The last traces of the tribulation clouds over the Longevity Dao Sect’s territory were about to disperse.
The sky had already brightened once more.
Shu Xin held his sword, his expression stern.
“Master Yushan has successfully survived his tribulation. Once the aura of the heavenly tribulation is gone, do you think Jingzhi will make it in time?” Shu Xin finally dropped his pretense and could no longer resist asking the Sword Spirit.
Only while the aura of the heavenly tribulation enveloped the entire Longevity Dao Sect could Situ Jian take revenge without being detected by the Earthly Immortals.
But once the tribulation dispersed, the deaths of two disciples would inevitably draw the attention of the Earthly Immortals.
When that happened, how could Situ Jian possibly withstand them?
【Killing one should be manageable. But killing two will probably be difficult.】 The Sword Spirit hesitated for a moment before continuing. 【He’s cultivating the Heaven-Stealing and Day-Swapping Demonic Art in a mortal body, so he can only advance by plundering other people’s spiritual roots and cultivation. Those two relatives of his are, at any rate, in the Wugou Realm. Killing both of them won’t be easy.】
Besides, those two were merely the blades.
The one truly making them act was Wuweizi, the Earthly Immortal of the Longevity Dao Sect.
Lifespan was a fatal barrier standing before every cultivator.
Even Earthly Immortals were no exception.
Wuweizi had guarded the Longevity Dao Sect for so many years. It was only because he was there that the sect could flourish.
The moment something happened to him, the Longevity Dao Sect would become just like the Profound Spirit Dao Sect—reduced to ruins overnight.
Thus, in order to extend Wuweizi’s lifespan, the Longevity Dao Sect would try every possible method.
They had already tried every heavenly treasure and life-extending cultivation technique, yet none of them could have any further effect on Wuweizi.
That left only certain unorthodox methods.
In ancient times, the human and demon races had been locked in endless warfare. It was only after geniuses began emerging among humanity that humans managed to suppress the demons decisively.
But the demon race had advantages of its own.
In particular, there was a branch known as the chun demons. They possessed extraordinarily long lifespans, almost as long as heaven and earth themselves.
Born as the very essence of wood, they possessed powerful regenerative abilities. Once they successfully took human form, they were practically destined to become demon immortals.
The chun clan had long since vanished from the history of the demon race.
Yet once, a chun demon who had taken human form had left behind descendants in the human world.
At first, the human-demon hybrid knew that his flesh and blood were precious. He concealed his identity, scarcely ever ventured into the cultivation world, and never cultivated, thereby avoiding detection by cultivators.
In this way, generation after generation married and had children with humans. After tens of thousands of years, their descendants had become indistinguishable from ordinary humans.
Aside from being born with a trace of wood spiritual power, they were no different from mortals in any other respect.
They also obeyed the ancestral command: so long as they never cultivated, they would not be discovered by cultivators and could preserve a lifetime of peace and stability.
Back when Shu Xin had suffered a life-threatening injury, the Sword Spirit had been helpless. It could only follow its instincts and bring Shu Xin to the small town where the descendants of the chun clan lived, hoping to use the town’s inherent restorative power to keep him alive.
Situ Jian—or rather, Wen Jingzhi—was rescued by Shu Xin only after that.
“Jingzhi has endured this for so many years. How could he possibly hold back now?” Shu Xin tightened his grip on the sword. “Tell me, if I go save him, will he get angry with me again?”
【Wait. That little fox should have his own plans.】 The Sword Spirit hurriedly tried to stop him. 【Wasn’t it you who said we mustn’t let the Earthly Immortals discover us so easily?】
“I’ve always held myself to a double standard. It’s not as if you didn’t know that!” Shu Xin said impatiently.
Wen Jingzhi was different from the others.
She had raised him herself, and the two of them had plotted together to infiltrate the Longevity Dao Sect. They had done all sorts of good and bad things together. How could their feelings possibly be the same?
Even ten fingers had their lengths and differences, let alone feelings.
If he died, she would definitely avenge him—she would chop off that Earth Immortal’s head and drink wine from it.
You really have the nerve to say that so righteously?
What happened to the way you used to curse me?
The Sword Spirit really wanted to roll its eyes at Shu Xin.
【Don’t panic. Very few people are capable of mastering the Heaven-Stealing Sun-Swapping Demonic Art. If that Earth Immortal truly discovers what kind of technique he is practicing, then, even if only to extend his own lifespan, he will definitely spare his life.】
The only problem was that his fate might not be very pleasant.
But as long as he could stay alive, what more could he ask for?
Sigh.
The Sword Spirit also felt that the world was unpredictable.
Back then, the Chun Clan had been an existence that even its former sword wielders had treated with courtesy whenever they encountered them.
Yet now, the only one seeking revenge for them was an ordinary mortal.
No matter how powerful a sword wielder was, no matter how mighty a great demon was, there would eventually come a day when their glory faded away.
“You… You’re Jingzhi? That’s impossible!” Wen Jingshu muttered before turning viciously toward Situ Jian. “Impossible. Jingzhi was nothing but an ordinary mortal. He didn’t have even the slightest trace of spiritual root. There’s no way he could cultivate!”
How could a mortal like that still be alive after being slashed more than a dozen times?
That was absolutely impossible!
A gentle smile appeared on Situ Jian’s face as he slowly approached Wen Jingshu.
“Aunt, whether or not I’m the Jingzhi you’re talking about, you’ll know very soon.” Situ Jian took a long saber from his storage ring.
Under Wen Jingshu’s terrified gaze, his first slash came down viciously upon her right leg.
“Ah—!”
Wen Jingshu let out a short cry of pain.
“Didn’t Aunt say to Uncle back then that you wanted me to experience what it was like to be unable to move or jump? That’s why he cut off my leg with his first strike.” Situ Jian pulled the saber back out. Wen Jingshu’s blood splashed across his eyes, making him look almost like a vengeful ghost.
It really… really was him?
He had returned.
He had returned!
“Jingzhi, Jingzhi, you can’t kill me.” Wen Jingshu paid no attention to the pain. She was completely consumed by the fear of death.
But Situ Jian acted as though he hadn’t heard her and brought the saber down on her arm again.
As a cultivator in the Grotto-Heaven Realm, Wen Jingshu was destined not to die from injuries like these.
He really is going to kill me?
Wen Jingshu’s mind could no longer spare a thought for anything else. All she wanted was to hold on to her life.
“I… I was deceived by Wuweizi too.” Wen Jingshu spoke through sobs. “I thought I was only absorbing a little of my clansmen’s strength to restore my health. I never imagined they would all die. Yes, it must have been Wuweizi who did it. He changed my way of thinking. That wasn’t what I truly intended. I only wanted to cultivate. I only wanted to be like a normal person, able to run and jump. I had no reason to kill anyone, did I?”
Situ Jian looked at Wen Jingshu’s argument, riddled with holes, and smiled silently.
“Earlier, I added Mirrorheart Divine Water to Song Ping’s tea,” Situ Jian said softly. “I wanted so badly to give you and Uncle a chance. Even if you truly had been controlled by demonic cultivators, at least I would have had some reason not to hate you quite so much.”
The greatest effect of Mirrorheart Divine Water, aside from revealing whether a demonic cultivator possessing a spirit had taken over someone’s body, was that it could also detect whether a cultivator’s thoughts had been altered by a spell.
That was the true reason it was called Mirrorheart Divine Water.
Unfortunately, there was no reaction.
Neither Fu Ge nor Wen Jingshu had shown the slightest sign of anything.
Which meant that everything they had done had come from their own hearts.
At the mention of Mirrorheart Divine Water, Wen Jingshu’s body stiffened.
Before something like that, all her excuses were laughable.
“I’m the last surviving member of the Wen family. I’m the only Wen left in this world.” Knowing that she could no longer play the emotional card, Wen Jingshu—who knew perfectly well what she had done—could only drag out her brother and sister-in-law, dead for who knew how many years, once again. “My brother and sister-in-law treated you so well. They raised you as if you were their own. You... you have to spare my life. Only then can the Wen family be rebuilt.”
“Without my brother and sister-in-law, you would have been nothing more than the lowest-ranking blood slave, a helpless fugitive from the Blood Demon Kingdom.”
“It was the Wen family that gave you a new life. If you kill me, there will no longer be a single member of the Wen family left in this world.”
“And Fu Ge—Fu Ge is no good either. I’ll help you kill him, all right?” Wen Jingshu hurriedly pledged her loyalty. The desperate expression on her face made her look like an aunt who was genuinely thinking of Situ Jian. “You have more enemies than just me, don’t you? Let me make amends for my crimes. I will definitely rebuild the Wen family.”
“You still dare mention them?” Situ Jian drove his blade into Wen Jingshu’s heart.
Wen Jingshu coughed up two mouthfuls of blood.
“Aunt, thank you for reminding me. I’ll go find Uncle soon enough. Father, Mother, and all those clansmen have been waiting for the two of you below for so long. It is indeed my duty to send you down there as quickly as possible, so that you can atone before them!”
With that, Situ Jian swung his blade toward Wen Jingshu’s neck.
“Don’t worry, Aunt. I won’t let you die so easily.”
“That is one advantage cultivators have over ordinary people—they are far harder to kill.”
...
Fu Ge hurried to the Murong estate with the Undying Azure Lamp.
His wife, Murong Yan, was watering the flowers.
She was not only stunningly beautiful; more importantly, she possessed a gentle, approachable air that made others feel at ease in her presence.
Over the years, whenever Fu Ge saw her, he could not help but feel his heart grow calmer.
“Why are you back?” Murong Yan asked in delighted surprise. “The Undying Azure Lamp has been damaged so badly. Are you hurt? Let me see.”
Fu Ge allowed his wife to fuss over him for a moment, but then keenly sensed that something was wrong. “Yan, wasn’t it you who sent me a message saying that the elders had discovered the Undying Azure Lamp was missing, and that I needed to return immediately?”
“I didn’t,” Murong Yan said, looking somewhat confused. “The elders wouldn’t concern themselves with such matters.”
Fu Ge was already one of the Nine Sons of Immortality, and many members of the Murong family regarded him as the next head of the clan. As for the whereabouts of the Undying Azure Lantern, the family had chosen to turn a blind eye.
“Damn it.” Fu Ge suddenly realized what had happened and immediately moved to leave.
Something had gone wrong with Wen Jingshu!
“Husband, wait.” Murong Yan took two steps forward, then offered up her own life essence, sending it once more into the wick of the Undying Azure Lantern.
The Azure Lantern, which had been on the verge of going out, began burning again under the nourishment of her blood essence.
Murong Yan’s body went limp, and Fu Ge caught her in his arms.
“Yan’er, now that the lantern has gone out, I could have used the blood of other members of the Murong family to relight it.” Fu Ge held her tenderly, his heart aching. “You didn’t have to sacrifice so much.”
“It’s all right.” Murong Yan smiled. “You’ve done so much for me. It’s only right that I do something for you.”
After settling Murong Yan, Fu Ge rushed to Wen Jingshu’s cave dwelling at top speed.
Yet when he finally entered, all he saw were Wen Jingshu’s bones. Her flesh and blood had been drained away by some forbidden technique, and blood covered nearly the entire floor. Even the bones of her limbs had been torn apart from her torso.
How could this have happened?
The moment Fu Ge saw the scene, he knew this was no simple murder for the sake of plunder.
This was clearly an act of vengeance.
And before her death, Wen Jingshu must have endured unimaginable suffering.
Just as Fu Ge stepped forward to check whether Wen Jingshu’s primordial spirit still remained, a surge of spell energy suddenly erupted behind him.
Fu Ge had been prepared. He raised a hand and blocked the attack.
“Who’s there?” Fu Ge revealed the Undying Azure Lantern. Its formidable power scattered the man before him, who had been shrouded in a mass of demonic energy.
Even the demonic energy was forcibly dispersed by the power of the Undying Azure Lantern, revealing a cool and handsome face.
“You? You’re still alive.” Shock flashed across Fu Ge’s face when he recognized Situ Jian. Then, uncertainly, he asked, “You actually killed Wen Jingshu?”
And from the looks of it, the man was a demonic cultivator.
But even if he was a demonic cultivator, how had he managed to enter the territory of the Longevity Dao Sect?
Situ Jian did not hesitate. The Yin-Yang Dharma Avatar appeared behind him, and he launched his attacks without the slightest pause.
Fu Ge naturally had no intention of holding back either. He was determined to capture this demonic cultivator and interrogate him thoroughly.
Situ Jian had always known that Fu Ge was somewhat stronger than Wen Jingshu.
That was why he had devised a plan to lure Fu Ge away first.
The ideal situation would be to deal with them one at a time—kill Wen Jingshu first, then Fu Ge.
“Your Dao companion is still at the Murong residence. She just sacrificed her blood essence to nourish your Undying Azure Lantern. Do you think she can withstand my subordinates?” Situ Jian threatened him outright.
The hand gripping the Undying Azure Lantern paused ever so slightly.
“You despicable bastard!”
But Fu Ge hesitated for only that brief instant before swiftly steadying his emotions.
“Demonic fiend, don’t even think about disturbing my Dao heart.”
Situ Jian and Fu Ge exchanged more than a dozen blows in the space of a few moments, yet it was still difficult to determine a victor.
Fu Ge found it utterly unbelievable.
Even though he had fallen from the Immaculate Realm to the Grotto-Heaven Realm, with the support of the Undying Azure Lantern, his combat strength should still have been greater than that of an ordinary cultivator in the Immaculate Realm.
But Situ Jian, standing before him, was clearly only at the Grotto-Heaven Realm. How could he still fight him to a standstill after killing Wen Jingshu?
There had to be something strange going on.
If he captured him, perhaps his master would reward him handsomely.
Situ Jian, meanwhile, was racing against time, showing no sign of yielding.
His cultivation technique was extraordinarily unusual. He possessed the spiritual power of two Immaculate Realm cultivators, though he had no way to refine it all so quickly.
Fu Ge was finding the battle increasingly difficult.
Before long, dozens of wounds had appeared across his body. Even with the Everlasting Azure Lamp protecting him, it was difficult for him to withstand every one of Situ Jian’s attacks.
What kind of monster was this?
Fu Ge was horrified. If not for the Everlasting Azure Lamp in his hand, he would likely already be dead.
How could one person cultivate both an orthodox immortal art and a demonic technique?
He had never heard of such a thing!
Fu Ge had realized that something was wrong. What had begun as a desperate fight to the death now became an attempt to flee.
If he chose to escape, the chances of his opponent catching up to him would be very small.
But how could Situ Jian possibly allow Fu Ge to get away?
“Welcome, Sect Master, upon your emergence from seclusion!”
“Welcome, Sect Master, upon your emergence from seclusion!”
“Welcome, Sect Master, upon your emergence from seclusion!”
A thunderous chorus rang out from outside.
The heavenly tribulation had already dispersed.
Master Yushan had officially become a Mahayana Realm cultivator and would naturally assume the position of Sect Master of the Changsheng Dao Sect.
Outside, voices of celebration rose in unison.
Joy flashed across Fu Ge’s face as he looked at Situ Jian. “You have reached the end of the road. If you kill me, you will surely draw my master’s attention. The Changsheng Dao Sect will never let you go.”
Situ Jian’s expression darkened slightly.
Man proposes, Heaven disposes.
He had prepared himself for the possibility that Fu Ge would not be swayed by his threats. Though Fu Ge normally showed Murong Yan every care and concern, Situ Jian knew full well that when it came down to it, his uncle was the kind of man who would abandon anything but himself.
Especially after seeing Wen Jingshu’s fate, Fu Ge would be even less likely to lose focus because of Murong Yan.
Yet Situ Jian had remained confident that, after absorbing Wen Jingshu’s cultivation, he could kill Fu Ge.
He had simply never expected Master Yushan’s tribulation to end even sooner than he had anticipated.
It seemed this Sect Master Yushan had long been concealing his true cultivation.
The best course of action, naturally, would have been to abandon his attempt to kill Fu Ge and leave at once.
But he could not!
Situ Jian’s face turned icy.
He had waited so long for an opportunity like this. If he let Fu Ge escape now, who knew how many centuries he would have to wait before he could kill him again?
He had already waited far, far too long.
Wen Jingshu was dead. How could Fu Ge be allowed to live?
Situ Jian released his suppression over the cultivation he had yet to fully refine, and the aura around him rapidly surged to the Immaculate Realm.
At the same time, demonic energy once more spread across his face, and a shadow fell over his previously clear eyes.
Fu Ge immediately sensed that something was wrong and turned to flee.
“Trying to run?”
Situ Jian’s voice was hoarse. The dense demonic energy behind him seemed to possess eyes of its own, transforming into several enormous hands that instantly seized Fu Ge’s limbs.
The Everlasting Azure Lamp in Fu Ge’s hand also fell into Situ Jian’s grasp.
It sizzled against the palm of his hand.
“A magical treasure without a spirit can’t even distinguish good from evil.” Situ Jian crushed the body of the Everlasting Azure Lamp in his hand, then tore out its wick and burned it to ash.
At the same time—
Every cultivator of the Murong family suddenly tasted sweetness in their throats and spat blood.
“Not good! Someone is destroying our ancestral Azure Lamp!”
“Where did this thief come from?”
Murong Yan, who had already been subdued, coughed up several mouthfuls of blood as well.
Seeing this, the cultivators restraining her knew that their master had destroyed the Everlasting Azure Lamp. At once, both drew their spirit swords and drove them straight into Murong Yan’s dantian.
“Husband!” Murong Yan let out a mournful cry, but she had time for only that one word before even her primordial spirit was shredded.
“Those who aid evil deserve death!” The cultivators who had struck the blow fled at once, following the escape route they had planned in advance.
Their master had told them that once Murong Yan was dead, they were to flee the Longevity Dao Sect immediately and never return.
As Murong Yan’s dao companion, Fu Ge sensed that something was wrong the instant her life faded away.
The death of his bonded partner inflicted irreversible damage upon him as well, through the Heartbound Pact they shared.
Now!
Situ Jian surged forward with unstoppable force. The dharma manifestation behind him had Fu Ge firmly trapped.
His right hand pierced through Fu Ge’s chest and tore out a fresh, crimson heart.
At the same time, Fu Ge’s cultivation flowed continuously into Situ Jian’s body. As his power drained away, his flesh gradually sagged, and his black hair turned white in the blink of an eye.
“You…” Light flickered in Fu Ge’s eyes, as though he wanted to seize his heart back.
“So your heart is red too, Uncle,” Situ Jian said softly.
Fu Ge’s eyes suddenly widened, as if he believed he was hallucinating.
How could it be…
Jingzhi?
“Don’t worry. Your primordial spirit, along with Wen Jingshu’s, will be placed in the Ten Thousand Souls Banner. The two of you will suffer every torment for a long, long time before I allow you to join my parents and clansmen.” Situ Jian pulled out Fu Ge’s primordial spirit and cast it directly into the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.
Only after he had killed Wuweizi would he release the primordial spirits of these two close relatives.
To think they could die so easily? Dream on.
The demonic aura around Situ Jian surged violently as he struggled to maintain his sanity.
Yet, in the very next instant after Fu Ge’s life force vanished, an inexplicably powerful pressure descended from the horizon.
“What demon dares run wild in the Longevity Dao Sect?”
A majestic voice rang out.
At the sound of it, Situ Jian immediately spat out blood.
It was that old ghost, Wuweizi!
Situ Jian instantly transformed into a streak of light and fled.
Meanwhile, the battle between the untainted-realm elders from the other sects and Zong An was also nearing its end.
Master Yushan’s heavenly tribulation had passed, and most people had been drawn toward the far greater commotion surrounding Zong An.
But to Wuweizi, the deaths of Fu Ge and Wen Jingshu were clearly far more worthy of his attention.
Deep within the Longevity Dao Sect—
An elderly man with snow-white hair and beard, yet smooth skin, slowly opened his eyes. The moment he did, he took in everything happening throughout the entire Longevity Dao Sect.
With a casual wave of his hand—
The foreign-sect cultivators besieging Zong An exploded one after another like blooms of blood.
No matter how powerful their protective treasures or how formidable their defensive arts, none could withstand even a single blow from him.
The sects to which those elders belonged learned of their deaths at once.
“Didn’t that old ghost from the Longevity Dao Sect say that his lifespan was nearly exhausted? It seems that was a lie after all!”
He had shattered every safeguard they had left on those elders in an instant, and killed Unblemished Realm cultivators as easily as blinking. There was not the slightest sign of weakness about him.
Seeing the enemies who had just forced him into a bitter struggle die in an instant, Zong An immediately dropped to his knees and kowtowed.
“This disciple, Zong An, thanks Master for saving my life.”
At the same time, Master Yushan sensed that something was wrong.
“All disciples, disperse immediately! Drive every outsider from the sect with all your strength!”
How was it that, the moment he emerged from seclusion, three of his junior brothers and sisters had died?
Since when had the Nine Prodigies of their Longevity Dao Sect become so fragile?
Situ Jian transformed into a streak of light, fleeing at astonishing speed—so fast that even Unblemished Realm cultivators would have been put to shame.
Unfortunately, the one he had encountered was an Earthly Immortal.
No matter how he flew, Situ Jian felt that he simply could not escape.
Was this the end?
Situ Jian gritted his teeth, utterly unwilling to admit defeat.
Before coming here, he had erased every trace that might lead back to Shu Xin, while also leaving behind numerous contingencies.
People would suspect that he had been possessed by a cultivator of the Spirit-Parasitizing Demon Sect, that he had been controlled by a cultivator of the Corpse Demon Sect, or might even discover Blood Demon Sect techniques on his “corpse.”
But at the very least, Shu Xin would not be implicated.
“What a bold demonic cultivator!” Wuweizi exclaimed in admiration. “I have never seen this demonic art before.”
He reached out, intending to crush the demonic cultivator’s body and draw out his primordial spirit for a thorough search.
Situ Jian completely released the demonic qi he had been suppressing.
Senior Sword Spirit had repeatedly emphasized the consequences of fully lifting that suppression.
Once demonic qi seeped into one’s bones, the mild outcome was a clouded mind; the worst was the complete destruction of body and soul.
Situ Jian had no other choice.
He could not allow himself to be captured, nor could he be certain whether an Earthly Immortal might discover Shu Xin’s existence within his primordial spirit, despite the restrictions he had placed there.
Even if he had to die, he could not die at Wuweizi’s hands.
