Chapter 1244, Chapters 1285 and 1286: Awakening! (Third and Fourth Updates Combined!)

The statue of Wang Lin inside the Valley had transformed over these six years from a weathered old man into a young man, practically indistinguishable from him before he became a statue. Every time Li Qianmei silently gazed at the statue, it was as if she saw Wang Lin standing before her.

"You promised me you would give it to me…" Li Qianmei murmured softly, seeming to speak to herself and to Wang Lin, who had turned into a statue.

Scene after scene of her acquaintance with Wang Lin constantly surfaced in Li Qianmei's mind over those six years, becoming increasingly profound. Yet, sometimes she would ask herself why everything had turned out this way.

She couldn't understand it, but Wang Lin's figure only deepened in her heart… What she thought of more often, especially when entering meditation, was the image in her mind that she couldn't shake: the eyes of a fish beneath the water silently watching the flying bird in the sky above the surface.

The bird's single descent, the shake of its feathers, and the exchange of gazes with the fish below the water while drinking—though only for a moment—became eternal, persisting in Li Qianmei's mind.

"Is there really… a past life?" Li Qianmei bit her lower lip. Having run out of tears, she peeled off the scabs of blood on her ten fingers and once again used her blood to smear the body of the statue Wang Lin had become.

Time slowly flowed by once more without notice. In the blink of an eye, another year passed… During this year, the speed at which Wang Lin's statue absorbed blood grew faster and faster. Li Qianmei only had half an hour each day for a slight rest; the rest of the time, she had to watch the statue, reapplying the blood before the previous layer was fully absorbed.

Again and again… This single year was almost equivalent to the entire previous six years combined. Li Qianmei's body became even weaker… She lacked the time to recover, and under this constant depletion, her life force slowly dissipated.

The Medicinal Pills in her Storage Pouch were also nearly gone after these seven years. She had consumed them all, transforming them into internal Primal Energy to sustain her life force.

However, the consumption of Medicinal Pills was far outpaced by her daily dissipation. Even if she had more pills, it would be useless… because Li Qianmei currently lacked the time to digest them; she only had half an hour every day… If, due to the pills, a gap of even one breath appeared in her seven years of continuous effort, her efforts would be wasted. Li Qianmei's face was dull and lifeless, devoid of any spirit. Only her eyes remained resolute. She didn't dwell on whether it was worth it or not; she only knew that she needed to do this, and doing this… she wouldn't regret it… That was enough.

After finishing one application, Li Qianmei took out a Medicinal Pill from her Storage Pouch, quickly put it in her mouth, and seized every moment to digest it. After half an hour, she gave up on continuing to absorb the medicinal power, letting the effect dissipate. The meager Primal Energy she managed to gain was immediately used to condense her life force, stimulating her body to produce more blood, and she began smearing again… One month, two months, three months… A woman, with her tenacity, her persistence, and her unwavering resolve, had endured eight years… She did not have the hundreds of years of solitary waiting that Li Muwan had, nor Li Muwan's lonely zither music, but she possessed the same dedication, even after eight years, and she would continue until the end of her life… "You still haven't answered my third question, and I haven't heard you speak the third question…"

Li Qianmei bit her lip, applying the blood again and again, until eternity.

After eight years, she no longer even had that daily half-hour of rest. The absorption rate of the statue Wang Lin had become reached a terrifying degree; almost immediately after one application was finished, it would be completely absorbed. Li Qianmei had no time for hesitation or meditation before she had to start the next application of fresh blood.

This method made her even more haggard. Without time to rest or meditate, she was purely relying on her shattered nirvana cultivation to overdraft her life.

For a woman to achieve this, questioning whether it was worth it or not would be a blasphemy… She had lost the ability to think and no longer pondered anything. Only the scenes of her acquaintance with Wang Lin in her mind transformed into a strength that supported her through the eighth year.

However, compared to the eighth year, the ninth year was the most dreadful. The speed at which Wang Lin's statue absorbed blood reached an alarming level; often, before one application was even complete, the area that had just been smeared would immediately dissipate.

This situation exceeded Li Qianmei's limit. Even using both hands, she couldn't keep up with the rate of dissipation. Upon realizing this, a look of despair crossed Li Qianmei's face. She bit her tongue without hesitation and began using the Essence Blood of her heart and mind!

Essence Blood is something extremely important to a Cultivator; its quantity can determine everything about the Cultivator. It does not exist within the limbs of the body but resides at the tip of the tongue and the heart.

A single drop of this blood is equivalent to all the blood in the body.

After Li Qianmei sprayed out the Essence Blood from the tip of her tongue, she sat cross-legged and formed Hand Seals, transforming the Essence Blood into a blood mist that covered the entire statue. Only through this intense depletion could she keep up with the statue's absorption speed.

However, every time she sprayed out Essence Blood, her complexion would turn paler. She looked utterly emaciated, and her former exquisite beauty seemed to have vanished.

But this situation changed again in the second half of the ninth year. The absorption speed of Wang Lin's statue accelerated once more; even the Essence Blood from the tip of her tongue was no longer sufficient!

Li Qianmei's body was extremely weak. Despair flashed in her eyes, but she gritted her teeth, waved her right hand, and a Small Silver Sword appeared in her grasp, which she fiercely stabbed toward her heart!

Essence Blood also resided in the heart! The piercing agony caused Li Qianmei's body to tremble, but this did not stop her. Instead, her body only grew weaker.

Using this unimaginable method, Li Qianmei passed the ninth year and welcomed the tenth… "That voice once said that if this method could be sustained for ten years, he might awaken. Now, only the final year remains…" Nine years had transformed Li Qianmei completely. With the arrival of the tenth year, the Essence Blood from her heart and tongue was no longer enough to smear the statue.

Li Qianmei chose Primordial Spirit Dao Blood… Primordial Spirit Dao Blood is the foundation of her cultivation, formed by refining and forcing out the insights into the Concepts of Heaven and Earth that she had integrated into her Primordial Spirit throughout her life of cultivation. It turns into a mass of aura. This aura is not blood, but it is far more precious than blood, containing Li Qianmei's entire life force!

In this final year, Li Qianmei hesitated, but her hesitation vanished the moment she saw Wang Lin's statue, replaced by a blossoming smile, just like when they first met; the smile was incredibly moving.

"There is another woman in your heart. I will not fight you for you, nor will I force you to choose. You must have felt bitter these past years because of her… How could I pressure you? Whether you care about me or not, there are always some things in this world that cannot be fathomed or changed… I believe that if the woman in your heart had come during these nine years, she would have done the same, perhaps even better than me… Even that Mu Bingmei, if she knew everything and came here, I think she would also do it… I don't ask for anything. I merely completed the scene that constantly appears in my heart—that past life where you were the flying bird and I was the fish… Over these years, I have thought a lot and understood a lot. Perhaps it's an illusion, but I also saw many things… In the haze, I saw you, transformed into a flying bird, land on the water where I swam twice. Once, it was to drink. The other time, you were injured and fell into the water… I used my strength to push you, who had fallen into the water, to the shore, allowing you to breathe and fly away again…"

Li Qianmei smiled gently, gazed at Wang Lin's statue, and closed her eyes. The moment her eyes closed, her Primordial Spirit circulated internally, and a vortex suddenly appeared on her glabella. Masses of Dao Blood slowly diffused out, covering Wang Lin's entire body.

Li Qianmei was like a falling flower petal, accelerating her decay. However, this tenth year seemed to stretch out, becoming far longer than the previous nine years combined. In the ninth month of the tenth year, Li Qianmei opened her eyes. She looked at the statue and remained silent for a very long time.

Slowly rising, she looked up at the sky, as if seeing the scenes of her past life after she had pushed the flying bird onto the shore.

Gently shaking her head, Li Qianmei took off a Jade Pendant hanging around her neck. This Jade Pendant contained her life soul. Looking at the statue, Li Qianmei carefully hung the Jade Pendant upon it.

"With everything I have, I still can't help you through these last three months… I can't do it anymore… But I know that any Cultivator who goes to the Demon Sect Battlefield and is recognized by the Demon Sect can have their Soul Blood extracted and stored by a Demon Sect Grand Elder using a Divine Ability. If they die on the battlefield, this Soul Blood can reshape their Soul for Reincarnation and cultivation restart… I was recognized by the Demon Sect back then and left behind Soul Blood. Now, I will go retrieve this Soul Blood; perhaps it can help you survive these three months…" Li Qianmei gazed at the statue Wang Lin had become, withdrawing her gaze after a long time.

Around the Valley, Li Qianmei took out nine Flying Swords from her Storage Pouch, stabbing them into the ground to form a Sword Array. This Sword Array was the strongest of her Magic Treasures and had helped her slay countless Vicious Beasts on the battlefield!

Leaving the Sword Array to guard, Li Qianmei bit her lip. With her weakened body, she swallowed a Medicinal Pill and sped away. For the first time in ten years, she left the Valley, left the Barren Continent, and headed straight for the Demon Sect in the Ninth Stage Star Domain!

"I don't have much time. The life soul Jade Pendant can only sustain him for about a month. I must retrieve the Soul Blood within a month, but… that Soul Blood is not easy to obtain…"

Li Qianmei turned into a long arc of light and vanished into the starry sky. She could not take the statue that Wang Lin had become, as it seemed to have merged with the Barren Continent three years ago.

Li Qianmei left and never returned… As these final three months slowly passed, the Valley was without the company of the woman's figure. Perhaps due to her departure, the Valley also became lonely. The roaring of the Vicious Beasts on the continent grew increasingly violent, faintly approaching the Valley.

However, beneath the Sword Array formed by the nine Flying Swords, all Vicious Beasts that stepped within the Valley's boundaries screamed and died. Slowly, the Vicious Beasts retreated and gradually dared not approach.

One day, two days, three days… In the blink of an eye, ten days passed.

The Jade Pendant left by Li Qianmei hung around the neck of the statue Wang Lin had become, emitting a soft glow, as if Li Qianmei had never left, nourishing Wang Lin's statue.

Carrying her warmth, her ten years of smearing, and her heart, it transformed into a power that accompanied Wang Lin's statue… The eleventh day, the twelfth day… until the twentieth day.

Li Qianmei still had not returned… It was as if she had dissolved into the world, with no news whatsoever, as if this woman had never appeared in the Valley. Only the Sword Array and the Jade Pendant bore witness to everything that had transpired.

The Valley was silent. Only the statue emitted a crystalline glow, faintly illuminating the surroundings and reflecting the light of the Jade Pendant hanging on it. However, the light from the Jade Pendant was also growing dimmer, like a candle flame in the wind, seeming as though it could be extinguished at any moment.

Time slowly passed. On the twenty-seventh day after Li Qianmei left, an old woman dressed in white robes stepped forth into the starry sky above the Barren Continent, where Cultivators rarely ventured.

The old woman looked grim. In her hand, she held a Jade Slip, occasionally checking her direction as she moved, slowly drawing closer and closer to the Barren Continent.

A day later, the Barren Continent where Wang Lin resided abruptly appeared in the mist before the old woman!

The old woman let out a cold snort and took a step forward, instantly disappearing. When she reappeared, she was already standing on the continent. The moment she landed, the old woman immediately spread her Divine Sense, unleashing the aura of her shattered nirvana Great Perfection cultivation as it swept across the Barren Continent.

In an instant, she found the Valley she had been searching for all along!

Upon sensing the Valley's location, the old woman shot forward like a rainbow, continuously rumbling with thunder. With a loud boom, she suddenly tore through the Void Realm and appeared outside the Valley where Wang Lin's stone statue was.

"This is it!" The old woman frowned, about to step into the Valley, when suddenly nine Sword Qi shot out from within, soaring into the sky and heading straight for her, preventing her from taking even half a step!

The old woman's expression was as usual, but there was a hint of complexity in her eyes. Gazing at the nine Flying Swords, she sighed inwardly and waved the Jade Slip in her right hand forward. The Jade Slip immediately collided with the nine Sword Qi.

The Jade Slip flickered with a soft glow, emitting a gentle aura that enveloped the nine Sword Qi. The nine Sword Qi immediately trembled, then abandoned all resistance and dissipated into the heavens and earth.

Without the obstruction of the Sword Qi, the old woman stepped into the Valley and immediately saw Wang Lin's stone statue in the center of the Valley! She also saw the Jade Pendant hanging around the statue's neck.

Gazing at the stone statue that Wang Lin had become, the old woman's eyes revealed a complex emotion. After a long time, she let out a deep sigh.

"Mu Bingmei, did you sacrifice so much just for this person?! Never mind, I once promised you that I would deliver the life Soul Blood on your behalf, thus fulfilling my promise to you!" The old woman flicked her sleeve, and immediately a Storage Pouch rift appeared before her. From within, a fist-sized, flocculent blood sphere suddenly flew out.

This flocculent blood sphere was not true blood, but rather more like a condensed Soul. Upon its appearance, with a wave from the old woman, it flew directly towards Wang Lin's statue and merged into it.

The moment the life Soul Blood merged, Wang Lin's stone statue violently trembled, and blood-red light surged from it. However, this blood-red light contained no Evil Qi; instead, it held a vibrant life force, a tenderness, and the companionship of ten years… As the statue trembled, it was as if a Qi burst forth from within, eager to break free! Amidst a series of cracking sounds, numerous cracks appeared around the eyes of Wang Lin, who had transformed into a stone statue. This was him, for the first time in ten years of slumber, opening his eyes!

As his eyes opened, all the stone skin on his face progressively crumbled, slowly spreading outwards, seemingly needing some more time to completely shatter.

With a bewildered look in his eyes, Wang Lin seemed to have had a dream. In that dream, he entered a strange Realm, the Dao Realm… "Hmph, you've woken up!" A cold voice interrupted Wang Lin's confusion, causing his eyes to instantly regain their brilliance. With a flash, he immediately saw the white-robed old woman standing in the distance.

"You are…" Wang Lin's gaze was calm as it fell upon the old woman. With a single glance, he clearly saw a Primordial Spirit operating within her body, and various Divine Abilities flickering within that Primordial Spirit. Even under his gaze, those Divine Abilities within her Primordial Spirit instantly ceased their changes, as if with a thought from him, he could discern the fundamental nature of those Divine Abilities!

As his gaze moved, he also saw a Seal on the old woman's body, near her right heart. This Seal was for healing and had been there for no less than a thousand years.

Under his gaze, the white-robed old woman's expression suddenly changed drastically. She subconsciously took a few steps back, and sweat instantly beaded on her forehead. In that brief moment, she felt as if she had been seen through, her Primordial Spirit solidified, and all her secrets, including her Divine Ability techniques, were completely exposed in his eyes. She even had a faint, terrifying illusion that with a single thought from him, all her Divine Abilities could be erased from her memory!

What made her feel even more terrified was that the healing mark left by the Grand Elder of the Demon Sect a thousand years ago, which had transformed into a Seal due to severe injuries from a battle, was almost on the verge of collapsing under his single glance. It was enough to trigger her almost healed injuries from within, as if it could reverse a thousand years, making her instantly suffer the severe injuries of a millennium past!

"I have come from the Ninth Stage Demon Sect to deliver Li Qianmei's life Soul Blood and awaken you. What do you intend to do?! Are you going to kill me?!" Although the old woman was horrified, her personality had always been unpleasant. At this moment, she took a few steps back and glared at Wang Lin, speaking in a low voice!

"Li Qianmei?" Wang Lin was startled.

Seeing Wang Lin's expression, the old woman seemed to suppress her horror, a hint of sorrow in her voice as she laughed loudly, "Li Qianmei, oh Li Qianmei, you did all this, and it turns out this person knew nothing at all! Never mind, I have delivered the life Soul Blood and repaid your favor. From this moment on, you and I owe each other nothing!"

The old woman suddenly turned, about to leave!

"Fellow Daoist, don't be in such a hurry to leave!" Wang Lin had a faint guess in his heart and immediately spoke.

As his voice echoed, it seemed as if the rules of heaven and earth changed. The white-robed old woman's body trembled, and she was unable to leave. She turned to stare at Wang Lin, speaking grimly, "Your cultivation is high, and killing me is simple. Not letting me leave now, I don't know what you mean!"

"I've been unconscious for a long time and don't know anything that happened during this period. I hope Fellow Daoist can explain in detail!" Wang Lin looked at the old woman and slowly spoke.

The old woman sneered, and after a long while, she said, "You want to know? Fine, I'll tell you everything! Do you know a woman named Li Qianmei? You don't need to speak, you must know her!

I don't know how you two met, but do you know that ten years ago, this Li Qianmei gave up the great Opportunity of becoming a Demon Sect Disciple, abandoned the Demon Sect's regard for her, and became the first person to leave the battlefield midway. It is said that she did so to meet someone in the Wuji Sect!

The Demon Sect naturally didn't want her to do this, and even her Sect, Potian Sect, had quite a bit of criticism. Once this precedent was set, naturally, some people would no longer abide by the rules! What she lost has nothing to do with you, and it doesn't matter even if you don't know!"

Wang Lin was stunned; he indeed did not know this. When he saw Li Qianmei in the Wuji Sect, Li Qianmei hadn't mentioned any of this.

"Do you know that ten years ago, Li Qianmei left the Wuji Sect and returned to her Sect by her Master's command! You know this, but do you know that after she returned to her Sect, she was immediately confined by her Master to prevent her from leaving, to keep her confined for three months! Why confine her for three months? Because at that time, someone was facing a life-or-death crisis! I don't know much about all this, but I presume you understand!"

Wang Lin's mind was shaken. He naturally knew, but this was the first time he had heard about Li Qianmei's situation in Potian Sect.

"Do you know that Li Qianmei, in order to save you, broke ties with her Master, who was like a father to her, and exchanged her death for the chance to leave, becoming a person without a sect or faction ever since!"

"Do you know that for you to awaken, Li Qianmei spent these ten years applying fresh blood to your entire body every day, and when the fresh blood ran out, she used Essence Blood instead, and when even the Essence Blood was insufficient, she replaced it with her Concept Primordial Spirit!"

"Do you know how painful all this was, for ten long years, without interruption!"

"Do you know that for these ten years, except for the last few months, she never left this Valley by even half a step, accompanying you day and night!"

"Do you know that in these ten years, she used not only fresh blood but also contained her life force, all of her. She consumed her life force, infused it into the blood to give to you, becoming extremely weak!"

"Do you know that in the end, when her Primordial Spirit could no longer be used, she actually went to the Demon Sect, and at what cost did she retrieve the life Soul Blood for me to deliver to you!"

"Do you know that even as she left, she had to leave her life soul Jade Pendant on you to nourish your body? You don't know any of this? You actually don't know???"

The old woman's expression was filled with grief and indignation as she stared at Wang Lin and spoke these words!

These words, falling into Wang Lin's ears, were like thunder rumbling past, causing his body to tremble violently. He knew, he knew what the continuous blood-red light within the Heaven Defying, that gentle warmth, that blood-red light that nourished his Soul even in the Dao Realm, truly was!

He lowered his head and saw the Jade Pendant around his neck. The Jade Pendant's light was dim, as if it could dissipate at any moment. Furthermore, as Wang Lin looked at it, for some unknown reason, a tiny crack appeared on the Jade Pendant!

"Do you know where she went now?" The old woman's voice was filled with sorrow amidst her bitter laughter.

"You don't know, you don't know what conditions she agreed to with the Demon Sect to retrieve the life Soul Blood. How could you know these things? If I hadn't watched her grow up since childhood, if I weren't her Senior Sister, and hadn't forced out all the details from her in the Demon Sect this time, I wouldn't know either…"

"Where is she…" Wang Lin said softly amidst his silence.

"Where is she? How can the Demon Sect's life Soul Blood be taken just like that? She left the battlefield ten years ago, hasn't returned in ten years, and was even expelled by Potian Sect. How could the Demon Sect not punish her? If she wants to retrieve the life Soul Blood, she must pay a price!

To retrieve the life Soul Blood, she agreed to go to the deepest part of the Rift Battlefield for the Demon Sect, to investigate whether there is a passage connecting to the Outer Realm in that world full of Vicious Beasts deep within the rift!

If there truly is a passage connecting to the Outer Realm, then how could she return safely? Even if there isn't a connection to the Outer Realm, there are supreme Vicious Beasts in the depths of that rift, and she will surely die!

Moreover, at this moment, her life force is already extinguished, her cultivation greatly damaged, and her life overdrawn. How can she survive! The Demon Sect's intention is to make her die on the battlefield as a warning to others!

To retrieve the life Soul Blood, she has already gone to the depths of the Rift Battlefield. The Demon Sect will not let her return, and even this life Soul Blood, she could only have me deliver it. All of this, you know now! She didn't let me tell you, but since you asked, why shouldn't I tell you? Why shouldn't I tell you? I just want you to know all of this!" The old woman sneered, her words like sharp awls, deeply piercing Wang Lin's heart.

Wang Lin's body trembled. The stone skin that would have normally taken some time to completely shatter on his body, at the moment he heard all this, its cracks spread violently, and then, with a series of rumbling explosions, it all collapsed!

Those stone skins were connected to Wang Lin's flesh and blood. Their collapse at this moment immediately turned Wang Lin into a blood-soaked person, but how could he care about any of this!

The stone statue he had transformed into was connected to this Barren Continent. At the moment of its collapse, the entire continent instantly trembled violently, and in a flash, it actually disintegrated!

The rumbling sounds at this moment shook the heavens and earth. The entire continent instantly disintegrated, and countless ravines appeared amidst the tremors, causing this Barren Continent to suddenly split into pieces!

The instant the continent collapsed, Wang Lin burst forth! An overwhelmingly powerful cultivation Qi erupted from him at that very moment, a cultivation so strong it could shake the heavens and earth!

After appearing, Wang Lin looked at the starry sky, took a step, and with a grab in the Void Realm, he immediately seized the old woman in the Void Realm.

"Lead the way! I want to go to the Demon Sect Battlefield!"

Wang Lin's voice was calm, yet it exuded an undeniable authority, one that even a shattered nirvana Great Perfection Cultivator could not refuse! Would not dare to refuse!

"You…" Under the cultivation Qi that Wang Lin unleashed, the old woman's Primordial Spirit trembled. She couldn't even conjure her Divine Abilities and couldn't dodge at all, instantly caught by Wang Lin in the Void Realm.

"I'm going to save her!"

Four chapters, thirteen thousand characters, exploded today. This burst was much more tiring than usual. I've had too many bursts this month, my body can no longer bear it, especially my brain which is almost drained. These four chapters, thirteen thousand characters, were forcefully squeezed out by Er Gen using five bottles of stimulant drinks and three packs of cigarettes.

Fellow Daoists, I've done my best, I've fought with my life, all for one hundred thousand votes!!!!