Chapter 120: Heritage of an Empress (1/2)

“Are you a divine obsession?” Qing Yu paled.

“Divine obsession?” Empress Myrtlestar shook her head. “I am not a divine spirit, and neither is my obsession. This tomb is filled with the air of resentment, which my will gathered to create this body.” She sighed again, noticing the girl’s lingering wariness. “Do you still not trust me?”

“Too many burdens have been laid on my shoulders since I was young. I came to Dusk Province for one thing only: freedom,” Qing Yu replied with great sincerity. “I’d rather give my life to Lu Yun than bear the weight of carrying on some bloodline. This life is already too tiring.”

The empress looked at the girl with some confusion. “But he will be sad if you die.”

“No.” The girl smiled back brilliantly. “Time heals all wounds. As long as I erase my body and every other trace of my existence, he’ll forget me in no time. Plus, he doesn’t even know I’m a girl.”

Myrtlestar laughed at the answer. “You are quite like me back in the day. It is a pity I wasn’t nearly as decisive and clear sighted as you. If I had been… if I had refused to take on what I did not need to… my people would not have been snuffed out.

“This Imperial Star contains my full heritage. It is my gift to you, freely given. I don’t need you to revitalize anything or carry on a bloodline. Just live your life well.”

The empress sent the violet starstone into Qing Yu’s forehead with a flick of her fingers.

The girl felt a stream of gentle healing energy coursing through her veins, slowly replenishing the lifeforce that had been fading fast mere moments ago. The compounded rimesnake poison was still present, but it would no longer threaten her life.

Having given her star to Qing Yu, Myrtlestar’s body grew a little undefined.

“You…” Qing Yu stared at the empress, unsure of what to say. “That’s right!” She brightened. “Lu Yun told me that the Skandha Extinction Tomb hasn’t completely extinguished your clan just yet. As long as the tomb’s destroyed, your kin will live on.”

“If the bloodline of an imperial people is to be severed and its descendants slip down to mere mortals… then it would be better to vanish on the wind,” Myrtlestar wistfully shook her head. As if on cue, her body began crumbling into dust.

“Don’t touch the dread corpse zombie inside the coffin. It will bring calamity to the world.

“A leaf from the Fusang Purewood will save his life. Place it in his mouth.

“The akasha ghost persists. You’ve destroyed one of its copies, but it will return. You must be careful.” There was nothing left of the empress now save her echoing voice. “Leave this place, and live well….”

……

“My head... hurts real bad…” An indeterminate amount of time later, Lu Yun opened his eyes with a start. He leaped to his feet, alertly scanning the surroundings.

“Wait… what’s this I taste?” Smacking his lips, he found a sticky sweetness in his mouth as well as a faint, familiar fragrance.

“You’re awake.” Qing Han sat on the other side. There were a few wounds on his body that he was intently tending to. A number of powerful zombies had defended the tree’s perimeter, and taking them all out had taken quite an effort.

“You alright?” Lu Yun hurried to his friend’s side, looking him up and down. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized the injuries were only skin deep.

Qing Han fidgeted uncomfortably in response.

“Where are we?” The governor finally had time to examine his surroundings. They seemed to be atop a giant tree. Tendrils of mist obscured vision in every direction, making it impossible to see their surroundings.

“We’ve already left the Skandha Extinction Tomb.” Qing Han bit his lip, nearly blurting out the truth to his friend. Alas, the words still remained stuck in his throat; no matter how much he struggled, he couldn’t get them out.

I’m supposed to be decisive, but I still don’t have the courage to tell him….

“We’re out? What about that thing called an akasha ghost?” Lu Yun stared back blankly.