Chapter 134 of Volume Three: The Death of the Earth Bear

At this moment, the steward stood up, his face twisted in a hideous grimace. One hand clutched the wound on his chest, while the other continued to summon the golden needles.

He laughed maniacally, "Hahaha! Do you really think you three fools can kill me? How laughable! Now that this cripple has been reduced to a mere mortal, you are nothing but an ant before me. I could crush you with the slightest effort. Once I finish off that girl as well, this treasure will belong to me alone. Hahaha..."

Yu Mu gave a cold, mocking smile. "Since you love this treasure so much, why don't you be buried with it?" With those words, Yu Mu vaulted into the air and swung his staff against the stone pillar.

"What are you doing?" Seeing the look of cold finality in Yu Mu's eyes, the steward felt a sudden sense of dread.

As he witnessed Yu Mu's actions, his soul shuddered in terror, but it was far too late to intervene.

Yu Mu’s staff struck the stone pillar, which was already webbed with cracks. With a thunderous boom, the pillar shattered completely, and the entire grand hall collapsed inward.

Yu Mu flashed through the air, leapt into the stone sarcophagus, and pulled the lid shut. No sooner had the lid sealed than a deafening, earth-shaking roar erupted as the entire hall was buried under rubble.

Once silence finally descended, Yu Mu checked on Earth Bear. The man was on the verge of death. Because Earth Bear had been reduced to a mortal, Yu Mu’s "Rejuvenation Technique" could only provide a faint trickle of life force, bit by bit.

A large influx of spiritual energy would have instantly shattered a mortal’s body, yet this meager amount was barely enough to help with his grave wounds. Yu Mu took out a peach and dripped its juice into Earth Bear's mouth, drop by drop.

Before long, Earth Bear finally stirred.

However, his consciousness was in total disarray—drifting between clarity and delirium, to the point where he no longer even recognized Yu Mu.

"Brother Earth Bear, Brother Earth Bear! It’s me, Yu Mu!"

"Who are you? Where is this? You’re my little brother! Little brother... Big Brother has finally found you." Earth Bear’s words were incoherent, and he suddenly became agitated, breaking into loud, agonizing sobs.

He was already at the end of his tether; this sudden excitement caused his condition to deteriorate rapidly. With a final gasp, he slipped into unconsciousness.

Yu Mu shed tears in silence. Earth Bear’s injuries were beyond salvation; even a healer more skilled than Yu Mu could not have saved him now.

"Brother Earth Bear, you’re awake. It’s me, Yu Mu. Do you remember me?"

"Brother Yu, my good brother! How could I ever forget you?" Upon waking this time, Earth Bear’s eyes were exceptionally clear, and he appeared much more spirited.

A dark premonition surfaced in Yu Mu’s heart, yet he insisted, "As long as you remember, that’s good. Don't worry, Brother Earth Bear, you will certainly recover."

Earth Bear struggled to clasp Yu Mu’s hand. "Brother Yu, there is no need to comfort me. I know my time is coming to an end."

Hearing this, Yu Mu could no longer suppress his emotions and burst into tears. "Brother Earth Bear, why did you have to do that? You could have protected yourself! Why did you have to fight him to the death? Brother Earth Bear!"

Earth Bear offered a faint smile. "What would have happened if I had just protected myself? In that situation, did we even have a chance? You not only saved my life but risked your own for me twice, allowing me to finally avenge my past grievances. Repaying you with my life is worth it."

"Brother, stop talking. You don't owe me anything," Yu Mu pleaded.

Earth Bear smiled weakly. "My brothers are all dead; there is no joy left for me in this world. If I can eliminate a powerful enemy for my brother before I die, why not do it? It is only a pity that, influenced by the Grand Chief’s nascent soul, I failed to kill him entirely."

"Brother..."

"Enough, brother. I do not have much time. There are some things I need to entrust to you. Can you promise me?"

Yu Mu nodded immediately. "Brother, whatever you ask, I will brave mountains of blades and seas of fire to fulfill it."

"Good! I have a younger brother named Yang Yong, nicknamed 'Golden-Scaled Leopard.' Eight hundred miles southeast of Jade City, on Golden Scale Mountain, he founded a small sect called the Golden Scale Path."

"Ah!" Yu Mu was stunned. He hadn't expected Earth Bear’s brother to be a sect leader in his own right.

Earth Bear gave a wry smile. "Don't take it too seriously. That was just his youthful arrogance. It’s essentially just him occupying a mountain, though he doesn't survive by robbery."

"I see," Yu Mu replied.

Earth Bear continued, "Unlike my own mediocre nature, my brother has great ambitions. He is determined to build a prestigious sect. Because of our conflicting goals, we argued often. We parted in anger years ago and haven't seen each other since. Sigh!"

He sighed, his expression filled with loneliness.

Yu Mu consoled him, "Brotherhood is thicker than water. I believe that after all these years, he has moved past it and must miss you, his older brother."

Earth Bear remained silent for a long time before sighing again. "You are right. Regardless of everything, we are brothers. I ask that you deliver these gloves to him—let them be the final gift from his older brother."

As he spoke, Earth Bear pressed the gloves into Yu Mu’s hand and added, "I also have a mentor, the bear spirit who taught me the Bear Breathing Technique. He has no fixed abode. If you ever meet him, just tell him of my passing so he doesn't worry about me. Tell him I am sorry for failing to live up to his teachings..."

Earth Bear’s voice grew fainter and fainter. As he finished speaking, his eyes closed forever.

"Brother Earth Bear!" Yu Mu let out a cry of grief and collapsed onto his body, weeping bitterly.

Although their time together was short, they had shared a bond of absolute trust and endured hardships together, becoming as close as brothers. To face such a tragedy now was truly heartbreaking.

After his tears were spent, Yu Mu buried Earth Bear’s body alongside the withered remains in the crystal sarcophagus. He then retrieved the golden needles, tucked them away, and pushed the lid aside, preparing to leave.

"Huh?" As his palm brushed the underside of the lid, Yu Mu felt an indentation.

Driven by curiosity, he shone his light upon it. Indeed, there was a set of incredibly complex Taoist runes carved into the inner side of the lid.

Upon closer inspection, Yu Mu was both shocked and delighted. Was this not a miniature version of the array outside?

The runes inside the lid were identical to the ones outside, and, having lost their source of energy, they had ceased to function.

*If this array was placed outside to hide the palace, what exactly was it meant to seal inside the sarcophagus?* Yu Mu wondered to himself.

Furthermore, he discovered that where the inner and outer arrays converged, there was an impression of the Nine-Dragon Seal. This must have been the location of the seal's anchor, but the object itself was missing.

*Did the person who broke in take the artifact?* Yu Mu speculated.

He had no time to study it further, but he could take these runes with him. Transforming into a mass of soft wood, Yu Mu pressed himself against the carvings, imprinting them onto his own form.

When he returned to his human shape, his body was covered in countless runes, and a Nine-Dragon seal was etched onto his back like a tattoo.

With a thought, the tattoo vanished, but the patterns of the runes were now clearly engraved in his consciousness.

There was nothing left to hold him in the coffin. Yu Mu pushed the lid open just enough to squeeze through, transformed into a burrowing creature, and exited.

Outside the sarcophagus, the massive hall was completely filled with rubble. However, there were gaps between the boulders, saving him from having to dig through solid earth immediately.

Above him lay the collapsed mountain; he had no idea how long it would take to dig out that way. The only known path was the tunnel through which he had entered.

Determining his direction, Yu Mu released his Yin spirit to scout the way and began moving through the gaps toward the exit.

"Wait, that little creature... it didn't die?" The Yin spirit sensed a sign of life ahead. It was the Spirit-Sniffing Beast, trapped between two rocks, struggling desperately.

Yu Mu approached and saw that its hind leg was pinned by a stone.

The creature was waving its tiny paws frantically, emitting a whimpering sound—part wail, part call.

Looking in the direction of its struggle, Yu Mu saw a pile of mangled flesh; by the clothes, it was clearly the steward.

So, it was calling out for its former master!

Seeing such loyalty in the little beast—a trait far superior to its unscrupulous master—Yu Mu felt a pang of pity.