Chapter 62: Azure Cloud (40)

Shen Xiyuan had lived for over four hundred years. From a small Jiaoqiu demon to becoming a capable general beside the Demon Lord, high emotional intelligence was one aspect, but among all the demon lords, his strength was also not to be underestimated.

Although his realm had fallen now and his primordial spirit was just a fragment, while his power had decreased, when he truly went mad dog and began indiscriminate attacks, the threat was still enormous.

He Tingzhen had no intention of confronting him head-on. Everyone in the Spirit Wandering Realm were disciples’ primordial spirits. If their souls were damaged, lighter cases would be weak for a year or two before recovering, while severe cases might become demented or insane, or even die on the spot.

Currently, the disciples at Azure Cloud Academy were all young, ranging from their teens to twenties, with cultivation levels around the second or third realm. Fourth realm was considered excellent, fifth realm was outstanding, and someone like Xie Xuanxiao at the seventh realm was called an unparalleled genius of this generation.

But Shen Xiyuan was the Demon Lord’s right-hand man. Even with his primordial spirit shattered, his realm was at least around the tenth level. This was different from the Black Cavalry phantom at last year’s final exam—this was a truly ruthless demon clan member.

Even with superior numbers, facing Shen Xiyuan would be like an ant trying to shake a tree—rushing forward to die would be a senseless sacrifice.

Therefore, when he saw Xie Xuanxiao leading a group of people to surround him, He Tingzhen’s vision went dark.

Such a dense formation—did these young masters think they were on a spring outing in the countryside? They really weren’t afraid of death!

“Move back! Everyone move back, spread out!” He Tingzhen looked at that group of blockheaded geese huddled together and shouted until his voice was hoarse.

But there were too many people, forming a dense circle. Each one was young and arrogant, unruly, fearless of heaven and earth, not taking his words seriously at all.

Someone waved a fan mockingly, “Brother He is indeed Brother He, truly loves to manage things. Managing affairs in the academy is one thing, but now that we’re in the Spirit Wandering Realm, you still want to boss people around. Do you really think you’re somebody important?”

“That’s right. After all, his cultivation is only at the third realm. Seeing a small demon creature, he’s already scared witless and pale as a ghost.” A youth clutching a stack of talismans squinted his eyes and giggled, taking a few steps to stand before He Tingzhen. “Brother Xiao He is so frightened, why don’t you stand aside and watch how we subdue demons and eliminate evil?”

He Tingzhen: “…”

“Why don’t I see that enforcer of yours today? Did you two get separated?” That person raised his head and looked left and right. Not seeing any trace of Fu Fengyan, he felt slightly relieved. He stretched out a finger and poked He Tingzhen’s shoulder. “Brother He, if you’re scared, step back. Don’t block the way.”

Zhang Duixue beside him frowned, his lips pressed together. Just as he was about to draw his sword, his wrist was pressed down by He Tingzhen. He looked up with a gentle, respectful smile. “If that’s the case, then this junior brother will stand aside and quietly observe all you senior brothers display your skills.”

With one hand pulling the hesitant Zhang Duixue and the other grabbing Xiangli Lingze, the three slowly left.

Behind them, those few people continued chatting animatedly, occasionally glancing over, their gazes full of mockery as they stared at He Tingzhen’s back.

“Hey, don’t run away?” The leading cultivator raised his hand and pointed at He Tingzhen. “Brother He, are you angry? Why can’t you take a joke? Don’t go complaining to the dean after we get out!”

Looking ahead, He Tingzhen dragged Zhang Duixue and Xiangli Lingze away without looking back, running toward the distance. At first they walked quickly, but soon the three were running at full speed.

“Such a small courage, acting like he’s seen a ghost.” The youth scratched his head in puzzlement, then gathered with his companions. Listening to Xie Xuanxiao’s commanding voice from the front, they occupied positions and formed arrays.

There were over two thousand people present, with varying cultivation levels. At the frontline, several fifth and sixth realm cultivators were entangled with the demonic cultivator. Xie Xuanxiao floated in mid-air, forming seals with one hand and transmitting voice secretly, commanding the remaining disciples to occupy positions. His other hand held a brush, and as he wrote, dots of light floated about—he was actually setting up a demon-slaying formation on the spot.

With one person’s power controlling the entire situation, he lived up to his reputation as the Young Master of Yuanchen Palace.

The people around were full of confidence, working together. Array patterns lit up beneath their feet, spiritual power converging into a golden cage, firmly controlling Shen Xiyuan within, preventing him from moving.

Sword cultivators were masters of killing. Once the formation was complete, sword light rained down from mid-air toward the demonic cultivator. Music cultivators, under Xiangli Xuan’s guidance, played demon-subduing melodies together to dissolve the malevolent energy. Array cultivators held down array nodes everywhere, immovable as mountains. Fu Baiyu was still the same, taking beatings alongside several sword cultivator senior brothers, but now there were many medical cultivators around. Once injuries appeared, they would be cleansed by spiritual power. Within the great formation, spiritual energy flowed endlessly and wounds healed extremely quickly.

For a moment, clear music floated about and spiritual light blazed, firmly suppressing Shen Xiyuan within, not a trace of demonic energy visible.

“That Xie fellow does have some skills,” Xiangli Lingze looked back and clicked his tongue in wonder. “He really did manage to control the situation. Yuanchen Palace is stealing all the glory. Those old array cultivator geezers outside must be thrilled—they’ve really shown off again.”

He Tingzhen’s face was expressionless. “Not necessarily.”

In an instant, dozens of black fire meteors fell from the sky. Enormous demonic energy wrapped in chaotic spiritual energy came howling, crashing down on their heads.

Everyone: “…Damn!”

Instantly, the gathered crowd rapidly dispersed. Those who had mocked He Tingzhen just moments ago now followed in his footsteps, each running faster than rabbits. The crowd converged like a tide, then scattered like raindrops in an instant, rushing in all directions.

The barely maintained array patterns instantly collapsed. Just as the meteors were about to fall, a broad shield suddenly covered them from above, stars circling upon it. Spiritual power and demonic energy collided, and stardust actually scattered at the point of impact.

Xie Xuanxiao floated in mid-air, holding a brush in one hand. With a flick of his fingers, he drew countless talismans, barely blocking one strike. However, there was ultimately a gap in realms. He alone could not resist that force. As his robe sleeves flew, demonic energy licked at his primordial spirit, and black-red patches appeared on the young immortal’s body, like dancing mold spots, connecting into larger areas and rapidly devouring him.

Veins bulged on his forehead. With one hand drawing arrays and the other forming seals, stars floated around Xie Xuanxiao’s body. His face was pale as paper, only his lips bright red as blood. He glanced sideways at his surroundings, using all his strength to shatter the meteorites and throw them out of range, before falling like a white bird with broken wings, retreating several steps and coughing up a mouthful of foul blood.

All around was empty, only pitch-black demonic energy rolling, swallowing his feet. Xie Xuanxiao retreated several steps. Looking at the colorful, flickering black spots on his calves that looked like eyes, his vision darkened, his head spun, and he almost couldn’t stand.

Sea of consciousness. Heart domain.

This demon was not an ordinary demon creature.

He knew he couldn’t fall here. He forced himself to maintain a thread of consciousness and formed seals to find a way out.

But having been contaminated by demonic energy, the turbid aura corroded his consciousness, and old matters buried deep in his heart resurfaced. He began to hallucinate. Pavilions and towers scattered like smoke and dust.

He walked hurriedly, treading on sunlight, moonlight, and starlight, from one end of the corridor to the other. Father, masters, teachers, sect members… cultivation, trials, reprimands, day after day, night after night. Before his eyes were mountains of books, array techniques converged into stars carved into his mind. Every word and action was supervised. He was stuffed into a mold, hammered and shaped into a perfect “Young Palace Master.”

Outside the shell was a flawlessly hypocritical face. Inside the shell, he was angry, unwilling, resentful. With nowhere to vent his accumulated emotions, he would torment the guard who followed him.

He saw the young man who followed him like a shadow, silently. Black clothes, long sword, a long scar across that gorgeous face, splitting that extremely beautiful face into two hideous halves. The eyes on the upper half were cold and bloodthirsty, but the lips on the lower half were as soft as spring petals. After kissing them, they would turn red like blood, and that red would flow with his blood to the little guard’s earlobes and the corners of his eyes, melting the coldness in those pitch-black eyes into a pool of shy spring water.

Xie Xuanxiao laughed aloud.

His greatest rebellion against his father was sleeping with the spy his father had planted beside him, and seducing him to escape the sect together.

They only escaped for an hour before being caught and brought back. He was punished to kneel in the ancestral hall for half a year to reflect. As for that little guard whose name he didn’t even know, he never saw him again.

When they reunited many years later, he learned that person was called Zhang Duixue.

Xie Xuanxiao covered his face and panted. He gasped, wildly waving his hands, trying to disperse all the chaotic images.

His feet gave way and Xie Xuanxiao fell forward, his hands pressing toward that pool of surging filth. In the next instant, a hand grabbed his waist belt and pulled him up.

Someone patted his face with great disdain. “Young Palace Master Xie, still conscious? You’re not dead yet, are you?”

Xie Xuanxiao’s vision swayed, countless overlapping phantoms. He recognized the person before him, thought for a moment, and frowned. “He Tingzhen?”

“This humble one is here. Thank you, Young Palace Master, for your helpful blunder—gathering everyone together so we could all take a full ten-out-of-ten hit of sea of consciousness heart domain.” He Tingzhen gave a thumbs up, smiling extremely disgustingly. Enveloped in a circle of white light, he lifted him up and tossed him into someone’s arms. “Thanks to the Young Palace Master, seventy percent of Azure Cloud Academy’s people are now injured. Stop sleepwalking here and hurry up and go save people.”

Xie Xuanxiao frowned, wanting to argue, but looking up he saw that face he’d been thinking about constantly. His mouth opened slightly, raising his hand to caress the other’s cheek, murmuring infatuatedly: “Xiao Xue… I’m sorry…”

Zhang Duixue said nothing, hastily carrying him on his back. He looked at He Tingzhen still walking deeper inside and couldn’t help but anxiously say: “We’ve already found the person. Why are you still going in?”

He Tingzhen waved his hand. “You go out. I’m going in because I still have something to do.”

Zhang Duixue stood in the turbid demonic energy. He circulated his spiritual power to resist, grabbing He Tingzhen’s sleeve, his face deathly pale. “Xiao Yue’s life or death is uncertain. Are you going in alone to find him? Wait, I’ll go with you!”

He Tingzhen waved his hand. “Xiao Yue is fine. I’m not going in to save him.”

Zhang Duixue was puzzled. “Then what are you doing?”

He Tingzhen didn’t look back. “Killing someone.”