Although they looked forward to the day they would become Dao companions, they couldn’t just cast aside their current responsibilities, especially after understanding their true selves. They faced not only the demons of the Northern Continent but also the Shang Qing Divine Realm. After Gan Yuan was breached, Luo Wuqing died, and both Yun Huai and Si Jun became prisoners. The remaining disciples were scattered across the various heavenly domains, their situations dire, like a candle flame in the wind. They couldn’t wait for the Shang Qing Divine Realm to discover the fall of the Realm of Ruin; they had to seize the initiative as much as possible.
In the Buzhou region of the Western Continent.
The Black Tai Sui, which had been slumbering in a secret realm for thousands of years, suddenly awoke. Its empty shell craved a massive influx of spiritual energy. When it opened its eyes, its mind was a blank slate; the missing memories had left few traces in its sea of consciousness. Following its instincts, it spread its wings and flew outwards, passing through a vast sea of flowers into a familiar yet incredibly strange land.
It sensed a vast and dense source of spiritual energy. Its eyes darted around, and without a second thought, it flew towards it. Upon suddenly seeing jars of spirit wine, it let out a joyful chirp and excitedly circled the wine jars a few times before inhaling the wine like a whale. The immense spiritual energy poured into it as if into a bottomless abyss. One by one, the wine jars shattered, not a single drop of spirit wine left behind. The Black Tai Sui was still not satisfied. It shook its head, preparing to rush in another direction, but its body suddenly stiffened, as if seized by a mysterious force. A blazing flame erupted in its eyes. Just as it was about to struggle, it saw two cultivators walking side by side, talking and laughing.
The Black Tai Sui was stunned. A cunning glint flashed in its eyes as it called out to Wei Yunshu and Lingfeng, “Hey, are you here to offer tribute? This Divine Lord—” Before it could finish, its body was enveloped in a faint golden light. Its memories were directly awakened by Lingfeng’s Daoist art. A ball of dark light fell from mid-air. Thanks to Wei Yunshu catching it, it didn’t end up buried in the mud.
“There’s a secret realm nearby, probably a trace left from thousands of years ago, related to the Shang Qing Divine Realm. Let’s use this opportunity to let them find out the truth,” Lingfeng said, turning to Wei Yunshu.
Wei Yunshu nodded and sent a talisman back to Buzhou Peak.
The Black Tai Sui’s slumber was not long, only about an hour. When it slowly opened its eyes, the first thing it saw was Wei Yunshu. Sensing the familiar aura on her, a hint of suspicion flashed in its beady eyes. It secretly circulated its cultivation technique and found a Daoist seal between itself and Wei Yunshu. After a moment’s hesitation, it suddenly awoke as if from a dream and recognized the person before it!
“Sang Buwei?!” Along with the furious cry came a dark, heavy light. Although the Black Tai Sui’s cultivation was limited, its body was a genuine ten-thousand-year-old demon body. Wei Yunshu’s cultivation was suppressed at the Cavern Heaven stage. Caught off guard by the Black Tai Sui’s charge, she stumbled back a few steps.
Lingfeng watched the fight between the person and the bird with a smile. It wasn’t until she saw Wei Yunshu gradually losing the upper hand that she sighed softly and tapped the center of the Black Tai Sui’s brow.
The Black Tai Sui was furious and had intended to fight Lingfeng as well, but a sudden flash of insight made its body stiffen. It slowly turned its head, its eyes filled with disbelief. “Master?!” it cried out.
Lingfeng nodded at it, calmly avoiding the Black Tai Sui that was trying to crash into her embrace, and walked over to Wei Yunshu with a flick of her sleeve. She raised her hand to stroke the scrape on her forehead.
“It hurts,” Wei Yunshu grumbled.
Lingfeng scoffed. Such a wound could be healed with a turn of her spiritual energy. Her fingertips tucked a strand of Wei Yunshu’s hair behind her ear. “You should have let Little Black vent his anger.”
The fuming Black Tai Sui was speechless. It hadn’t vented its anger at all; it was even more frustrated!
The news of the secret realm reached Buzhou, and Shi Wufang hurriedly sought instructions from her elders. According to the established rules of the Fu Li Immortal Realm, this secret realm was open to all cultivators and did not belong to Buzhou. But Wei Yunshu’s flying letter mentioned that this secret realm was related to the past and that it was best not to let rogue cultivators enter. True Monarch Yuan Ying’s reply was straightforward. She instructed Shi Wufang to contact Cloud City and Luoshui Divine Palace, and the three sects would explore the secret realm together. As for the other rogue cultivators, they could be given some compensation, but they should not participate in the matter of the secret realm. It was only because the internal strife in the various sects had been quelled that they could act this way.
Shi Wufang immediately followed True Monarch Yuan Ying’s instructions. The three sects joined forces to seal off the secret realm and then sent their elite cultivators inside. When the news came back, a gloomy cloud hung over all of Buzhou. In the secret realm, the six statues were of the Divine Lords of the upper realm. Five of them were of the same origin as the demons of the Northern Continent, which meant that the five primordial demons were connected to the highest level, and thus were immortal and indestructible! Moreover, in this secret realm, there were many Daoist arts that were similar to those of the Fu Li Immortal Realm but fundamentally different! These Daoist arts required severing all selves and abandoning the self to practice. The Fu Li Immortal Realm could absolutely not practice this Dao.
The past of the Fu Li Immortal Realm was unveiled. The crowd also obtained related information from the True Nature Sword, the Black Tai Sui, and the Heavenly Sea Cloud Beast, and they immediately became extremely nervous, fearing that a crack would appear in the sky one day. At this time, Wei Yunshu and Lingfeng completed the “Dissolving Yin and Yang” Daoist art and passed it on to everyone to cultivate. The disaster of the Northern Continent had plagued the cultivators of the Fu Li Immortal Realm for thousands of years. After experimenting and finding this Daoist art to be feasible, they were invigorated once again.
Time flew by like a swift horse.
Before any changes could occur in the North, the major profound sects united and pressed towards the North together! The five primordial demons were of the same origin as the five Divine Lords, immortal and indestructible. But as their auras were gradually worn down, their cultivation also continuously declined. This was a process of waxing and waning. The cultivators soon gained the upper hand and pushed the Great Wall of the Northern Continent further north, forcing the primordial demons into a new round of slumber.
But the matter was not over just like that. After learning the truth, the words “Shang Qing Divine Realm” weighed heavily on everyone’s hearts, like a constant thorn in their side. The various sects discussed it back and forth several times and finally decided to first send disciples to the Shang Qing Divine Realm to gather information. There was a flying vessel in Buzhou left by the founder when he left, perhaps prepared for this very moment.
Wei Yunshu and Lingfeng were both among the disciples heading to the Divine Realm.
“We know very little about the Divine Realm. This trip could be a one-way street. Why don’t we hold your Dao Companion Ceremony first, so there are no regrets?” Wen Dantong suggested.
Not to mention those cultivators, even Wei Yunshu and Lingfeng couldn’t give a definite answer. They could find a way to reincarnate again, but most of the people traveling with them would completely dissipate into the vast world after death, leaving not even a trace as time went on. Wei Yunshu had no objection to this matter. Although she was not bound by conventions, she was willing to have a contract placed on her soul, connecting her past, present, and future.
Buzhou Peak had always been cold and desolate, its towering peaks like jade bamboo shoots emerging from the clouds.
But today, this quiet mountain peak was bustling with excitement for once. Cultivators were not bound by etiquette, and each family’s Dao Companion Ceremony was very different. For example, for Buzhou Peak cultivators, passing through ninety-nine sword gates was considered the completion of the ceremony. And for Luoshui Divine Palace? Instead of a couple exchanging vows, it was more like two families establishing a Daoist pact, setting up an altar and making a blood oath. The two sects had no past conflicts, but when it came to how the ceremony should be held, neither was willing to back down. In the end, it was Wen Dantong who decided: Buzhou and Luoshui Divine Palace would each host half.
Besides friends and family, there were also many rogue cultivators who came to watch the ceremony. From the mountain gate to the mountain itself, there were cultivators coming and going everywhere. Everyone was smiling, whether they knew each other or not. They would clink their wine cups and drink heartily.
The Black Tai Sui secretly gathered its spiritual energy and, on the day of the ceremony, transformed into its true phoenix form. A flock of colorful birds danced behind it, clearing a path in the sky. Although it was very dissatisfied with Wei Yunshu, this was its master’s choice, and it could only support it. When it returned to the Shang Qing Divine Realm, it would show off to Little White. This was a once-in-a-lifetime event, never to be repeated.
Outside the Buzhou Peak gate.
Lingfeng, dressed in red, walked forward with a sword in hand. There were not many true disciples of Buzhou. About every two li, a disciple stood, activating their sword energy and creating a high-pitched, clear sword melody. Looking up from the foot of the mountain, countless sword energies were like schools of fish swimming around, or like stars revolving, flashing with a dazzling light. Lingfeng bowed. Although she encountered a sword formation, her steps became lighter, and she ascended Buzhou Peak step by step.
The past thousands of years paved a road under her feet. Scenes of light and shadow spun before her eyes.
Their fates were completely intertwined, their auras connected at every moment.
At the end of the sword formation stood Wei Yunshu, also wearing a flower crown and red robes. With a shake of her right hand, her sword energy shot out. Two streams of sword energy coming from different directions finally collided in the center of the square. The resulting explosion of light was like fireworks soaring into the sky, blooming in clusters. The sound of thunderous congratulations filled their ears, but upon seeing each other, it was as if all sounds were drawn away from their ears, as if they were standing at the beginning and end of time.
Lingfeng took Wei Yunshu’s hand.
The Dao Companion contract transformed into a faint golden light and entered the depths of their souls, completely binding them together.
Lingfeng’s voice was very soft. “I am the embodiment of the beginning.”
Wei Yunshu turned her head to gaze at her profile, her heart filled with softness. “I am the imperfection of the end,” she said in a low voice.
The beginning would lead to the end, and completeness would lead to flaw. But such a path did not mean complete destruction in accordance with the will of the Heavenly Dao. Within completeness lies flaw, and all change is born from “Flaw.” And they could fill their own selves in each change, constantly ascending. They were each other’s flaws, and there was no need to fear moving from completeness to stillness.
Long lashes trembled, casting a small shadow. Lingfeng smiled faintly. “Three lives as one.”
Wei Yunshu’s lips curved. “All selves as one.”
A/N: I won’t write the extra about the Shang Qing Divine Realm. It’s similar to the main story: finding the traces of “Flaw,” becoming one, and dealing with the five Divine Lords.
