Chapter 2165: Heart Toward Crystal
She gently placed Shen Wuyi into the healing profound formation. Shen Wuyouluan set up a simple isolation barrier, a cluster of gentle profound light coalescing between her fingers, then slowly flowing through that delicate, frail body.
But Shen Wuyi, who should have been deeply unconscious, slowly opened her eyes at this moment. Then she struggled to sit up, her movements weak but carrying a stubborn persistence.
"Wuyi!"
Shen Wuyouluan quickly moved forward, lifting Shen Wuyi's upper body: "Don't move. Calm your consciousness. The Venerable One no longer intends to punish you."
Shen Wuyi did not close her eyes. Instead, she uttered a voice as soft as a breeze brushing silk: "She... just obtained the Abyss Heart Vine, and I am severely injured like this... Her gaze is not here, and the gaze of the Pure Land has not turned here either."
Shen Wuyouluan understood her intention. She wanted to persuade Shen Wuyi to put aside whatever matter for later, but considering her temperament, she knew that unless it was an extremely important matter, she would never be like this. So she gently lowered her head, moving even closer to her lips: "Alright, speak."
The bloodless lips parted slightly, murmuring dreamlike whispers: "In the midst of heaven and earth's dense vital forces, all things transform and mature; when male and female are properly matched, the order of heaven and earth is established..."
"...!" Shen Wuyouluan suddenly raised her head, looking at Shen Wuyi with a face full of shock. For a full several breaths, she barely managed to calm her churning emotions, lowering her voice and saying, "Wuyi, you... have regained your memories?"
Those moon-like eyes, weak to the point of unfocus, stared fixedly at her: "So... that marriage contract... really exists..."
Shen Wuyouluan was stunned, at a loss for a moment. She could only lower her posture and voice further, her voice trembling slightly: "Who said these words to you? What exactly did you encounter in the Shen Mian Forbidden Domain?"
Shen Wuyi slowly raised her hand, with immense difficulty pressing her finger against the back of Shen Wuyouluan's hand, expressing her determination: "If it were you... now... show it to me... now..."
Her breath was this weak, and she was completely relying on willpower to forcibly sustain herself, yet she said "now" twice.
Shen Wuyouluan's expression was complex and hard to describe. This brief hesitation of hers was undoubtedly an admission.
She was about to speak when she heard another soft murmur from Shen Wuyi: "It... decides my... fate..."
Shen Wuyouluan had never seen her persist to such a degree. Without further hesitation, she bit her teeth slightly, her hand quickly reached into her personal space... In an instant, she took out a foot-long Abyss Crystal, emitting a rather strong Abyss Crystal aura.
With her movement, the Abyss Crystal split open from the middle. The inside had been carefully hollowed out. Shen Wuyouluan carefully took out a rolled jade slip from within.
What was engraved on the jade slip was clearly the first three seals of the Jing Shen Seal. As the core profound art of the Eternal Night Divine Kingdom, it was only natural that it would be so carefully concealed.
But as Shen Wuyouluan gently breathed out her profound energy, the jade slip was silently shattered. From within the fragments, pieces of bloodstained torn scroll floated out.
Shen Wuyouluan's hand traced a circle in the void. These torn pieces immediately assembled orderly in midair. In an instant, they pieced together a large red paper scroll that was tattered and over seventy percent stained with blood, yet every word remained clear.
Especially the opening word "Marriage Contract," which so clearly entered Shen Wuyi's eyes, making even her blurred vision become clear.
No one knew how great a risk Shen Wuyouluan had taken to conceal this marriage contract... because she knew that this was Shen Wuyi's only proof to reclaim her past.
Shen Wuyi's unfocused, beautiful eyes overflowed with an indescribable, strange radiance. The words on it instantly entered her heart and sea of consciousness... exactly matching what Yun Che had recited in the forbidden domain, not a single character off.
At the end of the marriage contract, she saw the names "Xiao Che" and "Xia Qingyue," and beneath their birth dates and times, the two complete and deep fingerprints.
Her trembling fingers picked up that torn sleeve from Yun Che. The fingerprint on it perfectly overlapped with the fingerprint on the marriage contract in her clearly blurry vision.
Equally overlapping were the finger ring on her right finger and the delicate fingerprint beneath Xia Qingyue's name.
"..." The moonlight at the bottom of her eyes shook violently. Her fingers curled unconsciously.
That was... my past...
So I was not a person without a past...
So I am not a rootless duckweed...
Xia Qingyue... that was my former name... my true name...
Cangfeng Liuyun...
A surname that does not exist in this world, a birthplace that does not exist in this world...
Yun Che... Xiao Che...
Homeland...
So I...
"Aunt..." She closed her eyes, her voice as faint as a dream: "Erase... the traces..."
Her hand fell limply, and her consciousness finally sank completely into silence.
Shen Wuyouluan gently laid Shen Wuyi down, then quickly put away the marriage contract and torn sleeve, concealing them within the aura of the Abyss Crystal.
But her state of mind was already so chaotic that it took a long time to calm.
Back then, when she found Shen Wuyi in the Mist Sea, she judged from the marriage contract she carried that she was not from this world, and was very likely from the Eternal Pure Land. Because there was no "Cangfeng Liuyun" or surname "Xia" in this world.
But she knew that if this secret was exposed, Shen Wuyi's fate would never be free. Out of compassion, she hid it on her person, intending to return it to her after she recovered... but she never expected that Shen Wuyanye would detect her Nine-Xuan Exquisite Body, forcing her to become the Eternal Night Divine Maiden.
In Shen Wuyouluan's view, becoming the Eternal Night Divine Maiden was far more tragic than the secret of coming from the Eternal Pure Land being exposed. So she always had an unspeakable guilt towards Shen Wuyi.
She just never expected that this secret would be so suddenly uncovered by Shen Wuyi herself, so unexpectedly.
She could not predict what kind of end this sudden twist of fate would lead to.
But no matter what, the Eternal Night Divine Kingdom could never be more dark and lightless than it was now.
————
Yun Che had been healing himself for a long time. Both his injuries and profound energy had mostly recovered. Although he deliberately dragged out the time, in Hua Caili's eyes, it was still astonishingly fast.
"As expected of Light Profound Force. It feels even more powerful than before."
She leaned against Yun Che's shoulder, smiling sweetly: "Aunt previously reminded me that people who can derive Light Profound Force have particularly pure hearts deep down, and told me not to bully you, relying on your favor. I feel like Aunt treats me a little better than you do... hee hee."
Those words that seemed like jealousy were actually filled with pure joy.
Yun Che smiled slightly: "All the goodness Aunt shows me is because of you, and for you."
He stood up, stretching his upper body: "Alright, we should go back now."
"Okay!" Hua Caili put away the Glazed Cloud Sword, muttering: "This Shen Mian Forbidden Domain was described as so mysterious and unfathomable. I thought it would be a place with many strange features and special opportunities. But it looks just like the Mist Sea, except with a few more Abyss Ghosts."
Yun Che said: "Since it is a place where gods fell, there should indeed have been many divine legacies here before. But, after all, it belongs to the Pure Land. Any originally existing divine legacies would have long been thoroughly searched and left nothing behind by the Pure Land's countless expeditions. Otherwise, why would they be so generous as to open it to the Divine Kingdoms?"
Hua Caili nodded deeply in agreement: "Exactly. I wonder why that hateful Shen Wuyi would want such a strange reward."
As she spoke, she suddenly remembered... it seemed the Abyss Emperor still owed her a favor.
Yun Che grabbed with his hand, and the Po Xu Divine Jade he had discarded earlier flew back between his fingers. Hua Caili's eyes immediately showed confusion, and she blurted out: "Brother Yun, when you encountered danger earlier, why didn't you immediately use the Po Xu Divine Jade to escape? Was it that Shen Wuyi attacked you from behind when you weren't prepared?"
Yun Che opened his mouth, as if to answer, but suddenly thought of something, his expression drastically changing: "Damn it!"
He suddenly turned and rapidly rushed into the Abyss Mist behind them.
"Huh? Brother Yun!"
Hua Caili shouted in surprise and quickly followed. But Yun Che's speed did not slow down at all. Only the aura on his body was mixed with increasingly intense anxiety and unease.
After a while, Yun Che finally stopped.
The Abyss Mist ahead was dense, suffocatingly thick. A dark Abyss mouth gaped open in the earth, releasing a terrifying aura that made one's soul tremble.
"Is this... a Death Abyss?"
Hua Caili stood beside Yun Che, murmuring in surprise. This was also the first time she had personally witnessed the legendary Death Abyss that only existed deep within the Mist Sea.
Yun Che extended his hand, palm facing the location of the Death Abyss, his profound energy and soul breath continuously surging, gradually taking on a bit of panic and irritability.
"Brother Yun, what exactly happened?" Hua Caili asked with concern.
Yun Che slowly closed his five fingers, let out a long breath, and his voice carried a hint of difficulty: "Earlier, I was surrounded by several Abyss Ghosts, and my Yunli Sword accidentally fell into it..."
"Ah!?" Hua Caili cried out in shock, finally knowing why he had become so panicked.
"The Yunli Sword is connected to my soul breath, but now, I can no longer sense its existence at all."
Yun Che's voice seemed to try to remain calm, but still leaked an irrepressible loss: "I didn't choose to escape immediately even in danger earlier because I was afraid I would never find the Yunli Sword again. But... it seems..."
"..." Hua Caili parted her lips, momentarily unsure how to comfort him. She could only press her body a little closer to him.
Once it falls into a Death Abyss, all things return to nothing. This understanding accompanied every record about Death Abysses.
Yun Che took a slight breath, withdrew his hand, and then seemed to smile in relief. He instead comforted Hua Caili: "It's done. It can't be helped. Master often says, to gain is fortune, to lose is fate. He surely won't blame me."
"Mm!"
"...Let's go."
The two Po Xu Divine Jade shattered simultaneously, carrying Yun Che and Hua Caili away from the Shen Mian Forbidden Domain.
The moment their figures disappeared, from within the silent Death Abyss came what seemed like an ancient demonic chant, vanishing in an instant into the dim Abyss Mist.
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"That is our homeland, not their Eternal Pure Land!"
"If people from the Abyss set foot there, all beings in the homeland will become lambs to the slaughter..."
"The selfishness and coldness you see in yourself are because your body and soul are both rejecting this world!"
"You are Xia Qingyue..."
"Are the Empress of the Eternal Pure Land..."
"I need your help..."
"No matter what... we must... stop..."
"..."
Shen Wuyi suddenly woke up, sitting upright. Instantly, sharp pain swept through her entire body, but she gritted her jade-like teeth, not letting out a single soft moan.
The surroundings were completely silent, no one by her side. Only the healing profound formation was operating silently.
Her five senses quickly recovered clarity. She slowly rose, walked outside, stood in the Pure Land, gazing into the distant sky.
A gentle breeze came. Her pitch-black robes fluttered lightly in the wind. The still-damp bloodstains on the hem had congealed into dark marks, like residual red blooming on an ink painting, adorning a shattered, tragic beauty.
Her jade-like face was as pale as frost and snow, her lips devoid of color. Only her eyelashes were long and delicate like butterfly wings, casting shallow shadows on her pale face. Around her, the undispersed aura of Abyss erosion formed a thin gray mist, making her look like a star about to fall in the dark night, cold and solitary, yet carrying a soul-shaking charm.
Her gaze was cast far towards the pure white horizon. The bottom of her eyes, which had once condensed ice, had now shed their indifference and sharpness, leaving only a deep, profound stillness.
Another gust of wind brushed past, stirring the scattered hair at her temples and the light strands on her forehead, but she remained utterly unaware. Her thoughts had long drifted to her brief past and the unknown path ahead.
Cangfeng Liuyun...
Xia Qingyue...
Homeland...
Empress...
Yun Che... Xiao Che...
She stood clearly in the immaculate Pure Land, bathed in flawless heavenly light, yet it seemed as if boundless night mist coiled around her solitary figure, making her appear even colder and more isolated in this vast world.
It’s all true...
Everything he said... is true...
She slowly closed her eyes. But what emerged in her sea of consciousness were still the deep, inextricable tenderness and determination in those eyes.
She gently clenched her hands... in her palms, it seemed there still remained the residual warmth of that bloodstained sleeve.
Her body and soul had always been silently rejecting this world.
But that man made her senses and heart actively draw closer and be drawn...
Her eyes opened, rippling with stunning waves. But within her sea of consciousness, there was still the man’s voice:
"I am probably the person in this world most afraid of death. Because if I die... if someday you recover your memories, you will be heartbroken; and even more so because if I die, my homeland... our homeland, will forever fall into an unpredictable, irresistible abyss of doom."
Her hand unconsciously pressed against her chest, sensing her own heart beating in complete disorder.
Even the thick gloom that had originally filled her heart seemed to be quickly dispelled by this voice.
"And I, a mere Divine Lord realm, must, within no more than forty-plus years, stop the activation of the next Void-Breaking Array... For this, I must stop at nothing!"
Forty-plus years...
Must stop...
...
If the path ahead is a sea of confusion, then listen to the voice of the heart.
For it is the most exquisite, the flawless, the crystal-clear guidance.
...
She suddenly turned. When her gaze projected forward again, it had returned to a deep, icy coldness.
Since that's the case...
The last page of the [Secret Canon] must be unveiled early...
Then...
Shen Wuyanye!
I allow you...
to... repay... your... debt... early!
———
Just as Yun Che and Hua Caili walked out of the Void-Breaking Array, Meng Jianxi immediately met them. After carefully observing Yun Che for a moment, she breathed a silent sigh of relief: "It seems you encountered a fierce battle, but fortunately nothing serious."
Yun Che was slightly stunned, then realized something. He gave Meng Jianxi a faint smile, a thousand words unspoken.
But Hua Caili caught sight of DuGu Zhuyuan waiting there, and asked in surprise: "Uncle DuGu, shouldn't you be fighting Aunt on the Abyss Heaven? I remember the shortest time before was three days. This time... could it be over already?"
DuGu Zhuyuan suddenly let out a meaningful sigh, his expression also complex.
This reaction piqued Yun Che's interest. He said offhandedly: "Could it be that Aunt... Sword Immortal senior had some business to attend to?"
DuGu Zhuyuan glanced at them, hesitated, then still said: "This time was my last battle with the Sword Immortal. From now on, there is no need to fight anymore."
"Eh?" Hua Caili was completely confused: "Why?"
DuGu Zhuyuan shook his head, not giving a clear answer: "The Abyss Divine Son is injured. You should go rest early."
Although Hua Caili was full of doubts, she did not press further and left with Yun Che.
After they had gone far, DuGu Zhuyuan let out a long, deep sigh, mumbling in a somewhat dazed voice: "So it turns out that her title as Sword Immortal is not because she can only be a Sword Immortal, but because she is only willing to be a Sword Immortal."
"Forcibly holding onto mortal thoughts, only for Caili... In this life, I am already destined to be unable to compare, unable to reach."
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