“But Xiao Shan, Huanhuan and the Venerable are down there,” Jiang Yizheng said with a worried expression.
Ning Buwei still showed no intention of going down to rescue them, “If he can’t even protect two kids, he might as well not show his face in the seventeen states.”
Feng Zizhang said anxiously, “Huanhuan mentioned earlier that there was black energy on the Venerable’s shoulder…”
Ning Buwei frowned, recalling Chu Jun’s abnormal behavior earlier.
Jiang Yizheng tentatively suggested, “Father, why don’t we go down and take a look? Although the Venerable is formidable, he might get flustered while protecting two clueless kids—”
Ning Buwei gave her a wry smile, “What’s this? Have you spent so much time with Chu Jun that you want to switch sides again? Are you looking for another father to adopt you?”
“It’s not impossible,” Feng Zizhang, busy observing the situation below, didn’t notice Ning Buwei’s expression. He was sharply nudged by Jiang Yizheng and quickly realized his mistake. He laughed nervously, “Th-that would only happen if you and the Venerable became Dao companions— I mean, the Venerable is beautiful and kind-hearted, and many cultivators at the Dao Discussion wanted to get close to him… Father, this is a great opportunity to be a hero and save a beauty!”
Ning Buwei’s mouth twitched, and he said with a forced smile, “If you don’t find the array’s eye soon, I’ll kick you both down there.”
Jiang Yizheng and Feng Zizhang immediately felt a chill run down their spines.
Ning Buwei looked at the increasingly dense blood mist below, annoyance flashing in his eyes.
Becoming Dao companions with Chu Jun? What a joke.
Had he gone mad, or had Chu Jun?
“Father! I see it!” Jiang Yizheng suddenly stood up, pointing to a purple light in the distance. “Is that the array’s core?”
Ning Buwei looked in the direction she was pointing, his eyes turning cold when he saw clearly, “Seven Killing Array— hold on tight.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the Heavenly Wave Ruler transformed into a streak of light and shot out.
“Father, what’s a Seven Killing Array?” Jiang Yizheng asked loudly, gripping the ruler.
“It’s an array used for blood sacrifices,” Feng Zizhang, who had read many obscure books, shouted, “When the Seven Killing Array appears, everything trapped inside, be it people or objects, will be refined as a sacrifice!”
Jiang Yizheng asked in horror, “Everything?”
“That’s why it’s a forbidden technique!” Feng Zizhang wailed, “It’s an evil array that only allows entry but no exit! Even a Heavenly-grade treasure or a Mahayana stage elder would be doomed once lured inside!”
“How do you know all this?!” Jiang Yizheng felt a chill down her spine.
“The Yunzhong Sect just has a lot of books!” Feng Zizhang belatedly realized something, “Father, father, father— we’re not going in there, are we?!”
Ning Buwei raised an eyebrow and said, “Didn’t you want to save people earlier? I’ll send you in to rescue them.”
“Father, I was wrong!” Feng Zizhang had just stood up when a gust of wind made him stumble. He quickly hugged Ning Buwei’s arm and wailed, “I suddenly feel that staying alive is more important—”
The Heavenly Wave Ruler moved at an extremely fast speed. Various colorful arrays turned into large blurry patches of color as they passed by. Black and gray were rapidly merging together, and the spiritual energy fluctuations were gradually intensifying yet eerily silent, creating a sense of calm before the storm.
The Heavenly Wave Ruler suddenly made a sharp turn. The surrounding identification arrays and spiritual talismans were removed, revealing the true scene.
On the vast Changsheng Dao Field, countless young cultivators were possessed by their inner demons. People were exploding and dying from time to time, and those who had gone too far into possession would lose their minds and start killing indiscriminately. The clear-minded people nearby had no choice but to eliminate them with all their might.
Those small cultivators who had directly entered enlightenment and meditation were even more unfortunate. Some had their physical bodies directly killed by others, while some coughed up blood and died from going astray during meditation. For a time, the sounds of wailing and killing were incessant.
On the high platform, Hao Zheng and Wang sat face to face, engaging in a spiritual battle in mid-air. Above the Changsheng Dao Field, the sky was filled with surging clouds and rolling thunder.
The Heavenly Wave Ruler slowly descended to the ground. A man was seen standing at the edge of the grounds with his hands in his sleeves, wearing a smile. Upon seeing Ning Buwei, his smile deepened.
“Young Master Wang, ah no, how should I address you?” Xie Jiu greeted him very politely. “Perhaps I should call you— Young Master Ning?”
Ning Buwei simply removed his shapeshifting technique and looked at the person before him, finding no trace of familiarity. He said in a deep voice, “Cui Ci.”
The smile on Xie Jiu’s face immediately faded. “Young Master Ning has mistaken me for someone else.”
“The Cui family’s fortune-exchange formation is only passed down to the next family head,” Ning Buwei said.
“Doesn’t Young Master Ning know this as well?” Xie Jiu smiled.
Ning Buwei said coldly, “I learned it by stealing from others, so there are bound to be differences.”
The smile on Xie Jiu’s face became difficult to maintain. He stared coldly at Ning Buwei, “How come? Since when did a great demon like you start acting on behalf of heaven?”
“I can’t interfere with you using the fortune-exchange formation to transfer the fortune of the Sang family of Canghai Tower to the Cui clan,” Ning Buwei said. “It’s also none of my business if the Seven Killing Array refines this Dao Discussion Mountain along with its people, but—”
Ning Buwei changed his tone, “My people are inside.”
Xie Jiu sneered, “Your people? Ning Chengfeng, anyone who has even the slightest connection with you ends up with a bad fate. It serves them right to die here today.”
Screams and bloodshed echoed from within the Chansheng Dao Field.
Feng Zizhang, unable to contain his anger, wanted to argue, but was stopped by Ning Buwei’s raised hand.
“I don’t want to fight you,” Ning Buwei frowned, sensing the Seven Killing Array gradually shrinking. “Step aside.”
Xie Jiu smiled and said, “What if I don’t?”
Ning Buwei flipped his palm, and the Suzaku knife appeared. “Then don’t blame me for being impolite.”
Instead of retreating, Xie Jiu stepped forward, smiling, “Ning Chengfeng, if you really have the ability, then step over my corpse to enter—”
“You’ve cultivated the Heartless Dao for five hundred years, let me see what you’ve actually achieved.”
“Cui Ci.” The tip of the Suzaku knife pointed directly at Xie Jiu’s throat, not backing down at all. Ning Buwei’s gaze was unwavering, “Don’t make another mistake.”
“Making another mistake, how interesting.” Xie Jiu said without changing his expression, “You commit all kinds of evil deeds, killing and setting fires, and now you turn around to advise others not to make mistakes? What a ridiculous joke!”
A bright long sword suddenly appeared in Xie Jiu’s hand, thrusting directly towards Feng Zizhang and Jiang Yizheng behind Ning Buwei. The two panicked and tried to dodge, but their movements were clearly too slow.
Ning Buwei swiftly deflected the long sword with the tip of his knife. Xie Jiu leaped forward, his sword clashing against Ning Buwei’s Suzaku knife.
Sword light dazzled, and spiritual energy splattered everywhere.
Xie Jiu’s sword attacks were fierce and lethal. “Are those two useless people worth protecting?”
Ning Buwei withdrew his knife, turned around and threw Jiang Yizheng and Feng Zizhang onto the ruler. The Heavenly Wave Ruler instantly vanished without a trace. He blocked Xie Jiu’s sword with one strike, but was pushed back by the sudden burst of spiritual energy from his opponent. Blood trickled down the knife handle from his palm, being absorbed into the hilt.
“You’re half-crippled yourself, picking up broken bones and a broken knife, playing father to two useless kids, taking this game of pretend seriously—” Xie Jiu shouted, “Ning Chengfeng, is this how you cultivate your Heartless Dao!?”
Crimson rolled in Ning Buwei’s eyes. “Shut up!”
But Xie Jiu persisted, “Did I touch a nerve?”
Swish!
A cold light flashed, and the Suzaku knife grazed Xie Jiu’s cheek, leaving a bloody mark.
Xie Jiu wiped the wound with his hand, staring at the blood on his fingertips. His anger turned into laughter, “It’s still too early for the Ling Long Bone and Purple Flame Knife to be refined. You’re in such a hurry to enter the Seven Killing Array to save people, could it be for that Chu Jun?”
Ning Buwei tightened his grip on the Suzaku.
“Indeed, Chu Jun is now plagued by his inner demon, and he happens to be trapped in the Seven Killing Array.” Xie Jiu’s smile grew brighter. “What do you think will happen? Will the people in the Dao Field be refined by the Seven Killing Array, or will they all be killed by the Venerable Jinghe before it even begins?”
“Even if Chu Jun manages to come out alive, he’ll probably have offended all the sects and clans of the seventeen states, becoming a ruthless great demon.” Xie Jiu’s sword was only a finger’s width from Ning Buwei’s neck. “By then, with his cultivation lost and unable to protect himself, and with such stunning looks, I’m afraid he’ll end up as—”
“If you want to fight, then fight!” Ning Buwei angrily interrupted him, black energy swirling around the Suzaku knife. “Why so much useless talk!”
A flash of irritation crossed Xie Jiu’s face. “I’m not afraid of you!”
Meanwhile.
Chu Jun opened his eyes and saw a familiar face, immediately wanting to close them again.
“Awake?” The silver-haired youth squatted beside him, poking his face, not giving him the chance.
Chu Jun knew this was his inner demon realm. He raised his sword, intending to slash Zhuo Zhi, but Zhuo Zhi caught his sword between two fingers. “Hold on, you unfilial disciple.”
Chu Jun looked at him coldly, gradually noticing something amiss. He had slain countless inner demons, but the one before him seemed different. He frowned, “What is it?”
“Naturally, it’s an urgent matter!” Zhuo Zhi rolled his eyes, then pretended to cough seriously. He said solemnly, “This is a strand of dharma image I left for you. Since you can see this dharma image, it means you haven’t managed to ascend even after six or seven hundred years, and your life is now hanging by a thread—”
Zhuo Zhi’s dharma image spoke with a hint of exasperation, “How did I end up with such a useless disciple?”
Chu Jun raised his sword to strike.
“Wait!” Zhuo Zhi blocked his sword, exasperated. “I knew you’d try to cut me down!”
“If you have something to say, say it. Don’t waste words,” Chu Jun said coldly.
“When you see this dharma image, your master has likely ascended to the immortal realm. Cough, if not, pretend I didn’t say that.” Zhuo Zhi sat casually beside him. “Well, in my idle time, I’ve calculated that you, a naturally unfeeling little good-for-nothing, should have been most suited to cultivate the Heartless Dao. But your mind is sick, and you went off to cultivate the Bloodshed Dao instead. No matter how I tried to persuade you, you stubbornly refused to listen. You’ll surely fail to complete it, most likely faltering halfway—”
“Now, your Bloodshed Dao must be causing problems. The best outcome is that your dao heart is completely destroyed. Listen to your master’s advice: quickly switch to cultivating the Heartless Dao. If you don’t ascend within three hundred years, I’ll allow you to leave the sect.” Zhuo Zhi said with a smile.
He knew Chu Jun’s temperament too well, aware that he would only listen after hitting a wall, so his tone was extremely confident.
Chu Jun, who had already changed his dao five hundred years ago: “……”
This master was truly as unreliable as ever.
“Also, regarding this life tribulation of yours, it arose from a love tribulation,” Zhuo Zhi’s voice suddenly deepened, his expression more serious than Chu Jun had ever seen. “No matter how you scheme and plan, there’s no way to avoid it, unless you kill the person disturbing your mind to gain enlightenment—”
“Otherwise, just wait for death.”
