《Fake Demon Lord》


 CH 1

    Editor: Chubby Dragon


    Proofreader: SleepyMango123


    From the day storm-clouds gathered atop the Palace of Bliss, all the cultivators within the Jianghu1 knew that the greatest demonic cultivator, He Huan, was going into tribulation.


    The cultivation rankings had been simplified over the course of many years and were now divided into five great stages: Body Enhancing, Foundation Building, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Calamity Crossing.


    As for the Jianghu of today, only the Xuanmen Righteous Sect¡¯s sect head, Qing XuZi, reached the stage closest to Ascension, Calamity Crossing.


    It was also because of this, that for many years, in the many confrontations between the demonic sects and the righteous sects, the demonic side always had to take a step back, never starting a war. Yet, with the beginning of He Huan¡¯s tribulation, the world knew that this type of stalemate was very likely to end.


    Right before reaching the Calamity Crossing stage, in tandem with the accumulation of spiritual energy in a cultivator¡¯s body, the sky would gradually show signs of preparing for tribulation. Now that the tribulation clouds above the Palace of Bliss had been gathering for more than a month, countless righteous cultivators kept hoping for a bolt of lightning that would kill the Demon Lord He Huan.


    Unfortunately, that bolt never came down, still hiding amidst the clouds. Helpless, all the major sects could only look up at the sky whenever they found themselves bored enough.


    Has the lightning tribulation killed He Huan today?


    No, it still hasn¡¯t.


    Sigh, then let¡¯s continue watching.


    Such words were repeated day after day by the elders of the major sects. The people of the world were also getting more and more anxious as time went by; was this heavenly tribulation coming down or not?


    Never had there been a case where tribulation gathered for more than a month, and still hadn¡¯t started.


    What was this called? Even when going through tribulation, that bastard He Huan, still had the time to mess with us. Dead or alive, is it that hard to get an answer? To make everyone look at your Palace of Bliss day and day out like an Amah Rock2, it really doesn¡¯t give others a sense of relief!


    The major sects waited in unease, while He Huan, who was the epicentre of all this attention, was very carefree.


    Seated in front of the window inside the Palace of Bliss that had garnered the attention of the world, was a red-clothed demonic cultivator, his hair loose and eyes as brilliant as peach blossoms.


    His tribulation had arrived, yet there was not a hint of worry on his face. He lazily took a sip of his warm wine, then looked up to watch the little sprinkles of rain that had managed to enter through the carved-wooden windows. He raised his brush, but then fell into contemplation. In the end, he decided to let the stack of letters remain on the table.


    These past few days, he would take small sips of wine here and there while writing the letters. Whenever he thought of something, he¡¯d take his brush and write down a few sentences, and if there was nothing he could think of, he¡¯d stare at the thick tribulation clouds in the sky and let his mind drift away. That flippant attitude completely didn¡¯t put the heavenly tribulation in his eyes.


    However, today he couldn¡¯t afford to be that leisurely because in front of him knelt the Head Enforcer of the Palace of Bliss, Bi QianRen. Full of loyal intentions, he pleaded, ¡°Palace Master please reconsider, dividing your divine consciousness in two then using it to let your Nascent Soul3 gain intelligence, this kind of thing, it¡¯s never been done by cultivators before!¡±


    That¡¯s right, just before this, He Huan explained this crazy idea to his most trusted subordinate. He wanted to borrow the power contained within the heavenly tribulation to split his divine consciousness into two, then weld the other half to his Nascent Soul, creating another version of himself.


    Once the divine consciousness became damaged, it would be extremely difficult to repair. As for one¡¯s Nascent Soul, that was practically a cultivator¡¯s core. He Huan actually wanted to use both in this endeavour; it was no wonder Qian Ren had instantly knelt down, desperately trying to dissuade him.


    However, he¡¯d purposely gone to the Snowy Mountains to find the Soul Splitting Technique and suppressed his cultivation just for this matter. He chose to not breakthrough for so many years, all for the sake of nourishing his Nascent Soul.


    Clearly, he¡¯d already made up his mind, so why would he listen to other people¡¯s words?


    Sure enough, He Huan only swept his glance over the black-clothed man kneeling in front of the table, not a hint of reconsideration on his face. He said plainly, ¡°This Master just happens to want to be the first person who breaks this record.¡±


    The reason for calling QianRen over today was to assign some responsibilities. After all, this Soul Splitting Technique had never been tested before. Even He Huan couldn¡¯t be entirely sure of the outcome. Therefore, in case of failure, he was still prepared. He addressed QianRen, ¡°I¡¯ve set his memories at 18 years old, but I¡¯m not sure which version of my 18-year-old self it will be. If I¡¯ve still not awakened by the time the tribulation is over, I will need you to help me keep an eye on him.¡±


    Saying this, he paused and looked back to his letter, thousands of thoughts swirling in his mind. He was suddenly registering the fact that he¡¯d already stayed in this strange world for a hundred years. The memory of climbing out of that pile of corpses in the beginning had started to become a bit fuzzy. In fact, he could hardly remember what he looked like in his childhood.


    The tip of the brush made contact with the calligraphy paper as it left a spot of ink; his gaze shifted before finally saying the rest of his words, ¡°If anything goes wrong¡­ I allow you to take this Palace Master¡¯s position.¡±


    QianRen still didn¡¯t understand what He Huan meant. He wondered how a person could have two 18-year-old periods. However, his long-held habitual loyalty kept him from asking further. All he had to do was follow the Palace Master¡¯s orders.


    He raised his head to look deeply at his Master then immediately accepted these new responsibilities, ¡°This subordinate will use his life to guard the Palace of Bliss, waiting for you to awaken.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good enough, you may retire. Before this Master successfully overcomes this time¡¯s tribulation, don¡¯t let anyone near this place.¡±


    Waving his subordinate away, He Huan¡¯s right hand clasped the wine cup, his eyes slightly glassy from being a little tipsy. Feeling the warm wine flow into his stomach, he unconsciously used his fingers to touch the position of his dantian. As usual, the Nascent Soul he¡¯d formed since he was just 20 was providing spiritual energy to his entire body.


    The Nascent Soul was the source of life in a cultivator. Once the Nascent Soul dies, the cultivator would definitely follow. However, if a cultivator was killed and even burned to ashes, as long as the Nascent Soul was still alive, then the cultivator still had a chance to live again by possessing another body. This little thing residing in his abdomen shared a life-death relationship with him. It was infinitely more reliable when compared to any sort of friendship in this world.


    He Huan thought about it before downing another cup. He started to send a wave of spiritual energy to his dantian and sighed, ¡°No matter how I try to phrase it, the one destined to accompany me until the very end, is only you, right?¡±


    The wind swept up the pine needles while rain splattered on fresh bamboo, the sounds of the oncoming storm making it through the windows and enveloping the Hall4. Azure curtains waved in the wind, and following the last bit of spiritual energy entering the Yuan Ying, the tribulation clouds that had been stationary for over a month finally sounded with thunder.


    When the heavenly tribulation that had been suppressed for so long finally began, many people were shocked, but the red-clothed man who stood in front of the window seemed to be completely unmoved.


    His finger lazily hooked up, controlling his spiritual energy to pick up the wine jug, and in a toast to the night, he took a gulp before taking a glance at his reflection in the mirror, suddenly revealing a crazed smile.


    He pulled his outer robe off, raised the brush still in his hand, and wrote countless words down onto the robes. He tilted his head when he saw that his high-quality clothing had been stained by ink, but he didn¡¯t feel that it was a pity. Soon after, he quickly put his outer robe back on and flew into the sky to welcome the threatening tribulation, then used his own strength to summon the winds and rain.


    The tribulation for the Calamity Crossing stage was a total of nine by nine, 81 strikes of lightning. Finally, after sounding for an entire night above the Palace of Bliss, did the sounds of thunder start to dissipate at daylight.


    With the rain washing away the night, the first glow of dawn shone through the clear clouds, revealing itself to the world once again. It was then that everyone knew, a new storm would soon wash over the Jianghu.


    However, no one could have imagined what would happen on the second day after the end of the lightning tribulation. As the morning light lit up the QingYun Hall once again, the red-clothed man laying on the table gradually woke up.


    His eyes no longer held his previous unfathomable gaze, only total blankness and confusion. Amidst the silence of the room, he looked up, gaze settling on the plaque that contained the three characters ¡°QingYun Hall¡±. In his heart, there was only one question, ¡°Where is this place?¡±


    Suddenly waking up in this place, he circled the room a few times and found that although he couldn¡¯t remember where he was, he was familiar with the decorations and items inside. Everything seemed to be in line with the name QingYun5.


    The Hall was eight stories high, the windows on every floor were also extremely large, and each was framed by intricate wooden carvings. When the sunlight hit the windowsill, shadows of bamboo would be imprinted on the ground, matching perfectly with the azure curtains.


    There were two large cabinets beside the engraved bed stocked full of high-quality books. As opposed to a cultivator¡¯s room, it appeared more like a scholar¡¯s study room.


    Standing on the top floor and looking down, one could see a hot spring encased within the steam. The sides of the spring were lined with bamboo and pine, while Taihu Rocks6 were scattered about, with a gravel path winding between them. There were no vibrant flowers to be seen, but the scene contained an atmosphere of elegant purity. Mist surrounded several wooden corridors and each side covered by verdant orchids. Looking from afar, it could almost be mistaken as a castle in the sky.


    His line of sight followed the direction in which the morning light entered, he turned his head, finally discovering the desk containing the stack of sealed letters. Picking one up, he could easily see the name of the intended recipient¡ª¡ªHe Huan.


    With all that said, onwards my ducklings!


    ½­ºþ ¨C the martial arts community/cultivation world. Lit tl would be riverlake.


    According to a legend, the faithful wife of a fisherman climbed the hills every day, carrying her son, to watch for the return of her husband, not knowing he had been drowned at sea. In reward for her faithfulness, she was turned into a rock by the Goddess of the Sea (Mazu) so that her spirit could unite with that of her husband. Another version has it that the wife was turned into stone so that she could forever gaze out towards the sea, both looking out and waiting for her husband.


    ÔªÓ¤ ¨C The actual Nascent Soul, not the Nascent Soul Stage.


    µî ¨C a large single building in traditional Chinese architecture


    clear clouds

 CH 2

    Editor: Chubby Dragon


    Proofreader: Sleepymango 123


    Since ancient times, the righteous and the demonic had always coexisted within the Jianghu.


    The righteous side did things according to the rules, and therefore, rarely did they hold enmity towards each other. It was this aspect that enabled the righteous sects to create alliances amongst each other easily. They could even decide on the identity of the world¡¯s strongest cultivator.


    Whenever they wanted to fight, they would send out invitations, summoning a crowd to watch; this set-up was elaborate to the point of blinding the eyes.


    As for the demonic sects, not only did they do things like burning, killing, and looting the other sects. What was even more ridiculous was that they not only targeted the innocent and righteous factions but also killed and plundered amongst themselves.


    Therefore, aside from being collectively hunted down by the righteous side, all demonic cultivators also had to be wary of their peers in case they decided to loot them while their houses were burning. It could be said that they lived very difficult lives.


    The demonic sects that survived in such an adverse environment had to either be absurdly strong or absurdly creepy and as for the Palace of Bliss, the sect situated at the apex¡ªthey were the absurd among the absurdities.


    Therefore by inference, He Huan, the Palace Master to the Palace of Bliss, must be a world-class absurdly powerful and creepy Demon Lord.


    Luckily, He Huan didn¡¯t let down the expectations of the Jianghu¡¯s storytellers. Ever since he killed the previous Palace Master with a slash of his sword 80 years ago, he had turned the Palace of Bliss into his own personal garden. As for the disciples in his sect, it didn¡¯t matter whether they were men or women, their actions and words frivolous, overbearing or arrogant, they all were accommodated comfortably.


    According to a godly thief who had once infiltrated the Palace of Bliss to try and steal treasures, this person even allowed his disciples to dual-cultivate whenever they felt like it. The entire sect, other than some porn books, was completely empty of any divine weapons or artifacts. It was simply too hard to look at. Of course, regarding whether or not he¡¯d examined the porn stack, a certain godly thief refused to comment.


    Men being loose and lustful wasn¡¯t anything new. For men and women to thoughtlessly throw themselves at He Huan regardless of his identity as Demon Lord also seemed to be within the realm of expectation. However, after having your flings and parting your ways with the other party, to not even give a heads up to everyone in the Jianghu, then we will have problems!


    Within the century, who knew how many cultivators, on their nuptial night, heard their newly wedded wives bow their heads and weep, ¡°Back then, I was young and ignorant, with that He Huan¡­¡±; and who knew how many cut-sleeves1 had painfully heard the handsome youths they finally managed to capture, awkwardly sigh, ¡°Forgive me for being blunt, but regarding technique, I still think He Huan was better¡­.¡±


    And so, in an instant, a green breeze swept across the Jianghu. Cultivators in mass all became easily agitated, in fear of accidentally buckling a green hat onto their heads2.


    In order to cope with these situations, the second-ranked righteous sect of the world, the Myriad Treasures Hall, developed an artifact that could determine blood relations through a person¡¯s bone marrow, blood, face, hands, etc¡ªa real blood relation tester.


    It had sold out almost immediately, making them a huge profit. As for the theories about why the sect head of the Myriad Treasures Hall who¡¯d been in secluded cultivation for months suddenly released this product¡­it was said that one of his people had sat down with a certain man surnamed He for a meal¡ªcough¡ªrelatable, relatable.


    What¡¯s more, not long ago, a certain godly thief who once again infiltrated the Palace of Bliss heard that scourge, He Huan, sigh about how sexy the fox spirit cultivators on the Snowy Mountains were. The world hadn¡¯t anticipated that he would even try spirit3 cultivators, and so, even those few who had special fetishes couldn¡¯t take it anymore. This disgrace couldn¡¯t stay!


    Towards this, He Huan¡¯s response was, ¡°Laughable! This Master wants to enjoy his lifetime, the only requirement is that it is comfortable and satisfying. I have long stopped forcing men and women. Nowadays, what I like the most is the process.¡±


    Hearing this, there were some perverted cultivators who jealously scolded, ¡°Despicable! Absolutely despicable!¡±


    The fledgling cultivators who¡¯d just entered the real world quickly followed in chanting, ¡°That¡¯s right! Absolutely despicable! Such a villain, to dare claim to value the process, you are simply an uneducated swine claiming to love culture!¡±


    The perverted cultivators, ¡°¡­¡±


    In short, this He Huan person was extremely evil. At least 80% of the cultivators in the Jianghu wanted to exterminate him. Yet, he was a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. What type of concept was late-stage Nascent Soul? That was the stage one step away from Calamity Crossing.


    There were only two Calamity Crossing cultivators above him in the entire world.


    One was the grand monk of the Grand Western Leiyin Temple. Although rumours had speculated that he was of the Calamity Crossing stage, the Jianghu had always pretended that this monk didn¡¯t exist. This was because, other than the monks that had completed ascension into Buddhas, no one knew where this temple was located, more so, the Jianghu hadn¡¯t had a monk who successfully became a Buddha in centuries.


    The other person would be the sect head of the number one righteous sect, Xuanmen Righteous Sect¡¯s Qing Xuzi.


    Logically, he was the most suitable person to slay He Huan, but every generation, the sect head kept to a dedicated tradition¡ªentering into secluded cultivation. Each seclusion would last centuries. Secluding and secluding, and after being secluded so much, they¡¯d finally ascend with a ¡®whoosh¡¯.


    Qing XuZi just happened to be in seclusion the year He Huan first made his appearance, and to this day he still hadn¡¯t exited. Many suspected that the old man would be like his predecessor, kicking the bucket with no warning.


    Therefore, other than besieging this vile villain, they really had no way to deal with him. However, even when besieging, they needed to find a leader to act as the head.


    Following their sect head¡¯s love for secluded cultivation, the cultivators of the ¡®Big Boss¡¯ Xuanmen Righteous Sect were all hopelessly addicted to secluded cultivation as well. The liaisons from other sects couldn¡¯t even enter the mountain. Many times, they sent notices asking to pay their respects, in the end, most were lost causes. It really made people speculate that a day would arrive where the entire sect would just up and ascend together.


    As for the second largest sect, Myriad Treasures Hall, their sect head had doubted his wife¡¯s faithfulness. So the wife became angry, returning to her family¡¯s home and locking herself inside. Everyday the sect head would have an expression of deep regret and frustration as he stood guard in front of his wife¡¯s home trying to appease her. Where would he find the mood to go and pick a fight with that bastard, He Huan?


    The third largest sect was the sect that the said wife belonged to, the Water Moon Manor. As a sect that only accepted female disciples, they were originally the most suitable choice. It was a pity that none of them had the mood to organize some grand extermination campaign. All they wanted to do was beat up those old calculating men loitering at their entrance.


    Without these three giants at the forefront, with their numerous Nascent Soul stage cultivators, it¡¯d be suicide for the other sects to attack the Palace of Bliss. Gradually, they could only eliminate this idea from their minds.


    Yet, what made all those unmarried cultivators fall into despair was that last night, the Palace of Bliss once again welcomed tribulation. As long as He Huan was not electrocuted to death, then he would already be a Calamity Crossing expert by now.


    Then, in the end, was he electrocuted to death?


    Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t.


    He Huan had always only ever pursued the ultimate pleasures. His Palace of Bliss was constructed atop a spirit spring, the mountain was lush, water was nutritious, and it was spring all year round. Even his personal garden was designed similar to the Classical Gardens of Suzhou4, completely unlike the brothel-styled look everyone imagined.


    It¡¯s just that, at this time, in He Huan¡¯s personal QingYun Hall, the evil Demon Lord in everyone¡¯s words was staring blankly at the stack of letters. When he finally registered what he was looking at and saw the phrase ¡°Enjoy the ride¡±, he immediately fell to the ground in shock. There wasn¡¯t an ounce of his rumoured sleazy expression.


    ¡°He Huan¡± felt very lost at the moment, his memory was basically blank. He could barely recall that he seemed to be some world¡¯s university graduate. Just when he¡¯d finished his exams, he was hit by a car on the way home and had found himself here after waking up. However, he completely forgot what his name was, don¡¯t even mention family background, he¡¯d even forgotten what he used to look like.


    There was no one else in the room, only a stack of letters accompanied him. As for the contents contained within the letters, they could be summarized as the above information.


    The writing was disorganized, handwriting both new and old. It seemed that the author just wrote something whenever it came to mind. Not only was the stack very thick, but the information inside was also very complex. ¡°He Huan¡± looked at it for a long time before finally deriving a few key points.


    He Huan was a publicly recognized pervert.


    The majority of the people in the Jianghu wanted to kill He Huan.


    He Huan lived alone at QingYun Hall which was within the Palace of Bliss.


    He looked up to see that eye-catching QingYun plaque, then back down to his dark-red robes which were not the kind proper people would be associated with. His conclusion¡ªit appeared that, perhaps, possibly, maybe, he was He Huan?!


    This didn¡¯t seem too good?


    Carrying his robes that were long enough to sweep the floor, the current ¡°He Huan¡± considered his proficiency in wearing these robes that made even walking difficult and actually being able to survive the attacks from the righteous cultivators. Then decisively, he grabbed the stack of paper and began to grind as if he were cramming for college entrance exams.


    Oh well, although he didn¡¯t know why He Huan would leave a message for himself out of the blue, looking at the action itself, he had probably known that a situation like this would occur. In that case, then he would most likely have left an explanation to dispel his confusion.


    Sure enough, he soon found the most relevant point to his current circumstances within the increasingly scribbled writings¡ªthe meridians would be damaged and could not be exercised in the seven days that followed undergoing tribulation, and to be aware of sneak attacks.


    The suggested countermeasures were¡ªstay at home and randomly select a few beautiful disciples to sleep with during these seven days. Male disciples took priority because their combat prowess tended to be stronger.


    ¡°What the hell, pervert!¡±


    Seven days? A few? And it has to be male disciples?! This was directly dying from excessive ejaculation! Actually, it was bad enough that it had to be male disciples, okay?


    As a teenager with a normal orientation, when he saw this rotten idea, ¡°He Huan¡± decisively threw that stack of waste paper onto the floor. At the same time, he gained a deeper understanding that this He Huan, sure enough, was a pervert.


    Although he was not very clear-minded at this time, he still wouldn¡¯t follow that rotten idea. He just wanted to spend those seven days quietly as he recovered, before doing anything else.


    Speaking of which, if he¡¯d remembered correctly, since it was only after the car accident that he ended up transmigrating to this place, then how was he able to read these words that were basically akin to ancient script calligraphy?


    However, after thinking about it some more, he also found that although he¡¯d never been to this QingYun Hall, he hadn¡¯t felt any unfamiliarity in the furniture¡¯s placement or style. Perhaps he¡¯d already lived in this world for a while, he just couldn¡¯t remember it. At least he was literate. But, if he already lived in this world, why couldn¡¯t he remember it? And how did he become He Huan?


    No matter how he tried to think about it, he still couldn¡¯t think of an answer. Sighing, he ended up taking out a book from the cabinet to try and pass the time.


    Just when he was about to lament that he was actually going to read something as literary as ancient lined manuscripts, he flipped the book open and came face to face with a picture of a naked woman on top of a man. That elbow, that arm¡ªyour uncle! Wasn¡¯t this a spring magazine?!


    In an instant, that literary fantasy was punctured by reality, and ¡°He Huan¡± the virgin, tossed that thing out the window with a red face.


    Suddenly, he recalled the proud tone in the letters that He Huan had used when mentioning that his whole sect had nothing except for porn books; he now understood just what kind of things filled these two large cabinets.


    Yes, although he hadn¡¯t met He Huan before, he was absolutely certain that guy had been completely proud when talking about these things.


    Although ¡°He Huan¡± wasn¡¯t a complete stranger to pornography, he still firmly believed that they should only be taken out in the dead of night in the comforts of one¡¯s own room for self-pleasure. Where would you find a person who styled their entire room elegantly only for their cabinets to be full of porn books, this crass fellow!


    Even though he was secretly judgemental of He Huan¡¯s tastes, that image began to spin unceasingly within his mind.


    Honestly speaking, when disregarding the contents, the art style actually fit with his own sense of aesthetics. At least, it seemed that their preferences were basically the same. Moreover, from the glimpse he¡¯d gotten just then, he was pretty sure he¡¯d even seen some dialogue; this porn book actually had some form of plot.


    Realizing that staying inside for seven days straight would be extremely boring, his heart itched for something to do. After sweeping his gaze across the room and confirming that there truly was no one else inside, he silently moved to the other book cabinet. He sneakily fished a book out, deciding on pretending to study.


    Cough cough, as an upright youth, how could he possibly be engrossed in this type of thing? He was just curious as to what type of plot a porn book could possibly have.


    After pondering for a while, he finally flipped to the first page, only to find the tangled bodies of two¡ªhandsome men.


    With a whoosh, another limited-edition porn book was thrown out the window. ¡°He Huan¡± was triggered¡ªhow could a perfectly straight youth like him be interested in man on man action! Even if he died of boredom, he still wouldn¡¯t spare a glance for that type of thing!


    An hour later, ¡°He Huan¡± was unable to suppress his boredom and thus slapped his own face, ¡°My god! Even this kind of maneuver is possible? Is it really that intense between men?¡±


    Fine, reality has proven, nothing can curb the curiosity of a youth in his prime. As well as a preference for this type of thing, it doesn¡¯t change that much throughout the years.


    End of Chapter 2


    in short, gays. This is a reference to the story of an Emperor who had to leave for morning court but didn¡¯t want to disturb his male lover who was resting on his sleeve, and so cut it off.


    Once upon a time, there was a businessman, a tailor, and the businessman¡¯s wife. (You can guess where this is going¡­) Whenever the businessman left his village to go on a business trip, his wife would cheat on him with the village tailor. To make it easier for the tailor to know when the businessman was going away, the businessman¡¯s wife asked the tailor to make a green hat for the businessman. Whenever the wife put the green hat on her husband¡¯s head, this served as a signal to the tailor that the businessman was leaving the village. Over time, the other villagers figured out what was going on, and they would say to one another¡­¡±His wife has put the green hat on him.¡±


    To this day, this phrase is what Chinese people use to talk about wives having affairs. This phrase is the reason why Chinese men never wear green hats.


    not to be confused with demonic cultivators. Demonic cultivators are humans who have turned to the demonic path, spirit cultivators are born that way. For example, beasts who have cultivated intelligence or plants, etc¡­


    Classical Gardens of Suzhou

 CH 3

    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: SleepyMango123


    As ¡°He Huan¡± lamented the profoundness of erotic culture, the Palace of Bliss disciples who were waiting for their Palace Master to come out of seclusion exploded in worry.


    Yesterday¡¯s tribulation was frightening, everyone was guessing whether or not He Huan had completed this trial.


    Regarding this, it was naturally the Palace of Bliss disciples that were the most concerned. After all, if He Huan fell, then the balance between the powers would be broken and the righteous sects would undoubtedly attack the next day.


    Even after the development of the Palace of Bliss, there weren¡¯t any prominent demonic sects that came out of it, instead, it further highlighted the anomaly that was the Palace of Bliss.


    Thinking about it, there hadn¡¯t been an all-out war between demonic and righteous in decades. Those hot-blooded righteous cultivators were probably bored to death by now.


    Wasn¡¯t it just a few days ago that it was said that the principal of the Heaven¡¯s Library Pavilion was so idle that he went to the countryside to catch bandits?


    But once those moldy fellows found a place to start a conflict¡­ numerous disciples shivered in terror just thinking about it.


    Without their three biggest sects leading the way, the righteous sects didn¡¯t stand a chance against He Huan; but without He Huan, the rest of them were basically powerless in a gang fight.


    At that time, the unlucky ones would still be those waiting outside the door, branded as demonic cultivators.


    The storm had long since disappeared, but how come there still wasn¡¯t any movement? It couldn¡¯t be that something really did happen to the Palace Master, right?


    Their leader simply wasn¡¯t the type of person who could just hole up and sleep off an entire day alone; the crowd of disciples all firmly believed that as long as their Palace Master was still alive, he would inevitably get out of bed in order to call someone up to serve him.


    All of a sudden the crowd of disciples gathered outside their Palace Master¡¯s Hall started to worry for their future.


    As an easygoing person who didn¡¯t kill unnecessarily, He Huan usually found his disciples¡¯ displays of seduction and coyness flattering rather than annoying. However, the only place he would not tolerate such behaviour would be his QingYun Hall.


    No one was allowed to take a step inside unless they were summoned.


    Once, there was a male pet who had attempted to enter based on the fact that he was currently in favour, just to be ruthlessly cut down the moment he took one step up the stairway inside.


    Ever since then, no one dared to even walk past QingYun Hall without He Huan¡¯s permission. The status quo remained even till today, so although they were worried that something might have happened to He Huan after his tribulation, they still didn¡¯t dare approach, opting to gather next to the spirit spring instead.


    The Palace of Bliss had three enforcers. Of the three, the first one was infamous for being the best mercenary on the Jianghu, Bi QianRen.


    As a mercenary, his eyesight was naturally sharp. Just as he was frowning in contemplation, he looked up and caught a glimpse of a red-clothed figure currently looking down from the highest window. Wasn¡¯t that the Palace Master?


    After using his spiritual energy to take a closer look, Bi QianRen found that their Master was actually in a pretty good mood. Even using an appreciative gaze to look at them, it seems that his cultivation had improved by quite a bit. Thinking so, Qian Ren finally relaxed.


    However, why hasn¡¯t their Palace Master come out now that his tribulation was over? Could it be that he was injured and needed to recover?


    QianRen naturally didn¡¯t know that the current ¡°He Huan¡± was completely powerless and could not actually see the crowd of disciples enveloped by the steam, and was only poking his head out to admire the scenery.


    If ¡°He Huan¡± were to know that his action inspired by boredom would later cause him a ton of problems, he would have rather directly chosen to jump out of the window and die.


    ¡°The Palace Master is fine.¡±


    Although he didn¡¯t understand why He Huan hadn¡¯t come out, Qian Ren still spoke to calm the crowd. As expected, the moment he said this, the crowd of disciples was instantly relieved.


    They all knew that in the entire Palace of Bliss, only the first and Second Enforcer had never slept with their Palace Master; from this, it could be seen just how important they were. For the Head Enforcer to speak, then naturally what he said could be trusted and He Huan was fine.


    ¡°Careful, an attack!¡±


    At the same time, the Second Enforcer You Jiang1 doubtfully looked upwards, then flew up with an ease not unlike a sparrow in the forest. When he finally landed, in his hand was an additional porn book disguised as a cultivation technique.


    The Palace Master threw down a porn book right after peering down at them, this was clearly an order for someone to be sent up to service him.


    Thinking of this point, the number one mercenary, QianRen, took the book and using his exceptional vision, found the page that ¡°He Huan¡± had last been on. ¡°From the faint fingerprints on the edge of the page, the ones the Palace Master has requested should be something similar to this.¡±


    As for who got to sleep with the Palace Master, this type of thing, it was always the responsibility of the Third Enforcer, Xiu Niang. The moment she saw that ¡°woman on top¡± diagram, she instantly knew which position the Master favoured today and immediately shouted, ¡°Someone, bring Sai GuanYing to this old lady!¡±


    Just when everyone was relieved that the Palace Master still had the mood to enjoy himself, You Jiang frowned and jumped up again, ¡°Careful, another one¡¯s coming!¡±


    According to the order of things, it would then be Qian Ren who¡¯d flip through the book to find the page ¡°He Huan¡± was on, this way no detail will be missed.


    However, Xiu Niang just went forward to take a look and was then immediately ecstatic, ¡°For the Palace Master to have such vigorous amounts of energy, could it be that he¡¯s successfully advanced without any injuries?¡±


    But as soon as the excitement wore off, she couldn¡¯t help but be concerned, ¡°This pose can¡¯t be performed by those common disciples, they must have some kind of achievement in cultivation at least.¡±


    Even after hearing her added prerequisite, You Jiang wasn¡¯t worried in the slightest. He clapped his hands before throwing the book to an azure-clothed disciple and instructed, ¡°Yun Ce, it has been a little over a month since the Palace Master has already brought you here, learn this secret art well, it is time for you to perform.¡±


    That disciple was unable to contain his joy at this sudden development as he accepted his order, ¡°This disciple will not let you down.¡±


    And so, just as ¡°He Huan¡± sighed over the fact that the plots of porn books in this day and age were surprisingly deep and touching, an even greater ¡®unprincipled¡¯ calamity was steadily approaching him under the Head Enforcer¡¯s lead.


    Sure enough, porn books and such cannot just be haphazardly thrown around.


    ¡°He Huan¡± didn¡¯t really plan to be indolent, spending his seven days simply reading porn, so after casually flipping through one, he once again explored the room. As a result, when parting the curtains covering the bed, he found a huge body length sized bronze mirror covering the wall.


    This sort of thing, installing a mirror behind the bed¡­


    Peering at the unmade and messy bedding on top of the mattress, ¡°He Huan¡± was unable to control his brain from filling in the blanks and imagining a very R-18 scene, once again sighing at the immoderation of the original host¡ª¡ªyou Demon Lords really know how to play!


    Though, from the description in the letters and his own findings, his impression of He Huan was that if he wasn¡¯t some kind of pervy middle-aged uncle, then he was an incubus more tempting than a woman, a bewitching cutsleeve that can impregnate anyone with just a glance.


    The former was due to imagining someone more masculine, the latter, someone feminine. According to logic, the reality would be a wonderful combination of the two impressions, yet the man that was reflected in the mirror, was not devilish in beauty despite having alluring eyes, similarly, although his build wasn¡¯t overbearing, was still extremely upright and noble. In addition, his slightly messy waist-length hair brought about a somewhat languid aura.


    If it wasn¡¯t mentioned, the average person would¡¯ve just thought this was some secular family¡¯s pampered young master, it would be completely unimaginable that this person could fight. Just that, the only thing disrupting the aesthetic of this man would be his current dazed expression.


    After his worldview had been enlightened by the sorcery that is makeup and plastic surgery, one could say that his immunity towards attractiveness is quite high.


    Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that he would end up dazed after staring at a handsome guy, the reason for his lack of response was because of how familiar he was with this face. The familiarity was at the level where it would be weird if this wasn¡¯t his face.


    But, how could he possibly look like this, He Huan and him were completely different people!


    In his heart, he refused to have anything to do with He Huan and lowered his head in irritation. It was then that he realized that the dark lines on his red robes weren¡¯t patterns, but rather, lines upon lines of messy words.


    Taking a rough look at it, he noticed that it was a short poetic essay and looked at it uncomprehendingly, only until he found a specific phrase that slightly made sense, did he stop¡ª¡ªTonight, I see clearly of love in this world. The one who comes alone is me2.


    Such a simple phrase, but the moment it fell onto his eyes, he felt a sharp pain in his heart before seeming to have entered into a dream. Within the dream, he became the size of a palm and there was a faceless man who had constantly stroked him gently.


    That person¡¯s cold fingertips traced along his facial features, every time he petted him, he would gain a bit of warmth, only once that warmth had spread to encompass his entire body did he open his eyes and see¡­


    Just as he was about to recall the appearance of the man in his dream, a male voice coated with reverence sounded from the corridor, startling him out of his stupor. After listening to what was being reported, he had even less of a mood to ponder about those things, that voice said, ¡°Palace Master, per your orders, QianRen has arranged two assisting disciples to be brought to you.¡±


    When, exactly, did I set orders pertaining to this type of thing?!


    The moment ¡°He Huan¡± heard this, he panicked. You have to know, no matter how ridiculous, the Palace of Bliss was still an authentic demonic sect.


    So even though their Master, He Huan, wasn¡¯t some proper Demon Lord that was single-mindedly focused on fighting and slaughtering, instead preferring to lounge and frolic around, didn¡¯t mean that his subordinates didn¡¯t know how to go around fighting and slaughtering people.


    This fact was even specifically mentioned within the letters, the Head Enforcer of the Palace of Bliss, Bi QianRen, was the best mercenary in the world. Just from his name and title, one could already tell that he wasn¡¯t someone he could afford to provoke.


    He was more than 80% sure that He Huan often teased this merciless killer, the only reason why he hadn¡¯t made a move on him would be that even he was helpless in front of this strange poison. Yet thinking from the perspective of a regular straight man, in the face of having a not-so-straight boss constantly tease him, it really wouldn¡¯t be over the top to just kill him one day.


    Internally reinforcing the fact that he must not be discovered by QianRen, ¡°He Huan¡± decidedly picked out a book, lazily laid down on the bed while facing the bronze mirror.


    In order to create the image that he was reading, he had one hand hold open the book, while the other was propping up his chin. Pausing for a second in consideration, he decided to keep his back to the stairway as he tried to use an easy tone to address the person standing outside, ¡°Head Enforcer needn¡¯t enter, so as to avoid having your spirits dampened.¡±


    If he had cultivated the Heaven¡¯s Eye Technique, then he would have found that, the moment he opened his mouth, the expression on the black-clothed man standing in the stairwell changed. He gave a meaningful glance at the room before coldly speaking to the two he had brought up with him, ¡°Sai GuanYing, Yun Ce, make sure to properly serve the Master after you enter.¡±


    As QianRen silently retreated, following the sound of footsteps, two figures were reflected in the bronze mirror. Just from looking at their builds, one was a youth dressed in azure robes, the other was a girl in pure white ones. Both had their heads lowered as they took small steps inside, a position that spoke of respect.


    It was only then that ¡°He Huan¡± realized, this bronze mirror was actually able to capture the entire room in its perspective. Although with He Huan¡¯s personality, this property was probably not used for any noble purpose, he would still have to thank He Huan for his whimsical idea. At the very least, he didn¡¯t have to turn around and put his acting abilities to the test.


    Fortunately, QianRen hadn¡¯t disobeyed his orders and the two escorts weren¡¯t like the demonic sect disciples often depicted in dramas, where they immediately stripped and pounced. Instead, the two were quietly kneeling waiting for his instructions.


    So¡­ in what way can he dismiss them without sparking any doubt? A renowned Demon Lord and lech, suddenly abstaining from sex? It couldn¡¯t be that he needed to say the lightning tribulation had turned him impotent for others to finally believe him, right?


    With fingers lightly drumming the pages of the book, ¡°He Huan¡± racked his brain as he took in the awkward atmosphere steadily being developed, while internally wailing about what could be done.


    Our Second Enforcer (I¡¯ll never be able to unsee Outstanding Ginger again)


    ½ñÏüÊÀÇé½Ô²ÎÆÆ£¬³àÌõÌõÀ´·½ÊÇÎÒ (J¨©nxi¨¡o sh¨¬q¨ªng ji¨¥ c¨¡n p¨°, ch¨¬ti¨¢oti¨¢o l¨¢i f¨¡ng sh¨¬ w¨¯) ¨C the endings of the two lines rhyme in Chinese. Fun fact, this translator originally translated the title as ¡°Tonight, all worldly affairs will shatter before me. That naked person is me.¡± (it didn¡¯t sound right XD)


    He really didn¡¯t know how to play the part of a roguish Demon Lord!

 CH 4

    Editor: Sammy


    Proofreader: Sleepymango123


    Everyone was surprised when Qian Ren returned from QingYun Hall so soon. Usually, whenever the Palace Master passed through tribulation and reached the next level, he¡¯d always seek out his Head Enforcer to test out his new strength. The process was typically long, so they often spent the night together, leading others to wonder whether they had done other activities. But today, how come the Head Enforcer came down this quickly? What about that exercise they used to exchange their passionate feelings?


    So, in the end, was he successful or not? If he was, it seems that they may need to doubt their Palace Master¡¯s ability as a man. However, if he was unsuccessful, one would need to doubt his current skill level. This¡­which one would be better to suspect?


    Having just come down the stairs and seeing the confused stares of the crowd, Qian Ren instantly knew where these disciples¡¯ minds had flown off to. He rudely poked a hole into their thoughts, ¡°The Palace Master requires rest after undergoing tribulation,  Sai GuanYing accompanying him is enough.¡±


    Sure enough, after hearing this, everyone immediately settled down, knowing that their Master was still their Master. Besides, even if the matter of cultivation was still unknown, his abilities as a man were still first class. Needless to say, Xiu Niang was even more pleased with herself and promptly added, ¡°Formerly, this girl was a daughter from an influential family, only when her family offended someone they shouldn¡¯t have, did she end up becoming a prostitute. It took me quite a lot of effort to obtain her.¡±


    Unexpectedly, the white-robed girl actually possessed such a background. Once again, the crowd couldn¡¯t help but appreciate Xiu Niang¡¯s capabilities, but You Jiang still held his doubts, vigilantly asking, ¡°Is someone from the imperial court trustworthy?¡±


    Having long expected him to ask this question, Xiu Niang scoffed and waved her sleeve in disregard, ¡°Second Enforcer needn¡¯t worry, she¡¯s slept with me these past few days. There¡¯s likely no man in this world other than the Palace Master, who can satisfy her now. Therefore, even if she was an assassin, she¡¯d still have to yield to our Palace of Bliss.¡±


    And by sleep, it was of course the meaningful kind of sleep. Just thinking of Xiu Niang¡¯s rumoured ability to be able to battle it out with He Huan on the bed for seven days straight and still not come to a conclusion of who was better at bed-arts, the most upright individual in the sect¡ªSecond Enforcer You Jiang¡ªcouldn¡¯t help but feel sympathy for Sai GuanYing, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t this be too provocative for her aristocratic tastes?¡±


    Xiu Niang¡¯s expression became more pleased, and just as she wanted to thoroughly rub her superb techniques in the two¡¯s faces, Qian Ren interrupted their conversation with a black face, ¡°Why is it that I feel you two are trying to provoke me instead?¡±


    Only then did Xiu Niang remember that this one standing beside her was different from the rest and quickly covered her face with her sleeve as she teased, ¡°Aiya, Head Enforcer, I completely forgot that the Palace Master has long claimed you as his number one target. That¡¯s why no disciple within the whole sect dares to climb onto your bed, truly too sad, too sad.¡±


    ¡°You Jiang, come, let¡¯s discuss the upcoming guard rotation and mobilization.¡±


    Qian Ren knew that after becoming a brothel keeper, Xiu Niang developed a habit of poking fun at people, so he didn¡¯t bother staying any longer. With a blackened face, he walked to the side and called You Jiang over to resume their duties as enforcers.


    Seeing him like this, Xiu Niang also didn¡¯t pursue the matter. With a smile and sway to her hips, she beckoned the disciples she brought over to leave with her; all of them chattering and laughing. Compared to the two male enforcers, she was much more in line with the Palace of Bliss¡¯ style.


    Noticing that Qian Ren¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t quite good, You Jiang realized that although he himself didn¡¯t have those intentions towards their Master, he still had many daring female disciples throw themselves at him. Compared to Qian Ren, who was young and at the prime of his life yet couldn¡¯t get close to anyone, he was already a lot better.


    Moreover, since Qian Ren was taken in by the Palace Master when he was young, it wouldn¡¯t be too much of a leap to say that he may have harboured other intentions. After thinking along these lines, You Jiang hurried to follow while softening his tone, ¡°If the Palace Master really wanted to force either of us, we couldn¡¯t even dream of resisting. The fact that he doesn¡¯t touch you is because you¡¯re important to him.¡±


    Unexpectedly, Qian Ren just glared at him, his face becoming darker. ¡°I didn¡¯t bring you along to gossip, what we need to discuss is¡ªa problem has occurred during the Palace Master¡¯s tribulation.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Hearing this, You Jiang was shocked. Everyone knew that He Huan was the foundation of the Palace of Bliss. If anything happened to him, it will inevitably lead to something big.


    Ignoring You Jiang¡¯s stupid expression, Qian Ren worriedly lowered his voice, ¡°The Palace Master¡¯s style of speech was very different from usual, and the words he used were too proper.¡±


    He Huan had basically raised Qian Ren since childhood. According to seniority, it can be said that he was He Huan¡¯s only direct disciple, so naturally, he was very familiar with He Huan¡¯s movements and speech patterns. From the moment ¡°He Huan¡± opened his mouth, he¡¯d already noticed something was off.


    He Huan would never choose to deprive himself, in everything he did, whichever way was the most comfortable was the way he chose to do things. That act of deliberately suppressing his voice was completely out of character. Then, recalling what He Huan had said just before facing tribulation, Qian Ren grew increasingly worried, resulting in this situation. It¡¯s just that, since the Palace Master had specifically told only him, it can be presumed that this information couldn¡¯t be leaked to anyone else. Therefore, he could only confide in the one person he knew would never betray the demonic side¡ªYou Jiang.


    Perhaps this was why he was appointed as Head Enforcer, he handled matters responsibly and was keen to details. In fact, he managed the sect more competently than He Huan did with that unreliable personality of his.


    When You Jiang saw his serious face, he¡¯d thought it was some huge issue, who knew it was just Qian Ren finding some actions suspicious. Understanding this, he gradually calmed down before labelling this wariness something caused by Qian Ren¡¯s years spent as a mercenary. Of course, he didn¡¯t say this out loud, instead, he tried to soothe the other¡¯s paranoia, ¡°The Palace Master has always been more serious when in his QingYun Hall, after all, the words QingYun have a deeper meaning to him¡­¡±


    Seeing this reaction, Qian Ren knew that He Huan hadn¡¯t spoken to You Jiang before his tribulation. Although he doesn¡¯t know the reasoning behind this decision, he didn¡¯t reveal anything else that could be compromising and advised, ¡°The tribulation to step into the Calamity Crossing Stage is very different from the ones that came before it. Even with the Palace Master¡¯s cultivation, he¡¯d still need a few days to recover. Within this interval, we need to be prepared.¡±


    Towards this, You Jiang approved of his actions, agreeing without hesitation, ¡°Once Yun Ce returns, I¡¯ll ask him about the condition of our Palace Master¡¯s body.¡±


    You Jiang¡¯s grasp over the big picture was extremely good, every task he approached was accompanied by a plan. Seeing that he really took the situation to heart, Qian Ren didn¡¯t dawdle, only shooting him a warning look, ¡°Don¡¯t let Xiu Niang know.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Once Qian Ren and You Jiang had reached an understanding, You Jiang gathered all the guard disciples and strictly ordered, ¡°The Palace Master has just undergone tribulation and needs to recover. Ensure you guard the gates well and prohibit anyone from entering QingYun Hall.¡±


    Upon seeing You Jiang seriously delegating defensive contingencies, Qian Ren¡¯s tension was somewhat abated.


    ¡°If anything goes wrong, I allow you to take this Palace Master¡¯s position.¡±


    This line uttered by He Huan was the source of all of Qian Ren¡¯s unease, especially since a month prior to his tribulation, He Huan had abstained from summoning someone to serve him in bed. Unaccompanied, he resided within his QingYun Hall, drinking alcohol and writing; more often than not, as he wrote, he would end up taking a break near the spring by wielding his sword and practicing. Everyone knew He Huan hadn¡¯t used a weapon in 50 years, so needless to say, it was also then that Qian Ren found out his shifu still possessed his old sword.


    By stringing all this together and tying it with that crazy idea, it truly gave people an ominous feeling.


    ¡°Palace Master, did you succeed?¡±


    Gazing at the Hall on the peak, Qian Ren quietly muttered. He sincerely hoped that the one staying in QingYun Hall was the normal He Huan, at the very least, don¡¯t force him to assume the Palace Master¡¯s role.


    ¡°He Huan¡± was completely oblivious to the commotion outside, believing that he¡¯d successfully deceived The Number One Mercenary. Currently, he was gazing at the two disciples through their reflection in the bronze mirror and racking his brain for a solution to his current predicament.


    Unfortunately, at the moment, all he could think of were unreliable ideas; one of them even being to declare impotence. At least He Huan¡ªthis body¡ªwhen lying on the bed, still had a lot of deterrence. Of course, despite all the tales of brutality circling around the outside world, the Palace of Bliss disciples all knew that the gentlest temperament on the demonic side belonged to He Huan. To the point where if the ones who came were older disciples, they¡¯d have already recommended themselves as bedding partners. However, the two who were currently waiting to service their Master didn¡¯t dare act frivolously.


    Only after the ordeals of Sai GuanYing¡¯s family being hit with misfortune, with the loss of both her parents and being confined to the backyard of a brothel, did Xiu Niang bring her out. Needless to say, she was already uneasy, so when she was informed that the one inclined on the bed was the most powerful Demon Lord in the Jianghu¡ªdespite Xiu Niang¡¯s insistence that the Palace Master was one who cherished the fairer sex, not to mention was handsome¡ªshe couldn¡¯t bring herself to move as she kneeled in front of his bed; frozen with the fear that she¡¯d anger the Demon Lord and be thrown back to the brothel to be defiled by those coarse and vulgar men.


    Compared to Sai GuanYing¡¯s deferential attitude, Yun Ce was a lot more carefree. He was brought to the Palace of Bliss by He Huan just a month ago. Originally, he possessed some cultivation as well as a heroic reputation, but who knew what flowery words He Huan uttered to beguile this handsome youth into becoming a male pet in the Palace of Bliss. Currently, he was gazing in all directions at the arrangement of the room and curiously appraising He Huan. Internally he thought, how come this person is a lot more serious than when he first brought him into the Palace?


    In the end, the youth was growing impatient seeing He Huan reading his book with no intention to move. Plus, kneeling wasn¡¯t exactly the most comfortable position he could be in, so he simply took the initiative and asked, ¡°Palace Master, didn¡¯t you say you wanted us to cultivate with you?¡±


    With his sudden question, Sai GuanYing had been frightened, internally screaming that this person was too reckless. What if the Palace Master became angry? In that moment, she started pulling at his sleeve anxiously, hinting that he should shut up.


    But who knew this idiot would misunderstand her intentions. Showing her a bright grin, he continued loudly, ¡°Look, she too can¡¯t kneel for this long so she¡¯s already begun pulling on my sleeves.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    No matter what, she could never have imagined that the one to service themselves with her would be this kind of brainless idiot. At that moment, Sai GuanYing didn¡¯t know what to say. Just as the atmosphere in the room entered a state of stagnation, she saw the one on the bed flip over so that he was facing them. With a pillow cradled in one arm and the corners of his mouth hooking upwards into a licentious smile he spoke, ¡°This Master also doesn¡¯t want to keep you darlings neglected, but unfortunately, this Master experienced a qi-deviation. Say, little beauty, what¡¯s to be done?¡±


    This expression, this tone, then remembering the rumours about He Huan flying about everywhere, Sai GuanYing immediately understood that this was the Palace Master¡¯s new method of play. Just as she was thinking of a way to continue the scene, the fool beside her actually innocently believed what He Huan had said, even answering in sympathy, ¡°Really? Then do you still remember your name?¡±


    With a deep melancholic sigh, ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡±


    Well, that works too¡­the Palace Master¡¯s amusement was thicker now, it seems this idiot has managed to foster some interest.


    Helplessly kneeling, Sai GuanYing didn¡¯t know whether to be depressed that her charm lost to an air-headed boy or to be thankful that he attracted the Demon Lord¡¯s attention so she didn¡¯t need to be fearful anymore. However, she soon didn¡¯t need to be so nervous, because the Palace Master suddenly gave an order with a smile of understanding, ¡°This Lady may leave to rest, let this youth thoroughly ¡®heal¡¯ my amnesia instead.¡±


    Knowing that the Palace Master was getting prepared to thoroughly ravish this dimwitted boy, she couldn¡¯t help pitying the still oblivious youth. Taking in his dress and posture, he seemed to be some family¡¯s young master; who knew how he¡¯d ended up falling into such circumstances. However, in this world, looking out for number one was the most important, where would one have enough benevolence to care for others? Ultimately, she just silently whispered a few words of advice, ¡°No matter what happens, as long as you¡¯re still alive, then that is good enough.¡±


    Finished saying her piece, she cautiously looked towards the figure on the bed to find him staring straight at her with a slight furrowing of his brows. She was scared that with his higher cultivation, he¡¯d heard what she just said. Not daring to make any more small talk, she quickly retired from her post.


    Arriving at the bottom of the stairwell, she looked up to see the azure curtains covering the intricately carved main entrance. Only after making sure that there were no guards, did she sneakily wipe at her eyes with a sigh.


    Pity the young ah.

 CH 5

    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: SleepyMango123


    ¡°He Huan¡± understood that if he continued to keep silent and do nothing, sooner or later, he¡¯d be exposed. It was perfect that this azure-clothed youth took the initiative to open his mouth first. Even though his expression still wasn¡¯t adjusted enough to his liking, he still hardened his skin and carried on. Luckily, although his tone of taking advantage of innocence had disgusted the heck out of himself, it was enough to have successfully kept these two in the dark.


    Taking advantage of turning his head to look at them, ¡°He Huan¡± attentively appraised the two people, only to see a lady clad in a spotless white robe, silken hair simply tied up with a snow coloured ribbon. Her face was clear and without makeup which made her seem even more beautiful, just from the feel she exuded she didn¡¯t seem like one to sell her body.


    Moving on, the azure-clothed youth had bushy eyebrows and large eyes. Although his messy hair was tied together at the back, there were still some unruly strands sticking out and brushing over his forehead, bringing out a lively aura. His upper-arms were covered by his silk uniform, but one could faintly see the muscles that were still in development. Such spirit and eagerness was so clearly definitive of a young cultivator who has just emerged that he didn¡¯t know what underhanded means He Huan employed in order to con him and successfully bring him back.


    However, no matter how he looked at it, the girl on the side clearly had a higher IQ than this air-headed child, moreover, knowing that women tended to be more attentive to details, it would be problematic if his acting were to fall short and end up exposing something to her. Considering this, ¡°He Huan¡± reluctantly let her leave.


    Seeing her lower her head and glare at the youth beside her in bitterness, ¡°He Huan¡¯s¡± heart clenched in pain once again. In truth, as a young man who held the Little Dragon Maiden1 as the ideal lover in his dreams, he actually really liked this ancient white-clad lady. If he had met such a girl at school, then even if he were to be hung up by his toes and beaten by the teacher, he would still go and ask for her number. But now that he had the luck of having exactly such a white-clad beauty standing right in front of him, he was instead forced to abandon the beauty and choose the gay. ¡°He Huan¡± felt that his straight guy heart had been dealt an incurable blow.


    Internally biting at the corners of his sleeves, ¡°He Huan¡± watched the girl leave, finally accepting the fact that he had to find a way to spend the night with this low IQ youth. Collecting himself, he looked over only to find that this guy had already gotten up from the ground, and was in fact sitting on the edge of his bed staring directly at him in high spirits. Seeing him look back, the youth immediately asked in anticipation, ¡°Palace Master, shall we cultivate?¡±


    Scram! I ain¡¯t cultivating!


    Even though he was screaming internally, on the outside ¡°He Huan¡± remained the image of calm and poise in an attempt to maintain his Demon Lord disguise. ¡°Remind me again, what method do you cultivate?¡±


    However, he soon regretted choosing this idiot as the one who stayed. This piece of work didn¡¯t even listen to what he said. Minding his own business as he already took off his shoes and made his way onto the bed. Then, with a single pull, lifted ¡°He Huan¡± up, eagerly and impatiently saying, ¡°You needn¡¯t worry over this trivial matter. You, quickly dual-cultivate with me and bestow me the status of Male Pet. ¡°


    This kid didn¡¯t seem to possess a herculean physique, so where the hell had all this strength come from?!


    With this one pull, it was as if something snapped, although ¡°He Huan¡± had done his best to maintain his calm, he was but a young man about to go to university. In fact, if they were to base this off of mental age at this time, he may even be younger than this child, so where would he have society¡¯s shrewdness? To have his current level of performance was only thanks to the various dramas and TV series. Now that he couldn¡¯t even continue with his clumsy acting, he angrily tugged his sleeve free, scolding, ¡°What¡¯s your problem, hah?! Who the fuck lines up to rush to become a Male Pet? Don¡¯t you understand how to act shy2? Don¡¯t you understand how to play hard to get? Where¡¯s your professionalism!¡±


    Seeing him so displeased, Yun Ce at least ceased his wanton behaviour, only sitting on the bed, confidently declaring, ¡°I haven¡¯t read many books, so what you just said, I understood none of it!¡±


    ¡°I see it now, facing people with no culture really is a hazard.¡± He rolled his eyes uncharacteristically. ¡°He Huan¡± determined that he really wasn¡¯t suited to be an actor, before finally deciding to just screw it, frankly laid down and said, ¡°Say, you seem like a fine young man, even if you don¡¯t dedicate your time to reading and studying, why must you insist on going down the unorthodox path of becoming a male pet?¡±


    His evaluation of this person¡¯s IQ was spot on, even after his display of OOC-ness, the youth still hadn¡¯t started suspecting his identity, instead doubting the legitimacy of his ¡®amnesia¡¯, ¡°Master, did you really lose your memories? It was you who said my family had fallen victim to a curse which destined all its members to be cut sleeves. Since that is the case, we might as well just find the one with the best technique and is willing to hold us, and just quickly get our sleeves cut off. Moreover, the Palace of Bliss provides food and housing, we don¡¯t even need to go out to fight! It¡¯s naturally the best place to take care of our elders.¡±


    Hearing his explanation, ¡°He Huan¡¯s¡± mouth twitched. Using a worried gaze to look at this fool, ¡°You seriously believe there¡¯s this kind of curse?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I believe it? Even my clan¡¯s Grandpa Ancestor couldn¡¯t defeat you, so naturally if you say I¡¯m a cut sleeve, then of course I¡¯m a cut sleeve.¡±


    With an air of obviousness, he continued to say things that caused ¡°He Huan¡± to feel increasingly ashamed. Then he pressed, ¡°Master please be quick ah, I¡¯m in a hurry.¡±


    Once again taking in this person, ¡°He Huan¡± was 80% sure that this airhead had been tricked by He Huan, but still, this wasn¡¯t any reason to pounce and start pulling on his clothes! ¡°He Huan¡± immediately grabbed his own robes in self-defence and shouted, ¡°I understand that you youngsters are always in a hurry, but no one is this anxious!¡±


    However, with his current body that has temporarily lost all its cultivation, he really couldn¡¯t dissuade this youth. Just when his outerwear was about to be pulled clean off, ¡°He Huan¡± heard him blurt out, ¡°How can I not be anxious? If I don¡¯t do anything right now, my family¡¯s Little Martial Uncle3will come to take me back!¡±


    Never had he thought that after transmigrating into Demon Lord He Huan, before he¡¯d even had the chance to strive to control himself so as to not defile innocent maidens, he would have to face the danger to his own virginity. This won¡¯t do, as a Demon Lord now, how could he allow himself to be so useless!


    Hit with inspiration, ¡°He Huan¡± placed his hand on his jade pillow, immediately saying, ¡°Isn¡¯t that yourLittle Martial Uncle right there?¡±


    As expected, with Yun Ce¡¯s IQ, he immediately whipped his head over to look. Without even the slightest hesitation, ¡°He Huan¡± picked up that jade pillow and smashed it against that huge target of a head, and then¡ªit littered the ground with its pieces, in contrast, that head was completely undamaged.


    Staring blankly at the person who just rubbed the back of his head as if scratching an itch, ¡°He Huan¡± wrung his hands. Was this the legendary blockhead?


    ¡°Palace Master, I¡¯m already at late-stage Golden Core, you need more than a pillow to knock me unconscious.¡±


    To think this blockhead was actually wearing a face of sincerity as he taunted him. Silently looking at that honest face, ¡°He Huan¡± shamelessly asked, ¡°Then how would I be able to knock you out?¡±


    ¡°At the very least, you¡¯ve got to use a bit of spiritual energy, right?¡± Yun Ce continued to earnestly reply.


    Spiritual energy? Nope, he didn¡¯t have that.


    After determining that he couldn¡¯t handle this idiot in front of him, ¡°He Huan¡± expressed in all seriousness his innermost wish at the moment, ¡°Then could I bother you to knock yourself out?¡±


    And yet, even if Yun Ce¡¯s IQ was extremely low, it was still impossible for him to help someone make himself unconscious. Bewildered, he asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°If I look at your stupid face, I won¡¯t be able to get it up. In that case, how would we cultivate?¡±


    ¡°He Huan¡± believed that this excuse he came up with was simply perfection. Not to mention him not having an interest in males in the first place, even if he was the real He Huan who did have an interest in males, he reckoned he still wouldn¡¯t be able to go through with the deed. Otherwise, why had it been an entire month and still he hadn¡¯t been eaten? It really was the aura of unreliability this air-headed youth exuded, it was almost impossible to get into the mood ah.


    Sure enough, this excuse succeeded in convincing the ditzy youth. Yun Ce nodded his head, ¡°That makes sense, when I went to the brothel, that was what they said as well. Then, Master, you must make sure to seriously cultivate, okay?¡±


    ¡°Relax, bringing you here, if not for cultivating, then why else?¡± Looking at him earnestly, ¡°He Huan¡± promised that if he could return, he¡¯d definitely choose to learn acting.


    ¡°True enough.¡±


    Typically, those with lower IQs had stronger initiative, after a session of ¡®heart to heart¡¯, Yun Ce didn¡¯t think too much. Hand circulating qi, he slammed it to his head before fainting¡ªgoing into his dream to cultivate.


    Seeing the body that pressured him fall down, ¡°He Huan¡± finally heaved a sigh of relief and straightened out his ruffled robes. Just thinking about the scene immediately before had his heart freezing. Fortunately, the one who came today was Yun Ce, this silly boy, if it was someone else, he was afraid that he couldn¡¯t even ensure tonight¡¯s rest. This group of people were usually suppressed by He Huan. In the case where there were a few people who wanted to raise their place, if they learned that He Huan lost all his power, then wouldn¡¯t he be¡­


    Just imagining all those different kinds of unsavoury plot devices, but with the female lead switched with himself instead, ¡°He Huan¡± felt his calf tremble. Immediately, he rolled off the bed and started to search through the room, mumbling, ¡°The people here are all crazy, no, I must leave.¡±


    QingYun Hall was where He Huan usually went for seclusion. Needless to say, there was more than enough clothing and similar items, however, even after spending close to half an hour, ¡°He Huan¡± hadn¡¯t been able to find anything resembling silver or taels. As for the clothes he did manage to uncover, they were all either extremely long or way too eye-catching, completely unconducive to walking outside. Fortunately, he persevered in his search and finally found a relatively plain white robe at the bottom of the cabinet. There was also a sword and a pure white jade pendant pressed underneath. The sword could be used to defend himself and the jade pendant was probably the precious mutton fat jade, which could probably be sold for quite a sum. Nodding his head in satisfaction, he pulled out a piece of tablecloth and bundled the clothes and jade into it before shoving it back into the cabinet.


    After finishing his arrangements, he quietly returned to the bed and looked at the Yun Ce that had fallen asleep and was even snoring slightly. ¡°He Huan¡± helped him take off his outer robes, gritting his teeth before also pulling his inner robes open. He tugged the covers over to blanket the both of them, believing that it wouldn¡¯t be difficult with this guy¡¯s IQ to make him believe that the deed has been done and that they have slept with each other¡­


    What he had to do now was to think of a way out, find a place he¡¯d be able to change clothes, and then find somewhere secluded to hide in. After seven days and He Huan¡¯s body recovering its cultivation, he wouldn¡¯t have to fear anything anymore.


    Alas, seven days, oh seven days, so far it had only been one day and it already felt so long. How was he supposed to survive seven days?


    Lying on the bed, this short period of peace finally let him ease out of his previous hyper-focused state. Accompanying him as his body relaxed, a faint fragrance began to drift in, his eyelids also gradually grew heavier, unconsciously falling asleep.


    In his daze, it seemed there was a red shadow that slowly lifted from inside his body, and before completely losing consciousness, he heard a deep sigh come from beside him.

 CH 6

    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: SleepyMango123


    ¡°He Huan¡± was awoken by the sounds of rain pattering, it was only after sitting up that he realized he¡¯d inadvertently fallen asleep. The curtains were made to softly flutter from the light breeze as the beginnings of the day peeked out from the clouds to splay across them. The faint hints of night receded as the first lights of dawn drew closer, by now it was already early morning.


    This¡­yesterday, all he did was lie on his bed for a while, so how come it was already the next day?


    For him to be able to sleep so deeply in this kind of situation, was he the legendary pig head?


    With a dark face, he seriously pondered this problem before coming to a conclusion. As a diligent youth who¡¯d just fallen out of the habit of waking up early and sleeping late to self-study, it was impossible for him to fall asleep so fast. Therefore, it must be He Huan¡¯s body, which had been lavished with luxurious fabrics and rich foods for many years and thus was able to live life without worry like a pig, who was able to fall asleep the moment his head made contact with a pillow. Yep! That¡¯s definitely what happened.


    He turned back to look at himself in the bronze mirror. The reflection really did seem like the real He Huan, it made him feel a bit guilty all of a sudden. Fine, he¡¯d take that back, it wouldn¡¯t have been easy for a pig to look this handsome.


    And yet, the moment his line of sight moved down, he was no longer able to remain calm.


    If he remembered correctly, he¡¯d been wearing a deep-red robe before he went to sleep last night, right? Then how come it¡¯d been replaced by a pure black sleeping robe? Although this material was very nice and made one¡¯s figure appear as smooth as silk¡ªthe average woman would lose control after seeing him in it¡ªhe was sure he hadn¡¯t mastered the high-level skill of being able to change in his sleep ah.


    Had someone broken in? Who?!


    However, although he didn¡¯t know how the levels of this world were divided, judging from this child¡¯s tone, Golden Core should be considered a fairly high level of cultivation. Though the fact that he could sleep like the dead for an entire night just by hitting himself still didn¡¯t seem very reliable. Unless, there were some other factors at play?


    Then who came? It probably wasn¡¯t He Huan¡¯s enemy, otherwise he would already be dead. Maybe Qian Ren? Or the other enforcers? It couldn¡¯t have been a thief, right?


    His heart skipped a beat when he thought this. Hurriedly, he ran to his cabinet and opened it. The bundle that he prepared yesterday had disappeared without a trace. This¡­there shouldn¡¯t be anyone within the Palace of Bliss who¡¯d dare riffle through He Huan¡¯s stuff. Which means he really had been robbed?


    Remembering a certain godly thief that had been frequently written about in those letters, ¡°He Huan¡¯s¡± heart pounded. He squatted on the floor as he looked for clues and made countless theories, but he hadn¡¯t been able to come to a conclusion before he heard a drawn out sigh come from behind him. ¡°Although this master¡¯s figure is pleasing no matter what it does, isn¡¯t your posture a little too undignified?¡±


    It was a very nice male voice, but it was different from the voice dubs he¡¯d heard in various dramas. The actors always used a voice that had to conform to the plot, so when placed in daily life, it¡¯d sound exceedingly awkward. But this one was different, your first reaction when hearing it wouldn¡¯t be that it was magnetic so as to tease you, nor was it the type to make your ears feel as if they¡¯d been impregnated, it was just plainly comfortable. Without even the slightest bit of editing or autotune, and without any deliberate modifications, the tone was like walking down the street and finding some kind of novelty before pointing it out to your friend as you poked fun at each other. And yet, this voice was just too damned nice to hear.


    This¡­ don¡¯t tell him that this was the legendary natural male god voice?


    Sure enough, this Palace of Bliss was really scary, even just a godly thief lying in ambush was an expert in the art of flirtation. He sighed in his heart, but on the surface, ¡°He Huan¡± didn¡¯t reveal anything. He hurriedly stood up and shouted, ¡°Who¡¯s there?! Reveal yourself!¡±


    This line was said extremely lamely. He knew that since this person had been able to drug him, it was likely that his ¡®problem¡¯ was already revealed. ¡°He Huan¡± couldn¡¯t help but feel unconfident, so where would he be able to summon the courage necessary for an imposing tone? He scanned the room apprehensively, but was unable to find even a trace of the other person. Immediately, he felt even more panicked. Speed-walking to Yun Ce¡¯s side, he started to fiercely pinch the boy¡¯s thigh as he vigilantly warned, ¡°If you still don¡¯t come out, I will scream.¡±


    Originally he thought that at the very least, this kid was better at fighting than him, so once he woke up, he could still be considered a hired brute, but who expected him to sleep so deeply? Didn¡¯t this mean that while he, himself, was facing an unknown enemy, he¡¯d also have to protect him? This¡­didn¡¯t seem too good¡­


    ¡°Stop pinching, he¡¯s been doused by ¡®Miracle Hand¡¯, god-thief Kong Kong¡¯s sleeping gas, he¡¯d be lucky to wake up tomorrow.¡±


    It was that voice again, damn it, it was clearly coming from behind him, but when he turned around, there was nothing. It couldn¡¯t be a ghost, could it?


    In a place where there were even cultivators, a ghost wouldn¡¯t be anything rare. For some reason, he felt the area behind him become cold. With a tremble in his voice, ¡°He Huan¡± asked, ¡°Who exactly are you?¡±


    Hearing this question, the voice seemed to contain a bit of helplessness. Sighing, it said, ¡°Geez, just look behind you.¡±


    Following that long sigh, ¡°He Huan¡± rigidly turned his head. Again, he still didn¡¯t see anything other than his reflection in the bronze mirror¡­wait, he was clearly sitting, how come the person in the mirror was lying down?


    His eyes instantly snapped wide open as he looked at the handsome man only wearing black inner clothes reclined on the couch. Those bright eyes conveying pity as if looking at a retard. He suddenly understood, unexpectedly, it was his reflection talking to him?!


    No, that provocative lying posture, that ghost of a smile which seems to be trying to seduce you¡­Fuck, this was clearly the real He Huan! He practically stuck to the mirror to make sure it wasn¡¯t capable of hiding a person before exclaiming in amazement, ¡°He Huan?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    Paying no mind to the other¡¯s embarrassing posture, the He Huan in the mirror chuckled as he confessed. With a gentle smile on his face, he smoothly extended his hand to boop ¡°He Huan¡¯s¡± nose. His tone became soft, ¡°Long time no see.¡±


    This person¡¯s voice was already very attractive when casually speaking, now that he¡¯d purposely softened his approach, even if they were a guy, they¡¯d still need to take in an extra breath. Hearing this voice, his mind imagined him and this Palace Master, those kinds of scenes. Immediately, ¡°He Huan¡¯s¡± face flushed red and, as if zapped by something, he took a step back. First, he couldn¡¯t help but be amazed by this person¡¯s lack of morals, to be able to tease his own body, then he started to worry about his sexual orientation which had briefly wavered. Moreover, the complex way He Huan was staring at him felt a bit strange, so he instinctively sat on the edge of the bed, staying as far away as possible from the dangerous person.


    Glancing at Yun Ce, who was currently drooling, his heart became at peace as he unbent himself. He still didn¡¯t dare to look at the mirror, instead staring at the roof beam, ¡°You were the one who changed my clothes?¡±


    ¡°God Thief Kong Kong has already laid in wait here for a long time. Yesterday, when you carelessly fell to his tactics you forced this master to cancel his seclusion earlier than planned in order to chase him away. This Master only proceeded to sleep after I threw away your tacky bundle, took a bath, changed into a new set of clothes, read for a while, and ate a piece of date cake.¡±


    Hearing this, ¡°He Huan¡± was surprised. Unconsciously, he asked, ¡°You also did so many things?¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, why else do you think none of the disciples have come to fetch Yun Ce for a bath at this hour yet?¡±


    Although he did his best to not move his gaze toward the mirror, he could still feel a certain someone¡¯s eyes on him. It was only after He Huan mentioned this that he remembered people in ancient times took a bath every time they got back home from work. If he¡¯d continued according to his original plan and just blundered his way through crafting some kind of lie, he reckoned he would already have been exposed by now. Fortunately, the real He Huan came out last night, it¡¯s the only reason he was still free from others¡¯ suspicions. However, did He Huan have full control over this body? If so, then towards him, this foreign extraneous soul, wouldn¡¯t¡­


    As a person who carries the title of Demon Lord, it was unreasonable to think that He Huan would be generous enough to allow some stranger to cohabitate in his body. Immediately, he felt a sense of crisis, just as he was hesitating on how to bring up the topic of asking He Huan if he could be allowed to borrow his body for a while, he heard the person in the mirror say, ¡°This master won¡¯t use my technique anymore, you can look now, it¡¯s safe. Really, don¡¯t you feel that speaking this way is tiring?¡±


    Fuck, so that seducing effect was actually because of a demonic technique!


    He secretly judged this person before sneakily stealing a glance. Although the person in the mirror was still handsome, there wasn¡¯t that strange sense of bewitchment strong enough to directly bend people with a single look, more so now that he no longer used that complicated expression to look at him. However, now that he thought harder on the Palace of Bliss¡¯ setting, as the Palace Master of the place, it wasn¡¯t that strange for him to practice something like this. It was just that his heart still felt a little weird, ¡°He Huan¡± looked over depressingly, not knowing what he could say.


    Borrow your body? Two strangers having this type of discussion was too excessive, right? But if he just gave up this body to become a wild ghost, wouldn¡¯t everything be over if he got captured by a passing cultivator?


    What he didn¡¯t anticipate was for He Huan to initiate the conversation, ¡°You didn¡¯t read the letter this Palace Master left you?¡±


    Knowing that he was referring to that stack of letters, ¡°He Huan¡± honestly answered, ¡°I read them, I know that you are He Huan.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    The man in the mirror frowned slightly, ¡°He Huan¡± didn¡¯t know how he was supposed to answer. All that was contained in that pile were some things that were not suitable for children, even after taking a moment to compile his thoughts, he still wasn¡¯t able to say it aloud, instead tactfully saying, ¡°You¡­en, are very unrestrained?¡±


    Unexpectedly, after hearing what he¡¯d said, He Huan¡¯s expression suddenly smoothed out, he even laughed! With spirited eyes, He Huan looked at him before clarifying, ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about those, did you read this Master¡¯s words written on your Thousand Blood Silk Robes?¡±


    Fine, so he was talking about the ancient scribbles written on his clothes, indeed, if one wanted to compare covertness, it was still this that was more concealed. However¡­


    Knowing that if he said this out loud, he was going to be disdained again, ¡°He Huan¡± helplessly sighed before frankly admitting the truth, ¡°This¡­just based on my literary level, it¡¯s a little hard to comprehend.¡±


    ¡°Sigh, it seems this Master has overestimated you.¡±


    See?! He¡¯d been disdained! Speaking of this, why was he being judged on his illiteracy when he hadn¡¯t even started judging He Huan for his promiscuity of eating men and women indiscriminately. This didn¡¯t seem fair ah?


    Suppressing the noises in his heart, he maintained an honest expression and asked with sincerity, ¡°Can you explain it to me clearly?¡±


    Reality has proven that the majority wasn¡¯t lying when they said He Huan had the best temperament amongst Demon Lords. With his question, that person thought for a moment and actually meticulously replied to him, ¡°The lightning during the Calamity Crossing tribulation is unlike the normal ones. It refines the body and tests the heart. This Master was enlightened right before the tribulation, that although I had lived happily for the past century, my heart still retained regrets. If I am unable to resolve them, then even if I pass this trial, I will never be able to ascend in the future.


    But these two regrets originated from my youth and past events, it would be impossible for this Master to return to his old mental state in order to deal with them. It was only just before my tribulation arrived that I thought, since this Master is unable to untangle those two heart demons, then I just need to create a version of myself that didn¡¯t possess any to begin with.¡±


    As he was saying this, he paused. Then he used a look full of reminiscence and lament as if seeing his black history personified to appraise him before continuing, ¡°At Foundation Building stage, cultivators are able to separate a part of their soul to help them manage the continuity of their qi-circulation. Afterwards, when they reach the Nascent Soul stage, this separated section of the soul will be refined into a cultivator¡¯s Yuan Ying. This is why, as long as a cultivator is fairly advanced in their cultivation attainments, even if their mortal body dies, as long as the Yuan Ying still survives, they are able to rebuild their bodies and climb back to their peak state. Thinking here, this Master seized the opportunity provided by the strength of the coming tribulation to completely divide my Yuan Ying. Then, I created a consciousness according to my 18-year old self. And that is you.¡±


    Although he spoke these words carelessly, it came as a thunderous shock to ¡°He Huan¡±. He pointed to himself in a daze, ¡°You¡¯re saying, I¡¯m your Yuan Ying soul?¡±

 CH 7

    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: SleepyMango123


    He originally thought transmigrating was scary enough, but who knew that He Huan would just pop out to tell him that he not only transmigrated but also lived a hundred years. Making full use of his protagonist halo, he not only became an exceptional expert with a large harem, he even gave himself a personality disorder to watch his 18-year old self in nostalgia as he reminisced on his youth. And this entire course of events, he didn¡¯t remember any of it?


    Just a second ago, he had been on the way home from an exam, but now he¡¯d suddenly become a hundred-years-old? He remembered that he used to be extremely lively and optimistic. Just what had he experienced to become such a damned existence like He Huan?


    He stood in front of the mirror in a daze. If what he said was true, then he could understand why he felt a sense of familiarity when looking at that face. Thinking about it carefully, a protagonist who doesn¡¯t get pursued by a bunch of cannon fodder and has to face sabotage upon transmigration really didn¡¯t conform to the norm. If he¡¯d followed the model and was cast into the blood and carnage of the Jianghu straight out of leaving the examination hall, perhaps, it was relatively normal to have his world views slightly skewed?


    ¡°He Huan¡± had a feeling that he was about to be convinced by such reasoning and hurriedly slapped himself awake. He peered at the mirror doubtfully, ¡°Something¡¯s not right. Although I can¡¯t remember what I used to look like, isn¡¯t this change a bit too big?¡±


    Raising his head to look at him, the real He Huan absentmindedly said, ¡°Cultivators that have successfully reached the Nascent Soul stage can adjust one¡¯s appearance according to their whims.¡±


    ¡°Plastic surgery is a side benefit of cultivation?¡± Hearing these words, ¡°He Huan¡± was stunned. Not only could he walk towards the peak of humanity, but he could also become a handsome guy. Wasn¡¯t this simply like that novel Dragon Proud Sky from Qidian?


    Seeing his own body exposing a dumbstruck expression, He Huan actually felt quite amused as he scanned him in fascination. Chuckling, he added, ¡°This is what it¡¯s like to be blessed with intelligence. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve gotten smarter in your actions and mannerisms compared to before? This is all because of this Master ah.¡±


    This¡­indeed, he didn¡¯t have this many inner thoughts before. He deeply understood that he was the type of character who wouldn¡¯t even be able to survive three episodes in those dramas he watched. Seeing his own performance now, although it wasn¡¯t enough to communicate with He Huan, who had thought process complexities that exceeded the standard, if he was put into the same drama, he¡¯d be able to survive until the grand finale. His IQ would evolve from that of a minor character¡¯s to one of an important supporting role¡¯s!


    Pleased, he received this new ¡®high IQ¡¯ assessment, he even felt that the person in the mirror suddenly looked a lot more pleasing to the eye. Holding a hand to his chin, ¡°He Huan¡± appraised him and probed, ¡°I say, wonderful Grand Palace Master He, can you not always address yourself as ¡®this Master¡¯? It sounds like those palace intrigue harem back-stabbing dramas, every time I feel as if you need to go sign for an abortion the next second.¡±


    His tone was somewhat disrespectful. He stared at He Huan¡¯s expression hoping to expose any flaws, but in the end that person didn¡¯t reveal a single hint of unhappiness and even laughed. His tone was gentle, ¡°Is that so? In the demonic path, it¡¯s much more atmospheric to be addressed as such, but in private, it doesn¡¯t really matter if you want me to use ¡®I¡¯.¡±


    Although he¡¯d already half-believed He Huan, he still couldn¡¯t help testing this person. The result was that he¡¯d been given a carefree answer, it didn¡¯t even seem like He Huan was displeased. Then he thought that as a renowned Demon Lord, there didn¡¯t seem to be a reason for him to pretend to be civil with an ordinary nobody. Unconsciously, he began to believe it a bit more. ¡°He Huan¡± suddenly looked at him in puzzlement, ¡°You know what palace intrigue dramas are?¡±


    ¡°What makes you think that I wouldn¡¯t know?¡±


    Sure enough, he¡¯d listened and changed the way he addressed himself. At this point in time, he¡¯d already more or less believed it. He sighed, ¡°You¡¯re really me? Do I really develop to become so abnormal in the future?1¡±


    Seeing that he¡¯d finally started to accept his words, joy flashed through He Huan¡¯s eyes and he reached out to pat the mirror in comfort, ¡°You can look at it from another perspective. For example, you have powers that surpass the masses and are a hit among the ladies.¡±


    Even though young people more or less had dreams of achieving success and fame, but to wake up and suddenly be thrust into said success and fame was still very disconcerting. He didn¡¯t know why but if it was before his transmigration, the very idea of becoming some kind of cultivation big shot would probably have made him laugh himself awake. However now, rather than being happy, his heart only felt more at a loss, as if¡­could he have matured?


    It¡¯s just, he hadn¡¯t even done anything, but once he¡¯d woken up, he had suddenly matured already? Even fruits don¡¯t mature this quickly, alright? Or did that lightning directly zap him to maturity?


    Or could it be what he¡¯d guessed yesterday? That he really had lived in this world for a long period of time, with this period being a hundred years. Moreover, he was living as He Huan? Isn¡¯t this a bit too overwhelming?


    For some reason, he felt as if the him right now didn¡¯t seem to match with the him in his vague memories. He shook his head, ¡°This all seems so surreal to me, like I¡¯m floating as if in a dream.¡±


    He Huan wasn¡¯t surprised by his reaction. Thinking for a moment, he feigned a serious expression and said, ¡°Then you can just pretend to have been fooled and accept this explanation for now.¡±


    ¡°Your tone makes me feel as though you really are just toying with me.¡±


    He really couldn¡¯t be serious with this person, but at least now he understood that He Huan didn¡¯t seem to want to do anything to him. After carefully thinking about it, it was kind of like how women prided themselves on their intellect, men prided themselves on the size of their XX instrument, and in this case, cultivators naturally prided themselves on their Yuan Ying. During his career in web surfing, what he hadn¡¯t ever seen was a male protagonist who would use a murderous face to glare at his own Yuan Ying. Which cultivation world does not have people treating their Yuan Yings delicately, pooling all kinds of treasures at their feet, and raised luxuriously? Even the most vicious of villains didn¡¯t have the habit of abusing their own Yuan Ying.


    Thinking of this, that gaze full of satisfied gentleness He Huan used was clearly one that men used to inspect their lifetime¡¯s worth of accomplishments, as he examined his newly acquired ultra-plush sized Yuan Ying.


    Suddenly awakening to the prospects of being a Yuan Ying, ¡°He Huan¡± made a decision in his heart and nodded firmly, ¡°Then, I will first act as your Yuan Ying?¡±


    ¡°That would be for the best, yes.¡±


    Cheerfully accepting this suggestion and seeing as they¡¯d successfully come to an agreement, He Huan smiled as he motioned for the other to come closer. Sure enough, it was only when his body really did come close enough to press against the mirror that he shifted to the other¡¯s ear, gently saying, ¡°However, you were originally my Yuan Ying, if you dare to run, this Master will hunt you down, erase your consciousness, and devour you.¡±


    This person really was an evil Demon Lord! What amiableness? That was all just a disguise!


    Knowing that He Huan really meant the threat, ¡°He Huan¡¯s¡± heart froze. However, now he at least believed that he was this person¡¯s Yuan Ying. However, since he was also this body¡¯s owner, he couldn¡¯t help but feel distressed over their present situation. Remembering that He Huan said he exited seclusion ahead of schedule, ¡°He Huan¡± deduced that was probably the amount of time the body¡¯s original owner needed to awaken, he asked concernedly, ¡°Speaking of, there wouldn¡¯t be any side effects for coming out early, would there?¡±


    As if not expecting him to catch on to this point, He Huan¡¯s eyebrows moved, like he needed to re-evaluate his Yuan Ying¡¯s intelligence. In contrast, his answer was airy, ¡°Nothing much, only that my meridians are tangled and there could be a qi-deviation.¡±


    ¡°How come that sounds really scary?¡±


    Just hearing these symptoms, ¡°He Huan¡± who had just accepted his new status as an enlarged Yuan Ying started to worry, though He Huan didn¡¯t seem even the least bit panicked. Gently raising his hand to brush at the mirror surface, he said, ¡°It is pretty scary, but it¡¯s you who¡¯s in my meridian tangled body, as for me, I won¡¯t be affected in the least.¡±


    Fine, he could now confirm with complete certainty and more, this person was definitely the first to ever mistreat their Yuan Ying, this type of villain! So that was the reason why he came out to help him change into a different set of robes!


    Glaring at the original who was wearing a look as if watching something amusing, the big Yuan Ying ground his teeth, ¡°Boss, let me tell you that you¡¯ll easily lose your Yuan Ying like this.¡±


    Seeing him really starting to panic, He Huan finally became a little more proper, smiling, ¡°I¡¯m just playing with you, as long as you continue to cultivate, your meridians will naturally heal themselves. Once we achieve ascension and successfully complete the body forging step, every injury will be evenly split between us, from then on, tribulation can only get easier.¡±


    ¡°Does body forging mean I get to have my own body?¡±


    ¡°Naturally.¡±


    Even though he was a Yuan Ying soul, his ability to catch onto key points was exceptional. The moment he heard that he could gain his own body and get rid of his abnormal state of being, he immediately felt as if he now had a clear direction for his future. As for sharing pain evenly, for the sake of rebirth, he could still temporarily tolerate this not-so-friendly setting.


    ¡°I can¡¯t always just address you as ¡®you¡¯ all the time, I need to choose a name for you.¡±


    The Yuan Ying in question was currently racking his brain studying. As for the proper He Huan, he completely lacked any of the enthusiasm towards tribulations, his mind was off elsewhere. Glancing at his Yuan Ying, which seemed to have regained the will to live, he appreciated this youthful look of being able to climb back up with even the slightest bit of hope. Really, it¡¯d been too long since he¡¯d seen it.


    He internally sighed, but still maintained a teasing smile, ¡°Just look at you, this worried sick expression, you are bound to live a hard-working life. Since this is the case, then I¡¯ll just call you He Ku2.¡±


    Of course he wanted his own name, even just any other random form of address was better than He Huan¡¯s big Yuan Ying soul. Though for some reason, that expression He Huan was always wearing would make him subconsciously feel that he wasn¡¯t serious, so he instantly protested, ¡°How come it sounds like those innocent bystanders that get slaughtered by some wuxia protagonist?¡±


    But who knew that all He Huan would do in the face of his protest was sincerely stare at him, ¡°Are you not?¡±


    Fine, according to the course of events that had just occurred, he certainly would have been unwittingly killed by that godly thief, who would have gotten killed by the real big BOSS He Huan in the end¡­ so he really was the so-called collateral damage?


    Tragically accepting the reality that his combat ability wasn¡¯t enough to fight for a name change, He Ku could only think on this injustice to fuel his motivation to study harder and improve every day. Sooner or later, he would be able to reclaim his own naming right, however, considering a certain someone¡¯s personality, he still preserved his skepticism, ¡°Are you sure that once we ascend, I will get my own body?¡±


    ¡°Of course, you are me, why should I lie to myself?¡±


    He Huan responded very smoothly, smooth to the point that He Ku felt that it was him who was overly paranoid. And yet, this didn¡¯t obstruct him from noticing that ever since he admitted his identity as his Yuan Ying, all the previous gentleness and good-nature flew off to the ends of the universe and beyond. Truly cruel. It hasn¡¯t even been a few minutes yet, but did his status really just go from big and cute Yuan Ying to hard labourer constantly being poked fun at in the blink of an eye? Men really were beasts that showed their true selves after gaining the body ah!


    Aware that his status was rapidly lowering, He Ku finally retaliated in indignance, ¡°I am you, and yet you¡¯ve been incessantly ridiculing me all this time.¡±


    This question really did stump He Huan, he¡¯d always believed himself to be someone who treated others with gentleness and propriety, but even if that exact quality landed them on the bed together, it still didn¡¯t hinder the process of chatting happily with each other. But how come when it came to being stuck with his Yuan Ying, he couldn¡¯t help but want to tease him and see him flustered, he even felt particularly delighted?


    He couldn¡¯t figure out an answer even after thinking over it multiple times, in the end, he could only lay on his couch and sigh, ¡°Perhaps, this is the thrill of self-abuse?¡±


    Towards this, He Ku chose to hold up a middle finger to the him in the mirror, angrily shouting, ¡°The fuck, pervert!¡±

 CH 8

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    Fake Demon Lord


    A-A+


    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: SleepyMango123


    He Huan¡¯s appearance calmed He Ku¡¯s initial worries by a lot. At least now he didn¡¯t have to worry about being the victim of a surprise attack. The two deliberated in detail for an entire day, deducing that in their current state, as long as either one of them was in control of their body, the other would automatically become something akin to their Yuan Ying. However, since this was originally He Huan¡¯s body, all the body¡¯s cultivation goes wherever he goes. If He Ku wanted to manipulate the energy within the body, he¡¯d have to start cultivating from the beginning. The good news was that the demonic art He Huan practiced was primarily soul-based, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about opposing techniques conflicting with each other and could learn any technique he wanted.


    Although this was what He Huan said, He Ku had the faintest sense that this person probably didn¡¯t want him to also go down the demonic path, which matched perfectly with  his intentions. Besides, compared to those depraved and evil techniques, he¡¯d definitely preferred a just and honourable one, one that was fitting of a chivalrous hero. Using a normal person¡¯s perspective, a sword-wielding righteous gentleman in white who travelled the world on his handsome horse couldn¡¯t possibly be worse than a shameless perverted demon who was constantly under threat of elimination.


    Speaking of this, He Ku tried to ask after where that white robe had gone, but He Huan, that bastard, only said he threw it away. When he continued to pursue the matter, He Huan would joke around and start spewing some bullshit. In any case, nothing he did was able to get He Huan to spill, leaving He Ku to accept reality. He felt extremely regretful, after all, he really did like that white robe.


    The two continued to idly chat. He Ku also learned that in this state, He Huan¡¯s soul could go wherever it wanted, it was only because he hadn¡¯t started cultivation yet, that if He Huan didn¡¯t borrow the power within the mirror, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to see him. As for why he falls dead asleep whenever He Huan takes control, the answer was simple¡ª¡ªnot enough cultivation.


    This also fueled his heart to work harder, after all¡­who knows whether this shameless He Huan would lie in wait in the shower and peek at him taking a bath!


    After being accused, He Huan wailed in grievance, so much so that he even took a blood oath to prove that even if he wanted to see himself taking a bath, he would¡¯ve just wheeled the mirror directly to the edge of the pool, he would never resort to a low-level act like peeking. This also let He Ku ascertain one thing, it wasn¡¯t that he doubted He Huan (that bastard) was a pervert, it¡¯s just that he was one.


    Talking with He Huan was actually quite pleasant, after all, he had still lived for a hundred years. Anything from all the corners of the Earth, he more or less knew something about it. In addition, he didn¡¯t put on any airs, so when the two of them reached a disagreement, regardless of how He Ku talked back, all he would do would crack a few jokes and the matter would be passed. If he¡¯d met him in his previous life, He Ku would¡¯ve probably been a follower for a while, but now, after combining all the evidence on this person¡¯s background, he decided that he¡¯d continue judging him.


    To cultivators, choosing a technique that suited them was very important. After the two chatted for an entire day, He Ku still decided to wait and see. He Huan also didn¡¯t force him, instead, he started to introduce which part of the Palace had the best scenery, which small restaurant had the best food, he even commented on his disciples¡¯ bed techniques. Of course, when it came to the last point of discussion, he once again received one He Ku¡¯s eyeroll?.


    Lost in conversation, the sky had begun to light up again. Ultimately, He Ku still didn¡¯t have any cultivation. His sleepiness had already started to take over. It was only because he could hear Yun Ce, this silly child, was about to wake up, that he persisted in not laying down.


    Seeing him yawn several times in a row but still not go to sleep, He Huan was puzzled. Very considerately, he suggested, ¡°The time we¡¯ll be stuck together will probably be quite long, we can chat anytime. How about you go back inside, I¡¯ll just handle some of the Palace affairs.¡±


    But who could have expected that when faced with his rare display of actual consideration, He Ku completely didn¡¯t appreciate it. He glanced in his direction and said, ¡°How would I know that the moment I leave, you wouldn¡¯t behave like a beast with Yun Ce?¡±


    It was only now that He Huan realized, the only reason why He Ku had been fighting sleepiness was for this demonic disciple who he¡¯d only just met. His gaze changed as he looked to his extremely upright self. That was an expression that he hadn¡¯t seen in several decades.


    He¡¯d cultivated for a century. If one compared life to a long river, then his youth would¡¯ve been the origin of the spring. Following as the river grew longer, there was no longer any trace of the original clear spring water. He once thought that he¡¯d already let go of his past, it was only until just before that tribulation when he¡¯d allowed his consciousness to roam about, chasing back to his beginnings, where all of his luxury, all of the dust he¡¯d accumulated on his journey was dispersed, the one standing at the center of his being was still that sword-wielding, righteous, heroic youth that challenged the Jianghu so long ago.


    When I was young, I, too, walked the world with just a sword in hand and trusted steed, appreciating the flowers on the path¡­


    He sighed in his heart, he really was getting old, already starting to reminisce on past ¡®glory days¡¯. However, although his Yuan Ying had always been in his body since the day he turned to demonic cultivation, it luckily hadn¡¯t been affected by any of his hardships and resentments. It still remained at how it was in the beginning.


    The flowers in He Huan¡¯s memories had already faded, all that was left of them was a pile of shriveled petals. But He Ku had only just opened his eyes, whatever he was to see in the future solely depended on He Huan. As for He Huan, he was a person who¡¯d gotten used to doing things according to his desires. Previously, whatever he wanted to do, he did. Never had he cared about other people¡¯s words. He¡¯d originally thought that for the rest of his life, he wouldn¡¯t listen to other¡¯s orders anymore, he never could have predicted that, just hearing what He Ku said, his original intention to play with Yun Ce in order to pull in the force standing behind him dulled. However, he was also a straightforward person, since he didn¡¯t want to do it anymore, then he just wouldn¡¯t. To wrong himself for the sake of the demonic faction¡¯s cause, this type of thing, this Grand Palace Master He would never do it.


    He Ku didn¡¯t know just an unintentional line had unexpectedly evoked so many of He Huan¡¯s inner thoughts. Of course, he wasn¡¯t able to tell either, the person in the mirror continued to hold that flawless smile. No matter how he looked at him, it just looked like a licentious young master pondering about other things, not a sliver of hurt, regret, or longing to be seen. But who knew, in this person¡¯s pondering he suddenly laughed, ¡°How can you say that I¡¯m behaving like a beast when both parties desire it? Though, since ¡®I¡¯ don¡¯t want to, not doing it is also fine.¡±


    In actuality, the descriptions of He Huan in those letters weren¡¯t really that convincing, in just the short time they interacted, He Ku felt that other than He Huan, that bastard, having a fondness for teasing him and throwing down a few suggestive lines whenever he got bored, he was a pretty decent person. It was likely that he also wasn¡¯t as despicable as the rumours made him out to be.


    Thinking about it, He Ku still decided to trust him. Facing the mirror, he warned, ¡°You must control yourself ah, when I wake up, I¡¯m going to check.¡±


    ¡°Just relax, I have never lied to myself.¡±


    Seeing He Ku decide to trust him and slowly begin to sink into sleep, He Huan inwardly shook his head. In the end, this version of him was still young and gullible, how would you be able to check these types of things if you were the one topping?


    Although this was what he thought, he still behaved himself and didn¡¯t do anything. Gently returning to his body and using his spiritual energy to take a brief sweep of the damage to his meridians, He Huan manipulated a strand of qi to put his sleeping Yuan Ying back into his dantian for protection. It was only after doing all of this, that he used one hand to press against the bronze mirror and started to circulate his energy.


    The cultivation Calamity Crossing experts have is directly connected to the sky, the moment he started to circulate, the area above the Hall began to gather energy. The weather changed, any cultivators within the scope of 500,000 meters stopped whatever they were doing to witness this phenomenon. They silently knew that this commotion was caused by He Huan coming out of seclusion.


    It was only once he¡¯d estimated that this grand of a demonstration would be able to intimidate all those restless sects around him that He Huan withdrew his spiritual energy. He lightly tapped on the surface of the mirror, causing little bits of silver trails to connect and  form into a complex system of lines, as if a sudden meteor shower had descended. Looking closely, it was actually the blueprint to his meridians.


    Examining these tangled meridians, it would take a lot of effort to be able to unravel them again. Although he remained expressionless as he manipulated the silver trails, his every action was clearly reflected on his body as his meridians protruded and were pressed down. He was unexpectedly forceful in setting his meridians back in place. Typically even just the slightest twist would have made the average person cry out in pain and soak themselves with cold sweat. It was clear how much pain he was feeling, and yet he didn¡¯t even twitch his eyebrows, let alone utter a single whimper or scream. Such willpower, it really wasn¡¯t strange that he was the Jianghu¡¯s youngest Calamity Crossing expert.


    Even though his line of sight was directed towards the mirror, his awareness had constantly been at attention. Yun Ce had only just started to blearily blink awake, before he heard someone ask from above him, ¡°Awake?¡±


    It was just one line, but Yun Ce was able to tell from his tone that the Palace Master returned to normal. However, his attitude didn¡¯t really change in light of that, only looking to the bronze mirror and lamenting, ¡°Everyone says that the Xuanmen Righteous Sect¡¯s sect treasure, the Soul Inquiring Mirror, had fallen into Master¡¯s hand, ¡®Miracle Hand¡¯ god-thief Kong Kong had gone undercover for so long in search of it. Who knew that you were treating it like a common bronze mirror and hung it up on the wall.¡±


    He Huan didn¡¯t have anything to say in response to his exclamation. Lazily peering at him, he pulled at another one of his meridians in passing as he said indifferently, ¡°This Master likes to chat with young people, by seeing you guys glowing with high spirits, it lets me remember the time when I hadn¡¯t fallen into demonic cultivation. Afterall, I¡¯m getting old, and inevitably, I¡¯d start to reminisce. So, Yun Ce, no matter how I behave from here on out, as long as you listen to what ¡®I¡¯ say, this Master will guarantee that no one from the Snowy Mountains will be able to take you away.¡±


    To be honest, Yun Ce didn¡¯t really understand what He Huan had been talking about, but hearing this, he suddenly remembered something his xiaoshishu1 had revealed to him once, subconsciously he¡¯d already asked aloud, ¡°But Palace Master, before, weren¡¯t you¡ª¡±


    ¡°You Jiang should have already taught you what can and cannot be said in the Palace of Bliss.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t even finished before being interrupted by He Huan. Seeing his expression chill, Yun Ce knew that what his xiaoshishu said about that event being He Huan¡¯s reverse scale was true. Immediately dropping the subject, he only shook his head and sighed, ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to say it, then I won¡¯t. Back on the Snowy Mountains, you said you liked me quite a bit, and now we haven¡¯t even dual-cultivated yet, but you¡¯re already planning to throw me away because I caused a little trouble?¡±


    Towards this youth¡¯s half-hearted complaining, He Huan didn¡¯t mind. Instead he looked at his reflection in the bronze mirror and revealed a few hints of a smile, ¡°That¡¯s because this Palace Master realized, no matter how perfect and beautiful you young people are, the only one who makes this Master happiest is still myself ah.¡±


    Seeing him talk on and on, and even raise his hand to pet at his reflection, Yun Ce deeply recognized that after the tribulation, their Palace Master had become mental. He then remembered that his elders had often said that it was easy to accidentally experience qi-deviation when entering into the Calamity Crossing stage. There had even been past cases where the cultivator had gone insane or turned into a vegetable! Suddenly, he felt as if his path to becoming a male pet had become increasingly difficult, exaggeratedly wailing, ¡°It¡¯s over! The Palace Master¡¯s crazy, I must find another target now, is it better to dual-cultivate with the Head Enforcer or the Second Enforcer?


    Not anticipating that his movements would have led the other to this brainhole, He Huan also didn¡¯t explain, instead, with a serious face, he continued to help dig this brainhole, ¡°You definitely wouldn¡¯t succeed with QianRen, but you can try your luck with You Jiang.¡±


    Sure enough, the honest youth was easily redirected, worriedly he asked, ¡°The Second Enforcer wouldn¡¯t hack me to death, would he?¡±


    ¡°How about this Master lets you borrow a bottle of aphrodisiac?¡± From the nightstand, he fished out a porcelain bottle. He Huan used his actions to verify his Yuan Ying¡¯s evaluation of him. Although he did have some times where he was honorable and serious, for the majority, he truly was a pervert.


    ¡°Palace Master is so evil.¡± Yun Ce sighed in admiration, as he received the medicine bottle. Then, he seemed to think of something again and turned back to face He Huan, ¡°Is this medicine effective on you?¡±


    This brat¡¯s hidden motives really weren¡¯t that hard to guess. He¡¯d heard that the Snowy Mountain disciples were especially supple and flexible, what a pity¡­


    Although He Huan had never had the habit of refusing those who volunteeringly crawled onto his bed, he thought of what would happen when He Ku found out he broke their promise, he¡¯d probably be angry for a long while. He Huan decided to just lightly smile, replying, ¡°Recently, QianRen developed another miracle medicine that would make men find no interest in seeking pleasure so as to be more focused on cultivation¡­¡±


    ¡°This disciple will take his leave!¡±


    Sure enough, the moment Yun Ce heard this, he was frightened. He practically flew in the direction of the window and then jumped off. Seeing this display, He Huan was also in quite a good mood, lightly using his qi, he sent his voice out to within a 500 km radius, ¡°All disciples gather at the Main Hall, this Master will arrive shortly.¡±

 CH 9

    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: SleepyMango123


    From the moment the clouds above the QingYun Hall began to billow, the disciples of the Palace of Bliss knew¡ªtheir Palace Master had exited seclusion.


    Just look at this grandeur, clearly he¡¯d managed to step foot into the Calamity Crossing stage. From here on out, their Palace of Bliss didn¡¯t need to fear anyone except for that old man in the Xuanmen Righteous Sect. Moreover, their Palace Master was even younger than him by approximately 200 years, who wins and who loses was still hard to say.


    And so, in the beginning, the entire Palace of Bliss entered into a festive mood, disciples of every level pulled out their secret treasures as they prepared to hold a celebration in the main courtyard. That was, until they heard He Huan¡¯s order to gather at the Main Hall. Suddenly, everyone froze.


    M-Main Hall?


    If they remembered correctly, within these hundred years, He Huan has only entered the Main Hall three times, right?


    The first time was He Huan announcing that he¡¯d be taking over the Palace of Bliss, slaughtering all those who¡¯d dared to oppose him. Since then, the demonic side had never doubted his status.


    The second time was when the newly established Palace of Bliss was being besieged, He Huan had stood guard at the front gates. If one came, he killed that one; if two, he¡¯d kill a pair. Single handedly killing every one of the enemy side¡¯s experts, hailing the Palace of Bliss¡¯ current hundred years of joviality and prosperity.


    If one were to say that the first two instances were He Huan¡¯s youthful conquests, then this third time wasn¡¯t that far off. Many years ago, the demonic faction experienced a rise in new sects who were dissatisfied with He Huan¡¯s current attitude of nonchalance with regards to the righteous sects, only caring for his own pleasure, and so they banded together to challenge him. The result was, without a doubt, complete defeat. Even the leader of the rebellion, You Jiang, had sold himself to become the sect¡¯s Second Enforcer.


    Thinking carefully, these few times that the Main Hall had been in operation, it was the last time which was the only case of He Huan¡¯s newly mellowed temperament ending things peacefully. The first two times, the people on the Jianghu would have trembled in fear just from the mention of those two events. Now, to once again open the Main Hall, could it be that He Huan was going to do something big?


    While the disciples were still discussing spiritedly, the three enforcers had long arrived at the Main Hall. It was just that, even they didn¡¯t have a clue as to what He Huan¡¯s plans were.


    As the most anticipated up-and-coming demonic cultivator, You Jiang was visibly more excited at these prospects. The moment he set foot in the Main Hall he began spiritedly, ¡°These few years those righteous bastards have become more and more restless, could it be that the Palace Master is finally going to lead us in toppling the Three Great Sects?¡±


    After signing a blood contract with He Huan, You Jiang had always done things with scrupulous attention to detail, it was rare for him to reveal his original personality when walking the Jianghu. Peering at him a few times, Xiu Niang sweetly opened her mouth, ¡°You Jiang, why are you always thinking of such violent affairs, what if it¡¯s just that the Palace Master took a fancy to some large sect¡¯s young master or little miss and wants to bring them back as a wife, huh?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, how would the magnificent Palace Master¡ªnumber one amongst demonic cultivators¡ªdo something so trivial and tasteless?¡± Glancing at her, You Jiang had always believed that as a successful demonic cultivator, they should persevere and combat the righteous path. To have love affairs with a righteous woman was absolutely off-limits! Righteous men were off-limits as well!


    Knowing that the moment fighting was mentioned to this person, he¡¯d become completely useless in the head, Xiu Niang decidedly stopped arguing with him. Waving her handkerchief, she harrumphed, ¡°Is marriage not a big enough deal? I really don¡¯t understand you uncultured men, everyday thinking about killing this or killing that, it¡¯s no wonder the both of you don¡¯t have any wives.¡±


    Qian Ren, who¡¯d originally been standing to the side and wondering what was going on with He Huan, never thought he¡¯d be shot while lying down. At once, his face darkened, ¡°Talk amongst yourselves, why pull me into it?¡±


    Knowing that he cared a lot about this matter, Xiu Niang actually didn¡¯t dare to say more. She only laughed a little, and asked, ¡°Then, what would you say Palace Master wants to do?¡±


    No one had ever been able to discern anything from He Huan¡¯s actions. When everyone thought that he would massacre the Jianghu, he stayed in the Palace of Bliss, drinking and indulging in other pleasures, as if he¡¯d completely forgotten the past; when everyone thought that he wouldn¡¯t move against the righteous sects because of old affections, he clearly killed those righteous cultivators without even the slightest hesitation.


    After thinking for a while, Qian Ren was also unable to grasp what his shifu¡¯s intentions were and deeply sighed, ¡°I only know that once the doors to the Main Hall are opened, then someone in the Jianghu is bound to get hurt.¡±


    Afterall, He Huan was still the most powerful demonic cultivator, usually jokingly chatting with him was fine, but once official business cropped up, no one dared to act like that anymore. Soon, the entire Palace of Bliss was gathered in the Main Hall and stood according to each¡¯s affiliation, such seriousness didn¡¯t contain even the slightest trace of their earlier frivolity. And yet it was He Huan who unhurriedly stood in front of his mirror, combing through the majority of his meridians before arriving on at the Hall on a fuckingcloud. Seeing that the crowd cupped their hands in greeting, he nodded before slowly sitting down on the master¡¯s seat.


    When he¡¯d left his QingYun Hall, he was too lazy to change into a more formal set of robes, let alone put on any sort of elaborate hair accessories. Instead, he¡¯d randomly draped a green coloured robe across his shoulders and picked up a bamboo stem on the way to hold up his hair. And yet, even with this unconcerned get-up, from when the Palace Master descended from his cloud to the moment he sat down, all the disciples felt as if their hearts had skipped a beat, silently thinking, sure enough, looking beautiful is the true way. Even if their Master has a random bamboo stem sticking out the top of his head, it was as if the bamboo stem had gained spirituality, why did it make the Palace Master seem so alluring ah?


    In accordance with his position, the person closest to He Huan was the Head Enforcer Qian Ren. As he saw him arrive, he promptly came up and greeted him, ¡°Palace Master¡­¡±


    As if having long anticipated that he¡¯d sensed his problem, He Huan didn¡¯t wait for him to talk, directly smiling, ¡°The matter I told you about before my tribulation, it¡¯s done.¡±


    Not expecting He Huan¡¯s outrageous idea to have actually succeeded, Qian Ren immediately froze. Then, according to this, the Palace Master that he¡¯d suspected to be having problems before, was really¡­


    Qian Ren stood to the side, his thoughts tumultuous. He Huan knew that he usually worried a lot, yet didn¡¯t say anything. Sweeping a glance at the people below, he leaned unhurriedly on the throne and smiled, ¡°These past few days, while this master has been in seclusion for my tribulation, it seems your vigilance has relaxed quite a bit, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    With this expression, the Palace Master¡¯s smile felt like it was made of knives.


    Knowing this meant he wasn¡¯t happy, and that whoever replied would possibly be out of luck, the front row of disciples became anxious. None of them dared to make a sound. Xiu Niang attempted to signal Qian Ren to help them out, but didn¡¯t expect this great murderer to actually space out at this moment. She could only lower her head and curse hatefully in her heart; sure enough, there was not a single reliable man in this world!


    Seeing them all keep silent, He Huan¡¯s smile slowly faded away. He unhurriedly pulled out that bamboo stem as his spiritual energy started to roll off of him like a blanket of fog. Lightly, he slashed in the direction of the Hall¡¯s exit and all of that fog instantly spread, charging directly to the ends of the lines. Out of the three enforcers, You Jiang had the highest level of cultivation. He instantly saw that the Palace Master¡¯s attack was aimed at those outer court disciples and immediately had a bad premonition.


    Sure enough, without giving them any chance to react, that light fog instantly dragged out two outer court disciples. Appraising their get-up, He Huan lifted up his bamboo stem and tapped it a few times on top of You Jiang¡¯s head, coldly opening, ¡°For ¡®Miracle Hand¡¯ Kong Kong to be able to sneak into my QingYun Hall yesterday, that can be said to be the failure of the guards. Now please remind me, how come this Master wasn¡¯t informed that even our outer court disciples looked so elegant?¡±


    Even though He Huan didn¡¯t use an ounce of qi in his movements, it was exactly this which caused You Jiang to be even more nervous, to the point where his entire body had a layer of cold sweat. It was only now that he knew that despicable thief snuck in again. He looked to those two youths without even the slightest bit of wear or dust on them, they clearly weren¡¯t demonic cultivators. For two righteous cultivators to have been allowed entrance, he knew his subordinates had been negligent. He didn¡¯t make any excuses, directly kneeling on the ground, ¡°This subordinate knows his crimes.¡±


    He Huan didn¡¯t really care to chase after the matter of ¡®Miracle Hand¡¯ Kong Kong¡¯s infiltration, for him to be able to earn the title of the best thief in the Jianghu, naturally his abilities weren¡¯t just for show. It was just, no matter what, being forced out of seclusion ahead of time was still something unpleasant, which was why he even bothered to complain about it briefly. Just thinking about what it would be like to attract the hatred of someone with an earnest personality like You Jiang¡¯s, it could be imagined that Kong Kong¡¯s days won¡¯t be pleasant for much longer.


    Not saying anything else, He Huan raised his eyes to check out the two infuriated youths currently trapped in his cultivation sealing fog and addressed one of them, ¡°Golden Core cultivation, according to your educated and refined appearance, you¡¯re from the Heaven¡¯s Library Pavilion?¡±


    There were many scholars and literary men in the Heaven¡¯s Library Pavilion, consequently, the disciples that came out of there were more similar to scholars than the typical chivalrous heroes of the Jianghu. Of course, they also inherited a scholar¡¯s stubbornness and were very obstinate. Sure enough, just casually saying this one line caused the youth to explode in anger, ¡°Demon, I¡¯m ready for anything you can throw at me; we Heaven¡¯s Library Pavilion disciples will never bow down to you scum!¡±


    ¡°This Master has said in the past, before anyone can enter the Palace of Bliss they must register under one of my Second Enforcer¡¯s subordinates. Who was responsible for letting these two sneak into the Palace, stand out.¡±


    After confirming his identity, He Huan¡¯s gaze swept over the crowd standing behind You Jiang. His tone was calm, but everyone could tell that at this moment, their Palace Master¡¯s mood wasn¡¯t good.


    ¡°Well? Unless you want this Master to do this personally?¡±


    Everyone knew, those that made He Huan personally address them, not one of their endings were good. When his voice fell, a fat man weakly fell into a kneel, crying as he begged for forgiveness, ¡°Palace Master have mercy, this subordinate was tempted by them, it was just a moment of carelessness ah!¡±


    He Huan looked at him, this man joined the Palace twenty years ago as a wandering cultivator. He was born with an ugly appearance and an abnormal amount of fat. One day, he¡¯d passed by a manor, and it had just so happened that the mistress of the house had encountered a flower thief1. The cultivators who¡¯d followed the mistress¡¯ cry for help instantly believed that he was the criminal. Unreconciled with being framed, he killed all of the cultivators along with everyone belonging to the manor. Ever since then, he and the righteous side could never see eye to eye again, so he turned to the demonic path. At the time, You Jiang had pitied the man and seeing that he was literate, brought him into the Palace as a registration manager.


    This person had a naturally impulsive personality, it was no wonder that even two children new to the Jianghu could manipulate him.


    Hearing his wail, the Heaven¡¯s Library Pavilion disciple was instantly angered, without thinking, he distinguished, ¡°Nonsense! It was clearly you forcing yourself onto Lady Li and even generating lewd thoughts towards our disguise as servants! Brother Lin and I are honourable, why would we ever try to seduce your disgusting kind?¡±


    ¡°The Li family¡¯s lady?¡±


    Not knowing that there was also this occurrence, He Huan raised his brows only to see that person¡¯s sweat coming down like buckets. The man trembled as he defended, ¡°She was just a married country bumpkin, this subordinate¡­this subordinate¡­¡±


    His expression already explained everything. He Huan reached out his hand to lift up that face that had become increasingly ugly due to his now glistening coat of sweat, but it was as if he hadn¡¯t noticed the other¡¯s appearance at all as he sighed, ¡°That year it was others who had wronged you, but this time, it can¡¯t be considered that you were wronged.¡±


    With that one touch, the veins on the man¡¯s face bulged as the amount of his tears and snot grew. ¡°Master, this subordinate couldn¡¯t take it anymore! Even if I had washed myself anew and acted righteously, no one would believe this subordinate to be innocent! S-since such was the case, I would rather have become a real villain¡ª¡±


    ¡°This Master has never forced anyone to become the villain.¡±


    Coldly interrupting his sentence, He Huan¡¯s face didn¡¯t have any signs of anger, he just calmly watched him, as if he¡¯d already seen through him. ¡°These few years, it wasn¡¯t as if there were no female disciples who were willing to dual-cultivate with you, but it was you that looked down on them for not being from a good background. Now look, your insistence has made you fall into the tricks of outsiders. You¡¯ve cultivated for so many years already and yet you still can¡¯t get over your heart demon. Someone like you, even among villains and scum, won¡¯t have a long path to walk.¡±


    He didn¡¯t continue to waste time with him. Using a bamboo leaf to wipe his hands, He Huan indifferently ordered, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that Li family is just the bait, You Jiang, check its position, when you¡¯re finished with this piece of garbage, throw him over there.¡±


    ¡°Palace Master, spare me!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, trash.¡±


    That person had wanted to continue to beg for forgiveness, but You Jiang had already sent a punch over before that. At once, all his meridians were broken. You Jiang ordered his subordinates to lock the man up in the dark prison, apparently preparing to first interrogate him thoroughly and then kill him.


    His cries were miserable, but no one paid him anymore attention, only becoming more reverent of the person sitting on the throne. Rather, it was Xiu Niang who¡¯d spat in the direction he was being escorted out of, ¡°What kind of beauties does our Palace not have? To be unable to control oneself at the sight of a married country woman, and even bringing back two spies. Embarrassing thing.¡±


    Using his awareness to take a sweep over the entire Palace and confirming that there were no more unfamiliar auras, He Huan finally relaxed a bit. It¡¯s just, although He Ku had done things fairly cautiously, it still wasn¡¯t enough to defend against some of these old foxes¡¯ schemes. Thinking of this, he turned to the people and warned, ¡°Since you¡¯ve decided to stay in the Palace of Bliss and are under this Master¡¯s protection, then remember well, this Master doesn¡¯t like looking at things that make me unhappy. Righteous cultivators need a grand purpose in order to kill someone, but this Master is a demonic cultivator. When I kill people, I don¡¯t need a reason.¡±


    After just seeing one of the Second Enforcer¡¯s most valued subordinates get taken away, how would any of them dare to be wordy? They immediately bowed their heads to express they understood.


    And yet, there were always those few people who wouldn¡¯t be able to sense the mood. Seeing that the matter got taken care of, Yun Ce who was standing in the middle group didn¡¯t heed Sai Guanying¡¯s endless hints to not draw attention to himself and unrestrainedly opened his mouth, ¡°Palace Master, then what types of things make you unhappy when you see them?¡±


    It was fortunate that He Huan knew this child¡¯s straightforward personality and so didn¡¯t bother to get offended. He mysteriously smiled, ¡°Think a little harder, guess.¡±


    Good, this reply, even Yun Ce understood it. He sighed savouringly, ¡°As expected, very unreasonable.

 CH 10

    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: HappyBubbles (Everyone welcome Bubbles to the team~)


    There are many reasons why He Huan left his seclusion early; first, he needed to let the other Enforcers know about He Ku¡¯s identity, in order to avoid having his Yuan Ying poisoned to death one day by his student. The second reason was because the Jianghu would not remain peaceful for too long. It¡¯s quite likely that the moment he crossed the Calamity Crossing stage, the ones outside will have planned a series of traps for him to step into. It¡¯s best to rectify the Palace from the inside out first, just in case.


    Taking care of these schemes was truly an irritating matter. In the past, he didn¡¯t bother with things like this, he simply waited for his opponents to make their move first before quashing them down with sheer power. But now that He Ku was beside him, he had to think about all the possible dangers and plan ahead. It had been a while since he thought this much for another person.


    However, compared to the days where there was nothing to do except for cultivation, this also had its own fun. If He Ku was in his position, He Huan wondered how startled the youngster would be.


    Remembering He Ku¡¯s frightened expression at QingYun Hall, the weariness that came with Jianghu disputes dissipated from He Huan¡¯s heart. His lightened mood brought a smile to his face, and his tone of voice when speaking to his subordinates finally returned to normal. ¡°You Jiang, go and check; if you find any suspicious disciples, just deal with them however you want. There is no need to ask me for confirmation.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    With He Huan¡¯s personality now, it was already a miracle that he was even directing affairs, there was no way he would follow up on everything. After thinking he¡¯d intimidated them enough, he passed the task on to You Jiang. Just when He Huan¡¯s thoughts were flying out the window, he heard Qian Ren ask, ¡°Palace Master, how should we deal with these two?¡±


    Turning around, He Huan realized the two righteous sect boys were still trapped in front of the Hall. The one wearing white saw He Huan and immediately cried out, ¡°Release us now if you know what¡¯s best for you! Otherwise, when my shifu arrives, that will be the end of you!¡±


    Just based on this personality, which was even more rash than Yun Ce¡¯s, He Huan wouldn¡¯t really believe that the righteous sect had sent two fresh-into-Jianghu kids against him. They¡¯re probably some family¡¯s headstrong disciples who came to make trouble before even knowing the true extent of who they were dealing with. Anyhow, he wasn¡¯t interested in giving face to his enemies. Plucking off two bamboo leaves, he flung them with a flick of his wrist, exactly landing on the two boys¡¯ dantian. He¡¯d instantly sealed their cultivation with all the effort of raising his hand.


    The two boys were finally slightly scared, just this unthinking action demonstrated the strength difference between them. Although their elders had long warned them that the Palace of Bliss wasn¡¯t a place that they could afford to offend, during the time they¡¯d stayed here undercover, these demonic cultivators all seemed to be either extremely gentle or in a drunken stupor half the time. Where could they see the famed savage cruelty and ruthlessness? However, it was only after seeing He Huan¡¯s strength that they finally registered that the one in front of them was a real Demon Lord. It was unlikely that they would be let off with just a peaceful death.


    Sure enough, right after sealing their cultivation, He Huan weighed his now almost bare bamboo stick and offhandedly tossed it to Xiu Niang. In an indifferent tone, he said, ¡°Although this Master had always pitied untempered youths, but since they¡¯ve cursed at and scolded me, then just give them to the Palace¡¯s female disciples as a reward. Let them have a taste of something new.¡±


    ¡°Thanking Palace Master for this gift!¡±


    As expected, after hearing his verdict, Xiu Niang was unable to contain her joy. After catching the bamboo stick, she made her way over to the two youths, sticking close to their bodies. Looking at their handsome appearances up close, she grew increasingly satisfied. Coyly, she used the bamboo stick to trace patterns over their chests, her words flowed out of her mouth like honey, ¡°Little brothers, don¡¯t be scared, these older sisters will thoroughly love you to pieces.¡±


    The righteous sect¡¯s rules were extremely strict, never had these two been faced with such unrestrained behaviour. They immediately blushed. The white-clothed youth was even more angered from the embarrassment, he even forgot his elders¡¯ careful instructions, unthinkingly shouting, ¡°I am a Xuanmen Righteous Sect disciple, you demonic cultivators dare to touch me?!¡±


    The moment this line exited his mouth, the Heaven¡¯s Library Pavilion disciple instantly panicked. Just as the desire to remind him arose, he saw He Huan who was seated at the throne slowly straighten up and smile coldly, ¡°Xuanmen Righteous Sect?¡±


    Seeing He Huan¡¯s face gradually getting colder, every Palace of Bliss member stared at that Xuanmen Righteous Sect disciple with an open gaze of worship. Not only had a Xuanmen Righteous Sect disciple dared to enter the Palace of Bliss, but to also have the guts to admit his affiliation in front of the Palace Master, could this be the so-called blind courage spoken about in legends? Or was it that those righteous cultivators all sought death like this? Them death-avoiding, cowardly demonic cultivators truly felt that they weren¡¯t up to par¡­heh.


    Sure enough, what He Huan said next had the Xuanmen disciple scared frozen, ¡°Take him away and reward him to the male disciples.¡±


    If they landed in the grasps of female disciples, it would just be a tale of romantic affairs, at most there would be slight PTSD. However, if it were changed to male disciples, then the ways they could play suddenly increased. Even later on, if this somehow managed to make its way into the Jianghu, he wouldn¡¯t be able to get a footing anywhere. Silently knowing that this Xuanmen disciple had touched He Huan¡¯s reverse scale, there were many disciples who pitied him, there were also some who were eager to try him, but none of them dared to say anything at that moment.


    Seeing the Hall so silent, He Huan knew it was because they were afraid of becoming collateral damage. It¡¯s just¡ªwhenever he hears that Sect¡¯s name he would inevitably feel irritated and stuffy. Even as he continued to look at that youth, he increasingly felt those white clothes were becoming an eyesore. Right as he was planning to take care of such unsightly matters before He Ku woke up, He Ku did just that. At that moment, a half-asleep half-awake voice sounded through He Huan¡¯s spiritual awareness, ¡°He Huan? Are you here?¡±


    Why did he wake up so soon?


    He Huan frowned slightly. At this time, He Ku still didn¡¯t have any cultivation and was also locked up in his dantian, it should have been impossible to be able to hear anything that was happening outside. It¡¯s just that this timing was too coincidental, wasn¡¯t it? Could it be that he was stirred just from the mention of the Xuanmen Righteous Sect, these four words?


    He quickly looked at what was happening. That Xuanmen Righteous Sect disciple was currently being dragged off by a couple of robust demonic cultivators, instantly paling, his voice contained a sobbing tone, ¡°Release me! I don¡¯t want to! Shifu, save me! Da Shixiong1, save me!¡±


    As if echoing the cry for help outside, He Ku¡¯s voice also became a little panicked, ¡°He Huan, why can¡¯t I see anything? Why is it so dark?¡±


    Knowing that He Ku¡¯s spiritual awareness was not strong enough to be able to perceive what was happening outside, He Huan pressed his glabella to soothe his headache. Yet He Ku¡¯s frantic shouts still circled around his spiritual awareness, not dissipating in the slightest. ¡°He Huan, where on earth am I? Let me out!¡±


    The first one to discover He Huan¡¯s anomaly was Qian Ren, who was the closest to him. He immediately leaned closer and whispered, ¡°Palace Master? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    It was only after He Huan heard this questioning that he realized he¡¯d actually revealed his discomfort. Without hesitation, he wore a smile again, ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong. It¡¯s just that this Master¡¯s conscience just woke up, currently it¡¯s making a fuss.¡±


    Hearing this, Qian Ren completely blanked. He swept his gaze over that lightly smiling face and couldn¡¯t help but think¡ªYou still have a conscience?


    He Huan didn¡¯t expect that even without the memories of their time in this dimension, He Ku still contained such a longing for the Xuanmen Righteous Sect. However, when thinking about it objectively, it has never stopped being his own obsession either.


    ¡°He Huan, are you not here anymore? I¡¯m scared¡­¡±


    As the voice sounding in his spiritual awareness gradually got quieter, He Huan inexplicably felt his heart clench in pain, as if someone had used a needle to poke it. It wasn¡¯t anything big, only something that could be forgotten with just the blink of an eye, but for a person who hadn¡¯t felt pain for so many years already, it was very hard to ignore.


    This¡­ did he really just discover his conscience?


    He Huan laughed self-deprecatingly. With his strength, if he didn¡¯t want to hear, all he had to do was block off his connection to his spiritual awareness. At worst, he just needed to come up with some kind of excuse when facing He Ku. However, that wasn¡¯t what he wanted to do. Instead, he peered at the crowd gathered outside the Hall and languidly announced, ¡°The purpose for gathering everyone here today was originally because this Master had something important to declare, but now, this Master has decided it seems best to let you witness it for yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Palace Master, you mustn¡¯t!¡±


    The first to react to what he was about to do was Qian Ren, and yet he still wasn¡¯t fast enough to stop him. He could only look on helplessly as the green-clothed Palace Master lightly closed his eyes, by the time he reopened them, that ungraspable smile had already disappeared. The worn depths hidden in his eyes were also nowhere to be found, instead he just kind of blankly stared at the crowd before him, then, as if he¡¯d been caught off guard, he reflexively let out, ¡°Holy fuck, what is this setting?!¡±


    He Ku really hadn¡¯t fully understood what was going on. Just a moment ago, he woke up only to find himself surrounded by darkness; he couldn¡¯t feel anything around him and his feet weren¡¯t touching the ground. There was an icy undercurrent flowing around him, a feeling that was like constantly being at the top of a roller coaster and falling down, the sense of weightlessness really did scare him.


    Perhaps it was because he was only familiar with He Huan in this world, so he subconsciously called his name. It was only now that he felt it was quite embarrassing. As he scolded himself for being scared so easily, he took in this unusual scene and shivered.


    Being a palace made from white jade, it should have been white and without any imperfections. He didn¡¯t know whether this was just a designer choice, but every piece of jade from the roof beams to the jade slabs covering the ground, all contained thin patterns of red lines. It made the whole thing look like blood veins. Although he knew that this was probably the very precious chicken blood jade2, he still felt that the overall atmosphere generated from this place was very eerie, it seemed even the jade throne he was sitting on emitted a chill that found its way into his bones.


    He returned his gaze to the people below him. Everyone was separated by gender. On the male disciples¡¯ side, the one at the very front seemed to have a darkened expression as he gazed coldly towards him, the rows of daggers lining his waist and legs alone screamed that he wasn¡¯t a friendly character. However, the person behind him was even worse, not only was he covered from head to toe in black, but he was also dripping blood from his fingertips! Clearly, he¡¯d just conducted some kind of silencing. Not only that, but at the center, surrounded and held down by a horde of strange-looking buff men, was a white-clothed youth, just off to the side was a scholarly looking young man currently being held by a peerless beauty as he practically quaked.


    What kind of scene did he just walk into? Although they didn¡¯t seem rich with the way they were dressed, probably just outer court or guard disciples, but from their expression, they clearly weren¡¯t willingly in this situation.


    Fuck! What did He Huan do while he was asleep?


    To find himself in this strange place the moment he woke up ¡ª surrounded by murderous, and probably somewhat pyrophilic, demonic cultivators ¡ª for a while, He Ku really wasn¡¯t able to react to what he was seeing. What was He Huan thinking, throwing him out at this time? It couldn¡¯t be that if he said one thing wrong, these people below him were going to hack him to death, right?


    Luckily his volume wasn¡¯t small when he said this line, so everyone was also trying to analyze why their Palace Master would say such a thing.


    While everyone was unable to make heads or tails of the situation, looking at each other in dismay, at the center, Yun Ce suddenly clapped his hands as he wore an expression as if he suddenly realized something, ¡°I know, Palace Master experienced a qi-deviation again!¡±


    Seeing a familiar face, He Ku¡¯s frantic heartbeat was slightly soothed. However, for both his expression as well as his intonation to have such a stark difference to the real He Huan, it was completely impossible to fool the Enforcers. You Jiang quickly assessed him, knowing in his heart that this wasn¡¯t the Palace Master. Could it be a case of possession? At once, he turned towards Qian Ren and asked, ¡°Who is this person?¡±


    But who expected Qian Ren to have long known something like this was going to happen? With a darkened face, he replied, ¡°The Palace Master¡¯s conscience.¡±


    Hearing this, You Jiang was instantly angered, ¡°Bullshit, we demonic cultivators never had a conscience to begin with!¡±


    His voice was very loud, all the disciples were instantly confused. This¡­ did the Palace Master really experience a qi-deviation? Also, what was their Second Enforcer going on about?


    The ones who were the most uncomfortable were probably the horde of male disciples gathered at the center. Seeing that the Palace Master was angry, the Second Enforcer ordered for the most grotesquely built disciples with extremely heavy tastes to come and carry out the sentence. Firmly making sure that this kid wouldn¡¯t be having a good time at all.


    These men were already quite pitiful to be labelled as ¡®grotesquely shaped¡¯, they even felt hopeless in getting any kind of pretty girl to dual-cultivate with. Now that the Palace Master has said this, then¡­ should they do it or not? This sort of affair, to have been prepared to tear off their clothing, they were now being told to hold it?


    Awkward. Extremely, extremely awkward.


    Following You Jiang¡¯s shout, an abrupt silence fell over the area. All of the disciples¡¯ gazes gathered towards the person sitting on the jade throne above. He Ku felt himself becoming increasingly out of sorts with the uncomfortable atmosphere, not knowing what to say at all. He could only suppress his voice as he said, ¡°He Huan? Are you here? I¡¯m scared¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be, I¡¯m right behind you.¡±


    The moment He Huan¡¯s calm voice sounded in his head, He Ku¡¯s panic instantly settled down. Fortunately, He Huan was still here, so he wouldn¡¯t have to be afraid of anyone here since they weren¡¯t able to beat him.


    It¡¯s just that, he never learned how to be the demonic Palace Master to a demonic sect ah. He was momentarily at a loss as he asked, ¡°What do I do?¡±


    ¡°Do whatever pleases you. Remember, you are He Huan, there is nobody in this world capable of forcing you to do something you don¡¯t like.¡±


    ¡°Really? But if I just spout bullshit, wouldn¡¯t they rebel?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t dare to.¡±


    Receiving He Huan¡¯s guarantee, He Ku felt as if he were entering an exam with the answer key, instantly booming with confidence. But after further contemplation, although he decided it was best not to be too over the top since he wasn¡¯t that familiar with demonic customs, he also didn¡¯t want to be on the receiving end of one of He Huan¡¯s eyerolls again!


    Thinking this, he decisively addressed the most irksome cluster at the center, ¡°What are you doing under such public scrutiny? Compose yourselves!¡±


    End of Chapter 10


    shixiong (ʦÐÖ) ¨C senior martial brother, so Da Shixiong is Eldest senior brothe

 CH 11

    Translator: THISBRO


    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: Happy Bubbles


    When he said this, that bunch of male disciples instantly blanked. Wasn¡¯t it you who told us to do it? If it wasn¡¯t for having you as a backer, we¡¯d be crazy to dare do a Xuanmen disciple¡­


    All of the disciples looked at each other in dismay, while You Jiang found this increasingly strange. Seeing that Qian Ren didn¡¯t have the intention of doing anything, he took the lead, ¡°These two were the spies Palace Master had just exposed, we are currently following Palace Master¡¯s orders in awarding them to the disciples.¡±


    Hearing this, He Ku once again appraised the people in the Hall. He first looked at the two righteous sect disciples, with their pretty boy features, then moved on to the male disciples who had the stereotypical ugly demonic cultivator appearance and couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Just how big did the hatred have to be?


    It stands to reason that since he¡¯d just arrived, he wouldn¡¯t understand anything, and therefore wasn¡¯t willing to intervene in He Huan¡¯s affairs at all. However, it wouldn¡¯t sit well with his conscience if he just watched as this scene was carried out in front of him. Thinking that He Huan should have anticipated his reaction since he dared to release him, without hesitation, he opened his mouth and said, ¡°With appearances like that, how are they fit to be rewards? Assign them to do the laundry and sweep the floors1 and be done with it.¡±


    With appearances like that?


    The mass of disciples all looked at the Xuanmen disciple¡¯s face, then compared it to their own. All at once, they felt their hearts cry out in anguish. So it turned out that this standard was only fit to do chores? No wonder, even after so many years, the Palace of Bliss had never received a Palace Mistress, it was all because their master¡¯s eyes were placed too high ah!


    The Xuanmen disciple had grown up under the constant praises of his martial brothers. When he heard this villain actually compare him to an outer court disciple, he instantly forgot all of his previous fear towards He Huan and erupted, ¡°I am a noble Xuanmen Righteous Sect disciple, and yet you dare dishonour me like this? Shameless! Despicable! I will report you to my shifu and have you exterminated!¡±


    With this remark, even the male disciples who were holding him down couldn¡¯t help but feel respect. This was a warrior ah! First, let¡¯s not mention who his shifu was, but even the Xuanmen-zhangmen wouldn¡¯t have enough confidence to guarantee they¡¯d be able to kill He Huan. To be able to survive even after so incessantly courting death in front of their Palace Master, this person must have been some kind of high priest who¡¯d managed to cleanse the world or something in his past life, right?


    Looking at him in sombre silence, He Ku was semi-speechless. Were all righteous cultivators this stupid? He Ku finally understood a little as to why the Palace of Bliss hasn¡¯t been razed to the ground yet, even with He Huan¡¯s lackadaisical attitude of practically abandoning himself to pleasure and not managing the sect at all. This was simply a one-sided IQ suppression ah.


    Knowing that the more he was polite to this type of spoiled young master, the more unruly he¡¯d get, He Ku also didn¡¯t waste pleasantries. His expression turned severe as he pointed at the disciple and commanded, ¡°Shut up! You come to my Palace of Bliss, swords raised and shouting bloody murder, clearly, you were going to try to wash this place in blood. Yet you, as the offender, dare to report first?¡±


    Seeing that Xuanmen disciple¡¯s furious expression, He Ku didn¡¯t give him the chance to defend, directly turning to the enforcers beside him, ¡°Assign this one to the lavatory!¡±


    Hearing this, You Jiang was instantly dissatisfied, ¡°Palace Master, the cultivation of these two isn¡¯t weak, you should assign them a more appropriate punishment.¡±


    Not expecting this idiot to be an expert, He Ku asked, ¡°What level is he at?¡±


    ¡°Early-stage Golden Core.¡±


    To think that he¡¯d thought Yun Ce¡¯s late-stage Golden Core level was very rare; who knew that it was practically everywhere. It seemed as if being knocked out by that god thief was inevitable. Thinking to this point, He Ku also recognized that it wasn¡¯t good to just let two righteous sect cultivators roam about, he would need to find a person to keep watch over them. He looked to the mass of demonic disciples¡­ and added another requirement ¡ª it must also be someone who couldn¡¯t be bribed. And so, his eyes fell on Yun Ce, who was currently spiritedly chattering to Sai GuanYing about the Palace Master¡¯s qi-deviation, and calmly asked, ¡°Yun Ce, are you able to defeat them?¡±


    Clueless as to who it was that asked this question, Yun Ce reflexively answered, ¡°Of course I can, anyone from my clan can easily take on five opponents within our level at the same time. Moreover, the Palace Master has even sealed their cultivation.¡±


    This was what he was waiting for, He Ku immediately slapped the table, ¡°Good, then you will be responsible for watching them work.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    It was only now that he registered it was the Palace Master who was speaking. Yun Ce¡¯s cheerful face instantly soured, aggrievedly resisting, ¡°Palace Master, weren¡¯t you the one who said that male pets didn¡¯t have to do any work and could do as they pleased? This isn¡¯t my responsibility ah!¡±


    ¡°Then tell me, who is it that is usually responsible for this type of thing.¡±


    Hearing his master¡¯s response, he decisively pushed it to the two busiest people in the palace, ¡°Head Enforcer and Second Enforcer!¡±


    Although He Ku wasn¡¯t familiar with them, it didn¡¯t obstruct him in feeling a deep sense of sympathy for the only two enforcers that did any work. And so he decided, ¡°Fine, from today onwards, you are now the fourth enforcer, for a respectable demonic sect to not have Four Heavenly Kings2, how embarrassing.¡±


    Never having anticipated that such a serious position could be given so haphazardly, Yun Ce was shocked before continuing to resist, ¡°I can¡¯t! Palace Master, seriously look at me, the disparity between me and them is immeasurable, there¡¯s no way I can be an Enforcer!¡±


    He¡¯d already prepared to showcase how lazy he could be and highlight all of his flaws, how if he were made to be an enforcer, the Palace of Bliss would fall into danger and that he mustn¡¯t let the hope of the demonic side die just like this.


    And yet, he¡¯d only heard the Palace Master turn towards the two male enforcers as he curiously asked, ¡°Have I ever slept with you guys before?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± As the last virgin male in the Palace of Bliss, QianRen¡¯s face darkened as he defended his chastity.


    ¡°Never!¡± You Jiang, the last straight male in the Palace of Bliss, used a very forceful tone as he defended his sexual orientation.


    Satisfactorily receiving the response that he wanted, He Ku made his way over to Yun Ce as he encouragingly clapped his shoulder, ¡°See? You also hadn¡¯t. You were destined to become an enforcer.¡±


    This time, Yun Ce was really speechless, ¡°You can even argue it like this?¡±


    ¡°How is it not okay? I am the Demon Lord, when have I ever been reasonable in my actions?¡±


    Suddenly remembering his identity, He Ku eagerly slipped into character. Even immersively threatening, ¡°Watch them carefully, if anything happens I will immediately fire you and destroy any future prospects in your goal to become a male pet.¡±


    Silently watching as Yun Ce begrudgingly accepted his new status, the crowd of disciples didn¡¯t feel that it was too much of a surprise. After expending so much effort in order to trick the Snowy Mountian¡¯s late-stage Golden Core genius to come here, how could he just be a mere male pet? Although the status of enforcer was a bit high, considering that he had the Snowy Mountains to back him up, it really wasn¡¯t that excessive. It¡¯s just that, although their Master¡¯s behaviour was just as arbitrary as usual, how come it felt a little off? As if he really was just acting arbitrarily? No, how could their far-sighted Palace Master act purely arbitrarily? This must be an illusion.


    Noticing that the disciples were now trading confused gazes, Qian Ren coughed as he finally stepped out to maintain order, ¡°Everybody, although this person¡¯s words and actions are a little¡­ but he really is the Palace Master. Only, he¡¯s an 18-year old Palace Master.¡±


    Just this one line had all the demonic sect disciples gasp. The 18-year old Palace Master¡­ wasn¡¯t that¡­ they just knew that opening the Main Hall would lead to bloodshed!


    He Ku never expected that the Head Enforcer had been informed about his relationship to He Huan. While he was being surprised, his gaze shifted to see that everyone in the Hall had instantly paled.


    He was still bewildered when the disciples beside him instantly leaped back a good 10 meters. Still seeming insecure, they took a few cautious steps backwards as well. Following that, he saw that beautiful woman who had been hugging the righteous sect disciple immediately employed her flying skill, speedily running to the back after saluting him, ¡°Palace Master, this Xiu Niang has recently felt that my waist and back were quite sore. I¡¯m afraid that it might be my menstruation cycle, so I¡¯ll be leaving first, excuse me!¡±


    Third Enforcer, with your age, what menstruation cycle are you talking about? It was clearly just an excuse!


    Seeing her manage to make a clean escape, the disciples all gritted their teeth, only hating that their status wasn¡¯t enough and thus, they didn¡¯t dare leave without permission. Rather, it was a female disciple who stood behind where Xiu Niang had been that hastily followed, ¡°Palace Master, this disciple feels that my chest is stuffy and I have the urge to throw up. I suspect I may be pregnant, so I¡¯ll be leaving first to find a doctor to take my pulse.¡±


    Seeing she was completely fit and able-bodied as she rushed out, with no hint of pregnancy anywhere to be seen, everyone couldn¡¯t help but lament that in times of crisis women actually had so many excuses to use in order to escape. However, at this time, a male disciple quickly followed after her, ¡°Palace Master, this disciple suspects the child to be mine, so I¡¯ll be taking my leave.¡±


    With this precedent, another disciple quickly rushed out to fight for fatherhood, ¡°Palace Master, this disciple suspects that the child is actually mine, I need to go and check.¡±


    ¡°Palace Master, the one who is pregnant is my dual-cultivation partner, for this disciple to have grown such a field of grass on top of my head, I have no other motive, please pardon me as I go hack those two into pieces.¡±


    Huh? That last one didn¡¯t seem to be an excuse?


    Seeing that the fastest of them had already escaped to determine the child¡¯s true father, everyone couldn¡¯t help but fret. All the excuses had already been used up, what were they to do?


    It was said that two minds were better than one. Gathering all the wisdom of the disciples around him, a male disciple instantly stood ramrod straight as he shouted, ¡°Palace Master, I¡¯m afraid that a fight will break out, us brothers will go and stop them!¡±


    Not forgetting his comrades in times of trouble, this was a true friend ah!


    They looked gratefully at that good person before they all firmly swarmed outside as if the Main Hall contained a monster.


    ¡°You guys are this type of Palace of Bliss?¡± Speechlessly taking in the suddenly half-empty hall, He Ku found out that his perspective of demonic sects was once again washed anew.


    Towards this display, He Huan didn¡¯t really take much offence; instead, he had an attitude of watching drama take place in front of him. Taking advantage of the fact that no one could see him, he was lazily lounging on a roof beam, chuckling, ¡°There aren¡¯t really rules in my Palace of Bliss, so the disciples are fairly lively.¡±


    Is it really okay for you demonic cultivators to be so lively?


    Speechlessly accepting He Huan¡¯s explanation, He Ku saw that the ones who¡¯d remained were still trembling in fear before deciding to wave them away, ¡°Whatever, dismissed, dismissed. Everyone go back home and birth your babies.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Master!¡±


    Seeing they all had an expression as if they¡¯d just slept with death and lived, spiritedly running out, He Ku was a little depressed. He turned to Qian Ren, the only one who hadn¡¯t moved, and asked, ¡°Was I really that terrifying at 18-years-old?¡±


    The mercenary facing him wasn¡¯t frightened in the slightest, as if having long anticipated such a scene would occur, calmly replying, ¡°The 18-year-old Palace Master wasn¡¯t scary, but if it was an 18-year-old Palace Master with the cultivation of a Calamity Crossing expert, then there exists no demonic cultivator who wouldn¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    It seems that He Huan¡¯s teen years were spent fairly rebelliously.


    He Ku deeply worried whether it was during this time period that he¡¯d become a delinquent, before glancing at the still calm Head Enforcer, ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you scared of me?¡±


    ¡°From this subordinate¡¯s observation, Palace Master¡¯s intelligence has also been stopped at 18-years-old.¡±


    Although Qian Ren¡¯s answer was extremely sincere, it didn¡¯t affect He Ku¡¯s urge to beat him up. What was more maddening, that bastard He Huan was actually watching from the sidelines and gratifyingly praised, ¡°As expected of my disciple, your observation is perfect, perfect!¡±


    Just as He Ku was debating how he was going to choke He Huan, this traitor, that black-clothed Second Enforcer amiably stepped up and comforted him, ¡°Palace Master, don¡¯t be sad. Let this subordinate recount all of the righteous side¡¯s greedy ambitions, you and I must wash the Three Major Sects in blood! Otherwise we¡¯d be wasting our youth¡¯s hot-bloodedness!¡±


    Did you really take him for a fool? This guy was clearly trying to take advantage of the opportunity to use him for his own ends!


    Just as He Ku wanted to prove to these two that it wasn¡¯t his intelligence that was insufficient, but rather He Huan was too cunning and therefore shouldn¡¯t be used as a point of comparison, he saw Qian Ren dragging You Jiang out with him, ¡°Enough, the Palace Master is tired. Let him return to his QingYun Hall to rest.¡±


    And so, other than him and He Huan, this spectating spirit, the entire hall was empty.


    Helplessly accepting the fact that all of his subordinates ran away the moment he appeared, He Ku sighed, ¡°He Huan, how come I feel as if I don¡¯t have any weight?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, I do.¡± He Huan came down from the roof beam and patted his head, then, thinking that He Ku didn¡¯t have any cultivation and therefore couldn¡¯t see him, boldly decided to hug him. As if he was highly interested in taking liberties with his own body, this kind of novel experience.


    He Ku couldn¡¯t see what he was doing, only fixated on worrying that the demonic sect was nearing its end, ¡°Do you? How come I can¡¯t feel it?¡±


    Thinking that he indeed hadn¡¯t shown He Ku his Palace Master side, He Huan paused before smiling mischievously. He lowered his pitch into an ambiguous tone, ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s because we¡¯ve only ever met each other in bed?¡±


    This¡­ although it was true that they chatted while laying on the bed; how was it that, when it came out of He Huan¡¯s mouth, it just seemed weird?


    Peeved by his tone, He Ku directly expressed his internal thoughts. ¡°Fuck, you¡¯re so vulgar.¡±


    ¡°You little ones don¡¯t understand, this is called being flirty.¡±


    Seeing with satisfaction that He Ku had been provoked until he was practically glaring daggers and scowling, He Huan¡¯s mood became increasingly good. He likes seeing his face reveal these types of expressions, full of youthfulness and innocence. This was something he¡¯d never be able to regain, no matter how powerful he becomes.


    If at this time He Ku had cultivation and could see him, in this hall which had been washed in the blood of both righteous and demonic cultivators, two men identical in appearance would have been gazing into each other¡¯s eyes. Although one of them wore an angered expression, it was more like he was a cat waiting for its master to admit his mistakes, 70% bluff and 30% indignance. The other, seeing him like this, only chuckled as he moved forward to place a kiss on the little kitty¡¯s forehead. Soon after doing this, he couldn¡¯t resist trying to muffle his snickering as he watched the other stalking forward obliviously, ranting the whole time. He lazily floated beside him, seemingly entertaining himself in an adequate manner.


    He Huan remembered that when he was young, someone had once said that elder¡¯s expectations and how others view you were all unimportant. At the end of the day, as long as you are able to grow into someone you like, then that is the greatest happiness in life. At this moment, he was able to confirm that he indeed still liked this youthful version of himself, but in the same sense, does his 18-year-old self like today¡¯s He Huan?


    From He Ku¡¯s performance, he probably did not.


    In the end, it seems he wasn¡¯t able to attain this ¡®greatest happiness in life¡¯.


    End of Chapter 11


    chores were often completed by the outer court disciples who were more or less the servants until they got accepted into the inner court.


    Four Heavenly Kings (ËÄ´óÌìÍõ) ¨C refers to the Four Heavenly Kings/guardians in Buddhist law. ¡°They are the protectors of the world and fighters of evil¡± and ¡°inspect the state of virtue and morality in the world of men¡± and vowed to protect Buddha.


    They are obviously not all that righteous stuff, but I felt that it was still fitting to leave the title as is.

 CH 12

    Translator: THISBRO


    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: HappyBubbles


    Coming out of the Main Hall, He Ku walked briskly, meeting several Palace of Bliss disciples all flying in the sky. Even the lowest outer court disciples were able to jump over ledges or walk horizontally on walls. Then he looked back to himself. He might be the Palace Master, but he could only pitifully walk on the solid ground; he even had to ask He Huan for directions from time to time. All of a sudden, he became depressed and begged He Huan to start teaching him how to cultivate. He Huan had already planned to do so, so why would he decline? Immediately taking control of the body, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived in front of the spring below his QingYun Hall.


    By the time He Ku reopened his eyes, he was face to face with the tumultuous steam rising from the spring waters. He wasn¡¯t able to come back to himself for a while. ¡°So fast? When I looked, it seemed pretty far.¡±


    ¡°It would take approximately four hours to walk from the Main Hall to here.¡± Carelessly flinging out a line that caused He Ku¡¯s legs to cramp, He Huan saw that his heart for cultivation had become even more determined and laughed. ¡°Disrobe1 and go into the spring, let me first start you on the basics and general knowledge of cultivation.¡±


    Disrobe?


    Hearing his choice in words, He Ku unconsciously retreated. But a moment later, he remembered that although He Huan liked to tease him verbally, it couldn¡¯t be that he¡¯d develop evil intentions towards his own body, right? After all, how many times had he seen it growing up? Moreover, as one of the peak cultivators in this world, He Huan must know more than what he, a complete newbie, knew. Thinking this, in the end, he didn¡¯t do anything stupid like taking a dip while fully clothed. He stripped before jumping into the spring, confidently asking, ¡°What do I do next?¡±


    This turn of events made He Huan, who had already prepared to persuade him, pause. Even though the reason he told He Ku to disrobe was because clothing would hamper the process of gathering spiritual energy, for He Ku to not struggle or resist at all made him feel somewhat unexpected. He couldn¡¯t help but to squint his eyes in delight. It seems that regarding cultivation, He Ku was very obedient¡­


    He Ku originally thought that it would feel like boiling alive to soak in a hot spring during the summer, but who knew that the spring water was actually very cool. He also didn¡¯t know where this steam came from, all he knew was that his body instantly felt rejuvenated, his hearing and vision cleared and even his mind became much more focused.


    ¡°I made this spirit spring by opening the leylines in the surrounding area, leading them here. This is now a place where spiritual qi naturally gathers and is generated, by cultivating here you can achieve double the results with half the effort.¡±


    Just when He Ku was about to sigh at the limits these cultivators were willing to go to after hearing this explanation, he suddenly discovered that a naked man had actually appeared beside him! Looking at his appearance, it was clearly He Huan. He Ku couldn¡¯t resist taking a step back. ¡°Y-you, how did you come out?¡±


    ¡°The amount of energy here is concentrated enough that even you, someone with no cultivation whatsoever, are able to see my spirit.¡± Seeing him so surprised, He Huan was unexpectedly calm as he soaked in the spring as well. He¡¯d truly seen his own body enough times that it really was hard to develop any of those untoward desires, but he wasn¡¯t opposed to taking advantage of this opportunity to scare He Ku a bit. It was also good for this brat to be more apprehensive towards other people¡¯s advances; after all, the number of demonic cultivators who specialized in stealing others¡¯ cultivation through intercourse wasn¡¯t small. Even if it was a man, he should also learn to guard against them.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you wearing clothes?¡±


    See? Based on the warnings from before, He Ku had already raised his guard towards demonic cultivators to 100%. The moment he saw He Huan settling in, he immediately retreated backwards, but suddenly he tripped, almost falling in the spring.


    Consequently, this series of actions tickled He Huan as he immediately laughed. ¡°When you are operating my body, I can technically be considered your Yuan Ying; naturally, whatever you¡¯re wearing is whatever I¡¯ll be wearing. There¡¯s no reason to be making such a big fuss. Though, you can even trip in a pond that¡¯s only waist-high?¡±


    Remembering that before, when He Huan was in the mirror, he was also wearing clothes identical to the ones on his body, He Ku recognized that he had made a mistake as he stood back up, pulling back some hair that had fallen loose into his face. Feeling something by his feet, he defended himself, ¡°It was only because I stepped on something that I fell, what were you thinking, randomly throwing things into the pond?¡±


    Saying this, He Ku really was able to pull something out of the spring. After closely examining it¡­ wasn¡¯t this the bundle that he¡¯d prepared before? He opened it to take a look and saw the clothes, sword, and jade, not one more and not one less. It seemed that on that day, when He Huan casually threw these things, they¡¯d actually landed in the spirit spring.


    ¡°Thank goodness I have found this again. Compared to your pile of absurdly long robes, this one is much better.¡±


    Having found his precious white robe, He Ku instantly beamed. He washed it a bit in the spring before hanging it on a decorative rock to dry, eager to try it on the next day. Rather, this time, seeing He Ku¡¯s excited expression, He Huan sighed to himself. This really was¡­ bad luck.


    As if he really thought that this was heaven¡¯s will, in the end, He Huan didn¡¯t stop He Ku, only eyeing that neglected mutton fat jade. Unhurriedly, he spoke up, ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to practice righteous cultivation? Inside that jade holds the strongest righteous cultivation technique.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t thought that there would actually be a righteous technique within a demonic sect, but thinking of He Huan¡¯s previous act of throwing this bundle away, He Ku doubtfully asked, ¡°You¡¯re willing to let me learn this?¡±


    But unexpectedly, He Huan ¨C that bastard ¨C just wouldn¡¯t follow the script. Hearing He Ku¡¯s question, he adopted the style and posture of an old man, calmly saying, ¡°I originally wasn¡¯t, but if you need to say something nice, then I might be convinced.¡±


    Seeing him like this, He Ku knew that if he played along, he would only be gift-wrapping himself for He Huan to tease. Decisively ignoring him, he curiously asked, ¡°What technique do you cultivate, then?¡±


    ¡°Technique of Bliss.¡± The techniques cultivators practiced were supposed to be a highly guarded secret, but He Huan didn¡¯t care, openly answering.


    He Ku was also ignorant of how it was between cultivators, so he completely didn¡¯t catch onto how much trust He Huan had placed on him, only commenting on the technique¡¯s name, ¡°This name is so tasteless.¡±


    ¡°This technique was originally a Buddhist technique used to teach its practitioners to avoid delusion, greed, and hatred as they sought the path to the holy land of bliss. It was only until a few hundred years ago that this technique fell into the hands of a genius demonic cultivator. Going through numerous alterations, the part on enlightenment had been discarded, turning this technique into a demonic one that teaches its practitioners to indulge in pleasure.¡±


    Seeing He Ku scoff at this top-notch demonic technique, He Huan still decided to give a small explanation. Seeing him still puzzled, he could only further explain, ¡°Buddhist techniques are focused on cultivating the heart, the Technique of Bliss is the same. As long as the practitioner remains in a state of satisfaction, then they would make rapid progress in their cultivation, leaving everyone else miles behind. The only difference between how this is carried out is that, originally, one was supposed to accumulate satisfaction based on the good deeds they did; now, there is no correlation to outward results. As long as the individual alone feels satisfied, there is no limit on the method to achieve it. The one who practiced this technique before me loved to terrorize and abuse others, even he managed to reach the Nascent Soul stage easily. You can see how such a person, once they are no longer afraid of being threatened, will be completely uncontrollable; doing horrible deeds purely because it entertains him.¡±


    He Ku finally recognized just how broken this technique was and sighed. ¡°Aren¡¯t you too lucky to have gotten your hands on this? As long as you eat well, drink well, and spend your time indulging with beauties, your cultivation would skyrocket. Looking at your entire sect full of handsome men and beautiful women, it¡¯s no wonder that you¡¯re able to make it all the way to Calamity Crossing.¡±


    ¡°Though it isn¡¯t without flaws, the moment I feel that life is dull, my cultivation would cease to progress. So much so that if I feel worried or depressed, my cultivation would even start to regress. The more I feel sorrow or hurt, the faster my cultivation will dissipate.¡± Shaking his head, He Huan thought for a bit before still deciding to tell He Ku his lifegate2.


    Although cultivating with demonic techniques lets you break through faster, its flaws are equally as great. The higher the cultivation, the more the inherent flaws within the technique become harmful to its practitioner. The prerequisite to practicing the Technique of Bliss is to completely waste one¡¯s meridians to destroy their cultivation in order to express the determination of leaving behind all mortal affairs as you seek the holy land of bliss. The stronger the cultivation you destroy, the easier it would be to progress as you cultivated. Back then, if it hadn¡¯t been for the fact that he had been forced into a dead end, he wouldn¡¯t have given up on his boundless future to practice such an unstable technique.


    He Huan had just been about to lament his past. Who knew that He Ku thought he was already starting to worry after seeing him like this. Hurriedly, he rushed over to comfort him, ¡°Don¡¯t dwell on unpleasant things, whatever you do, you mustn¡¯t carelessly be over-sentimental. If you don¡¯t want me learning that one, at most I¡¯ll just learn another technique. Later, when your cultivation is gone, just call me out and I will fight instead.¡±


    Ever since He Huan started to practice this Technique of Bliss, he had been adept at cheering himself up. So much so that it had already been decades since he had revealed a worried expression. To see it today, his heart moved. His eyes shifted before pretending to sigh in worry. ¡°It¡¯s too late. I was just thinking that you probably don¡¯t like me. For me to have cultivated an entire century, only to have become someone I don¡¯t like. Just thinking about this hurts my heart.¡±


    He Ku had just learned that He Huan wasn¡¯t a person that could afford to experience sadness, now seeing him acting like such, he panicked. He thought to himself, weren¡¯t we just playing around? Teasing and joking with your friends was very natural, how old was He Huan? How could he take it to heart? What would you do if your cultivation really dissipated?


    With this panic, the youth had forgotten all his previous timidity, only regretting that the other was a soul and therefore didn¡¯t have a physical form, he could only scootch over and sit by his side, explaining, ¡°Don¡¯t, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t like you. If I didn¡¯t, then wouldn¡¯t I be stupid to share a bath with you?¡±


    Seeing He Huan had remained silent, He Ku became increasingly anxious, even letting out his true thoughts, ¡°Look, you¡¯re a Calamity Crossing expert and everyone is afraid of you, yet you are so good to me. You provide food, a place to live, and are even willing to teach me cultivation. I¡¯m not a heartless monster, so how could I hate you? I¡¯m just not used to your attitude towards men and women¡­ you demonic cultivators might already be used to things being like this, but think of those normal girls who still need to be wed, and you just, you know? This, I just don¡¯t feel that it¡¯s very upright¡ªdon¡¯t be angry. In truth¡­ I¡¯m just saying, but if you really can¡¯t hold it in, then like with Yun Ce where both parties are consenting, who am I to stop you two from going at it¡­¡±


    Speaking of such things, He Ku¡¯s bashfulness didn¡¯t allow him to finish. He sank a little deeper and submerged his chin in the water. Just as he was thinking of something else to say, his eyes wandered upward¡­


    This bastard, how was that a worried expression? Clearly, those knitted eyebrows were from trying to hold back his laughter!


    Suddenly understanding what it meant to mix within this world for an entire century, how could his heart be so delicate? Clearly, He Huan was just using this opportunity to tease him. Immediately angered, he shouted, ¡°Fuck, you were playing me!¡±


    ¡°Alright alright, calm down. I really didn¡¯t lie, my Technique of Bliss really does possess this flaw, as long as one has spent enough time in the Jianghu, they¡¯d know. However, even though they know, in so many years, never had any of them been able to successfully take advantage of it and kill me.¡±


    Seeing that he had been found out, He Huan frankly stopped trying to hide it and full-on laughed. Still, he hurried to appease He Ku once he saw the other¡¯s angry expression. Tilting his head to the side, he whispered in He Ku¡¯s ear, ¡°He Ku, do you think racking one¡¯s brains out in order to fawn over a woman from a respectable family, all for just a night of pleasure, or having a beautiful woman jump into your arms as you take in each other¡¯s company would be more pleasurable?¡±


    He Ku looked at him askance, internally still angry that the other played him, but he understood He Huan¡¯s meaning. There were so many disciples within the Palace of Bliss that liked He Huan, that there was absolutely no need to go out and ruin some respectable young lady. For the righteous side to only scold him on this account, it was probably due to the fact that he almost never left his Palace of Bliss. Other than scolding his flirtatiousness, what else was there to scold?


    Understanding this, He Ku nodded. ¡°That makes sense, for you to cultivate this technique, it is impossible for you to wrong yourself just to coax some fling.¡±


    Still, he felt that He Huan¡¯s current lifestyle was too chaotic, thinking for a bit, he asked, ¡°Have you never considered finding a nice person to settle down with? For example, dual cultivation or something like that.¡±


    He Huan never thought that he would ask about this and could only helplessly say, ¡°Think for yourself what kinds of people are currently in the Calamity Crossing stage.¡±


    Fine, one was a monk and the other was an old cultivator. Without even considering appearance, just those ages weren¡¯t He Huan¡¯s type.


    Of course, He Ku didn¡¯t have any interest in increasing He Huan¡¯s heavy taste and could only continue, ¡°There should at least be a few that are below your cultivation that you like, right? With you to help them, it wouldn¡¯t take long to raise them to Calamity Crossing stage.¡±


    ¡°But how would I know that they aren¡¯t just catering to me for my higher cultivation? When their cultivation finally surpasses mine, I fear that the first thing they¡¯d do is to swallow up my Yuan Ying to increase their cultivation further.¡±


    He Huan answered easily. Looking at his knitted brows, he also didn¡¯t elaborate.


    In fact, within the Jianghu, it didn¡¯t matter whether it was righteous cultivators or demonic cultivators, there were many who were willing to climb into his bed just requesting that he¡¯d carry them through their tribulation. There also weren¡¯t a small number of righteous cultivators who professed their love, calling ¡®qianbei¡¯3 and ¡®gege¡¯ in bed. But when they left, He Huan would be painted as the villain who took advantage of others using his position, the other partner only forced to comply.


    When he was young, he used to love walking through the Jianghu, but now, he just stayed within his Palace of Bliss, precisely because he had become weary of such senseless playing. Although he, himself, never cared about his reputation, it was still better to leave these things out when talking to He Ku, lest it dirty his ears.


    He Huan¡¯s current feelings weren¡¯t something He Ku could understand, he could only think of what he¡¯d do in He Huan¡¯s place. He quietly asked, ¡°But isn¡¯t it very lonely?¡±


    ¡°He Ku, the journey of cultivation is originally very lonely. If a cultivator wants to survive, then they can¡¯t believe anyone other than themselves. They can never let others grasp a hold over their weakness.¡±


    He Huan was rarely this serious, his response was also delivered very severely, but after seeing that He Ku had been intimidated, he quickly changed his tone and smiled. ¡°However, you and I are originally of the same being, you can come to me to talk about anything. I won¡¯t harm you.¡±


    Hearing him say this, He Ku, who had submerged half his head into the water, finally came back out, sighing. ¡°Actually, I never wanted to admit that I was your 18-year-old self.¡±


    Not waiting for He Huan to respond to what he had said, he raised his hands to rub his face. Perhaps it was because he had stayed in the water for so long, but his eyes were moist as he continued talking stuffily, ¡°If I truly am you, then wouldn¡¯t that mean that I had already transmigrated here for 100 years? Then, wouldn¡¯t that mean that my dad, mom, and friends are already¡­That¡¯s why I had always hoped that you were lying to me, because that way, I would still have time. You¡¯re already at Calamity Crossing stage, when you ascend, maybe I¡¯ll finally be able to return. However, the more I talk to you, the more I can feel that perhaps you really aren¡¯t lying to me.¡±


    ¡°Long ago, I understood that even if I had cultivated to be so powerful that I could shatter the heavens and cut through the world, I would still be unable to return. That is why I only continue to look forward.¡±


    He knew deep down that He Ku would one day find out about this, so He Huan didn¡¯t comfort him and give him any meaningless hope, only calmly saying, ¡°As long as you diligently learn this Heaven Transcension Sword Technique, when both you and I have cultivated the ability to break through space and dimensions, we would sooner or later be able to go. At that time, even if our old friends aren¡¯t there anymore, to be able to take care of their descendants would also be pretty good.¡±


    Right from when He Huan explained their relationship, He Ku could already feel a faint premonition, only he had bottled it in and refused to think about it. Now that they had opened and addressed this issue was also good. Although, to completely accept this reality would take some time, perhaps in the dead of night, he wouldn¡¯t be able to help feeling sad. In the end, it was as He Huan had said, they could only continue to look forward.


    He Huan couldn¡¯t feel sad, he also didn¡¯t want the other man to worry for him, so he wore a set of excited eyes as he said, ¡°So, you¡¯re willing to teach me now?¡±


    He Huan didn¡¯t have the heart to point out his little intentions had been seen through, he just smiled gently at him. ¡°You said you liked me, that made me very happy.¡±


    Not expecting that even at a time like this, this fellow hadn¡¯t forgotten to tease him a little, He Ku immediately rolled his eyes and raised a middle finger to this bastard. ¡°Be serious! Practice! If you aren¡¯t able to teach me to become an unrivaled master, how would you be able to apologize to that entire floor littered with your moral principles!¡±

 CH 13

    Translator: THISBRO


    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: Happy Bubbles


    Each line of this technique just got harder and harder to decipher. Fortunately, he had He Huan acting as translator, who was also extremely familiar with this body, He Ku discovered that he only needed to manipulate the qi in his body the way He Huan said and it would be fine.


    Who knew how many wandering cultivators would envy such a heaven-blessed idiot if they saw this. Although He Ku wasn¡¯t that familiar with cultivation norms, just from his experience in reading web novels, never had he seen a protagonist have it as easy as he did. Immediately, he felt a wave of gratitude towards He Huan, his earnestness to cultivate growing.


    He Huan¡¯s body was already at the strength of Calamity Crossing, it was only because the two techniques were incompatible with each other that He Ku had to cultivate his own spiritual energy filled meridians. As for the lightning tribulation, because it was targeted at the physical body, it was exempted.


    Long ago, there was someone who suggested that the quickest way to reach the Calamity Crossing stage was to find a Calamity Crossing stage cultivator and steal their body to use. However, Calamity Crossing cultivators had an extremely strong divine consciousness; such that, even within the same realm, no one could be guaranteed to succeed. Those on the Jianghu ridiculed him for thinking of such a farfetched method at the time, but no one could have predicted that today, He Huan would verify that this was indeed a feasible course of action by splitting his divine consciousness in two.


    He Huan intimately knew that his heart demon would prevent him from ascending, so creating He Ku was him taking a risk from the start, but after taking that ill-informed step, there were actually some unexpected rewards.


    Looking at He Ku, who had just learned his flying skill, practically glowing as he jumped from roof to roof, even his Technique of Bliss, which had long lain dormant, stirred to life at his Yuan Ying¡¯s pleasure. It seems that in the end, a technique was just a technique, even He Ku¡¯s happiness could be correspondingly recognized as his own and from there, improve his cultivation.


    He had lived for a long time; towards worldly affairs, his interest had waned compared to the past. It was hard to reignite the same kind of passion and love. He Ku was different, though. He was still young, any little, random thing could grab his attention and make him happy. Moreover, he had tested it yesterday, as long as they were separated by a certain amount of distance, He Ku¡¯s mood wouldn¡¯t be able to affect him. So he didn¡¯t have to worry about his cultivation suddenly regressing because He Ku became distraught. This situation really couldn¡¯t be more suitable for cultivating.


    With an inner assessment, and seeing that He Ku still looked like he hadn¡¯t found out about this fact, He Huan couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Largely speaking, this was what any relationship in this word was reduced to, inextricably linked to one¡¯s own selfish interests. The seniors and peers he had surrounded himself with when he was young had probably only praised him and flattered him because of the potential benefits they thought he could provide. Back then, he didn¡¯t understand; instead, he really thought that everyone genuinely loved and respected him. This was probably the reason that, the moment he encountered a major crisis, he had fallen to a state where he was so utterly alone, he could only turn to demonic cultivation.


    He Ku was a soul fragment that he had separated from himself, his memories were handled very cleanly. Compared to the him of the past, He Ku was much easier to control. It was just that, as much as possible, he still hoped that his Yuan Ying could wholeheartedly be dependent on him, docile and obedient. Afterall, they were originally the same person; unless it was a last resort, he didn¡¯t want to use demonic techniques on him.


    He Ku naturally wasn¡¯t able to know He Huan¡¯s thoughts. He only noticed that ever since he started to cultivate, He Huan¡¯s words lessened by a lot, always sitting in his mirror while revealing a deep-in-thought expression.


    He Huan had said to He Ku that this was his way of cultivating. At the time, He Ku had thought, What do you mean, constantly staring at me as you cultivate? However, after thinking about it for a while, the reason probably stemmed from the amusement the bastard found in watching him practice his sword forms, so he refrained from saying anything.


    Afterall, even he didn¡¯t know why it was so easy for him to train his spiritual energy, but the moment he tried sword techniques, it became like those broadcast workout programs, one chant and one movement. It was abnormally difficult to string them together and looked extremely comical.


    Just remembering that sword technique which he hadn¡¯t even been able to learn a single form of, He Ku deflated. Immediately plopping down in front of the mirror, he complained dejectedly, ¡°Say, how wonderful would it be if it were also this easy when learning sword techniques?¡±


    With his sudden arrival, He Huan felt the spiritual energy in his body scatter. Knowing that this young man¡¯s temperament still hadn¡¯t settled, one moment sunny, the next moment raining, his face still wore a calm smile. ¡°Practicing for so many days in a row, you must be bored, right? Perhaps you¡¯ll be able to gain some kind of inspiration by taking a walk outside.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, I still haven¡¯t explored your Palace of Bliss despite having already been here for so long.¡±


    Not knowing that he only said this so he wouldn¡¯t be bothered, He Ku was very touched by this suggestion. The next moment, he flew out of the window, before turning his head back, only to see that He Huan was actually still in the mirror. He leaned on the window board and asked, ¡°You aren¡¯t coming?¡±


    He hadn¡¯t expected that He Ku had already grown accustomed to being constantly around him. Seeing him like this, He Huan¡¯s heart softened a bit. Temporarily sealing his internal calculating, he gently replied, ¡°I have a few matters that I need to meditate on.¡±


    Seeing He Ku didn¡¯t question him, leaving by himself, he lowered his head to look at the white robes he hadn¡¯t worn in several decades. The cloud patterns on the cuffs were the same as they had been back then. The fact was, when He Ku had wanted to wear these robes, he could have stopped him but he hadn¡¯t.


    As for how to proceed after this, it was better to wait until He Ku came back before deciding.


    My Yuan Ying, I hope you won¡¯t make a choice that would disappoint me.


    After finding He Huan¡¯s white robes again, He Ku had insisted that it was much easier to practice with his sword, so these few days, he hadn¡¯t taken it off even once. He also faintly sensed that his appreciation for this robe in particular wasn¡¯t as simple as being affected by this wuxia setting, but rather, as long as he wore it, he would feel especially at ease.


    However, towards the side-effect of making everyone who came across him flee until not a trace was left of their ¡®encounter¡¯, it was unavoidably too peaceful.


    Speechlessly watching yet another Palace of Bliss disciple dash out of his field of vision as if they¡¯d encountered the Devil, He Ku started to doubt whether he really was suited to wearing white clothes. It looked fine when he¡¯d seen it in the mirror though, upright and handsome. Compared to He Huan¡¯s pile of robes, this one seemed much more proper. Could it be that his sense of aesthetics was different from the norm?


    He walked around the garden helplessly, just as he was about to go back to change into a different set of clothes, Yun Ce¡¯s familiar voice sounded from the side. He Ku turned his head to look and found that he was actually obeying his orders, helplessly chewing seeds while watching the two righteous sect disciples sweep the floors. It was just¡­ looking at his expression, it really was incredibly bitter.


    After all, this was still the first person he¡¯d seen when he woke up, and with this blockhead¡¯s temperament, he didn¡¯t seem like the type to hold ulterior motives. He Ku¡¯s mood instantly improved the moment he saw him and he immediately made his way over.


    Sure enough, this idiot wasn¡¯t scared of him. In fact, seeing him approach, he continued to look miserable. ¡°Palace Master, you¡¯ve finally come out. When can I return to the ranks of being a male pet?¡±


    Having finally found someone who was willing to talk to him, He Ku became noticeably more cheerful. Swiping a hand full of seeds, he also started to chew on them. ¡°I see that you make a pretty good enforcer, continue your great efforts.¡±


    Through He Huan¡¯s explanation of the world, He Ku learned that this world was also originally one where cultivators were considered as noble as immortals. It was only until a few hundred years ago, when a real ascended immortal came back down to the world and scattered billions upon billions of cultivation texts, that it broke the monopoly on cultivation the large sects had over the world and the Jianghu entered into a time where everyone cultivated.


    Those years had really been a time where even just randomly plowing your field would result in digging up a precious cultivation manual. When everyone had the opportunity to become an immortal, who wouldn¡¯t want to extend their life span?


    And so now, in the Jianghu, even just a regular pig slaughterer could be a cultivator. It had gotten to the point where anyone below the Golden Core stage really wasn¡¯t precious at all. Of course, once you reached Golden Core, you still counted as an extremely rare expert.


    The levels of cultivation were divided into five stages: Body Enhancing, Foundation Building, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Calamity Crossing. The Body Enhancing and Foundation Building stages were both capable of being forcefully broken through by sheer effort or precious treasures. Only at Golden Core did it assess the cultivator¡¯s natural talent. That was why a cultivator could only be considered a genius once they reached Golden Core. Anyone above that was still as rare as before.


    Yun Ce was able to reach late-stage Golden Core at such a young age, the distance from breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage was only one step away. It could really be said that he was a boy genius, even if his head wasn¡¯t that smart.


    Thinking of this, He Ku also became curious as to how Yun Ce was able to cultivate a golden core and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Yun Ce, how were you able to reach Golden Core stage?¡±


    But unexpectedly, this idiot just blinked incomprehensibly as he honestly answered, ¡°All I did on the Snowy Mountains was eat and sleep; then once I reached 80, I automatically formed a core. So it turns out that you guys actually need to cultivate?¡±


    Never having thought that a person could reach Golden Core stage so easily, He Ku was instantly speechless before finally reacting to the main point. ¡°You¡¯re already 80?¡±


    It was true that He Huan had told him that he couldn¡¯t judge a cultivator¡¯s age by their appearance, even He Huan himself was a hundred years old and yet didn¡¯t look out of his twenties. Xiu Niang just seemed like a mature older sister, but in actuality, she was even older than He Huan by a few years. He Ku already had quite a bit of mental preparation towards these people¡¯s abilities to feign youthfulness, but Yun Ce! His IQ wasn¡¯t enough for him to be able to survive until 80, okay?!


    Seeing his undisguised surprise, Yun Ce was disdainful, as if looking at some hick from the countryside. ¡°Our line on the Snowy Mountains has always been fox immortals, what¡¯s strange with living several centuries?¡±


    Hearing this, He Ku was even more surprised. ¡°Although you¡¯re like this, you¡¯re actually a fox demon?¡±


    He¡¯d read a lot of stories regarding fox demons, weren¡¯t they supposed to be incredibly bewitching? If not, then at least extremely crafty. Just based on Yun Ce¡¯s personality, his IQ, and his appearance¡­ could this be the legendary gene mutation?


    ¡°Of course, just look at my tail.¡±


    Seeing the other doubting his identity, Yun Ce unhesitantly pulled his tail out and waved it a couple times in He Ku¡¯s face.


    With the physical proof in front of him, He Ku reluctantly believed the other man. This was the first time he had seen a demon; needless to say, he was curious, so he went over to pet the tail a few times. The feeling was actually quite good. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Is everyone on the Snowy Mountains like you?¡±


    With this reaction, Yun Ce couldn¡¯t help but wonder how the 18-year-old Palace Master was even more ignorant than the bear children guarding his family¡¯s doors. However, even if the Palace Master became stupid, he was still the Palace Master. If he didn¡¯t give him any face, how would he be able to become a male pet in the future?


    Thinking this way, he spat out a seed shell and replied, ¡°Of course, we Snowy Mountain foxes are all extremely beautiful, especially my Xiao Shishu. You know, that time when you went to us, our ancestor actually thought that you were there to steal him away; who knew the one you took would actually be me. Everyone said that on your way up the mountain, your brain was probably frozen stupid.¡±


    Ignoring the beauty and instead luring away this idiot, He Huan was clearly using these fox cultivators to stir up something. It was only Yun Ce, with this brain of his, who actually thought that he was here to be a male pet.


    Then, for him to have appointed Yun Ce as an enforcer, could he have accidentally messed up He Huan¡¯s plans? So for these few days, when He Huan had always stayed to the side, seemingly in deep thought¡­ was it because he was racking his brain trying to think of a way to clean up after him?


    Guiltily looking in the direction of where the QingYun Hall was located, He Ku sighed before hardening his determination. ¡°I have decided that from here on out, I need to study more.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point in studying? It¡¯s not like you can eat it.¡± A certain fox demon that had never studied before chewed his melon seeds as he judged him.


    He Ku looked at him in pity as he swore to himself, ¡°At the very least, don¡¯t let my IQ be on the same level as you.¡±

 CH 14

    Translator: THISBRO


    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: Happy Bubbles


    The mutated fox Yun Ce had probably sacrificed his intelligence in exchange for stellar cultivation talent. When he spoke, it was whatever was on his mind. To He Ku, it was like talking to his friends after class, extremely light and carefree.


    However, after thinking about it more closely, although he doesn¡¯t remember anything, he was still someone who possessed all the talents He Huan¡¯s body was blessed with. It didn¡¯t matter if his intelligence really did end up being on Yun Ce¡¯s level, but if even his cultivation was inferior to Yun Ce¡¯s, he really wouldn¡¯t be able to bear it.


    And thus, his desire to become stronger suddenly erupted. Even if his intelligence could only slowly correct itself, at the very least, he needed to improve his combat prowess. If worst came to worst, then He Huan could be in charge of all the elaborate schemes and intrigue, while he would be in charge of fighting and brawling.


    Just as they were busy happily chatting away, they suddenly noticed the two disciples they were supposed to be guarding were resting their brooms and angrily pointing towards the floor littered with seed shells. ¡°Are you done yet?! We just swept there!¡±


    It was only then that He Ku realized what he¡¯d done and silently mourned for his moral character. Yun Ce, on the other hand, directly dragged him over to the other side while holding a small stool and raised his eyebrows. ¡°You guys continue, we¡¯ll snack over here.¡±


    The Xuanmen disciple had endured the humiliation of doing something as brainless as sweeping the floor, and just when he was about to reach the end of the tunnel, who knew that this pair of demonic cultivators would actually come and purposely sabotage them! Never had he experienced such injustice, he immediately wanted to rush over and fight. Rather, it was the Heaven¡¯s Library Pavilion disciple that held him back and tried to placate him, ¡°In the enemy¡¯s territory, one must bow their heads. Brother Lin, just bear it for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll sweep.¡±


    Just thinking of the scene where he was surrounded by a bunch of ugly men, in the end, he was able to restrain his temper. Angrily, he raised his broom to a horizontal before using it like a sword and twirled on the spot, attacking the problem speedily. Although he didn¡¯t have any spiritual energy, by using a high-quality sword technique, he was able to collect all the litter into a single pile within the span of a few minutes. Though if one were to look at his fierce gaze, he was clearly substituting the two onlookers as the ground.


    So this was how these two moves were connected!


    Seeing his demonstration, He Ku¡¯s eyes brightened. How come this boy¡¯s sword technique was so similar to the one he was learning?


    After watching it once, he faintly felt some understanding, thus the next moment he said, ¡°Hey, you sweep quite nicely, do it again.¡±


    With He Huan¡¯s identity at the forefront, who would have thought that he was here to secretly learn basic sword techniques? The Xuanmen disciple only thought that he was purposely making things difficult for him and immediately shouted, ¡°You shameless bastard¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°If the Master says to sweep, then you sweep. If you can¡¯t clean this area, then I will send you to live in the latrine.¡± Yun Ce was already impatient with these two because of that enforcer business; seeing this backtalk, he naturally transformed into the model tyrant¡¯s cannon fodder lackey. He executed a palm technique towards the pile of shells and once again scattered them across the floor. This let He Ku stare at him for a while, silently thinking that this fellow really had the potential to be a delinquent.


    Though, to be honest, his only request towards the Palace of Bliss was to not commit any atrocities that offended the heavens. As for being idle enough to bully righteous sect disciples a bit¡­ wasn¡¯t that a demonic cultivator¡¯s daily mission?


    That Heaven¡¯s Library disciple was called Li Ze and was originally stationed here as a spy to gauge He Huan¡¯s Calamity Crossing situation. It was only under the numerous positions the Heaven¡¯s Library Pavilion held within the Palace that they were able to find its weakness. They borrowed the Li Clan¡¯s network and one by one started to plant spies within the Palace of Bliss by having them escorted inside by the passing rogues; from the janitors, these spies slowly started to spread. Finally, after several decades, they¡¯d planted someone into every department.


    This task was supposed to have been carried out by a more specialized disciple, but who could have expected that at the critical moment, this Xuanmen disciple would just happen to travel here. Moreover, once he caught wind that they were going to infiltrate into the Palace of Bliss, he actually even fucking followed them! This completely messed up their earlier arrangements.


    If he were only an ordinary Xuanmen disciple, then that would have been fine, but this Lin Xuan¡¯s background was also not something to laugh at. Not only was his family powerful, but he was also the disciple of the Xuanmen Righteous Sect¡¯s Da Shixiong, Yao JianKe. No one was able to dissuade him and so they could only change their plan at the last moment, sending the outer disciple Li Ze to accompany him as they infiltrated the Palace.


    Though to be fair, to be implicated to this degree, this Li Ze¡¯s luck truly was rotten. It was just, if he were to wait until those from the righteous side came to rescue them, he must first stabilize the ticking time bomb named Lin Xuan beside him. Seeing the other was about to become angry again, he hurried to calm him, ¡°Brother Lin, we are currently in the enemy camp, let¡¯s be a little more lowkey, okay?¡±


    ¡°So what if I don¡¯t do it? Don¡¯t tell me that demon dares to touch me?¡±


    Although his reply was one of anger, Lin Xuan¡¯s expression was still unsure. Seeing him like this, Li Ze just sighed, ¡°Do you really believe that he doesn¡¯t dare to?¡±


    Usually, any demonic cultivator with even the slightest bit of sense wouldn¡¯t dare to endanger themselves after hearing who he was. Any demonic cultivator, that is, except for He Huan, who knows how furious he¡¯d be after hearing ¡®Xuanmen Righteous Sect¡¯.


    This was the only reason as to why he kept his identity a secret for so long, if that demon were to find out who his shifu was, he couldn¡¯t imagine the torment he¡¯d face.


    It was just¡­ that day when he saw He Huan decisively deal with that villain, he had thought that this person, although he¡¯d fallen onto the demonic path, his allegiance was still ambiguous. At the very least, he could still properly give respect to his previous identity. It was only after seeing his following actions did that idea dissolve into wisps of smoke. Sure enough, He Huan, this person, was exactly how the others described him¡ªa shameless villain!


    The more he thought, the more he became angry. Scolding as he swept the floor, ¡°Despicable, you failure! Scum! The shame of Xuanmen!¡±


    Li Ze had also heard a bit about the grudge between Xuanmen and He Huan. However, unlike Lin Xuan, the gears in his head began to turn after remembering what Qian Ren had said at the Main Hall. He looked back at He Ku, who was still happily chewing seeds after Lin Xuan cursed him and leaned over to whisper, ¡°Brother Lin, say, do you think He Huan really had a qi-deviation which regressed his age to eighteen?¡±


    This time, Lin Xuan wasn¡¯t able to understand the meaning Li Ze was hinting at; instead, he continued to steep in his indignance. ¡°How would I know? Either way, it doesn¡¯t matter what he turns into, he¡¯s still scum!¡±


    Knowing that he still didn¡¯t understand, Li Ze immediately reminded him, ¡°I agree with you that He Huan is a scum, but Brother Lin, you can¡¯t forget that when he was 18 years old, he hadn¡¯t become He Huan yet.¡±


    The moment Lin Xuan heard him say this, he finally remembered his shifu¡¯s regretful expression whenever He Huan was brought up in discussion. He hesitated before asking, ¡°So you¡¯re saying that he has yet to betray his sect?¡±


    He finally understood.


    It was only then that Li Ze was able to let out a sigh of relief. This was because, while Lin Xuan had someone who was willing to save him, as a nobody outer disciple, he had to save himself. The Heaven¡¯s Library Pavilion wouldn¡¯t risk sending someone in just to extract him, so his first course of action had to be finding the right opportunity to escape. Thinking of this, he deliberately softened his tone, ¡°I understand the hate Brother Lin has towards traitors, but for the sake of being able to leave this place, perhaps¡­ you could tolerate having a bit of patience.¡±


    Hearing his words, Lin Xuan¡¯s heart was also in tangles. Sure, He Huan was despicable and shameless, but them Xuanmen disciples were all extremely righteous gentlemen. If this was indeed the 18-year-old He Huan¡­


    Although this person was still hateful even after the qi-deviation, he was nowhere near as frightening now as when he dragged them out. Lin Xuan was only worried about the possibility of the Demon Lord suddenly recovering. Would that day¡¯s situation once again perform itself? He, the revered disciple to the current Xuanmen Da Shixiong, would he end up..?


    He looked at the person dressed in a well-fitted white robe, seemingly upright as could be, and couldn¡¯t help but see that he indeed had a similar bearing to those shixiongs in his sect. So even though he had to swallow his pride, he still forced himself to raise his head and look towards He Ku, loudly asking, ¡°Bu QingYun, are you certain you want to mix with these evil-doers?¡±


    It was only a pity that even after all their calculations, they still miscalculated. After all, He Huan didn¡¯t leave any memories of his Xuanmen Righteous Sect days to He Ku. So after randomly hearing this remark, He Ku was at a loss. Looking left then right, in the end he settled on elbowing the only person who had a ¡®Yun¡¯ character in their name, Yun Ce. ¡°They¡¯re calling you.¡±


    ¡°No, that is Palace Master¡¯s previous name. However, our second enforcer warned us that if we dared to call you by that name, we should prepare to be live butchered by you.¡±


    Yun Ce was someone who didn¡¯t understand what taboos were, so even after the three enforcers¡¯ repeated warnings and orders to the disciples not to bring it up, he still opened his big mouth and said it anyways. To finish it off, he even sincerely added a line, ¡°Do you want me to go fetch you a butcher¡¯s knife?¡±


    Never could he have imagined that He Huan had such a past. He Ku blanked but didn¡¯t actually get Yun Ce to bring him a knife, only lamenting, ¡°Does he really need to go so far? This name sounds much better than He Huan, just hearing it sounds particularly righteous.¡±


    Hearing him say it like this, Yun Ce instantly replied, ¡°After all, you were the Xuanmen Da Shixiong, how can it not be righteous? I heard that since you went travelling at 16, the number of demonic cultivators you cut down were more than the ones I¡¯ve seen. In fact, just yesterday, the third enforcer warned all the disciples to stay as far away from you as possible. All in fear that you would accidentally start killing your own people.¡±


    ¡°Hah? Xuanmen Da Shixiong? Me?¡±


    Pointing at himself, this time He Ku was truly surprised. He Huan didn¡¯t mention too much about the Xuanmen Righteous Sect to him. Other than mentioning that they were a bunch of cultivation junkies and their Sect Head was someone he still couldn¡¯t beat, he didn¡¯t say anything. All of it was incredibly boring and so it didn¡¯t matter if he knew or not. But seeing apparently, He Huan¡¯s blas¨¦ attitude was clearly because he didn¡¯t want to think about it and so had intentionally omitted the information.


    The voices they used to discuss this weren¡¯t quiet. Li Ze heard them and instantly knew they were screwed. This He Huan had actually lost all of his memories after that qi-deviation, so it was likely that they won¡¯t be able to count on him anymore. Moreover, Lin Xuan was becoming visibly increasingly angry, so he went up to block him, ¡°Brother Lin, let it be, let it be.¡±


    And yet, this time, he wasn¡¯t able to hold him back. Lin Xuan was already humiliated from having to ask a traitor for help, but seeing now that this bastard didn¡¯t even recognize his identity as a former Xuanmen disciple, finally crossed the line. ¡°Shut your mouth! You heartless traitor, you don¡¯t even recognize your sect, what face do you have to proclaim yourself as Xuanmen¡¯s Da Shixiong?! You even dare to wear our sect uniform, you simply have no shame!¡±


    These were actually Xuanmen Righteous Sect¡¯s clothes? Then the sword technique that he was learning being similar to this youth¡¯s, perhaps it wasn¡¯t a coincidence? For He Huan to still keep his old techniques and clothes from so long ago, what was his motive?


    He Ku remembered He Huan¡¯s expression when teaching him this technique and suddenly felt a little regretful. From everyone in the Palace of Bliss¡¯ reactions, this ¡®Xuanmen Righteous Sect¡¯ was clearly a thorn in He Huan¡¯s heart. Normally, he wouldn¡¯t even allow people to bring it up, meanwhile, he actually wore these clothes constantly flashing in front of him. He even asked him to teach him Xuanmen¡¯s cultivation techniques! It was no wonder He Huan¡¯s mood these past few days was so strange.


    Honestly, this He Huan, why didn¡¯t he tell him anything? He doesn¡¯t remember anything, so if no one had told him, then how would he have been able to know which matters could not be mentioned?


    Although he knew that someone famous from a large cultivation sect couldn¡¯t be easily swayed, based on He Huan¡¯s nature of being handsy towards pretty disciples, it seemed fairly possible. But once he thought back to their day-to-day interaction, He Ku subconsciously believed that, in this situation, He Huan was wrongfully accused. He asked doubtfully, ¡°Having a slight lapse in properness is enough to be kicked out of a sect? Since when were righteous sect¡¯s moral standards so high?¡±


    ¡°This, I wouldn¡¯t know. At that time, I had just been born.¡±


    Yun Ce shook his head to show he wasn¡¯t able to answer, his expression was also slightly odd. ¡°I heard my Xiao Shishu say that at the time, it had already been determined that Palace Master would be the next Sect Head. So even if you did break some rules, there was no need to be so cruel as to destroy your cultivation and expel you from your sect, right?¡±


    ¡°Bu QingYun¡­ Bu QingYun¡­ Bu QingYun?¡±


    Hearing this, He Ku became more and more suspicious. He seemed to have faintly recalled something. He muttered this extremely familiar name before he was no longer able to sit still and stood up, heading towards the exit.


    ¡°I need to return to QingYun Hall!¡±

 CH 15

    Translator: THISBRO


    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: Happy Bubbles


    When He Ku returned to QingYun Hall, He Huan was sitting in front of the window and idly brewing some tea as if he¡¯d predicted something like this would happen. The sunlight that entered through the carved windows scattered across He Huan¡¯s intangible form, making him seem even fainter, like he was about to disappear.


    Of course, this was just an illusion. He was already one of the world¡¯s three strongest people. It had always been him who decided whether others disappeared or not.


    Ignoring He Ku¡¯s worried expression, He Huan held his tea cup and slowly opened his mouth, ¡°So you know it all? Who told you?¡±


    ¡°It was Yun Ce. But how did you¡ª¡± Subconsciously replying, it was only then that He Ku realized He Huan didn¡¯t even look the slightest bit surprised, and couldn¡¯t help but be doubtful.


    ¡°With what you¡¯re wearing, it would be strange if someone hadn¡¯t said anything. True, had it been You Jiang who broke the news to you, you would have been crying as you ran back.¡±


    From as soon as He Ku left, He Huan had already expected that someone in the Palace would mention his past.


    However, he had thought that You Jiang would make the first to move, since he was the most frightened that he would return to the righteous side. He hadn¡¯t thought that He Ku would find Yun Ce first. In an unexpected turn of events, it just so happened that the Xuanmen disciple was where Yun Ce was.


    To reach the Golden Core stage at such a young age, it could be assumed that he was that person¡¯s disciple. It seems that even without him, Xuanmen still continued to live well.


    Seeing He Huan return to staring at his cup  after saying that one line, He Ku hurriedly sat in front of him and sincerely asked, ¡°Were you really called Bu QingYun? Xuanmen¡¯s Da Shixiong?¡±


    In reality, he already made preparations to face a burst of anger, but instead, when this person heard his questions, all he did was calmly look at him and slowly start to talk about the Xuanmen Righteous Sect.


    Previously, He Huan had told him that the reason why there were so many cultivators in the world was because there was once an immortal who had scattered cultivation manuals to every corner of the world, giving everyone the chance to set foot on the path of cultivation.


    But what he didn¡¯t mention was that because that immortal leaked out the secrets of heaven, the next day he was struck down by lightning. Nobody knew why he was willing to sacrifice an immortal¡¯s long lifespan to do such a thing, they only knew that the place this immortal spent his last day was exactly the LuoXian Lake1 where Xuanmen currently stood.


    Staring deeply at the tea leaves as they rose and fell in the boiling water, He Huan easily revealed the secret that no one knew, ¡°In reality, everything he did was for one sentence¡ª ¡®All life is equal on the path to immortality¡¯. A sentence that everyone else thought was empty and meaningless, became a young cultivator¡¯s truth. When he obtained immortality, he was finally able to fulfill his heart¡¯s truth.¡±


    Finishing, he didn¡¯t even stop to look at He Ku¡¯s expression, only continuing to calmly recite Xuanmen Righteous Sect¡¯s history.


    Just before the immortal fell, he enlightened a lake fisherman. This fisherman harnessed the sword intent left by the immortal and stepped onto the path of cultivation. Through this immortal¡¯s action, everyone could obtain a cultivation method, and inevitably, this gave birth to tyrannical, perverted, and pillaging mindsets. There were mountain bandits and wanted criminals who used their new found cultivation to commit atrocious acts. Things got so out of hand that even numerous major sects stole and monopolized the manuals from the normal people in order to raise their position in the world.


    Right in this time of chaos and anarchy, a lone fisherman emerged from LuoXian Lake with his fishing rod. He defeated all the major sects by himself and gathered together numerous genius cultivators to establish an alliance founded on the Heavenly Dao to supervise the Jianghu. It was only then that the world finally regained order.


    After that, this person started his own sect and became the first Xuanmen-zhangmen. It was also because people used to say ¡°All cultivation stems from Taoism,¡± that people unanimously called it the Xuanmen Righteous Sect 2.


    From then on, Xuanmen received the admiration and respect of the people. Yet, because the fisherman¡¯s crusade had planted too many heart demons, when it came for him to face tribulation, he was dispersed between the heavens and the earth. Leaving only his fishing rod suspended at the LuoXian lakeside, keeping watch over the world he had spent his life making.


    The second Xuanmen-zhangmen was a woman whose talent could not be rivaled. Every day and night she would guard the LuoXian mountain slope to cultivate before finally achieving ascension. Just when the people of the world thought that her nature as a woman would make her more pliant, or that she wouldn¡¯t be like her two predecessors and change the world, she returned. Not only that, but she also brought with her the Heavenly Contract she had signed with the mythological beasts in the immortal realm.


    From then on, each dynasty would obtain the heaven¡¯s blessing. As long as the Emperor was diligent in his court affairs and led the country in peace and prosperity, then once they abdicated they would have their deeds weighed and be conferred an immortal position.


    What¡¯s more, she gave the dynasties the power of these mythological beasts with the condition that they protect their people. Since then, generations of Emperors governed with all their hearts, and for a while, cultivators never dared to oppress the people based on their higher cultivation.


    She was the one who had truly made the mortal realm balanced, but because she violated heaven¡¯s laws by daring to return to the mundane world unauthorized, her cultivation was scattered and her beauty stripped away. With a head of white hair, she spent her last days like any regular old woman by the LuoXian Lake.


    The third Xuanmen-zhangmen was Qing XuZi. His character was upright and under his lead, the Heavenly Dao Alliance, and the collective power of the Jianghu, he intimidated the demonic side into silence. His two disciples were also unparalleled talents; his first one, Bu QingYun, left his sect at sixteen to bring justice to the people, and by eighteen, he was beloved by the Jianghu and respected. Everyone thought that he would be the only Xuanmen-zhangmen to have a happy ending, but that was until Bu QingYun was disowned by Xuanmen Righteous Sect.


    Everyone knew that the Xuanmen Da Shixiong was destined to be the future Xuanmen-zhangmen. As the sect¡¯s representative, once what Bu QingYun did got out, the Jianghu instantly surged.


    Once He Huan spoke of Bu QingYun, he could no longer maintain his calm demeanor. He raised his head and looked at the white-clothed youth in front of him.


    Xuanmen was the immortal¡¯s legacy, so all their disciples loved their white clothes. Oftentimes, they embroidered cloud patterns over them and wore cloud-themed accessories in hopes that, in the future when they ascend, they would be able to experience the pleasure of freely exploring the heavens. Every Xuanmen disciple was proud to be able to wear this uniform and, naturally, Bu QingYun was the same.


    It was just¡­ He Huan had long stopped wearing white clothes. The colour was simply too easily dirtied.


    ¡°Every generation, the Xuanmen-zhangmen is a saint, but saints don¡¯t live long. That is why the Bu QingYun who was so determined to be a saint was the same, he wouldn¡¯t have a good ending.¡±


    Clearly he was talking about his own past, but his expression was as unreadable as ever. The only tell was that when he spoke to the end, a haze gradually entered into his gaze.


    ¡°Xuanmen Righteous Sect has sat on its position as the first under the heavens for too long. It was inevitable that there would be some people who became dissatisfied. Precisely at this time, Bu QingYun let them grab onto his weakness. They came from all corners of the world to request for my punishment. How could it only be in the name of upholding justice? It was all because Bu QingYun was Qing XuZi¡¯s disciple, so they used this as the pretext for flaring up.¡±


    ¡°If Shizun had protected me, he would have been charged with encouraging evil tendencies and would no longer be deserving of his saint¡¯s reputation. If he had punished me, it would be the equivalent of Xuanmen admitting that their successor was a lascivious fiend, shaming Xuanmen¡¯s centuries of reputation. No matter what they picked, Xuanmen would inevitably be pulled down from their pedestal; it truly was a good trap.¡±


    In one morning, he had gone from a talented and beloved entity to Jianghu scum; it couldn¡¯t have been a good memory. He Huan¡¯s face gradually darkened, but his eyes slowly reflected a hint of cruelty. ¡°They all didn¡¯t expect that I would not return to Xuanmen Righteous Sect. I wasted my own cultivation and, through pleasure and happiness, I cultivated the Technique of Bliss. Using only three months, I made it all the way to the Nascent Soul Stage and then I killed every last one of those people calling for my death.¡±


    Just a single line was enough to summarize the spine-numbing bloodshed that took place in the Main Hall. He took a look at He Ku, who was completely stunned by their past, and the annoyance in his heart was somewhat abated. He smiled. ¡°Therefore, the physical body is a great thing. It doesn¡¯t matter how you are feeling inside, if the right place is poked, then it will be happy.¡±


    He Ku wasn¡¯t able to understand his current expression. He Huan was the type of person who was able to smile at any given moment, but it was a smile that never revealed anything it didn¡¯t want to. So he could only reach his hand forward and watch as it passed through the other¡¯s spirit body. As if having really touched something, He Ku desolately asked, ¡°Do you hate him?¡±


    ¡°I made a mistake. For that, Shizun would have had to waste my cultivation. I have never hated him.¡±


    He calmly responded with an answer that surprised He Ku. As if having known earlier that no one would believe his words, He Huan laughed self-deprecatingly. His gaze gradually drifted off to the boundless skies.


    ¡°What I cannot let go of was, when I still had the chance to turn back, I didn¡¯t because of Xuanmen Righteous Sect¡¯s centuries of good name. My bright future, life goal, path towards ascension, Bu QingYun wanted none of it. He gave everything he had to Xuanmen Righteous Sect. Carrying all the hate and infamy alone. However, it¡¯s already been 80 years, yet Xuanmen hasn¡¯t sent a single letter of comfort to him.¡±


    He abandoned his sword for the demonic path and committed countless evils, pulling all of the Jianghu¡¯s attention to himself. No one would be stupid enough to offend the most powerful Xuanmen whilst the demonic side was becoming stronger. And so, all those people directed their fangs and claws to the leader of the demonic side, the Palace of Bliss.


    The world¡¯s people only took it as He Huan¡¯s schemes running extremely deep. He deceived Xuanmen and almost became the leader of the Righteous Side. Fortunately, Xuanmen was able to notice his true colours and expelled him from the sect, saving the Jianghu from another disaster. Xuanmen was still the legacy left behind by saints, Bu QingYun, on the other hand, became the Jianghu¡¯s public enemy number one, He Huan.


    Even when Bu QingYun wasn¡¯t able to protect himself, he had used all of his efforts to preserve Xuanmen¡¯s good name, yet to this day, not a single person from Xuanmen had been able to realise his earnestness. This was the heart demon that he could not resolve.


    Finally telling someone about this heart demon, He Huan found himself oddly peaceful. Perhaps¡­ it really had been too long, that longing towards his former sect had probably faded away until there was barely any left.


    He remembered that, at the beginning of his demonic journey, he would need to borrow Xiu Niang¡¯s medicine every night to be able to sleep successfully. As long as he remained conscious, he would inevitably think back to his past.


    Since he was a child, when the cultivators beside him practiced in order to dominate a specific field or receive heaven¡¯s enlightenment, these types of goals, he had spent all his time practicing swordsmanship, but what he had been thinking about was how to make the world better.


    For his sect and the world, he abandoned any kind of personal enjoyment. However, living a selfless life at 20 as if pursuing the Heavenly Dao was his only focus, in the end, not a single person in his sect believed that he was anything but a villain.


    Slowly releasing a breath that he had been holding for a long time, he raised his eyebrows and the depressing air surrounding them dissipated. His face once again carried the lawless haughtiness befitting the strongest demonic cultivator. ¡°After Bu YaoLian was made the next Xuanmen Da Shixiong, I ordered that from henceforth, Bu QingYun was no more and all that was left was the Palace of Bliss¡¯ He Huan. He Huan wants to enjoy all the world has to offer, he does whatever he wants to do, and never will he be bound by rules again. He Huan¡¯s life was infinitely better than Bu QingYun¡¯s.¡±


    He Ku knew that he did it, but looking at himself, He Huan had once said that he had two heart demons from his youth. So far, he only knew the first one. Although it sounded light and distant, under closer reflection it was actually extremely painful.


    He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°But, at the bottom of your heart, you still think of Bu QingYun, don¡¯t you? If that wasn¡¯t the case, then I wouldn¡¯t be here.¡±


    ¡°He Ku, once a person gets to a certain age, they start to reminisce about their younger days. This is simply human nature. However, reminiscence doesn¡¯t equate to wanting to return to them. I believe, in the end, you will eventually make your way to my side.¡±


    Eyes softening as he looked at him, He Huan¡¯s eyes would forever contain a trace of unfathomableness. It was the same now, like he had already completely seen through his future. He sighed.


    ¡°When I had just entered into demonic cultivation, I so hoped that there would be that one person who would tell me what to do when I was helpless and at a loss. Someone who would tell me that everything I did was worth it when my heart broke from all the Jianghu hearsay. Someone who would be able to distance me from all the conflict and let me have a good night¡¯s rest. But in the end, there wasn¡¯t that someone.


    But you are different, you have me. All the regrets I had from back then, I will make up for them on you. Since fate didn¡¯t give me such a person, then I will be that person. Through this, my heart demon should resolve itself.¡±


    He Ku thought that, sure enough, they really were from the same body; otherwise, why would his heart feel so stifled, like he was unable to breathe, when He Huan said these words?


    He rubbed at his eyes before raising his head and mumbled, ¡°Then why can¡¯t it be me who becomes that person?¡±


    ¡°If you want to try, it wouldn¡¯t be me who would refuse.¡±


    He didn¡¯t mock him for being overconfident. He Huan knew that Bu QingYun had long become used to being the one who protected everyone. Even without his memories and his outstanding cultivation, this instinct was engraved into his marrows and couldn¡¯t be changed. He Huan was like this and He Ku was the same.


    This was why he trusted He Ku; after all, no one knew Bu QingYun better than he did.


    Nowadays, there was no one in the world who would ever believe Bu QingYun, that is why Bu QingYun had to believe in himself.


    Smiling, he poured out the tea in his cup. Calmly, he said, ¡°This cup of tea was originally meant to wipe your memories of today, but seeing you now, I don¡¯t think it is necessary.¡±


    He could have given the cup of tea to He Ku at any time during the conversation, He Ku definitely wouldn¡¯t suspect him and would forget everything just as he desired. But in the end, he never gave him that tea. He also wanted to see what his past self would do if he already knew the outcome.


    Hearing this, He Ku was also conflicted. Thinking of the missing vague memories in his head, he subconsciously asked, ¡°Did you intentionally only let me remember our past life¡¯s memories?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better to not remember the sad things.¡±


    He Huan didn¡¯t keep it from him and admitted to it calmly. He Ku also didn¡¯t mind; he only straightened his posture, raising his head and facing his future self with confidence. He may only be a separated fragment of He Huan¡¯s soul made to comfort him ¨C in fact he might not even count as an independent person ¨C but he also had his own ideas for what he wanted to do.


    Take now, for example, he looked at He Huan and with incomparable determination, said, ¡°At the age of 18, Bu QingYun¡¯s name shook the Jianghu, right? I am the 18-year-old He Huan, so I will definitely be able to achieve that as well.¡±


    Not expecting him to say this kind of thing, He Huan stared at this extremely familiar body and could only sigh. ¡°That would be something extremely difficult.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid!¡±


    The young man answered very confidently. He Huan looked at him carefully, he suddenly had the impression that he had returned to when he was 16 and visited LuoXian Lake for the very first time.


    Legend on the Jianghu has it that the Xuanmen Righteous Sect had a Soul Inquiring Mirror and standing in front of it for the first time will reveal the cultivator¡¯s life purpose.


    500 years ago, what a fisherman saw there was for the world to regain order.


    400 years ago, what a female Xuanmen disciple saw was peace and prosperity for the people.


    300 years ago, what a bawling young Qing XuZi hugging a dog saw as he was passing by was fairness to all living beings.


    He Huan still remembered, when Qing XuZi brought him in front of the mirror the first time he was 16 and asked him for what he saw.


    He said, ¡°I see the world at peace.¡±


    At that time his Shizun sighed, ¡°QingYun, your future is limitless, but at the same time it is filled with suffering.


    How had he replied?


    Oh right, he used a similar expression as he raised his head confidently. ¡°Shizun, I¡¯m not afraid.¡±


    End of Chapter 15


    lit. Fallen Immortal Lake

 CH 16

    Translator: THISBRO


    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: Bubbles


    Perhaps it was because he was stimulated by He Huan¡¯s past, but this time He Ku really did work hard. As long as he was awake, he would be practicing. He Huan had worried in the beginning that his young nature would develop some sort of issues from being so serious, so from time to time, he would tease him with a few jokes. But seeing him remain whole-heartedly dedicated to practicing his sword forms, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh. It seems that this bone-deep dedication really did stem from his soul.


    He Ku was suddenly enlightened after seeing a Xuanmen disciple perform the technique firsthand. Apparently, he didn¡¯t need to rigidly perform one stance after the other, like in the manual. Instead, he could use his own movements to flow from each move to the next. He Huan¡¯s body was already extremely familiar with the Heaven¡¯s Transcension Sword Technique; with this understanding, He Ku improved at an astounding rate.


    In this way, he secluded himself for more than half a month, after which He Ku was unexpectedly successful and reached the Foundation Building Stage. He Huan finally called for him to stop when he had clearly cultivated until his spiritual energy was full, but he just couldn¡¯t step through the gate that was the Golden Core Stage.


    Although his body was a special case, having already experienced the most dangerous lightning tribulation, entering into the Golden Core Stage required the cultivator¡¯s heart and technique to unitedly build a single Dao. He Huan was powerless to help him with this, because the Dao Bu QingYun built back then was unsuitable for the current He Ku. In the end, it depended on He Ku himself to obtain his own Dao heart.


    Seeing that He Ku had at least some self-preservation abilities, He Huan could finally put down his worries and return to his dantian for seclusion. Because he forcefully left in the middle of healing, he had been dealt a small amount of damage to his spiritual consciousness. Moreover, in order to accompany He Ku these past few days, he also hadn¡¯t had any time to heal. A rough estimate landed him at 3 days of seclusion. After walking He Ku through dealing with the palace affairs, he returned to the body.


    Knowing that the damage from the tribulation was not a laughing matter, and that He Huan was already at his limit for holding it off for this long, He Ku didn¡¯t stop him. Although he didn¡¯t have any experience being a Demonic Palace¡¯s Master, in the end, he still left QingYun Hall.


    And so, the disciples of the Palace of Bliss were finally able to see their secluded Palace Master, even though the one that came out was still the qi-deviated one.


    The order on the demonic side had always been quite loose, so when He Huan was there he didn¡¯t do much either. It was just that He Huan¡¯s current condition was special. Seeing his exit, the three Enforcers immediately dashed up to the roof to secretly observe for a bit before Xiu Niang worriedly asked, ¡°Which Palace Master is the one that came out?¡±


    After his talk with He Huan, He Ku didn¡¯t continue to wear the Xuanmen uniform to stimulate him anymore. He only ordered some disciples to tailor a few new clothes that made movement easier, though the colours were still mainly either dyed white or blue according to a young person¡¯s aesthetic tastes.


    Currently, he was wearing a loose white patterned robe and his hair was styled in He Huan¡¯s usual half-updo with a hair stick poking out. Perhaps it was because he had made up his mind, but his footsteps had become more confident. For a moment, they couldn¡¯t determine who it was based on his outer appearance.


    After appraising him for a bit, You Jiang hesitantly guessed, ¡°I think it¡¯s the real Palace Master.¡±


    ¡°Just ask.¡± Seeing the two still hesitating, Qian Ren was unexpectedly decisive. Leaping off the roof, he was the first to arrive in front of He Ku.


    The Palace of Bliss¡¯ environment was arranged extremely well. He Ku was currently glaring at a hanging flower basket in the hallway when a man dressed in all black suddenly appeared beside him, making him jump.


    His hand had already reflexively grabbed his sword hilt before he carefully looked at the other person. Although this man could not be considered handsome, there was a threatening hint of danger lurking within his eyes. He had a brace of daggers strapped to his waist and legs, his hair cleanly tied into a ponytail. Wasn¡¯t this the head enforcer that he¡¯d had the luck of meeting once in the Main Hall?


    Right behind him, a handsome young man soundlessly stepped to the ground like a swallow in the woods. Surprisingly, it was Second Enforcer You Jiang.


    Previously, He Ku didn¡¯t dare to look at him carefully because of the bloodlust he was emitting, but now that he had a chance, this You Jiang didn¡¯t look half bad. He was just a bit below He Huan in terms of attractiveness.


    You Jiang¡¯s strength and technique were the best within the palace aside from He Huan¡¯s. After he landed, a woman in pink followed with butterfly-like grace. She had a pair of beautiful almond eyes, red-violet lips, and skin whiter than snow, but her clothes were extremely revealing. With one look, you could tell that she wasn¡¯t some noble lady. Especially with her waving around a red scarf and swaying her hips practically every step. The first impression anyone would have when seeing her was that she was a brothel owner.


    The moment he saw her join the other two, He Ku knew that she must be the rumoured Xiu Niang who was slightly older than even He Huan.


    Regarding the three Enforcers, He Ku knew that Xiu Niang was the palace¡¯s old resident. After He Huan killed the previous Palace Master, she followed him. And although she was old, she didn¡¯t really care for cultivating to increase her lifespan, so she stayed at late-stage Golden Core.


    You Jiang was currently the most talented of the younger generation. He was only twenty-five when he successfully reached mid-stage Nascent Soul. It could be said that he was a heaven-blessed genius; everyone believed that with another 100, he would be the next He Huan.


    As for Qian Ren, although his talent was ordinary, under He Huan¡¯s tutelage he was also able to successfully enter the Nascent Soul stage. Moreover, with his arsenal of poisonous techniques and his ability to kill people without them even seeing he was there, even the people who had a higher level of cultivation than him didn¡¯t dare to offend him.


    Xiu Niang¡¯s job was mainly to manage the business of brothels in various regions and to scout for information, while the internal affairs were left to You Jiang and Qian Ren to deal with. As for He Huan himself, he really didn¡¯t do anything other than eat and play.


    He Huan didn¡¯t say much about them, only telling He Ku that it would be sufficient to just interact with them however he desired.


    He Ku thought to himself that since He Huan gave them so much authority within the palace, then they should be trustworthy. Seeing that they all arrived, He Ku put on a smile and nodded to them, counting that as enough of a greeting.


    However, he soon understood He Huan¡¯s intention. He watched as You Jiang took one look at his face and exploded into joy, ¡°This expression of mystery and this evil smile that causes people to tremble in fear the moment they see it. Sure enough, it is the real Palace Master.¡±


    This¡­ although he didn¡¯t mind being taken for He Huan, what were these adjectives about? Is this how you regularly view your Palace Master?


    Speechlessly staring at him, just as He Ku wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, Qian Ren firmly cut in, ¡°No, he¡¯s the fake one.¡±


    Upon hearing this, You Jiang was puzzled. ¡°How can you tell?¡±


    ¡°I just looked at his cultivation.¡± Silently sweeping his gaze over him, Qian Ren was very calm. Though to be fair, he hadn¡¯t expected that the Palace Master would allow his Yuan Ying to cultivate a righteous technique, having opposing energies dwell in the same body. Was his undignified shifu not scared of death by explosion?


    Seeing this situation, He Ku also understood that there was no need to pretend in front of these three. But since everyone was still more or less strangers, he could only put on a smile and greet, ¡°Um¡­ Hey guys.¡±


    As he said this, he saw that Xiu Niang still seemed a little frightened and quickly added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not Bu QingYun. He Huan hadn¡¯t left me any Xuanmen memories.¡±


    The three enforcers suddenly realised the degree of trust He Huan placed in his 18-year-old self, seeing that he had expressionlessly spoken those taboo words. After exchanging glances at each other, in the end it was Qian Ren who spoke first. ¡°From afar, I saw that Palace Master was troubled by something. Was there anything that dissatisfied you?¡±


    Ever since He Ku reached late-stage Foundation Building, he wasn¡¯t able to progress any further, and all He Huan said was that he had to use his heart to find his Dao. As for any specifics on how to find it, all he said was to rely on his feelings. How was he supposed to understand something as unreliable as feelings? And so, he had pondered this issue the entire way without making any progress.


    Knowing that they had seen his expression of frustration regarding cultivation, He Ku thought since they were all experienced experts, perhaps they would be able to give him some advice. So he immediately asked, ¡°How did you guys enter Golden Core stage?¡±


    They didn¡¯t expect him to ask such a question and all three hesitated. One¡¯s Dao heart concerned the cultivator¡¯s life. If it were to ever waver, the consequences were between death and grievous injuries. This was why demonic cultivators don¡¯t typically discuss things about the Dao, but now that their Palace Master had asked, should they say this or not?


    If they said it, they were afraid Bu QingYun would disapprove of their Dao, since he came from righteous origins. But if they didn¡¯t, even if the Palace Master¡¯s age changed, he was still the Palace Master, what would they do if He Huan returned and wasn¡¯t happy with them?


    Seeing that her colleagues were stuck, it was Xiu Niang who went up first to explain, ¡°Palace Master, a Dao heart is something that will affect your entire life, a mission and belief you will use your life to fulfill. How could it be easy to decide on something like that? If you were in a normal sect, the elders would wait until the disciples were mature enough to even let them begin to attempt forming a Golden Core. It¡¯s just that the demonic side is too unpredictable, so many of us don¡¯t have the time to slowly ponder the future when the future isn¡¯t even secure.¡±


    He Ku didn¡¯t really mind that she just skimmed over the topic, only continuing to fret, ¡°But I don¡¯t even have a proper direction.¡±


    After he said this, Qian Ren remembered what He Huan had once told him. In his past, he was only able to realize his Dao heart after he went out and joined a killing organization. It seems that the environment was also pretty important, so he added, ¡°Perhaps Palace Master can try to slowly explore your technique. Doing so in a more suitable environment should make it at least a little easier.¡±


    This made some sense to He Ku, but the problem was that no matter how he thought about it, the type of environment a righteous technique was suited to should be a prestigious sect like Xuanmen. There were absolutely no similarities between that and where he currently was.


    Wait a second. Hadn¡¯t He Huan also said that his heart still had some longing for the scenery of his past? Then why not do something that would completely flip the Palace of Bliss upside down, flip it into something both he and He Huan liked? Yes, the first step would be to change this unorthodox sounding name!


    His heart moved. Raising his head, He Ku faced the three enforcers and asked, ¡°What do you say to changing our sect name from the Palace of Bliss?¡±


    The moment he said this, You Jiang also became excited. It was just that their excitement went completely in the opposite direction. ¡°Palace Master, I¡¯ve had this idea for a long time. The name ¡®Palace of Bliss¡¯ doesn¡¯t contain any of our demonic overbearance, simply unworthy of our station! Say, do you want to change it to the ¡®Manor of Doom¡¯ or ¡®League of Invincible Heaven Defying Demons¡¯?¡±


    What kind of chuuni names are those? Second Enforcer, can¡¯t you be more reliable?


    The moment these two names were said, He Ku¡¯s mouth twitched. He hadn¡¯t even been able to react yet when Xiu Niang rejected it disdainfully, ¡°Such an embarrassing name, I wouldn¡¯t even want to say it on the Jianghu. Master, how about the ¡®House of Green Delights1¡¯?¡±


    He Ku was completely unable to see how this name used by countless brothels was better than the two above. However, Qian Ren quickly gave him an even more arbitrary answer, ¡°Why do we need to be so complicated? Can¡¯t we just call it ¡®Demonic Palace¡¯?¡±


    Fine, it seemed that the three enforcers weren¡¯t too attached to the name ¡®Palace of Bliss¡¯ either. It was just that He Ku couldn¡¯t accept these names. With a bitter face, he asked, ¡°Do you guys have any suggestions that at least sound serious?¡±


    ¡°Fuck The Sky Cult?¡± Without hesitation, You Jiang showed his personality.


    ¡°Spring House?¡± It seemed that Xiu Niang¡¯s determination to change the sect into a brothel was also very strong.


    ¡°Whatever, I wouldn¡¯t care if Palace Master decided to just call it ¡®Sect¡¯.¡± The great mercenary expressed his indifference to things as trivial as names.


    Engulfed by the waves of apathy, He Ku first lamented that these were definitely He Huan¡¯s enforcers. They all weren¡¯t what could be called ¡®serious people¡¯. But after hearing what Qian Ren said, he was suddenly struck with inspiration. Not caring for any of their misgivings, he decided right then and there. ¡°I got it! From henceforth, we will be known as the Mingmen Righteous Sect2!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Slack-jawed, You Jiang was doubting that his ears were wrong.


    But who would have thought that the more He Ku thought about it, the more he liked it. Already coming to a decision, he satisfiedly declared, ¡°Mingmen Righteous Sect, where in the world can you find a more righteous sounding name? Just hearing it sounds infinitely better than ¡®Palace of Bliss¡¯.¡±


    So long as he didn¡¯t hinder He Huan, Qian Ren¡¯s attitude towards the Palace Master was already one where he would be free to play however he liked. On top of that, he didn¡¯t have an interest in discussing this matter, so he immediately agreed, ¡°Good, You Jiang can inform the disciples to make a new plaque and hang it across the Main Entrance tomorrow.¡±


    Seeing the two highest people in the palace so arbitrarily change their name, You Jiang lowered his head and looked at himself, still unable to accept this change. ¡°Us? Mingmen Righteous Sect?¡±


    Similarly speechless, Xiu Niang looked at her outfit and also sighed. ¡°Those Jianghu righteous folk would probably puke blood if they hear this, right?¡±


    ¡°Really? Then I¡¯m not exactly opposed to disgusting them a bit.¡±


    Unexpectedly, after hearing this, You Jiang¡¯s spirits lifted. He loved doing anything that would cause the righteous side to puke blood. Just thinking of that bunch of hypocrites fuming when they saw this name, he instantly forgot his displeasure at the new palace name and gave his approval.

 CH 17

    Translator: THISBRO


    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: Bubbles


    The first thing He Ku did when he came out of seclusion was to change the palace name to that sort of name. So naturally, the disciples would gossip.


    However, the Palace of Bliss was different from other sects. In the beginning, these demonic cultivators had entered to be closer to He Huan, but later they slowly began to realise that the peaceful and domestic life here was much happier than the life of slaughter outside. For them, as long as He Huan could keep the sect safe then they wouldn¡¯t even care if he directly named it the Xuanmen Righteous Sect.


    The majority of the demonic side was already filled with questionable characters, but who told Bu QingYun that he would one day be among them, the number of enemies he had were endless right from the get-go. The moment he entered, he was frequently attacked by several major demonic sects. Although the odds of him surviving were miniscule, he still ended up on top and naturally wiped them all out.


    Fortunately, He Huan also exterminated all the righteous sects that later tried to capture him, forming a shaky power balance, only then was the demonic side not subjected to a slaughter.


    A difficult few decades passed and the demonic side welcomed a new generation of youths. They amassed enough of an army to try and force He Huan to attack the righteous side, but were shut down through sheer power. Gradually, the demonic cultivators realised that He Huan didn¡¯t care about anything other than cultivating and enjoying his life so they couldn¡¯t rely on him to lead them in their fight to defeat the righteous side, they finally began to settle down and got used to this life where righteous and demonic minded their own businesses.


    By himself, He Huan had delicately tweaked the power balance of the Jianghu many times and became known as the current strongest demonic cultivator.


    However, although he was the only Calamity Crossing expert on the demonic side that could oppose the Xuanmen Righteous Sect¡¯s zhangmen, his unclear affiliation caused the other demonic sects to only remain at a safe distance. Even if they somehow became closer to him, they still didn¡¯t dare to offend him in fear that this guy would one day lose it and go on a killing spree.


    However, even if others weren¡¯t able to guess his intentions, He Ku knew. He Huan had said that back then Bu QingYun¡¯s dao heart was for the world to be at peace. Although he didn¡¯t go by the name Bu QingYun anymore, he was still using his own way to achieve his ¡®world peace¡¯.


    In the years since He Huan joined the demonic side, not a single great war between good and evil had broken out. Those few tyrannical and sadistic sects had also been suppressed because they made his ¡®mood¡¯ sour. Oddly enough, the world was more at peace now than when He Huan was still on the righteous side.


    It was exactly because of this that He Ku felt even more indignant for both He Huan and Bu QingYun. Clearly, they were one of the only ones who truly sought to protect the people, yet because of others¡¯ power struggle and schemes, they had to carry the entire world¡¯s hate. While He Huan was able to brush it off and not care about what the people say, He Ku couldn¡¯t.


    Although a small part of why he changed the sect¡¯s name was because it was funny, the largest reason was to anger those self-appointed righteous sects that scoffed at He Huan.


    They said that He Huan was a shameless demon lord?


    Then he just had to put that ¡®Mingmen Righteous Sect¡¯ plaque on his front door. Within the next two days he also wanted to counterfeit a batch of Xuanmen Righteous Sect¡¯s uniforms to assign to everyone in the palace. He¡¯d see how those righteous cultivators could flaunt their nobleness and honour then.


    He Ku knew that his set of actions was childish, like resorting to spitting on the other children to make trouble because they were unable to fight. He Huan was an adult and wouldn¡¯t do something so classless, but He Ku was still young. Whoever dared to bully his friend would end up with a face of spit, thoroughly disgusting the other party.


    A tree without its bark would inevitably die; a person without their face was invincible. Today, he would discard his face and fully play with the Jianghu¡¯s righteous side.


    Just thinking about it helped the stuffiness alleviate a bit. He Ku earnestly listened to Xiu Niang as she recited all the information she had on the major sects. Suddenly, he heard that the Heaven¡¯s Pavilion Library offered free medical advice and diagnostics to the normal people on the fifteenth of every month and he ordered, ¡°Go and tell the disciples that know how to use poison and medicine to learn carefully and have them open a free hospital with a poster that says ¡®Public Health is Important¡¯.¡±


    Most of the famous doctors in the Jianghu were terrified of demonic cultivators and therefore weren¡¯t willing to offer any aid. This caused quite a few demonic cultivators to know how to heal. But looking at He Ku¡¯s conduct today it was hard to tell whether this was Bu QingYun¡¯s instinctive righteous behaviour or his provocation towards the righteous side. After thinking closely, since the disciples didn¡¯t have anything else to do, she allowed it.


    As the two chattered away, You Jiang suddenly barged into the room. The moment his eyes landed on He Ku, who was currently chewing seeds while sitting on the daybed with Xiu Niang, he immediately became excited. ¡°Palace Master, God Thief Kong Kong has been captured. As long as you say the word, I can guarantee that he will never be able to take a single step into our territory ever again!¡±


    This god thief had already repeatedly infiltrated the Palace of Bliss without being discovered. Last time, he even made his way into He Huan¡¯s QingYun Hall, simply looking down on the palace security, but it just so happened that this defensive arrangement was designed by You Jiang. Since being singled out by He Huan in the Main Hall, he had regarded this incident in great shame. In the past month he had practically dug three feet into the entire Jianghu before finally capturing Kong Kong. He¡¯d just finished throwing him into the dungeon before immediately making his way to the Palace Master to report. It was only unfortunate that the one currently reclined on the daybed wasn¡¯t He Huan, so he couldn¡¯t wash his shame away entirely.


    Naturally, He Ku didn¡¯t know about the conflict between You Jiang and that God Thief; after all, he didn¡¯t know much about Kong Kong. He could only nod his head and reply, ¡°First lock him up a few days. When He Huan comes out, we¡¯ll talk about it again.¡±


    He Huan had asked him to manage the palace in passing and he really did manage it a bit. All in all, a day¡¯s worth of work really didn¡¯t amount to too much and dealing with it wasn¡¯t that troublesome. Actually, to be honest, how many things under the world could actually be called troublesome as long as he had He Huan¡¯s power supporting him?


    He Ku was just thinking this, when suddenly a matter which was actually troublesome was laid in front of him.


    He only saw Qian Ren hurry inside, then look slightly surprised at You Jiang for arriving before him, before bowing down. ¡°Palace Master, this subordinate has received word that the Xuanmen Righteous Sect, Myriad Treasures Hall, and Water Moon Manor are currently assembling a Demon Extermination Campaign in Sky Veil Town.¡±


    Demon Extermination Campaign? He had only just finished saying that the world was at peace, when suddenly this situation cropped up. Wasn¡¯t this clearly slapping his face?


    The second He Ku heard this, his seeds scattered all over the floor. All the questions circulating through his brain weren¡¯t able to get answers. According to He Huan, all the righteous sects that dared to make problems had already been destroyed. This Myriad Treasures Hall was only focused on business, while the Water Moon Manor was also rarely involved in things like this. How were they suddenly preparing to knock on their doorsteps? They even pulled in the secluded Xuanmen Righteous Sect who had been trying to avoid suspicion these past few decades.


    No matter how he thought about it, these days he and He Huan were both busy cultivating in seclusion. Neither of them had gone out to make trouble, so there was no reason for them to suddenly garner public anger. He Ku could only put the blame on the name change he made yesterday and disdained, ¡°The Three Great Sects are only worth this much? Even putting up a plaque is enough to declare war?¡±


    You Jiang¡¯s eyes lit up the moment he heard the Demon Extermination Campaign, even his voice was coated in ambition. He immediately agreed, ¡°Palace Master, these righteous people are just like this. Quickly summon the disciples. We must go and create a bloodbath!¡±


    After a day of interaction, He Ku had realised that fighting and making trouble was all this second enforcer knew. It could be said that he was a model patriot. So naturally, he didn¡¯t take his words seriously, only looking towards the most reliable person, Qian Ren. Sure enough, the head enforcer quickly reported what actually happened, ¡°The Three Great Sects are obviously not stupid enough to fight with a Calamity Crossing cultivator over such a small matter. They said Palace Master has captured the son of the Myriad Treasure Hall¡¯s Patriarch and the Water Moon Manor¡¯s Deputy Manor Lady, Lin Xuan.¡±


    This¡­ He Ku could guarantee that he had never done such a thing, but just thinking about He Huan¡¯s black history of kidnapping Yun Ce, it would still be reasonable to say that he had also kidnapped this Lin Family¡¯s young master.


    Although his opinion of He Huan was extremely good, with a sense of camaraderie like they had fought against a common enemy, he was also very conscientious towards He Huan¡¯s outrageous acts. So he doubtfully began, ¡°What does that Lin Xuan look like? If he¡¯s a little ugly then I¡¯m definitely innocent.¡±


    ¡°The Lin Family¡¯s young master was born with a beautiful face. In the Jiangnan region, he is rather famous for being an elegant gentleman.¡±


    In just one sentence, He Ku became more and more suspicious of himself. Qian Ren watched as Xiu Niang and You Jiang each revealed a ¡®then it¡¯s definitely the Palace Master¡¯ expression, and sighed before continuing, ¡°I heard that this Lin Xuan didn¡¯t like the Myriad Treasures Hall¡¯s techniques and so entered into the Xuanmen Righteous Sect to become Yao JianKe¡¯s disciple. Last month, he suddenly disappeared near Sky Veil Town during his travels. It wasn¡¯t until a few days ago that the Heaven¡¯s Pavilion Library revealed that Palace Master had taken him along with one of their disciples.¡±


    ¡°If I remember correctly, we only have one Xuanmen disciple, right?¡±


    Hearing this, He Ku also understood. His eyes couldn¡¯t help looking out of the window. Just thinking about that Xuanmen disciple¡¯s appearance while scolding him, he lamented, ¡°This really is a case of the wealthy landlord¡¯s idiot son. Just that can be considered an elegant gentleman? It couldn¡¯t be that Jiangnan¡¯s standards for elegance were a little low, right?¡±


    Hearing this, Xiu Niang immediately smiled as she flattered him, ¡°If we¡¯re talking about elegance, then Palace Master is naturally number one in the world.¡±


    He Ku choked when he heard the term ¡®elegance¡¯ used to describe himself and saw Qian Ren earnestly look at him before acknowledging, ¡°Palace Master just needs to imagine Yun Ce to know how you were when you were young. Sometimes, you can¡¯t have both brains and face.¡±


    Although the head enforcer was an extremely competent and reliable subordinate, that didn¡¯t affect He Ku¡¯s urge to periodically want to beat him. Did he think he wouldn¡¯t catch the ridicule by saying it this way!? Just which part of him did this murderous disciple of his find irritable? Why was it that with He Huan he would be completely obedient, but when it changed to him he would occasionally poke fun at him? Who could tell him how to inspire a heart of respect in his disciple!? Urgently waiting online!


    Although Qian Ren¡¯s occasional barbs would make him depressed, He Ku was still someone who had survived interacting with He Huan¡¯s strange personality on a daily basis. So he was extremely magnanimous, believing that as the elder he needn¡¯t argue with his disciple, it was enough to scold him in his heart. His eyes turned and he suddenly thought of a new idea. ¡°Say, if I were to go, how many righteous cultivators could I beat?¡±


    Qian Ren was extremely familiar with that expression. In the past, whenever his trouble-making shifu would think of any strange ideas while they were out playing he would reveal this expression. Fortunately, over the last few years He Huan had become a lot calmer, so he didn¡¯t have to exhaust himself by running everywhere just to clean up after his shifu.


    Now, seeing that this fake shifu was clearly more troublesome than his real shifu, just thinking of all that clean up he would have to do made his face darken. ¡°Forgive me for being blunt but with Palace Master¡¯s current level of cultivation, it is only enough to bully other people¡¯s outer court disciples. If you were to meet any Golden Core disciples¡­¡±


    Qian Ren believed that his pointed omission at the end was enough to deter this fake shifu, but who knew that he¡¯d unexpectedly ask, ¡°Then what would happen if it were changed to your real Palace Master?¡±


    ¡°This¡­ then other than the Xuanmen-zhangmen, you can bully whoever you want.¡±


    Knowing that he already couldn¡¯t stop them anymore, Qian Ren resignedly answered. Sure enough, when he heard this, He Ku instantly beamed as he slapped the table to show that it was decided. ¡°Good, then we will also go to this Demon Extermination Campaign!¡±


    He just knew that it was going to be like this. Qian Ren massaged his aching temples and attempted his last deterrence, ¡°If I remember correctly, you said that the Palace Master needs to heal for three days.¡±


    He Ku returned a look of doubt at that comment. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you enforcers can¡¯t even hold on for two days and even the fodder needs to be taken care of by the Palace Master himself?¡±


    How could You Jiang willingly miss the prospect of going to the Demon Extermination Campaign to make trouble? He immediately vowed, ¡°Palace Master, I didn¡¯t misjudge you! The current you is definitely destined to do great things! This You Jiang will guard you through the journey and eliminate these righteous lackeys!¡±


    Qian Ren knew that, with these two¡¯s personalities, it was impossible to stop them, so he completely stopped trying. Although he had also intended to go to this Demon Extermination Campaign to destroy the righteous alliance, he couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine the headache-inducing mess the unreliable fake Palace Master and over-the-top You Jiang would create together.


    As for He Huan, according to his understanding of his shifu, he¡¯d definitely be happy to watch the show. And furthermore, he would unhesitatingly add even more work to his plate.


    Finding his situation increasingly grim, Qian Ren knew in his heart that putting He Ku, He Huan, and You Jiang together was going to be much more troublesome than the Three Great Sects. Immediately, he began to seriously bark out orders.


    ¡°Xiu Niang, tell Yun Ce to bring along those two, then pick 15 disciples according to their cultivation level. You Jiang, split the disciples that can fly into three groups and have them lay in ambush at the Sky Veil Town. If worse comes to worst, the moment you receive my signal they are to release poisonous gas into the town and kill all the cultivators inside.¡±


    Fortunately, although he was a little too bloodthirsty, You Jiang¡¯s ability to do proper work was good. At once, he began to arrange everything as he had been commanded. Qian Ren¡¯s heart was finally somewhat calmed, before raising his gaze to look at the other big problem currently sitting on the daybed, decisively advising, ¡°As for Palace Master, no matter which you are, please stay here obediently, don¡¯t casually move about.¡±

 CH 18

    Translator: Jay


    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: Bubbles


    Under the control of the empire and Xuanmen Righteous Sect, many of the sects that could be established in flourishing cities were righteous. The majority of demonic cultivators all lived in the wilderness and self-built caves. Only those like He Huan, whose cultivation was exceedingly powerful, could snatch a good piece of land.


    However, once a demonic sect was established, the common people would flee, rendering the land surrounding the Palace of Bliss completely devoid of inhabitants. This Sky Veil Town was already the closest one to the Palace of Bliss; it was supposed to be a place where passing cultivators could rest when they went up into the mountains to hunt for treasure, but these few days the traffic had suddenly increased.


    Ever since Bu QingYun had gotten expelled, Xuanmen Righteous Sect seldom appeared in front of the Jianghu. Many old and powerful sects had suffered major losses after being attacked by He Huan, so slowly their voices diminished. The current strongest sect, Myriad Treasures Hall, had kept itself buried in business. Water Moon Manor was focused on cultivating and didn¡¯t care about the going-ons of the Jianghu. Therefore, the sight of these Three Great Sects summoning a Demon Extermination Campaign was one that hadn¡¯t been seen in decades.


    Once this news was out, every righteous sect deployed their disciples, however, only to watch for the Three Great Sect¡¯s attitude. They didn¡¯t dare to provoke He Huan, that psychopath, by themselves.


    Since Sky Veil Town was a place for rest, naturally, they would have a lot of inns. One of which was the Yearning Inn.


    Because it was one of the properties under the Myriad Treasures Hall¡¯s name, it was much safer than other inns and thus, it had become the visitors¡¯ first choice.


    To be able to do business in this place where good and evil met, the Yearning Inn¡¯s manager naturally required a discerning gaze. Just from a look, he would be able to make an extremely close guess as to a customer¡¯s origin. It was currently a special time, so this vision was extended to include the passing crowds, constantly collecting intelligence.


    It was just that today the manager wasn¡¯t able to guess where this crowd of guests came from.


    It was a group that had just entered into town. If one were to talk about their numbers, there weren¡¯t many of them, but with everyone dressed in pristine white robes, it was still very eye-catching when they walked on the streets.


    In this world, other than the Xuanmen disciples who loved the colour white, there was rarely another sect that wore it so uniformly. But seeing that they didn¡¯t have the iconic Xuanmen cloud patterns, and that there were two tail-end disciples holding up a ¡°Mingmen Righteous Sect¡± flag, they were probably from an ignorant new sect who wanted to use this time¡¯s campaign to become famous.


    However, one couldn¡¯t help but feel sympathy over what would happen to these people who had dared to come up with a name that would provoke the Xuanmen Righteous Sect once they met.


    Naturally, with them being so eye-catching, the manager wasn¡¯t the only one who spotted them. A burly man sitting in the tavern instantly burst into laughter. ¡°Which family¡¯s sect is this? Their name is interesting.¡±


    Saying this, he looked at them again. This time, he saw the five people in the front were noticeably better dressed and laughed again. ¡°Zither, Go, Calligraphy, Painting; these weapons are so elegant, but we don¡¯t know how good their skills are. From their appearance and age, that zither carrying one is the most steady and strict, he¡¯s probably the sect master.¡±


    The person over at the adjacent table heard him and also paid more attention. He couldn¡¯t help but to question, ¡°How come the ones at the very front are two youngsters?¡±


    It was only after he pointed this out that people looked at them more closely. It turned out the one at the very front of the group was a young man wearing a veiled hat. His bamboo-weaved hat had drapes of white cloth that hid the wearer¡¯s age, but from his lively footsteps it could be seen that he was a youth not older than 20.


    Out of everyone, only he had a field of vibrant bamboos dyed on his sleeves and on his waist hung a pure white sword. His identity clearly wasn¡¯t simple.


    At this time, he didn¡¯t know that he had already become the focus of many eyes. He was talking to the youth beside him who was holding up and examining an art piece. Although, it looked as if the other youth didn¡¯t seem to really want to talk to him, since his frown revealed some annoyance.


    The young man who was examining the art piece was extremely handsome. From his steady steps and clear eyes, he was clearly an accomplished young cultivator. For those who understood art, they could see that the piece the boy was holding was amazing, and from the looks of the strokes and paint, it appeared to be recently done. If this art came from that young man, then he must be skilled in both the arts and fighting, extremely rare.


    As for the zither-carrying youth behind them, it was clear that he was watching their every move. That pained gaze was clearly one of an elder¡¯s helplessness in the face of the next generation¡¯s naughtiness.


    However, even with it being like this, the notes the man plucked were as exquisite as a mountain stream, making it hard for listeners not to admire his degree of mastery even when he was so distracted.


    The scholar from the adjacent table silently admired that piece of art and the clarity of those notes and sighed. ¡°You don¡¯t understand. Those two are definitely the sect leader¡¯s sons, but the relationship between the wife and concubine isn¡¯t good. Just look at how worried that sect leader is.¡±


    Hearing this, the burly man was enlightened and couldn¡¯t help but lament that it was still scholars who knew the most. He cupped his hands in greeting, ¡°Yes, that must be it. It¡¯s still this brother who has experience.¡±


    Seeing them merrily chatting away, the manager took this opportunity to bring over some alcohol. He smiled and joined in the discussion, ¡°In my opinion, that lady with the calligraphy brush is really pretty. Her appearance just makes people want to care for her, she doesn¡¯t lose to those fairies of the Water Moon Manor.¡±


    The crowd turned their heads over to look. Sure enough, within the group was an elegant lady who would bring up a white handkerchief to cough into from time to time. Although the handkerchief made it hard to see her appearance, even from afar and just from her figure one would instantly know she was a remarkably beautiful woman. They immediately praised the manager for having the best eyes.


    The Myriad Treasures Hall and the Water Moon Manor had been joined by marriage for many generations. When these words came out of the manager¡¯s mouth, the lady manager was dissatisfied, immediately remarking, ¡°From what I see, that chess-carrying man isn¡¯t bad. He has an elegant demeanor and the air about him isn¡¯t simple. Especially that skill levitating the chessboard, it¡¯s impossible to do without at least reaching the Golden Core stage. Since when did the Jianghu have such a young genius?¡±


    After hearing this, the people once again turned their vision over. A white jade chessboard was indeed floating beside that man. Black and white pieces would fall one by one with every step he took, he was actually playing against himself! Sure enough, there was a unique quality to him.


    However, seeing his wife complimenting another man, the manager became anxious. ¡°You ladies only know how to look at their faces. From what I see, he¡¯s wearing so many layers and his face is so pale, he most likely has some kind of congenital deficiency.¡±


    But who would have thought that the lady manager would suddenly get a butcher knife and slash it towards the front desk. Her delicate eyebrows tensed as she said, ¡°Hah? You donkey, this old woman still hasn¡¯t said anything about you looking at another woman, yet you dare cry thief before me?!¡±


    Seeing her so inconsolable, the manager hurried to admit his mistake before her, ¡°No no, dear wife, our front desk was only just made, please, let¡¯s try not to break it again.¡±


    They had all heard that the Water Moon Manor produced shrews; from their experiences today, it seemed like it was indeed so. While the customers lamented, they also teased the manager a bit. The tavern was instantly filled with a lively atmosphere.


    As for how good this new sect was, not many people cared. After all, with the Three Great Sects here, how could an ordinary sect hope to get any limelight in this campaign?


    Then, who in the world were these people?


    Of course they were the Palace of Bliss party who was forced by their stubborn palace master to come here. Wait no, they were currently the Mingmen Righteous Sect.


    Although Sky Veil Town was fairly close to the Palace of Bliss, one couldn¡¯t just fly into it without alerting the enemy. This was because the Heaven¡¯s Library Pavilion had surrounded the town with surveillance spirit pigeons the moment news of the campaign got out. Qian Ren still hadn¡¯t come up with a solution when He Ku¡¯s interest suddenly surged and he had everyone change their clothes as they swaggered into town as righteous cultivators.


    In any case, the Palace of Bliss was still the strongest sect on the demonic side, so ordinary cultivators wouldn¡¯t know what the enforcers looked like. With Xiu Niang usually spending her days managing her brothels, the mercenary Qian Ren reluctant to reveal his face whenever he went out, and Yun Ce genuinely just coming down from the mountains, the only enforcer with any risk of being recognized was You Jiang. But after He Ku dressed him up, his appearance of being a scholarly cultivator had even their disciples unable to recognise him, let alone strangers.


    If one really wanted to be realistic, the one who had the highest probability of being recognised was the young He Huan, whose name had been recognized all over the world since he was young. However, after Qian Ren forcefully stuck a veiled hat on him, that problem was solved.


    After going through so much trouble to enter the town, there was no one who actually suspected they were a demonic sect.


    But after thinking about it, it made sense. Who would think that anyone who actually had weight in the demonic world would be idle enough to pose as righteous cultivators to come in? This behaviour was clearly not in line with any serious demonic cultivator.


    However, He Ku was, of course, not a proper Palace Master. In order to complete the look, he even ordered his enforcers to disguise their weapons with the four arts.


    The zither and chess set was rather easy to find, but no one really cared for books and art in the Palace of Bliss. In the end, it was You Jiang who ran out of patience and drew his own piece. While he was at it, he also took a recording stone and captured zither sounds and placed it within the zither to help Qian Ren¡¯s act. Only after all of this did they accomplish such flawless disguises.


    He Ku was really curious regarding You Jiang¡¯s surprising mastery over the four arts. But after remembering how Qian Ren stomped on his foot the last time he was about to ask, it was probably not something he should mention in front of You Jiang. He could only wait until He Huan returned to ask.


    At this moment, He Ku, who was leading this group on the streets, was saying things that weren¡¯t very righteous. He turned to look at the two righteous hostages who were stunned by his behaviour before ordering Yun Ce, ¡°Remember to have your silencing spell ready. In any case, we are still professional demonic cultivators, so make sure there won¡¯t be a scene as embarrassing as letting the hostages call for help and exposing our identities.¡±


    Towards this order of his, Yun Ce was unexpectedly very supportive, furiously nodding his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Palace Master. I¡¯m already prepared. At any moment, I can take this drawing and stuff it into their mouths!¡±


    It was only natural that letting an illiterate fox pretend to be an elegant scholar was not going to be an easy assignment. He was able to tell what Yun Ce was thinking in a glance and couldn¡¯t help but judge him, ¡°Properly look at your art. You Jiang already drew so well, yet you still don¡¯t have any epiphanies?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve only realised that you want me to die!¡± Painfully murmuring this, Yun Ce expressed that they, spirit cultivators, would have a headache the moment they see such boring things like human art pieces.


    Successfully using art to shut up the one who would most easily expose them, He Ku was satisfied as he comforted, ¡°That¡¯s right. You are currently a righteous cultivator who hates demonic cultivators like me to the bone. Look at it carefully and quickly enter into character.¡±


    Yun Ce wasn¡¯t the only one who was aggrieved. Seeing the little fox fail his rebellion, Xiu Niang had no choice but to sullenly walk up. The eyes she used to look at the Palace Master were practically dripping with pitifulness. ¡°Palace Master, although I¡¯ve played the role of a courtesan who only sells her craft before, do I really need to wear such modest clothes? I haven¡¯t worn a dress that doesn¡¯t reveal my legs since I was sixteen.¡±


    In his old world, He Ku had seen enough short skirts and mini skirts to not find what Xiu Niang usually wore a problem. However, it couldn¡¯t be helped that the other men in this world didn¡¯t think like that. He could only gently appease her, ¡°Xiu Niang, you must think. Letting our disciples see your legs is their fortune, but letting our enemies see them is taking advantage of you. How could our Mingmen Righteous Sect be taken advantage of by a bunch of hypocrites? Just endure it.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll endure it for a while longer. I almost can¡¯t walk in this outfit¡­¡±


    He Ku released a sigh of relief when Xiu Niang pitifully left at last. Only after all of this did he look to the surprisingly quiet You Jiang beside him and curiously state, ¡°Today, you¡¯re being exceptionally calm.¡±


    Seeing him so curious, You Jiang smiled sinisterly and earnestly replied, ¡°I know this is all for the sake of the mission! I have already prepared a set of black clothes under these robes. At the right moment, all I need to do is activate the trigger on this chessboard and I can guarantee that these righteous cultivators will die on the spot.¡±


    So this was the reason why you are wearing eight layers in the middle of summer?


    His eye twitched the moment his gaze swept past the harmless looking chessboard again. He Ku had to admire this person¡¯s dedication, but admiration was just that, admiration. He still warned, ¡°You can¡¯t do anything reckless, we aren¡¯t here to kill people this time.¡±


    Qian Ren clearly understood You Jiang better than He Ku; he knew that this warning would just fly over his head and immediately ordered, ¡°You Jiang, cool your head.¡±


    As expected, You Jiang had really just taken He Ku¡¯s warning as wind by his ears. However, seeing Qian Ren butt in he knew that this loyal guard dog would definitely block him and became mad. ¡°Shush you, don¡¯t delay me and the Palace Master¡¯s grand demonic vision. Go back to your crappy playing.¡±


    From the beginning, Qian Ren didn¡¯t have any interest in things like zithers, so to control himself to pluck it a few times was already annoying enough. Hearing him say this, his mood instantly soured. His eyes darkened. ¡°Do you believe that I will poison you tonight?¡±


    ¡°This man is assassinating his fellow sect members. Palace Master, quickly execute him.¡± There weren¡¯t many people on the Jianghu who weren¡¯t afraid of Qian Ren¡¯s poison. On the other hand, You Jiang didn¡¯t dare to continue provoking him and immediately hid behind He Ku.


    Seeing them argue so fiercely, He Ku hurried over to comfort them, ¡°Enough, didn¡¯t we successfully sneak in? Look, we fit in perfectly walking on this street.¡±


    Shooting him a glance, Qian Ren reminded, ¡°There¡¯s only a few Jianghu wandering cultivators here. The Three Great Sects should probably have their own place.¡±


    Although he knew that there definitely were people in the Three Great Sects that recognised him, He Ku wasn¡¯t worried, only saying, ¡°What are you losing your head for? At worst, we can all just wear white masks together. With this get up, who would think that we were demonic cultivators?¡±


    Contrary to expectation, Qian Ren actually agreed with him. According to He Huan¡¯s temper, even if he beat the Three Great Sects to death they still wouldn¡¯t believe that he would one day wear white clothes outside, so naturally they wouldn¡¯t suspect a thing. He immediately said, ¡°Go to the inn and unpack first; I will send people to determine the Myriad Treasures Hall¡¯s position as soon as possible.¡±


    Hearing this, He Ku knew Qian Ren had understood his intentions and gratifyingly smiled. ¡°As expected of the reliable head enforcer. I appreciate you.¡±

 CH 19

    Translator: THISBRO


    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: Bubbles


    As expected, Qian Ren was reliable. They were immediately able to find their inn.


    Letting the disguised disciples go to their rooms to rest, He Ku tied Lin Xuan to a stool and personally kept an eye on him. He, himself, was resting on the bed, but what he was actually thinking about was the information Xiu Niang gave him on the Three Great Sects.


    The current distribution of powers in the Jianghu should be three sects, one palace, and one pavilion. The first two, He Ku already knew, but this one pavilion referred to the Heaven¡¯s Library Pavilion.


    The reason for classifying the Heaven¡¯s Library Pavilion apart from strictly good or evil was because they had a large number of ordinary disciples and rarely, if ever, participated in Jianghu competitions. Instead, they single-mindedly focused on exploring the four arts. So much so that as long as one had enough mastery over a certain aspect, they could be appointed as an elder even without any cultivation.


    Their air and style really were incompatible with the idea of a Jianghu cultivator. Hence, even though everyone knew that there was a late-stage Yuan Ying cultivator behind the Pavilion, when it came to physical skirmishes, people would unconsciously leave them out.


    There was nothing that He Huan didn¡¯t know with regard to the Xuanmen Righteous Sect, but it was only today that He Ku got a more specialized understanding of the other two great sects.


    The path of cultivation needed no shortage of weapons and pills, yet 80% of the world¡¯s smiths and alchemists were in the Myriad Treasures Hall Sect. In addition to that, every head of the Myriad Treasures Hall was responsible for trading and buying any necessary raw materials for those masters.


    Specifically, the position the Myriad Treasures Hall¡¯s ten patriarchs had was similar to He Huan¡¯s. They all used their high cultivation to offer protection for those under them. The difference was that as long as you were a Myriad Treasures Hall patriarch, you could freely request the sect¡¯s masters to provide weapons and medicine as payment for their protection.


    Such an unending flow of the world¡¯s best medicines and treasure, the ten patriarchs¡¯ cultivation would obviously progress extremely quickly. Currently, they were all Yuan Ying level masters. Among those, three of them were in the late stage of Yuan Ying cultivation, just one step away from Calamity Crossing.


    As for the current lead patriarch, Lin FaCai1, although his name was bad, he was exceedingly good at refining treasures and weapons. He had a gold abacus where each bead was a weapon, so it could be said that he was armed to the teeth. If he were in a life or death battle, he might even be able to hold off a Calamity Crossing cultivator until he could escape.


    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Xuanmen Righteous Sect¡¯s cultivation technique was too heaven-defying, and whoever was chosen would be able to ascend without a doubt, it would be unknown who the ¡®Jianghu Strongest¡¯ position would belong to.


    Unlike the Myriad Treasures Hall, the Water Moon Manor was an all-women sect that kept with the tradition of shifu leading disciples. The sect technique ¡®Ethereal Reflections2¡¯ had one specialty¡ªthey could dual cultivate with any technique without having to worry about incompatibility. Regardless of the cultivator, as long as they could become dao companions with a Water Moon woman, then their cultivation was bound to make rapid progress.


    Because of this, the Water Moon Manor had been coveted by male cultivators for close to a hundred years, and their disciples were often kidnapped by vile men. Fortunately, several of the Manor Ladies had voluntarily married into many of the major sects at that time. It was only after receiving the protection of their husband¡¯s family that the disciples had time to practice. But to this day, this sect was still very wary of men.


    One sect was the one which had the monopoly over equipment and supplies, the other was the bride manor in the world¡¯s eyes. With these two sects joining hands, it was no wonder they were able to create such a sensational campaign. It¡¯s just¡­ how should the demonic sect deal with this?


    He thought hard on possible countermeasures, but none of them were any good. For a moment, He Ku couldn¡¯t help feeling depressed. At this time when he didn¡¯t know what to do, he saw Qian Ren flip in through the window. Almost as if he knew what he was thinking, Qian Ren calmly opened his mouth, ¡°When the palace master was young, he had a friendship with the Myriad Treasures Hall and Water Moon Manor. These few years, they never participated in any efforts to seize the Palace of Bliss due to old friendships, but this time, their blood son has fallen into danger so they have no choice but to join in.¡±


    He Ku¡¯s eyes brightened when he heard this. ¡°There¡¯s also this story?¡±


    ¡°Unless you really think that husband and wife can argue for a whole few decades?¡±


    After slanting a look at a certain someone who actually believed in the rumours, Qian Ren thought for a bit before deciding to tell him everything he knew. ¡°However, it¡¯s true that the Myriad Treasures Hall Lead Patriarch doubted the palace master. After all, everyone knew that the two Water Moon Manor sisters, Yue FangZhou and Yue LingJing, were interested in Bu QingYun back then. After Bu QingYun stepped onto the demonic path, they even chased him all the way to Sky Veil Town to try and protect him at the Water Moon Manor. It was just a pity that, at the time, the palace master had already made up his mind about joining the demonic side and left after giving them grievous injuries. That was when people really believed Bu QingYun had fallen.¡±


    Qian Ren knew that with He Huan¡¯s disposition he would never mention the events of the past, so after looking at the shocked He Ku, he added, ¡°After that, Yue LingJing was discouraged and married Bu QingYun¡¯s shidi, Yao JianKe. It¡¯s been decades since she reappeared in front of the Jianghu. Yue FangZhou single-mindedly focused on cultivating for decades, before being moved by the Myriad Treasures Hall¡¯s lead patriarch, Lin FaCai, and marrying into the Myriad Treasures Hall. Speaking of, on Lin Xuan¡¯s first birthday, Palace Master had even gone to his home to deliver a congratulatory gift, which caused quite a stir in the Jianghu.¡±


    Silently knowing that this was the reason for the farce mentioned in He Huan¡¯s letter, He Ku rubbed his nose in helplessness. It seemed that regardless of whether He Huan was righteous or demonic, there would always be a wave of love drama. However, when it switched to him, no one would consider him? Clearly, they both used the same body. When not talking, their mannerisms also weren¡¯t that far apart ah.


    Since the other side and He Huan had history, this Demon Extermination Campaign couldn¡¯t succeed all the more.


    Lin Xuan had originally been restrained, but with He Ku preoccupied with talking on the other side of the room, he broke through the silence spell and glowered, ¡°You¡¯re lying, how could my mother fancy a bastard like you!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, my nephew. This uncle will definitely send you home and find your mother to talk about old times.¡±


    Knowing that the Jianghu almost thought that he was He Huan¡¯s cheap spawn, He Ku understood a little why he hated He Huan so much. He moved over and patted him on the back while smiling. Yet just as the youth was about to open his mouth to continue scolding, he placed the silencing spell back on. Then he watched him become so stifled that he turned red and laughed from the side.


    This was the first thing He Huan saw when he floated out from the dantian. On the one hand, he was sighing over whether He Ku had been corrupted by him, on the other, he lamented, ¡°I really haven¡¯t heard these names in a long time.¡±


    Hearing the familiar voice sound beside his ear, He Ku immediately cried out in surprise, ¡°He Huan, you¡¯re awake?¡±


    He Huan¡¯s eyes curved as he smiled faintly, really satisfied with the other¡¯s undisguised happiness. ¡°Yeah, the moment I woke up, I found that my sect had actually been renamed the Mingmen Righteous Sect.¡±


    If his expression was seen by the sect¡¯s disciples, who knew how fast their hearts would be racing and how red their faces would flush, but He Ku only wagged his finger like he¡¯d already gotten used to this sight. ¡°Isn¡¯t it surprising? Isn¡¯t it exciting? Isn¡¯t it unexpected?¡±


    ¡°A little interesting.¡±


    Nodding appreciatively at the same ability to make trouble, He Huan¡¯s eyes brightened and he suggested, ¡°How about I make things a bit more interesting?¡±


    ¡°Sure, you go.¡±


    He Ku naturally wouldn¡¯t refuse if He Huan wanted to use the body and retreated to the back without the slightest hesitation. Now that he had cultivation, he could also become a spirit and float around. He went and sat on the window sill, adopting a posture of watching a show to watch He Huan¡¯s performance.


    Their inner dialogue was naturally invisible to others, but they could see He Ku suddenly quiet down and close his eyes, only to have his aura completely change once he opened them again. Although he was still dressed in white, with the corner of his eyes slightly raised his entire being only felt languid and bewitching. Nowhere could they see any youthful spirit.


    When Qian Ren saw this gaze, he knew that He Huan had awoken. Immediately kneeling down, he greeted, ¡°Welcome back from your seclusion, Palace Master3.¡±


    ¡°Here it is again. Why is he so respectful when in front of you, but so impudent towards me? Double standards ah!¡±


    He Huan couldn¡¯t help but chuckle as he listened to He Ku¡¯s discontented grumble. Seeing Qian Ren look confused, he explained, ¡°You may rise. He Ku is complaining about you. When he comes out, you¡¯ll have your hands full again.¡±


    It was only after he said this that he realised he hadn¡¯t given He Ku a status within the sect yet. Taking this chance, he added, ¡°Oh right, He Ku is the other me that you guys met. For convenience, just call him Little Palace Master from now on.¡±


    Qian Ren had always obeyed whatever orders He Huan gave, so he respectfully accepted it. ¡°Understood. Later, when the Little Palace Master comes out, this subordinate will plug my ears.¡±


    Because this student of his had a rough life, he wasn¡¯t particularly close to anyone. It was quite rare that he could tease He Ku. He Huan didn¡¯t say anything after watching their interaction and just smiled before turning his gaze to the slightly terrified Lin Xuan. ¡°So you are FangZhou¡¯s son? In that case, I was quite inconsiderate to her.¡±


    Seeing that his expression was still one of indignation and anger, He Huan removed the silencing spell with a wave and sneered.


    ¡°Do you still not understand? Someone clearly used you to involve the Thousand Treasures Hall and Water Moon Manor in the campaign this time. If they wanted to save you, they would have notified your mother and father before you even infiltrated my palace. Why would they wait until now? They even instructed you that, no matter what, you couldn¡¯t reveal your identity, right? Honestly, they gave you a plot and you just climbed right in. You even dragged your parents and sect with you. How did Bu YaoLian teach you? He was never this dumb before.¡±


    To be able to learn under Xuanmen Righteous Sect¡¯s Da Shixiong, Lin Xuan naturally wasn¡¯t an idiot. Before, it was just because he was blinded by emotion. Now that he had been directed the way, he understood. ¡°You¡¯re saying¡ª How could they treat me like this?!¡±


    ¡°You should be more careful in the Jianghu in the future. If it hadn¡¯t been for a slight complication during this Master¡¯s tribulation, do you really believe you would have been able to stay in my Palace of Bliss for an entire month and still be able to speak properly?¡±


    Seeing that he wasn¡¯t entirely hopeless, He Huan recovered his laid-back attitude and continued, ¡°Just think about who it was that lured you there. If you don¡¯t even have this bit of intelligence, then you really don¡¯t deserve to be a Xuanmen disciple.¡±


    Lin Xuan pondered it deeply after being reminded by him, before hatefully realising. ¡°Heaven¡¯s Library Pavilion! On my travels, I encountered Heaven¡¯s Library Pavilion disciples. They kept on saying that my mother and you had¡­ And I got angry. After hearing that they were sending people into the Palace of Bliss, I tagged along.¡±


    The moment He Huan heard this, he burst into laughter. ¡°How can something as classified as an infiltration be heard by you, an outsider? It was clearly deliberate. Like this, even if your parents decide to pursue this matter, it was you who was too headstrong and reckless, leaving the real perpetrators guiltless.¡±


    Lin Xuan¡¯s heart was currently a mess. He knew that he shouldn¡¯t listen to the enemy, but the more he carefully thought along those lines, the more he felt fearful.


    Ever since he went out of his sect to gain experience, there would always be people discussing his mother¡¯s past. Naturally, it would be grating to his ears, and in a fit of rage, he strayed from his predetermined route and came to Sky Veil Town.


    Now that he had the chance to think about it, with his mother and father¡¯s status, how would ordinary people dare to discuss those decades-old affairs? He¡¯d never heard the rumours before, so how come when he left to travel it was like everyone was talking about it? This was unavoidably too coincidental.


    Could it be that he had fallen into other people¡¯s schemes the moment he stepped out of his sect?!


    Just thinking that those Heaven¡¯s Library Pavilion shixiongs had this intention when they were pampering him, Lin Xuan¡¯s heart chilled. Still reluctant to accept this reality, he tried, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of them?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s to be feared? Your shifu or your parents? First, let¡¯s not mention whether or not you¡¯d still be mentally intact to speak after going through the Palace of Bliss¡¯ interrogation, even if they teamed up to face me, don¡¯t tell me that a demonic cultivator such as I would be merciful just because of a past friendship?¡±


    Lin Xuan¡¯s face paled with this sentence. He Huan estimated that enough had been said and indifferently poured himself a cup of tea. He put his finger on the youth¡¯s forehead and cast a sleeping spell. ¡°Sleep, I¡¯ll send you back tonight. To eat my Palace of Bliss¡¯ food for an entire month for free, your mother and father must at least give me your ransom.¡±


    Seeing Qian Ren sensibly take the unconscious boy, He Huan nodded to him. ¡°There are some things that I can¡¯t say to his parents, he has to say them himself for people to believe.¡±


    ¡°Palace Master is wise. Fortunately we didn¡¯t really do much to him this one month, it¡¯ll be easier to break through this situation.¡±


    He knew that with He Huan¡¯s infamy, no matter how he explained, no one would believe him. Qian Ren understood what he had to do. It¡¯s just, after hearing this clearly elaborate plot, he was still a bit worried. ¡°The Heaven¡¯s Pavilion Library¡¯s schemes have always been interconnected, I¡¯m afraid that there will be a follow-up.¡±


    As if he had long thought of this, He Huan¡¯s finger skimmed over the teacup, gaze gradually chilling. ¡°Other than Qing XuZi, this Master is not afraid of anyone in this world. Watch the Xuanmen Righteous Sect closely. As for the Heaven¡¯s Library Pavilion¡¯s scheme, it¡¯s most likely to have Bu YaoLian and I fight, and use this to force Qing XuZi out of seclusion.¡±


    It seemed that after only 80 years of peace, there were already a few people who felt a little antsy. However, he was no longer the Bu QingYun who was new to the Jianghu. Don¡¯t think that it¡¯ll be as easy as last time to trap him.


    Lightly taking a sip of tea, he raised his eyes. All the murderous aura and killing intent vanished into smoke, leaving behind an impenetrable calm expression. He unhurriedly instructed, ¡°I won¡¯t be seeing anyone from Xuanmen. When the time comes, just listen to the Little Palace Master¡¯s orders.¡±


    Lin FaCai (ÁÖ·¢²Æ) ¨C his name is literally to ¡°make money/make a fortune¡±


    Ethereal Reflections (ˮԾµ»¨) ¨C ¡°moon in the water, flowers in the mirror¡±. Which sounds so poetic in the raws, but hard to keep as a technique name.


    3.


    Welcome back from your seclusion ¨C in the OG text, Qian Ren uses a very respectful welcome which is hard to convey in English

 CH 20

    Translator: THISBRO


    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: Bubbles


    *warning just in case: mild fatphobia


    Before Bu QingYun was expelled from Xuanmen, he had frequently interacted with each of the other great sects. The Water Moon Manor was no exception.


    Back when Bu QingYun walked the Jianghu with his white clothes and silver sword, many Water Moon Manor disciples fancied him. It didn¡¯t hurt that he was handsome either. It was just a pity that from his youth, this person only had his eyes on the dao and had no desire for the romance between sexes.


    To this day, Lin FaCai still remembered the first time he met Bu QingYun.


    From a young age, he had admired the Water Moon Manor¡¯s second young miss, Yue FangZhou. Sadly, he didn¡¯t know how to express his love and could only laugh obnoxiously while staying by her side, which provoked her ire instead. That night, he had guessed that it was probably Yue FangZhou¡¯s after-practice bathing time, so under the cover of night, he slipped his way out of the guest room.


    He didn¡¯t really think he would see anything. If nothing else, he just wanted to anger the person that he liked, to see her face flushed with anger and embarrassment. What he didn¡¯t expect was for a white clothed person to stand behind him just when he hopped off the roof.


    He considered himself a fairly accomplished cultivator within the younger generation, but the other was able to stop him with just one technique. At that moment he thought, Could this person be an expert that was looking to kidnap one of the Water Moon Manor disciples to raise his cultivation?


    Even though he was internally worried, he still put on a sleazy expression as he mocked, ¡°We¡¯re both peeping, me on the roof, and you through the back door. How about we just mind our own businesses, yeah?¡±


    But the white clothed person unexpectedly laughed when he heard this, and his laugh was very attractive. ¡°This humble one is not the peeper, but rather the guard.¡±


    Not waiting for him to react after saying this, Bu QingYun suddenly raised his voice and shouted, ¡°Miss Yue, like you predicted, someone really did try to take a peek.¡±


    The moment he said this, Lin FaCai instantly knew this was going to be bad. Not a second later, he received a ruthless kick to his backside. Looking up, he saw a furious Yue FangZhou. ¡°Lin FaCai! You bastard, you came to peek on me1 again!¡±


    He relaxed after knowing that the mystery man was someone Yue FangZhou knew, before protecting his head in a practiced motion and painfully wailing, ¡°You¡¯re bound to become my wife anyways, what¡¯s wrong with me taking a look?¡±


    Yue FangZhou grew up with him and was already used to his shameless display, but today, he was still spouting the same nonsense in front of that person. She couldn¡¯t help but become more angry, her hits becoming harder as a result. ¡°Who is your wife already?! I¡¯ll beat you to death, you shameless fatty!¡±


    ¡°Mercy! You¡¯re murdering your own husband ah!¡±


    After she finished beating the crap out of him, Yue FangZhou suddenly realised that her behaviour wasn¡¯t in-line with the famed, virtuous lady image. She turned, only to find the white-clothed young warrior trying to hold back his laugh as he watched the two of them, and became more embarrassed. She hurried to explain, ¡°Bu-shixiong, it¡¯s only the older generation¡¯s wish that we get together, I didn¡¯t agree yet, I¡­ I¡­¡±


    It was at this time that Lin FaCai knew. So this was the Bu QingYun that all the elders praised.


    The women of the Water Moon Manor were all remarkable beauties. So even though Yue FangZhou was a little young, she had an innocent blooming allure. But Bu QingYun didn¡¯t have any reaction whatsoever, only politely and somewhat awkwardly replying, ¡°It¡¯s good that Miss Yue is fine. Be more cautious of the roofs when taking a bath in the future.¡±


    Lin FaCai had never seen Yue FangZhou like this. He watched as the barbaric young lady that would hunt him down daily suddenly retracted all her fangs and claws and became as gentle as a cat begging for people to love them. Too bad this person actually ignored her.


    His heart was a little sour, since he obviously wouldn¡¯t be happy if Bu QingYun paid attention to her, but at the same time such indifference still made him angry. Not knowing what to do, he could only indignantly complain, ¡°What¡¯s so good about this type of pretty boy? How come all you women immediately become shy and fidgety when you see him?¡±


    ¡°Probably because he looks handsome?¡±


    Lin FaCai was just about to retort, before he registered that it was actually a male¡¯s voice. He raised his head and saw that it was the sword-wielding2young warrior himself who said this. Suddenly, everything that he wanted to say was swallowed back in, opting to glare at him instead. ¡°Bro, a respected Xuanmen Da Shixiong such as yourself should want a little more face, okay?¡±


    Towards this, Bu QingYun levelled an incomparably upright gaze, as if controlling all the evils in the world to look at him. His tone was very upright and sincere, ¡°My apologies, we Xuanmen disciples have always been relatively honest.¡±


    Never could he have imagined that the Xuanmen Da Shixiong everyone held as the model of morality was a narcissist in private! Lin FaCai felt that he was a little ready to collapse and immediately tugged on Yue FangZhou¡¯s sleeves as he advised, ¡°FangZhou, you should quickly give up on this man. Just look at that shameless expression, he¡¯s clearly the type that can marry his own reflection! Where would he have the eyes for women?¡±


    What replied him was a pink fist as well as the young lady¡¯s resentful scolding, ¡°Shut up, you stupid fatty! If you slander Bu-shixiong one more time, I will beat you!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re already beating me!¡±


    At that time, it was because Lin FaCai was fed too many pills and treasures that his body presented a fatty¡¯s physique. This carried on until he reached the Nascent Soul Stage where he was finally able to digest all of that pure energy and also became handsome and imposing.


    However, occasionally when he dreamt at night, he would remember that period of youth that had already passed years ago. Where he was still the little fatty being chased everywhere by Yue FangZhou, and everytime they laughed, that white-robed young man would be on the side, watching them as he held his sword.


    Thinking about it now, Bu QingYun was no older than sixteen at the time, how could he not enjoy liveliness? It was only because he was Xuanmen¡¯s Da Shixiong that he had to keep a dignified and solemn appearance. For him to joke with them every once in a while was already a very rarely indulged impudence.


    All in all, Bu QingYun only spent four short years walking in the Jianghu. And in these four years, he spent half the time resting from his travels at the Water Moon Manor and Thousand Treasures Sect. Lin FaCai thought, Even though they were love rivals, they could still be considered friends.


    But today, he had no choice but to gather everyone together to besiege this former friend.


    Sitting in front of the desk, he watched as the candle flame swayed from the night breeze. A luxuriously dressed middle-aged man fiddled with his abacus blankly as events of the past followed the dance of the candle light and floated up into recent memory. Eventually leading up to a deep sigh. ¡°Who could have thought that the fakely proper young man would become what he is now.¡±


    Hearing his lament, the expression on the woman sitting in front of the bed also fluctuated. Despite already being a mother, the eyes of the Water-Moon Immortal were still as alluring as ever. And because she had aged, she gained a touch of having looked past mortal affairs, only serving to make her seem all the more ethereally beautiful.


    It¡¯s just, at this moment, she tightly held the clothes her beloved son left behind with eyes full of worry. She could only lightly say, ¡°Don¡¯t think about it anymore, the past is the past. What we need to do now is rescue Xuan¡¯er.¡±


    They were also century-old Jianghu veterans, how could they not sense that there was something wrong with this situation? However, their child had already entered the Palace of Bliss, what good would pursuing this matter do now? No one was more aware of the taboo between He Huan and Xuanmen; they were just afraid that Lin Xuan was facing a fate worse than death after having been caught by He Huan.


    As long as she thought that the son she treasured could possibly be suffering under the Palace of Bliss¡¯s torture, her heart would hurt as if someone took a knife and twisted it in her heart. Compared to such pain, the pain from the injuries she received when she tried to stop Bu QingYun from leaving was completely negligible.


    Just as Lin FaCai wanted to go comfort his wife, the sound of tiles breaking suddenly came from the roof. If they were ordinary people, they¡¯d naturally not notice, but this pair of husband and wife were both in the late-stage Nascent Soul realm.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look.¡±


    Sharing a look with each other, he gestured to her to be careful before grabbing his golden calculator and silently flew out the window.


    In those days, He Huan finished off many enemies through assassination. Towards this particular skill set, the Three Great Sects naturally made lengthy preparations against it. Each and every residence was laid full of arrays, so needless to say, the Sect Head¡¯s residence was secure to the point where the average cultivator wouldn¡¯t even be able to enter. The only way in was if the intruder¡¯s cultivation exceeded everyone present.


    In his heart, Lin FaCai already vaguely guessed who the intruder was. He landed on the roof apprehensively, but was stunned by the scene in front of him. He felt as if he had been returned to the past for a moment.


    With the moon hanging high over the sky and the night as cold as water, the white-clothed man stood silently alone under the moonlight. The night breeze lifting the white cloth of the veiled hat, revealing that person¡¯s unchanged face. It was still the same calm-as-water eyes and jade-like features, even the CaiYun Sword attached to his waist was the same as before.


    Seeing that he arrived, that person turned towards him and chuckled. His words were no longer calculated, only leaving behind the rash frivolousness of playing life. ¡°There¡¯s no beauty taking a bath tonight, what brings Patriarch Lin to the roof?¡±


    Ever since He Huan fell to demonic cultivation, he stopped using the sword and never wore white clothes. He avoided everything related to Xuanmen to the point where he wasted a demonic cultivator¡¯s cultivation just for mentioning those two words. The Bu QingYun in his memories no longer existed.


    Lin FaCai thought, This person definitely can¡¯t be He Huan. But if he isn¡¯t, then who is this that possesses a level of cultivation that even makes me feel apprehensive? Looking at the other, he became even more alert. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Yet, he couldn¡¯t maintain his composure for much longer because just when he said this, a young man burrowed straight into him. It was fine to not be able to recognise He Huan, but it was impossible to not recognise his own blood son. He immediately held his son, examining everything. ¡°Xuan¡¯er! Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Lin FaCai¡¯s heart suddenly leapt to his throat the moment Lin Xuan spat out this word, but the next sentence put it back down. ¡°He made me sweep the floor, wash the laundry, and even made me clean the lavatory!¡±


    Were the demonic cultivators so merciful these days? A captured righteous disciple only needed to do chores?


    Inspecting his son again in confusion, Lin FaCai saw he really hadn¡¯t received any sort of injury or been drugged with any poison, he was only a bit thinner. He knew his son¡¯s temper very well, as long as he opened his mouth to speak, he would definitely anger He Huan. Yet he returned in good condition. Lin FaCai still thought he was dreaming. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    His question stunned Lin Xuan. He originally thought that after his father saw him like this, he would ruthlessly curse out that He Huan, but he actually said ¡°that¡¯s it¡±? Never in his life had he ever done something like cleaning the lavatory! Was this his father or not?


    He Huan understood Lin FaCai¡¯s confusion. After all, even if it were him, he also wouldn¡¯t believe that he would let off a Xuanmen disciple. That time, if it hadn¡¯t been for He Ku instinctively waking up at the mention of Xuanmen, this Lin Xuan definitely wouldn¡¯t be alive.


    Perhaps, inexorably, this was the past Bu QingYun stopping him from harming Xuanmen disciples. Even without memories, even though his personality wasn¡¯t the same, that unexplainable sense of responsibility was already carved into He Ku¡¯s being.


    Feeling his dantian¡¯s position, for some reason, He Huan slightly wished that He Ku was standing beside him. However, Nascent Soul stage cultivators would already be able to see him, so in the end, he couldn¡¯t let his Yuan Ying out to play.


    It was only a fleeting thought before he faced his old friend alone. He still wore a smile, but for some reason, it made people shiver. ¡°It wasn¡¯t He Huan who let off your son, but rather Bu QingYun who saved him. Be glad that his luck is good.¡±


    Outsiders naturally didn¡¯t understand what he meant, so when this fell into Lin FaCai¡¯s ears, he only thought that He Huan still remembered their old friendship. Seeing his expression, he laughed. ¡°See? Everything in the world has a course. Back then, you were the one holding a sword on the roof, while I held my wife. Now, I¡¯m holding my son, but you are still only holding your sword. Of the two of us, I think I¡¯ve won this round.¡±


    His words moved something in He Huan¡¯s heart, but just when he was about to speak, a woman in yellow leapt onto the roof. Although she was older, her voice, face, and smile were the same as before. She scolded Lin FaCai the moment she grabbed him, ¡°Old thing, what did you see to keep you up here for so long?¡±


    ¡°Mother! They¡¯re bullying me!¡±


    Lin Xuan instantly perked up after seeing her arrive, throwing himself over. Yet Yue FangZhou had never been some delicate woman. After sweeping her awareness over the flying mass and confirming that it was indeed her son, she released a series of reprimands, scaring him back into his father¡¯s arms. ¡°Silence! Brat, you actually dared to saunter into the Palace of Bliss alone? Watch if I don¡¯t break your legs later!¡±


    Seeing her, He Huan was rendered temporarily speechless. At least he knew where Lin Xuan¡¯s temper came from.


    However, it had always been so since they were young. Although everyone said the Yue sisters fancied Bu QingYun, but whenever they were all together, Yue FangZhou always went to play fight with Lin FaCai, and Yue LingJing had always teased the silent Bu YaoLian. Only he stood to the side as he maintained the air of Xuanmen¡¯s Da Shixiong, unable to get close to anyone.


    Actually, wasn¡¯t it the same even after becoming He Huan? Sure, the disciples dared to tease him and share a few jokes, but no one dared to be excessively close to him because of his identity. However, now that he thought about it, even if someone were willing to become close to him, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to trust them. He could only trust himself.


    Just like in the past, He Huan just stood by and quietly watched them. Sure enough, after examining her son, Yue FangZhou stepped forward, her speech becoming dignified with no hint of her previous shrewishness. She became the respectable Deputy Manor Lady that everyone admired. ¡°Thank you, Palace Master He, for not taking offense at my son¡¯s actions. To what do I owe the pleasure of the palace master¡¯s visit?¡±


    Knowing that this moment of reminiscence would pass by quickly, He Huan didn¡¯t feel that it was a pity. He softly replied, ¡°You like to bicker with each other, right? This master hopes that you will continue to bicker. It¡¯d be best you¡¯d ignore everything no matter what happens outside.¡±


    They were all smart people and understood the meaning of his request¡­


    He didn¡¯t expect to be completely ignored. Yue FangZhou just politely replied, ¡°I understand, Palace Master. Since my son is safe, the Water Moon Manor and Myriad Treasures Hall would naturally withdraw from the campaign.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Nodding to her, He Huan prepared to leave since he couldn¡¯t think of anything else to say.


    Seeing the two interact as if they were strangers, Lin FaCai, who wanted to alleviate the atmosphere, also didn¡¯t know what to say. He sighed. ¡°Is this necessary¡­?¡±


    Perhaps it was his sigh that had stirred up something or the memories of youth had finally resurfaced, but seeing that person about to leave, Yue FangZhou was suddenly returned to 80 years ago at this very Sky Veil Town. Back then, she had asked a question, and today, she couldn¡¯t help but to ask again, ¡°Palace Master, Bu QingYun, have you ever regretted?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t.¡±


    The same answer, and just like before, he dissolved into the endless night alone. Taking nothing and leaving nothing behind.


    End of Chapter 20


    ThisBro: Merry Christmas y¡¯all! Stay happy and safe!


    I (ÀÏÄï) ¨C in the original, she uses an arrogant way (laoniang) to refer to herself; it¡¯s similar to using laozi, but for women.

 CH 21

    Translator: THISBRO


    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: Bubbles


    As it was the Three Great Sect¡¯s territory they visited, it was naturally He Huan, with his higher cultivation, that took care of everything. Usually, He Huan would just fly leisurely on a cloud, but today He Ku finally experienced this person¡¯s power. Within a puff of smoke, they became formless and melded into the night quietly. The pitch-black demonic energy concealed them extremely well, so much so, that even if they passed by someone on the street, nobody would have been able to notice that a living person just walked by. But how come He Huan was flying higher and higher?


    Sensing that He Huan¡¯s state was a little unstable, He Ku couldn¡¯t help but worry after remembering the Technique of Bliss¡¯ flaw. Yet, He Huan continued to leap, each step exceeding the one before. Just when He Ku wondered if they were going to break through the atmosphere, they finally stopped. He Huan signed a technique with his hands and a cloud floated over. He slowly laid down and looked at his Yuan Ying who had been so worried that he came out of his body. It was only then that he revealed his usual smile. ¡°I wanted to enjoy the moon. It¡¯s quieter up here.¡±


    Once a cultivator reaches the Foundation Building stage, they would be able to fly on a sword. After forming the Nascent Soul they would be able to command the winds and use clouds as transportation. However, even like this their bodies were still made of flesh, so to be able to breathe uninhibited at such a high altitude just to enjoy the moon, probably only He Huan, as a Calamity Crossing stage cultivator, would do this. Looking at it now, they really had flown extremely high. Underneath them was a sea of clouds, not a single building in sight. Directly above them was the round and full moon, as if you¡¯d be able to touch it just by reaching out. He Ku had never seen the moon from such a close distance, the uninhibited glow spilled onto the tranquil clouds indeed felt beautiful, but it was very lonely to stay in such a soundless space.


    He was just preoccupied with watching the sea of clouds when He Huan¡¯s calm voice gently sounded, ¡°He Ku, come here.¡±


    Knowing that He Huan¡¯s mood wasn¡¯t great, in a rare show of obedience He Ku drifted over and even sat beside him. He was about to assume the attitude of a roommate¡¯s night talk when his body suddenly tilted and he found himself lying on that person¡¯s chest. Naturally, he didn¡¯t lay down on his own accord, but rather the Great Palace Master He had been too well-behaved and couldn¡¯t stand the loneliness anymore, so he had directly pulled him down. But what did he hope to gain from holding his literal mirror image?


    Absolutely lost on what was happening, He Ku used his current intangible state and sank through He Huan. He reemerged on the other side of the cloud like he was swimming before asking, ¡°Why did you suddenly hug me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s slightly cold tonight, so I wanted to hold something warm.¡±


    Although his face was calm as he answered, He Huan also felt a little strange. In the past, he had only needed to meditate until he was calm inside to enjoy the moon. So how come he suddenly wanted to hold something today? Now that he thought about it, after his tribulation, he hadn¡¯t called on anyone to serve him in bed, instead spending all of his time staying with He Ku. Could it be that his body couldn¡¯t hold it back anymore? Or did Lin FaCai¡¯s sentence about only holding a sword affect him more than he thought? Ridiculous. What kind of beauty had He Huan not held that he was even jealous of a brutish wife and an idiot son?


    After all, He Huan had already lived a hundred years. He knew that for this thought to come to him it meant that he really was affected. These kinds of feelings couldn¡¯t be kept, and he immediately shook his head at He Ku. ¡°No matter. Later, you go ahead and sleep first; I¡¯m going to find Xiu Niang.¡±


    As soon as this was said, how could He Ku not know that this was because He Huan was about to do something unsuitable for children and was asking him to leave? Although they were both consenting and it didn¡¯t affect him or violate any laws, he was still unhappy. Unable to understand why he¡¯d suddenly become so prudish, He Ku took it as his unwillingness to let a good conversational partner like Xiu Niang be pestered by He Huan. He gracelessly dropped down beside He Huan and said, ¡°What do you intend to do by running into some lady¡¯s room? I¡¯ve come, just take it as your own right hand and put up with it.¡±


    He Huan really didn¡¯t expect him to come over. After all, it didn¡¯t matter if it was Bu QingYun or He Ku, they both had a thin face in this regard. However, even though he was open enough, he wasn¡¯t at the point where he could even develop those intentions towards his own Yuan Ying. Now that they were lying side by side, he only felt novelty. He leaned on his side and looked at the person beside him carefully, before pretending to be puzzled. ¡°So it turns out that I was fine with men even when I was a youth?¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? I¡¯m just accompanying you to watch the moon.¡±


    He was anxious when he said this. He turned his head and saw that He Huan had taken off his veil at some point. His long black hair draped along his ears and fell onto the clouds, while his already excellent facial features became more apparent under the moonlight. Those deep water-like eyes stared at him intensely, even the raised eyebrow from his intrigue was filled with temptation. In this situation, if it was not him but someone else, both man or woman would not have been able to resist falling into his arms. Unfortunately, he saw this face in the mirror every day, so his immediate reaction was to scoff. ¡°What are you? In heat? You can¡¯t even resist your right hand?¡±


    Seeing his expression, He Huan¡¯s mood finally became a little better and he laughed. ¡°I¡¯m just teasing you. I just feel a little unpleasant after seeing those two.¡±


    It was only then that he realised this guy was pretending again to scare him. Internally, He Ku cursed some people¡¯s lack of integrity, but still stayed beside him and replied, ¡°So now you know that being single is terrible, huh? You get abused just by looking at married couples.¡±


    His description was very fitting. He Huan smiled and only said, ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen them, I¡¯m not used to it anymore.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I here to keep you company? If your mood is bad, just talk more. What¡¯s the use in drowning in wine?¡±


    The one thing that He Ku couldn¡¯t bear to see was this insincere smile of his. The moment he finished advising, he immediately jabbed his elbow in He Huan¡¯s direction, only to helplessly watch as it completely passed through him. He couldn¡¯t help but feel depressed. ¡°You can touch me, but I can¡¯t touch you. This isn¡¯t fair at all.¡±


    Seeing him like this, He Huan smiled again and comforted, ¡°Once you get to the Nascent Soul Stage, you¡¯d be able to touch spirit bodies. At that time, I¡¯ll let you touch me as much as you want to.¡±


    ¡°Bah! Why would I want to touch you?¡±


    He Ku swore that he didn¡¯t have a hobby of touching himself, but before he could say anything, He Huan put his hand on his shoulder. At first he just rubbed a few times, then it slowly went into his collar. He was clearly a spirit body, but he actually felt the temperature of human fingertips. He Ku unconsciously shivered, while cursing in his heart. Was He Huan a werewolf? After being under the moon, did he turn into a wolf? We only just spoke a few words and he was horny again?


    He naturally wouldn¡¯t let this situation continue to develop and immediately reminded him, ¡°Hey, where are you touching?¡±


    He Huan paused after he mentioned this, his hand still pressed on the other¡¯s shoulder and actually said something sensible, ¡°I just noticed that I wasn¡¯t born with especially sturdy-looking shoulders. They seem unable to carry the weight of the world.¡±


    He Ku really thought that he had misunderstood He Huan¡¯s intentions, but this guy added another line of nonsense right after, ¡°However, this collarbone developed very well. It makes people want to touch it the moment they see it.¡±


    When this was spoken, He Ku¡¯s face instantly darkened, once again reminding him, ¡°Hey, snap out of it, this collarbone is from your body.¡±


    Unexpectedly, this guy was not ashamed but instead proud, as he immediately nodded in agreement. ¡°Naturally, what I have is the best in the world. Remember to take a closer look next time you take a shower.¡±


    Such thick skin even had He Ku, someone who claimed to not need face, admitting defeat. He could only sigh in admiration. ¡°I have to admit, between the two of us, you are the most shameless one.¡±


    Even though he said it as a joke, He Huan also felt that he was a little strange today, like why he constantly felt the need to touch He Ku to confirm his existence. Even though he knew that He Ku was just a segment of his soul that he split off and that he couldn¡¯t be considered a ¡®real¡¯ person, that if anything happened to himself, he would have to reabsorb him to supplement his cultivation. But there were times when he felt he couldn¡¯t bear to turn him back into the silent Nascent Soul in his body that stored his cultivation. Perhaps it was because their temperaments were so different, to the extent He Ku felt increasingly like a real person. Probably, it had been too long since he felt companionship.


    He Huan sighed, finally cooperating. Languidly looking at the moon, old memories flitted past and he unconsciously said out loud, ¡°Back then, whenever I watched Lin FaCai and Yue FangZhou quarreling, I was actually very envious. At that time, I thought how great it would be if there was such a person who could quarrel with me. There was one time when I watched them and my heart itched, so when I returned to my sect, I purposely argued with Bu YaoLian. He was so scared that his face went deathly pale, even thinking that I had been possessed.¡±


    He Ku didn¡¯t expect him to be so calm when bringing up Xuanmen events. He hesitated and then asked, ¡°Bu YaoLian is Lin Xuan¡¯s shifu?¡±


    He Huan also didn¡¯t intend to recall those things, but he knew that here at this Demon Extermination Campaign, he was destined to meet many old acquaintances, so he told He Ku the truth, ¡°He and I were both brought back to the Xuanmen Righteous Sect by our shizun and have lived together since childhood. He was often broody and not talkative; he didn¡¯t even dare to tell our shizun when he was bullied. As for me, I was like you before the age of eighteen. I liked novel things and bustle. I couldn¡¯t be shut inside. When I was a kid, it would always be me talking and him listening, but later on when I started to talk less, there was nothing to say.¡±


    As for the time after he had officially become the Xuanmen Righteous Sect¡¯s Da Shixiong, he had slowly become the ¡®studious¡¯ Bu QingYun, and later, under the trial of time, he became the current He Huan who sat alone beyond the clouds to watch the moon.


    No matter how calm He Huan was, in the end, it still wasn¡¯t a good memory. When he stopped speaking, He Ku didn¡¯t pester him, only sighing. ¡°You even said that I was misfortune, but weren¡¯t you also thinking about Xuanmen all these years?¡±


    ¡°At the very least, in the years that I have been on the demonic path, Xuanmen has never opposed me.¡± At his base, He Huan was an optimist. Although he mentioned his past, he didn¡¯t become depressed, gliding over it with a smile. He quietly said, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about such dispiriting matters. I am a demonic cultivator, so Xuanmen is correct to not associate with me.¡±


    He Ku thought just the other day that he was depressed because of the Xuanmen Righteous Sect, but now he¡¯d already moved past it. With He Huan¡¯s mood-regulating ability, it was no wonder that he could practice the Technique of Bliss to the Calamity Crossing Stage. He didn¡¯t know how much he had to have gone through before he could regard the matters of the world with such triviality.


    Perhaps it was the connection from being two people of the same mind, but he got the inkling that He Huan didn¡¯t want the silence to linger. After thinking about it, He Ku continued to lay side by side with him and exclaimed, ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange? According to logic, there shouldn¡¯t be any feeling when we touch each other, like using your left hand to hold your right hand. But I can¡¯t help thinking that it¡¯s much better than watching the moon alone. When you were gone these past three days, I felt a little unused to it.¡±


    This was also the first time He Huan had talked with someone while moon watching. Looking towards the moon hanging in the sky, he became uncharacteristically serious. ¡°I¡¯d always come up here whenever I felt unhappy. I¡¯d tell myself that some people wouldn¡¯t even be able to see the sight in front of me in their entire lifetime. What happened has already happened, there¡¯s no way for me to change it. Besides, I¡¯m living well right now. Although I¡¯m no longer Bu QingYun, the goal of world peace that he did everything for, I still accomplished it. Even if I¡¯m a little regretful that the character I play in this story isn¡¯t very glamorous.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s always a good guy and a bad guy in things like stories. Since the good guy that Xuanmen is playing is already performed well enough, then we can make the bad guys seem a little less bad, right?¡±


    This was the first time He Huan had admitted to someone else that everything he had done on the demonic side really had a purpose, but He Ku seemed to have guessed it a long time ago. Although he replied in a joking tone, his expression was extremely serious. He used his shoulder to nudge He Huan, and continued, ¡°Actually, it doesn¡¯t matter if life is a bit regretful. Isn¡¯t the moon beautiful? But when you really go up, you will find that there¡¯s only a bunch of rocks up there, no laurel tree or Chang¡¯e. It¡¯s not beautiful in the slightest.¡±


    Everything that He Ku knew came from his body, so how could He Huan not know what space looked like? But all he did was tap on the air in front of them and the faint shadow of a laurel tree appeared on the moon. He smiled. ¡°How would you know that what¡¯s in front of you isn¡¯t an illusion? Who knows, maybe after we ascend, we¡¯d find out that there really is a Moon Palace up there.¡±


    Fully aware that what he was seeing before him was the actual illusion, He Ku also became excited, agreeing, ¡°You¡¯re right, if there really is a celestial up there, I¡¯ll just eat mooncakes while you go flirt with Chang¡¯e; if it really is nothing but stone, I¡¯ll use it and smack you. No matter what, we¡¯ll always be together, no one has to be alone, forced to hold a rabbit and miss your man.¡±


    Perhaps it was because he was happy, or perhaps it was because he hadn¡¯t heard the word ¡®together¡¯ in a long time, but something changed in He Huan¡¯s eyes. He leaned over to kiss He Ku¡¯s forehead without thinking. Looking at their shared face make such a startled expression, he didn¡¯t find anything wrong as he promised, ¡°Ok, then I will bring you to leave this realm.¡±

 CH 22

    Translator: THISBRO


    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: Bubbles


    He Huan was very casual with this kiss. When they returned to the inn, he even cheerfully drank a small cup of wine before going back into the dantian to cultivate, leaving a solidified He Ku alone in the room. He was frozen for a while before realizing that this bastard had left without giving a single explanation. He had even said that his current mood was extremely conducive to cultivating. What did that mean? Unless¡­He Huan had already reached the point where his lack of moral standards could even let him develop intentions towards himself?


    His thoughts were a mess because of what He Huan did, so he ended up circling around the room. Finally unable to brush it off, he quickly felt his way into his co-conspirator¡¯s room to seek an answer.


    And so, a white figure appeared in the perfectly straight You Jiang¡¯s bed in the dead of night. You Jiang instinctively sought the war fan stashed underneath his pillow when the white figure turned to face him, revealing his Palace Master¡¯s sleazy face. In an interrogating tone, the Palace Master asked, ¡°You Jiang, you are the straightest guy I know in the Palace. I ask you, if I were to lie beside you with this face, would you feel tempted to jump me?¡±


    Of course, the one who did all this couldn¡¯t be He Huan. He knew that this must be another phase the Little Palace Master was going through. Just as he was going to defend his sexuality, he raised his head and saw that face.


    He Huan formed his Nascent Soul at the age of twenty, and ever since then, his appearance hadn¡¯t changed. Normally, he never paid any attention to this, but now that he actually took an objective look, he noticed that although the Little Palace Master had the same exquisite eyebrows, bright eyes, and peerless appearance, the charm in He Huan¡¯s eyes that made people feel like they were falling into an abyss was completely replaced by a cleanliness that was like the sky on a clear summer day. All that had changed was their expressions, but unexpectedly, it forcefully twisted the Palace Master¡¯s bewitching and wild temperament into a fresh handsomeness. Everyone in the palace knew that He Huan accepted both men and women indiscriminately, but only the enforcers knew that He Huan actually preferred young men with a clean disposition. For example, Yun Ce. It was only his straightforward spirit that had attracted He Huan in the first place. However, it seemed that there was no youth more to the Palace Master¡¯s taste than himself.


    You Jiang naturally didn¡¯t say this to He Ku¡¯s face, instead he sighed. ¡°Little Palace Master, so it turns out I¡¯m your type?¡±


    If this were He Huan then he wouldn¡¯t obey even if he was beaten to death, but He Ku clearly didn¡¯t look like a top¡­ Not that it mattered who topped or bottomed once the lights were off, so sacrificing himself was still somewhat acceptable. Thinking so, You Jiang wore a face of false bravado as he began to unfasten his clothes. ¡°Whatever, for the demonic side¡¯s grand vision, what harm is there in sacrificing myself tonight?¡±


    Never did he expect that this would be the result even after picking the most stubbornly heterosexual man in the whole palace. He Ku became even more worried. ¡°This face really has such destructive power? Even straights could be bent? No wonder He Huan was unable to resist.¡±


    The moment He Ku said this, all of You Jiang¡¯s movements stopped. Even his voice trembled as he asked, ¡°You and the Palace Master, you two? Is this even possible?¡±


    It couldn¡¯t be¡­ he thought, the Palace Master already made a move? He couldn¡¯t really have held it for so long that he wouldn¡¯t even let off his own Nascent Soul, right? How do two of the same people even do that sort of thing? Such unconventionality, such unorthodoxy, it simply left onlookers stunned in amazement. The Palace Master truly was worthy of being the strongest demonic cultivator, it was them who had lost.


    Completely oblivious that this person¡¯s line of thinking had already taken a high-speed express train to the ends of space, He Ku saw his increasingly amazed face and became further convinced that he wasn¡¯t being too paranoid. He asked in distress, ¡°He Huan kissed me just now, what do you think he means by this?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The same incredulous sound, but this time it was made up of several layers.


    He Ku turned his head in response to the sound only to see Qian Ren with one foot on the window sill, Xiu Niang in the corner with a robe draped over her, and a Yun Ce who had fallen from the roof beam. The three people all had an expression of shock as if they had seen a ghost.


    Seeing them all, You Jiang¡¯s lips couldn¡¯t help but twitch as he helplessly said, ¡°Why are you all running into my room in the middle of the night?¡±


    ¡°Yun Ce and I were betting whether or not you would bed the Palace Master,¡± Looking at him directly, Xiu Niang answered very honestly.


    ¡°My original purpose was to prevent a fight from breaking out and revealing our identities.¡± As someone who had firmly believed that You Jiang wouldn¡¯t bed the Palace Master, Qian Ren¡¯s face was the most interesting, like his understanding of the second enforcer had just been washed over. ¡°But how could I have known that you would be willing to sacrifice your body for the cause? When the Palace Master wakes up, he definitely wouldn¡¯t mind helping you fulfill your wish.¡±


    You Jiang shuddered the moment this was said. If He Huan really took it seriously then he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep his virtue past the night. He instantly raged, ¡°Shut up! If you dare tell the Palace Master, I¡¯ll gut you!¡±


    The two threw glares at each other as Xiu Niang watched their shenanigans. Yun Ce finally pulled himself up from the floor and felt his way over to He Ku, curiously asking, ¡°Ignore them. Tell me, what technique does the Palace Master use to kiss people?¡±


    Not expecting him to ask this question, He Ku blinked owlishly. ¡°Kissing the forehead also requires technique?¡±


    Forehead?


    Everyone¡¯s focus turned to the Little Palace Master¡¯s white little forehead, before all leaving to their own rooms. Even You Jiang had simply collapsed back onto his bed and pulled up the sheets as he said, ¡°Scatter, scatter, return to sleep.¡±


    Although they didn¡¯t show it, He Ku could clearly feel their displeasure. In order to prove that he wasn¡¯t making a fuss over nothing, he hurried to open his mouth. ¡°Wait, don¡¯t you guys find it strange? Who would randomly kiss someone on the forehead?¡±


    They all stared at him with the same look as they said nothing, using their actions to replace words.


    Qian Ren offhandedly plucked a cat from the roof and kissed its forehead; Xiu Niang pulled Yun Ce over and kissed him, even leaving a lip mark; Yun Ce looked left and right for a target before running to the bed and kissing You Jiang on the cheek, completing the telephone; as for You Jiang, he didn¡¯t continue to agitate He Ku in favour of holding down Yun Ce and beating him up.


    Fine, with the Palace of Bliss¡¯ loose style, a kiss to the forehead was probably on the same level as the most common greeting.


    Through everyone¡¯s personal demonstration, He Ku finally confirmed that He Huan didn¡¯t have any other intentions. However, he worried that to him it was like Qian Ren, teasing a small kitten or puppy. If it really was like that, then wasn¡¯t his status a little too low? Qian Ren knew He Huan the best, and He Ku felt that his guess was the closest. Immediately, his chest felt stuffy. Waving his hand to everyone, he said, ¡°I thought too much. Go back to sleep.¡±


    He had thought that they would be able to leave after this, but when he looked to the group, Qian Ren actually came in from the window. ¡°Since we¡¯re all here, we might as well discuss before we leave.¡±


    Hearing this, Yun Ce had a face of confusion. ¡°Weren¡¯t we here to eavesdrop?¡±


    Qian Ren was also speechless towards this new enforcer, only correcting, ¡°You guys came to eavesdrop; I¡¯m here to report information.¡±


    Once again confirming that only the Head Enforcer and Second Enforcer did any real work within the palace, He Ku silently sighed as he went to get a seat for Xiu Niang and himself to listen.


    As it turned out, after He Huan brought Lin Xuan away, Qian Ren had also infiltrated into the inn the Three Great Sects were residing in. There, he found out that Xuanmen had only booked two rooms, and when he went up to check it out there was only a young man and woman. Their faces were extremely unfamiliar, this was probably their first expedition. Their cultivation was merely at the Golden Core stage. Within the younger generation, they would be classified as geniuses, but they were far from the level needed to represent Xuanmen. Qian Ren subconsciously felt that there was something wrong with this, so he went back to report it to He Huan before bumping into the current scene.


    Listening to Qian Ren¡¯s intel on the arrangements of the various sects, He Ku once again got a sense of how powerful this ¡°Number One Mercenary¡± was. To be able to gather so much information with none the wiser, it could be imagined what would happen if he was there to kill people. However, the two Xuanmen disciples really were too strange. He Ku immediately asked, ¡°Is Lin Xuan¡¯s relationship to his sect this bad?¡±


    Shaking his head at him, Qian Ren returned earnestly, ¡°His disciple was kidnapped, so even if it¡¯s just for the face of Xuanmen, Swordsman Yao can¡¯t possibly ignore it. I think there¡¯s something else going on.¡±


    Of course there was a problem with what was happening at Xuanmen, but You Jiang looked at He Ku and still asked, ¡°Are you sure we want to discuss these peculiarities in front of the Little Palace Master?¡±


    Even He Ku was able to hear the disdain in these words, rubbing his nose awkwardly. But immediately following that he heard Xiu Niang shoot back, ¡°And you dare to talk about Xuanmen in front of the Palace Master?¡±


    Talking about Xuanmen in front of He Huan? The last person who did that was Lin Xuan, who would have become crippled had it not been for He Ku. With a clear precedent laid out, they naturally wouldn¡¯t go courting death, so both of them were silent.


    Seeing them like this, He Ku sighed and said to himself that it was still this big sister who was the best. He smiled, very clear on his role. ¡°You guys talk, I¡¯ll pass it on.¡±


    Although You Jiang often let himself go, he was still quite reliable when it came down to business. He leaned on the bed in thought, then asked, ¡°Is the Xuanmen delayed on the road?¡±


    Qian Ren¡¯s eyes moved as he looked at him. ¡°With Swordsman Yao¡¯s cultivation being second only to Qing XuZi¡¯s, it would take a Calamity Crossing cultivator to be able to stop him without letting anyone catch wind of it.¡±


    Silently exchanging a glance with him, You Jiang¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Qian Ren,¡± he asked, ¡°with the relationship between our master and Xuanmen, what would you do if Xuanmen launched a full-on assault on the Palace?¡±


    As soon as this question came out, there was almost no hesitation. Qian Ren immediately answered, ¡°Kill or trap Swordsman Yao at all costs.¡±


    The two reached an agreement. You Jiang curled up his mouth into a sneer, ¡°Because it is considered impossible, once it is done, everyone would assume that it was the Palace Master who did it. It seems that in this battle between righteous and demonic, there are people who are even more bloodthirsty than me.¡±


    After listening to their analysis, He Ku was 80% certain that a large pot would come hurtling towards him. Similarly helpless, he could only remark, ¡°This really is a case of blame falling from the sky when I haven¡¯t even done anything yet.¡±


    Naturally, no one wanted to carry the responsibility of taking Qing XuZi out of seclusion. After thinking for a moment, Qian Ren said decisively, ¡°You Jiang, you go back to the palace and gather people to investigate where Swordsman Yao is. I will see if I can find out what¡¯s up with those two Xuanmen disciples.¡±


    Then he looked at the people around him again and ordered the irrelevant people away, ¡°Xiu Niang, you take the Little Palace Master and Yun Ce back. You Jiang and I will discuss some more details.¡±


    He Ku knew that he wouldn¡¯t be of much use due to his lack of experience in political matters, so thinking that He Huan would discuss countermeasures once he woke up, he obediently followed Xiu Niang out.


    Seeing them walk out of range, Qian Ren checked the doors and windows. When he turned back, he saw that You Jiang was already fully equipped. Not a trace of the elegant air he had during the day remained, and he could even faintly smell the scent of blood on the cloak covering his body. In his hands was his weapon, Naihe Shan, a war fan. Although he was ready to move, he didn¡¯t. Instead, he looked to Qian Ren and asked seriously, ¡°Now that we¡¯re alone, answer me honestly. Is the Palace Master really just playing around with the Little Palace Master?¡±


    It was common knowledge that Qian Ren knew He Huan the best, but the reality was that even he didn¡¯t know this time. But, seeing the earnestness in his expression, he still answered with his guess in the end, ¡°I¡¯m afraid he isn¡¯t.¡±


    As if he had already guessed this answer, the corners of You Jiang¡¯s mouth lifted into a smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t care what the Palace Master does. So long as he is still the strongest demonic cultivator then he will be my master. I just hope that he will not forget his identity, because he can¡¯t go back.¡±


    Unconsciously, the memory of He Ku meeting his gaze flashed in his mind. That distant clear sky in the depths of his soul really made him jealous. Even his tone became a little more sombre, ¡°I¡¯m just afraid that, in the end, the one he raised will be a reborn Bu QingYun.¡±


    Assessing him, Qian Ren didn¡¯t have any expression, only emphasizing, ¡°That¡¯s still a Bu QingYun who is loyal to the Palace Master.¡±


    Fingers clenching the handle of his fan, You Jiang didn¡¯t ask anymore. He left under the cover of the night, pressing down the last question he didn¡¯t ask to the bottom of his heart.


    To take control of the world, you must be the enemy of the world. To be the one to push a version of himself who still had such clarity in his eyes into the bloodshed, Palace Master, do you really have the heart to do it?

 CH 23.1

    Translator: THISBRO


    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: Bubbles


    As the organizers of the Demon Extermination Campaign, the residence of the Three Great Sects had to be the best inn in Sky Veil Town. Although the town was situated on the borders of a desolate territory, their supply of food and clothing was comparable to any prosperous district. Naturally, it came as no surprise that not just any random cultivator could afford the prices. Most of the rooms were allocated to the Three Great Sects, but there was also no lack of cultivators who couldn¡¯t stand the crude and coarse rations they brought and came to the restaurant below the inn to eat.


    While all YuanYing stage cultivators were able to practice inedia and Golden Core cultivators could go without food for a month, this didn¡¯t stop them from tasting the local delicacies. Plus, as long as they were a large sect, they would always bring some Foundation Building disciples to gain some experience. In this way, food was indispensable, and so the first floor of the inn was quite lively.


    Just as everyone at each table was chatting, a young man in white stepped through the entrance to the inn. Xuanmen has always been associated with the colour white, and the inn was already hosting two Xuanmen disciples, so anyone¡¯s first thought would be that another Xuanmen person has come. Although the young man¡¯s clothes and decorations were simple, they were made using rare materials. There was a sharp sword hanging in a cloud-patterned silver sheath around his waist, obviously a carefully crafted spiritual weapon. With this style of dress, no one would doubt him if he said he was a Xuanmen disciple. But if that was the case, why did he have to wear a veiled hat to hide his appearance?


    Needless to say, this ¡®young man¡¯ was He Ku. Relying on the fact that he practiced Xuanmen¡¯s cultivation method, the Sword Intent of the Natural Law, he slipped into the inn the Xuanmen sect was staying at. And as expected, no one suspected his identity. Apart from the few stares he got when he first entered the door, he was ignored when he ordered breakfast and the other patrons soon lost interest.


    This was all within expectation. After all, other than his infamous face, nothing about him would lend others to believe he was associated with demonic cultivators. He was practically the best candidate to be a spy, but it was a pity that the two enforcers didn¡¯t allow him to go out. Fortunately, Yun Ce¡¯s escape tactics were extremely well-honed, so the two of them were able to slip out from the window. However, since this was the gathering place for countless righteous cultivators, Yun Ce, being a fox spirit, was too conspicuous. So he had to stay outside and wait for news.


    While he was lamenting that he and Yun Ce were becoming more and more synergized in creating trouble, He Ku also observed the people in the inn and found that nobody, in particular, seemed like a powerful person. He was wondering if he should find a table of people to ask for information when a man and a woman walked down the stairs to the first floor.


    The woman looked to be around sixteen years old. She had black waist-length hair, the locks by her temples were braided with silk headbands and fixed behind her head with a clear white begonia pin. Although she was dressed in white, she exuded an air of energy and life. As opposed to a fairy of nature, she was more like the girl next door who was preparing for an outing.


    The man who followed her looked much older. And while he was not as eye-catching as He Huan and You Jiang, he was still personable. At a glance, people would know that he was a well-educated young master from a prestigious house.


    As soon as these two people appeared, everyone knew that they were definitely Xuanmen disciples. Even He Ku couldn¡¯t help but be impressed. Let¡¯s not say how absurdly strong the Xuanmen cultivation method was, it was unrivalled just based on its effect on appearance alone. Otherwise, how would two randomly selected disciples be able to crush the combined attractiveness of the entire building?


    As He Ku was looking at them, the girl unexpectedly returned his gaze and walked straight to him. Curiously checking out the veiled hat that covered his face securely, she refreshingly cupped her hands in greeting and asked, ¡°Which sect are you from?¡±


    Who knew that before he even approached the target, she came over on her own¡ª He Ku was caught off guard. The male disciple quickly followed after her to explain, ¡°My junior sister wasn¡¯t looking to offend, but sir¡¯s style of dress is quite similar to ours, thus the question.¡±


    Well, it was no wonder they picked him out of the entire room since the only people in full white were the three of them. Initially, because he didn¡¯t have any memories of Xuanmen, He Ku had thought that he wouldn¡¯t have any feelings regarding them, but who knew that when this girl stood in front of him, he¡¯d unconsciously have a good impression of her. However, with the complicated relationship between the other party and He Huan, he still naturally stood on He Huan¡¯s side and kept his distance from Xuanmen, so he coldly replied, ¡°It¡¯s common courtesy to introduce yourself before asking for another¡¯s name, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    He¡¯d rarely treated people maliciously in the past so, knowing that his response wasn¡¯t polite, his expression under the veil became a bit stiff. Fortunately, no one could see it, so everyone only thought that this was some arrogant disciple of some sect. But to behave like this in front of the Xuanmen Righteous Sect was really disrespectful.


    However, Xuanmen disciples have never made trouble outside. Sure enough, the two of them were not angry. The male disciple replied very politely, ¡°It was we who were rude. This humble one is Lu Wen, studying under Xuanmen¡¯s Da Shixiong Swordsman Yao. This is my junior sister, Shizun¡¯s daughter.¡±


    Quickly skimming over the young girl¡¯s identity, Lu Wen thought that anyone who resided in the Jianghu should at least give her a bit of face, but he saw that the white-clothed boy was still silent. Rather, his shimei¡¯s curiosity was stronger. Unaffected by his cold attitude she asked carefreely, ¡°I¡¯m Bu LingYun, what is your name?¡±


    Bu LingYun1? There was a hint of mockery in this name¡­ What was He Huan¡¯s shidi thinking when giving his daughter this name?


    He Ku had already accepted the fact that he was once Bu QingYun, so when he heard this name, he wasn¡¯t very happy.


    He looked up and saw that the two of them had a smug look on their face. Unconsciously, he remembered He Huan¡¯s expressions when he talked to him about the past. It was an indifference from having walked through the vicissitudes of life and watched the prosperity of the world. He didn¡¯t like that look of He Huan¡¯s, so he had to work hard to cultivate and grow into a Bu Qingyun that never fell onto the demonic path. Then he would tell him that even a Bu Qingyun who had reached the Calamity Crossing stage still liked his demonic self, completely solving the knot in that person¡¯s heart.


    Finger stroking the edge of the teacup, the young man watched the tea leaves slowly rise from the bottom of the water, his eyes gradually deepening. If Qian Ren was here, he would find that his expression at this time was very much like the current He Huan¡¯s. He Ku didn¡¯t quite understand why He Huan liked to drink tea before, but now, when he brought the cup to his mouth he realised that the slightly bitter taste actually helped calm people down from complex emotional states. True, he was indeed a teenager who loved to cause trouble, but he didn¡¯t want to show that side of him to these people.


    He Ku slowly raised his eyes, his voice as he answered was very steady, ¡°Me? My name is Bu QingYun.¡±


    Bu QingYun, just three characters, but they caused the whole inn to fall into silence. No one expected to hear this name again after eighty years. Everyone focused on the white-clothed young man, seemingly wanting to see past the veil covering his face.


    Although there weren¡¯t many Nascent Soul stage cultivators present, that didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t any. After a long silence, an old veteran in blue robes coughed twice and reminded, ¡°This little brother really knows how to jest. Bu QingYun was already in the Golden Core¡¯s late-stage when he was 20 years old. After he turned to demonic cultivation, he directly entered the Nascent Soul stage. He¡¯s not someone a kid like you, who hasn¡¯t even formed their golden core, can impersonate.¡±


    He Ku knew that he wouldn¡¯t have been able to hide his cultivation level from a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, not to mention this old man was trying to help him out of potential trouble, so he didn¡¯t say anything. However, even with his identity being brushed to the side, it seemed that his words had sparked everyone¡¯s interests. A scholarly middle-aged man immediately asked, ¡°Elder LiuYun seems to know much about the events of that year. I¡¯m curious, Bu QingYun was also considered to be quite a romantic figure back then, since both Yue family sisters were practically smitten with him, so why would he rape and kill his fellow sect members?¡±


    Since cultivators who have made it to the Nascent Soul stage were all quite old, it was not surprising that he knew some details of the past. After hearing what the middle-aged man said, the old man¡¯s expression became a little awkward. Moreover, there were two Xuanmen disciples present so it was inconvenient to speak bluntly, he could only vaguely say, ¡°This is Xuanmen¡¯s internal affairs. As an outsider, I don¡¯t know enough to speak informatively on the matter.¡±


    However, just because he didn¡¯t say anything didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t other, less savoury characters who would do the same. In the next moment, a large man in black said, ¡°I heard that it was a male disciple. Not even 18 years old when he got toyed with to death by Bu QingYun. Such a pity.¡±


    Just as Xuanmen was a taboo for He Huan, Bu QingYun was Xuanmen¡¯s taboo. After hearing what they said, Bu LingYun became a little angry. Fortunately, Lu Wen was more mature and hurried to pull her to sit down at He Ku¡¯s table, whispering, ¡°Shimei, don¡¯t listen to their gossip and rumours.¡±


    He Ku glanced at them before moving his attention to the other people in the inn, also interested in how the Jianghu spread the events of the past. So he stayed silent, eating his breakfast.


    When rumours came together they were difficult to suppress. As soon as the large man mentioned it, the middle-aged scholar curiously continued, ¡°You are talking about Beauty He2?¡±


    ¡°Wait, what¡¯s this story?¡±


    Seeing the crowd¡¯s confused looks, the scholar smiled and said, ¡°You also know, Bu QingYun was the respectable Xuanmen Da Shixiong. What kind of beauty had he not seen yet? To make him lose his self-control like that, it must have been a heaven-defying beauty, right? Xuanmen is quite hush-hush over this matter, all we know is that the disciple¡¯s surname was He and that he was personally accepted into Xuanmen by Bu QingYun as an outer court disciple. So, we call him Beauty He.¡±


    When he said this, the man in black slapped his thigh in a show of comprehension. ¡°To be unmoved by the beauty of the Water Moon Manor¡¯s two sisters, he clearly didn¡¯t swing that way! Hearing you say this, I can only think that he and this so-called Beauty He were already in an improper relationship. Just that he was a little too heavy-handed that time and was found out.¡±


    End of Chapter 23.1


    THISBRO: Sorry for splitting this chapter in half, I also hate doing it, but it was way too long . Nonetheless, I hope you guys enjoyed it.


    Bu QingYun = Bu Clear Clouds; Bu LingYun = Bu Above Clouds


    This is a different ¡°He¡± (ºØ) from He Huan¡¯s (ºÎ

 CH 23.2

    Translator: THISBRO


    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: Bubbles


    Part Two


    Everyone knew about He Huan¡¯s indiscriminate preferences, and had heard that most of the male pets in the Palace of Bliss were weak and delicate young masters, so many people believed this. However, some people still had doubts. Amidst the discussion, one person asked, ¡°But how come I heard that those were crimes Bu QingYun committed during a qi deviation¡¯s spell of insanity?¡±


    The man in black was quite proud of his reasoning, so when he heard this question he retorted, ¡°Even if you haven¡¯t eaten pork, you should have at least seen pigs run. Everyone here cultivates using orthodox methods, a qi deviation would have, at most, tangled the meridians and made it harder to control one¡¯s strength. How could it lead to someone completely losing their sense of self and committing such a scandal? Unless the technique Bu QIngYun practiced was not righteous in the first place.¡±


    The two Xuanmen disciples couldn¡¯t sit still anymore. As everyone knew, Bu QingYun¡¯s cultivation method was directly derived from the sword intent of the Heavenly Dao, which was the compulsory technique for all of the Xuanmen Righteous Sect heirs. So it was the same technique Xuanmen¡¯s Da Shixiong Bu YaoLian was practicing. This person dared to question the legitimacy of Xuanmen¡¯s legacy technique, and as the daughter of Bu YaoLian, Bu LingYun couldn¡¯t just sit by and allow others to dirty its name. She stood up and angrily rebuked, ¡°Cease your nonsense! My Xuanmen Righteous Sect cultivates according to the Heavenly Laws, only people of good character can successfully cultivate it. No matter how talented someone is, as long as their heart isn¡¯t in the right place, they wouldn¡¯t be able to make any progress. Bu QingYun clearly had to have¡­ have evil intentions that rebelled against the way of heaven to have done such a thing!¡±


    The situation seemed to be normal, it was even sparked by He Ku, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel that there was something wrong with it. He stared at the middle-aged scholar and the man in black who were the most active in the discussion and saw that they suddenly looked at each other. The large man slapped the table boldly and asked Bu LingYun, ¡°Girl, then you are admitting that He Huan is an immoral demonic cultivator?¡±


    She hadn¡¯t expected him to ask this, but the words were already spoken and it was difficult to take them back. She could only hesitatingly admit, ¡°Of¡­ of course.¡±


    As if waiting for her words, the large man immediately donned an enthusiastic expression as he cupped his hands towards her. ¡°Wonderful! We were all waiting for Xuanmen to express their stance. As the daughter of the next Xuanmen Righteous Sect¡¯s Head, I, Xie LaoLiu1, believe you. Please lead us in levelling the Palace of Bliss and help the people get rid of this scourge!¡±


    Had He Ku not known about how Lin Xuan was manipulated, he would have thought that this was how Jianghu rivalries normally worked. However, with a precedent, he could tell that there was something up with those two. Although they never once commented on anything directly, they led the direction of the discussion at every turning point, even forcing Bu LingYun to take a stance through barbed praises for Xuanmen¡¯s reputation. They were clearly very experienced in doing this sort of thing. It seemed that the Heaven¡¯s Library Pavilion was not satisfied with just scheming against Lin Xuan, they now wanted a repeat with these Xuanmen disciples.


    Bu YaoLian clearly didn¡¯t spoil his daughter as much as the Lin family¡¯s couple. Seeing the current development, Bu LingYun also sensed that something was wrong. She quickly tugged on Lu Wen¡¯s sleeve for help. ¡°Shixiong, Daddy told us not to interfere with anything about the Palace of Bliss until he arrived, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, let me.¡±


    Patting her hand, Lu Wen stepped forward with a solemn expression and sharp gaze. His eyes swept across the hall and the noise finally died down. Seeing no one speak anymore, he spoke in a tone that was neither servile nor overbearing, ¡°My junior sister is still young and can¡¯t hold such a large responsibility. I request everybody to wait a few days for my shizun to arrive. We will naturally assist Patriarch Lin in finding his beloved son.¡±


    It was clear that the people scheming against Xuanmen hadn¡¯t expected them to have such a levelheaded disciple since Xuanmen hadn¡¯t taken a step onto the Jianghu in decades. Xie LaoLiu saw that the crowd was starting to be controlled by Lu Wen and knew that he couldn¡¯t afford to wait. Desperate, he even braved possibly offending Xuanmen to continue, ¡°Then your distinguished self is saying that Xuanmen only cares about the child in question, but not about the threat He Huan poses?¡±


    This got Lu Wen¡¯s attention. He assessed him, seemingly having understood something. However, as a Xuanmen disciple himself, every word he spoke would be representative of his sect¡¯s will. For a moment, he was at a loss for how to respond.


    They were in a difficult position, but the other person at the table was not. After enduring this group of people¡¯s nonsense for so long, He Ku was full of anger. Seeing this trash still want to make trouble, he sneered as he slammed his tea cup on the table. ¡°A bunch of men go out to fight and you want a little girl to lead the charge, how cowardly.¡±


    The man hadn¡¯t expected this unknown young man to interfere and immediately became more on guard. Seeing that this young man sat at the same table as the two Xuanmen disciples and his completely white attire, he tensed as he asked carefully, ¡°Hey kid, who are you?¡±


    He Ku spent every day among lawless demonic cultivators, why would he be intimidated by some righteous lackey? He disdainfully shot him a glance before calmly replying, ¡°A man of the Jianghu.¡±


    The more he was calm, the more that person felt something was odd. He put on a fierce front as he slapped the table, continuing to test the waters, ¡°Kid, don¡¯t be too arrogant! Announce your sect!¡±


    ¡°Mingmen Righteous Sect.¡±


    He Ku really spoke the truth, it¡¯s just that no one there believed him. Xie LaoLiu was even more infuriated. ¡°What a glib tongue! Why are you so secretive, are you the Palace of Bliss¡¯s spy?¡±


    This bucket of dirty water actually touched on the truth. He Ku looked at him humorously as he gladly admitted, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m He Huan.¡±


    As soon as the name was spoken, the entire inn quieted. Naturally, no one believed for a second that this clean tempered youth was really He Huan, it¡¯s just that they couldn¡¯t suppress the shiver that came with hearing this name. The large man was also stunned by his response, how could he be so reckless as to dare say such things? But now, how would he be able to lead the flow of discussion? It¡¯s not like he could just jump on the fact he said he was He Huan and stab him. Not unless he wanted to be seen as an idiot.


    Xie LaoLiu didn¡¯t know that he was almost the first person to discover the demon lord¡¯s movements in Sky Veil Town. Lu Wen was grateful that this person helped them out of trouble, so he immediately stepped forward and helped him clear suspicion in a loud voice, ¡°This gentleman shouldn¡¯t joke about these things. With the pure spiritual energy surrounding you, you clearly practice a quality righteous technique. How could you be a demonic cultivator?¡±


    Lu Wen¡¯s performance had redeemed a lot of Xuanmen¡¯s image from the negative value Lin Xuan¡¯s behaviour caused. He looked at him and continued truthfully, ¡°Of course, I am not practicing a demonic cultivation method.¡±


    Inherently knowing that he shouldn¡¯t linger on such topics and seeing that He Ku was no longer being cold to them, Lu Wen immediately said, ¡°The moment I first met you, I felt a sense of familiarity with you. How about we go outside to talk freely?¡±


    ¡°Listening to a bunch of men gossip like at a grandma¡¯s gathering is also quite boring, let¡¯s go.¡± This suggestion was right in line with He Ku¡¯s intentions. Earlier, when the inn was completely silent, he saw the middle-aged scholar who had started this whole debacle slip out the door, so after leaving a sentence of ridicule he followed the two Xuanmen Righteous Sect disciples out of the inn.


    Lu Wen was genuinely thankful that this young man had stepped out to help the two of them out of a difficult situation, so he earnestly advised, ¡°Brother, you shouldn¡¯t go around saying such jokes in the future. It¡¯d be bad if someone took it seriously.¡±


    ¡°Even when I tell the truth, no one believes me. I¡¯ll just be on my way.¡±


    He really was He Huan. Although he had a younger temperament than the old hand He Huan, his face was still capable of scaring some people to death if it was revealed, okay? He helplessly realized that no one would believe him even when he was being serious and decided not to stay for much longer. He turned to signal to Yun Ce to go catch someone.


    Surprised that the youth called out another white-clothed young man from the neighbouring inn, Bu LingYun watched the two of them jump up to the roof and disappear without even looking back at them. This was her first time meeting someone like this and she couldn¡¯t help but furrow her eyebrows as she said, ¡°This person is really weird.¡±


    ¡°There are all kinds of people in the Jianghu. From what I see, I don¡¯t think he is an ordinary person. Shimei shouldn¡¯t look into it too much.¡± Although he advised his shimei to control her curiosity, Lu Wen was also puzzled. The awe-inspiring righteousness surrounding the young man was really not like the amount an ordinary cultivation method could achieve. If he hadn¡¯t been sure that Xuanmen did not have such a person, he really would have suspected that he practiced Xuanmen¡¯s cultivation method.


    Unless, he really is Bu QingYun?


    The thought unexpectedly rose in his mind before he shook his head, immediately rejecting it. Let¡¯s not mention that Bu QingYun no longer existed, even if it really was the Bu QingYun from back then, he was still the pinnacle of maturity and courtesy, he would never be so rambunctious.

 CH 24

    Translator: THISBRO


    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: Bubbles


    Xuanmen received news of Lin Xuan¡¯s capture at the first possible moment. When this happened Qing XuZi was still in closed door cultivation, so instead it was Swordsman Yao who set out towards the Palace of Bliss. That very night, he left to try and retrieve Lin Xuan, but this journey resulted in seven continuous days of radio silence; not a soul had seen him. With Swordsman Yao¡¯s cultivation, he couldn¡¯t have disappeared so quietly even if he were faced with He Huan. Bu LingYun couldn¡¯t control the worry she had for her father, which was why she had secretly come to Sky Veil Town with her shixiong.


    Xuanmen had always pretended not to see the Palace of Bliss, just leaving it to develop due to their shared past. After all, Bu QingYun had been raised single-handedly by their sect leader and he and Bu YaoLian had been like brothers, since they grew up together. In the past, every time the sect was asked to join the Demon Extermination Campaign, they would all enter into a sect-wide seclusion to avoid answering. However, now that Lin Xuan had been captured and Swordsman Yao disappeared, they didn¡¯t have any choice but to participate.


    That white-clothed youth left so suddenly and Bu LingYun was unwilling to return to the inn, so the two of them wandered around the street at random. Looking in the direction of the distant Palace of Bliss with no knowledge of her father¡¯s whereabouts, she became increasingly worried. ¡°Lu-shixiong, could something have happened to father?¡±


    The only reason Lu Wen was willing to leave Xuanmen was to protect his shimei, and now he gently reassured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Shimei. Xuanmen¡¯s successors have always had the protection of the heavens, so he won¡¯t be killed. Even Bu QingYun survived being hunted down by both demonic and righteous forces.¡±


    What he said was widely recognised by the Jianghu as a fact. Every generation, Xuanmen had no shortage of enemies, but after so many years, which one of them had actually been able to do something about it? Just like with Bu QingYun; back then even with all of his meridians broken and his name ruined, those influential powers had failed despite banding together to hunt him down. In fact, every single one that had participated had been foundationally destroyed until they eventually disappeared within the sands of time. Which was why there was a saying on the Jianghu: no one could kill Xuanmen¡¯s successors.


    Bu LingYun had also started to cultivate the founding sword intent, so naturally she knew just how many life-saving cards this technique had, which calmed her down. The two walked around town for a while longer before heading to where the Myriad Treasures Hall was staying to visit Yue FangZhou. Before they even got there, they heard a huge ruckus. From afar it seemed that there was a large bear plopped in front of the town¡¯s gate.


    Before the Xuanmen Righteous Sect was established there were a lot of spirit cultivators. The so-called spirits were originally creatures transformed after absorbing the naturally occurring spiritual energy and gaining spiritual wisdom. In essence, they had consciousness because they were alive1. As long as they continued to grow, they would inevitably form a golden core, far superior to the human cultivators at the time. However, with the immortal¡¯s scattering of endless cultivation techniques, this standard was broken. It took at least three hundred years for a spirit cultivator to reach the Nascent Soul Stage while a genius human cultivator who had a suitable technique would only take a hundred years to get to the Calamity Crossing Stage. In addition to that, the first two Xuanmen Sect Heads had slain numerous powerful spirit cultivators to achieve peace. In a second, the situation on the two sides had reversed.


    A spirit being¡¯s inner core was a rare tonic for cultivators. Just thinking about it, one could imagine just how hard it was to be a spirit cultivator during that time. Fortunately, the current Xuanmen Head, Qing XuZi, pursued the path of benevolence and equality for all living things. He prohibited the righteous faction from hunting down spirits that had never committed atrocities, and it was only when he had made an agreement with the Snowy Mountain¡¯s fox spirit clan a hundred years ago forbidding human cultivators from setting foot in their mountains, that spirit cultivators finally had a place of refuge. Because of this, the spirit cultivators¡¯ feelings towards the Xuanmen Righteous Sect were extremely complicated.


    The Jianghu hadn¡¯t seen spirit cultivators for close to a century, so they hadn¡¯t expected one to come to this town today. The white bear was very robust; it was only squatting on the street side yet it was taller than all of the inns. It was obviously a spirit with a developed spirit core, but what was even more shocking was that there were two people sitting on its back. The white bear was covered with several layers of thick fabric as if afraid of jostling its passengers. Upon closer inspection, one would find that the fabric was all made of the Snowy Mountain¡¯s unique ice silk. Just having a tiny piece of fabric made from ice silk would be enough to have ordinary cultivators showing off and gloating, yet this person walked all over it as if it were the plainest carpets. Clearly, this new arrival was someone important.


    The appearance of a spirit cultivator was naturally very eye-catching. When everyone looked over to see what was happening, they saw a boy dressed in brocade clothing and draped in a fur coat being slowly lowered from the back of the white bear by a man in black.


    The man had a sword strapped onto his back and looked very strong and sturdy. Although his face was not very attractive, his eyebrows offered a uniquely heroic quality to his appearance. Unlike him, the boy in brocade clothes being carried did not disappoint. Like an exquisite pink jade, his eyebrows, nose, and lips seemed to be carefully traced by the world¡¯s most skilled sculptor before he¡¯d dared to carefully carve it onto this snowy canvas, so incredibly fine it was flawless.


    However, it was his pair of bewitching fox eyes that made it harder to look away. With only the slightest raise, his gaze silently but firmly rooted itself in your heart, melting all defences and sensibilities like consuming a lingering aged wine, drunk without knowing it. At the moment he was put down by the man, there was only one reaction in the hearts of everyone present: This was a fox demon who could bring disaster to a nation.


    There were many fox spirits on the Snowy Mountains, but everyone knew which one he was the moment they saw him. There was only one person who had such an appearance and that was the youngest grandchild of the Fox Immortal, known as the young prince of the Snowy Mountains, the nine-tailed fox spirit Bai Chen.


    At this moment, this peerlessly beautiful fox spirit glanced at the crowd with a faint smile hanging on the corners of his lips. He then slowly walked towards the two Xuanmen disciples, tilted his head towards Lu Wen, and asked with a smile, ¡°Little Cultivator, aren¡¯t you happy to see me?¡±


    Their attire had long announced their identities. The moment the surrounding crowd heard what the fox spirit said, they all turned their attention towards Lu Wen, whose whole body was tense. They internally pondered, This Xuanmen disciple actually has some kind of connection to this fox spirit? Could it be that following in the footsteps of Bu QingYun, another wave of commotion was about to be made?


    Yet, before the gossip mongers even had the opportunity to gather together, the little prince¡¯s smile fell. He stared at Bu LingYun, who was behind Lu Wen, as he mumbled, ¡°It¡¯s actually only today that I knew you were actually a Xuanmen disciple.¡±


    His voice was complete with the uniquely coy charm of the fox spirits. It was supposed to be something very nice, but Lu Wen involuntarily shed a cold sweat and sternly reminded, ¡°Bai Chen, this place is about to hold a Demon Extermination Campaign. Mind yourself wisely.¡±


    There were already old grievances between them, so when the young prince heard this, he raised his eyes. The soul stealing air about him instantly transformed into sharp blades, his tone became cold. ¡°Demonic Extermination? Oh right, I¡¯d heard that you were going to rescue one of your disciples from He Huan. Coincidentally, he has also stolen one of our cubs. That is why I am here.¡±


    Bu LingYun didn¡¯t know why her shixiong became so tense when he saw this pretty person. When she heard why he was here, all she did was blink and ask, ¡°You¡¯re also here to retrieve people?¡±


    ¡°That was my plan before I met you guys, but now that I have, I¡¯ve changed my mind.¡±


    Peering at her, Bai Chen displayed a shy little smile that instantly made Bu LingYun blush. However, even though his tone was still light, the contents of what he said had Lu Wen immediately pull out his sword. ¡°Say, if I use two Xuanmen disciples to trade, would He Huan return my family¡¯s little cub?¡±


    ¡°Those not of our kind must therefore have different hearts. Spirit cultivators from the Snowy Mountains are not on the same path as us. Shimei, run and get reinforcements.¡±


    Lu Wen knew from the moment they met that this wouldn¡¯t end peacefully. So the moment he heard this, he pushed Bu LingYun behind him before slashing his sword towards Bai Chen in an effort to stop him. Yet his sword only traveled three inches before being unable to go further. Looking closely, a beast spirit flew out of the fur coat. Its spirit body wrapped tightly around the blade like a rope. Bai Chen idly appraised the sword pointed towards him, silently chuckled, and repeated, ¡°What a great phrase, ¡®Those not of our kind must therefore have different hearts¡¯.¡±


    Since Bai Chen dared to publicly announce that he would kidnap two Xuanmen disciples, he had to have something he could rely on. He unhurriedly looked in the direction of where Bu LingYun had flown off to before saying, ¡°Dog Li, as my guard, how can you just watch as he bothers me?¡±


    The man in black was originally resting by the large bear as he listened to their conversation. Occasionally he would even roar back as if they were communicating their findings. He hadn¡¯t expected that just as he was getting absorbed into the drama, he would be called. Under the scrutiny of the crowd and a wave of ¡®he looks so dignified, how could he have such a name¡¯ stares, he lifted Bai Chen into his arms with familiarity. After that, he jumped up to the bear and deposited the youth back into the white bear¡¯s paws and complained, ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you give me a better name?¡±


    Bai Chen had seen his conversation with the large bear, so after finding a comfortable position to lay down on the bear paw, he icily laughed. ¡°Was this farce entertaining?¡±


    The young man was already used to such ridicule, so he pretended as if he didn¡¯t hear anything. ¡°At least it was more entertaining than watching the chickadees on your front lawn squabble.¡±


    Hearing this, Bai Chen¡¯s beautiful pair of eyes raised as he looked at him. His smile finally dropped. ¡°Li Big Balls, capture those two. If any one of them escapes, tomorrow you will be Eunuch Li.¡±


    ¡°I was wrong. I think I prefer Dog Li.¡±


    When the new names came up, the young man went rigid. He smiled bitterly as he apologised, but he still instantly flashed behind Lu Wen. He leaned his head to the side to avoid Lu Wen¡¯s strike, his right middle and index fingers coming together and pointing to the sky. The heavy sword strapped to his back came out of its scabbard. The sword¡¯s entire body was ink black, but under the light of the sun it was like flowing molten gold. When the young man started infusing his spiritual energy into the sword, countless golden symbols erupted out of nowhere.


    The symbols were extremely complex; they were clearly ancient scripts that ordinary people couldn¡¯t possibly decipher. Along with the fluttering strands of gold, all of the sword-like weapons at the scene started uncontrollably shaking. Sword after sword cried out, as if greeting their hero.


    There was only one sword that could arouse such a scene. Feeling the fear coming from his sword, Lu Wen¡¯s face went pale. He shouted, ¡°You are using the Sword of the High King.¡±


    Cultivators have inhabited this land for who knows how many years, so naturally there wouldn¡¯t only be those from Xuanmen who¡¯d ascended. After ascension, ordinary immortals couldn¡¯t return to the mortal realm, but there were those that had been unable to complete the Calamity Crossing stage who had still achieved an immortal body. The only reason why they hadn¡¯t ascended yet was because something was still tying them here. Such beings were called wandering immortals. In the present, there were only two wandering immortals in this world. One was the Fox Immortal of the Snowy Mountains and the second was one who¡¯d only existed in legends, the White Sword Saint. This Sword Saint had made his home on the Snowy Mountains at least 500 years ago, but no one had ever really seen him. They only knew that he could cut off the peak of the Snowy Mountains in one slash and his cultivation was immeasurable.


    And in these legends, the sword that immortal used was the king of all swords, the Sword of the High King. This young man¡¯s cultivation obviously wasn¡¯t on the level of a wandering immortal, but judging from his age, he was probably the sword saint¡¯s disciple. However, the Fox Immortal and the Sword Saint had always been like fire and water. How did their successors end up working together?


    As a Xuanmen disciple, Lu Wen was immediately able to guess this young man¡¯s identity and asked, ¡°As the disciple of the White Sword Saint, you actually heed the orders of evil spirits. Aren¡¯t you scared of bringing your master shame?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, but it¡¯s our sect¡¯s tradition to be entangled with foxes.¡±


    Hearing his words, the black-clothed young man was indifferent. He had a face of ridicule as he flipped his palm. An invisible force overtook Lu Wen¡¯s sword and within the blink of an eye, he was restrained. Finished on this side, he looked to Bu LingYun who¡¯d already flown quite far away. His hand signed another technique as he turned to the crowd and smiled. ¡°My brothers, I¡¯ll just borrow these.¡±


    Before they even understood what he meant, their swords suddenly shot up into the sky without their control. They then watched as dozens of treasured blades came together to form a cage, forcefully trapping Bu LingYun inside and bringing her back.


    He didn¡¯t expect that although the sword saint¡¯s successor looked around their age, he was already in the Nascent Soul stage. As two Golden Core stage cultivators, they were completely outmatched. When Lu Wen saw that Bu LingYun had also been captured, he completely lost control. He faced the person on the bear paw and shouted, ¡°Bai Chen! My shimei has nothing to do with this. Do whatever you want to me, but let her go!¡±


    Since the targets had already been captured, the young man resheathed his sword. When he heard what Lu Wen said, he revealed an appreciative smile. ¡°At least you¡¯re not a coward.¡±


    After that, Bai Chen raised his hand and three red marks appeared on that person¡¯s handsome face. Hissing as he rubbed at his cheek, the young man glanced at Bai Chen¡¯s jade-like fingers and translucent nails, sighing helplessly. ¡°Say, fox, I¡¯ve already helped you capture them. Isn¡¯t scratching me a little petty?¡±


    Shooting him a look, the fox spirit raised an eyebrow before this time clawing the back of his hand. Only after that was he appeased. ¡°I¡¯m happy.¡±


    What else could the young man say? He could only once again pat the reliable white bear behind him and sigh. ¡°Bear, it must have been hard following him for so many years.¡±


    Seeing that he wasn¡¯t in their eyes at all, Lu Wen looked to the restrained Bu LingYun and became more worried. ¡°Bai Chen, are you intending on breaking the Snowy Mountain¡¯s promise?¡±


    Once this was mentioned, Bai Chen finally looked at him. His eyes were cold as he slowly intoned, ¡°Qing XuZi had promised our Fox Immortal that human cultivators would never step foot into the Snowy Mountains, yet you have come before. It was you humans who broke the promise first.¡±


    As he was saying this, he seemed to suddenly remember something as he cocked his head to the side and looked the man up and down. His tone became aristocratic and aloof, his expression that of a nine-tailed fox¡¯s arrogance.


    ¡°Warrior Lu, nobody other than family and close friends can address a fox spirit by name. You are the same as everyone else on the Jianghu, so call me Young Prince.¡±

 CH 25

    Translator: THISBRO


    Editor: Bubbles


    With the amount of commotion the Sword of the High King caused, there was no way He Ku and Yun Ce could ignore it. In fact, the moment the white bear first arrived, Yun Ce trembled and proceeded to miserably tell He Ku that his little martial uncle had come.


    Ordinarily, this airhead acted as if he were unafraid of anything, daring to even make trouble in front of He Huan. The only exception was to this so-called ¡®little martial uncle¡¯. He Ku felt a spark of curiosity suddenly emerge towards what kind of person could inspire such a reaction. He Huan was promptly awoken by their presence, thus he ordered Yun Ce to continue their pursuit while he went to assess the fight.


    Their body was handed over to He Huan, and the two of them just so happened to see this good show while hiding on the rooftop. He looked at the young prince¡¯s bright eyes and pearly teeth, then thought about the way Yun Ce typically held himself and couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Did these two foxes really come from the same burrow? How could they be so far apart in bearing?


    He Ku naturally wasn¡¯t able to hide his line of sight from He Huan. Seeing He Ku, a person who usually had no interest in men, look at Bai Chen with such a thoughtful expression as he appraised him, even gasping in surprise and sighing at times, He Huan frowned slightly. Bai Chen¡¯s face really was irresistible to young and inexperienced men, and even he preferred this type. There was no way He Ku was that far off from him. Could it be that this detour had caused him to develop a crush?


    Since Bai Chen appeared, He Ku¡¯s gaze had never left him. The more He Huan saw this, the more suspicious he felt. He squinted his eyes and asked nonchalantly, ¡°Is Bai Chen your type?¡±


    He Huan, this old porn addict, was usually full of innuendos whenever he talked, and at this point, He Ku had long been used to his random interjections. He, therefore, dismissed this as just He Huan showing interest in Bai Chen. This caused him to scrutinize that white fox even more meticulously than before, and couldn¡¯t help comparing him to Yun Ce¡¯s constant badgering to dual cultivate, which always ended with him getting kicked out of the room. The idea that one¡¯s face determined their destiny further cemented in his heart and he became furthermore emotional. ¡°This is what a real fox spirit should be like.¡±


    ¡­Was he really so entranced that he couldn¡¯t even bother turning his head to talk to him?


    Back then, Bu Qingyun had rules to restrict him, so naturally, he wouldn¡¯t spare a single look at a beauty. However, He Huan mused that with his current attitude towards such things, it really was hard to say how he would have been as a teenager without those rules. He thought back to how He Ku would always accept his spontaneous skinship, demonstrating he clearly wasn¡¯t averse to being intimate with the same sex and became increasingly sure that He Ku was in love.


    He knew He Ku was different from himself. Oftentimes, what a young man desired in his first love was to spend the rest of his life with his lover, but if he indeed chose Bai Chen¡­ Such a brief episode in his inevitably immortal life would only cause him pain.


    At the thought of how heartbroken He Ku would be in a hundred years, He Huan¡¯s heart clenched. He couldn¡¯t help sighing. ¡°You Jiang is also pretty good in terms of appearance. How come I don¡¯t see you showing an interest in him?¡±


    He Ku didn¡¯t know that this one glance of his had He Huan coming up with a whole romantic tragedy. When he heard what He Huan said, he just shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t even mention it. The second your second enforcer sees me, all he talks about is going out to assassinate some righteous faction¡¯s sect leader or whatever. I¡¯m in a hurry to run away from him, where would I find the time to appreciate his face?¡±


    Now that he mentioned this, He Huan also agreed. You Jiang¡¯s personality was unsuited to the stable life, so he also wasn¡¯t a good fit. The only problem was, where in the world would he find a beauty for He Ku that he would also approve of?


    A list of names quickly flashed through his mind, but He Huan found that he really didn¡¯t want to give away the Yuan Ying he used so much effort to raise. Assuming that this was He Ku¡¯s first time seeing a nine-tailed fox spirit and was merely temporarily attracted, then he should be able to get over it in a few days as long as he was exposed to something more seductive. He quickly decided that he must strangle this singular physical attraction before it had the time to develop into something more.


    He Ku felt suspicious of He Huan¡¯s silence. When he turned his head back to look, he saw this idiot suddenly take a robe from out of nowhere and begin to strip, clearly about to change right then and there. His line of sight swept over that well-defined collarbone and couldn¡¯t help but remember the feeling of He Huan¡¯s fingers sliding over his last night. His heart jumped and he uneasily asked, ¡°Why are you changing in public?¡±


    From his tone of voice, and with all of He Huan¡¯s experience in this department, he immediately knew that his pure little Yuan Ying¡¯s heart had moved again. He became even more firm in his decision to pluck the seedlings Bai Chen had left before He Ku could even discover them. He tenderly caressed He Ku¡¯s cheek as he prepared to end his first love, and spoke gently, ¡°To prevent your suffering, and you later spending every waking moment of your life thinking about him, I can only help you by showing you something better.¡±


    The fuck? Wasn¡¯t he just thinking about Yun Ce? Why in the world would he spend every waking moment thinking about an airhead?


    He Ku stared blankly as he watched their body make its way towards the fight. He still hadn¡¯t gotten what He Huan meant, but it didn¡¯t take long before he understood. Instantly, he felt a rush of blood flood to his head as he watched He Huan, who was now dressed in a red robe, land on the giant bear¡¯s body and look intensely at Bai Chen.


    This pervert really had been holding it in for too long. Look! The moment he saw some pretty fox swaying about, he even went to change his clothes before going to tease it! Where did their ¡®talking with each other is better than drowning in wine and women¡¯ go? Where was the ¡®bros before hoes¡¯, you trash? Shameless! You have been judged!


    Nobody knew that He Huan and He Ku¡¯s thoughts had completely missed each other by an entire galaxy. The crowd watching the commotion was so shocked that they wouldn¡¯t have the time to consider such things even if they did know. All they knew was that a man in red suddenly appeared from the sky and silently landed on the white bear¡¯s back right in the middle of the Little Prince¡¯s standoff. The white bear offered no protest after this person lightly patted it, resigning to lay on the ground instead. From this, it could be assumed that this individual¡¯s cultivation was much higher than anyone present. However, compared to admiring his cultivation, their gazes were firmly locked on his outer appearance.


    Typically, people wearing the colour red would exude a sultry or indecent air, but on this person, its brightness and resplendent quality had been completely controlled¡ª just like a maple forest washed by autumn rain, standing alone as the years went by and becoming engulfed by a silent flame, or like the rose-coloured sky reflecting off of the clouds, containing beauty in its peacefulness. With his ink-black eyebrows, straight nose, and soft thin lips, his face had the splendour of a young man that had just grown out of adolescence. A bit more sophistication and a little less boyishness, it was this middle ground that made up the most flourishing time of youth.


    His face would forever stay at the age of his prime, but his eyes that should have been as clear as autumn ripples had become endlessly profound and isolated like the abyss of the ocean. Those eyes made people reluctant to turn their gazes away, tempting them to unravel the secrets buried inside them.


    Looking at his eyes, even the purest cultivators couldn¡¯t help imagining what kind of earth-shaking emotion they would feel if those eyes, deep in love and brimming with happiness, were turned onto them.


    Take advantage of this moment when your aspirations are on par with the sky to try to shake the stars themselves from the sky.


    Yet, as you approach the platform in the sky, you will find that it was already too late when you raised your hand.


    This was the charm of a man who had formed his own understanding of the world after experiencing all of what life had to offer. When paired with a young man¡¯s spirited visage, the two characteristics oddly combined in an extremely natural manner. Just like exquisite amber that had been secretly preserved by the world for centuries, one would be entranced the moment they laid their eyes upon it, making it difficult to look at other people.


    Although the man did not speak, everyone present knew his identity; such grace and grandeur could only belong to He Huan.


    If there was anyone here who could be somewhat resistant to his charm, it would probably be He Ku. However, even so, it took a long time for his breathing to return to its usual rate. He exhaled and looked at the stunned audience, and it was then that he truly grasped how much He Huan deserved his title of Demon Lord. If you were alone at night and such a person with all his charisma asked to cherish you, let¡¯s not talk about women, few men would be able to resist! Fortunately, He Huan had never revealed this side to him, otherwise, he really might end up bent.


    So, this alluring appearance that even he hadn¡¯t seen before, was put on just because he wanted to seduce a fox? Was he so determined to get Bai Chen?


    When he thought of this, He Ku felt uncomfortable and even wanted to hit someone, although he himself didn¡¯t know why this was the case.


    The place He Huan had perfectly landed on was the back of the white bear. As soon as he lowered his head, he met Bai Chen¡¯s eyes. Everyone knew that the fox spirit line Bai Chen came from was cursed to be cut sleeves [1], and this Little Prince was even the most beautiful one born in the Snowy Mountain. He Huan just so happened to be bisexual, leaning more towards a preference for men, and he was very appreciative of beauty. They had good compatibility and they each had their own seductive air about them. Under common sense, they would have gotten on like a house on fire. But at this moment, Bai Chen just raised an eyebrow in confusion.


    He knew that He Huan had to be extremely accomplished in charm arts[2] to be Master of the Palace of Bliss, and now, his sex appeal which had completely suppressed his nine-tailed fox¡¯s natural bewitchment also confirmed this.


    ¡­But, what is a top like you competing with a bottom like me in the art of seduction? Our hunting ranges are completely different, let¡¯s mind our own businesses, okay?


    Bai Chen had a clean appearance, with his wide-eyed and puzzled expression, it made him seem even more innocent and pure. Seeing him like this, He Huan instantly understood the other¡¯s unspoken question, but all he did was smile back. He didn¡¯t explain his actions nor did he reduce the power of his charm.


    For a while, the male cultivators who were present at the scene felt their orientation become a bit murky. Looking up, it was the endlessly suave He Huan; looking down, it was the heaven-made temptation, Bai Chen. It didn¡¯t matter what one¡¯s type was, they all felt as if they could make an exception. They were suddenly thankful that such competitions between demons and spirits were held away from them. They were too dangerous!


    Bai Chen and He Huan had met long ago on the Snowy Mountains. At that time, they were not interested in each other, and at most, they had merely exchanged their experience on how they chose partners. How did they suddenly change from allies to love rivals?


    That was right, love rivals.


    Bai Chen was also a person well versed in romantic affairs. When he saw He Huan¡¯s expression, he instantly knew this bastard wasn¡¯t here to be friendly, but rather to contest over someone¡¯s attention. This was even stranger. First, let¡¯s not talk about He Huan ever taking a serious romantic interest in someone, even if he had, they were distinctly top and bottom, there was no overlap in their audiences. Could it be that He Huan actually fell in love with a righteous cultivator? Or, did the person he fell in love with happen to be here?


    Bai Chen¡¯s eyelids twitched as he glanced back immediately, and saw that Lu Wen wasn¡¯t even looking as he recited the Tao Te Ching. He quickly looked him up and down and confirmed that He Huan¡¯s tastes weren¡¯t so low, before he squinted again and met with the black-clothed youth¡¯s smiling face. He was surprisingly indifferent considering he was standing in between the two¡¯s charm techniques. When he saw Bai Chen look towards him, he even sincerely advised, ¡°He has great qualifications and he¡¯s even the type you like. You should just find an auspicious day and get the ceremony over with.¡±


    If He Huan could like this block of wood, then he really was blind!


    But seeing the man so unmoved also made him a little irritated. He stopped smiling and stopped using his technique. Facing He Huan, he moodily raised his head and scoffed, ¡°You¡¯re not done? What? You even want to match our astrology signs or something?¡±


    Although He Huan was fond of beauties, he never looked to pursue a relationship. Bai Chen, on the other hand, wanted sincerity and genuine love. In the past, he didn¡¯t dare to attract Bai Chen¡¯s attention, but he couldn¡¯t just sit back and watch He Ku fall into this trap. So, seeing that the other had restrained their natural charm, he smiled and also didn¡¯t fight. ¡°I have a disciple. Although his appearance is a little lacking, he is very reliable. Why don¡¯t we go back to my palace for some tea, I¡¯ll introduce him to you.¡±


    Hearing him say this, Bai Chen cursed him in his heart, last time you said your disciple practiced a technique that didn¡¯t allow him to lose his virginity, how come you¡¯re selling him out today? However, he also knew that He Huan was just coming up with some excuse to smooth over the tension, and since his purpose in leaving the mountain was to bring Yun Ce back, he agreed, ¡°Then let¡¯s go, bring out all of the eye candy you have hoarded away in your palace.¡±


    After saying this, Bai Chen peeked at the black-clothed young man, but he still wore a completely unaffected expression. He even began to encourage him. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. With someone like him as their master, his disciples can¡¯t be that bad. How would you be able to find your ideal match if you don¡¯t explore the candidates?¡±


    Another round of anger began to bubble up. At once, he sat on the white bear¡¯s paw and ordered, ¡°Matchmaker Li, bring the hostages.¡±


    He never expected this white fox to still be upset even after he had worried over his marital affairs. The young man wore an expression of helplessness as he brought along the two Xuanmen disciples. He lamented as he walked, ¡°My name is becoming more and more hideous.¡±

 CH 26

    Translator: THISBRO


    Editor: Nini


    Proofreader: Bubbles


    News of He Huan¡¯s arrival in Sky Veil Town reached the Lin family¡¯s ears immediately. However, they were extremely dissatisfied with the ongoing campaign after hearing about the Pavilion¡¯s plot, and turned a blind eye to what was happening in the outside world. They thought that since He Huan returned their son, with who he had no relation, he obviously wasn¡¯t going to do anything to Bu LingYun.


    It¡¯s been hundreds of years since a nine-tailed fox spirit was born in the Snowy Mountains, so it was a given that the spirit clans treasured Bai Chen like their own child. Ordinary cultivators already avoided having any sort of confrontation with him, but now that Calamity Crossing stage He Huan also joined in, even fewer people dared to mess with him. The Demonic Extermination Campaign was rendered useless. They could only sit by and watch as a demonic and spirit cultivator left unhindered.


    Bai Chen hadn¡¯t expected them to leave so easily. He looked back at Sky Veil Town and sighed. ¡°Nowadays, human cultivators are becoming more and more cowardly. If it were the Xuanmen Righteous Sect a hundred years ago, even if they had to fight until their last breath, they still wouldn¡¯t have let us leave that easily.¡±


    ¡°These cultivators aren¡¯t stupid. We haven¡¯t done anything that was completely unforgivable, so they wouldn¡¯t risk their lives just for some momentary fame or glory.¡±


    It was clear that He Huan understood the Jianghu much better than Bai Chen who hadn¡¯t left the Snowy Mountains in many years. He touched his dantian to confirm that He Ku had indeed been returned before he turned his eyes to Bu LingYun. Even though she had been captured, her hand was firmly placed on the hilt of her sword. He couldn¡¯t help but show an enigmatic smile. ¡°However, be it the past or the present, they all want Xuanmen to be the first to fight.¡±


    With He Huan¡¯s level of cultivation, it didn¡¯t take long for him to return to the Palace of Bliss. He Ku knew that it was unclear whether Bai Chen was a friend or foe, so he obediently stayed in his dantian and only used his spiritual awareness to monitor outside. Under the pressure of the Demon Extermination Campaign, the palace disciples were all fully armed and prepared for battle, nowhere could one see the carefree attitude that usually pervaded the palace. You Jiang walked forward to welcome He Huan back to the palace. He glanced towards Bai Chen¡¯s group before asking, ¡°Palace Master, why did you come back so early?¡±


    He Huan didn¡¯t elaborate on the matter in Sky Veil Town. He noticed the defensive arrangement in the palace, and casually replied, ¡°We encountered some unexpected situations. QianRen should be returning with Xiu Niang soon, make sure to prepare for their arrival.¡±


    You Jiang knew that QianRen was good at keeping himself hidden, so there was no need to worry about him. He couldn¡¯t guess what He Huan wanted to do after seeing that the two people restrained by the black-clothed young man were clearly Xuanmen disciples, so he could only report the results of his own mission, ¡°Palace Master, we weren¡¯t able to find any traces of Bu YaoLian along all the routes leading here. Also, news from Cloud City said that Qing XuZi has come out of seclusion.¡±


    That Xuanmen Righteous Sect¡¯s leader exited seclusion was undoubtedly the worst thing that could happen for the demonic faction. However, He Huan¡¯s expression remained as calm as before, rather, it was Bu LingYun who had been silent the entire journey who spoke first, ¡°You really haven¡¯t seen my dad?¡±


    He Huan already knew she was Bu YaoLian and Yue LingJing¡¯s daughter, but he thought that she was merely a sheltered young miss and didn¡¯t expect her to have some of Xuanmen¡¯s infamous courage. Nevertheless, when he heard her question, he neither acknowledged it nor responded. Instead, he asked her, ¡°When did he disappear?¡±


    Lu Wen was extremely worried as he watched his junior sister converse with this Demon Lord. However, under the careful watch of the black-clothed young man, he was unable to even open his mouth and help her. He could only helplessly stand as Bu LingYun truthfully told He Huan about Bu YaoLian¡¯s whereabouts, ¡°My dad left as soon as we received word of Lin Xuan¡¯s capture. It¡¯s already been more than seven days since then.¡±


    Seven days?


    Hearing he¡¯s been missing this long, He Huan¡¯s eyes finally showed a hint of emotion. So it turned out that person came to find him the moment he heard the news. This really was unexpected, he originally thought¡­


    He was extremely familiar with how Bu YaoLian looked as a kid, it¡¯s just that he didn¡¯t know what he looked like now that he¡¯d grown up. He heard that Bu YaoLian had reached the Nascent Soul stage at thirty, so his appearance must be a lot older, right? Looking at Bu LingYun¡¯s features, he couldn¡¯t help remembering the silly child who would always practice with him and his gaze became slightly softer. He ordered You Jiang, ¡°Send someone to bring them to my QingYun Hall.¡±


    Ever since ¡®Miracle Hand¡¯ broke in, You Jiang had set up layers upon layers of barriers around QingYun Hall. It was undoubtedly the most secure place in the entire Palace of Bliss. Hearing that He Huan wanted to put them there, You Jiang instantly knew that he wanted to protect them. His expression became one of dissatisfaction, but before he could even protest, Bai Chen raised his fox eyes and said, ¡°You want to take the people I caught?¡±


    The Snowy Mountains was currently the only power that could potentially become the demonic faction¡¯s ally. Seeing Bai Chen¡¯s dissatisfaction, You Jiang had thought the Palace Master would back down. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t know what was up with He Huan today, he just picked up a fallen willow branch and held it in his hand as he smiled. ¡°Then will you hand them over or not?¡±


    With He Huan¡¯s power, he could use flower petals and leaves to hurt people. In the Snowy Mountains, Bai Chen had already witnessed him using an Ice Lotus to break through their arrays, so his current actions were clearly a threat. He was afraid that as soon as he said he wouldn¡¯t let them go, the branch would come slashing over with the full power of a Calamity Crossing cultivator. He glanced towards Lu Wen who was absorbed in worrying over his junior sister, then towards the black-clothed young man who was awaiting his verdict. He knew that even with the Sword Saint¡¯s godly swordsmanship it would be difficult to block He Huan, so he could only withdraw his gaze and hatefully order, ¡°Release them.¡±


    Seeing that He Huan didn¡¯t even give the Snowy Mountain¡¯s Little Prince face, You Jiang knew that it would be useless for him to say any more. Although he was still dissatisfied, he could only lead the two hostages to QingYun Hall. While technically they were to be placed in the QingYun Hall, the top floor was the master¡¯s, so naturally, they weren¡¯t allowed there and were locked on the first floor. Having handled their arrangements, He Huan knew he had offended Bai Chen with his actions, so he led him to the top floor.


    Bai Chen was slightly angered at having his old grievances interrupted, but when he saw the two characters ¡®QingYun¡¯ he remembered He Huan¡¯s previous identity and swallowed his anger. It could be said that they were similar in the fact that they both fell from their lofty pedestals. He commanded the one surnamed Li to carry him up to QingYun Hall.


    When he arrived, He Huan had already helped himself to a boiling pot of good tea. He leaned back on the daybed as he slowly savoured it. Seeing him enter, he smiled as if nothing had happened. ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t be interested in drinking tea, so I won¡¯t waste your time.¡±


    Since they didn¡¯t have much of a friendship to begin with, Bai Chen also wasn¡¯t interested in small talk. He looked at him and coldly presented his purpose in coming, ¡°Since there aren¡¯t any more outsiders, I will only ask this, will you fight seriously in this battle against Xuanmen?¡±


    He Huan didn¡¯t seem to mind his bluntness. He narrowed his eyes and raised his gaze to look at Bai Chen. ¡°So what if I will? So what if I won¡¯t?¡±


    He Huan¡¯s cultivation method demanded that he be able to control his mood extremely well. When Bai Chen stared into his eyes, he wasn¡¯t able to find even the faintest of his real intentions. He frowned before making his attitude towards this matter clear. ¡°If you are willing to go all out, we of the Snowy Mountains will align ourselves with the demonic faction and provide everything we have to help you defeat the Xuanmen Righteous Sect and unify the Jianghu.¡±


    It was every sect¡¯s dream to be able to unify the Jianghu and control the world, but He Huan still wasn¡¯t even the slightest bit moved when he heard this. Bai Chen couldn¡¯t guess what the other was thinking, so he could only continue, ¡°But if you are still hung up on old attachments and will only casually deal with them, then I won¡¯t let my people make pointless sacrifices. I will only take Yun Ce back with me, you can fight amongst yourselves.¡±


    Now that Qing XuZi has exited secluded cultivation, it was inevitable that he would participate in the battle. He Huan had only just reached the Calamity Crossing stage, so he was still lacking if he wanted to stand against Qing XuZi. The only way he could preserve the Palace of Bliss was if he had the Fox Immortal¡¯s help. Other than bringing Yun Ce back, Bai Chen also came with the purpose of extending an olive branch to He Huan in order to form a friendship. But he hadn¡¯t expected that He Huan wasn¡¯t even slightly worried, he just continued to taste his tea before he slowly sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why both you and You Jiang believe that as long as I don¡¯t hold back I can defeat Qing XuZi.¡±


    ¡°Because Qing XuZi definitely can¡¯t bear to kill you.¡±


    He answered very confidently. Bai Chen knew that Qing XuZi couldn¡¯t compare to the previous two generations of Xuanmen Sect Leaders. After succeeding the position, no matter if it was a spirit or a demonic cultivator, they would be shown mercy. If he was like this towards strangers, then how could he bear to kill the child he raised? It didn¡¯t matter that he had a high level of cultivation, his only path was death if he was lenient towards an opponent of the same level. And He Huan, for the past century, has clearly shown his resentment towards Xuanmen.


    Every Xuanmen leader possessed the potential to change the world. In the past, there had been countless predecessors who had demonstrated through their lives that following the steps of Xuanmen¡¯s leader will give them their best fate. However, in the current generation, there was actually one Xuanmen leader and two Xuanmen successors. And the problem of which side to support had come up. Previously, the Snowy Mountains thought that having good relations with Qing XuZi was their best bet, but that was until He Huan visited the Snowy Mountains.


    After talking with He Huan on the Snowy Mountains, Bai Chen decided that as long as this person didn¡¯t die, he could definitely rule the world in the future. Unlike the other two who¡¯ve been cultivating peacefully, He Huan had survived torment and hardships ordinary people couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine. He has carved a path of blood within the demonic faction to reach his current position. He was calm and collected. Although he was cruel to others, he was even more cruel to himself, just like the fisherman who¡¯d established Xuanmen in the beginning. Such a person would surely emerge as the victor in troubled times.


    The problem was, the person who he had originally thought to be cruel and ruthless was currently lying on a daybed, letting the scattered rays of sunlight blanket his person. He chuckled and answered, ¡°Since he won¡¯t kill me, then why should I kill him?¡±


    It was also at this time that Bai Chen realized how completely he had underestimated the degree of attachment Xuanmen disciples held towards their aspirations. Even now, He Huan still hasn¡¯t given up his desire for peace. In the past, countless people have used their lives to prove just how impossible it was to change the leader of the Xuanmen Righteous Sect. Once these successors found their ambition, they would struggle to crawl to complete it even if they were thrown into hell. He knew that he would probably return without results, but he still couldn¡¯t help but try to persuade him, ¡°He Huan, the Jianghu is a place of desire and hatred. Right now, the righteous and demonic factions both want to fight. Even you can¡¯t prevent this war.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we make a bet?¡±


    He Huan was very calm, not once did he lose his smile. He thought for a bit before continuing, ¡°If I win, you will protect my disciple. He¡¯s got quite the loyal personality, if something happens to me, I¡¯m worried he might lose all rationality.¡±


    Hearing this, Bai Chen¡¯s eyes moved, then as if having thought of something, he tentatively asked, ¡°Have you used the Soul Splitting Technique?¡±


    ¡°The nine-tailed fox spirit¡¯s unique life-saving technique really is mystical. I must thank you for passing it on to me.¡± Verifying Bai Chen¡¯s guess with a smile, He Huan subconsciously moved to touch his dantian. His gratitude came from a really genuine place in his heart. At first, he didn¡¯t expect that just the existence of He Ku would bring him so much joy. It¡¯d unexpectedly made him reluctant to follow through with his previous plans.


    ¡°To think it was actually possible¡­¡±


    Staring at him expressionlessly, Bai Chen was extremely shocked. There was a myth that nine-tailed fox spirits had nine lives. Only he knew that the reason why a fox spirit was able to resurrect itself by sacrificing one of its tails was because of the Soul Splitting Technique. The fact that He Huan was able to successfully practice this technique was already enough to prove that he was a genius. He understood the importance of what this meant and realised that he had already lost the bet. He mused, ¡°So this was your true intention. The Heaven¡¯s Library Pavillion never would have thought that by forcing Qing XuZi to come out, it guaranteed your success in the end.¡±


    ¡°I also didn¡¯t want to go this far¡­¡±


    Although he had sighed, He Huan looked indifferent from beginning to end. But now that the other party knew what he intended to do, he smiled before also expressing his purpose for bringing him up, ¡°I am afraid that this time I might suffer some minor injuries. I¡¯m not sure if the Young Prince would be willing to lend a hand? Make some friends?¡±


    Sure enough, He Huan wouldn¡¯t reject the Snowy Mountains as allies, however, the way he went about it truly exceeded Bai Chen¡¯s expectations. He was the one who understood the Soul Splitting Technique the best, so he also knew that He Huan¡¯s current predicament wasn¡¯t a problem for him at all. Regardless, who would reject making friends with someone guaranteed to rise up in the world1?


    Within seconds, he weighed the pros and cons. The fox spirit raised his eyebrows and smiled as he agreed to his request. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll stay here for a few days. I await the day of Bu QingYun¡¯s return.¡±

 CH 27

    Translator: THISBRO


    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: Bubbles


    ¡ª


    He Ku didn¡¯t understand much of He Huan and Bai Chen¡¯s conversation. Although they wore amiable faces, they were obviously trying to feel each other out with their words. This He Huan, who had such deep schemes, made him slightly uncomfortable. It was only now that he realized, whether it was the peerless He Huan at Sky Veil Town or the current He Huan devising battle plans, he¡¯d never seen either before. Perhaps he didn¡¯t know his hundred-year-old self as well as he thought he did.


    Yet he still believed that the one who¡¯d promised to break through time and space with him under the moon was the real He Huan.


    He Ku only reappeared once Bai Chen had left and He Huan noticed that he looked less lively than usual. He attributed this to having seen Bai Chen¡¯s behaviour during their conversation; his crush¡¯s innocent image was probably destroyed.


    Well, he was young. The young always wish for the person they like to be simple and different from other people. To suddenly learn that the other was a cunning and manipulative fox, it¡¯d make sense something like that was hard to accept. He Huan thought that he was quite considerate of He Ku. He didn¡¯t pick at his younger self¡¯s wounds, he just softly reminded him, ¡°He Ku, don¡¯t fall in love with Bai Chen. He doesn¡¯t have much longer to live.¡±


    He Ku was busy looking at himself in the mirror and worrying; he didn¡¯t expect He Huan to say something like this and instantly became dejected. Just from their previous interactions, it was clear that they were already in a relationship. Before, only he could mention Bu QingYun in front of He Huan, but now that he saw Bai Chen could also do it, he felt a little irritated. Not only that, but He Huan also thought he¡¯d try to steal Bai Chen away. Thinking that, his heart felt increasingly stuffy.


    The thing was, he didn¡¯t know what right he had to oppose who He Huan got on with. So he could only angrily reply, ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, I¡¯m not interested in men.¡±


    He Huan had been rolling in the romantic scene for decades and knew at a glance from He Ku¡¯s expression that his words were empty. Moreover, he was able to feel the wave of bitterness in his heart. This was clearly because his love was unrequited. It¡¯s just, he didn¡¯t know that his heart was moved because he¡¯d never experienced anything like it before.


    Even after living a hundred years, He Huan had never once lost himself in love because, in his heart, there was only the world. He never would have expected that his He Ku would get led astray by that white fox. He couldn¡¯t help but feel cheated. The two of them shared the same body and soul, so naturally He Huan knew whatever He Ku was feeling. Only, not once did He Huan he think those feelings were directed towards himself, and so he randomly made Bai Chen carry two pots. Really, it was quite pitiful.


    Although he was a little annoyed, He Huan was ultimately someone who had weathered great winds and rain. Seeing He Ku¡¯s heartbroken look, he reached out his hand towards the Nascent Soul he thought was in grief and embraced him. He patted his back as he gently comforted, ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. If you really like fox spirits that much, Yun Ce shouldn¡¯t be any worse than Bai Chen after a few decades.¡±


    On an average day, there wasn¡¯t a shortage of He Huan harassing his Nascent Soul, but He Ku had never minded it. Today, however, for reasons he didn¡¯t understand, his heart skipped a beat when he was hugged. He Huan never bothered to style his hair, he¡¯d usually just pluck a flower stem or twig to hold it up. Perhaps because of this, there was always a faint floral scent around him. Now that he was firmly held in the other¡¯s arms, He Ku felt encompassed by that faint scent; for a moment, he wasn¡¯t able to tell whether it was pine or bamboo. All he knew was that it helped to calm his heart and he didn¡¯t think about it any further than that.


    Noticing that He Ku¡¯s distress immediately dissipated, He Huan just thought that his words of comfort had worked. He remembered that He Ku and Yun Ce seemed to be very close. Originally he wanted to use Yun Ce to dissuade any actions against the Palace of Bliss from the Snowy Mountains, but now, it wasn¡¯t quite necessary anymore. He sighed. ¡°Whatever. Since you like Yun Ce, I¡¯ll leave him for you.¡±


    Hearing this, He Ku was baffled again. How did he come to the conclusion that he liked Yun Ce? For some reason, he felt that if he continued this conversation with He Huan, who knew how many men he would be paired with. Instead, he forcefully changed the topic back onto proper matters. ¡°You said Bai Chen doesn¡¯t have much longer to live, so is it fine to make an alliance with him?¡±


    He Huan didn¡¯t think that he¡¯d be asked this question, but after thinking about it, Bai Chen¡¯s situation was clearly something he wished to keep secret and he also didn¡¯t want to make He Ku even sadder, so he only explained his view on the current conflict. ¡°If Bai Chen still had a few centuries left to live then he¡¯d definitely choose to continue spectating. He¡¯d only make a decision once there was a clear victor between Qing XuZi and I. But because he doesn¡¯t have much time left, he¡¯d rather stake everything on me and leave it to fate.


    ¡°If I prevail over Xuanmen, the Snowy Mountains would have won several centuries of peace. And even if I lose, Bai Chen can take all the responsibility for colluding with the demonic faction and give his life to make sure the Snowy Mountains is clean of all blame. I¡¯ve personally experienced how crazy someone could be once their heart has fully accepted and made peace with their death.¡±


    His actions were almost the same as the old Bu QingYun¡¯s. When He Ku finished listening, his heart shook. He slowly raised his eyes to match He Huan¡¯s and quietly said, ¡°Is it because you guys are similar that you agreed to cooperate with him?¡±


    He said what was truly hidden within the depths of He Huan¡¯s heart. Although he¡¯d long become used to manipulating the world¡¯s affairs and its courses, he¡¯d never expressed his goodwill just because of benefits. Today, when he agreed to Bai Chen¡¯s help, it was because his single-mindedness to sacrifice himself for the sake of the Snowy Mountains appealed to the sense of justice deep inside him.


    However, even though he hadn¡¯t told anybody about this, He Ku had hit the nail right on its head. He carefully looked over the face that was the same as his, but was much brighter. A rare sincere smile appeared on his face. ¡°The one who knows me best is still me.¡±


    He Huan always wore a smile with He Ku, but such heartfelt happiness was extremely rare. When that pair of bewitching peach blossom eyes gazed back with such tenderness, it felt as if a spring breeze had gently awakened the sleeping cherry blossoms; like there was only a fuzzy warmth left in the world. His mind became blank, and in that moment, he didn¡¯t know what else to think.


    He Ku quickly turned his gaze to the mirror and looked at his face several times before he could calm down. But there was still a giddiness in his chest. At least, he was sure that no matter how much He Huan liked Bai Chen, he would never reveal such a smile to him. After living through a hundred years, all the cherry blossoms in He Huan¡¯s eyes have already fallen to the ground. Those flowers solely belonged to Bu QingYun and it was only in the presence of his younger self that they would appear once again. No matter if it was the lone Bu QingYun who stood higher than the clouds or He Huan who hid away his true self behind smoke and mirrors, their world didn¡¯t allow anyone other than himself to enter.


    Looking at the reflection of two identical people, the mental knot within He Ku suddenly disappeared. He extended his hand to tightly hold onto He Huan¡¯s fingertip and seriously asked, ¡°He Huan, what sort of person do you want me to become?¡±


    He thought He Huan probably wanted him to grow to become Bu QingYun. After all, Bai Chen had already said that he was waiting for Bu QingYun¡¯s return. Although he liked his current playful life, if He Huan needed it, he could restrain his youthful temperament and return to being Bu QingYun, someone who guarded etiquette and boundaries tightly. Since Bu QingYun was able to give up all of his youth¡¯s pleasures for Xuanmen, then he could do the same for He Huan.


    He still didn¡¯t understand what the feelings he harboured for He Huan were, he just knew that he wanted to continue being with him like this. It would be best if this could last forever.


    Yet he didn¡¯t expect that the moment He Huan heard this, he would sink into confusion. His fingers moved to caress his cheeks by themselves, and after thinking about it for a long time, he smiled softly. ¡°How ever you feel makes you the happiest.¡±


    He Ku didn¡¯t know if these words were what he really felt, but he had already made up his mind. He took over the control of their body and grabbed his sword, prepared to go out. ¡°I¡¯m going to practice.¡±


    Voluntarily handing over his body, He Huan found that he wasn¡¯t quite able to tell what He Ku wanted to do, but he knew that there was no way he wholeheartedly wanted to practice boring drills, so he suggested, ¡°There are many fun places in Jiangnan and Qing XuZi won¡¯t be able to arrive so soon anyways. I can bring you out to play for a few days.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me that I should do what makes me happy? Right now, I just want to practice my swordsmanship.¡± After saying such things so inconsistent with his usual personality, He Ku left QingYun Hall.


    Gazing at his back as his figure went further and further away, He Huan didn¡¯t follow. He looked at his reflection within the Soul Inquiry Mirror and silently laughed.


    Look, mirror. Even after he wiped away his memories for a fresh start, he still ended up walking this path. This¡­ could only be fate.


    It¡¯s just a pity that regardless of if it were the past or present, the youth who¡¯d picked up his sword to protect others would inevitably get dragged down from the clouds and become trapped in a sea of blood, never to return.


    He Ku didn¡¯t see He Huan¡¯s expression. He jumped into the spirit spring, his heart going over the sword technique he had already memorized, practicing them over and over again. Heavenly Sword Intent could only be attained if the person wielding the sword was firm in their dao, but since he hadn¡¯t reached the Golden Core stage to understand its intricacies, he could only drill the basic strikes into his body¡¯s instincts.


    Since the battle with Qing XuZi couldn¡¯t be avoided, he had to make use of every spare second to become stronger. At least, enough that when the battle began, he would be of some use.


    Within the forest of bamboo, the youth repeated the same strike again and again. His silver sword sliced through the falling bamboo leaves. His red robe swayed amidst the mist, his swordsmanship clearly good enough, but there wasn¡¯t even the slightest bit of satisfaction on his face. He just kept all his focus on the edge of the blade. Every move had to be perfect.


    What Xiu Niang saw, when she hesitatingly stepped into the area around the spirit spring, was this scene. She had never seen such a serious look on the Little Palace Master¡¯s face. For a while, she was not sure which soul was occupying the body at this time. In the end, it was He Ku who noticed her from the reflection in the spring. He sheathed his sword before turning and smiling at her. ¡°Xiu Niang, you¡¯re back! Why are you just silently standing there?¡±


    Among the enforcers, Xiu Niang was He Ku¡¯s favourite. In the days he spent in the palace, she took care of him much like how an older sister would. Although he knew this was likely because of her connection to He Huan, he was still incredibly grateful. Now that he saw her come back safely, how could he not be happy?


    Seeing this smile, Xiu Niang was able to confirm that it was indeed the Little Palace Master. She let out a breath in relief before looking at him hesitantly. She asked, ¡°Little Palace Master, is the Palace Master beside you?¡±


    Her expression was very strange. He Ku felt a bit confused, but after thinking over it, he honestly replied, ¡°I wanted to practice by myself, so I left him upstairs. Are you looking for him?¡±


    After hearing this, her expression relaxed. Then, as if she were afraid He Ku would call He Huan, she quickly said, ¡°There are some things I don¡¯t dare to say to the Palace Master, but if I don¡¯t say them today, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t ever have the chance. Could I bother you to listen in his place?¡±


    These days, He Ku was used to being a messenger. Seeing her like this, he immediately nodded his head in agreement. ¡°Ok, go ahead, I¡¯ll tell him when I go upstairs.¡±


    Xiu Niang brightened at his ¡®go ahead¡¯, her fingers tightly clenched her handkerchief, she took a deep breath and looked to have made up her mind before speaking. ¡°Little Palace Master, do you know why I am titled Xiu Niang1?¡±


    He Huan had never told him why. He Ku paused, but as he was thinking about how he should answer, he heard her let out a long sigh before beginning, ¡°I¡­ was once a courtesan 2 within the imperial palace.¡±

 CH 28

    Since ancient times, cultivators would single-mindedly cultivate in their own little caves once they¡¯d entered a sect. Rarely would they pay attention to the dynasties.


    If you asked anyone in the Jianghu about the genius disciples of the Three Great Sects, they would answer as if recounting their family¡¯s treasury. But if you asked them what experts the imperial household had, the number of people who would know that the current imperial surname was Li were already few and far inbetween.


    In fact, if you ran into a senior who had just come out of seclusion, they may even owlishly ask you, ¡°What? Great Liang was destroyed?¡±


    It was normal for cultivators who¡¯d formed their nascent soul to seclude themselves for centuries at a time. Often, they would find that the whole empire had changed in the blink of an eye, so naturally they wouldn¡¯t care about something as routine as a change in imperial power.


    If one were to pinpoint which conflict was the most memorable within this century, it would probably only be the battle for the throne before the previous dynasty¡¯s destruction.


    The reason why scholars and court officials couldn¡¯t forget this fight was because the night where blood had washed over Chang¡¯An had also been the opening curtain to Sheng Yuan Emperor Li Yi¡¯s unification of the world.


    For the Jianghu, however, it was because the Qing XuZi of back then couldn¡¯t stand the suffering of the people and single-handedly quelled a dynasty¡¯s unrest. Using reality to prove that just a simple gesture from Xuanmen¡¯s Sect Leader could change who was in charge of the world.


    It was also because that night, Qing XuZi picked up a dying child from a pile of corpses after that battle. That child would later become the renown Bu QingYun.


    The world only knew that it was the beginning of Bu QingYun¡¯s legend, but very few people still remembered why this battle had occurred in the first place. Xiu Niang was one of those few who still firmly remembered the complete set of events that led up to that carnage.


    It was the last generation of the Western Liang Dynasty.


    Ever since the first emperor had signed a contract with divine beasts, Western Liang had enjoyed the divine beasts¡¯ protection and blessing, experiencing peace and prosperity. Nobody could have imagined that such a flourishing period would one day come to an end.


    Like with every previous emperor, the whole of Chang¡¯An was immersed in a festive atmosphere as they awaited the new emperor to ascend the Temple of Heaven1 to be crowned.


    Everyone was guessing which divine beast the new emperor would be chosen by. However, it didn¡¯t really matter which one it was, since they were all good.


    Once the contract of heaven was signed, as long as the emperor stayed within their country¡¯s borders Western Liang would have the power of a wandering immortal and he would become its next protector. Yet until the end, the next emperor never appeared.


    The old emperor had already died, and the new emperor had gone missing. The entirety of Western Liang had suddenly lost its power balance.


    In order to seize the throne, the remaining princes fought non-stop. Some demonic cultivators took this opportunity to cause some chaos. Like this, a prosperous dynasty completely collapsed.


    Though it had been a hundred years, Xiu Niang would inadvertently remember how Zhao HuanZhi had looked when she first saw him even now.


    That year, she had still been a noble lady from Western Liang¡¯s Zong clan; she had worn her favourite pink skirt as she accompanied her parents on a walk outside.


    The peach blossoms of that day had been in full bloom, and she had walked on the grass which was scattered with flower petals, a creek right beside her. As she walked, she¡¯d found herself in front of him.


    He was sitting under a tree with papers depicting the spring scenery spread around him. His expression was serious and his temperament elegant. When the wind blew, the peach blossoms fell one after another, brushing past his hair and his eyes, quietly drifting into her heart.


    From that moment on, she became bolder than ordinary women; she fancied him, so she made her way to him and asked for his name. It was only then that she learned he was the current Third Prince, Zhao HuanZhi.


    Ever since their first meeting, the two often went out and travelled together. Their love for each other was pure and innocent, like childhood sweethearts.


    Later, he was chosen as the next emperor and she was his finest courtesan. They promised that when he obtained the divine beast¡¯s power and controlled the world, he would make her empress and they would become lifelong husband and wife.


    This was supposed to be a beautiful fairytale-like romance, but on the night before the coronation, this dream was shattered.


    Before the emperor obtained the divine beast¡¯s powers, he was just an ordinary man. Naturally, the palace would place all of their experts to protect him, but that night, he only brought a few shadow guards with him when he visited her room.


    He told her that he would never make the prime minister¡¯s daughter his empress. He asked her to wait for one more day before he made her his wife. At that time, no one could have known that someone made it through all of the palace¡¯s security and into her room.


    Before she could even make a sound, her love was taken by a man in black.


    At that time, she felt like she was about to go crazy, she was so busy begging the Empress Dowager and other princes to go save him that she never stopped to think how a Nascent Soul stage cultivator could so easily locate the new emperor through the heavily guarded imperial palace. All of this was just the typical palace intrigue and scheming. For the sake of a throne, those people personally buried their sons and brothers, ruining her life¡¯s happiness.


    The court was in so much chaos, no one was looking for him. She could only go to the Jianghu by herself to search.


    However, she was just a weak woman, so it took her several harsh months just to find Cloud City where the Xuanmen Righteous Sect was located. Unfortunately, Western Liang had completely devolved into war by then, and many of Xuanmen¡¯s disciples were sent out to rescue its victims; the only ones within the sect were its weak outer-court disciples.


    In the end, all she learned was that the person who had kidnapped Zhao HuanZhi was most likely the Palace of Bliss¡¯ Palace Master¡ª Feng Xie.


    Feng Xie was originally a small keeper in Chang¡¯An, but because he offended a nobleman he was tortured within an inch of his life. However, he survived by being discarded in the moat when they thought he had died.


    There, he found the long-lost Technique of Bliss and entered onto the demonic path. That Feng Xie could also be considered a genius; within a few decades, he¡¯d made it to the Nascent Soul stage. From then, he found pleasure in torturing young masters from noble households. It was unknown just how many talented youths were ruined under his hand.


    At the same time, his skills truly were extraordinary, and even after being hunted down by the righteous faction for decades, no one could find neither hide nor hair of him.


    Finally, the Xuanmen guarding disciple who gave her this information sighed. If the court had requested help the moment he was taken, then he might have some hope of being saved, but now that it¡¯s already been so long, Zhao HuanZhi was likely crippled.


    She spent seven days waiting at the foot of the mountain for Qing XuZi to return before she left. She abandoned her past and gave her body to demonic cultivators to enter the demonic faction.


    She prostituted herself for eight years before finally entering into the Palace of Bliss, becoming Feng Xie¡¯s love pet. But the person she was searching for had already become a part of the Palace of Bliss¡¯ sea of blood.


    His corpse was covered in wounds, his bones were crushed, his eyes were gouged out, even his soul was sacrificed by that demon to create a weapon. The person she placed in the deepest part of her heart to love, the person she gave up everything to search for, was completely destroyed in this way. From that moment on, she never used her name again. The only thing left in this world was Xiu Niang who swore to make Feng Xie die without an intact corpse.


    That was why she would never forget the day Bu QingYun walked through a mountain of bodies and slain Feng Xie. From that day onwards, it didn¡¯t matter if they faced a siege by the righteous faction or the schemes of the demonic faction, she continued to stand by that person¡¯s side and became his first subordinate since entering the demonic path.


    ¡°Little Palace Master once asked me what my dao heart was. Today I will tell you. My dao heart is to kill Feng Xie, destroy Western Liang, and to condemn all of the Zhao family¡¯s descendants to a hellish life on earth!¡±


    This was the past that Xiu Niang had buried in her heart and never revealed to anyone. Even after a hundred years, she was still filled with heartbreak when she recounted the story.


    Breathing out a deep breath, she raised her face. The red-robed youth in front of her was the same as when she had first seen him, but in his eyes was a sympathy He Huan had never shown.


    The corners of her lips curled up as she slowly spoke of her dao heart. It was clearly the most seductive smile one could have in the bedroom, but under the light of the moon, it gave off a sense of mourning.


    He Ku was more fortunate than He Huan; when he woke up the world was already in a state of peace and the current Palace of Bliss had also distanced itself from its filthy past.


    He didn¡¯t know how he should comfort the grieving woman in front of him, so he could only solemnly promise, ¡°I swear to you that I will never allow someone like Feng Xie to live.¡±


    Hearing his words, Xiu Niang¡¯s expression changed. She noticed that the young man said ¡®I¡¯. With a hint of sorrow still on her face, she sighed. ¡°Little Palace Master, are you still sure of entering the Jianghu after listening to these events? You must know, once you are discovered by the world, what happened to Bu QingYun could happen to you.¡±


    ¡°Xiu Niang, Bu QingYun and I aren¡¯t the same. Behind Bu QingYun was Xuanmen, but behind me is He Huan. And I believe a person would never betray themself.¡±


    Of course, He Ku knew that what awaited him was numerous people¡¯s schemes. Maybe he wouldn¡¯t be able to return in one piece from the Jianghu, maybe one day he¡¯d become the same as He Huan ¨C only able to reveal a genuine smile to himself ¨C but he firmly believed that he wouldn¡¯t regret his decision today.


    ¡°I think Little Palace Master is the happiest now. Remembering nothing and not having to do anything. How great is it to just live cleanly and peacefully.¡±


    Seeing his expression, Xiu Niang already knew that whatever cautionary advice she had to say was useless. She could only sigh as she said, ¡°Little Palace Master, there are no good people within the demonic faction, including the Palace Master¡­ you¡­ be careful.¡±


    She seemed to be trying to say something more through her words. He Ku also didn¡¯t know why she would talk to him about this today, but even though he didn¡¯t understand, his heart never wavered. He just looked towards the QingYun Hall above them and calmly said, ¡°While He Huan and I may have a lot of different opinions, I believe his original aspiration has not changed. After listening to your story, I am more certain that the demonic faction has become a hundred times better with him than what it was without.¡±


    So similar.


    This expression was way too similar to the one she saw on Bu QingYun when she¡¯d looked up from the bloodshed. If it was possible, she really wanted to personally see the Little Palace Master all grown up.


    But, Palace Master, since you can¡¯t redo the past, why would you let Bu QingYun reappear in the world again?


    Despite how happy you are right now, in the end, are you still longing to return to being Bu QingYun?


    As she looked at that face in a daze, her grip on her handkerchief tightened. A flash of distress showed in her expression as if she had a million things to say but no way to voice them.


    In the end, she fell onto her knees and left behind a single sentence. ¡°Little Palace Master, please pass on this message to the Palace Master, ¡®Xiu Niang loves both the Palace Master and the Little Palace Master, so I beg you both to come back alive.¡¯¡±


    End of Chapter 28

 CH 29

    Translator: THISBRO


    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: Bubbles


    It had been a few days since they returned to the Palace of Bliss. The righteous faction always felt the need to proclaim their enemy¡¯s crimes to the world before a fight, providing sufficient reason for amassing their forces, and as the leader of the Xuanmen Sect, Qing XuZi wasn¡¯t any different. In fact, rumours swirled among the Jianghu that Xuanmen had abstained from aiding the other sects when they were harmed out of lingering fondness for He Huan, only raising a hand when it was their own disciple being harmed, rendering them unworthy of their reputation for being just.


    When He Ku heard these rumours, he was speechless. In his heart, he criticized the righteous faction and the unscrupulous tactics they displayed the moment they gained the slightest advantage. He Huan hadn¡¯t even done anything, but they spun a narrative that he wanted to suppress Xuanmen. Sure enough, there was no need to fear a god-like opponent, only pig-like allies. However, from his standpoint, he obviously thought it would be best if the righteous faction just straight-up became a pig farm and hustled Qing XuZi back into seclusion.


    The righteous faction was delayed by internal conflict, but the situation on the demonic side was also quite strange. Thinking about it, this was a critical junction, and aside from He Ku using the body at night to hone his swordsmanship, the rest of the time He Huan had control of the body. However, he wasn¡¯t summoning an army, picking generals, or even strategizing¡¯ other than occasionally meeting up with Bai Chen for tea and conversation, he locked himself within QingYun Hall to read. Moreover, that sort of unmentionable reading material from those two cabinets! To He Ku, he gave off the strong impression that he was waiting for death.


    In fact, through his conversations with Bai Chen, he also knew that He Huan probably planned to fake his death. However, He Ku felt that this method was too risky; if escape were possible, it would be a better plan. This worry reached its peak when he discovered that the disciples within the palace were packing up their belongings and evacuating in batches. He cornered the idle He Huan while he was eating pastries on the day bed to clarify the reason.


    Yet he didn¡¯t expect that once He Huan heard this, he still remained as impassive as ever. He Ku watched him reach out his hand and pull him into his arms, even taking advantage of He Ku¡¯s momentary lack of reaction to steal a few touches of his waist. He Huan smiled. ¡°Since they can¡¯t defeat the enemy, why make meaningless sacrifices? What do you think about gifting the Palace of Bliss to Xuanmen?¡±


    This pervert had spent the last few days reading porn and was currently ready to seduce whoever he saw. Naturally, He Ku wouldn¡¯t just lay there and wait to be eaten, instead, he quickly rolled into a corner of the bed and sat up straight. Only after doing all that did he worriedly ask, ¡°Isn¡¯t this loss a bit big?¡±


    Harassing his Nascent Soul was a habit he¡¯d developed since entering the Calamity Crossing Stage, so he really wasn¡¯t going to do anything. Even now, all he did was give He Ku a soft reminder. ¡°Have you forgotten ¡®Miracle Hand¡¯ Kong Kong¡¯s evaluation of us?¡±


    Thinking of the letter he had read at the beginning and how a certain thief had complained there was nothing valuable inside the Palace of Bliss aside from their porn books, He Ku instantly calmed down. He suddenly felt that it wasn¡¯t bad to let the Xuanmen Righteous Sect come and clean out all the smut from this lousy place.


    Demonic cultivators have always lived in the moment, so when they obtain priceless treasures or pills they¡¯d immediately use them, unlike the righteous faction¡¯s sects who would build a treasury. He Huan himself didn¡¯t even use external tools, since the Technique of Bliss cultivation method was practiced within the mind and heart.


    Therefore, to them, the Palace of Bliss was just a place of residence. Early in Bu QingYun¡¯s career as He Huan, before he had the strength to dominate the demonic faction, whenever he encountered a force he couldn¡¯t win against, he¡¯d retreat from the palace and would only return to rebuild it after assassinating the opponent¡¯s upper-echelon.


    Feng Xie¡¯s skills were already extremely powerful; back then, this was what allowed him to sneak into the imperial palace undetected. After He Huan beheaded him, he refined Feng Xie¡¯s soul and learned the same skills. Nobody below the Calamity Crossing Stage would be able to detect him.


    After He Huan joined the demonic path, he no longer avoided using underhanded methods like poison or concealed weapons; as long as it killed his opponent he was willing to use anything, which made him a hundred times more terrifying than Bu QingYun. This also deterred the various sect leaders of the time from making any moves alone, for fear a dark figure would jump out of the shadows when their guard was down and take their head.


    It was only later, as He Huan¡¯s cultivation steadily improved, that he no longer had to resort to such guerrilla tactics, merely passing on these skills to his disciple, QianRen. He himself spent his days lavishly in the Palace of Bliss and enjoying his retirement. Apparently, these years of peace had made everyone forget that He Huan alone was the world¡¯s most terrifying killer.


    However, He Huan didn¡¯t intend to use those underhanded methods against Xuanmen. Now all he was thinking about was He Ku¡¯s worry. After all, he was confident in his strength and reinforcements, even joking, ¡°The majority of Xuanmen¡¯s disciples are pure virgins, their faces would probably be quite interesting if they saw my extensive collection.¡±


    ¡°I think they¡¯d just straight up burn these things.¡±


    Although He Ku still retorted according to habit, he silently imagined the impact these things would have on the abstinent Xuanmen disciples. He Huan had arranged this QingYun Hall so elegantly that ordinary people would never be able to guess that the cabinets stored something as crass as porn. It was almost a guarantee that someone would fall for it.


    In the end, He Ku couldn¡¯t resist lamenting that sure enough, ginger gets spicier the older it becomes[1]. He Huan was much more proficient in digging pits for people to fall into. His act of hanging a Mingmen Righteous Sect plaque paled in comparison to this cabinet.


    He Huan was never one to suffer losses, even if it was porn. He didn¡¯t plan on throwing them away. He picked up a jujube pastry and put it in his mouth and mumbled, ¡°You Jiang has the content more or less memorized, so later I¡¯ll just ask him to redraw them.¡±


    ¡°Our family¡¯s enforcer sure has many talents.¡± Just remembering that You Jiang, a person who practically exuded a ¡®fuck the world¡¯ aura, was not only a master in the four gentlemanly arts but also good at recreating porn, He Ku couldn¡¯t help but sigh in admiration.


    It would be fine if it was just regular porn, however He Huan wanted the last straight male in the entire palace to draw gay sex. He Ku was just worried that You Jiang would rather die than obey. When he thought of this, a look of worry emerged on his face. He asked, ¡°Are you sure You Jiang wouldn¡¯t defect with how much you torment him?¡±


    It seemed like He Huan found pleasure in scaring him. He languidly ate a pastry and used a tone like he¡¯d just bought cabbage at the grocery store to reply to him. ¡°I reckon he¡¯s more or less defected already.¡±


    As if verifying what he said, the two people heard a gust of wind sweep past them as they chatted. Yun Ce nimbly flipped through the window, a piece of jade in his hands as he shouted at He Huan, ¡°Palace Master, bad news! Last night when I went to find the second enforcer to cultivate with me, he knocked me unconscious, left this communication stone, and defected!¡±


    A considerable amount of information was contained within this one sentence, however He Huan wasn¡¯t surprised in the slightest. He received the communication stone from Yun Ce then waved him away. ¡°Got it. Go inform QianRen since their relationship was quite good, enough that it is appropriate to drink a few cups in silence.¡±


    Frozen at the side, He Ku watched him use less than a minute to handle his capable subordinate¡¯s defection. He almost felt as if he was dreaming. Why did a major event like having an ally defect the day before the battle become an ordinary development when it came to He Huan? Wasn¡¯t this too irresponsible for a Demon Lord?!


    Moreover, the reason behind You Jiang¡¯s defection was because he couldn¡¯t stand Yun Ce¡¯s harassment. In all of history, they were probably the only ones to have this happen. Even after a moment of silence, He Ku still wasn¡¯t able to accept this explanation, so he voiced his thought, ¡°Don¡¯t you think this reason is a bit perfunctory?¡±


    Fortunately, the demonic faction wasn¡¯t actually so unreliable. Playing with the communication stone the enforcer had left behind, He Huan laughed lightly. ¡°You Jiang told me once, he could be the demonic cultivator He Huan¡¯s subordinate but he would never obey Bu QingYun.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t strange for someone with You Jiang¡¯s character to say such a thing, but He Ku also knew that He Huan wasn¡¯t the type of person who could be threatened. Instantly He Ku¡¯s face darkened. ¡°My intuition tells me that you didn¡¯t give him a proper answer.¡±


    ¡°I told him, everyone knows that Bu QingYun and He Huan are the same person, so why deceive yourself into believing otherwise? Since you are unwilling, why don¡¯t you pick a time to firmly draw a line and form your own power.¡±


    Sure enough, He Huan¡¯s response didn¡¯t contain even a hint of reluctance. Thinking for a bit, he even added, ¡°However, for him to leave so hurriedly, Yun Ce¡¯s effort in bothering him every night definitely can¡¯t be ignored.¡±


    At that comment, He Ku only gave him a cold glare. ¡°If I remember correctly, you were the one who unleashed Yun Ce upon him.¡±


    With a smile on his face, He Huan accepted his Nascent Soul¡¯s look of discontentment. He knew that during He Ku¡¯s stay in the Palace of Bliss, the ones he interacted the most with were the three enforcers. Now that one of them had suddenly left, he was naturally upset. However, since He Huan had already made up his mind to let Bu QingYun reappear in this world, there was no way he and You Jiang would stand on the same side. It would be better to let him develop the demonic faction on his own.


    There was no loyalty between demonic cultivators. The reason why You Jiang had stayed in the Palace of Bliss all these years was because He Huan had defeated him and had established a blood oath. His reply, however, was equivalent to dissolving the blood oath. Considering You Jiang¡¯s personality, he would have already recognized this favour. There would be some kind of return in the future to come, so it was worth it.


    He Huan had long stopped doing benevolent things, but He Ku didn¡¯t need to know all the calculations in his actions. He still wanted to look at this innocent version of his young self for a few more days.


    Smiling, he hid the depths within his eyes. He held the communication stone in his fingers as he asked, ¡°Say¡­ should we open the connection within this stone? With You Jiang¡¯s temper, he¡¯d probably curse me to hell and back with his new found freedom, right?¡±


    He Huan never sought others¡¯ opinions when he wanted to do something and this time was no different. As he joked, he had already crushed the jade. ¡°Oh well, if he goes overboard with his curses, I¡¯ll just go over and stab him.¡±


    Only a cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage and above could activate a communication stone. Following the flow of spiritual energy, a glass-like lens appeared before them and a black-clothed You Jiang was reflected inside. There was no longer any trace of respect on his face as he looked at the person on the daybed, and his tone was distant. ¡°Palace Master, today will be the last time we talk to each other.¡±


    His indifference was within He Huan¡¯s expectations, the only surprise was the woman in pink standing behind him. Xiu Niang, the subordinate that had followed him since the beginning of his demonic journey, had followed You Jiang in leaving.


    However, in the end, He Huan was He Huan. Even though something unexpected had happened, the only thing that moved was the light in his eyes. Quickly, his mood returned to its initial calmness, and he carefully looked at the two people in the glass lens, his mouth slowly curling up into a smile. ¡°You Jiang, this master has known right from the start that you were a promising demonic cultivator.¡±

 CH 30

    Translator: THISBRO


    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: Bubbles


    Originally, He Ku thought that He Huan and You Jiang would have a lot to say now that the latter was separating from the sect, but in reality, the two didn¡¯t mention the past nor settle old debts. They just distantly looked at each other.


    Soon afterward, You Jiang spoke his thoughts out loud, ¡°The Palace Master is the world¡¯s Palace Master, but not the demonic faction¡¯s Palace Master. What I want is for the demonic path to dominate the world, not some bullshit world peace. Now that the crafty rabbit has died, what use is the hunting dog? You and your shifu have single-mindedly suppressed the demonic faction for so many years, do you think he would let you go for the sake of world peace?¡±


    He Huan was correct; You Jiang was the most promising demonic cultivator of the younger generation. He was the only one to deduce He Huan¡¯s true intentions from the clues left behind after all these years. Even Xuanmen¡¯s disciples were fooled by He Huan¡¯s act, believing he had long forgotten his aspirations after falling into depravity. He believed that He Huan still had the world in his heart, and due to his certainty in his belief he had to defect. Because his dao was bound to wash the world in blood.


    This situation was actually quite ironic. Xuanmen, who stood on the same side as him, wanted to end him, while the only one who believed that he wanted to protect the world was the demonic cultivator who was determined to overturn it. Thinking this, He Huan¡¯s smile became a little mocking. His gaze towards the glass lens, however, was exceedingly clear. ¡°Your name from when you were in the Heaven¡¯s Library Pavillion was Jiang FengZhi?¡±


    He originally thought You Jiang would be surprised at his words. He didn¡¯t expect the other¡¯s face to remain unmoved. You Jiang calmly replied, ¡°I used to be, but now I am just You Jiang the demonic cultivator.¡±


    When a person was truly able to accept the future, they would no longer be afraid of their past. He no longer concealed his talent in the four arts; he had completely drawn a line dividing him and his past righteous self. Such resoluteness was something He Huan never attained in his hundred years, but he didn¡¯t envy You Jiang. After all, Xuanmen was different from the Heaven¡¯s Library Pavilion, and in the same way, Bu QingYun and Jiang FengZhi were also different. They weren¡¯t the same type of people.


    Seeing He Huan hadn¡¯t responded, You Jiang was a little irritated. When all was said and done, he still had the temper of youth, always wanting to convince the people who didn¡¯t agree with him through a debate so as to prove his own correctness. Now that he met He Huan¡¯s ¡®whatever makes you happy¡¯ attitude, he didn¡¯t know how to deal with it. He could only seriously say, ¡°It is because I come from the Heaven¡¯s Library Pavilion that I¡¯m clearer than you on just how many dirty things the righteous faction hides. The Heavenly Dao Alliance¡¯s core has already rotted. A single Xuanmen Righteous Sect is incapable of changing anything.¡±


    He Huan actually didn¡¯t want to debate with him either. He was used to a lonely lifestyle, needing neither another person¡¯s recognition nor someone¡¯s company. He could walk his road of ascension by himself. Since he never had any expectations towards You Jiang¡¯s loyalty, he naturally wouldn¡¯t have the anger associated with being betrayed. With such tranquility, he continued to look at them, asking the only question he had left, ¡°Where is Bu YaoLian?¡±


    A mere Heaven¡¯s Library Pavilion would not possess the necessary strength to set traps in front of the Palace of Bliss, but if You Jiang personally helped them, then it wasn¡¯t impossible to trap Bu YaoLian.


    You Jiang wasn¡¯t surprised that he was able to think of such things, he answered honestly, ¡°I trapped him inside the Lunar Valley.¡±


    Before he saw He Huan, You Jiang had prepared many bold words in his heart. He thought that he would definitely be able to scold his delusional Palace Master into recognizing reality. Yet now that they were face to face and he saw He Huan¡¯s calm and unrippled expression, he didn¡¯t actually know what to say.


    He was sixteen when he had been forced onto the demonic path by the Heaven¡¯s Library Pavilion. He grew up in the Palace of Bliss, and it was there that he began to consider himself a true demonic cultivator. However, the friendship he and He Huan made over the years was probably thinner than He Ku¡¯s month of nodding acquaintance. Now that he¡¯d left, the Little Palace Master might even be sad for quite a while, but the Palace Master probably wouldn¡¯t have even the slightest change in mood.


    When all was said and done, management of the Palace of Bliss had completely been left up to him these past few years. If He Huan wanted to keep him, he might not have left so decisively. But looking at He Huan¡¯s indifference, a coldness nipped at his heart. He suddenly realised the current situation was dull and uninteresting, saying, ¡°I¡¯ve already cleared away the righteous faction¡¯s blockade on the west. If you want to retreat to the Snowy Mountains, you can go from there. Palace Master, this is the last thing I will do for you. When we meet again, we will be enemies.¡±


    You Jiang was committed to leaving, so naturally He Huan wouldn¡¯t try to keep him. However, he wasn¡¯t as indifferent as the other made him out to be. His gaze focused on the woman behind You Jiang and for the first time his voice wavered. ¡°From the start, you and I walked different paths, I am unsurprised that this day would come. However, Xiu Niang, I never imagined that you would follow him.¡±


    His words seldom held even a bit of emotion, but when Xiu Niang heard them her eyes reddened and she bit her lips as she looked at the handsome man on the daybed. She had followed this person for eighty years, personally watched him climb from desperation to where he was now. She approved of his aspirations and also firmly believed that he was the most impressive man in the world, but there were some things that needed to be said today.


    Her red lips trembled, a few tears that had hung on her eyes finally falling. The thing she hid until now was finally revealed. ¡°Palace Master, Feng Xie¡¯s martial arts defied natural order, an ordinary cultivator simply couldn¡¯t catch him. Only if he provoked a Calamity Crossing cultivator would he die.¡±


    She didn¡¯t dare to look at that person¡¯s expression, the handkerchief in her hand clenched in a death grip. She closed her eyes and, in a single breath, finished saying, ¡°So¡­ I gave him Xuanmen¡¯s map and encouraged him to attack Xuanmen¡¯s succeeding disciple. I knew that if Bu QingYun ended up in the same situation as that person, Qing XuZi would definitely make it so that there was nothing left of Feng Xie.


    ¡°The Little Palace Master was so similar to the Bu QingYun of back then; as long as I was looking at him, I would worry that you would discover what happened that year. It¡¯s also good now that it¡¯s out in the open.¡±


    ¡°Palace Master, this Xiu Niang can¡¯t apologize enough for what happened that year. But even if I went back in time, as long as it would kill him, I would do the same thing.¡±


    Her voice echoed in the empty QingYun Hall. He Huan just quietly listened to her; he didn¡¯t reply and he didn¡¯t look at her, a suffocating silence enveloping the building.


    After a long while, the spiritual energy of a Calamity Crossing cultivator abruptly spread out. The people within the Palace of Bliss only felt the weather suddenly change, the ground beneath them trembling as if it were also frightened.


    The glass lens had already been shattered, this earthquake triggered by anger further worried the Palace of Bliss. But He Ku didn¡¯t have the room to worry about anyone else, because he saw it, a pure black energy was currently dissipating from He Huan¡¯s body.


    Once you cultivated the Technique of Bliss, you could only be happy. Any negative emotion would cause the practitioner¡¯s cultivation to dissipate. Xiu Niang¡¯s blade came too unexpectedly and hit the old wound He Huan hid all these years. What the righteous faction plotted to do for decades was accomplished with just a few words from her.


    She¡­ succeeded in hurting He Huan.


    ¡°So it was you.¡±


    These few words were ground out. He Huan knew that he should calm down, but today, he didn¡¯t want to be calm. He still remembered, back then, it was because he no longer had a sect, no longer had any friends, no longer had a future that he chose to explode his golden core in order to bring Feng Xie down with him.


    When Feng Xie¡¯s head hit the ground, his meridians were completely shattered, he didn¡¯t even have the strength to stay standing. It was the woman in pink laying on the daybed who had caught him as he fell. She helped him collect Feng Xie¡¯s divine consciousness and gave him the Technique of Bliss to let him be reborn in the demonic faction. In the days where he was no different from a waste, she gave her body to all kinds of demonic cultivators in exchange for medicine to heal his meridians. It could be said that without Xiu Niang, there wouldn¡¯t be today¡¯s He Huan. That was why he reserved the slightest sincerity towards only her within the entire palace.


    For Feng Xie to dare sneak into the Xuanmen Righteous Sect and drug Bu QingYun, he knew that there had to be something more going on back then. He suspected every sect, no matter righteous or demonic, he even held suspicions towards Bu YaoLian. Everyone except her. Yet it was the person he had never suspected who was the true culprit.


    The one who let him be reborn on the demonic path as He Huan was her.


    The one who¡¯d caused Bu QingYun to fall into hell, never to return, was also her.


    So this was the truth of that event. There was no intricate arrangement, no flawless scheme, it was just the revenge of a desperate woman that destroyed Bu QingYun¡¯s life. A disaster that swept him up along with it.


    ¡°He Huan!¡±


    He Ku¡¯s worry-filled voice sounded by his ear. The youth had never seen He Huan like this, he was probably scared by him and hugged him tightly from behind. The spirit body¡¯s coldness calmed him somewhat. He Huan slowly raised his eyes; the spirit body hugging him clearly had the same face as him, yet the energy surrounding him was impeccably pure and clean. As long as he got close, he would feel as if he was securely protected by the spiritual energy gathered by the divine sword intent. Not long ago, he was also like this.


    If it wasn¡¯t for Feng Xie, he would have been like this even now.


    Bu QingYun was twenty when he was at the late stage of Golden Core. Qing XuZi had said that if this continued, he would definitely be able to ascend within the century. He originally had the chance to break through the realms and see his parents one last time, but because of her, everything was ruined.


    If it hadn¡¯t been for that event, how would he be forced to hold a sword as he greeted his shizun who he saw as a father now? How would he be alone in this building with no brothers or friends, no one to accompany him except his Nascent Soul? How would he have missed the opportunity to return home because he was trapped and had to recultivate with a demonic technique? How would he have lost his trust in the world and everyone in it?


    Xiu Niang, you really brought me so much suffering¡­


    The more he looked at He Ku, the more he couldn¡¯t help but remember the bits and pieces of his past, but he was no longer the boy who would fall apart when he encountered some setbacks. After living a hundred years, he should have learned his lesson. The more he hated, the better he had to live. As long as he maintained his cultivation level, he would have time to find those people in the future.


    The agitated spiritual qi submerged back into his dantian as he took a deep breath and exhaled. He buried all his emotions in an instant as if he had returned to his usual look of indifference. He patted He Ku, who refused to let go of him, and even his tone had calmed. ¡°I¡¯m not in a great mood today, so why don¡¯t you go back into the dantian to rest? Wait for me to clear my head, I¡¯ll be back to normal tomorrow.¡±


    He Huan was always like this. No matter what he faced, he would always be indifferent like he didn¡¯t care about anything, as if nothing could hurt him. Even if he felt sad or despondent, he would recover his tranquility after a few cups of tea and some moon watching. It made people think that this person had very thin emotions.


    Yet, He Ku knew that it wasn¡¯t that he wouldn¡¯t hurt but that he had become used to holding it in. When he got hurt he would endure it alone, and after a while, he would forget the pain and display a smile to the rest of the world. He believed that He Huan could overcome this. After tonight, people would again see the strategizing and improper Demon Lord He Huan. Nobody would know what had happened today.


    However, while He Huan could deceive the rest of the world, he couldn¡¯t deceive He Ku. They were originally from the same consciousness, so as long as one felt sad or hurt, the other would be able to clearly feel just how much pain they were in. Today, He Huan was really angry and he actually forgot about the connection between the two. Just then, his suffocating sorrow vividly made it into He Ku¡¯s heart. It was also at this time that he realized what He Huan¡¯s smile hid every time he reminisced about the past.


    He still wasn¡¯t willing to let go. He Huan looked at his stubborn face and suddenly remembered that he really was like this in the past. He would always use brute force to tackle problems, he didn¡¯t know how to be flexible, that was why he stumbled so hard. He silently sighed and relied on his decades of experience to make a smile. He patted his Nascent Soul¡¯s hand and gently said, ¡°See? I told you that there wasn¡¯t anyone in this world you could trust other than yourself. I didn¡¯t do it well, don¡¯t learn from me.¡±


    He Huan thought, I truly have been tempered. Even now I can still lift my spirits enough to comfort He Ku. However, he was also thankful that there was a He Ku to draw his attention away; at least, as long as he thought about He Ku¡¯s situation he wouldn¡¯t have the time to review those painful memories.


    Just as he was thinking about how he should lull this stubborn youth to sleep, that person buried his face into the crook of his neck. His muffled voice sounded beside his ears. ¡°He Huan, you told me once that the Soul Inquiry Mirror would reflect a cultivator¡¯s ultimate purpose or desire in life.¡±


    He Huan wanted to tell him that it wasn¡¯t time for his soul to be inquired since his nature was still being developed. However, before he even opened his mouth, He Ku¡¯s voice slowly sounded by his ears again. ¡°What I see in the mirror¡­ is you.¡±


    This was the first time someone had said something like this to him since entering the demonic path. He hadn¡¯t yet thought about how to reply to the youth when he noticed the surrounding spiritual energy begin rushing towards their body.


    Spiritual energy condensed, already forming into an immortal body. No cultivator would be unfamiliar with this situation. He Ku was actually going to form his golden core right here!

 CH 31

    Translator: THISBRO


    Editor: Mimishijie


    Proofreader: Bubbles


    He Huan¡¯s body had already reached the Calamity Crossing Stage, so after splitting his soul they would take turns being each other¡¯s Nascent Soul. Now, forming a golden core was just going through the process, and He Ku didn¡¯t possess the danger of having his meridians tangled if he got distracted. But what He Huan worried about the most was the time during which He Ku would be forming his core.


    The divine sword intent He Ku cultivated was established to put the world first. This technique had a high demand on the cultivator¡¯s nature and temperament. It could be said that in the moment his aspiration would be determined; it would define how high the cultivator would be able to go.


    He Ku had barely been there for a month since he first awoke, and in this time the people he had been exposed to were all demonic cultivators, so how could he possibly have developed the idea that the world was his responsibility? He hadn¡¯t even seen the world yet.


    Moreover, nothing good happened here today. He Huan was worried that after listening to what he said, his malleable Nascent Soul would be influenced by hatred and form his golden core incorrectly, accidentally falling to the demonic path.


    At this time, the immortal body had already been formed and no one could stop it. All he could do was hand over the body to He Ku and do his job as the current Nascent Soul to steadily control the flow of spiritual energy. He Huan sternly advised, ¡°He Ku, the more others cheat you and curse at you, the more you have to let yourself live well. This is the best retaliation towards them! Your dao has to be made for yourself, it can never be affected by others!¡±


    This was the first time since He Ku was created that He Huan had used such a stern tone towards him. But, when these words fell on He Ku¡¯s ears, they made him happier than those coaxing ones, because he felt truly cared for.


    He had already stalled out at the Foundation Establishment Stage for a long time, simply because he couldn¡¯t determine the path he wanted to take.


    Although Bu QingYun came from another world, he had been single-handedly brought up by Qing XuZi; twenty years was enough to let him assimilate into this world, which was why he could shoulder this world.


    However, He Ku was different. He didn¡¯t have any memories of this world. From the time he¡¯d woken up, it was He Huan who had led him every step of the way towards the larger world. He hadn¡¯t even had the chance to assimilate into the world when He Huan had already assimilated into his life.


    All of the Jianghu¡¯s love and hatred were just stories to him; he couldn¡¯t even immerse himself within them, let alone spend his life throwing his head down and spilling his own blood for an unfamiliar world. But he also didn¡¯t have any other direction he could go. He didn¡¯t want to save the world, but he also didn¡¯t want to harm others. If one said that a hundred years ago, Bu QingYun would have harnessed the desire to work hard and cultivate to the point where he could break through dimensions just so he could return home, but now that his parents and friends have all died, what was the point of breaking through dimensions?


    He didn¡¯t care for the world, didn¡¯t care for the demonic path, and didn¡¯t care to ascend. In this month, he was like duckweed¡ªrootless. He just floated along in the wake of He Huan¡¯s actions. He was utterly unable to find his direction and future. Until today, when he clearly felt the sorrow He Huan had repressed for countless decades, finally finding something he wanted to do.


    He was He Huan¡¯s Nascent Soul. He had stayed in He Huan¡¯s body for eighty years. In the past, no matter which hard battle, it was always him who provided this person the energy to live on. In that case, he just needed to do what he was made for. Just like in the past, he only needed to remain by this person¡¯s side and protect him with his power. As long as the Nascent Soul still contained even a sliver of spiritual energy, no one would be able to take the cultivator¡¯s life. From now on, as long as He Ku still had a single breath left, nobody could even think about hurting He Huan.


    The Nascent Soul was the fruit of a cultivator¡¯s lifetime of cultivation, the heart¡¯s blood one would do everything to protect and meticulously nurture. So when it gained consciousness, it was bound to understand its cultivator better than anyone else in the world. There might be partings and reunions among people, but a cultivator¡¯s Nascent Soul would never leave them. Regardless of righteous or demonic, it would remain attached like a shadow. It wasn¡¯t husband and wife, rather it exceeded marriage.


    He Ku was He Huan¡¯s Nascent Soul, so his dao heart only had two words: He Huan.


    There was no heavenly path that would deny such a heartfelt desire to protect a person. Overwhelming energy filled the entire floor, following the scattered rays of sunlight from daybreak entering through the window. A sword intent unique to He Ku was finally forged. It was like a radiance hung suspended above his palm, as clear as water, as bright as the moon, exactly like the endless moonlight that had blanketed the sky that night on the cloud when He Huan had kissed his forehead.


    Sword intent forged and a golden core formed, He Huan silently observed the moonlight in the young man¡¯s hand and knew that this was the divine sword intent He Ku forged with his heart¡¯s aspiration. It wasn¡¯t like Bu QingYun¡¯s, which had been show-offish, or like Bu YaoLian¡¯s more reserved one, instead it most resembled the moon that had accompanied him all those countless nights. Although it only existed in the darkness, it was filled to the brim with an endless gentleness.


    The divine sword intent could not be corrupted, now that it has been forged. It would seem that He Ku¡¯s mindscape hadn¡¯t been affected. In his heart, He Huan let out a breath in relief and smiled towards He Ku. ¡°After this, as long as you persist with your dao, there will no longer be any obstacles on the road ahead of you. You will be able to ascend through your dao and rapidly rise up in the world.¡±


    Hearing his voice, He Ku finally came out of that surging emotion. He never thought that the process of forming his golden core would actually need such passion. That violently surging emotion seemed to have stayed in his chest and hadn¡¯t withdrawn. At this time, he raised his head and looked at He Huan who had been supporting him through his golden core formation, not once relaxing his guard, and with uncharacteristic solemnity said, ¡°He Huan, I am your Nascent Soul. If you want to slaughter the world, then I will be your demon; if you still want to carry this world, then I will still be the Bu QingYun that pursued world peace.¡±


    Although He Huan didn¡¯t know what he took as his dao heart, he more or less understood after hearing this. He never would have thought that there would still be someone who would cherish him so deeply. He suddenly felt glad that he could risk everything to create He Ku. How lucky he was.


    Covering up his emotions had long become a habit for He Huan, so even though his frozen heart couldn¡¯t help but beat again, he still lowered his eyes and controlled himself. He just floated on top of his body and laughed. ¡°We are each other¡¯s Nascent Soul, but I formed a demonic body, while you formed an immortal one. From time immemorial, demon and immortal can¡¯t coexist, so we can¡¯t both use the dantian. Luckily, the demonic energy from my Technique of Bliss can follow wherever my soul goes, so I¡¯ll yield the dantian to you. Just find another place in our body for me to live.¡±


    He Ku hadn¡¯t really considered this problem before, but now that it had been mentioned, he dissipated the sword intent in his palm and thought the place he found to put a Nascent Soul must be dependable. Immediately, he pressed his hand onto his chest and replied, ¡°Then how about you move here?¡±


    His action was completely instinctive, but He Huan¡¯s eyes moved and cast him a gentle look. Only when his staring caused He Ku to become flustered did he place his hand on top of his and teased, ¡°Are you telling me to live in your heart?¡±


    After hearing this, He Ku only just realised that the heart was a little intimate. Inexplicably, his face reddened, either from embarrassment or anger, as he immediately said, ¡°Less nonsense. Are you coming or not? Do you believe that if you keep teasing me I¡¯ll put you in my stomach?!¡±


    Delighted, he watched the young man regain his usual look. He Huan was actually extremely pleased with this new home and immediately adjusted his demonic energy and moved. In the end, he slowly smiled. ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I come? ¡®My¡¯ heart naturally can only contain myself.¡±


    He Ku thought this dao heart he chose definitely came with some residual effects. Clearly, this bastard He Huan had already made teasing into an instinct; whoever he met, he would always have to poke fun at them. In the past, he didn¡¯t think about it too much, but now he got the illusion that He Huan liked him. Of course, it was impossible for He Huan to not like him, but it couldn¡¯t have been the type of like that would cause misunderstandings. Wasn¡¯t it also this person who wanted to give him to Yun Ce?


    Just thinking about this random CP caused He Ku¡¯s face to darken. In addition, it had taken a lot of concentration to form his core tonight. Decidedly retreating from their body to rest, he said, ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep. You stay here and be pretty, and whatever you do, don¡¯t lose your cultivation.¡±


    He Huan knew just how exhausting it was to form one¡¯s core and didn¡¯t suspect anything as he took back his body. His finger unconsciously pressed where his heart was and he sighed as he walked to stand in front of the window.


    After He Ku¡¯s whole ordeal, the melancholic feeling in his chest was relieved. Although he¡¯d said that in a joking manner, he himself knew that it also contained a bit of sincerity. After he entered onto the demonic path his temper had become a bit eccentric and it had been a long time since someone had kept him close to their heart like He Ku. Just then, for a split second, he entertained the idea of eliminating Bai Chen and Yun Ce so that He Ku would only look at him for as long as he lived. He internally knew that this was the demonic energy affecting his mind, but he really was vexed. You Jiang had once asked him if he could bear destroying such a version of himself.


    At that time, he thought that with his thin emotional attachment, he could just split his divine consciousness again and create another one, so of course he could bear it. However, now it seemed he really was a bit reluctant.


    But, was it too late to regret it now?


    He pensively looked out the window. He was a Calamity Crossing cultivator, so his spiritual awareness covered an extremely large range. At this moment he clearly sensed the commotion outside of the palace.


    That year, in order to avoid the righteous factions¡¯ manhunt, the place Feng Xie chose to locate the Palace of Bliss was very hidden. It was situated at the summit of a barren mountain and surrounded by sheer cliffs and steep rock faces. All of the paths leading to the palace had been destroyed, which meant the only way to get there was through flight.


    After He Huan killed him, he adopted the setup and rebuilt the current Palace of Bliss.


    Nobody below the Golden Core stage would dare to enter such a dangerous place as they pleased. If they wanted to surround it, then they¡¯d need a large number of experts. This was why there were few righteous sects who would dare to come alone. However, this wasn¡¯t a problem for Xuanmen.


    Just then, unmeasurable amounts of pure energy covered the sky above the barren mountain, and four celestial swords were planted at the foot of the mountain as the array¡¯s anchors. Following that, natural spiritual energy began to stir, forming an impenetrable barrier around the barren mountain, sealing it off. This type of method to control the natural spiritual energy of the world had to come from a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, and to use four Nascent Soul Stage cultivators just to seal the mountain, it seemed this time Xuanmen had vowed to take down He Huan.


    ¡°The Four Division Immortal Imprisonment Array. You guys have finally arrived.¡±


    When all was said and done, He Huan had still come from Xuanmen. He only needed the slightest sense to know what kind of array they were using. Whenever Xuanmen took on a task, they would always strike thunderously and made every effort to not fail. From their attitude today, they weren¡¯t going to let a single person from the Palace of Bliss walk out of the barren mountain. It¡¯s just, all of the elite disciples had already defected with You Jiang, the majority of those left had been dismissed by He Huan, and QianRen should be with Yun Ce. Therefore, other than himself, there really wasn¡¯t anyone within the Palace of Bliss that needed Xuanmen to come out for. With just his own power to try and defend against the entire Xuanmen Righteous Sect, there really hasn¡¯t been anyone else aside from him.


    However, he truly wanted to try to become the first person in history to do it.

 CH 32

    (unedited)


    This was Xuanmen¡¯s first operation in a hundred years that specifically targeted demonic cultivators in an attempt at annihilation, it was also the most serious and cautious they have been in history. Qing XuZi came with the full force of the Xuanmen Righteous Sect, he brought all of the Nascent Soul stage elders with him. He was even uncharacteristically not amiable as he prohibited any other sect¡¯s cultivators from following. This was because their opponent this time was special, he wouldn¡¯t allow any slip-ups.


    Qing XuZi¡¯s temperament was gentle, back when he was negotiating with the Snowy Mountains¡¯ spirit cultivators, he didn¡¯t even blink when his table was flipped in front of him. Whatever he went there to discuss was discussed, he wasn¡¯t affected in the slightest. However, for this operation, he forcefully dissolved the Demon Extermination Campaign before the other sects could even say anything.He didn¡¯t give anyone the chance to participate in the battle. The Jianghu¡¯s righteous faction was jolted awake at this moment, they realized that this Xuanmen Sect Leader also had a temper. However, was Bu QingYun still that important to him even though a hundred years have already passed?


    It should be said that Qing XuZi and He Huan truly were master and disciple. One emptied the Palace of Bliss before the start of the war, and the other dismissed the Demonic Extermination Campaign. This was clearly the most definitive battle between good and evil, yet when He Huan dropped from the sky all he saw at the massive gate was Qing XuZi and a few attendant disciples. Such momentum/energy was less than even the ordinary duels between cultivators, it was extremely shabby.


    He Huan hadn¡¯t expected something like this. He knew that Qing XuZi would never make senseless sacrifices, but he also knew that the Heaven¡¯s Library Pavilion had already set up a deadlock on the Palace of Bliss, they definitely would not let the fame of exterminating demonic cutivators fall to just the Xuanmen Righteous Sect. With this current situation, could it be that Qing XuZi finally used intimidation against the righteous faction?


    Since you hadn¡¯t paid me any attention for eighty years, and since you thought that I had fallen into the demonic path because my heart was wrong, then why would you stick a reputation for being tyrannical onto Xuanmen for a demonic cultivator? Even Bai Chen knows that you will be killed by me because you can¡¯t bear to kill me first, how could you possibly control the world with such a soft heart, shizun?


    For 80 years, Qing XuZi watched the Fallen Immortal Lake without taking a single step outside. In He Huan¡¯s memory, he was still the black-haired and baby-faced immortal, although he was in a high position, he was always friendly and as gentle as jade. Whenever he saw his two disciples return from their travels, he would reveal a comfortable smile, the gentleness contained within his eyes was like the gleaming reflection of ripples spreading away when the spring breeze blew over the Fallen Immortal Lake, calm and clear, not allowing its onlookers to forget.


    These years, the reason why he never reminisced on that time was because his appearance was extremely haggard when he and Qing XuZi separated. Now that they¡¯ve met again, however, that person already looked vastly different from the one in his memories.


    The cultivator in front of the palace still wore the same white robe made with rough stitches. Qing XuZi had once explained that this was made by the previous Xuanmen Sect Leader in her last years for her disciple and it was the last thing that remained of her in this world. This was why he had never changed to another outer robe ever since his succession to the Sect Leader¡¯s position. In her last years, the previous Xuanmen Sect Leader did not carry even a sliver of spiritual energy, even the robe she had stitched was just a mortal item. However, Qing XuZi carefully loved it even though it looked old-fashioned. In comparison to the white-clothed disciples standing behind him, he only looked like a poor and old cultivator.


    Yes, an old cultivator. In the decades they hadn¡¯t seen each other, Qing XuZi had stopped maintaining his youth. He let wrinkles make their homes at the corners of his eyes and the tips of his brows, even the gentle eyes that had once made Bu QingYun feel like a spring breeze blew past them had lost their luster like an ordinary old person. Although his head of white hair was perfectly combed and held together by a jade crown, one could no longer see the amount of spirit he once had in his form.


    When a person¡¯s heart has grown old and weary, no matter how high their level of cultivation, they can¡¯t stop their aging. It was at this time that He Huan realized he wasn¡¯t the only one who had been trapped by what happened that year. Qing XuZi, Bu YaoLian, even the Yue family sibling who claimed to have given up on him, before he explains everything clearly, none of these people could truly move on.


    This knot was created by Bu QingYun, so only Bu QingYun could undo it.


    He slowly released a breath and the hesitation within his heart dispersed along with it. He Huan walked in front of that old cultivator, even though he knew it wouldn¡¯t do anything, and asked, ¡°If I told you I didn¡¯t do anything to Bu YaoLian, would you believe me?¡±


    He Huan was shocked at Qing XuZi¡¯s oldness, but his change had shocked his master even more. Bu QingYun was the child he had brought up single-handedly, Qing XuZi watched as he grew from a mischievous child into the Xuanmen successor who had a heart that cherished the world, never would he have imagined that his eldest disciple who scorned evil would become like this today.


    The red-clothed man in front of his eyes was surrounded by a layer of tumultuous black fog. All he sensed when he used his spiritual awareness to sweep over the other was a dense demonic energy. This was an air of resentment unique to demonic cultivators, the more people one had killed the denser the demonic energy. According to the density of He Huan¡¯s demonic energy, it was likely that he had already killed enough people to form a sea of blood. Bu QingYun never killed indiscriminately, but the amount of innocents He Huan had killed when he massacred dozens of sects had long become uncountable.


    He clearly still had the same face, but this person gave off a sense of evilness. His pair of eyes looked deeply at him, but it contained a bewitching quality ordinary men did not have. This proved that the person in front of him, no matter his body or his heart, had completely been corrupted.


    But, even if he was a demon, this was still a demon he had raised. As a result, the old cultivator fell silent before softly saying, ¡°If you had suffered any injustices, surrender and I will investigate the truth.¡±


    There was no anger, no reprimands, but there also wasn¡¯t any closeness. This was where they ultimately stood with each other, cold and distant, all that remained was the pursuit of impartial righteousness passed down from Xuanmen¡¯s legacy.


    From Qing XuZi¡¯s choice to only bring Xuanmen disciples, He Huan knew that he did not have the intention to kill him. He also believed that this person would go and investigate the truth he would say. Qing XuZi was different from every other Xuanmen Righteous Sect Leader, his ¡®world¡¯ encompassed all life, that was why he gave even the enemy demonic cultivator the opportunity to defend and explain himself. He would never force someone to their demise based on a one-sided account.


    It was precisely because of his benevolence to the people of the world that the righteous faction dared to scheme against him again and again, and why the demonic faction was so sure that He Huan could definitely kill him. Even now, He Huan could not understand him, this person has obviously experienced multitude of evils and malicious intentions in the world, yet why did he insist on upholding his useless dao of benevolence?


    It was just a pity that he was destined to be disappointed again. He Huan suppressed all the emotions within his heart and raised his eyes, they contained a demonic haughtiness. ¡°You and I are both at the Calamity Crossing stage, isn¡¯t it arrogant of you to conclude that I will lose?¡±


    ¡°Qing¡­ He Huan, I don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡±


    What He Huan didn¡¯t expect was that even after his performance Qing XuZi was still unwilling to unsheathe his sword. He sighed as if looking through this face to the past Bu QingYun. ¡°As long as you are willing to relinquish your demonic cultivation and return to the Fallen Immortal Lake for peaceful meditation, I will promise you a life of peace.¡±


    Actually, He Huan faintly knew that it would become like this. Since a long time ago, his shizun was this type of person. He never agreed with the violence on the Jianghu and would never take someone¡¯s life unless it was unavoidable. His actions and deeds were almost akin to that of a saint¡¯s.


    It was precisely because of this that he noticed the commoner child submerged beneath the carnage of Chang¡¯an, struggling to survive. Why he was willing to use his cultivation to sustain the life of a mere mortal.


    It was because of him that there would later be a world-loving Bu QingYun.


    However, saints don¡¯t live long. If Bu QingYun wanted his shizun to live a full life, then he would have to be the one to unsheathe his sword. This was a role only Bu QingYun could fulfill, He Huan couldn¡¯t. As long as he was a demonic cultivator, he would never be able to do it. If Bu QingYun were to return, then He Huan must die.


    ¡°Ridiculous, who do you think you¡¯re talking to? The person standing before you isn¡¯t your precious disciple.¡±


    He coldly sneered as he said these troubling words, but He Huan¡¯s heart suddenly felt sour. Before, he often criticized villains for courting death right before a battle. Now, he was embodying that type of character. Let¡¯s never do something as stupid as holding another oerson¡¯s hand steady to kill myself.


    Although his heart was shouting, it actually helped him to accept it somewhat. On the surface he seductively smiled. ¡°Or could it be that even the venerable Xuanmen Sect Leader has fallen to this master¡¯s beauty?¡±


    ¡°I see, you really can¡¯t be saved.¡±


    This way of smiling has already entrenched itself into habit, but today, when he saw this old cultivator¡¯s disappointed expression, he suddenly felt that his current self was extremely disgusting. Luckily, such disgust didn¡¯t get the opportunity to linger because Qing XuZi finally pulled out his sword.


    ¡°Let me see just how powerful the divine sword intent wielded by the Xuanmen Sect Leader is!¡±


    He didn¡¯t intend to resign himself to a fate of death, the moment he saw the other¡¯s sword intent condense he released all of the demonic energy within his body. The Technique of Bliss was originally a Buddhist technique, the more virtuous deeds the people who cultivate with it do, the more powerful they would be. At its pinnacle, it could evolve the mundane world around him into Buddha¡¯s famous Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.


    With He Huan as the guide, black clouds blotted out the skies, boundless demonic energy uncontrollably bubbled out. A darkness overtook the entire barren mountain, the fish swimming in the rivers, the sparrows in the forest, they all instantly turned into bones. Even their souls had been captured by the black fog, trapping them where they were with no way to escape. If it hadn¡¯t been their implicit understanding before the battle to dismiss all the cultivators below the Nascent Soul Stage, in just this instance, the barren mountain would have gained a sea of vengeful spirits.


    Demonic techniques have always been inhumane, they didn¡¯t distinguish between friends or foes. This was the first time He Huan had used all his strength. He knew that the Four Division Immortal Imprisonment Array could only hold him for so long, soon his demonic energy would penetrate through the four celestial swords and seep into the outside world. At that time, it would transform the land outside into an unlimited purgatory. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t have to worry about such consequences because Qing XuZi had already brandished his sword.


    The divine sword intent as an immortal technique inherently counters all demonic techniques. When the Grand Unbounded Sword was unsheathed, the demonic energy surrounding it was instantly disintegrated by the overwhelming spiritual energy. Unlike other Xuanmen disciples, Qing XuZi¡¯s sword intent was dull and grey, nowhere could one see any splendor or brilliance. It resembled the formless energy before creation. At this time, the incoming sword was also hidden, like it had blended into the demonic energy, and soundlessly arrived in front of He Huan.


    This seemingly weak attack was akin to the old cultivator¡¯s outer appearance. There was nothing intimidating about it. Only He Huan, who had been targeted, knew that he couldn¡¯t even hope to dodge this attack.


    The unique effect of fate was contained in this strike, the trajectory could be altered in millions of ways, but it will not change the final result. While Qing XuZi was the most gentle-tempered of all the Xuanmen Sect Leaders, he was also the one who most closely aligned himself with the heavenly dao. Almost as if he really was the person the heavens had appointed to walk the mortal realm, his ultimate technique was the ability to manipulate the laws of this world instantly¡ªThe Absolute.


    In the past, He Huan had never seen Qing XuZi seriously fight against others, it was only now that he understood just how overpowered this sword intent was. It was also now that he realised why Qing XuZi hasn¡¯t fallen to other people¡¯s schemes and manipulations for centuries. It was because he was protected by heaven itself.


    At that moment, time seemed to turn back to when he was just a child. At that time, the skies were clear, the flowers hadn¡¯t begun to wither, and the grass was a lush green, everything returned to how they were in the beginning. Bu QingYun was sitting by the lake, distressed because he couldn¡¯t determine his dao heart, and asked his master who was idly fishing beside him, ¡°Shizun, what is your dao?¡±


    Seeing his disciple experience the problem every cultivator must go through, the green-robed cultivator smiled gently, taking out a pack of jujube pastries and shoved one into the youth¡¯s mouth familiarly. Then he slowly said, ¡°He who knows his light and guards his darkness becomes the world¡¯s model. Being the world¡¯s model, he will never be destitute in carrying out virtues, and he will return to his home in the Absolute.¡±


    This was a quote from the Classic of the Way and Virtue, so Bu QingYun also knew of it and thought that his master was stating the obvious. His cheeks were still stuffed with pastries when he angrily said, ¡°But shizun, black is black and white is white. If we don¡¯t get rid of all the evil people, how would the world know peace?¡±


    He was still too young back then. He hadn¡¯t yet fully understood that the world wasn¡¯t just black and white. Even an immortal would be unlikely to be able to guarantee that they will always be clear on who was right and who was wrong.


    So, in the end, his master just lovingly patted his head and sighed. ¡°QingYun, you must walk your own path. This master can only leave you with this one piece of advice. Going too far is the same as not doing enough. So long as you have the perseverance, you will see the fruits of your labour. No matter what difficulties you will face in the future, never force yourself onto the path of no return. You have this master, your junior martial brother, and many friends who are willing to assist you. This world is everyone¡¯s, you needn¡¯t carry it by yourself.¡±


    Since he was a child, he wasn¡¯t particularly obedient. When Bu YaoLian was being responsible by studying and practicing his writing, he would always go down the mountain to buy some storybooks.


    But master, you never taught me who would help me disperse the oppressive storm clouds hanging from the sky when I¡¯ve lost my master, my martial brothers, my friends, and when everyone in the world has become my enemy.


    Perhaps Xuanmen Righteous Sect¡¯s successors really did have divine protection, when the sword energy had already reached his chest, he had already prepared the last incantation to the Soul Splitting Technique, all it needed was a final hand seal and the life of Demon Lord He Huan can thusly be concluded. The Jianghu will welcome a joyous finale.


    Yet, exactly at this last moment, his body suddenly broke out from his control. His right hand reached to his waist and pulled his sword, the Cloud of Judgement, from its sheath. Its silvery light cut through the haze in front of it. His sword intent resembled the brilliance of the moon further highlighting the splendor of the sword¡¯s blade. It unexpectedly met the coming sword head on.


    They both harnessed the divine sword intent, but the difference in power between the two was wider than a canyon. In the collision of the two swords¡¯ energies, He Huan only saw his body be harshly smashed into the ground, and only by leaning on his sword could his body barely stand upright and vomited a mouthful of blood. It was only after all of this that He Ku revealed his bright eyes and angrily yelled at He Huan who had been withdrawn into their heart. ¡°Don¡¯t you know to wake me up?!¡±


    End of Chapter 32

 CH 33

    He Huan was completely blindsided. Not once did he imagine He Ku would wake up at this crucial moment. In a second, all sorts of feelings welled up in his heart, thousands of words only amounting to a single sigh. ¡°He Ku, why have you come out?¡±


    Even at this point, He Ku still didn¡¯t know what He Huan was planning. He Huan was used to burying his thoughts within his heart, sometimes even He Huan himself wouldn¡¯t be able to be clear on how he actually felt. However, just then, he sensed a life-threatening danger.


    The divine sword intent existed in parallel to fate, so once you were able to forge it, you would be exceedingly sensitive to danger. The current He Ku was no exception. Although he didn¡¯t know what He Huan¡¯s trump card was, he could sense that it would definitely come at a tremendous cost.


    He casually wiped away the blood trail from his mouth and advised, ¡°I know you have your own plans, but I also know that it is extremely dangerous. We should just lose some face and flee.¡±


    The divine sword intent contained within that strike could not be concealed from Qing Xuzi, who was familiar with his sect¡¯s technique. He quickly retracted his sword. He looked at the young man kneeling on the ground and was about to step forward, but when he took his first step numerous sharp glints of light flew from the dark towards him.


    The angle of this trap was very well chosen, however, it wasn¡¯t enough to break through a Calamity Crossing stage cultivator¡¯s spiritual awareness. The old cultivator made a sweeping motion with his sleeve and formless sword energy struck the projectiles out of the air.


    He looked at them and found they were all daggers. When the daggers hit the ground they corroded a large hole in the stone flooring. Clearly, they were laced with an extremely potent poison. When talking about a poison user within the Palace of Bliss, the first person everyone would think of was the Head Enforcer, QianRen.


    Previously, He Huan had used his demonic energy to cover the entire barren mountain; even if one were a Nascent Soul stage cultivator they would still need to use all their strength to resist it. There was no way they could stand beside the two people. Fortunately, Bai Chen seemed to know that something like this would happen and had used an item to form a barrier. QianRen could only helplessly worry and wait.


    When He Ku appeared and switched techniques, the well of demonic energy lost its origin and couldn¡¯t maintain itself anymore. Seeing that Qing XuZi wanted to get even closer and knowing He Ku¡¯s Golden Core cultivation level couldn¡¯t even dream of matching up to him, QianRen couldn¡¯t wait any longer.


    With the assistance of his hidden weapons, he immediately blended into the darkness and ran forward to steady He Ku, held him on his feet, and retreated. Even in the moment of retreating he was worried that He Huan was unwilling and quietly pleaded, ¡°Palace Master, as long as you are still alive, there will always be another chance, so let¡¯s leave.¡±


    He Huan knew QianRen extremely well; he knew that QianRen would disregard everything to save him. That was why he ordered Bai Chen to keep an eye on him, but he didn¡¯t expect that the white fox would be so unreliable and half-hearted. His eyebrows quickly creased, but just when he wanted to wrestle back control of his body to stop QianRen, he abruptly noticed Bai Chen¡¯s countenance had changed.


    Bai Chen naturally didn¡¯t place such importance on QianRen; the reason why his face changed was that after QianRen had attacked, a giant white bear had dropped in front of Qing XuZi. The Snowy Mountain¡¯s giant bears only listened to the Fox Immortal¡¯s bloodline, and was the green-robed youth on the bear¡¯s head not the eight-tailed young fox he had appointed as his successor, Bai Yun Ce?


    With the white bear¡¯s size, it was impossible for He Ku to ignore it when it plopped right in front of him. He carefully looked upwards, only to see that silly child, Yun Ce. As if he didn¡¯t know that the person he was facing was a Calamity Crossing stage cultivator, he pointed at Qing XuZi and angrily said, ¡°Old cultivator, I don¡¯t care if you hit the Palace Master, but the Little Palace Master and I are seed-eating friends, so when you hit him, you are hitting me. Don¡¯t even think about touching him!¡±


    Never would he have thought that at such a dangerous moment, the one to stand in front of him would be this silly child. It was impossible to say that He Ku¡¯s heart was unmoved. On one hand, he sighed that the dozens of catties of seeds he¡¯d eaten were not in vain; on the other, he felt that, considering the occasion, mentioning their seed-eating didn¡¯t make them seem very formidable.


    At once, he spat out the mouthful of blood he suppressed in his throat, and using a hoarse voice he told that stupid fox, ¡°Later, I¡¯ll get you a pair of pants, so just don¡¯t talk about our seed-eating friendship and lose our face.¡±


    Hearing this, Yun Ce immediately got his meaning and accepted, ¡°Ok, then from tomorrow onwards we will be friends who share the same pair of pants!¡±


    How come this also didn¡¯t sound quite right?


    Helplessly discovering that whenever he and Yun Ce were put together there was no way to be serious, He Ku sighed just as a white robe suddenly appeared in his vision, scaring the shit out of him. He wanted to pull out his sword, but his wrist was immediately caught by the person who came.


    What happened next was outside of his expectation. He thought he would be stabbed through the chest immediately, but the old cultivator just stared at his sleeves in a daze before switching his focus to his face, his lips trembling slightly. ¡°You are¡­ QingYun?¡±


    Suddenly being approached by a seventy or eighty-year-old looking man, He Ku¡¯s heart jumped up to his throat. He quickly looked towards his own sleeves; they were entirely red, no different from the usual.


    Perhaps it was because of his rage at Xiu Niang¡¯s betrayal yesterday when he crushed the jujube pastry, but right now there was still some jujube paste stuck to his sleeves.


    Put in the current major conflict between good and evil, it really wasn¡¯t that proper. However, it didn¡¯t really matter if your opponent dressed a little more casually, right? Did he really have to be so emotional? Could it be that this old cultivator had mysophobia?


    He was cursing in his heart but didn¡¯t know that his eyes, which contained confusion but also without a hint of baggage, were nearly identical to Bu QingYun¡¯s. When his expression fell into Qing XuZi¡¯s eyes, it made him even more emotional.


    Bu QingYun had been taken in by Qing XuZi when he was six. When he was a child he was particularly naughty, even just a random flower or stick on the ground could grab his attention. Back then, in order to coax the child to practice, Qing XuZi would personally make jujube pastries for his disciple whenever he broke through.


    In actuality, he didn¡¯t know anything apart from cultivating, so how delicious could the jujube pastries he made be? What the boy really wanted was the tenderness his shizun showed by personally making pastries for him.


    Right now, suddenly seeing the stains and crumbs on the sleeves, Qing XuZi couldn¡¯t help but remember what the young Bu QingYun was like.


    Just like the look he shot towards that little fox, the young Bu QingYun had also used such an expression to complain to his shizun, ¡°Shizun, other than jujube paste pastries, do you know how to make any other sweets? My junior brother is about to puke from eating so much.¡±


    ¡°Senior brother, but it was you who ate them all.¡±


    This person ate all the pastries by himself and still wanted more; even the characteristically quiet Bu YaoLian couldn¡¯t resist exposing him. Yet there was no trace of embarrassment to be found on the boy¡¯s face, his smile wide as can be. ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s all because I, as your elder, can¡¯t bear to see you in pain. I¡¯m sacrificing myself to block this calamity for you.¡±


    Even though Bu QingYun later grew up to be as dignified and composed as one would expect from Xuanmen¡¯s succeeding disciple, in Qing XuZi¡¯s eyes he was still his boisterous eldest disciple.


    He thirsted for the admiration of the world because he was lonely; as long as he got the smallest bit of kindness, he would do everything to protect the person who had warmed him.


    He was a person that seemed cold and aloof, but was actually an extremely sentimental young man, just like the person in front of him.


    It was out of everyone¡¯s expectation for Qing XuZi to bypass the two spirit cultivators undetected and arrive in front of He Ku so easily. Just as QianRen prepared to move, he was slapped away with a single palm. Yun Ce also immediately turned around and lunged, shouting, ¡°Old man, let go of the Little Palace Master!¡±


    And yet, even though his state of mind was unstable, it was as simple as raising a hand for Qing XuZi, who could handle anyone below the Calamity Crossing stage. His finger moved and a slash of sword energy shot Yun Ce down as he solemnly asked, ¡°Little fox, who is this ¡®Little Palace Master¡¯ you speak of?¡±


    Everything that came with advantages also came with disadvantages. At this time, the harm of Yun Ce¡¯s frank character was shown. After a brief pause, he subconsciously answered honestly, ¡°The Little Palace Master is the Palace Master when he was still eighteen. Although he is a bit dumb compared to the Palace Master and doesn¡¯t have much experience with the world, I like to eat seeds with the Little Palace Master the most!¡±


    What kind of person was Qing XuZi? He immediately knew Yun Ce was telling the truth the moment those words left his mouth. He opened up his omniscient eye to check and as expected, the young man¡¯s body was surrounded by surging natural energy. One could also faintly detect hints of a strict sword energy. He clearly cultivated Xuanmen¡¯s unique sword technique, even his cultivation level was the same as that of the Bu QingYun of back then, as if having been paused at the golden core stage.


    Even if He Huan had the ability to break through the clouds, it would have still been impossible for him to instantly switch from demonic cultivation to divine sword intent. Thinking back to when he¡¯d fought with the Demon Lord, Qing XuZi came to a conclusion. His disciple had clearly been possessed by the Demon Lord, only when he broke through the demon¡¯s technique was his soul finally freed.


    In the past, he had actually never thought about this possibility. His heart was suddenly filled with anguish for making his disciple suffer in this demon¡¯s hands for eighty years. He firmly grasped He Ku¡¯s wrist and demanded, ¡°QingYun, tell your master, who took over your body?¡±


    No one could have predicted Qing XuZi¡¯s words; everyone in the know blanked. Even the Xuanmen disciples controlling the array were stupefied. They let their eyes drift over to the two and sure enough, the energy around the young man¡¯s body couldn¡¯t be faked. They couldn¡¯t help but believe in their Sect Leader¡¯s judgement. Could it be that all the evils Bu QingYun committed was because he was possessed?


    Between He Ku and He Huan, the difference between the two¡¯s personalities and auras was too large. Even QianRen and Yun Ce, who knew the truth a long time ago, couldn¡¯t help but momentarily doubt themselves when they heard this, let alone the righteous cultivators who weren¡¯t familiar with He Huan. However, no matter the results of this battle, all the crimes attributed to Bu QingYun¡¯s name were bound to be washed clean today.


    No one noticed that while everyone else was shocked speechless, not far from there, two people idly stood in the middle of the pavilion. They didn¡¯t show even the slightest bit of surprise as if they had long known that this would happen. These two were Bai Chen and the Sword Saint¡¯s disciple.


    They watched the two deadlocked people from afar. The young man in black stroked his chin and hypothesized, ¡°If He Huan came out at this time to stab Qing XuZi, I bet even if he is the Xuanmen Sect Leader he would still suffer severe injuries.¡±


    Don¡¯t blame them for thinking this; anyone could see that Qing XuZi currently had no defenses put up against Bu QingYun, proving Bai Chen¡¯s earlier prediction. Yet, at this moment the bewitching fox could only sigh. ¡°Although I would like to think this, I know He Huan won¡¯t do it.¡±


    In the black-clothed cultivator¡¯s understanding, demonic cultivators had never possessed any form of compassion, so he couldn¡¯t help being surprised now. ¡°I never thought that the fabled most powerful demonic cultivator would be so upright.¡±


    ¡°It has nothing to do with his moral character. If I were standing in He Huan¡¯s place and the one across from me was the great ancestor, I also wouldn¡¯t be able to go through with it.¡±


    Bai Chen was the only one who knew of He Huan¡¯s plan. He was also the one who best understood that He Huan and He Ku were originally the same person, so he could understand what He Huan was feeling best. His heart was a little sour as he sighed. He glanced toward the black-clothed young man beside him and asked, ¡°What about you? If it were your eldest brother, would you take this opportunity or not?¡±


    ¡°This is where I am different from you two. I completely respect my eldest brother¡¯s orders; no matter if they are right or wrong, I will not have my own opinions. Therefore, there will never be a day where my eldest brother and I will have to stand against each other.¡±


    The young man¡¯s answer was exactly as he had predicted and it was precisely because of this that he felt bitter. However, when the emotion made it up to his face it had already transformed into a familiar ridicule. ¡°That¡¯s why you will amount to nothing but a nameless Li Second Dog for your entire life.¡±


    The young man would never argue with him; this time was no different. All he did was point to the two on the field to refocus on the proper topic and ask, ¡°When do we act?¡±


    ¡°This situation is much better than the ones He Huan and I came up with. The substitute he created is extraordinary, even Qing XuZi has been fooled. Since that is the case, I will give him another push.¡±


    The reason why Bai Chen came all this way was naturally not just to watch. In reality, the moment Yun Ce stood out he could no longer remain impartial. He nodded to the youth before walking forward, wrapped in brocade clothing. From a distance he bowed to Qing XuZi and said, ¡°Xuanmen Sect Leader, I, Bai Chen, swear on the fox spirit¡¯s Spirit Eyes that the person standing in front of you is indeed Bu QingYun.¡±

 CH 34

    Rumour in the Jianghu had it that the King of Hell once had a beloved pet nine-tailed fox. From then on, every nine-tailed fox born in the mortal plain was naturally born with exceptional spiritual sensitivity, and even without cultivating, their fox eyes could see through yin and yang. As the most talented nine-tailed fox on the Snowy Mountains, Bai Chen was naturally the best cultivator of spirit and soul techniques. So, today, when he personally said those words, Qing XuZi was confident that the youth in front of him was his past eldest disciple.


    In truth, Bai Chen wasn¡¯t lying; He Ku had really come from Bu QingYun¡¯s soul, he¡¯d just neglected to mention that the two souls in this person¡¯s body were both Bu QingYun. Not much needed to be said, just a single sentence was enough. The stage was already set, and what followed afterward depended on how the actors performed.


    Although he was still confined within their body, He Huan immediately understood what Bai Chen meant. Yes, this meticulous arrangement, which had started even before he had reached the Calamity Crossing Stage, had finally reached its finale.


    From time immemorial, the demonic path¡¯s progress was faster than the righteous¡¯ and much easier. However, even though this was the case, cultivators would never attempt the demonic path unless they had no other choice. The reason behind this was the fact that all demonic cultivation techniques contained a fatal flaw; the Technique of Bliss was no exception. The Technique of Bliss was based on a Buddhist technique, and even though it had been corrupted, its endpoint was still to become Buddha and not a demon.


    One wouldn¡¯t feel its negative effects in the beginning, but once the cultivator reached the Nascent Soul Stage they would realise that no matter how they enjoyed the pleasures of life, their cultivation would no longer advance. This was exactly where Feng Xie had been trapped. If He Huan had followed the usual demonic paths, he would likely also have been trapped here, but luckily, he wasn¡¯t a stereotypical demonic cultivator.


    Bu QingYun¡¯s life obsession was too deep; even if he fell into corruption he couldn¡¯t eradicate the two words ¡®World Peace¡¯ from his heart. On the contrary, he made it the only thing he could feel pleasure from in this endless darkness. From the day he changed his name to He Huan, he kept encouraging and advising himself not to forget what pleasure meant to him.


    His past dao heart became He Huan¡¯s twisted obsession. He didn¡¯t have any close relatives or friends, instead, this obsession became his only motivation to continue on living. For countless days and nights, as long as he sat on the clouds and gazed at the distant peace and prosperity, he could tell himself that even though he made himself so filthy, at least the long-cherished wish he had in his heart was already fulfilled. Nowadays, the Jianghu was quiet, so it didn¡¯t matter if it was the righteous faction or the demonic faction, they were both able to live in a way that he liked. As for whether this peace and prosperity included him, that wasn¡¯t important.


    Like he had wanted in his youth, he¡¯d single-handedly held together a peaceful era. He completed Bu QingYun¡¯s dao and was very satisfied.


    Through slaughter, he stopped slaughter. He cast himself into Ashura to welcome true happiness for the world. Such conduct just so happened to touch upon the Technique of Bliss¡¯ true meaning, which is why he was able to successfully enter into the Calamity Crossing Stage. If he could continue on like this forever, wouldn¡¯t that be good? However, it was at the cusp of his breakthrough to Calamity Crossing, that he discovered that while he could easily reach the Calamity Crossing stage, he had no way to pass the upcoming final trial before ascension¡ªasking the soul sincerely and coming away with no regrets.


    Walking the path of fire and entering the demonic path, causing the peers who sought to save him to die from humiliation, do you hold no regrets?


    Betraying his sect, causing the master who saw him as his own son to suffer heartbreak, do you hold no regrets?


    Living a life of slaughter, when facing the righteous and demonic cultivators he cut down, do you still hold no regrets?


    When he faintly sensed these three questions looming within the heavenly dao, He Huan knew that he had reached the limit of his path¡­ When he asked his soul, he came away with regrets.


    Perhaps his destination had already been determined the moment Feng Xie appeared before him. No matter how he struggled and denied it, ultimately he was unable to escape from fate. Yet, this was also the reason why he didn¡¯t want to accept it. Instead, he went to the Snowy Mountains to find Bai Chen, who was an expert on soul cultivation.


    Bai Chen said, ¡°Not even the best elixirs and treasures can heal the soul unless you turn back time and do it again.¡±


    It was naturally impossible to turn back time, so under the condition that He Huan assists in Yun Ce¡¯s Calamity Crossing tribulation, he was taught the Soul Splitting Technique. Then he harnessed the power of the lightning tribulation to split his divine consciousness into two, creating an eighteen-year-old version of himself who had yet to experience all the tragedy that befell him.


    The Soul Splitting Technique was the nine-tailed fox spirits¡¯ secret life-saving technique. They could use this technique to create a substitute and would let the original body escape. However, the most wondrous aspect of this technique lay in the fact that once the technique activated, everything between the original body and the substitute would be exchanged, even cultivation techniques.


    This was He Huan¡¯s real trump card. He braved the risk of being reduced to ash to create He Ku, not because he wanted to die, but because he wanted to be reborn.


    Just as Xiu Niang had said, there were no good people within the demonic faction. While what He Huan pursued was different from what other demonic cultivators pursued, in the end, he still wasn¡¯t a good person. He didn¡¯t lie to He Ku; he really did split his divine consciousness in order to make up for his regrets. He just didn¡¯t tell him that he would achieve this through creating another He Huan to die in his place.


    The warnings of the divine sword intent were never wrong, but the danger it detected wasn¡¯t towards He Huan, but its master, He Ku. You Jiang truly was a smart man; he was the first to see through He Huan¡¯s intentions, and that¡¯s why he left and took Xiu Niang, who didn¡¯t dare to face Bu QingYun, away with him.


    Just like they planned, they exploited the Heaven¡¯s Library Pavillion¡¯s scheme and led Qing XuZi to the Palace of Bliss. They would get the Xuanmen Sect Leader to personally determine that Bu QingYun had been possessed by the Demon Lord, then they would switch. When the Demon Lord He Huan got executed, he would still be the Bu QingYun of the past. He would never have to face the flaws of demonic cultivation ever again. He could recultivate the divine sword intent, and he could reclaim everything that he lost. So what if he would never be able to ascend? At least he would be able to spend his last century beside his master.


    It¡¯s just, the condition for all of this to succeed is for the Demon Lord He Huan to die here today.


    He had accounted for everyone in the world, and all of the Heaven¡¯s Library Pavilion¡¯s machinations only served his own plan. The only thing he failed to account for was that the substitute he was prepared to abandon was the only one who would block a sword for him.


    Until this moment, he hadn¡¯t realised just how correct his master¡¯s warning not to force himself onto the path of no return was. In the past, he had only walked such paths because the reward for surviving such dire straits was worth it. However, now that he watched He Ku firmly stand in front of him, he could almost hear the heavenly dao¡¯s question¡ªkilling him, do you hold no regrets?


    Yes, as long as he nourished his divine consciousness, he could just create another youthful version of himself later. Then, he could truly spoil and make up for the actions of today. However, he also intimately knew that wouldn¡¯t be the same He Ku. His Nascent Soul was right here, and in order to protect him, he could risk everything. Perhaps¡­ there would never be a second.


    This was the best time to activate the technique. He knew Bai Chen had already prepared the follow-up, and yet he just remained in this person¡¯s heart and lightly asked, ¡°He Ku, it¡¯s highly likely that one of us would be finished today. Tell me, what is your dao heart?¡±


    Since He Huan had already said it like this, He Ku knew that they wouldn¡¯t be able to escape today. Although he didn¡¯t understand what he meant by ¡®one of us¡¯, he still answered honestly, ¡°My dao heart is He Huan.¡±


    He Huan had never felt this emotional from hearing his name. His demonic energy slowly spilled out, successfully locking his Nascent Soul inside his body before striking out against the old cultivator who instantly went on guard. His body stumbled a few steps backwards on its own, a trace of blood appearing from the corners of his mouth, but it was like he didn¡¯t even notice the bitter taste in his throat, only quietly asking in his heart, ¡°Do you know what my dao heart is?¡±


    The gap between his and He Ku¡¯s cultivation was enormous. If he wanted to wrestle away the control of their body, the other wouldn¡¯t even have the chance to resist. He knew that He Ku was currently completely suppressed by his demonic energy and most likely couldn¡¯t even speak, so he just smiled slowly and answered the question himself, ¡°My dao heart is bliss, so I will never do anything that will make me feel hurt. No matter how good the thing is, if it will make me sad, I will not do it.¡±


    He Ku didn¡¯t understand how he could still laugh in this situation; he only knew that he had to stop him. Yet, no matter how much he struggled, He Huan¡¯s demonic energy still firmly locked him within their body. He could only listen as that person¡¯s voice became more and more lively. ¡°Just then, I asked myself a question. If my heart truly just contained the world, then why should I care if the one who protects it is myself?¡±


    As if he had truly been stumped by this question, he paused. His words carried an air of enlightenment, as one that had seen through and accepted everything. ¡°In the end, it¡¯s nothing but selfishness. It turns out that I wasn¡¯t as noble as I had thought. Indeed, the world needs Bu QingYun, but aren¡¯t you also Bu QingYun?¡±


    He Huan really was a genius; even in this predicament he could still have such enlightenment, but what He Ku was most afraid of was exactly this type of insight. Within these words, he could no longer feel the other¡¯s yearning for the living realm. This worry reached its peak when he heard what He Huan said.


    Looking at the young fox who didn¡¯t even hesitate to reveal his true form and stand against Qing XuZi, He Huan chuckled. ¡°He Ku, Yun Ce treats you sincerely, so after this, you should live well with him. If you have nothing else to do, return to Xuanmen more often to visit my master. Also, diligently practice the divine sword intent. After you break out of this dimension, help me take a look at our home.¡±


    He Huan had never used this kind of tone with He Ku before. At this moment, all he felt was anxiety. Sure enough, immediately afterwards, the sultry voice He Huan purposefully adopted transferred from the outside world. ¡°The body of Xuanmen¡¯s successor really is handy; watching him struggle in the demonic faction all these years really satisfied the craving in my heart.¡±


    The moment these words rang out, Qing XuZi predictably became angry. He drew his sword and demanded, ¡°Who the hell are you?¡±


    He looked at him indifferently, but the smile on the red-clothed man¡¯s face didn¡¯t diminish in the slightest. ¡°Is there any other Palace Master of the Palace of Bliss?¡±


    Sure enough, Qing XuZi immediately guessed the answer that He Huan wanted. ¡°Feng Xie, it¡¯s you! I had always found it strange. From his youth, QingYun had always been upstanding and moral, so even if he had suffered a qi-deviation, how could it have been possible for him to commit such crimes! It turned out to be you!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I did everything! Bu QingYun doesn¡¯t know anything.¡±


    In a way, this could still be counted as having been the truth back then. His heart fell silent, and belatedly He Huan thought that his acting skills really were cut from the same cloth as He Ku¡¯s, their villainous act severely lacked IQ. However, with these flakey facts, no one would blame him for not really putting his heart into these lines. After all, in front of his master, he didn¡¯t want such an unsightly death.


    Qing XuZi was currently the most powerful cultivator in the world, when he erupted all the power contained within his cultivation, even if He Huan were at his peak condition he still wouldn¡¯t be able to resist, but he didn¡¯t want to resist. Ordinary cultivators would be helpless to do anything in the face of a possession, but He Huan knew Qing XuZi. With the backing of the heavens, he would be able to erase his soul with the power of a single sword.


    On the barren mountain where the Palace of Bliss was situated, the demonic energy subsided. The Xuanmen Sect Leader used overwhelming power to release a sword glare and split the tangled souls of ¡®Feng Xie¡¯ and Bu QingYun apart. Like this, the evil spirit was extracted and the suppressed soul of the youth was finally freed. From then on, Bu QingYun returned to Xuanmen as a victim, and because of this they cared for him even more. He would have many brothers and friends; he would be able to walk in a world of prosperity with his head held high, enjoying the reverence of the people. He would even be able to properly spend the rest of his life with the little fox he liked. This was the happily-ever-after the evil spirit He Huan wrote for Bu QingYun.


    ¡°Master! Old man, I will kill you!¡±


    ¡°Little Palace Master, are you okay? Why are you crying?¡±


    ¡°Surnamed Li, grab Bu QingYun!¡±


    The surroundings were chaotic, and the people who stayed to fight over him were still fighting. However, at this moment, He Ku wasn¡¯t able to see or hear anything. The only thing in his mind were the last words He Huan had said before he left their body. In front of that sword glare, the red-clothed man looked back toward him, his usual mischievous smile reflected within his eyes as he said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you dislike the name He Ku? From now on, you are Bu QingYun.¡±


    He never knew just how painful and heartbreaking it was to have your soul ripped apart until this moment.


    End of Chapter 34


    THISBRO: Thank you Urmulus for buying me a Ko-fi! Everyone wish me luck on my midterm next week ahhh

 CH 35

    A-A+


    Translator: THISBRO


    (currently unedited)


    The Chang¡¯an battle for the throne was the beginning of many heroes¡¯ stories, Bu QingYun was among them.


    That night, the private soldiers of every prince fought in the streets and alleys of the city. The bodies of innocent commoners piled outside the city into a small mountain.


    Following a sudden clap of thunder, a small child who had been dead slowly opened his eyes in the mountain of corpses. Without any warning or signs, he had crossed from the peaceful modern era into the chaos of the Jianghu.


    He didn¡¯t know who this body was, all he remembered was that when he first opened his eyes he was faced with the blood-soaked sky of the Chang¡¯an outskirts.


    Underneath his body was a city guard who had been cut in half, his right hand was near a woman¡¯s hair which was dirtied in her struggle to survive. He looked to the side and saw the twisted faces of the dead frozen in fear.


    He thought that he was just having a nightmare, that everything would be back to how it was before when he woke up. His parents would nag and chatter before the table, when he opened the window his friends would be on the streets waiting for him to play soccer. But, this dream was too real, to the point where even when he closed his eyes, he could still feel a pain in his chest from having the bones there broken.


    This was Bu QingYun¡¯s first memory upon arriving in this world. There was no heaven-defying luck like those portrayed in novels, he also didn¡¯t have a protagonist¡¯s surprise encounter with a secret treasure. If it weren¡¯t for the passing green-robed cultivator that saw his trembling fingers and disregarded his companions¡¯ dissuasions to check it out before hurrying to Chang¡¯an, he would probably only have had the fortune of being one of the wandering souls buried amidst a pile of bones.


    As for how Qing XuZi suppressed the Slaughter of Chang¡¯an, the rumors on the Jianghu were very unified. In the days following the disappearance of the Third Prince who was supposed to succeed the throne, the remaining three princes battled it out inside the palace.


    Fresh blood seeped from the palace gates and dyed the moat outside of the palace¡¯s walls red. Just when everyone was entangled in battle, the gates of the palace were cleaved open by a sword. A green-robed cultivator slowly walked in while holding a six-year-old child. The palm of his right hand was pressed against the child¡¯s life gate in order to preserve his life. The cultivator used his left hand and sent out three waves of sword energy.


    The first wave broke through the layers of protection around the imperial palace. The First Prince who desperately clung to the throne spat blood and died.


    The second wave went undetected by thousands of soldiers. The Second Prince who led his army to lay siege to the palace had his head cut off.


    The third wave, in the beginning, no one knew where it had gone, but on the second day, the imperial guards found the Fourth Prince¡¯s corpse in the secret tunnels pierced through the heart.


    Unlike the Xuanmen Fairy before him, Qing XuZi didn¡¯t come from an aristocratic background. He didn¡¯t understand the affairs of the imperial court and didn¡¯t have the desire to understand them either. He just knew that what his master gave up all her cultivation for was for the country¡¯s people to be able to live in peace, but since none of these people could protect their people, then they all didn¡¯t deserve to be emperor.


    Since he succeeded that woman as the Xuanmen Righteous Sect¡¯s Leader, then he would protect the world in his own way. At that moment, the people of the world realized that Qing XuZi doesn¡¯t easily kill people, but when he has decided on killing someone, then that person is destined to die.


    With three waves of his sword, this conflict which sacrificed countless lives finally came to an end. Towards the people who were left there, the cultivator didn¡¯t admonish them, in fact, he didn¡¯t even spare them a single look. He just calmly said, ¡°Xuanmen doesn¡¯t care who becomes the next emperor, I will just give everyone this warning: From today on, Xuanmen will kill whoever brings disaster to the common folk through their fighting.¡±


    This was an extremely rude and unreasonable solution, it didn¡¯t carry even a little of the intricate scheming of the imperial court, but it perfectly fit the Jianghu cultivators¡¯ carefree and unrestrained nature. Countless cultivators looked up to the green-robed cultivator¡¯s plain figure and finally found the true meaning of their cultivation journey. Through their own power, to control the world¡¯s affairs and command the winds and clouds. That even the aristocracy and military generals didn¡¯t dare to disobey, was there anything more carefree?


    Because of this battle, no matter which sect and for what they were fighting for they would always keep in mind the teaching Qing XuZi gave that year¡ª¡ªtreasure the Xuanmen Leader who was willing to speak sense with you, when there comes a time where he no longer does, you will know what it means to be regretful.


    In that battle, cultivators witnessed the tyranny and loftiness of the strong. Only the child held in that cultivator¡¯s arms knew Qing XuZi stood silently outside the city for a long time as he waited until the Xuanmen disciples finished burying the mountain of corpses. He sighed to the child he saved, ¡°I was late, if I had come earlier, there wouldn¡¯t have been so many people dead.¡±


    This was the first time the young man had met someone like this, before, he never believed the world had any so-called saints and also thought that to become such a person would have been the stupidest action. But now, he suddenly wanted to become someone like this cultivator. The cultivator used three sword waves and ignited the ambition of the world¡¯s cultivators, he also woke up the young man¡¯s will to live. On that day, that young man could finally proudly tell the world what his ideal was.


    Looking at the cultivator¡¯s white hair that seemed even ashier under the oppressive sun, the young man summoned his courage, reached his hand out, and said, ¡°Then can you teach me swordsmanship? Later, if something like this happens again, I will get there before you and kill them.¡±


    Qing XuZi had never encountered such a child. He had clearly just escaped from the sea of carnage and this disaster, but he actually asked to enter the Jianghu slaughter again. Facing those determined eyes, he asked, ¡°Child, what is your name?¡±


    ¡°You also haven¡¯t told me your name.¡±


    He didn¡¯t expect the child would first ask about him, he recalled for a moment before slowly answering, ¡°My name is Bu QingRou, but no one has called me that in a long time.¡±


    Everyone only knew the Xuanmen Righteous Sect¡¯s Leader as Qing XuZi, the only people left who still knew his name would probably just be a few elders. At this moment, the young man silently remembered this name. He turned to the cultivator and said, ¡°I don¡¯t remember my name, why don¡¯t you come up with one for me?¡±


    Perhaps they were destined to be master and disciple or perhaps Qing Xu Zi caught a glimpse of the clear sky within that child¡¯s eyes, back then, he didn¡¯t have the slightest bit of hesitation and said, ¡°How is Bu QingYun?¡±


    ¡°Ok, then from today, I will be Bu QingYun. Master, please accept my bow!¡±


    Within the span of a day, the child had buried his past and left his previous naive self on the burial mound on the outskirts of Chang¡¯an. From then on, the world only had the Jianghu¡¯s sword-wielding Bu QingYun.


    This was what the people of the world thought, Bu QingYun was peerlessly talented, he was a treasure Qing XuZi dug out from a pile of corpses. Only Bu QingYun, himself, knew that the talent of this commoner child¡¯s body was just so-so.


    It was actually Qing XuZi who used the priceless treasures left behind for him by the previous Xuanmen Leader and secretly made them into pastries and snuck them to him daily. It was years of meridian and bone marrow washing that created the genius cultivator Bu QingYun, and also the reason why Qing XuZi ended up being a Xuanmen Sect Leader who hadn¡¯t ascended even after 300 years.


    So, even if He Huan had to spend the next hundred years being disturbed by demonic energy daily, he was still grateful from the bottom of his heart that Qing XuZi appeared when he was weak and confused and needed guidance.


    There was a hero in every youth¡¯s heart. They sought to become that person and would subconsciously imitate their mannerisms. Perhaps they would be too embarrassed to admit to it in front of that person, but they would believe that person¡¯s every word. To Bu QingYun, Qing XuZi was that hero.


    As a youth who had walked out from a sea of blood, he held a wary heart towards people. His lively and playful side would only show up in front of his master. Later, to make sure he was not lonely, Qing XuZi went down the mountain and picked up a second disciple. And because he looked very cute as he lay by the pond to pluck lotus flowers, he was named Bu YaoLian. Just like this, Bu QingYun¡¯s family in this world was formed and his momentous life began.


    These years when he was living alone in the QingYun Hall, He Huan also once thought that although he didn¡¯t regret having this kind of start in this world, if he could have the freedom to choose, then he wished that the world he opened his eyes to would have been a clean and fascinating one.


    That was why he didn¡¯t leave any memories about the past for He Ku. He Huan was already strong enough, he could protect himself, no one could make him lie in that corpse pile, as long as he was here, no matter which faction, nobody would dare to hold ill intentions towards He Ku. He kept all of the world¡¯s schemes and calculations away from the young man, he liked his appearance of carefreeness and liveliness under the sun.


    This was the thought He Huan kept hidden in his heart and wouldn¡¯t tell anyone (rephrase), in actuality, that moonlit night before he heard that Bu YaoLian had disappeared, he looked into the youth¡¯s completely trusting eyes and had wanted to abandon his grand plan.


    He was submerged within the demonic path for eighty years and had long adjusted to their kind of lifestyle; it wouldn¡¯t be a big deal to live like this for a few more centuries. Moreover, the days with He Ku by his side as opposed to returning to the Xuanmen Righteous Sect might be more suitable to the current him.


    Yet, Bu YaoLian disappeared. In the past, there was no one who dared to scheme against the Xuanmen successors like this. Xuanmen must use overwhelming might to demonstrate their power to the world because only the strong had the right to determine the world¡¯s order. Just like in the past, he chose to betray himself for Xuanmen¡¯s name.


    Those three sword waves have become the older generation¡¯s memory, so now he wanted to use the Demon Lord He Huan¡¯s death to let the world know that that green-robed cultivator was still the strongest in the world, he wanted to make sure that nobody would dare to scheme against anyone from Xuanmen again.


    Since he chose to betray himself, then he must completely separate himself from the youth¡¯s life. The hesitation and like he felt for him must also remain unknown.


    When the youth wakes up he will find out the truth from Bai Chen, perhaps he might feel sad for a while, but when his wounds have healed, he would be able to enter the Jianghu he had always envisioned.


    His master would protect him, Yun Ce would be there to accompany him, his own divine sword intent would be enough to keep him safe.


    The young He Ku would inevitably grow up, he would no longer need He Huan. When a long time has passed, perhaps he would also be able to smile as he mentioned to others that he was an evil person, someone that could even use himself as a tool, but everything has already passed, he would have long forgotten that person.


    He Huan spent his entire life only walking the extremes, no matter what he did he just pursued the ultimate results, never leaving himself room for retreat. He accounted for people¡¯s hearts, but didn¡¯t know that the moment their souls were split apart, all of the memories he erased would return to the young man¡¯s divine consciousness.


    The things he wanted He Ku to know, He Ku knew; the things he wanted to bury in his heart and tell no one, He Ku also knew.


    He Ku even saw the truth He Huan never told anyone: the reason Bu QingYun entered the demonic path.

 CH 36

    THISBRO14-18 minutes 25.12.2021


    Translator: THISBRO


    (unedited)


    Xuanmen was constructed by the fisherman with the Fallen Immortal Lake as its center, it was split into four halls and eight temples. The four halls had four late-stage Nascent Soul level venerated elders guarding it. These four people were disciple brothers from Qing XuZi¡¯s generation. In the world, they were also considered peak-level seniors. The divine sword intent was the secret technique the Xuanmen Sect Leader would only pass onto the next successor and what these four people controlled was precisely this centuries-old inheritance.


    Outside of the four halls are the eight temples which are managed by the newest generation of Nascent Soul stage elders. Although the status was incomparable to the four halls, these elders were still young and had the chance to reach the Calamity Crossing Stage. Every building here was located on top of a spiritual vein and built to resonate with each other to form an array that covered the entire sect. As long as the eight temples weren¡¯t destroyed, no one below an immortal could enter the Xuanmen Righteous Sect, if the four halls still stood, then no one could break even a tile of the eight temples. As for the crux of the four hall¡¯s array, it was the fishing rod that hung over the side of the Fallen Immortal Lake for hundreds of years.


    When a cultivator falls short at ascension, they either nurse their divine consciousness in hopes of trying again or remain in the lower realms to be a wandering immortal. With the power the fisherman held back then both were good choices, but when he was within the lightning tribulation his final choice was to use his body as a medium and lead the heaven¡¯s power into the Fallen Immortal Lake, creating what can be considered an impenetrable array in the human realm.


    This array was crafted with the might of the heavens, the only way to break it was to destroy the array¡¯s crux. However, every generation, the Xuanmen Righteous Sect¡¯s Leader would live at the Fallen Immortal Lake, which meant that as long as the sect leader was alive, no one could even touch a single blade of grass of Xuanmen.


    The fisherman perished in the tribulation, but his magic weapon remained at the Fallen Immortal Lake, serving as the most stable shield in the world and helping to guard Xuanmen¡¯s disciples in his place.


    This was one of the most convincing reasons why no one believed Bu QingYun had been set up by someone because no one could break through Xuanmen¡¯s protective array and enter. Back then, although he wasn¡¯t at the Nascent Soul stage, he was still Xuanmen¡¯s successor and was in charge of the QianTian Temple of the eight temples. At that time, he had stumbled into a rare bit of comprehension and was about to break through to the next stage, he only informed his junior brother Bu YaoLian before locking himself in his room for cultivation.


    When a cultivator is breaking through, they could not risk getting disturbed. Bu QingYun was only twenty at the time and didn¡¯t have any disciples, so his junior brother Bu YaoLian volunteered to stand guard for him. The security within the QianTian Temple was extremely tight and Bu YaoLian, as the sect leader¡¯s direct disciple, was also extremely talented, under these circumstances, there should have been no issues. However, the only mishap was that the disciple tasked with guarding the mountain¡¯s gate went out.


    Back when the previous dynasty¡¯s courtesan came to Xuanmen to seek help, all the higher leveled disciples were out, so it was a disciple named He Kao who brought her into Xuanmen to wait. At that time, he had given the courtesan the cloud bell used by Xuanmen disciples to seek help and promised that as soon as his seniors returned he would inform her. However, in the end, she hadn¡¯t waited until then. After seven days, she disappeared.


    Fourteen years passed. That night, He Kao suddenly heard the chime of the cloud bell and remembered that girl¡¯s heartbroken and grieving expression. He thought that she had met with danger outside of Xuanmen, so he immediately brought his sword to go save her. But what stood in front of him was a demonic cultivator wearing a deranged look.


    QianTian Temple was in charge of the security layout of Xuanmen, because of this, Bu QingYun more or less knew every guard disciple. Due to their limited talent in cultivation, all of these disciples would¡¯ve been considered lucky if they could make it to the Golden Core stage. Many of them who could achieve any measure of success from Xuanmen would return to their clan to be an elder, peacefully living out the remainder of their lives. Thus, rarely would there be anyone who would stay for more than a decade. In Bu QingYun¡¯s impressions, this He Kao disciple has been with the sect since even before he joined. Even though he had already formed his core, he didn¡¯t have the intention to leave. Bu QingYun had once curiously asked He Kao about this, since there was no more room for his cultivation to improve, why doesn¡¯t he return to his hometown like the other seniors?


    At that time, the young man only returned a somewhat embarrassed smile and replied, ¡°When I first joined the sect I met a girl who had been harmed by a demonic cultivator. Back then, my cultivation was basically negligible. Even when I was made aware of the atrocities the girl had suffered I had no way to help her. Now that I¡¯ve formed my core, I want to stand guard here and give everyone who comes here to seek help a bit of assistance.¡±


    The Bu QingYun of those days was still just a teenager, his heart was filled with the ambition to change the world and immediately said to him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there will come a day when I completely wipe out the demonic faction, I¡¯ll make it so that no one would dare harm others again.¡±


    Bu QingYun also remembered that at that time, when the guarding disciple looked at his high-spirited self he had a face of total faith and laughed, ¡°In that case, I will stay at this mountain gate and await the day I can personally see it happen.¡±


    But in the end, he never saw that day come.


    Bu QingYun would never be able to forget what He Kao looked like the last time he saw him. Feng Xie had countless ways to torture a person, in the end, the young man couldn¡¯t hold up against the torment and led Feng Xie into QianTian Temple. At that time, Bu QingYun had long heard the sounds of Bu YaoLian fighting outside, however, he was at the most important junction of the breakthrough. He could not even afford to twitch. A moment later, the door was pushed open.


    The face of the person who entered wasn¡¯t unfamiliar, he knew that this was that senior who stood at the mountain¡¯s gate, but it was only when that person¡¯s clothes began to slip off his shoulders that Bu QingYun realized that there was not even an inch of flesh that remained untouched. It was like someone had chewed him inch by inch, his chest was severely mutilated, and his face was slack, his mind had clearly been destroyed.


    The current him was only operating based on instinct, he swayed to in front of Bu QingYun. Seeing his fellow sect member like this, Bu QingYun no longer cared for anything else, he broke off his breakthrough and moved forward to hold him up. From their new proximity, Bu QingYun finally heard what the young man kept subconsciously repeating, ¡°R¡­run¡­¡±


    In the instant he smelled the fragrance coming off of his sect mate, Bu QingYun knew he had fallen into a trap. His qi and blood had both been turbulent because he forcefully stopped his breakthrough, after he had inhaled the scent it became even more so. Even when he used all of his power, he could just barely hold onto clarity. At this time, the main culprit finally floated out from within his puppet and ripped open Bu QingYun¡¯s clothes, he revealed a smile that made others feel incredibly disgusted and jeered, ¡°The Xuanmen Righteous Sect¡¯s successor, sure is a heaven-sent beauty.¡±


    Feng Xie¡¯s reputation was widely spread around the Jianghu, when Bu QingYun saw him he did everything he could to pull out his sword, yet what he stabbed through was Bu YaoLian who that person had suddenly pulled to block in front of him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    His junior disciple brother¡¯s hot blood flowed along his CaiYun Sword onto his palm, his eyes were bloodshot, Bu QingYun finally lost his reason. Like a madman, he used his all to shout, uncontrolled sword energy echoed wantonly within the room yet none of them hit the person he wanted to kill.


    ¡°Everyone you care about is about to be killed and you are here, helpless to do anything. Isn¡¯t that feeling just wonderful?¡±


    ¡°To only be twenty years old and have such quality sword energy, you really are a genius even within geniuses. How great! I just love to watch you geniuses who have been carefully treasured since young be ruined. I want to see your faces, when I see you cry and wail in anguish, I feel unspeakably delighted!¡±


    ¡°I wonder how long you can resist this Palace Master¡¯s aphrodisiac powder. You may as well come over here obediently and this Palace Master will let you know what true pleasure is.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, this Palace Master will first enjoy you, then I¡¯ll take care of your brother in front of you.¡±


    The divine sword intent counters all demonic techniques, even though Bu QingYun had qi-deviated his sword energy was still overpowering. Feng Xie had been trapped at the beginning stage of the Nascent Soul stage for several years and couldn¡¯t do anything about it either. He could only continuously provoke him with words and try to get him to exhaust his spiritual energy. Right now, Bu QingYun had already lost his reason, once he runs out of energy then he¡¯d be free to do whatever he pleases.


    However, one thing he hadn¡¯t foreseen was that the shout Bu QingYun released before he lost his reason actually drew out Qing XuZi who was at the Fallen Immortal Lake. The reason why Feng Xie was able to stay alive for all these years despite all the evils he had committed was precisely because of his ability to melt into the surrounding environment and his cowardly and cautious style of work. The second he heard the sound of a sword coming from the sky, he immediately concealed his presence, gave up on what he was doing, and fled.


    Bu QingYun had never wanted to kill someone as much as he did now, he couldn¡¯t remember how many times he had waved his sword, all he knew was that he couldn¡¯t stop until that person was dead. However, as his spiritual energy dwindled, his body became increasingly warm. When the demonic energy in the room disappeared, he finally couldn¡¯t continue anymore. In his daze and half-conscious state, he seemed to have touched something. The contact with someone¡¯s smooth skin made him feel incredibly comfortable and he subconsciously hugged the body.


    ¡°QingYun, what¡¯s happened to you?!¡±


    In the end, what awoke him was Qing XuZi¡¯s sudden shout. The old cultivator¡¯s every move carried the intent of heavenly law, the cry of his sword at full strength chased away all demonic effects. When Bu QingYun opened his eyes, he was greeted with the worst scene of his life.


    His clothes were in disarray as he laid atop Bu YaoLian¡¯s body, on the side was He Lai¡¯s corpse which had become almost entirely unrecognizable after being cut up by Bu QingYun¡¯s sword energy. Bu YaoLian was barely alive, and Bu QingYun¡¯s hand was currently resting on his still bleeding chest.


    This type of scene had even Qing XuZi stunned in shock. He looked at his two disciples in a daze, lips imperceptibly trembling, at that moment he didn¡¯t know what to say. So much that even until Bu QingYun¡¯s expression had completely crumpled and ran out the door, he still couldn¡¯t move.


    He Kao¡¯s body, the cause of which had been the divine sword intent, laid in Bu QingYun¡¯s room. Qing XuZi also personally saw him try to rape Bu YaoLian while in the midst of his qi-deviation, even the wound on Bu YaoLian¡¯s chest clearly bore the unique markings of his CaiYun sword. Both human testimony and material evidence was there, there was no way to push the blame away. That day, Qing XuZi announced that Bu QingYun had been expelled from the sect and according to the rules, has had all his meridians broken, never to be reaccepted into the sect.


    The entire Jianghu searched for an entire month, all unable to find any trace of Bu QingYun, until news came from the demonic faction, Bu QingYun one person one sword slaughtered his way up the barren mountain, slayed the Palace of Bliss¡¯ Palace Master Feng Xie, he obtained all his beauties and troops and has now joined the demonic faction.


    Three months later, Xuanmen announced to the world that Bu YaoLian would be the new Xuanmen successor.


    That same day, Bu QingYun welcomed a siege from the demonic sects. Fresh blood dyed his robes completely red, the young man walked over the mountain of bodies and sea of blood and out of the Palace of Bliss¡¯ Main Hall. He announced to the world that from that day on, there would no longer exist Bu QingYun in the world, he was now only the Palace of Bliss¡¯ Palace Master, the demonic cultivator He Huan.


    This was the truth of that year, just a single woman¡¯s revenge changed so many people¡¯s lives. In this tale of love and hate, the most innocent person was He Kao. He also knew that the woman he went to save just at the sound of a bell was precisely the person who sold him out to Feng Xie. As for her, she¡¯s probably already forgotten who he was, even in her final confessions of regret, she didn¡¯t once bring up his name.


    This was the actual reason why He Huan flew into a rage that night. In his heart wasn¡¯t just the disappointment towards the human heart, but also the feeling of unreconciliation. For He Kao¡¯s meaningless sacrifice, for his own, and for the countless people in the world who hold a kind heart but are failed by others¡¯ greed. Such was the cold indifference of the demonic path. Even though he was in the demonic faction, he also firmly believed that only when this kind of cruel demonic faction did their best to terrorize the people of the world would there be true peace.


    This was why he couldn¡¯t allow the most powerful demonic cultivator, He Huan, to continue to exist in the world.


    He Huan¡¯s century worth of memories finally dispersed, the young man who had seen everything slowly woke up. He felt the overwhelming energy flowing through his meridians, the cry of a sword rung out in his mind, his spiritual awareness followed the sound through layers of arteries and veins, and saw his heart which had been filled by moonlight. This was a very beautiful sword intent, however, the golden core which should have originally been there was gone.


    Slowly coming to his senses, he heard someone ask him, ¡°Bu QingYun, after much hardship, has finally been reborn. How do you feel?¡±


    He thought his mood would be unsteady, but the moment he opened his eyes he found that everything was calm. At this time, as if welcoming his return, snow suddenly fell from the sky. In the wind and snow, he stood up, the young man raised his head, in his eyes was a cold sword intent that has yet to be moved. He said, ¡°My name is He Ku, don¡¯t get it wrong.¡±

 CH 37

    THISBRO14-18 minutes 25.12.2021


    Translator: THISBRO


    (unedited)


    Just like they had agreed with He Huan, Bai Chen and the Sword Saint¡¯s disciple took advantage of when Qing Xuzi was preoccupied with suppressing the Demon Lord and stole away Bu QingYun¡¯s body, but the trauma caused by the soul splitting was difficult to heal. Even though the two of them had settled him down in the Soul Recalling Spring on the top of the Snowy Mountains. Bu QingYun was still in a coma for seven days.


    Because of He Huan¡¯s deliberate prevention, Bai Chen had never met He Ku during his stay in the Palace of Bliss. Naturally, he never thought that the most powerful Demon Lord of the generation would sacrifice everything for the other soul in his body. Now that he saw the expression on the young man¡¯s face after awakening, he realized that something was wrong. He felt it was absurd and with mixed emotions, lamented, ¡°He Huan really is crazy, how could he¡ª¡±


    As if he completely didn¡¯t hear what the person beside him said, he let him continue to be shocked. The young man had his eyes lowered as his fingers gently traced the ups and downs of the cloud patterns on the CaiYun sword. It was a long time before his eyelashes which had been covered in snowflakes trembled, his voice coldly asking, ¡°How¡¯s He Huan?¡±


    Qing XuZi lived his whole life nobly, letting Bu QingYun escape was the only time he acted on his own selfishness. Because of this, He Ku knew with even more clarity that there was no way he would easily let off the person who framed his disciple. He originally thought that He Huan was most likely already dead at this point, but he hadn¡¯t expected that Bai Chen would just reveal a hesitant expression and answer him. ¡°I heard Qing XuZi had him suppressed at the Fallen Immortal Lake, I don¡¯t know why he hasn¡¯t dispersed his soul yet.¡±


    It was just one sentence, but it was like the young man had suddenly become alive again. At that moment, it was like a spring breeze had instantly thawed the layers of ice and snow, and like a clear spring had been poured into his eyes again. When he raised his eyes again, they were filled with life and hope. ¡°You¡¯re saying he¡¯s still alive?¡±


    Bai Chen has seen He Huan standing alone surrounded by the winds and snow, he¡¯s also seen him at his most seductive and bewitching, but he never thought that this face could reveal such an expression, like in this moment all of his adoration and focus was placed on a single person.


    Such adoration was something Bai Chen had spent his entire life pursuing but could not obtain, yet it was the cold and indifferent He Huan who got it first. Even though he knew that the person in front of him was but a part of He Huan¡¯s soul which had been split off so it was only natural that it longed for He Huan, his heart was still somewhat frustrated. Seeing the young man immediately tie his CaiYun sword to his waist and get up upon learning of He Huan¡¯s current state, he couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want to go save him now.¡±


    What he got in return was He Ku¡¯s determined gaze. Bai Chen couldn¡¯t understand how there could be such people in the world. He obviously knew everything now, but his first reaction was to go save the person who used him. In his memory, He Huan wasn¡¯t this type of white lotus, how come the soul that he split off have such a different personality?


    Seeing He Ku¡¯s expression, he couldn¡¯t help returning to his previous thoughts and said, ¡°You¡¯re both crazy. Right from the beginning, He Huan intended for you to die for him, after all of that trouble, you¡¯ve finally returned to being Bu QingYun, but if you establish a connection with him again, there would be no way for you to come back to the righteous faction after being deemed a demonic cultivator. Even if that is the case, you still want to save him?¡±


    ¡°Bu QingYun¡¯s life would no doubt be glorious and unlimited, but I can say with complete certainty that for me, that kind of life could not compare to the happiness I experience when I¡¯m beside He Huan.¡±


    He Ku¡¯s answer was as firm as ever, of course, he knew that despite He Huan¡¯s righteous intentions, his identity was firmly believed to be that of a demonic cultivator¡¯s, if he wanted to stay with He Huan there would be no place in the righteous Jianghu for him to stay.


    In that dreamscape of memories, he finally understood He Huan¡¯s thoughts. He became the only one in the world who could understand him.


    A person can deceive the heavens, deceive the people of the world, but they would never be able to deceive themselves. It was precisely because he understood that he knew if it was He Huan who was standing in his place, he would also choose to rescue his other-self. From the moment they arrived in this world, they knew that they were the type to never consider themselves. Something like someone¡¯s inherent nature, no one could alter it. It¡¯s just, He Huan protected the world for a hundred years, it was time he felt what it was like to be protected. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t this world be too unfair?


    He Ku thought that after he knew about everything he would hesitate, but who knew that everything would become clear to him. He didn¡¯t let slip those things He HUan didn¡¯t want others to know, he only smiled in response. ¡°Since he used me, naturally I need to go beat him up. However, that is our private matter, outsiders don¡¯t have the right to meddle in it.¡±


    His smile made people feel a sense of warmth even though they were situated at the peak of a mountain that had been ice-bound for ten thousand years. What¡¯s more, it appeared on He Huan¡¯s face, someone who others knew to be heartless, yet didn¡¯t carry even a sliver of contradiction. Looking at He Ku like this, Bai Chen suddenly realized that perhaps a long time ago, Bu QingYun was originally like this as well. Right then, he unexpectedly understood what He Huan had been feeling. To use the life he didn¡¯t have much attachment with to get this kind of affection could also be worth it.


    Bai Chen¡¯s expression was a bit forlorn, He Ku looked at his flawless and seductive face, but all he thought of was the amount of trust He Huan had in this white fox. He suddenly had a bout of insight and immediately said, ¡°What the Snowy Mountain wants is a powerful enough cultivator. AS for whether this cultivator¡¯s name is Bu QingYun or not, that is not important to you.¡±


    As the Snowy Mountain¡¯s heir, Bai Chen naturally not stupid, he vaguely heard what He Ku was implying but he was still a bit uncertain. He narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    He Ku knew his venture was promising from the other¡¯s expression of interest and immediately said clearly his intentions, ¡°The lightning tribulation refines the body, the heart tribulation tests the dao heart. My body is already at the Calamity Crossing stage, before ascension I don¡¯t need to undergo any more lightning tribulations. And now that my dao heart has been established, all I need is enough heavenly treasures and elixirs. There¡¯s no question as to whether or not I can break through to the next level.¡±


    As someone who made a deal with He Huan, Bai Chen couldn¡¯t be clearer on this point. It was exactly because he knew that with a Calamity Crossing cultivator¡¯s body He Huan would be able to obtain double the accomplishments with half the work when cultivating the divine sword intent that he was willing to bet on Bu QingYun¡¯s rebirth. It¡¯s just, He Huan has lived for a hundred years, his shrewdness went deep and Bai Chen didn¡¯t have to worry whether he could survive until ascension. However, today was his first time meeting He Ku and he didn¡¯t dare to hastily agree. Instead, he asked, ¡°The spirit cores left by my deceased ancestors are the best heavenly tonics and treasures for human cultivators, but on what basis should I help you?¡±


    ¡°Based on the fact that one day I will definitely break through this dimension.¡±


    What answered him was the young man¡¯s unwavering tone of self-confidence and half the sky which had been illuminated by the bright moonlight in his hand. WIth Bu QingYun¡¯s memories, He Ku became even more proficient in wielding the divine sword intent. Now, although he had the cultivation level of a golden core cultivator, the imposing sword energy in his hand was enough to scare everyone. To form intent into shape, him and his sword became one, this was a realm even the past Bu QingYun hadn¡¯t obtained.


    Who would have expected that while there was some accident with the personality, this person¡¯s talent became even better than before? At this moment, Bai Chen really was pleasantly surprised. He had always been daring, so he decisively threw his bets down. ¡°Good. I want you to take a blood vow, in the future when my Snowy Mountains need help, you must unconditionally do something for us.¡±


    At present, as long as he could rescue He Huan, He Ku was willing to agree to any condition and used his soul to seal the vow on the spot. ¡°It¡¯s settled then.¡±


    Vows between cultivators are witnessed by the heavenly laws, what¡¯s more, he cultivated the divine sword intent which disallowed one to go against their word. Bai Chen also didn¡¯t think too much, he glanced towards the other end of the mountain and remembered the cub that gave him the silent treatment since coming back to the mountain. He internally sighed before saying, ¡°I¡¯ll naturally find you a spirit core that¡¯s suitable for you. That silly kid Yun Ce¡¯s about to die from dehydration at the rate he¡¯s crying, why don¡¯t you go check on him?¡±


    Hearing information about Yun Ce, He Ku¡¯s mood immediately relaxed a bit, he cupped his hands to Bai Chen before leaving to search in that direction. Seeing them like this, even Bai Chen couldn¡¯t determine what their relationship was in a short period of time. If he said they were friends, when a fox spirit from the Snowy Mountains and He Huan¡¯s body were lumped together and nothing happened, then they would let down both party¡¯s reputations on the Jianghu. If he said they had that interest, when the two were put together and simultaneously became simple-minded creatures with not a hint of ambiguity in the atmosphere, it would simply seem like two children fighting with each other.


    Bai Chen knew that he most likely wouldn¡¯t be able to hold on for the next hundred years, so towards this next chosen successor, Bai Chen was of course very careful and meticulous. Today, when he agreed to He Ku¡¯s request, a lot of it had to do with Yun Ce. However, it seems that the ¡°Little Palace Master¡± Yun Ce always has in his mouth has special feelings for He Huan. It was for the best that Yun Ce doesn¡¯t have feelings for him so as to not have to deal with heartbreak later on.


    Thinking to this point he couldn¡¯t help glancing towards the black-clothed man who stood guard from afar. That person still wore an expression as if nothing phased him. Even after sensing his gaze, all the man did was walk over and ask, ¡°Is this fine? Without his identity as Xuanmen¡¯s successor, a single calamity crossing cultivator may not be of much help to the Snowy Mountains.¡±


    In front of him, Bai Chen never pretended to be mysterious or aloof, he massaged his temples at the sting of a faint headache and sighed. ¡°Even if I don¡¯t agree, Yun Ce that silly child would more than likely try to secretly give him one anyway. It¡¯s better that I deal with it, at least then we won¡¯t be making a loss.¡±


    The young man had actually not thought of this and a rare flash of surprise shone through his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re really dedicated to your role as his martial uncle.¡±


    In the human¡¯s legends and rumors, spirit cultivators had never been considered a proper way. The number of cultivators who only saw spirit cultivators as ingredients were nearly uncountable. So the man¡¯s surprise was not unexpected to Bai Chen, he coldly remarked, ¡°As the proverb goes, a tiger, though cruel, will not devour its cubs. Us spirit cultivators are not like you humans, the cubs in our den, we¡¯d naturally use our lives to protect them.¡±


    The young man was already used to his tone, at this time he also didn¡¯t mind, he smiled as he lamented, ¡°I¡¯ve really learned a lot from this expedition. I only knew after seeing it with my own eyes, but it turns out that spirits and monsters are much more sentimental than humans. Even the demonic cultivators are vastly different from what I¡¯d have heard.¡±


    ¡°In that case, you go to Cloud City and broaden your horizons more.¡±


    Shooting him a side-eye, Bai Chen couldn¡¯t do anything about this seemingly temper-less guy. Instead, he began ordering proper business. ¡°Within three days, I want to know where He Huan is being kept. Also, get your people to watch all the large righteous sects. They¡¯ve finally captured a Calamity Crossing stage demonic cultivator, I can imagine that there would be some people who can¡¯t sit still.¡±


    When all was said and done, He Ku had never truly set foot into the Jianghu, on setting up the board and planning, how could he compare to those old fogeys. It¡¯s just, the young man had never seen Bai Chen care so much about someone else, he felt something was strange in his heart and asked, ¡°Are you sure you aren¡¯t in love with He Huan? How come you¡¯re so focused on him?¡±


    Bai Chen was usually the type of person who waited for people to come to beg him for help and if there was nothing to gain he wouldn¡¯t bat an eye at whether they lived or died. Today, it was already unexpected for him to help He Ku, but to help him in secret to this extent¡­ it could be considered unheard of. Yet, facing the young man¡¯s doubt, he just calmly gazed at the faraway winds and snow and asked a completely unrelated question. ¡°If one day I¡¯m about to die, would you feel sad?¡±


    Hearing this, the young man fell into a brief silence. When he replied, however, it didn¡¯t directly answer the question. ¡°You have nine lives.¡±


    Nine-tailed foxes are masters of the Soul Splitting Technique from the moment they are born, even a lightning tribulation would not be able to kill him, naturally, there would be no need to worry about lifespan. A trace of ridicule flashed through his eyes, Bai Chen didn¡¯t say anything else on the matter, instead he just quietly said, ¡°Yes, my life is better than He Huan¡¯s¡­¡±


    Why was he willing to go save He Huan?


    It was probably because, just then, Bai Chen suddenly remembered that during his stay at the Palace of Bliss, he thought that no one would notice the anomaly with his body, but that undignified demonic Palace Master raised a cup towards him and said something he never could have expected. He said, ¡°I reckon, with your relations with other people, when you die there wouldn¡¯t be anyone who would even grieve for you. This cup of tea I¡¯m drinking today, count it as my sending you off ahead of time.¡±


    This completely inappropriate talk and that person¡¯s expression also didn¡¯t have much sorrow or distress, but Bai Chen knew that at that moment, this demonic cultivator really did feel sad for him.


    His life was better than He Huan¡¯s, but He Huan had better luck than him. Just for that single cup of tea¡¯s pity, he was willing to have He Huan as a friend.


    Bai Chen frolicked around his entire life and got countless lovers in exchange, however, regarding friends, he only had this one.

 CH 38

    THISBRO15-18 minutes 28.01.2022


    Translator: THISBRO


    (unedited)


    Although Bai Chen said Yun Ce was miserably crying, He Ku thought that with his air-headed personality it couldn¡¯t be as bad as he had described. But the scene he saw with his own eyes made him realize that actually, Bai Chen wasn¡¯t exaggerating.


    The peaks of the Snowy Mountains were permanently covered with snow, without a golden core level of cultivation one couldn¡¯t even walk around. Yun Ce was, in any case, the heir Bai Chen chose, now that he had returned to his own territory he was changed into luxurious clothing. As he was, wearing a black cloak and standing in the middle of a field of snow, he looked quite imposing.


    Yet, it was precisely this person who you could tell was important at a single glance that was clinging to a memorial tablet and crying so hard in front of a steep cliff they couldn¡¯t catch their breath.


    Even if spirit cultivators were in their human forms, as long as they became emotional, their first response would be to return to their natural instincts and Yun Ce was no different. Like any wild animal grieving over their companion¡¯s death, he just kept pulling on his vocal cords to scream.


    Every wave was more mournful than the last, the echo was actually quite frightening in this windy and sky-high place. Luckily he didn¡¯t return to his original form, while his words were muffled and slurred they were at least intelligible. At this moment, even though he heard footsteps sound behind him he still couldn¡¯t help himself and cried, ¡°Little Palace Master, you died so miserably ahhhh!¡±


    Seeing this scene, He Ku¡¯s heart warmed. Even without Bai Chen¡¯s deal, just because of Yun Ce¡¯s genuine grief-filled cry, he would still use his all to help the Snowy Mountains in the future if they faced trouble.


    However, he couldn¡¯t let him continue crying now. He had taken a glance and the snow cover trembled under his cries, if this went on, there would inevitably be an avalanche. He peeked at the snow cover that seemed ready to collapse at any time and decisively pulled the little fox up. ¡°What are you crying for? I¡¯m not dead yet.¡±


    Bai Chen already explained He Huan¡¯s plan to Yun Ce, now he just took these words to mean that He Huan woke up and the sadness on his face didn¡¯t lessen at all. He just continued to cry. ¡°Heartless Palace Master, of course, you aren¡¯t dead, but the Little Palace Master¡­¡±


    As he cried he felt wronged on the Little Palace Master¡¯s behalf, the Little Palace Master already died for the Palace Master, yet this person was still able to smile. Not only that, but his smile also had to resemble the Little Palace Master¡¯s¡­wait a second, this expression, it really seemed to be¡­


    The descendants of the Fox Immortal are naturally acute towards the soul, at this moment, Yun Ce stared at the person in front of him and became ecstatic. ¡°Little Palace Master? You¡¯re still alive?!¡±


    He finally recognized him, He Ku let out a sigh of relief, but just as he was preparing to receive a touching reunion, this stupid fox¡¯s face suddenly regained an expression of grief. He flashed his claws and scratched out the top-most ¡®Little¡¯ on the memorial tablet then, cradling the procrastinated ¡®Palace Master¡¯ memorial tablet, continued another round of crying. ¡°I was crying wrong just now. Palace Master, you died so miserably ahhhh!¡±


    Were your feelings towards the Palace Master this half-hearted? Where was all that talk about wanting to only ¡®do this and that¡¯ with the Palace Master?!


    He Ku speechlessly watched as he repurposed the memorial tablet and discovered that, sure enough, it was impossible to stir up anything emotional when the two of them were put together. He stopped thinking about it and instead made a snowball and threw it over. ¡°What are you blindly crying for? The Palace Master also isn¡¯t dead! Hurry up and pack your things, you¡¯re going to help me steal the Palace Master back!¡±


    Hearing this, Yun Ce¡¯s high-spiritedness instantly returned. He wiped his tears away as he brought the memorial tablet and moved to face He Ku. ¡°Sure, where are we going to steal?¡±


    He Ku gave him a light smile and said the place no one had dared to challenge in the past hundred years, ¡°Xuanmen Righteous Sect.¡±


    ¡°So exciting?!¡±


    Yun Ce obviously knew how powerful the Xuanmen Righteous Sect was and his eyes widened into saucers. Immediately following that, as if having thought of something, he sighed in regret and said, ¡°If the Second Enforcer was here, he would be so happy at this news he¡¯d die.¡±


    In the past, during his time at the Palace of Bliss, You Jiang would shout about attacking the Three Great Sects every day beside them. Now that they really were going to look for trouble with Xuanmen, that person has become a stranger, just thinking about it made one feel a sense of pity.


    In the days that He Ku had spent in the Palace of Bliss, although he felt that You Jiang was extremely chuuni, the other really cared for him. He never would have thought that one day they would be standing on opposite sides. At that time, he thought that he and those four enforcers with such unique personalities would be together until the end. You Jiang¡¯s defection was within He Huan¡¯s expectations, compared to Xiu Niang¡¯s last stab, his secret-but-not-secret defection couldn¡¯t be counted as too surprising. Thus, towards You Jiang¡¯s leaving, He Ku probably felt more depressed than He Huan.


    Not even enough time for him to feel depressed, Yun Ce pulled out a bamboo tube and passed it over. ¡°Oh right, I found this on the big bear yesterday. It has the Second Enforcer¡¯s scent, I don¡¯t know when he put it in.¡±


    This bamboo tube was no longer than an inch, it was often used on the Jianghu to pass information. He Ku opened it and only saw a single slip of paper. It only contained a short sentence: Miracle Hand Kong Kong is in the dungeons.


    When he was thinking of challenging Xuanmen this time, he definitely wasn¡¯t thinking about facing them head-on. If they could quietly rescue He Huan, that would be for the best. Remembering Miracle Hand Kong Kong¡¯s reputation as a godly thief, He Ku knew that this person would definitely be useful to him. It¡¯s just, why did You Jiang remind him of this thing? Perhaps, even though they severed their connection decisively, that person didn¡¯t want to see either He Huan or He Ku die silently.


    He Ku never would have expected that it would be You Jiang who would help him at this time and his expression turned rueful. Seeing him like this, Yun Ce became nervous and asked hurriedly, ¡°Little Palace Master, did the Second Enforcer scold you again? Don¡¯t feel sad, that¡¯s just how he is.¡±


    Bu QingYun¡¯s Jianghu only consisted of righteousness and He Huan¡¯s Jianghu was a path of cold-heartedness. Compared to them, the Jianghu He Ku set foot in was much warmer. He fully understood that the reason he could have such a nice Jianghu was precisely because despite all the grievances and loneliness these two people had to experience, they never gave up on this world.


    After somberly sighing, He Ku smiled. He put the slip of paper into his clothes and didn¡¯t say much, only asking, ¡°I¡¯m fine, what about QianRen?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, when we left, the Head Enforcer stayed behind to cover our retreat. There hasn¡¯t been any news about him since we got here.¡±


    Yun Ce was usually carefree and rambunctious, now, seeing him return to his usual self, He Ku also didn¡¯t continue to ask, he just thought of the missing QianRen and vexed. ¡°My little shishu said that the Head Enforcer thought the Palace Master was captured and would definitely rush to attack Xuanmen, he definitely would not be able to beat that old cultivator. I was still hesitating whether I should make a memorial tablet for him while I was at it.¡±


    He Ku didn¡¯t think that Yun Ce would be so obsessed with memorial tablets and suddenly wanted to take back how touched he was before. How could this airhead¡¯s grieving and sorrow still feel so unreliable? However, when his face was still darkened, Yun Ce continued to ramble on and on until suddenly he said, ¡°Little Palace Master, are you not going back to Xuanmen?¡±


    It was only now that He Ku remembered that his identity right now was Bu QingYun, if he wanted to return to Xuanmen it wasn¡¯t impossible, but if he returned it would be back to being beside Qing XuZi. At that time, if he saved He Huan wouldn¡¯t it be another round of ¡°Xuanmen¡¯s successor defected¡±? He wasn¡¯t interested in becoming a traitor and thought that He Huan also wouldn¡¯t want to damage Xuanmen¡¯s reputation more, so he erased that thought and said, ¡°Admittedly, Xuanmen is a good place, however I rather like to eat melon seeds in our Mingmen Righteous Sect.¡±


    It would be difficult for Yun Ce to understand what he truly meant as he happily agreed, ¡°Exactly! I also like to eat seeds. When we go back this time, Little Palace Master must clear out an entire yard for us to plant melons.¡±


    ¡°Still thinking of eating melon seeds? Come over here and start carving this spirit core.¡±


    Their glorious vision for the future where melon seeds flew everywhere coldly blew away with Bai Chen¡¯s voice.


    When He Ku looked back, he saw the white fox and a gathering of subordinates approach. They held several plates of spirit cores. He moved forward and took them over, the brimming energy within the spirit core instantly flowed into his dantian through his fingertips. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh, ¡°The efficiency of spirit cultivators really is high.¡±


    Ever since coming back, Bai Yun Ce had been crying inconsolably. While Bai Chen told others not to bother with him and that he¡¯ll be better once he¡¯s had enough of crying, how could he not actually care? Now that the little fox cub was back to jumping and running around, his heart which had been hung on a string was finally released. Even his attitude towards He Ku became much better and even rarely reminded him, ¡°He Huan spent his life pursuing his dao, when he found out that there was no hope for him to ascend, he started to hold thoughts of death. I predict that even if he was reborn as Bu QingYun, he would have still searched for an opportunity to give his life for Xuanmen. If you want to save him, it¡¯s not enough to just bring him back, you need to reignite his motivation to live.¡±


    He Ku naturally knew the root of He Huan¡¯s problem, however he didn¡¯t know what he could do at this time. If the ordinary pleasures of life were able to ignite a passion to continue living, this wouldn¡¯t even be a problem. That person has lived a hundred years, he¡¯s tried and experienced everything, it was like his whole person was in a state of enlightenment, having looked past the vicissitudes of this world. In the past, there was still a Xuanmen and world peace tying him down, but now that he¡¯s created a whole new Bu QingYun, he could even put those down. There was nothing attaching him to this world.


    Just thinking of this made He Ku¡¯s chest feel stuffy. He remembered then that Bai Chen was currently in a similar situation to He Huan and might be able to know his mood. He quickly asked, ¡°What do I need to do?¡±


    Since Bai Chen opened his mouth to guide him, he didn¡¯t intend to half-ass it, immediately saying, ¡°Of all the things that humans can transcend, love and hate are not one of them. He Huan is even capable of putting down all the things that happened to Bu QingYun, it would be extremely difficult to get him to hate you. It¡¯s better to let him love you, get him to love you enough to continue to live for you.¡±


    Not expecting him to say something like this, He Ku¡¯s heart jumped. He doesn¡¯t know why his heart was suddenly so lively and blurted unthinkingly, ¡°But with his ¡®I-would-get-married-to-the-world-if-I-could¡¯ personality, I feel that this is also of a hellish difficulty!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he did all this and condemned himself to death because of something as simple as suddenly finding his conscience. Your place in his heart is not low, at the very least, he values you more than his own life.¡±


    Bai Chen didn¡¯t think that He Ku¡¯s first reaction was to consider the difficulty and not to resolutely refuse, he knew that there was a play to be made and continued to hammer on it. He pulled him over and said, ¡°But regardless of the truth, that person would be able to make up a bunch of reasons and excuses and make you believe that you just misunderstood him. ¡®His heart only contains the world¡¯, don¡¯t believe his bullshit. Remember, you only need to keep these five words in mind when handling He Huan¡ªshut up and kiss him!¡±


    Although the way it unfolded wasn¡¯t the same, the first thought that came to He Ku¡¯s mind was when the Great Palace Master He left him a letter saying to find someone to sleep with for seven days. Sure enough, these two people were the same kind of people, from all aspects.


    He Ku stared at Bai Chen who came up with these types of ideas seriously in speechlessness. He let out a sigh, ¡°Before, He Huan said you and him were very similar, now, I feel you two must be related right?¡±


    ¡°You really have no feelings for him?¡±


    Seeing this expression on He Ku¡¯s face, Bai Chen also became a little uncertain in his assumption. This was the best solution he could come up with using his own personality as a basis, but something as complicated as selfcest¡­ not even he had practiced it before. From his understanding of He Huan, if it was any ordinary youth who stayed by his side, he would have long been bedded. However, with He Ku, he actually stayed abstinent for so long like some righteous monk. Could it be that it really was impossible to generate those kinds of thoughts towards oneself?


    Of course, He Ku was not privy to what Bai Chen was currently thinking. In truth, after hearing what he said, He Ku¡¯s heart fell into disarray. In the past, he never even thought in this direction, but now that he silently recalled their past interactions his originally pure affection suddenly became more and more complicated. He thought of how He Huan had often asked him whether he liked him or not and he looked a bit distracted as he said, ¡°I remember when He Huan and I were together, every time I said I liked him, his face would reflect a heartfelt happiness¡­¡±


    Right, what he desired was to be together with He Huan forever like how they were before. He wanted to accompany that person as they faced whatever storms the future brought their way. It didn¡¯t matter where they went or what identities they used, as long as they were together that was the best life.


    Thinking of that person¡¯s genuinely happy appearance, he suddenly felt that everything else was trivial. All of the knots and complications scattered with the wind. The young man turned back his head to give the foxes a blinding smile, it was like all of the accumulated snow had melted and the skies had become clear again. ¡°Of course, I like He Huan. Although I don¡¯t know how to categorize this feeling, I am certain that there is no other ¡®like¡¯ like mine in this world.¡±


    Seeing this kind of smile, as if his heart had been purified, Bai Chen only felt all his pent-up frustrations dissolve. At the same time, his mind was still set, to be loved by such a person, it would be impossible for He Huan not to be moved. It was highly likely that He Huan was afraid of corrupting this pure youth and desperately suppressed his true self. If He Ku took the initiative and that person still persisted in being a monk then he should get off of the ¡®Most Romantic Demonic Cultivator¡¯ seat and directly change his name to Eunuch He!

 CH 39

    Recently, the Jianghu was in a state of turbulence. First, the Three Great Sects held a demonic extermination conference after a century of inaction, then the Xuanmen Sect Leader suddenly scattered the participating sects using his status as the Leader of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, next, when everyone thought that Xuanmen would suffer heavy casualties bringing down the strongest demonic sect, they actually came back wholly unharmed and Qing XuZi had even detained the demonic cultivator He Huan.


    When the scouts of the other sects arrived at the Palace of Bliss, not a single person could be seen on this barren mountain, truly transforming into a barren piece of land. The strongest demonic sect that the world had feared had thus been eliminated. On the surface, the people of the world sighed in admiration at Xuanmen Righteous Sect¡¯s power, but internally they became even more terrified by Qing XuZi and didn¡¯t dare to scheme under his gaze again in fear that they would catch the ashes of the Palace of Bliss.


    However, in addition to this growth in prestige, another piece of news came from Xuanmen. Under Qing XuZi¡¯s investigation it was found that the demon cultivator He Huan was actually Feng Xie, the former Palace Master of the Palace of Bliss. Currently, Qing XuZi¡¯s eyes were as bright as torches, he has already removed this villain to return to his disciple his innocence.


    The Jianghu has been really calm in the past hundred years. As soon as this gossip was leaked, there was a wave of discussion, and everyone speculated, what should Bu QingYun look like now? It is impossible for Xuanmen to have two successors, so how will Bu QingYun¡¯s identity be handled? But what the people were most interested in was Bu QingYun¡¯s whereabouts since the demon lord had been pulled out of him.


    Concerning this issue, everybody had their own speculations, but there was only one place that no one had thought of, and that was the former site of the Palace of Bliss on the barren mountains.


    When Bai Chen got to work, he finished things in such a way that there was nothing more one could ask for. The inner cores that he gave to He Ku were all left behind by great spirits after they had died during meditation. In just three days, his cultivation base was piled up to the Nascent Soul stage. It was only at this time that he understood why so many cultivators were so greedy for the inner cores of spirit cultivators. They really were the best treasures in the world.


    In the past, when He Huan had split his soul into two, they took turns being each other¡¯s Nascent Soul. Now that He Huan wasn¡¯t there anymore, He Ku could conceive a separate Nascent Soul. But he just blindly focused on raising his cultivation, not having even the slightest intention to form his own Nascent Soul.


    The Nascent Soul was a cultivator¡¯s second life, although his body was able to automatically convert natural energy into spiritual energy since his body was already at the Calamity Crossing Stage, without a Nascent Soul everything was still questionable. Bai Chen had once tried to persuade him, but his heart had been set, other than He Huan, there was no other Nascent Soul that he would accept into his heart.


    The Calamity Crossing Stage¡¯s heart calamity cannot be resolved overnight, so after He Ku absorbed the inner cores and raised his cultivation base to a saturated state, he carried Yun Ce back to the Palace of Bliss. Although this was the first time he was walking on the clouds by himself, he was not in a good mood. When he saw the desolate appearance of the once prosperous palace corroded by demonic energy, leaving only the broken walls and ruins, his heart ached even more. He still remembered that when he first came here, it was a delicate and quiet garden, and he felt comfortable strolling down its paths, but now it has become like this.


    After You Jiang left the Palace of Bliss, they didn¡¯t lay down another array. Now, the only place that was properly preserved was the QingYun Hall that He Huan inscribed a barrier for. He Ku walked to the familiar residence, only to find that the barrier had been broken. Stepping inside, he saw that everything was in a mess, it was likely Xuanmen had searched through the place.


    Thinking of He Huan¡¯s two large cabinets, he jumped up to the bedroom, and unexpectedly saw a dark figure standing in front of the window. This cold figure¡­ It was clearly Qian Ren, whose whereabouts were unknown.


    From the moment he woke up, He Ku cultivated on the Snowy Mountain. He was dressed like Bai Chen and wore plain white robes, light and elegant. His cascading long hair was tied up with a moon-white hair ribbon made of aquatic silk, revealing bright and spirited eyes. In addition, after reaching the Nascent Soul stage, his whole body emanated righteousness, anyone who saw him would think that he was a righteous cultivator akin to that of an immortal on earth. There would be no way he could be associated with a demonic cultivator.


    The killer¡¯s spiritual awareness was extremely sharp, QianRen raised his head the moment he entered. Seeing this familiar face, QianRen momentarily lost control of his expression and looked stunned, he then slowly said, ¡°Long time no see, yet it seems the Little Palace Master has reached the Nascent Soul stage.¡±


    ¡°And sure enough, it¡¯s only you who can distinguish me from He Huan in a single glance.¡±


    While QianRen¡¯s expression became complicated, He Ku was truly happy to see a familiar face, he stepped forward to take a closer look and found that there was a new scar on his face, it was right over the corner of his eye. The scar added a sense of cruelty and made his face seem even scarier. Remembering that this disciple was really important to He Huan, He Ku¡¯s heart also hurt a bit seeing this, he hurriedly asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t He Huan already teach you all of his skills? How did your face get injured?¡±


    Seeing him like this, QianRen¡¯s expression also warmed slightly, yet the words that came out of his mouth were still cold and indifferent. ¡°When I was blocking the Xuanmen Righteous Sect, a sword lightly skimmed me, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    QianRen was the child He Huan pulled out from the demonic pool. Since young, he couldn¡¯t be close with anyone. This was because of the poison permeating his body from having been corrupted by demonic energy. All these years, He Huan raised him single-handedly, he passed on all his secret skills and techniques to him and in return QianRen also became He Huan¡¯s most trusted Head Enforcer. If even QianRen was not trustworthy, then the Palace of Bliss was truly over. Fortunately, it seems that He Huan¡¯s most trusted disciple did not betray him in the end.


    He Ku could depend on QianRen¡¯s abilities. Seeing him here, he knew that the mess on this side of the palace had already been cleaned up by someone and only asked, ¡°What¡¯s the current state of the Palace of Bliss?


    In the past, disciples of the Palace of Bliss would say that it was fine if they didn¡¯t see the Palace Master for an entire year, but if the Head Enforcer went missing even for a day, the world would devolve into chaos. The same is true now, even though He Huan was captured, once the Xuanmen Righteous Sect left, QianRen regrouped the remaining members of the Palace of Bliss. Now that He Ku had asked, QianRen also answered truthfully, ¡°It¡¯s not too good. Most of the disciples with high levels of cultivation left with You Jiang, the ones that returned are ordinary disciples without families or anywhere to go. Fortunately, before Xiu Niang left she passed down the Third Enforcer¡¯s position to Sai GuanYin.¡±


    When his two colleagues were mentioned, QianRen¡¯s expression turned somewhat unsightly. You Jiang was only sixteen when he joined the Palace of Bliss, and although the two often quarreled during the many years they worked together, they developed a sort of brotherhood. He Huan doesn¡¯t know how to take care of children at all, so QianRen relied on the female disciples in the palace to take care of him when he was a child. When he became an adult, it was still Xiu Niang who looked after how he dressed and what he ate. To him, he couldn¡¯t be closer to these two people, but now they left the Palace of Bliss at a critical moment. And not only did they leave, but their departure wasn¡¯t exactly clean, it made it so that he didn¡¯t know what he should do.


    However, no matter what he was experiencing in his heart, he was still the calm and independent Head Enforcer. He quickly organized his thoughts and continued to explain the Palace of Bliss¡¯ current state to He Ku. ¡°Does the Little Palace Master remember that time you sent out disciples to open a medical clinic outside of the Heaven¡¯s Library Pavilion? The people Xiu Niang sent were all elite disciples from the palace. They perfectly avoided this storm after they went out, so the hidden threads we planted in various places are still intact. Now that the situation is critical, I ordered them to hide in various cities for the time being and wait for news of the Palace Master. ¡±


    This really was an unexpected surprise.


    For the Palace of Bliss to become the strongest sect of the demonic faction, it didn¡¯t solely rely on He Huan¡¯s strength. In the past eighty years, under He Huan¡¯s protection, the outer-court disciples have spread all over the world. It can be said that he controls all the gambling dens and brothels in the world, the places where information flows most intensively in the world.


    It was only now that He Ku found out Xiu Niang didn¡¯t take anything except herself when she left. He recalled the way that woman in pink recounted to him about the past that night. Perhaps, although she said she didn¡¯t regret it, she actually did feel regret. The love and hate of a demonic cultivator was too persistent, even if it burned everything down, it still cannot be quenched. So, in the end, it will always hurt others and themselves, rarely does it ever end well.


    Shaking his head to dissipate the feelings of the past from his mind, all he needed to think about right now was He Huan. He weighed the available powers he had at hand, although the Snowy Mountain will not directly face against Xuanmen as an enemy, Bai Chen promised that the Sword Immortal¡¯s descendant can be outside of Xuanmen at any time to help them escape. Now that he also had the power of the Palace of Bliss, it should be enough to act in secret.


    After thinking about it in his heart, he chose to directly ask QianRen, the one who understood their strength the best, ¡°If I am able to rescue He Huan, would the strength we have be able to make us disappear immediately?¡±


    ¡°Young Palace Master, no one is better at hiding their own traces than a demon cultivator.¡± After taking a long look at him, QianRen answered very confidently. More than half of the life demonic cultivators spent living was spent on escaping from the righteous faction¡¯s pursuits, and they all had their own unique hiding techniques. If these wandering demonic cultivators were like this, let¡¯s not mention the Palace of Bliss, which had assembled a group of retired demonic cultivators, they even had people in the vegetable markets of Yuncheng.


    In this way, their retreat was secured. Their most pressing matter right now was to silently sneak into Xuanmen and rescue He Huan, but Xuanmen¡¯s airtight formation was really troublesome. That year, Feng Xie managed to get in by luring a disciple out and hiding in his body, however, it seemed that Xuanmen had learned from that experience. Once Bu YaoLian became successor, he hung spirit-linking sensors all around Xuanmen, every breeze and grass rustle had someone monitoring it. If one wanted to get in now, it was harder than walking on air.


    Bu YaoLian¡­


    This name swam around in his thoughts for a while before He Ku¡¯s eyes flashed with a fierce light, causing QianRen, who had been observing him, to be stunned for a moment. QianRen has lived by He Huan¡¯s side since he was a child, he knew that his master would look at the moon by himself every once in a while and reflect on his thoughts, and now, He Ku¡¯s expression was very similar to that of He Huan¡¯s at that time.


    This was the past that He Huan decided to seal away forever, so naturally, He Ku would not mention it again. He thought of You Jiang¡¯s letter and even though he didn¡¯t have much hope for the god-thief to break through Xuanmen¡¯s defenses, he still wanted to give it a try, so he said, ¡°QianRen, take me to the dungeons, I want to see Miracle Hand Kong Kong.¡±


    His words were full of determination, and QianRen¡¯s eyes finally lit up, he solemnly said, ¡°Does the Little Palace Master really want to save the Palace Master? This is your only chance to return to the righteous path.¡±


    He didn¡¯t expect that QianRen would ask him this question at this time. It seemed that everyone thought he wanted to return to Xuanmen, but when he woke up, he decided to abandon everything of the past. He was He Ku, not He Huan and also not the second Bu QingYun.


    Thinking of this, his eyes finally reflected the hints of a smile, and said to Qian Ren as usual, ¡°Who said that the righteous path and the demonic path must be clearly distinguished? Our Mingmen Righteous Sect has both righteous and demonic cultivators. I don¡¯t believe that there will be a bolt of lightning that will be sent to strike me down.¡±


    He looked to be joking, but QianRen heard the conviction in his words, so he was convinced, clasping his fists and kneeling. ¡°As long as the Little Palace Master saves the Palace Master, this QianRen will also obey the Little Palace Master from now on.¡±


    The dungeons of the Palace of Bliss were extremely hidden, only the three enforcers knew its location. Under QianRen¡¯s guidance, the two walked and met Yun Ce on the way there. In Yun Ce¡¯s hand was a messenger pigeon, the moment he saw He Ku, he opened his mouth and shouted, ¡°Little Palace Master, my little uncle received word. The Palace Master is being kept in the middle of the Fallen Immortal Lake and is being personally watched by Xuanmen¡¯s successor, Bu YaoLian!¡±


    It was only after finishing his report that he noticed QianRen who was standing behind He Ku. He immediately ran a couple of circles around the two in happiness and said, ¡°Head Enforcer, it¡¯s great that you¡¯re still alive, I don¡¯t need to make a memorial tablet for you!¡±


    How come it sounds more like you¡¯re happy because you don¡¯t need to make any more memorial tablets?


    Even though he was accustomed to Yun Ce¡¯s unreliability, he couldn¡¯t help the twitch in the corners of his mouth, not to mention QianRen, who has always been serious. He immediately frowned and looked over, ¡°Why are you also here?¡±


    Although Yun Ce wasn¡¯t that smart, he still received the suspicion in the other¡¯s eyes, and whined aggrievedly, ¡°Head Enforcer, why do I feel that I see a trace of disdain in your expression?¡±


    ¡°The spirits of the Snowy Mountains sure are sharp.¡± He coldly scoffed, QianRen proved once again that he was still that same cold and poison tongued Head Enforcer who would go against the Little Palace Master when he had nothing else to do.


    Seeing him like this, Yun Ce became even more aggrieved, he shouted in dissatisfaction, ¡°Head Enforcer, you¡¯ve changed! You only disdain me now! Before, it was clearly both me and the Little Palace Master!¡±


    Hm? This was the key point?


    Tossing Yun Ce a glare, the Little Palace Master who was dragged into the water began to consider whether or not he should fire this enforcer who was constantly trying to lower his IQ.


    However, as if he recalled his former temperament under Yun Ce¡¯s reminder, He Ku quickly saw that the disciple that was finally a little respectful to him, adorn a calm face as he comforted, ¡°The Palace Master isn¡¯t here right now, we can only make do with the Little Palace Master.¡±


    The make-do Little Palace Master looked towards the sky in silence. Fine, it really wasn¡¯t easy to be the head of a sect, he should just leave this group of enforcers and take He Huan to go into hiding.


    End of Chapter 39


    THISBRO: sorry for the late chapter, uni is killing me rn. I got this chapter tled as soon as I finished writing my last midterm yesterday, so apologies if it isn¡¯t exactly polished or if there are typos/errors.

 CH 40

    This was the first time He Ku visited the dungeons. As a demonic sect, there was no way that the Palace of Bliss was clean. He looked at the torture equipment hung on the walls and the bones in the cells and knew that countless terrible things must have happened here. It was no wonder he felt the atmosphere of this place so eerie when he first entered.


    When He Ku was first created, He Huan had already been enlightened from his heavenly tribulation, so he never saw how He Huan was when he first fell into the demonic faction. That was until he inherited all of He Huan¡¯s memories, every single one of his battles contained endless amounts of plotting and violence. He now knew why He Huan could no longer trust anyone but himself.


    The Palace of Bliss¡¯ dungeons was constructed very large, He Ku had to walk for a while before arriving at the deepest water prison. Amidst the green-tinted poisonous water, there was only a small platform that could be stood on. At this moment, a monk in a plain robe sat there in the lotus position, he had a youthful countenance, and other than his bald head being a bit of a surprise to He Ku, there was nothing particularly special about him.


    The monk¡¯s eyes remained closed, so He Ku could only take the initiative to ask him, ¡°So, you are ¡®Miracle Hand¡¯ Kong Kong?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily.¡±


    When the man opened his mouth, He Ku immediately knew the situation would go bad. It was just two words, but these two words shook his spirit as if someone had struck the bell on a mountain top. He had only seen people with such cultivation in He Huan¡¯s memory, and that was the late-stage Calamity Crossing stage cultivator, Qing XuZi. Sure enough, the monk slowly opened his eyes, smiled kindly at him, put his palms together, and said, ¡°This poor monk is Kongkong, Dharma name Kasyapa Bodhi1I don¡¯t know if this is accurate, in chinese it says jia ye pu ti.¡±


    You Jiang, who the hell did you capture!? Just hearing this monk¡¯s name, you can tell this isn¡¯t someone you shouldn¡¯t mess with, ok?


    There are a total of three cultivators at the Calamity Crossing stage in the Jianghu and He Ku was fairly familiar with two of them. Now, looking at this monk¡¯s aura, he can see that his cultivation level was on another level. He Ku couldn¡¯t help but guess, ¡°Does this master come from the Grand Western LeiYin Temple?¡±


    ¡°Deceived by Buddha¡¯s mistaken love, I temporarily served as a presiding officer.¡±


    When the monk replied, his face was still peaceful and his eyes were kind, fully embodying the charitable temperament of a monk, but He Ku was surprised. If the Head of the Xuanmen Righteous Sect is the pinnacle of cultivators of the Dao, then the Grand Monk of the Grand Wester LeiYing Temple is the pinnacle of Buddhist cultivation. And since ancient times, the concepts of Buddhism and Daoism have been different. After the first Xuanmen Sect Leader scattered daoist cultivation techniques to the world, daoism naturally became the mainstream cultivation practice in the world. Because of this, the Grand Western LeiYin Temple has seldom appeared in the world for centuries, leading many people to doubt whether this temple even exists. Who would have known that today, he would meet this Grand Monk, who was as famous as Qing XuZi, in the dungeon of the Palace of Bliss.


    A monk at the Calamity Crossing Stage¡­ there was no way he could have been caught by You Jiang. Kasyapa Bodhi actually stayed here for more than a month, clearly, he must have his reasons, and the only thing the Palace of Bliss had that related to Buddhism is He Huan¡¯s cultivation technique, the Technique of Bliss. It was likely¡­


    Thinking up to here, He Ku only asked, ¡°What has brought this master to this place?¡±


    Sure enough, the grand monk raised a palm after hearing this and smiled. ¡°He Huan¡¯s Technique of Bliss comes from this poor monk¡¯s temple, so naturally, this poor monk ought to receive him and leave for the Western Paradise2Sukhavati is a pure land in Mahayana Buddhism, associated with the Buddha Amit¨¡bha. It is commonly called the Western Pure Land or the Western Paradise, and is the most well-known of Buddhist pure lands, due to the popularity of Pure Land Buddhism in East Asia..¡±


    This was basically, after corrupting someone¡¯s technique, the rightful owner has come knocking on their door! But listening more closely to the meaning of what he said, this grand monk actually wanted to accept He Huan into the temple?


    The Technique of Bliss was originally a Buddhist technique, and even though much of it had been altered by demonic cultivators, it was still someone else¡¯s technique. If Kasyapa Bodhi says that He Huan inherited from him, it wouldn¡¯t be an unreasonable claim.


    Just thinking how the moment He Huan came to this world he immediately met the most powerful Daoist cultivator, Qing XuZi, and got accepted as his disciple, and now, there was a monk at the same level who came to receive him. The world¡¯s two most powerful people were fighting to become his shifu, this kind of luck really was at a protagonist¡¯s level. However, as the other He Huan in the world, He Ku didn¡¯t want to shave his head and live an enlightened life. He believed that He Huan also wasn¡¯t interested.


    And so, since the people of the world see him and He Huan as one person, then he would gracefully decline on his behalf. ¡°Thank you, master, for your kind intentions, however, I¡¯ve already accepted the Heavenly Dao¡¯s inheritance and have no intentions to pursue the Buddhist path.¡±


    He didn¡¯t expect that this grand monk saw through his and He Huan¡¯s relationship and said, ¡°Although benefactor¡¯s dao heart is quite different from others¡¯, in the end, you are still a daoist cultivator. Naturally, you cannot also enter into the Buddhist school of cultivation. The only one this poor monk came for is He Huan.¡±


    The Soul Splitting Technique is the secret technique of the spirit clan. It is extremely mysterious when it is used, to the point where even Qing XuZi had been deceived. So why was this grand monk so sure that they are different? He suddenly remembered that the debut of the ¡®Miracle Hand¡¯ was in the Palace of Bliss. And no matter how blind You Jiang was, it was impossible for him to not see this person¡¯s bald head. If that thief really was the monk in front of him, wouldn¡¯t he have been secretly beside He Huan since long ago and had observed him for many years? If he had personally witnessed He Huan¡¯s tribulation then the Soul Splitting Technique really wouldn¡¯t be able to trick him.


    The fact that this grand monk stayed in the Palace of Bliss must be because he found He Huan very satisfactory while observing him. While He Ku knew in his heart that rejecting the monk might not do anything, he could only try his last struggles. ¡°But he¡¯s a demonic cultivator¡­¡±


    And sure enough, the smile on the grand monk¡¯s face deepened some more, he said, ¡°His body was in hell, but his heart was like a bodhi. With his own sufferings, he brought joy to countless lives. A cause for celebration.¡±


    Seeing him unmoved, there was nothing He Ku could do. He could only divert the topic and asked, ¡°Excuse me, master, but what must I do to rescue He Huan from the Xuanmen Righteous Sect?¡±


    Fine, thinking optimistically, this grand monk wanted to help He Huan in becoming a Buddha, so naturally he wouldn¡¯t let him die in Xuanmen. At the very least, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about not being able to get He Huan out. As for whether he wanted to become a monk, He Ku could only hope that He Huan¡¯s desire in lust and sex was enough to refuse purifying the six senses. If worse comes to worst, he can just do as Bai Chen said and kiss him in front of this monk!


    Yet, He Ku still underestimated the degree of euphemism Buddhists use in their speech. These monks just love using allegories and letting others find their own conclusions from them. Right now it was no different, towards his question, the grand monk just slightly smiled and replied, ¡°A single flower contains an entire world, and a floating life in a tree. To find heaven in a blade of grass, and Buddha in a single leaf. To bear bliss from a grain of sand, every square a purified land, and calmness from any thought3I don¡¯t know if this is entirely correct, I searched online and this is the understanding I got from it. But apparently, this is from the Avatamsaka Sutra, so if anyone happens to know, feel free to correct me or say something in the comments..¡±


    The top Buddhist cultivators can calm the minds of others by using only a few words, and right now, He Ku¡¯s mind really did feel much clearer and freed from distracting thought. However, this did not affect the fact that he understood none of what the monk had said. Thus, he wore a bitter face and could only ask again, ¡°Master, since you want to accept He Huan as your disciple, can we first go rescue him then discuss Buddhism?¡±


    But the grand monk was still not moved. Rather his smile became more gratified. ¡°When the heart is bound, then even if you roam throughout the heavens and earth, you are still bound. When the heart is free, then regardless of the number of chains and locks around your body, you are still free. My disciple¡¯s heart has long been detached, so what need is there for this poor monk to act?¡±


    Clearly realizing that the idealistic cultivation thinking of Buddhism was completely incomprehensible to himself. This was the first time He Ku truly understood the straightforwardness of the Divine Sword Intent, which, once established, will improve as long as he continues to practice and diligently cultivate. He vowed to seriously practice the sword after this was over!


    He Ku knew that if he discussed philosophy, Buddhism, and whatnot with this monk, he¡¯d end up vomiting blood from getting his mind tangled into knots. He could only continue his straightforward and direct approach. ¡°In any case, since you are here to accept him as a disciple, you should meet with his previous Shifu and let him know. One¡¯s affiliation can¡¯t just be changed willy nilly.¡±


    ¡°As it should be.¡±


    Fortunately, this grand monk didn¡¯t completely disregard the affairs of this world. At least towards this point, he agreed to it. The monk put his palms together and recited his buddhist alias before smiling and saying, ¡°This poor monk will go and pay Sect Leader Qing XuZi a visit. As for whether you can grab onto this opportunity, that will be up to you. Remember, do not forget your original purpose as you walk within the world.¡±


    The Buddhist alias of the Grand Western Leiyin Temple¡¯s grand monk was deafening. He Ku only felt a thunderous sound in his spiritual consciousness, and when he regained his focus, the grand monk had disappeared from in front of him, leaving only a pond of white lotuses floating in the clear water. Under the water, there were still poisonous undercurrents and white bones, but the surface of the water was full of lotus flowers in full bloom, exactly what the grand monk had said about He Huan¡ªbody in hell, but heart like a bodhi.


    He Ku didn¡¯t expect that there was such an opportunity in this dungeon. In his daze, he saw Yun Ce and QianRen both had a face of confusion as they walked over. ¡°What happened? Little Palace Master, how come you suddenly disappeared just now?¡±


    It was also at this time that He Ku felt fearful. He was lucky that this grand monk had a good opinion of He Huan, if it was one of those whose only purpose was to vanquish demons, then he was afraid that today he would have been done for. However, he didn¡¯t say any of that and only complained, ¡°The person that You Jiang caught was the Grand Western Leiyin Temple¡¯s head monk!¡±


    Even spirit cultivators knew the name of the Grand Western Leiyin Temple and Yun Ce¡¯s eyes immediately widened into saucers. ¡°The Second Enforcer is actually this powerful?¡±


    QianRen knew You Jiang¡¯s abilities the best, so naturally he didn¡¯t believe that he could subdue a Calamity Crossing Stage monk. He just asked, ¡°What did that monk say to you?¡±


    With his question, He Ku began to think again. Although these monks like to be all mysterious when they speak, there were also useful things within what he said and the way to resolve his current predicament was definitely contained within those words.


    He Ku¡¯s personality was straightforward and blunt, he doesn¡¯t like Buddhism¡¯s roundabout way of talking. Even now that he was carefully thinking over what the monk had said, he still couldn¡¯t make any heads or tails of it. In his confusion, he suddenly remembered his old test teacher¡¯s classical analysis. ¡°One flower, one world; one leaf, one Bodhi¡­ this sentence tells us that we must be able to see the great within the small and that all things begin in the details.¡±


    Details? Right, the grand monk kept staring at him as he said this, and the place he was looking at was¡­


    Following his memory, He Ku lowered his head and was met with the cloud patterned CaiYun Sword on his waist.


    Then he continued to think, originally he wanted to go to QingYun Hall to check on how He Huan¡¯s two precious cabinets were doing, but he had forgotten after meeting with QianRen. The grand monk said not to forget his original purpose, perhaps¡­


    He vaguely had an understanding and didn¡¯t hesitate any longer. He stood up and flew directly towards QingYun Hall.


    What He Huan said at the beginning was right. Xuanmen disciples have always been pure-hearted, and naturally did not dare to look closely at He Huan¡¯s collections. He Ku flipped open every book to check, before finally feeling something unusual in the bottom corner of the cabinet. Picking it up, he found that it was the mutton fat jade that he had found that day along with the CaiYun Sword.


    The second he grasped the jade in his palm, He Ku knew. What Qing XuZi said was right, in all things you do, there is no need to hurry to fight to the death, as long as you work on it meticulously and with care, you will be able to push open the clouds to see the moon. This time, He Huan could be saved.


    Seeing him rush to QingYun Hall without saying a word to them, Yun Ce and QianRen both thought something had happened and quickly followed. Now, seeing his excited expression as he held the jade, Yun Ce couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Little Palace Master, what¡¯s with this jade?¡±


    ¡°This is the QianTian Temple Master¡¯s jade pass.¡±


    Every Xuanmen successor would receive the QianTian Temple¡¯s Temple Master position. The QianTian Temple was responsible for Xuanmen¡¯s defensive arrangement, so naturally it also had methods to control the necessary arrays. This QianTian jade pass that only the Temple Master could possess was one of those methods. This jade has a built-in spell from the Divine Sword Intent, which can only be activated by the Xuanmen successor; in the hands of others, it is just an ordinary piece of jade.


    That year when Bu QingYun was expelled from the sect, he also brought away the jade that was on his body. After He Huan joined the demonic faction, he never used a sword again, even when he was teaching He Ku he would only describe the Heavenly Dao Sword Technique, rarely would he actually use the jade. When He Ku memorized all of the techniques, this piece of jade was also just offhandedly thrown into the cabinet. And it was also because it was hidden within a pile of porn, that it hadn¡¯t been recovered by the Xuanmen disciples.


    As long as he could successfully enter the Fallen Immortal Lake and absorb He Huan back into his body, then if the strongest demonic cultivator and a Nascent Soul Stage Bu QingYun worked together, then they shouldn¡¯t have any problem escaping from Xuanmen. He Ku believed that none of this was a coincidence, everything has its providence. Since the Heavenly Dao believed that He Huan¡¯s life should not end, then naturally he cannot die.


    Eighty years later, the former Bu Qingyun, now the current He Ku, hangs the Qiantian jade on his waist once again. He walked out of the Qingyun Palace with his head held high and said, ¡°Mingmen Righteous Sect disciples, listen up! Head immediately to Yuncheng. We are going to bring our Palace Master home! ¡±


    End of Chapter 40


    THISBRO: Super sorry for not updating! I¡¯m almost in finals season so a lot of projects, papers, and exams are all coming up. Had to do hella research for this chapter, so even I¡¯m not sure if I got everything (feel free to correct me if you see anything wrong or even just typos). I had half of this chapter already translated and just sitting in my drive for the longest time, so I found some time today (3am ;-;) to finish the rest. I¡¯ll be extremely busy the coming few weeks!


    I don¡¯t know if this is accurate, in chinese it says jia ye pu ti


    Sukhavati is a pure land in Mahayana Buddhism, associated with the Buddha Amit¨¡bha. It is commonly called the Western Pure Land or the Western Paradise, and is the most well-known of Buddhist pure lands, due to the popularity of Pure Land Buddhism in East Asia.


    I don¡¯t know if this is entirely correct, I searched online and this is the understanding I got from it. But apparently, this is from the Avatamsaka Sutra, so if anyone happens to know, feel free to correct me or say something in the comments.

 CH 41

    It was said that ¡°all cultivators of the world come from Xuanmen¡±, this was because the Xuanmen Righteous Sect received the inheritance directly passed down from the immortal who scattered all of the cultivation techniques to the world. Among the four halls, the Shaoyang Hall contained all of those techniques and the Kanshui Palace that was under its command was responsible for adapting each of the techniques to make them more suitable for ordinary cultivators to cultivate with. When the adapted techniques were completed, they would be handed over to the Lihuo Palace for review, and finally passed on to the world by the Xunfeng Palace which was responsible for accepting outer court disciples.


    In the past centuries, Xuanmen has upheld the legacy of its ancestor, it rigorously and orderly spread cultivation to the world, and created countless talented people, but it has never once asked the world to do anything in return. The cultivators of the Jianghu respect their noble character and unquestionable integrity, and are willing to recognize Xuanmen as the leader of the righteous faction.


    When teaching cultivation, Xuanmen doesn¡¯t care for one¡¯s status or family background, the only requirement was that the student had to have an upright character with no bad behaviour. The student would then be kept in the outer court to receive a suitable cultivation technique. Therefore, young cultivators can be seen queuing up to study every day above the sky in Yuncheng, and today is no exception.


    It wasn¡¯t that long ago that Xuanmen captured the strongest demonic cultivator He Huan. The sect has been busy with this matter for several days and it was only today that they had time to open the mountain¡¯s gate. This made it so that everyone who came to seek instruction had to wait for a while, the line which had begun building from before dawn has now become as long as a dragon. Fortunately, everyone queueing in front of Xuanmen was still disciplined, and although they were extremely anxious, they remained in an organized line, and Xu Shi was one of them.


    He was originally from an escort agency in the countryside. By chance, he had learned a bit of kung fu and had gained some fame on the Jianghu after a few months. Now, he wanted to go to the Xuanmen Righteous Sect to learn how to form a golden core, but the queue today really was long. By his estimate, he would at least have to wait until evening, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little anxious.


    In his state of anxiousness, he suddenly saw a white blur flash by him, clearly someone was trying to cut the queue, and he instantly became irritated. He grabbed that person and scolded, ¡°How can you cut the queue?¡±


    As he continued angrily, he saw that person look back. That person clearly had a plain face, but he had a pair of moving peach blossom eyes. With that one look, people would feel as though they were watching the spring wind brush past an endless peach forest. After a short daze he noticed the person¡¯s clothes embroidered full of cloud patterns, clearly a member of the Xuanmen Righteous Sect. His anger immediately dispelled and immediately changed his tone, he respectfully greeted, ¡°This brother, would you happen to be a Xuanmen disciple?¡±


    This person was naturally He Ku, who had rushed over through the night. His appearance was too eye-catching, so he purposefully ordered QianRen to help disguise his face before heading up the Sky Steps towards Xuanmen. He originally thought that his disguise was flawless, but got pulled by someone halfway through and thought that he had been seen through. In his panic, he heard this question and knew that it was a false alarm. Fortunately, he had already inherited Bu QingYun¡¯s memory, so he could easily deal with the situation before him. He put on the face of how Bu QingYun used to treat people and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m a disciple of the Lihuo Palace, just now, I exchanged some interesting meditation techniques from the Jianghu and am on my way to send it over to a Kanshui Palace¡¯s senior disciple.¡±


    Among the Xuanmen Righteous Sect, only the disciples of the Lihuo Palace regularly traveled outside the sect to search for new cultivation methods to bring back. His explanation was flawless and his facial expression was relaxed. Anyone who sees this person would only feel that he was extraordinary and refined, leaving no room for doubt to bud. Xu Shi¡¯s expression instantly became full of admiration, ¡°Senior brother works so hard for the world, this little one is in admiration. Should I get accepted into the sect today, then I must invite senior brother to drink a few cups.¡±


    This was the second time He Ku¡¯s interacted with Jianghu people, there was a difference of heaven and earth compared to the first time at the inn. The identity he was assuming was even just an ordinary Xuanmen disciple, yet he got such reverence, if he were the Xuanmen Righteous Sect¡¯s succeeding disciple, he could already imagine how glorious and eye-catching he would be on the Jianghu. As long as he thought of how the past He Huan fell from being admired by millions to being spit on by the world, his heart inevitably felt a little bitter.


    Yet, he didn¡¯t have the time to feel sentimental right now. He kept his current attitude the same and politely said, ¡°I see that your spirit is lively, you will definitely pass the disciple selection trial.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your kind words!¡±


    After being able to speak with a Xuanmen disciple, that man was naturally overjoyed and couldn¡¯t believe his luck. He no longer blocked his way and went back into the queue. He Ku released the breath he was holding and didn¡¯t continue to hesitate, he quickly went up the path and arrived at the Xuanmen Righteous Sect¡¯s gate. The path to Xuanmen¡¯s gate consisted of eighty-one steps, the gate was faintly surrounded by clouds and mist. The gate was made of snowy white spirit stones and eight doors were opened towards the outside. Suspended atop the center most door, was a wooden plaque made from a ten thousand year old tree. Written on the plaque was the two words ¡°Xuanmen¡±, although they were a little rough, they were filled with spirit and power. It was written by the first generation Sect Leader, a fisherman.


    He Ku thought that even if he infiltrated into Xuanmen, he wouldn¡¯t feel any emotions. That was until he stood beneath that mountain gate, he realized that regardless of whether he wanted to be Bu QingYun or not, as long as he stood beneath the two words ¡°Xuanmen¡± he would not be calm. This was a faith that has been etched into his soul since he was young, no matter how many times he¡¯d split his soul, no matter if he was He Huan or He Ku, he would inevitably feel a sense of pride for having once been a Xuanmen disciple.


    He looked at the mountain gate, unable to say anything. The disciple guarding the gate felt that something was strange and quickly stepped forward to inquire, ¡°This senior brother looks unfamiliar to me.¡±


    At this time He Ku returned to his senses slightly, and stopped reminiscing about the past that belonged to Bu QingYun. He seriously replied, ¡°I have been away for several years in search of cultivation techniques, so it¡¯s reasonable that I look unfamiliar to you.¡±


    His clothes belonged to Bu QingYun in the first place, moreover, the clean spiritual energy around him was derived from cultivating the most orthodox/righteous cultivation technique, so there was absolutely no flaw to his disguise. That guarding disciple looked at him a few more times and was no longer suspicious, he just took it as a senior disciple returning to the sect for the first time in years and just had a moment of sentimentality. He smiled kindly and welcomed him in. ¡°So it¡¯s a senior from the Lihuo Palace, welcome back to the sect, please.¡±


    This one ¡°welcome back¡±, He Huan has waited more than eighty years to hear, who knew that he would hear it today. His heart went through a wave of emotion, He Ku slowly entered the sect that he had been apart from for so long. Everything inside was exactly the same as it was in Bu QingYun¡¯s memory, it¡¯s just that he would never be the Bu QingYun of the past. He only inherited his memories yet he already felt so emotional, he couldn¡¯t imagine what He Huan felt as he was captured and brought back to this place since he personally experienced everything that had happened.


    He hated that he couldn¡¯t just fly to the Fallen Immortal Lake, yet his reason told him that the opportunity still hasn¡¯t arrived. He could only suppress his anxiety, stand beneath the mountain gate, and patiently wait.


    Luckily he didn¡¯t have to wait long, soon, the sky suddenly scattered uncountable rays of golden light and a plainly dressed monk slowly descended from the sky. He was completely wrapped in a buddhist glow, every step he took a lotus bloomed, every lotus flower was as big as a cart¡¯s wheel, the lotus thrones were rainbow colored, brilliant, and moving. When the monk arrived at the mountain gate, the entire Sky Steps was covered in a lotus scent, everyone who was present felt serene, all of their extraneous thoughts dispersing. It was as if staying there would void them of all human suffering. This¡­ was the highest realm of the original Technique of Bliss, Infinite Paradise.


    The person who arrived was naturally the Head Monk of the Grand Western Leiyin Temple, Kasyapa Bodhi. Buddhism and Daoism have historically been competitors; now that he was at the representative of the Daoist sects, he couldn¡¯t come off as lesser. The monk put his palms together and slowly bowed to the guard disciple. ¡°Amitabha, this poor monk is Kasyapa Bodhi, I am here to see Sect Leader Qing XuZi.¡±


    It was no wonder that Bai Chen said Xuanmen was the most battle-honed of the righteous sects. One could tell just from the monk¡¯s voice that his cultivation was exceedingly high, yet that guard disciple who had a cultivation that didn¡¯t even reach the golden core stage was not even the slightest bit intimidated. He continued to go according to the rules and politely asked, ¡°Which sect does this great master come from and for what purpose do you have to find our Sect Leader?¡±


    Buddhist disciples have never used their power to coerce people, seeing this disciple¡¯s performance, Kasyapa Bodhi had a flash of admiration for the young man. Yet, the way monks display their admiration is to debate philosophy with them. He immediately smiled, ¡°This monk comes from the Grand Western Leiyin Temple, as for the reason I am here¡­ It could be as small as my own selfish intentions or as large as all the lives in the world. Small? Large? Everyone has their own understanding and it is all within the whims of the moment.¡±


    He Ku watched that guarding disciple from afar and his instantly confused expression, and very much understood what was going on in his mind. Although he knew that if it wasn¡¯t because these monks admired him that they were willing to talk to him, these origami words and the way they display their admiration really something they, simpleminded Daoist disciples, could handle. If he really had to debate with a monk for an entire day, he would rather look though He Huan¡¯s precious r-18 collection.


    ¡°Great master, wait here. This disciple will go and get the Sect Leader!¡±


    Sure enough, that guarding disciple wasn¡¯t able to defend against the Grand Monk. He immediately fled within the inner gates to report. To be able to scare off a Xuanmen disciple who are famed for not fearing death, the Grand Western Leiyin Temple¡¯s Grand Monk truly lived up to his reputation, incredible, absolutely incredible.


    Mixed in with the Xuanmen disciples, He Ku briefly spent a moment to recognize the monk¡¯s prowess before looking to the outside. He made sure that the Sword Saint¡¯s successor was within the queue outside the main gate and that QianRen had already arranged people within Yuncheng, as long as he could bring He Huan to Yuncheng, then they could definitely escape. Thus, he took the gap when Xuanmen was busy welcoming the Grand Monk to take a small path and quietly make his way towards the Fallen Immortal Lake.


    Bu QingYun was the Qiantian Palace¡¯s Palace Master and was intimately familiar with Xuanmen¡¯s layout. Now that he had returned, He Ku was also able to go past all the security measures. He leapt over Qiantian Palace¡¯s numerous pavilions and the Fallen Immortal Lake was right in front of him, when suddenly a Xuanmen disciple rushed out from the bamboo forest.


    The Fallen Immortal Lake is the Xuanmen Sect Leader¡¯s place of secluded cultivation, usually, no one aside from the Sect Leader¡¯s direct disciples were allowed into this place. He didn¡¯t expect anyone to be here and couldn¡¯t help being stunned. He looked a little more closely, this was actually Bu LingYun who he had seen at Sky Veil Town.


    She is Bu YaoLian¡¯s daughter, now that Bu YaoLian was tasked with monitoring He Huan, it wasn¡¯t that strange for his daughter to appear here. Just as He Ku was racking his mind for how to hide his identity, he heard that girl exclaim in surprise, ¡°You really are our sect¡¯s disciple, but how come I¡¯ve never seen you before?¡±


    Bu LingYun actually recognized him?


    QianRen¡¯s disguise was all encompassing and when He Ku was at Sky Veil Town, he had worn a veiled hat to hide his face, so there should be nobody who knew what he looked like. Now that he had been seen through, he couldn¡¯t help but be doubtful. ¡°How did you know it was me?¡±


    Seeing him admit to it, that girl faintly smiled and answered truthfully, ¡°I remembered your back silhouette and voice.¡±


    ¡°There is a strange monk outside right now, I am here to report to Senior Bu YaoLian, so I¡¯ll be on my way.¡±


    This Xuanmen disciple was truly extraordinary, even though she was just sixteen she had such observational powers. Thinking of her identity, He Ku¡¯s heart became even more complicated. Not willing to speak anymore, after only giving a single explanation to explain his presence he tried to go into the Fallen Immortal Lake.


    Yet, just when his foot made contact with the ground he heard the girl from behind him say leisurely, ¡°Sect Leader grandpa said that the reason Bu QingYun fell onto the demonic path was because he was possessed by Feng Xie, but I remember very clearly that when my senior brother and I were captured by that fox spirit, the one who saved us was the demonic cultivator He Huan.¡±


    Hearing this, He Ku immediately knew he¡¯s screwed. He looked back and, sure enough, Bu LingYun¡¯s sword was already drawn, spiritual energy bubbling around her, battle intent shining in the eyes that looked at him. ¡°That day at the inn, you said you were Bu QingYun. I didn¡¯t believe you back then. Until today when I heard your voice again, it¡¯s actually the same as He Huan¡¯s.¡±


    Their personalities weren¡¯t the same and it¡¯s usually easy to tell them apart from their tones, however, since they shared the same body, there was nothing to differentiate their actual voices. Never did he think that at this critical moment, this would be what revealed him. He Ku lowered his eyes and before she was ready, the CaiYun Sword was unsheathed.


    Bu QingYun was extremely familiar with Xuanmen¡¯s sword technique and his cultivation level was way higher than Bu LingYun¡¯s golden core stage. Under the surprise attack, the girl was completely caught off guard and immediately lost her sword. Just when she wanted to shout so as to warn the others, He Ku covered her mouth. She could only glare at him angrily.


    ¡°As expected of Bu YaoLian¡¯s daughter, you really are smart. It¡¯s just a pity that you¡¯re still too inexperienced.¡±


    He offhandedly mocked her while holding the CaiYun Sword to her throat. He Ku lamented internally that his lines weren¡¯t very ¡®righteous¡¯, then he remembered that what he was doing was what a villain would do and became resigned to the fact that he was going to play the role of a kidnapper.


    ¡°Divine Sword Intent! Sure enough, you are Bu QingYun! Then who is the one at the Fallen Immortal Lake¡ª¡±


    The brilliance on his sword flows, any Xuanmen disciple would be able to recognize that it was from the Divine Sword Intent, let alone Bu LingYun, who was the most familiar with the current Xuanmen successor. She originally thought that who her grandmaster had captured was just He Huan¡¯s stand-in, and the person in front of her was the real He Huan, but how could He Huan use the Divine Sword Intent after being in the demonic faction for so many years? For a while, she didn¡¯t know whether this young man, whom she had a good impression of when they first met, was a righteous or demonic cultivator, and couldn¡¯t help but feel extremely confused.


    How could others know the extent of the Soul Splitting Technique? Moreover, He Ku also didn¡¯t intend to explain, he looked at the Fallen Immortal Lake and said, ¡°What¡¯s there is my heart.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he ignored Bu Lingyun¡¯s more confused expression, and only held her hostage as they walked to Fallen Immortal Lake. ¡°Since we are so destined, I will have to trouble Miss to be my hostage once again.¡±

 CH 42

    Xuanmen¡¯s disciples all have an intense personality, the moment Bu Lingyun got captured she increasingly tried to push her neck into the blade of He Ku¡¯s sword. Fortunately, He Ku knocked her out before she could spill her own blood.


    He¡¯s seen the Fallen Immortal Lake countless times in his memories, but now that he was here in person, the only thing his gaze fell on was the red figure at the center of the lake. He had finally found the other half of his soul and no longer cared for anything else, he threw the unconscious Bu Lingyun to the side before running towards the lake. Unexpectedly, Bu Yaolian didn¡¯t even spare a glance towards his daughter, he didn¡¯t give He Ku even the slightest opportunity to get close to that person.


    In the blink of an eye, Bu Yaolian¡¯s sword was held horizontally to his chest. He said, ¡°Shixiong, you¡¯re here.¡±


    Every Xuanmen disciple would address Bu Qingyun as ¡®da-shixiong¡¯, only one person would just call him ¡®shixiong¡¯ since childhood. Within He Huan¡¯s memory, Bu Yaolian was the solemn boy who always accompanied him while growing up. Although he wasn¡¯t as handsome or eyecatching as Bu Qingyun, he also had a refreshing appearance. Now, he was a middle-aged man with speckles of gray sprinkled on his brows. When he stood in front of He Ku to block him, He Ku suddenly felt a bit surreal. It was as if everyone from that year had already aged, only Bu Qingyun remained at the same spot, unmoving.


    ¡°From when our Shizun announced to the world that you had been possessed, I knew that you would definitely come to find me.¡±


    In the end, this sense of surrealness only lasted for a moment. When that person¡¯s words entered his ears once again, he finally remembered the role he played in his past and all of the reminiscence and words he had dissipated from him. He held his CaiYun Sword up, pointing it at Bu Yaolian and said, ¡°I¡¯m not here for you, get out of my way.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I have never been important to you. Even though things are at this point, the person you hate is not me.¡±


    From the day Qing XuZi brought Feng Xie back, Bu Yaolian knew that Bu Qingyun would definitely return. However, when that familiar CaiYun sword entered his vision, he realized that he still couldn¡¯t keep his composure in front of this person.


    Bu Qingyun was still the same, dressed in a white robe, unsullied by anything. His face was as handsome as Zhe Xian¡¯s[1] and no matter where he stood, he would always steal people¡¯s attention immediately. Even if his clear eyes reflected a bubbling anger, it was like a peach blossom in full bloom. It made people reluctant to move their eyes away. All of this was exactly the same as in his memories, as if the time of eighty years didn¡¯t leave the slightest trace on his body, as if he were still that heroic and youthful swordsman on the Jianghu.


    The heavens really were unfair, everyone else has already become old, everyone except Bu Qingyun, the one who started it all. Even this attitude of never having put him in his eyes was exactly the same. He was not surprised that Bu Qingyun hated Feng Xie. Based on his shixiong¡¯s pride, he naturally wanted to kill this villain with his own hands. But he never thought that even now, he still didn¡¯t exist in Bu Qingyun¡¯s eyes.


    So, he decided to remind this person, ¡°Shixiong, do you really have nothing to say to me?¡±


    Seeing that he was determined to obstruct him, He Ku finally moved his focus away from He Huan. His heart only felt cold, thus he icily said, ¡°What¡¯s there to say? You know what you did best that year. You clearly saw Feng Xie break into the sect, why did you not clarify the truth of what happened?¡±


    That year, only Bu Yaolian knew the truth and he was Qing Xuzi¡¯s second disciple. As long as he came out and explained, Xuanmen would believe that Bu Qingyun was accused unjustly. If he had explained, perhaps Bu Qingyun wouldn¡¯t have been so desperate and fallen onto the demonic path.


    But, he hadn¡¯t.


    Facing this question, Bu Yaolian was calm, he said, ¡°That time, I suffered from severe injuries and was in a coma. When I awoke, you had already joined the demonic faction, even if I had told the truth of that event, it would only cause our Shizun more pain. In that case, I might as well not say anything.¡±


    What a ¡®I might as well not say anything¡¯, so it turned out that the past that He Huan used eighty years to come to peace with, was such a triviality in his mouth. This person concealed the truth, inherited Bu Qingyun¡¯s everything, and enjoyed the glory that was supposed to belong to Bu Qingyun. These past eighty years, He Huan never stepped up to criticize him, but Bu Yaolian actually felt no guilt at all?


    He Ku genuinely believed that he had never wanted to be Bu Qingyun, but at this time, an inexplicable fire rose in his heart. He glared at this person and said, ¡°Fine, then I ask you, the Jianghu says it was He Huan that injured the two sisters from the Yue family, but ever since Bu Qingyun joined the demonic faction, not once did he leave the Barren Mountain. The only person who could imitate Bu Qingyun¡¯s swordsmanship so flawlessly is you!¡±


    ¡°Shixiong, you¡¯re angry, you¡¯re finally angry with me. All these years, you¡¯ve never shown any interest in me, even in my dreams, you¡¯ve never reprimanded me. I originally thought you really cared about nothing except the world. So it turns out, even you can feel anger.¡±


    He Ku didn¡¯t expect that he would be like this, that he would reveal an ecstatic expression instead. Without waiting for He Ku to react, a crazed glint flashed through his eyes as he said, ¡°Xuanmen cutting off all connection to you was the best response at the time. When those two girls wanted to go to the Barren Mountain to bring you back, it was me who made them return. And I believe that if you were in my position, you would have done the same. Since you¡¯ve asked, then I will tell you everything. Had I been willing, as long as I had exploded my Nascent Soul at YueJian Valley, then I could have rescued Lin Xuan from the Palace of Bliss and stopped the Demonic Extermination Campaign. But I¡­ wasn¡¯t willing to do that.¡±


    The moment his last sentence came out, He Ku started to regret his decision. This was because, right then, the man in red at the center of the lake who had been ignoring the world finally opened his eyes. With all of his demonic energy sealed by the Fallen Immortal Lake, and as a roaming soul, there was nothing he could do except silently watch the two opposing people.


    He Ku knew that He Huan wouldn¡¯t want to hear these words, so he immediately raised his sword towards the man in front of him and stabbed forwards, hoping to interrupt this depressing conversation. ¡°Shut up, I don¡¯t want to hear it.¡±


    Yet he completely underestimated this person¡¯s craziness. He watched as Bu Yaolian also unsheathed his sword to block the attack while he continued to shout, ¡°I want to say it! I¡¯ve waited eighty years for you, why can¡¯t I say it?!¡±


    ¡°That day, when Feng Xie invaded, I fought with my life outside your door to protect you. I even blew up my golden core in hopes that it would delay him some more, but when I awoke, everyone was lamenting your expulsion, not a single person saw me. Did you know? All of my cultivation was wasted, my life was nearly gone, and all they asked me was why you qi-deviated. They treated you with the utmost care. As for me, all I ever got was a sentence telling me to ¡®rest well¡¯ or ¡®don¡¯t feel sad for your shixiong¡¯.¡±


    He Ku¡¯s sword intent froze, the despair accompanying the memory of him stabbing his shidi in the heart seemed to have flowed back into his body from his palm. His current level of cultivation was inferior to Bu Yaolian¡¯s, in this moment of hesitation, the other stepped in and threw a palm attack. He Ku used his muscle memory and held his sword horizontally to block it, but he was still forced backwards several steps. He raised his head only to see that person standing in front of the Fallen Immortal Lake, his expression one of excitement from finally getting the chance to release everything he had suppressed.


    ¡°Shizun took pity on me for getting so injured for you and also nearly getting dishonored and gave me the position of Xuanmen¡¯s da-shixiong. At that time I thought, if you had still been here, if our shizun knew that Feng Xie caused everything, then even if you had already entered the demonic path, this position would probably never fall to me. I even thought, if our shizun knew, he would blame me for not protecting you. This was so from when we were young, you were the heir shizun personally brought back to raise at Xuanmen whereas I was just a child he purchased from down the mountain to accompany you. You were smarter than me, you were more talented than me, you knew how to make people like you. Each day you stayed in Xuanmen would be one more day I lived in your shadow, nobody would notice me.¡±


    Silently watching him, He Ku wanted to say that Bu Qingyun really didn¡¯t have any heaven-defying talent. His only advantage was that he had lived an extra eighteen years, he just¡­let go of everything to pursue the heavenly dao. In the end, he just slowly sighed and said, ¡°Bu Qingyun didn¡¯t necessarily live a better life than you.¡±


    ¡°Around that time, you already entered the demonic path, even if you returned to the sect, you would be a mark of shame. With your personality, naturally, you would have preferred to stay on the demonic path to kill evildoers and carry out justice, to continue to pursue your goal of world peace. Since that was the case, I would do my best to help you.¡±


    Although he replied scoffingly, the sorrow in He Ku¡¯s voice made Bu Yaolian hesitate. All of this has weighed on his heart for the past eighty years, when he first heard that Bu Qingyun had returned, he felt an instance of panic before it melted into relief. It was time to air out everything, the grievances between them, all of it will be resolved today.


    Grasping his QingLian Sword tightly, he finally laid everything out in front of his shixiong, not leaving out anything.


    ¡°When you were in closed door cultivation, I exploded my golden core and destroyed my cultivation to protect you; when you joined the demonic faction, I led our disciples into an eighty year long seclusion from the Jianghu; when you encountered trouble, I rushed over at the first moment to stop the battle of righteous and demonic¡­ for our childhood friendship, I¡¯ve already done the utmost duty.


    ¡°Shixiong, you were the one who qi-deviated, you were the one who fell to the demonic path, you were also the one who captured Lin Xuan and made the Three Great Sects your enemy. Nobody forced you to do any of this, I just¡­don¡¯t want to keep sacrificing myself to help clean up after you anymore.¡±


    He Ku carefully appraised him, this was the person who appeared the most frequently in Bu Qingyun¡¯s memories, but was also the person who he most didn¡¯t want to reminisce about. They once spent every waking moment together, were once genuine kindred spirits, and had once thought that they would be life-long brothers. But why is the Bu Yaolian in front of him so unfamiliar?


    The month in which Bu Qingyun was hunted down, not once did he suspect Bu Yaolian. He thought that since Xuanmen still hasn¡¯t released any news, it was likely that Bu Yaolian had passed away. With the thought of avenging his shidi, he exploded his golden core and single handedly carved a path of blood to the Palace of Bliss, all of his cultivation burned away. It was exactly because of this that when news of Bu Yaolian¡¯s ascension to the position of da-shixiong traveled to the Palace of Bliss, he only felt a deep despair.


    No one knows that the current strongest demonic cultivator, He Huan, when he had first joined the demonic faction, had Xiu Niang drug him until his consciousness was practically nonexistent in order to not affect the Technique of Bliss. That first year, except for when he was fighting or killing people, there was not a single moment he spent that was clear minded.


    It was only when he found his dao heart again in the midst of killing demonic cultivators that his days of darkness finally came to an end. In truth, Bu Qingyun wasn¡¯t so great as to cast himself into the pits of hell to save the world, he just¡­ grasped onto that far away aspiration in order to stay alive in that hell.


    He Huan didn¡¯t mention this to anyone, only He Ku, who was one with him, knew. At this time, looking at this person who knew nothing, his heart was ice cold. He didn¡¯t know if these were his own feelings or if this chill came from He Huan¡¯s heart, he just wanted to make this person in front of him sad for a moment, so that at least he would feel that He Huan¡¯s silence all these years was worth it.


    Therefore, he raised his eyes and let Bu Yaolian clearly see the chill in his eyes. ¡°Have you ever thought that the person you think is not worth protecting with your life was the only person in the world who was willing to protect you with his life?¡±


    In that instance, he saw the turbulent waves in the man¡¯s eyes. In the end, Bu Yaolian had such a strong friendship with Bu Qingyun that he was willing to explode his golden core for him. He could find countless reasons for himself to rationalize all of this, but he couldn¡¯t deceive his heart. If not, then he wouldn¡¯t have been so crazy after seeing Bu Qingyun today. And, at the end of the day, he won¡¯t be able to ask his soul and come away with no regrets.


    He Ku knew that this person¡¯s dao heart has long since collapsed in his endless self-torture, all that was left was for him to just say everything and his dao will be completely destroyed, never to ascend. However, he did not have this chance because He Huan, who had been silent, finally spoke up. He smiled as usual, and slowly shook his head at his other self.


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong, Bu Qingyun was willing to die for others and that is his choice. The world isn¡¯t a place where you must reciprocate the feelings of others. How can there be so many life and death companions in the world, willing to die for each other? The disaster Bu Qingyun created can only be borne by himself no matter how difficult it is, there was no reason he could blame anyone else.¡±


    He Ku already knew what he was going to say, He Huan would not trust anyone except himself ever again, and he had already chosen to bury the past. However, Bu Yaolian didn¡¯t know that the demonic cultivator who was sealed in the middle of the lake at this time was the real Bu Qingyun who grew up with him, and he only said angrily, ¡°I¡¯m talking to my shixiong, what does it have to do with you, villain? After I¡¯m done with him, I will kill you with my own hands!¡±


    Looking at him indifferently, He Huan¡¯s expression did not change and just chuckled, ¡°Yes, there is nothing between the two of us.¡±


    With this sentence, Bu Qingyun¡¯s misplaced trust all these years, him changing his name, remaining in the Palace of Bliss, and the pain of never being able to trust anyone in this world disappeared. Everything was written off, together with that beautiful morning light when two young boys stepped into Xuanmen for the first time hand in hand.


    He Ku knows what He Huan means, they both don¡¯t want to be Bu Qingyun anymore, so they won¡¯t review Bu Qingyun¡¯s relationships. As for Bu Yaolian, they¡¯ll just take it as having never met him.


    With the ending of their relationship to Bu Yaolian, Bu Qingyun¡¯s everything has come to an end. But, he didn¡¯t come here today for this.


    Finally abandoning all distracting thoughts, He Ku held the CaiYun Sword tightly, and looked forward without any hesitation. ¡°What if I said, I want to save him?¡±


    Seeing him like this, Bu Yaolian¡¯s revealed a confused expression for the first time. He looked at the white-robed young man who seemed slightly different from the past and asked, ¡°Bu Qingyun, have you gone insane?¡±


    ¡°Bu Qingyun has already disappeared from this world a long time ago and he will not return. From here on, you won¡¯t ever have to involve yourself with Bu Qingyun, he has me now. And I¡­ will use my life to protect him.¡±


    He Ku knows that Bu Yaolian wouldn¡¯t understand what he was saying, but he also was not saying these words to him. As long as that person understands, then that was enough.


    Seeing that the calm smile on He Huan¡¯s face suddenly shattered after these words, He Ku knew that he understood. Therefore, he concentrated all of his sword intent on his sword and charged forward bravely. ¡°Even if I am made the enemy of the entire Xuanmen Righteous Sect today, I will definitely take He Huan away! Let¡¯s fight, Xuanmen¡¯s da-shixiong!¡±


    End of Chapter 42


    The author has something to say:


    In actuality, the saddest thing in the world is when you take the other for a life and death friend, when in the other¡¯s eyes you are just an ordinary friend.