Chapter 50: Tianlu Pleads

Tianlu Pleads

A Dream-Returning Spirit Fruit made Wang Panpan a laughingstock for several days. Both Both Ruan Ci only pushed that she dreamed of Xie Yan drawing her sword, which caused her to chase her for a whole night and knock over the spirit wine she was about to drink. Wang Panpan also believed it deeply. This Dream-Returning Fruit was originally sometimes effective and sometimes not, otherwise Zhou Yanqing wouldn't have casually bestowed it upon outer sect disciples. It had to be carefully prepared with a variety of spiritual medicines and brewed into spirit wine before one could say that it might have some effect, but it was also hard to say what exactly it was useful for. Some cultivators used it just to be drunk and dream of death, while others could comprehend the power of laws from it and comprehend supernatural powers with not small power.

However, even if the effect fluctuated, "Three Thousand Fields of Great Dreams" was still sold at a high price, and all forces competed to buy it. It was also a not small source of wealth for the Changyao Baoguang Heaven, because this kind of spiritual object that could travel through time and illuminate the previous life was extremely rare and hard to find in the heaven and earth. Moreover, who knew whether the insight that this bottle of wine failed to induce would be patronized by the next bottle of wine?

For Both Both Ruan Ci, this unjust money didn't need to be spent. After a few days, she ate another Dream-Returning Spirit Fruit, but nothing happened. She also had some realization in her heart. It seemed that this spiritual object could only be taken once. The next attempt should be after building a foundation, drinking spirit wine, and seeing if "Three Thousand Fields of Great Dreams," brewed from Dream-Returning Spirit Fruits, could induce a strange dream again.

She was also carefully reflecting and summarizing the laws in the strange dream—the origin of this strange dream was now very clear. That day, Xie Yan held her hand and cut down the sword seeds of the world. Thousands of fireflies came one after another and invested in the sword body. Now it seemed that these sword seeds were not truly completely killed, but just as she saw that day, the living souls were absorbed into the Donghua Sword and imprisoned.

Both Both Ruan Ci read "Yin Jun Dan Ge Note" in the Junping Prefecture. In Both Both Ruan Ci's view, this intent cultivation method actually contained the law of time to a certain extent, using the cultivation of today by borrowing the memories held by the self in the past. This mysterious law of the Great Dao of time seemed to trigger the induction of the Donghua Sword. The strange dream she had that night should be the last few days experienced by a sword seed named Chang Chunfeng before Xie Yan collected thousands of lives with one sword.

After waking up from the dream, Chang Chunfeng's soul power was probably exhausted, and she didn't know if the true spirit had left the sword body, but the Donghua Sword carried one less soul power, so it was lighter by that infinitesimal bit. It was just like after waking up from this dream of Qu Pingting, the Donghua Sword was also lighter by a wisp. If Both Both Ruan Ci hadn't completely refined the Donghua Sword, she wouldn't have been able to feel such a subtle change.

In the dark, she also had a feeling that no matter where the true spirit went, the memories of these two people, the things that could make them who they were, should not exist at all. It was said that the true spirit of a Dao seeker could not enter reincarnation, and she didn't know where they finally went if they really left the Donghua Sword. And were the sword spirit fragments originally born in their true spirits taken away with them, or were they left behind by the Donghua Sword and re-refined into the sword body to make up for the loss of the Great Dao?

Precious techniques are not passed on, and Both Both Ruan Ci is unwilling to discuss the Donghua Sword with others. She had always suspected that her temperament was influenced by the Donghua Sword—in daily life, Both Both Ruan Ci is gentle and almost never loses her temper, but once a fight breaks out, no matter who the opponent is, a sense of ferocity arises from the bottom of her heart. It was like this when she sparred with Shuangcheng, and it was the same when she competed for fish with Young Master Huang and the others at Ningshan Pond. Later, when she was assassinated at Zhuoyue Cliff, although there was an element of playing the fool and utilizing the contempt that cultivators from the Central Continent held for the South Zhuzhou to act fierce for self-preservation, it cannot be denied that when she hung the assassins upside down to bleed them and hoisted them high on poles, she felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction and joy in her heart, as if the bloodthirsty and murderous side of her personality had been satisfied.

However, before getting the sword, in the earth vein, she heard with her own ears that her foster father was executed. When she was full of sadness and determined to avenge her family, she didn't think about how to cruelly torture the enemy, just wanted to kill them all. Even after getting the sword, before refining it, Both Both Ruan Ci discussed the enemy with her brother and sister. Ruan Qian and Ruan Rong hated the culprit they identified in their hearts, but Both Both Ruan Ci didn't hate to the point of cruel torture. It was precisely after refining the Donghua Sword that such a bloodthirsty emotion would rise every time she fought with someone. Now, there was finally a clue—the Donghua Sword was a Great Dao Spirit Treasure of life. It shouldn't carry any fierce and evil energy. Perhaps it was the resentment generated by these living souls collected into the sword body that subtly affected her state of mind.

If that was the case, the obstacles she encountered when refining the sword could also be explained. Xie Yan didn't mention the difficulties when refining the sword, not because she had already entered the Dao when she refined the sword and could easily pass through, but because she didn't need to refine these extra living souls when she got the sword. The Donghua Sword carried these soul powers, so it was naturally more difficult to refine. Both Both Ruan Ci felt that the sword body was heavier and the sword intent was fiercer the more she refined it, all of which were related to these sword seed living souls.

Cutting down the sword seeds of the world with one sword, this sentence sounded so magnificent, but if one had experienced the thoughts of these sword seeds before they died, it was a completely different matter. Both Both Ruan Ci's recollection of the scene of Xie Yan collecting thousands of fireflies in the heaven and earth with one sword, besides that magnificent spirit and mysterious supernatural power, also seemed to feel the cruelty of treating all things as straw dogs. Wasn't she herself the biggest victim under this world where the strong lived and the weak died?

These things were also not to be thought about deeply. At least at this moment, thinking too deeply only added to the trouble. Both Both Ruan Ci sighed, and secretly thought in her heart, "No wonder all other sword users were peaceful when refining the Donghua Sword. I haven't heard of anyone dying at this juncture. If it weren't for the coincidence that I got the help of the beautiful two insects and even the cheap husband, I would have been defeated at this juncture, and might even have been in this half-dead state forever, falling into a painful cycle, unable to extricate myself. Sister Xie... Sister Xie is indeed a heroic figure in the Langhuan Heaven and Earth, but she is indeed worthy of the name of a demon. She, she is good to me... but perhaps at some point in the future, my end will be more miserable than Chang Chunfeng and Qu Pingting."

These are naturally all Ruan Ci's guesses. Whether those sword-seed vengeful spirits could cause such a great influence still requires studying ghost cultivation techniques and classics, which is not something she can easily obtain at present. If cultivators of the Langhuan Zhou Tian suffer a disaster and damage their physical bodies, they can turn to ghost cultivation. They also have three disasters and six calamities, several major realms, and the concept of spiritual lifespan, so there are relevant classics. But Ruan Ci cannot sense the Dao rhyme, so these matters have nothing to do with her. Now that she has confined herself to the Guanfeng Mansion, her only channel for external communication is Tianlu. Tianlu is simple enough, but above Tianlu is Wang Zhenren. Ten years have passed, and in the next ten years, her fellow disciples will soon be establishing their Foundations. If Ruan Ci were to be distracted by reading ghost cultivation classics, neither Wang Zhenren nor Wang Panpan would spare her a few scoldings if they found out.

For her, the most important thing was building a foundation. This was also the place where Both Both Ruan Ci regretted the most—it was not that she really complained that Xie Yan drew her sword early, but she regretted her own reckless actions. This fruit should have been eaten a few years later when her jade pool was full, but now it was a waste of medicinal effect. She really didn't know where to look for the next time spiritual object.

It was hard to find spiritual objects, which was fine, but every time she sensed it, it meant that the soul power of a living soul completely dissipated, as if sucking away the last wisp of life of this person. Although these sword seed living souls were cut down by Xie Yan, even if she didn't consume them, they couldn't be revived. And Both Both Ruan Ci had to consume living souls to practice intent, but she still wanted to avoid virtual consumption of living souls as much as possible, which could be considered a comfort to her heart that was better than nothing.

Why was it to take the Dream-Returning Spirit Fruit when the jade pool was full? This was also a wisdom gained after eating a trench. Both Both Ruan Ci recalled the first strange dream at this time. At that time, her physical body had been tempered for a hundred times, reaching the extreme of martial arts cultivation before opening meridians. If Chang Chunfeng's physical body couldn't compare with her, it was said that spiritual energy was just a layer higher than her at that time—he was a scattered sect disciple with Qi Refining fourth layer cultivation, and the difference from mortals was just such a shallow layer.

And that Qu Pingting, at the perfection of Qi Refining, suppressed the realm and didn't build a foundation, which was also a layer higher than Both Both Ruan Ci now. This should be in the dark, Both Both Ruan Ci relied on time spiritual objects as a medium to sense the Donghua Sword, and could only pry the laws and sense the sword seed living souls whose cultivation was slightly higher than her own. Wanting to sense higher, it was no longer possible.

For Both Both Ruan Ci, she didn't feel that she couldn't bear the soul power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but this mysterious induction was not something she could choose. She could only rely on the rules she figured out, and this attempt was also very luxurious. Not to mention living souls, most of the spiritual objects containing the law of time were rare and expensive. After using it once, it couldn't be used again, so one could imagine that the number of attempts was also limited. The most economical way was to cultivate to the perfection of the current realm every time, then borrow spiritual objects, break through the pass with "Yin Jun Dan Ge Note," and at the same time cultivate "Qinghua Secret News" to control the Donghua Sword as soon as possible. If she could pick out living souls with higher quality from the sword to sense, that would be the best. According to her current understanding of the cultivation path, this would only need to be used twice more at the perfection of Foundation Establishment and Golden Core. As for the perfection of Nascent Soul, even if she could cultivate to that realm, there would probably be no Grotto-Heaven realm living souls in the Donghua Sword for her to sense.

However, Both Both Ruan Ci's confidence in controlling the Donghua Sword was not enough. Wang Panpan once said that if she could pull out the Donghua Sword within the Golden Core realm, it was already considered her talent was superb. Most sword users could only operate the Donghua Sword freely at the Nascent Soul stage, but this was only operation. This was why sword seeds could only be called sword users after getting the sword. If they really controlled the Donghua Sword, like a cultivator refining a treasure, refining it inside and out, knowing all the restrictions, and using all kinds of wonderful uses like an arm, then they were no longer sword users, but Donghua Sword Masters.

However, the Donghua Sword was once a Great Dao Spirit Treasure, which was at the Dao Ancestor level. Even if it was damaged now, it was still a spirit treasure at the Grotto-Heaven level and half a layer higher. Wanting to control the Donghua Sword, one had to enter the Grotto-Heaven to have a glimmer of hope. However, few sword users in the past dynasties had entered the Grotto-Heaven, which was also a too distant goal for Both Both Ruan Ci.

Unable to control the Donghua Sword, she still had to find some protective cultivation methods and treasures in the short term to get rid of the influence of resentful and violent energy on her temperament as much as possible. All the needs in front of her were real. Only at this moment did Both Both Ruan Ci recognize the truth of what Liu Jizi said, and also understand why Wang Panpan always looked at Qu Qu Tan Yue differently and wanted to pull a red thread between them. Cultivators practiced, and they originally had various needs for external objects. Both Both Ruan Ci certainly didn't need Foundation Establishment external medicines, but True Person Wang hoped that she would dominate, so to ensure her cultivation speed, the resources she needed were only more than ordinary cultivators. Moreover, the elders didn't have the intention to help. How to manage her own forces and exchange for cultivation resources was also a compulsory course for flourishing sect disciples.

The external medicines Tianlu gave her were said to be pulled randomly from the warehouse, but they couldn't escape True Person Wang's eyes and ears. True Person Wang didn't speak, so it could be seen that these benefits were originally given to her to cultivate forces. Both Both Ruan Ci gave some to Lin Xianen, and she still held a lot in her hand. If she sold them at the market, it would be enough to exchange for a massive amount of spirit money. Of course, she could also entrust someone to pass words to Ruan Rong and Ruan Qian, letting them search for spiritual objects. Just as Liu Jizi said, in the cultivation world, the three of them could look after each other.

It was just that she felt it was not good to disturb, and she could also entrust Lin Xianen to pay attention, or find Qu Qu Tan Yue to come over and let him make up some betrothal gifts—he had already said that after returning to the Central Continent, he would make up the betrothal gifts. If Both Both Ruan Ci acted as a greedy wife, Qu Qu Tan Yue should also happily accept it.

After thinking about it, asking Qu Qu Tan Yue to make up the betrothal gifts was the most secure. The Profound Soul Gate was also a flourishing sect in the Central Continent, and Qu Qu Tan Yue's true body was a Nascent Soul True Person. Time spiritual objects were rare for Qi Refining disciples like Lin Xianen, but it was not difficult for him to search for a few. However, Both Both Ruan Ci thought for a long time, but still didn't contact Qu Qu Tan Yue first, but asked Tianlu when he came to deliver prison food one day, "Tianlu, do you want to eat a Dream-Returning Fruit?"

Tianlu smiled, "Is it planted by True Person Yanqing? I don't eat it, it's useless for me to eat it."

He came to deliver some spiritual food every two or three months. After ten years, Both Both Ruan Ci was already very familiar with him, so she smiled, "Silly, do you eat everything only because it is useful?"

Tianlu blinked, with a trace of ignorance, "Otherwise? Why would I eat it if it is useless?"

Both Both Ruan Ci said, "Things that are useless but delicious can also be eaten."

She still took one for him. Tianlu held the spirit fruit in his palm and looked at it, full of freshness, and smiled, "So the Dream-Returning Fruit looks like this. I have only seen the records in books, but haven't seen it with my own eyes."

Both Both Ruan Ci asked him again why it was useless to eat it. Tianlu said, "Dream-Returning Spirit Fruit, as the name suggests, can make people dream back to the previous life, or remember the past events that have long been forgotten. But I don't have a previous life, and I don't have past events that I have forgotten. I remember them all very clearly."

He straightened his thin chest, and his words were extremely proud. Both Both Ruan Ci couldn't help but laugh again and praised, "Tianlu is truly amazing, with such a good memory. No wonder there is nothing you don't know."

Tianlu was indeed learned and knowledgeable. According to his words and deeds, Both Both Ruan Ci guessed that he had read many books. The two talked about time spiritual objects. Tianlu said, "This Dream-Returning Fruit, Miss Ci should collect it well. It is one of the external medicines for cultivators to form a pill. When cultivators condense a pill, they must understand the past. If their own memory is missing, then the external medicine for forming a pill must add time spiritual objects. The Dream-Returning Fruit is considered one of the time spiritual objects that is better to obtain. But even so, this fruit does not have a few plants in the Central Continent, and the selling price in the outside market is extremely high. It matures once every few thousand years. In the future, you keep it to give to friends who want to form a pill, isn't it good?"

He also talked about several well-known time spiritual objects in the Central Continent. They were either the treasures of the flourishing sect's mountain or the beloved objects in the flourishing sect's grotto-heaven. Both Both Ruan Ci said, "In our Profound Heaven Sect, is there only this kind of Dream-Returning Fruit?"

Tianlu shook his head, "There are still others. True Person Xu of the Pure Yang Yan Zheng Heaven has a fairy vine, which bears fruit once every ten thousand years. The fruit is then combined with other precious materials to refine into a magic treasure, which is the Life-Replacing Golden Bell worn by Miss Shaowei. This treasure can twist karma, avoid a fatal crisis for the owner, and transfer the true body back to an absolutely safe place. However, this fairy vine only bears one fruit every ten thousand years. The last one was refined into the Life-Replacing Golden Bell for Miss Shaowei, and the next one will not mature for another two thousand-plus years. Now, even if you go to the Pure Yang Yan Zheng Heaven as a guest, you can only see the flowers opened by the fairy vine, and you can't see the fruit yet."

Even if it bore fruit, Both Both Ruan Ci didn't feel that she could get it. According to Wang Panpan and Qu Qu Tan Yue, Xu Shaowei's stance was suspicious, and it seemed that she had a tacit understanding with Yanshan. If she dealt with the Pure Yang Yan Zheng Heaven without raising the identity of a sword user, how could she covet the fairy fruit? If she pointed out her identity, it was undoubtedly seeking her own death. She sighed and said with a trace of sadness, "Why don't these things come out in True Person Wang's grotto-heaven? The True Person is so poor."

Tianlu covered his mouth with his sleeves and laughed for a while before saying, "How long has the True Person achieved Grotto-Heaven? It's just one or two thousand years. The family foundation is naturally not as thick as other Grotto-Heaven ancestors. But it will all get better slowly."

Both Both Ruan Ci said, "Oh? Why?"

Tianlu looked at Both Both Ruan Ci with his eyes flashing and smiled innocently, "Because Miss Ci is here."

Both Both Ruan Ci thought of the precious materials the Sect Master gave to True Person Wang. She thought that these precious materials were probably outside the ordinary offerings. Her heart moved, and she picked out the cloud seed that never left her body from her bosom and asked, "Do you know what this is?"

Tianlu recognized it at a glance and smiled, "This is the Heavenly Fate Cloud Seed of the Great Master. The Great Master went to South Zhuzhou to pick up Miss Ci. I don't know how the incarnation was damaged. I thought the cloud seed was lost there. I didn't expect it to be given to Miss Ci—strange, although the Great Master went as an incarnation, there are not many people who can damage him. I really don't know what happened."

Both Both Ruan Ci couldn't help but feel a little ashamed, covered her mouth and coughed a few times, and said with a straight face, "Is that so? It seems that there are really many things I don't know in those few years."

Her pretense could be seen through by Wang Panpan, but Tianlu, being entirely innocent, did not feel anything amiss at all. He pulled Both Both Ruan Ci along excitedly and said, "Yes, yes, Miss Ci doesn't know, but without the Great Master looking after us, the situation is actually very precarious. Originally, with the Great Master's avatar present, if a crisis were encountered, the Great Master could rely on the avatar to manifest and descend. But the Great Master's avatar was damaged, so we can only rely on True Person Jun to hold the fort. If it weren't for True Person Jun's profound divine arts, which can continuously activate the Wind-Pacifying Chime, those Major Sects would have come to cause us trouble long ago."

Tianlu usually called True Person Wang, mostly True Person, and occasionally Lord, but he didn't call him Great Master. It sounded like the seniority of this Great Master was even higher. It was probably the master of the Sect Master and True Person Wang. I just didn't know why he didn't show up to see her, but let True Person Wang take her in. Both Both Ruan Ci had been closed-door cultivating in the Profound Heaven Sect for ten years. Although she had almost never gone out, she was no longer as ignorant of the sect's internal affairs as before. Hearing Tianlu talk about the turbulent waves thirteen years ago, she thought to herself, "The Sect Master's line has been low-key and self-defensive for three thousand years since Xie Yan rebelled and left the sect. Even when going to South Zhuzhou, only one Nascent Soul True Person, Chen Jun, was moved, until I was brought back from South Zhuzhou, and then began to expand power outward again. Then the days of these three thousand years must not be very good. True Person Wang achieved Grotto-Heaven not long ago, which is the time when the Sect Master's line is dark and weak. I want to think that the spiritual cave precious materials he obtained are not as thick as other Grotto-Heaven ancestors. The old man at the chess stall sent me to the Purple Void Heaven, and he was also afraid of having the intention to support him. The faster I improve my cultivation, the faster I show my identity as a sword user, the safer Rong Jie is, and the more benefits True Person Wang can get from me."

She had eaten True Person Wang's feeding for ten years. Although it was all given by the Sect Master, Tianlu's every delivery was a human favor. Now she had to ask for such a precious time spiritual object. Even if Both Both Ruan Ci's face was thick, she felt that she couldn't open her mouth at first. Now that she had figured out the truth, she felt at ease. But she didn't directly probe, and what she said was enough. She just cultivated with peace of mind in the grotto-heaven and didn't mention it.

But Tianlu, after returning to the Purple Void Heaven, went to see True Person Wang to report. In the past, he had an audience in that small pavilion, but today he went straight across the Canghai Sea and landed on an immortal island deep in the sea, jumping onto a giant rock by the sea, and shouted in surprise, "True Person, are you out of closed-door meditation?"

It turned out that True Person Wang had been closed-door meditating here for the past hundred years. It was just that the Grotto-Heaven True Person had many complicated affairs, and he cultivated "Supreme Induction Chapter," so it was most convenient to simulate a divine split. This was the first time Tianlu had seen his true body in hundreds of years, so he spoiled him for a good while, then poured tea for the True Person and smiled, "True Person, Miss Ci seems to really want a time spiritual object."

True Person Wang asked, "Did she say the reason?"

Tianlu shook his head, "No, but Miss Ci ate a Dream-Returning Fruit, and it seems that she has made a lot of progress. I see that her momentum is full, and if the time comes, perhaps she can even fill the water in one morning and build a foundation on the spot. Perhaps Miss Ci wants to collect more spiritual objects because of this."

True Person Wang laughed, "This is not something you can have just because you want it. This is a precious thing, not some spirit beast dried meat."

"Although that is the case, Miss Ci can ask the Young Master of the Profound Soul Gate," Tianlu said innocently, "Miss Ci has a Spirit-Splendid Jade Disc in her hand, which is recorded in the 9,300th volume of the 'Central Continent Original Meeting Magic Treasure Collection.' It was born in the North Underworld Continent and made of a piece of Spirit-Splendid Jade obtained by the Profound Soul Gate. Since Miss Ci has the Profound Soul Gate's treasure in her hand, it can be seen that her friendship with the Profound Soul Gate is very good. If we don't give it, and she asks the Profound Soul Gate for it, won't our Purple Void Heaven be very faceless?"

True Person Wang didn't speak. Tianlu knelt beside True Person Wang, lying on the small table, looking up, "I remember that in the True Person's warehouse, there is a precious gourd from the Western Desolate Continent, which also has the ability to distort time."

True Person Wang raised his hand and chiseled it on his forehead, "This is an external medicine that can be used for advancing to Nascent Soul. Give it to a Qi Refining stage disciple? Then what should she use when she advances to Nascent Soul?"

Tianlu covered his forehead and didn't dare to make a sound anymore. He lowered his head and his feet touched the ground alternately, his eyes looking around, as if he wanted to find a gap to escape. True Person Wang saw it, and was also helpless. He pondered for a while, drank the tea in the cup slowly, and said, "Let her come to me, I will see her and then talk."

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Updated, sorry for the long wait, everyone. I will send out comment red envelopes to everyone in this chapter~

It seems there is nothing delicious for lunch today, so I will eat some green bean and meat slice soup, braised winter melon, and then eat a yellow croaker. I bought walnuts and pistachios from Sam's Club. The walnuts are delicious, but I feel the pistachios are floury, not crispy, which is a bit unworthy of Sam's reputation.

I've been naming people until I collapsed. Does anyone want to guest star as a bit part???

I started watching "Carrying Taobao to the Other World," and "Succubus's Manor" was passed by me.

Thanks to the little angels who cast overlord votes or irrigated nutrient solution for me between 2020-08-05 12:04:35 and 2020-08-06 12:05:31~

Thanks to the little angels who cast landmines: Zhen x2; Yu Yu Wan Yao, Shao Guang, Time's Delusion, Hamel Ji x1;

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated nutrient solution: Bai Rongrong 40 bottles; Suan Cai Yu 39 bottles; Jiu Diao Chong Tan 20 bottles; O Huo, LLLe, Zhou Zhou 10 bottles; ingrideagle, Lilyko, Zi Bing You Huan, xiaoxiao, Fan Zhou 5 bottles; Yin Wei Bu Yi Suo Yi Bu Yi, Maidragon, Zou Zou, Wa Wang Wang 1 bottle;

Thank you all very much for your support, I will continue to work hard! ===== CHAPTER 51 =====