Talisman Emperor

Returning to the Dark Reverie was as good as experiencing a cycle of reincarnation for Chen Xi and Qing Xiuyi.

After all, the entire process was too breathtaking. First Chen Xi had trespassed into the Heavenflow Dao Sect by himself for the sake of the bet of one hundred years, and then he’d suffered repeated obstruction before finally battling Bing Shitian’s clone.

Originally, the curtains to this ought to be have been drawn flawlessly.

Unfortunately, at the last moment, they were schemed against by Bing Shitian, and Qing Xiuyi had been forcefully taken into the Netherworld by King Chu Jiang with the Netherworld Disk.

It was from that moment onward that Chen Xi was dragged into it. He could only set out once more and enter the Netherworld, fight all by himself, slaughter everything that stood in his way, and break through all obstacles to finally rescue Qing Xiuyi from the five Kings of Hell.

This process seemed to be simple, yet it was actually filled with difficulty, and it could be said that killing intent was present in every step he took while signs of danger appeared everywhere.

Now that he was able to bring her back, the happiness in Chen Xi’s heart was obvious.

“Let’s go back to the Nine Radiance Sword Sect,” said Chen Xi with a smile.

At this moment, they were on an extremely desolate gorge, and it was very unfamiliar to him and deserted.

But this wasn’t a problem for Chen Xi because since the moment he returned to the Dark Reverie, he’d sensed the aura of his clone. So he only had to return by following this aura, and he would be able to return to the Nine Radiance Sword Sect.

Qing Xiuyi thought for a moment, and then she shook her head instead. “I want to seize this opportunity to talk with you a bit more.”

Chen Xi was stunned. He was slightly unable to guess Qing Xiuyi’s thoughts, yet he still agreed without the slightest hesitation. “Alright.”

This desolate gorge was completely barren, and it was covered in greyish brown colored rocks. Strong winds whistled by and caused dirt and pebbles to be blasted into the air, and they emanated a swishing sound amidst this deathly silent atmosphere.

Chen Xi and Qing Xiuyi sat side by side at the peak of a precipitous mountain in the gorge and gazed at the heavens and the earth. It was a boundless expanse and the setting sun was red like blood and revealed a sorrowful aura.

“Once I was brought into the Heavenflow Dao Sect from the Primeval Battlefield all those years ago, I entered into closed door cultivation and kept myself secluded from the world while concentrating on eliminating the karma from my precious lives…” Her voice that was cold like a serene spring rang by the side of Chen Xi’s ears. Qing Xiuyi held her knees with her hand while her beautiful hair fluttered with the wind, and her eyes that were like stars and gems were suffused with a wisp of recollection that seemed hazy like clouds and mist.

“Before I underwent a hundred reincarnations, I overcame nine levels of the Heavenly Tribulation in one night, so becoming an Immortal was within my grasps. But when I was about to take that final step, there was a voice in the depths of my heart that aroused a trace of doubt towards the Heaven Dao and eternal life.”

“At that time, I hesitated for a long time before I decided to reincarnate. I wanted to search for the answer in the depths of my heart. After that, I experienced one hundred reincarnations. I experienced a completely different life in every single lifetime, and I took a completely different path towards the Dao. The experience I accumulated from one hundred lifetimes finally gave me a slight opportunity to see through the secrets of the Heaven Dao!” 

When she spoke up to here, Qing Xiuyi’s beautiful and extraordinary face suddenly flashed with a wisp of anticipation, and it was dazzling and resplendent beyond compare.

“The secrets of the Heaven Dao?” When he heard these words, the heart of Chen Xi who’d been listening silently all along couldn’t help but shake fiercely, and he felt a wisp of shock. Never had he imagined that Qing Xiuyi’s knowledge of the Heaven Dao had actually arrived at such a terrifying height.

The secrets of the Heaven Dao was the workings of the heavens!

The workings of the heavens couldn’t be determined, it was ethereal and vague, and it circulated throughout the universe. Not to mention cultivators in the Mortal Dimension, even the gods and Buddhas of the world didn’t dare speak rashly about the workings of the heavens. 

All those years ago, the Master of Oracle Mountain, Fuxi, had relied on the might of the River Diagram to see through the workings of the heaven and arrive at the end of the Grand Dao.

On the other hand, after she experienced one hundred reincarnations and eliminated the karma from her previous lives, Qing Xiuyi had actually seen through a trace of the workings of the heavens. If news of this were to spread, it wouldn’t just shock the Dark Reverie, even the three dimensions would be shaken.

“Unfortunately, because my cultivation was too low, it was impossible for me to see through even more of the workings of the heavens. I was only able to faintly sense that my path towards the Dao will obtain a completely new transformation in the Immortal Dimension by way of rebirth. As for what sort of transformation it is, I’m unable to find out.” Qing Xiuyi sighed faintly while her eyes revealed a rare wisp of frustration.

After that, she smiled and raised her eyes to stare at Chen Xi before she said, “Doesn’t it sound like foretelling one’s fate?”

Chen Xi nodded, and he said truthfully, “Fate, the workings of the heavens, and the path towards the Dao. Perhaps they’re the most indescribable existences in the world. But I personally don’t believe in destiny.”

“Because your fate has been concealed from the heavens since the beginning. Since you are part of the workings of the heavens, you naturally feel nothing towards this.” Qing Xiuyi’s words were shocking. 

Chen Xi was stunned, and then he said, “You’ve noticed as well?”

A wisp of a strange expression suffused Qing Xiuyi’s clear eyes as she said, “Yes, I suddenly realized after I left my closed door cultivation.”

“A spectator sees the chess game better than the player himself. Perhaps the thing that is most difficult to judge in the world is one’s own self…” Chen Xi recalled the River Diagram fragments in his sea of consciousness, and he couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. His fate had been concealed by the workings of the heavens, yet he was taken to be a variant by the Heaven Dao. The matters of the world were just so unbelievable like this.

“After saying all this, I actually only wanted to tell you that perhaps you’ll be able to live along with the ages and move about freely and without worries after becoming a Heavenly Immortal. But if you desire eternal life, it isn’t something that can be obtained from becoming an Immortal.” Qing Xiuyi’s expression became solemn as she spoke with a serious tone.

“Eternal life…” Chen Xi stared blankly into the distance while he finally understood the path that Qing Xiuyi sought. Actually, it was just like all the myriad of living beings in the world. All of them were unwilling to be shackled by the chains of fate, and they desired to live eternally with the world.

But Qing Xiuyi was even more clearly aware and had a deeper understanding of how to move forward on her path towards the Dao and walk until the end.

After a short moment, Chen Xi shook his head and said with self-ridicule, “I’m not interested in eternal life. I only desire to complete the responsibilities I carry on my shoulders. That’s more than enough.”

“Then what about after you’ve finished these responsibilities?” asked Qing Xiuyi.

Chen Xi said frankly, “I’ve never thought about it.”

He really had never thought about it because there were too many things for him to do. He had to advance into the Heavenly Immortal Realm, search for his mother, Zuoqiu Xue, find his father, Chen Lingjun…

This heavy pressure caused him to not dare think too much.

“I understand.” Qing Xiuyi thought for a moment and nodded.

As for what she understood, she didn’t speak about it. She turned her head and gazed off towards the blood red setting sun in the distant horizon, and she said with a light voice, “I’ll at most be able to accompany you for a month.”

As soon as these words were spoken, it instantly jolted Chen Xi back from his deep thought, and he said with a frown, “Why? Could it be that there’s something else that hasn’t been dealt with?”

Qing Xiuyi smiled, and she stretched out her slender and white finger to point towards the sky as she said, “I have no choice but to head over first.”

“The Immortal Dimension?” Chen Xi’s brows raised.

“Yes.” Qing Xiuyi nodded, and then she puckered her lips and said, “Actually, since the moment I eliminated the karma from my previous lives and completed my closed door cultivation, I could head to the Immortal Dimension at any moment because no tribulation in the Mortal Dimension is capable of stopping me anymore.” 

The wisp of confidence and pride in her voice couldn’t be concealed. At the bottom of it all, she’d always been a woman who was extremely prideful in her heart, and it was because she was proud to the extreme that she was never willing to share her pride with anyone in the world.

Of course, Chen Xi was the only exception.

“A month?” Chen Xi sighed. He thought for a moment and couldn’t help but sigh once more. He was slightly unable to accept it, yet he had no choice but to accept it, and he was extremely conflicted.

Qing Xiuyi couldn’t help but smile when she saw this, and then she seemed to not have the heart to continue watching him like this, so she explained patiently. “I’ve never told you that my strength was increasing every single day. When you fought Bing Shitian, I was only a step away from stepping into the Heavenly Immortal Realm. At the point where I was in the Netherworld, even though I was confined to the Godcage Cave on Myriad Flow Mountain, my comprehension during that period of time caused my cultivation to advance tremendously instead.”

Chen Xi was astounded and said, “Then how formidable is your cultivation right now?”

Qing Xiuyi tilted her head, causing her jet black hair to pour down like a waterfall while her beautiful face revealed a rare mischievous expression as she said with a smile, “Why don’t you guess?”

“The Heavenly Immortal Realm?” Chen Xi naturally accepted this request with extreme delight.

Qing Xiuyi puckered her lips and blinked. “Guess again.”

“The Mysterious Immortal Realm?” Chen Xi was slightly shocked in his heart when he heard this.

Qing Xiuyi didn’t even speak this time. She just smiled lightly while revealing an appearance that seemed to be telling him to guess again.

Chen Xi’s eyes opened wide while he said with shock, “You wouldn’t be a Golden Immortal, right?”

“Why not?” Qing Xiuyi replied with a question.

At this moment, Chen Xi finally attained a complete understanding of Qing Xiuyi’s current strength. She had actually attained the ranks of Golden Immortals!

“Then you…” Chen Xi stared blankly at her.

“I just broke through, otherwise there would be no use for you to rescue me, and I would have naturally been able to escape Myriad Flow Mountain.” Qing Xiuyi seemed to have seen through Chen Xi’s thoughts, and she explained in a light voice.

After that, she bit her cherry lips lightly while her clear eyes glowed, and she said with a pitiable expression, “What? Are you regretting coming to rescue me after you found out about all of this?”

Chen Xi hastily shook his head and didn’t dare be vague with his answer at all.

Qing Xiuyi cracked a smile, and then she sighed lightly. “This is my cultivation that was accumulated through one hundred reincarnations. If it was you, you would be even more formidable than me. But unfortunately, because my strength has touched the Golden Immortal Realm, I’m unable to continue staying in the Mortal Dimension any longer…”

“Then make the best use of your time. Return with me, and then we’ll set out from the Nine Radiance Sword Sect back to the Darchu Dynasty.” Chen Xi thought for a moment before he finally decided. He stood up and intended to seize this short period of a month to accompany their son, Chen An, with Qing Xiuyi.

“Alright.” Qing Xiuyi stood up after him, and she seemed to reveal an obedient appearance of following Chen Xi’s every decision.

At this instant, Chen Xi suddenly felt that Qing Xiuyi seemed to have changed. She seemed to have become even more meek and submissive, and he really enjoyed this sort of feeling.

But at the same time, he was very clearly aware that this change was probably done intentionally by Qing Xiuyi. Perhaps she was trying her best to use her most gentle bearing to make it up to him…

“Hmm?” But both of them hadn’t made a move when Qing Xiuyi seemed to have sensed something, causing her beautiful brows to knit together while a wisp of surprise flashed through her clear eyes. After that, her gaze turned cold and was suffused with bone piercingly coldness.

“What happened?” Chen Xi’s expression became extremely serious.

Qing Xiuyi replied. “I sensed An’er’s aura.”

Chen Xi was stunned and stared blankly at her as he said, “An’er?”

“Yes, he’s in the Dark Reverie now. Moreover, he seemed to have encountered great trouble. Otherwise, it would be impossible for me to sense him,” said Qing Xiuyi.

“Great trouble…” Chen Xi was shocked in his heart, and then he hurriedly said, “Let’s not speak about anything else. Let’s quickly find An’er first!”

“Let’s go!” Qing Xiuyi wasn’t an indecisive person as well. She stretched out her white hand right away and tore open space before she instantly vanished along with Chen Xi.