Chapter 37: So, Where Was the Blackening?
The moment the core left the formation, Mo Yichu focused his remaining strength, his sword gleaming as he shattered the three-hundred-year-old gray stone altar.
The spirit summoning formation, which had trapped tens of thousands of souls, crumbled.
The resentment in the sky, no longer bound, churned and collided chaotically.
Countless earthbound spirits transformed into firefly-like lights, some lingering, some confused, but all eventually flying towards the same path of reincarnation.
The three-hundred-year-old grievance was finally resolved.
【Host, the soul fragment is fragile and requires continuous nourishment with spiritual energy.】
As the system spoke, the soul fragment in Mo Yichu’s hand showed signs of dissipating.
“What’s happening to her?!” The black bird anxiously circled the fragment.
Mo Yichu, also panicked, instinctively tried to infuse the soul with spiritual energy, but he was almost completely depleted.
Li Yu sighed and raised her right hand.
System, a little help?
【Right away!】
The system responded readily.
With a flick of Li Yu’s finger, the soul fragment floated into her palm.
A soft blue light enveloped it, stabilizing it.
Mo Yichu and the little black bird rushed over from the altar and exchanged glances.
After a moment of silence, Mo Yichu knelt before Li Yu again, his bloodshot eyes filled with gratitude.
“This disciple thanks Master Li Yu for your assistance!!”
She knew it! She knew he would kneel again!!
The knees of juniors in the cultivation world were truly worthless. A simple “thank you” would suffice, yet they insisted on this grand gesture, making her, a modern person, feel incredibly awkward.
“No need for thanks,” Li Yu replied calmly.
After a few seconds, seeing that he had no intention of getting up, she subtly signaled to Mu Tao.
—Pull him up!
—Okay!
Mu Tao quickly stepped forward and pulled Mo Yichu up.
Li Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
Wonderful, there was no one her little disciple couldn’t lift.
“What do we do now?” The little black bird anxiously looked at the soul fragment in Li Yu’s hand.
Mo Yichu: “Return to Mount Chao Yao and find Master Qinglan.”
Mu Tao nodded in agreement, looking at the black bird reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Qingxuan Revered One is very powerful. As long as the soul fragment hasn’t dissipated, she’ll find a way!”
“Mount Chao Yao…”
“Yes, Mount Chao Yao!” Mu Tao extended her hand towards the little black bird with a smile. “Do you want to come with us?”
The black bird looked confused. “Can…can I?”
Mu Tao froze, realizing she didn’t have the authority to bring anyone to Mount Chao Yao. She nervously looked at Li Yu.
Seeing Li Yu nod slightly, she regained her confidence.
“Of course!” Mu Tao said firmly.
Tears welled up in the black bird’s eyes.
Its world was small, like Qin Ruoheng’s, consisting only of Yanyang and the Moon Capital.
It had never imagined leaving this place.
It looked at Qin Ruoheng’s soul fragment, at Mo Yichu, then at the unfamiliar wolf demon who had extended her hand.
After a brief silence, it landed on Mu Tao’s outstretched palm, hopped twice, and nodded resolutely. “I’ll go with you!”
Its voice was filled with joy and anticipation.
Then, it looked up at the seemingly endless sea of resentment and asked softly, “Now that the formation is broken, where will all this resentment go?”
“Ten years, decades, perhaps a century… Without the formation, it will eventually dissipate.” Mo Yichu said uncertainly. “Perhaps human cultivators can find a way to accelerate the process.”
Anyway, with the formation destroyed, this place was no longer as dangerous. If human cultivators were willing, they could come and cleanse the remaining resentment.
Li Yu, staring at the churning sea of resentment, suddenly felt a slight ache in her right arm.
She thought of a serious question: the soul fragment was still in her hand.
Um, System…
【Yes?】
Was she supposed to carry it like this, nourishing it with her spiritual energy all the way back to Mount Chao Yao?
【Of course not!】
As the system spoke, the soul fragment silently disappeared into her palm.
Although she couldn’t see it anymore, she could feel it within her hand, quietly absorbing her spiritual energy.
And her spiritual energy flowed towards her right hand, towards that fragile fragment.
The sensation of spiritual energy flowing within her, though faint, was clear, a feeling she hadn’t experienced before.
Just as she focused on this subtle change, the system’s cheerful voice echoed in her mind.
【Congratulations to the host for completing a major story arc and successfully advancing the main storyline!】
【Through the host’s…not entirely proactive participation and efforts, the ending of this arc has been changed for the better!】
【The system will now issue rewards—】
Rewards!!!
【All intermediate spells unlocked!】
【Partial assistance for intermediate spells unlocked!】
Li Yu quickly closed her eyes, her consciousness returning to the boundless deep sea with the towering tree.
Her skill tree, or rather, her spiritual root, was now almost half unlocked.
The remaining locked skills were located higher up on the tree.
So high up, they must be incredibly powerful.
Powerful spells she wouldn’t normally use, so whether they were unlocked or not didn’t matter for now.
As long as the middle and lower sections were unlocked!
Li Yu glanced at her character compatibility.
—91%!
Excellent! From below 80% to over 90%!
It seemed she had rebuilt a tall and mighty image in the male protagonist’s mind.
She was already quite happy.
Then, she heard even better news.
【The host’s current mission completion rate is 30%. The system restriction level has been lowered to—Medium!】
【The character compatibility kill threshold has been lowered to 50%!】
Her previously short health bar suddenly extended significantly!
A wave of relief washed over her!
This joyous relief, coupled with a sense of newfound freedom, made her head spin.
Wait…
Her dizziness wasn’t from the good news.
She was genuinely feeling dizzy.
Not just dizzy, but also experiencing chest tightness, tinnitus, and weakness in her limbs…
【Friendly reminder: The system’s ability to assist with intermediate spells is limited. To safely utilize them, the host needs to improve your ability to sense and control spiritual energy.】
The system’s sudden reminder made Li Yu realize what was happening.
Her “minor illness” symptoms were kicking in.
【The host should rest!】
As the system issued its well-intentioned advice, everything before Li Yu blurred.
She instinctively reached out to grab Mu Tao, but her body swayed forward.
As she lost consciousness, someone seemed to catch her.
Anxious shouts echoed around her, but she couldn’t distinguish the voices.
She wanted to respond, to reassure them,
But her mind was too clouded.
Seriously, System…
Discomfort that would only last ten days or half a month, was it really that serious?
She was an immortal, right?
Was such fragility…reasonable?
She now suspected that the original owner’s lack of exercise, her reclusive lifestyle at Chaoxi Pond, had weakened this body…
【Protagonist Blackening Value +5%!】
【Current Protagonist Blackening Value: 40%!】
As her consciousness faded, a system notification appeared.
Li Yu felt her breath catch.
—Her eyes closed, and she fainted.
Li Yu woke up in the inn at Songxiang Town.
As she opened her eyes, she saw Mu Tao kneeling by her bedside, her eyes red and puffy, her brow furrowed, her eyelashes fluttering, clearly not having slept well.
The candle on the bedside table had burned down almost completely, and the sky outside was dim, signaling dawn.
If she remembered correctly, it had been almost dawn when she fainted in the City of the Undying.
The candle was almost completely burned down; it couldn’t have been lit recently. She must have been unconscious for at least a day.
How long had the little girl been kneeling here…?
Then she remembered!
—Mu Tao’s blackening value was now at 40%!
Ten percent higher than its initial value!
She knew the little girl was worried about her, but was a simple fainting spell worth such a significant increase?
She couldn’t think about upsetting things when she was unwell; it gave her a headache.
Forget it, it wasn’t even halfway to complete blackening yet.
The outside world was dangerous; it was normal for the sheltered protagonist to be afraid.
When they returned to Mount Chao Yao, and life returned to normal, perhaps the blackening value would decrease.
Thinking this, Li Yu calmed down.
Although her mind was calm, her head felt heavy, her body weak, as if she had a high fever. She felt completely drained, even breathing felt difficult.
This system was truly unreliable, not even giving her a proper warning. She had thought it would just be some chest tightness and a headache.
【Boohoo, the host promised not to blame the system!】
I’m not blaming you!
She was just complaining, complaining wasn’t blaming.
【…Sob!】
Quiet down, let me rest.
【Waaah!】
The system reluctantly quieted down, and Li Yu sighed silently.
Spiritual energy flowed slowly within her, some towards her right hand, nourishing the soul fragment, some mending her weakened body.
She could feel the flow of spiritual energy now.
Although faint, it was still far better than before, when she couldn’t feel anything.
She tried to control the flow with her mind, without the system’s assistance.
Slowly, a faint light gathered at her fingertip and floated towards the candle, extinguishing the flickering flame.
As the room darkened, the girl by her bedside opened her eyes.
She grabbed Li Yu’s slightly raised hand, her red, puffy eyes filled with worry and fear.
“Master!” Mu Tao called softly, as if testing the waters.
Realizing that Li Yu was indeed awake, she sat up straight and leaned closer anxiously.
Mu Tao: “Master, you’re awake!”
Li Yu: “Mm…”
Mu Tao: “You, you…”
Li Yu: “I’m fine, just a relapse of my internal injuries. I’ll be fine after a few days of rest…”
Mu Tao’s eyes teared up again.
She lowered her gaze, silently rubbing Li Yu’s cold fingers, as if trying to warm them.
Tears started falling.
“It’s all my fault…” Mu Tao whispered, her voice filled with self-blame. “I was being reckless, insisting on participating in that trial, which forced Master to break through your cultivation prematurely and suffer such severe injuries.”
Li Yu: “…”
Mu Tao: “In the City of the Undying, I failed to stay close to Master, forcing you to use your divine power, which aggravated your injuries…”
Li Yu: “Actually…”
Mu Tao: “If I had been more capable and helped Senior Brother, Master wouldn’t have had to expend so much spiritual energy when your injuries flared up…”
Li Yu: “…”
This sensitive little protagonist, blaming herself for everything.
Li Yu being here, unwell, was no fault of Mu Tao’s.
If she had to blame anyone, it would be the system for dragging her into this world.
But that connection was tenuous, like dredging up old grievances.
Seeing her little disciple crying, Li Yu didn’t know how to comfort her, so she just gently patted her head.
“Don’t cry,” she said, managing a weak smile, then shamelessly added, “You’re making me hungry.”
This seemed to work.
Mu Tao quickly looked up, sniffled, wiped her tears, and asked earnestly, “What would Master like to eat?”
Li Yu: “Anything is fine.”
Mu Tao pursed her lips and nodded. “Wait for me, Master; I’ll go and make it!”
The girl acted quickly, rushing out of the room before even finishing her sentence.
In her haste, she forgot to close the door.
A small, dark head, smaller than a fist, peeked in.
It wasn’t flying but perched on a pale, slender hand.
“Is the Immortal alright?” the black bird asked.
Then, another familiar voice came from outside, “Exalted God, how are you feeling?”
Li Yu: “…”
She had been wondering whose hand that was.
It didn’t look like a man’s hand. So, it was Qin Yuan, whom she had left outside the city.
She hadn’t let her into the city, despite Qin Yuan addressing her as “Exalted God”.
A day had passed, and the problem was solved.
The juniors had entered and exited the city unscathed, while she, the “Exalted God”, had to be carried out.
And not only that, but she had been unconscious for so long that Qin Yuan and the little black bird were now close enough to visit her together…
How awkward.
Would this become a popular anecdote on Mount Chao Yao?
She suddenly felt reluctant to bring this little princess back.
Qin Yuan: “Exalted God?”
Li Yu: “I’m fine…”
“That’s wonderful! You’ve been unconscious for two days and two nights. Sister Mu Tao was so worried, she almost cried herself dry!” Qin Yuan peeked into the room and smiled. “The formation in the City of the Undying has been destroyed. Lord Zhao went to check yesterday. With his cultivation, it’s not very dangerous to enter the city now. When we return to Yanyang, I’ll persuade my father to send more cultivators to cleanse the resentment…”
“The resentment has accumulated for over three hundred years; we can’t remove the seal outside the city yet, or the nearby residents will be affected. Cleansing the resentment will take time, many years of effort from many people.”
“But no matter how difficult, this is a good start!” Qin Yuan smiled warmly. “Thank you, Exalted God, the three-hundred-year-old resentment of the City of the Undying is finally resolved!”
She said that the human realm would gradually improve.
The optimistic young woman, after expressing her gratitude, happily left.
The anticipated awkwardness didn’t arrive, and Li Yu lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
As dawn broke, she ate the sweet porridge Mu Tao had prepared.
Li Yu wanted to eat it herself, but Mu Tao insisted on cooling each spoonful before feeding her.
She couldn’t argue with her stubborn little disciple.
So she accepted her kindness, enjoying the convenience of not having to use her hands.
Thus, she became a frail master, needing to be hand-fed.
Six months ago, Mu Tao was bedridden, and Li Yu had fed her medicine every day.
Now, half a year later, she was the one bedridden. It was truly a case of “what goes around comes around.”
With the major issue of the City of the Undying resolved, someone had to return to Yanyang to report the news and arrange the follow-up cleansing.
Qin Yuan initially wanted to return to Yanyang together, then travel to Lan City and depart from there. However, after waiting for three or four days, seeing that Li Yu was still weak, she became anxious.
She suggested returning to Yanyang with Zhao Xianchen first and meeting them in Lan City a month later.
Li Yu nodded.
Then, she added casually, “Remember to leave enough money for food, accommodation, and travel expenses.”
“Of course!” Qin Yuan quickly assured her she would leave plenty of silver.
On the morning of their departure, Qin Yuan repeatedly asked Li Yu if she would really take her to Mount Chao Yao for cultivation.
Li Yu nodded until her neck ached, but the little immortal enthusiast still looked worried about being abandoned.
“Exalted God, I don’t have another spiritual flower. If you’re not in Lan City when I arrive, how will I find Mount Chao Yao…”
Unable to bear the thought of leaving, Qin Yuan dropped her bundle, ran back to her room, and wrote a long letter, which she solemnly handed to Zhao Xianchen.
“Princess, this…”
“I’m not going back! What if I can’t leave after returning? Even if I can, what if the Exalted God doesn’t wait for me?” Qin Yuan looked at Zhao Xianchen pleadingly. “Lord Zhao, I’ve explained everything in the letter; my father won’t blame you!”
“…”
“I’ll leave the matter of the City of the Undying to you.”
“…”
“Please!”
Zhao Xianchen finally relented.
He thought, how could he refuse this little princess, whom he and his colleagues had watched grow up?
He would deliver the letter to Yanyang and then return here to deal with the lingering resentment in the City of the Undying.
But after today, he probably wouldn’t see this free-spirited little princess again.
That afternoon, Zhao Xianchen left, and Qin Yuan stayed behind.
Li Yu sat by the window, listlessly watching them leave.
People’s fates were truly different, she thought.
This princess could make her own choices, and even her seemingly reckless choices were respected by those around her.
Qin Ruoheng was also once the most beloved princess of the Huai Kingdom, but her fate was far less fortunate.
But what was the point of dwelling on this?
Everything was in the past.
The free and the unfree would all enter a new world.
But before taking them there, she had to endure the ten days or half a month of discomfort the system mentioned.
This feeling of illness was worse than she had imagined. Fortunately, she had a thoughtful little disciple who kept her company, telling her stories and preparing delicious meals.
Some of these dishes were things she had learned from the locals in town, things she had never seen before.
The little girl’s eyes would light up whenever she mentioned this.
She said that they would pass through many places on their way back, and she wanted to learn more dishes in the human realm, so she could cook a variety of meals for her master upon returning to Mount Chao Yao.
Seeing Mu Tao’s attentiveness, Li Yu was deeply touched.
Although the little disciple’s blackening value had increased, she was much more cheerful than when they first left the mountain.
Not only was she more cheerful, but she was also less timid around Li Yu, no longer nervously delivering food and then quickly leaving.
Now, whenever she had free time, she would cling to Li Yu.
Even when cultivating, she would do it under Li Yu’s watchful eye.
Such a cute little clingy thing!
So where was the blackening? She couldn’t see it at all.
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