It was a world of darkness.
Blackness, and the boundless loneliness lurking within that endless dark.
Xu Yuan felt as though he were cast adrift in an uncharted ocean, facing an infinite blackness that seemed to reach the very end of time.
Ever since regaining consciousness, he had no idea how long he had been floating in this shadowy void.
After all, there was no space here, no time, and certainly no concept of the five senses. The only thing present was this limitless dark.
Reason told him he was dead.
Before entering this boundless void, amidst that apocalyptic catastrophe in Huizhou County, the odds of his survival could not have been high.
Yet a lingering ember of hope whispered that perhaps he was not dead after all.
If he truly were dead, how could his mind remain so lucid?
A world devoid of sight and touch was truly agonizing.
He spared a fleeting moment of sympathy for Su Jinxuan—she had been tormented by this very kind of torture for so long back then.
Yet as unfathomable, timeless drifting slipped by, Xu Yuan’s spirits gradually dimmed. Facing the boundless dark, his mindset began to undergo subtle shifts.
Panic began to creep in.
Death was an unknown.
After all, no one ever came back to tell you what the world after death was like.
And if he were truly dead…
That meant he would remain alone in this darkness until the end of time.
Fortunately, this despair did not last long. A point of light resembling a star gradually emerged within the pitch-black space.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan, who had grown numb with despair, felt his spirit jolt violently. Like a drowning man grabbing a wooden plank, he desperately tried to move toward it.
In this darkness without time, who knew how long passed before Xu Yuan finally reached the sphere of light.
Looking inside with eager anticipation, he suddenly fell silent at what he saw.
He saw a sword.
A perfect sword beyond words.
His mind stalled for an instant before a wave of relief washed over him. If he possessed a face right now, the corners of his mouth would have been grinning from ear to ear.
*Heh.*
Gaining a fortuitous encounter while mortally wounded—he knew this trope all too well.
There was no need to guess where this sword came from; it had to be the sword intent from Tianmen Mountain.
Its appearance proved directly that he was not dead.
This Tianmen sword intent hiding within him had always maintained such a low profile that he had nearly forgotten it existed.
Now it seemed it had simply been waiting here for him.
With his thoughts racing, Xu Yuan flopped his phantom body toward the pool of light like a salted fish wriggling for water.
The sphere of light drew closer and closer. The moment he made contact, his form plunged straight into it.
To his astonishment, his five senses returned the instant he crossed inside. Subconsciously looking down, he saw that his body had already condensed back into form.
Pondering for a moment, Xu Yuan turned his gaze back and tentatively reached a hand out beyond the light.
The moment his hand crossed the boundary, it dissolved into nothingness.
Drawing it back, it reconstituted in an instant.
He made no further pointless attempts. Some things were fine merely knowing; there was no need to delve into the underlying principles.
Human nature was often like this: once your baseline for something sank low enough, even the slightest improvement brought satisfaction.
For Xu Yuan right now, having a body with five senses and the ability to move freely was more than enough.
Calming his somewhat excited thoughts, Xu Yuan turned his attention to the only object within the sphere of light.
The perfect sword suspended midair.
What was the next step?
Drip blood to claim ownership?
Or simply grasp the hilt?
As thoughts flitted through his mind, the corners of Xu Yuan’s lips curled slightly.
Why overthink it at this point? He would just try everything once.
Without hesitation, Xu Yuan reached out and gripped the hilt of that perfect sword!
"……"
"……"
"……"
Silence lingered. Even after Xu Yuan took the blade in hand, no change occurred within the light.
The expected scene of sundering the darkness and returning to reality did not happen.
The sphere of light remained just that, and the boundless darkness outside still stretched on without end.
Smacking his lips, Xu Yuan brought the blade before his eyes and glanced at it.
What was going on?
Had he opened it wrong?
In an instant, a flurry of ideas crossed Xu Yuan’s mind.
Perhaps it really did require blood to claim ownership?
Or perhaps he needed to execute a specific technique with it?
Or maybe… plunge the sword straight into his own body?
Scenes from movies and anime of his past life surfaced continuously in his mind. After a brief contemplation, Xu Yuan actually carried them out.
After all, he seemed to have nothing left to lose.
From dripping blood to stabbing himself with the blade, he tried every single possibility.
And with every attempt, Xu Yuan’s heart sank a fraction heavier.
The dark space remained completely unchanged, showing not the slightest hint of shattering.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Xu Yuan casually released the blade and collapsed limply within the light.
Staring up at the blade hovering midair once more, Xu Yuan cursed softly, "Fuck, are you playing with me?"
Yet as soon as the curse left his mouth, he chuckled softly.
He realized he was being somewhat insatiable.
Floating in the dark, he had longed for a body; having a body, he longed to get out. Still, it was this blade’s fault for raising his hopes so high.
With that thought, Xu Yuan slowly closed his eyes, preparing to see if he could fall asleep in this void.
If he could, he might at least pass the time by dreaming…
"*Giggle…* What, giving up so soon?"
A familiar, bewitching laugh suddenly resonated through this silent space. The instant Xu Yuan heard it, his eyes snapped open.
What met his sight was the exact same scene as before he closed his eyes, yet Xu Yuan had no doubt about what he had just heard. His gaze locked onto the perfect sword hovering in the air.
Under his watchful eye,
the surface of that perfect sword began to shift, transforming from a sword into a blade—a wooden blade.
The willow ghost blade!
At that moment, the seductive, smiling voice rang out once more:
"Brother Changtian, I never realized you had such a knack for comedy. Dripping blood, stabbing yourself, flailing about with the sword… *giggle…*"
Hearing that familiar form of address, Xu Yuan’s eyelid twitched involuntarily. He sat up and rubbed his brow.
"…Why are you here?"
"Me? Back then, I used the power of the Thousand-Thorns Ghost Willow to resolve the Charm God tribulation. To suppress its backlash, I imprinted a portion of my intent-soul origin inside it."
As she spoke,
the willow ghost blade changed once more, shifting from a weapon into a slender young woman.
Tianye was still clad in the form-fitting black dress from their first meeting, her bosom full, her waist slender, every gesture of her eyes and brows dripping with enchanting allure.
She squatted before Xu Yuan, resting her chin on her hand as she appraised him, chuckling softly. "Brother Changtian, from your perspective, it’s been quite a long time since we last met, hasn't it?"
Xu Yuan let out a soft breath and asked, "Is messing with me fun?"
Tianye tilted her head, batting her lovely eyes at Xu Yuan with a beaming smile. "Uh-huh! If it weren't fun, why would I bother?"
Xu Yuan rolled his eyes and muttered, "You old witch, still so fond of twisted amusement."
Tianye puffed her cheeks, her breathtakingly gorgeous face looking somewhat adorable. "If you talk about me like that, I might just get mad."
Xu Yuan stared at the girl squatting before him for several breaths, then suddenly gave a soft laugh. "Am I wrong? By timeline calculations, weren't you nearly two hundred years old when you went to face the tribulation?"
"That’s true enough."
Tianye lifted her gaze toward the void of darkness above, gently tapping her fair cheek with a slender forefinger. "Yet ever since I woke, the life I experienced within the Charm God Illusion realm feels like the real world, while the life I actually lived feels like Zhuangzi’s dream of the butterfly."
Xu Yuan did not believe Tianye’s words in the slightest. He gave a slight smile. "That's certainly a convenient excuse for acting young."
"Hmph… believe what you like."
Tianye snorted softly, then straightened her posture to look down at Xu Yuan from above. "Though judging by your tone, you don't actually want to leave, do you?"
"……"
A moment of silence.
"Tianye, listen to me explain—"
"Save it, no need to quibble."
Tianye did not need coaxing, for she was not genuinely angry in the first place.
Looking back at him with another beaming smile, Tianye gently lifted Xu Yuan’s chin with a slender, delicate finger. Her captivating eyes narrowed slightly, bright and translucent. "I helped you reach this place solely to rescue you, Brother Changtian~"
"On what condition?" Xu Yuan asked instinctively.
Tianye’s brows furrowed slightly at his words. She studied Xu Yuan’s expression for a second before bursting into soft laughter.
"It seems you haven't fully restored your memories from the illusion realm yet. Tsk, tsk… that woman Tianyan really is useless~"
Saying so,
Tianye added casually, "Though, I do have a condition."
Xu Yuan tilted his head up slightly, his brow furrowing a little. "What condition?"
Seeing his serious expression, Tianye playfully countered, "Guess?"
"……" Xu Yuan felt a sudden urge to swear.
Tianye giggled. Leaning her supple, alluring body forward, she parted her long, jade-like legs and knelt directly across his waist. Staring at him from point-blank range, her breath smelled of orchids as she murmured, "The condition is actually very simple. Once you get out, Brother Changtian, you will naturally find out~"
With that,
Tianye pinched his chin, tilted her head, and pressed her lips against his in a practiced kiss.
As their lips and teeth intertwined, the surrounding light began to peel away bit by bit, and hairline fractures slowly appeared across the boundless, dark void.
As their kiss grew more passionate, the entire dark space began to tremble violently.
Upon reaching a certain threshold, Xu Yuan’s eyes suddenly flew open, and what met his sight was a familiar, lavishly decorated ceiling.
Chapter 445