“How dare you.”
Ye Linshuang’s cold voice rang out, frost patterns gradually formed beneath his feet, and layers of sword formations spread out, purifying these evil thoughts.
When they had just walked in, the Meng family gate closed with a “creak.”
The entire Meng residence seemed to have its own consciousness, letting them enter, then devouring them.
“Where is your Sect Master?”
Ye Linshuang walked calmly into the main hall and sat in the guest seat.
Meng Ningsheng, heavily wounded, sat down in a chair next to Ye Linshuang and sighed. Just as he was about to say something, Ye Linshuang said knowingly. “Just sit here, don’t move anymore.”
“Thank you for your consideration, Sword Master Ye.”
“I’m not being considerate. Rather, even if you wanted to move, you couldn’t,” Ye Linshuang said indifferently.
Behind Meng Ningsheng, a black shadow took human form, clinging to his chair from behind, wrapping around his neck like a coquettish beauty showing affection.
Meng Ningsheng lowered his head, and upon seeing the evil spirit, he was so shocked he almost forgot to breathe.
Ye Linshuang turned his face and spoke to the evil spirit as if it were human, his voice stern but tone courteous.
“So many evil spirits, as if you’ve taken root in the Meng family. What evil thoughts do you rely on?”
The evil spirit showed no fear, even reaching toward Ye Linshuang’s face. “You are the Sword Master of Nanli Jingtian… Why don’t you guess?”
Ye Linshuang neither moved nor replied, but closed his eyes. In an instant, his spiritual energy spread throughout the Meng residence, slowly sinking down several zhang into the ground beneath the Meng family, until countless wailing, suffering souls tried to cling to his spiritual energy to escape their bonds.
Ye Linshuang’s eyes suddenly opened, a flash of anger crossing his cold gaze. “How dare you all…”
The evil spirit laughed. “How dare we what? We just refined their suffering to use as our sustenance.”
Meng Ningsheng’s face turned pale, and he remained motionless, afraid the evil spirit would extract his elixir core.
At this moment, Meng Ningsheng’s second junior brother came running back.
“Sword Master Ye! Senior Brother! I can’t find Master anywhere!”
When he suddenly saw the evil spirit coiled around Meng Ningsheng, he fell to the ground in fright.
“Were you also going to say that you couldn’t find anyone else in the mansion?” the evil spirit said with a laugh.
The second junior brother trembled in fear and was immediately possessed by another evil spirit. Meng Ningsheng wanted to draw his sword to save him but couldn’t move.
Ye Linshuang’s fingers gripped his sword hilt, about to draw it, when the second junior brother, his eyes completely black, smiled and bowed to Ye Linshuang.
“Please remain calm, Sword Master Ye. Our lord sent us to serve you, otherwise there would be no one to serve tea and guide the way.”
“When did Meng Yuandao fall into your evil ways?” Ye Linshuang said coldly.
“He pledged allegiance to our Demon Lord, who granted him a wish. Sword Master Ye, with your keen mind, can you guess what wish it was?”
Ye Linshuang stood up and walked step by step toward Meng family’s second junior brother, looking at his pale, bloodless face, speaking word by word with no emotional fluctuation, yet enunciating forcefully. “He was promised rapid advancement in power, so that one day he could defeat the Chenhuan Cave Master and wash away his previous shame.”
“That’s right, this is the obsession with fame and fortune. You can’t really blame Meng Yuandao. After all, the previous Madam Meng who married into the family was far from ‘gentle and considerate,’ always ordering Meng Yuandao around because her maiden family was the Chenhuan Cave. After finally enduring until that tigress died, the Chenhuan Cave Master came knocking again, threatening to kill Meng Yuandao’s concubine in front of everyone. Wouldn’t you say that was humiliating? Wasn’t that going too far?”
“Let me see just how capable your lord is.”
Ye Linshuang’s left hand gripped the scabbard while his right hand slowly drew out the Linshuang Sword.
Cold spiritual light spilled forth as he swung his sword, a blade of light passing through the second junior brother. Frost patterns swirled as the Ninglong Sword Formation activated, instantly consuming the evil spirit within the second junior brother’s body.
As the evil spirit suddenly left his body, the second junior brother gasped for air like someone who had nearly drowned, supporting himself on the ground and unable to raise his head for a long time.
“What is your true purpose?” Ye Linshuang turned to face the evil spirit hovering on Meng Ningsheng’s shoulder.
“We want someone’s elixir core.”
“You’re lying.” YeLinshuang raised his chin.
“We’re not lying. You used the Linshuang Sword to probe that person’s spiritual energy. With Sword Master Ye’s cultivation, couldn’t you tell who that person was?”
Ye Linshuang maintained his cold expression, but his fingers gripping the sword trembled slightly.
These evil spirits knew about when he had presented the Linshuang Sword to that youth for viewing at the inn?
No… impossible. The Sword Master of Wuyi Jingtian had been sitting beside the youth then! If evil spirits had been spying, even if he hadn’t noticed, how could the Sword Master have missed it?
Unless the one watching had cultivation comparable to the Sword Master, or was a Demon Lord who served the Evil God Chaos and had accumulated thousands of years of evil thoughts!
Which was it – the former or the latter?
“How dare you! The elixir core of an Immortal Sage is not for you to covet! Since you won’t tell the truth, I shall purify all the evil spirits of Pengyuan Mountain right here!”
With that, Ye Linshuang executed a swift spinning sword technique. The wind it generated froze from the cold energy released by the Linshuang Sword. Frost patterns collided, creating delicate, spiritual sounds. The usually gentle sword formation seemed to be brewing with the force of a thousand-year glacier avalanche, directly splitting open the ground beneath her feet!
Countless evil spirits were absorbed and refined by the sword formation, becoming Ye Linshuang’s power, greatly increasing the formation’s might. It was as if he had split open the entire inner chamber of Pengyuan Mountain!
Ye Linshuang rose on his sword and looked down. Below his feet were layers upon layers of scenes like the eighteen levels of hell.
And at the darkest bottom layer was a huge green cauldron.
The Linshuang Sword carried him straight down. Night Linshuang understood that the elixir core the evil spirits coveted was extraordinary, seemingly concealing the legendary Karma Fire of Chaos. But these evil spirits hadn’t made the Meng family their nest overnight – how did they know the Sword Master would bring that youth past Pengyuan Mountain?
In other words, seeing the evil clouds corrupting Peng City outside Pengyuan Mountain was just the Demon Lord’s sudden whim!
They had corrupted the entire Meng family, and Pengyuan Mountain was at the border between Xiyu and Nanli. If the Meng family became the Demon Lord’s nest, how could Nanli Jingtian not send someone to investigate?
So…
Ye Linshuang suddenly stopped, suspended in mid-air.
Countless evil spirits gathered at the crack above his head, surging in like a dark tide, as if trying to fill the split that would have torn him apart.
This was clearly a trap!
“So what we wanted from the beginning was you, Sword Master Ye!”
Ye Linshuang heard the overlapping laughter of evil spirits around him, but his expression showed no hesitation.
“Since I’ve entered hell, I shall pierce through it!”
The Linshuang Sword carried him plunging downward, and before him was a soul-refining cauldron!
Inside the cauldron, countless young women’s souls struggled and screamed, almost refined into one by the evil spirits, but they weren’t willing, fighting against each other, trying to separate.
Each time the souls separated and split, it caused immense pain. This pain transformed into a fierce spirit, emitting a hoarse yet terrifying sound, suddenly opening its huge mouth toward Ye Linshuang. Within it was another void.
Ye Linshuang’s speed didn’t decrease at all as he flew in, and that huge mouth instantly closed.
In the pitch-black darkness, a faint silhouette could be seen. Ye Linshuang activated his sword, instantly illuminating the entire void with spiritual light. Unexpectedly, this turned out to be a secret chamber.
Inside the chamber, Meng Yuandao was sitting cross-legged, in the midst of cultivation. Ye Linshuang gathered his true qi at his fingertips and rubbed it on his eyes.
— Open the Eye of Wisdom!
In an instant, the spiritual energy surrounding Meng Yuandao became crystal clear.
His entire body was tainted with evil desires, his elixir core heavy. He had already fallen into possession.
Suddenly, Meng Yuandao’s eyes opened, black as ink. They were abysses of obsession, not letting in a sliver of light.
The corner of his lips curled up, like a blade tracing a bloody line across the heart.
“Lord Linshuang, once you’ve entered my soul-refining cauldron, you’ll never come out again!”
There was not a trace of fear on Ye Linshuang’s face. “I have come here on my master’s orders to eliminate evil. Until the evil spirit is eradicated, I shall not return to Nanli.”
As he finished speaking, Linshuang Sword’s light flashed, and the Ninglong Sword Formation appeared, austere and severe, as if it would refine the entire void.
“‘Master’! ‘Master’! Is there anyone else in your heart besides Lord Miao Chenyuan—”
With Meng Yuandao’s roar, black demonic clouds were spewed from his mouth. Countless faces of anguished young women were about to bite into Ye Linshuang’s body!
At this moment, Shu Wuxi was holding Lu Xiaochan with one arm, riding on Lushu. They had already arrived at the peak of Pengyuan Mountain, overlooking the entire Meng family compound.
Lu Xiaochan couldn’t see the appearance of the house, but he could see that huge crack extending deep into the foundation of Pengyuan Mountain!
Between the cracks, demonic clouds were churning, even more intense than the evil clouds that had previously enveloped Pengcheng.
“What… what’s going on?”
Lu Xiaochan tilted his body and lowered his head. He was so engrossed in looking that he almost slipped off Lushu’s back, but Shu Wuxi quickly held him tight.
“Be careful,” Shu Wuxi said, close to Lu Xiaochan’s ear.
“Brother Wuxi! What is this crack?”
Shu Wuxi raised his hand, and a frost flower fell onto his palm, immediately melting.
“This should be the mark left by Ye Linshuang’s Ninglong Sword Formation splitting the demonic clouds.”
“The evil clouds are so thick. Has he been devoured by them?”
“No worries, with his cultivation level, he won’t die so easily.”
Lushu slowly descended to the edge of the black crack. Meng Ningsheng was still sitting nearby, resisting the evil spirits clinging to his weakened body.
As soon as he saw Shu Wuxi and Lu Xiaochan, he guessed they were the senior experts staying at the inn and immediately begged for help.
“I implore the seniors to save my life!”
Shu Wuxi showed no trace of compassion, only saying to Lu Xiaochan. “Xiaochan, your Tailing Qingyuan Spell at the inn earlier was too slow in forming. This evil spirit is just right for you to practice on.”
Lu Xiaochan immediately nodded, thinking that he indeed should practice.
With Shu Wuxi by his side watching over him now, there was no fear for his life even if he failed. If in the future he encountered some formidable demon lord or evil god, he would be able to lend a hand!
He immediately focused his mind. Spiritual energy overflowed from his elixir sea, quickly condensing. It was much faster than before at the inn, but as soon as it formed, it dissipated.
“Xiaochan, concentrate.”
Lu Xiaochan realized that he was too eager to speed up, causing his Qingyuan Spell to go awry.
The evil spirit, seeing that besides Ye Linshuang, the Meng family had more help, directly went for the wound on Meng Ningsheng’s back, intending to swallow his elixir core in one gulp!
Lu Xiaochan’s mind, however, was not affected by Meng Ningsheng’s terrified cries. The Qingyuan Spell shot out from his fingertips, closely pursuing the evil spirit into Meng Ningsheng’s neifu.
The evil spirit had already swallowed Meng Ningsheng’s elixir core, but the Qingyuan Spell then engulfed the evil spirit, instantly refining it. The refined spiritual energy was immediately absorbed by Meng Ningsheng’s elixir core.
Meng Ningsheng, who had been as pale as death, suddenly regained his color. The injuries in his neifu began to heal, and gradually he couldn’t even feel the pain anymore.
He felt his back and realized he had actually fully recovered!
“Why make wedding clothes for others?” Shu Wuxi said softly.
But Lu Xiaochan was frowning, stomping his foot hard. “You! Give me back the spiritual energy I refined!”
Meng Ningsheng looked astonished. “This… how can I return it?”
“That was clearly refined by me, how did your elixir core absorb it!”
Lu Xiaochan truly hadn’t intended to leave it for Meng Ningsheng. He had only completed the refinement in Meng Ningsheng’s elixir sea, intending to bring the refined spiritual energy out of Meng Ningsheng’s body. Who knew that he only knew how to form the spell, not yet mastering its control, giving Meng Ningsheng an unexpected benefit!
Lu Xiaochan felt quite embarrassed. What was even more embarrassing was that when Shu Wuxi said “Why make wedding clothes for others,” he should have seized the opportunity to say something righteous like “Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda.” Who knew his mouth would be faster than his brain!
“Fine, fine! Consider it a gift from me, Lu Xiaochan! Just remember, today I saved your life. In the future, you must follow my lead!”
Meng Ningsheng stood there, stunned. Cultivators considered it their duty to eliminate evil and uphold justice, yet this young boy actually wanted him to follow his lead?
But on second thought, he had not only refined the evil spirit to save his life, but also passed spiritual energy to him, allowing him to recover instantly. These were all acts of kindness. Even a small kindness should be repaid generously.
Meng Ningsheng lowered his head and bowed to Lu Xiaochan.
“May I ask for your name, fellow Daoist? Do you have an immortal title?”
“Me? My name is Lu Xiaochan, immortal title…” Lu Xiaochan thought for a long time, couldn’t come up with anything, then tugged on Shu Wuxi’s sleeve, “Brother Wuxi, with my little cultivation, do I need an immortal title?”
“Your cultivation is not low.”
“Huh? I’ve only lived for sixteen years, and that’s not low?”
Meng Ningsheng paused. He had thought Lu Xiaochan only looked sixteen, probably due to high talent allowing him to form his core and enter the power earlier than most. But he hadn’t expected him to actually be sixteen!
Although Meng Ningsheng’s talent wasn’t high, only forming his core at thirty, it didn’t mean he couldn’t sense profound spiritual power. The spiritual energy this boy called Lu Xiaochan had sent into his inner palace just now… if not a thousand years, it must be at least several hundred!
At this moment, Lu Xiaochan was frowning hard in thought. His eyes suddenly lit up, and he asked Shu Wuxi. “Can I choose any immortal title I want for myself?”
“Mm.”
“Then I’ll be titled ‘Lan Meng’!” Lu Xiaochan grinned at Shu Wuxi. (TL: ‘Lazy Dream’)
“Why ‘Lan Meng’? This immortal title is too… nonsensical…” Meng Ningsheng felt that this title lacked any immortal aura and was a bit frivolous.
“As long as you like it,” Shu Wuxi said.
Lu Xiaochan stood on tiptoes, whispering into Shu Wuxi’s ear. “Before you came to find me, I used to bask in the sun under the locust tree every day, not even thinking about where my next meal would come from. Isn’t that very lazy? Then, drinking a jar of ‘Drunken Life Dream Death’, in my dreams I could meet my beautiful person… Do you think that beautiful person is you? Lan Meng, Lan Meng, it means I’m too lazy to do anything, only dreaming about my Brother Wuxi!”
Meng Ningsheng knew Lu Xiaochan’s words were meant only for Shu Wuxi to hear. Not wanting to eavesdrop, he turned his head away.
Shu Wuxi’s usually cold expression seemed to soften a bit.
“Then ‘Lan Meng’ it is.”
Lu Xiaochan squatted down, resting his chin on his hands as he looked at the deep crevice. “Brother Wuxi, if you say these evil clouds can’t trap Ye Linshuang, then… where is the demon lord who gathered these evil clouds?”
Meng Ningsheng also came to his senses. “Indeed. This demon lord’s evil qi is extraordinary. Last night, the evil clouds it summoned nearly swallowed the entire Peng City. Today, the concentrated evil clouds have occupied the foundation of Pengyuan Mountain… Even if we can’t eliminate it, we must drive it away. Otherwise, from Pengyuan Mountain above to thousands of miles around Peng City below will fall under the control of the Demon Capital!”
Shu Wuxi rubbed Lu Xiaochan’s head and said, “Come, let’s go see Meng Yuandao.”
“Ah… Is Meng Yuandao in here?” Lu Xiaochan pointed at the pitch-black mountain crevice.
“Xiaochan, I’ll enter your elixir sea with my consciousness and teach you the ‘Spirit Discernment’ technique.”
“Great, great!”
Naturally, Lu Xiaochan was happy to learn something new.
Shu Wuxi’s hand fell on Lu Xiaochan’s shoulder. His spiritual energy drew out Lu Xiaochan’s sea of consciousness, gradually enveloping the entire Pengyuan Mountain.
Even the trees that had already died, and the primordial spirits of every disciple, appeared clearly in Lu Xiaochan’s sea of consciousness.
In the sea of consciousness, Lu Xiaochan saw the disciples who had earlier escaped back from the inn. They were all kneeling in front of the villa at the back of the mountain, heads lowered, spiritless. Some of them hadn’t even formed their elixir cores yet. The only two with elixir cores knelt at the front, their spiritual light weak.
Their spiritual energy seemed to be almost drained.
Behind the tightly closed doors of the villa, only two overlapping silhouettes could be seen, engaged in indescribable acts.
Lu Xiaochan didn’t know if they had ever stopped, but he felt that the man on top was thin… his essence was almost completely drained!
However, in terms of cultivation, that man seemed to be more profound than the other disciples. Could he be… Meng Yuandao?
Lu Xiaochan opened his eyes and looked at Shu Wuxi. He suddenly felt a bit embarrassed, because Shu Wuxi was surely untainted by worldly dust. When discerning spirits just now, Shu Wuxi must have also seen what Meng Yuandao was doing!
But Shu Wuxi’s sea of consciousness remained calm. He truly was free from desires!
“Wait, if Meng Yuandao is at the back mountain… then who is that person in the big crevice?”
“What the eye sees may not be real.”
“What about what the heart sees?”
Like my Eye of Wisdom?
“The person hiding in the crevice has higher cultivation than Ye Linshuang, so naturally he can deceive his Eye of Wisdom.”
“So he also deceived my Eye of Wisdom?”
This is so confusing! Anyway, let’s go to the back mountain and drag out the real Meng Yuandao!
What Brother Wuxi saw must be the real Meng Yuandao!
Lu Xiaochan mounted Lushu, with Shu Wuxi sitting behind him. In an instant, Lushu carried them to the villa at the back of the mountain.
From afar, they could hear the entangled sounds of the two people, but as Lu Xiaochan listened, he felt no romance, only chills down his spine.
Lu Xiaochan dismounted from Lushu and passed by the disciples kneeling at the courtyard gate. They all had their heads lowered, with blank expressions. Just as Lu Xiaochan was about to reach out and poke one of them on the shoulder, he heard Shu Wuxi call his name.
“Xiaochan.”
Lu Xiaochan finally realized that in front of Shu Wuxi, he couldn’t touch outsiders.
In these days of following Shu Wuxi, he had also learned many methods of using spiritual energy, so he raised his finger and lightly flicked it, causing a beam of spiritual light to fall behind that disciple, easily pushing him down.
This slight vibration caused the other kneeling disciples to fall down one after another.
Lu Xiaochan took a step back, looking at his “masterpiece”, “They… they are too useless, aren’t they?”
From the door’s direction came a woman’s voice in extreme pain. “Save me… save me…”
“She should be Meng Yuandao’s concubine – Madam Kang, right? Isn’t she… isn’t she pregnant? How could she still…”
Just as Lu Xiaochan was about to push open this door, countless evil spirits suddenly emerged from the door, howling and nearly biting Lu Xiaochan’s hand.
Spiritual energy burst forth around Lu Xiaochan’s body, pushing them back.
“Holy crap! The whole room is full of evil spirits! This Pengyuan Mountain must have been hollowed out by evil energy, right?”
Shu Wuxi stood aside, showing no intention of intervening.
Lu Xiaochan knew that Shu Wuxi wanted him to practice more.
“Can I refine so many evil spirits?” Lu Xiaochan scratched his head.
Shu Wuxi calmly said, “When Demon Lord Luli invaded the Tailing Pavilion before, didn’t you dare to form a spell to confront him?”
“But I also borrowed Kunwu’s momentum then…”
“I’m here. Am I not as reliable as Kunwu?”
“Of course, Brother Wuxi is the most reliable!”
With Shu Wuxi’s words, Lu Xiaochan immediately remembered the Tailing Sky-Piercing Spell he saw when burning the spirit incense at Tailing Pavilion!
At that time, he didn’t know how to control this great spell, only desperately forming the spell. It was Kunwu who used his true spirit to send this great spell to Luli’s side.
Last night, he had just seen Shu Wuxi use the “Sky-Piercing Sword Formation”, which also taught Lu Xiaochan a lot. Today was a good chance to try it out.
To make the Sky-Piercing Spell work, he naturally had to borrow the energy of heaven and earth here.
When cultivating at Tailing Pavilion, Lu Xiaochan discovered that he had a special feeling for water, and could easily resonate with it. Today, he would try to borrow the power of water!
The vegetation here had already withered, trees and water had dried up, and he really couldn’t feel the spiritual energy of water. How troublesome!
Seeing his constantly furrowed brows, Shu Wuxi spoke, “Xiaochan, do you know that water can not only have various shapes but also various forms?”
A flash of inspiration struck his mind. Lu Xiaochan stretched out his hand, and the previously still wind began to move, as if attracted by the spiritual energy at his fingertips, rushing towards him. The thin water vapor in the wind gradually condensed, forming a dewdrop. A Sky-Piercing Spell only as big as a palm appeared at his fingertips, and that drop of water slowly fell into the spell.
