Qiu Yutong gripped Tianzhao Yunhai tightly, and some kind of extremely soft, yet extremely domineering power, from the body of the Tianzhao Yunhai’s sword, frantically surged into his body… He knew that it was the remaining wisp of spiritual energy of Immortal Emperor Qing Heng. Although it was not much, it was very pure and strong.
Strangely enough, he had no rejection of this foreign spiritual energy; not only did he accept it extremely smoothly, but it was also almost effortlessly. He let it run through his body for three small cycles, and then slowly merged it into his dantian, mixing with the meager spiritual energy he had cultivated before, and finally condensed it into a very pure, albeit small, spiritual core.
As the tiny and pure spiritual core, quietly suspended in his dantian, he could feel that faint warmth, that white and soft glow… he couldn’t help but gently press his chest. The feeling it gave was very peaceful and very comforting.
It was unknown how long it took for Qiu Yutong to slowly come back from that enchanting feeling, and then be taken aback.
A bright, blood-coloured devil core was floating a few inches in front of his eyes, as if it were a light night pearl, swaying gently with the water waves…
Qiu Yutong hesitated for a moment and slowly reached out his hand.
With his thumb and forefinger, he carefully pinched the bright devil core suspended in the water. Unlike what he had imagined, the core didn’t burn, but was a little cold, and felt like a cold and fragile crystal bead that would shatter with a gentle squeeze of his fingers.
Qiu Yutong settled down slightly and gently put the devil core into his Qiankun bag before looking back, “Xiao’er!”
Lu Xiao’s bloody right hand was pressed tightly against his chest. He was staring down at the huge octopus corpse in a daze, his expression complicated as if he hadn’t heard Qiu Yutong’s words.
Qiu Yutong caught a glimpse of his bloody right hand pressed against his chest, and his heart twisted slightly as he hurriedly swam over, “What’s wrong with you? Are you hurt somewhere?”
Lu Xiao came back to his senses and hurriedly released his right hand from his chest, retracting it behind his back again, stammering, “No, it’s nothing.”
Qiu Yutong was suspicious; this little disciple had always been very calm and rarely panicked.
As he pondered, he carefully looked at Lu Xiao’s chest, but didn’t see any injury, could it be a hand injury?
“Your hand is injured?”
“No,” Lu Xiao said while retracting his right hand behind his back again.
Qiu Yutong couldn’t help but frown at his little disciple’s covered-up look and said sternly, “Hold out your hand and show it to me!”
“Shizun…” Lu Xiao looked at him mournfully and pleadingly, his gaze almost a little pitiful.
Qiu Yutong couldn’t help but feel a slight softening in his heart, but then, thinking that his little disciple might want to hide his injury, he hardened his heart and looked sternly at the other, “Give me your hand.”
Lu Xiao hesitated for a long time, but finally pursed his lips and finally put his hand out.
“What’s wrong with your hand? So much blood…”
Qiu Yutong frowned and gently pulled the bloody right hand, holding it in one hand and caressing it with the other. As he stroked it, the mangled pieces gradually drifted away into the water, revealing a long, strong hand – that had no scars on it.
“You’re not injured? Then this flesh and blood is…” Qiu Yutong suddenly realized something and turned his head to look at the huge octopus.
The octopus, which was several feet in size, was lying quietly on top of a reef at the bottom of the lake, no longer alive. There was a small, deep wound on top of its ghastly, large body, with some slippery internal organs dripping out, and wisps of dark red blood floating in the nearby pool water.
This time, without waiting for Qiu Yutong to ask, Lu Xiao whispered, “I… I took out its heart.”
Qiu Yutong was dumbfounded for a moment, then involuntarily looked at the huge octopus, and then twisted his head to look at Lu Xiao, looking all a bit bewildered, “This, how is this possible?”
Lu Xiao said astringently, “I don’t know. I saw it attacking you and I… I couldn’t help it, then my mind went dizzy and that was it.”
Qiu Yutong froze for a long time, and then said suspiciously, “Maybe… maybe in the heat of the moment, you stimulated some kind of potential? Or some kind of special spirit vein?”
Lu Xiao smiled bitterly and didn’t reply.
Qiu Yutong was silent for a moment and seemed to feel that even he couldn’t be convinced by this absurd reason, so he shook his head, “Forget it, let’s go up first and talk about it later.”
Lu Xiao said softly, “It’s fine.”
Qiu Yutong casually summoned the powerful Tianzhao Yunhai, which very gently shifted and obediently allowed the two step on it, and then carried the master and disciple, slowly floating towards the lake.
“Clatter-“
It was unknown how long it took, but with a loud sound of water, the two finally surfaced, and Qiu Yutong wiped a handful of the cold pool water from his face, “Eldest Senior Brother, we’ve found it……”
His words came to an abrupt halt and he couldn’t help but blink.
How come there were so many people?
At this moment, there were more than a hundred people gathered on the rocky shore of Cuiwei Cold Pool.
Apart from the North Snow City crowd, there were also North Sea Sword Sect’s Gui Wuya and others, Nanshan Temple Master Wu Chen and others, Jade Qin Palace Lin Yu Rong, the Lin brothers… even the head of the Palace of Extreme Bliss, Xue Huairou and the Poisonous Dragon Sect’s Master Wu Shengnan were all there, as well as Qingxia Temple’s big Senior sister Yu Xin and junior sister Yu Zhu, and other messy sectless cultivators, a huge crowd of people.
The crowd was divided into several groups, either whispering or talking loudly, but when they heard the sound of water, they all looked in Qiu Yutong’s direction.
Chen Wuya said in a stern voice, “They’re coming out!”
Sang Lingxi immediately said, “My little brother has come out, it’s none of your, this old rigid corpse’s, business, right?”
Chen Wuya’s face had always been very pale, and because he was so gloomy and vicious, he was often called “Rigid Corpse” behind his back, so the word “Rigid Corpse” was the most taboo word in his life, therefore when Sang Lingxi pointed at his nose and cursed, he couldn’t help but glare at him. You, you…”
“What, did I say it wrong, you ancient…”
Xie Wanting scolded in a low voice, “Lingxi!”
“Hmph,” Sang Lingxi shut his mouth reluctantly, still looking a little less than convinced.
Bai Hanyuan couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
Gui Wuya didn’t care about the boring bickering. He tapped the dark red sword “Weeping Blood” at his waist, while looking at Qiu Yutong who was suspended over the cold pool coldly, his eyes behind the ancient silver mask like two hard grey stones, without any emotion in them at all.
And the thin bamboo-like cultivator beside him, Tu Wuya, muttered, “That sword under his feet, could it be… Tianzhao Yunhai? Is he really Qiu Yutong?”
“Most likely,” Gui Wuya said slowly.
The duo’s voices were not soft, causing the crowd of cultivators to burst into a whispers when they heard this.
“Is it really Qiu Yutong?”
“I heard the rumour yesterday, that Feilai Peak’s Master had returned…”
“I heard it this morning too, could it be true?”
Lin Qingfeng’s eyes widened, “Big brother, is that sword really Tianzhao Yunhai? That man… that man is Qiu Yutong? Hasn’t the Feilai Peak Master ascended?”
Yuqin Palace Master Lin Yurong’s expression was also very confused, “I don’t know either…”
“Eldest Senior sister, isn’t that the one who saved us before?” Qingxia Temple Junior Sister Yu Zhu whispered.
“En, it seems to be…”
“How can he pull out Tianzhao Yunhai?”
“It is said that he is Qiu Yutong, Master of Feilai Peak… Qiu Yutong has an innate sword body, so he should be able to pull out Tianzhao Yunhai, right?” Yuxin was also a little unsure.
Someone else also wondered, “He’s Qiu Yutong?! It couldn’t be a lie, right?”
“Yes, Qiu Yutong ascended five years ago, this man is most likely a charlatan.”
“Although Sang Lingxi called this man little brother, Sang Lingxi has always been unreliable…”
Before Sang Lingxi could get angry, Bai Hanyuan had already coldly said, “He is none other than our sect’s Feilai Peak Master, Qiu Yutong. If anyone has any doubts, first ask this one surnamed Bai’s Beheading Wind and Snow.”
Xie Wanting also nodded gently.
Everyone in the world knew that Aoxue Peak Lord Bai Hanyuan had always said little, but never said anything in vain. Now that he had opened his mouth, coupled with Xie Wanting’s attitude, the crowd of cultivators were in an uproar! About Qiu Yutong’s return to earth, it had previously been nothing more than some gossip and rumors, but never in a million years did they think that this would be true!
“Qiu Yutong didn’t ascend? This man is Qiu Yutong?!”
“Apart from the Master of Feilai Peak, who else can pluck out Tianzhao Yunhai?”
“Yes, yes, he is the only one with an innate sword body in the cultivation world…”
As the crowd murmured and Qiu Yutong smiled very awkwardly, hesitating a little for a while, not knowing what to do.
Lu Xiao whispered, “Shizun, stop over at North Snow City’s side first, away from North Sea Sword Sect.”
“En,” Qiu Yutong nodded and swept Tianzhao Yunhai across the cold pool of water, slowly landing next to Xie Wanting’s wheelchair.
Just as he landed, he heard a soft sound, and Tianzhao Yunhai shrank into a three-foot-long spirit sword, slanting on his waist, its body showing a hazy sky-blue water colour, not very bright, but it was chilling…
“A good sword!” Bai Han Yuan exclaimed.
“Little junior brother, can you let me touch it?” Sang Lingxi leapt forward, rubbing his hands together.
“Yutong, this sword of yours…” Xie Wanting frowned gently, as if he wanted to say something when a cold and low voice, suddenly interrupted him, “The sword is indeed a good sword, however, this sword aside, what about the devil core of the young son of the Devil Emperor Haotian?”
Gui Wuya slowly walked out while speaking, his pair of eyes behind the ancient silver mask stared coldly at Qiu Yutong, “Since you have the Tianzhao Yunhai, then that devil core, must be on you as well… hand it over. “
His tone was so matter-of-fact that Qiu Yutong first froze slightly, and then almost laughed in anger, “The devil core is indeed on me, but this devil core is of great importance, and my Eldest Senior Brother has already said that he will bring it back to North Snow City and suppress it under Wenjian Cliff, as for the rest, we will make plans later, but we must not let anyone refine it so how can we just hand it over to you?”
Xie Wanting nodded, “Precisely.”
Gui Wuya sneered, “Bringing it back to North Snow City and suppressing it under the Wenjian Cliff? Isn’t it that Lord Xie wants to bring the devil Core back to North Snow City and then refine it himself to become the first person to cultivate both Dao and Devil paths?”
“I have no such intention,” Xie Wenting had a good temperament and was not angry, but Sang Lingxi couldn’t help himself, “Other people can say such b*******, but with Master Gui’s character, saying this at this moment, do you want us to laugh our mouths off? What are Island Master Gui’s intentions, are you not clear about it yourself?”
“What? Do you, North Snow City, want to take devil core away just like that? Then you have to ask if this the handle of Weeping Blood whether it agrees!” Gui Wuya coldly said, “Xie Wanting, you do play the flute well, as for the sword, just… hmph.”
Xie Wenting frowned slightly and didn’t speak, seemingly too lazy to argue with Gui Wuya.
“Does Master Gui mean that devil core can’t be given to my North Snow City, but it’s okay to hand it over to your North Sea Sword Sect?!” Sang Lingxi said in a stern voice.
Bai Hanyuan clutched his sword with both hands and looked coldly at Gui Wuya.
Chen Wuya and Tu Wuya, too, slowly pressed grabbed onto the hilt of their swords.
The disciples of the two sects also stared angrily at each other, their swords drawn.
Seeing that the two sects, North Snow City and North Sea Sword Sect, were about to fight, the crowd of cultivators quietly retreated while talking.
“I think Island Master Gui is right, you can’t just let any sect take something like the devil core! Who knows what North Snow City will do with the devil core!”
“But Peak Master Sang has a point, if it can’t be given to North Snow City, it can be given to North Sea Sword Sect?”
“Yeah, yeah…”
“But if these two factions were to fight, hehehehe……”
“Tsk, why aren’t they fighting yet?”
Suddenly, a lazy voice rang out, “Since there has been a lot of noise and no fight, I see that City Lord Xie and Island Master Gui don’t really want to fight either. In my opinion, why don’t we give this devil core to the Immortal Cultivator Alliance Master Wu Chen for safekeeping, and at next year’s Immortal Alliance Conference, whoever becomes the Alliance Master will get the devil core?”
The voice was lazy and charming. The crowd looked towards the sound of the voice and saw that it was the Poison Dragon Sect Master Wu Shengnan, who was playing with a small bright red snake while lazily saying, “What do you think?”
Master Wu Chen knitted his eyebrows and let out a low Buddhist hymn, “Amitabha Buddha! If the devil core is placed here, I will do my best to keep it.”
Master Wu Chen was the current Master of the Immortal Dao, a man of indifference to fame and fortune, and very fair, with a very good reputation in the cultivation world. Although the cultivators of North Snow City and North Sea Sword Sect weren’t convinced, there was no better way out. If they fought, they were afraid that they would both lose and others would benefit.
Gui Wuya pondered for a moment and nodded first, “That’s good.”
Xie Wenting lowered his eyes and sighed softly, “Yutong, let’s leave it to Master Wu Chen then.”
Qiu Yutong hesitated for a moment and gently pulled out the bright devil core from his Qiankun pouch, cupped it in his palm with one hand and slowly walked forward, “Master Wu Chen, this is the devil core, be careful not to destroy it.”
Master Wu Chen also came forward; holding a bronze bowl in his left hand, he carefully put the devil core into the bowl with a very solemn expression, “Amitabha Buddha, I will keep it well.”
“Master Wu Chen, you must be careful of certain people,” Gui Wuya gave Xie Wanting a sidelong glance before taking the North Sea Sword Sect crowd and left with a flicker of his sleeves.
……
It was getting dark, the devil core was gone, and the good fight between North Snow City and North Sea Sword Sect seemed to be over, so the cultivators of the various sects gradually dispersed, each looking for a place to spend the night nearby.
The disciples of North Snow City found a dry space next to the cold pool and set up some temporary reed huts.
After all this, Qiu Yutong was so tired that when Xie Wanting called him into the hut to ask him about what had happened in the cold pool, he only told him about it in a wan manner. When Xie Wanting saw that he was not in good spirits, he thoughtfully asked him no more questions and told him to rest.
When Qiu Yutong came out of Xie Wanting’s hut, he didn’t want to go to a crowded place, so he found a dense patch of reeds near the cold pool and lay down in the reeds, staring blankly at the night sky.
The night sky of the cold pool was covered with a faint mist, looking like a hazy dream.
“Shizun.” With a rustling sound of rustling reeds, Lu Xiao also went into the reeds and lay down next to him.
“En.” Qiu Yutong looked at the misty sky and suddenly whispered, “Xiao’er, why is it that the truth is obviously like that, but the mortal world says that Immortal Emperor Qing Heng martyred himself to the devil, while the cultivation world says that he destroyed his path and had only himself to blame?”
“My guess is that the siege was so big that many cultivators vaguely knew the truth, and the four sects could only shift the blame to the greatest extent possible to Immortal Emperor Qing Heng… and to the many mortals in the earthly world, the cultivators naturally had to defend the face of the cultivation world, so they left the explanation ambiguous,” Lu Xiao said indifferently.
“Ai, that devil core, is it really that important? Even now, it’s still up for grabs.” Qiu Yutong muttered, “Master Wu Chen has always been compassionate, I hope he will take good care of that devil core…”
Lu Xiao was silent for a long time and suddenly whispered, “Shizun, what’s the deal with the devil core? Is it a devil’s own dan? Is it the same as a cultivator’s spiritual core?”
“I’ve heard that that devil dragon bloodline of the Devil Emperor Haotian has only one devil core per devil dragon, and when it reincarnates, if it meets the right moment, the devil core will awaken… However, apart from this devil dragon bloodline, most ordinary devils, as long as they absorb a certain amount of devil qi can form their own dan, but this ordinary devil core, naturally, cannot be compared to the devil dragon devil core.”
“Can you form your own dan after absorbing devil qi…” Lu Xiao said to himself, and then, almost involuntarily, he gently touched his chest.
He was silent for a moment before suddenly saying, “Shizun, what are your plans for the future?”
“I was going to take you back to North Snow City, but Sect Leader has already said that there’s nothing he can do about your spiritual veins. Sigh, now I have a certain level of cultivation, the devil core also has a home for the time being, Xu Dongqing has also been entrusted to Eldest Senior Brother, and the Immortal Alliance Conference will have to wait until next year… There’s not much else to do these days.”
“Then… Shizun is thinking about?” Lu Xiao hesitantly said.
Qiu Yutong rubbed his brow tiredly, “Xiao-er, let’s go back to the capital tomorrow, back to Daning Palace. When we get back, have someone clean up the room in Jingxin Hall where I lived back then. I don’t want to stay in this place anymore, I feel so tired, I want to go home.”
Lu Xiao gazed at him quietly and whispered, “Yes, let’s go home.”
Qiu Yutong let out a low “mmm”, his heavy eyelids drooping, and before falling into sleep, he faintly heard his little disciple whisper, “Shizun, when we get back, I want to tell Shizun… something.”
