Chapter 69 - 1#

Chapter Sixty-Nine#

Xue Jingci looked at the young man crouching in front of him.

Even though during the martial arts competition in the daytime, this person was sharp and keen, like a sword out of its sheath.

At this moment, he showed such a childish appearance.

The smile at the corners of Xue Jingci’s lips deepened slightly, and he earnestly agreed: “Okay. If anyone asks in the future, I’ll say just that.”

After the two of them agreed on the matter of the apprenticeship, Xue Jingci suddenly remembered the matter of Pei Huang’s parents, and his expression turned serious: “This martial arts competition is your first frontal contact with various Demon Realm factions. Do you have any thoughts about the culprit who brutally killed your parents back then?”

Pei Huang thought for a moment and said seriously: “Previously, I always felt that the Water Demon tribe was the most suspicious. All these years, the Fire Demons have been in second place. If my mother really unified the Demon Realm, it would inevitably threaten their position…”

He paused and shook his head: “But looking at it now, it doesn’t seem like it.”

Xue Jingci pondered for a while and also felt it didn’t seem so.

During this competition, Fu Yin not only publicly proposed taking Pei Huang as his disciple but also spoke of him with considerable appreciation, effectively helping Pei Huang make a name for himself in the Demon Realm.

Later, when Pei Huang took first place, he also fulfilled his promise and let all factions obey Pei Huang.

Although there was only a one-year limit, at least during this time, all factions had to temporarily obey Pei Huang and recognize him as the Demon Realm Sovereign.

Temporarily setting aside the Water Demon lineage, the two then analyzed the other several factions together, and finally, only the weakest Wind Demons remained.

Pei Huang frowned and said: “I always feel that the Wind Demons’ behavior in coming to participate this time is very strange.”

Xue Jingci didn’t expect that Pei Huang had thought of the same thing as him, and nodded: “Outsiders mocked them for being shameless, bringing the whole tribe to leech off the demonic Qi. But because of this, they actually have the largest force in the current Absolute Dust Valley.”

Pei Huang said: “Exactly. In the middle of the competition, they suddenly withdrew and left. If they were really going to do something, it would be the best time.”

He suppressed the suspicion in his heart and said: “After the competition ended, I had the Fire Demon side make some preparations. I hope I’m just overthinking it.”

After Pei Huang finished saying this, seeing it was late, he let Xue Jingci rest first.

However, many things had happened today, and both of them were a bit unsettled, naturally unable to sleep peacefully.

In the middle of the night, in the originally quiet courtyard, hurried footsteps suddenly came.

Someone ran while shouting loudly, “Someone has been poisoned!”

Xue Jingci pulled his clothes around him and quickly stood up to go out with Pei Huang to investigate the situation.

In just a short moment, the entire courtyard’s houses were brightly lit, crowded and chaotic.

Many cultivators were lying on the ground foaming at the mouth with bluish lips, and others seemed to be going mad, running wildly in the courtyard, with black blood spraying three feet from their mouths, splashing all over the surrounding trees and rocks.

Shi Ting-shuang walked to Pei Huang’s side, frowned and said: “As expected from your words, so many Wind Demons sneaked in and left early precisely to poison the various houses.”

Pei Huang’s lips were tightly pursed, and coldness flickered in his eyes. Now all signs pointed to the Wind Demon tribe being the culprit that brutally killed his parents, but the more it was so, the calmer his expression became.

Pei Huang turned his head and asked: “Could you not identify what poison it is beforehand?”

Shi Ting-shuang shook her head: “After returning to the room, I arranged for people to check the room thoroughly, especially things with heavy scents like incense burners and flowers, but found nothing. It wasn’t until the middle of the night when someone vomited blood that everyone was startled to realize they were poisoned.”

Hearing this, Pei Huang didn’t feel surprised. He knew how strong his parents’ cultivation was; poison that could make them fall would naturally not be easily discovered.

Shi Ting-shuang looked at the miserable state of everyone poisoned and unconscious, her face showing a few hints of worry: “All these years, their tribe has always been submissive, and no one took them to heart. I didn’t expect all of this was just a disguise.”

Pei Huang’s expression was calm as he said: “Has all the blood I gave you earlier been distributed?”

Shi Ting-shuang nodded: “We gave it to our tribe’s people first. After taking it, the toxins in their bodies quickly faded. Now they are just a bit tired and will be fine after a night’s rest. As for others, I have already asked the Water Demon cultivators to help distribute the antidote together.”

Xue Jingci hadn’t spoken at first, just quietly watching Pei Huang.

He was a bit astonished in his heart; unknowingly, Pei Huang was already able to hold everything in his fingers, acting without a leak.

He truly had a bit of the demeanor of a Demon Realm Sovereign.

But at this moment, suddenly hearing Pei Huang and Shi Ting-shuang speak about the matter of detoxification, the appreciation and pride in Xue Jingci’s heart instantly turned into worry.

Xue Jingci looked at Pei Huang and asked urgently: “You use your own blood to detoxify everyone?”

Pei Huang reassuringly smoothed over Xue Jingci’s arm to let him not worry, and then explained softly: “My adoptive father was skilled in forensic examination. Back then, he detected an extremely fatal poison from my mother’s body. When cultivators with profound cultivation are poisoned by this, their physical strength and power will gradually dissipate…”

“At that time, my adoptive father thought I wouldn’t survive, but by a twist of fate, I was soaked in the poison and instead developed resistance, and the blood in my body can also detoxify.”

Pei Huang’s gaze fixedly looked at the cultivators who had collapsed on the ground. These people had extremely high cultivation yet were helpless against this poison, groaning in pain on the ground, feeling like their meridians were about to shatter if they even moved.

His mother must have been in such pain back then too, right? Yet she still crawled to the mass grave, trying to give him a slim chance of survival.

Pei Huang closed his eyes, hiding the sadness and hatred in his eyes.

“Many years have passed. If the culprit behind the scenes intended to hide, it would be impossible to reveal any flaws. I also just held a glimmer of hope that maybe the culprit would repeat the same trick.”

Xue Jingci didn’t speak, just gently holding Pei Huang’s hand.

Over these years, as a small child, he had to carry the feud of his parents’ murder, yet didn’t even know who the enemy was.

It must have been very difficult.

But this person rarely mentioned these things.

Xue Jingci looked at Shi Ting-shuang and asked: “Have people been sent to pursue the Wind Demons?”

Shi Ting-shuang nodded: “Two of Fu Yin’s disciples were also poisoned. He is currently furious and has already personally gone to pursue them. However, those Wind Demons are skilled in concealment techniques and had a plan, so they still managed to successfully escape Absolute Dust Valley.”

Thinking that the Wind Demons were the culprits who brutally killed Pei Huang’s parents, Xue Jingci’s expression turned sharp, and he stood up, saying: “I am sensitive to scents; maybe I can find their tracks.”

Shi Ting-shuang had witnessed Xue Jingci’s techniques, so she naturally believed his words without doubt and hurriedly led him to the place where the poison was first discovered.

Xue Jingci’s nose moved, and indeed he perceived an extraordinary scent.

That scent was very faint, and even Xue Jingci took a long time to successfully lock onto the direction.

He no longer hesitated and took Pei Huang and a group of demon cultivators to pursue in the southeast direction.

The group galloped on their swords all the way, with Xue Jingci leading in front, and soon they flew into a forest of scattered rocks.

The wind happened to blow from the southeast, and a scent of blood floated to Xue Jingci’s nose.

This scent was strong; not only Xue Jingci but others also smelled it in an instant.

Everyone’s expression changed slightly, and they immediately closed in on the place where the scent of blood came from, thinking they would see a fierce battle.

But they didn’t expect that in the center of the scattered rock forest, there was only one person, precisely the Demon Lord of the Wind Demon tribe, Ji Chu.

At this moment, he was sitting piously deep in the rock forest, with a trace of black blood overflowing from the corner of his lips, indicating that he himself was also heavily poisoned.

Hearing the movement, Ji Chu suddenly opened his eyes and looked up at Pei Huang in the sky.

His expression was cold and calm, no longer possessing his former submissiveness and cowardice.

Meeting Pei Huang’s gaze full of hatred, Ji Chu gave a strange laugh and said: “Your ability is indeed not small, to even find this place. Since you’ve come, go down and accompany your mother. It’s only right for the whole family to be together!”

Hearing these words, Pei Huang could still maintain his calm, but Shi Ting-shuang could not control herself.

Flames ignited on both of her hands as she attacked Ji Chu.

The two had similar cultivation realms, but now Ji Chu was being backlashed by the poison and was ultimately at a disadvantage.

Pei Huang and Xue Jingci also attacked. With the three attacking together and the other demon cultivators forming a defensive perimeter outside, they instantly created a water-tight situation.

The fight lasted for a full half day. Finally, Ji Chu was killed by the three working together, dying with his eyes open under Pei Huang’s sword.

The great feud was avenged. Shi Ting-shuang couldn’t wait to step forward and cut off Ji Chu’s head, saying she would take it back to sacrifice to her good friend.

The solemnity on Pei Huang’s face didn’t fade a bit, without showing any joy of successful revenge.

Xue Jingci didn’t speak, just standing by Pei Huang’s side to quietly accompany him.

Until all the people around returned to Absolute Dust Valley, leaving only the two of them in the scattered rock forest.

Pei Huang looked at Xue Jingci and said in a quite certain tone: “The real culprit cannot be Ji Chu.”

Xue Jingci looked up at him and asked: “How can you be certain?”

Pei Huang recalled everything that had happened and said: “During the fight just now, Ji Chu said that back then he killed her to seize my mother’s bloodline power, and was later backlashed by this power, so he had to endure for years.”

“But my mother’s bloodline power is very special. An ancestor once used a forbidden art to cast a curse: all children born at the same time will spend their whole lives devouring each other until the bloodline power merges, leaving the strongest one.”

Xue Jingci instantly understood and followed up: “The person who killed your mother that day must have plotted for the power in her body, yet didn’t expect you to be born.”

Pei Huang nodded and said: “We received the power from my mother on the same day. Although we weren’t born at the same time, we still ran into this curse by twist of fate. Therefore, as long as our powers get close, they should devour each other.”

“But during the fight with him just now, I didn’t feel our powers devouring each other…”

After he finished speaking, Xue Jingci’s expression became solemn.

The Wind Demon Ji Chu jumped out at this time to make people mistakenly believe he was the culprit who brutally killed Pei Huang’s parents back then, clearly shielding the real culprit’s crime.

That person is likely plotting something even more far-reaching.

Xue Jingci expressed his concern, but Pei Huang in turn comforted him: “Think about it carefully; he can be considered to have helped me. Originally, although I had the name of the Sovereign, it was difficult to make many factions willing to submit in a short time. Now that demon cultivators of all tribes have taken my blood to detoxify, they have to give me some face.”

Xue Jingci looked up at Pei Huang.

This person was always like this, always able to see the good side no matter how difficult the situation he was in.

Xue Jingci said: “You’re right. Now we are in the open and that person is in the dark. If you can completely master this force in the Demon Realm, it will always add a lot of chances for winning.”

With that, the two of them galloped back to Absolute Dust Valley on their swords again.

As soon as they entered, Xue Jingci saw many Wind Demon cultivators being bound by rope dharma treasures, falling on the ground with ashen faces.

Demon cultivators were already irritable and hot-tempered, and the pain of the previous poisoning was still fresh in their minds.

Seeing that group of Wind Demons brought back as captives, their indignation naturally flared up.

They closed in, shouting loudly “Kill them, kill them!”

“We must let them taste the pain of having their bones drawn and tendons pulled!”

However, although they were indignant and said all sorts of harsh words, not a single person actually moved to kill, but instead forcibly suppressed the anger in their hearts, waiting for Pei Huang to come and handle these people.

After this martial arts competition, most demon cultivators learned of the previous prophecy.

Some people saw Pei Huang’s potential and strength and sincerely wanted to support him to completely unify the fragmented forces of the Demon Realm.

In the hearts of some people, they didn’t really recognize this “Sovereign” who suddenly appeared, but just because they had taken Pei Huang’s blood to be saved, they had to be somewhat respectful on the surface.

Pei Huang took everyone’s reaction into his gaze, knowing in his heart that right now was the critical moment for him to establish prestige in the Demon Realm.

He raised his hand and pressed down. His voice wasn’t loud, yet let everyone hear: “Everyone, please be calm.”

In an instant, everyone became silent, with different expressions.

Pei Huang gave a flat glance at the bound demon cultivators on the ground and said unhurriedly: “All these years, the Demon Realm has been fragmented, with constant slaughter. Now that we have united, the first thing is to formulate laws and rules.”

“These are all remnants of the Wind Demons, but some deserve death, while others can do hard labor to atone for their sins.”

After finishing, Pei Huang turned his gaze toward the Sand Demon tribe on the side.

The Sand Demons were a branch of the Xiao family and still maintained the red tape and formalities of a big family in the upper realm.

If the matter of organizing the laws was given to them, it would probably be most appropriate.

As for the Thunder Demon tribe, they had always been the ones who most refused to submit to Pei Huang.

Thinking for a bit, Pei Huang simply arranged for them to be in charge of execution. After seeing more harsh punishments, they would naturally know to be afraid.

The Fire Demon tribe was considered his own people. Pei Huang didn’t think much and let them be in charge of the core prison affairs.

He distributed a circle of tasks, and when it came to the Water Demons, only some trivial odd jobs remained.

Pei Huang looked at Fu Yin neither humbly nor arrogantly and asked: “What matter related to laws does the Water Demon Lord want to manage?”

Fu Yin waved his hand at will and said with little interest: “Just arrange it as you like.”

What he was most interested in right now was actually Xue Jingci.

Over these past few days, Fu Yin had gathered quite a bit of news from Fire Demon cultivators.

They were all practicing a collective technique that could improve aptitude and reduce the danger of falling into obsession.

Xue Jingci had very deep accomplishments in techniques, yet unlike others who acted rigidly, he didn’t always stick to the existing technique patterns.

Over these years, Fu Yin had been in seclusion all year round, claiming to the outside world that he was to break through the realm.

In fact, his cultivation had reached a bottleneck, and several times he reached the point of falling into obsession, having to soak in a cold pond all year round to barely remain clear.

If Xue Jingci really could solve the drawback of Demon Race techniques being extremely easy to fall into obsession, then it wouldn’t be out of the question for the Water Demon tribe to completely submit to Pei Huang and unify the entire Demon Realm.

Fu Yin pondered, and his gaze fell on Xue Jingci.

Seeing that he seemed to have set his sights on Xue Jingci, Pei Huang’s expression changed, and he instantly became vigilant.

Fu Yin perceived Pei Huang’s tension and knew in his heart that the relationship between these two was likely not ordinary. No wonder Pei Huang had publicly refused to be his disciple that day.

He withdrew his gaze and looked back at Pei Huang, saying: “Now that the Demon Realm is temporarily unified, besides criminal law and rules, we must also pay attention to education.”

Pei Huang pondered: “Do you mean to unify and teach techniques to disciples like the immortal sects in the upper realm?”

“Exactly.” Fu Yin smiled and said: “In the final analysis, for cultivators, the most important thing is cultivation. Since the Demon Realm is unified, why not set up a Dharma platform to explain techniques. As for the person to teach…”

Fu Yin looked at Xue Jingci: “He is your master, naturally he is also the most suitable candidate.”

Xue Jingci did not hesitate at all and agreed to this matter.

Although Pei Huang was worried about the person behind the Wind Demons causing trouble, seeing Xue Jingci happy, he swallowed his words of persuasion.

This storm was finally temporarily dissipated.

Each demon tribe had specific things to do, and soon each started operating, truly having a unified momentum of division of labor and cooperation.

The Water Demons also provided great help to Xue Jingci, handing over the top-quality techniques they had collected over the years to Xue Jingci for his research.

During this time, the River Demon brought back news saying that Xiao Xun had passed through the Heaven Gate Array to return to the Xiao family in the upper realm once, but he didn’t know what it was for.

Pei Huang let the River Demon act carefully and continue to keep an eye on Xiao Xun, telling him immediately when he returned.

Xiao Xun returned after a month.

As soon as he returned to the Sand Demon territory, he called Lu Chengyuan over.

Xiao Xun toyed with the puppet silk on his fingertips and said nonchalantly: “How is the matter I asked you to handle?”

Lu Chengyuan lowered his eyes and said respectfully: “I have already informed Xie Zheng that Xue Jingci is not dead and is currently in the Demon Realm. But he detests the Demon Realm and is unwilling to come.”

A half-smile appeared on Xiao Xun’s face: “Detests the Demon Realm… are you talking about yourself?”

Lu Chengyuan’s expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and he lowered his neck respectfully, saying: “This subordinate doesn’t understand the meaning of the Head of the Family.”

Xiao Xun looked fixedly at him, his cold gaze casting over like a knife, making Lu Chengyuan’s figure stiffen.

However, Xiao Xun soon restrained his chill and smiled gently, his tone as if recalling the past: “Back then you couldn’t accept the former Head using living people to test Gu poison and didn’t hesitate to escape the Xiao family, entering the Lingxu Sect under an assumed name.”

“I have been thinking, how was Master so coincidentally brought into the divine artifact by your three subordinates at the most critical moment of the ceremony that day? If they were just ordinary troublemakers, shouldn’t they have been killed directly outside?”

Hearing this, Lu Chengyuan’s face finally changed.

Over these past few days, because Xue Jingci was not dead, Xiao Xun had been extremely tolerant toward his subordinates. Several times when someone committed an offense, they were let off with a light punishment.

For a moment, Lu Chengyuan also relaxed his vigilance and forgot what a temperamental and crazily acting Shura this person was.

Xiao Xun raised his hand and lightly brushed the wound on his shoulder, murmuring: “You knew he was the only person in this world who could wound me, so you wanted to use his hand to get rid of me. Truly a good calculation, but unfortunately…”

Lu Chengyuan’s lips were tightly pursed, and a piercing chill flared in his eyes.

He understood that since Xiao Xun had already made this clear, it would likely be a life-and-death struggle between the two.

All these years, his daughter Little Bell had been controlled by Xiao Xun’s Gu, and he had long wanted to take his daughter and escape this madman.

But this person was meticulous and acted without a leak, almost without a single flaw.

He finally managed to find a chance…

A look of resolution flashed on Lu Chengyuan’s face. He no longer hesitated and raised his hand to release a Gu bug, throwing it straight at the wound on Xiao Xun’s shoulder.

This was the Seven Extremes Gu, refined from seven most poisonous items. Usually silent, it becomes active when it meets blood.

Xiao Xun’s strength was too great, and his protective spiritual Qi was like a copper wall and iron bastions. It was almost an impossible task to use a Gu on him.

But for this wound, for some reason, Xiao Xun had always left it alone and neglected to treat it, leaving it there all bloody like that.

That piercing blood hole was now his only chance to use a Gu!

Perceiving Lu Chengyuan’s movement, Xiao Xun didn’t even dodge, a look of mockery smiling in his eyes as he allowed the Gu bug to land on his wound.

The next second, the originally rampaging Gu bug actually obediently licked the blood near his wound.

Xiao Xun reached out and squeezed the Gu bug, and the Gu bug intimately rubbed against Xiao Xun’s fingertip, looking for all the world like it had submitted.

Lu Chengyuan turned pale with fright. After pausing for a long time, he spoke with difficulty: “You, you really bred the legendary Mother Gu?”

He had cultivated Gu arts for years and had always heard of a legendary Mother Gu. As long as this Gu was put into one’s body, all Gu bugs would submit to this person.

But a legend is after all a legend. To refine this Gu, all the required materials must be over a thousand years old. Even for a large family like the Xiao family, there weren’t such abundant resources in the treasury.

The former Head of the Family had exhausted the whole family’s power back then and only barely gathered enough materials, yet the refining failed. He was unwilling to see many rare treasures go up in smoke and actually crazily thought of the method of using living people to refine Gu…

Now that Xiao Xun has refined this Gu, could it be that he hasn’t given up the art of using living people to refine Gu at all!

Xiao Xun slowly stood up.

He glanced at the Gu bug that was intimately rubbing his finger and with a flick of his finger shook it off onto the ground.

Then, he directly raised his foot and crushed it.

“Useless thing, what use is it even if it submits.”

Having said that, a terrifying black mist suddenly emerged behind Xiao Xun, filled with the buzzing of Gu bugs, and swept toward Lu Chengyuan.

In an instant, Lu Chengyuan felt his flesh being eaten by countless Gu bugs.

Lu Chengyuan tried hard to release his own Gu bugs to resist, but soon a chill surged into his heart.

Those Gu bugs he hid on himself were actually summoned by some power and turned on him, backlashing his own body one after another.

Against Xiao Xun, he had already played all his cards, yet Xiao Xun’s strength was something he couldn’t see through.

Just as Lu Chengyuan thought he was undoubtedly dead.

A crisp sound of bells suddenly came from outside the room.

Lu Chengyuan knew this was his daughter, Little Bell. He opened his mouth to shout for her to run, but the Gu bugs followed his mouth and crawled into his body…

Just then, he suddenly felt the Gu bugs wrapping him quiet down.

The next second, he saw his young daughter Bell jumping and running into the room.

Lu Chengyuan wanted to say something, but the floor suddenly split open a gap, and he fell into the secret room below.

At the moment the gap closed, the murderous intent filling the room suddenly vanished. Xiao Xun flicked his sleeve, and the overturned cabinets and vases all returned to their places, everything returning to the former peaceful and quiet appearance.

Little Bell’s crisp voice came from outside.

“Brother, brother, look at this.”

Little Bell raised her hand for Xiao Xun to see her palm, where a straw-woven little cat lay quietly.

Xiao Xun smiled slightly at her and asked in a gentle voice: “Is it to be given to me?”

Little Bell shook her head and said: “It’s for that person.”

“Previously, whenever it was the anniversary of his death, Brother would burn many things for him, but I always felt something was missing… Only later did I remember that I had actually met him once when I was young.”

“There was a very cute cat beside him. So Brother, when you worship this year, burn this for him too.”

Xiao Xun reached out and stroked the bun on Little Bell’s head: “What happened that day, tell Brother all about it.”

About everything regarding Xue Jingci, Xiao Xun wanted to know more.

Little Bell recalled carefully. Although many years had passed, the scene of that day seemed printed in her mind.

On that day after the rain, she remembered the two of them quietly watching the clouds together, and she asked the name of the cat.

Xue Jingci raised his beautiful face, thought seriously for a moment, and told her: “It’s called Cat.”