After I Died My Dao Companion Drowns in Endless Regret Chapter 77

Waves churned, whipping up a torrent of dark red blood and fire.
The booming hum of thunder echoed in Luo Lingfeng’s ears, each word striking her body like a heavy hammer, scattering the thick dust. Would she regret it? How could she possibly regret it?! As her hidden feelings were exposed, Luo Lingfeng’s first reaction was denial. She suddenly looked up, staring intently at Shi Wufang, seeing the pity in the other’s eyes, her smile growing colder.
The existences she hated were dying, the obstacles in her path disappearing. What was there to be sad about? What was there to be pitied? A strong wind blew, her long sleeves billowing. She held her sword in her right hand, her vision blurring for a moment, transforming into scattered skeletal remains, piled up and rotting before her.
Shi Wufang didn’t expect her few words to shake Luo Lingfeng. If advice worked, the person before her wouldn’t have become this way. But after that barrier was broken, Luo Lingfeng would likely reminisce often, unlikely to find the peace and liberation she desired. To have come this far was truly pitiful. Shi Wufang sighed silently. She simply held her sword, her surrounding sword light descending like starlight, devoid of any malevolence or sharpness.
“The Cloud Sovereign is absent, and Cloud City is in chaos. This still requires a True Monarch’s management,” Shi Wufang said softly. Her gaze flickered to the shattered floating islands, gazing at the broken remnants half-submerged in the boundless ocean. Cloud City had always valued noble families, a deep-seated corruption that had grown too strong to curb. Even after eliminating the immortal’s dwelling of the noble families, it wouldn’t be easy to sort everything out, for “a centipede dies but never stiffens.” Given time, someone would surely fill the void left by the noble families. Unfortunately, in this world, the “years” that cultivators disregarded had become incredibly important. She didn’t trust the disciples of Cloud City’s noble families, nor did she wish to give them more time to grow.
“Since she made a move against Yun Yong and Su Lanyin, she must have made up her mind,” Luo Lingfeng scoffed coldly. “I fear Yan Danwo will receive news and bring her disciples into the sect. It won’t be that easy for the Cloud City lineage to disappear completely.” How could she expect the great noble families to willingly give up the benefits they had already grasped? Only Wei Yunshu was that naive. Destruction precedes creation. When times were peaceful, they were unwilling to use such violent means, but when chaos erupted, wouldn’t they still have to act?
Shi Wufang smiled faintly.
The person before her was both lost and clear-headed.
But this pushed her “danger level” to the extreme.
She was heartless towards the Luoshui Divine Palace, indifferent to Cloud City, and ruthless to the Dustless Sea. Why should she treat other beings in the Fu Li Immortal Realm with special consideration? Even if she had no intention of stirring up trouble, her obsession and entanglement with the Cloud Sovereign would affect the situation. Seeing the vast water tides surging madly, Shi Wufang’s eyes narrowed slightly. Ten thousand sword energies surged skyward, then spun and descended in mid-air, leaving a brilliant ray of light. Like a line of cold light cutting through the river tide, the water light swung to both sides, instantly clearing a hundred miles. The water light and sword light were clearly separated.
The vital energy surged and swelled, the chilling and sinister aura rolling in. Shi Wufang, however, had no intention of prolonged battle. She transformed into a sword light, leaping to avoid the rolling waves, and bowed to Luo Lingfeng, saying, “I will seek your guidance again another day.” The sword light moved gracefully, and a clear light appeared in the sky and earth, cutting an opening through the blood-colored sky.
Luo Lingfeng coldly glanced in the direction Shi Wufang departed, making no move to pursue. The spiritual energy churning within her roared like an enraged dragon, threatening to break through her meridians. The blood had drained from her cheeks, and blood flowed from her mouth, nose, and eyes. Luo Lingfeng raised her hand to wipe it away, looking at the red marks on her palm, and burst into laughter.
What was there for her to not dare to admit? Regret? She had no idea how to write the word “regret” on her journey so far!
Her sleeves fluttered like spilled cinnabar. She turned her head and walked towards the ruins.
The Heavenly Sea Cloud Beast, which had been hiding quietly, descended like a cloud, landing silently. Only after Luo Lingfeng’s figure disappeared did it exhale a breath of relief and immediately rushed towards the Yun Hai Immortal Dwelling of the Yun family. If it had known how terrifying the aura of its opponent was, it would not have listened to Yun Yong and awakened from its slumber. Yun Huai, oh Yun Huai, may your descendants fend for themselves! The Heavenly Sea Cloud Beast muttered to itself, paying no mind to the stunned and terrified Yun family elders in the Yun family’s floating island, and vanished in a blink.
The elders of each family could not approach the place where the storm originated, but regarding the life and death of their family heads, they could enter the Ancestral Hall to find out. The trembling individuals who went there sat down in fear, and after a long while, the news was finally transmitted—their life tablets had shattered. Although they had guessed such an outcome when they saw the Cloud Sovereign leave, when that guess was truly confirmed, they were still overwhelmed by a crushing despair, almost suffocating. The great noble families had stood for thousands of years without falling precisely because of their Cavern Heaven True Monarchs. However, after the tribulation of the past, Cloud City’s Cavern Heavens had fallen one after another. They had once laughed at the Luoshui Divine Palace and the Dustless Sea, but they never expected retribution to come to them so quickly! Without the protection of Cavern Heaven True Monarchs, their respective families could still maintain a period of glory with their abilities, but what about afterward? What if someone like Yan Danwo achieved the Cavern Heaven realm? Would they have to give everything up? How could they be reconciled?
In Cloud City, the heads of the various large and small families gathered on the Yun family’s floating island, their faces filled with unease.
They had always followed the lead of the Yun, Yue, Su, Chu, and Wu families. But at this moment, the elders of the five families, whom they considered leaders, were also pale and shaken.
“How can people within the sect kill each other? Are they crazy?” said the patriarch of a small family. As soon as the words fell, he saw a few gazes turn his way and immediately shrank back, not daring to speak.
How could there be a shortage of infighting within a sect? It was just that they never brought it out into the open. For example, when they had ambushed the Cloud Sovereign, everyone refused to admit it, fabricating an excuse of “evil cultivators” to cover it up. But this time, everything was laid bare. It was precisely this point that made them most fearful. If they had covered up the peace, perhaps they could have found a sliver of hope. But to tear off the face directly meant they were no longer willing to keep anyone.
“Now, there are only two Cavern Heaven cultivators left in our Cloud City. The collapse and ruin of the sect is only a matter of time,” an elder of the Yue family stroked his beard and sighed. Luo Lingfeng, that madwoman, was an outsider, and the most Cavern Heaven cultivators died by her hand. She could only be the “great enemy.” As for Yan Danwo, after falling out with the Yue family, she wouldn’t show any favor to the noble families at all.
“But this matter is still that person’s fault. Since True Monarch Yan is one of Cloud City’s Cavern Heavens, would she just stand by and watch?” someone else asked.
“Do you expect True Monarch Yan to seek justice?” a sneer rang out. After a pause, the person added, “For True Monarch Yan, our noble families blocked the path for commoners to advance. Without us, it would be easier for her to arrange her disciples. She refused to accept disciples from noble families, yet she broadly accepted disciples in the Northern Continent, under the name of Dan Yang Cavern Heaven. Is her attitude not clear enough?”
“Everyone, in Cloud City, there is no longer a place for us!”
In the thousands of years since Cloud City was founded, the noble families had never encountered such a crisis! After all, except for the Northern Continent’s Corridor of Sins three thousand years ago, the Cavern Heavens of the Fu Li Immortal Realm rarely made a move. For most of the time, they were in quiet cultivation, almost never leaving their abodes, let alone fighting with their peers.
But now—
The heavens had changed.
And this variable, one could say, began with the “fall” of the Cloud Sovereign. They had considered the opening gambit but had not anticipated such an outcome.
The Yun family elder, with a guilty conscience, said sternly, “They will not let us off.”
“They?” said a True Monarch of the Chu family. The previous events were a secret plot between the Yun and Su families; they were not privy to it. Tapping his fingers on the table, he asked, “Speaking of which, why did they start fighting? If they were going to settle old scores, why specifically at this time? Those years have passed, and this matter should have quietly concluded.” He would not believe a single word of the previous claims by the Yun and Su families.
The Yun family elder ignored the Daoist Master Chu and said solemnly, “There is still one path we can take.”
“Oh? What path?” Those present asked impatiently.
The Yun family elder’s gaze swept over everyone, and he coldly uttered three words: “Wu Shi Sect.”
Although Yun Yong and Su Lanyin did not believe they would fail, they still left a “way out” for their families. Those from the Wu Shi Sect held “ascension talismans.” If they wanted to ascend, they would inevitably have contact with them, and it was only a matter of time before their sect disciples went there.
As soon as the words “Wu Shi Sect” were uttered, the hall erupted in an uproar. News about the Shang Qing Divine Realm was rampant, and cultivators in Cloud City were also in an uproar. However, they were not like those desperate rogue cultivators who, with uncertain facts, saw no need to seek refuge with them. Therefore, they were merely observing, treating it as idle conversation. But now, the Yun family elder was using the “Wu Shi Sect” as a fallback.
“Could it be that the news they released is all true? Are those five primordial demons from the Corridor of Sins truly the Divine Lords of the Shang Qing Divine Realm?”
“Didn’t Buzhou say it? Those five are demons.”
“Is the secret of ascension real? Did our ancestors block the upward path?”
“Brother, going over there so rashly might cause people to talk.” Daoist Master Chu spoke.
The Yun family elder’s lips moved, and he coldly squeezed out a word: “Wait.”
Wait for the day Luo Lingfeng “uproots the weeds and eliminates the roots.”
…
Cavern Heaven true monarchs have profound cultivation. Moving mountains and seas was merely a wave of the hand. The tallest floating island in Cloud City collapsed, and palaces turned into broken ruins, but rebuilding them was just a matter of blinking. Jade pavilions were stacked upon ruins, exotic flowers and strange plants grew anew from decay, vying to bloom. The sea of clouds was vast, the mountains of the dao and vermilion towers were like a fairyland. But the stewards serving on this floating island no longer had the same state of mind as before. The former Cloud Sovereign, though distant, at least did not make them worry for their lives. But now, facing the capricious Luo Lingfeng, they genuinely worried for themselves.
It had been almost ten days since Wei Yunshu and the others left Cloud City.
However, Shi Wufang’s words echoed in her ears like a bone-piercing poison. Luo Lingfeng denied it again and again, but just as Shi Wufang had said, she couldn’t convince herself! What permeated her memory were the hardships and torment of the past hundred years, but somehow, the childhood memories she had suppressed kept surfacing, completely occupying her mind. The little Wei Yunshu was pitiable when she cried and brilliant when she smiled. There was a vibrant life force within her, like an unquenchable flame. She had to admit that Wei Yunshu had grown into the person she had hoped for, but she herself had completely rotted in the mud.
Incurable.
And no need to be cured.
Would removing this memory reduce her pain and obsession? Luo Lingfeng held her forehead, her expression as heavy as dark clouds.
“True Monarch?” The steward below came to report the trivial matters in Cloud City. Seeing Luo Lingfeng’s expression, he broke out in a cold sweat for himself. When he suddenly saw the dark abyss heavy water swirling up, he thought his head was about to fly off as well, until a thunderous roar sounded, and an artifact hidden in the dark was smashed into pieces. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and say meekly, “Currently, there are no major disturbances among the noble families, but some disciples who were brought into the noble families’ network through marriage want to break free. They’ve found excuses to divorce their cultivation partners, seemingly to join the Wu Shi Sect.”
Luo Lingfeng responded absentmindedly, casting aside the distracting thoughts in her mind. Perhaps some of these people genuinely no longer wished to live their lives with their cultivation partners, but more likely, they were acting as scouts for the noble families. Since the noble families in Cloud City were so eager to break away from Cloud City, it would be unreasonable for her not to give them an opportunity. After a cold smile, Luo Lingfeng threw out a command sword and said, “Issue my order: open the first-class Cavern Heaven blessed lands in Cloud City. Regardless of cultivation or talent, as long as they are disciples of our Cloud Sect, they may enter and cultivate peacefully. To prepare for full-scale combat, the Scripture Pavilion and Treasure Pavilion in Cloud City will also be opened to outsiders.”
The accumulation of six thousand years was naturally extremely rich. Every Cloud Sovereign appointed would replace the stewards guarding the Treasure Pavilion with people from their own clans. Yun Qingzi was no exception. However, in Wei Yunshu’s hands, partly because she was fully engaged in managing the Northern Continent and had no one to use, and partly because she remembered her teacher’s kindness and did not want to disrupt the original order. She turned a blind eye to the stewards and elders lining their pockets, believing that “water that is too pure has no fish.” It was the custom in Cloud City for one’s own family to profit, and it was impossible to cut it off.
People all had selfish desires. For example, the elders in the Scripture Pavilion, when organizing Taoist scriptures in the Cloud City Library, would also secretly make copies for the disciples of their families. As for the stewards in charge of the disciples’ cultivation resources, they held the lifeline of cultivators. Foundation establishment required cloud sand, core formation required great elixirs, and natal magic artifacts required precious materials. Every stage required vast wealth. As long as the stewards blocked the way at a crucial moment, those disciples who were not valued by their families and wanted to advance would have to submit. After all, even the best talent would be wasted if left for several years, let alone those of ordinary talent. These pavilions and treasure halls were originally established for the disciples of the sect, but over time, their original intentions were lost. Instead, power became a tool for forming factions and engaging in cronyism.
The interests in Cloud City were too complex to untangle. Wanting to “reform” was undoubtedly a fantasy; directly eradicating the festering sore was the best option. However, it was impossible even when Yun Qingzi was still alive, and even more so for Wei Yunshu.
Luo Lingfeng thought to herself, “This knife that will cut open Cloud City’s festering sore has finally fallen into my hands.” She said it lightly, but the steward below felt a chill run down his spine, breaking out in a cold sweat. Would anyone really carry out this order after it was passed down? How could a hungry wolf give up the meat in its mouth?
But he had no other choice but to accept the command sword.
Just as the steward predicted, none of the elders who had been stationed in the Treasure Pavilion for a long time were willing to accept this order. What a joke! Once the Treasure Pavilion was opened to everyone, how could they continue to control the “path of advancement” and seek benefits for their own clans? Unfortunately, they were not facing a benevolent Cloud Sovereign who would consider the future of Cloud City. Before them stood the cold and heartless Luo Lingfeng. Luo Lingfeng did not care what consequences the scene of “blood flowing like a river” would bring to Cloud City. Anyone who disobeyed the order would be killed! In an instant, the grounds before the treasure pavilions were littered with corpses, piled high.
“This is too much, truly hateful!” Even though the Yun family elder longed for a complete break with Luo Lingfeng, he was still furious when he heard this news. The noble families did indeed have substantial wealth. Their clansmen were stationed in major cities of the Eastern Continent, drawing one or two tenths of their income as offerings to the sect, while the majority went to their own families. Most hateful of all, with this decree issued, some small and medium-sized noble families who were uncertain about the Wu Shi Sect might not be willing to leave!
“What should we do?”
“What do you mean, ‘what should we do’? Hurry up and pack your things, let’s go!” The Yun family elder said hatefully. “If we don’t leave soon, that person might start plundering our property to support those lowly and useless ants!” The scouts who reached the Wu Shi Sect sent back news that was neither good nor bad. Like any newly established sect, it was desperately waiting for more talented individuals to help it develop. The elder took a deep breath and urged his clansmen to send messages, while he himself stepped into the Ancestral Hall and entered the Yun Hai Immortal Dwelling.
The Heavenly Sea Cloud Beast had already awakened and consumed a lot of cloud sand. It was a mystical beast left by the ancestors for the Yun family, equivalent to having an Cavern Heaven True Monarch by their side. If they were to leave, the Heavenly Sea Cloud Beast naturally could not be left behind. However, the beast, as the True Monarch had said, had a terrible temper, and brute force would not work, so they had to approach it gently. Therefore, upon reaching the Yun Hai Immortal Dwelling, the Yun family elder loudly accused Luo Lingfeng of her evil deeds, with tears streaming down his face. But after waiting for a long time without receiving a response, he looked at the golden eyes hidden in the clouds and suddenly stammered.
“You want to betray Cloud City?” The Heavenly Sea Cloud Beast, too lazy to pay attention to the Yun family elder’s long speech, seized on the key point.
The Yun family elder said bitterly, “It is the Cloud Sovereign and Luo Lingfeng who will not allow us.” He then spoke to the Heavenly Sea Cloud Beast about the guests from Shang Qing, indignantly saying, “When we meet the ancestors, we must have her uphold justice for us.”
“Shang Qing Divine Realm?” The Heavenly Sea Cloud Beast’s voice suddenly became sharp. It stared at the Yun family elder, its golden eyes gleaming with a strange light, and said slowly, “You know the truth?”
The Yun family elder’s heart leaped, but thinking of the Heavenly Sea Cloud Beast’s origin, his hanging heart slowly settled back down. He said, “True Monarch Wan Ling and True Monarch Wen Baixian were both ascended cultivators from thousands of years ago. Now that they have returned to the Fu Li Immortal Realm, they say the Divine Lord is willing to accept us again, and the sins of our ancestors will not be pursued.”
“Sins?” The Heavenly Sea Cloud Beast’s voice became increasingly strange. Its indifferent gaze fell upon the Yun family elder, and it asked, “Do you know how the Fu Li Immortal Realm was separated from the Shang Qing Divine Realm?”
The Yun family elder’s eyelids twitched, and he stammered, “It, it was cut off by the combined efforts of the four ancestors?”
The Heavenly Sea Cloud Beast asked again, “What was used to cut it?”
The Yun family elder: “……” How would he know the details? But since the Heavenly Sea Cloud Beast asked, he couldn’t pretend not to hear. Something capable of cutting off a continent must be at least a Dao Artifact or of a higher caliber. All four sects possessed a Guardian Dao Artifact. Of the four sects, only the Dao Artifact at Buzhou could be called a “cutter.” He steadied himself and affirmed, “The True Nature Sword!”
“Yes.” The Heavenly Sea Cloud Beast replied. The floating clouds in the immortal dwelling gathered and dispersed, as if a white brush were constantly painting. After a while, the master of this place slowly stepped out of the clouds, bathed in light, and landed lightly on the ground. He glanced down and asked again, “Then why could True Nature cut off the Immortal Realm? Do you know what it was forged from?”
The Yun family elder lowered his head, looking aggrieved and saying, “I don’t know.”
“It’s normal that you don’t know,” the Heavenly Sea Cloud Beast snorted, and then said, “The True Nature Sword is now a broken sword. Originally, Sang Buwei, using extraordinary means, tricked Emperor Wu Xiang into melting the Emperor Seal and forging it into the sword, and then unhesitatingly struck her with it!”
What does that have to do with us? The Yun family elder thought, and then asked the question aloud.
The Heavenly Sea Cloud Beast gave a mocking laugh: “If you go to the Shang Qing Divine Realm, will Emperor Wu Xiang let you off? The four ancestors had always concealed information about the Shang Qing Divine Realm. If they were still alive, how could those people from the Shang Qing Divine Realm find the Fu Li Immortal Realm? If your Yun family wants to leave Cloud City and seek death, then so be it!”
The Yun family elder was dizzied by these words. He originally wanted to ask for details, but after careful consideration, he realized that the Heavenly Sea Cloud Beast was unwilling to accompany him. So, he abandoned all other thoughts and said urgently, “There are other Divine Lords in the Shang Qing Divine Realm, and they will protect us.”
“You are so ignorant, you must not have heard the saying ‘Five Venerables Bow to Tai Sui’,” the Heavenly Sea Cloud Beast looked at the Yun family elder with pity and kindly explained, “meaning, in front of Tai Sui, the five Venerables are nothing!”
The Yun family elder: “……” He wanted to argue a few more words, but after a bout of dizziness, he was expelled from the Yun Hai Immortal Dwelling.
He stood in the Ancestral Hall, looking at the hazy portraits, his face extremely grim. He didn’t know what would happen in the Shang Qing Divine Realm, but if they stayed in Cloud City, the only possibility was “death”!
They had to leave!
Buzhou.
After discussing matters concerning the “Wu Shi Sect” with everyone, Shi Wufang called out to Wei Yunshu.
The chaos in Cloud City had long since spread throughout the entire Immortal Realm, and everyone was discussing it, but apart from the parties involved, no one could guess the mysteries.
Shi Wufang said, “Fellow Daoist Bo, you must have heard about the current situation in Cloud City, right?”
Wei Yunshu nodded.
“She has great courage,” Shi Wufang smiled faintly, but then her expression turned solemn, and she changed the subject, “Or perhaps she is losing control. The forces of the Shang Qing Divine Realm are gradually showing their claws, while our four sects have suffered heavy losses due to the fall of various Cavern Heavens—but regardless of whether we are in a weaker or stronger position, that battle cannot be avoided. At such a time, none of us wants anyone to disrupt the situation.”
“I know it’s a bit selfish. As it stands, her actions, apart from catching us off guard, have not brought about anything too terrible. However, we do not wish for, nor can we afford, even the slightest possibility of things going wrong.”
Wei Yunshu lowered her eyelids and replied softly.
Shi Wufang then asked, “Is the evil anomaly in the Sacred Heart about to be cleared?”
“Soon,” Wei Yunshu replied, then gave a wry smile. “But even if the Sacred Heart is returned, the personality forged by a hundred years of suffering cannot be reversed. Even if the Sacred Heart returns to its place, it cannot erase the pain she has experienced, and perhaps—”
Shi Wufang picked up her words: “It will cause her belief to completely collapse.” She looked earnestly at Wei Yunshu, and seeing the fleeting gloom and sorrow, she felt a pang of unwillingness. But for the sake of the overall situation, there were things she had to say clearly.
“If we want to nip this danger in the bud, then there are two paths we can take: either kill her, or help her transcend.”