After I Died My Dao Companion Drowns in Endless Regret Chapter 103

Mottled bloodstains fell upon the clean Dharma robe, leaving indelible marks.
The swordswoman tightly embraced the female cultivator, refusing to let go, her smile wild and unrestrained. She was severely wounded now, and with a gentle push, the female cultivator could have made her retreat, but the female cultivator did not move. Her raised hand gently fell on the swordswoman’s shoulder, and she let out a very soft sigh. A massive surge of spiritual energy poured down, and the swordswoman’s shriveled meridians instantly became full, as if an empty bottle was gradually being filled. Her laughter ceased at some unknown moment. She looked up at the female cultivator, called out, and then said, “If I die, will you come and collect my body?”
The faces of the swordswoman and the female cultivator were like the moon in the mist, hazy and indistinct. The distant thousands of years transformed into an indelible miasma, stretching before their eyes. Wei Yunshu’s consciousness, immersed in the illusion, gradually awoke. When she opened her eyes, the bewilderment in them receded, and her gaze slowly became clear. Realizing that she was currently leaning against Yuan Chu’s embrace, it was as if a bolt of lightning streaked through her spiritual platform. She immediately composed herself, got up, and retreated, widening the distance from Yuan Chu. She pursed her lips and said, “Thank you.”
From the “Que” stone in the Wu Xiang Academy to the “Que” character on the ground here, she was the only one who would fall into the old traces of time, so she had to think more. What did that past time have to do with her? But when she pondered carefully, a barrier always appeared. She involuntarily set this matter aside and shifted her thoughts elsewhere, as if some entity was deliberately guiding her thoughts and twisting her perceptions.
“Fellow Daoist Bo, I have something I want to ask you.”
When Wei Yunshu heard Yuan Chu’s voice, she looked up at her.
From those clear and cold eyes, she read the confusion hidden within.
Wei Yunshu composed herself and said warmly, “Fellow Daoist Yuan, please speak.”
Yuan Chu let out a very light laugh and said frankly, “Fellow Daoist Bo seems to avoid me like a snake or scorpion. Why is that?”
Wei Yunshu was speechless. She did indeed want to avoid Yuan Chu; this was an instinctive action. She thought for a while and gave a reason, “I don’t like being too close to people.” Fearing that her words would not be convincing, she even brought Yue Ying into the argument, “I am not very close to Fellow Daoist Yue Ying either.”
“I see…” Yuan Chu revealed a look of sudden understanding. She pursed her lips and smiled, saying slowly, “I thought Fellow Daoist Bo was hiding something from us.” As she spoke, her eyes were filled with warmth. But Wei Yunshu couldn’t bother to observe her expression. Her heart plummeted into an ice cave because of Yuan Chu’s unintentional words, and she was chilled through and through.
Yuan Chu blinked at Wei Yunshu and added, “But I like Fellow Daoist Bo very much.”
Wei Yunshu’s eyes twitched. The word “like” inexplicably made her feel alarmed. She touched her slightly throbbing brow and said softly, “Fellow Daoist and I are merely strangers who met by chance.”
Yuan Chu said, “Meeting by chance in the Demon-Hiding Cave, and then having the fate to come here to jointly face the enemy, can we still be considered strangers who met by chance? Is it an exaggeration to say we are sworn friends?”
Wei Yunshu looked at Yuan Chu in confusion. She vaguely sensed a hint of assertiveness emanating from Yuan Chu. How could someone who was always gentle behave this way? Was it an illusion? She didn’t know how long Yuan Chu’s “enthusiasm” would last; perhaps the next breakthrough would sever all her distracting thoughts. In any case, she hoped to maintain only a superficial, very light friendship. While observing the surrounding scenery and looking for a way out, she racked her brain for ways to deal with Yuan Chu. Suddenly, a thought flashed in her mind. She said, “To be frank, Fellow Daoist Yuan, I have a Dao companion. She probably doesn’t like me being too close to others.”
“Probably?” Yuan Chu seized on the word, smiled faintly, and said slowly, “I wonder which heavenly domain your Dao companion is from, fellow Daoist? I’d like to meet her.”
Wei Yunshu was silent. The two words “Dao companion” were what Jiang Jiuxiao had said she remembered, and the memories brought by these two words were very hazy. She was unwilling to lift that veil. She met Yuan Chu’s intrigued face, avoiding a direct answer. She changed the topic and asked, “There’s no way out here. How do we get out?”
Yuan Chu gazed deeply at Wei Yunshu. After a long while, she finally answered, “There was no road when we came either. If worse comes to worst, we can just smash this area to pieces. Perhaps we’ll be able to see the sky then.”
Wei Yunshu looked at Yuan Chu in surprise. After pondering for a while, she felt that Yuan Chu’s words made a lot of sense. This underground palace was built underground, and there were traces of formations everywhere. What they saw when they looked up was the built roof, but what was above the roof? The mirage qi did not flow into this space, which meant that the sword artifacts would not be defiled. Her mind turned. Her Dharma Manifestation spread out majestically, shattering the broken walls and scattered stones into dust. She urged the Taiyi Sword and slashed forward. Instantly, a brilliant light filled her vision, as if a sun wheel had exploded. Just as the sword energy pushed forward, a crisp “hum” sounded. The sword energy that had remained on the wall for thousands of years was suddenly stirred, transforming into brilliant streaks of light that slashed towards the barrier that had existed for thousands of years. Amidst the majestic sword light like a river of stars, rocks and dust rumbled down. The Taiyi Sword cleaved open a ravine about one zhang wide upwards. Looking up, heavenly light poured down.
Wei Yunshu’s face immediately showed a hint of joy when her strike succeeded. She said, “Let’s go,” and transformed into a streak of sword light, rushing upwards. Yuan Chu did not move. She turned to look at the character “Que” on the ground, reached out, and gently wiped it away. After that, she followed Wei Yunshu’s footsteps and flew outwards.
The earth tremors spread from the fissure, and in a few breaths, they had already reached various parts of Hengjue Mountain.
Those created beings with intelligence had originally hoped that the “Bewildering Heart Path” would succeed, but with the magic artifact broken and two companions captured by the other party, they could only place their hope on the next hurdle. The cultivators from the various heavenly domains rushed all the way to the heartland of Hengjue Mountain. In fact, there were very few people left completely unharmed. The created beings with intelligence were preparing to capture the remaining people in one fell swoop when the earth shook, and even the operation of the mechanical artifacts was delayed.
“What’s going on?” A white-browed Daoist frowned tightly, looking at the battle situation in the heartland of Hengjue Mountain through the crystal wall. In the delay, the mechanism path had already been found and destroyed by a red-clothed female cultivator from the Tian Nu Pavilion. After one wrong move, all their plans were ruined. At this moment, they could only go out and fight themselves.
“I don’t know,” the white-faced, long-bearded mirage demon narrowed his eyes. He turned to look at the white-browed Daoist and said slowly, “Our tribe’s combat ability is not strong. We will have to rely on you all then.”
The white-browed Daoist’s sharp gaze fell on the mirage demon. He let out a cold snort, “Unleash your divine ability.”
The mirage demon chuckled. With a flip of his wrist, he took out a few black pills and said, “All fellow Daoists, please take this first. Then I will use the ‘One Qi Concealing Eyes’ technique.” This was one of his bloodline divine abilities. In the mirage qi, spiritual energy could not be sensed, and everything before their eyes would be obscured. It was just that this technique, with his cultivation, could only be maintained for two quarters of an hour. After instructing the long-browed Daoist, he began to silently channel his divine ability.
The white-browed Daoist called out to his companions, preparing to lead them out. His gaze suddenly landed on the green-clothed female cultivator who was still observing the character “Que.” He frowned and said, “Fellow Daoist Zhaosu, you will come with us.”
The disheveled female cultivator turned to face him. “I have told you many times,” she said, her voice even, “my name is Zhaoqing. Fellow Daoist, do not misremember it.”
The white-browed Daoist’s face turned ugly. Like him, she was a sentient creation, yet her fate was so different from theirs it was infuriatingly enviable. She was originally the “non-self” that had been severed from True Being Zhaosu of Xuan Qing Mountain. But unlike others of their kind, she was not treated as a mere tool. Her creator, True Being Zhaosu, had given her a new name—Zhaoqing—and had even personally instructed her in the Daoist arts.
When chaos erupted at the Xuan Qing Mountain’s Heavenly Machine Institute, its master had seized the opportunity to lure Zhaoqing away, securing her loyalty with the promise of rare Daoist scriptures. Otherwise, she never would have left Xuan Qing Mountain at all. Though she had been with their group for many years now, the influence True Being Zhaosu had on her had not faded in the slightest. Zhaoqing felt no need to seek out her creator, but more importantly, she had never once harbored the ambition to replace her.
The white-browed Daoist did not argue with Zhaoqing, because it was a matter that could not be resolved. He said politely, “Fellow Daoist, please.”
Zhaoqing silently glanced at the character “Que,” with some regret clearly written on her face.
The white-browed Daoist saw her lingering and added, “The enemies outside are the true disciples of the Tian Nu Pavilion, and also the Jade Capital Dao lineage of the Wu Xiang Heaven Domain. Does Fellow Daoist not want to fight them?”
Zhaoqing then became a little interested and followed the white-browed Daoist and the others to the heartland of Hengjue Mountain.
In Hengjue Mountain.
The cultivators of the major heavenly domains were extremely careful. Many of them were injured, some by fellow Daoists and some by the created beings with intelligence. In other times of cultivation, they could use the created beings with intelligence as their arms, but when facing the hateful created beings of Xuan Tian Ji, these “arms” instead became “restraints,” making them unable to move freely. After the “Bewildering Heart Path” incident, many people placed several restrictions on their created beings with intelligence, but they had no confidence in their hearts, fearing that Xuan Tian Ji would research some strange methods to confuse their consciousness again.
Yue Ying stood to the side with a blank expression. After waking up from the Bewildering Heart Path, she found that Yuan Chu and Bo Fengliu had disappeared. The obstacle of the Bewildering Heart Path was broken. She guessed that Yuan Chu and the others had done it. She searched for their traces everywhere, but all she saw were shattered rocks and traces of fighting everywhere, but no sign of them. Yue Ying was a little worried, fearing that they had actually been captured by the created beings with intelligence. Because of various reasons, they could not kill the created beings with intelligence, but the created beings with intelligence were different. Their only purpose was to destroy the true self, thereby making the “non-self” the “true self.” Moreover, their methods were very bloody and cruel, simply a gathering of all evils in the world!
Just as Yue Ying’s thoughts churned, a light flashed out. Yue Ying’s expression tightened. She immediately formed a hand seal and returned the gesture. A group of Daoists with drooping eyebrows walked out from the opposite side. They looked no different from humans, but the magic artifacts each of them carried began to move, sending out a series of warning signs. These were the created beings with intelligence hidden in the mountain! Yue Ying’s eyes flickered slightly. Suddenly, she sensed that the ocean-like aura was shielded, and a hazy white mist appeared before her. A ball of fire malevolence rolled on her body, sweeping away the mist that clung to her. She could only clearly see a small area in her vision. The rest of the scene was lost in the vast mist.
It was the divine ability of the mirage demon!
Yue Ying understood in her heart. She reached out and flicked her finger. Flames leaped on her clothes, burning and twisting the white mist on all sides. The enemy did not appear voluntarily. Yue Ying was not in a hurry. She randomly chose a direction, opened the way with fire malevolence, and pushed forward. A few breaths later, a young Daoist walked out of the mist. He smiled slightly at Yue Ying and asked, “Fellow Daoist, where are you going?”
At this moment, it was not just the heartland of Hengjue Mountain that was enveloped by the mirage demon’s divine ability.
After rushing out of the underground palace, Wei Yunshu plunged into the mirage qi. The brilliant sword light suddenly converged. The myriad stars behind her brushed forward with light, instantly sweeping out dozens of zhang of empty space. She did not hurry away, but stayed in place and waited for a moment. It was not until Yuan Chu’s figure appeared that she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She said to her, “The mist is getting thicker and thicker. The heavenly machine is obscured, and I can’t sense the changes in spiritual energy. It must be the mirage demon’s divine ability.”
Seeing Yuan Chu did not answer, she added, “The creations of Xuan Tian Ji have been observing us in the dark. The mirage qi can obscure our vision, but it will not hinder the created beings with intelligence. It won’t be long before they come looking for us.”
“That’s good,” Yuan Chu smiled slightly and agreed, “It also saves us the trouble of searching everywhere.”
Wei Yunshu’s thoughts were not wrong. A few breaths later, two figures appeared. They stood at the edge of the mirage qi, hazy and indistinct, as if between illusion and reality. The two sides confronted each other for a moment. It was the disheveled green-clothed female cultivator who rushed out first, raising her hand and striking out a green profound light. Wei Yunshu’s eyes turned, and the Three Lights Dragon Capturing Seal struck forward. With a sharp tearing sound, the Dharma seal and the profound light collided. The two only touched for a breath, and the Three Lights Dragon Capturing Seal shattered, and the profound light also disappeared.
A hint of surprise flashed in the green-clothed female cultivator’s eyes. She thought of the etiquette Zhaosu had taught her. She stopped and bowed to Wei Yunshu, “Xuan Qing Heaven Domain… um, Xuan Tian Ji disciple Zhaoqing.”
Wei Yunshu looked at the female cultivator in surprise. After thinking for a while, she also returned the bow and said, “Wu Xiang Heaven Domain Bo Fengliu.”
On the other side, Yuan Chu also met her opponent—the white-browed Daoist. With a movement of her Daoist arts and divine abilities, the earth and sky shattered. It was just that they fought further and further away. In a few breaths, the remaining traces were swallowed by the mirage qi. Wei Yunshu could no longer bother with Yuan Chu at this moment. The opponent had bowed after fighting, and then attacked again. With a circulation of her Dharma seals, Wei Yunshu once again met her with the Three Lights Dragon Capturing Seal. After several rounds, Wei Yunshu saw some of Zhaoqing’s Daoist arts. The other party cultivated the Five Elements Wood, and the profound light was continuous and endless. Although it was not fierce, there were many subtle changes within it. She relied on these changes to gradually wear down the powerful energy.
And on that side, Zhaoqing also briefly understood her opponent. She guessed that the enemy’s spiritual power was strong and powerful, fierce and rarely changing. The True Being had said that their Dao did not need to fear the opponent’s strength, because the stronger the divine ability, the more spiritual energy it consumed. They used softness to overcome hardness. As long as the green wood qi was endless, they could stand firm in an invincible position. After pondering for a moment, Zhaoqing pointed with her right hand, and a verdant tree suddenly appeared beside her. The tree lowered its branches with streams of green qi, coiling around her body, forming a natural barrier.
Wei Yunshu had already seen such methods in the Fu Li Immortal Realm. It seemed that most cultivators who cultivated wood element spiritual energy had a treasured wood that served as a defensive artifact. She pondered for a while, urged her Dharma seals, and instantly, thunderclouds rolled outwards. Amidst the leaping thunder, it suddenly struck downwards!
When she heard the first thunderclap, Zhaoqing said, “As expected.” The green wood qi changed in myriad ways, and she used it to wear down the thunder. As for Zhaoqing, she reached out and grabbed from the void, and a sword appeared. With a flick of her wrist, she slashed towards Wei Yunshu. Although she stood very far away, in that instant, she had already leaped to Wei Yunshu’s front. Wei Yunshu could not let this sword fall on her. With a turn of her foot, she avoided the sword light. She raised her hand and pointed, sending down a bolt of lightning, which instantly clashed with the sword light.
“Eh? Sword evasion? Why doesn’t fellow Daoist summon a Dharma sword?” Zhaoqing asked in confusion. But very quickly, she understood. This mirage qi would defile the sword’s body and even reflect the filth into the master’s consciousness. In this battle, she actually had a great advantage. But Zhaoqing did not stop because of this. She was a created being with intelligence, and the other party would surely take her back. If she wanted freedom, she could only win. Her mind turned, and countless points of light on that sword light scattered, transforming into endless sword energy that filled the domain. This divine ability of hers was called “Life and Death in an Instant.” The sword intent changed between illusion and reality. If the sword energy turned into an illusory sword at the moment it pierced the enemy, it would not cause any harm. But if it was a real sword, the cultivator would surely die upon contact. However, when it was illusory and when it was real, even she herself did not know.
A warning sign appeared in Wei Yunshu’s heart. She stared at the sword light that filled heaven and earth, very vigilant. She had originally intended to meet it with the One Qi Nine Dominance Heavenly Thunder, but in an instant, she gave up that idea. A faint light flashed in her eyes, and she had other sensations. Letting the thunder attack the green wood, in her Dharma Manifestation behind her, countless brilliant white lights shot out violently, landing very precisely on the vast, ocean-like sword energy, knocking down all the falling sword energy. Not a single trace of spiritual energy escaped, clearly showing her extremely subtle control over the changes within. In that illusion, the swordswoman had also used such swordsmanship to break through the Hengjue Daoist’s attacks.
The vast sword energy dispersed. Wei Yunshu gazed at the towering tree in front, and with another surge of spiritual energy, a massive amount of thunder pressed down, covering the tree with an overwhelming momentum, suppressing its spiritual power, causing it to shrink inwards. The branches and leaves trembled, emitting clear, bell-like sounds. Strands of green qi appeared with cracks, looking like fine threads, as if they would be extinguished at any moment.
Zhaoqing’s expression changed slightly. She suddenly realized that she had misjudged her opponent. Besides the powerful spiritual energy, her perception of aura changes had also reached a profound level, so she could handle it with ease, sending and receiving freely. And the most terrifying thing was that the formidable spiritual energy surpassed the latent power of the green wood qi. Perhaps before the opponent’s spiritual energy was exhausted, her defense would be broken first. Foreseeing that the chance of victory was not great, Zhaoqing would not force herself. Her eyelids drooped. With a flick of her hand, she slashed forward. With a movement of her feet, she intended to take the opportunity to return to the mirage qi.
How could Wei Yunshu not know what she was going to do? In the empty space where the opponent’s sword momentum poured out, she sneered, used a “Heavenly Cycle Restriction,” and instantly confined the opponent. Normally, with Zhaoqing’s cultivation, she would be able to break free instantly. But now, her spiritual energy was at a low point. By the time she broke free, the great tree had already been shattered, and thousands of thunderbolts were bombarding her. She could only respond hastily. But this made her fall further into a disadvantage, her rhythm completely controlled by the other party. By the time the mirage qi dispersed, she had no more methods to deal with it. After sighing, she stood in place, saying helplessly, “I lost.”
Wei Yunshu did not waste words with her. She threw out a talisman and captured her within. The divine ability that obscured vision and aura disappeared. Perhaps the mirage demon could not maintain this divine ability for long. Wei Yunshu thought to herself, sending out her divine sense. She sensed the intensely surging aura and instantly transformed into a streak of sword light, flying towards that place.
The mirage qi lasted for two quarters of an hour, and many things happened.
Yue Ying found that two more fellow Daoists’ true bodies had been killed, and their created beings with intelligence were released, standing on the opposite side, glaring fiercely.
But overall, the situation was not bad, because those who were still standing had all gained something. In general, their side still had a greater chance of winning.
“If you are all willing to surrender, you will be treated leniently.”
“Leniency? What kind of leniency? Can we be treated as humans? Can we walk freely in Shang Qing? The leniency you speak of won’t be just moving from a large courtyard to a small individual one, will it?” The created being with intelligence sneered. They had fought with the cultivators of Shang Qing for three thousand years and knew their virtues well.
“No need to waste words with them,” Yue Ying’s face was cold. In her eyes, these created beings with intelligence were ungrateful beings, walking merit points. After a brief pause, the two sides clashed again. A certain divine ability in the mirage qi disappeared, but the mirage qi was still there. However, the cultivators who usually relied on magic artifacts were all gone. The remaining ones, even without magic artifacts, could still unleash extremely powerful forces. Without the mysterious mirage qi, it had little effect on them.
In the depths of the mountain.
The created beings with intelligence had left one by one. Finally, only the mirage demon remained, its eyes fixed on the crystal wall. The “One Qi Concealing Eyes” divine ability had consumed a lot of its power. If it used another divine ability, it would completely enter a weakened state and be at the mercy of others. But if its companions did not win, it would not be able to walk out of Hengjue Mountain on its own. A scarlet light flickered in its eyes. It gritted its teeth, preparing to use another bloodline divine ability—”Making the False Real.”
This divine ability was based on mirage qi. Those enveloped in it would experience various illusions. If they firmly believed the illusions were real, the damage caused by them would transform from illusory to real. To avoid being hit, one had to immediately become suspicious.
The mirage demon composed itself and spat out a mirage bead. This divine ability required the mirage bead as an aid. Streaks of strange light lit up on the mirage bead. Just as the divine ability was about to be unleashed, the mirage demon’s body suddenly stiffened, as if it had instantly fallen into an ice cave.
“Tsk, found you.”
A light laugh sounded.
The mirage demon slowly twisted its stiff neck. What entered its eyes was a pair of cloud shoes. Further up, a blue and white Daoist robe, its sleeves fluttering in the wind, like a crane flapping its wings. Slowly, the immortal crane was stained with a patch of blood, but it was blood gurgling down from its head, blurring its vision. Two “hoarse” sounds squeezed from its throat, and its shell instantly exploded. The escaping dark energy had not yet swept away when it was caught by a clean hand and slowly worn away between the other’s fingertips.