Chapter 148: Departure

In the realm of Zhongzhou lies a nation known as the Great Tang.

The Imperial Academy of the Great Tang is renowned throughout the world. Within its grounds stands a three-story library housing countless ancient tomes; even cultivators who have long since transcended the mortal realm and attained extraordinary heights will visit the academy to seek answers when faced with intractable problems.

More importantly, the academy is home to a Master who holds dominion over the order of the mortal world. Perhaps he could offer some assistance regarding the bizarre affliction that had recently befallen Shen Yu.

The only problem was this: although the Academy Master was famously known for his boundless compassion for the world, who could be certain that he would willingly intervene on behalf of a disciple of the Daoist Sect?

Fairy Linghua cast a gaze tinged with doubt toward Su Mo.

Su Mo shook his head slightly, showing no intention of offering an explanation.

At that very moment, a seal left upon Shen Yu's forehead began to emit a gentle glow, and a placid aura suffused his entire body.

Immediately afterward, Shen Yu opened his eyes slightly. Surveying the dramatic changes in his own body, he did not display the slightest trace of astonishment.

Just moments before, his consciousness had been immersed in the collapsing void of heaven and earth, unable to awaken, yet he had heard the conversation between the two people before him with absolute clarity.

Fairy Linghua asked anxiously, "How is it?"

Shen Yu rose to his feet, sensing the flow of energy within his body, and then shook his head slightly.

That bizarre web of laws had bound countless acupuncture points within him, to the extent that he could no longer even perceive the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth.

Even more uncanny was the fact that those laws seemed to have fused completely with his physical form, moving of their own accord with every gesture he made, as though forming a miniature cosmos unto themselves.

It was as if he had become an endless abyss, while the space immediately surrounding him was a bottomless void.

Su Mo said, "The academy will find a way, and we must act sooner rather than later."

Shen Yu did not refuse. "I still have some matters to attend to. Please bear with me for half a day, Eldest Senior Brother."

Su Mo gave a slight nod. "I shall wait for you outside, and take the opportunity to explain your situation to the others."

Shen Yu nodded.

Su Mo lifted his foot, stepped through the distant portal of light, and vanished from the Immortal Burial Tombs.

Once again, only the two of them remained in the space.

Fairy Linghua gazed silently at Shen Yu, a faint smile gracing the corners of her lips. The immortal maiden who had once looked down upon the entire Spirit Desolation from on high now looked merely like a woman whose eyes brimmed with deep affection.

Shen Yu stood up, gazed out at the scenery of the dilapidated city walls in the distance, and said, "Let us leave."

Fairy Linghua tilted her head slightly, her smile carrying a hint of melancholy. "Hmm?"

"Have you not grown weary of lingering in this place for three thousand years?"

"I am accustomed to it. Besides, I do not have much time left."

"Yet you are still capable of reincarnation; surely you would not be utterly destroyed without a trace."

"The person I become then would certainly no longer remember you."

"Is there any meaning in that?"

"Yes! If that person is no longer me, then I would rather not exist at all!"

Shen Yu gazed at her quietly. For the first time in memory, a trace of hidden anger flickered in the depths of his eyes.

Fairy Linghua paid it no heed. Looking out into the distance, she murmured softly, "Back then, between that nine-tailed fox and myself, her temperament was clearly far braver and more resolute, whereas I was the exact opposite."

Shen Yu remained silent.

Fairy Linghua continued, "Yet she once told me in private that being able to walk the path of the Great Dao alongside you for even a brief moment was already a wonderful fortune. She even mocked me back then, saying that even if we were to become cultivation partners, it would at most amount to a few more worldly entanglements, and that Taixuan was nothing more than a block of wood! So if even a fox-spirit like me, born with a mastery of such things, could find it in her heart to let go, how could you, a dignified fairy of the Jade Pool, still hold on so stubbornly without letting go? Have you no shame?"

As Shen Yu recalled the tone of voice the fox had used back then, along with the expression she wore when she deliberately provoked Linghua, the corners of his mouth curved upward in a faint smile.

Fairy Linghua went on with a smile, "Yet I simply cannot reconcile myself to it. I found myself wishing for a little more, and then a little more still—even now, it remains the same."

Shen Yu was silent for a moment. Slowly, he drew a cyan sphere of light from his embrace. Suspended within the circular orb was a tiny, infant-like form with a tender face, currently fast asleep.

Shen Yu said, "This is the nascent divine soul of the Nightmare. I intend to take it with me when I leave."

Linghua looked at Shen Yu and asked softly, "Do you desire my reincarnation so badly?"

Shen Yu was someone who detested trouble above all else, yet this time he had voluntarily chosen to take the Nightmare with him; naturally, he had his reasons.

"That is part of it, but not the entirety."

Shen Yu spoke slowly, "I have often thought that beings born immortal and indestructible are perhaps never truly suited to be sealed, because everything in existence possesses its own awakening to the dawn of this world. Therefore, I wish to learn to teach it a few things."

Fairy Linghua looked thoughtful.

A faint smile touched Shen Yu's lips. He gently stroked Linghua's head and said, "Be obedient. When you appear once more in this world, I will come to find you."

Fairy Linghua bit her lower lip, her eyes turning slightly red.

Shen Yu simply watched her in silence.

Fairy Linghua let out a sudden, inexplicable sigh, a helpless smile dawning on her face. "One last question."

Shen Yu raised his head. "Speak."

"Between the nine-tailed fox and me, whom do you love more?"

"I love both."

"What do you love about us?"

Shen Yu thought for a moment before replying, "You are both very beautiful, and very clever."

Fairy Linghua blinked. "Nothing else?"

Shen Yu thought about it earnestly, then shook his head.

Fairy Linghua sighed, shook her head, and murmured, "You really are still the same old you!"

...

Earth-shaking changes had taken place within the Jade Pool. Countless disciples from various sects who had come to attend the grand gathering had no inkling of what had transpired.

A gigantic, multi-colored celestial bird drifted in and out of visibility amidst the sea of clouds above the Jade Pool.

Su Mo stood at the fore of the colossal avian creature in the sea of clouds and said, "I told several people at the Jade Pool that your physical condition is somewhat poor. I did not go into detail; I merely stated that we are heading to the academy."

Shen Yu looked up into the distance and said, "Let us go."

During this journey through the Eastern Ancestral Continent, he had experienced many things, yet there were still numerous places he had yet to visit—such as Kunlun, and the various major sects. Moreover, it was exceedingly strange that so much time had passed since Li Fugui broke through his realm, yet not a single piece of news had emerged from him.

Yet now, on account of his physical condition, he had no choice but to leave this place and make for the academy.

There lay the most magnificent empire in the world today: the Great Tang.

It was also the most bustling, prosperous gathering place for cultivators across the entire Spirit Desolation.

Su Mo chuckled softly, "Let us set forth."

The moment the words left his lips, the azure simurgh beneath their feet let out a gentle cry and lightly beat its wings. A slender streak traced across the vast expanse of clouds, vanishing instantly into the distant horizon.