DDT - Chapter 146
Chapter 146: Immortal Venerable × Meow Meow Cat (1)
An unknown amount of time passed. Chi Junluo wandered through a bottomless dream, unable to wake up. Perhaps this was the true meaning of a day feeling like a year.
It was a bizarre and incredibly long dream. In it, she soared through the heavens and burrowed into the earth. She shuttled through colorful, ancient forests, seeing strange creatures whose faces she couldn't make out, as well as people in magnificent, archaic clothing.
The feeling of soaring freely through the vast sky was truly unforgettable, intoxicating. She couldn't even remember her own name.
But Chi Junluo knew this was just a dream. Although everything in it filled her with a deep sense of nostalgia, she vaguely remembered in her heart that someone was waiting for her outside this illusory dreamscape.
As with all myths and legends, the flow of time in the God Realm was different from that of other worlds. The Heavenly Dao E Feng himself had not expected to be held up in the God Realm for several months. Although he wanted to return to Chi Junluo and Yi Shuhan's side as soon as possible, the truth behind the Main God's fall, which he had been investigating, was now within his grasp. A hazy veil floated over that truth, and it seemed that with one firm swipe, the veil would dissipate into thin air, and the deliberately hidden facts would finally be revealed to all. The temptation was simply too great. E Feng had already confirmed Chi Junluo's identity. In the past, he would have stayed by her side without leaving for a single step.
But this time was different. For anyone faced with a matter that had long troubled them, with the truth laid bare right before their eyes, needing only to push aside a thin barrier to have it all, the temptation was immense. Once he knew who was behind the scheme, he could better protect their Main God alongside his fellow Heavenly Daos.
Therefore, after much internal conflict, E Feng sent Chi Junluo to the new world and then rushed back to the God Realm without a moment's delay.
Chi Junluo's divine persona was almost fully assembled, and the new world didn't pose much of a threat to her. The Heavenly Dao thought that, just like last time, a brief absence of a few days wouldn't be a major issue. He never imagined that he would miss an entire world's worth of time with Chi Junluo.
At the crack of dawn, the melodious chirping of birds trickled into Chi Junluo's ears.
Deeply aware that she had been asleep for a long time, Chi Junluo felt a severe headache and a tearing pain throughout her body. She couldn't move her limbs and lacked even the strength to turn her head.
She lay in an extremely uncomfortable and awkward position on what was clearly a patch of overgrown grass for a while. The pain in her head gradually subsided, and the birdsong that had woken her had already faded. It was quiet all around, with only the rustling of leaves as a gentle breeze swept through the surrounding trees.
Chi Junluo struggled to open her eyelids. A dense thicket of grass filled her vision. It seemed she was in a very ancient forest. Even the grass was so lush that she couldn't see anything else.
Suddenly, Chi Junluo felt a chill on the back of her neck. A sense of danger crawled up her spine to her scalp. Before she could mentally prepare herself, the memories of this body came crashing down on her. Without a chance to form a single thought, Chi Junluo's eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
Before losing consciousness, Chi Junluo vaguely heard a very familiar, punchable voice. "Damn it! How did she faint again..."
Xianyuan Sect.
Today, the Xianyuan Sect was bustling with excitement from top to bottom. As one of the four great immortal sects of the cultivation world, the Xianyuan Sect was powerful, but it also possessed a burning passion for gossip unknown to the outside world. Just now, the sect's guardian elder, Immortal Venerable Qingyun, had returned from somewhere carrying a small, blood-covered child. Everyone in the Xianyuan Sect lamented that to become a direct disciple of Qingyun Peak, one only needed a tragic backstory and a near-death experience.
Their speculation was not without reason. Fifteen years ago, the very same Immortal Venerable Qingyun had returned from her travels, dangling a small, blood-soaked boy from her right hand. In less than a month, the boy, having recovered on Qingyun Peak, was quickly accepted as her personal disciple. This time, the Immortal Venerable had brought back a little girl. It seemed that before long, her personal disciple, Yun Qian, would likely have a junior sister.
When Chi Junluo woke up again, she was lying comfortably on a large, soft, and warm bed. The pain in her body had vanished, and some of her strength seemed to have returned. She opened her eyes to the gentle flicker of warm yellow candlelight in the darkness. She could tell she was in a strangely shaped wooden house. It had no roof and no windows, only a few walls.
The air quality in this world was excellent. Through the non-existent roof of the wooden house, Chi Junluo could easily see the countless stars in the night sky. Despite having only a few decorative-looking walls and a howling wind outside, there wasn't the slightest breeze inside the room. Even the candlelight flickered with a quiet stillness.
Suddenly, a flash of white light appeared by the bedside, and a beautiful woman with a cold expression, dressed in white immortal robes, materialized next to Chi Junluo's bed. Chi Junluo blinked her large eyes, staring at the woman's beautiful face.
"I am the Peak Master of Qingyun Peak," the beautiful woman in white said, also sizing up the little girl who had woken up and recovered a great deal, looking quite spirited. She gave a simple self-introduction, then asked, "Child, what is your name?"
Chi Junluo's head was still a bit dizzy; her mind was a complete muddle. Before she could even think, a name floated from her lips, spoken by the body itself. "Pretty sister, my name is Chi Jun."
"Chi Jun..." The Peak Master of Qingyun Peak softly repeated the name, her face devoid of expression. She looked Chi Junluo over once more, instructed her to lie down and rest well, then turned, and with another flash of white light, vanished from the spot. She seemed to be in a great hurry to go somewhere.
"Wuwuwu. Chi Chi, you're finally awake!"
Suddenly, a voice she hadn't heard in what felt like centuries echoed in Chi Junluo's mind. Before she could process what was happening, the whiny voice spoke again.
"Ah! Chi Chi. We've only been apart for a few days, and you've already forgotten me! You heartbreaker!"
Only then did Chi Junluo realize who this whimpering person was. Wasn't it the Heavenly Dao E Feng, who had abandoned her for over a hundred years?!
He had certainly kept her waiting!
Chi Junluo said nothing. Perhaps sensing the rapidly dropping pressure in the space, the Heavenly Dao, knowing he was in the wrong, stopped his antics and put away his whimpering.
Chi Junluo wasn't in the mood to deal with this irresponsible Heavenly Dao who had a habit of disappearing in recent worlds. She lay back down on the bed, closed her eyes, and began to sort through the original owner's memories.
This time, the feeling of viewing the original owner's memories was completely different from previous worlds. Before, she had been like a spectator, watching the past unfold from a detached, god-like perspective. But this time was strange. She was clearly examining this body's memories, yet it felt as if she were recalling her own past. The god-like perspective was gone...
Chi Junluo delved into her sea of consciousness. The familiar Heavenly Dao was cowering in a corner, refusing to respond no matter how she called, with only a few words floating above his head: Facing the wall in repentance.
Chi Junluo narrowed her eyes. Not wanting to waste time arguing with a Heavenly Dao who felt too guilty to face her, she began to review the original owner's memories from the beginning.
The original owner's name was Chi Jun. This was the name the Third Elder, the last of her clan to protect her escape after a great calamity befell her family 1900 years ago, had bestowed upon her essence soul.
Chi Jun was a descendant of the Cat God of the ancient divine beast, the Nine-Tailed Cat Clan. After the great war between ancient gods and demons, the ancient divine beasts were nearly wiped out. Millions of years later, the cultivation world of Nine Nether Profound Sky had long since recorded everything about the ancient era into forbidden texts, sealed away in the deepest parts of the great sects' libraries. All that circulated in the world were distorted "legends."
Even the Nine-Tailed Cat Clan, which once stood on equal footing with the Nine-Tailed Foxes, had been rumored into being mere "cat demons"...
This was a humiliation for every member of the Nine-Tailed Cat Clan!
The same was true for the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan. Once ancient divine beasts, their status had been completely forgotten with the passing of the ancient era. Now, whether they were human mortals, cultivators, or even demons, they all referred to the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan as "fox demons" or "fox spirits." In contrast, the true cat demons and fox demons of the demon race secretly rejoiced, as being associated with divine beasts was, after all, a fine tale to tell.
Therefore, the Nine-Tailed Cat Clan and the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan were mortal enemies of the human race!
After the war of ancient gods and demons, the surviving divine beast clans went into seclusion. The eastern and western continents of Nine Nether Profound Sky had plenty of perilous and secret realms, which allowed the various surviving clans to barely rest and recuperate.
But as the cultivation world flourished, the day would come when the ancient ruins would be discovered, breached, and claimed by other races.
Unfortunately, the ancient ruins of the Nine-Tailed Cat Clan, their last home and the place they relied on for survival, was discovered by the cultivation world.
On that afternoon 1900 years ago, the ruins trembled. A dense swarm of human cultivators forcibly broke through the multiple barriers of the Nine-Tailed Cat Clan. The sight of exotic beasts everywhere made the cultivators' eyes turn red with greed, and the abundance of rare treasures never before seen in the cultivation world threw the scene into even greater chaos.
At that time, Chi Jun, who had just turned 100 and was still a cub, hid in the deepest part of the Nine-Tailed Cat castle. Using the power of her essence soul, she watched with her own eyes as her clansmen were brutally slaughtered one by one. Her father, the Emperor, and her mother, the Empress, were pierced by a thousand arrows. Her brothers and sisters were either captured or skinned and dismembered alive. That day, her eyes were filled with the blood of her clan.
It was the Third Elder who broke through the siege and led the young Chi Jun to escape through a secret passage. But that passage was soon discovered by the utterly depraved cultivators, who gave chase.
In her final memory, the Third Elder detonated his Essence Soul Pill, desperately holding back the large group of cultivators. He used several ancient Transfer Talismans on Chi Jun, sending the cub to the mortal realm.
The last words Chi Jun heard were, "Your Highness, from this day forward, you are the 'Jun' of the Nine-Tailed Cat Clan. Your past is no longer important. Your Highness, remember your sovereign destiny, and revive the Nine-Tailed Cat Clan..."
Perhaps the elder had said more, but it no longer mattered. By the time the cub came to her senses, she had been teleported to an unknown place. She could never return to the home of the Nine-Tailed Cat Clan.
No matter what beautiful name she had before, no matter how happy her childhood was, from that day on, she carried her clan's surname and used the name "Jun"—a name only the leader of the Nine-Tailed Cat Clan, the Nine-Tailed Cat Emperor, could use. Burdened with her clan's final mission, she had to survive in this Nine Nether Profound Sky and complete a nearly impossible task.
A bone-chilling wind gusted against her face. Chi Junluo didn't know when she had walked out of that strange wooden house. She stood at the edge of a cliff, her fists clenched so tightly that dark red blood seeped from her palms and dripped onto the ground. Her eyes were bloodshot, and tears streamed down her face.
Chi Junluo froze, pulling herself out of the memories. She felt the coldness on her face and raised a hand to wipe away the tears that had just spilled from her eyes. Only then did she clearly see the thousand-foot cliff just half a step away. A sudden wave of dizziness made her legs go weak, and losing her balance, she pitched forward.
Chi Junluo's mind went blank. Before she could react and save herself, she fell into a fragrant, warm, and soft embrace.
One hand gently wrapped around her thin frame, while another warm hand rested on the back of her head.
In an instant, the surrounding chill dissipated completely. That beautiful Immortal Venerable sister pressed the small child into her embrace and said softly, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
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