Although he didn't know how Xu Yehua had learned the truth, Zhai Bairong could guess how things had reached this point. The matter had escalated from a solitary conspiracy by the Yingyue Sect into a shadow struggle between two major sects.
If Qu Zhanmeng were to find out, he certainly wouldn't be waiting as calmly as he was now for his disciples to bring Duan Mingyu back; he would likely have personally set out from the mountain.
Zhai Bairong frowned slightly, wondering how many people Red Rock Cliff had sent. Although he hadn't been in contact with the other Yingyue Sect disciples, if a true fight broke out between the two sides, he still had to look out for his juniors.
Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong were incredibly fast. While still over the sea, they spotted Xu Yehua, who was holding Duan Mingyu captive and preparing to flee.
"Senior Brother! Senior Brother!" Duan Mingyu’s sharp eyes caught sight of the two, and he cried out loudly. His spiritual power had long been exhausted, but since Xu Yehua hadn't actually harmed him, he still had the strength to scream.
Xu Yehua glanced back. It was Nie Shiyun again! Moreover, the man's cultivation had surged once more, leaving Xu Yehua far behind. Guessing that Nie Shiyun must have successfully claimed the Exotic Flame for himself, Xu Yehua gritted his teeth in jealous hatred.
Earlier, Xu Yehua had received news from Red Rock Cliff that his secret escape had been discovered. The sect hadn't entirely given up on him; seeing that he had failed to advance and then immediately forced himself into secluded meditation—which would only cause harm—they had urged him to temporarily end his seclusion.
To their surprise, they found the formation empty. The Ancestor of Red Rock Cliff had been absolutely furious.
Realizing that helping Duan Mingyu brought nothing but harm, Xu Yehua no longer had any intention of betraying his sect. He immediately found an excuse to leave for a moment, explaining to Red Rock Cliff that he only wanted to serve the sect's interests.
The people from Red Rock Cliff were quite displeased. After all, Xu Yehua had left without notice and hadn't revealed the news of Duan Mingyu’s escape from the Yingyue Sect. Hearing that Red Rock Cliff intended to send disciples and even elders to seize the boy and warning him not to get in the way, Xu Yehua grew anxious. He realized that only through action could he restore his reputation within the sect.
"Shut up!" Xu Yehua barked, his eyes reddening with a fierce warning as he heard Duan Mingyu calling to Zhai Bairong for help.
Duan Mingyu trembled in fear. When had he ever been treated like this, especially by a man who used to hold him in the palm of his hand?
"Yehua, let me go... ugh... how could you be like this? You're not like yourself at all..."
Hearing Duan Mingyu’s sobs, Xu Yehua felt a flash of regret that he hadn't simply struck the boy unconscious earlier.
Sensing a threat, Xu Yehua instinctively dodged to the side. Sure enough, a streak of sword qi grazed his shoulder—an attack from Zhai Bairong. It was already difficult enough carrying a struggling Duan Mingyu, so Xu Yehua finally came to a temporary halt.
"Helping an old flame right in front of your new paramour... it seems he really dotes on you." Cold sweat dripped from Xu Yehua’s forehead, but his tone remained foul.
Nie Shiyun let out a scoff. "That much is true! But don't bother trying to drive a wedge between us; it's pointless."
Zhai Bairong shot Nie Shiyun a quick glance, as if reproaching him for saying such things at a serious moment like this.
The five swords behind his back pointed in unison at Xu Yehua. "Regardless of what our relationship was in the past, he is at least a member of the Yingyue Sect. As his fellow disciple, I will not allow someone from Red Rock Cliff to take him away."
Xu Yehua and Zhai Bairong were roughly evenly matched, but he glanced at Nie Shiyun standing beside Zhai Bairong and knew he was no match for the two of them. His gaze swept over them as he sneered, "How noble! You must have known about Duan Mingyu’s Heavenly Yin Physique for a long time, haven't you? From start to finish... it was all a conspiracy by the Yingyue Sect. From the very beginning, you only approached Duan Mingyu because of your sect's orders, didn't you?"
Duan Mingyu froze, murmuring, "I have the Heavenly Yin Physique...? But I'm a man..."
Since ancient times, ninety-nine percent of those with the Heavenly Yin Physique were women. He had never imagined that his constant internal coldness was because of this.
Zhai Bairong didn't want to say much, nor could he. This was enough to prove that Xu Yehua and the Red Rock Cliff behind him were fully aware of the Yingyue Sect's secret. Although he didn't know how it had been leaked, the cause was no longer the point.
"I hit the mark, didn't I?" Xu Yehua mocked. He looked down at Duan Mingyu, softening his tone. "Mingyu, the Yingyue Sect wants to harm you, and so does Lingfeng Mountain. That’s why I had to resort to this, to snatch you away from them. Rong Lü was secretly plotting to trick you into leaving, which is why he repeatedly suggested that the two of you go off on your own."
"Eh? This..." Duan Mingyu looked toward Zhai Bairong, but he couldn't read any emotion in his senior brother’s cold eyes. However, Zhai Bairong didn't refute the claim. Connecting this to his previous words and actions, Duan Mingyu actually believed half of it in that moment.
Perhaps his senior brother didn't want to harm him, but he couldn't resist the orders of the Yingyue Sect. Duan Mingyu, who had thought he was about to be rescued, suddenly felt his mind fall into chaos.
Seeing the originally struggling Duan Mingyu look at him with disbelief and suspicion after hearing Xu Yehua’s words, Zhai Bairong didn't defend himself. Instead, as if finding it absurd, he couldn't help but let out a light chuckle.
On the contrary, Nie Shiyun, standing to the side, was utterly speechless. He said to Duan Mingyu, who had been swayed by just two sentences from Xu Yehua, "You really are stupid to the core. Even if we all truly wanted to harm you, do you think Xu Yehua is here to help you?"
Duan Mingyu’s face turned pale at the rebuke. He didn't understand why it suddenly felt like the whole world couldn't be trusted. He couldn't figure out for himself who was actually trying to help him, and he was so anxious he couldn't speak.
"Sorry, Shiyun. I didn't want to meddle in this mess, but since Red Rock Cliff is involved, I have to stop them..." Zhai Bairong whispered to Nie Shiyun.
"I understand. No need to say more." Upon hearing this, Nie Shiyun acted decisively. The Divine Fire Cover and Meiqiu flew out together.
Meiqiu still held a grudge from years ago when his butt had been attacked and his feathers had fallen out. He was vastly different now than he was then. He flapped his wings with all his might, creating wind blades that merged with the Phoenix Essence Fire, sweeping toward Xu Yehua in a rapid, dense barrage.
Zhai Bairong swallowed a Spirit Recovery Pill to replenish his energy. All five of his Astral Moon Spirit Wood Swords flew out, activating several formations. Although the consumption was enormous, the grade of the magical treasures instantly climbed by nearly two minor ranks.
Xu Yehua had previously lost his Red Yin Twin-Bladed Halberd and was forced to use a backup weapon. How could he withstand such a multi-pronged assault? He thought that since he had tricked Duan Mingyu into being suspicious, the boy might even turn around and help him deal with Zhai Bairong and the others. But looking to his side, Duan Mingyu seemed to have received too much information for his brain to process and was standing there in a daze.
*He can't get anything right!* Xu Yehua felt even more furious, though at least the boy was no longer struggling, which saved him some strength.
"Little Sparrow, you go try your hand too." With a thought from Nie Shiyun, the Vermilion Bird Exotic Flame leapt out from his space. Knowing it was time for a fight, it immediately flared up and charged toward Xu Yehua.
Zhai Bairong didn't know when Nie Shiyun had come up with these names. He thought to himself that a descendant of the Phoenix was called "Coal Ball," and now the Vermilion Bird Exotic Flame was being called something that sounded like a little sparrow. All its imposing aura was gone; this was likely a unique aesthetic for naming things.
If it were just ordinary fire, Xu Yehua, who also had a fire spiritual root, might not have feared it at all. But the burning of the Vermilion Bird Exotic Flame could reach directly to the spiritual root—the mental essence of a cultivator. This caused Xu Yehua immense pain, forcing him to dodge frantically.
"The artifacts, the exotic flame, the spirit beast, the status... they should have all been mine..." Xu Yehua muttered to himself, staring fixedly at Nie Shiyun with a hint of madness surfacing in his eyes.
Looking at Nie Shiyun, who was floating calmly on his flying sword without a speck of dust on his clothes, Xu Yehua felt a suffocating tightness in his chest.
"It hurts... ah! Let go, let go of me, Yehua... can you hear me? Let go!" Duan Mingyu felt his waist being gripped tightly. Xu Yehua’s fingertips were gradually exerting force, as if they were going to sink into his flesh. He cried out in pain, but when he looked up, he was frozen by Xu Yehua’s bone-chilling appearance.
Xu Yehua’s eyes had turned completely red, staring forward without focus, and his entire being radiated an ominous, dark energy.
Zhai Bairong warned Nie Shiyun and Meiqiu, "Careful, he’s falling into demonhood."
Shen Yan arrived just at that moment. Watching Xu Yehua descend into madness, he couldn't help but curl his lips. He thought to himself that this was truly a well-deserved fate; the man was bringing about his own destruction without Shen Yan even having to lift a finger.
Desire is a common human trait, and cultivators are, at their core, still human; they cannot escape it. The different paths chosen when facing desire are what separate righteous cultivators from demonic ones. However, being forced into demonhood is different from actively choosing the demonic path. It usually stems from extreme obsession, where one is dominated by negative emotions and unable to find a way out. Once one suffers such a deviation, even if they recover later, their cultivation will plummet.
"His cultivation suddenly spiked a lot!" Meiqiu cried out.
"Come back first," Nie Shiyun commanded. Meiqiu was, after all, a Spirit-grade beast. Now that Xu Yehua was berserk, his cultivation had barely reached the Nascent Soul stage. More importantly, he had no reason left; it was better to keep a distance and be cautious.
The chaotic flashes of blades and swords were all permeated with an ominous black mist, looking incredibly sinister. Xu Yehua’s attacks had lost all form. Although they were violent and dense, his aim had worsened. Nie Shiyun and the others couldn't get close for the moment, but they weren't in danger of being injured either.
"What a mad dog," Shen Yan cursed under his breath.
Although they were floating over the sea, the coastline was already visible to the naked eye. Zhai Bairong frowned slightly. The commotion they were making was too loud. Before long, both the Yingyue Sect disciples and the Soul Summoning Valley cultivators would likely rush over. If it turned into a chaotic free-for-all, things would get complicated.
"Your Soul Summoning Banner should be able to absorb dark energy." Since he had made the item himself, Nie Shiyun naturally knew its capabilities. Shen Yan nodded at the suggestion and summoned the banner. Most of the black mist mixed into the aggressive attacks was promptly absorbed.
As soon as the unsettling dark energy dissipated, Nie Shiyun’s side launched another offensive. He released the pressure of a Nascent Soul cultivator. Although Xu Yehua’s cultivation had grown after his frenzy, it was ultimately hollow. Oppressed by the thick and powerful soul force, he was suddenly unable to move. Zhai Bairong’s venomous short sword finally found an opening and pierced Xu Yehua, instantly sending venom spreading through his veins.
Xu Yehua coughed up a mouthful of purplish-black blood, clearly at the end of his rope. In his delirium, he instinctively reached into his storage space for the life-saving teleportation talisman, but he couldn't find it.
That was right—that talisman had already been wasted in the Cold Heaven Secret Realm because of their pointless provocation.
Although Duan Mingyu still couldn't tell if Nie Shiyun’s side was friend or foe, he could finally see that something was definitely wrong with Xu Yehua. Having been like a puppet earlier, neither struggling nor screaming, he had accumulated some spiritual energy. Taking advantage of Xu Yehua coughing blood, he struggled violently again, attempting to release ice spikes to freeze Xu Yehua’s wrists.
"Behave yourself!"
Xu Yehua nearly lost his grip. Having completely lost his mind and discarded the last shred of pretense, he struck Duan Mingyu with a full-force palm strike that left the boy half-unconscious. Dragging the limp body, he simply used Duan Mingyu as a shield and said, "Kill him if you have the guts. A Heavenly Yin Physique is useless a few hours after death. Let's see how you'll explain that to those old fogies in the Yingyue Sect!"
In truth, Nie Shiyun and the others had plenty of ways to bypass Duan Mingyu and strike him, but Xu Yehua’s behavior now was like that of a jumping clown. They couldn't help but watch him talk to himself ridiculously for a few more moments.
Xu Yehua laughed twice and whispered into Duan Mingyu’s ear, "Mingyu, as long as you have this physique, you are destined to be targeted wherever you go! You can't protect yourself, and neither I nor that Rong Lü can protect you! Since you're destined to die, why can't you help me before you go? Consider it a final favor for our past feelings."
"You..." Duan Mingyu’s vision had gone dark from the slap, and a bright red mark was stamped on his beautiful face. Hearing Xu Yehua say this, his mouth hung half-open in disbelief. He couldn't connect this completely insane man to his former lover at all, and for a long time, he couldn't utter a single word.
"The show is about over. Let's finish this," Nie Shiyun sighed helplessly, raising his hand to deliver the final blow to Xu Yehua.
His struggle with Xu Yehua was finally coming to an end.
"Wait..." Shen Yan, with his sharp eyes, spotted a figure appearing in the distance behind Xu Yehua and stopped him in a low voice.
The group looked over, all showing expressions of surprise. Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong didn't know that Shen Yan had given Rong Lü a stab and a Spirit Recovery Pill after they left, so they naturally didn't know how Rong Lü had managed to drag that heavily injured body here.
The pill Shen Yan had given wasn't high-quality; it was just the most ordinary mortal grade. Rong Lü’s injuries hadn't fully healed. The wound from where Xu Yehua had stabbed him through the abdomen from behind was still seeping blood, but he could move if he endured the pain.
Rong Lü was incredibly grateful that he was a sword cultivator. All his storage rings had been taken by Xu Yehua, leaving him with nothing. Fortunately, a sword cultivator’s natal spirit sword is one with the cultivator, residing within their dantian; otherwise, he wouldn't have made it in time.
"...!"
Xu Yehua’s eyes suddenly widened.
He was holding Duan Mingyu in front of him, shuffling backward inch by inch, when suddenly an unhesitating sharp edge pierced straight through his back, through his body, and the tip of the blade emerged from his throat.
In an instant, blood blackened by demonic energy sprayed out several feet.
Xu Yehua didn't need to turn around; he could tell who had struck from the familiar sword qi.
"..."
Xu Yehua’s eyes looked ready to burst, his mouth hanging wide as if to say something, but he could no longer do so. The tip of the sword protruding from his neck grazed the top of Duan Mingyu’s head as it passed. Duan Mingyu trembled with post-traumatic terror.
Rong Lü had put ninety percent of his spiritual power into this strike. Seeing Duan Mingyu finally break free from Xu Yehua’s restraint and fall vertically toward the sea, he used his last ounce of strength to rush toward the direction where Duan Mingyu was falling.
Xu Yehua hadn't expected that the fatal blow wouldn't even come from Nie Shiyun, whom he had always viewed as a thorn in his side, but from this Rong Lü, whom he had never even spared a glance...
"You two seniors probably aren't interested in a dying man. Why don't you let me pick up the scraps?" Shen Yan said lightheartedly.
Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong exchanged a look. They didn't know exactly what Shen Yan intended to do, but they nodded nonetheless.
Shen Yan flew forward, chanting under his breath as the Soul Summoning Banner was surrounded by swirls of dark energy. Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong both stepped back a few paces, not wanting to be affected.
As the chanting finished, a wisp of blackish-gray mist emerged from Xu Yehua’s body, drawn toward the Soul Summoning Banner like metal to a magnet. Outsiders naturally couldn't see the struggle on the soul level, but they could faintly sense the resistance and resentment within.
If Xu Yehua hadn't fallen into demonhood and his physical body hadn't been so broken, a soul at the Great Circle of the Golden Core stage wouldn't have been something Shen Yan could handle. But as Shen Yan said, he was here to pick up the scraps. Xu Yehua’s physical body was only a breath away from death, and he had no power to resist the forceful soul-summoning technique. In the end, he turned into a wisp of a soul and was sealed within the banner.
With the soul extinguished, the physical body was naturally useless. During its vertical fall, the body that had lost its cultivator’s essence aged rapidly. It slammed into the sea dozens of feet below with a "thwack," nearly shattering into pieces.
Shen Yan twirled the Soul Summoning Banner in his hand with satisfaction. He felt that although he hadn't obtained the Exotic Flame today, he had gained a lot in another sense. A soul refined from a Golden Core cultivator who had succumbed to demonhood was much stronger than some little spirit fox.
As a cultivator who had grown up in the Yingyue Sect, Zhai Bairong had no particular opinion on demonic cultivators, but he wasn't interested either. He simply watched it all with a flat expression. He only thought that Xu Yehua, the enemy who had constantly picked fights with Nie Shiyun, was finally completely gone, which brought him a great deal of peace.
Nie Shiyun, on the other hand, was amazed. This was, after all, a magical treasure he had refined himself. Seeing how it was used with his own eyes, he couldn't help but marvel.
Seeing that the two of them had watched him refine a person into a soul without showing any disgust, Shen Yan thought to himself that these two were indeed different from the majority of those in the sects who spoke constantly of righteousness and grandeur.
"It's gone! Master, that thing is gone!" The Vermilion Bird Exotic Flame was a living entity with no moral concepts. It was simply excited because Shen Yan had performed something like a magic trick, and it flew in circles around Nie Shiyun’s head, chirping. Unfortunately, no one else could hear it, so all the high-pitched screams were directed solely into poor Nie Shiyun’s head.
Nie Shiyun took a deep breath.
Only Meiqiu looked at the Soul Summoning Banner, then at Shen Yan, whose expression still held a hint of cheerfulness. The claws gripping Nie Shiyun’s shoulder trembled.
*This person is not to be trifled with...*
***
Enjoying the story? Rate this novel:
Transmigrated into a Total Shou Novel as a Cannon Fodder, but Ended Up 1v1-ing the Male Lead | Chapter 118 | The End of Obsession | Novela.app | Novela.app
