Chapter 76: Outside Lumen City Lies the Deer Platform (14)
Yan Jingxing?
Shen Yuying was completely confused. She had never heard of this person’s name—only that of the Daoist Lian Guang. Though she had her doubts, after being scolded just moments ago, she didn’t dare ask further. She simply nodded and stepped back.
In the end, things truly unfolded as Bo Yan had said. This sword cultivator who had appeared out of nowhere really did end up helping Bai Chunsheng. Since that was the case, then the jade puppet should be able to restrain Yan Yi, giving them the chance to seize Bai Chunsheng. The weight that had long pressed on Shen Yuying’s heart finally seemed to lift, and she let out a breath of relief.
On the surface, the jade puppet appeared to be at a disadvantage, but Yan Yi had clearly gotten serious.
Since recovering from amnesia, he had never encountered an opponent so difficult to deal with. Though it was merely an inanimate object, it was uncannily familiar with his swordsmanship and fighting habits—always a step ahead of him. While sword talent alone wasn’t something speed could overcome, the puppet still managed to gain the upper hand in several exchanges, making it difficult for Yan Yi to take it down quickly and cleanly.
This sparked his interest. What intrigued him most was the jade puppet’s uncanny familiarity.
The first time he and Bai Chunsheng saw it, they both assumed it must have come from Changliu Mountain. But after fighting it several times, Yan Yi began to suspect it wasn’t made by Jingxing’s hand. Or rather, it wasn’t one of the jade puppets stationed at Changliu to guard the ruins.
When he had entered the ruins, Bai Chunsheng had still been trapped in the jade figurine village and hadn’t witnessed Yan Yi fighting one of those puppets. The ones at Changliu Mountain were similarly skilled in swordsmanship but attacked with elegance and restraint—not every move aimed to kill. In contrast, this puppet fought with vicious intent, every strike meant to kill without mercy.
Sword styles this drastically different couldn’t possibly have come from the same person.
This jade puppet seemed to have been completely rebuilt by someone in Yan Yi’s own style. As he fought, he kept pondering who could’ve done it—someone who understood his every thought so precisely that even he couldn’t find a proper opening.
Still, just because there wasn’t an obvious way in didn’t mean he had no options. If he wanted to, Yan Yi had at least a hundred ways to destroy this puppet.
But since this person clearly knew him well, they must have been someone close to him before he lost his memory. If he relied on his usual patterns, he might fall into a trap. So Yan Yi deliberately changed tactics, proceeding with caution as he carefully searched for the puppet’s weaknesses.
Seeing the puppet locked in combat with Yan Yi again, Bai Chunsheng didn’t remain idle. Knowing Shen Yuying had come to capture him, he raised his sword and charged at her. When fighting a snake, aim for its seven-inch weak point—dragons should be the same. With that in mind, Bai Chunsheng went straight for Shen Yuying’s abdomen.
Though Yan Yi had always protected him, it wasn’t because Bai Chunsheng was weak—it was because Yan Yi was just too strong. Compared to an average cultivator at the Dao stage, Bai Chunsheng’s strength was by no means inferior. Shen Yuying, who had only broken into the Dao stage a few months ago, was no match for him.
She hadn’t expected Bai Chunsheng to come at her directly instead of fleeing—even though he knew he was their target. Caught off guard, she countered in haste, her movements clumsy and panicked.
Seeing this, Bai Chunsheng raised an eyebrow and smiled. His sword danced faster and faster until, during Shen Yuying’s moment of disorientation, he stabbed her left arm—the one holding her twin sabers.
Arrows shot toward Bai Chunsheng from afar, but Yan Yi’s sword aura deflected them all.
Bai Chunsheng twisted his sword and poured scorching spiritual energy into Shen Yuying’s body. The moment it entered, there was a sizzling sound of fire. A sharp pain shot from her arm straight up her spine. It was an agonizing torment, difficult to endure.
With a cry, Shen Yuying knocked his sword aside with her other hand and leapt onto a nearby branch.
The entire battle had lasted only a few breaths.
Without hesitation, Bai Chunsheng jumped from the tree as soon as he saw her retreat. The Windvoice Tree they stood on grew midway up the mountain, its roots clinging to a cliffside—one wrong step would send someone plummeting into the valley.
That was exactly what Bai Chunsheng was counting on.
At the base of the cliff was a teleportation array that led to nearby Lumen City. In the past, Bai Jianghan had brought him here via this very array, usually traveling from a Ten Thousand Demon Sect’s shop. After paying respects to their ancestors, they would return to the Xu family estate to rest for a few days before heading back.
Bai Chunsheng had thought of using this teleportation array from the start, but since it was now under the Ten Thousand Demon Sect’s control, he didn’t dare enter, fearing he’d be walking straight into the lion’s den. So instead, he took the long way on foot.
Even now, he had no intention of escaping through that teleportation array.
He had other plans.
As he fell, Bai Chunsheng rode the ever-present Southern Region winds and shouted toward Yan Yi, who was still tangled with the jade puppet: “Goodbye, Yan Yi. Take care of yourself.”
He hoped that once he escaped, Shen Yuying wouldn’t make things too difficult for Yan Yi.
This was one of Bai Chunsheng’s rare moments of cleverness. From the instant he saw Shen Yuying, he had begun to strategize.
Below the cliff ran a rushing river. Bai Chunsheng jumped in, first splitting off a sliver of his divine consciousness to animate a paper puppet, which he threw into the teleportation array to create the illusion he’d escaped that way, thus distracting Shen Yuying.
Meanwhile, his real body dove into the river and submerged without looking back.
Since Shen Yuying was here, reinforcements were likely not far behind. He couldn’t place all his hopes on Yan Yi.
First, the jade puppet Shen Yuying had brought this time was extremely strange, seemingly tailor-made to counter Yan Yi. Bai Chunsheng worried Yan Yi wouldn’t be able to protect him. Second, based on what Shen Yuying had said, it was Bo Yan who wanted to capture him. But that man still hadn’t shown up—and Bo Yan was a true Mahayana-stage cultivator. Once he arrived, where could Bai Chunsheng possibly run?
As for Yan Yi—
Bai Chunsheng pressed his palms together in his heart and bowed toward the western sky, silently praying to all the Buddhas on behalf of Yan Jingqiu. Surely, someone so blessed would be protected by the heavens. “Rather he dies than I”—after all, Yan Jingqiu was a dignified sword sovereign. He wouldn’t die so easily, would he?
Bai Chunsheng’s sudden move had completely caught Yan Yi off guard. Concerned that someone might ambush Bai Chunsheng, Yan Yi had been dividing his attention during the fight with the jade puppet, keeping half his focus on the duckling.
Who would’ve thought that this heartless little duckling spirit—
Would just run off and leave him like that?
Yan Yi didn’t feel much anger, only disbelief and a strong urge to catch Bai Chunsheng and give him a good lesson. All he could think was: Bai Chunsheng was definitely asking for trouble.
Great.
Bai Chunsheng, just you wait.
Yan Yi, enraged to the point of laughing, no longer cared about his earlier plan to cautiously probe deeper. He bit his index finger, squeezed out a drop of blood, and let it fall onto his sword. Instantly, a brilliant silver light flared. Yan Yi gripped the sword, leapt through the silver glow, and with one clean strike, sliced off half of the jade puppet’s body.
With a loud crash, the jade puppet fell from the tall tree and hit the ground, no longer moving.
Shen Yuying saw Bai Chunsheng falling off the cliff and rushed toward him, trying to grab him. She moved swiftly, but Yan Yi was even faster. He shoved her aside and jumped off the cliff before she could reach him.
Yan Yi didn’t know there was a teleportation array below the cliff. He simply followed the connection between his divine sense and the Taye Sword to chase after Bai Chunsheng.
The world spun, and in the blink of an eye, the rushing river and Bai Chunsheng—who had just fled alone after sensing danger—vanished completely. This wasn’t the short-distance teleportation array to Lumen City that Bai Chunsheng had assumed. It was a cross-realm teleportation array that had long ago been deliberately altered by someone, though no one knew when.
What stood before Yan Yi now was a cold, solid stone wall. He couldn’t help but feel a bit of regret. Ever since he lost his memory, he had immersed himself in swordsmanship and never truly studied the spatial arcane arts. That was how he kept falling into traps.
First, Bai Chunsheng was taken to Changliu Mountain right under his nose—that alone was a huge loss. Now, due to one careless moment, he had lost track of Bai Chunsheng again.
Tomorrow—no, later today—once he caught that slippery duck Bai Chunsheng, he would start learning spatial arts immediately.
Yan Yi extended his divine sense, trying to sense where exactly he had ended up.
His expression turned strange. He had thought he’d been sent to a nearby city, but to his surprise, he had actually left the Grand World entirely—he was now deep within the Water Abyss Realm.
The Water Abyss Realm was the first spiritual realm adjacent to the Grand World, vast beyond compare. Like the Yunhai Smal; World, it had far more ocean than land. Deep in the sea, there lay a place called the Soul Abyss. Rumor had it that it was the origin of all souls—though no one could confirm if that was true. All that was known was that the dragon clan’s most treasured artifact—the Life Lamp, said to reveal every person’s fate and karma—was hidden deep within the Soul Abyss.
Yan Yi turned around and saw a stone platform at the center of the stone chamber.
Atop the platform was a single burning lamp. It was simple in design, and its oil seemed nearly spent, the flame dim and weak. It barely lit the stone wall, and everything else remained obscured.
Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Yan Yi. He remembered the blue dragon’s dying cry in the shattered mortal realm: “Bo Yan.”
Then, an unfamiliar memory rose to his ears—one that had never existed before. A woman’s voice spoke to him: “If you want the Life Lamp to burn, you must entangle the karma of countless people…”
Then came his own voice, saying with a light laugh, “Fox Lady may as well speak plainly. I don’t mind.”
Yan Yi suddenly shook his head hard. That sudden memory made his head spin and even his body feel out of control. He thought the stone walls around him were starting to rotate.
From his storage pouch, the strange jade stone he had found in the mine flew out on its own and shot straight toward the Life Lamp. That odd piece of jade had always been the lamp’s oil, created from twisted fate.
Once the new oil was added, the lamp’s flame flickered, then gradually brightened. It had only been able to dimly illuminate itself before, but now its light shone on Yan Yi—casting a shadow.
He saw his shadow on the wall. It began to lengthen, distort, and gradually morph into a terrifying dragon.
It wasn’t a human shadow at all.
And he wasn’t truly Yan Yi.
Under the Life Lamp’s illumination, his form became fully visible. The shadow on the wall looked familiar yet strange—it was a dragon with five claws. In the entire cultivation realm, only one person was ever spoken of as a legendary five-clawed golden dragon.
Bo Yan had just now realized his true self.
He still had no complete memories, but he suddenly understood: the name “Yan Yi” hadn’t been something he discovered—it had been told to him by his former self.
If his former self hadn’t wanted to be himself anymore, why would he have told his amnesiac self the truth?
He had been deceived.
Deceived by his past self—and by Bai Chunsheng.
Without a word, Bo Yan pulled out a pure gold mask from his storage pouch—one he had never used before because he thought it was ugly—and the black dragon robe he had found in the mine.
There was even a faint smile lingering on his face behind the mask.
Now, Bo Yan had something of utmost importance to do—something even more critical than discovering who he truly was.
He had to catch Bai Chunsheng.
Author’s Note:
Yan Jingqiu: “Catch the duck.”
Shen Yuying: “How many?”
Yan Jingqiu: “Just one.”
Bai Chunsheng: “Quack?”
“Gotcha.”
Let me give myself a heads-up for high energy content ahead.
Once Yan Jingqiu lost his memory, he couldn’t recognize himself anymore—but Bai Chunsheng could still recognize him even if he turned to ashes.
Who loves Xiao Yan the most? Obvious at a glance.
Even though Yan Jingqiu thought Bai Chunsheng had abandoned him and run, and Bai Chunsheng believed the same of himself—thinking he had left Yan Jingqiu behind—in reality, he hadn’t truly run away. He was too worried that Yan Jingqiu wouldn’t make it out, but refused to admit it. He stayed underwater with his ears perked, listening for any sign—Who would’ve known that within just a few minutes, the bright and youthful sword cultivator Yan Yi would turn into the gloomy, calculating realm lord Bo Yan?
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
