EHRPS CH202

Although Tu Tianba had agreed to accompany Nie Wuhui back to the Guiqing Sect to clear his name, he let out a subconscious sigh of relief when he heard the other say they should first find the fallen disciple of the Xuanxu Sect and those three demonic cultivators to escort them back together.

Had he not yielded to the man’s gentle persuasion, he would never have been willing to step foot into a righteous sect in his capacity as a Demon Lord.

There was far too much trouble involved.

Putting it off for even one more day was worth it.

Even so, Tu Tianba put on an agreeable front and chimed in, “You are right, one really should bring a gift when paying a visit.”

How could Nie Wuhui fail to see through his petty thoughts?

He reached out to pinch Tu Tianba’s nose, his fingertips unconsciously coming to rest on that bright red mole on the bridge of his nose, and curiosity suddenly struck him. “When I first saw you, I don’t recall seeing this.”

Tu Tianba answered offhandedly, “It hadn’t grown in back then.”

All at once, he came to his senses, widening his eyes as he asked Nie Wuhui in return, “Wait, you remembered what I looked like the very first time you saw me?!”

Back then, he couldn’t even hide the demonic qi cloaking his entire body.

Only years after fusing with the Soul-Refining Cauldron did Tu Tianba realize that in the eyes of others, his features appeared blurred, looking sinister and terrifying at a mere glance.

The more he thought about it, the more his heart burned with warmth. He couldn’t resist leaning forward to peck Nie Wuhui’s eyelids several times, declaring with boundless delight,

“We really are a match made in heaven!”

Nie Wuhui closed his eyes, feeling a touch of joy welling up in his heart as well.

After waiting a short while, he placed both hands on Tu Tianba’s shoulders, gently pushing the youth back a little to discuss serious matters with him.

Of course, for most of the conversation, Nie Wuhui did the talking while Tu Tianba nodded repeatedly, acting completely obedient to the man.

After a good while, the two returned the way they had come.

Xu Que was already waiting there, his hands moving without pause as he manipulated spiritual energy talismans, seemingly attempting to dissolve the demonic qi permeating this territory.

Tu Tianba turned to glance at the man beside him.

Witnessing the tragic state of the Xuanxu Sect once more, the man’s expression had turned somewhat somber.

Seeing this, Tu Tianba did not stay on the flying boat like a lazy worm this time. Jumping off before Nie Wuhui, he extended an arm with his palm facing downward.

In an instant, demonic qi like gray mist surged up from beneath the earth, carrying a thick stench of blood, gathering into a small sphere within his palm.

Then, Tu Tianba closed his fist.

The demonic qi across the entire Xuanxu Sect territory was completely absorbed by him.

Tu Tianba shook his hand, paying no heed to the inner demon voices stirred up by the demonic qi, and said to Nie Wuhui, “Within ten years, living things will flourish here once more.”

He paused, adding, “Though I have no way to help the slain cultivators. Once dead, people are dead, and they won’t come back.”

How could Nie Wuhui not understand that truth?

Saying nothing, he raised a hand to pat Tu Tianba’s head in response to the emotions flickering in the youth’s eyes.

Immediately after, Nie Wuhui walked over to Xu Que. Facing the other man’s startled look of sudden realization, he did not volunteer the youth’s identity, merely laying out their upcoming plans.

Xu Que pondered for a moment and said, “Immortal Lord Wuhui, let me accompany you to track down those demonic cultivators.”

“As it happens,” he flipped his hand, revealing a bloodstained scrap of cloth in his palm, “I retrieved this when fighting them, which makes it easy for me to cast the Ten Thousand Dharmas Sect’s exclusive tracking technique.”

“Please wait half a day while I regulate my breath.”

With that, Xu Que glanced at the black-clad youth beside Nie Wuhui, then at the purified land. Flipping his hand again, he retrieved that bottle of Spirit-Restoring Pills he had stored in his Qiankun pouch.

Tipping his head back, he swallowed two pills and began tending to his injuries.

Time passed swiftly.

When Xu Que opened his eyes again, the sky was dimming, leaving only a wash of twilight tinting the distant mountains. Without wasting words, he raised his hands to cast the tracking technique, and a line of words appeared on the bloodstained scrap of cloth.

Wei Rong, Lingshu Mountain Manor.

Wei Rong was the name of the fallen disciple from the Xuanxu Sect.

Lingshu Mountain Manor was where she was currently located.

Lingshu Mountain Manor was also one of the righteous sects, renowned for artifact forging. A millennium ago, it was a major sect standing alongside the Guiqing Sect and the Ten Thousand Dharmas Sect, though it had gradually declined over time and suffered a drought of successors for many years.

Even so, the thousand-year foundation amassed by Lingshu Mountain Manor could not be underestimated.

Nie Wuhui’s natal immortal sword, Untamed, was crafted by the young manor lord of Lingshu Mountain Manor a millennium ago. The two had shared a deep friendship, close enough to speak their minds freely.

With a clear lead, the three boarded the flying boat and set off in the direction of Lingshu Mountain Manor.

Sensing the worry in Nie Wuhui’s heart, Tu Tianba did not slack off. Focusing completely, he propelled the flying boat with power far beyond what a Foundation Establishment medical cultivator should possess.

Xu Que and Nie Wuhui exchanged a glance, both understanding perfectly without voicing a word.

Before dawn broke, the three arrived at Lingshu Mountain Manor.

Tu Tianba had a keen sense for demonic qi. Before Xu Que could perform a more detailed tracking spell, he steered the flying boat toward a bamboo forest on the manor’s outskirts.

From far away, he spotted four figures among the bamboo.

They were Wei Rong, Mingxuzi, Jin Wusheng, and Patriarch Wuxiang.

Worried that these housewarming gifts might run off on their own legs, Tu Tianba waved his hand and pulled an Immortal-Binding Rope from his sleeve dimension, tying all four of them up securely. At the end of the rope, he even tied a jaunty bow.

Master Boy-Wooer wrote in the book that gifts must be wrapped with care.

Beside the sentence was an illustration showing how to wrap things.

Tu Tianba was exceptionally clever, picking it up at a glance. Putting his newfound knowledge into practice, he praised himself with immense satisfaction,

“As expected of me!”

He even wondered if he should wrap them in something extra.

Crimson cloud satin, or plain silk gauze?

There were simply too many items inside Tu Tianba’s sleeve dimension, all gathered from his foraging trips over the past three hundred years, so much so that he couldn’t pick an appropriate wrapping on short notice.

Studying medicine was a troublesome pursuit, so Tu Tianba hadn’t stayed locked in his cave the entire time.

Every once in a while, he would venture into unopened secret realms alone to forage, collecting all manner of heavenly materials and earthly treasures he might need.

Treasures or ancient cave dwellings left behind by mighty figures were often found in secret realms.

Tu Tianba had simply foraged them all with a wave of his hand, which was how he amassed such staggering wealth.

While he was mulling it over, the flying boat landed before the four people who were bound hand and foot.

The moment the three demonic cultivators saw Xu Que, they cursed immediately,

“It’s you?!”

Among them, Patriarch Wuxiang held the highest cultivation and the greatest age. When he caught sight of Nie Wuhui standing behind Xu Que, his face drained of all color, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

No one paid any attention to Tu Tianba.

Inside the system space, the white orb saved face for itself, “Even though the Host’s ex-husband persona has partially slipped, this system’s data modification technology remains very reliable! Look, in the eyes of these people, the Host is purely a negligible little Foundation Establishment lackey!”

Tu Tianba ignored it.

Tilting his head, he noticed the inner demon voices in his ear paused for a split second before resuming their usual prattle about how fate had never treated him well, asking if he didn’t feel hatred, and other nonsense.

Tu Tianba was sharp and did not miss that momentary anomaly.

The four were bound securely in place, unable to move.

Tu Tianba walked up to the silent young female cultivator, meeting a pair of eyes brimming with resentment and bitterness.

Stroking his chin, Tu Tianba asked, “Were you the one who told that unlucky old, cough, Xu Que that the Demon Lord of the Heaven Slaughtering Sect helped you wipe out the Xuanxu Sect?”

Wei Rong’s expression remained icy. “What if I did?”

Tu Tianba did not lose his temper with her. Instead, looking around curiously, he raised his palm and clamped five fingers over the crown of Wei Rong’s head.

The flesh on his fingertips dissolved into five thin wisps of blood mist, drilling straight into Wei Rong’s mind under his command.

In an instant, Wei Rong shrieked in agony.

Her scream was piercing and shrill, drawing the gaze of everyone present.

Xu Que’s expression hardened, yet he saw Nie Wuhui take two strides to stand beside the black-clad youth, calm and unhurried, clearly anticipating this.

Listening to Wei Rong’s shrill cries, Tu Tianba’s expression did not change in the slightest as he concentrated on controlling the blood mist to refine the parasitic entity lurking in her brain.

Before long, a condensed ball of black mist rested within Tu Tianba’s palm.

Wei Rong had nearly passed out from the excruciating pain, her hair by her temples soaked through, her lips pale and bloodless, while the metallic tang of blood filled her mouth.

Tu Tianba examined the black mist in his hand for a moment, then turned to send a voice transmission to Nie Wuhui, “…This thing shares the same origin as me. It must be the culprit causing the righteous disciples to fall into the demonic path.”

He fell silent for a moment, then added,

“You understand what this means, right?”

Nie Wuhui sighed inwardly.

He certainly understood what it signified. Even though they had located the rogue demonic cultivators and the fallen disciple, the root cause driving those righteous disciples into corruption was inextricably linked to the youth.

It was something impossible to explain cleanly.

Reining in his tangled emotions, Nie Wuhui said softly, “Because of that, it is all the more reason for me to drag the mastermind into the light. If you dislike making explanations, then I will explain on your behalf.”

“Otherwise, my heart will know no peace.”

Turning sideways, Tu Tianba looked away and rubbed his stinging nose. Then he sealed the extracted inner demon seed inside a vessel and shoved it into Nie Wuhui’s hand.

He mumbled very softly,

“Fine, do whatever you want.”

Nie Wuhui stored it away, then asked Tu Tianba for a Qi-Replenishing Pill and placed it into Wei Rong’s mouth.

The pill melted instantly upon entering her mouth.

Soon, Wei Rong’s eyelashes fluttered and she opened her eyes.

At the same time, Nie Wuhui produced a pre-prepared shadow-recording stone. Waiting until the daze faded from Wei Rong’s expression and her eyes grew clear, he asked,

“What is the true story behind the massacre of the Xuanxu Sect?”

Hearing this, Wei Rong shuddered violently, murmuring in disbelief, “Wiped out… I actually committed such an insane act…”

“I… I slaughtered my own fellow disciples with my own hands…”

Right at that moment, Mingxuzi, seeing her look utterly devastated, burst into wild laughter.

“Hahaha, of course it was you!”

“That wasn’t the expression you had back then. You were thrilled, acting just like a true demonic cultivator!”

Tu Tianba clicked his tongue in irritation, stepped over neatly, and delivered a swift slap across Mingxuzi’s face, knocking him out cold on the spot. “Truly noisy.”

Jin Wusheng stayed quiet.

Patriarch Wuxiang stayed quiet.

What a familiar slap.