Chapter 8
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Chapter 8: Bai Lian, An Lan, and Red Dust Heavenly Lord
Bai Lian had heard from An Lan about her interaction with Red Dust Heavenly Lord.
However, those were purely emotional words, and the master had already forgotten everything related to her, so the memories might have some errors.
But one thing the master didn’t say wrong was that she did take good care of Red Dust, the adopted "little sister."
That happened about ten thousand years ago.
With Bai Lian’s guidance, the gifted An Lan successfully cultivated her Qi.
Little An Lan had her first ability to resist fate.
She never wanted to marry into a wealthy family and become a bullied mistress.
Therefore, on a pouring rain night, prepared and ready, she began her own "escape" journey!
"I can’t see anything, so you must not lead me into the drain."
Little An Lan tightly held onto little Bai Lian’s hand.
She first experienced the feeling of relying on someone.
When she expressed her desire to escape from the "prison" she lived in, little Bai Lian, who always said "I don’t know" and "I don’t understand," expressed her support for the first time and told her,
"If you can’t see, I can temporarily be your eyes, but you have to tell me about everything you hear, smell, and feel."
"Deal done!"
Could there be a better deal anywhere in the world?
That night, led by little Bai Lian, the Qi Refining stage little An Lan climbed through the mountains and escaped from her hiding place.
Her shoes had all fallen off and her shins were marked with several scratches, her whole body was drenched.
However, these hardships didn’t make her feel scared because little Bai Lian never let go of her hand!
"What did you see?"
"The sun. What did you hear?"
"Birds singing. The little birds are very happy."
"Are you happy too?"
"Yes, I am."
Embracing the new life certainly deserves to be happy for many days!
However, after the joyous moment, little An Lan had to contemplate how to survive.
Fortunately, at that time, she was a cultivator and had little Bai Lian who was invisible and untouchable to ordinary people to cover her for her. She overcame many difficulties, grew up all the way, and finally cured her eyes when she entered the Foundation Establishment Stage.
It was at this moment that An Lan truly welcomed her new life.
The first meeting after the eyes returned to normal was an unforgettable moment for both Bai Lian and An Lan.
Bai Lian found that the fragments bearing this past were much brighter than the other fragments.
However, to be honest, it wasn’t a particularly sweet experience.
They met each other by the mirror, and little An Lan saw two of her own at first glance.
"Why do you look exactly like me?"
She went up to pinch little Bai Lian’s cheek, but the calm-tempered Bai Lian punched her for the first time.
"I turned into you, based on your appearance."
[No wonder I bear some similarity with my master in appearance.]
Bai Lian understood.
If the master had more flesh in the places where it should grow, and had huge and curvy flesh legs, would they look about seventy or eighty percent similar?
Hmph.
If there is a chance in the future, make the master’s figure more plump, and then in front of the mirror…
Hmph.
Bai Lian shook her head to rid herself of these strange thoughts.
Opportunity?
The opportunity is highly unlikely to exist anymore.
She smiled and continued flipping through her memories.
An Lan’s encounter with Red Dust dates back to the time when she was promoted to the Golden Core Stage.
At a young age, An Lan had an honorable heart, hoping to help more people who were locked by fate, just like herself, with a decent cultivation base.
During the process of hunting down a bloodthirsty demon, An Lan met the Red Dust Heavenly Lord in the crowded streets.
That was the mutual attraction of the Blank Tao.
It was even a fateful encounter.
The Red Dust Heavenly Lord at that time had been wandering outside for many years, and the worlds she had traveled through were more than one.
However, because she had traversed too many world barriers, although the Red Dust Heavenly Lord had taken on a human form, she had always been confused and numb, like a walking corpse.
An Lan took pity on her and reached out to her for help.
"You’re wearing red clothes and covered in dirty dust, so I’ll give you the name Red Dust!"
Bai Lian was uncertain how to judge An Lan’s naming ability.
Both her own name and Red Dust’s name were chosen by An Lan.
As she appeared pitifully white, she was called Bai Lian.
It was very casual.
However, it didn’t seem so casual.
From then on, Red Dust Heavenly Lord accompanied An Lan in her practice.
An Lan took quite good care of her and always shared good things with her.
An Lan was not wrong, because she was worried that they would not be able to find each other again after ascending to the Immortal World, so she deliberately slowed down her cultivation speed and ascended to the Immortal World forty years later with Red Dust.
But since they ascended to the Immortal World, their relationship has become less intimate.
It’s like suddenly growing up, Red Dust has her own ideas, no longer listens to An Lan, and no longer follows her.
When they first arrived at the East Pole Sky, they had a big fight because of the cruel rule of the Eastern Emperor, and then they officially parted ways.
Memories flooded in, and Bai Lian distinctly recalled An Lan’s angry face.
Beside the square-shaped table, An Lan faced the still unaware her, seething with anger that made her tremble.
"It’s better to part ways, to avoid constant quarrels in the future. If she wants to spread her wings, let her fly on her own!"
Despite those words, An Lan’s relationship with Red Dust Heavenly Lord was not actually bad after that. They would meet each other every now and then, and the warmth they showed each other at those times was even more intense than before.
It wasn’t until An Lan felt the blade pierce through her body that she suddenly realized everything was just an act put on by Red Dust Heavenly Lord!
In fact, ever since breaking the barrier between humans and immortals, Red Dust Heavenly Lord had become aware of Bai Lian’s existence and finally remembered where she came from.
At that time, a deep longing surged within her heart.
She was determined to snatch Bai Lian at all costs!
She and Bai Lian were of the same origin, and Bai Lian’s attraction to her was much greater than to anyone else in the world.
But due to Bai Lian’s constant presence by An Lan’s side, she couldn’t find any breakthrough.
After a lot of effort, she finally found an opportunity to be alone with Bai Lian.
In any case, Red Dust Heavenly Lord was incredibly excited.
Her idea was simple. Being of the same origin as Bai Lian, with her current wisdom, wouldn’t it be easy to win over the naive Bai Lian?
However, as soon as she opened her mouth, her intentions were mercilessly crushed.
"No."
Bai Lian rejected her proposal of "elopement" without any hesitation.
The Red Dust Heavenly Lord widened his eyes, "Why?"
Bai Lian answered, "I still have an unfinished promise with An Lan. Once that is fulfilled, I will consider other matters."
The Red Dust Heavenly Lord breathed heavily and uttered, "What good is this boring promise? Come with me, I am your elder sister, obey me!"
After pondering for a moment, Bai Lian responded, "I am older than you, so I am the elder sister."
Red Dust Heavenly Lord, "…"
After a long time, the Red Dust Heavenly Lord asked again, "Am I not even as good as an outsider? Whatever she can give you, I can also give you!"
Bai Lian continued to contemplate for a considerable amount of time before giving her answer, which was just a single word.
"Hmm."
Red Dust Heavenly Lord was stimulated and responded by using various vulgar and obscene words to insult Bai Lian.
"Whore, slut, bitch, do you like being oppressed by her like this? That’s right, after all, you look very much like her now!"
At that time, Bai Lian could barely understand what she was saying, and explained in various clumsy sentences, "I wasn’t oppressed by An Lan. I look like her because… because… In any case, I’m not a bad woman. You can’t hate me!"
"Hmm."
Red Dust Heavenly Lord sneered, ignored Bai Lian’s anxious eyes, and turned and walked away.
Since Bai Lian refused to follow her, there was no need for her to stay here anymore. Continuing to entangle was meaningless. Before long, An Lan would come back. At this point, Red Dust Heavenly Lord had no chance of defeating An Lan.
This incident happened on the day before Red Dust Heavenly Lord and An Lan argued and parted ways.
The argument was initiated by Red Dust Heavenly Lord herself.
As Bai Lian didn’t backstab An Lan, who had always treated Red Dust Heavenly Lord as her own sister, An Lan had no reason to fight with Red Dust Heavenly Lord.
[Well, well, this is clearly the story of a precocious little sister bullying her mentally challenged older sister.]
Bai Lian’s eyelids jumped as she continued to flip through the pages.
The passing of time didn’t dissipate Red Dust Heavenly Lord’s desire, rather it only made those feelings become more twisted.
She envied An Lan, hated An Lan, and wanted to take everything from An Lan, including Bai Lian.
Her feelings for Bai Lian were no longer pure, for she not only wanted to possess Bai Lian, but also to cruelly torment her.
Just as the Demigod had proclaimed before the Blank Tao that year.
"It’s all because of you, this is all your fault!"
"If it weren’t for you, how could things have come to this!"
An Lan was ambushed several times, and the intelligence was leaked by Red Dust Heavenly Lord.
But if Xiao Jinse and her bear the fortune of protagonists, then An Lan is the protagonist among protagonists.
These tribulations cannot defeat her; on the contrary, they make her repeatedly surpass her limits.
[Youngest Celestial Immortal, youngest Immortal Emperor, and youngest Heavenly Lord.]
An Lan’s progress is so fast that it almost makes Red Dust Heavenly Lord collapse. Although her strength has also improved quickly, it is still far inferior to An Lan.
"It must be Bai Lian’s fault, she must have completely devoted herself to An Lan!"
The angry Red Dust Heavenly Lord directly invited the Eternal Lord and a group of people.
She used the secret of An Lan’s strength enhancement as a bargaining chip.
Although her words were ambiguous, many people still took the bait.
It’s worth mentioning that the Moral Heavenly Lord is indeed a person of morals. She disdains doing this kind of ganging up attack, not only flatly refused the invitation of Red Dust Heavenly Lord, but also dissuaded an Immortal Emperor who had a good relationship with her.
As for what others do, she has no control over it.
Some people are not actually for enhancing their own strength, they simply don’t want An Lan, the threat, to stay alive.
The method of enhancing strength is not important; An Lan is crucial to them.
The great war finally broke out.
An Lan is not alone in this, soon after the battle began, Fu Zhu Immortal Emperor and others joined the battlefield, and even the low-powered Yaoguang Star Lord also contributed her own strength.
In that earth-shattering war that shook the borderlands, Fu Zhu Immortal Emperor held a monopoly on the Primordial Water among four people, and even when he was besieged, he still didn’t fall behind.
However, their efforts ultimately didn’t lead to a good outcome.
An Lan was defeated!
After finally driving away the likes of the Eternal Lord, An Lan met with Red Dust Heavenly Lord.
At that time, despite being injured, An Lan remained as strong as Red Dust Heavenly Lord. Though she couldn’t slay Red Dust, she had no trouble protecting herself.
It was then that Red Dust Heavenly Lord deployed her ace in the hole, exposing her genuine identity and relationship with Bai Lian before An Lan, and thus threatening her. Unless An Lan handed over Bai Lian, she would make their story known to the world, dooming Bai Lian to be devoured by others.
"Are you trying to kill me before I reveal everything? Go ahead and try. Bai Lian and I are inseparable. If I die, she will suffer greatly, possibly even die. Wanna take a bet?"
Red Dust Heavenly Lord laughed heartily.
An Lan was speechless.
"That’s right, my strength is not as good as yours, but it’s not because you’re particularly strong, it’s just because Bai Lian is by your side. If Bai Lian were with me, I would have taken her to become a Faramita Immortal a long time ago!"
Red Dust Heavenly Lord’s killing intent was undisguised.
She could forgive anyone who offended her, but she couldn’t forgive An Lan.
An Lan is the culprit that caused the current situation, only by killing An Lan can things return to normal.
An Lan finally accepted her fate.
"Although I know it doesn’t mean much to say this, I still hope you can treat Bai Lian well. There’s nothing between her and me. She only led me onto the path of cultivation."
Taking Bai Lian over, Red Dust Heavenly Lord laughed and pierced An Lan’s body.
Then An Lan’s soul was crushed and refined using the [Ten Thousand Calamities Refining Cultivation Method] and Taiyi Divine Wheel successively, with the aim of erasing any possibility of her resurrection.
In reality, Red Dust Heavenly Lord had almost succeeded.
At that time, An Lan had no power to resist anymore.
Her soul shattered into countless pieces which disappeared within seconds.
However, Red Dust Heavenly Lord had not taken into account Bai Lian’s experience before leaving the Land of Immortals.
When Bai Lian woke up, the East Divine Land and the North Luzhou were besieged by floods and countless fierce sea monsters roamed about, narrowing down the living space of human beings.
She didn’t understand any of it, just drifted aimlessly in the sky.
After who knows how long she had been drifting, she saw a young girl stumbling by the river.
Bai Lian at that time, of course, would not have recognized the young girl, but the current Bai Lian recognized her at a glance.
[Xia Qingqing!]
At that time, Xia Qingqing had lost both of her parents and was struggling to find a place by the fast-flowing river to throw herself in.
She kept walking along the river, but inadvertently entered the illusory world where Ruomu grew.
Beside the water stream, Xia Qingqing extended her legs downward.
Just as she hesitated whether she really wanted to jump down, a hand suddenly stretched out from the thick fog behind her, grabbing her ankle which was about to slip away.
"Follow me."
Bai Lian said so.
Naive Bai Lian didn’t know what suicide was. She thought that Xia Qingqing came here to find the towering tree, so she led Xia Qingqing all the way forward, finally arriving at Ruomu.
[So, is this the origin of Green Emperor?]
After finishing this episode of the past, Bai Lian felt a bit dazed.
However, it is precisely such a coincidence that gave her the opportunity to struggle before the Red Dust Heavenly Lord.
After quelling the calamity caused by the sea monster, the Green Emperor established a great unified dynasty. When the dynasty was on the right track, the Green Emperor quietly left and devoted herself to the mountains and rivers.
It was also at that time when the Green Emperor found the Monument of the Next World that had been sealed.
At that time, the Green Emperor encountered Bai Lian again, who was drifting around.
Due to the agreement with Ruomu, the Green Emperor knew that she would not live for long. Therefore, when parting with Bai Lian, she gave the Monument of the Next World to Bai Lian.
Red Dust Heavenly Lord’s passage through the world barrier made her confused and disoriented, while Bai Lian didn’t suffer from it thanks to the protection of the Monument of the Next World.
At a critical moment, Bai Lian activated the power of the Monument of the Next World and cast a piece of An Lan’s soul fragment into the Land of Immortals.
The seed of hope was thus sown.
Bai Lian stayed behind and faced Red Dust Heavenly Lord alone.
It wouldn’t be entirely accurate to say that she was "facing" her, for she relied on the power of the Monument of the Next World to constantly deduce the future. She was attempting to find the only path that led to survival amidst countless dead ends – the true conclusion, so to speak.
[…]
Bai Lian took a deep breath.
Suddenly, she understood many things.
The world she was in now was just one of the countless "futures" calculated. If she died in this "future", everything would return to the beginning.
And at the origin, she was still under the control of the Red Dust Heavenly Lord.
The death words on her body are actually a warning from the Monument of the Next World.
Death corresponds to the Calamity of Death.
The greater the catastrophe, the more death characters appear on her body, and vice versa.
These death characters not only reflect the calamities she encountered in this "future", but also the murderous intent of the Red Dust Heavenly Lord on her from the origin.
[It seems that Red Dust Heavenly Lord doesn’t really want to kill me, otherwise there wouldn’t be so few death characters on my body like black silk now.]
Bai Lian can’t see the death characters on her body, but her master can, so she also understands the general situation.
In addition, Bai Lian has also captured critical information.
Every time she deduced, she sacrificed a fragment of herself. She had divided herself into five hundred million parts, a number that appeared to be immense, but now she seemed to have only less than ten chances remaining.
Bai Lian’s mouth was slightly agape.
Suddenly, she felt a wave of despair.
The night sky, already pitch black, now seemed to transform into countless twisted arms, making it impossible for her to breathe.
Even after nearly 500 million simulations, she couldn’t find the "true ending." Can she really succeed this time?
Moreover, Red Dust Heavenly Lord’s words also bothered her – "If you kill me, Bai Lian will also suffer heavy damage, and she may even die."
Bai Lian gritted her teeth.
She grasped onto another piece of her past.
By examining that piece of her past, she knew that everything that happened in "The Battle of the Gods" had actually occurred in the past.
Each line in the game corresponds to a deduction.
After countless failures, her spirit was on the verge of collapse. In order to continue the deduction, she had to seal her memory and start a new cycle.
However, this was futile. As the deduction continued, she still fell into the abyss of despair.
Such a person not only failed to save herself and her master, but also brought suffering to her Martial Sisters.
Bai Lian felt the urge to retreat.
Even if she killed Red Dust Heavenly Lord, she would still die, not to mention the fact that there is a high probability she would fail to kill her. Was what she was doing worth it?
Isn’t it better to return now, live peacefully with her master and Martial Sisters for a few hundred years, wait for a new Blank Tao to arise, and then face death calmly, rather than rushing to die now?
Deep into the night, Bai Lian floated quietly in the air, motionless.
