The Nether Realm knew no sun or moon—only eternal gray mist.As Xie Wuchen stepped from the banks of the Forgetful River, a city loomed before him—
upside down.Roofs clung to the sky; streets cascaded like waterfalls; its citizens walked head-down, feet toward the heavens, utterly unaware of their inversion."This is the City of No Memory," Bai Ying whispered. "All who enter have their memories stripped away—reforged into the city's very bricks. Stay too long, and even the name 'Xie Wuchen' will vanish from your mind."Before she finished, the gray thread on his right arm shot upward—piercing his brow!Reality shattered.He stood in the pear blossom grove behind Qingming Sect—seventeen years old, newly Foundation-Established.
Luo Qingyi, robed in white, stood amid falling petals, tapping his forehead lightly with her jade flute."Foolish junior brother—so proud of mere Foundation Establishment? The Great Dao has only just begun.""But you promised," he protested, "to take me to see the Northern Lights after I succeeded!"She smiled."The aurora is cold. Snow is better. Tomorrow's blizzard—I'll wait for you on Path-to-Inquiry Cliff."—Memory One: The First PromiseThe vision tore apart. He crashed into a narrow alley.Faces swirled on the walls, whispering in unison:"Who are you?"The gray thread gnawed at his soul. He nearly answered: "I don't know…"But then—the old handkerchief in his sleeve grew hot.He bit his tongue until blood filled his mouth, forcing clarity back into his mind, and pressed onward.At the corner, a stone prison appeared. Carved above its door:"Karmic Prison · Seventh Tier"Inside stood nothing—except a single drop of blood-tear suspended in midair.
His mother's final tear."Nine drops of true tears are needed to unlock it," Bai Ying said. "But this place holds no tears. All emotion has been drained dry."Xie Wuchen reached out and touched the tear.Instantly, a second memory surged:Sixteen winters past.
He'd gone mad during sword practice, meridians torn to shreds.
Luo Qingyi carried him on her back to the Medicine Pavilion, kneeling before an elder to beg for the Nine-Turn Soul-Return Herb.The elder sneered:"One life saved by this herb costs a hundred years of others' lifespans. Will you pay?"Without hesitation:"I will."That night, three strands of her hair turned white.
When he awoke, she lay asleep beside his bed, clutching a slip of paper:"In exchange for thirty years of my mortal span… grant Xie Wuchen life."—Memory Two: The Life Traded"Agh!" Xie Wuchen collapsed to one knee, skull splitting with pain.
The gray thread advanced—and a memory vanished:
He forgot his mother's name."Hold on!" Bai Ying cried. "Think of her! Think of Luo Qingyi! They are the anchors that tether you to this world!"Gasping, he stared at the blood-tear.
Then he asked hoarsely:"Why… was she so kind to me?"Bai Ying was silent a moment."Perhaps because you reminded her of her younger brother. Her whole family died in a demon tide when she was a child. Only she was saved by Qingming Sect…
In you, she saw a chance to live again—to protect what she once lost."Xie Wuchen froze.Suddenly, phantoms bloomed on the prison walls—
a third memory:Fifteen springs past.
Sect Grand Competition.
He'd been sabotaged, his meridians crippled.
Mocked by all: "Worthless—how dare you call yourself First Disciple?"Only Luo Qingyi drew her sword before the judges:"Rematch. Or I leave the sect."She fought his battle in his stead—shattering three ribs to win back his honor.
Afterward, coughing blood, she smiled:"Wuchen… remember—your Dao must be walked by you alone."—Memory Three: The Guardian of His PathReality returned. Tears glistened in Xie Wuchen's eyes—
but before they could fall, the gray mist devoured them."It's useless," Bai Ying shook her head. "This city rejects tears of feeling."Yet Xie Wuchen smiled.He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to chant—
the opening verses of The Severing Heart Scripture."Are you mad?!" Bai Ying gasped. "That's her cultivation art! It'll accelerate your forgetting!""Precisely because it's hers… it's etched deepest in my soul."As the scripture flowed, faint azure light enveloped him.
The gray thread slowed its advance.A fourth memory surfaced:Fourteen summers past.
He'd stolen a glance at the forbidden text Heaven's Inquiry, hunted by Law Enforcement Hall.
Luo Qingyi hid him in her private chamber for three days."Do you know why this book is banned?" she'd asked."Because it dares ask: If Heaven's Dao is just, why do good people die young?"She fell silent—then handed him a jade slip."This is my copy of the fragments… be careful."—Memory Four: Shared DoubtSo she, too, had questioned Heaven's Dao.
She simply chose silence later.Then, as his consciousness frayed, a final memory struck like lightning:Thirteen autumns past.
His mother lay dying.
He'd knelt before all thirty-six peaks—begging for help. None came.In despair, Luo Qingyi broke into the Forbidden Archives, stealing the incomplete formula for the Passage Elixir."Go to Willow Creek Village—find the Weeping Temple!" She thrust a map into his hands.
"But remember—if you're cast out for this… I'll never call you 'junior brother' again!"Yet as she turned away—tears streamed down her face.—Memory Five: Defiance for My Sake"Senior Sister…" Xie Wuchen whispered.This time, his tears broke free.And miraculously—they were not consumed.
Instead, they transformed into a translucent blue lotus, merging with his mother's blood-tear."The first true tear—complete!" Bai Ying exclaimed.The stone prison trembled. A crack split open.But Xie Wuchen turned deathly pale—
to reclaim that memory, he had willingly sacrificed another:
He forgot how to command a flying sword."Was it worth it?" Bai Ying asked softly.He gazed into the fissure, voice quiet but firm:"If I forget even this—that she defied Heaven's law for me…
then what meaning is there in my cultivation?"Just then, a bell tolled across the City of No Memory.A golden-armored figure descended on clouds, holding a celestial edict, voice shaking the underworld:"Xie Wuchen, rebel against the Dao! You steal heavenly secrets and disrupt the cycle of rebirth—your crimes deepen!
By order of the Shepherds—your soul is hereby seized and cast into the Abyssal Maw!"Slowly, Xie Wuchen rose. His wooden sword in hand.
Though he'd forgotten flight, he still remembered sword intent.He looked toward the distant realm of the living—and spoke:"Tell Luo Qingyi…
I received her blue lotus."(End of Chapter Seven)