Chapter 057 - Demons Invade Azure Spirit!

At 3 o'clock past midnight when the darkness of the night was thickest, Yun Xiao returned to the familiar grounds of the Little Cloud Residence, which was close to the Grand Hall and within the defensive formations of the Sword Pavilion.

The pond fish, the stone table, the osmanthus tree with its jade lanterns, all were as they had been. And there too, still in his heart, was the rosy-cheeked image of pale-skinned beauty! A single candle flickered within a house ahead, its window lattice revealing a charming silhouette.

She's there waiting for me!

Yun Xiao thought. The youth in white approached the door and gently knocked. "Senior Sister Zhao, I'm here."

Inside, the delicate figure trembled, pots clattered to the floor, followed by a soft voice, flustered, "Why are you here so late at night?"

"Ah? Isn't that what you meant when you kept hitting me in the head with the sword manual earlier today? Three times means come at 3 o'clock, right!" Yun Xiao replied with a playful smirk.

Zhao Xuanran was speechless.

BANG!

She threw open the door, her eyes glaring at Yun Xiao, "Stop talking nonsense and hurry back to the Grand Hall."

"Oh, are you getting cold feet now?" Yun Xiao arched an eyebrow.

"Cold my ass!" Zhao Xuanran said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, it's cold? Does it need some warming?" Yun Xiao laughed.

Realizing his insinuations, her cheeks flushed red as a ripe peach. With another bang, she shut the door, ignoring him. But who would have thought, Yun Xiao creaked the door open and followed her inside. The boudoir was simply and elegantly furnished with only a wooden bed and a writing desk. On the bed lay the white cloth intended for Yun Xiao’s garment, and the desk was piled with books.

"Get out!" Zhao Xuanran was angry now.

"What are you writing?" Yun Xiao, ignoring her words, approached her desk. The ink on the table was still wet, and the paper was filled with graceful characters.

Seeing him unwilling to leave, Zhao Xuanran rolled her eyes and sat beside her desk, continuing to write and said, "Writing a letter."

"To whom?" Yun Xiao asked from behind her.

"None of your business!" she glanced at him, clearly annoyed.

Yun Xiao smiled, pointing at the paper, "I saw, my name is on this letter."

After a moment’s hesitation, she said, "Fine, I was going to ask for your consent anyway. Let me explain now."

"I’m all ears," Yun Xiao said, pulling up a stool and sitting in front of her knees.

"This letter will be sent to the Sea of Swords." she said.

"Sea of Swords? Do you know someone there?" he asked.

"Yes!"

"Who?"

Pursing her lips, her expression turned cold as she uttered two words: "My mother."

"Mother?" Yun Xiao was taken aback. He had never heard about Zhao Xuanran's mother and assumed she was no longer around. Could it be she was in the Sea of Swords?

"Does our mother have a high status in the Sea of a Swords?" Yun Xiao inquired, genuine curiosity coating his words.

"What do you mean

our

mother..." Zhao Xuanran, her brows knitting together. She reached for a book, threatening to bop him. "Be serious, no cheekiness allowed!"

"Alright," Yun Xiao nodded compliantly.

Yet, when Zhao Xuanran spoke of this woman, her expression twisted strangely. Was it unfamiliarity? Resentment?

"My mother belongs to Sword Heaven in the Sea of Swords," she said, her gaze drifting to the window, uttering the words with a calmness that barely veiled the tumult beneath.

"Sword Heaven? A power within the Sea of Swords?" Yun Xiao probed.

"Mhm. Before the Sword Pavilion pledged allegiance to Azure Spirit, it was somewhat a branch of Sword Heaven. Later on, it declared its independence but still maintained a close relationship with Sword Heaven," Zhao Xuanran explained, her voice steady but something fluttered in her eyes.

"Is Sword Heaven stronger, or is the Forbidden Tower mightier?" Yun Xiao asked.

"Naturally, the Forbidden Tower, firstly because it has profound backing, and secondly because it's an organization of absolute geniuses and talents. Although they're few in number, all are at the pinnacle of the Sea of Swords," she declared, a hint of heaviness in her tone.

"Hmm!" Yun Xiao pondered for a moment before voicing his confusion, "Sword Heaven is supposed to be the Sword Pavilion's backing. The Pavilion has been in trouble for three years. So, why hasn't Sword Heaven intervened?"

"Each generation of Sect Master from the Sword Pavilion, in their youth, would cultivate deeply within Sword Heaven. But my father... he was cast out by Sword Heaven!" Zhao Xuanran revealed with a helpless sigh.

"A castaway? But why?" Yun Xiao quizzed, his eyes wide with bewilderment.

"Because of my mother." As she spoke of the woman, Zhao Xuanran's eyes danced with a subtle struggle.

"It can’t be some clichéd tale of a gallant young man and a noble lady, can it?" Yun Xiao asked quietly, nearly whispering.

"No!" Zhao Xuanran's eyes locked onto his, a potent intensity within them.

"Then why?" Yun Xiao persisted.

"She never loved my father, not for a single moment. The Sea of Swords is a sacred land for swordsmanship. They were from different worlds, separated by status," Zhao Xuanran uttered, her voice a soft murmur tinged with melancholy.

"Then why do you exist?" Yun Xiao questioned gently.

Zhao Xuanran lowered her head, looking at him with a depth that stirred the air between them, "A mistake, borne from a drunken night."

Yun Xiao was speechless. His first instinct was to console her, but no words left his mouth as she continued.

"Wine truly isn’t a good thing!" Zhao Xuanran murmured after a pause.

"Yes!" Yun Xiao nodded emphatically.

"You should drink less in the future."

"Can you drink less?" Yun Xiao asked.

"I can’t."

"Then neither can I."

"..."

Silence unfolded like a gentle shroud, encasing them.

After what felt like an eternity, Zhao Xuanran closed her eyes, exhaled a soft sigh, and whispered, "Actually, I understand her. She could have married a prodigy from Sword Heaven. A single drunken night ruined her life."

Unexpectedly, Yun Xiao’s wild guess hit right on the mark.

"So why did she give birth to you?" Yun Xiao, still enshrouded in perplexity, asked.

"She feared that the abortion medicine would affect the purity of her Sword Soul. By giving birth to me, at the very least, she would still have a future in swordsmanship," Zhao Xuanran explained, her voice barely above a whisper.

"...So, because of this, Master was expelled from Sword Heaven," Yun Xiao realized, piecing the puzzle together.

"People of Sword Heaven care deeply about face, especially my maternal grandfather. And since none of this was my father’s fault, there was nothing they could do. Otherwise, he’d have been long dead," Zhao Xuanran concluded, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"And you?" Yun Xiao queried gently.

Zhao Xuanran's eyes, dimly lit by a soft sadness, confessed, "She despises me too. Right upon my birth, I was cast aside to Azure Spirit."

"Have you ever seen her?" Yun Xiao whispered, exploring the shadows of her past.

"How could she see me, filled with such bitter hatred?" Her eyes cascaded melancholy, while a surrendering sigh spoke volumes more. "My Junior Brother Yun, it's a laughable tale—being birthed because she desired the purity of her Sword Soul, yet being cursed daily, loathed with every breath she took while bearing me. Absurd, isn’t it?"

"Not in the slightest." Yun Xiao shook his head, struggling to find words that could possibly weave a comforting embrace.

"Hmm." Zhao Xuanran exhaled a weary breath, trying to dispel the shadows with her sigh. "Enough. It’s meaningless to dwell upon."

Yun Xiao’s gaze gently fell upon the letter lying inconspicuously before them. "But the letter you're writing to her..."

"Due to the Grand Wasteland Pact, she won’t concern herself with the survival or demise of the Sword Pavilion, nor will she care for the lives of her daughter and former lover. However, she and Sword Heaven behind her may find a Planet grade Sword Soul intriguing," she reasoned, her eyes, intense yet forlorn, locking with Yun Xiao’s.

She hesitated before asking, "Junior Brother Yun, would you mind if I report to Sword Heaven about your shattering the Rank Two Sword Inheritance Stone?"

Without hesitation, Yun Xiao assured, "Whatever you do, I do not mind."

"This will catapult you into the limelight! It may bring attention, resources, and protection, but equally, it could summon fatal threats," Zhao Xuanran warned seriously.

Yun Xiao, undeterred, responded coldly, "Life and death are but threads of the same string! What is there to fear?"

Zhao Xuanran, a subtle smile disbanding the melancholy between her brows, admired, "That's the kind of bravery I admire!"

His spirit, bright and untamed, seemed to dissipate the sadness that lingered in her eyes.

"I'm still not good enough. I'm only third in the sect," Yun Xiao retorted.

And there, Zhao Xuanran lingered... speechless.

Yun Xiao's mind reached clarity, pondering for a moment before inquiring further, "What do you mean by the Grand Wasteland Pact that you mentioned earlier?"

"It's a ceasefire agreement signed between the Forbidden Tower and the Grand Wasteland Demon Lord!" Zhao Xuanran proclaimed with a grave voice.

"Grand Wasteland Demon Lord?"

"He is a thousand-year-old demon, a generation's demon lord, ruling the Grand Wasteland, embodying sin itself!" Zhao Xuanran paused, "The Northern Wastelands are merely the closest region of the Grand Wasteland to the mundane thousand nations."

"And the content of the pact?" Yun Xiao leaned in slightly.

"Humanity and demons, each holding their territory, the Sea of Swords and the Grand Wasteland, shall not violate each other's sovereignty!" Zhao Xuanran declared.

"Why do Azure Spirit and the Northern Wastelands still fight then?" Yun Xiao was puzzled.

"In the eyes of the Sea of Swords and the entire Grand Wasteland, these minor conflicts are negligible, allowed to exist without either party interfering," Zhao Xuanran said, teeth clenched.

"So, that’s why Ye Tiance behaves so recklessly!" Understanding dawned upon Yun Xiao.

Zhao Jianxing was an abandoned disciple of Sword Heaven, and the Sea of Swords certainly wouldn’t seek justice for him. There may be countless people eagerly awaiting his misfortune.

"The pact brought a so-called era of peace, but actually, the beings in the frontiers suffer the most!" Zhao Xuanran looked at Yun Xiao, "You've just stepped onto the path of immortality. You're still hot-blooded and passionate. So, you don’t know that to many cultivators, the lives of common people and all beings are utterly insignificant!

"Junior Brother Yun, as the saying goes, the Heavenly Dao is indifferent, and cultivation is about seizing the creation of Heaven and Earth! Demons are powerful and brutal. Who wants to wrestle with them in a life-or-death struggle? So, cultivators stand aloof, seeking the Dao, pursuing ascension, and pursuing detachment from the mortal world. Under that Grand Wasteland Pact, many dark and tragic human incidents have been ignored by the Sea of Swords with one eye open and the other closed..."

Scoundrels rising to power! Demons wreaking havoc! Zhao Xuanran’s emotions surged, her eyes slightly reddened, anger bubbling within her heart.

"Since my father and seven senior brothers and sisters met their misfortune, the thousand nations of the mortal world seem calm on the surface. However, every night, powerful demons often devour living humans, and the people cannot live in peace! Now, the malicious demons sneaking into the human world and causing chaos are more than a hundred times as many as three years ago...

"The world is vast, where sunlight shines there's peace, but you have no idea how many people in the shadows, in the dead of night, and in corners are being bled, eaten, soul-swallowed, entire families tragically perishing. I've been writing to Sword Heaven for three years about this, but the Sea of Swords... they simply don’t care!

"They think that as long as they have the Grand Wasteland Pact in hand, they can explain themselves to the world, claim boundless merit, immerse themselves in the path of cultivation, comprehend the Heavenly Dao, and achieve ascension! They don't have to fight desperately against demons! Little do they realize that those brutal demons are insatiable villains; if you yield an inch, they’ll take a mile!

"The rise and fall of the world, every individual has a duty! When the powerful shirk their responsibilities, who will uphold justice in this world? We cultivators, fearing death, selfishly seek blessings, focus solely on our own salvation, what kind of sword are we truly cultivating? Are such people worthy of becoming Immortals?" Zhao Xuanran calmed her emotions after a moment, then softly said to him, "I'm sorry, I lost my composure."

"You're beautiful!" Yun Xiao suddenly said.

"What?"

"I mean, at this moment, you are very beautiful." Yun Xiao's eyes blazed with intensity.

"Stop it!" Zhao Xuanran gave him a disgruntled look, then carefully folded the letter, holding it in her hand, whispering, "I hope it won't be casually thrown into the sea."

Sword Heaven! A sword piercing the skies? After hearing all this, Yun Xiao felt indifferent. But then, a thought struck him. "Does Sword Heaven possess something that can repair Master’s Sword Soul?" Yun Xiao asked.

"Yes, but they would absolutely not give it," Zhao Xuanran said, disheartened.

"If they won’t give it, can it be stolen?" Yun Xiao asked.

Zhao Xuanran paused, then, after a long while, she nodded and said, "It can be!"

?ι══????????══ι?

At the First Sword Peak, in the depth of a moonless night, the heavens shrouded by dark clouds, a surge of black mist enveloped from the north, casting a shadow over Azure Spirit like a mammoth beast of obscurity. An eerie silence permeated the area, making the immortal sect seem more like an underworld. Chilling winds rustled through the forest, emitting ghastly howls as if spectral beings roamed the night sky.

Atop a black mountain, the once bustling Sword Venerable mansion was now swallowed by darkness, devoid of life. The pallid, bitter winds hustled about, causing the meticulously crafted wooden doors to creak ominously.

On the highest hall above, three figures stood. The one in the center was tall and erect, cold eyes beneath a hawkish nose, draped in a stern sword robe, his expression as dark and deep as a still pond. Beside him stood two others. A beautiful woman in a vibrant red sword robe, her figure gracefully slender, and another, a short, sleazy man with shining eyes.

It was Ye Tiance, Yao Manxue, and Zhang Jian!

They stared forward, seemingly in anticipation of something.

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, the sky conjured a bewitching wind, and a pink enchanting figure descended from above, releasing a dreamlike chain of giggles, and floated before their eyes.

A charming young girl, her long hair wafting, eyes radiating a pink glow, her smile a tad sinister.

“Jiang Yue...” Upon seeing her, Yao Manxue and Zhang Jian instinctively stepped back, their faces revealing a hint of reverence as they slightly bowed their heads.

“My true self hasn’t come to Azure Spirit. I've just borrowed a mortal shell, and yet two Sword Venerables are scared?”

Jiang Yue

giggled, her voice soft and sweet, tingling to the bone.

“She indeed deserves to be the Northern Wastelands Demon Emperor! Even from Dark Abyss Mountain, she can control a mortal shell,” Yao Manxue praised, inhaling deeply.

If any other Azure Spirit Sword Cultivator were to hear this, their eyes would surely pop.

The Azure Spirit’s generations-long foe, the Northern Wastelands Demon Emperor, brazenly appeared at the First Sword Peak, holding a secret meeting with the three Sword Venerables?

“Merely a parlor trick, not worth mentioning,” Jiang Yue, her enchanting pink eyes gazing at Ye Tiance, softly spoke. “Tonight, I assist you, consider it a favor to Ye Guying.”

“I will convey your sincerity to him.” Ye Tiance’s spirit focused, “My demand is, you must save my Ye Family, with as few casualties as possible!”

“A small matter.” Jiang Yue’s faint voice laughed, somewhat chilling.

“My father, Ye Xuanying, must remain unharmed. He is Guying’s guide, and Guying values loyalty and wishes to repay his adoptive father’s kindness.” Ye Tiance reminded solemnly.

“Easy!” Jiang Yue proclaimed.

“Are you aware of Yun Xiao? This lad is desperate and capable of anything.” Ye Tiance warned.

“Do you know me? I’m also capable of anything.” Jiang Yue giggled charmingly, a seductiveness emanating from such youth.

“Fine!” Ye Tiance nodded, “Save them first. After that, as agreed, you can absorb Yun Xiao’s vital energy, but do not kill him. Preferably, cut out his tongue, disable his Dantian, and smash his...

root

!”

He intended to return unto Yun Xiao what he had done to his family's men.

“Apart from him and Zhao Xuanran, kill all the rest from the Sword Pavilion. Zhao Jianxing must die!” Ye Tiance said maliciously.

“Zhao Jianxing?” Speaking of him, Jiang Yue’s expression also ushered in a shade of cruelty, “Three years ago, I let him escape. Tonight, I'll visit his lair and skin him alive!”

In the battle at Dark Abyss Mountain, twenty thousand demons perished!

“After killing him, I'll bring his soul back to Dark Abyss Mountain. I'll let him reunite with his disciples, and forever hang in the demon cave, consuming the spit of my demon children and grandchildren!” She, too, harbored hatred!

“Deal!” Ye Tiance extended a hand, “Here’s to our second cooperation being a pleasant one!”

"Delightful," Jiang Yue winked, her smile bewitching and mysterious.

Suddenly, Ye Tiance spoke again. "I have a question for you."

"Shoot."

"Using my disciple’s body to speak. Is she still alive?" Ye Tiance inquired, a trace of urgency lining his words.

"You care for her?" Jiang Yue teased with a smirk.

Ye Tiance remained silent.

"Oh, she's definitely not dead," Jiang Yue chuckled darkly. "Moreover, every word we exchange, every facial expression of yours. She hears and sees it all, loud and clear."

"I do care for her!" Ye Tiance admitted.

"No need to lock the stable door after the horse is stolen. Once I’m done using this body and casually discard it, she lacks the power to retaliate against you. Why would you care about her feelings?" Jiang Yue remarked, a strange look flickering across her face.

"Is that so?" A sigh of relief escaped Ye Tiance. "Then consider the question unasked!"

"Hehehe..." Jiang Yue's laughter grew wilder, while in the depths of her pink eyes, another soul shattered once more.

After a moment of laughter, she suddenly turned north, squinting, and announced, "They're coming!"

"They are?"

All three Sword Venerables trembled, their gazes darting to the north.

There, the clouds were dense, as if a host of spirits were traversing the night. Amidst the shadows of the forest, a large, dark shape seemed to loom, its poisonous fog spreading outward, melting trees along the way into black water, corrupting the land with a stench of decay.

Moreover, a white fog surged, enveloping like a colossal cocoon.

Then, in the dim tree shadows, six crimson eyes appeared, locking with Ye Tiance’s gaze, promising untold dread.

"Them?!" Ye Tiance trembled throughout.

"Quite a surprise, hm?" Jiang Yue arched an eyebrow in inquiry.

"Absolutely. A tremendous one at that!" Ye Tiance nodded, his smile growing ever colder and more reckless.

"With them around, there’s no suspense left!" Zhang Jian exclaimed in admiration.

"Moreover, with your demon magic, dear Demon Emperor, the Sword Pavilion will surely become history tonight," Yao Manxue spoke to Jiang Yue.

"And what about you all?" she queried.

Ye Tiance, surely, couldn't team up with them in broad daylight.

Besides, he feared Zhao Jianxing's final blow!

"As soon as the fighting begins, the demonic energy will pervade. If the Azure Spirit Sword Cultivators are alarmed and come over, we'll find a reason to stop them," Ye Tiance spoke softly. He had a plan in mind.

"Ye Tiance, you truly are a downright scheming villain, aren’t you?" Jiang Yue remarked.

"You jest. On this path to immortality, there are only victors and the dead, no distinction between gentlemen and scoundrels! If I win, my name will echo throughout the ages!" Ye Tiance declared.

"Insightful!" Jiang Yue murmured darkly: "On this path to becoming an Immortal, where exists any distinction between humans and demons? We are all but pitiful creatures under the Heavenly Dao, struggling for a path of survival!"

Human and demon locked eyes and once again, they laughed.

Without uttering another word, Jiang Yue soared away, vanishing into the dark abyss in an instant. In the distant shadows, red eyes, and white fog converged into the abyss as she merged with it.

"What?" Ye Tiance suddenly frowned, focusing on that shadow.

"This Serpent Demon has unexpectedly broken through and become a Demon Emperor. So, it's now much stronger than the Demon Kings who’ve lived for eight hundred years..." He sucked in a sharp breath, somewhat apprehensive.

"The Serpent Demon has broken through?" Yao Manxue and Zhang Jian shuddered, somewhat breathless.

Ye Tiance gazed towards the Ye Family ancestral hall, now engulfed in a foul stench, his eyes roiling with murderous intent.

"Nearly half of the Northern Wastelands Demon Kings have gathered, plus Moon Fairy’s avatar and that thousand-year-old Serpent Demon. If the Sword Pavilion doesn’t perish tonight, I will offer my head to my ancestors!"