Chapter 74: How Can Sect Development Be Such a Joke!
Yun Wuxiang sat cross-legged beneath the Azure Tree. Between his brows, the azure circular mark and the pitch-black phoenix-shaped demonic seal flickered alternately. The demonic aura on his body fluctuated in density. Wisps of azure energy drifted from the Azure Tree into his brow, merging into the Azure Mark.
The drifting azure energy collided with his own demonic energy, causing bursts of turbulence. His entire body resembled a piece of fragile, thin porcelain; one jolt, and it looked like it was about to shatter and disintegrate. Thin, long cracks appeared on his skin.
A black scorpion crawled out of his sleeve, circled to his leg, and transformed into human form.
Lifeless, cold white fingers touched the corner of his lips, wiping away a trace of blood from the broken skin. “Guanzhu, you are a demon, not from the Demon Race. You didn’t have a physical body to begin with. Why insist on suffering just to condense one? Look, itâs broken again.”
As Song Yilou spoke, he put his blood-stained finger into his mouth. His eyes narrowed in pleasure, and a lingering greed flared in his ghost pupils. He leaned in close, his lips parting as a scarlet tongue-tip licked the blood from the cracks.
A black chain silently slithered behind Song Yilou, splitting into even more chains that spread out like a net prepared for an ambush. It crept closer, and once the distance was right, it suddenly launched an offensive, lunging for the prey!
The chains wrapped around Song Yilouâs body. The moment they tightened, the human afterimage was crushed. The agile black scorpion dodged continuously in the chase.
Yun Wuxiang opened his eyes, glanced at the scorpion dancing among the chains, and reached for the birdcage by his leg.
A chilly Yin Qi teleported to his side. His fingers were gripped by cold ghost claws, and a ghost-language that sounded like insects chirping or cursed whispers spoke: “Guanzhu, don’t touch that dirty thing. If you want a cage, Iâll make you a new one.”
Song Yilou wore the pure, clean face of a youth, smiling as simply and cutely as a small wildflower in bloom. He pulled Yun Wuxiangâs hand toward himself. “Guanzhu might as well look at me. I look better than a cage.”
“You only look good while staying inside the cage.” Demonic Qi flew from Yun Wuxiangâs sleeve, trailing along his arm onto the otherâs arm. In the instant the other tried to pull away, it solidified into chains and bound him.
The drama of the chains catching the scorpion began to replay.
In a flash, the two had already exchanged several blows.
“Wuxiang, Teacher is calling for you… why are you fighting again?” Yun Xinyang flew in on a feather fan. Seeing the two fast-moving afterimages, his eyes couldn’t keep up with their movements at all. He could only infer that the fight was intense based on the sounds and the messy wind flying in from every corner.
“What does it want with me?” The chains tightened. Yun Wuxiang grabbed Song Yilouâs collar and spoke without turning his head.
The chains whipped toward the claw Song Yilou had extended toward the Prisonerâs Cage, only to be caught by him instead. The two men both gripped the chain, pulling against each other.
More than half a month had passed since Yun Wuxiang obtained the Prisonerâs Cage. However, he had yet to succeed in refining it because the target he wanted to lock inside would not stay quiet and watch him refine it.
Since the cage arrived, Yun Wuxiang had spent every day either having his refinement interrupted or being on guard against Song Yilou stealing the cage.
“Teacher said youâve been messing around for half a month already. Heâs urging you to hurry up and organize those demons and the cultivators you brought from the mortal realm. Put them to work in the Qingdi Guanâs spirit fields and mines to fulfill the wishes of the two Daozuns as soon as possible.”
Yun Xinyang repeated Caituanâs words, looking at the two men tugging at the chain.
“Jiangzi Shibo really prepared a batch of free labor for you. Woah, whatâs with all these cracks on your body?”
Once the fight between Yun Wuxiang and Song Yilou ended, Yun Xinyang finally saw the cracks on him and was instantly startled.
“Wuxiang, you won’t fall apart, will you? Use some glue to stick it… bah, what kind of glue works on this? Iâll go ask Teacher.”
“Stop. Iâm fine. The condensed body just broke again, thatâs all.” Yun Wuxiang called out to Yun Xinyang, who was about to dash off. He casually “peeled off” the physical body that was on the verge of shattering. With a light lift of his hand, the ruined body turned into black mist and dust, vanishing into thin air.
The removal was smooth; the destruction, casual.
“Oh.” Yun Xinyang looked at the scene in a daze. His already collapsed scientific materialist worldview was run over by a truck several more times.
Yun Wuxiang: “Where are those demons now?”
“They’re fighting with the people of the Qingshu Tribe,” Yun Xinyang said.
Yun Wuxiang: “I nearly forgot to ask Caituan about the situation of the Qingshu Tribe.”
“I asked. Teacher said that this place originally imprisoned the traitors from the Great Ancient Heaven-Sealing Catastrophe. Those original people have been dead for so long only ashes remain. Their descendants formed the Qingshu Tribe. Wuxiang, aren’t you curious about ancient matters at all?” Yun Xinyang looked at Yun Wuxiang in disbelief.
To him, hearing Caituan talk about the ancient wars was like listening to myths and legends. Even though it was mixed with the personal emotions and filters of the Heavengaze Bird, it still made a modern college student like Yun Xinyang, who hadn’t seen much of the world, marvel incessantly.
There were too many ancient events to tell in a short time. When the Heavengaze Bird was in a good mood, it would say a few more words to Yun Xinyang; when in a bad mood, it would tell him to go practice.
Because of the bird’s capriciousness, many things were only half-told. That feeling of hearing only half a story made Yun Xinyang itch with curiosity, and he spent all day pestering Caituan with questions.
As for cultivation, between the bird and the man, neither took it seriously.
Before Yun Xinyang broke through his inner demons and was willing to accept this world, his cultivation wouldn’t progress an inch. He could only use his current Xuan Xian cultivation to operate some auxiliary artifacts, like the feather fan he was riding.
The “master and disciple” pair had temporarily given up on torturing each other, turning from an accidental duo into chat partnersâone responsible for talking, the other for marveling and flattery.
Now, hearing Yun Wuxiang ask about the Qingshu Tribe, Yun Xinyang was shocked: “Jiangzi Shibo has been by your side guiding your cultivation for so long, and you never even asked about this?”
Yun Wuxiang hadn’t just avoided asking about the Qingshu Tribe; he hadn’t asked about anything at all, nor did he have the time.
“Shifuâs time was limited. Every minute we spent together was used to refine my cultivation, transmit techniques, and share cultivation experience. There wasn’t much energy left to reminisce about the past.”
“Nothing but boring topics. It makes me sleepy just listening. And what revival of the sect? Those old fossils just like finding things for the younger generation to do. A newlywed Dao Companion pair should live a life of only two people. Guanzhu, don’t mind them, and don’t waste your effort on them.”
Song Yilou released his grip on the chain, letting it drag him toward Yun Wuxiang. He took the opportunity to throw himself into the otherâs arms. His fingers reached toward the overlapping collar of Yun Wuxiangâs chest in a way that looked natural but was clearly intentional.
He pressed his whole body against Yun Wuxiang, using his face, chest, and arms to hide his finger’s movements. His ghost eyes drew close to the crimson demonic ones: “These eyes… just look at me. Don’t let me find anything else appearing inside them.”
“Crawl into the Prisonerâs Cage and don’t come out. I promise Iâll look at you every day.” Yun Wuxiang grabbed a restless claw, and a chain lashed out at the Yin Qi secretly reaching for the cage.
Only a fool would believe those words. Song Yilou was prone to episodes, but he wasn’t stupid at all: “Other people’s Dao Companions say sweet things to coax them after forming a bond. Guanzhu can’t even be bothered to try and deceive me properly. Men are all like thisâthey don’t cherish what they’ve already caught.”
The tone, reminiscent of a resentful concubine in a palace, made Yun Wuxiangâs hand itch. He grabbed at the air and pressed down on the head in front of him: “What Dao Companion? Get your position straightâyou are a pet.”
“Iâm fine with anything~” Song Yilou opened his arms in a hugging gesture: “The Master wants to kiss and hug and lift the pet high!”
Yun Wuxiang rubbed that bright-smiling dog-head. Once finished, he turned cold and heartless: “When I keep a pet, I only hope he can stay in his cage peacefully and obediently.”
“Cough, cough. Um, Teacher is still waiting for us…” Yun Xinyang held the shrunken feather fan in front of his mouth, urging them somewhat awkwardly.
[Tongzi, was Song Yilou licking Wuxiang’s Adam’s apple just now?]
[Detected host browsing suggestive content. Youth Health Mosaic Mode has been activated.]
Yun Xinyang: ???
“Let’s go.” Yun Wuxiang pressed down on Song Yilouâs head, patting the human-form ghost into a black scorpion that he held in his palm.
A body condensed from Demonic Qi could only use Demonic Qi. Once it absorbed Azure Energy, a rejection reaction would occur, causing the body to break.
He needed a heavenly treasure that could simultaneously accommodate both Immortal and Demonic Qi to act as the foundation for his condensed body.
The most suitable material Yun Wuxiang could think of was the Five-Colored Cloud Ganoderma, but that thing had already merged with Shen Lanqing.
He would go ask Caituan if there were any other treasures with similar properties in the Secret Realm.
“Holy crap!”
Yun Wuxiang turned to look at the person who had screamed: “Whatâs wrong?”
“Nothing, nothing. 3339 just told me a bad joke.” Yun Xinyang waved his hand and said sheepishly: “Letâs hurry up. Teacher is going to get impatient.”
The two of them flew toward their destination, separated by a short distance.
The Qingshu Tribe and the demons had already finished a round of fighting and were currently sitting on the ground, staring at each other during a ceasefire.
The Heavengaze Bird, enveloped in black mist, opened one eye: “You took your time.”
“You still haven’t given up on that reckless idea? Jiangzi already purified and corrected the Demonic Qi in your body. You are currently a pure demon. Insisting on seeking a way to switch freely between Immortal and Demon… you are defying the rules.”
There was no need for Yun Wuxiang to speak; with one sweep of its pupils, Caituan knew his intent. It also knew exactly what Yun Wuxiang had been doing lately.
“The other demons can eat the Azure Fruit because there is Duo Hong Qi here. Compared to Demonic Qi, the Azure Energy will attack the former first. That doesn’t mean Azure Energy and Demonic Qi can coexist peacefully.”
“If you take the Azure Fruit outside this Great Prison, it would be pure poison to a demon.”
“Talented people and demons just love to go against the rules and try impossible things.”
Caituan lifted its chin mockingly: “Tianqing also tried to convert Demonic Qi into Immortal Qi back then. In the end, she gained nothing but a cultivation deviation.”
Yun Wuxiang: “Youâve lifted your head a bit high. When Shifu lifted her head, the movement wasn’t as dramatic as yours.”
“Who said Iâm imitating her!” Caituan was enraged by the embarrassment!
“Mm, youâre not. Birds just like lifting their necks like that.” Before Caituan could completely blow its top, Yun Wuxiang said, “Tianqing Daozun did not gain nothing. Of all the techniques I have seen, only the Azure Emperor Records can be reversed into a supreme demonic cultivation technique with its power completely undiminished.”
“When Tianqing Daozun created this technique, her goal was the reversal of Immortal and Demon.”
Yun Wuxiang added, “If Iâm not mistaken, she researched this to allow Jiangzi Shifu to return to the righteous path?”
Jiangzi Daozun had said she originated from a righteous sect. No demonic sect would call itself “righteous.” That was a term exclusive to the Immortal Realm.
The Heavengaze Bird’s four pupils stared at him simultaneously. Those eyes that could see through the human heart fell upon Yun Wuxiang, as if seeing two familiar figuresâone azure, one purple. Just as exceptionally intelligent, reckless, and rebellious.
“As long as you don’t delay the sect’s revival, do as you please.”
Yun Wuxiang said solemnly, “Researching techniques is a very energy-consuming task.”
“Since Shishu followed Shifu for many years, you must surely have quite a bit of experience in managing sect affairs.”
Since you care so much about reviving the Qingdi Guan, why don’t you do it yourself? He only wanted to research techniques.
The Heavengaze Bird, seeing through his thoughts, gave an unfriendly look: “You want to be a hands-off manager?”
Yun Wuxiang: “I have no experience managing a sect. If Shishu is comfortable with it, I could give it a try.”
Actually, it wasn’t quite right to say he had zero experience. He remembered that in the tower’s illusion, Song Yilouâs phantom had frequently poisoned the disciples because Yun Wuxiang valued them. He called it “helping him train the disciples’ vigilance.”
In that weird illusion, Song Yilouâs antics were the only things that seemed reasonable.
For instance, the fact that his disciples had already become Immortal Lords while he still hadn’t dumped the position of Sect Master was highly unreasonable.
Under the black mist, Caituan sharpened its claws on the rock beneath its feet: “I cannot leave the Secret Realm.”
Yun Wuxiang had long anticipated this: “Thatâs fine. The Secret Realm is vast and resource-rich. I don’t intend to leave until I officially become a Jie Jun.”
“I already have two candidates in mind to act as proxies for this Guanzhu to handle sect affairs. Shishu just needs to help me train them.”
His eldest disciple, Shen Lanqing, seemed to have awakened from the influence of the plot. The Shen family dealt in business, and as the only young master of the family, Shen Lanqing had started managing household affairs early on. He had management experience.
Zhao Sihai had completely sold himself to him. While in the Immortal Realm, he had handled some sect affairs and knew quite a few scandals of the Three Sects. The Immortal Realm could no longer tolerate him, and he had developed some strange friendship with the big brown-furred cook in the temple. He was usable for now.
Besides, what was there to manage in a sect that barely had any formal disciples? Keep the obedient ones, kill the disobedient ones.
Or, wait until his cultivation rose, then attack the Immortal Realm, rename their number one sect to Qingdi Guan, and order the entire sect to change their techniques. That method was indeed much more convenient and saved trouble.
Yun Wuxiang felt a bit tempted.
The Heavengaze Bird, having witnessed Yun Wuxiangâs “tempting” plan, felt a surge of rage: “Bring the people here. Youâget lost and go practice!”
How could sect development be such a joke!
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