The Peach Blossom Sage nodded his head in return before he continued. “I had a lover once, and she too was a… an abyss ghost. I say this to you now, if you don’t grow stronger than you are now, this world will destroy her.”

“Ominous.”

…

Long Di heard the hesitation in his voice a while ago regarding Shen Ling and her Abyss Ghost heritage, but he figured he would come around to it later since imminent death via world destruction was on the horizon.

“Why? I’ve read that this race was once on top of the world but they did… ‘something,’ that caused them to be enemies with everyone. So you’re telling me that this crime is so great that not even a mixed-breed Abyss Ghost girl isn’t allowed to live because of it?”

“You must be well-read if you know this much,” the Peach Blossom Sage said with a bit of surprise in his voice, not expecting Long Di to be so erudite.

“When I was a baby, I was on a strict diet of eat, poop, cultivate, doodoo, sleep, poop and poo- I mean reading. You pick up on a couple of things when you live your life like that.”

“…”

The Peach Blossom Sage didn’t know how to respond to that, so he did the next best thing. Find the railway he deviated from and stick to it for dear life. Heaven knows that Long Di had the ability to derail a conversation without batting an eye.

“The Abyss Ghost race is extremely gifted with several divine abilities. My love was a part of this race as well, and many things I had and created were done with her in mind. I can tell that this young one will grow to be a kingdom-toppling beauty one day just like most of them.”

As he said this, he reached his hand towards the barrier of light that was erected behind him.

His hand passed through effortlessly, the only indication being the spread of ripples akin to the presence of a pebble that would shatter the serenity of a peaceful lake.

He gently cradled the piece of cloth, proffering it to Long Di. “This is something I had made for my love. Its name is Blossoming Abyss and if the young one here can wear it, well… it means we were connected by fate.”

Long Di looked at the piece of cloth with that same disinterested expression. “This suddenly came to me, but… is that even disinfected? I mean you took it in your hand. You’re pretty old, living for thousands of years. Those hands are not just old, they are profoundly old.”

“I’m clean.” The Peach Blossom Sage pointed out.

“Says who? The cultivation world health organisation? I already asked them, but they’re too busy not existing.” Long Di advised. “Anyhow, this is a relic. The word practically screams old people and dust. Not gonna lie, the whole ‘veil’ look is kinda the ‘in-thing’ from where I’m from originally, but it’s gotta be clean.”

“I’m a Remnant Will!” The Peach Blossom Sage roared.

“So you’re dead. That’s even worse. That’s like old but evolved. I’m definitely not taking it now.”

“You little—!” The Peach Blossom Sage was choked up on anger, listening to Long Di, but he tried his best to restrain himself. “I’m not dead you little demon spawn! I’m…!”

The Peach Blossom Sage quickly covered his mouth with both his hands as if angry that certain words will slip which would certainly infect Long Di and more importantly, the young abyss ghost beside him with cause and effect due to karma.

“Why would you call yourself a Remnant Will if you’re not dead?” Long Di asked.

The Remnant Will of the Peach Blossom Sage appeared a bit flustered at long Di’s question. “N—No, it’s just the name that’s given to—”

“You know what, this is a good time. Many things in the cultivation world never made sense to me and were never explained in those other novels, so let’s get this out of the way. Do you know what a will is?” Long Di wasn’t going to let him off. He had questions and now was as good a time as any to get one or more of them answered.

“A—A will? It’s a form of inner fortitude that represents your mental and spiritual tenacity, right?”

“Now you’re not wrong, but that isn’t the definition I’m referring to. Allow me to expound. You see, you undead thing you, a will is something a person who is dead or is soon to be dead utilises to make sure certain wishes are initiated that the person themselves are unable to do since they’re busy not being alive. You see where I’m going with this?”

As a True Star Sage, an expert at the Star Creation realm, the Peach Blossom Sage was more aware of the profound will employed by experts at his level, so he wasn’t wrong in bringing it up in the way that he did.

It was just that Long Di’s aggressive method in trying to procure an answer to the question that plagued his mind caught the Peach Blossom Sage off guard, causing him to be a bit timider than someone like he normally was.

Long Di capitalised on this and continued. “Now, hear me out on this, as I’m reaching my point. So, if a will is what a dead person’s wish is, and we can both give meaning to the word remnant, which can be described as a surviving trace from an earlier time. We can basically call a Remnant Will the vestigial trace of a wish of a dead person, which is profoundly creepy if I’m allowed to be blunt. So please, please explain to me how in the world this equates to you not being dead.”

“I—I don’t know!” The Peach Blossom Sage sputtered! “It’s just what people call it! I can’t say too much but I’m not dead, well… at least I don’t think I am.”

The Peach Blossom Sage was starting to sweat, which was impressive considering his status as a Remnant Will, as he started to doubt his vital status.

“Tell you what, don’t go through your existential crisis right now,” Long Di advised. “Tell me how you were created and we’ll go forward from there.”

Seeing no danger and further damage to his mental faculties in answering the question, the Peach Blossom Sage proceeded to explain, unrelated to the name of his current status, how he was created.

Basically, a Remnant Will was a being created by a powerful intent left by a powerful cultivator. Due to the energy of the cultivator, this intent would gain some semblance of sentience and consciousness equal to that of the person they were spawned from.

At this point, Long Di once more pointed out to the Sage that with that logic, the real Peach Blossom Sage could have very well died any number of ways several times over, nearly sending the Remnant Will careening into a spiralling vortex of depression, but the latter managed to survive.

Not only that, he implored the ‘Remnant Will’ to just refer to itself as a Spiritual Intent’ instead. And just like that, a new term for a spiritual body was created in this cultivation world.

At this time, Shen Ling was out of her enlightened moment of rumination. The spots of light in her eyes twinkled as her expression became a bit calmer than it was before.

The Peach Blossom Sage saw this and was shocked for a moment before he regained his long-lost calm.

“Okay fine, since you’re not a fully physical-ish being AND you’re composed of pure energy, then I guess it’s safe to take the veil from you. Give it here.”

The veil floated from the palm of the Spiritual Intent of the Peach Blossom Sage onto Long Di’s palm.

When he took a closer look at it, he saw what appeared to be runes flowing along its surface, giving it a mysterious atmosphere.

“Shen Ling, excuse me,” Long Di turned his attention to the young Abyss Ghost beside him.

His expressionless face came into close proximity with that of Shen Ling sending a rush of red that coloured her cheeks.

Her breathing became hurried as Long Di brought his hands to her cheeks. ‘I-Is he going to guide my lips in for a k—k—kiss!? kyaaah!! I’m not ready!’

Though she thought this, Shen Ling closed her eyes in fright while her lips slightly puckered up for the eventual contact. 1 second… 2 seconds.. 3 seconds… 4 seconds… nothing happened.

She opened one of her eyes in confusion, wondering if he missed or something. Only to see Long Di looking back at her with a brow raised.

“You don’t need to pucker up for me to put a veil on. Could you please put your lips back to normal? It’s quite distracting.”

“O—Oh…” Shen Ling released a sigh of relief, but there was something else along with it… disappointment, maybe?

Long Di gently affixed the veil to make sure it was firmly attached. When he was done, he leaned back to take a look at his work.

Shen Ling was originally quite stunning. However, the mysterious dreamlike nature of the flowing, shimmering veil added a somewhat lofty air to her.

The only thing she afforded others were her black eyes that shone with dots of light. Her hair that continuously danced and waved like an ethereal cloud not of this world cemented her a fate of being a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms.

Though the veil was meant to turn away the prying eyes of others, it somehow compelled one to want to rip it off. To see the true form of the beauty that lay beneath its cover. Of course, there were abilities to Blossoming Abyss that were not yet uncovered.

But Long Di didn’t care about that. He wanted a veil for her, and he got a veil for her. We could call a job well done.

“Thank you, esteemed elder,” knowing that the veil came from him, Shen Ling bowed in his direction. She could feel some intimacy with the veil as if it was made for her.

“No need to thank me, child,” the Spiritual Intent of the Peach Blossom Sage said with a warm smile. “This place was meant to house the artefact of my love after all.”

Long Di caught the peculiarity of his words. “I just remembered when you said this place wasn’t a relic. Is that why there aren’t many treasures here?”

“There are a few treasures here yes, but not much of anything that means anything to me save for the veil that your… friend here has.” The Peach Blossom Sage’s Spiritual Intent replied.

“Wait, really?” Long Di asked, a bit confused. “I don’t get it. How were we able to get the best treasure when we’re in the first room of this place?”

“What are you talking about?” It was the Peach Blossom Sage’s Spiritual Intent’s turn to be confused. “This is the last room. You and this girl bypassed all the traps and all the inconveniences and came to the last room.”

“Eh? We’re in the last room of the not relic? Was that supposed to be a thing?” Long Di asked, looking at the Spiritual Intent floating before him.

“No,” the Spiritual Intent of the Peach Blossom Sage shook its head. “She was intentionally brought here because the portal sensed her bloodline and it reacted accordingly. You, on the other hand, are… something else.”

“Oh?” Long Di raised a brow not for the first time today at his words. “And pray tell, what is the ‘something else’ that I am?”

Long Di heard him say this once before and now it was brought up once more. Long Di wouldn’t be Long Di if he didn’t question him.

“Be careful of this cultivation technique you’re using. Its very nature is rebellious, overbearing, and unyielding. You wield lightning of a quasi-divine nature, and that broke down the laws and rules of the portal and sent you here along with her.

The Spiritual Intent of the Peach Blossom Sage didn’t answer Long Di’s question but continued saying what he believed needed to be said. “Both of you need each other, for you will both face rejection from this world in different and similar ways. It seems the scheme of this world may be coming to an end soon.”

“What?” Long Di more or less understood everything the Spiritual Intent brought up except the last part.

“Nothing,” the Spiritual Intent of the Peach Blossom Sage immediately stopped talking as if he touched upon some secrets the two kids were not ready for.

He waved his hands and a stone doorway opened up on the other side of the room. “You have the veil which is my precious treasure in this place. Take this door and you will effectively be walking from the exit to the entrance. I assume you came here with other people, so I will not send you out immediately.”

It didn’t seem like he was intent on entertaining the two any longer. Both Long Di and Shen Ling could sense this and didn’t plan to argue with him about the sudden change, knowing he would most likely not answer. Instead, they made their way to the opening he summoned.

When they arrived at the entrance, Shen Ling’s eyes widened in shock as her mouth, hidden by the veil, opened into an ‘o.’

Long Di’s brow rose so high that it began to invade the personal space of his hairline. A single word escaped his lips.

“Interesting.”