Chapter 128: Is This… My Daughter-in-Law? p1
Within the frozen stillness of the severed space-time, no one could hear the conversation between Luo Xue and Phoenix Venerable.
Luo Xue knew this was a rare opportunity. She could voice the doubts she had buried deep within her heart and might even receive answers.
But… this was her most important secret.
However, after a moment of hesitation, Luo Xue carefully said,
“Phoenix Venerable, if I said… that all of this is just a dream I’m having. When I die, I wake up. What do you think… would happen?”
“Oh?”
Phoenix Venerable’s interest was piqued, and her lazy demeanor turned serious.
She looked at Luo Xue, gently touched her heart, then examined her carefully.
“There are no traces of a projected consciousness… This is your true body, not some dream avatar, Luo Xue.”
“I know this is my true body…”
Luo Xue was troubled. How could she explain her situation to Phoenix Venerable without revealing too much?
“Alright, let’s assume what you said is true.”
Phoenix Venerable didn’t dwell on this point and continued to ask,
“So, if you die in this world, you will wake up from the dream and return to your real world?”
Luo Xue nodded, but didn’t explain further.
“Then, under what circumstances do you enter this dream?” Phoenix Venerable narrowed her eyes slightly, her slender hand supporting her chin as she gazed into Luo Xue’s eyes, her gaze seeming to pierce through everything. “Or rather, have you died in your real world before?”
“…”
Luo Xue didn’t answer immediately.
Because the answer was yes, she had died.
Twice.
…And each time she died, she returned to this world.
“If this is just a dream,” Phoenix Venerable said with a smile, “then do you think the other world you wake up to, could it also be another dream?”
Luo Xue was silent for a long time, then shook her head.
“…I can’t tell.”
Indeed, how could she tell…
Whether it was the Immortal Martial World or the post-apocalyptic world, they both felt incredibly real, without any characteristics of a dream.
Although the crisis missions on the panel could only be used in the Immortal Martial World, their rewards could be brought back to the post-apocalyptic world.
They were even universally applicable, because the post-apocalyptic world also had spiritual energy, even in the desolate wasteland.
There seemed to be… some connection between these two worlds.
Luo Xue suddenly recalled the message on the system panel when she re-entered this Immortal Martial World.
[“Life is like a dream, sleeping is also a dream, waking is also a dream.”]
Seeing Luo Xue’s hesitant expression, Phoenix Venerable knew that she had to find the answer herself.
“Well, let’s put this aside for now. I don’t have a definite answer either.”
“Even Phoenix Venerable doesn’t know…”
Luo Xue felt a bit lost.
Phoenix Venerable was a Saint, close to the Great Emperor Realm, a supremely powerful being above the world.
She could destroy the entire Immortal Domain and Demon Abyss without even lifting a finger, just by leaving the Blood Sea.
“There are many things I don’t know, and this is one of them.” Phoenix Venerable returned to her lazy demeanor. “Perhaps it’s a scheme set up by some terrifying being above the Great Emperor Realm, and I haven’t seen through it, that’s all.”
“Above Great Emperor… there are higher realms?”
Luo Xue’s eyes widened. This rabbit hole seemed to have no end…
“It can be said that there are none, but to be precise, no Great Emperor has ever broken through.” Phoenix Venerable sighed. “The Dao is vast and boundless. Even ancient divine beasts, looking beyond the ages, are just… children…”
She glanced at Luo Xue. “This isn’t something you should know now. Forget about it. Knowing such vast and profound things too early will affect your Dao Heart.”
“Okay… thank you, Phoenix Venerable, for answering my questions.”
Luo Xue nodded slightly and exhaled heavily.
Phoenix Venerable was right. After learning about the realms above Ascension, she had momentarily forgotten that she was only at Foundation Establishment.
And when Phoenix Venerable mentioned the vastness and boundlessness beyond the Great Emperor Realm… she felt an indescribable sense of pressure and insignificance.
If she had to describe it, it was like in her previous, previous life, reading about the universe and feeling the vastness of the solar system and the Milky Way, yet being unable to escape even this insignificance… that feeling of helplessness.
For now, she still had to focus on the matters at hand.
“However, I didn’t sever space-time just to talk about these things.” Phoenix Venerable’s tone turned serious. “Liu Lian should have told you some things about the Eternal Withering Body, right?”
Luo Xue nodded. “Sister Liu Lian didn’t say much, only some basic information…”
“I told her not to say too much, because some things aren’t for you to know now, and she doesn’t have good judgment.” Phoenix Venerable said. “As for your current situation, you should have noticed it yourself, right?”
“Yes… I’m very tired, exhausted, I can’t exert any strength, and it’s difficult to circulate my spiritual power.” Luo Xue replied. “Sister Liu Lian said that I’m actually… on the verge of death?”
“Indeed, the immortal coffin is made from the Divine Phoenix’s parasol tree and imbued with my own spirit, possessing the characteristic of immortality, which is why it can suppress your will of withering. But in reality… this ‘saving’ of yours is actually ‘killing’ you, for an Eternal Withering Body.”
Phoenix Venerable sighed softly, a complicated expression on her beautiful face. “Doing this is actually very harmful to you, but it’s a necessary measure.”
Using immortality to counter withering, preventing the Eternal Withering Body from entering its withering state. If this continued for too long, the Eternal Withering Body would be completely eroded by immortality.
At that time, although Luo Xue wouldn’t truly die because of the Eternal Withering Body, she would exist in a strange state, a living dead.
The living dead wouldn’t have their original consciousness… even if a consciousness emerged, it would be a completely new one born within the body of the living dead, unrelated to Luo Xue.
In this situation, there was no difference between Luo Xue and death.
Therefore, Luo Xue only had one path.
“You have to wither.”
Phoenix Venerable said softly.
“…Do I have to die?”
“It’s withering, not quite the same as death.” Phoenix Venerable corrected. “In the withering state, your strength will slowly increase. This ‘slow’ is relative to my existence. For you, it might be very fast.”
“In short, if nothing unexpected happens, your ultimate limit will be the Great Emperor Realm, but the price is near-eternal slumber.”
“But…”
Luo Xue looked at Su Yiyao.
Within the severed space-time, Luo Xue finally saw what Su Yiyao, with her head lowered, was doing.
She was actually counting the strands of Luo Xue’s silver hair scattered on the ground, a faint smile on her lips, looking very happy.
Luo Xue’s heart softened.
Su Yiyao’s world was very small, small enough for only a few people.
And she was the most important one among them.
If that was the case…
How could she bear to be separated from Xiao Yao?
“You have to tell Xiao Yao yourself.” Phoenix Venerable said softly. “When and how, it’s up to you. I can only tell you… there’s not much time.”
Luo Xue just sat there, silent, staring at the frozen teacup, lost in thought.
After a while, she slowly said,
“How long… can I last?”
“Two or three days, if you suppress your cultivation to the mortal level.” Phoenix Venerable said. “I can use a strand of immortal will to maintain your current state, so you don’t have to rely on the immortal coffin, and it won’t affect the surroundings with withering.”
“But because of the Eternal Withering Body, I can’t interfere too much. After all, this is one of the ten sacred bodies, even I can’t fully understand it.”
She understood Luo Xue’s thoughts. Some regrets couldn’t be let go.
“…Thank you.” Luo Xue said softly.
“There’s no need for thanks. You are the one chosen by my clan’s descendant, and moreover…” Phoenix Venerable suddenly smiled charmingly. “Logically, you should also call me Master, just like Xiao Yao.”
Luo Xue was stunned, thought carefully, and said,
“Hmm… it seems that’s true…”
After learning that Phoenix Venerable had taken Su Yiyao as a disciple, Luo Xue had subconsciously treated her as Xiao Yao’s elder.
When interacting with Phoenix Venerable, she even felt like she was meeting Xiao Yao’s parent.
But now, being reminded by Phoenix Venerable, she… seemed to be an inheritor of the divine Phoenix lineage as well?
If so, Xiao Yao would be her… Junior Sister? Or Senior Sister?
But Xiao Yao was also a descendant of Phoenix Venerable’s older sister…
This seniority was confusing.
Luo Xue frowned slightly, a bit troubled.
Phoenix Venerable seemed amused by Luo Xue’s expression, her cold demeanor softening with a smile.
“Don’t think too much about it, it doesn’t matter, I don’t care about these things.” Phoenix Venerable chuckled. “Even if you directly call me by my true name, ‘Immortal,’ I wouldn’t mind. After all, in my long years, it’s rare to meet someone as interesting as you.”
“…Phoenix Venerable, are you… complimenting me?”
Luo Xue’s eyelid twitched, feeling that Phoenix Venerable’s words had a hidden meaning.
“Sort of.”
Phoenix Venerable shrugged noncommittally.
The next moment, the severed space-time slowly recovered, and time resumed its flow.
Su Yiyao, outside the severed space-time, felt a moment of disorientation, then the conversation between Luo Xue and Phoenix Venerable abruptly ended.
She looked up blankly, seeing Luo Xue’s troubled expression and Master’s faint smile, confused.
What did Master and Ah Xue talk about? Why were their expressions like this…
“Drink this tea, then you can leave.”
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