First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2516 – Worse Than a Beast

The overcast landscape was utterly silent and still.

Su Yi pondered briefly, then said, “My relationship with A’Ning is excellent. Even after she awakens everything her past life left her, she’ll still be A’Ning to me.”

The cold voice asked, “Aren’t you worried she’ll become someone else entirely?”

Su Yi laughed. “I’ve reincarnated nine times, but none of my past selves have managed to replace me. I trust that if I can do it, she can too.”

Even as he said this, he realized that something wasn’t quite right. Wait. If she entered the cycle of reincarnation to find my first incarnation, isn’t she doomed to be disappointed? Because I might be his reincarnation, but there’s absolutely no way I’ll become another him!

“Is that so? I’ll actually be interested to see whether you become him or not,” said that cold, clear voice. “In my heart, he’s…”

She suddenly trailed off, then sighed. “Let’s talk about that later.”

It was clear that meeting with Su Yi had reminded the mysterious woman of her sorrows.

Su Yi was just planning to leave when the cold, clear voice rang out once more. “Do you know what lies at the end of this dreamscape?”

Su Yi was shook his head, stunned.

“I’ll bring you to have a look.” This voice had only just rang out when a delicate figure appeared out of nowhere, misty and ethereal.

She was facing away from Su Yi. From behind, she looked identical to Xi Ning, except she looked illusory and ethereal.

As she walked forward, Su Yi pondered briefly, then followed her. When they passed through the barren, overcast landscape, Su Yi felt as if he were traversing time and space.

The most unbelievable part was that all of this was obviously just a dreamscape.

“Look.” An unknown amount of time passed before that delicate figure suddenly stopped in place.

When she raised her hand and tapped, the rundown landscape suddenly transformed. Countless gray chaos mists surged forth, interspersed with a dazzling spacetime rain.

Gradually, a mysterious, illusory word appeared deep within the chaos mist and spacetime rain. From a distance, it seemed as if it stood across endless time and space. It seemed distant and unattainable.

That aside, there was nothing overtly special about it.

“They call that place the All-Wonder Dominion,” said that delicate figure. “Back then, it was there that I entered the cycle of reincarnation. The same… was true for you.”

Su Yi’s heart shook. The All-Wonder Dominion!!

Just what kind of place is it? It seems my first incarnation once cultivated there?

“Before I reincarnated, that place underwent a strange transformation, destroying far, far too many ancient experts and treasures. The place is nothing like it used to be,” murmured that delicate figure. “Even that master of reincarnation left. He set off on a new journey and departed the All-Wonder Dominion. I’m afraid… few will ever get the chance to go there now.”

Su Yi was unwittingly stunned. He’d analyzed the situation and concluded that the one who’d helped Xi Ning’s past self enter the cycle of reincarnation was most likely Lin Jinghong’s father.

If what that delicate figure said was true, didn’t it imply that Lin Jinghong’s father had set off on a new journey after that strange transformation befell the All-Wonder Dominion?

In that case, where had he gone?

“Why tell me all this?” Su Yi couldn’t help but ask.

“That place contains far too many of your past life’s memories. In this incarnation, you’re sure to go to the All-Wonder Dominion in pursuit of the Dao sooner or later,” said that delicate figure. “This dreamscape is a spatial marker I left behind. No matter how much the All-Wonder Dominion has changed, so long as this spatial marker remains, I’ll be able to return. The same goes for you.”

Su Yi was instantly quite surprised. Everything the delicate figure was telling him was beyond the bounds of his comprehension. It all seemed utterly foreign.

But he could already foresee that the All-Wonder Dominion had to be an extraordinary place. After all, his first incarnation, Lin Jinghong’s father, and this delicate figure had all once gone there!

“There’s no need for you to know the All-Wonder Dominion’s secrets, nor do you need to investigate them,” said that delicate figure. “When you’ve reached that stage of your journey, you’ll naturally proceed there. For now, you just need to remember not to tell anyone about what happened in Xi Ning’s dreams.”

Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. “Does that include A’Ning herself?”

“Yes,” said that delicate figure. “It also includes everyone else, even those you wholeheartedly trust.”

Su Yi’s eyes narrowed. Just what is hidden in the All-Wonder Dominion to make this mysterious woman who knew my first incarnation and Lin Jinghong’s father warn me so solemnly?

But before Su Yi could ask any further questions, that delicate figure announced the end of this visit. “You can leave now.

She faced away from Su Yi the entire time, as if unwilling to look straight at him.

Su Yi nodded, then said suddenly, “Before I leave, might I learn your name?”

That delicate figure promptly fell silent, so Su Yi shook his head, then turned to leave. “Forget it. Pretend I didn’t ask.”

But the moment he left the dreamscape, a cold, clear voice resounded through his soul. “Su Wanjun.”

Su Wanjun? Is that the name of Xi Ning’s past life?

It’s quite lovely.

A moment later, an invisible, tyrannical power assailed his soul, instantly booting him from the depths of Xi Ning’s soul.

Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh bitterly to himself. There was no doubt about it; Su Wanjun was worried he’d seize the opportunity to take advantage of Xi Ning again, so she’d kicked him out without the slightest politeness.”

Great. I’m afraid she’s taken me for a lustful wolf in sheep’s clothing, sighed Su Yi.

Had he known that Su Wanjun was there, there was no way he’d have let his thoughts run wild after entering Xi Ning’s soul.

Of course, Su Yi felt that he’d been wronged. After all, he hadn’t actually done anything.

Meanwhile, within the dreamscape.

That delicate figure silently turned around within that overcast landscape, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

“You aren’t like you were back then, but I have to say, changing like that is quite good too…” She pursed her lips. “The only downside is that you’re worse than a beast.”

……

Xi Ning had a strange dream. In it, an ant climbed all over her body, traversing her long, goose-like neck, climbing her chest, then proceeding down her stomach…

Wherever it went, she felt thoroughly ill at ease. She wanted to struggle with all her might, but she couldn’t. An indescribable fury filled her heart. She longed for nothing more than to crush that hateful ant on the spot.

She was still angry when her body suddenly quivered and her soul palpitated, waking her back up.

The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Su Yi’s tall, upright figure seated beside the bed beneath the swaying lamplight, drinking wine.

“You’re awake?” Su Yi turned to smile at her.

Xi Ning shot upright, and when she discovered that her clothes were still fully in place, she sighed in relief, but she also felt an inexplicable, indescribable hint of melancholy.

“Did you feel anything out of the ordinary just now?” asked Su Yi.

Irrepressible vexation instantly rose within Xi Ning’s heart. “Now that you mention it, it’s strange. I had a strange dream. In it, a hateful little ant appeared on my body, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get rid of it. In the end, I got so angry that I woke back up.”

“….” Su Yi coughed dryly. “A dream, that’s all. No need to take it seriously.”

Xi Ning bit down on her lower lip, her expression unreadable. “You… didn’t do anything to me, did you?”

Su Yi had never been bashful when it came to matters of men and women, but in the face of this question, even he couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.

“I didn’t.” He denied it without hesitation.

“Really?” Xi Ning’s exquisite eyebrows furrowed with suspicion.

Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t tell me you won’t be happy unless it turns out something really did happen?”

This time, it was Xi Ning’s turn to feel embarrassed. She averted her gaze. “That’s not what I meant.”

Su Yi suddenly got up and kissed her on the forehead. Then, he smiled and left. “Get some rest.”

Xi Ning was stunned.

The swaying lamplight illuminated her reddening face. It blazed like the fiery light of the heavens, a moving sight.

Her jade-like hands silently clenched, and she ground her teeth, her gaze shifting erratically.

She fell completely silent, but the ample chest beneath her plain clothing heaved violently, and a wave of emotion coursed through her.

After a while, she said with shame and anger, He must have examined every last inch of me, inside and out! Even that hateful little ant might well have been his doing!

And he… he was even so brazen as to… kiss me…

Something’s not right here! He must have… He must have seen and done something he shouldn’t have!

Xi Ning’s beautiful face heated up, her heart full of indescribable bashfulness.

Her thoughts raced for a long time, her imagination running wild. Finally, she glanced down at her clothing and sighed in relief. Fortunately, he didn’t try anything else. If he had, I’m afraid it’d have been hard to refuse in my dreams.

A moment later, Xi Ning realized something. Su Yi never told me what he discovered in my dreams!

……

By the time Su Yi left Xi Ning’s room, the night was half over.

The radiant moon hung beneath the dome of heaven, like an enormous silver disc of ice.

The night winds brought with them the smell of the ocean, and the peach blossoms covering Sunset Perch Island rustled.

It was like the music of nature.

Su Yi was in a rather decent mood as he put his hands behind his back and ambled toward his residence.

He’d learned a lot tonight. He’d witnessed Su Wanjun’s magnificence for himself, and he’d learned of the All-Wonder Dominion.

But more than that, his mind was full with thoughts of his soul comingling with Xi Ning’s. Try as he might, he couldn’t get it out of his head.

It was only after returning to his residence that Su Yi managed to calm himself.

He took out the rusted sword sheath. He had questions for the heart devil.