No regrets once the piece is placed!

Was this... what death felt like?

Having slit his own throat, feeling his strength gradually drain away until his vision went black and the world dimmed completely, Qi Yun felt as though he had floated blissfully into the air.

Just as his consciousness was about to sink into oblivion, an inexplicable

gentle suction reached him, as though drawing him toward some indescribable final destination. Yet before he could "fly" far, another, stronger, more irresistible force abruptly seized him.

Before this overbearing force, that gentle pull and the summons of his final destination were as fragile as a spiderweb, torn apart in an instant!

As his consciousness returned, warmth flooded his entire body.

Qi Yun, who had been lying lifeless on the ground, suddenly sat bolt upright, his dull, lightless eyes blazing with brilliance once more.

Feeling his neck, whole and uninjured, Qi Yun grinned:

"Hehe, in the end, I was still one step ahead.

Wanted to kill me? You could all be dead and I'd still be just fine."

[Death Substitution]

The new mechanic of version 4.0 [Skull Incantation]!

It activated after Qi Yun died, transferring [Death] to the protective skull.

The price was that Qi Yun would completely lose the [Skull Incantation] spell.

To use it again, he would have to train it anew from scratch.

One spell in exchange for one life-a deal that was all profit and no loss.

It was precisely the appearance of this new mechanic in version 4.0 [Skull Incantation] that had allowed Qi Yun, amid the clash between two Foundation Establishment True Persons,

to find that faint sliver of a chance to survive!

Qi Yun swiftly surveyed his surroundings. The traces of the fierce battle remained, but all of Drifting Remains Mountain had fallen silent again.

That utterly terrifying Bronze-Armored Corpse had presumably long since chased Zheng Yi's scent far away.

Struggling to his feet, Qi Yun planned to find somewhere to hole up first.

Could a Foundation Establishment True Person keep this [Remnant Realm] sealed for a lifetime?

Once the seal was lifted, he could return to the outer residence and disappear into the vast sea of disciples. Who would still remember a little pawn like him?

Yet just as he lifted his foot-

"Leaving already?"

A refined, composed voice, yet thunderous as a sudden peal, drifted from behind him!

The sudden voice stopped Qi Yun in his tracks. His expression darkened as he turned around. Yang Cuan sat on a rock behind him, gently waving a folding fan, a smile on his face as he watched Qi Yun with an amused expression.

"You saw through it after all?"

Shaking his head helplessly, Qi Yun showed neither fear nor panic, but rather the calm acceptance that came once the dust had settled.

He simply stopped struggling and plopped straight back down onto the cold ground.

"Oh? You aren't afraid?" Seeing Qi Yun's calm expression, devoid of the fear and panic of facing death, Yang Cuan asked with interest.

"I gave it everything I had, but still fell short at the final hurdle. I accept it.

No regrets once the piece is placed. If I gamble, I accept the loss!" Qi Yun said calmly.

"Good! Well said-no regrets once the piece is placed, and accept the loss if you gamble!"

A trace of appreciation flashed through Yang Cuan's eyes, and he nodded slightly.

Before his words had faded, his figure swayed lightly like a phantom, and he appeared soundlessly before Qi Yun, looking down at him from above. Those clear eyes seemed capable of piercing straight through his soul.

"If you kowtow and beg me now, I can spare your life."

"Really?" Raising his brows, Qi Yun looked up directly at the Foundation Establishment True Person before him, his gaze burning bright, as though he truly would kowtow and beg in exchange for his life if Yang Cuan nodded.

Looking into those bright, clear, unwavering eyes, Yang Cuan suddenly let out a hearty, resounding laugh:

"You know when to advance and retreat, understand gains and losses, know what to take and what to give up, and possess a sense of reverence.

Most importantly... you're unscrupulous, too!

Boy, you were born to belong to our Holy Sect!"

Before his laughter died away, Yang Cuan lightly swept his sleeve. A gentle breeze arose out of thin air, steadily lifting Qi Yun from the ground.

"Since you've already died once, I'll consider you truly dead.

Everything that happened before is wiped clean. I won't pursue it any further."

Hearing this, Qi Yun's eyes immediately lit up.

Who didn't want to live? So long as there was even the slightest chance of survival, he would strive for it.

"You have an excellent disposition and bizarre, ingenious methods. You truly are a talent worth nurturing..." Yang Cuan's words carried a rare hint of praise.

Hearing the implication in Yang Cuan's words, Qi Yun looked surprised and blurted out, "True Person, do you mean to... take me as your disciple?"

Casting Qi Yun a bland glance, Yang Cuan did not answer, but continued:

"But your aptitude is too poor."

Qi Yun: "..."

"Take this. Before long, the outer residence may undergo a change. If you can seize the opportunity, you may yet have hope of entering my tutelage." With a casual wave from Yang Cuan, a streak of light abruptly flew into Qi Yun's hand.

It was a fragment that resembled neither wood nor jade, with a few faint patterns like cloud vapor visible on its surface.

"This disciple thanks you for your favor, True Person." Putting away the wondrous fragment, Qi Yun cupped his hands.

"Enough. This matter is settled. Hurry back and cultivate."

He gently waved the folding fan in his hand toward Qi Yun. In an instant, a powerful gust rose from the ground, swept up the young Daoist, and rushed into the clouds. In the blink of an eye, he had left this [Remnant Realm].

Just as Qi Yun's figure vanished, a figure in a wretched state staggered out from the shadows of the cavern.

It was none other than Zheng Yi!

His face was as pale as gold paper, his entire body drenched in blood, his Daoist robe in tatters. Most shocking of all, one arm had been severed at the shoulder. The stump was a bloody mess, wreathed in strands of nauseating black corpse Qi.

Looking in the direction Qi Yun had vanished, he knitted his brows tightly.

"Master... are you really... letting him go just like that?" Zheng Yi's voice was hoarse, weakened by his grievous injuries.

"What else?" Yang Cuan turned around, his indifferent gaze sweeping over Zheng Yi's miserable state. His voice was flat and calm, yet carried an intangible pressure:

"A Qi Refining Third Layer ran circles around you, a Qi Refining Sixth Layer.

Had I not sensed that your mortal calamity would fall today, that Bronze-Armored Corpse would already have torn you to pieces!"

At the mention of that terrifying Bronze-Armored Corpse, Zheng Yi involuntarily shuddered violently. All color drained from his face, and irrepressible terror and lingering fear surfaced in his eyes.

"Your flesh has been eroded by corpse Qi. Even if repaired, your foundation will still have been damaged.

Although that boy's aptitude is rather poor, his intuitive gift for spells is truly outstanding.

Once the [Peach Garden] opens, with his disposition and methods, he is certain to gain something, and his deficient aptitude can be made whole as well.

Then I will help you possess his body, making up for your weakness in spell intuition."

Possess his body?

Zheng Yi froze at first, then a surge of wild joy mingled with awe at his master's methods welled up in his heart.

He instantly understood his master's deeper intentions and painstaking care!

So his master had not truly let Qi Yun go, but regarded him as a more precious medicinal pill that needed to be "nurtured"!

"This disciple... this disciple kowtows in thanks to Master for the grace of giving me a new life!"

Zheng Yi trembled all over with excitement. Ignoring the agonizing pain of his severed arm and the wounds covering his body, he struggled to drop to his knees with a thud, bowing low to the ground. His forehead struck the cold rock heavily, his voice choked and fervent.

"This disciple will cultivate diligently and never fail Master's great kindness! Even ten thousand deaths would not deter me!"

Yang Cuan stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the gray mist that shrouded Drifting Remains Mountain year-round. His eyes flickered, his thoughts unknown.