Chapter 484 – My Master Is Not Human – Please Stop Showing Off Your Affection (30)
Before Sect Master Siyuan and the others could come up with a perfect strategy, Wang Cheng—now in possession of the True Dragon Aura—could no longer restrain himself and finally made his move.
With the True Dragon Aura in his hands, he believed the world already belonged to him.
The demonic cultivators who had pledged allegiance to Wang Cheng gathered their forces. This was no longer a series of small skirmishes.
This time, they launched an all-out assault on the righteous cultivators.
They killed anyone they encountered without mercy.
There was no longer any need to recruit more followers. Their ranks had already grown large enough. Besides, the righteous cultivators were nothing special—fragile, easily crushed with a single blow.
When the demonic army attacked the Dianxing Sect, Daoist Jiayi was inside, spending time with his long-lost daughter and making up for the years they had missed together.
The room was filled with warmth and laughter.
Outside, however, the sounds of slaughter echoed through the sect.
“Ahhh!”
“Sect Master, it’s an emergency! The demonic cultivators have broken through!”
“Run!”
“Senior Brother…”
The frantic cries came one after another.
Daoist Jiayi shot to his feet and glared at the demonic cultivators who had stormed inside.
“How dare you barge in here!”
The leading demonic cultivator sneered.
“Oh? I wondered who it was. Just a man who’s about to die. Since you’re at death’s door anyway, I’ll let you shout a few more times if you like.”
Daoist Jiayi’s expression immediately darkened.
He had cooperated with Wang Cheng. In exchange for finding Zhenzhen, he had planted spies in the sects allied with the Le’an Immortal Sect.
Now that everything had unfolded according to Wang Cheng’s wishes, was he planning to cross the river and destroy the bridge behind him?
“Father…”
Standing behind Daoist Jiayi, Zhenzhen clutched his arm anxiously, her voice filled with apparent worry.
“Don’t be afraid, Zhenzhen,” Daoist Jiayi said reassuringly, patting her hand. “As long as your father is here, none of them will lay a finger on you.”
Behind his back, where he could not see, there wasn’t a trace of fear on Zhenzhen’s face.
Instead, a cold light gleamed in her eyes.
“I knew from the very beginning that demonic cultivators couldn’t be trusted,” Daoist Jiayi said with a cold laugh. “Do you really think Wang Cheng can accomplish his grand plan without me?”
Daoist Jiayi had never been a simple man. Otherwise, he could never have so successfully helped the demonic cultivators infiltrate the righteous sects.
He summoned his natal magic treasure.
Silver light flashed through the room like dancing shadows, dazzling the eye.
The gap of a single cultivation realm was like the distance between heaven and earth.
Aside from a select few, every demonic cultivator present was slain by Daoist Jiayi.
The leader of the demonic cultivators spat out a mouthful of blood.
Supporting himself with one hand on his sword, he dropped to one knee.
“You… Lord Wang… won’t let you get away with this…”
Daoist Jiayi let out a scornful laugh.
“Wang Cheng? Then call him here. Don’t think he’s the only one capable of turning on his allies. Did you really think I wouldn’t prepare a contingency plan of my own?”
Facing a man who was about to die, Daoist Jiayi was patient enough to indulge him with a few extra words.
Yet before he could reveal what his so-called contingency plan was…
A sharp pain suddenly shot through his side.
A cold blade pierced his body.
Daoist Jiayi turned around in disbelief.
The person who had stabbed him was none other than…
his most beloved daughter.
“Why?” he demanded, pulling the dagger from his body. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Zhenzhen. “Wasn’t I good enough to you?”
Zhenzhen remained expressionless and offered no reply.
Coldly, she drew another dagger from her robes…
and stabbed him a second time.
“You… you’re not my daughter.”
Only then did Daoist Jiayi notice the aura of death in Zhenzhen’s eyes. No living person should possess such lifelessness.
Unfortunately, he realized it far too late.
Zhenzhen said calmly, “You’re very clever… but you’ve realized it too late.”
She drove the dagger in even deeper.
Bright red blood spread across the floor.
Daoist Jiayi tried to fight back, but he found that he couldn’t muster even the slightest strength. Nor could he circulate his spiritual qi.
The spiritual energy within his body was rapidly draining away.
Through his fading vision, he watched as Zhenzhen took the Keystone that symbolized the authority of the Dianxing Sect from his person.
His eyesight gradually blurred.
The leader of the demonic cultivators struggled to his feet and spat on Daoist Jiayi.
“So? How does it feel to be betrayed and wounded by someone you love most?”
He wasn’t actually interested in hearing an answer.
Looking at the dying old man, he found the scene utterly boring. Shaking his head, he turned and hurried after Zhenzhen.
The woman was indeed Zhenzhen…
but not the original Zhenzhen.
When she had fallen from the cliff, she had still been clinging to life. Wang Cheng had then used a soul-transference technique to exchange her soul with that of a female demonic cultivator whose body was already on the verge of death.
The real Zhenzhen now inhabited the frail body of an elderly woman.
Rushing back as quickly as that broken body allowed, she finally returned to the Dianxing Sect just before Daoist Jiayi drew his last breath.
“Father! Father!”
The old woman staggered forward.
Though she desperately wanted to reach her father as quickly as possible, her failing body simply wouldn’t cooperate.
“Father… how are you? Your daughter was unfilial. I came back too late…”
Hearing the familiar cries, Daoist Jiayi forced his eyes open with his remaining strength.
The first thing he saw was an old woman who looked even older than he did.
“You… you…”
“I’m Zhenzhen, Father. Don’t you recognize me?”
The elderly woman’s appearance was beyond recognition, and even her voice had become harsh and unpleasant.
But the way she spoke…
The concern in her voice…
Those belonged to his daughter, and no one else.
“Zhenzhen…”
Daoist Jiayi struggled to sit up and, with great effort, grasped her hand.
“How… how did you become like this? Who did this to you…?”
Tears streamed down Zhenzhen’s face.
“I don’t know. After I jumped off the cliff that day, a demonic cultivator saved me. I thought I had been rescued, but instead he coveted my body. He swapped my soul with someone else’s. This body is riddled with illness… I don’t have much time left. I’ve only caused you more worry, Father. It’s all my fault. I was an unfilial daughter…”
Daoist Jiayi was no fool.
After hearing her explanation, how could he possibly fail to understand what had happened?
“It’s not your fault…”
His voice trembled with regret.
“It’s mine. I… I chose the wrong path. I truly chose the wrong path…”
Overwhelmed with remorse, Daoist Jiayi finally understood the consequences of his choices.
Yet before his death, he had been reunited with his daughter.
And more importantly…
He still had one final chance to correct his mistake.
It wasn’t too late.
There was still time.
There had to be.
“Zhenzhen… Father doesn’t have much time left. Listen carefully. I’m going to pass all of my cultivation to you. Then go to my cultivation chamber. There’s a teleportation array there. Find the spirit stones…”
After giving his final instructions, Daoist Jiayi transferred all of his cultivation to Zhenzhen.
The moment the transfer was complete, his eyes remained wide open as he drew his last breath.
He died with his eyes open, unable to rest in peace.
“Don’t worry, Father. I’ll do everything you told me to do. I promise I will.”
Zhenzhen gently closed Daoist Jiayi’s eyes before hurrying toward his cultivation chamber.
Meanwhile, the fake “Zhenzhen” returned to Wang Cheng with the Keystone.
The table before Wang Cheng was already almost completely covered with Keystones—the symbolic tokens representing the various major sects.
Although these items appeared to be nothing more than tokens of identification, they actually contained the Power of the Righteous Path.
This so-called Power of the Righteous Path was a force recognized and sanctioned by the Heavenly Dao, allowing a sect to exist and flourish over the long term.
Not just any cultivator could establish a sect.
A sect that was not acknowledged by the Heavenly Dao would never survive for very long.
Wang Cheng was collecting these Keystones as a precaution.
If, for some reason, he failed to fully control the True Dragon Aura, he could still rely on the Power of the Righteous Path to tear open space itself.
Before long, several more demonic cultivators returned, each carrying another sect’s Keystone.
Wang Cheng placed them into the remaining spaces on the table.
Only one corner remained empty.
There was still one missing.
Frowning, he counted the sects represented by the Keystones one by one.
Which one was absent?
After counting them again, Wang Cheng ground his teeth together and slowly spat out a single name.
“Le…’an… Immortal… Sect.”
The group of demonic cultivators he had sent to seize the Le’an Immortal Sect’s Keystone had not only failed to return…
They had all been wiped out.
Sect Master Siyuan hadn’t even needed to lift a finger.
Bi Guang Demon Saint had personally exterminated them.
It was also his way of demonstrating his sincerity in cooperating with the Le’an Immortal Sect.
At present, the demonic cultivators had split into three factions.
The first faction was led by Wang Cheng. They had sworn to exterminate the righteous path and become the rulers of the world.
The second faction followed Bi Guang Demon Saint. It wasn’t that they had no desire to rule the world, but survival was far more important. They had already seen through Wang Cheng’s true objective. Only those who remained blinded by ambition continued to follow him foolishly. If Wang Cheng actually succeeded, this world itself would cease to exist.
The third faction remained neutral.
They lacked the strength to support any grand ambitions, and whichever side they joined, they would likely end up as expendable cannon fodder. So they simply stayed out of the conflict. With demonic qi now filling the world, they had little to lose. They found secluded places to cultivate instead, focusing solely on increasing their own strength.
“Why is he collecting the Keystones?”
Sect Master Siyuan murmured to himself, unable to make sense of Wang Cheng’s actions no matter how much he thought about them.
A faint sense of foreboding arose in Bai Tang’s heart.
He turned to Sect Master Siyuan and suggested, “Sect Master, we should gather all of the disciples here. Since the demonic cultivators were able to infiltrate the other major sects, there’s no guarantee they can’t infiltrate the Le’an Immortal Sect as well. We can’t afford to lose any more disciples.”
“What Xiao Tang says makes sense.”
Sect Leader Si Yuan looked at Le Xi Yin, the peak master of Le Feng. “Xiyin, go and bring all the disciples here. I’ll have to trouble you with this.”
Yue Xiyin was perceptive and meticulous. If anything seemed out of place, he would surely notice it, making him the ideal person for the task.
“Alright. I’ll go right away.”
Yue Xiyin glanced at Bai Tang. His lips parted slightly, as though he wanted to say something, but in the end, he remained silent and turned to leave.
Du Ting hurried after him, no longer bothering to hide the affection in his eyes.
If Dao Lord He Yi can become Dao companions with his own disciple… then so can Master and I.
“Master.”
“Don’t call me that, you rebellious disciple.”
A flash of annoyance crossed Yue Xiyin’s face.
Du Ting had always been quiet and unassuming. Yue Xiyin had thought he was a good disciple.
Who would have guessed that he harbored such improper feelings toward his own master?
The last time, taking advantage of Yue Xiyin’s drunkenness, Du Ting had even stolen a kiss from him.
His first kiss had been taken just like that.
It was utterly infuriating.
Du Ting pressed his lips together before speaking with unwavering determination.
“No matter what you call me, I won’t leave. Master, I like you. Since Dao Lord He Yi and Pei Boyi can become Dao companions, then we can too. It doesn’t matter if you refuse me now. I’ll work hard to become the kind of person you like, until one day you fall in love with me.”
“Hmph.”
Yue Xiyin let out a cold snort, unwilling to continue the conversation.
What he failed to notice, however, was the slight upward curve at the corner of his own lips.
“Master, the Five Peaks are fairly far apart. If we split up, we’ll only give the demonic cultivators an opportunity to attack. We should stay together.”
“Master…”
Still chattering away, Du Ting followed Yue Xiyin as the two of them gradually disappeared into the distance.
Although they had already left the meeting hall, Bai Tang—whose hearing was exceptionally sharp—had heard every word.
He tugged gently on Pei Boyi’s sleeve.
Pei Boyi leaned closer, allowing Bai Tang to whisper the latest gossip into his ear.
“Senior Brother Yue and his disciple…” Bai Tang covered his mouth as he giggled. “Don’t you think Du Ting’s shameless persistence looks a lot like the way you used to cling to me without any shame?”
Pei Boyi: “…”
My dear, I don’t think Du Ting and I are comparable.
“I can be even more shameless than that.” Pei Boyi lowered his voice, a teasing smile playing on his lips. “Would Tang Tang like to see just how shameless I can be… hmm?”
To everyone else, it looked like the two of them were simply whispering intimately to each other.
Then Bai Tang’s face flushed bright red, making him look even more irresistibly adorable.
“N-No!” the young man huffed. “You’re not sleeping in the bed tonight.”
Everyone present: …
They really are talking about that kind of thing, aren’t they?
The great war is about to begin… could you two please stop showing off your affection?!