After I Died My Dao Companion Drowns in Endless Regret Chapter 44

The sharp tip of the blade pierced the skin, gouging out large pieces of flesh along the twelve points where the golden needles were inserted.
The sacred heart was a gift from the Heavenly Dao, and Physician Wu dared not be careless. His knife work could only be done with extreme caution.
The intense pain drove Luo Lingfeng to madness, making her wish she could faint immediately. However, the medicine she had previously drunk transformed into spiritual energy, constantly maintaining her clarity of mind.
Physician Wu spoke slowly, “True Monarch Luo, if the sacred heart is removed, in the initial stages, her fresh blood will still be needed for nourishment.”
Luo Hengjun responded absentmindedly. He stood with his hands behind his back in the pavilion, the candlelight illuminating him and casting large shadows.
Luo Lingfeng, overhearing their conversation, was trembling. Cold sweat covered her forehead, and the boundless pain accumulating within her had no outlet. She suddenly looked up at Luo Hengjun, her eyes deep and dark, like a sharp blade. Luo Hengjun met her gaze and couldn’t help but smile slowly. He asked casually, “Why aren’t you crying at all?” After a pause, he added, “Do you hate me? Then hate me.”
This was a prolonged torment. Luo Lingfeng was confined to the pavilion for nearly ten days. Physician Wu was a master of “heart refining.” After extracting the sacred heart, he placed his own refined heart into Luo Lingfeng, filling the void in her body. He smiled at Luo Lingfeng, his twisted and proud secret pleasure satisfied. After appreciating for a moment, he turned to Luo Hengjun and said, “True Monarch Luo, you can seal her memories now.”
Luo Hengjun smilingly agreed. Simple memory sealing techniques were a piece of cake for a cultivator of the Cavern Heaven realm.
Her thoughts drifted, as if being erased unintentionally. Those faint years flowed away like water between her fingers; she grasped forcefully but held nothing.
The ethereal singing rose again, and Wei Yunshu’s consciousness was suddenly jolted awake from her slumber. She often recalled that period of time, but separated by a hundred years, many things had become blurred. And this experience with the Illusionary God Incense had repeatedly imprinted those times. But why were the events in Luoshui Divine Palace appearing in her inner demon realm? That was not something she had experienced; where did she learn of it? The sacred heart? Was it Luo Lingfeng’s heart? Did the pain of having her heart gouged out actually happen in Luoshui Divine Palace? Why had she never known that Luo Lingfeng had endured such torment? The more she thought, the more muddled her thoughts became, and that sharp pain washed over her like a rising tide.
When she opened her eyes again, it was a rainy day in August, a ditch filled with the stench of decay, and her young, half-frozen body awaiting death amidst piercing pain. Wei Yunshu once again returned to the past. This time, she no longer struggled, but lay on the ground, savoring the events she had experienced in the secret realm. If Luo Lingfeng had never met her, if she hadn’t needed to take care of her, she wouldn’t have been abandoned by the people of Luoshui Divine Palace.
“Auntie, there’s someone here!” But a clear and lively voice still reached Wei Yunshu’s ears.
“She’s not long for this world; no need to save her.” Wen Danhua’s tone was very indifferent.
“No, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. I want to go and see!”
“Lingfeng, it’s very dirty there, don’t go.” Wen Danhua’s voice paused for a moment, then finally said helplessly, “Oh, fine.”
Wei Yunshu was still rescued and taken to the clinic. She tried to clear her consciousness, but her body couldn’t resist the overwhelming drowsiness. When she woke up again, Wen Danhua was gone, leaving only the jade-carved Luo Lingfeng propped on the bedside, her innocent eyes filled with curiosity.
At this time, Luo Lingfeng had not yet experienced half a year of wandering. Her face was a bit round, not as thin as later. There was no sign of anything unusual about her. No one could have guessed that she possessed the sacred heart and was a natural cultivation seed… If she hadn’t met her, perhaps there would have been no such suffering. Wei Yunshu thought hazily. She didn’t want things to proceed according to the original trajectory. After being thrown out of the clinic by the doctor the next morning, she coldly refused Luo Lingfeng and turned to leave. But at this moment, Wen Danhua was already missing. What would the little Luo Lingfeng do? How would she get home? Wei Yunshu couldn’t possibly abandon her savior. She limped back to the outside of the clinic and saw Luo Lingfeng standing in the middle of the street, her eyelashes adorned with crystal tears.
“Don’t cry.” Wei Yunshu’s heart ached as if cut by a knife. She raised her hand to wipe away Luo Lingfeng’s tears, only able to whisper those two words.
She was wholeheartedly focused on avoiding the original events, avoiding the fierce beggars, avoiding the wicked people with covetous eyes… But what could she change alone? After going in circles, she still ended up in that situation. The only difference was that she didn’t get sick and faint on a rainy night. She followed Luo Lingfeng into a dark alley, pushed by people who smiled wickedly and disgustingly, and saw Luo Lingfeng kill someone with a knife. They no longer took in other small beggars, but they still couldn’t escape the evil cultivators. The important matters remained unchanged; Luo Lingfeng was still taken home by Luo Hengjun. Then his “eyes” fell on Luo Lingfeng, and she saw her once again endure the pain of having her heart gouged out.
Floating and sinking in the inner demon realm, Wei Yunshu finally stopped hiding. She realized that what had happened in the past could not be changed; she had no other choice but to accept it.
When she learned that there was Illusionary God Incense in this secret realm, she thought she would return to the day she was surrounded and killed by Luo Lingfeng and the cultivators of Cloud City. She hadn’t expected that she was actually trapped in the year she was eight years old.
Her deepest desire was to follow Luo Lingfeng, so there would be no separation.
She returned to Cloud City with her master. Although she went through hardships, life was, to say the least, enjoyable. After Luo Lingfeng returned home, she had to endure such pain. If they had remained beggars, even if their lifespans were less than a hundred years, wouldn’t they have had freedom? She could never have imagined Luo Lingfeng suffering such torment. Was this the source of all her hatred? She once thought Luo Lingfeng’s hatred stemmed from Luo Hengjun’s control, but how could that control compare to the pain of having her heart gouged out? How did she endure those years?
By the time she reached Cloud City, her heart was filled only with hatred; no one could enter her heart. Wei Yunshu felt an endless sense of desolation and sorrow. They parted ways at the age of eight, heading down different paths, but she still hoped to return to the past. Now that she knew everything, what could she do? What great mistake had she made? For fifty years, she couldn’t break through Luo Lingfeng’s frozen heart, pushing herself to a dead end. Could she do it now? Did Luo Lingfeng still remember these things? Were they also the source of Luo Lingfeng’s pain? What could she do if she knew? A battered trapped beast, upon escaping its cage, even with great attachment, reluctance, or unwillingness, would not want to return.
Upon returning to the past once more, Wei Yunshu no longer tried to change anything. She was rescued by Luo Lingfeng; she wandered with Luo Lingfeng; she fell into a feverish coma on a stormy night; she watched Luo Lingfeng slash her cheek with a knife; they encountered an evil cultivator, and finally, the disciples of Luoshui Divine Palace arrived belatedly. Luo Lingfeng was taken away by her father, while she lay in the clinic like a puddle of mud, waiting for Yun Qingzi, who would appear soon after.
However, this time, things changed. The person who appeared was not Yun Qingzi, but True Monarch Yuan Ying from Buzhou Peak.
She became a disciple of Buzhou. She didn’t have to think about the “difference between heaven and mud” or strive to balance the five clans of Cloud City. She only needed to dedicate her heart to the way of the sword; the sect was her strongest backing. She finally became the dashing sword immortal in Luo Lingfeng’s storybooks, a sword in hand, cutting down injustice, free to roam the world.
Later, during an experience in Sunset Burial Mounds, she met Luo Lingfeng again. At that time, the person in charge of Luoshui Divine Palace was Luo Lingfeng’s mother, Wen Dantong. As for Luo Hengjun, he had perished while attempting a breakthrough. Luo Lingfeng was the Young Palace Master of Luoshui Divine Palace, and if nothing unexpected happened, she would inherit her mother’s position in the future. They remembered the events of those years. They spoke of the joy of their reunion, then fought evil cultivators side-by-side in Sunset Burial Mounds. The gap created by a century of time slowly dissolved, and they became even closer than before. Subsequently, the marriage alliance between Buzhou and Luoshui Divine Palace was a natural progression.
She walked a long road and was able to reunite with an old acquaintance and fall in love with her.
A vibrant sect, a beloved Dao companion, and a seemingly distant but already extended path to the Dao… This was the best future Wei Yunshu had imagined.
But in the end, it was all a dream.
If she were trapped in this, she would only turn into nourishment for the Illusionary God Incense.
The illusion was convoluted, wanting to trap her in memories, to imprison her in fate, and finally give her a “light at the end of the tunnel” ending.
But how could she be lost in this place? Wei Yunshu sighed deeply, recalling the faint, ethereal singing.
The mortal realm’s illusions are all for refining medicine; my undying heart is that of an immortal.
With a crisp cracking sound, some invisible restraint quietly shattered. Wei Yunshu, holding her whisk, stood tall. Before her lay an endless sea of flowers. However, the mist that shrouded the sea of flowers had dispersed, and looking up, she saw towering verdant mountain peaks. They were no longer illusions but the real scenery within the secret realm.
Wei Yunshu lowered her eyelashes, hiding her past thoughts in a corner. With a flick of her whisk, she flew straight towards the depths of the secret realm.
Outside the secret realm.
The trapping formation set by the disciples of Buzhou was finally broken by a cultivator skilled in formations. Three days had passed since the disciples of Buzhou entered. Seeing the vortex entrance to the secret realm close at hand, the cultivators who had gathered nearby swarmed forward. Suddenly, a high-pitched bird cry sounded, and five-colored light flickered in the sky. It was a phoenix bird pulling a golden carriage. The cultivators who had not yet squeezed into the secret realm fell silent, hesitated for a moment, then took a few steps back, clearing a path.
From the golden carriage descended a figure of grace and nobility, her gaze as clear as water, her robes embroidered with flowing clouds. Not far behind her, the disciples of aristocratic families from Cloud City descended from their flying boats one after another. These people were usually arrogant and overbearing, but now, following behind the female cultivator, they were all silent, not even daring to breathe loudly.
“Hiss, who is that person?” By the time the contingent from Cloud City entered the secret realm, a rogue cultivator finally asked in a low voice.
“Of course, it’s that Madam from Cloud City! You don’t even know that?” The person who answered cast a contemptuous glance at the questioner.
“But I heard that she had already perished while sealing the Chaos Tree in Sunset Burial Mounds,” the person added.
The usual Sunset Burial Mounds was a battlefield, but now… countless blood thorns clung to the Chaos Tree, constantly extending outwards. The place that was once rampant with demons was now firmly occupied by blood thorns. The disciples of Luoshui Divine Palace stationed there no longer had to deal with evil cultivators but went to clear the extending blood thorns every few days. As for them, the rogue cultivators who originally sought cultivation resources in Sunset Burial Mounds, they now lacked a way to earn their cultivation sustenance. They either had to join a sect or head to The Northern Continent themselves. The person asking the question was preparing to seek some benefits in the secret realm to fully prepare for their journey to the Corridor of Sins in The Northern Continent.
“That was just a nascent soul avatar, the same as the one seen just now.”
“Cultivators consume spiritual energy when they move. Which Cavern Heaven True Monarch doesn’t want to ascend? If she releases her avatar like this, she must be losing quite a bit of vital energy, right?” The inquiring cultivator furrowed his brow. As far as he knew, Cavern Heaven True Monarchs were all cultivating and meditating in their caves; who would move around like the one from Cloud City?
A rogue cultivator answered meaningfully, “Who knows? In any case, it has nothing to do with us.”
“How can it have nothing to do with us?!” someone who had been eavesdropping exclaimed, “She’s a Cavern Heaven True Monarch! Can we contend with her nascent soul avatar? If she wants the benefits in the secret realm, can we snatch them from her?”
“If it were someone else, we might worry for a while, but for this one… Everyone, rest assured. Unless it’s something related to the Cloud Sovereign, she won’t care about anything else, nor will she compete with us for it.” The speaker paused for a moment, then chuckled, concluding with one sentence, “Don’t block the path here, hurry up and go in.”
A new secret realm represented both opportunity and danger. No one, no matter who they were, wanted to miss out.
After the carriages from Cloud City entered the secret realm, followed by the demon cultivators from Dustless Sea, and finally, the cultivators from the three families of Luoshui Divine Palace. After dividing the leftover things from the Luo family, they also had to put in some effort to clear the remaining items. Back and forth, they became the last to arrive.
The person leading the group from the Wen family of Xiaohan Mountain was Wen Yutang. To her right and behind her stood Luo Yuankun. Luo Yuankun’s complexion was gloomy at this moment, with dark circles under his eyes. The Luoshui Divine Palace incident had clearly affected him. The usual Wen family disciples who used to surround him had all scattered, fully displaying their “snobbery.” It was only after persistent begging that he managed to get this opportunity. His gaze shifted, finally landing on Luo Yuanshu, who was following behind the Tang family’s team from Guangyuan Marsh. Seeing him humbly following Tang Changsheng, the direct descendant of the Tang family, Luo Yuankun couldn’t help but snort coldly, his eyes filled with disdain.
“This secret realm is newly appeared, and we don’t know what it’s like inside. It’s possible we’ll disperse once we enter. In any case, if the communication talismans are useful, let’s gather as soon as possible. If we can’t contact our fellow disciples—” Wen Yutang, who was earnestly instructing, paused for a moment, then said with a complex expression, “Then may fortune be with you.” The disciples responded with a “Yes” and followed Wen Yutang’s footsteps into the secret realm.
The Illusionary God Incense was like a vast, unrestrained sea. The higher one’s cultivation, the more powerful its inner demon tribulations would be. The people from Luoshui Divine Palace dispersed upon entering, each falling into their inner demon realms. They knew clearly that if they survived, they would gain benefits. However, for some reason, the illusion was inexplicably shattered. They only felt a bone-chilling cold, and their consciousness fell out of the illusion. Looking up now, the sea of flowers, exuding mysterious radiance, was all frozen in ice, reflecting brilliant and flowing light under the sunlight.
Luo Yuankun was also among those who were kicked out of the inner demon illusion. He was stunned for quite a while before coming back to his senses. Glancing around and not seeing the people from the Wen family, he breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had the opportunity to enter the secret realm thanks to the Wen family, he didn’t want to go with them. After the Luoshui Divine Palace incident, his uncle’s attitude towards him seemed unchanged, but that was only on the surface. Looking at the children from the Wen family, he knew what his current predicament was. Thinking of this, his expression became gloomy, his heart filled with resentment and humiliation. He had originally agreed to have him pushed to the position of Palace Master of Luoshui Divine Palace, but after his father was killed by them, everything was null and void. At first, he still thought about staying in Luoshui Divine Palace, but then Luo Lingfeng appeared… Thinking of this elder sister, Luo Yuankun shivered, filled with both fear and hatred.
This secret realm was rumored to be the ancient residence of an ancient immortal. If he obtained the inheritance, perhaps he could change his current situation. Luo Yuankun pondered this as he flew forward. Less than two miles away from the sea of flowers, he suddenly glimpsed a familiar figure. His steps abruptly stopped, and his eyes became guarded and vigilant.
“Second Brother, there’s no need to be nervous.” The person also noticed Luo Yuankun’s gaze, smiled, and spoke gently. His face bore a five- or six-tenths resemblance to Luo Yuankun’s, but his demeanor was warm, unlike Luo Yuankun, who wore all his bitterness and hatred on his face.
Luo Yuankun sneered. Their relationship as brothers was not good. When they were young and foolish, he and Luo Yuanshu had teamed up to bully Jiang Jiuxiao. There was some camaraderie then, but it had long since vanished in later disputes. Don’t be fooled by Luo Yuanshu’s gentle appearance; he was very dark-hearted and had often plotted against him. “Why aren’t you looking for people from Guangyuan Marsh and doing something here?” Luo Yuankun raised his voice in a reprimand.
Luo Yuanshu said, “Didn’t Second Brother also not look for the Wen family?” If he followed those people, it was uncertain who would benefit in the end. Seeing Luo Yuankun glaring at him fiercely, Luo Yuanshu raised his eyebrows and smiled again, “Does Second Brother know about Jiang Jiuxiao and the others?”
“Who doesn’t know?” Luo Yuankun replied irritably. Jiang Jiuxiao had led the former subordinates of Luoshui Divine Palace to the The Northern Continent defense line, and some of the elders were his people. But the elders were originally Luo family clan cultivators, and the Wen family refused to accept them, so he could only watch helplessly as his influence was taken over by Jiang Jiuxiao. He was furious, but when he mentioned it to his uncle, his uncle merely smiled faintly and offered no explanation.
Luo Yuanshu said again, “Before leaving, she went to see Elder Sister.”
Luo Yuankun frowned, “What do you mean?”
Luo Yuanshu smiled, “I guess Elder Sister showed her a path. If we hadn’t left Luoshui Divine Palace back then, we probably would have gone to The Northern Continent with Jiang Jiuxiao.”
Luo Yuankun flicked the dust off his robe and said with disgust, “The Northern Continent is full of demonic energy and dangers everywhere. I’m not willing to go.” He had run back to the Wen family in a hurry because he was afraid of being dealt with by Luo Lingfeng. Hearing Luo Yuanshu say this now, he felt even more fortunate for his foresight. Being sent to The Northern Continent was no different from being exiled to the frontier. How could he cultivate in the future?
Luo Yuanshu’s expression remained unchanged. “Fifty years from now, Jiang Jiuxiao will have her own subordinates, and what about us brothers? We’ll be serving tea and water for others in the Wen and Tang families.” He knew clearly that for the Tang family, he was an outsider. His mother had insisted on becoming a concubine to Luo Hengjun, shaming the family. Those who already looked down on him and his mother would only intensify their behavior now that they had lost Luo Hengjun’s support. He calmly looked at Luo Yuankun and said, “Does Second Brother not sense the change in the Wen family’s attitude?”
Luo Yuankun’s heart, having been touched by Luo Yuanshu’s words, became even more restless. He glared at Luo Yuanshu and exclaimed loudly, “What exactly are you trying to say?”
Luo Yuanshu raised his eyebrows and smiled, slowly saying, “After leaving the secret realm, Second Brother, come with me to The Northern Continent.” For the past few decades, although he seemed to be managing his own forces, the Tang family had interfered quite a bit. Most of those he considered his own people came from the Tang family. As for the few surnamed Luo, they had all been taken by Jiang Jiuxiao, so how could he be content?
“Are you crazy? From here to The Northern Continent, are you sure you can make it?” Luo Yuankun looked at Luo Yuanshu in shock and said with disgust, “You can go by yourself, but don’t drag me along. Even if Jiang Jiuxiao achieves something, she’s still surnamed Jiang. When she returns, won’t those forces be taken over by us brothers?” As his voice fell, Luo Yuankun’s heart gave a slight tremor. He stared at Luo Yuanshu, a murderous intent flashing in his eyes. This brother of his would contend with him in the future.
Luo Yuanshu’s expression was somewhat subtle. He gazed at Luo Yuankun and sighed, “Second Brother, aren’t these ideas taught to you by the Wen family?”
Luo Yuankun sneered, “It’s none of your business.” He weighed his and Luo Yuanshu’s cultivation levels and ultimately suppressed his killing intent. He forced a benevolent smile and said, “For the sake of brotherhood, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. If you really want to go to The Northern Continent—” Luo Yuankun’s face showed a hint of mockery, “—then I wish you success.”
Luo Yuanshu did not get angry. He clasped his hands behind his back and said, “Does Second Brother know how many people have reached the Golden Core and Nascent Soul realms in that dangerous place, The Northern Continent? Cloud City even has one who entered the Cavern Heaven realm there.”
“You’re not going to say that the Corridor of Sins has abundant spiritual energy and helps people improve their cultivation, are you?” Luo Yuankun acted as if he had heard a joke. “With your brain, even if you were placed in that position by the Tang family, you would only be a puppet, naive and utterly foolish!”
Luo Yuanshu: “…” Even with his good temper, hearing this counter-accusation from Luo Yuankun, he couldn’t help but curse “idiot” in his heart! As long as Luoshui Divine Palace still stood, their brothers naturally needed to contend, but now that they had reached this point, they should have joined forces to deal with outsiders long ago. Unfortunately, his second brother was completely brainless. Luo Yuanshu didn’t want to waste any more words with him and turned to leave. Luo Yuankun, however, sneered at his retreating back, a strange cold light flickering in his eyes.
Luo Yuanshu was not walking aimlessly; he flew along the icy edges emanating with a chilling aura. In the secret realm, there were many cultivators who were skilled in water techniques and could turn water into ice, but only one person could forcibly break the Illusionary God Incense and freeze the entire sea of flowers. Luo Yuanshu didn’t search for long. In less than two quarters of an hour, he stopped, looked up at the white-haired figure not far away.
His gaze lingered on that face, as if meticulously drawn, for a moment. Then he lowered his head and called out, “True Monarch Luo.”
Luo Lingfeng glanced coldly at Luo Yuanshu, her face expressionless, and said, “If you’re not looking for people from Guangyuan Marsh, why are you looking for me?”
Luo Yuanshu sensed a hint of impatience in Luo Lingfeng’s icy tone. He got straight to the point and revealed his thoughts, “The various True Monarchs of Guangyuan Marsh jointly killed Father, and they have an irreconcilable enmity with our Luoshui Divine Palace! I am currently trapped in Guangyuan Marsh, but I also want to find a way out. I am willing to go to The Northern Continent to share hardships with the former subordinates of Luoshui Divine Palace!” Luo Yuanshu’s words were forceful.
A smile slowly appeared on Luo Lingfeng’s frosty face. She tilted her head, appraising Luo Yuanshu, and said slowly, “You want to avenge Luo Hengjun?”
Luo Yuanshu didn’t have time to think about Luo Lingfeng addressing Luo Hengjun by his full name so directly. He nodded vigorously and said, “Yes!” Revenge or not was secondary, but he could only say it this way; it was the only connection between him and Luo Lingfeng.
Luo Lingfeng smiled and said, “Do you know that the three True Monarchs intend to let Luo Hengjun’s primordial spirit reincarnate? Do you know why his primordial spirit suddenly disappeared?”
Luo Yuanshu’s body trembled violently. He slowly looked up and saw the strange smile on Luo Lingfeng’s face. Suddenly, he had an epiphany, and his face turned pale with shock, “It… it was you?”