If I become a saint, a celestial official will summon me to raise horses.

Chapter 503 Once Upon a Time

Dark clouds gathered, and a light drizzle fell.

Among the mountains, trees were uprooted, and craters filled the landscape with smoke; the scene for miles around was a post-war devastation.

At this moment, three women were facing off: Zhen Qin, Jiang Qiong, and the Ghost Mother of the Ephemeral Flower. All three women were injured.

The Ghost Mother of the Ephemeral Flower stood amidst the ruins, her hair disheveled and her face covered in blood. Her gaze swept around as eight large banners formed an array, trapping her.

Outside the formation, Jiang Qiong hovered in the air. Her injuries were not as severe as those of the Ephemeral Flower Demon Mother, but judging from the constant rise and fall of her chest, she had also expended a great deal of energy.

Zhen Qin stood on the cliff, holding a precious sword, surrounded by flying knives that shimmered with golden light.

She looked down at the Ephemeral Flower Demon Mother, her eyes so cold.

The Ephemeral Flower Demon Mother looked at Jiang Qiong and gritted her teeth, saying, "Sect Master, I have supported you for so many years, do you really want to help outsiders kill me?"

Jiang Qiong sneered, "How do you know she's an outsider, and you aren't?"

The Ephemeral Flower Demon Mother took a deep breath and said, "Aren't you afraid that the Sword Venerable of Supporting the Dao will return?"

"Then you didn't know she was the disciple of the Sword Master Fudao?"

Faced with Jiang Qiong's mockery, the Ephemeral Flower Demon Mother remained silent.

Zhen Qin raised the sword in her hand and said, "Ephemeral Ghost Mother, today I will avenge my senior brother Su Han!"

Upon hearing the name Su Han, the Ephemeral Flower Demon Mother's expression remained unchanged. She lowered her head, seemingly preparing to accept her destiny.

Jiang Qiong immediately cast a spell, and the eight banners fluttered violently. A whirlwind swept up the ruins, forming blue chains that bound the Ephemeral Flower Demon Mother. The Ephemeral Flower Demon Mother did not offer any resistance.

Zhen Qin charged into the formation, wielding her sword and unleashing a flash of cold light that shattered the mountain forest.

With a single sword strike, blood splattered, and the head of the Ephemeral Flower Demon Mother flew into the air.

Zhen Qin stopped behind the Ephemeral Flower Demon Mother. She slowly straightened up and turned her head to look. Not only was blood spurting from the Ephemeral Flower Demon Mother's neck, but golden flames were also burning.

The spirit of the Ephemeral Flower Demon Mother manifested, unable to escape from her neck.

As Zhen Qin watched this scene, she felt no joy, only a sense of relief, followed by endless exhaustion.

Years have passed, and she no longer hates the Ghost Mother of the Ephemeral Flower; her only obsession is to avenge Su Han.

Jiang Qiong descended from the sky, and looking at the golden flames on the neck of the Ephemeral Flower Demon Mother, she clicked her tongue in amazement and said, "Is this meant to annihilate her soul? Where did you learn this evil technique?"

Zhen Qin said expressionlessly, "To deal with evil spirits and heretics, one must naturally use evil techniques."

The ghost mother of the epiphyllum struggled in agony, without howling, but watching her writhing body was so terrifying and horrifying.

A gentle breeze blew by, dispersing the golden flames around her neck. This caused Zhen Qin and Jiang Qiong's expressions to change drastically, and they instinctively turned their heads to look.

"Let's end it here. The grudges of this life are now settled."

A voice rang out, and Zhen Qin hesitated to speak upon hearing it.

That voice was Gu An's voice.

Jiang Qiong was pleasantly surprised and looked around, trying to find Gu An.

The soul of the Ghost Mother of the Ephemeral Flower flew out of the corpse. Zhen Qin's sword was no ordinary sword; that slash severed all of her life force. At this moment, she either had to possess another body or wait for reincarnation.

Her spirit knelt beside the corpse, seemingly paying homage to Gu An.

"I'll give you two choices: one is reincarnation, where you give up the karma of this life and start anew in the next; the other is atonement, where you lose your freedom but continue living."

Gu An's voice rang out again, his tone indifferent, as if the heavens themselves were speaking.

The Ghost Mother of the Ephemeral Flower comes from the Ephemeral Flower Sect. Although she is not the same as the Ephemeral Flower Sect that wreaked havoc on the Taicang Continent before, she has harmed quite a few people in this life. Su Han is just one of them. Even after she founded the Gathering Flower Sect, she still committed many evil deeds.

Gu An gave her a choice because she genuinely believed that she was acting on behalf of the Sword Master Fudao and was one of his people.

After following the Sword Master Fudao, she also restrained her methods and tried her best to do good.

Gu An didn't completely protect her, not just because of Su Han, since Su Han had long since severed ties with him, but because she had indeed done evil, and her past actions shouldn't simply disappear just because she stopped doing evil.

People must always bear the consequences of their choices.

The Ephemeral Flower Demon Mother immediately raised her head and shouted, "I am willing to follow you, even if I lose my freedom forever!"

As soon as she finished speaking, her soul vanished into thin air. The world returned to calm.

Jiang Qiong pursed her lips, looked at Zhen Qin, and comforted her, "No matter what, she's dead now, and she probably won't be at ease from now on."

Zhen Qin took a deep breath and said, "I know. If Master said he wouldn't let her be free, then he absolutely won't."

The Blood Prison Great Sage is the best example. Gu An said he would be his mount for a thousand years, and he really did endure a thousand years.

Seeing that she wasn't insistent, Jiang Qiong breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "What are your plans next?"

Zhen Qin looked into the distance and said, "I have no plans."

As soon as she finished speaking, her body suddenly fell backward.

Jiang Qiong's eyes widened, and she subconsciously reached out her hand.

However, a hand moved faster, catching Zhen Qin's shoulder. Zhen Qin looked up and couldn't help but smile.

"Master..." Zhen Qin said weakly.

Gu An looked at her and sighed softly.

Zhen Qin has reached the last year of her lifespan, and today's battle has completely exhausted her vitality.

Jiang Qiong was also happy to see Gu An, but she did not speak, leaving the time for the master and disciple.

Zhen Qin was too weak to speak, and soon closed her eyes, her hands falling naturally, which made Jiang Qiong frown.

Gu An looked at Jiang Qiong and said, "The Ghost Mother of the Ephemeral Flower is dead, and you must take charge of the Gathering Flower Sect yourself."

Jiang Qiong nodded and said, "I know, I'll be back soon."

She stepped forward, looked Gu An up and down, and said, "Everyone said you had left the Heavenly Spirit World, but I didn't expect you to still be here. I knew it, how could you leave me without saying goodbye?"

Facing the woman who had helped him a lot in the early stages of his life, Gu An smiled and said, "If you encounter any trouble in the future, just call out to me in your heart."

He could hear Jiang Qiong's inner thoughts and knew that she was not the type to detach herself from worldly affairs, so he did not invite her to the temple.

Jiang Qiong stared at him and asked, "If I miss you, may I call your name?"

Gu An rolled her eyes at her and said, "I'm very busy."

Jiang Qiong snorted coldly and said, "Take her away quickly, don't let her die."

She couldn't see the limit of lifespan, but she could feel Zhen Qin's vitality rapidly fading away, which was not a good sign.

Gu An nodded slightly, then disappeared with Zhen Qin.

Jiang Qiong did not leave immediately, but walked towards the corpse of the Ephemeral Flower Ghost Mother. After all, they had worked together for over a thousand years, and she did not want the corpse of the Ephemeral Flower Ghost Mother to be left to languish in the wilderness.

……

Zhen Qin had a very long dream in which she returned to her childhood, when she lived carefree in Xuan Valley with Su Han and Ye Yan.

Back then, they still dreamed of reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm.

When Zhen Qin woke up, she opened her eyes and was greeted by a blue sky.

She sat up instinctively and saw Gu An sitting at a stone table not far away, with an ice coffin next to her.

Upon seeing Gu An, her heart immediately calmed down, and she stood up to go and pay her respects.

As soon as she stood up, she saw the scene inside the ice coffin. She froze, blinking repeatedly, but no matter how many times she blinked, the scene inside the coffin remained unchanged.

"how come……"

Zhen Qin became excited, her body trembling slightly.

Su Han's body lay intact inside the ice coffin.

She looked at Gu An again, but Gu An was drinking tea and didn't look at her.

At this moment, Zhen Qin was filled with emotion and shame, and a thousand words were stuck in her throat, unable to be uttered.

Thank you Celeb-Sev for the 1500 Qidian Coins!
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(End of this chapter)