Under the Myriad Spirit Cauldron’s relentless barrage, the already-damaged Heaven-Refining Cauldron took fresh blows before its old wounds had healed. Cracks webbed across its body, the fissures widening with each impact. It looked as if it could shatter at any moment.
The Heaven-Refining Cauldron was a top-tier imperial artifact, but its original artifact spirit had long since been destroyed. After more than two years of nourishment it had only just developed a rudimentary consciousness—far from the level of a true artifact spirit, possessing nothing more than the most basic instincts. Whether compared to its former spirit or to the spirit within the Myriad Spirit Cauldron, it was pitifully weak, like a tiny flame that might be snuffed out at any time.
Under the Myriad Spirit Cauldron’s ferocious pursuit and the crushing pressure of its powerful will, the Heaven-Refining Cauldron’s once-mighty, resonant hum—so awe-inspiring when facing the Demon Emperor Cauldron—degenerated into a pathetic, cracked, off-key whining buzz. In the end, its radiance drew inward. It froze in midair and stopped moving altogether, letting the Myriad Spirit Cauldron slam into it as it pleased.
It had no face, but everyone could clearly sense its dejection and that “Fine, hit me if you want, I give up” kind of broken, hopeless mood.
When the shockwaves of battle finally faded from the Desolate Ancient Mountains, everyone stared in stunned silence as the Myriad Spirit Cauldron and the ruined Heaven-Refining Cauldron—now looking like scrap metal ready to be tossed back into a furnace for remelting—flew, one in front and one behind, to hover at Xue Qing’s side.
Xue Qing lifted her hand slightly. The Heaven-Refining Cauldron, beaten nearly to ruin by the Myriad Spirit Cauldron, dropped down in front of her. Her divine sense swept into it; then she abruptly thrust out a hand into the cauldron, seized, and drew back.
A strand of translucent, almost tangible dragon qi more than ten feet long was forcibly extracted from within the cauldron and sealed into Zi Yunshu’s body.
With a flick of her sleeve, she collected both the Myriad Spirit Cauldron and the Heaven-Refining Cauldron. Her manner was so light and casual it was as if she were putting away something utterly ordinary, not the immortal treasures that had just wiped all life from the Desolate Ancient Mountains.
Zi Yunshu and the Demon Saint cupped their fists and bowed to Xue Qing in thanks.
Xue Qing gave a slight nod, said nothing, called Xuan Yue, and left straight away.
The Demon Saint understood that Xue Qing had nothing to say to the cultivation world—nothing to say to those who had turned a good, pristine land of dragon-vein fortune into this barren deadland. She let out a soft sigh and said to Zi Yunshu, Yu Mi, and the others:
“Let’s go. Time to head back.”
Her tone was light, but there was a faint loneliness in it.
Yu Mi hovered in the air, looking at what had once been the Flying Immortal Holy Land and was now a vast expanse of dead, lifeless desert. Her eyes, once bright as stars, were veiled with a thin mist of tears, carrying a quiet, desolate sorrow.
This had once been a place of ascension. Here, there had once been hope of reopening a path to the upper realm. Here, there had once been hope for Xuantian Sect’s rise.
But now, Bao Gu had left from here with the drought fiend in tow. Yu Mi did not know if they would ever meet again in this lifetime. And this place itself had become a deadland, everything buried beneath endless yellow sand.
The Demon Saint saw Yu Mi standing there unmoving and called:
“Yu Mi.”
Yu Mi snapped back to herself. She closed her eyes for a moment to steady her emotions, then said:
“Let’s go back.”
She lifted her hand, set the Duobao Spirit Monkey on her shoulder, and took her leave of Qu Yirou, Jade Shura, and Si Ruo.
This calamity of the drought fiend had been far too tragic. Even though the disaster was over, everyone’s hearts felt unbearably heavy.
When Jade Shura saw that Xuan Yue’s cultivation had already stepped into the Void Tearing stage, she completely lost it.
Yu Mi’s cultivation was higher than hers—fine, she could comfort herself that she was just a little behind. Then Bao Gu appeared and left her miles in the dust—fine, she could say Bao Gu had the Xuantian Sword’s blessing. Ling’er’s combat strength surpassed her—fine, Ling’er was naturally gifted. But now there was Xuan Yue, who had only been at the Golden Core stage a few years ago. Jade Shura really couldn’t bring herself to say it was because Xuan Yue’s parents were amazing; Xuan Yue’s background was in no way inferior to Ling’er’s.
She counted on her fingers. One by one, all her little friends had outstripped her. Each one could now fight people in the Void Tearing stage, while she was still struggling around early Deity Transformation in actual combat power!
Yes, her master didn’t look down on her; it was normal for one’s master to be stronger. But that was her wife!
She’d been relying on her wife to feed her, relying on her wife to protect her, letting her own wife drag her along like she was a child. What the hell was that supposed to be? She wasn’t that six-year-old kid from back then anymore!
In the past, Jade Shura had been content to muddle along in cultivation. Now, from the bottom of her heart, she realized that if she kept on like this, the gap between her and the people around her would only grow wider and wider—so wide that even if she wanted to work hard later, it might already be too late.
After bidding farewell to Yu Mi, Jade Shura grabbed Qu Yirou and headed back to the main hall of Soul Chasing Pavilion.
She was going into seclusion.
***
Yu Mi returned to Xuantian Sect with the Demon Saint and Zi Yunshu.
The sea of clouds and dense forest in the Canglong Mountain Range had been arranged to mirror the sea of clouds and forest around Two-Realms Mountain. This place looked almost exactly like the courtyard Bao Gu had once lived in, but it ultimately lacked even the slightest trace of Bao Gu’s presence—Bao Gu had never set foot here.
Yu Mi sat in the courtyard, her heart emptier than it had ever been. Her eyes were always misted with moisture; her nose stung; her throat tightened in waves.
Zi Yunshu stepped into the courtyard and sat down across from Yu Mi.
She said,
“A-Sheng said, once I successfully undergo tribulation and transform into a true dragon, I’ll be able to take you all across the void to look for Bao Gu.”
Yu Mi’s eyes went wide as she stared at Zi Yunshu.
“Really?”
As the thought flashed through her mind, her heart stirred. Yes—so long as they were still alive, so long as they were willing to cultivate, once they reached a certain realm, they could go into the void to look for Bao Gu. Even if the chance of finding her was minuscule, as long as they kept searching, there would always be some hope.
Zi Yunshu added,
“Bao Gu has deep blessings and great fortune. She always turns danger into safety. With her temperament, even in the void she’ll find a way to live well.”
Yu Mi said to Zi Yunshu,
“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”
Seeing that the dullness had left Yu Mi’s eyes, Zi Yunshu pressed her lips together and snorted.
“Just now you were all wilted like a frost-burned eggplant, and now you say you’re fine? Whatever. As long as you’re fine.”
She turned to leave.
Yu Mi called out,
“Little Martial Aunt, you’re not going to comfort me a bit longer?”
Zi Yunshu asked,
“Can comforting you be eaten as food?”
Without looking back, she waved a hand.
“I still have to go into seclusion to refine the dragon qi. Who has time to comfort you?”
After Zi Yunshu left, Yu Mi rose, walked out of the courtyard, locked the gate behind her, went to bid farewell to Zi Tianjun, then took up Bao Gu’s soul lamp and once more set out on the road of tempering herself.
The road lay beneath her feet. So long as she did not die, she had to keep walking forward. There was no path back, and no chance to regret and start over.
In the past, she had wanted to become strong so she could control her own fate and not be bullied. Now, at this point, she still had to become strong—but no longer for herself. For Bao Gu.
She had to go find Bao Gu. She couldn’t let Bao Gu drift alone in the void.
Yu Mi traveled with the Duobao Spirit Monkey, but the monkey couldn’t stay still. It frequently abandoned her and ran off until it disappeared without a trace.
Over so many years, she had thought she’d grown used to being alone. Back in Qingzhou, when Bao Gu was in seclusion and she herself was busy restoring her strength, she hadn’t felt she missed Bao Gu too badly. When Bao Gu occasionally came to mind, she would contact her through a voice-transmission jade slip. After a few lines of domestic small talk, they would run out of things to say.
At that time, she just felt that even though they were dao companions, they each had their own affairs and their own cultivation. There was no need, and no way, to cling to each other all day long.
But now, taking Bao Gu’s soul lamp on the road, she found herself watching over it day and night, her heart in her throat.
Bao Gu was in a terrible state, hovering constantly at the edge of life and death. The soul lamp was so weak it seemed like it could go out at any moment. Every ten days or half a month, it would suddenly flare brighter, then fall back into weakness again.
Yu Mi could easily imagine it: every ten days or half a month, Bao Gu would suffer a grievous injury. Just as she barely caught her breath, without time to recover, she would be seriously injured again.
That was Bao Gu being tortured in the drought fiend’s hands.
Yu Mi shut herself in a room at an inn, staring at the soul lamp as tears poured down like rain.
Bao Gu always talked about how good Yu Mi was to her, but Yu Mi knew all too well that she was not actually good to Bao Gu at all. Bao Gu always said Yu Mi would risk her life to protect her, but in truth, it was Bao Gu who would risk her life to protect Yu Mi.
These hardships, these dangers—they should have been Yu Mi’s to bear. Now Bao Gu was bearing them in her place.
Holding that faint, flickering soul lamp, Yu Mi wanted to tell Bao Gu to grit her teeth and live on, to give Yu Mi a chance to make it up to her. But she was also afraid that Bao Gu was living in endless torment, that life for her had become worse than death.
Day after day, night after night, more than seven months passed like this.
Then, all of a sudden, the soul lamp flared bright.
Yu Mi stared in shock at the shining lamp. She understood that Bao Gu’s injuries had healed, that she was healthy again. A sudden laugh burst from her lips, and she laughed with tears streaming down her face—only to break into a wail a heartbeat later.
She returned to Xuantian Sect and tried to use the soul lamp to deduce Bao Gu’s whereabouts, but she still made no progress.
She then continued to watch over Bao Gu’s soul lamp day and night for more than three months, and found that it remained strong and steady. Bao Gu was no longer in mortal danger.
Part of her felt that Bao Gu truly was as everyone said: no matter how dire the situation, Bao Gu would always find a way to live as well as she could. Another part of her ached at the thought that Bao Gu was still drifting, alone, in some unknown place.
Yu Mi returned Bao Gu’s soul lamp to Xuantian Sect, then left again.
Leaving the soul lamp there let her feel as if Bao Gu were still in Xuantian Sect waiting for her—as if, no matter that it was only a lamp, so long as she came back, she would see it and know whether Bao Gu was well or not.
Yu Mi stepped once more onto the road of tempering herself. Everything felt like it had returned to those past years after she had “lost” Bao Gu.
Back then, when Bao Gu was around, she had never felt this way. She had always known that no matter how far she went, Bao Gu would be there waiting for her, thinking of her, standing somewhere she could see with just a glance back, letting her feel calm and secure.
Now, she drifted like rootless duckweed. A figure always filled her heart; her heart always ached faintly; a sense of loss lingered there unshakably.
Many times, she stepped onto a teleportation platform and rushed into the void. Facing that dark world filled with the aura of destruction, she wanted to call Bao Gu back, to drag her back.
But she knew Bao Gu would not return.
After that, Yu Mi stopped using teleportation platforms altogether. She no longer stepped into the void.
She was afraid—afraid that she would lose control and hurl herself headlong into the void, perishing there.
Two years. A full two years passed, and her cultivation did not advance an inch.
She returned to Xuantian Sect and asked her Saint Aunt to seal her memories.
Her heart was not as strong as she had thought. She couldn’t cross that barrier. She didn’t want to destroy herself and her future, so all she could do was seal herself away.
Yu Mi knew she owed Bao Gu. She owed her too much, far too much. Toward Bao Gu, she had always been in debt, a debt she could never repay.
The Demon Saint was somewhat surprised that Yu Mi wanted her memories sealed.
“You’ve thought this through?” she asked.
Yu Mi nodded lightly, saying nothing.
“If you truly wanted to forget her, you wouldn’t need me to seal your memories,” the Demon Saint said.
Yu Mi replied,
“Saint Aunt, I can’t do it. When my cultivation is high enough to cross the void, I’ll ask you to undo the seal.”
The Demon Saint nodded slightly.
“You carry the immortal treasure Princess Xue Qing bestowed upon you. I can’t seal your memories through that protection. Go to the demon domain.”
Zi Yunshu, sitting off to the side, stared at Yu Mi with wide eyes.
“You really want to forget Bao Gu?” she asked.
Yu Mi choked out a soft “Mm,” rose, and bowed to the Demon Saint and Zi Yunshu before turning to leave.
Zi Yunshu turned to the Demon Saint.
“A-Sheng, shouldn’t we try to talk her out of it?”
The Demon Saint shook her head.
“No one in this world will ever treat her better than Bao Gu.”
Zi Yunshu frowned.
“Isn’t that all the more reason she shouldn’t forget Bao Gu?”
The Demon Saint said,
“Having and then losing is more painful than never having at all. The better Bao Gu treated Yu Mi back then, the more miserable Yu Mi is now.
“Shu’er, if Yu Mi can’t get past this hurdle, she’ll be ruined. That’s not what Bao Gu would want. If Bao Gu could decide, she’d rather Yu Mi forget her and cultivate properly than live in unending pain.
“For Yu Mi, if she’s ruined, then her future—and the future she might have had with Bao Gu—will all be gone.
“Between two harms, we choose the lesser.”
Zi Yunshu made a soft sound of acknowledgment, then asked:
“Will Princess Xue Qing help Yu Mi seal her memories?”
“Yu Mi has already made up her mind. If she wants her memories sealed, she’ll get it done one way or another,” the Demon Saint said. Even so, she took out a voice-transmission jade slip and contacted Xue Qing, asking for her help.
Xue Qing replied,
“Memories can be sealed for a time, but not for a lifetime. You can seal memories, but not emotions. This tribulation, this hurdle—she will still have to cross it herself in the end.”
The Demon Saint said,
“Help her through the present for now. As for the future, that will depend on her.”
Xue Qing agreed.
Yu Mi did not use teleportation this time. She only flew by sword or by riding the wind. Along the way she ran into countless demon cultivators, great and small, and practically fought her way all the way to the demon domain’s holy city to find Xue Qing and ask her to seal her memories.
After Xue Qing sealed Yu Mi’s memories, Yu Mi forgot everything—she didn’t even remember her own name.
Xue Qing directly tossed her into a teleportation domain gate and sent her back to the cultivation world.
