After I Died My Dao Companion Drowns in Endless Regret Chapter 113

In the land of Realm of Ruin, the wind surged like a tide.
In that desolate land that wore everything away, one after another, thoughts mixed with malice were born and extinguished. The cultivators walking within were all the exiled members of the Gan Yuan lineage. They held fast to their convictions, not allowing themselves to be tainted by evil thoughts. When Sang Buwei left and returned, she avoided the eyes and ears of the guardians of the five major heavenly domains. She did not go to see Yun Huai, Si Jun, and the others, but instead healed her wounds while using the imperial seal to refine the True Nature Sword.
Before being exiled to Realm of Ruin as guardians, they had all gathered in Gan Yuan. With the spread of their Daoist methods, they had over ten thousand disciples and fellow Daoists. But after an extremely brutal battle, few of their companions remained. Whether her eyes were open or closed, what Sang Buwei saw was a river of blood. The five Divine Lords held fast to the original heavenly order and could not tolerate the birth of an external path. Except for severing the selves, everything else was a demonic and heretical path. They were now driven to Realm of Ruin. In reality, those people were waiting for them to turn back. If there were no results for a long time, the other side would surely strike a fatal blow. They had to find a way to secure their own survival!
When Sang Buwei emerged from her seclusion with the True Nature Sword, Yun Huai, Si Jun, and the others had also finished refining a sufficient number of artifacts.
“After severing Realm of Ruin, the gloomy qi of the Shang Qing Divine Realm will have nowhere to flow. They will definitely try to make a change. We must isolate Realm of Ruin from the Shang Qing Divine Realm so they cannot find any trace of it.”
“I know. Once Realm of Ruin is isolated from the divine realm, we will use a great divine ability to excavate a spiritual vein and use it as a foundation to create a place ‘beyond the heavens.’”
“But it’s meaningless for us to stay in Realm of Ruin forever. In the end, we still have to return to the divine realm.”
“After the Dao has been spread, we will return to Shang Qing and find a way to hide Gan Yuan.”
“Of course, we won’t rely on Realm of Ruin. The newly formed continent will be our kindling.”
On that day.
Thousands of spiritual lights suddenly shot up from the land of Realm of Ruin, sweeping in all directions. The void was torn, and patches of leaden clouds were shattered into pieces, drifting like dust in the hurricane. The cultivators guarding the Gan Yuan lineage in Realm of Ruin were shocked by the great change, but before they could do anything, they were struck by a powerful spiritual force and torn to shreds.
The Supreme Immortals of the five major heavenly domains suddenly caught sight of the great change in Realm of Ruin. The sect masters who had been in long seclusion stepped out of their cave dwellings and crossed over to the land of Realm of Ruin. After the battle of Gan Yuan, the two sides clashed again, the momentum shaking the heavens and earth. A great gale blew, like a sharp sword sweeping by. The cultivators of the Gan Yuan lineage did not fear death. They activated a great array and rushed one after another to a death with no suspense. Luo Wuqing, Si Jun, Yun Huai, and Sang Buwei each held a corner, desperately activating their Daoist techniques and divine abilities, waiting for the most opportune moment.
A high-pitched phoenix cry sounded. Sang Buwei’s eyelids twitched. When she turned her head, she suddenly caught a glimpse of the Black Tai Sui’s figure. But she had no time to think about such extraneous matters. When the qi and intent of the True Nature Sword rose to its peak, she had to act!
“Fellow Daoist Sang, draw your sword!” Yun Huai’s reminder exploded like a clap of thunder in Sang Buwei’s ear. A layer of bright, snowy light suddenly appeared in her eyes. She reached out, grasped the True Nature Sword, and slashed down at the Realm of Ruin, the land that had been connected to the Shang Qing Divine Realm and had been wearing away the “non-selves” for thousands of years! The moment the sword fell, the figures of the six Divine Lords all appeared in mid-air. The sword light first touched Rahu, then Ji Jun, Qiong Sang… moving backward in order. As the figures of the Divine Lords shattered like dream bubbles, the sword’s intent was also greatly hindered. When it landed on Realm of Ruin, it could perhaps only leave a faint mark.
The severing of Realm of Ruin involved a change in the heavenly order. The Divine Lords had not come in person, but their avatars would manifest spontaneously. I must cut down the avatars one by one, and twist apart the shackles one by one! Sang Buwei lowered her eyelashes, no longer looking at the figure in mid-air that was familiar to her bones. She took a deep breath and once again struck forward with her sword. “Que’s” sword Dao had already reached its peak, and Sang Buwei had inherited everything from her predecessor and had cultivated for thousands of years, her sword Dao reaching a state of perfection. In addition, with the help of the Wu Xiang Imperial Seal, the heavenly order hidden in the darkness finally shattered under the dazzling, brilliant sword light. The heavens and earth rumbled, and the ground shook. The chaotic sounds converged into a torrent, buzzing in her ears.
Cracks appeared on the True Nature Sword in Sang Buwei’s hand, and she spat out a large mouthful of blood. Her vision was a bit blurry. She managed to look up at the sword mark that was destroying everything from top to bottom—after Realm of Ruin was severed, they would finally have their freedom. Suddenly, Sang Buwei’s body stiffened, a look of disbelief in her eyes. The Wu Xiang Emperor’s avatar had not shattered, but stood there calmly. A bloody hole, pierced by a longsword, appeared on its chest. Gushing blood flowed out, quickly soaking its robes.
The hand holding the True Nature Sword suddenly tightened, and the roaring in her ears intensified. Sang Buwei stared blankly at the Wu Xiang Emperor. It was only when she was pulled by Yun Huai that she regained a sliver of clarity. At this moment, her eyes closed and opened, repeating several times. Countless chaotic thoughts piled up in her mind. When she saw the Wu Xiang’s bloody tears, her emotions became even more intense, and everything turned into a sourness that choked her throat.
It was only at this moment that she understood the meaning of “Que.”
Her voice trembled as she managed to utter two words: “…Your Majesty…”
The Great Number of the Dao is fifty, of which forty-nine are used, and one escapes. What is “formless”? All things with form cannot be complete, and all things that are complete have no visible form. Heaven and earth are inherently incomplete. In the space between movement and stillness, there is a “Flaw,” and only then can there be change. The Wu Xiang Emperor was innately complete. Because she was formless, she was in fact everything and nothing. The divine realm was her, chaos was her, and Realm of Ruin was also her. The sword strike that severed the Realm of Ruin was also a strike against the Emperor herself. Whether her avatar appeared or not, the blow was inevitable—a strike destined to shatter her formless perfection. In that single act, the very concept of the ‘Que’—the ultimate Flaw—would be born.
Throughout history, there would be countless “Flaws.” Whether she had met the Emperor or not, she would have delivered that fated sword strike. Her existence was to make the formless no longer complete. A crack in the heavens was a change in the Great Dao.
But realizing all this now was meaningless. It was all too late.
Sang Buwei’s face was ashen as she watched the Tai Sui’s bloody tears fall into Realm of Ruin. The cold wind swept past her eyes. She remembered many past events, as if she had fallen into an absurd dream. She wanted to ask, Why did you come to guide me when you knew I was that “Flaw”? Why did you never say you would be sad? Why didn’t you stop it when you saw the result? Why did you let this sword fall?… But she didn’t say anything. In that world-shaking torrent, everything belonging to the divine realm drifted away with her wishes, and she too would eventually travel far away, never to return. They had successfully severed Realm of Ruin. But why was there still so much unwillingness?
After an unknown amount of time, Wei Yunshu, who had been floating in a dream, suddenly woke up. She was lying in Yuan Chu’s arms, her forehead resting gently on her shoulder. Her light, shallow breaths suddenly became rapid. She felt a hand slowly rest on her waist, holding her body.
“Was it just a dream?” Wei Yunshu asked softly. She received no answer. An extremely powerful spiritual force erupted from her body, howling and battering the sea, causing a series of violent storms. The whirlpools at the bottom of the sea churned, and great waves on the surface rose to the sky, instantly turning the Red Sea into a place that could not be easily entered. The restraints deep within her divine soul shattered, and the spiritual feedback from her “true self” was extremely swift. But Wei Yunshu was not happy at all. She lay motionless on Yuan Chu’s body, like a rigid stone statue.
“They say the six lords are innate divine spirits, but in fact, that is only in relation to all living beings. The only innate, or rather, created spirit, is Wu Xiang. Therefore, the five lords revere the Tai Sui, taking returning to the innate formlessness as their fundamental path. They are born with all kinds of emotions, but in the end, they choose to sever them one by one. But Wu Xiang—” Yuan Chu paused for a moment, then smiled and said, “—walks among mortals with her avatar time and time again. Wu Xiang is looking for ‘Flaw,’ and is also walking her own path to the Dao. The cycle of yin and yang, waxing and waning, is the constant change. You don’t need to be sad. All of this is what I sought for myself.”
“But you were sad,” Wei Yunshu managed to force out. “If it weren’t mixed with human emotions, it would just be a cold, loveless, hateless slaughter.” If there was no sadness, no regret, why would the Tai Sui Golden Sand born from bloody tears be an evil thing? That one sword strike severed Realm of Ruin, broke the formless chaos, and in that instant, also severed the love, hate, and enmity that appeared after the manifestation. Once chaos was divided and yin and yang were judged, all the experiences of her past life in the mortal world were also born. In the end, she had still pulled the Tai Sui into the mortal world, becoming a speck of “filth” on the formless, creating a life of extreme pain for both of them.
Yuan Chu said, “Let’s keep moving forward.”
Wei Yunshu suddenly looked up, her eyes burning as she stared at Yuan Chu. “Are you going to travel with me?”
Yuan Chu retorted, “Don’t you wish for dust to return to dust, and earth to return to earth?”
Wei Yunshu was silent.
Yuan Chu added, “After you decided to turn away, you cast aside everything from the past. You wiped away all grudges and affections with a single stroke, as if they were a debt paid, leaving behind a ‘we will never meet again in life or death.’ You are really good at settling accounts.” She released Wei Yunshu, stood up, and looked down at her with her arms crossed, smiling faintly. “It’s all my fault for being too good to you, isn’t it?”
“I—” Wei Yunshu opened her mouth, wanting to argue.
“The heavenly numbers have changed, and the heavenly secrets cannot be calculated. When I decided to send my avatar down to the Fu Li Immortal Realm, it was firstly to see what this ‘heart-cultivating Dao’ you wanted me to see was like; and secondly, to find an appropriate opportunity to guide you back to the immortal realm. It’s a pity the Tai Sui Golden Sand corrupted my original heart, and in the end, I was drowned in the mortal world, tasting the bitterness of ‘unattainable desire.’”
“Being human is truly difficult,” Yuan Chu said.
Wei Yunshu lowered her head, her voice very soft. “It’s all my fault.”
Yuan Chu retorted, “What is your fault? That you abandoned me? But wasn’t all of that what I sought for myself? I had ten thousand opportunities to stop you, but I was unwilling to do so.”
Wei Yunshu’s lips moved, wanting to say something more. Yuan Chu’s smile vanished, and she let out a soft, cold laugh. “You haven’t succeeded yet. I don’t know if I’ll have to collect your corpse again. Some promises should not be made at an inappropriate time.”
It was as if a thunder tribulation had descended upon the sea. Thunder and storms moved together. The Red Algae that had covered the entire Red Sea was worn away by that great force, and the fiery sea surface was slowly plated with a magnificent purplish-red. Great waves rose to the heavens, and the cultivators on the island who had not yet left were all alarmed. At this moment, they watched with wide eyes as the cultivators from the boat company pushed their spiritual power forward, flattening the tide.
Bei Xuan was also among the crowd of spectators.
After failing to seize the Essence of Red Water, she had not left the Red Sea. She was still thinking that when the opportune moment came, she would snatch the Essence of Red Water from those two. But all her thoughts were swept away after seeing this violent storm. To be able to cause such a drastic celestial phenomenon, the cultivation level was probably not just at the Xuan Immortal realm. If so, the two people still in the Red Sea were most likely in grave danger. Had another great demon been born in the Red Sea? Or had other higher-realm cultivators descended?
While she was secretly pondering, Bei Xuan caught sight of a talisman flying toward her. She reached out and caught it. It was from the Wu Shi Sect, ordering her to return to the sect as soon as possible. With a silent sigh, Bei Xuan no longer paid any attention to the changes here. She boarded a dragon boat and headed back. Among the four seas of the Wu Shi Heaven Domain, the Wu Shi Sect was located on the Black Sea in the north, right next to the Red Sea. After half a month of rapid travel, Bei Xuan arrived at the Wu Shi Sect.
The sea surface looked as dark as ink. In the huge whirlpool, one after another, Daoist palaces shimmering with a clear, misty qi floated in mid-air, staggered in height, like flying pavilions. This was the location of the Wu Shi Sect’s mountain gate. The great whirlpool here contained a force that could tear everything apart. Without a talisman, one could not fly across. Bei Xuan jumped down from the boat, took out a talisman, and let the golden light wrap around her body, teleporting like lightning. A few breaths later, she landed in front of a magnificent and solemn Daoist palace. She straightened her robes before stepping forward.
Sitting on the dharma throne was a female cultivator wearing a black robe with a Soaring Serpent pattern. In her hand, she was playing with a dragon bone knife, from time to time transforming it into a true dragon that frolicked on her fingertips. A moment later, she finally lowered her gaze to Bei Xuan and asked nonchalantly, “You failed this trip?”
A look of shame appeared on Bei Xuan’s face. She said softly, “This disciple was incompetent.”
“It’s no big deal.” The Wu Shi Sect Master, Teng Luo, had little interest in the matters of the Red Sea. She looked at Bei Xuan and said, “I have something for you to do.”
Bei Xuan didn’t even ask what it was and said directly, “This disciple will certainly not fail my master’s trust.”
Teng Luo let out a soft laugh. “The Tian Nu Pavilion has sent over a method, saying it can eliminate the demons in the Demon-Hiding Cave, so they cannot be reborn.”
A look of astonishment appeared on Bei Xuan’s face. “Really? Master, do you want this disciple to learn that method?”
“You can’t learn it,” Teng Luo said coldly. Seeing the look of unwillingness on her disciple’s face, she added, “It is a Daoist art that only disciples of the Gan Yuan lineage can practice. They use themselves as a furnace, taking all demons into their bodies and subduing them with their hearts. Didn’t our Wu Shi Sect also capture some disciples of the Gan Yuan lineage? You take them to the Demon-Hiding Cave and see what happens.”
Bei Xuan was stunned. “Isn’t this giving them an opportunity to cultivate and increase their strength?”
Teng Luo said dismissively, “They don’t have Jun Tian Purple Qi. They won’t amount to much.”
Bei Xuan said, “Oh,” and then added, “Is that person also going to enter the Demon-Hiding Cave?” That person’s identity was truly special. Although her name had been removed from the Wu Shi Sect’s records, she was once her master’s master. This point could not be erased. Her master had severed her “non-self” time and time again, but judging by her treatment of that person, she had never completely severed her past. On the other hand, the Sect Master of Xuan Qing Mountain, who had severed her emotions, was different. After capturing Luo Wuqing, she had directly killed him to eliminate future trouble.
Teng Luo’s gaze suddenly sharpened.
A chill ran up Bei Xuan’s spine. She quickly said, “This disciple has overstepped. This disciple knows her mistake.”
Teng Luo looked at Bei Xuan expressionlessly. “I could let her enter the Demon-Hiding Cave, but can you all suppress her?” She put the small dragon coiled around her fingertip into her sleeve and said, “You may leave.” Then she didn’t look at Bei Xuan again. It was only after Bei Xuan had respectfully retreated that she revealed a strange smile. She rubbed her forehead. It seems it has been over two hundred years since I last saw my master? She stood up, and her figure in the hall gradually blurred, like a reflection in water. With a slight ripple, she was gone. At the same time, she appeared in an underground palace. Here, dense talismans covered every corner, from time to time emitting a demonic and strange red glow. And in the midst of it was a female cultivator with a pale face, her long eyebrows slanting into her temples, and her golden eyes full of a bright, clear light.
“Does Master know her mistake?” Teng Luo walked forward step by step, her vertical pupils shining with a cold light. She took out the “King Bone” that she had kneaded and squeezed at will from her sleeve and said, “The Dao lineage Master left in Realm of Ruin was kind enough to send Master’s remains up. Master tried every means to protect them, but unfortunately, everything did not go as Master thought. They chose to betray. But Master, don’t be angry. Rebellion is the eternal, indelible nature carved into us demon cultivators. I never understood why Master had to abandon me and go with Sang Buwei and the others.”
A cold light leaked from Si Jun’s eyes. She said expressionlessly, “I took you with me back then.” In the end, this became her greatest regret. In the past, she only had Teng Luo as her true disciple. After accepting the Daoist concept of “cultivating the heart,” she naturally used it to teach her disciple. Abandoning the path of severing the selves to enter the path of cultivating the heart, Teng Luo had always done very well. Until the first round of nightmares descended upon Gan Yuan. Teng Luo’s betrayal brought countless deaths and injuries. Gan Yuan was defeated again and again, and in the end, the survivors were exiled to Realm of Ruin as guardians.
“But Master’s heart was not on me,” Teng Luo said with a faint smile. “Master was always so busy, either discussing matters with Sang Buwei and the others, or busy spreading the Dao. Master promised me back then that she would only take one true disciple, but why later did so many people call you ‘teacher’? They were the seeds of the heart-cultivating Dao. Compared to them, was I, a disciple who converted to the ‘heart-cultivating Dao’ halfway, nothing at all?”
“What are you talking about?” Si Jun looked at Teng Luo in surprise. A moment later, a hint of pity appeared in her eyes. She said, “After Realm of Ruin was severed, the divine realm created such things as Created Beings with Intelligence. I heard that after many people severed their ‘non-selves,’ even their ‘true selves’ were lost. In the end, no one knows which one was left. Teng Luo, are you the true body of a Soaring Serpent, or a created body?”
Teng Luo was not angry. She smiled at Si Jun and said, “What I want to leave behind is the ‘true self.’ The true can be severed, the good can be severed, and kindness and righteousness can be severed. But the obsession with Master cannot be extinguished. What do you think, Master?” She raised the King Bone and pressed it against Si Jun’s shoulder, then moved it upward bit by bit, finally pointing it at Si Jun’s brow. She asked, “Is there only the Dao in Master’s eyes?”
Si Jun said coolly, “If I cannot attain the Dao, I would rather die.”
“Then Master may not live to see the day she attains the Dao.” Teng Luo laughed. She looked at Si Jun and said, “Fellow Daoist Su Qing learned from Yun Huai a method to eliminate the ‘non-selves.’ Now, we will throw the traitors of the Gan Yuan lineage into the Demon-Hiding Cave and let them be the ‘tools’ to slay the demons. This way, we don’t have to worry about the ‘non-selves’ overflowing from the Demon-Hiding Cave. As for Xuan Tian Ji, there is no need for it to exist. You all severed Realm of Ruin, yet you tried every means to use yourselves as a ‘Realm of Ruin.’ Should I praise you for that?”
Si Jun’s gaze suddenly became sharp. She stood up, but the moment she moved, countless demonic red lights burst from the talismans, like a giant bloody palm pressing down on Si Jun’s back, forcing her to sit back down.
Teng Luo laughed. “It’s useless. This is the prison I have carefully prepared for Master.”
Si Jun asked softly, “Is that so?” As soon as these words fell, the aura on her body suddenly emptied. Following that was a world-shaking dragon roar. The “King Bone” held in Teng Luo’s hand suddenly became scorching hot and whipped toward Teng Luo’s body! Spiritual energy ignited, and in a flash of lightning, Teng Luo only managed to form a hand seal. But all her cultivation techniques were learned from Si Jun. This dharma seal was like paper, and it was instantly pierced by the King Bone!
The King Bone’s momentum did not stop. It rushed toward Teng Luo’s chest. A dragon claw suddenly appeared and pierced through her flesh. Flesh, internal organs, and white bones were exposed in the torn opening, but the dragon claw did not stop until it had crushed the white bones and grabbed the beating heart, then mercilessly squeezed it.
Flesh and blood splattered!
A figure appeared at the other end of the King Bone, its face cold, like an Asura descending. One after another, demonic lights twisted in the vast, surging dragon qi, spreading out in all directions like a great wave, crashing against this indestructible underground palace. Si Jun’s eyes reflected the bloody light. She raised her clean left hand, brushed it across Teng Luo’s cheek, and said with a smile, “Good disciple, you also know that the King Bone was refined from your master’s remains. How dare you hold it in your hand and play with it?”
“Did you sever your brain along with your selves?”
Teng Luo raised a bloody hand, wanting to press down on Si Jun’s wrist. “Master—”
Si Jun impassively brushed her hand away. She pushed Teng Luo to the spot where she had been sitting before, formed a hand seal, and activated a series of incantations, trapping her in that corner. “You just wait here,” Si Jun said.
A cultivator who had reached the Supreme Immortal realm would not die even without a heart. The torn flesh and broken bones could be restored in a few breaths. She had no time to fight to the death with Teng Luo now. She could only temporarily imprison her in this exquisite and magnificent palace.
“Master—” Teng Luo called out again, her tone urgent. Large mouthfuls of blood gushed out. At this moment, in her weakest state, she could not resist the incantations that fell upon her. “You… how can you bear to treat me like this?”
“Why can’t I bear it?” Si Jun looked at Teng Luo and asked calmly. She stroked Teng Luo’s hair, her expression icy cold. “Teng Luo, you obstructed my path to the Dao and harmed countless of my disciples and followers. Only when you are dead can they truly be free! I will not kill you now, but I will definitely take your life in the future!”