Chapter 58 Part 1

The Tianyan Mirror was truly convenient—one could know the affairs of the world without stepping outside.

Lian Rusu was at the Cave Heaven Second Layer, and there was almost no one in the entire Nine Provinces who could match her. She had the reputation of a genius, her comprehension of the Great Dao far surpassing her peers of the same age.

Her temperament was mild, without the arrogance of looking down on those beneath her. She did not scramble for positions in the Immortal Altar where everyone fought over spots. Instead, she frequently appeared in the Dharma Realm, offering free guidance to fellow Daoists in their cultivation.

Even before she appeared, the name “Chen Buyan” was already renowned among all. Feng Qing said she was hard to approach, but that was merely Feng Qing’s perception—perhaps to that one, there was no one under heaven easy to get close to.

Once the suspicions surfaced, they easily swept through body and mind. Li Ruoshui could not help but speculate about Lian Rusu’s interactions with others.

Was her treatment unique? Or had someone who gained Lian Rusu’s favor before her enjoyed far more harmonious and pleasant relations with her?

Lian Rusu’s identity was her own presumptuous guess, but other circumstances might also be false.

No, Lian Rusu had said that aside from her interactions, it was all cultivation.

Li Ruoshui’s mind turned into a complete mush. She watched as Lian Rusu blinked. While waiting for an answer, she twisted her fingers awkwardly, her heart filled with trepidation.

Lian Rusu shook her head. “No.”

Li Ruoshui inexplicably let out a breath of relief. Her intertwined fingers loosened and propped behind her. Her legs, which had been crossed in a seated position, stretched straight forward. She asked, “Then how did they address you?”

Lian Rusu recalled for a moment and replied, “Senior, True Person, and the like.” They were grateful, but their words carried politeness and distance. To the great sect Daoists, they were mere chance encounters in the Tianyan Mirror. To rogue cultivators who had brushed shoulders with death and were extremely vigilant, she was a mysterious existence not to be casually approached.

Lian Rusu added, “Very few people were as enthusiastic as you.”

“Is that so?” Li Ruoshui lowered her eyelashes, sensing the wind blowing against her face from the cliff edge. She developed a probing interest in Lian Rusu’s “cultivation” within the Tianyan Mirror. After pondering for a moment, she asked again, “Over all these years, has no one wanted to take you as their master?”

“In the Tianyan Mirror, there’s no need for the bonds of master-disciple relations; all under heaven are fellow Daoists. As for those who wanted to become disciples, there were some. But before she could formally propose it, the name seal left in the Tianyan Mirror completely shattered.”

At the end, a trace of wistfulness entered Lian Rusu’s tone. In the Tianyan Mirror, even without truly meeting, one could taste the joys and sorrows of life across the years. “Changes in life and death are like the procession of spring, summer, autumn, and winter—the natural law of the Heavenly Dao.”

Li Ruoshui pursed her lips. She pushed off a rock and sprang to her feet in one bounce, pinched a spell gesture to brush the dust from her body, then looked down at Lian Rusu. “I will live well.” After a pause of several breaths, she joked, “In your eyes, am I just a fragile sapling that could be snapped by the wind at any moment?”

Lian Rusu answered straightforwardly, “Yes.” Her gaze was clear, her words frank and direct. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Me too.” Li Ruoshui replied casually. Noticing Lian Rusu’s gaze fixed on her, she raised a brow and smiled. “I mean, if the sky falls, don’t try to hold it up alone. The Cave Heaven realms of the Nine Provinces sects are still there.”

Lian Rusu stood up. “But before, you—”

The turning phrase paired with dredging up the past was enough to make Li Ruoshui’s scalp tingle. She hurriedly raised her hand to press against Lian Rusu’s lips and said with a beaming smile, “Senior Sister, how about we make a pact starting now? No more mentioning the past.”

Her embarrassment had only just healed; bringing it up again would cause a relapse.

Lian Rusu did not speak. Her eyelashes drooped, fluttering lightly, her breathing even softer.

The warm breath from her nose lingered on Li Ruoshui’s finger. Li Ruoshui jerked back her hand as if electrocuted. She turned around to face away from Lian Rusu, not letting her see her face suddenly flushed with red. Her left hand pressed against her chest, feeling the thumping heartbeat like a drum, as she tried to keep her tone calm. “I didn’t know before that you were the Taiyi Sect Master.”

Lian Rusu asked, “What if you had known?”

She definitely would have blocked and deleted without hesitation. Li Ruoshui grumbled inwardly.

But she could not tell Lian Rusu that—even something that had not happened might hurt her feelings.

She said, “I would still remind you to pay attention to the changes in the Return to Ruins.”

Lian Rusu nodded. “I know.”

Li Ruoshui turned around, her gaze toward Lian Rusu carrying a bewildered surprise.

Know what? What did she know?

–

Nine Provinces, Tianyan Sect.

Wu Hanfeng obtained the mysterious patterns from the altar and learned they were connected to the Return to Ruins, even capable of inducing new rifts in the Return to Ruins Gap. Her mood was extremely heavy. With her cultivation, she could not comprehend them and had to present them to her master.

Meanwhile, the ruler of the Merfolk Kingdom, Yue Rushuang, and Dragon Lord Ji Yanyu both received new information from Ji Wuxin. Without waiting for messages from fellow Daoists, their incarnations appeared in the council hall of the Tianyan Mirror.

One after another, Cave Heaven incarnations reflected on the screen wall. Even from the Demonic Prison Heavenly Palace, a cyan dragon dharma image appeared. Only the Specter Path, gathering place of ghost cultivators, showed no movement. The Daoists of the various sects were accustomed to the Specter Path’s silence—after all, the boundary between life and death was hard to cross.

“These are the altar array patterns found in the Thunder Spine Shark Territory of the Origin Sea. It resembles an evil eye, a rift capable of opening new cracks. Yet the Tianyan spiritual veins gave no warning for the rifts spawned by this altar.” Wu Tan’s expression was grave. The patterns were of too high a level; even she could not fathom them. She did not know if the Ruin Spirits emerging from the altar would be restricted, or if any existence from the Return to Ruins Realm could climb out through it.

Xiang Yingshou turned to Ji Yanyu. “What does Fellow Daoist Ji say?”

Ji Yanyu did not speak, her brows tightly furrowed. Instead, Yue Rushuang said solemnly, “I’ve seen it before in a forbidden area of the Origin Sea.”

“Origin” meant primordial, the beginning. In passed-down myths, the Origin Sea was the birthplace of primordial beings. Living creatures emerged from the chaos of the Origin Sea, evolving clans according to the Heavenly Dao—some heading to the lands, others remaining in the seas. That primordial place was called the Chaos Grotto, enveloped in chaotic qi, inaccessible to any living being.

But according to legends, when the red moon appeared in the sea, a narrow path would open in the Chaos Grotto. Those who entered could witness the source of heaven and earth. After achieving Cave Heaven, coinciding with the red moon, Yue Rushuang had ventured toward the Chaos Grotto. However, she did not approach it closely; she stopped before a dark stone engraved with the same eerie patterns.

She heeded the warning in her heart and turned back. Afterward, she noticed no anomalies in herself until Yue Shenlin was born—she cultivated the Heavenly Blessing Dao differently from other merfolk, shrouded in a bizarre aura akin to a heavenly curse. Yue Rushuang suspected it was related to the Chaos Grotto. Over the years, she had found no solution and could only confine Yue Shenlin within the Merfolk Kingdom.

If not for this strange pattern appearing in the Thunder Spine Shark Territory, she had no intention of revealing this hidden past.

Wu Tan frowned. “If Fellow Daoist says so, then we must visit the Chaos Grotto to investigate thoroughly?”

After a pause, she asked again, “Aside from the Thunder Spine Sharks, have these patterns appeared elsewhere in the Origin Sea?”

Ji Yanyu shook her head. “Not yet.” But that did not mean it had not happened. The clans of the Origin Sea were merely a loose alliance, without thorough inspections, many details could be overlooked. “The matter of the Thunder Spine Sharks—my Dragon Palace will handle it.”

Xiang Yingshou asked, “Need any help?”

Fu Luo grinned. “It won’t turn into the next Empire, will it?”

Rong Yin, who had been silent in the hall, glanced at Fu Luo. Ji Yanyu did not take the other’s words to heart—after all, this one had never minced words. Ji Yanyu said, “If needed, I will contact all fellow Daoists.”

Wu Tan nodded and cautioned, “The Return to Ruins Realm changes again and again. Since one unknown exists, there may be a second, a third. Though such symbols have not appeared on the Nine Provinces continent, everyone must remain vigilant.”

The Cave Heaven incarnations and others chorused “Naturally.” After some discussion, the figures gradually dispersed from the Tianyan Mirror.

–

In the Origin Sea, Thunder Spine Shark Territory.

Li Ruoshui cautiously poked her head out, but not only had the troublesome Nascent Soul Daoists not retreated—they had grown more numerous. Surging auras churned, savage mana sweeping the territory and reducing the underwater structures to wreckage.

Li Ruoshui jumped in fright. Those Nascent Soul Daoists of the Thunder Spine Sharks were not coming for her. She steadied her fluctuating emotions and looked toward the most intense clash of auras.

At the center of the battle, locked in fierce combat with the Thunder Spine Sharks, were the Dragon Palace messengers. However, they had lost their earlier high spirits; they bore wounds and were missing two companions—unclear if they had perished or returned to the Dragon Palace to report.

“The Thunder Spine Sharks were actually nurturing Ruin Spirits!” The Dragon Palace messengers gnashed their teeth. This was the secret they had uncovered along the way. The altar had not appeared out of nowhere; the Thunder Spine Sharks had set it up.

At first, only beast bones were on the altar, but later it was demon clans from the Origin Sea. The stronger the spirituality, the harder the rifts were to close— no wonder the Thunder Spine Sharks had attacked the Merfolk Kingdom without cause! They had thought it mere enmity between old foes, but the Thunder Spine Sharks had gone mad to this extent.

“I am it, it is me. Once fused, power rises a whole layer—why not do it?” The Thunder Spine Shark Daoist did not think there was anything wrong with him. A cold smile hung on his face, conveying a chilling message: the Thunder Spine Shark Clan had actively allowed themselves to be corroded by Ruin Spirits.

This was not the act of one person, but of an entire clan! In the sea domain, unisolated from the outside, if a Ruin Spirit-corroded Daoist escaped, could it not infect others with weak wills or insufficient cultivation?

“Unforgivable!” the Dragon Palace messengers roared in fury.

The Thunder Spine Shark Daoist remained unconcerned and laughed arrogantly. “This is Thunder Spine Shark territory—what can you do to me?”

Hidden in the shadows, Li Ruoshui quietly fiddled with the Tianyan Mirror. Sure enough, no signal.

Fortunately, she had already sent the message. But in the future, if relying solely on the Tianyan Mirror for communication, wouldn’t the Nine Provinces cultivators suffer greatly when the net was sealed?