“If that were the case, most of you would likely be severed corpses by now.”
He raised his eyes, and wherever his gaze landed, the very air seemed to freeze. Those swept by his look felt a chill crawl up their spines, leaving behind nothing but primal awe.
Sect Leader Xiao shuddered as well, but facing this frost-like, powerful aura, he gritted his teeth, refusing to show cowardice. However, Xie Ciyou’s gaze merely brushed past him, not lingering for even a second.
The rotation of the ring on Gu Yan’s finger stopped. He looked up at the newcomer, his expression displeased.
“Ahem,” Sect Leader Bai Ye broke the awkward silence. “Immortal Venerable Ciyou, why don’t you take a seat first? It is best that we focus on discussing the major matters at hand.”
After returning to Medicine Peak to change his clothes, Shi Qing was led by Jiang Xue to register his information. The others were still in the outer sect; since they weren’t participating in the Grand Competition, they needed to help with event preparations and left early, agreeing to gather for a reunion in the evening.
The competition required participants to confirm their identity and cultivation level on-site and undergo a demonic energy test to prevent unidentified individuals from infiltrating.
The registration site was right outside the Qingyun Hall. Disciples from various sects were coming and going. Since the matches were set to begin in a few days, the martial arts arena was undergoing final preparations. Many disciples gathered in the plaza outside the hall, as it was spacious enough for sparring and spectating.
Upon reaching the plaza, Shi Qing saw many people forming circles of various sizes, surrounding those who were competing.
Squeezing through the crowd, he registered under Jiang Xue’s guidance. “Shen Congshen said he finished his work for today. We’re meeting at the outer disciple courtyard tonight; they’ve prepared a welcome feast for you,” Jiang Xue said, holding a jade token.
Hearing this, Shi Qing reached for his own jade token, but his fingertips first touched a cold, small object in his robe. It wasn’t a jade token, but the Golden Jade Butterfly Xie Ciyou had given him. He recalled the conversation when he received it:
“Don’t I already have a Qingyun Sect token? The Golden Jade Butterfly is exclusive to the Pavilion Master. If people see it, won’t they know that you and I are…” Shi Qing had searched for the right word, “…closely associated?”
Xie Ciyou had replied, “The Golden Jade Butterfly is for more than just messaging. Keep it on you.” He paused, then added calmly, “It doesn’t matter if people see it. Once they know you are mine, who would dare touch you?”
Shi Qing had been stunned, but seeing Xie Ciyou’s nonchalant face, he immediately resumed his sycophantic act, expressing profound gratitude.
Shi Qing pulled out his jade token and opened the messaging interface for the group of five. Sure enough, he saw messages from Shen Congshen and the others. He replied, “Okay.”
Then, he opened the messaging interface that had been changed back to “Xia Chan”—a change Shi Qing had reminded Xie Ciyou to make—and sent a message: “Returning later.”
Xie Ciyou was currently inside the nearby Qingyun Hall. On the carriage, he had specifically told Shi Qing to wait for him at Medicine Peak tonight so he could help soothe his meridians.
Suddenly, the crowd behind them surged toward a single spot. Shi Qing looked over in confusion. The words of a passing disciple reached his ears: “Quick, go look! Immortal Venerable Zhanyue’s head disciple and the one from Morning Mist Pavilion are fighting!”
“They are both top favorites to win the title! Let’s go see!”
“Shall we take a look?” Jiang Xue was clearly curious. Shi Qing nodded and followed him through the crowd.
Squeezing to the front, they saw two people standing within the circle: Xia Chan and Chen Ji.
“Why did you launch a sneak attack?” Xia Chan questioned.
“I controlled my speed; you couldn’t possibly fail to catch that. You’ve been avoiding me and refusing to spar, so I had to resort to this,” Chen Ji said matter-of-factly, not seeing any issue with his actions.
With that, he swiftly changed his stance. His saber unleashed several moves in quick succession as he shifted his body. Xia Chan held his sword and parried each one, the two exchanging dozens of blows in an instant.
“This Xia Chan is impressive. I heard that when Qingyun Sect disciples challenged him before, he defeated them one after another. He even claimed the Qingyun Sect was mediocre and that no one was worth his time, then challenged Head Disciple Chen Ji directly and won. How arrogant.”
“Looking at him now, he seems evenly matched with Chen Ji. I wonder if he only won last time by taking advantage of a sneak attack? A dishonorable victory, perhaps?”
“Someone that arrogant needs a proper lesson from Senior Brother Chen.”
Whispers broke out around them. Jiang Xue leaned in and whispered to Shi Qing, “The news of Xia Chan being condescending and arrogant has spread all over the Qingyun Sect. It’s caused public outrage. Everyone is calling for Senior Brother Chen to win back their pride. But this Fellow Daoist Xia doesn’t look like that kind of haughty person to me. Did he really say such arrogant things?”
Shi Qing rubbed his nose guiltily. “Ah, probably not. He wouldn’t say those things. There must be some misunderstanding.”
After all, he was the instigator. Those harsh words were things he had said on “Xia Chan’s” behalf to fan the flames. At the time, “Xia Chan” was actually Xie Ciyou, who certainly couldn’t be bothered with what people said; he had simply defeated every challenger with a single strike regardless.
“Then where did those rumors come from?” Jiang Xue wondered.
“Well… right… who knows? Probably someone who couldn’t handle losing and started talking nonsense. Rumors tend to grow on their own.”
Shi Qing shifted the blame, but since Xia Chan was taking the fall for him, he had to watch the spar closely. If anything happened to Xia Chan, he would feel uneasy.
Then again, it’s actually Xie Ciyou’s fault, Shi Qing thought, feeling much better as he continued to watch the fight.
Chen Ji was truly worthy of being Gu Yan’s disciple. Gu Yan used a saber, and Chen Ji had inherited his direct teachings. His saber style was fierce, with wide, sweeping moves and a magnificent aura. It appeared he had already broken through to the Nascent Soul stage; Xia Chan might not necessarily win.
The two in the arena were locked in a fierce struggle. Chen Ji, in particular, was full of excitement and high spirits as he wielded his saber with both hands. This caused him to lose some control over his strength; after Xia Chan dodged one strike, the saber aura flew straight toward the crowd.
The onlookers were cultivators and quickly dodged. One even swung his sword to deflect it, but his cultivation was inferior to Chen Ji’s. He was sent flying, and the impact caused the saber aura to veer off course—straight toward Jiang Xue, who was standing next to Shi Qing.
Shi Qing acted instantly, raising his hand to form a protective array. The moment the saber aura, which could cut through iron like butter, hit the array, it vanished into mist.
This move drew the attention of everyone around him. Shi Qing hadn’t intended to show off his skills, but without his intervention, Jiang Xue would have been in danger.
At that moment, a chill ran down the back of Shi Qing’s neck—the kind of chill one feels when being stalked by a wild beast. He turned around abruptly. Behind him stood a dense crowd of disciples attracted by the fight.
Shi Qing’s gaze swept past them toward the distant forest. It was pitch black, but Shi Qing knew someone was there. The person was hidden in the darkness, but that cold, sinister gaze remained, originating from that spot. Shi Qing tilted his head, thinking for a moment, then suddenly raised his brows and gave a contemptuous smirk toward the shadows, his eyes full of provocation.
The cold gaze intensified. A figure slowly stepped out from the darkness. He was tall, wearing a black robe that almost merged with the night, revealing only a grim, ruthless face with eyes full of deep scrutiny.
Shi Qing’s expression turned cold. Lu Zhui.
“What’s wrong?” Jiang Xue’s voice sounded beside him. Following Shi Qing’s gaze, he saw nothing but the lush trees silent in the night.
“Just a rat,” Shi Qing said flatly, withdrawing his gaze.
“A rat?” Jiang Xue looked toward the trees again. What was so interesting about a rat? “Anyway, thanks to you again, otherwise I would have been sliced in half.”
Shi Qing resumed his nonchalant demeanor and smiled. “It’s nothing.”
He had just taken a gamble with a bit of provocation, and the other party couldn’t help but show himself. Truly a rat that couldn’t keep its cool.
“Dongfang Yuqing is dead, but the warning from the Heavenly Dao remains. According to the Immortal Venerable, the Demon God’s consciousness can hide within a human body and cannot be detected unless demonic energy leaks. Does that mean we can only wait for the energy to appear?” Sect Leader Bai Ye frowned and added, “Did the Immortal Venerable come here because he believes they will strike during the Grand Competition?”
Xie Ciyou raised his eyelids slightly. “We shall wait and see. With all the sects gathered for the Grand Competition, we must take extra precautions. I am here to inform you that the Morning Mist Pavilion has its own arrangements during the competition. I hope Sect Leader Bai Ye will cooperate. Other matters will be shared when necessary.”
He gave Sect Leader Bai Ye a polite smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Bai Ye was accustomed to following orders and immediately agreed. Only after speaking did he remember something and turned to look at Gu Yan in the seat of honor.
It was an awkward situation. Xie Ciyou had been in seclusion for thirty years; the immortal sects had long recognized Gu Yan as their leader and were used to following his orders. In the Qingyun Hall today, it was Gu Yan who occupied the seat of honor. Xie Ciyou, along with the other sect leaders, had been placed in the primary seat below the honor position.
Inviting Xie Ciyou to sit earlier had been a bit awkward, but Xie Ciyou didn’t care at all. Power, fame, and status meant nothing to him compared to the instructions of the Heavenly Dao and the duty to suppress demons.
Perhaps this was why everyone respected and believed in the Morning Mist Pavilion.
Seeing Gu Yan’s displeased expression, Sect Leader Bai Ye quickly added, “What does Immortal Venerable Zhanyue think?”
“You are the Sect Leader of the Qingyun Sect; you may arrange things as you see fit. There is no need to ask me,” Gu Yan said in a deep voice.
“Yes, yes.”
“Then are we truly helpless, able only to wait for the other side to slip up? The Immortal Venerable said earlier that the Immortal Sect Order cannot detect the hidden Demon God’s consciousness and that we don’t know the method by which it hides in a human body.” Sect Leader Xiao’s rugged, dark face showed dissatisfaction as he looked at Xie Ciyou. “Doesn’t that mean someone from your Morning Mist Pavilion could also be hiding the Demon God’s consciousness? For instance, you!”
Everyone froze. It was a valid point. If the Demon God’s consciousness was currently hidden within Xie Ciyou, wouldn’t they be making deals with a tiger?
Xie Ciyou raised his brows. Instead of showing any offense, a hint of an unreadable smile appeared on his face. If not for the unmelting frost in his eyes, his face would have been truly mesmerizing.
Nangong Wangyue was thinking exactly that when she heard that cold, mockery-laced voice: “If that were the case, most of you would likely be severed corpses by now.”
He emphasized the words “severed corpses,” speaking with an undeniable certainty.
The atmosphere in the hall shifted, turning instantly frigid. Everyone stiffened as if drenched in cold water, their expressions turning grave as a chill washed over them.
Bang! Gu Yan slammed his palm on the table, his face dark. “What arrogant words!”
The pressure of a Soul Transformation cultivator, carrying a murderous intent, swept toward the man in white.
For the first time since entering the hall, Xie Ciyou looked directly at the seat of honor. His face was equally icy as his own Soul Transformation pressure poured out like a waterfall.
The two pressures collided, causing those in the hall to suffer. They hurriedly summoned their natal weapons to protect themselves, desperate to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
But the confrontation between the only two Soul Transformation cultivators in the world was more than they could bear. The artifacts before them trembled and wailed; those with lower cultivation were on the verge of collapse.
“Both of you, please calm down,” Sect Leader Bai Ye gritted out, struggling to hold on. “Let’s speak reasonably. Immortal Venerable Zhanyue, please withdraw your pressure. Gu Yan!”
Calling him by his name—he was so desperate he had used his status as an elder to persuade him. Gu Yan’s expression shifted slightly, and with a dark face, he slowly withdrew his pressure. Xie Ciyou, his face cold, did the same.
The pressure vanished, and everyone felt a sudden relief. Some were so drained that their artifacts fell to the floor with a loud clang.
“Are there any further objections regarding whether I am hiding the Demon God’s consciousness?” Xie Ciyou asked.
The hall fell into silence, the faces of those present looking grim.
It was true; if he were, no one in the hall except Gu Yan could do anything to him. He had no need to waste his breath here. Furthermore, if even the Pavilion Master of the Morning Mist Pavilion were possessed by the Demon God, then the Heavenly Dao would be truly finished, and the immortal sects would not be far from destruction.
They could only gamble that he wasn’t, and pray that he never would be!
Xie Ciyou curled his lips into a faint smile and said calmly, “It seems there are no further objections.”