Chapter 585: Jiang Lianyi

Chapter 595: Jiang Lianyi

Before coming to the Ancient Realm, Lu Yang never imagined he would encounter so many things during this training.

The Creation Ancient Realm was renowned in the Demon Domain. Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou discussed it and figured since they were already there, it would be a waste not to go. So, under the guidance of their third senior sister, they entered the Ancient Realm.

To their surprise, they encountered insights left by various ancient great demons and even a Nine-Layer Immortal Cultivation technique.

The fourth layer of the Creation Ancient Realm, a place unknown to any prodigy who had entered the realm in the past three hundred thousand years, a place even Luo Hong, the spirit of the secret realm, was not qualified to set foot in, was now welcoming its first visitors.

It was utterly silent here, with empty footsteps echoing as if someone were following them.

Lu Yang carefully observed the fourth layer. The room's decor was understated yet profound, suggesting its owner was a highly cultured senior.

Every decorative item in the room exuded an ancient, extraordinary aura. With Lu Yang's discerning eye, he could only recognize the origin of a small portion of them.

There was a stone table carved from supreme spirit stone marrow, a jade chair formed by the fusion of Sun Essence and Lunar Essence, glazed floor tiles refined from special star cores, a Kunlun bronze mirror, an enlightenment teacup, an Ever-Burning Immortal Lamp...

Lu Yang had only seen these items in his spiritual space – the Immortal Fairy occasionally changed its style.

When the Immortal Fairy introduced these items to him before, Lu Yang's eyelids twitched; their value already exceeded his imagination.

Now, seeing them vividly before his eyes, it was a completely different feeling.

Lu Yang noticed a verdant jade flute hanging on the wall. It was slender and graceful, with exquisite details and lifelike patterns of a hundred birds, giving a sense of lightness and purity.

At the far end of the room, a bed lay horizontally, draped in light gauze. One could vaguely make out a female cultivator lying on it.

"Fairy, have you remembered whose room this is?" Lu Yang asked in a low voice, worried about disturbing the room's occupant.

"It's Jiang Lianyi."

Jiang Lianyi, the ancient Phoenix clan prodigy, the Phoenix clan's ancient ancestor, wife of the Qilin Immortal, and one of the ten beauties of antiquity.

Lu Yang's hand, about to draw aside the gauze, paused. He thought, "As expected," then pulled back the gauze, revealing a stunning woman on the bed, dressed in vibrant red, like a flame.

It was indeed the legendary Jiang Lianyi.

Jiang Lianyi showed no signs of breath, her vitality dissipated, lips pale, eyes tightly shut, with a serene expression, and her hands crossed over her chest.

"Has she passed away?"

Lu Yang knew about the methods ancient cultivators used for slumber. Even when deeply asleep, those cultivators would still emit a faint aura, which was completely unlike Jiang Lianyi's current state.

His voice trembled, and his face showed disbelief. How could a legendary figure like Jiang Lianyi possibly be dead?

However, Lu Yang thought of the Corpse Immortal buried beneath the Five Elements Sect and Old Qiongqi in the black coffin of Qiongqi's tomb, and had to acknowledge this reality.

Ancient matters were enigmatic; anything could happen.

The only thing he could do was accept it.

He wondered if the Immortal Fairy could accept it. The Fairy and Jiang Lianyi had a deep bond. Despite the Fairy's usual cheerful demeanor, encountering a friend's passing would surely make her feel heavy-hearted.

If Jiang Lianyi was dead, what had become of Ao Ling, the ancient Dragon ancestor? And what about the Qilin Immortal?

Presumably, the other two wouldn't fare much better; it was even possible that all three had perished.

"She's not dead. This is the Art of Feigned Death."

The Immortal Fairy glanced at Lu Yang, whose expression was complex as he tried to come to terms with the news of Jiang Lianyi's demise. She thought, "Why are you needlessly cursing her?"

Lu Yang fell silent for a moment.

"...The Art of Feigned Death?"

"Fairy, could you have said so earlier? I was grieving for nothing."

"Have you forgotten? This Immortal taught her the Art of Feigned Death. Back then, she wasn't skilled enough and cried out in pain from the burning..."

"Alright, alright, that's enough."

Lu Yang quickly interrupted the Immortal Fairy's recollection. Saying such things in front of the person themselves didn't seem appropriate.

The Immortal Fairy put her hands on her hips, very proud. "This Immortal's Art of Feigned Death is far more reliable than petty tricks like being frozen. The principle of being frozen is to temporarily slow down time and reduce the rate of lifespan depletion, but lifespan will still diminish. Some unlucky fellow might oversleep and just die in their sleep."

"For example, the ancient Dijiang had seventy to eighty thousand years of lifespan before sealing himself. When he woke up this time, he probably only had twenty to thirty thousand years left."

"In contrast, the Art of Feigned Death, once cast, is equivalent to true death, so there's no need to worry about running out of lifespan."

How could lifespan be consumed in a state of death?

"Step aside, this Immortal will revive her."

Lu Yang instinctively stepped aside, standing to one side. Such matters were beyond the capabilities of a Golden Core Grand Ancestor.

The Immortal Fairy extended her index finger. Dao rhythms flowed from her fingertip, and countless grand Dao runes emerged, converging above her head, undergoing silent collision. The impact produced dazzling light, causing Lu Yang to squint.

A massive amount of runes formed an inverted torrent, rushing madly towards her fingertip.

She gently tapped Jiang Lianyi's brow with her index finger, sending out ripples of invisible energy. Like an unseen wind, they made the light gauze surrounding the bed sway, and the stone table, jade chair, and bronze mirror subtly tremble.

When the ripples swept over Lu Yang, he felt both the aura of death and life. Yet, upon closer inspection, there was nothing at all; it was truly bizarre.

Jiang Lianyi's complexion turned from pale to rosy in the blink of an eye, becoming as vibrant as a living person. Her long eyelashes trembled, as if she were about to wake up.

"Hmm."

Jiang Lianyi let out a languid 'hmm,' graceful and relaxed, exactly like the Immortal Fairy when she first woke up.

As Jiang Lianyi returned from the dead, the entire fourth layer seemed to come alive. The stone table, jade chair, and bronze mirror swayed rhythmically as if dancing, and the jade flute on the wall played a cheerful tune... seemingly cheering in celebration of its owner's awakening.

Jiang Lianyi sat up from the bed, her head feeling heavy. She felt as though she had slept a very, very long time, a sleep that could be measured in tens of thousands of years, to the point where her memories were somewhat blurry. She continuously sifted through her recollections in her mind.

She looked around, momentarily forgetting why she had slept here, or why she was waking up now.

As she turned her head, a pretty face, even more beautiful than her own, leaned closer.

"Lianyi, you're awake?"

The Immortal Fairy crawled beside the bed, approaching Jiang Lianyi, which startled Jiang Lianyi considerably.

Seeing Jiang Lianyi awaken, the Immortal Fairy's lips curved upwards, her smile radiant, even her eyes crinkling with mirth.

"Who are you?"

Jiang Lianyi looked blankly at the Immortal Fairy. As a dignified Half-Immortal herself, she had surprisingly felt no presence when the other party approached.

"Don't you recognize me? I'm Huang Doudou, the Immortal Fairy Huang Doudou," the Immortal Fairy introduced herself earnestly.

Jiang Lianyi was a very cautious person, yet facing this suddenly appearing maiden, she simply could not feel any sense of alarm.

Two lines of clear tears streamed uncontrollably down Jiang Lianyi's cheeks. She continuously wiped away her tears with her wrist, but large drops kept falling, unceasingly.

Despite crying, she felt an indescribable joy in her heart.

"Strange, why am I crying?"