I almost thought half my head had been blown off.

 

On the peak of Wangtian Cliff, a notorious demon had been imprisoned. This belief was commonly held among Lin Jie, later generations of disciples of the Hengtian Sect, and, in fact, the entire cultivation world.

When exactly this story began circulating was now lost to history. But the version that had survived to the present day was this: Near the end of the Nanhua Rebellion, the Hengtian Sect captured a powerful demon and confined them to Wangtian Cliff. This demon, possessing immense cultivation skills, was held back only by layers of restrictive barriers placed by the Hengtian Sect’s elders and sect leader to prevent any escape and protect the world from their wrath. Driven to despair by their confinement, the demon’s mind began to deteriorate. On one occasion, overwhelmed by inner turmoil and a frenzy of wild energy, they self-destructed on Wangtian Cliff. The destructive power reduced the once-majestic cliff to a field of rubble and broken walls. Hengtian Sect later cleared the remnants, leaving no trace of the site’s former glory.

Of course, since overhearing various conversations in the Hengtian Palace, Bai Ke, Lin Jie, and their companions already knew that Wangtian Cliff still existed and that the demon was, in fact, still alive.

Additionally, from snippets of conversation between Yu Xian and Junxiao, Bai Ke and the others pieced together certain details. For example, Junxiao had a junior disciple named “Wu Nan,” who supposedly lost his mind after a fellow disciple transferred too much spiritual energy to him, overloading his body and resulting in his descent into madness.

It wasn’t hard to connect the dots: this “Wu Nan” was likely the so-called demon imprisoned on Wangtian Cliff.

Yu Xian’s reason for going to Wangtian Cliff with the flower branch gifted by Aunt Pang, therefore, was easy to guess. He was likely trying to help Wu Nan regain his sanity, freeing him from his imposed confinement and the grasp of Hengtian Sect.

Whether this would go smoothly was another question. Although the group didn’t doubt Yu Xian’s ability to obtain an entry token from the Hengtian Sect leader undetected, they couldn’t help but feel a pang of worry about what might happen on Wangtian Cliff. After all, Wu Nan was still not fully conscious. Would he even recognize Yu Xian?

“If the two end up in a confrontation, things could get troublesome…” Aunt Pang voiced her concerns.

“Wait… if he’s your master’s junior disciple, then wouldn’t that make him the very same ‘True Immortal Yunshen’? According to legend, Master Yunshen was not only skilled in combat but also highly adept at formations, symbols, and binding spells…” Lin Jie looked to Junxiao, saying, “Master, is this detail just one of the myths spun by storytellers?”

Junxiao shook his head. “About seventy percent true. My junior disciple indeed excelled at formations and symbols, far surpassing the rest of us in breaking and creating barriers. Even in head-to-head combat, he was no slump; he was just somewhat overshadowed among our senior disciples, slightly stronger than our junior sister.”

“Junior sister… would that be True Immortal Yunyao?” Lin Jie asked.

Junxiao nodded. “Yes,” he replied with a raised eyebrow. “Didn’t you read that nonsense book she wrote?”

“Uh?”

“The one that claims my family name was originally Huo. The author’s name is Shen Han. That’s her.”

Lin Jie’s expression froze. “…” He could hardly believe that the revered experts he had idolized for so many years had such unconventional hobbies. Who would have guessed they had a penchant for writing story tales?

“So, True Immortal Yunyao… where is she now?” Lin Jie asked, growing curious after realizing that the book might have misled him in more ways than he thought.

They had been traveling together for some time, but Yu Xian and Junxiao had mentioned her only sparingly.

Hearing the question, Junxiao did not respond but cast a brief glance at Bai Ke beside him. Bai Ke, walking side-by-side, missed the look, but Lin Jie caught it. Instantly, he sensed that he had likely asked an inappropriate question, inwardly cursing himself for speaking without thinking.

However, contrary to what Lin Jie expected, Junxiao did not avoid the question. Instead, he replied, “My junior sister… the master and I go check on her every few years, ensuring that she’s doing well before we leave reassured.”

Although Bai Ke hadn’t noticed Junxiao's brief glance, he had gathered from a previous conversation that their junior sister Shen Han likely hadn’t met a good end. After all, Yu Xian had used the consequences faced by these junior brother and sister as a warning to Junxiao.

When he heard them mention Shen Han exhausting her powers to transfer energy to Wu Nan, with both of them meeting unfortunate ends, Bai Ke felt a wave of inexplicable sadness, almost as though he had witnessed it himself.

Junxiao’s response surprised him—Shen Han was actually still alive? And apparently doing well?

He remembered that, quite a while ago, soon after he and Junxiao first met, he had asked about Junxiao's junior disciples. Junxiao seemed to hesitate for a moment before responding, “They’re living their own lives.” In retrospection, Bai Ke realized Junxiao might have held back some truths, wanting to avoid stirring up memories.

"Once all this is settled, I'll take you to meet her, alright?" Jun Xiao suddenly turned to Bai Ke and said.

Bai Ke was momentarily stunned, then nodded. “Alright.”

As they were speaking, someone drifted down gracefully into the courtyard, landing directly on Peanut, who was basking in the sun, before casually beckoning to the tea set on the stone table in the yard.

It was Yu Xian.

After downing two cups of cool tea to quench his thirst, he let out a satisfied sigh.

“So? You actually ended up fighting?” Jun Xiao, seeing him finally catch his breath, asked.

“Yep.” Yu Xian poured himself another cup of tea, and after putting the teapot back on the table from a distance, took a small sip, slapped his thigh like a storyteller, and started, “So, after swiping a pass to Wangtian Cliff from the Hengtian Sect Master, I headed straight there. The outer barriers? Piece of cake—broke through them in no time, practically like an unlocked door. The inner layer, with the pass, was like nothing at all. So, naturally, I strode right in with my head held high! But who’d have thought—”

Jun Xiao pressed his fingers to his forehead. “...You just marched right in there? Master Salted Fish, are you that stiff all over and looking for a fight?”

“Pah! Don’t interrupt!” Yu Xian stroked his beard and glared at him. “Who said I was looking for a fight? Besides, if I were, I’d be after you, not him. That kid’s too much hassle to battle with. Anyway, I wasn’t planning a fight; it’s just habit to walk in with my head high through the first few barriers. Took a second to shift gears, alright?!”

Bai Ke: “...” These powerful seniors seem to have a lot of abilities. Is this what they mean by ‘strong in body, weak in mind’? As their strength grows, it seems they get lazier about using their brains…

Jun Xiao, concerned that Yu Xian might go off on a tangent—the way elders sometimes get lost in their own storytelling—tried to keep him on track, “So you walked right in there so arrogantly, and then?”

“Tsk—who just walked right in?! You brat, itching for a fight, huh?” Yu Xian finished his tea and, without hesitation, tossed the empty cup straight at Jun Xiao's head a hidden weapon.

Jun Xiao caught it with a calm expression, flipped it over, and placed it back on the table. “Get to the point.”

“So I go in there and think to myself, ‘For this medicinal flower to work best, it has to be as close to that kid as possible. Ideally, he’d be breathing it in constantly, and maybe after a few days, he’d snap out of it.’ So instead of just planting the branch in the ground, I decided to go looking for him. Now, that place might be called ‘Wangtian Cliff,’ but it’s far more than just a cliff. It’s actually a hidden realm, encircled by Wangtian and a series of smaller cliffs around it. Smaller than this one, and far less elaborate.”

Yu Xian continued, seemingly caught in his own thoughts as he recalled the scene on Wangtian Cliff, “Even out of his mind, he still insists on living like some kind of ascetic —utterly boring. The first cliff I entered, after breaking the barrier, was clearly just one of the small cliffs, not the main one. So, with the flower branch in hand, I began searching around, only to find he wasn’t on that cliff, so I went climbing straight to another. Some of these cliffs have houses, some have tables and chairs, some even have caves, making it an endless scavenger hunt. Finally, I found him on the most dangerous, remote cliff of all. There was a tiny house, a little courtyard, and books strewn on the table inside—it seemed to be his usual residence. At first, I didn’t see him, but as soon as I landed, I felt a sharp gust at my back. Good thing I reacted fast, or I’d have lost half my hair.”

Bai Ke: “...” He nearly lost his entire head, not just his hair.

"Fighting that kid—you know how it is," Yu Xian said to Junxiao with a weary smile. "He's not one for head-on clashes; he loves sneaking in attacks. If one ambush doesn't land, he’s got another formation lined up right after, all meticulously arranged. The kid’s crafty, I’ll give him that. Now that he's lost his senses, it’s even worse. You'd think his formations were just random, but each one is annoyingly hard to counter. On the other hand, they’re set up so haphazardly it's painful to look at. It’s totally unlike him, yet still so exhausting to handle—I was about ready to spit blood by the end. I tried talking to him, but it was like he couldn’t even hear me. Still, when I mentioned Yusheng Sect, he hesitated a bit, and when I brought up you guys—especially ‘Han’—he seemed affected. But that only lasted a moment before he went back to his crazy state."

"And then what happened next?" Junxiao asked, unable to resist. "Where did you end up planting that flower branch?"

"I took the chance while he was off guard and planted it right outside his window. That corner was out of the way—close to the window and his stone table and bench, so he might sit there to read whenever he’s feeling a bit more lucid. Plus, it’s far enough from his usual rampages so it shouldn't get destroyed if he goes crazy and destroys things in that corner. I even tossed in a pill as a bonus; if that flower branch doesn’t have some effect, then all my hard work will have been wasted."

"But—" Yu Xian paused before adding, "on my way back, I ran into three elders from Hengtian Sect and overheard something interesting."

 

Translator : DarNan