The fifth life was much the same, though the difficulty of breaking through Qu Huashang's mental barriers had clearly increased as well. She was no longer so easily captured, and after the two of them met, it led to all manner of misunderstandings—they even ended up fighting each other.
In the sixth life, the difficulty rose again. Qu Huashang no longer even appeared in her original form, instead showing up with a completely unfamiliar face—much like how Tao Lingwan's reincarnation had manifested in that first life as Qianqian.
That said, Tao Lingwan was a special case. Her mental barrier required Yang Kai to identify her true identity while knowing absolutely nothing, so it was only natural that she wouldn't appear before him in her own form. Reincarnating into someone like Qianqian was the expected outcome.
Qu Huashang was different. In all five previous lives, her appearance hadn't changed. Yang Kai only needed to find her, and he would naturally recognize who she was.
But in the sixth life, she had become a completely different person. Had Yang Kai not confirmed things repeatedly, he would have nearly missed her entirely.
The more reincarnations one underwent within the Samsara Pavilion, the greater the difficulty became. The reincarnation process had an enormous impact on one's own memories. Qu Huashang went without saying—every time she reincarnated, her memories would be sealed away. Yang Kai had been unscathed at first, but as he lived through life after life, his own memories were inevitably affected as well.
The seventh life…
The eighth life…
The ninth life…
The Hall of Vast Qi. Grand halls stretched one after another, housing countless hidden experts within.
The war between the righteous and the unorthodox across the entire continent had raged for centuries. The two sides attacked and slaughtered each other year after year, killing uncountable numbers and leaving the land drenched in blood and devastation.
Over a hundred years ago, the Hall of Vast Qi was established under the joint effort of seven great sects. Only those with the greatest strength and the most upright moral character were qualified to become Hall Masters, uniting all righteous factions under one banner.
In opposition stood the White Lotus Sect, which plagued the common people. The White Lotus Sect was masterful at ensnaring hearts and minds, and in these chaotic times had amassed countless followers, standing toe to toe with the Hall of Vast Qi as its greatest and only rival.
In truth, the centuries-long struggle between the righteous and the unorthodox had seen victories on both sides. In recent decades, the unorthodox had been gaining ground while the righteous waned, but the next several decades might see the balance tip the other way. Yet no matter which side held the advantage, neither could ever completely uproot the other.
There were seven great sects on the continent—the Divine Strategy Manor, the Tai Dou Sect, the Willow-Brush Monastery, the Hidden Sword Manor, the Flying Star Palace, the Emerald Smoke Gate, and the Lion Tower. These seven sects bore the banner of the righteous path and together founded the Hall of Vast Qi.
In the one hundred and thirty-odd years since its establishment, the Hall of Vast Qi had seen four Hall Masters, every single one of whom had died in battle against the White Lotus Sect's experts.
Yang Kai, in the prime of his life, was the fifth Hall Master of the Hall of Vast Qi. Hailing from the Divine Strategy Manor among the seven great sects, he wielded a divine spear with transcendent skill and bore an unimpeachable character. Three years ago, after the death of the fourth Hall Master, he had turned the tide—gathering back together the Hall of Vast Qi, which had nearly crumbled into scattered sand.
By comparison, this fifth Hall Master was far superior to the previous four in strength, courage, and resourcefulness.
In fact, during his three years as Hall Master, he had orchestrated dozens of strikes against the White Lotus Sect, large and small, and emerged victorious every single time, inflicting devastating losses upon the enemy.
Everyone believed this was the Hall of Vast Qi's chance. Under Hall Master Yang's leadership, the Hall might truly be able to eradicate the White Lotus Sect once and for all.
That night, Yang Kai jolted awake from a dream.
A figure had appeared at his bedside like a phantom. She lowered her head to look at him and giggled. "Dreaming again?"
Yang Kai gave her a cursory glance, sat up in bed, and gave a slight nod.
It was Luo Tinghe, his personal bodyguard, who hailed from the Emerald Smoke Gate. Though small in stature, she possessed formidable strength. Three years ago, she had competed against Yang Kai for the position of Hall Master of the Hall of Vast Qi, but had fallen short by a narrow margin and lost the bid.
No one really knew what she was thinking. With her strength, even if she couldn't secure the position of Hall Master, serving as a Vice Hall Master would have been well within her reach.
But she didn't pursue that. Instead, she had volunteered to become Yang Kai's personal bodyguard.
The Emerald Smoke Gate had been vehemently opposed to this. After all, if one of their own could obtain a Vice Hall Master position, the Gate's influence within the Hall of Vast Qi would grow considerably.
But Luo Tinghe was set in her ways and insisted on becoming Yang Kai's personal bodyguard, and no one could talk her out of it.
She was called a bodyguard, but in practice, her relationship with Yang Kai was more like that of friends. She showed not the slightest restraint around him, and after three years of spending every day and night together, there were no secrets between them.
Which was how she knew that this Hall Master—seen by everyone as the future hope of the Hall of Vast Qi—had a peculiar habit.
At night, he would frequently have bizarre dreams, and in those dreams, a woman with a blurred face always appeared. Yang Kai didn't even know who this woman was. He had never seen her before, yet he had a vague, persistent feeling that she was someone tremendously important to him.
"You… still haven't remembered?" Luo Tinghe suddenly asked.
Yang Kai rolled his eyes, exasperated. "Do you even know what you're asking?"
Luo Tinghe shrugged. "I don't know what I'm asking either. I just felt like asking."
The Hall Master Yang Kai had a habit of having strange dreams, and this personal bodyguard had a habit of her own—every time Yang Kai woke from such a dream, she would ask this very question.
The first time it happened, Yang Kai had actually tried to discuss it with her seriously, but even Luo Tinghe couldn't explain what she meant.
Moreover, after three years together, Yang Kai had come to realize that this personal bodyguard of his might have something wrong with her head. She frequently did things that no one could have predicted.