Chapter 6: Centipedes
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Xi Guxing had reached the realm of Godhood Stage, wielding a short spiritual sword that reached perfection. In the blink of an eye, a resolute sword intent emerges.
Mu Zhe only felt a flash of cold light before a miserable scream suddenly echoed in his ears.
Before he could react, Shen Gurong swung a burst of spiritual power, pulling out a mass of black mist mingled with red threads from his body.
The black mist twisted and roared in the air, desperately struggling to escape but firmly held by Shen Gurong’s spiritual power.
Shen Gurong, upon seeing the ghastly ghost cultivator, trembled uncontrollably, wishing to tear off the ice silk to truly blind himself.
Without leaving a trace, he shivered and murmured, “Senior Brother, S-S-Senior Brother…”
Xi Guxing impatiently said, “Shut up!”
Efficiently, Xi Guxing sheathed his long sword, flicked out a sparkling crystal bottle, and captured the airborne Epidemic Demon inside.
Mu Zhe with his shaken soul not yet settled, found his entire body drenched in cold sweat. He slumped on the ground, gazing blankly at Xi Guxing. Finally, his gaze fell upon Shen Gurong.
Shen Gurong’s face was deathly pale. His hands hung limp at his sides, wide sleeves trailing on the ground, and his figure swayed as if on the verge of collapsing—whether from fright or injury was unclear.
Xi Guxing tucked the Epidemic Demon into his sleeve, cast a cold glance at Mu Zhe, and lowered his eyes.
The birthmark on Mu Zhe’s forehead had returned to its original appearance. Xi Guxing, observing with a cold eye, finally understood why Shen Fengxue treated him so differently. It seemed this person was far from ordinary.
Mu Zhe felt weak all over, stumbled to his feet, and stammered, “Sect Leader…”
Xi Guxing’s peripheral vision caught Mu Zhe, raising an eyebrow. He said, “Go to your Martial Uncle Lou at Bai Shang Mountain. Have him examine you to see what has possessed you.”
Mu Zhe’s face turned pale as he looked toward Shen Gurong.
Seeing that Shen Gurong could barely stand, Xi Guxing waved his sleeve, directly tossing Mu Zhe out of the Fanjiang Residence.
As soon as Mu Zhe left, Shen Gurong no longer needed to endure. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his figure swaying as he leaned against a small table, collapsing onto a bamboo couch.
His white hair hung down from his shoulders, disheveled on the couch. With a loud “clang,” it narrowly missed hitting his head.
He struggled to breathe, his mouth filled with a strong smell of blood, and his eyes seemed a bit unfocused.
Shen Gurong came from a well-off family, never experiencing such pain even in the harshest circumstances. He was in agony, tears forming in his eyes from the intense pain. With a slight blink, they almost fell.
Xi Guxing lowered his gaze, grabbed Shen Gurong’s hand, and infused a chilling spiritual power into Shen Gurong’s spiritual veins[8].
Spiritual veins were the lifeblood of cultivators, something ordinary people would never allow others to touch easily. Shen Gurong’s hand was caught, and he instinctively wanted to pull it back.
Impatiently, Xi Guxing said, “Don’t move, are you courting death?”
Shen Gurong had no choice but to force himself to relax, letting Xi Guxing channel spiritual power into him.
Shen Gurong stared blankly at him, his mind a bit fuzzy. Due to a lack of strength, he spoke softly, sounding almost like he was tenderly complaining, “Will you die by lending me a hand?”
Xi Guxing, cold and ruthless, replied, “You deserve falling to death….enough nonsense. I’m not Master; I won’t fall for your coquettish behavior.”
Shen Gurong: “…”
Get lost, acting coquettish your mother.
Shen Gurong opened his mouth to curse him, saying, “Sect…”
Xi Guxing interrupted, “Shen Shiyi, call me ‘Sect Leader’ one more time, and I’ll stop. You can suffer in pain on your own.”
Shen Gurong immediately changed his address, “Senior Brother.”
Xi Guxing: “…”
Pathetic.
Xi Guxing’s spiritual power, seemingly an endless abyss, continued to flow into Shen Gurong’s heavily damaged spiritual veins, gradually healing the injuries that threatened to shatter him again.
After what seemed like an eternity, so long that Shen Gurong felt like he had slept, Xi Guxing finally withdrew his hand.
Shen Gurong whimpered in pain, his eyes filled with tears.
Xi Guxing glanced at him, impatiently saying, “Close your eyes.”
Shen Gurong mumbled, “Huh?”
Xi Guxing clicked his tongue.
Apparently unable to bear Shen Gurong’s pitiful and affected appearance, he decided to ignore it and, grabbing a nearby outer robe, tossed it directly onto Shen Gurong’s face.
Shen Gurong: “…”
Back then, Shen Fengxue should have just killed this damn Xi Guxing.
Xi Guxing snorted, “Your injuries are more severe than I imagined. The medicine from Xianyun City isn’t of much use. If you don’t want to die, you should find a suitable time to go to Xianyun City yourself.”
Shen Gurong was in the process of lifting the robe covering his face. His hands and feet felt weak, struggling to pull the robe open for a while. Eventually, he gave up and continued to slump, weakly agreeing.
“Your backlash injury is too severe. I warned you not to recklessly use spiritual power. Did you just ignore that advice?” Xi Guxing tossed a small bottle of spiritual medicine onto a nearby small table, coldly asking, “Who exactly is your little disciple? What kind of person could make you willingly take such risks for him?”
In his heart, Shen Gurong thought, “He’s the protagonist, the chosen one, the man destined to be the savior.”
Despite Xi Guxing infusing spiritual power to nurture his spiritual veins, Shen Gurong was still in almost unbearable pain. He didn’t want to ruin his image in front of Xi Guxing, so he directly acted as intended to have him leave.
Xi Guxing, sensing that there were no immediate threats to Shen Gurong’s life, didn’t stay long. He left with the parting words, “I’ll come to see if you’re alive or dead tomorrow.”
Once Xi Guxing departed, Shen Gurong curled up, unable to suppress his low groans. Huddled beneath his robe, tears from the pain flowed down uncontrollably, impossible to stop.
The ice silk was soaked through with water, and with a casual flick from Shen Gurong, it blended in with the wet clothes, becoming indistinguishable.
Shen Gurong didn’t bother searching for it; instead, he fumbled around and found the spiritual medicine Xi Guxing had left behind, downing about half the bottle in one go.
After taking the medicine, the pain subsided somewhat, and Shen Gurong’s groans became quieter. In a dazed state, he thought, “I’ve suffered greatly just to return home.”
Dad, Mom. Elder brother.
“I really want to go home,” Shen Gurong mumbled in a daze. “As long as I can go home, even if Teacher punishes me to copy countless books, I’d be willing.”
As the pain continued, Shen Gurong’s consciousness became somewhat hazy, and in a trance, he recalled the fate of Shen Fengxue in the book.
[Shen Fengxue suffered severe injuries due to the ghost cultivator possessing Mu Zhe. Despite several years of treatment, he never fully recovered. After being forcibly abducted by the Yu Xinghe who fell into demonic cultivation, he was trapped on an icy plain. Day and night, Yu Xinghe forcibly extracted spiritual power from his Foundation Core.
The pain of extracting spiritual power was a hundred times more agonizing than torture. But Shen Fengxue, driven by some unknown determination, struggled in that painful hell for ten years. In the end, he was cruelly killed by Yu Xinghe, who was forced into desperation by Mu Zhe.
Mu Zhe couldn’t save him until his death.]
Comparing Shen Fengxue’s fate, Shen Gurong suddenly felt that enduring a bit of pain now was worth it.
As long as Mu Zhe hadn’t been possessed to murder his sect member and be locked up in the burial mound, Yu Xinghe wouldn’t intrude into the burial mound, and fall under demonic influence. This indirectly prevents Shen Gurong’s tragic fate of being killed later on.
As for the sinister demonic cultivator locked in the burial mound…
Shen Gurong wasn’t entirely sure whether Yu Xinghe fell into demonic influence after encountering that demonic cultivator, seeking to obtain “that thing” from Mu Zhe. Or if Yu Xinghe, this child, had a dark heart from the beginning.
After pondering over it without reaching any conclusion, he decided not to dwell on it.
Shen Gurong thought hazily that once his injuries improved a bit, he would make sure Xi Guxing exterminated the demonic cultivator to avoid future chaos.
Lost in his thoughts, whether due to the pain or weariness, his consciousness quickly plunged into darkness.
When he woke up again, the pain in Shen Gurong’s spiritual veins had subsided significantly. Struggling to sit up, he began searching for the ice silk with his hands on the bed.
Fumbling like a blind man for a while, someone suddenly spoke from beside him, “Feeling better?”
Shen Gurong looked up but could only see a vast expanse of white fog.
The person handed the ice silk to him, and Shen Gurong was briefly stunned. He lifted his hand to bind the ice silk over his eyes, finally realizing that the one who spoke earlier was Xi Guxing.
Shen Gurong mumbled, “Much better.”
Xi Guxing, without ceremony, sat down and sneered, “I was pondering how I would explain to Master if you died. I came up with a bunch of reasons, but it turns out I didn’t need any of them.”
Shen Gurong was getting used to Xi Guxing’s sharp tongue and didn’t pay it much mind. He looked outside. It was already daylight.
“How is Mu Zhe?”
Xi Guxing scoffed, “You’ve already lost half your life, and you still have the leisure to care about others? He’s fine. That ghost cultivator should be the one spreading the plague in Youzhou.”
Shen Gurong considered the approximate location from the book, “Youzhou? Isn’t it quite far from here?”
Xi Guxing took out the Sky Blue Jade Token, waved his hand, and a Kunyu map unfolded before them.
“Youzhou is at least a thousand miles away from Jīngzhou. It’s indeed odd for the Epidemic Demon to appear here.” Xi Guxing pointed to Youzhou on the Kunyu map, “I heard from Li Suo that when the Epidemic Demon arrived at Changying Mountain, it was already weakened and couldn’t maintain a human form. Even though he clearly killed it, it still possessed Mu Zhe, and its cultivation soared. If you hadn’t acted half a step later yesterday, the Epidemic Demon would have surely taken over Mu Zhe.”
Shen Gurong raised an eyebrow, “Are you implying?”
“Don’t you think there’s something off about Mu Zhe?” Xi Guxing questioned.
Shen Gurong thought to himself, attributing it naturally to Mu Zhe being the chosen one.
Seeing him fall silent again, Xi Guxing suddenly grew impatient and said, “What are you hiding from me?”
Shen Gurong looked up at him, “What?”
“When you took Mu Zhe as your disciple, no one agreed. Yet, you persisted and almost ended up in conflict with your fellow disciples.” Xi Guxing placed the vial containing the Epidemic Demon on the small table, saying, “Take a look at this Epidemic Demon.”
Initially reluctant to say more to avoid exposing himself in front of Xi Guxing, the scene within the vial was too strange for Shen Gurong to ignore. He approached and examined it, his eyebrows suddenly furrowing.
The ghost cultivator’s spiritual body had dissipated by more than half, curling into a trembling ball in one corner of the vial.
Xi Guxing slightly turned the vial, and the nearly dispersed Epidemic Demon struggled to shift its orientation.
After trying several times, the Epidemic Demon consistently pointed towards the north.
Xi Guxing pointed with his hand, saying, “That’s the direction of Changying Mountain. If I’m not mistaken, it likely traveled a thousand miles from Youzhou, and seventy percent of that journey was probably for Mu Zhe.”
Shen Gurong’s finger trembled, he looked at Xi Guxing in astonishment.
Xi Guxing’s narrow eyes glared coldly at him, carrying a hint of authoritative pressure. “Shen Fengxue, tell me, who is Mu Zhe?”
Shen Gurong: “…”
Shen Gurong was bewildered. I want to know too, but it’s not written in the book!
The two stared at each other icily. Just as Shen Gurong was about to come up with a fabricated answer, urgent footsteps suddenly echoed from outside.
Xi Guxing, witnessing Shen Gurong on the verge of answering, was interrupted and immediately became impatient. He sternly declared, “Who goes there? Don’t you know any manners?!”
Outside, someone knelt down with a thud, shouting, “Sect Leader! Sage! Junior Brother Mu has gone mad!”
Xi Guxing and Shen Gurong were both momentarily stunned, then stood up abruptly.
AtChangying Mountain, the Zhibai Hall had turned chaotic. All disciples had been driven out by Li Suo, and an enormous transparent barrier covered the entire Zhibai Hall. It seemed Li Suo was afraid that spiritual power fluctuations might harm people, so he isolated the area.
Yu Xinghe was already crying in the arms of a Senior Brother, visibly shaken.
Grabbing Shen Gurong’s hand, Xi Guxing swiftly transported them from Fanjiang Residence to Zhibai Hall.
As soon as they landed, Xi Guxing strode forward. Without waiting for an explanation from others, he tore open the barrier and entered Zhibai Hall with a swift and decisive reaction.
After Xi Guxing had transferred some spiritual power to stabilize Shen Gurong, he slowly walked over, hands tucked in wide sleeves.
As Yu Xinghe noticed Shen Gurong, he immediately cried and rushed over.
Before he could start wailing loudly, he could see his master gently extend a hand to his lips. The wide robe fell, revealing a small section of a snowy-white wrist, signaling him to keep silent.
“Don’t be afraid.”
Though Shen Fengxue was feared by everyone, in this situation, all the disciples saw him as a savior. They gazed at him with shining eyes.
“Sage!”
Shen Gurong had initially intended to stand by and watch Xi Guxing handle everything. However, faced with dozens of eager eyes, he suddenly felt too embarrassed to wait and see how things would unfold.
He patted Yu Xinghe’s small head. He was terrified as he casually strolled towards Zhibai Hall.
Even though Li Suo’s cultivation was only at the Golden Core stage, Shen Gurong, even if heavily injured, wouldn’t be stopped by the barrier he had set up. He effortlessly stepped into the barrier.
The furniture in Zhibai Hall had been shattered into a pile of debris. Shen Gurong heard a scream from inside, followed by a person flying straight out, crashing heavily into the door frame.
Shen Gurong nearly stepped on him and quickly retracted his foot. Taking a step back, he finally saw that the person who had been thrown out was none other than Mu Zhe.
Shen Gurong: “…”
He dared to hit the protagonist. Xi Guxing, you’re in trouble.
Mu Zhe’s figure was frail, and due to health issues from being tossed from side to side by Shen Fengxue over the past year. Normally, after a strike, he would have surely coughed up blood and been on the brink of death.
However, perhaps because he was bent over by the ghostly cultivator, under the Godhood Stage strike from Xi Guxing, he could still struggle to stand.
The birthmark on Mu Zhe’s face had completely dissipated. His young and tender face now bore a strange and sinister expression. His blood-red pupils stared at Zhibai Hall, like a crazed demonic cultivator, emitting a chilling aura.
It was the aura of the Epidemic Demon.
Shen Gurong was taken aback.
Inside Zhibai Hall, Li Suo was covered in blood, lying in Xi Guxing’s arms. His life and death were uncertain.
However, the ghostly cultivator, seemingly bearing a grudge against Li Suo, paid no attention to Shen Gurong beside him. Struggling, he continued to lunge towards Li Suo, completely disregarding Xi Guxing, who could easily strike him dead with a single blow.
Shen Gurong keenly noticed a phantom black line constantly swaying on Mu Zhe’s little finger, as if always pointing in the same direction.
Xi Guxing’s expression was extremely ugly. He sneered when he saw Mu Zhe rushing over.
He stood up abruptly, his wide sleeves shook violently, and the short spiritual sword was held in the palm of his hand, emitting a sharp buzzing sound.
The short spiritual sword, which had slain countless demons and evildoers, faintly glowed with red light. Although Xi Guxing’s cultivation was not as high as Shen Fengxue’s, who was in the Mahayana stage, his innate swordsmanship carried a killing intent far more chilling than the current Shen Gurong.
As the cold wind sword intent appeared, it immediately forcefully suppressed Mu Zhe in place, making his limbs unable to move even a hair.
The most terrifying experience Shen Gurong had in his life was when he was learning to ride a horse in his youth. Due to his mischief, he unintentionally frightened the horse, and he, screaming in terror, galloped outside the city for a quarter of an hour before being saved by a passing private tutor.
Shen Gurong dismounted the horse, and the whole experience left him breathless with fear.
The young master who was terrified into having a fever for two whole days after riding a house once had never seen such a scene before. Shen Gurong was stunned for a moment, and when he snapped out of it, he happened to see Xi Guxing stepping forward with the sword, as if about to end Mu Zhe with a single stroke. Shen Gurong immediately rushed forward, “Senior Brother, don’t hurt him!”
As the guardian of Liren Peak, Xi Guxing was already furious seeing Li Suo so injured. Upon hearing such an unreasonable request, he swung his sword and angrily scolded, “Aren’t you the one who despises ghost cultivators the most in your life?! He has been possessed, and you’re actually protecting him?!”
Shen Gurong’s lips trembled, and after a long while, he forced himself to appear calm, saying, “He’s just been possessed and not completely taken over.”
Xi Guxing, who detested ghost cultivators and particularly loathed possession, paid no attention to Shen Gurong’s words and directly rushed forward with his sword.
“Shen Shiyi, if you don’t want to die, get out!”
“But…”
Mu Zhe, who had almost been possessed, had a cultivation level comparable to the Nascent Soul stage. He looked coldly at Xi Guxing.
“Senior Brother!”
Seeing that trouble was imminent, Shen Gùróng immediately attempted to stop Xī Gū Xíng. However, as he raised his hand, he suddenly remembered that he couldn’t use spiritual power recklessly in his current state. Helplessly, he quickly stepped forward, looking extremely timid, but he closed his eyes tightly, blocking in front of Mù Zhé.
“Senior Brother!”
Xi Guxing’s sword intent had already reached Mu Zhe. Seeing Shen Gurong rushing forward, his pupils contracted. He instantly dissipated the sword intent.
With a faint whistling sound, the chilling sword intent turned into a gentle breeze, softly brushing across Shen Gurong’s face, lifting a strand of his white hair.
Still in shock, Shen Gurong’s long hair floated in the air for a moment before gracefully settling down.
Xi Guxing quickly stepped forward, grabbing Shen Gurong’s hand and pulling it forcefully. He sternly said, “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
Shen Gurong’s legs went weak, almost stumbling. He managed to stand firm, maintaining a calm expression as he spoke faintly.
D-D-D-Don’t…..
“Don’t hurt him.”
Xi Guxing checked Shen Gurong up and down and found that he was unharmed. He then pushed him away, saying coldly, “So, what do you plan to do? Allow him to be possessed by the Epidemic Demon?”
Shen Gurong silently breathed a sigh of relief when he was let go. He handed the vial containing the Epidemic Demon to Xi Guxing. The ghost inside was violently slamming against the glass as if wanting to merge with Mu Zhe.
Xi Guxing glared at Shen Gurong fiercely, muttering in a low voice, “If it weren’t for Master protecting you, I would have definitely slapped you to death, you reckless idiot!”
With that, he took the vial from Shen Gurong and coldly glanced at the struggling Mu Zhe. He directly crushed the entire vial in his hand. The main body of the Epidemic Demon inside was instantly shattered by Xi Guxing’s spiritual power, emitting a miserable scream as it turned into ashes, falling through his fingers.
Meanwhile, the raging and frenzied Mu Zhe seemed to be suddenly deprived of his soul. His whole body staggered and collapsed heavily to the ground.
Motionless.
Although Shen Gurong appeared indifferent, his legs were actually growing weak. “Scholar! I’m just a scholar!” Shen Gurong nearly lost his balance, on the verge of a breakdown. Facing two encounters with the ghosts he feared the most in a single day, Shen Gurong, if his mental resilience were a bit weaker, would probably be lying face down on the ground.
He took a few silent breaths to steady himself before asking in a low voice, “How is Li Suo doing?”
Xi Guxing checked on Lísuǒ and replied coldly, “He won’t die for the time being.”
He picked up Li Suo and, after glancing at the motionless Mu Zhe on the ground, left with a cold remark, “Shen Fengxue, you must give me an explanation.”
Shen Gurong forced himself to remain calm and nodded.
Alright, I will start to fabricate things immediately.
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Glossary:
[8]: Spiritual Veins represent the pathways for the flow of spiritual energy within a cultivator’s body, influencing their innate talent and cultivation progress.
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You filed this at NU under I Rely on the Collapse of the Character Setting. Need to fix that.
OMG yes, thank u so much for the head-up!! T_T