Dreams and divine consciousness are linked together. Shi Li brought Jun Yanye’s primordial soul to a certain place within his own divine consciousness.
Shi Li’s sea of consciousness was not much better than Jun Yanye’s. It was highly turbulent, filled with numerous indistinguishable things with blurred faces, as if countless lonely souls and wild ghosts were wandering around inside.
The two passed through countless ruins and mysterious, treacherous lands enveloped in black mist, finally arriving at a clean and peaceful spot.
“This is-”
Jun Yanye stared at the massive, scarred rift before him, which looked like a charred hole burned out of someone while they were still alive.
“When you recuperate in my sea of consciousness in the future, you can come here,” Shi Li said, pointing at the wound. “Staying here, your primordial soul will be very safe and will not be disturbed by bizarre things.”
“When was this left behind?” Jun Yanye asked.
For someone at the Qi Condensation stage, receiving such a heavy blow to the sea of consciousness was enough to be fatal, yet Shi Li was still alive.
“Probably several decades ago.” Shi Li touched his own forehead.
“What happened? Who injured you?”
Shi Li hesitated to speak, but in the end, he only said, “A secret.”
“You have many secrets,” Jun Yanye said.
“So do you.” Shi Li looked toward Jun Yanye, their gazes meeting.
Jun Yanye thought to himself that Shi Li was deliberately evading the exploration and understanding of others.
Jun Yanye also had many secrets, but those secrets protected him so well that even Jun Yanye himself was completely unaware of them.
After the two woke up from the dream, Shi Chen’s primordial soul was left trapped inside the Dream-Following Yearning Pendant. However, when Jun Yanye was about to take Shi Li to search for Shi Chen’s physical body, Shi Li said, “There is no need to look for it.”
When Jun Yanye went to check by himself, he found that it was exactly as Shi Li had said. Shi Chen’s physical body had already vanished without a trace, and the only thing left in the abandoned cave was a puppet doll.
Shi Chen had prepared an escape route long ago and had not come in person.
Shi Li said to Jun Yanye, “Now, take me to see Demon Lord Gui Chi.”
Gui Chi had already been beaten to a crippled state by Jun Yanye and was tied to the foot of the bed. The insect demons serving him were all immobilized by a body-freezing technique, leaving the entire bedroom in a complete mess.
Jun Yanye brought Shi Li before Gui Chi. Gui Chi remained completely motionless because Jun Yanye had sealed his six senses, leaving him unable to see with his eyes or hear with his ears.
“How does the Demon Venerable plan to deal with him?” Shi Li asked Jun Yanye.
“Kill,” Jun Yanye uttered this word lightly, then lowered his eyes and added, “It would inevitably cause internal strife among the demon race. Therefore, he cannot be killed.”
“Exactly.” Shi Li smiled. “Unseal him. I have something to say to him.”
Jun Yanye unsealed the restriction on Gui Chi’s six senses.
Gui Chi woke up and saw Shi Li and Jun Yanye standing completely unharmed in front of him. Knowing that his plot had failed and that his attempt to seize Jun Yanye’s cultivation had resulted in his own capture, the situation left absolutely no room for turnarounds.
Harboring a heart of finality, Gui Chi stiffened his neck, his eyes turning red as he shouted, “If you want to kill me, then kill me. There is no need for further words!”
“The Demon Lord is awake,” Shi Li bent down elegantly, touching one knee to the ground to keep his line of sight level with Gui Chi’s. “The Demon Lord truly gave us quite a scare yesterday. I wonder if it is because the day of your tribulation is drawing near, causing your divine soul to become unstable, that you actually suffered a qi deviation. Fortunately, Demon Venerable His Majesty restrained the Demon Lord in time. Otherwise, the large and small demons of this entire cave would have suffered a calamity.”
Looking at the smiling Shi Li, Gui Chi was momentarily stunned.
He looked at Jun Yanye again, completely unsure of what intentions these two people were harboring.
“Rest assured, Demon Lord, neither I nor Demon Venerable His Majesty will speak a single word about today’s matter to the outside world.”
Shi Li took out that Dream-Following Yearning Pendant from his sleeve once more. The light of the precious pendant reflected upon the right side of Shi Li’s face, accentuating his elegant features and delicate bone structure.
Gui Chi could tell at a single glance that both halves of this jade pendant were genuine.
“As for this treasure, the Demon Lord had better return it to your master, Master Lanhua,” Shi Li stuffed the jade pendant into the fold of Gui Chi’s robe. “Apologize to him again and beg for his forgiveness, and he will certainly help you pass this tribulation. Your fate does not end here, and he is the only one who can save you.”
“Uh…” Hearing the name of his master, Master Lanhua, Gui Chi’s heart stifled, and his eyes grew a bit redder. He lowered his head, and only after a long while did he ask in a hoarse voice, “Was it Master who… sent you?”
“No, I do not know your esteemed master.”
“Then how could you know?” Gui Chi had completely lost his fighting spirit. He only wanted to know how Shi Li knew about the conflict between him and his master, and how he knew that he had stolen his master’s precious artifact.
In truth, it was not that Gui Chi had never thought about asking his master for help to pass the tribulation, but having fallen out with his master previously, he truly lacked the face to return.
With Shi Li speaking this way, Gui Chi wanted to go back and visit his master even more.
“I thought the Demon Lord should also care a little about where the young master who came from the Changming Sect has gone.” Shi Li stood up.
“What-what young master?” Gui Chi tried to play dumb.
“The very person who plotted with you, Demon Lord, to harm the two of us. Right now, he has disappeared, leaving all the loose ends for you to clean up, Demon Lord. It was originally a plan to kill with a borrowed knife. Now, seeing that the matter has been exposed, he ran away without leaving so much as a shadow. He calculated quite shrewdly.”
Gui Chi already placed a degree of trust in Shi Li. Hearing Shi Li speak this way, he became increasingly suspicious of Shi Chen.
The people of the Sanctuary were treacherous, cunning, sanctimonious, and truly untrustworthy!
“The little friend is right. If I see him again in the future, before he can even open his mouth to speak, I will skin him alive first!” Gui Chi said resentfully.
Seeing that the conversation was mostly finished, Jun Yanye raised his hand to release Gui Chi’s restraints.
“Demon Venerable Your Majesty, thank you for staying your hand. I have a request.” Gui Chi bowed solemnly.
“What matter?”
“I must set out tomorrow to visit my master. The journey is long, and although there are people managing the affairs inside the cave dwelling, it is ultimately not reassuring. I hope the Demon Venerable Your Majesty and the little friend will temporarily guard this place.”
Gui Chi knew that if Jun Yanye had the intention to kill him, he would have turned to ash long ago. Now that the words had been spoken openly, Jun Yanye was not a vindictive person either, making him someone who could actually be entrusted with this.
“On what day will you return?” Jun Yanye asked.
“In less than a month.”
“Good.” Jun Yanye nodded in agreement.
In this way, the two did not need to endure the hardships of the wilderness anymore. There was a ready-made, luxurious cave dwelling for them to live in, complete with people to serve them and conduct patrols.
“By the way, Demon Lord, I have a matter I want to ask,” Shi Li said.
Gui Chi smiled and said, “Little friend, there is no need to be polite. If there is anything, feel free to speak.”
“Is the wine in your cave dwelling free for me to drink?”
“In a moment, I will have an attendant lead you to the wine cellar. You can drink as much as you want!”
The little demon attendants bustled back and forth to arrange the cave dwelling for Jun Yanye and Shi Li. A white jade bed, golden-thread mats, an agate screen, and shark-silk curtains were set up, with a level of luxury that surpassed even the Demon Lord’s own bedroom.
Shi Li sat on the bed pouring and drinking by himself, getting half-drunk, when Jun Yanye walked over carrying his companion sword.
“This is for you.”
Jun Yanye’s companion sword hovered in the air. Demonic runes were carved in rows upon the crimson scabbard, and a sword eye polished from a black dragon bone was embedded in the hilt. The entire sword emitted a heavy, malevolent energy.
“What is this?” Shi Li lay half-reclined on the bed holding the wine pot, his eyes hazy with intoxication.
“If I enter your sea of consciousness to recuperate, I will be unable to protect you. This sword will protect you in my stead. Since we have formed a Dao companion contract, it will also acknowledge you as its master. If you do not believe it, try calling its name.”
“Alright, let me try. What is its name?”
“Xuanhuang.”
“Xuanhuang” Shi Li called out toward the red sword in front of him.
The body of the sword instantly burst forth with a dazzling red light, accompanied by a domineering response whose gender was indistinguishable, “Unlucky!”
Jun Yanye was silent.
Shi Li sat up. “It insulted me.”
Shi Li patiently reached out his hand to grip the sword again. “Xuanhuang, I am also your master. My name is Shi Li.”
“Weakling! Do not touch me! You are not worthy!” Xuanhuang retreated a few feet, its tone carrying intense disgust and resistance. “A mere Qi Condensation stage actually presumes to wield Xuanhuang! Xuanhuang would rather die than surrender! The dignity of Xuanhuang’s sword cannot be insulted!”
Xuanhuang threw a tantrum, tossing and turning up and down in the air. “Bah, a petty scoundrel of the Sanctuary. Xuanhuang is irreconcilable with the Sanctuary!”
Shi Li turned his head to look at Jun Yanye. “What do you say?”
Jun Yanye cast a cold glance at Xuanhuang. “The Sword-Melting Abyss is barely a hundred miles away from here. You want me to send you there right now, do you not?”
“Master, you, you you you!” Xuanhuang’s blade trembled, filled with disbelief. “I am the grand Xuanhuang! You are crazy!”
“Is this truly your sword?” Shi Li looked at Jun Yanye, laughing uncontrollably. “Could it be that you stole it from somewhere?”
Jun Yanye chanted an incantation, and Xuanhuang’s light immediately dimmed down, falling onto the bed and becoming unable to move.
Shi Li smilingly took Xuanhuang into his arms. “I truly like the way you resist desperately yet uselessly. Xuanhuang, you are so cute.”
The blade was trembling, and the cries were very wretched, “Ahhh, let go of me, I have been defiled, ahhh”
Shi Li lowered his head slightly, his long hair draping over his shoulders. He whispered a secret word to Xuanhuang, and Xuanhuang instantly became quiet.
“Master Shi Li.” Xuanhuang’s attitude completely reversed. “Xuanhuang will definitely exert every effort to protect Master.”
Shi Li smiled and stroked Xuanhuang, which became as obedient as a dog.
“Xuanhuang failed to recognize your greatness and actually offended Master like this. Xuanhuang feels deep shame in its heart.” The blade lay quietly in Shi Li’s embrace.
“Good child.” Shi Li smiled lovingly.
“What did you say to it just now?” Jun Yanye asked.
Jun Yanye had heard the words Shi Li spoke to Xuanhuang just now. Shi Li had only said a single sentence, “Do you still remember the Devouring Heaven Abyss?”
Something must have happened at the Devouring Heaven Abyss that Xuanhuang would rather die than let anyone know.
“I can only say that the sword spirit currently inside the Xuanhuang sword is long gone from the original sword spirit. It took over the body through possession. It originally wanted to possess the master of the sword, but accidentally possessed the sword spirit instead, leaving its primordial soul sealed inside the sword all this time.” Shi Li looked at Xuanhuang. “Am I correct?”
“Uh…” Xuanhuang felt that life was no longer worth living. “As fellow fakes, you are a fake young master and I am a fake sword spirit. Why must we be so eager to destroy each other? Why did you have to tell the Demon Venerable about my matter?!”
“I am the only one in the world who knows your secret. If he is not by my side, would you not kill me to silence me? Now that I have told him the secret, if you dare to be disloyal to me, you know the consequences.” Shi Li poured another cup of wine.
Jun Yanye also poured a cup, looking coldly at Xuanhuang.
“Demon Venerable Your Majesty! I truly did not mean to deceive Your Majesty.” If Xuanhuang had a physical body, it would have knelt on the ground long ago. At this moment, it lay prostrate on the bed. “This, this was all forced by the circumstances.”