Chapter 117 Attaining the Path of the Mortal World
He wasn't talking about "鸢鸢" (Yuan Yuan), he was talking about "圈圈" (Quan Quan).
Circles...
Circles?!
This comical and ridiculous name has almost faded from Lu Yuanyuan's memory.
That was the first time she went on a mission with Duan Lansheng after her rebirth, and she was trapped in his sea of consciousness.
In that scene where reality and illusion were inverted, she was not Lu Yuanyuan, but Duan Lansheng's "wife" Quan Quan.
This name should only be known to Duan Lansheng and her.
Why would Yin Xiaozhu call her that?
How did he know that she once had a name called "Quan Quan"?
Could it be because when Yin Xiaozhu entered her sea of consciousness last time, he not only saw the snowfield belonging to Princess Manjushri, but also her memories from even earlier times?
Lu Yuanyuan's lips were stained with blood, and she clenched her fists tightly.
No... it's impossible for him to find the "circle" part of her memory in her mind.
A person's consciousness can only store experiences that have happened to them.
When the lustful demon wanted to devour Duan Lansheng, it first read through Duan Lansheng's childhood memories to uncover his inner conflicts, and then used this as a foundation to construct an illusion. It didn't rely solely on its rich imagination to build an illusion.
She was only drawn into Duan Lansheng's consciousness by chance. The fictional character Quan Quan was born because of her accidental entry, and from beginning to end, she only existed in Duan Lansheng's consciousness, in that illusion built by the lustful ghost.
Therefore, even if she did live as Quan Quan for a period of time, this experience wouldn't be recorded in her consciousness. Even if Yin Xiaozhu searched through her consciousness repeatedly, she would never be able to find a single fragment related to Quan Quan.
So, how exactly did he know?
As if some crucial clue had slipped through her fingers, never to be found again. Lu Yuanyuan, trembling, crawled forward on her knees and suddenly grabbed his collar: "Yin Xiaozhu, explain yourself! Why did you…"
However, with that pull, the person in front of her had no strength left to resist. His head and neck tilted limply to the side, revealing his blood-stained, ashen face.
Yin Xiaozhu is dead.
He would never again catch her fist and answer her questions like he did last time.
Lu Yuanyuan's gaze suddenly froze, and she opened her mouth abruptly, but her hands seemed to have suddenly lost their strength.
Slowly, she loosened her grip on the crumpled hem of her dress, stood up, took a step back, paused for a moment, and looked up at the sky.
The vortex tore through the sky, creating a magnificent and indescribable celestial phenomenon, like paint made from crushed stars and gems spilled on a canvas, eerily still.
The world was so quiet that only heavy breathing could be heard.
Today, those who killed her and those who harmed her have paid the price they deserved. She can finally be freed from resentment and anger and be reborn, which is truly something to celebrate.
She didn't understand why her cheeks were wet.
The scenery before her eyes became blurry, and even with her eyes wide open, she couldn't see clearly. At the same time, the golden core deep within her abdomen felt as if it were on fire. Lu Yuanyuan shook her head, picked up the Sky-Gazing Mirror, and without drawing her broken blade, walked down the mountain.
She had already figured out how to explain the scene: she would say that Duan Lansheng died at the hands of Yin Xiaozhu, and that she had avenged Duan Lansheng.
Or, you could ignore everything, leave Mount Shu, and start a new life, anywhere is fine with you...
Oh, right, she also needs to dig out Yue Hong's puppet... dig it out.
Lost in thought, Lu Yuanyuan was somewhat dazed and didn't notice where she was standing. Suddenly, she tripped over a tree branch and fell to the ground.
Her face was buried in the damp soil, and she remained motionless. In a daze, she seemed to hear two different, familiar voices intertwining in her ears. Sometimes they carried a hint of amusement and laughter, and sometimes they were exceptionally serious and solemn.
"Weren't you going to feed me? Come here."
"Don't you want to stay with me forever?"
"I'm holding you, what are you afraid of?"
"You are not a burden to me."
"What, you think I'm ugly?"
"Have you... thought it through? Do you really want me?"
"I trust you."
"I had the shop owner redo it. This is me, and this is you. Don't we look alike?"
"You said I killed you twice, which two times?"
"I like you, so I can no longer consider you a friend."
"Don't hate me so much, Quan Quan."
...
Lu Yuanyuan's eyes burned, and something slid into the soil.
The golden elixir deep within Duan Lansheng's abdomen was already scalding hot before his tribulation, and now it was even hotter, like molten lava rolling around.
The whole world spun around, accompanied by faint sighs.
She felt herself lift her head, but she couldn't see anything. In the pitch blackness, vast swathes of vibrant, tragically beautiful red flowers were rapidly growing, burning like flames…
She couldn't distinguish between time, or between reality and illusion.
Just then, she heard a snapping sound beside her ear, and someone said on her head with a slightly teasing tone:
"Immortal Lord Lingheng, is your dream not over yet?"
In an instant, the darkness receded like a receding tide.
"Hey, hey, hey, spare Xiaoxian! Your dear nephew will be back in a couple of days. What will Xiaoxian say if he sees you like this..."
Lu Yuanyuan's brows furrowed slightly, her heart clenching with a dull ache, as if she were sinking into a deep abyss. The disturbing sound was, in fact, a beam of intense light. Under its rays, the setting sun, withered grass, and Lihe Mountain... gradually paled, everything receding from her, the white light growing ever brighter.
Not only that, she also felt something soft gently scratching her cheek.
Slowly opening her eyes, she saw a sky bathed in the bright sunlight.
Lu Yuanyuan's breath hitched.
Her heart felt weightless as it plummeted. Countless chaotic images surged through her mind, and someone kept talking to her beside her, but the other person's voice was filtered out, unable to penetrate her mind at all.
Lu Yuanyuan sat up, bent one leg, rested her elbow on her knee, and raised her hand to cover her throbbing head.
Her pale blue, wide sleeves trailed to the ground, flowing like clouds, shimmering with a subtle light. Looking down, she saw pale golden light, like magic veins, flowing across the skin of the back of her hands.
The past and the present, illusion and reality, life and death are separated by only a thin line.
Lu Yuanyuan was stunned, unable to utter a single word for a long time.
Duan Lansheng has been dead for seven years.
Yin Xiaozhu also died on that day.
She was caught up in the past and couldn't distinguish the passage of time.
Lu Yuanyuan withdrew her hand, looked at the bright palace she was in, and recalled the last thing that happened on the day Lihe Mountain collapsed.
That day, she was wrong, terribly wrong.
At that time, because several events closely related to Duan Lansheng's tribulation had occurred earlier than expected, she prejudicially believed that the powerful lightning tribulation was Duan Lansheng's tribulation that had just arrived ahead of schedule.
But she was wrong; that was not Duan Lansheng's tribulation.
That day, she was the one who truly faced the tribulation.
It was as if, at a crossroads of fate, she had switched places with Duan Lansheng. She used the mortal world to attain enlightenment and ascended to heaven.
In *The Enchanting Immortal's Fate*, only Duan Lansheng, the male protagonist, ascends to become a sword immortal. However, the main focus of the story remains within the cultivation world. Therefore, the concept of ascension and the world after ascension are described very little in the original text.
It's highly likely because it's not used, and the original author didn't set up a complete and referable system.
In addition, Lu Yuanyuan hadn't even touched the threshold in her previous life, so she hadn't considered the possibility of ascending to immortality herself.
However, despite not having any original plot references, when she crossed that threshold, she discovered that this world had already automatically filled in the settings related to ascension, and in great detail.
It turns out that in this world, the most crucial factors for cultivators to ascend to immortality are not their personal cultivation level, qualifications, or talent, but rather the moment of "enlightenment."
Demons are inherently lewd, and even if they cultivate into human form, they cannot eradicate this nature. Only by demonstrating their enlightenment and resolve through ruthlessness when heavenly tribulation arrives can they prove their path. Humans, on the other hand, have various ways to attain enlightenment and ascend to heaven, such as the path of passion, the path of ruthlessness, and the path of worldly desires.
Through past and present lives, through great ups and downs, joys and sorrows, like strong liquor piercing her heart, the decisive moment of ascension suddenly descended upon her.
The world after ascension is not like the one depicted in TV dramas, with figures like the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West. The highest leader is called a Divine Lord.
However, after the great battle that sealed the Ghost Emperor, countless powerful beings perished. Although the Divine Lord did not perish, he fell into a slumber for hundreds of years and has not awakened. Now, the only one who can connect with the sleeping Divine Lord's sea of consciousness and communicate with him is his divine beast, the Xuan Turtle.
Even after ascension, the world still has detailed rules, levels, and a class system.
After all, nothing can be accomplished without rules; without regulations, chaos can easily ensue anywhere. Even ascended immortals aren't always good people; there's a possibility they could fall into evil cultivation. And with their immense power, if they were to act recklessly, the harm and destruction they cause would be far beyond what can be described as trivial.
The one who administers punishment is not any one person, but the will of Heaven.
If any celestial being dares to commit heinous acts that harm the heavens and bring disaster to the common people, truly reaching the point of disrupting the balance of the world, then the heavens will surely punish them—a single bolt of lightning will suffice.
However, Lu Yuanyuan speculated that the underlying code of "Heavenly Dao" was actually the Book Spirit's control and balance over this world.
After ascending to heaven, regardless of gender, they are all uniformly called Immortal Lords.
If someone doesn't have a fixed occupation, then there's no title. Titles are just appellations inherited from their job position.
Within this professional system, Immortal Lords are further divided into those specializing in martial arts and those specializing in literary arts. This is because the tradition in the cultivation world is that those skilled in fighting are more likely to excel than those skilled in academics, and there are more martial gods than literary gods. However, only those whose martial prowess is exceptionally outstanding, far surpassing the average level, will be additionally called Sword Immortals.
In the original novel, after Duan Lansheng ascended to immortality, he became the most important force in the fight against the Ghost Emperor. He was both the Immortal Lord of Immortality and the Immortal Sword Immortal.
However, in this world, this title will be forever buried in the dust, and no one will ever know it again.
These professions aren't something you can just choose to do. Previously appointed by the Divine Lord, they are now chosen by the Xuan Turtle. Lu Yuanyuan never expected that on her very first day after ascension, while her mind was still reeling, she would be chosen to serve as "Spirit Balance."
This falls under the category of civil servants, similar to the personal secretary of the Black Tortoise. Their daily work involves handling disputes among various martial gods and their performance reports.
The principle of "too many monks, too little porridge" applies here as well. Not everyone who ascends to immortality will have a government position. For those who don't have lofty ambitions, whether they get an official post or not is irrelevant; living a free and leisurely life is a perfectly acceptable choice. After all, once a cultivator ascends, their combat power undergoes a qualitative leap, and they live as long as the heavens, making them virtually invincible. They are highly sought after wherever they go.
But very few people would actually be happy to lie flat forever.
First, because the path to immortality is boundless; to not advance is to regress. Second, those who can ascend are often backed by powerful families or sects; the higher their achievements and merits, the more prestigious their lives, and the greater the support they receive from their sects or families. Third, because the current situation outside makes it difficult for people to relax and rest easy.
In the past, the cultivation world was dominated by one force, far surpassing the mortal realm, and demons were utterly defeated and rendered powerless. But now, a new force has emerged in the demon realm, and under its rule, the demon realm is well-organized and thriving, occupying the southern border of the cultivation world and expanding rapidly and vigorously.
Meanwhile, unusual phenomena are occurring frequently at the former site of the Ghost Emperor. The barrier of the Spirit Treasure Realm is no longer able to stop the escaping demons, and the signs of the Ghost Emperor's awakening are becoming increasingly clear. A great battle is inevitable.
On one side is the ever-growing demon realm, and on the other side is the restless Ghost Emperor. The cultivation world is besieged on all sides.
Lu Yuanyuan couldn't be sure if it was because she killed Duan Lansheng and usurped a celestial position, causing the cultivation world to lose a crucial trump card for suppressing evil, that triggered this chain reaction.
She remembered that the system had sent Xiao Ruo that day to try and stop her.
But Xiao Ru failed, and afterwards, she disappeared, as if the figure that flashed by at the foot of Lihe Mountain that day was just an illusion.
She's now considered a native, so even if she kills Duan Lansheng, the system can't do anything about it. But just because she won't be punished by the system doesn't mean she won't affect this world. At least the current direction of the story is quite different from "The Enchanting Fairy Tale"—the original novel doesn't involve the demon realm at all.
Just then, a head popped up beside her, blinking: "Why have you been so absent-minded ever since you woke up? Tell me, how was Little Fairy's Dream Return spell? What did you dream about?"
As she spoke, the other person moved closer, their noses almost touching hers.
This was a refined and cultured man, with a fair complexion and powdered face, dressed in elegant robes, with a whisk tucked into his elbow. He was quite handsome, but his attitude was slightly frivolous.
Lu Yuanyuan snapped out of her daze, calmly raised her hand, and pushed that face away.
The other person exclaimed "Ouch!" and exaggeratedly covered their face, taking a few steps back before quickly closing in again, their tone extremely nauseating: "Immortal Lord Lingheng stroked my face as soon as he woke up. I am truly pampered... Ah!"
Before he could finish speaking, he flew away again.
This time, it wasn't Lu Yuanyuan who pushed him, but a gun that grabbed his collar and pried him away.
Lu Yuanyuan followed the gun and raised her gaze, a slight smile appearing on her face: "Yue Hong? You're back."
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