Chapter 519: Wu Shenyun: You again?
After leaving the Villa, Wu He instructed: "After you find that person, do not act rashly. Be courteous. You understand, those who understand, understand."
Some veteran powerhouses nodded repeatedly, their expressions grave, indicating they understood perfectly. The subtext was as clear as day. Even though the Southern Border Goddess currently projected an aura of pure, unadulterated killing intent, her fury was a tempest born from a deep and wounded heart. Where could such profound hatred exist without an equally profound love preceding it? They reasoned that perhaps, deep down, she still cherished the man who had wronged her. If any of them dared to lay a hand on him, the Southern Border Goddess would likely turn her wrath upon them, annihilating them on the spot.
It was a classic, albeit terrifying, scenario. Had they not seen it play out in the mortal world? A husband and wife brawling at a roadside stall, and when a well-meaning passerby stepped in to mediate, they found themselves being beaten by both parties for their trouble. Interfering in the tangled affairs of the heart, especially those of powerful cultivators, was a surefire way to bring disaster upon oneself.
The newcomers, who hadn't yet grasped the subtle political undercurrents, were quickly pulled aside by the seasoned veterans. In hushed, urgent tones, the situation was explained to them. One by one, their eyes widened in sheer astonishment, as if they had just been entrusted with a secret that could shatter the heavens. Their faces were a mask of disbelief, leaving them utterly dumbfounded.
The peerless Southern Border Goddess, Wu Shenyun—a woman of incomparable power and ethereal grace, a living legend who commanded the respect and fear of the entire Southern Border—was actually abandoned by a fickle, heartless man?
Just who in the world was this absolute madman?
Inside the Villa.
Wu Shenyun remained blissfully unaware that her loyal subordinates had already spun a dramatic and entirely fabricated backstory for her. The day's events had concluded, and seeing the late hour, she prepared to rest. She moved towards her private chambers, the intricate crimson fabric of her dress trailing elegantly across the polished floorboards. The gown clung to her form, accentuating a figure that was both graceful and exquisitely mature. A natural aloofness radiated from her, a queenly distance, yet it was laced with a subtle, almost unconscious allure that drew the eye and ignited the imagination.
After all, possessing a figure that boasted such prideful fullness, no matter how aloof or dignified she appeared, she couldn't help but stir the wildest fantasies in a man's heart. Her very presence was an intoxicating paradox, too alluring to be contained by mere dignity.
With a soft sigh, she unfastened the sash of her dress. The heavy silk slid away, and she slowly immersed herself in the steaming, fragrant water of her bath. Leaning back against the smooth porcelain, Wu Shenyun closed her eyes. The stern, icy mask she wore for the world finally melted away, her expression softening into one of serene release. She stretched languidly, the tension flowing from her limbs like a lazy, contented Persian cat soaking in a patch of sunlight.
The very next instant, her phoenix-like eyes snapped open. The softness vanished, replaced by a glare so sharp it could have cut through steel.
"It's you again!"
Her surroundings had dissolved. She was no longer in her bath. She stood in a void of swirling mist, the Love Dream Illusion coiling around her senses. Before her stood the same young man, his handsome face etched with a knowing smile. Her gaze locked onto him, sharp and piercing, trying to burn every detail of his appearance into her memory so that she could find him, and kill him, the moment she awoke.
"It's no use. You won't remember," Shen Anyu said, his voice a low, amused chuckle. The corners of his mouth turned up in a confident smirk. "Once you awaken, your memories of this dream will become hazy, indistinct. It will all feel like a fleeting fantasy... unless, of course, we meet again in the real world. Only then will the barrier crumble, and you will recall everything from this Love Dream Illusion."
"So it was your doing," Wu Shenyun's voice was dangerously low, a lethal calm before a storm. The pressure emanating from her began to warp the very fabric of the dreamscape. "Who are you? A Head-Gu Master from some forgotten lineage? A Sorcerer who dabbles in forbidden arts?" Her eyes flickered with a cold, analytical light, sizing him up with the predatory focus of a divine eagle circling its prey. It was clear that if his next answer was not to her satisfaction, it would unleash a strike of terrifying, world-shattering power.
Her pair of phoenix eyes were a masterpiece of creation, as exquisitely beautiful as the most dazzling, uncut gemstones—noble, regal, yet holding a glimmer of untamed allure. But beneath that beauty was an imposing power so immense that few men would ever dare to meet her gaze directly. To do so was to invite a fear that clawed its way up from the very depths of one's soul.
She was an exceptionally beautiful woman. And an exceptionally dangerous one.
Shen Anyu, however, remained utterly unfazed. Her suffocating aura washed over him like a gentle breeze. He smiled, his eyes leisurely tracing the lines of her figure, completely ignoring her question. "Don't you think this is a wonderful destiny?" he asked, his tone light and conversational. "Our ability to meet like this, across the boundaries of consciousness... it must be a fate woven in a past life. I am your Dream Lover, and you are my Dream Maiden."
Wu Shenyun sneered, the sound devoid of warmth. Her gaze was as cold as a winter night as it remained fixed on him.
"Perhaps in a past life, we were Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai," he continued, undeterred, "or Huang Rong and Yang Guo. Who knows? Maybe we were even Mei Yangyang and Lan Yangyang?"
The sheer absurdity of his final suggestion, a reference to a children's cartoon, almost made Wu Shenyun's icy, beautiful facade crack. A flicker of genuine confusion, mingled with rage, crossed her features.
"You must be very confused right now, aren't you?"
Just as Wu Shenyun's killing intent was about to boil over, Shen Anyu's voice shifted. It became deep, magnetic, and resonated with an almost hypnotic quality. "After more than twenty years of arduous cultivation, sequestered in the mountains, both your witchcraft and your martial arts have reached the absolute Peak of the Heavenly Human Realm. It would be no exaggeration to call you a heaven-blessed genius. But now... now there is no path forward. You have no idea how to break through to the Land Immortal Realm, do you?"
His words struck her like a physical blow.
"The Blood Gu Sect Master, the man you swore to destroy, your sworn enemy for decades... he was annihilated by your hand with ease. But now that hatred, the goal that drove you for so long, is gone. Where does your path lie now?"
"..."
Wu Shenyun's sharp phoenix eyes lowered, her gaze falling from his face. Her full red lips pursed slightly. She was forced to admit, Shen Anyu's words had struck the very core of her being, echoing the questions that had haunted her own quiet moments.
Even she, the Southern Border Goddess, who had just single-handedly wiped out the Blood Gu Sect and established her absolute dominion over the Southern Border, felt a profound sense of confusion deep in her heart. With her great revenge exacted, what came next? Where was her path? How could she possibly breach the chasm to the Land Immortal Realm? Where did that path even begin?
Wu Shenyun looked up again, a strange, complicated glint in her phoenix eyes as she studied the young, handsome man before her. For the first time in a long time, a ripple of true uncertainty disturbed the placid surface of her heart.
A triumphant curve touched Shen Anyu's lips. With a mere thought, he shifted the scenery of the Love Dream Illusion. He remained perfectly lucid, the master of this domain. But Wu Shenyun, under the influence of the Divine Love Dream Talisman, was disoriented, her defenses lowered, her mind enchanted. In their previous encounters, her red lips had already revealed a great deal of information.
Those moments of shared joy and intimacy within the illusion had been entirely real to her, and through them, he had learned so much. Shen Anyu wasn't a man to waste his efforts. Beyond the simple pleasure of their encounters, he had been meticulously uncovering the secrets of the Southern Border Goddess. Coupled with the intelligence he had gathered in the real world, it was fair to say that, in some respects, he now understood Wu Shenyun even better than she understood herself.
"Heh," Wu Shenyun's clear, cold voice echoed through the dreamscape, a hint of challenge returning to her tone. "And you think you can point out the path for me?"
"Of course." Shen Anyu met her gaze without a shred of hesitation. His smile was deep and meaningful as he casually recited a few lines from the Martial God Art.
At first, Wu Shenyun scoffed, disbelief etched on her face. Then, as the words registered, her phoenix eyes widened, her red lips parting in a small, silent gasp. Her beautiful face was flooded with a profound shock that bordered on reverence. With her cultivation and insight, she instantly grasped the profound, esoteric mysteries contained within those few sentences. This wasn't some trick; it was a truly ingenious and divine cultivation method, a genuine path that could lead not only to the Land Immortal Realm, but perhaps even to the legendary Martial God Realm beyond it.
Though her pride and her mind screamed in resistance, Wu Shenyun's body was far more honest. A pair of fair, delicate ears perked up, straining to catch every syllable. She listened with an intensity she hadn't felt in years, not wanting to miss a single, precious word.
Then, just as he was about to elaborate on the crucial principles for breaking through to the Land Immortal Realm, Shen Anyu's voice abruptly stopped.
"What's next?" Wu Shenyun demanded, her voice laced with an impatience she rarely showed. She stared at Shen Anyu, her frustration evident. It was the agonizing torment of a starving person having a feast snatched away just as they were about to take the first bite; the unbearable frustration of a man who had finally persuaded a goddess to his room, only to be told it was her time of the month.
For a powerhouse who had dedicated her life to painstakingly seeking the realms beyond her current peak, a cultivation method of the Martial God Art's caliber was an irresistible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It was a treasure she absolutely could not miss.
Shen Anyu, however, simply smiled without speaking.
Seeing the meaningful, almost teasing expression on his handsome face, Wu Shenyun's phoenix eyes sharpened once more, the cold fury returning. "Are you trying to use this cultivation method to entice me?"
Her voice became as clear and cold as pearls dropping onto a jade plate—crisp, resonant, and powerful. "I do not accept this enticement. Although I yearn for the realms beyond the Land Immortal, I am confident that with my own talent, I can break through on my own."
Shen Anyu had no doubt that she spoke the truth. The Southern Border Goddess possessed that level of talent, that level of brilliance, and that level of unyielding pride. A woman like Wu Shenyun could not be easily coerced or enticed with simple treasures or promises.
Facing her sharp, defiant gaze, Shen Anyu said indifferently, "Do you believe now that I can show you your path?"
Wu Shenyun pursed her red lips, remaining silent. It was a tacit admission.
At that moment, a flicker of a smile flashed in Shen Anyu's eyes. He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Besides the path of martial arts," he continued, "I can also point out the source of the confusion in your life."
"For example... in front of outsiders, you are the aloof and mighty Southern Border Goddess. But in reality, you are also just a woman. Thirty years old and in your prime, with a... special constitution. In the dead of night, when your dreams turn to reality, in the lonely depths of your soul, you also~"
"Stop!" Wu Shenyun's voice was sharp, cutting him off. For the first time, she was truly flustered.
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