Dual cultivation makes you stronger, everyone else is a prodigy, and I'm the only one slacking

Feng Qiguang took out an unopened letter from the bottom of the Qiankun bag.

It was handed to him by Shi Shangxu at that time; the handwriting was sharp and vigorous, and it was Li Yunyu's own handwriting.

At that time, he had just found Ningning and was filled with joy at having her back, so he didn't pay any attention to the letter.

But this time, the Northern Sword Alliance's large-scale attack on the Feng family has caused too much of a stir. The surrounding aristocratic families must have all heard about it, and he doesn't believe Li Yunyu is unaware.

This person is more cunning than a lotus root hole.

Feng Qiguang picked up the letter directly, his gaze falling on the seal, where a spiritual light flowed—it was a restriction.

Once this restriction is broken, the sealing runes will automatically dissipate.

A spellcaster thousands of miles away can immediately sense that the letter has been opened.

So make a fool of yourself.

Feng Qiguang snorted coldly, flicked his finger, and a wisp of spiritual power erased the spiritual light restriction on it.

Feng Qiguang reached out and opened the letter; it contained only nine characters.

"In ancient times, there was a place called Guixu, where scattered souls could be gathered."

Feng Qiguang frowned and looked up at the vast distant mountains outside the window.

What does Li Yunyu mean by this?

The Ruins can gather scattered souls.

But Xiao Guai didn't die at all, so how could he gather scattered souls? He probably sent this letter so that I could search for the Void together with him.

Feng Qiguang chuckled lightly, his laughter carrying a hint of mockery and a complex emotion.

If he hadn't found Ningning, he would probably have temporarily put aside his hatred with Li Yunyu and worked together to find a way to reunite the scattered souls in the Void and revive his lover.

But now? If you want to find it, then that loser can go find it by himself.

Feng Qiguang pondered for a moment, then turned to face the desk, spread out another sheet of paper, and wrote a reply.

~

Let's rewind to six months ago.

The Moon Gazing Cave, a hidden paradise.

When that slender figure turned to ashes amidst the two sword energies, all the surrounding sounds vanished.

That person was so fragile; in this pointless squabble, she vanished into thin air with such decisiveness.

Intuitively, Li Yunyu didn't believe that Xiao Guai would really sacrifice herself to stop their life-or-death battle.

But how could anything be hidden from his eyes that see through life and death?

Her breath and soul have indeed dissipated.

It's impossible for someone at the Qi Refining Realm to possess such a deceptive level of cultivation.

At that time, Li Yunyu was so shocked by this sudden life-or-death situation that he didn't think much about it.

So when a sudden downpour began without warning, and the cold rain curtain enveloped the entire sky...

Li Yunyu has left.

He never looked at Feng Qiguang, who was crying bitterly to the side.

He simply lowered his head slightly, letting the stray hairs on his forehead get wet.

He slowly bent down and picked up the Fusu sword that had fallen into the mud.

At this moment, the Fusu Sword could no longer withstand the sword energy from before, and it lost its original brilliance, turning into a white ribbon.

The wounds on his arm from the battle were soaked by the rain, and blood mixed with the rainwater between his fingers, dripping onto the white silk.

He walked forward aimlessly, like a walking corpse.

There was no screaming, nor a single tear.

Because he was used to it since childhood, he knew that pain should not be expressed, and that crying would not solve the problem.

Those light gray eyes gazed at the misty world, surrounded by ruins where boulders had crashed down.

In the distance lay the entire desolate secret realm, the trees charred black, the soil emitting a pungent smell of burning.

Is this the despair of a world where heaven and earth are silent and all things perish?

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Li Yunyu, exhausted, sat down against a large, charred rock.

This place should have been filled with towering mountains and forests, but now only rough boulders remain, devoid of any sign of life.

He sat motionless on the boulder for an unknown amount of time.

As if sensing something, it raised its eyes and glanced at the sky. At this moment, the entire Wangyue Cave seemed to respond, and dark clouds surged in the sky, forming a huge and strange vortex.

Li Yunyu gave a self-deprecating smile. The Dao of Nirvana he cultivated emphasized severing ties with the mortal world and returning all things to emptiness.

But to his utter surprise, witnessing the life and death of someone he loved unexpectedly led him to experience the most extreme and purest despair he had ever felt since he began his cultivation journey.

I thought I was heartless, but at this moment, the tragic and death-inducing emotions surging within me broke through my limits.

He is about to break through, within this secret realm.

At this moment, there were still cultivators in the secret realm who hadn't had time to evacuate. Looking at the strange and unpredictable sky, they couldn't help but spit out a curse.

"Damn it, who's undergoing tribulation in this secret realm? Run! This tribulation is actually the Purple Mansion Tribulation!"

To break through to the Purple Mansion realm, one needs to undergo three trials: spiritual soul, physical body, and Dao heart.

With a deafening roar, a massive bolt of lightning rolled and roared through the clouds, transforming into a pillar of lightning that cleaved down with the oppressive force of the heavens.

Li Yunyu kept his eyes closed, his expression unchanged, and he didn't even use any defensive magic items.

In an instant, a burst of purple light suddenly erupted above their heads.

He suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood, and his immortal bones were blasted open with purple-gold patterns. His flesh and blood tore apart, and his whole body was a gruesome sight.

Then, the second and third layers followed in quick succession.

The three bolts of lightning, like withered branches, slammed heavily onto his newly formed primordial spirit in his Purple Mansion.

All external things vanish, and all forms return to emptiness.

Li Yunyu sat limply on the scorched earth, his hands weakly supporting him on the ground, letting the thunder wash over him.

Only by detaching oneself from worldly desires can one achieve true freedom in the face of life and death.

At the end of annihilation lies new life.

Just as his Dao Heart was about to reach perfection and the tribulation was about to pass, a sharp pain shot through his chest. The pain was so intense that it felt as if his heart was being ripped out.

To ascend to immortality, one must first sever mortal desires.

A few words suddenly appeared in Li Yunyu's mind.

Is this the will of heavenly lightning?

He seemed to want him to forget that person.

Ha ha!

Li Yunyu suddenly opened his eyes, a crazy smile spreading across his lips.

"What if I don't kill him?"

"My demise began because of her. Without her, everything in this world is a dead land in my eyes."

Therefore, I have never betrayed Nirvana. If you try to erase my feelings, aren't you also erasing this path of cultivation?

The sky was filled with purple lightning, which hung suspended in mid-air.

Li Yunyu chuckled, a hint of obsession in his voice. "You tacitly allowed me to embark on the path of annihilation, yet now you're personally obliterating my very foundation. This contradicts your own actions; isn't it a self-destructive act, a battle between two opposing forces?"

"Your Heavenly Dao isn't exactly clever either..."

At the same time, the purple lightning that had been hovering in mid-air roared and struck down on his head with unprecedented power.

The cultivators who were watching from a distance were immediately terrified and turned ashen-faced.

"My God, which madman dared to provoke the Heavenly Dao? This attack will probably annihilate him completely, body and soul!"

"What a pity, breaking through to the Purple Mansion Realm at such a young age, yet falling at this very step."

"To humiliate the laws of Heaven—that's commendable courage!"

The discussions abruptly ceased, for the once-in-a-millennium cataclysmic lightning, just before striking Li Yunyu's head, veered off course, like a broken branch, and struck the ruins only three steps away from him.

In an instant, sharp pieces of rock flew in all directions.

But how could these injuries possibly harm Li Yunyu, who had already entered the Purple Mansion Realm?

The sky was completely silent.

All the cultivators watched this scene in utter astonishment, for the Heavenly Dao had actually yielded.

"My goodness, did the lightning strike us?"

"Are you stupid? How could the Heavenly Dao split its branches? It's the Heavenly Dao yielding. Since ancient times, when has the Heavenly Dao's tribulation lightning ever been seen striking a cultivator's side to scare them? How could that be?"

"Could he be the person with great destiny described in the stories?"

Amidst these cries of horror, the dark clouds reluctantly dispersed.

Instead, auspicious omens filled the sky.

Purple clouds rise from the east, stretching three thousand miles.

Even at the end of desolation, true love remains.

Li Yunyu slowly rose amidst a purple aura. He not only survived, but also walked a path never before trodden.

The path to ultimate tranquility.