FIMA Ch171: Forming the Nascent Soul

Under the demonic abyss, everywhere was filled with smoke and dust.

After watching the fireworks, Gu Siyuan and Xie Xueyi didn’t stay in place but headed upwards from the demonic abyss hand in hand.

There was no reason to stay here any longer.

The demonic abyss was bottomless, and there was no trace of spiritual energy.

Gu Siyuan, being in the Golden Core stage, also had to use a flying magic tool to go up, which required quite some effort.

Surrounded by steep cliffs, it was dark, with the cold wind and demonic energy howling by their ears, adding a chilling sense of eeriness.

Sitting on the flying magic tool, Xie Xueyi suddenly felt alarmed, grabbing Gu Siyuan’s sleeve, “Brother, something feels wrong…”

At that moment, a thick black energy shot straight towards Gu Siyuan, then directly entered his forehead.

“Ah…” Gu Siyuan cried out in pain.

The flying magic tool under their feet immediately became unstable, as Gu Siyuan had been controlling it.

“Damn…” Xie Xueyi couldn’t worry about much, quickly seizing control of the magic tool, or they would crash and turn into meat paste.

After stabilizing the magic tool, he anxiously looked at Gu Siyuan.

He saw that the usually calm and expressionless person now had layers of cold sweat on his forehead, his expression constantly changing, and his cheeks and eyes seemed to belong to different people.

One side was cold and stern, the other sinister and eerie.

Xie Xueyi’s face immediately darkened, two words flashing in his mind: “Possession!”

Moreover, it was likely that old monster Gu Siyuan had just blown up.

Otherwise, with Gu Siyuan’s strong divine sense and soul, no one else could invade his sea of consciousness or contend with him so fiercely.

He tightly held Gu Siyuan’s hand, their fingers interlocked, “Brother, hang in there…”

“Brother, you must kill that old monster!”

“Brother…”

Xie Xueyi kept muttering to himself.

He didn’t know how long had passed, but the top of the demonic abyss cliff was now visible.

He suddenly gritted his teeth and made up his mind, “Brother, if you lose, I’ll control this flying magic tool to explode. At worst, we’ll die together; that old thing won’t take advantage of us!”

At that moment, he felt a gentle pain on his cheek, and a familiar deep, magnetic voice sounded, “Junior brother, I’m touched by your willingness to die with me, but it’s unnecessary!”

“Brother…” Xie Xueyi’s eyes widened, lifting his head abruptly, joy overflowing.

Gu Siyuan pulled him into his arms, lightly replying, “Mm. You’ve worked hard.”

Xie Xueyi clung to his sleeve, “That’s great, brother…”

Suddenly, his expression changed, and he pushed him away forcefully, staring into his eyes with suspicion, “Are you really my brother?”

Gu Siyuan nodded, “Who else could I be?”

Xie Xueyi still looked doubtful, his eyes shining with ‘wisdom’.

Gu Siyuan found it amusing and raised an eyebrow. “Then what do you suggest?”

Xie Xueyi rolled his eyes, cleared his throat a few times, and hoarsely said, “I want to ask you a few questions.”

Gu Siyuan naturally wouldn’t refuse. “Go ahead.”

Xie Xueyi licked his lips. “Where did we first dual cultivate?”

Gu Siyuan raised an eyebrow. “In the cave of the Immortal Spirit Secret Realm.”

Xie Xueyi nodded and continued asking, “How many days?”

“Four days,” Gu Siyuan answered without hesitation.

Xie Xueyi continued, “During dual cultivation, what do you like me to call you the most?”

Gu Siyuan reached out and pinched his chin, his voice low. “Master.”

Hearing this deliberately deep, soft, and magnetic voice, Xie Xueyi’s face instantly turned slightly red.

It seemed there was no problem…

This was the real Gu Siyuan.

Seeing his adorable expression, Gu Siyuan couldn’t help but lower his head and gently kiss Xie Xueyi’s face and lips a few times. “Junior brother, have you been thinking about these things every day?”

Xie Xueyi’s ears turned slightly red, and he vaguely felt something was off.

Other couples were conquering the world with their swords, but when they talked, it was always about these things.

Isn’t this a bit abnormal?

However, those things were indeed very enjoyable…

When Gu Siyuan and Xie Xueyi left Fengxue City, the immortal boat of the Taixuan Immortal Sect was already waiting outside, and on the boat was someone Gu Siyuan was very familiar with.

“Master,” Gu Siyuan called out.

Xie Xueyi was also stunned. “Mountain Lord?”

Qingchen Mountain Lord spread his hands and said listlessly, “The Sect Leader sent me to pick you up, but what were you two up to?”

Gu Siyuan nodded slightly. “Thank you for your hard work, Master.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he couldn’t help but start coughing.

“Brother…” Xie Xueyi immediately supported him and led him to sit aside.

Qingchen Mountain Lord stared at Gu Siyuan for a while. “Disciple, you don’t look well. What’s that smell on you? Oh right, I heard a noise from inside the city just now. It wouldn’t be related to you, would it?”

Gu Siyuan slightly raised his eyelids. “I just swallowed an old ghost trying to seize my body.”

“Ah…” Qingchen Mountain Lord’s eyes widened, and after a moment, he withdrew his scrutinizing gaze. “Disciple, you’ve improved. Make sure to digest it well.”

“Yes.”

Gu Siyuan said no more and directly began meditating to recover.

Although his divine sense was inherently strong, forcibly swallowing the soul of a powerful cultivator who was half a step into the divine transformation stage was quite taxing. He needed to quickly digest and organize it, otherwise, it could cause backlash during his tribulation in the future.

…

The three of them hurried along the way, and with Qingchen Mountain Lord escorting them, they encountered no mishaps.

However, as soon as they entered the Taixuan Immortal Sect’s gate, Qingchen Mountain Lord left them to meet the Sect Leader.

Gu Siyuan had been quite tired these days and planned to take Xie Xueyi back to the Water Pavilion to rest for a while before paying respects to the Sect Leader.

But just as they reached the foot of Qingchen Mountain, they were intercepted halfway.

It was the long-unseen main characters, Ji Jinghuan and Xiao Xinchi.

Ji Jinghuan looked at Gu Siyuan, his eyes narrowing, a faint light flashing in his eyes as if something he didn’t want to believe had come true.

Gu Siyuan pretended not to see the two of them and directly intended to pass by.

Their last meeting had been unpleasant.

After leaving the secret realm, even considering the face of Ziji Mountain, it was inappropriate to kill directly, but Gu Siyuan had no intention of giving these guys any friendly treatment.

At this moment, Xiao Xinchi anxiously tugged at Ji Jinghuan’s sleeve. “Senior Brother Ji…”

Ji Jinghuan came to his senses, raised his hand to stop Gu Siyuan’s steps, and said expressionlessly, “We are all relieved to hear that Senior Brother Gu is still alive. Are you well, Senior Brother Gu?”

Xie Xueyi couldn’t help but burst into laughter at this. 

How could he be more hypocritical than him?

In your heart, don’t you curse Gu Siyuan to die outside eight hundred times a day?

Gu Siyuan glanced coldly at Ji Jinghuan and said bluntly, “Speak directly.”

Ji Jinghuan’s expression slightly stiffened.

Xiao Xinchi’s eyes brightened, and he hurriedly asked, “Senior Brother Gu, I heard that you have imprisoned my cousin. Is this true? Is there some misunderstanding?”

“It’s true, and there’s no misunderstanding,” Gu Siyuan replied calmly and clearly.

After leaving the Immortal Spirit Secret Realm that day, Gu Siyuan and Xie Xueyi encountered Ruan Li and his two followers at Taixuan Pavilion in Xuanling City, and accidentally discovered that one of them might be an evil path spy.

After returning to the sect, Gu Siyuan secretly detained all of them.

Later, from the mouth of that evil path spy, Gu Siyuan extracted information about a significant operation by the evil path in Fengxue City. After reporting this to the Sect Leader, he decided to investigate the matter in Fengxue City.

However, due to the events in Fengxue City, news of his survival had already spread.

And Ji Jinghuan, having established some influence in Taixuan Immortal Sect over the years, naturally had the means to learn that Ruan Li had fallen into his hands.

However, Xiao Xinchi was left speechless by Gu Siyuan’s straightforward and righteous words.

Several seconds later, he angrily glared at Gu Siyuan and said, “Senior Brother Gu, don’t you think your actions are inappropriate? Even if you are the chief senior brother of the sect, you can’t arbitrarily imprison junior brothers just because of a disagreement in a restaurant. Do the other junior brothers and sisters know about your conduct?”

Upon hearing this, Gu Siyuan had no reaction, but Xie Xueyi was already furious and almost jumped up.

“A disagreement in a restaurant? Who told you that?” His cold gaze, like that of a cold-blooded animal, swept across Xiao Xinchi’s face. “You dare come and speak to my brother like this without understanding the full story? Who do you think you are? Get lost.”

Ji Jinghuan had long considered Xiao Xinchi one of his people. Seeing Xie Xueyi’s attitude, his face immediately darkened. “Xie Xueyi, do you think you can act arrogantly because you’ve latched onto Gu Siyuan? Some people are not to be provoked by the likes of you.”

“He is my Gu Siyuan’s only Dao companion. Who in this world can he not afford to offend?” Gu Siyuan’s gaze turned cold, his voice deep and heavy. “As for you two, now get out of Qingchen Mountain.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Jinghuan first froze for a moment, not expecting Gu Siyuan to actually show genuine emotions.

But Gu Siyuan’s next words immediately filled him with anger. “Gu Siyuan, don’t push things too far. The people of Ziji Mountain, apart from matters of betrayal, even if there were something real, it’s not your place to handle it.”

“Correct.” Gu Siyuan sneered, each word deliberate. “It is about betrayal.”

Both Ji Jinghuan and Xiao Xinchi were stunned, finding it unbelievable. “How could this be?”

Xiao Xinchi exclaimed, “There must be a misunderstanding in this.”

Ji Jinghuan’s reaction was more direct. He stared at Gu Siyuan mockingly. “Gu Siyuan, to deal with me, you’ve harmed my fiancé as well. Now you dare fabricate such an absurd reason. You are truly despicable and cunning, you…”

“Shut the hell up!”

Before Ji Jinghuan could finish, a harsh and rude curse interrupted him.

Immediately after, a fiery red whip came slashing down. Ji Jinghuan was startled, swiftly pulling Xiao Xinchi to dodge.

The whip struck with full force, shattering rocks and breaking branches along the mountain path. It was evident that such a strike would have devastating effects if it hit a person.

Previously, in the secret realm, Xie Xueyi had always been by Gu Siyuan’s side, so there had been no opportunity for him to intervene. Everyone had regarded him as nothing more than a pampered lover.

But now, witnessing his action, Ji Jinghuan was shocked to find that Xie Xueyi was not much weaker than himself.

As he steadied Xiao Xinchi, he looked up with anger in his eyes. “Xie Xueyi, have you gone mad?”

Xie Xueyi, however, was even angrier than him. Holding a fiery red whip, his face full of cold light, he said fiercely, “Ji Jinghuan, who do you think you are? How dare you insult my brother without cause? While he’s shedding blood and risking his life for the sect and the continent, what are you doing? You’re just being selfish and self-serving, indulging in personal feelings!”

“I warn you, if I hear such nonsense again, I’ll directly attack Ziji Peak!”

With that, he flicked his arm, and another sharp whip strike surged forward.

As the saying goes, a weapon is only as strong as its wielder.

A whip, as a long-range weapon, is particularly difficult to handle in combat if one cannot get close or if their strength does not vastly exceed the opponent’s.

In this case, Ji Jinghuan’s strength did not completely suppress Xie Xueyi, making it impossible for him to land a decisive blow in one strike. Approaching for a close-range attack was also risky, especially with Gu Siyuan standing by with folded arms, coldly observing. If he moved forward, he might end up being slapped down by Gu Siyuan, losing both the battle and his dignity.

Therefore, for a while, Ji Jinghuan could only maneuver and evade with Xiao Xinchi.

This commotion was not small. Soon, it attracted disciples from Qingchen Mountain who lived nearby.

“What’s going on here?”

“Are they fighting? Is the big senior brother’s little lover fighting with Senior Brother Ji from Ziji Mountain?”

“Wow, the big senior brother’s little lover is quite formidable!”

“No, isn’t Senior Brother Ji too arrogant? How dare he come to our Qingchen Mountain and start trouble?”

Ji Jinghuan heard the tumultuous voices and grew even more infuriated, feeling deeply embarrassed.

He activated his spiritual energy and flew away with Xiao Xinchi in tow, leaving with a furious shout carried on the wind, “Gu Siyuan, Xie Xueyi, this isn’t over!”

Xie Xueyi lightly shook his wrist, retracting his whip, and watched the departing figures with dissatisfaction. “Hmph, they run fast. If they’re so brave, they shouldn’t run away!”

Clap, clap…

Clear applause sounded nearby.

Xie Xueyi turned excitedly.

Gu Siyuan stood tall and graceful beside him, gently applauding. “Master Xie is truly imposing!”

Pfft… Xie Xueyi chuckled, recalling how he often teased Gu Siyuan with that phrase. He hadn’t expected it to be thrown back at him.

Raising an eyebrow, he beamed confidently. “From now on, I’ve got your back!”

Gu Siyuan nodded graciously. “I thank Master Xie for his kindness.”

At that moment, applause echoed from the disciples gathered around them.

Xie Xueyi’s smile widened.

The two returned together to the Water Pavilion.

After resting for a night, they set off to Taixuan Mountain to meet the Sect Master and relayed all the events at Fengxue City.

The Sect Master was shocked to learn that there was an old demon at the half-step Nascent Divinity stage in the demonic sect. He commended Gu Siyuan and Xie Xueyi, realizing how passive they might become in future battles between good and evil factions if not prepared.

In the days that followed, the two remained within the sect, living a tranquil life at the Water Pavilion—practicing swordsmanship, brewing tea, enjoying flowers, and cultivating together.

Yet, with the frequent arrival of immortal boats above Taixuan Immortal Sect and the banners of other righteous sects, everyone easily sensed the escalating tension, anticipating an imminent clash between good and evil.

On this day, the sky was clear and the atmosphere refreshing.

At the Water Pavilion, where spring persisted year-round, after a vigorous and enjoyable dual cultivation session…

Gu Siyuan, with his black hair cascading down, his robe half-open, leaned comfortably against the window. Sipping lightly on post-activity wine, he watched the clouds drift lazily over the cliffs.

Suddenly, a realization washed over him like flowing water.

He straightened up, reaching out to pat Xie Xueyi’s head. “Be a bit more obedient in the coming months.”

Xie Xueyi rested his head on Gu Siyuan’s lap, toying with his belt, his voice lazy and soft with post-activity satisfaction. “What’s wrong, brother? Haven’t I always been very well-behaved?”

Gu Siyuan’s fingers slowly traced through Xie Xueyi’s thick, soft hair, then to the slightly flushed corners of his eyes, and finally to his small, upturned nose. They paused at his crimson lips. “Afterward, I won’t be able to watch over you all the time. Don’t slack off in your cultivation.”

Xie Xueyi suddenly realized, his eyes widening with clarity as he looked up at Gu Siyuan. “Hmm, brother, what’s going on? Are you planning something? Take me with you…”

Gu Siyuan’s eyes narrowed slightly, his voice low. “Not planning anything. Just about finished digesting. I think it’s about time.”

About time?

Xie Xueyi was initially puzzled but quickly understood, his excitement mounting. “Brother, are you… are you going to…”

“Mm.” Gu Siyuan nodded calmly, his demeanor and tone as casual as if he were talking about eating or drinking. “Going to form the Nascent Soul.”