Recently, the small time reporter Zhou Xuanle published yet another meticulously researched and rigorously cited article, stirring up quite a commotion throughout the cultivation world.
The core argument of the article was this,
Throughout history, the Chosen Ones known as the Illumination Lords had come in all kinds.
Even the methods by which they perished together with the Demon Sovereign were astonishingly diverse.
It was by no means as the world commonly imagined, that the only way was to clash spiritual power head on and ultimately meet a tragic end together in mutual destruction. On the contrary, the creativity of those throughout the ages had been far more abundant.
For instance, according to research, one Illumination Lord in history, a supreme master of the Dao of Go, had once annihilated the Demon Sovereign through the art of the game itself, defeating him so thoroughly that the Demon Sovereign, overcome with shame, sealed himself within an underworld chess vessel.
There was also another Illumination Lord who walked the path of alchemy, forging an unparalleled elixir that completely refined away the demonic energy from the Demon Sovereign’s body, ultimately reducing him to an ordinary mortal.
And yet another example spoke of a revered monk, an Illumination Lord who, through relentless day and night debates on Buddhist doctrine, gradually stripped away the Demon Sovereign’s hardened resolve, awakening his conscience.
In the end, the Demon Sovereign laid down his butcher’s blade and attained enlightenment on the spot.
The article even mentioned an even more bizarre and obscure anecdote from unofficial records. It claimed that one Illumination Lord of a certain era had attempted dual cultivation with the Demon Sovereign, intending to harmonize yin and yang in order to neutralize the demonic energy entirely, ultimately leading both to transcendence and ascension.
Though this particular account existed only in fringe historical tales, the fact remained undeniable: the methods by which Illumination Lords subdued Demon Sovereigns had never been confined to a single path.
Once the article was published, the various great sects found themselves momentarily unable to refute it.
After all, only the Illumination Lord could truly counter the Demon Sovereign.
If that were the case, then now that the Demon Sovereign was already in his hands, how he chose to deal with him was hardly something outsiders had the right to interfere in. Whether through sealing and suppression, annihilation, redemption, or even some inconceivable method,
So long as the demonic calamity was ultimately resolved and no longer threatened the world, wouldn’t that be enough?
Thus, for several months afterward, the cultivation world once again entered a period of relative peace.
The murky demonic energy gradually thinned. Mountains, rivers and vegetation that had once been corroded began to regain vitality. The heavens returned to a clear, crystalline blue, drifting clouds stretching and folding freely. Spiritual winds swept away impurities and all things flourished anew.
And yet, before long, unease began to surface once more.
Yes, it was true that how the Demon Sovereign was handled was not something others could easily interfere with.
But still, he had been confined in the back mountain of the Golden Toad Sect for nearly half a year now.
Had he been transformed through supreme alchemy? Redeemed through Buddhist or Daoist teachings? Or even… quietly executed without a word?
At the very least, shouldn’t there be some explanation given to the world?
To see the person alive, or to see the corpse dead, only then could people feel at ease. After all, that was a Demon Sovereign capable of destroying heaven and earth!
Moreover, in recent times, there had been persistent rumors that strange, unsettling sounds could often be heard deep within the Golden Toad Sect’s inner grounds at midnight.
And whenever disciples of the sect were questioned, their words would invariably falter. In the end, they would all offer the same unified response:
“This is the result of Young Master Yin using a secret technique to purify the Demon Sovereign.”
But what kind of secret technique was it? What incantations did it require? Which school’s teachings did it rely upon? What spiritual materials were consumed in the process?
No one could provide a clear answer.
Even when fellow cultivators directly questioned Yin Xuanlin face to face, he remained as shameless as ever.
“Why do you care what method I use? As long as it gets the job done in the end, that’s all that matters.”
“Then… how much longer will it take?”
“What’s the rush? Soon enough. Just wait.”
At this point, even the most trusting of fellow cultivators couldn’t help but feel skeptical.
Everyone understood perfectly well, just how deep the grudge between him and Xie Chen ran. Who didn’t know? Now that the man had fallen into his hands, to say there was no opportunistic revenge, no day and night “hospitality”, not even a three year old child would believe it.
Those strange noises in the dead of night?
Obviously, the Demon Sovereign was being tortured relentlessly in some underground dungeon.
Truly, one must never offend Yin Xuanlin.
Even for a Demon Sovereign, to fall into the hands of someone like him, was nothing short of eight lifetimes’ worth of misfortune.
Of course, Demon Sovereign Xie Chen had committed countless atrocities. He was someone the entire world deemed worthy of execution.
The problem was, if he were kept imprisoned and tormented like this for such a long time, what if it only nourished his resentment, deepened his hatred and fueled his violent nature?
If one day his demonic heart grew even stronger and he broke free of his restraints, unleashing boundless fury and seeking revenge, then who would be able to bear the catastrophic consequences of such a disaster?
Thus, the truest thoughts in the hearts of the various sects at this moment were simple: a bit of revenge to vent anger was understandable but it should stop there. Even the most vengeful person had to have limits, didn’t they?
It would be better to cut through the chaos swiftly, purify him if purification was the goal, execute him if execution was the answer. Resolve the matter as soon as possible and bring him out for all to see, so that the world could finally return to true peace.
And yet, another three months passed.
“Daoist Yin! No matter what, the purification should be complete by now, shouldn’t it?”
This time, Yin Xuanlin answered readily, “Mm, it’s done. Completely purified.”
The crowd was overjoyed and immediately pressed further, “That is truly cause for celebration! Then when will the grand ceremony be held to welcome, uh… Fellow Cultivator Xie back, ”
“Unfortunately, that won’t be possible for now.” Yin Xuanlin spread his hands. “He ran away yesterday.”
The entire hall fell into a dead silence.
Yin Xuanlin shrugged at their expressions. “What are you all staring at? His legs are his own, do you think I can stop him forever? But don’t worry, the purification is absolutely complete! Certified personally by me, the Illumination Lord, could there be any mistake? There isn’t a single trace of demonic energy left in him now. If you happen to run into him out there, you’ll naturally see for yourselves.”
The former Demon Sovereign.
Claimed to have been purified.
Had escaped.
And now the world outside was his open wilderness.
And there was even the possibility of “running into him by chance.”
This was absolutely not the kind of “chance encounter” anyone wanted!
Everyone present felt their scalps go numb. This was no trivial matter! But over the past year, they had long since learned that Yin Xuanlin was utterly incorrigible, arguing with him was pointless.
In the end, they could only force smiles onto their faces and cautiously probe:
“Then… Daoist Yin, do you happen to know which direction he fled? So that we may at least keep an eye out?”
It would have been better if they had not asked.
The moment the question was raised, Yin Xuanlin let out a cold, arrogant snort. “How would I know where he went? He can die wherever he pleases! Better if he dies somewhere far away!”
For a time, the entire cultivation world was once again shrouded in gloom and unease.
Rumors spread wildly.
Some claimed to have seen the former Demon Sovereign here, others swore he had appeared there but the most frequently repeated claim was that he had entered the Labyrinth Valley of Reflected Shadows.
That place was known as the origin of all memory stones in the world.
The lower grade stones within the valley could only record fleeting images before one’s eyes but the core stone marrow could even reflect and extract the deepest memories hidden within living beings.
Since ancient times, countless cultivators who had lost their loved ones, burdened with overwhelming obsession, had wandered that mist shrouded valley like restless spirits.
They sought fragments of the past, just a single lingering echo and again and again allowed themselves to drown in memories they could never let go.
But before long, more concrete news arrived.
Yin Xuanlin had personally gone there and had dragged Xie Chen back to the Golden Toad Sect once again.
This time, quite a number of people truly saw him.
He followed at Young Master Yin’s side, dressed in white, moving and stopping in step with him.
It was even said recently that the two of them would soon travel together to the overseas Kingdom of Luoyun for silk trade and would not return for at least half a year.
Perhaps… that was for the best.
Yes. Perhaps it was.
It was always a good thing if troublemakers ran far away.
All the more so when it was a former Demon Sovereign and an even bigger troublemaker running off together.
Yet just as everyone had finally breathed a sigh of relief, a new rumor sent another jolt of alarm through them.
Not long ago, it was said that some foolish bandits in the mountains had mistaken the two for ordinary wealthy young masters and attempted to rob them.
Before Yin Xuanlin could even make a move, the “purified” Xie Chen at his side had already struck first, his power overwhelming, his spiritual force surging violently. It was unmistakably the same terrifying strength he had possessed as the Demon Sovereign.
Wasn’t purification supposed to abolish one’s cultivation?
But as for this matter… no one dared to speak of it and no one dared to ask.
After all, merely meeting that pair of cold, tranquil eyes from the former Demon Sovereign was enough to send chills down one’s spine. Who would be reckless enough to test him further?
If one had to say something, then at least outwardly, Xie Chen now appeared as pure and elegant as a cold plum blossom blooming in snow, refined, detached, with not a trace of demonic energy lingering around him. It was… somewhat reassuring.
The problem, however, was that for many years before, he had always looked exactly like this.
Zhou Xuanle was a diligent and persistent little reporter.
Compared to relying on hearsay or following the crowd, he had always longed to uncover the truth with his own hands.
Recently, his sect had assigned him a task, to accompany a group of disciples from the Tangdi Immortal Sect to the Golden Toad Sect for an exchange program, serving as their supervisor.
It was the perfect opportunity to infiltrate the Golden Toad Sect from within.
But very soon, Zhou Xuanle realized that this Golden Toad Sect…
Its disciples had clearly inherited their sect leader’s style, there were hardly any who spoke reliably!
As a result, day after day, he found himself immersed in a sea of absurd and bizarre anecdotes, with countless versions circulating, each more unbelievable than the last, leaving truth and falsehood hopelessly tangled together.
For instance, just yesterday he had heard that the Golden Toad Sect had grown immensely powerful. Convinced that the former sect leader of the Tangdi Immortal Sect and several elders had harbored corruption, they had secretly intervened in the selection of the new sect master, supporting a group of genuinely upright and incorruptible individuals to take power.
This story, strangely enough, sounded about seventy to eighty percent believable.
Then today, he heard another tale: that a former elder of the Tangdi Alchemy Sect and his son, Bai Shuangcheng, had been among the first to discover that Xie Chen carried demonic energy, because they themselves had been secretly cultivating forbidden techniques.
However, in order to suppress capable individuals and divert blame elsewhere, the two had deliberately concealed this knowledge.
They had even taken advantage of Xie Chen’s leaking demonic energy to sow discord, ultimately causing Yin Xuanlin to be expelled from the sect.
Of course, later on, after Yin Xuanlin rose to power, he did not spare them either. Now, the father and son had been rejected by all major sects, reduced to outcasts despised by everyone.
Upon hearing this rumor, Zhou Xuanle suddenly realized that he truly had not seen Elder Bai and his son for quite a long time.
Could this also be true?
Several of these leads clearly had investigative value, enough to be developed into full features if pursued in depth.
However, some of the other rumors were simply too outrageous.
So outrageous that Zhou Xuanle often found himself at a loss for words.
For example, one day, a young disciple of the Golden Toad Sect leaned in with sparkling eyes, lowering his voice mysteriously as he spoke:
“Ah, Immortal Zhou, don’t tell me you’ve never read that bestselling book circulating outside, ‘Seizing by Force: One Hundred Nights with the Demon Lord’? Let me tell you, everything written in there is actually based on real events! Don’t be fooled by how he’s called Immortal Xie outside. Within the sect, privately, everyone now calls him the Sect Leader’s Wife…”
“Hehe, of course, ‘Sect Leader’s Wife’ is just a manner of speaking.”
He paused, then added with a grin,
“Some people even say ‘Sect Leader’s Husband.’”
As for what had truly happened during those half a year in the back mountain between their young master and the Demon Sovereign, the prevailing rumor within the Golden Toad Sect was this,
Whether purification had actually occurred or not was unclear.
But one thing was certain: an enormous quantity of extremely expensive spiritual medicines and immortal elixirs had indeed been purchased.
But within the procurement list for those medicines, there also seemed to be… some rather strange items mixed in, cough, such as ropes and specially made small leather whips?
Zhou Xuanle: “……”
He was utterly baffled. How could a sect remain so calm, so utterly unfazed, about rumors suggesting that their young master and the Demon Sovereign might be… involved with each other? Not only that, they even seemed happy to spread such gossip.
In any other sect, wouldn’t this kind of talk be immediately silenced, with those responsible punished on the spot?
“Ah, Brother Zhou, you’re being a bit narrow minded.”
“This is completely normal here. It’s a long standing tradition of the Golden Toad Sect.”
“Just count on your fingers, among all the elders, the great masters, the uncles, aunts, senior brothers and sisters in our sect, whose lifelong beloved wasn’t once their mortal enemy, someone they fought with to the death?”
Zhou Xuanle: “……”
Zhou Xuanle: “????”
He had been about to dismiss it as utter nonsense but then suddenly remembered,
Back when Yin Xuanlin had been recognized and brought back, the Tangdi Anecdotes Gazette had actually run a special feature on the Golden Toad Sect!
At that time, while gathering materials, he had already been deeply shocked by the genealogy of that family.
Every single uncle, aunt, elder and relative within the sect was no ordinary figure.
Many of them walked the line between righteousness and evil, eccentric and unpredictable, having committed countless morally dubious deeds yet still managed to roam the cultivation world freely as infamous figures.
Wealthy, willful, arrogant, these traits were practically etched into the bloodline of the sect. None of them followed conventional paths.
Even the current old sect master and his wife, Yin Xuanlin’s own parents, had once been bitter enemies whose clashes had thrown the entire cultivation world into chaos, becoming widely known far and wide.
It was, in every sense, a deeply ingrained family tradition.
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Fleurveil
[Translator]
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Once a chosen one of heavenChapter 2 · Why didn’t you crawl in the shadows?!Chapter 3 · They would rather fight each otherChapter 4 · I’ll do a handstand and run naked three times!Chapter 5 · So what if I’m showing off!Chapter 6 · If you look again, I’ll gouge your eyes out!Chapter 7 · The young couple is fighting again.Chapter 8 · I’m back at the Jinchan SectChapter 9 · Sour, sourChapter 10 · To seize credit for someone’s workChapter 11 · The Golden Toad Sect has come to our aid to annihilate the Demon LordChapter 12 · Sect Leader’s HusbandChapter 13 · The stone, fox, tree, and scarecrow are named XuanlinChapter 14 · My junior and I have had sweet moments in private!Chapter 15 · The truth behind their first falling out back thenChapter 16 · Hate lasts longer than loveChapter 17 · Xie Chen was actually the Demon LordChapter 18 · Slaying the Demon LordChapter 19 · From resistance to enjoymentChapter 20 · Xiao Xie’s perspective begins!Chapter 21 · Only because it was Yin XuanlinChapter 22 · Xie Chen was not a foolChapter 23 · The End