Chapter 13: Breaking Ties — The thing he craved all his life but could never have was…
The night was damp and cold; only the flickering bonfire provided a bit of warmth.
The disciples of the various Great Immortal Sects were huddled around the fire, looking quite battered.
After a long while, Hua Wuyou was the first to lose his patience, angrily questioning the two from the Xuanji Sect: “Is there really no way to get out of this Secret Realm?!”
His voice was as loud and grating as ever. A vein throbbed on Xiao Jianming’s forehead. If he didn’t know these were just illusions conjured by the Heart Tribulation, he would have killed the boy with a single strike long ago. He let out a cold laugh. “So anxious to get out? There is a way, but it depends on whether you’re willing to pay the price.”
Hua Wuyou froze. He watched as Xiao Jianming’s gaze landed on the girl sleeping beside him, letting out an ambiguous chuckle.
Everyone followed his gaze. They noticed that on the waist of the unconscious Meng Qinghui, a crystal-clear white jade double-ring had appeared at some point. It was carved with the characters for “Ling Shu.” The immortal aura that the owner had deliberately hidden was now exposed, swirling around the artifact, clear and cold as moonlight.
It was the very Immortal-grade artifact Meng Qinghui had used earlier.
Yue Jiusi’s eyes lit up at the sight. “That’s right! I didn’t expect your Myriad Manifestations Sect to be so low-key. You actually have an Immortal-grade artifact capable of tearing through space!”
“Hey, once your Senior Sister wakes up, let her take us out!” Artifacts recognized their masters; no matter how anxious Yue Jiusi was, he could only wait for Meng Qinghui to recover her spiritual energy before acting.
However, Hua Wuyou’s face turned pale. “No! If she forcibly activates an Immortal artifact twice in such a short time, she’ll die!”
The joy on Yue Jiusi’s face vanished. He rubbed his head awkwardly, not daring to mention it again.
Jiang Fei suddenly turned to Xiao Jianming. “Is there really no other way?”
Xiao Jianming raised an eyebrow and smiled lightly. “No.”
Perhaps feeling it was too cruel, he added somewhat kindly, “Unless you can find another Immortal artifact strong enough to tear through space.”
The group fell back into silence. Immortal artifacts weren’t common items; there were only three or five in existence. How could they just find a second one so easily?
Yue Jiusi looked at the white jade rings on Meng Qinghui’s waist, sighing repeatedly with regret. This earned him a wary glare from Hua Wuyou, who pulled his Senior Sister even closer.
Thinking carefully, if Meng Qinghui could have simply activated the artifact to leave, they wouldn’t be here in the first place.
Xiao Jianming was clearly just messing with them.
Yue Jiusi couldn’t help but sigh.
Nangong Yi, however, thought of a possibility. “Since Fellow Daoist Meng’s artifact could tear through space here, it means the restriction isn’t that strong. Perhaps we can try to break the Realm by force.”
Qi Zi scoffed. “Breaking an Earth-grade Secret Realm alone is something only those in the Mahayana stage can do. We are the elite among Immortal disciples; we all know each other’s strength. Is there a single Mahayana expert here? Stop dreaming.”
As he spoke, his gaze swept over Su Huan sitting in the corner. He raised an eyebrow and said, “I forgot there was someone I didn’t recognize. Don’t tell me you are that Mahayana expert?”
Su Huan pursed his lips and slowly shook his head.
He only had half a Golden Core. Though he could fight across realms against a Nascent Soul using the Jialan Secret Technique, he had long since lost the possibility of further breakthroughs.
Moreover, the gap between realms was like a vast abyss; it was as difficult as ascending to godhood.
Even if someone wanted to break through on the spot, they would have to ask if the Heavenly Dao would grant them that opportunity.
And the person most likely to receive such a chance among them… Everyone instinctively looked at Xiao Jianming.
Realizing it was impossible, they shifted their gazes away sheepishly.
Xiao Jianming let out a light huff. Without a word, he picked up his sword and walked away alone.
Su Huan froze. After a moment of hesitation, he gritted his teeth and followed.
“Dashixiong.”
By the time he caught up, Xiao Jianming had already walked a distance. He stopped at the sound and turned around. Su Huan instinctively took a step back, then steadied himself, looking up to meet his gaze. “Where is Dashixiong going?”
Xiao Jianming raised an eyebrow, a mocking smile on his face as he slowly approached. “Are you afraid of me?”
Su Huan’s breath hitched. He let out a soft exhale. “…I am not.”
There were just some lingering side effects, is all.
Xiao Jianming let out a long “oh.” “If that is the case, why does Junior Brother’s spiritual energy avoid me like a venomous snake?”
With a flick of his finger, two merging spiritual energies appeared in the air. One was desperately trying to escape, while the other was like a snake climbing a vine—coiling and entangling, a bond that would only end in death.
Su Huan’s pupils contracted sharply. He immediately severed all the spiritual energy he was unconsciously emitting. Only then did he find the courage to ask, “Does Dashixiong truly not know a single way to communicate with the outside?”
The air grew still.
Xiao Jianming began to laugh softly. “Junior Brother really is clever.”
He admitted it!
Su Huan’s pupils shrank, and he felt a momentary sense of relief. But in the next second, it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, leaving him chilled to the bone.
He watched as Xiao Jianming playfully toyed with the golden spiritual energy that had been heartlessly severed by its owner. His pitch-black eyes held not a trace of warmth. “I not only know how to send a message, but I also know how to escape. However, everything comes with a price. What will Junior Brother give me in exchange for this answer?”
Xiao Jianming was using this to blackmail him.
Su Huan understood the hidden meaning behind his words. His eyes overflowed with sheer disbelief. “Have you gone mad? There are so many Immortal disciples here whose lives are in danger!”
Xiao Jianming’s smile was light and dismissive. “What does that have to do with me?”
He continued, “The one who wants to save them is you, not me. You are the one who wants to play the great saint, but I do not.”
Su Huan was incredulous. “They have no grudge against you. Since you know how to get out, how can you just stand by and watch them die…”
Xiao Jianming cut him off. “Why must I save them?”
Su Huan was momentarily stunned.
Xiao Jianming’s gaze suddenly turned cold. The smile on his face turned into a mocking sneer. “Since you know I am from the Lingxi Clan, you should also know that it was because of this group of high-and-mighty hypocrites standing by and doing nothing that my clan was slaughtered by the Demon Race… until we were extinct.”
The words he spat out were like ice and snow. A hint of hatred surfaced in his eyes, but it turned into a moment of realization when he noticed Su Huan’s confused expression. “Ah, I forgot. You’ve entered this illusion and no longer remember who you are.”
Thinking of this, Xiao Jianming became even more irritated.
He hadn’t remembered who he was at first either. He had simply acted according to the identity the illusion created based on his deepest, most craved secrets, which had led to many ridiculous situations.
As for how he regained his memories, that started with the stupid thing he did five years ago.
Five years ago, the day after Xiao Jianming received those two slaps, he went to see Su Huan again.
“Junior Brother.”
A smile played in Xiao Jianming’s dark eyes, but it was like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, a coldness that seeped into the bones. He continued the words he hadn’t finished that day. “I told you, if you don’t agree, I will break your hands and feet and lock you in a room where the sun never shines, to have you entertain me every day until you hate me.”
At that time, Su Huan was planting flowers in front of his brother Su Zhao’s grave. Suddenly, Xiao Jianming grabbed his wrist and he heard those shocking words. His heart shook again and again; he couldn’t believe the Dashixiong who had always been upright and kind would say such things.
Besides, according to Dashixiong’s “little black room” logic, shouldn’t he end up falling in love with Dashixiong instead of hating him?
Su Huan had slept on it, and much of the complex emotions in his heart had dissipated. He wasn’t even that angry after hearing this. Instead, he began to seriously reflect on the relationship between him and Dashixiong.
He believed that Dashixiong didn’t truly want to humiliate him; he just didn’t know what love was.
Therefore, he decided to speak clearly with Dashixiong. He would explain that a confession shouldn’t involve threats of making someone a forbidden plaything. Instead, one should say “I like you, I want to be your Dao Companion” and take things slowly.
Once Dashixiong understood, Su Huan would explain that he only saw him as a friend, not a romantic interest. If Dashixiong was still willing to be friends, everyone would be happy. If not, they would simply go their separate ways.
However, before he could speak, Xiao Jianming suddenly leaned in, and his divine sense forcefully crashed into Su Huan’s Purple Mansion!
“Ugh…”
Su Huan had carelessly failed to set up defenses against the person he was once closest to. His most fatal and private spot was easily invaded. The stimulation made his whole body tremble; he instinctively reached out to push him away, but ended up falling backward, pinned to the ground by the other man.
“What are you doing…” Su Huan struggled to speak, a flush appearing in his wide eyes.
Xiao Jianming leaned even closer. A smile hooked his lips. “I never speak falsehoods. Since I’ve caught you, I naturally intend to brand your soul with the mark of a forbidden plaything.”
Su Huan was aghast. “…What?”
Within the Purple Mansion, his soul was touched and entangled by a foreign soul. An indescribable sensation washed over him. Su Huan let out a stifled moan he couldn’t hold back, but his heart felt as if it had fallen into an ice cellar. He began to struggle desperately.
Xiao Jianming: “You’d better not struggle. If the soul is damaged because of this, at best you’ll become an idiot; at worst, you’ll lose your life.”
Su Huan paused for a second, then immediately resumed his violent struggle, disregarding the consequences. His entire Purple Mansion shook as if the mountains were collapsing and the seas were rending.
It was Xiao Jianming’s first time sending his soul into someone else’s Purple Mansion, and he wasn’t faring any better. Sweat dripped from his brow. The soul mark was only half-finished before it was completely scrambled—a total failure.
He was stunned. “Are you trying to kill yourself?!”
Su Huan didn’t speak. He only put every ounce of his strength into trying to expel the intruder’s soul. The spiritual landscape began to show signs of collapsing.
A flicker of surprise crossed Xiao Jianming’s eyes. Normally, this level of struggle would only cause soul damage, but Su Huan’s soul was actually so weak.
He was forced to change his approach to protect the host’s Purple Mansion instead. He cursed in a low voice, “Fool!”
Gradually, the invasion changed its nature. The two souls began to complement and merge with each other. The sensation was so exquisite it was intoxicating, making it impossible to pull away.
As they went deeper and reached the very bottom of the soul, it was as if they hit a forbidden seal. Xiao Jianming was suddenly repelled. Simultaneously, a bolt of white light struck his mind like a whip to his soul, snapping him back to reality.
By a stroke of luck, Xiao Jianming regained his memories because of this. He remembered that he wasn’t some flawless, noble Chief Disciple, and Su Huan wasn’t some piteous little thing bullied by debt collectors—Su Huan was the son of a noble family from Liujin Continent, a high-and-mighty, hypocritical man.
And the ugly thing—nothing but a head—that had caused him to lose his memories was actually the legendary divine beast Chi Jing.
When he realized what had just happened, Xiao Jianming’s eyes turned predatory. He wished he could skin that beast’s head alive.
He hadn’t just saved Su Huan from the brink of death as that stupid beast wanted—he had actually, actually performed a soul-cultivation [spiritual union] with this hypocrite!
So when Su Huan woke up, he found himself being strangled by the neck, nearly suffocated.
Unlike the previous threats and lures, this time he saw genuine killing intent in those pitch-black eyes!
Su Huan was terrified, his eyes turning red and filling with tears.
Xiao Jianming nearly ground his teeth to dust. “If not for you, how would I be trapped here…”
In the next second, as if sensing something, he suddenly withdrew his hand. The look he gave Su Huan was one of shock, disbelief, and a chaotic mess of emotions.
The Dream of Chi Jing was built upon the heart’s knots of the dream’s master. Only by fulfilling the master’s wish could the dream be resolved.
This should have been a simple matter, but Xiao Jianming knew better than anyone: the thing he craved his entire life but could never have was a sincere heart.
A heart that truly, sincerely favored him without a trace of hypocrisy.
And because of Su Huan’s intervention, that desire had actually landed on Su Huan. Therefore, he had to win this hypocrite’s heart to break the Realm.
If this man died, he would be trapped in this Heart Tribulation Illusion forever.
Xiao Jianming’s blood boiled within him. He couldn’t help but reach out and cover his face.
Su Huan stood up, equally furious. “Dashixiong, you…”
“Get out!”
Xiao Jianming’s voice was sudden. When he looked up, the gaze visible through the gaps of his fingers was terrifying.
Su Huan froze.
Voices drifted from the mountain path not far away, snapping him back to his senses.
Su Huan took a deep breath. He picked up his spirit sword from the ground and suddenly raised it high—
Snap!
Su Huan used all his strength to snap the spirit sword that Xiao Jianming had once gifted him—the one he had once cherished most.
The voices on the mountain path went silent.
Only Su Huan’s voice echoed through the entire forest:
“Xiao Jianming, if I ever call you a friend again, I’m a dog!”
“From this day forward, you and I are like this sword—all ties are severed. We are strangers!”
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