ATAVID CH107

Almost the exact instant he set eyes on Shen Peiqiu, the aura surrounding Wei Xun’s body plummeted violently.

The hand he wasn’t using to hold Jiang Qunyu’s loosely clenched into a fist, and the Soul-Devouring Sword, glowing as white and pristine as flawless jade, instantly manifested within his palm. He leveled a freezing stare at Shen Peiqiu.

Jiang Qunyu: “…”

What kind of madness is this? Shen Peiqiu was merely greeting Wei Xun with a sense of familiarity. He, the actual Dao companion, hadn’t even grown jealous yet, so why on earth was Wei Xun getting jealous first?

Jiang Qunyu didn’t think for even a fraction of a second that Shen Peiqiu was actually greeting him. After all, prior to this, although he had crossed paths with Shen Peiqiu before, he had mostly been attached to Wei Xun’s body during those times.

Only on a handful of very rare occasions had he ever manifested in his soul form, lazily leaning against a tree branch while gazing down at Shen Peiqiu conversing with the attendants below, through which he had learned that the man possessed an exceptionally noble and kind character.

He gave Wei Xun’s hand a firm squeeze, wanting him to act normal for a moment.

Wei Xun’s thin lips were pressed into a tight line, his brow making absolutely no effort to conceal his sheer malice as he spoke in a deep voice: “He is not Shen Peiqiu.”

Jiang Qunyu blanked out for a moment, instantly snapping into a state of high alert as well. With a swift twist of his wrist, a streak of crimson light flashed, and his red scythe—the size of a longbow—instantly hovered in mid-air.

The freezing gale swept past the ancient city, causing the fabric of their robes to snap and flutter fiercely in the wind. The atmosphere grew tense to the absolute breaking point.

Right at this moment, a thread of cold fragrance drifted into his nose.

Jiang Qunyu paused. Having spent over a century within the chaotic void, he was so familiar with this scent that it was practically etched into his soul. Coupled with the fact that before the memory ended, the Heavenly Dao had explicitly told him they would meet again in the not-too-distant future, a bizarre hypothesis sprouted in his mind.

Twisting his wrist back, he recalled his red scythe and asked tentatively, “Are you the Heavenly Dao?”

Shen Peiqiu—or perhaps more accurately, the Heavenly Dao—curved his lips into a faint smile upon hearing those words. His voice was serene and clear, carrying a hint of detached, otherworldly indifference: “It is indeed吾 (Me). However, I am merely borrowing this physical vessel to house myself temporarily. Once the matters here are fully resolved, I shall naturally withdraw and depart.”

Hearing the familiar self-address, Jiang Qunyu begrudgingly accepted that the “Shen Peiqiu” standing before his eyes was indeed the Heavenly Dao himself. First, he negotiated a minor detail with the deity: “Could you please refrain from using ‘吾’?”

The Heavenly Dao maintained a brief distance from the two of them. Entirely ignoring Wei Xun’s sinister, piercing gaze, he asked, “Why?”

Jiang Qunyu admitted with total honesty: “You are currently utilizing Shen Peiqiu’s physical body. I’ve known him for a long time, and before my rebirth, I even spoke with him. Now that you are sporting his face, even though I know you are the Heavenly Dao, it still feels rather bizarre.”

The Heavenly Dao let out a soft laugh and readily agreed: “Very well.”

Only then did Jiang Qunyu vent a bit of his lingering resentment, grumbling, “When you sent me back to the cultivation world initially, we clearly agreed that you would throw me into a peaceful, affluent, and noble household. Yet when I woke up, I discovered that the life I led over these years wasn’t a good one in the slightest, and in the end, I even got slapped with a scenario where I had to substitute-marry someone.”

The Heavenly Dao let out a soft sigh, his tone peaceful: “But at that time, you were desperately anxious to reunite with Wei Xun. This method of rebirth and reincarnation was the sole path that, after I repeatedly deduced it a countless number of times, could fulfill your deepest wish the fastest and allow the two of you to meet as early as possible.”

The moment the words fell, Wei Xun froze. The freezing chill radiating from his body instantly dissipated by more than half. Pursing his lips, he recalled the Soul-Devouring Sword back into his spiritual awareness.

The Heavenly Dao cast a faint glance at Wei Xun, his posture relaxing slightly into a leisurely stance that carried a touch of worldly wisdom and light mockery.

Jiang Qunyu never anticipated that the feelings he had kept hidden so securely would be ruthlessly exposed by the Heavenly Dao in just a couple of sentences right then and there. The tips of his ears burned a violent hot, and he instinctively raised his hand to rub them, gritting his teeth as he stubbornly argued, “…At that time, I merely wanted to come back and demand to know what on earth Wei Xun meant by his actions!”

The Heavenly Dao remained entirely noncommittal.

Wei Xun, on the other hand, found himself in an exceptionally splendid mood, and the Heavenly Dao suddenly didn’t look quite so unpleasant to his eyes anymore. Lowering his gaze, he lightly squeezed Jiang Qunyu’s hand.

Jiang Qunyu maintained a wooden face, thinking to himself that had he known earlier, he wouldn’t have asked in the first place!

Terrified that if he probed any further, the Heavenly Dao would drag out even more scandalous secrets, Jiang Qunyu cut straight to their main objective this time: “Then why have you possessed Shen Peiqiu’s body, and why are you here?”

Perceiving his desperate desire to cover things up, the Heavenly Dao didn’t poke fun at him, following his question to answer: “This Immortal Venerable Shen chose the Path of the Common Soul; his Dao heart is crystal clear and thoroughly transparent. Within the five realms, his spiritual entity aligns most perfectly with my aura, making him the most suitable person for me to possess.”

He paused briefly before continuing his thorough explanation: “Prior to the possession, I entered his dreamscape to have a deep conversation with him. Upon hearing that I possessed a method to pacify the resentful spirits that have been continuously spawning and wreaking havoc across the five realms over these years—thereby protecting the security of the world—he readily and selflessly gave his consent, willing to temporarily lend his physical vessel to me.”

“As for the latter half of your question,” the Heavenly Dao’s faint gaze swept over the pair as he said, “My appearance here is simply because I have been explicitly waiting here for the two of you for a very long time.”

Jiang Qunyu knit his brows.

“May the two of you step into the city along with me.” A deep wave of compassion and pity swirled within the depths of the Heavenly Dao’s eyes. “Within the city, perhaps there lies the answer you both seek.”

Jiang Qunyu did not refuse. Their sole purpose in coming to Tiandu City in the first place was to thoroughly figure out what Xuan Jin’s ultimate goal was. Furthermore, that man had played the two of them like absolute fiddles.

Jiang Qunyu wasn’t a saintly person, but he wasn’t a malicious one either.

Xuan Jin had plotted so much and laid out traps at every single step; it was only right that he pay the due price.

The three of them stepped into Tiandu City together.

The exact instant they crossed the thresholds of the city gates, the Heavenly Dao’s fingertips lightly moved to form a hand seal.

A vast expanse of shimmering, pristine white micro-lights slowly rose from every single corner within the city.

The originally desolate, ruined, and completely dead city instantly morphed into a brand-new appearance.

The scenery before their eyes abruptly shifted and cycled, reconstructing the magnificent, bustling grandeur of over two thousand years ago. The Tiandu City of that era was lively and incredibly prosperous, with expansive streets stretching out in every direction, packed with a continuous flow of pedestrians and echoing with noisy clamor everywhere.

Row upon row of grand pavilions were arranged in a highly orderly layout, while carriages and horses continuously traveled back and forth along the roads. The streetsides were fully packed with small stalls and vendors, their loud shouts and peddling drifting over in one continuous wave after another.

Children chased one another along the streets, playing and roughhousing as they ran through the alleys with bursts of joyful laughter echoing everywhere. The entire city was secure, peaceful, and thoroughly blanketed in the warm, vibrant glow of everyday mortal life.

The Heavenly Dao stated flatly, “This is manifested from Xuan Jin’s memories.”

The very instant his words fell, the perspective of the scene abruptly shifted in the next moment.

The focus locked onto a courtyard located within the ancient city of Tiandu.

Xuan Jin first lifted his eyes to glance up at the void, his brow knitting: “It seems as though someone is watching us.”

To the side, Qin Shiyue’s expression was freezing cold, a detached indifference swirling between his brows as he lifted his eyes to glance back at him: “Your Highness, if you cannot find a valid reason to remain here, then please depart.”

Hearing this, Xuan Jin retracted his gaze. Holding his long sword within his arms, he lazily strolled two circles around Qin Shiyue, who was currently slumped over a desk thoroughly studying a manual of heart cultivation methods. He then squatted down, his fingertip pointing at a specific hand seal incantation written upon the pages of the manual, offering a few casual pointers in his tone: “Sigh! Tell me, what are you being so stubborn for? I’ve already told you that your mistake lies right here. If you alter this part, you will definitely be able to successfully construct the formation.”

“Heh,” Qin Shiyue let out a cold sneer. “Your Highness’s talent is peerless and superb, so naturally you are magnificent. Then again, it makes sense; after all, not everyone is like Your Highness, capable of stepping into the Void Refinement stage when they are barely two hundred years old.”

“Modesty! A little modesty!” Xuan Jin’s eyes curved, a wild, untamed laugh erupting from him. “If you are willing to lower yourself to ask your superiors, this Prince wouldn’t mind personally instructing you.”

Qin Shiyue simply lowered his gaze, completely ignoring him from that point on. Xuan Jin wasn’t annoyed either, sitting cross-legged right on the floor with his long sword propped beneath his chin, staring blankly out the window at the scenery.

The two of them remained like this for an entire afternoon.

Qin Shiyue finally failed to restrain himself, curling his lips: “My father died in battle for the sake of the Demon Race; he was a general of Tiandu City. Your Highness does not need to pity me because of this.”

Xuan Jin tilted his head: “Do you not resent my Royal Father? After all, if he hadn’t ordered your father to go out on that campaign, your father wouldn’t have died in battle either.”

Qin Shiyue blanked out, taking a good long while before responding: “I do not.”

“Hypocrite.” Xuan Jin stood up, raising his hand to dust off his robes as he said, “If you truly didn’t resent him, you wouldn’t have refused to accompany me to view that Nine Heavens Divine Lotus lamp for so many years. Weren’t we once exceptional friends?”

Without even waiting for Qin Shiyue’s answer, Xuan Jin turned and departed.

The room finally restored its absolute quiet. The fingertips with which Qin Shiyue tightly gripped the manual pages slowly released their hold, his knuckles having long since turned stark white.

Who could have guessed that Xuan Jin, who had clearly departed just moments ago, would actually push open the door and march right back inside, his tone carrying a touch of impatience: “Qin Shiyue, my Empress Mother stated that the very first snowfall of this year is approaching. When the time comes, we shall go to the city watchtower together to view the snow. According to the traditions of previous years, there will also be fireworks retrieved from the human realm; you are to come along.”

The moment the words fell, the bedroom door slammed shut heavily with another loud bang.

Regrettably, that long-anticipated first snowfall never managed to fall after all.

Tiandu City was utterly overturned and destroyed overnight, right before that first snowfall could arrive.

The two great immortal sects—Xuanjian and Buxu—who proudly proclaimed themselves as orthodox righteous sects, had clearly just established a non-aggression covenant with the Demon Race. Yet, out of sheer terror toward the Demon Race’s steadily growing strength, coupled with their intense greed to possess that Nine Heavens Divine Lotus lamp, they joined forces to launch a sudden surprise raid and siege upon Tiandu City.

On the day of its destruction, the vast skies above Tiandu City were dyed a thoroughly deep shade of crimson by the endless blood. Screams of agony, sounds of slaughter, and the violent clashing of weapons echoed relentlessly without a single pause.

At that time, Xuan Jin had already attained the Void Refinement stage of cultivation, yet when facing the encirclement and suppression of tens of thousands of cultivators, he was ultimately vastly outnumbered. He suffered devastating, catastrophic injuries, his entire physical form turned into a bloody, mangled mess.

The essence of life slowly drained out from his body piece by piece, while the freezing corpses of his clansmen and relatives littered the entire surrounding area.

Lying flat upon the ground, he stared blankly up at the blood-red vault of heaven through the gaps between the piles of corpses, feeling deep down that this time, he was absolutely bound to die without a doubt.

Right as his consciousness was on the absolute verge of dissolving completely, a figure recklessly and frantically broke through the heavy encirclement at all costs, sprinting frantically toward his direction.

The surrounding cultivators barked out strict, harsh commands: “It is Qiu Ningyan! The Demon Venerable and that little Prince have both already perished; she is a mere Mahayana stage cultivator, how on earth did she manage to survive? Hurry up and slaughter her immediately!”

A-Niang…

That was his Empress Mother, his A-Niang.

Xuan Jin’s entire body turned stiff, watching helplessly as a series of sharp, fierce sword qi tore through the air and slashed down. He wished to protect his mother just like the countless times he had done in the past, yet he couldn’t squeeze out even a shred of sound, nor did he possess a single ounce of strength to lift his hand.

Qiu Ningyan recklessly shoved aside layer after layer of freezing corpses, the demonic energy around her body expanding frantically to forcefully repel the vast, bitter sword intent blanketing the skies. Tears of blood continuously slithered down from the corners of her eyes, her appearance looking incredibly tragic, wretched, and thoroughly despairing.

Finally, deep within the piles of corpses, she caught sight of the barely breathing Xuan Jin.

She uttered not a single word, merely gazing quietly at her son as her tears fell continuously. She then lightly lifted her hand, forming a shushing gesture toward him.

The Demon Meteor Pearl, which her husband had left behind right before his death to preserve her life, was carefully and tenderly guided into their child’s mouth by her hands.

Her voice was exceptionally light, practically formed of silent lip movements: “Jin-er, my Jin-er, survive well.”

Xuan Jin wept silently, his tears continuously pouring down.

Ultimately, Qiu Ningyan failed to withstand that vast sheet of sword intent. At the final threshold of her life, she still focused entirely on finding a reason for her child to continue living on alone: “Don’t cry… live well. In the future years, whenever the snow falls, view it on behalf of A-Niang, and on behalf of your Royal Father, as well…”

That Demon Meteor Pearl, aside from being capable of dragging someone who was on the absolute brink of death right back from the gates of hell, could also perfectly conceal one’s aura, evading every single form of immortal spell and exploration.

In the end, Xuan Jin was the sole individual to survive that horrific massacre.

Lying amidst the freezing piles of corpses, the grief-stricken, furious final testaments of his clansmen echoed repeatedly within his ears before they died.

Countless unyielding, resentful voices spun and swirled within the wind, refusing to dissipate: “If even a single soul from our Tiandu City manages to survive… no matter who it is, they must slaughter the Xuanjian and Buxu sects down to the absolute last soul, trample the immortal gates flat, and avenge our Tiandu City completely!”