It felt as if he had returned to that day when he was sixteen, stepping through the snow…
The day Xie Ciyou led him to the Sword Pavilion, they had been in a great hurry. Shi Qing had an excellent memory; although he had only caught a glimpse of it then, he was certain that the book on the desk was the very one Xie Ciyou had been flipping through.
The book was open, and Shi Qing saw a vivid illustration of the Immortal Gate Token.
Shi Qing picked it up to browse. The script inside was the same as that found in the ancient texts of Aowu Pavilion. Having studied them before, Shi Qing could understand the text. It read: “The Phoenix Feather can cleanse the demonic energy of mortals; however, regarding the malevolence of the Demon God, it cannot be extinguished, only suppressed and imprisoned.”
The “Phoenix Feather” likely referred to the Immortal Gate Token. Was the token actually a feather from a white phoenix? It could eliminate ordinary demonic energy but could not destroy the energy of the Demon God; it could only contain it.
Shi Qing continued reading: “However, imprisonment is but a temporary measure. As more malevolence is consumed, its effectiveness diminishes. To eternally suppress the bane of the Demon God, only the Demon-Suppressing Array suffices.”
This meant that the Demon God’s energy trapped by the Immortal Gate Token was only temporary. The more energy it absorbed, the shorter the duration of the containment. The only thing capable of permanently suppressing the Demon God’s energy was the Demon-Suppressing Array.
Shi Qing flipped further. Several of the following pages contained related content, and he scanned them one by one: “Once the Phoenix Feather enters the body, it can imprison demonic breath within the form. Yet, their natures conflict, causing the five viscera to burn as if being cooked in a cauldron.”
This described the rejection reaction after the Immortal Gate Token entered the body. Shi Qing had already experienced it; the sensation was unbearable, making him feel like a roasted fish.
“The Compass and the Phoenix Feather share the same origin; the former can temporarily alleviate the discord within the body.”
The South-Pointing Compass could be used to soothe the rejection between the body and the Immortal Gate Token. Was Xie Ciyou reading this so seriously that day?
“When the Phoenix Feather resides in the body, it only maintains its state for a period of three months. If it is not removed beyond this limit, it will damage the divine soul, inevitably leading to the dissipation of one’s spirit.”
The Immortal Gate Token had to be removed within three months, or the host’s soul would be utterly destroyed.
Shi Qing’s hand trembled, and the book fell to the floor with a thud. The fragments of information in his mind converged.
He finally summarized the most urgent problems:
The Immortal Gate Token must be removed within three months, or his soul would dissipate.
The second round of the Immortal Sect Grand Competition would open the Qingyun Secret Realm for participants.
If his theory was correct, his body had absorbed the Demon God’s divine sense, resulting in more demonic energy than his physical form could handle. If the Immortal Gate Token—which was currently sharing the burden—was pulled out now, he would explode and die. If it wasn’t pulled out, he would die when the three-month limit was reached.
He wasn’t sure what Xie Ciyou’s ultimate goal was. Before the token was extracted, he had to find a way to temper his body. If his physical form became strong enough, he might be able to withstand the demonic energy even without the token’s help.
The Qingyun Secret Realm contained many precious spiritual plants capable of tempering the body. Although they were far inferior to the Physique-Forging Pill he had taken in his previous life, the secret realm was the fastest and most feasible method given his current abilities.
He had to find a way to participate in the Immortal Sect Grand Competition!
Shi Qing squatted to pick up the book. As he stood, he noticed an exquisite wooden box tucked into a corner of the couch behind the desk. The box was half-open, revealing a small section of wooden material that looked like a wood carving.
Shi Qing suppressed his curiosity. It wasn’t right to go through someone else’s things; as for the book, he blamed Xie Ciyou for not closing it.
Shi Qing set the book down and sat on the soft couch. He pulled out his Qingyun Jade Token and infused it with spiritual power. The token began to flash incessantly, reminding him that he had received many messages during the days he was asleep.
Ten days had passed since the ambush in the forest.
Shi Qing opened the interface. At the very top was a group invitation. He clicked “Accept” and saw that Senior Brother Jiang had sent many messages, proving they were safe.
He clicked on them; it was Jiang Muxue checking in and offering thanks. Jiang said they had heard about what happened that night after waking up and shared several other updates.
Shi Qing scrolled through: The Grand Competition was open to all Qingyun Sect disciples at or above the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage. Senior Brother Jiang had passed the inner sect exam and joined the Qingling Peak under Elder Bai Qing. Having just reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, he was also participating.
Shi Qing quickly sent a congratulatory message and asked if Jiang could sign him up as well. With one month left, given his current condition, he would surely reach the peak of Foundation Establishment—he might even attempt to form a Core.
As soon as the message was sent, the group he had just joined began to flash with a barrage of messages:
Jiang Muxue: Junior Brother, you finally replied! Are you okay? Gongsun Yu: Benefactor! Thank you so much. You saved my life again. I’ll call you Great Benefactor from now on! (Shi Qing remembered him—the round-faced junior who entered the sect after him.) Lin Shu: I won’t call you “Little Dummy” anymore! I’ll call you Benefactor too. Shen Congshen: Me too! I never expected Chen Shi to be that kind of person.
It was the four of them. It was truly fate; last time they picked herbs together, and this time they were held hostage because of him. They seemed to share his ill fortune, having narrowly escaped death twice.
Shi Qing: How is Chen Shi?
Before he could get an answer, Jiang Muxue replied to his earlier inquiry: “For this competition, any disciple at the peak of Foundation Establishment is entered by default. You are currently under Immortal Master Zhanyue’s name, and Senior Brother Chen Ji is arranging everything. I’ll ask him for you.”
How did I end up under Gu Yan’s name?
Shi Qing scrolled back through his private messages with Jiang. There was one from six days ago: “Immortal Master Zhanyue returned to the sect and came specifically to ask about you.”
Three days ago: “Junior Brother Fang! Good news. I heard Immortal Master Zhanyue wants to take you under his wing. Reply when you wake up; we are all worried about you.”
Shi Qing’s head throbbed. Since he had fabricated the lie about Immortal Master Shuangyu’s inheritance, Gu Yan hadn’t even seen him yet. Why would he want to take him as a disciple? Was he supposed to call Gu Yan “Master” in the future? How scandalous!
He didn’t even want to go back to the Qingyun Sect anymore, yet he had to participate in the Grand Competition. Setting aside those issues, he still couldn’t fathom what Xie Ciyou was thinking. It was still unknown if he would even be allowed to leave Aowu Pavilion.
The message interface lit up again.
Shen Congshen: Chen Shi returned and confessed to all his crimes. Sect Leader Bai Ye sentenced him to thirty strikes of the discipline whip and banished him to the bottom of the Illusionary Guilt Abyss. He came out after five days. If I hadn’t seen the tortured, ghost-like state he was in when he emerged, I’d think he got off easy. Gongsun Yu: Elder Bai Yun said it would take several years for him to recover. He requested to leave the sect and go home.
The Illusionary Guilt Abyss was a mental punishment that forced the guilty to experience their crimes from the victim’s perspective. One could only leave after breaking through their own mental barriers. Time flowed differently inside: one day in the outside world was a year in the illusion.
Sect Leader Bai Ye likely saw that Chen Shi still had a conscience; those without a heart would not feel they were wrong and would face no such mental barriers. Staying inside for five days was equivalent to five years—a heavy toll indeed.
As he was thinking, a knock at the door pulled Shi Qing from his thoughts. Zhong Ling’s voice sounded from outside: “Young Master, the Pavilion Master requests your presence.”
Shi Qing tucked away the jade token and opened the door. A chill draft snuck through the crack.
Zhong Ling stood at the door, respectfully holding a white mink fur cloak. Outside, the world was a vast expanse of white amidst a heavy snowfall.
Shi Qing’s cultivation was low and his body was weak. He took the cloak, wrapped himself in it, and followed Zhong Ling toward the Sword Pavilion. He buried the lower half of his face in the high collar, yet the biting chill of the wind and snow still pierced his nose.
The plum blossoms rustled, and the crunch of thick snow beneath his boots gave him a momentary hallucination. It felt as if he had returned to that day when he was sixteen, silently following behind Xie Ciyou through the snow.
So much time had passed since he was last here. Xie Ciyou had indeed returned, just as Xia Chan had said—right as he woke up.
Shi Qing couldn’t help but ask, “Did the Pavilion Master say why he summoned me?”
“You will know once you arrive, Young Master,” Zhong Ling said respectfully from the front.
Shi Qing had been a bit overwhelmed by Zhong Ling’s respectful attitude. Usually, Zhong Ling’s demeanor reflected Xie Ciyou’s own. Zhong Ling was one of the many disciples who had followed Xie Ciyou during the Immortal Alliance days. As the Sword Pavilion’s close attendant, he was Xie Ciyou’s most trusted subordinate—not only was his cultivation profound, but his actions were decisive and reliable.
He also shared one trait with Xie Ciyou: he looked down on almost everyone. While Xie Ciyou simply didn’t care, Zhong Ling possessed a certain arrogance. Even if he met Gu Yan, the leader of the hundred sects, he would likely address him directly by name.
This was partly due to some private grievances between Xie Ciyou and Gu Yan. As the “human ceiling” NPC of the book, Xie Ciyou and the protagonist were naturally like two tigers on one mountain—they had never gotten along. Xie Ciyou’s dislike for Gu Yan was so palpable that Shi Qing, who was tied to Gu Yan’s side, often ended up offending Xie Ciyou by association, leading the entire immortal world to know of their discord.
Shi Qing tried to probe: “I fainted last time. Perhaps he wants to continue the interrogation?”
Zhong Ling did not answer. His thoughts were as deep and hard to read as Xie Ciyou’s. Shi Qing then feigned casualness: “I heard Dongfang Yuqing self-destructed and the clues regarding the demonic energy were cut off. Has the Pavilion Master been busy with this lately?”
Zhong Ling glanced back at Shi Qing. “The matter of demonic energy is indeed troublesome.”
Then, he suddenly changed the subject: “Although Dongfang Yuqing self-destructed, the Demon God’s divine sense once resided in his soul. In fact, one could forcibly use the Immortal Gate Token to imprison the divine sense for a soul-search. Currently, both the Demon God’s sense and the Immortal Gate Token are inside you, Young Master. If the Pavilion Master were to forcibly activate the token within your body, it might be a viable solution.”
Shi Qing gasped. If that happened, he probably wouldn’t survive.
“Do not panic, Young Master. I do not know what happened in the illusion that led the Pavilion Master to plant the token in you. But since he chose to save you, he will not make things difficult for you again.”
Zhong Ling looked at him after speaking. Shi Qing seemed to see the words “Do you understand?” written across his face.
I don’t… Not only did he not understand, he was more confused than ever. He initially thought Zhong Ling was threatening him, but then it sounded like consolation.
Perhaps because the bewilderment on Shi Qing’s face was too obvious, Zhong Ling said with a sigh of helplessness: “Young Master, do you realize that when the Immortal Gate Token appears, it is as if the Heavenly Dao itself has descended? It is one of the ultimate artifacts of this pavilion.”
Shi Qing nodded blankly.
“Aside from rallying the hundred sects, the Immortal Gate Token has many uses known only to successive Pavilion Masters and their personal disciples. In all my time here, I never knew it could be planted in a body to help someone share the burden of demonic energy. Even thirty years ago, when the immortal world was plagued by demons, the Pavilion Master never showed such mercy to anyone.”
He paused. “Do you know the creed of Aowu Pavilion?”
Three Saves and Three Non-Saves? Save the suffering, but not the fall of a nation. Save the righteous path, but not private vendettas. Save the masses, but not a single individual…
Shi Qing finally began to understand what Zhong Ling was implying. At the critical moment, Xie Ciyou did not choose to control Dongfang Yuqing to find the Demon God’s sense that threatened all life. Instead, he chose to save him.