Chapter 1274: Suí Hou Zhu (The Charm Beads)

Upon hearing this story from the past, Zu'an and Qiao Heng were deeply moved but remained relatively composed.

The other women, however, were overwhelmed with emotion, imagining how wonderful it would be to have such a devoted man love them—a man whose instincts would drive him to protect and love them even if he lost his mind.

Yan Xuehen practiced the "Grand Supreme Forgetfulness" art, which was supposed to prevent her emotions from being swayed by feelings. However, ever since meeting Zu'an, her state of Grand Supreme Forgetfulness had been completely shattered. Consequently, she was now more sentimental than an average person, and upon hearing this story, she even felt her eyes welling up.

Even the formidable Yun Jianyue found a soft spot in her heart touched. Yet, she was unwilling to show it, and instead snorted lightly, "Love and affection only make people weak. They only dull the blades in my hands."

Having spent so much time together on the journey, Yu Yanluo and Yan Xuehen were already accustomed to her arrogant, yet contradictory, nature and didn't bother to respond to her.

Zu'an, however, was more concerned about something else: "Where exactly did Marquis Sui find that Three-Three Flower?"

After all, Emperor Qin Shi Huang, who came much later, wasn't too far removed from Marquis Sui's era. Even with the entire nation's resources, he couldn't find a trace of the elixir of immortality. Yet, a few centuries prior, a deranged Marquis Sui managed to find it?

The woman shook her head. "I don't know how he found it. I was already on my deathbed at the time, and he had lost the ability to speak. He was just holding the flower, extremely excited. However, I noticed the dark mist around him had grown thicker... Soon after, I was sealed by the Primordial Spirit Dew."

Not hearing a perfectly rational explanation, Zu'an felt somewhat relieved. If the answer had been too flawless, he would have suspected it was carefully fabricated.

But she mentioned the black mist getting thicker—did that mean he was falling deeper into demonic corruption?

Unfortunately, she wouldn't say what had happened to Marquis Sui that caused him to become demonically corrupted.

"How many years have you spent here?" Yu Yanluo asked softly. Due to their similar bloodlines, a natural sense of kinship arose within her. Imagining herself in the woman's place, sealed in a jade coffin, she wondered how she had endured so many years of solitude.

The woman looked at Yu Yanluo, a hint of surprise in her eyes, as she clearly felt the shared bloodline. "I don't know. I know it's been a very, very long time. But Marquis Sui often came to sit by my jade coffin, and even though he couldn't speak, that was enough."

"Could you perceive what was happening outside while you were in the Divine Origin Stone?" Yan Xuehen asked curiously. Though a Grandmaster, she had only heard legends of the Divine Origin Stone and had never witnessed a sealed being still alive inside one.

The woman shook her head slightly. "Not accurately. It was a bit like dreaming; often, I couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't. However, in recent years, as the Three-Three Flower gradually matured, nourished by its vital essence, my consciousness faintly began to awaken."

Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue secretly nodded. This experience would be very helpful to them.

Princess Changning, standing nearby, was quite displeased. Since the woman had been revived, didn't that mean the Three-Three Flower had already been used by her?

They had struggled all this way, and so many companions had died, only for it all to be in vain.

Yu Yanluo and Princess Soren, however, felt better about it. The Immortal Flower was originally prepared for her by Marquis Sui. In comparison, the devotion that had lasted for thousands of years touched them more deeply.

Zu'an asked in a deep voice, "You were sealed by the Divine Origin Stone and revived by the Three-Three Flower, but what about him? How could he have survived these long years?"

"Of course he couldn't have survived these long years," the woman said, a trace of sorrow appearing on her face, "because he died long ago."

"Dead?" Although Zu'an had already suspected as much, everyone's expressions changed drastically upon hearing this. What was that entity that had just been slaughtering everything around them?

Tears welled up in the woman's eyes. "After he became demonically corrupted, his life essence was already weak. Then, finding the Three-Three Flower and Primordial Spirit Dew for me completely drained his remaining vitality. The only reason he appeared 'alive' to outsiders was because he was sustained by the demonic energy on his body, and perhaps the unwavering obsession to wait for the Three-Three Flower to revive me kept him going."

That black demonic energy could sustain someone for so long?

Everyone grew a little excited. How many powerful individuals in this world had gone to great lengths for immortality? If those old monsters nearing their end knew about this, wouldn't they go mad?

However, they quickly calmed down. Although this demonic energy could sustain a person for a very long time, they would lose their sanity, retaining only their instincts and obsessions from when they were alive. Could that truly be called immortality?

Zu'an, however, felt a pang of apology. "By that logic, I just killed him."

The black aura around the monster had now thinned to the point of being almost invisible to the naked eye.

Without the sustenance of the demonic energy, his entire being visibly weakened.

Before the woman could answer, a dry, raspy voice spoke: "No, you freed me."

It was as if he hadn't spoken in too long and was unaccustomed to it at first.

Everyone was startled. The monster spoke?

The woman was equally surprised and overjoyed. "Sui Lang, you... you've regained your sanity?"

Her voice trembled, fearing that everything before her was just a hallucination.

The man smiled gently at her. Finally, with her help, he struggled to sit up. "Ever since becoming demonically corrupted, I've been living a life worse than death. I couldn't even end my own life. Only endless pain remained in my mind. Thanks to your miraculous light, you actually managed to dispel the evil from me."

As he spoke, his body visibly withered at a rapid pace. He looked as if he was being... weathered away.

"Sui Lang!" The stunning woman clearly understood that her beloved was merely experiencing a final burst of vitality. Grief instantly flooded her heart.

Zu'an glanced at the flashlight in his hand, surprised that it could have such a profound effect.

Marquis Sui casually threw an ancient beast-skin scroll towards Zu'an. "I have nothing left now. The Three-Three Flower was used to save Yu'er. So, I'll use this treasure map I obtained years ago to repay your kindness for saving me."

Zu'an caught it effortlessly, immediately sensing the extraordinary quality of the beast-skin. However, the mention of a treasure map gave him a headache. Not long ago, Daoist Wu Liang had also peddled a so-called treasure map, leading them into so many dangers here.

Marquis Sui then looked at the woman. "I haven't seen a sunrise in thousands of years. Would you accompany me for one last sunrise?"

The woman was already weeping uncontrollably. She couldn't speak, but just nodded silently.

No one present was weak. They naturally perceived that Marquis Sui was indeed about to die, and thus saw no need to stop him.

Before leaving, the woman suddenly remembered something and returned, pulling Yu Yanluo aside. "I sense that your bloodline is somewhat similar to mine, though it seems to lack a trace of divinity. This bead is useless to me now, so I'll give it to you. I hope you can pass it down through generations."

As she spoke, she took out a smooth, luminous pearl. It resembled a pearl but was much larger, and faintly emanated a misty aura. Even from a distance, one could feel the surging power within it.

"This is..." Yu Yanluo was somewhat dumbfounded, never expecting such a grand gift.

The other women in the distance also noticed the situation, secretly wondering if this bead could be...

At this, the woman explained: "Our Nuwa clan is small, with only one successor in each generation. After death, successive inheritors seal their souls and cultivation into the spiritual pearl within their bodies, for future generations to inherit and cultivate. Our clan calls it the Sacred Spirit Pearl; outside, it's known as the Spirit Serpent Pearl or the Moonlight Pearl. Later, it became more commonly known as the Marquis Sui Pearl."

"The Marquis Sui Pearl!" Remembering the murals from before, Princess Changning in the distance was nearly mad with jealousy. She had worked so hard all this time, only to get no Immortal Elixir and no share of the Marquis Sui Pearl. How did all the benefits end up with others?

Yu Yanluo hastily declined: "This is too valuable; I cannot accept it."

The beautiful woman sighed. "I cannot allow our clan's legacy to end with me, and I have no descendants. Your bloodline is the most suitable."

Worried about her husband's condition, she didn't have the heart to persuade further. Instead, she directly pressed the Marquis Sui Pearl into Yu Yanluo's hand.

Then, embracing Marquis Sui, who seemed on the verge of crumbling, she lightly tapped her foot, and her figure vanished into the distance.