Just as David Bolton was pulling Tommy outside, earnestly persuading her while she stubbornly refused to leave, the body lying on the bed—which had gradually grown cold after the hot towel was removed—suddenly changed.

Not yet sixteen, William Carter had never cultivated; his mortal body had already lost all human warmth and should have been dead for some time. Even that peculiar black, icy aura was about to dissipate completely. Suddenly, William Carter's tightly shut eyes moved slightly, and his outstretched hand suddenly clenched into a fist.

“Dead? Not dead?” The voices from outside reached his ears. In the sea of consciousness of the supposedly dead William Carter, a soul light reignited his mind. In that instant, William Carter's eyes snapped open, and he sat up straight from the bed. Hearing the voices outside clearly, he strode directly toward the door.

“You silly girl, why can’t you tell good from bad? I’m doing this for your own good, to keep you from becoming a burial companion. Besides, what’s there to miss about a cowardly master who doesn’t even dare to cultivate? Come with me, quickly…” Outside, David Bolton had nearly dragged Tommy to the door, but seeing her still struggling and shouting, he worried that making a scene would attract attention.

He was running out of patience. The hand gripping Tommy’s wrist was already leaving deep marks, and his other hand was clenched into a fist. He thought, if it comes to it, I’ll just knock her out first and sneak her out tonight…

“Ah… y-young master!” Tommy, who had been struggling, suddenly froze, staring in disbelief past David Bolton toward the doorway. The figure that appeared there left her completely stunned.

“What young master? I told you he’s dead, why are you still… huh?” David Bolton was thoroughly impatient now, raising his other hand to knock Tommy out.

But then he sensed something was wrong. Tommy, who had been struggling, suddenly went still, her expression as if she’d seen a ghost, her face drained of color, eyes fixed past him, clearly staring at something behind his back. A chill ran down his spine.

Is this girl trying to trick me?

The thought flashed through his mind, but then David Bolton found it laughable. She was just a mortal. Though David Bolton was already thirty-one and still stuck at the ninth level of Qi Drawing for six years, unable to break through to Foundation Establishment, compared to ordinary people, he was already far above them, like a god.

Once you enter the Qi Drawing stage, you’re already a cut above, possessing powers beyond human limits. What’s more, he was at the ninth level. Even dozens of ordinary soldiers would be no match for him. If he advanced one more step to Foundation Establishment, he could become a general in the army or a guest elder in a small sect.

He could even go to some remote place and rule as a local tyrant over hundreds of miles. Qi Drawing was the bridge to becoming a cultivator, transcending the mundane, and those who could step onto this bridge were one in ten thousand.

Once at Foundation Establishment, one truly transcended the mortal world, becoming a cultivator who could defy the heavens and extend life. What tricks could this little girl possibly pull in front of him?

With that thought, David Bolton turned his head. But in the next moment, his mind went blank. He instinctively let go of Tommy’s hand, his triangular eyes bulging, mouth agape as if he could swallow a giant bird egg.

In an instant, he felt a chill run from his feet up his back, because the William Carter who had died last night was actually… actually standing at the door, moving, eyes wide open.

Heavens, am I seeing things?

He had clearly died last night—he’d checked carefully himself—so how… how could this be…

Could it be… a corpse coming back to life… a zombie?

In that instant, David Bolton was completely unnerved.

At this moment, William Carter stood at the doorway, looking up at the sky in silence for a long time. He said nothing, and David Bolton and Tommy were both frozen in fear, chilled to the bone, not daring to make a sound or move an inch.

“Hahaha… interesting. Good, good, good…” Suddenly, William Carter burst out laughing, then repeated “good” three times, his voice ringing with exhilaration.

After speaking, William Carter suddenly raised his hand and pointed to the sky, declaring, “Remember this: you’ve provoked the one profession in this world you should never provoke. You’ve provoked the strongest profession in this world. One day, you’ll realize that a librarian is not someone you can afford to cross. You treacherous informers, and the Immortal Emperor—just you wait. Heaven’s way is fifty, but all that escapes will be found by me. I will pierce the heavens to settle accounts with you all.”

In that moment, it was as if he had returned to the time when he was hunted by countless powerful beings of the Immortal Realm, yet relied on his ability to peer into the heavens and control an Immortal Scripture Pavilion, breaking through with the help of many friends. In all the countless eras of the Immortal Realm, it was the only time a mere Foundation Establishment librarian had turned the world upside down.

But in the end, he still failed to enter the reversal passage he had prepared. The Immortal Emperor struck directly, using overwhelming power to intercept and kill him.