This is the true immortal of the Taoist sect.

Three years have passed since Qingfeng ascended to immortality.

Jingming Cave is located in another county town, only about 50 miles away from Anyi County. There is a simple courtyard on the west side of the town.

The yard was a bit messy, obviously because no one had cleaned it for a while.

Inside the main room, an old man with white hair sat in an old rattan chair.

There was no one else in the entire courtyard except him.

The old man was emaciated and withered, and was on his deathbed.

But for some reason, he felt a persistent breath stuck in his throat, his eyes fixed on the doorway.

It seems they are waiting for something.

Suddenly, a ray of light descended from the sky and landed in the courtyard.

The old man's eyes suddenly lit up, and he raised his hand, as if he wanted to get up.

But his already exhausted body simply couldn't support him doing these things.

At this moment, there was another person in the courtyard.

A woman of unparalleled beauty and extraordinary grace—Mingyue.

Mingyue wore a moon-white Taoist robe and a white jade lotus crown on her head. Her every move seemed to be surrounded by celestial light, making her seem completely unlike a woman from the mortal world.

Although decades have passed, Mingyue has grown from a young girl into a woman.

But compared to ordinary women, she still maintains a youthful appearance even at over seventy years old.

Although he has not become an immortal, he is no different from an immortal in the eyes of mortals.

Mingyue stood in the courtyard, her gaze sweeping over everything, including the situation inside the houses.

Finally, he turned his gaze to the old man, a sarcastic smile creeping into his eyes.

"Zhao Chun'an, as the former Minister of Revenue of the Great Zhao Dynasty, are you trying to atone for your sins by making your later years so miserable?"

The old man lying in the rattan chair was none other than Zhao Chun'an, the former magistrate of Anyi County.

Mingyue did not kill him back then, but allowed him to continue serving as an official and govern more people.

Zhao Chun'an was indeed a rare and capable minister. After Wang Yangming became prime minister, he gave him important responsibilities and promoted him to Minister of Revenue.

The finances of the Great Zhao were indeed well-managed under his administration.

In his later years, Zhao Chun'an knew he was no longer capable of doing what he was supposed to do, so he resigned from his official post and returned to his hometown. He bought this courtyard in the western suburbs of the county town, and did not ask anyone to serve him, nor did he remarry or have children.

He will grow old alone.

To Mingyue's surprise, Zhao Chun'an was exceptionally long-lived; judging by his lifespan, he was at least a hundred years old.

She only realized today that Zhao Chun'an's time was coming to an end, so she came.

Upon arriving and meeting Zhao Chun'an, Mingyue immediately realized that the reason he had lived so long was because the vengeful ghost in the well had given him all of its spiritual power.

This made Zhao Chun'an's soul far stronger than that of ordinary people, which is why he has lived for so many years.

Little did Zhao Chun'an know that this was a tremendous torment for him.

......

As Zhao Chun'an listened to Mingyue's words, his eyes gradually dimmed.

Even though decades have passed, the mistakes he made back then still haunted him like a deep-seated wound, making it difficult for him to let go.

After resigning from his official post, he was actually waiting for Mingyue, the current second-in-command of the Taoist sect, to come and end his life personally.

But all these years, the bright moon has never appeared.

Fortunately, I was able to see this girl, who had been hurt by my mistakes back then, in my final moments.

"Ming...Mingyue...I'm...I'm so...sorry..."

Zhao Chun'an managed to utter a broken sentence with great difficulty.

Although it was unclear, Mingyue still heard it clearly.

However, Mingyue's face did not change.

Over the years, this matter has faded into the background.

But Mingyue never truly forgave this so-called good official.

The only reason she didn't kill him was because keeping him alive meant he could do more for the world.

That's it.

Even with her current level of cultivation and state of mind, Mingyue still feels excruciating pain whenever she recalls the scene of being possessed by a vengeful ghost and having her parents' hearts devoured bit by bit.

Taking a deep breath, Mingyue stepped into the house, looking down at Zhao Chun'an with a hint of hatred gradually rising in her cold eyes.

"Zhao Chun'an...although everyone in the world says you are a good official, a mistake is a mistake..."

"I spared your life and let you live for so long."

"It doesn't mean I've already forgiven you."

At this point, Mingyue suddenly let out a cold laugh.

"Heh, actually, back when you resigned from your official post and returned to your hometown, the moment you stepped out of the capital, a bolt of lightning was already waiting for you above your head..."

Zhao Chun'an paused, a bitter smile appearing on his face, along with a hint of heartache.

He really felt sorry for the girl, who had allowed her enemy to live for so many years while she carried the burden of hatred.

Even when it came time to make a move, he ultimately failed to do so.

Seeing the hint of heartache in his eyes, Mingyue immediately said in a cold voice:

"Don't think I'm soft-hearted, you're wrong."

"I never have a soft heart."

"The reason I didn't take action was to let you continue living in self-blame and pain."

"Believe it or not, if you had lived a slightly more comfortable life after resigning from your official post, that heavenly lightning bolt would have struck without hesitation, obliterating you to ashes, leaving you no chance for an afterlife..."

"boom..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a deafening clap of thunder resounded outside.

Within a radius of hundreds of miles, all living beings could not help but feel fear in their hearts.

The people in the county town didn't even dare to lift their heads and hurriedly hid in their houses to take refuge.

At this moment, the sky above the county town was already covered by a thick thundercloud; the immortals were easily angered, and the world changed color.

There was no fear or surprise in Zhao Chun'an's eyes.

He completely understood Mingyue's actions.

Seeing Mingyue in such pain, his self-reproach deepened.

"Mingyue... I'm sorry, because of my selfishness, I've caused you so much harm..."

"I... I could never atone for my sins even if I died a hundred times. I only hope... I only hope you can forgive yourself... and let go of your grief..."

Perhaps it was a sudden burst of energy before death, but Zhao Chun'an suddenly found his strength and managed to utter a complete sentence smoothly in one breath.

Mingyue clenched her fists tightly, and her power exploded, instantly turning the entire house and courtyard into dust.

Only Zhao Chun'an and the chair he was sitting in remained intact.

"What...what right do you have to comfort me?"

Mingyue, who always spoke in a cold and sarcastic tone, roared in a nearly hoarse voice.

Zhao Chun'an seemed to have finally exhausted all his strength, and his body slowly went limp.

The breath that had been stuck in his throat was slowly exhaled.

"I'm sorry... I... I... was wrong..."

After saying these last words, Zhao Chun'an's head slumped to the side, and his breath gradually faded away.

Mingyue could clearly hear Zhao Chun'an's heart slowly stop beating.

His life force was completely depleted.

When Mingyue witnessed Zhao Chun'an's life disappear, she felt as if all her strength had been drained away.

I instinctively took a few steps back, and almost fell over.

Just then, a semi-transparent phantom floated up from Zhao Chun'an's body.

That was Zhao Chun'an's soul.

Mingyue's eyes turned cold, and her fingers were already forming a hand seal. As long as a lightning spell fell, it would obliterate Zhao Chun'an's soul.

"Ha... He's already dead... He's entered the cycle of reincarnation, he's no longer himself... What's the point anymore..."

The bright moon smiled weakly and dissipated the thunder spell.

Zhao Chun'an's soul was directly divided into three parts under the influence of the laws of heaven and earth. One part returned to the Heavenly Dao, another merged into heaven and earth, and only the last human soul was dragged into reincarnation by the laws of the underworld and disappeared.

"boom..."

Another clap of thunder sounded.

But this time, it wasn't the moon that attracted the lightning.

Then a torrential downpour began, falling on Mingyue's body and face. She looked up at the sky, her eyes red-rimmed.

It was impossible to tell whether the water stains on his face were tears or rain.

Mingyue stood in the heavy rain for a long time, with Zhao Chun'an's corpse not far in front of her.

The moon finally reacted only after the heavy rain gradually subsided.

She took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.

It was as if he was exhaling all the hatred and sorrow in his heart with this breath.

"It's over...it should be over..."

"Letting go...it's time to let go..."

The grief and hatred in Mingyue's eyes were gradually soothed.

With a surge of magical power, the water on her body dried instantly, turning into mist that swirled around her.

She returned to her former ethereal and otherworldly fairy-like appearance.

However, the faint sadness that had once been present in her eyes was noticeably gone.

Mingyue casually cast a spell, and the ground instantly caved in, swallowing Zhao Chun'an's corpse.

Then it transformed into a streak of light, shot into the sky, and disappeared into the horizon.