Chapter 1
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Puchi—
Fresh blood sprayed with the long sword, Gong Wei staggered back half a step, and then fell to the ground.
With a crisp sound, the poisoned dagger slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.
“Grand Elder!” “Sect Master Xu?!” “What’s going on, this—”
People on the Immortal Platform rushed forward, but their faces, full of shock, were already indistinct. Gong Wei laid on the ground, looking up along the long sword flowing with blood, the hilt engraved with the three characters “No Way Out” tightly gripped by a long and powerful hand, the knuckles bulging, terrifying.
And following the arm upward was Xu Shuangce’s face, cold and frosty, overlooking from a high position:
“…Do you want to kill me?”
Gong Wei closed his eyes and gasped for breath, then opened his eyes and looked towards the distant winter mountains.
Xu Shuangce’s voice seemed a bit louder, perhaps he had approached a bit, and each word seemed to come out from between his teeth:
“Why?”
Gong Wei didn’t answer, the rapid loss of blood making him numb, even his vision becoming blurry. In a daze, he heard the distant boiling and clamor, and several sect masters rushing forward at the same time, forcibly infusing spiritual energy to prolong his life, but it was all in vain.
Xu Shuangce was in the Immortalization realm, the number one in the world, and no one under No Way Out Sword could escape with their lives.
“…I’m sorry.” Gong Wei intermittently smiled, blood continuously flowing from the corners of his mouth, the faint smile on his pale face somewhat chilling: “I’m sorry, you… you see…”
“Don’t move!” “Grand Elder Gong!” “Don’t move recklessly!”
Gong Wei seemed not to hear the shouts around him, panting, he raised his hand and looked in the direction he pointed, only to see the desolate winter mountains, the cold wind whistling through the mountains and pine forests, disappearing on the distant horizon:
“You see, peach blossoms.”
—Even Xu Shuangce’s face and breath seemed to freeze.
In that instant, a strange red appeared in Gong Wei’s right eye, and millions of crimson petals flew out from his slender fingertips, like a group of shining butterflies fluttering in the wind, sweeping from the high white jade platform to the earth covered by severe winter.
As if in an instant, spring returned to the mortal world, the mountains, rivers, fields, and peach forests blossomed, the brilliant crimson clouds spread towards the horizon, reflecting the terrified eyes of everyone:
“What… what is this?!” “Illusion, an illusion!”
“You will never ascend.” Gong Wei laid in the pool of blood, smiling with curved eyes at Xu Shuangce, but every word was terrifyingly clear: “Your cultivation in this life… ends here.”
He could no longer see Xu Shuangce’s expression, as the terrifying Heaven Earth Illusion Technique had exhausted his last trace of spiritual power. Gong Wei’s hand fell back to the ground, closing his eyes amidst the fluttering peach blossoms, sinking into a deep and dark slumber.
The final scene of this life was Xu Shuangce finally bending down, reaching towards his throat—
But he didn’t know what happened after his death.
Twenty-eight years after the Taiyi Era, at the Ascension Immortal Platform event, the Grand Elder of the Punishment Department of the Immortal Alliance, Gong Wei, was armed with a sharp blade and attempted to assassinate Xu Shuangce, the Sect Master of the Cangyang Sect, and was killed on the spot by No Way Out Sword.
The world was shocked, and everyone knew.
Sixteen years later.
“—Junior Brother!” “Junior Brother is awake!” “Quick, call Senior Brother!”
The surroundings were chaotic, as if countless chicks were chirping loudly, making Gong Wei’s temples ache.
His first thought was: Senior Brother? Is my Sect Leader Senior Brother here?
But then he realized something was wrong, because in the Immortal Alliance, besides the Sect Leader Senior Brother, Ying Kai, no one would call him Junior Brother in such a clamor.
Gong Wei struggled to open his eyes, feeling pain—every part of his body seemed to ache as if it had been broken and pieced back together, typical aftermath of inadvertently falling into qi deviation.
This pain made his head heavy and his vision blurry, and it took a while to gradually clear up. What first caught his eye was the plain white canopy, then the entire small and simple, yet relatively clean room. A young man in his early twenties, with his hair tied up and a sword at his waist, hurriedly approached with five or six youths and asked anxiously, “Junior Brother, how are you? Lie down quickly! Don’t move!”
…It seemed like the last shout he heard before he died was also the Grand Elder, don’t move recklessly. This familiar coincidence was truly heartwarming…
Gong Wei laid back dizzyingly, watching as the Senior Brother instructed the teenagers to guard outside the door, then grabbed his hand and carefully checked his pulse, unable to contain his joy: “Junior Brother’s spiritual pulse is weak, but there is no danger to his life, this is really great!”
Who am I?
Where am I?
Didn’t I already die?
“Junior Brother, remember, cultivation and enlightenment in immortality are dangers within dangers. If you fall into qi deviation again next time, all your cultivation will be destroyed in an instant, or even your life may be lost! — Alas, Senior Brother knows you’ve been heartbroken, but the matter of Yuchi Xiao withdrawing the engagement has no room for reversal. Junior Brother, just calm your mind. Your bloodline descent is not something you can choose, nor is it your fault; don’t say that you only have half the demon charm bloodline. Even if you were a complete charm demon, we wouldn’t change our opinion of you, let alone have any contempt…”
Gong Wei suddenly heard something extraordinary while lying there motionless: “Wait a minute?”
Senior Brother turned a deaf ear, probably having rehearsed countless times while he was unconscious. He was now passionately and earnestly persuading him, “Although charm demons have never cultivated the Golden Core since ancient times, but Junior Brother, you still have at least half of your human heritage, so there must still be hope for you! As long as you work hard in the future, we all believe that you will definitely achieve success! When the day comes for you to rise proudly, we… Junior Brother, what’s wrong with you? Junior Brother, are you ill again?! Someone, help!!”
Gong Wei sat up in a panic, who was lying on his deathbed, grabbed Senior Brother’s arm, a hint of unhideable shock flickering in his eyes:
“Charm Demon?!”
Senior Brother was even more frightened than him: “Junior Brother! Junior Brother, did you lose your memory?!”
Half an hour later, Gong Wei finally pieced together the approximate situation through some indirect information and sporadic memories left by the original body.
The original body’s name was Xiang Xiaoyuan, a low-level disciple who had just established his foundation, with mediocre talent and low cultivation, but was very famous within the sect.
Because he lacked something in his head.
Most disciples with spiritual roots capable of cultivating immortality have naturally good intelligence, but Xiang Xiaoyuan is a rare exception. Sixteen years ago, a gatekeeper disciple found him at the foot of the mountain still in swaddling clothes, burning with fever, weak as a thread of silk, unable to even cry out, with nothing but the four pillars and eight characters written in blood by his side. The elders of the sect busied themselves with medical treatments for half a month, barely managing to bring down the fever that nearly put the baby at death’s door, but inevitably injuring his intelligence in the process—everyone unanimously believed that this was the culprit for the child’s current mental issues.
It wasn’t until Xiang Xiaoyuan was six or seven years old that he learned to speak, and he only managed to barely establish his foundation at thirteen or fourteen years old. Even now, he has yet to form a golden core, so he doesn’t have the qualifications to formally apprentice himself to a master and has always been an outer disciple.
—If one were to say that this child was born without any merit, that wouldn’t be entirely accurate. For instance, he is obedient, innocent, diligent, and earnest; no matter how difficult the cultivation, he diligently completes it without complaint or fatigue, endearing him to all the senior members of the sect. But what’s frightening is that these merits cannot compensate for another fatal flaw he possesses.
He likes to look at pretty older sisters.
This child’s love for pretty older sisters is innate. Whenever he encounters a beautiful fairy-like girl on the road, he can silently follow the girl for half an hour, not uttering a word when asked anything, as if he’s been enchanted. When he was younger, there was no need to pay attention to gender boundaries, and most older sisters just smiled it off, not taking it seriously. However, this problem became more and more serious over time, and gradually, he not only followed pretty girls but also started to pay attention to handsome boys.
—If this were sixteen years ago when the Grand Elder of the Punishment Hall, Gong Wei, was still alive, he would have personally come over the first time Xiang Xiaoyuan showed signs of this behavior and given him a slap to set him straight. If he dared to show such behavior a second time, he would have been tied back to the punishment hall to undergo the passionate and intense reform of the Grand Elder.
Surprisingly, nobody around Xiang Xiaoyuan severely reprimanded him for his behavior. Once, he absentmindedly followed a group of medical disciples down the mountain for a medical visit and ended up walking twenty miles before realizing he was lost. The medical disciples took care of him for half a month, feeding and clothing him well, before sending him back. As they left, they even gave him a bag full of elixirs.
Xiang Xiaoyuan sailed smoothly, without any setbacks, and grew up under the indulgence of everyone to the age of sixteen. Until half a year ago, when he went down the mountain with his senior brother to buy things, they met the wife of the influential Yuchi family on the way.
His senior brother looked away for one moment and Xiang Xiaoyuan immediately climbed into the lady’s carriage without hesitation. Such disrespectful behavior should have warranted a severe beating, but instead of erupting in anger, the lady of the Yuchi family, who was caught off guard, surprisingly turned her rage into delight. She beckoned him over with shining eyes, and as he leaned in, she exclaimed, running her hand through his hair:
“The rumors in Jianghu are true. You are so, so handsome.”
Her next words were:
“I have a son, Yuchi Xiao, who has reached adulthood but has not yet married. Would you like to be his Dao companion?”
Yuchi Xiao, the legitimate heir of the Sword Sect family, stands out with an excellent reputation, leading the younger generation of various sects.
Xiang Xiaoyuan probably didn’t understand what being a Dao companion meant, but everyone knew that this marriage proposal was a significant elevation. If it weren’t for the special circumstances within the Sword Sect family, this marriage would have been impossible. So, all the elders immediately agreed to the proposal and quickly exchanged birthdates and life deed tokens.
Just as they were about to seal the deal, they were met with strong opposition from one person.
Who? It was Yuchi Xiao himself.
“I already have someone in my heart, so I cannot obey my parents’ command. Please forgive me. Furthermore, as far as I know, this young master of the prestigious sect, Xiang Xiaoyuan, has half the blood of a charm demon. Therefore, his behavior is strange in many ways. Such an inhuman creature is something I cannot associate with on the path of cultivation. Please forgive me!”
Yuchi Xiao’s words were too fast and merciless. Even his own mother couldn’t stop him in time, and the words “charm demon” slipped out of his mouth before anyone could react, leaving Xiang Xiaoyuan dumbfounded.
Charm demons were one of the lowest-ranking demons, with attractive appearances but limited intelligence. Apart from easily eliciting goodwill from others, they possessed no demonic power and were almost indistinguishable from ordinary humans. In the rules of the Immortal Alliance, it was strictly forbidden to spare demons, but charm demons were an exception for two reasons: first, they could cultivate with humans, which greatly benefited cultivators; second, charm demons were too unintelligent to cause harm, making them pitiable creatures.
Xiang Xiaoyuan had been diligently cultivating for many years without knowing that he was a charm demon. All his efforts were in vain from the beginning.
The elders were afraid of hurting his feelings, so they never dared to tell him.
After returning home in a daze, he suddenly coughed up three liters of blood in the middle of the night and then fell into qi deviation. Fortunately, his senior brothers and sisters were prepared and took turns watching over him for twenty four hours, recognizing the signs and saving him in time. Otherwise, he would have exploded on the spot.
After being unconscious for a full half month, Xiang Xiaoyuan finally woke up from his daze, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
No one knew that the one who woke up was Gong Wei, the Grand Elder of the Punishment Hall of the Immortal Alliance, who had died under the sword of Xu Shuangce sixteen years ago.
The room fell silent, and Gong Wei held his head in one hand, silent for a long time.
His senior brother nervously pinched the corner of the bedding, ready to rush out and call for help if he showed any signs of madness: “Junior brother? Junior brother, are you okay?”
Junior brother was not okay. Junior brother was already dead, his soul had crossed the Naihe Bridge!
“…” Gong Wei finally sighed heavily and looked up at his senior brother, saying sincerely, “This Brother, there is something I must tell you. Actually, I am not—”
His senior brother stared nervously at Gong Wei.
Gong Wei looked back at his senior brother expressionlessly.
“…No.” Gong Wei changed his mind the next moment and said, “I want to first see Yuchi Xiao.”
His senior brother looked like he knew Gong Wei was about to have an episode: “Absolutely not!”
Gong Wei compromised: “Madam Yuchi will do too.”
“Even more so not allowed!!! Your sect strictly ordered you to recuperate quietly, avoid emotional fluctuations, and not to see anyone surnamed Yuchi in this world!”
“…………”
Gong Wei remained silent for a full cup of tea’s time before looking up at his senior brother again, saying sincerely, “Then let’s go back to what I must tell you. Actually, I am not—”
Knock! Knock! Knock! A nervous voice came from outside the door: “Senior Brother Qian, Senior Brother Qian! Guests from the Sword Sect have arrived in the front hall, and Master has summoned you to inquire about Junior Brother Xiang’s condition!”
—The Sword Sect’s Yuchi family, what a coincidence!
Senior Brother Qian immediately pressed him back onto the bed, fearing he would cause trouble, and tucked several layers of bedding around his neck: “Rest well, Junior Brother, don’t think too much. Later, the elders and your senior brothers and sisters will come to accompany you. Don’t run around, understand?”
Gong Wei nodded obediently: “Understood.”
Senior Brother Qian could never have imagined that the guy in front of him was most skilled at speaking appropriately to different people, saying one thing to one person and something else entirely to another. Upon hearing this, he felt greatly relieved, then quickly poured tea and gave some instructions before hurriedly leaving.
As soon as Senior Brother Qian left, Gong Wei immediately rolled off the bed, straightened his clothes, opened the door with a creak, and before he could step out, two young men standing like spears outside simultaneously turned their heads back, speaking in unison: “Why is Junior Brother getting out of bed? Quickly return to rest and recuperate!”
“Junior Brother, are you hungry or thirsty? Tell Senior Brother where you want to go?”
…Is it really necessary to be so vigilant!
With six eyes meeting, the air seemed to freeze, and the faces of the two young men turned slightly red at the same time.
Gong Wei politely bowed, apologized for the disturbance, lowered his eyes, closed the door, and returned to the room. After glancing around, his gaze fell on the window locked with iron chains.
After a moment.
The iron chains silently broke into pieces, Gong Wei, relying on his light body, agilely slipped through the gap. Then he dusted off his clothes, stamped his feet, habitually placed his hands behind his back, and leisurely headed to the front hall.
In his previous life, Gong Wei presided over the Punishment Hall, making outstanding contributions to promoting the educational level of the cultivation world, enhancing the reputation of the Immortal Alliance, and maintaining the peaceful development of major sects. He worked tirelessly until his death, although the various major sects, led by Xu Shuangce, denied any such contributions. But all things considered, it was more or less true.
So he had dealt with the Yuchi Family quite a bit. Their patriarch was the Sword Sect’s Yuchi Rui, a prominent figure wielding great power and authority, and standing aloof. In terms of seniority, he was the uncle of Yuchi Xiao, and also Gong Wei’s old buddy from his previous life—where he stirred up trouble while Yuchi Rui casually ate melon seeds.
After all these years, he didn’t know if Xu Shuangce was alive or dead. If he was alive, he would probably be eager to take up his sword and kill him again. But Gong Wei wasn’t too afraid of this. As long as he could cling to the big thigh of his old buddy, the status of the Sword God Yuchi Rui would protect him, and together they could find a way to retrieve Xiang Xiaoyuan’s soul from the underworld and return it to this body.
Gong Wei, trailing behind Senior Brother Qian, leisurely walked around the back mountain to the front hall. He saw a group of outer disciples standing in the distance, dressed in green robes, each with a solemn demeanor, as if they were ready to pounce on anyone within ten steps at any moment.
He cast a glance around, then soared up to the roof with his internal energy, quietly lifting two pieces of glazed tiles.
“…This demonic creature is rarely seen in the world, and its actions are extremely sinister. Twenty-eight people have mysteriously died in Linjiang. I am curious to understand the current attitude of your sect. If it weren’t a matter of life and death, I wouldn’t dare to disturb you at this time by coming up the mountain…”
In the hall, several middle-aged cultivators sat in separate seats, each with a frown on their faces. Senior Brother Qian who had just been called over, stood solemnly on the side, his brow subtly furrowed, as if he disagreed but didn’t dare to speak out.
Speaking at this moment was a young man in his early twenties. Gong Wei carefully assessed him and saw that this handsome young man had bold eyebrows and bright eyes, with an extraordinary aura. However, there was a hint of youthful arrogance between his brows. He wore the brown and gold-trimmed uniform of the Sword Sect, with intricate golden-threaded patterns embroidered on the left sleeve. Six rings were wrapped around his upper arm, prompting Gong Wei to let out a soft exclamation.
These six dao golden rings were quite extraordinary.
The disciples of the Sword Sect roamed Jianghu. At first, they are not qualified to use golden threads. Only when they achieve great feats and become famous can they establish ancestral halls, worship their ancestors, and embroider family patterns densely on their school uniforms’ arrow sleeves with golden threads. The standards for achieving great feats are very high, including but not limited to: resisting natural disasters, resolving conflicts and wars, killing demonic creatures of significant threat levels, and discovering and promptly reporting the traces of great demons to the Immortal Alliance, etc. It is worth noting that the word “etc” here is very flexible. Yuchi Rui, the master of the Sword Sect, traveled around Jianghu when he was young. By chance, he saved a young emperor who sneaked into a brothel and almost got caught and forced to wash dishes for not being able to pay the bill. Therefore, he announced it to Jianghu and embroidered a golden ring on his robe sleeve.
Of course, the emperor doesn’t frequent brothels every day, so under normal circumstances, obtaining a golden ring is not easy. Among the disciples of the Sword Sect, those who can embroider one are considered talented, and those who can embroider more than two are extremely rare.
To see this young man actually having six, one can imagine his high status in the Yuchi family and even in the entire Immortal Alliance.
Gong Wei was looking through the cracks in the tiles and heard Senior Brother Qian couldn’t help but speak up finally, “What Young Master Yuchi said is indeed correct, but perhaps you are not aware of something. My junior brother fell into a coma for half a month due to qi deviation. How could he—”
“Maozhang! Mind your manners!” The elder cultivator at the head scolded.
Poor Senior Brother Qian immediately knelt down, not daring to say another word.
Gong Wei was greatly surprised and thought, what does this have to do with the little demon?
“I know, but this is a necessary measure.” The young man’s demeanor was neither servile nor overbearing as he said lightly, “Those born on a year, month, day, hour, and minute of extreme Yin, I only know one disciple of your prestigious sect, and at this moment, there is no time to find another. The corpses of twenty-eight people in Linjiang are still fresh; it’s urgent to capture the real culprit now. I assure you… Who’s eavesdropping!”
Gong Wei’s heart skipped a beat when he heard “born on a year, month, day, hour, and minute of extreme Yin.”
Given the extremely Yin constitution, most likely he’s a furnace. Considering the special circumstances of the Yuchi family in the Sword Sect, it’s indeed no wonder Madame Yuchi treasured him like a treasure—but that’s not important. What matters is that this unlucky child, Xiang Xiaoyuan, was born on the same day he died sixteen years ago!
His breathing only slightly increased by a fraction, and then he saw the young man keenly lift his head, and immediately, he flew out towards the outside.
“Stop!”
Gong Wei’s thoughts turned quickly, and he used his qinggong skill to flee, instantly gliding twenty zhang away, flashing into a distant peach blossom forest. He heard the disciples behind him echoing one after another: “Who’s there!”
“Ah, it’s Junior Brother Xiang!”
“Yuchi Xiao, that guy, is chasing after him! Quickly stop him!”
Gong Wei: “Pu—-”
Just then, a strong gust of wind struck from behind. Gong Wei tilted his head, and an unsheathed sword brushed past his ear, lightning-like, smashing heavily into the tree trunk in front of him with a resounding boom!
The tree shadows shook, petals fluttered down, and Gong Wei’s path forward was solidly blocked. He had to turn around abruptly, and the snow-white inner robe sleeves descended.
Behind him, the young man’s brows furrowed tightly. “It’s really you!”
Gong Wei, ignoring his grim expression, confirmed with a smile, “Young Master Yuchi Xiao?”
Faint voices came from deep within the peach forest, but the disciples hadn’t caught up yet. The young man swiftly withdrew his sword, stepping back three large steps, his gaze lowering to Gong Wei’s waist. After a while, he gritted his teeth and squeezed out a few words, “Young Master Xiang, can you return the token to me?”
Gong Wei followed his gaze and looked down.
A blood jade pendant was hidden in the waist of the inner robe, slipping out with the movement. It was about half the size of a palm, intricately carved, displaying the emblem of the Yuchi family, a Qilin.
It was the token Madame Yuchi tied to Xiang Xiaoyuan. Amidst the chaos after the little demon fainted, it seemed they hadn’t had the chance to return it yet.
Gong Wei clasped his hands behind his back, raising an eyebrow, “I thought your first words should be an apology, Young Master Yuchi Xiao.”
Yuchi Xiao frowned and asked back, “What do I have to apologize to you for?”
“…”
Yes, a demon’s bloodline, inhumane, unattainable— Yuchi Xiao hadn’t said anything wrong. What was there to apologize for?
Gong Wei opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something for a moment, but then swallowed his words back, flicking the blood jade between two slender fingers in front of Yuchi Xiao, “Want it?”
Yuchi Xiao’s handsome face darkened slightly. “The blood jade Qilin is the ancestral token of the Yuchi family’s marriage contract. Since we have no relation, you should return it immediately. Please understand, Young Master Xiang.”
Gong Wei nodded, tossing the jade pendant high and catching it with a snap. Finally, a malicious smile spread across his face, completely unrestrained, as if daring Yuchi Xiao to strike him:
“Hehe, I won’t give it back.”
Yuchi Xiao: “…”
Yuchi Xiao stared at “Xiang Xiaoyuan,” his expression shocked as if he had seen an evil spirit possess him.
Gong Wei immediately cleared his throat, swiftly rummaging through the few remaining memories of the original body, speculating on behaviors that might fit the original personality, then his face changed suddenly, tears welling up: “Sob, I won’t give it back.”
The air was so quiet that it seemed Yuchi Xiao would suffocate to death at any moment.
Just then, footsteps approached from behind, and the several senior members of the sect who were in the hall finally rushed over with a group of disciples. The middle-aged cultivator at the forefront hadn’t had a chance to separate the two, when suddenly his gaze passed over them, catching sight of something in the distance. He immediately straightened up respectfully: “Sect Master!”
The disciples all prostrated, and Yuchi Xiao, seeing the figure behind Xiang Xiaoyuan, immediately changed his expression, kneeling on one knee with his sword by his side, “Junior pays respects to Sect Master Xu!”
Gong Wei’s pupils slowly dilated.
As the people behind approached step by step, the excruciating pain of the torn soul revived from the left chest position, as if an icy blade pierced through the heart again, bursting out blood and flesh from the chest.
—”No Way Out.”
No one noticed that Gong Wei’s clothes began to tremble slightly at the hem. He pressed tightly against his chest, fingertips embedding into the flesh, tendons and bones bulging, joints turning white, stumbling and kneeling to the ground.
That cold voice sounded again from above: “What’s the commotion here?”
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Yeeey, thank You very much for picking this novel up! o(〃＾▽＾〃)o I was waiting to finish it, so I’m super happy I can read it with You! ʚ♡⃛ɞ(ू•ᴗ•ू❁)
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