Chapter 579: The Best Senior Sister in the World

I am certain that Yu Nian's body is being controlled by the third shadow because when Yu Nian suddenly stood up, her condition was very poor.

But now, she is like a pine tree, standing unmoving amidst wind and snow.

At the moment she formed a seal with her hand, she snatched the Thousand Soul Banner, gripped the mast with both hands, and began waving it continuously.

Black qi swirled over the surface of the Thousand Soul Banner, forming a bottomless vortex.

The crane was sucked by the powerful suction erupting from within the vortex, continuously being pulled backward.

At that moment, the three shadows beneath Yu Nian's feet merged into one, rose up, fused with her flesh, like a wall, giving a profound sense of reassurance.

The Yīnfēng howled, sweeping across the whole world.

Even my footing became somewhat unsteady.

Everyone stood up, supporting each other.

Liu Junyan didn't know when she had come to my side; one hand grasped my waist, the other my shoulder, steadying my posture.

The wind was too loud; even when close, we couldn't hear each other speak.

I could only ask Liu Junyan with my eyes; she shook her head at me.

No one knew what had happened, nor did anyone know what the final outcome would be.

This process lasted a full five or six minutes.

Just as the crane was finally being sucked by that force, uncontrollably rushing toward the Thousand Soul Banner, a bolt of heavenly thunder sliced through the layers of darkness and struck the Thousand Soul Banner directly.

The Thousand Soul Banner ignited.

Countless souls, under the scorching fire of the heavenly thunder, were reduced to ashes and smoke.

Crack.

The mast of the Thousand Soul Banner snapped, its surface burned with a huge hole… the Thousand Soul Banner… was destroyed just like that.

Along with the demise of the Thousand Soul Banner, the souls contained within it also perished.

Those souls were all beings not accepted by the Nether Realm, not entering reincarnation.

But the crane was not among them.

I personally watched the crane being sucked into Yu Nian's body; Yu Nian's entire body was instantly shrouded in black qi, from which a red light burst forth from within.

That was the blood-light of the Vermilion Sand Spirit Bone!

And that tall black shadow, as the crane became trapped within Yu Nian's body, kept shrinking.

It seemed as if it could be exhausted at any moment.

At the moment the Thousand Soul Banner was destroyed, the Yīnfēng dissipated, and the whole space fell silent again.

I could only hear everyone's breathing, slightly disordered from tension and confusion.

Then, Yu Nian's voice came through.

I heard her shout: "Xiao Jiu, shoot the arrow!"

Xiao Jiu…… shoot the arrow……

Yu Nian wants me to shoot an arrow at her!

Why?

Why has the development of events turned out so differently from what I imagined?

Why did the crane end up trapped in this manner in the end?

Before, each of the unclean things in Wufu Town seemed to want to seize my body; I once felt my body was like a vessel.

But now it appears that Yu Nian is the one whose body is being used as a vessel.

Earlier I had wondered: everything gathered by the Dìshì Assembly had taken effect, except the Yin Bone and the Vermilion Sand Spirit Bone, which had not.

When the Heaven and Earth Eight Trigrams Formation appeared, they were also incorporated into it; I thought that was the end.

But I never expected there would be more to come.

"Xiao Jiu, shoot the arrow, quick!"

Yu Nian's voice trembled, yet was extraordinarily resolute.

I know that for her, every second now feels like being in hell, utterly agonizing.

But I don't know whether my arrow, if it truly reaches its target, will be able to kill the crane.

But I do know that it will certainly kill Yu Nian.

I can't do it!

I cannot kill Yu Nian with my own hands.

The Nirvana fire will not only take her life, but also burn her soul to ashes, preventing her from ever reincarnating.

She is the best, the very best senior sister in the world, a ray of light in my life!

I cannot bear to part with her.

I can't do it!

"Xiao Jiu, I can't hold on much longer—quick, shoot the arrow!"

"Senior sister, I beg you!"

"This is my destiny, and also my mission in coming into this world, Xiao Jiu—this is the only chance!"

"Shoot! Arrow!"

The black shadow that had been controlling Yu Nian's body completely vanished.

The blood-light of the Vermilion Sand Spirit Bone also faded.

I heard the crane's wail.

I saw the crane's snow-white head desperately trying to burst out from Yu Nian's chest……

I raised my left hand, which held the longbow.

Tears blurred my vision, my hand shook, and my body trembled uncontrollably.

Liu Junyan's large hand grasped my left hand, steadying my shaking wrist.

I wiped away tears, lifted my right hand, and reached toward my brow.

At the moment the arrow was nocked on the bowstring, I took a long, deep breath.

I know that, no matter how reluctant I am, I must take this step.

Even if I cannot, I must do it.

Having come this far, sacrifice is inevitable.

All of us had long prepared for a one-way journey.

I simply cannot accept it—why is it that only my senior sister cannot survive?

Why?!

Whoosh.

The arrow left the string, carrying Nirvana fire as it sliced through the air; the moment it struck Yu Nian, I felt only a dizzying whirl.

I heard the muffled thud of the arrow piercing Yu Nian's body.

I heard Yu Nian's stifled groan of endurance.

I heard the eagle's hysterical scream, then it cut off abruptly.

I even heard a collective intake of breath, followed by everyone's relieved exhale.

I knew the eagle had finally died.

The Nirvana fire burned the eagle, Yu Nian, and even Fuchen to ashes together.

From then on, there was no eagle left in this world.

But I don't understand why it ended up trapped inside Yu Nian's body.

And why does its fate seem bound to Yu Nian's—when she dies, it dies?

Too many whys.

Yet no one could give me an answer.

I fainted, and the whole world plunged into darkness.

When I awoke again, I lay in the meditation room of an ancient temple, Liu Junyan keeping watch beside me, stubble on his face, his eyes bloodshot.

I opened my eyes and blurted, 'Senior sister...'

My voice was hoarse, filled with pain.

Liu Junyan gripped my hand tightly, then rose to check my condition.

I stared fixedly at him and asked, 'Liu Junyan, tell me, senior sister isn't dead, right? She must be recovering in the next room, right? I want to see her, I want to apologize to her, I...'

Liu Junyan pulled me into an embrace, his voice choking as he said, 'Xiao Jiu, Yu Nian is gone; she did what she had to do, and she died a worthy death.'

'No, she won't die!'

I struggled desperately, tears streaming down: 'She's unlike any of us—though they once persecuted her, hollowing out her chest, she still lived; indeed, she was reborn, better than before!'

'Senior sister won't die; she's such a good person, heaven wouldn't bear to let her die!'

'I'm going to find her!'

'She should have returned to Yin Dang Hang.'

'No, that's wrong—she must have gone back to Huicheng, and she's surely setting up a nether ferry in her funeral shop.'

'The nether ferry can carry others, and it can surely carry senior sister too!'

'It definitely can!'