FIMA Ch166: Past Events

Maybe it was those two words from just now that had some kind of effect.

This time, Gu Siyuan was excessively diligent. Even though Xie Xueyi was a cultivator, by the end he still could not bear it and passed out asleep.

By the time Xie Xueyi opened his eyes again, he had no idea how many days and nights had passed.

Cliffside wind carrying a faint lotus fragrance drifted in through the wide-open window, fresh and soothing.

Xie Xueyi moved his hands and feet beneath the covers, only to find the space beside him completely cold.

He hugged the blanket and rubbed against it, then pouted. Hmph, full and satisfied, then he ran off.

He had just been about to get angry when a soft sound came from the doorway. Xie Xueyi lifted his eyes and looked over.

Gu Siyuan’s familiar figure walked in.

The moment Gu Siyuan saw him gazing over with round open eyes, his whole heart and all his attention full of him, the corner of his lips could not help lifting. In a gentle voice, he said, “Xueyi, you’re awake?”

Gu Siyuan was the coldest kind of person, but once he softened, it was enough to make anyone sink completely.

And he had called him Xueyi…

Xie Xueyi felt that he was far too easy to mislead.

He forced himself to gather his emotions for a moment before recovering his sulky mood, then snorted at Gu Siyuan. “Hah. As expected of the immortal sect’s da shixiong. Such a busy important person…”

Gu Siyuan glanced at him.

Then, with his hands behind his back, he walked to the bedside, sat down, and scooped him into his arms. Slightly puzzled, he asked, “Xueyi, are you angry?”

That expression only made Xie Xueyi even more annoyed. Gripping the blanket in both hands, he glared at him and demanded, “Where did you run off to so early in the morning?”

Gu Siyuan replied calmly, “I went to Taixuan Mountain’s main peak to pay respects to the sect master.”

“To see the sect master, this early…” Xie Xueyi blinked. “Ah, right. How many days have we been back? Have the people who entered the secret realm returned yet?”

Gu Siyuan shook his head lightly. “Not yet, though it will be soon. The reason I went to the main peak this time was, first, to explain what happened in the secret realm to the sect master, and second, to discuss the matter of your sect and its connection to the demonic path.”

“My sect… what about my sect?” Xie Xueyi looked faintly shocked.

Thinking back over the chaos of the past few days, his cheeks flushed a little red and he said hesitantly, “I remember that a few days ago I only casually mentioned to you that the sect was in a small secret realm. I hadn’t even had time to tell you anything else yet. And then you just… did that to me…”

The more he spoke, the quieter his voice became, though he did not forget to shoot Gu Siyuan a fierce glare.

Gu Siyuan pinched his cheek and said with a half-smile, “Why are you looking at me like that? Was I the only one who enjoyed it? Weren’t you happy these past few days?”

Xie Xueyi puffed out his cheeks and said unwillingly, “No, I was also a little happy.”

Gu Siyuan narrowed his eyes. “Only a little?”

Xie Xueyi’s body trembled, sensing a faint chill in the air.

Still, he had always been someone who knew when to adapt to circumstances, so he immediately flopped onto Gu Siyuan and started acting spoiled. “Actually, it was a lot, a lot. Gege, you’re the best lover in the whole world.”

Gu Siyuan’s brows lifted slightly. He lightly patted Xie Xueyi’s pale cheek and said in a low voice, “Good child.”

“…” Xie Xueyi licked his lips.

He had always thought he himself was shameless and abnormal enough already, but after getting close to Gu Siyuan, he had finally realized that the truly terrifying ones were those who normally looked proper and dignified and hardly said a word.

Xie Xueyi swallowed and changed the subject. “Gege, what exactly did you tell the sect master? Actually, I don’t even know that much about my own lousy sect.”

Naturally, Gu Siyuan saw right through his little attempt. Looking down at him with a smile, he said, “Your sect is called Lingting, isn’t it?”

Xie Xueyi’s eyes went round. “You really do know?”

Gu Siyuan pinched his cheek again and said mildly, “Do I need to tease you over something this small? In fact, I may know even more than you imagine.”

“No, gege is a great man with grand ambitions. Of course you wouldn’t tease me,” Xie Xueyi said at once, shaking his head, then added with fake sweetness, “But good gege, where exactly did you learn so much from? Back when we first met, you recognized me at a glance. And at Taixuan Tower, you could also tell that Ziji Mountain disciple’s origins in a single glance.”

Gu Siyuan lifted a hand and tapped his head.

“…” Xie Xueyi.

Fine. You’re amazing. You’re clever. You’re formidable.

Seeing how adorable he looked, Gu Siyuan’s lips curved slightly. “Of course, after clearing the trials in the Xianling Secret Realm, I also learned some things there, and that was why I went to report and discuss matters with the sect master.”

Xie Xueyi rolled his eyes. “Damn, that Xianling Secret Realm really had endless tricks. So many strange tests, so many secret manuals and treasures, and now it even held secrets about my rotten sect too.”

Gu Siyuan’s expression did not change. “It did turn out to be somewhat useful. That day, after clearing all ten stages in the Xianling Ancient City, I met someone—or more precisely, a remnant soul. He called himself Tianlan Shangren, and he told me certain things.”

Xie Xueyi smiled brightly and hugged his arm, shaking it. “In the end, it still comes down to gege being amazing. If it had been anyone else, they definitely couldn’t have cleared all ten stages. Then these secrets would have remained secrets forever…”

Gu Siyuan laughed softly. “Little flatterer.”

Xie Xueyi made a face at him and said sweetly, “But I’m only telling the truth. If you don’t believe me, gege, come and feel my sincerity.”

As he spoke, he grabbed Gu Siyuan’s hand and tried to press it to his chest.

Gu Siyuan instead caught his slender wrist and slowly rubbed it a few times. “It seems these past few days still weren’t enough for Xueyi. In that case, the serious matters can wait. We may as well continue what we were doing before and thoroughly satisfy Xueyi’s heart.”

“…” Xie Xueyi’s eyes widened, and he immediately refused with all his might. “No need, no need, gege. Serious matters, let’s talk serious matters. You really don’t have to indulge me this much. That’s not good. It’ll only make me spoiled and arrogant.”

Gu Siyuan gave a quiet hum. “Then in the future, I should treat you a bit worse, a bit colder.”

“Huh?” Xie Xueyi blinked, suddenly nervous. “Gege, that isn’t necessary either…”

Gu Siyuan narrowed his eyes and held his chin. “Not necessary? So actually, you were lying to me just now. You simply don’t like sleeping with me?”

Xie Xueyi shook his head immediately and hurried to defend himself. “That’s even more impossible. But… gege, you understand, right? You’re so amazing, so strong. In my heart I practically like it to death, but you also know I’m delicate and weak, and I just really can’t bear… that side of you…”

Hearing him grow so anxious, Gu Siyuan could not help letting out a low laugh.

“Gege?” Xie Xueyi looked up at him.

Gu Siyuan lowered his head and gently kissed his bright red lips, his tone carrying a soothing coaxing note. “Alright, I understand. We’ll leave that matter here for now. I’ll continue telling you what Tianlan Shangren told me in the secret realm. It concerns an old matter of Canglan Continent, and the origin of the split between the righteous and demonic paths.”

Xie Xueyi immediately let out a sigh of relief. “Alright. Good.”

Gu Siyuan said, “Xueyi, guess this—why has your sect, Lingting, always remained inside that secret realm and refused to see outsiders?”

Xie Xueyi gave a cold laugh. “If they won’t show themselves, then naturally it’s because they’re doing things too shameful to let others see…”

Gu Siyuan said, “They are indeed doing something shameful. If I’m not mistaken, then inside that secret realm, your sect regards itself as standing above the three demonic powers, doesn’t it?”

Xie Xueyi nodded. “Mm. You know that too.”

Then, through Gu Siyuan’s narration, Xie Xueyi finally came to understand the past of this continent.

Ten thousand years ago, the spiritual energy of this land had been extremely abundant. It was common enough for Nascent Soul cultivators to advance to the Divine Transformation stage and ascend.

But at some point, the path from Canglan Continent to the Spirit Realm seemed to have been sealed shut. After that, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth began to decline rapidly. What had once been inexhaustible became something that diminished with every use.

From then on, not a single Nascent Soul cultivator ever successfully ascended again.

Cultivation for all cultivators became several times harder than before, and for Nascent Soul cultivators in particular, all hope for future advancement was cut off. They could only watch helplessly as their lives approached the end.

It was because of this that competition for cultivation resources in the present-day world grew ever fiercer, spirit stone mines became monopolized by the great cultivation sects, and the entire lower strata of cultivators across the world were more or less forced to support just a handful of major sects.

And in the process of fighting over resources, the distinction between righteous and demonic paths gradually appeared.

Of course, during that process, the Nascent Soul cultivators at the top of the cultivation world struggled to uncover the reason for all this, and eventually they pieced together the cause of the great changes in Canglan’s world.

That Tianlan Shangren of the Xianling Secret Realm had been one such Nascent Soul cultivator.

Xie Xueyi widened his eyes. “So what exactly was the reason?”

Gu Siyuan narrowed his eyes. “A family from the Spirit Realm.”

Compared with the Spirit Realm, Canglan World had far less spiritual energy. All cultivators here had to begin from the Qi Refining stage and work their way upward step by step. To reach the Nascent Soul stage was like a one-in-a-million feat.

Who knew how many treasures and resources had to be piled up along the way, and every major realm breakthrough had to endure layer after layer of heavenly tribulation and body tempering.

Because of all those hardships, such cultivators were naturally all the more precious and solid in foundation.

A Spirit Realm family surnamed Xiao had some dealings with ascending cultivators several times and accidentally discovered that cultivators from Canglan World could, in a sense, be considered naturally formed living spiritual medicine.

So that person developed evil intentions. He not only secretly hunted ascending cultivators but even brought disciples and clansmen to guard the upper exit of Canglan World’s ascension path.

Any cultivator who successfully ascended would be caught the moment they emerged.

After that, they would be bled, carved apart, and treated like a medicinal ingredient or a stalk of spiritual herb.

But those who could ascend from Canglan World—who among them had not gone through countless calamities? Who among them was not deeply calculating and strong-willed? Otherwise they would have died long before, on the endless path of cultivation and competition for resources.

And so, after several of them were captured, they eventually exhausted every scheme they had and escaped together.

They returned to Canglan Continent and, joining the strength of several people, laid down a grand formation that completely sealed the ascension passage of Canglan.

From that moment onward, no one on the continent could ascend successfully ever again.

And likewise, because it no longer received circulation of spiritual energy from the Spirit Realm, the spiritual energy of Canglan Continent weakened more and more by the day, making cultivation increasingly difficult.

But the matter did not end there.

Back then, in order to pursue those escaped ascending cultivators, the Xiao family of the Spirit Realm had sent several people down after them. Because the passage was later sealed, those Xiao cultivators were forced to remain behind in Canglan World.

The ascending cultivators who had fled back had already exhausted all their spiritual power to seal the passage, and not long afterward they passed away.

But the Xiao family cultivators who were trapped in Canglan World vanished from sight, concealing their names and traces.

Only after another thousand years passed did those people slowly surface again.

By then, however, they had already developed into a force impossible to ignore. That force was Lingting within the secret realm. As for the current three great demonic sects, they were merely Lingting’s claws and hounds.

Canglan Continent wanted the ascension passage sealed, so that its people would not ascend only to die in vain.

But the remnant Xiao bloodline within Lingting wanted only one thing: to break the seal and return to the Spirit Realm.

For ten thousand years, they had worked toward this single goal.

And now, since more than ten thousand years had passed since the original events, the seal laid down in ancient times had been growing looser and looser. One year from now would be the best possible chance to break it open.

Xie Xueyi lay against Gu Siyuan and stared slightly wide-eyed. “Damn, that’s actually a pretty complicated story. So Lingting has been doing this kind of thing? They’re basically the enemy of the whole Canglan World. No wonder they’ve hidden themselves away inside a small secret realm and piled up so many formations and seals. The fact that I managed to escape from there really did cost me everything.”

Gu Siyuan nodded and praised him sincerely. “Xueyi is very capable.”

Xie Xueyi lifted his head and looked at him in surprise.

What kind of person was Gu Siyuan? Proud, powerful, and almost impossible to shake. There was practically nothing in this world that could truly stump him, and naturally almost no one he ever placed in his eyes.

Xie Xueyi had known him for so long and had almost never seen him truly regard anyone seriously—not even his own master, the Lord of Qingchen Mountain.

And because of that, this one sentence from Gu Siyuan gave him not only the warmth of a lover’s tenderness, but also the recognition of an equal.

Usually, Xie Xueyi loved acting spoiled and coquettish around Gu Siyuan, but as a man, this kind of acknowledgment and approval of his ability was what truly stirred the pride deep in his bones.

Thinking of this, Xie Xueyi’s face became even more pleased with itself, and suddenly he took something out from his ring. “Good gege, not only did I escape, I also stole a treasure!”

It was a pitch-black conical object, like the horn of some spirit beast, covered in hard-to-read patterns and radiating an ominous aura.

Gu Siyuan remembered something from the original plot and said coldly, “This is the Black Dragon Awl.”

“Gege, you even know this?” Xie Xueyi was even more astonished.

Gu Siyuan only smiled lightly and said nothing.

After a while, Xie Xueyi looked at him softly and said, “Gege, you’re much more capable than I am.”

The corner of Gu Siyuan’s lips curved upward as he held the conical object and said, “The Black Dragon Awl was made by killing a thousand flood-dragons and gathering their resentment, then refining it through special methods. Its greatest use is in breaking formations. Lingting likely prepared it precisely so that one day they could use it to break the seal on the ascension passage. I never expected that something this important would actually be stolen by you.”

Xie Xueyi gave a proud grin. “So admit that I’m amazing.”

Gu Siyuan nodded, then added, “Still, the reason you could escape from Lingting’s little secret realm back then was also largely thanks to the help of the Black Dragon Awl, wasn’t it…”

Xie Xueyi puffed out his cheeks and gave a little humph. “Mm.”

Gu Siyuan pinched his cheek. “That doesn’t make you any less impressive. If anything, it only proves even more that you were brave and resourceful.”

Xie Xueyi was extremely easy to coax, and immediately split into a grin, revealing a row of neat white teeth. “Gege, you’re too bad. Now you’ve even learned how to sweet-talk and coax people, so I’m going to love you even more unbearably.”

Gu Siyuan narrowed his eyes. “So what, before this you didn’t love me unbearably?”

“…” Xie Xueyi opened his mouth.

His gege was becoming more and more domineering—and more and more secretly shameless.

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