Chapter 343 - Shattered Boundary and a Returning Smile

Chapter 343: Chapter 343 - Shattered Boundary and a Returning Smile

Space tightened around Shen Youran.

The last distortions of the Void Domain had already compressed into a thin dark boundary surrounding her, sealing her away from the stable space beyond it.

From the outside, the boundary looked almost fragile.

Those who had reached Void-Shattering knew better.

One of the Ancestors watched the dark layer contract around Shen Youran and spoke quietly.

"This is where the real crossing begins."

Su Bai kept his eyes on Shen Youran.

The first stage had forced her foundation to survive Void Lightning. The second had made her remain whole while space itself lost its stability.

The final stage demanded something entirely different.

She had to break out.

If she failed, the boundary would continue collapsing until the unstable Void behind it swallowed her completely. There would be no ordinary wound to heal afterward. A cultivator who lost control here could simply disappear into unstable space.

Inside the boundary, Shen Youran raised one hand.

Her fingers formed a seal.

Spiritual energy gathered around her palm before striking the dark wall directly in front of her.

The crack she had opened earlier spread.

A sharp spatial tremor followed.

Blackness leaked through the opening.

Shen Youran immediately felt the Void pulling at her.

Her robes snapped violently despite the absence of wind, and several strands of hair were drawn toward the crack as the surrounding space tried to drag everything through it.

She did not retreat.

The completed Heartless Sutra circulated.

Its stillness spread through her mind and soul, keeping every movement of her cultivation precise even as the Void tore at the space around her.

Shen Youran formed another hand seal.

A second attack struck the boundary.

More cracks appeared.

This time, the Void rushed through them from several directions.

Her body swayed.

The foundation she had rebuilt through the Heartless Sutra reacted very differently from the one she remembered from her first Void-Shattering breakthrough.

The old experience still told her what should happen next.

Her current cultivation had to find its own way to accomplish it.

Shen Youran closed her eyes for half a breath.

Instead of forcing the invading Void away, she allowed a small portion to enter the circulation of the Heartless Sutra.

Her meridians trembled.

The trace of Void force moved through her Qi before reaching deeper toward her cultivation foundation.

Pain spread through her body.

Shen Youran maintained the circulation.

The trace did not immediately disperse.

It remained.

Her spiritual perception followed it.

For the first time since rebuilding her cultivation, her current foundation began forming a stable connection to the Void.

Outside the boundary, several Ancestors noticed the change.

"She caught it."

One of the Ancestors nodded.

"Now she has to hold it while breaking the rest."

Shen Youran opened her eyes.

Another seal formed between her hands.

The boundary shook.

A section of the dark surface shattered.

Void surged through the opening.

Her body was pulled forward.

The connection she had just established trembled violently.

At the same time, the medicinal power hidden deep within her foundation finally stirred.

The Void-Breaking Pill Yao Ding had given her had remained largely quiet throughout the earlier stages, reinforcing her foundation without revealing its true purpose.

Now its medicinal power spread.

Warm energy flowed through her meridians and settled around the unstable connection forming between her cultivation and the Void.

The trembling eased. This was the moment the pill had been prepared for.

Her hands moved again.

Another section shattered.

The Void poured in even faster.

Her Qi began carrying traces of its nature. Her spiritual perception extended through the broken boundary, while the completed Heartless Sutra kept her soul anchored firmly within herself.

The darkness surrounding her became increasingly violent.

Cracks spread in every direction.

Each one represented another weakness in the barrier.

Each one also created another opening through which the Void could devour her.

Shen Youran continued.

The senior figures outside remained silent.

Even Lu Canghai had stopped making comments.

Ji Ruyue stood near Su Bai with her attention fixed on her master.

Su Bai could feel the spatial pressure from where he stood.

The Myriad-Calamity Vajra Body reacted faintly to the distant fluctuations, but he ignored it this time.

This was no longer something he intended to approach.

Shen Youran’s foundation was crossing the final threshold. A wrong disturbance now could ruin everything.

Inside the boundary, Shen Youran formed one final seal. The accumulated spiritual energy within her body surged. The completed Heartless Sutra circulated through its full cycle.

Her soul remained clear.

Her connection to the Void stabilized.

Shen Youran struck.

The dark boundary shattered.

For an instant, the entire center of the Main Peak disappeared behind warped space.

Shen Youran vanished with it.

The formations trembled. Layer after layer lit up, containing the spreading spatial distortion before it could tear through the surrounding Main Peak.

No one moved.

The place where she had been sitting was empty.

Even her aura had disappeared.

Several younger elders instinctively tensed.

The Ancestors remained still.

They knew what this meant.

The cultivator had broken through the boundary. What happened next could no longer be seen from ordinary space.

Ji Ruyue’s gaze remained fixed on the empty center.

Su Bai did not say anything.

There was nothing useful to say.

Shen Youran had reached the Void. Now she had to return from it.

Several breaths passed.

More followed.

The warped space slowly settled.

Nothing appeared.

That’s when a thin crack opened in the air.

Everyone straightened.

The crack widened.

Spatial darkness appeared behind it before a white-robed figure stepped through.

Shen Youran emerged.

Her robes were clean and newly changed, replacing the bloodied clothing damaged during the tribulation.

She did not immediately descend.

Her figure rose slowly above the Main Peak as the spatial crack behind her closed.

The remaining tribulation clouds stirred.

A completely different pressure spread from her body.

It carried the unmistakable presence of the Void.

Space around Shen Youran no longer distorted against her.

It responded to her.

The Void-Shattering Realm had returned.

The senior figures relaxed almost at the same time.

Ji Ruyue’s shoulders lowered slightly.

Su Bai smiled.

Shen Youran looked down at the Main Peak.

For several breaths, she remained as composed as she had been throughout the tribulation.

But then, something changed.

Her lips curved.

A genuine smile appeared on her face.

The reaction below was immediate.

Several people froze.

Lu Canghai stared upward.

Huo Yan forgot to check the formations.

Even Li Xuanzong looked momentarily surprised.

The visitors farther away could only see Shen Youran with their naked eyes, yet that was more than enough.

Some of the older cultivators among them had known the name Beauty Shen for many years.

They had seen her cold. They had seen her angry. Some had watched her fight. Very few remembered ever seeing her smile.

One older visitor stared long enough that the cultivator beside him quietly nudged his arm.

He blinked and finally looked away.

Another man, who had earlier admitted that he once wanted to court Shen Youran, swallowed hard.

He suddenly found his youthful decisions much easier to understand.

The smile lasted only several breaths.

Shen Youran descended toward the Main Peak.

By the time her feet touched the stone, her familiar calm expression had mostly returned.

She looked at the gathered senior figures.

"I’m back."

The words were simple.

That was enough.

Li Xuanzong smiled first.

"Congratulations, Sister Shen."

The others followed naturally.

Huo Yan offered his congratulations while already looking relieved that the Main Peak was still standing.

Yao Ding nodded with satisfaction.

The Ancestors regarded Shen Youran with obvious approval.

Ji Ruyue stepped closer.

"Master."

Shen Youran looked at her disciple and gave another small smile.

Ji Ruyue paused.

Her expression barely changed, but her eyes softened noticeably.

Lu Canghai watched the exchange before finally losing the battle against his own mouth.

"Old Witch, so you actually know how to smile. Why have you been wearing that stiff face all these years just to frighten us?"

Shen Youran slowly turned toward him.

Lu Canghai’s smile stiffened.

For a moment, everyone expected the familiar response.

Shen Youran sighed.

The sound itself caused several heads to turn.

Lu Canghai looked even more suspicious.

Shen Youran regarded him for a moment before another faint smile appeared.

"I don’t feel like arguing with you today."

Lu Canghai stared at her.

That response appeared to frighten him more than coldness would have.

Shen Youran’s gaze shifted toward Su Bai.

"It is thanks to Martial Nephew Su that I can remember what fulfillment feels like."

The surrounding senior figures quieted.

Shen Youran continued calmly.

"My path is complete."

Their attention moved toward Su Bai.

He immediately felt the atmosphere becoming troublesome.

Su Bai coughed.

"Martial Aunt, I really didn’t do much."

Shen Youran nodded.

"Right. You only completed the Heartless Sutra."

Several people looked at Su Bai, then they looked at Shen Youran.

Huo Yan rubbed his forehead.

Yao Ding’s mouth twitched.

Lu Canghai stared at Shen Youran with renewed disbelief.

Apparently, returning to Void-Shattering was not the only change they would have to become accustomed to.

Su Bai decided not to remain where everyone could continue looking at him.

"Martial Aunt has just completed her breakthrough, so she should stabilize her realm properly. I should also check my own condition after what happened earlier."

It was a perfectly reasonable excuse.

He used it immediately.

After giving the elders a respectful nod, Su Bai headed back toward Clear Cloud Peak.

Lu Canghai watched his disciple leave.

He had originally intended to ask exactly how Su Bai had managed to complete the Heartless Sutra.

For some reason, Shen Youran smiling had distracted everyone long enough for Su Bai to escape.

Lu Canghai narrowed his eyes.

Behind him, Shen Youran looked toward Ji Ruyue.

The familiar calmness had already returned to her face, although it no longer felt quite as empty as before.

Radiant Sky Sect had regained a Void-Shattering expert.

Shen Youran had recovered something else along the way.

For those who had known her for years, the second change might take considerably longer to get used to.