“After it!!”
“It’s already hurt, don’t let it get away!”
“Go after it!!”
The cultivators shouted, leaving behind the tattered glazed bamboo building, following the ink-coloured devil dragon out of the bamboo forest; the four sect leaders looked at each other, nodded slightly, and also followed with their swords.
“Mo Lin…,” As Qiu Yutong looked at the little dragon’s hastily departing figure, for some reason, his heart seized hard, and he almost wanted to go after him, but Lu Xiao grabbed him, and said in a stern voice, “Shizun, Calm down! It’s only an illusion, it’s all over now!”
Qiu Yutong came back to his senses and murmured, “Yes, it’s all in the past… what should have happened, had all happened too.”
But, why is it so hard for me? Looking at Xiao Long’s wretched back, it was as if a large hand was rubbing his heart hard, or a heavy stone was pressing heavily on his chest, making it almost impossible for him to breathe… In a trance, Qiu Yutong couldn’t help but tug on Lu Xiao’s lapel, and the familiar and reassuring aura of his little disciple finally made him feel a little better.
Lu Xiao hesitated for a moment, then wrapped his arms around him gently, “It’s all right, it’s all right. I think it was willingly done, If it were me, I would have…”
He hesitated, then didn’t continue.
Qiu Yutong didn’t hear what the other man was saying, his whole body was dizzy, and he was barely able to stand against the strong, warm chest beside him.
Lu Xiao didn’t say anything else and just allowed him to lean in.
Qiu Yutong took a couple of low breaths, finally regaining some strength. Then, he slowly raised his eyes, looking at his young apprentice almost in confusion, “Why? Why is this not at all like the legendary story?”
“Shizun, you are too pure, you do not understand, the human heart is… very complicated.” Lu Xiao said softly, “For great profit, for supreme power, people like this, will do anything, make up anything.”
Qiu Yutong stared at him blankly, then the scene around him gradually distorted again.
…
It was a huge, endless lake, the surface of the lake was rippling with blue waves; spring was in full bloom, flying birds circled and fish jumped, full of life.
Only the turquoise edge of the lake was filled with floating wisps of blood.
On a rocky beach by the lake. a large group of cultivators gathered around, discussing something.
“Let’s dig for the core, it’s the freshest at this time.”
“It’s not dead yet.”
“It’s dead, isn’t it?”
“I think it just moved again.”
“Never mind that! I’m going to do it! This beast has hurt several of us Sanhe Sect members!”
“Master He, hold on. We all attacked the devil dragon this time, which school or sect doesn’t have any dead people? So the group that has the right to dig up this devil core should be discussed well. Master Huikong, don’t you think so?”
“Amitabha Buddha! In my opinion, the devil core…”
Amidst the noise and arguments, Mo Lin lay quietly on the rocky shore, much of the original color of his beautiful dark red scales having peeled away, revealing the hideous flesh beneath them, a deep scar turned white after having been soaked in water, and his dark golden eyes had lost their lustre.
The cultivators were also in a terrible state, with many wounded. Some had their heads cut open and bloodied, some were blinded in one eye; some had half their faces burnt by the dragon flame, and some were kicking Mo Lin’s body hard, “Damn you, you stinking beast! I’ll dig up your stinking devil core later and rip out your fire-breathing mouth and we’ll see how lofty you’ll be by then.”
Mo Lin didn’t seem to hear what they were saying, the whole dragon looking sickly and lifeless.
The cultivators argued for a long time without any result when several people exclaimed all of a sudden, “Someone is coming!”
“It’s… It’s Tianzhao Yunhai!”
“Immortal Emperor Qing Heng… No, Qing Heng is here!”
Mo Lin was slightly dumbfounded, and then his spirits rose up to the extent that he crawled up a little and his dark golden pupils became vertical, simply frighteningly bright.
Qing Heng, Qing Heng was here! Qing Heng didn’t not want him! He hadn’t seen Qing Heng since he hid in the glazed bamboo building… but, but he was so ugly now, and his scales were gone… Qing Heng loved his scales the most. He used to cuddle with him during summer naps, saying that it was cold and comfortable, but now that so many of his scales had fallen off, would he dislike him? Would he think he was ugly?
He didn’t want Qing Heng to see him, to see his ugly face… right, he could take human form. Qing Heng won’t be able to see it and then he could secretly grow his scales back.
Thinking of this, Mo Lin gasped for breath, trying to muster up the last of his strength to attempt to take on human form. The scales on the upper half of his dragon body gradually faded away, revealing a very handsome human form, but because his injuries were too severe, the long tail on the lower half of his body couldn’t be transformed into two legs, causing him to whimper in desperation.
At this moment, everyone was staring up at the sky with their eyes fixed on the sky blue sword coming down! Everyone’s expressions were tense, with no one paying attention to the little devil dragon that was desperately trying to transform itself.
“Rustle–” With a soft sound, Tianzhao Yunhai landed on the ground.
The cultivators scattered involuntarily, and on the open space of the rocky beach, only a lone half-human, half-dragon was left behind as it struggled desperately to transform itself. The bloody dragon’s tail slapped randomly on the rocky beach, but it couldn’t turn into legs at all, looking wretched, panicked, and pitiful.
Immortal Emperor Qing Heng slowly stepped down from his sword, his long black hair in disarray, his plain robe streaked to the ground, his snow-white face expressionless. He even forgot to retrieve his Tianzhao Yunhai as he just stared blankly at the little dragon crouched on the ground.
“Mo Lin. Mo Lin… Mo Lin!” He muttered the name he had given him himself and almost stumbling over to it, fell to his knees beside the little dragon, trembling as he picked up the scarred upper half of his body.
There were hundreds of cultivators around, but none dared to come forward.
For a moment, the lake was terribly quiet.
Mo Lin’s eyes widened as he stared intently at the man gasping in front of him. A man so good-looking, yet so distressed, his long, thick black hair in disarray, his pretty pale lips trembling slightly. Forgetting about his ugly appearance for a moment, he wanted to kiss those trembling lips in comfort or lick them, but before he could get to doing that, he remembered that this person didn’t like his kisses, that he would be angry. Moreover, he was now so ugly.
At the thought of how ugly he looked, Mo Lin suddenly shrunk back a little, “Qing Heng… Mo Lin has become ugly, but soon, very soon my scales will grow back… Really, it will only takes six months, no, it will only take a month, no, no, no, just three days… cough, cough…”
As he said this, he couldn’t help but cough violently, then he quickly pursed his lips to swallow the fishy hot blood in his mouth, afraid of dirtying Qing Heng’s white clothes.
Immortal Emperor Qing Heng clutched him tightly, his originally clear and pleasant voice now hoarse, “Stop saying that, stop saying that. Mo Lin is not ugly, Mo Lin is beautiful.”
“I’m not, I’m not ugly?” Mo Lin’s dark golden eyes light up slightly, then darkened again, “But, Qing Heng, Qing Heng wouldn’t let Mo Lin into the house, wouldn’t let Mo Lin stay with him. Mo Lin was so sad… Mo Lin picked up stones for Qing Heng, but Qing Heng didn’t want them either… Qing Heng also wouldn’t let Mo Lin kiss… Wu wu…”
“As long as you’re okay, you can stay wherever you want, whatever you pick up, I’ll accept… whatever you want to do to me, just, do whatever you want. As long as you’re okay, as long as you’re well, anything will do,” Immortal Emperor Qing Heng said in a trembling voice, two lines of tears flowing down.
“Rea, really?” Mo Lin stared blankly at Immortal Emperor Qing Heng, as if he couldn’t believe it, and then shook his head gently “But, Mo Lin is so tired… Mo Lin knows that he is dying, so Qing Heng is just, just comforting Mo Lin, wu…”
“No, you won’t die, you won’t,” Immortal Emperor Qing Heng shook his head desperately.
“If, if there is a next life, Mo Lin wants to be a human being. If I’m a human being, then I will know a lot… a lot… Mo Lin is a magic creature, so he doesn’t know anything and doesn’t understand anything. Mo Lin also wants to understand… wants to protect Qing Heng… wu…” Mo Lin murmured, his voice gradually lowering.
Mo Lin’s pupils emptied.
Qing Heng stared blankly into those lifeless dark golden eyes, then his whole body gradually began to shake. He was shaking so hard that none of the cultivators around him dared to make a sound.
After a long, long time, this Immortal Emperor Qing Heng, who had always been aloof and pure, suddenly threw his head back towards the sky and let out a long, almost inhuman howl, “Ah ——”
The roar was so harsh, full of extreme despair, full of monstrous indignation, full of accusations against Heaven, and full of boiling… killing intent.
The crowd of cultivators couldn’t help but take a step back.
But it was already too late. Immortal Emperor Qing Heng summoned with his hand and the distant Tianzhao Yunhai flew to it!
This huge Heavenly Spirit Sword, which had never hurt a single cultivator before, was at this moment filled with an incomparably cold and frigid light, with a boundless killing intent like the cry of the mountain and the howl of the sea, sweeping towards the crowd!!
The dozens of cultivators who had gathered around Mo Lin to discuss the digging out of his devil core cried out in agony! Some had their heads separated, others were cut across their backs, and others had their arms and legs cut off! All of a sudden there was blood spurting from the rocky beach, along with screaming and shouting. Several bodies were left on the ground and a few crawled around on the rocks with half-buried bodies and slippery guts.
The rest of the men either shouted in horror, fought in groups, or ran away.
“Qing Heng has gone mad! Run away! Run!”
“Heavens, heavens!”
“He’s forcing his way through the barrier, the foundation is unstable, don’t be afraid!”
“We still have the Four Sect Leaders on our side; he won’t be able to hold on!”
“Yes, yes, yes, he’s at the end of his rope.”
Sure enough, after Qing Heng had swung his sword, he couldn’t help but spit out a big gush of blood! He could barely summon Tianzhao Yunhai, his face as white as paper.
“He’s vomiting blood, charge! Everyone, the devil core is right before us!
“Yes, let’s go.”
“He’s already unable to hold on.”
The crowd of cultivators shouted, but between the pushing and shoving. none of them dared to step forward! After a long, long time, four powerful cultivators slowly came out.
“The four great sects have come out!”
“Phew, he has killed so many people, the Four Masters will definitely not let him go!”
“Yes, yes. Even if he’s strong and dominant. he can’t go against the Heavenly Furies.”
“Kill the murderer, dig out the devil core!”
“Kill the murderer, dig out the devil core!”
Immortal Emperor Qing Heng held his sword in one hand and Mo Lin in the other, vomiting two more mouthfuls of blood, his whole body in a daze as he listened vaguely to the shouts of the crowd, then suddenly he realized something.
Yes, the devil core.
With a fragmented core or in death, it would still be possible for Mo Lin to be reborn, but if it fell into the hands of these people, once it was completely refined, Mo Lin wouldn’t even have a chance to be reborn… and from now on in heaven and on earth, this ignorant little dragon, would never, would never exist.
“Cough, cough…,” Immortal Emperor Qing Heng coughed twice and then barely swallowing back a mouthful of warm blood, swung his sword with a vengeance, forcing the crowd to take two steps backward. Then he stumbled to his feet, clutching Mo Lin’s corpse with both hands. Riding Tianzhao Yunhai, he swept lopsidedly towards the lake!
A sect master snapped, “He’s running, follow me! After me!”
“He can’t get away!”
“Set up the Great Heavenly Fury Formation!!”
Immortal Emperor Qing Heng, holding Mo Lin’s corpse, held back the sharp pain in his dantian and rode Tianzhao Yunhai as he flew crookedly over the Cuiwei Spring Lake. The lake was so wide, the blue waves rippling, looking like paradise, but where could they go at this moment?
The illusion continued to twist and turn…
Several days later, under the Heavenly Fury Formation of the four sect leaders, Immortal Emperor Qing Heng was finally exhausted and had nowhere to run. Clutching Mo Lin’s body tightly, he hovered in a bewildered manner above the lake, his head was covered with blood, his face covered in filth, and he was in such a mess that he no longer looked like his former self.
“Qing Heng, if you put down the devil in your hand, I can give you a chance to live.”
“Qing Heng, just listen to Master Huikong’s advice.”
“Yes, could it be that we would harm you again?”
“This Immortal also promises you. If you hand over the devil dragon, I won’t make things difficult for you.”
“Amitabha Buddha!”
An old monk with a kind face tried to take a few steps forward in the air, “Qing Heng, the sea of suffering is boundless. Turn back to the shore, as long as you hand over the devil creature, you will still be the same Immortal Emperor Qing Heng. I promise you.”
Immortal Emperor Qing Heng stared at him with a deadly glare.
“Pei!!”
Suddenly, this immortal, who had always been so good-natured, and so simple and kind, spat a mouthful of bloody spittle onto the old monk’s face!
The old monk didn’t get angry, nor did he didn’t even try to wipe the spittle off his face. He just said indifferently, “Qing Heng, it seems that you’re not going to drink the proffered wine and instead want the punishment… You won’t be able to break the Heavenly Fury Formation the four of us have created. Not only will you not be able to save the devil core, but you’ll also have to pay with your life in vain. Is it worth it? Amitabha Buddha!”
“It’s true that I can’t break the Heavenly Fury Formation, but…” The corners of Immortal Emperor Qing Heng’s mouth curved gently, and then he raised his hand.
“You still want to fight?” The old monk’s brows furrowed.
But instead of summoning his sword, his five fingers slowly turned around and aimed at his chest and abdomen! When the old monk realised what was happening, his pupils suddenly narrowed and then he swept backward!!
But it was already too late.
The free, casual, and naïve Immortal Qing Heng had unexpectedly thrust five fingers hard into his chest! And then crushed the powerful core in his dantian sea!!
“Boom!!!”
The aftermath of the mighty cultivator’s self-detonation above the Cuiwei Spring Lake set off a violent hurricane!! A huge wave came up, making the huge lake boil and they could hardly see their shadow!
After a long, long time, the stormy waves subsided. The four Sect Masters were gone, Immortal Emperor Qing Heng was gone, and Mo Lin’s corpse was also gone… And the surface of the lake, which had been rippling with blue waves, was gradually covered with a cold mist. From then on, the lake, which had once been known as Cuiwei Spring Lake, finally became Cuiwei Cold Pool.
In the silence of the lake’s centre, Immortal Emperor Qing Heng clutched Mo Lin’s body, his eyes quietly closed, a small smile on his pale face as he sunk downwards gradually in the dark water until finally, he was no longer visible.
Qiu Yutong stared blankly at the dark water when a sudden faint chill ran down his face.
Reaching out in confusion, he touched it and found that his hands were covered with wet, slippery tears.
“Don’t cry, ” Lu Xiao tried to comfort him, but his voice was also inexplicably hoarse. “It’s just an illusion, it’s just an illusion…”
…
It was unknown how long it took for Qiu Yutong to come back to his senses. Only when he did, there was no Cangshan Green Jade Bamboo Sea around him, no Moonlight Ceramic Glazed Terrace, no Immortal Emperor Qing Heng who had shattered his core, and no devil dragon who had died protecting his master. When he came to, both master and disciple were still at the bottom of the dark, cold pool, but it wasn’t known why they could breathe freely.
Lu Xiao raised his right hand, holding a small animal in his hand, “Those illusions just now, were caused by this.”
The animal was no more than the size of a palm, looked like a floppy slug, had six tiny tentacled feet, and was calling out in a shrill voice, “Chi–“
“Is that a… mirage devil?” Qiu Yutong wondered.
“En, it uses illusions to confuse people and then it sucks the life out of them. The illusions were all created by it.”
“But the illusions created by the mirage devil are just as real as the mirage… How does it know about those things?”
“I think that perhaps after the Immortal Emperor Qing Heng blew himself up, his residual consciousness was absorbed by the mirage devil at the bottom of the lake, which is why it can create such realistic illusions.”
Qiu Yutong frowned then picked up the tiny mirage devil and shook it gently, “Little devil, since you live at the bottom of the lake, do you know where Tianzhao Yunhai is? Yes, it’s a very big sword and it’s sky blue.”
“Chi-Chi…” the little devil’s eyes widened as it struggled desperately.
Lu Xiao said coldly, “It doesn’t seem to know anything. I think it’s a bit ugly, but it might be good for roasting.”
“?!” The mirage devil shivered and pointed its tiny front feet forward and cried, “Chi-chi-chi-chi!!”
Qiu Yutong and Lu Xiao looked at each other, then following the direction pointed out by the mirage devil, swarm forward hard. After an unknown amount of time, a huge faint halo of light appeared in front of them.
As they swam closer, they saw a sword, more than ten feet long, plunged deep into a black reef. The huge sword was an ethereal azure colour, its body glowing with a hazy halo of light, and the pressure was so powerful that one could hardly breathe.
Tianzhao Yunhai.
“Is this… Tianzhao Yunhai?” Lu Xiao muttered.
“It should be,” Qiu Yutong was delighted, and was about to step forward to draw his sword, when suddenly a large object, silently swept across his waist and swept him up!
Qiu Yutong was strangled by the object and couldn’t breathe. He struggled desperately, but all he could feel was cold, something satin-like, and dense with suckers! He couldn’t help but get goosebumps and look through the faint light at Tianzhao Yunhai, when suddenly a chill went down his spine!
The thing in front of him was a huge octopus.
The giant octopus was several feet in size, its slippery tentacles as thick as buckets of water. It was covered with thousands of suction cups and its two huge protruding eyes were like lanterns in the darkness of the water, glowing with an appalling green light!
Qiu Yutong fought back his nausea and struggled to free himself from the tentacles, but the octopus was too big so he was simply thrown into a daze!
Suddenly, his body was lighter and the force of the tentacle was relieved. Lu Xiao said, “Shizun, I’ve got it under control, quickly draw the sword.”
In a flash, Qiu Yutong did not have time to think about how his young disciple had managed to control the octopus. He just pushed away the thick tentacles around his waist, swam hard to reach Tianzhao Yunhai, gripped the sword hilt with both hands, and pulled it out fiercely!
“Boom!!!”
With a loud bang, the ancient sword of the highest quality, ‘Tianzhao Yunhai’, which was ranked number one on the Sword List, finally re-emerged! And the entire Cuiwei Cold Pool was shaken by it!!
As the water rippled violently, the huge black reef also burst open! And a devil core, the size of an inch slowly floated up from the shattered rock, a faint, blood-coloured glow pulsing from it that made people’s hearts race!
The author has something to say:
[Many years later]
Xiao xiao: Shizun, I remember my death in my previous life.
Qiu qiu (heart in pain): Xiao-er…
Xiao xiao: At that time, didn’t Shizun say, as long as I lived, I could do anything to you? Even this… is okay?
Qiu qiu: ??!!
