Chapter 84: The Sky Falls—Is She the Tall One?

Heavenly Tribulation.

The word weighed heavily on Bai Yue’s heart.

This calamity wasn’t just aimed at all living beings in the world.

For some reason, she had a vague premonition deep inside that she was the eye of the storm in this Heavenly Tribulation.

She had become the first person to bear its brunt.

She used to think that when the sky fell, there would always be someone taller to hold it up.

But now, she sadly realized that, without knowing it, she had become the tallest one.

But the problem was…

She looked down at herself.

She was clearly just a weakling at the Foundation Establishment stage.

If it weren’t for these three monstrous disciples protecting her, she didn’t know how many times she would have died already.

A deep sense of powerlessness and fear pressed down on her, making it hard to breathe.

“Following me… will be dangerous.”

Bai Yue’s voice was a little dry. She raised her head, nervously looking at Su Qiuyue and Mu Chenxi.

“Have you… really thought it through? Are you still willing… to follow me?”

She couldn’t help but confirm again, her eyes full of unease and apprehension.

She was afraid.

Afraid that because of her, she would drag them into an abyss of no return.

The air grew quiet.

Mu Chenxi stared at Bai Yue, those blue eyes without a trace of hesitation.

She spoke with utmost seriousness, word by word.

“Master, I will never leave.”

This was her promise, and the direction of her heart.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have comprehended the Infatuated Sword Dao.

“I still need to rely on Master to save my family. How could I possibly leave?”

Su Qiuyue spoke solemnly to Bai Yue.

Looking at the unwavering gazes of her two disciples, Bai Yue’s heart was instantly filled with warmth.

All the fear and unease seemed to vanish into thin air at that moment.

Though the road ahead was dangerous, she was not alone.

After discussing everything, Bai Yue let Mu Chenxi enter her Sea of Consciousness.

Mu Chenxi had used Soulburn Return Essence earlier, and her soul still carried unhealed wounds.

Though she didn’t mention it, Bai Yue knew that the price of soulburning was far heavier than it appeared.

She wanted her disciple to recover faster.

Mu Chenxi had no hesitation about this.

She was already familiar with Master’s Sea of Consciousness.

With a thought, her divine sense slipped smoothly inside.

A brown mountain stretched out before her.

Not far away, a small, dusty figure was struggling to swing a massive Iron Pickaxe, completely disproportionate to her tiny body, pounding stubbornly and rhythmically at the hard stone.

It was Small Bai Yue.

“Master.”

Hearing Mu Chenxi’s call, Small Bai Yue’s whole body trembled.

Then she turned.

When she saw who it was, her face bloomed with delight.

With a clang, she threw down the Iron Pickaxe, her short legs moving as if to hug Mu Chenxi, but she stopped abruptly halfway.

She lowered her head, looked at her hands covered in dirt and dust, then at Mu Chenxi’s spotless white dress, and a trace of hesitation and retreat flashed across her face.

She was afraid of dirtying Chenxi.

But Mu Chenxi seemed not to see the dirt at all.

She bent down and gently embraced the small, gray figure.

Her voice was soft.

“Master.”

“Chenxi, you really came to see me. You didn’t lie to me.”

The hugged Small Bai Yue froze at first, then hugged back joyfully.

Those pink eyes sparkled with pure happiness.

“I still can’t freely control which Sea of Consciousness I enter, but I really wanted to see Master.”

Mu Chenxi explained softly, wanting to help Master share some of her burden.

“Chenxi, you’re so good.”

Small Bai Yue looked up, staring unblinkingly at Mu Chenxi.

That focused gaze made Mu Chenxi’s fair cheeks flush with a burning red, and for a moment, she forgot what she was going to say next.

After a while, Small Bai Yue seemed to remember something important.

She grabbed her hand.

“Chenxi, we’re about to eat. I’ll finish my work first, then take you to get a Boxed Meal. If you eat it, your strength and soul will recover faster.”

Boxed Meal… could restore the soul?

Only then did Mu Chenxi realize.

She hadn’t thought much about it before, but that seemingly ordinary food had such a miraculous effect.

Still, she didn’t feel it was wasted on Master.

“All right, Master.”

She bent down and picked up another Iron Pickaxe from the ground.

“Before that, let me help you work.”

With that, she mimicked Small Bai Yue’s actions, swinging hard at the earth.

“Bang!”

“Bang!”

The crisp, rhythmic strikes echoed through the lonely, empty mountains.

The two worked together, hauling the broken stones in a small cart to the edge of the bottomless Pit and dumping them in.

After three trips back and forth, fine beads of sweat appeared on Mu Chenxi’s forehead, and her white dress was damp with sweat and stained with dust.

But she just gritted her teeth and persevered silently.

When the work was finally done, Small Bai Yue led her to a simple stall and received two steaming Boxed Meals.

This time, it was pork knuckle rice.

The pork knuckle was stewed until tender, glistening red, rich but not greasy.

Mu Chenxi picked up a piece and put it in her mouth.

The savory sauce exploded on her taste buds, the gelatinous texture melting instantly.

Paired with the fragrant, chewy rice, it was especially satisfying.

Next to her, Small Bai Yue gobbled her food, her little mouth stuffed full.

After eating, Mu Chenxi gently rubbed Small Bai Yue’s head and softly said goodbye.

“Master, I’ll come see you again next time.”

A wave of indescribable sourness and heartache rose in her chest.

This Master in the Sea of Consciousness toiled day after day in such hard and monotonous labor, and all she could do was offer brief companionship and share a tiny bit of the work.

When her divine sense withdrew from Bai Yue’s Sea of Consciousness, Mu Chenxi felt her body sink, and a warm, soft body appeared in her arms.

Looking down, she saw that at some point, Master Bai Yue had collapsed limply into her embrace, breathing evenly, already fast asleep.

As expected, repairing her soul for her had drained Bai Yue’s energy.

At this time, Yan Hua was also asleep in Bai Yue’s arms.

Mu Chenxi carefully adjusted her posture and gently carried the two, one big and one small, back to the bamboo house, laying Bai Yue softly on the bamboo bed.

She didn’t just let it be, though, and hugged Bai Yue from behind as well, planning to rest like this.

Late at night, Bai Yue slowly woke up.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she realized she was sandwiched between her two precious disciples.

Mu Chenxi’s breathing was steady on her right.

Yan Hua, nestled on her left, stirred and her lashes trembled, clearly about to wake up.

Sure enough, Yan Hua blinked open her eyes in a daze, stared at Bai Yue’s face for a while, then asked in a muffled voice, “Master, is there anything tasty?”

“Yan Hua, you’re hungry again?”

Bai Yue smiled helplessly.

“Not hungry,”

Yan Hua rubbed her eyes honestly.

“Just craving.”

Bai Yue paused, thinking.

She looked at Yan Hua.

“Yan Hua, why don’t you try entering my Sea of Consciousness? Maybe it’ll help with your constant sleepiness.”

“Master, is there good food in the Sea of Consciousness?”

Yan Hua asked.

“Uh… maybe.”

Bai Yue could only coax the little glutton in her arms.

“How do I enter Master’s Sea of Consciousness?”

Yan Hua’s big misty eyes blinked in confusion.

This question stumped Bai Yue.

She’d been with Yan Hua for so many years, but never thought to teach her this.

Subconsciously, she always treated her as an ordinary little girl who couldn’t cultivate.

Bai Yue patiently taught Yan Hua the basic method to manipulate divine sense.

Yan Hua listened with a fuzzy head, scratching her own.

“Did you understand?”

Bai Yue asked.

“I think so.”

Yan Hua was actually still confused.

“Then give it a try?”

Bai Yue wanted to see how much Yan Hua had grasped.

“Okay, Master, I’m going in.”

Yan Hua said, hugging Bai Yue tightly.

“Yan Hua… don’t hug so close, I can’t breathe…”

Bai Yue laughed and cried.

Yan Hua was trying to enter physically.

“Oh, I forgot to use divine sense.”

Yan Hua loosened her hold on Bai Yue a bit and tried to activate her divine sense.

Though her technique was completely wrong, she still managed to do it.

Yan Hua’s soul met almost no resistance, quickly touching that invisible door and slipping into Bai Yue’s Sea of Consciousness.