The reaper stumbled back. What little color existed in her body faded, and appeared in Tseng Caihong’s. The reaper fell to the ground, all but lifeless. Taking a deep breath, Tseng Caihong straightened to her full height and stretched. She smiled at Hui. “I think it’s time we have a proper fight, no?”

Her cultivation power burst out from her, oppressively powerful despite its thinness.

Hui gritted his teeth. Dammit! I made a critical mistake. Cultivators almost never fail at the long enough game! If they fail at anything, it’s the too long game! Damn you, Hollywood movies! I completely forgot what genre I’d isekaied into!

Then… since we’re playing by the rules of xianxia, I might as well borrow the role of protagonist for a moment!

Still cloaked in his barriers, he lifted a fist and slammed it into Tseng Caihong’s face.

She stood there, unimpressed, not moved by his attack in the least. “A mere eighth stage? Pitiful.”

Hui lifted his lashes, quietly making eye contact with Tseng Caihong. He smiled. “Elder Sister, sincerely, but did you not believe me when I called myself the landlord of the Underworld earlier?”

He called out to all the death qi in the area.

Responding to his authority over the Underworld, all the qi immediately surged forth. As if eager to become his, as if the world itself cried out for his command, the qi came for him. Black qi spiraled into his body, visibly surging out from the surroundings in waves. It twisted together and drilled into him. His cultivation surged. From eighth level to the apex of eighth, through ninth to tenth, stopping just before Immortal Ascension.

At that, Hui let out a slow breath and let the qi in the Underworld quiet. His eyes had half closed through the process, but he opened them to look Tseng Caihong in the eye once more. “So, Elder Sister, what was that about ‘pitiful eighth stage?’”

Tseng Caihong gaped. His power exceeds mine. How… why?

Her eyes flashed. She sprinted toward Hui, moving as quickly as she could. Now. If I strike now, before he consolidates his realm, I can still defeat him. She rushed at Hui, hands bared.

Hui charged back, raising his bare hands in response. The two slammed into one another.

Immediately, Tseng Caihong pushed against Hui. He bent backward, falling almost to the floor. Her eyes gleamed. She summoned the gel, forming her hand into a blade for the killing blow.

It struck home, shattering layer after layer of barrier. Gold shards rained down. Hui collapsed onto his back. Gel surrounded his corpse, completely swallowing it whole, even sinking into the gaping hole in his chest.

Tseng Caihong stood tall over his corpse, panting hard. After a moment, she laughed. And laughed. And laughed.

Slowly, her laughter faded. She looked at her hand, then at Hui’s corpse, covered in gel. Her brows furrowed. Power should be rushing into me. But… it’s not…

“There he goes again,” the reaper sighed, sitting up behind Tseng Caihong.

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Tseng Caihong whipped around. She gaped.

Cheekily, the reaper waved. “Hi. Should I tell you I used you to provoke my slowpoke boss into ascending?

“You…” Tseng Caihong backed away, her eyes wide.

She tilted her head. “Should I not? No, but you’re the fool here. Potential? Lifespan? Ptui. I’m a reaper. Where would I get any of that? All you absorbed was a dream.”

“A dream…” Tseng Caihong looked at her hands.

“A very real dream, though. Boss, aaah! You’d better defeat her! And you, fool. Enjoy that dream to the last. It’s the last dream you’ll ever have.” the reaper called, flying up into the air once more.

Behind Tseng Caihong, Hui sat up. He ran a hand over his chest. Phoenix flames burned for a moment as he regenerated the hole in his heart, and he brushed the gel off the barriers still glittering around his body. “Mamian, you and I are going to have a word after this.”

I’ve never seen her joke around or let her hair down before. It’s kind of refreshing, honestly. I didn’t know she had it in her.

“Not with you in the Immortal realm, we’re not. Finally! I get to be truly the King of Hell!” the reaper cried, spiraling gleefully into the sky.

Shaking his head at the reaper, Hui sighed internally. It’s fine, it’s fine. It must be my habit of inflicting mental demons in people that wore off on her. That was certainly a mental-demon-style move! No, in fact, I ought to praise Elder Sister. Excellent job, and no harm, no foul in the end. Except for the fact that I’m now on the precipice of Immortal Ascension, without half the preparation I’d like to do…!

Tseng Caihong narrowed her eyes at Hui. “You’ve been playing with me this whole time?”

Hui rubbed the back of his neck. He sat up properly and crossed his legs, bowing a little. “Ah, well, my apologies, Elder Sister.” Essentially… yes! But how else was I supposed to defeat someone as powerful as yourself?

Ah, though once we reached the Underworld, the game was mine. Since I do possess some measure of authority over the Underworld, I can quickly ascend here if need be… as long as I comprehend my Dao, after all, all I need is qi, and here, I can call it forth at my whim, due to creating the realm. To some extent, the realm can be considered as an extension of myself.

Er, my apologies, Elder Sister. I started as the small bug, but now, I suppose, you’re the one who’s the small bug.

He stood. Gently, he moved to Tseng Caihong’s side. “You’ve spent so long struggling to survive. Although I find your methods despicable, I can’t find it in me to deplore your goals. After all, I’m the same.”

“Then…” Tseng Caihong looked at him, uncertain. Her body withered, her colors rapidly fading once more, she blinked, exhausted.

“But I did it while harming the minimum people, without feeding off mass numbers of mortals, young cultivators, and innocent beasts. I did it without inflicting great harm. I did it without devouring others to eke out one more pitiful day of existence.” Hui put his hands on her chin, steadying her head in place. “Ultimately, Elder Sister, you must die.”

The reaper appeared behind Tseng Caihong, her glee from before gone, expression dead serious again. She slashed out, just once.

Tseng Caihong’s body fell away. Only her head remained, staring at Hui. Her mouth moved, forming words that could no more be heard. I just wanted to see…

Hui smiled. He set her head carefully on the ground. “I know, Elder Sister. But no one can see it all. Eventually, we all must close our eyes.”

She gazed up at him, her brows faintly furrowed. Slowly, slowly, her eyelids drooped.

“She’s gone,” the reaper said quietly.

Eyes still slightly open, Tseng Caihong gazed at eternity. Hui knelt to close her eyes, then stood. No. For her… to leave her eyes open is a greater honor.

Against his chest, Zhubi squirmed. He looked down as the snake climbed free and wound around his neck once more. Raising his snout to touch Hui’s chin, Zhubi tilted his head, almost as if asking what happened.

Hui let out a long breath. Lifting at his own hands, he flexed his ordinary-colored fingers. It worked. It really worked. Tseng Caihong is dead. Without her holding on to the potential and using it in battle, the potential flowed back to the people it belonged to. As I thought, she could only use a fraction of anyone’s lifespan or potential; otherwise, she could sacrifice one person to sustain her life for a full sixty-year cycle. The wasted potential flows back if Tseng Caihong isn’t alive to hoard it… and the people it belongs to are still alive to receive it.

He turned. “Then… there’s only one final step to take.”