As soon as the Human Emperor Banner came out, I became the Lord of the Old Ones

Chapter 45 The deceased is gone

[Analysis of "The Memories of Dr. Half-Brain" completed]

Congratulations! You have obtained "Colin Hyde's Card Making Technique (Incomplete)"

[Hint: Due to incomplete recollection, Colin Hyde's card making technique is not complete. It is just a flash of inspiration and a patchy illusion.]

[Practice card making skills, maintain, repair, strengthen, and create seal cards. As your proficiency increases, you may be able to complete "Colin Hyde's Card Making Skills"]

Congratulations! You have obtained the "Dr. Half-Brain's Meditation Method"

[Hint: Dr. Half-Brain embedded the parts of the "music box" his daughter gave him as a birthday gift into his own brain, which was damaged due to an experimental accident.]

Whenever he became mentally disturbed and fell into madness, he would meditate on the precise meshing of the gears in his brain, playing melodious and light music, using this method to regain his composure.

[Daily practice of "Dr. Half-Brain's Meditation Method" can improve concentration and soul stability, increase card making success rate and card quality, immunity to some mental attacks, and reduce the probability of mental confusion.]

A series of prompt messages stirred up waves in Xu Yan's eyes.

In front of him, Dr. Hyde's soul was shattered and disappeared into thin air.

Among the shattered foam and grayish-white powder, only a golden gear from a music box remained.

As new as ever, shining brightly.

Xu Yan buried the golden gear where Dr. Hyde's life bubble dissipated.

He has obtained a large number of skills and clues from his memories, and he will investigate them one by one until he can take back the token of the Ten Thousand Souls Sect from someone hiding deep in the City of Dawn.

Now, we have to temporarily say goodbye to this world that is both familiar and unfamiliar.

Xu Yan buried all the soul-driving bells he had collected under the collapsed mountain gate of the Wanhun Sect.

Looking at the "Temple of the Return of All Souls" that was so close yet so out of reach, and thinking of the new world outside that was a hundred times more vast, the sense of loss and lofty ambitions in his heart were like two giant snakes entangled and devouring each other.

"Old Scar, this is your 'cemetery'!"

He cut another branch, carved the words "Old Scar's Grave" on it, and inserted it on the mound of earth made by the soul-chasing bell.

Thinking of this ugly but kind-hearted corpse driver, Xu Yan felt extremely complicated.

Ever since he was pulled out of the pile of corpses by Lao Ba and brought back to the Wanhun Sect, the other party has taken care of him and taught him like a real father.

He also cherishes this opportunity that transcends time and space, and cherishes this relative who is not related by blood.

It was not until he was appreciated by the eldest senior brother and became a disciple of the Golden Core Elder Gu Chenzi that Lao Ba somehow became a completely different person.

Lao Ba originally had an open-minded and mild temper. Even when faced with a bloody battlefield, he would at most sigh and ask Xu Yan and the others to start working.

When he heard that Xu Yan was going to enter the Human Emperor Banner, he turned into a bad-tempered beast and had an inexplicable temper that day. After that, he often stared at Xu Yan with very strange eyes, and it was hard to tell whether it was worry, fear, sadness, or hatred.

There were even several times when he reminded Xu Yan in a very subtle way that the Human Emperor Banner contained dangers that were not something an ordinary cultivator could withstand, let alone Xu Yan, a small corpse driver.

At that time, Xu Yan did not take Lao Ba's reminder to heart.

The eldest senior brother and Gu Chenzi both told him that the opportunities in the Human Emperor Banner were not so easy to obtain. If one was dull in talent, his soul might be trapped in the Human Emperor Banner for decades or even hundreds of years before he could pass the numerous trials and gain the favor of the senior and Fairy Nishang.

Xu Yan was young and full of vigor. He felt that he was a unique Earth traveler and must be the son of destiny with good fortune. Within three to five years, he would be able to absorb enough primordial purple energy, break through the banner, and create miracles.

As for danger, in the world of cultivation, where is there no danger? Even if you collect corpses, you may encounter wild monsters and demons!
Besides this, he had another thought.

Lao Ba was getting older and older. He had been collecting corpses for years, and evil spirits had seeped into his flesh and bones. Several of his joints were twisted and deformed, and the pain from his attacks was a hundred times more severe than that from rheumatism.

If you continue doing this, it won't be long before you either paralyzed in bed waiting to die, or in the process of collecting the corpse, evil spirits will rush into your brain and turn you into a corpse demon or something like that, a horrible and pathetic existence.

Xu Yan absolutely did not want Lao Ba to end up like this.

He wants to obtain strong enough power from the Human Emperor Banner to find a way to cure Old Scar and all the corpse-drivers.

But the identity of the Earth traveler cannot be revealed.

He couldn't bring himself to say such corny words as "I want to repay you for saving my life and raising me."

After a few interactions, the relationship between the two men, who were originally as close as father and son, became a little strained.

In addition, Xu Yan followed the eldest senior brother to practice in the mountain gate, while Lao Ba had to go out all year round to collect corpses. For more than half a year, the two had never met, and the knot between them had never had a chance to resolve.

Xu Yan remembered that the last time he saw Lao Ba was three days before the spiritual sacrifice ceremony.

Taking advantage of the opportunity of the spirit sacrifice ceremony, Lao Ba finally returned to the Wanhun Sect.

He seemed to have drunk a lot of wine that day. His eyes were as red as burning coals, and his face was paler than a dead person who had been left for three days and three nights.

He was carrying a bulging package on his shoulder. He had just returned to the mountain gate, but he looked like he was going on a long journey.

Without waiting for Xu Yan to confess his feelings to him, he grabbed Xu Yan with a force that almost crushed his bones, as if he had something extremely important to say to Xu Yan.

Unexpectedly, another true disciple of Gu Chenzi, their senior sister "Jiang Yuxue" suddenly appeared and said that Gu Chenzi had something important to tell her urgently, so she took Lao Ba away.

For the next three days, Xu Yan didn't see Lao Ba again. He said that there was an urgent task and this experienced and senior corpse driver was needed.

Xu Yan could only leave a very long letter for Lao Ba, asking him to put his mind at ease, take care of his health, and take time off when it was time to do so. He would wait for Lao Ba to break free and take his family to heaven so that they could live a carefree and happy life for a few days.

I don’t know if Lao Ba saw this long letter, and how he died in the end. Did anyone collect his body and give him a grand funeral?

Whatever.

Lao Ba often said that the dead are gone.

What difference does it make whether you have a grand funeral or die without a burial place?
The so-called funerals and memorial services are nothing more than allowing the living to let go of the past, travel light in the present world, and move on.

Xu Yan's thoughts returned to his senior sister "Jiang Yuxue".

Jiang Yuxue is He Qingzhi's Taoist partner.

Unlike the approachable eldest brother, this eldest sister is a typical cultivator, aloof and otherworldly. At least for a corpse driver, her temper... is not very good.

It’s not that they deliberately target corpse drivers, they just never treat them as human beings.

However, for the sake of his senior brother, Xu Yan didn't intend to bother with her.

"Strange, after entering the Human Emperor Banner, Senior Brother didn't seem to react at all. It was as if his soul had been completely extinguished."

(End of this chapter)