Xuan Yue stood up, stepped forward, and meticulously straightened Xie Rong’s collar. “You must not be disheveled. Calm your mind and refine the energy within you, just as you did when refining the lightning energy.”
Xie Rong looked down at his collar in confusion. He had only loosened it slightly because he was too hot; did that really count as being disheveled?
Master is a bit of a traditionalist. Loosening a collar slightly is considered disheveled? What would he call people who wear short sleeves and shorts—indecent?
Xuan Yue did not know what short sleeves and shorts were, but the names alone made him feel such attire was improper.
Xie Rong had expected to quickly calm his mind and refine the scorching energy within, but the reality was the opposite. He could not calm down at all. At first, the heat merely flowed across his skin, making him feel warm, but now the scorching energy was drilling into his very bones, making him feel unbearably hot. He could endure the agonizing pain brought by the lightning energy, but he could not tolerate this intense heat.
It is too uncomfortable; I cannot calm my mind to refine the energy. Is there no air conditioning here?
After grumbling to himself, Xie Rong opened his eyes, his face flushed and covered in sweat. He looked pitifully at Xuan Yue. “Master, do you have anything to help me cool down? I am so hot.”
Seeing that Xie Rong had failed to enter a meditative state after such a long time, Xuan Yue felt a flicker of doubt. Seeing Xie Rong looking so miserable, he waved his sleeve, lowering the temperature in the room. Even after the temperature dropped, Xie Rong still felt no relief, remaining hot to the point of desperation. Eventually, he could no longer even maintain his seated posture. He alternated between lying on the floor to catch his breath, standing up to sit, and sprawling on the ground.
Xuan Yue frowned, watching Xie Rong’s strange movements with utter confusion. Why is he so afraid of heat? It was truly bizarre; Xie Rong had faced the violent lightning energy without suffering as much as he was now.
Unable to bear it any longer, Xie Rong took off his outer robe and lay on the floor in his undergarments, saying weakly, “Perhaps I was terrified of the heat in my past life, which is why I am so exceptionally afraid of it in this one. Master, when will the after-effect of this spirit wine wear off? I am so, so hot.”
Xie Rong wondered internally, Is my fear of heat in this life because I was accustomed to air conditioning in my past life? Yes, that must be it. In my past life, I was terrified of the heat and relied entirely on air conditioning to survive the summer; I even went to the hospital several times due to heatstroke. When others said they were nearly ‘heat-dead,’ they were exaggerating, but when I said it, I meant it literally.
Xie Rong changed positions several times before finally sprawling out at Xuan Yue’s feet, as the proximity to his Master provided a trace of coolness. He tried to refine the scorching energy, but he failed; his heart would not quiet down. Within a short time, he had botched the circulation of spiritual energy through his meridians three times.
Xuan Yue saw everything clearly and stopped Xie Rong from cultivating. “You are too emotionally agitated right now; do not force your cultivation. Otherwise, you will suffer a backlash in your meridians at best, or deviate from your path at worst.”
Seeing Xie Rong’s disheveled state, Xuan Yue quickly looked away. Yet, even without looking, the image of Xie Rong’s flushed, disheveled face kept appearing in his mind.
Xie Rong was so hot that he could not sit, stand, or lie down comfortably. When he accidentally brushed against Xuan Yue’s leg, he felt a refreshing coolness emanating from it. Without a second’s hesitation, he clung tightly to Xuan Yue’s lower leg like an octopus, eyes half-closed in contentment. “Master, you are so cool; let me hold you for a while.”
The moment Xie Rong latched onto him, Xuan Yue’s muscles stiffened, and he stood frozen in place. It took him a long time to look at Xie Rong with a complex expression. “Do you know what you are doing?”
Xie Rong felt like someone dying of heat who had finally found a block of ice; he could think of nothing else but clinging to it with all his might, for he feared he would burn to death if he let go. After enduring the discomfort for so long, Xie Rong finally fell asleep while holding onto Xuan Yue’s leg.
Xuan Yue frowned as he looked at the sleeping Xie Rong, but he could not bring himself to pull his leg away. Xie Rong had been suffering so much that he had finally found peace, and Xuan Yue could not bear to wake him.
Xie Rong had no sense of time; he only felt that the period was incredibly difficult to endure, not realizing that more than ten days had already passed. His Golden Core stage divine sense was exhausted to the limit, which was why he had fallen into a deep sleep within half an hour of holding onto Xuan Yue.
Xuan Yue sat with his back straight for three days, but seeing no signs of Xie Rong waking up, he used his divine sense to check and realized the boy’s body was still devouring that scorching energy; it would likely take another ten days to finish. Finally, Xuan Yue sighed softly, bent down, and picked Xie Rong up from the floor.
Sensing a large block of ice approaching, Xie Rong excitedly threw himself at it, giving it a bear hug and rubbing his face against it. Feeling that this behavior was improper, Xuan Yue grabbed Xie Rong’s arms to pull him away, but Xie Rong only furrowed his brows and clung tighter. Helpless, Xuan Yue let the boy wrap himself around him.
More than ten days later, the flying vessel underwent a long-distance jump, and the spatial vibration woke Xie Rong. Seeing the boy blink in confusion, Xuan Yue covered Xie Rong’s eyes. “Do not be afraid. The vessel is jumping through space; we will reach our destination shortly.”
Xie Rong’s panic immediately vanished upon hearing Xuan Yue’s voice. After waking up, he realized he was clinging to Xuan Yue and scrambled to pull away, his voice slightly slurred. “Master, have I committed an offense against you?”
Xuan Yue did not answer, silently retrieving a set of clothes for Xie Rong to change into. Seeing the boy’s awkward expression, he said flatly, “No. As long as I do not consider it an offense, it is not.”
After all, Xie Rong was just hugging him to cool down; there was no offense in that. Xie Rong glanced at Xuan Yue and flashed a brilliant smile. “I knew you were broad-minded, Master, and would not mind.”
Master’s temperament is truly good. Not only is he not annoyed by me, but he even let me hold him to cool down. He is usually so averse to people getting close that I only dare to hug him lightly when I am excited. I have no idea how many days I held onto him, but he must have felt uncomfortable.
Xuan Yue stood up and changed his own clothes, as his previous outfit was now saturated with Xie Rong’s scent. He had intended to use a cleaning spell, but hesitated, opting for a sealing spell instead to lock the scent into the fabric. He tucked the clothes away, then frowned deeply. Xie Rong’s scent had no effect on the demonic energy, so why did he feel the need to preserve it so carefully? Xuan Yue could not find a reason for his actions; such hesitation was rare for him, but he did what his heart desired.
When the vessel emerged from the jump, Xie Rong looked out at the dark, lightning-filled sky in shock. “Master, where have we arrived? Why is the sky full of clouds and lightning?”
Xuan Yue, distracted from his thoughts, walked to the window to explain. “This is the Lightning Domain. The entrance to the secret realm is at its center. The vessel is too large and will be struck by lightning, so I will take you there on my sword.”
The real reason, however, was that the spirit stones in his storage ring were nearly depleted, and he could no longer support the arrays on the vessel. Xuan Yue led Xie Rong out, watching as the boy looked up at the endless clouds and lightning with a sense of his own insignificance. Xuan Yue observed him closely, and seeing that Xie Rong’s state of mind remained unaffected by the domain, he smiled faintly.
The lightning here was similar to that of a tribulation, radiating terrifying pressure. Whether one was a righteous cultivator or a demonic one, their strength would be suppressed. Yet, he noticed that Xie Rong was not only unaffected; he seemed not to feel the pressure at all. Another奇異 (marvel) of the boy had been discovered.
Xuan Yue summoned his life-bound Immortal Sword and took Xie Rong’s hand. Without needing to be prompted, Xie Rong stepped onto the blade. Space in the Lightning Domain was unstable, and Xuan Yue dared not risk spatial teleportation; if they were separated by spatial turbulence, it would be a disaster.
Zhong Menghui stood on her vessel, glaring at Xie Rong’s back with venomous eyes before following on her own sword. Her father had warned her repeatedly that this realm contained ancient arrays and potentially great legacies, so she must not cause trouble before they were obtained. She turned away, forcing herself to stop looking at Xie Rong.
Xuan Yue led Xie Rong to the center of the domain. Every time lightning struck nearby, Xie Rong would shiver or instinctively grab Xuan Yue’s sleeve. Xuan Yue took the opportunity to hold his hand firmly, glad to have a legitimate excuse to maintain physical contact.
Zhong Menghui sneered at them. “Your courage is smaller than a mouse’s, yet you dare to come to this secret realm? You are just a burden to my Senior Brother.” She turned to Xuan Yue, her voice softening into honeyed sweetness. “Senior Brother, this domain is dangerous, and the ancient array inside is unpredictable. Why not leave Xie Rong outside?”
Xuan Yue glanced at Zhong Mobei, who was observing the entrance, and replied coldly, “I do not need your concern, Junior Sister. I will take care of Rong’er myself.”
Menghui felt a surge of madness, but a mental warning from Zhong Mobei stopped her. Mobei was studying the formation; he could distinguish that it had been set up over three hundred years ago, coinciding with Xuan Yue’s return from the border. He scanned the realm and noted it lacked any high-level beasts. The ancient formation lay at the center, surrounded by the densest spiritual energy.
“This is indeed an ancient sacrificial formation,” Mobei exclaimed with excitement. “If the energy here is exhausted, the formation will dissipate, and the legacy treasures will be swept into spatial turbulence.”
Xie Rong, unable to see the formation, thought Mobei was overreacting, while his Master remained eerily calm. Why is Grandmaster so excited while Master is so indifferent? If there truly is an ancient legacy, why isn’t Master moving to claim it? Are cultivators not supposed to be selfish? Master taught me to be selfish and cold, yet he is the one giving away the ancient formation to the Grandmaster.
Xuan Yue watched Xie Rong observe his indifference, but Mobei was too lost in his greed to notice anything amiss. Once one’s heart was consumed by greed, one lost all rationality. Mobei began to study how to break the formation, his focus entirely on the treasures within. Xuan Yue took Xie Rong to collect the less impressive medicinal herbs in the area, filling his depleted storage rings.
“I thought you disliked corpses?” Xuan Yue asked, watching Xie Rong pick up a dead beast.
“I am only afraid of human corpses, Master,” Xie Rong explained with a shy smile. “I love eating beast meat, as you know.” I am only afraid of killing; I am not afraid of preparing ingredients. I have a gift for chopping meat.
Xuan Yue watched the boy skillfully butcher and pack the meat. No one who saw those swift, precise movements would ever think Xie Rong was timid. After clearing the area, they returned to the center, where Menghui sneered at Xie Rong’s joyful demeanor. “You act like an idiot over a few measly herbs.”
Xie Rong remained silent. Menghui was a madwoman; no matter what he said, she would find a reason to attack him. Sensing her murderous aura, Xie Rong wondered if he would have been disciplined if not for Xuan Yue’s presence. Xuan Yue, annoyed by the noise, pulled Xie Rong aside and erected a sound-dampening barrier. Menghui grew furious at being ignored, but Mobei’s mental pressure kept her in check.
Xie Rong retrieved his lounge chair and set one up for Xuan Yue, asking, “Master, how long will it take to break the formation?” This formation was clearly discovered by Master, so why is the Grandmaster acting like he should be the only one involved? Master is so passive; if there is a legacy, he is just letting the Grandmaster take it.
Xuan Yue smiled coldly. He had spent thousands of years laying this trap; by the time Mobei realized something was wrong, the tribulation lightning would already be upon him. This formation was a lure, designed to force Mobei into his ascension tribulation, where the lightning itself would be the cage. Xuan Yue replied, “I have limited knowledge of formations; I do not know how long it will take. If you are bored, you can play with the Nightmare jade slip.”
Xie Rong felt a flash of worry. If Menghui knows Master designed these games for me, she will want to kill me even more. I had better not play.
Xuan Yue moved a palace into the area, ensuring Xie Rong was safe within. Master is truly a Mahayana cultivator; his powers of observation are terrifying. He knew exactly what I was afraid of without me saying a word.
As Xie Rong practiced in his dreams, Xuan Yue waited, frequently looking up at the sky. Whenever his anxiety peaked, the sight of Xie Rong’s progress in the dream-world served to calm his heart.
One day, the sky over the Lightning Domain suddenly roared. The pressure multiplied a thousandfold. Zhong Menghui scrambled to her feet in terror. “Why is there the aura of an ascension tribulation?”
Xuan Yue stepped out of the palace, keeping it close to his person, and drew his Immortal Sword. With a single strike, he launched an attack at Menghui’s back. She was entirely focused on the sky; as a Mahayana cultivator, Xuan Yue’s attack was inescapable. She was struck by the force and teleported away by her protective jade—she believed it was the tribulation pressure doing the work.
Xuan Yue stared at the spot where she had been, dissatisfied. He had put his full strength into that strike and failed to kill her. If she is this hard to kill, Mobei will be even more difficult.
He turned his attention to the center of the formation, where Mobei was now locked by the tribulation. Xuan Yue laughed recklessly. “Grandmaster, I know you wish to ascend, so I have specially set up this ancient sacrificial array to see you off.”
Mobei realized too late that this was a trap. Locked by the tribulation, he felt as if he were wading through mud. He struggled to remain calm, knowing rage would only waste energy. He exhausted his treasures, but all spatial talismans failed under the tribulation lightning. His only consolation was that Xuan Yue had to suppress his demonic energy and could only exert twenty percent of his power.
As the first bolt fell, Xuan Yue launched a second attack, his sword qi weaving through the lightning. It struck Mobei right in the heart.
“You used ten percent of your strength? How dare you?” Mobei roared, disbelief shattering his composure. The despair was not from the lightning, but from the demonic energy within Xuan Yue’s sword qi that had infiltrated his meridians. He realized he had no path to survival.
“I should have killed you a thousand years ago. I underestimated you,” Mobei hissed. “You have abandoned the suppression of the Demonic Bone to kill me; you will eventually fall from grace and become a demon yourself. You have truly cast your life aside to kill me.”
“If you had killed me a thousand years ago, I would have had no chance to escape,” Xuan Yue replied coldly. “But you were too greedy for the benefits I provided. You were too arrogant to think you could control me.”
Mobei struggled against the lightning, his strength sapped by the demonic energy. As the realm began to collapse, Xuan Yue watched calmly. “Stop struggling. I have planned this for thousands of years; I will not let you leave alive.”
The secret realm disintegrated. Mobei roared one final curse before his soul dissipated. The tribulation clouds vanished, signaling his end. Xuan Yue stood in the silence for a long moment before sweeping the domain with his divine sense to ensure no trace of Mobei’s final words remained. He fetched Xie Rong, who was still deep in his dream-game. As he touched the boy, his own demonic energy went silent.
Master, I am sorry to disappoint you, Xuan Yue thought as he gazed at the sleeping boy. I will find a way to resolve this Demonic Bone; I will ascend as a god, not a demon.