Chapter 12 Now let's talk about the dog race.
The old ancestor was determined to die.
"This is it."
At this moment, Duan Jiuyou showed Di Jiang the Slave Heart Stone that Fang Zhuo had given her. They no longer cared about who Fang Zhuo's uncle was, but instead turned the topic to the real issue.
Duan Jiuyou said, "If you don't obey, I'll use this stone to subdue you."
Di Jiang looked relaxed, glancing at the stone as if it were a small trinket.
Fang Zhuo, in the form of a mountain serpent, broke through the barrier and his image was imprinted in the Emperor's pupils.
Di Jiang frowned, while Fang Zhuo almost laughed out loud.
The two sat very close together, with Duan Jiuyou holding the Nuxin Stone in his hand, right in front of Di Jiang's chest.
Fang Zhuo transformed his snake body into a blade and charged straight at Di Jiang's chest!
The attack was sudden, and Fang Zhuo was certain he could catch his opponent off guard. However, just as Fang Zhuo grinned, thinking he was about to succeed, the snake's body suddenly trembled, and a small, fair hand grabbed its vital spot.
"Duan Jiuyou! What are you doing!"
Fang Zhuo turned the snake's head in shock, staring at the sizzling, smoking body with eyes wide with horror.
The gods possess a Nightmare Flame, which only works on the most wicked and evil individuals. However, this flame has a prerequisite: only a revered god who has not harmed any living beings, setting aside war and normal death, and who cultivates himself and his spirit through righteous means, can possess it.
Fang Zhuo felt increasingly uneasy and roared at Duan Jiuyou.
"Didn't you say you slaughtered an entire dog tribe?"
Those who harm living beings will fall into the tenth realm. Why does she have the Nightmare Flame in her hand? Why can she hurt him? And why did she switch sides at the last minute? Didn't she always want to take over the Imperial Territory?
Fang Zhuo struggled desperately, unable to break free from that delicate little hand. Its fingers were slender and its skin fair, so fragile that it seemed as if a slight exertion could break her bones. Yet, it was also incredibly flexible and strong, like an iron chain tightly gripping Fang Zhuo's vital point.
Unable to break free, Fang Zhuo could only exert force forward, attempting to rush into the heart of the Emperor's territory.
Only by conquering the Imperial Territory can Fang Zhuo have a chance to retaliate.
The leader of the desolate tribe, who was being targeted, had only one question.
"The dog race?"
If he wasn't mistaken, the "dog clan" Fang Zhuo mentioned was probably referring to his own Great Wilderness clan.
"Tsk!"
Duan Jiuyou glanced at Dijiang out of the corner of his eye, thinking to himself, "That Fang Zhuo really knows how to bring up the most sensitive topics! How can he say such nasty things in front of the person in question? Isn't he just trying to sow discord between them?"
Fang Zhuo had no idea what their relationship was, and he didn't even know Duan Jiuyou's true origins. He only wanted to use this seemingly clueless person to get rid of Dijiang, but little did he expect that she would tighten her grip and take his life!
Fang Zhuo couldn't think of a reason why Duan Jiuyou would kill him. If he had to find a reason, it would probably be—
"You knew all along that I was a cannibal, and you were worried that I would devour the Imperial Territory and then devour you, so you eliminated me first? You're really foolish! I hid in the Slave Heart Stone precisely to help you get rid of him. Devouring him is useless to me, I... I can't chew him!"
Fang Zhuo struggled to twist the snake's body, still spouting sweet talk.
"And what about all those creatures you ate? Just because they were weak and easy to bully, you ate them all for nothing?" Duan Jiuyou sniffed and said to Fang Zhuo, "You've committed too many sins; you've lost all humanity."
"Old Ancestor Duan" has lived all these years for nothing. The practice of using food to supplement food did not originate from Fang Zhuo. It first appeared in ancient times and was more straightforward than Fang Zhuo's method, but not as vicious.
Duan Jiuyou could see the young bodies that had not yet had a chance to grow from Fang Zhuo's gradually transparent snake body.
“Even the beast races of ancient times did not eat the weak; you are not even as good as a beast.”
Duan Jiuyou tore Fang Zhuo to pieces, then grabbed the snake's body with her two delicate white hands and pulled hard, ending his life.
Fang Zhuo's snake body broke in two, collapsing like earth and shattering into pieces in the air. A spiritual pill fell from its seven-inch mark; this was what Duan Jiuyou truly wanted.
Duan Jiuyou held the elixir in his hand and addressed Di Jiang.
"You didn't kill Fang Zhuo before because of this, right?"
Fang Zhuo consumed too many people, and once the number reached a certain point, it became difficult to digest them all. The spiritual energy trapped within the elixir still possessed life, and only by obtaining the elixir could the beings within it be rescued.
The elixir is equivalent to the heart of a cultivator; it is crimson for those with good hearts and jet black for those with evil deeds. The elixir within Fang Zhuo's body is as black as ink, and can only be removed when he transforms back into his original form. However, he acts with extreme caution, often mingling among people in human form. Killing him is easy, but seizing the elixir is extremely difficult.
Fang Zhuo had been looking for a chance to strike decisively, completely unaware that Di Jiang was also waiting for that opportunity.
Duan Jiuyou said, "You deliberately let Xiao Cui expose her vital points so that Fang Zhuo would come looking for you. If he wants to take your life, he must fight to the death in his original body."
“Aren’t you the same?” Di Jiang said. “You saw through Fang Zhuo’s plan from the beginning and deliberately kept talking to me, forcing him to break out of the stone in his original form.”
“I’m not early.” Duan Jiuyou tossed the elixir in his hand up and down. “I didn’t realize at first that those beast hunters were cannibals. They eat less, unlike Fang Zhuo who is so obvious. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have misunderstood you. Fang Zhuo wasn’t very obvious either. I only noticed it when I was eating with him.”
"Didn't you drink at his place?" Di Jiang recalled Duan Jiuyou's drunken state earlier.
"That's nothing. I've loved drinking since I was young, and I drink every day without fail. I've never had a match for anyone." Duan Jiuyou's voice was casual, like a wisp of smoke rising from a mountain stream.
That's obviously bragging.
Looking at Duan Jiuyou's tipsy face, Di Jiang thought to herself that her alcohol tolerance was quite average, but she was good at prioritizing tasks. She knew she had important business to attend to tonight, so she focused all her energy on that one thing, and now that she had relaxed, she was intoxicated.
Duan Jiuyou looked at Di Jiang and said, "You trust me quite a bit. If I hadn't been quick enough to grab Fang Zhuo's vital spot just now, weren't you afraid he would have really pierced your heart?"
Di Jiang didn't speak, but Duan Jiuyou smiled as he thought about it, his expression and tone quite lighthearted.
"You trust me."
As if she had made a comforting discovery, her eyes sparkled. She had been sitting, but now, leaning forward with her small hand, she nudged him like a little animal. "You know I won't hurt you, and I won't let anyone else hurt you, so just wait patiently for me to make my move. You have a kind heart, not just what you show to the outside world. You killed cannibals to save the innocent lives of Fang Zhuo's men; you're actually a pretty good person!"
"Not bad?" Di Jiang wanted to laugh.
He was always wary of Fang Zhuo. If Duan Jiuyou hadn't drunk too much, he would have noticed the blue flame rising in his palm. He would never entrust his life to anyone.
As for rescuing those who died unjustly, Di Jiang lowered his eyes. Since he knew that doing good deeds could restore his divine power, why not do it?
Duan Jiuyou was still excited about his understanding, spouting grand theories one after another. Although he looked only sixteen or seventeen years old, he had the kind of rhetoric of an old Taoist priest, praising people in an extremely old-fashioned way.
Di Jiang frowned, a headache forming. He wasn't much of a talker, and he didn't have a chatterbox like Duan Jiuyou around. His ears were ringing. He squinted at the incessantly chattering little mouth and said, "Duan Jiuyou."
"Hmm?" Jiuyou paused, looking eager to hear more.
"Now let's talk about the dog issue."
"..."
Dogs, a clan?
Duan Jiuyou cleared his throat, thinking to himself, "I thought this matter was over."
"Those were just excuses to appease Fang Zhuo; there was no intention to insult the Great Wilderness Clan." After a moment of silence, Duan Jiuyou quickly responded. "The Hou Clan is mighty, the number one divine clan listed in the pantheon, even our Mountain and Sea Ao Clan is ranked below them. How dare we make up such a thing? It was just something that came to mind, a casual remark. Hey? Look at this elixir. We need to find a way to break it open to save the lives of the people. This thing can't be touched lightly; we need to find..."
For every question you ask, she gives ten explanations. Di Jiang frowned in annoyance, thinking it would be better not to start this at all.
"Who are you looking for?" Di Jiang asked, seeing that she couldn't think of anything.
"Find..." Duan Jiuyou's eyes widened, and he blurted out "Oh dear!"
"How could it be him?"
She hadn't thought about it carefully before, but now that she was thinking about it seriously, the person she was looking for was really giving her a headache.
The two were from the same sect and were originally good fellow disciples. However, something happened later, and the senior disciple's personality changed. Whenever he met her, he would have a sour and cold expression and speak ill of her.
She asked Di Jiang, "...Do you know Zhao Fengchen from Liuxian Temple?"
Di Jiang said he knew: "Zhao Fengchen, who lived a long life like you, is known as the Old Venerable of the Dao Sect. He can't ride the clouds, doesn't understand magic, but is only good at tempering divine weapons. He has a nickname outside: 'Useless Immortal'..."
Duan Jiuyou said, "That's right, that's the guy. He has a Lingtian White Blade, about this size." She gestured with her hand to show the size of a dagger and said, "This blade is thin and extremely sharp. Fang Zhuo has consumed too many people, and the surface of the elixir is as thin as paper. If we use an ordinary sharp weapon to cut it open, it will definitely hurt the innocent. Only by using Zhao Fengchen's Lingtian White Blade can we ensure that the creatures inside the elixir are not harmed."
Di Jiang hummed in agreement, knowing there was more to come.
Duan Jiuyou hesitated for a moment, clutching the elixir, and then said, "I'll take you out of the Ten Realms. You can go to Liuxian Temple to find him yourself. He's the same kind of person as Little Master Huang, only interested in money and not people. Give him 200,000 spirit treasures to buy the Lingtian White Blade. I'll provide the money, and you'll provide the labor."
"You're going to take me out of the Ten Realms?"
Di Jiang took the elixir from Duan Jiuyou's hand, played with it, and said, "Aren't you afraid I'll go after Bai Yanxing for revenge?"
“You’re not that stupid,” Duan Jiuyou said confidently.
Although Emperor Jiang is arrogant and warlike, he is by no means an impulsive or reckless person. The Great Wilderness is currently far weaker than the Dragon Clan, so even if we were to take action, we would have to wait until the Great Wilderness Clan has fully recovered.
Moreover, Di Jiang is actually a fascinating person. He seems to have little interest in either hatred or love. When he wins, he looks down on the world; when he loses, he regroups and starts afresh.
Duan Jiuyou pondered Di Jiang's character, but Di Jiang noticed the troubled expression that unconsciously showed on her face.
"Why don't you go get it yourself?" Di Jiang's eyes lit up with interest, knowing she hadn't told him the whole story.
If it could be accomplished simply by spending some spiritual treasures, why bother letting him out of the Tenth Realm? After all, if he were to leave, many things would become uncontrollable, and he didn't believe Duan Jiuyou had no worries about him at all.
"...I'm tired." Duan Jiuyou changed back to his cross-legged position, his little feet twitching, his whole body full of discomfort.
Di Jiang was unwilling to let her off easily and analyzed the situation slowly.
"Liuxian Temple is a majestic mountain, riddled with traps and mechanisms, seemingly only accessible to gods of great cultivation. However, Ao Zong is immortal, and even those of low cultivation are not in mortal danger. So, it's not just you and me who can take it. You don't want to go, nor do you send them—do you have a grudge against Zhao Fengchen of Liuxian Temple?"
"How come I never realized you were such a prying person?"
Duan Jiuyou looked up in surprise. He had just spoken to her more than he usually does in a whole day.
Duan Jiuyou observed Di Jiang through the dim candlelight. He still had that cold face and that indifferent expression. But if you said he wasn't gossipy, why did he seem so eager to hear the details?
Duan Jiuyou said earnestly, "You were already disgracing your dignity as the Lord of the Great Wilderness by eavesdropping on the mountaintop. How can you now pry into someone's private affairs to their face?"
"Then you go yourself," Di Jiang said indifferently.
"I can't go!" Duan Jiuyou sullenly tucked his hands into his sleeves. "Didn't you guess it already? I have a grudge against that old Taoist priest surnamed Zhao from Liuxian Temple. If he finds out that I'm the one who wants to buy it, I'm afraid he won't even give me 30 million spirit treasures. Don't try to hear everything. These things are a mess, and it would take longer than an old lady's foot binding cloth to explain. The elixir can't be kept for long. You sleep for a while, and I'll take you out."
She urged him to go to sleep, pulling Di Jiang's arm to lie down on the bed, and tidying up his pillow and blankets for him.
Di Jiang was indeed a little sleepy, so he lay down and, sensing that Duan Jiuyou was still sitting beside him, reached out and grabbed him.
"You should get some sleep too."
He didn't want someone staring at him while he was asleep.
Jiuyou was pulled and stumbled, his body leaning towards Dijiang's side. The warmth of a living person was always more comforting than a cooled blanket, with a soft and gentle scent.
Duan Jiuyou didn't like using perfume, and his body was covered in the fragrance of Qionghua wine. This wine was brewed from agarwood, which was fragrant and sweet, unlike ordinary wine.
Di Jiang took a light sniff and thought it tasted good. He had a sweet tooth, like having a sachet by his pillow.
Do you want me to take your picture?
The sachet spoke, its breath brushing against my ear, tickling me a little.
"No need," Di Jiang said calmly, his eyes closed as he rested. "Just get closer."
She felt warm, which was more comforting than a cold blanket.
“But I’m not very sleepy,” Jiuyou said.
"Don't you fall asleep the moment your head hits the pillow?" Di Jiang had slept with her before, and when she wasn't being witty, Duan Jiuyou would fall asleep very quickly.
"You didn't give me a pillow."
"Come closer."
As Emperor Jiang grew increasingly sleepy, he actually made room for Duan Jiuyou. Duan Jiuyou seemed to want to say something, so he lay down next to Emperor Jiang's pillow for a while, then became comfortable and drowsy. After a while, he pulled away some of the blankets.
As night gradually faded and the first rays of sunlight touched the branches, two delicate-looking young men and women slept like two small animals living in peace.
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