Chapter 482 – My Master Is Not Human – They moved overnight (28)
If demonic qi were easy to eliminate, righteous cultivators wouldn’t always assume that every encounter with demonic cultivators would end with them fleeing in defeat.
The demonic qi that had seeped into the soil had spread over far too wide an area. Under Wen Leng’s guidance, Yin Chun exhausted every last bit of spiritual energy in her body just to cleanse this small patch of demonic qi. With her spiritual energy depleted, the excessive strain left her feeling miserable. Fortunately, she didn’t have to force herself to continue. If she could no longer go on, Wen Leng was there to take over.
“This method tempers your spiritual power and broadens your meridians. Practice it more often,” Wen Leng instructed.
She had always taken a hands-off approach when teaching disciples, but Yin Chun was the disciple who had pleased her the most in the past hundred years. The future was unpredictable. Before long, the great war against the demonic path would inevitably begin, and she would certainly take part. If she were unfortunate enough to fall in battle, she hoped Yin Chun’s path of cultivation would be a smoother one afterward.
Rumor had it that the Frost Immortal Maiden was cold and emotionless. In truth, people had simply never seen Wen Leng’s gentle side. Those people had never been worthy of receiving her kindness.
Wen Leng was exceptionally perceptive. From the flood of rumors spreading everywhere, she had begun to discern the demonic cultivators’ pattern. It was true that they were targeting Bai Tang, and it was also true that they sought to destroy the righteous path. But more importantly, the mastermind behind everything was likely not all that powerful. That was why they had stirred up chaos, relying on outside forces to achieve their goals. They had released demonic qi into the world, allowing it to corrupt both cultivators and ordinary people, turning them into puppets. However, Wen Leng still had no idea how the mastermind was creating these puppets.
Wherever she and Yin Chun traveled, they cleansed the demonic qi they encountered. But that was far from enough. Instead, they headed toward the places where the demonic qi was the densest. She firmly believed that if they followed the trail, they would eventually uncover its true source.
Not long after the Demon Saint Bi Guang emerged from seclusion, the demonic cultivators who had pledged allegiance to him hurried over to seek his instructions on what they should do next.
Bi Guang Demon Saint was completely bewildered.
“What do you mean, ‘what should we do’? What exactly have I done?”
The demonic cultivators were equally confused. The outside world had already descended into chaos. Many righteous cultivators had been turned into mindless walking corpses. The only thing capable of transforming cultivators into puppets was Shura Ice, and only Bi Guang Demon Saint possessed it.
Wasn’t everything happening now part of his plan to lead them in wiping out the righteous cultivators?
After learning the general situation, Bi Guang Demon Saint narrowed his eyes as he looked up at the gray, ashen sky.
The demonic qi had already spread across the land, even blotting out the sun.
That was not a good sign.
Anyone who had reached the rank of Demon Saint was no fool. He could already tell that this was a trap carefully laid long ago by someone operating behind the scenes—a scheme designed to drag the entire cultivation world into it. Even he himself had unknowingly been used as the mastermind’s pawn, manipulated into making things difficult for the newly ascended Pinecone Demon Lord.
Where there is light, there is darkness. Light and darkness oppose one another, yet they also coexist. Now, darkness had eclipsed the light, shattering the balance. Before long, the world’s order would descend into complete chaos.
If one side emerged victorious, things might still be salvageable. But the far more likely outcome was that both sides would lose.
Yet at present, neither the righteous path nor the demonic path seemed to recognize the true nature of what was happening behind the scenes.
Bi Guang Demon Saint withdrew his thoughtful gaze and turned to his loyal subordinate.
“Send people to find Demon Lord Songzi. And while you’re at it, deliver an invitation to the Le’an Immortal Sect.”
According to the rumors circulating outside, the Daoist Heyi who had fallen to the demonic path was most likely the newly emerged Demon Lord Songzi from some time ago.
Bi Guang Demon Saint saw the situation clearly. He had never intended to oppose the righteous path. Whether one belonged to a prestigious righteous sect or was a demonic cultivator, everyone was simply cultivating under the will of the Heavenly Dao. In the end, the goal was the same—to ascend and become an immortal. The paths they walked were different, but they all led to the same destination.
Now, back to the newlywed couple.
The two of them were living happily and carefree in their cave abode. More accurately, Pei Boyi was the one enjoying himself the most.
However, the saying “If it doesn’t concern you, stay out of it” didn’t apply in the cultivation world.
Pei Boyi was aware of what was happening outside, but his heart was occupied solely by Tang Tang. He had no interest in getting involved in the conflict between the righteous and demonic paths. They all wanted to make Tang Tang the scapegoat anyway, so why should they bother going out?
The demonic qi spread at an astonishing speed. Within just one month after the disaster erupted, it had engulfed almost the entire mortal realm. Even the righteous sects had fallen, with only a handful protected by powerful sect-guarding formations still holding out.
Eventually, the demonic qi reached the couple’s cave abode. It breached the protective barrier and drifted into the backyard where Bai Tang often played.
As though it possessed a mind of its own, it hid among the trees, lying in wait. When Bai Tang transformed back into his little squirrel form and climbed a tree as usual, it suddenly grabbed one of his hind legs, leaving the little squirrel dangling upside down.
“Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!” What is this thing?
In a house thousands of miles away, Wang Cheng let out a harsh, sinister cackle.
‘Heh heh heh… Found you. You little pests certainly hid well. This time, I’ll make you pay for the humiliation you inflicted on me that day.’
This man was none other than Wang Cheng, who had entered the Le’an Immortal Sect in the same year as Pei Boyi. After spreading rumors and maliciously slandering the Medicine Peak, he had his cultivation abolished and was expelled from the sect, then sent back home.
The Wang family had become wealthy through sudden success and was more than capable of supporting him. After Wang Cheng became a disciple of the Le’an Immortal Sect, however, the family regarded it as a tremendous honor. Believing that one of their own would one day become a great cultivator, they flaunted their status everywhere, offending countless rivals in the process.
Those rivals had been furious but dared not act. The Wang family itself was easy enough to deal with, but behind them stood the Le’an Immortal Sect. Wang Cheng had even been considered a valued inner-sect disciple, so everyone could only grit their teeth and tolerate the family’s arrogance.
Then, less than a year later, Wang Cheng was expelled from the sect.
His enemies, who had been closely watching the Wang family’s every move, quickly learned the news.
“Oh? Their backing is gone now? Let’s see you act so smug.”
Wang Cheng had only just recovered from his injuries and had not yet begun cultivating again when his family’s enemies struck. They destroyed the Wang family, leaving it in ruins. Although Wang Cheng narrowly escaped with his life, he was left permanently crippled.
As he lingered on the brink of death by the roadside, waiting for the end, a demonic cultivator happened to pass by. Seeing Wang Cheng use the last of his strength to tug at his robe and beg for help, the demonic cultivator searched his memories and found them rather amusing. On a whim, he saved Wang Cheng’s life.
That was how Wang Cheng embarked on the path of demonic cultivation.
After everything that had happened, his hatred for the Le’an Immortal Sect—and for Bai Tang—only deepened. In his eyes, if Bai Tang had been a little more magnanimous, neither he nor his family would have ended up like this. As a great cultivator, Bai Tang had been petty and vindictive, showing not the slightest trace of grace or broad-mindedness.
Wang Cheng had always been the type to repay every slight with vengeance.
Although the demonic cultivator who had rescued him had saved his life and guided him onto the path of demonic cultivation, Wang Cheng felt not the slightest gratitude. Instead, he waited for an opportunity to ambush his benefactor and seized all of the man’s cultivation for himself.
He repeated the same method on many other cultivators, stealing both their cultivation and their lives. Desperate for rapid advancement, he pursued power at any cost and reached the Nascent Soul Transformation (Huashen) stage within just a few years. Even then, he remained unsatisfied.
He had once sworn that the Le’an Immortal Sect would pay for what it had done and that Bai Tang would experience the same life of misery and persecution he had once endured—a life like a rat scurrying through the streets, hunted wherever he went.
And he had succeeded.
He had used the Daji Secret Realm to force Bai Tang onto the demonic path, lured Bi Guang Demon Saint into the conflict, dragged the major sects into the chaos, manipulated public opinion until Bai Tang had nowhere left to run, turned the Le’an Immortal Sect into the target of everyone’s condemnation, and even made the so-called righteous sects turn on one another like dogs fighting over a bone.
Watching the entire spectacle unfold had brought him immense satisfaction.
But then Bai Tang disappeared, vanishing together with his beloved disciple.
How could that be acceptable?
He had yet to witness the most miserable end imaginable for Bai Tang and Pei Boyi.
It wasn’t enough.
Far from enough.
And now…
He had finally found them again.
No matter how deeply they hid, they could never keep any secrets from him.
Wang Cheng directed the demonic qi to seize the little squirrel. Just as it was about to drag Bai Tang out of the cave abode’s backyard, Pei Boyi sensed something was wrong and rushed over in time. With a single slash of his sword, he severed the chain of demonic qi and pulled the little squirrel back into his arms.
“That scared me to death! I don’t know what happened, but once that thing grabbed me, I couldn’t use any of my spells at all. Thank goodness you came!” Bai Tang said, still shaken as he leaned against Pei Boyi’s chest. Unease lingered in his eyes. “I could feel an overwhelming hatred coming from that thing. Who do you think it belonged to?”
The strand of demonic qi attempted to flee, but Pei Boyi hurled his sword, pinning down the sliver of divine sense hidden within it.
Thousands of miles away, in a secluded house, a sharp pain stabbed through Wang Cheng’s eyes. He hurriedly withdrew that fragment of his divine sense.
A trail of bloody tears streamed from his eyes. His face twisted with malice as he growled through clenched teeth, “Damn it… I was so close.”
Once the fragment of divine sense dispersed, the demonic qi reverted to ordinary demonic qi.
“Huh?” Bai Tang murmured.
Pei Boyi recalled his sword, and the demonic qi dissolved into the air.
“Tang Tang,” Pei Boyi asked as he gently stroked Bai Tang’s back, “did you offend many people while you were in the Demon Realm?”
Bai Tang pouted and replied in a soft, childlike voice, “A lot! I made lots of enemies. I was the newcomer, so everyone disliked me and kept picking fights with me. Later, after I killed the Gaoge Demon Saint, far fewer people dared to cause me trouble. Then, while I was in seclusion, even the demonic cultivators who had pledged allegiance to me betrayed me. By the time I came out, Bi Guang Demon Saint was already looking for his missing Shura Ice, and that’s when he came after me.”
Remembering those days of constant hardship, Bai Tang clenched his fist and lightly thumped Pei Boyi’s firm chest.
“Why weren’t you there back then? I never had enough to eat, never had enough to wear, and I had to keep running from people trying to kill me. Every single one of them bullied me…”
The young man looked as though he were about to burst into tears. His eyes were rimmed with red, shimmering with tears that threatened to spill over at any moment.
After Bai Tang fell to the demonic path in the Daji Secret Realm, he had fed Pei Boyi a medicinal pill and personally told him that they should sever all ties. Bai Tang no longer remembered any of it. All he remembered was that after leaving the Daji Secret Realm, his life had been nothing but hardship.
“It’s my fault. I should have gone to find you right away, Tang Tang.” Listening to Bai Tang describe those difficult days, Pei Boyi could easily imagine how miserable he must have been. His Tang Tang should have been cherished and pampered beyond measure.
“Then you have to make it up to me. From now on, you have to make pine nuts for me every day. And you can’t repeat the same recipe within seven days, okay?” Bai Tang had grown much cleverer now. He had learned how to bargain for his own benefits.
“Alright. Whatever Tang Tang says, I’ll agree to it. I can even make a different one every day for an entire month without repeating a single recipe.”
“You said that yourself. I didn’t force you.”
“I did. Tang Tang can keep me to my word.”
After coaxing Bai Tang into smiling again, Pei Boyi began packing their belongings.
Although they still didn’t know who was targeting Bai Tang, this place had already been discovered. They could no longer stay here. Once someone had found them once, there would inevitably be a second time. He could strengthen the cave abode’s defenses, but there would always be risks. He refused to gamble with Tang Tang’s safety.
A man who had abstained for too long could be quite dangerous. Ever since the two of them had become Dao companions, Pei Boyi had spent almost every few days sharing intimate moments with Bai Tang, leaving Bai Tang too exhausted to get enough sleep. To keep Pei Boyi from turning into his beast form in the middle of the night, Bai Tang had gotten into the habit of transforming back into his little squirrel form before bed. It happened to make moving much more convenient now.
Pei Boyi packed everything Bai Tang liked and everything he was accustomed to using into his storage space. Then, gently cradling the little squirrel, who was sleeping soundly, he quietly left the cave abode they had called home for so long in the middle of the night.