Chapter 595: Jiang Lianyi

Before set foot upon this ancient realm, Lu Yang had scarce imagined the trials this expedition would weave.

The ancient realm of creation bore an illustrious renown across the demon domains, and after brief counsel with Meng Jingzhou, both agreed that having come so far, it would be a bitter loss to turn back; thus, under the guidance of their Third Senior Sister, they ventured within.

Little did they anticipate discovering the residual insights of primeval demons and stumbling upon the mystic arts of the Ninefold Immortal.

Now, upon the fourth layer of this realm—a sanctuary hidden from every prodigy who had traversed these lands for three hundred thousand years, a place where even the realm's spirit, Luo Hong, possessed no right to tread—the first visitors finally arrived.

A deathly stillness reigned here, where the hollow echoes of their own footsteps reverberated as though someone followed closely behind.

Lu Yang scrutinized the fourth layer, noting the chamber's understated yet profound refinement, suggesting its master must have been a figure of supreme cultivation and grace.

Every ornament spoke of bygone eras and extraordinary origins, yet with Lu Yang’s limited discernment, he could identify only a fraction of their lineage.

A stone table carved from supreme spiritual marrow, jade chairs fused from the essences of the sun and moon, glazed floor tiles refined from singular stellar cores, a Kunlun bronze mirror, a teacup of enlightenment, an ever-burning immortal lamp...

These were rarities Lu Yang had glimpsed only within his own spiritual consciousness—treasures the Immortal Fairy would occasionally summon to alter the scenery of his mind.

Back then, when she described them, his eyelids had twitched in sheer disbelief, for the value of such objects defied his wildest imagination.

Seeing them now, real and tangible before his very eyes, evoked an entirely different sensation.

Lu Yang’s gaze shifted to the wall, where a verdant jade flute hung, its form slender and elegant, adorned with intricate, lifelike carvings of a hundred birds that imparted an air of ethereal purity.

At the far end of the room lay a couch shrouded in fine gauze, through which the faint silhouette of a female cultivator could be discerned.

“Fairy, have you recalled whose chamber this is?”

Lu Yang inquired in a hushed tone, wary of disturbing the master of the room.

“It belongs to Jiang Lianyi.”

The peerless prodigy of the ancient Phoenix Clan, the ancient ancestor of her lineage, wife of the Qilin Immortal, and one of the ten legendary beauties of old—Jiang Lianyi.

Lu Yang’s hand froze just as he was about to part the gauze veil. A silent realization struck him, and as he drew the curtain aside, he beheld a maiden of transcendent beauty clad in brilliant crimson silks, resembling a slumbering flame.

It was indeed the legendary Jiang Lianyi.

Yet she bore no breath, her life force entirely spent; her lips were pale, her eyes closed fast in serene repose, and her hands rested crosswise over her chest.

“Has she... truly departed this world?”

Lu Yang was well-acquainted with the arts of slumber employed by ancient cultivators; no matter how deeply they slept, a thread of breath remained, unlike the absolute void before him.

His voice trembled with disbelief; how could a legendary figure like Jiang Lianyi simply perish?

Yet, recalling the corpse of the Immortal of Time buried beneath the Five Elements Sect and the dark coffin of Old Qiongqi, he had to accept this grim reality.

The events of antiquity were shrouded in mystery, where any impossibility could manifest.

The only recourse left to him was acceptance.

He wondered if the Immortal Fairy could bear it, for her bond with Jiang Lianyi was deep; though she usually appeared jovial and lighthearted, the loss of an old friend must surely weigh heavily upon her soul.

If Jiang Lianyi was dead, what had become of Ao Ling, the ancient ancestor of the Dragon Clan, and the Qilin Immortal?

Doubtless, the fates of the other two could be no better, and it was entirely possible all three had perished.

“She isn't dead; it is merely the Art of Feigning Death.”

The Immortal Fairy cast a sidelong glance at Lu Yang, who was currently wrestling with his grief, and thought to herself, why must you curse someone so needlessly?

Lu Yang fell silent for a moment.

“...The Art of Feigning Death?”

Fairy, could you not have spoken sooner? I have wasted my grief for nothing.

“Have you forgotten? It was I who taught her this technique. Back then, her mastery was lacking, and she would howl whenever she caught fire...”

“Enough, enough, speak no more of it.”

Lu Yang hastily interrupted her reminiscence, thinking it quite unseemly to speak of such embarrassments in front of the lady herself.

The Immortal Fairy placed her hands upon her hips, filled with pride: “My art is far more reliable than trivial tricks like cryostasis. Freezing oneself merely delays time and slows the dissipation of one's lifespan, but that life force still drains away. Some unfortunate soul might well sleep right into their grave.”

“Take Emperor Jiang of antiquity, for instance. He possessed seventy to eighty thousand years of life before sealing himself, yet waking now, he likely has a mere twenty to thirty thousand years remaining.”

“In contrast, my technique mirrors absolute death, entirely free from the concerns of exhausting one's lifespan.”

For how could a state of death consume the years of one's life?

“Step aside, and watch as I restore her.”

Lu Yang moved away of his own accord, recognizing that such matters far exceeded the capabilities of a Golden Core ancestor.

The Immortal Fairy extended her index finger, upon which the laws of the Dao began to circulate. Ancient runes manifested in succession, gathering above her head in a silent collision that brought forth a radiance so blinding Lu Yang had to shield his eyes.

A vast sea of runes poured downward, converging fiercely upon her fingertip.

She gently pressed her finger against Jiang Lianyi’s brow, sending forth invisible ripples that behaved like a sudden breeze, rustling the gauze hangings and causing the stone table, jade chairs, and bronze mirror to tremble slightly.

As the ripples brushed past Lu Yang, he felt the dual concepts of life and death, yet upon closer reflection, there was nothing at all—a truly wondrous sensation.

Jiang Lianyi’s pale countenance flushed with color in the blink of an eye, turning as radiant as the living, her long eyelashes fluttering as though she were about to awaken.

“Mmh...”

A soft, languid murmur escaped her lips, elegant yet drowsy, identical to the manner in which the Immortal Fairy greeted the morning.

With her return to life, the entire fourth layer seemed to awaken; the stone table, jade chairs, and bronze mirror swayed in a rhythmic dance, and the jade flute upon the wall sounded a cheerful melody, as if rejoicing for its mistress's return.

Jiang Lianyi sat up, her mind heavy and clouded. She felt as though she had slept an incredibly long slumber, one to be measured in tens of thousands of years, leaving her memories fractured and disordered as she strove to piece them together.

Gazing at her surroundings, she temporarily forgot why she had slept here, and why she now awoke.

As she turned her head, a face even more exquisite than her own leaned in close.

“Lianyi, you’re awake!”

The Immortal Fairy leaned over the edge of the couch, drawing so near that she gave Jiang Lianyi quite a fright.

Seeing her companion awaken, a bright smile graced the Fairy's lips, her eyes crinkling with genuine joy.

“Who are you?”

Jiang Lianyi stared blankly at her. As a half-immortal herself, she had failed to perceive this maiden’s approach entirely.

“You do not recognize me? I am Huang Doudou, the Immortal Fairy Huang Doudou,” she introduced herself earnestly.

Jiang Lianyi was by nature a cautious soul, yet looking upon this sudden maiden, she found herself entirely devoid of suspicion.

Two lines of clear tears traced down her cheeks uncontrollably. She wiped at them with her sleeve, yet the heavy drops continued to fall without cease.

Though she wept, an inexplicable joy filled her heart.

“How strange, why am I crying?”

The second update will be at eleven o'clock.

(End of chapter)