After I Died My Dao Companion Drowns in Endless Regret Chapter 72

Golden chains made a dull clanging sound as Luo Lingfeng pulled at them. The golden light seemed to burn her wounded palm like flames, and it traveled up her wrist and elbow. Luo Lingfeng was smiling, her intentions no longer concealed. As she approached Wei Yunshu, she flicked the golden chains again, and a wave of golden light rippled outwards, the ringing sound growing more resonant.
Wei Yunshu lowered her gaze, her emotions like a receding tide, exceptionally low. The bright, radiant light in her beautiful eyes was gone, replaced by a hint of darkness. The “meeting each other every year” she had once longed for was about to unfold in a ridiculous manner; how could she be happy? Her right hand suddenly loosened, and the golden chains advanced further. But the next moment, they were swept by a flash of sword light, breaking into several pieces and falling to the ground. Wei Yunshu held her sword in her right hand, the trickling blood dyeing the sword hilt red. Spiritual energy dispersed, and her cheeks were deathly pale.
“You were injured in Youluo Mountain, you’re no match for me.” Luo Lingfeng’s gaze fell upon the “Taiyi Sword” in Wei Yunshu’s hand. She gave a short laugh, as if in mockery. Wei Yunshu didn’t move, nor did Luo Lingfeng advance further. Her gaze rested on Wei Yunshu, like a ball of red fire, intending to burn her to ashes.
Wei Yunshu coldly raised her eyes and looked at Luo Lingfeng. “This is the border of the Northern Continent, the Great Wall!”
“I know,” Luo Lingfeng replied with a smile. Before Wei Yunshu could respond, she continued, “There are many disciples from Buzhou Peak here, but if you think they’ll come to save you, you’re dreaming.” She flicked her finger, conjuring the Tide-Calming Bead, and smoothed her clothes. “No one will discover it.”
“You did this?” Wei Yunshu’s question was abrupt.
But Luo Lingfeng understood and replied “Yes” in a light tone. Her gaze glanced at Wei Yunshu’s hand; the pale back of her hand had taut, pale blue veins. At this moment, Wei Yunshu was far from the calm she projected. The night wind blew, carrying a hint of chill. Luo Lingfeng slowly raised her head, fixing her gaze on Wei Yunshu, who had been silent for a long time. She smiled and said, “When ambushing Youluo Mountain outside Dustless Sea, I went to Dustless Sea and joined forces with Phoenix Lord to kill Qilin Lord and Canal Lord. On my way back, I encountered Yue Qingtan and Su Lancheng, who wanted to kill me.”
“I am petty and always seek revenge.” Her tone was calm, without any fluctuation or change, as if she were casually mentioning something trivial. “They were determined to die, so I could only fulfill their wish.” This sentence struck like thunder, the calm tone laced with surging undercurrents, swift and powerful, almost shattering everything!
Wei Yunshu’s eyelids twitched fiercely. The hatred and malevolence hidden beneath her composure were too intense, like thorns in her back. She managed to utter only a “You,” and a slightly cool finger pressed against her lips. Wei Yunshu was stunned, then violently retreated, widening the distance between them. She raised her left hand and wiped her lips, as if trying to erase the peculiar sensation from her body and heart.
Luo Lingfeng looked deeply at Wei Yunshu, her eyes dark, her face devoid of any expression. She said softly, “Although you wish to manage the affairs of the Immortal Sect, your cultivation is limited, and there are things you cannot perceive. Now, there are not many Cavern Heavens remaining in the Four Great Immortal Sects. In Cloud City, there are Yan Danwo, Yun Yong, and Su Lanyin, but you know their natures; perhaps only Yan Danwo is likely to stand with Buzhou. As for the Luoshui Divine Palace—” Luo Lingfeng scoffed, and after a few breaths, added, “They are the most opportunistic. With the five Primordial Demons encroaching outside the Great Wall and envoys from the Shang Qing Divine Realm arriving, there are too many variables in the Fu Li Immortal Realm. You no longer have time to wait for Shi Wufang to cultivate to the Cavern Heaven realm and forge a puppet body that can contain all your cultivation.”
“Indeed, you can borrow Buzhou’s strength to find other artifact refiners. Perhaps in the Earth Fire Heavenly Furnace, you can barely achieve your goal. However, I will not let you succeed. You find one, and I will kill one.”
Her obsession was too deep; good and evil, right and wrong, all had to yield to her “obsession.”
Wei Yunshu’s heart turned cold, and she felt as if she were in an ice cave. She met those deep eyes, and her flesh-and-blood heart felt pierced by thousands of arrows. The hand holding the Taiyi Sword trembled. She didn’t doubt Luo Lingfeng’s words for a moment. The dark clouds in the sky had dispersed at some unknown time, and the hidden moonlight finally emerged, casting a cold glow.
What was all this?
What about after achieving the Cavern Heaven realm?
She still couldn’t obtain what she sought.
And could Luo Lingfeng, who wanted to resolve her obsession, truly have her wish?
Wei Yunshu said, “You are threatening me.”
Luo Lingfeng nodded and frankly admitted, “Yes.” The cold moonlight fell on her jade-like fair cheeks, making the chill even more pronounced. Wei Yunshu looked at her expression and felt a bit dizzy. Luo Lingfeng had had several opportunities to forcibly take her back to Cloud City but had ultimately given up. This time, however, there was no trace of leniency on her face. Wei Yunshu’s gaze shifted to the Tide-Calming Bead. She had to admit that in her current state, she couldn’t wait for the Buzhou disciples to arrive. Even if the Buzhou disciples did arrive, what chance would they have against the maddened Luo Lingfeng?
She and Luo Lingfeng had spent many nights appreciating the moon together. Most of the time, Luo Lingfeng was silent, with only the clear sound of the zither, sometimes like the wind in the pines, sometimes like a rushing stream. Even without much response, she was always happy. She didn’t understand sorrow or joy, so she didn’t care about the waxing and waning of the moon.
But today, she realized that the moon, as clear as water, could also be so cold.
The Taiyi Sword turned into a streak of light and vanished. The small pool of blood on the ground was shocking.
Luo Lingfeng looked at Wei Yunshu, who no longer resisted, but her mood was still not entirely joyful. The long silence made the atmosphere as heavy as lead. She inexplicably felt that the person before her was not a person, but a puppet, an automaton, a corpse. She could speak and laugh with the disciples of Buzhou, so why was it that when facing her, it was always a deep melancholy, sorrow, or a stillness like dead water, a silence like a mountain? Why wasn’t there even hatred or resentment towards an enemy?
“Wei Yunshu.” Luo Lingfeng called out softly and laughed. She took a few steps forward, her left hand encircling Wei Yunshu’s waist. She raised her right hand, her fingertips tracing Wei Yunshu’s brows and eyes, finally resting on her tightly closed red lips, rubbing them again and again. Her gaze converged, but soon it became scattered. Her thoughts drifted away, and her hands mechanically repeated this meaningless action. Wei Yunshu didn’t respond; she was like a marionette, her expressionless face not even glancing at Luo Lingfeng.
“Why aren’t you speaking?” Luo Lingfeng asked, her tone laced with an inexplicable urgency and anxiety.
“And say what?” Wei Yunshu found it amusing. She met Luo Lingfeng’s storm-filled eyes and smiled coldly, mockingly. “Say that you will regret it? Say that once I become a Cavern Heaven, I’ll get revenge? Say that when I return to Cloud City, I’ll kill thousands of ungrateful people, including you?”
As Wei Yunshu’s voice rang out, Luo Lingfeng lowered her hand and retreated. In the midst of her sarcastic and stern words, it was Wei Yunshu’s turn to press forward, pushing Luo Lingfeng into a corner. The usual gentleness torn apart, Wei Yunshu finally revealed some of her authority.
Luo Lingfeng looked at Wei Yunshu and laughed heartily again. Her joys and sorrows in life were all hidden in her laughter. She knew she had a desire, but she couldn’t discern what it was. She raised her hand and tapped Wei Yunshu’s forehead. A tide of spiritual energy surged out from that point, like great waves crashing against the already riddled puppet body. A crisp sound rang out, and strands of light dispersed from Wei Yunshu’s body. The puppet body, crafted from many precious materials, finally shattered completely, turning into fragments that fell to the ground. In Luo Lingfeng’s eyes was Wei Yunshu’s true body, condensed and manifested by her own spiritual energy and essence—it was this way that Wei Yunshu had stood before her back then, but she hadn’t realized her true form.
“Let’s go home.” Luo Lingfeng said faintly, flicking her sleeve.
But those three words were quickly scattered by the wind.
In this vast world, where was home?
In Cloud City, a sea of clouds churned in the wind and waves.
The morning sunlight poured down, layer upon layer, like leaping golden scales.
Islands floated, with palaces of various colors scattered among them, exuding an ethereal and transcendent aura.
However, this aura was soon disturbed by a rolling tide of spiritual energy. From the continuous tide of spiritual energy, a young man with a gloomy expression, wearing flowing robes, stepped out. He took a step downwards, and his graceful figure soon disappeared into the magnificent palaces.
In Cloud City, carriages and horses came and went, and youths in fine clothes gathered in twos and threes. They were accustomed to pleasure, living in drunken stupor and aimless days. But recently, even they had sensed something unusual, as if a storm was brewing.
“The last time it was this terrifying was when some elders colluded with evil cultivators and were executed,” said one young man, recalling the past and patting his chest, showing a fearful expression.
“Hey, have you noticed that some of the Yue family’s regular visitors have disappeared recently? It’s like they’re confined to their homes,” said a louche Wu family disciple. Although his clan constantly reminded the disciples that there were no longer any Cavern Heavens overseeing things and they should act with restraint and caution in the future, old habits die hard. Moreover, as a scion of a noble family, if he didn’t associate with those families, it would be difficult for him to integrate in the future.
“I heard something,” said a fair-skinned, rosy-cheeked young man. He mysteriously beckoned his companions, looked around cautiously, and then whispered, “That person from the Yue family, Yue Yao True Monarch, has fallen.”
“What?!” The youths exclaimed in an uproar, then covered their mouths, staring at the young man with wide eyes. After a long while, the Wu family disciple nudged the young man and asked, “How do you know?”
The young man gave a mysterious smile and said softly, “Of course, I heard it from the mouth of that person’s favored guest.” At this, the others understood and exchanged meaningful glances. That person was Yue Yao True Monarch of the Yue family. Her affair with Yan Danwo had been quite unpleasant.
“I think True Monarch Yan did a good job,” someone mumbled. Seeing everyone’s attention on him, the speaker cleared his throat and said, “Don’t you all find Cloud City too boring? Don’t you want to go out and see? It was our clan’s turn to guard the Northern Continent border last time, and I wanted to go, but my father said that given our background, it was inappropriate for us to go there personally. Unfortunately, I had to drag some people from the lower sects to replace us.”
“What’s so fun about the Northern Continent border?” one young man scoffed dismissively.
“If it weren’t fun, why would they hold the Sword Fighting Assembly there? I wonder what the results are. I’d like to participate too. It’s a shame my arms and legs are so thin; I’d just get beaten up if I went.”
With a “clatter,” the young man who brought the secret lightly tapped the table with his fan. When his companions in the private room turned their attention to him, he pretended to say, “I have another secret. Do you want to hear it?”
“Chu San, hurry up and tell us, stop playing games. If you keep this up, we’ll beat you.”
“Exactly!”
The young man grinned and took a big gulp of wine. He placed one foot on a low stool, wiped his lips, and said, “Cloud Sovereign is in the Northern Continent!”
“You know that too?” the Wu family disciple’s eyes widened. “Didn’t she die? It might just be someone who looks similar.”
“If the real Cloud Sovereign hadn’t returned, why would those fakes in Cloud City have been dismissed?” the young man said, stroking his fan, convinced of the news.
Those young men had no interest in the true or false Cloud Sovereign. Upon hearing the young man’s words, they suddenly realized that it had indeed been some time since they had seen people who resembled Cloud Sovereign appear.
The young man incited them again, “Shall we go to the Northern Continent to take a look?” Although they were all scions of noble families, they either lacked talent or their branches were not highly regarded. In the eyes of commoners and ordinary people, their lives were luxurious, but compared to the meticulously cultivated core disciples in their families, they were all useless, aimless drunks. Once their wealth was sufficient, they were rarely concerned about their lives or deaths.
“I’ve never left Cloud City in my life.”
“What if we encounter danger?”
“Actually, it’s not bad to go elsewhere instead of going to the Northern Continent.”
The young man coughed, drawing everyone’s attention. He grinned and said, “No matter what you think, I’m going out to play. I’ve already found a disciple from the Chongxu Sect who will guide me. We’ll set off in three days. If you want to come, wait for me here.”
“But if the Yue family really had an accident—”
Before the person could finish speaking, the young man flicked his fingers and tapped his head, saying with disappointment, “You’re an idiot. That’s precisely why we should leave. Several years ago, during that upheaval, weren’t many people killed? I don’t believe everyone was involved with evil cultivators. It was collateral damage, meant to weed them out completely. Therefore, having learned our lesson, we should leave far away before anything happens. I don’t want to enjoy the benefits and then be made a scapegoat for an accident.”
At these words, the youths suddenly saw the light and threw themselves with greater enthusiasm into leaving Cloud City for an outing, even wanting to call their friends and bring a large group with them.
Yun Yong, who had returned to Cloud City, had no leisure to concern himself with those untalented disciples. He first went to the Yue family and then to the Su family, confirming the vexing matter of the two individuals being utterly annihilated.
Su Lanyin said with a somber face, “Two Cavern Heavens fell in Dustless Sea. We suspect it was Luo Lingfeng’s doing. To kill two Cavern Heavens alone, she must have been injured. Therefore, Lancheng and fellow Daoist Yue decided to intercept and kill her. As our Dao artifact have been under her control for a long time, our clan disciples have lived less peacefully than when Cloud Sovereign was around. Furthermore, there is an irreconcilable deep hatred… so we are unwilling to give up this readily available opportunity.”
“As a result, both fellow Daoists perished.” Yun Yong exclaimed regretfully, “You are truly muddled!”
Su Lanyin frowned and said, “It wasn’t that they intended to fight from the beginning. They said they would test her first. As of now, it’s not clear who made the move, and we cannot trace the true culprit through spiritual energy.”
Yun Yong sighed heavily, hands behind his back. “In Dustless Sea, Phoenix Lord betrayed the demon race and joined forces with Luo Lingfeng to kill two demon race Cavern Heavens. You thought she was alone, but she actually had two Cavern Heavens and countless elite soldiers and fierce generals from Phoenix Mountain! That was clearly a ‘luring the tiger into the mountains’ trap; this is seeking one’s own doom!” Like Su Lanyin, he wished Luo Lingfeng would die soon, but it was not so easy to fulfill.
Su Lanyin’s expression changed drastically. “When did she collude with the demon race of Dustless Sea?”
Yun Yong frowned. “Who knows? Just like when she cultivated to the Cavern Heaven realm, we knew nothing.” Not only was he greatly surprised, but even Dragon Lord, who was also of the demon race, was full of surprise and indignation. The cultivators on Phoenix Mountain had always been reclusive and practiced cultivation.
“What do we do next? We don’t know if she’s in Dustless Sea or somewhere else. Should we still avenge this?” Su Lanyin asked several questions in a row, his face solemn, his eyes filled with bone-deep hatred. This hatred deepened with each passing day.
“First, listen to what happened in the Northern Continent.” Yun Yong said with a cold face, relaying the matters of the Northern Continent, the Primordial Demons, and the Shang Qing Divine Realm to Su Lanyin word for word.
Su Lanyin suddenly stood up and paced back and forth, muttering, “The secret of ascension? The reason we haven’t ascended to the Immortal Path in three thousand years is that the Immortal Realm is a ruined land? Now they want the Immortal Realm to return?”
“Yes,” Yun Yong nodded heavily. “Dragon Lord said that the immortal guests from the Shang Qing Divine Realm also hold invitation talismans that can directly send us to the Shang Qing Divine Realm. However, because the Divine Lords of the Shang Qing Divine Realm have deep entanglements with the five powers in the Northern Continent, Buzhou still insists that it is demonic and crooked, guarding the Great Wall and refusing to retreat an inch.”
“If only the inviting immortal from the Shang Qing Divine Realm had nothing to do with those five in the Northern Continent,” Su Lancheng sighed, echoing Yun Yong’s thoughts. If the inviter had nothing to do with the demons, they wouldn’t have to think and could make a choice. But now the situation had become complicated, and no matter what they did seemed wrong. Patting his head, Su Lanyin said, “Then they won’t take out the Daoist scriptures from Buzhou, will they?”
“Naturally.” Yun Yong nodded. “Dustless Sea set up ambushes outside Youluo Mountain, and the rogue cultivators have made their choices, and the facade has been torn down. However, fortunately, Buzhou had a slight advantage this time; otherwise, the Great Wall would have fallen into the hands of the cultivators from Dustless Sea.”
“Is it the Yan family that’s guarding there now?” Su Lanyin concealed a hint of disdain in his eyes, his face grim and unhappy. “She won’t listen to our orders. Let’s wait and see. There’s no need to make a decision so quickly. If Cloud Sovereign hadn’t died, she would have returned to Cloud City sooner or later, right? Perhaps we can leverage this matter to gain some advantage from her. Tell me, when she returns, will she fight with Luo Lingfeng?”
“Unwavering love for each other” was the aspiration of ordinary mortals for love, forcibly applied to Wei Yunshu and Luo Lingfeng. At first, they also felt that these two were in perfect harmony, a loving couple. But when Luo Lingfeng joined their plan, they knew that their so-called “love” was a pretense, and this goddess from Luoshui Divine Palace was ambitious.
Yun Yong inexplicably thought of a conversation he had with Luo Lingfeng after leaving Buzhou. He didn’t know what Luo Lingfeng was plotting. After a long while, he said, “Who knows?” He turned to look at Su Lanyin. Although he knew that the latter was much more level-headed than the deceased Su Lancheng, he was afraid that he would be blinded by momentary hatred, so he cautioned him, “Do not act rashly at this time.”
Su Lanyin nodded, but his eyebrows still carried a trace of unwillingness.
The massacre of the past could be forgotten, but would this time also be forgotten just like that? Luo Lingfeng would probably mock them further.
Yun Yong looked at Su Lanyin’s expression and said, “Then do you want to perish with her?”
Su Lanyin deflated and complained, “How did she learn the sacrificial refining method? And she succeeded right under everyone’s noses. If Cloud Sovereign taught her, that would be a betrayal of her master!”
Yun Yong was silent for a long time, then said, “It’s useless to pursue this matter now.” They had underestimated Luo Lingfeng in the past. Even when she joined the plan, they only treated her as “bait.” After all, what was there to care about a delicate flower used to adorn the Cloud Sovereign? Yet, this flower turned out to be a man-eating poisonous flower.
Meanwhile, Luo Lingfeng had returned to Yulan Hall after killing Su Lancheng and Yue Qingtan but had not yet received any backlash from the major aristocratic families. Upon reflection, she guessed their intentions. These large aristocratic families were always skilled at painting a picture of peace. Luo Lingfeng smiled coldly, her eyes filled with a dark light. She leaned back in her chair, tapping the armrest idly, as if remembering something, and a relieved smile appeared on her face. She got up, activated the restriction in the hall, and after a few breaths, her figure disappeared from the hall and reappeared in a forbidden area that resembled a snow cave.
The pool was frozen, and frost and snow danced, appearing hazy and dreamlike under the light of the Moon Pearl.
Luo Lingfeng stepped onto the ice pool, her sleeves fluttering, like a cluster of burning black fire.
In recent years, she had visited this place many times, but except for the first day she sealed Wei Yunshu’s body in the ice coffin, she had never gone to the ice coffin to look at the person lying within, devoid of any life.
But this time was different from the past. As she approached the ice coffin, her body trembled inexplicably. Her gaze was fixed on the frozen body, her eyes filled with complex and fervent emotions. In the chilling cold, her pale cheeks turned rosy. She licked her moist red lips, as if seeing a power from this body that could liberate her, her eyes becoming extremely fanatical. Her fingers lightly rested on the ice coffin, and a stream of spiritual energy spread from her fingertips, burning the frost and ice like flames.
The ice gradually melted.
Luo Lingfeng’s fingers caressed Wei Yunshu’s eyes and brows, slid down her still delicate skin, and finally lingered on her cold lips. She leaned down, her face almost touching the faceless cheek, and said with a low laugh, “Love me? Then love me with Taiyi.”