The bottom of the Ghostly Abyss was shrouded in mist year-round. This place seemed to be a corner forgotten by heaven and earth. Sunlight could only struggle to penetrate the thick cloud layer, casting a few faint rays of light. Those rays refracted in the mist, forming hazy columns of light that added a touch of mysterious color to this silent lan.
Damp rock walls were covered with moss, vibrant with green. The air was filled with a faint smell of mold and earth, mixed with the fragrance of wildflowers, creating a unique atmosphere. A clear stream emerged from a crevice in the rocks, winding its way through this silent lan, producing a faint gurgling sound. That sound echoed in the empty Ghostly Abyss,appearing especially clear.
Yuyi sat cross-legged on a smooth green stone, eyes closed, breathing long and evenly. His clothes were already tattered beyond recognition, covered with traces of time, the edges worn frayed. But his expression was calm as water, as if he had merged with this Ghostly Abyss, becoming part of this heaven and earth.
The spiritual power within his body flowed slowly along the meridians. Each circulation repaired the meridians that had been severely injured. Those meridians had been broken and shattered, but now, nourished by spiritual power, they gradually recovered to their original state, even becoming more resilient than before. A faint vortex of spiritual energy surrounded him, forming a small spiritual energy field, greedily absorbing the heaven and earth spiritual energy at the bottom of the Ghostly Abyss.
That spiritual energy was like a trickle, continuously flowing into his body, strengthening his cultivation base.
He could no longer remember how long he had stayed here. Time seemed to have lost its meaning here. Sunrise and sunset, the waxing and waning of the moon, were all just vague changes in light and shadow in the sky. Sometimes he would count the fallen leaves in the stream, one piece, two pieces, three pieces... but eventually gave up. Sometimes he would watch the moss on the rock walls grow, trying to measure the passage of time with these subtle changes.
But in this Ghostly Abyss isolated from the world, time no longer mattered.
What mattered was cultivation, healing, finding his own path.
He only remembered that he had been seriously injured by someone and escaped here. Those past grudges and entanglements had become blurred in his mind, leaving only his persistence in cultivation and a faint longing for Sha Ying.
Sha Ying.
That name flashed through his mind, with a hint of bitterness and warmth. She was the woman he had met when he first entered the martial world, gentle and considerate, accompanying him through the most difficult times. They minged together, cultivated together, and looked forward to the future together. At that time, he was still young, still naive, still thought that as long as he worked hard, he could get everything he wanted.
But later, everything changed.
He chose another path, a lonely and desolate road. On that road, there was no companionship, no warmth, only endless cultivation and fighting. He lost a lot, but also gained a lot. He became stronger, but also lonelier.
"Rustle—"
A faint sound came from above. Yuyi opened his eyes and looked toward the high cliff. There stood a woman in a purple dress, silently watching him. Her figure was faintly visible in the mist, like a blooming violet, beautiful and mysterious.
Ziyan stood on the high cliff, and she could no longer remember how many times she had come to watch this mysterious man.
Three years ago, she accidentally discovered this person healing at the bottom of the Ghostly Abyss. At that time, she was just out of curiosity, wanting to see what this person who could survive in the Ghostly Abyss looked like. But when she saw Yuyi, she was attracted by him.
He had a unique temperament, as if out of place with this world, yet finding his own tranquility in this Ghostly Abyss. That lonely and indifferent temperament made her involuntarily want to approach, to understand.
She had four days of free time each month, and would come here. She watched him pull weeds, catch fish, cook food, living a life isolated from the world. She watched him cultivate, watched him improve, watched him become stronger and stronger.
She didn't know his name, didn't know where he came from, didn't know what he had experienced. She only knew that he was called Yuyi, a cultivator who had been seriously injured, a loner seeking his own path in the Ghostly Abyss.
She knew he was called Yuyi, a cultivator who had been seriously injured, but beyond that, she knew nothing about him. He had a unique temperament, as if out of place with this world, yet finding his own tranquility in this Ghostly Abyss. That lonely and indifferent temperament made her involuntarily want to approach, to understand.
Meanwhile, in another part of the cultivation world, on a quiet peak of Tianyin Pavilion, Xueji was standing face to face with Jianying.
Xueji's face was filled with confusion, as if she had forgotten many things. Her eyes were empty, as if she was recalling something, but couldn't grasp those lost memories. Her long hair was scattered over her shoulders, fluttering gently in the wind, adding a touch of delicate beauty to her.
"How long will it take for your injuries to recover?" Jianying asked, his voice filled with a hint of anticipation. His eyes were sharp as a sword, staring tightly at Xueji, as if he wanted to see through her heart.
Xueji thought for a moment, saying: "Probably about three years. Back then, I held back, just didn't want the cultivation world to be too boring."
Her voice was very light, very soft, but carried an unquestionable determingation.
A hint of brilliant light flashed in Jianying's eyes: "After your injuries are healed, we'll fight again."
His voice was full of fighting spirit, a kind of longing for the strong, a love for battle.
Xueji smiled, saying nothing. Her smile carried a hint of bitterness, as if she regretted something from the past, but couldn't say clearly what it was. She turned around and looked at the distant sky, her eyes becoming deep and confused.
Back in the Ghostly Abyss, Yuyi stood up and walked to the stream. He looked at his reflection in the water, that once high-spirited face now had a few more traces of vicissitudes. The traces of time had left their mark on his face, but also endowed him with a mature temperament.
His injuries had almost completely healed. These years of cultivation had given him a deeper understanding of martial arts. He understood what true strength was, what true realm was.
"A true master is one who can reach the state of self-forgetfulness," he muttered to himself, his voice echoing in the empty Ghostly Abyss, with a few vicissitudes, a few realizations, "Worry is an important factor that restricts the sharpness of attacks. Only by completely forgetting one's own existence can one exert maximum strength."
He thought of his past battles, those moments of life and death. Every time, he could feel a wonderful state, as if he had merged with the sword, merged with heaven and earth. That feeling was self-forgetfulness.
But to truly reach that realm required a huge price.
He needed to forget everything, forget grudges, forget emotions, forget himself. Only then could he truly become one with the sword, one with heaven and earth.
At this moment, Ziyan's figure appeared on the high cliff again. This time, she came earlier than usual. She saw Yuyi catching fish by the stream, his movements smooth and natural, as if integrated with the surrounding environment. Every movement of his was full of rhythm, neither impatient nor impatient, yet incredibly precise.
He reached into the water, his movements as gentle as caressing a lover's skin. The fish swam in the water, seemingly unaware of the danger. Suddenly, his hands closed together, and a fat fish was caught in his hands.
That fish struggled in his hands, but he held it firmly, and the fish could not escape.
A surge of impulse rose in Ziyan's heart. She decided not to just watch him from afar, but to truly know him. She took a deep breath, calmed her nervous mood, and then shouted in the direction of Yuyi: "Hey! Hello!"
That voice was clear and pleasant, echoing in the empty Ghostly Abyss.
Yuyi looked up and saw Ziyan on the high cliff, slightly stunned. This was the first time in three years that she had taken the initiative to speak to him. He put down the fish in his hand and looked at Ziyan, his gaze calm and deep, like a pool of deep water, making it impossible to see through his thoughts.
"Who are you?" Yuyi asked, his voice calm and waveless, without any emotional fluctuations.
"My name is Ziyan, a disciple of Silver Moon Alliance," Ziyan said, her voice filled with a hint of nervousness, a hint of anticipation, "I've been watching you for three years. Why have you been here all the time?"
Yuyi was silent for a moment, saying: "I'm healing."
His voice was very brief, very direct, without any extra explantion.
"Are your injuries very serious?" Ziyan asked with concern, her voice filled with a hint of worry, "Do you want me to find some spiritual medicine for you?"
"It's almost healed," Yuyi said, "Thank you for your concern."
His tone was very plain, but Ziyan could hear the gratitude in it.
Ziyan smiled, that smile like a flower blooming in spring, beautiful and brilliant: "Where are you planing to go after your injuries are healed?"
Yuyi looked up at the sky, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes: "I don't know, maybe I'll leave here, maybe I'll continue to stay here."
There was a hint of uncertainty in his voice, a confusion about the future, a hesitation about the path.
Ziyan's heart sank, but she quickly regained her smile: "No matter where you go, I will remember you."
Her voice was very light, but very firm, a kind of promise, a kind of determingation.
Yuyi said nothing, just silently looking at Ziyan. He knew that this woman had developed feelings for him, but his heart no longer belonged to anyone. His heart had long been buried in this Ghostly Abyss with those passing years.
He couldn't give her what she wanted, so he could only choose silence.
The sun set, and the last afterglow fell at the bottom of the Ghostly Abyss, dyeing this silent lan golden. Those golden rays refracted in the mist, forming a beautiful picture.
Ziyan had to leave. She stood on the high cliff, waving to Yuyi: "I'll come again tomorrow!"
Her voice echoed in the Ghostly Abyss, with a hint of reluctance, a hint of anticipation.
Yuyi watched her figure disappear into the night, without a ripple in his heart. He knew that he and this woman did not belong to the same world, their intersection was just brief. Like two intersecting lines, meeting at a point, then going in different directions.
He turned around and returned to the rock, sitting cross-legged again, and began to cultivate.
Night fell, and the bottom of the Ghostly Abyss fell into darkness. Only the sound of the stream echoed in the silence, as if telling some ancient story. Occasionally there were a few insect chirps, adding a touch of vitality to this silent night.
Yuyi closed his eyes, and the spiritual power within his body began to flow again. That spiritual power was like small streams, flowing in his meridians, nourishing his body, strengthening his cultivation base.
In this silent Ghostly Abyss, he found his own path, a path leading to a true master.
A lonely and desolate road.
A road with no return.
But he would not regret it, because he knew that this was his choice, his fate.
The night grew deeper.
In the Ghostly Abyss, only Yuyi's breathing echoed, steady and long, like the stream in this Ghostly Abyss, never stopping.