Immortal Breaks Realm, Great Dream of a Thousand Years

In the nightmare, that immortal watched the demonic maiden go mad.
When she said, "I will never be enlightened by you," Di Ying, hidden within the demonic maiden's body, saw the immortal's slightly lost expression.
Di Ying empathized with her past self as if she too was suffering.
At this moment, she couldn't help but feel a sense of vengeful pleasure: If you truly are the Heavenly Dao, then you must allow defiance to exist in this world.
Moreover, how could the Heavenly Dao be so emotionless?

In Liu Qing Mi’s story, Liu Qing Mi prayed to all gods and Buddhas, the divine maidens of the Witch God Palace did not respond, and the high and mighty Heavenly Dao did not look.
Thus, in the demonic maiden Di Ying’s story, the Heavenly Dao bowing its head seemed like a kind of mockery.
……The existence of the immortal Jiang Xue He was a mockery to the demonic maiden.
You don't look at others, so why do you look at me?

Di Ying, within the demonic maiden's heart, her eyes brimming with tears, wept blankly. Clearly knowing this was a past life, that this was not her Senior Brother, she still felt the demonic maiden's state of mind, and curled up, in unbearable pain.
But the demonic maiden was not as fragile as she, did not shed tears like she did, was not like her who, whenever something happened, would first think of finding her Senior Brother, wanting to act spoiled and seek comfort.
The demonic maiden's cold eyes looked at the immortal.
The immortal lowered his gaze.
The immortal Jiang Xue He finally slowly spoke.
When he admitted his identity, heaven and earth subtly responded, all trees and plants gently swayed, making the demonic maiden feel that extraordinary presence.
She heard the immortal say:
"Compared to being called the Heavenly Dao, I prefer to call myself an immortal. I am but one thread among countless Heavenly Daos. You can say I am the Heavenly Dao, but I do not represent all the will of heaven and earth… The mortal world is your path to cultivating immortality. And everything is a form of cultivation for me.
"Heaven's will is emotionless, but the mortal world has emotions. I am a part of that 'emotion.'
"Karma and Samsara, the entanglements of mortal life, I maintain only 'order.' This is not difficult to understand. All things in the mortal world, for thousands and tens of thousands of years, are actually eternally unchanging. Whether immortal or demon, whoever gains the upper hand, I treat equally.
"All things in the world have destiny. Tiangong Mountain, in the past, had many immortals, who had exhausted their destiny. Tiangong Mountain was harmed by demons, and the rise of demonic beings, like the fading of immortals and the disappearance of gods, also conforms to 'destiny'."

He actually patiently explained to her what was called heaven's will, what was called order.
The demonic maiden's eyes widened.
A tear welled up in her eye. She looked at his face, and once again felt the absurdity of it all—he still didn't understand what pain she was suffering.
The demonic maiden couldn't help but ask: "Then what about me? To you, what am I? You said you favored me; shouldn't your favoritism do something for me?"
The immortal paused slightly.
After a long while, he replied:
"I also thought of you, wanting to break some 'destiny' for you. But the order of heaven and earth is inherently set by the Heavenly Dao. I am but one thread among countless Heavenly Daos; it is also difficult for me to overcome all 'emotionlessness.'
"On the day Tiangong Mountain was annihilated, I indeed knew. I was merely suppressed by myself, unable to leave… I am truly sorry.
"You abandoned all your talents, fell into demonhood, suffering the erosion of demonic energy day and night. If you cannot control it, you will eventually return to chaos and completely dissipate. You and I have a karmic connection; I do not wish to see you like that. I hope you cultivate into an immortal and stay by my side forever."

"Karmic connection?" The demonic maiden retorted, "Is it because when you cultivated on Tian Shan, I always bothered you? Is it because you developed mortal emotions, and you began to feel sympathy for an ant?"
The immortal said nothing.
Things were not that simple, but he was accustomed to indifference, clumsy with words, and always at a disadvantage before the eloquent demonic maiden.
He merely said: "I recognized you very early on."
His calmness only fueled the demonic maiden's anger.
The demonic maiden let out a cold laugh.
She had many words she wanted to curse out, felt many things were absurd and laughable, felt that if he was so powerful, why didn't he help her kill all those she wanted to kill. But she barely retained a sliver of sanity, which told her that this was not his fault.
Perhaps everything was normal in the eyes of the Heavenly Dao.
The dead were like extinguished lamps, no different from the cycles of the sun and moon.
He showed partiality to an ant; for this ant, he could make slight changes, but he would never know what the ant thought, what it loved, hated, or resented.
Unless he also became an ant.
The demonic maiden calmly looked at him.
The immortal thought that, according to Di Ying's temperament, she would surely go mad, surely fight him, and break ties with him.
He wondered how to salvage the situation…
He saw a tear glint and fall from the demonic maiden's eye.
Like a drop of water splashing into a clear pond, it was actually ordinary, but it made his heart falter slightly.
His eyes were dark and calm; others could not tell what he was thinking.
But the demonic maiden did not strike with her sword.
She seemed angry, yet also weary. The demonic maiden turned and left, transforming into a bloody mist, dissipating in the wind.
The immortal Jiang Xue He stood tall for a long time amidst the mountain of corpses and sea of blood. He raised his hand, resolved the resentment in the area, and then left.
Too much resentment would breed demonic energy, which was nothing to an immortal. But the immortal did not want Di Ying to be entangled in more karma… He did not want her to reach the point of eternal damnation.

--
The immortal still followed the demonic maiden.
Silently following behind her.
One day, the demonic maiden awoke from a daze, finding herself back in her cave abode from when she was a demon.
Water trickled, stone tables and chairs stood, and a person knelt before her.
Because her mind was severely damaged, she had forgotten whom she had killed and what evil deeds she had committed before falling into a daze. She only knew that when she opened her eyes, she saw Jiang Xue He kneeling before her stone bed, holding one of her hands, purifying the demonic energy for her.
The demonic maiden watched him silently.
The cold and handsome young man lowered his gaze, his features sharp, the curve of his nose and the corners of his lips revealing a hint of coldness. But when he looked at people, he was gentle and amiable. This gentleness tempered his chilling aloofness, making him merely indifferent, rather than unapproachable.

The demonic maiden was slightly lost in thought.
She had been captivated by his appearance in the past, going to play on the neighboring Tian Shan, and amidst the withered trees, she saw Jiang Xue He sitting by a pure pond.
She returned to tell her Senior Brothers and Sisters, saying that a new cultivator had appeared on Tian Shan, but everyone disbelieved her, saying she was talking nonsense.
He was indeed a little cultivator with a faint presence. Di Ying regarded Jiang Xue He as a rogue cultivator of the mountains—whatever she asked him, he answered;
he never looked up to question her.
He also never saw her Senior Brothers and Sisters, fellow disciples, Master, or Martial Seniors.
Tiangong Mountain had a betrothal with Tian Shan. She actually had no confidence, unsure of his feelings, but he merely looked at her for a long time, his eyes surprised, bewildered, then thoughtful, and he nodded.
Now that she thought about it, it should have stopped from the moment he was "surprised."
He fundamentally didn't understand her feelings; he merely found her interesting.

The demonic maiden recalled these things and coldly spoke: "Did I do something you couldn't accept again?"
The immortal was startled, not expecting her to be willing to talk to him.
He looked up at her: "No."
He seemed to want to comfort her, adding a superfluous remark: "Whatever you do, I can accept."
These words, however, instantly ignited the demonic maiden's anger, making her remember the differences between them.
She said sarcastically: "Of course you can accept it; you don't care anyway."
Jiang Xue He sighed.
He said: "I care about you; I didn't lie to you. I hope you can be a little happier."
The demonic maiden's face, full of vengeful energy, was stunned.
She said: "Senior Brother."
He looked up.
The demonic maiden looked at him: "I will never be happy."
He was stunned.
He said: "I will accompany you."
The demonic maiden said: "I will sooner or later return to chaos, beyond salvation. You cannot accompany me."
She leaned closer, whispering into his ear, her voice sweetening, tempting him: "…Do you want to save me?"
The immortal remained motionless, then after a long while, "hmm-ed."
She sat in his lap, hugging his neck, sweetly saying: "Senior Brother, help me slaughter all the immortal sects. Aiding the tyrannical is not enough; those who knew of Yujing Sect’s plan yet pretended not to should also die. Those who didn't save the deserving yet later spoke grandly should also die… Let's kill, kill, kill!"
Her murderous intent was heavy.
The immortal saw her demonic energy spreading, along her meridians, eroding everything about her.
That demonic energy climbed up his body, the demonic being's seductive power wanting to turn him into a killing blade in her hands: "…Senior Brother, as long as you help me slaughter all these, I will return with you.
"At that time, I will do whatever you tell me to do. I won't bother you. I'll obediently restrain my demonic nature, follow you in cultivation, follow you in cultivating immortality, accompanying you for generations, alright?"
The immortal's face was lowered.
His heart was heavy.
He knew that her words and actions at this moment completely indicated that she was beyond saving. He wanted to save her, yet didn't know how.
The immortal could only infuse immortal power into her body, helping her temporarily alleviate her demonic nature.
The young girl nestled close to him stiffened slightly, her eyes raised, innocently yet provocatively looking at him. He then knew she had regained some humanity.
The demonic maiden Di Ying asked him: "What did I just say to you?"
She didn't even remember her own words from moments ago.
The immortal was silent for a moment.
He hugged her and softly said: "It's nothing. Go to sleep."

--
The demonic maiden's state was very poor.
She was erratic, her temper violent, prone to outbursts.
Her rage was different from the minor tantrums of Di Ying in reality. Di Ying, in her body, was constantly startled and terrified by the demonic maiden's terrible state, feeling extremely uneasy.
The demonic maiden herself felt her demonic nature was difficult to control.
One night, she slept on the stone bed. When she woke up, she saw the immortal once again circulating immortal power for her.
She watched him for a long time, then slowly said: "Senior Brother."
The immortal knew she would cause trouble as soon as she woke up. He responded.
He heard the demonic maiden say: "Senior Brother, I hate you."
The immortal's finger, resting on her pulse, paused.
He lowered his gaze.
The demonic maiden lay there, unable to see his expression clearly.
She stared at him, watching him once again softly "hmm."
The demonic maiden continued: "I know it's not your fault, you're not wrong. I know you're very good to me, you want to pull me back, but I'm still very sad.
"What makes me even sadder is that you don't know what I'm sad about, and you don't even think to ask."
The immortal Jiang Xue He slightly raised his face.
He grasped her thought, hesitating slightly: "…What are you sad about?"
A strange smile appeared on the demonic maiden's face.
She then sighed, crawled up from the couch, and leaned close to Jiang Xue He.
He was accustomed to her closeness and made no move to push her away, until she leaned close to his ear, half-truthfully, half-jokingly: "Senior Brother, even if my demonic nature is deeply ingrained and incurable, you will still accompany me, won't you?"
The immortal nodded.
She asked: "Then what if I disappear?"
The immortal thought her attitude was finally softening, and felt a hint of comfort.
He was gentle and amiable, also testing her attitude: "You won't disappear… if you're willing to let me help."
She blinked.
She played with a strand of his hair, tilted her head to examine him, and said: "Am I your favorite ant?"
The immortal didn't know how to respond to this.
Fortunately, the demonic maiden didn't care about his answer. She was merely taking advantage of this moment of clarity, thinking, sorting out her muddled mind.
The demonic maiden said: "If I disappear, you will still care about me, won't you?"
The immortal said: "…I will try my best to prevent that from happening."
The demonic maiden laughed joyfully: "How can that be? You are the Heavenly Dao; you cannot violate your own principles. All things have their order. If you change anything for your personal feelings, disrupting everything, then you would be ashamed before all living beings except me.
"How can that be? I pity you, I like you, that's why I can't bear for you to be like that."
The immortal suspected she was being sarcastic.
After a long while, he said: "Don't you hate me?"
The demonic maiden gave him a strange look, seeing his unfeeling demeanor.
She said: "I hate you, yet I like you."
This was probably an emotion the immortal found difficult to comprehend.
So he remained silent again.
But the demonic maiden pressed on: "If I disappear, will you still care about me?"
The immortal, forced, replied: "Yes."
The demonic maiden seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
She leaned against his shoulder, naturally saying: "Then, will you accompany me until I disappear into chaos? When I disappear, I won't hate you anymore."
She stubbornly wanted him to agree.
After a very long time, he very softly "hmm-ed."
That sound was extremely faint, like smoke or rain, naturally rustling, but the demonic maiden didn't mind.
She seemed happy because of his answer, as if she had forgiven him a little because of it.
She whispered in his ear: "Then Senior Brother, I want you."
The immortal was stunned.
Di Ying, lost in her body, was also stunned.
Both the immortal and Di Ying, like children, were startled and at a loss by the demonic maiden's shocking words.
The demonic maiden smiled, her eyes curved, looking at the immortal.
The immortal asked: "Do you want to dual cultivate with me, take a part of my power, and increase your cultivation base?"
Di Ying in the demonic maiden's body: "…"
She stared blankly at this wooden immortal.
The demonic maiden's eyes were cold.
She then laughed: "Yes, is that not allowed?"
The immortal said: "…As you wish. I don't care about these things."
Di Ying thought to herself: Your body is already stiffening, and you say you don't care?
So you still have some feelings after all.
Di Ying suppressed herself for a long time, then suddenly saw herself stripping off his clothes, his shoulder exposed… She immediately blushed, feeling a little embarrassed.
Di Ying maintained this state of wanting to peek, yet not wanting to peek. She thought of something in her heart to divert her attention a little—
She knew the demonic maiden was deceiving the immortal.
The demonic maiden had only one truth: she hated Jiang Xue He.
There was no such principle in the world—
To be favored by the Heavenly Dao with a glance meant eternal existence;
to be ignored by him meant silent annihilation.
The demonic maiden admired the immortal in her heart, but after the destruction of Tiangong Mountain, she could never accept the immortal's passive observation of everything.
It wasn't his fault.
But she liked him, so she would hate him.
The demonic maiden had a plan in her mind; she wanted to take revenge on the immortal.
She wanted the emotionless and desireless immortal to also understand her feelings.

--
After the demonic maiden slept with the immortal, the immortal was once again abandoned.
This time, the immortal wanted to find the demonic maiden's whereabouts, but encountered some resistance.
She was truly a talented child—
After dual cultivation, she took a part of his aura, using it to increase her cultivation base, and also to block his senses, dealing with his "omnipotence."
When he could sense the demonic maiden again, the demonic maiden had already gone to extremes, wanting to push things to the most irreversible point—
She went to ambush Qing Mu Jun.
She wanted to stop Qing Mu Jun from ascending to immortality at his immortal ascension ceremony.
She wanted to perish with Qing Mu Jun, taking Qing Mu Jun with her to return to chaos, disappearing from heaven and earth.
She wanted to take advantage of the time she still had consciousness to destroy herself, bidding an eternal farewell to her deceased fellow disciples:
All things would naturally endure, but she did not wish to endure in this world.

--
The immortal found Di Ying’s aura. Knowing everything, he knew what kind of ending she desired.
Jiang Xue He stood between heaven and earth, long and still, long and unburdened.
He clearly saw her intentions.
He returned to Tian Shan.
He sat by the still pond of Tian Shan. As the sun set on the day of ascension, the first ray of light descended, enlightening a mountain and water spirit, which transformed into human form.
The mountain and water spirit was overjoyed.
The spirit was merely one of the most ordinary breaths among the myriad breaths of Tian Shan, yet by constantly accompanying the immortal, it gained a wisp of spiritual energy, thus being enlightened by the immortal and transforming into a human body.
To the spirit, this was the first step to becoming an immortal—Jiang Xue He usually resided on Tian Shan, so the spirit naturally knew this was no ordinary immortal, but an existence more powerful than an immortal.
The spirit had to thank the immortal for his enlightenment.
The immortal said: "What is your name?"
The spirit respectfully: "This humble one has given himself a name, called Lin Qing Yang. This humble one is willing to serve Your Excellency…"
The immortal turned his back to him. A ray of light swept past, and a decree settled upon Lin Qing Yang.
Lin Qing Yang received the immortal's decree: "From now on, for a thousand years, you shall guard Tian Shan, protecting Little Ying for generations. The decree is profound; you shall never step ten li outside Tian Shan."
Lin Qing Yang suddenly looked up.
His gratitude to the immortal was mixed with a hint of shock and resentment.
Lin Qing Yang carefully concealed his defiance and unwillingness, wanting to struggle a bit: "Is it Di Ying of Tiangong Mountain? She has already become a demon; how can she have generations…"
The immortal stood up.
He said: "I will bring her back."
Lin Qing Yang cautiously asked: "Then after a thousand years…"
The immortal said: "After a thousand years, if she still cannot become an immortal, and I still cannot enlighten her… then I will accompany her in disappearing."

--
He opened the Great Dream Art, which Di Ying had abandoned when it was only half-finished.
He set up the Great Dream Curse, trapping the laws of heaven and earth for a thousand years, confining himself within the great dream formation.
The Great Dream Art snatched a wisp of the demonic maiden's soul from chaos, fusing the immortal's soul into it, thus taking effect, protecting the two souls to cycle and purify daily.
The Great Dream Art was no extraordinary immortal art.
It was merely a possibility set up to save a demon—he had to give Di Ying a perfect life.
From then on, the laws of heaven and earth were lost, and the Heavenly Dao could no longer respond to anyone. No immortals would ever be born, no demons would ever be born.
Immortals and demons were the origin of all; the unpredictable human heart was the annotation.
He violated the laws he himself had set, and he would have to pay the price for it. He walked step by step through his own laws, leaving Tian Shan, walking towards her.

--
A thousand-year great dream.
He didn't know if it would be in time.
He didn't know if that phrase, "I hate you," could ever be truly enlightened.
Perhaps the immortal was partial to something worthless.
He could only wait.

--
"Boom—"
The nightmare dissipated, and Di Ying awoke.
When she opened her eyes, the vengeful aura was still on her face, her mind chaotic and unable to clear.
A moment ago, she was still fighting a great battle with Qing Mu Jun on Yujing Mountain, both sad and angry, wanting to drag everyone to die… Then, suddenly waking from the dream, she still maintained the muddled state of the bewildered maiden, swaying as she crawled up.
She heard Ye Sha’s voice outside: "I am willing to merge with you."
She heard Jiang Xue He softly say: "Alright."
Liu Qing Mi’s pursuit came again.
Hateful Dream Pearl, hateful Liu Qing Mi… Di Ying, maintaining the gloomy state of the bewildered maiden, suddenly stood up, her face grim, and walked outside.