Chapter 70 - 2#

But he heartlessly shook off Xue Jingci’s hand, claiming that the two were not acquainted.

Afterwards, they were never able to speak a proper word to each other again.

Xie Zheng had dreamed countless times that he had taken that storage bag and opened it to check carefully.

But after waking up, there was only the churning sea of clouds by the window, telling him that everything could never return.

Whether it was the storage bag that fell into the sea of clouds, or Xue Jingci.

Why didn’t he open it to take a look?

Xie Zheng ultimately chose to suppress this news.

He even used the name of encircling and suppressing rogue cultivators to intentionally or unintentionally prevent cultivators from the upper realm from going to the mortal realm.

Xie Zheng withdrew his thoughts, looked towards Xiao Xun, and asked through gritted teeth: “…Where is he?”

Xiao Xun had no favorable impression of Xie Zheng. Despite both having blood on their hands, Xie Zheng hypocritically donned the mantle of benevolence and morality, judging others’ sins from a high and mighty position.

He took a sip of tea and unhurriedly raised his hand. The curtains behind him moved without any wind, revealing a person lying on the couch.

Those faintly visible, familiar features made Xie Zheng freeze in place.

He stood up abruptly, wanting to walk towards the couch, but was stopped by a restriction.

Xiao Xun said: “What, has Sect Leader Xie come all this way to the Demon Realm in a hurry to execute evil spirits?”

The veins on Xie Zheng’s forehead throbbed as he shouted sternly: “He is not an evil spirit!”

Even if Master really managed to be resurrected using a physical puppet, his soul was still pure and flawless. How could he be an evil spirit?

Xiao Xun seemed to see through Xie Zheng’s thoughts and smiled playfully: “I bet in your heart, you absolutely loathe this evil art of mine.”

“But yet you don’t stop it. Could it be that you are intentionally waiting for me to resurrect Master so you can enjoy the fruits of my labor?”

Xie Zheng’s expression changed slightly, showing a hint of indignation.

Thinking that Xue Jingci was still in Xiao Xun’s hands, he said in a low voice: “I came today specifically to take him away. Your creation of physical puppets cannot be hidden for long. If he continues to stay in the Demon Realm, what identity will he have in the future?”

Refining a physical puppet was different from ordinary puppets. It not only required a large amount of heavenly treasures but also many special primers, such as the heart’s blood of a living person.

The thought of Xue Jingci’s identity being exposed and him being pointed at by countless people made his heart fill with anxiety and pain.

“I will change his identity; no one will know about his past.”

Xie Zheng chose to venture into the Demon Realm alone precisely because he didn’t want any other cultivators to know about this matter. However, given his special status now, he couldn’t stay here for too long, so he decisively took out a storage ring and handed it to Xiao Xun.

“There are five million top-grade spiritual stones inside, as well as the gu-refining spiritual treasure you’ve been searching everywhere for. Give Master to me, and these are yours.”

Xiao Xun didn’t even look at the ring, his eyes full of rage: “You think I resurrected him just to trade for cultivation resources?”

Xie Zheng looked at him coldly, seeing him so angry; it was obvious he was flying into a rage after having his weaknesses exposed.

He frowned and rebuked: “Why bother pretending in front of me? At the apprenticeship ceremony back then, didn’t you switch to another master just for cultivation resources and betray him in public?”

“If these are not enough, you can continue to make demands.”

Xiao Xun was completely enraged by these words. With a flick of his sleeve, he swept everything in Xie Zheng’s hand to the ground.

Xie Zheng understood nothing. He didn’t apprentice at the last moment because… he didn’t want to be that person’s disciple anymore; he didn’t want to be hindered by the social norms of master and disciple!

But remembering the scene of Xue Jingci taking Pei Huang as a disciple a few days ago, his heart still grew heavy with pain.

He regretted it.

As long as he could be that person’s disciple properly, he would have been satisfied.

But everything could never return; everything he once owned had been destroyed by his own hands.

Xiao Xun took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart, and looked at Xie Zheng with a smile: “I don’t want any of these. I only want your…”

Xie Zheng glimpsed the madness in his eyes, and a bad premonition flashed through his heart.

As expected, after a few breaths, black smoke suddenly rose from the four corners of the room. Countless demon cultivators hidden in the darkness revealed themselves, driving puppets to attack him.

Xie Zheng drew his Demon-Slaying Saber, forcing back the demon cultivators surrounding him, then turned and charged straight at Xiao Xun, every move fierce and vicious.

Xiao Xun pretended to be defeated, secretly leading Xie Zheng towards the bed, and quietly loosened a thread of the array’s restriction.

Sure enough, Xie Zheng gave up on attacking Xiao Xun and instead strove to break through the restriction, rushing towards the bed.

No matter what, he had to take Master away today; he absolutely could not let him stay in a filthy place like the Demon Realm.

However, when Xie Zheng rushed to the bedside, he discovered that what was lying there was merely a physical puppet that had long since been destroyed.

Xiao Xun’s evil art… failed?

Xie Zheng was stunned for a moment, his blood almost freezing. In his state of emotional turmoil, his protective spiritual energy finally showed a weakness.

Xiao Xun looked at him with cold eyes. With the disparity in their cultivation levels, he hadn’t expected these demon cultivators to be able to do anything to Xie Zheng.

He was just waiting for a moment, waiting for Xie Zheng’s heart and soul to lose guard and reveal a flaw.

Clearly, the best bait was this broken physical puppet.

When he saw this destroyed puppet that day, his mind had gone almost blank, unable to think of anything else.

Xie Zheng was bound to be the same as him.

Xiao Xun’s gu insects could bypass realm restrictions and manipulate the opponent once they entered their body.

It’s now…

Xiao Xun’s fingertips moved slightly, and the gu insects hidden in his sleeves instantly flew out, heading towards the gap in Xie Zheng’s protective spiritual energy.

But just then, a strange sound came from outside the room.

Someone had actually broken through the defensive array he had set up and forced their way in.

Xue Jingci landed gracefully, raising his sword to stand in front of Xie Zheng.

His expression was cold as he raised his right hand. Instantly, sword qi erupted from his fingertips, cutting the gu insects flying towards him in half.

Waves of shock surged in Xiao Xun’s heart. He never imagined that he would see his longed-for Master again in such a situation.

His gaze fell greedily upon Xue Jingci, his voice trembling slightly as he asked: “Master, he treated you like that, yet you… still want to protect him?”

Even though Xie Zheng heartlessly abandoned you back then and later hurt you with cold words, would you still protect him without hesitation?

Xue Jingci’s eyes were filled with coldness: “This art of swapping fates is truly filthy and disgusting to the extreme. If you really want to make amends, you might as well end your life here. Once your fate disappears, it can be considered a repayment to the world.”

Xiao Xun’s expression faltered as he said in a softened voice: “Master, I’ve told you, I cannot die yet.”

He took a step back, his voice gentle like coaxing a young child: “Last time was my fault for choosing the wrong person. Making Master forcibly bear the lives of innocent people was indeed filthy and disgusting. But…”

Xiao Xun stared fixedly at Xie Zheng, who was protected behind Xue Jingci, and raised his voice: “He is not innocent! If it weren’t for Master, he wouldn’t even have had the chance to cultivate, yet he abandoned you for power and status and drew a clear line between you.”

“Master, this is what he owes you. How about I help you take it back today?”

Xie Zheng stood behind Xue Jingci, staring blankly at this familiar back.

When he first entered the path of cultivation, Xue Jingci had stood before him like this, time and again blocking the dangers that came rushing at him.

In his eyes back then, Xue Jingci was matchlessly powerful, making him unable to control his gratitude and admiration.

When did it start to change?

It was probably when he accidentally discovered that Xue Jingci’s study contained many books on demonic cultivation.

There were even evil arts involving the consumption of infants’ essence and blood, utilizing the innate spiritual energy of infants to accelerate cultivation speed.

And the cultivation technique he practiced actually had similarities with these demonic techniques.

Since childhood, Xie Zheng had been taught by his ancestral precepts to act with integrity and uprightness.

He immediately wanted to seek verification from Xue Jingci, but just then he ran into Xue Jingci returning covered in blood, clutching a herb in his hand, saying he was going to refine a pill for him to stabilize his state of mind.

Xie Zheng’s words of questioning could no longer be spoken. He was not a blind or heartless person; Xue Jingci’s kindness towards him was simply countless.

But it was impossible for him to continue practicing demonic arts as if nothing were wrong.

Xie Zheng’s heart wavered violently. Ultimately, he gave up on confronting and breaking with Xue Jingci, choosing instead to leave without saying goodbye, only to be unexpectedly favored by an immortal from the Lingxu Sect.

The immortal saw through his practice of demonic arts at a glance and asked coldly where he had learned it.

Xie Zheng didn’t dare mention Xue Jingci, so he said he had never undergone formal cultivation and had merely enjoyed reading since childhood and admired the path to immortality, thus piecing together this technique from books himself.

The immortal stared at him for a long time. Seeing his upright and awe-inspiring aura, the immortal actually believed this explanation.

He even praised him for his clear eyes and resilient character, saying it was fine to have strayed onto the wrong path for a while, as long as he abolished his evil techniques and recultivated.

Later, Xie Zheng learned that this immortal was actually the Peak Master of the Blade Peak of the Lingxu Sect, the premier sect of the Upper Realm—Li Xuanfeng.

This man had come because of a prophecy. It was rumored that in the future, the Heavenly Gate Array would break, and demons would wreak havoc upon the world, and the person who could stop all this would come from the mortal realm.

Before Xie Zheng, the sects of the Upper Realm had already found many mortals and brought them to the Upper Realm, but none were the person indicated by the prophecy.

Xie Zheng didn’t think he would be the person they were looking for, but Li Xuanfeng said his talent was extremely extraordinary.

Not only was his spiritual root extremely pure, but his character also far exceeded ordinary people. Although he entered the path of cultivation very late, his recent cultivation speed would be a hundred times that of others.

Xie Zheng was half-doubting, but eventually followed Li Xuanfeng to the Upper Realm.

Everything was indeed as Li Xuanfeng said. His cultivation progress advanced by leaps and bounds, and before long, the prophecy was confirmed, and he became the Young Peak Master of Blade Peak.

Xie Zheng gradually let go of his past in the mortal realm, but unexpectedly saw Xue Jingci in the sect.

That person… had actually come all the way from the Lower Realm to the Upper Realm, specifically to find him.

Li Xuanfeng learned of this and specifically called Xie Zheng over for questioning, saying that Xue Jingci claimed to be his master. Could it be that the demonic arts he practiced back then were related to this person?

Xie Zheng knew how terrifying the methods of the righteous path were for dealing with demonic cultivators. Hearing this, he couldn’t help but be drenched in sweat, yet he still feigned calmness and said: “I don’t know this person. Perhaps he heard I’m from the Lower Realm and wants to claim a connection.”

He returned the clothes Xue Jingci had sent and coldly rebuked the person who delivered them. Xue Jingci finally stopped looking for him and no longer spoke of their relationship to others.

Li Xuanfeng also stopped mentioning the matter, merely warning him that human hearts are treacherous and that because his talent was so great and he was the person indicated by the prophecy, he was easily coveted and framed by others.

But Xie Zheng didn’t expect that even after receiving such a cold reception, Xue Jingci still chose to stay at the Lingxu Sect.

Everyone around ridiculed him, but he went about his tasks unperturbed, wanting to exchange for a token to enter the inner sect.

Xue Jingci was never picky about tasks, taking on any dirty or tiring work. He treasured tasks that others were unwilling to do.

In just three short years, Xue Jingci obtained the token to enter the inner sect.

Xie Zheng also finally met with him.

On that day, heavy snow covered the mountains. Xue Jingci held an umbrella, just like the day they first met.

But their statuses had completely reversed. Xue Jingci wore the tattered robes of an outer disciple, while he was dressed in fine clothes with many attendants following behind.

Xue Jingci called out to him and took a storage bag from his bosom, handing it over.

A storage bag was a rare magical tool in the Lower Realm; a rogue cultivator like Xue Jingci had only one.

Before, when they went out for experience, only the most precious spiritual herbs and pills would be placed inside, but Xue Jingci used it to store his things.

Actually, without even opening it, Xie Zheng could guess what was inside.

On the day he left Xue Jingci, he had taken everything he valued, leaving behind only old items that could be repurchased at any time, such as poetry booklets.

Or perhaps the wood carvings he had casually made to practice his wrist strength.

Maybe some other things…

Those were all things he had chosen to discard, but Xue Jingci didn’t know and had actually kept them safe even during his tribulation, bringing them all to the Upper Realm.

Xie Zheng’s heart wavered for a moment, but in the end, he grabbed the storage bag and heartlessly threw it into the sea of clouds.

After Xue Jingci left, Li Xuanfeng came to find him again, speaking of another matter.

Many demonic cultivators had infiltrated other sects, and the Lingxu Sect would likely not be spared either.

He planned to use a divine artifact to conduct a thorough investigation on a chosen day. Anyone who practiced demonic arts would be interrogated using the Soul-Searching Technique.

The Soul-Searching Technique was an extremely overbearing art; those subjected to it often ended up either insane or mentally impaired.

Xie Zheng didn’t know why Xue Jingci insisted on staying in the sect, nor how he managed to conceal his demonic cultivation.

But once Li Xuanfeng used the divine artifact for inspection, Xue Jingci would absolutely not be able to hide.

He couldn’t help but speak up to warn him, but Xue Jingci didn’t seem to care.

As the day of the investigation approached, Xie Zheng finally made up his mind. With the help of Chen Zhao, who had a grudge against Xue Jingci, he would abolish his cultivation.

Back then, he himself had abolished his cultivation and recultivated, so he naturally had a way to help Xue Jingci recultivate a body of righteous path power.

The moment he made this decision, Xie Zheng understood his own heart. Whether Xue Jingci was righteous or evil, he wanted this person to live well.

Unexpectedly, things took a turn, and the people he sent to rescue Xue Jingci arrived to find him gone.

Chen Zhao was severely injured and unconscious, but Xue Jingci was nowhere to be found.

Until—

Xue Jingci suddenly appeared, taking over the heavy responsibility of repairing the Heavenly Gate Array for him, saving his soul from the danger of dissipating.

By then, Xie Zheng could no longer remember how long it had been since he had spoken a proper word to Xue Jingci.

How long it had been since he had taken a good look at him.

He only remembered his own impatient gaze and the way he coldly interrupted Xue Jingci.

For a long time, Xie Zheng had not seen Xue Jingci in the sect.

The person who always stood before him had, at some unknown point, learned to stand far away in a corner and watch him.

So much so that even when repairing the Heavenly Gate Array, Xue Jingci was accustomed to standing behind him.

Instead of a place where he could see him the moment he opened his eyes.

If Xue Jingci were still standing before him as before, he would have definitely noticed immediately, reaching out to stop him, and telling him that he had already grown strong and could protect the people he wanted to protect.

But Xue Jingci didn’t.

And he had almost failed to even realize that Xue Jingci had come.

He had abandoned Xue Jingci for too long, to the point that he was no longer even familiar with Master’s presence.

Xie Zheng withdrew his thoughts and stared intently at Xue Jingci’s figure. Though he was so thin and frail, he was like a majestic, unmoving mountain.

And it had been a long time since he had gazed at Master’s back like this…

Xie Zheng’s body swayed slightly as Xiao Xun’s words surfaced in his mind.

Could there really be a hidden story behind Master’s study of demonic arts?

The pain in the depths of Xie Zheng’s eyes accumulated bit by bit, and finally, he couldn’t control himself from reaching out to touch this person.

He should have asked in person long ago.

In this world now, he no longer needed to fear anyone, let alone draw a line between himself and Xue Jingci.

This time, he would definitely listen carefully to what Master had to say.

However, just as Xie Zheng reached out his hand, he was interrupted by a burst of energy.

Pei Huang arrived with several other demon cultivation forces, his cold gaze sweeping over both Xie Zheng and Xiao Xun.

“One of you is the Acting Sect Leader of the Lingxu Sect, and the other is the Head of the Xiao family. I wonder what business brings you to infiltrate my Demon Realm?”

In the past, Xiao Xun would always conceal his identity, but today, in order to gain Xie Zheng’s trust, he did not disguise himself and directly revealed his true appearance.

As for Xie Zheng, although he knew that his stealthy entry into the Demon Realm was not honorable and had disguised his appearance early on, in his earlier desperation he had used the Demon-Slaying Saber. Who could possibly not know his identity now?

The demon cultivators who came with Pei Huang sucked in a cold breath.

Is our Demon Realm that powerful… that it actually requires the two most powerful people in the Upper Realm today to personally come as undercover agents?

Shi Tingshuang also arrived at this moment to help manage the situation. She bowed to Pei Huang and asked: “How does the Venerable intend to proceed…”

Thinking of the status of the two men, Shi Tingshuang found it extremely difficult and weighed her words carefully, avoiding anything too excessive.

However, Pei Huang spoke directly: “Make them get out.”

Hearing these blunt words, Xie Zheng’s expression shifted, but he ultimately had no intention of starting a war with the Demon Realm.

“I can leave, but I want to have a few words with Master alone.”

Pei Huang walked to Xue Jingci’s side and calmly scanned his body. Seeing that he wasn’t injured, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He was actually unwilling for Xue Jingci to come and stop the dispute between Xie Zheng and Xiao Xun, but Xue Jingci was indeed the only one who could stop the two from going mad.

The identities of these two were too special; if not handled properly, it would trigger turmoil between the Demon Realm and the immortal sects of the Upper Realm.

Pei Huang looked at Xie Zheng, frowned, and asked in a low voice: “Are you making demands of me?”

It had been a long time since Xie Zheng had lost face like this, but considering that Xue Jingci was still present, he suppressed the anger in his heart and said: “I’ll leave as soon as I’m done speaking.”

Pei Huang chuckled coldly in his heart.

Just now, he had seen the guilt and pain in Xie Zheng’s eyes at a glance, but clearly, all these years he had only grown in cultivation, not in brains.

He still hasn’t learned what respect is.

Pei Huang looked at Xie Zheng and said: “You want to talk to my Master, but you treat it as a bargaining chip and a condition to negotiate with me. Isn’t that ridiculous?”

“He’s not an object that can’t speak or doesn’t have his own thoughts. As for whether he wants to talk to you, you should ask him yourself.”

Xie Zheng’s expression changed slightly as he instinctively looked at Xue Jingci, only to see Xue Jingci dazed, not knowing what he was thinking.

Pei Huang continued: “Perhaps in your heart, he just happened to save you when you were down and out, giving you warmth and benefits, so you are grateful to him and miss him. But now, you no longer respect him as a master, after all, his talent and cultivation are too far below yours.”

But without the status of master and disciple, what does Xie Zheng have left?

Xue Jingci looked at Xie Zheng and shook his head: “I have nothing to say to you.”

The arrogance in Xie Zheng instantly vanished, and for the first time, a look of humility appeared in his eyes. He pleaded in a low voice: “Master… I’ll leave after just a few words, I only ask for a moment of your time.”

Seeing him finally learn to be humble, the gloom in Pei Huang’s heart slightly dissipated. Turning to see Xiao Xun, the fierce hostility in his eyes began to accumulate again.

Compared to the self-righteous Xie Zheng, Xiao Xun was indeed skilled at playing the victim. At this moment, he held his shoulder that had been pierced by Xue Jingci earlier with one hand, letting blood drip through his fingers.

He didn’t say a word, but his eyes revealed a sensitive and fragile emotion, as if the madman from before wasn’t him.

Xue Jingci looked at the two of them, disgust welling up in his eyes, followed by a deep exhaustion.

He looked at Pei Huang and said plainly: “I’m tired. You are the Demon Lord now; dispose of them however you see fit.”

With that, Xue Jingci turned to leave. Xie Zheng and Xiao Xun took a step forward, wanting to get close to him, but were blocked by Pei Huang.

Pei Huang no longer hid the demonic qi on his body, and a faint blood-red light flickered in his deep black pupils.

…

Xue Jingci returned to the Demon Palace alone, yet his mind was still on what Pei Huang had said to Xie Zheng.

Although Pei Huang had done the absurd thing of kissing him, his words were quite respectful of him, and he didn’t treat him as anything other than a master…

But if he really treated me as a master, why did he suddenly perform such a frivolous act?

Seeing the River Demon still there, Xue Jingci walked over and asked: “Do you know about Pei Huang liking me?”

The River Demon was stunned for a moment. He had thought that Pei Huang wouldn’t easily voice his feelings, and given Xue Jingci’s dull and cold nature, he naturally wouldn’t have noticed.

But Xue Jingci actually found out.

Did he discover it himself, or did Pei Huang speak of it proactively?

The River Demon was anxious. Pei Huang hadn’t coordinated with him, so he had no idea what should or shouldn’t be said.

Seeing Xue Jingci’s serious expression, as if he had come to demand answers, yet Pei Huang wasn’t here.

The River Demon immediately wanted to fudge it over.

But just as he was about to speak, he remembered something Pei Huang had said a long time ago.

He said that if one day Xue Jingci wanted to understand his past, no matter how embarrassing or difficult it might be to speak of, he should not lie to Xue Jingci.

Because that was how he was, growing up in a way that wasn’t exactly upright and open.

Thinking this way, the River Demon looked at Xue Jingci and nodded.

Xue Jingci asked him: “When did it start?”

The River Demon scratched his head, trying hard to recall.

“…He always kept your things, but we were constantly being hunted. No matter how hard we tried to protect them, the spiritual stones and medicinal ointments were eventually used up, and the robes were torn beyond repair.”

“In the end, only those scriptures you had transcribed remained.”

“However, none of us expected that within that pile of scriptures, there was still a maple leaf from Donglai Village. You probably tucked it in casually while you were transcribing the scriptures.”

“Pei Huang held that leaf and finally showed a smile, but after being sandwiched inside and dried for years, it suddenly shattered upon being touched.”

“It was the first time… I ever saw him cry.”

That single tear fell onto the fragmented leaf in Pei Huang’s palm and quickly melted away, as if it had never existed.

But the River Demon, who was beside him, saw it clearly.

It was also at that moment that the River Demon realized just how important Xue Jingci truly was to Pei Huang.

Xue Jingci couldn’t help but be stunned for a moment, a vivid red leaf flashing through his mind.

When they were in the other world, he had seen Pei Huang staring at a maple leaf and casually asked if he liked maple leaves very much.

Pei Huang was silent for a long time before saying he did.

So, it was that kind of “like.”

Xue Jingci pursed his lips in silence, instinctively raising his hand to touch his brow.

Clearly, this affection was not a case of sudden lust, nor was it a momentary whim; it had begun a long time ago.

If Pei Huang hadn’t subconsciously confessed his love while drunk last night, and if he hadn’t happened to respond to Pei Huang’s feelings by chance, perhaps Pei Huang would have continued to restrain and hide this affection forever.

He thought Pei Huang was just acting on impulse and speaking without thinking.

But he didn’t know that Pei Huang just hadn’t been able to hold back, clumsily and accidentally baring his heart for him to see.