CH 67

The Immortal Alliance evaluation was naturally postponed.

Since too much spirit energy was siphoned into the Heavenly Spirit Ruins at once, it was necessary to shut the secret realm to give it some time to purify, absorb, and then return the spirit energy back to the Heavens and Earth. 

As for LingXiao Gates, since Xuan YangZi died inside the secret realm, the position of sect leader can only fall temporarily to Elder Ji Yun to act as proxy. Ji Yun was the most pure and kindhearted of LingXiao Gates’ three Grand Elders. Handing the position of sect leader to him, Feng Ci can also feel slightly relieved.

Even if there’s a problem in the future, now that Grandmaster QianQiu has returned, there’s no worry about being unable to take control of one of the Six Sects if necessary.

Everyone was pretty wounded from the battle inside the Heavenly Spirit Ruins. Feng Ci simply used the name of Grandmaster QianQiu to give the command that all the affairs within the cultivation world will be postponed; every sect should go rest and recover.

Only one person did not rest. 

The WanFa Pavilion Master, YuChi Chu.

“How much longer?” Feng Ci stood next to Pei QianYue and asked him quietly.

YuChi Chu, however, answered him: “Stop rushing me!”

Presently, they had already returned to LangFeng City. Inside the dim inner hall, the lights flickered. Grandmaster QianQiu’s physical body laid quietly on the couch. His handsome and refined countenance looked especially serene and beautiful under the sway of the candle flames.

Unfortunately, he wore a strange and comical helmet on his head, ruining the aesthetics of this beautiful image.

Stepping around in his brand new wooden legs, YuChi Chu walked back and forth in front of the couch, busy.

—No one knew where Xuan YangZi had thrown YuChi Chu’s legs. Pei QianYue simply provided the money to forge him a new pair, which could be counted as repayment for his heavy workload in these last few months.

When YuChi Chu started working, he had a zealous passion that disregarded everything else. After roaring that sentence at Feng Ci, he finally recalled the identity of the person in front of him and hastily said in fear: “Uhh, replying to the Grand Founder respectfully, you still need to wait for a while longer.” 

The spirit energy absorbed by the physical body has already been siphoned out mostly. The control from the Heavenly Principles has already been unraveled as well. However, this body had been under the Heavenly Principles’ control for 300 years. The effects left behind from that were not so easy to erase.

As a result, YuChi Chu suggested carefully inspecting the body one last time.

Feng Ci felt somewhat unconcerned with this: “Why so troublesome. I can—”

But Pei QianYue said: “Caution first. Waiting a few more days is no harm.” 

YuChi Chu: “Now there’s no need to wait a few days…”

“Pavilion Master YuChi.” Pei QianYue said: “This matter is extremely important. I hope the Pavilion Master can take extreme caution to not make any slight error.”

Feng Ci: “……”

This person had been in a constant rush to help him recover his body previously. Yet now that the body was finally found, he was on the contrary, no longer in a hurry at all. 

What’s there to inspect? As long as his soul returned to his physical body, it’s not like the Heavenly Principles can control his soul as well.

But Pei QianYue was obstinate about this. Trying to persuade him was useless. Feng Ci simply let him be.

YuChi Chu took out another strange device and started waving it over his physical body. Feng Ci watched for a moment and asked: “Pavilion Master YuChi, the power source of your enchanted machines, what did you change it to?”

After he left his secluded cultivation, since Feng Ci sailed on the flying ship that the Immortal Alliance dispatched to the Shaman Valley, he was already vaguely noticing that creation of WanFa Pavilion’s enchanted machineries had become different somewhere. 

After seeing that All-Restoration Device in action inside the Heavenly Spirit Ruins, he was even more certain.

The source of power utilized by WanFa Pavilion was no longer spirit stones.

That’s why be it the flying ship or the All-Restoration device, which had been disguised into a tracking device, neither possessed any sense of spirit energy inside them.

Hearing Feng Ci’s words, YuChi Chu smacked himself on the head and shouted ‘Aiya’: “How can I forget about this.” 

He rummaged around the storage pouch he carried and pulled out a colored glass bottle the size of his palm. That glass bottle was transparent and half filled with a fluid like substance.

That substance looked like viscous water. Clear and sparkling, it glowed with a faint blue light.

YuChi Chu said: “It’s this thing.”

Feng Ci asked: “What is it?” 

YuChi Chu gave an ‘uh’ and said: “Haven’t gotten the time to name it yet, so I’ve been calling it LingGui Essence for now.”

Feng Ci accepted that thing and took a whiff. No color and no smell. He also couldn’t sense any spirit energy.

“This substance can replace spirit stones?” Feng Ci asked.

“Not quite.” Talking about this for the first time, YuChi Chu immediately became exuberant and full of smiles: “This thing doesn’t have spirit energy so it can’t replace spirit stones during alchemy and cultivation. However, after burning these things, it can generate power to operate enchanted machanics.” 

The light in Feng Ci’s eyes flickered.

YuChi Chu continued to say: “I discovered it in the depths of an abandoned spirit deposit. That spirit deposit was even allocated to me by City Master Pei initially, however, he……”

Pei QianYue interrupted: “Get to the point.”

“……” YuChi Chu coughed softly and said: “In brief, when I went to inspect the spirit deposit, I accidentally knocked down a stone wall in the depth of the spirit deposit and this thing came pouring out of the crevice.” 

Manufacturing and operating enchanted mechanics require the consumption of a huge amount of spirit stones. As such, YuChi Chu has been constantly searching for something to replace spirit stones during these years. His intention wasn’t actually to conserve the spirit deposit resources or anything; it was only because spirit stones were really not easy to obtain. It’s not like they can always depend on competing with other cultivation sects to acquire them.

After discovering this substance, YuChi Chu immediately brought it back to WanFa Pavilion. After many years of research, he finally verified recently that it can indeed replace spirit stones as the power source.

The driving force has always been a huge problem for enchanted mechanics.

The earliest enchanted mechanics utilized spirit energy as the power source. After thousands of years of development, WanFa Pavilion found a method to replace spirit energy with spirit stone. However in reality, using spirit stones as the driving force was an extremely wasteful method of handling resources. 

With the same amount of spirit stones, who knows how many small scaled cultivation sects could have been established.

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Feng Ci pondered for a moment and asked: “Is there a lot of this substance?” 

No matter how good the power source, it’d still be unable to support WanFa Pavilion’s operation if the production value of the substance was low.

“Who knows.” YuChi Chu sighed: “I have only found this substance in the depths of a few spirit deposits. My initial deduction is that this should be the spirit remains of immortals and demons(妖) that died inside the spirit deposits. After years of decay, they seep into the stone cracks and accumulate there.”

“…… but the validity of this deduction, if every single spirit deposit contains this substance, and how much are there… It’s all still unknown.”

It took YuChi Chu several years just to discover this substance and determine if it could be used by enchanted mechanics. He still needed a very long time to extract it in large quantities and put them into use. 

It’s not something to be completed overnight.

When the two people left the hall, Feng Ci was still contemplating about something.

Outside of the hall, there was a young man waiting there. Seeing them come out, the young man hastily ran up: “City master Pei……. Saint Sovereign.”

Meng ChangQing greeted the two with a bow. 

He had known that Feng Ci wasn’t his Shidi this entire time, but at that time on LingWu Mountain, he didn’t know who had taken possession of Lu JingMing’s physical body and whether they were friend or foe. As such, he could only feign ignorance of everything and hide things from Feng Ci.

Now that he knew the person before him was actually the Saint Sovereign QianQiu, naturally, he didn’t dare to interact with him as before.

Meng ChangQing’s arm was still wrapped in bandages. Feng Ci hastily helped him up: “Meng-Shixiong, there’s no need for all the formalities.”

He paused and then said: “Pavilion Master YuChi said he still needs half a day to inspect my physical body. Unfortunately, I still need to borrow Lu JingMing’s physical body for half a day.” 

Meng ChangQing nodded: “Okay.”

Feng Ci asked: “Where’s the other martial brothers?”

“Their remains have been wrapped and collected. I plan to bring them back to TianXuan Sect.” Meng ChangQing said.

The bodies of the TianXuan Sect orphans,who had died previously on LingWu Mountain, have already been cleaned up and placed in coffins by LangFeng City. Meng ChangQing had contributed plenty of merit inside the Heavenly Spirit Ruins. According to Feng Ci’s wishes, the bodies of the TianXuan Sect disciples were to be delivered back to TianXuan Sect to be buried together with their other fellow disciples inside their sect. 

This was why Meng ChangQing had followed them back to LangFeng City.

Feng Ci then asked: “What do you plan to do next?”

“I……” Meng ChangQing pondered for a moment and said: “I want to bring the martial brothers back to the sect first. After I settle everything, then I’ll come and pick up Lu-shidi.”

Feng Ci: “That works.” 

Meng ChangQing didn’t stay for long.

Feng Ci watched as the other left before finally remembering to ask: “When did Meng ChangQing become your spy?”

“After you entered secluded cultivation.” Pei QianYue said.

Since the return of Feng Ci’s soul was part of the Heavenly Principles’ plan, it was impossible for his possession of Lu JingMing’s body to be a coincidence. And in this world, the only person who knew what exactly happened to Lu JingMing was Meng ChangQing. 

As such, after Feng Ci went into secluded cultivation, Pei QianYue first went to find Meng ChangQing.

Then after carefully fishing for information, he obtained everything he needed to know.

Pei QianYue said: “After Meng ChangQing joined LingXiao Gates, he incidentally discovered the puppet’s hiding spot. However, instead of alerting the enemy, he pretended to capitulate and obtained the puppet’s trust. For a while, he was gathering news of the cultivation world for the puppet.”

“……so easily trusting of others. Just like you.” 

Feng Ci: “……”

Not even forgetting to throw a jab at him at a time like this.

Feng Ci was too lazy to argue with him. He turned to leave, but was tugged back: “Where are you going?”

Actually, he hasn’t decided where he wants to go yet. 

With this moment of hesitation, Pei QianYue hugged Feng Ci from behind: “Can I bring you somewhere?”

His tone was deep and heavy, warm and soft, very sticky.

Feng Ci couldn’t help but laugh: “City Master sir, my physical body can’t withstand any torment right now, you know.”

This was also why Feng Ci was in a hurry to return to his own body. 

After cleansing Lu JingMing’s body, Feng Ci can only use it for three days at most. Now it was already the 3rd day. This physical body was facing the danger of collapsing at any time.

Who knew what Pei QianYue was thinking, insisting on making him wait half a day more.

Hearing those words from Feng Ci, not only did Pei QianYue yield, he softened his voice even more: “Not tormenting you.”

His voice was already deep and heavy. When he deliberately spoke with this kind of gentle tone, Feng Ci felt so delighted that half of his body turned soft. 

His heart softened as well.

As such, a moment later, Feng Ci found himself carried in Pei QianYue’s arms as they left LangFeng City on flying sword.

However, they didn’t go far.

Pei QianYue brought Feng Ci to land inside a forest. 

It was LingWu Mountain.

Feng Ci had already experienced LingWu Mountain several times inside secret realms. However, this was actually the first time he’s stepping into this place in real life.

Yet, it wasn’t a surprise that Pei QianYue would bring him here.

LingWu Mountain had protective arrays around it. These magic arrays couldn’t stop Pei QianYue and Feng Ci from entering, but everyone was equally banned from flying. 

Feng Ci was too lazy to walk so he simply made Pei QianYue carry him into the mountain on his back.

It was dusk. The rays of the setting sun penetrated through the layers of trees and reflected onto the unmelted snow that accumulated over the years on LingWu Mountain. Treading on the soft, loose snow, Pei QianYue carried Feng Ci on his back and walked into the deep parts of the mountain forest, step by step.

It’s unknown if it’s due to the magic arrays or Pei QianYue’s intimidating aura, LingWu Mountain was very quiet and peaceful.

Laying on Pei QianYue’s back, Feng Ci looked back behind them. He couldn’t see any living creatures in view nor hear any noise. Inside the deep parts of the forest, there were only the footsteps that Pei QianYue just left behind. 

Such desolation.

Feng Ci suddenly felt pretty terrible. He asked quietly: “In these 3000 years, did you ever think about no longer waiting for me?”

Pei QianYue halted.

But he recovered very quickly and said calmly: “I did.” 

Feng Ci was stunned.

“At that time, I didn’t start cultivating yet, nor could I transform into human form.” Pei QianYue said: “Waiting day after day can whittle away many things. Once there was a period of time, I didn’t know what I was doing, didn’t know if there was any meaning to doing that; I even thought… rather than living like that, I might as well die.”

“Therefore, I stopped eating and drinking. My consciousness turned muddled and foggy. It lasted many days, perhaps even countless months.”

Mentioning that period of time, Pei QianYue’s voice was steady and smooth, as if it wasn’t something he had experienced himself. 

Feng Ci silently drew in a breath and softened his voice: “And then?”

“Then I discovered that I couldn’t die.” Pei QianYue chuckled quietly, as if in mockery: “I drank your blood and then absorbed too much of your spirit energy inside this LingWu Mountain. I was already freed from the mortal shackles.”

“I couldn’t even die.”

Pei QianYue stopped walking and turned his head slightly, a smile still hanging on his lips: “At that time I thought, this person was really such a liar. I liked him so much. How could he treat me like this.” 

Making him wait bitterly, not even letting him find release.

Feng Ci shifted his gaze, his throat dry and hoarse: “I didn’t know……”

If he knew earlier that someone was still waiting for him in this world, he would have returned.

But that’s only If. 

Pei QianYue continued to walk forward. The two people traversed through the forest. The setting sun reflected off of their bodies, elongating their shadows behind them: “Since then, I decided to stop waiting foolishly. I wanted to cultivate. I wanted to transform into human form. I wanted to search for you and bring you back.”

“No matter…… what kind of price I had to pay.”

He had indeed done that.

And also paid a price that’s unbearable to normal people. 

Feng Ci felt a pain from the suffocation in his chest.

Pei QianYue really knew very well how to make him feel heartache. Feng Ci thought to himself. If this continued, he’d really feel quite reluctant to leave.

Feng Ci buried his head into Pei QianYue’s shoulder and stopped talking.

Not long afterwards, Pei QianYue stopped. 

However, it wasn’t the familiar cavern.

Pei QianYue had carried Feng Ci to the top of LingWu Mountain.

On top of the highest cliff at the apex of the mountain, the setting sun that has yet to set fully dyed the clouds blood red. With just a simple glance outwards, it was possible to see the distant KunLun Mountain Range with the accumulated snow that never melts all year long, as well as the layers of clouds between the mountains and forest.

Pei QianYue placed Feng Ci on a stone by the cliffside and sat down next to him. 

“This is the place you wanted to bring me?” Feng Ci asked him.

“En.” Pei QianYue said: “This is the most beautiful view on the entirety of LingWu Mountain.”

Feng Ci leaned into Pei QianYue’s arms and looked into the distance. He took a deep breath of the fresh, slightly cold air on top of the mountain: “It’s indeed very beautiful.”

“The first time I discovered this place, I was still very young.” Pei QianYue stroked Feng Ci’s hair. As if remembering something extremely amusing, he chuckled softly: “At that time I thought, this must be the most beautiful view in this world. Once Master returns, I need to bring him here to take a look.” 

“If he saw such a beautiful view, he definitely wouldn’t think about leaving again.”

“It’s only after I slowly grew up that I realized, there are actually plenty of sceneries in this world even more beautiful in comparison, but there was no view that’s beautiful enough to keep someone.”

Pei QianYue’s voice was gentle and peaceful. Feng Ci practically never hears Pei QianYue speak in such a gentle tone to him.

“But I still wanted to bring you over here to take a look.” Pei QianYue said: “Just pretend…… it’s fulfilling my childhood wish.” 

Feng Ci stared at him. After a moment, he couldn’t help but laugh.

Pei QianYue tilted his head: “What?”

Feng Ci grabbed Pei QianYue’s sleeve and laughed so hard that he fell over in Pei QianYue’s arms: “I just feel… that Xiao Hei was really innocent and cute as a child. Not like right now, becoming dirtier and dirtier.”

Pei QianYue cradled Feng Ci to prevent him from falling off. With one hand, he raised Feng Ci’s chin: “How am I dirty?” 

“How are you dirty, aren’t you very clear on that?” Feng Ci raised his hand and rested it on Pei QianYue’s shoulder. A crafty smile flashing in his eyes, he looked at Pei QianYue like this for a while and said regrettably: “See, look. If I returned to my physical body before, I could have kissed you right now.”

“But it’s no matter.”

He tilted his head up and pressed his forehead against Pei QianYue’s. A faint light flashed between the two of them.

Feng Ci opened his eyes and saw the familiar ocean view. 

The depths of Pei QianYue’s Sea of Awareness.

Unlike the previous visit, Pei QianYue’s Sea of Awareness was now calm, without any ripples, as if the wind no longer blew. Feng Ci flew over the surface of this strangely quiet ocean at a low altitude and patiently searched around.

A moment later, a small boat appeared in his view.

Pei QianYue stood on the bow of the ship, back facing him. Feng Ci gently landed behind him. 

“What did you come in here for?” Pei QianYue asked.

“To kiss you.” Eyes still carrying a smile, Feng Ci tugged on Pei QianYue’s hand from behind and slowly turned him around by the shoulder.

He saw that handsome and beautiful face, as well as the bright red mark on his forehead.

Sure enough. 

“Inside the Heavenly Spirit Ruins, a huge amount of spirit energy flowed through your meridians and affected your Sea of Awareness.” Feng Ci said: “The Inner Demon was irritated and emerged in advance.”

Pei QianYue turned his head and made a soft noise of acknowledgement.

Feng Ci silently sighed inside his heart.

The people of the world always think that after a qi deviation, the person would immediately lose all reason and experience a huge change in personality. However, that’s not really the case. Only people walking on the edge of righteousness and evil would suffer and face the possibility of losing control. That’s from the struggle between reason and the inner demon(魔). 

However, when the inner demon(魔) truly gains control of the Divine Consciousness, that will no longer happen.

It will only contaminate and pollute the Sea of Awareness little by little, turning it into a true demon(魔).

This was a kind of irreversible corrosion.

Pei QianYue was experiencing this kind of corrosion right now. 

His outer appearance still has yet to change. This was because his body still contained 3000 years of cultivation from the righteous path. However, his soul was already gradually turning demonic(魔), affecting the entire Sea of Awareness, including the body. It’s only a matter of time.

Pei QianYue didn’t seem to want Feng Ci to see him like this. He was just about to turn his head away when Feng Ci forcibly moved it back again: “What are you doing? Still thinking about hiding it from me even now? If I didn’t notice, are you planning to hide it until you turn into a demon(魔) completely?”

“What are you thinking?” Feng Ci said in irritation: “Am I to abandon you, just because you qi deviated?”

Pei QianYue froze. 

Feng Ci became angrier the more he talked: “I did want to help you get rid of the inner demon(魔) before, but it’s not because it didn’t form yet. I was just afraid you’d suffer. Now that it has completely emerged, then just let it grow. What era is it now, do we still need to fight and kill demons(魔) everywhere?”

Pei QianYue suddenly grabbed Feng Ci’s arm in return and pulled Feng Ci into his embrace.

“The words you just said, say it again.” Pei QianYue whispered next to his ear.

Feng Ci  blinked: “What era is it now……” 

Pei QianYue: “Not that sentence.”

Feng Ci: “I did want to help you get rid of the inner demon(魔) before……”

Pei QianYue: “Not that one either.”

Feng Ci laughed. 

He struggled out of Pei QianYue’s arms, gazed into that face, and said seriously: “I won’t abandon you.”

“Right there, there are already all those rumors that I had abandoned my familiar. If I truly ditch you, wouldn’t these rumors become true?” Speaking here, Feng Ci suddenly recalled something: “Oh right. Right now your cultivation level is so high, you should be able to endure a Spirit Governance blood pact, right?”

He squeezed Pei QianYue’s face and threatened viciously: “If you hide something from me in the future again, or make me angry, I’ll throw a blood pact on you and turn you into a familiar. Then if I tell you to go east, you won’t be able to go west.”

After signing the blood pact, all thoughts and actions, even life and death, would be under the control of the master. The familiar would never be able to disobey, forever losing their freedom. 

Most importantly, the familiar would depend on the master for survival. Once the master passes away, the familiar would also die with them.

To Pei QianYue, this really couldn’t count as a threat.

He gently stroked Feng Ci’s cheek with his finger and asked quietly: “Are you trying to indulge me here?”

Feng Ci started laughing. 

He didn’t answer, but instead tilted his head up to give Pei QianYue a swift kiss.

“Now this is indulging you.”