Chapter 232: Let the Ink-Dyed Cherry Blossom Bloom Gracefully

Alas, dyed entirely in azure, I send it to that distant place; alas, I only wish for the ink-stained cherry to bloom freely.

In the mundane world, life and death persist unchanging, yet never seen again; on a spring night's fleeting moment, pale hues fade, vanishing in the heart without a trace.

Alas!

No one hears my weeping; I do not wish others to know this suffering. Cherry blossoms tumble in chaos, unseen by the eyes, even in dreams. How elegant, how beautiful—this profusion of flowers, hailed across the world as the ultimate beauty, dazzling the gaze.

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At dusk, the sky glowed with violet twilight; before her eyes, scattered cherry petals spun and drifted.

Spring, summer, autumn, winter passed in the blink of an eye; waxing, waning, clear, cloudy—like the wheel of fate. Watching life, aging, sickness, and death from a corner of the world, she filled eternal voids with solitude.

The souls of the dead, ghosts, attachments, spiritual entities…

These beings, opposing the living, representing the other face of heaven and earth, belong to yin.

Humans without the Divine Eye or cultivation base cannot see them.

Those who do not enter reincarnation or descend into hell wander and drift through this mortal realm.

Compared to later eras, when ghosts could barely manifest and only frighten those with the Yin-Yang Eye, in this age of rampant demons and monsters, they were far easier to see—for both cultivators and ordinary people alike.

Petals fell like snowflakes; black-purple butterflies flitted ceaselessly between cherry blossoms and people, bringing death anew to this land.

Above and below, death lurked everywhere.

A solemn cold moon rose; the summer wind, chilled by the power of death, blew straight through bones, turning blood cold and hearts trembling, marrow withering—the perfect hour for demons and specters to emerge.

The golden-haired woman seated upon the black fissure and the green-haired flower spirit riding giant vines into the sky both opened their slightly narrowed, beautiful eyes. The floodlike beasts of death-butterflies and cherry petals could not advance an inch before their prepared forms.

A girl clad in a blue-cherry kimono stepped slowly from among the crowd, unhurried, dignified and graceful—as if facing not her own death, her lovely face showing no fear, only a smile on her lips and anticipation in her eyes.

No matter the outcome, she accepted it willingly.

With each step Yūyūzi took, the crisp sound of a shackle breaking echoed in her ears, and one more figure vanished from sight, her memories growing fainter still.

The traces of death spread behind her.

Finally, the girl, under the gaze of all, reached the roots of the Saiyō Yao.

Saiyōji Yūyūzi slowly extended her right hand, gently caressing the rough bark of the cherry tree before her, feeling the despair, pain, and sorrow she knew so well, allowing the swirling death-butterflies to pass through her robes.

For a moment, all was silent.

All attention focused on her.

Yet the girl, the protagonist, felt none of the turmoil she had imagined—only unexpected calm… and freedom.

I am not afraid of death.

Like the beauty of falling cherry blossoms, death is the grandest performance of life.

The Yokai Sage above clenched her palm; her sharp nails pierced her skin, yet she felt nothing. Her gaze had never left the girl since the beginning.

But mere moments later, the surroundings blurred—leaving only one motion of the girl: slicing open her right wrist with a sharp rib dagger.

Crimson blood gushed like a spring, soon soaking the barren ground into a small pool. Her frail body had bled enough to kill an adult man; her already pale face turned deathly white, warmth draining steadily from her form.

Forcing her to take her own life… this had been decided after deliberation.

To seal the Saiyō Yao by suicide.

This would grant Saiyōji Yūyūzi the initiative in her struggle against the Saiyō Yao; if she waited until the Saiyō Yao 's death energy erupted fully, she would become its helpless puppet, her soul dragged away.

The ground trembled; then cracked. Centered on the towering Saiyō Yao, nearly a kilometer around seemed ready to burst forth from the earth.

The girl, wrapped in death energy, amidst the violent shaking, like the swirling petals and butterflies, smiled at all of them in her final second of life.

At this moment, vibrant life had departed from the body before them—leaving only a quiet corpse, as if in slumber.

A hazy human figure shot out from behind Yūyūzi; its appearance and attire matched the body on the ground exactly.

But the phantom, seeming as if a breath could scatter it, had tightly shut eyes, a blank expression, and black, root-like strands binding and pulling at its limbs and torso.

Thick, solidified death energy bound the soul, steadily dragging it toward the tree trunk.

At the eleventh hour, the Yokai Sage was about to unleash her power of the Life-Death Realm.

"Life is not something to be discarded!"

A figure tossed out from the Land of Houhu shouted loudly, appearing from behind everyone; with each step, the violent tremors ceased instantly.

His figure was like a sapphire lightning bolt; where he passed, air surged violently, even carving a vacuum tunnel within arm's reach.

The next instant, a streak of light arrived instantly, striking the branch of the Saiyō Yao with perfect accuracy.

It was a dazzling aura, so brilliant it overshadowed the luminous moon above.

Secret Point, Divine Circle!

In the eyes of the Beidou heir, the energy sustaining all things, the fundamental unit composing all matter, is Qi!

The effect of 【Divine Circle】 is to release all Qi from the target, leaving the body weakened by the loss of its power source.

For fist cultivators who fight with aura, this is like "asphyxiation"—like a leaking vessel, life force drains uncontrollably away.

For the Saiyō Yao, this finger strike did not harm a single fragment of its earthly forms—but it was as if a massive hole had been drilled directly into its root, impossible to repair; its life force, death energy, and power all drained endlessly.

With only instinct remaining, Yūyūzi alone could not resist the control of the Saiyō Yao 's true form; the ancient accumulated death energy must be further weakened.

At speeds beyond sight, Jia Qi tapped her soul multiple times; now mastering the art of pinpointing all things, even upon a soul-body, he could still apply…

"Jianming," "Gangming," "Shunming," "Xinming," "Yeming," "Susheng," "Susheng Seven Points," and… "Jingxing"

Jingxing!

This was the special secret point Qiu Kai had used to seal Bao's memories—and later intended to awaken them—though he never got to use it before everything ended.

The bright star【Jingxing】, which lingers on the moon's orbit for about a month—from new moon to full moon and back to new moon—is also called Jingxing or the Twenty-Eight Inns.

The soul-body, without mass or temperature, suddenly began to warm slightly; deep, unforgettable memories flooded in.

Two seconds later, Yūyūzi snapped open her eyes.

In an instant, the girl's jet-black hair turned pink as cherry blossoms—but perhaps because Jia Qi's cultivation was still insufficient, her eyes held a trace of confusion and emptiness.

"Quick, quick, give her a shot of 'oblivionis'!"

To fulfill the requirement of awakening Yūyūzi's memories, Yilin Baoyi had used her invincible "I-think-so" power to create a peculiar medicine—

Butterfly Dream Pill.

"This medicine… was originally meant to soothe the spirit, helping one sleep well and dream sweetly," the silver-haired pharmacist would never make anything so simple, "after my improvements, it lets one dream of past events."

"Even for the dead, it works."

Black Butterfly Dream Pills bring forth bad memories; red ones restore beautiful ones.

But Jia Qi immediately decreed: rename this thing "ob" followed by a string of letters—the magical little pill.

"Why such a strange name?"

Only the diligent and studious Yokai Sage had asked the question, then inquired of the group's most knowledgeable member—or rather, the one with the highest English proficiency and broadest learning: Youxi.

And received this answer—

"'Oblivionis' comes from Lacus Oblivionis (Lake of Oblivion), meaning forgetting. The Lake of Oblivion lies on the far side of the moon."

Logical, well-reasoned, perfectly fitting the theme—highly convincing.

But Jia Qi's explanation to her was entirely different.

"Soon there won't be a single human left in the Saiyō family—this name fits perfectly!"

"What even is that? Are you switching channels again?!"

After spending so long with Jia Qi, aside from other things, Yūn Zi's ability to retort had improved greatly.

"Hmm…"

Spirit returned to Yūyūzi's eyes.

"You're awake? Congratulations—you've become a girl."

"Huh? But I was already a girl?"

She seemed a bit dim-witted—but the light, carefree smile on her face revealed that the sorrowful puppet once bound by the Saiyō Yao had regained life.

"Counterattack is beginning."

Fengjian Youxiang spoke suddenly, and her words startled every onlooker.

When Yūyūzi opened her eyes, victory was nearly within reach—but precisely at this moment, caution was most vital.

Even a dying beast can strike dangerously; how much more so a great demon?

The Saiyō Yao, entirely outmaneuvered from start to finish, had no path left but to fight to the death.

A mad, irrational frenzy is the most terrifying.

The trapped demon tree erupted with overwhelming death energy.

Death! Death! Death!

Death energy reached its peak; a pillar of light embodying the concept of death shot from the demon tree, crushing toward all who faced it with terrifying pressure.

"In such a hurry to die? Saiyō Yao, taste my Killkissjudy!"

His palms formed an absurd posture—like the wolf fist's hook, yet fused with the Southern Dipper Snake Thrust.

It was called Beidou Snake Thunder Bite!

Once it clamps down, it never releases—until the prey is dead.

The death pillar was entangled in writhing muscle, shattered into a shower of glowing particles; the other hand, shaped like a wolf's head, pierced through bark and sank deep into the trunk.

Where they met, blue extinguished black; destruction overcame death.

"Huh… can we make peace?"

A will from the Saiyō Yao 's true form reached Jia Qi—it was not entirely without reason. But to say this now…

A cold laugh.

Jia Qi bared his teeth in a chilling smile.

"Right now, are you joking?"

His palms, embedded in the tree trunk, pushed again with renewed force.

The awakened Saigyouji Yuyuko floated behind Jia Ji; an inexplicable link connected her to the Saigyouji Tree of the Underworld, and through this bond, the annihilating intent residing in his hands directly reached the Netherworld.

The great tree standing at the center of the Netherworld shuddered violently.

In an instant, the light of the Big Dipper filled the world.

Hell welcomed daylight.

……

Sakura brought word:

At the center of the Netherworld, a white jade palace spanning twelve hundred yuans had been assigned by Yanmo to the newly born 【Master of the Saigyouji Tree】.

For the enormous, indestructible Saigyouji Cherry stood at the heart of the White Jade Pavilion; though the blow had rendered it unable to bloom for a thousand years, it remained an unstable force—and entrusting this domain to Saigyouji Yuyuko, who could suppress it, was perfect.

Legend says that during the Tang Dynasty, when Li He was near death, he suddenly saw a crimson-clad figure riding a crimson dragon, holding a tablet inscribed with ancient seal script or thunderstone characters, declaring he had come to summon Li He. Li He could not read it, leapt from his bed, and kowtowed, saying: "My father is old and ill; I do not wish to go." The crimson-clad figure smiled: "The Emperor has built the White Jade Pavilion and summons you to be its scribe. Heaven's duties are joyful, not painful."

That Li He was none other than the Poet Ghost, Li He; since then, the White Jade Pavilion has served as the dwelling of the dead.

Saigyouji Yuyuko, now a spirit, though immune to sunlight due to her uniqueness, could not remain long in the mortal world; after the Saigyouji Tree on earth was uprooted and destroyed, the Saigyouji Mansion was nearly ruined as well—could one allow Yuyuko, the controller of death, to wander the world as a lost soul?

And for Yagumo Shiki, this was also a good thing.

Even in the Netherworld, she needed only to open a rift to visit Yuyuko anytime, anywhere, while Yuyuko could reduce her exposure to vulgar, foolish humans, preserving her kindness and innocence over the long term.

Specifically referring to a certain individual who could easily corrupt others.

A girl dressed in a blue silk kimono edged with lotus patterns, bound at the waist with a black sash, had short cherry-pink hair falling to her shoulders; her face was as soft as a bright moon, yet her eyes radiated an unprecedented sense of ease.

On her delicate, pale skin, beneath a small nose, her lips were a thin line of pearl-pink. To better suit her spirit identity, she had adopted the attire of the Sage of Demons, donning a blue soft hat with white fabric hanging from the back, and a heavenly crown tied at the front, bearing a red, soul-shaped emblem.

Her appearance differed little from when she was human, only her skin and hair had grown fainter—but this lent her a unique charm belonging solely to the dead.

Thus, it may be stated.

Saigyouji Yuyuko had become a spirit.

A girl with no strength to fight a chicken had leapt to become a top-tier powerhouse, commanding a hundred times the strength of an ordinary great demon.

"Rejoice, O spirit princess of insatiable hunger and thirst—you are born!"

"Thank you deeply for all you have done for Lady Yuyuko."

Aside from Saigyouji Yuyuko, as the current mistress of the White Jade Pavilion, traveling to the Netherworld, her loyal gardener spirit, Konpaku Youkai, could not bear to leave his mistress and prepared to accompany her to live in the Netherworld.

Fortunately, she was a half-human, half-spirit race, and would face no issues even in the Netherworld.

"Ah, I merely made a small contribution…"

"What is the Netherworld like?" Filled with three parts trepidation and seven parts curiosity, Hua Xu's spirit bade farewell to the others and, guided by the Death God, embarked on her journey.

(End of Chapter)