“Xie Xuechen, do you still want the Changshou Lotus?” Mu Xuanling asked softly as Feng Xiang’s figure disappeared into the spiritual mist. “This kind of longevity is worse than death.”

Xie Xuechen hadn’t told Mu Xuanling that his purpose for seeking the Changshou Lotus wasn’t for longevity itself. To neutralize the poison of the Wuxin Grass, one must consume the seeds of the Changshou Lotus. Although Xuan Xin had said that the Changshou Lotus seeds were beneficial without harm, seeing Feng Xiang’s current bizarre state, he felt compelled to investigate thoroughly to avoid harming Mu Xuanling.

“The Changshou Lotus should still take some time to bloom. We’re not in a hurry. The urgent matter at hand is to uncover the secret of Feng Xiang’s longevity,” Xie Xuechen said.

Mu Xuanling was also very curious. This secret concerning longevity was enough to make cultivators across the world risk everything.

“Let’s first find Feng Xiang’s daily rebirth starting point,” Mu Xuanling pondered. “It should be in the Purple Bamboo Forest.”

The Purple Bamboo Forest was vast. That night, the two didn’t rest, searching throughout the forest. The forest was shrouded in thick mist, and it was a moonless night covered in dense clouds. In the pitch darkness, they could only rely on their sense of spiritual energy to search.

Finally, just before dawn, Xie Xuechen found Feng Xiang’s location.

Her eyes were tightly closed, her breath steady, as if she had fallen into a deep sleep, unaware of anyone approaching.

“Sect Leader Xie, she seems to be alive, yet also like she’s dead,” Mu Xuanling looked at Feng Xiang with uncertainty. “If she were alive, she couldn’t possibly fail to notice us.”

Not only that, but Feng Xiang’s aura was also very weak. Even with Xie Xuechen’s keen senses, he only perceived her presence when he was very close.

“She might only wake up after daybreak,” Xie Xuechen speculated.

“Isn’t she completely defenseless and in great danger at this time?” Mu Xuanling asked.

Xie Xuechen said, “But even if she dies, she’ll revive at daybreak…”

Mu Xuanling carefully approached Feng Xiang, gently reaching out her hand. Just as she was about to touch her, Xie Xuechen suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her away from Feng Xiang. The next moment, they saw a shadow as thick as ink trembling on the grass beside Feng Xiang, outlining a human form. The outline initially resembled Feng Xiang’s graceful figure, but it seemed to be kneaded by invisible hands, elongating into a male form. The dense black shadow slowly rose from the ground, thin as ink-soaked paper, lightly trembling in the night breeze, separating Feng Xiang from Xie Xuechen and Mu Xuanling.

Mu Xuanling watched the scene before her in amazement. This shadow rising from the ground was of the same stature as Xie Xuechen, vaguely discernible as a male figure, yet it had emerged from Feng Xiang’s shadow.

His appearance was silent, and even standing right in front of them, his presence was barely perceptible. Xie Xuechen had pulled Mu Xuanling away not because he sensed the shadow’s presence, but purely out of a premonition of danger.

Mu Xuanling had never seen a ghost, but this shadow before her was no different from one.

However, this eerie transformation hadn’t stopped. The human-shaped black shadow rippled like water, slowly shedding layers of darkness from the head and face, gradually revealing clear, deep facial features.

It was the face of a handsome, refined man with calm brows and clear eyes. Beneath the dense shadow was a tall, straight figure, his long sky-blue robe making him appear even more scholarly and gentle. Yet even facing Xie Xuechen, he didn’t lose an ounce of presence.

“Are you… human or ghost?” Mu Xuanling scrutinized him uncertainly.

The man gazed at the two with clear eyes, showing no hostility. Instead, there was a sense of an elder’s warmth and broadmindedness, involuntarily inspiring closeness and trust.

A name suddenly sprang to mind, and Xie Xuechen blurted out, “Lord Qian Guang.”

Mu Xuanling’s eyes widened in surprise.

Lord Qian Guang, the first Sect Leader of the Immortal Alliance from six thousand years ago?

“You are the current Sect Leader of the Immortal Alliance.” The man didn’t deny it. He smiled and nodded slightly to Xie Xuechen, “You’re doing well, better than I did back then.”

“According to Immortal Alliance records, six thousand years ago, Lord Qian Guang resigned from his position as Sect Leader shortly after setting up the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation. His whereabouts became unknown after that. The timing coincides with Venerable Feng Xiang’s disappearance. Two peak Fashen cultivators vanishing without a trace in quick succession was no ordinary matter. There were rumors that Lord Qian Guang and Venerable Feng Xiang were in love and became Dao companions, retiring to seclusion in the mountains, but no one ever saw the two Venerables again.” Xie Xuechen sighed softly, “After seeing Venerable Feng Xiang today, I had this suspicion, but I didn’t expect it to be true.”

“Six thousand years have passed…” Lord Qian Guang smiled wistfully. He knelt beside Feng Xiang, looking at her sleeping form, gently removing a purple bamboo leaf that had fallen on her temple. His fingertips lingered on her brows and eyes, his gaze filled with tenderness and sorrow. He knew his actions wouldn’t wake her, yet he still moved gently. “If not for your appearance, I would have forgotten what day it was.”

“Can you tell us, Venerable, why you and Venerable Feng Xiang have been trapped in Luowu Mountain for six thousand years?” Xie Xuechen asked gravely. “Venerable Feng Xiang seems to be caught in a cycle.”

“Your intuition is strong, your guess is close to the truth,” Lord Qian Guang explained calmly. “Feng Xiang wakes up here every day, loses all consciousness and memory at sunset, and then repeats the previous day from the beginning.”

“So she’s been alive for six thousand years, but for her, it’s only been one day…” Mu Xuanling’s breath caught. Such a life was terrifying, yet Feng Xiang herself didn’t know. She always thought it was only her third day in Luowu Mountain. “How can such a bizarre thing happen? Is it the strange power of Luowu Mountain, or that Changshou Lotus…”

Lord Qian Guang shook his head gently: “The Changshou Lotus holds the secret of longevity, but eating it doesn’t grant eternal life. Instead, it reveals a celestial ladder leading to longevity. At the end of that ladder is the Divine Realm.”

“The Divine Realm?” Xie Xuechen’s pupils contracted.

“Since the dawn of human civilization, there has been a legend. The divine race protected all living beings and received their worship. However, the fallen gods stirred up the inner demons of humans, leading them to attack the Divine Realm, resulting in suppression by the divine race. The fallen gods were sealed beneath the Melting Abyss, and the demon race was born in the human realm. The divine race became disillusioned with humans, and since then, no divine beings have protected the world.”

What Lord Qian Guang spoke of was a legend known to all humans. In human consciousness, this world originally had the divine race, humans, and demons. Under the protection of the divine race, humans lived in peace and prosperity. But later, due to the birth of evil in human hearts, the divine race abandoned humanity, and the world became a place forsaken by the gods. The demon race grew increasingly rampant, and humans suffered from their encroachment, which was seen as retribution for betraying the divine beings.

However, no one had ever been to the Divine Realm or seen the divine race. The legend seemed to be just a legend.

Mu Xuanling was also stunned by Lord Qian Guang’s words. She murmured, “So the Divine Realm exists…”

She didn’t doubt whether Lord Qian Guang might be lying or deceived. How could the first cultivator from six thousand years ago, the god among men who sealed the demon realm, be so easily fooled?

His voice was low and sorrowful as he slowly recounted the past.

This was the first time in six thousand years that he had spoken to anyone, revealing the greatest secret in the world.

“Above the snow line of Luowu Mountain lies the celestial ladder to the Divine Realm. Only those who have eaten the Changshou Lotus and attained a transcendent body can step onto the ladder.

“Do you see those white clouds floating around the mountain waist? The Celestial Palace is hidden among the clouds, mist, and snowy peaks. It’s a place of divine prohibition where cultivators’ divine apertures are sealed, and they can only rely on their physical strength to withstand the fierce winds and snow. Those below the Fashen realm would turn to ash if they touched even a bit of it. Even Fashen cultivators would endure excruciating pain, having to endure and walk 38,000 steps on the celestial ladder to reach the Celestial Palace.

“That is where the divine race resides, what people call the Divine Realm.

“Deep in the sea of clouds, there’s a divine temple with a divine official called the Wheel Mirror Supreme God, the god of time in the Divine Realm. He said he had been guarding there for tens of thousands of years, waiting for someone. Maybe a person, maybe not. He’s a kind god. Anyone who reaches him can make a wish, but the God of Fate will exact a price.

“Six thousand years ago, Feng Xiang ate the Changshou Lotus and endured the pain of a thousand cuts to wish for longevity from the Wheel Mirror Supreme God.

“And being reborn day after day is the price the God of Fate demanded.”

Lord Qian Guang’s matter-of-fact narration stirred up huge waves in Xie Xuechen and Mu Xuanling’s hearts. The peak of Luowu Mountain, the divine temple in the Celestial Palace, eternal life, endless reincarnation… All these were divine miracles, evidence of the divine race’s existence.

No, the divine race still exists!

Xie Xuechen looked at Lord Qian Guang and said in a deep voice, “You also made a wish to the Wheel Mirror Supreme God.”

Lord Qian Guang nodded slightly: “It was in the second year after Feng Xiang left. I traveled the world and finally found her here.”

At that time, he thought he had found Feng Xiang and everything could start anew, but it was already too late. He tried to save her time and time again, losing her time and time again, repeating the same cycle with her day after day. He had also tried to take her away from this place, but as soon as the sun set, she would disappear, returning to the Purple Bamboo Forest, until daybreak when she would wake up again, forgetting everything and starting anew.

He stayed with her in this valley for a hundred years, just as she had accompanied him for tens of thousands of days before. After 36,000 days, he waited for the Changshou Lotus to bloom again. This time, he ate the Changshou Lotus and saw the white celestial ladder appear in the void, walking the path Feng Xiang had once trodden.

He arrived at the divine temple, covered in wounds. The noble and dignified divine official in the temple smiled and revealed to him the mystery surrounding Feng Xiang.

“A hundred years ago, she came here just like you. She wished for eternal life, and I granted it to her,” the Wheel Mirror Supreme God smiled benevolently. “I am a kind god, always willing to fulfill others’ wishes. But the God of Fate likes to interfere, sometimes exacting a price. The more the wish exceeds one’s due, the greater the price. Do you understand?”

Lord Qian Guang’s face showed sorrow: “So, Feng Xiang’s life is forever stuck on that day.”

“Isn’t this a form of eternal life?” The Wheel Mirror Supreme God smiled. “She got her wish. So, what is your wish?”

“Can she be freed from this ‘eternal life’?” Lord Qian Guang asked.

“A wish that has been granted cannot be changed,” the Wheel Mirror Supreme God’s smile faded as he spoke seriously. “Otherwise, wouldn’t I be breaking my promise to her?”

“Can her memories be restored?”

“That’s the God of Fate’s doing. The price he exacted cannot be returned.” The Wheel Mirror Supreme God said, “You should think carefully about your wish. I don’t have much patience.”

Finally, Lord Qian Guang made his wish.

“I wish to be with her in life and death, never to be separated.”

He became her shadow, in the closest place to her, but she would never know.

“Lord Qian Guang, you and Venerable Feng Xiang… were you originally Dao companions?” Mu Xuanling asked.

Lord Qian Guang lowered his eyes sadly and said bitterly, “I failed her…”

Before meeting Venerable Feng Xiang, Lord Qian Guang had long admired her reputation.

In those years when demons ravaged the Divine Continent, he traveled everywhere, eliminating evil and protecting the Dao. He often heard people mention Feng Xiang’s venerable name. They said she was a prodigy, famous at a young age, who created the divine skill “Phoenix Scorches the Plains” that made demons tremble in fear. Many venerable cultivators in the cultivation world had openly and secretly expressed their affection for her, hoping to become her Dao companion and cultivate together. But she was known for being cold and heartless, giving face to no one, immersed in cultivation, and untainted by love or karma.

Like others, he thought she was a cold-hearted person. It was only after spending time with her that he realized—this person was even more inhuman than the legends described.

“Dual cultivation with a waste would only slow down my cultivation speed,” she said, dressed in flamboyant red robes, her eyes cold and proud, revealing a hint of annoyance. “Men are truly troublesome things.”

Lord Qian Guang laughed awkwardly and rubbed his nose.

Feng Xiang glanced at him sideways: “You’re different from them.”

He felt an inexplicable joy in his heart.

“You’re a foolish thing,” Feng Xiang said. “Your aptitude is still above mine. If you focused on cultivation, you might one day break through the peak of Fa Xiang and find the way to immortality. But you insist on putting all your energy into eliminating evil and protecting the Dao, entangled in trivial matters. Your cultivation heart is impure, so your progress is limited.”

Lord Qian Guang smiled and said, “Venerable One cultivates to explore the limits of humanity, while I cultivate only to maintain peace in one area. I have no interest in immortality; I only wish to do as much good for humanity as possible in my limited life.”

Although Feng Xiang scoffed at his cultivation heart, she respected his persistence. Perhaps because Lord Qian Guang had never shown her love or entanglement, she was willing to stay with him. He had a kind of inexplicable affinity; by his side, she felt inexplicably at ease and peaceful. She was originally just an observer of this mortal world, focused solely on cultivation. Without realizing when it began, she also picked up his bad habits, joining him in punishing evil and helping those in need.

When a flash flood occurred, she watched him exert all his efforts to save people from the flood, covered in mud, his handsome face dirty, showing no trace of a cultivator’s aloofness. When a plague spread, he traveled everywhere to treat the sick, not minding the patients’ festering sores, personally diagnosing and applying medicine, saving countless lives. When demons attacked the city, he faced thousands of demon soldiers alone with just a sword, fearless in the face of death…

She always mocked him, saying he had degraded the dignity of a cultivator. Yet when he saved people from the flood, she stood by coldly, arranging for the wounded. When he traveled to treat the sick, she awkwardly held crying children, trying to comfort them. When he fought the demons, his life hanging by a thread, she killed with bloodshot eyes, sacrificing herself to save him…

They had been companions like this for decades, almost treading every inch of the Divine Continent. He had grown accustomed to it, the presence of that red robe behind him, the one to whom he could entrust his life.

Yet they gradually grew apart…

The Immortal Dao had countless sects, like scattered sand, while the demon forces grew stronger day by day. He mediated between various major sects, persuading them from all directions, and finally united numerous immortal sects into an alliance. Naturally, he was elected as the Alliance Leader. Someone once asked if he and Venerable Feng Xiang, being inseparable, had already become Dao companions.

He was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, “Venerable Feng Xiang is a divine-like figure… how could one casually profane her?”

The person sighed in relief and laughed, “Since the Alliance Leader has no Dao companion, what do you think of my younger sister…”

He was caught between laughter and tears, politely declining the other’s kind offer. His heart already belonged to someone, but that person… had no interest in him.

Companions for decades, she had never shown him the slightest romantic interest. She was a phoenix soaring in the nine heavens, a dream he dared not profane.

The Alliance had many affairs, and he became increasingly busy. She appeared less and less frequently. Later, he learned from others that she had gone to the East Sea for closed-door cultivation. She didn’t even say a word to him before leaving. It seemed that decades of companionship meant so little to her…

When they met again, it was ten years later. She brought the people of Lingxi Island to participate in the formation of the Ten Thousand Immortals Array and was revered as one of the Ten Venerable Ones due to her profound cultivation. She sat next to him, yet felt as unfamiliar as if they were meeting for the first time.

“Venerable Feng Xiang, have you been well on Lingxi Island these years?” he asked gently when they were alone.

She looked up at him and said indifferently, “Thank you for your concern, Alliance Leader. Everything is fine.”

Then she brushed past him without a trace of lingering…

It turned out that those decades were just a period of cultivation for Venerable Feng Xiang, but for him, it was a dream he couldn’t let go of.

He slowly clenched his fists, not calling out to stop her, because he knew he wasn’t worthy.

When forming the Ten Thousand Immortals Array, ten venerable ones had to occupy star positions, withstanding the backlash of the formation to connect it into a whole, weaving a net large enough to suppress the demon realm. Among the ten-star positions, one was the Death Gate. The person guarding the Death Gate would suffer an overwhelming blow.

He left the Death Gate for himself.

He had thought about telling her his feelings before he died. Perhaps it would earn her cold mockery, or make her annoyed and avoid him, or perhaps… she would have a different feeling for him, be moved by his love, and grieve for his death.

But what would be the point? He had no way out, so why make her uncomfortable?

In the Ten Thousand Immortals Array, fierce fire burned his body, and heavenly thunder shattered his bones. He gritted his teeth and endured. The array was successfully formed, the demons were sealed, and he miraculously survived. After being unconscious for days, he finally woke up and immediately asked about Feng Xiang’s news, only to hear: “Venerable Feng Xiang was severely injured and has already returned to Lingxi Island for closed-door cultivation.”

He said in surprise, “With Feng Xiang’s cultivation, she shouldn’t be severely injured.”

“Half of the venerable ones at other star positions perished, let alone the Death Gate? No matter how high Venerable Feng Xiang’s cultivation is, she couldn’t withstand the thunder and fire tribulation. That was the heavenly tribulation used to slay gods!”

“What…” His heart turned cold, his voice trembling, “But it was I who entered the Death Gate…”

The person’s eyes flickered, stammering, “Venerable Feng Xiang… volunteered to enter the Death Gate. She switched the array diagram and asked me to keep it from you. She said her cultivation was higher than yours, so by entering the Death Gate, she could withstand its tribulation and complete the formation of the Ten Thousand Immortals Array.”

A sudden pain gripped his chest, and a sweet and sour taste rose in his throat. His vision darkened, but he suddenly understood many things.

Feng Xiang, Feng Xiang…

He struggled to get up, ignoring everyone’s attempts to stop him, and flew to Lingxi Island with his injured body.

The disciples of Lingxi Island, respectful but unable to hide their grief and anger, coldly said to him, “Reporting to the Alliance Leader, our Venerable One has not returned.”

“Then where could she have gone?” he asked, lost.

“We do not know,” the person said woodenly. “The Venerable One’s heart was never on Lingxi Island. If she wants to leave, we can’t stop her.”

Then where was her heart…

Feng Xiang’s disciples glared at him angrily, their words cutting to the heart.

“Since the Alliance Leader has no interest in our Venerable One, why pretend to care now? She sacrificed herself to enter the array, not expecting your repayment. If you had cared, you should have understood her feelings ten years ago. How could such a proud and noble person stay by your side for decades if she didn’t have feelings for you? Everyone in the world praises you for your great benevolence and righteousness, and your concern for all living beings, but who knows about her? She followed you, not for fame or profit, wasting years and delaying her cultivation. What do you think that was for?”

What was it for…

He had never thought about it carefully, probably because he didn’t dare to think. How could he not love Feng Xiang? It was just that love made him timid. She said he was different from others, not admiring or entangling. If he had spoken the word “love,” how would he be different from others? He was just afraid of losing her…

—Venerable Feng Xiang is a divine-like figure… how could one casually profane her?

It turned out she had heard that sentence…

But she had never heard his heart’s voice, the love and longing he had hidden in his heart for decades. From the first glance, he had already fallen.

Her pride and his timidity made him lose her forever. Even though they were close and inseparable, they could never truly feel or touch each other.

Her immortality lasted only a day, while he had watched six thousand years of flowers blooming and withering here, silently gazing from her shadow. Only when she was asleep, in the starless and moonless nights, could he briefly emerge from the shadow to touch her sleeping face?

They had once had sweet moments of dependence, in the more than thirty thousand days after their reunion. He stayed by her side, waiting for her to wake up every day, forgetting the previous day, and he would tirelessly tell her again and again:

—Feng Xiang, I love you, from the first moment I saw you.

—Can you forgive my foolishness and timidity, and start over with me?

She would forgive him again and again, clumsily kissing him, her face red as she accused him of being too skilled, asking if he had another Dao companion.

He could only smile bitterly. Where would he get another Dao companion? It was just that for more than thirty thousand days, he had repeated the same confession and entanglement, becoming skilled through repetition.

However, Feng Xiang would always forget that he loved her.

He wished he had never stepped on the Heavenly Stairs, so he could have a thousand years of companionship with her. But if he hadn’t stepped on the Heavenly Stairs, he wouldn’t bear to let her endlessly reincarnate alone in the mortal world.

It was all his fault. Why did he let Feng Xiang suffer such torment…

“Changshou and immortality are the authority of the divine race, an extravagant hope that humans shouldn’t covet. Such immortality is a punishment,” Lord Qian Guang said with a bitter smile. “Do you know that the lotus seed of the Immortal Lotus is also called the Suffering of All Beings? The Enlightenment Grass is poison, while the Immortal Lotus is the medicine. People think that cutting off emotions and love, and extinguishing desires is great enlightenment. However, true great enlightenment is to taste the suffering of all beings, shed the tears of all beings, and still have compassion, willing to love this mortal world. This is enlightenment.”

“Over the years, she has picked all the blooming Immortal Lotuses, but she always forgets. The Heavenly Stairs only open once for each person. After that, no matter how many Immortal Lotuses one eats, one cannot ascend to immortality and glimpse the celestial palace. I know you want the lotus seeds to neutralize the poison of the Enlightenment Grass. All the lotus seeds left by Feng Xiang have been buried here by me.”

As Lord Qian Guang spoke, he pointed to a nearby blue stone. Ji Xuecen walked to the blue stone and swept his sleeve to move it aside, revealing a cave underneath. Inside was a white silk bag filled with red lotus seeds, emitting a slightly bitter fragrance. Each lotus seed represented two hundred years.

“Tasting the suffering of all beings is true enlightenment,” Lord Qian Guang said. “Take these lotus seeds and leave. Don’t come back.”

Mu Xuanling felt a heaviness in her heart, making it hard to breathe. How had Lord Qian Guang spent these six thousand years…

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Mu Xuanling asked softly.

Lord Qian Guang looked at her and smiled faintly, “This is the power of the gods. No one can change it. I appreciate your kind intentions.”

Ji Xuecen took a lotus seed from the bag and returned to Mu Xuanling’s side.

“Lord Qian Guang, have you ever seen the High God of Fate? Perhaps we could find a way to break this ‘curse’ through him.”

“Curse…” Lord Qian Guang chuckled. “Yes, how is this wish different from a curse? I did have that thought at the time, but in the vast celestial palace, I only saw the High God of the Wheel Mirror. There were no other divine officials.”

Ji Xuecen frowned, “This High God of the Wheel Mirror seems strange. He’s not as ‘kind’ as he claims. Perhaps he’s lying.”

“No one in this world has ever seen the divine race. They only exist in legends. But the abilities he displayed are beyond mortal capabilities. If he’s not of the divine race, what else could he be?” Lord Qian Guang lowered his eyes in thought. “However, he did say that someone was lying.”

“Who was lying?” Ji Xuecen pressed.

Lord Qian Guang recalled the High God of the Wheel Mirror’s strange smile at the time, and a chill rose in his heart.

“He said that this world is just a lie…”