Shen Liuxiang had his hands behind his back, his slender, fair ten fingers gripping the beast core tightly, with enough force to almost crush it.
Zhou Xuanlan had left the Demon Capital for only two or three days, but he felt it had been a very, very long time; counting the God-Destroying Cauldron, he hadn’t seen Zhou Xuanlan for more than ten years.
Now, Shen Liuxiang unexpectedly saw the tall figure under the palace lamp and felt as if they were meeting after lifetimes apart.
But Shen Liuxiang didn’t want to see Zhou Xuanlan at this moment.
He had just dealt with Heng Jiuyin, and the blood on his hands was still warm…
In the hall below, Heng Jiuyin’s seven hearts were arranged in a row, as if his dying wails and cries of pain still lingered around.
At that time, none of Heng Jiuyin’s spells were effective. When he had only one life left, his face finally showed fear and despair. He even put aside his dignity as a demon king, prostrating himself on the ground, begging, but what awaited him was only a cold smile.
Shen Liuxiang took out the beast core, and Heng Jiuyin’s face, covered with demon markings, became distorted, accompanied by screams that echoed inside and outside the hall, ferocious and terrifying.
The other demon kings in the hall were each terrified, not daring to move.
Shen Liuxiang didn’t know what they were afraid of; he believed in punishing the guilty party and wouldn’t kill the innocent. However, these people’s faces were too terrified, and their gazes seemed to look at him as if he were a monster.
Shen Liuxiang didn’t like it and couldn’t help showing displeasure. As displeasure accumulated, killing intent began to overflow.
But he quickly suppressed it, knocked out all the demon kings, and left the hall on foot. Seeing the panicked appearance of the people outside, he felt strangely pleased, so he sat on the roof to watch, as if the fearful expressions of these people were something delicious to his eyes.
Shen Liuxiang felt something was wrong, but he couldn’t control it, and his eyes were filled with murderous intent.
He knew what he looked like at this time and wanted to stay by himself for a while, to dispel the restlessness in his heart before leaving. Unexpectedly, it was at this time that Zhou Xuanlan came.
Shen Liuxiang instinctively hid the beast core, and seeing the approaching figure, he hurriedly destroyed the hall below to eliminate all traces.
Then, with his hands behind his back, he pulled up the corners of his mouth and smiled at Zhou Xuanlan: “You’ve come, how did the awakening go…”
Before he could finish, Zhou Xuanlan pulled him forcefully into his embrace, and he heard an extremely suppressed voice in his ear: “Don’t force a smile at me like this… I’m sorry, Master, it’s this disciple’s fault, this disciple came too late…”
Embracing Shen Liuxiang again, Zhou Xuanlan’s heart, which had been on the edge of an abyss, gradually pulled back. His arms tightened in circles, as if wanting to meld the person into his very bones.
Still here…
Still here! His master is still here!
The moment he came out of seclusion and heard the news, Zhou Xuanlan’s blood ran cold, with only one thought in his mind—Master must not be harmed.
Whatever about refining a demon beast, it’s fine! Everything is fine! Anything goes! As long as he’s still alive and well!
When Master needed him the most, he wasn’t there! He actually wasn’t by Master’s side!
Zhou Xuanlan’s whole body was cold until he saw the person standing on top of the hall. His tense nerves gradually relaxed, but before he could feel joy, his heart was cruelly cut by a knife.
Shen Liuxiang was hiding the blood-stained beast core, as if he had done something unforgivable, afraid of being discovered, with a helpless expression on his face.
“Master, don’t be afraid,” Zhou Xuanlan’s heart was like being cut by a knife, his low voice trembling. “I’m here, and from now on, I won’t let Master suffer even a bit of harm.”
Zhou Xuanlan came in a hurry, his robes still dampened by rain, his body slightly cold, but his breath was warm.
The familiar breath enveloped him, Shen Liuxiang was stunned for a moment, the curved corners of his lips gradually fell, carefully turning downward.
His head rested on Zhou Xuanlan’s shoulder, his cheeks slightly puffed, he took a long breath, and only then did his moist red phoenix eyes return to normal. “I’m fine, I’m not hurt, and Father Emperor has also ascended.”
Shen Liuxiang dropped the Nine-Headed Serpent beast core, wanting to embrace the person before him. Raising his hand, he found his palm was wet, stained with blood.
He wiped it on his clothes, and after wiping, suddenly remembered and trembled slightly. “The blood on my clothes is not mine, it’s Qiongqi’s.”
Sensing Shen Liuxiang’s trembling, Zhou Xuanlan lowered his eyelids, tightly clenched his hand, and after a moment, released him, saying slowly: “Let’s go back to the Eight Cardinal Realms, and from now on, stay at the Cangxue Residence.”
Shen Liuxiang was slightly stunned: “Cangxue Residence?”
“That’s a place this disciple prepared long ago, with every plant and stone built according to Master’s preferences. Master will surely like it,” Zhou Xuanlan’s dark eyes looked at him. “Father Emperor has left, so naturally Master should stay with me from now on.”
“All according to my preferences,”
Shen Liuxiang was stunned for a moment, his long black eyelashes trembling slightly. “Will you be there too?”
Zhou Xuanlan’s heart trembled: “Yes, I will always be by Master’s side!”
“Good, then I…” Shen Liuxiang’s chest suddenly jolted, and his face instantly paled.
It was Qiongqi.
The Demon Bone Pill had expanded all of Shen Liuxiang’s meridians, making them able to withstand the overbearing, fierce demonic power, preventing his body from exploding, but that was the extent of it. Qiongqi could not leave the mind prison reinforced by the Demon Bone Pill, but could use his powerful soul force to control him.
Shen Liuxiang’s consciousness probed into the mind prison and saw Qiongqi grasping the prison door with both hands, his expression no longer angry but excited and agitated.
“Dragon clan! It’s that dragon clan member from back then! Hahaha, still alive? Did Di Yunyu actually spare him?!”
“No, that’s not right, did the Heavenly Dao not kill him, or did he hide well enough not to be discovered?”
“Quick! Let me see him! We can plot a grand scheme that spans the ages!”
Qiongqi was nearly manic with joy, his soul force struggling with Shen Liuxiang’s spirit, trying to take over his body.
Shen Liuxiang’s mind was violently shaken. He immediately pushed Zhou Xuanlan away with a palm strike.
Zhou Xuanlan was completely unprepared and was unexpectedly pushed away by the fierce spiritual force. His grip loosened, allowing the person in his arms to dart into the air. “Master!”
Shen Liuxiang: “Don’t come near!”
He was losing control, and he absolutely couldn’t let Zhou Xuanlan approach.
Back then, besides the four great demon beasts descending into the world, there was also a dragon egg. Qiongqi had obviously recognized Zhou Xuanlan. Shen Liuxiang didn’t know what Qiongqi wanted to say to Zhou Xuanlan, but it was likely nothing good. Instinctively, he wanted Zhou Xuanlan to be as far from Qiongqi as possible.
Shen Liuxiang bit his lip, his increasingly reddening phoenix eyes glancing at Zhou Xuanlan, whose expression had instantly changed. In the moment Zhou Xuanlan tried to pursue him, he tore through space and left the demon lair.
At the same time, Qiongqi in the mind prison suddenly became calm, looking puzzled.
“What is this aura…”
Extremely faint, just a thread, but caught by Qiongqi’s keen senses—something familiar yet repulsive.
“Master!” Zhou Xuanlan grasped at empty air, his eyes immediately darkening.
With Shen Liuxiang’s current cultivation, he could travel thousands of miles in an instant, and by deliberately concealing his aura, it was impossible to determine where he had gone!
Ao Yue, hiding in the shadows, trembled all over.
The Evil Ghost Immortal Lord had fled. Would Zhou Xuanlan take out his anger on him? As he trembled with fear, he saw a figure in cyan robes descend upon the demon lair.
Ling Ye swept his gaze around, not finding any trace of Shen Liuxiang. Looking at the man in the black robe, he noticed his now-extraordinary cultivation and his expression changed slightly, gradually revealing a hint of killing intent.
But it was quickly suppressed, and he instead asked: “Where is he?”
Zhou Xuanlan glanced at him askance, his tone icy: “None of your business.”
He needed to find Shen Liuxiang and had no time to deal with this person. After speaking, his tall figure disappeared.
***
Late at night, a small black insect crawled on a fallen leaf. A cold wind blowing near the ground almost flipped it over.
Shen Liuxiang crouched down, using his sleeve to block the wind, picking up the leaf to examine the small insect on it, his eyes inscrutable.
In the mind prison, Qiongqi thought to himself that this person indeed had a fondness for insects.
It was the same in the God-Destroying Cauldron—even when he was nearly dead, if he happened to see a small black insect, he would still curl his lips into a smile. Later, when his condition improved, he would go into the forest whenever he had time, and if he couldn’t find any, he would dig with his hands until he found one.
There were no living people in the God-Destroying Cauldron, only bloodthirsty evil spirits, so Qiongqi naturally thought Shen Liuxiang had been tortured to madness. He had underestimated his enemy, which led to the disaster of being refined later.
“You can barely protect yourself, yet you’re still looking at insects. If you don’t want to die, come in and have a talk with me.”
Hearing this, Shen Liuxiang gathered his consciousness and arrived before the mind prison.
“Your soul is fragile. In just a few days, I can destroy it and take over your body,” Qiongqi said. “If you don’t want to die, follow my orders.”
Shen Liuxiang narrowed his eyes slightly. Qiongqi had always been vengeful, yet instead of taking over his body, he was offering him a chance to live, which was truly strange.
He cautiously asked: “What do you want to say?”
Qiongqi asked: “Do you know the Time-Space Technique?”
Shen Liuxiang’s expression changed. The Time-Space Technique was a legendary spell on the continent, rumored to be able to manipulate time, altering the past and future. But for tens of thousands of years, this spell had existed only in oral tradition, always elusive and ethereal.
Qiongqi’s sudden mention of it—could such a divine technique truly exist?
Qiongqi observed his expression: “You don’t believe the Time-Space Technique exists, and neither do I. But I was a demon beast from the prehistoric era, yet hundreds of years ago, I came here with several others. Besides this technique, there’s no other explanation.”
Shen Liuxiang looked shocked, but his suspicions were confirmed.
Di Yunyu had once said that along with the four great demon beasts that descended into the world back then, there was also Zhou Xuanlan. Both he and Ling Ye had hinted that Zhou Xuanlan shouldn’t exist in the present era, that his appearance was unreasonable.
But so what if he came from the distant prehistoric era? Zhou Xuanlan was here now, and that was enough.
Shen Liuxiang looked at Qiongqi: “Do you know the Time-Space Technique?”
“I don’t,” Qiongqi said. “That’s why I’m seeking cooperation with you. Have that dragon clan youth use the Time-Space Technique to send me back home, and I’ll spare you. How about it?”
Shen Liuxiang’s face changed dramatically: “How would he know the Time-Space Technique?”
“I’m guessing he does. Those all-powerful old fellows from the dragon clan actually sent him here, so they must have prepared many good things for him. How could they not have taught him divine techniques like the Time-Space Technique?”
Qiongqi continued: “You just need to relay my message to him.”
But Shen Liuxiang said: “I refuse.”
Qiongqi was incredulous: “I’m giving you a way to live, and you don’t want it?”
Shen Liuxiang’s eyes narrowed slightly: “Such a heaven-defying divine technique—the price paid by the caster must be enormous. Your insistence on having him cast the spell, without ever considering teaching the technique so you could do it yourself, clearly indicates that the cost of using this technique is extremely high, and you absolutely would not pay it yourself.”
There was a moment of silence in the mind prison, then Qiongqi said: “Your reaction is quite quick.”
His blood-red eyes stared at Shen Liuxiang: “Since you won’t cooperate, I’ll have to act myself.”
Shen Liuxiang tensed inwardly, watching Qiongqi grin, revealing his gleaming white teeth. “Your attitude doesn’t matter. I just want to know if that dragon clan descendant is willing to listen to me for your sake.”
Shen Liuxiang’s face instantly darkened. As Qiongqi laughed wildly, his consciousness withdrew.
The small black insect had left the leaf at some point. Shen Liuxiang stood still for a while, then released his Nascent Soul.
The Nascent Soul had the appearance of an unrestrained young man, with a slight arch to its eyebrow, asking him: “When will we return to Long Yuan Peak?”
“Long Yuan Peak…” Shen Liuxiang fell silent.
An old peak of the Qinglin Sect, once the residence of Wu Yuan Daoren Fang Zhongqing. By rights, it should be where he grew up.
Shen Liuxiang’s expression was complex. He had spent ten years in the cauldron, his cultivation progressing, and his Nascent Soul outside had grown considerably, with most of his memories surfacing.
Shen Liuxiang had thought these were the original body’s memories, that he was merely a passerby, but unexpectedly, he had completely immersed in them.
It was as if he had personally experienced it all.
As a child, he went to the Qinglin Sect, became a disciple under Wu Yuan Daoren Fang Zhongqing, and from then on lived at Long Yuan Peak with a master who seemed like an immortal. His master always had his fine, long black hair loose, a dot of vermilion between his brows, and eyes like ice crystal—beautiful yet sharp.
At first sight, seeing his master’s cold demeanor, appearing distant and unapproachable, he couldn’t help but feel intimidated.
Later, he discovered that his master was actually soft-hearted, so he became bolder, often going to bother and annoy him. In truth, Fang Zhongqing didn’t even know how to get angry or punish people. Beneath his cold gaze was complete bewilderment, having no idea how to handle a mischievous little disciple.
Later, he learned that at such times, his master would bring in Ling Ye, asking the senior brother to discipline this heaven-defying little disciple.
But sometimes the little disciple was very obedient, would rest his head on his master’s knee, his little mouth as if smeared with honey, constantly sticking close and saying sweet words. Occasionally, Fang Zhongqing would be moved to smile, his vermilion lips curving slightly, his cold countenance softening somewhat.
From childhood to adolescence, Shen Liuxiang would chase after his senior brother to cultivate during the day, the master and two disciples would gather around for meals at mealtimes, and at night he would stick close to his master, teasing him to smile. Except for getting into trouble and being punished every few days, every moment was happy.
He had thought he would stay with his master and senior brother at Long Yuan Peak, continuing like this, but Fang Zhongqing was the first to leave.
When his cultivation reached a certain level, he had to sever all worldly connections. No one knew if he had successfully ascended.
Ling Ye became the new sect master, frequently traveling between the main peak and Long Yuan Peak. Seeing him busy and tired, Shen Liuxiang didn’t insist on staying at Long Yuan Peak. He moved to the main peak, and by the time he became an Immortal Lord with his own main peak, they had separated.
And after that…
Shen Liuxiang’s head ached. He rubbed his brow; the memories in his primordial spirit only reached this point.
He recalled his Nascent Soul and found himself at the foot of Long Yuan Peak.
These memories were too real. When Shen Liuxiang recalled them, he could still taste a hint of warmth from them. He could hardly distinguish whether these were his memories or those of the original body.
Shen Liuxiang came to Long Yuan Peak seeking answers.
But he hadn’t expected that, as he climbed to the peak on foot and raised his eyes, at the end of thousands of stone steps stood a man in cyan robes, a smile on his lips, his face as gentle as jade, smiling more softly than a gentle breeze.
“Finally willing to come back?”
Shen Liuxiang stopped halfway, his clothes swaying lightly in the wind, his lips trembling slightly. “Senior Brother…”
Ling Ye walked down the steps.
But Shen Liuxiang, like a startled bird, stepped back.
Ling Ye frowned slightly, his figure flashing, appearing before Shen Liuxiang, firmly gripping his slender, fair wrist. “Why are you retreating? I am your senior brother. Are you afraid I’ll harm you?”
Shen Liuxiang shook his head vigorously: “No, I have a demon beast inside me!”
He struggled hard to break free: “I can’t control it anymore, Senior Brother, stay away from me! Quickly, stay away from me!!”
Shen Liuxiang didn’t know why, but the moment Ling Ye appeared, Qiongqi erupted with overwhelming killing intent, constantly striking against the tottering symbols, becoming almost manic in the mind prison.
He couldn’t control it anymore—
“Quickly…”
As soon as the word fell, Shen Liuxiang’s handsome face revealed a murderous aura, and he suddenly attacked Ling Ye.
Ling Ye’s expression changed: “Junior Brother… Qiongqi?!”
Qiongqi, having taken over, had blood-red eyes, strange demon markings climbing up to his brow, a ferocious expression, staring at the cyan-robed man before him as if wanting to drink his blood and devour his flesh.
“Heavenly Dao!!!”
The moment Ling Ye appeared, the thread of aura that Qiongqi had sensed in the demon lair returned. This time, he sensed it longer, long enough for Qiongqi to realize that this was the merciless aura of the Heavenly Dao!
The prehistoric era was originally a time when demon beasts roamed freely. Among the human race, except for a few outstanding individuals, all were like ants compared to the demon race.
But the Heavenly Dao was merciless, sending tribulation lightning upon the world. All prehistoric giant beasts and great demons of the world met the fate of having their souls completely destroyed—it was a catastrophe that nearly annihilated the demon race.
Qiongqi, Taotie, and others, taking advantage of the dragon clan’s inattention, broke into the Time-Space Technique meant for the younger generation to escape, thereby fleeing from that tribulation full of despair and filled with wails.
Qiongqi sensed the Heavenly Dao’s aura on Ling Ye. Though it was just a thread, it was enough to incite his surging killing intent, wanting to tear him to pieces.
As the two fought, the entire space began to tremble. Disciples of the Qinglin Sect woke from their dreams, looked out their doors toward the sky, and were all frightened pale.
“Immortal Lord Shen… no, no, it’s a demon beast!”
“This is bad, the Sect Master is in danger!”
After exchanging several blows, Qiongqi became more convinced that the Heavenly Dao had descended, attached to the cyan-robed man before him!
At this moment, his killing intent grew even more intense.
However, to his surprise, this thread of the Heavenly Dao wasn’t delivering a fatal blow to him, but instead seemed to be holding back, considering something.
Qiongqi pondered, then burst into laughter: “The Heavenly Dao actually has a moment of softness! No, it’s this person who’s unwilling! He’s resisting you, hahaha, heaven is helping me!”
Having discovered this, Qiongqi became unrestrained, directly withdrawing his defense, mobilizing all his spiritual power for a killing blow.
“Even if there’s just a thread of the Heavenly Dao, I won’t spare you!”
Boom—!
Ling Ye dared not deliver a fatal blow, his hands and feet were bound, and he was completely at a disadvantage. In an instant, he was severely injured. Just as it seemed this strike couldn’t be dodged, unexpectedly, Qiongqi’s attack went off course.
Qiongqi’s face darkened as he raised his hand and looked at it.
His attack naturally wouldn’t have erred; it was Shen Liuxiang’s soul interfering with him.
Qiongqi was furious, his eyes opened wide in anger as he prepared another earth-shattering strike.
Ling Ye’s eyes widened slightly, almost sensing the approach of death. In this critical moment, he bit his tongue to maintain a degree of clarity.
He couldn’t die!
He absolutely couldn’t die!!
The cyan-robed figure fell into the already activated mountain-protecting formation. Qiongqi’s strike hit the formation, and in an instant, the Qinglin Sect experienced a heaven-splitting, earth-shattering tremor, but the thousand-year formation still stood, protecting the Qinglin Sect.
Qiongqi’s face turned ashen. His gaze fell on those within the formation, seeing the Qinglin disciples with expressions of joy on their faces. His voice was cold: “What are you happy about, a bunch of ants? It’s just a mere formation.”
Qiongqi sneered and waved his hand. Hundreds of strange beasts appeared in the sky, each with blood-red single eyes wide open, their claws gleaming like blades.
Within the Qinglin Sect, there was an instant of silence.
The disciples who witnessed this scene in the sky all had weak legs and trembling bodies.
These ferocious strange beasts, with only primitive instincts, would cause heavy losses even if there was just one to deal with. Now they were everywhere. Once the formation broke, they could tear everyone apart in an instant.
The people of Qinglin were extremely terrified.
And the person now controlling all these strange beasts, once an Immortal Lord, had clearly become the most terrifying demon in their eyes.
Qiongqi smiled coldly, violently shattered the mountain-protecting formation, and rushed toward Ling Ye while ordering the summoned strange beasts to kill everyone.
Tonight, he would slaughter the entire Qinglin Sect!
As the great formation shattered, everyone instantly lost all color in their faces, watching as the beasts descended from the sky.
Ling Ye spat blood. Facing the attack that came in the blink of an eye, his whole body turned cold, as if falling into an icy abyss.
He couldn’t!
He couldn’t die—
Ling Ye’s severely injured body left trails of blood on the ground as he desperately tried to dodge, but it was too late.
He clenched his fingers, his vision gradually falling into darkness.
With his last bit of consciousness, Ling Ye’s gaze fell on a face both familiar and strange. His heart, which had always been calm and undisturbed, suddenly began to ache.
If he were to die…
Die at Shen Liuxiang’s hands…
It would become a nightmare that Shen Liuxiang couldn’t escape for the rest of his life.
“Bang!”
At this moment, a figure in a black robe suddenly arrived, blocking Qiongqi’s strike with the back of his hand, carrying away the unconscious Ling Ye. At the same time, he released a suffocating, powerful pressure that intimidated the strange beasts attacking the Qinglin people.
“Leave—”
##
Aaaaaah, stop this scum!
Thank You for the new chapter (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤