Chapter 46: The Wind And Moon Cross The Rivers And Seas (Part 8)
After leaving the mine, Bai Chunsheng was about to continue on his way when he paused and decided to set up a new concealment spell. Slowly, gray-white rock walls and red soil seemed to grow, quietly sealing off the mine shaft.
Everything was temporarily buried once more.
If Yan Yi’s speculations were correct, there were likely many clues hidden here that they couldn’t uncover just yet.
Perhaps one day, they would return to this place.
In any case, being cautious wouldn’t hurt.
With this major concern resolved, Bai Chunsheng felt a weight lifted off his shoulders, his mood significantly lighter. However, just as he turned around, he caught sight of Yan Yi staring at him intently. Yan Yi, being rather shameless, showed no embarrassment even when caught. He simply turned his head, pretending as if nothing had happened.
Bai Chunsheng pursed his lips, lowered his head in sorrow, and thought it best not to see.
Yet, with Yan Yi’s presence being so noticeable, it was hard not to.
Sigh.
As they walked back, Bai Chunsheng couldn’t help but ponder the sword cultivator named “Ye Jingnian.” He had briefly examined the sword and found it to be extraordinary, though its exact grade was unclear.
If the sword in Yan Yi’s possession truly belonged to Ye Jingnian, then this person’s status within the Tai Xu Sect couldn’t have been low.
Given his identity as a Five Elements Dao Body, he must have been a renowned sword cultivator several centuries ago. It didn’t make sense that Bai Chunsheng wouldn’t have heard of him.
Unfortunately, Bai Chunsheng himself had only lived for about four or five hundred years. Given his youth among the demon beasts, it wasn’t surprising that he lacked knowledge of ancient secrets.
Bai Jianghan rarely discussed serious matters with him, so it was normal for him to be unaware of some bygone mysteries.
“For now, we’ll set aside these two individuals. The priority is to use the bloodline crystal to recover as soon as possible. Just because Shen Yuying hasn’t pursued us into the Shattered Stone Mortal Realm doesn’t mean she won’t come later. The Middle Realm must be in turmoil right now. With the death of Daoist Changping, the situation for the three major sects is likely grim… well, except for Tai Xu Sect. With Yan Jianhang still around, his lifespan should hold out a while longer, so it’s not an immediate concern.”
“The chaos in the cultivation world presents an excellent opportunity. Unfortunately, the spiritual energy in the Shattered Stone Mortal Realm is too impure for proper cultivation. The priority now is to head to the Wutong Tree Sea for secluded cultivation.”
As Bai Chunsheng continued to ponder, he suddenly realized that the identity token of the deceased Dao stage cultivator might have another use.
—For instance, they could assume his identity to deceive the cultivators guarding the world’s rift and return to the Middle Realm.
It wasn’t certain that “Ye Jingnian” had a life lamp placed in the Tai Xu Sect. Only Nascent Soul cultivators and below would have their life lamps made and placed in their sects. The reason was simple—without the support of a Soul Abyss, life lamps were of little use beyond confirming whether one was dead or alive.
Even more so, creating a life lamp requires the cultivator to separate a fragment of their soul to bind with the lamp. This fragment of the soul can easily become a vulnerability for those skilled in sinister arts to exploit.
With that in mind, it seemed highly likely that “Ye Jingnian” hadn’t created a life lamp.
After Ye Jingnian was killed by the Blue Dragon, it was trapped in the Shattered Stone Mortal Realm.
The Tai Xu Sect, unaware of Ye Jingnian’s death, probably hadn’t revoked his identity and permissions either.
Realizing this, Bai Chunsheng exclaimed excitedly, “We can return to the Middle Realm!”
Truth be told, Yan Yi wasn’t too keen on returning.
An inexplicable intuition warned Yan Yi that going back to the Middle Realm right now wasn’t a good idea. More importantly, each day, he could feel their hearts gradually drawing closer to each other. Yan Yi knew full well that once they returned to the Middle Realm, both he and Bai Chunsheng would be caught up in the chaos of pursuit and escape.
The peaceful days they currently enjoyed would be gone forever.
However, if Bai Chunsheng truly wanted to go back, Yan Yi wouldn’t mind. “Oh?”
Bai Chunsheng raised his head, looking at Yan Yi with a smug expression, clearly expecting praise.
He then detailed his deductions to Yan Yi, adding, “By assuming his identity, we might even sneak into the Tai Xu Sect.”
Yan Jingqiu rarely visited the Tai Xu Sect, and few people within the sect had seen him. The chances of Yan Yi being recognized were slim.
Moreover, with Yan Jianhang still alive, even if his lifespan was nearing its end, the Tai Xu Sect would still fare far better than the Tianqing Sect without its protection.
Bai Chunsheng spoke enthusiastically, “The Ten Thousand Demon Sect and the Tai Xu Sect are separated by thousands of miles, and given their poor relationship, even if the dragons from the Water Abyss Realm claimed there were two fugitives hiding in the Tai Xu Sect, the cultivators there wouldn’t believe it. They’d just assume the Ten Thousand Demon Sect was looking for an excuse to provoke them because they’ve done the same in the past.”
“We have Ye Jingnian’s remains with us. Using his bones to mask our aura and disguise ourselves as him, it will be easy to fool the cultivators guarding the world’s rift.”
His eyes sparkled with excitement. “Conveniently, Ye Jingnian was also a sword cultivator. Five hundred years isn’t too long or too short. Just say you had a mishap during cultivation and forgot everything. No one will suspect you.”
The cultivation world had countless secret realms and small worlds. It was a completely normal occurrence for someone to discover an opportunity and find a secluded place to retreat and cultivate for a few hundred years. Bai Chunsheng knew of a similar case: a fox woman from the Hanyu Pavilion found a secret realm filled with abundant spiritual energy, perfect for her cultivation. She secluded herself there for nearly a thousand years, only emerging when she was close to breaking through to the Mahayana stage.
Bai Chunsheng had met her once. He couldn’t remember her exact appearance but recalled that she was extremely beautiful.
She wore white robes, like a wisp of smoke drifting from the mountains.
At this point, Bai Chunsheng’s expression grew a little strange. The fox woman practiced a rare cause-and-effect cultivation method in the cultivation world. She had once been invited to stay at the Yan family’s residence for a while. At the time, Yan Jingqiu hadn’t encountered the incident, and people had said that Fairy Lanxia from the Cuiwei Palace had even tried to matchmake the two of them.
—He didn’t know if it had worked.
In any case, it was certainly over now. Another good thing gone awry.
A mischievous smile spread across Bai Chunsheng’s face as he saw that Yan Jingqiu was even more unfortunate than he was. This made him feel oddly pleased.
“What are you laughing at?” Yan Yi asked, noticing that Bai Chunsheng had suddenly broken into an inexplicable smile while he was speaking. When Yan Yi looked at him, his dark eyes seemed filled with lingering affection, shining with a mysterious glimmer.
Bai Chunsheng: “…”
He nervously hid his hands behind his back, striding forward with exaggerated confidence.
Bai Chunsheng’s emotions were all too obvious, and Yan Yi could easily tell that Bai Chunsheng had probably been thinking about something that embarrassed him.
What could it be?
Tch.
Bai Chunsheng’s little mind seemed to always be preoccupied with these things.
Yan Yi couldn’t help but sigh.
Having a clingy lover was an enviable thing. With someone as adorable as Bai Chunsheng, how could he bear to criticize him?
Suddenly, Bai Chunsheng felt a sharp gaze scrutinizing him, as if it were a knife, piercing him through. It felt like being pricked by a thorn.
Oh no, did Yan Yi guess that he was watching him for amusement?
As Bai Chunsheng hurried ahead, the two of them remained silent.
After a long while, they finally saw the silhouette of a cliffside cave not far off. Only then did Yan Yi ask, “What about another one of us?”
This wasn’t a difficult issue to solve because Bai Chunsheng was a demon.
Whether it was humans raising demon beasts or demons raising human slaves, it was a common practice.
Bai Chunsheng’s expression shifted constantly as he was forced by the situation. “At that time, I’ll transform into my true form, and you can carry me across. Just say I’m a duck or a demon beast you caught in a small world and raised as a pet.”
It seemed that this was the only solution.
Yan Yi looked at Bai Chunsheng. “Are you serious?”
Bai Chunsheng gritted his teeth. “I’m serious.”
Yan Yi silently counted: three, two…
After a few breaths, Bai Chunsheng hesitated and said, “But my true form is so beautiful and striking. What if they recognize me as the famous White Phoenix, Bai Chunsheng? What should we do then?”
Author’s note:
Yan Yi: Darling, you’re so cute.
[Scratching head]
Quickly slipping away.
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
