If one were to speak of the most fascinating events in the cultivation world?
Five hundred years ago, Zhenyue Mountain City was nearly pierced through its dome by a single man with a single spear. This could perhaps be counted as one. It was said that the person who caused such an uproar in Zhenyue Mountain City was the legendary The Green-Clad Guest. But five hundred years have passed, and people still do not know why he caused such a ruckus there in the first place.
Perhaps the City Lord of Zhenyue Mountain City had somehow offended him.
And a hundred years ago, the entire sky suddenly filled with lightning and thunder. The surging winds and clouds lasted for an entire month. Some said it was a heavenly anomaly, perhaps signaling the imminent birth of an ancient divine artifact, which drove cultivators all over the world mad as they searched everywhere.
However, only a few patriarchs could tell that someone was undergoing a heavenly tribulation.
After surviving the lightning tribulation, this person's cultivation would break through to the peak realm, making it entirely possible for them to tear through the void.
But in the end, the winds stopped and the thunderstorms vanished. No one could be certain whether that cultivator had successfully passed the tribulation or not.
Shortly after, the earth veins trembled. The spiritual veins of all sects felt the disturbance, so much so that many cultivators nearly suffered qi deviation.
Immediately following that, the ghost gates of the Youdu Underworld were cleaved open.
That night, the wailing of ghosts and the howling of deities echoed from the Nine Underworlds. Resentful energy soared to the heavens, and even the sun and moon in the mortal realm were veiled in a layer of blood red.
Countless fierce souls and malicious spirits that had been suppressed for ten thousand years flooded madly out through the cracked fissures. The Yellow Springs flowed backward, the balance of yin and yang was disrupted, and the entire world let out a dying wail.
The sect leaders and holy land patriarchs all emerged from their secluded cultivation, joining forces to finally suppress the chaos.
At that time, the City Lord of Zhenyue Mountain City was also present.
The patriarch of Chongyang Mountain did not appear in person, sending only a phantom. He said, "I fear these anomalies are not the result of the natural workings of heaven and earth, but rather someone attempting to defy the heavens and change fate. Does City Lord Cangshu have any guesses?"
Cangshu Taotian tightly gripped the sword in his hand, his expression heavy, remaining utterly silent.
Then came twenty years ago.
The legendary Linglong Sea, situated at the edge of the sky, suddenly vanished without a trace overnight.
That was the Linglong Sea, a fairyland ocean capable of nourishing ten-thousand-year spiritual veins and birthing the purest treasures in the world. Its vast expanses of azure waves were bottomless, and even ancient true immortals had once cultivated in seclusion there.
Yet such a vast ocean of spiritual essence vanished out of thin air overnight, without a single drop of water left.
To this day, no one has been able to discover the truth behind the disappearance of the Linglong Sea.
And now, the little Han Yu was swimming about in the azure seawater.
It comfortably blew bubbles beneath the surface, watching the person walking upon the water, and slowly swam forward underneath to follow him.
This was the minor world its master had begun crafting after reaching the peak realm, and it perfectly contained the entire Linglong Sea.
In this world, aside from the boundless sky and ocean, there was only a crystal coffin floating on the surface of the water.
The coffin was as translucent as ice, and slumbering within it was the figure of a woman, unchanged and quietly resting for five hundred years.
Her features were as gentle as ever, her skin like creamy warm jade. There was not a trace of death about her; instead, she looked as though she was merely exhausted and in a light sleep.
Her long eyelashes drooped gently, and her lips bore a faint touch of pale pink. Her dark hair lay soft and smooth inside the crystal coffin, as if she might slowly open her eyes in the next moment and call his name once more.
The tall young man leaned over, the hem of his dark robes lightly sweeping across the cold edge of the coffin. His snow-white hair cascaded down, strands brushing against the coffin walls.
Spiritual energy condensed in his empty sleeve. Then, with extremely gentle movements, as if afraid to disturb her five-hundred-year slumber, he carefully and preciously lifted her out of the crystal coffin into his arms.
Her face rested against his chest. She had no warmth, yet she brought his heart—which had felt dead during his brief absence—back to a steady beat.
"I promised you that I would rush back within two hours, but I broke my word. Ranran, I am an hour late. I am sorry."
"That Red Heart Fruit was too difficult to find, so I had to spend a little more time."
"Fortunately, this Red Heart Fruit had not yet been consumed by anyone else. Otherwise, I would have had to cut open someone's stomach to retrieve the fruit's essence before they could absorb it."
Holding her, he sat upon the surface of the water. The pad of his finger gently stroked the space between her brows, as if he could already see her frowning in disgust, and he couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.
But she had not woken up, nor had she shown any disgust. Thus, his light laughter only seemed all the more sorrowful.
Han Yu had never been able to stand its master's hopelessly romantic and obsessed demeanor in the past, and it could stand it even less now.
It silently swam further away, playing by itself, blowing bubbles in the water.
The small red fruit transformed into spiritual energy and surged into her body. Her flesh, which had been cold for nearly five hundred years, gained a slight trace of warmth, bringing a touch of color to her complexion.
"I know you have a sweet tooth. I brought you something delicious this time as an apology for not returning on time, alright?"
He placed a black fruit in his mouth, gently crushing it with the tip of his tongue. The sweet, rich juice spread between his lips and teeth.
Then he slowly leaned down. His white hair cascaded like a waterfall, enveloping both him and her in a gentle shadow.
He kissed her incredibly lightly and slowly, as if touching a dream he had not dared to disturb for five hundred years.
His slightly cool lips covered hers, and the sweet, fruity juice was passed bit by bit, gently into her mouth.
There was not a hint of transgression, only careful, tender cherishing.
He closed his eyes, his long eyelashes trembling slightly. The person in his arms remained perfectly still, yet he acted as though he had received the most perfect response in the world.
Cangshu Bai slowly licked the juice that spilled from the corners of her lips. After a long while, reluctant to part, he kept his lips pressed against hers and murmured softly.
"Ranran, is it sweeter than the mung bean cakes you bought for me back then?"
"It has been a very, very long time since I tasted the mung bean cakes you bought for me."
"I think I have forgotten what they are supposed to taste like."
"When you wake up, buy me another serving of mung bean cakes, will you?"
With his current strength, he could overturn mountains and seas, tear apart the netherworld, and hold heaven and earth in the palm of his hand. Any heavenly treasures or immortal delicacies he desired were easily within his grasp. Yet, this most ordinary of pastries seemed to be something he could never find.
"Ranran, I am only missing one thing now."
"Soon, I will be able to wake you."
"When you wake up, will you still love me as you did before?"
"You definitely will."
His gaze never left her face. His fingers stroked her gently, his lips brushing against hers as he murmured incessantly. His breath wrapped around her lingeringly, carrying a trace of damp, cold aura.
Han Yu swam back leisurely, blowing bubbles as it looked up with a glance, then expressionlessly flicked its tail and swam away again.
To it, its master's ghostly, clingy demeanor was something it had long grown accustomed to.
Over these five hundred years, this was how he had endured.
When his cultivation hit a bottleneck and his inner demons surged, he would hold her, burying his face in her neck to speak softly. Word by word, he would grind away all his restless depression into tenderness.
When his cultivation achieved a breakthrough and his spiritual energy shattered the sea of clouds, his first reaction was not ecstasy. Instead, he would rush back to this minor world, holding her to softly share the news, as if having the greatest cultivation in the world was not as important as a single response from her.
When he was happy, he had to hold her.
When he was sad, he had to hold her.
When he returned from killing, his clothes stained with blood, the very first thing he did was wash his hands clean, then come back to hold her.
Han Yu rolled its eyes.
Tsk, it's an absolute miracle that the lady hasn't been handled so much she's worn smooth.
