Chapter 53 After wandering for many years, all I heard was the word "Mo"...
With both sides operating in parallel, the stronghold of the evil cultivators was wiped out in one fell swoop, the natural decline of the tree god began to stop, and the past of Li Qingyun began to reveal itself. Everything seemed to have returned to peace.
"The inner demon curse has been dispelled. Thank you for the White Emperor's assistance."
It was only after Li Hongyi relayed the instructions that Qu Lingfeng learned that Bai Huang had not only helped set up the confinement formation, but also produced a bunch of valuable talismans to interrogate the evil cultivator, which is why the situation was improved so easily.
Even the idea of breaking the inner demon curse planted in the tree roots was given by Chang Yubai.
Qu Lingfeng was naturally grateful to the generous Lord Bai, but for some reason, Li Hongyi hid behind him and dared not face Lord Bai directly.
"You really don't think there's anything wrong with him?" Li Hongyi asked in a low voice, making sure that only Qu Lingfeng could hear her.
"Your eyes can see his spiritual energy circulation, right? Are you sure there's no problem?"
Li Hongyi asked several times, refusing to believe it.
Qu Lingfeng patiently answered his questions again and again: "No problem," "Lord Baihuang's spiritual power is fine," "Your worries are a waste of time," and so on.
Although he maintained his patient demeanor, the dangerous undertones in his words began to gradually increase.
Li Hongyi: "..."
Li Hongyi: I don't believe it.
He watched as Chang Yubai's spiritual power was tainted by demonic energy, but how could he return to normal in the blink of an eye?
What exactly is the White Emperor?!
"How did he manage to remove the inner demon curse for you? Isn't that a Heavenly Rank curse seal? How did he manage to remove it so quickly?"
Li Hongyi suspected that Chang Yubai was up to something, and that this guy might actually be a demonic cultivator in disguise.
However, demonic cultivators are different from evil cultivators. Demonic cultivators are born with a body full of turbid demonic energy, but they are not tainted by karmic obstacles. However, their cultivation methods violate human ethics and are not tolerated by common sense. Therefore, everyone feels uncomfortable when they see them, which is why they are not well-liked.
But Qu Lingfeng said Chang Yubai was fine. Is that true?
Even the Tree God's all-seeing eye couldn't see the problem?
Or is it that Li Hongyi was actually seeing things?
Qu Lingfeng also found it mysterious when he heard him ask about breaking the Heart Demon Curse.
He said, "Lord Baihuang only went to the core of the Tree God and dripped a drop of blood there."
Then, the inner demon curse lost its effect.
The Heavenly Rank Curse Seal was laughed off as a joke.
Li Hongyi: "Hiss—"
It's even more mysterious now.
What on earth is this guy?
Li Hongyi suddenly felt fortunate that he had followed Chang Yubai and his apprentice closely. The more differences he knew, the more reliable he would be when trouble came his way.
"You've come to your senses?" Qu Lingfeng saw him dust off his clothes and come out again, and knew that he had figured things out.
Li Hongyi replied, "Yeah, anyway, it's not my problem."
What he feared was that Chang Yubai would become possessed by a demon and turn into an unreasonable monster. But Chang Yubai was perfectly fine now, so what was he afraid of?
He stepped toward the master and apprentice who were happily pasting stickers on their faces, ready to regroup into a trio, but as soon as he took a step, he felt a pulling force.
Turning around, he saw that it was Qu Lingfeng who had activated the branded runes on his body to control his movements.
"...You can play it like that? Teach me!"
Li Hongyi smiled.
Qu Lingfeng ignored him.
Then, the cold-faced beauty in green took out the Spirit-Binding Rope again, her purpose self-evident.
...
Chang Yubai was still thinking.
Li Qingyun told him about the inheritance of the Tree God and also expressed that he had no desire to become the new Tree God. Only then did Chang Yubai understand why Venerable Qingyun had not retrieved all of the original essence in his previous life.
Turning Master into a forest or something is still too terrifying.
Chang Yubai: I was so scared that I grabbed Xiaoyun tightly!
"If it weren't for your timely arrival, Master, that old man wouldn't have known that he had been cursed with a demonic spell."
The "old thing" that Li Qingyun mentioned was naturally the Tree God.
Chang Yubai listened quietly.
Li Qingyun, on the other hand, talked on and on, every sentence filled with affection.
The apprentice was at the age where he admired strength. With such an unparalleled master as his backer, it was inevitable that he would feel proud.
At least Chang Yu Bai confided in him, and that was how he understood Xiao Yun.
Back then, he clung to his master just like Xiaoyun. In his youth, he was captivated by the handsome figure of that white robe at first glance.
His white robes shone brightly, and wherever he went, people bowed and greeted him respectfully. Teahouses were filled with conversation about him, and everyone praised the Venerable Qingyun's reputation.
That was Chang Yubai's most passionate age; he witnessed the highest mountain and the longest river in the history of Guanwu.
He once thought he could shine just as brightly.
Unfortunately, the world belonged to Li Tiansheng.
In the century that followed, passion gave way to tranquility, and the exciting and adventurous life of travel was replaced by simple meals, a wooden table, and two pairs of bowls and chopsticks—that was life.
But he never considered where this ordinariness came from.
He never saw his master's childhood, and the words his master told him most often were "don't look back."
Venerable Qingyun never looked back on those sorrows and pains, so Changyu Bai had no idea what kind of resentment and bitterness were hidden there.
He thought that their first encounter in the desolate wilderness was the worst of his life.
But it turns out that some people are born into hardship.
Stripped of his roots, sold to merchants, forced to leave his home, he ended up running a materials shop...
Venerable Qingyun would not tell him these things.
Xiaoyun never said that either.
How can one turn back from such a state?
Anyone born into such a situation would inevitably become cynical and resentful.
Chang Yubai remembered that the day he truly first met Li Qingyun was the day he woke up and saw the world for the first time.
The moonlight was hazy, and the faint moonlight made the white clothes look soft and bright.
He reached out his hand to the man and then fell asleep.
Then he had a master.
He then had a home.
How could such a gentle person harbor resentment towards the world?
But if you don't even hate the suffering bestowed upon you by God, how much more miserable must you be?
Chang Yubai couldn't understand it.
For the first time, he had the urge to learn more about Li Qingyun.
But he didn't know how to start the conversation.
The first sentence is the hardest to get out of someone who has never spoken before.
He watched Li Qingyun talk incessantly, and then looked at his right hand, which was being tightly held by Li Qingyun. He felt a sense of subtlety, yet also a sense of unreality.
Did he really help his master embark on a different path?
If everyone comes into this world on the same path and embarks on the same journey, can the future truly be avoided?
He suddenly turned around and grabbed Li Qingyun's hand.
"Huh?"
He saw Li Qingyun stop praising him and stand quietly in front of him, waiting for him to say something.
When Li Qingyun was silent, her eyebrows and eyes were exactly the same as Wei Lai's.
He couldn't expect Xiaoyun to always be lively.
Xiao Yun, who was quietly waiting for him to say something, was also a familiar face from his memory.
[Yu Bai, you're spacing out again.]
He was in a daze.
My master's face was unique, yet it was reflected so clearly before my eyes.
[Yu Bai, the past is not important. What you need to consider is how to safely walk the road ahead.]
But Master, if the past really doesn't matter, then why does his heart ache?
Is that you?
Li Qingyun?
Standing before me, are you Venerable Qingyun or the prodigy Xiaoyun?
But you all share the same past, you both embarked on the path of abandoning your roots to cultivate martial arts, you are both so stubborn and unwilling to turn back...
Chang Yubai can't tell the difference.
He thought he understood the distinction very clearly.
At least that's what he was certain of—his master was from a previous life, and it was enough for him to take good care of Xiaoyun in this life.
Then what?
Should we raise Xiaoyun to become a Venerable One and then hand her over to the next Chang Yubai?
Is he really willing to do that?
Will there really be another version of myself?
"Master? Master?"
"elder brother?"
Li Qingyun called him many times, but he didn't utter a single word.
Chang Yubai gripped his hand even tighter.
"...It's nothing." In the end, he couldn't voice his doubts.
"I'm thinking of something else."
"I'm wondering why they would guide the tree spirit to commit murder."
This is just an excuse.
But he had to say something.
Chang Yubai didn't really care about the Tree Domain; he wouldn't care at all unless the evil cultivators attacked his doorstep.
But he needed an excuse, otherwise nothing could calm his anxiety.
We shouldn't let our emotions fluctuate.
We must calm down.
We must... only look forward.
Even if a hundred or a thousand years later, your heart still aches, you must never let your emotions get out of control.
[Yu Bai, if you don't understand how to do it, I'll teach you the simplest way.]
Don't look back.
Over the years, he seems to have forgotten many of his instructions.
But he could never forget that sentence.
Is it because I've been reminded so many times that it's etched in my memory?
No.
Chang Yubai knew the answer.
He was too eager to turn back.
He squeezed through the surging crowd, glanced at it briefly, and then withdrew. His so-called participation was nothing more than a fleeting glimpse.
He never forgot those instructions, because they had become part of his daily routine and didn't require any special reminders.
Except... his past that he can't let go of.
"The heretical cultivators seem to want to cause a large number of casualties, and not through their own hands."
"I know that the evil cultivator has a Ghostly Fiend Array that can trap and kill souls. Its effect is similar to that of the Soul Banner."
He thought to himself, "I'd like to say something more."
Talk about trivial things, preferably things that will distract you and cover up the sadness.
He just couldn't resist his wildly wandering thoughts.
Longing repeatedly defied admonition, anxiety could not break free from the prison called tranquility, countless struggles became futile, and the scorching earth slowly returned to its original state.
In the end, all the swirling thoughts and feelings faded away, leaving only a silent complaint.
[Li Qingyun, you're such a bastard.]
...
"Does Master mean that the evil cultivators' goal is to collect a large number of living souls?"
Li Qingyun pondered, "Since the ghost messenger comes from Ghost Island, a place where the living must stay away, could it be that something has happened to Ghost Island and a large number of souls need to be replenished?"
Souls that die content will disperse into the world, while resentful souls with excessive attachments will become a scourge. Only souls that die unwillingly but helplessly have the opportunity to linger in the world, and then, attracted by the unseen forces, drift to Ghost Island on their own.
“But Master also said that the Ghost Fiend Formation is for trapping spirits… We can’t just leave these spirits behind and collect them here.”
But what's the point? Didn't the Ghost Messenger make this trip for Ghost Island?
Li Qingyun looked at Chang Yubai with a questioning gaze.
He noticed that Chang Yubai's condition was a bit off, but the man looked exactly the same as usual. Could it just be his imagination?
As Chang Yubai listened to his question, the moment he uttered an "uh-huh," all his inner struggle vanished like bubbles.
"Perhaps it's not the right time yet," Chang Yubai replied casually.
He only realized this belatedly. Whether it was instigating Lian Wushuang to do evil or leading the tree god into demonic possession, the purpose of these evil cultivators was to create a large number of casualties, which was exactly what Li Qingyun had guessed: to create a large number of living souls.
Even the Ghostly Fiend Array in Jiyun Town in the future is intended to lay the foundation for a real killing array, with the goal of slaughtering the entire Central Continent.
Guiyu's actions seem to suggest he's aiming to become the ultimate villain.
But this matter hasn't been exposed even a hundred years later, so it's probably not their place to care.
This is clearly the kind of work that Li Tiansheng wants to take on.
Chang Yubai thought about it more and more and it made sense, so he went to Li Hongyi, who was far away, to verify it.
Before he and Li Qingyun could turn their gazes away, Li Hongyi let out a mournful wail, like a pig being slaughtered.
It's not a big deal.
It's just that Qu Lingfeng absolutely refused to release him, so he not only borrowed the tree god's spiritual power to suppress him, but also wanted to tie him up and take him to the bridal chamber.
-----------------------
Author's Note: A single admonition from his master laid the foundation for Chang Yubai's remaining life.
Because he couldn't turn back, and couldn't afford to have any emotional fluctuations, he was never able to confirm his own feelings.
But the surging emotions within me were impossible to calm down.
He struggled, but could only repeat that sentence over and over again.
Don't look back.
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