Chapter 88
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Chapter 88: Title
"Sealing Pei Jiu yourself would bring unintended consequences," the Heavenly Dao murmured, watching the kneeling woman. The Water Mirror shimmered, showing Tiansui the future: the Nine Realms crumbling, twenty-two immortals standing against demon hordes while Lingyang rotted in the Heavenly Pool and Yan Ge hid in Kunlun.
Tiansui watched her past self grip a sword, twenty-one allies at her back. The vision accelerated – bloodshed ended in moments. Her breath hitched as mirror-Tiansui clutched Yan Ge’s dissolving form.
"Why?" Present Tiansui smashed the Water Mirror. She’d sent Yan Ge away! Made all preparations! "There’s another way! You rule the cosmos – fix this!"
The Immortal Capital’s leader knelt like a beggar. "Yan Ge protected countless lives flawlessly. Don’t sacrifice her for Pei Jiu’s crimes!"
The void answered coldly:
“For the Nine Realms, for the mortal world, Yan Ge’s path leads here through destiny.”
Tiansui’s body stiffened abruptly, her fingers gradually clenching at her side.
She had never believed in fate.
These events occurred before the calamity first manifested, yet the more one glimpsed the knowledge of fate, the more changes rippled through reality.
As the Water Mirror dissolved, Tiansui hadn’t actually witnessed everything – she remained unaware of how she’d later split her Divine Bone, gifting half to Yan Ge while merging the other half into the demon suppression array, leading to the fall of all twenty-four immortals and the Immortal Capital’s destruction.
The Immortal Capital maintained its usual tranquility, save for Tiansui’s frost-bitten expression that could freeze icicles.
Only Yan Ge could thaw those tightly pressed lips.
Though each of the twenty-four immortals possessed their own Palace, the easternmost Listening Wind Palace always housed two.
Yan Ge would rush to Listening Wind immediately after completing mortal world affairs, eager to see that rigid chief.
This time however, she found no gentle breezes but relentless icy drizzle soaking through her robes.
No wonder Yan Ge stared in surprise – the Palace mirrored its owner’s consciousness, weather shifting with her moods.
Previous returns had greeted her with sunshine, occasional clouds at worst. This endless rain was unprecedented.
The courtyard’s flooded stones showed prolonged downpour.
Locating a page in the corridor, she learned the rain had lasted half a month – beginning precisely when she’d departed.
Yan Ge refused to believe Tiansui wept from missing her.
She’d never witnessed Tiansui cry.
Even during their most intense couplings when pushed to breaking point, only shimmering eyes betrayed emotion, never actual tears.
She slipped into the study to find Tiansui propping her head, seemingly napping yet furrow-browed.
What burdened her so deeply that sleep brought no peace?
Yan Ge stroked the troubled brow until it softened.
"Back."
Eyes still closed, Tiansui captured Yan Ge’s hand against her forehead.
Though the rain ceased outside, Listening Wind remained shrouded in cloud-choked gloom.
"Capital trouble?" Yan Ge inquired.
The capital stood under Tiansui’s protection.
A slight headshake. Tiansui exhaled roughly, yanking Yan Ge downward.
Off-balance, Yan Ge tumbled into her lap.
Cold fingers seized her chin. Thunder cracked across the Immortal Capital as their lips met.
Yan Ge finally understood that Tiansui’s current state was connected to her.
A hand covered her eyes, preventing her from seeing Tiansui’s expression, but she could sense the woman’s unease and… anger through the kiss.
This fury wasn’t aimed at her, yet it seemed to have nowhere else to go.
Yan Ge had always been able to read Tiansui’s heart.
She leaned into the kiss, cupping the woman’s face while gently smoothing away the tension in her emotions with soft strokes.
Tiansui gradually loosened her grip, brushing light kisses along the edge of Yan Ge’s lips.
"I’ve missed you."
Tiansui had always been the epitome of restraint—even amidst singing spirit birds and radiant sunshine, her face remained impassive. This marked the first time she’d voiced such direct longing.
Yet Yan Ge felt no joy upon hearing it. She pulled the shielding hand away, then froze when she looked up—
Tears were streaming down Tiansui’s face.
"What’s wrong?" Yan Ge’s voice trembled.
She tried wiping the tears away, but they kept flowing.
Her sleeve grew damp halfway up, still the tears fell.
Tiansui stayed silent, gazing at her with endless sorrow—this infuriatingly tight-lipped woman!
Yan Ge clenched her teeth but couldn’t bring herself to scold the weeping figure. Instead, she drew Tiansui into her arms, rhythmically patting her back in wordless comfort.
This method worked wonders, as Yan Ge had long discovered—compared to kisses or greater intimacy, Tiansui craved these simple embraces most.
Their heartbeats synchronized, breaths mingling in the quiet space.
Yan Ge stayed at Listening Wind that night, sleeping so soundly she never noticed Tiansui’s absence from the bed.
Tiansui had descended to the mortal world to find Lingyang.
She knew about Lingyang’s mortal lover and her endless pursuit of longevity.
They sat facing a chessboard in a courtyard, black and white stones locked in stalemate.
"Bypass the Heavenly Dao, and you’ll gain eternity together," Tiansui declared, placing her white piece.
"Truly?" Lingyang’s eyes burned with hope.
As leader of the Immortal Capital, Tiansui’s knowledge carried weight.
Having planted this seed, Tiansui spoke no more.
Just as planned, Lingyang later combed through Linglong Pavilion’s ancient archives—where Tiansui herself had secretly placed a forged text describing an artifact to cheat destiny.
She watched Lingyang steal the golden seal.
When the Nine Realms’ catastrophe erupted, Tiansui stood at the Qinghu Region’s demon suppression array core, clutching the Glazed Purification Brush, Past Mirror, and Baiyu Minghun Sword.
She sacrificed her body to mend the formation’s flaw—until Pei Jiu shattered the seal at the last moment, unleashing demon hordes across the realms.
Yan Ge arrived too late, her soul scattering across the Nine Realms.
The Past Mirror completed twelve transformations, returning once more to the eve of the great calamity.
“Why… why…”
Tiansui clutched the Past Mirror, her spirit weakened to its limit.
“You’ve relived this eleven times. The outcome never changes. Will you still not yield?” The Heavenly Dao sighed. “Why torment yourself?”
“Yan Ge and Pei Jiu share the same root yet embody opposing forces of virtue and malice. This matter lies beyond your reach.”
“Same root…” Tiansui murmured, abruptly recalling a memory. When she’d first ascended to the Immortal Capital, the Heavenly Dao had purified her mortal body to complete her celestial rebirth.
After twelve transformations, Tiansui had finally discovered a solution.
The Heavenly Dao understood her intentions but offered no resistance, only remarking, “Removing your Divine Bone will strip you of all opportunity to remain immortal.”
“Then I’ll cease being immortal,” Tiansui replied indifferently, eyes blazing with fervor.
As before, she lured Yan Ge to Kunlun Mountain—the highest peak in the Nine Realms, where the Heavenly Dao’s influence grew thin. Here, the demon suppression array could be activated without rousing Yan Ge’s awareness.
Tiansui thought her scheme flawless.
She’d underestimated Yan Ge’s perceptiveness. During previous attempts, she’d meticulously guarded her intentions. Now, distracted by her new plan, she failed to notice the calculation in Yan Ge’s gaze.
Events unfolded as Tiansui had foreseen until the final step—sacrificing her Divine Bone to power the array and seal the demons.
Why did the array’s core shift positions?
Tiansui stared in horror as the demon suppression array’s pivot slid away from her. Her eyes tracked its movement until she saw Yan Ge standing behind her, gaze brimming with reproach but overwhelming tenderness.
“You can’t… you can’t do this!”
Tiansui’s anguished scream changed nothing. The array’s core settled beneath Yan Ge’s feet. As the sealing formation finalized, Yan Ge’s spirit began dissolving.
Tiansui triggered the Past Mirror once more.
Her final chance.
Each temporal reversal consumed spiritual energy. Twelve transformations were the limit—and this was her twelfth.
She opened bloodshot eyes later than previous cycles, immediately spotting the seething demons beneath Qinghu Region. Without hesitation, she shattered the half-formed demon suppression array.
The twenty-four immortals of the Immortal Capital suffered violent backlash. Even Tiansui sustained grave injuries.
The next instant, the leader of the Immortal Capital drained her cultivation completely. A barrier rivaling the Tribulation of Becoming an Immortal trapped the restless demons once more.
"Tiansui!"
"Great Immortal!"
Tiansui became the formation itself, reconstructing the demon suppression array anew.
A buzzing filled her ears as voices shouted her name. Raising her head, she saw shock in Yan Ge’s distant gaze.
Yan Ge likely couldn’t grasp why Tiansui had anticipated her alteration of the formation.
But as the embodiment of Heavenly Dao, millennia of existence let her comprehend everything within breaths.
Her face whitened instantly. Materializing beside Tiansui, she asked with trembling voice: "How many cycles… how many resets?"
Tiansui lied: "Eleven."
Yan Ge raised a hand to strike her, but slowly caressed her face instead.
"Fool," she choked out.
"Not foolish." Tiansui smiled fully – the Immortal Capital’s leader first-ever softening of brows, eyes and lips revealing pure joy.
"Being tricked again and again isn’t foolish?" Yan Ge positioned herself before Tiansui, hiding the fading figures of twenty-four immortals behind them, streaks of light flowing into the demon suppression array.
"The Heavenly Dao isn’t benevolent."
It spared neither demons nor immortals.
Despite Tiansui’s meticulous planning, Yan Ge always awoke at Kunlun.
Yan Ge remained the array’s final component. The Heavenly Dao exploited Tiansui’s devotion to erase Nine Realms’ immortals and demons alike.
Immortals born from it. Demons bred through it.
Their existence hung on its fleeting whims.
"I know."
As the formation finalized, Tiansui’s eyes glinted with hard-won triumph.
The Divine Bone – heavenly endowment even the Dao couldn’t destroy. Tiansui split hers apart, spirit screaming from agony like being rent asunder.
She acted swiftly. While Yan Ge stood stunned, Tiansui embedded half the bone within her.
Now Yan Ge held flesh, blood and Divine Bone – no longer mere Dao’s will to be erased.
The remaining bone fused with the array, replacing its core with Heavenly Dao’s essence.
Events unfolded too rapidly for farewells or final glances.
Qinghu Region plunged into stillness, calamity erased from memory.
Centuries later, a youth’s immortal tribulation struck this place.
It roused Yan Ge.
Her first waking act: cursing Tiansui through tears, recounting every foolish deed.
She extracted half the Divine Bone, securing a sword spirit to nourish it.
If Tiansui spoke of eleven Past Mirror cycles, worse fates had been avoided. Somewhere in the mortal world, waiting persisted.
She had kept the Divine Bone intact, hoping to return it once she found Tiansui’s reincarnation.
Yet after years of searching the mortal world, not a single trace of Tiansui’s breath remained.
The immortal seemed to have vanished from existence entirely.
Yan Ge pinned her last hopes on the demon suppression array – perhaps Tiansui’s spirit had been sealed beneath it too.
That’s why she didn’t intervene when she discovered Pei Jiu had survived and was attempting to reopen the array.
Her heart warred with itself. The twenty-four immortals of the Immortal Capital had sacrificed everything to create that seal. She couldn’t allow its destruction… yet what if Tiansui’s spirit lay trapped within?
She let Pei Jiu proceed, yet still rescued the young sect members.
Even she no longer understood her own actions.
—
Beyond the Sixteen Peaks of the Dark Domain,
Qingyun City disciples maintained their watch.
Xuanchen narrowed his eyes as sword light cleaved the distant sky.
The sword energy radiated natural power, a mark of the transformation stage.
At first he thought it was Feng Yi – until the approaching sword intent revealed its true nature.
Bold. Reckless. Breathtaking.
Xia Wuwei’s signature aura.
The sword light landed, revealing a swordmaster who carried no blade.
"Planning to conquer the Thirteen Ghost Domains alone?" Xuanchen’s voice dripped sarcasm.
Xia Shi strode past him.
Her arrogant demeanor provoked the City Lord. "Xia Wuwei!" he roared.
Qingyun disciples swiftly surrounded her.
Xia Shi sighed. This confrontation wasted precious time. Maintaining this soul fragment already strained her limits – if Pei Jiu detected her presence, that cursed mirror would tear through her memories again. She needed her wits intact until she could personally slit that madwoman’s throat.
"State your business."
Xuanchen nearly choked on his rage. How dare she play the wronged party?
"Xuanhua hasn’t awakened in Four Hundred Years! Did you ever care? She called you friend! Is this all you’ll say?"
"Better calculate Xuanhua’s spirit location than waste breath here." For the first time, Xia Shi defended herself calmly. "I wasn’t at fault."
Why should she answer for Pei Jiu’s crimes?
"What’s that supposed to mean?" Xuanchen seized the hint. "Xuanhua’s spirit! What do you know?"
"All debts will be settled in Sanqing Realm."
Her sword flashed. Qingyun disciples collapsed like wheat before the scythe. Even Xuanchen staggered back.
The City Lord watched helplessly as she pierced his formation’s core with a glance, dismantling his defenses effortlessly.
"……"
The number one formation master of the Nine Realms felt insulted.
Xuanchen frowned deeply, staring at the retreating silhouette as he muttered, "Wasn’t Xia Wuwei supposed to be a sword cultivator?"
Could she have mastered both sword techniques and formations?
She’d entered the Dao through swordsmanship as youth, becoming the greatest swordsman in the Nine Realms. Now she’d revealed her grasp of formation arts, showing talent that matched her legendary sword skills.
Xuanchen gave bitter laugh, secretly grateful Xia Wuwei had chosen the sword path. Otherwise, he might’ve ended up like Feng Yi – constantly overshadowed and plagued by heart’s demons.
"City Lord." The Qingyun City disciple scrambled up from the ground, awaiting orders. Should they continue preparing the formation here, or retrieve that person?
Xuanchen’s sleeves fluttered as the teleportation formation materialized beneath them.
"Return to the sect. Mobilize all disciples to surround Sanqing Realm."
"Yes!"
Xia Shi traversed the Sixteen Peaks of Dark Domain, slipping silently into the outermost city of Thirteen Ghost Domains.
This territory belonged to Qing Gui. Few living souls remained here, though stiff-limbed puppets shuffled through the streets.
Most inhabitants of Thirteen Ghost Domains were desperate cultivators – either shortcut-seekers or fugitives. The air reeked of blood, severed limbs littering every corner.
Things might’ve been orderly when the city lords remained, but with all Thirteen Ghost Domain rulers currently in Nine Realms, chaos reigned supreme.
Xia Shi barely entered the city when sword cry pierced the air, murderous intent aimed at her back.
She pivoted smoothly, frost-coated fingers snapping the blade mid-swing. The frozen steel shattered into irreparable fragments.
The ambusher froze in shock. Before she could react, an icy blade-materialized at her throat, chilling her to the bone.
"Why attack me?"
Her assailant looked barely fifteen, head barely reaching Xia Shi’s chest. Despite youthful features, those clear eyes burned with lethal intensity.
The girl seemed baffled by the question. In this lawless place, killers never demanded reasons.
Seeing genuine confusion, Xia Shi dissolved her ice blade. No point pressing further.
She turned toward the city’s dark heart.
"Wait!"
The girl chased after her, but scrambled back when Xia Shi glanced over.
Xia Shi tilted her head. "What?"
"Danger ahead." Fear flashed through the girl’s eyes as she pointed down different alley. "That way’s empty. Safer path."
She refused to meet Xia Shi’s gaze, fingers worrying at her too-short sleeves.
Xia Shi arched an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Your name?"
"Ah? I’m… A Qi." The girl mumbled, fidgeting with ragged clothing.
"A Qi." Xia Shi held her gaze. "Truly no one that way?"
A Qi bit her lip and nodded.
"Then I’ll trust you."
Xia Shi walked toward the path A Qi indicated, but after two steps, the girl called out again.
"Don’t…!"
Suddenly figures emerged around them – not people, but puppets.
The puppeteer seized A Qi and struck her hard across the face.
"Too much chatter! What, can’t bring yourself to trick a pretty thing?"
Blood trickled from A Qi’s mouth as she shook violently.
The puppeteer examined Xia Shi while manipulating his puppets, grinning coldly. "A cultivator from Nine Realms? Your sword intent shows you didn’t come to Thirteen Ghost Domains out of desperation. Let me guess – here to slay evil and protect righteousness?"
Mockery laced his words before he burst into laughter.
"Perfect timing. With Qing Gui absent, I’ll claim the City Lord position by offering you to Ghost Lord!"
"Run!" A Qi screamed.
The puppeteer’s expression twisted as his metallic claws thrust toward the thin young man’s heart.
When his fingertips barely grazed the boy’s clothes, the puppeteer froze. A Long Sword protruded from his chest.
His puppets had dissolved without warning.
"You…you…"
He hadn’t expected to provoke such danger.
The dead puppeteer stared with unseeing eyes while A Qi panted on the ground, face glistening with sweat.
She gazed at Xia Shi with shining admiration.
She wanted to be like her!
But before she could kneel and beg for apprenticeship, Xia Shi had vanished, leaving only the cooling corpse.
The Endless Sea lay in Thirteen Ghost Domains’ deepest reaches. Xia Shi’s discomfort grew with each step.
Thick demonic energy hung like bloody mist, foul and choking.
Guided by Heavenly Dao, she pressed onward.
Passing through the densest miasma, sunlight suddenly blinded her.
The Endless Sea defied expectations – not dark abyss, but realm bursting with spiritual energy surpassing Nine Realms. Like…the Immortal Capital!
Xia Shi realized this sea mirrored exactly the Immortal Capital she’d seen millennia ago.
Even the distant Palace stood in identical position.
She wavered – was this sacred ground or ghost domain’s core?
"Such profound obsession," Heavenly Dao remarked with surprise.
Having lost one Immortal Capital, she’d recreated it.
"Wrong path," Heavenly Dao interjected.
Xia Shi murmured acknowledgement.
Her current course wouldn’t reach Yan Ge.
It was obvious who to seek.
Xia Shi arrived before a Palace, seemingly blocked by a barrier. The energy swirling outside wasn’t spiritual power but spiritual power.
Forcing entry would likely bring trouble.
“I’ll just look and leave,” Xia Shi vowed.
The Heavenly Dao scoffed.
It had witnessed Tiansui’s extremes for Yan Ge. Xia Shi’s promise rang hollow.
After a standoff, the Heavenly Dao relented and opened a hidden path.
The Palace lay quiet and empty. Xia Shi crept forward cautiously.
In a small courtyard, she saw two figures—one seated on white jade steps, head bowed, the other speaking below.
“Why defy the monarch? Even if you reached the Sanqing Realm now, it’d change nothing. You got yourself locked up wailing—satisfied?”
Suiyin stayed silent, shoulders slumped.
Hongling sighed. “Stay put. I’ll watch the Sanqing Realm and update you.”
Suiyin’s head snapped up. “Truly!?”
“Truly!” Hongling gritted out. “No more trouble.”
Suiyin nodded rapidly, suddenly docile.
Hidden nearby, Xia Shi moved to approach as Hongling left. The Heavenly Dao echoed her own words: “Just look and leave.”
Xia Shi ignored it, pretending deafness.
The Heavenly Dao sighed. “…
Same stubbornness.”
Xia Shi slipped behind Suiyin. Her gaze fell—then her breath froze.
A long scar marred Suiyin’s neck. The angle suggested no attacker.
Self-inflicted.
Xia Shi’s heart clenched. She bent, fingertips barely brushing the wound’s edges.
The touch chilled Suiyin. “Sister Hongling, I said I’ll behave—”
Her voice died as their eyes met.
“A dream?” Suiyin whispered, eyes glistening.
She whirled away, rubbing stinging eyes—too afraid to look back.
The presence remained. A soft laugh reached her ears.
Never mind!
She clenched her teeth, closed her eyes, turned around, and threw her arms around the figure.
Once she had a firm hold, Suiyin twisted to cushion the fall with her own body.
Her eyes stayed tightly shut, unable to believe the Xia Shi before her was real—how could Xia Shi be here…
“Who are you?”
Xia Shi braced herself against the steps with one hand and tilted Suiyin’s chin with the other, teasing, “Open your eyes and see for yourself.”
The resemblance was uncanny.
Suiyin’s heart raced with unease.
She peeked through narrowed eyelids, then snapped them fully open upon confirming it was Xia Shi, her gaze widening in shock.
But the shock quickly gave way to avoidance as she turned her face aside.
Their last parting had been bitter.
She was the blade that slew its master.
Xia Shi read her thoughts instantly. Gripping Suiyin’s face, she turned it back and nipped her lightly.
“My earlier words were wrong. I’m sorry.”
