Chapter 69: The Memories of Heavenly Dew (Part One)

After searching fruitlessly, Tian Gui returned to the Xuan Tian Dao Sect to cultivate in seclusion. Yet the memory of that person lingered like a bone stuck in her throat, and her progress was slow.

One day, monsters appeared in a nearby town. Tian Gui descended the mountain once more to investigate, only to discover the culprit was a tree demon. By day, the tree demon captured humans; by night, it devoured them all. Though Tian Gui had no mastery of fire spells, she steeled herself and, under cover of darkness, set out to exterminate the demon, planning to strike while it feasted.

From afar, as she observed, the cloth doll she always carried let out a faint chime—a spell she had once used to identify her childhood companion. Before the tree demon could consume its prey, Tian Gui finally saw the person she had been seeking, bound by ropes before the monster. Her gaze became transfixed and could not move away. The familiar figure wore a gray long robe, tall and scholarly in demeanor.

However, the demon’s roots burst from the earth like spring water. Those closest were pierced through, drained of all blood. Seeing the one she longed for about to meet his end, Tian Gui could no longer restrain herself and surged forward with her magic, blocking the roots’ attack.

"You..." A gentle voice sounded behind her—it was his voice.

"Shut up!"

The tree demon, having lain in wait for so long, now possessed the cultivation of a Pure Yang soul, leaving Tian Gui uncertain. From the heart of the tree stepped a young maiden.

"So it’s you! A Daoist nun!"

The maiden’s voice dripped with seductive charm, and the eyes of the man behind Tian Gui grew hazy, clearly ensnared by illusion.

"Enough talk! Release these people, or you die!"

Tian Gui’s aura erupted, waking the man from his trance.

"Release them? Never! I wonder what Daoist nun flesh tastes like!"

The tree demon sneered, summoning endless roots to ensnare Tian Gui. She braced herself, knowing she had no option but to fight for her life. Above her head appeared a mirror manifestation, gathering moonlight to scatter the roots. Yet the roots seemed inexhaustible.

"Mirror World," Tian Gui murmured.

Countless mirrors appeared in the space, hoping to bind the demon and free the townsfolk. But she had underestimated the demon’s strength. After a brief struggle, the demon broke free.

A thunderous roar shattered the ground, sweeping away the lives of those nearby. In that moment, the man Tian Gui cherished was pierced by the roots, blood pouring from his mouth—his end was near.

Tian Gui felt a fierce anger rising in her chest. She may not be skilled in fire magic, but she could create fire with other techniques.

The tree demon jeered, "What’s wrong, angry now?"

"Ten Thousand Mirrors Void!"

Tian Gui did not answer, focusing all her energy on her spell. Ten thousand mirrors surrounded the demon. Within their reflections, a faint moonbeam transformed into a tiny flame. The demon, previously unconcerned, now sensed danger from that flame.

Before the demon could defend, the flame suddenly expanded into a massive fireball, crashing upon the giant tree that was its true form.

A crackling inferno erupted, and within moments, the giant tree was reduced to charred fragments.

"I’ll fight you to the death!"

The demon’s green-eyed avatar flashed with venom as it lunged at Tian Gui, its sharp claws piercing her heart in an instant.

"Heh... heh heh..."

With her heart impaled, Tian Gui let out a cold laugh.

"Still laughing when you’re dying!"

Green fissures appeared across the demon’s face; with its true form destroyed, its avatar could not last much longer. It seemed both were doomed, but Tian Gui’s chest revealed black-red threads, plunging into the demon’s collapsing body, siphoning its power.

"You... you hid a ghost spell in your heart!"

The demon spat these words before shattering into green fragments. Tian Gui showed no mercy, devouring its soul as it wailed in agony.

The black-red threads returned to Tian Gui’s chest, transforming anew into heart, ribs, and skin. Yet now she had become a ghost; the spell in her heart was merely a trigger, turning her into a specter upon death.

"Qing Shu! Qing Shu! Where are you? Chen Qing Shu!" Tian Gui, seeming half-mad, searched everywhere for his soul. "You’re here, I know it! Qing Shu! Don’t hide!"

All she wanted now was to find Chen Qing Shu’s soul, fuse it with his body, and make him a ghost like herself.

Perhaps fate decreed otherwise. For three days, she scoured every inch of the mountain, but found no trace of Chen Qing Shu’s soul.

Heartbroken, Tian Gui knelt and wept, her face buried in her hands. When the tears were spent, only resentment remained in her heart.

Her powerful grievance summoned storm clouds rapidly overhead. In a moment, the clear sky became night.

People in the town hurriedly packed their belongings to flee, but it was already too late.

After devouring the tree demon, Tian Gui gained its powers. Blue-black roots consumed everyone within a hundred miles.

"Why run? Come die with me!"

Lost in her obsession, Tian Gui was now more terrifying than any demon.

Days passed—life vanished from the region; not even a ghost remained. Only one "person" persisted: Tian Gui.

Snow—black snow—drifted slowly from the sky.

It was just like the scene Xu Cheng had witnessed in Qingzhou City, where the grievances of millions and the city’s dragon vein had summoned black snow.

Here, with only Tian Gui, such a spectacle arose.

Love grows deep, even when its origins are unknown.

Even Xu Cheng, silently watching, was moved profoundly.

The black snowflakes never touched Tian Gui, though the surroundings were buried beneath them.

Tian Gui lay silently on the ground, as if awaiting death—or perhaps, someone.

The environment stimulated her cultivation; even without practice, she slowly advanced to the Pure Yang soul realm.

Cultivators who tried to enter were doomed to perish.

Decades passed thus, until a figure in white appeared.

He too was a soul cultivator, thus unaffected by Tian Gui’s domain.

He walked into the heart of the black blizzard and approached her.

"Yue Mei, I’ve come!"

Tian Gui stirred.

"Yue Mei, it’s me! Chen Qing Shu!"

The white-robed man’s lips trembled.

At the sound of "Chen Qing Shu," Tian Gui sat upright, staring in disbelief at the face before her. Though his appearance had changed greatly, she could sense the soul within—the one she had searched for so long.

"Qing Shu, is it really you?"

Her hand reached out to touch his face.

"It’s me, truly! I... I came to find you!"

Tears streaked down Chen Qing Shu’s face.

"Wonderful!"

Tian Gui threw herself into his arms, weeping with joy.