Chapter 921: Di Nufeng’s Worry (I)

Chu Liang's strike had been swift, precise, and ruthless. It startled both the Azure Dragon and Daoist Yan. The two Eminent Ones stood frozen, caught in stunned silence. Neither of them had expected him to strike without warning.

After killing Caiyi, Chu Liang watched with satisfaction as the golden imprint rose into the air. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and turn around, only to find the two still staring at him. An awkward feeling crept in.

"Uh..." He scratched his head and declared solemnly, "Senior Aunt Yan has always been kind and soft-hearted. Yet, she was taking advantage of your kindness. Since this involved an elder, it was only right for us juniors to shoulder the burden. No matter what anyone says, I had to personally finish off that demon today."

His voice started out uncertain, but as he continued speaking, it grew steadier. By the end, he sounded almost as though he had found confidence through the act of justifying himself.

Even so, the Azure Dragon turned to glance at Daoist Yan, looking confused.

He had heard of her reputation. In the cultivation world, Daoist Yan was known for her ruthlessness and silence. She rarely made a move, but when she did, someone always died. No questions asked, no ties spared.

Yet, the disciples of the Mount Shu Sect view her as "kind and soft-hearted"?

How terrifying.

The three of them returned to Mount Shu. Although the Thousand Pavilion Valley likely still held many valuable treasures, it would no longer be easy to pass through the illusions without Caiyi. The fights earlier had drained them both physically and mentally, so they chose to leave for the time being. Still, with the map to the valley now in hand, future cultivators would be able to explore it gradually.

The expedition had been a success. They had slain the devil embryo sealed beneath the stupa, eliminated the fox demon king Caiyi, and even uncovered traces of Yan Renjie.

The only regret was that they never found the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda.

Upon returning to Mount Shu, they reported everything to the sect leaders and the various peak masters. Venerable Wen Yuan let out a long sigh after hearing the full story.

"So that’s how it all unfolded five hundred years ago... The Demon-Suppressing Pagoda was lost because of the fox demon king and Yan Renjie. Now that both of them have been buried, that chapter of the past can finally drift away like smoke in the wind."

"The Mount Shu Sect no longer needs to retrieve the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda," Wang Xuanling added from the side. "Chu Liang will surely surpass the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda."

Those had once been the bold words of Xu Ziyang, and now they had come true. Wang Xuanling only found it a pity that the main character had changed from Xu Ziyang to Chu Liang. Even so, a disciple like Chu Liang was just as valuable to an immortal sect as any legendary artifact.

Wang Xuanling had spent many sleepless nights pondering how someone like Di Nufeng had managed to raise such an incredible disciple, while he had not.

Is it because he was too honest, upright, sincere, grounded, reliable, responsible, and patient? Have these very qualities become his flaws?

Wang Xuanling couldn’t help but wonder.

It wasn’t just him. The entire Mount Shu Sect was stunned by Chu Liang’s cultivation power, including Venerable Wen Yuan.

No matter how quickly Chu Liang had advanced in the past, it had always remained within the realm of human possibility. Someone in history had always managed to achieve something comparable. But reaching the eighth realm at his age was unheard of.

Although Chu Liang insisted that his cultivation was still only at the seventh realm and that he had merely borrowed the power of the Dragon God's Orb for a short time, it was still nothing short of astounding.

No matter how one looked at it, Chu Liang had defeated an established eighth-realm expert like Daoist Cangqiu in a direct clash.

He knew just how shocking that was. Although he had explained that it was only thanks to Yan Renjie’s sacrifice that he managed to seize the advantage, even that could not overshadow his brilliance.

Venerable Wen Yuan gave the order to keep Chu Liang’s cultivation level a secret. It was better for such an astonishing feat to remain known only within the higher-ups of the Mount Shu Sect.

If word of this spread, the sects in the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten sects would all grow uneasy. A prodigy rising as swiftly as a shooting star might very well make them fear that their own immortal sects could be swallowed up within a hundred years.

"It’s still a bit of a shame, though," the Weapons Master said with a sigh. "First, it’s unfortunate that a Demon God already exists in this era. If not for that, I truly can’t imagine anyone being able to stop Chu Liang from reaching the ninth realm in just a few years."

"Second, it’s a pity the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda was never recovered. And now that all clues have vanished, it seems the legendary artifact of our sect is truly lost."

"Who says so?" Venerable Wen Yuan replied with a calm smile. "Our esteemed teacher once said that the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda will return to Mount Shu."

...

Strangely enough, at such a glorious moment for Chu Liang, Di Nufeng was nowhere to be seen. In the past, she would have flown circles around Mount Shu a hundred times during times like these, especially near the gates of Jade Sword Peak, strutting back and forth with unmatched smugness.

Yet today, she hadn’t even shown up to the assembly of the peak masters.

Chu Liang was indeed puzzled, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it. His esteemed teacher was probably off somewhere secretly enjoying her picture books.

Right now, he had something far more important to do.

He needed to reward himself!

He couldn’t wait another second. Not even a single breath more. He had to reward himself right this moment or he was going to burst!

Back then, killing the Sea Master had yielded a Precious Phantom Spirit Embryo for Chu Liang. Its power was so immense that it could become a replica of a legendary artifact. Venerable Wen Yuan had used it to copy a legendary artifact, which placed it in cooldown for a hundred years. Nevertheless, it had performed brilliantly and truly saved the Mount Shu Sect that day.

Caiyi’s cultivation level had been far greater than the Sea Master’s, especially with her power enhanced by the devil embryo.

Chu Liang was already beginning to worry. Could the White Pagoda even forge a treasure of that level?

As soon as his divine consciousness entered the White Pagoda, he was greeted by rising mist and crackling lightning. He stepped forward and gently patted the spark-spitting Great Dao Puppet. After all, the credit belonged to it this time.

If the puppet had not taken control of the Dao of Divine Clouds ahead of time, Chu Liang might not have survived that battle. Although he had claimed to be using a clone, he had actually gone in person.

Even Caiyi had not known the truth. If she had, she might not have used such an extreme method like the Demonic Dharmaloka to destroy both the clone and the true body. If she had known, she would have actually succeeded in killing him.

In the end, reality and illusion had been woven together so seamlessly that even she had been completely fooled.

Chu Liang had no choice. His true form now possessed power at the eighth realm, and a clone simply could not match that level of strength. The transmission of spiritual qi from the true body was not enough to sustain it.

Supporting a clone with that level of combat power from afar would demand an astronomical amount of spiritual qi, far more than even the richest man on Mount Shu could afford. Even if all the Spiritual Qi Jade Talismans from the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten were gathered, they might still fall short of providing enough energy for a clone to unleash even a few strikes on par with an eighth-realm cultivator.

A master at the Heavenly Origin level resonated with the world itself. Every movement, even the most casual, drew upon a vast sea of spiritual qi. Such a burden could only be replenished directly from the heavens and the earth.

This was why even the most renowned eighth-realm cultivators still relied on their true forms in battle, and clones were used only for travel or trivial matters.

After showing a bit of affection to his top-performing employee, Chu Liang made his way to the iron prison. Inside lay the devilish being’s body, now reduced to a chaotic mass. Enclosed within the golden imprint, it no longer looked especially sinister.

In fact, it resembled the corpse of a monk slumbering quietly in the mist. Strangely enough, it even looked a little familiar.

However, Chu Liang didn’t bother looking too closely. What did it matter what a devil embryo looked like? What mattered was how much value it could generate for him.

He pressed the "Refine" character. A loud boom followed.

That familiar and blissful red glow flashed across the chamber, and a radiant light gently drifted outward.

Even now, after so many times, Chu Liang’s heart still beat faster the moment his reward began to take shape.

[Soul-Seizing Puppet: A puppet capable of controlling any living being. Once bound to a target, it allows the user to manipulate that person's actions through the puppet. The duration of control depends on the difference in cultivation levels. It can only be used once per day. Note: Do not use the puppet for shameless purposes, as it might feel shy.]

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Chu Liang held a small puppet in his hand, no larger than his palm. It was a dual-colored figure, black and white intermingled across its faceless surface. As he cradled it, he could faintly sense a pulse of spirit energy, like a heartbeat gently tapping against his palm.

Is this puppet... actually alive?

he wondered.

The ability to control someone else sounds impressive, but the true measure of its power depends on how long the control lasts and how strong it is. Still, considering the level of the reward this imprint came from, it probably won't disappoint.