Chapter 65: Azure Cloud (43)

Su Tanyi ran wildly, searching everywhere, finally seeing that pitch-black lump lying on the ground—like a giant insect cocoon. Vaguely, he could see a curled-up figure inside, soaked in black mist, no longer in human form.

Without a word, he reached out to pry at the black cocoon. The moment he touched it, his finger bones felt scorching hot. He jerked his hand back, alarmed and uncertain.

The system said it would help him, but just now, apart from that sword qi… He slowly lowered his head. On his right hand, the warmth of Qin Tan’s fingertip drawing across his palm still seemed to linger.

No, that sword qi was given by Qin Tan.

Where were the cheats? Where were the cheats the system promised? Damn it, was he being played for a fool?

Seeing the demonic energy inside the black cocoon grow even more dense, Su Tanyi spun around in circles on the spot. Gritting his teeth, he stretched out both hands. Ignoring the burning of the demonic energy, he began tearing at that thick cocoon.

“Xiao Yue, wake up!”

His ten fingers corroded beyond recognition, Su Tanyi’s tears rolled down from the pain. Still remembering he was an adult, he could only forcefully suppress cries of pain, gritting his teeth to pry at that silkworm-like barrier. His ten fingers sank deep, his spirit body being devoured—it was a pain that penetrated to the bone marrow.

When He Tingzhen finished cleaning up and rushed over, Su Tanyi had already forcibly torn open a gap in the black cocoon. Only his own fingertips had already turned black halfway up. Tears streaming down his face, grimacing—he looked extraordinarily tragic.

That sword qi just now had been too overwhelming, causing the Marriage Mirror that was already beginning to shatter to crack directly. Heaven and earth were breaking everywhere. Countless mirror fragments fell with flashing light. Each shard contained a preserved melodramatic storybook. The instant they hit the ground, they transformed into hazy white mist, uncontrollably swallowing everything around them.

He Tingzhen avoided those out-of-control Spirit Wandering Realms. Across thousands upon thousands of worlds, he saw those youths lying in disarray on the ground in the distance. With a cursory sweep—the most crucial few people were still there. His heart relaxed slightly. He quickly stepped forward, found Su Tanyi, and along the pried-open crevice thrust his sword in with difficulty, carving open a gap. Demonic energy gathered and dispersed. He raised his finger to press an acupoint, forcibly expelling a thread of spiritual energy, pulling the opening wider. “Brother Tan, hurry! Pull him out!”

Su Tanyi nodded and reached in to fish him out. Finally grabbing Yue Qianxun’s collar, he forcibly dragged the person out.

A wet, slimy lump slid out. Su Tanyi made a sound of surprise and stuck his head out to look. He saw that Yue Qianxun, formerly thin as a stick, had suddenly swollen up like dried bamboo shoots soaking in water. Though one couldn’t say he was imposing, the contours between his brows and eyes already carried some shadow of the Demon Lord from previous lives. The burn mark on his right cheek had completely disappeared. Pitch-black hair stuck to his face. Two pointed horns protruded from his forehead, but a red dot emerged from between his brows like a twisting, leaping flame. Presumably, this was the demon clan inheritance Shen Xiyuan had risked his life to leave behind.

The demonization forcibly interrupted midway, Yue Qianxun’s whole body trembled. He seemed still immersed in some nightmare. His brows were tightly furrowed, the corners of his lips pressed tight. He curled into a ball, sharp fingertips digging into his flesh as if wanting to tear himself in half.

Su Tanyi leaned in close and shook him violently. “Xiao Yue, Yue Qianxun, wake up! Don’t let the demonic energy influence you! Think of your father, think of your mother! Think of your dreams!”

Yue Qianxun’s whole body stiffened. The demonic energy on him grew heavier.

He Tingzhen: “…”

“Damn it, System, you useless thing! You said to move him with love? How the hell am I supposed to move him?” Su Tanyi spun around anxiously.

Before he could think of a better method, Yue Qianxun suddenly shrieked, abruptly opening both eyes—crimson and cold, violent and crazed, carrying endless killing intent as he lunged at Su Tanyi, opening his mouth to bite toward his neck!

In the nick of time, He Tingzhen manifested a spiritual sword, placing it horizontally before Su Tanyi. It lodged perfectly in Yue Qianxun’s mouth. He formed seals with his fingers. The sword body immediately transformed into a muzzle, firmly clamping that face shut.

Yue Qianxun had lost his reason. Through the cage, he bit and tore like a mad dog. Su Tanyi was startled at first, then pressed against the youth’s chest, pushing him away a bit, stammering: “Has he demonized? Why is it like he has rabies?”

He Tingzhen grabbed Yue Qianxun’s collar from behind, lifting the person up slightly. “It does seem like it. Did the system tell you specifically how to soothe him?”

Su Tanyi: “Use… use love to move him?”

He Tingzhen: “…”

“I remember you can sing songs?” He Tingzhen suddenly spoke.

Su Tanyi looked up, stammering: “Huh?”

He Tingzhen restrained Yue Qianxun, holding his head toward Su Tanyi, then reached out to cover those crimson, cold eyes. “Think of any song—coax him!”

Having no choice, Su Tanyi could only steel himself and start singing. A clear, gentle voice rose. This time, no rhythmic, upbeat songs flew from his mouth. Instead, it was a soothing lullaby. He Tingzhen locked down all of Yue Qianxun’s movements to prevent him from going berserk and injuring Su Tanyi. Around them was a slowly falling, collapsing world. Countless mirror fragments shattered, revealing the pitch-black firmament behind.

Not much time left.

He Tingzhen’s ten fingers used deadly force. Unable to struggle free, Yue Qianxun’s ten fingers frantically clawed at his arms. Su Tanyi couldn’t bear to watch. He pressed the youth’s wrists, held him in his arms, and one stroke at a time, like coaxing a child, stroked his back.

Gradually, Yue Qianxun’s stress-tensed body slowly relaxed. He Tingzhen felt wetness in his palm—like someone’s tears.

Yue Qianxun’s movements grew smaller and smaller. His throat emitted sorrowful, choked sounds. Probably having recovered a thread of consciousness, he asked tremblingly: “Who… are you…”

Before Su Tanyi could answer, continuous “crack crack” sounds were heard, then heaven and earth shattered. The Marriage Mirror completely collapsed. Countless primordial spirits scattered. Before being swallowed, they were wrapped by a clear energy. A chime sound came from the horizon. He Tingzhen’s five fingers became ethereal. His soul instantly withdrew and returned to its place.

Yue Qianxun’s eyes were blurred with tears. He felt himself constantly falling. Dreams and reality interlaced—he couldn’t quite distinguish true from false. Opening his eyes wide, he only saw a blurred face. Hair scattered, a light pink, like peach blossom petals flying in spring.

The embrace on his body suddenly disappeared. Then he saw the shattered world. Subsequently, a suction force came. His soul immediately returned to his body. He suddenly opened his eyes. Reality and memory interlaced. Images from the inheritance tangled chaotically together. Wrapped in countless negative emotions, unable to distinguish true from false for a moment, his mind full of “kill kill kill.” Without restraints, the demonic energy around him instantly exploded into chaos. A destructive desire surged up. He turned over and rose, stretching his neck, wanting only to howl toward the sky!

However, before he could roar that cry, just as he sprang up from the bed, in the next second, he was pierced through his robes by dozens of sword shadows and nailed dead to the bed.

Qin Tan pressed his sword with one hand, standing beside the bed. His brows and eyes were cold and severe, like ice and snow that would never melt through eternity. His right hand formed a sword gesture, lightly pressing against Yue Qianxun’s forehead. A surge of spiritual power directly pressed in, forcibly using his entire cultivation to reinforce the seal, pressing all that demonic energy into Yue Qianxun’s sea of consciousness and resealing it.

The youth was like a live fish having its scales stripped. His whole body trembled. Not knowing how much time passed, he collapsed sitting on the bed. The dragon horns on his forehead and the scales on his face all disappeared. He returned to being that thin youth with half-hanging hair covering his face.

Only between his brows remained a bright red dot, like a gorgeous cinnabar mole.

Qin Tan withdrew his hand. His thin lips parted slightly, uttering a few words: “What were you trying to do?”

With a splash, as if a basin of ice water had been poured from head to toe, Yue Qianxun’s violent thoughts instantly calmed. He looked at Qin Tan so close at hand, shivered, and with a thud knelt down. Prostrating himself completely, he knocked his head on the bed board. “Teacher Qin, this disciple knows his error!”

“Just now I slept too long and felt a bit uncomfortable. I wanted to turn over and change positions.”

His error-admitting appearance was truly too servile. Qin Tan lowered his eyes and made an acknowledging sound. Seeing the person had returned to normal, he said nothing more and turned to leave the room.

The Marriage Mirror was broken. The academy disciples’ primordial spirits had all returned to their places. He didn’t know how much the dean had seen or what the academy’s losses were. He still needed to go discuss it quickly.

Simply saying to rest early, just as he stepped out the door, he heard the sound of tables, chairs, and benches collapsing from Zhang Duixue’s room. The youth staggered out, his face deathly pale. Encountering Qin Tan, his steps paused. Then he greeted him and rushed into He Tingzhen’s room. He saw He Tingzhen covering his forehead and slowly getting up. Beside him was Fu Fengyan supporting his head, looking weak and asking after his well-being.

Everyone was alive. Zhang Duixue immediately breathed a sigh of relief. “How are your physical conditions?”

He Tingzhen sat on the bed, his lower back calmly supported by someone. “I’m fine. How about you?”

Zhang Duixue’s hands and legs had suffered corrosion. At this moment, his limbs trembled, but he still squeezed out a breezy smile. “I’m fine too. Fortunately, it was just a false alarm. Today’s commotion was too great. I’ll go out and check.”

After saying this, he almost staggered as he ran outside, heading in the direction of Langhuan Pavilion.

Qin Tan stood in the courtyard, leisurely glancing at them once, dropping a word of instruction before striding away. “Primordial spirit damage is not to be taken lightly. Don’t use techniques during this period.”

He Tingzhen nodded. His face was deathly pale. His condition didn’t look very good. He cupped his hands toward Qin Tan. “Many thanks to Teacher for the life-saving grace.”

If not for Qin Tan’s sword qi directly killing Shen Xiyuan, they would still be struggling now.

Qin Tan nodded. In a few steps, he left through the gate, heading toward the dean.

Seeing everyone had gone far, He Tingzhen’s body, which had been holding up for so long, finally seemed unable to bear it anymore. He collapsed headfirst, burying himself in Fu Fengyan’s embrace.

Fu Fengyan seemed to have anticipated this. He hadn’t moved all along. Now holding the person, he curved his finger and pressed it to He Tingzhen’s forehead, transmitting some spiritual power inside. “Forcibly raising your realm to the seventh level—even if the cultivation method you practice is special, your soul can’t withstand such consumption.”

“I’ll manage. Just need to lie down.” He Tingzhen was extremely tired. His eyelids drooped heavily. He half-squinted his eyes, looking at the swaying apricot branches outside the open door. Yue Qianxun ran out from inside in a fluster. Clinging to the doorway, seeing the position between Fu Fengyan and He Tingzhen, he froze completely, then quickly shrank back into his room.

Only two hours, yet it seemed like several lifetimes had passed. The night was still long. After the rain, the stars in the sky seemed washed by water. Further away came sounds of clamor—disciples who suffered severe injuries were probably being sent for treatment.

Lights in various courtyards lit up. For a time, the entire Azure Cloud Academy was as noisy as daytime.

This upheaval—who knew how many were injured, how many died. But everything was stopped in time. The damage wouldn’t be too great. Xie Xuanxiao and those few probably suffered some losses, but it also served as a reminder to these heaven’s chosen ones that the cultivation world wasn’t so easy to navigate. There were always people beyond people, heavens beyond heavens. Demonic cultivators were truly vicious and evil. On a real battlefield, no one would reason with them.

His thoughts gradually fragmented. He Tingzhen rested his head on Fu Fengyan’s shoulder and completely closed his eyes. Yet his heart felt relieved. “Actually, it’s not bad. Settled one matter weighing on my mind.”

With Yun Zhi dead and Shen Xiyuan crippled, at least the seal on Cold Mountain Realm shouldn’t break so quickly. The mortal realm could at least be peaceful for another ten years.

Tired was a bit tired, but it was worth it.

“Divine Lord, I’ll sleep for a bit.” He Tingzhen collapsed softly, his head sliding into Fu Fengyan’s embrace. “Remember to wake me when dawn comes.”

Fu Fengyan held him and slowly nodded. “Alright.”