Chapter 10 The Immortal Sect: "What does it have to do with me?"
The rosy clouds cascaded down from the Heavenly Gate like a waterfall.
Amidst a sky ablaze with colorful clouds, sword cultivators from the Qingxu Sect, wielding their longswords, rose up in droves, like streaks of shooting stars, drawing prayer runes in the air.
The immortal cranes and spirit beasts of the immortal sect danced gracefully alongside the sword cultivators.
Humans and immortals vied to showcase their skills, and the celebration proceeded slowly amidst an atmosphere of ethereal beauty, eliciting gasps of amazement from time to time.
Hua Xun nestled in a corner of the cultivators' territory, looking up at the sky with a worried expression.
She was pondering how to find an opportunity to see the God.
Even with the gates of immortality wide open, the chasm between heaven and earth remains as insurmountable as a natural barrier, leaving one far behind.
When a fairy laid a rainbow bridge between heaven and earth, Hua Xun felt a sudden, sharp pain in his sea of consciousness.
She instinctively clutched her head, and upon examining herself, she discovered that the demonic light had dwindled to a faint red glow. The Gu worms, unable to find their other half, were rampaging through her sea of consciousness.
Hua Xun endured the pain and looked up at the sky, only to see that the white figure shrouded in a beam of holy light was calm and composed, showing no sign of anything amiss.
The deity felt nothing?
Hua Xun tried hard to see the divine lord in the sky. Perhaps the love worm sensed the aura of its other half, because its sea of consciousness calmed down a little.
At that moment, a group of cultivators dressed in black robes passed through the crowd enjoying the celestial music and headed straight for the gathering of rogue cultivators, searching through the sea of people.
"Who are those people looking for?" asked the rogue cultivator beside him, puzzled.
Someone answered: "Strange phenomena have occurred at the Spirit Verification Platform, indicating that demons have intruded into the celebration."
"What? The demon race is truly audacious. With gods and immortals present, they still dare to infiltrate among them."
"Could the infiltrator be highly skilled in cultivation?"
Hearing the whispers around her, Hua Xun's heart skipped a beat. No longer caring about the dull pain in her mind, she looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention to her, quietly turned around and prepared to sneak away.
"There!" A voice suddenly rang out from behind.
Hua Xun's back stiffened as she heard a surge of spiritual energy behind her. She quickly darted into the group of cultivators beside her.
Before she could escape a few steps, an invisible magic circle suddenly appeared in front of her.
Hua Xun turned around in alarm, only to see the cultivators walking towards her with murderous expressions, getting closer and closer.
In the clouds, a fairy is playing the zither, and the celestial music fills the air, captivating all who hear it.
Hua Xun heard her own breathing and heartbeat more deafening than celestial music, and watched as the cultivator flew to a stop in front of her: "Bold demon, how dare you trespass on the sect's celebration."
As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding cultivators all turned to look in their direction, their disdain evident in their eyes, and they quickly made way for him.
Seeing that several cultivators had already taken out the demon-binding rope, Hua Xun suppressed her violently pounding heart and quickly thought of a countermeasure.
Suddenly, applause and cheers rang out from afar, startling the cultivators. They then realized that the fairy's music had stopped and the celebration was nearing its end.
The cultivators snapped out of their daze, and the leader looked at Hua Xun impatiently: "She's a little demon. Take her away and put her in the Demon Suppression Pavilion so as not to disturb the Divine Lord's interest."
The Demon Suppression Pavilion has countless punishments; once you enter, even your demon core might not be safe.
Hua Xun felt the magic array around him tightening, and was thinking of transforming into his original form and flying straight up to the Heavenly Dao.
Let's take a gamble.
But then a gentle, slow voice rang out from the clouds: "Sect Leader Xue Yun of the Qingxu Sect and cultivator Hua Xun have come to pay their respects."
The divine voice, like a proverb, echoed softly in the sky.
The cultivators below and the immortals of Shangqing Heaven looked at each other in bewilderment.
As the leader of the human race, Master Xue was summoned a hundred years ago when the Divine Lord was in seclusion, but it was only to entrust him with some matters concerning the human race.
For now, it's mostly just a report on the human race's affairs over the past century.
But who is this cultivator Hua Xun, that he could be personally summoned by the Divine Lord?
Not only were they stunned, but Hua Xun was also taken aback. She looked up blankly, naturally unable to see the God's expression, but could only see a beam of guiding light pouring down from the sky, enveloping her in it.
The cultivator who was about to capture Hua Xun looked pale-faced at the woman enveloped in the guiding light. After a long while, he managed to force out a smile that was half-smile and half-crying. He took a step back, cupped his hands, and said, "Since cultivator Hua Xun has been summoned by the Divine Lord, she must not be a demon. Perhaps there was a mistake on the Spirit Testing Platform, and we mistook her for someone else. We have offended you greatly just now, and we hope that you will forgive us."
Hua Xun pursed her lips and did not respond. Her body involuntarily lifted off the ground and flew towards the Immortal Gate in full view of everyone.
The flow of time within the guiding celestial light seemed different from that of the outside world. In the blink of an eye, the human realm was already extremely far away, and the immortal gate was right before their eyes.
The celestial light carried her through the celestial gate and landed her directly in a palace carved from white jade.
Beneath her feet was a swirling celestial mist, the spiritual energy as abundant and pure as the air of the human race. As she landed, the mist dispersed.
After Hua Xun steadied herself, she looked up and saw an immortal standing side by side with the Sect Leader Xue mentioned by the Divine Lord. In front of them was that unfamiliar yet familiar snow-white figure.
The deity's face remained shrouded in ethereal mist, making it difficult to see clearly, yet one could sense his lofty and unyielding spirit, like a jade mountain about to collapse, and his gentle and warm eyes, like spring water just beginning to melt.
Perhaps it was the love potion at work, but Hua Xun felt a ripple in her mind.
Seeing that the immortal and Sect Leader Xue were reporting to the Divine Lord about the events that had occurred between the human and immortal races over the past hundred years, Hua Xun wisely stood in a corner and did not step forward.
After about two incense sticks' worth of time, the two finally finished speaking. Sect Leader Xue left first, giving her a strange look before he left.
The immortal seemed to know the Divine Lord somewhat, and lingered for a few more breaths: "Divine Lord, what is the purpose of summoning human cultivators?"
Hua Xun was slightly taken aback.
Even the mortal spirit-testing platform could detect her demon race identity, so there's no reason why immortals wouldn't be able to tell.
Hua Xun couldn't help but look at the God, unless... the God intended to cover it up for her.
The deity said slowly, "I have an unresolved matter that is related to this."
Chang Hao glanced at Hua Xun a few times, then bowed and left.
Inside the palace shrouded in celestial mist, only Hua Xun and the Divine Lord remained.
Hua Xun never imagined that one day she would be able to be so close to the Divine Lord Jiuqing. Her fingers curled nervously.
The innate reverence that all living beings have for the primordial gods arose spontaneously. Just as Hua Xun was about to bow her head, she heard the deity in front of her say gently, "The immortal race still harbors resentment towards the demon race. I have concealed your innate demonic aura. Do you care?"
Hua Xun subconsciously shook her head: "I don't care."
She naturally knew that immortals and demons were irreconcilable enemies, and if her identity were exposed, she would probably have already died by now.
The deity nodded: "The Spirit Rhinoceros Gu has already taken root in your consciousness and flesh."
Hua Xun was taken aback: "Lingxi Gu?" After asking, he realized that the Divine Lord must be talking about the Love Gu.
It turns out that this Gu is called Lingxi Gu.
Does it mean to be of one mind and have a telepathic connection?
She looked into her sea of consciousness and found that the demonic light enveloping the Gu worm had dissipated at some point. The pinkish-red Gu worm was now floating leisurely in her sea of consciousness, no longer showing its previous ferocity.
Hua Xun looked at it strangely.
"Your consciousness is filled with Yin Gu, and it was only when you saw Yang Gu that you calmed down," the Divine Lord said.
Hua Xun looked up blankly, and for a moment felt that the God could hear her thoughts.
"I will not presume to listen to the thoughts of the three realms."
Hua Xun stared at the God with wide, frightened eyes.
The deity said gently, "Your appearance has already told me."
Hua Xun's expression stiffened, and he lowered his head awkwardly: "Does the Divine Lord know the method to remove the curse?"
The deity sighed softly, "The Spirit Rhinoceros Gu has already been planted; it must not be removed rashly."
Hua Xun paused, recalling Baili Sheng's words about "seeing the Divine Lord every day," and felt uneasy: "May I ask the Divine Lord, what happens to those who have been infected with the Love Gu, no, the Spirit Rhinoceros Gu?"
The deity's voice was like a flowing spring: "It is not wrong to call it a love potion."
"Those afflicted by this curse must see each other every day, otherwise they will die weeping blood."
They really will die.
Hua Xun's face paled, and she said dejectedly, "Do we have to see each other every day? Is there no other way?"
She was, after all, a demon; how could she possibly see the gods who lived in the heavens every day?
The deity showed no sorrow or joy, his expression calm: "If saliva is saliva alternating, it can last for three days; if yin and yang are in harmony, it can last for seven days."
Saliva alternates, yin and yang are in harmony...
Even though Hua Xun had never experienced it, he knew what it meant. The thought of doing that kind of thing with a holy and desireless god made his blood rush to his face, his eardrums vibrate, and the Lingxi Gu in his sea of consciousness became active, jumping up and down, extremely excited.
“I dare not… disrespect the divine lord,” Hua Xun stammered.
The deity's expression did not change when the topic of lust was brought up; he remained as calm as ever. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "You are afflicted by the Spirit Rhinoceros Gu, all because of me."
"From now on, would you be willing to follow me in cultivation, learn the methods of purifying the mind, and cultivate a heart of restraint? Perhaps you will be able to control one or two of the Gu worms."
Hua Xun never dared to imagine that the God would take her in, and stood there motionless in disbelief.
The deity waited patiently, without the slightest impatience.
After an unknown amount of time, the celestial mist dissipated, and Hua Xun knelt down with a thud and kowtowed: "Thank you, Divine Lord, Hua Xun is willing!"
As the deity raised his hand, Hua Xun immediately felt an invisible force lift her up from the ground.
"If that's the case, then come with me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Divine Lord Jiuqing soared into the air and flew towards the outside of the palace.
Hua Xun felt a lightness under her feet, and several wisps of cloud condensed into solid beneath her, carrying her away with the Divine Lord.
Hua Xun felt as if she were in a dream, and in her daze, she looked down at the clouds.
But then they saw thousands of immortals looking up, their eyes filled with astonishment and envy.
*
Demon clan, Chi Yuechuan.
Holding an exquisite jade tray in his hands, Shang Qu flew swiftly towards the river.
On the tray was the token of the demon guard, the only one he could find this time.
Before entering the Demon Palace, the demon guards would extract a part of their soul and inject it into a token. The token and the guard would become one, and the guard would never leave the token.
If the token remains, then a part of the person's soul still exists, and there is a possibility of being reborn.
However, the person who is resurrected has a fragmented soul, and their body is made of demonic energy. They live and die together with the master who resurrected them.
Even so, the ability to prolong life still makes it highly sought after.
However, only a lord with an innate demonic body can perform the ritual of bringing the dead back to life.
The owners of these tokens on the tray were all those who died protecting their lord during the chaos between immortals and demons, as well as those who were cruelly murdered by Xuan Donglai over the past ten years.
Upon arriving at the Crimson Moon River, Shang Qu leaped off without hesitation.
Beneath the Crimson Moon River lies the Demon Clan's Purgatory, and below that purgatory lies the scorching Earth's core fire.
A furnace cauldron hovers above the fire at the Earth's core, slowly rotating amidst the intense heat.
"My lord, I am incompetent. This is all the tokens I have found this time." Shang Qu stepped forward and presented the tray to the person standing beside the furnace.
Baili Sheng grunted in response, and crimson demonic energy swept the token up and into the cauldron.
Then, the demonic energy in his palm suddenly became stronger, and with the fire from the earth's core, it tempered countless remnants of souls.
After a full five hours, Baili Sheng, his face pale, withdrew his demonic energy and coughed softly: "In three more days, they will be able to return to the world."
Shang Qu was overjoyed, but when he saw the Venerable Lord's expression, his eyes showed worry: "Venerable Lord's magic power has not been fully restored, and you have stayed here for nearly half a month. Why don't you recuperate for a few days first, and then come to temper yourself?"
Baili Sheng paused slightly, ignoring Shang Qu's mention of "a few days of recuperation," and asked after a moment of silence, "Half a month?"
“Yes,” Shang Qu nodded, “Fifteen days have passed since Xuan Donglai was executed.”
Baili Sheng lowered his eyes, took flight indifferently, and flew towards the sky above the Crimson Moon River.
Upon seeing this, Shang Qu hurriedly followed.
Behind the Demon Palace lies a dense forest, where countless demonic beasts and birds are kept.
Before the chaos between immortals and demons erupted, the Demon Lord would occasionally sit in the forest when he had nothing to do, casually throwing a handful of fruit into the woods, watching the birds and beasts fight over a handful of bait with great interest.
For this reason, the guards of the Demon Palace never dared to be negligent towards those demonic beasts. Whenever they saw them hovering above the Demon Palace, they would feed them berries full of turbid energy.
Today, birds sang as usual above the Demon Palace, but instead of berries, they encountered a rolling mass of dense demonic energy mixed with crimson light.
The birds were terrified and tried to flee, but the crimson light was like a knife, instantly slicing off their wings. Like plucked roosters, they plumped straight down into the Crimson Moon River, leaving only a mournful cry.
Baili Sheng flew in mid-air expressionlessly, his gaze fixed on the ground for a moment, and said in a deep voice: "From now on, no flying birds are allowed to approach the area above the Demon Palace."
Shang Qu hurriedly bowed his head in agreement, but when he glanced at the ground out of the corner of his eye and saw a few feathers scattered there, he was taken aback.
Perhaps it was shed by the bird during its death throes; the feathers were blackish-gray and barely noticeable on the black jade ground.
Shang Qu inexplicably recalled the little demon that the Lord had saved when he was in that mountain village among the humans.
It seems that his name is Hua Xun, and his true form is a crow.
Recalling what he had heard while searching for the token today, Shang Qu spoke up as if possessed: "My lord, while searching for the token today, I heard that after the celebration of the immortal and human races, the celestial lord actually took a cultivator back with him."
Baili Sheng turned her head and looked at him.
Shang Qu forced himself to say, "That cultivator's name is Hua Xun."
Baili Sheng's expression remained unchanged, and his demonic light showed no abnormality. He sneered, "Do you think I care about that little demon's signs?"
"You wouldn't dare!"
Baili Sheng remained silent for a moment, then, as if thinking of something, his fingers twitched slightly at his side.
"What do those lowly demons have to do with me?" Baili Sheng said casually before flying towards the Demon Palace.
A note from the author:
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