Chapter 33: Fireworks’ Past

“So it turns out this wasn’t some kind of opportunity at all, but a Remnant Soul of a Wen Dao Stage Expert in hiding. No wonder we had to self-destruct back then…”

Bai Yue couldn’t help but give a bitter smile.

“Master, it’s not that there’s no opportunity.”

Mu Chenxi had a different opinion.

“What did you discover?”

Bai Yue asked in confusion.

“Su Qiuyue’s cultivation technique is also the Taishang Forget-Emotion Sword Art.”

Mu Chenxi explained.

“I can feel that in her Remnant Soul, the lingering consciousness is filled with anger and resentment, but at its core, it still revolves around the Taishang Forget-Emotion Sword Art.”

“Besides, she was originally a Wen Dao Realm expert, so her Remnant Soul must contain methods to help me increase my strength.”

Bai Yue was suddenly enlightened by these words.

“But the problem is, even if she’s only a Remnant Soul, the other party is still at the Wen Dao Stage. A starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Chenxi, you can’t handle her. How do you plan to obtain her secret techniques and cultivation methods?”

“Master, I have an idea.”

“What is it?”

“That is to borrow Yan Hua’s power. That time when Yan Hua pulled me into her Sea of Consciousness, my Soul was refined a bit after returning to reality. I can continue trying to connect with Yan Hua’s Sea of Consciousness to strengthen my Soul.”

“You actually entered Yan Hua’s Sea of Consciousness?”

Bai Yue asked.

“Yes.”

Mu Chenxi explained apologetically.

“Master, there was something I hid from you earlier. The scenes in Yan Hua’s Sea of Consciousness were too bloody. I was afraid you’d be upset if you saw them…”

Bai Yue was always concerned about Yan Hua.

This disciple, who she once thought was obedient, had hidden secrets she longed to understand.

So she spoke softly.

“Can you show me?”

Mu Chenxi sighed, reached out, and pressed her hand to Bai Yue’s forehead, displaying the scenes she had seen in Yan Hua’s Sea of Consciousness one by one.

After watching, Bai Yue was so shocked she couldn’t speak.

It was a long time before she finally murmured,

“Yan Hua…”

“Master, are you alright?”

Mu Chenxi looked at her with concern.

“I’m fine. It’s just that… I never truly understood Yan Hua, nor did I realize she had endured such terrifying things.”

Bai Yue’s face was full of worry.

“Don’t worry, Master. Yan Hua is fine now. Not only has she awakened, but she can also protect us. In the Future, she will be fine too.”

Mu Chenxi comforted her softly.

Bai Yue nodded.

By now, it was almost midnight. Suddenly, she felt a wave of heat burning through her body.

Mu Chenxi sensed it immediately, reached out to clasp Bai Yue’s hand, interlacing their fingers, and infused her own pure icy Spiritual energy into Bai Yue’s meridians, helping her dispel the heat.

At this point, their discussion was finished, and the two returned to the cave to rest.

After laying out the blanket, the two slept together, fingers entwined. Mu Chenxi gradually eased Bai Yue’s heat, then fell into a deep sleep herself.

Usually, she would have cultivated until dawn at this hour before setting out with Bai Yue. Sleeping so deeply now showed just how exhausted she truly was.

Bai Yue, feeling a pang of sorrow, reached out and gently brushed the messy blue hair from Mu Chenxi’s forehead.

She sighed silently in her heart.

“My disciple is truly worn out.”

***

The next day at noon, Mu Chenxi finally awoke.

The moment she opened her eyes, she grumbled in frustration.

“I actually slept until noon? How could I sleep for so long and waste so much time…”

“It’s alright, Chenxi.”

Bai Yue soothed gently.

“You can’t keep pushing yourself so hard. Last time, something went wrong because you were too tense. Proper rest is necessary, so stop blaming yourself.”

“Mm, alright, Master.”

Mu Chenxi nodded and finally let go of her guilt.

Afterward, she took Bai Yue and headed back in the direction of Bai Yue’s previous residence.

***

By nightfall, the two had stopped to rest in a bamboo forest in the mountains.

Mu Chenxi leaned in Bai Yue’s embrace and once more let her consciousness sink into the ‘Future’.

The beginning was no different from before.

Mu Chenxi still waited quietly for Yan Hua to awaken from the coffin.

Soon after, Yan Hua arrived at the scene where Master Bai Yue had been slain.

Mu Chenxi explained the truth to Yan Hua, earnestly pleading for her help.

Yan Hua didn’t refuse, immediately opening her Sea of Consciousness and allowing Mu Chenxi’s consciousness to enter.

Though it wasn’t the first time entering Yan Hua’s Sea of Consciousness, Mu Chenxi still felt a chill run through her heart.

All around were severed limbs and blood, the scent of iron thick enough to suffocate.

Yan Hua’s consciousness wasn’t considered strong, but it radiated an eerie resilience.

Mu Chenxi sensed that even Su Qiuyue at her full Wen Dao Realm strength back then could not have overtaken her.

However, Su Qiuyue’s target was always her—likely due to her Sword Dao talent.

Mu Chenxi pondered, raising her eyes to the core of Yan Hua’s Sea of Consciousness, where Yan Hua’s main form confronted her.

She spoke,

“Yan Hua, tell me how to strengthen my consciousness.”

“I don’t know any way to strengthen consciousness.”

Yan Hua tilted her head, looking completely bewildered.

She had thought letting Mu Chenxi’s consciousness into her Sea of Consciousness was enough, never expecting such a question.

Even the fact that Mu Chenxi had entered her Sea of Consciousness felt novel, let alone knowing any method for getting stronger.

Seeing Yan Hua’s utterly clueless expression, Mu Chenxi realized she was telling the truth.

She took a deep breath and resolved to explore the mysteries of Yan Hua’s Sea of Consciousness herself.

Now that Yan Hua bore no hostility toward her, there was still risk, but it was far less than before.

Mu Chenxi’s consciousness slowly drifted into the bloody sea of the Sea of Consciousness, immediately feeling a sticky sensation at her fingertips.

She seemed to have disturbed the scattered limbs, and in the next moment, a cold hand clamped around her ankle, making her start and look down in shock.

A scene unfolded before her eyes.

A poised woman appeared, fine lines at the corners of her eyes yet exuding a powerful aura.

Mu Chenxi recognized her. It was Liu Ruyan, Taishang Elder of the Dao Sect.

Liu Ruyan was walking slowly toward ‘her’.

Mu Chenxi realized with a jolt that at this moment, ‘she’ had become a child, with small arms and legs pinned by a force, unable to move.

Liu Ruyan approached, grabbed her tiny hand, and ruthlessly tore it off!

The agony of flesh being ripped apart shot through her, and Mu Chenxi screamed in pain. But the torment had only just begun.

Liu Ruyan continued, tearing apart her limbs one by one in the same brutal manner.

Only then did Mu Chenxi realize she had stumbled into Yan Hua’s past memories, experiencing the torment firsthand.

The searing pain of having her limbs torn away tormented her.

But amidst the agony, she felt her consciousness strengthen slightly.

After the scene dissipated, Mu Chenxi took a long time to recover before looking again at the blood and flesh in the Sea of Consciousness.

By touching these broken bodies, she could relive experiences similar to those Yan Hua had once suffered.

Yet, this pain could not compare to even a fraction of what Yan Hua had truly endured.

She looked again at Yan Hua’s core consciousness, eyes complicated.

How had Yan Hua survived such torment in the past?

Staring at the mountains of severed limbs in the Sea of Consciousness, Mu Chenxi’s scalp tingled and her heart trembled.

She knelt down and gingerly reached out, touching a body with its organs torn away.

Another scene abruptly materialized.

It was still Liu Ruyan, drawing nearer with each step.