Chapter 587: First Meeting

As the Qilin Immortal's phantom disappeared, the patterns on the scrying stone dimmed. No matter how much spiritual energy was channeled into it, it remained unresponsive, turning into a useless rock.

The entire place fell silent.

Jiang Lianyi opened her arms and slowly embraced the Immortal Fairy, patting her back. "Don't cry," she murmured gently. "I believe you."

"Can you tell me about me in your memories?"

Lu Yang couldn't touch the Immortal Fairy because his soul cultivation wasn't advanced enough; for Jiang Lianyi, however, it was effortless.

"Mm!"

The Immortal Fairy nodded vigorously, holding back her tears.

Jiang Lianyi got out of bed and invited the Immortal Fairy and Lu Yang to sit at the stone table for a meticulously prepared tea.

The curled golden tea leaves unfurled in the cup, as countless laws evolved and then dissolved back into the tea.

This tea was for the Immortal Fairy.

If Lu Yang were to drink a sip, he feared he would be instantly melted by the tea's laws.

Jiang Lianyi personally poured tea for Lu Yang, who quickly stood to express his gratitude, feeling quite overwhelmed by the honor.

Lu Yang drank a different kind of tea whose name he didn't know, but it was undoubtedly excellent. Its aroma lingered at his nostrils, and his cultivation technique automatically began to circulate.

"Our acquaintance began with a misunderstanding..."

The Immortal Fairy recounted in detail how she and Jiang Lianyi met and became friends, describing every detail of their cooking and "feigning death" technique lessons with clarity.

"At that time, you and Ao Ling were crying and insisting on becoming my disciples, but I didn't agree."

"Not long after that, you two faced the Qilin Immortal. Unable to withstand his nascent Dao Fruit of Survival of the Fittest, you lost your qualifications for immortality."

She continued, describing her marriage to the Qilin Immortal, their life together, attending the Five Immortals Gathering, and their pleasant conversations.

The Immortal Fairy's description was so vivid and captivating that Jiang Lianyi remained immersed in her narration, unable to pull herself away for a long time.

"Finally, I lost consciousness," she concluded, "and when I woke up again, I saw Lu Yang."

By the end of her story, the Immortal Fairy herself laughed.

"Why are you crying?"

The Immortal Fairy noticed Jiang Lianyi sitting blankly, her eyes vacant, allowing tears to stream down her cheeks.

"Huh? Oh."

Prompted by the Immortal Fairy, Jiang Lianyi came to her senses as if waking from a dream. She collected herself, wiping away her tears and apologizing, forcing a smile.

"I'm sorry to let you see me like this," she said. "I don't know why, but I just can't control my tears."

Was it because the Immortal Fairy was pitiful, waking to find her old friends gone, the world having completely forgotten her? Or was it her plight, so pitiable yet entirely unnoticed by herself, still living a carefree existence?

Or perhaps for some other reason?

Jiang Lianyi didn't know.

She wiped away her tears, took two deep breaths to calm herself, and resumed her usual graceful and dignified demeanor.

"The Jiang Lianyi in your memories is very much like me, and the details you described don't seem false," she explained. "But I genuinely don't remember any of these events. Having not personally experienced them, I cannot truly empathize."

"A voice deep within me keeps telling me to believe you, and my husband also said the same thing."

"I choose to believe you, but unfortunately, I have no recollection of those experiences. I am not the Phoenix Clan prodigy you remember, and I can't pretend to be."

"So—"

Jiang Lianyi stood up, extended her hand, and smiled.

"May we reintroduce ourselves?" she asked. "My name is Jiang Lianyi."

The Immortal Fairy stood up, shook her hand, and smiled in return.

"My name is Huang Doudou."

The two women shook hands and exchanged a smile. It was as if they were meeting for the first time, yet also as if they had known each other for a long time.

Jiang Lianyi then walked over to Lu Yang, startling him. He wondered what this ancient ancestor intended to do.

Jiang Lianyi said solemnly:

"Thank you for reviving Immortal Sister," she said. "I thank you on behalf of Xiao Ling and my husband!"

With that, Jiang Lianyi bowed deeply, startling Lu Yang. He quickly stood up, exclaiming that she shouldn't, and tried to help her up.

But Jiang Lianyi, a dignified Half-Immortal, was not someone Lu Yang could move. Despite using all his strength, he couldn't even budge the hem of her robe.

He could only watch as Jiang Lianyi bowed and then stood up again, his own calves trembling.

"Can you tell us what happened before you used the feigning death technique?" the Immortal Fairy asked.

"Of course."

The three of them sat down, and Jiang Lianyi began to recall past events.

"I was cultivating at the time," she began, "when suddenly a wave of dizziness swept over me. It felt as if I had forgotten something very important, leaving an empty feeling in my heart. But when I tried to recall it, I couldn't remember what exactly I had forgotten."

"My husband was guarding me," she continued, "when his expression suddenly changed, filled with extreme rage. His pupils were consumed by fury; I had never seen him so angry."

"My husband revealed his true Qilin form and fully unleashed his immense pressure. The entire galaxy trembled. Being closest, I felt it most profoundly. This pressure was so powerful that even I could not withstand it; it made my heart palpitate."

"My husband flew out of the immortal's abode, flying north. He traversed countless galaxies, and should have stopped somewhere near Polaris."

"It was then that I noticed that it wasn't just my husband; Yingtian, Jiuchong, and Suiyue — all three of them displayed the same profound anger as my husband, or even greater."

"When the four immortals simultaneously took action, the entire universe could feel their combined aura. That fury made even my heart tremble, as if it would incinerate everything."

"Although the four of them often sparred in their daily lives, exchanging moves and sometimes truly getting heated, no previous encounter was quite like this one."

"I also don't know who their opponent was. I only remember that the battle lasted for seven days and seven nights, with no clear victor."

"The level of that battle was too high; it exceeded my scope of understanding. Please forgive me, I cannot describe it in detail."

"Whether the opponent disappeared or for some other reason, the four of them eventually used the power of their Dao Fruits to refine all the stars in the sky, transforming them into six continents that formed a cube. They sealed all living beings within it, including themselves."

"My husband returned severely injured. He told me the situation was complicated and unclear, and urged me to quickly use the feigning death technique, leaving the rest for him to handle."

"Seeing my husband so serious, I didn't doubt him. I performed the feigning death technique and fell into a deep sleep."

"When I woke up again, that's when I met you."

The Immortal Fairy nodded. "So, if that's the case," she said, "this secret realm wasn't created by you, but by the Qilin Immortal?"

"At the very least, I have no recollection of this secret realm," Jiang Lianyi replied, "and I don't know anything about its first or second layers."

"What do you plan to do next?" the Immortal Fairy asked. "Will you leave this place with us?"

"If I may ask," Jiang Lianyi inquired, "how long have I been asleep?"

"Roughly three hundred thousand years," the Immortal Fairy replied. "Your Phoenix Clan is now the largest clan in the Demon Realm, and they revere you as an ancient ancestor. There are many legends about you in the outside world."

"I've been asleep for so long?"

Jiang Lianyi was astonished. She had thought only a few tens of thousands of years had passed at most. With so much time gone, she wondered how the cultivation world had changed.

"Then I shall go out and take a look around."

Jiang Lianyi developed a strong interest in the outside world.

"Oh, by the way, there's something I was too embarrassed to say earlier," Jiang Lianyi said after a moment of thought. She felt uncomfortable keeping it to herself.

"Go ahead."

"Could you perhaps wear something a bit more formal?" Jiang Lianyi asked. She scrutinized the Immortal Fairy from head to toe; her attire was far too rough.

"No."

"Oh."