Having cultivated myself into an immortal, all I want to do is raise female disciples.

Perhaps they will not return alive, but at least... they will not die as slaves of the Demon Dynasty, but as heroes.

……

Lu Yingqiu nodded: "Leave this kind of thing to us."

Gu Xingzhuo's gaze fell on the sand table in front of him. At the bottom of the sand table was a semi-transparent red magic circle model: "The only thing left to solve is that troublesome Four Blood Purgatory."

"In that case, according to the original plan, we just need to defend and hold out until the three city fortifications behind us are built, and then we can leave using the teleportation array, right?"

"No."

"No."

Yunping and Zhang Ruoxue spoke at the same time.

The master and apprentice exchanged a glance. Zhang Ruoxue looked dazed, while Yun Ping stared intently at her.

"The teleportation in Shatterwood City is fine, but the defense... is unnecessary."

"why?"

"Because there are still things that must be done."

Yunping squinted and said meaningfully, "Right, Fourth Brother?"

The white-haired boy sitting upright in his seat was startled and subconsciously clenched his fist.

There may be no reply, or perhaps they are afraid to reply.

Wang Xiaomo...

When Yunping let Wang Xiaomo go, he said something to Gu Xingzhuo—

Because she cannot die by my hand.

Gu Xingzhuo understood the meaning of this sentence better than anyone else.

That's why his eyes held a hint of cowardice.

however.

"I also have things I have to do."

Completely opposite to Gu Xingzhuo—

Zhang Ruoxue, showing no fear whatsoever, puffed out her chest, which was much fuller than Ye Yuchan's, and her eyes, as blue as the sea, were filled with endless hatred.

That man...

The person I finally met.

The memory of losing both parents and the destruction of the village remains vivid to this day.

She had to kill him.

Throughout the entire ordeal, there was never a hint of fear in the girl's eyes.

25. The fate of the person will be decided two days later.

When Yunping said that there was no need for defense, he was not referring to Fang Yan and the others.

It refers to Zhang Ruoxue and Gu Xingzhuo.

They had things they needed to do, so there was no need for them to stay in the city.

Their destination was always the headquarters of the Demon Dynasty's army in the distance.

cemetery.

Perhaps to make it easier to create corpse puppets, the Demon Dynasty stationed its main camp in the vast graveyard outside Broken Wood City. Zhang Ruoxue had previously ventured in once, but only reached the edge of the graveyard and did not have the opportunity to step inside and take a closer look.

The person Zhang Ruoxue is looking for is right there.

The person Gu Xingzhuo had to face was right there.

Although Fang Yan desperately wanted the people from Yuntian Academy to help them defend Shattered Wood City, the old rogue had already said it himself—

Leave the defense and the Four Blood Inferno to me.

After saying such a thing, Fang Yan naturally could not allow Zhang Ruoxue and the others to remain in Broken Wood City.

……

night.

Moon stars are rare.

The air was misty, and the stone pavement underfoot was damp. Although it hadn't collapsed yet, it was a sign that it was going to rain.

The biting wind cut like a knife, and the vast grounds of the Guardian Army's main camp were deserted—most of the Guardian Army members had already entered their respective areas to cultivate.

They do not sleep in order to prevent attacks from external enemies.

Earlier, General Fang Yan had given them orders that they must not step out of Broken Wood City until the three city walls and teleportation array behind them were completed.

Unlike Zhang Ruoxue and others, their duty was to defend the city to the death.

As for the troublesome Four Blood Purgatory below them... they didn't inquire about it, and Fang Yan didn't mention it either.

After all, if the Demon Dynasty launches a sudden attack as before, killing them is not an option, nor is not killing them. The only option is to defend Broken Wood City as much as possible while ensuring that they themselves do not die.

This was undoubtedly a tremendous ordeal for them.

……

Outside Fang Yan's residence.

A figure walked listlessly under the bright moonlight, the pure silver light spilling onto his profile, illuminating his face as pale as a corpse.

He wandered aimlessly, just like his inner self.

"It's so late, aren't you going to rest?"

A familiar voice came from diagonally above.

A hint of bewilderment appeared on the white-haired boy's stiff face.

He turned around and found that the person in the white shirt was sitting on the roof at some point, holding a wine dish in his right hand. The warm wine rippled with a layer of clear water, reflecting the full moon in the sky.

The full moon is approaching, and a gentle breeze caresses the face.

"teacher……"

Gu Xingzhuo was somewhat surprised by Yun Ping's sudden appearance, but his expression remained unchanged, and he calmly replied:

"I don't need to rest...after all, I'm already dead."

Don't dead people need rest?

Yunping slowly drank the crystal-clear wine in the dish in one gulp, then jumped off the roof.

His movements were light and casual; the moment he landed, he flicked the wine dish and sent it disappearing into thin air.

Gu Xingzhuo didn't know how to answer Yun Ping, or rather, he simply didn't understand the meaning of Yun Ping's question.

Dead people...don't they need rest anyway?

Looking at Gu Xingzhuo, whose eyes showed a hint of confusion, Yun Ping leaned against the wall outside Fang Yan's residence, revealing a meaningful expression.

Ever since he dug the boy out of that crude grave, he could see that Gu Xingzhuo was nothing more than a timid and fragile child, and that has not changed to this day.

Gu Xingzhuo is one of the twenty-one extremes, the one who is unpredictable in life and death. But precisely because of this, having faced life and death once, perhaps because he has already died once, his emotions are extremely difficult to stir.

Therefore, he always has a blank, expressionless demeanor, and even if he has a rich inner life, he cannot show it on his face.

Yunping did not answer Gu Xingzhuo's question, but instead looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle.

He felt he should light a cigarette to maintain his composure, but since he didn't have one, the old rogue pulled a lollipop out of thin air to make do.

Smoking a lollipop, Yunping asked softly, "Hey, fourth brother..."

How do you view the matter of life and death?

……

"life and death……?"

Gu Xingzhu blinked; Yun Ping's sudden question caught him off guard.

He lowered his head, pondered for a moment, and then said, "The living and the dead are separated...it cannot be reversed."

"It's true that this cannot be reversed, but are life and death really different, and are yin and yang truly separated?"

Yunping, chewing on a lollipop, squinted his eyes: "Is there a difference between the dead and the living?"

"No?"

"What's the difference? Can one move? Can one speak? Or does a person's existence simply erased when they die?"

"Whether it's a person or anything else, if it's to be truly defined as 'death,' it can only be defined as 'death' when it is forgotten by all living beings in the world and can no longer affect others."

"As long as someone remembers you, you are alive. At worst, you can't speak or move, men can't get an erection, and women can't have their period."

Gu Xingzhuo: "..."

Yunping's words left him somewhat confused.

He seemed to have figured out something, but also seemed unable to figure it out. He stood there blankly, neither speaking nor making a move.

Yunping could easily sense Gu Xingzhuo's confusion. He stepped forward and patted his disciple on the shoulder: "The person you are now is alive, living in this world, living under the name Gu Xingzhuo."

Gu Xingzhuo raised his head, remained silent for a long time, and then hesitantly asked, "Then... what about her? Is she considered alive?"

"That's a decision you have to make yourself."

"Leave it to me..."

Gu Xingzhuo remained silent.

He didn't know how to answer, nor how to judge.

Yun Ping casually shifted his gaze to Fang Yan's residence, his eyes seemingly able to penetrate the walls.

"If you really think about it, Ruoxue is braver than you when it comes to facing life and death..."

The old rogue paused suddenly, then revealed a slightly surprised expression.