The sky was ablaze with fiery clouds, dyeing her white dress crimson, yet her figure and face remained shrouded in an elusive mist, impossible to discern clearly no matter how hard he tried.
Ji Tongzhou suddenly reached out to grab her, but it was like trying to pluck a flower from a mirror or the moon from water—separated by an unreachable expanse. His hand seemed on the verge of touching her, yet all he grasped was the cold wind.
Was it truly an illusion? An indescribable sense of loss filled his heart. Did he long to see her, or did he dread it?
Li Fei quietly retreated, hovering in the air as she gazed down at the disheveled white-haired Celestial. It was as if she were seeing the young man who had just awakened from an illusion all those years ago—the same melancholy, the same inability to wake from the dream.
He howled like a wounded beast, "Jiang Li Fei! Even in illusions, you torment me?!"
Tears, unbidden, blurred Li Fei's vision, multiplying his figure into several—Ye Ye, Baili Changyue, Ge Lin—all smiling and waving at her.
Four hundred years. At last, they met again, old friends.
She stared at them, murmuring softly, "You will never see me clearly because you dare not face me. The harder you try to escape the past, the more it ensnares you. I won't argue right or wrong with you—you alone must bear the consequences of your actions. Farewell, Ji Tongzhou."
Dawn approached, its cold light poised to bury all that once was. Here in the Central Land, every joy and sorrow, every warmth and indifference she had known, would come to an end.
As Li Fei and Lei Xiuyuan's figures gradually faded into the distance, Ji Tongzhou couldn't help but chase after them. Don't go! He hadn't gotten a proper look at her yet! Four hundred years had passed—couldn't he see her clearly just once more? Don't leave, don't leave. Even if it was just an illusion, why couldn't it grant him this one mercy?
His body felt crushed beneath a mountain's weight, his breath ragged. With immense effort, he finally caught hold of a white corner of her robe. The mist abruptly dispersed, revealing a young girl before him, clad in the pale disciple uniform of the No Moon Court, a scarlet hibiscus pinned in her jet-black hair.
She stood with her back to him, startled, then turned with a laugh and called out, "Ji Tongzhou, what's wrong?"
As she began to turn gracefully toward him, her body suddenly dissolved into countless white butterflies, fluttering chaotically before him in a startled dance. Ji Tongzhou froze, feeling as though the sky and earth were filled with Jiang Li Fei—each one watching him, each one hidden behind the mist, forever out of reach.
With a roar, the Profound Splendor Fire erupted around him, the Black Fire devouring every butterfly. In an instant, all the bizarre illusions vanished, leaving only the boundless expanse of fiery clouds staining the world red.
No Jiang Li Fei. No Lei Xiuyuan. His Black Fire flickered silently around him, the lonely sound of wind and waves washing over his nearly shattered soul.
Had it all truly been an illusion? Had he escaped? Or was he still trapped?
Lost, Ji Tongzhou stood motionless until a heavy hand clapped his shoulder. Startled, he whirled around to see Ye Ye's figure faintly visible amidst the Black Fire, a bright smile on his face as he spoke: "Just an illusion, nothing more than a dream. Tongzhou, wake up."Ye Ye? Ji Tongzhou stared at him blankly as the Black Fire gradually receded. Behind him was the beautiful Eastern Sea under a sky of blue and white clouds. The newly built fire burned brightly, with Lei Xiuyuan prying open seashells and clams, carefully roasting them over the flames. Baili Gelin had rolled up her sleeves and skirt, ready to dive back into the sea to catch more fish. Lu Li sat far away on a rock, sharpening his fishing rod, while Baili Changyue played alone in the sand...
Someone seemed to be missing, but he couldn’t remember who.
"Come on," Ye Ye stretched out his hand to him. "Don’t just stand there spacing out. The East Sea Trial isn’t over yet!"
Ji Tongzhou hesitated, about to step forward, when something seemed to tug at him from behind. Turning around, he saw Ji Jingwu, the boy’s eyes brimming with tears as he murmured, "If something happens to you, Master, what will become of us? What will become of Yue Kingdom?"
His heart jolted again, and suddenly his vision blurred—all the shifting figures vanished. He was left standing alone on the charred cliffs of Man Mountain, staring blankly at the endless fiery clouds.
A dream? An illusion? He stared dazedly at the unchanging, vivid sunset, his mind buzzing with noise.
"Time to go," Lei Xiuyuan glanced at the sky. The sun had just risen, and more Sea Sect Immortals would soon be patrolling the area. If they were discovered, escaping unnoticed would be difficult.
Li Fei silently watched Ji Tongzhou below, lost in his daze. He hadn’t moved, standing like a statue, the Black Fire around him flickering between intensity and faintness.
After who knew how long, he suddenly took a step forward—not using sword flying or riding the clouds—but trudging away like a lifeless corpse, leaving scorched trails of Black Fire in his wake.
Lei Xiuyuan remarked coolly, "The spiritual energy in his body is clashing violently, damaging his Eight Extraordinary Meridians. Right now, he must be drowning in illusions, unable to control himself. Whatever grudge you hold against him, you can let it go. He doesn’t have many days left."
Li Fei shook her head and suddenly asked softly, "You... don’t remember him either?"
Lei Xiuyuan narrowed his eyes, gazing at the shimmering Eastern Sea in the distance, and murmured, "What does it matter if I remember or not? He belongs to the past, while we live in the present."
Li Fei smiled faintly. Perhaps he was right. The past would always remain the past—like a lamp extinguished by death, like the deep night at the end of fate. Forgetting might truly be for the best. In that sense, she almost envied Lei Xiuyuan, who had forgotten everything.
"Let’s go back."
She took Lei Xiuyuan’s arm and turned to fly toward the small inn. There were still many people there, full of curiosity and longing for the world beyond the sea. She began to think—once they set out overseas, how should they arrange their journey? Where should they go first? Hu Jiaping wanted to find Otherworld Fire to reforge Temper Edge, which would surely lead to new landscapes and encounters.
As for nostalgia and regret, she would leave them all in the Central Land. This place would forever linger in her old dreams.
Ji Jingwu had waited at the inn for two days, but his master, who had gone out to track Monsters, had vanished without a trace. It was impossible not to worry. In all the years he had followed Ji Tongzhou, he had never seen him experience such drastic emotional turmoil. Yet ever since arriving at the Eastern Sea, his master had been acting strangely—even coughing up blood that day.
If something happened to his master...He didn't dare to think, afraid to contemplate. Though he claimed to be a cultivation disciple, in truth he was no different from ordinary mortals—just like those imperial clansmen, all weak vines clinging to Ji Tongzhou's towering tree. Once this mighty tree fell, the vines would only meet a withered fate without exception.
Ji Tongzhou returned late on the third night. Ji Jingwu was tossing and turning in bed, sleepless, when he suddenly heard the guest room door next door creak open. He sprang up like a rabbit and rushed out, pushing the door open—and there, sure enough, stood Ji Tongzhou.
Unable to contain his excitement, he hastily called out, "Master! You've finally returned!"
Ji Tongzhou glanced at him, his gaze strange and cold, as if he didn’t recognize him. Ji Jingwu’s heart inexplicably tightened with unease, and he called again softly, "Master?"
That look again—fearful, pressing all its hopes onto him, greedy, insatiable.
Had he once worn such an expression too? Back then, had Xuanshan Zi been stared at like this every day?
Disgust rose in Ji Tongzhou’s heart, and he snapped coldly, "Stop looking at me! Go back!"
With that, he slammed the door shut, leaving the anxious Ji Jingwu outside.
He no longer knew how he had returned. His body felt so heavy it could barely move, yet his soul was light, as if it might drift away at any moment. Outside the window, the sky remained a burning crimson, dark winds howled, and ashes swirled through the air. There was no one here—only him. Just him alone.
It seemed as though he had never truly been happy in his life. The towering mountains and rivers, the battles that once filled him with ambition—now they felt like burdens.
For some reason, Jiang Li Fei suddenly came to mind. Long ago, in a fit of rage, she had scolded him, saying he was self-centered, always acting on his desires. Perhaps she was right! What was wrong with chasing what brought him comfort? Yet even in such pursuits, he had never found true satisfaction.
The ringing in his ears wouldn’t stop. Ji Tongzhou plunged his head into cold water, and at last, the clamor that had been splitting his skull fell silent.
How long had it been? The suffocating weight in his chest threatened to tear him apart. He jerked his head up, and in the bronze mirror, a pale, water-streaked face stared back. Ji Tongzhou gazed blankly at his reflection. How many years had it been since he had truly looked at himself? Was this really what he looked like now?
He barely recognized himself. Where had that hopeful, eager young man gone?
Figures coalesced like green smoke in the mirror—suddenly, Ye Ye and Lei Xiuyuan appeared. One stood with arms crossed, smiling faintly at him, while the other threw a punch and laughed, "We’ve been waiting over half an hour! Hurry up and come down! Everyone’s waiting for you! Weren’t you going to show us the heroic prowess of Star Rectitude Hall’s drinking champion?"
Ji Tongzhou squeezed his eyes shut. These illusions exhausted him. When would he escape? Who could free him?
A small paper ball smacked against his forehead. Ji Tongzhou jolted, opening his eyes to the flickering oil lamp—he had fallen asleep in the northern dining hall of the Academy. The lizard demon woman grinned at him from afar. Lei Xiuyuan, Jiang Li Fei, Baili Gelin—they were all there, sitting around him, watching him with amusement.
"Supposed to be copying texts, but here you are napping!" Hu Jiaping stood behind him, rapping his knuckles sharply against Ji Tongzhou’s head. The pain made him yelp."Are you awake yet?" Hu Jiaping smirked at him. "Crying in your dreams, screaming like someone died—how terrifying."
A dream? Ji Tongzhou looked around in confusion. The oil lamp flickered, and specks of snow drifted over the floating island. Had it all just been a dream during his midday rest at the Academy?
"Tongzhou!" Ye Ye's group had finished their training and came over for dinner, sweating profusely. They called out to him, "Finished copying those books yet?"
Ah, right—he was supposed to be copying books... Ji Tongzhou felt a wave of bewilderment as he pressed his hand against the ink stains before him. But soon, he stood up and laughed.
So it had all just been a dream. He was still a disciple training at the Academy, and his friends were all still here. His gaze instinctively sought out Jiang Li Fei, but she remained shrouded in mist, her features still indistinct.
Ji Tongzhou froze for a moment—but then he laughed again. He laughed and laughed until tears streamed down his face.
A lifetime in a dream. His lifetime in a dream. In the end, the place he most wished to return to was here. He had hoped everything was just a dream during his midday rest.
Ji Tongzhou threw back his head and laughed loudly—but the laughter abruptly ceased, leaving only silence.
Ji Jingwu knocked on the door several times, but there was no response from within. Fear gripped him, and he could no longer restrain himself—he kicked the guest room door open. The window was wide open, and pale moonlight spilled over the blue bedding. But aside from that, there was not a soul in sight.
"Master?" Ji Jingwu called out.
No one answered. Only the cold moonlight stretched across the floor, reflecting in the young man's eyes.
The End.
OpenNovel