《Unseen Immortal of Three Hundred Years》 Chapter 1: Northern Frontiers Chapter 1: Northern Frontiers During the Tianshu Era, a blizzard hit Mian Province. The Eternal Sea covered in snow stretched for tens of thousands of miles, up to the Northern Frontiers. The coldness here made thin ice float on dead water. Wu Xingxue1Wu means ck, Xing means to walk or go, and Xue means snow stood in the middle of the water on a withered tree, washing the blood on his hands. His hands were slender and pale, without the slightest sense of ebullience. As if all he ever did was y with the birds of the Yao Pce and the flowers of Immortal Capital. But in reality, just not too long ago, those two fingers made countless heads fall from their neck. So he must wash them carefully and didnt show any intention to speak. The people waiting at theke bank didnt dare to speak either. After waiting for a long time, a sentence finally came to their ears. What year is it? asked Wu Xingxue. Coming from the center of the vast water, his voice was a little fuzzy. The people on the shore took a second to process this sudden question, and then immediately replied, Year 25 in the Tianshu Era. Wu Xingxue took a sniff on his washed fingers, then turned his head to look over, Tianshu? Yes, Tianshu. Tianshu Wu Xingxue softly repeated this unfamiliar era. The person who replied to him earlier quickly added, The Immortals Alliance changed it to that. Oh. Wu Xingxue dropped his hand. With his movement, the sound of metal nging could be heard. as if he was chained. The people on the river shore reacted greatly to this sound, each feeling their scalp go numb. They looked with fear towards the person in the water. Wu Xingxue was wearing a in light blue robe, almost blending inpletely with the cold fog. But both his wristsing out of the sleeves and his ankle bones on top of his bare feet were pale white and clean; there was not a single trace of a chain. Yet that nging sound could still be heard. One of the people murmured softly, This sound is Shh! Are you crazy? Do you think well forget you have a mouth if you dont use it? If you want a death wish, dont bring us in! The person who interrupted him was also afraid to be heard by the person on the water, so he also only used a very low voice. But they were still heard. Is what? Wu Xingxue asked, Dont stop, continue. The people on the shore swallowed hard and held their breath. The one who spoke early had his fingers trembling, Nonothing! We we didnt say anything, really! Everyone knew that the Northern Frontiers was a ce even more terrifying than the Devils Lair. The spirits of the world were not afraid of revenge nor immortals, only afraid that they would die here. The demons and devils imprisoned here would have Heavenly Chains nailed into their bodies. They couldnt be seen, and couldnt be taken off. The evils who had these nailed onto them would suffer endless torture, until their soulsnguished and their bodies into ashes. So, for the 513 years that the Northern Frontiers have been floating on the Eternal Sea, there was only in and no way out. Except for Wu Xingxue. He was the first one who have been chained here for 25 years and was still alive. Such a devil lord, who was wearing a set of invisible chains, and was asking whats that nging sound? Let me hear it, who would dare to answer? The dead silence drifted in the cold mist. The people on the shore gave him a cautious look. Seeing that Wu Xingxue was still looking at them with a tilted head and not speaking, they felt chills crawling their spine. Its over. Our equivocal lord is starting again They cried in their hearts. Surprisingly, this infamous Devil Lord did not look scary in the slightest. Instead, he looked like he was born from an aristocratic family. His voice sounded very pretty, and his face looked very handsome, especially his eyes. The corners of his eyes were slightly bent downwards. When looked from the top, they looked like ink freshly dipped into a pond. But so what? Back then, he even killed the Twelve Spiritual Immortals without hesitation, let alone them, who were just lowly followers. How could they not be afraid? When he spoke, they felt afraid. When he was silent, they were also afraid. And now him looking at them with his tilted head, nothing could be worse! Cold sweat came down from their head like beads. Without another choice, the person who spoke at first could only speak while shaking, City Lord, City Lord, its all my fault. I shouldnt have said anything, I shouldnt have mentioned the cha Ah! I didnt say anything! I shouldnt have! I I really He wiped a bloodstain on the corner of his mouth, ready to curse himself. But Wu Xingxue was not mad, What do you mean your fault? I dont understand. And, you called me City lord? Fuck Whats wrong with City Lord? Isnt that what you should be called? The people at the shore were almost driven crazy by his questions. But what they didnt know was that the person on the tree was no longer the City Lord they knew. Wu Xingxues face showed no difference, but inside, he was beyond shocked. In his head, there were only four words: How did this happen! All he did was take a good nap, and now hes in someone elses body??? Just fifteen minutes ago, he was still a noble childe of Que City. After cing his jade wine cup down on the Winding Stream Banquet2A winding stream party is an old Chinese custom in which the participants wait by a winding stream andpose poems before their cups full of rice wine float down to reach them. From Wikipedia, he put on his fur coat and returned to his mansion. At Que City, it has been snowing for two days already, making it quite difficult to walk on the road. He was tall, and the servant beside him was struggling to keep the umbre steadily on top of his head. In the end, he felt like it would be easier for himself to hold the umbre instead, so he handed the little jade stove he was holding to his servant. This made his servant feel almost as if he was being rewarded. When he got to his mansion, his servants have already prepared him a warm soup. After drinking it, he started to feel sleepy. He even remembered that he was flipping through a folktale while leaning on the head of his bed. Outside, a winter sparrownded a small decoration bell, making it ring over and over again. He listened and watched through the window, and slowly he fell asleep. When he was woken up by the noisy voice and opened his eyes, he found himself in this mystifying ce. He was surrounded by water and the fog went up all the way to the sky. In the middle of the water, there was only one withered tree standing alone. Through the water, however, he could see greenish-white branches, blurred by the refraction of water. At first, he thought that they were white coral that has been quite popr in Que City. But only after a closer look did he find out that they were actually human arms. Human arms And he was standing barefoot on a branch of the dead tree, that looked like it might break any second. Oh, and there was the wind blowing on him. Making him wobble. And his hands were full of blood. Only God knows how much he wanted to curse at that moment. In poems, one would often see poets dreaming of their childhood years, but on him, turned into the years in theherworld. Oh wait, no. More like he was possessing someone else in theherworld. Thanks to the slip of the tongue by the people on the shore, his identity hasnt been exposed yet. And he managed to learn some crucial information. This hellish ce was called the Northern Frontiers, a ce where devils were imprisoned. And he, was the Devil Lord. The people on the shore were his former subordinates. When one of them broke in, he was still dragging half of a bloody corpse behind him and stepped into the water expressionlessly. None of them here was a kind soul obviously. Surrounded by such people, he wouldnt even dare to imagine what would happen if he said Im not the owner of this body. If he did, those subordinates who looked sincere and frightened would immediately change their attitudes. They would cut him in half and leave him in this pool of dead water. So, he could only keep washing his hands while trying to learn more information from them. But no matter how hard he tried, the only responses he got were City Lord its all my fault, City Lord Im wrong, Ill be quiet, and, Shhh. Shit As he was carefully nning what to do next, he suddenly heard a loud noise. It was a little hard to tell across the iron-like mountain walls around them, but it was obvious that they were being surrounded by countless people outside. Among them, one could also hear the sounds of swords being drawn and words like What are you waiting for, Its the Devil Lord. In the split of a second, there was a giant bang, making small pieces of ck ironstones beside them fall down. The gloomy and chilly pool suddenly started to shake violently. Wu Xingxue quickly held onto the nearest branch to make sure he doesnt end up falling off. His subordinates were listening carefully and trying to figure out the situation outside. They were all frowning with darkened faces. Doesnt sound good to me. Im guessing everyone from the Immortals Alliance has alreadye. Of course. They have always treated this ce more precious than their lives. They call this the ce in the world that can frighten the evil, thats only natural. Ha, but so what, it wont be for much longer! Boom! Another loud explosion. The mountain surrounding them still held firm, but was shaking more and more severely. No, if they keep going like this, theyll be in here in no time! City Lord, lets The subordinates turned their heads to look, and their voices paused. Wu Xingxue had his head lowered, and in his hand held a newly broken branch. The subordinates: ? Lets what? Please continue. Wu Xingxue seemed to be just ying around. It only took a few seconds for him to lose interest in the branch, and he casually threw it into the water. The subordinates stared at the floating twitch with fear. It wasmon knowledge that everything touched by the Devil Lord was worth to be feared of, even if it was a drop of water. Uh, lets The subordinate speaking licked his dry lips and couldnt help but nce back at the branch, Lets leave this ce as quickly as possible. Yes, City Lord. There have been some strange phenomena recently in the Northern Frontiers. Rumors have it that the ce has reached its end. The Immortals Alliance is all here by now to check on the situation. Partially because they wanted to try and save this ce. Partially because they were afraid that the Devil Lord havent diedpletely yet. In such a situation, if the two sides met, it would inevitably be a bloody battle. But just when they were about to urge, Wu Xingxue spoke again, So thats why youre in such panic? Too weak? The subordinates: They knew better than to nod their heads City Lord, those disciples outside are naturally not worth mentioning at all, said the eldest subordinate. The people beside him were silent for a few seconds, and then turned to look at him: ? Its this ce, the Northern Frontiers itself, he nced around, then continued, It is said that there were strange phenomenons here recently and that the spiritual energy here has been drained dry. That must be true, otherwise, we wouldnt have broken in so easily. Its just that, this ce, after all, it used to be controlled by that that Celestial Immortal. He said the words Celestial Immortal super fast and blurred, but was still elbowed by someone beside him. He has already died together with the fall of Immortal Capital, why must you bring it up right now?! The subordinate who spoke secretly took a nce at Wu Xingxue and kept his voice lower than a mouses. Again? Whats up with the pale face and that secretive attitude? That Celestial Immortal, did something happen between him and me? No, I mean with the owner of this body? Wu Xingxue really wanted to let that subordinate to continue, so that he could understand more of his situation. But due to this identity, he could let it go for now. But since he wasnt the original person who was supposed to be chained here, he didnt know what kind of reaction to have to be considered normal. He could only silently and indifferently listen to his men on the shore call him with the unfamiliar name. The subordinate talking earlier took a nce at him again, In in short although that mans dead for a long time already, he might have nted a trap here before he passed. Well be in quite some trouble if thats true. True. So City Lord, please, lets hurry up and leave! Their tone sounded like they were on fire, as if their patience had a taste of bitterness in it. Their City Lord waspletely agreeing with them at this moment and was literally about to nod. But at this moment, he had a more pressing problem. Which was: How the heck can I get down from this tree while keep pretending to be the Devil Lord? Wu Xingxue looked at the deep pool below him and then looked at the shore. His subordinates were looking at him eagerly, waiting for an order. A thought came across his mind. He raised his hand and randomly chose a person that looked rtively pleasing to the eye. You,e here, his voice was soft. The person who was chosen shivered and froze in ce. Me? Mm. City Lord, did I say something wrong? It wasnt me talking just now Wu Xingxue: Coward. Come here, he softly repeated while hooking his finger. As he moved, those invisible chains made nging sounds again. The person who was chosen didnt ask more and courageously stepped onto the dead water. With big steps, it only took him a few seconds to reach the dead tree. City Lord. Just as he was about to step onto the tree, Boom! Countless invisible sword aura came from all directions, carrying the chill of the tens of thousands of miles of snow of the Northern Frontiers. The hand that he reached out to Wu Xingxue immediately turned into a mist of blood, and his whole person was swept back to the shore. In an instant, a giant array formed and the waters crashed like waves. Wu Xingxue felt a cold sword energying for him, and he subconsciously closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, a giant golden lotus, big enough to cover the entire Northern Frontiers, slowly opened beneath his feet. In the dazzling snow particles and golden light, he saw a phantom holding a giant sword. That person was very tall, and there were three ck nails in the ear bone of his right ear. He gave off an intense killing intent, but his face looked incredibly handsome as well. His presence made the air above the Eternal Sea smell like cold iron. In the wind, the giant phantom turned his head to look at Wu Xingxue. From beneath his ear to the bottom of his neck, there was a golden seal that could faintly be seen. It wrote the word Mian. As everyone knew, Celestial Immortal, Xiao Fuxuan, was given the name Mian from the heavens. Mian, meant forgiveness. All sins could be washed. - Authors notes: Im back! Wu Xingxue is the receiver (shou) of the rtionship, dont get them mixed up~ Please dont set the bars too high for this novel, this is only my second ancient-times BL. Thanks to all my readers, love you all! Chapter 2: Coffin Chapter 2: Coffin The Northern Frontiers. The moment that the golden water lily burst open, the cultivators were sted with no time for preparation. The invisiblepulsion was like the ocean exploding outwards a thousand kilometers, beating everyone back a great distance away. The swords and spiritual weapons of the closest individuals were all cracked and splintered, immediately ruined. Cough, cough Sect Leader. A small disciple fought his way out from the snow. Pressing his chest, he wanted to use his sword to prop himself back up, but he found that only a handle was left in his hands. Sect Leader, my sword For some of these disciples, their sword was more important than their life. Especially for the main sword cultivation sect, the Feng Sect. That small disciple was indeed from the Feng Sect. Throw it away, cast another one when we return. Feng Juyan didnt even look at him, her gaze stillnding a great distance away, her brows tightly furrowed. As the sect leader, she naturally didnt fall pitifully to the ground. Instead, she held her long sword in front of her body, blocking most of thepulsion. Though she stood perfectly straight, blood still seeped from between her fingers, dripping into the design of her sword. The small disciple saw the color of blood and was instantly rmed. He had just entered the sect, so he didnt know much. This was his first time seeing the Sect Leader bleed: Sect Leader, what exactly was that golden shadow, why is it so powerful? That shouldve been the Water Lily of Life, Feng Juyan said softly. Water Lily of Life?! The young disciples faces were filled with shock and suspicion. Legend said that the Water Lily of Life was solely possessed by the Celestial Immortal. Because he managed punishment and pardon, death in one hand and life in the other, he had two mortal movesone was to beckon dead souls, and another was to beckon all the living. The Water Lily of Life was the former. Weve only heard of it, but weve never seen it. Whos personally seen it? Everyone whos seen it has died, Feng Juyan said. Besides, it was a mortal move. The original intent of a mortal move was to trade ones life for the move; the move required theplete dissipation of all spiritual energy. Even for the Celestial Immortal, the cost was still great, so the movie wouldnt be so easily used. Thest time it appeared was twenty-five years ago. That day, Taiyin Mountain copsed, the Immortal Capital was destroyed, and three thousand spiritual tforms crashed down from the sky, most sinking into the Eternal Sea. Some said that the day the Taiyin Mountain copsed, at the ce closest to the Immortal Capital, the golden shadow of a water lily had cast down from above. After that, the demon Wu Xingxue was sealed in the Canng Northern Territory. From then on, the Immortal City was no more. After the Immortal City perished, the human realm fell into chaos, and catastrophe and gue rampaged across thend. Only with the gathering of sects, with temples and divine statues erected like forests, could the people forcibly regain a sliver of peace. From then on, the cultivation sects changed the name of the era to Tianshu. *** Sect Leader? The small disciple said hesitantly: Why did the Water Lily of Life appear again? Didnt the Celestial Immortal already die? The Norther Frontiers was his domain after all, there might be some lingering spiritual consciousness remaining. As for the sudden appearance of the Water Lily of Life. Feng Juyans voice abruptly paused, Could it be Could it be that that demon was still alive? Not only still alive, but even attempting to leave this ce, thus provoking the vestigial move? Its been twenty-five years, hes beenpletely fettered by the heavenly locks for twenty-five years. I thought that even if that demon was still alive, hed be down to hisst breath, at the verge of death. Who didnt think that? The cultivation sects almost all had the same impression. They didnt think there would be a difficult battle, so the people they brought were mostly young disciples. The rest were left to protect their sect, vigntly standing guard against that horde of demons from Zhaoye City. Looking at it now, it seemed that they were too reckless. Personally, I think we should call some more people over, someone suggested. That isnt that too battle-ready? No, it might be the Wu Xingxue who washed the Immortal Capital with blood. *** As the cultivators discussed important issues, the Wu Xingxue who washed the Immortal Capital with blood was currently lost. The person with therge sword had appeared for only a second. When he disappeared, the enormous golden water lily suddenly wrapped around Wu Xingxue, abruptly pulling him down. Then, Wu Xingxue thought: Oh no, Im going to lose my cover. Pitifully falling into the water under the stares of the crowdhis days of pretending to be a demon were over. Just after finishing his self-ridicule, he heard the pitiful startled yells of his subordinates. Wu Xingxue: Wu Xingxue: ? The expected waternding didnt actually happen. The cold pool seemed to be fake; not a drop of water got on him, but he seemed to still be speedily falling. The ice-cold wind whistled across his body, and the frightened breaths of his subordinates never ceased. He dimly heard someone yell: What is this damn ce? Another, more hazy voice said: There are thirty-threeyers below Canng Northern Territory, corresponding to the Taiyin White Tower above. Another person said: Theres something hidden in the lowest level. *** When hended on the ground, Wu Xingxue felt a violent tug from the chains nailed all over his body. Extreme pain burst across his chest, waist, wrists, and ankles, so painful that he almostpletely lost his senses. He couldnt even tell how he hadnded, whether it was pitiful or not. But thankfully, when he finally recovered his senses, he felt that he was standing. The golden water lily that had wrapped around him should have disappeared, as he could no longer smell that gust of sword qi that carried the scent of windy snow. He nurtured his pain, thinking that this was truly abnormal. Of the nobility of Que Capital, who wasnt raised in utter luxury? It was very extravagant. Even for a tiny injury, all of the people in his residence would fret over him, soothing him and offering up medicine and ointment. He was used to that type of lifestyle; he himself admitted that he couldnt stand the pain. But just before, it had hurt like his heart was being carved out, and he surprisingly didnt even make a sound, swallowing the entirety of his reaction, just because those few subordinates were present. I must have really owed you in my past life. Wu Xingxue thought. Thus, when those subordinatesnded stumbling, they saw their own City Lord slowly open his eyes, sweep his gaze over them, and coldly give a shortugh. The crowd: They wanted to ask: City Lord, where have we been dragged? Hearing the coldugh, they again gulped down their words. City Lord you why are you smiling? The one who was always quick to speak still couldnt hold it in, asking carefully. When he was fourteen, he had cultivated the Poison Restriction Technique, and he didnt grow any more from then on. So, in a crowd of peers, he appeared small and frail. It was better when they were further apart, but now that only two or three steps separated them, Wu Xingxue appeared particrly tall inparison. When he spoke, he even had to tilt his head up a little. He waited like this for a moment until Wu Xingxue lifted his hand, his long fingers sweeping beside his wrist and hooking onto something invisible. He said softly: Me? Imughing at how noisy these chains are, nging everywhere, its too loud. I sure know how to ask. The subordinate didnt dare to tilt his face back down, but he didnt want to open his mouth again. Wu Xingxue swiped at his chains with a finger and threw him a sentence: Lead the way. Lets go lets go lets gohurry up! Another subordinate quickly responded. He probably was afraid that the one with the quick mouth would make more trouble for himself, and he forcefully pulled at him, squeezing the words from between his teeth: Ning Huaishan youre an idiot dont use us to break your fall! Ning Huaishan was pulled back a few steps by him. He lifted his head in bewilderment: But, where are we going? The people abruptly halted: Right, where are we going? They were a little confused. After hesitating for a bit, they still turned around to ask: City Lord, lead the way to where? Wu Xingxue followed from a moderate distance, his steps had yet to stop: You tell me. I The crowd had nothing left to say, and they didnt dare keep asking. After all, they all knew that Wu Xingxue hated idiotic people the most. They all looked around in circles. This was a stretch of wilderness, covered with ayer of snow, gray as far as the eye could see. Far away, there was a withered tree that reached towards the sky. It seemed like it had been burned, charred and patchy. Even when looking up, they still couldnt see the top. They suspected that the dry branches Wu Xingxue had stood on before were the crown of this enormous tree. Have you heard? Canng Northern Territory has thirty-threeyers. Ning Huaishan secretly elbowed hispanion. Canng Northern Territory floated atop the Eternal Sea. Surrounded by clouds and thunder in the winter, it looked like a huge ck cliff. Legend said that it had thirty-threeyers, just like the Taiyin Mountain ss tower prior to copse, indicating thirty-three iterations of heaven. If the tree branches from before were the topyer, then this stretch of wilderness before them, atop which the enormous tree grew, must be the bottom one. Where did you hear this rumor from? So what if we know there are thirty-threeyers, how the hell does that help? Did the rumors tell you where the City Lords wants us to go? Ning Huaishan: No. He thought about it carefully again, But the rumors said that the lowestyer has hidden treasure. Look, just before City Lord asked us to lead the way, maybe thats what he meant? Think about it, doesnt that have a problem? How are we supposed to know where the treasure is, and how are we supposed to lead the way? If City Lord really meant that, then that would be bizarre. Tsk, dont waste your breath. Lets look first, and if we somehow find it, then we wont have led him astray. That huge tree was truly an eyesore, and the entirety of the wilderness didnt have any other ces that could hide treasure, so they started heading towards the tree. When they came nearer, they found that countless swords were nted sideways below the enormous tree, like a boundless sword cemetery. Wu Xingxue followed them as they cut through the sword cemetery. They walked until their legs were about to fall off, but they still werent able to get half a step closer to the tree. Is it toote to use my chains to threaten these people into sitting down for a bit? Wu Xingxue stared at the back of their figures, thinking in his head. City Lord? Ning Huaishan probably noticed the suddenly empty space behind him. He turned around and said haltingly: This sword cemetery is probably an array Wu Xingxue didnt show any surprise: So? City Lord, youve always known that were not that good at breaking arrays. Ning Huaishan snuck a nce at Wu Xingxue and said: Things like arrays were always your Wu Xingxue: My what, say it. He lowered the volume of his voice and carried no emotion. He precisely controlled the degree to which he wanted to inspire fear, maybe he could avoid this cmity City Lord, ah, dont y with us for fun. Another subordinate frowned with a bitter expression: We know that we made you unhappy, after this, well do whatever. But things like arrays, were really not good at. Right, and besides, this is the Northern Frontiers, what if were too rash and identally cause a mishap, then that would be bad. Right, City Lord, you can break this type of array in two to three steps, why waste your effort on us? Wu Xingxue: Seems this cmity cant be avoided. He looked at his subordinates, thinking not to mention two to three steps, even if you gave me two to three years Id still be stuck, are you afraid now? He took a light breath and was going to start brainstorming methods, but a smudge of white caught his peripheral vision. It wasnt the same white as the color of the snow; there was a warm brightness to it, like the jade at the top of a courtyard staircase. He turned his head and, through a gap in the interweaving frigid swords, saw a corner of the object. It looked like a white jade tform? Wu Xingxue stopped paying attention to his subordinates and started heading in that direction. Barefoot, he avoided the sword des, and after a moment, he stood in front of the white jade tform. He found out then that this wasnt a jade tform It was a jade coffin. It was an enormous white jade coffin, lying beneath the withered tree that stretched towards the sky, surrounded by thousands of frigid swords. Coffin nails were nailed in all four edges, and a name was carved on each nail. That name, Wu Xingxue had seen it not long before, tattooed on a persons neck. This is This is Xiao Fuxuans coffin! Chapter 3: Puppet Chapter 3: Puppet Xiao Fuxuans coffin? Xiao Fuxuan Wu Xingxue repeated quietly to himself. His subordinates followed, but made sure that they didnt get too close to the coffin. Ning Huaishan craned his neck and asked in confusion, What the-why is the Celestial Immortals coffin here? Good boy, thats more like it. Wu Xingxue was still wondering who Xiao Fuxuan was, afraid that he would identally make a mistake and blow his cover. But thankfully, Ning Huaishans quick mouth helped him avoid some troubles. But it was certainly weird. Wu Xingxue didnt know the rules here, but he has read books before. In those stories, the immortals all treated devils like filth. They stood on opposite sides of the spectrum, and neither one could tolerate the other. Who would ce their coffin in the Devil Lords prison? Unless there was another reason? As Wu Xingxue pondered, he reached out his hand to brush the side of the jade coffins nails. He had a bad habit since he was little. Most of the nobles and princes of Que City all had umon possessions: Shark pearls, parjana, earthlynterns, and more. Each name sounded fancier and fancier. But he wasnt like them. He was more traditional and mainly liked white jade. He couldnt help but reach forward and test its quality every time he saw one, "I reckon its fake. Its probably a coffin for his possessions or something." "But thats still strange. How is burying his possessions different from him being here himself?" "Youre right! Even the ugly stone statues in a shabby mountain temple can get a bit of the actual immortals spiritual energy, not to mention his clothes and belongings. Those are beyond a bit: they are no different from an actual Celestial Immortal being present. City Lord, you might want to" But before Ning Huaishan could finish, he turned his head and found the City Lord touching the coffin. Ning Huaishan: "" Ning Huaishan: "???" What in the world? The scene left the subordinates speechless. This Devil Lord was indeed hard to read, and his actions were often beyond peoples expectations. When he smiled, it didnt always mean he was happy. When he used a gentle tone, that didnt always mean apliment. He was hard to serve and especially hard to see through. But that was Xiao Fuxuan, that Xiao Fuxuan, who nailed him into the Northern Frontiers. Why why was he touching that? Ning Huaishan licked his lips before asking slowly, "City Lord, what are you?" The subordinates exchanged nces before turning to face Wu Xingxue. The person closest to Ning Huaishan suddenly felt that something was wrong. With his finger, He reached out and wrote on Ning Huaishans hand: [Do you feel like] Before he could finish, there was a "ping-" sound. Where Wu Xingxues hands touched, the ck coffin nail suddenly popped out, sticking up by almost an inch. There were crushed jade bits on the nail, along with a dim golden covering." "" The person who was writing with his fingers took a breath and curled them back. Then there was another noise. Ping- Another ck nail popped out. And a third. A fourth. With the loss of every nail, the jade coffin would shake. Not only the coffin, but the sword cemetery, the huge tree, and even the entire wilderness would shake with it. Ning Huaishan and the others acted as if they were facing a great threat. They immediately jumped back a dozen meters, shouting, "City Lord, we thought we didnt know you were nning to open the coffin?!" No, thats not what I wanted to do Wu Xingxue thought to himself, If I knew any techniques or spells, Id be running faster than you guys. But unfortunately, he didnt. And not only couldnt he run, but his feet also couldnt even more. The coffin seemed to have some supernatural powers. The second it started to shake, there seemed to be hands growing from the ground, firmly holding him in ce. And so, all the subordinates had retreated to a safety distance, and yet he was still standing beside the coffin, watching the nailse out one after another. With thest noise, the giant jade coffins lid began to slowly grind open, then fell onto the ground with a loud boom. Wu Xingxue closed his eyes. He didnt smell decayed matter as he had expected; there was only the scent of cold snow and floating dust, Like the deep winters of Que City. "It opened Ning Huaishan murmured, "City Lord, whats inside?" Wu Xingxue opened his eyes. The jade coffin was much taller than normal coffins. From where he was standing, he couldnt see what was inside. The pull on his legs suddenly disappeared. He took a hesitant step, "Inside is" Xiao Fuxuan. Wu Xingxue moved his lips, then unconsciously tightened them. This was too unexpected. Inside the jade coffin was none other than the Celestial Immortal himself. It was like the shadow he saw standing on the golden lily, but notpletely alike. There was ayer of frigid air surrounding Xiao Fuxuans body. His eyebrows and the ck nails on his ear bone all had ayer of frost on them, looking colder than the jade coffin itself. Wu Xingxue rested against the coffin and studied what was inside for a long time. "City Lord, is it only his clothes inside? Or did he also bury some precious possessions here?" Ning Huaishans voice sounded closer this time. Not hearing a response from him, Wu Xingxues subordinates started to gather around again. With a nce, they saw Xiao Fuxuans face. Ning Huaishan immediately retreated to where he was before. The others were also about to run for their lives, but one of them suddenly said, "Huh? Wait!" Ning Huaishan, "Are you crazy? Wait for what?" "The City Lords here, why are you guys worried! And look, its not the actual Celestial Immortal inside." Hm? Not the actual one? Wu Xingxue raised his eyes, but was afraid it would create suspicion, so he immediately lowered them again. Fortunately, Ning Huaishan got his handy-dandy mouth, "Not the actual one?" "Yeah, did you forget? Those immortals love splitting themselves into corporeal bodies, leaving one here and another three. Oh, the stories were also like this, when the deities were roaming around the human realm. Wu Xingxue thought. "How can you tell?" Ning Huaishan returned with some suspicion. "Im much older, after all, Ive seen these kinds of things before. Look at his left wrist." Wu Xingxue looked. On the inner side of the wrist on the left hand, there was a small ck mark, just like the lily from before. So that meant, this wasnt the Celestial Immortal after all? Just an empty shell? The subordinates continued to discuss, but Wu Xingxue didnt listen. Because he was thinking about a problem Since this wasnt the Celestial Immortal, and the corpse didnt have any signs ofing back alive, then who opened the coffin? He immediately lowered his head to look at his own hand. He was starting to believe that the so-called City Lord didntpletely disappear from this body yet. Perhaps there were still some spiritual powers of his left on the hand. But wait When he touched the coffin, he didnt use even the slightest strength, it was really nothing more than a touch. Besides If the original owner of the body was still here, with his abilities, it was a piece of cake to snatch his body back. Why would he leave him to have his body until now? While all sorts of thoughts were popping into Wu Xingxues mind, he suddenly noticed that there was something under the "Xiao Fuxuan". He slightly curled his hand, only revealing a corner of the item. Could it be a jade statue? Wu Xingxue hesitated, then muttered his head, "Although youre just a shell, I still have to apologize, please excuse me." He uncurled the ice-cold corpses fingers and took out what was underneath. It was a jade figure made with excellent carving skills. But the figure didnt have a face, and so he couldnt tell who it was supposed to be. It did, however, have a long sword in his hand, and a flower tform beneath his feet. In Que City, statues that had tforms only had one purposeto worship deities. He wondered if it was the same here. If it was a deity, then the sword in his hand could mean that this was the Celestial Immortal. Wu Xingxues thumb unconsciously brushed against the carved flowers as e though. As he touched, he suddenly felt his heart jumphe heard a voice. [Have you gone to Chunfan City, at the west of Meng City? There is an exceptional person there named Yi Wusheng] Wu Xingxue: "" He almost tossed the statue away. But thankfully, since he had been through all sorts of situations in Que City, he knew how to maintain a calm expression. Whos talking? Why can I hear such a voice? Wu Xingxue looked around; his heart thundering inside his chest. Is it because Im holding this statue? Wu Xingxue remained silent for a second, then touched that flower again. Nothing. Whats the matter? Was I hallucinating? Wu Xingxue studied the statue and mumbled in his head. [Do you want to return? Go find him.] Suddenly, that voice appeared again. Wu Xingxue tightened his fingers. Although this was very out of the blue, the words "do you want to return" were exactly what he wanted to hear. Do you want to return? Of course. He wanted to go back to Que City so bad. A ce where there were no devils and demons, no hell like Northern Frontiers, and no nging Heavenly Chains. A ce where there were no Immortal Capital and Devils Den, where people and horses came and went freely. Chunfan City Yi Wusheng He subconsciously repeated those two words, then mocked himself. You must be hallucinating. Wu Xingxue said to himself. You dont know who said this voice, nor if it is directed to you. Perhaps theres just some spiritual energy left on this statue, which happened to match what you want. How foolish of you to think its real. He shook his head. Just as he was about to return the statue to its original position, the blurry sound came again. [These shells are so handy. Hold the wrist, insert your spiritual energy, and the puppetes to life! If it is some well-known person, then its a big win. Hell be obedient and strong are you obedient?] "" Wu Xingxue threw the statue back into the coffin without another thought. He was quite respectful, as he purposefully made sure not to throw on the Celestial Immortals body. The statue hit the bottom of the jade coffin with a bong, startling Ning Huaishan and the others. "City Lord, you cant do City Lord?" Ning Huaishan didnt finish, because he saw the City Lord lowering his waist and reaching into the coffin. He saw Wu Xingxue holding onto Xiao Fuxuans wrist, and pressed his thumb on the wrists ck mark. Isnt that how you make a puppet?! Everyone was stunned in ce, "City Lord! Dont tell me, that youre going to make the Celestial Immortals shell your puppet?!" Wu Xingxue wanted to say no. Would I dare? Besides, do I even know how? In fact, he didnt know himself why he reached to touch that mark. To prove that the voice was just a fraud? But to be honest, he couldnt prove anything. The voice said specifically that he must input his spiritual energy. He didnt have that sort of thing, so he could only press, to see if something would happen. Before he even finished thinking, he suddenly felt something jump under his thumb. It was very light, like the veins of a living being. Wu Xingxue: "?" Hold up a second. With shock, he quickly looked up, only to see the dead man in the coffin slowly open his eyes. Ning Huaishans scream sounded, "It worked! It really worked! City Lord! Look, the puppet came to life! His eyes opened!" Their City Lord almost fainted. His eyes did open. But the scary thing was that he didnt do anything, and the eyes opened by themselves. Wu Xingxue didnt even get to say anything before he felt a blur in front of his eyes. A huge forcended on his body, then the sky started to spin. He subconsciously closed his eyes. No one saw how the puppet came to life, they only felt that hurricane of snow formed in front of the coffin. All the swords in the sword cemetery started to vibrate. The sound of metal hitting was mixed in the howling wind, almost indiscernible from the chains on Wu Xingxues body. By the time the blizzard lifted, the puppet had pressed Wu Xingxue to the ground. In his right hand, he held a sword from the sword cemetery. The sword spun, aiming downwards. Wu Xingxue opened his eyes, only to see the tip of the sword only inches away from his face. The cold sword aura came for his face, but stopped immediately at his neck. He wasnt hurt, but the danger didnt seem to cease. He looked at the frosting off from Xiao Fuxuans eyebrows as he lowered his head to look at him. After a long time, he called out his name, "Wu Xingxue." Chapter 4: Prison Break Chapter 4: Prison Break Wu Xingxue squinted his eyes. He had grown too used to his old carefree days; this was the first time some had threatened him with a sword against his throat, "Are you going to kill me?" Wu Xingxue asked quietly, as his gaze fell upon Xiao Fuxuan. Xiao Fuxuan moved his lips, but he didnt respond. "You cant kill me," Wu Xingxue continued. Xiao Fuxuan continued to hold the sword against his neck. His gaze fell from the bridge of his tall, straight nose. A momentter, he finally spoke, "why?" He spoke in a low tone with a hint of hoarseness from not speaking in such a long time. "Because you got the wrong guy," replied Wu Xingxue slowly. He expected Xiao Fuxuan to be stunned for a second, or at least show an expression of confusion. In reality, he didnt move even a muscle. It was Wu Xingxues turn to be stunned. But he quickly recovered; It was likely because the original bodys owner did too many crimes, so no one would believe him easily. What did I do to deserve this He thought to himself. "They say you are the Celestial Immortal, with such an impressive title, you must be able to tell, Im" He suddenly stopped, then took a nce at his subordinates. Xiao Fuxuan finally spoke, "Speak, they cant hear you." Cant hear? Only now did Wu Xingxue realize that those subordinates havent moved since he had been pressed onto the ground. It seemed as if the blizzard created a barrier, separating the people outside. He licked his lips and said morosely, "Youve got it all wrong, Im not who you think I am." Im not the Devil Lord." Xiao Fuxuan continued to stare at him. After a long moment, his brows slowly furrowed. "I dont know what that Devil Lord did and what lies he told before, maybe thats why you wont believe me," said Wu Xingxue a bit helplessly, "Its only natural." "But Im really not him. Im not even from this ce. If youre a deity like those in the novels, you should be able to tell. Im nothing more than a sorrowful wandering soul, do you want to test it?" With that, he lifted his left hand, exposing the vulnerable spot on his wrist. Xiao Fuxuan kept a close eye on his movements and still didnt speak. Wu Xingxue was almost certain that he still didnt believe him. After a moment of silent waiting, he felt like his efforts were futile. Just as he was about to give up, he heard Xiao Fuxuans deep voice ask, "Then what is your name? Where do youe from?" Wu Xingxue suddenly looked up at him. After thinking, he replied, "Im from a ce called Que City. That ce is very different from here. Its too long of a story to exin, but you are an immortal, do you have any way to help me?" "Im in charge of punishment. I can only capture and punish people." Wu Xingxue: "" He was still lifting his wrist. He didnt reply and slowly lowered his hand. Not only that, but he didnt know what that reminded Xiao Fuxuan of. But after a moment, he suddenly got up and withdrew the sword. Wu Xingxue: "? How sudden. Does that mean he believes me? Probably not The acute sharpness beside his neck and the frigid air dissipated. Wu Xingxue pushed himself up. By the time he stood upright, he found Xiao Fuxuan returning the sword into his sheath. With a ng, the surrounding blizzard suddenly stopped. Ning Huaishan and the others seemed to have turned into stone, standing in awkward and stiff positions. The second the blizzard stopped however, they returned to life. "City Lord!" "City Lord, howe the shell" Ning Huaishan seemed to have missed a moment of time. He was still at the instant when Wu Xingxue was pressed onto the ground. Just as he was about to ask worriedly, he found the City Lord back standing, with Xiao Fuxuan beside him. "???" Ning Huaishans words came to a halt. His head was filled with confusion. He stared at the City Lord, then the Celestial Immortal, and then he murmured, "Im not sure." "That frightened me! So, did it attack because there was still some spiritual energy in it?" Wu Xingxue thought to himself, theres no way one can move like this with just a bit of spiritual energy. "So what now?" Ning Huaishan asked carefully while looking at Xiao Fuxuan. He was still a bit scared, but he couldnt stop the light from gleaming in his eyes, "It worked right? That shell is your puppet now? This is huge! All puppets will loyally protect their masters and do whatever theyre ordered." Xiao Fuxuan gave Ning Huaishan a cold nce. Just as Wu Xingxue was about to say that this wasnt his puppet, the entire Northern Frontiers started to roar. The ground shook violently. The coffin that Xiao Fuxuan used to hibernate in had already been crushed. The giant tree shook endlessly, and cracks emerged from the earth. Dust and rocks came crashing from above, the sound was almost deafening. "It seems like the Northern Frontiers is at its end, its really going to copse!" The subordinates yelled. They were on the thirty-third floor, and boulders were falling like rain. Getting out of here would be beyond difficult. "City Lord" The subordinates screamed, and several of them were separated into different regions, their voices and conditions unknown. A massive cliff abruptly copsed. It was dozens of meters wide, and the bottom was sharp as a de. Anyone that get hit by it would have their skull pierced immediately. And the person who happened to be directly beneath it, was none other than Wu Xingxue. The ce where he stood was also crumbling into ruins. He was standing on thest remaining rock. He lifted his head, only to see the edge of the cliff. Then out of nowhere, countless golden swords materialized and wrapped themselves around him. They had the word "Mian" etched upon them. He couldnt see anything, but felt that someone had shielded him. *** The copse of the Northern Frontiers caused great tremors on the Eternal Sea. While the disciples of the Immortals Alliance were busying up with a n, an inconspicuous bamboo boat was passing through the Rustling Channel at the edge of the Eternal Sea. Wu Xingxue held a hand warmer and leaned silently in the corner of the boat. There was a leatherntern hanging from the awning of the boat, which swayed gently with the wind. Yet no matter how much it swayed, the tips of the fire were never to reach the leatherntern walls. When the Northern Frontiers were crumbling, he got separated from most of his subordinates. Only Northern Frontiers and the one who had lost an arm were close enough to be scooped onto the boat. One-arm suffered quite some injuries. He fainted the moment he got onto the boat. Ning Huaishan was in a slightly better condition, as he talked endlessly. He wrung out the bottom of his waterlogged robe on the deck, then returned beneath the awning while rubbing his hands. He reported to Wu Xingxue, "Were about to enter White Deer Ford, City Lord. Did you hear that just now? The thunder from the Eternal Sea. That almost shattered my eardrums." Wu Xingxue didnt know what he was so excited about. But fortunately, he was good at talking to himself, "Just look at how far the waves crashed. Those disciples outside must be in a terrible spot right now. Just thinking of them suffering makes me feel good." "Think of them, then look at us" he nced towards Wu Xingxue, "Technically, no one should be able to leave the Northern Frontiers. But who would have thought, we got a treasure with us." "Its all thanks to you, City Lord. Its all to your quick mind to make this shell your puppet. No one else knew the way out of the Northern Frontiers better than him. And if the legends are indeed right, this puppet will really protect its master with full loyalty." "Thank goodness that Celestial Immortal has died already. If he found out in theherworld that his shell used to guard the Northern Frontiers saved the Devil Lord, just imagine tsk, tsk. Actually, hes not in theherworld. Hes right in front of you watching you run your busy mouth, Wu Xingxue thought. While watching the fun, he didnt forget to take a nce towards his side every once in a while. He saw Xiao Fuxuan with his broad shoulders and narrow waist leaning against the boat with his sword in his arms. He expressionlessly watched Ning Huaishan prattle on, and his eyes seemed to be sayinghow are you still alive? If looks could kill, then Ning Huaishan would be a dead man. Wu Xingxue looked at the indescribable expression on the Celestial Immortals face. He couldnt hold back anymore and started to giggle. Ning Huaishan instinctively went into silence. Hearing theugh, Xiao Fuxuan also turned around. While looking at Wu Xingxue, his gaze that came from his thin eyelids reflected the soft light from thentern. A secondter, he turned his head the other way towards outside the boat. He silently continued to act like a puppet. At the Canng Northern Territory, when Ning Huaishan was talking nonsense, he could still try to deceive them. But it wouldnt work this time. He had truly carried a Devil Lord out, so in front of others, he could only pretend to be a puppet. "City Lord, our Zhaoye City has expanded again. The previous Lang Ind and the Dabei Valley are all part of ours now. When we get to White Deer Ford, well arrive in the city." Ning Huaishan yawned as the night fell. He went to apany One-arm shortly after, and soon began to snore. He failed to notice that the "puppet" started talking nearly immediately after he fell asleep. "When the cliff was falling, why didnt you escape?" Xiao Fuxuan looked back at Wu Xingxue and asked sternly. Wu Xingxue was falling asleep in the corner. Hearing this, he opened his eyes. His eyes looked tired, and only reacted after staring at Xiao Fuxuan for a while. "How?" he askedzily. "Theres no way to go on both sides. Im not a demon nor do I have special abilities. As I said, Im just a mortal. You just wont believe me." He closed his eyes again, speaking in a mumble. It seemed like he fell asleep already. But after a long time, he suddenly spoke again, "Xiao Fuxuan." Xiao Fuxuan, who was still holding his sword in his arms, saw Wu Xingxue tuck his hand warmer away, revealing his thin wrist, "Since you didnt believe me, why did you still save me?" Xiao Fuxuan didnt reply. The person asking didnt seem to expect a reply either. He closed his eyes and soon fell asleep. *** Wu Xingxue was awoken by Ning Huaishans moring voice. "What the I adjusted the direction to west, by now we should be at the shore of White Deer Ford already. How the hell did the direction change?! Great, now were going to arrive in Zhaoye Cityte." Who knew what about Zhaoye City had him so troubled, persuading and pressing Wu Xingxue to return as quickly as possible. Wu Xingxue, on the other hand, knew he mustnt agree. That was the Devils Den. That was the absolutest ce hed go. Wu Xingxue listened with his eyes closed for a bit and understood. During the night, someone probably changed the direction. Ning Huaishan and One-arm slept like dead swine, it was obvious who did it. But the Celestial Immortal was ying puppet again, turning a blind ear to the voices. "Be quiet, where are we headed right now?" Wu Xingxue asked sleepily. Ning Huaishan thought for a moment, "From the looks of it, we might have to pass around Chunfan City." Chunfan City Chunfan City??? Wu Xingxue grew tense right away. He still remembered what he had heard earlier. There was someone in Chunfan City named Yi Wusheng. If he wanted to return, he must seek his help. The person who changed the direction was Xiao Fuxuan. Could it be that this great immortal finally understood and believed him? That he decided to help him find Yi Wusheng and help him return?! That made a bit of sense. The earlier he returned, the earlier this body could be returned to the Devil Lord. At that point, the Celestial Immortal could decide to jail or kill him, but that wouldnt have anything to do with him. Hopefully, that Yi Wusheng was a nice guy who would believe him and be willing to help. *** They got off the boat at around five in the morning. A white g hung near the ce where he got off, with the blue words "Swallow Port" sewed into it. There was also a swallow. It was about time for sunrise, but Swallow Port was still covered in thick fog. The only beings around were two young men with swords, probably some sects disciples. When Wu Xingxue stepped onto the wooden port, he saw that their expression didnt look too good. There was also a half-palm-sized divine statue hanging on their necks. In addition, on the port, almost every wooden pole had a deity carved onto them. Ning Huaishan and One-arm squatted down immediately after they got off. "The statues here increased since a while back. We shouldnt havended here. Now great" He cradled his head, looking very ufortable. Before getting off, Wu Xingxue heard him mention a few things Although the Immortal Capital has perished, themon people still loved to carve divine statues. Those statues would gain some spiritual energy after consuming offerings and incense. Although they couldnt eliminate the evil, it was enough to make them feel ill. And now, most of the immortals lived in Meng City, Yuyang, and Lang Ind. Those ces were rather safe. As for the rest, people could only depend on small sects and stuff like these small carvings. But even so, they still couldnt stop the increasingly arrogant devils. After all, the Immortal Capital was already gone. Most cultivators lost hope, and so the devils and demons grew more unrestrained. They were killing more people and living longer lives. No wonder the Devils Den, Zhaoye City, was growing bigger and bigger, too. In these years, even Meng City, Yuyang, and Lang Ind were not as safe anymore, forcing the ports and gates to have divine statues carved everywhere. Swallow Port was one of those. Compared to Ning Huaishan and One-arms reaction, Wu Xingxue seemed a bit too normal. He stood in the surrounding divine statues, not bothered by the slightest. He even felt like listening to the chatter between the two disciples. "Now that the Northern Frontiers is gone, what do we do now? Wont those devils and monsters grow even more wildly?" "I wonder how much longer this ce canst" "Hey, its hard to tell. Did you hear? The martial sister who went to the Northern Frontiers yesterday said that the Devil Lord Wu Xingxue might still be alive! With the crumbling of the Northern Frontiers, he might escape!" "What are you talking about? Theres no way thatll happen." Wu Xingxue said to himself, "Silly children, that will happen. He not only got out, but hes also listening to your conversation. Just as he was thinking of just leaving Ning Huaishan and One-arm here, he suddenly heard them continue. One of them said, "If that Devil Lord really escaped, where do you think helle for first? Im kind of worried." The other tried tofort him, "Dont worry, you dont have to guess. Its our Chunfan City for sure." "" "Just think about it, so many people here have a grudge against him. The Gao Family, Shen Family, oh, and Mister Yi Wusheng. His father, brother, wife, and daughter all were killed by that Devil Lord. How pitiful" Wu Xingxue: "" Wait, who? Who???" Xiao Fuxuan lowered his head and said, "Its the Yi Wusheng youre looking for." Wu Xingxue paused, then immediately turned around to leave. And here I thought you were going to be helpful. Humph! Ill stay in this body for a good a hundred years. Ill see what youre going to do then! Chapter 5: Hua Sect Chapter 5: Hua Sect Of course, Wu Xingxue didnt get to leave. Firstly, now that they were here already, it would be a shame to leave in such a hurry. And secondly, he didnt really have anywhere else to go. After waiting around a bit by the pier, the two disciples came over. Wu Xingxue saw that on the silver tassels on their swords, there was a peach blossom carved with pink jade. The word "Hua",1Meaning flower was also imprinted on the jade tokens on their waists. Obviously, these were two disciples of the Hua Sect. To be responsible for guarding the port and city gate, they muste from quite a powerful sect. "Hello, are you guys looking to enter the city?" The two disciples bowed politely, saying, "There have been quite a few things going ontely around here, so its a bit strict to enter and leave the city. If you find us to be rude or offensive, please understand." They looked towards Ning Huaishan and One-arm with an rming face, "These two are they not feeling well?" It was no wonder they grew suspicious. After those two got off, they were having nausea and vomiting, the exact responses a devil would have. If it werent because Wu Xingxue and Xiao Fuxuan, both of which appeared normal, these two disciples would have already drawn their swords. Ning Huaishan didnt want to bother exining. He pinched his hands together, making his fingertips as sharp as a knife. Wu Xingxue immediately pulled him back and replied for him, "Theyre seasick." "Oh" the two disciples took another look at the bamboo boat, still in suspicion, Where do you guyse from?" Since the City Lord didnt let him move, he could only wipe his lips and reply, "The Rustling Channel of Eternal Sea." "Oh, no wonder. There was quite a storm therest night, traveling on boat would indeed be difficult." This time, the two disciples believed them. They then started to study Xiao Fuxuan. But before they were even able to speak, Ning Huaishan had already started, "This is my City my young masters puppet." Xiao Fuxuan: "" With Ning Huaishans mouth with us, the entire city will know us in just a few days, Wu Xingxue thought. But owning a puppet wasnt too surprising, it wasmon among the cultivators. Especially now that the world was getting more and more chaotic, it was normal for a young master to be bringing puppets as body guards. The puppet itself didnt merit any suspicion. It was just that the stature, appearance, and disposition of this puppet was too astounding, simultaneously drawing peoples attention while also causing the two disciples to murmur to each other Because of their upbringing, they didnt stare at Xiao Fuxuan too much. But when leaving, Wu Xingxue heard them discuss in whispers. "That puppet, have we seen it somewhere before? Why does it look kind of familiar, almost as if I know him?" "Hmm, that young master Cheng also" *** In the end, only Wu Xingxue and Xiao Fuxuan entered Chunfan City. This was because that was a giant stone sculpture of a deity ced right in the middle of the road that leads into the city. The copper tform in front waspletely filled with incense, causing the smoke to linger everywhere in the air. Ning Huaishan and One-arms faces turned green immediately. They almost ran for their lives as they yelled, "City Lord, well wait for you in the mountains at the city border!" To Wu Xingxue, this was exactly what he wanted. After the two hindrances were gone, Wu Xingxue grabbed Xiao Fuxuan and dragged him into the city. "Immortal, I need a little help. I dont think its suitable for me to go to Yi Wushengs house like this, please help me change" He walked into an alley, and after making sure no one was near, he finally turned around. He saw that Xiao Fuxuan allowed himself to be dragged around by him. His unfriendly looknded on the hand that was being held onto by Wu Xingxue. Wu Xingxue was stunned for a second before releasing his grasp. Only now did Xiao Fuxuan look up, "Is this the way you usually ask people for help?" Wu Xingxue raised his eyebrows, "Which way?" Xiao Fuxuan nced around in the alley. It was extremely narrow, and since he was tall, the already scarce sunlight was almostpletely blocked by him. Wu Xingxue also suddenly realized that this area might have been a bit too remote. He gave a little smile, "I dont usually ask for help, and deep allies like this arent seen very often in Que City." This was true. While in Que City, as long as he reached out his hand, without even having to speak, there would be servants who would bring up exactly what he wanted. He really didnt need to ask anyone for help. And, Wu Xingxue added, "I never had to do anything that required such secrecy before." Xiao Fuxuan simply looked at him, withoutment. "So, you want to change your appearance?" Xiao Fuxuan finally asked. He didnt seem to wait for a response. After swapping the hand holding the sword, he lowered his head, touched the curve of his bent finger to Wu Xingxues jaw, brushed his thumb along the side of his face, his chin, and then his forehead. "Please dont make it too ugly," Wu Xingxue couldnt help but add. "" Xiao Fuxuans hand paused for a moment, then silently continued. After a moment, he said slowly, "Toote." Well Wu Xingxue gave up protesting and allowed him to modify his face freely. This alley was indeed too remote and quiet. Time suddenly seemed to have slowed down. "Done yet?" asked Wu Xingxue. "Mm," Xiao Fuxuan replied. His hand was already ced down, but after a second, he rose it again to touch Wu Xingxues eyebrow. "What is it?" Wu Xingxue didnt understand. "Nothing." Xiao Fuxuan gave a one-worded response and then turned to leave the alley. But just when he turned around, Wu Xingxue heard him say, "Your eyes are so easy to recognize." Wu Xingxue was stunned for a second, then quickly caught up to him, "Xiao Fuxuan." The man in front turned his face back slightly. "Its best if you also change your appearance. Since they love divine statues so much, and your reputation is so high, theres definitely a statue of you somewhere. Although I think that the statues are quite different from the actual people, itll be trouble if some expert manages to recognize you. It wasnt until they exited the alley, the sunlight momentarily blinding, that Wu Xingxue realized he didnt need to say that. A famous immortal like Xiao Fuxuan, so what if he got recognized? He wasnt a Devil Lord who has made enemies with all corners of the earth. Just as he wanted to speak to amend his previous sentence, he saw Xiao Fuxuan turn sideways to wait for him. His face has already changed. *** Chunfan City was not a small ce. Apparently, there were six sects here, and one with the highest reputation and the most disciples was none other than the Hua Sect. The Hua Sect was found at Peach Blossom Ind, located in the heart of the river to the west of Chunfan City. Firstly, this ce allowed for peaceful and quiet living; they didnt need to fight for space with the boundaries of the other sects. Secondly, with such a big sect, they could protect the citys western border. After all, Swallow Port, the ce with the most outsiders, was also located at the western side of the city. Among those people, there were obviously those up to no good, and it was inevitable for a few of them to sneak into the city. Every time a devil sneaked into the city, it was a nightmare for everyone else. Most devils were originally humans. They had the look of ordinary people and spoke an ordinarynguage. Before stepping onto the path of evil, they even used to be part of the city. So with them mixed in the crowd, it was almost impossible to identify them. The way devils cultivate were too diabolical. They were cunning, fickle, and could bewitch people. They were bloodthirsty and murderous. Some devils could even change skins, and so they were extremely troublesome and hard to catch. They feed on raw souls and flesh, and after hallowing one out, they would merge into the body and look for the next one. This process was quick and silent. It was said that a couple of decades ago, although it was not the most prosperous time, there were more than 200,000 households in Chunfan City. By two years ago, there were only 100,000 left. And now, in just two short years, this 100,000 has turned into 70,000. Chunfan Citysnd size didnt change. It was just that more and more houses became empty. The closer to the border walls, the more quiet the region was. All Wu Xingxue saw along the way were empty houses. They were covered with thick cobwebs, and holes of all sizes were present on the doors and windows. The sound of the winter winds made these houses sound like a ghosts cry. Only areas near a certain sect would have some signs of living. The houses crowded around the sects like ants clustering around a drop of honey. There was only one exceptionthe Hua Sect. But that was only within expectation. Because the Hua Sect alone protected the entire Peach Blossom Ind and east river. Completely isted, this ce was fundamentally a dangerous ce: easy to attack and hard to defend. In addition to the fact that the Hua Sect had a considerable amount of disciples, if a few devils managed to slip in, the consequences would be disastrous. If there werent some powerful people in the sect, then the people living here would have long been feasted by the devils. With so many people here however, it also frequently attracted the devils. *** Wu Xingxue heard various rumors about the Hua Sect and knew what a dangerous ce that was. He was determined to never go there. But after two hours, he and Xiao Fuxuan stood at the entrance of the bridge leading to Peach Blossom Ind, exchanging stares with the disciples guarding the bridge. "No, wait" Wu Xingxue quickly pulled Xiao Fuxuan back, "Didnt you say you were going to bring me to Yi Wusheng? Howe all twelve poles of the bridge has the word Hua on them???" "Tell me the truth, do you really know Yi Wusheng???" "Isnt his family name Yi???" Xiao Fuxuan: "" He gave a cold frown as he stared at Wu Xingxue. "Who told you that the Hua Sect is a family n with no outsiders?" Xiao Fuxuan asked back. "Oh, why didnt you say so earlier" Xiao Fuxuan: "" Did you ask? Expressionlessly, he lifted his chin towards the ind in the river, I just happen to have interacted with Yi Wusheng in the past, Im certain of it. Hes one of the Elders of the Four Halls of Hua Sect, and he has a deep connection with the Hua Sect too. "Whats the connection?" asked Wu Xingxue. "Yi Wushengs wife is the sister of Hua Zhaoting, the Sect Leader of Hua Sect." After speaking, he nced at Wu Xingxue fingers that were holding onto his hand. A momentter, he said, "How long do you n to hold me here?" Wu Xingxue let go and returned to the bridge with Xiao Fuxuan. He mumbled as he walked, "I thought you were a high and might Celestial Immortal, how do you know the mortal world so well." Xiao Fuxuan didnt reply. Until they almost reached there, the guarding quickly bowed politely towards them with their swords in their arms. Their faces full of bewilderment. Then they heard Xiao Fuxuan say, "There used to be someone who liked toe." Wu Xingxue was stunned. Then almost immediately, the disciples said in unison, "Mr. Yi Wusheng is currently in seclusion in the back hall. We will report the Sect Master. Please follow us to rest a bit at the Tinghua Hall. Hell be here shortly." "Wee." Wu Xingxue crossed the long bridge and entered the gates to the Hua Sect. When being led into the Tinghua Hall, he suddenly thought of something. Yi Wushengs wife was Hua Sect Leaders sister. And Yi Wushengs father, brother, wife, and daughter all died tragically in the hands of the bodys original owner That means, not only the unfortunate Yi Wusheng, but even Chunfan Citysrgest sect the entire Hua Sect, has a grudge against me? Wu Xingxue: "" Maybe I should just kill myself, at least that way it would be quick and painless. Chapter 6: Lunatic Chapter 6: Lunatic This was likely the ce to wee guests and host discussions. The arrangements here were solid and bare, with only a couple of carved chairs and tables on both sides. The disciples led them to sit down, and then brought in two cups of tea. Wu Xingxue was not courteous at all, as he immediately took a cup and sipped. A crisp and light peach aroma wafted from the tea. A few other disciples were sweeping the floors of the hall. Seeing the guests, they all bowed respectfully. At the center of Tinghua Hall was a grand shrine with a jade divine statue on top. The disciples were cleaning the hall, lit incense for the statue, then exited the hall. This statue looked identical to therger one in Chunfan City. The only difference was that while the one in the city was carved from stone, the one in the Hua Sect was carved from pink jade. "Who is this?" Wu Xingxue still had the cup in hand as he asked quietly. "Hua Xin," answered Xiao Fuxuan. Then, Wu Xingxue realized that these two words were also written on the back of the divine statue. Is it the same person in the portrait and on the statue? They look quite different, "he whispered again. "" Xiao Fuxuan nced at him, probably signaling him to shut up. But he seemed to be very interested, as he added after a second, "I think the painting looks a bit more urate." The immortal in the portrait appeared warm, graceful, and handsome. His natural smile made his eyes curl. He rested one hand on a white deer and held amp with the other. He looked like a deity who could protect the peoplea stark contrast to the manager of punishment and forgiveness, Xiao Fuxuan. Hua Xins immortal title was written beside his name, "Mingwu." In the current dark and chaotic world, there are hundreds of sects of all sizes. Disregarding the smaller ones, the sects with the highest reputations all once had ancestors who ascended to immortality. The only reason the Hua Sect had such a high position in Chunfan City was because of Hua Xin. "Do you know him?" asked Wu Xingxue. "Yes," replied Xiao Fuxuan, lightly, "Hes the head of the Lingtai Twelve Immortals."1Previously referred to as the "Twelve Spiritual Immortals." Head of the Twelve Immortals of Lingtai Lingtais Twelve Immortals Wu Xingxue felt that this name sounded familiar, and then suddenly remembered what Ning Huaishan had mentioned with great admiration that he was the one who killed the Lingtai Twelve Immortals. "" Wu Xingxue choked on his tea. Before he could think more, the sect leader of the Hua Sect, Hua Zhaoting, arrived. He seemed to be in some sort of situation, striding down the hall inrge steps with an unhappy expression. Two flustered disciples followed behind him, holding wooden boxes decorated with golden threads and urging him to do something. "I already said no need. For such a small injury, theres no need for medicine. Hes just a pitiful simpleton, so it is natural for him to act rashly. But Ive already said many times to just ignore him. Now great, Chi Yao and the others, tell them to go to Xuan tform and reflect on their actions! " The moment after Hua Zhaoting finished scolding and entered Tinghua Hall, his face changed immediately, "Sorry for the long wait." After all, he was from the same family as Mingwu Hua Xin. Although they didnt look very simr, as long as they were smiling, their warmth and gracefulness were identical. On the outside, he didnt look very much like a sect leader. In fact, he didnt even look like a cultivatorhecked the arrogance of being different from a mortal. From his actions, he seemed more like an elegant merchant. Childe Cheng, I heard that you entered the city this morning. Did you guys have to go through the rustling channel of the Eternal Sea? " Hua Zhaoting asked with a smile. Wu Xingxue: ".." Childe who? He soon realized: when they had just arrived at Swallow Port, Ning Huaishan slipped his tongue in front of the two disciples. Instead of calling him "City Lord," he changed it to "Young Master Cheng" instead. 2Its a pun here. City, in Chinese, is pronounced as "Cheng", and so it sounds the same as the surname "Cheng". So Hua Zhaoting basically thought that his surname is Cheng, and those who dont know, childe means a young noble, which I will also refer to as "Young Master at some times. Since those two disciples were from the Hua Sect, it seemed that the higher-ups already knew who they were. Alright Wu Xingxue thought, "I guess Ill call myself Cheng from now on. I dont even have to make anything up." But the bigger problem was that Ning Huaishan also called Xiao Fuxuan his puppet. No wonder Hua Zhaoting only spoke to him alone; he didnt even regard the other person as a living being. Wu Xingxue originally nned to just be a "mute". He just had to pass on anything he was asked to Xiao Fuxuan. After all, he knew nothing about this world. Now great, he couldnt do that. Ning Huaishan was truly both troublesome and helpful at the same time. He cursed in his head, but his face maintained a steady manner. He replied calmly to Hua Zhaotings questions, "Yes, it was quite scaryst night on the Eternal Sea. We never expected to run into such a situation. It seems we were rather unlucky. " When we entered the port this morning, we heard that the Northern Frontiers had copsed for real. Looking back at it now, its truly terrifying. " Wu Xingxue patted his knee, then said, "To bepletely honest, my legs are still shaking right now." Xiao Fuxuan:".." Hua Zhaoting nodded, "It was indeed dangerous. So when I heard that there were guests from the sea, I was very shocked. Last night, I had an elder and a disciple return from there. They looked like they had been through a war. I can imagine what the situation is like on the sea. " "If I knew that itd be like this, I definitely wouldnt havee to bother you," said Wu Xingxue. Hua Zhaoting waved his hand, "Not a bother at all. Please dont say that, Childe Cheng. Our Hua Sect follows Immortal Mingwus promise. We will guard Peach Blossom Ind and maintain order on thisnd no matter what. " He paused, then continued, "I heard my disciples say that youre here to see Mr. Yi Wusheng." Wu Xingxue nodded, "Yes." As the world already knows, Mr. Yi Wusheng has contributed greatly to the Dreaming Souls Technique. People whoe to my sect to seek him mostlye for this reason. But Im not sure if you know yet, but Mr. Yi Wusheng must see the patient in order to save him. You have to bring him over. " "I did," Wu Xingxue pointed at himself, "its me." Hua Zhaoting was stunned for a second. He couldnt help but study Wu Xingxue. "But, you dont really seem like one." Those who came to seek Yi Wusheng at the Hua Sect mostly came because their souls had been damaged. Some because demons had devoured part of it, which they somehow managed to escape and survive. Some because they were cursed with demonic forbidden techniques. And some, because their cultivation had gone awry and they had lost their minds. These patients either looked like lunatics or berserkers. As for a patient like Wu Xingxue, who could still talk normally, it was very rare. "Then, Childe Cheng" Hua Zhaoting asked. Wu Xingxue quickly summarized, "My soul has entered someone elses body and pushed out the original owner." I want to ask Mr. Yi Wusheng if he has a way to bring me back. " To cultivators, body snatching wasmonly seen, fate-switching wasmonly seen, and summoning deities or ghosts were alsomonly seen. But Wu Xingxues situation was neither of the three. Hua Zhaoting asked a few more questions, and seeing Wu Xingxues reply frankly, he said, "I understand." Yi Wushengs secluded cultivation is nearing its end. He should be able toe out tomorrow. As for today, please rest here on my Peach Blossom Ind. " Since they could stay, that meant they might have a way, and that meant there was hope to return. Taking advantage of when Hua Zhaoting was speaking to his disciples, Wu Xingxue used drinking tea as a disguise to wink and smile at Xiao Fuxuan, mouthing the words, "Thanks a lot." Xiao Fuxuan held his sword and sat quietly, pretending to be a puppet. His eyes swept across his lips. *** They were arranged to rest on the west corner of Peach Blossom Ind. The disciple who led them there exined that the Hua Sect had many disciples who practiced and cultivated. Every day, they would start training before five. The sounds of their swords might disturb them, so they were ced in the furthest area from the Disciples Hall. The library and meditating hall were nearby. The former was Hua Zhaotings private library; disciples wouldnte here. Thetter was where Yi Wusheng lived. There would only be some cleaning and medical disciples there. As its name suggests, the ce was indeed serene. But suddenly, an ident happened. While the disciples were preparing the guest rooms, a figure scrambled in, screaming "ah, ah". He crazily knocked over some chairs and a bucket of water. " "Ayo" "A-Yao3The A is pronounced as in "Ah", you cant run around here" Didnt I tell you to look after him? How can you let him break into the guest rooms? He even recklessly injured the sect leader today! " "Ai, what can I do? He has been restless these days. Along with his sword aura everywhere, he also has great strength. The sect leader ordered us not to use too much force, but if we dont, its hard to control him. It wasnt appropriate for Wu Xingxue to interfere, so after steadying a small, stumbling disciple, he returned to stand beside Xiao Fuxuan. The lunatic had an unkempt appearance, making it hard to tell his age. He also didnt seem to know how to speak, only making an "ah, ah" noise. At one point, he reached out his hand and grabbed onto Wu Xingxue. Fortunately, Xiao Fuxuan was on the side. With a gentle press, all the force was dissipated, and he was dragged away by the crowd of disciples immediately afterward. "Sorry for the fright," one of the disciples began to clean up the mess as he said apologetically. "He is?" He used to be one of Mr. Yi Wushengs medical disciples, the cleverest and most talented one of all. Afterward, he suffered a bit of a shock and turned into the way he is now. It has been many years. "Mr. Yi Wushengs disciple?" Wu Xingzue asked. "Yes," replied the disciple, who then quickly exined, "Wait a minute, our misters Dreaming Souls Technique is very powerful. Please dont misunderstand. Its just that this disciple has quite a special condition. " The disciple didnt seem like he was convincing enough, so he then added, after a second of thought, "Because the person who made him be like this was the Devil Lord Wu Xingxue." "Who?" "Wu Xingxue," the disciple repeated in a low voice. Wu Xingxue instantly fell silent. He subconsciously looked back at Xiao Fuxuan, who was also staring straight at him. "A-Yao is so unfortunate." The disciples whispering voice sounded inside the room. He probably had to exin this to every guest that came here before. He said that A-Yao was Yi Wushengs most prized disciple, who would always stay by Yi Wushengs side. Especially when refining medicine, he would stay in the Meditating Hall all day. That year, a guest had arrived at Peach Blossom Ind, seeking Yi Wushengs help on some matter. That guest gave off a naturally aristocratic feeling: graceful and elegant. From the entire Peach Blossom Ind, from the Sect Leader to the cleaning disciples, no one suspected that he had any issues. Instead, they all liked this guest very much. At that time, Yi Wusheng was refining medicine and didnt have time on his hands. So that guest simply stayed on the ind for half a month. As a result of that half a month, Yi Wusheng lost his father, brother, wife, and daughter. That day, A-Yao ran into the hall crazily, staggering and crying and screaming. Blood was dripping from his body, and he was full of demonic energy. At that time, Yi Wusheng and Hua Zhaoting were discussing a matter. They were shocked by A-Yaos appearance. When they returned to the Meditating Hall together, they only found Yi Wushengs elder brother, Yi Wuqi, was lying in blood with nothing but ayer of skin left. But he had a happy expression on his face. It was obvious that he had been sucked dry by a devil. At that time, almost everyone on Peach Blossom Ind went to check the situation out. Hua Zhaoting immediately formed an investigation group. Who would have thought, his own sister, Yi Wushengs wife, father, and sister, and some cleaning disciples, all showed problems? When knocking on their foreheads, the sound echoed from their skulls like a hollow drum. The same sound came when they were knocked on their stomachs. They have long been nothing but skin and bones. They have been sucked dry already. What happened exactly during the couple of weeks that the guest stayed? When they wanted to ask A-Yao what happened, they found that A-Yao had been ced under a forbidden technique, one that even Yi Wusheng couldnt break. And so ever since, he has been acting crazy and has been unable to speak a word. With no other option, Hua Zhaoting invited members of the Feng Sect from Meng City to help. The Feng Sect had a secret technique: Illuminating the Soul. This technique makes it possible to see what ones soulst saw before dying or turning crazy. And so, with the help of the Feng Sect, they saw the scene that A-Yao couldnt say. They saw the elegant and noble guest returning to his original appearance. He stood in the Meditating Hall, holding Yi Wuxis throat in one hand and loosely holding Yi Wuxis sword in the other. Blood flowed down the handle of the sword, forming a puddle on the ground. He turned his head and nced outside the door, the cool, white moonlight reflecting off the bridge of his nose. He seemed to have discovered that there was someone outside the door and suddenly startedughing, the gentle downward slope of the corners of his eyes curving into crescents. Not only that, but he dropped the empty shell in his hands, threw down the sword, and pulled a clean cloth from the table to wipe his hands. Then, in the blink of an eye, he appeared before A-Yao, striking a moderate hit on his forehead with his palm. After that, just like the way he came, he left in deliberate strides, disappearing into the Eternal Sea. As everyone knew, Wu Xingxue didnt have his own sword. He was veryzy and didnt feel like carrying something extra in his hands. So, he never carried a sword around. He always drew his opponents swords to kill them. Chapter 7: The Scourge of Insects Chapter 7: The Scourge of Insects "Anyway, since that day, our Peach Blossom Ind has stopped receiving any foreign guests for a very long time, in fear of such a thing happening again." The disciples who were responsible for the guests didnt have deep cultivation and were rather young too. When Wu Xingxue was rampaging through the world, he was probably still too young to remember anything. Yet still, while narrating the story, his face was still pale as paper. It was evident that this event had left a deep shadow, with retellings passing along from person to person. At the time, the person who was hit the hardest was Mr. Yi Wusheng, as well as our Sect Leader. After all, the people who tragically died under that vicious devils hand were all their own rtives, "said the disciple." Mr. Yi Wusheng was distraught and devastated and almost lost his mind. Ever since, his body has be much weaker. Its just like the saying goes, doctors cant cure themselves. He needs to enter seclusion for a period every year to adjust his body, and only then can he continue on his road of cultivation. " As for the Sect Leader, he also admitted that he was almost driven insane at that time as well." During those few years, Hua Zhaoting has been extremely apprehensive, thinking that everyone could be suspicious. There were over a thousand people on Peach Blossom Ind, and he thought that all of them could be possessed by devils. They would pretend to be normal and harmless, waiting for an opportunity to devour others on the ind. The ce Hua Zhaoting lived in was called Jiahua Hall. Before, the sect leader would personally train twelve sword-practicing disciples in his hall, and there would be many other disciples responsible for cleaning and other tasks as well. But ever since the Wu Xingxue incident, the entire Jianhua Hall has been emptied. All the disciples were moved back to the Disciples Hall; not a single one was allowed to stay. Ever since, the Sect Leader has developed a habit of living alone. As for all the daily tasks that needed to be done in Jianhua Hall, he would do them himself. That happened and remains to this day. "After that, our Peach Blossom Ind went from three halls to four. A punishment hall was added, "said the disciple. "Punishment Hall? What do they do? asked Wu Xingxue. "Check for the devils," exined the disciple. "All of us disciples have to get up early and report to the Punishment Hall first thing in the morning. The Punishment Halls elders will check our souls. Once the soul-checking talisman is stuck onto your wrist, theyll know whether youre a devil or whether you are possessed. " "Every day?" Wu Xingxue asked in shock. "Yes, every day," then the disciple added, "In fact, twice every day; both morning and night. After we finish our daily assignments, well return to the Punishment Hall again. Especially the disciples who were on patrol duty. Theyre the most dangerous. " "" The psychological shadow was quiterge. Then it must be quite rough on your punishment halls elder. Every day, from morning to night, he must repeat the same motion countless times. In stories, such a person would have either rebelled or gone crazy. " " "He might want to check his own soul sometimes too." Wu Xingxue added: "He does," said the disciple. Wu Xingxue thought about it, gave an "mm," then said, "So you had to say all that just to make it easier to ask?" "?" Wu Xingxue calmly lifted his sleeves, revealing his wrist. The disciple looked at his wrist, was silent for a moment, then reached into his sleeve and pulled out a golden talisman with the word "Hua" on it. After telling such a long story and adding so many details, it was indeed so that he could use these two soul-checking talismans. He couldnt help it either. A well-known sect like the Hua Sect definitely cared about their face. They valued courtesy and, no matter what, would not mistreat their guests. Since it was a guest seeking help, forcing them to the Punishment Hall to get searched wouldnt sound too nice if the news got out. They could only use this type of method to convince their guests to make them think that getting checked waspletely natural, and in fact, extremely necessary. After the disciple gently rolled out the soul-checking talisman and bowed towards Wu Xingxue, "Pardon me. Just like the Sect Leader says, we really cant help it. Please understand. " Of course, But your sect leader must have told you that Im a soul who identally went into someone elses body. I guess that counts as possessing? " Wu Xingxue paused, then continued, "And, Im not sure if this bodys original owner was good or not." Dont worry. Even if the bodys original owner is an unforgivable sinner, as long as your current soul is good, nothing will happen. Also, even if the heinous original owner has some leftover spirits, the talisman will be able to tell and wouldnt count it against you. " "Oh, I see," Wu Xingxue nodded. After the disciple exined everything clearly, he reached out to put the talisman on Wu Xingxues wrist. But just before the paper touched the skin, Wu Xingxue suddenly raised two fingers, stopping him. rm shot through the disciples heart! Even the puppet raised his eyes. His sword seemed to move a bit, and the nging of gently swaying chains sounded out of nowhere. "Whats wrong?" The disciples hand trembled as he quickly looked towards the guest. This childe Cheng had a handsome appearance, but in the cultivation sects where everyone looked outstanding, he could only be called "so-so". But his eyes were nice. Especially when they contained the light from outside the window, they looked gorgeous. It is almost a bit ipatible with his face. Instantly, the disciple felt a shiver down his spine. Only to see that Childe Cheng was smiling, "Youre so interesting. What are you panicking for?" When smiling, his eyes were even brighter, like ck amber that had been washed in cold spring. Truly ipatible with his face. The disciple did not feel any better because of his smile. All the hairs on his body were standing on end, and he didnt dare move a muscle. Childe Cheng noticed and, this time, gave a more mischievous smile, "Was my block just now pretty exhrating?" " F If it werent for Hua Sects reputation, he really would have cursed the guest. I heard when I came that the left hand is connected to the heart, so itll be more urate when checking the soul. Is that true? Wu Xingxue switched to his left hand and pulled up his sleeve, "But that means youll have even less to worry about, right?" "" "Right," the disciple said unhappily as he stuck the soul-checking talisman on his wrist. The soul-checking talisman used by the Hua Sects Punishment Court was well-known across thend. Some cultivation sects even came to the Hua Sect every year to purchase some. The Hua Sect would also often give some to themon people of the city every month out of kindness. If one was possessed by a devil, then the talisman would change colors from gold to red. If the color was light, that meant that it had only been a short while and perhaps the person still had hope. If it was dark red, then that meant it was already toote. If it turned bloody red or even somewhat ck, then that person was already aplete devil who wouldnt retain any of the original persons nature. The disciple stared at the talisman on Childe Chengs wrist without blinking. But even after his eyes started to be sour, the talisman still didnt show the slightest sign of turning red. i> Thank God It almost scared me to death. /i Although he didnt say anything out loud, he still breathed a long sigh of relief in his head. After he took the talisman off, he suddenly took notice of the puppet on the side. There were puppets around on Peach Blossom Ind. Some were used as servants, others were used to help the disciples train. ording to his knowledge, puppets only move onmand. Other than its masters instructions, it wouldnt move an extra inch. They would just stand there, staring into nothingness and hearing nothing. But this Childe Chengs puppet seemed to look at him while he was cing the talisman. He only turned his cold and expressionless face away after the talisman was lifted. It almost seemed like if anything went wrong, this puppet would have pulled out his sword. After a second of thought, the disciple quickly took out a second talisman and stuck it to the puppets wrist without even speaking. The disciple was young and of average build, but the puppet was extremely tall. Therefore, after he stuck it on and looked up, he could feel the oppression from the puppets downcast gaze. It was almost unbelievable. Not only didnt the soul-checking talisman turn darker, it even seemed to have gone lighter. This was unprecedented. But the disciple didnt have time to think that much. He quickly lifted the talisman and wanted to get away. Before leaving, he reminded himself of what the Sect Leader told him to, "Peach Blossom Ind is located in a dangerous ce. Although we get checked twice a day, some devils still manage to get here by water. Every month, well have a few disciples die because of this. Therefore, there will be disciples patrolling during the night. If they make noises, please be understanding. " Oh, also, never ever go towards the peach grove there. Dont even get close! " "" Wu Xingxue thought to himself, "i> Youre better off not mentioning it. Although Im not one of those whod mess around and find trouble for myself, now that you said it, I might identally go there out of curiosity. /i Thankfully, the disciple didnt leave them hanging. He exined solemnly, "All of the devils weve caught on Peach Blossom Ind, as well as those who were devoured by them, are buried there." Have you seen those centipedes that still move around after they die? The Devils are also like that. Even if they die, as long as they detect your existence, they will still begin to stir. "Then why do you keep them there?" Wu Xingxue asked with shock. "They have their purposes." "Like?" "Like during the night, when yin energy is the most abundant. If outsiders tried to attack and happened to be stronger than those buried in the peach grove, then theyd move around restlessly, trying to approach the invaders. That is the nature of a devil. Those who cultivated evil ways were all like this. They didnt have feelings and only knew how to dominate. The weak would sumb to the strong, moving towards the strongest instinctively. That was how the Devils Den, Zhaoye City, was formed. How else would a city lord rise from a crowd of demons and devils that killed him without a second thought? If the corpses make a bigmotion and move towards a certain direction, then it would be impossible for us not to realize," continued the disciple, "and itll be easier to search for the intruders." But this tactic is hard to use. After all, the ones buried here are already fierce enough. Its hard to find someone even more vicious to lure them to move. " "Anyway, just dont go looking for trouble." The disciple was still in a hurry to return the talismans, so he left in a hurry. *** Wu Xingxue wasnt a mannerless person. As a guest on Peach Blossom Ind, he didnt want to cause trouble. So he didnt wander around, and nor was he really curious about anything on the ind. He only wanted to meet Yi Wusheng. And since he could meet him the next day, he wasnt too worried. Dusk came quickly as dark clouds covered Chunfan City and rain came pouring down. Not long after the disciple left, Sect Leader Hua Zhaoting sent people to bring the meals. Everything was quite thoughtful and enthusiastic. Wu Xingxue held his sleeve and opened the lid of the boxes. His lips moved silently. Sure enough, the boxes were filled with the type of food cultivating disciples liked to eattoo in. But they looked quite nice. There was a te that had very elegant peach blossom pastries. He almost immediately lost interest and ced the box back down. He sat beside the table and poured himself a cup of tea. Just after a sip, he suddenly heard a hoarse voice in his ear, "A normal mortal will get hungry." Wu Xingxues eyshes trembled, then swallowed the rest of the tea. There was another chair next to him, but after waiting a while, Xiao Fuxuan still chose to stand behind him. So, while still holding the cup, he turned his head and said, "What are you doing there, nted behind my back? To show off your height? If youve seen my banquets in Juan City, you wont say something like that. " After a moment, Xiao Fuxuans hoarse voice came again from behind. He replied, "Normal puppets dont usually need to sit." Wu Xingxue: ".." He looked outside at the disciples who passed by from time to time, then said to himself, "Sure, stand if you wish." Then he poured himself another cup of tea. Wu Xingxue pinched the cup and muttered quietly without looking back, "But it is quite strange. I dont really feel hungry. Is it because my bodys too powerful that I dont need to eat? " But in the end, although he didnt like it, he still took out a peach blossom pastry. The lights in the room had already been lit; the warm yellow light drew a curve between his brows, nose, and lips. Xiao Fuxuans shadow was cast onto the table in front of him from behind. After nightfall, there were more disciples on patrol. To avoid arousing suspicion, they tried not to speak to each other. But at one point, Wu Xingxue took a nce outside the door and seemed to have thought of something. He suddenly asked," Xiao Fuxuan, that Devil Lord who originally owned this body, what kind of person was he?" This question sounded a bit strange, because even though he himself said "Devil Lord." For a long while, he didnt hear Xiao Fuxuan respond. But he could feel the gaze falling on him. He couldnt help but turn around, meeting Xiao Fuxuans eyes. He saw that person leaning against the wall with his sword in his arms. After looking at him for a long time, he said, "I thought your soul had mistakenly entered a body and that you wanted to return to Que Capital. Since youre returning to Que Capital, this ce is nothing more than a dream. Why ask? " Wu Xingxue gently squinted his eyes, then turned back around, "Youre right." He didnt expect a reply. But after a bit, he heard Xiao Fuxuan say, "Im not sure how others would describe him." But to me, hes a person who I can recognize no matter what form he takes. " Wu Xingxues gaze jumped. Perhaps it was because of this reply, or perhaps because two patrolling disciples appeared. The two didnt speak again that night. Xiao Fuxuan didnt need to eat or sleep. He just leaned against the wall with his eyes down, pretending to be a puppet. Wu Xingxue washed up and curled into bed. In thetter half of the night, a crash of thunder suddenly sounded on Peach Blossom Ind. This was the time of night when yin energy was the strongest. The Devils couldnt conceal their presence no matter what. If there was an invasion, then it would be most obvious at this time. Suddenly, a rapid round of bells sounded, followed by the noise of many people. The patrolling disciples ran around with silver bells in their hands. Nearly all of the thousand disciples opened their doors in a wave, just to see the dirt beneath the previously quiet peach grove stir in turmoil, almost like the abrupt agitation of a hundred bugs. The next second, these movements rushed towards a single direction like a giant earthworm. It was the guest rooms. Chapter 8: The Pilgrimage Chapter 8: The Pilgrimage In the guest room, Wu Xingxue suddenly opened his eyes. He was a bit surprised that he had actually fallen asleep just now. Almost everyone in Que City knew that he had a strange preference when sleeping-for most people, the quieter, the better. But not for him. If its too quiet, he wouldnt get a second of sleep during the night. He liked it when it was slightly noisy. He once joked to one of the old butlers in his manor, "I might as well raise a band and let them y their instruments and sing next to me." That way, Ill definitely be able to sleep until noon. " The old butlers face turned ashen as he listened, then said that "it wouldnt be very safe to hire outsiders." So, he tied some bells on the tree branches outside and raised all kinds of birds. That way, whenever a birdnded on a branch, the bells would ring. Unfortunately, there were no band troupes here, nor birds. There was only an "attendant jailer" nted silently in the room, and somehow he managed to fall asleep. "Xiao Fuxuan." Wu Xingxue rolled over and sat up, hearing the gentle tinkling of a bell. He almost didnt know where he was, thinking he had returned to Que City. But Que City didnt have the sound of chains. Wu Xingxue looked down, finding that a thin silver string was tied to his wrist, and a bell of unknown origin was hanging on the string. The other end of the string was connected to Xiao Fuxuans finger. Isnt this the flower bell found in my manor? Is he treating me like a flower or like a bird? Wu Xingxue lifted his head, wanting to ask the person who had tied the bell to him something. But he found that the other person was leaning against the wall with his head lowered, holding his sword, showing absolutely no sign of life. This. *** This was called the separation of spiritual consciousness. After nightfall, Xiao Fuxuan sent out his spiritual consciousness the second Wu Xingxue fell asleep. The night on Peach Blossom Ind was very dark, and ayer of fog formed a nket over the water. The Hua Sects patrolling disciples walked around withnterns in hand. "How many martial brothers do we have at Jianhua Hall?" "Two, the Sect Leader wont be happy if we send too many." "Good, how about Mr. Yi Wusheng?" "Theres more over there, twelve." Did you inform the new disciples that Mr. must remain in seclusion until tomorrow at noon? During this remaining time, no matter what happens, he cant leave seclusion. As soon as he leaves, all of his previous work will be in vain. Tell them not to bother him no matter what. " "I already instructed them on that." They whispered to each other as they passed through Xiao Fuxuans spiritual consciousness, but none of them noticed. Just like that, Xiao Fuxuan passed through the people and walked towards the depths of a bamboo forest. He was quite familiar with Peach Blossom Ind and still remembered where everything was. Deep in the bamboo forest was the library, the one exclusively used by Hua Zhaoting. There were no guards at that ce, only a few cleaning disciples carryingnterns and buckets, busily working. Xiao Fuxuan nced around, then turned and left in a different direction. As he was walking through an empty corridor, a hazy voice suddenly asked: [Are you looking for something?] The night was deep and opaque, the hallway dismal. To Xiao Fuxuan, the appearance of this voice should have been sudden. However, he didnt flinch at all. He continued to walk straight ahead, as if he had already gotten used to this. [What might this Peach Blossom Ind be like?] That voice mumbled, still extremely hazy. Xiao Fuxuan still remained silent. He floated across the flowered pathway and entered a deep pavilion. The pavilions door had the words "Jianhua Hall" written on it. This was where the Hua Sects Sect Leader, Hua Zhaoting, lived. Peaceful and silent, there wasnt a single disciple around. Light shone from one of the rooms; Hua Zhaoting hadnt slept yet. He was holding a copper vessel with a narrow neck, watering a row of flower pots in the corner. He was much more sensitive than the disciples. When Xiao Fuxuans spiritual consciousness entered, he suddenly stood upright. After walking to the window side, it took a long time before he hesitantly withdrew his gaze. Then he shook his head and mocked himself, "I must be imagining it." And Xiao Fuxuan had already floated around his entire pavilion and was about to leave. [Looks like its not here anymore], that voice sounded again. This time, the always sensitive Hua Zhaoting didnt show any reaction. It was as if only Xiao Fuxuan could hear this voice. Without stopping, he quickly went towards the third ce. The voice asked in confusion, "What are you looking for?" It didnt seem to care whether Xiao Fuxuan would reply or not, and only said to itself: [Oh-I know.] [I know what youre looking for now.] But so what if you found it? Xiao Fuxuan, who hadnt said a word yet, suddenly stopped. He nced at his waist, where a tiny silver brocade pouch hung. He nudged open the pouch with a finger, revealing a corner of the white jade divine statue. It was the same one he was holding in his coffin. The brocade pouch was tiny, but somehow, it was able to hold the statue that was the size of a palm. Xiao Fuxuan looked at it for a while, then sealed the pouch tightly. After that, the hazy voice never sounded again. He stood silently for a while, then took another step. This time, he went towards the forbidden peach blossom grove. The yin energy there was thick, and the fog was dense. Disciples formed a circle along the outside of the grove, strictly guarding the grove. But in front of his spiritual consciousness, there was nothing they could do. *** Xiao Fuxuan looked around, still with no results. When he left the grove, he suddenly felt that his ring finger moved, as if it had been lightly tugged at another ce, apanied by the gentle tinkling of a bell. This was the thread he tied before leaving the room. The other end was connected to Wu Xingxue. This way, if something happened, he could return immediately. But this tug had a very frequent and unpredictable frequency. It didnt seem like an emergency issue had happened, more like someone was trying to have fun. Xiao Fuxuan looked at his ring finger and was about to return. But suddenly, he heard the movement of a wave of bugs. The entire peach blossom grove seemed to have turned into a boiling pot. The devils buried here, along with Hua Sects disciples who came one after another, all rushed towards a single ce like a soaring tide. Xiao Fuxuan:".." He sighed slightly, and then, in the next second, his spiritual consciousness returned to his body. *** The lights in the room were flickering, and the patrolling disciples outside had long gone away. The person on the bed had already gotten off. Though he had already been given shoes, he still wasnt wearing them. He stood barefoot by the window with clothes draped around his shoulders. He opened the window halfway, letting the frigid wind blow inside. He squinted his eyes and listened for a while, then absentmindedly plucked the string with the bell in his hand. He turned around and asked, "Xiao Fuxuan, whats going on outside? Theres so much activity, its scary. Xiao Fuxuan:" " The Celestial Immortal looked for a while, not knowing how to describe the situation. After a while, he moved his lips, "I dont know." Probably a pilgrimage.1Pilgrimage is the journey people take to a sacred ce to worship a god. In Chinese, it is literally tranted as "towards God." Wu Xingxue: ".." After a moment of silence, he asked, "Would it sound a bit dumb if I asked which god?" The devils underground were running fast, and the Hua Sects disciples also dashed as swift as river wind. In an instant, there was already a cacophony outside the courtyard. Wu Xingxue leaned against the window frame and looked at him helplessly. Xiao Fuxuan pinched his eyebrows. *** Wu Xingxue suddenly felt a hard tug from the string. The next second, he had tightly grasped his wrist. "Close your eyes." Xiao Fuxuans voice fell on him. He felt a deep winters wind, along with the moist river air, sweep around them. When he opened his eyes again, he was already standing somewhere else. "This is?" Wu Xingxue studied his environment. "Peach Blossom Inds Disciples Hall." Xiao Fuxuan also looked around while still holding onto his hand. Because all the disciples had gone to chase the devils, the whole hall was empty. Wu Xingxue looked at Xiao Fuxuan and suddenly asked, "Just now, were you doing what they say in storybooks, meditating?" "No," I say. "Oh," Wu Xingxue nodded. "If not, then it must be that you went out to look for something." Xiao Fuxuan suddenly turned to look at him. After a moment, he said quietly, Mm. "What were you looking for?" asked Wu Xingxue. Xiao Fuxuan remained silent for a bit before replying, "A thing that was taken away a long time ago, and then returned." *** When Wu Xingxue killed Yi Wushengs father, brother, wife, and daughter, they were in the Immortal Capital. By the time he had rushed to Chunfan Citys Peach Blossom Ind, he could only catch some word of the oues. The rumors said that Wu Xingxue wanted help from Yi Wusheng only as an excuse. He was an unscrupulous devil in charge of the entire Zhaoye City. With so many devils and demons under his control, what help could he seek from Yi Wusheng? He changed his appearance and pretended to be a guest at Peach Blossom Ind only because he was looking for something. Legends say that the Hua Sect had a heavenly treasure. Ever since Wu Xingxue left Peach Blossom Ind that year, the treasure has disappeared as well. No one knew what that heavenly treasure was, and no one knew why Wu Xingxue took it either. All the people knew was that not long after, the Heavenly Treasure was returned to Peach Blossom Ind. And the second day after that happened, Wu Xingxue ughtered his way into the Immortal Capital. At that time, Xiao Fuxuan didnt have any time to analyze the situation at all, and died along with the destruction of Immortal Capital. Now that he was back at Peach Blossom Ind, he wanted to find that treasure. And ironically, the person who stole that thing back then was standing right in front of him. Yet Wu Xingxue had no idea of the past. He just nodded and said, "No wonder. I noticed that youve been looking around." As they were talking, another earth-shattering voice sounded outside the disciples hall. It must be that the devils underground, who found the guest rooms empty, were nowing towards the Disciples Hall on the east side. Wu Xingxue nced outside and asked Xiao Fuxuan, "Where have you looked already? And where havent you looked yet? How about we just search the rest of the ces? " Xiao Fuxuan:" " "Theres still Punishment Hall, Meditating Hall, Sutra Hall, and Qiwu Pavilion left." So that night, under the suggestion of Devil Lord Wu Xingxue, Celestial Immortal Xiao Fuxuan went around in circles, also bringing all the demons umted in the Peach Blossom Grove for hundreds of years, as well as nearly a thousand Hua Sect disciples, with them. Under their lead, the entire Peach Blossom Ind was plowed. In the end, they stopped at Qiwu Pavilion, where Yi Wusheng was currently in seclusion. However, the Qiwu Pavilion that shouldve been filled with the scent of medicine was currentlypletely empty, without a trace of the person who shouldve been cultivating in seclusion inside. "Where did he go?" Wu Xingxue looked around and asked after not seeing anyone. Xiao Fuxuan suddenly remembered what he had heard on the road before. That disciple said that Yi Wusheng must wait until tomorrow noon before leaving seclusion. Otherwise, all his previous hard work would be in vain. "What kind of seclusion is that brutal?" Wu Xingxue heard him and muttered, "Since its like this, then what kind of thing must have happened to make him suddenly end his seclusion?" Just as he was about to search again, he suddenly heard Xiao Fuxuan say, in a solemn voice, " found him." Wu Xingxue turned around, seeing that Xiao Fuxuan was standing by the second-floor window, looking downwards. He looked over along Xiao Fuxuans line of sight, only to see that below the Qiwu Pavilion, countless tossing "earthworms" were directly rushing towards them. Within the sttering mud and thick fog, there was also a person clumsily charging over, along with the devils. Wu Xingxue was stunned for a moment, "Thats Yi Wusheng? Hes" On a pilgrimage? Xiao Fuxuan answered his question before he could ask it. It was said that during midnight, when foul energy was the strongest, or when a strong invader entered, all the devils on Peach Blossom Ind would uncontrobly move towards that strong being. That was the insuppressible natural instinct of devils. Chapter 9: Murder Chapter 9: Murder Normally, before entering seclusion, Yi Wusheng would cast some restriction barriers within Qiwu Pavilion to prevent people from identally entering and disturbing him. All the disciples naturally knew the rules, but it was possible that some newly joined disciples wouldnt follow the rules strictly. In addition, Peach Blossom Ind had A-Yao, a lunatic who would often barge around. At the moment, those restrictions are still in effect. The underground devils were still blocked in front of the small building, unable to move an inch forward. And when everything else stopped moving, the only thing that could move became particrly eye-catching. Yi Wusheng was that "only thing". The nearly one thousand Hua Sect disciples soon arrived as well. They all abruptly stopped in their tracks, looking at Yi Wusheng with horror and shock. "Whats going on?" "Isnt Mr. Yi Wusheng supposed to be in seclusion?" "Yeah!" "Then why is he here? Among the devils?" After this was spoken, everyone turned deadly silent. This was because everyone knew the answer already the way Yi Wusheng was stumbling and the way he impatiently charged towards the building was way too obvious. He wasnt mixed in with the devils, he was one of them. Just like those buried in the ground, he was attracted by a certain strong being and has been running around Peach Blossom Ind for the entire night. None of the Hua Sect disciples expected such a thing to happen. They all froze in ce, not knowing what to do. One of the disciples didnt stop himself in time and tumbled out of the crowd. "Watch out" Amidst the rming gasps, that person rolled into the mud with the devils under it. He was screaming, "AH! " as he tried to pull himself up and escape. He was none other than A-Yao. "A-Yao!" "A-Yao,e back" The disciples in front tried to reach out and help him, but suddenly, Yi Wusheng turned his head. His body didnt move; it was just his neck that twisted around in an un-humanly manner. "A-Yao" "So its A-Yao" Yi Wusheng called him twice, almost sighing, then suddenly curled his finger A-Yao, who was trying to get up from the ground, seemed to be dragged by someone in the air. In a second, he was already pulled in front of Yi Wusheng. Yi Wusheng mped his neck and dragged him into the building. A-Yao!!! "Mister" The disciples already had their swords raised. The sword energy of almost a thousand people surged like a fierce wind, but they all hesitated to attack. Among them were those who had Yi Wusheng as their master and also those who were saved by Yi Wusheng. Even those who experienced neither of the former two, they had still drunk the physically strengthening and qi-nurturing disciples soup that Yi Wusheng had concocted. Even though Yi Wusheng seemed like a ghastly man, they still couldnt bring themselves to attack. But if they kept waiting, A-Yao would be done for! Devils were always hungry. And when hungry, they would eat. They fed off raw flesh and souls. Yi Wusheng has been in seclusion for days. He was starving. *** A-Yao punched and kicked, struggling endlessly. With his neck gripped, he couldnt scream. He could only make weak, garbled noises from his throat. His sword aura was flying chaotically from his body, hitting everything in the room. The house was in a mess in an instant. Yi Wusheng had been cut by the sword energy in several ces, blood surged outwards from the wounds. But it seemed as if he couldnt feel them. He lifted A-Yao up, shifting closer to smell the scent of the living. A blue-purple vein appeared on the back of his hand, making his skin as thin as paper. "Ugh ugh" A-Yaos neck turned a deep red, almost purple color. His pupils struggled to focus, trying hard to stare at Yi Wusheng. Expressionlessly, Yi Wusheng ignored him and ced his other hand on top of his head. In the next second, A-Yao suddenly froze, and then started to tremble furiously. This was the reaction caused by ones spirit slowly being sucked from his or her body. Although he was now a crazy man, he could still clearly feel the fear. He finally let out an ear-splitting scream, grasping Yi Wushengs hand. In the overwhelming fear, he finally squeezed out a word: "Master" Yi Wusheng froze. His fingers twitched. It was as if the remaining spiritual consciousness was trying to suppress the natural instinct of a devil. Unfortunately, the amount remaining was too little. He twisted a bit and opened his mouth, but before he could say Yao, his fingers had already tightened again. "AHHH" A-Yao screamed gruesomely. Suddenly, the entire house was shed with snow. The light was so dazzling that it made Yi Wusheng take a step back. The next instant, a giant sword phantom came down directly from the second floor, smashing onto the ground in front of Yi Wusheng. Yi Wusheng abruptly let go of what was in his hand. He was knocked away by the strong sword energy, smashing onto a wooden column and spitting out a big mouthful of blood. When he looked up again, Xiao Fuxuan and Wu Xingxue were already in front of him. A-Yao wasying on the ground, coughing ceaselessly. He wanted to run, but his hands and feet were still weak. After struggling for a moment, he simply rolled over and copsed on the ground, gasping for breath. "Can this little lunatic live?" Wu Xingxue bent down and checked A Yaos breath. Xiao Fuxuan nced at his movements, then pressed the back of his pointer finger towards A-Yaos forehead. "Hell live." He hasnt been sucked dry yet; most of his spirit was still there. "Then hes quite lucky," Wu Xingxue withdrew his hand from A-Yao and imitated Xiao Fuxuan, touching A-Yaos forehead with the back of his index finger. But his touch didnt have any effect. Xiao Fuxuan: Xiao Fuxuan: "What did you find out?" Wu Xingxue: "His head is hotter than my hand." With that, Wu Xingxue stood up and turned his head to look at Yi Wusheng. A secondter, he cautiously stuck out his hand. Xiao Fuxuan: "" He quickly stopped him and pulled him back. Then he reached out his hand to check his spirit. Yi Wusheng was different from A-Yao. He was full of devilish energy,pletely repelling the celestial energying from Xiao Fuxuan, and also creating a fierce reaction. Suddenly, he jumped up and tried to scurry out from under Xiao Fuxuans palm. He did not seed, as he ended up being pressed to the ground face-first. Xiao Fuxuan was only pressing on his back with a few fingers, yet the force was omnipotent. Yi Wusheng struggled extremely pitifully. His hair was untied, his clothes were wrinkled, and the sword he carried also fell onto the ground. To make sure that he wouldnt reach for his sword, Xiao Fuxuan decided to kick it away. But just as he was about to do so, he heard Wu Xingxue ask, "Xiao Fuxuan, what is this thing on the back of his neck?" Though iming to be just a simple "mortal", Wu Xingxue seemed to be extraordinarily daring. At this time, he was squatting in front of Yi Wusheng and pointing to the back of his cor with one of his hands. Xiao Fuxuan frowned. Just as he wanted to tell him to move away, he saw what was on Yi Wushengs neck. Upon first nce, it looked like a scar, as if it had been torn by something and then healed back together. Cultivation disciples often fought with devils, so it wasmonce for one to have some scars. What was abnormal about this scar was that along the edges, one could see a hint of ink. It was as if there used to be a mark there, but now it was covered by the scar. "Could this be a puppet mark?" Wu Xingxue asked. The puppet mark was the only one that he knew about, so he could only guess this. "No," Xiao Fuxuan took a closer look, "But youre not too far off." The nape of the neck was one of the most vital parts of the whole body. Marks on this ce were usually very special. Puppet marks were the mostmon ones, but other marks located here were also more or less rted to directing the spirit and controlling the soul. Could it be that Yi Wusheng was being manipted by someone, which caused him to turn into the way he is now? As Xiao Fuxuan carefully examined the mark, the restlessly struggling Yi Wusheng suddenly stopped. His neck twitched a few times as he struggled to raise his head. His eyes rolled up, moving around chaotically, and then slowly focused, looking in front of him at Wu Xingxue. For just a split second, he came back to his senses. He grabbed the bottom of Wu Xingxues robes and moved his blood-stained lips. "Save me" He said this soundlessly towards Wu Xingxue. "Kill me" Wu Xingxue looked down at him. Another simr scene suddenly shed through his mind: It was a dimly lit room, with a different squirming, struggling person, who was also trying to speak with a mouth dripping with blood. I have devoured many people until they were empty. Save me.. Kill me Please "Xiao Fuxuan," Wu Xingxues voice suddenly sounded. Xiao Fuxuan looked up, only to find that his eyes were as ck as ink. Is the Yi Wuqi that little Hua Sect disciple mentioned also buried in the peach blossom grove? Then is he also outside the door? asked Wu Xingxue. Before waiting for his next words, Xiao Fuxuan suddenly remembered something. In an instant, he appeared in the pavilion. The Hua Sect disciples were all in an uproar, and the Sect Leader, Hua Zhaoting, had also arrived. They brandished their longswords, ready for a frontal charge. But then, they suddenly saw a wild wind materialize inside the pavilion, carrying snowkes from somewhere unknown, blocking them outside like an imprable barrier. Xiao Fuxuan ignored the nearly thousand people. His sword hadnt left its sheath; hed only used the tip of the sheath to tap the ground. The ground started to shake violently, and those things buried in the ground suddenly flipped out. Scattered limbs and bags of skin covered the entire pavilion. They were all devils that once invaded Peach Blossom Ind, in addition to those people whom the devils had once killed. Yi Wushengs elder brother, Yi Wuxi, who, ording to the rumors, was killed by Wu Xingxue, was also among them. If there was a mark on the back of Yi Wushengs neck, proving that he had been manipted into a demon, then could the back of Yi Wuqis neck also have one? If Yi Wuxis situation was simr to that of Yi Wusheng, then wouldnt that call into question the uracy of the rumors? With almost no effort, Xiao Fuxuan found Yi Wuqis remaining bag of skin. These people had originally cultivated celestial powers and then were tainted with demonic energy after being devoured by devils. Under these two energizing conditions, they could be buried for hundreds of years and not rot. That face still appeared the same as when it was in the pool of blood before. It had a disquieting smile, looking extremely dangerous and frightening. Xiao Fuxuan had seen countless of these, so he was undisturbed by the slightest. He turned Yi Wuxis head over, only to find the identical mark. "Sure enough" He mumbled quietly to himself. He was just about to remove the blizzard and let the people of the Hua Sect see for themselves when he heard a clear sound. It was a crisp ring from the room behind him, like a sword being drawn. Xiao Fuxuan was stunned. He quickly turned his head to look back into the room. But from his angle, he could only see the flickering light of thentern mes. Wrapped in a frigid wind, he flew back into the room. In just the short moment, Yi Wusheng, who had been trapped under his pressure, was now lying in a pool of blood. His face carried a smile just like his brothers as the dark red blood formed a puddle on the ground. Yi Wusheng was killed by his own sword, and that sword was currently held in the hands of the lunatic, A-Yao. At first nce, the entire scene seemed to indicate that the muddled A-Yao had suddenly climbed up from the ground, pulled out the sword, and ended Yi Wusheng once and for all. But A-Yaos face looked just as surprised. His eyes were wide open and he was breathing heavily. He stared with disbelief at Yi Wushengs bloodied face on the ground. The sword in his hands was shrouded in ayer of icy mist, dripping blood with a pitter-patter sound. Xiao Fuxuan shot his gaze over A-Yaos confounded face, suddenly turning to look towards the other person in the room. He saw Wu Xingxues long figure standing beside the red column. Thentern was by his side, casting a veneer of warm light. His two hands were empty, hanging at his side. Because his robes wererge and wide, it made him look even taller and more slender. His gaze fell into the shadows between his eyebrows and the bridge of his nose. When downcast, his eyes looked like ck ink. When lifted, they were as bright as morning stars. Chapter 10: The Resurrection Chapter 10: The Resurrection Xiao Fuxuans eyes started to darken. He seemed to want to say "Wu Xingxue, but because A Yao was by his side, he ultimately didnt utter a word. Wu Xingxue, who was standing beside the red column, looked at him. Then, after a moment, his face revealed some confusion: "?" "Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Wu Xingxue. Xiao Fuxuan raised his chin, pointed to the blood pool, then at A-Yao, and asked sternly, "What is going on?" "Are you asking me?" Wu Xingxue looked down at Yi Wusheng on the ground and was silent for a moment. He was still extremely energized and full of spirit when they were leading the devils up and down Peach Blossom Ind. Now he seemed inexplicably feeble as he stood next to a pool of blood, his voice low and set against his slightly pallid skin. Seeing this type of expression, Xiao Fuxuan frowned slightly, then blinked and slowly looked away. Before Wu Xingxue could reply, he had already said solemnly, "Forget it." He reached out the unsheathed sword in his hand, then gently knocked it on A-Yaos back. A-Yao suddenly jerked his hand back, dropping the sword from his hand to the ground with a "ng", rolling over. The silver tassel and pink jade pendant on the handle of the sword were soaked with blood, yet the word Wusheng in the middle of the jade pendant seemed to be clearer beneath the winding, bloody trails. A-Yao stared nkly at the jade pendant, then fell onto the ground as if all his energy had suddenly been drained from him. Xiao Fuxuan swept his robe up and half-squatted in front of Yi Wusheng. Then, he pressed the back of his finger against the center of his forehead. He was about to check his spirit when he saw the person beside the red column move. The light cast that person into a gray silhouette. That silhouette moved over from the red column, stopped beside him, then condensed into a lump. Xiao Fuxuans movements were halted. He shot a nce towards his side, only to find Wu Xingxue innocently squatting beside him. He first looked at A-Yao, who was dazed and slumped over, and then turned his head to say softly, Xiao Fuxuan, did you notice something wrong with that lunatic just now? Xiao Fuxuan didnt say a word. Think? Isnt it obvious?" His expression started to be indescribable. But he didnt say anything and only stared at Wu Xingxue, waiting for him to continue. It turned out that the other party was also looking at him. He seemed to be waiting for a response and not nning to continue. He looked so calm as to be considered "obedient". "" Xiao Fuxuan was not moved by this. After a moment, he moved his lips, "So what happened during the period I went to look for Yi Wuxi?" Wu Xingxue thought for a bit, then replied, "He was originally slumped on the ground, but then he suddenly jumped up, like something shocked him awake. Then he suddenly drew Yi Wushengs sword and charged over here." Xiao Fuxuan: "Then?" Wu Xingxue: "Then things got even weirder. In one stab, he killed Yi Wusheng." Sure enough, there appeared to be a single sword wound on Yi Wushengs body, right in the center of his heart. It seemed that one stab had ended everything, without any additional movements. Wu Xingxue: "Have you seen lunatics like this before?" Xiao Fuxuan: "Yes." Wu Xingxue nodded, "Then its easy to exin. If youve seen them before, then you must know what I mean. When a lunatic goes into its frenzied state, not only do they be freakishly strong, but they would also be very unsteady. The more excited they are, the harder they will shake. But this lunatic is different. His hands didnt tremble in the slightest. In addition, his face was alsopletely expressionless. I believe that" He looked at A-Yao silently, as if he had almost spaced out for a bit. Then he looked back towards Xiao Fuxuan and said, "His body might have been borrowed by someone else for use." "" "Who do you think borrowed him?" "" Xiao Fuxuan looked at him expressionlessly. After a long moment, he sneered coldly, "I dont know, perhaps I did." After that, he stopped looking at Wu Xingxue, who also seemed to be stunned by his answer and didnt ask anything more. After a long time, he heard an "oh" from Wu Xingxue. Thats right, he dared to say"oh". Xiao Fuxuan knocked Yi Wushengs head expressionlessly. Sure enough, his body sounded hollow, just like the countless other people who had died before him. But beneath this hollow sound, there also seemed to be an extremely light sigh. Xiao Fuxuan was stunned for a moment. He almost immediately grabbed Yi Wushengs left hand, then pushed his thumb into the center of his wrist. A slight ridge bulged up beneath Yi Wushengs skin; in the next second, the bulging area squirmed up like a slithering snake, passing through his arms and neck, continuing upward. Yi Wushengs hazy pupils suddenly focused again. Immediately afterward, his pupils moved, reflecting a slight smearing of light beneath thentern mes. As if he came back to life! Xiao Fuxuan. Wu Xingxues voice suddenly sounded. He had already forgotten that A-Yao, an outsider, was still present. His gaze was originally downcast, but now he had lifted his head, staring at Yi Wusheng without blinking. After a second, he then stared unblinkingly at Xiao Fuxuan. Xiao Fuxuan could see him out of the corner of his eye, but he didnt turn around. He just replied with an "mm. His hands didnt stop. Just as Yi Wusheng was about to open his mouth to speak, he quickly pulled out two long strips of ck cloth from thin air and covered his mouth and nose. "What is he?" Wu Xingxue asked. Xiao Fuxuan exined, "That stab simply dissipated the fumes of the devil inside him. Now, whats in his mouth is the final vestige of soul left over after being devoured by a devil." One naturally couldnt be resurrected after death. For living beings who were devoured by devils, only death could be considered liberation. But legend said that the Immortal Capital had a method in which, by borrowing an immortals celestial energy, a bit of vestigial soul could be preserved. As long as that mouthful of celestial energy wasnt expelled, ones life could be extended for a period. Although this method existed, it was seldom used. This was because as an immortal, he or she could no longer intervene in the affairs of mortals at will. Immortals had their own rules, whether it was punishment or remuneration, life or death, to save or not to save, all had to follow the Lingtais heavenly way. Or else, if you took care of this one but didnt take care of that one today, if you helped that one but missed this one tomorrow, the realm of mortals would fall intoplete chaos. Yi Wusheng himself was also at a loss. He freed himself from the diabolical possession and no longer had that disquieting smile. After being cast in warm light, his features could almost be considered gentle. Compared to his muddled appearance from before, he was apletely different person. He had a deep frown on his face, and he wanted to speak, but his nose and mouth were bound tightly by ck cloth. "Oomph, oomph" Yi Wusheng let out two muffled cries towards Wu Xingxue. Yi Wusheng reached out his hands to pull the ck cloth down, but his hands were pped away by Wu Xingxue. After pping his hand away, he then turned to ask Xiao Fuxuan, "Were not supposed to take these down, right?" Xiao Fuxuan: He said to Yi Wusheng, "Youll die if you do so." Yi Wusheng made a few more muffled noises. Although it was so tight that it was ufortable, he still put his hands back down. Wu Xingxue suddenly asked, "Then, is he technically alive right now? Xiao Fuxuan shook his head. It wasnt the case. It was just some vestigial soul. Although he had the support of celestial energy, no one knew how much longer he wouldst. Because of how rarely this method was used, almost no one knew about the details. "No?" Wu Xingxue asked again quietly. Xiao Fuxuan was silent for a moment before replying, "Barely." "Oh," Wu Xingxue nodded. After this series of events, that wave of feebleness from him seemed to disappear. When Yi Wusheng got up from the ground, Wu Xingxue looked at his wrist, and the thumb hanging by his side seemed to move subconsciously. He didnt even realize it himself. He swept his robe and stood up. Just as he was about to check the movements of the Hua Sect members outside, he heard Xiao Fuxuans low voice, "Want to learn?" Wu Xingxue was stunned for a moment, then turned his head to look at him, "What?" Xiao Fuxuan gave a nce towards Yi Wusheng, then looked back towards Wu Xingxues hand. Only then did Wu Xingxue realize, "Are you talking about the method that can be used to save people?" "I dont have the slightest hint of celestial power and techniques on my body. He said after a briefugh. Im not anyone special, I cant learn something like that. Are you just trying to make fun of me? Haha." "No." "Besides," Wu Xingxue continued, "In the stories Ive read, they all say" Stories again Xiao Fuxuan remained silent, waiting for his next words. But Wu Xingxue suddenly stopped. "What did you say?" "You said Wu Xingxue took a nce at Yi Wusheng and A-Yao, then curled his fingers. Xiao Fuxuan: "" He lowered his head slightly and got slower. Wu Xingxue said in a low voice, "The stories all say that immortals are different. They are not allowed to freely save people from the mortal world. You saved Yi Wusheng just now and are also about to teach me, an unintelligent mortal, some celestial powers. Wouldnt that be against the rules of heaven? Towards the end, he smiled a bit, and looked up at Xiao Fuxuan. Xiao Fuxuan was tall. His jawline was slim and sharp; as he looked down, that line became even more prominent, slightly moving as he talked. Xiao Fuxuan, his appearance mild, only gave an "mm" after listening to his exnation. A momentter, he said, "No. The Immortal Capital is already gone. Im not some Celestial Immortal anymore either." He nced at Wu Xingxue, then continued, "Im just some spiritual consciousness that entered this vessel. Havent I been turned into a puppet by you?" Wu Xingxues eyes flickered. "How can puppets break the Lingtais heavenlyws?" After that, he grabbed a golden piece of paper from thin air and handed it to Yi Wusheng. "I have some important questions to ask you. When you reply, just hold onto this piece of paper. That way, Ill be able to hear you. Yi Wusheng was stunned for a moment, then took the paper over. The question he wanted to ask the most was, "Why save me?" "There are still some things I must trouble you with," replied Xiao Fuxuan. He pointed to Wu Xingxue, "Can you still practice your Dreaming Souls Technique in your current situation?" Yi Wusheng nodded. Then when you get the chance, take a look at his condition for me. He then turned to talk to Wu Xingxue, "Hes adept at the Dreaming Souls Technique. You might not understand. In short, as long as he reaches out a hand to check, he can clearly determine where this soul of yours is from, and to where it should return. Wu Xingxue: "" Yi Wusheng nodded, "I I will do my best." Wu Xingxue: "" For an instant, he showed a wooden-like expression, but disappeared in the next second. Xiao Fuxuan nced at him, and then pushed open the door, saying to Yi Wusheng: Right now, theres another matter of urgency. That is, you need to exin the entire story clearly to the people from your sectfor instance, those rumors of the past. Unexpectedly, Yi Wusheng looked at the vast crowd of people outside, then said, "Sect Leader is here, I cant." Authors notes: Sorry for the long wait~ Chapter 11: The Whole Story Chapter 11: The Whole Story Hua Zhaoting and the Hua Sect disciples were still blocked outside the pavilion by the blizzard barrier. Xiao Fuxuan, who was about to remove the barrier, stopped after hearing what Yi Wusheng said. He asked, "Why not?" Yi Wusheng replied solemnly, "He must not hear it." "Is there a problem with your sect leader as well?" He and I share a very simr situation. Its been a long time, and the problem is deeply rooted, so dont startle him. Wu Xingxue nced at him, who barely had any soul left in him, and asked, "How much time is a long time?" Yi Wusheng was silent for a second, then said softly, "Its been more than twenty years." It was more than twenty years ago when he first realized that there was something wrong with him. *** That day, Yi Wusheng and his fond disciple, A-Yao, were managing a batch of newly refined medicine in the Meditating Hall. There were countless types of pills that cultivators liked to use, but the types that everyone had were only a fewthose that increase cultivation, extend life, cure injuries, save lives, and, of course, those that take lives as well. The rest of the pills were rare and abnormal, and there were so many types of them that they couldnt all be named at once. These were the kinds of things each sect privately refined and privately used, and all more or less exhibited some unique characteristics of the sects. The Dreamless Pill, for example, belongs only to Yi Wusheng of Peach Blossom Ind. He had refined this type of medicine because, that year, incidents frequently urred in the Valley of Great Sorrow1Previously referred to as the Dabei Valley, a major route outside Yuyang City. When ordinary people or cultivation disciples traveled through and first exited the valley, nothing abnormal about them could be spotted, but within three days, some strange things would happen On the back of their necks, something simr to a puppet mark would appear out of the blue. In addition, they would often feel itchy, but they wouldnt be able to locate the itch, so they couldnt help but to scratch themselves everywhere. Some people were agitated to the point of insanity, scratching themselves until their bodies were covered with blood. Another problem was sleepwalking. They would fall asleep at night and dream that they were starving and looking everywhere for food. After searching for a long time, they would finally see a stall and sit down to eat, chewing on a mouthful of fresh vors. When they suddenly woke up after some time, they would find themselves actually holding stuff in their hands and eating overnight. Some held vegetables and fruits, some held raw fish and meat, and some others they held people. Such acts were indistinguishable from demonic possession, making it impossible for huge sects to overlook the problem. They all sent people to carefully investigate why, but being careful was useless. Most of the people sent from the sects to investigate all fell victim to the same mysterious infection, and barely any were lucky enough toe out unharmed. At the time, the sect that suffered the most losses was the Feng Sect. The Feng Sect had always been on good terms with Peach Blossom Ind, so the Feng Sect Sect Leader, Feng Juyan, and her elder brother, Feng Fei, both personally came to ask for medicine for their sects infected disciples. As everyone knew, Peach Blossom Inds Yi Wusheng was the most adept at the Dreaming Souls Technique, and the infected individuals from the Valley of Great Sorrow all feasted on human flesh in their dreams. Thus, for a while, Peach Blossom Ind was almost stomped down by people seeking help. Yi Wusheng cultivated in seclusion for seven days, without eating, drinking, resting, or sleeping. Finally, he invented a new type of medicine, the Dreamless Pill. For those who fell victim to the Valley of Great Sorrow, if they took the Dreamless Pill within a month, their soul would be sealed for forty-nine days. When they woke back up, they would have recovered. The only risk was losing one of their five senses due to their soul being sealed for too long. But if it has been more than a month, then even eating a jar full of Dreamless Pill would bring no benefit. At that point, no one could save them anymore. Yi Wusheng refined Dreamless Pills that entire year, often without sleep or rest, which in turn saved countless lives. The Sects Leader, Hua Zhaoting, was afraid he would be too exhausted, so he specifically instructed the sects disciples to not disturb Yi Wusheng unless absolutely necessary. He even selected a handful of disciples to help him organize and clean his cid Hall. 2Previously referred to as the Meditating Hall. The raws for this hall is , which is used to call for a peaceful and quiet ce. Im not sure what I was thinking earlier, but I feel like cid Hall would be a better name. So from now on, Ill refer to Yi Wushengs ce as cid Hall. If you guys cane up with a better name, please let me know in thements or on the discord server. Thanks! By the end of that year, with the winter months approaching, the Valley of Great Sorrow had been sealed for over a month, and there were no new infections. Yi Wusheng was finally able to rest for a bit and have some leisure time. That day, thest batch of Dreamless Pills was buried in the flower jar. These Dreamless Pills arent the same as normal medicinal pills. They cant touch fire, so they cant enter the pill cauldron. They need to be carefully buried in sand three inches underground. The sand must be watered every day with fresh spring water, and Just as Yi Wusheng was just instructing A-Yao, he suddenly felt a slight itch on the back of his neck. He frowned and scratched it a bit. "And the spring water is best if its frozen. Please make sure you dont forget that" As he spoke, he felt another itch, so he just straight up handed the pills in his hand to A-Yao, and he himself stepped to the side. After he scratched for a bit, he suddenly felt a burning pain in the back of his head, and so he quickly turned around to return to his hall. But as soon as he turned around, he heard A-Yao let out a soft scream, "Ahh, master, your neck is bleeding. Let me apply some ointment to help stop the bleeding." Did it bleed from just a few scratches? Yi Wusheng was puzzled in his head as he waved his hand, "No need, keep on burying the Dreamless Pills, Ill go to my room. At the time, there was a small cleaning disciple inside the room. He was organizing the medicine cabs and the bed. Seeing Yi Wushenging in with blood on his hands, he quickly dug out some blood-stopping ointment, "Mister, let me help you." Yi Wusheng looked at his sand and blood-covered fingers and didnt refuse this time. He waited for the disciple to apply the medicine on him, but after waiting for a long time, the disciple still didnt move. "Whats wrong?" "Mister, you" the disciples voice could barely be heard. Yi Wusheng turned his head, only to find him holding the medicine with a pale face. "Whats up with the pale face? Its not like youve never seen blood before. Why are you so frightened of just a few scratches? " Yi Wushengughed to himself. He grabbed a piece of cloth on the side to wipe his hands and was about to take the medicine to apply it himself when he suddenly saw that the disciples hands were trembling. The medicine bowl fell from his hand, smashing onto the ground and spilling the medicine everywhere. For a moment, Yi Wusheng was stunned. He quickly lifted his robe and went to the inner room, where he took out two copper mirrors to take a look. From the copper mirror, he saw his heavily scratched nape. The bloodiness didnt look like it was scratched by a human finger at all, more like it was torn by some beasts ws. And below those few scratch marks, he could faintly see a ck mark, exactly like the one on the necks of the infected people from the Valley of Great Sorrow. Immediately, Yi Wusheng felt a chill down his spine. He put down the copper mirrors and rummaged through the boxes and shelves to find the rest of thest batch of Dreamless Pills. Normally, one pill would be plenty. After swallowing a pill, he didnt even bother to change his clothes as he quicklyid down on the bed. He opened his eyes wide until nightfall, yet there were still no signs of his soul being sealed. He got up from the bed again, grabbed the entire bottle with trembling fingers, gave himself a palmful of Dreamless Pills, and swallowed them all This time, he did fall asleep, but the soul remained unsealed. He refined the Dreamless Pills himself, so he knew the effects better than anyone else. For an infectionsting longer than a month, they would be useless no matter how many were consumed. So, after that, he couldnt remember anything. But although he couldnt remember anything, he still knew what would happen the devil that lived in his body would be startled, quickly devouring his flesh and soul, taking over as the owner of his body. He would still do the things he usually did every day, not allowing anyone to discover any abnormality, and then he would wait until starvation came. Every now and then, devils would feel hungry and uneasy, and get the urge to devour the raw spirit and flesh of humans. On extremely rare asions, Yi Wusheng would recover a little bit of his consciousness. It was like a vestige of his soul didnt want to leave, still clinging tightly to its power. The first time he regained his consciousness, he saw that the small disciple who had helped him apply medicine earlier was sweeping beside the bookshelf. The disciple even bowed towards him, calling out, Mister. He tested him with a knock on the back of his head, unsurprisingly hearing the sound of hollowness. The second time he regained consciousness was on that cold night twenty-five years ago. A-Yao was manically crying and screaming in front of the hall. His brother, Yi Wuqi, was lying in a puddle of blood with a smile on his face. When his wife, daughter, and father, were knocked upon, they all emitted a hollow sound just like that small disciple. Born into a cultivation sect, he was once elegant and talented as well. But that night, he suddenly felt a sense of vicissitude. He remembered clearly that in the depth of that night, he used up all of his spirits, fighting to hold onto the shred of humanity remaining. He sprinted to the Sect Leaders Jianhua Hall. He wanted to tell Hua Zhaoting to strip him of his position as an Elder of the Four Halls and to entrust the tasks in his hands to others. Then, he would let Hua Zhaoting kill him. Because the devil in his body would not allow him tomit suicide, he needed to find someone who could restrain him and kill him.. Stumbling into Jianhua Hall, he ignored etiquettes and respect and barged open the doors. Hua Zhaoting was carrying a teapot with a long spout, bending down to water the flower pots next to the wall. When he heard the noise, he turned his head around, his face exhausted. He pointed at Yi Wusheng, saying: How dare you! If you were a disciple of this sect and charged into my Jianhua Hall like this without my permission after I set the ban order, you would be severely punished. Yi Wusheng didnt reply. He could feel that his consciousness was about to disappear. He must exin everything before that happens. He bumped the table and grabbed Hua Zhaotings elbow, "Sect Leader" At that moment, because of the great strength he used, his grab also caused Hua Zhaoting to bump against the table, his body crouching a bit. Yi Wusheng saw the back of his neck. There were also partially healed scratch marks on the back of Hua Zhaotings neck, and there were also traces of a ck mark below those scratches. Yi Wushengs pupils shrank, and an icy chill poured from his head to his toes. "Whats the matter with you?" asked Hua Zhaoting. Yi Wushengs words stopped at his tongue, "I I need to go into seclusion for a while." *** Yi Wushengs face was ghastly pale, his appearance grave. He turned his head and looked at A-Yao, who was still stunned in ce. A-Yaos personality is normally steady and outgoing. Hes someone who can do great things in the future, and hes also a cultivation disciple. He wouldnt, just because of witnessing some murder, be scared into such a state. Hes been intentionally cast with a Silencing Technique by someone, not allowing him to speak clearly. "After returning to my cid Hall, I only had enough time to do one thing," Yi Wusheng continued solemnly, "I added another Silencing Technique on A-Yao. Under twoyers of Silencing Techniques, no one could remove them, at least no one on Peach Blossom Ind. He would remain in this lunatic state for as long as the Silencing Techniques are in effect." "Im afraid that after he wakes up, he will say things that shouldnt be said. On this ind, no one can help him." After all, A-Yao had grown up beside Yi Wusheng, and he had personally witnessed the entire course of events leading to Yi Wuqis death. After he awakened, he would definitely exin everything to Yi Wusheng. And if he also saw that mark on the back of Yi Wushengs neck, then his fate would most likely end up the same as that of the small cleaning disciple. Afterwards, I never regained consciousness, up until today. Yi Wusheng looked into the darkness of the night outside, towards all of the silhouettes outside the blizzard barrier. As long as devils dont be startled, twenty-five years can pass just like this. The Sect Leader cultivates the path of the sword, and hes one of the people whovee closest to ascending to immortality in the past hundred years. If the devil living inside his body is startled, theres truly no one above him who can stop him. The thousands of disciples of my Peach Blossom Ind might all. Before he finished speaking, he saw that the outline of a sword beside him had already emerged from its sheath. Yi Wusheng: "?" You must absolutely not! Yi Wusheng couldnt tear away the golden paper, but he was so panicked that he didnt bother with polite speech. "Ah, welp, toote. You should rest for a bit. Wu Xingxue held him back, then looked at Xiao Fuxuan, who was surrounded by a body of freezing sword energy. He looked back at Yi Wusheng, "How high did you say his cultivation was?" "Almost ascending to immortality! Yi Wusheng repeated heavily. Xiao Fuxuan repeated lightly, "Oh, almost." The moment his voice fell, the phantom sword had already pierced through the air, turning into tens of thousands of golden beams of light. With thundering sounds, the beams of light formed into one and a giant sword came smashing down directly towards Hua Zhaoting! Chapter 12: Dream Bell Chapter 12: Dream Bell In the eyes of the crowd of Hua Sect disciples, Sect Leader Hua Zhaoting hadnt touched his sword for a very long time. After the fall of the Immortal Capital, the cultivators who were closest to ascending became the most powerful individuals in the human realm. One could not afford to be their enemy. Although devils have been rampaging about recently, growing more savage and fearless each year, every devil extermination attempt has always relied on the force of an assembly of multiple sects. asions that actually required Hua Zhaoting to seriously draw his sword were extremely rare. Thest time Hua Zhaoting drew his sword was a long, long time ago in the Jiaming Wilderness. Hua Zhaoting cultivated the path of the sword. Although he was normally dignified and courteous when he spoke, polite and amodating, that was only because he had been a sect leader for too long. His temperament was a result of spending all day dealing with matters among sects. Anyone who has seen him attack knows that his sword cultivation carried a natural tion and aggression that pierced through the heavens. Among those who were close to ascension, although he wasnt the most powerful, he was truly extremely hard to provoke. And at this moment, when the golden ray of sword pierced through the clouds, the disciples of Hua Sect heard a loud, metallic ng. The sound rang across the entire Peach Blossom Ind Hua Zhaoting had drawn his sword! Immediately, the disciples could feel their blood boiling. Those who were at the Jiaming Wilderness back then still remembered the swords astounding elegance and his imposing manner. To be able to witness it for a second time was truly a blessing. Thus, all the disciples present flicked their wrists, instantly drawing out countless flying swords! Together with Hua Zhaoting, they all pointed their swords towards the giant golden swording from above. But the second they sent their swords flying, the disciples expressions suddenly changed! Because they saw Hua Zhaotings sword No. This sword isnt right! This thought shed across everyones mind. The cool and bright sword aura surrounding his sword was nowhere to be found, and instead, what covered him was red spider-like silk, from the sword handle to the rest of his body. The people who were standing close to him could even smell a fishy sweet odoring from his sword. In addition, the second he drew his sword, all the skin bags, heads, and leftover parts of the devils underground all went into an uproar. Somethings not right! Its seriously not right! Theres something wrong with the sword! Tumbling waves crashed in the crowds hearts, but immediately after, another thought arose in their heads What if the problem doesnt lie in the sword? What if the Sect Leader that had led them this entire night in pursuit to catch the devils wasnt really nning to exterminate them, but was instead on a pilgrimage, like the rest of the devils and Mr. Yi Wusheng? For the past twenty-five years, all of the disciples on Peach Blossom Ind would go to the Punishment Hall in the morning and evening of every day. This was done to prevent anyone possessed by a devil from mingling with them. Even the Punishment Hall Elder himself was no exception to getting tested. But this order was issued by the Sect Leader, and only two people have never been checked. One was the feeble Yi Wusheng, who often cultivated in solitude, and the other was Sect Leader Hua Zhaoting himself. The disciples could feel their skulls going numb! However, everything was already toote. They only had time to lift their heads Only to see that before the countless flying swords could even approach the golden light, they had already been shredded into pieces. Like a disappearing cloud, the pieces dispersed in an instant. The disciples trembled with fear. As if their spirits were pulled out of their bodies, they couldnt feel anything except for the numbness in their hands, holding their sword sheaths. In an instant, nearly a thousand people all lost their spiritual weapons. They could only open their eyes wide and stare at Hua Zhaotings bloody red sword, which was covered with devilish energy. The sword was pointed to the sky, mming directly into the golden light. The crash created a dazzling light, forcing everyone to close their eyes. Then, they heard a loud ng. Trying hard to force their eyes open, the disciples saw that the giant golden sword shed with the tip of Hua Zhaotings sword. But it was as if Hua Zhaotings sword didnt exist at all. The golden sword continued to fall down without its force and power decreasing by the slightest. Hua Zhaoting was stunned by the shock. He never expected that there would be anything that his sword couldnt block. At this moment, his expression turned indescribably unpleasant. Then he realized, that not only wasnt his sword able to stop the giant golden sword, but under that golden lights extreme sharpness, his sword seemed to be a childs toy. As the golden sword continued toe down, his sword started to show cracks in it. Slowly but surely, his sword was slowly bing shattered. Finally, Hua Zhaoting let go of the sword. The hilt fell onto the ground, and his feet sank deep into the ground below him, and he spat out a mouthful of ck blood. The disciples all looked in awe. They never expected that the sh would end in such a result. The uneasiness in their hearts intensified. "Exactly what kind of person is inside Qiwu Pavilion?" More precisely, they should be asking, "Who exactly were the two guests who disappeared from the guest room in the middle of the night?" Between Young Master Cheng and his puppet, one of them must be a devil under human skin. That was the only exnation for the pilgrimage, which attracted all of the inds devils. But a being that even Elder Yi Wusheng and Sect Leader Hua Zhaoting couldnt resist? How powerful could that devil be? Thinking about it this way made them truly terrified. All the disciples all thought of the exact same thing: the rumors that came this early morning: the Northern Frontiers perished, the Devil Lord Wu Xingxue locked there might still be alive, and he might havee out already! The disciples looked at each other. With countless possibilities forming in their heads, their faces turned pale. But the next moment, they became dumbfounded again. Because after shattering Hua Zhaotings de, the gigantic sword jabbed ferociously into the ground, its prowess lingering and vibrating with a buzz. When the golden light had dissipated, the word on the giant phantom sword became visible. It wrote the word "Mian". Everyone: "" Everyone: "??????" *** Just as the crowd was immersed in shock, Hua Zhaoting, after the unsessful counterattack, turned around and transformed into a ck shadow, instantly disappearing into the night sky. The oppression had a devastating effect on his soul. He almost instinctively rushed back to his Jianhua Hall. However, as soon as he appeared back in his room, another ray of golden light pierced straight through his back shoulder, nailing him to the floor. The sharp sword aura sent a shock wave, bringing the inside of the room to ruins. The desks and chairs were flipped over, the bed had copsed, and the flowerpots next to the wall had all shattered into pieces as well. When Wu Xingxue and the others followed into the room, this was the scene that they saw. "He" Yi Wusheng held the golden paper and walked over to Hua Zhaotings side. His hand that was reaching out to him was trembling. Before he even touched his forehead to check his spirits, another person had already spoken, "Hes alive." Yi Wusheng turned around and saw Xiao Fuxuaning over. When the giant sword smashed down, Yi Wusheng was far away and couldnt see the golden sword clearly. He was standing right next to Xiao Fuxuan himself, trying to scream, "You absolutely must not!" Before he was able to finish his sentence, however, he already saw the word "Mian" on Xiao Fuxuans sword sheath. This caused his voice to crack on hisst word. Afterward, he found out that the piece of paper he was grabbing on to also had the word Mian on it. It was in the corner and looked as if it was printed from something dipped in red mud. It was impossible to make out without looking carefully. Yi Wusheng: "" At that time, he gripped the paper tightly, looking toward the person who had just released his sword in both rm and suspicion. After a bit, he asked, Your honorable surname? Apparently, there must be something funny in his question, as Young Master Cheng" beside him suddenly started tough. The person who was holding the sword with the word "Mian" nced at Young Master Cheng, and then looked at Yi Wusheng expressionlessly. His lips moved, "Xiao." Yi Wusheng: "" Cool. Anyway, after hearing him say "Xiao", Yi Wusheng, who had his mouth sealed, hadnt said a single word, until they followed Hua Zhaoting to Jianhua Hall and saw Hua Zhaoting on the floor. It would be a lie to say that he was unmoved. At the age of fourteen, Yi Wusheng had already entered the Hua Sect. He met the seventeen-year-old Hua Zhaoting and the eleven-year-old Hua Zhaotai. From then on, he cultivated in the same fall as this pair of brothers and sisters from the Hua Family. It had already been more than a hundred years. For mortals, a hundred years is more than enough for an entire lifetime. Back then, in the Disciples Hall of the Hua Sect, he would often sleepte due to fiddling with medicine. While listening to their teacher lecture on the way of the sword, he would doze off with his head propped on his hand. The brother and sister who sat behind him would then poke him awake. That experience of being suddenly startled awake still felt clear, like it was just from yesterday. . Surprisingly, it happened over a century ago. That girl, who loved tough, had already been buried in the peach blossom grove for over twenty-five years. The other person, who used to be the most annoyed by rules as a teenager, had be the biggest rule of the Hua Sect, and was now lying pitifully on the ground before them. His soul had been consumed by the devils, a poor friend who had suffered the same miseries. So at this time, the only thing that he really wanted to know was whether or not this person before him, who may or may not still have some vestigial soul, had died. Xiao Fuxuan said lightly, I didnt kill him, Im just forcefully suppressing that devil inside of him from taking over." "Okay, okay." Yi Wusheng nodded and repeated softly. He was scared, but his fingers still approached Hua Zhaotings forehead to check. Hua Zhaoting was in a worse state than he was, and he was barely able to feel any soul left. Yi Wusheng lowered his hand. Wu Xingxue stood aside and watched silently for a while. He noticed that Hua Zhaoting was clenching his fingers, but his eyes were staring at a certain ce. They all said that the moment people realize that theyre about to die, they would always subconsciously reveal some secretsthey would look towards the ce where something was hidden, and gaze at those who knew things that couldnt be said. Even the devils were no exception. And at this moment, what Hua Zhaoting was facing was none other than the flowerpots that he would stand and stare at for a bit every day. A few top-quality short peach blossom trees grew in those flowerpots. They were taken care of extremely well; even in the heavy winter, they showed no sign of withering, still harboring tender branches and green leaves. One tree had even sprouted some new flower buds. The flowerpots were shattered into pieces, and the small trees tipped onto the ground. Wet soil and flowers scattered all over the floor, revealing the sand beneath the soil in the pots. Why would one nt peach blossom trees in sand? Wu Xingxue thought for a moment then walked over to the flowerpots. He lifted his robe and squatted down, running his finger through the wet soil and sand. He pushed away some broken pottery with his pointer finger, making some nging noises. "What are you looking for?" Xiao Fuxuans voice fell from above his head. Wu Xingxue tilted his head to look at him, then continued to dig through the sand. After a moment, he said, "Werent you looking for something earlier? Like something that was stolen thenter returned?" He stood up, patted off the soil and sand on his hands, then wiped his hands on a clean cloth from a nearby shelf, "I see him staring at this ce, so I thought Id take a look for you." Hearing this, Yi Wusheng, still holding his slip of paper, also came. He dug his hand through the sand and suddenly paused. Then his movements became more eager. They discovered several random weird artifacts buried in the dirt from one of the flowerpots, including wooden hairpins, disciples waist tokens, hair ties, and the brocade bags used to transmit Hua Sect decrees. There were many items of all sorts. Judging by age, they didnt seem to be the used items of the same person. It seemed like they each came from different people and were all buried here by Hua Zhaoting. "Who could these people be?" Wu Xingxue held the waist token and studied it. Yi Wushengs body froze, then after a while, he finally replied, "Disciples. These were misceneous items that the disciples of the Hua Sect would carry around. It wasnt umon for these to go missing, so even if they did, people wouldnt find it strange. Wu Xingxue suddenly remembered what the disciple at the guest rooms had said before. Even though everyone had to go through the Punishment Hall in the morning and afternoon every day to check for devils, a few disciples would still lose their lives every month. Now it seems the reason for their deaths could be exined. But this was truly quite conflicting. He then remembered the things he had heard in Chunfan City before arriving at the Hua Sect. They said that the Hua Sect alone protected the river, taking over Peach Blossom Ind and not letting anymon people inhabit the region. They said that Peach Blossom Inds location was strategic and very easy for devils to invade. If ordinary people went, it would be like a sheep walking into a tigers den. At the time, he had reasoned that since they were the biggest sect in Chunfan City and had so many disciples, even if they relocated themon people to a suitable location, it still wouldnt bepletely impossible to protect them. If other sects could do it, then why not Hua Sect? It was truly questionable. Looking at it in retrospect On one hand, Hua Zhaoting couldnt resist devouring disciples every month until he was full, but on the other hand, he was deathly afraid of ordinary peopleing near him. Wu Xingxue held the old waist token in his hands and was lost in thought for a while. A momentter, he suddenly heard a low cry from Yi Wusheng. He dug out a small container with countless tiny holes on the lid. By opening the lid, one could see that the inside waspletely filled with pills. No one knew how long those pills had been buried in the flower pots, but the pills still had a touch of warm spiritual light, indicating that they had been carefully maintained. Yi Wusheng swallowed hard, then said slowly, "Dreamless Pills" No wonder Hua Zhaoting watered the flowerpots every day. Logically, those top-grade peach blossom trees shouldnt be looked after in this way. Unless he was subconsciously looking after another thing that he thought was useful. Those were the Dreamless Pills. The pills that could save ones life if used within a month after first being infected. After he was possessed by a devil, how long did he take to realize this? Had he also swallowed big handfuls of Dreamless Pills? Had he also tried to struggle? Did he temporarily regain consciousness when he gave the order to not let any disciples approach Jianhua Hall? In that deep night, when I stumbled and tripped to go find him, did he still have any vestigial soul remaining? He could feel his body getting colder and colder as he thought. The pieces of the flowerpot cut his finger, but no blood came out. Only a stark white wound remained, looking quite scary. He didnt think twice about it though, as he immediately went to dig through thest flowerpot. This time, he dug out a box. The moment he opened the box, Xiao Fuxuan turned to look. He smelled a hint of lingering celestial energy. He saw a round recess inside the box. The recess held a tiny little bell made of white jade, iid with a silver rim. If he wasnt mistaken, this was something he knew. It was called the Dream Bell. After shaking it nine times in different directions, it could create an extensive dream for an individual. Chapter 13: Soul Checking Chapter 13: Soul Checking "This is" Wu Xingxue took a long look inside the box, then remarked suddenly. Yi Wusheng was stunned. "Oh, this is a Dream Bell." In the mortal world, Dream Bells were rathermon. Before, there used to be an extremely lively market in the southwest. Every year on March 3rd, whennterns were lit to celebrate the opening of the market, the glow of those fires would reach out for twelve kilometers, illuminating the mountain range. At first nce, it seemed that the fires of heaven had descended into the mortal world, burning for three days and three nights. That mountain range was called the Falling Flower Tower, and that market was called the FallingFlower Mountain Market. There, all sorts of rare and odd things were sold, and that was where the Dream Bell originated as well. Then, it trended for a bit in Dream City and Lang Ind. 1I should note here that when I use the word Ind, please dont mistake it with the small inds youd see in movies and cartoons. Rather, its a giant piece ofnd thats just simply surrounded by water. Something like Taiwan. The only reason it was popr was because it was small and cute, and people used it for good luck. It was said that carrying it could ensure peace and chase away devils. Hanging it in the bedroom would give one a good nights sleep and a good dream. Later, the Falling Flower Mountain Market was gone. Falling Flower Tower became Devils Den Zhaoye Citys entrance; as a result, Dream Bells became lessmon. Legends said that they hadpletely disappeared from this world already, and that their only use was to put one to sleep and to make one dream. But this one in front of them was different. The Hua Sects Dream Bell was not a mundane item from the mountain market, rather, it was actually a heavenly treasure. It did have the effect of instantly immersing someone in a dream. But it was said that once one bes submerged in a dream, he will forget everything in the real world and wont be able to easily wake up by himself. The only way to undo the dream spell was to use the Dream Bell. Hua Zhaoting tried it once, but no matter what he tried, he still couldnt get the pper to budge. In the end, he could only give up. Afraid that it wouldnd in the hands of a devil, he carefully hid it. 2I should also note here the word "devil". In western culture, "devil" is a single powerful evil being ruling hell. However, in Chinese culture, the word devils trantion is just any being that has evil intentions. It could be cultivators, spirits, or even gods. The word Devil is NOT to be confused with Demons. In official Chinese webnovel trantions, Demons are animals that have learned how to cultivate. The word Demon does not mean they are bad, it simply means their original form was a beast or animal, and therefore the word demons can be used interchangeably with beasts in certain scenarios. But now, Hua Zhaoting has already turned into a devil, and this Heavenly Treasure Yi Wusheng hesitated for a moment, then picked up the Dream Bell and shook it to test. The Dream Bell rang out, Ding Yi Wusheng: "" This didnt make any sense. Back then, Hua Zhaoting tried to make it ring using everything he had and still failed. Yet all he did was casually shake it. Could it be that the Dream Bell thinks that hes nice and decided to sound? No, That only leaves one exnation The Dream Bell in the box was a fake. Yi Wushengs hand that was holding the bell was shaking, "This Dream Bell The real one got stolen!" Who did it? And when? Yi Wusheng tried to recall, but for the past twenty years, he was practicallypletely unconscious, not much different from being dead. He couldnt remember anything at all. "Could it be" Yi Wusheng suddenly mmed his fist into his hand, "Wu Xingxue?!" He looked up after speaking, and caught Young Master Cheng looking at him with a very incredulous look. Yi Wusheng: "" Yi Wusheng: "?" He desperately tried to recall the fragmented memories of 25 years ago, but still couldnte up with the whole story. He rambled on, Actually, this Dream Bell has been lost once before. That was the time when Wu Xingxue came to Peach Blossom Ind. Afterward, it was found again. Could it be it was then that the bell was secretly swapped by Wu Xingxue? As Yi Wusheng spoke, the sound of his voice faded under Young Master Chengs gaze. Young Master Cheng looked at him, then suddenly smiled, "Whats the matter? Did the paper break?" Yi Wusheng: "" He didnt know what kind of person this Young Master Cheng was. Before, when he became taken over by a devil, his mind was fogged up. All he remembered was that he wanted to find someone to end his life, and in the midst of themotion, this Young Master Cheng was the person he grabbed onto. At the time, he could vaguely feel the formless oppressioning from this young masters body, but now, it seemed to be gone. It was like the fog of this night, seemingly there, seemingly not, unable to be grasped for certain. But regardless, he knew for sure that he wasnt just an ordinary human. Perhaps he was also a former immortal like Celestial Xiao Main. Yi Wusheng pondered, then looked back down at the treasure box in his hand. "No, its still not right. He was a person who would never return an item after taking it. He wouldnt bother finding a fake one to trick others." Yi Wusheng muttered as things gradually started to make sense. "So this Dream Bell, when it was lost and returned, was still real at that time. It must have been swapped in recent years." In all these years, Hua Zhaoting has not kept anyone around, which meant the only person who could approach the Dream Bell was none other than himself. Or rather the devil inside of him. In other words, the devil was the one who wanted the Dream bell. Yi Wusheng raised his hand and touched the back of his neck. The scar was still there, and the print that looked like a puppet mark was still there. His situation was identical to that of the other victims of the Valley of Great Sorrow back then. But his case was weird because he had never even gone to the Valley of Great Sorrow before. Not only him, but Yi Wuxi and Hua Zhaoting never went there either. So how did they fall victim? "Immortal, please allow me to ask." Yi Wusheng suddenly gave a deep bow towards Yi Wusheng, then held the paper and asked, "How many more days can my vestigial soul stillst?" "Its hard to say. Three to five days, no more than ten." Xiao Fuxuan replied. "Alright, alright," Yi Wusheng repeated. "Why?" asked Xiao Fuxuan. "I want to go to the Valley of Great Sorrow," said Yi Wusheng heavily. "I dont understand how the Hua Sect ended like this, and I dont want to leave this world without learning the truth," said Yi Wusheng, Before, when guarding this Peach Blossom Ind, I still had thousands of worries. Now that Im on the brink of death, I have nothing to fear. I might as well use this chance to go to the Valley of Great Sorrow and try to find out what really happened back then. "First, I can find out what caused all this. In theherworld, I can exin to those who have deid before me what has really happened." "Second, I really want to find the real Dream Bell as well." When he brought up the word "Dream Bell", Xiao Fuxuan and Young Master Cheng both looked up. After a moment, Young Master Cheng nodded, and gave a light "oh". *** Peach Blossom Ind had a restless night. With all the bbergasting events that had happened, the disciples only calmed down after a great deal of reassurance. Yi Wusheng brought the Hua Zhaoting that had been nailed to the ground to the Hua Sects Devil-Sealing Hall. He summoned the elders of the other three halls and roughly informed them of what had happened. After entrusting everything to them, he got a carriage from the Transportation Hall and left the very next day. He brought along two bottles of pills and his sword. Before leaving, he bade farewell to Xiao Fuxuan and that Young Master Chen. He repeated his earnest thanks and his utmost indebtedness over and over again for nearly two hours. *** Later, on the carriage to the Valley of Great Sorrow. Yi Wusheng held his bottles of pills and his sword and sat face-to-face with the person he had just bid farewell to. Yi Wusheng: "" Those two hours of farewells just now basically amounted to nothing. This carriage was specially made by the Hua Sect. It was tall and spacious. The horses were also spiritual animals, raised with pills and medicines. No whips and reins were necessary, they knew the way, and the ride wasnt bumpy at all. It should have been afortable ride. But at that moment, that Young Master Cheng sat across from him with a table in between them. That Xiao Mian immortal probably didnt like to sit, as he stood next to him with his sword in his arms, leaning against the carriage door. Either way, it felt suffocating to be in between them, and there was no ce to escape to. Of course, it wasnt like he wanted to escape anywhere. He just felt that the atmosphere inside the carriage was a little tense, and that his near-death body wouldnt be able to endure these tworge mountains worth of heavy pressure. He was very puzzled at why these two wanted toe with him to the Valley of Great Sorrow. It couldnt be because they were concerned about the Hua Sect, right? In that case, then it must be that they were after the Dream Bell Yi Wusheng nced to the side of the table. In case they needed it, they brought the fake Dream Bell as well. The box was just sitting on the side, and thest bit of celestial energy had also disappeared from the box already. He wondered what the real Dream Bell would sound like, and what it would feel like for someone to be submerged by the bells dream. Yi Wusheng tried to nk out for a while, but failed to do so. In the end, he couldnt help but break the creepy silence in the carriage with "Uhhh" Young Master Cheng, who had his head propped up, raised his eyes to look at him, and Xiao Fuxuan, who was staring outside the carriage with his sword in his arms, also turned his head around. Yi Wusheng thought for a bit before finallying up with something to say, "Oh right, Immortal, you asked me earlier if I could still perform the Dreaming Souls Technique?" As soon as he said this, Young Master Chengszy look finally disappeared as he slowly straightened his body. His hand was still supporting his head, and his ck pupils nced toward Xiao Fuxuan. "Im so sorry for not remembering this earlier. All the matters with the sect made me forget." Yi Wusheng said deferentially while holding the paper. His voice sounded sincere. Finally, he had found something to say, making the atmosphere inside the carriage a bit livelier. Knowing this, he would definitely try to keep the conversation going. But he failed to notice the split-second subtle change in the other two. If he had noticed, then he might have shut his mouth and stopped talking. But not only didnt he be quiet, he continued, "I already heard the disciples in the sect say that this was your main reason foring to our sect. They said it was a soul that had identally entered someone elses shell. Young Master Cheng seemed like he was in a difficult situation, but then immediately recovered, making one feel like anything they saw mustve been just a mistake. "Mm, he said, "Its pretty much as you said." Oh, Yi Wusheng nodded, That truly is a big deal. If a soul upies the wrong shell for a long time, its not beneficial for either party. We must still send your soul back to your body as soon as possible. Although this type of situation is rarely seen, I havee across this before, and can give you a slight bit of help. "Really?" said Young Master Cheng, "Then what do I have to do?" Yi Wusheng pointed at the table and said, "Please ce your wrist t against the tabletop." Young Master Cheng gave an "oh"; he seemed very obedient. Yi Wusheng said "If youll pardon me, then ced his finger on his wrist. To the other side, , Xiao Fuxuans sword moved slightly. He seemed to be looking at his fingers, waiting for a reply. After a bit, Yi Wusheng asked, "Young Master, from where do youe from?" "Que City," replied Young Master Cheng. "Que City Que City" Yi Wusheng muttered, "I have never heard of that ce. I assume that is not a ce in this world." "Is it a good ce?" Perhaps it was a doctors natural instinct to try to calm a patient, Yi Wusheng asked casually. Young Master Cheng smiled. His gaze was downcast, so others couldnt clearly make out the look in his eyes, but his words were slow and unhurried, Its pretty good. My manor has a lot of people. Que City is also very lively, with markets on both sides. Theres a Winding Waters Banquet in the spring and also a Hundred Man Hunt in the winter. As he spoke, Yi Wusheng kept his hand on his wrist. After a short while, he started to frown slightly. Yi Wusheng subconsciously looked towards Xiao Fuxuan, just to see that Xiao Fuxuans gaze had remained on Young Master Chengs figure from start to finish, dark and heavy. His lips were pursed, and no one knew what he could be thinking about. "It does sound like a good ce." A moment of silenceter, he asked the Young Master again, "May I ask for your name?" This time, he waited for a bit, yet no response came. Another moment of silence in the carriage. The mountain road was very long, and the horse hooves clopped incessantly, making this deafening silence seem all the more unsettling inparison. Yi Wusheng raised his eyes, frowning, and met with Young Master Chengs ck pupils. He was an Elder of the Four Halls of the Hua Sect, after all, and he had seen and known many people. It had been a long time since he had been startled to the core just because of someones gaze. But that feeling came quickly and left even quicker. It was just that Young Master Cheng had already averted his gaze, appearing kind and harmless once more. He seemed to be thinking about his name. Yi Wushengs finger moved. In fact, whether this Young Master Cheng responded or not was no longer important. The moment he spoke of Que City, he had already finished checking. This young master had no signs of a soul separated from the body, and the spirit inside his body and his shell werepatible to the utmost. There were no signs of anything being moved before. He was the original person. "Young master" Yi Wusheng thought for a bit. Like a doctor, he felt obligated to tell his patient the truth.. Although it might make the situation awkward, it was best to let him know what was going on. "Actually" Just as he was about to exin, he suddenly felt something poke at his waist. As a sword cultivator, he was very sensitive to this feeling. He knew without even looking at it that it was Xiao Fuxuans sword sheath. The next sound, he heard Xiao Fuxuans voicee from the tip of the sword. But it didnt sound like he was speaking, rather, he was telepathing him something that only he could hear. He heard Xiao Fuxuans deep voice, "Swallow that back and say something else." Yi Wusheng: "" Yi Wusheng: "???" He waspletely confused, not knowing why he couldnt say the truth. But since this was what Xiao Fuxuan said, there was no need for him to find trouble for himself. He had also truly seen simr types of people, most of whom were rtives of the one who had been immersed in a dream. They want to prevent the patient from feeling grief after learning the truth; they want to protect them. After all, listening to the description, Que City truly was a carefree ce, at least much better than the current world before their eyes. Yi Wusheng swallowed his words back and said instead, "Young master, it is not too big of a deal. Give me a few days and I can promise to bring you back." He didnt have many days left to live anyway. Only after he finished speaking did he raise his eyes, just to see Young Master Cheng looking over at him, almost seeming surprised at this answer. His gaze flicked towards Xiao Fuxuans sword and then retreated; in the next second, he tilted his head with a smile, saying: Then in that case, thank you very much. Yi Wusheng quickly nodded and responded with two "mm"s. He withdrew his hands and leaned on the walls of the carriage again, continuing to hold his pill bottles. He was frantically thinking in his head. Suddenly, Young Master Cheng spoke, "Xiao Fuxuan." Xiao Fuxuan looked up. For some reason, the two were silent for a moment, and then Young Master Cheng touched his face and mumbled, "Its been a while since we left Chunfan City, right? Can you remove this disguise now? My face feels rather ufortable. Yi Wusheng has known for a long time that they have been using the Appearance Changing Technique. After all, the Celestial Immortal Xiao Fuxuan didnt look like that at all. So he wasnt too surprised and didnt have too much of a reaction either. Xiao Fuxuan pointed his two fingers up, and then the Appearance Changing Technique was lifted. Then, the Young Master Cheng sitting in front of him slowly revealed his original appearance. It was an infamous face. Because of how distinct it was, it was impossible for anyone to forget after seeing it just once. It was Wu Xingxue. "" Yi Wusheng slowly leaned back, feeling that hisst bit of soul was about to copse. He recalled how Wu Xingxue calmly looked at him when he mentioned that name to him before. That was the obvious look of someone who was already aware. He then remembered what he was about to say, and he felt a chill down his spine He almost held Wu Xingxues wrist and exposed directly, "You are the original person, not some soul in a puppets body." The fear after finding out the truth finally hit him. Yi Wusheng closed his eyes, not daring to say another word. After a long time, he woke up from the dead in his head. Wait Wu Xingxue, the infamous Devil Lord, why is he with Celestial Immortal Xiao Fuxuan??? And as an immortal, why would Xiao Fuxuan hide Wu Xingxues identity while knowing who he really is? Why did he cooperatively y along and didnt expose him why??? Chapter 15: Ordained Chapter 15: Ordained Ning Huaishan and One-arm waited beside the mountain road on the outskirts of the city. Before they got into the carriage, Yi Wusheng lifted the curtain and took a look at them from afar. It was snowing very heavily outside, so he couldnt see their faces clearly. But he could tell their general appearances apart. At first nce, one of those two subordinates looked extraordinarily thin and weak, like a teenage boy. A little kid? Yi Wusheng shook his head and sighed in his head, "During these years, there were many people who entered the diabolic path from a very young age. How deplorable and pathetic." He had oncee across a child like this before, and at the time, he didnt have the heart to kill him. "Why did you shake your head, sir?" Wu Xingxue asked. His voice sounded very nice, and he talked no differently from an ordinary young master. But for some reason, it also made one panic. Maybe because of how light hisst words were. Yi Wusheng immediately dropped the curtains. He squeezed the paper. But just as he was about to reply, the doors were opened, and snow and wind rushed in with a "swoosh". "City Lord, we had to wait so long!" Ning Huaishan walked in. Right after he called Wu Xingxue, he saw Yi Wusheng, and his face immediately turned blue. "Howe its you?" Yi Wusheng was stunned. "This reaction," Wu Xingxue looked at the two, "Do you guys know each other?" "Humph," Ning Huaishan gave a sneer and said enigmatically, "How would I, a devil from Zhaoye City, know him, an elder of a famous sect? It was only many years ago when we identally met each other once. Yi Wusheng clearly didnt recognize him. He showed a confused expression: ? Ning Huaishans face grew even bluer. He gave a low curse, then tugged down his cor to reveal his lower neck. A long sword scar was found near the most vulnerable area of his neck. On top of the scar was a fresh scab, and it seemed to have even cracked open not too long ago. After seeing the scar, Yi Wusheng finally recognized him. He looked at Ning Huaishan in astonishment, and the paper became a little more wrinkled, showing how surprised he was, "Are you that child from Jiaming Wilderness Wilderness?" "Little your mom," Ning Huaishan said as he pulled open his cor. "I was only a teenager back then, but its been over 40 years already." Naturally, Wu Xingxue naturally didnt understand what they were talking about at all. But that didnt prevent him from joining the conversation, "Jiaming Wilderness?" Ning Huaishan was originally done cursing, but after being asked this, he said again with a coldugh, Yes, the Jiaming Wilderness. City Lord, you know, it was when ck Bodhisattva and I went there to take care of business, but we were stopped by the Hua Sect. That was how ck Bodhisattva died. "" He actually didnt know. Wu Xingxue gave an "oh", then said, "Yeah, I remember what happened to ck Bodhisattva" my ass. "Then, this sword wound of yours is?" As a devil already, wasnt it verymon to fight with the cultivation sects? Why did I hold such a long grudge just over getting a sword cut? "Ask him," Ning Huaishan pointed at Yi Wusheng. "" Yi Wusheng thought to himself: What did I get myself into T_T. He was silent for a moment, but still continued, "At that time, my sword was covered with some medicine." They went there to y devils to start with, and so every Hua Sect disciple had their swords smeared with spiritual medicine. In fact, he made this medicine himself. With a single cut, even if it didnt kill the devil in one blow, the medicine was a potent enough poison to make the sword wound repeatedly rupture and fester. Because the people of Zhaoye City cultivated diabolic techniques, they of course had a means of healing wounds as well. They could heal their wounds exceptionally quickly, but it came at a high price. This sword wound forced me to go into the medicinal pool almost every day, cultivating the Poison Restriction Technique, and soaking for more than thirty years. Ning Huaishan clenched his teeth, My body hasnt grown since then! And you were scolding me at the time, Ning Huaishan red at Yi Wusheng, What is it that you were saying? Oh, that from a young age I had lost myself to the evil ways, mistakenly taking the wrong path, telling me to open my eyes and take a good look at those people who had been killed by devils; that if I had ever thought about my family for even a single second. You said that if I continued like this, I would certainly regret it my whole life. "Old mister," said Ning Huaishan with a smile, his two sharp canine teeth gave off a sinister feeling. Old mister. Yi Wusheng remained silent. Cultivators wouldnt age easily. In the eyes of themon people, his appearance looked like somewhere around his mid-twenties. The entire Zhaoye City knows that Im an orphan who crawled up from beneath the ground. I dont even have a family to bother thinking of, what can I do? But old mister, did you ever think back then that thered be a day when youd be facing me again? Yi Wusheng: "" Facing you again with swords? Maybe. But facing you again while sharing a carriage? Certainly not. Ning Huaishans gaze swept past the ck strip of cloth stretched across his mouth and nose. He said harshly: Aiyaya, it looks like your treatment here isnt very nice, I Yi Wushengs bleak white face was almost about to be mocked to red from the anger inside of him. But suddenly, a silver sword sheath rose next to the door and knocked against the back of Ning Huaishans knee. With a thud, Ning Huaishan knelt down in front of Yi Wusheng. "" I He clutched his numb legs with a "fuck", then turned his head to stare at the person who hit him. The Celestial Immortal was looking down at him, then he moved his fingers expressionlessly, and the sword returned to its original position. Ning Huaishan saw the ck water lily across Xiao Fuxuans hand and remembered that this was his City Lords puppet. Everything he did was ording to the City Lords will. Ning Huaishan turned to look at Wu Xingxue and said, "City Lord, you let him hit me?" Wu Xingxue: "" I didnt. He raised his eyes and looked at Xiao Fuxuan on the opposite side. Xiao Fuxuan also looked back at him through the dim lighting. After a moment, he very lightly moved his eyebrows, then he showed a face of "nothing to do with me." _()_/ 1Uh I should make it clear that the original author, Mu Su Li, did not use these text emojis. I felt like including it because although Im trying my best to trante, a lot of the humor is inevitably lost due to the difference in thenguages. I feel like including these emojis might help carry out the authors original intentions of the feeling she wanted to bring to the readers while reading her work. Wu Xingxue: "" Being the dignified immortal you are, why are you sowing conflict between me and my subordinate? He rubbed his hot fingers and watched for a while. Then he tapped the table with his fingers and said to Ning Huaishan, "You dont have to keep kneeling here. Youre blocking someone from entering the carriage. Go sit down." "Who?" Ning Huaishan gave an angry re behind him. Just in time to see One-Arm grabbing the door with a single hand, one foot in the carriage, the other still hanging outside. He expressionlessly gave Ning Huaishan a single sentence, Youve been testing my patience, scram inside. Ning Huaishan: "" He felt aggrieved, staring at the empty seat beside Yi Wusheng for a very long time. Then he turned his head to look at Xiao Fuxuan. He gritted his teeth, then decided to sit beside Wu Xingxue. Then, he saw Xiao Fuxuans sword move. Ning Huaishan reflexively jumped up from the wooden chair the moment his butt touched it. He quickly got to Yi Wushengs side and sat beside his "enemy". "Okay, okay, I wont sit there, City Lord, but please kill dont me." He muttered. Wu Xingxue: "" A giant question mark was sitting above Wu Xingxues head. Who didnt let you sit? A momentter, Ning Huaishan realized that Xiao Fuxuan didnt have any intentions to draw his sword, and then realized that he had made a big deal out of nothing. He immediately felt himself get embarrassed. Too embarrassed to switch again, he could only squeeze next to Yi Wusheng with a face like he was attending a funeral. One-arm looked around, and then squeezed next to Ning Huaishan. It wasnt that he didnt dare sit next to Wu Xingxue, it was just that it would be easier to whisper to Ning Huaishan when sitting next to him. "Did you notice, City Lord didnt move from start to finish, and hes been holding that handwarmer this whole time," he pressed his finger against Ning Huaishan, using a method that only the two of them could hear. Wu Xingxues internal energy was extremely frigid, even colder than the Eternal Sea, which was covered in snow for hundreds of thousands of kilometers. Ayer of frost would often form on the very swords he held, and when he gripped ones chin, frigid frost could run an icy path all the way from his fingertips to ones face. Only others feared him, and he had never feared anything, not even the cold. How could such a person hold onto a handwarmer for so long and not let go? Ning Huaishan thought for a bit and replied in the same manner, I was blinded by anger just then and didnt notice. Now that I think about itI barely managed to survive in the Jiaming Wilderness back then, and when I returned to the city, the first person I saw was the City Lord. He saw my sword wound fester endlessly. Although it had been over thirty years already, and there was still the possibility that he might have forgotten, if the wound didnt remind him of anything at all, then something strange was definitely going on. After getting into the carriage, they became firmer and firmer about their previous thoughts. *** The carriage did not stop once in the next three days. After avoiding more than twenty cultivation sect restrictions, they could finally see the shape of the Valley of Great Sorrow from afar. Wu Xingxue lifted the window curtain to take a look, just to see that enormous, deep valley silently lurking behind the snow and fog. Before entering the valley, there was a high cliff, forming a moat. On the cliff was a long and narrow suspension bridge, leading to the entrance of the Valley of Great Sorrow. The chains of the bridge were covered with vines, dropping down at different lengths. At first nce, it looked obvious that no one hade here for a very long time. But the strange thing is that there was an inn less than a mile away from the valleys entrance. No, it was a bit too much to call it an inn, it was at most two straw shacks. The straw shack in the front was empty on all sides and only had a roof. It could block the rain from above, but wouldnt stand against the winds that would blow in all directions. There were tables and chairs inside the shack. The straw shack in the back looked morepletely; one should be able to temporarily live there for a day or two. Before their eyes, there were even people inside that shack. *** The carriage stopped in front of the shacks. Were the most familiar with the Valley of Great Sorrow. Us two will go first to explore around and clear out some misceneous barriers so that they wont be in the way when you enter the valley. Ning Huaishan and One-arm gave a heads up to Wu Xingxue and then left. Wu Xingxue and the others got off after them and walked towards the straw shack. Afraid that people would find him strange, Yi Wusheng took a long scarf from the carriage that was used to keep warm and wrapped it around his neck a few times, covering the ck cloth on his nose and mouth. He asked the people sitting in the straw shack, It has been a long time since the Valley of Great Sorrow was sealed. Why are you guys here? Inside the shack, there were three cultivation sects disciples, but they didnt wear their sects badges. They were all very young. Their robes fluttered in the wind, making them seem like they were not afraid of the cold. They looked at the iing carriage with a cautious look. There were also another four people in there as well. They looked like ordinary people, two men, and two women, all middle-aged. They were dressed in cheap, simple robes. Perhaps because they were afraid of the wind, their hands and feet were tied tightly. Their necks were also wrapped in thick cotton scarves, and their faces were deeply wrinkled and scarred. Swords wereid on the table in front of them, and also several bowls of hot soup and tea with white steaming from them. One of the womens eyes waspletely red, like she had just been crying. Her eyes swept past Yi Wusheng andnded on Wu Xingxue. Maybe because they saw that Yi Wusheng was wrapped up with arge scarf, much like themselves, and Wu Xingxue didnt have a sword or weapon on him, only holding a handwarmer, making him look like he didnt pose much of a threat. The woman hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Theres no other way. We came to search for people." "Search for people?" asked Wu Xingxue curiously. "Mm," the woman nodded, then continued, "My two daughters" One of the cultivators on the side gave a cough and said, "Dont say too much." The region of the Valley of Great Sorrow was filled with evils, especially after the valley was sealed. Very few living people came, and the atmosphere felt very deadly. The entire deep valley was covered with dark clouds and gloomy fog. "Before we came, we already knew that the people we see here wont necessarily be humans," the cultivation disciple said softly again. Wu Xingxue had good ears and heard what he said. He raised his eyebrows. He thought, he was indeed right. A vestigial soul, a resurrected corpse, and a devil were among them; none of which could be considered living humans. He pretended that he didnt hear them and went on asking, "If you guys are looking for people, then why are you sitting here?" The Cultivation Sect disciple frowned. After a moment, he asked back, "Have you never been to the Valley of Great Sorrow before?" Ning Huaishan and One-arm werent here anyway, so Wu Xingxue replied, "We havent." "No wonder," replied the disciple. The Valley of Great Sorrow has been sealed for a long time. Many people nevere back and dont know the rules. The cultivation disciple pointed at the bridge and continued, This valley can only be entered at night after the sun has set behind the mountains. There aremps in the celestial temple next to the valley entrance, and the bridge can only be crossed after themps light up. Or else, stepping on the bridge means certain death. "What makes you say that?" Wu Xingxue asked as he looked over towards the bridge. The woman said softly, "Then there are so many things lying under the bridge." "Since this ce is so dangerous and there are so many restrictions along the way, how can someone enter here by mistake and end up needing to be searched back?" Yi Wusheng asked. "They didnt enter by mistake." The woman looked at the celestial temple at the entrance of the valley, then said to Yi Wusheng, "They were ordained here." Wu Xingxue heard the sword beside him move a little. He turned his head and saw Xiao Fuxuan frowning. "Whats wrong?" asked Wu Xingxue. "Ordained," replied Xiao Fuxuan, heavily. "Before, there was only one situation where one would be ordained." "What type of situation?" "To be granted a name by the heavens and ordained as an immortal." Most of the immortals hade to be through cultivation and ascension, and there were only a few minimal exceptionswithout cultivating, they had already received immortality at a very young age. In the Immortal City, this was known as a heavenly decree. Those who were ordained by heavenly decree to be immortals would be granted a name by the heavens and werent under the jurisdiction of the Lingtai Twelve Immortals. There have only been two such people in Immortal Capital from beginning to end, and Xiao Fuxuan was one of them. So why would the ones ordained by the heavens appear in the Valley of Great Sorrow? Chapter 16: Death Wish Chapter 16: Death Wish But, speaking of being granted a name by the heavens Wu Xingxue turned his head to look at Xiao Fuxuan, and then suddenly raised his hand to touch his ear. It was said that the Celestial Immortal could strike his sword faster than lightning, and was capable of shing the transgressors head in the blink of an eye. All devils knew to keep a great distance away from him, and normal people were even less likely toe near him. But Wu Xingxue had already reached out his hand. When he finally remembered this saying, it was already toote to regret his actions. However, the only thing that happened was that the sword in Xiao Fuxuans hand was lifted slightly, and then it was lowered again. A deafening rumble that came out of him stopped abruptly right after it sounded. Only a split second had passed from the violent surge to the withdrawal and sheathing of his sword. Wu Xingxue was stunned by this sudden change, and before he could react, he saw Xiao Fuxuan turn his face to the side and nce at his finger with downcast eyes, "What are you trying to press?" His voice was very deep, and his neck subtly vibrated when he spoke. Wu Xingxue curled his fingers and retracted his hand. Oh, what happened to your Mian word? I dont think it ever showed up on you. " Xiao Fuxuan nced at the straw shack. He didnt seem to want to speak too much because of all the people there, so he only gave a one-worded answer, "Gone." Made sense. With the Immortal Capital destroyed and the Lingtai perished, it was natural that the "Mian" mark granted by the heavens was gone. Wu Xingxue didnt know what he was thinking just now that made him ask such a dumb and obvious question. He waved his hand, about to move on from this topic, but suddenly, he heard Xiao Fuxuan say, "Before, it also wasnt visible all the time." Wu Xingxue became curious again, "Not visible all the time? What, the mark granted by the heavens would appear and disappear every now and then?" "Mm." "Then when would it be hidden, and when would it appear?" "" For some reason, Xiao Fuxuan didnt answer. He just raised his hand and pinched the part of the neck that his "Mian" mark should be on, then gave Wu Xingxue a look before walking to the straw shack. Wu Xingxue: "?" "What made you say that they were ordained?" Xiao Fuxuan walked to the shack and asked the woman wrapped in a thick coat. A cultivation disciple beside her wanted to stop him, but was pressed back by another. They stared at Xiao Fuxuan with a face of hesitation. "Because they had a word on their neck," said the woman as she raised her hand to demonstrate. Because of the thick winter coat she was wearing, her movements seemed rather clumsy, making her red eyes look even more empty and sorrowful. A word on their neck? Wu Xingxue wasnt exactly sure if that was the whole story. Luckily, one of the cultivation disciples couldnt stand it any longer, so he helped to exin, "This matter has been a hot topic on the outskirts of Yuyang for a while now. The first family to suffer from this disaster was a lumberjack. Just the day before, he was a healthy man, but after he woke up the next day, a word suddenly appeared on his neck as if as if it was granted by the heavens. It had grown on his body and wouldnt go away no matter how hard he tried to wash it. He nced at Xiao Fuxuans neck, and then immediately looked away. "Afterwards, the lumberjack vanished that same night. In addition, the axe that he normally used and the incense burner he ced on his household shrine also vanished along with him. "Incense burner?" Yi Wusheng was puzzled. "Yes, his incense burner," said the disciple with a nod. "His family felt weird about this matter too and tried to look for him everywhere, but they just couldnt find him. One weekter, their entire family all had the same dream. In their dream, they saw the lumberjack sitting cross-legged on a shrine, one hand holding his axe, and the other carrying the incense burner. His chopped-off head was resting in hisp. Blood flowed down from his empty neck, streaming all over his body. And then, the chopped-off head spoke.2Hunter x Hunter Spoiler alert!!! I imagine Kites head sitting in Pitousp after reading this. Rip Kite but good news!! If you havent heard already, Hunter x Hunter manga ising back! "What did the head say?" "It said that he had been ordained as an immortal and that his ce of devotion would be at the temple in the Valley of Great Sorrow. He even reminded his family to remember to bring incense to the temple and worship him. "After his family members woke up, they immediately came to our sect to seek help. But as everyone knows, this Valley of Great Sorrow has been sealed for a long time, and people couldnt just enter and leave that ce easily. Afterwards, a few elderly martial brothers and sisters felt pity for them and decided to go on a trip to the Valley of Great Sorrow. They made sure to bring some Dreamless Pills bought from the Hua Sect." "With the help of the Dreamless Pills, our martial siblings didnt run into too much trouble. But despite their hasty trip, they didnt manage to find that lumberjack. All they found was his axe, dripping with blood. When Wu Xingxue heard him say, "Dreamless Pill bought from the Hua Sect," he was stunned for a moment, then looked at Yi Wusheng. He saw him lowering his head, looking down, and then tugging the fabric that covered his nose and mouth even further up, hiding most of his face. His expression looked a little sorrowful. Everyone in the world relied on the Dreamless Pills to enter and exit the dangerous territory of the Valley of Great Sorrow, but the creator of the Dreamless Pills himself fell victim to the valley without even ever being there. What an unfair world. "Anyway, after that, families would suffer from a simr situation one after another. It was always a word suddenly appearing on a persons neck, and then that person would vanish on the same night. Even if they were tied to their beds with ropes, with someone beside them keeping watch the whole night without rest, it was still no use. The person on guard would always somehow suddenly fall asleep, and though the rope used to tie them wasnt undone, itd bepletely covered in blood. It was as if " The cultivation disciple paused and then continued with a pale face, "It was like the person who was tied up had been sliced into pieces along the rope and then carried out. No matter how they vanished, the missing people would always return through a dream and say that they had been ordained as immortals and that their family needed toe to the Valley of Great Sorrow to worship them with incense."3Dang, the being cut with ropes part really reminds me of Operation Guzheng from the Three Body Problem. Its kinda scary to think about. "This is another disaster-stricken family," he said, pointing to the woman, "both of her daughters had vanished. We came along to help search, but in reality" His lips moved, as if he wanted to say that, in reality, they wouldnt find them no matter how hard they tried. But after seeing the womans red-crying eyes, he swallowed the words back down. "Your sect only sent three people on such a dangerous mission?" Yi Wusheng asked in surprise. "Well, its because the Northern Frontiers and the Eternal Sea copsed for no reason just a few days ago. Most of our sect members all went there. We are no big sect, so we were really all that the sect could send to help on this matter," muttered the three disciples. Wu Xingxue, who originally wanted to sit in the straw shack and wait for nightfall, immediately turned around and went for the carriage after hearing those words. Thanks to the Dream Bell, he had forgotten what it was like to be infamous all over the world. But as of now,pared to scaring those little guys from some nameless cultivation sect, it was better to take a nap in the carriage and to be wrapped in nkets. He was hoping with this sleep he could dream of something, whether it be Que City or his past, but nothing came. Oddly enough, although he didnt dream of anyplete scenes or people, he did dream of that "Mian" symbol, shining with a light golden hue, so close that it seemed to be right in front of his nose *** Wu Xingxue suddenly opened his eyes, only to see Xiao Fuxuan standing in front of him, bending downwards. He licked his dry lips and grabbed Xiao Fuxuans wrist, "You" Before he could finish speaking, Wu Xingxue heard a light jingling noise. He lowered his head and saw a pair of silver bells hooked to Xiao Fuxuans fingertips. It was the same type of bell that had been tied to his wrist back when they were still in the Hua Sect. "What is this for? Are you going to tie it to me again? " Wu Xingxue looked at the bell in a daze. Xiao Fuxuan didnt reply, ignoring Wu Xingxues hand that was holding his wrist. But his fingers moved a little, and suddenly the pair of silver bells were tied to Wu Xingxues waist. When he had his head lowered, his ears and neck were very close to Wu Xingxues face. Wu Xingxue subconsciously nced at the ce that should have the character "Mian" printed. "The Heavenly Chains can not be removed. I only have this." Xiao Fuxuan said gravely. Wu Xingxue hesitated for a moment and then let go of his hand. The heavenly chains cant be removed, okay? What does that have to do with bells? But not too long after, he understood the meaning of those words. Outside the carriage, the sun had already set. ording to what the cultivation disciples said, they could finally cross the bridge now and enter the valley. Wu Xingxue got off the car behind Xiao Fuxuan; the others had already been waiting beside the suspension bridge. Under the night sky, a blizzard wind suddenly started to blow in the Valley of Great Sorrow. As Wu Xingxue walked over, the chains on his body were constantly giving off loud rustling noises. Those chains were actually very thin. They couldnt be seen, but he could feel them. Nail after nail, they went through his bones and prated his soul, pressing against him like a shadow. "What is that noise?" When they got closer, the cultivation disciples heard the noise and muttered. They followed the sound and their eyes fell on Wu Xingxue. They immediately became alert, but after seeing the silver bells tied to his waist, they all breathed a sigh of relief. Wu Xingxue saw this and said lightly, "Oh I was wondering. Everything was fine just now, so what was up with the bells?" He turned around and saw Xiao Fuxuans icy cold face. "Immortal? You Looking at Xiao Fuxuans eyes, he was just about to say something. However, before he could finish, Xiao Fuxuan already raised his sword, pressing his sword sheath against the back of Wu Xingxues waist and pushing him forward. He said, in a low voice, "Get on the bridge." Ooookay. Youve got a sword; youre the boss. Wu Xingxue walked forward along the long suspension bridge. In front of them were Ning Huaishan and One-arm; they had returned after checking this ce out. There didnt seem to be anything different about them; it was just that every once in a while, they would urge, "City Lord, weve cleared out those filthy yin beings around here." When we enter the valley in a bit, dont follow too far behind us. Theres no need for you to dispose of those little things; we can take care of them. " Wu Xingxue looked at the back of their heads and smoothly replied, "Wow, that nice?" "Of course!" Before, they had said that there were countless things crawling beneath this bridge. Only by crossing at night would they not startle them. Wu Xingxue pondered the reason for this while trying to feel them beneath his feet. To his surprise, he found out that the bottom of the bridge didnt seem to have anything there. Were they mistaken? Or did those things disappear for some reason? They crossed the bridge very smoothly, a bit too smoothly. Even those cultivation disciples looked back in confusion every now and then, muttering, "Thats strange." The ce where they stood was a t cliff, and there was a celestial temple on that cliff. Despite there being no one in the temple, an oilmp was lit on its own. "This is the mountain temple of the Valley of Great Sorrow. Once we pass through this temple, the valley entrance will appear before us." As these cultivation disciples spoke, they again turned their heads to look towards the suspension bridge. "We must be careful when we go, theres a catb below this valley," they said, still in disbelief. Remember to avoid those few loose floorboards, or else youll identally flip down. " Just as they were telling everyone to be careful, someone already flipped down. That unfortunate person was none other than Wu Xingxue. And the people who dragged him down were also none other than his two loyal subordinates. The so-called underground catb was just an enormous cavern, with a divine statue standing in the middle of the cavern. It seemed that no one had been here for a very long time, as the statue was covered in moss and intertwining vines. There were countless holes in the surrounding rock walls; some were dark and quiet, while others were iid with a multitude of oilmps. They also lit on their own, like a scene of dismal devotion, worshiping the statue for an unknown amount of time. When Wu Xingxuended, Ning Huaishan and One-arm had already vanished without a trace. It was impossible for him to find out which cave they were hidden in. In the entire catb, only the sound of dripping water could be heard. Wu Xingxue stood next to the divine statue and looked around. In the next second, tens of stark white shadows pounced down. Those things were a type of yin being. They tend to appear in ces with a lot of dead people. They had the appearance of humans, but their hands and feet were much more slender, and their skin was particrly whitelike the white wax in a funeral hall. When they opened their mouths, the corners of their lips could stretch until their ears, with no teeth to be seen, like a pitch-ck crescent-shaped hole. 4The imagery here is quite detailed. Im imagining something like, something like Truth from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. (The little dude who sits in front of the Gate of Truth But the truth has teeth and a ck outline as well, but something like that I believe. Ayee, I forgot, theres actually a manhua for this in the making! If theres demand, I can try to trante there as well. They only had ck pupils without the whites of the eyes. When smiling, they also look like two crescent-shaped holes. They liked to eat the spirits and souls of living humans, and they also liked to gnaw on skeletons. When their cracked-open mouths came near humans, the cries of dead souls could be heard from within their cracked openings. These were the things that liked to crawl beneath the suspension bridge. Ning Huaishan and One-Arm spent about two hours gathering dozens of these things and hiding them inside a spirit-binding pouch. These things were extremely hard to kill. If one doesnt run fast enough, they will crawl on his or her body. There were only two good ways to deal with them: One is to use a soul-binding pouch, or two, to let them eat a full meal. One-arm has already confirmed that this Wu Xingxue wasnt the original person himself and that he doesnt have anything on him; he definitely didnt have a spirit-binding pouch with him. The two hid in the cave and waited to watch this impostor City Lord be attacked and for him to learn an unforgettable lesson. But when that crowd of yin beings pounced towards him, they saw that below the divine statue, that fake City Lord rxed his shoulders. It seemed as if he let out a sigh, murmuring, "How troublesome," then threw away the handwarmer he kept in his sleeves. The handwarmer rolled around on the ground, the sound echoing inside the catb. Ning Huaishan said subconsciously, "Uh oh." When he looked again, he saw one of the yin beings charge toward Wu Xingxue. Just as it was about to crack open its mouth and suck out his life energy, Wu Xingxue had already pressed on its shoulder and hooked two of his fingers at the edge of its mouth. Crack The sound of bones being cracked and shattered sounded as Wu Xingxue ripped off the yin beings head. Blood sttered everywhere. Ning Huaishan subconsciously closed his eyes. But the sound of bones breaking never stopped after that. He was way too familiar with this sound "Were done for, were really done for," Ning Huaishan repeated as he felt his body going numb. On the other hand, One-arm was also about to go insane. "This isnt right!" "This definitely isnt right!" To ordinary people, and even to some cultivation disciples, dozens of yin beings were really a thorny problem. Otherwise, they wouldnt have treated that suspension bridge so cautiously. But for the real Wu Xingxue, these things really meant nothing to him. Ning Huaishan swallowed hard. When he opened his eyes again, he saw that all the yin beings they spent hours collecting were all dead already, their heads and corpses lying everywhere. The entire cavern was filled with blood, that moist fluid gurgling in streams, even flowing to the front of the hole where he and One-arm were hiding. Their entire surroundings smelled like blood. He saw Wu Xingxue grab thest yin beings throat with a hand, then frigid frost extended outwards from his fingertips, covering that yin beings entire face. The frost followed the blood that was everywhere on the ground and formed an ice path directly towards Ning Huaishan and One-arm. All that happened in the blink of an eye. They took a look at the frozen blood, and when they looked back up, Wu Xingxue had already appeared in front of their faces, standing inches away from them. "Ah, this is where youre hiding. Gave me quite a search," said Wu Xingxue. Ning Huaishan held his breath. Its over. Im dead. He thought to himself. Then, he saw Wu Xingxue raising a hand towards him *** After a moment, the entire catb no longer echoed with the sound of snapping bones. Only the sound of water dripping remained. Every drip was like a hammer, mming on these two cowards hearts. Wu Xingxue didnt kill Ning Huaishan and One-arm; instead, due to their rebellious actions, they had been tied together with a long band. With a closer look, one would find that it was just two belts knotted together. Of course, these little devils wouldnt be bound by just a belt. It was the internal energy and the oppression pressing on top of them that prevented them from even moving a single muscle. Wu Xingxue didnt kill thatst yin being and only froze it. He picked it up and carried it over in front of Ning Huaishan and One-arm. He took the two filial subordinates spirit-binding pouches and patted their heads, then said with a smile, "Sigh, you two have gifted me so much. Its not too much to return some of it, is it?" Ning Huaishan almost started to cry, "City Lord" "*Sob sob*" "Sorry we were wrong." 5Darn it, when putting it here in English, it doesnt give off the vibe that it should give off in Chinese. When reading it in English, it kinda feels like just a normal apology. The "sorry" should feel like a puppy trying to say "sorry" after biting all the furniture in the house. Bonus points for puppy eyes and sobs. "Well, whats the use of sobbing now?" Wu Xingxue said as he wrapped the yin being around them. Not too long after, the yin was slowly defrosted and came back to life. It struggled for a bit, and after discovering that it was of no use, it became a little irritated. But then, it discovered that there were two living beings sitting right beside him, emitting the enticing aroma of food. It immediately became happy again, with its ck eyes and mouth curving into crescents. Then it stretched its head towards One-arm on the left. And gave him a "kiss." One-arm: "" It smacked its lips a few times, then turned around and stretched its head towards Ning Huaishan. Ning Huaishan: "Fuck" And he was kissed too. Chapter 17: Enmity Chapter 17: Enmity Wu Xingxue looked down and saw that his hands were drenched in blood. On his way here to the Valley of Great Sorrow, he had been secretly circting his internal force in case he needed it in an urgent situation. He worried that without his memories, he wouldnt know how to fight and would make a fool out of himself. Unexpectedly, when real danger came, he didnt even have to think. He didnt know how many years he had been the Devil Lord and how many beings he had killed in order to have all of these moves set into his muscle memory. In fact, just before entering the valley, he was still curious about his rtionship with Xiao Fuxuan. Although Xiao Fuxuan was an immortal in charge of the Northern Frontiers and he was a devil imprisoned for twenty-five years, things between them might not be as terrible as he had previously thought. But now, looking at his hands, he couldnt think of any reason for their rtionship not to be on terrible terms. Wu Xingxue was silent for a moment, then turned to look at his two filial subordinates. The yin being affectionately held One-arms face, kissing him to the point that hed rather be dead. 1Dementors kiss vibes >:) Ning Huaishan seemed to have only been defiled a few times, but his mouth was now pursed like an olddys. It was obvious to see that he was just itching to sew up that yin beings mouth or he would also be willing to sew up his own mouth. Wu Xingxue walked over. Seeing him, Ning Huaishan burst into tears, "City Lord, we were wrong. We just thought someone was pretending to be you, but we werent trying to overthrow you" Wu Xingxue nodded, "Oh, I know." Ning Huaishans crying stopped abruptly, "?" He even knew this? Stammering, he swallowed his words back. Since they had already made their reasons clear, Wu Xingxue decided to lift his robe and pick up the yin being by its neck. The yin beings mouth pursued as long as it could, but it could no longer reach One-arm anymore. One-arm could finally let out a breath. His face had turned incredibly green, his spirit was trembling, and a substantial portion of his life force had been drained. "City Lord" One-arm cried. Just as he was about to apologize and show his loyalty, he heard Wu Xingxue ask him, "I know his name is Ning Huaishan, but what about you? Whats your name?" The sound of One-arms tearful beg got caught in his throat: ? With an astonished look, he said, "Wh what?" Wu Xingxue: "I asked you what your name is." "Fang Chu City Lord, my name is Fang Chu." One-arm had a face of shock and then hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice, "City Lord, you gave me this name." "?" Wu Xingxue didnt expect that giving names was part of the responsibilities as the City Lord. You said that since I am a member of Zhaoye City already, I should no longer worry about the bygone matters of my previous days, so I might as well change my name. At that time, I was fighting with yin beings and ghosts for food, so I didnt have a name to begin with. Then you gave me this name." One-arm said, oh wait, its Fang Chu now. Wu Xingxue listened, showing no sign of remembering. "City Lord, are you okay?" Wu Xingxue stopped hiding the truth, "Ive been locked up too long in the prison of the Northern Frontiers; I cant remember anything from the past," "What???" Fang Chu and Ning Huaishan looked at each other, finally understanding why they had the feeling that their City Lord was an impostor. So when we run into situations after this, if I ask, you just answer. Wu Xingxues pitch-ck eyes stared at those two. After finishing his instructions, he then added a sentence as he had suddenly remembered something, Oh, right, remember to never, ever, lie to me "Nonononono," the two shook their heads as if they were rattle drums, "We wouldnt dare, we wouldnt dare." Wu Xingxue continued slowly, "Since I forget everything from the past, naturally, everything we have been through, all of our past experiences, and our previous sentiments are all gone from my knowledge as well. Let me ask, was I a cruel lord?" Ning Huaishan: "" How the fuck were they supposed to answer this? Wu Xingxue smiled, "The current me is even meaner now." Ning Huaishan: "" The two subordinates looked towards that yin being with its mouth stubbornly extended, thinking that theyd learned this lesson. He might not necessarily be mean, but hes certainly despicable. After he finished threatening them, Wu Xingxue let go of his hand and gave the yin being back its freedom. It instantly aimed its curved mouth for Ning Huaishan. But before its lips could touch him, Wu Xingxue also let go of the oppression he imnted on the two of them, and also released the belt that was tying them. "Put on your pants," he said. Ning Huaishan moved around. After finding out that he could move again, he immediately pressed his hand against the yin beings face and used the other hand to pull his pants up. Fucking one mouthful after another, having a good time, werent you!!! Smearing my face full of, rgh He simultaneously cursed while retching, working together with Fang Chu to kill that yin being who had been hugging and strangling them left and right. They violently threw the yin being back onto the ground and fastened the belts of their pants. They rubbed their mouths hard, afraid that even a tiny bit of the yin beings taste would remain. Wu Xingxue didnt watch them. Instead, he followed the sound of dripping water and found a small cold pool. All of a sudden, he realized how bizarre this all was. He was forthright and candid in front of these two subordinates who nearly killed him, not concealing anything and even telling them about his amnesia. So what was the need to hide his secrets from Xiao Fuxuan? What did he have to hide? Doesnt he already know that he is the original person? Its natural for devils to kill people, and whats wrong with some blood on your hands? Why bother washing it? Its nothing but a waste of time. Wu Xingxue stood by the cold pool expressionlessly. After a moment, he squatted down, held his sleeves, and washed off the blood covering his hands. After he finished washing, he pressed his hands to his nose and sniffed them. Not a shred of the heat that the handwarmer had lent him before remained. His internal force was already frigid to begin with, and just now he had just frozen an entire catb full of blood. At this moment, his fingertips were now cold as ice, though they no longer smelled like blood. "City Lord." Ning Huaishan called out. Wu Xingxue got up and moved towards them, subconsciously looking up. That was where Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu pulled him down from. There should be a loose floorboard there that leads to the mountain temple above. But looking at it now, it seemed that the mountain walls were joined together seamlessly, revealing no signs of where the loose floorboard could be. Naturally, he couldnt hear any noise from the people outside either. Ning Huaishan saw him looking up and remembered that, as of now, he had lost his memory. He diligently exined: City Lord, you might not remember, but what those dumb cultivation disciples said was incorrect you cant just go through the loose floorboard at any time. Fang Chu and I are the most familiar with the region of the Valley of Great Sorrow; this catb is supposed to be a secret chamber, and it only opens once every day and night. Its been sealed with celestial power and makes an exception for no one. The people up there temporarily cante down. As he spoke, he slowly closed his mouth. Because Wu Xingxue was staring at him, and then he asked faintly, "Did I say someone wasing down?" Ning Huaishan: " No." "Then why are you talking so much?" "My apologies" While Wu Xingxue wasnt looking, Ning Huaishan pped himself on the mouth. Just as he was about to say in his head that he would never speak unnecessarily again, he suddenly heard his City Lord speak, "Before, me and Xiao Fuxuan" Ning Huaishan silently waited for the next half of the sentence, but after Wu Xingxue finished the name "Xiao Fuxuan", he didnt continue. Perhaps he was deliberately trying to think of a description, or perhaps something else. After a long time, Wu Xingxue seemed to have given up on his thinking. He turned his head and asked him, "How was our rtionship?" A question mark slowly appeared on top of Ning Huaishans head: "?" Was it not obvious??? An immortal and a devil, what could the rtionship possibly be like??? Ning Huaishan almost thought that he was being tested again. But this time, he didnt try to be crafty. Remembering that his City Lords mood had always been hard to grasp, he answered honestly: I dont know. Wu Xingxue was stunned: "You dont know? Werent you with me before?" "I am. Im with you most of the time." "Then howe you dont know?" Ning Huaishan found this a bit difficult to answer, "City Lord, if I tell you, please, please dont be angry." Wu Xingxue did not promise to not be angry, "Go ahead." Ning Huaishan: "" "Its very hard to tell whom you like and whom you dislike. Its really difficult for me to give you an exact answer," said Ning Huaishan. He has gone out with Wu Xingxue many times before and done many things together. Logically, he should know Wu Xingxue very well, yet he still said that it was hard to tell. This was because Wu Xingxue was too good at deceiving. When going out, Wu Xingxue would sometimes change his appearance, none of them simr. But the foundation was there, so however he changed it, it was never ugly. He only had to pull his casually tied hair up into a white jade hairpiece, and then he would turn into the type of handsome young man that girls adored. He looked graceful and elegant, like someone who knew how to be bored, how tough, and how to tease. Sometimes, even Ning Huaishans heart would be moved, feeling that his City Lord was really how he appeared. Thankfully, he had a clear mind and knew that those were all deceptions. So what if you chatted andughed with him today? Youll be dead either way in a few days. He had followed Wu Xingxue to many, many ces and had also seen many, many people die from his hand. Every time they met a new person, he still couldnt predict whether Wu Xingxue was going to kill them or keep them alive. He has also met Xiao Fuxuan before, although only a few times. ording to the way of heaven, during those years that Xiao Fuxuan was guarding the Northern Frontiers, he shouldnt have frequentlye to the mortal realm. But unfortunately, every time he came, he would run into Wu Xingxue. What a small world it is! What could the oue be for a devil facing the immortal responsible for heavenly punishment? Certainly not good. Ning Huaishan could never forget Wu Xingxues expression as he looked at Xiao Fuxuan from afar: it was a weariness that not even a change of appearance could hide. Wu Xingxue would always tell Ning Huaishan to return to Zhaoye City in advance, so he wasnt actually clear as to what happened between them. But what he did know for certain was that every time Wu Xingxue returned, his mood would always be even worse. Every time this happened, he and Fang Chu would always stay as far away from Wu Xingxue as possible, just in case they got hurt for no reason. As time passed, they started to take the name Xiao Fuxuan and his term "Celestial Immortal as well as being taboo words. They wouldnt use these words if they could avoid them. Ning Huaishan had long felt like his City Lord, and Xiao Fuxuan, well, as devils flourished, the Immortal Capital put increasing pressure on them. Eventually, the two would meet their devastating end. So back then, when Wu Xingxue ughtered his way to the Immortal Capital, he didnt find it strange at all. He had tried to guess the City Lords future actions many times; this was the only time he had guessed correctly. Ning Huaishan thought about those twenty-five years of imprisonment and said to Wu Xingxue, I think that you and the Celestial Immortal shouldve known each other for a long time by now, and you two have some history together. Otherwise, you two wouldnt be like this. There ought to be a strong grudge between you two, an enmity2Enmity: The state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something From Google. Basically saying how WXX and XFX were like sworn enemies lol Ah, enmity Wu Xingxue thought. Relying on the fact that his City Lords puppet wasnt herehe couldnt see him and so he didnt feel guiltyNing Huaishan guessed without any apprehension, not afraid at all. He thought that either way, this catb wouldnt be open for another whole day and night. By the time it opens, the City Lord probably wont remember this matter anymore. Fang Chu, who was investigating the cave, suddenly let out a shout, "Fuck! What the hell is this?!" Just as Ning Huaishan turned to look, he suddenly heard a loud explosioning from above. He shrank back, startled. When he lifted his head upwards again, he saw a beam of familiar golden light. The golden light violently thrusts inside the catb, forcefully breaking the celestial power that had sealed the catb. Although there was no wind, the mes of the oilmps inside the cavern quivered wildly. They abruptly shot up dozens of meters, like they were going to burn down the entire catb, and then in the split second that they shot up, they suddenly all went out. Silence. Then, a deafening crash. With a boom, the entire catb roof that served as support for the mountain temple copsed from hundreds of meters above. Smoke and dust were flying everywhere, and even the imposing divine statue in the middle of the catb cracked under the stress. Ning Huaishan vigorously coughed a few times, trying to look through the smoke to see who hade. It was Xiao Fuxuan and the others. Fuck me. The celestial powers sealing this catb were this easy to break??? Just as this thought had emerged, he felt that someone had given him a soft kick from behind. One-arm Fang Chu was also kicked over in a simr manner. The two staggered forward a few steps and happened to end up on the pile of yin beings corpses. Thus, when Yi Wusheng and the othersnded inside the catb, what they saw was this scenegreenish-white corpses covered the entire floor, their heads separated from their bodies, and blood flowed in rivers. And Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu stood on top of the mountain of corpses, showing cold expressions on their faces and their hands covered in blood. Those few disciples were still young, and their faces turned pale on the spot. Those fewmoners were in an even worse state. Even Yi Wusheng was slightly shocked by this scene. Holding onto his paper, he said hoarsely, You guys you two did you two kill all of them? Ning Huaishan: "" Fang Chu: "" They finally understood why they were kicked over, as they responded dryly, "Uh-huh." And Wu Xingxue, the person who had really fought just now, was way far away from them, standing alone diagonally behind the divine statue. His two hands were spotlessly clean, and he wasfortably holding the handwarmer that he had picked up off the ground not long before. He thought: finally, theres a time when other people are wrongly med while I watch the show. However, he saw that Xiao Fuxuan didnt even look at the other people,. His gaze was piercing toward him through the flying smoke and dust. After a moment of silence, Xiao Fuxuan walked over. After his movement, the others finally stopped being frozen in ce. Yi Wusheng and the others followed him down from the top of the copsed ceiling, passed through the mountain of corpses, and gathered over. "Didnt the legends say that this was a huge catb? Why is there a divine statue being worshiped here?" The cultivation disciples noticed the giant divine statue and lifted their heads to look. "Hey do you think that our martial siblings came to the Valley of Great Sorrow many times yet still couldnt find the missing ordained people? Could it be because they never came down to this underground catb?" "Dont know, perhaps. Let us search." Wu Xingxue listened to their discussion and also lifted his head to look at the divine statue, which he had glossed over before. In fact, he didnt recognize divine statues at all. He couldnt identify them even after seeing them. All he was aware of was the fact that neither this nor the Celestial Immortal were the Mingwu Hua Xin that the Hua Sect worshiped. Just as he was about to take a better look at the statues face, he suddenly felt a tall figure appear beside him. Xiao Fuxuan hade over to stand beside him. He was also looking up at the statue. Then, his deep voice sounded, "Why are those yin beings here?" Wu Xingxue turned his head slightly to nce at him. If he honestly exined that they were brought here by Ning Huaishan to kill him, then it wouldnt make sense to say that Ning Huaishan was the one who killed all these yin beings. Therefore, Wu Xingxue withdrew his line of sight and replied, I dont know, they were here when I entered. Maybe they were sealed in here before. Xiao Fuxuan pursed his lips and didnt respond. After a while, he asked again, "Those two helped you kill them?" Wu Xingxue acted normally as he held the handwarmer with his hands and gave an "mm" as a reply. Just now, he has circted his extremely frigid internal force. The handwarmer wouldnt be able to warm him for now, and instead, was slowly being cooled off by him. Welp, that doesnt matter, as long as he cant tell. Wu Xingxue thought in his head. But after a while, he saw Xiao Fuxuan nce at his handwarmer and lifted his hand. The next second, Xiao Fuxuans hand touched his handwarmer. Wu Xingxue immediately froze. Xiao Fuxuans hand was veryrge, but his palm was quite thin. In addition, even though frost had clearly covered his entire body in the coffin before, at this moment, he was really warm. After he held it for a while, he lowered his head and said, "Its cold like ice." Wu Xingxue suddenly remembered what Ning Huaishan described before theres enmity between you two. He wasnt sure what enmity was like But he was certain it wasnt supposed to be like this. Chapter 18: The Immortal Tomb Chapter 18: The Immortal Tomb "Xiao Fuxuan." Wu Xingxue turned his head and looked at him. "Mm," Xiao Fuxuan gave a deep response and let go of his hand. The warmth from his hand disappeared instantly. Wu Xingxue rubbed his fingers and asked, "Are you testing me?" Xiao Fuxuan withdrew his gaze. After a moment, he replied, "No." "Really?" "" Wu Xingxue was about to keep asking, but he suddenly realized that the handwarmer in his palm is starting to warm up again. The slightly scorching heat seeped into his skin and traveled up to his fingertips, allowing him to feel a soothing and rxing feeling in his bones. It was obvious who did it. Xiao Fuxuan nced at him and didnt speak again. What he said just now, "its cold as ice, didnt seem to be pointing out the frigid internal force he was circting just now. It was as if it was nothing more than a natural statement. Wu Xingxue was spacing out while holding his hand warmer. Suddenly, someone bumped into him. He stepped aside and saw that the people who bumped into him were themoners who came here to search for their missing rtives. Thosemoners didnt know how to use spiritual powers. They were so frightened after falling into this catb and being surrounded by yin beings corpses that they didnt know where to step. Their faces were pale, and they tried to avoid the corpses on the ground. Because they werent paying attention to what was behind them, they identally ran into Wu Xingxue. "Sorry, sorry," they apologized repeatedly, This this ce is so scary." They tightly wrapped their thick winter jackets around themselves, making their movements seem clumsy. Their nods as they apologized looked more like bows, and when the cotton-filled coatspressed, a certain smell mingled in with the wind. Wu Xingxue sniffed it and found the smell familiar. Before he could ask, the cultivation disciples had already spoken, "What a strong incense smell." "Did you guys bring incense?" they asked themoners. Themoners stammered. The cultivation disciples became worried, "Didnt we tell you guys not to bring these? Why didnt you all listen to me?!" "Whats the problem with bringing incense?" Wu Xingxue lent a hand to the woman who had stumbled. One of the disciples replied, "Didnt the people who were ordained appear in dreams, telling their family members toe to the Valley of Great Sorrow to bring them some offerings? Normal offerings are either food or incense, but this is precisely where the problem lies. The cultivation disciples looked towards the woman whose eyes werepletely red and said hesitantly, The people who were ordained theyve most likely already passed away, if they really are in a state of scattered limbs and bodies like they appear in the dreams, then being in a wicked ce like the Valley of Great Sorrow is a very ominous sign. The womans eyes turned even redder as her body trembled. Although she knew that the odds of them being alive were practically zero, hearing it being outright confirmed by someone else felt a lot worse. She looked like she couldnt stand it anymore as her otherpanions quickly came to her aid, clumsily patting her in reassurance. The cultivation disciples had faces full of remorse, but they still forced themselves to continue: Food and incense are used to worship real deities. If theyve be sinister beings, then offering these things wont work at all. What they want are living humans. If you fool them with incense and desserts, wont you just make them furious? Its like if you were hungry and having food handed to you that you were unable to eat. Wouldnt that make you hungrier? Afraid that those ordinary people were obstinate and wouldnt understand, they almost broke everything down into the simplest terms in order to exin. Those fewmoners gathered next to the rock wall, listening obediently and even agreeingly licking their lips. The disciples: "" They truly had a headache, Havent you heard? Before, a few families were too hasty and worried and didnt ask the cultivation sects for help. They went directly to the Valley of Great Sorrow on their own with some incense and food. And then what happened? Not a single one of them came back. Those who entered the valley afterward said that they only found some bloody scraps of clothing, leftover body parts, and some broken limbs. You guys! Sigh! Themoners fell silent. Their expressions were very ugly, as if they had be dumbfounded by the fright. Wu Xingxue sniffed the scent around him and looked at them. Suddenly, he reached out a hand and asked, What kind did you guys bring? Dig them out and let me see. Themoners stared at him nkly for a second, then reached their hands for the incense. The cultivation disciples almost shrieked, "Dont! Make sure you dont! Young Master, you cant tell them to do just anything!" They turned their heads, ring at him. Wu Xingxues face was full of innocence, and in his heart, he actually found this quite strange. He thought, "Im like a venomous snake or scorpion, shouldnt I be avoided by everyone? These kids seem to have some guts, and they even dare to re at me. But he quickly realized that these little disciples were still young. Twenty-five years ago, when hed been nailed inside the Northern Frontiers, they probably hadnt even been born yet. No wonder they didnt recognize him. Young master, although your travelpanions are all very powerful, Those few disciples looked at Xiao Fuxuan, Ning Huaishan, and Fang Chu, But there are still many uncertain factors in this ce Wu Xingxue felt much better inside after hearing this. Look, they didnt even recognize the Celestial Immortal. They probably didnt see the "Mian" character mark and mistakenly took him as just some powerful rogue cultivator. Since youve brought these offerings already, its better to hide them than to take them out. One of the little disciples had a straightforward personality. He brought his hands together and bowed towards those fewmoners, Im begging you, cover them up tightly at all costs, and dont run around. Since those sinister beings have already tasted the vor of live human offerings, they cant go back anymore. If no humans are offered to them, they might evene out to catch people themselves. Those fewmoners swallowed hard. They tucked the thick fabric even tighter around their bodies and then nodded. After they finished with their instructions, the disciples took out a goldenpass, an artifact used to detect the sinister, and started investigating around them. One of the disciples held thepass towards the divine statue to check, and suddenly let out a gasp, asking, Have you guys checked out this divine statue? Howe I dont recognize him? Who is this supposed to be? Those cultivation disciples all turned their heads, looking over. They were just as surprised, Wait, youre right, who is this deity? Ive never seen him before; do you guys recognize him? "No." "Didnt you memorize the names of every immortal?" "But I still dont recognize him." None of the cultivation disciples recognized the divine statue? This was indeed strange. Wu Xingxue raised his head. The quake just now caused some thin and clustered cracks to appear on the statue, but one could still tell that the deity was handsome, his bearing elegant and kind. One of his hands rested on a white banner, while the other held a green branch. The long twigs extend upwards, blossoming into a flower at the top and covering one of the divine statues eyes. Such a statue, if someone had really seen it before, it wouldnt be easy to forget. But the cultivation disciples racked their brains and still couldnt remember anyone simr. In fact, even Yi Wusheng didnt recognize the statue, let alone those disciples. Squeezing the paper, he frowned, also trying to think hard, but it still ended in vain. Wu Xingxue had be even more curious now. He raised his hand and poked Xiao Fuxuan, then pointed at the statue and asked, "What about you? Do you recognize it?" If even Xiao Fuxuan didnt recognize it, then it really was a bizarre situation. Fortunately, Xiao Fuxuan did recognize it. He nced at the statue and nodded. "" Wu Xingxue waited for a moment. After getting no other response other than the nod, he poked him again. Xiao Fuxuans low voice came, "His name is Yun Hai. He used to be Mingwu Hua Xins disciple, and then he ascended to be an immortal. Wu Xingxue started to find this even stranger, "Mingwu Hua Xins disciple? Then he should have some Hua Sect connections. After all, Hua Xin is the Hua Sects ancestor. Howe even Yi Wusheng looked like he has never heard of him before?" Xiao Fuxuan replied, "Because afterward, he wasnt an immortal anymore." Wu Xingxue was stunned. Xiao Fuxuan seemed to have suddenly remembered something. After saying this, he went silent again. Only after a long time did he again look at Wu Xingxue, saying, Because he wasnt an immortal anymore, in the mortal realm, themon people, cultivation sects, and even the people who had the deepest history with him all forgot who he was. Wu Xingxue said softly, I see He was silent for a while before asking again, "Is this one of the Immortal Capitals rules?" Xiao Fuxuan shook his head, "Its the rules of Heaven." Wu Xingxue continued to ask, Then how did he end up like this? Xiao Fuxuan: In his early years, he disobeyed a heavenly decree and was punished. Back then, Yun Hai was a disciple raised personally by Hua Xin, and the two had a very close rtionship. Once he had ascended as an immortal, he managed matters of joy and misery, an upation with one of the most generous returns in incense. Afterward, because he made a mistake, the Lingtai received a heavenly order to relocate him to a different ce. That new ce was none other than the Valley of Great Sorrow. At that time, the mortal realm was at its most peaceful and prosperous. The world was just and harmonious, the cultivation sects flourished, and though devils and yin beings still existed, they didnt pose any threat. The Valley of Great Sorrow at that time didnt yet have those heinous incidents that wouldter ur. It just sat in between a fewrge cities. Carriages and horses would oftene and go, but they all hurriedly passed through, never stopping to stay. It didnt have any rumors, and it never gave rise to any dangerous incidents. So people wouldnt get off their carriage in the middle of a rushed journey, searching for the temple in the valley to burn incense. After all, they didnt have anything to pray for. As everyone knew, deities relied on incense and offerings of worship. If no one came to inquire for a long while, then there was no need for the immortal to exist. Just like that, not even a hundred years after Yun Hai became an immortal, he fell back into the mortal realm and became forgotten. But ten yearster, the peaceful days of the mortal realm hade to an end. Wars erupted all around the world, disasters sprouted everywhere, and afterward, devils started wreaking havoc. This raged especially severely in the region of the Valley of Great Sorrow, so much so that refugees appeared in crows. Anyone who came nearby in their carriages would tremble with fear. Therefore, only then did people finally start to remember that this Valley of Great Sorrow also had its own mountain temple. From then on, before the cars, horses, and travelers entered the valley, they would all go and pray inside the temple. That temple was very small, with only a tform for incense and not even a divine statue. But no one was ever curious, because no one remembered that the Valley of Great Sorrow had once also been managed by a deity. Wu Xingxue pretty much understood the gist of the situation. He asked, "What happened to Yun Hai after that?" Xiao Fuxuan: died." "How did he die?" For a moment, Xiao Fuxuans expression had a hint of irony, "He died in the Valley of Great Sorrow, devoured by devils." Wu Xingxue let out a soft "ah." That was indeed too ironic. The deity that was once in charge of the Valley of Great Sorrow had, in the end, died at the hands of devils from the valley itself. And after he died, the incense in the temple flourished, but it no longer had anything to do with him. Wu Xingxue looked up at the divine statue once again. He suddenly thought of something, and asked, Since no one in the mortal realm remembers him anymore, then why is there a divine statue of him here? Xiao Fuxuan replied, Back then, when Hua Xin heard the news of his death, he ignored the Lingtais heavenlyw and came down to the Valley of Great Sorrow, ughtering all the devils in the valley. Beneath the ground of the Valley of Great Sorrow, he built this catb. Ah, no wonder. Wu Xingxue remembered what Ning Huaishan had said, that this long-abandoned catb was sealed by spiritual powers. So it was no wonder why Xiao Fuxuan could open it. "So you knew about this catb?" Wu Xingxue asked, "Then have youe here before?" "I have." " toe to see this Yun Hai?" For a second, Xiao Fuxuan seemed to be lost in his thoughts. He seemed to be reminiscing about something, and after a long while, he finally replied, In the Immortal Capital, he wasnt the only one who was knocked back down to the mortal realm like this, unable to have a peaceful end. His divine statue is also not the only one inside this catb. Chapter 19: The Little Girl Chapter 19: The Little Girl The cold-looking immortal seemed to be thinking wistfully of someone. Wu Xingxue watched him for a while before withdrawing his gaze. A certain feeling suddenly arose in his heart. He couldnt clearly describe what it felt like, but he suddenly lost interest in continuing to ask further. Thus, when Ning Huaishan came over, he only saw his City Lords expressionless facewhen he wasnt smiling, the slightly down-turned corners of his eyes always seemed to carry a hint of annoyance. At first nce, it made him look like he was extremely unhappy. Wasnt he smiling just now? Why is he unhappy again! Ning Huaishan didnt want to identally bring trouble to himself and bounced back next to Fang Chu without a word. "What are you jumping back and forth for?" Fang Chu asked. He was currently massaging his shoulder. On the wound where his arm had been cut off, some new flesh had already grown, carrying fresh blood, and looking a bit pinkish. Inparison, his face was bleak and pale, with a hint of green. I just wanted to hear what the City Lord was whispering to that puppet about. Hes lost his memory, so if he has something to say, why doesnt he tell us about it? What can you chat to a puppet about? Ning Huaishan felt very much like he had fallen out of Wu Xingxues favor, as if he had forgotten that not long ago, he had wanted their City Lord to cry and beg for mercy from them. Did he ever tell us what was on his mind before he lost his memory? Fang Chu uncourteously dismantled his logic. True. Ning Huaishan looked towards Wu Xingxue again, then suddenly lowered his voice, A-Chu, I suddenly feel like that puppet hmm, he seems to be a little off. What do you think? Fang Chu: "" Fang Chu rubbed his shoulder as he said without hesitation, "Not at all." Thest time they "suddenly felt" like something was off, they had to pay terrible consequences for it. Only idiots would want to try it again. Fang Chu looked over at Xiao Fuxuans face, then said gravely, When I got this kind of wound before, do you know how long it would take for it to grow back? Ning Huaishan thought for a bit. Fang Chus most tragic form had to be that day dozens of years ago, the day he had just arrived in Zhaoye City. When Wu Xingxue ordered people to carry Fang Chu out of that ck carriage, Ning Huaishan almost didnt recognize that that was a person Because both of his arms and one of his legs were all missing, bitten off by some sort of creature. His face was also full of wounds, looking like a blood-soaked rag. For an ordinary person to be in this state, they should have been long dead already. But Fang Chu seemed to be particrly stubborn, he just refused to take hisst breath. What their Zhaoye City had the most of was heinous and crooked methods, as well as their poison restriction techniques. Reviving the dead, the flesh, and the bone, none of these were difficult to achieve as long as one could bear through. As bone and flesh couldnt just grow on their own, they needed to be supplemented by something. After that, Ning Huaishan would often remember that scene Wu Xingxue had thrown Fang Chu into a pool to soak there. That viscous ck water sttered out of the pool, but when itnded on the snow piled by the pools edge, it was red. Beside the pool was an enormous, towering tree. Because of the deadly atmosphere, no living creatures ever dared tond on its branches. Therefore, Wu Xingxues residence was named after that enormous tree: No Birds Landing. When those people oh, no, those little devils settled Fang Chu inside the pool, Wu Xingxue leaned on the enormous tree with his arms crossed, watching them silently. City Lord, were done. Everything is ready; were just missing some living people. Those few hade to No Birds Landing before Ning Huaishan, and they had been following Wu Xingxue for a few years, diligently doing everything. They rubbed their hands together and discussed with faces full of excitement: White Deer Ford is the closest to Zhaoye City. We can capture a boat or two of living people without a problem. We can go right now if you want us to. But Wu Xingxue looked weary, his voice slightly tinted with sleepiness. Its alreadyte at night, and there are very few people who pass through White Deer Ford at this time. Itll probably be difficult to catch people. They nodded, True, then what should we do? Ah, its easy. Wu Xingxue spoke as he straightened up and walked towards the edge of the blood pool. Taking one in each hand, he dropped those little devils into the pool. Live people could be used as supplements, but so could devils. Fang Chu was unconscious in the pool. His eyes were closed, knowing absolutely nothing about what was happening around him. But Ning Huaishan witnessed this very clearly from across the walkway: a few bubbles rose from that pool, and immediately afterwards, the bloody wounds on Fang Chus face closed and healed at a rate visible to the naked eye. And Wu Xingxue just stood there, watching by the edge of the pool. After a long while, he walked to the bamboo pump nearby to wash his hands. That was the origin of all of Ning Huaishans terror towards Wu Xingxue. For a very long time after that, he was deathly afraid that in a moment of unhappiness, Wu Xingxue would throw him into the blood pool, feeding him to someone as supplemental medicine. But his and Fang Chus luck wasnt that bad, as other people in No Birds Landing frequently switched, not staying for long, but they had been with Wu Xingxue for tens of years, and they were both still alive. Back then, the Fang Chu who had looked like a clump of bloody rags, had only soaked in the pool for two days before he was back up and jumping about. Afterwards, Fang Chu would continue to get hurt every now and then, frequently losing a hand or a foot. The people in Zhaoye City wouldnt normally take the initiative to provoke each other. If they were hungry or heavily wounded and needed a supplement, they would go outside to catch living people. But Fang Chu was different. After he had experienced the benefits of using devils as supplements, he would often pick the subordinates of the people in Zhaoye City. Only by relying on the City Lord as his backer was he not killed. And after that, he cultivated his regeneration technique to the point of perfection. Even if he couldnt immediately find something to supplement himself with, he could still quickly heal. *** Ning Huaishan pondered for a moment, then said, Right, to you, losing an arm or a leg is a very ordinary thing, you can grow everything back in half a day or less. Howe this time Fang Chu said: Before, I had thought it was because Id been hungry for a few days and was a little weak. But thinking about it now, Im afraid its not that. Look, since wevee to this Valley of Great Sorrow, Ive grown new flesh. His technique of regrowth was fundamentally a demonic technique, and some things would naturally inhibit it. Such as if he was constantly too close to an immortal and was being suppressed by their invisible celestial energy. Fang Chu said, Before, I had thought it was because Id been hungry for a few days and was a little weak. But thinking about it now, Im afraid its not that. Look, ever since wevee to this Valley of Great Sorrow, my limb started to grow back. His technique of regrowth was fundamentally a demonic technique, and some things would naturally inhibit it. Such as if he was constantly too close to an immortal and was being suppressed by their invisible celestial energy. His regeneration technique was, after all, a diabolic technique. Some things would naturally inhibit it, such as staying too close to an immortal and being suppressed by their invisible celestial energy. It wasnt the type from cultivation disciples, it had to be from the Immortal Capital. The reason his arm didnt grow back at all before was because the celestial energy around him was far greater than the demonic energy. Now that theyvee to this heinous ce of the Valley of Great Sorrow, it was finally a bit better. Ning Huaishan suddenly realized, looking towards that so-called puppet: ??? "So stop having a death wish, I beg you. Just continue honestly following our City Lord. I dont want to suspect anything right now, I just want to grow my arm back." "What? Shouldnt we tell the City Lord?" Ning Huaishan asked in surprise. Fang Chu looked like he was watching a tragedy, "Do you think the City Lord is dumber than me, or is he dumber than you?" "Are you saying City Lord already knows?" So the City Lord fucking knows already, yet hes still always sticking around that "puppet" and whispering to him? *** After that, Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu were silent. They didnt approach Wu Xingxue too close, but they also didnt stray too far. They were honest and obedient like two quails. They behaved so well that even those cultivation disciples werepletely unable to tell that these two were problematic, let alone suspect that they were from Zhaoye City. Unable to figure out who the divine statue was, the little disciples stopped thinking about it. They continued to test everywhere around the catb with their goldenpasses. But for some reason, the goldenpasses swiveled around like headless flies. There were not onlymoners beside them who had asked for help, but there were also some unknown powerful rogue cultivators. Those few little disciples were deathly afraid of losing face and embarrassing themselves as their cheeks turned red from being too anxious. Whats wrong with these spiritualpasses today? It was never like this before! "Martial Brother, are thepasses broken?" "Nonsense! We just checked them beforeing out." "What is this needle supposed to detect?" Wu Xingxue chose the disciple whose face was the reddest and asked him. The little disciple pointed to the drop of blood on the tip of thepass needle and replied, It searches for spirits. Itll search for the spirit of whoevers blood it touches. He looked at the woman who had lost her daughters and continued, Its truly a pity for the victims family after words appeared on her daughters necks, like many others, she used rope to tie her daughters to the bed, keeping watch by the bed at night. Afraid that she would fall asleep during the night, she even tied the other end of the rope to her own hand just in case. But when she awoke with a shock just before daybreak, she found that the rope was still in her hand, but her two daughters were gone, leaving only blood all over the rope. And the blood on ourpasses is the same blood from that rope. If its been too long since the person disappeared, then the goldenpass might not be too urate, but it still shouldnt be like this. Try it again and let me see. Wu Xingxue patted him. Themoners watched anxiously from behind. With a face full of embarrassment, the little disciple let out an oh. He turned the needle towards himself, and taking this as the starting point, he pushed it outwards. The golden needle spun chaotically towards the rock walls around them. Then, its motion abruptly ceased, and it returned to its starting position. I heard that our Martial Siblings who came to search for those people before us also ran into a simr situation. The needle would spin in a circle, and then return to where it started. They didnt even have an overall direction, so they could only hastily make a quick search through the entire valley and then return in vain. "Forget it; we cant depend on thepasses anymore," the other two disciples said. They turned to Wu Xingxue and asked politely, "Do you guys have any other methods?" Wu Xingxue shook his head. He didnt remember anything. Although he still had a bit of instinct left to save himself during emergencies, he didnt know anything else at all. But he did remember that before Xiao Fuxuan and the others hade down, One-arm Fang Chu had called out, What the hell is this?" If he remembered correctly, Fang Chu should have been standing over Back then, Wu Xingxue had kicked Fang Chu, so he remembered his general location. He walked back towards that area, carefully checking the holes of various sizes lining the rock wall. The ones towards the top held oilmps inside, while the one towards the bottom was a little bigger, capable for a person to hide in there. Wu Xingxue reached out a hand to search inside the hole. He could feel a cool, moist breeze. Oh, right, Cheng Young Master!1Its that pun here again where the Cheng for City Lord has the same pronunciation as his current surname as a Young Master. Fang Chu saw his movement and finally spoke up, Theres something inside there, I had nced at it before! But afterwards, we were interrupted, so I didnt have time to look clearly. Wu Xingxue was just about to bend down to look when that red-faced cultivation disciple scrambled over. He probably wanted to recover some of the face he had lost due to the goldenpass, saying Its easier to enter with my height. Then, he took an oilmp and entered the hole. The little disciple lifted the oilmp to light up the hole, illuminating a silhouette that crouched deep insideits hair was tied into two buns, and its face was ghastly white, with two deep, ck, unblinking eyes, staring silently at him. "Fu" "!!!" The little disciples soul almost flew out of his body! "Why are you trembling?" Someone suddenly tapped him from the back. Thanks to the sudden pat, the hairs all over his body immediately stood up. With a startled cry, he shrunk back, bumping into the person behind him. See, I told you I shouldve gone. Wu Xingxue testily turned to the side, dragging that little disciple out. Just as he was about to squat down and enter, he saw someone raise their foot from the side of his eye. Those long, ck boots were very narrow, making the legs look straight and strong. With just a step on the rock wall, the miniature caves entrance suddenly expanded, cracking into multiple fissures in a split second. Loose rocks were shaken down in a storm of ttering, and the hole expanded to more than half the height of a normal person. One didnt even have to bend down now. Just with a sweep of the oilmp, the scene inside the cave could be seen. "" Wu Xingxue turned his head and saw Xiao Fuxuans face How should he describe his feelings He felt that in the end, there might not be many ces in this catb left intact. Is this what the Celestial Immortal is like??? Wu Xingxueined in his head and lowered his head to sweep the oilmp towards the cave. He also saw the ghastly white face. "" With this appearance and squatting in this ce, it was indeed very easy for others to be frightened. Fortunately, the hole was erged, and the appearance of the thing became clearer. Wu Xingxue saw its face gleam with the shine of pottery and said, "Its a statue of a little girl." That thing was neither a living person nor a ghost, it was a sculpture. Its face was painted snowy white, and its cheeks even had some red rouge, just like the types of statues of little boys and girls worshipped on each side of the celestial temples. But a talisman was stuck to the body of this statue, and there were words on the talisman. It read: This worships Immortal Envoy Zhao Qini. The words were written with blood, and they were scraggly written. It wasnt because the writer had bad handwriting, but it was more like when he wrote this, his hand was too stiff and couldnt write properly any longer. "Zhao Qini?" Wu Xingxue read the name and stood up straight. One of the disciples suddenly eximed, "Oh! This name Ive heard of it before. Didnt one of our Martial Brothers mention it before? It should be someone who was ordained." The other cultivation disciples expressions suddenly became unpleasant, How big is that little girls statue? Can it hold a person?! "Dont tell me those people who were ordained are actually sealed in this statue." Xiao Fuxuan ced a hand on the curved ceiling of the cave, bent down, and looked inside. Then, he curved two fingers, and the talisman on the little girls statue fell into his hand with a swish. !!! Those few cultivation disciples immediately called out, Were not clear about the whole story, that talisman shouldnt be rashly touched! But after they finished yelling, they suddenly realized that since the others were powerful senior rogue cultivators, they probably knew what they were doing. Sure enough, Wu Xingxue looked towards Xiao Fuxuan and asked him, What kind of talisman is this? Xiao Fuxuan flipped it over, replying, Its used to raise spirits. Wu Xingxue: "" "And what does raising spirits mean?" Xiao Fuxuan: "" Oh Yi Wusheng remarked, I know this, I heard my teacher talk about it when I was younger. He said that before, there used to be a type of array to summon immortals. ce a divine statue in the middle, and then hire people to act as the little boys and girls of the immortals household. Position them ording to the direction of the array, and then stick talismans on them. If the worshippers name is written on the talismans, then the immortal can be summoned into the divine statue. Then after that, someone probably twisted this legend, and people started to say that it is an array that could let a divine statuee to life. Hence, its called spirit raising." As they spoke, a quick-handed cultivation disciple had already used his sword to crack open the little girl statue. Broken shards of y scattered all over the floor, and its insides were covered in blood. The pungent scent of blood carried over, making their stomachs turn. It was obvious that once there was indeed something stored here in this statue. Its so short, I dont think they can be stuffed inside, right? So they were cut apart The crowd all remembered that for the people who had been ordained, the ropes they had been bound with were soaked in blood, appearing like they had been chopped into pieces. If their head and four limbs were all separated, then it wouldnt be hard to stuff them inside a small statue like this. It was just that Inside this little girls statue, there was only blood remaining. Where did the person who was stuffed in there go? Chapter 20: Pretending Chapter 20: Pretending Its already tragic enough to be ordained here, and now their corpses arent even" "Thats enough." The red-faced cultivator had only finished mumbling halfway when one of his Martial Brothers elbowed him. Wu Xingxue nced at them, then turned his head over to themoners. Their expressions were extremely unpleasant, staring at the talisman in Xiao Fuxuans hand and looking like they were in a daze. One of them swayed incessantly, unable to even stand steadily on his feet. He probably wanted to bend down to recover a bit, but when he did so, the coat was pressed against him and the pungent smell of incense permeated the air again. "" The cultivation disciples immediately rushed to him and held him up. One of the disciples said, My Martial Brother has a big mouth and he talks nonsense all the time. They were extremely afraid that the smell of incense would be too strong and would draw in some unpleasant beings. He quickly continued, Actually, things are not that bad. Maybe maybe" He said maybe several more times, but still couldnte up with anything. He looked over with a face pleading for help, and his face was already bright red from the distress. Wu Xingxue thought, "What are you looking at me for? I cant maybe out anything good. If I open my mouth to speak, my words might be even more frightening than your Martial Brothers." He was silent for a moment, then poked Xiao Fuxuan. Only after he poked did he realize that perhaps he was doing this motion a bit too naturally. Xiao Fuxuan, who was examining the talisman, paused, then nced at the finger that had poked him. Then, he turned his head to look towards those cultivation disciples who were pleading for help. The words "please help, say something and change the subject or something, please help us out here" were written clearly on their faces. Hence, the Celestial Immortal finally opened his golden mouth. He asked the woman, "What are your esteemed daughters names and surnames?" Wu Xingxue: "" To borate on his words, he basically meant. Your two daughters probably met the same end as this Zhao Qini. They are probably also in some little boy or girl statue with their names stuck on the pedestal. Tell us their names and we can look for them. Thosemoners did drag the cultivation disciples here for this purpose, so his words werent wrong But perhaps this golden mouth should stay shut next time. Wu Xingxue thought in his head. The little disciple who had pleaded for help copsed on the spot, his face even turning green. That woman was in a worse state. Stumbling, she propped herself against the wall. Her expression waspletely nk, and her whole body was shaking uncontrobly. The other two little disciples immediately came forward, lightly patting her on the back. She couldnt even bear these light pats, as she copsed more with each pat. Bent at the waist, she trembled for a long while, and then lifted her head to look towards Xiao Fuxuan. She mumbled in a hoarse voice, My two little girls are still young theyre called theyre called After choking up for a long time, she finally let out two nicknames, "Theyre called A-Yuan and A-Tai." "A-Yuan" "A-Tai" "Wait, wait for me." "Wait for me" The woman softly repeated this many times, and even when her voice no longer sounded, her lips were still moving. No one knows whether he was trying tofort the souls of her two daughters or if she was trying tofort herself. Now that everyone had the names, they stopped avoiding the subject and straightforwardly started searching along the hole-ridden rock walls. With this search, they found that the catb didnt only consist of this one area, it was actually very long. It was only that, of the asional twists and turns of the cave, the light from the oilmps inside the holes would be hidden behind the turns. At first nce, it seemed as if the cave had ended there. But that wasnt the case. The catb was constructed along the valley and was extremely long, with frequent paths that split off from the main passageway. It was a treacherous trek to get there. After turning a few corners, the crowd had all slightly lost their sense of direction. The cultivation disciplespasses werepletely useless here, and after crossing a bunch of cross sections, they suddenly realized that they had already stopped bothering with theirpasses and were just following Xiao Fuxuan. But even Xiao Fuxuan had to stop for a few moments on several fork roads. Wu Xingxue saw the way he moved and finally asked, "Have you been here before?" Xiao Fuxuan gave an "mm" as a reply and stopped in his steps. His long fingers gently pressed the stone walls, and with a little force, a quake sent rocks flying down. "Then howe you dont know the way?" Xiao Fuxuan probed a finger into a rock crack. His downcast eyes lightly blinked, and then he replied, I didnte inside. "Didnte inside?" Wu Xingxue was a little surprised, "Why not?" The entire boulder blocking the hole was swept away with two fingers, crashing to the ground with a roaring boom, sending up a cloud of gray dust. Wu Xingxue squinted his eyes in the dust and heard Xiao Fuxuans deep voice, I didnt want to. An image suddenly shed through his mind: it was a cold night in the Valley of Great Sorrow, permeated with dust and fog. There was also a tall silhouette standing in the fog, gazing at the enormous valley from across a long suspension bridge. Wu Xingxue was stunned. He should have seen such a scene before, but no matter how hard he tried to recall, he couldnt recall it clearly. When he returned to his senses, he heard those few cultivation disciples shout, Another little boy statue! On their way there, they found two other little boy and girl statues. They were both empty, and their insides were covered in dried blood. They also had talismans stuck on them, and they also wrote, "This worships the Immortal Envoy." One was named Liu Zhi, and the other was named Liu Mei. The names sounded like one was male and the other female, but their bodies were also nowhere to be found. Including Zhao Qini from the beginning, this was already the fourth little statue. They had already formed a habit, subconsciously shing at the statue with a sword. The little boy statue cracked into pieces And a person was revealed. It was a grown man, but he was folded in a manner that seemed as if all his bones were broken. His head was cut off from his neck and was resting on hisp. The cultivation disciples were so startled that they hastily retreated several meters, pressing their backs against the rock wall on the other end of the tunnel. After a while, they murmured, "Why is this body still here? Has it turned into a sinister being yet? " They were going to poke at it with their swords, just to see Yi Wusheng press the back of his finger against that cut-off head and shake his head. Holding his paper, he said, Its okay, you cane over. Wu Xingxue scanned the appearance of that corpse. He made a guess that this was the lumberjack who was the first one to be ordained. Sure enough, the talisman attached to the statue had the lumberjacks name on it, and it was written very crookedly. Before, they had only heard rumors and had never seen any of the victims themselves. But now that the lumberjack from the rumor was sitting cross-legged right in front of them, it made them feel both extremely frightened and a little ufortable. Themoners didnt even dare toe over at all, huddling together far away in the dark. The cultivation disciples looked at that woodcutter with unbearable expressions, but they couldnt just let him just sit here in the open. Thus, they dug out a talisman and carefully ced it on his forehead to seal him, and then also made a mark. "Lets find the rest first and thene back." *** They continued to walk deeper into the catb along the rock wall, pondering nonstop as they walked. "Howe the first three people we found in the statues were all gone, yet this one is still here?" "Maybe because the lumberjacks incident happened earlier than theirs." Since the incident happened early, his soul had been almostpletely exhausted, making him unable to move after being sealed in the stone statue. As for those whose incidents happenedter, some of their souls still remained, so they couldnt be sealed. As for what they would do if they couldnt be sealed, that went without saying They might be extremely hungry, so they went to search for food. Or, they might be unwilling to admit that they had died, so they went to search for someone to rece them. Both were possible. The oilmps in the catb werent stable, sometimes bright and sometimes dim. Perhaps those corpses that had been chopped up into pieces were creeping in some corner, waiting for living people toe. Picturing this, even people who knew how to use celestial powers would tremble with fear. Before long, they came across another little girl statue. The appearance of this little girl statue was mottled, as it had lost some of its colors. At first nce, half of its lips seemed to be smiling, the other half crying. With the trauma of the previous statue in mind, they hesitated, not daring to use their swords. Then, a st of violent wind brushed past them, and immediately afterward, they heard the crisp noise of cracking sounds: the little girl statue shattered without anyone even approaching it.1I think its Xiao Fuxuan who used some moves that can extend his shes, like his sword can shoot if he swings it hard enough or something idk, it wasnt specified in the raws. This time, the little girl statue was still empty, with no one inside. There were only blood and w marks, as if the person who had been sealed inside had once forcefully scratched at the y, attempting to escape Looking again at the shards covering the ground, this meant It seeded in escaping. The talisman within the shards suddenly flew out with a swish, falling between Xiao Fuxuans fingers. He spread out the paper and read out what was written, This worships Immortal Envoy Gaoe. "Gaoe?" The disciples muttered incessantly. Wu Xingxue saw that one of them had a very troubled face, so he asked, Whats the matter? Why the bitter look?" "Gaoe" "Hmm, Gaoe?" That little disciple recited this name to himself a couple more times, then he shook his head, I was just thinking of which family this one is from. Ive heard of this name before, but I dont think it was from my elder Martial Siblings. I cant remember, Ive heard too many names from victims family members recently, Ive already got them all mixed up. When he said that there were too many victims family members, the disciples nced towards Xiao Fuxuan. It seemed that they wanted to ask something, but they only looked and didnt move. They then turned their heads to Yi Wusheng, who looked more gentle and kind, and said Senior, since you know the history of these spirit-raising talismans as well as how to use them, then do you know how many little boy and girl statues are needed to actually bring a divine statue to life? Dont believe that making a divine statuee alive is real, its just a false rumor. Yi Wusheng said, In the past hundred years, Ive never heard of anyone seeding in this. Actually, calling it a summoning was also not quite correct. In essence, the array gave the divine statue a touch of spirit, and then, using the divine statue, the person doing the summoning could transmit what they wanted to say to the actual immortal in the Immortal Capital. Whether or not the immortal heard, it was another story altogether. This was an array that regr sects didnt really know how to use, and they treated these sayings as more of a folktale. When Yi Wusheng was still a teenager, he happened to like to listen to these sorts ofmon folk tales. Although they were crude and fragmented, they were still very interesting, and he remembered almost all of the ones he had heard. But he never thought that one day, hed encounter those folk tales in such a fashion. After a moment of silence, he replied, "It should be thirty-three little boys and girls." The disciples nodded. "Then thats right," "If I remember correctly, it also happens to be thirty-three families who were ordained. Is that right, Martial Brother?" "Youre right. Including what happened today, it is exactly thirty-three." "Exactly thirty-three families?" Wu Xingxue suddenly spoke, "Maybe think a little harder? Maybe you miscounted?" The cultivation disciple was stunned, then his face turned red, Senior, please stop teasing us, its only thirty-three altogether. How can we count wrong?" "Then thats wrong," said Wu Xingxue, "One of the families had two people, so wont thirty-three families make a total of thirty-four people?" After being stunned for a moment, the disciples suddenly realized. The family that had brought them to the Valley of Great Sorrow had lost two little girls, A-Yuan and A-Tai. If you count them, then there was an extra person. If there were fewer, then one could say that there would be more victims in the future. But now there was one extra, could the array still work? "Besides, why would there be an extra person?" "Did we overcount?" "Lets ask." That little disciple wanted to ask thosemoners, but when he turned his head, he found that that woman was standing extremely close behind him. Her pitch-ck eyes were looking at him indistinctly. The disciple suddenly remembered and shouted, "Gaoe!" He finally remembered; he hadnt heard the name Gaoe from his Martial Siblings, but it was this woman who had said it when she introduced herself to them. She had said that her two daughters were ordained and had entered the Valley of Great Sorrow, and she wanted their help to go to the valley to look for them. What if the people who were ordained were never those two daughters to begin with? What if it was herself? Then with the thirty-three families, the numbers all add up! Immediately afterward, he then remembered that there were a total of four little boy and girl statues that were empty. Looking at the names, they were two men and two women. And themoners who came with them to the valley also happened to be four people, two men and two women! When Gaoe smiled at him, her pitch-ck eyes suddenly curved into crescents, and her mouth emerged from beneath those thickyers of cloth. It was also a pitch-ck crescent. The hairs on the little disciples body stood up on end as his sword shot outwards. In a split second, the thick scarf wrapped around Gaoes neck unraveled, revealing the word on her neck. That neck had been cut through along the sternum, and only a tiny bit of skin held her head and neck together. When she moved, her head wobbled as if about to fall. The little disciples suddenly understood why thesemoners were all wrapped in thick coats and why their hands and feet were also tied up so tightly. It was because they would fall apart if they didnt do so Maybe because they felt like they couldnt keep the act up any longer, those fourmoners stopped pretending and each picked a person to pounce on. Of the five people they chose, three were those cultivation disciples, and the remaining one surged towards the other side. When Wu Xingxue felt the breath behind him, he sighed softly, thinking, "You sure know how to choose. He had already lifted his finger, but when he turned his head, he met Xiao Fuxuans eyes. Wu Xingxue: "" In the next second, the Zhaoye City Lord, who had just killed a whole pile of yin beings, lowered his hand, and moved to behind Xiao Fuxuans back with a turn of his feet. With a finger against the immortals back, he pushed him forward a step, saying, "Immortal, help, Im scared. Xiao Fuxuan: "" Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu: "" Believe it or not, were even more afraid. Chapter 21: Tumulus (1/2) Chapter 21: Tumulus (1/2) The unfortunate soul who picked Wu Xingxue was the first "immortal envoy" that they found, Zhao Qini. Zhao Qinis fingernails, which were previously hidden in his sleeves, were long and as sharp as knives. He could easily make grooves into the stone wall if he shed at them. He picked Wu Xingxue because he looked like a weak, thin, and defenseless aristocrat, the type who only yed around and enjoyed their carefree life. This young master wasnt even wearing a scarf, only holding a hand warmer and leaving his neck open for an attack. All he needed to do was give that neck a gentle slice, then blood woulde surging out No effort, and job done! Zhao Qini licked his teeth and shed his hands towards Wu Xingxues neck. ng! When the noise sounded, Zhao Qini didnt even have time to react. After all, as someone who died already, he had a slightly slower reaction time. When he realized that it was the sound of a sword being drawn The hand that he shed towards Wu Xingxues neck was already gone. The raging sword energy and the vast sharpness that exploded forth were like the inescapable freezing winds of deep winter, sweeping over Zhao Qinis body. His tightly-wrapped coat was ripped into pieces, and the pressure keeping his body together suddenly disappeared. Zhao Qini opened his eyes wide. At this time, Wu Xingxue had already vanished, the person blocking in front of him was someone else. That person was extremely tall, and as he gently touched the ground with the tip of his sword, he said coldly, "Come." I cant Zhao Qini copsed to the ground in an instant, and his roar changed to hoarse sharp. Like a whistle, his sound echoed in the entire catb with a strong sense of unwillingness. It wasnt only Zhao Qini. The others who went for the three cultivation disciples also had their coats sliced into pieces by the flying sword energy. Those cultivation disciples stabbed at their opponents with their swords but didnt hit anything. Those enemies who were fierce just a second ago had suddenly copsed into their piles of fabric. When they had been ordained toe to the Valley of Great Sorrow, their limbs had already beenpletely cut apart. With deep resentments and grievances, they should have been terrifying sinister beings. But when their stiff and pale body parts covered with mottled scars fell and started rolling on the ground, and when their red eyes were straining to stay open It was a bit unbearable to watch. After all, they were also once living humans. The little cultivation disciples were still young, and their reactions were the most obvious. With ghastly pale faces, they backed up a few steps, not even knowing what to do with their swords. In the end, they looked towards the Xiao Fuxuan at a loss. As one of the four Elders of the Hua Sect, Yi Wusheng had seen many simr situations before, so he was not as affected. But a doctor, he couldnt bear to just watch. He also subconsciously gazed toward Xiao Fuxuan. In the mortal realm, there actually werent that many rumors regarding him. The only people he dealt with were the evil and the despicable. He didnt have to do with others fortune, and he wasnt in charge of prosperity and disaster. So, people didnt pray to him and he would never offer protection over anything either. There were few portraits of him, let alone divine statues. Most of them stood in ces like the Jiaming Wilderness, where few people dared to go. Others, like the Lingtai Immortals, all showed smiles in their portraits and divine statues, like a spring breeze brushing the world. Only him, no matter which divine statue, no matter if the statue looked like him or not, he would always have a cold expression without a trace of smile. No wonder the people didnt like to worship him in their homes. Because it seems that normal families reunions and separations, births and deaths, sorrows and joys, could never make a single ripple in his eyes. Just like right now, his eyes were downcast, and his gaze shot out from his long eyes, scanning over the limbs and heads scattered all over the ground, scanning over those eyes that couldnt bear to close. Still, there was no emotion on his face. After he finished looking at them, he only lifted his thin eyelids. Zhao Qinis screams became extremely shrill and mournful, echoing in the catb, ending with a sorrowful cry. Xiao Fuxuan paid no attention to that sound. He put away his sword energy and returned his sword to its sheath. In that second, everyone in the catb suddenly felt a sense of difort. It was a difort of emotions, it was due to the sharpness of the sword energy that gave everyone a diforting chill. It was like a sharp de that has killed countless things. Even if it was washed clean of blood, stored inside a precious jade sheath, and dappled with a ray of moonlight, it would still be a murderous weapon that no one would dare to touch. Only Wu Xingxue felt differently. Because his finger was pressed against Xiao Fuxuans back, when Zhao Qini and the others copsed onto the ground, their limbs and heads rolling chaotically around, he clearly felt Xiao Fuxuan slightly tilt his body. It was an extremely subtle movement, so slight that Wu Xingxue didnt even immediately feel it. It was only until he could no longer see those broken limbs and those unwilling eyes did he realize that Xiao Fuxuan was blocking in front of him. This way,he didnt have to witness those things on the ground. How absurd. As a devil who wouldnt hesitate to kill, there was someone who helped to block in front of his eyes. And only after being blocked did Wu Xingxue slowly realize that he indeed didnt want to see those things. Perhaps it was the long dream about Que City that changed his nature. When he saw those fragmented limbs and heads, he felt very ufortable in his heart. It was the same feeling after he killed those yin beings, how he couldnt bear the blood on his hands. Wu Xingxue was silent for a moment, then the finger that was pressed on Xiao Fuxuan moved a little. "Xiao Fuxuan." "Mm," Xiao Fuxuan answered in his deep voice. Wu Xingxue leaned forward and was about to speak, but he saw that before he was able to say anything, Xiao Fuxuan had already turned his head around. At that moment, they were extremely close to each other, their breaths almost hitting each others noses. Wu Xingxue pursed his lips and then straightened his body back up. Xiao Fuxuan asked quietly, "What is it?" "Nothing, I forgot." Xiao Fuxuan raised his eyes, the thin corners of his eyelids pressing into a sharp crease. Wu Xingxue looked at him and then said softly, "Then um thank you?" "" Hearing this, Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu felt like they were almost going to die. *** Those fragmented body parts that had copsed on the ground didnt stop moving as one would expect them to. Instead, they were constantly struggling, their sharp fingernails scratching against the floor, making creaking noises. It was almost as if they wanted to piece themselves together and stand up again. The cultivation disciples hairs stood up on end as they listened to this. Rubbing their necks, they desperately searched all over their bodies "Wheres our Qiankun bag? Martial Brother, did you bring one? Should we store these, these" Gaoe and Zhao Qinis eyes were still rolling, ring at them. Their mouths opened and closed, as if they were trying to say something. Being stared at like this, the disciples didnt dare to call them "sinister beings" out loud. "These people into the bags? We cant just leave them here like this, or should we also stick a talisman on them?" "But how? We didnt bring that many talismans!" Before, at least that lumberjack was still in one piece, so sticking a talisman onto him to prevent him from suddenlying back to life and causing trouble still worked. But as for the scattered mess in front of them, with limbs everywhere, they didnt even know which ones to stick to. Finally, after searching everywhere, the little disciple had finally found his Qiankun bag. He squatted down beside a limb. But just as he was about to put it in, the hand on the ground suddenly grabbed him. "Ahhh!!!" He jumped up, pulling out his sword and ready to slice it apart. But then, a hoarse voice sounded, "I beg you, young man, I beg you" The little disciple was about to cry too, he even almost started to beg along with her, What are you begging for, you, you let go of me first. Those sharp fingernails had pierced into his flesh, gripping him extremely tightly, Im begging you, young man, I cant be here, not here, I really have two daughters, I really do The hoarse voice began to whimper and sob. Listening to that voice, the crowd recognized that it was Gaoe speaking. "I cant be here, I need to find a recement, I need to go home" "I need to go home, I need to go home" Her head pitifully rolled around, and another hand on the ground crawled quickly, grabbing onto the nearest persons ankle. That person wasnt a disciple this time, it was Ning Huaishan. "Ayo" Yi Wusheng called out to stop him. Ning Huaishans face has already pulled down, and there is a sh of fierceness in his expression. He was from Zhaoye City after all, one who has fought his way through mountains of corpses. He didnt have the humanity of those cultivation disciples. Resting his elbows on his knees, he squatted down, and licked his teeth, showing a much more frightening smile than even those of the sinister beings, Youve really begged the wrong person. Miss, dont think that you can hold onto me just because Im skinny, I have an extremely bad temper. If you dare to even scratch the tiniest bit of my skin on my ankle, " "I beg you, I beg you young man, the two little girls are still waiting, theyre still very young." "My man has already passed, if Im not there, they wont survive." "This world, they cant survive, theyre really too young, I beg" Gaoe said as she held onto his ankle. Yi Wusheng stepped over, wanting to pull them apart, but Gaoes long, sharp nails had already pierced Ning Huaishans ankle, causing fresh blood to flow down along his prominent bones. His fingers were already curled up, and his green veins were clearly visible through his pale skin. He was already gathering his internal energy, but he didnt go ahead and smash that reckless hand into pieces yet. For some reason, he stopped halfway and was listening to Gao Es words. "I only have these two children, theyre my life, I beg you." "Whats the use of begging me maam?" Ning Huaishan suddenly replied, still in his provocative tone, "Youre dead already, you cant return. Youre two girls doomed to die as well. Ive seen people like you, a lot" His voice became softer, "My mother also begged others like this back then, was it of any use? It was not." Yi Wusheng heard thisst line and was stunned. Ning Huaishan was still squatting in a way that others couldnt see his expression. But he could notice that his w-like fingers were trembling. Yi Wusheng suddenly remembered when he saw this little devil decades ago. He was just thirteen or fourteen years old, as scrawny as firewood, looking like he could die from just a single hit. Only those two eyes revealed a defiant aggression At the time, he thought: Whos child is this, falling to evil ways and embarking on the wrong path. Now, decadester, looking at this devil again, he wasnt as thin as before, but still looked a little frail. When he squatted, his body seemed to be full of killing intent, but he held back his attack. Perhaps Gaoe reminded him of his beginning of embarking on that wrong path. "Its of use, its of use, there is a way" Gaoe continued to cry relentlessly. "Ha, what way? If you had a way, howe you still ended up in pieces like this? Look at you, worshiping those deities all day long. Now with you crying like this, is there any immortal willing toe down to help you?" Ning Huaishan said, "Let me teach you a lesson. Either try your hardest to live, or let everything go and die. Stop begging and stop crying, just ept" Before he could say the word "destiny", someone kicked him from behind. It wasnt a hard kick, and that was previously what made him mad! Ning Huaishan turned his face around, full of killing intent, and met eyes with his City Lord. Ning Huaishan: "" What did I do wrong this time! "You talk too much, chatterbox. After all that youre still standing here and not doing anything. Go to the side." Wu Xingxue used his feet to nudge him. Ning Huaishan: "" "I cant, shes still grabbing onto my feet," Ning Huaishan had a sense Wu Xingxue looked at that sharp, severed hand, You said that it is a way, Im guessing thats not something you made it. Lets hear it, what is the way you got? Gaoe immediately shouted, "Find a recement! Find someone to rece me!" "As long as someone reces me, I can return," she said in a loud voice that almost cracked from excitement. "Oh? Are you that certain? Did someone tell you that?" Wu Xingxue asked. Those few cultivation disciples were stunned for a moment, suddenly sparking insight. Not everyone knew about and could recognize a spirit-raising talisman. If a normal person was trapped inside this array and turned into a sinister being, causing trouble, they would mostly just abide by their fundamental nature theyre hungry, so theylle out to find some food to eat. Even if they subconsciously wanted to find someone to rece them, they should be wandering around in the valley, hoping an unlucky soul hits upon them. But these few were special. They knew to disguise, they knew to leave the valley to find people, and they even knew that the smell of incense could cover up their smell of corpses, making others unable to notice that they have already turned sinister. This indeed didnt seem like the instinct of a sinister being, it seemed more as if someone told them to do this. "Yes! Someone did, someone did" Gaoe said. Her reaction wasnt as fast as a living persons, so she kept repeating those two words. Everyone else immediately asked, "Who?" Gaoe said softly, "An immortal, an immortal told me." Immortal? Wu Xingxue remembered that Xiao Fuxuan had once said that there were many immortals from the Immortal Capital who did not have a peaceful end, like Yun Hai. Eventually, those immortals divine statues would end up just standing there, like a huge immortal tomb. Therefore, Gaoes reply was not too surprising for him. But as for the others, they didnt hear Xiao Fuxuan see that, so they were still puzzled, "How could an immortal tell you? How did you even know he was an immortal? Did you see him?" "No, I didnt," replied Gaoe, "Its a dream, an immortal sent me a dream." Hearing this, the broken body parts on the ground started to move riotously. Zhao Qini and the others confirmed her words, "Yes, its the same for us, we received a dream." With their mouths talking at the same times, everyone got a general sense of the situation These people were ordained toe to the Valley of Great Sorrow like they were sleepwalking. They ripped their limbs off and then folded themselves into the vacant little girl and boy statues. When everything happened, they didnt even have any clue about it, as they thought that it was just a bizarre dream. In the dream, they were inside a celestial temple, sitting cross-legged on the altars at each side of the temple, holding incense burners in their hands. They looked like real immortal envoys. As they recited scripture with other immortal envoys, they suddenly saw a tall shadow walk in from the door, telling them: You all are still tied to mortal affairs, and your burdens are yet to be cleared, so you be immortal envoys for now. I have to trouble you all to invite someone else toe. When their recements hade, they could go home. When they were startled awake, they found out that they were sealed in the little girl and boy statues already. They could never forget the terror they felt at that moment. "What did the immortal look like?" Yi Wusheng asked. This time, Gaoe and the others could even utter a word no matter how hard they tried. It was as if someone had deliberately sealed their mouths, casting a silencing technique on them. Learning that they had been cast with a silencing technique only made the crowd even more curious. However, after a round of asking, they still didnt get anything out of their mouths, so they could only give up. They asked instead, "Then did he ever tell you all what type of recement you should be looking for?" Because logically, if thesemoners wanted to find a recement, they could easily find some orphans, widows, or elderly people at the outskirts of the town. That would also meet the immortals requirements, so why did these people have to go through all the trouble and risk to find disciples from a cultivation sect? "He did, he said that the temple has everything it needs, but is only missing some celestial energy in the north, south, west and east sides." They surmised that celestial energy probably meant those in cultivation sects, after all, those people were cultivating to be immortals. Being the averagemoner they were, they didnt dare to go find any powerful cultivators, and after thinking about it, they decided that the easiest target would be those young disciples who had just entered the sect. Speaking of which, they had pretty good luck. One, there were many families who requested for help from cultivation sects, so what they did could be almost seen aspletely normal. Two, the Northern Frontiers had just copsed, and the most powerful cultivators from the big sects were either yet to return, or had just returned not too long ago, not having enough time to deal with such matters. And just like that, they caught these three little disciples. One of the cultivation disciples asked, "But arent you still missing one?" Gaoe said hesitantly, "We deceived as many as we could, if it doesnt work out, well just just find another opportunityter." "" Only now did the disciples realize what a terrifying event they had just avoided. The more they thought about it, the greener their face got. Yi Wushengs expression was also a bitplicated. He nced at Wu Xingxue, then looked at Zhao Qini and asked, "Then why did you choose him Young Master Cheng?" The disciples said they needed to find people with celestial energy. Here, other than the three cultivation disciples, there were at least two others they could pick. One was Xiao Fuxuan, and the other was Yi Wusheng himself. Even if they could tell at a nce that Xiao Fuxuan did not seem like an easy opponent, he was still him wasnt there? He was just some vestigial soul, and if he really fought, maybe he couldnt evenpare to the three little disciples. Zhao Qini also had some pretty terrible insight, intentionally skipping over him and choosing the one most diabolic one. Yi Wusheng originally just wanted to casually remark this, but then Zhao Qini grumbled and replied, "Out of the people with celestial energy, he looked the easiest to deal with." Yi Wusheng: "" Of the people with what??? At that moment, Yi Wusheng felt like either he was deaf, or Zhao Qini must be blind. *** Chapter 22: Worship Mark Chapter 22: Worship Mark It wasnt only Xiao Fuxuan. Others who were familiar with arrays could also tell that this was an enormous array. And every enormous array must have an array center. The array center contained the crucial array stone or the most important spiritual talisman. The array stone would often be inscribed with the imprint of the person who had ced the array, allowing others to be able to tell immediately who set up the array. The spiritual talisman would also clearly indicate the purpose of the array. If it was an array used for suppression, the talisman would state the name of the targeted individual, so as not to identally injure others. So when cultivators came across this type of array, they all had the habit of first looking for the array center. Yi Wusheng looked at the inteced light on the ground and carefully assessed it. After a moment, he frowned and pointed, "The array center is over there." The little disciples looked over. He was pointing to none other than the immortal-abolishing tform behind the bright blue mes. "This" "This might be a little too straightforward, is that the ce?" "To be honest, I also found out that this was the array center. But I thought it was just a type of deceptive illusion." The little disciples found this hard to believe. This was because generally speaking, people who set up an array wouldnt want their array to be destroyed easily. Therefore, they would at least spend some effort to try and hide the array center, a ce that one wouldnt expect it to be. However, this array was exactly the opposite It was almost obvious that this immortal-abolishing tform was the heart of the array, and yet the person who set this array chose to put the array center there. This was almost unbelievable. But it was also previously that they found it unbelievable that they didnt dare to believe it. Instead, they felt like they had missed something or had miscalcted. For a second, no one dared to move rashly. Even if the array was changed by the slightest, even just a single gravel or a piece of leaf, it would cause an earth-shattering difference. "Perhaps the person who set the array is trying to use reverse psychology against us?" one of the disciples mumbled. Yi Wusheng shook his head slowly, "He wouldnt take such a big risk with this big of an array." The little disciple: "Hmm, youre indeed right. If someone would deliberately set it up like this, then he or she must be a heavy gambler." " Yi Wusheng replied, "So it probably wasnt done intentionally, but rather there were no other options." But would they have no other options? Was it because their spirit wasnt sufficient enough to sustain theplex maneuvering of concealing the array center? Or was it that when they had set the array center, they were interrupted by something unexpected, forcing them to finish in a hurry? Bang- As everyone was puzzled, there was suddenly a loud noise in the round room. Bang- It sounded again. They were all startled and looked over to the origin of the sound. It was from the immortal-abolishing tform. Bang- When it sounded for the third time, everyone saw it. The Yao Pce and the immortal-abolishing tform all shocked violently, The door que, which only had a corner remaining, to begin with, smashed down onto the stone steps before the pce, shattering into powder. If the Yao Pce and the immortal-abolishing tform were like a delicate coffin, then that quake just now was as if the person sealed inside the coffin had suddenly woken up. It was pounding the lid, attempting to get out. Bang- The fourth sound rang out, making the cultivation disciples all jump up this time. "Watch out!" They drew their swords and prepared themselves, ready to strike. Suddenly, a gust of wind rose from the ground, howling through the air. A colossal force swept violently past the crowds bodies like hundreds of thousands of sharp des, piercing directly towards the immortal-abolishing tform. "Its the array!" "Its activated!" The enormous array in the room suddenly lit up, circting loudly as the immortal-abolishing tform shook. The array wouldnt reason with anyone at that moment. It wouldnt care whether people were still inside and would only unleash countless killing moves. Like a giant mountain, oppression fell from above without a warning! Roaring echoed endlessly throughout the cavern, and beneath the oppression, the trembling immortal-abolishing tform was crushed inch by inch into the ground, the bottom wedging itself deeper and deeper downwards amidst the flying rocks and debris. But what was even more tragic were the people. "AHHHH" The sharp and ear-splitting screams came from Gaoe and the others. Under the oppression, their severed limbs shattered. The little disciples held their swords high with both of their hands and pushed against the oppression, but they were still pressed down until their waists were bent. Their eldest martial brother suffered the most. Folded inwards, he spat out a mouthful of blood. Yi Wusheng wanted to help him, but right now, he couldnt even take care of himself. When the oppression came down, his pitiful vestigial soul lurched incessantly. The ck cloth over his nose and mouth was about to fail to keep his soul sealed as it showed a tear. By the time it getspletely ripped, his soul would be forced out and he would die here as well. Just as the oppression was about to descend a second time, the crowd suddenly heard the ring of a sword. In the next second, lightly pierced out from over their head. An enormous sword appeared as a hologram and acted like a barrier, blocking the second strike of oppression. When the oppression fell onto the holographic sword, golden light sshed outwards, and the loud crashing sound echoed through the Valley of Great Sorrow.1Okay, its a bit hard to describe here, and the raws didnt make it too clear either. Im not sure if Xiao Fuxuan just spawns a giant sword. The direct trantion is sword shadow, but what the heck is a sword shadow? Im imagining it like a holographic sword, but like it is materialistic and it can block attacks and stuff. Maybe like a spirit sword from Dragon Ball? I just learned of that after doing extensive research on this T_T. I think Ill use "spirit sword" instead of a holographic sword from now on, it sounds cooler. And before when I used "phantom sword", I was intending to refer to the same thing, spirit sword. Under the giant sword, everyone closed their eyes and shrunk back subconsciously. When they opened their eyes back up, they were shocked to find that the spirit sword was still standing strong, not budging by the slightest.2Okay if you didnt bother to click and read the previous footnote because it was too long, Ill be using "spirit sword" for Xiao Fuxuans holographic giant sword from now on. Please refer to the previous footnote for more details. Thanks!! At the same time, several beams of the same spirit sword surrounded the crowd, firmly enclosing them in the middle. The array continued to unleash killing moves, but inside the spirit sword, those moves couldnt approach them at all. That was Xiao Fuxuans sword energy. The cultivation disciples helped each other up and coughed away the blood in their throats, wanting to say thank you so much for the help. But when they lifted their heads, they saw that vaguely visible Mian character on the spirit sword. The disciples: "" "???" They were dumbfounded for a moment, and then quickly twisted their heads to look at Xiao Fuxuan. They used so much force that another surge of blood almost came out of their mouths. The youngest one said faintly. Martial Brother, I know how to recite the acimed sword register. Martial Brother: " who doesnt." The cultivation disciples of cultivation sects all studied two collections of archival illustrations: one was the immortal register, and the other was the acimed sword register. They knew them like the backs of their hands, and it wasnt until today did they realize it wasnt useful at all. They couldnt recognize any of the thirty-three immortals in the round room. In addition, the Celestial Immortal himself was by their side, and only now did they recognize him. "The paintings in the immortal register dont look like the real person at all," said one of the disciples. He then murmured, "But but wasnt the Celestial Immortal die already?" Did he just silentlye back to life? Can one get revived after dying? He was confused and full of questions, and his martial brother wasnt much better. "I dont know, but look at his neck, there is no "Mian" mark like illustrated on the immortal register." "What if hes not the real immortal himself?" "How am I supposed to know?" said the Martial Brother. He thought about it, then continued, "But, if he wasnt the real immortal, he shouldnt be able to use his "Mian" sword right? These celestial swords would only listen to their masters." They looked towards that sword on Xiao Fuxuans waist again, this time studying extremely carefully. It was the same as the one in the acimed sword register. The Acimed Sword Register has every immortal from Immortal Capitals sword registered, and almost all of them have a name, except for Xiao Fuxuans. No one knew what the name of his sword was, so they could only call it by the "Mian" character engraved on it. However, the legend said that Xiao Fuxuans sword had a name, but he didnt name it himself. No one knows where this legend came from either, let alone if its even true. *** Wu Xingxue looked at the golden spirit sword shielding in front of him. Looking at such an exceptional sword, he felt like it should have its name. He was about to ask the owner of the sword, but just then, the immortal-abolishing tform shook violently from beyond the spirit sword, almost like the thing beneath the tform had gotten even more agitated. The array started to spin even faster. The entire catb, no, the entire Valley of Great Sorrow was trembling, forcefully suppressing the thing underneath the immortal-abolishing tform. The crowd only felt their heads ring. The thirty-three divine statues slowly turned to face the immortal-abolishing tform, almost like a soundless besieging. Immediately afterward, when the agitation of the immortal-abolishing tform reached its peak, a vague voice suddenly sounded inside the catb. That voice was like a gust of wind rushing through the heavens, speaking a name, My disciple Yun Hai. "Yun Hai, cease your antics." "Yun Hai, quiet." "Yun Hai" That voice sounded together with the oppression of the enormous array. Every time the voice spoke a sentence, the oppression would slightly decrease. The violent shaking of the immortal-abolishing tform suddenly ceased. "Whose voice is this?" one of the cultivation disciples asked. "Mingwu Hua Xin" As someone from Hua Xin who had listened to immortal instructions, Yi Wusheng immediately recognized the voice. Before, they were about to use the array center to tell who this ce was suppressed. But now that the voice has spoken, there was no need. ording to rumors, Yun Hai had beenpletely devoured by devils, so Hua Xin had then yed all of them. Now, it seemed that this wasntpletely correct. It was more like Yun Hai had be a devil himself. Hua Xin couldnt kill him but couldnt let him free either, so he used a "never to see the light of day again" array to suppress him here, sealing him for hundreds of years. *** During the period after "My Disciple Yun Hai" was spoken and the immortal-abolishing tform calmed down, no one dared to lower their guards. "Did he get suppressed?" The disciples stared at the immortal-abolishing tform, not daring to blink. "Its hard to say," said Yi Wusheng. Its agitation waspletely sudden. Could this be because after we came in here, it had smelled the scent of living people and became hungry? Dont know, perhaps." Wu Xingxue listened to their discussion and wondered in his head. It was also at this time when he suddenly heard Xiao Fuxuan say, "Dont move." "What?" Wu Xingxue was stunned. "Lower your head." The nape was one of the most vulnerable ces of the body. No one would carelessly deliberately show this spot to others. Wu Xingxue almost instinctively squinted his eyes, but he still tilted his head down. When Xiao Fuxuans finger touched the back of his neck, the muscles on the side of his neck tensed. It was a very strange feeling, but fortunately, Xiao Fuxuan just gave it a gentle wipe and withdrew his hand. Wu Xingxue raised his head and rubbed his neck, feeling the warmth that was still there. He looked up, asking, "Whats wrong?" Xiao Fuxuan frowned and said, "There is an extra mark." Wu Xingxues hands stopped for a second, "Mark? What kind of mark?" Speaking of marks on the back of the neck, his first reaction was to think of Yi Wusheng, Hua Zhaoting, and the others who had been infected at the Valley of Great Sorrow. They all once had marks on the backs of their necks, and it was only that when the marks were discovered, they had already been mangled by scratching and wing, difficult to clearly distinguish. Sure enough, Yi Wusheng heard them and quickly came over, "A mark on the back of the neck? Is it the same as mine?" "They both urred in the Valley of Great Sorrow, and they both showed up on the same spot. Its most likely the case." Although Wu Xingxue couldnt see it, he could guess this much. Now finally, the mark on Yi Wusheng that was impossible to distinguish was about to reveal its original appearance. Unexpectedly, Yi Wusheng eximed, "This is a worship mark!" "Worship mark?" Wu Xingxue asked, "Are you saying the mark behind my neck is the same as those found on the little boy and girl statues?" "Yes," Yi Wusheng was stunned for a long time. He stroked the scar on the back of his neck and murmured, "Howe its a worship mark" While he spoke, Xiao Fuxuan had already taken the time to look at everyone elses necks. Wu Xingxue asked him, "Do they have it? "No," Xiao Fuxuan replied, his face cold. "Only me? This isnt fair." Wu Xingxue muttered softly. In his head, he was quickly trying to think of what he did that everyone else didnt. Now that he tried to recall, there was indeed one thing lighting incense. He was the only one who took three incense and lit them in front of those little boy and girl statues. Although his intention wasnt to burn these as offerings, he did burn the incense after all. If the reason why these worship marks appeared truly was because of offering incense, then the infections of those people at the Valley of Great Sorrow many decades ago could now be exined. Perhaps before entering the valley, to pray for a peaceful journey, they had visited the celestial temple at the valley entrance, offering incense to the immortal of the Valley of Great Sorrow who had disappeared long ago. Thus that person suppressed in the ground beneath the mountain valley generously took them in as adherents. Why is it a worship mark?" Someone asked in confusion, "Isnt that used for immortals to collect offerings?" Its the same principle. Yi Wusheng spoke in a daze, When immortals use it, all the incense and offerings received by the divine statues and immortal envoys engraved with worship marks go to the immortals real body. And if a devil uses it If a devil uses it, then everything consumed by the people imprinted with marks will also go to the devils real body. Yi Wusheng suddenly found this all both funny andmentable. He and Hua Zhaoting had struggled to survive for more than twenty years; in the end, it was all just to serve as someones little boy statue, unknowingly providing for this individual beneath the Valley of Great Sorrow. Oh! That little cultivation disciple quickly took out his brocade pouch and said to Wu Xingxue, Thank goodness, thank goodness, we brought some Dreamless Pills with us. After this type of mark appears, you need to eat one right away, it can make it go away. Wu Xingxue took it over, looked at it with some strangeness between his fingers, then returned it to the disciple, "I dont need it, please keep it. Itll be a waste to use it on me. "What do you mean you dont need it?" The disciple became distressed, "If you dont eat it, youll be possessed by a devil, youll turn into a devil!" "Im afraid I cant be possessed and nor will I transform." "Howe?!" The disciple was stunned. Wu Xingxue smiled at him, "Because I am already one~" Chapter 23: Interrogation Chapter 23: Interrogation The person behind him grabbed his shoulder and said, "Wu Xingxue" The voice was very low, and it sounded right beside the year. It was obviously a warning, but it also had a hint of helplessness. Wu Xingxue turned his head and saw Xiao Fuxuans sharp and narrow eyebrows when he had his head lowered. He suddenly felt that it was rather fortunate that this Celestial Immortal did note to the mortal world very often. Otherwise, just relying on this look of his, even if he didnt like to talk, plenty of girls would still fall for him. He suddenly felt moved, and asked back, "Did I say something wrong?" Xiao Fuxuan raised his eyelids. Wu Xingxue continued, "My body is a devil to begin with, and I was the one leading those things on a pilgrimage in the Hua Sect. And so I thought, it shouldnt be very easy for me to be possessed, after all, I am the Devil Lord. As for the dreamless pill, its not easy toe by either. Therefore, try to save them if you can. Immortal, what do you think?" "" Xiao Fuxuan didntment. He looked at his opening and closing lips, then looked away and straightened his body up, probably speechless at this moment. Unexpectedly, Wu Xingxue also added quietly, "Also, youre scaring the little disciples." Xiao Fuxuan: "?" It was hard to describe the Celestial Immortals expression when he heard this nonsense. Either way, Wu Xingxue found it funny But the little disciples at that moment were on the verge of going insane. At first, it was just "because I am already one". They were only frightened at that time. But after Xiao Fuxuan said "Wu Xingxue, they were sent awaypletely. The disciples scalps went numb and their heads went dizzy as they heard these three words. Thunders seemed to be crashing beside their ears, and their souls appeared to be leaving their bodies. Fortunately, Yi Wusheng, who couldnt stand this any longer, was there too. Since Xiao Fuxuan pressed the sword against him back on the carriage and told him to "swallow the words back", he has been practicing a script. He would constantly remind himself to not forget, and now was the perfect time to use it. He helped the disciple up and told him the nonsense of "how the Devil Lord was severely injured in the Northern Frontiers, and how an innocent soul ended up possessing his body." The disciple had a lot of trouble believing it. Just as he was trying to process how someone like Wu Xingxue would end up having a mortal possess his body, a cracking explosion was heard. The explosion shook the valley and everyone looked over in shock. They saw that the peaceful immortal-abolishing tform was now full of cracks, as if the thing under it had been umting power for a long time, and finally threw a heavy blow. ck devilish energy seeped out from the cracks, causing the cultivation disciples to shiver from fear. Goosebumps uncontrobly appeared over their bodies. On the floor, Gaoe and the others were also trembling. Their shattered bones made crackling noises during the process. The round room cooled down instantly, as if it had suddenly turned into an ice cer. "Whats going on with the array? Why does it seem like it has stopped?" One of the disciples murmured, subconsciously looking at the thirty-three statues. Only now did he suddenly realize that the round room had been silent for a while now. Hua Xins vague voice of "My disciple Yun Hai" has long disappeared. Theyer uponyer of constant oppression just now seemed to have exhausted thest bit of immortal power. The lighting from the enormous array slowly dimmed down, and the intecing patterns had also disappeared. Then, the sound of cracking noises sounded. The cultivation disciples all looked towards the immortal-abolishing tform, thinking that it was the tform breaking down. But immediately afterwards, they realized that the sounds werent from the immortal-abolishing tform, instead they were from the divine statues. Everyone looked over, just to see huge cracks starting to form on the divine statues. Wu Xingxue quickly looked at them and found that the origin of these cracks started at their worship mark and was quickly spreading up to the top of their heads. Boom The first statue crumbled and copsed. Boom The second one. Then the third, the fourth, the fifth Even if a single divine statue of that height copsed, it would still cause a devastating quake, let alone so many all at once. In a matter of seconds, the entire round room was filled with dust and smoke, and shattered rocks sttered everywhere. If it wasnt for the protection from Xiao Fuxuans spirit sword, everyone would have been buried alive by the flying rocks. In the blink of an eye, almost all thirty-three statues have already copsed into dust. Wu Xingxue looked through the mist of dust and saw that there were only four statues still standing. Those four statues were also full of cracks, and they were only barely staying up. "No more, no less, it just happened to be four," he muttered. The fog was too heavy at the moment to see clearly, but he guessed that the four statues should probably be two men and two women. Sure enough, one of the disciples in front of him had already called out, reading the names of the two remaining divine statues, and then added, "Two male immortals and two female immortals." Wu Xingxue looked towards Gaoe and the three others, finally understanding why they were "ordained." Each of the little boy and girl statues in the catb corresponds to the thirty-three divine statues. Each little statue provided offerings to a divine statue, and the offerings were immortal power, used to maintain the operation of the array. For each day that the divine statues continued to stand, the array would continue to run, and the Yun Hai underneath the immortal-abolishing tform would continue to struggle. Therefore, Yun Hai "ordained" thesemoners. Innocent mortals were brutally murdered, and then sealed into these little boy and girl statues. Those grievances, through the worship marks, were then transferred to these thirty-three divine statues When an immortal bes infected with ughter and evil resentment, how could his or her immortal powerst? In addition, these thirty-three were originally abolished immortals to begin with. Their immortal powers were probably also left behind by Hua Xin in the beginning. So with every suppression, their immortal powers would decrease. In addition to the evil grievances slowly eroding them, these statues would copse sooner orter. The call "My disciple Yun Hai" just now was probably thest attempt to keep him sealed. The reason the four statues did not crumble like the others was because Gaoe and the others came out of their little childrens statues after being sent a dream by the Immortal. Thus, their resentment towards the divine statue was less. When they first heard about the dream sent to them by the Immortal, everyone thought that the Immortal must be up to no good. But thinking about it now, the dream stated that they were still "tied to mortal affairs", and that there was some "missing celestial energy". That Immortal was probably trying to restore this giant array that was about to copse. Wu Xingxue thought about it for a while, then felt like the immortal who sent the dreams must be Mingwu Hua Xin. Everyone was just about to ask, but the situation did not allow them to speak another word. The four remaining statues were simply not enough to support the giant array. After the statues copsed, the immortal-abolishing tform also exploded abruptly and shattered to the ground. The ground suddenly opened up a deep trench. No one could see who was lying there; they could only see the thick ink-ck devilish energy being continuously released. They resembled a swarm of snakes, with numerous snake heads outstretched and their massive mouths and fangs slowly reaching outwards "Watch out" Yi Wusheng shouted. But it was still toote. The second they got touched by the devilish energy, it was as if they turned into mindless zombies: They walked out of the spirit swords protection. The next moment, the devilish energy attacked like a group of vicious pythons. "AHHHHHHH!" Following a few screams, those disciples became entangled in the ck devilish energy. They pulled their swords out in a panic, sending dozens of bright white flying swords into the darkness. But they missed, and their efforts were in vain. Perhaps the person lying in the deep trench was too hungry. The devilish energy took these three living people and started to send them downwards. Just before everything was toote, Xiao Fuxuans sword by his waist suddenly flew out. The sword hilt spun between his fingers, and the golden light from the de drew a huge sword flower in the air. He pressed his fingers on the silver hilt, and then gave it a push Sword energy came crashing down like a tsunami wave, frigid and acute sharpness rising dozens of feet in the air, shing down with full force. That sh came like a huge wave. The overwhelming evil energy was split in half, forcing it to let go of the disciples, who then fell onto the ground. They hurriedly went to grab their swords, but before they could, they heard a cold voice say "go". Immediately afterwards, they felt a golden light sweep over them, and they were swept back into the protection of the spirit sword. They turned their heads around, only to see that the devilish energy had gathered again and was soaring into the sky, almost filling the entire tomb. The Celestial Immortal stood there coldly with his sword and was drowned in the boundless ckness. "!!!" Everyones faces turned pale and they eximed. However, in the next moment, countless golden beams with sword chants stabbed straight out of the endless devilish energy. It was like the shining sun piercing through the clouds. The sword with the "Mian" character shot upwards, went through the devilish energy, turned its tip, and then mmed downwards with full force The moment it wedged into the ground, sparks sshed outwards, but it was also wrapped in cold wind and snow. Amidst the inteced extreme heat and coldness, all the devilish energy was swept away. Wu Xingxue saw Xiao Fuxuan holding the hilt of his sword, half kneeling in front of the deep trench. He passed through the protecting spirit sword, ignored the disciples trying to stop him, and walked over. The devilish energy dissipated, revealing the person lying down there. It was indeed Yun Hai. He looked very simr to how he looked in the divine statue. From this, it could be seen that the person who carved the divine statue in the catb was extremely familiar with his appearance. The divine statue was made of rock, with a hint of grayish-white color. He looked even more withered than that. If one added some vigor and blood to him, then he would definitely turn into a very handsome man. But at this time, he had his long hair scattered, tangled vines crawled on his body, and his robes were as dark as ink as the devilish energy swarmed around him. One couldnt tell that he was once from the Immortal Capital at all. The vines climbed all the way to his neck, and one of them stretched out long, with a huge but withered flower on the branch, which covered exactly half of his face. Wu Xingxue reached out to peel the flower off, but was grabbed and stopped by Xiao Fuxuan. But the wind from his motion still made the flower move slightly During the movement, the half of Yun Hais blocked face was faintly revealed. Wu Xingxue frowned. The other half of his face was handsome and delicate, and indeed made him look like an Immortal. But this half, it could be called terrifying covered with scars and shaped like a ghost. He didnt know how it ended up like this. And he definitely couldnt even imagine how Hua Xin reacted aftering to the Valley of Great Sorrow and seeing his disciple like this. Xiao Fuxuans sword suddenly moved, pulling back out from the stone. Under the shock of sword energy, everyone present heard a sound. It was like a clear bell ringing through a deep valley. With just one sound, the little disciples were all forced to squat down and cover their ears. "Whats that?!" Although they were really close to each other, they could barely hear. They almost had to shout. In the end, Yi Wusheng had to tap on each of their foreheads to return them to normal. He looked at Xiao Fuxuans trembling immortal sword and said, "That should be an Interrogation." Legend has it, when Celestial Immortal Xiao Fuxuan delivered his punishment, he would bring an Interrogation on behalf of the heavens, revealing the sins of the devil. Hence, in the ear-piercing sword chants and dissipating ck fog, they saw what happened hundreds of years ago. Chapter 24: Yun Hai Chapter 24: Yun Hai Trantors note: I saw ament on Novel Updates saying how they were confused about the timeline as the novel goes on. So I think it might be helpful for me to include a trantors note whenever we have major time skips to help you understand better in case you need it. All the events that take ce over the course of the next 3.75 chapters happened over the past century. These are Yun Hais memories being ryed to us, the audience, through Xiao Fuxuans interrogation. Hope this helps! Over a hundred years ago, the Wang Capital still existed in the mortal realm, located just next to Taiyin Immortal Mountain. The most important ce in Wang Capital was called Heavenly Inquiring Pce, which enshrined the Lingtai Twelve Immortals. This ce was responsible for divination with the heavens, and was also closely connected with the major cultivation sects. Two pce envoys were in charge of the Heavenly Inquiring Pce, and Yun Hais father was one of them. That job was both prestigious and dangerous, arousing both admiration and envy among others. During good times, they would have unparalleled luxury, but during bad times, it would be the end of them. Yun Hai first met Hua Xin at the Heavenly Inquiring Chambers guest residence. He was still young and pampered at the time, treating the Heavenly Inquiring Pce just like home. He frequently yed around in the corridors between the mansions. That day, he was chasing a pine marten in a corridor and almost ran into one of the guests here. Just before he collided, a sudden gust of wind came out of nowhere, and in the next moment, a hand was already pressing against his forehead. The people responsible for taking care of him shouted "be careful" and ran over. They hurriedly picked him up and took a few steps back, bowing their heads in front of the guest and looking cautious and frightened. Yun Hai, who wasnt afraid because of his ignorance, raised his head curiously. That day, Hua Xin was in his mortal appearance. He didnt have the white deer following him as drawn in the portrait, nor did he have his World-Lighting Lantern in his hand. He was wearing a in white robe, his hair was loosely tied, with an ordinary wooden hairpin running through it diagonally. This was the mostmon way people dressed on the streets of Wang Capital, but it still made everyone dumbfounded. When Yun Hai came back to his senses, Hua Xin had already walked to the end of the corridor and walked into the living room. The white robe swept across the high threshold, turned, and disappeared. Yun Hai turned his head, raised his face, and asked the person looking after him, "Who is that?" They gave a "shh" motion and carried him away from the living room. After bringing him to the courtyard, they whispered, "Hes the masters immortal friend." At that time, Yun Hai knew very little of the world, let alone the rules between immortals and immortals. He only ignorantly knew that: Strong with supernatural powers = Immortal. A close rtionship = Friend. That was what he thought of that "immortal friend". But onlyter did he find out, that person only appeared once every few years. *** The second time Yun Hai met Mingwu Hua Xin was six yearster. Wang Capital was in chaos and was covered in filth. The Heavenly Inquiring Pces envoys have long been changed. His father was framed, and most of the people in their manor lost their lives. Now, their family manor has barely anyone left. Although he was still young, he was the son of a sinner. He was not allowed to use his original name and was forced to follow a group of refugees to the south, arriving at Yuyang. At that time, Yuyang sealed the city gates in fear that they would be brought into chaos, leaving the refugees nowhere to go. They could only temporarily live in a deserted temple in the mountains. The winter of that year was freezing. Most of the refugees didnt even manage tost a single month. Hence, in the mountain temple, corpses clustered everywhere. Their strong resentment then attracted many devils and sinister beings. After the winter had passed, only a few people were still alive. Yun Hai was among them. One day, he stole food from a half-crippled yin being. The yin being broke his leg and scratched his left eye before he could hide in a cave. He curled up behind the cave rock, wiped the blood from his left eye, grabbed the piece of meat from which he had no idea where it came from, and was about to gorge it down. But suddenly, he saw antern shadow in the cold night of the mountain forest. It was already Yun Hais reflex to hide regardless of what he sees. But thatntern shadow was too fast. Before he could even take a step, the person holding thentern already appeared in front of him. Yun Hai remembered that face. Although he had only seen it once, he should not have remembered it, but for some reason, he remembered it so clearly as if it was carved in his head. Even after six years, he could still recognize it at a nce. He was none other than the guest at Heavenly Inquiring Pce back then, his fathers immortal friend. Yun Hai still looked up at him, exactly the way he did six years ago. At that time, his wide-opened eyes were full of curiosity. Now, one of his eyes was blinded, and his blood-covered face was numb. He dragged his broken leg, knelt behind a cold stone, and looked numbly at the person who had nced at him back then. Then he heard him say, "I am requested to pick you up." His voice was very pretty. Breaking through the cold night, almost made him feel warmth. Mortals were indeed weird. He didnt cry when his family manor perished. He didnt cry when he became a homeless beggar. He didnt cry while suffering in the cold and hunger, and he didnt cry after his leg was broken and his eye was blinded either But after hearing someone say that he was here toe to pick him up, his eyes turned red from the tears. Yun Hai clenched the dead flesh in his hand and looked at Ming Wu Hua Xin expressionlessly. When the other party reached out his hand, he suddenly burst out, grabbed the hand that was touching his forehead, and bit. He bit down hard, immediately tasting blood. In the smell of blood, he thought with resentment and hatred: Arent you an immortal friend? Since you are a friend, where were you when we were framed? Where were you when people died? Where were you when our family perished?! Who requested you toe here, and what right do you have to show up before me? These were all thoughts in his heart, but Hua Xin seemed to be able to hear those words. After a long while, the mellifluous voice sounded above his head, "Lingtai has its own rules, I cant interfere in those mortal affairs." The voice was gentle and pleasant, but there was no deep emotion not the grief of the death of a friend, not the guilt of a bystander, not even the slightest pity it seemed to be mere words from a cold heart. But after a long time, Yun Hai realized something: Immortals were supernaturalpared to mortals. He shouldnt even be able to bite him in the first ce, let alone for blood toe out. Yun Hai wasnt doing anything, just letting him bite and vent freely. Understanding this, he finally let go. Hua Xin didnt wipe the cuts and blood on his hands, but bent over to check his injured eyes and broken leg, and said, "Lets go, Ill take you back for treatment." Yun Hai tilted his head and dodged his hand. He said in a hoarse voice, "I cant walk." Hua Xin didnt mind about his resistance, but said a little surprised, "Your tongue is still there?" Yun Hai: "" "I thought you couldnt speak anymore," Hua Xin said as he raised his hand. A white deer walked out from the woods behind him. He ced Yun Hai on the deers back and led the deer down the mountain. Perhaps afraid that he would fall off, Yun Hai waspletely unable to move the moment he got on the deers back. He could only live off their obedience as Hua Xin asked, "How old are you?" Yun Hai sneered in his head and thought: You dont even know this and you dare to call yourself my fathers "immortal friend". Hua Xin replied calmly, "Years go by slower in the Immortal Capital, I dont remember these things." Yun Hai: "Eleven." Hua Xin asked again, "Your name is?" Yun Hao sneered in his head again. Hua Xin continued before waiting for a response, "From now on, yourmon name will not be used. This current generation goes by Yun, so you shall be called Yun Hai."1Sometimes, inrger sects, surnames (or sometimes the middle character forrge families) would be separated by generations, with each having a new one. In this case, it is Yun, which also means cloud in a more general sense. Yun Hai: "" Although he hadnt used his real name for a long time, and was indeed about to forget, after hearing this, he still felt very sorrowful. Since he couldnt move, he could only close his eyes in sadness. From then on, he was called Yun Hai. *** Mortals couldnt climb the thirty-three-story tower of Taiyin Immortal Mountain, so they naturally couldnt get to the Immortal Capital either. The ce Hua Xin meant when he said he was going to get him treated was in the Hua Sect. One could say that he found a ce to settle Yun Hai down, but in Yun Hais own eyes, Hua Xin was just ditching him at the Hua Sect. At that time, the Hua Sect was not yet at Peach Blossom Ind, and there were not as many disciples either. But they were also very prosperous. Most of the Hua Family disciples entered sword cultivation, and a small number entered medical cultivation. Regardless of what one cultivated in, they would always be loaded with work every day. Only Yun Hai was left out. He didnt have a sword, nor did he have any pill recipe to cultivate medicine. With nothing to do every day, he could only just walk around the Halls of Hua Sect after his eye and leg recovered. He asked the Hua Sect Sect Leader and the Elders of the various Halls what he should practice, or when he would obtain his own sword. But in the end, the elders and the sect leader only praised his talent and luck. They said how he was a rare genius with excellent roots, and how bright his future would be as the personal disciple of the leader of the Lingtai Immortals, Hua Xin. They said that they must not tamper with his disciple, and that Yun Hai must wait for the Immortal Leader himself toe and teach. "But when is heing?!" Yun Hai said. The Sect Leader and the elders couldnt reply and justughed dryly. After repeating this several times, Yun Hai knew that there was nothing anyone could do for him and stopped asking those questions. Sometimes, when other disciples practiced swords, he would look and try to learn. When other disciples cultivated medicine, he would try to learn the process as well. But more often, he spent his time in the library. There was a divine statue and a portrait of Hua Xin in the library. He sometimes would grab a handful of books and just sit in front of the portrait all day. Half in a daze, halfining. As a high-spirited teenager, he couldnt bear being ignored. Besides, he really wanted to learn something and be capable. He was inexplicably ignored like this for two years, until he almost lost his temper, and only then did he meet Hua Xin again. Hua Xin seemed to have forgotten his only disciple. In fact, when he came to the Hua Sect, it wasnt even for Yun Hai. didnt. But naturally, Yun Hai would definitely not miss the opportunity and grabbed Hua Xin before he left. He first obediently called "Master", before starting, "Everyone in the sect is cultivating, except for me whos left out. Master, do you regret taking me in? If so, please tell me, I will leave on my own." Being spoiled as a child, he had a bit of arrogance on him. Later when he became a beggar, he also became a little sharp and sensitive. Now, both his arrogance and his sensitivity were written on his face, unable to be hidden. Hua Xin didnt intend to answer him originally, but after looking at his face for a long time, he still exined, "Your roots are indeed excellent, a true prodigy. If you really want to cultivate, you would ascend to an immortal much easier than others. You dont have to be in a hurry." "Then how long do I have to wait?" Yun Hai asked. "Until you are suitable to hold a sword," replied Hua Xin. Yun Hai was unrelenting, "In what ways am I not suitable?" Even after a time, Yun Hai still remembered the look in Hua Xins eyes at that moment. It was calm, as if he knew everything. He said, "Because you are always thinking about killing all those who framed your father, thinking about torturing those people and making them pay with blood." Yun Hai was silent, then finally said, "Master, you are indeed wise. These are my precise thoughts. But am I wrong for that? Does cultivation have to be emotionless? No love, no hatred, no revenge, no resentment? To just be like you? To just calmly look at themon people suffer and do nothing?" Hua Xin didnt answer. Yun Hao kept staring at him until his eyes were red, just like when he was struggling to survive while holding dead flesh in the stone cave. Hua Xin finally said, "You dont have to be like me. Cultivation is a long road, the path youre looking for is too short." "How is it short?" Yun Hai shouted. "Killing is nothing more than a sh from your sword. Then what? You have no further goals to keep you moving." Then I will worry about that after I have aplished my former goals. Yun Hai said in his heart. But he just moved his lips, and in the end, he bowed, "I understand, I Ill try." To a certain extent, he was indeed a genius. After he said he would try, one couldnt see any other thoughts in him. He no longer desperately wanted a sword, he no longer cared about the medical ingredients, and simply continued to stay in the library, day after day. Another two years passed like that. During the two years, Hua Xin came to Hua Sect three times. Yun Hai would always be in the library, and he never came out to seek an exnation from his master. When Hua Xin met him again, he waspletely different from the boy holding dead flesh in the cave. In the words of the sect leader and the elders, Yun Hai had the most likable temperament among the disciples of the Hua Sect. He could make funny jokes and y all day, he could get along very well with everyone. He had an unhurried energy, very much like an immortal. That year, he was only sixteen. Upon hearing this, Hua Xin decided to continue testing him for another year. Hence, at the age of seventeen, Yun Hai received his own sword. *** Once, before the world had forgotten about him, there was such a description of Yun Hai A once-in-a-decade genius. After getting his own sword at the age of seventeen, he worked diligently for eight years. In eight years, he cultivated to a level that most people never achieve in their lives, ascending to immortal. He had a close rtionship with his master, and from then on, they stayed there in the Immortal Capital. Because he was so young, the day Yun Hai ascended has be a topic that immortals would often talk about. But for Yun Hai himself, what he remembered the clearest was not how he climbed the Taiyin Immortal Tower, nor how he entered the Immortal It was the two people that he met. Chapter 25: The Spirit King Chapter 25: The Spirit King As soon as Yun Hai entered the Immortal Capital that day, there was a Lingtai Immortal envoy with a long piece of jade in his hand waiting for him. The immortal envoy looked at him and greeted him with a smile, "Novice Official." Immortals liked to speak thest syble lightly, with an upwards tone. These two words sounded very pleasant to the ear and even gave a feeling of intimacy. He asked, "Novice Official?" The Lingtai immortal envoy replied, "Any immortal who has not been given an immortal title yet is called this way." Yun Hai: "Does everyone have to call me that?" The Lingtai immortal envoy nodded, "Everyone." Yun Hai: "Even the Immortal Leader?" The envoy didnt know how to reply for a second: "?" Yun He waved his hand, "Never mind, it was just a random thought." The Lingtai immortal envoy led him up a very long staircase and pointed to the distance, "Novice Official, all the new members of the Immortal Capital must go to the Lingtai1Lingtai directly trantes to "Spiritual tform" to worship the heavens and receive a Heavenly Decree, then go see the Lingtai Twelve Immortals. After all, almost all the immortals at the Immortal Capital honor and respect the Lingtai Twelve Immortals, especially Immortal Leader Mingwu.2riendly reminder that Mingwu is Hua Xins Immortal Title Yun Hai was naturally extremely happy. After all, Hua Xin didnt visit the mortal realm often, and he could only meet him a few times a year at most. "Wait, you said almost?" Yun Hai asked. "Yes," exined the immortal envoy, "there are two exceptions." He should have exined this to many newly ascended immortals. Seeing Yun Hais curiosity, he exined, "Those two didnt ascend through cultivation, but rather, were ordained directly by Heavens." He first exined to Yun Hai what it meant to be ordained, then continued, "All the decrees of the Heavens are directly passed into those twos hands, not the Lingtai. No one else can read them, and naturally, the Lingtai Twelve Immortals have no say over them either." "They ept Heavenly decrees directly?" Yun Hai was shocked. "Indeed." Due to the influence of Heavenly Inquiring Pce, Yun Hai has always thought that the Lingtai Twelve Immortals were the top of all immortals, and Mingwu Hua Xin was the leader of the twelve. Now, hearing that there were two people whose position was even higher than that, he really couldntprehend. "Then doesnt that mean theyre even ranked higher than the Immortal Leader" said Yun Hai. The Lingtai immortal envoy couldnt find a proper way to reply either. After all, he was an immortal of the Lingtai. After a pause, he said while trying to avoid the question, "Those two do not have to care about anything. They dont depend on offerings, they are not under themand of the Lingtai, and they do not interfere with the affairs with other Immortals. They simply have a mediocre rtionship with everyone." "What do those two look like? What are their immortal titles? Are they easy to recognize? Do I have to avoid them if I see them?" After all those questions, Yun Hai gave a smile, "I like to joke around. If I identally offended them because I didnt know who they were, that wouldnt be too good. Can you please tell me more?" The immortal envoy replied, "One of them has the Immortal Title of Tianxiu3Note, I will be calling Celestial Immortal (Xiao Fuxuan), Tianxiu Immortal from now on. I did not know Tianxiu was his immortal title. My deepest apologies for the previous mistrantions. When ordained, he was given the word Mian4Friendly reminder that Mian means to pardon or to forgive by the Heavens. He is in charge of punishment and forgiveness, and he has three mourning nails on his ear bone. Hes rather easy to recognize. Yun Hai: "Mourning nails? Why are they called mourning?" The Lingtai immortal envoy replied, "Dunno, everyone calls them that. Tianxiu was ordained a very long time ago, before the Lingtai Twelve Immortals was even a thing. All immortals respected and feared him. In addition, he doesnt have a very good temper, so no one dares to ask too much about him." Yun Hai said in his head: Uhh, then I guess Ill try to avoid him if I can. "Then whos the other one?" "The other one the other one was ordained even earlier," replied the immortal envoy, "His Immortal Title is Spirit King, and when ordained, he was given the word Zhao by the heavens."5Here, Zhaos direct trantion is to illuminate or to reveal Spirit King Yun Hai was still waiting for further information when he suddenly saw the immortal envoy in front of him stop. He seemed to have seen someone behind him, as he quickly turned his full body towards him, held his jade in front, and gave a very formal bow. Yun Hai was just about to see who it was for the immortal envoy to bow so respectfully to, when he heard him say, "Master6Note, the word Master here is just a respectful prefix, not really a teacher/owner rtionship. Once ones position is high enough, he or she can naturally get this title. People of higher rank can call someone of lower rank "Master XX" as well, although not verymon. Simr to the suffix sama in Japanese, its only something other people call you, not something youll call yourself with. Tianxiu, its good to have you here at Lingtai." Yun Hai was stunned for a moment. He quickly turned his head around and saw Tianxiu Immortaling up the stairs from behind them. He looked extremely young, and had a cold yet handsome face. Among the numerous immortals, he was indeed very easy to recognize, because even though they were still several stair-steps away, one could clearly sense the strong sinister energy from his mourning nails. They looked as cold as an icy jade, and he gave off a conflicting sense of both arrogance and coldness. But it was just that Tianxiu wasnt very good at rtionships, not that he was trying to be arrogant or rude. He gave a nod toward the immortal envoy and then said, "Im here for something." The Lingtai immortal envoy replied, "We have a new Novice Official ascend today. The Immortal Leader and the others are yet to meet him. Can I bring this Novice Official to them first?" Hearing "new Novice Official," Yun Hai smiled and also gave him a respectful bow, "If you guys need to go to the Lingtai, please go on ahead. I can wait." "No need." Tianxiu nced over and nodded at him. Then he still said in a low and indifferent voice, "Go on with your worship, I am not looking for Hua Xin." While speaking, the cold mist at the entrance of Immortal Capital moved, and the greetings of the gatekeepers and other envoys also came from afar. They all sounded very respectful. What a lovely day. Yun Hai thought as he was about to lift his feet and continue to walk up. But he saw that Tianxiu Immortal paused for a second, looking over the steps to the entrance. Then, the Lingtai immortal envoy also quickly bowed again, paying his respects to what was over there. Yun Hai turned around curiously and saw a figure passing through the cold fog. That figure was wearing a in robe with a color of white jade. His sleeve cuffs were very loose, with silver dark lines printed on them. He looked tall and his legs looked long, giving off a noble and dignified look. After passing through the cold fog, he did not continue walking, but turned sideways and seemed to be waiting for someone. A momentter, two servant boys followed behind. One of them was holding a longsword in his arms, muttering andining, "Master, its really heavy." The sword was very beautiful, and the scabbard was carved with fine silver wire. But looking at the way the servant boy was struggling to step forward, it looked like it was certainly very heavy. "Not as heavy as you~ Ill take it." The man replied. Hearing this, the servant boy immediately "came back to life". He quickly tossed the sword forward, and the man caught it. The sword twirled lightly in a few circles between his long fingers and was firmly grasped again. He turned around and walked up the steps with his sword in hand. 7Important detail here pay attention wink wink Only then did Yun Hai realize that the man was wearing a mask. That mask, like the sword sheath, was decorated with very beautiful andplex fment patterns, also revealing extravagance. Among the immortals, they were as easy to recognize as the Tianxius mourning ear cuffs. 8My fault again. I has always been using mourning nails :skull: They should be ear cuffs. Yun Hai whispered to the Lingtai immortal envoy: "He is" The Lingtai immortal envoy replied quietly, "He is the other person I was talking about." When he was walking up the steps unhurriedly, the sunlight shone through the cold mist of Immortal Capital, giving his slender outline a bright edge. Yun Hai suddenly remembered the word given to him by the Heavens, Zhao. "Why does the Spirit King wear a mask? Is there some sort of taboo?" He asked again. The Lingtai immortal envoy continued in his quiet voice, "Not really a taboo, its just that every time he receives a Heavenly decree, he would goplete the task with a mask on." "What kind of tasks?" "Only the Heavens know." The envoy spoke nothing more. Yun Hai originally thought that the Spirit King would be as cold and unapproachable as Tianxiu, but he soon found out that he was wrong. The Spirit King walked up a few steps, then suddenly stopped. He was wearing a mask, but he seemed to be able to see clearly, as he tilted his head slightly in the direction of Tianxiu. He didnt speak, but his two servants gave Tianxiu a bow and shouted across the steps, "Master, our Master said the prank earlier is just a misunderstanding, well apologize!" Tianxiu showed no expression. Hearing them shout, he moved him slightly, then said, "Forget it." "Master, he said forget it!" The servant boy showed a smile. The Spirit King gave a soft "oh", and lifted the lower edge of his mask, revealing some of his white chin and nose. He smiled as well, then let go of his hand, and the mask covered back onto his face. He pushed his servant boy with his sword and then walked in the other direction. Perhaps it was because Yun Hai had already met those two on the first day he arrived at Immortal Capital. He had an early impression of them before he met the other immortals, and hence he was not deeply affected by others rumors. So in the next hundred years, he became one of the few people in Immortal Capital who had somewhat of a friendship with both of those two people. His rtionship with Tianxiu Immortal was a bit lighter, after all, Tianxiu had his unusual temperament there. Also because he was in charge of punishment and forgiveness, there was almost no personal affection for him. His rtionship with the Spirit King was a little better, it was also because of his temperament. Although he had a friendship with them, Yun Hai was still curious for a while: it was obvious that the Spirit King was not a cold and unsocial person. In fact, he was the exact opposite; he was a person who loved lively fun. Yet, for some reason, he chose to live in a rather remote area. In the huge Immortal Capital, there were tens of thousands of Yao Pces. But he lived farthest from the rest of the immortals. Not only was that a lonely ce, it was also next to the immortal-abolishing tform which everyone avoided. He asked the Spirit King before: "Is this the kind of ce you like?" The Spirit King replied, "It works." He also mentioned it to Hua Xin once, who replied, "I dont know, he probably has his own reasons." Lingtai and those two have nothing to do with each other, and Hua Xin was the kind of person who wasnt curious about others. So when they were together, they rarely talked about those things. More often, Yun Hai was trying to make the Master happy. or unhappy. Perhaps when Hua Xin went to pick him up, the look of "no sorrow and no joy" was stuck in his heart for too long, so that he had an obsession for a while. He wanted some expression on his Masters face. Unlike the divine statues and the portraits gentle smiles, what he wanted was real happiness or anger Anything was better than nothing. Sometimes, while he rejoiced because he made the Masterugh, he also himself in his heart He found this strange too. In the mortal world, he worked hard to cultivate, in hopes that he could one day step into the Immortal Capital. But now that he was really here, he was doing everything in his capabilities just to try and make the most immortal-like Immortal Leaderugh. He has failed many times, but seeded many times too. Even the immortal envoys began to say that the Immortal Leader seemed to be different from before. Once, he looked at the way Hua Xin wasughing and thought to himself: Living like this with his master for a few decades is pretty nice. At least much better than the beggar he was back when he was a mortal. Butter, he found that wouldnt work. Yun Hai was in charge of mortals joy and sorrow, basically the single immortal that has to deal with the most with mortals. Inevitably, he had to meet those who he once swore to kill. He avoided them three times, but on the fourth time, he couldnt hold back anymore. Those people originally were supposed to live a long life, which angered him even more. He killed them all. A total of thirty-one people, still less than the number of his family members that were killed along with his father. After killing them, he knelt in front of the Lingtai, waiting for Heavenly punishment. That was the first time he saw Hua Xin being infuriated. Chapter 26: Immortal Abolished Chapter 26: Immortal Abolished Trantors Notes: Important changes to the previous chapter that I just edited. After some additional research, I figured it should be Tianxiu, not Tiansu. Yes, I messed up, again The word has 2 different pronunciations, su being the most popr one. But there is also another pronunciation as xiu, which in this case is the trantion for a cluster of stars in the sky. In Ancient China, they separated the sky into 28 different sections, and each section is known as a xiu. Another thing I changed is that instead of the nails on Xiao Fuxuans ear, they should be known as ear cuffs. Hopefully that gave you an ah ha, so thats what it is. Sorry please forgive me for all the misunderstands I might have brought and please enjoy this chapter >< The Lingtai is not simply a pce or just a tall tform. It was twelve colossal mountains, connected by jade corridors. Each of the Lingtai Twelve Immortals had its own, and the tallest one belonged to Mingwu Hua Xin. Each mountain also had a ce used to issue punishments, and each had its own torturous methods. Yun Hai was unarmed, walking on the path of punishments. By the time he got to Hua Xin, though he was still standing, he could barely take another step. His clothes which used to be intertwined with celestial energy were now dripping with blood. There were even res on him remaining from one of the punishment tforms. He would forever remember the look Hua Xin had at that time. He was certain that in his dark and gloomy eyes, there was a hint of pain. Even though Yun Hai was dripping with blood, he still gave a smile. "Yun Hai!" Seeing his smile, Hua Xin grew even more furious, "You" This was the first time Yun Hai angered his master to the point where he became speechless. After all, his master has always been very reasonable He was a calm and nice person, who would never go too far in anything. The world is full of tasks and stresses, and it is no different in the Immortal Capital. But nothing has ever been as troublesome for Hua Xin as this. Im such an asshole. Yun Hai thought. "On the day you entered the Immortal Capital, what oath did you make on my Lingtai? When you epted the Heavenly decree to ascend, everything was written clearly on what you can do, and what you must not do. Do you think that was just a piece of trash?" Hua Xin scolded.1Okay I said before that only Spirit King and Tianxiu can directly ept Heavenly decrees, but these decrees mentioned here arent really orders, theyre just like "ascension documents" from the heavens to dere the ascension of a new immortal "I do not," replied Yun Hai, "Master, I remember. I know the consequences." Before Hua Xin said anything, Yun Hai continued, "But I got my revenge." "I got my revenge," repeated Yun Hai, "I cant let those scumbags live a happy and healthy life in the mortal world. You know what Im like, they have no right to live a long time, it doesnt make sense." With that, he walked to the punishment tform. Twelve mountain peaks, and twelve punishment tforms, each with its own tormenting methods. Hua Xin silently watched him walk up the chain-tied tform, and then turned around after a very long time. He said with his back towards Yun Hai, "There are many things in the world that are unreasonable. After you take care of one thing, then youll have to go take care of all the other matters in the world. Sooner orter" Yun Hai knelt down on the stone tform, waiting for Hua Xin to continue. But what he waited for didnte, as Hua Xin gave a pause, and then went silent. The reason was beyond obvious He didnt want his words to identally be a prophecy, afraid that his disciple might really "sooner orter", so he stopped there. Yun Hai understood this and became happy. With a wave of Hua Xins sleeve, the stone door of the punishment tform fell. Seeing his back disappearing outside of the door, Yun Hai stopped smiling and lowered his head, sinking into silence. Lingtais punishments were very excruciating. Even if one was an immortal, even if one had the most stubborn personality, after going through all twelve punishment tforms, they would still end up being barely alive and their spiritual powers significantly weakened. When Yun Hai regained consciousness, he was at Hua Xins residence. The wounds on his body had already been treated with spiritual medicine, and had almost healed. His weakened spiritual powers have also been restored. Although he could never be as before, at least it wouldnt have a significant impact on him. He knew who did all this for him without even thinking. The first thing Yun Hai did after waking up was to look for Hua Xin. But in therge pce, Hua Xin was nowhere to be found. A few servant boys told him: "Novice Official, Immortal Leader said that after you wake up, you can leave by yourself." He has long been given an immortal title, so technically, he shouldnt be called "Novice Official" anymore. But since he was a funny guy who would often tease them around and confuse them, theyve always been calling him "Novice Official". Only Hua Xin called him "Yun Hai" every time. He was closest to him, and would often add "My disciple" in front. "What if I dont leave?" Yun Hai asked that servant boy, "Did the Immortal Leader tell you to force me out?" The boy shook his head, "He did not." "Immortal Leader hasnt been here recently. If you feel ufortable, you can live here for a few days longer." The boy said this very friendly, which made him feel even warmer in his heart. Yun Hai sat beside the bed for a while, then shook his head and smiled. "Its okay, Ill leave now. Tell him" He was silent for a moment, before continuing, "Thanks for the medicine and spiritual powers, and sorry for the trouble." The boy was stunned for a second, and before he knew it, Yun Hai already left. Ever since, he has slowly gone astray. He didnt do it on purpose, but it was just as Hua Xin had said. Countless unreasonable things existed in the world. At first, he only wanted to care about that one thing and then never meddle with the mortal world again. But he soon found out that he couldnt; he had no choice but to start caring about a second thing Because this second thing was caused by the first thing he interfered with. The story wasnt thatplicated. He was in charge of sorrow and joy, so naturally, he has seen all sorts of happy gatherings and reunions, and some not-so-happy separations. Sometimes, a person would have a happy marriage, and then a few dayster, have an unfortunate death. He often sighs, but he wouldnt intervene when he shouldnt. After all, these are all the norm. Even immortals couldnt avoid parting and reuniting, and asionally, some immortals even get banished back to the mortal realm. But one day, he saw a little girl kneeling in front of his divine statue. The girl was only in her mid-teens. She was supposed to be pretty, but was already dead. What was in front of his statue was the girls ghost that refused to go away. She was wearing a wedding dress with some talisman embroidered on it. She probably just had a ghost marriage arranged for her. Her skin was pale, and her eyes were hollow, dripping with bloody tears. Her lips were sealed so she couldnt speak that was a way some folks would use to avoid the dead from snitching. She carried a strong murderous intent. Others could probably understand what she wanted without her even having to speak. People like her often had a ruined family. No one to take care of them, and then kidnapped to be a yin bride. The only thing she wanted was probably for her kidnappers to die a terrible death. She, like many others who shared the same fate, could only ask for her assants to suffer the same pain as she did, or if possible, more. Her eyes were gouged out, and the people who did so should receive the same suffering. She died a tragic death, and so should them. But this was not possible, as karma didnt work this way. ording to the rules of the god of sorrow and joy, Yun Hai had the right to intervene, but only to a certain extent. He must stop before things go too far. That was what he originally nned to do as well, even though usually, "stopping before things go too far" wouldnt get many results out. It was until he traced back a few years before the little girls tragic death He found out that the reason her family perished and she was left with no one was because when she was very young, her parents were murdered by their haters. And that hater was none other than Yun Hai himself. Her parents were two of the people who framed Yun Hais family back then. Now, even if he didnt want to, he had to take care of this matter. Otherwise, he would be the "unreasonable and unjust person in the little girls eyes. But that was only the beginning. Later, countless times, every time Yun Hai came back from the mortal realm, he would lock himself inside his residence. He finally understood what Hua Xins unfinished words were Of those vast andplicated things, if he interfered with one, he would have to continue. The second one, the third one, onwards. Eventually, creating a whole chain effect of things. One persons enemies might be another persons saviors. A person that he wanted to kill might be the same person someone else wanted to protect. Things would only get more and more entangled andplicated. Eventually, his existence would be the biggest "unreasonableness". From the moment he killed those thirty-one people, this day was already destined toe He repeatedly vited the Heavenly rules of Lingtai. Hua Xin received numerous Heavenly decrees to banish him over and over again. From the God of sorrow and joy, who received the most offerings and worshipers, to the God of Valley of Great Sorrow, a ce that no one cared about. In addition, the number of offerings and incense in the mortal realm also seemed to affect the Immortal Capital. As he started to receive less of those, he slowly became dested in the Immortal Capital as well. Yun Hai was a sensitive person. At first, he thought that even immortals could not escape snobbery. Perhaps there were some, but he soon realized that it was the Heavens making others forget him. When other immortals regrly meet him, they would naturally know who he is. But for some reason, if hes not seen, others wouldnt be able to remember him at all. The only person who didnt seem to be affected by that was Spirit King. Not long after he entered Immortal Capital, he asked Hua Xin, "Tianxiu is in charge of punishment and forgiveness. Then what is Spirit King in charge of? I rarely hear others talk about it." At that time, Hua Xin thought about it and replied, "He is in charge of things that immortals cant handle. But I dont know the specifics either." At the time, Yun Hai was very puzzled. There were so many immortals that almost every corner of the world could be covered. Was there anything that even troubled immortals? He always felt that it was a lie just to praise the Spirit King. Later, he realized that perhaps that wasnt a lie, nor was it something said just to praise him higher. For a while, Yun Hai was always uneasy, so he often went to Spirit Kings ce, as he was one of the few people who still remembered him. But after all, it was right beside the abandoned immortal-abolishing tform. Soter, the ces he would go to most frequently were the Lingtai and Huaxins residence most of the time. Of all things, what he was afraid of the most was that one day, even Hua Xin wouldnt remember that he had a disciple named Yun Hai. *** Rumors say that there was a mysterious Heavenly Bell located in the Immortal Capital. None of the immortals could see it, yet asionally, one could hear the faint ringing of the bell. Every time the bell rang, it meant that another immortal had been banished to the mortal world. 2I just became aware that Ive been using "world" and "realm" interchangeably. Dont worry about it too much, banished to the mortal world means the same thing as being banished to the mortal realm, basically no longer an immortal. Yun Hai had heard it a few times, but he still couldnt find where the bell was. Until one day, he saw it with his own eyes. It was a rare long night in Immortal Capital. He sat by his window, looking at the thick fog, and suddenly wanted to go see Hua Xin. The thought came out of nowhere. He was stunned for a moment, and then nned to close the window and leave his Yao Pce. As soon as he held onto the windowttice, he heard a soft sound, as if the pendant around his waist or the sword collided. Did someonee? Yun Hai hastily turned around and saw Spirit King. He was wearing a white jade crown as well as his mask with some silver threads. He stood tall with cold fog around him, just like how Yun Hai met him for the first time back at the entrance of the Immortal Capital. Only at that time, he was covered with bright light. This time, there was only the darkness of the night. Yun Hai looked at him and was startled. He asked, "Why are you still wearing a mask when visiting friends?" The Spirit King seemed to sigh lightly, "Do you think I look like Im visiting friends?" True. Not only did he not look like he was just here to visit, but he also didnt bring his servant boys either. He even didnt carry his sword, which he loved dearly. Yun Hai stood stiffly, and at that moment, there was almost a sense of confrontation between the old friends. The Spirit King didnt move and didnt speak. In the end, Yun Hai spoke first, "Spirit King you are here to bring out a Heavenly decree." Spirit King gave an "mm", then continued, "Since youve guessed that far, then you should know what Im here for." Yun Hai smiled bitterly, "So, its time for me to return to the mortal realm?" Spirit King didnt reply, which could be counted as a yes. Yun Hai: "I thought all I had to do was jump off the immortal-abolishing tform." He has always thought that to be banished back to the mortal realm was just simply standing on the immortal-abolishing tform and then jumping down. It was until this night, when Spirit King came with a Heavenly decree, did he find out that things were not as simple as he had thought. First, his spiritual powers had to be removed and all his connections with the Immortal Capital had to be cut. The process was extremely fast, onlysting for a blink of an eye. But due to the painfulness, time seemed to be stretched indefinitely long. Under unbearable pain, he saw Spirit King hook something on his finger. It seemed like it was a white jade-colored bell, he couldnt see clearly, but heard a bell ring. He suddenly understood where the mysterious bell in Immortal Capital was. It was not hung under the eaves of some corridor, but was carried by Spirit King this whole time. "Heavenly Bell" Yun Hai said hoarsely. Spirit King shook his head, his voice was vague and distant to him, "The immortals spread this rumor out of nowhere. This isnt a Heavenly Bell, its called a Dream Bell." Dream Bell Yun Hai curled up, subconsciously repeating the name. He heard Spirit King continue, The mortal realm isnt that bad really. Theres a ce called the Falling Flower Mountain Market. Its really lively there, much better than the Immortal Capital. After I shake this bell nine times, you will fall into a deep dream. After you leave the immortal-abolishing tform and wake up, you will forget everything in the past century. You wont feel so bad then." His entire past. All of that would be gone after he opened his eyes again. Was this why there would be the sound of a bell every time an immortal was banished back to the mortal realm? They would forget everything. They would forget everyone. Without spiritual powers, the body of an ordinary person could notst very long in Immortal Capital. Yun Hai was already losing consciousness, but he was still fighting to stay awake. When the white-jade bell rang, he gathered hisst bit of immortal power, as well as half of his soul, to try and block it. Throughout his life, he would never give up unless he must, and even if he must, he still wouldnt give up. He didnt want to forget everything. *** In the few years when Yun Hai just returned to the mortal realm, nothing much happened. Although he tried desperately to block the powers of the bell, the bell still took an effect. He still forgot everything that happened in the past century, and only vaguely felt like he had a dream. He dreamed of himself breaking a leg and getting blinded in one eye. When he was starving and dying, an immortal carried him onto the back of a deer. He had mentioned that dream to many people, but every time he talked about it, he would always miss a lot of details, and could only try and quickly end it in a few sentences. He couldnt describe any of the settings, but for some reason, he was certain that it was a cold mid-winter night. He was shivering, and that immortals hand was the only source of warmth in the endless coldness. Because of that inexplicable dream, he started to attempt to learn spiritual powers, trying to get closer to the immortal from his dreams. He had begged many cultivation sects, but not a single one officially epted him. They all said that he was born with ws, that he couldnt condense internal energy, that he couldnt form a core, and that he wasnt suitable to cultivate. Later, when the world fell into chaos, he wasnt even strong enough to protect himself. He could only hide and live like a refugee. One night, he encountered a scavenging devil. Unable to defeat it, the devil took over his body. The feeling of his soul being devoured was no different from other physical pain. He screamed in agony. When he curled up on the ground in pain, he suddenly felt a sense of familiarity. There seemed to be another time in the past when he was also curled up like this, fighting with all his might. It seemed to be against a bell. This had to be the worlds most painful and ironic thing When he was about to die, he remembered the forgotten hundred years. He remembered that the immortal and the white deer were not from an empty dream. A hundred years ago, there really was such an immortal who gave him help. He remembered that the immortal took him as his disciple, praising him that he was extremely talented. He remembered himself being the youngest person to ever ascend as an immortal, and that he became in charge of mortals sorrow and joy. On hisst day in the Immortal Capital, he really wanted to see that person again. He didnt get to do so yet, he couldnt die just like this. *** Later, Yun Hai thought that he probably did have some good talent. Otherwise, he wouldnt have been able to defeat the devil and absorb it just by thinking: "I cant die like this". Cultivation sects all said that he couldnt condense spiritual powers and form a core. That wasnt the case. It was just that he couldnt condense spiritual powers, but he could with devilish powers. While being in a terrible state and desperately absorbing the devils energy, he suddenly thought of the scene from a century ago He was hiding in the cave and Hua Xin came, illuminating the winter night. From then on, no more immortal woulde to save him. He barely survived, but he might not see that person again until he dies. Trantors note: I dont think I made it too clear here. Basically, he discovered that he could practice devilish cultivation as well, and absorbed that devil who tried to devour him. From this point on, he is basically a devil. Additional FAQs: Q: Is the immortal capital essible by mortals or is it closed off / impossible to reach? A: For the average mortal, they shouldnt even know the existence of the Immortal Capital. For those who are cultivators, they can only enter the Immortal Capital once they have ascended to an immortal. Hence, the majority of cultivators never make it up here. Q: Is Que City important to the plot or does it only appear in Wu Xingxues dream? A: I wonder if the author really went that far to create such a ce just for it to be in a dream? Hmmm, youll find out sooner orter Q: Do you have to cultivate to be an immortal or can you be born an immortal? A: Im actually not too sure. I used to think that all beings are born as a mortal and you must cultivate to be an immortal. But what if two immortals have a child?? I assume the child will be a mortal and will have to cultivate its way up, only that with immortal parents, his or her path of cultivator might be much easier. The book never really talks about it, its up to you to decide! Q: Can a demon animal be a devil? A: Dont worry about demons in this book. Animals that cultivate dont appear in this novel (as far as Ive read). To answer the question, I dont think so. Demons and devils are separate categories. Animals and beasts cultivate the demonic path, while devils cultivate the diabolic path. An evil human would be a devil, and an evil beast would be well just an evil demon xD Chapter 27: Interrogation鈥檚 End Chapter 27: Interrogation¡¯s End His days have been muddled and chaotic since bing a devil. He was like a foggy city that hadnt ever seen the light of day. That came almost naturally Ordinarymoners needed to work hard for survival and be constantly wary of danger. Cultivation sects were responsible for protecting their surroundings and eliminating devils for good. But the devils themselves; they were different. They only had to care about themselves. A person who just began on the devilish cultivation path might be cautious around cultivation disciples, afraid that they might be the ones to be killed. But Yun Hai didnt. He was a really fast cultivator. Even sect leaders were afraid of him, let alone any ordinary disciple trying to defend himself against. He should be living a happy life, running wild as he pleased, but he did not. He avoided all the cultivation sects, afraid that even the tiniest news about him would reach the Immortal Capital, into the ears of the Lingtai Immortal Leader. He even went to the southwest hintends His former cloning ability using spiritual powers could no longer be used. So, he learned many forbidden techniques and other techniques of all sorts there. Using the greatest patience in his life, he created a puppet that even immortals couldnt distinguish. He gave the puppet his own face and ced him in Chunfan City, where Hua Sect was located. There were hundreds of thousands of people in Chunfan City. The puppet was like a droplet of water in a vast ocean. It would almost be impossible for someone from the Hua Sect to meet him. He controlled the puppet to live an ordinary life in Chunfan City day after day, pretending to be the Yun Hai who was banished to the mortal world. Like ordinarymoners, he pretended to live an ordinary life. After settling all that, Yun Hai left Chunfan City to Guizhou, a ce very far away. A lot of devils were gathered there, so no one would really mind if he went in as well. It was rumored there that there was a very powerful sealing technique that could seal away all senses of happiness and anger. But there were very few people who knew how to practice this technique. After all, devils were greedy beings, why would they want to suppress the excitement and satisfaction they get from devouring humans? If they seal all their feelings, not only would that harm themselves, it would also make them no different from those tedious immortals. But Yun Hai practiced it. He sealed all his emotions, allowing his painful past to stop bothering him. He could no longer feel joy or sorrow, or even, anything. Let it be nts or bugs, or immortals or devils, in his eyes, they were the same now. He stopped caring whether they were dead or alive. He wasnt able to be so neutral as an immortal, but now, as a devil, he seeded. But he was still unreasonable. Learning the sealing technique was a great thing for him. He was able to be a real devil for several years doing whatever he desired and killing at will. There was even one time when he was passing by Immovable Mountain City and heard the name "Mingwu Hua Xin". However, he had no reaction except raising his eyebrows. He continued without stopping. The only downside of that sealing technique was that it would damage the caster as well. Every few months, there would be one or two days when his muscles and bones would be in agonizing pain. Those days were extreme torture. He would often feel like his soul was being ripped in half. He would periodically cry, thenugh. He would periodically be crazy, then be dead calm. Every time when he regains consciousness, he would find himself covered in injuries. Half of his face would be covered with blood from all the scratches while he was in pain. But at that time, he wouldnt be able to sense anything again. No sorrow, no joy. In fact, he even felt like this wasnt bad, half looking like a human, and half looking like a bloody ghost. Wasnt this exactly what he was? This couldnt be more appropriate. Those years, even all the other devils avoided him. Perhaps it was because of his half-human half-ghost face, or perhaps it was because he has done some really crazy things. Yun Hai originally thought that he could live on like this forever, for as long as the people in Immortal Capital could live. But maybe the Heavens really couldnt tolerate him, and karma truly hit after he did too many crazy things. He couldnt remember exactly what caused it to happen. He only remembers that one day, he heard about a group of devils that he had driven out of Guizhou and went to live in the Valley of Great Sorrow. When he heard "Valley of Great Sorrow," he only gave a sneer. He wasnt even able to remember that he was once the Immortal of Valley of Great Sorrow. Immediately afterwards, he heard that a group of merchants and horses transportingmercial goods in Chunfan City met their end at the Valley of Great Sorrow; the devils ate them. Among them were also some ordinary people who wanted to cross the valley through the protection of the merchant group. One of them looked almost exactly like him, which scared the crap out of those devils. They almost didnt dare to attack them. Later, however, they found out that he only looked like him. Hearing those words, Yun Hai knew that it was the puppet he had ced in Chunfan City. The original intention of putting the puppet there was to deceive a certain person in Immortal Capital, to make him think that he was being amoner. After he practiced the sealing technique, he stopped caring about those, and he never bothered to check on the puppet ever again either. When he heard the news, he was stunned for a moment, but still didnt put it to heart. It was just a puppet. To him, other than the three days and nights he spent making the puppet, he didnt lose anything. Even if he couldnt care less, how could anyone else care at all? But he also heard that the deaths of those people were reported to the Cultivation Sect at Chunfan City, Hua Sect. Supposedly, the Hua Sect already sent people over to investigate. It was hard to describe how Yun Hai was feeling at that moment. His sealing technique was still active, and there were supposed to be several days before the bacsh period that urs every few months. Technically, he should remain indifferent. One day passed as usual, then two But he couldntst to the third day. On the second night, he stood on one of the Valley of Great Sorrows high cliffs. He used to be the Immortal who protected here. But this ce was safe, and no one ever came to pray. Ironically, after he got banished back to the mortal realm, this ce was no longer safe: devils began emerging here and causing depredation. He has been to many ces over the past few years, but he has never returned to this Valley of Great Sorrow. Now that he was back again, he found that the celestial temple was still there, but the divine statue inside was gone. And on the altar that has been neglected for ages, there were actually a few freshly burned incense sticks. He stood outside the empty celestial temple, staring at the blue-gray sky for a while. Then, he began hunting for the smell of devils as he entered the narrow valley road. At that moment, his soul seemed to be divided into two. Half of it was asking: "Why are you here? What does this ce have anything to do with you?" The other half was responding, "I need to take care of that trash, and make a new puppet." He wanted to get rid of the devils in the valley before the people from the Hua Sect arrived. Then, he would put another puppet near the carriage. He even nned how many wounds to make on the puppet, how severe those injuries would be, and whether or not he should make a few extramoners as well to make it not seem suspicious. The only thing he didnt know was why he was doing this. After he made the puppet Yun Hai seem like he survived the great tragedy, the puppet would be brought back to Chunfan City by the Hua Sect, and it would continue to live a normalmoners life Then what? Who was he doing all this pretending for Who would care? Yun Hai mocked himself as he swept through the entire Valley of Great Sorrow with his devilish energy. The other devils were afraid of him to begin with. In addition, he was in a very bad mood right now, so naturally, they didnt even stand a chance against him. When he went crazy, he couldnt control himself. After all the killing, his fingers were shaking slightly in excitement. Although all the devils were ughtered, the corpses of the merchant group were destroyed as well. Like thin cloth, their empty skin was torn apart by the devilish energy, flying around and slowlynding. Boulders were smashed around, crashing into the earth and sending dust all over. Only now did Yun Hai regain a sense of consciousness from his outraging devilish energy. Just as he was about to restrain himself, he heard a sword aura breaking through the wind, roaring down from nowhere, and prating the ck devilish energy that was soaring in the Valley of Great Sorrow. It was headed straight for him! At that moment, his pupils contracted, and his whole body turned stiff. It was as if he had been sunk into the frozen Eternal Sea. He didnt even need to see the sword. Just by listening to the sword chant, he could tell who it was. That was the sword aura of Mingwu Hua Xins sword. Yun Hai had imagined their reunion many times, and even though he knew that there would be no such day, he couldnt help but think about it. He imagined how he would avoid him and disappear without a trace before Hua Xin could see him. He also imagined that he would remain calm, just like that time when he heard the name "MingwuHua Xin" in Immovable Mountain, and then they would sh with swords. However, reality was not as he imagined. With Hua Xin right in front of him, what he did was he covered the half of his face that had the appearance of Yun Hai, only revealing the creepy and distorted half. He then wrapped the immortal in his devilish energy. He avoided the sword sh and sneered in an extremely hoarse voice while counterattacking, "Its just a small valley and the losses of a few lives. Whats the need of a highly immortal toe down to the mortal realm?" Between them was a thickyer of devilish energy, and neither of them could see each other. But he could feel the unprecedented killing intent under Hua Xins sword aura, and it was getting heavier and heavier. For some reason, the killing intent made his heart beat like a drum. It seemed as if all these years, although he tried to avoid him, this was exactly what he had been waiting for. He said one sentence after another, and Hua Xins sword moves were getting faster and faster. The killing intent surged, causing the entire valley to shake and tremble unceasingly. He saw Hua Xin dealing a lethal move. The tip of his sword stabbed straight towards his heart with unimaginable force. Then he didnt try to block it. When the sword pierced through his heart, the celestial energy exploded along the tip of the sword and collided with the devilish energy all over his body. Under the heavy blow, he was pinned to the ground by the sword. Hua Xin followed the sword to the ground. He had another attack in his palm, ready to give another fatal blow before the devil could resist. The palmnded like a meteor crashing; the earth cracked and the mountains shook. The strong ck devilish energy finally dispersed, revealing the other half of Yun Hais face. Lingtai Immortal Leaders Lethal Move couldnt be blocked by devils, let alone Yun Hai didnt even attempt to block. That could lead to only one result His soul would perish and die without a doubt. That was the first time Yun Hai saw Hua Xin with such an expression. His ck pupils instantly widened as his body trembled. Yun Hai saw his reflection in Hua Xins pupils. Half of his face was human, the other half was ghastly. The lower part of his body has already turned into a river of blood. He could feel his soul and spirit slowly falling apart, leaving his body at an astonishing speed. He could also feel his devilish energy slowly dying out, floating down the valley like a gentle cloud. He could still feel the always-warm hand of the Lingtai Immortal Leader. At that moment, it was as cold as ice. "Yun Hai?" "Yun Hai" He heard Hua Xins hoarse and soft voice. What expression could he be showing while calling his name like that? Was itpassion? Or sadness? He was really curious, but at this point, he couldnt see anymore. His five senses were going away and his consciousness was chaotic. He was about to die. But at that moment, he had an indescribable pleasure Look, this way, you wont ever forget me. He smiled at hisst moment, thinking: Im still such a jerk. Endless darkness mixed with floating devilish energy, until Xiao Fuxuans sword chants ended. It wasnt after a long time did everyone realize that the interrogation had ended. 1Alright, so the "interrogation" which basically showed us Yun Hais past finally ended after 3.75 chapters. The timeline is now back at the present. Peoples memories were naturally full of fragmented pictures. During the interrogation, they are even more intertwined. Except for Tiansu Immortal who was in charge of punishment and forgiveness, others wouldnt be able to see and understand every part of the memory clearly. They could only remember those glimpses that shed by in an instant, the white jade staircase when Yun Hai first ascended to Immortal Capital, the mountains of des and seas of fire from the twelve Lingtai punishment tforms, andstly, the immortal that has never appeared in any immortal register Spirit King. When Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu were brought into the round room by the interrogation, this was the scene that they saw. The reason why they remembered that scene so clearly was because the way Spirit King caught his sword made them feel a sense of familiarity for a moment. They felt like they had seen it before. Even after the interrogation ended, they were still thinking about that scene, unable to return to their senses for a long time. When they suddenly heard a very light breathinging from deeper in the cave, they were startled and jumped. Out of curiosity, they got close to Wu Xingxue and stretched their heads to see what was there. Seeing that under the tangled vines, a person in a ck robe who had been suppressed for hundreds of years suddenly opened his eyes. Once his eyes adjusted to the dark, the first person he saw when he opened his eyes was Wu Xingxue, who was bent over by the depths of the cave. That moment, he stared at Wu Xingxue, and his dry lips moved, subconsciously calling out a name. His voice was hoarse, barely making a sound. But if one listened carefully, it was still possible to tell that the two words he said were: Spirit King. The immortal who has never appeared before, and was given the name "Zhao" by the Heavens. Fang Chu: "" Ning Huaishan: "" Trante by: UnderTheMoon Chapter 28: Self Punishment Chapter 28: Self Punishment Trantors note: Okay I said before that its ear cuffs, not ear nails, I take that back again. I just read the manga, its literally three nails in his ear :skull: Also, I sincerely apologize for the inactivity. There are college applications and financial aid forms and stuff that I had to fill out, but now most of them are finished. I will try to make up for the days I have missed. Ning Huaishan silently pinched Fang Chus waist and whispered, "Did you see? Spirit King" Fang Chu: "" He gritted his teeth and swallowed the pain, then pinched Ning Huaishans fingers, "I did, Im not blind. Pinch again, I dare you." Ning Huaishan: "Id rather be blind." He thought about it for a while, but the more he thought, the more strange this seemed to be. "Hes our almighty City Lord in control of the entire Devils Den, Zhaoye City. Hes an infamous Devil Lord, so how in the world would someone be calling him with an immortal title?" " Why? Maybe hes crazy?" "Perhaps he does look simr to that immortal and Yun Hai recognized the wrong person, or perhaps" Fang Chu tried hard toe up with another reason, but he gave up in the end, "Never mind, I cant think of anything else, thats the only possibility." It would be really hard to find anyone that looked simr to their City Lord. Like all the legends say, anyone who sees his face once would never forget it for the rest of their lives, so how could one possibly have mistaken him for someone else? In addition, Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu both clearly remember the way Spirit King caught his sword that was thrown at him by his servant boy. Anyone who had spent some time with Wu Xingxue would know: The Devil Lord didnt like to have things in his hand. Anytime he wanted something, he would usually just get it from the spot, or ask from the people beside him. Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu have been with Wu Xingxue for the longest. Oftentimes, all Wu Xingxue had to do was stick out his hand, and they would know what to give him. And every time Wu Xingxue caught something, he would always twirl it in his hand. It was rather ironic. In the Yao Pce of the Immortal Capital, twirling something in the hand would seem graceful and cool, whereas doing the same thing in the Devils Den would seem iprehensibly dangerous. Although they were the exact same motions. Ning Huaishan was stunned for a moment, then threw this strange thought out of his head. Together with Fang Chu, they took a look at their City Lord for reassurance, trying to find out what happened by looking at him. On the other hand, Wu Xingxue was just as confused as they were. He was silent for a moment, then lowered his eyes and asked Yun Hai, "What do you call me?" Yun Hai didnt reply. He had slept here for way too long and hadnt seen the light of day in ages. His face was sickly pale, like a pile of burnt paper, about to be blown to shreds any second. He blinked lightly and slowly, giving a slight reaction when scanning over Wu Xingxue. He then turned slowly toward Xiao Fuxuan, scanning him from top to bottom as well, including his wrist with the ck mark. After that, Yun Hai closed his eyes, his body trembling slightly under the wrapping vines. Only a momentter did Wu Xingxue realize that he was smiling. Because he was too weak, the uncontroble smile was very subtle. "Did you ask me, what I called you?" Yun Hai moved his lips slightly, making an extremely weak sound. It was as if those vines on him were wrapping him too tightly, pressing against his chest and choking his threat. To the extent that he couldnt even let out a full breath. But he was already used to being tied up like this and didnt seem to mind at all. With his eyes closed, he spoke in a hoarse and barely audible voice, "I never thought, there would be, one day, when you would ask me, what I called you" "Isnt that something, only a banished immortal, with his memory wiped, would ask? Never expected to hear it from you" Yun Hai gave a few silentughs then continued silently, "Spirit King Tianxiu ordained by the heavens No need for offerings, and no need for worshipers" With his eyes closed, he looked like he was having a peaceful dream. In the dream, the scene in which he just entered the Immortal Capital was as vivid as if it was from yesterday. He slowly repeated the words that the immortal envoy once said.1es referring to when the immortal envoy just led him to Immortal Capital and they met Xiao Fuxuan and Spirit King for the first time, and the envoy was introducing them to him saying how they dont depending on offerings and stuff. "I used to envy you two so much," he continued softly. Wu Xingxue raised his eyes and nced at Xiao Fuxuan. At that moment, a sentence suddenly shed in his mind "I really envy you" The voice wasnt as hoarse, and the sound wasnt so soft either. It was more like a casualint among friends. Wu Xingxue couldnt recall the exact scene, but he subconsciously knew that this was what Yun Hai said before. What Yun Hai said before while he was still at the Immortal Capital. 2Time skip again.Back then, Yun Hai had just been demoted to the Immortal of Valley of Great Sorrow and was still enduring Immortal Leader Hua Xins additional punishments. One day, he passed by Lingtai six times, yet he didnt have the face to go in. In the enormous Immortal Capital, he detoured the longest way to the most remote ce, "Seated Spring Breeze." Spirit King was rarely there. He was sitting with his legs crossed by the window frame, and the table in front of him even had a jug of Immortal Wine and also two empty cups. "You keep saying barely anyone everes here, yet you seem to be pretty prepared for guests." At that time, Yun Hai did not endure nearly a hundred years of hardship yet. Every time he spoke, he would always bring out a smile and joke around, hiding his inner sadness. "Spirit King, is this a date with some gorgeous beauty? Did Ie at a bad time?" "You did, its not toote to go yet," Spirit King replied rather angrily. "That wont do. Im frustrated today, I need to find someone to talk to, or else" Yun Hai paused. "Or else what?" "Or else I might have to detour past Lingtai for the seventh time today," Yun Haiughed at himself. The Spirit King didnt ask about Lingtais business, this was his usual rule. So he didnt reply and changed the subject, "So, what made you so frustrated today? Making you so desperate to let it out?" "Can I drink this wine?" Yun Hai asked. "No." Spirit King swept his hand, causing the Immortal Wine and the empty cups tond steadily on the empty te held by one of the servant boys. "This is an apology gift I prepared." With that, he waved his hand at another servant boy, and brought another jug of wine to Yun Hai. "Apology? Who dares to ask for an apology from you? The best way to appreciate the night scenery here is with wine and women. Wouldnt it be a waste if you use it for an apology?" Yun Hai muttered as he poured himself a cup of wine. After drinking, it was easy for one to let out hisints. After three cups, he didnt say what happened to him today, and onlyined how the wine wasnt as sweet as before. Three cupster, he was already drunk. He raised his wine cup, hitting it on the desk in front of Spirit King, and said, "I really envy you. No need to worry about the amount of incense, and you canpete with the Lingtai to see who lives longer." "Why does my master have topete with the Lingtai for who lives longer?" Before Spirit King replied, the servant boy already spoke. Yun Haiughed then squeezed the servant boys face. He said with the wine jug in his hand, "The servant boys at the Lingtai are literally like old gramps, nothing like the cute and clever boys here at Seated Spring Breeze." The Spirit King epted thepliment, "Naturally, I raised them myself after all." The little boy rubbed his face and ran, only to bump into a pair of long legs at the door, and yelled "Ouch". The Spirit King raised his eyes, and Yun Hai also dizzily turned his head. Tianxiu Immortal raised the veil in front of his face and appeared beside the door. His eyes swept across the room, and finallynded on the Immortal Wine that Yun Hai was holding. After a while, he looked at Spirit King and said in a low voice, "You grabbed the immortal bamboo leaves of my pce and left a note on my servants forehead, just to ask me toe just to see this?" Yun Hai was already drunk at the time. He looked at Spirit King, then at Tianxiu Immortal, over and over again, thenughed. "This is the first time I heard such a long sentence from Tianxiu Immortal. How very strange; definitely an eye-opener today." He then said, "Dont tell me the gorgeous beauty you were waiting for, is Master Tianxiu?" Tianxiu Immortals expression suddenly turned very interesting. He had originally nned to leave, but suddenly changed his mind. Holding his mist-thin veil with two fingers, he waited to see what other nonsense was going on. Perhaps it was because he was interrupted too many times back then, and he said those words so dizzily, that he even forgot what he had said. It was not mentioned again until hundreds of yearster. The person who wasughing and holding the wine in the air back then now turned into a ghostly devil. The elegant Tianxiu Immortal was now only a puppet clone. And the host at the Seated Spring Breeze couldnt even remember who he was now. "I once thought, that you two didnt have to worry about life and death, that you two didnt have to worry about being banished, that you two will live as long as the Lingtai and the Immortal Leader, but who could imagine" Yun Hais silentughter was full of ridicule, no one knew whether he was mocking himself or others. "How did you guys end up like this?" He was silent for a moment, then suddenly his neck twitched slightly, and the eyeballs under his eyelids trembled for a moment. He gave an "ah", as if he suddenly remembered something and said, Oh, thats right, even the Immortal Capital is gone, naturally no one is an immortal anymore." Hearing this, Wu Xingxue frowned, "How do you know that the Immortal Capital is gone?" Ning Huaishan and the others were also stunned after he said this, Yeah wait, how did you know?" Yun Hai has been trapped here for at least a few hundred years. Back then, the Immortal Capital was still perfectly fine. Although, in the past centuries, he had absorbed a lot of nutrients for himself through the "worship marks", and he had also gone into dreams to lure people toe here, attempting to break the suppression array. But regardless, no one woulde to the depths of this catb and tell him what was going on outside these years. Then how did he know that the Immortal Capital was destroyed? Wu Xingxue nced around and suddenly realized that there were runes engraved on the stone walls of the cave. The only reason he didnt notice them before was because those runes were way too messy. At first nce, they didnt look like runes at all, more like cracks formed by the shaking just now. Now with a closer look, he realized that the reason those runes looked so messy was because there were twoyers There was once ayer of runes here, then another newyer was added on. And the brushstrokes of the twoyers of runes seemed to be different; they didnte from the same person. If the old rune was left behind when Hua Xin buried Yun Hai here Then what about the new one? A guess suddenly shed in Wu Xingxues mind. He abruptly turned his head to look at Yun Hai, who was wrapped in vines. Yun Hai whispered with half-opened eyes, "Because I went out before." Everyone was instantly shocked. This simple sentence gave all present cultivation disciples ayer of cold sweat. The devil trapped here escaped before?! Just as they were about to raise their swords, Yi Wusheng spoke in a light voice, "Was it over twenty years ago?" "Was it over twenty years ago when you left this ce?" "Did youe to the Hua Sect?" Yi Wusheng tried his best to recall the stranger whom the Hua Sect greeted more than twenty years ago. At that time, people were still falling victim to the mark from Valley of Great Sorrow, so there were many people who came to the Hua Sect. If this devil was mixed among those people, then he and Hua Zhaotings inexplicable worship mark appearing on their neck had an exnation now "But how did you manage toe out?!" Yun Hai didnt reply and instead said, "Ive been to the Hua Sect more than once." The moment his voice fell, the vines that tied him suddenly started to grow as if they became alive. With a violent gust of wind, they mmed toward where everyone was standing. The cultivation disciples cut through the vines with their swords, but then an endless amount of devilish energy started to flow out of the vine stems. His sudden outburst caught almost everyone off guard. Fortunately, Xiao Fuxuans sword wasnt sheathed yet. Golden light suddenly started to spread like an ocean wave, destroying all the vines in its path. The air was filled with broken vines and devilish energy at this point. The Mian Sword plunged down, and just as it was about to pierce through Yun Hais heart, it stopped. At that moment, the entire catb was silent. Everyone held their breath for a long time, and then heard Xiao Fuxuans low voice, "Since you have gone out, then why bothering back." Everyone was stunned for a moment before realizing. Yeah, since he was able to escape, then why bothering back? After all the deliberate struggle, wasnt it all just to break the seal and be able to escape, to see the light of day again? Now with some careful thinking, they also started to realize that Yun Hais sudden outburst wasnt really a critical sneak attack at all. Instead, it seemed like the dying struggle from a me that was about to be burned out. What did he want? Yun Hais hoarse voice sounded, "Me and Spirit King were old friends, I didnt have a deep connection with you. Please dont bring up the unnecessary old feelings when in battle." As he said that, the vines on his body suddenly wrapped around Xiao Fuxuans sword. Many of them burst into pieces as they couldnt withstand the continuous flow of celestial energying from it, but also at the meantime, they were fiercely trying to pull the sword down With a puff When the celestial sword pierced through his heart, everyone felt a wave of coldness. They were reminded of the scene under the blue-gray sky in the Valley of Great Sorrow hundreds of years ago. Hua Xins sword, which had a peach branch pattern on the hilt, was not as cold. Yun Hai didnt know how the fatal hit from Hua Xin didnt kill him back then. He also didnt know what Hua Xin did to him while he was in his long sleep. He only knew that one day, when he suddenly woke up from his dream and opened his eyes, he was already covered from head to toe in a pitch-ck ce. He was surrounded by runes, rendering him immobile. Anxious, his devilish energy soared. But before he did anything, he heard a voice. It sounded from afar, but also close at the same time. It was a voice that he couldnt be more familiar with, a voice that he would never forget. The voice said, "My disciple Yun Hai." He immediately quieted down, listening to that sentence over and over again. But sometimes, he couldnt control himself. This was what cultivating the diabolic path was like. In the end, one wouldnt even be able to tell if they were controlling the evil, or if the evil was controlling them. The feeling of his soul being split apart came up again. Half was saying: I need to get out, no one can stop me! The other half was saying: No. People frequently passed by the Valley of Great Sorrow. Taking advantage of the loosening array, he sent out a string of spiritual consciousness outside, attaching it to a passerby. When he smelled the smell of raw humans, he realized that he was really hungry for too long. That day, he stood quietly on the altar of the celestial temple, looking down at the worshipers like the Immortal he used to be. While sneering at them, he also left some marks on them. At that moment, the other half of his soul said: You are still that devil you used to be. By using the worship mark, he experienced what humans taste like. Then, he started to use other methods so that he didnt have to do anything physically and he could still absorb the spirit of the living. He gathered more strength, and one day he attached himself to a stranger and left the Valley of Great Sorrow. Looking at the unfamiliar world, he didnt know where to go for a while. By the time he returned to his senses, he was already standing in the hall of Hua Sect in Chunfan City, quietly looking at the portrait hanging in the hall. At that moment, the devilish energy prevailed, and he was a little angry. Half of his soul sneered: Why bother letting off someone who wanted to kill you? The other half said: Im notpletely dead yet. The half sneered again: Then do you want to die again? I wont allow it. In those days, although he was barely considered alive, he did a lot of evil. One, because of the nature of a devil, and two perhaps he wanted to see that persone down from the Immortal Capital again. To reprimand him, or even kill him, anything was fine. But that person never came. Every time he was about to run out of spiritual energy, he would hide in the catb to gather more "food". He didnt know how long he would sleep each time, maybe months or years. Like this, he entered and left the valley several times. Until one day, he once again stood in the hall of Hua Xin. He looked at the Hua Xin portrait for a long time. A Hua Sect disciple asked him, "Mister, did you encounter some trouble? Is it rted to the soul? Would you like to go see Yi Wusheng, or? Yun Hai didnt know who Yi Wusheng was, and he didnt pay attention to what the disciple was saying either. He just stared at the portrait nkly for a long time, then asked, "Hows Mingwu Immortal Leader doing these years?" The little disciple opened his eyes wide and said in surprise, "Mister, the Immortal Capital has perished for several years already. The Lingtai Twelve Immortals no longer exist, and that goes for the Immortal Leader as well." Yun Hai couldnt remember how he escaped the body he was on that day, nor what evils he did that day. He even couldnt remember how he returned to the Valley of Great Sorrow that day. He suddenly felt like, in this enormous world, there is nothing worth living for. What was so good about seeing the sunlight again? It wasnt even as good as the catb under the Valley of Great Sorrow. At least there, he could still hear his masters voice. The conflict between his split souls were shing like never before. Half of it wanted to escape, yet the other half wished to stay here forever. Sometimes, he would be Hua Xins disciple, Yun Hai. Other times, he would be Devil Yun Hai. Sometimes awake and conscious, other times crazy and insane. During the times in which he was insane, he would use a diabolic technique to try and break through theseyers of suppression. When he was conscious again, he would go add moreyers of rune on the weakened array. He fought with himself like this for over twenty years, he had enough already. Now that the array has finally dissipated, he would never hear that persons voice again. Without another reason to be here, he wanted to be dispatched by one of his old friends fast and painlessly. From this moment on, the matters of the world had no concern for him. Chapter 29: Fragmented Memory Chapter 29: Fragmented Memory **TLs note: Happy New Year! Hi everyone, sorry for not posting for so long. Im starting to get busier with less time to trante, so Ill just do 2 more chapters I think, and pass it off to someone else. I have already found another interested trantor who will upload more frequently to pick it up after I stop. Thank you to all my supporters. ** This time, the billowing, devilish energy slowly disappeared into the earth. The life energy on Yun Hai was dispersing. His appearance didnt change much, but it gave off the feeling that he instantly wilted. Perhaps it was because the vines on his body were withering rapidly. It wasnt until now that everyone realized that those vines had grown out of his heart. They should be coexisting with Yun Hai. The moment he died, those vines lost their life source as well. The vines wrapped around Xiao Fuxuans sword immediately loosened, retreating along the des edge as theypletely shriveled. Only that flowering branch remains unchanged. Its stem was still wound around Yun Hais neck, its flower still covering the ghastly half of Yun Hais face. Everyone stood in shock, not expecting that Yun Hai would consider suicide. Xiao Fuxuan silently pulled his sword out of Yun Hais body and stood upright. He was frowning slightly. Wu Xingxue looked at Yun Hais lifeless face and then said, after a long silence, "Any soul fragments?"1I used vestigial soul before, but I feel like I like the word fragments more. Xiao Fuxuan shook his head and said, "His soulspletely extinguished." He was the one who stabbed his sword into Yun Hais heart, so he was the clearest on whether or not there were still soul fragments beneath his sword tip. Since he wasnt able to detect any, it should mean that not even a fragment of Yun Hais soul was able to survive. The vines all over his body slowly scattered, revealing most of his body. A corner of a waist token was revealed from the folds of his ck robe. Just based on that corner, someone was able to recognize it Yi Wusheng said lightly, "Thats the waist token from my sect." Hua Sects waist tokens and sword ornaments were all made of rose quartz jade and carved with peach blossoms. This made them very unique among cultivation sects and hence very easy to recognize as well. But waist tokens like the one on Yun Hai were only worn by Hua Sect disciples. People with ranks, like the elders and the sect leader, like Yi Wusheng and Hua Zhaoting, wouldnt need waist tokens to show their identities. No one could have imagined that this person, who has lived the lives of both an immortal and a devil, would still carry this even unto death. "Who carved the character there?" Wu Xingxue flipped the waist token over and saw a slender "Hai" character carved on the back. "Previous sect leaders?" Yi Wusheng shook his head, "No, its the disciples own carving." "So then it must be Yun Hais writing," said Wu Xingxue. "Yes," Yi Wusheng replied. Wu Xingxue gave an "oh," thinking that it sounded about right. Previously, when he found out that there were multipleyers of runes in the cave, he already noticed that the upperyer had thin and slender characters, most likely written by Yun Hai. In the bloody mud underneath his left hand, the suppression arrays array center was found. There were two array stones in the array center. One of them had already crumbled into pieces. The other one was ced thereter on. It had a mark on it, almost identical to the "Hai" written Before, everyone was still puzzled as to why the array center was so straightforwardly ced in the center of the catb. Now, upon seeing the array stones, they understood everything. The one who has been reinforcing the suppression array was none other than Yun Hai himself. "This" Yi Wusheng held that array stone withplicated feelings. Perhaps it was grief, perhaps it was something else. In the end, he shook his head and sighed softly, "What a pity." In fact, among everyone present, Yi Wusheng should be thest person to bear such sentiment. This was because the mark on the back of his neck was Yun Hais doing. His pain and struggle for the past twenty or so years were all because of this. Everyone had an obligation to sign inment for Yun Hai, except for Yi Wusheng. Even if he were to draw his sword and vent his hatred on Yun Hais corpse, no one would speak a word of reproach. But he didnt do that. On the contrary, he said, "What a pity" with a sigh toward that devil. Wu Xingxue looked at Yi Wushengs scarred neck and felt a sudden sense of pity as well. He wondered how many encounters his previous self had with Yi Wusheng. Probably not too many; after all, one was a sect elder and the other was a devil. It truly was a pity. Otherwise, it should have been good to befriend such a person. Doctor Wusheng squatted down and buried the formation stone back under Yun Hes palm. Due to digging out the stone just now, the bloody mud nearby has turned up a lot. Just as he was about to cover the bloody mud over Yun Hais hand again, two fingers appeared and stopped him. "Immortal?" Yi Wusheng raised his head and looked. The person blocking him was Xiao Fuxuan. Xiao Fuxuan replied, "Theres something there." He swirled his long fingers, but in the thick, bloody mud, no other item appeared. Everyone looked at each other in confusion. Wu Xingxue bent down beside him and asked, "What is it?" Xiao Fuxuan did not answer immediately. Seeing that his search was not sessful, Xiao Fuxuan decided to m his fingers on the ground. Yun Hais body didnt move in the slightest, yet the bloody mud around him began to tremble violently. Something hidden deep in the mud was being shaken up to the surface. It had a touch of white, releasing a hint of warm and bright color underneath the mud. Wu Xingxue was very sensitive to that color. With a single nce, he knew that it was white jade. Xiao Fuxuan hooked his fingers, pulling the trinket out of the mud. "Dream Bell!" Yi Wusheng blurted out. It was a bell made of white jade. It looked simr to the one from Hua Sect, but was also much more delicate and borate. The surface of the jade was coiled with beautiful andplex fment patterns, very simr to the ones on the Spirit Kings scabbard and mask. In fact, they looked like they belonged to the same person. With this dream bell before them, there was no way the one from Hua Sect previously could be considered "real". It was just as Yi Wusheng had guessed. Hua Zhaoting kept the dream bell on him at all times. The only person who could have switched it out was the devil, who had to be manipting him. It was within now that they had discovered the dream bell in Yi Wushengs catb. However, Yi Wusheng still couldnt understand, "This What did he need the dream bell for?" The purpose of the dream bell was to create a dream to turn the past into a dream or to bring one into a new dream. Back when Yun Hai was banished, he didnt even want to use the dream bell. Why would he spend so much effort to go get it from the Hua Sect, then use a fake one to act as a pretense? Did he change his mind? Did he suddenly feel like his days in the catb were too hard to bear? Even worse than when he was banished to the mortal realm? Was that why he wished for a deep dream from the dream bell? Wu Xingxue thought. But Yun Hai was already dead. In Xiao Fuxuans words, "his soulspletely extinguished", so he could no longer answer this question. Wu Xingxue had no way of knowing whether his guess was right or not. In his daze, he suddenly heard a low voice say, "Wu Xingxue." Wu Xingxue lifted his gaze. Xiao Fuxuan stood up. With his fingers hooked around the bell, he said, "Give me your hand." "Huh?" Wu Xingxue inquired, then extended his hand to him. He felt a sudden chill in his palm as the dream bell was ced into his hand. He truly didnt remember anything. Let it be Spirit King or the dream bell. But the moment the bell fell onto his hand, he blinked slightly, and felt a sense of nostalgia. He stoked the white jade bell and looked at it closely, finding some crackers on the inner part of the bell. Just as he picked it up to examine it more carefully, an indistinct scene shed in his mind. Hed heard Yi Wusheng mention it before. After pulling someone into a dream with a dream bell, the only way to release him or her from the dream would be to use the dream bell again. Otherwise, their souls or memories wouldnt be restored properly. This dream bell before him seemed to have taken damage, and he didnt know how to release anything either. Yet, he was already starting to get a faint feeling. Wu Xingxue twirled the dream bell in his fingers, attempting to recall the fragmented memory that shed just now It ought to have been a cold night. For some reason, he was standing beside a door and holding something behind his back. It was cold to the touch, and the sharp edges were poking painfully into his palm. Xiao Fuxuan was standing at the doorway, lifting the curtains with his fingers. He didnt walk in or back out, he just stood there, looking at him with his deep ck eyes. Behind him was arge courtyard, and in the courtyard was a towering tree covered in snow. He just stood there, holding that object in his hand, and silently staring at the person at the doorway. After a long while, he tilted his head slightly and said, "Xiao Fuxuan, have you heard of a devils deep desires?" There was a moment of silence in the room. Xiao Fuxuan still stood there, lifting the curtain with his hand. He replied after a long while, "I have." Wu Xingxue was silent for a moment as well. Then he said, "Since you have heard of them, yet you still picked such a day toe. What is it then? Do you wish toe through the curtains and make yourself the private guest of a devil such as myself?" After speaking, he turned his head and raised his chin toward the bed. "" This out-of-context scene was, for some reason, extremely clear. Wu Xingxues fingers tremble slightly upon remembering himself saying "make yourself private". When he looked up, he saw Xiao Fuxuans face again, identical to the one from his fleeting memory just now. Wu Xingxue stood there calmly for a moment, and then silently put the dream bell back into Xiao Fuxuans hands. Chapter 30: Cracked Bell Chapter 30: Cracked Bell Xiao Fuxuan looked at the dream bell that was returned to his hand, then looked back up at Wu Xingxue. Before he could say anything, he was asked first Wu Xingxue: "Here take it back, what are you giving it to me for?" Xiao Fuxuan: "" The little cultivation disciples had particrly good memories. They remembered clearly how this white jade bell shed in Yun Hais interrogation it was Spirit Kings heavenly treasure. They praised Wu Xingxue in whispers, "This young master is truly virtuous. Not only was he not avaricious, he even returned the precious and valuable heavenly treasure. If any other ordinary person were to see such a treasure, they would definitely have their eyes bulging out and be willing to fight for it. "" Xiao Fuxuan couldnt help but nce at them. The disciples were still reflecting on themselves, "To be bluntly honest, if it was given to me, I wouldnt have been able to uhh?" They were taken back after noticing Tianxiu Immortals nce. Only now did they realize that their whispers were a bit too loud, and their faces immediately turned red. After some mumbles, they pointed towards Yi Wusheng, "We heard earlier from this senior that Wu" They didnt dare to call the Devil Lords name directly in front of his face, so after giving a "Wu", they quickly tried to cover it, "Uh, that hes not himself. Instead, he is the soul of a mortal who identally went into his body." "" Yi Wusheng silently facepalmed, thinking to himself about how gullible these little disciples were. Under everyones gazes, the disciples faces became even more flushed. One quickly exined, "Umm we heard from our master that after the Immortal Capital perished, all the heavenly treasures came to the mortal realm. Sects of all sizes as well as strong rogue cultivators were scrambling to look for them. Heavenly treasures usually carried an immortals vital essence; they are precious rarities formed with thousands of years of spiritual energy. Naturally, everyone wants them. However, there are not many people who can actually carry a heavenly treasure around. After all, without several hundred years of cultivation base, how can one withstand and inherit such a heavy supply of immortal energy?1Previously referred to as "Celestial energy" Young master is a mortal soul, hence he is not able to use such a heavenly treasure at all. Although everyone knows this, practically no one can remain uninfluenced and be kind enough to return it. Hence, young master, your high virtuousness is certainly worth admiring." After he finished bbering, he even gave a polite and elegant bow of respect towards Wu Xingxue. Wu Xingxueughed so hard in his head, but he remained a calm appearance on his face. He even politely returned a slight bow to the disciple, "Youre ttering me." Tianxiu Immortals expression went from speechless to numb. Wu Xingxue looked at his utterly cold face andughed even harder in his head. As he continued to giggle secretly, he suddenly recalled the phrase e through the curtains and make yourself my private guest," as well as that bed His internalughter immediately came to a halt. Just like in the horse carriage before, Xiao Fuxuan did not expose him. As the little disciple bbered, Xiao Fuxuan just stood there listening while fidgeting and rotating the dream bell with his fingers. In his long, slender fingers, the dream bell seemed particrly delicate; its jade glossy and clear. me it on the little disciple for saying "heavenly treasures usually carried an immortals vital essence." Wu Xingxue couldnt even remember what vital essence was, but he inexplicably started to feel some spiritual connection with the dream bell. Now, looking again at the dream bell being fiddled in Xiao Fuxuans hand, it was really Wu Xingxue watched for a moment, then reached out and took the dream bell back. The cultivation disciples who just finished praising him were full of question marks. Xiao Fuxuan looked at Wu Xingxue, "Arent you returning it to me?" Wu Xingxue: "I changed my mind." "Why so?" "" Wu Xingxue gave a serene look. He couldnt just say "I dont like the way youre ying with that bell". If he did say that, what if Xiao Fuxuan asks "why so" again? In that case, that would only be a moreplicated situation to get out of. He was certain Tianxiu Immortal would do such a thing to him. Wu Xingxue was silent for a moment, then said, "I just suddenly remembered that it oughtnt be returned to you." Having said that, he turned around and handed the dream bell to Yi Wusheng. Yi Wusheng: "" No need! Wu Xingxue said to Yi Wusheng, "Mister, I remember you said before we left that you areing to the Valley of Great Sorrow two things. First, you wanted to understand where the mark on the back of your neck came from, and second, you wanted to help the Hua Sect find the real heavenly treasure." Yi Wusheng quickly waved his hands, thinking, "Just pass between you and that Tianxiu Immortal, please dont get me, an innocent mortal, involved. However, Wu Xingxue didnt let him off, "What are you waving your hands for? This is what the Hua Sect has lost. Now that we have recovered it, its only reasonable to return it to you." Yi Wusheng: "" Now with this brought up, Yi Wusheng wished that he might as well find a hole in the earth and bury himself. When they found out that the real dream bell was missing, what foolish words did he say again? Oh yes, the first person he suspected was Devil Lord Wu Xingxue And he said that right in front of Wu Xingxues face. Later, he said that he would like toe to the Valley of Great Sorrow to find the dream bell and return this heavenly treasure to the Hua Sect. However, after Yun Hais interrogation results came out and proved that the original owner of the bell was Spirit King, what happened after that again? Ah right, Yun Hai called Wu Xingxue "Spirit King." Yi Wusheng had never seen Spirit Kings name appear in any immortal register. He didnt know what high position that person held, and he certainly didnt know what in the world had happened for the dignified Spirit King to be the infamous Devil Lord feared by all. Despite that, what he did know was that this dream bell certainly belonged to him. Tianxiu Immortal ced the dream bell into Wu Xingxues hands, and returned the bell to the rightful owner. Yet now, for some reason, the rightful owner was denying it, insisting on giving the bell to him. Would he dare to take it He did not. Not only did he not dare to, but he also didnt have the face to take it either. Yi Wusheng had a schrly temperament, being somewhat shy and thin-skinned. Back in his youth, the brother and sister Hua Zhaoting and Hua Zhaotao would often use this fact to their amusement, teasing him until his face and ear turned bright red. Later when he became one of the elders of the four halls, the brother and sister no longer teased him like that, and no one else dared either. Until now, he hasnt felt what it was like to be bright red on the face and ears for a long time. There was a very widespread rumor, saying that the Hua Sect obtained the heavenly treasure through divine fate, and that afterward, it was unfortunately stolen by Devil Lord Wu Xingxue. Thinking about it now, it was truly ironic. This was Wu Xingxues property to begin with, and now this "divine fate" thingy from the Hua Sect was sounding kind of suspicious. Under such circumstances, how could Yi Wusheng dare to take back the dream bell? If it wasnt because Wu Xingxue insisted that he was only a "mortal being who entered the body," if it wasnt because Tianxiu Immortal pointed his sword at him and threatened him to keep the secret, and if it wasnt because there were several mentally-fragile cultivation disciples beside them, Yi Wusheng would have already knelt onto the ground and begged for mercy. But he couldnt say anything right now. He could only look at Wu Xingxue in silence, and his eyes slowly slowly turned aggrieved. In the end, he grasped the paper and said, "Young master, all I have left is some fragment soul" Implied meaning: I beg you, please find someone else to torment. Wu Xingxue looked at his expression, reflected upon his words for a moment, then felt like he was indeed a bit mean. So, he turned his evil clutches toward his two subordinates. He had azy personality and didnt like to have things in his hands. Picking on his subordinates to act as his rucksack has already been a normal act. Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu must have long been used to it. So he turned his head, and met eyes with Ning Huaishan and Fang Chus even more aggrieved faces. Wu Xingxue: "?" "I didnt even say anything yet." Wu Xingxue said slowly. "Cheng Young Master, do you remember? Some devils would vomit just at the site of divine statues." What he wanted to say was practically written on his face in bold letters: What do you think will happen if we take that heavenly treasure? Wu Xingxue: "" Ookay. Thus, after tormenting all these people, Devil Lord Wu Xingxue decided that he would carry the dream bell himself after all. The matter of Valley of Great Sorrows "ordination" has been resolved, and they found what they came to look for as well. For the cultivation disciples as well as Yi Wusheng, they have already achieved their purposes. However, Wu Xingxue was still curious. What did Hua Xin do back then that was able to save Yun Hais soul fragments? Even Yun Hai himself did not know. Moreover, Xiao Fuxuan said that during this incident when Hua Xin came down to the mortal realm, he was at the Northern Frontiers. By the time he returned to the Immortal Capital, it was already a long time afterwards. No one in the Immortal Capital knew what Hua Xin did, they only knew some of the aftermaths Like Yun Hai back then, he knelt in front of the Lingtais to receive heavenly punishment and then went into seclusion for a hundred days. After that, apart from being even less stained by the mortal affairs and appearing more like the Immortal Leader, he was no different. Wu Xingxue and the others continued to search around in Yun Hais catb. Finding no useful clues, they could only give up. When they came up from the catb in the Valley of Great Sorrow, it was already dawn. The three cultivation disciples were closing their Qiankun bags. They have found all 33 little statues and found all of the "ordained"moners. They kept saying "sincere apologies" as they stuffed them into their bags.2I dont think I rified before, but a Qiankun bag is a special pouch in which the actual capacity is muchrger than it seems. It looks like a little bag only from appearance, but you can actually stuff all sorts of items of all sizes in there. Think of them like the magical tents in Harry Potter during the quidditch world cup. "When returning them, make sure to spruce them up a bit, at least make an illusion of some sort." Yi Wusheng reminded them with worry. The bodies of most of these people were dismembered, and they probably died a horrific death. It would indeed be rather cruel to send them home as they were. The little disciple bowed and saluted, "Senior, rest assured. We will send their souls off to a peaceful rest." Their elder martial siblings havee many times in vain, yet three novice disciples would go and return with everyone. This would be shocking news for the sect and even the entire Yuyang City. The disciples wanted Xiao Fuxuan and the others to return to their sect with them, but they were politely declined. Oh wait, Tianxiu didnt do the "politely" part. He only gave one word: "No." Wu Xingxue was a bit more tactful. He pointed to his face and said, "If I were to go to your sect, your Sect Leader and elders will be so happy that their faces will all go pale." The disciples: "" Yi Wusheng, being the most ordinary, said, "Im nothing more than some soul fragments. I cant evenst for another few days. Ill pass, if I go Ill cause nothing but extra trouble." Hearing these, the disciples naturally didnt dare to stall time in hisst few days. They quickly saluted goodbye and carried their Qiankun bags with 33 deceased souls to Yuyang. Wu Xingxue asked Yi Wusheng, "What ns do you have now sir?" Yi Wusheng touched the ck cloth over his mouth and nose. He could feel himself getting weaker by the day. On the horse carriage, he could still feel his spirit through the waist. When they arrived at the Valley of Great Sorrow, he was already more feeble than he had imagined. And now, he could barely feel his five senses. He looked towards Xiao Fuxuan, "Immortal, how many more days can I take?" Xiao Fuxuan pressed his finger on him, then said solemnly after a moment, "Four days." Yi Wusheng nodded calmly, "Okay." Then he replied to Wu Xingxue, "I still have some regrets. Id like to go take a look at them. First probably to the Jiaming Wilderness, then to Peach Blossom Ind. If Im lucky, maybe I can even spend myst hours at home." As he spoke, he suddenlyughed at himself. Before, he held Wu Xingxues robes and asked him to just end his life there and then, but now that he had some leeway, there was only more that he wanted At first, he just wanted to find out what caused the misfortunes at the Hua Sect, then find the dream bell. With that, he thought he could pass off rather peacefully. Yet now that both of those things are aplished, he only recalled even more regrets. Humans ever so greedy. After mocking himself, he gave Wu Xingxue and Xiao Fuxuan a deep bow and salute, bidding their final farewell. But after only a few steps, his tendency for worrying about others came again. He wasnt able to hold back and returned to Wu Xingxue, saying, "This might sound a little rude, but I wonder if" He wanted to say that he wondered if Wu Xingxue still remembered how to use the dream bell, as well as how to unravel a dream. He could tell that Wu Xingxue had forgotten about a lot of stuff, probably matters about the dream bell as well. But he was at a loss for words trying to ask this to the original owner of the bell. Wu Xingxue watched as he hesitated andnded his eyes on the bell on his waist. He hooked it on his finger and picked it up, asking, "Are you asking about this?" Yi Wusheng nodded. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly trembled. He said in shock, "Why is the bell full of cracks? It wasnt like this just now in the catb!" Wu Xingxue wasnt as surprised, "There were cracks to begin with on the inside, they just werent showing on the surface. Fortunately, its not broken to pieces, wonder if I can still use it." "No no no you must not." Yi Wusheng said hastily. "Why not?" Yi Wusheng replied, "This is a heavenly treasure that contains an immense amount of spiritual energy. Its also mixed with an immortals vital essence, making its usage of it very precise. There are many taboos and details; one little mistake, and it could ruin your cultivation." His words sounded very reasonable, but naturally, immortals would be the most familiar with these heavenly treasures. Thus, Wu Xingxue held the bell and thought for a moment, then turned his head to look at Xiao Fuxuan. "Thats indeed true," Xiao Fuxuan said. Yi Wusheng was actually quite certain about this. He even made it sound light. If one were to mess up, not only would their cultivation be ruined, but what was worse was that heavenly treasures were not only rare, they were also extremely hard toe by, even for immortals. Once severely damaged, it would be practically impossible to fix it. Wu Xingxue, however, didnt know about this. He gently dangled the bell and was a bit dazed. After a moment, he asked, "Can this be repaired?" This was also something that Immortals knew best, so he turned to look at Xiao Fuxuan again. Xiao Fuxuan: "" Tianxiu Immortals lips moved slightly, seeming to want to say the word "No". But he didnt make a sound. He turned his face away for a second, then turned it back, replying, "Yes." Yi Wusheng: "" He was speechless for a while, swallowing the word "impossible" that he was just about to blurt out back into his throat. He asked himself, is this what an immortal is like? After being stared at unblinkingly for a while, they could turn the impossible into the possible? He really wanted to see how it could be done Hence, an hourter, there was an extra person on the horse carriage to Falling Flower Mountain Market: Yi Wusheng, who had just said his "final farewells". Chapter 31: Jade Essence Chapter 31: Jade Essence Hi everyone! Im Cilk and Im the new trantor for this novel. Ill try my best to pick it up from UnderTheMoon and try to give out more consistent releases. I chose to continue keeping this page ad-free so that you all can have the best reading experience. If you would like to support me, please consider going to Patreon or Kofi and subscribing to "Unseen Immortal of 300 Years." Tranting is a hard and time-consuming task for me, so every donation will be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much! >_< The horse carriage was quite packed, but the atmosphere wasnt too great. Xiao Fuxuan didnt like to sit down, and likest time, he chose to stand and lean by the door. Fang Chu sat on the same side as Yi Wusheng. Ever since he got on, he has been ying dead, pretending to not wake up until they arrive. Ning Huaishan sat with Wu Xingxue. His thin bodyy in the corner. The sword scar on his neck was hurting again, and it was damp and soft to the touch like it would reopen again. He was rather annoyed by this old wound and decided to vent on Yi Wusheng. He said churly, "Didnt you say you still had some regrets? What, theyre gone now?" Yi Wusheng replied with a face of abashment, "I am ashamed." He was a person of great curiosity, as he would always try to get to the bottom of things. But if it wasnt for this temperament, how would he have developed so many new medicines? Before, hindered by his status in the Hua Sect, he always needed to pay attention to everything he did. He needed to remain calm at all times and even had to restrain some of his natural instincts. Now, with few days left to live, he could finally be free and act as his heart desired. Ning Huaishans original intention was just to provoke him. But seeing that he was only ashamed and not angry, he found no reason to continue the conversation. He shrank back to the corner, and before long, began to rub the scar on his neck. He was skinny to begin with, and leaning in the corner made him look rather like a wronged child. Yi Wusheng looked at him for a while, then couldnt help but ask, "Your scar" Ning Huaishan suddenly gave a fierce re, "None of your business." After all, the scar was left by Yi Wusheng back then. Although it was natural for cultivators to eliminate devils, Yi Wusheng couldnt help but feel worried after seeing his wound like that. Yi Wusheng asked, "Is it hurting again?" Ning Huaishan: "No! Yi Wusheng: "I have some medicine" Ning Huaishan: "Not taking it!" Yi Wusheng still wanted to say more. Ning Huaishan: "One more word and youre dead." Things usually didnt go through his brain when he was cursing others. Only after speaking did he realize that Yi Wusheng was in fact not far from death. He actually felt a hint of guilt and remorse. Yi Wusheng didnt speak. He just smiled, and still took out a pill from his medicine pouch. Ning Huaishan felt even more guilty. When he lifted his head again, he saw that the City Lord, who has been resting with his eyes closed, has half-opened his eyes to look over. He immediately surrendered, taking over the pill from Yi Wushengs hands and swallowing it. Afterwards, he reached out his leg under the table to nudge Fang Chus foot, then transmitted, "Stop pretending to sleep, help me out here." Fang Chu remained motionless, and after a while, he transmitted back, "No." The reason why Fang Chu began to y dead the moment after he entered the carriage was because ever since the carriage curtains were lowered, he suddenly realized a problem On the way here, it was the same carriage, and the same five people. He had thought that three of them were devils from Zhaoye City, and one was a puppet under the control of a devil. Hence, they had the upper hand. The cultivation sect member, Yi Wusheng, was alone and all by himself, surrounded by devils. But not anymore. Yi Wusheng was not forced, instead, he came here willingly. The puppet wasnt a puppet either, and was the Tianxiu Immortal himself. Their City Lord wasnt just the in City Lord anymore either, he was the Spirit King of the Immortal Capital the person who held the same status as Tianxiu. Five people, three of them were on the immortals side. He and Ning Huaishan were as good as dead. Moreover, the former site of Falling Flower Mountain Market had now be the entrance to the Devils Den, Zhaoye City. Bringing this carriage full of immortals, would this be considered treason? Of all the ces they could go, why did it have to be Falling Flower Mountain Market Fang Chu felt his stomach turning. And right after that, he heard the drowsy voice of his City Lord. "Xiao Fuxuan," said Wu Xingxue. The man leaning by the door looked over. "Why dont you have a seat?" Wu Xingxue asked, "Theres plenty of room." With that sentence, Fang Chu, who was ying dead, and Ning Huaishan, who was acting weak, all instantly snapped their eyes open. The carriage was indeed quite spacious. It could easily fit three people on one side. But the problem was the two of them. Yi Wusheng and Wu Xingxue were all sitting on the inside, while the two of them were sitting closer to the door. If Tianxiu Immortal were to sit down, then one of them would have to be sandwiched in the middle Ning Huaishan immediately kicked Fang Chu, transmitting, "Hey,e sit here NOW. Let Tianxiu sit with Yi Wusheng!"1btw, in case you forgot, they have some type of transmitting method where they could speak in a voice through transmitting only for the intended person to hear Fang Chu kicked back, "If I move to your side, then well be squeezing City Lord to the corner, are you crazy?" Unexpectedly, Fang Chus kick identally missed and hit Wu Xingxue instead. Wu Xingxue rubbed his handwarmer and said out loud, "Im not sure if Im crazy, but what I know for sure is that you two are certainly making quite themotion." Fang Chu: "" Fang Chu has been a devil for decades, and this was the first time he got embarrassed. Speechless, he could only re at the person who started it all, Ning Huaishan. Exposed, Ning Huaishan didnt dare to stay by Wu Xingxue any longer. He quickly shot himself over to the opposite side. Wu Xingxue: "" He asked angrily, "What are you running for?" Ning Huaishan sat down beside Fang Chu. Of course, he couldnt say "its cus Im scared of you". So he could only reply politely, "Its to leave a spot for Tianxiu." After speaking, there was a moment of silence in the carriage. City Lord and Tianxiu both nced at him at the same time. Ning Huaishan: "" He felt like there mustve been something wrong with what he had said, but he couldnt exactly figure out what it was. He could only cover his neck and try to ease the awkwardness. He whined, "City Lord, my neck hurts." Let it be your mouth next time, Wu Xingxue thought. He lifted his chin and reminded unhurriedly, the part you are covering has already started to form a scab, you can move your hand a bit lower." Ning Huaishan: "" Yi Wushengs medicine was indeed powerful. Just one pill was enough to stop the pain. But since he had already started the act, he had to finish it. So, he silently moved his finger down a few inches. The City Lord was not showing him any mercy, saying softly, "Toote, that part is already forming a scab too." Ning Huaishan let down his hand; his act could no longerst. The City Lord always had azy temperament, even while speaking. He rarely teased them like this. Ning Huaishan, feeling quite wronged, mumbled quietly, "All I did was move to make some room" Wu Xingxue said in his head, "Who asked?" Besides, Tianxiu Immortal didnt like to sit with others to begin with, nor did he like to be too close to others. Even if Wu Xingxue asked, and even if Ning Huaishan voluntarily moved, he would still probably just respond with "no need". It was like this on the way to the Valley of Great Sorrow. Wu Xingxues eyes didnt move. He stared at Ning Huaishan and just as he was about to continue bullying him, he suddenly noticed a tall figure move through the corner of his eyes. The long sword knocking against the waist jade gave off a very subtle sound, approaching him from far to near. The smell and temperature of another person became abruptly more distinct. Xiao Fuxuan sat down beside him. Wu Xingxue suddenly fell silent. This was an eye-opener for Ning Huaishan. Just a moment ago, his City Lord was still in an unpredictable ambiguous state, and a momentter, he immediately quieted down. Heres a nice analogy: It was like a near-extinct masked palm civet with its chest puffed ready to make an aggressive attack. But after two scratches on the chin, it surrendered immediately. He suddenly felt like this thought itself was even scarier than his unfathomable City Lord. He decided that the safest way would be to be like Fang Chu: Close his eyes and y dead. Wu Xingxue, of course, didnt know what nonsense his subordinates were thinking. When he raised his head again, what appeared in front of him was a row of three people, all with their eyes closed and looking like they had passed out. "" This made him rather angry, making himugh a little. "Laughing at what." Xiao Fuxuan suddenly spoke. Wu Xingxue: "Nothing." After retracting his gaze from the other side and tucking the handwarmer into his sleeves, he looked up at Xiao Fuxuan, "I heard them say that the Falling Flower Mountain Market was a busy market centuries ago, but its gone now." The first time he heard of this ce was when Yi Wusheng said that the dream bell of the mortal realm first originated there. The second time was during Yun Hais interrogation. He should have no memories of that ce, but perhaps it was because of the dream bell he carried by his waist, every time the name "Falling Flower Mountain Market" was mentioned, he would always vaguely recall a distinctive cacophony of voices. That ce must have been a lively and bustling ce. It was a pity that it has now be the entrance to the Devils Den, Zhaoye City. ording to Ning Huaishan, he personally set that ce as the boundary and as the entrance to Zhaoye City back then. Wu Xingxue asked, "Then how did the mountain market disappear?" Xiao Fuxuan replied, "Sudden wildfire." Wu Xingxue: "Fire?" Xiao Fuxuan gave an "mm" for affirmation. That was already a long time ago. After recalling for a bit, he continued, "The mountain market is supposed to open on the third day of the third month every year. It was said that not long after the market opened that year, a sudden wildfire erupted. The fire was too fierce and too sudden for anyone to respond." Every year, the Falling Flower Mountain Market would always be so lively that the lights could form a river. When the fire started, many people outside the market even thought it was the usual market lights. That day, nearly four miles of wildfire burned so red that even the moon hanging above it gave off a crimson glow. When the surroundingmon folks saw it, they still had no clue what was going on. They pointed to it and eximed, "That fiery red is an omen of prosperity!" Later, only after the entire Falling Flower Terrace2previously referred to as Falling Flower Tower was covered in smoke, people started to realize that something was off. By the time they got to the market, everything was already toote. Multiple cultivation sects came to help, summoning clouds and controlling water, but for some reason, the fire just wouldnt die out. Only after the entire Falling Flower Terrace was burnt to the ground, leaving nothing else to burn, did the fire finally slowly extinguish. "I wasnt born at that time, but I have heard many rumors about it." Yi Wusheng opened his eyes and spoke, "At that time, many people felt like that was no ordinary wildfire. Someone must have done something to cause a heavenly punishment." Upon hearing "heavenly punishment," Wu Xingxue immediately looked towards Xiao Fuxuan. Yi Wusheng quickly added, "Its not from Tianxiu. It was said that at that time, Tianxiu Immortal was uh, was under self-sanction, sealing himself in the far North for an entire century?" Self sanction? Sealed for a whole century? Wu Xingxue did not understand what this sanction thing was, nor what the punishment was if one went against such sanction. But before he coulde back to his senses, his brows had already furrowed. "Its just some confinement, nothing much," Xiao Fuxuans deep voice sounded. Xiao Fuxuans eyes gleamed a moment of coldness, as if he didnt want to talk about it any further. Having an EQ much higher than that of Ning Huaishan and the others, Yi Wusheng quickly changed the topic, "All in all, the Falling Flower Mountain Market never opened afterwards. The entire terrace was burned to a crisp, and even the rivers that flowed through there would flow out as a crimson red color, snaking throughout the Jiaming Wilderness." "Oddly enough, every year on the third day of March, the moon hanging on top of the mountain will still shine crimson red, and the Falling Flower Terrace will still flicker with firelights." The first few years this happened, the cultivation sects and themon people saw this and rushed over, thinking it was another fire. Only after they arrived did they realize there was no fire at all. Later, people felt like it was because the souls of the individuals that died there could not rest in peace, so they would go there every year to chant and pray for them. Then, eventer, that ce was set as the entrance to the Devils Den. Perhaps the sinister energies mutually controlled each other, because the firelights never appeared there ever again for decades. ording to the people there now, that ce had already returned to normal. This was also why Yi Wusheng was really puzzled. Why did they have toe to this no-longer-existing Falling Flower Mountain Market to repair the dream bell? That was, after all, a heavenly treasure. An immortal wouldnt just tell you how to build and repair one. For any person withmon sense, they would know better than to ask for that. Yi Wusheng has spent his entire life in a cultivation sect, he naturally knew these taboos. Fortunately, there was a mouthy person on the carriage And were that certain person to ask, Tianxiu Immortal would always reply. That person asked what Yi Wusheng wanted to know the most. Xiao Fuxuan replied, "Because the Falling Flower Terrace has jade essence." That person didnt even know what a jade essence was. He silently looked at Xiao Fuxuan, waiting for a response but what he received was Xiao Fuxuans hand. That hand flicked the bell that was resting on the seat, and then held it in his hand and studied it for a second. He continued lightly, "Its original materials were jade essence from that ce." Wu Xingxue: "" Themp wasnt lit in the carriage, making the interior quite dim. Only asionally, the felt door curtains would shift a little, letting in a bit of hazy light. Xiao Fuxuan couldnt see Wu Xingxues expression clearly. He could only see his half-closed eyes as well as his fingers that were hooked around the dream bells string. After a while, Wu Xingxue silently pulled on the string and brought the white jade bell back into his hand. Chapter 32: Calamity period Chapter 32: Cmity period Before, the Devil Lord had been trying to foist the dream bell off on others, but now that he carried it on himself, hed changed his mind. He didnt remember anything of the past, yet felt this dream bell was rather precious, and simply did not want to let other people touch it. Especially not the Tianxiu Immortal Xiao Fuxuan. Each time he touched it, the Devil Lords expression was quite subtle. Despite Xiao Fuxuan being the first person he handed the dream bell to just now. Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu continued to y dead while witnessing everything clearly through the cracks of their eyes. They thought to themselves: he does indeed live up to our City Lord. We cant tell what his mood is at all, and it seems like his face may change at any second. Wu Xingxue didnt want to engage in a constant tug-of-war with Xiao Fuxuan over a little bell. But his subordinates misunderstood his calm and unbothered face as a deeper meaning. He simply shut his eyes and leaned on the carriage wall to feign sleep. Inside, he couldnt help but mock himself: I, the great devil lord, now have to imitate the pair of idiots Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu. Yet the idiots method seemed pretty effective. After ying dead for a bit, he actually felt a bit drowsy. *** As Yi Wusheng had said, it was a chaotic era. Cultivation sects would erect prohibitions and wards across the boundaries of their sects sphere of influence. Just like the seals in Dabei Valley, they came in a wide variety. They stood as a thicket in urban outskirts, mountains and valleys, piers and other ces,yered atop one another, impossible to ignore. Once, those with high cultivation bases among the cultivation sects could have flown on their swords and traveled thousands of miles without any effort. Now, however, it was different. It wasnt because their cultivation bases grew weaker. Rather, it was because in that short moment of traveling, the cultivator would have to go through dozens of restrictions and would rm countless sects as well. Just receiving each sects sealed letters on the road would be enough to make ones hands go limp. So these years, to avoid trouble, if it wasnt an emergency, each sect was forced to primarily use specialized horse carriages to go out. Each time the carriage stopped for a bit or made a sudden turn, it was passing another restriction barrier. Along the way, one could use these to determine how many cities theyd crossed. From Dabei Valley to Falling Flower Terrace, it took about a full day, passing four cities. Within his drowse, Xingxue felt the carriage lightly jolting, and internally calcted that this must have been the third one; Falling Flower Terrace wasnt too far out. When they set off, the sky had just brightened, and now it was again approaching dusk. Perhaps because they were getting closer and closer to the Devils HQ, Zhaoye City, the thrill in the air grew much heavier. Even Wu Xingxue felt the cold. His fingers were tucked in his wide sleeves, their tips lightly stroking the handwarmer. The heat in the handwarmer was in fact more than enough. After holding onto it for a while, it would even feel slightly scalding, most suitable for such a winter night. But Wu Xingxue was still cold. At first, hed thought that the chill was slipping in through cracks in the carriage windows. But then, he realized that wasnt it. It was more like it seeped out from the cracks in his bones like liquid ice and circted throughout his meridians. The warmth in his hands just wasnt enough to cover up that somber chill. He tried to circte his internal energy again several times. Even colder. Hisck of memory was truly annoying. When killing people he didnt even bat an eye, but in times like these he was utterly useless. Wu Xingxue grumbled at himself. Hezily opened his eyes a crack, about to get a thick woolen nket to cover himself. However, he caught sight of Xiao Fuxuans gaze at him. It was unclear whether he was looking at him, or just looking through him in a trance. "" Wu Xingxue was stunned for a moment, then slightly closed his eyes again. The nket was out of reach and getting it would cause too much of a movement. As for the cold Just let it be. He was already the Devil Lord, it wasnt like he could be frozen to death by this. As the somber chill wrapped around him, he dazedly fell asleep. Before falling wholly asleep, his consciousness still struggling, he didnt forget to hold the dream bell tight in his hands lest it be touched again by others. Perhaps it was because he was gripping that white jade bell, that he was swallowed whole into a dream. *** He was also very cold in the dream, the exact same somber chill that seeped from his bones throughout his entire body. But he was only wearing a thinyer of clothing, without even a handwarmer to hold. Both his hands were empty as he stood in a certain spacious courtyard. He stooped beside a green section of bamboo to wash his hands. The moss and lichens on the masonry were frosted in ice; it could be seen that the water must have been quite cold, yet he remained unfeeling. He just lowered his gaze to look at his ashen-white fingers. "City Lord," someone called him. Wu Xingxue loosened and tensed his fingers a few times, thenposedly straightened his posture and turned his head to look over. He saw that Fang Chu was standing below a towering tree. Before his feet was a deep pool, and beside the pool were snowbanks. The water in the pool was murky and thick. At first nce, the water was ck, but the bubbles that rose to the surface sshed the snow banks dark red. There was a hand struggling to stretch out of the pool. It vainly scrabbled a couple times, but one kick from Fang Chu, and it sank back in. After a while, there was no more movement. Wiping the blood on his sole onto the mossy grass, Fang Chu reported, "City Lord, these two chatty numbskulls are finished, but its unclear how far their rumors have spread." Wu Xingxue pulled a snow-white cloth from a silver rack beside the bamboo pump. Wiping his hands, he said: "I dont remember faces. Where did these two little scampse from?" Fang Chu: "Little scamps." The corners of his mouth twitched. His City Lord was always throwing around appetions like this. If people who didnt understand heard it, theyd think it was some term of endearment. However, those two things whod been in over their heads were presumably helping their own master scout for intel, and made the fatal decision to scout out No Sparrows Landing. They so happened upon his City Lord while he was weak and in a bad mood. Hence, they were dunked into the blood pool, leaving not even bones. Of course, they might have gotten off even worse if hed been in a good mood. Ning Huaishan had always been a bit spooked by that blood pool, but Fang Chu wasnt. The only reason he was still alive right now was all thanks to this blood pool. On seeing a little golden hook floating atop the blood pool, he carelessly used his fingers to pull it out. After analyzing it for a moment, he said, "City Lord, theres a soul hook." The devils den Zhaoye City was a ce for neither human affection nor human nature. In great devils manors, theyd always raise plenty of little devils to help handle tasks. With great devils suppressing them, they were obedient underlings and attendants. But if their masters couldnt suppress them due to injury or sickness, they would turn into hungry wolves who could bite back at any time, just waiting for the opportunity. In order to set their minds at ease and stay in control, some devils would tag their underlings vital gates with a soul hook, much like a dog leash on mortal streets. Those soul hooks would usually be hidden underneath the skin and muscle, so they could only be exposed upon death. If it were an immortal sect, this shady and ruthless device would never have a name carved on it so that no one would ever know whod done it. But at the devils den, was quite the opposite. Devils were arrogant and tyrannical, so each soul hook would bear a unique sigil, heedless of being found out. Better that it was seen in fact, as it could help garner infamy for themselves. And the greater their infamy, the fewer people thatd dare cross themand hence, the more docile and obedient their underlings. So at first nce, Fang Chu knew whose sigil it was, "City Lord, it ought to be Lord Sangs." Wu Xingxue: "Lord Sang, which Lord Sang?" Fang Chu was stupefied. Wu Xingxue let out a light "Oh": "You mean Sang Yu?" Fang Chu truly couldnt bear it, and mumbled, "Theres only one person in Zhaoye City with the surname Sang" How can you confuse it with anyone else? But his City Lord was quite strange. Perhaps he was too strong, that other people simply did not enter his eyes. Zhaoye Citys many illustrious devils could strike terror in anyone in the world, yet for the City Lord, he asionally would even have to think before recognizing who the names were. Especially this Sang Yu. And yet his infamy was second only to Wu Xingxue. Before, there were even people who said, each time Wu Xingxue didnt remember Sang Yus name, it was actually a deliberate mocking. Otherwise, how could he not know who "Lord Sang" referred to? At first, Fang Chu also thought this, but after following Wu Xingxue for a while, he discovered that his City Lord truly wasnt doing it deliberately. Those who could make Wu Xingxue "deliberately" do something could be counted with one hand. "Wheres Ning Huaishan?" Wu Xingxue asked, putting aside the cloth. "Went out for some stuff," Fang Chu replied, "The stuff you briefed aboutst time. He said he wants to use these couple days to finish it up. Yesterday I heard him going on about his body feeling cold, so hes probably about to get his cmity period and wont be able to leave for a few uing days." Hearing "cmity period," Wu Xingxues expression dimmed. Fang Chu cautiously nced over at Wu Xingxue a few times, and hesitantly probed: "City Lord, your cmity period the past few days" Wu Xingxue turned his gaze toward him. Fang Chu went silent, no longer daring to say anything more. Wu Xingxue said: "Since the soul hook is Sang Yus, how about you go with me on a trip to Sang Yus ce." Fang Chu obediently handed the soul hook to him. He couldnt help but say, "Why should City Lord go over there, shouldnt it be him rolling over to beg forgiveness?" "Thats unnecessary." Without taking the soul hook, Wu Xingxue empty-handedly walked out through the long corridors exit, "l cant stand his smell, best that he doesnte." Fang Chu had only offered the soul hook as a courtesy. Seeing that he didnt taken it, he quite habitually stuffed it into his own waist sack, then said: "The corpse refining path does indeed bear a somewhat musty air, but Lord Sangs already refined it to its utmost; there is no smell." But upon turning around, he came back to his senses. At times, his city lord was so picky it was practically like he wasnt a devil. He stopped talking. It must have also been a cold winter in the dream. Zhaoye City was fogged over, ones breath visible when they spoke. Wu Xingxue dismounted a ck horse carriage and entered arge manor. Zhaoye Citys foul devils were often entric, with all sorts of odd-looking manors. Especially those of the corpse refining path, their manors were often modeled on mausoleums. Sang Yus ce, however, was quite normal. At first nce, there was no difference between it and those vermilion gates of a wealthy family in the imperial capital. But upon entering the gates, one could see the difference Ordinary households guest halls would be lined with chairs. Here, however; the walls were surrounded by a ring of pitch-ck coffins. The coffin covers were sealed tight with coffin nails all around, and were also bedecked in yellow talisman papers. A vague twanging ofughter was audible. If anymon folk were toe here, theyd surely be scared to death by thatughter. But as though he hadnt noticed it, Wu Xingxue took Fang Chu through the hall and into a chamber. Sang Yus underlings strode after them in a flurry, but didnt dare get too close. They could try to attempt to stop them by shouting, "City Lord, City Lord, CITY LORD!" "Speak, Im listening." Wu Xingxue didnt slow his pace, his stride was neither hurried nor slow, though oftentimes one step would transport him all the way to the other end of a corridor. He was so very sly, as he set those foul devil underlings into hysterics. "Our Lord Sang, he, right now its not convenient for him to receive guests," the underlings said. Haughtiness was Sang Yus wont in Zhaoye City, and his domestic underlings were the same. Were anyone else to have entered his manor, they would have long sincee to blows without bothering to open their mouths. But s, it was Wu Xingxue; they fundamentally didnt dare raise their hands against him, and were instead forced to p their gums. With an "Oh," Wu Xingxue said, "Whether or not its convenient is his affair. Do I look like I care?" The underlings: "" He entered a ce with no one present. Turning a few corners, he shed to a halt before a lofty chamber. It went without saying that he also knew Sang Yu was in this chamberbecause the entire room was surrounded by an extremely thick musty air, so thick it seemed that tens of thousands of people had been buried here. This time, even Fang Chu felt the smell was too heavy. Furrowing his brows, Wu Xingxue pinched his nose without any attempt to conceal it. The underlings: " They couldnt stop him, could only raise their voices to shout into the chamber, "Lord, City Lords here!" They seemed to both desire and dread approaching the door. Each one looked like a mangy, emaciated mutt, green-eyed with hunger. On one hand, there was the food they lusted after inside, but on the other, they had to curb themselves, not being strong enough. No reply came from inside the chamber, but there were some extremely quiet voices, cloying and indistinct, as though sealed off by a ward. Yet the musty air wrapping around grew suddenly thicker. "Lord" the underlings kept on calling. The fingers dangling at Wu Xingxues side made a single movement, and with a loud "BANG!" that tightly-shut chamber door sealed by a restriction barrier was mmed open by an invisible force. Upon knocking into the walls, they issued out a resounding echo. The thick, damp, gloomy air flooded out through the doors like a plume of steam. Wu Xingxue averted his head and turned back around before atst seeing clearly the scene within the doors The bed curtains were open wide, the room replete with the stench of congealed blood, along with a series of intertwined figures. With the restriction barrier broken, the voices once stifled within now flooded out undammed and ricocheted against the walls, doors, and windows, at once smothered and clear. Foul devils only ever sought pleasure. Heartless, artless, and even more socking normal peoples sense of honor and shame, of righteousness. After a moment ofposing himself, he turned his body back around, lifting a leg from amongst the crisscrossing bodies to sit on the bed. In a husky voice, he spoke toward the door: "Why has City Lorde? I so happen to be on my cmity period. It was truly too cold, so I called for some people toe warm me up. Please excuse me for being unable to wee you out in the hall." Wu Xingxue remained expressionless; it was Fang Chu who widened his eyes. Seeing this, Sang Yu began to smile: "Whats that, arent all cmity periods spent like this? Dont tell me theres another way other than relying on this?" He was embraced by those figures, his body all covered in sweat. Indeed, he didnt appear to be cold. But the moment that sweat dried, he let out an extremely light shiver, and then grabbed one of the peoples hands and held it close to suck up their blood. The person whose hand was bitten didnt react at first, but after a while they began to tremble, to struggle. Sang Yu cast away that hand. Leaning back on another persons body, blood staining the corners of his mouth, he looked toward the great devil at the doorway. Lifting the tip of his nose, he ostentatiously sniffed a few times: "SssRight, I heard the underlings saying, City Lord had also had his cmity period the past few daysss "Tch, cultivating our ways, free and unfettered, anything goes, the only difficulty being the cmity period. And the higher the state, the more difficult it is." Sang Yu chuckled, "So I was actually a bitforted, that at the very least City Lord was bound to be suffering even more than I am. "But Id never seen City Lord capture people for his cmity period, so how ever did you manage through them? I was ever so curious, and dispatched some of my people to help me keep a lookout. As it appears, they were unable to return?" He evidently knew why Wu Xingxue hade, and didnt put on any pretenses, just got straight to the point. Letting out an unctuous sigh, he said, "Two pitiful things, yet those two pitiful things exined something quite interesting to me yesterday." He looked over at Wu Xingxue and said: "I heard that during City Lords cmity period these few days, theyd spotted someone at No Sparrows Landing, and suspected that their own eyes had been hallucinating and seen wrong. Seeing as those two pitiful things are already dead, Ill help ask for them " "City Lord, why ever during the cmity period of all days, would the Tianxiu Immortal be in your No Sparrows Landing?" Chapter 33.1: Lips Sealed (1/2) Chapter 33.1: Lips Sealed (1/2) When Sang Yu let that question out, the entire chamber, even the entire Sang Manor went quiet enough to hear a pin drop. All those underlings of his turned their heads in unison, dozens of eyesnding unblinkingly on Wu Xingxue. At a time like this, even his "City Lord" identity couldnt suppress their prying curiosity. The only one who hadnt visibly dared peep at all was Fang Chu at Wu Xingxues side. "City Lord?" Sang Yu changed his posture to call him again. He was on his own turf, and was somewhat more impudent than he was outside, "It appears City Lord" Before he could finish, Wu Xingxue interrupted: "And what else did they tell you? Sang Yu was taken aback and didnt react. Wu Xingxue repeated: "And what else did those two little scamps exin?" This time, he no longer spoke in a lilting tone. His voice was light as a feather, yetnded firm. Atst, Fang Chu couldnt help but turn to look at his city lord. His lips stirred a few times, as though already getting nervous. Sang Yu was also tense for a time, but came back around and calmed down. It was unclear whether it was a pretense, or if he indeed thought himself invulnerable after spending his cmity period glutted high on blood and qi. "They said an awful lot." Chuckling, he said, "It appears City Lord is rather struck Oh, no, is extremely offended over this topic And why? Ever since I heard those two pitiful ones exining these matters, I kept thinking, why? "As you know, this cmity period thing is none other than the resentful souls killed by our hands amassing and, from time to time, finding a way to make life unpleasant for us." Sang Yus entire body was abounding with thenguor that followed pleasure. "Although ordinary people arent very useful, they are easy to capture. And cultivation disciples, theyre a little harder to capture, but they are indeed quite useful to take against the resentful souls. As for Immortal Capitals denizens, by rights they ought to be the finest of goods, just, theres no way to get ahold of them whatsoever. And even were we to get ahold of one, it would be no use, for immortal energy simply cannot meld with our bodies brimming with sinister devilish energy. At the time, I thought" Sang Yus constant rambling paused, as though hed momentarily forgotten what came next, but he then swiftly finished with a scoff: "In short, City Lord, I really had not a mote of malice; I was just thinking, what fine method might our City Lord have found?" Sang Yus constant rambling paused, as though hed momentarily forgotten what came next, but he then swiftly finished with a scoff: "In short, City Lord, I really had not a mote of malice; I was just thinking, what fine method might our City Lord have found? Raising his chin, he peered straight over from within his half-narrowed eyes: "And the Tianxiu Immortal wielding punishment no less, whom we Zhaoye City people shun for the life of us, the Tianxiu Immortal we instinctively avoid upon just hearing his name? What on earth is this fine method City Lord uses to avail himself of such a person?" Sang Yus constant rambling paused, as though hed momentarily forgotten what came next, but he then swiftly finished with a scoff: "In short, City Lord, I really had not a mote of malice; I was just thinking, what fine method might our City Lord have found? Raising his chin, he peered straight over from within his half-narrowed eyes: "And the Tianxiu Immortal wielding punishment no less, whom we Zhaoye City people shun for the life of us, the Tianxiu Immortal we instinctively avoid upon just hearing his name? What on earth is this fine method City Lord uses to avail himself of such a person?" Sizing up Wu Xingxues flimsy white clothing, he saw no sign of suffering under a somber chill about him, and said: "I see that City Lord must have already crossed through his cmity period. So, City Lord, as a fellow denizen of Zhaoye City, might you divulge a thing or two? Always capturing some immortal sect disciples truly gets boring; Id like to try out a minor immortal or two." Devils cmity periods get worse each time. Capturing one or twomoners might be enough to muddle through for now, but the next time itd be three to five, and the time after that even more. Going on like this, there woulde a time when they couldnt suppress it anymore. Commonfolk werent enough, so they had to find cultivation sect disciples, but what of when immortal sect disciples were no use? Sang Yu had nearly already cultivated the corpse path to its terminus, and had no more ways to move forwardthis was one of the reasons for his cmity period. In Zhaoye City, the only one he could consult with was the City Lord. That he dispatched people to spy on him was a matter of course. Wu Xingxue hadnt interrupted throughout, just kept listening to him. The more he talked, naturally, the more likely he was to let out how much he really knew. After listening, he said: "There is actually one thing I still dont understand." Sang Yu: "Whats that?" Wu Xingxue said: "Why do you think that if you ask me, I would just tell you?" Sang Yu began to smile: "Of course I know it wouldnt be so easy to get an answer, otherwise how could City Lord have left us all in the dust to be our City Lord? Moreover, having just deeply offended City Lord like this, presumably he wouldnt let others know about this method so rashly. But City Lord of Zhaoye City peoples various temperaments, You ought to understand more than anyone. We dont deign to form friendships, just look at these dogs Ive raised" He swept over those underlings outside the door: "Which one isnt looking for an opening to take a bite out of me? With so many people like this, its hard to sleep at night If those who want to bite me are merely this lot, then, those who want to bite City Lord, I can only imagine. "Given that, mightnt there be others whod also be aware of this secret method City Lord is pursuing?" Wu Xingxue seemed utterly unperturbed. He just slightly nodded his head to say: "It appears those two little scamps of yours were indeed loose-lipped. So, in your opinion, how many people would they have had to talk to, to take effect on me?" The bones of Sang Yus facial profile stirred, as though his jaw had momentarily tightened. But, he still continued to say: "In my opinion" It wasnt that he was truly without fear; rather, he didnt see an issue with talking. Zhaoye Citys people didnt deign to form friendships, but they were even less likely to provoke one anotherbecause, once the foul devils at their side all turned to hungry wolves, to tigers stalking prey, their masters truly wouldnt be able to sleep well. Sang Yu wasnt unafraid of Wu Xingxue; rather, he still estimated that inparison, the means for a smoothly passing cmity period versus luring a pack of testy wolves to circle him however he worked it out, the former was the lesser risk. "Cui Yin? Chang Gu? Old Daoist Hong Guang?" Sang Yu called out the names. All were figures few people in Zhaoye City would dare cross. He reported a few, then suddenly paused, because he discovered that Wu Xingxue was listening intently. This was the first time he started listening carefully since he entered. Sang Yus face changed color. "Thats seven. Anyone else?" Wu Xingxue said. This time Sang Yu really frowned: What is City Lord nning?" Wu Xingxue replied: "Speak, thats only seven, are there more? You all want my secret method, you must gather a stronger power than that, am I wrong?" Sang Yu snatched a robe from the bedside, but his gaze didnt dare stray from Wu Xingxues body. Hisplexion was getting worse by the moment. Wu Xingxue abruptly lifted a foot to cross the threshold, hurriedly followed by Fang Chu. At that moment, Sang Yus fingers that were gripping his clothes twitched, and almost immediately reported three more names. "Ten, any more?" Wu Xingxue kept asking. Sang Yu let out a scoff, his fingers already crooked. The fresh blood and qi hed taken in gushed within his veins, his meridians faintly visible through his neck and face as he said: "Well thats the Tianxiu Immortal, such a bizarre incident, you can imagine" The instant thest syblended, those pale figures stirred like ghastly creatures. A st of cold air whipped over from before him in just the blink of an eye. Uponing back to himself, he saw that the Devil Lord was still standing in ce, only his robe slightly swaying, while a longsword had appeared in his hand. Sang Yu: "YOU!!!" Wu Xingxue cocked his head to say: "Yes?" The next moment, those underlings surrounding outside the door all let out a piercing scream. The scream was rather unusual, cutting off halfway. Afterward, a blood stench even thicker than that in the room emanated out. The sound of dozens of heavy objects hitting the floor, too, issued a stifled clunkthose underlings were already beheaded, their heads rolling over the floor. They died too fast, their bodies still standing as their sliced necks spurted out blood. Simrly, due to the swiftness, Wu Xingxues sword was only stained with a few droplets of the blood now spurting out. With a light flick of his sword, those blood droplets disappeared without a trace, while hoary frost spread down along the hilt. Rumor had it that Wu Xingxue never held a sword in his hands. Sang Yu had heard of it, but because he was also a devil, they hadnt crossed paths, so hed never witnessed it for himself. Until now He rapidly shot a nce at Fang Chu, seeing that the sheath at Fang Chus waist was empty. BANG!! The door behind Wu Xingxue mmed heavily shut, not even leaving a crack. The lofty inner chambersnterns and candles abruptly went out. All of a sudden, the room descended into pitch-ckness. It wasnt until that moment that Sang Yu realized he seemed to have miscalcted something. He no longer dragged out with courtesy speaking and instead just yelled, "I JUST WANTED A SECRET METHOD" Just a secret method?! What nerve had he struck, that it hade to this? He had no time to think it over, and ignited ten golden talismans on the spot. At once, hundreds of ck coffins throughout Sang Manor suddenly rose. With the talismans simultaneous mobilization, the coffin lids burst open. Coffin nails sprang everywhere as yin corpses roared out, making straight for their masters chamber. But it was for naught. Hed once thought that he was only a step away from Zhaoye Citys lord, and only a finger-width away from Wu Xingxue. So long as he picked the right day, that finger-width would not be enough for him to bepletely overpowered. Today hade to this, because he really thought it was a pretty good day. Because those two underlings whod lost their lives had already reported to him, Wu Xingxue didnt seem to be at his prime today. From the devils perspective, an even better guess would benone other than the result of the collision of immortal energy with devilish energy. But would Zhaoye Citys lord do anything he wasnt confident in? Of course not. Since the Tianxiu Immortal had gone to his No Sparrows Landing, the method of melding immortal and devil was certainly something he held. Just,plete melding would take time, and beforeplete integration, he wouldnt be at full power. Looking at it like this, the small difference separating them would be rendered null. Of this, Sang Yu was assured. But it wasnt until he was held against the ice-cold wall and held by his neck by Wu Xingxue, the entire chamber suffused with the unspeakable smell of yin corpses that had exploded post-mortem, that he realized, hed again miscalcted a bit. His eyes bulged out, he said with great difficulty: "How could it be why is there not the slightest trace of immortal energy on your body?" Since hed passed his cmity period, regardless of how hed melded the energies, Wu Xingxues body must have been stained with the Tianxiu Immortals immortal energy. Previously, the musty air in this chamber had been too heavy, he hadnt been able to probe. Now that they were this dose, he discovered that he truly couldnt smell a whiff of Tianxius immortal energy. "You" Sang Yus eyes bled under the pressure. But Wu Xingxue, however, would not answer his words, just said lightly: "Apart from those ten, who else was there?" Mouth foaming blood, Sang Yu gritted out: "One tells ten ten tell a hundred how can City Lord suppress it? Wait till it spreads around Zhaoye City, spreads to the mortal realm and, then spreads to Immortal Capital howll City Lord stop it then?" Wu Xingxue cocked his head, his fingers clenching through the air. Those coffin nails wedged inside the yin corpses flesh all fell into his hands. Each coffin nail bore incantations and was stained in bloody tissues, several inches long. Looking at him, Wu Xingxue said: "Cant spread it if theyre dead." Sang Yus pupils instantly contracted. As a devil, this was the first time he felt a full-body shiver such as this. It was not furious killing intent, but rather like the cmity periods chill, a fear that spurted out bit by bit from the cracks in his bones and flowed throughout his body. "How will City Lord go and kill them one by one?" Sang Yu said. "Cant I kill them?" Wu Xingxue asked in a lilting tone as though he were seriously asking, yet his face was entirely wooden. Sang Yu atst realized, he really did appear to have crossed Wu Xingxues bottom line. The funny thing was, before this, he hadnt even thought Wu Xingxue had a bottom line. He was even less able to understand which statement had actually set him off. Wu Xingxue silently watched Sang Yu. For a moment, he revealed a slight pallor, but quite rapidly let out a chuckle. Without replying to Sang Yus words, he just said: "Then just watch me." Trantors note: This is a long chapter, part 2ing out tomorrow! Chapter 33.2 Lips Sealed (2/2) Chapter 33.2 Lips Sealed (2/2) At that moment, even Fang Chu looked at Wu Xingxue with a dubious expression, not understanding this statement. But very soon they both understood Because Wu Xingxue didnt just straight-up kill Sang Yu; he used Sang Yus own coffin nails carved with incantations to drive him into the wall, nail by nail. And then, he really did follow up on all the names Sang Yu had reported. Through the thick of Zhaoye Citys deep night, he killed them one by one. Each one, hed ask just one thing: "Any more?" Anyone else its spread to?" There was an ever-present cold mist in the dream, shrouding all of Zhaoye City, as though it never dispersed all year. Wu Xingxue was in fact unable to distinctly sense his actual frame of mind in the dream. When he left thest persons manor, there was a faint light in the sky piercing through the cold fog. He lifted his head to look and half-narrowed his eyes. He handed that sword back to Fang Chu: "What time is it?" Fang Chu had followed him the entire night. The moment the sword was handed over, his pupils contracted slightly, subconsciously feeling a slight fear. "About 6 in the morning." Fang Chu hoarsely answered. Upon taking back the sword, he lowered his head to insert it into its sheath. A brocade sachet at his waist jingled. Inside were special things gotten from each of the devils killed over the course of the night. Wu Xingxue took Fang Chu back to the first ce theyd gone, Sang Yus manor, and stood in front of the nailed-down Sang Yu. Fang Chu untied his sachet and poured out those things, each one extremely recognizable. Sang Yus eyeballs darted back and forth. As he looked them over one by one, his nailed hands and feet trembled. Many people had once said, of Zhaoye Citys denizens, the one who looked least like a devil was the City Lord himself. It wasnt until now that he discovered, when the other party really got down to it, his means of torture were indeed worthy of the title "Devil Lord." But this would be thest thing hed discover in this life. Dozens of coffin nails fell to the floor in an endless clinking. Dead, Sang Yu also mmed heavily onto the floor, issuing a thump and sttering a few drops of blood. Wu Xingxue lowered his eyes to look at him. After a beat, he tilted his head to say to Fang Chu, Time to go back." When they returned to No Sparrows Landing, Ning Huaishan had just happened to return from his errands. He was just getting on his cmity period, not too cold quite yet, just rubbing his hands and stamping his feet. He asked Fang Chu, "How are you and city lord just getting back, what were you out doing?" ncing at Wu Xingxue, Fang Chu shook his head over and over, saying, "Nothing, dont ask." Ning Huaishan let out an "Oh." While hopping around to warm up, he followed Wu Xingxue into a chamber. "City Lord, Im gonna have to shut myself in for a few more days," Ning Huaishan said nasally. Xingxue removed his gauzy outer robe. Lifting it up to look it over, he let out an "Mm," without lifting his head. "I know, Fang Chu told me." The bloodstains at the hems of his outer robe had already dried up and could actually be removed through a little clothing-cleaning method without any leftover stains at all. But Wu Xingxue still handed the robe to Fang Chu and said: "Burn it. Fang Chu and Ning Huaishan werent the least bit surprised. After all, their city lords pickiness wasnt just a recent phenomenon, especially when it came to things like bloodstains. Sometimes they even suspected that Wu Xingxue couldnt stand the sight of blood. But more often, they felt this line of thought was downright foolish. If he really couldnt stand the sight of blood, then he wouldnt just kill people like that. Fang Chu went out to the blood pool with the outer robe. Flicking a bit of fire between his fingertips, he burned the bloodstained robe. Just in case, he also wiped down the drops of blood on his sheath before going to another side chamber to pick out a clean robe. He first picked out one just like the first, pale gray and gauzy. Carrying the robe, he walked all the way into the chamber before hastily going back out. Wu Xingxue turned his head to ask him: "What is it?" Fang Chu sputtered out: "City Lord wait a moment please, I chose wrong." When Fang Chu returned to the side chamber, Ning Huaishan also followed him in. Folding his arms, he said: "Whyre you dawdling picking out an outer robe?" Fang Chu shot him a look: "You dont understand shit." Ning Huaishan retorted: "What dont I understand, as if I never chose the City Lords clothing before?" Fang Chu picked out a fox fur overcoat from the many articles of clothing. Ning Huaishan was visibly perplexed: "Whatre you doing? Are you stupid? The robe city lord just had you burn was thin as a cicadas wing, and now youre picking out a fox fur overcoat, are you trying to overheat city lord to death? If youre asking for a death wish, do it on your own, Im out, you give it to City Lord yourself." Fang Chu: "" "You." Fang Chu started but stopped. At the end of his patience, he picked him up like a little chick and dragged him over: "No, if I die, we die together, dont even think about getting away." After a moments hesitation, he still told Ning Huaishan about the incident that night. The two of them had always been terrified of Wu Xingxue; theyd never be crazy enough to go after City Lord "secret method," and presumably wouldnt touch his bottom line and provoke his anger. Ning Huaishan finished listening and let out a silent shiver, whispering: "So Sang Yu seriously said that City Lord wasnt stained with any of Tianxius immortal energy?" Fang Chu nodded: "Right, if he crossed past his cmity period, there ought to have been some." Ning Huaishan finally understood why Fang Chu had reced the thin clothing with fox fur: "So, City Lords still cold right now." Moreover, he must have still been suffering the somber chill. But he followed it up with confusion: "If city lord was really cold, then why had he still been wearing light clothing? To put down Sang Yu and the others?" Fang Chu shook his head to say: "Cant be. If it were really for putting Sang Yu down, then he would have put it on while leaving. But hed already been wearing it." Ning Huaishan puzzled it out: "In his own manor, why would he force himself to wear such light clothing? Whose eyes were he willing himself for?" Just as Fang Chu was thinking he had no idea, he came up with a sudden clever idea. Grasping Ning Huaishan, he said: "Could it be the Tianxiu Immortal?" Ning Huaishan was also struck by this answer. After a long pause, he said: "So then maybe if the Tianxiu Immortal was really here, and it wasnt like Sang Yu and the others had guessed, then he really couldnt have shown weakness, or else" But he swiftly grew even more confused: "No wayyy, for the Tianxiu Immortal to havee to No Sparrows Landing, if it wasnt like Sang Yu and them guessed, then there would have been a sh between immortal and devil, right? Wouldnt the sh have injured one of them and wrecked half of our No Sparrows Landing? Would it be in this intact state right now?" The more Fang Chu thought, the more stumped he became as well. They no longer continued their whisperings and began to ponder. All of a sudden, they felt something was off. They werent alone Someone elses aura was present In rm, Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu turned around to see Wu Xingxue reclining in the doorway, his deep, ink-ck eyes having been calmly watching them for who knew how long. The past night hed killed scores of people, costing him a significant amount of internal energy. He only rxed down after hed returned to No Sparrows Landing. Due to his weakened internal energy, certain things that were originally concealed now revealed themselves a little This was the reason Fang Chu and Ning Huaishan were able to sense a whiff of an aura that didnt belong to their City Lord. They gaped for a beat, finally realizing that what was slowly revealing itself on Wu Xingxues body was Tianxius immortal energy. It was also at that moment that Fang Chu had a sudden revtion: perhaps the nerve that Sang Yu and the others had struck was no such to obtain a secret method," but rather, to spread the news that "Tianxiu Immortal came over to No Sparrows Landing. The instant this revtion crossed his mind, the Wu Xingxue whod previously been leaning against the door had already shed before them. Fang Chu blurted out in terror: "City Lord I wont talk!" The hand Wu Xingxue lifted paused. Fang Chu tugged on Ning Huaishan, promptly saying: "The thing about the cmity period, we wont let a word of it get out!" But Wu Xingxues hand still came down. Before dosing their eyes, they faintly heard the sound of a bell. *** Wu Xingxue woke up to the damp sound of rain outside the horse carriage, along with another light jolt of the carriage passing through a prohibition. Thest scene hed seen in the dream was his fingers hooked around the dream bell, set toward Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu. Thest statement lingering at his ears was Fang Chus exmation: "The thing about the cmity period, we wont let a word of it get out!" Amidst that echo, he opened his eyes to see Xiao Fuxuans side face cast in the duskyntern light. It wasnt a filth-wardingntern, nor was it harsh to the eyes, just flickered a few times with the carriages slight movement. The warm yellow light fell upon the other partys browbone and high, straight nose bridge, down to the line of his lips. Wu Xingxue hadnt yet recovered from his daze, and peered out through his cracked eyes awhile when he suddenly pursed his lips. Xiao Fuxuan seemed to sense it somewhat, and turned his eyes to look over at that very moment. After a moments silence, he suddenly recalled that "Tianxiu Immortal" was mentioned by so many peoples lips in his dream. After returning to his senses, he hastily withdrew his line of sight from the spot below Xiao Fuxuans nose. "City Lords awake?" "City Lord." Ning Huaishan and Fang Chus voices sounded, nearly continuing off from the dreams lingering sound. Wu Xingxue was startled for a moment, until he recalled that they were currently in a horse carriage headed for Luohua Terrace. Xiao Fuxuans line of sight remained on his body, as he could see from the side of his eye. He straightened himself up, then carelessly picked out something to ask the three people across from him: "Still not there yet?" Who would have guessed that before Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu could open their mouths, Xiao Fuxuans light voice have already replied, "Weve arrived." Wu Xingxue was at a loss, "Weve arrived?" It wasnt until now that he realized that after that light jolt from his half-dreaming half-awake state, the carriage no longer made any movement, as though they had indeed arrived. Wu Xingxue straightened his posture in bewilderment, his gaze still on the table before him: "Howe no one woke me up?" The Tianxiu Immortals deep voice supplemented: "Those two didnt dare to." Wu Xingxue: "" Just ask and youll answer. Normally hed go half the day without words, yet now he supplied sentence after sentence. Xiao Fuxuan had made two whole statements. Were he to keep his eyes fixed on those three people across him, itd truly be unreasonable. Hence, he He lowered his head to nce at his own body. When hed first gone to sleep, hed still only been wearing simple clothes and sping a handwarmer. Now that he opened his eyes, he was inexplicably covered in a thick woolen nket. The moment he straightened up, the nket slipped down a little, and the chill slipped in through the crack. Wu Xingxue subconsciously grasped the nket and drew it back up: "This nket" This time Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu still wanted to speak but hesitated, and it was Yi Wusheng who answered quickest: "Before, it could be seen that the joints of young masters fingers were going blue, likely because youre a bit cold." Wu Xingxue thought to himself, way more than just a bit. Just as he was about to nod to Yi Wusheng and thank him, he heard the other party continuing, "So immortal conferred a nket upon you." Wu Xingxue: "" He finally had to look at Xiao Fuxuan. Of all goddamn times, it so happened that Ning Huaishan chose now to run his mouth, "City Lord, You might not remember it. We devils have a special condition, and every so often well get a sort of" Perhaps he wanted to say something like "resentful spirit bacsh," but the moment he mouthed "resentful" he nced to Xiao Fuxuan and silently swallowed it back: "A sort of situation" Fang Chu also supplemented to the side: "Every so often itll bring an unbearable chill to our bodies. The more powerful the person, the harder it is to bear, uhh" Hindered by the presence of an immortal, they couldnt be too transparent with their words. But they were also afraid of Wu Xingxue not remembering anything and running into a situation he couldnt bear. The two of them were so anxious they were nearly pulling their hair out. Wu Xingxue snuggled into the nket, staring wooden-facedly at them and thinking to himself: Stop talking, I so happen to know this one, stop with your monkey business and get the hell out of the carriage. As those two idiots stood up to dismount, they kept gesticting: "Anyways, its just that sometimes therell be an, umm" After they "umm"ed a few times, the Tianxiu Immortals deep voice resounded, helping them finish their sentence: "Cmity period." Wu Xingxues eyshes trembled. He nearly covered his face with the nket in his hands. Chapter 34.1: Mountain Market (1/2) Chapter 34.1: Mountain Market (1/2) The ones with an even stronger reaction than Wu Xingxue were Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu. At the time, they were lifting the felt curtains, just about to dismount the carriage. Upon hearing Xiao Fuxuan say "cmity period," however, their heads erupted in question marks, and they tripped over their feet A pair of tumbling sounds issued out; the two little demons nearly fell down and face-nted on their homnd. Ning Huaishan clutched the carriage door with one hand to halt his stumbling. After a beat, he pushed the curtain aside and poked his head in: "How did you know?!" His eyes were big to begin with, and now they were so bugged they looked about ready to fall out, staring unblinkingly with incredulity at Xiao Fuxuan. Before long, Fang Chus head also poked in, frowning in bewilderment: "How would Tianxiu know the term cmity period?!" Nearby, Yi Wusheng queried: "Cmity period? What does cmity period mean? This is the first time Im hearing about it." Ning Huaishan snapped back: "Well no shit! Dya think wed just easily let you cultivators hear about it?" Yi Wusheng: "?" When on their cmity periods, devils could be easily taken advantage of and infiltrated if they werent careful. So, Zhaoye Citys devils and evildoers maintained a tacit understanding to conceal it by any means possible when leaving the city. No devil would let outsiders, especially people from cultivation sects, to know about this detail, as it would put their own weak spot on disy. Not to mention, the phrase "cmity period" was also an intramunity term for devils; they thought that resentful souls bacshing was a cmity, so they used this name. Were a cultivator to learn of it, theyd probably pat themselves on the back and call it "retribution." As they babbled out their questions for a while, if nothing else, Wu Xingxue could at least get the pointthis phrase "cmity period" should not have under any circumstancese out of Xiao Fuxuans mouth. As for why he would have known Now that was the real question. Grasping the woolen nket, Wu Xingxue thought back to those vague fragments in his dream, especially the ambiguous tone Sang Yu used when mentioning the "Tianxiu Immortal" In short, there was perhaps no more ce in this carriage for him to hide. Yet those two idiots kept braying on: "No wayyy, Tianxiu how the hell do you know? Who leaked it out?" Xiao Fuxuan didnt immediately respond to their words, but used his sword to prop open the felt door curtain and turned his head to Wu Xingxue to say: "Lets dismount." Wu Xingxue nced at him, lifted the thick nket, and went toward the carriage door. He lowered his head to pass through the door curtain Xiao Fuxuans sword propped up, and was just about to dismount. From the corner of his eyes, Xiao Fuxuan shot him a nce, then abruptly addressed the question Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu had been waiting on an answer for. Ever so close, his deep voice said: "I just happen to know." Wu Xingxues heart jumped. Immediately after, that voice emanated again: "Put on an overcoat." Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu: ?" He just blurted such a statement out of the blue without any context, startling everyone who heard. After a beat, the pair realized that this statement was directed toward their city lord. Umm.. Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu had originally been nning to say a little more, but were now rendered speechless. They just watched as their City Lord froze and shot an unfathomable look at Xiao Fuxuan before atst turning back into the carriage. Yi Wusheng pulled out a carriage-furnished overcoat and handed it over, saying: "I dont understand what this cmity period thing is about, but if its an unbearable bodily chill, then wearing a bit more should do well. Perhaps young master, if you dont mind, you could describe the cmity periods symptoms and what means are able to suppress it. If nothing else, Im carrying all sorts of pills, perhaps they could be of use." "" After he spoke, the horse carriage went momentarily silent, enough to hear a pin drop. Yi Wusheng was at a loss, showing puzzlement on his face: "Whats wrong?" Ning Huaishan and Fang Chus faces silently contorted, not daring to interrupt rashly this time. They withdrew in tacit understanding for a while before suddenly realizing a problem Tianxiu Immortal Xiao Fuxuan had suddenly gone just as silent. Of course, Tianxiu was originally a quiet fellow to begin with, who cherished his words like gold. But at that moment, they got the subtle feeling that the Tianxiu Immortals reaction wasnt his normal silence, but like theirs, with a bit of an ineffable meaning to it. It seemed like he not only knew what the cmity period was, but even knew the symptoms of the cmity period, as well as how to suppress it. Umm???? Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu exchanged a nce. But, before they could ponder, they heard their City Lord saying: "To tell the truth, I dont remember anything at all about the cmity period. No need for medicine, I dont like taking it. But I appreciate your kindness mister." After he finished speaking, Wu Xingxue got off the carriage wearing the overcoat, almost hurrying a bit. Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu rapidly caught up and whispered to him: "City Lord, its so weird, that Tianxiu Immortal seems to know everything, even how to suppress a cmity perio" Before they could finish, they heard City Lord speaking in an incredibly faint voice: "Please shut up guys." The two of them were most fearful of this sort of tone. Scalps numb, they shut their mouths. Wu Xingxue finally got a moments peace. Within the nights chill, a windden with freezing rain whipped straight over, so strong it whistled past his ears. It was only now that Wu Xingxue realized that in the horse carriage, a bit of heat had just risen to the base of his ears and neck. Behind him was the light sound of a sword as Xiao Fuxuan also dismounted. As Wu Xingxue swept a glimpse over his surroundings, he saw that, afternding, Xiao Fuxuan stood a few paces away from the horse carriage. He met his gaze, but didnt appear to want toe over. "Sss Howe there are so many people by the ry station?" Ning Huaishan abruptly asked in vexation. "Hm?" Wu Xingxue turned to look. The ce their carriage had stopped was an expanse of hitching posts with a canopy overhead. A ce not far behind ought to have been Zhaoye Citys entrance. There, he saw a lofty, imperious wall, nked on either side by minarets, the borders of which appeared to suspend bells and chimes that swayed in the freezing wind, their sound emanating through the misty fog. In the center of the high wall was arge gate of ck iron, the left and right of which were festooned with dozens of greenish lights. At first, Wu Xingxue thought they werenterns hanging from the wall. But, after focusing his eyes for a moment, he realized they were ghost fires suspended in the rainy mist. And between the ghost fires, human silhouettes flickered about. Wu Xingxue asked: "Who are they? Guards?" He thought to himself, wasnt Zhaoye City the devilsir, what would the devilsir need guards for? On cue, he heard Ning Huaishan reply: "Before, our Zhaoye City didnt have guards. Those otherworld lights were all put there by City Lord, along with the ck bells hanging from the towersin case someone from Immortal Capital tried to enter Zhaoye City, the ck bells would ring, and the otherworld lights would form a wall of fire that go on for thousands of miles. "Butter, some guards were ced here." Ning Huaishan added. "Why?" Wu Xingxue asked. Ning Huaishan beat around the bush: "Uhh, because City Lord was locked up in that awful Northern Frontiers ce, and nobody knew when you coulde back. A lot of people were worried the otherworld lights and ck bells wouldnt hold up after a few years, so" This was already euphemistic wording. Wu Xingxue tacitly understood. Presumably, those devils in Zhaoye City thought hed met certain death, and no longer trusted these things. Moreover, arranging guards meant that there was someone calling the shots in Zhaoye City. Wu Xingxue waved a hand at Ning Huaishan, asking: "Come, tell me, who is the current City Lord of Zhaoye City?" Curling his lip unreconciled, Ning Huaishan subconsciously said: "Xueli." After saying this, he was pushed heavily by Fang Chu. Ning Huaishan came back to himself immediately, "City Lord" Wu Xingxue wasnt surprised in the least. Since hed entered the Northern Frontiers, all the world thought him dead. It would have been impossible that the position of City Lord of devilsir Zhaoye City had remained empty. With so many devils and demons, thered always be someone striving for the top seat. That there was a new City Lord was a matter of course. He again recalled how back when hed just gotten out of the Northern Frontiers, Ning Huaishan had borne an expression of hurriedly getting him back to Zhaoye City, likely because of this. "Xueli?" Yi Wusheng blurted out, "Xueli" Possessed by a devil, hed been muddleheaded for over twenty years. Before he awoke, he had no idea who the new City Lord of Zhaoye City had be. Now hearing the name, he repeated it a few times, saying: "This name is the same as that of a former acquaintance of mine." Fang Chu: "Was your former acquaintance from the Feng family?" Yi Wusheng nodded: "Yes, the Feng family had a good rtionship with my Hua family for generations. The previous family head had two sons and a daughter. Eldest son Feng Feishi, precious daughter Feng Juyan, and youngest son Feng Xueli." Fang Chu: Thats right, its him." Yi Wusheng went pale with shock: "Whats the meaning of this?!" Fang Chu: "Its that Feng Xueli. I dont know how he fell out with his family or how he began cultivating the devils path. When he came to Zhaoye City, he abandoned his family name and only kept Xueli. The past few years our Zhaoye City hadnt produced any great devils, just let him take it over for cheap, and he became the new City Lord." "Not only that!" Ning Huaishans temper red up, his face pulled longer than a horses: "When he came to Zhaoye City, he didnt make a manor for himself. He had his heart set on upying City Lords No Sparrows Landing. If it werent for No Sparrows Landing sealing itself off after City Lord left, he mightve already moved all his family property in there!" Because of this, he looked upon Xueli with extreme disdain. Before, he and Fang Chu were eager for Wu Xingxue to return to the city as soon as possible and kill off that dogs mighty air. Just based on his City Lords skill, as soon as he came back, what would be of Xuelis domineering behavior then? But now hed changed his mind. Their City Lord didnt remember anything, and was just getting on his cmity period. Best to wait for his memory to be reinstated and his cmity period to be crossed, and then take on Xueli before he knew what hit him. So, right now was not a good time for identity reveals. As Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu were thinking as much, they called Wu Xingxue, wanting to change his appearance a little before crossing the ry station. But before they opened their mouths, they heard a gust of wind from behind. It was a dark, corpse-qiden wind. Upon smelling it, Wu Xingxue suddenly recalled Sang Yus manor in the dreampeople on the corpse refining path would always have this odor about them. Wu Xingxue pinched his nose. As he was about to lift his gaze again, he saw that the flickering figures beside the city wall were nowhere to be seen. Instead, the dozens of ck-robed people had shed right before them. Their skin was pale white, and across their necks was an extremely noticeable ck line. At first nce, it was evident that theyd been decapitated and then sewn back together by force. Upon looking closer, he discovered that those lines werent an even stitchwork of ck thread, but a circle of coffin nails driven into the neck. "These are the new City Lords guards?" Wu Xingxue studied them. Cocking his head to the side, he murmured, "Theyre so ugly." As he finished talking, he encountered a rare moment when he didnt hear an echo. He thought to himself, so there are times when Ning Huaishan has some sense of reservation. But soon, he heard Ning Huaishans voice elsewhere: "Weve only been gone from the city for a few days, howe there are so many extra people at the ry station?" Wu Xingxue: "" Before, Ning Huaishan had still been close by his side, but at some point, hed gone a few steps away. So who was the person standing at his side and listening to his mouthing off now? Wu Xingxue turned his head, seeing Xiao Fuxuan carrying his sword. Wu Xingxue was startled: "Werent you just standing over by the carriage, howd you end up here?" Xiao Fuxuan: "If you hadnt turned your head to look, how would you know I was standing by the carriage?" Wu Xingxue moved his lips, but didnt issue any sound. That subtle, ineffable feeling from before came floating back up. He faintly sensed that the Tianxiu Immortal seemed a bit unhappy. Clearly, he hadnt been like this when Wu Xingxue had just woken up. Thinking back, it seemed that hed been like this ever since hed told Yi Wusheng "I dont remember the cmity period" and then hurried out of the carriage. Wu Xingxue: "" Um. He was but a devil, presumably hed never cared whether others were happy or unhappy. Besides, he truly didnt know whether, under these circumstances, if he were to say something, what should he say. Better to just act as if he hadnt noticed. As the Devil Lord thought, he pursed his lips. After a second, he again moved them again, "Why did youe over?" Xiao Fuxuan lifted his eyelids: "Came to help someone change faces." Wu Xingxue: "?" He gaped for a moment, hearing Xiao Fuxuans low voice saying: "Stand still." The next moment, he understood Xiao Fuxuans meaningjust to hear the leader of Zhaoye Citys guards advancing a few paces while exining to Ning Huaishan: "Falling Flower Terrace is exhibiting strange phenomena. To keep from drawing people over, City Lord ordered an increase in the citys defense. Of course you guys can enter the city with no problem. As for these three" That pack of guards ignited a fire on their palms to illuminate their way. Ning Huaishan and Fang Chu were Wu Xingxues trusted aides; practically no one in Zhaoye City wouldnt recognize them. But the other three, they still had to examine. Theyd gotten very close. Under these circumstances, if Xiao Fuxuan lifted his hand to change anyones face itd be too conspicuous. Wu Xingxue thought to himself, toote, its over. Chapter 35: Inn Chapter 35: Inn In that instant, a fragment shed across Wu Xingxues mind Another asion when he oughtnt to have uttered a sound, and was in the same posture as now, with Xiao Fuxuans hand muffling him. He even remembered the feel of the other partys thumb lightly touching the tip of his nose, the light breath of his whispered words sweeping past his earbones. His shoulders and neck went taut for a moment, and he spoke quietly to the one holding him down: "Xiao Fuxuan, do you know how reckless it is to touch the Devil Lord from behind?" It was a vital gate, too easy to incite an instinctive killing move. "I know." After a moments silence. Xiao Fuxuan said lowly and methodically: "But Wu Xingxue you withdrew your internal energy." Wu Xingxue returned to his senses. He realized in hindsight that when he was pped on the shoulder, hed also instinctively curled his fingers. But upon knocking against Xiao Fuxuans chest, upon hearing the others voice, he slowly disengaged his internal energy. Before he could react, hed already been carried by Xiao Fuxuan behind a sound-barrier wall. The market was still noisy, but it was only on the other side of the wall. Looking toward the piping steam at that faraway tea shop, he asked: "Is it really an illusion realm?" The palm over his lips stirred, withdrawing "What did you say?" Xiao Fuxuan asked, "It was too noisy outside to hear clearly." "I said, is this ce really an illusion realm? I cant help but feel its too realistic." Wu Xingxue looked outside the wall for a while. Xiao Fuxuan replied, "You can think of it that way." "What do you mean?" Wu Xingxue asked. Xiao Fuxuan: "What you see is an illusion, but the scene is real." Wu Xingxue: "" After a beat of silence, he turned his head around to say: "Immortal that didnt help." Xiao Fuxuan: "" He shot Wu Xingxue a look as though he had no words, but still opened his mouth to supplement: "Falling Flower Mountain Market is long-gone, yet it appeared now out of thin air; naturally it is an illusion realm. But this mountain markets scenery isnt built on naught; it is Falling Flower Terrace as it once was on a certain day." Falling Flower Terrace as it once was on a certain day? Wu Xingxue looked back at the market. This had truly been too much of a coincidence from start to finish. As soon as theyd set off from Valley of Great Sorrow, Falling Flower Terrace had exhibited strange phenomena. The previous strange phenomena had always been sudden bursts of firelight, yet the moment theyd stepped foot into the mountain, the strange phenomena were no longer just mes, but a certain day in Falling Flower Terraces past. The first time one could still call it coincidence, but if coincidences piled up, there must be something else behind all this. If the illusion was Falling Flower Terrace as it once was on a certain day Was this to let them know something? Or to get them to do something? Wu Xingxue mulled it over, and turned his head to say: "Xiao Fuxuan, is your memory good?" Xiao Fuxuan: "" The Tianxiu Immortals expression was a bitplicated. Before Wu Xingxue could say anything else, Xiao Fuxuan said. "I cant tell which day it is." Wu Xingxue: "I didnt even ask yet." Xiao Fuxuans gaze swept over him, "Its written clearly on your face." Wu Xingxue: "" Okay. He had indeed been nning to ask this, and in the end, his question had been choked back in advance by the Tianxiu Immortal. However, he was simply not ready to give in. He looked toward the market. That previous tall figure was already nowhere to be seen, submerged somewhere in the bustling tide of people. Without turning his head, he asked: "That one you said couldnt be called for just now, was it you?" After asking, he subconsciously grumbled out: "It should be, Id never mistake you." Behind him, Xiao Fuxuan suddenly asked, "Why?" Wu Xingxue turned his head to look at him: "Hm?" Xiao Fuxuan withdrew his line of sight from the market, his gaze slightly lowering to Wu Xingxues body: "Why wouldnt you mistake me?" Wu Xingxue opened his mouth but didnt answer. All of a sudden, he went quiet. The teahouses shop assistant again bellowed a long plug for his wares, breaking the ambiance of this nook. Wu Xingxue hastily turned his head to nce over, and changed the subject: "Since you came here that year, do you by chance still remember" As he spoke, upon again turning round, he saw that the Tianxiu Immortal was peering over at that teahouse with a withering re. Wu Xingxue: "" He paused, then abruptly began tough. This seemed to be the first time since waking up in the Northern Frontiers that hedughed like this,pletely unburdened and unhampered. He wasnt scaring people, wasnt sneering, wasnt helpless out of anger, wasnt even scheming against others. Xiao Fuxuan withdrew his re from the teashop to look at him. After a long while, he said: "Doneughing? If so, lets go." After he finished speaking, he strode out of the nook, carrying his sword. Wu Xingxue followed up behind him. His words still boreughter between the lines: "Hey, I still hadnt finished asking." Since this illusion realm had a Xiao Fuxuan in it, then he could have him try and think back to the year hede to Falling Flower Mountain Market, and whether hed ever run into something fishy. But reconsidering it, Wu Xingxue thought, itd already been centuries ago. After all that time, whod remember that stuff? Hence, he changed his mind after saying that, and said: "Whatever, just act like I hadnt said anything." But Xiao Fuxuan seemed to have guessed his intent, and said: "Ide to this mountain market quite a few times." The implication was: just based on a single silhouette, he truly couldnt determine which time it was, let alone recall what had happened at the time. Wu Xingxue nodded his head: "Then where to now?" Just as his voice fell, they happened to walk to a high lookout point, so that upon raising his eyes, Wu Xingxue could take the entire meandering crowd of people before him. In a somewhat distant ce, he again caught sight of that familiar back. Because both his appearance and height were particrly outstanding, he was easy to spot in a crowd. That was the Xiao Fuxuan of the illusion realm. "So, just, following you on your own?" Wu Xingxue asked. These words sounded very weird. Xiao Fuxuan "mm"ed in agreement without saying anything more. "Then why not just follow after him instead of dragging me into a corner?" Wu Xingxue then said. These words sounded even weirder. After a beat of silence, Xiao Fuxuan finally opened his mouth, "Too close and wed be detected." True. Wu Xingxue thought to himself, after all, the illusion realms Tianxiu Immortal was also the Tianxiu Immortal. Having a couple people tailing him at that distance, itd be impossible he wouldnt be aware of it. Just imagine if an unidentified person were to be tailing him, let alone for it to be an identical person A fight would be an understatement. Killing moves would probably be unleashed without a doubt. No wonder Xiao Fuxuan had to cover his mouth before; if he hadnt it wouldve meant trouble. *** Falling Flower Mountain Market Mountain supposedly went on for nearly a dozen miles, too long to see the end at a nce. Within the twinkling lights, they hadnt yet crossed one mile when they abruptly smelled an extremely heavy fragrance. The entire street nearly overflowed with this scent, so strong it made Wu Xingxues headache. Pinching his nose, he said in a low voice: "They must have overturned an entire cart of rouges and perfumed powders, right?" Sure enough, he heard amotion up front, full of endlessints. It so happened that a group of passers-by were curiously rubbernecking, stopping up the entire area before them. They watched as a shop assistant scuffled a couple paces like a skinny monkey and mbered up on the table to address the crowd: "Ladies and gentlemen, guests and officials, dont worry, dont curse, please calm down and quell your anger. Next door, Liji Houses Rouge, right when they were opening up, somehow a falling rock crashed down and knocked over their cart, so the rouges and perfumed powder cases scattered all over the ground. Theyre cleaning it up right now." "There are falling rocks in Falling Flower Mountain Market?" Wu Xingxue was somewhat astonished. Because he was pinching his nose, his voice came out muffled. Xiao Fuxuan tilted his head to hear clearly, then said: "Indeed strange." Normally speaking, this mountain market happened every year. All the buildings and shops were built into the mountain and arranged along the mountain wherever it was stable. Wherever it was dangerous ought to have long been clearly demarcated. If there were falling rocks from time to time, this Falling Flower Mountain Market could never have be so flourishing and lively. "These shop roof tiles, werent they all reinforced by the immortal sects?" Quite a few people in the crowd also erupted in doubts, "How could there be falling rocks, in all these years Ive never seen such a thing." "Indeed," the shop assistant said, "Indeed, our shopkeeper said hed already sent people to ask after the Feng family, please dont be afraid everyone." "Feng family again?" Wu Xingxue himself didnt remember those immortal sects clearly, and had the deepest impression of the Hua family. Feng family could roughly be considered to have made the second deepest impression on him, because right before theyd gone through Zhaoye Citys entrance, theyd heard about the rtionship between the new city lord Xueli and Feng family. Hearing them mentioned again now, it was hard to ignore. "If theres trouble in the mountain market, theyll go call on the nearest immortal sect, or the most powerful immortal sect in the vicinity," Xiao Fuxuan exined. As he spoke, Wu Xingxue noticed that the "Xiao Fuxuan" they were following had abruptly stopped and swept a prating nce over the crowd behind him. Wu Xingxue came back to himself rapidly. He immediately grabbed the person next to him and yanked the other party into the nearest inn, using the corridors column to hide. Compared to the mass of people in front, this inn was quite lonely. There was only a middle-aged man with bags under his eyes click-cking an abacus behind a wooden counter. Upon hearing the sound, he didnt raise his head, just let his rough voice drawl out: "Bellboy, there are people here." Wu Xingxue was originally going to leave after hiding, but saw a little bell hanging from a rack above the front counter. It was also made of white jade, and flowed with a warm, glossy light under themps. At first nce, it was quite simr to the dream bell. In this pause, a short and chubby silhouette plodded down the wooden staircase with a round Dong Dong Dong" sound. "Whos here boss? People havee again? Our shops really been odd these past couple days!" The little chubby kid wasnt fully grown, and looked like a ball rolling over. He nearly knocked straight into them, but was blocked by Wu Xingxues outstretched hand. Wu Xingxues hand was cold as ice. The little chubby kid let out a shiver at the freezing touch, at which point he fixed his eyes on the two people whode. Then, for some reason, he was struck dumb. He took a look at Xiao Fuxuan, then took a look at Wu Xingxue, his mouth opening and closing without uttering a word all the while. "Is something wrong here?" Wu Xingxue rubbed his fingertips together, thinking to himself, no wonder, my hands are too cold, gave him quite a shock. The little chubby kid promptly waved his hands: "No no no no." Perhaps it was because he was so close now, and hed made arge movement. Moreover, the street full of perfumes and powders wasnt so heavy in this nook. In the wind from this little chubby kids hand-raising motion, Wu Xingxue sniffed out a subtle scent. The smell couldve dispersed without anyones notice, leaving no trace. Were it another person, they might not have noticed it at all. But Wu Xingxue was different. Before, in his dream, hed had a deep impression of this smell, and then smelled it a second time at Zhaoye Citys entrance. This was the third time today On this little chubby kids body, there was actually that same musty scent as those cultivating the corpse-refining path like Sang Yu and Xueli. This was no ordinary inn. The little chubby kid stuttered for a while, atst attracting the innkeepers attention. The middle-aged man behind the counter pushed aside his abacus to slowly ask: "Bellboy, dont dawdle, do these two want to stay the night?" Recalling that weird musty scent from just now, along with the dream bell hanging on a rack above the counter, Wu Xingxue was about to say "Yes." He watched as the innkeeper raised his head. The middle-aged man finally saw the guests appearances dearly. His first reaction was a retroactive shock, and then he slowly opened his mouth, looking just the same as the little chubby kid. After a beat, he asked in a raised pitch: "Hang on, didnt You two just check out?" Wu Xingxues "Yes" plunged back down. "" Um??? - Fanart for this chapter: /7240057442/Lb3kY7CKr Chapter 36: Midnight Chapter 36: Midnight What do you mean? What do you mean "didnt you two just check out?" " Make yourself clear, was it one room or two rooms? Wu Xingxue was bursting with questions, but it wasnt convenient to ask any. If he really asked, then the innkeeper would surely not be able to rest peacefully tonight Just imagine, if an ordinary person had just seen off two guests only to wee an identical pair, thetter of whom inquired after all the formers activities with apletely unfamiliar expression. Wouldnt it get scarier and scarier the more one thought? Ifter they were taken as monsters and some cultivation sects came to surround and arrest them, itd be far too noisy a movement. The Tianxiu Immortal said this was an illusion realm, but the scenes were true. Wu Xingxue didnt know what effect such a great movement would have on this ce, but based onmon sense, it wouldnt be anything good. Keeping a low profile would be somewhat more reliable. So he brusquely pushed down the doubts on his face, keeping himself under an airtight mask of utter calm. He looked like he had indeed just left this inn not too long ago. The innkeeper gasped at them with a "the hell is wrong with you two" expression, then asked dryly: "What, you two changed your mind and wanted to stay another night?" Wu Xingxue thought: no need, just let me think of an excuse to go back out real quick. In the end, before he could find a way out, it was Xiao Fuxuan who answered the innkeeper, "Yes please, sorry for the trouble." Wu Xingxue: "?" Hold up a minute. Lord Tianxiu did not hold up a minute. The innkeepers voice grew higher, "What, you you really want to stay another night?" Xiao Fuxuan: "Mm." Wu Xingxue tilted his head, stealthily fixing his sights on the immortal. Xiao Fuxuan shot him a quick nce, then looked to the innkeeper. Only just barely stirring his thin lips, he whispered: "Ill exin when we get up." Okay. Shedding his pride, Wu Xingxue nodded. Lacking memory was just no good at this point; every so often hed have to be obedient. How could a dignified devil be an obedient, rule-abiding person And yet hed kept his head down the entire way; from an ignorant persons perspective, perhaps he could be praised as a humble young master, gentle and meek. If any Zhaoye City people heard of such a description, theyd probably be scared to death. Despite Xiao Fuxuans affirmation, the innkeeper was quite baffled, his face full of reluctance. It seemed like the guests staying another night wasnt at all what hed hoped for. That expression of his sessfully drew a certain devils attention. Wu Xingxue narrowed his eyes, observing him. He watched as the innkeeper click-cked on the abacus for a little while, then raided the cupboard for a te-blue register, licked his fingers to flip to a yellowed page, and raised his brush. Both his actions and the tone of his speech were slow and plodding. Clearly, he was a middle-aged man, his hair still ck, but he was permeated with a heavy air of age, in stark contrast with that chubby bellboy. As the innkeeper dipped his brush in ink, he raised his head to ask: "You two are still staying in the same room as before?" Xiao Fuxuan: "Mm." Hearing that "Mm," the Devil Lord could no longer pay attention to the innkeeper. Wu Xingxue again turned his head to stare down Xiao Fuxuan. From an angle the innkeeper couldnt see clearly, he mouthed the question: One room??? He saw Xiao Fuxuan ncing briefly at him, just long enough to read his lips. But he waited a while, and another "Ill exin when we get up" didnt follow from Xiao Fuxuans mouth. It seemed like a silent affirmation. Wu Xingxue was unable to break this silence. After a beat, he smoothed his lips and retracted his line of sight. The innkeeper picked a key out from arge copper ring and passed it to the chubby bellboy. Taking it, the bellboy led the two "out and back again" guests up to the second floor. The innkeeper picked a key out from arge copper ring and passed it to the chubby bellboy. Taking it, the bellboy led the two "out and back again" guests up to the second floor. He rambled on, face red with restraint as he said in a low voice: "Um, our inn doesnt get many visitors, and You two had just checked out not too long ago, so So there hasnt been time to tidy the room up yet. As he spoke, he rapidly shot a nce down to the counter, as though the matter of hisziness would be overheard by the innkeeper. "If you two arent in a hurry, would it be possible to wait just a moment for me to scrub and tidy a little, and go exchange the teapot for a hot one" The little chubby kid came to a halt at the doorway of the room. Before he could finish speaking, he felt a coolness in his handthe key between his fingers was gone. This ice-cold sensation was familiar to him; when that guest with the appearance of an elegant young master had reached out to stop him, it was the same feeling, so cold he let out a shiver. The little chubby kid looked at Wu Xingxue in confusion, and saw that the key was indeed in his hand. The next moment, the guests had already unlocked and entered the door. Well, looks like youre really in a hurry then. The little chubby kid thought. Wu Xingxue naturally didnt know what the bellboy was imagining; hed been preupied with that "one room for a while now, and wanted to take a look at this bedroom before it could be cleaned to see what it really looked like. As the Devil Lord pushed open the door, he thought, if it was anything as unsightly as Sang Yus bed Hed have to kill this peeping bellboy. The little chubby kid had no idea he was risking a trip to the underworld. He pulled the rag hanging on his shoulders and diligently followed through the door. Just as he was about to start cleaning, however, he gaped out: "Huh?" The rooms bed was neat and tidy, the wooden chairs were under the table, and even the pile of teacups on the table was ced upside-down on their trays. People had clearly stayed here, yet it appeared as if nothing had been moved. "You two" The little chubby kid blinked, looking at the two guests in confusion. Hed never encountered guests whod cleaned up after themselves, let alone to this degree. Could it be that they hadnt actually stayed here? Then what were they doing upying a room for nothing? Wu Xingxue was also totally surprised, but his face remained unperturbed. Once his gaze had swept over every corner of the rooms interior, he said to the little chubby kid: "You need not clean, just skedaddle why dont you." The little chubby kid was more than happy to do so. With an "Ai!" he took his rag and ran. With the misceneous person gone, Wu Xingxue shot Xiao Fuxuan a look. I see you, Tianxiu Immortal. Staring him down, Wu Xingxue opened his mouth to say: "You did that on purpose, didnt you?" Xiao Fuxuan raised his sword to nudge at the door, which promptly shut; the nights mountain wind no longer leaked in. He walked up to the table and bowed his head to poke at themps candle. Themp lit up at once. It was unclear whether it was an illusion or something, but the room seemed significantly warmer. Upon retracting his hand from beside themp, he lifted his gaze to Wu Xingxue: "Did what on purpose?" That you remained silent when the innkeeper said "one room," and stoked misunderstanding on purpose. But Wu Xingxue couldnt say that. Because the so-called "misunderstanding" was naturally dispelled upon opening the door and entering the room. The innkeeper and bellboy had seen a lot, and neither knew nor cared. That bit of misunderstandings only use was likely just to tease Wu Xingxue. Yet the one whod brought it about stood next to the table carrying his longsword, still wearing that indifferent expression. That me on the table flickered. Wu Xingxue was suddenly a bit curiousduring that cmity period back then when the Tianxiu Immortal had been in his No Sparrows Landing, what sort of expression had he had, and might it have been like this But just as this thought came, he immediately swept it away. Under themp, his cocked head blinked slightly. When it turned back again, he no longer brought up any "understanding" or "misunderstanding." Rather, after inaudibly grumbling "Forget it," he asked Xiao Fuxuan: "Why did you suddenly change your mind and want to lodge here overnight?" After asking, he recovered. With a light Ah," he looked at Xiao Fuxuan to say: "Looks like Immortal has recalled which time it was?" Well, it made sense. Each time hede to Falling Flower Mountain Market, he wouldnt have well, he wouldnt have stayed at this inn. The devil thought. Sure enough, he heard an "Mm," from Xiao Fuxuan. After a moments silence, he added: "It was thest time I came to Falling Flower Mountain Market." Wu Xingxue was surprised: "Thest time?" Xiao Fuxuan nodded, "When I heard about it again, it was the news that itd burned down in a wildfire." Wu Xingxue thought to himself that that sounded about right. Theyd been dragged into an illusion realm, perhaps because the Luohua Mountain Market of this day concealed a secret. He then asked: "Did anything unusual or special happen that day?" Xiao Fuxuan spoke dully: "No." Wu Xingxue was a bit perplexed: "No?" Xiao Fuxuan: "Mm." Indeed, nothing unusual had happened that day. It had just been another time when Tianxiu met the Spirit King at Falling Flower Mountain Market, another time theyd changed appearances to travel together through the fair. That day, Spirit King had just finished handling a heavenly edict. Hed consumed a great deal of immortal energy, his whole body ck and tired. As the mountain breeze blew in the evening, he actually felt a bit cold, and entered this inn. The innkeeper was very slow and not at all solicitous, and the bellboy was also rude and quite thoughtless. Tianxiu remembered deep at night when the dew was heavy, a heater had been ced in the room, its every corner floating withmplight, twinkling, filling the entire room with warmth. The Spirit King soon got sleepy, nodding off bit by bit. Before long he curled up to go to sleepa deep hibernation in which he slowly circted his immortal energy. But as per usual, Tianxiu Immortal wasnt sleepy at all, and leaned against the window with his legs propped out, every now and then ncing at the person curled up on the bed lest the other partys cirction be hindered or go awry midway through. The night was dull and unremarkable. Were it not for them entering this inn again, he wouldnt have even remembered that day. But thinking about it now, the most abnormal thing was theck of abnormality. *** Xiao Fuxuan was in a momentary daze, and suddenly knit his brows: "My memory of that night must have been altered." Wu Xingxue was taken aback: "By whom?" Upon asking, he realized that it was needless to saythat dream bell was still hanging at his waist. Indeed, the Tianxiu Immortal was a figure on essentially the same level in Immortal Capital as the Immortal Leader. If one wanted to tamper with his memory, theyd have to have had a pretty good rtionship with him, even been quite close to him, and even then it would have been an extremely difficult task. What on earth had happened that day, that led him to alter Xiao Fuxuans memory? Or rather, what had appeared in this inn that day, and what had it triggered, causing Falling Flower Mountain Market toter be an expanse of scorched earth? These questions lingered on in Wu Xingxues mind, andter on they even entangled all his dreams like withered vines or a giant snake climbing up and issuing out a rotten, musty smell. Early next morning, Wu Xingxue suddenly opened his eyes. The moment he awoke, a scarcely-there musty scent lingered before his nose, like the smells from his dream still hadnt dispersed. The room was an expanse of darkness. The surroundings were even quieter, filled only with the sounds of his and the other persons nigh-inaudible breaths. Hed huddled on his side to sleep facing the beds wall. The other breath was right behind him. He moved his lips, murmuring out Xiao Fuxuan. He was about to ask the other why hed suddenly turned out the lights. But the next moment, he realized something was off! That wasnt Xiao Fuxuan. Because the breath was so close, it seemed the thing was lurking at the bedside. In that deathly still, itd crept soundlessly behind him Wu Xingxue turned around to meet a pair of unblinking, deathly white eyes. Chapter 37: Forced Confession Chapter 37: Forced Confession The "ghost" thatd climbed onto the bed in the middle of the night truly had great luck. At first, Wu Xingxue was sort of pretending to be a frail schr, but in the blink of an eye, he probed the room and found that Tianxiu Immortal wasnt here at all. Xiao Fuxuan really wasnt present. Indeed. Were he present, there was absolutely no way this ugly thing could have made it this far into the room. As Wu Xingxue thought as much, he promptly lost his inclination to y frail schr. With no one present, who was he ying for? That thing lurking beside the bed was just about to move, but his speed was even faster than itin a wink, the bed was empty as anything, with no trace of Wu Xingxue. That pair of deathly-white-suffused eyes blinked. They rapidly scanned the bed, swept both sides, and even looked under the bed but couldnt find the slightest hint of Wu Xingxue anywhere. Its eyes rotated extremely quickly, lids nearly unable to hold them in, and rims suffused with ck, as though slightly rotten. If theyd moved even a slight bit faster, theyd probably even fall right out of their sockets. Just as it was about to look up, a voice emanated softly behind it: "Im behind you. It suddenly froze, nched eyeballs unable to move. Just then, its fingers arched to attack! However, it felt the vital part where the nape connected to the scalp was being seized. That hand was cold as ice, colder even than a dead persons. After a peal of the sky and ground twisting around, it was hauled and flung violently to the floor. Those hands mping its nape had already moved to its throat. It put up a violent struggle, with strength so great even the floorboards were smashed with a tremendous banging, cracking open several holes. But that spotless white, slender hand moved not a hair. On that hand, it sensed a fuming killing intent. "Your luck is truly bad. The only moves I remember are killing moves. Youd best behave yourself, and not make any sudden movements," Wu Xingxue said gently. This was its first time being unable to haunt someone sessfullyon the contrary, it was held down so strongly it couldnt even move, cowering under the might. In that instant, a chill wind buffeted over, knocking open the shutters. Wu Xingxue again spoke in the darkness. He bore a mild smiling tone, yet his words were humorless: "You lurking out the window, my temper cant be considered very good right now. Youd best roll on into the room now and light themps." "" The person outside the window had perhaps never heard a request such as this, and was rendered speechless. After a long while, someone atst tremblingly pushed open the door and cautiously felt around beside the table. *** The long-extinguished oilmp lit anew. The little me illuminated the rooms interior quite clearly The one whod lit themp was the innkeeper. Wu Xingxue clenched his fingers around that thing, which was half-kneeling in in white clothing, that had crawled onto his bed in the middle of the night To be precise, it wasnt a thing, but a human. A human who looked like hed already been dead a long while. His head, face, and neck were somewhat swollen, not due to fat, but more like hed been soaked awhile in some sort of juice, making his flesh all deathly whiteto be even more precise. It reminded Wu Xingxue of coffin fluid Themon folk had a few ces that, in order to guarantee corpses wouldnt decay after death, would ask the immortal sects for some special spiritual medicine to pour into their coffins. Wu Xingxues face went promptly wooden. He nced around his surroundings, seeing that there was actually a narrow sword at the corpses waist. Hence, he released his grip on the others neck, drew that sword, and stood up. The corpse was hoping to take the opportunity to struggle up, just to have the sword tip pressed against its forehead. "Did I allow you to get up?" Wu Xingxue asked. His tone was never this threatening, always light, like he was just chatting. But that killing intent had not yet dispersed. It got to the point that neither the corpse under the sword nor the innkeeper beside the table dared move. "Innkeeper, hand me that clean rag," Wu Xingxue said. Massive bags hung beneath the innkeepers eyes. Staring at him in dread, he cautiously extended the cloth, passing it over from more than a pace away. He didnt dare move or speak, just watched as Wu Xingxue took the rag and wiped his fingers. He watched as the other party kept wiping and wiping without doing anything else, eyes lowered calmly to examine his wrists. Those wrists were long, even, and clean, not dirty at all. What could be worth examining? The innkeeper thought. Even more terrifying was, as he examined them, he still frowned, indeed appearing not to be in a good mood. The innkeeper cautiously retracted his body. An outsider naturally wouldnt knowit was because his wrists were totally spotless that Wu Xingxue was frowning. Last time, at the Hua sect, when Xiao Fuxuan had done spirits projection to handle things on his own, hed tied a thread with a little bell onto his wrist. If Wu Xingxue tugged at it a few times, the other person woulde right back. This time there wasnt even a bell to call him, and he couldnt find any trace of Xiao Fuxuans aura in the entire inn. Whered he gone? Wu Xingxue tossed the cloth back onto the table and raised his head to stare the innkeeper down. The innkeepers scalp tingled at that look, and a shiver went up his spine. Just as he was about to wave his hands and exin, however, he heard Wu Xingxue asking him: "Where is Xiao Fuxuan." The innkeeper was at a loss, almost not hearing clearly: "Ah? Who?" In that brief instant, plenty of affairs Wu Xingxue might have asked about shed through his head Whats going on with this corpse on the floor? Why did it appear in my room in the middle of the night?! And why would you be lurking by the window? What manner of things are you trying for like this? Anyone whod just met danger in the middle of the night would most want to ask these questions, yet Wu Xingxue asked the most neither-here-nor-there thing. "Im asking." Wu Xingxue spoke lightly, "Where is that person who came here with me, have you seen him?" The innkeeper shook his head. Wu Xingxuesplexion went colder at once. When he wasnt wearing an expression, the slight downward lilt at the ends of his eyes would be suffused with a sense of disdain. That ever-present killing intent grew stronger. Like this, the innkeeper was truly scared. His throat made a gulping motion as he swallowed back saliva: "I I really havent seen him." "Werent you just spying outside the window?" Wu Xingxues voice grew lighter. "I, I, Id juste up. When I came up, when I came up" The innkeeper seemed not to know how to exin, but nevertheless let out: "I hadnt been up there for a while, I just heard you say Im behind you, and then and then everything else that happened, you ought to know already." Wu Xingxue listened, hisplexion growing more unsightly: "And Im supposed to believe what you say?" The innkeeper was in distress: "Its all true! Its true! If theres a word of falsehood, may, may heaven strike me with lightning!" It wasnt that Wu Xingxue didnt believe him. Before hed even opened his mouth to ask, hed guessed this ouefor the innkeeper to be intimidated to this state of terror, there was absolutely no way he could have done something to an ascended immortal. So Xiao Fuxuans disappearance shouldnt have had anything to do with him. Wu Xingxue figured. It was just that he couldnt find the man, and was feeling a bit edgy. "Then what about you?" He held the sword behind his back to stick it down The corpse suddenly shut its eyes, just feeling the swords point trailing along its scalp. He could even feel the long, slender opening being cut into it. Were he still alive, thered definitely be gurgling blood gushing out from theceration. He wouldnt die, but hed be terrified to the point of tears streaming down. "And what are you? When did youe into the room, and what about the other person in the room?" Wu Xingxue half-squatted down. The corpses deathly white eyeballs stared at him without turning. It opened its mouth, but its lips were tightly sealed. After that, it shook its head. Wu Xingxue, however, knit his brows. His thumb and index finger pinched the corpses cheeks and applied force. After a couple gahhhs, the corpses taut jaw loosened a little, and its mouth naturally opened like a caverns maw He had two rows of fine teeth, butcked a tongue. Wu Xingxue pressed further down, finding that there was something bulging below his throat bone. Pressing against it, it appeared that the inside had even been sealed by a nail. Both theck of tongue and the sealing nail were probably like this so hed have no way of talking. If Xiao Fuxuan were here, theyd definitely have a way to make this corpse speak even without a tongue. But he was not here. Wu Xingxue was on edge as ever. He swiped a cup of tea, sloshed it beside the corpses hand, and said in a low voice: "Write." But the corpses fingers shivered. Within the tea stains, he made a series of meaningless shing motions. "This thing, he he cant reply. The innkeeper couldnt bear it anymore, and added this to the side. "Then can you reply with anything? Wu Xingxue spoke without lifting his head: "Before, someone had said something" Xiao Fuxuan had said, this ce was an illusion realm, and it was best not to make too much noise lest it have an effect on the illusion realm, as it was unknown what incidents might proliferate from there. "He said, its best not to make too much of a disturbance here." Wu Xingxue turned to look at the innkeeper, "Now hes disappeared, and Ive no one to ask. In your opinion What counts as a disturbance? Beating? Killing?" The innkeepers face withered at this, and hastily blurted out: "No no no, it cant be like this, it cant be like this. IAhh! Ill speak, Ill say everything." The innkeeper said it was a long story, and he didnt know how to tell it dearly other than starting from the beginning. *** "Id opened this inn in Falling Flower Mountain Market for several years, and itd always been just fine without incident. Before, Id even gotten immortal sect people to check it over for me, and they said Id picked the best ce in Falling Flower Terrace, a treasure site that gathers fortune. And then one day, in a crack in a rock behind the inn, a branch of jade appeared. Although it was only a wee bit" Fingers trembling, he carefully gestured them less than an inch apart, saying: "I thought, could this be a manifestation of the treasure site? So I asked an immortal sect toe to look again, but they said it wasnt a good omen. They said that my treasure sites fortune had already dissipated, that flourishing would turn to decline, that its luck would turn vicious. They even advised that Id best switch to another ce" Naturally, he didnt believe that ill omen. Clearly, before theyd been saying that he was upying a treasure site, so how could it suddenly turn into a site of misfortune? Hence, he put feelers out everywhere, made inquiries, and lost count of how many books hed consulted, some understandable, some imprable. He flipped through them all; not sparing even those legends of Heavenly Laws origin. In the end, he found a conclusion for himself. "I thought, it had to be a bit of extremely rare jade essence," the innkeeper said. Hearing thisde essence" Xiao Fuxuan had brought up, Wu Xingxue raised his eyes. "Supposing that it was real jade essence, that legendary material, then itd have to be very lucky. How could flourishing turn to decline!" The innkeeper said: "So I didnt listen to those immortal sects words, and didnt n to move out either. In the end Ai, it wasnt long before something happened." Spying Wu Xingxues expression, the innkeeper said: "There was a guest staying here who disappeared without any trace whatsoever. "Hed taken his daughter along. The little girl was still so young, and couldnt even speak very well. Who could just stand aside and watch her cry? Of course I had to ask, so I called for an immortal sect. There were a lot of types around Falling Flower Mountain Market, and I was afraid too big a disturbance would cause trouble. Those immortals all stayed at my ce and stealthily went scouting, but in the end" The innkeeper peeped at Wu Xingxue, wanting to speak but hesitating, as though he didnt dare spit it out. Wu Xingxue stared at him, saying: "And?" With a gulp, the innkeeper closed his eyes and epted his fate, saying: "In the end, those immortals looked all over Falling Flower Mountain Market, but still couldnt find that guest. He just disappeared into thin air, never to be seen again." Special thanks to Scarlet Pearl for being a new patreon! Thank you for your support it means a lot to me Chapter 38: Longing Chapter 38: Longing Sad to say, if itd just been one lost person, then in that period, it wouldnt really have been considered any big earth-shaking incident. People die every day in this world, and not all of their deaths could have a clear reason to be found. Those cultivation sect disciples couldnt find the person or work out a cause. In the end, they could only recite the easiest exnation for people to eptdevils were afoot. It was definitely a certain superbly well-concealed, as-yet-undiscovered devil whod furtively gobbled up that missing man. Hence, this incident went from "seeking a missing person" to "seeking the concealed devil." But then, the conclusion they found made peoples hair stand on end Ever since, the innkeeper still felt a chill throughout his body, a numbness in his scalp, when he thought back to it. His voice issued out hoarsely: "You have you seen those devil-probing talismans the cultivators use? They just light them on fire until they burn to ash, and a blow of wind will scatter them out. If they run into demonic energy, those ashes will gather there." "That day, I looked on as those ashes floated out of my inns window. Those cultivators were afraid of causing a panic, and they all pretended to be going on daily patrol or a stroll while they followed the ashes around Falling Flower Mountain Market and back. In the end, they looped back to my inn" At the time, everyone was exchanging nces, all thinking that there were too many people in Falling Flower Mountain Market, and all this assembled living human qi provided sufficient cover to any other aura, so the devil-probing talismans were no use. They were just about to withdraw the ashes when they saw those pale scraps of dust whirling about and congregating on a single persons body. It was none other than that missing mans young daughter. The girl was truly quite young, and the bellboy couldnt bear seeing her cry, so he went to gather a bunch of little toys at the market to coax her, and then went to warm up a bowl of sweet jujube soup on the stove. At the time, the little girl was sitting in front of the inns dining hall, eating the soup spoonful by spoonful. When the ashes congregated over, she raised her eyes to look at everyone and licked her lips. At first, everyone went dead silent. Then, they thought it ridiculous and hard to believe This little girl had gobbled up her own dad? How could that be Thus, the cultivators fished out another talisman, for soul-seeking. Previously, to seek out the missing man, theyd taken these soul-seeking talismans and tested them out on every corner of Falling Flower Mountain Market to no avail. Using it again now, they watched as the soul-seeking talisman drifted about, then, atst,nded beside the little girls feet. If the soul-seeking talisman wasnt a defect, then the residual scent of the missing persons soul was really on that little girls body At that moment, everyone present went quiet as cicadas in winter. *** Later on, the cultivators took away that little girl, and the "inexplicably missing guest" case was closed. The innkeeper and bellboy were both scared, and fell ill for several days. After the illness subsided, everything went back to normal, and they gradually put this incident behind them. Until the next year. Before the marketsnterns had been lit for long, the inn had another incident That day, a schrly-looking person took along his page boy to stay at the inn. At first, they were talking andughing, and the schr even appeared gentle and polite. But on the second day, the page boy was gone without a trace. Everything was identical to that father-daughter pair. The innkeeper felt like hed entered a recurring nightmare. Seeing the schrs "worried sick" look, he felt that under thatyer of skin, there was definitely a devil thatd eaten and drunk its fill, licking its lips. Just like before, he again asked after those cultivators, and watched as they first used a devil-probing talisman, and then a soul-seeking talisman. And as expected, whether devil-probing talisman or soul-seeking talisman, both pointed to the schr. When the schr had been stuck with talisman paper, the slowly rising shock and terror on his face were actually stronger than anyone elses. He madly brushed away the devil-probing talisman dust on his body, mouth full of "Its not me," "It wouldnt be me," so scared he tumbled to the ground, losing all sense of gentility. Watching the scene back then, a terrifying thought abruptly shed through the innkeepers mindsupposing that this schr wasnt concealing things deep down, but was really unaware, might he have been coerced by something in his sleep? What if he was originally just fine, and the reason this had happened was something wrong with the inn? He again recalled those cultivators counsel, saying that this lucky ce of his would be a site of disaster with frequent wicked happenings. At the time, the thought terrified the innkeeper; he felt that every inch of the ground below his feet was permeated with some ineffable strangeness. Although the idents all happened to guests, and itd only happened twice in two years, scarcely more who knew what it would spell for the future, whether there mighte a day when the one meeting misfortune turned out to be him? For a while, the innkeeper was gued by daily nightmares. If he wasnt dreaming of being eaten by the bellboy, then he was dreaming of himself eating the bellboy. Either way, he was rendered too scared to sleep deeply. Thus, he no longer dragged his feet; he sought a cultivation sect to give him a hand. *** "They were actually very happy to help, and dispatched quite a few experienced people to dress up as guests and guard this little inn of mine every day," the innkeeper said in distress, "But heaven practically seemed to be toying with me; when the cultivators came, nothing happened. Not one little thing, no wind at sea." "Everyone was preupied with various things, and they also wanted to cultivate, so they couldnt keep dilly-dallying at my inn. Afterward, they worked out a way to appease us both." The innkeeper pointed to the corpse on the floor to say, "With that" It was the first time hed learned that, as it turned out, cultivation sects would also use such a shady-seeming practice as "corpse animation." At the time, the cultivators exined to him: "If there was an alternative, we wouldnt turn to this. Mr. Innkeeper, you may not know, but corpses are actually a little more sensitive to devils than us living people, and more clever than things like devil-probing talismans. Were a devil to enter your inn again, it would assuredly know. If something happens again like before, it can stop it beforehand." "What about afterwards?" The innkeeper wasnt appeased by this, "What if it can only provide an impediment, but not actually stop it!" The cultivators replied: "Theres an incantation left on its body. If it really has to take action here, well know at once even if were a thousand miles away. Once we receive the notification, well hurry over immediately. Should that timee, whether its a devil or an ill-omened disaster, when their aura is thickest, theyll be very easy to find. At that point, we can take a look and determine once and for all whether your inn is built on cursed ground, and how it could have possibly turned into a cursed ground." Although the cultivators reassured him over and over, although the corpse was specially treated for this purpose, although that yin corpse was different from those of the devils crooked paththe innkeeper still had reservations, and was only half-believed. Based on the cultivators briefing, theyd usually just keep the corpse in its coffin and ce the coffin in the upstairs attic with quite a few coffin-sealing talismans stuck on its cover. He often warned the bellboy to periodically switch them out for a new batch of talismans, lest the coffin loosen and the corpse be allowed to go out and make mischief. *** Two years passed like this, and no new disaster urred in the inn. The corpse, too, contentedly never opened its coffin. People were ever as suchwhen the wound scarred over theyd forget the pain. The innkeeper gradually also thought that the so-called "inauspicious site," "cursed ground," was also only temporary. It was said that small omenssted three years andrge omenssted ten. Once the previous augury was defunct, itd turn over anew. After marinating in it awhile, the bellboy took on a hint of corpse odor, while he himself developed ponderous eyebags. But, nowadays they can sleep the night through. It was just that his inns business was unable to bounce back. Clearly, those who knew about those two disasters had kept their mouths shut tight and hadnt recklessly spread it around the Falling Flower Mountain Market, but this inn of his got lonelier and less frequented by the day. Because of those two disasters, the innkeeper and bellboy developed a bad habit If just a single guest came, theyd be quite weing. But if there were two travelers, theyd be reluctant and on edge, afraid that thered be another scene of them waking up with one less. The innkeeper looked at Wu Xingxue fearfully, then promptly stuffed it back in: "The day before when you wanted to stay, I was scared to death, I really was scared to death! I didnt sleep the entire night, and didnt dare open my eyes, afraid the night wouldnt see peace." There was one thing the innkeeper didnt dare sayHe had indeed kept his ears perked for activity in the guest room the whole night. But the night was indeed extremely peaceful, he didnt even hear the slightest bit of noise, whether it was a conversation or the sound of walking or whatnothing at all. For a time, he suspected that those two guests had sealed the room with a prohibition or ward. At dawn the next day, he stood behind the counter, waiting and hoping for those two guests to get up and go downstairs. "When I saw you bothe down with everything intact, my heart could atst calm down," the innkeeper said. With a long sigh, he continued despondently: "So, why did you two have toe back? If you hadnt added this night, then you wouldnt" The innkeeper was full of worries, and only got halfway through before realizing what all hed said. He abruptly stopped, and raised his head in terror. Only to see Wu Xingxues deep pupils looking back at him: "I wouldnt what?" The innkeeper swallowed. Even scrounging up all his courage, he didnt dare say the words that came next. But even if he kept silent, Wu Xingxue knew what he was about to say. Hed already said a lotsaid that, under the influence of the cursed ground, that little girl had gobbled up her own father in the depths of night. Said that, under the influence of the cursed ground, that schr had gobbled up his own page boy. And Wu Xingxue here was naturally the same. From the innkeepers point of view, it was none other than another tragedy of someone gobbling up one of their own. In a wink, Wu Xingxue felt particrly ridiculous, so ridiculous he could almostugh. How could that be, its not like Im crazy. He thought. But very quickly, from that ridiculous feeling emerged an even more ridiculous sense of retrospective dread Because he really was a devil. Devils cared not for proprietyone moment that Sang Yud still be wallowing in a persons aura forfort, and the next hed be draining them of their blood. When Yunhai, whod once been an immortal, lost control, he acted with reckless abandon. What about me? Wu Xingxue thought. Would there have been times when I was like this? Lost control? Done simr deeds? And then Has Xiao Fuxuan seen? In truth, he didnt think the dignified Tianxiu Immortal could have disappeared into thin air never to be seen again just because of a little inn. Those folk rumors and intrigues didnt scare him. He just suddenly missed the other man, really missed him. As this thought shed across, there was a sudden hubbub of footsteps outside the guest room door. A dump of ash was flung into the room from out the open window, and congregated beside Wu Xingxue. Perhaps because his devilish energy was too abundant, the ash even burst into intermittent sparks. A flock of uniformed disciples chased the ash over, long ribbons fluttering behind their high-bound hair crowns. Each one had a sword, the silver sheaths of which were all engraved with a circr, cinnabar-colored Feng seal. It was the immortal sect often asked after in Falling Flower Mountain Market, the Feng family. In the lead was a young woman with an intelligent face, opening her mouth to say: "The corpse hasnt stirred in a while, it must have already gotten that devil under con" ".trol." As soon as they entered the door, they saw the "unstirring" corpse on the floor, as well as the "under control devil carrying its sword. The devils voice was as mild as a cool breeze, but the words he spoke grew more and more terrifying the more one thought: "Im afraid I have to trouble you all to help me dig up every inch of this ground to help me find someone, else you can forget about going back." Fanart for this chapter: https://m.weibo/status/4725278880040058 Chapter 39: Divine Arbor Chapter 39: Divine Arbor Trantors note: Sorry for taking so long everyone, the past few weeks have been extremely busy for me and I wasnt able to release any chapters; my sincere apologies. I will begin to release at least a chapter every week from now on. Thank you for understanding, and enjoy this chapter The handful of people from Feng Sect had never, ever thought that theyd hear such a statement. These years, the world was in chaos. Amidst the chaotic world, Falling Flower Mountain Market was able to maintain a livelyndscape such as this all because of the Feng Sects protection. Therefore, upon seeing them, people in the mountain market would always treat them with the utmost respect. When devils see them, especially when they see the word "Feng" on their swords, they would all reveal a look of fear, some of them turning to escape on the spot. Today was truly their first encounter with someone like this. Today was truly their first encounter with someone like this. Upon seeing the "Feng" swords, this devil acted unmoved like it was nothing, and the first words he let out werent actually raring for a fight, but barking orders at them. Now this was some bullshit! The young woman was tongue-tied, unsure of how to respond. After a moments shock, her apricot eyes widened: What filthy ce did a thi man such as you crawl out of, to speak with such arrogance!" Shed originally nned to speak more fiercely, but this devil carried an ineffable air of nobility. When facing such a person, she was in fact unable to let out such coarse words. But this didnt stop her from raising her sword Just as the words threatening the devilnded, the other several Feng Sect disciples simultaneously drew the longswords at their waists! SHIING! A number of metallic ngs rang out. Those longswords, carrying sword aura, had already turned into sharp points headed for Wu Xingxuel The next moment, his silhouette was ghe sword aura ran through, but didnt strike that devil, just went straight through the bed behind him. A series of wood cracking sounds arose, and splinters burst out. Beside the table, the innkeeper leaped up in terror and scrambled a few paces behind a Feng Sect disciple for protection. Just after he moved, he heard a heavy rumbling sound. The once-fine bed, having had its four legs chopped off, copsed to the floor into a pile of ruined wood. The Feng Sect crowd was stunned. "Where is he?!" they blurted outsurprisingly, they actually heard a reply. "Looking for me?" The voice came from behind. All their figures froze, suddenly turning their heads. They saw that the devil had at some point shed among them. He was standing behind an unfortunate disciple, sping that disciples wrist and forcing him to hold the sword up toward himself, its edge pressed against his own neck. "You" The disciple looked tense, hisplexion a greenish, ghastly white. Veins popped out on the back of his hand. He tried his hardest to match the strength of the hand sping his wrist, but his efforts were in vain. Only to hear that foul devils soft, irreverent voice: "Someone doesnt want me to make too great a disturbance, so I can only make it like this. In fact, it would have been somewhat better to capture the one in charge, but your leader is a youngdy, and carelessly raising my hand against her would ruin my reputation as a fine gentleman. Sorry, but youll have to be the alternative. "" He spoke very conscientiously, but the disciple nearly coughed blood. These words alsonded with anotheryer of meaning: I could capture any one of you, it just depends on who I pick. The disciples faces sank at this provocation, about to lift their swords again. But, they heard a muffled groan as the captured disciples sword edge neared closer a hair, pressing a shallow mark into his neck. "No one move!" the young woman shouted. Everyone gripped their swords tightly, no longer daring to move. The sword on that disciples neck stopped in ce, no longer pressing inward. The innkeeper hesitated a moment, then quietly shuffled a few paces back beside the table. Staring at the swords edge, the young woman finally opened her mouth after a moment: When we came in, you said you wanted to find someone?" "Yep." The young womans elegant brows furrowed, looking at Wu Xingxue with a puzzled expression. After a beat, her gaze shifted to the innkeeper. She spoke in a low voice: "What in the world is going on? Shouldnt it be like the previous disasters?" The innkeeper wore a face of bitter suffering: "It is" The young woman again nced at Wu Xingxue, then back at the innkeeper: "Then who are we to find? Shouldnt the missing person have" The innkeeper waved his hands back and forth: "Dont say it, dont say it! miss cultivationdy, if he w-wants us to search then lets just search." The young woman was still somewhat unreconciled, and turned to stare down Wu Xingxue, "You seem very strong, with the attitude that none of us can harm you. But even so, why would you go to the extent of asking us for help?" Her gaze shifted. As though working out any weak points, she said: "So why is that? Just finding someone should be easy to do on your own. I think Dont tell me its because theres a restriction on your body? A wound? Is it that youre at the end of your rope right now, so youre using a trick to scare us with your might?" Theyd encountered plenty of bluffing devils. Thus, these words sounded more and more reasonable. A few disciples tightened their sword grips once again, striving to look for the weak points on Wu Xingxues body, only to hear him say: "Well, no." Deep ck eyes fixed on them, the devil said: "Its because all I know is killing. Im not very good at anything else." Everyone: "" Wu Xingxue was just telling the truth, but to others, it sounded like a threat. Moreover, it was a threat through and through; paired with those eyes, it really didnt appear to be a bluff. The innkeeper frantically shot them a look, but the Feng Sect disciples were still at an impasse. They watched as Wu Xingxue frowned, expressing a hint of impatience. The young woman said: "Okay, well search." She fished out a few Feng sect-emzoned talismans from her chest. Disinclined to ask for a brush and cinnabar ink, she swiped a finger along her swords edge. Holding up the droplet of blood, she asked: "Whats the name of the person youre looking for?" When theyd entered the inn, the innkeeper had asked the guests to enter each persons name into the registration booklet. He thought back to the names these two had first put down upon entering, just about to answer. But he heard Wu Xingxue say: "Xiao Fuxuan." The innkeeper shut his mouth: "?" The Feng family disciples, however, opened their mouths: "???" The inn went quiet. After a beat, the innkeeper faltered: "Ah?" He then said: "Thats not the name you put when you entered though Isnt isnt this name Tianxiu Immortals? Uhhh" As he trailed off, his expression was downright astonished. That was actually quite expected. Anyone whod heard that the Tianxiu Immortal had stayed in their own inn for two nights would likely have this expression. But for just a second, within his shock there shed a hint of something else. It swiftly came and went, so fast it was like it hadnt appeared at all. But Wu Xingxue caught it. It seemed to be excitement? But it didnt quite look like happiness exactly. His eyes were more like zed beads blinded by dust for a long time, suddenly catching the light, gathering consciousness. Thinking back, Wu Xingxue thought that expression was actually somewhat familiarjust like back at the Hua Sect, that moment when Yi Wusheng was tugging at his robe and saying "Save me" to him. Could it be that this innkeeper had been possessed by a devil, and just momentarily exposed his original soul upon hearing "Tianxiu Immortal?" No, not quite. Besides, there wasnt a trace of devilish energy on his body. Then what was it? Wu Xingxue thought. He thought back to the words the innkeeper had said before, and suddenly discovered a very slight discrepancy He thought back to the words the innkeeper had said before, and suddenly discovered a very slight discrepancyThe innkeeper said, after the inns incident with the schr and page boy, hed recalled the cultivation sect peoples counsel, and thought that his inn really seemed to be cursed ground, that every can of ground seemed permeated with abnormality. Hed even had recurring nightmares, and couldnt sleep the night through. Hence, hed gone to ask the immortal sect for help. At first, this ount didnt seem like much, but now it was a bit strange. If he couldnt eat or rest in peace, couldnt sleep the night though, then why wouldnt he have just moved? He was fine putting a horrifying coffin in his inn and keeping a corpse that could go out of control whenever, but had never thought of moving. Why? Is it because he didnt want to move? Or because he couldnt? Was he loath to depart from this ce? Or was he unable to leave this ce for some reason? Wu Xingxue narrowed his eyes. *** In the blink of his eyes, the innkeeper felt a chill wind sweeping up from behind his neck. Immediately after, the hair-splittingly sharp de touched down on his neck. Having just been restraining a Feng Sect disciple, Wu Xingxue was now already behind him, fast as a specter. He heard Wu Xingxue asking him in a whisper: "Afraid of this ce, yet didnt leave What are you guarding here?" This question was like a slit cut into a sealed pouch. The innkeepers expression momentarily brightened, and his entire body trembled, like hed suddenly awoken from a long dream. His trembling eyelids opened, as though agonizingly trying to say something, but again pursed his lips and shook his head with difficulty. It was just like he wanted to speak, but was bound by something and couldnt speak, that he even had to deny it and express the opposite meaning. This reaction was truly strange, but confirmed Wu Xingxues guess. When he first listened to the innkeepers long-winded story, hed thought that the other party was just naturally talkative. Both the little girl eating her father and the young master eating his page boy could certainly be exined clearly in just a few words, yet the innkeeper had to detour and start off with "jade essence appearing in the backyard." Now it appeared that hed been doing his utmost to say what the constraints allowed him, trying to make his audience understand the implicit hidden meaningthis ce is abnormal, but I cant leave. Wu Xingxue again asked: "Are you guarding a thing, or a ce? Who had you guard it? "And" Will Xiao Fuxuan be there The innkeeper again struggled to open his mouth. Perhaps these days, hed told the same rambling story to plenty of people, but his audience would either feel panic or fear, never thinking deeper. Now, he finally encountered someone who let out this question, so no matter how, he had to say more. In an extremely ragged voice, the innkeeper pried open his mouth, and asked Wu Xingxue the following: "Do you know why this ce is called Falling Flower Terrace?" Wu Xingxue was struck by this, as a phrase shed across his mind: [Do you know why that ce is called Falling Flower Terrace?] *** It was a certain long night in Xiandu. Still the Spirit King, Wu Xingxue had returned to Seated Spring Breeze after finishing up some tasks and made arrangements for his two chirping and twittering servant boys. Holding a nice jug of fine wine, he climbed up to the high eaves of his jade pce. A white mist floated about the eaves edges. Leaning a leg against it, he looked like he was sitting upon the fringe of a roaming cloud. He drank three cups of wine. With a somewhatnguid sleepiness, hey back with his elbow as a pillow, handily puffing on his ever-present mask. But it turned out that before long, he heard movement upon the jade eaves, like another person was approaching. The footsteps walked over from the other end of the jade eave and stopped beside him. After a while, his mask was lifted a little by the other person. It wasnt lifted all the way, only revealing a corner of the chin underneath. Then, Xiao Fuxuans voice emanated in the nights dim: "You drank my wine." The upper half of Wu Xingxues face was still covered in the mask. Inclined to neither move nor open his eyes, he drawled out a response: "You make no sense whatsoever. This fine wine of mine amounts to three jugs, two of which were mine, one of which was made from your ce. How would you know which jug I drank" Xiao Fuxuan replied: "I can smell it." Xiandus night breeze tickled his ears as it swept past. The mask was also a bit annoying; Wu Xingxue narrowed his eyes. He supported himself up, lifted his mask, and hefted the wine jug up to the person beside him: "Here you go." Xiao Fuxuan didnt take it, saying: "Next time return it to me in full." Wu Xingxue gave him a look, drumming his fingers on the jade eaves. The two servant boys diligently ran out and stood below the roof with their faces craning up to shout: "Mister, what is yourmand?" Wu Xingxue answered them: "Fetch another jug of the fine wine for me; Tianxiu is making me return it to him." The two little boys put their hands in their sleeves, uniformly turning their sights onto Xiao Fuxuan. Worthy of their lords rearing, they said: Tianxiu is so stingy." Wu Xingxueughed right on his propped legs. Xiao Fuxuan lowered his gaze to look at those two kids, stating assertively: "Were I more generous, my Southern Windows Shadow1the name of Xiao Fuxuans Xiandu residence would be cleaned out by him." "" The little boys recognized their wrong and ran away without retort. Based on the argument that hed still return half the jug, Wu Xingxue stubbornly poured three cups for Xiao Fuxuan. After Xiao Fuxuan knocked them back, however, he saw Wu Xingxue pointing to a certain mountainous terrain in the mortal realm below Xiandu, saying: "It looks like Falling Flower Terrace is lit up, is it the third day of the third month?" Xiao Fuxuan: "You mean the mortal realms calendar?" Wu Xingxue replied: "Mm, should be. That mountain market lightsnterns on the third day of the third month when the market opens. Its quite lively, Ill asionally go down and look around." Xiao Fuxuan looked toward that expanse of faintly visible lights Lingwang pointed down at. He had some impression of that ce; hed once inadvertently entered that mountain range, but it wasnt the season at the time, so he hadnt seen the mountain market. Wu Xingxue looked awhile, then said: "Do you know why that ce is called Falling Flower Terrace?" Xiao Fuxuan turned to look at him: "Why?" Wu Xingxue said: "Long, long ago, there was a divine arbor there, before Lingtai. The ce where it grew is a font of jade essence, and when it blossomed, the flowers fell across the entire mountain. So, it was called Falling Flower Terrace, and there are still some remnants of jade essence there now." Plenty of deities had heard something about the divine arbor, but what they knew was scant. Some legends said that the divine arbor had the ability to return things to life after death, and some legends said that was untrue. The onlymonality among the legends was, after Lingtai had emerged, the divine arbor was all gone, as though it had never existed. Later on, the people were often puzzled as to how a ce with few flowering trees, whichter held a well-known mountain market, could be called "Falling Flower Terrace." Xiao Fuxuan nced at Wu Xingxue, asking: "Then how would you know of Falling Flower Terraces origin?" Wu Xingxue said: "I was born there. *** Because of the innkeepers one statement, Wu Xingxue recalled various scraps rted to Falling Flower Terrace, and reconnected them to that newly springing jade essence in the inns backyard He immediately knew what this ce was guarding, and also knew where Xiao Fuxuan was. Perhaps it wasnt really that that divine arbor didnt exist, but that for some reason, it had been sealed away by Lingtai Heavenly Law. He didnt know what had brought Xiao Fuxuan there; he only knew that now he also wanted to go in, and had to search for the entrance to that forbidden ground. Wu Xingxue suddenly raised his eyes and asked the innkeeper: "Where was the crack in the rock where the jade branch appeared?" Since jade essence was rted to the divine arbor, looking around for the jade branchs new growth couldnt be a bad start. The innkeeper dryly said: "In the courtyard." This inns courtyard was built along the mountain and divided into three levels which wound into a semicircle enwrapping the inn. On one level, a well had been drilled and an awning built, all made of mountain rock. On the other two levels were nted trees for abundance and luck, and below the trees were more mountain rocks. The courtyard was chock-full of rocks and stone bs, as well as cracked rocks. But what he sought was a most precise ce. After all, if the forbidden area wasnt to be perceived, its entrance would assuredly not berge. Wu Xingxue scanned around, asking the innkeeper: "Where is the cracked rock?" The innkeeper stretched out a finger to the left. Wu Xingxue looked in the direction he pointed, but then up and turned to walk the other way, in the exact opposite direction. The innkeeper: " Since it was a forbidden area, and since the innkeeper had constraints ced on him, he wouldnt be permitted to say anything. As such, he was sure to point to the wrong ce. The wrong ce would assuredly be as far away from the true ce as possible. So, although the innkeeper couldnt speak directly, Wu Xingxue could work out his reasoning. He walked for a distance, then asked the innkeeper again. This time the innkeeper had wised up, and pointed toward the southeast. Hed originally thought that the other party would contrarily probe around the northwest, but as a result, Wu Xingxue believed him this time. Without turning, he walked straight to the southeastern direction he pointed to. The innkeeper: " They went like this over and over again. Whatever the innkeeper couldnt do, Wu Xingxue would grasp with great uracy. In the end, he stood next to an extremely unremarkable pile of rocks. It looked like a courtyard wall that had suffered frequent erosion from wind and rain; rocks fell and piled up messily in a corner without any custodial care taken. It was even crawling with moss and lichens, camouging the little crack. Wu Xingxue lifted a hand to feel over that broken-down wall. He turned his head to ask those Feng family disciples: "Fellows, how might one make an opening out of thin air? But without too much noise." The Feng Sect disciples gaped at one another. They appeared to still be digesting the impact of the missing person being Xiao Fuxuan, and were a bit absent-minded. Especially that youngdy in the lead. Taking a few slips of soul-seeking talismans in hand, she hadnt even had the time to write down Xiao Fuxuans name before it was rendered unnecessary. Hearing Wu Xingxues question, she was dazed for a moment before recovering to say: "We can try, but what if it doesnt open?" Wu Xingxue looked at them, saying: "Then Ill just have to try using more and more noisy tactics." Just wrench it open and closed, and manipte the illusion realm when it was about to crumble apart. Whatever ces remained firm and stable would likely be the most suspicious. The more Wu Xingxue thought about it, the more he felt that it could work, and was about to take prompt action. At that moment, Falling Flower Mountain Markets lofty, remote night abruptly swelled with heavy clouds like mad. Lightning and thunder cracked, and even that half-copsed courtyard wall began to violently tremble like teeth chattering out of control in extreme cold. Wu Xingxues icy pale fingers had already begun to crook. He mobilized all the impetus within him and was just about to let it rush madly forth, when he felt a hand stretching out from the mountain fog to grip his. He spoke dazedly: "Xiao Fuxuan?" The next moment, his rigidly bent fingers loosened up. A thick fog mmed him in the facehe was tugged by that hand into the forbidden ground. Chapter 40: Human Faces Chapter 40: Human Faces Upon entering the forbidden ground, Wu Xingxue wanted to open his mouth to speak, only to be choked by the intense smell of smoke. He had to cough so badly that a thin flush rose to both his neck and cheeks. The next moment, someone crossed before him to block the gust of smoke for him. His coughing then slowly subsided. Wu Xingxue lifted his gaze. It was indeed Xiao Fuxuan. The Tianxiu Immortal also had smoke on his body. He reckoned that hed been immersed in this forbidden ground, and was sullied by it. As the wind swept past his robe, it was also quite cough-inducing. But Wu Xingxue didnt make a peep. He just slightly squinted his eyes and stifled back the urge to cough, stifled it so much that his eyes got hot; theyd likely gone red. "The wind here is full of smoke, and death traps are myriad. You shouldnt" Xiao Fuxuan nced at the area behind him, then turned his head back, pausing in his words. Being looked at by him, Wu Xingxue was a bit confused: "Whats wrong?" Xiao Fuxuan controlled his gaze: "Nothing." Wu Xingxue: "?" Wu Xingxue: "I shouldnt what?" Xiao Fuxuan: "Nothing." The devil was a bit befuddled. But he guessed that the Tianxiu Immortal was most likely about to say "you shouldnt be here now." Thus, he couldnt help but start to justify himself: "I wasnt just recklessly charging in. You werent at the inn so you didnt see that innkeepers genial hospitality or his grand, baffle-ready gestures. Xiao Fuxuan looked over: "What battle-ready gestures?" The devil thought it over, and began his barefaced litany: "He had a corpse thatd been soaked for I dont know how long. Deep at night, it got restless and squatted next to my bed. To wake up in the middle of the night and turn my head to see that thing, it really scared me out of my wits." Xiao Fuxuan: " The Tianxiu Immortals expression started to get a bitplicated. He moved his lips, but under the spell of the devils eyes, wasnt quite willing to open his mouth, and instead goaded him on: "And then?" Quite pleased, the devil continued: "And then there was just a little conflict, which attracted people from the Feng Sect. They presented me with a fistful of ashes when they came, and said it was a devil-probing talisman. What an awful mess it was, got all over my body" His words carried a measure of grievance. He lowered his head to brush at his clothes, and indeed brushed off a bit of remaining ash. Fingertips stained with a bit of ash, he stretched them out: Look." The Tianxiu Immortal peeped at his fingertips. After a long beat, he let out an "Mn," expressing that he saw it. The devils body wasnt hurt in the slightest, not even his skin was ruptured, so it was naturally impossible that hed suffered any assault in this altercation. Xiao Fuxuan evidently knew this, but he just couldnt resist those eyes looking at him. After a moments silence, he still asked: "Did you raise a hand?" Wu Xingxue replied: They raised their swords." Xiao Fuxuan: "" At this point in the conversation, the devil was perhaps aware hed been a bit excessive, and promptly changed the subject to say: Luckily, it wasnt too noisy, and once they listened to my exnation they stopped braying for blood and changed their minds to help me search for you instead." Hearing this, Xiao Fuxuans gaze shifted. After a moment, he asked: "How long were you searching?" Perhaps because the forbidden grounds smoky air had scorched his breath, his voice seemed less cold, even exhibiting a measure of warmth. Wu Xingxue was taken aback by it and felt his heart move. Strangely enough, that wisp of longing hed previously pushed down made an inexplicable resurgence. It didnt make a lick of sense; clearly, the person hed been searching for all night was already standing right before him. "Mm?" Wu Xingxue answered lightly: "Not actually very long. It was just that the entrance to this forbidden ground was really easy to miss, and the innkeeper seemed to have been under a mouth-sealing spell, so it took a while to get anything useful out of him. And, those Feng Sect peoples abilities were also limited. Getting them to make a hole for me, they hesitated forever without doing it, just holding up time for the hell of" As he spoke, he suddenly stopped. Because when he looked up, he saw that Xiao Fuxuan had been looking at him the entire time. Wu Xingxue was just about to say "Whats wrong?" when he saw Xiao Fuxuan abruptly lifting a hand and crooking a finger to stroke lightly below the corner of his eye. Wu Xingxue was momentarily rendered silent. He was just getting on his cmity period, his whole body cold as ice. When the others finger neared dose, that wisp of warmth was especially distinct, that even after a while, the tail of his eye still felt hot. Perhaps that brief tactile sensation was too familiarhe recalled a snippet of a scene. It seemed that the closer he got to Luohua Terrace, the more often he recalled the past. In the scene that flitted vaguely by, he saw the "Mian" symbol on Xiao Fuxuans neck from up close, gleaming from the bottom up like a flickering golden me. Hed squinted his eyes in that gleam, then felt a light touch below the corner of his eye. Hed watched Xiao Fuxuan rubbing his bent fingers and whispering: "Its wet." Wu Xingxues eyshes trembled. He subconsciously felt it in the corner of his eye, feeling the lingering warmth of Xiao Fuxuans finger. He promptly became much calmer, like a snow fox whose fur had been petted. He put up a light struggle, asking: "Was that just for the ash from the Feng Sect on my eye?" Xiao Fuxuan mumbled in doubt; after a beat, he opened his mouth to say: "No." No? Then why did you Wu Xingxue looked at him. Another long moment passed before Xiao Fuxuans voice sounded with warm, smoky depth: "Your disguise had disappeared in that spot; I fixed it." Wu Xingxues eyes shed. *** The smoky wind behind Xiao Fuxuan died down a bit. As his gaze shifted, he saw scorched earth cover as far as the horizon. Wu Xingxue knit his brows, asking: "Why is this entire ce scorched earth?" Xiao Fuxuan turned to look: "Dont know, it was like this when I arrived." The burnt smell was truly heavy. Wu Xingxue was somewhat puzzled, and mumbled: "Really?" "Yes." Wu Xingxue had no doubts in him, and went on to ask: "Oh right, why did youe to this forbidden ground in the first ce?" Xiao Fuxuan replied: "In the middle of the night, I heard a voice." Confused, Wu Xingxue asked, "What voice?" Xiao Fuxuan: "Your voice." Wu Xingxue: "?" "My voice?" Wu Xingxue felt even more baffled, "Where did ite from, and what did it say?" Xiao Fuxuan replied: "In the courtyard. It didnt say anything other than calling my name." Just when the night was deepest, although that call of "Xiao Fuxuan" was very soft, it was incredibly clear; there was no way he could have mistaken it. At first, he thought the person curled up on the bed was too cold, and thus called for him. Hed even stooped down to check the others temperature. But after that, he heard it again. He then thought that it was the divine statue in the brocade sachet at his waist. It wasnt until he heard it a third time that he recognized that the voice wasing from the courtyard. Normally, with the genuine Wu Xingxue lying on the bed, there was no way hed be drawn away by a single voice; hed just sweep a sword wind over. But in this Falling Flower Mountain Market illusion realm, he was somewhat hesitantbecause there wasnt just the current Wu Xingxue in the mountain market, but possibly also the Wu Xingxue from back then. He couldnt rashly unleash his sword. Hence, he walked over to the window, pricked the window open a crack, and looked in the direction of the voice. The area was totally dark, and he couldnt see any figures there. Because it couldnt be considered far, Xiao Fuxuan didnt use Separation of Spiritual Consciousness, but just let out a wisp of spiritual consciousness from his fingertips, wanting to go scout out the courtyard. The voice hade from a corner of the courtyards wall. The moment that wisp of spiritual consciousness touched the corner, he felt a cosmic wind lifting the t ground and wrapping his entire person in its gust. By the time he struck open the cosmic wind, he was already standing in this ce. "Well that truly is strange. Wu Xingxue said, "There were clearly two people in the room, so why did it only drag you in? Dont tell me this forbidden ground can even recognize people?" Even if it did recognize people, shouldnt it have recognized him and not Xiao Fuxuan? After all, back then hed said that he was born here. When it came to the shared origin, his ought to have been somewhat deeper. Wu Xingxue mulled it back and forth, and coulde to just one conclusionit wasnt that Xiao Fuxuan had been dragged into this forbidden ground by the ce itself, but that someone had been meddling around here, and wanted to drag Xiao Fuxuan into the forbidden ground. If it was like this, then it provided some food for thought How many people in this world could there be who could pull methods such as this on the Tianxiu Immortal? Wu Xingxue was working it over in his mind when he heard Xiao Fuxuan say: "You were just saying that this is forbidden ground? But what did you hear?" Wu Xingxue was dazed for a moment, wanting to say: "You dont know?" But when he turned it over, Xiao Fuxuan hadnt heard any of the words the innkeeper had said. And, that "there was once a divine arbor in Falling Flower Terrace" from back then at Seat of the Spring Breeze was also a conversation from centuries ago; someone whod heard it wouldnt necessarily remember. And even if he remembered, he wouldnt necessarily think it was this ce. And moreover Wu Xingxue looked out in the distance, but couldnt get a glimpse of even a tree branch on the scorched earth. Were it not for him just having recalled that conversation at Seated Spring Breeze he also wouldnt have thought that this was the ce sealing off the divine arbor. Besides, hed said it was sealed off, but he didnt see any sealing techniques. Apart from the suffocating smoke, the scorched earth could practically be called calm. When you came in, was this ce really such a dead still?" Wu Xingxue asked. Xiao Fuxuan grunted in affirmation. Wu Xingxue again asked: "You didnt trip any arrays or anything? Xiao Fuxuan: "No." Wu Xingxue thought to himself that it really was strange. He recalled that "death traps are myriad" Xiao Fuxuan had mentioned before. Puzzled, he said: "Then what about those death traps you mentioned?" Xiao Fuxuan seemed to choke slightly, then replied dully: "That was to scare you." Wu Xingxue: "?" "Seeing as youve already entered" Xiao Fuxuan seemed to have a bit of a headache: "Ive nothing more to say. Wu Xingxue peered through the smoky wind toward an indistinct silhouette far off in the distance. He narrowed his eyes and patted Xiao Fuxuan: Over there is there a house?" Xiao Fuxuan: "It ought to be a temple. I was about to go over and take a look at first." Wu Xingxue: "And then what happened?" Xiao Fuxuan: "And then I faintly heard a certain someone outside saying If I cant open up a hole, then Ill do something noisy." The certain someone: "" Wu Xingxue was speechless for a moment, then raised a hand to push Xiao Fuxuan forward a step: "Lets go lets go, Ill stop talking." *** They passed through that strange expanse of utterly vacant scorched earth, and walked toward the shadow in front. Xiao Fuxuan was right; it was indeed a temple, just weirdly jutting solitarily out within the scorched earth. The temple had a wooden facade of deep crow-ck, while inside, the niche and floor were of white jade. Upon the niches tform was a little carven statue, also of white jade. Different frommonly-seen divine statues, itcked a certain stately and solemn, detachedpassion. Its subject was a youth reclining against an extremely tall jade tree. The statue was carved without a face, so one couldnt tell what the youth looked like, only that his figure was actually rathernkytall and straight. There was a stele behind the carving, upon which were carved words, the very top of which must have been the youths taboo name. Somewhat strange, he was called: General Bai. Wu Xingxue was just about to take the jade stele to read when he suddenly heard a faint voice saying: "Dont touch it, youll die" Wu Xingxues fingers halted. The voices emergence was odd. He scanned all around without finding where it hade from. Xiao Fuxuan propped the altars tablecloth with his sword, but apart from arge pot full of incense ashes, no one was hiding under the tform. Wu Xingxue pondered for a moment, then suddenly thought something was off. The voice didnt seem to havee from the surroundings, but from Overhead. Frowning, he lifted his head to look up. On the lofty roof beams of the temple was a densely packed array of human faces It seemed like the entire roof was suspended full of people hanging by their feet with their heads drooping downjust hanging there above them. Wu Xingxue: "" Thinking it over, given this scene, he could get away with clinging to the Tianxiu Immortals robe. The human faces were truly too numerousmale and female, old and young alleach with a deathly pale face They lightly swayed in the wind, and the rope suspending them even made a slight creeeak-creeeeaking sound. For a time he couldnt distinguish which face had ultimately said "dont touch it, youll die." He and Xiao Fuxuan looked up with brows furrowed. Just as they were searching, that voice again faintly sounded: That this sealed forbidden ground, interleaved withyer uponyer of de arrays, fire arrays, eighty-one bolts of the Ninth Heavens mystic lightning, could actually be broken dean with such speed" Wu Xingxue: "?" He was taken aback: "de arrays, fire arrays, Ninth Heavens mystic lightning? Where?" That voice again said: "He already broke them. We all saw it." It took Wu Xingxue a hot second to react before he understood who that "he" the voice spoke of was. Open-mouthed, he then turned to look at Xiao Fuxuan. "Didnt you" Wu Xingxue asked lightly: "Didnt you say, that when you came in, this sealed forbidden ground has been a dead still?" Xiao Fuxuan: "" "You said this ce didnt have any arrays, and you hadnt seen anything at all?" "And you said that there are death traps here just to scare me."= The close-packed voices overhead began to snort. One after another, those human faces opened their maws to speak in gossamer-thin voices: Lies." "Lies." "Those were lies!." He had indeed lied. Upon arrival, this forbidden ground had mountains of des and seas of fire, packed so dose they gave naught the opportunity for air. Were anyone a slight bit weaker to enter this ce, unless they had a human barrier for protection, they simply wouldnt have had a chance in hell. To the extent that even Xiao Fuxuan had fundamentally no way to split his spiritual consciousness or leave a message to the person sleeping soundly in the inn. It wasnt until hed broken a majority of the death traps and heard a voice outside the forbidden ground that he could just barely probe out a thing or two. When he heard Wu Xingxue speaking with the Feng Sect people, Xiao Fuxuan was just in the middle of deflecting thest few bolts of mystic lightning. Hacking through the sea of fire with his long de, he worked his grant brawn to release a boundless field of sword aura, clearing the over ten miles of crimson me. Waiting until not a spark of the ze remained and the inauspicious site was rendered a plot of scorched earthand then checking that there werent any more life-iming death trapshe flung the dust from his sword and flew beside the entrance to the forbidden ground in a single pace. Naturally, he hadnt the time to see what else was in the forbidden ground, and was too preupied to go look after that shadowy temple, let alone figure out what this ce was sealing. He used the back of his hand to wipe away the smattering of ash that had spattered his jawbone, and was just returning the sword to sheath when he reached out to pull in the person outside. Chapter 41: Facade Chapter 41: Facade The words of those people hanging upside-down overhead ovepped one another. They sounded like countless echoes, each agreeing with one other and softly tittering. Amidst the creaking of the ropes, theirughter sounded at once far and near, growing sharper and sharper until atst, it mushroomed into a cackle that resounded throughout the forbidden ground. Theughter persisted for a while, then abruptly halted at the unpleasant sight of the Tianxiu Immortals face. The entire temple descended into a stalemate-like deathly still Although the scene was outrageously strange, it didnt stop the devil from finding it amusing. Wu Xingxue retracted his glee under Xiao Fuxuans gaze to ask solemnly: "What are you people?" The hanging ropes swayed, and those people slowly turned. Because theyd been hanging too long, their torsos, necks, and even their faces were tugged out long, making it truly difficult to recognize their original appearances. We?" "Who are we?" "Hahahahaha." It was unclear why theyughed again at this question, but after a moment, they stopped abruptly once more, using a sneaky tone as though whispering in someones ear to say "Were already dead." "Nonsense, were still alive." "Then, both dead, and alive." "Sigh" It was unclear who let out a faint sigh, but everyone else followed with long sighs one after another. The sound was quite unsettling. Wu Xingxue wrinkled his brows. He felt that these people seemed different from any foul devils or yin entities hed seen before, or even thosemoners inducted at the Valley of Great Sorrow. Low-level devils and yin beings wouldnt be able to speak, and would muddle about as thoughcking sentience, knowing only hunger and feeding. Powerful ones would be indistinguishable from people and could learn to pass themselves off as living humans, totally indistinguishable from the real deal. As for themoners whod been tragically inducted, when they werent exposed, they could speak clearly. It was the first time hed encountered something like this, for whom speaking up was a trulyborious task. "What are they?" Wu Xingxue whispered, tugging on Xiao Fuxuan. "Dont know," Xiao Fuxuan replied. The world was full of oddities with all sorts of inner and outer manifestations. Even the gods couldnt know or recognize everything at a nce. The Tianxiu Immortal was by nature reticent, and didnt like speaking superfluously. Were he uncertain of his guess, he could only answer with "Dont know." His wont was well-established in Immortal Capital, yet kept being shattered with this one person here. "Then make something up," said Wu Xingxue. Xiao Fuxuan: "" Xiao Fuxuan: "Bound." Wu Xingxue: "Oh? Whats that?" This devil seemed to be very impressed by Tianxius knowledge, and was at all ears ready to listen. Already worn down, the Tianxiu Immortal let himself go entirely at this look of reverence; he opened his mouth to say: "Mortals are all cycles of spirits. After the flesh body has died, the spirit enters the next stage. Blossoms bloom and wilt; the cycle goes around. But the spirit and flesh body do not always remain together. Some peoples flesh bodies are already dead, but perhaps because of persisting obligations or obsessions, their spirit will linger on without leaving, and continue to pass their days much like those of a living person. They are called attached. There are also some whose flesh bodies are not yet dead, but whose spirits have been drawn out and tied to something for some reason or other. Inextricable, thus bing bound." Xiao Fuxuan said: "Judging on a whim, of bound theyre akin." Upon hearing "attached," Wu Xingxue felt alright. That just came down to a persisting obsession, an unwillingness to leave. Upon hearing "bound," however, his expression dimmed He thought it over and asked: "If the spirit is tied down, then what about the flesh body?" Xiao Fuxuan said: "It remains in ce without dying or abating, and without being able to leave. Moreover, it is quite difficult to distinguish." Wu Xingxue: "Even you find it difficult to distinguish? Why so? Is it unlike a dead person,cking a corpse aura?" Xiao Fuxuan recalled the sporadic times hed encountered "the bound," and exined: "The bounds flesh bodies will never die, without knowing for themselves what had befallen them. Over time they will deceive themselves." "And how do they deceive themselves?" "They will grow up over and over again." Wu Xingxue was shocked at this: "You mean their flesh bodies will start off as newborn infants and grow up again?" "They wont necessarily start from infancy, nor will they necessarily grow old. Depends on the person." Wu Xingxue thought the situation over, and indeed thought it strangea bodily vessel without a spirit should have been no more than a walking corpse, yet they could merge into the crowd of living humans. Theyd undergo the process of aging, change appearance with time, and converse with others. "Then the deities would indeed find them difficult to distinguish" Wu Xingxue said: "But those close to them for decades would perhaps find out." But those who found out would likely be scared half to death. Just imagine, the one who shared a pillow, or a family member in the same household, or even just a next-door neighbor, with whom theyd originally spoken to on a daily basis, one day suddenlying to the realization that theyd perhaps long since ceased to be alive Could a handful of ordinarymoners bear the horror? But, the ones who suffered the most would have to be the victim themselves. Wu Xingxue suddenly felt that these upside-down hanged people were somewhat pitiable, and raised his head to ask: "How long have you all been hanging here?" Those people twisted with the breeze, sometimes with their backs facing him, sometimes slowly turning face-to-face. Due to being hanged upside-down, even the corners of their lips were tugged along their cheeks, like a weird, uncontroble smile. "I I dont remember." "A loooong time, truly long." "Nearly a hundred years?" Wu Xingxue thought to himself: No wonder these people hanging upside-down were talking like that, one moment saying they were alive and the next saying they were dead, chattering over one another in a muddle headed daze. Anyone whod had their spirit drawn out and confined in this hellish ce for a century, likely would have this muddled chattering appearance. "Where were you originally from?" Wu Xingxue then asked. He didnt in fact hold out any hope for this, and also didnt think these people would be able to say why theyde here; probably theyd reply with things like "I forgot" or "I dont remember." Who knew that theyd actually open their mouths one by one "Langzhou." "Guizhou." "Xiyuan." "Foot of Immovable Mountain." Every manner of reply swelled up like the tide. Listening to them made the great devils mind buzz. "Okay" Wu Xingxue said, "I got it." Basically everywhere. Wu Xingxue mulled it over inside. This ce was a temple, which rather called to mind sacrificial offerings and worshiping-type paraphernalia. These spirits whod been tied here were quite possibly used for these purposes. He still wanted to ask "who tied you up here" and "why were you chosen," but just as he was opening his mouth, he was shushed by Xiao Fuxuan. As though able to see through his thoughts, the Tianxiu Immortal took the initiative to say: "Some things cannot be mentioned, such as" He paused for a moment, tilting his head down next to Wu Xingxues ear to whisper: "The lord of their grievance." Wu Xingxue: "" He knew this was so those upside-down hanging people didnt hear, but The devil closed his eyes. After a beat, he then asked: "Why?" Xiao Fuxuans mild voice remained pressed low as before: "Mentioning it is liable to arouse their resentment. We havent yet understood this forbidden ground; its inadvisable to take rash action." The devil: "Fine" After he listened earnestly, he waited until Xiao Fuxuan had stood up straight to gather up his overcoat and half-cover his ears in fox fur. While the two people were whispering in each others ears, those people hanging upside-down from the rafters continued to slowly, lightly sway, but no matter how they moved, their eyes remained glued on this pair whod barged into the forbidden ground. The ends of their eyes were drawn out quite long; inclining out from the corners of their eyes, they appeared eerily focused. They looked on for a long while, when a few among them suddenly shook their shoulders. Then, even more of them began stealthily movingcountless flesh-colored branches noiselessly fell down from the densely packed crowd of people, like a thick, upside-down forest. Were one to look closely, theyd discover that they werent in fact branches, but arms that had been stretched long, as though boneless. Those people slowly opened their mouths, those arms beginning to move like serpents, stretching straight toward those two people. The entire temple remainedpletely silent, as though the people currently speaking hadnt yet noticedhaving not even turned their heads. The Devil Lord spoke with a serious expression: "But theres just one problem. Xiao Fuxuans gaze shifted slightly: "Speak." "What do we do if they start it first?" the devil calmly asked. "Then, we can only kill them." Xiao Fuxuan said. With a flick of his thumb to his sword handle, the longsword in his hand cut an exceptionally beautiful arc, cial sword qi instantaneously raging out and forming countless chilly wind-cutting des. Without turning his head, the icy des swept out. Countless "puffss" rang out as thousands of long, branchlike arms halted just behind them. They were nearly a hair away, but couldnt get closeramidst mournful shrieks, the arms littered the ground. The next moment, those icy des turned their tips, bearing extremely violent killing intent as they doubled straight back on those people hanging upside-down. They writhed madly, but simply couldnt escape. Just as the frosty tips were about to wedge into their skulls, they couldnt keep down their howling: "AHHHHHHH" However, the instant those frosty tips pressed against their scalps, they halted! They could clearly sense that they were about to be stabbed through, but the sword tips were slow to the take; yet that taste of waiting was the greatest torture. They were so tortured, their entire bodies shook; even the ropes holding them creaked out. "Its been difficult waiting for someone toe. Were you thinking that if youd grabbed someone to hang, theyd take your ce?" Wu Xingxue raised his head to ask. "" Those people were still shaking, but didnt utter a word. The entire temple was rendered a deathly still, representing an affirmative to his question. Wu Xingxue wasnt actually angry. Hed clearly seen this sort of scene a few times before, but ineffably kept his cool in the face of the macabre. Those people whod been stuffed into child servant statues were like this, as were these bound spirits, always trying to find another poor wretch to rece them. It was just that they were out of luck, and found the wrong people. Wu Xingxue nced at Xiao Fuxuan to ask: "Can I make a deal with them?" " Xiao Fuxuan: " As if I can stop you." Wu Xingxue happily raised his face: Ill tell you what, you all have stayed a while on this forbidden ground, and got to know it somewhat. Tell us honestly the situation with this forbidden ground, and well think of a way to untie your spirit binds." Unexpectedly, those people slowly came face-to-face with him, and they said: "You cant untie them." Wu Xingxue asked: "Why so certain?" Those people stretched their necks, cautiously staring at those sword tips, and confidently repeated: "You just cant." Wu Xingxue was about to ask again when he suddenly saw that one of the spirits hanging upside-down was quite strange. Unlike the others hanging upside-down, he seemed to have awoken slightly, his eyes not so muddled. "Look at that one." Wu Xingxue poked Xiao Fuxuan, indicating that he look at that unusual one, "Whats wrong with him?" Xiao Fuxuan replied: "His flesh body must be on the verge of awakening, so his spirit is struggling violently." Flesh body on the verge of awakening? "Youre saying, that flesh body is about to realize that its no longer a living person?" Wu Xingxue asked. "Not about to, perhaps already realized." The person was struggling, his face so distorted that as he flipped around, the massive bags under his eyes nearly kept him from opening his eyes. With difficulty, he looked over in Wu Xingxue and Xiao Fuxuans direction, his mouth opening and dosing, but unable to say anything. After another beat, he called out: "It hurts so much" Staring at his eyebags, Wu Xingxue was suddenly taken aback. "I know who he is," he grabbed Xiao Fuxuan to whisper. Having previously been hanging upside-down, his face had been dragged out very long, so it was rather hard to recognize him. Now, the instant he flipped around amidst his twitching, within those massive eye bags, the two of them could make out a hint of familiarity about his face. It was the innkeeper. In that split second, Wu Xingxue nearly lost himself. Why would the innkeeper have appeared here now? He again began thinking back to before hede to the forbidden ground, the innkeepers expression of wanting to say something but being unable, and everything seemed to string together What if these bound spirits werent sacrificial offerings? What if the reason their spirits had been drawn out was to keep their flesh bodies here forever to cover a certain ce for a long time, never to die nor abate nor leave? What if the sealing of the divine arbor had been sketched in light washes in the stories, and hadnt just relied on a few formations and a forbidden ground, but required a multitude of people? And, the innkeeper was just the one guarding the entrance. A terrifying thought suddenly came to Wu Xingxue Xiao Fuxuan had said that the flesh bodies of the "bound" whose spirits had been drawn out would continue their lives where they were, would grow up over and over again, and were at a nce so indistinguishable from living humans that not even the deities could tell them apart. But, close neighbors were more liable to detect them. But what if their close neighbors were also "bound"? What if the neighbors they saw every day were all "bound"? Then would that mean no one be able to find out? Someonehe forgot whohad once said that Falling Flower Terrace was a truly excellent ce in the mortal world. No matter how chaotic the world was, this ce would always maintain afortable ease, a lively and thriving mor of human voices. And another person had said, perhaps the divine arbor of back then was still present, blessing the ce all along. Thinking about it now, it was actually unusual. Where was the logic in these people not suffering the effects of troubled times? But what if the entire mountain market was bound? What if that bustling mor had long since died, just to be locked here forever, day after day and year after year staging the scene of lightingnterns at the markets opening on the third day of the third month? Just like the flesh bodies whod lost their spirits, fooling themselves in everything they didgrowing, aging, and conversing. Wu Xingxues face sank like water, his gaze sweeping over the densely-packed faces. Looking again this time, he finally found quite a few familiar facesthat bellboy from the inn, even those from when hed just entered Falling Flower Mountain Market, that teahouse waiter in his endless hawking, the high-cheekboned folk storyteller, the shop attendant whod exined about the overturned cart of rouge powders In the end, he couldnt even tell whether it was ultimately the him of this moment recognizing those people, or, if it was the Wu Xingxue of back then who had also simrly recognized those people. All contributed to Falling Flower Terraces bustling and morous facade. Once. theyd lit candles that shone continuously upon all twelve miles of the mountain range. like a dragon of light. That was the Falling Flower Mountain Market hed once rmended to so many. That was his birthce. Chapter 42: Karma Chapter 42: Karma "AHHHH.." The innkeepers spirit issued out a weak shout, halfment and half agony, repeating over and over: "It hurts so much, hurts so much, hurts so much" The first was a cathartic yelp, but it then got slowly weaker until it atst became but a murmur. Much like someone gued by severe narcolepsy, he struggled only briefly awake, but then involuntarily sank back into a stupor. No longer able to shout, he began to whimper and cry. The others hanging upside-down turned toward him one by one. At first, theyd still been whispering, just a bit of sound and theyd echo one another in endless session. But now, they descended into a strange silence. They looked silently upon the innkeeper. Clearly, the flesh at the corners of their mouths had been pulled to their cheekbones, but because they were hanging upside-down, they appeared extremely sorrowful. "Why is he crying" someone softly asked. This statement went down like water into hot oil; those suspended spirits suddenly shook, and then exploded. Countless sobs thrummed out, all pouring into Wu Xingxues ears. He suddenly felt that the smoke here was truly suffocating, so much so that his inner organs went cold. Apletely inexplicable sense of abhorrence arose in his heart. Within that abhorrence, Wu Xingxue thought: If my heart is this cold without memory, then what about with memory? I dont know what Id really thought about it back then when I knew ng- The sound of a sword suddenly rang out, cuffing straight through the smoke! Wu Xingxue abruptly recovered. He raised his head to look over. And saw Xiao Fuxuans golden-light-bearing "Mian" sword sweeping madly across the temples ceiling. Even though he couldnt see the expression of the swordsman, he could sense the cial chill within the sword intent. Everyone said the Tianxiu Immortal dealt punishment with one hand and forgiveness with the other. Since all the Falling Flower Mountain Market people were innocent upon being tied up here, such an action from Xiao Fuxuan ought to have freed these people. Wu Xingxue thought as much; evidently, so did Xiao Fuxuan. That pure ray of golden light made the entire forbidden ground shake on end, smoke and dust rising up to the blue sky and turning it into a hazy smog. The light hacked through with an unstoppable force, enclosing all the spirits in its gold. Superimposed golden seals flowed across from within the light, like the ousting of karmic sins from the mortal realm. The scene rmed those spirits so much that they gaped out nkly, no longer concerned with crying. For a moment, their transfixed eyes seemed to glimmer with hope. But the next instant, the light in their eyes dimmed back down The "Mian" swords chill des swept across, yet the ropes binding those densely-packed spirits kept on creaking in midair, without the least bit of change. Astonished, Wu Xingxue turned his head to see that Xiao Fuxuan was also knitting his brows. He lifted a hand to catch the sword, lowering his gaze toward the continually flowing golden rivulets on his sword. The next moment, he again flipped his hand to sweep the sword out. This time yielded the same resultthe swords edge went straight through those hanging ropes as though they were just empty projections. Even the Tianxiu Immortals pardon couldnt take the least effect on them. Those spirits hanging upside-down didnt utter a word, staring dazedly at the ropes on their bodies. Theyd just been crying for a long time, but their eyes werent at all red. They still wore those muddled expressions, just cast in anotheryer of fog. After a long while, a murmured discussion again reverberated out "Look, we just said, you cant untie it." "Sure enough. "Let it be, dont get your hopes up." But it hurts so much" Xiao Fuxuan caught his sword again, clenching his fingers. A trace of frustration emerged between his brows. He muttered inaudibly to himself, as though working out why he couldnt pardon these people. "Xiao Fuxuan," Wu Xingxue called to him. Strangely enough, the chill hed felt in his guts before actually got a little better for a moment. Thinking it over, perhaps it was because of this persons presence beside him. Because when Xiao Fuxuan first unleashed his sword, before hede to the sudden realization that he couldnt do anything except killing moves, hed also wanted to free these spirits. But what a pity, he couldnt seed. "Is it because its an illusion realm?" Wu Xingxue thought aloud, "Is it because we entered this forbidden ground from an illusion realm, so we can only look on but not do anything else?" Xiao Fuxuan raised his eyes: "Are you trying to console me?" Wu Xingxue was indeed thinking along these lines, but he hadnt just forced the words out as constion; in fact, he never had wrapped his head around what that so-called "whats seens illusion, yet the scene is true" really meant. If they were seeing the past Falling Flower Mountain Market, then what? What could they change? If they couldnt change, couldnt even influence anything, then how could he have spoken with the innkeeper and bellboy, or even threatened the Feng Sect people? It seemed that hed really returned to the Falling Flower Mountain Market of several centuries ago. But if they could change things Then was this illusion realm really an illusion realm? "When wed just entered the mountain market, Id taken it as a mere illusion realm, but now I harbor some doubts." Frowning, Xiao Fuxuan hesitated, still disinclined to speak of doubts or conjectures. He continued: "Even if it is an illusion realm, unleashing my sword shouldnt have had this result." "What should it have been like?" Wu Xingque asked." "Were it unable to bear it, the illusion realm would have broken. Were it able to bear it, the illusion realm would have manifested a change. In short, it shouldnt have been like this." Xiao Fuxuan stopped talking, but his heavy expression remained pensive. Looking at that poor expression on his handsome face, Wu Xingxue could make out the words "unless" written all over it. He opened his mouth to ask: "Unless what?" "Unless" Xiao Fuxuan blurted this out before realizing that he was being led along: "" He pursed his lips, the deep ck of his eyes peering at Wu Xingxue. For some reason, Wu Xingxue caught a trace of another emotion from that gaze, as though he were trying to recall the reason, but didnt really want to spit it out. After another beat, Xiao Fuxuan retracted his gaze, no longer meeting Wu Xingxues eyes: "For my pardon to take no effect, there can only be one reason." Wu Xingxue: "What?" Xiao Fuxuan frowned slightly, saying: "I myself am karmically implicated here." The temple again went silent. "I dont understand." After a while, Wu Xingxue asked, "What do you mean youre being karmically implicated here?" Xiao Fuxuan slowly opened his mouth: "There was a divine arbor born in Falling Flower Terrace which was for some reason sealed. This became forbidden ground, possibly causing these spirits to be tied down as such and be bound. Their karma is all intertwined, and I" His voice slowed a moment. Still deeply furrowing his brows, he spoke deeply: "I am linked among them, so I cannot pardon them." A long while after he finished talking, he raised his eyes again. Wu Xingxue looked into his eyes unfalteringly. In the depths of his pupils, he made out a trace of hesitation, of confusion, but his mind swiftly calmed. It wasnt until this moment that he realized hed been visibly on edge because he knew, being karmically implicated here was not anything good. Who would have been involved? Apart from people closely intertwined with the divine arbor itself, there was probably only whoever had sealed this ce, or perhaps whoever had locked these spirits up Wu Xingxue suddenly somewhat understood why the himself back then would have tried to alter Xiao Fuxuans memories. It must have had something to do with this so-called karma. Xiao Fuxuan also evidently thought as much. He stared at Wu Xingxue, but only let out an "I" before going quiet. "It wouldnt be that karma," Wu Xingxue blurted out. Xiao Fuxuan raised his eyelids. Because he had his back to the temples candlelight, his eyes appeared even deeper ck. Hed always been cold, and would asionally give off an air of haughtiness. Those edges about him seemed innate; no matter how he restrained them, kept them sheathed, those rather sharp points would always make themselves known about the corners of his eyes and brows. Yet right now, within the gaze he directed at Wu Xingxue, there were too many hidden meaningseverything except the slightest hint of prickliness. Wu Xingxue spoke softly: "It wouldnt be the karma of the lord of their grievance." "Why?" Xiao Fuxuan focused in on him. Wu Xingxue moved his lips. "Why so certain," Xiao Fuxuan again asked. The Tianxiu Immortal was never one to speak empty phrases, nor to blindly believe guesses. Even if the interrogation fell on his own head, even if he didnt want to be at all connected to certain conclusions, he still wouldnt say anything to irrefutably absolve himself. People of the Immortal Capital all knew that the Tianxiu Immortal was never partial, even when it came to himself. He could tolerate any suspicion, so calm it seemed like the one being spected about was not him. This impartiality seemed innate, as though he must have been born like this, or else how could he have been inducted as the one in charge of punishment and forgiveness? But at a time like this, he still found that he cared deeply about a certain persons groundless conviction. It wasnt like with othersnot a point-by-point result, nor a carefully surmised conclusion. Just, that one persons unexined and unexamined conviction. He asked twice, only to hear Wu Xingxue open his mouth to say: I dont know, its just a feeling. Im a devil, devils never listen to reason." That moment, those years that had once separated them seemed like the smoky fog in this forbidden ground, rising and falling, a bit suffocatingyet also seemed to lightly disperse with the breeze, no longer so insurmountable. *** "Ah!" someone suddenly screeched, followed by an rmed gasp. Immediately hence, the air buzzed with conversation. "How can this be?" "The divine statues never moved before." "This" Divine statue? Curious, Wu Xingxue turned his head to look. That "General Bai" inscribed divine statue on the temples niche really had begun to change. The youth was still leaning on the tree, and the sword in his hand hadnt moved a hair. What did move was the jade-careen divine arbor behind him. Somehow, the divine arbor which had previously only had branches, now sprouted buds. Wu Xingxue leaned forward to look closer, discovering that within the new growth was wrapped bud after bud of blossoms, too many to count. In just a moment, they have filled the naked branches." "Who was this statue carved by, that it can actually grow?" Wu Xingxue murmured. He wasnt initially expecting to hear an answer, but in response, those spirits whod been confined in this ce opened their mouths to say: "The divine arbor itself" Wu Xingxue was stunned, and turned to look at Xiao Fuxuan. "The divine arbor itself?" Wu Xingxue asked in astonishment, "The divine arbor could turn into a human?" The spirits then shook their heads, all moring: "Dont know." "It also seems like it hadnt turned into a human." "Its just hearsay." "From the folktales." Wu Xingxue then pointed to the jade-carven youth to ask: "Is this the person the divine arbor became?" Those spirits shook their heads: "No." "Then who is it?" Wu Xingxue asked. Fan art for this chapter: /post/30a70de2_2b48fe5f6 Chapter 43: Former Fates Chapter 43: Former Fates Those hanging upside-down said: "A general." "A young general." "Its said he died beneath the divine arbor." "But why did the jade carving move?" "Is it because of those two sword strikes?" "It must be" One by one, the people hanging upside-down turned to look at this Xiao Fuxuan whod unleashed his sword, faces convoluted with suspicion. Only Wu Xingxue, upon hearing that "died beneath the divine arbor," moved the fingers hanging at his side. Rather strangely, at that moment, a feeling of difort arose in his heart, as though hed once seen how that person "died beneath the divine arbor." Dazed for a moment, he subconsciously reached out for the jade carving. Those hanging upside-down were drained of color in fright, and rushed to yell: "The statue cant be touched!" "That was carved by the divine arbor itself, it cannot be profaned" "Other than it itself, anyone who touches it will meet with" Before the word "disaster" couldnd, they all went silent at once, sinking into nk-faced suspicion. Because they saw Wu Xingxue grip the jade carving, yet nothing happened. Only a long breeze swept across the temple, like something in the jade statue had momentarily awoken. Xiao Fuxuan grabbed Wu Xingxues wrist. Seeing the others eyshes trembling slightly, he asked: "Something wrong?" After a long while, Wu Xingxue opened his mouth to say: "No." Nothing. It was just that, the moment he gripped the jade statue, he felt a trace of spirits wrapping along his fingertips and melding into his body. Like a little fragment of a spirit that he once left in the jade statue, had now atst found its way back. The instant the spirit melded into his fingertips, he recalled a few events. About the divine arbor, about General Bai. *** A long, long time ago, before Lingtai was around, there was a towering tree in Falling Flower Terrace that stretched from high heaven down to the ground below, its branches so lush they seemed canopied in clouds. The cycles of life and death in the mortal realm were all kept on this giant tree Each time a newborn infant entered the world, the tree would sprout new growth and grow a flower bud. And each time someone shuffled off this mortal coil, a blossom would fall from the tree. Ordinary people couldnt see it. Only people newly born or close to death would have the chance to catch sight of it. Some whod once faced the jaws of death but managed to escape, upon returning, would all say that theyd seen a divine arbor, right on Falling Flower Terrace. Over time, all sorts of rumors arose about the divine arbor. Rumor had it that the divine arbor appeared half-withered and half-thrivingthe very crown of its canopy flourished with flowers, so that looking on from afar, it appeared as the flush of clouds amidst the setting sun. But below the canopy, the branches deep within would be constantly shedding blossoms. No matter whether it was autumn or spring, morning or night, it never stopped. Those fallen petals could cover all twelve miles of the mountain range. Floating within the mountain streams, their reflections in the water suffused it in cherry red. Hence, there was a splendorous sight in Falling Flower Terrace, renowned around the world, yet few could see it, called clear streams in the mountain, crimson flow to fields." That splendorous sight was all the mortal realms life and death, encapsting every single person in the world. Rumors spread more and more widely, leading people to establish a temple on Falling FLower Terrace to worship that giant tree ordinary people couldnt see. Anything rted to life and death would be particrly attractive to the masses. For a time, that temple was the most lively ce in the world. A multitude of people trod over that threshold to beseech for all sorts of things there. At the time, those beseeching primarily involved life and deathpraying for new life toe, praying for recovery from severe illness, praying for peace and safety, or a long life without worry. Later on, things got more and more jumbled. It got to the point that, for quite a while, people would imbue just about any tree. Rumor had it that the divine arbor heard so many of mortals joys, sorrows, and wishes, that it slowly begot a human side. Gradually, rumors pertaining to the divine arbor gained an additional few phrases People whod had the chance to see the divine arbor said that theyd once seen a phantom amidst the divine arbors dense, verdant foliage, like someone was propped up on a branch, just sitting amidst the mass of blossoms, gaze lowered upon the ever-more bustling Falling Flower Terrace. Due to its rtion to the divine arbor, more and more structures were built along the mountains of Falling Flower Terrace, and in the third month when living things sprung forth, droves of people from north to south would converge here, gradually forming a fledgling state of the mountain market. But the world had a universally-disliked yet ultimately prophetic principle, known as "good times dontst." Not even the divine arbor could escape this adage. At first, people whod heard of the divine arbor only prayed to it. Butter on, some people became unspeakably greedy, and came up with bad ideas. Since the divine arbor encapsted the cycles of life and death, of time as it rolled on forward, then What if they could find a way to borrow some of the divine arbors power? Could it call people to rise from the dead, or bring back squandered years? This theory pulled on too many peoples heartstrings and watered their drool. Hence, the divine arbor could no longer exist as it once had, when it was only granting protection and stability. Those unscrupulous means led to a great deal of trouble some people were killed because of the divine arbor, while some caused others deaths due to the divine arbor These troubles morphed into karmic burdens, all bound to the divine arbor. The rumors said that because the divine arbor had begotten a human side thatd also been wrapped up in these karmic burdens, not even it could escape the mortal realms maximits days were numbered. The year the divine arbor met with cmity, the mortal world wasnt doing too well either. War had broken out everywhere under the sun. At the time there werent ces named Langzhou, Meng City, and the like. Everywhere, the national borders were a mess. A small nation assembled in the southwest, where the fires of war zed most furiously. ins steeped in crimson for hundreds of miles, bodies scattered this way and that, were amon sight. Later on, even children of ten years would be carrying cold weaponry and entering the fields of ughter. One autumn night in that year when the moon ought to have been full, a sorrowful scene appeared in the southwest On one side, fighting was at its zenith on the as-yet-unnamed Jiaming Wilderness. Lingering mes burned across the vast wilderness. The scent of scorched flesh and the intive whinnying of horses disseminated hundreds of miles on the night breeze. On the other side, thunder drummed over Falling Flower Terrace as electric light fell forth from the ninth heaven like an imprable, hacking down strike by strike upon the site of the divine arbor. A youth drenched in blood was just then walking from the outskirts of the fields, toward the divine arbor He looked about seventeen or eighteen, a faint youthful air about his face, but it was all covered up by the cold-iron-like malign qi of his severely wounded body. His legs and torso were long; his stature ought to have been quite tall, but due to his being drained of vital force as well as the injuries across his body, he couldnt stand very straight. At first nce, hed juste from killing in the mes of war. From one hand jutted a sword, and on his back was a bloody bundle of cloth. When he crossed through the valley, he stumbled with the sword in his grip, and that bloody bundle shifted. A pair of skinny arms lolled out, covered in wounds and scars. Looking from afar, an experienced person would knowit was a skinny little kid whod already died. During those two years, one would alwayse across kids like that on the outskirts of the battlefields. Broken homes, parents dead, no one to look after them, either theyd be snatched away or starve. Even if they were starving they wouldnt have a restful death; theyd be dismembered and gobbled up by wild beats, foul or yin entities, or other extremely hungry people, and end up without even a full skeleton. Those who died like this and remained intact could be counted on one hand. As the youth walked below the divine arbor, there was a brief gap in the heavenly thunder. All Falling Flower Terrace was suspended in a brief calm. The rumors all said that ordinary people couldnt see the divine arbor, so people who came to Falling Flower Terrace would usually head straight for the temple and wouldnt really look up to search for that giant invisible tree. But that youth didnt go in the direction of the temple. Supporting himself on his sword, he stood below the tree, swallowed the blood between his lips, and looked up. His face was naturally quite handsome. If hed washed away all that blood and killing intent on his body, he ought to have been a swaggering youngd, cold white as jade. But what a pity, hed not retain that face another day. Because, after swallowing down that fresh blood, his rasping voice said softly: "I can see you" Legend had it, only those newly born or close to death could see the divine arbor. He saw it, which meant he was right on the verge of death. His gaze reflected the fresh ck of the sky, and stirred, as though wanting to take in the full appearance of the divine arbor down to the depths of its canopy. After a moment, he swallowed with difficulty and lowered his gaze, murmuring: "Its different from the legends" That night, the divine arbor was indeed different from in the legends. It had borne dozens of heavenly lightning strikes on this appointed day, and its body was full of long gashes. Few blossoms remained on its branches, yet wilted petals had long since littered the ground. There was no rosy, cloudlike scene as in the legends, nor any rouge reflected in the moonlight. The youths vitality was nearly exhausted. Even just carrying himself to Falling Flower Terrace was no easy task. After he lowered his eyes, he half-knelt along his sword. Using thest of his strength, he dug out a bit of soil at the base of the tree and buried the remains of the child hed been carrying on his back into the soil. People often said, after someone died, if they took protection under the divine arbor, then in the next life theyd have peace, happiness, and longevity. He smoothed the dirt over, and, atst no longer able to support himself, fell down to a sitting position. Still holding the sword in one hand, head sagging, his thin eyelids slowly lowered into long, slender lines. Blood trickled down from his forehead and flowed into the hollows about his eyes, then soaked into the eyes themselves. At the time, he realized that hed already begun to lose consciousness. Before his eyes, there was only the color of blood, and he could neither see nor hear clearly. So, when he vaguely heard a faint voice asking him, "Who is the one you buried?" he just slowly blinked without opening his mouth. He scoffed at himself, thinking that hed already begun seeing deathbed hallucinations. But he still moved his lips, breathing out nigh-inaudibly: "Picked im from the groun. A kid who had nothing to do with him, just, when he was passing through, hed instinctively used up thest of his strength to grab him. It must have been the fear of death, right, or the fear that it would hurt to be dismembered and eaten after death. It wasnt until a while after he answered that he abruptly recalled, that question was a bit strange. The legends had mentioned that the divine arbor had begotten a human side, and people had seen an illusory silhouette in its canopy. The hand the youth used to grip his sword clenched a bit. As he gasped and swallowed down the blood taste in his throat, his Adams apple slid a few times. He wanted to open his eyes and look at whether thered be a figure in the canopy, but he couldnt blink away the blood no matter what, so there was no way for him to see clearly. He just felt that there was a tiny bit of frailty in that faint voice, as though itd also suffered pain, not so different from him. He remembered the mystic lightning hed seen before, and understood slightly. If the divine arbor really could be human, those long gashes on its body would have had to hurt a lot. No wonder the voice was so faint. As he thought to himself, the divine arbor rustled gently a few times, as if it could actually hear him. Though it was also possible that the rustling was just that deathbed hallucination. As he thought this, the sky suddenly brightened; thest few bolts of lightning from the heavens struck down, aiming for the roots of the divine arbor. The youth blinked amidst the electric light. Blood plopped down to the ground along his eyshes. Does it hurt? Im also pretty much about to die He thought. The instant the blood soaked into the earth, the youth seized his longsword, and used the back of his own shoulder to block the heavenly lightning. In thest moment of his life, images shed through his mindcorpses strewn across the immeasurable hundreds of miles of wilderness, and the divine arbors wilted petals littering the groundand he thought: "When I open my eyes in the next life, may I see you blossoming" Ever since the divine arbor had been, all it had heard were prayers. All mortals wanted, all they hoped, was for it to protect them. This was the first time, and the only time, that someone had used their own mortal flesh body to protect it. And that youth had long dosed his eyes, never to open them again. So he couldnt see how, after his death, that ghostly figure high up in the canopy slowly condensed into a real human form. *** Muchter on, people were still unable to see the divine arbor, but found a skeleton at the divine arbors site. There was a military namete at the skeletons waist with the rank "general" inscribed, beneath which was the family name Bal." Rumor had it that he was a general whod died underneath the tree, seventeen or eighteen years old, not yet of adult age. After he died, jade essence sprung from the ces where his blood flowed, its bright, cold white enwrapping the entire divine arbor. There also came a day when a jade caning appeared in that temple worshiping the divine arbor, depicting a coldly handsome youth leaning against the towering tree. People were awed to no end, unsure where that jade caning that had appeared out of thin air had reallye from. Then, people said that the night before the jade carving appeared, there appeared to have been a figure dressed in white entering the temple, who thenmistlikehad furtively, soundlessly disappeared. Hence, people said that that figure was the divine arbor-turned-human, and that jade caning was carved by his own hands, for that young general whod died underneath the tree. Thinking on it now, those legends were about right. There was only one thing that even the legends never knew. Only the one whod hand-carved the jade statue would know most clearly Wu Xingxue began to recall that when he carved that jade statue back then, hed poured a wisp of his own spirit into it, along with a drop of that persons blood This way, were that person to reincarnate into the mortal world, were he to arrive again at this temple, were he to allow the jade statues spirit and blood to sniff out the familiar spirit then that towering jade tree would recognize the youth leaning against it. He was born of the divine arbor, and at the time of his birth, the only non-beseeching words hed ever heard came from that person: "Does it hurt? Im also pretty much about to die. Wait until I open my eyes in the next life, so that I may see you blossom." At the time, he hadnt expected that the divine arbor would be sealedter on, and even this temple would be lumped together in this swath of forbidden ground. Simrly, he hadnt expected that ater incarnation of that young general from back then would, due to his entanglement with the divine arbor from that year, be ordained as an immortal at an early age, and receive the heavenly-conferred symbol of "Mian." Back then, on Immortal Capitals steep white jade staircase, the first time he saw Xiao Fuxuan walking up with his longsword, when he sniffed out that familiar spirits scent, his heart still issued up a vague regret. But it was not that he regretted that the reincarnated person wouldnt remember his previous liferather, it was regret that the other couldnt see that statue carved of white jade. He hid a little token of thanks inside. Xiao Fuxuan hadnt ever learned of that brief feeling, and Wu Xingxue himself had forgotten it for over twenty years. He didnt expect that now, today, because of a chance like this and a wisp of spirits, hed actually remember this little fragment. Hed least expected that theyd actually be standing here in this temple. So when Xiao Fuxuan had swept the entire temple with two strikes of pardoning sword intent, that jade tree hiding a token of thanks recognized his spirit, and burst into flower buds. That tree blossoming in full bloom was and onlyfor him. Fanart for this /chaosblessings/status/1496627530236891138?t=edo_Nt2VUVNB4OrRp-U11g&s=19 Chapter 44: Karma (II) Chapter 44: Karma (II) The second spring after the arrival of the white jade statue, the fires of war abated, and Falling Flower Terrace had its first real mountain market. Because the divine arbor was always half withering and half thriving, haloed in clouds, it hadnt an ordinary nts flowering season. But, those whod seen the divine arbor would always say that the flowers wreathing its branches looked a bit like the red apricot blossoms of the mortal realm. Beside the East River at the time, in the ce that wouldter be Meng City, there was a mountain called Mount Ting whose apricot blossom forests went on for dozens of miles and bloomed most abundantly in the third month. Hence, people set the divine arbors flowering season based on Mount Tings apricot blossoms, and picked the memorable date of the third day of the third month tomence their mountain market. When the mortal realms first Falling Flower Mountain Market erected itsnterns, Wu Xingxue was watching. His hidden figure leaned against the divine arbor, lowered eyes looking on as the winding mountain path began lighting up at dusk,ntern string afterntern string, candle me upon candle me, straight on through to the utmost points of the mountain range, nearly on past the horizon. He vaguely recalled how hed felt at the time Watching the weft of passers-by, the jumble ofnguage, he felt content, happy. He was born here, and because of certain reasons, he cared about this ce. He hoped that this Falling Flower Mountain Market would always be so lively, each year livelier than thest until it became the happiest ce in the mortal world. Travelers woulde from far and wide, and its name would spread to distant ces. Because the more lively this ce was, the more likely that young generals next lives woulde to visit the attraction This feeling lived too long in his mind, it nearly became habitual. Even after the divine arbor was sealedter on, and the temple was no longer around, he still didnt drop the habit. Hed never told anyone the initial reason. But whenever Falling Flower Mountain Market was mentioned, hed always say: "That ce is very fun, quite the lively crowd." But now, grasping the jade carving, Wu Xingxue looked at the person beside him, and after gaping at him for a long time, called out to him: "Xiao Fuxuan." Xiao Fuxuan was still gripping his wrist. His gaze fell to the divine arbors flowering jade branches, and was momentarily vacant. On hearing that, the light in his eyes stirred, then shifted to Wu Xingxue. That instant, Wu Xingxue did indeed get an urge He slightly hoped that the other party would remember the events of that year, remember the words hed said under the divine arbor on that autumn night when the mystic lightning first hit. If so, then he could point to all those blossoms on the tree and grin as he took credit for the deed, saying: Xiao Fuxuan, the blossoms you wanted to see. But from the others perspective, wouldnt that night have actually been quite painful? How many had he wounded in the fires of war, and by how many had he been wounded? Perhaps his whole state, his family, his fellows had all vanished in the smoke of that long night. When he walked toward the divine arbor, how many dead souls had he passed in that wilderness, whod saluted him, or whod hated him? And when the heavenly lightning struck his bones and his flesh body died, in that moment, would he have been reluctant, lonely? Just thinking about this, and that faint urge faded to nothing. Better that you dont remember. Wu Xingxue thought. Hence he opened his mouth, huffed out augh, and in the end just spoke calmly: "Look, the divine arbors blossoming." After saying this, he withdrew his gaze and no longer looked at Xiao Fuxuan, lest that slight regret thatd shed by be detected by the Tianxiu Immortal. Who knew that just after he averted his eyes and bent over to put the jade caning down, he heard Xiao Fuxuans voice sounding deeply out: "Wu Xingxue." "Are you the divine arbor?" he said. Wu Xingxue froze. Xiao Fuxuan said: "They said, the jade carving mustnt be touched by anyone other than the divine arbor." Wu Xingxue turned his head to look at him. "Youd also said that you were born in Falling Flower Terrace." Wu Xingxue still didnt utter a word, just kept looking at him. "Am I" Xiao Fuxuan paused to shoot a nce at the jade carving of the youth leaning against the tree, then turned back around: "that General Bai?" Wu Xingxue was afraid that Xiao Fuxuan had remembered something. Staring into his eyes for a long time, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief insideit must have just been a guess, not a memory. Consoled, he opened his mouth to reply: "Their words are all over the ce, all jumbled, you mustnt take it all as true. But why ask me, oughtnt I be the one whos most confused about this ce." Xiao Fuxuan, however, lowered his gaze to look at him. After a beat, he spoke: "You are unhappy; it looked like youd remembered something." Wu Xingxue stiffened. After a moment, he saw Xiao Fuxuan slightly lowering his head and lifting a hand to touch his face with his fingers bent. Warm and deep, he asked: "Why would it blossom?" The dignified Devil Lord was abruptly rendered speechless. That moment, whether regret or pity, every subtle morsel of emotion swiftly disappeared. Yet another, entirely unrted thought shed throughthis Tianxiu Immortal must have been a real menace in Immortal Capital. Wu Xingxue was just about to spit out a retort when he heard a suddenmotion. He and Xiao Fuxuan were simultaneously startled, and turned their heads toward themotion. They saw that those hanging upside-down had their noses pricked up as though sniffing something out. The direction they sniffed was none other than that jade carving. Hence, Wu Xingxue also lightly sniffed a few times. There was indeed a scent scattered throughout this temple. It smelled like blood. At first, he was still a bit confused, but as his gaze swept over the jade carving he remembered, at the time hed infused the jade carving with blood from Xiao Fuxuans previous lifetime. Now that the jade carving had awakened, that scent of blood slowly wafted out. And spirits were always sensitive; it was no wonder that theyd smelled it. The odd thing was their reaction to smelling that blood scent Those hanging upside-down revealed perplexed expressions as they pricked their noses, as though doing their best to recall something, but couldnt immediately bring it to mind. But their murmuring spread out like a tide. "This scent" "It seems Ive smelled this blood somewhere before." "Yessss, its so familiar." "Same with me, I also think its a bit familiar." "But where had I smelled it before?" .. They kept discussing for end, the actions of drawing in breath growing more and more conspicuous. Their expressions were also somewhat odd. Whats up with them?" Wu Xingxue didnt understand, but intuitively got a bad feeling about it. The blood hade from Xiao Fuxuans previous lifetime, and these people hanging upside-down came from all over Falling Flower Mountain Market. Falling Flower Mountain Market didnt exist until after General Bais death. No matter what year these people had set foot in the mountain market, they shouldnt have had any reaction to this blood, much less thought it "a bit familiar." But he suddenly recalled something Xiao Fuxuan had said before: Peoples life-and-death cycles operated through the spirits. Stowed in Falling Flower Mountain Market were their current lifetimes flesh bodies. From one life to the next, their flesh bodies naturally couldnt have had anything to do with Xiao Fuxuans past life. But this ce was different; these people hanging upside-down were spirits, and spirits would remain unchanged with the revolving of lifetimes, and would remain who they were back then. Thinking on this point, Wu Xingxuesplexion became tense. He heard Xiao Fuxuan blurting out: "Is the blood in the jade carving yours?" Wu Xingxue subconsciously replied: "No." After answering, he clicked his tongue, a bit annoyed. This was basically admitting that he had remembered something. But the circumstances before them werent ideal, and Xiao Fuxuan didnt nag him, just looked him in the eye and then said: "Thats good." Wu Xingxue was at a loss: "Why?" Xiao Fuxuan said: "To spur spirits memory is never a good thing." Wu Xingxues heart skipped a beat. He was just about to ask when he heard Xiao Fuxuan continuing: "After death, mortals will not remember their previous lifetime. Spirits that have been shucked out are also such. Should they retain any impression, it must be something that runs deep. He paused, then said under his breath: "Most likely rted to their death." He needed not to exin any further; Wu Xingxue could catch his drift. He understood full wellwhen it came to the dead, the memory of their moment of death was always deepest. It was both theirstand often most painfulmoment, and pain ever ousted joy. These spirits suspended upside-down had been drawn out alive, so it was normal for them to remember incidents of their current life. If they remembered anything from before, it was likelyreally only could be rted to "death." Or in other words Blood from Xiao Fuxuans prior lifetime, had it a connection with these peoples deaths from some previous lifetime? Thinking on this point, Wu Xingxue felt a chill running down his spine. The moment the thought shed across, he heard a familiar sword screech. Out of the corner of his eye, Xiao Fuxuans figure shed over. He snapped his head up, seeing that the Tianxiu Immortals sword tip had already borne in on the nearby suspended peoples foreheads. He heard Xiao Fuxuans low voice saying: "Apologies." The eyes of those hanging upside-down contracted. The moment the sword tip made contact with their heads, a frost-sharp whistle arose straight up to the firmament. Wu Xingxues mind buzzed with the vibration. Since the impression was rted to "death," being pressed close to death again was most liable to arouse it. Amidst the reverberation of the sword screech and sharp whistle, the hangeds eyes widened as they cried out in terror: "I remember that smell of blood!" "I remember" That move of Xiao Fuxuans wasnt a genuine interrogation, but was simr. The next moment, fragmented scenes zoomed past A vast, horizonless wilderness, a mishmash of whinnying horses and startling murderous bellows. The moment he saw those scenes, Wu Xingxue knew it was a battlefield It was the battlefield General Bai had once crossed. And, the reason those people suspended upside-down got a sense of dj vu from the blood scent was because in that life, they were on that battlefield opposite General Bai, and had died under his longsword. Thest moment before they died, they smelled the blood covering General Bais body. The sharp whistle continued to linger throughout the temple. Wu Xingxue hurriedly lifted his eyes, beyond the scattered scenes, to Xiao Fuxuan. Those fragmented scenes aroused the other hanged peoples memories, and hence simr murmurations struck down phrase by phrase, a tide of voices flooding over Xiao Fuxuan "I remember" "I remember too." "It was you." "It was you who killed me." Before, a measure of doubt had crossed Wu Xingxue, as to why the sealed divine arbor would pick out these people, why it would use peoples spirits to suppress a divine arbor that had towered up to heaven. Were it to involve prior karma, these people hadnt any karmic rtion to the divine arbor, so why them? Now, he understood Just before death, Xiao Fuxuans previous life had given protection to the divine arbor, causing him to be the one most deeply linked with it. But hed once been a young general whod made his way through the mes of war, bearing souls thatd died by his sword. Someone had especially sought out those whod died on that battlefield in a previous life, died by the generals sword, and gradually gathered them in Falling Flower Mountain Market, then atst drew out their spirits and confined them here. Using the overflowing karmic killing hindrance" between them and Xiao Fuxuan, they could seal away that divine arbor that had been protected by Xiao Fuxuan. No wonder! No wonder Xiao Fuxuans pardon couldnt free these spirits no matter what. Given such a karmic hindrance before them, how could he possibly have freed them? In order to apply force, one would have to take action against Xiao Fuxuan himself. Wu Xingxuesplexion went cold. On Xiao Fuxuans perpetually icily handsome face, he witnessed an extremely seldom-seen sh of utter nkness. White as jade, Tianxiu sheathed his sword, and carrying its handle, silently looked at those tied-up spirits Something delicate pierced Wu Xingxues heart. Chapter 45: Kidnapper Chapter 45: Kidnapper These affairs had long since been drowned out in the cycles of life and death, why had they been rifled out and turned into this burden? And why Xiao Fuxuan? Just because he blocked that heavenly strike? An incident that beset his mind all those years, just to be exploited like this its really unreasonable. Wu Xingxue thought. Best if Xiao Fuxuan didnt remember this night. The moment he came up with such a thought, he felt a momentary sense of deja vu. It was likely that centuries before, hed also had such a thought. He not only hoped that Xiao Fuxuan wouldnt remember, but he even hoped that these bound spirits would also forget this moment. Spirits werent living humans, and wouldnt make a distinction between the machinations of this or that lifetime. Under someones deliberate exploitation, all that remained of them was instinctwhoever had killed them, whoever brought about their present pain, was the one they hated. "Its you!" "Its you!" "You made me suffer" "You just chopped off my hand!" Immersed in suffering and hatred, the spirits shrieked out and put their all into rushing at Xiao Fuxuan. Before, theyd attempted to ambush them, and had their arms cut off by Xiao Fuxuan. Now, in the thick of their hatred, they suddenly regained vitality, and the pale flesh-colored arms stretched out from the stumps like madly growing willow branches, densely, continuously stretching toward that one person. With that momentum, even if their arms were cut off again, theyd grow back. Cutting and then growing, growing and then cutting, and their hatred would grow ever deeper, and the whole thing would keep on cycling back endlessly until they spent all their energy and died in this ce. Better to just forget. At the critical moment, Wu Xingxue subconsciously felt for his waist. The instant his fingers made contact with the white jade dream bell, he came back to himself; right now the dream bell was cracked. Moreover, hed forgotten how to use it. Suddenly! The faint ringing of a bell echoed out from an indeterminate ce, but enveloped the entire forbidden ground. In a split second, all the smoke in the forbidden ground stopped in ce, no longer circting. Those spirits also froze all of a sudden, fixing their postures toward Xiao Fuxuan in the dust and smoke. Those fleshy, vine-like arms stopped madly growing, just a hair away from Xiao Fuxuan. And Xiao Fuxuan paused in his sword-lifting action. He abruptly turned his head to look over at Wu Xingxue. "Did you ring the bell?" Xiao Fuxuan gaped at Wu Xingxues waist. Wu Xingxue was also a little confused: "I didnt." That white jade bell of his was still hanging silently at his waist, cracks still present. The sound wasnting from it, but it sounded just like the dream bell. Where could it be? Who did it? Wu Xingxue carefully listened to the ringing, trying to find its source. But, because he listened too carefully, he was affected by the ringing, and was momentarily drawn into a stupor. For a time, he even remembered Que City. He promptly wrestled free and lifted his head again. The thousands of spirits looked at their own long arms, then looked at Xiao Fuxuan with bewilderment all over their faces. Slowly, they drew their arms back in. "How did my arms get so long?" "Mine too, so strange." "What was I just doing?" " "Dunno, Im a little out of it too. "Who are you two?!" "This is forbidden ground, how did youe in?" Those spirits gradually turned their heads back around to look at Xiao Fuxuan and Wu Xingxue as though theyd never seen them before, and spoke menacingly: "This ce is sealed off withyer uponyer of de arrays, fire arrays, and eighty-one bolts of Ninth Heavens mystic lightning, you guys really have the nerve?" Wu Xingxue: "" Theyd sure forgotten quick. With this kind of efficacy, it indeed must be the dream bell. He suddenly recalled when theyd just entered the inn, hed seen a white jade bell hanging above the counter that looked a lot like the dream bell. Immediately after, he recalled another scene within the ringing He recalled himself lifting that little white jade bell, handing it to that baggy-eyed innkeeper, and saying: "I heard the innkeeper always had trouble sleeping through the night. Here, take this little trinket." The innkeeper took the bell, both feeling embarrassed and suspicious: "Is young master a cultivator? Is this bell some kind of magical treasure?" "I happen to have some connections with cultivators and learned some methods. Whether this can be considered a magical treasure, Im not sure, but it should have some use " "What sort of use?" He thought it over, and pulled a vague smile: "It can ward off devils and evil spirits, and maintain peace and security. The innkeeper still had his suspicions, but its always good to have something that could more or less "maintain peace and security"; hence, he hung that jade bell beside the inns front counter. Wu Xingxue suddenly came back to himself. The reason why hed previously noted that this inn was fishy was because of the simplified version of the dream bell hanging at its door. At the time hed still been confused about where the dream bell hade from. Thinking about it now, perhaps his former self of centuries ago had stayed here a night, and upon discovering the state of the forbidden ground, was momentarily unable to think of a reliable way to handle it, but was worried that the spirits would be exploited by someone again and recall their past hatred, causing disasters on end. So he left a thing much like the dream bell in the inn to quell the spirits restlessness. But after all, it wasnt a real dream bell, and didnt seem to require immortal power to ring it. It was more like, whenever the spirits got riled up, then it would react. The ringing of the bell was also most effective on the spirits. To people like him or Xiao Fuxuan, it wouldnt take such an instantaneous effect. But hed still be influenced; amidst the ringing, his brain grew a bit foggy. "Just a little trinket, yet so very formidable"Wu Xingxue muttered as he lifted the little bell at his waist. After his muttering, he looked up at Xiao Fuxuan. However, the other was standing in ce with eyes lowered, listening to the bell ringing and furrowing his brows in a daze. After a while, Xiao Fuxuan lifted a hand to touch his lips. Wu Xingxue: "?" He wasnt entirely sure why, but just as he was about to ask, he saw Xiao Fuxuan suddenly raising his eyes to look at him. He narrowed his eyes, though it was unclear what hed recalled. Wu Xingxue inexplicably felt a bit guilty, and swallowed his question back down. Being stared at by the other, a guess abruptly shed acrossHe suspected that on hearing this ringing, he might have recalled how hed rxed his guard and had his memories altered by the dream bell some centuries ago. As for why hed touched his lips Hmm However, Wu Xingxue couldnt keep on thinking, because the ringing hadnt stopped all this time, and didnt only have an effect on the spirits, but even deepened his own muddle-headedness. If he stayed here in the ringing any longer, hed probably go back to having his mouth all full of Que City." "Shall we abscond" Before Wu Xingxues words couldnd, he sensed a tall figure shing before him. He was picked up and fell into the Tianxiu Immortals aura. Then, his eyes went dim and the ground disappeared underfoot as he was carried across this swath of forbidden ground. The instant they crossed the forbidden grounds threshold, Xiao Fuxuans voice sounded before the tip of his nose: "I had been wondering how Id lowered my guard and allowed someone to alter my memory back then." His breath nearlynded between Wu Xingxues lips, tickling a bit. Wu Xingxue pursed his lips as he heard Xiao Fuxuan whisper: "You plotted against me." I Wu Xingxue licked his lips, wanting to open his mouth, but the view before his eyes abruptly brightenedtheyd made their escape from the forbidden ground. The first people they saw upon exiting the forbidden ground were those Feng Sect disciples. Each one gripped a longsword in hand,plexions tense as they guarded the threshold. They looked like they wanted to enter, but didnt dare charge rashly in. Watching their bearings and expressions, Wu Xingxue suddenly recalled something: If Flling Flower Mountain Markets people were all bound and kept aging over and over for a hundred or so years, then immortals like his former self or Xiao Fuxuan who only asionally descended to the mortal realm would indeed find it hard to tell, and the handful of real mortals who came annually for the excitement would also find it difficult to tell. But, there was a group of people for whom that wouldnt be so None other than the Feng Sect. Feng Sects disciples looked after all of Falling Flower Terrace. Every single time this ce encountered an ident, theyd be invited. After several times, they must have grown quite familiar with the mountain market people, and must have also recognized the manifestation of their different ages. Three to five years would be fine, but after long, how could they not notice the clues? If they noticed the clues but yed along like everything was fine, itd be a bit off. Looking at it like this, Feng Sect evidently had a problem. If they knew a little something, was it due to them helping cover it up for some reason? Or had they directly participated in it? The real ones connected to it must inevitably have been those leaders of Feng Sect, not the small disciples. Only how might he and Xiao Fuxuan turn these young junior disciples before them into the Feng Sect leaders? The Devil Lord came up with an idea. "Xiao Fuxuan." Using his convenient posture, he whispered into the Tianxiu Immortals ear: "Can you tie up this gang of brats in front?" Xiao Fuxuan: "" *** Ning Huaishan didnt expect that hed fall into a curse upon entering the city gates. Hed even less expected that hed actually get lost in this Falling Flower Mountain Market illusion realm, unable to find either his city lord or Fang Chu. As he searched through the market, he self-deprecatingly thought: If the first person I find is the Tianxiu Immortal, what the hell am I supposed to do? Would turning tail and running look too chicken? May heaven watch over me and the city lord bless me, dont let me run into the Tianxiu Immortal alone. Ning Huaishan prayed all right, but heaven wouldnt countenance him He didnt run into Xiao Fuxuan; he ran into Yi Wusheng. It was in the shop selling rouges and powders, and who knew how many things had been knocked over, to perfume the lesser part of the street with rouge. Ning Huaishan sneezed ten times, and nearly sneezed his whole head out. But in just the time it took to turn his head and wipe his nose, upon turning back, he saw Yi Wusheng. He saw that person with cloth covering half his face, his eyes and brows exposing a somewhat pallid, sickly air, rather like that of a frail schr. He didnt look the least bit like a famous, ded figure from arge sect. Ning Huaishan curled his lips. Originally, Yi Wusheng wouldnt have noticed that there was someone in the corner, but that string of sneezes drew him over. He was startled and momentarily awkward upon seeing Ning Huaishan, but it swiftly disappeared. He said: "Well, I found one person." His tone sounded rather delighted. Ning Huaishan sneered inside, thinking to himself, how are you still here? Your fragment soul might even outlive me. He very much wanted to mock him to his face, but kept on sneezing incessantly, somewhat stymieing his fiendish air. Seeing his state, Yi Wusheng began fishing in his medicine bag. Covering his nose, Ning Huaishan spoke in a muffled voice: "Dont, dont take it out, I dont want it! Im not even sick, what kind of medicine would I take? All I am is being fumigated alive" Yi Wusheng found a pill: "My sects home remedy mnges are too numerous to count. Theyre not just for sickness, we also have the means to stop allergies. If you take it itll stop, just try." Ning Huaishan did not want to try. But his sneezing was indeed getting ever more violent, and if it went on like this his tears and snot would be flying about everywhere. He was a devil, and couldnt afford to lose face in front of him. Thus, he reluctantly took the pill and swallowed it down. Just as he was knocking it back, he heard amotion from the market before him, along with a tter of footsteps. It seemed like quite a few people. While Ning Huaishan peeped over, he asked Yi Wusheng: "Have you seen my City Lord? And Fang Chu. Ive been looking for them for a while. Logically I shouldnt have though. Clearly weve been walking around Falling Flower Terrace the whole time, and no matter how you enter an illusion realm, once youre all separated, you wont be able to find anyone" Yi Wusheng shook his head: "I havent seen them; Ive also been looking. At first, Id intended to draw up a search talisman, but I was somewhat interrupted. The paper he held to talk was hidden in his sleeve. At first, it sounded like he could talk normally, no different from living people. Those footsteps sounded hurried, getting closer and closer. Ning Huaishan poked his head out to look, muttering: "Doesnt sound like theyre taking a stroll through the mountain market" "Its the Feng Sects people," Yi Wusheng replied, "I was justing from over there and saw a big group of Feng Sect disciples. Theirplexions were unppable, I dont know what they were about to do." The Hua Sect had a good rtionship with the Feng Sect, but these Feng Sect disciples werent any hed evere across. Much like the people in this Falling Flower Mountain Market illusion realm, they must have been from centuries before. As he spoke, a group of people wearing sect uniforms came over. The one in front was a man of indeterminate age. His appearance was actually brightly handsome, but there was a certain senescence evident deep in hisplexion. As a devil, Ning Huaishan was most sensitive to the scent of blood. He pricked his nose to sniff a few times and looked at that mans hand, at which point he discovered a few traces of blood snaking across the back of the mans hand gripping his sword, as though hed just encountered something unpleasant and sustained injuries. The man raised his head to look at the inn next to the rouge shop. Cold-faced, he asked the person next to him: "Shn, did the distress talisman you received reallye from this ce?" The one called Shn was a tall woman with two swords at her waist. Her face was quite beautiful, with naturally smiling lips. But, the words she spoke carried no trace of a smile: "There is no mistake. Were it not this inn, I would certainly not have gone to trouble you." When this womans name was spoken, Yi Wusheng was very slightly surprised. Ning Huaishan shot him a nce: "What is it? You recognize her?" Yi Wusheng said: Thats Feng Sects former Sect Leader, Feng Shn. Of course, shes long since passed away." Evidently, the Feng Shn before them now wasnt yet Feng Sects top figure. Like the other people in the illusion realm, she must have been from centuries before. The man in the lead then asked: "Did the distress talisman say who tied them?" Shn hesitated a moment, then replied: "It did." The man asked in a deep voice, "Who?" Shn: "" The man impatiently turned to look at her: "Whats all this hesitation? Theyre besieged by cultivators. Mere devils or evil creatures, with the devilish entities running rampant these years, what havent we encountered? Is there really such a need to be like this? Shn thought it over, then said softly: "It wasnt a devil." The man: Then what was it? Shn: "They said it was the Tianxiu Immortal Xiao Fuxuan. The man: "" Who??? Hearing that title, Ning Huaishan was happy at first. Then, he turned tail, about to runWithout his city lord present, first finding Tianxiu would not turn out pretty. Just as he was about to slip away, pretending not to have heard this immortals namehe felt a transparent stream of internal energy sweeping out from within the inn. The internal energy was like a long, invisible whip,shing everyone inward without warning and with a burst of sharp pain. The next moment, that golden sword aura turned into long ropes of mystic thunder, firmly tying up the people whod been hurrying toward the inns doorway. With a thuggish air worthy of the wicked devils path, it rapidly dragged them into the inn. Ning Huaishan and Yi Wusheng had the misfortune of being too close to the Feng Sect group, and were tied up along with them. As Ning Huaishan was tugged in, his face was suspended full of question marks: How is this Tianxius conduct so un-immortal-like?! Authors notes: Some bad influences slipped in. Fanart for this chapter: https://m.weibo/status/4736747311464511 Chapter 46: Bully Chapter 46: Bully No one liked being tied up, especially Ning Huaishan with his impatient and easily-angered temperament And even more especially when he was tied up with the person he liked the least, Yi Wusheng. Hed been holding himself in till now, but upon being dragged into the inn he was ready to curse somebody out. However, the moment he said "F", he was faced with the Tianxiu Immortals ice-cold visage. "" Ning Huaishan chickened out. He pursed his lips, and swallowed back the curse word he wanted to say. Instead, he yelled at Yi Wusheng, "For what do you keep squeezing towards me??" Yi Wusheng was essentially being used as a punching bag here, and couldnt strike back at him lest he lowered himself to his level: "I didnt mean to, there truly are rather a lot of people." There were indeed a lot of people. This inns scope wasntrge to begin withthree floors counting the attic. Its most spacious ce was the main hall of the first floor, where they were currently tied up together. Yi Wusheng made a rough sweep and discovered that the main hall had a sum total of four long pirs, each of which had several people tied to them. Based on their outfit, they were all Feng Sect disciples. Each of them also had a talisman stuck to their foreheads, which looked bothical and humiliating The younger ones were each more flushed, though it was unclear whether out of anxiety or anger. The somewhat older ones simply just closed their eyes so as not to see anyone, each ones face longer than a horses. And that wasnt even counting this new wave of people whod been tied up here Meanwhile, the perpetrator, the Tianxiu Immortal, stood embracing his sword, all broad shoulders and narrow waist leaning against the counter, that stream of sword aura thatd tied everyone up still twined about his hand. His fingers didnt move, yet the sword aura kept raveling and unraveling around his fingers. Were it anothers fingers, theyd appear somewhat careless. With him, however, on top of his cold, hard figure, it conveyed an ineffable sense of oppression. Those shouting Feng Sect people restrained their voices upon entering the main hall. Under this oppression, they were rendered silent. Even Yi Wusheng had rarely encountered such bullying. For a time, he gaped tongue-tied, muttering quietly: "This This really" Even Yi Wusheng had rarely encountered such bullying. For a time, he gaped tongue-tied, muttering quietly: "This This really" Ning Huaishan was pretty quick to the chase, and muttered back: This really doesnt seem like something an immortal would do." Thinking it over, Yi Wusheng said: "Is it Zhaoye Citys way of doing things?" Ning Huaishan: "Hell no! There wouldnt be talismans stuck to their heads if it were Zhaoye Citys way. There might not even be any heads still attached!" " True Yi Wusheng thought. Ning Huaishan let out a hum of curiosity and began craning his neck to probe around. He felt that his City Lord was most likely present. He didnt know his ce in the least; the nearby Feng Sect people, on the other hand, were about to go crazy inside Going crazy from anger. Surveying the entire scene, the ropes tying up the Feng Sect disciples were the Feng Sects own spirit-binding ropes. The talismans stuck to the Feng Sects disciples foreheads were the Feng Sects own mouth-sealing talismans. They really were humiliated in every way they could be humiliated! That woman named Feng Shn rubbed her long, slender fingers strategically together. Her soundless move nudged the man in the lead. The mans brows were knit, staring unwaveringly at the nearby Xiao Fuxuan; he didnt look like hed noticed anything. But, tied behind him, his fingers lightly tapped the floor in response. That was the Feng Sects secret means of voice transmission. The man tappedposedly, but hisplexion was ashen. Using the secret method, he asked: "How did so many disciples get caught here?!" Feng Shn used the same secret method to reply: "Elder Huiming, Id already told you" Although she was naturally beautiful, when she was overly worried, her face would show a trace of weariness. Especially when interrogated by the man, even the arc of her smiling lips would bend downward. Feng Huimings jaw moved slightly. Wiping the blood away with the back of his hand, he said: When you passed on the words, I was attending to a guest, and was unable to divide my attention." Feng Shn: "Was it really a guest? Ive been wanting to ask, Elder, you seem to be injured?" Feng Huiming: "Its nothing, old injuries. You say yours." Feng Shn could tell he didnt want to talk about it. Pursing her dark red lips, she no longer asked anything more. Rather, she rted the things that had happened before: "Originally, there was only a little trouble over here in Falling Flower Mountain Market. In the past, wed usually just have a few junior disciples go over to take a look and clean up." Who knew that the junior disciples would leave withouting back. Not long after, the Feng Sect disciple hall received a distress talisman, which enclosed some rather unrestrained calligraphy [Your junior disciples have been kidnapped, send help.] Any way you looked at it, Feng Sect was a renowned cultivation sect; what hadnt they seen? But upon seeing that style of calligraphy, they were still dumbstruck for a time. This matter of junior disciples being trapped couldnt be said to be small, but nor could it be said to berge. The disciple hall had considerable experience dealing with this sort of thing, and promptly dispatched seven or eight more senior disciples to search for them. Only for the same thing to happen again. The disciple hall received another distress talisman with the same unrestrained calligraphy [These ones are also tied up. Dont send any more little kids, bring a slightly more capable leader] As the disciple halls leader, Feng Shn could be considered one of the primary capable leaders. But in recent days shede down with an illness, and none of the disciples were willing to disturb her. Moreover, subjected to this taunting, they willfully dispatched four gilded elite disciples to search for them at once. All the gilded disciples were the elite of the elite, the cream of the crops, among the younger disciples. You wouldnt want to face even just one of them, let alone four! In the end, all four were caught at the entrance. When the third distress talisman was sent to the Feng Sect, the disciple hall didnt even dare to hand it over. Same handwriting as before, the distress talisman read [You guys really have too many disciples, huh?] Before handing it over to Feng Shn, the disciple hall sent a reply talisman asking [Who on earth is wreaking havoc?] They originally figured this wouldnt yield a reply message; who knew theyd actually get a response. This time the calligraphy on the talisman was different, forceful as a de, with only three characters [Xiao Fuxuan] Let alone the disciple hall, even Feng Shn, upon receiving it, was struck dumb as a wooden chicken. Even unto this moment, when Feng Shn had been yanked into the inn by the golden sword aura, she still didnt understand at all: "Doesnt this Tianxiu Immortal only act on Heavenly decrees and cross paths with the most fierce, evil devils? Why would he be giving a mortal realm cultivation sect such as ours such a hard time? It doesnt make sense" Feng Huiming had a rough idea based on her ount, his face getting all the more unsightly. Feng Shn stared at him for a while, then used the secret method to ask: "Elder Huiming, I usually just lead the disciples and disregard other things, and moreover had no other interests in affairs with other sects. But if theres really something a little more gatekept, I trouble you to just inform me. Id prefer not to die without even knowing why." Feng Huiming: "What are you talking about, were not going to die here." After a moments silence, he slightly changed his tone to console her: "Were a proper righteous cultivation sect, what grudge could we have against an immortal? Dont overthink. From what Ive heard, this Tianxiu Immortal is different from the various immortals of Lingtai. Let alone not looking down with loftypassion, anything he can use his sword to settle, hell be disinclined to waste words on. Im thinking hes actually more like the mortal realms military men. Think about those peoples character, whenever they act, itll indeed be difficult for people to know whether theyre an enemy or friend. But Immortal Capital will ultimately be on our sects side. Dont panic." As he spoke, he earnestly rxed his face. At first nce, it seemed he was already certain it was a misunderstanding. Feng Shn had some doubts about his words, but there was one statement she felt was correctImmortal Capital was ultimately on the same side as the cultivation sects. No matter what, Xiao Fuxuan was an ascended immortal. As an ascended immortal, even if his conduct was stone-cold terrifying, hed have his limits. And thinking on the bright side, the innkeeper and bellboy hadnt been tied up! Thinking this to herself, Feng Shn looked over at the innkeeper and bellboy behind the counterat which point she discovered that those two were trembling in their sleeves. Feng Shn: "" She looked for a moment, then had a sudden, slightly ominous premonition. This premonition swiftly gained anotheryer She noticed that two of those whod been tied up werent Feng Sect disciples. At first, she thought theyd been identally pulled in. Later on, smelling them out, she detected something fishy. One of them was clearly a devil, while the other had no vital human aura. Just as she noticed this much, she saw the Tianxiu Immortal moving his sword. A shining stream of sword aura sliced through the air, headed straight for those two! Whether Feng Shn or Feng Huiming, both were utterly tranquil and unperturbed at that moment. Having discovered a devil in the crowd, if it could be beaten, then just chopping its head off was pretty much standard. But the next moment, they were dumbstruck. Because as that sword aura of Xiao Fuxuans wedged into the crowd, it just barely missed that obvious devils body. With a nging sound, golden light spilled forth, and the binds on the devils body loosened. Totally unharmed, he stood up The hall-full of Feng Sect disciples: "???" Immediately after, another ng rang out. Besides the devil, the binds on that person without any vital human aura also loosened, and he stood up as well Most terrifying was, as that devil wearing a teenagers face jumped up, he didnt make for the door, but passed through the crowd to walk toward Tianxiu. As he walked, he asked: "Mister, is my City Lord also in the inn?" And Xiao Fuxuan, who was purported to covet his words like gold, actually answered him, lifting his chin to say: Upstairs." Feng Shn was dumbfounded. The Feng family disciples were at aplete loss at this urrence. Whether or not they had mouth-sealing talismans stuck to them, they looked over at Feng Shn and Feng Huiming in session. In turmoil, the identity of their backbone was evident. Feng Shn still hadnt recovered when she saw the Tianxiu Immortal raising his eyelids and looking over at her end. A gust of wind abruptly swept over. Feng Shn turned her head to avoid it, but on again opening her eyes, she saw that the junior disciples whod been tied up beside her had all been swept out to the walls. The spacious hall was instantaneously opened wide, only leaving her and Feng Huiming Unable to budge, alone and helpless. And Xiao Fuxuan, whod originally been behind the counter, was already standing right before them. Lifting his sword tip, he said coldly: "The leader finally arrived?" At that moment, Feng Shn felt an overwhelming, mighty pressure. Her throat tightened, unable to speak, and she turned her head to look at Feng Huiming. At that moment, Feng Shn felt an overwhelming, mighty pressure. Her throat tightened, unable to speak, and she turned her head to look at Feng Huiming. Whenever Feng Sects sect leader was in an inconvenient situation, it was always this Elder Feng Huiming who acted as the one in charge. But Feng Huimings face was sallow, his lips white. He raised his head to look at Xiao Fuxuan, lips opening and closing a few times until they finally found words: "I dont know dont know what business Tianxiu has with my sect?" "You tell me." Holding his sword hilt, Xiao Fuxuan squatted halfway down. His apathetic gaze swept the inn. The meaning was written bright and clear on his facewere already here in this inn, what business do you think I have? When he wasnt squatting, he gave off a patronizing sense of oppression. Squatting, the mighty pressure was actually not mitigated, but increased, because those eyes of his were much closer. And when those half-lidded eyes looked at you Feng Huiming was stared at for a beat, and his entire being was petrified, utterly rigid as a mountain boulder. He averted his eyes to the side, attempting to stall, but discovered that it would have been better not to stall. Because he nced at another person, who wasing down from the inns second floor. That person was draped in a heavy cloak. ncing over from afar, he said: "The leader finally couldnt sit still anymore?" Nomps lit the staircase and it was a bit dim, rendering it difficult to make out the facial features of the one descending. It wasnt until that person stepped closer that Feng Huiming saw his appearance The instant he saw clearly, Feng Huiming nearly copsed into the ground. He didnt at all conceal his falling apart; it was visible right on his face, that even Wu Xingxue was surprised. He exchanged a nce with Xiao Fuxuan, mouthing in some bewilderment: Am I that scary? Holding the handwarmer, he stooped to look at Feng Huiming, fully concealing his confusion. Remainingposed, he seized the opportunity to make a threat: "Well, we drew you here for no other reason than to ask, what rtion has your Feng Sect with the sealed area behind this inn?" As a result, he watched as Feng Huiming pointed his injured hand towards him, and, looking at him with a "why dont you just kill me" expression, said: "An hour or two ago, you just asked me the exact same question!!!" What the hell is wrong with you?!! Feng Huiming thought to himself. Chapter 47: Feng Sect Chapter 47: Feng Sect Wu Xingxue: "Who asked you? Me?" Feng Huiming moved his lips and didnt answer, but his face said it all. Wu Xingxue turned to look at Xiao Fuxuan, confusion shing through his eyes. But he rapidly turned back. Upon looking at Feng Huiming again, his expression was steady as a mountain. His voice remained quiteposed, his tone unhurried, not revealing any surprise. Even that "Me?" from just then seemed to contain some other deep meaning. Feng Huiming swallowed, keeping his voice down to say: "Why ask when you know." Facing him with this expression, he knew for sure that he wasnt lyingsomeone had indeed sought after him not too long ago and asked the same question. Who looked exactly like the current him? Wu Xingxue touched his own face, calctions zipping through his mind. Xiao Fuxuans taboo name had been reported, so his face change had of course already been removed, but Wu Xingxue was different. He was still wearing the face Xiao Fuxuan had helped adjust. For this face to look exactly the same, it meant that it was the same face change Wu Xingxue had used back then. This bit in itself wasnt difficult to guess. But thinking more deeply, this thing was actually quite problematic When hed just entered the innst night, the innkeeper said theyd checked out not too long ago. This was fineafter all, all Falling Flower Terrace was an illusion realm, and theyd happened to see themselves from centuries ago in the illusion realm. That was also just fine, though perhaps rather coincidental. But now, Feng Huiming had again said "you clearly just sought me out an hour ago." At first nce, these words were precisely the same as the innkeepers. It was just that after the Wu Xingxue of centuries before had left the inn, he hadnt yet removed the face change upon making a trip to the Feng Sect to detain Feng Huiming and interrogate him about the forbidden ground. Yet right after this poor guy was done being interrogated, he was seized by the current Wu Xingxue and Xiao Fuxuan, which led him to say these words. Even the timing had matched up just right. However, due to time and tide matching up just right, things got even fishier. Because Falling Flower Mountain Market was an illusion realm, but the Feng Sect was not, it ought to have been outside the illusion realms scope. Could events that happened within the illusion realm remain coherent with events that happened outside the illusion realm? Of course not. Or at least, they couldnt match up this naturally. Wu Xingxue pondered it over, and could only think of a single exnation: This Falling Flower Mountain Market was not an illusion realm, it was the real past! From the moment they stepped foot in Falling Flower Terrace, theyd been standing in the spot that existed here centuries ago. Coming at it like this, whether it was the innkeeper or the Feng Sect, all their reactions made sense. From the innkeepers point of view, there really were two people whod just lodged here for a night, and then came to stay a second night. And from Feng Huimings point of view, the same person had sought after him twice in the same day, to ask him about the exact same stuff. It was indeed odd, indeed worthy of causing him a mental breakdown. Were he to give Feng Huiming a little more time and allow him to ponder it more carefully or probe some more, he could discover some dubious pointsfor instance, although he was the same person, his clothes werent at all alike. And, the hour before, this persons body would have still carried an immortal aura. An hourter, how could he have be a devil? As it happened, the current Feng Huiming hadnt the time to ponder carefully, and Wu Xingxue wouldnt allow him this margin. He exchanged a nce with Xiao Fuxuan, and resolved to strike while the iron was hot, before Feng Huiming came back to himself. Stroking the handwarmer, eyes half-lidded, he began the performance "As Ive asked you once, of course, theres no need for me to waste energy asking again. You know well what I want to hear. Well, now weve got a few more spectators" Wu Xingxue raised his chin, Whatever you told me an hour ago, bring it forth once more, say it for them to hear." "You!" Feng Huimingsplexion got even more unsightly. His lower jaw was drawn extremely tight, almost trembling. ring vigntly at Wu Xingxue, he said hoarsely: "Ive said everything I ought to have said, why must I say it again?" Wu Xingxue thought it over, then followed his words to say: "And why must you concern yourself over my reasons? Before, did I promise you that Id only ask once?" Feng Huiming was exasperated. After a while, he let out: "No." Wu Xingxue: Then what of it." Feng Huiming: "" Then what of what??? Feng Huiming was just about to open his mouth to argue, but heard Xiao Fuxuan moving his fingers to the side, raising his longsword from the floor to issue out a light ringing. Face taut, he looked over at Xiao Fuxuan. Tianxiu cocked his head to look at him, continuing off in a lowered voice: "If its the truth, what harm is there in repeating it a few times?" Feng Huiming: "" Tianxius ink-ck eyes stared him down, gleaming with cold light: "Or is this to say that you are unable to repeat it?" Feng Huimings expression instantly froze. Wu Xingxue caught the change in his eyes, and raised a brow. Hed always thought that the dignified Tianxiu would have already found it degrading and overwhelmingly difficult to pretend to be a bully once. He didnt expect that this person who looked so coldly handsome and upright would actually be so multifaceted Not only did he kidnap these people, but hed also even learned to force a confession and even say such bluffing words. To the point that Feng Huimings frontline defense was scattered by just one sentence. His lips opened and closed, fundamentally unable to answer. Wu Xingxue thought it over, and suddenly felt that this Tianxiu Immortal at his side was leagues apart from what people said of him. This "leagues different" Tianxiu Immortal red his eyes over at him, then withdrew his gaze. Wu Xingxue: "?" He tried to understand the meaning of that nce, and just couldnt decipher it. But after a while, a rather queer thought shed across. It was like it was the first time Master Tianxiu had done such an un-immortal-like thing, and he hadnt quite calibrated the scale, so he peeped over at him to check whether or not hed gotten it right. Working out this point, Wu Xingxue truly couldnt help himself, and nced back at Xiao Fuxuan. That coldly handsome face was just as intensely piercing as before, the oppressive air about him just as overwhelming. But the more Wu Xingxue looked, the more he thought it seemed it really was as hed thought. So, after looking at him for a while, he smiled. The smile flowed out from his lengthened eyes. Wu Xingxue was unable to cover it, so he simply didnt. Xiao Fuxuan seemed to sense it somewhat, and looked over at him, momentarily at a loss. As for Feng Huiming Feng Huiming was nearly driven insane. People were ever as such; they liked to use themselves to measure others. Had they a straightforward nature, theyd see no such twists and turns in others. Were they the type to overthink, theyd see thousands of bends and swerves in others thinking, all lit up in calction. Especially if they were hiding a little something, held a little guilt at heart, theyd be even more like this. Right now Feng Huiming was just like this Wu Xingxue and Xiao Fuxuan exchanged a nce. Feng Huiming thought: I must have just said something wrong, which aroused suspicion. Wu Xingxue had him say it again. Feng Huiming thought: Hes captured my weak point and wants to test me. Xiao Fuxuan said that he shouldnt be afraid to repeat the truth. Feng Huiming thought: This isnt even a test, its outright mockery. And now Wu Xingxue smiled like that Feng Huiming Feng Huiming felt like he knew what he should do now. He suddenly felt that he was just like a little ant being toyed with, batted to the left and right, back and forth. In some peoples eyes, he was no more than a futile struggle abounding with clownish disgrace. With all these Feng Sect junior disciples present, dozens of pairs of eyes were on him. And Feng Shn was also present, watching him all the same. He suddenly felt that this moment was too hard to bear. He originally ought to have been ustomed to this sort of attentionHis rank in the Feng Sect surpassed that of just Elder. Feng Sects sect leader had no children at his knee; he and Feng Shn had both been taken in and raised by the family head. Hede to the Feng Sect early on, much earlier than Feng Shn. When hed entered the gates, he wasnt even eight years old yet. The Sect Leader had once said: Eight years old is just the right age." Just enough to understand a few things, yet just enough not to understand too much. At first, Feng Huiming couldnt figure out what that statement meant. Later on, after ten years, fifty years, nearly a hundred years, hed finally, slowlye to understand. Just understanding a few things meant that he knew he wasnt really rted to the Feng Sect by blood, and knew the Sect Leader wasnt his real birth father. So,ter on, no matter how proud he was of himself, no matter how much care he received, hed still know his ce, know that he couldnt rely on being pampered, and knew that whatever he gained should not be taken for granted. And not understanding too much meant, a child of that age would always long for stability, long for attention, long for a ce to call home. Even if he knew he was adopted, so long as the person who raised him was good enough to him, he still couldnt help but be willing to offer his heart for them. Inparison, Feng Shn was more self-reliant than him. Shed simrly been adopted, and outsiders all said she was the Feng Sects "little darling," but shed never taken herself for a "daughter," only a "disciple" with somewhat deeper connections. She wasnt originally all that friendly, and the older she got, the colder she became. Shed no intention of participating overly much in sect matters, just received the title of "Disciple Hall Adept" and peacefully taught swordsmanship to junior disciples. Inparison, he knew far more. Very long ago, he thought that "learning a great deal" was a matter of the Sect Leaders partiality. It was because he was naturally quite gifted, with decent roots, an excellent sprout, far above this "little sister" Feng Shn. So, very many things that couldnt be spoken to outsiders, the Sect Leader would tell him. Very many ces where disciples couldnt follow, the Sect Leader would take him. Over time, hed be second only in the Feng Sect to the Sect Leader himself. Later on, whenever the family head found it inconvenient to appear, hed act as the one in charge. And eventer on, even if the Sect Leader was present, he wouldnt lose his esteem. It was just like the Sect Leader got older and older, while he was just at the right age, so he gradually gained the ability to take over for him. Hence, over a long time, he became ustomed to receiving peoples attention. It was quite rare that a situation rendered him ipetent. A vast majority of the time, he could respond with ease, that he was nearly steady as a boulder, calmly assured of his supremacy. It wasnt until today that he suddenly realized Other sects disciples who were just at their prime were numerous, neither near nor far, and Hua Sect with its good rtions with Feng Sect also had quite a few, but,cked any disciples just at their prime who were worthy of being the Sect Leader. Because they still werent qualified. He thought he was qualified, but in fact, it was only because he hadnt met enough people, and had insufficient encounters with situations. All in all, his sword work was outstandingbut only in the mortal realm. Were he toe across a true immortal, he was nothing. An hour or so ago when that strange young man had soundlessly appeared in the library, Feng Huiming gripped the sword on his desk and thought: this person is indeed ignorant and cowardice. Without asking any questions, quick as lightning, he unleashed his sword. He saw that the other hadnt even touched his sword, and thought: He dares toe into the Feng Sects treasured library with that slow of a reaction? It wasnt until he thrust his sword close that he finally realized something was off Because he found that the young man with the appearance of a wealthy young master had his eyes lowered, just looking at the tip of his sword. To rte it in words, the so-called lightning chop was not actually quick enough in that persons eyes; he could even tell the trajectory of the sword tip. But Feng Huiming realized this a little toote. The next moment, he saw that young masters brows and eyes slightly raising, meeting his line of sight. In that instant, he felt that his sword tip was unable to pierce into any flesh, but rather seemed to have been swept up within a vast swirl, unable to enter and unable to retreat. Immediately afterward, a mighty, ocean-like pressure flooded out from that young masters body. The hand Feng Huiming used to grasp his sword suddenly shook. Trailing veins distended from his fingers and rapidly spread out. Amidst the acute pain, he loosened his fingers and let out an anguished, muffled groan. His longsword ttered down and rolled in an arc around the floor. Deep red blood flowed down along his arm and dripped into a puddle on the floor. He distinctly felt his arms blood vessels rupturing in several ces. At the same time, he distinctly understood that the other party was being lenient from start to finish Because under the battering force of that mighty pressure, it was hard to say whether hed still be alive. Just receiving this little injury was already exceptionally fortunate. That moment, Feng Huiming felt true fear. Anyone whod spent nearly a hundred years as heavens chosen son with few worthy opponents, upon one day realizing hed turned out to just be an insect underfoot, would be incapable of bearing that blow. Not far from the library were quite a few disciples on their daily patrol. A little further out was his little sister Feng Shn. As long as he wanted, he could immediately summon thousands of people to here immediately But at the time, Feng Huiming alone didnt raise the rm. For one, he figured it wouldnt make a difference. For two hed long been looked up at, and didnt want anyone to see him being unable to even hold onto his sword. Paralyzed, he just looked at the guest, and asked him: "Who are you" But that person said: "Who I am is none of your concern. Ive merelye to ask you a few questions. Feng Huiming replied: "What questions?" From start to finish, that persons sword hadnt moved from his waist. In his hand, he carried a mask engraved with threads of silver which scintited fine as riven sparks undermplight. Holding the masks edge between thumb and forefinger, he cocked his head to ask Feng Huiming: "Of the thousands of spirits in Falling Flower Mountain Market being bound, are you aware?" Feng Huiming froze at once, cold sweat dripping down. Before he could reply, that person nodded his head to say: "Looks like you know. So I havente to the wrong ce." Feng Huiming opened his mouth: "I" That person didnt wait for him to finish before saying: "Ill also ask you, those bound spirits were confined on forbidden ground, are you aware?" Feng Huimings throat stirred. That persons pitch-ck eyes stared him down. After a beat, he smiled. Feng Huiming suspected that person had changed his face, because although his facial features were pretty, they werent particrly outstanding. They didnt match up with those eyes. As that smile melted into his eyes, it ought to have been quite good-looking. But, not reaching the tails of his eyes, the smile was not at all sincere, like an imprable fog. "Looks like you also know," that person said again. Feng Huimings mind swiftly turned, thinking on this persons history, thinking on his purpose, thinking on the longstanding cover-up in Falling Flower Mountain Market. But the other party didnt give him too much time to reflect. In just a single sh of his mind, that person was already standing before him. This time, the mighty pressure overhead left him with no such "exceptional fortune. The person said: "Those people in the Falling Flower Mountain Market Those thousands of the bound, were they assembled by your Feng Sect?" By the time Feng Huiming came back to himself, he discovered that hed actually just subconsciously nodded his head and replied: "Yes" Chapter 48: Proof Chapter 48: Proof Just as that "Yes" came out, Feng Huiming was stunned. Why did I say "yes"? Feng Huimings expression went momentarily nk. Immediately hence, he wet his dry lips, wanting to shake his head and rify: No! You must disregard what I just said, it wasnt my sect who assembled them! However, his neck seemed to have been mped down by someone, unable to move. The tip of his tongue seemed to have been set on a spell by someone, so he couldnt even spit out a "No." Standing in his sects Hundred Treasures Library and meeting the vast ocean-like oppression of that strange young masters gaze, he was actually unable to let out even a word of exnation. Feng Huiming was so nervous his whole body broke out in a sweat. His eyeballs reddened under the exertion. His mouth opened and closed a few times. The fingers dangling at his sides clenched into fists, and atst, he managed to squeeze out: "My My Feng Sect had no such intention." Fuck me. This was the first time in his life that Feng Huiming had cursed intentionally. On one hand, it was aimed at his fruitless struggle. On the other hand, it was because he sensed that something was really off about himself, as though when he spoke, his lips and tongue wouldnt obey hismands, and would utter words he fundamentally didnt want to say. If he was amoner, hed surely think that he was possessed. But he wasnt an ordinarymoner, he was second only in the Feng Sect to the Sect Leader himself. Whod be able to mess with his head, whod dare mess with his head? Feng Huimings eyeballs bulged slightly, staring at that strange young master before him. For a moment, he nearly thought the other person had done it. For someone with such boundless might, close as this, it likely wouldnt be hard for him to control him if he so desired. But he rapidly realized this wasnt right. This person had obviouslye to ask questions. These were the very things he wanted to understand, so why would he control how he answered? It didnt make sense. So it was another person. Feng Huiming looked at that young master, trying to convey to him: All the words I just said are false, that wasnt what I wanted to say; theres someone who tampered with me, you mustnt believe what you hear! But this statement, he still couldnt voice. And that young masters gaze was on his face the entire time, as though seeing through his entire struggle. The other party frowned slightly, then rxed again. After a moment, that person asked: "How about this, Ill change the question." When he heard these words, Feng Huiming nearly broke into tears. He sensed that the other must have noticed that struggle hidden beneath his expression and words, but couldnt determine what was real and what was fake. The young master then asked: "What is the connection between your Feng Sect and the sealed ground in Falling Flower Mountain Market?" Theres no connection! Feng Huiming hollered himself hoarse on the inside. He prepared himself entirely for not being able to speak again, but saw that young master narrowing his eyes and repeating softly: "Theres no connection?" It wasnt until this that Feng Huiming found that this time hed actually spoken, and moreover without any alteration, issuing out the exact same words. At first he was overjoyed, thinking to himself that at longst hed spoken some truth. But in a wink, he was again rmed Because he realized another problem Were he to have said the opposite words this time, said "A very deep connection," he believed that the young master would have definitely been able to see through his issue with one hundred percent certainty. But on the contrary, he spoke the truth this time. In the other mans eyes, the "being controlled" hypothesis was now rather shaky. If he were really being controlled, why would he tell the truth one moment and lie the next? On the contrary, this sort of half-true, not-false speech made one think that he was the one weaving lies. Feng Huiming froze on the spot. This time he really did break out in a full-body cold sweat. He dearly hadnt said much at all, but felt a buzzing in his head, and it all went fuzzy. He began trying to give that young master an exnation: "All those spirits in Falling Flower Mountain Market who are bound, my sect does indeed know. That the spirits are suppressed in the sealed ground, we also have indeed heard of it. After all, my sect looks after all of Falling Flower Mountain Market. But why those spirits were chosen, and whence they were assembled together, my my Feng Sect truly has no idea." He spoke rapidly. To exin this much, he had no choice but to start from the very beginning. "Its a long story. Back when I was still young, most of these things are what I learned from fath from the Sect Leader" *** An hour or so ago, that young masters skin-deep smile was still before him. Now, Feng Huiming saw the same smile on Wu Xingxues face, and his panic and dread doubled. He no longer struggled. Sweeping a nce at the gathered Feng Sect disciples and then at Feng Shn, clenching his fingers and taking a long breath, he finally resolved: "Okay Okay, Ill say it again, Ill say it again." However, he found that his mind waspletely nk, a total mess, and he could only recall the merest fragments. But under Xiao Fuxuan and Wu Xingxues gazes, he might not have been able toe up for another breath were he to remain silent any longer. Thus, he could only follow those mere fragments to say: "My father The Sect Leader had said, back then the divine arbor was often used by those with skewed intentions, which led to all sorts of disasters on end. It got to the point that some innocents died tragically, and some got dragged in. Although those crooked schemers ultimately met with no kind end themselves, along with divine retribution, under their myriad perturbations, everyone knew that it was indeed unsuitable for the divine arbor to live on in the mortal realm. It had to be concealed in a ce the people couldnt reach. This is the origin of the seal. "And originally my Feng Sect was not in fact surnamed Feng. ording to the Sect Leader, the previous sects name was changed. The reason for the change was the divine arbor "Because the divine arbor was sealed in the Falling Flower Terrace, our sect was entrusted to look after this region, to keep people from mistakenly charging into the divine arbors forbidden ground and causing disasters on end. So it was that our sect changed its surname to Feng.1Feng: Literal definition to seal Although it is unlike the heavenly granting a name for ascended immortals, it can be considered somewhat simr. "So, as for Falling Flower Mountain Markets people we do indeed know. And the sealed grounds location as well, we do indeed know. But this is the extent of our involvement. As for anything else, it truly has nothing to do with us." Feng Huiming then said: "As for the spirits" He subconsciously nced toward the innkeeper, as though harboring misgivings, not wanting to bring this up right in front of "the bound." But in the end, gritting his teeth, he still continued: "Why those spirits have been gathered and imprisoned here, youd have to ask the real one behind the sealing of the divine arbor." The way he said "the one behind the sealing of the divine arbor"pletelycked hesitation, as though he knew whodid down the seal. If what he said was true, that the Feng Sect had been appointed as caretakers of the forbidden ground and thus changed their surname to Feng, then they could be considered closely bound with the divine arbor, and in all probability know more than the various immortals of Immortal Capital. Wu Xingxue thought it over, and asked: "Who was the one who sealed the divine arbor? Lingtai?" "No." Feng Huiming shook his head, speaking in a deep voice: "The first one who resolved to seal the divine arbor was the divine arbor itself." Hearing this, Wu Xingxues eyes stirred: "The divine arbor itself?" Feng Huiming paused, and looked at him with a trace of shock: "Yes" Before in the Hundred Treasures Library, when this young master had heard this statement, he hadnt had this sort of reaction, just listened, tranquil as water. The second reaction being different, Feng Huiming was somewhat uneasy. He thought: Theyre ying with me again! "It really was the divine arbor itself, Im not making anything up!" Feng Huiming nearly swore an oath to heaven, but then thought, all this information was from the Sect Leader; he hadnt seen it for himself. Hence, after a moments hesitation, he didnt swear an oath. "What I heard was indeed as such," Feng Huiming said, "Sealing away the divine arbor was indeed the divine arbors own handiwork. The forbidden ground was drawn up by him, and the de arrays, fire arrays, and mystic lightning within the forbidden ground were also set by him. Everything within the forbidden ground, the divine arbor is aware of. "Seeing that the divine arbor had been sealed tight and could no longer be exploited by anyone, he left the Falling Flower Terrace and went to Immortal Capital," Feng Huiming said with deep import. After speaking, he raised his head to see Wu Xingxuesplicated expression. Feng Huiming: "" He hesitated a moment. Atst, unable to bother with whether hed seen it with his own eyes or heard it with his own ears, he stuck two fingers up to say: "I swear to heaven, not one word was false. It is indeed as such." After saying this, a long time passed before he heard the other party softly asking: "You say you swear to heaven. I can make this oath a dozen times on the spot as well, and what use would it be? I dont believe it. Why dont you just tell me who can vouch for you?" Who knew that after being momentarily taken aback, Feng Huiming would actually nod his head to say: "Theres proof." Wu Xingxue: "?" This time, it really provoked Wu Xingxues infinite curiosity. Not only him, but all the people present stared fixedly at Feng Huiming, including Feng Shn. She pursed her lips to say: "What did you say just now?" In a single day, Feng Huiming had been worn down twice. The first time hed still been able to rely on sleight of tongue. The second time he just felt exhausted, and lost his persuasive ability. He opened his mouth, but couldnt say what he wanted. After a long while, he seemed to have made an incredibly difficult decision. He lowered his eyes awhile, then said to Wu Xingxue and Xiao Fuxuan: "I know, since you keep asking over and over again, even if I were eloquent and could repeat it dozens of times over, you would still find it difficult to believe in its entirety. How about this instead" He said: "Return with me to the Feng Sect and Ill take you to see. After all seeing is believing." Wu Xingxue was stunned. He truly hadnt expected that Feng Huiming would take the initiative to invite them to the Feng Sect. Hence, he subconsciously nced over at Xiao Fuxuan. Before, based on various things, hede to the conclusion that this Falling Flower Mountain Market wasnt in fact an illusion realm, but the real past. But no matter how certain he was, it was still a guess. If hed guessed wrong, then the moment they stepped out of Falling Flower Mountain Market, the illusion realm would shatter and crumble away. Whether Feng Sect or forbidden ground, all would disappear into the fog with the illusion realm. Thinking on this point, Wu Xingxue did in fact have some doubts. But through some sword aura fastened upon him, he heard Xiao Fuxuan say mildly: "Theres no harm even if it is an illusion realm. I went into the forbidden ground once and I can go in again. Since youve made inquiries of the Feng Sect twice, you can ask for the third time as well." Wu Xingxue was taken aback. He began to smile. He suddenly felt, at present, with the devilish energy entwined in his body, the chains binding his form, he could employ nothing more than killing moves. Originally, he ought to have facedyer uponyer of obstacles, each step forward sullying his hands with blood. But because of a certain someones presence, he could actuallye and go freely, no holds barred. Chapter 49: Spirit Partition Chapter 49: Spirit Partition When Xiao Fuxuan stood up, he withdrew the mighty oppression that bore down on the entire inn. The Feng Sect junior disciples sensed their bodies abruptly lightening, once again able to move. But upon looking back and forth at one another, they gaped anxiously at their acting leader without daring to move. Unfortunately, the acting leader Feng Huiming fundamentally couldnt attend to them. Face taut, he clutched at his robe upon getting up from the floor. His posture was not at all disheveled, but the sides of his face were flushed. "Elder Huiming, are you" Feng Shn was well aware of his temperament, and nced several times at him. "Im fine." Feng Huiming interrupted her; his tone was resolute. Hed just said quite a lot while under pressure, but now that itd eased off, the more he thought, the more embarrassed he felt. Unfortunately, the deed had been done under myriad staring eyes, and he was forced to muster up what remained of his pride. When Feng Shn helped him up, she said in a low voice: "You shouldnt bring them back to the Feng Sect. No matter what, we should at least inform the Sect Leader." Feng Huiming knit his brows: "I know what Im doing." Feng Shn shot him a look. Feng Huiming added: "Moreover, the Sect Leader had said, when hes not present, I can make any decision as I see fit." Feng Shn said nothing more. She turned to sweep a nce at those junior disciples, and raised her voice to say: "Are you all stupid or what? Need me to help you up?" She had naturally smiling lips, but didnt like to smile, and her tone of voice was biting. She looked after the Disciples Hall all year round; the junior disciples were inherently afraid of her, and would of course not dare wait for her to help them up. They all mbered up and shook the spirit-binding ropes off their bodies, then helped one another take the mouth-sealing talismans off their foreheads, at which point they slowly began to speak, but still kept to the corners of the walls. Feng Shn: "Come here." The junior disciples gathered over obediently. The junior disciples congregated obediently. Feng Shn stepped aside and pointed to Xiao Fuxuan, saying coldly to the disciples: Come thank the Immortal. The junior disciples: "???" They truly couldnt figure out why they, as kidnapping victims, had to thank their kidnappers. Even Xiao Fuxuan himself was somewhat surprised and nced at Feng Shn. The junior disciples were really a bit timid, but their confusion pushed everything else down: "Thank them for whaat???" Feng Shn: "Thank them for showing mercy?" These words actually sounded quite clever. Now that the words "showing mercy" were thrown down, anyone who heard these words would feel that they would have to show mercy now. Ifter on something unexpected happened and led to conflict, then these junior disciples could be saved from trouble After all, theyd said thank you in front of them. From the perspective of a more sentimental mortal, this method was extremely effective. Unfortunately, Xiao Fuxuan was no such person. But this didnt keep Wu Xingxue from feeling that this youngdys character was somewhat interesting, or at least more interesting than that of Feng Huiming. Clearly, he wasnt the only one who thought like this. Huddling up to Yi Wusheng, Ning Huaishan asked stealthily: What was that you said before? Afterwards, this girl became" Yi Wusheng couldnt help but balk at his means of address: "This what?" Ning Huaishan didnt like being interrupted: "This girl. What are you overreacting for, its not like I called you that." Yi Wusheng: "" He shot Ning Huaishan a few looks, but truly couldnt figure it out. This little devil himself looked about fifteen or sixteen years old, how could he be so fond of using this patronizing tone when addressing others? Yi Wusheng kindly brought up: "Dont forget that this is hundreds of years ago. Technically, shes your senior by now. Ning Huaishan stuck his mouth out in Feng Shns direction: "If I bothered to call her an old senior and then spoke like you had me, tell me, would she or wouldnt she raise her sword ande chop off my mouth." Yi Wusheng: "" "She would. Wu Xingxues voice chimed in. Ning Huaishan promptly withdrew his arrogant tone: "City Lord." While Feng Shn was briefing disciples on arrangements, Wu Xingxue vaguely overheard Ning Huaishan and Yi Wushengs discussion, and said curiously: "What did you just say this youngdyter became?" Yi Wusheng was about to open his mouth when Ning Huaishan stole his thunder: "Sect Leader." Wu Xingxue let out an "Oh," and said, both surprised and not: "Even you know this?" Ning Huaishan: "Of course!" Having gotten some rare praise from City Lord, he was full of excitement. He promptly fished up all the words hed gotten from Yi Wushengs end, andmenced showing off: "She was Feng Sects previous Sect Leader, but long since passed away. Upon hearing this, however, Wu Xingxue was a bit puzzled: "The previous one?" Ning Huaishan: "Thats right." Wu Xingxue: "When we entered Zhaoye City, you mentioned Zhaoye Citys current city lord, Xueli" Ning Huaishan clicked his tongue, not at all wanting to hear about this new city lord. Wu Xingxue motioned to Yi Wusheng: "At the time, you said that Xueli was the son of an old friend, the youngest son of the previous Feng Sect Leader wouldnt he be this youngdys son?" Ning Huaishan was taken aback. Wu Xingxue said: "The ages seem a bit odd though" Yi Wusheng was born a hundred years ago, and the Falling Flower Mountain Market before their eyes was at least over three hundred years ago. Of course, cultivators lived long lives; a few centuries was no problem, but hearing that there was still such a difference between generations, it was somewhat odd. Ning Huaishan opened his mouth. This time, he was unable to answer first. After faltering a couple of times, he pushed Yi Wusheng forward: "You go." Yi Wusheng was unsure whether tough or cry, but maintained a serious face to exin: Im not friends with this Sect Leader herself, but with her partner instead. There was indeed somewhat of an age discrepancy, which could be written off as hitting things off regardless of age, but" "But what?" "But Im thinking its still not quite right." Yi Wusheng thought it over and said, "Extrapting based on Senior Shns age, during the time of Falling Flower Mountain Market, she probably would have been would have been a bit younger. So when Id previously heard her name at the inns threshold, I almost thought Id heard wrong, and was rather surprised." But after saying this he added: "But what I know and remember isnt all that clear." Cultivators could live up to centuries, and very few would go carefully calcting their own ages, let alone others. Yi Wusheng waved his hands to say: "Dont take my word for it, dont take my word for it." Afraid hed miscalcted, he smiled nervously and took the initiative to change the subject: "Inparison, Im more surprised about the other one." The other one? Wu Xingxue followed his line of sight, to Feng Huiming. "Why are you surprised?" "Hes about the same age range as Feng Shn, but Ive never heard of him." Yi Wusheng lowered his voice further, as these words were truly unsuitable for the Feng Sect people to hear, or else itd likely lead to a misunderstanding. Because at first nce, these words would lead people to imagine certain unsavory conclusions, such as dying an early death. But another thought shed through Wu Xingxues mindwere he really to have died an early death or the like, wouldnt it have actually made him less forgettable? Werent people more likely to remember him and pity him? Thinking like this, Feng Huimings situation was even stranger. But this, after all, was something that hadnt yet happened, and blind guessing was useless. The discussion ended quickly. For one, Feng Shn had finished all her briefing of the younger generation, and nodded at them to indicate they could head out. Feng Huiming was already beside the door to the inn, standing aside to let everyone pass through. And for two The main reason was, Wu Xingxues attention had been drawn away by the Tianxiu Immortal. Before, while talking about the discrepancy between Feng Shn and Yi Wushengs ages, Xiao Fuxuan had still been listening to the side. But at some point afterward, hed turned around and went behind a red pir. While Yi Wusheng had been talking, out of politeness, Wu Xingxue didnt let his gaze drift, but kept a corner of his eye focused on that red pir. He could make out a corner of Tianxius robe as well as the tips of his matte ck boots, but couldnt see very clearly. That feeling was like a dulled w scratching at him over and over *** Xiao Fuxuan lowered his hands, the sword aura between his fingers returning to normal. He was just about to lift his feet when he abruptly heard a soft voice: Mr. Tianxiu, what misdeeds are you secretly doing?" He slightly dragged his words out, intentionally emphasizing the word "secretly." Once, there were quite a few people whod said that person would asionally use this tone of voice, liable to bring a little tickle to ones heart. Each time he heard this talk, hed felt an onset of difort. Those people thought he didnt like to hear about things rted to "Spirit King." But in fact, it wasnt that; he just didnt like this talking out of other peoples mouths. Xiao Fuxuan turned around. He saw Wu Xingxue poking his head and said: "I caught you in the act." The light in his eyes stirred. In a low voice, he replied: "Caught me doing what?" Wu Xingxue looked at him, but his lips moved without an immediate reply. After a beat, he again used that traipsing-along tone to say: "Im ever so curious "So you hid over here, to do what?" he asked. Xiao Fuxuan replied: "Spirit partition." Wu Xingxue was stunned: "Partition of which spirit?" Xiao Fuxuan: "Of spirits." Wu Xingxue: "?" Wu Xingxue: "Which spirit?" He thought to himself, is he talking about those spirits in the forbidden area? I think youre taking advantage of my memory loss to bluff me. Sure enough, he saw Tianxius gaze sweeping across his face, and as though having had enough of bluffing, he then said: "Spirits like in spiritual consciousness." Spiritual consciousness sounded much more reasonable. After all, Wu Xingxue had previously seen him projecting his consciousness. With an "Oh," he thought to himself: Sure enough, he sumbs to bad influences very fast. But he only thought these words. The words that came out of his mouth were: "Why do you want to partition your spiritual consciousness all of a sudden?" Xiao Fuxuan: "Just in case." Wu Xingxue recalled that just as Yi Wusheng started talking about Feng Shn and Feng Huiming, Xiao Fuxuan had gone to hide behind the pir, likely because hed sensed something amiss. Wu Xingxue calcted: "Are you partitioning out a bit of your spirit to leave some leeway?" Xiao Fuxuan: "More or less." Wu Xingxue muttered something to himself. Xiao Fuxuan didnt know what he was muttering, but his intuition told him it wasnt anything good. Sure enough, he watched as the devil said to him: "Then spare some for me too." Xiao Fuxuan: "" Tianxiu looked at him without uttering a word. Clearly, he wore no expression, but one could make out a slight headache in it No, more like an "everything-ache." "Wu Xingxue" his deep voice sounded. The devil intuitively knew he was about to say no, and scrambled to first ask: "Does spirit splitting spiritual consciousness hurt a lot?" As he spoke he studied at Xiao Fuxuan. After all, this person had just partitioned himself. Xiao Fuxuan moved his lips. After a beat, he let out: "No." The devil asked: "Then why not? If it doesnt hurt, we can leave even more leeway. Wouldnt it be a loss not to partition? Xiao Fuxuan: "" Xiao Fuxuan: "Then well take the loss." The devil: "" Everyone said the Tianxiu Immortal was unyielding. They werent lying. The devil looked at him with lips pursed. After mulling it over, he turned around to say: "Oh, then Ill go ask Ning Huaishan and Yi Wusheng and see if they can help" Before the "me out." coulde out, Wu Xingxue felt himself being tugged at. He turned his head to meet Xiao Fuxuans half-lowered eyes, his deep voice uttering: "Give me your hand." A smile floated up across Wu Xingxues eyes as he passed his hand over. But his smile rapidly froze The moment Xiao Fuxuan had him in his warm and clean grip, an external energy spilled into Wu Xingxues veins from where he was touched. That energy was as brash as Tianxius sword intent; when it gushed through his veins, it was simply impossible to ignore. He could distinctly sense the impetus passing through every vital gate, every essential acupoint of his body. After making its way through each of his key junctures, it flowed toward his heart. Wu Xingxues fingers almost unconsciously clenched. As that energy gushed toward his heart, it suddenly slowed down, and enclosed it in an intimate, warm embrace. At that moment, he heard Xiao Fuxuans deep voice emanating almost snugly against his heart: "You ought to know what manner of thing spiritual consciousness is, you cant just ask anyone for help." Chapter 50: Choice Chapter 50: Choice Wu Xingxue truly didnt know that seeking others for help partitioning his spiritual consciousness would yield this result, but if he did know, he definitely Just as Xiao Fuxuans internal energy probed deep into his spirit, he narrowed his eyes, and suddenly forgot what was supposed toe after "definitely." He finally understood why he couldnt just ask anyone for help No one could guarantee that upon their spiritual consciousness being touched, they wouldnt kill the other person. Let alone triggering his instinctual killing intent, his spirit could rush all the other partys wide-open vital gates. The person helping would most likely die a miserable death. If they didnt die, then itd Then itd be pretty meaningful. Xiao Fuxuan did not die. Wu Xingxues half-lowered eyelids fluttered. Before long, he could sense a wisp of his spiritual consciousness being lightly plucked It wouldnt be at all correct to say that it hurt, but it was a particrly queer feeling. He didnt know if it was only him or the other person as well; that moment, hed even gotten a slight, ineffable, not-super-great feeling Before he could figure out what that feeling was, the plucked wisp of spiritual consciousness sprung back to its resting state. It was like a ripple in the water that had billowed out a pair of rings before being made to settle down. Wu Xingxue: "?" He blurted out: "Whats wrong?" Xiao Fuxuan: "Changed my mind." The internal energy gently withdrew from his spiritual consciousness, but remained wrapped around his heart. That voice was so close, it seemed to have emanated from within his body itself, so very deep and low. Wu Xingxue gaped for a moment, then asked: "Changed your mind? Why?" "No reason," Xiao Fuxuan said, "The bit I left here should be enough, you dont need to do anything." His tone was heavy and candid. Wu Xingxue didnt quite understand why, and was confused for a while until he suddenly thought Could it have been that the slight difort hed felt when his spiritual consciousness had been parted had been sensed by Xiao Fuxuan? Being stared at for a while, Xiao Fuxuan tossed out a word of exnation: "It could actually cause some conflict if we leave a portion of both of our spiritual consciousness here. "Really?" "Indeed." Yeah right. "Prove it." Wu Xingxue said. Xiao Fuxuan: "" Tianxius handsome face went a bit wooden; seeing it, Wu Xingxue wanted tough. That slight, ineffable feeling from when his spiritual consciousness had been parted had disappeared without a trace. As though it were all just an illusion, even he himself couldnt recall it. The Devil Lord right now was quite keen. Looking at the Tianxiu Immortal, he especially wanted to ask, "You arent lying are you, why did you make an exception?" But, due to a certain subtle, nameless emotion, he didnt let out this question. Immediately after, the Tianxius internal energy finally shed itself from his heart and slowly retreated. Strangely enough, his whole body had tensed when that internal energy probed inward, feeling somewhat constrained. But now, with this unwarned evacuation, he felt an emptiness at heart. Looking on as that impetus was about to withdraw entirely, Xiao Fuxuan suddenly opened his mouth to say in a low voice: "Actually, spiritual energy can transmit sound. Wu Xingxue: "?" He stared fixedly at Xiao Fuxuan: "Transmit sound? What do you mean?" Xiao Fuxuan said: "It means you dont have to open your mouth." As he said this, his lips didnt move. Wu Xingxue, however, heard it loud and clear, in his own body. Wu Xingxue: "" This sensory experience brought a little heat to the base of his ears. Tilting his head, he used his fox fur cor to cover it up. Im the stately Devil Lord He mocked himself in his head. Going to the Feng Sect, there would be a lot of various people, and theyd often be unable to say what they wanted. If they could transmit their voices, it would indeed be more convenient. Such was the justification he sought for himself. Afterward, he said ambiguously: "Then dont leave." The next moment, that wisp of internal energy that was just about to withdraw stretched back on over. When it again wound around the innermost portion of his heart, Wu Xingxue heard Tianxiu reply: "Very well." The voice still echoed from inside his body. Wu Xingxue: "" He again suspected that the certain someone was doing it on purpose. *** With this handy voice transmission, they made their way to the Feng Sect, rendering Wu Xingxue absent-minded the whole way. Ning Huaishan was a chatterbox and rambled on and on at the side. He deserved a little idle conversation, and seemed to have even brought up spirit partition. The moment they left Falling Flower Mountain Market, Ning Huaishan stuck a talisman on the boundary stone in passing and hit it with a sigil. "Although Fang Chus sometimes got an unlikeable bitch face, but Im a nice guy," Ning Huaishan said, "Not only am I cutting him some ck, Im even leaving him an oral message to keep him from really getting so lost he doesnt even make it back to Zhaoye City in the next life." Yi Wusheng didnt quite understand their devil way of "having to curse someone before helping them, but still helped him strike the sigil to fully imnt it. This done, he went into a daze. After a while, he shook his head with a smile. Back when he was young and energetic, he definitely wouldnt expect that there woulde a day when he was actually walking side-by-side with an ascended immortal and the Devil Lord, on a path in the mortal realm several centuries ago. "You really made it big the past few days," Ning Huaishan said to the side, "Stuff somebody probably wouldnt get to do in a few generations, youve done the past few days. Hey, taking a trip centuries in the past, a fragmented soul like you could live longer maybe? Extend it a few more days?" "You dont have to mock me," Yi Wusheng said. "How was I mocking you! If we can go back a bunch of centuries ago, is there anything that cant be done? Besides" Ning Huaishans eyes darted back and forth, and he suddenly grabbed Yi Wusheng, stealthily transmitting his voice to say: "Youve be like this. Ultimately, isnt it all because of that guy underneath the Valley of Great Sorrow?" Ning Huaishan thought it over, then continued transmitting his voice to out his rotten idea: "Do this: we got to the Feng Sect, and you dont." Yi Wusheng: "" He suspected this kid had held himself back half the day, just to say this. Yi Wusheng replied irritably: "Then where will I go? Wearing an "are you an idiot" expression, Wing Huaishan said: "Wherell you go? Youll go to the Valley of Great Sorrow of course!" Yi Wusheng was startled. Ning Huaishan said: "I dunno when it is now, whether that guys dead or not, or whether that catb below the Valley is there or not. If hes not dead, then Then you can go stop him. If hes already dead, and the catb is down there, then just go tighten up the catbs seal a little. Yi Wusheng listened to him without uttering a word. Ning Huaishan: "And if you have the chance to kill him for good in the tomb, then wouldnt you not end up like this? Right?" Ning Huaishan even shook his head and sighed to himself as he spoke: "Look, you almost tried to kill me before, and Im still here nice enough to be giving you ideas like this. You really wont meet many people as generous as I am." Yi Wusheng: "" He cupped his hands in respect, quite properly expressing his admiration and gratitude. But his expression was momentarily dazed. What Ning Huaishan had said was truly tempting. Too tempting. Since hed entered a cultivation sect in his youth, hed liked listening to folktales at market, and heard all sorts of "how to rise from the dead" and starting back over again" stories. It was like, as long as "all who once lived must one day die," hed inevitably like to delve into these two subjects. Thinking about it now, perhaps all those stories carried a shadow of the divine arbor within; all took it as their foundation. Back when hed listened to those stories, hed always chat a bit with Hua Zhaoting and Hua Zhaotai. And in the end, hed always reach the verdict: One must not do things that went against thews of nature and heaven. It wasnt until now that he discovered that that "one must not back then was spoken too lightly. Hed also finallye to understand why, when speaking on the divine arbor, Feng Huiming would say "so long as it existed in a ce people could see or touch, there would inevitably be unrest." Look, he thought, now the opportunity to start back over again is ced before you, and Ning Huaishan keeps bugging you about it from the side. Yi Wusheng kept on listening and replying ambiguously, but couldnt let out the simplest "No." "Heres a fork in the road, Ning Huaishan insisted, "This way goes to the Valley of Great Sorrows, that way goes to the Feng Sect. Think it over, if you change your mind midway itll be pretty embarrassing for you." Yi Wusheng abruptly paused in his steps. As they reached the foot of the mountain, there were indeed two distinct paths. In the eyes of those beside him, one way was a horse carriage road leading to the Valley, and the other way was an official road into the city. But in his eyes, however, they were different One way was a possibility at life, and one way maintained his current statecertain death. "I" Yi Wusheng was at a loss for words. To the side, Wu Xingxue and Xiao Fuxuan turned their heads, at which point he realized that he hadnt used voice transmission to say this, but had identally gripped the talisman paper to say it out loud. "Whats up?" Wu Xingxue asked. Yi Wusheng looked at him, then looked at Xiao Fuxuan. "I" Yi Wusheng said, "I forgot something in the Falling Flower Mountain Market." The Tianxiu Immortals line of sight fell on him. Everyone said this immortals eyes were cold as stars, harboring sword intent. Even if someone with a clear conscience were to be stared at for a while by him, theyd get nervous. And moreover he didnt have a clear conscience. Yi Wusheng lowered his eyes to say: "Please go first, Ill catch up when I find it." Without raising his eyes, he couldnt tell what Wu Xingxue and Xiao Fuxuans expressions were like upon hearing him, whether or not they believed him. After a while, he heard Wu Xingxue say: "Sure." *** In the end, those on the official road into the city, apart from the Feng Sect crowd, were down to just three. Yi Wusheng wasnt present. The one whod initially urged him on was Ning Huaishan, and now, the first to have regrets was also Ning Huaishan. Because, he discovered that after Yi Wusheng had left, the entire atmosphere had be sullen. The Feng Sect people were only naturally unhappy, each of them totally silent, only the ovepping sound of footsteps thudding out as they entered the city. But his city lord and Tianxius expressions were also not too great. "Ning Huaishan." Wu Xingxue suddenly opened his mouth and softly called his name, his ink-ck eyes turning toward him. Ning Huaishan inexplicably shivered; his scalp tingled. "What were you saying to Yi Wusheng?" Wu Xingxue asked. Ning Huaishan trembled: "Uh, n-nothing." Before Wu Xingxue could again open his mouth, he lowered his head to say: "Just a little a little uhhh, if he didnt wanna die, I just told him there was actually a little something he could do." The more he spoke the quieter his voice became; the more he spoke, the more he felt a chill at his neck, sensing that he appeared to have courted death. He got the feeling that city lord wasnt very happy right now, but upon stealthily ncing over, he saw that his city lord was pursing his bloodless lips. He didnt look like he was angry, more like he was a little regretful. But while this "regretful" expression would be just fine on an ordinary person, on a devil, it somehow seemed even scarier than pure displeasure. Ning Huaishan couldnt help but think: Why would he show this expression? And whats he regretful about? He racked his brains but still couldnt figure it out. In fact, even Wu Xingxue himself didnt know. It was just that when he heard "there was a little something Yi Wusheng could do," the words "what a pity" somehow shed through his mind. It was just like hed once seen this sort of thing quite often, felt this sort of emotion so often, that it had be a subconscious habit. And, before he coulde back to himself, he discovered that his fingers had actually felt at his waist, as though feeling there for a nonexistent sword. Too strange, what was he feeling for a sword for? He looked at his fingers, and suddenly heard Xiao Fuxuans voice sounding in his heart: "Wu Xingxue." Wu Xingxues fingers curled, and he turned to look at him. Xiao Fuxuan: "My spiritual consciousness is following him. Wu Xingxue was momentarily at a loss before he recovered, and internally transmitted his voice to say: "You mean Yi Wusheng?" Xiao Fuxuan: "Yes." Wu Xingxue was suddenly relieved. At this moment, he heard Feng Huimings voiceing from in front: "Weve arrived." The frigid night of several centuries before was still shockingly cold. Itd rained the previous night, and the official road was covered in patches of ice. The city was shrouded in a cold fog, so that the fewnterns protected from the wind became splotches of light in the mist. The ce wherenterns were most numerous had faint traces of a cultivation sects prohibition barrier. This was the Feng Sect. Feng Sect was thergest cultivation sect in this city. Unlike Peach Blossom Inds Hua Sect, the Feng Sect bore a somewhat official air. The area above its threshold was wide, its eaves flung high, and there was even an extremely tall tower erected in the center. The entire sect looked magnificently imposing, like a city within a city. This sort of cultivation sect, when picking out a site, would have been very precise throughout, with careful consideration as to spiritual qi and feng shui; none of it would have been randomly allotted. So normally speaking, upon entering any sect, one would feel a nourishing sense of spiritual qi But upon entering the Feng Sect, Wu Xingxue felt difort throughout his body. Although spiritual qi was abundant, there was an ineffable weirdness to it Yet everyone elsesplexions were normal. Even Xiao Fuxuan seemed not to have felt it. Chapter 51: Secret Ground Chapter 51: Secret Ground "Feeling ufortable?" Xiao Fuxuans voice abruptly sounded. Wu Xingxue was taken aback, thinking to himself, I havent even said anything. Xiao Fuxuan added: "I can feel it." Wu Xingxue: " He could also feel this? He could also feel this? Xiao Fuxuan let out an "Mm," his low voice wrapped around his heart. It always brought about a slight vibration, making his heart ever so ticklish. The Devil Lord atst felt that this internal energy thing was a little outrageous. But hed already taken the initiative to tell Xiao Fuxuan not to leave, so if he backed out now, hed appear indecisive, unreasonable even. Even though he had said that "devils are never reasonable" before, he couldnt remember it at all now. Perhaps after being subjected to word after word from the Tianxiu Immortal, his memory had sumbed to the vibration. It was now that his spirit seemed to split in two. Half tried to maintain aposed, unperturbed state, saying: Its just that youre unused to this sort of voice transmission, its not at "having to back out levels yet. The other half, however, said: It hasnt reached "having to back out" levels yet? Youre the one whos a little outrageous. The Devil Lord was silent for a moment, feeling like these two halves were even chattier than Ning Huaishan. So incredibly annoying, best to just do a clean sweep. Before he could have a moment of peace, he suddenly realized Before, whenever he had random thoughts, the Tianxiu Immortal could hear them, and even reply to him. During his current period mulling over "to back out or not," however, Tianxiu hadnt uttered a word. Wu Xingxue: " "Xiao Fuxuan," said Wu Xingxue. With a stir of internal energy, the Tianxiu Immortal said "Mm." Wu Xingxue: "Those senseless little thoughts of mine just now, did you hear them?" Tianxiu said: "No." Wu Xingxue: " Was this what they liked to call a case of selective deafness? The Devil Lord stared at the person beside him. Due to his staring awhile, Xiao Fuxuan shifted his gaze to nce at him: "What?" The Devil Lord: "" After a long while, he let out a "Nothing." He just kept thinking Were those people in Immortal Capital back then who said Xiao Fuxuan was unschooled in human emotion blind? The disciples on guard at the Feng Sect lifted theirnterns up quickly. First, they bowed in obeisance to Feng Huiming: "Elder." Then they said to Feng Shn: "Miss" Although there was a distinction in their order and it appeared that Feng Huiming had a higher status in the sect, these disciples had ultimately all grown up in the disciple hall, and while they revered Feng Huiming, they behaved somewhat more sheepishly around Feng Shn. One nce was enough to see that they were a little closer to thetter. "Elder, this is?" The disciples on guard lifted theirnterns up in a line to illuminate the three guests. Because it was deep at night when the dew was heavy and the fog dense, they couldnt make out their faces at first nce. All they could tell was that they were strangers. Feng Sect often took in guests, but visits in the middle of the night were truly rareonly when it was an urgent matter of saving someones life, or a dangerous matter of someone with ill intent. The three before them were obviously not thetter; after all, Feng Huiming and Feng Shn had brought them back together. But they didnt appear to be the former either, because their faces were not ashen Inparison, it was actually Feng Huiming and Feng Shns faces that grew ever more unsightly. "Elder." Given theseplexions, the guard disciples didnt want to make them even more stressed, but they had rules, and were forced to brace themselves to say in salutation: "You know the Sect Leaders rules. The time between 11pm and 7am is reserved for intra-sect self-inspection and cultivation, and we cannot wee guests. Right now its only 3 in the morning, and if were really to wee guests, wed have to inform the Sect Leader. But" Let alone these guard disciples, perhaps even Feng Huiming didnt want to disturb the Sect Leader at this time of the day. The guard disciples were in a troublesome situation. Upon hearing that theyd have to inform the family head, Feng Huimings expression got even worse Upon hearing that theyd have to inform the family head, Feng Huimings expression got even worseBefore, that young master had appeared soundlessly in the Hundred Treasures Library after 11pm, a so-called "no guests allowed time period, and hadnt he still weed him?! With hands behind his back, he said expressionlessly to the guard disciples: "The matter of the disciple hall receiving talismans from before, did you hear about it?" A guard disciple said sheepishly: "We heard a thing or two." Feng Huimings face remained calm: "You heard about it and are still blocking the way here?" The guard disciples exchanged nces: "Weve been patrolling all over the ce and didnt hear about it very clearly. We only know the part about our martial siblings running into danger, and Miss and Elder took people to go save them" They swept a nce over, seeing some twenty disciples following behind Feng Huiming and Feng Shn with all safe and sound; they ought to have all been rescued. No, they must have all been rescued. For better or for worse, they were one of thergest cultivation sects in the world; their reputation not even to be outdone by Hua Sect. Feng Huiming and Feng Shn were also the leading lights of their generation; with both of them going out together, their sess was a sure thing. The guard disciple in the lead was afraid of offending Feng Huiming, and picked out some pleasant-sounding ttery: "Everybody has been brought back safe and sound. Sure enough, when our Elder and Miss set out, what danger is there to speak of" As he ttered, he waved a hand behind his back indicating that the disciples behind him hurry to go summon the Sect Leader in advance. Hence, the only fruit his boot-licking yielded was the boot-lickees face getting even darker. Not only this, but even those disciples whod escaped danger wore taut faces. Each tilted their heads and facepalmed, and even took advantage of Feng Huiming and Feng Shn not looking at them to frantically shoot them looks. The guard disciple was utterly bewildered, striving to make out one of his martial brothers mouthed words. After a moment, he figured it out That person said: "Rescued" my ass. The guard disciple: ? That disciple gestured with his mouth toward the three guests and wordlessly mouthed: The dangers been brought to the sect, otherwise, how would the elders face be pulled so long, are you stupid? The guard disciple took a quick sec to respond, then abruptly looked at those three guests. "Im finding that this sect of yours is rather difficult to enter," said Wu Xingxue to Feng Huiming, finally unable to stand aside. His tone wasnt at all sullen. Rather, at first nce, it was measured, graceful, and elegant. But Feng Huiming had experienced his might and his temper, and promptly ground his teeth. "The young disciples are ustomed to abiding by the rules, unlearned in pragmatics. Immortal" Feng Huiming didnt know Wu Xingxues origin, but the mighty pressure hed borne before was full of immortal energy, hardly different from that of Tianxiu Xiao Fuxuan. Based on this, he picked out a lofty appetion to say: "Immortal, please pardon us." As a result, after he spoke, he discovered that this appetion was not at all well-founded. Because Wu Xingxue was momentarily stunned, then chuckled. Before his smile disappeared, however, his expression had already dimmed down. Feng Huimings head ached. He got a burst of the jitters inside, and lifted a sleeve to the guard disciple. The Feng Sects ardent sword wind burst out a head-on sweep. Dozens of people were shoved several meters back by the sword wind, and knocked firmly against the stone wind barrier. "Elder Huiming!" Feng Shn shrieked out. "Shn, dont get in the way! I know what Im doing!" Feng Huiming bellowed amidst the swift whirl of sword wind. He then drew his sword and chopped Wu Xingxue felt as if all the fog in the entire city congregated here, and all the Feng Sect disciples, including Feng Shn, were submerged in the fog, no trace of their voices to be heard. But in the direction Feng Huimings longsword chopped, a hundrednterns appeared from out of thin air, lighting a path through the fog. Feng Huiming said: "This is my Feng Sects secret ground. Other people, including Shn, have never been here. Its a ce the Sect Leader showed me when telling me about the divine arbor. Inside, there remain some immortal relics from back when the divine arbor was sealed away." Wu Xingxue narrowed his eyes to look over. Beneath the fog, all the Feng Sects vast pavilions disappeared. Only that tall tower stood hazily in the fog. One could only make out a faint outline of the tier upon tier of its flying eaves. At first nce, it actually bore the shadow of the towering tree. When he looked at that high tower, that slight sense of unease escted into a mountain-high tsunami headed for Wu Xingxue. Feng Huiming still wanted to say more, but suddenly shivered. It felt like the entire Feng Sectsno, the entire citystemperature had plummeted sharply. He heard a crackling sound from underfoot. Upon lowering his head to look, he saw that the ground had gained ayer of frost in just the blink of an eye. The chill air swaddled him up from the soles of his feet; wave after wave of cold rose startlingly up, that even the blood in his veins seemed about to congeal. Feng Huiming was shocked. When he again raised his head, he discovered that no one was at his side. And far away, beneath the tower, anky figure had silently appeared. It was Wu Xingxue Immediately after, Tianxiu swept out a cold nce. The next moment, the area beneath the tower gained another person. Only Feng Huiming and Ning Huaishan were left on the secret ground, gaping at one another. Ning Huaishan rubbed his arms and stamped his feet, saying: "Fuck, Im cold as hell. KsssHey, Feng guy,st time my city lord looked like this, can ya guess what happened?" Feng Huiming: "???" He did not want to guess. His gaze fell on those two distant figures, but inside, he was rapidly plotting. Of course, he wouldnt really rashly take a few strangers to see his sects secrets, even if the strangers had an inconceivably deep history, or were ascended immortals of Immortal Capital. The reason hed been so direct was because of this secret ground. A long, long time ago, when the Sect Leader had taken him here, hed said: "This secret ground still bears remnants of the divine arbor; going inside takes a toll on even my strength, and unrted people are far less equipped to charge casually in." At the time, hed asked: "What would happen if they charged in?" The Sect Leader responded, "Then they would die without a corpse to bury." Hed seen for himself how people charging in would "die without a corpse to bury"; even if they were immortals, they couldnt withstand it. Hed originally nned to arrange a few little traps here to lead these three guests to make a rash move or make a little mistake. That way, he wouldnt need to waste energy, just dispose of the nuisances nice and clean. Who knew that progress on this matter would be even more smooth and efficient than hed forecasted. He didnt even have toy any traps, those two had rushed right in. And the one left at his side was no more than a simple minion. Feng Huiming maintained a bewildered expression, all while hoping to lead Ning Huaishan to the tower. But just as he was about to open his mouth, he came to a sudden halt. Because, those two were even more arrogant than hed imagined, relying on their status as immortals to throw caution to the wind. He watched as that young master whod interrogated him twice raised a hand, and touched the ck gate of the tower. Got em. Feng Huiming subconsciously shut his eyes. A massive bolt of lightning shed over the tower, its deathly white electric light flooding the dark sky. Then, an ear-splitting p of thunder rang out! Comparable to a heavenly tribtion, the lightning struck down, about to hit those two people before his eyes Feng Huiming waited a moment, but neither screaming nor a tremendous boom came. Puzzled, he stealthily opened his eyes a crack. At which point he was rendered dumbstruck by the wholly unforgettable scene before him. That massive lightning bolt halted right before hitting those two people. After a beat, it actually returned its way back up. Feng Huiming: "???" Then, he heard a sudden loud noise. That secret ground no unrted people could trespass actually opened its gates to those two people. Feng Huiming: "???" Chapter 52: Fallen Bloom Chapter 52: Fallen Bloom "Wha" Feng Huiming was now truly caught up in astonishment. "How is this possible?" he said in disbelief, "Impossible, no way theres no way." "Whats got you so surprised?" Ning Huaishan was originally about to follow Wu Xingxue, but seeing Feng Huimings expression, he changed his mind. He halted in his steps and turned around. Narrowing his eyes to observe Feng Huimings expression, he said: "This secret ground of your familys wouldnt have any booby traps, would it? Oh wait, no, no, therell definitely be traps, or else why would it be called a secret ground. But by the looks of you, Im thinking" Ning Huaishan licked his sharp canines and hooked Feng Huimings shoulder with one hand. At first nce, this position seemed somewhat friendly, but his fingers were crooked and wlike, extremely close to Feng Huimings neck. Ning Huaishan was nowhere near as threatening as his City Lord, but his fingertips rapidly turned greenish ck. Upon seeing them, anyone who knew anything would know this represented a poison technique already refined to fruition. As long as he wanted, his entire body, even the tips of his hair, could pack extreme toxicity. "You!" Feng Huiming flipped his hand over to stab him, but ended up glimpsing his dark green fingers, and immediately froze. Of course, under normal circumstances, Ning Huaishan couldnt have grabbed someone such as Feng Huiming so easily, but as it happened, thetters excessive surprise gave him an opening. "Eh?" Xing Huaishan was right up next to him, and asked in a rascal manner: "Elder, just confess, why are you so shocked? I just cant figure it out. Id just thought that sudden thunderbolt was a prohibition your family had set up to protect the secret ground, but given your expression doesnt seem like it." "If it was really set up by your family, then just one wrong move and itd be broken by my City Lord" Ning Huaishan paused. Although he really didnt like immortals, for the sake of boasting he added, "and the Tianxiu Immortal, like it was nothing. Anyways, was that thunder some kinda" Hooking his arm, Ning Huaishan forced Feng Huimings head down: "touch it and you die thing?! Hm?!" After asking, he violently exerted force underfoot. With a crunching sound, the gray stones on the Feng estate ground cracked. The next moment, restraining Feng Huiming, Ning Huaishan went dozens of meters in one step amidst the continuous crunching sound. In a wink, hed dragged Feng Huiming alive to the front of the tower. "City Lord!" Ning Huaishan flung Feng Huiming before Wu Xingxue and Xiao Fuxuan, impishly tattling: "This guys harboring murderous ns, and was found out by me! "Oh," Wu Xingxue answered softly, "No wonder he seemed kind to us." After all, he was a dignified elder of the Feng Sect. For him to just confess after being interrogated multiple times and then take the initiative to take them to his sect, it would be more strange if he hadnt set up any little ambushes. His expression was still quite calm at the moment. From Ning Huaishans perspective, that meant that his mood was extremely poor. Feng Huiming also sensed it. As though somewhat intimidated, he defended himself: "I wasnt. I just hadnt expected that you two would be so impatient as to go straight over without me opening the path." Ning Huaishan sneered, not believing his words. Feng Huiming had faced a setback amidst his prior shock. After all, a massive thunderbolt recoiling was something hed simply never seen before, something utterly unheard of. Let alone the secret ground even being able to open its own gate After he defended himself, he stared unswervingly at Wu Xingxue and Xiao Fuxuan: "You two or just you which immortal from Immortal Capital are you really?" Of course he already knew Xiao Fuxuans name. Reasonably speaking, even if Tianxiu hade here, it wouldnt have been this extraordinary. In that way, there was only a single unknown, and that was the other personage. A notion vaguely shed through his mind, but he didnt have the time to work it out clearly. He just listened as Wu Xingxue spoke out: "Me? When have I ever said that Im an immortal?" Feng Huiming was stunned. That notion thatd vaguely shed by vanished like smoke, because upon hearing these words, he finally perceived the foul devilish energy flooding steadily off the others body. Thicker than that of any devil hed ever crossed. Feng Huiming: "???" After letting out these words, Wu Xingxue no longer bothered with Feng Huiming. His gaze fell within the towers wide-open gates, and that queasy sense of unease grew more distinct, to the point that he could detect an intermingling of both familiar and strange auras There was something exceedingly familiar here, once connected to his very veins. But now, this thing has also be exceedingly strange The towers gates were ck, quite tall and heavy, like two solid chunks of ck iron. Within the gates, it was arranged like a normal pagoda, with an offering tform and praying mats for sitting cross-legged in deep contemtion. Candlemps were suspended on high from its four corners, their mes suffused in a dark red; flickering in the wind, they hazily illuminated the towers interior. Their glow was rather disconcerting; one look was enough to bring about anxiety. Ning Huaishan pulled a face and tugged at his cor, mumbling: "This shitholes making me break out in a sweat." There was a faint fragrance emitted by the candles. It wasnt unpleasant; in fact, it smelled pretty nice. But taking in a few whiffs would make one woozy. Xing Huaishan turned his head to fan his nose, feeling a spell of stuffiness. He kicked Feng Huiming and asked: "What are thesemps?! Smelling em is making me sick!" Feng Huiming tightly pursed his lips without raising his eyes. Ning Huaishan again spoke: "Im asking you!" Feng Huiming then gritted out: "Drugged candles. Wont do any damage." This time his thoughts were extremely chaotic. Hed originally calcted that these three would die in front of the tower, but now that n hade to naught, and hed allowed them to effortlessly open the great gates of the tower. Now that itde to this, he couldnt im to "know what he was doing"; hed really led wolves into the fold. And moreover, among these three people, two were devils. Those guard disciples would certainlyply with the Sect Leader, and before long the Sect Leader would catch up. Feng Huiming simply had not expected that the scene would be so very unsightly, making him look like a traitor to the Feng Sect. He kept on thinking of methods to dispose of these three. "Drugged candles? Now what drug did you put in the candles?" Ning Huaishan kicked him again. Feng Huiming appeared to just swallow his anger and take it: "Of course, there was a reason for them to be drugged." Letting out a snort, Ning Huaishan grumbled: "Youd best not be ying any tricks." Letting out a snort, Ning Huaishan grumbled: "Youd best not be ying any tricks." He had a sudden slight regret insideit wouldve been better if he hadnt duped Yi Wusheng into leaving. He was an expert in poison, but Yi Wusheng had made his name on medicinal drugs. At a time like this, hedve been more useful; maybe hedve been able to identify the drug by smell. Unlike him each time he tried medicine, he looked like he was a little sick in the head. Ning Huaishan quietly rolled his eyes and resigned himself to sticking his head into the tower. Looking like a moron, he took a few deep breaths, nearly on tiptoe to get close enough to themps. It was the first time Wu Xingxue had seen him like this, simply bewildering. Before he could inquire, Ning Huaishan pulled back, looked at the green-ck color slowly receding from his fingertips, and said: City Lord, it shouldnt be poison. Its not deadly." From their Zhaoye City peoples perspective, poison would take instantaneous effect, and whatever wasnt fatal wasnt considered poison; at most, it was a little trick that manifested a slight disturbance. Feng Huiming said: "Of course its not poison. My humble cultivation sect, what would we be doing poisoning our ownmps? The number of people who know about this secret ground can be counted on one hand, do you think wed light them to poison ourselves?" He knew this much rhetoric full well; if he said thesemps werepletely harmless, then anyone with the slightest brainpower would know he was lying. But with this straightforward andprehensive exnation, he evidently had another move up his sleeve. "Oh, your sect is that stupid? Its a secret ground, and youd actually leave the gates wide open without any defense?" said Ning Huaishan petntly. Feng Huimingsplexion appeared rather disheveled. Making a reluctant expression, he waffled a while before saying ambiguously: "It should indeed not be considered poison. At most, these drugged candles will make people who barged in a little drowsy" "Only a little drowsy? Doesnt seem like it," said Wu Xingxue, rubbing his fingers together. Before, if hed wanted to make a killing move, all the internal energy in his body would coalesce in his palms; it was nearly a sort of instinct. But now, hed circted it twice through, and his internal energy still wouldnt assemble at his fingers; it was like trying to grasp scattered sand. Feng Huiming took in the movement of Wu Xingxues fingers, then nced at Xiao Fuxuan. He understood better than anyone, that apart from making people dizzy, the most significant thing about thesemps was their ability to weaken internal energy. In this state, what of an immortals ocean-like might? If he couldnt assemble it, then what difference was there between him and their mortal realm cultivators? Sure enough, he saw that the Tianxiu Immortal was also frowning. Feng Huiming was overjoyed inside: Sess! Even if Tianxiu didnt say anything, he was also thinking that, subjected to the drugged candles influence, he couldnt assemble his internal energy. But only having ones internal energy affected would just make their powers not quite as strong; it wouldnt be enough to turn the tables in Feng Huimings favor right then and there. The other side had three people, while he was only one; the situation against him. Everyone knew this. And Feng Huimeng needed everyone to know this. This way, these three wouldnt take him for a threat, and would still go inside the tower. And once they go inside the tower, itll be over for them. The most frequent ces in this towers secret ground that he and the Sect Leader went to were the first and second floors. These two floors used a bit of the divine arbors remnant strength, drawing from its cycling between life and death, its half-withering half-flourishing appearance to extrapte The first floor was "flourishing," of zing yang. Within, ordinary people would face an unbearable dry heat. Drenched with sweat, their hearts would burn incessantly. If they stayed long, their meridians would burst, and if more severe, their entire body would explode to death. The second floor was "withering," of extreme yin. Bitter cold to the marrow, were an ordinary person to stay inside, all their meridians would abruptly contract and freeze, no longer able to circte. It wasmon for a cultivation sect cultivators internal energy cirction to veer off track due to a momentary slip, at which point theyd face qi deviation or the like. Sometimes they would feel extremely cold, sometimes extremely hot. The higher their cultivation base, the more difficult to suppress the veering off track. At a time like this, these two floors would be exceptionally good ces to go into seclusion. Among the Feng Sects sessive generations, cultivators requiring the use of these two floors were almost none. Of the previous generation, there was only the Sect Leader, and in this generation, there was only Feng Huiming. Each time they entered, hed still have to keep a special spirit protection tablet under his tongue to cut the divine might of these two floors by half, at which point he could just barely withstand it. For others, even Feng Shn who was second only to him, entering this ce could only result in a miserable death. Feng Huiming was plotting like this These three were having difficulty condensing their internal strength; their brute force was all gone, rendering them no different from mortal cultivators. Even if they were at the level of the Sect Leader, or even a little stronger than the Sect Leader, without spirit protection pills, they would still be dead. He was thinking as much inside, but what came out of his mouth was: "Theres something odd about the secret ground today" It actually, earth-shatteringly, led the way for a foul devil. "Since its like this, not even I can guarantee what hazards may appear upon entering." This could pass as a warning. "If you three still want to go in and look, lets first take my Feng Sects special-made spirit protection pills." Feng Huiming said all the words he ought to have said, which he personally thought was already an extreme disy of benevolence. He pulled three golden pills from a brocade sachet at his waist and stretched his palm out to those three. Even like this, he knew through and through that these three would absolutely not take them. If it were him, he wouldnt have taken them either. After all, who knew what drug someone who mixed his truths up with lies would procure? Sure enough, he watched as Ning Huaishan took one peep at those golden tablets and said: "Im not taking it, if Im screwed over after taking it wholl I goin to." The Tianxiu Immortal also said coldly: "No need." As for Wu Xingxue This devil tossed out an Enjoy it yourself and crossed over the threshold, into the high tower. Feng Huiming put the spirit protection pills back behind him. Inside his head, he sneered and said: Its hard to persuade wretched ghouls with kind words, what does it matter whether youre immortal or devil? Trespassing as you like is uneptable! While no one was paying attention, he stuck a spirit protection pill under his tongue and followed Xiao Fuxuan into the tower. Just to hear a resounding bang The ck iron gates mmed shut! The candlelight inside the tower flickered, and the zing yang force derived from the divine arbors relics swiftly began circting like a deep sea maelstrom. Despite sucking on the spirit protection pill, Feng Huiming still felt a spell of heart palpitation. His tongue firmly pressed down on that little pill as though grasping a life-saving raft. Because he knew full well, that without this spirit protection pill, hed be swept up in the zing yang force, and would explode to death without any resistance. Ning Huaishan wiped his temples to say: "Its getting hotter and hotter, Im dripping with sweat." Feng Huiming looked on coolly from behind them, thinking to himself, hot is right, once the sweates death isnt far, as long as I start counting One, two, three When Feng Huimings count reached four, it came to a sudden halt. He heard a strange soundlike the lowing hiss of an invisible tide swapping in from elsewhere. Upon careful analysis, he snapped his head upward. That "tide" wasing from none other than, what seemed to be upstairs?! The first floor was the zing yang of the divine arbors flourishing aspect, and the second floor was the extreme yin of the divine arbors withering aspect. That tide-like sound was the extreme yin divine force having already activated How could it be? Were clearly still on the first floor! Whats it to do with the second floor??? Feng Huiming was still racking his brains when he heard the second floors divine force striking down from above Kaboom! A portion of the towers first floors ceiling fractured in response, cracking arge hole wide open. Feng Huiming: "What the" This secret grounds tower had been in the Feng Sects for generations, yet here and now, it had actually blown itself a massive hole??? It was now that he finally began to feel ridiculous. But it wasnt over yet Because he saw, having once been on the second floor, the extreme yin force wrapped itself in a grayish blue, chill mist, and upon striking down, it collided together with the first floors circting ze of yang force. For a split second, they red into a mountain-high tidal wave, tuning everything over. Feng Huiming felt as if the spirit protection pill under his tongue cracked open and disintegrated. The sour, bitter taste spread out from the base of his tongue and chilled him to the core. A sh went across his mind. He felt that his time of death had arrived, and all he could do was ensure these three were buried along with him The divine forces grew wild, rushing madly toward Wu Xingxue. Feng Huiming thought: This will be todays first victim. He abruptly took two steps back lest he be sshed full of blood when the others body exploded. But, that divine force that had surged like the tide, upon touching that devil, suddenly went calm and thinned down Just like a waterfall gushing down from a mountains summit and falling into a rocky pool hemmed in by a mountain path, it became a burbling stream. That torrentNo, that pliant stream of divine might nigh-obediently entered the devils bloodstream, and the devils veins neither bulged nor ruptured. In fact, his expressions even improved "" Feng Huiming could feel his almost a hundred years of cognition shattered into geither hed gone mad, or this tower had gone mad. When he recovered, he found that his entire body was standing in the corner, gaping dumbstruck. The devil epted all the divine force, lowered his head to look at his hands, and then turned his head to say to the Tianxiu Immortal: "And you, were you affected? I felt that a portion seemed to have flowed over to your end through the internal energy. Feng Huiming: "???" He didnt understand how someone could use their own ability to receive the divine arbors remnant power. He understood even less what manner of thing could then draw it into another persons. Even if youre a heaven-sent prodigy that wont explodeThe other person wont either??? Indeed, the other person did not explode. Not only did he not explode, that internal energy dispersed by the drugged candles had even seemed toe fucking back! He watched as the Tianxiu Immortal tried moving his fingers, and that mountain-like overbearing pressure once again mmed down. The entire tower shook under the impact. Feng Huiming slid further down in silence: "" As Feng Huiming was on the verge of insanity, Wu Xingxue turned out to be of quite another mind. He perceived the divine force in his body with a strange sort of long-lost feeling, as though hed once given up this piece of himself in some nameless ce, and hadnt the chance to take it back until today. But, there was a certain, "things remain yet people change" element to it. Although his blood vessels hadnt ruptured and killed him, the fusion wasnt particrly agreeable. The divine force equipped him with abundant internal energy, but also chilled him to the extreme. It was like his initial devil cmity period had been aggravated. Now, Wu Xingxues body manifested a contradictory state Hisplexion hadnt the pallor of before, but his fingers were a blue-tinged For a moment, he felt like all the bones in his body were steeped in ice water, the extreme cold blunting his five senses so he couldnt hear clearly and his eyesight dimmed In his eyes, all that remained of themps in the room were a few pinpricks of light, like distant stars in the frigid night. Wu Xingxues expression hadnt changed, appearing as stable as a mountain. In Feng Huiming and Ning Huaishans view, he was nearly at peak condition. But he quieted a moment, using his internal energy to say: Xiao Fuxuan. Hm? answered the other. Because the sound was in his own body, it became the most apparent sound now before him. Even though his senses had abruptly declined, he could still sense Xiao Fuxuans presence. Without showing a hint of this decline in his senses, Wu Xingxue said: Feng Sect said this ce is a remnant shadow of the divine arbor. I dont think a remnant shadow could have this sort of divine force. This ce ought to have something else far beyond a shadow, such as He blinked, pondering within the gradually encroaching darkness and silence: Such as remnants of branches or the like. Can you sense them? "Ill try." Xiao Fuxuan heard his words, then swept his eyes left and right. The divine arbors power was also partially melded into his own internal energy. Ordinarily speaking, a strange divine force should have been mutually repulsed, but for some reason, that bit of divine force was entirelypatible with him, almost gently so. As he cautiously perceived the divine arbors aura, he probed the tower. Before long, he knit his brows. If there really were fragments of branches hidden somewhere, the divine arbor aura would be densest in that ce, far beyond that of other ces. But Xiao Fuxuan couldnt find that so-called densest ce. Rather, he sensed that every single nook and cranny was more or less the same. Xiao Fuxuan contemted, then lifted his gaze upward. Past that massive hole thatd opened up, he could see the second floors ceiling. There was another, third floor above it. A third floor Xiao Fuxuan thought it over, then raised a hand to sweep his sword aura out. Golden light pierced through the massive hole With another loud boom, the entire tower began to shake again. Splintered wood beams and fragments tumbled down. Feng Huiming slid down even further. He looked with a measure of rm at that floors ceiling. With a wet swallow, he exhorted: You cant! Fingers still lifted, Xiao Fuxuans pupils darted briefly at him. Due to his knitted brows, he didnt appear at all patient. Feng Huiming promptly added: You really cant, the second floors ceiling cant be moved! The third floor cant be entered! This time, the words he said were indeed sincere. Because subconsciously, he was so scared he couldnt bother with scheming. Why cant it be entered? said Xiao Fuxuan. Youll die, Feng Huiming said, The third floor and above is forbidden ground. The towers third floor and above were forbidden ground, a ce even he truly didnt dare tread. It was said that thereiny remnants of the sealed divine arbor. The closest Feng Huiming had gotten was a time hed been brought over by the Sect Leader. Hed vaguely heard some very strange voices from above, and was curious for a time. With an additional outbreak of pride, he stealthily went up the stairs. He remembered standing on the staircase and stretching his arm out to push open the third floors door, when he suddenly felt a tickle at his neck. At first, he thought it was his own hair sweeping over, but subsequently realized that couldnt be right. That day, for convenience, hed coiled the ends of his hair up back, so they couldnt have swept past the back of his neck. He turned his head to look, and saw that it was indeed a lock of hair a lock of long hair hanging down from the ceiling. At the time, Feng Huiming was violently startled, and craned his head to look up. From the outside, this secret grounds tower was stacked tier upon tier, no different from a normal pagoda. But the inside was different; the third floor and above were all connected, not separate floors. When Feng Huiming lifted his head, he just felt that the tower was incredibly tall, the ceiling a pitch-ck expanse that inclined along with the towers form. Posture tense, he cautiously snapped a me in his palm, and raised his hand to illuminate it. And saw tree branches pale as human bones stretching out from cracks above the high doorway, criss-crossed and gnarled, extending down from the towers ceiling. The branches were like a dense, and there were countless dead people inside the. And that lock of long hair was dangling down from among them He gaped in shock for a moment, then felt a chill through his heart! He lowered his head to look, and discovered that his own insides had been touched at some point. After a moment, that stretch of fabric was punctured and smudged with blood. Immediately hence, the pale branches stretched out from inside his body like germinating sprouts. Later on, whenever Feng Huiming remembered that day, he always felt as though hed died in that tower. That feeling of his blood suddenly stopping, the full-body chill, he never wanted to experience it again in his life. The Sect Leader said: That is the price for spying on the divine arbor. In the end, upon recounting this to Xiao Fuxuan, he saw Tianxiu eyeing him coolly. After a while, he indifferently opened his mouth to say: Trivial. Feng Huiming: "???" He still wanted to say more, but heard a sound from Tianxius sheath. Hundreds of golden beams of light flooded the tower like the midday sun. Feng Huiming looked up, his first reaction being: Its over, the towers gonna copse. The moment this thought emerged, he could hear words amidst the loud, splintering rupture of wood. Those words apanied the internal energy, emanating distinct and clear next to Wu Xingxues heart. The divine arbor was originally born on the peak of a mountain range, covering over twelve miles in fallen blossoms, though those who saw it were few in number. Because, each nce had its price. This so-called price, was but mankinds unavoidable plight. The entire second floor turned to ruins with these words. Not only that, the entire tower swayed on the verge of copse. Feng Huiming subconsciously looked toward the third floor hed never dared peep into, but the ce seemed like just a fathomless dark tunnel. Apart from the dust and decay on the wind, it was empty. There was nothing there. Neither any so-called divine arbor remnants, nor anything else having to do with the divine arbor. Feng Huiming was taken aback at first, then felt his heart inundated with an absurd feeling. An empty tower had scared him for a hundred years? That cant be right. If it really was an empty tower, then whence came the divine force of the first two floors? As this doubt reared its head, he saw Tianxiu scanning across the utter void of the tower. As though suddenly recalling something, his face sank. He then closed his five fingers The sword aura that had swept out surged violently. A series of splintering cracks burst out as countless rifts crawled across the columns and beams of the tower. One by one, those finely crafted wooden beams exploded under the sword aura, and one by one, they copsed. It wasnt until those wooden beams had smashed to the floor that Feng Huiming realized, those wooden beams were half empty, embedded with something inside That something was atst exposed under Tianxius powerful might. It was branches, wrapped in white jade essence. No wonder, when theyd searched before, they could sense the divine arbors aura in all directions. As it turned out, it was concealed within the tower itself. To be more precise, someone had used the branch fragments to construct this tower. Those branches wrapped in white jade essence fell to the ground, coated in dust. At that moment, an all-epassing phantom revealed itself. It was a nigh-unfathomably massive tree towering into the sky, its canopy like clouds or mist, like a sunset haze piercing through a blue sky. Countless petals floated down from the tree, like a great midwinter snow. Wu Xingxue stood there beneath that delusory plume, amidst fallen bloom. At this point, he couldnt actually see, hear, or sense it clearly. But the moment that phantom image enveloped him, dusty matters of the past shed through his mind. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!