The newcomer had a haughty expression, his words filled with an indescribable disdain. He let out a sneer and added, “So this is all there is to it,” his voice dripping with mockery.
Jiang Xuning was not inexperienced; he quickly sensed a mysterious hostility from the stranger. However, he was puzzled as to how this person knew about him being taken in as a disciple by Immortal Sovereign Chongyi. After all, this was a secret known only to their small group; even the people at the herb garden had been brushed off with a random excuse, believing he was simply Yu Heng’s elder brother.
Of course, setting that aside, the matter of being “taken in as a disciple” by the Sovereign was actually based on a misunderstanding. The Tianyan Sect had strict rules and would never allow an unidentified person to stay long-term, especially in a place as significant as Wangyue Peak. Therefore, to allow Jiang Xuning to stay and to facilitate his treatment, the Sovereign had accepted him as a disciple. Naturally, this was not a formal apprenticeship, but merely a nominal title; once he was cured, he would return home.
Nevertheless, he was curious. In his limited memories, he was certain he did not know this youth. They had never even met before, so he truly did not know where this hostility came from. Thus, he frowned.
This was caught exactly by the youth, who, coupled with Jiang Xuning’s long silence, grew irritated. He barked, “Why don’t you answer? Are you tired of living?”
Setting aside that the person before him was a mere mortal, even within the Tianyan Sect, few dared to ignore him like this. Combined with his pre-existing loathing, the youth’s face darkened, flashing a hint of ruthlessness.
“Clearly, this Prince is the one who should have become the Immortal Sovereign’s disciple. I never expected it would be handed to a lowly mortal like you.”
He spoke viciously, his brow suddenly sharpening. His pale pupils abruptly constricted into vertical slits—not like a human’s, but more like a beast’s.
Jiang Xuning was not oblivious. He could clearly feel the unmaskable killing intent, not to mention the youth’s current eerie appearance, which made him instinctively retreat.
Sure enough, seeing him move, the youth stopped pretending. He gave a cold, sinister smile and said, “But it doesn’t matter. As long as I kill you, that position will belong to this Prince again.”
As he spoke, he transformed his claws into blades and pounced forward.
Jiang Xuning intended to dodge, but his feet felt as if they were frozen to the ground, leaving him immobile. His pupils shook as he watched the youth get closer and closer, and he instinctively closed his eyes.
Just as he thought his life would end today, a whistling sound of something breaking through the air rang past his ear, accompanied by a wave of coldness, followed by the clashing of blades.
This left him stunned. Before he could react, he fell into an extremely warm embrace. The familiar sensation made him tremble uncontrollably.
Sure enough, when he opened his eyes, the face that came into view was Yu Heng’s—whom he hadn’t seen for days. He was still impossibly handsome, though his face was now filled with worry.
“Brother, are you alright?”
Yu Heng’s brows were tightly knit. Although he tried to hide it, the arms holding Jiang Xuning couldn’t stop trembling, exposing the panic in his heart. He didn’t dare imagine what kind of scene he would have found had he arrived one step later.
He suddenly looked up, his usually gentle face now carrying a touch of ferocity. He glared at the youth, who was still filled with killing intent, and demanded: “Baili Tu, what did you just try to do?”
Beneath his words was an uncontrollable rage.
Baili Tu?
Jiang Xuning, who had been somewhat dazed, snapped into full consciousness upon hearing this name. He naturally knew of Baili Tu because, in the book he had read, Baili Tu was the “Attacker Three,” second only to Huo Ling.
In that book, he was also quite famous. Besides his status as the third attacker, he was also the sole prince of the Wuze Demon Tribe.
The world knew that the Demon Emperor of Wuze was tyrannical and debauched. Every day, besides killing demon servants, he kidnapped beauties of all kinds for his pleasure. This finally drew the wrath of the Heavens, which brought down punishment upon him.
For a thousand years, despite having countless beauties and a harem full of concubines, not a single person could bear him an heir. At first, he didn’t care, thinking it was just a coincidence.
But as time passed, he became more and more panicked. Finally, one day, he felt true terror and desperately wanted a child.
However, once the Heavens decree a punishment, they do not easily rescind it. He suffered greatly for this, searching everywhere for a solution. Finally, one day, a traveler told him it was because he had committed too much evil in the past and was facing retribution; if he wanted to change this, he had to make amends and sincerely apologize to the Heavens.
Thus, the originally tyrannical Demon Emperor ceased his cruelty and began to earnestly govern the Wuze Demon Tribe. He even dispersed his harem, leaving only a few people.
Finally, his sincerity moved the Heavens. A hundred years later, Baili Tu was born. Because the child was so hard-won, the Demon Emperor doted on him excessively. No matter what it was, if the young son wanted it, the Emperor would get it for him. This led to Baili Tu’s arrogant, conceited, and overbearing personality.
Consequently, from the first moment he saw Yu Heng, he intended to take him for his own. In fact, if not for Yu Heng’s status as a disciple of Immortal Sovereign Chongyi, he would have kidnapped him long ago to keep him as a favorite for day and night.
Despite this, he hadn’t given up. To keep Yu Heng to himself, he dealt with anyone who tried to get close to him with the exception of Huo Ling, whom he couldn’t easily touch. Thus, the two were constantly at odds.
At this point, Jiang Xuning understood why Baili Tu could easily enter the boundary of Wangyue Peak and why he held a mysterious hostility toward him. It was because, besides wanting A-Heng, he also wanted to join Immortal Sovereign Chongyi’s sect.
Years ago, when the Sovereign was in mortal danger due to backlash, the Demon Tribe fortunately sent precious immortal herbs in time, stabilizing his injuries. To show gratitude, the Sovereign gave them a token that allowed free entry into the Wangyue Peak boundary as a gesture of sincerity and to facilitate the delivery of herbs.
After all, though the Sovereign’s injuries were stable, he still required immortal herbs to maintain them. These herbs happened to only exist in Wuze, where the Demon Tribe lived. This arrangement had continued for over a decade.
It wasn’t until Baili Tu appeared that this was disrupted. Because of the Emperor’s doting, Baili Tu grew up believing only the best things were worthy of him and that included a master.
Because of this, he set his sights on Immortal Sovereign Chongyi. After all, looking across the Three Realms, the only one who could be called “the best” was the former number one person, Immortal Sovereign Chongyi.
So, one year, while the Demon Emperor wasn’t looking, he secretly hid in the herb-delivery convoy to Wangyue Peak. He then took the opportunity to sneak into the Sovereign’s residence, met the Sovereign, and made an outrageous demand, threatening that if the Sovereign didn’t take him as a disciple, the Demon Tribe would stop sending herbs.
This incident once became known to everyone. The Tianyan Sect was furious and immediately kicked the entire Demon convoy off Wangyue Peak. Even the Demon Emperor fainted from anger upon hearing about it.
For no other reason than this: in a sense, the immortal herbs weren’t something the Sovereign had asked for, but something the Demon Tribe had rushed to provide.
The reason was that over the years, the Demon Tribe had received much favor from the Sovereign. Without his resistance against the Demon Race (Mo), they wouldn’t have enjoyed such long-lasting peace. After this incident, the Emperor feared losing that protection. Thus, for the first time, he punished the young son he usually held in the palm of his hand. He then rushed to the Tianyan Sect overnight to apologize personally, nearly losing all his dignity as an Emperor before the matter was finally put to rest.
Afterward, they continued to send herbs to Wangyue Peak as usual, even increasing the amount. But only Jiang Xuning, having read the book, knew that the Sovereign had long since stopped using those herbs. His worsening injuries made them increasingly ineffective; at most, they could only suppress his pain for a moment, serving no other purpose.
The reason he accepted them was simply that he didn’t want to start a conflict with the Demon Tribe during such a precarious time.
But this didn’t mean the Sovereign had no temper. Though he accepted the apology, he took back the token he had given them. From then on, even when delivering medicine, they could only linger at the foot of the mountain at most.
Yet even so, Baili Tu refused to give up. Every time medicine was sent, he came personally, attempting to see the Sovereign again and have him accept him as a disciple.
Now, somehow, he had found out that the Sovereign had taken a new disciple, especially a common mortal. He was naturally unwilling. Given his status, being inferior to a lowly person was undoubtedly an insult. That was why he was filled with hostility the moment he saw him.
Baili Tu’s hand was numbed by the shock of the sudden sword strike. He retreated several steps and was about to explode in anger when he suddenly saw Yu Heng appear. He was immediately delighted and about to step forward, but in the next moment, he saw Yu Heng holding that mortal he had just despised so much in his arms, his face showing indescribable worry and a mysterious tenderness.
His keen perception let him sense that something was wrong. Coupled with the way Yu Heng had just questioned him in a panic, he seemed to realize something. His face changed instantly; he couldn’t stand it. He immediately questioned loudly, “Junior Brother Yu, what is your relationship with him?” He then tried to move forward.
But before he could act, Huo Ling stepped in front of him, blocking his way. He said coldly, “Baili Tu, what are you doing here again?”
His tall silhouette almost overshadowed the youth, creating a significant pressure. However, Baili Tu was not afraid. He glared and met his gaze directly, not backing down at all. He said arrogantly, “What business is it of yours, Huo Ling? This Prince is here on orders to deliver medicine. Don’t you think you’re getting in the way too much?”
With that, he didn’t want to tangle with him further and tried to step aside. Right now, he only wanted to figure out the relationship between Yu Heng and that mortal.
Naturally, Huo Ling wouldn’t give him the chance. Seeing him try to leave, he blocked him again, refusing to let him advance an inch. This undoubtedly enraged Baili Tu.
“Huo Ling, you seek death.”
The youth’s face was grim. He raised his hand and attacked, intending to teach this human cultivator who didn’t know the heights of the heavens a lesson.
Before he could move, Yu Heng suddenly spoke from the other side. He seemed to have regained some composure and was no longer as terrifying as before, though his voice remained chilly. He was no longer as gentle as usual when looking at him: “Your Highness, why did you try to harm my brother?”