Why Was It So?

Looking at the slender twigs desperately trying to retract but unable to draw back no matter what, and those shoots budding and bursting into bloom right before his eyes bit by bit, a flash of insight struck Wei Yuan's mind, stringing many things together. A bestowal of heaven and earth was not granted only upon a kill; severely damaging someone's foundation yielded one just as well. That severe damage had to be a direct erasure, the kind completely beyond recovery—and burning lifespan with Dusk of the Immortal Path was one such method. Wei Yuan had originally found it strange: with Yanxin possessing such immense strength and overbearing might, how could he have been defeated so easily? If one were to say he was incompetent, Zhang Sheng had struck with four full-power sword strikes and only severed half his vitality. And one must not forget that Perfected Chuhe had ambushed him earlier, only for Yanxin to emerge completely unscathed. Now Wei Yuan understood. The crux had still been the manifestation of the celestial tree. When the water blades transformed into laurel petals, in that split second, it was equivalent to Wei Yuan merging with the celestial tree. All of Yanxin's defenses were punched clean through in an instant, leaving him entirely unprotected. Against the subsequent thrust of Dusk of the Immortal Path, he had possessed no strength left to resist. Not only did he bear its full might, but he also suffered extra devastation. It was like a flick of a finger: flicked against a fist, the finger bones would shatter; flicked against an egg, it could destroy a formidable foe. Yanxin, pierced through by the celestial tree's rain of petals, was an egg peeled of its shell—and a raw one at that. Yet Wei Yuan hadn't seen even a shred of the feedback from heaven and earth obtained from three thousand years of burnt lifespan, while this branch was now so stuffed it couldn't even keep its clothes on. Seeing that Wei Yuan had seen through everything, the immortal laurel branch simply stopped pretending. With a wriggle, its withered bark sloughed off, its branches stretched, and its buds burst open, turning into a three-foot-tall, white-gold miniature tree. Dainty blossoms covered its branches, each tinged with a faint crimson hue. As the celestial tree took shape, the scenery around it shifted, and the realm within a hundred zhang transformed completely. Around the tree lay a small, white-gold pond, and the ground surrounding it turned into fine white sand, stretching out like a sea of snow. The celestial laurel tree stood far from Jade Mountain and the Nether Soil, occupying a corner all on its own. But Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains was vast enough that the small patch it claimed was negligible. Wei Yuan still stood beside the celestial laurel tree, the tips of his toes right at the edge of the small white-gold pond. The pond spanned about a zhang across, its surface rippling with light. Several white shadows darted back and forth within the water like swimming fish. Yet those were not fish, but sword qi. The sword qi flitting around the celestial tree had also increased from one strand to three, its threatening intent as clear as day. Counting those in the water, there were seven strands of sword qi in all. The Ruby Lantern had already shrunk behind Wei Yuan's back, coiling around his waist and not daring to show its head. Yet it whimpered and squeaked continuously, urging Wei Yuan to charge forward. What kind of cultivator couldn't even keep his own Dao Foundation in check? Hearing those squeaks and groans, the celestial laurel tree flew into a rage. A strand of sword qi took on a faint vermilion tint and swept past Wei Yuan, slashing toward the Ruby Lantern. The Ruby Lantern took fright and frantically dodged to one side, but just as it poked its head out on the other side, another strand of sword qi was already waiting, cleaving down right at it! Scared out of its wits, the Ruby Lantern was only saved when Wei Yuan reached out to intercept the sword qi. But the moment it struck, Wei Yuan's hand was instantly coated in a layer of white gold, losing all sensation in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, the celestial laurel tree recalled the sword qi in time, or else Wei Yuan's hand would have disintegrated into fluttering petals. This brought home to both Wei Yuan and the Ruby Lantern the resolve and fiery temper of the celestial laurel tree. Both thoroughly behaved themselves, neither daring to harbor improper notions. Still, the Ruby Lantern wriggled stealthily to show how wronged it felt, provoking the celestial laurel tree to another burst of fury, nearly earning it yet another sword strike. Puzzled, Wei Yuan asked, "Why can't you accept it? Even the bark you shed would be enough to feed it for a long time." The celestial laurel tree transmitted an impulse of intense disgust and rage. Having read storybooks from both worlds, Wei Yuan understood immediately. The feeling was like a girl in the bloom of youth being badgered for affection by a creepy middle-aged man—a man who was greasy, balding, penniless, hated bathing, and read nothing but pulp fiction. Oh, right, Xu Wenwu had said that someone like that couldn't even be called an "older gentleman"—he could only be called a "shifu." Let alone giving it a bite, the celestial laurel tree wouldn't even let it drink its footbath water. "The Ruby Lantern doesn't have a very good reputation, does it..." Wei Yuan mused, then asked, "Where should I put it then?" A branch pointed toward the two Celestial Star Nightshades in the distance. Now the Ruby Lantern balked, squirming and refusing to budge. But while Wei Yuan was helpless against the celestial tree, dealing with a mere spirit plant was well within his grasp. So he picked up the Ruby Lantern and strode off. The two Celestial Star Nightshades within Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains possessed a faint, hazy consciousness. When Wei Yuan set the Ruby Lantern down, the laurel nightshade seemed delighted, swaying its leaves and branches. Yet the Ruby Lantern showed no interest in the palm-sized laurel nightshade. Instead, it scurried over to crouch beside the filth-soil nightshade that had not yet fully sprouted, intending to wait for it to grow. Yet Wei Yuan could sense that the Ruby Lantern was still not behaving itself. It kept sneaking glances toward the peak of Jade Mountain. However, the One-Wondrous Treasure Tree stood high and aloof, not deigning to spare it a single glance. Wei Yuan felt a bit of a headache. The spirit plants in Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains were multiplying, with the Netherwater Spirit Ginseng and thunderwood soon to join them. Both had been planted after taking shape and would take time to manifest within Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains. With this Ruby Lantern around, there would probably be no peace, and who knew how many spirit plants it might ruin in the future. Wei Yuan pondered for a moment, then summoned a pile of stones and casually molded them into immortal swords. This was yet another new type of immortal sword, evolved from Fine Rain, turning from incorporeal to solid. It barely scraped the threshold of a Mortal Tier Dao Foundation, shaking off the title of shame among immortal swords. Originally, Wei Yuan had wanted to name this sword Azure Silk, but though the sword qi had solidified, its color was pale and lackluster, so he ultimately renamed it White Silk. Wei Yuan planted these immortal swords around the filth-soil nightshade, forming a fence with their points facing up. If the Ruby Lantern tried to leave, it would be injured by the sword qi, and Wei Yuan would know immediately. Yet no sooner was the fence erected than a streak of sword qi came flying in, attaching itself to the immortal swords and immediately dyeing their blades white-gold, brimming with murderous intent. Now, if the Ruby Lantern tried to escape, it wouldn't merely be injured by sword qi—it would be slain by it. Having finally settled the matter, Wei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't expected that spirit plants would have so much messy drama among themselves. It seemed nowhere in the world was a true paradise. Looking out across his surroundings, Wei Yuan suddenly paused. More figures had appeared on the distant Nether Soil. He walked over slowly, yet felt a bit afraid to see clearly. The distance was not great; within Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains, his pace could be as fast or as slow as he pleased, and in the end, he arrived before the Nether Soil. Over a hundred new figures stood on the Nether Soil. All were faceless, some holding sabers or swords, others barehanded. Their armor was ordinary and identical. These faceless figures all possessed mid-Dao Foundation cultivation, thoroughly unremarkable in themselves, roughly equivalent to generic Earth Tier Dao Foundations. Yet no matter how Wei Yuan searched among them, he found not the slightest trace of Yun Feifei, nor of that young scion of an aristocratic family—not a single trace. Looking at these motionless faceless people, and then at the distinctive figures holding sabers and shields beside them, Wei Yuan felt that perhaps Yun Feifei and that young nobleman had died with their minds peaceful and serene, which was why they had failed to reincarnate in the black water as Song Chao had. Or perhaps they had reincarnated as well, only their souls had blended together with all the fallen dead to form these hundred-odd faceless figures. Song Chao had died with towering resentment, allowing him to retain most of his soul upon reincarnation; though he lacked sentience and thus had no face, Wei Yuan had still recognized him at a glance. An emotion churned in Wei Yuan's chest, impossible to suppress. To his mind, calling Song Chao "blindly loyal" was putting it nicely; the man had been a lackey to a tyrant, a faithful hound to traitors. Had Song Chao not died, tens of thousands in the domain would have starved. Back then, Wei Yuan's resentment had not been as heavy as it was today; if it were now, he might even have dragged the corpse out to flog it. Yet Yun Feifei had paid with her own life to deliver a pivotal strike against the Shamans, proving critical to the battle. She had met her end with a tranquil, peaceful heart, yet in the end her soul had dissipated, without even the chance to reincarnate within Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains. Why was it so? Wei Yuan looked up at the vault of heaven. Beyond the dome of the sky, at the far end of the void, he wondered what governed all things in this world. Withdrawing from his sea of consciousness, Wei Yuan penned a letter to Sun Chao'en, arranging to meet him the following day.