EHRPS CH205

Guiqing Sect, Main Peak.

After three long centuries, Nie Wuhui finally met with Sect Leader Gu Fengji. The moment he stepped into Gu Fengji’s courtyard, the curling aroma of spiritual tea wafted over.

“Sect Leader.”

Nie Wuhui sat opposite him.

“Senior Martial Uncle Nie, it has been a long time.” The amber tea rippled gently in the white jade porcelain cup as Gu Fengji placed it before the man. “Had I not seen you in the shadow-recording stone, I would not have known…”

Halfway through his sentence, Gu Fengji’s expression shifted slightly.

“Senior Martial Uncle Nie, your cultivation…?!”

After two days and nights of breath regulation and quiet meditation, Nie Wuhui’s realm had recovered to the Body Integration stage. Sect Leader Gu Fengji was also a Body Integration cultivator, so he naturally sensed it.

Nie Wuhui picked up his tea, took a calm sip, and explained:

“It is no hindrance. I will recover fully soon.”

Cultivating from the Body Integration stage to the Mahayana stage was indeed arduous, but Nie Wuhui was originally a Mahayana cultivator, making this a different matter entirely.

Hearing this, Gu Fengji nodded, putting his mind at ease.

Sitting face-to-face, Nie Wuhui looked no older than twenty-five or twenty-six, yet his actual age was far greater than Gu Fengji, who appeared to be in his early thirties.

In terms of seniority, Gu Fengji had to call him “Senior Martial Uncle.”

Nie Wuhui was born in the turbulent times of a millennium ago. The Guiqing Sect Leader of that era took in several orphans over time, bringing them all back to the sect and accepting them as disciples.

He was the eldest martial brother.

Over the past millennium, Nie Wuhui had never taken a disciple himself, but his junior martial brothers and sisters had many.

Gu Fengji was one of them.

Later, when the former Sect Leader passed away, Nie Wuhui had no desire for the position. His junior martial brothers and sisters all had their own aspirations and possessed temperaments unsuited for sect management, unable to serve as the head of a sect.

Fortunately, among the next generation of disciples, Gu Fengji possessed exceptional talent and a steady temperament, so he succeeded the position of Sect Leader.

After becoming Sect Leader, Gu Fengji frequently sought Nie Wuhui’s counsel and held him in high esteem—not to mention that Nie Wuhui later made an exception to accept his only son, Gu Chen, as a personal disciple.

At this moment, Gu Fengji happened to think of Gu Chen and chuckled warmly, “Gu Chen learned of your emergence from seclusion two days ago. He must be waiting at Lingzhao Peak right now.”

Nie Wuhui smiled and said, “Then he will have made the trip in vain.”

After a few more pleasantries, the two got down to business.

Three hundred years ago, the Grand Elder of the Astrology Sect personally came to the Guiqing Sect and imparted that world-ending prophecy to Nie Wuhui.

The prophecy of the apocalypse carried profound implications.

To prevent panic from spreading throughout the righteous path, destabilizing Dao hearts, and giving demonic cultivators an opportunity to wreak havoc, Nie Wuhui deliberated at length and chose not to spread the news. He merely gave Gu Fengji a few cryptic instructions before entering seclusion.

Now, Nie Wuhui was relieved he hadn’t shared it.

If the news that ‘Tu Tianba is the catalyst for the apocalyptic crisis’ was carelessly spread, wouldn’t they have wronged him?

—Shaking that person’s state of mind, allowing the demonic cauldron to overcome his resistant will—such an action would have instead triggered the very crisis they sought to avoid.

Now, the fated day of the tribulation had passed.

Nie Wuhui had finally grasped the true meaning of the prophecy.

He slowly revealed the lingering issues from the ancient Immortal-Demon War and the true connection between the demonic cauldron and Tu Tianba, ensuring Gu Fengji had a clear picture of the situation.

Gu Fengji sat in stunned silence, taking a long time to process the information.

He frowned, the spiritual tea in his hands already completely cold.

“I never expected the Demon Lord was actually burdened by that ancient demonic weapon, suffering the harassment of demonic creatures day and night…”

Gu Fengji set down his teacup and continued:

“Although this Tu Tianba strayed into the demonic path because of the demonic cauldron, his soul is fused with it. If he suddenly changes his mind, no one would know…”

“If he were to release the resentment within the cauldron, it would be an unprecedented crisis for the entire cultivation world!”

Thinking of something else, he added:

“Senior Martial Uncle Nie, perhaps you are unaware, but after the heavenly lightning tribulation, Tu Tianba’s cultivation advanced even further. He is now capable of completely concealing that overbearing demonic aura…”

“He has hidden his identity and infiltrated the righteous path. I fear he may harbor ulterior motives. How can we not be on our guard?”

How could Nie Wuhui not know?

As the Dao Companion who had dual cultivated with that person for three full years, listening to the youth’s nonsense all day long, he knew Tu Tianba simply coveted his robust, upright body, loathed the inner demons’ whispers, and desperately yearned for normal communication with others…

Yet the outside world always assumed he was plotting some grand conspiracy.

Nie Wuhui fell silent for a moment, then, with a gentle expression, uttered a sentence that made Gu Fengji completely lose his composure on the spot:

“What if he does?”

“Even if he harbors ulterior motives, his motives are directed solely at me. It has nothing to do with the righteous path, nor the demonic path. It is nothing more than mutual affection between the two of us.”

Clatter!

Gu Fengji’s hand trembled, his sleeve knocking over the white porcelain teacup beside him. The spiritual tea trickled out in a fine stream, dripping steadily off the edge of the table.

Nie Wuhui maintained his composure and continued:

“Sect Leader, you may not be aware, but I cultivate an exclusive mental method. By dual cultivating with Tu Tianba, I can purify the demonic aura on his person—that is, within the demonic cauldron…”

“Given time, the crisis of the demonic cauldron can be resolved.”

In a flash.

Gu Fengji recalled the black-clad youth he had seen in the shadow-recording stone two days ago, his tone filled with shock and doubt:

“Could he be Tu Tianba?”

“He is currently at the Guiqing Sect, on Lingzhao Peak?!”

Nie Wuhui nodded in confirmation.

“Sect Leader, rest assured. He will absolutely not act recklessly. The killings in his past occurred because people developed ill intentions toward him due to the demonic cauldron and sought to take his life…”

“Our most pressing priority is catching the true mastermind endangering the cultivation world and attempting to incite conflict.”

“…”

It took Gu Fengji a long while to find his voice.

The two discussed the matter of the mastermind for quite some time. Once everything that needed to be said was said, Nie Wuhui stood up. “His temper is somewhat hasty, he is not very good with words, and he holds old grudges with the various sects. I hope you will preside over the upcoming righteous assembly.”

Gu Fengji replied, “Naturally.”

Seeing Nie Wuhui preparing to leave, his expression turned unreadable. Ultimately, he couldn’t hold back his question:

“Senior Martial Uncle Nie, does this method of dual cultivation to purify demonic qi cause you any harm? Could it be that you sacrificed yourself to Tu Tianba for the sake of the righteous path and the stability of this world?”

Nie Wuhui paused, then smiled faintly.

It was Gu Fengji’s first time seeing him reveal such a gentle expression. Before he could react, he heard the man enunciate every word clearly: “You misunderstand.”

Nie Wuhui paused, the smile on his lips deepening.

“—I truly love him.”

“…”

The moment those words left his mouth, Nie Wuhui almost heard the youth’s hopping-mad voice in his ear, angrily complaining that he confessed his love to others but never directly to him…

With his personality, he would probably demand compensation.

A thousand-fold compensation.

Having just tasted the sweetness of love, Nie Wuhui’s heart was soft and warm. He couldn’t help but accelerate his flight from the Main Peak to Lingzhao Peak.

In just a few breaths, he arrived back at Lingzhao Peak.

As soon as he stood still, he saw the wooden cottage’s windows thrown wide open. The noonday sun was warm, and the breeze peeked inside.

A bundle of vibrant, brilliant spring colors swayed by the windowsill.

But the youth was nowhere to be seen.

Nie Wuhui was in no hurry. He took a slow stroll around the inside and outside of the cottage before finally walking toward the ancient tree.

The ancient tree’s gnarled roots arched above the ground, its vigorous branches thick with leaves, folding the sunlight into dappled shapes.

Nie Wuhui stood beneath the tree. Just as he lifted his face—

“You…”

The rustling of leaves echoed, and Tu Tianba plummeted downwards headfirst. Hooking the tips of his toes around a branch in a bizarre posture, he hung upside down in front of him.

The distance was perfect.

One upright, one upside down, their eyes met.

Tu Tianba’s high ponytail and bangs dropped uniformly, fully revealing his small, round face that was just beginning to show a heroic spirit. The spring sun filtered through the overlapping leaves, casting fragmented golden speckles across his brows and eyes.

“I’ve waited for you for ages.” Sure enough, he began complaining immediately.

Nie Wuhui felt quite wronged and said softly, “I was only gone for a bit over a shichen (two hours).”

Tu Tianba counted on his fingers for him. “A day apart feels like three autumns. Being apart for a shichen is practically three months! This whole spring is almost over!”

Stifling a smile, Nie Wuhui asked, “Then what should we do?”

Tu Tianba: “That’s easy!”

With that, he reached into his collar, fumbled around for a while, and thrust his hand in front of Nie Wuhui.

Nie Wuhui looked closely.

…The youth’s knuckles were slender, and clasped between his index and ring fingers was a tiny, pale pink flower enveloped in spiritual qi.

The bud was slightly curled, as if shy to bloom.

Tu Tianba tucked it beside Nie Wuhui’s temple, taking the opportunity to tidy his hair and brush away the leaves he had shaken loose just now. He announced loudly:

“I hid one just for you.”

“…”

Nie Wuhui couldn’t resist raising his hand, his thumb gently brushing the small flower by his temple. Suddenly, his vision went dark—Tu Tianba, still hanging upside down, abruptly cupped the back of his neck.

A kiss, long and lingering.

A whole spring, melting away between their lips.

Inside the system space.

The white orb watched the light screen. Remembering the Boy-Wooing manual it had slipped to the host, and the host’s diligent, studious appearance as he secretly pored over it, it sighed deeply:

“Reading changes destiny!”

“People truly need to read more.”

“Be ambitious! Keep progressing!”

In the corner behind it.

The blue orb was reading through the novels and documents the main system had previously downloaded. Its data brain was running a bit hot.

It flipped a page, a string of scrambled code flashing by:

[…S-So stimulating.]

·

Meanwhile.

Main Peak, Announcement Hall.

The representatives of the various sects had finally assembled. In the center of the hall were the three tightly bound demonic lords, as well as Wei Rong.

Everyone had already learned that Wei Rong was manipulated by an evildoer who planted an inner demon seed within her. They wanted to untie her Immortal-Binding Rope, but Wei Rong refused.

She was pale and hollow-eyed, looking entirely like a lost soul whose spirit had fled.

Seeing her state, everyone present couldn’t help but sigh.

Soon, under Gu Fengji’s direction, the three demonic cultivators began confessing the details of the events. During the process, someone asked what role Demon Lord Tu Tianba played in this.

After all, Jin Liuyi and the three of them all belonged to the Heaven Slaughtering Sect.

Patriarch Wuxiang’s eyebrow twitched instantly as he replied:

“…What Heaven Slaughtering Sect? It’s nothing but an empty shell. The Demon Lord never pays attention to us, and he kills demonic cultivators even more ruthlessly than you righteous lot!”

Following that, another person asked:

“Is the information that Jin Liuyi spoke of true?”

—Referring to the news of the Demon Lord hiding within the righteous path.

Hearing this, Gu Fengji stepped forward.

He first ordered disciples to lead the four away, then disclosed the inside story to the gathered sects:

“Everyone, the Demon Lord is bound to the Soul-Refining Cauldron, serving as a shackle for the demonic creatures within. Let us set aside past grievances for now. Investigate the disciples who participated in the Immortal Sect Grand Competition three years ago, and remain vigilant for any undiscovered disciples implanted with inner demons…”

“In addition to this, we must track down the demonic cultivator Jin Liuyi.”

The crowd was highly wary of further incidents among their sect disciples, so naturally, there were no objections. They immediately transmitted messages back to their sects to prepare their plans.

Such a response wasn’t because they lacked the will to eradicate demons and defend the Dao against Tu Tianba, but because they were deterred by his bizarre and supreme cultivation…

Now, they had also learned from Gu Fengji:

Tu Tianba had fused with the Soul-Refining Cauldron and was virtually immortal. If his consciousness perished, the consequences would be catastrophic.

Therefore, the various sects didn’t press too hard on the issue of Tu Tianba, even handling it lightly.

It was truly an act of helplessness.

Just at this moment.

The Sect Master of the Ten Thousand Dharmas Sect, who had also spoken privately with Xu Que, pondered for a long while before finally asking: “Sect Leader Gu, I heard Immortal Lord Wuhui has formed a Dao Companionship with Demon Lord Tu Tianba. This…”

As his voice faded.

The expressions of everyone present changed, their eyes snapping to Gu Fengji.

Facing numerous wary and astonished gazes, Gu Fengji sighed silently in his heart and nodded:

“That is true. Please rest assured, everyone. Elder Nie is willing to guarantee with his own person that Tu Tianba will not commit any acts harmful to the righteous path or slaughter the innocent during this time.”

“If he can be guided toward good, the righteous path will have lost a great enemy,” Gu Fengji continued. “And this world will have one less terrifying Demon Lord…”

Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind Gu Fengji,

“Unacceptable!”

Gu Chen’s hands, resting at his sides, clenched into fists. His breathing was heavy, veins bulging on his neck, his expression suppressed yet urgent.

“Father… No, Sect Leader! How can Master form a Dao Companionship with that great demon? Could it be that to suppress this menace, Master must be sacrificed?!”

“How… how can you speak so lightly of this! Master has been exceedingly kind to you and me, and has never wronged the righteous path…”

“Gu Chen! Watch your words!”

Gu Fengji shouted, then added, “Where is your usual composure? Why are you being so impulsive and reckless? Step down for now!”

Gu Chen lowered his head, “Yes…”

Even after leaving the Announcement Hall, Gu Chen’s expression remained dark and unreadable, entirely devoid of his usual calm.

In a daze, a thought surfaced in his mind.

—No.

—It shouldn’t be like this!

This thought spiraled in his mind, gradually morphing into another sentence.

Tap, tap.

Gu Chen halted his steps, stopping in a secluded, empty spot outside the hall. Gazing distantly at Lingzhao Peak wrapped in immortal mist, he murmured softly,

“…Shouldn’t Master belong to me?”

Thump.

A seed fell to the ground and took root.