hide anything from him, confessing everything, but precisely because of this, Zhou Zixi couldn’t stand by and do nothing.

He wouldn’t tell Ming Li and others, wouldn’t willingly expose his identity as an Earth Ghost, so when Dong Yeyun approached him asking for help with cover, he also found an excuse to leave Bei Dou and go to the Ice Wastes.

The youths returning to Ice Wastes at that time didn’t know that several Pilgrims were already taking action.

“Their target was clear—they only wanted to capture Zixi. At that time, everyone else was severely injured and couldn’t help. Zixi also led away those pursuing him to prevent us from being threatened.”

As Cheng Jingbai reached the end of his story, his expression became increasingly complex. He didn’t know what had happened to Zhou Zixi, nor did he dare ask the Bei Dou people, exposing Zhou Zixi’s identity.

Until one day, Zhou Zixi’s shadow appeared before him. At that moment, Cheng Jingbai was overjoyed, wanting to make amends for everything, only to find that this shadow was completely changed beyond recognition.

Zhou Zixi could only rely on himself.

Just as Cheng Jingbai had chosen Zhou Xiang, Wu Liangli had also chosen Qiu Lang.

Everyone seemed not to have abandoned him, yet hadn’t chosen him either.