Sinking Sword Peak, Fierce Gale Cliff.
Lin Xuanzhi finished training for the day. His body was full of cuts from the sharp winds and shards of broken leaves. Even his face had some new scars.
A few hours later, Lin Xuanzhi’s clothes were drenched and the spiritual Qi in his body was almost exhausted.
However, he did not complain, because Lin Xuanzhi could truly feel his endurance and strength growing.
“Tsk tsk, you actually hurt your face again today; that hurts my heart so much. Hurry and find Senior Martial Brother to apply some medicine for you.” As soon as Lin Xuanzhi came out of the Fierce Gale Cliff, Wan Yitong walked up to him.
When he saw the bloodstains on Lin Xuanzhi’s face, Wan Yitong couldn’t help sighing with disapproval, “You really are capable. Even Bei Shitian could no longer hold up after seven days of training in Fierce Gale Cliff. You’ve actually been training there for ten consecutive days, and you even stayed there for ten whole hours each day.”
In addition to these vigorous winds and broken leaves, the weather on Fierce Gale Cliff could change from icy-cold winter to intensely-hot summer in the span of a single day, and all the weather conditions were on the extreme ends of the spectrum to boot, which was simply beyond normal people’s tolerance.
The wintry weather here reached such low temperatures that it was able to freeze people’s hair into icicles, while the sizzling-hot heat could make people feel the pain of being baked from inside out.
It was precisely because Bei Shitian was a person from the bitter cold Northern arctic region that he had no choice but to end his Fierce Gale Cliff training, as he couldn’t stand the fiery heat environment that felt like lava hell.
There was a rule on Sinking Sword Peak that stated that any disciple undergoing training in Fierce Gale Cliff had only one chance to train. Whenever they voluntarily stopped was whenever they would be regarded as having used up their opportunity; they would never be able to enter Fierce Gale Cliff to train again without the Peak Master’s permission.
When the Bei Shitian underwent his Fierce Gale Cliff training, he had just been accepted under Esteemed Lan Yue’s door. If he were given another chance right now, he would definitely rather die of heat than quit. Moreover, Bei Shitian once expressed his desire to have the chance to re-enter Fierce Gale Cliff to Esteemed Lan Yue. However, Esteemed Lan Yue refused him on the grounds that he was not suitable, for the combination of fire and ice in Fierce Gale Cliff would further stimulate the vicious tendencies within his body.
Lin Xuanzhi inserted Lianlian into the scabbard, “It’s alright as long as one gets used to this kind of thing. Since Senior Martial Brother looked for me at this time, I’m afraid that there’s an important matter?”
Wan Yitong didn’t play dumb either. “Martial Uncle Huai Yu came to see Master just now. I think you probably miss him quite a bit, so I’m letting you know.”
Lin Xuanzhi’s expression changed slightly. “Thank you, where is Master?”
“Radiance Pavilion.” Wan Yitong waved his hand, “Go, go, I know you miss your Didi.”
Lin Xuanzhi quickened his pace and walked towards Radiance Pavilion.
Ever since that day when he and Yan Tianhen spoke for a while through the Voice Transmission Bell, he could no longer pass on new information to Yan Tianhen anymore. It didn’t take much effort for Lin Xuanzhi to discover that his soul imprints on the Voice Transmission Bells in Yan Tianhen’s hands had all been completely erased.
Lin Xuanzhi didn’t need to think to know that this must be Esteemed Huai Yu’s tricks.
Esteemed Huai Yu didn’t intend to let them communicate under his nose. Lin Xuanzhi could also guess that if he went to Broken Sword Peak before, asking to see Yan Tianhen, there would be no doubt that the door would be shut in his face.
Then, Lin Xuanzhi might as well not expend anymore useless effort. After all, with Esteemed Lan Yue as backing, Esteemed Huai Yu would certainly not be too hard on Yan Tianhen.
Esteemed Huai Yu had always done things his own way, rebelling against the proper Dao. The things he wanted to do were beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Lin Xuanzhi also had many scruples and dared not easily disturb him.
However, no one knew exactly how miserable and tormented he felt these past few days, unable to obtain any news of Yan Tianhen.
He could only vent all his negative emotions by training on Fierce Gale Cliff and could only sleep peacefully if he was exhausted to the fullest extent every day.
He resisted going to Broken Sword Peak to ask Esteemed Huai Yu for an explanation with great difficulty, but since Esteemed Huai Yu delivered himself to Lin Xuanzhi’s doorstep, he would not let this opportunity pass easily!
Inside Radiance Pavilion.
Esteemed Huai Yu sat in a chair with no regard to his image, holding an exquisite pastry in his hand. He stuffed it into his mouth and chewed. “Ah Tong’s culinary skills are still so good. You really are blessed with fine food, raising so many disciples capable in their own fields. Why don’t you lend me Ah Tong for fun tomorrow?”
Esteemed Lan Yue looked at the cake crumbs falling to the floor and flatly said, “Clean up the floor before you leave. Don’t sit there with such a sloppy posture every day.”
Esteemed Huai Yu curled his lips and sat upright. “Senior Martial Brother, why are you so hard on me?”
“If I didn’t treat you harshly, then I don’t know what you’d be like now.”
Esteemed Huai Yu smiled, his tone sounding somewhat like he’d given up on himself due to despair, “Even so, I still can’t become anything good right now, but Senior Martial Brother, you really are a great person. You haven’t given up on trying to get me to change my ways even now. However, I don’t think I can turn over a new leaf in this life. At best, I can only achieve this much. Why should Senior Martial Brother waste all this time and effort on me?”
Esteemed Lan Yue frowned; clearly, he didn’t like to hear Esteemed Huai Yu say such a thing.
“If any of my disciples catches your fancy, you can let them follow you to your peak to cultivate for a while.” After saying that, Esteemed Lan Yue paused for a moment, then added, “However, you probably don’t mean it. The fact that you have Yan Tianhen means you’re satisfied with everything.”
“Haha… Senior Martial Brother is right about this point. I’m satisfied with everything as long as I have Ah Hen. How could I spare any thought for other disciples?” Esteemed Huai Yu laughed very hard, holding his abdomen. He blinked at Esteemed Lan Yue. “Elder Martial Brother’s methods really are amazing. You actually sent Ah Hen to my side through this kind of method. I say, the person who loves me the most in the world is actually you, Senior Martial Brother.”
Esteemed Lan Yue looked at Huai Yu’s face, which was not similar to his own, and his eyes, which were always smiling with ridicule. “I can only help you this much at most. As for other things, I can’t do them, nor should I do them.”
“That’s already enough.” Esteemed Huai Yu stood up and sighed, “That Senior Martial Brother can help me to this degree is already good enough for me to remember Senior Martial Brother’s kindness for a lifetime. Even if you and I are on different sides one day, I will definitely not raise a hand against Senior Martial Brother.”
A light smile appeared on Esteemed Lan Yue’s face. “If you want to harm me, you must first see if you have that ability.”
Esteemed Huai Yu also laughed, “That’s right, on Dao attainment, Senior Martial Brother’s cultivation is higher than mine. Moreover, none of you prophets can be provoked so casually. If you draw a circle and curse me, it’ll be enough for me to deal with for quite a while. I don’t want to constantly be on the mind of a person who can mess with people’s fates.”
“It’s good that you understand.”
Esteemed Huai Yu ate a few more pastries; only after he was satiated with food and drink did he start talking about his main purpose here.
“Senior Martial Brother, I have tried every means to force the devil blood in Ah Hen out ever since he went up the mountain a few days ago, but now I’ve found that simply forcing him into a dangerous situation actually made him despise cultivating the demonic path.” Esteemed Huai Yu was very regretful and shrugged his shoulders, “I’m afraid that he was frightened by the abnormalities brought about by the awakening of his Divine Devil blood; he even told me that he was unwilling to continue cultivating the demonic path… I truly was about to die from anger.”
Esteemed Lan Yue glanced at him, “You’re too impatient. I told you before that you have to think before you act.”
“Aiya, Senior Martial Brother, please don’t scold me now.” Esteemed Huai Yu’s expression was full of worry, “If he really doesn’t acknowledge his Divine Devil identity, how can I continue to teach him?”
“Who let you be so anxious?” Esteemed Lan Yue retorted coolly. “If there truly is no way, you still can’t press his head down and force him to cultivate the demonic path. It’s better to settle for the second-best and teach him alchemy first. In the future, there will always be a chance for him to understand that there are some things that he can’t escape by simply ignoring them.”
“Alas, there is no one who knows me better than Eldest Martial Brother. That’s what I did.”
Esteemed Huai Yu sat in a chair, looking at Esteemed Lan Yue, as he asked, “Senior Martial Brother, can’t we let him continue living with his current identity? Does he have to restore his Divine Devil identity? It’s not easy to be a Divine Devil these days; people shout about beating and killing them as soon as they go out.”
“It’s already come to this; what are you still wavering for now?” Esteemed Lan Yue’s expression turned serious and looked at Esteemed Huai Yu with a frown. “The array has remained in his body for too long. There is also pill poison capable of corroding his heart within his four limbs, hundreds of bones, and eight meridians. If the array and pill poison are not taken care of as soon as possible, his body will explode one day, unable to bear the strain. Even his three souls and seven spirits cannot be preserved. Is this the result you want to see?”
The hands that Esteemed Huai Yu used to hold the cup trembled slightly. He lowered his eyes and spoke with great grievance, “I don’t want to see that more than anyone else; you know that. But I also don’t want him to walk my old path. You certainly can tell that he likes Lin Xuanzhi, and, unfortunately, he only likes Lin Xuanzhi… I think, if Lin Xuanzhi is not allowed to take him far away, that would be for the best. The Five Continents are still safe; why go to the Nine Lands?”
“Is your naiveté acting up again? You always think about things so simply; have you not suffered enough?” Esteemed Lan Yue continued coldly, “Back then, if you had any brains at all, you shouldn’t have hidden your true bloodline from me and East Sovereign. When you were exposed, you caught all of us off guard and left East Sovereign and me with no way to remedy the situation, resulting in a terrible outcome.”
Esteemed Huai Yu was reprimanded and felt somewhat wronged. “At that time, I didn’t expect that someone would actually find out my identity, and I expected someone to make use of my son like that even less — back then, I clearly hid so well, enough to hide for an entire lifetime.”
“That’s why I said that there’s a hole in your brain!” Esteemed Lan Yue remained unmoved, letting Huai Yu pretend to be pitiful. “The last thing you should’ve done was to hide the truth from Yan Zhonghua!”
Esteemed Huai Yu wilted and bitterly thought for a moment, “But I’ve already deceived him; what else can I do?”
“Let’s just leave it at that,” Esteemed Lan Yue said expressionlessly.
Esteemed Huai Yu sighed, “Let’s not talk about him, it’s upsetting.”
Esteemed Lan Yue also stopped lecturing. “In my opinion, it’s hard for Yan Tianhen and Lin Xuanzhi to fly far away together. Lin Xuanzhi’s father is currently in the Nine Lands, and I have already told him the truth. In the future, he’s bound to go to the Nine Lands to look for his father. As for Ah Hen–“
Taking a glance at Esteemed Huai Yu, he continued, “It’s both difficult and easy for him. If you don’t want him to be under constant surveillance from now on, just take him directly back to the Demon Realm. Haven’t you been thinking this way all along? Even if those people in the Purple Emperor’s Heavenly Capital stretch their hands any longer, they still can’t reach their hands into your Demon Palace.”
Esteemed Huai Yu curled his lips, his actions exactly like Yan Tianhen. He sighed in despair, “There’s nothing good in the Demon Realm. Do you think the Demon Palace is safe? I’m not the only powerful family in the Demon Realm; even if those sanctimonious cultivators from the Qianyuan Dynasty can’t monitor my Ah Hen, the demon clans in the Demon Realm — which of them doesn’t want to obtain him?”
When he said those words, Esteemed Huai Yu glared at Esteemed Lan Yue with a particularly brooding look, as though nursing a secret grudge. “That’s why I’ve said long ago that the people from the prophet family are all bastards, and there’s no need to pity their deaths. If not for the fact that I haven’t fully recovered my cultivation even now, how could I give the prophet family a chance to struggle whilst at death’s door?”
Esteemed Lan Yue said flatly, “Originally, although the prophet family was weakened by the Grand Divination Array, they still weren’t in such a sorry state that they were forced to retire and go into hiding. Although you had the intentions but were unable to retaliate against the prophet family, Yan Zhonghua took the initiative to take care of this kind of thing. These years, as soon as the prophet family hears Yan Zhonghua’s name, they immediately avoid him and make detours. They dare not even face him.”
