Chapter 246 Red Kite Seeks Jade (The End)

"Hand over the Vine Demon!" The piercing voice, accompanied by a powerful aura, swept across the entire mansion.

Feng Wuyou and Chanlin appeared together, joining forces with Jiang Guweifeng to resist the newcomers. However, even with the combined efforts of the four, the ghostly aura around them intensified, engulfing them completely.

Yu Sanlang twirled his emerald flute, looking down at them: "You lot have some nerve, daring to rob me, Yu Sanlang! Tell me, are you in cahoots with Ci Chunshen?"

“Fellow Daoist Yu, you misunderstand. We don’t know any Ci Chun Shen; we just happened to be passing by,” Chan Lin said with a smile. “You’ve already obtained the Life-Extending Pill, so why bother with a few nameless juniors like us?”

Yu Sanlang glanced at them and sneered, "Nobody? I didn't know that the Seven Star Tower Master Chan Lin and the all-knowing Qilin Feng Wuyou had become nobodys. Why aren't you staying in Chuizhu City? What are you doing in Hongyun City?"

“As we said, we were just passing by, Fellow Daoist Yu. We invited the three Teng Gui brothers over simply because we are friends and wanted to ask them a few questions. We will take them back to the City Lord’s Mansion later, so you don’t need to worry,” Feng Wuyou said amicably.

Chan Lin and Feng Wuyou were both very good-natured, and Yu Sanlang's expression softened slightly. Moreover, the four people in front of him were all highly skilled. Although he possessed divine power, it was not worth it for him to fight four against a few mere vine ghosts.

Thinking of this, Yusaburo changed the subject: "Since that's the case, then you can question them now. After you're done, I'll take them away."

Just as Chan Lin was about to nod, Wei Feng, who was being blocked behind Jiang Gu, suddenly spoke up: "You are neither a member of the Vine Demon Clan nor the Lord of Red Cloud City, so why should we hand the person over to you?"

The steps that had been set up were kicked over by Wei Feng. Yu Sanlang lost face and shouted sternly, "Who are you? Who gave you the right to interrupt me!"

"I am your father!"

With a flick of his wrist, Wei Feng conjured a long-handled broadsword taller than a man out of thin air. He kicked it with his flying foot, causing the broadsword to spin upwards, carrying him into the air. He then swung the broadsword at Yu Sanlang, who raised his hand to block. The fierce wind from the broadsword forced Yu Sanlang to take a step back.

Wei Feng, dressed in red, held his long sword horizontally in front of him, his ghostly aura soaring into the sky, actually overwhelming Yu Sanlang.

Yu Sanlang was astonished. He was already one of the best among ghost cultivators, yet this person was not inferior at all. What was even more strange was that he had the aura of a ghost cultivator but was still in the body of a living person, which was unheard of.

However, Wei Feng did not give him a chance to continue being surprised. He was originally explaining the situation to Jiang Gu and expressing his loyalty when he was interrupted by this damned ghost cultivator. What his master wanted, let alone three vine ghosts, even if Jiang Gu wanted the entire vine demon clan, no one would be allowed to say no!

The light and transparent ghost patterns, tainted by the abundant ghost energy around them, instantly turned pitch black and viscous, unexpectedly entangled the flute in Yu Sanlang's hand. A flash of white pupils appeared, and Yu Sanlang's Dao heart was shaken. He hurriedly calmed his mind to protect his Dao heart, but Wei Feng had already leaped down. The scarlet hem of his robe drew a beautiful arc in the eerie ghost energy, and Wei Feng slashed at his face with his sword.

Ghostly energy surged, and the sharp blade clashed with the jade flute. The blade pressed down, forcefully cleaving the jade flute downwards. The sharp blade sank deeply into Yu Sanlang's shoulder. Spiritual energy mixed with turbid energy crashed down, causing the surrounding ground to collapse and kicking up clouds of dust.

The ghostly markings, emanating a chilling aura, were only inches from Tamasaburo's eyes.

Wei Feng's face was contorted with rage, his sharp fangs gleaming coldly as he looked at him arrogantly and conceitedly: "Do you still want those three vine demons?"

Yu Sanlang's face turned ashen. He never expected that the red-robed cultivator with the lowest cultivation level among the four would be so savage and powerful. Despite only having the cultivation level of the Great Luo Realm, he, the early stage of the Dao Ancestor Realm, was no match for him. He didn't even have time to make a move!

Wei Feng grinned, ready to take his life, but Yu Sanlang, seeing the ghostly mark about to pierce his eye, suddenly felt a sense of familiarity and hurriedly shouted, "Wait! I have something to say!"

"It's too late, I'm not interested in listening." Wei Feng didn't have the patience to listen to his rambling, and as the ghost pattern coalesced, he was about to deliver the fatal blow.

“I’ve seen you before—” Tamasaburo shouted.

Wei Feng was stunned for a moment, but it was too late to retract the ghost patterns. Just then, a golden spiritual power covered the ghost patterns all over the sky. With a gentle pull, the ghost patterns that had already pierced into Yu Sanlang's body obediently wrapped around the spiritual power and were pulled back, vying to stick to Jiang Gu's arm.

Wei Feng turned to look at Jiang Gu, his fierce expression instantly turning docile. He sheathed his Mo Dao, the blade scraping against Yu Sanlang's shoulder bone with a screeching sound that made Feng Wuyou and Chanlin beside him shudder. But he didn't care, shoving the knife into the ground and striding over to Jiang Gu's side, saying gently, "Master, ask away."

Just now, with that slash, Yu Sanlang was almost cleaved in two by the ghostly energy in his blade. This move was insidious and vicious, and among ghost cultivators, apart from a few powerful figures, no one else could use it, which further confirmed Yu Sanlang's guess.

He finally saw clearly who the leader of these four people was, and hurriedly said to Jiang Gu, "I really have seen him! At that time, I had just become a spirit by borrowing the divine power of my vine demon master. The lightning tribulation when I became a spirit was exceptionally strong. There were people ascending nearby, and at that time, the sky was filled with these black things!"

"When and where?" Jiang, the advisor.

“Just now—” Tamasaburo’s voice suddenly stopped, his mind went blank, only a few fragmented pieces flashed by, but they were too fast for him to grasp, and his face was extremely ugly. “I…can’t remember.”

Wei Feng raised his knife to strike him, but Jiang Gu grabbed his waist and pulled him back.

"Master?" Wei Feng asked, puzzled, but still obediently stood still as he was pulled.

“His memories must have been sealed away,” Advisor Jiang asked him. “How do you know that you failed to ascend?”

Wei Feng recalled: "After I refined the Mirror Flower Scroll, I first found a remnant of my soul inside, and I vaguely guessed what was going on. Later, I used a divine artifact that Xiao Dan borrowed from the Half-Immortal Clan. That artifact could test immortal bones... Connecting with the two memories of the Upper Realm before, I was certain that I had failed to transcend the tribulation and had not been able to ascend."

"No memory?" Consultant Jiang.

Wei Feng shook his head.

"What kind of divine artifact does the Half-Immortal Clan possess?"

"They call that stuff 'half-immortal marrow'."

——

Yu Sanlang was tied up and thrown into a corner of the room. Beside him were three trembling vine demons that had emerged from the spirit pet pouch.

“...Strictly speaking, the Half-Immortal Marrow is not a divine artifact, but something created by that divine artifact. It is somewhat similar to the Jade Marrow on your Moon Gazing Continent, except that one uses so-called immortal bones, while the other uses the spiritual bones of cultivators.” Feng Wuyou stroked his chin and said.

"You also know about Jade Step Marrow?" Wei Feng frowned.

“That’s natural,” Feng Wuyou said. “Jade Steps and Tribulation Jade are names that Wangyue came up with. They rely on the number of temples and try every means to find immortals who are undergoing tribulation in the lower realm. They attempt to dissect their spiritual bones and refine their primordial spirits to do some messy things before they ascend... Isn’t that just plain crazy?”

“Exactly. Even if no gods descended upon these temples, they were still people’s former colleagues, superiors, or even parents and partners. Those idiots from Wangyue just had to court death.” Chanlin curled his lips. “I heard that Xiao Dan is going to use Jade Marrow to build some kind of Heavenly Road. Even if he goes up there, what good will come of it?”

“The semi-immortal marrow is simple. Cultivators who fail to ascend have had their roots, bones, and cores tempered by the tribulation of lightning, and they already possess some divine power. Although they failed to ascend, they did not die. They usually leave behind a special immortal bone, which is replaced by the mark of the semi-immortal race. These immortal bones are enshrined in the Changning Divine Palace, and over time they condense into a powerful divine artifact. The semi-immortal marrow inside can not only detect immortal bones, but also grant them immortality and eternal life,” Feng Wuyou said. “This is not a secret in Chenyao.”

Jiang Gu felt something was strange. Wei Feng had a special physique, and he had never noticed that Wei Feng was missing bones, nor had he found any mark of the Half-Immortal Clan.

"Don't you all want to ascend to immortality?" Jiang, the advisor, asked without worry.

“I want to, I dream about it.” Feng Wuyou sighed. “But no one in the cultivation world has ascended for a long time. At first, those powerful beings could suppress their cultivation, but later they had no choice but to undergo tribulation and eventually became half-immortals who could never ascend.”

"Therefore, in Shenyao, reaching the Great Perfection of the Dao Ancestor Realm is a very dangerous thing. No one is willing to give up the opportunity to ascend, but when the time comes, it is not up to them to decide," Chan Lin said with a sigh.

This is why, as soon as Feng Wuyou said Jiang Gu had extraordinary luck, he followed him without hesitation to curry favor. Even if there was only a sliver of a chance, they were unwilling to give up.

Shen Yao was strange and illogical in every way, things they had never heard of in Pingze and Wangyue. The three continents were completely cut off from each other. The cultivators in Pingze still firmly believed that they could ascend to immortality once they reached the Great Perfection of the Dao Ancestor Realm. The cultivators in Wangyue seemed to have sensed something and therefore tried to defy fate by any means necessary. Meanwhile, the cultivators in Shen Yao were forced to split into two factions: half-immortals and cultivators, maintaining a delicate balance...

Jiang Gu looked at Wei Feng and understood why he chose to cooperate with Xiao Dan. Knowing that there was no hope of ascension, building a road to heaven was a far-fetched idea that still offered a glimmer of hope. But if that was the case, why didn't the other half-immortals make the same choice?

Or are there even greater benefits waiting for them than ascension?

Jiang Gu suppressed his doubts and looked at Yu Sanlang: "Do you still remember your vine demon master?"

Yu Sanlang shook his head with a wry smile: "I can't even remember what he looks like now."

“His memory has been completely erased,” Feng Wuyou said. “There is absolutely no possibility of recovery.”

"Just kill the useless thing." Wei Feng couldn't stand the pretty boy and was sharpening his knife.

"Don't kill me!" Yu Sanlang hurriedly said, taking a deep breath. "Actually, before my memories were erased, I made a copy of them and hid it away. No one knows about it. As long as I get the memories, I can tell you."

"Why are you hiding?" Wei Feng frowned.

“I never liked that vine demon. He forcibly subdued me. I’ve been planning to kill him, but he killed me instead. Luckily, I had a backup plan, which is why I was able to cultivate into a ghost cultivator in Red Cloud City.” Yu Sanlang’s face showed a look of disgust. “When you ascended, he and I were nearby. Maybe he was behind your failed ascension. Don’t you want to find out who he is?”

Wei Feng remained silent for a moment. The first vine demon to appear in Jiaolong City was Xunlu. The Mirror Flower Scroll that Xiao Dan used to suppress him on Wangyue Continent also had traces of the vine demon clan. And now, this flute spirit who claimed to have seen him fail to ascend was also a divine artifact used by a vine demon... He couldn't help but look at Jiang Gu.

He had no idea what to expect.

After all, he had only told Jiang Gu half of the story. He had deliberately concealed the fact that he could not ascend, and now he could only rely on the Nirvana Technique of the Kite Bird Clan to avoid the pursuit of heavenly lightning. Staying by Jiang Gu's side would only be a burden. Moreover, he knew all too well that Jiang Gu valued ascension extremely much.

Jiang Gu would not doubt his loyalty, and he also believed that Jiang Gu would do everything possible to help him ascend. But if they were already in a deadly situation, would Jiang Gu ultimately choose to ascend or choose him?

Wei Feng dared not think about the answer to this question; he wanted to do what he had done countless times before and habitually choose to escape.

But he has lost the ability to deceive himself back then. He will ponder this problem day and night, every moment, over and over again. The more he ponders, the more alarmed he becomes, and the more he understands, the more painful it becomes.

Jiang Gu's Dao heart is unwavering. He can pour all his love into Wei Feng, and he can do everything he can for Wei Feng, giving everything he can. But no matter what happens, nothing can stop his ascension.

Tears, humility, begging, and any pleading or clinging affection were useless. If he wanted Jiang Gu, he had to ascend. He had to tear himself off from Jiang Gu, step out of the wings called "Master," and fight for a path to survival from countless dead ends, all alone, exhausting all his strength.

So he preferred to meet Jiang Gu three years later, at least now he wouldn't be chased by the lightning tribulation and wouldn't be a burden to Jiang Gu. But Jiang Gu was too smart, and it didn't take long for him to see through his entire plan.

He was frustrated and annoyed, so desperate that he thought he would never catch up with Jiang Gu, and even felt disgusted with himself. But Jiang Gu just stood in front of him with his hands behind his back, looking as usual: "Then let's go to Tengyao City and find out the truth about your failed ascension."

Jiang Gu spoke so casually and calmly.

What was a huge deal to him was nothing more than this in Jiang Gu's eyes. As long as he stood there, Wei Feng felt at ease. The torment and despair of the past three years vanished like smoke in front of Jiang Gu.

Therefore, he cannot live without Jiang Gu. Even if he tears himself out of Jiang Gu's flesh and blood, goes through countless tribulations alone, and finally heads towards the abyss he knows to be heading, he still cannot live without Jiang Gu.

“Okay, Master.” Wei Feng nodded, his eyes firm yet gentle.

He will stop at nothing to catch up with Jiang Gu.

Regardless of whether or not one can ascend.

Feng Wuyou watched helplessly as the misfortune surrounding Wei Feng darkened several times over, and he even heard the furious roar of the tribulation lightning. He then looked at Jiang Gu, whose golden primordial spirit was surrounded by auspicious fortune that seemed to reach the heavens, as if he could ascend to heaven at any moment. Yet, there was no red thread of fate between them, and their fortunes were clearly distinct and unwilling to yield to each other, but they were forcibly intertwined and entangled together.

They are but dust and mud beneath their feet, yet they insist on chasing after immortals and jade. If this continues, they will inevitably become possessed by demons.