ATAVID CH72

“I heard that the demon Wei Xun actually went to the Kunlun Immortal Mountain. How laughable. Kunlun has always detested the demon race, not to mention that within Kunlun, there is an array jointly set up by hundreds of ancestors in the Void Refining Realm. He is simply seeking his own death! Even if that demon enters Kunlun and doesn’t die, he will certainly lose a layer of skin. When that time comes, it will be the day we slay the demon and flatten Cloud Palace!”

“This Wei Guanlan has committed all kinds of evil. When he was in the mortal world, he burned cities and slaughtered citizens, causing widespread devastation. When he was in the cultivation world, he even murdered his kin and destroyed his sect with cruel methods. For decades, he fled to Cloud Palace and became the Demon Venerable.”

“Ever since he ascended to the position of Demon Venerable, he has been even more reckless—stealing sacred artifacts, building high towers, and imprisoning Immortal Venerable Shen. Because of his early experiences, he even forced Immortal Venerable Shen to lose all his cultivation and become a cripple just like him. He also bewitched the Immortal Venerable into planting a love gu, trapping the Immortal Venerable in Cloud Palace, unable to move a single step. Truly hateful to the extreme, intolerable by natural law!”

Inside the Immortal Alliance Hall, the atmosphere was as cold as ice. Upon hearing this, the cultivators of the various immortal sects below all showed expressions of gnashing hatred, the spiritual energy around their bodies faintly churning with anger.

They were led primarily by the disciples of the Buxu Sect and the Xuanjian Sect.

“Immortal Lord Lan, Immortal Venerable Shen was your mentoring master after all…” A cultivator sighed as he recalled the elegance of Immortal Venerable Shen in the past, his tone full of lamentation and pity. He added hesitantly, “During that Great Immortal-Demon War years ago, Immortal Venerable Shen suddenly faked his death to escape. Presumably… presumably he was deluded by that demon’s mind, acting against his own will, and thus resorted to this desperate measure.”

As soon as these words fell, the Immortal Alliance Hall instantly plunged into a dead silence. Everyone’s expressions shifted unpredictably—there was regret, resentment, and a few hints of profound complexity.

It seemed to be the winter of the forty-second year of Xiping when Shen Peiqiu’s identity as a descendant of the Spirit Deer tribe was deliberately leaked by someone, echoing throughout the entire cultivation world.

The Spirit Deer tribe was naturally born with affectionate bones, and their perception of passion and desire far exceeded that of ordinary creatures. Precisely because of this uniquely blessed physique, if one dual-cultivated with a member of the Spirit Deer tribe, used them as a cauldron for harvesting and nourishing, or extracted the blood of their heart as a medicinal guide for pills, a cultivator’s cultivation could advance by leaps and bounds, yielding infinite benefits.

In an instant, many ill-intentioned individuals grew restless. Pairs of greedy eyes locked onto that cold, detached, and unblemished Immortal Venerable Shen, coveting his Spirit Deer physique and plotting to drag him down from his celestial perch.

At that time, it happened to coincide with the Great Immortal-Demon War, with smoke and fire filling the air. But in the eyes of those blinded by desire, the victory or defeat of the battlefield had long since become irrelevant. Adding a combat power like Immortal Venerable Shen, or losing one, was nothing but a passing cloud to them.

Overwhelming desire swept across the entire battlefield. Countless filthy gazes landed on Shen Peiqiu, their hearts full of wretched thoughts, all hoping to drag that celestial figure down from the clouds to share a beautiful night.

Lan Yuanzhou kept a dark face, guarding outside Shen Peiqiu’s tent to prevent those people from taking advantage of his vulnerability. At that time, Shen Peiqiu’s severe injuries had not yet healed.

But in the middle of the night, fine crying sounds suddenly came from outside the tent. A small spiritual attendant beside Su Fuyao stumbled and knelt on the ground, his forehead bruised from kowtowing, crying so hard he could barely catch his breath. He said that Su Fuyao had fought with a demon beast in the afternoon, suffered heavy injuries, his spiritual meridians were damaged, he was coughing up blood incessantly, and was already dying.

Lan Yuanzhou didn’t want to go, but he was annoyed by the crying sound of the small spiritual attendant. Then he remembered that a few years ago, Su Fuyao was thrown into the Reflection Cliff by Shen Peiqiu due to a mistake, losing all his cultivation and becoming a cripple. In this Great Immortal-Demon War, he shouldn’t have taken the risk, yet he had silently followed him all the way to this extremely perilous battlefield.

The stubbornness in his heart finally loosened slightly.

He secretly comforted himself that his master was a grandmaster. Even if he was heavily injured, his foundation remained, and ordinary petty scoundrels couldn’t even get close to him. He would just go to Su Fuyao’s tent to take a look, confirm he was fine, and return immediately without delaying for half a moment.

Taking a deep breath, Lan Yuanzhou raised his hand to set up a barrier outside Shen Peiqiu’s tent. After ensuring everything was foolproof, he maintained a cold face and quickly left, following the weeping spiritual attendant.

To his surprise, when he returned, the place where Shen Peiqiu lived was covered in a ghostly blue fire. Lan Yuanzhou instantly froze in place, his blood seemingly turning to ice.

He frantically channeled his immortal arts to extinguish the fire. But after it was put out, he lifted the ruined tent curtain, only to see a corpse burned beyond recognition, pitch-black and hard to distinguish, lying quietly in the tent. Scattered around were fragments of the jade ornaments his master usually wore.

Lan Yuanzhou’s face turned stark white, unable to believe the scene before his eyes. He felt extreme remorse. Looking at the ghostly fire, he inexplicably thought of Wei Xun.

It must be Wei Xun! It must be him who broke the barrier and killed his master while he was away!

From that moment on, this hatred planted itself deeply into Lan Yuanzhou’s bones and blood. He cast aside all stray thoughts, practicing bitterly day and night. His cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, with only one obsession left in his heart: one day, he would personally slay Wei Xun, grind his bones to dust, and avenge Shen Peiqiu. He endured countless autumns and springs with this hatred.

But until a few years ago, during an accidental intrusion into the Blood Moon Pavilion, he was shocked to discover that the charred corpse was not his master at all. Shen Peiqiu had never died; he was merely imprisoned by Wei Xun in that dark, sunless pavilion, suffering all kinds of humiliation and confinement.

Wei Xun… Wei Xun… It was all him! If not for his staggering deception, how could he have been separated from his master for several years, entirely missing out on so many years? How could he have lived day and night in remorse and the obsession of revenge, thinking his master had already returned to heaven and earth?

What was even more hateful was that Wei Xun had heartlessly planted a love gu in his master, binding his master’s body and mind with evil arts, trapping his master in the Blood Moon Pavilion. Even though he was alive, he refused—and moreover, could not—leave with him.

Thinking of this, Lan Yuanzhou’s expression grew even gloomier. He didn’t hide his murderous intent at all, lifting his eyelids and gritting his teeth, “Master was originally bewildered by that demon Wei Xun’s evil arts, acting against his own will. Even if I must risk everything, for Master’s sake, I will definitely kill him with my own hands to repay this hatred with blood.”

And then, bring Master home.

Inside the Immortal Alliance Hall, upon hearing this, everyone’s blood boiled. In an instant, cries rose higher and louder within the hall:

–“Kill that demon!”

–“Wei Xun has brought chaos to the five realms; he should have been eliminated long ago!”

–“We are willing to follow Immortal Lord Lan to flatten the Blood Moon Pavilion and rescue Master Shen from his captivity!”

–“Slay Wei Xun! Return peace to us!”

“Wei Guanlan! Your father truly didn’t raise you well! To think he brought up such a rebellious creature!”

Amidst the churning mists and lingering immortal qi of the Kunlun Immortal Mountain, an old man in a light gray Taoist robe cursed and swore. The old man’s hands were bound by a Soul-Binding Rope, and his surrounding spiritual energy was also restricted.

Wei Xun’s face was pale, the demonic energy around him chaotic. His black robes fluttered wildly, his lips pressed tight without a word.

The old man nagged and cursed for a long while until his breath grew short. Finally stopping, he slanted his eyes to glance at him, his tone still unpleasant: “Humph, in my early years, I only heard from your father’s letters that you had quite the talent in cultivation and were a material worth shaping. Who would have thought that upon Kunlun’s opening this time, I would learn your father passed away many years ago, and you have fallen into the demonic path, becoming the master of the demon realm.”

He didn’t believe Wei Xun would murder his father and destroy his sect. Instead, he looked a bit disdainful: “I told your father years ago that he was born with a face of many passions, completely unsuited for practicing the Heartless Way. Yet my senior brother stubbornly insisted on forcing him onto this path. He even went so far as to end his own life in front of your father to help him break through his realm. Falling into such a situation today is well within my expectations.”

Pausing, he frowned again, his gaze toward him carrying a bit more incomprehension and anger: “And you, brat, what on earth do you want the Soul-Separating Jade for? Since you are the master of the demon realm, just stay properly in the demon realm. Why must you break into this perilous Kunlun land! Do you know that when you broke the array just now, you almost lost your life under that Demon-Slaying Formation!”

Wei Xun looked listless, his pale face highlighting his refined and gentle features. The black robe soaked in blood earlier had been replaced; there was no scent of blood on him now.

“Can’t die,” a ripple rose in his cold, lonely eyes. Looking at Immortal Venerable Taixu in front of him, he opened his lips and said, “Just when we leave Kunlun later, please do not mention my injuries, Immortal Venerable.”

“Oh? Someone is waiting for you outside?” Hearing this, Taixu found it interesting. He thought to himself that Wei Xun must care deeply for that person; otherwise, he wouldn’t enter Kunlun alone while letting the other party wait outside.

“Yes.”

Wei Xun only gave a faint single-word reply, his tone losing its previous gloomy harshness. The churning, chaotic demonic energy around him also quietly softened, shedding its piercing hostility and adding a rare trace of gentle warmth. Watching this, Taixu was filled with wonder.

But after waiting a while, he didn’t hear Taixu ask further about Jiang Qunyu’s identity. Wei Xun frowned slightly, a flash of impatience rising in his heart. He simply looked up, speaking as if casually, though his tone hid an unmistakable certainty: “It’s my Dao companion.”

Taixu: “…Did I ask?”

Wei Xun: “You should know.”

“Oh.”

Taixu clicked his tongue and sighed, “Fortunately, you are practicing the demonic path now. If you practiced the Heartless Way, you would ultimately meet the same end as your father.”

As soon as these words fell, Wei Xun suddenly looked up, his dark, sinister gaze sweeping over Taixu, his eyes filled with resistance and coldness. He then coldly turned his head back, saying decisively: “I am different from him.”

In this world, apart from Jiang Qunyu, no one could force him to do something he didn’t want to do.

Taixu was choked with anger by that look. Thinking about how Wei Xun was not even a hundred years old yet already at the seventh layer of the Void Refining Realm—and though he suffered many injuries, he could walk out of Kunlun and even bind him—he grew even angrier: “So you stole the Soul-Separating Jade just like that, why did you have to drag an old man like me along?”

He snorted resentfully. If his senior brothers and sisters in the sect found out he was captured by a youth under a hundred years old, he would definitely become the laughingstock of Kunlun. It was an absolute humiliation!

Wei Xun lowered his eyes, his tone calm: “The Soul-Separating Jade needs to be used on me and him. This jade can only be activated by someone from Kunlun. I have a demon body and cannot use it.”

Taixu paused, then realized: “He shares a body with you?”

“Yes.”

Taixu said: “Then you found another body for him?”

Hearing this, intense disgust instantly welled up in Wei Xun’s features, his tone turning colder by several degrees as he flatly denied: “Of course not.”

The bodies of others were filthy and defiled; how could Jiang Qunyu debase himself to reside in them? He looked up, not thinking his words sounded earth-shattering to others: “I reforged a body for him.”

After he spoke, Taixu fell silent for a few moments. After a good while, recalling the rumors of recent years, the impossible notion in his heart became clear. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say, only looking at Wei Xun with a complex expression.

Unified in silence, the two stepped through the swirling clouds of the Kunlun Mountains and walked down. Just as they reached the foot of the mountain, a clear, slender figure leaped down from a lush peach tree.

Jiang Qunyu stood beneath the peach tree, his gaze falling directly on the bound old man behind Wei Xun. Taking advantage of the fact that Taixu could not see his soul form, he stared and sized him up for a long time, his tone carrying a trace of doubt: “Who is he?”

Wei Xun replied, “An old man.”

Jiang Qunyu: “…”

Taixu: “…”

The old man referred to as “an old man” could not hear Jiang Qunyu’s voice, but he could accurately deduce their conversation from Wei Xun’s utterly perfunctory answer. Immediately, his beard blew up and his eyes widened in anger. The restricted spiritual energy around him began to churn as he said resentfully, “Fine! Use the Soul-Separating Jade however you want, this old man doesn’t care anymore!”

Only then did Wei Xun add, “Immortal Venerable Taixu, the junior brother of Master Wei Lan.”

Jiang Qunyu: “Your martial granduncle.”

Wei Xun faintly acknowledged, “Should be.”

Jiang Qunyu fell silent for a moment, silently thinking that it was a good thing Taixu couldn’t hear their conversation, otherwise, he would definitely be angered to death by Wei Xun.

Wei Xun saw through his thoughts at a glance. Looking at his contemplative appearance, he couldn’t help but curl his lips slightly. His usually cold and lonely eyes rippled with a faint but genuine smile, like melting ice and snow, instantly shedding all hostility and turning incredibly gentle.

Looking at his sudden smile, Jiang Qunyu was briefly stunned. His gaze paused, and he unconsciously asked, “Are you very happy?”

Wei Xun answered him through his divine sense, replying seriously, “Very happy.”

Jiang Qunyu’s new body was already completed. With only the Soul-Separating Jade remaining, he would finally be able to truly touch Jiang Qunyu. A real, breathing Jiang Qunyu.

Jiang Qunyu, however, recalled the original plot. At this time, Wei Xun had already “fallen in love” with Shen Peiqiu. Shen Peiqiu’s soul was unstable, so Wei Xun took advantage of Kunlun’s opening to steal the Kunlun Soul-Separating Jade to stabilize his soul. So, Wei Xun was happy because of this?

Jiang Qunyu didn’t understand. He just felt that he should soon be parting ways with Wei Xun. He was also very happy!

Thus, Jiang Qunyu also curved his eyebrows and smiled, “Me too.”

On the way back to Cloud Palace City, Jiang Qunyu even used a transmission jade amulet to chat with Taixu. The two spent a long time together just complaining about Wei Xun.

Wei Xun’s gaze toward Taixu grew colder and colder. Taixu pretended not to see it.

Until they arrived outside Cloud Palace City, Jiang Qunyu didn’t want to walk anymore, so he transformed into a round ball of black mist and sat on Wei Xun’s shoulder. Suddenly, he noticed something amiss.

The usually orderly, if not bustling, Cloud Palace City was now terrifyingly silent. Not a single sound could be heard; the quietness was eerie, making even the sound of the wind scraping against the city walls exceptionally clear.

Wei Xun’s aura instantly sank. The faint coldness vanished, replaced by a terrifyingly sharp and murderous intent as the spring wind whipped up his black robes.

The moment he stepped on his sword and landed before the gates of Cloud Palace City, the sounds of battle cries and spiritual energy fluctuations suddenly exploded!

The sky was filled with a sudden surge of immortal light, obscuring half the heavens. Cultivators from three thousand sects packed the area, surrounding Cloud Palace City so tightly that not a drop of water could escape. From great sects like Buxu and Xuanjian to various smaller immortal sects, cultivators held their dharma treasures, their spiritual energy surging as swords were drawn and bows bent, layers upon layers of grand immortal arrays activating.

The banners of the Immortal Alliance fluttered loudly in the wind, filled with a chilling aura. Clearly, they had been lying in ambush here for a long time, waiting for Wei Xun’s return to flatten this capital of the demon realm in one fell swoop.

Lan Yuanzhou, dressed in a snow-white immortal robe, stood at the very front of the immortal array. His long sword pointed directly at Wei Xun, his face dark and his eyes filled with hatred. He took the lead to shout angrily, his voice carrying far and wide through his spiritual energy: “Wei Xun! You murdered your father and destroyed your sect, kidnapped my master in the past, and now you have kidnapped Immortal Venerable Taixu, disrupting the five realms! Today, three thousand sects of the Immortal Alliance gather here, vowing to slay you on this spot!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd of immortal cultivators grew furious, shouting in unison. Their voices shook heaven and earth, carrying a chilling intent to kill that pierced straight through the clouds:

–“Slay the demon Wei Xun! Flatten Cloud Palace City!”

–“Destroy the demon realm, cleanse the five realms! We must not let this demon bring chaos to the world again!”

Wei Xun’s journey to Kunlun had been conducted with extreme secrecy, known to very few. Even the demon cultivators under his command thought their Lord was still behind closed doors in Cloud Palace City. The ones guarding the city this time were only the four great protectors, and their forces were meager, with no time to send messages to summon the million-strong army of the demon realm.

The cultivation world’s calculations this time were precise, catching the demon realm completely off guard.

Thus, when the cultivators of the Immortal Alliance stepped forward on clouds and threw the corpses of the White Tiger and Vermilion Bird protectors, along with numerous demon followers, heavily onto the bluestone slabs before the gates of Cloud Palace City, blood instantly dyed the ground, and a metallic stench filled the air.

Looking at the tragic scene before him, Wei Xun’s face showed no emotion, as if he had long anticipated this outcome. However, a piercing coldness condensed within his dark eyes as he coldly swept his gaze over the group of self-righteous cultivators.

“Wei Xun!” Lan Yuanzhou held his long sword, standing before the Immortal Alliance’s array with an aura of righteous indignation, his questions echoing through the sky, his eyes full of hatred and righteousness. “Because of your personal desires, you have brought chaos to the five realms, causing the tragic deaths of the demons under your command. Do you truly have a clear conscience after treating human lives so carelessly?”

Ignoring his twisted arguments, Wei Xun raised his hand and summoned Shihun. He swung it in mid-air, drawing a full moon, and a sharp frost instantly covered the entirety of Cloud Palace City, transforming into crisp sword intent. The frost fell upon the cultivators, seeping into their bones, causing them to scream in agony.

Seeing this, Lan Yuanzhou’s face turned white and green. He also raised his sword, and a dragon-shaped cloud sea appeared out of nowhere in the sky, roaring as it broke through the clouds, charging toward Wei Xun and Jiang Qunyu.

Wei Xun’s eyes darkened, and his demonic energy surged wildly. He instinctively shielded Jiang Qunyu further behind him. His toes lightly tapped the void, and his figure suddenly turned into a black blur, moving so fast it left only an afterimage. He sidestepped sharply, his posture sharp yet graceful, avoiding the direct impact of the dragon cloud. His black sleeves fluttered wildly against the fierce wind, his hair messy but showing no sign of panic as he ruthlessly cut down one cultivator after another.

Having just returned from Kunlun and supposedly heavily injured, Wei Xun’s strength was still terrifyingly formidable, showing no signs of weakness. A chilling fear grew in the hearts of the cultivators, and someone cried out in despair: “Didn’t they say… didn’t they say he broke into the Kunlun array and would definitely be heavily injured with depleted spiritual energy? Why… why is he still so terrifyingly powerful?!”

Another cultivator gritted his teeth and said, “Even if his strength is undiminished, he is alone! The Azure Dragon protector has already fled, and the demon realm’s army is far away, delayed in their return! How can he alone withstand the siege of three thousand sects? Fellow Daoists, we must slay this scoundrel before the demon realm’s reinforcements arrive and rescue Immortal Venerable Shen!”

The earth-shattering sounds echoed in Jiang Qunyu’s ears. He did not move, quietly standing in the center of Cloud Palace City, beneath his feet the blood-stained bluestone slabs, looking up at the black silhouette fighting a bloody battle in mid-air.

The battle between good and evil. So it was today?

He couldn’t describe his feelings, but if nothing went wrong, he would be able to finish his job after today. In the original plot, by this day, Wei Xun’s inner demons had only disappeared five times, so his sword path remained at the fifth layer. But now, only the final time was left. As long as he died one last time, he could clock out, and Wei Xun’s sword intent could reach the seventh layer, achieving great completion. For both of them, it was a win-win situation.

Though Jiang Qunyu didn’t know what would happen once Wei Xun’s sword intent reached the seventh layer. Perhaps he would become incredibly strong, change his destined ending, and remain the Demon Venerable in Cloud Palace City forever.

Jiang Qunyu calmly planned for their future, but before that, he would help Wei Xun one last time. He had taken quite a lot of spiritual stones from Wei Xun over the years.

The moment this thought fell, a crimson scythe suddenly manifested in mid-air, its body glowing with brilliant light and an oppressive, deadly aura.

The cultivators of the Immortal Alliance looked up in shock and suspicion. They saw a crimson domain unfurl violently, and a soul stood in the center of the domain. The appearance of that soul was exactly identical to Wei Xun, except that what he held was no longer the Shihun demon sword, but that intimidating Red Scythe. Wherever the Red Scythe passed, not a single cultivator survived.

Wei Xun’s eyes turned pitch-black, and countless eerie bloody hands emerged from the void, grabbing the legs or arms of the cultivators, attempting to drag them into the endless darkness.

Seeing this, the bound Immortal Venerable Taixu fiercely channeled his immortal yuan to shatter the ropes. He smoothed out his wrinkled Taoist robe, his face grim yet helpless, and shouted, “This venerable came with him willingly! Stop fighting blindly, stop it!”

Wei Xun was truly heavily injured; he was just utilizing his terrifying strength to intimidate the cultivators. He didn’t want to see his senior brother die, Wei Lan die, and now see Wei Lan’s son die before his eyes.

With this thought, he no longer hesitated. He pinched a spell with his fingers, and his body erupted with brilliant immortal light as he directly summoned his natal dharma treasure, the Kunlun Seal. The ancient, heavy jade seal soared into the air, radiating a warm yet boundless spiritual light, pressing down toward the surrounding cultivators with a mountain-toppling pressure, knocking over several people and forcing open a gap.

Seeing this, the Immortal Alliance grew shocked and enraged. Their eyes turned red as they shouted angrily: “Immortal Venerable Taixu must have been deluded by that demon!”

“A dignified ancient Immortal Venerable has actually fallen into the demonic path! Wei Xun is truly detestable!”

“Say no more, let’s kill them together and flatten the demon realm!”

Though Taixu had deep cultivation, he couldn’t withstand the sheer number of enemies. His moves gradually slowed down, and within moments, he began to falter under the continuous attacks and array confinements.

As he coughed up blood, he couldn’t help but complain inwardly: How did Wei Lan raise his son? How did he raise a monster who, despite being heavily injured, could fight for so long?

But it didn’t matter. Taixu quickly came to terms with it. He had lived for thousands of years and had long grown indifferent to the cycle of life and death; a carefree life was enough. His senior brother, who was not much older than him, had passed away nearly a thousand years ago, so living until now was sufficient.

It was just a pity that he hadn’t been able to see what kind of person Wei Xun’s future Dao companion would be for Wei Lan and his senior brother.

Taixu sighed lightly, looking at the countless sword shadows flying toward him in mid-air, and couldn’t help but curse silently: Why are the people in the cultivation world today so foolish?!

However, the expected pain of a pierced heart did not arrive. He did not die.

The Red Scythe suddenly grew in size, transforming into several boundless scythe shadows that carried a deadly aura capable of burning everything, violently colliding with those cold sword shadows. Spiritual light and demonic energy scattered in all directions, causing the surrounding air to tremble violently.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Jiang Qunyu stood before Taixu. He was truly exasperated. Although he knew they couldn’t hear him, he couldn’t help but yell, “Don’t you know how to respect the elderly?!”

Inevitably, some stray sword intent passed through his soul body, bringing a faint numbness. Jiang Qunyu didn’t care. To him, this bit of pain was negligible, and he was a soul body anyway, about to achieve full detachment.

But in mid-air, Wei Xun, who was blocking the majority of the cultivators alone, felt his hand holding the Shihun sword tremble, his sharp sword moves momentarily freezing. Almost purely on instinct, he turned his head back frantically, his eyes locking onto Jiang Qunyu. His frozen, emotionless eyes were filled with panic and helplessness as he instinctively rushed toward Jiang Qunyu.

Amidst the chaotic slaughter, a cold light flashed in Lan Yuanzhou’s eyes. Seizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he gripped his long sword tightly, channeled all his spiritual energy, and pointed the blade directly at Wei Xun’s heart.

“Wei Xun!”

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Qunyu arrived before Wei Xun. Looking at the rapidly approaching long sword, he tightly grabbed Wei Xun’s wrist and forcefully swapped positions with him.

The next second, Lan Yuanzhou’s long sword ruthlessly pierced through Jiang Qunyu’s soul.

No blood spurted out. Instead, Jiang Qunyu’s soul slowly transformed into points of glowing silver light, like shattered stars in the night sky, scattering little by little in the chilly spring wind, impossible to grasp.

Wei Xun completely froze.

He stood in place, the churning demonic energy around him suddenly grinding to a halt. His dark, bottomless eyes were entirely blank, his face turning deathly pale at a visible rate. He instinctively reached out, stumbling and kneeling onto the blood-soaked bluestone slabs of Cloud Palace City, fruitlessly trying to embrace Jiang Qunyu’s dissipating soul.

However, his fingertips only passed through the cold wind and the glowing points slipping through his fingers. It was empty, as if nothing could be kept.

His previous chilling hostility collapsed instantly, leaving only a deep, bone-piercing panic and despair that swallowed him whole. He heard his own voice, very low and hoarse: “Jiang Qunyu…”

Jiang Qunyu really wanted to tell him to stop being so melodramatic. If he kept spacing out, Lan Yuanzhou’s sword would pierce his heart next. But he could feel that he was about to disappear. Thus, he really didn’t have much time to scold Wei Xun.

Moreover, outside the city gates, he seemed to see Xie Chuan and Shen Peiqiu. It was them, right?

Besides, Wei Xun should be able to break through his realm shortly. Once his sword path reached great completion, he would never repeat the plot of the original book. Perhaps he could live a good life, peacefully remaining the Demon Venerable in Cloud Palace City, without ending up with his soul destroyed, and could entangle with Shen Peiqiu forever.

As for his relationship with Wei Xun… how should it be described? Host and inner demon, rivals, close friends, or growing up together? Whatever it was, it didn’t matter anymore. After today, they would go their separate ways, never to cross paths again.

Jiang Qunyu should have been happy; this was the liberation he had long yearned for. Yet, a faint bitterness inexplicably welled up in his heart, dense and sharp, as if something was gnawing at him, making him want to shed tears.

But Jiang Qunyu truly wasn’t used to emotional goodbyes. Even on the verge of his soul scattering, he didn’t forget to use his sharp tongue, speaking with a thread of breath, “The seventh time… finally… clocking out… Wei Xun, curse your ancestors, you got your wish now.”

They could finally separate and become independent individuals. They would never have to fight and hate each other over who possessed the body, who was responsible for eating, who slept on the rafters, or who slept on the bed. Jiang Qunyu thought Wei Xun should be just as happy as he was.

But he didn’t seem to be.

The sky began to fall with fine snow at some point, the flakes landing on his long eyelashes, forming tiny ice crystals. His eyelashes trembled violently, causing his entire body to shake slightly.

Amidst the swirling snow, Jiang Qunyu suddenly remembered something he had forgotten. Today seemed to be Wei Xun’s birthday.

So, it still snows in the demon realm in March?

His soul faded a bit more, almost merging into the wind and snow, yet he still forced a faint smile, whispering softly, “Happy birthday.”

Wei Xun’s lips were pale as he finally opened them, murmuring softly, “You said you would grow up with me. Jiang Qunyu, don’t leave me behind…”

As he spoke, because the injuries that should have fallen on Jiang Qunyu affected his soul, the pain grew more intense. The metallic taste suppressed in his throat could no longer be held back, and blood slowly trickled down the corner of his lips.

Jiang Qunyu wanted to say a few more casual words before leaving it at that. But Wei Xun hadn’t been injured just now—why was he spitting blood?

–Why did Wei Xun always notice immediately whenever his soul body was damaged?

–Why didn’t it hurt these past few times?

–Why was it that every time he was injured, the one who seemed heavily wounded was always Wei Xun?

–Why did Wei Xun always disappear for several days after he was injured? Was he afraid of being found out?

Jiang Qunyu suddenly felt like laughing.

The memories in his mind played out like a revolving lantern. He inexplicably remembered when he first met Wei Xun, and how Wei Xun always wanted to kill him. He was just a modern person; even though he knew how the original book described Wei Xun as bloodthirsty, cruel, and cold-hearted, he didn’t have much of a concept of it. Thus, after two years of companionship, he originally thought that even if their relationship wasn’t great, they could at least coexist peacefully.

Back then, he had even naively fantasized that perhaps living like this forever wouldn’t be bad. At worst, whenever he wanted to eat or do something, he could just possess Wei Xun.

But he had lied to him.

To this day, he could still clearly remember the first time he killed someone. That blood was so hot, so hot that he kept vomiting, and he had nightmares for several days straight. From then on, he warned himself that he and Wei Xun were, at most, partners in a cooperative relationship.

See, they should have remained just partners—a simple inner demon and host. He could help him break through his sword path to great completion, and he could obtain a new body. Yet, Wei Xun had used some unknown method to transfer the pain that should have fallen on him onto himself.

At this point, he couldn’t even hate him anymore.

As his soul dissipated bit by bit, Jiang Qunyu finally said, “Wei Xun, our debts are clear.”

From now on, we shall never meet again in life or death.

The snow continued to fall in flurries.

Wei Xun knelt in the blood-stained snow, feeling the pain in his soul gradually calm down. Jiang Qunyu had left again. He lowered his eyes, but not a single tear could flow. He had gained Jiang Qunyu on his birthday, and he had lost Jiang Qunyu on his birthday.

After a long time, he let out a low, light chuckle. He lifted his eyes, his right eye entirely covered in black mist, his voice raspy as he spoke word by word: “Debts clear… debts clear… Jiang Qunyu, who told you we could ever be clear?”