Thousand Hands was still lingering outside the Ghost Burial Squad headquarters. Leo Yuan had been gone for many days now, and Thousand Hands was desperate to obtain the Soulreaver Blade, which had been sealed away in the squad's underground vault.
Days had passed, and Lao Chongyuan had not emerged. Thousand Hands wanted to go inside, but the formidable Voidlock Barrier set up by Leo Yuan kept him out. Though he was a Blue Wraith, Thousand Hands understood the terrifying power of the formation—if he went in, he might never come out.
Finally, Lao Chongyuan appeared, accompanied by several men dressed as constables. They were the first generation of the Ghost Burial Squad, born with the ability to see ghosts.
Once his subordinates dispersed, Lao Chongyuan walked into a wooded area at the squad's perimeter. A flash of green light, and Thousand Hands appeared before him.
"Mr. Lao, that ghost weapon would be invaluable to our research. A blade that can absorb souls—there is no other like it in this world."
"So what?"
Lao Chongyuan asked expressionlessly. Thousand Hands sneered and slowly approached.
"Mr. Lao, long ago I realized you were different from the others. Are you unpredictable, or do you simply hide your emotions? Heh."
"Enough nonsense. I have things to do outside."
Thousand Hands shrugged helplessly and sighed.
"Since this is your preference, Mr. Lao, I won't say another word about it—not even a whisper when I return. But I do hope you can bring out the Soulreaver Blade for me. With your authority, it shouldn't be difficult."
Thousand Hands spoke, but Lao Chongyuan simply laughed.
"I'm powerless. The formation set by that monk is not so easily broken."
With that, Lao Chongyuan left, leaving Thousand Hands standing there, helpless and dazed. At last, he drifted away.
"Better head back. Nothing else to do... Sigh, Mr. Lao really is something else."
That night, the Ghost Burial Squad was steeped in grief. Someone had died. After a confrontation with an evil ghost in a nearby town, seven of the ten who went out never returned. Lao Chongyuan simply watched in silence as some of the young constables wept. At this moment, a massive funeral was underway within the squad.
"Lord Lao, we've lost so many brothers to those evil ghosts. If this keeps up, how can we protect the royal family? Our Ghost Burial Squad..."
I saw a young man with a righteous face speak to Lao Chongyuan.
"Ali, this is simply our reality. Against ghosts, we are powerless. All we can do is keep improving as we fight them. The sacrifice of those brothers is so that those of us who survive can understand ghosts better."
Lao Chongyuan, who possessed the strength to face a Ghost Sovereign, seemed to be playing the role of an ordinary elder. In my heart, I felt an inexplicable emotion toward his actions.
Even now, I still can't understand why Lao Chongyuan founded the Ghost Burial Squad. It wasn't simply for the Immortality Society's experiments.
There were people who, from birth, were destined to deal with ghosts. They could see spirits from the moment they were born, and such people were easily haunted. Ghosts loved to devour them, drawing great power from their souls.
The spiritual world mostly ignored these people unless they joined a sect. Lao Chongyuan gathered them together and formed the Ghost Burial Squad.
After a simple funeral, darkness fell over the squad. Only a few night patrols wandered with lanterns, searching the area. Lao Chongyuan descended into the newly built basement, standing outside a red barrier, gazing at the Soulreaver Blade floating in midair.
"Let me out..."
A chilling, low howl echoed from the Soulreaver Blade, but Lao Chongyuan only watched in silence. The sobbing continued, unceasing.
Loneliness, sorrow, and anger kept spilling out from the Soulreaver Blade.
"If you were forged to kill, then for whom were we humans created? What is our purpose?"
Lao Chongyuan asked, and the Soulreaver Blade let out a shrill laugh.
"You must be out of your mind, heh. Humans are greedy, they're miserable, and they lose themselves so easily. Aren't you the same?"
Lao Chongyuan smiled.
"Then let me ask you—what do you think you were created for?"
"Naturally, to kill others by human hands."
"Oh, really? Yet I sense something unique in you—a gentle, almost beautiful aura, like a peerless beauty standing before me."
Lao Chongyuan spoke, but the Soulreaver Blade fell silent.
"Somehow, I feel you weren't made just to kill. Isn't that so?"
After Lao Chongyuan said this, the Soulreaver Blade grew quiet and motionless.
Every night, Lao Chongyuan would come here to question the Soulreaver Blade about many things. The blade would answer each time, often with profound insights that explained much.
"Devouring souls brings not only power, but also knowledge. That's why Thousand Hands is so desperate to obtain you."
The Soulreaver Blade burst into wild laughter.
"Humans really are foolish. Some die for the simplest reasons. There was a scholar, for example, who refused to cross a bridge built by his enemy. As a result, when he went to fetch water, the village flooded and he drowned. Do you think he was just being stubborn?"
"Perhaps. That's what people call integrity and sentiment. But how many lives have been lost to these ideals over the centuries? Wasn't it the same during the Chu-Han Contention? King Xiang Yu refused to cross the river, ashamed to face his people, and so he took his own life at Wujiang. Heh."
(Irrelevant system message skipped)
Gradually, Lao Chongyuan and the Soulreaver Blade became more and more like confidants, sharing everything—even secrets about the Immortality Society's structure.
Year after year, day after day, Lao Chongyuan grew older. The Ghost Burial Squad expanded in size and its survival rate increased. Lao Chongyuan managed the squad well, earning royal recognition as they continued their secret operations.
"It's about time I lay down this burden."
"Oh? Planning to hand the Ghost Burial Squad to the next generation?"
Lao Chongyuan nodded.
"One last question: Why do you think our Immortality Society exists here—what is our purpose?"
"Heh, purpose is the dullest thing. There is no real meaning. If you must insist, it's simply that as humans, you pursue the eternal, ultimate dream—immortality. That is your purpose."
Lao Chongyuan slowly rose, then coughed a few times. Gradually, his coughing grew violent, and he covered his mouth, hacking up mouthfuls of black blood.
"It's almost time. This body... heh, it's happened countless times. Death means nothing to us anymore."
"Is that so? Then you have nothing left to fear. Death is the most terrifying thing in this world—once you're dead, there's nothing. But you, you've lost all fear of death. That's why you're so strong."
The Soulreaver Blade spoke as Lao Chongyuan wiped the blood from his mouth with a handkerchief and smiled.
"When the Immortality Society was founded, the thirteen of us had no interest in chasing immortality. Back then, our purpose was to change everything from the past."
"Oh, the past... Everyone must pay for what they've done. Do you want to erase your own mistakes?"
The Soulreaver Blade spoke, and Lao Chongyuan nodded.
I don't know when it started, but our existence has grown hollow, empty, helpless—we've even lost our original purpose. Heh, I'm just like those others, playing a role, gathering these toy-like people, eating, living, laughing, and crying with them. Which one is me? Who am I? It doesn't matter anymore. I enjoy the process. Maybe one day, when I'm tired of the Immortality Society, I'll return to the Ghost Burial Squad under a new identity, once again experiencing a life of survival, fear, sorrow, and anger.
Lao Chongyuan spoke, then slowly turned and raised a hand.
"Farewell, old friend. I hope it's not wrong to call you that."
"Heh, leaving already? Lao Chongyuan, old friend, I hope one day you can see my true form. Sadly, in this world, no one capable of seeing my true form has been born yet."
In the end, the Soulreaver Blade left a final remark, and Lao Chongyuan departed.
All around, everything had vanished. The space was pitch black, and I knew clearly—I was in my instinctual space.
The Soulreaver Blade slowly floated before me, glowing with a green phosphorescent light.
"Ethan Zhang, do you want to see it? That exquisite, fleeting beauty—my true form is not something as vulgar as the Soulreaver Blade, but rather..."
"Cecilia..."
I slowly uttered a few words, then reached out and gripped Cecilia. The sword hilt was ice-cold, yet radiated a gentle aura.
"You can feel it, can't you? Cecilia's ghost still lingers within me, silent. Only you can sense it, Ethan Zhang. What is your purpose for existing?"
Cecilia spoke as I slowly raised her, smiling.
"Coexistence..."