Chapter 40. One day, he would return after overcoming tribulations

Proofread by Blossom & Lucia

Guarding the heart of a formation was qi as undefiable as an emperor’s decree.

Stars were scattered all around, streams overflowed the lands.

A light was suspended in the air, flickering weakly in the violent gales of the mist.

Changming heard countless chaotic voices.

Yet he stood firmly till the end.

Because he was waiting.

Waiting for others to lose patience first.

The Liuhe Zhutian Formation, a one-of-a-kind masterpiece in the world, blessed with fortune, was created painstakingly by the collaborative efforts of the greatest masters.

With the completion of this formation, the Sacred Mountain Wan would be wholly sealed, and demons would henceforth never again bring calamity to the Human realm via access through the mountain.

There was never any doubt as to the truth of it.

To ensure that nothing would go wrong, he did a pre-examination of every nook of the formation meticulously, making sure that it had not been tampered with by any ill-intentioned persons.

The six masters only needed to take their positions, and, if no one made a mistake, the Liuhe Zhutian Formation could be completed.

Even if something unforeseen were to happen midway through, Changming would be skilled enough to bring it under control.

Huh?

Something felt wrong…

Confused screams were getting louder.

The thick fog had increased in density, obscuring the brilliant illumination of the formation, leaving a weak flickering luminescence before his straining eyes.

It was about to die out!

With a swift sword technique, Changming strengthened the spiritual powers around the formation, succeeding in revitalising the dying light.

But it would not last long.

The demonic qi, hidden in the thick fog, was leaking out insidiously in thousands of filaments and myriads of threads.

Though unable to make out the situation of the other guardians of the formation, judging by the frantic screams, Changming had a sense of foreboding.

Without much ado, he flicked a wrist to issue a new command.

“Sword, come.”

The Sifei Sword flew out, shielding him and warding off the evil spirits while dispersing the thick fog.

Seeing the scene that unfolded clearly before him, Changming frowned heavily.

Pointing swords at each other, those who had been supporting the formation from outside were now fighting fiercely.

With chillingly reddened eyes, past companions attacked one another mercilessly, slicing off body parts and shoving them into their mouths gluttonously, as if they had been starving for three days and three nights straight.

Blood was flowing in rivers, bodies were lying all over in red-stained grass.

But not a trace of demons could be seen.

With the formation incomplete, enemies in the dark had won without staining their weapons with blood, simply by disintegrating their forces.

Friends turned against each other, swinging swords with killing intentions, but the guardians of the Liuhe Zhutian Formation, who were engrossed in protecting it, moved not an inch.

At this time, a strong gust of wind came from the right.

Changming flinched and swiftly erected a barrier of spiritual powers.

But that gust of wind swept past him, aiming at the cultivators to his left.

He turned to the direction from whence the wind came.

Though the sudden wind shrouded the place with dense fog once more, the expression of the one standing in the fog was faintly discernible, and Changming only captured his smile well.

That was…!

The lamps went out one by one.

The rising and falling of screams filled the air, and the formation barrier, with its initial hairline crack visibly spreading, could shatter into pieces any moment.

When one of the formation guardians fell, leaving a gap bereft of protection, it was difficult to tell how long the other could hold their positions.

The failure of the Liuhe Zhutian Formation seemed inevitable.

It was fortunate that Changming was prepared. Should the formation collapse, a new one would arise, resisting the opening of a passage for the schemers. 

Even if it were so, the evildoers would definitely be reluctant to destroy the Sacred Mountain Wan which held countless treasures within its depth. Instead, they would attempt to modify the formation, building a new one that would not only conceal their goals, but also turn it into a stronghold for their nefarious schemes.

As for Changming—

So long as he was alive, there would be hope.

After all, one day, he would…

Return after overcoming tribulations.

…

Changming trembled slightly.

Following the rocking of the boat, his head tilted to the side, and some fresh blood ran down from the corner of his mouth.

The jade crown that tied up his hair was long since gone. His long hair, half-white, gradually turning black near the hair root, was scattered on his shoulders.

Yu Qiang could not help but gaze at him once more.

Truly beautiful, like an immortal.

But why is he wounded so seriously?

Cultivators who came to the island in search of treasures had not heard of anyone receiving a wound that severe. All of them had returned empty-handed, as she did. The storm was quieting down, and with it, their ambitions.

Yu Qiang’s cultivation level was low, and she had jumped on the bandwagon to gain some experience and watch the excitement. When she heard that the flood dragon was causing trouble, she had naturally not dared venture out, hiding instead in the ship’s hold with the boatman.

When the others had gone out to assess the situation, she had remained behind, cautiously studying the unconscious man.

“Daoyou, are you alright?”

Unsurprisingly, Changming could not answer her.

Her: my raws say ‘him’, I assume it’s a mistake

Yu Qiang saw the blood dribble unceasingly from the corner of his mouth, sliding down his cheek towards his earlobe. She felt a sudden compulsion to wipe it away with her sleeve.

Just when her sleeve touched Changming, a hand grabbed her wrist.

Surprisingly, Yu Qiang hadn’t noticed him approaching.

She raised her head, startled.

The man’s companion, who had just gone out to battle against the flood dragon with the others, was now watching her with a face devoid of expression.

Yun Weisi was drenched, but his gaze on the female cultivator was frightening.

Feeling an invisible power oppress her, Yu Qiang snatched back her hand and silently took a step back.

“I, I didn’t mean any harm.”

Yun Weisi did not bother responding, bending over to sense Changming’s inner breath through his pulse. In a little while, he took out the Dragon Pearl and released it above Changming’s forehead.

The pearl was floating in the air, emitting faint glows. Like revolving stars, these rays entered his body.

The white hair darkened at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Yu Qiang gazed blankly at the remarkable phenomenon.

She was not the only one astounded at the sight. Those who returned from watching the fuss outside were all staring, agogged.

“A Dragon Pearl!”

Someone shouted, instantly stirring up a commotion.

It was a priceless cultivation treasure, the essence of a flood dragon’s cultivation accumulated over several centuries, gathered in a pearl.

Such a treasure it was that, while not being able to transform a non-cultivator into an immortal, granting its bearer a prolonged lifespan was an assured certainty!

And imagine the wonders it would do in the hands of a cultivator, especially one who had the strength, determination and compatibility! Advancing in one’s cultivation by leaps and bounds would surely be within one’s grasp!

Having searched high and low in vain for the treasures rumoured to be found on the island, now that a peerless treasure had appeared out of the blue, covetous eyes lit up one by one, as bees to honeypot!

The winner takes it all, and the weak falls prey to the strong. To seize the prized possession, ruthlessness must be the name of the game!

Any righteousness the cultivators had was scattered to the four winds as greed overtook them.

A multitude of grasping hands stretched out towards the luminescent orb, heedless of any who would witness their thievery.

If you could get hold of a Dragon Pearl, who would care how you got it!

The man in the foremost suddenly felt his body become light, and was the first to fly forcibly out of the ship’s hold, with the others similarly kicked out in succession! 

His mind went blank, and everything happened so fast that he had no time to react.

As the man sailed through the air, he saw the others being ejected almost simultaneously, some with their own swords piercing their bodies, he could only congratulate himself for being lucky. 

The lucky cultivator had only wanted to grab the pearl, bore no killing intention, and did not use a spiritual weapon; otherwise, his dignity might not have been the only thing he lost!

With this thought, the man fell heavily into the lake, and water poured in through his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, shattering all his thoughts.

Having learned a lesson from the sorry plight of the others, the remaining two female cultivators did not dare move.

Yu Qiang had had no intention to attack from the beginning. She was silently watching the beauty illuminated by the glowing pearl. His face was no longer that pale, even regaining the healthy color.

And the pearl’s rays were getting dimmer.

Finally, the light went out completely, and the pearl reverted to a normal lustrousness that might pass it off as a fake from an antique store.

Yun Weisi reached out with his hand, and the pearl fell into his palm.

He looked at Changming’s hair. It had not regained all its original color, remaining snow-white near the hair ends.

But nothing else could be done—they only had this one Dragon Pearl and the flood dragon hadn’t finished refining the second one yet.

With the pearl in hand, Yun Weisi went out from the hold.

“Long Qing.”

Obviously, she was not yet a dragon, but still insisted on taking the last name of Long.

Long: lit. dragon.

With a splash, a half of the dragon’s head popped out of the water.

She had suppressed her vigour to the minimum, but the ship still swayed violently.

“You finished that fast?”

The dragon suddenly howled in grief.

“Couldn’t you have left me even a teeny bit! How could you deplete it completely!”

Yun Weisi, evenly: “He is wounded severely.”

He tossed the pearl over, and the dragon raised her head to catch it with her mouth.

That somehow resembled a dog holding a ball in its mouth.

Yun Weisi wisely kept his thought to himself.

Otherwise, the ship would have probably been flipped and capsized.

“For you.”

He threw over the tassel of the Chunzhao Sword.

Certainly, it was cut off and fell to the ground previously, but then appeared again, as if the workings of ghosts.

It’s probably about the previous memory

“What is it?”

The flood dragon chewed it, and was about to swallow it, only to find it unpalatable.

“A collateral. I owe you a favor, and I will return it later.”

The flood dragon: “Then why don’t you pay it back now! I want to eat lobsters from the Donghai Sea, help me gather a bucket ah!”

Yun Weisi: “…it’s inconvenient now. We have to go.”

Not waiting for a response, he flew back to the hold, picked up Changming and jumped into the lake, disappearing without a trace.

The two never re-emerged from the water.

Fluttering black hair with white ends became the last of Yu Qiang’s impressions of the two mysterious men.

They had appeared out of nowhere, and vanished just as suddenly.

She had not even known their names or sects.

Years henceforth, Yu Qiang would give up cultivating and wed a common man. Within a few decades, her hair went gray and her teeth were lost, but she never forgot what happened on the boat that day.

Hair went gray and her teeth were lost: get old

When the flood dragon saw them enter the water, she sank as well. But try as she might, she could not find a single strand of hair, much less the bodies!

…

Changming spit out a mouthful of water and gradually came to his senses.

“Next time… don’t use a method like launching into the water to leave.”

He had been caught off guard, his mouth and nose chock full of water. As he regained his clarity, Changming almost felt as if water was oozing from his head.

Yun Weisi said indifferently: “I do not want history to be altered again.”

He could not help feeling that something was amiss when they were leaving.

He had not wanted to change details that could affect the future.

Including everything that had happened in Yuru Town.

As well as anything pertaining to the Souls Gathering Pearl.

Changming said with a faint smile: “You used to get soft-hearted easily. You have not changed.”

Yun Weisi made no comment.

He, soft-hearted?

No matter in the human realm or within the Nine Layers of the Abyss, he had killed countless people and demons. Were the blood not cleansed from the Chunzhao Sword, the accumulated gore would have sunk it in a sea of blood.

He did not want destiny rewritten only because—

Deep in his heart, Yun Weisi vaguely knew the answer, but he refused to acknowledge it.

Although the Dragon Pearl had healed most of Changming’s wounds, bringing the man on his last breath back from the verge of death, his old injuries could not be healed in a short time.

“I saw this flood dragon afterwards—”

Almost coughing out half a lung, Changming swiped a thumb at the blood languishing at the corners of his mouth.

“In the Yellow Springs.”

Yun Weisi’s expression froze, and he looked at Changming.

The Yellow Springs, the place from which Changming had returned.

He had been trapped there for half a century, his consciousness in a turmoil, and his soul incomplete.

From a young age, the flood dragon had resided in the Penglai Lake and cultivated there. She was attached to her home, and nothing could have compelled to leave it. Why would she suddenly run to the Yellow Springs?

“She was shackled with iron chains. Magma was pouring down the cliff slowly, whittling away her scales one by one, and leaving her lacklustre and dull. When the old blood dried out, a new wound would open, day upon day.”

When Changming had chanced upon the hapless creature, he had wanted to intervene, to rescue the flood dragon and make a mount out of her.

But he soon discovered that the iron chain that bound her was an Eternally Freezing Chain, and that there were strange things guarding her. With his strength at that time, it would be suicidal to engage them.

Powerful as the flood dragon was, few people had ventured into the remote Penglai Lake. While the phenomenon manifested in the skies above the lake back then had lured many cultivators, who speculated that a spiritual weapon had appeared, to the site, the futile search had similarly dispersed the crowd.

Even if the weapon had existed, it would have in all likelihood been swallowed by that flood dragon; why would she wait for others to find it?

The only object of value remaining on the flood dragon’s body was the Dragon Pearl.

The strange thing was that the Dragon Pearl was with her that year in the Yellow Springs. Otherwise, she would not have been able to last for so long.

However, were it not for the Dragon Pearl, why would anyone imprison her, giving her no opportunity to escape for generations?

The chaotic sea was rippling and sparkling.

Warmly glowing stars were scattered across the heavens.

Yun Weisi put aside the intent of magistricide for the time being.

Changming smiled and stretched his arm out towards the closest light.

A snowstorm covered the earth, and the sky was filled with gloomy clouds.

Everything in front of him was in shades of ash-grey and white.

The grey was the gale that enveloped the mountain peak, and the white was snow and ice, blotting out the sky and obscuring the earth.

Changming had not expected to arrive at such a place. Involuntarily swallowing a mouthful of snow that swatted at his face, he stood unsteadily in the strong wind, backing away step by step.

Until he stumbled upon another person who grasped him by his waist, supporting him.

He looked back, squinting.

Ah, the first disciple came as well.

But he had no way to say it aloud, for the moment he opened his mouth, his words would be swallowed by the wind.

Yun Weisi moved to the side, pulling him along.

Although the blizzard was fierce, the path was fortunately unrugged. A wooden hut stood before them, its doors locked with forbidding iron chains, but it was no sweat for Yun Weisi.

With one sweep of his hand, the chains broke apart miserably.

The house was very small and crude, built of thatch and wood.

But it was utterly bare of furnishing. Though cultivators lived a comfortable life and meditated in beautiful temples, retreating to frozen and austere snow-covered lands on self-seclusion was not uncommon. 

A simple residence like this was no inconvenience for the duo.

It was way cosier than the raging blizzard outside.

However, entering a warm place after the bitter cold was too abrupt a change for Changming’s body, and he went into a short fit of violent coughing.

Before the second bout started, he forcibly suppressed it.

Because there was someone outside.

With heightened senses, he had picked up approaching footsteps amidst the howling wind.

Light, but staggered steps.

Obviously, it was a cultivator—one who bore injuries.

The two of them looked at each other, silencing their movements in tacit agreement.

Yun Weisi took a step forward to open the door.

Just as he raised his hand and touched the door, it was pushed open from the other side.

A person entered the room, staggering a few steps before falling heavily to the ground.

Yun Weisi: …

He had thought that he might meet himself after crossing time, but he hadn’t expected it to happen under such circumstances.

When “he” would be severely wounded and mentally confused.

“He” struggled to get up, raised his head, saw Yun Weisi and could not help but be startled.

The four eyes met. Past and present Yun Weisi locked gaze before each moving away their line of sight.

Shortly after, the Yun Weisi from the past simply passed out.

Changming drew out his words: “Since you are leery of altering the past, I think that it’s better for you to hide for a while.”

Present Yun Weisi was silent for a moment, then walked to the door. Following the opening and closing of the door, which seemed to hint of a certain dissatisfaction, he disappeared silently into the wind and snow.

Changming’s gaze fell on past Yun Weisi on the floor.

He brushed away his blood-stained hair, and a young, handsome face appeared.

Memories flooded his mind. Changming recalled.

This place was Shesheng Peak.

In the memories of past Yun Weisi, it had not been long since Changming had left the Yuhuang Temple.

Chapter 40. One day, he would return after overcoming tribulations

Proofread by Blossom & Lucia

Guarding the heart of a formation was qi as undefiable as an emperor’s decree.

Stars were scattered all around, streams overflowed the lands.

A light was suspended in the air, flickering weakly in the violent gales of the mist.

Changming heard countless chaotic voices.

Yet he stood firmly till the end.

Because he was waiting.

Waiting for others to lose patience first.

The Liuhe Zhutian Formation, a one-of-a-kind masterpiece in the world, blessed with fortune, was created painstakingly by the collaborative efforts of the greatest masters.

With the completion of this formation, the Sacred Mountain Wan would be wholly sealed, and demons would henceforth never again bring calamity to the Human realm via access through the mountain.

There was never any doubt as to the truth of it.

To ensure that nothing would go wrong, he did a pre-examination of every nook of the formation meticulously, making sure that it had not been tampered with by any ill-intentioned persons.

The six masters only needed to take their positions, and, if no one made a mistake, the Liuhe Zhutian Formation could be completed.

Even if something unforeseen were to happen midway through, Changming would be skilled enough to bring it under control.

Huh?

Something felt wrong…

Confused screams were getting louder.

The thick fog had increased in density, obscuring the brilliant illumination of the formation, leaving a weak flickering luminescence before his straining eyes.

It was about to die out!

With a swift sword technique, Changming strengthened the spiritual powers around the formation, succeeding in revitalising the dying light.

But it would not last long.

The demonic qi, hidden in the thick fog, was leaking out insidiously in thousands of filaments and myriads of threads.

Though unable to make out the situation of the other guardians of the formation, judging by the frantic screams, Changming had a sense of foreboding.

Without much ado, he flicked a wrist to issue a new command.

“Sword, come.”

The Sifei Sword flew out, shielding him and warding off the evil spirits while dispersing the thick fog.

Seeing the scene that unfolded clearly before him, Changming frowned heavily.

Pointing swords at each other, those who had been supporting the formation from outside were now fighting fiercely.

With chillingly reddened eyes, past companions attacked one another mercilessly, slicing off body parts and shoving them into their mouths gluttonously, as if they had been starving for three days and three nights straight.

Blood was flowing in rivers, bodies were lying all over in red-stained grass.

But not a trace of demons could be seen.

With the formation incomplete, enemies in the dark had won without staining their weapons with blood, simply by disintegrating their forces.

Friends turned against each other, swinging swords with killing intentions, but the guardians of the Liuhe Zhutian Formation, who were engrossed in protecting it, moved not an inch.

At this time, a strong gust of wind came from the right.

Changming flinched and swiftly erected a barrier of spiritual powers.

But that gust of wind swept past him, aiming at the cultivators to his left.

He turned to the direction from whence the wind came.

Though the sudden wind shrouded the place with dense fog once more, the expression of the one standing in the fog was faintly discernible, and Changming only captured his smile well.

That was…!

The lamps went out one by one.

The rising and falling of screams filled the air, and the formation barrier, with its initial hairline crack visibly spreading, could shatter into pieces any moment.

When one of the formation guardians fell, leaving a gap bereft of protection, it was difficult to tell how long the other could hold their positions.

The failure of the Liuhe Zhutian Formation seemed inevitable.

It was fortunate that Changming was prepared. Should the formation collapse, a new one would arise, resisting the opening of a passage for the schemers. 

Even if it were so, the evildoers would definitely be reluctant to destroy the Sacred Mountain Wan which held countless treasures within its depth. Instead, they would attempt to modify the formation, building a new one that would not only conceal their goals, but also turn it into a stronghold for their nefarious schemes.

As for Changming—

So long as he was alive, there would be hope.

After all, one day, he would…

Return after overcoming tribulations.

…

Changming trembled slightly.

Following the rocking of the boat, his head tilted to the side, and some fresh blood ran down from the corner of his mouth.

The jade crown that tied up his hair was long since gone. His long hair, half-white, gradually turning black near the hair root, was scattered on his shoulders.

Yu Qiang could not help but gaze at him once more.

Truly beautiful, like an immortal.

But why is he wounded so seriously?

Cultivators who came to the island in search of treasures had not heard of anyone receiving a wound that severe. All of them had returned empty-handed, as she did. The storm was quieting down, and with it, their ambitions.

Yu Qiang’s cultivation level was low, and she had jumped on the bandwagon to gain some experience and watch the excitement. When she heard that the flood dragon was causing trouble, she had naturally not dared venture out, hiding instead in the ship’s hold with the boatman.

When the others had gone out to assess the situation, she had remained behind, cautiously studying the unconscious man.

“Daoyou, are you alright?”

Unsurprisingly, Changming could not answer her.

Her: my raws say ‘him’, I assume it’s a mistake

Yu Qiang saw the blood dribble unceasingly from the corner of his mouth, sliding down his cheek towards his earlobe. She felt a sudden compulsion to wipe it away with her sleeve.

Just when her sleeve touched Changming, a hand grabbed her wrist.

Surprisingly, Yu Qiang hadn’t noticed him approaching.

She raised her head, startled.

The man’s companion, who had just gone out to battle against the flood dragon with the others, was now watching her with a face devoid of expression.

Yun Weisi was drenched, but his gaze on the female cultivator was frightening.

Feeling an invisible power oppress her, Yu Qiang snatched back her hand and silently took a step back.

“I, I didn’t mean any harm.”

Yun Weisi did not bother responding, bending over to sense Changming’s inner breath through his pulse. In a little while, he took out the Dragon Pearl and released it above Changming’s forehead.

The pearl was floating in the air, emitting faint glows. Like revolving stars, these rays entered his body.

The white hair darkened at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Yu Qiang gazed blankly at the remarkable phenomenon.

She was not the only one astounded at the sight. Those who returned from watching the fuss outside were all staring, agogged.

“A Dragon Pearl!”

Someone shouted, instantly stirring up a commotion.

It was a priceless cultivation treasure, the essence of a flood dragon’s cultivation accumulated over several centuries, gathered in a pearl.

Such a treasure it was that, while not being able to transform a non-cultivator into an immortal, granting its bearer a prolonged lifespan was an assured certainty!

And imagine the wonders it would do in the hands of a cultivator, especially one who had the strength, determination and compatibility! Advancing in one’s cultivation by leaps and bounds would surely be within one’s grasp!

Having searched high and low in vain for the treasures rumoured to be found on the island, now that a peerless treasure had appeared out of the blue, covetous eyes lit up one by one, as bees to honeypot!

The winner takes it all, and the weak falls prey to the strong. To seize the prized possession, ruthlessness must be the name of the game!

Any righteousness the cultivators had was scattered to the four winds as greed overtook them.

A multitude of grasping hands stretched out towards the luminescent orb, heedless of any who would witness their thievery.

If you could get hold of a Dragon Pearl, who would care how you got it!

The man in the foremost suddenly felt his body become light, and was the first to fly forcibly out of the ship’s hold, with the others similarly kicked out in succession! 

His mind went blank, and everything happened so fast that he had no time to react.

As the man sailed through the air, he saw the others being ejected almost simultaneously, some with their own swords piercing their bodies, he could only congratulate himself for being lucky. 

The lucky cultivator had only wanted to grab the pearl, bore no killing intention, and did not use a spiritual weapon; otherwise, his dignity might not have been the only thing he lost!

With this thought, the man fell heavily into the lake, and water poured in through his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, shattering all his thoughts.

Having learned a lesson from the sorry plight of the others, the remaining two female cultivators did not dare move.

Yu Qiang had had no intention to attack from the beginning. She was silently watching the beauty illuminated by the glowing pearl. His face was no longer that pale, even regaining the healthy color.

And the pearl’s rays were getting dimmer.

Finally, the light went out completely, and the pearl reverted to a normal lustrousness that might pass it off as a fake from an antique store.

Yun Weisi reached out with his hand, and the pearl fell into his palm.

He looked at Changming’s hair. It had not regained all its original color, remaining snow-white near the hair ends.

But nothing else could be done—they only had this one Dragon Pearl and the flood dragon hadn’t finished refining the second one yet.

With the pearl in hand, Yun Weisi went out from the hold.

“Long Qing.”

Obviously, she was not yet a dragon, but still insisted on taking the last name of Long.

Long: lit. dragon.

With a splash, a half of the dragon’s head popped out of the water.

She had suppressed her vigour to the minimum, but the ship still swayed violently.

“You finished that fast?”

The dragon suddenly howled in grief.

“Couldn’t you have left me even a teeny bit! How could you deplete it completely!”

Yun Weisi, evenly: “He is wounded severely.”

He tossed the pearl over, and the dragon raised her head to catch it with her mouth.

That somehow resembled a dog holding a ball in its mouth.

Yun Weisi wisely kept his thought to himself.

Otherwise, the ship would have probably been flipped and capsized.

“For you.”

He threw over the tassel of the Chunzhao Sword.

Certainly, it was cut off and fell to the ground previously, but then appeared again, as if the workings of ghosts.

It’s probably about the previous memory

“What is it?”

The flood dragon chewed it, and was about to swallow it, only to find it unpalatable.

“A collateral. I owe you a favor, and I will return it later.”

The flood dragon: “Then why don’t you pay it back now! I want to eat lobsters from the Donghai Sea, help me gather a bucket ah!”

Yun Weisi: “…it’s inconvenient now. We have to go.”

Not waiting for a response, he flew back to the hold, picked up Changming and jumped into the lake, disappearing without a trace.

The two never re-emerged from the water.

Fluttering black hair with white ends became the last of Yu Qiang’s impressions of the two mysterious men.

They had appeared out of nowhere, and vanished just as suddenly.

She had not even known their names or sects.

Years henceforth, Yu Qiang would give up cultivating and wed a common man. Within a few decades, her hair went gray and her teeth were lost, but she never forgot what happened on the boat that day.

Hair went gray and her teeth were lost: get old

When the flood dragon saw them enter the water, she sank as well. But try as she might, she could not find a single strand of hair, much less the bodies!

…

Changming spit out a mouthful of water and gradually came to his senses.

“Next time… don’t use a method like launching into the water to leave.”

He had been caught off guard, his mouth and nose chock full of water. As he regained his clarity, Changming almost felt as if water was oozing from his head.

Yun Weisi said indifferently: “I do not want history to be altered again.”

He could not help feeling that something was amiss when they were leaving.

He had not wanted to change details that could affect the future.

Including everything that had happened in Yuru Town.

As well as anything pertaining to the Souls Gathering Pearl.

Changming said with a faint smile: “You used to get soft-hearted easily. You have not changed.”

Yun Weisi made no comment.

He, soft-hearted?

No matter in the human realm or within the Nine Layers of the Abyss, he had killed countless people and demons. Were the blood not cleansed from the Chunzhao Sword, the accumulated gore would have sunk it in a sea of blood.

He did not want destiny rewritten only because—

Deep in his heart, Yun Weisi vaguely knew the answer, but he refused to acknowledge it.

Although the Dragon Pearl had healed most of Changming’s wounds, bringing the man on his last breath back from the verge of death, his old injuries could not be healed in a short time.

“I saw this flood dragon afterwards—”

Almost coughing out half a lung, Changming swiped a thumb at the blood languishing at the corners of his mouth.

“In the Yellow Springs.”

Yun Weisi’s expression froze, and he looked at Changming.

The Yellow Springs, the place from which Changming had returned.

He had been trapped there for half a century, his consciousness in a turmoil, and his soul incomplete.

From a young age, the flood dragon had resided in the Penglai Lake and cultivated there. She was attached to her home, and nothing could have compelled to leave it. Why would she suddenly run to the Yellow Springs?

“She was shackled with iron chains. Magma was pouring down the cliff slowly, whittling away her scales one by one, and leaving her lacklustre and dull. When the old blood dried out, a new wound would open, day upon day.”

When Changming had chanced upon the hapless creature, he had wanted to intervene, to rescue the flood dragon and make a mount out of her.

But he soon discovered that the iron chain that bound her was an Eternally Freezing Chain, and that there were strange things guarding her. With his strength at that time, it would be suicidal to engage them.

Powerful as the flood dragon was, few people had ventured into the remote Penglai Lake. While the phenomenon manifested in the skies above the lake back then had lured many cultivators, who speculated that a spiritual weapon had appeared, to the site, the futile search had similarly dispersed the crowd.

Even if the weapon had existed, it would have in all likelihood been swallowed by that flood dragon; why would she wait for others to find it?

The only object of value remaining on the flood dragon’s body was the Dragon Pearl.

The strange thing was that the Dragon Pearl was with her that year in the Yellow Springs. Otherwise, she would not have been able to last for so long.

However, were it not for the Dragon Pearl, why would anyone imprison her, giving her no opportunity to escape for generations?

The chaotic sea was rippling and sparkling.

Warmly glowing stars were scattered across the heavens.

Yun Weisi put aside the intent of magistricide for the time being.

Changming smiled and stretched his arm out towards the closest light.

A snowstorm covered the earth, and the sky was filled with gloomy clouds.

Everything in front of him was in shades of ash-grey and white.

The grey was the gale that enveloped the mountain peak, and the white was snow and ice, blotting out the sky and obscuring the earth.

Changming had not expected to arrive at such a place. Involuntarily swallowing a mouthful of snow that swatted at his face, he stood unsteadily in the strong wind, backing away step by step.

Until he stumbled upon another person who grasped him by his waist, supporting him.

He looked back, squinting.

Ah, the first disciple came as well.

But he had no way to say it aloud, for the moment he opened his mouth, his words would be swallowed by the wind.

Yun Weisi moved to the side, pulling him along.

Although the blizzard was fierce, the path was fortunately unrugged. A wooden hut stood before them, its doors locked with forbidding iron chains, but it was no sweat for Yun Weisi.

With one sweep of his hand, the chains broke apart miserably.

The house was very small and crude, built of thatch and wood.

But it was utterly bare of furnishing. Though cultivators lived a comfortable life and meditated in beautiful temples, retreating to frozen and austere snow-covered lands on self-seclusion was not uncommon. 

A simple residence like this was no inconvenience for the duo.

It was way cosier than the raging blizzard outside.

However, entering a warm place after the bitter cold was too abrupt a change for Changming’s body, and he went into a short fit of violent coughing.

Before the second bout started, he forcibly suppressed it.

Because there was someone outside.

With heightened senses, he had picked up approaching footsteps amidst the howling wind.

Light, but staggered steps.

Obviously, it was a cultivator—one who bore injuries.

The two of them looked at each other, silencing their movements in tacit agreement.

Yun Weisi took a step forward to open the door.

Just as he raised his hand and touched the door, it was pushed open from the other side.

A person entered the room, staggering a few steps before falling heavily to the ground.

Yun Weisi: …

He had thought that he might meet himself after crossing time, but he hadn’t expected it to happen under such circumstances.

When “he” would be severely wounded and mentally confused.

“He” struggled to get up, raised his head, saw Yun Weisi and could not help but be startled.

The four eyes met. Past and present Yun Weisi locked gaze before each moving away their line of sight.

Shortly after, the Yun Weisi from the past simply passed out.

Changming drew out his words: “Since you are leery of altering the past, I think that it’s better for you to hide for a while.”

Present Yun Weisi was silent for a moment, then walked to the door. Following the opening and closing of the door, which seemed to hint of a certain dissatisfaction, he disappeared silently into the wind and snow.

Changming’s gaze fell on past Yun Weisi on the floor.

He brushed away his blood-stained hair, and a young, handsome face appeared.

Memories flooded his mind. Changming recalled.

This place was Shesheng Peak.

In the memories of past Yun Weisi, it had not been long since Changming had left the Yuhuang Temple.