After I Died My Dao Companion Drowns in Endless Regret Chapter 26

Ying Yue was Xie Zhichao’s fellow disciple.
Her master, True Monarch Yuan Ying, originally had seven disciples. But the competition for the Great Dao was so fierce. If one could not succeed, they would perish. Now, only Senior Sister Shi Wufang, herself, and the youngest disciple, Ying Yue, who joined last, were still alive. The junior sister was only sixteen and had only recently reached Foundation Establishment. Her face, filled with youthful innocence and joy, still held a trace of childishness. While it wasn’t impossible for her to seek trials after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, the Sunset Burial Mounds were simply too dangerous for junior sister. Moreover, she hadn’t even reported to Senior Sister, but had secretly descended the mountain!
Xie Zhichao felt a headache whenever she saw her. However, after only a few months of descending the mountain, she had been tricked out of countless pills, jade, and magic artifacts. She felt a surge of suppressed anger that she couldn’t release.
“I also came after hearing news about the Taiyi Sword,” Ying Yue’s voice was soft. She looked at Xie Zhichao with a pitiful expression, like a lost fawn in the forest.
Xie Zhichao: “…” Apart from being easily tricked, her junior sister had another flaw: she was extremely infatuated with the Cloud Sovereign. She didn’t have the absurd idea of obtaining the Taiyi Sword, but rather tried to admire it and get close to the Cloud Sovereign. “The one from Cloud City has also come to the Sunset Burial Mounds. You’d best not mention Taiyi,” Xie Zhichao said sternly.
But Ying Yue was not afraid of the seemingly fierce Xie Zhichao. She softened her voice and acted spoiled, “Third Senior Sister—”
Xie Zhichao was helpless against her. Her junior sister feared nothing in the world except her gentle Senior Sister. Perhaps because all her cultivation methods were taught by Senior Sister, she felt a sense of urgency, as if her homework was about to be checked, whenever she saw Senior Sister. “I will report this matter to Senior Sister in its entirety,” Xie Zhichao said with a stern face. A cultivator who had just reached the Foundation Establishment stage, why was she causing trouble here?! And she had even followed a group of scoundrels who were not skilled but extremely bold! If she hadn’t happened to see her, this little one might have been reduced to ashes long ago!
Xie Zhichao brought her right middle and index fingers together, pressed them gently to her lips, and made a shushing sound. Within Ligu, the spiritual energy was chaotic and mixed, and there were quite a few demons appearing. Although there were cultivators clearing them out, this did not mean they could entrust their backs to others. While they could unite when dealing with demons, it was uncertain after the fact. Not long ago, in order to pull junior sister out of the vortex, she had suffered some injuries. It was not easy to find such a quiet place now.
Ying Yue blinked, her eyes full of guilt. She was about to answer, but upon seeing Xie Zhichao’s gesture, she immediately realized her mistake, covered her mouth, and nodded, her tear-filled eyes becoming misty.
A clear “BANG!” sound came from outside, like a giant hammer striking the valley.
Ying Yue’s cultivation was low, and she felt a subtle unease. She hugged her knees and quietly leaned closer to Xie Zhichao’s side. Xie Zhichao glanced at her actions from the corner of her eye, but ignored her. She reached out and placed her hand on her saber, her expression becoming solemn. It was her first time venturing to the Sunset Burial Mounds for trials, but it didn’t mean she didn’t know the situation here. Such a large-scale demonic invasion was unusual no matter how you looked at it. And the Luoshui Divine Palace’s Yin-Yang Pillars and Heavenly Carriage Disk seemed to have lost their function. At least from the mouths of some surviving rogue cultivators, she heard complaints that the Luoshui Divine Palace had lied about the news.
The fierce winds gradually intensified, and the knocking sounds also became heavier. As if the earth was turning over, the mountain body shook violently, and stones from the cave fell with thudding sounds on the ground. Even Ying Yue noticed the anomaly. There must be someone fighting not far away! Her unease grew, but she was a disciple of Buzhou. There was no reason to retreat in fear. She bit her lip and held her sword tightly with her right hand.
“Let’s go!” Xie Zhichao cursed her bad luck. They couldn’t stay in this place any longer; they might be buried by the mountain. She took a deep breath and, carrying her saber, shot out like a rainbow. The sharp and powerful saber energy spread outwards. The falling stones, before they could get close, were crushed into powder by that vast, surging saber intent.
There was indeed fighting outside, and the commotion was not small. Besides those ferocious beasts contaminated with demonic energy, there were at least five evil cultivators, half of whom were at the Golden Core stage. As for their opponents, they were mostly disciples of the Luoshui Divine Palace. Demons frequently appeared in Ligu. Even if they were reluctant, the Luoshui Divine Palace cultivators had to come here to guard. The evil cultivators did not hold back when attacking, and coupled with the sinister light from their defiled magic artifacts, they fought fiercely with the Luoshui Divine Palace disciples, creating a spectacular battle.
If Xie Zhichao were alone here, she would have definitely drawn her saber and joined the fray. But unfortunately, she had junior sister following behind her. Between fellow disciples and her junior sister, Xie Zhichao quickly made her choice. Facing the cultivators intercepting them in front, her eyes slightly narrowed. With a resounding crack, a saber light transformed into an immeasurable, unpredictable profound energy and slashed fiercely forward! The moment the saber light collided with the blood soul, bursts of vital energy and winds erupted. Xie Zhichao did not stop; her saber momentum became even more surging and fierce. The evil cultivator, who had been laughing smugly, soon could no longer maintain his composure. The blood soul was shattered by the saber light and dispersed into a mass of essence, but it did not recondense. Instead, it was completely dissolved by the residual saber intent.
“Buzhou disciple!” A subtle light flashed in the evil cultivator’s eyes. Normally, they would not dare to act so recklessly. But now, with the support of their seniors from the Corridor of Sins, they wanted to let loose and fight against the immortal sect cultivators. And they did exactly that, slaughtering many cultivators, absorbing their essence blood, and even taking the time to compare rogue cultivators with disciples of major sects. He originally did not intend to let Xie Zhichao go, but facing that murky and unpredictable saber light, he eventually gave up the idea and turned to continue fighting with the Luoshui Divine Palace disciples. If they could keep these people here, it would be a good harvest.
Xie Zhichao did not look back at the battle between the evil cultivator and the Luoshui Divine Palace disciples. However, before leaving, she fiercely slashed at the area where the fighting was most intense. As for whether they lived or died, it was all up to the disciples’ abilities. Xie Zhichao escaped several miles in a single breath, but thinking of the message she sent to Fellow Daoist Bo, she did not leave Ligu. After reaching a place where the commotion had subsided, Xie Zhichao frowned and looked at Ying Yue, who was staggering along on her escape light, and said, “Junior Sister, after returning to Buzhou, you should consolidate your cultivation first.”
Ying Yue saw that Xie Zhichao’s expression was not very good and obediently replied, without talking back.
After waiting for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Xie Zhichao finally saw that familiar white-robed figure. The joy on her face was unstoppable, and she immediately went to meet her, saying with a smile, “Fellow Daoist Bo, you’ve finally arrived.”
Wei Yunshu nodded. The journey to Ligu was not smooth sailing. Along the way, she encountered several disciples from the Corridor of Sins, and after resolving each one, she continued her journey. Glancing at the dried bloodstains on Xie Zhichao’s body, her brows furrowed slightly, and she said in a low voice, “Fellow Daoist Xie, are you injured?”
“Minor injuries,” Xie Zhichao waved her hand and laughed heartily, pulling Ying Yue, who was shrinking behind her with a curious look at Wei Yunshu, and pointing at her, saying, “This is my junior sister Ying Yue.” After a pause, she introduced Wei Yunshu to Ying Yue, saying, “Fellow Daoist Bo Fengliu.”
Ying Yue blinked and greeted her obediently, then said no more. However, her eyelashes fluttered, and she occasionally cast curious glances at Wei Yunshu, not daring to look too long, lest Wei Yunshu discover her. Xie Zhichao took in her actions, her brows furrowing even tighter. However, it was not appropriate to reprimand Ying Yue at this moment, so she ignored her and said to Wei Yunshu, “Fellow Daoist Bo, although Ligu is a place where demons appear, according to past records, demons have never been so brazen and daring to capture cultivators. They usually target rogue cultivators. But the situation is different now. They seem to be driven by some entity, gathering together.”
“Perhaps it’s because the Northern Continent is difficult to breach the defense line, so they are preparing to attack from the Sunset Burial Mounds?” Wei Yunshu pondered for a moment, then clearly explained the situation in the oblique valley. Finally, she concluded, “The Luoshui Divine Palace’s True Artifact is probably useless now. But looking at the Luoshui Divine Palace disciples and even some rogue cultivators now, they seem to rely on it quite a bit.”
“After all, they’re used to relying on it,” Xie Zhichao snorted coldly. She looked at Wei Yunshu and said again, “My junior sister’s cultivation is only at the Foundation Establishment stage. It’s quite worrying for her to follow me everywhere. I plan to send her to a safe place before returning to deal with these evil cultivators. What do you think, Fellow Daoist Bo?”
“This Chaos Tree is unusually active; it’s probably not a good sign.”
Wei Yunshu listened quietly.
The moment she saw Ying Yue, Wei Yunshu realized that she had only recently reached the Foundation Establishment stage and hadn’t even fully stabilized her surrounding vital energy. Under such circumstances, sect elders would generally not allow her to come out. Therefore, after hearing Xie Zhichao’s words, she readily agreed. However—the Luoshui Divine Palace outpost might not be safe. She looked at Xie Zhichao’s expression and said what was on her mind.
“I know.” Xie Zhichao had a terrible impression of the Luoshui Divine Palace. How could she send her junior sister there? She took out a formation disk shaped like a compass from her storage pouch and reached out to adjust the pointer. “Senior Sister gifted me a set of formation disks when I left the mountain, but it takes some time to activate them. I’ll need Fellow Daoist Bo to guard me.” Actually, it wasn’t that the formation disk was difficult to use, but that she had accidentally lost the accompanying incantations from Senior Sister and had to activate it with other methods. Originally, she didn’t think she would need to use this formation disk, but her junior sister had appeared.
“Third Senior Sister?” Ying Yue seemed somewhat uneasy.
Xie Zhichao smiled, saying, “Junior Sister, don’t worry. Senior Sister’s magic artifacts are top-notch. Once the formation disk is activated, even cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage cannot break it. I’ll come back to pick you up after the troubles here are resolved.” She had no intention of telling Ying Yue the method of escape. If this restless junior sister knew, all her plans would be in vain.
Wei Yunshu smiled warmly at Xie Zhichao and said, “Fellow Daoist Xie, please rest assured, I will not let anyone intrude here.”
A cloud of smoke swept out from her sleeve. Immediately after, with the surge of spiritual energy, this cloud of smoke expanded to cover a larger area. However, this celestial energy-filled, ethereal appearance might attract more attention in the Sunset Burial Mounds. After a moment of contemplation, Wei Yunshu flicked her finger and shot out a wisp of ink. This ink drop, the size of a water droplet, instantly merged into the cloud of smoke, instantly dyeing the smoke a sinister gray, accompanied by mournful cries, creating a chilling scene.
Wei Yunshu sat on the mountainside, extending her divine sense outwards to observe the movements in all directions.
At this moment.
Several dozen miles away, a group of demons was locked in a fierce battle with Cloud City cultivators. Within the dark clouds in the sky, two disciples from the Corridor of Sins were hidden, their faces sinister and their appearances like ghosts.
“Which place were True Monarch Zhou talking about? I forgot.”
Another demon disciple frowned. Although he had the map, he couldn’t read it and didn’t quite recognize the way. His eyeballs rolled around, and finally, seeing the rolling dark clouds to the east, thirty miles away, filled with an aura of evil, he said without hesitation, “Black Cage Mountain, the place with the densest evil energy. It’s—thirty miles to the east.” With their cultivation, it was actually easy for them to deal with these Cloud Sect disciples. However, these disciples were “bait,” and they couldn’t be eaten for now.
“If it weren’t for the convenient access provided over there, we wouldn’t have this opportunity.”
“It took so much effort to eliminate one of her avatars. It’s truly painstaking.”
“That’s an avatar of a Cavern Heaven True Monarch.” The demon cultivator speaking licked his lips, his eyes filled with greed. If he could absorb a bit of that Cavern Heaven primal essence, his cultivation would definitely advance significantly.
“Stop dreaming. It’s not your turn. If this matter is handled well, the True Monarchs will grant rewards, and we’ll get enough pills, jade, and blood food.” Another demon cultivator sneered, shattering his companion’s fantasy.
In Black Cage Mountain.
Zhou Yuxiao sat cross-legged on a stone, with a floating jade slip in front of him. After fighting with Luo Lingfeng, he knew he couldn’t defeat her on his own, so he came to Black Cage Mountain to make arrangements. In the past, he only knew that Luo Lingfeng cultivated the Way of the Zither. Here, he set up over a thousand “sound-blocking profound stones” to weaken her zither music. But after the fight, he realized her water arts were also extremely powerful. He didn’t have any good items on hand, but fortunately, the other side was sensible enough to send him a “Blazing Fire Earth Fiend,” which could dissipate water arts. Now, all he had to do was lure Luo Lingfeng here. Thinking this, a fiery gleam appeared in Zhou Yuxiao’s eyes. After devouring the Cavern Heaven True Monarch’s avatar, he might be able to comprehend the True Meaning of Cavern Heaven with that primal essence and break through to that realm! This way, he could escape the fate of being a chess piece and explore the secrets of “origin” or even “the divine realm!”
The Sunset Burial Mounds were filled with unrestrained, rampant evil energy everywhere.
When the other party approached within ten miles of Ligu, Wei Yunshu’s attention fell on them. However, she did not make a move. Firstly, she was afraid that someone might secretly attack her. Secondly, she was concerned about the Cloud City disciples fighting the evil cultivators. Those young cultivators, who had not undergone training, only felt that fighting demons was invigorating. They didn’t realize that the demons were deliberately luring them in this direction.
It was only when their eyes could clearly see the rolling evil energy that some disciples suddenly reacted. They looked at the grinning evil cultivators with cold sweat. The magic sword that had always been effective in their hands was forced away. They turned towards Yun Dan, who was beside them, with extreme fear, and shouted, “Senior Sister Yun, what should we do? The demonic energy ahead is so dense. Could it be a Nascent Soul True Monarch?”
Yun Dan held a magic sword, surrounded by many disciples. Because her cultivation was only at the Mortal Transformation stage, she was like an ant waiting to be crushed by the evil cultivators. The Cloud City cultivators naturally didn’t want to protect this mortal who had inexplicably become their senior sister. But this person was precisely Luo Lingfeng’s disciple. Fearing Luo Lingfeng’s trouble afterwards, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and swallow their indignation.
Yun Dan said calmly, “With the Plain Dust Veil, everyone doesn’t need to worry.” When the evil cultivators attacked, she had already anticipated their intentions. As the core figure of the team, she intentionally or unintentionally cooperated, making it easier for the evil cultivators to lure them here. She speculated that those from the Corridor of Sins wanted to eliminate Luo Lingfeng’s avatar. She had two choices now: either seize the opportunity to return to the Corridor of Sins, or continue to stay in Cloud City. After considering for a while, she chose the latter. She realized this was an opportunity to gain Luo Lingfeng’s trust, but she also couldn’t ruin the Corridor of Sins’ plan.
Upon activating the Plain Dust Veil, streaks of radiant light instantly swirled around her body, like a jade belt woven from the stars. She shouted loudly at the evil cultivators, “I am a disciple under True Monarch Luo. If you dare to kill me, my Master will surely avenge me!” As soon as these words left her mouth, not only did the evil cultivators burst into laughter, but even the Cloud City disciples repeatedly covered their foreheads. Even the most wayward individuals knew that there was no room for reconciliation between immortal sects and demons. In such a situation, who cared who your master was? Ultimately, she came from a mortal background and couldn’t hold her own. The Cloud City cultivators secretly thought. A white-robed cultivator looked even more distressed as he looked ahead and said, “We can only fight to the death!”
“You want to fight to the death, but we’ll see if we’re willing.” The Golden Core evil cultivator hidden in the dark clouds leaped out, his eyes filled with interest as he looked at the pale-faced Cloud Sect disciples. Then he smiled playfully at Yun Dan and said, “You are the Luoshui Divine Maiden’s disciple? Why are you only at the Mortal Transformation stage? Are you lying?” A playful smile formed on his face, as if he were toying with his prey like a cat playing with a mouse.
“I achieved Mortal Transformation today, but I may not be so tomorrow,” Yun Dan sneered.
“Tsk tsk.” The evil cultivator smacked his lips, raised his right hand, and wrote a line of text with spiritual energy, transforming it into a bat that shot towards the horizon. “Since that’s the case, I’ll deliver a message for you and see if that Luoshui Divine Maiden will come to save you useless disciples.”
Yun Dan raised her voice and said, “You are seeking your own death!” She brushed aside the hand of her fellow disciple who was holding her sleeve, her expression confident, “Master will surely come to save me.” She seemed oblivious to the evil cultivator’s malice and the dangers ahead, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor. However, the Cloud City disciples, looking at the evil clouds ahead, felt their hearts gradually grow heavy. The other party had no intention of killing them for the moment, was it to lure True Monarch Luo here? With the True Monarch’s cultivation, how could Golden Core cultivators dare to challenge her? Could there be a great expert from the Corridor of Sins hidden in the evil clouds? Had they fallen into a trap?
“Master will come,” Yun Dan was still playing the role of ‘Senior Sister,’ comforting her dejected fellow disciples. She narrowed her eyes and saw a hint of struggle on the faces of her ‘fellow disciples.’ After all, in desperation, everyone wanted to try and grasp that lifeline. If they could survive, who would want to die?
“You are quite confident,” the evil cultivator squinted at Yun Dan playfully, then laughed, “Is it because of that face that resembles the Cloud Sovereign? But the Cloud Sovereign is a genius of the Immortal Sect, and you—” The evil cultivator made no attempt to break through the True Artifact’s defenses. He appraised Yun Dan from head to toe with his disgusting, sticky gaze, finally saying with contempt, “What kind of trash!”
Yun Dan’s eyelids twitched, and she wished she could slap the evil cultivator’s face.
She had painstakingly tried to imitate the Cloud Sovereign, but in every aspect, she fell short, filling her with a sense of inexplicable shame. Realizing that her fellow disciples’ gazes were also on her, she took a deep breath, flicked her sleeve, brought out a magic sword, and slashed at the evil cultivator in front of her. She cultivated the “One Qi Orthodox Sutra,” and “One Qi Sword” was the move she had cultivated for the longest time. She followed exactly what the Cloud Sovereign had done in the past, swinging her sword ten thousand times every morning, so it was somewhat presentable. How could a Golden Core evil cultivator anticipate such a move from a cultivator at the Mortal Transformation stage? He laughed even more brazenly. Yet, with this single sword strike, a faint red mark was left on the evil cultivator’s face.
The evil cultivator was enraged. He urged his magic artifact and immediately charged towards the Cloud City disciples in front of him. As for the other evil cultivators, they turned a blind eye. It didn’t matter if a few died later; it was all the same. Yun Dan saw that the other party was enraged and secretly thought, “That’s not good.” She shouted towards the Cloud City disciples, “Gather towards me!” Saying this, she urged her spiritual energy to control the Plain Dust Veil. But how much spiritual energy could a ‘Mortal Transformation stage’ cultivator like her have to activate the Plain Dust Veil? She could only rely on the True Spirit within the magic artifact to resist.
“It’s a True Artifact? That person is quite generous.” The evil cultivator’s eyes burned with desire as he looked ahead. His magic artifact could not break through that river of stars. But he wasn’t in a hurry. What was the power of a True Artifact that was not controlled by anyone and relied solely on its True Spirit? He walked towards the person beside him, gave a knowing glance, and they both shouted and slammed their palms forward! With each strike, the river of stars eroded a bit more. The Plain Dust Veil shook violently, its flickering points of light dazzling. The Cloud City disciples, seeing the Plain Dust Veil on the verge of collapse, gritted their teeth and urged their magic swords, some even stepping forward recklessly.
The evil cultivator saw the Cloud City disciples causing such a commotion and a sinister smile appeared on his face. He pointed towards that disciple, and a magic shuttle pecked at the disciple’s brow, instantly extracting his primal soul and sucking it in with an open mouth.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Even Wei Yunshu, who had been observing the situation, couldn’t react in time. Although the Plain Dust Veil was shaking violently, it could at least hold on for fifteen minutes! Who knew that disciple would foolishly step out? Sighing inwardly, Wei Yunshu’s eyes glowed with divine light. She flicked her finger towards the Plain Dust Veil’s True Spirit from afar. This artifact was personally refined by her, so she was naturally very familiar with it. However, she thought it would take some effort to control it, but now it seemed Luo Lingfeng had never refined it, and the traces of her refining process were still there. Wei Yunshu was a bit confused, but after a moment, she put away her thoughts.
The Plain Dust Veil sensed that wisp of aura and trembled abruptly. The flickering starlight instantly solidified. When the evil cultivator’s attack came, the vital energy could change in countless ways, wearing down the evil energy with profound techniques, instead of simply enduring it.
The evil cultivator saw the dazed Plain Dust Veil suddenly become agile, like a jade dragon covered in starlight swimming. They immediately realized that someone was controlling this artifact! Could it be that Mortal Transformation stage disciple? No, that was impossible! He scanned the surroundings with his divine sense but couldn’t find the other party’s trace. After pondering for a moment, he took out a small gourd, blew on it lightly, and instantly, a swarm of bloody flies the size of fingernails buzzed and flew in all directions.
At this moment, Yun Dan was also sweating profusely. After obtaining the Plain Dust Veil, she found that Luo Lingfeng had not left her mark on it; it was a pure True Artifact. At that time, she was overjoyed and thought she could claim it as her own. But no matter how she refined it, she couldn’t break through that layer of restriction and could only refine it crudely for easier control. She thought it was just due to her insufficient cultivation. Now that the Plain Dust Veil was inexplicably out of her control, she could sense that the faint connection with the True Artifact was broken. Although the other party controlled the Plain Dust Veil, they did not take it away, but instead let it protect the Cloud City disciples. It seemed to be a senior from the Immortal Sect. But who could it be? Had Master already come here?
A hundred miles away.
Luo Lingfeng received the message from the evil cultivator and couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh.
Did she not know it was their “trap”? Those disciples were originally sent out by noble families. Those with true ambition had already gone to the Northern Continent. She didn’t care about the lives and deaths of those disciples, but since the other party had used such a foolish method, why shouldn’t she go and see? She snapped her fingers together, and the bat transformed into dust, scattered by the wind. Luo Lingfeng stood with her hands behind her back, gazing at the sky. It was still gloomy and bleak, but there was no trace of thunder anywhere.
Was it Wei Yunshu? Was she still alive? If so, then during these three years… had she been hiding? Was she also like those people, wasn’t she?
A smile played on Luo Lingfeng’s lips. Her eyes darkened, as if brewing a fierce storm.