Chapter 1831: Collapse

“Weren’t you able to go out and play, then return? Why do you have to die if you return now?” Zu An asked in shock.

“It’s different now,” Jing Teng said, shaking her head. “My little sister and I left one after another, so the talisman has already suffered irreversible damage and could break at any time. I can only use my core to repair the damage to the divine talisman.” When she saw Zu An’s anxious look, she gently held his cheek and said, “Don’t try to persuade me otherwise. This is my fated mission, as well as my responsibility. Besides, the fact that I could be with you is already a great blessing.”

Zu An couldn't help but point at the Ghost King off to the side, asking, “You two are from the same source, so why doesn’t she care about this? Are good people supposed to suffer and get bullied then?”

The Ghost King retorted with a frown, “What, you can’t accept it?”

Zu An suddenly became furious, but Jing Teng grabbed his arm and said, “There’s no need to get angry. This is my own choice and it doesn’t have anything to do with other people. The only thing I regret is not being able to stay together with you.”

Zu An suddenly asked, “If we make her do it too, do you guys not need to die?”

The Ghost King’s expression changed. She snapped, “Damn kid, what are you planning?” Even though she was stronger than him, this brat had all sorts of weird abilities and even left her a bit apprehensive. If he went all out and took her out with him, that would be a huge loss.

Zu An didn’t pay her any attention and looked nervously at Jing Teng, waiting for her reply.

Jing Teng shook her head slightly and said, “The demon-suppressing talisman has suffered too much damage. Even if we join up together, our souls will still disappear. It’s just that if she is with me, the Demon-Suppressing Divine Talisman should be able to completely recover. If I’m alone, the talisman might be fine for a short time, but as time goes on, I’m sure there will be issues again.”

The Ghost King shouted, “Really? If you can fix it by yourself, why are you dragging me into it?”

Jing Teng looked at the Ghost King calmly before saying, “I can choose to protect it on my own, but I hope that one day, once you’re tired of playing around, you’ll come back to guard this formation with me.”

The Ghost King clicked her tongue and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely be having the time of my life out there. The human world is so interesting, so how could I ever get tired of playing?”

“Then can you promise me that you won’t harm big brother Zu and those women up there?” Jing Teng asked, looking into her eyes.

The Ghost King was about to refuse out of pride, but after thinking about it, she realized that Jing Teng was already about to die for her sake. So if she couldn't even promise that and forced her sister into a corner, it could actually become even more dangerous for her. She said, “Fine, then. In order to give you face, I won’t continue quarreling with them.”

Jing Teng sighed in relief. A smile appeared on her face as she thought, It seems this little sister of mine isn’t completely irredeemable.

Then, she wasn’t in the mood to pay the Ghost King any more attention; instead, she started to exchange some last endearing words with Zu An. She wanted to cherish every remaining second.

The Ghost King got a bit annoyed from listening to them and couldn't help but say, “No wonder your reserved self was so eager to offer yourself up and didn’t even hesitate to go wild here. So you already knew you were going to meet your end here.”

Jing Teng’s pretty face turned red, and she ignored the Ghost King.

When the Ghost King saw that her remarks weren’t getting any responses from Jing Teng, she changed her target to Zu An, remarking, “Damn brat, judging from our interactions, you don’t seem to be someone from this world. On one hand, there’s the woman you love, but on the other, it’s just some people you don’t know. What choice will you make?”

Zu An fell silent; it was unclear what he was thinking.

“If you choose the woman you love, you’re not all that different from me and only care about the people close to you. Who cares about everything else?” the Ghost King remarked proudly. She continued, “On the other hand, if you choose the people you don’t know and sacrifice the woman you love, you might seem grand in the eyes of many people, but you’ll simply be a hypocrite. I’m sure you’ll regret it yourself for the rest of your life. Besides, that would mean my silly big sister really was a fool, always choosing trash men.”

Jing Teng’s voice remained calm as she said, “I don’t think so. Not only would I not blame him for his choice, I’d only respect him more if he agreed with me. This is my mission, as well as my fated end.”

“Our fated end is to be destroyed and become an emotionless Demon-Suppressing Talisman again, only to spend an eternity like that?” the Ghost King retorted coldly. “My fate is my own! It’s no big deal for me to reject such a fate!”

…

“Well spoken!”

“The lady is bold and mighty!”

“Even among us, you can be considered a great hero.”

“Why don’t you just break that seal and we’ll subdue the various worlds together? Wouldn’t such excitement be much more interesting than what you’re experiencing right now?”

Chilly winds swept through the air, containing countless murmurings.

…

Jing Teng’s expression changed. She could tell that these were the voices of the monsters locked up in the great tomb. She hadn’t expected some of them to have already woken up and their divine wills to be able to reach all the way here. It was clear that the seal of the great tomb was already approaching collapse. There was nothing else that could stop those beings.

The Ghost King’s expression changed several times. She seemed to be a bit tempted. However, Jing Teng no longer hesitated and walked up to the Ghost King, saying, “Little sister, remember what you promised me just now.”

The Ghost King harrumphed, retorting, “What are you acting like that for? Even though I’m not usually the type to always stick to my word, since I agreed to you this time, I naturally won’t go back on my word.”

“That’s good…” Jing Teng said, her mood heavy.

Now, the Ghost King became a bit uncomfortable. After all, they were sisters born from the same place. When she saw that Zu An was still standing silently in place, she asked, “Are you a man or not? Your woman is about to sacrifice herself to save the world, and yet you’re just shaking like a quail.”

Zu An was about to say something when Jing Teng interrupted, saying, “I have no more regrets after experiencing my love with big brother Zu, so there’s no need to talk about anything else. As long as we can live on in each other’s thoughts, it can’t truly be considered death.”

Cracks began to fill the whole place, accompanied by the sound of shattering. The stars above could no longer continue their rotation, and the cracks on the Demon-Suppressing Talisman also grew bigger and bigger. It seemed there was only a small part that was still holding it together, as if it could break apart at any moment.

Jing Teng gave Zu An a reluctant look, then flew toward that talisman without looking back again. She was worried that she would no longer be able to continue if she gave him even one extra look.

Just then, however, streaks of red, green, and black energy rushed in through the shattered space up ahead. Every single one carried a terrifying aura as they swept toward Jing Teng. It was clear that they knew this was the crucial moment, and that they had to stop Jing Teng from returning to the Demon-Suppressing Talisman.

Jing Teng’s expression was cold. Her hands formed a seal, and an azure dragon, white tiger, vermilion bird, and black tortoise rushed out to fend off those terrifying energies, fighting them on equal ground. This was her home court, so now that she was here, she was much stronger.

Zu An quickly rushed forward to help her. Primordial ki seemed to have a restrictive effect on those beings. Their auras quickly fell into a disadvantaged state.

“Damn kid, could it be that you really just want your woman to die?”

“Aren’t you just speeding up her death?”

…

All kinds of demonic murmurs filled the air around Zu An. They weren’t soul attacks; instead, they were just words used to sway his heart. His expression turned ashen, quickly changing several times.

Just then, several voices also spoke in the Ghost King’s ear.

“Hurry and stop her! We’ll help you absorb her soul, and then you can fix your damaged soul. Your strength will soar to even greater heights then!”

“Weren’t you looking for the Baopu Sutra? Why not use this chance to take it back?”

“If you suck out that woman’s soul, your strength will already be great enough to transcend. You won’t even need to fear someone like Immortal Ruler Baopu anymore!”

…

The Ghost King’s expression was cold. In the end, she said with a snort, “All of you had better shut up. Even though I dislike her cowardly saintlike facade, in the end, we are sisters. How can I help you all and harm her instead?”

“Do you think she’ll let you go once she fully stabilizes the Demon-Suppressing Formation?”

“Do you really think she won’t try to suck you dry if you don’t do it first?”

“She was only saying those things to trick you. If the formation is fixed again, she’ll have enough power to completely devour you. Only then can it fully repair the Demon-Suppressing Talisman!”

The Ghost King’s expression changed. Fully repairing the Demon-Suppressing Talisman was indeed Jing Teng’s desire.

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Suddenly, a strand of black energy wrapped around her body when there was an opening in her thoughts. A sinister voice cackled, saying, “The reason you were able to separate yourself from the talisman in the past was because of this one’s help. It’s now time for you to repay your debt.” At the same time, black energy swirled around her entire body. Skulls were vaguely visible within the black energy.

“All of you, get lost!” the Ghost King exclaimed.

She struggled frantically, clearly trying to resist the invasion of divine will. However, when she borrowed their help in the past, they had already done certain things to her. Despite her struggles, bit by bit, she was eventually defeated. Her eyes started to become as black as ink, and not even the whites of her eyes could be seen anymore.

“Little sister!” Jing Teng exclaimed in a lock. She quickly sent a streak of golden light at the black mist.

When the black mist was struck by the golden light, the Ghost King finally got a breather and seized control of her own body again.

However, because Jing Teng was distracted, she was quickly struck by a streak of green radiance. Blood spurted out of her mouth and she fell from the air.

The other lights all attacked Jing Teng, intending to destroy her on the spot.