CH 45

Feng Ci had voluntarily entered the Phantom Spirit Cauldron in search of Pei QianYue. Because of this, after he cracked the magic behind it, the Phantom Spirit Cauldron automatically sent him to where he wanted to go.

—An illusion created using Pei QianYue’s memories as the foundation. 

LingWu Mountain 300 years ago.

In the last few days, Feng Ci has tried more than once to figure out what exactly happened back then, but Pei QianYue had remained closed-mouthed about it to the end. Feng Ci had a general guess that this most likely wasn’t a very good experience.

It just never occurred to him that he’d learned about the truth in this kind of fashion.

Silently sighing, Feng Ci walked into the forest. 

Previously, when he was inside Hanshan Temple’s secret realm, he had already visited LingWu mountain once so he was actually pretty familiar with this forest path. With ease, Feng Ci headed towards the center of the forest. After walking for a slight distance, he saw the entrance of that familiar cavern.

Feng Ci was just about to enter the cavern when he heard rustling in the grass.

Following the sound, he looked over and saw a black snake slowly crawling through the grass.

The black snake’s matured body was as thick as a man’s arm. Its serpent scales were covered with a complicated and gorgeous pattern. Traversing quietly in the grass, it suddenly looked back slightly as if sensing something.

Revealing a pair of bright golden eyes.

The same as the eyes in Feng Ci’s memories.

The black snake glanced towards Feng Ci’s direction. Not seeing anything, it turned around and continued to slither towards the cavern. When reaching the entrance of the cavern, it instantly transformed into human form. The man’s appearance was no different from the Pei QianYue that Feng Ci knew; however, the aura surrounding him was much more gentle. This made him seem more youthful than the him in reality.

In his hands, he held a freshly picked pink bouquet of flowers, which was still covered in the morning dew. 

Eyes slightly lowered and carrying a faint smile, Pei QianYue said softly: “Master, I’m back.”

The man walked into the cavern. Finally, Feng Ci walked out from behind the tree.

He had guessed correctly. This was indeed an illusion created from Pei QianYue’s memories. Furthermore, to ensure that Pei QianYue did not doubt the authenticity of this illusion, the him inside the illusion has completely returned to the past, back to how he was before everything had happened.

Feng Ci’s body has yet to vanish. His eyes also have yet to lose sight. 

The cruelest aspect of this magic item was right here.

First it peeks into the intruder’s memories and finds the most painful memory of their life. Then it creates an illusion and drags the person inside it to make them re-experience the pain all over again, step by step.

Although LingWu Mountain looked completely normal right now, Feng Ci knew that soon, something was bound to happen.

As for how to break through this illusion, it’s actually not that difficult. 

The existence of illusions depends on a person’s consciousness. Everything that happens inside an illusion is created to trick the consciousness. As long as the person’s consciousness wakes up and realizes that everything they are seeing were fake, the illusion will naturally unravel.

But this doesn’t mean that Feng Ci can just charge directly in front of Pei QianYue and wake him up.

People, who are trapped inside illusions, automatically resist everything and everyone from the outside world that attempts to break the illusion.

If Feng Ci fails in his attempt to wake up Pei QianYue, it’s very likely he might attract Pei QianYue’s hostility. Everything inside this illusion is created from Pei QianYue’s consciousness. If he turns hostile towards Feng Ci, the least he can do is push Feng Ci out of the illusion; the worst of the possibilities is completely shattering Feng Ci’s soul. 

He couldn’t take this gamble.

Feng Ci stood in place and pondered for a moment. Then he carefully hid his presence and entered the cavern.

Like his encounter in Hanshan Temple’s secret realm, the internal configuration of this cavern was very complicated, with countless caves and tunnels. However, it wasn’t actually hard to find Pei QianYue’s location because he’s been speaking continuously with someone.

Feng Ci followed that soft yet gentle voice and reached the deep part of the cavern. 

In this deep area, there was a stone bed.

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After transforming into human form, those golden eyes have also turned into a normal black color. However, they were still very beautiful. Those clear and bright eyes held a devoted tenderness and warmth, a unique kind of love. 

Very beautiful and also extremely breathtaking.

Feng Ci stood behind a stone wall, staring at the man’s profile, finding it very hard to look away from the other’s face.

He suddenly felt somewhat regretful.

How could he have left such a breathtaking person here alone, trapped deep inside this mountain for so many years. 

Pei QianYue started talking again: “……Master, I’ve learned all the mystic texts you left behind. Today I also practiced sword arts 30 times.”

“Just how much longer will it take for me to reach your level.”

“A few days ago, people tried to break through LingWu Mountain’s magic arrays again. They said that this mountain holds the method for ascension.” Speaking here, Pei QianYue chucked softly: “If only that were true.”

Pei QianYue chatted endlessly with the young man. 

The Pei QianYue in reality usually didn’t like to talk too much in front of Feng Ci, but it was different inside this illusion. He talked about everything he saw and heard regardless of importance. Even something trivial, like how many fox cubs were born in the fox nest near the entrance of the cavern, was a topic for conversation for a very long time.

“…… Oh right, today I also encountered someone at the foot of the mountain. He said he’s called Rong Ji, the current LangFeng City Master. He told me many things.”

“Apparently after all of these years, Master’s successors still exist in this world. They still worship Master.”

“But they all say that you’ve died.” 

“How can that be? You said you’d come back.”

Leaning against the side of the bed, Pei QianYue reached out and gently took the young man’s hand. Just holding it lightly, as if afraid he’d cause a disturbance.

“Rong Ji said I was crazy. I beat him up.” A happy and ruthless smile rose from the corners of Pei QianYue’s mouth: “If he says those kinds of words again in the future, I’ll kill him.”

Back pressed against the stone wall, Feng Ci gently closed his eyes. 

Pei QianYue’s low voice echoed within the cavern. He spoke for a very long time, speaking until he had absolutely nothing else to say in the end, before finally falling silent.

Feng Ci turned his head and looked over. Pei QianYue had his head lowered and buried in the young man’s palm, unmoving.

A long time later, Pei QianYue’s slightly stuffy and muffled voice could finally be heard again inside the cavern: “I really…… miss you very much.”

The flow of time inside the illusion passed very quickly. The exchange between night and day was only but a mere instant. 

For consecutive days, nothing happened in LingWu Mountain.

Feng Ci watched as Pei QianYue left the cavern every morning to practice martial arts and bring back a bundle of flowers for the young man upon his return. Then he’d speak with the young man for a while and read some of the mystic text that was left behind.

Repeating day after day, this kind of life could be considered dry and uninteresting.

Yet in this kind of dry and uninteresting life, he had passed 3000 years. 

The longer Feng Ci watched, the more unsettled he became. He did really want to know what happened in the past, but if the price was letting Pei QianYue relive everything again, he’d rather forsake it.

A slithering rustle came from the entrance of the cavern again. Feng Ci hid behind the stone wall and quietly made a decision.

If he can’t find an opportunity to wake Pei QianYue up from this illusion, he can only take the risk of appearing in person in front of this person.

It’s better than waiting endlessly like this. 

A light appeared outside of the cave. It should be Pei QianYue transforming into his human form. Feng Ci took a deep breath and was just about to walk outside when he heard the other suddenly say: “Who’s there?”

Feng Ci halted in place.

But he very quickly realized that Pei QianYue wasn’t speaking to him.

Without any warning, a figure in plain white appeared at the entrance of the cavern. Feng Ci turned and looked over. He saw the other’s hair which practically fell to the floor, as well as the profile view of that handsome and peerless face. 

“……Master.” Pei QianYue was stunned.

The young man stood at the intersection of light and shadow at the entrance of the cavern and gave him a faint smile: “Long time no see, Xiao Hei.”

Feng Ci had once thought that perhaps Pei QianYue did something or perhaps someone else secretly did something, which caused his physical body to wake up as a puppet.

But none of this happened. 

His physical body just woke up without any warning at all.

In other words, the mysterious person had acted very covertly. Not only was Pei QianYue unable to notice anything, even Feng Ci, the outside observer, was unable to see any flaws.

But it wasn’t completely flawless.

Crash— 

The young man fell to the ground, knocking over the porcelain flower vase placed at the head of the bed, as well as the fresh flowers that Pei QianYue had picked this morning.

“Master!” Pei QianYue walked over to his side quickly and helped him up: “Be careful.”

Pei QianYue supported him and moved him back to a sitting position at the bedside. Without even looking at the flowers and broken pieces of porcelain scattered on the ground, he asked quietly: “What do you want to do? I’ll help you.”

The young man ignored him. 

Face extremely pale white, he looked down at his hands, expression still blank and indifferent: “This body……”

Pei QianYue said: “Perhaps it’s because Master hasn’t used this body in a very long time, your soul is temporarily unable to integrate with it. Just wait a few days and—”

“It’s already been 10 days.” The young man said: “Completely without any spirit energy, and having trouble moving about…… Does this make me useless now?”

The young man’s tone was very slow, like he wasn’t too used to speaking. When he said these words, his expression did not change at all, as if he were only describing a very trivial matter. 

“No!” Pei QianYue’s voice was a rare kind of panic. He took a deep breath before finally softening his tone: “I will figure out a plan. You won’t be like this forever…… I won’t allow you to stay like this forever.”

The young man looked towards him.

He gazed at Pei QianYue for a very long time. His expression was puzzled at first, but then became understanding: “You’re afraid I’d leave?”

Stunned, Pei QianYue lowered his eyes. 

Of course he was afraid.

He was afraid that the young man might just leave again because his soul couldn’t integrate with his physical body; that if he left, he might never return again.

“You’re afraid of losing what you’ve regained.” The young man said softly: “I understand now.”

Pei QianYue frowned slightly, as if sensing something: “Master?” 

The young man raised his hand little by little.

His movement still remained very stiff. He touched the sides of Pei QianYue’s face with both hands and gently lifted Pei QianYue’s head.

“I won’t leave.” The young man looked at Pei QianYue with serene eyes and said warmly: “Don’t be afraid.”

The distance between the two people instantly closed up. Pei QianYue has never been this close to his master; the roots of his ears burned faintly. 

He subconsciously shifted his gaze: “Master, do you still remember that LangFeng City Master I know? LangFeng City is the number 1 sect in this world. I can go ask him. Perhaps they have a method.”

The young man let go and slowly nodded: “Okay.”

Pei QianYue swiftly left the cavern. The view of his retreating back looked a bit like he was fleeing in panic. Feng Ci walked out from behind the stone wall, but he didn’t follow.

He looked at the young man sitting on the stone bed with a complicated expression. 

This young man in front of him was clearly a soulless shell. His movement and conduct were both terrifyingly stiff. His words and actions were only based on the memories and personality he had inherited from Feng Ci’s head, as well as the emotions he felt from Pei QianYue.

But Pei QianYue didn’t doubt his identity the slightest.

It’s unknown if this was because Pei QianYue was blinded by concern or he had already sensed that something was wrong, but didn’t want to acknowledge it.

Feng Ci sighed silently. He was just about to walk away from the stone wall when he suddenly halted in his steps. 

A wild gust of wind suddenly blew without reason inside the cavern, scattering the items placed within the cave everywhere. The young man’s clothes fluttered under the gust of wind. He looked up. A big and tall figure completely shrouded in white mist appeared quietly in front of him.

It’s very hard to describe the appearance of this person. His facial features were completely hidden inside the white mist. Even his gender and age were unclear. But just standing there, he seemed dignified and solemn, making all living beings want to kneel and bow unconsciously.

Feng Ci’s pupils constricted abruptly.

He has seen this person before. 

The day that he prayed for the Heavenly Principles to descend upon this world and save humankind from calamity.

—The Heavenly Principles.

The young man called out quietly: “Father.”

Almost looking down condescendingly, that white misty figure spoke. An ancient and distant voice could be heard within the cavern. 

“The power contained in this body is too powerful. To awaken it fully, you must obtain something from a living being with extremely powerful spiritual energy.”

“Only through their willing sacrifice can you recover the power of its soul and possess immortality.”

“You must be quick. There’s not much time left……”

The Heavenly Principle’s figure faded from the cavern following that ancient and distant voice. Feng Ci stared at the place where he disappeared, dazed, and feeling a chill from his head to his toe. 

So this was what happened……

The Heavenly Principles had sent down divine powers to turn his physical body into a puppet, but this puppet wasn’t perfect. To help the puppet recover his powers, someone needed to make a sacrifice willingly.

A powerful demon(妖) who has cultivated for 3000 years— What else in this world can compare to his eyes?

Who else within this world would still sacrifice willingly for him? 

Was he the one who took away Pei QianYue’s eyes…… with his own bare hands?