Xiao, who had just finished modifying the Cyber Aura, was unaware that his descendants were currently feasting and gossiping about him in his manor.
Meanwhile, the Source Palace rapidly fell into decay due to the death of the Sakura Dragon.
The cherry blossom trees that had once bloomed eternally had now withered into ashes, scattering with the wind.
The earth trembled once more, and the magnificent palace collapsed amidst the shaking, burying years of accumulated filth and the Okami Clan deep underground.
The existence of the Sakura Dragon not only harvested the lives of all beings but also nourished this land.
Ashina's prosperity and abundance had entirely depended on the Sakura Dragon's blessings.
Once the Sakura Dragon died, Ashina would gradually return to its ancient desolate state.
In fact, the arrival of the Sakura Dragon had originally been a good thing for this world.
It nourished the land, allowing humanity to survive and multiply.
People offered faith and life to the Sakura Dragon, and the world continuously developed and progressed because of it.
This world had constantly spiraled upward due to the existence of the Sakura Dragon, but the immortal curse brought by the Sakura Dragon had never been friendly to the people living here.
However, for the world itself, this had been a tremendous opportunity.
Once the Sakura Dragon was lost, it also meant that the world's advancement had failed, and it would rapidly decline back to its original state.
This land could no longer sustain so many lives, and an unprecedented great famine was about to descend.
At that time, no one could predict how many lives would be lost as a result.
However, Xiao did not care about such things.
The passing of life would only bring him greater power.
Xiao had already decided to turn this place into his future underworld, gathering spirits and undead and using it as a dwelling place for souls before reincarnation.
Therefore, this land was destined to become a realm of death, no longer requiring the presence of the living.
...
...
Ashina Castle—within the study of the Tenshu Pavilion.
Kuro, who had been absorbed in reading, suddenly trembled violently the moment the Sakura Dragon died.
Tears streamed uncontrollably down his face.
He ordered Wolf to draw his katana and then cut his finger.
The sharp blade instantly sliced his fingertip, and intense pain surged through his mind as blood flowed down his hand.
"That's wonderful, Wolf! The Dragon's Heritage is gone. We've lost our immortality!"
Kuro cried out excitedly, tears streaming down his face.
In the courtyard of the Dilapidated Temple outside Ashina Castle, Wolf's sword master, Hanbei the Undying, who had been infested by a centipede, also felt a strange sensation rise from his heart.
The immortal centipede inside his body wailed frantically—a mournful cry from life facing imminent death, so helpless and tragic.
But Hanbei the Undying felt indescribably happy.
Finally.
He could finally die peacefully.
No longer would he need to endure the torment brought by the immortal curse.
As Hanbei shed tears of joy and excitement, he slowly fell backward onto the ground and quietly awaited the arrival of death.
A massive immortal centipede burst from his chest and hissed in the direction of the Source Palace, as though resentfully cursing something.
But it did not last long.
After losing the support of the immortal curse, its body rapidly dissolved until it disappeared completely.
Meanwhile, throughout Ashina Castle, everyone connected to the immortal curse felt the passing of the Sakura Dragon and the rapid fading of the curse.
The Divine Heir, the second Dragon's Heritage bearer, the centipede-infested, the immortal centipedes, and the Rejuvenating Waters all successively lost their power as it receded like the tide.
Those who had once been bound by the curse were now liberated.
Expressions of relief and freedom appeared on their faces.
At last, they had escaped the torment of immortality and could embrace true death.
Meanwhile, those who had once longed for immortality were now filled with endless anger and pain.
They had never personally experienced the suffering and torment brought by immortality, and thus they still yearned to obtain it.
Just as Qian Zhongshu wrote in Fortress Besieged: those inside the city wish to leave, while those outside wish to enter.
Those who longed for immortality pursued eternal life.
Those who already possessed immortal bodies longed for death.
This was precisely the contradiction and struggle inherent in human nature.
With the death of the Sakura Dragon, the entire world seemed to fall silent.
Only a gentle breeze rustled softly, carrying pink cherry blossoms through the air, as though narrating the end of an era.
However, as all the immortals quietly awaited death, an unexpected truth emerged.
Although they had lost the immortal curse, their consciousness did not sink into darkness along with it.
They were still alive.
Some whose bodies had been destroyed transformed into spiritual forms.
Others retained their physical bodies.
Under the law of the new god, they had obtained a new form of life and become the deceased.
These deceased were granted the right by the new god to continue existing upon this continent.
Only after their Yin lifespan was exhausted would they finally be able to enter reincarnation.
"No... it shouldn't be like this..."
"I only wanted to die!"
"I wanted peace!"
"What is this supposed to be?!"
Hanbei the Undying and many others who had longed for death were filled with despair and helplessness.
They had originally believed that the disappearance of the immortal curse would finally fulfill their wish for death.
Yet now they discovered that things had become even more complicated and cruel.
They felt deceived and toyed with, and the pain in their hearts could not be described.
They knelt upon the ground as tears poured forth like a broken dam.
They truly wept bitterly.
Their bodies trembled as though their entire world had collapsed.
The death they had desired had now become an unattainable dream, and reality had plunged them into even deeper suffering.
"Then do it."
"Abandon your will and enter eternal slumber."
Xiao's voice echoed within the ears of those who desperately sought death.
His words were cold and ruthless, without the slightest trace of pity.
However, for these utterly hopeless people, Xiao's proposal seemed to be their only remaining path.
These people who sought death expressed gratitude toward Xiao, believing that he had given them their final chance at liberation.
They no longer resisted.
Instead, they chose to obey Xiao's command, abandoning their will and accepting eternal slumber.
Their eyes became empty and lifeless, as though the light of life had vanished from them.
Then they allowed the surrounding undead who still wished to live to attack them and absorb their soul flames.
Their souls shattered.
Their Yin lifespan came to an end.
Their memories transformed into recollections, becoming the combat experience of others.
At the same time, the Law of Reincarnation inherited from the Ancestor Spirit King immediately activated, sending the cores of these souls into reincarnation.
Throughout this entire process, Xiao quietly watched everything unfold.
His expression remained calm and indifferent as he continuously comprehended the rhythm of his own law.
From life to death.
And from death to rebirth.
This was the complete cycle of existence.
This was true reincarnation.
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