The Honeymoon of Heartbreak

The Heartfiend Tribulation lasted an unusually long time. Lu Zu, seated atop the facing mountain peak, simply watched silently, perfectly calm.

And then, suddenly…

A sound rang out between Heaven and Earth. It was the sound of the universe itself, profound and wondrous, enough to intoxicate the soul. As this ‘celestial music’ played, multicolored auspicious clouds appeared in the sky, and golden lotuses surged forth from the ground. In the very center of this miraculous scene sat the black-robed young woman in a meditative pose.

Yu Wei had opened her eyes. Her gaze held a deep, profound love, and a faint smile played at the corners of her lips.

A torrent of natural energy gathered around her, and an aura of immortality emanated from her body.

“Auspicious clouds descend from the heavens; golden lotuses spring from the earth.” Lu Zu smiled from afar, gently clapping his hands. “From this day forth, you will be free from the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations. A fine Celestial Immortal, indeed! A fine Celestial Immortal!”

Yu Wei flew directly over to Lu Zu.

“Excellent.” Lu Zu was greatly pleased. “This tribulation is the greatest trial in all of Immortal cultivation. Survive it, and you take a single step into the heavens. From now on, you shall live as long as Heaven itself.” Although the natural tribulations would never bother her again and her lifespan was truly infinite, being beheaded by another powerful Immortal or Fiendgod was still a possibility. Even True Gods and Daofathers, and even Pangu himself, had fallen.

“Without my master’s guidance, your disciple would never have been able to pass this tribulation.” Yu Wei knelt, knocking her head respectfully in gratitude. In her past life, her power had not been enough to even withstand the Six-Nine Tribulation, let alone the Seven-Nine. Her progress under Lu Zu’s tutelage over the past few decades had indeed been astonishing.

Lu Zu nodded gently. Only after Yu Wei rose did he speak. “Yu Wei.”

Yu Wei was startled. Lu Zu rarely addressed her by her full name.

“There is something I have been keeping from you, so as not to affect your tribulation. Now is the time to tell you.” Lu Zu said.

“Master. What is it?” Yu Wei asked hurriedly, a feeling of unease rising in her heart. Something that would affect her tribulation? Her Dao-heart was incredibly strong. What could possibly concern Lu Zu enough to impact it? This had to be a major matter, something that truly involved her deepest emotions.

“Is it my Dao-companion, Ji Ning?” Yu Wei looked at Lu Zu. Her parents had died long ago. The only one she truly cared for was her Dao-companion, Ji Ning.

“Yes, it is Ji Ning.” Lu Zu nodded.

Yu Wei’s expression shifted slightly.

Lu Zu continued. “Just as you were preparing to undergo your tribulation, the Xia Emperor of your Grand Xia world sent me a message. Ji Ning fought a battle against nine Celestial Immortals of the Shaoyin clan in the Chenyu Mountains. That battle was enormous, even releasing some Fiendgods who had been imprisoned for endless ages. But the core of it was the slaughter between Ji Ning and the Celestial Immortals of Shaoyin. The Shaoyin clan lost two Celestial Immortals: Goldbell Celestial Immortal and Firepike Celestial Immortal. Ji Ning was protected by the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, so the Shaoyin clan couldn’t kill him directly. Instead, they used a scheme. They tricked Ji Ning into accidentally murdering ten billion mortals.”

Yu Wei’s face instantly turned deathly pale!

She was too stunned to process that Shaoyin had nine Celestial Immortals, too stunned that Ji Ning had killed two of them, and too stunned that he had mastered the Eight-Nine Arcane Art. Her mind could only echo a single phrase: ‘accidentally murdering ten billion mortals’?

“Accidentally murdering ten billion mortals?” Yu Wei murmured to herself.

The Heavenly Dao was merciless.

It had its own judgment of sin and merit. Even an accident was still a sin. The karmic sin of killing so many mortals was terrifying to contemplate.

“His sin was boundless; the Karmic Hellfire descended.” Lu Zu continued. “The Shaoyin Ancestor, Immortal Duchou, used a ranked innate spirit-treasure, the World-Sealing Pagoda, to teleport Ji Ning, wreathed in hellfire, out of the Grand Xia world and into a dangerous, forbidden land. Over seven days have passed since then. Ji Ning managed to endure the hellfire, but he has yet to return to the Grand Xia world. He must be trapped in some dangerous place, unable to come back.”

Yu Wei’s heart rose and fell. She breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Ji Ning had withstood the hellfire, but her anxiety immediately returned upon learning he hadn’t returned.

“Master, is there a way?” Yu Wei pressed.

“No.” Lu Zu shook his head. “The World-Sealing Pagoda is an innate spirit-treasure with unfathomable power, capable of teleporting someone to the endless void outside the Three Realms. There are many forbidden lands in that void, places where even Greater Teleportation cannot be used. Some places I myself would risk death by entering. Ji Ning can’t return now because he is trapped. The longer it takes, the more dangerous it becomes. He might die at any moment.”

Yu Wei’s body trembled.

“I have no solution, and neither do you.” Lu Zu shook his head. “Some of the forbidden lands in the endless void are only safe for True Gods and Daofathers to venture into. But some are so vast that even a Daofather personally searching them would require millions of years to cover them all.”

The Realm of Annihilation that surrounded the Ruins World was precisely this type of place.

“Then… then…” Yu Wei found it hard to accept.

“Wait.” Lu Zu said. “Ji Ning has mastered the Eight-Nine Arcane Art. His master must be a Daofather. Only a Daofather has any hope of finding him in the endless void. But how long it will take is unknown. We can only hope he survives until his master finds him.”

Yu Wei bit her lip.

“What do you plan to do now?” Lu Zu looked at Yu Wei.

“I want to return to the Grand Xia.” Yu Wei said softly.

“Hm.” Lu Zu nodded slightly.

In the Grand Xia world, dark clouds roiled above Anchan City. Gale-force winds howled, and bolts of lightning and thunder slithered through the clouds like snakes, occasionally crashing down to the ground with booming explosions amidst a torrential rain.

In the middle of the thunderstorm, a black-robed young woman tore through the void, appearing above the city.

“Junior apprentice-brother, I have returned. But why are you still not here?” The black-robed young woman looked down at Anchan City, a pang of heartache stabbing through her. Her heart had been frozen in her past life. After her parents died in this life, she had become even colder. Ji Ning was the only person she truly cared for. For him, she would do anything. She would not hesitate to destroy Heaven and Earth.

During her tribulation, the Heartfiend Tribulation had been overcome purely by her feelings and attachment to Ji Ning. The three thousand years they had spent together during that tribulation deepened her love for him even more.

“Whoosh.”

Yu Wei flew down into Anchan City, descending into the Black-White College. Her divine sense swept across the grounds.

Bang!

It collided with another divine sense.

Whoosh.

The Diancai Immortal instantly appeared above his own estate. He looked up and saw the black-robed woman flying towards him, and couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, “Yu Wei! You passed your tribulation?” He found it hard to believe. He wouldn’t have been shocked if Ji Ning had passed his tribulation, but Yu Wei? She had failed at the Immortal Fortunes Assembly and her talent didn’t compare to Ji Ning’s. Decades had passed, and Ji Ning hadn’t even attempted his tribulation. How had she succeeded? Was it because her tribulation was weaker, or because her master, ‘Lu Dongbin’, was such a skilled teacher?

“Yes.” Yu Wei nodded gently.

The Diancai Immortal nodded excitedly. “Excellent! These are turbulent times, and our Black-White College has gained another Celestial Immortal! Wonderful! Wonderful!” But then he remembered Ji Ning, who was Yu Wei’s Dao-companion. His smile vanished, and a look of hesitation appeared on his face.

Should he tell her?

“Uncle-Master Diancai,” Yu Wei began.

“There’s no need to call me Uncle-Master,” the Diancai Immortal said immediately. Yu Wei’s strength now meant they were equals. In the world of Immortal cultivation, age was meaningless. Considering her past life, Yu Wei was likely older than him, anyway.

“You are Ji Ning’s master, so I will naturally call you Uncle-Master.” Yu Wei said. “Are you about to tell me about Ji Ning?”

The Diancai Immortal was stunned. “You… you know?”

“My master told me before I returned to the Grand Xia world.” Yu Wei replied.

“Did Lu Zu have any ideas?” the Diancai Immortal asked urgently. “Does he know where Ji Ning was exiled?”

“No.” Yu Wei shook her head.

“Then what do we do now?” The Diancai Immortal had been constantly worrying about Ji Ning.

“Wait.” Yu Wei said.

The Diancai Immortal suddenly thought of something and hastily warned, “Ji Ning killed two Celestial Immortals of the Shaoyin clan. Their clan is furious. Even though they exiled him, they haven’t stopped. Any member of the Ji clan who dared to leave the Yan Mountains was killed by Shaoyin. You are Ji Ning’s Dao-companion. Once they know you are back, they will try to kill you too. You’ve just become a Celestial Immortal; it’s not a good idea to clash head-on with them.”

“They want to kill me?” A flicker of ice-cold killing intent flashed through Yu Wei’s eyes.

In the Realm of Annihilation within the Ruins World.

Ji Ning tumbled backward through the void before finally steadying himself. He looked around and then laughed, a wild, unbridled laugh. But his eyes held a trace of unwillingness and apology. An apology for those he cared about.

“I can’t stay with you any longer.” Ji Ning thought silently. His divine power was completely exhausted.

The purple-cloaked warrior who had been fighting him earlier retreated.

All the other purple-cloaked, horned warriors began to speak.

“Tongtuobi has had his turn. It’s mine next!”

“Let me go next time!”

“Why you?”

“It’s rare to meet a resilient alien who can’t be killed. He’s the perfect whetstone. Take it slow, don’t rush.” The golden-cloaked general spoke. “It looks like the alien is about done for. Let him rest. When he recovers, you can challenge him one by one. As long as he doesn’t die, you’ll all have a chance.”

Ji Ning was stunned.

He had resigned himself to death. But they were letting him recover?

“These warriors of the Broken Horn World truly are battle-hungry. Are they treating me as a training dummy?” Ji Ning wondered, confused.

The general and the other purple-cloaked warriors were also frustrated.

Battle-hungry?

Yes, but their inherent nature was to simply kill their enemies, not drag things out like this. However, this was the direct order of the Mother Queen. Her very will had descended upon them, commanding them to take turns fighting Ji Ning. They didn’t dare to disobey.

“Whatever. A day lived is a day gained.” Ji Ning stood in the void, sensing the distant Sunstar and Taiyin Star deep within the endless void, absorbing their power to convert into divine power.

Inside the aquatic manor, a black-robed Ji Ning sat cross-legged. The yellow-furred bear materialized and called out, “Ji Ning! Ji Ning!”

“Senior Bear.” The black-robed Ji Ning looked at the yellow-furred bear.