Chapter 581: Can I See Her Again?

In all honesty, Dugu Chou was not possessed of a beautiful voice; his singing was mediocre at best. However, everyone present could hear his effort and feelings flow into his song; his low and scratchy voice gave birth to a melancholic mood in those who listened to him.

As the skeletal person listened, he condensed all his thoughts into a drawn-out, quiet sigh.

Ling Xiaozui looked sad as well, while Feng Xiange had closed his eyes to listen wholeheartedly. One of his hands tapped out the beat on his thigh, as he reminisced about days gone by.

White hair fluttered in the night's breeze, silent and grim.

For a moment, the four legendary figures who had long reigned at the peak of this world indulged in their own thoughts, causing a sense of desolation to fill the room. The experience of such legends was far richer than that of a common person's; who among these legends who had attained so many achievements would not be filled with a memorable past?

Time flew by with the snap of a finger, the past drifting past like a smokescreen. At this very moment, when hundreds of years had turned into smoke and dust, how did it feel when his lover's favorite song had been sung once again?

Where were those enchanting confidants to whom those sincere feelings had been poured out?

Those beauties who were affectionate and loving... they were long gone now...

When the prime of life had passed and the competition was gone, only four old men were left sitting here drinking wine. They were standing at the tip of clouds overlooking the world, but did they still have companionship to call their own?

The way to Dao was a difficult one; one could expect to be lonely. Yet when reality struck, the heartache was an arduous challenge to overcome.

Yun Yang stood by the kitchen's entrance; watching the quartet, he could not help sighing inwardly and think to himself, 'After decades, after centuries, will I be like them? Sitting before wine and reminiscing about the past? That feeling..."

The skeletal person heaved a deep sigh. He finally looked up to take a deep breath and with a flick of his wrist, a purple jade flute was produced and placed on his lips.

Fragments of a lingering flute melody resounded like quiet sobbing; it was near yet far, echoing yet it could not be heard. It traveled straight to the deepest part of one's heart.

When Yun Yang sat back at the table, the singing faded and the flute reached its last note. Only soft sighs resounded in everyone's ears as if all those present around the table had gone through a cycle of life within this single song which was accompanied by the flute.

...

"This is your lifelong signature dish, Chinese cabbage tofu..." Dugu Chou speared a portion, looking even more melancholic, and drank a bowl of wine; he then sighed in a low voice, "Right, right, this is Chinese cabbage and tofu indeed!"

Ling Xiaozui and others were quiet as well, drinking and sighing to themselves.

Dugu Chou ate a few mouthfuls of the dish and suddenly fell into a trance. He then looked towards the skeletal person in all seriousness.

The person smiled and asked, "Do you have something else you wish to ask for?"

"I want to ask you a question. Will you give me a straightforward answer?" Dugu Chou stated after a deep breath.

"Ask away, I'll try my best," said the skeletal person.

Dugu Chou slowly uttered his question, "Can I... still see her?"

The moment the question was spoken, everyone present reeled in shock. Everyone, including Yun Yang, was well aware who the 'her' mentioned by Dugu Chou was.

She had been dead for hundreds of years now. How could he see her? Even if there were to be a reincarnation, the centuries that passed would have meant several lifetimes of reincarnation already.

It was so unexpected that the strange, skeletal person continued to ruminate for some time, not speaking during the entire period.

The longer he was silent, the brighter Dugu Chou's eyes grew brighter. The other party did not reject straightaway but grew silent in thought. That meant hope, that meant opportunity; as long as there was a possibility, it was better than anything!

Ling Xiaozui and group were made exceptionally nervous as well, their eyes trained at the strange skeletal person, unblinking.

Yun Yang held his breath and felt his heart thump wildly.

If there could be a day for those who had passed away for so long could to meet again, did that mean he had the chance to see Old Dugu? Yun Yang really wanted to meet this elder who was like his father now, to tell him that his son, Yun Yang's seventh brother, might still be alive...

His elder brothers...

"If meeting each other wasn't a fine occasion, it's better not to meet. Why should we meet again!" The skeletal person sighed, "Such is the life!"

Dugu Chou continued to persist. "I know you must have a way. Tell me, how do I see her again? Whatever the method, whether it can be done or not, I'll owe you a favor!"

The skeletal person was in another long duration of silence before he said, "Sigh... I hesitated because I know only a single method, but this method... you may not be able to achieve it."

He sighed and said, "Actually, under this sky, for billions of years, since the beginning of time, there aren't more than ten individuals who could this!"

"I'm utterly in debt knowing the method... Please point me towards a path. Dugu Chou... will be immensely grateful for this lifetime, thankful for eternity!" Dugu Chou said, his ears perked up.

The skeletal person sighed softly and said, "Halt. Let me tell all of you a story first."

The group perked up their ears immediately, knowing that the story must be significant and not just common folklore.

Yun Yang was extra focused, afraid that he might miss out on any minor details.

"Many unknown years ago, right under this sky, there was an absolute master, I can't mention his name... He's gotten to the peak of the world he was in, his longevity certain, almost immortal - but his lover's life was short-lived... Before he fulfilled his cultivation method, his lover had left the world to journey to the other side. Their love was deep, but their fates shallow..."

"This person was anguished, being so In love with his lover. He thought about all the methods possibly available, wanting to resurrect his lover, to reunite..."

As he got to this part, everyone's eyes were bright like a blazing torch.

Resurrect!

"His ability was at the peak of the world, proudly overlooking it, but the depth of his cultivation base was of no relevance. He announced a reward, spread it to the world, in search for an executable way, but it didn't pay off... He refused to give up, looking high and low. After many years, there was finally a day when he met someone. The person probably sympathized with him, took pity on his devotion, and told him that... when your cultivation base goes on a constant breakthrough, when one day, you can break through this universe... you can bring your lover back to life!"

Yun Yang and the others looked up into the sky at the same time, observing the borderless night sky. There were countless of stars in the void, blinking dazzlingly from a place distance unknown.

"Break through this universe?" Yun Yang murmured inwardly.

The skeleton-like person continued his narration. "Because there was this thought, this person began working towards this goal... He broke through his level constantly, cultivating at the risk of his life... and fought endlessly, grinding..."

"But he was already the strongest in this world then. Even when he improved, he realized that he was peerless. Yet he can't even get out of the continent, forget the faraway extreme of the universe."

"Refusing to give up, he began to find ways of breaking through the continent. He tried creating his own cultivation method to break through his initial limitation. Finally, one day, he succeeded in breaking through the void, rising and soaring to a higher level..."

"As he got to the new world, though, he was shocked to find out that his cultivation base wasn't at the peak yet. In the new world, there were so many more who were stronger than him. He had only broken through the world that he was born in. It was still a long way as there were too many strong ones out there. He was still in such a place, he hadn't yet broken through to the extremes of the universe..."

"Therefore, he began cultivating, endlessly fighting, breaking through, grinding, advancing towards that one goal without stopping..."

The skeletal person stopped after he got to this point.

"Then?" Dugu Chou felt parched, his voice so hoarse that he could hardly discern what he said.

"Finally... he reached a strange realm. A simple punch could break the stars! A shout could hide the sun and moon! A simple throw of force could freeze time itself!" The skeletal person said, "There's no need to be suspicious, no need to be surprised. He, at that time, had fathomed the principle of Dao..."

"It was after he got to that level that he traveled, opposing the heaven's way based on his singular power. In the end, he returned to the continent he came from, and reverted time!"

The oddly skeletal person lamented, "He turned the entire continent's time back to when he and his lover had just met and fell in love; to allow everything to restart, to prevent the mishap from happening..."