Chapter Forty-Three: The Lost World (Part Two)

Daylight flooded the sky, after a night without sleep. Truly, not a wink had been had. Li Suizhu’s face was flushed with a satisfied glow, while Wu Yue, uncharacteristically, drank a little water. Telling stories all night was indeed tiring, especially when the listener was one prone to endless questions and concerns.

Still, the sky was azure, the earth verdant, and the wind swept through the grass, revealing lurking beasts.

“Where shall we go?” Li Suizhu asked, her gaze brimming with trust and anticipation.

Wu Yue forcibly suppressed the urge to say, “Go wherever you like,” keeping the words locked within. Yet, he was, after all, someone who cherished beauty and grace—alright, he admitted it was mainly because this place was connected to Li Suizhu.

“Is there anything calling to you? Or perhaps a voice in your dreams?” Wu Yue racked his memory, recalling the scant plots from the novels he'd read.

“No, and besides, I didn’t sleep last night,” Li Suizhu answered after a brief consideration. “But I have this feeling, like someone is watching me.”

Her words startled Wu Yue; he too felt as though something watched him, but whenever he tried to find it, it was either an insect or nothing at all. If only one person felt this way, it could be dismissed as mental fatigue. But two? That was highly unlikely.

“In that case…” Wu Yue clasped his hands, casting the Stacked Fire Technique with both, though only layering it twice. The flames exploded!

With each use, Wu Yue grew more adept at the mysterious depths of the Stacked Fire Technique.

He repeated the spell several times, stopping only when his spiritual energy waned. By then, the fire had spread. Grass and trees burned brilliantly; insects were incinerated instantly. Wu Yue’s intention was simple: if anything had transformed into an insect or plant, he’d burn it all. It was also a test, probing the nature of this world. It might cause Li Suizhu some harm, but for now, that wasn’t his concern.

“Short-sighted fool! I can’t let you destroy the seed of this world,” muttered the small figure, that familiar shadow. Cursing under his breath, he sped toward Wu Yue.

At that moment, rain began to fall from the sky, extinguishing the flames.

“So this world truly has a spirit,” Wu Yue remarked, ceasing his actions.

It was all just a test—nothing more.

The rain passed. The grass remained lush, as if nothing had happened.

“I feel as though the place has shrunk,” Li Suizhu said.

“Shrunk?” Wu Yue looked around—vast skies, endless clouds. “Why would it feel smaller? Is it the energy restoring the environment after destruction?”

Not a complex issue: if Li Suizhu’s perception was right, then it meant the world was finite. Conservation of matter and energy—damage in one place draws from another to repair. This meant the world had boundaries.

The simplest method would be to cause widespread destruction, but that was a reckless, uncertain path.

“You’re thinking we should hurry up,” Wu Yue said. He remembered how, despite their divergent paths, he had unexpectedly met Li Suizhu.

“Alright.” Barely had Li Suizhu uttered a word before she froze. Green light began to shimmer over her, beams radiating outward.

“What’s happening?” Wu Yue reached out, only to find himself drifting farther from Li Suizhu—he was being forcibly pulled back, faster and faster. He had no chance to intervene! The world itself was repelling him!

But I refuse to submit! Wu Yue’s face twisted with defiance; so many times had he felt powerless!

I will resist!

I will not yield!

Not just for Li Suizhu, but for the restless spirit within himself. Like the cicada, buried underground for seventeen years, emerging for a single summer of joy!

***

It was as if space and time shifted, the world transformed.

Summer’s heat. The entire realm devoid of humans, only the incessant song of cicadas! Every creature lethargic except for the cicadas!

This was his world, his path. In that moment, Wu Yue seemed to attain enlightenment, as if blessed with sudden clarity.

Both hands swept out—Stacked Fire Technique, eight layers!

He continued, nine streaks of Stacked Fire Technique, nine with a single hand! Each hand spun, conjuring two suns. With a flick of his fingers, the suns merged!

How could summer lack a blazing sun?

Wu Yue pressed on, stacking up to nine layers—though limited, the nine-fold technique far surpassed eight.

The force dragging him back grew weaker, his hands moved faster.

Nine suns.

Wu Yue took a deep breath, wielding immense mental power to control them. He felt a strong premonition: when the nine suns merged and rose, it would mark the cicada’s seventeen-year ascension! He couldn’t guess the power, but it would surely be boundless.

Wu Yue was right. After the Spirit-Binding stage comes Mortal Shedding. Mortal Shedding first strengthens the body infinitely—easy enough with endless resources. But the most crucial is the transformation of the heart. Shedding the mortal body, shedding the mortal heart.

The Spirit-Binding stage brings a realization called “Observing Self,” a manifestation of knowing. Achieving this knowing is shedding the mortal heart.

Every Mortal Shedding stage bears its own unique realm, its own path—a matter of personal insight.

There is no strength or weakness in the path, only difference. Wu Yue was now concretizing his realm—his path!

Were a great power to witness this, they would be astonished, then eager to recruit Wu Yue—whether as a disciple, offering treasures, granting power, marrying off daughters or granddaughters.

They would spare no effort, for such a powerful manifested realm, such a path, if allowed to grow, would soon reach fulfillment.

The nine suns merged.

Wu Yue cradled them with his left hand. His gaze was clear—this was the knowing, the awareness, the knowledge of his path! From now on, cultivation would be unhindered.

He raised his hand, the blazing sun soared! The suffering he had endured was like the relentless summer sun. Transforming his strength, his heart shone clear!

Wu Yue seemed to stand in another world. Above him, the sun blazed; below, the earth drooped in despair. Between heaven and earth, only the cicadas sang!

The forced retreat ceased entirely. Wu Yue supported his own world, striding toward Li Suizhu! A force barred his progress—immense, such that before, he would have been pushed back. But fortune favored him; with his realized realm, Wu Yue stood unafraid!

“You deserve to die,” a hazy voice echoed!

Plants grew wild, invading Wu Yue’s summer world! Sunlight intensified, withering all vegetation.

“You may have countless paths, but I possess a human heart!” Wu Yue laughed. He sensed the world’s strength and fragility—strong in its omnipotence, weak in its infancy.

“You will surely die for your repeated destruction!”

Roars of beasts and insects rose up, endlessly charging into Wu Yue’s summer world.

***

The cicada’s song swelled! Every invading creature perished, dissolving into rules that merged with Wu Yue’s summer world.

“You dare! You would even try to usurp my path!” Wu Yue sneered.

In the distance, a pair of enormous eyes hovered in the sky, their gaze utterly cold.

“How could summer lack the shade of mighty trees!” Wu Yue clasped his hands behind his back, speaking with a calm authority, as if the path emerged from his lips.

Giant trees sprang up—saplings to towering giants in mere breaths.

Wu Yue lifted his head, meeting those cold eyes!

He declared, “What else can you do to stop me?”

“Die!” The voice thundered, transforming into lightning. In an instant, the sky filled with dark clouds. Raindrops, large as beans, pelted the summer world.

The summer world seemed warped by the rain.

“Draining the pond to catch fish!” Wu Yue said coolly. This rain was also a manifestation of rules, but these rules were incomplete. Thus, Wu Yue would absorb them bit by bit! His summer world would grow ever stronger, ever more complete.

Such fortune was rare through the ages!

Wu Yue vaguely guessed this world was either newborn or broken.

The world, deformed by the rain, slowly began to recover. The fallen rain manifested in the summer world, forming a growing puddle, then a stream.

At most, the time it took for a cup of tea! When the river gathered, success would follow! The power awaiting him made Wu Yue inhale sharply.

Wu Yue knew well—the longer he delayed, the more disadvantageous it became, and Li Suizhu would be in greater danger!

But, fortune favors the bold! As for Li Suizhu, Wu Yue cared little. Not from lack of loyalty, but from lack of affection. Li Suizhu simply lacked the reason that would make Wu Yue risk everything.

In this world, only one person could command Wu Yue’s utmost devotion—the obsession in his heart, Liu Anxin.

The earth grew indistinct, the sky vague, even the raindrops scattered. Wu Yue’s gaze sharpened, peering into the distance!

Li Suizhu remained in place, now entirely enveloped in green, radiating an aura both strange and intimidating.

Yet, the world itself felt familiar to Wu Yue, reminiscent of the days adrift in the void.

Back in the original world, plants withered. A small figure, eyes wild with madness, muttered, “Once the World Tree seed possesses her, there will be a moment of weakness. Then I’ll use the teleportation scroll, capture her with the divine card, and force a return! Even a world-class powerhouse couldn’t keep me!”

The small figure looked toward Wu Yue, his face twisted and terrifying, like a gambler making a final, desperate bet, staking everything. “I, Teng She, will never die!”

Elsewhere, a woman in white sat cross-legged. Ren Ruyi, guarded by five white dragons circling her. Though her clothes were torn, her expression was calm, her gaze strange, as if preparing to be the lurking yellow bird after all.