Chapter 35

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Central Domain. Heavenly Capital.

The city was teeming with celestial mansions, each boasting intricate wings and pavilions. From afar, one could see winding corridors and staggered towers appearing and disappearing amidst the ethereal clouds.

In the sky, rays of sunset light flitted by. Cultivators moved to and fro—some in a rush, others strolling leisurely. Below, the streets were lined with shops, bustling with noise and excitement.

Suddenly, a streak of green light tore across the horizon, heading south with aggressive momentum.

The person was clearly agitated; their spiritual pressure was slightly out of control, as if whipping up invisible, terrifying waves. Nearby cultivators hurriedly dodged. Many of lower cultivation could not even keep their footing, and some even tumbled from their magical artifacts.

Though such a fall would cause no real injury, it was humiliating nonetheless. For a moment, some cursed aloud while others grumbled in secret.

Within a radius of several dozen miles, many cultivators cast side-long glances. Visitors from afar were bewildered, but the locals seemed deep in thought.

"That person who just passed... they must be at the Golden Immortal Realm."

"Heading south?"

"That spiritual pressure is unfamiliar. Probably not from around here."

"I feel like I’ve encountered them somewhere before. Likely from outside as well?"

"Nonsense! There are only a handful of Golden Immortals who reside permanently in the city. Aren't all the others from outside?"

"I mean, this person probably isn't a cultivator from the Central Domain..."

The gossip-mongers began to chatter.

This towering celestial city was suspended in the nine heavens, its architecture layered and stacked. Countless magical arrays supported the halls and towers, stretching from the ground up into the sky.

As the preeminent immortal sect of the Central Domain, the Shangji Sect commanded the obedience of all three thousand celestial mansions in the Heavenly Capital.

The top experts of every school, as well as the exceptionally gifted young disciples, were mostly recruited into the Shangji Sect.

Thus, the Shangji Sect boasted a vast number of cultivators. Although their main sect was located on the Kunxu Immortal Mountain, they occupied a massive territory within the Heavenly Capital.

It was exactly the direction in which that person had headed.

"Could that fellow be heading off to court death?"

"Doesn't look like it. And a mere Golden Immortal—where would they find the nerve to provoke the Shangji Sect?"

"Oh, please. What is your cultivation level to call them a ‘mere’ Golden Immortal?"

"Does that have a copper coin's worth of relevance? When I say ‘mere,’ I naturally mean in comparison to the Shangji Sect. Five Immortal Venerables, two Saint Realm experts, three Quasi-Saint Realm experts—looking across the Five Domains and Fourteen States, who can compare?"

"We have two Saint Realm experts in the Eastern Domain, how can we not compare?"

"Everyone knows the Sword God’s reputation, and your sect leader of the Tianyuan Sect is naturally a great power, but isn't the Peak Master of Weiyun Peak the only one at the Quasi-Saint Realm? Don't you still lose on numbers?"

"Hmph, all the Saint Realm experts in the world combined couldn't match the combat record of Immortal Venerable Chaohua alone..."

As they debated, the argument grew heated, and they no longer concerned themselves with the Golden Immortal who had just passed by.

At this very moment, that person had reached their destination.

She landed on a terrace in the south of the city. Pines and bamboo stood clear and secluded, with fragrant osmanthus and cypress trees lush and verdant. Several cultivators in ritual robes stood guard, greeting her as "Immortal Lord Zhou."

Her face was deathly pale, yet she still nodded.

Within a radius of several dozen miles, everything was filled with exquisite palaces and jade-tiled structures. Cloud-covered corridors circled like jade belts, and the cultivators coming and going were covered in treasures, every detail from head to toe expensive.

The woman paid no mind to any of it. Her figure flickered, flashing a hundred yards away. Even as she passed courtyards filled with rare flowers and auspicious herbs, she kept her eyes fixed straight ahead.

"Immortal Lord Zhou."

Two people stood outside the courtyard. Upon seeing her, their expressions remained unchanged.

"Elder Liu, Elder Wen."

She slowed her pace.

Both were elders of the Huichun Peak, and both were at the Golden Immortal Realm. With formidable cultivation and serving as disciples of the Immortal Venerables, they were figures of significant standing within the Shangji Sect.

"Are you here to see the Master?" Elder Liu reminded her softly, "He is currently speaking with Uncle-Master Zhen."

Immortal Lord Zhou paused. "Immortal Venerable Lan Hui is here too?"

Elder Wen nodded slightly. "You were in such a rush earlier that we didn't know what had happened, but..."

Even with their cultivation, they could vaguely sense something abnormal.

Elder Liu frowned. "Did you encounter demonic cultivators of the Soul-Devouring Sect? There is still lingering residue of the Blood God's power on you."

Immortal Lord Zhou’s expression darkened. Anger, fear, and resentment surged in her eyes, yet she forced herself to keep it contained. "I will go see Immortal Venerable Yaofang."

The two elders exchanged glances but did not stop her, thinking that if the Master did not wish to see her, she would never even get through the door.

Immortal Lord Zhou hurried past them.

Fortunately, she faced no further obstacles.

She proceeded smoothly across a white jade rainbow bridge. The morning breeze blew across the water, and the willows swayed. A hexagonal pavilion stood in the center of the lake, surrounded by stone steps.

Immortal Lord Zhou stopped after crossing the bridge. Without stepping into the pavilion, she bowed prostrate before the steps.

"I greet the two Immortal Venerables."

She said in a low voice, "Forgive this subordinate for this presumptuous visit."

"Mm."

A voice responded softly from within the pavilion.

"A year ago, I was still in the Heavenly Capital, working with Immortal Lord Wang and Immortal Lord Chu to refine the Three-Phase Spirit-Suppressing Edict Talismans for the Immortal Venerable..."

Immortal Lord Zhou took a deep breath, her eyes widening in agony. "We were in seclusion within a secret realm, never taking a single step out, and had completely severed contact with the outside world. I did not know that the Soul-Devouring Sect demons would first kill my youngest son, then slaughter my husband and children, and sacrifice my entire clan..."

Her spiritual pressure churned, and killing intent radiated from her body.

On the surface, her words seemed reasonable, but those present were shrewd; how could they not understand the implication?

She was merely saying that if she hadn't been working for them, the demonic cultivators would never have had the opportunity.

The pavilion was quiet.

Immortal Lord Zhou knelt for a while, hearing only the sound of turning pages.

"Why does Senior Brother look at me? I haven't dealt with the Blood God's people in many years," a voice in the pavilion laughed.

Another page turned.

"I merely recalled that the in-laws of one of your disciples were also slaughtered by them previously?" the other person said gently.

"Ah, that did happen. The family head came to beg, came twice, and brought many gifts, hoping only to use the boundary gate. Who would have thought they would run into a High Priest of the Blood God inside the Spirit Realm? And they had to be traveling with their whole family."

The former person sighed softly, "My disciple just lost a consort, and she was sad for several days. So, Senior Brother is wrong; those were just former in-laws. Her current in-laws are from another family."

Immortal Lord Zhou, kneeling below, felt a chill run through her heart.

Right.

The task of refining talismans for Immortal Venerable Yaofang was something she had begged for; no one had forced her.

Though it hadn't been long, it was mentally exhausting. Ordinary talisman masters could not handle it, yet even so, given the prestige of the Shangji Sect, it would not have been difficult to find someone else.

Immortal Lord Zhou straightened her posture and looked up.

There were two people in the pavilion.

One wore a silver crown, his face as handsome as jade. He was dressed in magnificent robes and a crane cloak, his demeanor elegant and composed. Sitting at the central stone table, he held a brush, writing with focused intent.

The other had her hair in a high bun with horizontal pins, her face like a peach blossom. Dressed in shimmering robes, she leaned against a goose-neck railing on a stool, an extremely thick book spread across her lap.

The one holding the brush was Immortal Venerable Yaofang, Peak Master of Huichun Peak. The one reading was Immortal Venerable Lan Hui, Peak Master of Yuxiang Peak.

Immortal Lord Zhou gave a bitter smile. "I have troubled the two Immortal Venerables. But as I cannot find the whereabouts of that person, if the Immortal Venerables could provide some guidance, even if I have to risk my life, I must find them."

Of course, she said this, but while she had to find them, she wouldn't rush in alone to seek revenge; that would be no different from delivering a sacrifice to the Blood God.

Though she hadn't seen the scene with her own eyes, judging from the state of the mansion and the residual spiritual energy, she could infer the killer's identity.

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Her husband had sent a message earlier, saying he had captured the man surnamed Li, the one who had killed their youngest son—she had been refining talismans in the secret realm at the time and naturally hadn't checked the message immediately.

But thinking back now, there were several Upper-Seven Realm cultivators in the clan, yet there were almost no signs of a struggle in the dungeon. They had clearly been killed in a single blow.

Either they had no chance to fight back, or they hadn't dared to strike first.

When she returned to investigate, she had used several arts to trace the past. Because some time had passed and it involved a Demon God, she only saw fragmented images.

—They had spoken a few words with that demonic cultivator.

Zhou Ting knew her family well. She knew that if that demonic cultivator had been slightly less capable, they would have swarmed him and killed him.

The fact that they stood by and talked meant they knew they couldn't fight.

Although it was possible the person had released spiritual pressure to pin them down, the glimpses she saw didn't look like that was the case.

Her family knew more than one Soul-Devouring Sect cultivator, but only one possessed strength to that degree.

There were only two High Priests in the Soul-Devouring Sect. The number of ordinary priests was higher, and those who reached that position were at the Heaven Immortal or Golden Immortal Realm, or even approaching the Quasi-Saint Realm.

Among these priests, the killer was undoubtedly the most difficult to deal with.

"Yao Wan."

Zhou Ting gritted her teeth as she uttered the name. "It must be him. He slaughtered my entire clan and looted my home..."

Immortal Venerable Yaofang sighed softly. "Regardless of what dealings your family had with the Blood God’s believers, you provoked them first."

Zhou Ting could not refute this.

If her family hadn't been trading with the Soul-Devouring Sect, Zhou Ziheng could never have met that man surnamed Li. Even if he wanted to find someone to kill his senior sister, other sects had assassins and hitmen; but none were as dangerous as the Soul-Devouring Sect, and none of this would have followed.

Immortal Venerable Lan Hui looked over, thoughtful. "So the Ganmu Spirit Orbs have all fallen into Yao Wan’s hands?"

Zhou Ting lowered her head slightly. "He has at least four."

She had intended to bring this up herself to see if it would garner their attention. Now that they had asked, it was even better.

The senior brother and sister in the pavilion exchanged glances.

"Immortal Lord Zhou, return for now," Immortal Venerable Yaofang said indifferently. "If there is any word on the whereabouts of that Blood God priest, I will certainly notify you."

Zhou Ting remained unwilling.

She was the strongest in her clan. Yao Wan would certainly find it difficult to kill her—perhaps it would take a few hours of fighting—but in a one-on-one battle, she would ultimately lose to that fellow.

Not to mention she was a talisman master; even a sword or dharma cultivator would usually suffer when facing a Soul-Devouring Sect demon of the same level.

After all, they excelled at nothing so much as killing.

"The Blood God’s believers are steeped in sin and wreak havoc everywhere," Zhou Ting whispered. "If the Sect Master and Vice Sect Master could intervene—"

"A mere priest; how could we bother them with such trifles?" Immortal Venerable Lan Hui laughed lightly. "Wait until we find that man surnamed Yao first."

Zhou Ting kowtowed once more and left.

After turning away, a flash of a smile crossed her eyes, only to quickly turn back into resentment and hatred.

"She is quite shrewd." Immortal Venerable Lan Hui closed the book on her lap, her gaze sweeping over the retreating back on the bridge. "But is something our senior brother and I are using for practice worth another trip?"

The two did not move, but their voices sounded only within the pavilion, as if isolated by an invisible barrier.

Thus, the Zhou clan head could hear nothing.

"Since Zhou Ting thinks it's worth it..." Immortal Venerable Yaofang said softly, "she must have discovered something."

Immortal Venerable Lan Hui raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Soul-Devouring Sect priests are not easy to kill, especially that man surnamed Yao. They inherit the power of a Demon God; one careless move and you could be sacrificed by him. If one were to be thrown before the Blood God—"

Immortal Venerable Yaofang said calmly, "More than one or two Quasi-Saint Realm experts have died at the hands of the Blood God."

"Does Senior Brother think he can also see the clues in those spirit orbs?"

"And if he does? Is he some kind of good person who loves to punish evil and promote good?"

Immortal Venerable Lan Hui laughed. "Let's just kill him, but only after that woman surnamed Zhou goes to seek her revenge."

"Hmm?" Immortal Venerable Yaofang glanced at her. "Junior Sister truly shares my thoughts."

Immortal Venerable Lan Hui tilted her head, looking at him. "I know exactly what you are thinking, Senior Brother. She sought out the Soul-Devouring Sect people herself, she begged to work for us, and in the end, she wants you to fight her battles. She has little talent, but she certainly knows how to calculate."

Immortal Venerable Yaofang put down his brush. "She won't be able to endure for long. Once Yao Wan slaughters her, we will go kill Yao Wan, and the matter will be settled."

"What if that fellow surnamed Yao gives the items to someone else?"

Immortal Venerable Lan Hui asked, but without waiting for her senior brother’s reply, she said to herself, "Never mind. If he gives them away, he gives them away. They are all just Soul-Devouring Sect demons. What can they do? If they dare to meddle in our affairs, we will just wipe them out."

Immortal Venerable Yaofang smiled slightly. "Junior Sister speaks the truth."

Despite saying this, he channeled his spiritual energy to sense them. After a moment, he said slowly, "They are indeed in the Demon Realm, though not in the same place."

The Ganmu Spirit Orbs had been touched by them; it was not hard to sense their locations.

However, all the orbs were in the Demon Realm, and if they wanted to probe further, it would be slightly troublesome.

...

Meanwhile.

In a secret chamber of the Moon-Worship Sect branch.

Su Zhen was still ruminating on the inexplicable dream she had just had.

To be honest, most of the dream’s content was a blur to her. Many things and concepts were perfectly clear at the time, but became incomprehensible once she woke up.

Now, only a few fragmented flashbacks remained clear.

Most people dream like this; logically, there was nothing strange about it.

However, for a cultivator—especially one of her level—it shouldn't be so.

Su Zhen tried to reconstruct those strange scenes and unfamiliar information.

Thinking it over, only the final sentence echoed in her ears, along with the thundering applause and the waves of cheering.

She turned her face to stare at Xiao Yu, lost in thought.

"What is it?"

The black-haired, blue-eyed young man tilted his head at her, looking slightly nervous. "Is there something wrong with me?"

Su Zhen blinked. "Thank you for the spell, Senior. I have fully recovered, and I don’t feel uncomfortable at all."

Xiao Yu took no credit. "It wasn't even a drop in the bucket. Even if I weren't here..."

Su Zhen slowly raised a hand, covering his lower face, leaving only his straight, sculpted nose and those deep, well-defined blue eyes exposed.

Xiao Yu seemed confused, his long eyelashes fluttering slightly as his words trailed off. "Hm?"

Su Zhen also tilted her head at him. "Senior, could you say..."

The face of the person in the dream had become blurred, yet she vaguely remembered them also having black hair and blue eyes. The tone of voice seemed quite familiar too.

Xiao Yu looked at her, puzzled. "Say what?"

Su Zhen: "..."

Looking at him, he seemed to know nothing of that dream.

Perhaps it wasn't intentional on his part?

She knew of many situations where dreams and memories of different people could be linked; she just didn't know which one this was.

Su Zhen was about to speak when she suddenly sensed something wrong.

A subtle but peculiar fluctuation of spiritual energy.

If someone unfamiliar with the Demon Realm were present, they might not think it strange, as the spiritual network of the Demon Realm was chaotic and filled with various demons and creatures. One could never be sure what was releasing energy.

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However, she realized very clearly that this energy had nothing to do with the Demon Realm.

Su Zhen pulled out the Ganmu Spirit Orb directly. "Someone is tracking this thing."

The orb felt warm to the touch, its luster smooth and jade-like, with deep and light green veins spreading over a milky white base.

She released her spiritual sense once more, cautiously probing inside. Sure enough, she sensed many complex arrays, nested within each other, hidden inside the orb.

She gave a rough scan.

"The arrays inside..."

Compared to the Fuyao Tree of Leng Xiang or the Changchun Tree of Liuchun, the vitality-nurturing power of the Kunxu Divine Tree was even stronger.

This "strength" referred to the speed at which it could regenerate if burned to ash by true fire.

The regeneration speed of Ganmu was likely the fastest among all celestial and divine trees, though it couldn't fully compare to the great demons with wood-based true bodies; after all, they possessed full intelligence and would find various ways to save themselves.

The arrays in this resurrection orb were mostly used to catalyze and stimulate this power, causing it to operate on the contracted owner of the magical artifact.

However, she had only looked at it roughly. To distinguish it carefully would take time.

"There are some incantations inside I don't recognize yet." Su Zhen looked up. "Perhaps Senior knows them?"

Xiao Yu was noncommittal. "But I see you are quite interested?"

"Indeed." Su Zhen patted the wooden orb in her hand. "I'll have to look it up in a book when I get back. I'm very happy to analyze unfamiliar arrays, just to broaden my knowledge..."

If it was the maker tracking it, she could reverse-engineer their identity.

Xiao Yu said nothing, only looking at her with a smile, his eyes reflecting that he had known this would happen.

"?"

Seeing his expression, Su Zhen felt an inexplicable urge to knock him a couple of times, so she had to divert her attention. "Can Senior identify the spiritual pressure from just now?"

"That wasn't really spiritual pressure. The person wasn't tracking, either; at most, they were sensing, likely not wanting to reveal their identity." Xiao Yu said casually. "So, that was just a resonance of spiritual energy—the arrays in this resurrection orb were responding. But I have a general idea of who it is."

Su Zhen blinked, deep in thought.

Xiao Yu looked down. "What?"

Su Zhen tilted her head up to stare at him. "Senior, did you actually know I killed my junior brother?"

"I wouldn't say I knew early on. I didn't see it with my own eyes." Xiao Yu was very honest. "I just had a suspicion for a long time."

Su Zhen put the Ganmu Spirit Orb away. "Fine. Let's return to the Eastern Domain. Please, Senior, take me again."

Xiao Yu had just reached out his hand when he stopped. "I thought you would ask one more thing."

Su Zhen raised an eyebrow. "Ask what? Ask why you didn't seek confirmation if you had a suspicion? Not ask if I slaughtered my junior brother? Why would you ask that? You don't care about his life or death, nor do you care if I kill."

She said it casually, and it was the truth.

Xiao Yu seemed to like this answer very much. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and vast spiritual energy surged, piercing through the dimensions.

In an instant, they entered the human realm.

This time, the activation was several times faster, the spiritual fluctuations remained steady, and they even passed directly through the sect's defensive barrier, landing inside Weiyun Peak.

Su Zhen was infinitely shocked. "Good heavens, Senior, you really are—"

Although she had seen all sorts of outrageous spatial arts, none compared to this fellow, who had traveled directly from the Demon Realm into the mountain.

The Tianyuan Sect's protective barrier was the life's work of generations of Immortal Venerables. Most people could only enter and exit through designated points, and those with extremely high cultivation might be able to force their way out.

But forcing their way in was another matter entirely.

In the past, some even said that not even a Demon God could do it.

Although no Demon God would ever do such a thing.

Xiao Yu's hand moved slightly, his fingertips pressing against the silk fabric, gripping the seemingly thin, lean shoulder under his palm.

"I was a little excited for a moment, because..."

The Eastern Domain was in early spring. The wind was gentle, the scenery bright, and the morning sun was rising in the clear sky, casting ten thousand rays of golden light across the cliffs and valleys.

The two stood on a winding mountain path, surrounded by lush, dense greenery in the woods on both sides.

He looked over, smiling. Those deep blue eyes were filled with the glow of dawn, like the mist clearing over a night sea, the clouds parting to reveal the moon.

"...You are absolutely right."

Xiao Yu did not hide the joy in his eyes. "You really understand me. Just thinking about that makes me especially happy."

Su Zhen sighed softly.

She was no longer surprised by this reaction at all.

"Right." Xiao Yu suddenly remembered their previous conversation. "You said earlier, what did you want me to say?"

Su Zhen hesitated.

*Could you say that I am Su Zhen's dog?*

Such words sounded both bizarre and offensive.

Although they were familiar with each other, such words were easily misunderstood, and she had absolutely no such intention; she just wanted to distinguish the tone.

Because the voice in the dream sounded familiar, but it wasn't exactly the same as Xiao Yu's.

"Why are you so hesitant?" Xiao Yu looked at her, bewildered. "What do you want to hear? As long as you are happy, I can say anything. Even if you want me to curse myself, I will."

Su Zhen looked at him, speechless. Being quick on the draw and not thinking, she blurted out: "...Be my dog?"

Hm?

What had she said?

Xiao Yu seemed stunned. First confused, then dazed, then he revealed a subtle awkwardness.

Soon, as if he had figured it out, his expression became more and more composed.

Su Zhen: "..."

It was hard to imagine what kind of internal journey he had gone through in such a short time.

Xiao Yu suddenly laughed. "Are you serious? You really like this?"

Su Zhen: "?"

What did that mean? Why did it sound so wrong!

Su Zhen: "No, that's not what I meant, I was—"

Xiao Yu suddenly leaned in, one hand pressing onto her shoulder.

They were already standing close; with him bending down like this, he almost had her completely encircled in his arms.

Su Zhen blinked. "Senior, listen to me..."

If she moved her head even slightly, her forehead would hit his chin.

"It's fine." Xiao Yu smiled at her. "I think I understand. It was my operational error. I know you're busy with your sword, so I'll explain it when you have time. As an apology..."

Su Zhen: "???"

What do you understand!

Xiao Yu turned his face to her ear, his voice low and magnetic. "...Woof!"

Su Zhen: "..."

Was there anyone in this world more outrageous than him?