(4/5)
( ˶ˆ꒳ˆ˵ )
Wang Yichen’s speculation was entirely correct—Fenxiu had indeed been taken into the Tianyuan Secret Realm. Once inside, the person who rescued him wasn’t far away and quickly reunited with him.
But Fenxiu wasn’t particularly pleased about this reunion because his rescuer wasn’t entirely committed to saving him.
The rescuer was none other than Su Baimo—the demon cultivator.
Fenxiu leaned against a rocky outcrop, watching Su Baimo frantically attempt something. Despite feeling anxious himself, Fenxiu couldn’t help but laugh: “Don’t bother—it’s useless. My celestial demon control technique is stronger than a blood contract; it can’t be undone.”
Su Baimo’s eyes reddened with rage as he grabbed Fenxiu by the neck. “Shut up!”
Su Baimo was consumed by hatred. He had initially believed he wasn’t bound by any blood contract, only to later discover that Fenxiu had planted another technique on him long ago. If Su Baimo died, it wouldn’t affect Fenxiu—but if Fenxiu were killed, Su Baimo would die as well.
“Do you know why it was so easy for the human cultivators to rescue me back then?” Fenxiu said lazily. “You were one of the contingency plans I left behind. You were useful among the righteous human cultivators, but I didn’t expect you to fall into the path of demon cultivation—completely useless now, Su Baimo.”
“Shut up!” Su Baimo snapped.
Though furious, he couldn’t actually kill Fenxiu. Fenxiu was now a cripple, useless in every way, and Su Baimo had no outlet for his rage. He drove his sword through Fenxiu’s palm and twisted it viciously. Fenxiu cried out in pain but laughed at the same time, making Su Baimo seem like the powerless prisoner instead.
Su Baimo yanked his sword out, trembling with anger. Fenxiu’s body, weakened from prolonged imprisonment, began bleeding profusely. Seeing this, Su Baimo had no choice but to take out medicine and apply it to prevent Fenxiu from weakening to the point of death.
Afterward, Su Baimo collected some celestial demon blood in a container before tossing the medicine bottle carelessly at Fenxiu. Fenxiu caught it and smiled even more provocatively, his expression full of mockery.
If not for the fact that killing him would also result in his own death, Su Baimo would have gladly run him through with his sword again.
Back when Heaven’s Will approached him, it had been in a rush. It told him that Chu Jinglan intended to help the new Heaven’s Will usurp its position and revealed that all of Su Baimo’s smooth sailing in life had been due to its protection. If it were defeated, Su Baimo would never again enjoy such ease.
Before disappearing, Heaven’s Will poured knowledge of certain techniques and treasure locations into Su Baimo’s mind. It also revealed that Fenxiu had long since planted a control technique on him—one even stronger than a blood contract. If Su Baimo died, it wouldn’t affect Fenxiu; but if Fenxiu died, Su Baimo would die as well.
Heaven’s Will tasked Su Baimo with collecting fragments of destiny and finding the purest primordial breath to enhance its power. But before Su Baimo could act on these instructions, his connection with Heaven’s Will was severed.
From that point onward, Su Baimo’s luck began to spiral downward. Meanwhile, Chu Jinglan rose to fame and became the only Return to Void cultivator in existence.
Su Baimo realized that Heaven’s Will—the one who had sheltered him—had been defeated. Using the information it had left behind, he managed to cultivate to Great Perfection stage. With the treasures he possessed, he might have even broken through to Return to Void, but misfortune after misfortune plagued him. He eventually became a demon cultivator.
How could Su Baimo not be filled with hatred?
He had been destined to be the child of fortune—standing above all others—yet now even his life was under someone else’s control. His hatred knew no bounds.
After taking the medicine, Fenxiu casually tossed the bottle aside and sneered: “You’re truly strange, Su Baimo. You’ve already become a demon cultivator, yet you still put on this facade of being a righteous hypocrite.”
“Dual cultivation with a celestial demon requires mutual willingness for it to be effective,” Fenxiu continued mockingly. “You clearly wanted power from me to strengthen your cultivation base—that’s why you cultivated so deeply with me and allowed me to plant my control technique on you. We both have ulterior motives; neither of us is innocent. So why keep pretending?”
Every word hit Su Baimo where it hurt most. Furious beyond measure, he raised his hand and struck Fenxiu across the face with a burst of spiritual energy. Fenxiu’s head snapped to the side as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Yet he simply chuckled twice and wiped it away nonchalantly with his fingers.
Fenxiu didn’t know that Su Baimo had already found a method to break free from the control technique—but the conditions were extremely harsh. There were still two or three key items that Su Baimo hadn’t been able to obtain despite years of searching and countless near-misses.
Earlier, Su Baimo had laid the groundwork for breaking free from the technique on Fenxiu’s body. Once he gathered all the necessary items, he would be able to undo it completely—and at that point, whether Fenxiu lived or died would no longer matter to him.
For now, however, he needed to figure out how to keep Fenxiu alive and get him out of here.
The mountain-sealing formation at Yaori Sect was troublesome but required immense spiritual energy to maintain and couldn’t last indefinitely. All Su Baimo needed was to wait within the secret realm until the formation weakened or temporarily deactivated before making his escape during that window.
The human cultivators likely suspected he was hiding in the secret realm and would probably conduct thorough inspections of anyone leaving. But Su Baimo had already prepared disguises for such an eventuality.
Fenxiu had lost his cultivation, but his celestial demon abilities remained intact. He could alter his appearance, and with the addition of a magical artifact, he could disguise himself with the aura of a Divided Spirit cultivator. Su Baimo, on the other hand, had mastered numerous techniques over the years to conceal his aura and appearance. He had hidden his demonic energy so well that he had evaded Lingxiao Sect’s pursuit multiple times.
Su Baimo grabbed a nearby unconscious cultivator he had captured earlier, cut a gash in their arm, and used the fresh blood to cultivate for a moment. The process left him feeling much more refreshed.
After stopping the bleeding, he set the unconscious cultivator aside. A living person could provide him with blood for several days, so he kept them alive as a backup resource.
Fenxiu glanced at him and asked mockingly, “So we’re just going to stay here without moving?”
“This place is safe and quiet,” Su Baimo replied coldly. “You’re not allowed to wander around. If we encounter danger, you’ll only drag me down.”
Fenxiu chuckled lightly before closing his eyes to rest.
After entering the Tianyuan Secret Realm, Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan were separated as expected. Fortunately, thanks to the Red Luan mark, they could sense each other’s locations.
They were far apart, with dangerous terrain lying between them. Even if both moved toward each other simultaneously, it would likely take two or three days to meet up. In this realm, typical techniques like Void Step or Thousand-Mile Travel wouldn’t work.
However, there were special methods that could.
Over the years, Chu Jinglan had managed to suppress some of the secret realm’s rules through sheer strength. His greatest achievement was leaving a protective mark on Xiao Mo.
This protective mark not only shielded Xiao Mo from Return to Void-level fatal attacks but also allowed Chu Jinglan to bypass the realm’s restrictions and teleport directly to Xiao Mo’s side if the mark was triggered.
Xiao Mo could also activate the protective mark himself. However, using it as a teleportation mechanism required an immense amount of spiritual energy. Otherwise, Xiao Mo could simply summon Chu Jinglan instantly whenever needed—essentially turning it into a personal teleportation array.
Thinking back, when Xiao Mo was still a inner demon, instantly appearing by Chu Jinglan’s side had been incredibly convenient.
But being human was still better.
Humans had blood and hearts—they could hear their own heartbeat and feel warmth when holding hands or embracing one another. It was far more grounding and reassuring.
Within the Tianyuan Secret Realm, anyone with cultivation above Great Perfection stage would be suppressed to Great Perfection level. For most people—except Chu Jinglan—this meant they weren’t affected at all. Yet even among those at Great Perfection stage, Chu Jinglan remained unquestionably the strongest.
As Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan began moving toward each other, they communicated through their Dao companion mark within their sea of consciousness.
Chu Jinglan’s path led through a perilous valley marked on the map—a place no one below Great Perfection stage dared venture into because it was home to eighth-tier and even ninth-tier spirit beasts.
Ninth-tier spirit beasts were equivalent in strength to human Great Perfection cultivators.
Xiao Mo suggested cautiously: “Why don’t you take a detour?”
“Too far,” Chu Jinglan replied calmly. “If something blocks my way—I’ll just kill it.”
Before Xiao Mo returned, if Chu Xianzun had said such words, they would have been chilling and filled with a terrifying coldness. But now, Chu Jinglan’s tone was calm and indifferent—even when talking about killing, there wasn’t the slightest trace of killing intent or murderous aura.
In truth, this made him even more dangerous.
“Brutal,” Xiao Mo commented briefly, “but I like it.”
He loved seeing Chu Jinglan standing at the pinnacle, unmatched and peerless. Every achievement Chu Jinglan had was well-deserved.
Only Xiao Mo could hear Chu Jinglan’s words and not feel fear—instead, he found them exhilarating.
As Xiao Mo moved closer to Chu Jinglan’s location, he periodically checked the map to confirm his route. Upon doing so, he realized that moving forward would take him to Crimson Cliff.
Crimson Cliff was one of the locations where spiritual threads could be found.
Initially, he had planned to search for items after meeting up with Chu Jinglan. But since he was passing by anyway, he decided to take a look.
Spiritual threads tended to grow in remote places. Xiao Mo extended his spiritual consciousness outward and didn’t detect any nearby dangers or spirit beasts. Following the crevices along the cliff bit by bit, he eventually found some spiritual threads nestled in a crack at the edge of the cliff.
Delighted, Xiao Mo used his water-aligned spiritual energy to extract the threads. After purifying them with his energy, the threads turned blue and floated out of the crevice in loops before landing neatly in his palm.
Having gathered enough spiritual threads, Xiao Mo began pondering what kind of sword tassel he could weave with them. Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat.
Although he couldn’t sense anything unusual around him, a sharp feeling of danger screamed in his mind.
Xiao Mo quickly stored the spiritual threads and cautiously shifted his position by moving his toes slightly.
Everything around him remained eerily quiet.
Then, without hesitation, Xiao Mo propelled himself outward. Just as he leapt several meters away, pitch-black spiritual energy surged up in front of him—blocking his path.
A voice sounded behind him: “So you’re from Du-E Sect?”
Xiao Mo turned around to see the speaker’s face—a seemingly ordinary visage that flickered before transforming into another appearance. Xiao Mo’s eyes widened in shock: Su Baimo!
The disguise artifact Xiao Mo wore not only concealed his own identity but also granted him the ability to see through others’ disguises. If the opposing party’s technique wasn’t particularly refined or their artifact was lower-grade than his own, their disguise would be rendered ineffective under his gaze.
Su Baimo had entered the Tianyuan Secret Realm!
If Su Baimo had come to Yaori Sect’s territory while cultivators were gathered there en masse, it wouldn’t have been just to risk entering a secret realm that didn’t contain any legendary treasures. The only plausible reason was that he wanted Fenxiu’s celestial demon blood. But now that Su Baimo was inside the secret realm… could it be that he couldn’t escape Yaori Sect and had chosen to hide here instead?
Had he obtained the blood already? Could he have rescued Fenxiu outright?
Xiao Mo’s mind raced through possibilities at lightning speed. No matter what thoughts churned within him, his expression remained calm—even offering Su Baimo a polite smile: “Senior, we’ve never interfered with each other before—why trouble a junior like me?”
Currently at peak Great Perfection stage as a demon cultivator, Su Baimo vastly outclassed Xiao Mo’s mid-stage Divided Spirit cultivation level. Normally, someone at peak Great Perfection could kill a mid-stage Divided Spirit cultivator as easily as crushing an ant. But Xiao Mo had several advantages:
1. Chu Jinglan’s protective mark shielded him from fatal attacks.
2. He carried numerous magical artifacts.
3. And most importantly—Qiuqiu was in his spirit pet pouch.
Qiuqiu was a ninth-tier Golden Flame Flowing Fire Phoenix, capable of fighting against Great Perfection cultivators.
At this moment, Qiuqiu’s feathers were bristling as it prepared to emerge from the pouch. Beside it was Fortune Butterfly Xiaocai flapping its wings nervously. However, Xiao Mo used his spiritual consciousness to suppress them both—calming them down for now.
“Master,” Xiaocai transmitted to Xiao Mo through their spirit beast contract, “this person is surrounded by immense resentment and malevolent energy—an extremely rare occurrence. He is a forsaken child of heaven, yet he has managed to cultivate to Great Perfection. It’s unbelievable.”
That’s because he wasn’t born a forsaken child of heaven; he was supposed to be a child of fortune but fell victim to his insatiable greed. Xiao Mo sent a message to Chu Jinglan through their connection: “I’ve encountered Su Baimo.”
Chu Jinglan’s heart sank, and just as he was about to respond, Xiao Mo’s next message arrived: “But he doesn’t seem intent on killing me.”
If Su Baimo had wanted to kill him, he would have acted immediately.
Su Baimo’s gaze shifted from Xiao Mo’s identity token to his face. “I’ve run into some trouble and need your help.”
Xiao Mo replied calmly, “Senior must be joking. If it’s something even you can’t handle, how could I possibly help?”
Su Baimo, who had once possessed a clean and handsome appearance, now exuded an eerie and sinister aura that had taken root in his demeanor. He cast a sidelong glance at Xiao Mo. “You don’t have a choice—you’ll stay whether you want to or not.”
Given the disparity in their cultivation levels, it was clearly a threat.
Xiao Mo sighed lightly. “I have no desire to become your enemy… So, lead the way.”
In the sea of consciousness, Chu Jinglan said, “Activate the protective mark—I’ll come over.”
“I’m gathering strength for it, but there’s no rush,” Xiao Mo replied. “I don’t know why Su Baimo is here yet—I want to assess the situation first.”
“Xiao Mo,” Chu Jinglan’s voice was low and steady. “Don’t risk your life.”
Remaining vigilant, Xiao Mo responded: “If our roles were reversed, you’d make the same choice as me.”
Chu Jinglan: “It’s not the same.”
“It is the same, Chu Jinglan. I don’t throw my life away recklessly—and my life isn’t just mine anymore.”
Chu Jinglan froze for a moment.
“You always forget that we’re bound by life and death as Dao companions,” Xiao Mo said with a smile. “I’ve already prepared the hand seal—I can summon you at any moment. Right now, I’m just trying to gather more information first. Are you still going to stop me?”
If their roles were reversed—even if Chu Jinglan were only at Divided Spirit stage—he would indeed make the same choice as Xiao Mo.
That was true—they were now bound by life and death. Xiao Mo would never disappear from Chu Jinglan’s sight again; not even death could separate them.
Pressing his hand against his chest where his heart beat steadily, Chu Jinglan finally relented: “…Be careful.”
Xiao Mo replied softly, “Mm.”
In front of Su Baimo, Xiao Mo held a magical artifact in his hand. The disparity in their strength was so vast that Su Baimo didn’t take him seriously at all. Qiuqiu could emerge at any moment if needed, and Chu Jinglan could arrive instantly if summoned—Xiao Mo was indeed being cautious.
With Chu Jinglan’s life tied to his own, there was no room for carelessness.
The reason he hadn’t acted immediately was because of a suspicion.
Su Baimo had hidden himself in the secret realm—he might have succeeded in extracting celestial demon blood or failed entirely. But there was another possibility: he had rescued Fenxiu and brought him into the secret realm as well.
Judging by Su Baimo’s movements, he wasn’t wandering aimlessly or searching for someone. Xiao Mo followed him to a cave near Crimson Cliff. The cave was surrounded by a protective formation, clearly set up for long-term residence.
Upon entering the cave, Xiao Mo saw someone meditating inside.
The celestial demon’s body transformation technique was extremely refined, and the artifact Xiao Mo wore wasn’t strong enough to see through it. However, the person in the cave hadn’t bothered to change clothes to cover their injuries. The tattered garments and the gaping wound near their collarbone made it clear to Xiao Mo—this person was Fenxiu.
Su Baimo had truly rescued Fenxiu and even reunited with him inside the secret realm. But this presented an opportunity to capture both of them at once.
Still, why would Su Baimo take such a huge risk to save Fenxiu? He wasn’t the type to act selflessly—unless Fenxiu held something over him.
A blood contract? Or perhaps something even more dangerous?
Xiao Mo’s sharp mind worked quickly. With one hand hidden behind his back, he quietly prepared the hand seal to activate the protective mark.
Nearby, a human cultivator who had been lying unconscious on the ground began to stir. After a moment of confusion, they looked around nervously—first at Su Baimo in his black robe, then at Xiao Mo following behind him.
While Su Baimo continued walking deeper into the cave, Xiao Mo stopped beside the dazed cultivator. The disciple crawled toward him weakly and asked in a trembling voice, “Daoist friend, were you captured too?”
This disciple was a rogue cultivator who hadn’t even been competing for treasures yet somehow ended up captured. He felt utterly disheartened by how treacherous people could be in the secret realm and was on the verge of tears.
He couldn’t understand why he was still alive. What use could he possibly have to someone at Great Perfection stage? The thought only made his fear worse.
The young disciple trembled uncontrollably, clearly terrified. Taking a moment, Xiao Mo softly reassured him: “Don’t be afraid.”
At that moment, Su Baimo stopped abruptly and turned around, launching a sudden attack—intending to use Xiao Mo’s blood for a blood contract.
But Xiao Mo had already activated the protective mark. Instead of meeting Xiao Mo’s blood, Su Baimo found himself face-to-face with Chu Jinglan’s sword.
Su Baimo’s pupils shrank as he quickly changed tactics to block the attack. However, Chu Jinglan’s sword strike was swift and powerful—not a light move. It collided with Su Baimo’s dense demonic energy in a clash so intense that the air screamed with tension. The sheer force caused the innocent disciple who had just gotten up to cough up blood again.
Xiao Mo grabbed the disciple by his collar and flung him out of the cave. “Go!”
The disciple tumbled outside and shouted from afar: “I’ll never forget this life-saving grace—”
Xiao Mo drew his flute from his waist and infused it with sword energy before aiming an attack at Fenxiu.
If his guess was correct, Fenxiu was one of Su Baimo’s weaknesses.
Su Baimo’s pupils contracted sharply. As someone who had evaded capture for so long even at peak Great Perfection stage, he reacted instantly—summoning an enormous blood shadow that allowed him to retreat from Chu Jinglan’s attack and rush straight toward Fenxiu.
Seeing Su Baimo genuinely protecting Fenxiu confirmed Xiao Mo’s suspicions. He raised his hand and flung out the golden chain from his wrist. Chu Jinglan caught it firmly and pulled Xiao Mo back toward him in one swift motion. With their toes lightly touching the ground, they retreated together out of the cave.
The small cave couldn’t withstand Su Baimo’s massive blood shadow—it collapsed into rubble with a deafening crash. The blood shadow loomed like a monstrous beast with grotesque ghostly features. Its crimson hue was so dark it bordered on black, towering like a mountain and making anyone standing before it seem insignificant.
Standing on the shoulder of the blood shadow, Su Baimo cried out in disbelief: “Impossible! How can you teleport directly to his side within the secret realm?!”
Su Baimo originally intended to place a blood contract on the disciple from Du-E Sect as a form of insurance. If things went terribly wrong after leaving the secret realm, he could use the disciple as leverage to secure his survival.
After all, Du-E Sect only had a few members publicly known to outsiders. If this disciple were captured, Chu Jinglan would undoubtedly prioritize their safety.
But what Su Baimo hadn’t anticipated was that this Divided Spirit cultivator could summon another Du-E Sect member—and one at peak Great Perfection stage.
Chu Jinglan no longer concealed his cultivation aura. Though suppressed from Return to Void stage, he was now fully revealed as a peak Great Perfection cultivator.
The commotion naturally woke Fenxiu, who was sitting in the palm of the blood shadow. He chuckled suddenly and said, “Why would it be impossible? Right, Chu Jinglan?”
Su Baimo’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What are you talking about—”
Fenxiu smirked and continued, “I noticed you two during the escort. That sword technique—I couldn’t possibly mistake it. ‘Deeply learned from Xianzun himself’? No, you’re Chu Jinglan himself.”
“And that person beside you—your new flame, isn’t it? Even carrying a flute at his waist, though it’s not the same one as before.”
“The little beauty has disguised his true appearance—what a shame. But what’s even more unfortunate is that Chu Jinglan isn’t sincere about you. He’s just using you as a substitute plaything, while you’re hopelessly devoted to him. You didn’t believe me when I said it before—haven’t you figured anything out over these past few days?”
Chu Jinglan’s brows lifted slightly as his fingers brushed against the humming blade of his sword. “He said something like that before?”
Xiao Mo replied calmly: “An outsider—it’s just how they are.”
Fenxiu’s attempt at sowing discord was futile. There was no substitute in their relationship—only the real thing. The truth stood right here between them; no amount of lies could shake it.
And quick thinking wasn’t limited to Xiao Mo—Chu Jinglan was equally sharp.
Su Baimo’s desperate efforts to protect Fenxiu hadn’t escaped Chu Jinglan’s notice.
Xiao Mo asked with a smile: “Do you believe he genuinely cares for Fenxiu—or do you think there’s another explanation?”
Chu Jinglan replied without hesitation: “The latter.”
“How do we prove it?” Xiao Mo pressed.
Chu Jinglan’s sword energy condensed sharply. “Kill him and find out.”
Xiao Mo put away his disguise flute and replaced it with his preferred weapon—the jade flute Jing Mo. Holding it horizontally in front of him, he said with a smirk: “What a coincidence—I was thinking the same thing.”
🥰
thanks for the chapter!