Chapter Ninety: The Longest Awakening from a Grand Dream

“Where are you hurt? Who could have wounded you so severely?”

Wei Lingjiang frowned slightly and stepped forward, looking him over from head to toe. After hesitating for a moment, she suddenly lifted his sleeve and then, as if coaxing a child, spun him around several times.

Seeing Chen Heng’s right arm hanging limply, her pupils tightened further.

“It looks like the son-in-law’s bones are badly broken—so badly?!”

Qingzhi, cheeks puffed out, had just swallowed a pancake with effort and then bit off a big piece, mumbling unclearly, “Luckily, Miss, you didn’t follow me to that Huaiwu Cave. If you got hurt too, there’d be no one to take me out to eat, and Qingzhi would starve to death!”

“Miss… son-in-law?”

Yuan Yangsheng was still bewildered and found himself utterly dumbfounded by the scene before him, unsure whether to lift his hands or lower them.

“I always thought with a face like yours, it would be a shame if you lived off others without working hard—such a waste of talent. But it turns out you’ve already been taken in!”

Yuan Yangsheng’s heart was filled with frustration. Silently, he howled: “Married into the family and still risking your life? Chen really is something! I wonder which wealthy family still needs a son-in-law. I don’t want to work hard anymore. For a few precious energies and longevity flames, I’ve been fighting tooth and nail—who knows what hardships lie ahead with the celestial samplings…”

While he pondered his future bitterly, Chen Heng was forcibly spun around by Wei Lingjiang again.

“All the bones in your arms are broken. Can you even lift your hands?”

“I can. I’m not seriously injured. After I return and rest a while, I’ll be fine.”

Though dusk was approaching, the floating bridge was still bustling with people passing by.

They saw a young woman holding a man’s sleeve, feeling him up and down as if handling a cloth doll. Her willow-shaped brows were furrowed deeply, eyes heavy with worry, utterly focused as if oblivious to the world around her.

Passersby found it strange and amusing, stealing glances at her more than once.

Some curious onlookers even stopped, but Qingzhi and Yuan Yangsheng glared at them, making them feel awkward and quickly walk away.

The sun slowly dipped below the horizon, and the sky was ablaze with fiery clouds, shifting endlessly—sometimes resembling mountains and rivers, sometimes golden drums, sheep and oxen, pavilions, or warships—forms changing in an instant, swirling with life and mystery.

Men and women on the floating bridge appeared like graceful trees. The men were tall and poised, exuding an elegant aura; the women looked like blooming blossoms, radiant as lotuses.

Their flowing robes fluttered like smoke and clouds in the wind, making them seem like immortals, inspiring awe and reverence.

Even those who wanted to linger and look closely were chased away by the stern gazes of Yuan Yangsheng and Qingzhi, but many still watched from a distance, hearts filled with admiration.

A small crowd had naturally gathered by the shore of this floating jade isle, stirring a minor commotion.

Nearby, a middle-aged Daoist nun watched the scene, repeatedly clenching and unclenching her fingers. Eventually, a trace of solemnity appeared on her face, and she sighed heavily.

“Love between man and woman is human nature. I cannot interfere and become the villain. But how do you know if this is true love or merely an external demon before the formation of the Golden Core, deliberately trying to obstruct the path? Moreover, this youth is a blood descendant of Jade Pivot True Lord, burdened with great karmic troubles. Whether he can live beyond twenty years is uncertain. Sooner or later, he will return to dust... When that time comes, won’t you be heartbroken?”

The nun’s sigh gave way to a faint glint of killing intent in her long phoenix-like eyes. The atmosphere seemed to respond, as if thunder and lightning, golden flames, and fierce fire would suddenly descend to obliterate all unseen scenes.

But beneath Wei Lingjiang’s veil, her clear eyes were serious and focused.

After a long hesitation, the nun withdrew her gaze, shook her head, and calmed herself.

In those few fleeting moments, the sky seemed to darken ominously, like a bottomless abyss ready to swallow all creation whole. Yet that terrifying sensation vanished as suddenly as it had come, leaving only a splendid sunset with clouds like burning flames, peaceful and serene.

Within the vast floating jade harbor, only two people sensed this celestial anomaly, their hearts filled with confusion.

The other cultivators remained completely unaware.

***

On a spiritual peak, Xie Qin, seated cross-legged on a meditation cushion, suddenly ceased circulating the multicolored floral divine breath around him. Pacing a few steps with a puzzled look, he took out a three-foot-long golden turtle from his sleeve.

It had a head and tail, glowing with red-golden eyes. The patterns on its shell formed the mysterious diagram of the Eight Trigrams and the Nine Palaces, exuding an inscrutable aura.

“Old Jin, did you sense something? Is there a celestial anomaly?”

He frowned as he addressed the golden turtle.

This golden turtle was a treasured secret bestowed upon him by the head of the Changyou Xie clan when he left home to cultivate at the Flower God Mansion in the southern region.

The turtle could combine heavenly mechanisms to calculate fate and divine yin-yang hexagrams. It was impervious to the erosion of calamity energy and spiritual essence, making it extremely precious.

Since Xie Qin was from a collateral branch and not favored, this was already a generous gift.

If he were from the main branch of the Changyou Xie clan, the protective artifact he received after leaving home would be worth several times, or even ten times, the value of this golden turtle.

“It seems a great divine power has become angry, causing chaos in the heavenly mechanisms and throwing me out of that realm of illumination.”

After half an incense stick of time, the golden turtle spoke slowly and weakly in human language, its voice feeble and breathless like an ancient elder struggling to survive.

“But... I am nearing the end of my lifespan. Unlike in my youth, when I could constantly reside within the chronicles of heaven and earth, perhaps my perception was flawed. That would not be surprising.”

After a long pause, it continued:

“Xie Qin, I am useless now. I fear I can no longer shield you by calculating heavenly fate. Do not blame me...”

“What nonsense are you saying, Old Jin? Without your protection, I would have been schemed to death during my Foundation Establishment stage, let alone reaching Dongxuan, not to speak of Golden Core.”

Although the golden turtle’s lifespan was limited due to being damaged by the Life Seed, the Changyou Xie clan still generously bestowed it on him.

Reflecting on all the hardships he had endured, Xie Qin sighed deeply, carefully tucking the golden turtle into his large sleeve, placing it within his Purple Mansion to nurture it.

He then took out a bright silver compass and several bamboo sticks, immediately casting a divination. But no matter how hard he concentrated, no inspiration came, and his effort was in vain.

With a resigned flick of his sleeve, he put the items away and resumed his meditation.

Within the vast floating jade harbor, only two sensed the celestial anomaly.

Besides Xie Qin, the other was...

***

At the residence of the Huaiwu Cave Master, inside a colossal flying palace.

The vermilion door at the lowest level suddenly rumbled violently twice, shaking countless tadpole-shaped golden talisman seals on its surface like rippling waves, flickering brightly in dense patterns.

It was as if a ferocious lion-tiger was trapped inside, struggling with hunger, about to break through the door to devour those outside!

The loud noises continued relentlessly.

The two young attendants guarding the door tensed up and made hand seals, simultaneously wielding their dust whisks to sweep heavily at the door.

These two dust whisks were carefully refined talisman tools with special functions. Once invoked, they emitted two brilliant streams of light like shooting stars, pouring onto the vermilion door.

The tadpole-shaped golden talisman seals, which had been about to dissipate and lose their glow, were revitalized by this support, maintaining their form.

But it didn’t last long, and the door began to show signs of collapse again.

Just as the two attendants were sweating profusely, a sudden cool breeze arose beside them. Turning, they saw the Huaiwu Cave Master with a stern face. He spoke, releasing a beam of light, faintly shaped like a third-grade lotus flower.

Without any further action, the beam calmed the roaring sounds after several tens of breaths, gradually quieting the door’s trembling.

“Return. I will speak with the lady myself.”

Before the two attendants could respond, the Cave Master waved his hand. They bowed and left without surprise.

Silence fell over the scene.

The Cave Master tried several times to open the door and step inside but hesitated repeatedly. Each time he touched the door, it felt as if searing fire burned his hand, causing him to tremble and withdraw it.

“Deng Lang, Deng Lang, have you come to see me again?”

During the Cave Master’s silence, a sharp female voice suddenly came from within the door, followed by a bitter wail:

“Ai Yuan, it’s Ai Yuan! That wretched woman from the Ai clan has come for me again! I knew it—I knew she wouldn’t let me go! Only by subduing this vicious Yin demon within me can she pass the trial and join the Huzhao Sect as she wishes!

“Deng Lang, we’ve been running and hiding for so many years, but we can’t escape that wretched woman... I don’t want to die; I don’t want to become Ai Yuan’s fodder. Let’s run away together, escape Xudu Heaven, flee the Nine Provinces and Four Seas. Even if Ai Yuan comes from the Twelve Great Clans, she can’t chase me beyond the heavens!”

The woman vented her rage and curses for a long time. When no reply came from outside, her sobs slowly ceased.

“Liu Niang, I told you before: if you want to escape Xudu Heaven now, you must first pass through the layer of fierce energy... You know your demonic body cannot conceal itself from the array spirits of the fierce energy layer—they will kill you.”

After the curses stopped, the Cave Master’s lips trembled as he spoke softly.

“Do you want me to wait for death? You want to see me captured and killed by Ai Yuan before you’re satisfied?”

Upon hearing his words, the woman called Liu Niang screamed again:

“She can’t find you.”

“She forged me once, how could she not find me?!”

“Ai Yuan has searched for you all these years but found no trace.”

“Well, if not today, tomorrow? The next day? One day she will come to kill you!”

***

The Cave Master sighed, repeating words spoken for countless years.

In the end, as usual, Liu Niang’s spiteful curses closed the conversation.

“By the way, why were you restless just now? Didn’t we agree to endure when facing great matters?”

Before leaving, the Cave Master finally asked the reason for his visit.

“The void’s fetal membrane fluctuated strangely just now, as if something caused the celestial phenomena to shift.”

Inside the vermilion door, Liu Niang sneered, “It must be Ai Yuan coming. She’s brought the old relics of the Ai clan to kill me!”

“Is it truly a celestial anomaly?”

The Cave Master ignored her typical paranoia, his expression turning solemn as he asked.

“It seems… a celestial anomaly, though I’m not certain. I just felt the void’s fetal membrane tremble. Maybe I’ve been distracted from lack of blood food for too many days?”

She hesitated before speaking.

“Distracted? That’s good—it should be nothing.”

Hearing this, the Cave Master relaxed.

After a long pause, as if making a firm decision, he clenched his fists.

“I found a promising youth named Chen Heng. His talent is extraordinary—even the alchemists of the Flower God Mansion favor him! With him, you will surely cultivate that Earth Gate Golden Seal…”

The words made Liu Niang inside the vermilion door rejoice. She bombarded him with questions and, once convinced, laughed wildly like a fierce hawk.

The Cave Master wanted to say more but, seeing this, his lips twitched and he swallowed the words.

“Deng Lang, Deng Lang! This is truly divine help! If I can master that demonic heavenly art, I’ll no longer fear Ai Yuan! Across the Nine Provinces and Four Seas, I will no longer be a rat scurrying in the streets!”

After her wild laughter, Liu Niang suddenly softened her tone, inviting him inside to share a passionate night together.

“I dare not open the door, Liu Niang. I fear you would kill me…”

The Cave Master glanced deeply at the door, then swept his sleeve and left, finally saying:

“At the time of Shen on the day after tomorrow, I will bring that Chen Heng here under the pretense of a lecture. Prepare accordingly.”

***

The celestial disturbance inadvertently caused by the middle-aged Daoist nun was sensed only faintly by two people, who could not fathom its true cause.

On the floating bridge, as the gazes grew more numerous, Wei Lingjiang remained worried. Chen Heng furrowed his brows slightly but, after calling her several times without reply, he silently flipped his hand, grasping hers with his palm turned inward.

“You also injured your Lung Metal meridian. Your internal year-fire is too intense; you need to take the Hundred-Span Pill first—”

Wei Lingjiang was still lost in thought when her wrist was suddenly gripped tightly. Without the barrier of clothing, the scorching warmth of the man’s palm surged through her skin, making her shiver and snap back to awareness.

Looking up in a panic, Wei Lingjiang saw only those cold, deep, pond-like eyes, devoid of any warmth.

“Senior sister, I’m fine.”

Chen Heng paused, then said,

“Let go now.”

(End of chapter)