"Nether City..." Limping forward step by step until she stood before the city, Chu Lian looked up at the plaque hanging above the twelve-meter-tall gate and murmured softly.
"That's right. Welcome to Nether City. I didn't expect you to arrive this quickly—it's quite beyond my expectations." As her words fell, a figure suddenly appeared atop the city wall. Holding a folding fan, his demeanor elegant and composed, he gazed down at Chu Lian from above.
"Oh, so you're the ghost cultivator." Chu Lian showed no surprise upon seeing him, only a trace of mockery in her tone.
"It seems you have quite the opinion of me. I like that personality of yours—worthy of being the wife I've chosen. What do you think? Just my incompetent subordinates already made things this difficult for you. If I were to send all of them out, how long do you think you could last?"
The ghost cultivator opened his fan and gently waved it, speaking casually. He paid no mind to her disdain or contempt—in fact, the more she showed it, the more he liked it. Conquering someone like her would be all the more satisfying.
"It sounds like you're very confident I'll submit to you. Based on what?" Chu Lian remained where she stood, not even bothering to look up at him, simply asking with her head lowered.
"Strength, power, and background. Of course, most importantly—I am stronger than you. I must have you, and you will inevitably belong to me. That's all that matters, isn't it?" The ghost cultivator's answer left Chu Lian momentarily speechless.
"Indeed. In a world where the strong prey on the weak, being weak is the greatest sin. One can only be dominated by others. Right now, I'm weaker than you, so you can control me. But..."
She lifted her head. The calm indifference in her eyes made the ghost cultivator slightly startled. Why was this girl still like this even now?
"But strength doesn't necessarily mean you can make all the weak abandon their dignity and pride." She shook her head. "Unfortunately, I'm exactly that kind of stubborn person. No matter what, as long as someone is my enemy, they can forget about making me give up myself to cater to them."
"But the person you want is in my hands. Don't you want to save her?" The ghost cultivator cut straight to the point, bringing out his greatest trump card—Li Xiu'er.
In his view, whether it was Xiang Yu of Western Chu or the girl before him, both were people who valued loyalty and emotion deeply. Otherwise, they wouldn't have gone this far. Using someone she cared about to threaten her—he saw nothing wrong with it. As long as it achieved his goal, that was all that mattered.
"I do. More than anything. That's exactly my purpose and what I intend to do next. But wanting to doesn't mean I'll give up everything. I'll sacrifice for her—but I won't sacrifice myself to you."
Ignoring her injuries entirely—even the injured leg was held straight—Chu Lian looked at him. It was a kind of pride, something she would never abandon under any circumstances.
"Do you understand what kind of outcome such a choice will bring?" The ghost cultivator still made no move, merely asking. His curiosity and admiration for her were growing—and so was his desire to possess her.
"At worst, death. Or losing everything. But even that is better than lowering my dignity here, wagging my tail and begging you to spare us, isn't it?"
Her tone no longer carried sharpness, yet it remained firm. "Even if I did that, I don't think you would agree anyway. People like you—when you want something, you will definitely obtain it, won't you?"
"You know me?" Her answer surprised him. Could it be that this girl already knew his identity? That shouldn't be possible. Thousands of years had passed—even if he had left traces in history, they should have long been forgotten.
"Whether I know or not, what difference does it make? After all, I can't do anything to you. I can't even harm you, can I?" Chu Lian didn't answer directly, but he could tell—she really did know.
"Interesting, truly interesting. To think someone still remembers me. But what does it matter? Your current state is no different from a prisoner. Even trying to escape won't be easy." The ghost cultivator didn't care that Chu Lian knew his past—after all, it posed no threat to him.
"That's true. It has nothing to do with you. And right now, I really am no different from a prisoner. But unlike those already trapped in cages, I can still walk freely—for now. Even if I lose that freedom the next second, it's still better than not being able to move at all, isn't it?"
"Since you know you could become my prisoner at any moment, wouldn't it be better to stop resisting? Once you enter Nether City, you may never leave again."
The ghost cultivator wanted to see just how strong her will truly was. After all, victory was already his. Watching a girl struggle futilely in such a situation—how delightful that would be.
"Because humans are like this—we won't give up until we hit a wall. If we don't at least try to break free, how would we know whether we'll die inside the cocoon, or emerge as a butterfly?" As she spoke, her confidence seemed almost tangible, stirring the heart.
"No, no, no. You're already a very beautiful butterfly. So beautiful that I can hardly bear to send down a storm to temper you." At this point, the ghost cultivator's desire to possess Chu Lian had reached its peak. No one could stop him now.
"There's a saying where I come from—'No matter how beautiful a butterfly is, it can't cross the vast sea.' It means that despite its beauty, its short lifespan prevents it from achieving things that require time."
She lowered her head slightly, shaking it. "And I am that butterfly. But I want to cross the sea, to fly ten thousand miles, to soar beyond countless mountains. I want to rise ninety thousand miles into the sky. That's something someone like you—born with everything, with others clearing all obstacles for you—someone who has never truly flown—could never understand."
"Very well, very well. I'd like to see just how high you can fly. Don't disappoint me. If you can't take flight, then all of you will become mine. That is inevitable." The ghost cultivator said no more. After leaving those words behind, he turned and departed.
Yes... how long can I struggle? Watching the massive gates slowly open after his departure, Chu Lian asked herself silently.
Yet her steps did not hesitate in the slightest as she walked forward.
Whether it was a mountain of blades, a sea of fire, or the abyss of hell—whether countless ghosts swarmed her—it didn't matter. In this place, she would take back the girl who belonged to her.
"Awooo~" As the gates opened, waves of cheers echoed out. Chu Lian looked ahead—though the number of ghosts inside the city was less than one percent of the ghost army outside, each of them was at least Earth rank, and one-tenth were even Heaven rank.
With such strength, how could she possibly win? At least, it was not something she could achieve in her current state.
"But so what?" Gripping the blade-jade, Chu Lian neither turned back nor slowed her steps. Carrying the one-point-four-meter-long Cold Beauty, she walked straight into the encirclement of Earth-rank ghosts. Activating every aura and title that granted bonuses against the undead, she watched their expressions shift from excitement to anger, then to frenzy—and burst into laughter. "Come at me together..."
The moment her words fell, countless spells surged toward her. In an instant, Chu Lian's figure was completely swallowed, leaving no trace of her behind.
The bombardment didn't last long—about four seconds—and the first wave of attacks came to an end.
As the smoke gradually dispersed, the ghosts saw Chu Lian still standing there—completely unharmed—and were momentarily stunned.
If it had been ordinary attacks, it would have been one thing. But most of these ghosts were at high Earth rank, with some even at Heaven rank—yet they had failed to inflict even the slightest damage on her.
"So Big Sis' Head-Hug Squat Defense really is a divine skill, huh?" Chu Lian joked to herself inwardly, then looked at them again and said, "What, is this all your attacks amount to?"
"Damn it! All of you, attack together! As long as you don't kill her, anything goes!" Her words drove the already enraged ghosts into even greater madness. After the strongest Heaven-rank ghost gave the order, aside from spellcasters, the physically powerful ones all charged forward with weapons in hand.
"Come..." Chu Lian's heart was utterly calm. She felt nothing toward the incoming attacks. "I offer one hundred thousand units of control as a sacrifice, in exchange for the strength to carry myself to Xiu'er. I believe... I can do it."
A few days ago, when Ayase had spoken about Reimu's Donation Box, she had said that one day Chu Lian would realize that this was the greatest divine skill.
Then, if it truly is a divine skill—show me its power!
As if responding to her prayer, an overwhelming surge of power flooded her body.
This was the energy that would sustain her until she reached Li Xiu'er—an inexhaustible force. Even if her body would collapse afterward, at this moment, she was an untiring valkyrie!
Wherever her blade pointed, no ghost could withstand more than a few strikes.
Their weapons were either shattered—or their wielders were slain.
Yet while her results were brilliant, more and more wounds appeared across Chu Lian's body. Blood flowed down her pale skin, a shocking sight.
This was the first time in so long that Chu Lian had truly been injured. After shedding so many of her abilities, what remained was the real her.
No matter how powerful she was, no matter how great her talent, no matter what she might achieve in the future—right now, Chu Lian was nothing more than a girl just over thirteen years old.
To have come this far was already remarkable—yet she did not give up, and did not want to give up. Because this was her conviction, wasn't it?
"Can you make it over here? I've already had the strongest ones hold back. As long as you fight your way through, they won't interfere."
The ghost cultivator sat before the mirror, watching Chu Lian's battle with eager anticipation. This was his twisted amusement—treating his subordinates as disposable chess pieces. But wasn't that the proper way to use them? Hahaha.
"Chu Lian..." Li Xiu'er's tears seemed to have run dry. She could no longer cry, nor did she want to.
"I'll welcome you with the most beautiful smile, embrace you with the warmest hug... and then die together with you. In the next life, we'll be together again. How wonderful that would be... just like you and Yanran—such a love that transcends time. I envy it so much, I..."
"Tsk..." The hem of her long skirt tore apart, revealing a stretch of pale thigh stained with blood. Chu Lian's hand holding the blade trembled slightly, yet her eyes remained as clear and resolute as ever.
Kill a thousand, lose eight hundred. Half the ghosts were already dead—so she could keep going, couldn't she?
She told herself this—and acted on it.
"Xiu'er... wait for me. I'll be there... soon..."