After this prompt appeared, the number 001 jumped and became 002, and the words of the prompt also changed:
【About to enter World Line-002】
Rong Yi suddenly brightened in front of her!
She found herself surrounded by a bright mist.
Her teammates were already chatting in the channel.
Raymond: “It’s actually a repeating instance!”
Zhang Haiyang: “Dying at the start, epic.”
Luo Huayue: “The starting time this time is different from the first time. Could it be that every time we die, the starting time changes?”
Ice: “I found out that Master wants us to go to Tianwen Sect tomorrow, which means we returned a day early. Quickly look for clues!”
Rong Yi: “…Do your best, everyone.”
She regretted being unable to help. She didn’t even know where she was.
In the distance, the sound of water could be heard. In the misty air, a figure approached slowly.
Oh, it’s a handsome man.
A very charming and good-looking man.
Rong Yi watched as Yin Yue leisurely dressed beside her: “…Brother, do you not worry your sword will rust even while bathing?”
Although she felt a bit guilty towards Fan Xingze, she couldn’t deny that a handsome man bathing was a sight to behold. Rong Yi couldn’t take her eyes off him—after all, she could only see what was in front of her at the moment.
Yin Yue hurriedly put on his snow-white underclothes, and a paper crane flew into his wet hand, unfolding into a letter.
From Rong Yi’s angle, she couldn’t see what was written on the letter, but she saw Yin Yue frown with infinite melancholy as the paper burned to ash in his hand and fell to the ground.
“You abandoned me here, not caring for decades. Yet at this critical moment, you show filial piety to my father and affection to me, hm, hm—” he sneered, flipped his sleeve, and with a “bang,” innocent pool water splashed up into a spray!
“Good, good, good!” he said three times in succession, his face showing neither joy nor sorrow. His arms extended out, and his clothes flew onto him automatically. He walked out of the bathroom barefoot with large steps.
Rong Yi: “…What about me?”
Just as she wondered, she felt an irresistible force lifting her up, flying her through the cotton curtains of the bathroom and accurately into Yin Yue’s hand.
Yin Yue remained silent, but Rong Yi could feel him holding her hand, slowly tightening his grip.
Ouch—pain!
Unfortunately, she couldn’t speak right now, or she would loudly protest. She was angry, but she shouldn’t take it out on the innocent sword!
The junior apprentice sister Nian’er was chatting outside the bathroom with her sisters. Seeing Yin Yue coming out, she immediately greeted him with a smile: “Senior Brother—” she keenly noticed that he was not happy: “Senior Brother, what’s wrong with you?”
Yin Yue forced a smile: “It’s nothing, just a bit dizzy from the bath.”
Nian’er, without suspicion, relayed the master’s order to him: “Master asked us to quickly go to the Sanhe Cliff to find him.”
The two wielded their swords and Rong Yi experienced the feeling of being carried again. Fortunately, she was tough and as long as Yin Yue didn’t intentionally push her, being trampled underfoot wasn’t too uncomfortable.
Sanhe Cliff was where the Supreme Palace Master practiced, not exactly a forbidden place, but it was located high on a cliff, with three sides overhanging, one side a sheer cliff. Natural gusts like cutting blades surrounded it, making it almost unreachable except for the extraordinarily talented.
So, being able to go to Sanhe Cliff was a symbol of strength.
Yin Yue and Nian’er were outstanding among the disciples of this generation, the only ones who could ascend Sanhe Cliff unscathed. The Supreme Palace Master stood with his hands behind his back on Sanhe Cliff, overlooking the sea of clouds. When the siblings arrived, he said aloud, “Yue’er, Nian’er, for this Clear Source Ceremony, I’ll have to trouble the two of you to go.”
Nian’er chuckled: “Master is too polite, Nian’er is not used to it.”
The Palace Master dropped his air of immortality, combed his long white beard back over his shoulder, revealing a youthful face with gray hair. He sat on a stone bench and gestured to the two disciples: “Have a seat, have you brought it?”
Yin Yue took out roasted chicken and beef from the basket and a pot of fine wine, placing them in front of the palace lord, saying with a smile, “Don’t forget this.”
The palace lord immediately happily indulged, “Blame it on your shi shu (master’s brother); he is such a stickler. How can he not eat after fasting? Does eating affect your dao mind? Ridiculous! See, I eat when I want!”
Rong Yi remarked, “Then why are you hiding here in this desolate place to eat? It seems that in the Supreme Palace, this shi shu is the one with real power.”
The palace lord, appearing unpretentious and friendly with juniors, allowed Nein Er to casually sit on a stone stool across from him. Nein Er remarked, “Master, it was us who went last time, and the time before that… The Supreme Palace doesn’t care about those superficial things. We only go to watch the bustle, not aiming for any rankings. It’s such a bother to go every time!”
Yin Yue patted Nein Er’s head, sitting beside her patiently, “Ultimately, in the Supreme Palace, we still have to deal with human relationships and cultivate friendships, which require effort.”
The palace lord teasingly interrogated Nein Er, “Are you going to the Qingyuan Ceremony again?” Tapping Nein Er’s forehead, he added, “Don’t think I don’t know. You are just taking the chance to go out and have fun, enjoying the sightseeing. Everything is done by your shixiong (master’s apprentice)!”
While Nein Er argued back, Rong Yi noticed that Yin Yue had been visibly crestfallen.
Despite Yin Yue’s efforts to disguise it with constant laughter and composure, maybe due to Rong Yi’s bond with him as his sword, she could sense his current melancholy.
Was it because of the paper crane he received?
Based on his recent words: abandoned for decades, father’s kindness and son’s filial piety. It seemed that an irresponsible father had deserted him, and now coming to seek him?
Unfortunately, she couldn’t act alone now. She could only pass on this clue to her teammates so they could investigate Yin Yue’s background when they had time.
Raymond mused, “Do we need to investigate the background of the world’s most handsome man?”
Being the highest-ranking character in the small team, Raymond naturally had more information. Luo Huayue and Ice, as mid-level disciples at Xiangsi Gate, had also heard of Yin Yue.
On the other hand, Raymond, an outer disciple, was at the lowest rung of the cultivation world’s hierarchy, mainly focused on survival and had no way to know such gossip.
Zhang Haiyang complained, “Why is it always me getting hurt?”
Zhang Haiya added, “What about Brother-in-law? Usually, he’s the one suffering in the dungeon! At least he should have it worse than me for me to feel better!”
Rong Yi was unsure of Fan Xingze’s current status or if he was even in this instance.
However, her current focus was not on him but on her cultivation.
Luo Huayue asked, “Cultivation?”
Rong Yi explained, “Yes. Right now, I’m just a sword with limited mobility. But if I cultivate to the point of detachment, I should be able to move freely like a wandering spirit, giving me an edge in gathering information compared to regular players.”
Luo Huayue inquired, “How does a sword cultivate?”
Rong Yi was uncertain about this herself. However, in the previous world, Yin Yue sparred with her several times, and she noticed her experience bar had slightly increased. It seemed beneficial, and as long as Yin Yue kept actively engaging her in battles, she had the potential for upgrades.
When she gained autonomous capabilities, she could explore more efficient ways to level up.
Raymond suggested, “That’s easy. When you come back tomorrow, I’ll directly challenge Yin Yue.”
Ice added, “We can do that, too.”
Rong Yi suddenly realized that by having her teammates provoke Yin Yue, they could accelerate her leveling up process?
Rong Yi reminded, “But you all can’t just come to pick fights with him. Raymond, you go search for clues about the demon realm.”
Before the end of the previous world, someone shouted, “The entrance to the demon realm is open!” This explained that the unknown black hole was the entrance to the demon realm.
When the entrance to the demon realm opens, this cultivation world will be destroyed. If not stopped, this timeline will only last until the Qingyuan Conference.
Luo Huayue: Maybe our mission is to prevent the world from being destroyed.
Rong Yi: Finding clues to the demon realm will definitely help us. Raymond has the most resources currently, so utilize them well to search for clues about the demon realm. Ice and Huayue belong to different sects, their clue paths are different from Raymond’s, so it’s best to utilize this diversity in searching.
Zhang Haiyang: …So you want me to challenge Yin Yue?
Rong Yi: I’m not asking you to win, just get him to wield his sword, if you can’t beat him, run.
In the day added beyond the 001 timeline, Raymond, Luo Huayue, and Ice were desperately searching for clues about the demon cult; Zhang Haiyang made several plans to stir up trouble and then retreat.
Rong Yi—Rong Yi was involuntarily led by Yin Yue, wherever she went, with no freedom of her own.
At the summit of Sanhe Cliff, after the Lord finished eating roasted chicken, he asked Nièn to go back to prepare first, keeping Yin Yue behind to discuss some matters.
Rong Yi pricked up her non-existent ears, listening attentively.
Lord: “Yue Er, is he coming to see you again?”
Yin Yue: “Yes.”
Lord: “Ah, the grudges of the previous generation should not have involved you. But now that you have grown up and gained some fame in the cultivation world, it’s considered holding the sin. If he has set his eyes on you, it’s only natural.”
Yin Yue, angrily: “He can have his ambitions, I’ll just ignore him. He talks about grand ambitions every day, but I haven’t even seen a glimpse of him! When I couldn’t choose, I was already abandoned by him; now that I can choose, I choose not to have any dealings with him until he dies!”
Lord: “It’s easier said than done, but we cultivators value karmic ties in the mortal realm. Anyway, he is your biological father; this bond of blood karma, if you disregard it, is of no benefit to your cultivation.”
Yin Yue, darkening her face: “He can use message-carrier cranes to communicate, which means he is not a mere mortal, and he must be using this father-son bond to manipulate me into doing things for him. He mentioned meeting at the Qingyuan Conference; he must know what he wants me to do. Is this a tactic to provoke me?”
“Or does he think I would be curious and must meet him?”
Lord: “Aren’t you curious?”
Yin Yue: “…To me, the Master is like a father to me.”
Lord: “Stop deceiving yourself. Even if you go before him to show off how well you are doing now, deep down, you still want to see him.”
Yin Yue did not refute.
Lord: “When you reach Tianwen Sect, remember to be rational. You don’t have to be overly respectful to him, nor do you have to treat him as your everything. This superficial father-son relationship can be resolved just by offering him a cup of tea.”
Yin Yue remained silent for a while amidst the howling wind at Sanhe Cliff, then bowed and said, “Disciple understands.”
Rong Yi informed the teammates about this.
Rong Yi: …So Yin Yue is an orphan, but now his biological father has contacted him, wanting him to do something for him. Yin Yue is very reluctant.
Rong Yi: It’s probably a subplot? Looks like it’s not directly related to the main storyline.
This can be considered a little episode that passed by. The next day, Yin Yue and Nièn flew on their swords to Tianwen Sect.
Meanwhile, the others who were researching yesterday only found out that the demon realm is another place outside the cultivation world and is its archenemy. The demon realm once plundered resources from the cultivation world through a crack between the realms, committing all sorts of atrocities. The crack was later sealed, and the demon realm’s ruler was suppressed by powerful cultivators.
From this perspective, the sudden appearance of the entrance to the demon realm should be the demon realm’s retaliation against the cultivation world.
After reaching the Tianwen Sect, the plot is almost the same as World Line 001, except for Zhang Haiyang’s guerrilla-style harassment of Yin Yue. The grand scene of the Qingyuan Fa Conference is impossible to shake with their current character identities.
Yin Yue finds this strange outer disciple annoying, but since they have no deep grudges and it’s not right to harm other outer disciples in someone else’s territory, she can only let Zhang Haiyang escape every time.
Zhang Haiyang: “It’s almost done. I feel like I’ve been pushing his patience to the limit. Rong, how many levels have you advanced?”
Rong Yi: “Almost there! I’ve learned ‘Feint Thrust,’ the next skill is Disembodiment!”
Rong Yi: “Thank you for your hard work. The experience from the next fight will be enough for me to level up!”
Raymond: “But we still can’t stop the opening of the entrance to the Demon Realm.”
Rong Yi: “Since it’s an infinite loop in the copy, it’s impossible for us to succeed in the second reincarnation. We just need to pay attention to collecting detailed clues in each repeated timeline.”
Rong Yi: “For example, who shouted ‘the entrance to the Demon Realm is open’? Who is he? How does he know that it’s the entrance to the Demon Realm? Is it a player or an NPC?”
Ice: “Leave it to me. I remember the voice shouting was quite close to me.”
As Yin Yue advances to the top thirty-two, Rong Yi finally levels up and comprehends the skill “Disembodiment.” Her mind wanders, thinking of leaving, and she floats lightly like a wandering soul, detaching from the sword.
Yin Yue, engaged in swordplay, seems to sense something, looks at the sword, then glances in the direction of Rong Yi’s disembodiment.
Rong Yi nervously freezes in mid-air—could he see something? Could it be that as the sword’s owner, he can see the sword spirit?
However, Yin Yue’s gaze just slides past her and focuses back on the duel.
Rong Yi breathes a sigh of relief.
After disembodiment, the sword’s resistance to attacks seems to decrease, but overall, it does not affect its use.
She looks at her semi-transparent, ancient-looking figure, attempting to fly further away.
However, just as she leaves the sword’s body within ten meters, she is pulled back by an irresistible force, unable to move forward.
It seems that disembodiment is only limited freedom within a diameter of ten meters from the sword.
Rong Yi circles behind Yin Yue, facing away from him, wanting to see if that uncle-like figure is paying any special attention to him, perhaps her abandoned father.
“Sorry for the interruption.”
“Brother Yin is amazing! I admire you from the bottom of my heart!”
Yin Yue wins again, smoothly advancing, chatting with peers from other sects all the way back to the stands.
Soon, the top sixteen is decided, with Raymond facing off against Yin Yue—just as the entrance to the Demon Realm is about to open.
Rong Yi looks around but can’t find any suspicious signs in the stands; everyone’s attention is on the two young men fighting.
This time, Raymond doesn’t need to argue with Yin Yue for the sword. They exchange brief greetings, then start immediately, and two electric dragons engage in an endless aerial battle.
In the previous timeline, Rong Yi could only see what was ahead, not paying attention to Yin Yue’s expression when the Demon Realm entrance opened.
Now she can observe her master without blind spots, and when the person below shouts, “the entrance to the Demon Realm is open,” she turns to look at Yin Yue.
Everyone looks up at the rapidly expanding black hole in the sky, including Yin Yue.
But the expressions of others are mostly bewildered, frightened, and at a loss.
As for Yin Yue, his eyes, which had turned white at some point, had morphed into a black resembling ink, filled with terrifying blood streaks, revealing a hint of a satisfied smile.
Rong Yi is startled by that smile, unable to inform her teammates before, similar to the 001 world line, being sucked into the black hole entrance to the Demon Realm…
“Drip.”
【World Line Restart-002】
【Entering World Line-003】
