As golden light poured down from the heavens, the purple-robed Taoist smiled.

"Supreme Taiyi Savior Heavenly Master, the goddess possesses great compassion, great determination, great merit. Allow this humble Taoist to offer you a bow."

The purple-robed Taoist took three steps back, picked up three sticks of incense, and bowed three times, knocking his head to the floor twelve times in deep reverence—this was the highest form of respect.

This reverence was not merely for status, but for Wang Xueqi's achievements, for Wang Xueqi herself.

Wang Xueqi ascended, and from now on, no one knows how many lives she will save.

The Water Ghost—this most ancient, cursed profession—starting today, is formally dissolved.

At least, in the Divine Land, this is so.

The purple-robed Taoist thought to himself that in his lifetime, he would likely never achieve such far-reaching merit again.

To take part in this was already a great fortune.

He stood up and took out a prepared spirit tablet draped in red silk, offered another round of worship, and inserted the incense into the incense burner.

Unveiling the red silk, the inscription on the tablet read:

"Calamity Protector Water Goddess Wang Xueqi."

After that, the purple-robed Taoist opened the altar, took out a scroll of yellow silk already covered with runes and cloud talismans, only the center was left blank.

He placed it before the spirit tablet, and as the golden light from above spilled over it, a new rune began to manifest gradually at the very center, one never seen before.

Satisfied, he bowed and gave thanks.

"Thank you, Goddess, for bestowing the talisman."

This was the additional talisman, acquired after Wang Xueqi's ascension and her place among the immortals.

For Dragon Tiger Mountain to personally preside over the ascension ritual was a great risk—had it failed, the Taoist would have suffered the consequences.

If it succeeded, Dragon Tiger Mountain would gain a new talisman they could impart.

Calamity Protector Goddess Talisman.

At the same time.

Within Fuyu Mountain, before the Dharma altars of three old Taoists, golden light rained down from the heavens.

The three old Taoists were startled; they quickly took out yellow silk and speedily inscribed, also adding this new talisman.

On the other side, inside Virtue City Funeral House, Wen Yan still had a finger touching Wang Xueqi's bones, fearing Wang Xueqi's power would not be enough—he kept bestowing his blessing, always maintaining the limit state.

That Blood Warm Jade was nearly exhausted already.

Suddenly, within the nearly petrified bones, all power reversed course.

All the power surged backward, feeding back into Wen Yan.

Inside Wen Yan's mind, a prompt appeared as well.

"Gained additional fixed ability: Calamity Protector Water Official Talisman."

"For assisting a Water Ghost in ascension, you made the most crucial contribution. Calamity Protector Goddess Wang Xueqi remembers your selfless spirit.

Although she is no longer here, her consciousness dispersed, transformed into the Calamity Protector Goddess, her original heart yet cannot be erased.

In the end, she wanted to say thank you. She found fulfillment far surpassing her initial hope—this was already the perfect end she had dreamed of.

She gifts to you her one and only original talisman: Calamity Protector Water Official Talisman."

"Calamity Protector Water Official Talisman.

One of the Heaven Bestowed Talismans, with inherent basic trait: never drown."

"Gained new title: Water Ghost Nemesis."

Wearing this title gives you 100% suppression, 100% true damage, and 100% ignore-immunity against all Water Ghosts.

There is a 17% chance to trigger complete obliteration.

There is a 17% chance to erase inherited traits of the Water Ghost profession."

"Replaceable title: Big Executor's Nemesis."

Current number of titles that can be worn simultaneously: 1."

Wen Yan looked at the talisman emerging on the back of his hand, his expression complicated.

He felt regret, but on thinking it over, this result truly pushed what Wang Xueqi wished to accomplish to its absolute limit.

She indeed left with immense satisfaction, without the slightest regret.

And those bones, now almost petrified just earlier, have now become ordinary remains, no longer divine, and have nothing left to do with Wang Xueqi.

Wen Yan's expression was complicated. He walked out of the main hall a little dispirited, and sat down quietly at the entrance to the mourning hall.

Sometime later, the director moved over a chair and sat beside Wen Yan.

"This is already a much better result than you initially expected."

"I know, but I just want to curse at someone."

"Go ahead then, as long as it's not at me. I was roped into this by Old Cai too.

You must have also read myths, read history.

You should know, the mythic and historic records of our Divine Land are, in a sense, nothing less than a history of battling floods—it isn't an exaggeration."

To discover that the young girl, kind at heart, blazed a new trail for the Water Ghosts.

Within this new path, there is a trait that may seem ordinary to you, but to Old Cai, it's utterly earth-shattering.

And this also completely matches the inner wish of that young girl herself.

At this moment, if there weren't Old Cai, there'd have been Old He, or Old Wang.

All of this flowed with everyone's deepest wishes, but most importantly, it fulfilled that young girl's own wish.

If she hadn't possessed this thought, if it wasn't her sole wish, if her willpower wasn't resolute enough, then even if the First Generation Celestial Master Zhang revived, he couldn't have forced her."

"I know." Wen Yan sighed; of course he understood.

"So, this brings us back to the problem we often see in the Funeral Home.

What matters more: what the family thinks, or what the client thinks?

Sometimes, you really can't have both."

People speak of respecting The Dead, but in all my years here,

I've rarely seen true respect for The Dead. Everything in this hall is just a comfort for the living."

"Director, I get it, and I am truly happy for her, but that really doesn't change anything else. One thing is still one thing."

Wen Yan looked at the members of the Scorching Sun Department inside the mourning hall—they were all still waiting here.

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