Chapter 543: History Repeats Itself

Chapter 543: A Second Bloom

“How is he?”

“His injuries are grievous, grievous beyond any I have ever seen.”

The insect-woman Caidie fluttered her wings, gazing at Qi Yuan, drenched in blood, her expression grave.

Dried blood stained his tattered robe; Qi Yuan’s eyes were tightly shut, his breath faint as a dangling thread.

Shen Lingxuan held the unconscious Qi Yuan, her heart filled with self-reproach and guilt.

If not for her, perhaps Qi Yuan would never have come up, nor suffered such severe wounds.

“Were it anyone else with injuries this grave, they would already be dead,” said the insect-woman Caidie, her face a mask of disbelief.

What had transpired today far exceeded her expectations.

A mere… ordinary divine-level powerhouse from Qingshan Realm had actually slain Fengti, who had nine lives.

For you must know, Fengti was no ordinary Great Venerable.

In the chaotic star region, where countless experts dwelled, Fengti was nearly invincible among Great Venerables.

Qi Yuan had brought her too many surprises.

“I never imagined… Brother Qi Yuan could be so formidable.

If such talent were revealed, even ordinary Realm Lords would vie to take him as their disciple.”

At that moment, the handsome figure of Xianling Yingjun appeared.

Fengti’s sword had shattered the Divine Wood Abyss, leaving many gaps; with his great strength, Xianling slipped through them.

As for Ji Wuyun and Chen Kangbao, they lacked such power.

“You are…” The insect-woman Caidie eyed Xianling Yingjun warily.

Xianling Yingjun bore the name “Yingjun” meaning handsome, yet his looks were utterly plain, lost in any crowd.

“Rest assured, Brother Qi Yuan and I are barely friends; I mean no harm,” Xianling Yingjun marveled inwardly.

Though he had only glimpsed a fragment of the battle between Qi Yuan and Fengti, he had witnessed the brilliance of Qi Yuan’s talent.

When a cultivator at the Great Venerable stage condenses a divine domain, they commune with heaven and earth.

There is a sliver of a chance to merge with the cosmos, comprehend its laws, and forge a Law Heart.

Once a Law Heart is forged at the Great Venerable stage, one might say the second layer of Yang God—the Realm of Ultimate Truth—holds no difficulty, and there is even a great opportunity to step into the third layer of Yang God.

More importantly, what Qi Yuan had unleashed at the end… seemed like a fusion of two Law Hearts.

For you must know… the third layer of Yang God is divided into the Law Realm, the Myriad Things Realm, and the Heaven-Opening Realm; only in the Myriad Things Realm can one fuse laws.

Even many Realm Lords in the Law Realm spend their entire lives unable to fuse laws and enter the Myriad Things Realm.

Qi Yuan had fused laws at the Yin God stage…

What did that mean?

It meant that if he ever had the chance to step into the Law Realm, he would almost certainly enter the Myriad Things Realm with ninety percent certainty.

In the Myriad Things Realm, one need only condense nine first-rank laws to enter the Heaven-Opening Realm.

Of course, nine is the minimum; the more one condenses, the stronger one becomes.

Thus, as he looked at Qi Yuan, his tattered robe stained with blood, it was as if he saw a future Realm Lord rising like a blazing sun.

If Qi Yuan grew normally, he would surely become a Realm Lord—and no ordinary one.

In any universe, Realm Lords are absolute titans, commanding galaxies, heavens, earth, and the cosmos.

“To save him, I have a plan,” Xianling Yingjun spoke. “Let him join the Void Paradise. I believe many Realm Lords in our Void Paradise would be willing to take him as a disciple.”

As for the Void Realm Lord, that was out of the question.

Such a majestic being had no interest in taking disciples.

But other Realm Lords would hardly miss such a promising seed.

“No,” the insect-woman Caidie said hastily.

Qi Yuan was a Chosen One, bearing the Mandate of Heaven.

If he joined the Void Paradise and became a disciple of a powerhouse from another universe, it would undoubtedly be “betraying his city with the keys.”

A Chosen One represents not only himself but also the will of the world, even the will of the universe.

Why had the Radiant Alliance been slaying Chosen Ones?

To seize control of the Divine Wood Universe’s voice.

As for the Void Paradise, though its relationship with the Human Enlightenment Society was somewhat close, those not of our kind… surely have different hearts—how could they be trusted?

Xianling Yingjun shook his head. “This plan is indeed improper.”

After all, he had no standing to meet a Realm Lord.

Perhaps if he proclaimed Qi Yuan’s terrifying talent, before attracting a Realm Lord, he might draw some ancient monsters.

In the Zhou Universe, there were many Yang Gods unable to break through; if they discovered Qi Yuan’s fearsome talent, they might abduct him.

As for what they would do with him, none could say.

“Beyond this, I have no better method.” With these words, Xianling Yingjun vanished.

Only the insect-woman Caidie and Shen Lingxuan remained, along with the unconscious Qi Yuan.

The insect-woman Caidie’s gaze shifted repeatedly, finally settling on Shen Lingxuan, her thoughts tangled. “I have a way, perhaps to wake him, but… it may harm your foundation.”

“What method?” Shen Lingxuan’s delicate frame trembled, sensing something.

“Xuan Yin…”

“I understand.” Shen Lingxuan bit her lip, a blush blooming at her ears, tender and vivid.

About half an hour later, in an ice chamber, Qi Yuan lay flat on an ice bed, his bloodstains wiped clean.

Shen Lingxuan gazed at Qi Yuan’s handsome face, anxious, unsure how to proceed.

What if…

After all, he was still a patient.

After staring for a long while, she hesitantly reached into her dress, removing her breast band and undergarments; even though Qi Yuan remained unconscious, she was still shy, unwilling to bare her body.

“Husband…”

A flush spread across her cold, snow-white face, like a plum blossom blooming in a winter scene. Shen Lingxuan lifted her skirt, revealing a long stretch of snow-white, delicate thigh.

Her legs were long, shapely, straight, smooth as white porcelain, without a trace of extra flesh.

Her brows slightly furrowed, Shen Lingxuan did not know how to proceed, so she bent her knees, lifted her skirt, and sat upon Qi Yuan.

She wanted to move, yet dared not, and knew not how.

The cold, jade-like immortal, encountering such a situation for the first time, found herself at a loss.

She recalled what Zhishuang had once taught her, and her hand crept upward, stealthily.

Perhaps his sense of stealth was too strong, so Qi Yuan, who had been drowsing, suddenly opened his eyes.

"Hey, how could I just lie here like a dead fish in a situation like this?"

In TV shows, there are often plots where the male lead is unconscious and the female lead takes the initiative.

Then the male lead wakes up without even knowing he slept with the female lead, let alone having any memory of the experience.

Qi Yuan naturally didn’t want that to happen to him.

He looked at Shen Lingxuan, who was sitting on top of him, his gaze weak but resolute.

"Even though you’re on top now, in the end, I’ll be the one to… ride…"

Well, as a man of his word, he had to follow through on what he said.

So ride it was.

"You’re awake?"

Shen Lingxuan’s face lit up with surprise, followed by an even deeper shyness. She tugged at her skirt as she sat on Qi Yuan, feeling his reaction.

"Yeah, can you take off the veil? Otherwise, it feels a bit strange." Though Qi Yuan couldn’t see, he could still sense the veil covering Shen Lingxuan’s snow-white face.

Kink was one thing, but…

"...Okay." Shen Lingxuan hesitated for a moment, then removed the veil from her face.

This veil was her protection; she rarely ever took it off.

But now, facing Qi Yuan, she still removed it.

Qi Yuan studied Shen Lingxuan as she took off the veil.

In that instant, though he saw nothing, he felt as if he had glimpsed the ultimate bliss of the world.

What he saw seemed to be a pure girl in a JK uniform, a cold celestial maiden seated in the heavens, a seductive and enchanting saintess of the demon cult, a plump and alluring imperial consort, or a lonely, pitiable princess deep in the palace.

A thousand charms, cold as frost—ultimate allure beneath ultimate coldness.

Every gesture exuded the seduction of all beings.

It was as if every form hit Qi Yuan’s aesthetic sweet spot.

"So this is the Profound Yin Body? No wonder she has to wear a veil."

Who could resist this?

Even though Qi Yuan was blind, when he glanced at Shen Lingxuan’s face with his mind’s eye, an inexplicable desire arose in his heart.

He wanted to keep her caged, yet also to tear her apart.

But Qi Yuan naturally wouldn’t be swayed by such external forces. He always followed his own heart and did as he pleased.

"I…" Shen Lingxuan looked at Qi Yuan, her thoughts in disarray.

Wasn’t her husband blind? How could he still make such a comment?

But thinking that he was temporarily blind and couldn’t see her current embarrassment, she felt a strange relief.

At this moment, her skirt was hiked up to her slender waist, covering her buttocks, while her jade-like legs, unable to be fully hidden, were in a kneeling position, exuding boundless charm.

A pair of hands wrapped around her waist, and Shen Lingxuan felt as if she had fallen into the clouds. A flush of red spread from the corners of her eyes, delicate and tempting, and her soft hands unconsciously left marks on Qi Yuan’s back.

"Mmm…"

When moonlight spilled into the Divine Wood Abyss, the cold and lonely Shen Lingxuan curled up beside Qi Yuan like a little bird.

Her body was still clothed, but the garments were terribly disheveled, leaving nothing properly covered. Her thin, translucent back was flushed red.

She looked like a ravaged narcissus after the rain, her beautiful brows still furrowed even in sleep, evoking pity.

Yet more than that, she exuded charm and allure.

What caught the eye most were her long, outstretched legs, her delicate bare feet still arched even in sleep.

Qi Yuan glanced at her, his thoughts tangled.

"Master?"

"No."

"Too bad I’m blind—if I could see her every day, maybe I’d know."

"No, she is herself, not anyone else."

Qi Yuan smiled, in a very good mood.

From his battle with Feng Ti, he had gained much—glimpsing the path to the third level of the Yang God, killing Feng Ti ten times, and leveling up his experience bar considerably.

From his battle with Shen Lingxuan, he had also reaped plenty, experiencing one of life’s great joys and completing his role-play progress.

Of course, back on Blue Star, he might have worried about his kidneys, but this was another world—no fear.

"Still, the reward for completing the role of the live-in son-in-law Qi Yuan is a bit underwhelming."

The final reward was the blacksmithing talent of the live-in son-in-law Qi Yuan.

His blacksmithing talent was even worse than Qi Yuan’s, so giving it to him was just barely passable.

Still, gaining a bit more blacksmithing talent was always a good thing.

[Role of live-in son-in-law Qi Yuan completed. Role character five unlocked.]

[Role character five: Stone.]

"So I’m supposed to play a stone… pretend to be the Monkey King?"

Playing a stone—Qi Yuan could only think of Sun Wukong.

He closed his eyes and began to accept the memories brought by this stone.

Stones have no memories.

But Qi Yuan saw its entire life.

It stood alone on a mountaintop, day after day, year after year, enduring wind and rain, the cycles of sun and moon.

A grapevine grew on it, sprouting branches and bearing grapes. But as time passed, the grapes fell, and new grapes grew, yet time was the most merciless.

Until finally, the withered vine bore no more fruit, and the grapevine vanished completely.

The stone became lonely again.

Occasionally, a bird would land on it; occasionally, dead leaves would keep it company, but never for long.

Then, one day, the sky shattered and the earth cracked.

Qi Yuan’s heart stirred.

"Nuwa mending the sky?"

"No—mending the earth!"

He had once told the story of the goddess mending the earth to the Soundless Sound.

And now, the story he told had come true in the memory of this stone.

The earth split open, spewing endless magma, swallowing everything.

The common people knelt and prayed to the heavens to extinguish the earthly fire.

Finally, a divine maiden appeared. She surveyed the four realms and took away the stone that stood upon the mountains and rivers.

With her boundless power, she used the stone to mend the earth, ultimately halting the spread of the subterranean fire.

"Isn't this... the story from the *Secret Origins*?"

The *Secret Origins* recorded many myths and legends of the Divine Wood Universe. Later, Qi Yuan also found this book and read the remaining fragments.

Among the fragments was the tale of the divine maiden mending the earth.

"It seems many myths in the *Secret Origins* are true. What about the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*?"

Qi Yuan had a sudden thought.

The *Secret Origins* was the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* of the Divine Wood Universe.

"In the end, after the divine maiden mended the earth, this stone shattered into pieces.

Most of it was used to fill the earth, and the remainder..."

Suddenly, Qi Yuan seemed to see a tombstone.

However, since he was a stone, the scenes he perceived were all blurry, even worse than the mind's eye.

"The remaining stone was used to make a tombstone, and the last remnant... is me?"

Qi Yuan pondered.

Playing the role of a stone—he had never done that before.

The tricks of the trade would require him to slowly explore later.

But for now, the urgent task was to play the blind artifact master.

...

"In the Divine Wood Abyss, there is a blind girl. I must go down and continue forging artifacts."

On the hot spring, Qi Yuan said calmly.

"I want to go down too," said the insect girl, Caidie.

She was also curious about what lay in the legendary Divine Wood Abyss.

"Don't go in. It hurts," Qi Yuan said.

He chose not to take Shen Lingxuan into the Divine Wood Abyss.

After all, the pain of crossing through the light point was not something a mortal could endure.

"I've lived for tens of thousands of years; I've endured all kinds of pain. Let me crash through—"

With a splash, the insect girl Caidie slammed into the entrance of the Divine Wood Abyss.

Suddenly, her body tumbled down.

She fainted from the pain.

Seeing this, Shen Lingxuan looked at Qi Yuan with even more pity.

After all, Qi Yuan had once endured such pain, yet came to the Divine Wood Abyss as if nothing had happened, slaying Feng Ti to rescue her.

"Alright, I'll go down for now. If you encounter danger, I'll come up anytime."

With these words, Qi Yuan returned to the Divine Wood Abyss without any hesitation.

"Indeed, the confinement of the Divine Wood Abyss is too terrifying."

"No matter how strong a man is, when he comes here, he has to admit defeat."

In the Divine Wood Abyss, facing Shen Lingxuan, Qi Yuan felt like a war god, capable of riding a dozen times a day without issue.

But if Shen Lingxuan came to him every day in the Divine Wood Abyss, he would probably have to support his waist and dodge.

"Huh? Where is she?" Qi Yuan wandered around the Divine Wood Abyss but did not sense the blind girl's presence.

He found it strange.

"Never mind, I'll forge artifacts first."

After awakening the mind's eye, Qi Yuan felt he had become excessively powerful.

The speed of forging magical instruments also increased, as if aided by divine power.

"Indeed, being blind affected me too much. It's better to have awakened the mind's eye. Before, tempering these materials took half an hour; now it only takes a quarter of an hour."

Qi Yuan sighed.

A person must have eyes.

Without eyes, one must have a mind's eye.

Without a mind's eye, at least have an asshole.

At least having an eye counts as a skill, so one won't be unemployed.

Qi Yuan sat under the ladder, tempering the materials.

"The help of the mind's eye is indeed great. In another half a month... I estimate I can forge a divine-level artifact."

"But an artifact like *Divine Descent* is not as easy as an ordinary divine-level artifact."

"At the very least... I need to fuse the eight gates of artifact forging techniques."

After muttering to himself, Qi Yuan shrugged, stood up, and continued walking toward the blind girl's dwelling.

"I wonder if she's back?"

Walking along a path both familiar and unfamiliar, Qi Yuan arrived at the blind girl's door.

The sound of splashing water came, and Qi Yuan's eyes lit up.

The blind girl was home.

"Hey, I've awakened the mind's eye. I don't have enough materials. Give me some," Qi Yuan called out.

The blind girl, having just washed her face, came out of the room. She carried a wooden basket filled with various materials.

"You've awakened the mind's eye?"

"Yes." Qi Yuan looked toward the blind girl.

Unfortunately, even with the mind's eye, all he saw was a blur, completely unclear.

"Barely acceptable." The blind girl handed the wooden basket to Qi Yuan, her delicate nose slightly wrinkled. "You reek of sweat. Go take a bath."

In the Divine Wood Abyss, Qi Yuan was no different from an ordinary person; it was normal for him to sweat while working.

"Thanks." Qi Yuan took the basket and returned to his dwelling.

After forging for a long time, he was also a bit tired and needed to wash up and sleep.

"It's a pity there are no ants in this Divine Wood Abyss, or I would duel with ants."

After bathing, Qi Yuan ate some fruit and muttered to himself.

"There aren't even any bugs in this fruit. Otherwise, if I fought with bugs, maybe I could break through my limits."

Qi Yuan thought to himself.

The Divine Wood Abyss was too perfect; the fruits were all sweet, with no traces of insect bites.

The water was also clear, containing no pollutants.

Everything was magnificent, as if unreal.

With such thoughts, Qi Yuan slowly drifted into slumber.

The moon was bright, the stars sparse, the night enchanting.

Suddenly, a faint fragrance wafted over, and a delicate body crashed into Qi Yuan's arms.

"Lingxuan?"

Half-asleep, Qi Yuan instinctively thought it was Shen Lingxuan.

In the Divine Wood Abyss, on the second day, Shen Lingxuan had once raided him at night; she had been gentle and considerate, and since Qi Yuan couldn't see, she had leaned in, offering herself for him to taste.

So when the body came, he naturally embraced it and kissed.

Soft, fragrant, sweet, and moist.

In that instant, Qi Yuan's consciousness jolted awake.

"No, this is the Divine Wood Abyss; Lingxuan can't get in."

"Who are you?" Qi Yuan asked.

Alas, the woman did not answer him.

He was somewhat bewildered.

But soon he couldn't stay bewildered.

Because... he, a being of the Five Elements Qi Refinement, Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, Stellar Golden Core, Purple Qi Earth Mansion, and Purple Mansion, master of two supreme truths, was reversed and taken.

He couldn't see who this woman was, and his strength was no match for hers; in the Divine Wood Abyss, his combat power was barely above that of a mortal.

As for calling for help?

Come on... that would be too embarrassing, not to mention his mouth was blocked.

A night of crimson waves tossing, Qi Yuan slowly awoke, his head splitting with pain.

Memories of last night flooded back, and a contemplative expression appeared on his face.

"Did I have a wet dream?"

"No."

He sniffed slightly and noticed a faint floral scent on his stone bed, a very familiar smell.

A bold guess arose in Qi Yuan's heart, along with anger.

"She covets my body?"

Although she had saved his life, he hadn't offered his body in return.

If it really was the blind girl who did it, setting aside her saving him, she would truly become Qi Yuan's new moonlight.

After all, though this incident, if placed on Blue Star, would be mocked by many—a man being reversed and taken by a woman—

But Qi Yuan was different; he was the victim.

He would not trivialize the harm done to a man.

"Is it her?" Qi Yuan was deeply puzzled.

He felt it was, yet also felt it wasn't.

But that floral scent was truly identical to the blind girl's.

He felt he had to confront the blind girl face to face.

A man's chastity is also chastity.

Brothers should bravely step forward!

(The chapter ends)