Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 153

As Long Shen jumped down, all the demonic qi seemed to be led by him and disappeared before everyone’s eyes.

In that instant, Dong Zhi’s mind went completely blank until he heard the shout of “Quickly seal the passage,” which made him react.

Li Han’er was quick-witted. When Dong Zhi rushed out, she also reached out to grab his clothes. However, Dong Zhi’s speed was too fast, and she couldn’t catch him. He had already entered the formation and headed straight for the abyss!

“Stop him!” Song Zhicun shouted.

But at the same time as these words were spoken, Dong Zhi hardly hesitated at all and had already jumped in.

Following him, Liu Si and Yu Buhui’s figures leaped in one after another.

Li Han’er gazed blankly at the crack leading to the abyss, feeling far more shaken than what her eyes could see. Her feelings for Long Shen had actually faded over time, but the more she couldn’t have him, the more she couldn’t forget him. Human nature always regrets and clings to the things it cannot obtain. She was no exception. However, just now, at that critical moment, she realized that she couldn’t be like Dong Zhi, who followed without hesitation. She recognized that she wasn’t on the same level as Dong Zhi, Liu Si, and Yu Buhui. That hidden regret in her heart was completely dispelled.

He Yu and Liu Qingbo also wanted to follow. Liu Qingbo’s subconscious thought wasn’t about considering the danger; he just found the idea of visiting the abyss quite thrilling, even if it meant risking his life. But He Yu couldn’t leave his position in the formation, and Liu Qingbo was held back by Yang Shouyi. By the time he broke free, Yu Buhui had already jumped in, leaving his spot unguarded. Song Zhicun ordered him to guard the vacated spot, forcing Liu Qingbo to abandon all thoughts of exploring the abyss.

However, when they heard that Song Zhicun was about to completely seal the passage, the group displayed strong reactions.

He Yu’s response was particularly intense. “No, they still have a chance to come out. What if we seal it now?”

Song Zhicun’s voice turned hoarse as he said, “Do you think I want to do this? Don’t forget why Long Shen sacrificed himself! The demonic qi is only temporarily suppressed; we must seal it immediately so as not to waste their efforts!”

He Yu couldn’t refute his words and could only suggest, “The formation can still hold for two more days. Let’s wait two more days, and if they haven’t come out by then, we can seal it, okay?”

Song Zhicun didn’t wish for Long Shen and the others to die, but now, maintaining the seven positions in the formation depended not only on him and He Yu but also on others. Whether they could hold on for two more days was also a question.

Amidst the silence and dilemma, Liu Qingbo spoke up first. “I can hold on for two more days!”

Sect Master Zhang and Sect Master Zheng also claimed they could do it.

Sect master Xing, who was resting nearby, said, “My injuries are not serious, and I can replace anyone at any time.”

Li Han’er and the others also spoke up one after another. Even the elderly Living Buddha declared that he could persist. Looking at everyone’s expressions, perhaps some of them didn’t have such a deep bond with Long Shen, but at this moment, after everyone had already endured several days and nights, they were all willing to hold on for two more days because it might save a few lives.

Song Zhicun sighed and finally made a decision. “Then let’s wait two more days!”

……

If it hadn’t been for experiencing it firsthand, Dong Zhi would have found it hard to believe that there could be such a deep tunnel beneath the ground.

It wasn’t pitch-black before his eyes; instead, a floating red light appeared at the end, piercing through layers of mist into his sight. He couldn’t see Long Shen, nor did he feel any pain from the invasion of the demonic qi. Perhaps the protective aura around his body was working, but he felt as if he hadn’t fallen underground but rather entered a different space.

Countless voices swept by his ears, with sharp complaints, hysterical roars, and all the hidden desires of people’s hearts in the world, completely revealed to him at this moment.

I’ve accompanied my husband through years of hardship, and now that we have money, he’s cheating and having an affair with another woman. I really want to poison him and his mistress!

Why is it that we entered the company at the same time, and I am more capable than her, yet she gets promoted and I don’t? It’s all because she is prettier than me!

This woman is already a fallen woman, and she dares to mention breaking up with me. I doubt any man would want her!

The child is mine, and I can beat him however I want. Even if he dies, it’s perfectly justified. Do I need someone else to teach me a lesson?

He deserves to be cuckolded because he keeps showing off his wealth. Isn’t it all because he got lucky and married a rich woman?

You were born poor, and you deserve to be treated as lower class!

……

Dong Zhi never thought he would be here, listening to the ugliest and most malicious thoughts hidden deep in people’s hearts.

As a human, especially one who grew up in an ordinary environment, Dong Zhi had interacted with many people like this and had seen many appalling and infuriating news reports, but that was all at a distance. Due to the constraints of peer pressure, social morality, and the law, many people didn’t reveal the darkness lurking within their hearts.

Dong Zhi himself was generally optimistic and positive. Even when his parents died in a car accident and he became dissatisfied with his job, he didn’t feel abandoned by society. This could be seen from the fact that, despite encountering strange and terrifying incidents on the train, he didn’t give up on his journey and continued forward.

It wasn’t that he didn’t have negative emotions; it was just that he didn’t let them linger in his heart for too long, nor did he let those dark and malicious thoughts dominate him. So when he suddenly received so much darkness, it was as if all the malice in the world poured over him in a matter of seconds, drowning him in boundless despair.

In this darkness, even if one retained their sanity, they would slowly be eroded and assimilated, eventually turning into a mindless monster, just like Otowa Yasuhiko.

This was the true abyss of hell!

The downward momentum continued. Dong Zhi forced himself not to care about it. Instead, he focused all his willpower on resisting these evil thoughts. The incessant voices still lingered around him, almost making Dong Zhi feel like he was a person full of resentment, wishing everyone dead. He struggled to summon a thought and let out a loud roar in his meditation.

Get away from me!

As the words left his mouth, he felt a buzzing in his ears. The evil thoughts seemed stunned by his outburst and fell silent for a moment.

But before he could relax, a torrent of evil thoughts surged once again, breaking through his protective aura. Dong Zhi was so angry that he almost wanted to curse these evil thoughts and their ancestors for eighteen generations like Liu Qingbo.

It was said that hell had eighteen layers, and while that might just be a legend, this abyss of hell was undoubtedly a multi-layered space. If Long Shen and he were scattered into different spaces, how would he find him?

Moreover, before leaping into the abyssal passage, Long Shen had already absorbed almost enough demonic qi to turn half of the human world into a hell. Would he even remember who he was?

The emotions of sadness and despair almost overwhelmed him, and the content from the notebook resurfaced in his mind. Dong Zhi could almost remember every symbol on it. The idea of reaching a dead end penetrated his body through his fingertips, quickly spreading through his limbs. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to plummet rapidly in the dark abyss. The demonic qi surged from all directions, breaking through his protective aura. The demonic qi was about to touch his body when suddenly his Changshou Sword vibrated slightly. The Changshou Sword unsheathed itself and flew out from behind him.

The sword light swept through, instantly shattering the surrounding demonic qi. But the Changshou Sword didn’t dim afterward; it continued to float above his head as if protecting him.

The glimmering sword light startled Dong Zhi, and his mind became clear. He realized that his emotions had almost been influenced by the demonic qi just now.

If demonic qi in the human world was relatively weak, needing an opportunity to strike its prey, then this abyss of hell was its territory. Humans here became the outsiders, easily trapped like flies in a spider’s web with no escape, just waiting to be devoured.

Even if he might never be able to leave again, since he had risked his life to jump down here, no matter what, he had to find Long Shen. He must bring Long Shen back to the human world.

Humans were fragile, with a lifespan of only a few decades. Faced with disease and death, they had no resistance. Humans were susceptible to various external influences, indulging in fame, wealth, and emotions, unable to extricate themselves. However, humans were also powerful; they could fear nothing, calmly face death, and endure endless hardships. All because—

A single thought could change everything, making them invincible.

……

Liu Si and Yu Buhui stood there, looking at the boundless sea in a daze. They didn’t quite understand how they ended up here.

Originally, Liu Si had been standing behind Dong Zhi. When he saw Dong Zhi rushing into the formation and jumping into the pit, he didn’t think too much and followed suit. However, after coming down, they didn’t find the scene they imagined—no piles of corpses and blood, but a serene blue sea and silver sand. Moreover, instead of Dong Zhi, who should have been in front of him, it was Yu Buhui who appeared next to Liu Si.

“Why did you come down?” Liu Si asked Yu Buhui.

Yu Buhui scratched his chin. “I saw Senior Brother jumping down, and I instinctively stood up to stop him. But I couldn’t grab him, and then some short-lived brat behind me pushed me, and I fell straight down.”

Liu Si: …

This bizarre explanation made him stare at Yu Buhui for several seconds, and the latter responded with an innocent expression.

Liu Si sighed and withdrew his gaze, asking, “What should we do now?”

However, Yu Buhui seemed interested in him. “You’re not human?”

The question sounded like an insult, and Liu Si looked at him for a while, as if trying to confirm if Yu Buhui was doing it on purpose, before nodding.

There weren’t many artifacts that had successfully cultivated into human form in the world. Most of them didn’t want to be bound by the Special Administration Bureau because once they entered it, their true form and origin would be recorded. However, Yu Buhui didn’t have the authority to access all the files, so he naturally didn’t know Liu Si’s true form.

“An artifact spirit?” he asked.

“Willow tree,” Liu Si replied without any concealment.

But Yu Buhui’s reaction was unexpected. After Liu Si revealed his true form, Yu Buhui’s eyes suddenly brightened, and that surprised look didn’t escape Liu Si’s notice.

“Do you have any questions?”

Yu Buhui: “I am a spirit weapon that took human form, the Fish Intestines Sword*.”

*As confirmed, this is the sword that Ou Yezi made that was used by Helü of Wu to assassinate his uncle, Liao of Wu. It was hidden in a cooked fish presented to King Liao at a banquet. As a result of the assassination, the blade gained a reputation for causing its user to be disloyal.

Liu Si nodded and didn’t inquire further.

He wasn’t a talkative person, nor was he curious by nature. He was more suitable for being a team member who followed orders rather than a leader who led the charge and gave commands. In a way, Liu Si’s personality was somewhat related to his true form—gentle, quiet, and capable but lacking a strong presence. However, with him around, there was an additional reliable force, which was enough to reassure others.

They were surrounded by the vast sea, and behind them was an endless forest. Under their feet was soft, clean beach sand. Liu Si looked around and hesitated, “Is this really the abyss of hell?”

Yu Buhui suddenly smiled ambiguously. “Maybe I know why.”

Liu Si looked puzzled.

Yu Buhui asked in return, “What do you think hell should be like?”

Liu Si naturally replied, “Of course, it should be a place of knives and seas of fire, with oil pots above and—”

He spoke quickly, but Yu Buhui acted even faster, covering his mouth with his hand. However, it was too late. As the first half of his words came out, the refreshing ocean aura before his eyes was instantly replaced by scorching waves and flames. The soft silver sand they stood on turned into iron chains that only accommodated one foot, with the chains violently shaking, and below was a blazing sea of fire with flashing sharp knives in the flames.

Screams echoed around them as many numb-looking people fell from the iron chains, pierced by the sharp knives, and blood splattered everywhere. However, they struggled to get up, reaching out to grab the iron chains.

Everything seemed like an illusion.

Liu Si stood steadily on the iron chains, maintaining his balance no matter how much they swayed, but he was completely confused by the scene before him.

“An illusion?” he asked.

Yu Buhui: “It’s real.”

Liu Si pointed to someone who had already had three to four blood holes pierced by a sharp knife but still hadn’t died, still struggling on the brink of death, and asked, “Is that real too?”

Yu Buhui said, “It’s all real. I finally understand where Otowa Yasuhiko’s ability to manipulate the mirror space comes from. The demonic qi he obtained from the stone box originally belonged to the power of the abyss of hell. But Otowa only got a glimpse of it, so reality and illusion were mixed together. However, this place is the source of all darkness, able to grant any desire. If you want a place with knives and seas of fire, it will give you that. If you want a serene blue sea and silver sand, it will give you that too. It’s all real. The people you see here are actually the various desires and resentments of countless beings in the world. The mortal world is an abyss of desires, and everyone is rolling in it. This place is a mirror world of the mortal world.”

Liu Si frowned, carefully considering his words, and after a while, he said, “So, the abyss of hell is actually related to the human world. Even if the Special Administration Bureau seals the passage, is there still a possibility for us to leave?”

Yu Buhui: “Perhaps. This is just my speculation, and it needs to be verified. But you must not think of knives and seas of fire again. Falling down there is no fun. If I’m not mistaken, the flames below are hellfire. It’s not the Red Lotus karmic fire used to cleanse sins in Buddhism but the endless hellfire* that can make souls scatter. Even if we have tough bodies, we won’t be able to withstand it.”

*Clarity: Hellfire refers to karmic fire that represents the fires of hell that burn sinners. The red lotus karmic fire is a specific fire in hell that burns with a red lotus flame and is used as punishment for sinners. The sinners burned by it are purified and their souls cleansed, allowing them to eventually be reborn and start their karma cycle again. 

Meanwhile, in the boundless darkness, the demonic qi, like the air in the mortal realm, gave birth to the purest dark life here.

This is the end of all realms, perpetually devoid of the light’s touch, where any living being other than the demonic qi itself would perish and cease to exist.

The demonic qi slowly condensed, gradually forming the outline of a man. If Dong Zhi were here, he would surely recognize him.

Unfortunately, Dong Zhi couldn’t possibly come here. He was still struggling for survival at the edge of hell, resisting the onslaught of malicious thoughts intending to take advantage of him.

The man finally took shape. He possessed a handsome face and a tall figure that, in the mortal realm, would attract the attention of any opposite sex. However, the surging demonic qi emanating from him was an unimaginably powerful force that could never exist in the mortal world. Due to the limitations imposed by the laws of the heavens, any power that exceeded the limits of space would automatically be rejected by the world unless it tore open a crack connecting the worlds.

The original Eight-Direction Demon-Sealing Array was precisely one such crack left behind from ancient times. It was sealed artificially, and with the destruction of the eye of the array, the dormant demonic qi in the abyss of hell was awakened, and the serene demonic qi began to boil again. Long Shen was an excellent sacrifice who had fallen into the abyss at this very moment.

He slowly opened his eyes. There were no whites in his eyes; the eyeballs were entirely occupied by black, like dense ink or an unceasingly burning black fire.

“I am… Mara…”

The man displayed a lazy smile and spoke a sentence in ancient Sanskrit. He lowered his head, looking at his own slender and fair palm, where the black demonic qi flowed, containing enough power to destroy the heavens and the earth.

“… No, I am Long Shen.”

After a moment, he continued, his mouth twitching, struggling to speak.

At this moment, his face seemed to split into two halves: one half was filled with anger, and the other half with wickedness.

Just like when Ming Xian was possessed by the demonic qi, losing control of his body and will, and had to be killed by Tang Jing, Long Shen was now facing a similar situation.

The difference was that back then, only a trace of demonic qi invaded Ming Xian, but now, Long Shen had absorbed nearly half of the abyss of hell’s demonic qi. The immense demonic qi tormented him and awakened the great demon sleeping within.

This time, it wasn’t a mere incarnation or a lingering spirit; he encountered the Lord of Demons, Mara.

The body that had already been taken over by Mara’s presence casually flicked a finger, igniting a black flame at will. The flame gradually expanded in the air, instantly bursting open like fireworks, forming a magnificent scene.

As a heavenly demon feared even by the Buddha, Mara’s expression, even if wearing Long Shen’s skin, possessed an indescribable strangeness. The strength and evilness displayed by the demon’s incarnation summoned in the Xianda Village had already shocked Dong Zhi to the core but compared to the real Lord of Demon in front of him, it was simply insignificant.

“Let me see what has enabled you to hold on until now.” A taunting laughter rang in Long Shen’s ears. Clearly, it was his own voice coming from his body, but it felt so unfamiliar to him. His mouth slowly overflowed with blood as the demonic qi surged and filled his body. His own will was visibly weakening.

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<<< || Table of Contents || Lore Glossary || >>>

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 152

Time was running out.

Dong Zhi looked up and saw the tall mountains in the distance. Not too far ahead, he and Liu Si would have to disembark the vehicle and walk halfway around the mountain before entering the gorge. He could only speed up the progress of reading the notes.

[August 13^th, Beijing.

Returning from Yinchuan, the Archfiend was eliminated, and Fujikawa and his party were detained pending trial. I plan to exchange him for Dong Jilan.

However, I also know that Dong Jilan’s chances of survival are slim. Although I have lived for many years and witnessed many regrets with my own eyes, I still remember Dong Jilan’s fearlessness before his departure. Several years ago, when I went to see him off, he had already foreseen that he might lurk in Japan for many years, or perhaps never come back.

Every time I visit the Martyrs’ Cemetery, I can see the solemnity and heroism on the faces of the newcomers. Although humans are indeed small and weak, there is always a noble brilliance shining among them. They are willing to sacrifice for their beliefs, and this belief may not only be for the sake of humanity itself but also for other species or the space for the survival of all species. It is precisely this kind of character that allows humans, despite their many flaws, to still stand above all living beings.]

[August 14^th, Beijing.

He Yu and Kan Chaosheng found out about my decision to take on an apprentice and kept asking me about it. I told Kan Chaosheng that, depending on his performance, I could deduct He Yu’s bonus and give it to him appropriately, and then he went to pester He Yu.

This is killing two birds with one stone.]

[August 20^th. I overheard a conversation between He Yu and Dong Zhi.

He Yu asked Dong Zhi if he sometimes felt that I was too strict.

I don’t think of myself as strict. People say that the relationship between master and apprentice is like that between father and son. In a sense, it is a responsibility. I am responsible for his life, and the best way to ensure that is by setting strict demands and not allowing him to make any mistakes, so he won’t lose his life in practical action. Dong Zhi had a lower starting point than others, so if he really wants to enter this line of work, he has to face reality.

I thought Dong Zhi would be constrained by emotions and say some ambiguous words or complain to He Yu, but his answer surprised me. He said I am a very gentle person, and all the strictness is only for the sake of others. He mentioned seeing me feed a stray cat, saying I am more like a rambutan, covered in long thorns that seem tough, but those thorns are soft. Peel away the tough exterior, and you will find sweet and tender flesh inside.

I have eaten rambutan before, and it does resemble his description, but I don’t think I am exactly what he described. However, eavesdropping is impolite, even if it was unintentional. I don’t plan to mention this matter to him.]

[August 30^th. The assignments for this batch of newcomers have been finalized, and they are about to depart to various places.

This year, we have many new people who managed to stay, each with their own abilities. This is good news. The young will always surpass the old, and the Special Administration Bureau will eventually pass on from one generation to another.]

[August 31^st. Farewell.

Dong Zhi bought me a box of mooncakes, saying that he won’t be by my side during the Mid-Autumn Festival, so he’s celebrating it with me in advance.

In fact, I have never really celebrated any festivals. When He Yu and others didn’t come, I spent every year working. After Group 2 was formed, sometimes I would celebrate the Spring Festival with He Yu and others, but it was just having a meal together. I still can’t understand humans’ attachment to reunions. Perhaps I have experienced too many farewells; to me, it’s all just a cycle of gathering and parting.

But when Dong Zhi said to me, “Master, this box of mooncakes represents my heart, and I hope that every year from now on, you’ll be happy and content,” I was suddenly moved.

I think I will remember every word he said, until… my life comes to an end?]

[September 1^st. Cantonese-style mooncakes have thick crusts, but I still prefer the thin crusts of Suzhou-style mooncakes.

However, this is the first gift from my first disciple, so I’ll finish them. After writing this sentence, I realized that I have started paying attention to some unnecessary formalities. It’s not a good habit.]

[September 5^th. Before leaving, Dong Zhi left me a painting and a sketchbook, both drawn by him. The sketchbook contains the places he has visited in recent years, landscapes, and people. He even drew me in my daily routine, Kan Chaosheng turned into a cat eating, He Yu lying on the sofa playing games, and Zhong Yuyi sitting at the dining table lost in thought.

Before leaving, I infused a trace of my soul into the Changshou Sword, allowing me to sense his dangerous situations at any time. I know this is not ideal, as letting a fledgling bird have no room for retreat is not the best way for him to grow. But as his master, it’s the only thing I can do for him.]

[September 16^th. There might be hidden secrets about Otowa Yasuhiko’s identity.]

[September 20^th. Otowa may have set up a trap, possibly related to the stone tablets. Still unresolved, needs further investigation.]

[September 22^nd. I infused vitality into that Yulu plant. At some level, I feel a connection with it, and I can hear the sounds it recorded. However, I prefer not to indulge in listening.]

Seeing this, Dong Zhi couldn’t help but sigh silently. Many mysteries that had been lingering in his mind were unraveled.

An abrupt brake caused the two people in the back seat to lean forward involuntarily. Along with the driver’s exclamation, Dong Zhi looked up and found that the sky had darkened without them noticing. Fierce winds were carrying sand and debris everywhere, and soon, large raindrops fell, pounding against the car windows, creating loud and noisy sounds.

The driver was a soldier and a local, familiar with the road conditions. Liu Si asked him, “Sir, is this kind of weather common?”

“It’s quite rare. I seldom see the wind blowing this hard,” the driver replied, sounding worried. The speed of the car slowed down, but the rain intensified, turning into a storm. The road was flooded with mud that even the excellent performance of the jeep couldn’t keep it from getting stuck in the mud.

Helpless, the three of them had to get out of the car and push it. Liu Si asked the driver to start the engine while they pushed from behind. After a lot of effort, they finally got the car unstuck. By this time, the rain was so heavy that everything was isolated. Even if two people shouted at each other face to face, they might not be able to hear what the other was saying. Not only rain but also the wind was fierce, making the surroundings hazy and indistinct. The windshield wipers were no longer effective, so the driver had to stop the car and wait for the storm to pass.

But from this sudden downpour, both Dong Zhi and Liu Si could sense that something was unusual.

They weren’t far from their destination, and they didn’t know if this rare weather change was related to the situation on Long Shen’s side.

Back inside the warm car, all three of them shivered.

Dong Zhi took a clean towel, but instead of drying his hair, he wrapped up his notebook to keep it from getting wet. Liu Si saw this and thoughtfully handed him another towel.

With the car unable to move, they could only wait for the weather to clear. There was no use being anxious. Liu Si chatted with the driver about anything and everything, while Dong Zhi placed a towel on his knee and reopened the notebook, flipping to the page he hadn’t finished reading last time.

……

[October 10^th. Southeast Asia. It’s likely that someone is plotting something related to demons.]

[October 11^th. Dong Zhi may be the target of a curse. Through the infusion of my soul into the Changshou Sword, I saw a man trying to invade his body through dreams. He should be an unformed demon, but the demonic qi is stronger than what I have encountered before.]

[October 13^th. The Shanghai International Conference. Originally, I didn’t have to go, but I offered to go in the end.]

[October 15^th. Wu Bingtian is getting a bit anxious. He suggested going to Japan directly to kill Otawa Yasuhiko. As we haven’t clarified Otowa’s background, I disagree with acting rashly.]

[October 16^th. We argued again.

I don’t deny that Wu Bingtian’s perspective has some validity. Removing Otowa could indeed solve most of the problems, but the other party is unlikely to be unguarded. Perhaps he is waiting for us to come to him.]

[October 22^nd. Dong Zhi’s situation is more serious than I imagined.

However, I suddenly realized that the anger from before is no longer an issue at this moment. As long as he can live well.]

……

Dong Zhi noticed that the records related to him ended here. Long Shen didn’t add any new content until the conversation with Zong Ling before their departure, which he recorded. Perhaps, at that time, he already knew that Dong Zhi might see this notebook.

Though the depth of feelings couldn’t be compared, before seeing this notebook, Dong Zhi once wondered if Long Shen accepted his confession due to the uncertainty of his life and the limited time left. However, after reading the notebook, he had no more doubts in his heart. Holding the notebook in his hands felt like holding a heavy heart.

The rain had stopped at some point, and the car hit the road again. However, the road conditions were poor, and the driver drove slowly.

Liu Si looked at Dong Zhi and asked, “Not reading anymore?”

Dong Zhi rubbed his eyes and said, “I’ve finished reading.”

Liu Si glanced ahead and furrowed his brows slightly. “We have to get off and walk. The road ahead is too muddy and dangerous. The car can’t continue.”

Dong Zhi also found that the road ahead was muddy and dangerous, confirming what Liu Si had said.

Two people bid farewell to the driver and walked ahead after getting out of the car.

The Lengele Gorge wasn’t far from this place, but since it wasn’t an open scenic area, there were hardly any people around, and the road was extremely rugged and difficult to traverse. It required ascending to the halfway point of the mountain and then descending diagonally. For an ordinary person, it would probably take several days and nights to walk this distance. However, Dong Zhi and Liu Si were practitioners, so they left most of their luggage in the car and only brought water and dry food with them. Traveling light, they quickly climbed up to the middle of the mountain.

But the terrifying and unpredictable weather struck again. This time, it wasn’t pouring rain, but fist-sized hail.

Dark clouds above condensed into clusters, and hail fell one after another. The two quickly pulled up the hoods behind their down jackets, but the hail hitting their bodies through the clothes was still dangerous. They had to find a place with protruding rocks to take a short break.

While searching for such a spot, they encountered two young people who were out for wilderness exploration.

These two individuals were amateur mountaineers who specifically sought excitement during their vacations. The area they were in had already been sealed off, and no one was allowed to enter. However, the Kunlun Mountains were vast, and these two somehow managed to enter, and even when they realized how dangerous the terrain was, they still dared to venture further in. Supposedly, there was another defense line outside the Lengele Gorge, so even if these two managed to reach there, they would still be stopped.

Upon seeing Dong Zhi and Liu Si, the two explorers assumed they were lost adventurers as well and were overjoyed.

“Hey, buddies, are you also here for exploration? This path is tough. Are you continuing forward? If you are, let’s go together!” said the taller of the two.

Liu Si frowned and said, “There are military activities going on nearby, and they have restricted entry. You shouldn’t go any further. If you continue, you will be stopped!”

The shorter young man was unconvinced. “But why are you still…?”

Before he could finish his sentence, he realized the situation. If the other party knew about the military activities, they couldn’t be ordinary people.

Although they were also dressed casually, the shorter one noticed that Dong Zhi had something resembling a long sword behind his back, which didn’t look like the equipment of “military personnel”.

The hail grew larger, accompanied by lightning and thunder. The edge of the distant cloud clusters even revealed a purplish-black color, as if a vortex was brewing underneath.

The two outdoor adventurers were astonished. Although they pursued mountain climbing as a hobby, they had never seen such strange and eerie phenomena before.

The taller one murmured, “No wonder they say Lengele Gorge is evil. It seems true!”

Just then, a lightning bolt flashed, illuminating the sky as bright as day. Even though it was daytime, the lightning significantly increased the brightness of the sky. Thunder followed closely, exploding in their ears. Before the two outdoor adventurers could react, they saw Dong Zhi unsheathing his long sword-like object and sweeping it overhead.

At that moment, the taller one thought he might lose his head, while the shorter one suddenly realized that his previous guess was correct—the other party indeed carried a sword.

While the thoughts flashed through their minds, Dong Zhi had redirected the lightning away with his sword.

A loud crash brought the two adventurers back to reality. They looked at the nearby stone that had been split into blackened pieces and realized that if it weren’t for Dong Zhi, they would have met the same fate as the stone.

The two men looked at each other, and the taller one cautiously said, “Master, we didn’t know any better just now. Sorry for calling you ‘buddies’. Please don’t take offense!”

Dong Zhi felt both amused and exasperated. “I told you this place is dangerous. Why didn’t you believe me? Hurry and leave. Go that way, bypass the mountain ahead, and you’ll find a road. I’ll give you a phone number, call it, and someone will come to pick you up.”

The shorter one asked in a daze, “Aliens?”

Dong Zhi replied, “…Military personnel.”

Liu Si also found these two quite amusing, but the timing was wrong. They couldn’t allow ordinary people to enter the Lengele Gorge.

The strangeness of the weather here lay in the fact that no matter how terrifying the scene was, it came and went at will. In just a few words exchanged by the four of them, the dark clouds in the sky had already dispersed, the sun had revealed its true face, and the hail had disappeared. Even the thunder strikes from earlier seemed like mere illusions. If it weren’t for the shattered boulder still present, the two adventurers would almost think they were dreaming.

“Um, Master, the hail has stopped, and the sun is out. Can we continue following you two?” The taller one asked cautiously.

Dong Zhi’s expression turned serious. “Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

He casually manipulated the sword flower, and the light and shadows flickered, causing the two men to stop protesting immediately. They thanked Dong Zhi and Liu Si before leaving in the direction indicated by Liu Si.

After walking a distance, the taller man turned back and jogged toward Dong Zhi and Liu Si with a smile. “Hey, Master, could you leave me your phone number? I can never repay you for saving our lives, but once we get out, let us treat you to a meal!”

Since Dong Zhi joined the Special Administration Bureau, he had two phone numbers—one that was operational 24/7 for official business and another irrelevant private number. He gave the private number to the taller man, who expressed deep gratitude before leaving with his companion.

After walking for a while, the brief interlude didn’t delay them much. After all, they couldn’t travel during the hailstorm. However, Dong Zhi was still worried about Long Shen’s safety, so he quickened his pace. They encountered a few light showers and one large-scale thunderstorm on the way, but they didn’t avoid them. As evening approached, they finally arrived outside the Lengele Gorge.

Scattered figures appeared within their sight. They were members of the Special Administration Bureau stationed outside the canyon by Song Zhicun to prevent unrelated people like the two mountaineers from entering recklessly.

After the destruction of the Kunlun Mountain stone tablet, personnel from the headquarters, branches, and local areas were sent over to assist. Among those stationed outside, Dong Zhi immediately recognized two familiar faces—Ba Sang and Gu Meiren. They had entered the Special Administration Bureau at the same time as him and also completed their training together.

The sky darkened once again, and in an instant, dark clouds covered the sky, with purple-black vortexes slowly forming in the cloud layers. It seemed like a sign that something was about to descend. The air masses gradually moved, finally converging above the canyon, right where Long Shen and the others were, making it a thrilling sight.

Although it was a pleasant surprise to meet old acquaintances, there was no mood for pleasantries at this moment. Ba Sang and Gu Meiren must have heard why Dong Zhi rushed over. Without waiting for them to ask, Dong Zhi said, “Boss Long and the others have been inside for two days and two nights. I heard that Sect Master Xin had an accident, and now Boss Song is temporarily taking over!”

Gu Meiren added, “Before you came, Liu Qingbo and the others arrived too. Now Liu Qingbo is temporarily in charge inside.”

Originally, the Special Administration Bureau was under Song Zhicun’s command. However, when Sect Master Xin’s array encountered problems, he was temporarily replaced, which meant both he and Long Shen were inside the array. He Yu had to guard him, leaving no one to oversee the headquarters. It wasn’t possible for everyone to rush over, and the situation became somewhat chaotic with no clear leader. While there were other disciples from various sects with considerable experience here, they couldn’t command the Special Administration Bureau. At this moment, Liu Qingbo, who had brought Li Han’er and Yang Shouyi here, took charge.

Although he lacked management experience, he had served as the deputy team captain during the exchange conference, and no one was interested in competing for power at this critical moment. His loud shout managed to barely maintain order and prevent any disturbance to the people inside the array.

Dong Zhi heard their words but had no time to be amazed at how Liu Qingbo had finally developed a commanding presence. Together with Liu Si, he hurriedly rushed inside.

Watching Dong Zhi’s back, Gu Meiren suddenly sighed, “He has become much thinner!”

Ba Sang said, “But he has also become stronger.”

Gu Meiren nodded. After what Ba Sang said, she noticed that Dong Zhi’s aura was indeed much stronger than before. As cultivators, their senses were more acute and discerning. They had entered the Special Administration Bureau together. Even though Dong Zhi, as an ordinary person at the time, had a lower starting point than them, some people were destined to shine brightly. Even if they were mistakenly regarded as gravel and their brilliance was obscured temporarily, they would eventually astonish the world.

Gu Meiren knew that the current Dong Zhi was incomparable to his past self, and compared to them, he had surpassed them all.

The crisis before them was no longer just about their safety or the situation on Kunlun Mountain. It was a catastrophe involving all living beings. A few people here were holding up the heavens and earth, while the countless beings outside were still oblivious to the impending disaster.

Flying sand and rolling stones.

This was the first impression Dong Zhi and Liu Si felt after entering the canyon. If the feeling outside was not so apparent, then inside the canyon, the further they went, the more they could deeply experience the difficulty of every step.

The sky wasn’t pitch dark, but rather a dimness akin to the period before dawn, permeated with a hazy gray. Accompanying this dimness was the relentless swirling of wild sand, making it almost impossible to keep their eyes open. The sand was mixed with ice pellets that felt like icy blades, stinging their faces.

However, no matter how harsh the weather was, it couldn’t deter Dong Zhi and Liu Si’s progress. They persevered through the fierce wind and faintly saw some figures within their sight. They estimated they weren’t far from Long Shen and the others, thinking that they should walk a little faster.

Suddenly, a loud noise came from ahead, like something had exploded, causing the ground to shake. Dong Zhi heard someone shouting, “Danger in the northeast corner,” and his heart sank.

Guarding the northeast corner was a Living Buddha from the Gelug sect. Although someone capable enough to be invited here must be an outstanding cultivator, this master was already old and weakened. Even though his disciples were protecting him, the continuous consumption for two days and two nights would have long overwhelmed an ordinary person. His ability to persist until now was truly remarkable.

Equally dangerous as the broken seal in the northeast corner was Long Shen at the center of the array.

Black demonic qi swirled like an imprisoned tornado within the array, rampaging and restless, unable to break free. This made Long Shen’s temper become increasingly agitated. The inescapable demonic qi seemed to treat Long Shen as a vent for its rage, wanting to use him as a sacrifice to be devoured and crushed. However, despite remaining motionless and silent, Long Shen wasn’t as easy to “bite” as the demonic qi thought. Instead, he was gradually absorbing it into himself.

The violent wind gradually subsided a bit, but the black mist inside the array became denser. Dong Zhi saw the turbulent demonic qi swirling around Long Shen and noticed him absorbing it. Without anyone explaining, Dong Zhi quickly understood his intention—Long Shen was trying to rely solely on himself to draw all the demonic qi surging out from the abyssal passage into his body and then seal the passage with his own sacrifice.

But in doing so, what was the point of him coming all the way here?

Was he only supposed to watch Long Shen die?

If he rushed in now, he would likely disrupt the array that everyone had worked hard to set up. Dong Zhi clenched his teeth, resisting this idea, and manipulated talismans to stabilize the Living Buddha’s position.

Suddenly, the array trembled violently. Dong Zhi was too focused on maintaining the front position and was caught off guard, falling backward. However, Li Han’er steadied him from behind. Yet, everyone’s attention was soon diverted by He Yu’s exclamation.

All the demonic qi that had been hovering and flowing within the array was suddenly “absorbed” by Long Shen. Everyone watched as Long Shen pulled out a long sword from his hand, and its radiance transformed into thousands. He sealed the gap to the abyssal hell. Then, Long Shen slowly opened his eyes and looked in their direction.

As everyone made eye contact with him, they couldn’t help but shudder at the evil aura inside his eyes, as if they had seen boundless malevolence.

Resentment, greed, jealousy, arrogance, slaughter—those were the demons in everyone’s hearts and also the soil that nurtured the demonic qi.

However, these emotions should never have appeared in Long Shen.

“Master!” Dong Zhi’s eyes filled with tears.

Long Shen trembled slightly, and his bright red eyes seemed to regain some clarity. He fixedly looked at his raised hand, seemingly contemplating what he had intended to do just now. Blood overflowed from the corner of his mouth, as if he had exhausted all his willpower to suppress the raging demonic qi within him.

Then, Long Shen opened his eyes and said a few words to Dong Zhi. Before anyone could react, he stood up and leaped toward the abyssal passage!

The wind whistled with sand and stones flying by. Dong Zhi didn’t hear clearly what Long Shen said, but he recognized it from his lip movements.

Long Shen said, “Don’t come.”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || Lore Glossary || >>>

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 151

[March 27^th. There was no progress with the stone tablet. The Japanese have sent people to continue monitoring the interactions between Fujikawa and the President of the Otowa Consortium, Otowa Yasuhiko. They met twice during this period, which is suspicious.]

[March 28^th, Beijing. Zong Ling asked me about how I was doing with keeping notes. I showed them to her, and she seemed helpless, saying that I turned the diary into a work summary. But other than that, I didn’t have much to write about. Keeping a diary was also her suggestion. A few years ago, during a casual conversation, she said that despite living in this world for so long, I still lacked a human touch. I asked her what she meant by a human touch, and she said it was the smell of fireworks. But I didn’t know exactly what the smell of fireworks was like. If I live like an ordinary person, working, eating, and sleeping, wouldn’t that count as having the smell of fireworks?]

[Zong Ling said that ordinary people write diaries to appropriately vent negative emotions or write about things that make them happy. But I neither had anything unhappy to write about nor anything so happy that I wanted to record it.]

[However, I also hoped to live a bit more like an ordinary person, so following Zong Ling’s suggestion, I started writing a diary. I wrote one and burned one, so as not to risk leaking information while being able to review and summarize myself at a certain stage.]

[But I was too busy, and the diary quickly turned into a weekly summary, and now it has become just notes. I hope to continue this habit.]

[March 30^th. The background of Otowa Yasuhiko is too perfect. He started from scratch after World War II and made his first fortune during Japan’s post-war industrial boom, gradually developing a huge business empire. He had a smooth journey, almost encountering no obstacles. We asked some colleagues from the Ministry of Commerce, and they said this was almost a miracle in the process of starting a business unless this person had the power to cover the sky with one hand in the successive governments after the war, and competitors dare not offend him. This person is worth investigating further.]

[Zong Ling gave me a book called “Collection of Outstanding Essays by Primary School Students”. She said my notes were like a simple record of events. After she left, I passed the book on to Kan Chaosheng. Even now, I can find a bunch of spelling mistakes in his reports, so this book is more suitable for him.]

[March 31^st. He Yu was causing trouble. Not only did he get close to that ordinary person he met on the train, but he also kept urging him to apply to the Special Administration Bureau. The other person isn’t even a person involved in this field, and even if his aptitude isn’t bad, he has already missed the best age for learning. As a member of the Special Administration Bureau, He Yu doesn’t even understand this rule. I deducted three months’ worth of his bonus. If he doesn’t change his ways, he can forget about his bonus this year.]

[Zong Ling once told me that if someone can continuously catch my attention and make me have a sustained thought about them, whether positive or negative, it means that I still have humanity, just not good at expressing it. When she said this, the first person that came to mind was He Yu. Every time I see him, I want to deduct his salary. Is this what they call a bond?]

[Forget it. I don’t want to spend my whole life with He Yu. Sometimes I even think of sewing his mouth shut with a needle.]

[April 3^rd. Zheng Sui called me and asked me to go easy on He Yu. He even said that Dong Zhi, that ordinary person, has the talent for cultivation. It’s rare for him to personally call me about such a small matter. That person named Dong Zhi must have caught his eye. I also know that he has talent, but there are many talented people in the world. Even if he manages to pass the exam successfully, it doesn’t mean he can endure the subsequent training exams.]

[I asked Zheng Sui why Dong Zhi was so focused on joining the Special Administration Bureau, and he actually said it was because he saw me slaying demons on Changbai Mountain and found it impressive. I couldn’t accept that explanation. After living for so many years, I know that humans will always have impulsive moments where they do things and regret later. Allowing such a person into the Special Administration Bureau would only waste resources. I cannot agree to it. The Special Administration Bureau isn’t a place for him to play around.]

[April 9^th. After the meeting, He Yu asked me about my opinion on Dong Zhi. I told He Yu that I didn’t agree with letting him join the Special Administration Bureau. He Yu showed me the talisman drawn by Dong Zhi and said that he was able to produce such results after seeing him draw it only once. He said that based on the talisman alone, Dong Zhi has rare potential. I asked He Yu about his plans, and he said that his martial uncle has never taken on an apprentice in his life, and he has been looking for a suitable one. If Dong Zhi couldn’t enter the Special Administration Bureau, He Yu wanted to take him back to Hezao Mountain and let his martial uncle evaluate him.]

[I knew what He Yu had in mind. Once Dong Zhi entered the Hezao Sect, even if he took his first steps into the cultivation world, I wouldn’t have any reason to stop him from applying to the Special Administration Bureau.]

[After work, Dong Zhi’s background report happened to be ready. He has a clean record for three generations, and his background is clean. After graduating from university, he worked in an art-related job at a game company. After resigning, he went to Changchun for a trip and coincidentally met us. With this background, it would be impossible for him to serve in a frontline department, but he might have a chance if he wants to join the logistics department of the Special Administration Bureau. However, I don’t plan to tell He Yu for now.]

[April 10^th, Beijing. He Yu brought Dong Zhi into the Special Administration Bureau and let him stay in his own dormitory. He might not want his bonus this year.]

[He Yu assured me that Dong Zhi had carefully considered his decision to apply for the Special Administration Bureau and it wasn’t a momentary impulse.]

[Let’s observe for now.]

[April 15^th, He Yu’s junior brother, Cheng Hui, got into trouble, maybe related to demons.]

[Dong Zhi is just an ordinary person who doesn’t know anything, yet He Yu wants to bring him along. I know that He Yu wants to temper him and prove to me that Dong Zhi has potential in that aspect. This action is dangerous, but I didn’t stop He Yu. He needs to learn how to take responsibility for things and the safety of others. He still lacks a broader perspective in this regard. Only when real danger arises can it make him alert.]

[He Yu is the most promising person in Group 2, but his flaws are also obvious. I can’t always be by his side to guide him, sheltering them from the wind and rain above their heads. They must grow on their own. I won’t let him risk the lives of ordinary people, so I made some arrangements with Dong Zhi, just in case.]

[April 17^th. As expected, something happened.]

[If I hadn’t been vigilant in advance and communicated with Dong Zhi through telepathy yesterday, the two of them might have been trapped inside the enchantment forever. He Yu won’t receive his bonus next year either.]

[After my warning, Kan Chaosheng and Zhong Yuyi probably won’t dare lend money to He Yu anymore.]

[April 20^th. Dong Zhi’s performance exceeded my expectations.

[They were able to subdue the Archfiend in Guangzhou. He played an important role in that.]

[I rarely change my mind once I’ve decided on something, but I did indeed misjudge this situation.]

[April 25^th. Dong Zhi added me on WeChat. It seems like he’s afraid of me disapproving, so he’s very cautious in his attitude and didn’t say much. However, I can tell that he has a rich imagination because his Moments are filled with his experiences from various travels. Even his conversation with a taxi driver during their trip to Guangzhou was described in great detail. It’s quite interesting.]

[May 1^st. I finished my work early today, and when I sat on the couch and picked up my phone, the first thing I did was check Moments. After reading a few posts, I realized that it’s not my usual habit. When did this start?]

[May 2^nd. It probably started when I found Dong Zhi’s Moments interesting.]

[May 5^th. I no longer need to directly visit He Yu to see when he’s playing games because his Moments are filled with updates about his game progress. Dong Zhi’s Moments, on the other hand, are like a lively world filled with fireworks, which is very interesting.]

[It seems like I mentioned finding his words and experiences interesting for the third time. What does this imply? I’ll ask Zong Ling one of these days.]

[May 7^th. The demonic qi has resurfaced. The battle is far from over.]

[May 18^th. There have been frequent incidents of demonic activity in various places, and they should be interconnected.]

[May 21^st. There are indeed unusual movements from the Japanese. Dong Zhi mentioned inviting me for a meal a few times. I agreed, but I’ve been too busy recently and can’t find the time.]

[May 22^nd. I saw him practicing his talismans.]

[In terms of an ordinary person’s progress, he’s truly making leaps and bounds. Although he’s still weak and lacks sufficient judgment and vigilance, he has his own strengths. I think Zong Ling was right. Humans are much more complex than I imagined. Previously, I mostly saw the darkness in human nature, and when it came to outstanding character traits, I compared them to Yu Qian and concluded that they fell short. But in reality, there are quite a number of humans who may not come close to Yu Qian but haven’t reached the point of darkness either, just like Dong Zhi. He has weaknesses as well as courage and enthusiasm for life.]

[Perhaps this is the human touch that Zong Ling wants me to experience? But why didn’t I sense this in He Yu and instead feel it in Dong Zhi? Perhaps this is what Zheng Sui called a destined connection.]

[June 3^rd. Busy.]

[Dong Zhi continues to make progress. He thought I’m not aware, but I’m always paying attention.]

[Liu Qingbo is also good, but his advantage lies in starting earlier than Dong Zhi.]

[Perhaps I should take on an apprentice.]

[June 5^th. Yu Buhui contacted me. We are both swords forged by Ou Yezi, so strictly speaking, we should be considered brothers*. However, we don’t have the traditional human concept of kinship, and our personalities are very different. Yu Buhui strongly opposes me taking on a human as an apprentice, and I know his reasons. Humans live for no more than a hundred years, and they are far more fragile than us. When they die, my lifespan still stretches far ahead. From a human perspective, it’s an investment with disproportionate returns.]

*Clarity: Most likely Yu Buhui is the sword Yuchang (鱼肠) (Fish Intestines), as the [Yu] in his name means fish (just like how the Long in Long Shen derives from the sword that he is, Longyuan). The Yuchang is a short dagger said to be capable of cleaving through iron as if it were mud. Used by Helü of Wu to assassinate his uncle, Liao of Wu. It was hidden in a cooked fish presented to King Liao at a banquet. As a result of the assassination, the blade gained a reputation for causing its user to be disloyal.

[But I don’t agree with his viewpoint. The mortal realm shouldn’t be solely guarded by us. Ultimately, it should be entrusted to ordinary people, a society composed of countless sentient beings is the world.]

[June 18^th. The exams for this year are about to begin. It’s clear that Dong Zhi wants to become my apprentice, but I’m still observing to see if he can withstand the subsequent tests. For the first time, I feel anticipation for the uncertainty of things. I hope he won’t disappoint my expectations. When he sends messages, he often includes unnecessary chatter, but it’s clear from his happiness or lack thereof. Occasionally, when I’m not busy, I will exchange a few words with him. His emotions are quite contagious. Seeing him happy also brings me joy. Recently, it seems like I’ve been using a lot of adjectives and similar words of expectation.]

[Is this what Zong Ling referred to as human touch?]

[In any case, being born as a human, I have no regrets.]

……

During the several-hour voyage, Liu Si didn’t disturb Dong Zhi while he was interpreting the notebook, but he had been silently observing his companion all along.

Seeing that the other finally looked up with red eyes, Liu Si asked with concern, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” As soon as Dong Zhi replied, he realized that his voice was completely hoarse.

He had been immersed in Long Shen’s notebook, completely oblivious to the passage of time. If the plane hadn’t landed, he wouldn’t have realized that several hours had already passed.

Liu Si considerately handed him a bottle of water and informed him, “After we land, we’ll have to transfer to another vehicle. It’s likely that we’ll spend the night on the road, and we won’t reach the nearest location to the Lengele Gorge until at least tomorrow noon.”

Dong Zhi nodded to indicate his understanding.

The two of them disembarked the plane with their luggage and boarded the waiting jeep. Dong Zhi didn’t put the notebook back into his backpack; he held it in his hand the entire time. After a few hours of cramming, he had become much faster at reading the notebook. Apart from occasionally needing to take photos to send to Cheng Hui for translation assistance, he could remember most of the common characters. Even if he couldn’t recognize them, by referring to the context of the surrounding sentences, he could make educated guesses.

Long Shen had a stable mindset, with the focus of his days primarily on work. There were hardly any intense emotional fluctuations like those experienced by ordinary people, but that didn’t mean he was an emotionless immortal.

Likes and dislikes, mistakes and expectations—they all existed in his writings. Through those flowing words, Dong Zhi seemed to witness Long Shen slowly descending from the divine pedestal, his character becoming more well-rounded.

If he hadn’t read this notebook, he might never have known about the tiny details and secrets hidden within Long Shen’s everyday life.

The car started, carrying them towards the Kunlun Mountains.

The car performed well, and the driver specialized in navigating mountain roads in the military, driving smoothly. Dong Zhi closed his eyes slightly to rest in the car and then opened the notebook to continue reading.

……

Kunlun Mountain.

The edge of the collapsed pit has been completely tainted black by demonic qi. The talismans around it were trembling, and there were faint signs of demonic contamination on the talisman papers.

Long Shen sat cross-legged outside the formation in the north direction with his eyes tightly closed. Threads of demonic qi emerged from the pit and slowly converged in his direction. Long Shen was like a magnet, gradually absorbing more and more demonic qi.

On both sides of him, seven people sat at the edges of the passage. They weren’t too far nor too close to Long Shen. Each person had a golden rune suspended in the air in front of them, forming a circle around Long Shen, as if trapping him in the middle.

To avoid disturbing them, He Yu and Song Zhicun kept their distance, even subconsciously lowering their voices when speaking, afraid of startling them.

“Boss Song, when can we get the jade token from Mount Longhu?” He Yu asked.

Song Zhicun’s brows had not relaxed in the past few days. “I just contacted them. The person sent by Sect Master Zhang has already arrived at the foot of Longhu. However, the procedure to retrieve the jade token is quite cumbersome. It requires the signatures of all current elders of Longhu. If Sect Master Zhang personally returns, it might be easier. But now he’s unable to leave the formation, and there might be obstacles on the side of Longhu.”

He Yu suppressed his anger. “It’s already come to this. Are there still people who disagree?”

Song Zhicun shook his head. “People have diverse minds. Do you think everyone will consider the bigger picture? The jade token is the treasure that guards Longhu Mountain. Sect Master Zhang alone doesn’t have the authority to dispose of it at will. It definitely requires the consent of the majority. If someone feels that he won’t return after leaving, perhaps they could take the opportunity to become sect leader.”

The Longhu Sect was a large family with many capable individuals. Correspondingly, there were naturally more conflicts than in the smaller sects like the Hezao Sect. He Yu had heard similar rumors before, after all. Song Zhicun had been a director for many years, so he immediately thought of details that He Yu might not have noticed.

He Yu couldn’t help but feel anxious. “Then what do we do here? Without the replacement spiritual artifact, the boss can’t leave the formation!”

Song Zhicun sighed. “Can’t you see it? When he proposed this method, he didn’t think about a replacement spiritual artifact. He intends to seal the demonic qi completely at the cost of his own sacrifice!”

He Yu anxiously said, “But the boss clearly said that Dong Zhi has a way to save him, as long as the replacement spiritual artifact arrives…”

Song Zhicun lightly asked, “Do you really think Dong Zhi has a way?”

He Yu trembled slightly.

Song Zhicun continued, “No one is a god, unable to foresee every outcome. So before doing anything, we must always prepare for the worst. I don’t know if he left a way out with Dong Zhi, but I know that when he decided to do this, he had already prepared for the sacrifice of his own life. Remember the Martyrs Cemetery we must visit when new recruits join? That represents the conviction we uphold.”

He Yu gazed into Song Zhicun’s calm eyes, unable to utter a word.

Song Zhicun: “Not just him, but also your master, me, and all of us. We all think the same way.”

“But…” He Yu struggled to speak, unsure of what to say.

He wanted to say that Long Shen would never deceive anyone, that Dong Zhi was Long Shen’s apprentice, and perhaps Long Shen had truly imparted some secret techniques to him. He wanted to say that Long Shen possessed a semi-immortal body and that there were very few in this world who could rival him. But he also remembered Long Shen’s words in the tent, about how he should remain calm and take responsibility for his actions, not act impulsively. Now, those words seemed like parting instructions.

He Yu had always felt that he had two families, one being the Hezao Sect and the other being the Special Administration Bureau. The former nurtured him, and the latter encompassed his entire life and work. Whether it was Long Shen, Kan Chaosheng, Zhong Yuyi, Song Zhicun, and others, or later Dong Zhi, Liu Si, and the others, without the Special Administration Bureau, he wouldn’t have met these brothers and friends. Even Deputy Director Wu Bingtian, whom he usually found annoying, He Yu didn’t want to see him leave the Special Administration Bureau. Because for him, each person was like an indelible mark within the bureau, an imprint in his life. No one could be replaced.

But now, the cruel reality was right in front of him, forcing him to face it.

He knew deep down that he had long had a premonition, but he was unwilling to admit it.

With a loud bang, the silence between them was shattered!

Song Zhicun and He Yu quickly turned their heads towards the sound, only to see the talisman suspended in front of Sect Master Xin’s forehead suddenly emit a brilliant red light and crack under the tremendous noise, on the verge of shattering.

The position defended by Sect Master Xin couldn’t hold up anymore! Both of them inwardly cursed, almost simultaneously rushing forward. Without saying a word, He Yu positioned himself behind Sect Master Xin and performed a sealing gesture to reinforce the seal.

“Take him away, quickly!” Song Zhicun shouted.

The two panicked members of the Special Administration Bureau immediately moved to support Sect Master Xin, who was bleeding from the corners of his mouth and had a complexion as pale as paper. Song Zhicun swiftly sat down, taking his place.

“Boss Song!” He Yu couldn’t help but speak up.

“Stop the chit chat! Reinforce the seal quickly!” Song Zhicun didn’t even turn his head.

Determined, He Yu bit his tongue and sprayed a mouthful of blood onto the talisman paper. With a hand seal, he sent the talisman back to its original position, and a momentary flash of red light passed over the runes, causing the cracks to disappear.

The instability of the formation this time was due to a sudden surge of demonic qi emerging from the abyssal passage. Besides Sect Master Xin, the other six positions were also affected by the shock, but Long Shen in the center absorbed it in time. Perhaps due to the limitations of one person, Long Shen couldn’t absorb such a large amount of demonic qi in a short time. As a result, the remaining small portion that escaped caused the disruption in front of Sect Master Xin.

Although the minor disturbance subsided, everyone couldn’t let their guard down. They saw that Long Shen, surrounded by the array, was engulfed in swirling black demonic qi, as if the demons were eagerly enticing him to fall, echoing the evil thoughts hidden within him. The demonic qi raged and screamed, attempting to assimilate Long Shen and drag him into an irreversible abyss.

Long Shen’s expression remained relatively calm; he didn’t move. He didn’t appear to be tainted by the demonic qi. However, when Song Zhicun’s gaze fell on him, the slight stability that had just been restored shattered again.

Song Zhicun saw that Long Shen’s hands, originally forming seals in front of his chest and abdomen, were now clenched tightly, whitening his knuckles. It was evident that he was exerting force subconsciously.

Song Zhicun knew that Long Shen was struggling against the intertwined internal and external demonic qi. Perhaps he could “fight poison with poison” and ultimately overcome them. However, this possibility was extremely slim. The more likely scenario was that Long Shen would absorb all the demonic qi into his own body and then plunge into the depths of the abyss, self-destructing along with them. At that point, it would be much easier to completely seal the passage.

But he sincerely hoped that this possibility would never come to pass. He hoped that miracles existed in this world, that the heavens would be moved and send down the gods to save them. However, Song Zhicun knew that no matter how much they fantasized, it was unrealistic. The only ones who could save them were themselves, and all he could do was to hold his position in the array.

……

Dong Zhi noticed that in the notes, his presence gradually increased around July.

At that time, Long Shen had already developed the idea of accepting him as an apprentice, but he continued to observe in secret. Oblivious to Long Shen’s thoughts, Dong Zhi remained cautious and excited, creating as many opportunities as possible to interact with his “male god”, feeling jealous of Liu Qingbo, and secretly delighted that Long Shen lent him the Qingzhu Sword for practice.

Meanwhile, Long Shen had meticulously outlined a teaching plan tailored specifically for him in the notebook. It covered everything from basic qi cultivation to talismans and swordsmanship, including hand movements, postures, and the challenging aspects where Dong Zhi tended to make mistakes.

Every word and sentence carried a sense of responsibility that Long Shen rarely revealed.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

I always thought Long Shen fell for Dong Zhi too suddenly. With these diary entries, it seems that feelings had already developed long before. I’m really glad this was established.

Poor He Yu… At this rate, he’s going to be working for the Special Administration without pay.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || Lore Glossary || >>>

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 150

Inside the tent, Long Shen sat cross-legged, facing He Yu and Yu Buhui. “I can hardly control the demonic qi inside me anymore.”

He Yu trembled slightly, unable to believe it. “Has it come to this?”

In his mind, no—in the minds of almost everyone, Long Shen was invincible. He never needed others to worry about him. He knew Long Shen’s true identity, knew that he possessed a semi-immortal body. He knew that in the Special Administration Bureau, even though Che Bai was older and had a great background, and everyone respectfully called him Director Che, when it came to a real fight, Long Shen might not necessarily be inferior. It was because this man was so powerful that he was always the solid and strong support for everyone in Team 2. They admired and loved Long Shen and were willing to give everything for him. However, intentionally or unintentionally, they forgot that Long Shen wasn’t actually a god. Even Zong Ling had fallen. How could Long Shen not have weaknesses or be injured?

Long Shen nodded, looking at He Yu and Yu Buhui with a worried expression.

“The demonic qi here is very dense. Perhaps you haven’t felt it much because you have protective qi, but I already had residual demonic qi inside me, and the two are mutually attracted, causing the demonic qi’s influence on me to be greater than at any other time or place.”

Yu Buhui: “What if we leave this place?”

Long Shen shook his head. “Zong Lao and Director Che sacrificed themselves. Now you have seen the seal they created. It’s impossible to completely suppress the demonic qi. Once the demonic qi breaks through the seal, whether I’m here or outside, what difference does it make? Besides me, there is no one who can replace the Phoenix that originally guarded the eye of the array. Even the method He Yu proposed is just a gamble.”

Yu Buhui couldn’t refute.

Long Shen said, “If we win the gamble, everything will be fine. But if we lose, Dong Zhi, you, the people outside, and many more will have to make sacrifices. I don’t want to see that happen. I want Dong Zhi to live well. I don’t want him to come here and accompany me in a reckless gamble. Artifacts have long lifespans, but they are not more precious than the short lives of mortals. Because I, myself, am a creation of mortals.”

“Boss…”

Long Shen looked at He Yu and said gently, “I would rather see you thinking of ways to slack off and play games, spreading boring information everywhere, than seeing you sacrifice yourself to block the demonic qi. Although you, Kan Chaosheng, and Zhong Yu are my subordinates, I have never treated you as underlings. Do you understand?”

He Yu, a sturdy man with a burly figure, was already in tears.

He used to think that crying was a behavior reserved for weak women, but now he felt that even if he howled and cried, he couldn’t vent the pain and powerlessness in his heart.

Long Shen continued, “Your abilities are already sufficient to stand on your own. It’s just that I thought you were too playful and never let you go out. This time the Special Administration Bureau suffered heavy losses, and Boss Wu will probably need a long rest. If I’m not here in the future, you will be the team leader of Team 2. The future of Kan Chaosheng and the others will depend on you.”

At this point, he suddenly smiled self-deprecatingly.

“I don’t know if it’s because of the influence of the demonic qi, but now I find that my selfishness is growing. I speak of guarding the mortal world, but in reality, the one I want to protect the most is only him.”

He Yu choked. “Boss, please don’t say that. I know that you want peace more than anyone else, otherwise, you wouldn’t have made this decision. I will take care of Xiao Dong Zhi, but sooner or later, he will know what you’re doing. If you want to protect him, you shouldn’t deceive him!”

Long Shen calmly replied, “I didn’t deceive him. After he reads my notes, he will naturally know the solution. This is something that only he can do.”

Yu Buhui didn’t cry like He Yu because he had been with Long Shen for a longer time and knew that Long Shen’s decision was final. Instead of being sentimental here, it was more practical to think about how he could help.

“Senior Brother, if you have made up your mind, then go ahead and do it. I will protect you, hoping you won’t forget that Dong Zhi is waiting for you.”

Long Shen smiled deeply. “Thank you, I will do my best.”

Outside, Sect Master Zhang had already sent someone to immediately retrieve the jade token, but round trips would still take a considerable amount of time. Surprisingly, Tibet was closer to this location. The Living Buddha made a decisive decision and personally went back to retrieve the treasure of the town temple, which was said to be a palm-sized golden pagoda enshrined with relics.

To replace the role of the array eye’s spiritual artifact, even temporarily, it couldn’t be done by an ordinary human body. Although Long Shen hadn’t revealed his true form just now, everyone present were well-known figures in the practitioner world and could understand the implications. No one pursued the matter further, and when they saw him coming out, Sect Master Zhang and Song Zhicun went to greet him.

“Boss Long, since you want to simulate the layout of a small Eight-Diagram Array, besides the array’s eye, you definitely need seven other stone tablets. It’s impossible to get them in such a short time. We are willing to take the place of the tablets with our bodies,” Sect Master Zhang said.

Song Zhicun added, “That’s right. We discussed it just now. Sect Master Zhang and I will each take one position. The leaders of Longhu, Maoshan, and Hezao have also expressed their willingness. That leaves two positions for the two Living Buddhas.”

No one would refuse or shrink back in the face of such a crisis. Even though there were often conflicts and disputes among the various sects, everyone knew that if the passage was completely opened, connecting the abyss of hell with the mortal world, it wouldn’t just be the end of the Dharma era; it would be a complete purgatory.

However, Long Shen said, “Others can do it, but not you.”

Song Zhicun was taken aback.

Long Shen: “Wu Bingtian is already injured, and both of us are here. If something happens to you, the Special Administration Bureau will be without a leader.”

Song Zhicun’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. He didn’t know what to say.

He was worried about Long Shen’s life and the current situation, but from beginning to end, Long Shen only thought about the bigger picture.

“I’ll do it!”

Yu Buhui stepped forward.

“I’ll take Boss Song’s position!”

He Yu, with red eyes, turned to his master Xin and said, “Master, let me take your place too.”

Sect Master Xin pulled him aside and gave him a hard tap on the back of his head. “Do you think this is child’s play? Your cultivation level isn’t there yet. Stop talking nonsense. It’s not about making a concession like Kong Rong giving up a pear*. And don’t think you have nothing to do, just following me from behind. If I can’t hold on, indeed, you will have to step in!”

*This is an idiom from Chinese history and literature referring to a famous figure, Kong Rong, in the Three Kingdoms period in ancient China. The story goes when Kong Rong was a child, he and his siblings were offered a plate of pears, to which he gave his brothers the bigger pears while he took the smallest, displaying selflessness and generosity at a young age. Thus, the idiom symbolizes the act of giving up personal interest for benefits for the sake of others (and, in a sense, refers to prioritizing the greater good and showing humility and generosity).

He Yu rubbed his sore head and grumbled, “Can’t you be gentler?”

“Before coming out, I had already discussed it with your senior brother. If I can’t go back, the Hezao Sect will be carried on by him. However…” Sect Master Xin gave him a stern look and paused. “I hope you can go back.”

He Yu looked at his master, feeling the sadness of wanting to cry but not being able to for the first time.

“Don’t show that expression!” Sect Master Xin laughed and didn’t have the fear and worry of doing something that could potentially endanger his life. “A true man stands tall and upright, only seeking a clear conscience. Practitioners should be even more so. If I don’t act now, I will also develop inner demons*. Not to mention cultivation, I won’t even be able to live properly. Go and prepare. We still have some talismans to draw, and I want you to help.”

*In terms of cultivation setting, these are negative emotions of a practitioner and other mental barriers that hinder their cultivation. In some cases, they can even attack the practitioner from the inside, which could result in qi deviation (causing the practitioner to go mad).

He Yu lowly agreed, “I can help right now!”

Sect Master Xin frowned. “Before drawing the talismans, you need to bathe and change clothes while burning incense. Only with a sincere heart can the talismans be effective. In this critical moment, we don’t require you to do so much. Having clean hands and a pure heart is the most basic!”

He Yu glanced at his master’s hands and retorted, “Your hands aren’t much cleaner than mine!”

Before Sect Master Xin could hit him, he quickly jumped back and ran away in three strides.

……

What was placed in front of Dong Zhi was definitely not a children’s fairy tale book, but a notebook disguised as one.

Dong Zhi had seen this notebook before on the train and had even dared to flip through it. He Yu had called it a notebook filled with ghostly symbols, but now Dong Zhi knew that it wasn’t ghostly symbols inside but rather the Waste Text.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the cover deliberately had an aged appearance, like those nostalgic notebooks sold in stores.

The big yellow cat and the octopus were lying on the table, watching Dong Zhi and Cheng Hui study the notebook.

“This notebook was bought by He Yu to write down game strategies, but the boss confiscated it when he found out,” Kan Chaosheng wagged his tail and said.

Dong Zhi chuckled. He didn’t think Long Shen would be the type to enjoy such childlike styles.

No, it should be said that Long Shen wouldn’t intentionally choose a particular style. For him, as long as a notebook could be used to jot down things, it was enough.

“You guys can go about your business,” he said to Kan Chaosheng and Octopus Meika.

Kan Chaosheng was a bit worried. “Is everything okay with the boss on Kunlun Mountain? I heard that Zong Lao sacrificed herself?”

Dong Zhi reassured him, “Everything is fine. We still have Boss Song and the others. You have to trust my master’s abilities.”

Seeing that Kan Chaosheng’s power was still weak and wouldn’t be of any help in this matter, Dong Zhi didn’t want him to worry too much.

“Meika just arrived in China, and he doesn’t speak fluent Chinese yet. I don’t have time to take him to meet Senior Wuzhiqi, so I’ll trouble you to take care of him for now.”

“I’ve been taking care of him for the past few days!” Kan Chaosheng jumped off the table and had an expression that said, “Do you really need to speak so much for such a small matter?”

The octopus also jumped off and waved its tentacle politely at Dong Zhi, then left along with the white cat, following Kan Chaosheng.

After two seconds, a tentacle reappeared at the door and closed the door that had been left open.

Cheng Hui was stunned. “The octopus is so intelligent!”

Dong Zhi thought to himself that Cheng Hui would be even more amazed when he saw Meika speaking fluent English.

“Sorry for having you come right after getting off the plane without resting!” Dong Zhi apologized.

Cheng Hui waved his hand. “I’ve already heard from Martial Uncle. We can’t delay. Let’s start right away!”

Dong Zhi nodded.

Cheng Hui opened the notebook and began translating it word by word for Dong Zhi. Dong Zhi focused intently, listening and taking notes. After some time, he might be able to attempt interpreting it himself without having to burden Cheng Hui with reading the thick volume in its entirety. Long Shen’s handwriting was artistic, but the font size was small, and almost the entire book was filled. Only two or three pages remained. Dong Zhi knew that if he wanted to quickly find the solution related to the stone tablets, he would have to start from the back and slowly flip through.

[March 16^th. I am preparing to go to Kunlun Mountain, hoping that there is still a chance to salvage the situation.]

Dong Zhi rarely heard Long Shen express “hope” or “anticipation” because saying those words already placed the hope of achieving something on someone else, and Long Shen never did that. If he wanted to do something, he would do it himself.

This might be the first time his thoughts were conveyed in written form. It indicated that he had realized the situation on Kunlun Mountain was far more challenging than anyone had imagined.

[March 11^th. Otowa Yasuhiko died, and Ding Lan’s remnant soul was also brought back. However, the situation is still unresolved. Che Bai has already sacrificed himself. I remembered the conversation with Zong Ling before our trip to Japan. If it comes to that, this might be the only solution.]

A solution?

A huge question arose in Dong Zhi’s mind. He exchanged a glance with Cheng Hui, who then turned to the next page.

[March 1^st. Zong Ling gave me the Four Symbols Star-Setting Lamp. For me, even though it contained the divine souls of the White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Azure Dragon, it was merely an unusable object. However, with the infusion of Zong Ling’s divine soul, the lamp came to life. But I told Zong Ling that Otowa Yasuhiko had the assistance of the ancient stone box, and his power was much stronger than that of an Archfiend or Heavenly Demon. The Four Symbols Star-Setting Lamp, at best, was only a complete “wick”, and it still needed a “spark” to ignite it fully.]

[Zong Ling knew I was right, but she was also helpless. After much contemplation, I finally came up with an effective solution.]

[The solution is for me to act as the “spark”, by absorbing demonic qi into my body and activating the Four Symbols Star-Setting Lamp, trapping Otowa within it. Then I can take the opportunity to eliminate him completely. Zong Ling strongly opposes this, but I have already made up my mind. I know this method may pose a risk, as the demonic qi that enters my body may lose control and even dominate my will, ultimately assimilating me into a demon. If it comes to that, my only retreat will be Dong Zhi.]

As Dong Zhi read up to this point, his heart pounded faster, and his breathing became rapid.

“Why am I his only retreat?”

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Cheng Hui’s nose as he continued reading.

[I once injected half of my divine soul into the Changshou Sword, which took away some of my power. I didn’t want Dong Zhi to think too much about it, so I didn’t tell him.]

[He is gradually becoming more compatible with the Changshou Sword, and one day he will reach the state of unity between man and sword, with our divine souls connected. At that time, the Changshou Sword will bestow upon him more power and vitality. Perhaps his lifespan will be longer than others, fulfilling his desire to accompany me for a longer time.]

[However, I know not everyone likes eternal life. At least, I don’t. In the past, I didn’t feel much about it, thinking that people come and go like the cycles of nature, but after knowing Dong Zhi, I gradually understood that it is frustrating to watch the people you care about grow old and die while you continue to live. Perhaps this is why I haven’t been able to break through my half-immortal state. In fact, I am no longer just a pure sword; I have humanity, but I had limited understanding before and never delved deep into it.]

[Although I want him to accompany me, I can’t impose this wish on him. I don’t know how humans love someone, but I think it should be what he wants. I will do my best to help him achieve it and will not force him into something he doesn’t want.]

[I haven’t mentioned this matter to Dong Zhi because I also worry that his feelings for me are too deep. If he hears that he can spend more time with me, he might agree without hesitation. But any decision made without careful consideration is not a true decision, and it’s not good for him.]

[Initially, I wanted to wait until everything settled down and find an opportunity to talk to him. I didn’t expect this setup to become my retreat. If I am assimilated into a demon, there will be no one in the world who can stop me. The Changshou Sword will be the only thing that can either eliminate me or save me.]

[I hope things haven’t reached that point yet because I want to spend more time with Dong Zhi.]

[Unfortunately, I met him too late.]

[Before this notebook, I wrote many others, but I burned them. I wrote these records isn’t because I have a poor memory, but because I wanted to leave some traces with my words. Words also have life. Even if they are burned, they once existed.]

[And now, I’m reluctant to destroy this particular notebook.]

Cheng Hui looked at Dong Zhi, tears welling up in his eyes, and softly asked, “Should I continue reading?”

Dong Zhi closed his eyes. “Cheng Hui, I already know how to help Master. Now I need to go to Kunlun immediately. I want to leave the front part of this notebook for the journey, but there may be some words inside that I will need your help in translating.”

Cheng Hui: “Let me accompany you!”

Dong Zhi shook his head. “It’s dangerous there right now. Your master and senior brother are already there. If they can’t resolve the situation, you going there won’t help. It’s safer for you to stay at headquarters.”

Cheng Hui nodded, not insisting. After all, he was well aware of his own abilities. In the past, he fell into a trap set by the Archfiend in Guangzhou, and it was up to his senior brother and Dong Zhi to save him.

“Please be careful. I’ll keep my phone on for twenty-four hours, so you can contact me anytime if you have any questions!”

Liu Qingbo and the others have already set off for Kunlun ahead of them. Besides Cheng Hui and Dong Zhi, the only one present was Liu Si.

Liu was a reliable companion. While he didn’t talk much, he always played a crucial role in critical moments.

As soon as he heard the words, he immediately stood up and said, “There may not be available seats on last-minute flights, and flights to Tibet are limited. I’ll contact Boss Wu and ask him to arrange a special plane. You go pack your things!”

Without waiting for Dong Zhi to thank him, he had already left.

……

Two hours later, Dong Zhi and Liu Si were already seated on the plane heading to Kunlun Mountain. Since it was a charter plane, it would land at the nearest military airport to where Long Shen and the others were located. From there, they would take a car to reach their destination. However, even so, it would take at least a day before they could arrive, not counting the time it would take to enter the Lengele Gorge.

Fastening his seatbelt and listening to the announcement of the imminent departure, Dong Zhi lowered his head and once again opened the two notebooks resting on his lap.

One was Long Shen’s notebook, and the other was the translation notes from Cheng Hui. However, even with these notes, he had to fill in the missing words and phrases, then connect them to read comprehensively. For someone like him who was new to the study of Waste Text, it would take a considerable amount of time. But Dong Zhi didn’t mind because he already knew the method Long Shen had mentioned. So this time, he chose to start from the beginning.

The beginning of this notebook recorded events that happened three weeks before Dong Zhi met Long Shen.

At that time, the Special Administration Bureau had just discovered abnormal activities of demonic creatures. Based on the clues provided by the Northeast Branch, they learned that a group of Japanese people had disappeared after entering the country, changing their names and identities. According to intelligence, these Japanese individuals had been seen near Changbai Mountain. So Long Shen, accompanied by He Yu and Kan Chaosheng, embarked on a train journey to Changchun.

[February 15, 2017. A large-scale Sneaky Yasha appeared on the train, resulting in one person missing and one person dead. This was a failure of Team 2 and my misjudgment. There was a passenger named Dong Zhi on the train, which was a rather coincidental name. He also emitted a faint demonic aura, raising suspicions of his possible connection to demons and needs to be verified.]

This was the first record in this notebook that was related to Dong Zhi, starting from the beginning.

Before this, there were only brief work records without much personal sentiment, which was in line with Long Shen’s usual character. Looking back now, even Dong Zhi himself felt that the timing of his appearance was indeed too coincidental, making it impossible not to suspect.

After he entered the world of cultivation, Dong Zhi learned that the Winter Solstice was the solar term marking the intersection of yin and yang. Scientifically, it was the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere, indicating the decline of yang. From a perspective of cultivation, the first nine days were when the yang qi was blocked, and commercial travels weren’t auspicious. His own birthday was already inclined toward yin, and using the name Dong Zhi, which was based off of the Winter Solstice, at that time, made him a perfect target for the Archfiend on the train.

Now he naturally understood how dangerous his situation was at that time. If it weren’t for meeting He Yu and Long Shen, the grass over his grave would probably be three meters high by now. However, after that series of extraordinary experiences on the train, he didn’t have much fear. On the contrary, his curiosity took over, and he continued his journey to Changbai Mountain.

But who could have expected that his life would take a sharp turn?

Even looking back over a year ago, he had never regretted it. Dong Zhi sighed lightly and continued reading.

[February 23. It turned out that the true target of the Japanese was the stone tablet, not the bone dragon. The origin of the inscriptions on the stone tablet? Haven’t seen them before. Needs to be verified.]

Underneath this sentence, Long Shen drew the inscriptions on the stone tablet. He probably drew it based on his memory, and perhaps to prevent leakage, he only drew half of it.

When the bone dragon was annihilated, Dong Zhi was also present, but he didn’t witness the scene of the tablet shattering with his own eyes. It wasn’t until later, when he himself participated, that he saw the stone tablet that should have been guarded by Wuzhiqi. The inscriptions on it were indeed very similar to what Long Shen had drawn.

Subsequently, there were several consecutive entries related to official matters. Rather than a diary, it resembled a work-related memorandum. Written in Waste Text, hardly anyone could understand it. Cheng Hui mentioned that Long Shen used an ancient form of Waste Text, which was significantly different from the few texts of the dead that still circulated in modern times. Moreover, Dong Zhi could sense that there must be some kind of restriction placed on the notebook, perhaps self-destruction after a certain time, or even if it fell into the wrong hands, Long Shen would still be aware of it.

To compare and search for translations, Dong Zhi read slowly. He knew that Long Shen’s notebook wouldn’t be filled with mundane descriptions of personal emotions like an ordinary person would write. But he still didn’t want to miss any of the records because they were every footprint Long Shen left in the world.

In Long Shen’s mind at that time, investigating the Japanese’s purpose and the subsequent events related to the stone tablet were the most important things. Dong Zhi, as a passing traveler, naturally wouldn’t be worth the other party’s attention once it was verified that he had no connection to the demons.

Upon reaching this point, Dong Zhi couldn’t help but smile silently.

He was curious about how Long Shen would write about him in the subsequent entries.

Would Long Shen describe him as a mortal full of curiosity, lacking self-awareness, or a persistent and admirable apprentice?

Outside the window, layers of clouds undulated, radiating a colorful light. And he, following the path that person had once walked, was retracing his steps, step by step.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || Lore Glossary || >>>

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 149

Hearing what Song Zhicun said, Long Shen nodded slightly without hesitation and turned around, walking towards the tent.

But then He Yu rushed over and called him from behind.

“Boss!” He Yu, excited and no longer wearing a worried expression, said, “I’ve come up with an idea! Since we have the Four Symbols Star-Setting Lamp, what if we arrange a small-scale Eight-Diagram Demon-Suppressing Formation at the pit, similar to the layout of the Eight-Diagram Demon-Suppressing Formation? We can carve demon-sealing runes on eight small stone tablets and use the star lamp as the eye of the formation. It might work! Master also said it’s not a bad idea. What do you think, Boss? Oh, you don’t look well. Is everything okay?”

Long Shen replied softly, “It’s nothing. I just want to rest for a while. Boss Song is going to hold an impromptu meeting later. You can bring it up during the meeting and see what others think.”

He Yu nodded and said, “Then you should rest. Your eyes are bloodshot. I won’t disturb you anymore!”

After saying that, he turned and ran, probably going to find Song Zhicun to discuss his idea.

Long Shen stared at his back for a second before entering the tent.

Through the thin tent, although the sounds from outside couldn’t be completely isolated, the small space provided a certain sense of security.

However, Long Shen’s face was pale, and he was breathing heavily.

No one knew that when He Yu was talking to him just now, he could barely control the urge to strangle He Yu.

He knew it wasn’t normal, but he couldn’t control the surge of murderous intent in his mind.

He wanted to kill them, to watch them writhing on the ground, screaming in pain, to see blood flowing like a river and corpses scattered everywhere. He not only wanted to kill He Yu, but he wanted to kill everyone here because their worried and patriotic faces were extremely annoying.

It was as if there were two Long Shens inside his body. One was like before, upholding responsibility and putting morality first, but the other one was coldly mocking him. He felt that he had been protecting this world for a long time, so why couldn’t he act as he pleased and destroy everything with his own hands?

Without these people, without this world, what would happen? The sun and moon would continue to rise and set, and plants would still exist. Even if a great demon emerged and demonic qi filled the world, it wouldn’t change anything. On the other hand, most humans were hypocritical and ungrateful. If those people disappeared, what would be the loss?

In order to eliminate Otowa, Long Shen chose to enter the lion’s den and voluntarily let some demonic qi enter his body, seizing the opportunity to kill the enemy completely. He thought that the slight amount of demonic qi would have no effect on him, but little did he know that over time, it would slowly infiltrate and increasingly influence him. Aroused by the demonic qi, internally and externally echoing, it became more and more severe.

As the center of the storm, the demonic pressure surrounded him from all sides. Every time Long Shen closed his eyes, he could feel the demonic qi swirling and tempting in his ears, amplifying and spreading the lingering evil thoughts within his consciousness, gradually reaching an uncontrollable state.

Images of bloodshed flashed before his eyes, and whenever he recalled the scene of He Yu’s neck being snapped and blood gushing from his severed throat, Long Shen couldn’t help but breathe heavily. His eyes were bloodshot, and even his cheeks took on a slight flush. Within his consciousness, he continued to struggle against the surging demonic qi, fighting for control over his body.

If someone were to intrude into the tent at this moment, they would only see Long Shen sitting cross-legged on the ground with a calm expression. The only unusual thing would be his feverish breathing, as if he had a high fever. They would never imagine the struggle Long Shen was engaged in with the demonic qi or the critical moment he was experiencing.

Suddenly, his phone rang.

Long Shen trembled slightly, almost allowing the demonic qi to take advantage of his vulnerability and completely occupy his mind.

He opened his eyes and saw the caller ID.

Dong Zhi.

Should he answer or not?

Long Shen didn’t move, watching as the phone screen lit up and the ringtone continued incessantly until the person on the other end received the prompt that no one was answering and reluctantly hung up.

But immediately, the screen lit up again, persistently, as if it were determined to wait for a response.

Finally, Long Shen answered the call and pressed the accept button.

“Master?”

The voice was still familiar, just like the countless times they had spoken face to face.

“It’s me,” Long Shen said.

Dong Zhi’s voice sounded pleasantly surprised, and his speech became faster. “Master, have you returned to the country? I’ve been unable to reach you on your phone. Where are you now?”

Dong Zhi probably didn’t know that his own voice was quite pleasant to listen to. Normally, it carried the composure of an adult male, but when he spoke quickly, it took on a clear youthful quality, making people misjudge his age.

“I just returned. How are things on your end?”

Long Shen’s tone was calm and reassuring, lacking the sense of urgency that He Yu had mentioned. This kind of tone had a comforting power, and Dong Zhi assumed that Long Shen had just returned to Beijing from Japan, without accompanying He Yu to Kunlun. Instantly, he felt relieved and relaxed in his speech.

“It’s been alright, but it’s hard to sum it up in a few words. Has He Yu told you anything?”

“No, is there something going on with you? If there’s nothing urgent, take your time to explain,” Long Shen said.

Dong Zhi became spirited and began recounting his experiences from the haunted hotel they stayed in Los Angeles, their intellectual battles with their competitors, the perilous journey on the island, Zhang Song’s use of forbidden techniques, which he still hadn’t recovered from, and how Dong Zhi himself ended up inside the belly of a sea serpent—he would probably never eat snake meat again in his lifetime.

The signal here was very weak, and Dong Zhi’s voice was intermittent, but Long Shen listened with a slight smile, and his state of mind unknowingly calmed down.

The bloodthirsty ruthlessness had receded like a tide, and he smiled as if sitting by the West Lake in spring, holding a cup of Longjing tea, and listening to a legendary story. It was because the person telling the story was the most important person in his heart.

But he knew that this calmness was temporary. The demonic qi only saw the unfavorable situation and temporarily went into hiding. It hadn’t been eliminated; it would lurk in the dark corners, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack, not letting go of any opening.

“Master, why aren’t you saying anything?” Dong Zhi realized that Long Shen on the other end of the line hadn’t spoken for a long time.

“I’m listening to you. It’s fascinating, and I don’t want to interrupt,” Long Shen said. “Please continue.”

Dong Zhi, feeling delighted, said, “I’ve finished talking. What else would you like to hear? Should I show you the golden apple when I return?”

Long Shen: “Sure.”

Dong Zhi: “But the Exchange Conference isn’t limited to just this time. You must have seen many golden apples before.”

Long Shen: “Yours will be different.”

Dong Zhi’s face blushed, realizing that the fewer words a man spoke, the more deadly his charm became.

At this moment, the ground began to tremble slightly. As Song Zhicun had said, the demonic qi beneath the rift had been trying various methods to break through the temporary seal these past few days. This situation was quite common, but there were still chaotic sounds coming from outside, indicating that everyone was concerned about the seal’s failure and taking reinforcement measures. Dong Zhi, while on the phone, heard some faint noises and couldn’t help but ask, “Master, where are you right now?”

“I’m on Kunlun Mountain,” Long Shen replied.

Dong Zhi paused for a second, then quickly realized. “Did you go with He Yu? But he told me you hadn’t returned to the country yet. Did something happen there? Do you need my help? We’ve already arrived in Los Angeles, and I can take the next available flight back!”

“Listen to me,” Long Shen said.

Dong Zhi stopped speaking, waiting for Long Shen’s words.

Long Shen said, “The eye of the Eight-Diagram Demon-Suppressing Formation is here in Kunlun Mountain. Otowa has been deceiving us. Not all the stone tablets were destroyed; the formation only becomes ineffective when that happens. Although he’s dead, before his death, he sent people to break the eye of the formation. Che Bai and Zong Ling have already sacrificed themselves.”

Dong Zhi’s breath caught in his throat.

He would never forget how he was under a curse and helpless, even when Hainan Chi’s family couldn’t do anything. It was Che Bai who expended his cultivation to give him a chance at survival. Dong Zhi had intended to thank Che Bai after returning to the country, but he never imagined that their first meeting would also be their last.

Now that Long Shen had just returned from Japan and had to rush to Kunlun Mountain, Dong Zhi thought of a more ominous possibility.

“Master, then you…”

“Many people are here: Song Zhicun, the leaders of Longhu Mountain and Maoshan, and also He Yu’s master. Don’t worry.” Long Shen seemed to know what he wanted to ask and answered before he could speak.

Dong Zhi asked, “Is Otowa dead?”

Long Shen: “He is. I killed him with my own hands.”

Dong Zhi breathed a slight sigh of relief, but he still couldn’t completely relax.

“What can I do to help?”

Long Shen said, “There are already many people here, so your presence won’t make a difference. But there’s something I want you to do for me. In the first drawer on the left side of my desk, there’s a notebook with a solution to demonic qi. If you can’t understand it, go to He Yu’s junior brother, Cheng Hui, on Mount Hezao. He is a descendant of a Ghost Master*. Ask him to teach you.”

*A wizard/sorcerer/magician ect.

Dong Zhi’s spirits lifted. “Alright, as soon as I return to the country, I’ll go immediately!”

He now regretted not booking the earliest flight back to his home country.

Long Shen said softly, “The sacrifices made by Zong Lao and the others were not in vain. There are many experts here, and a solution will be found sooner or later. You don’t need to rush here until you understand the contents of the notebook.”

Dong Zhi: “Then you wait for me. We agreed that I would show you the golden apple, so you’re not allowed to go anywhere else.”

Of course, these words weren’t spoken as an apprentice. Even Dong Zhi himself didn’t realize that his tone carried a hint of coquettishness.

Long Shen smiled faintly, and his heart involuntarily softened. “Alright.”

This international long-distance call lasted nearly an hour, and the cost was undoubtedly staggering. But Dong Zhi still felt unsatisfied, and it was only when Long Shen mentioned that he had a meeting to attend that he hung up the phone.

Coincidentally, just after ending the call, He Yu lifted the tent curtain from outside.

“Boss… Oh, Boss, you’re awake?”

Long Shen hummed in acknowledgment.

He Yu carefully observed and noticed that his expression seemed much better. The fatigue between his eyebrows had lessened, and his eyes were no longer bloodshot. He thought that maybe Long Shen had actually taken a nap.

“Boss Song is gathering everyone for a meeting. Do you want to attend, or should I go and relay the message to you after I participate?” He Yu asked.

“Let’s go together,” Long Shen said.

Dong Zhi and the others had originally planned to return to their home country in two days. William wanted to spend more time with Li Han’er, so he privately changed their flight to one week later, saying that he wanted to take them to explore the West Coast. But after Dong Zhi finished his call with Long Shen, he couldn’t wait for even a moment and went to discuss with Liu Qingbo and the others. Once everyone heard about the situation in their home country, they couldn’t sit still either. Li Han’er forced William to change their flight to the same day. William couldn’t resist the lady’s demands and reluctantly followed suit, tearfully seeing off Dong Zhi and the others onto the plane. If it weren’t for his official duties, he really wanted to pack himself up and go with them.

Due to the sudden turn of events, they couldn’t complete the procedures to use the private plane of Team 51 within half a day, so William had to book regular airline tickets for them. As for Meika, who was still in its octopus form, it could only be reluctantly transported as a pet and couldn’t get a proper seat.

Flying back from the United States to China, even on the fastest flight of the day, they would only arrive the next day. Regardless of Dong Zhi’s anxious mood, he had to temporarily restrain himself. Taking advantage of the internet access during the flight, Dong Zhi first searched for the “Ghost Master” that Long Shen had mentioned.

The so-called Ghost Master, as the name implied, was a person who traveled between the Yin and Yang realms and communicated with spirits using special characters. These special characters written specifically for spirits were called ‘Waste Text’.

Coincidentally, He Yu’s junior brother was Cheng Hui, who had lost his soul due to the Archfiend Xu Wan in Guangzhou and was helped by He Yu and Dong Zhi to retrieve it. With this connection, it wouldn’t be difficult for Dong Zhi to seek his help.

However, the meeting on Long Shen’s side didn’t go smoothly.

Due to unexpected circumstances, the demonic qi escaped and the breach widened, resulting in Zong Ling sacrificing herself. The original plan for several defensive lines naturally fell through as well. After Zong Ling’s sacrifice, everyone present tirelessly worked day and night to temporarily seal the passage, and everyone could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

They all looked weary. Whether it was He Yu’s master, Master Xin, or the several Living Buddhas, everyone seemed to require great effort just to speak. Long Shen sat among them, but he didn’t seem out of place.

Song Zhicun showed the first smile he had in days. “Thanks to all of you for your help, the demonic qi didn’t ravage the human realm. You have all worked hard.”

But the expression on everyone’s face didn’t relax because of his words. Master Zhang, Zhang Song’s master and the sect leader of Longhu, said, “The seal is only temporary. Sooner or later, the demonic qi below will break through the seal, and the result will be the same.”

Song Zhicun looked at He Yu, who understood and stood up to explain his idea.

The scene fell silent for a moment.

It wasn’t that these people were being aloof; rather, they were contemplating the feasibility of He Yu’s idea.

The first to speak was Master Zhang. “The talismans on those stone tablets were all made in ancient times. Most of them have been lost, and some of the talismans are unknown even to us. If we were to create a small-scale replica of the Eight-Diagram Demon-Suppressing Formation, we would need to inscribe new talismans on the stone tablets. The effectiveness of those talismans would certainly be inferior to the original ones.”

He Yu hurriedly said, “Although the effect may be diminished, it is not entirely useless. The main purpose of this replica formation is to concentrate all the energy of the demonic qi here and suppress it for a second time, preventing it from escaping. Moreover, due to the replica formation’s ancient design, in principle, it may be more effective in strengthening and sealing the formation compared to the current method.”

Master Zhang frowned and remained silent, seemingly contemplating. A venerable monk with white eyebrows said, “The current method of setting up the formation and sealing it has proven to last a while. When the demonic energy qi breaks through the seal again, we will no longer have Zong Lao’s sacrifice. I think we can give Patron He’s method a try.”

The mention of Zong Ling weighed heavily on everyone’s hearts.

Wu Bingtian’s senior brother, the sect leader of Yuanming Palace on Qingcheng Mountain, said, “There is one problem with this method. Every formation must have an eye, even if it’s a small-scale replica of the Eight-Diagram Demon-Suppressing Formation. The eye would still be located at the current entrance to the passage. So what should be used as the eye? What can suppress the demonic qi and connect with the eight stone tablets to prevent the demonic qi from leaking out again?”

Master Zhang said, “Mount Longhu has a jade medallion left by our ancestor, Dao Ling. After our sect relocated to Mount Longhu, the jade medallion was enshrined in the Sanqing Patriarch Hall, blessed by successive ancestors. Although it hasn’t transformed yet, it is still a rare spiritual treasure. Can it be used as the eye?”

This jade medallion was undoubtedly the treasure of Mount Longhu, and now, for the sake of the overall situation, Master Zhang, the leader of the sect, didn’t hesitate to offer it up. Everyone present knew that Mount Longhu had always had a good relationship with the imperial court, but given Master Zhang’s declaration, it was no wonder that the court valued Mount Longhu.

Master Zhang also added, “Our sect also has a precious sword that is said to have been passed down by our ancestor in the Song Dynasty. It was used to slay demons and suppress evil. This sword is usually too fierce for anyone to dare to use, but if it is used to suppress the demons, it would be most appropriate. If needed, I can send someone to retrieve it immediately.”

Others also proposed various spiritual treasures that could be used as the eye of the formation. At this critical moment, once the demonic qi broke through the seal and the gates of the abyss opened wide, carrying the suppressed ancient demonic qi, it would be difficult for everyone to handle. If even this place became nothing, then they would be completely helpless against the demonic qi outside. So, no one would keep any secrets.

“It’s too late,” Long Shen suddenly said.

Some present knew his identity, while others didn’t, but as soon as he spoke, everyone unconsciously stopped talking and turned to look at him.

Long Shen said, “If we are to replicate the formation, the stone tablets need to be re-customized and inscribed with new talismans. It will take time to transport the spiritual treasures back and forth. The demonic qi here can break through the seal at any time. We don’t have enough time.”

His words made sense—no one knew when the demonic qi would strike back, leaving everyone at a loss for words.

Master Xin said, “Actually, the key lies in the spiritual treasure guarding the eye of the formation. The stone tablet that served as the eye has been shattered, and only by replacing it with a new spiritual treasure that can absorb the demonic qi and seal the gap can we proceed. However…”

The problem was that such a spiritual treasure that could absorb the demonic qi wasn’t easy to find, and if it malfunctioned or lost control later on, it would mean starting all over again, which was quite troublesome.

As everyone contemplated and pondered, they heard Long Shen say, “I’ll do it.”

He Yu was greatly alarmed. “Boss!”

Long Shen said calmly, “When I fought against Otowa Yasuhiko in Japan, I was invaded by the demonic qi. After entering here, the internal and external demonic qi resonated with each other, and the symptoms intensified. But for now, I can still control my own body. I want to try absorbing more demonic qi to see if I can use poison against poison, using it to eliminate the original demonic qi inside me. Before the spiritual treasure is obtained, it will buy you more time.”

“No!” Song Zhicun decisively vetoed. “You absolutely cannot take such a risk. What if you are completely controlled by the demonic qi?”

He met Long Shen’s deep and serene eyes, as calm as a tranquil lake, and couldn’t say anything more.

Because Long Shen said, “Then kill me.”

……

Several hours on a plane were enough to exhaust an ordinary person, but Dong Zhi had concerns on his mind and didn’t feel particularly tired. However, shortly after disembarking from the plane, he received a call from He Yu.

“Xiao Dong Zhi, you need to persuade the Boss quickly!” He Yu sounded flustered and anxious. “He wants to sacrifice himself to guard the formation’s eye, and no matter how I try to convince him, he won’t listen!”

Dong Zhi’s heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean by sacrificing himself?”

“It means—”

On the other end of the phone, Yu Buhui snatched the phone.

“You calm down. I’ll talk to him.”

He spoke to He Yu and then placed the phone back to his ear.

“Hello, Dong Zhi. It’s me, Yu Buhui. I’m Long Shen’s junior brother.”

His tone was noticeably calmer than He Yu’s, but Dong Zhi was still confused by He Yu’s sudden words. Yu Buhui knew that Dong Zhi was listening, so he briefly explained the situation.

“At present, it’s difficult to seal the gap directly, so we need to use a new method. However, it will take time to transport the spiritual treasures and rearrange the stone tablets. Senior Brother wants to sacrifice himself to buy us time, but we think it’s too dangerous and don’t want him to take the risk. However, as you know, once he has decided on something, no one can stop him except for you.”

Dong Zhi regained his composure and was about to speak when he heard voices from the other side of the line. He faintly heard Long Shen’s voice and couldn’t help but say, “Master? Master?”

“It’s me,” Long Shen indeed took the phone and calmly replied.

“Master, what they said—is it all true?” Dong Zhi tried to remain composed.

“Yes.” Long Shen’s tone remained unchanged, as if the person who would take the risk wasn’t him. “When I fought against Otowa Yasuhiko, I was invaded by the demonic qi. Taking this risk now may actually increase the chances of success.”

“I’ll come find you right away!” Dong Zhi blurted out without hesitation.

He didn’t have time to think about it, and he didn’t even know if he had a solution, but he spoke those words without hesitation because, deep down, he felt that as long as he was with Long Shen, even the most dangerous situation could be resolved.

Even if it meant death, there would be one more person to face it together.

If one was not afraid of death, what else in this world was there to fear?

However, Long Shen said, “Don’t come.”

Dong Zhi anxiously replied, “I…”

“Don’t come,” Long Shen repeated, his tone slowing down. “I know you’re not afraid of death, and I know you want to be with me. I miss you too.”

When he said, “I miss you,” his tone was particularly gentle, causing Dong Zhi’s eyes to turn slightly red.

Long Shen: “But if you come, it won’t help, and you won’t be of any assistance. You should remember that I told you before to look for the notebook in my drawer. It contains information about demonic qi that can help me out of this predicament. Do you remember?”

“I remember.” Dong Zhi took a deep breath and suppressed the tears in his eyes. “But if there’s really a solution in there, why don’t you use it directly, and why do I need to find Cheng Hui for translation?”

“Because that method was orally passed down by Zong Lao before I went to Japan. I recorded it myself, but it’s quite complex. Now that I am invaded by demonic qi, I can’t be sure if what I say is truly from my heart. I can’t even trust myself. Only what is written on paper is the most genuine and reliable. I can’t test Zong Lao’s method right now, so I have to rely on you.” Long Shen explained.

Dong Zhi solemnly said, “Wait for me; hold on a little longer. I will find a solution.”

Long Shen: “Okay, I’ll wait for you.”

Since being invaded by demonic qi, he seemed to have become more sensitive, and his emotional fluctuations became more pronounced when facing Dong Zhi.

After hanging up the phone, he met the concerned gazes of He Yu and Yu Buhui. Yu Buhui disagreed, saying, “Are you lying to him?”

He Yu had a stronger reaction. “Boss, how could you do this? Dong Zhi will be furious when he finds out. Don’t underestimate his easygoing nature. If he knows you’re lying to him to buy time, he might come running to join you in sacrificing himself!”

Long Shen shook his head. “I didn’t lie to him.”

He Yu clearly didn’t believe it. He crouched down and said each word carefully, “Boss, I know in your eyes, I’m just a foolish mortal. Back in Group 2, you always looked out for us. Whenever we got into trouble, you were there to cover for us. If you’re not around anymore, with Kan Chaosheng’s temperament, which team would dare to take him in? Without you, is it still Group 2? Even if the higher-ups send someone to take over, I won’t acknowledge it! Even for us, for Xiao Dong Zhi, please don’t sacrifice yourself for some foolish notion of selflessness. We’ve already lost Che Bai and Zong Lao in quick succession; isn’t that enough?!”

Dong Zhi had already contacted Cheng Hui, and after hearing about the situation, Cheng Hui promised to come to Beijing immediately to help. However, even if he hurried down the mountain, took the same day’s train and plane to Beijing, it would still take at least half a day.

Zhang Song’s injuries had not fully healed, and he needed rest. After discussing with Liu Qingbo and the others, they decided to forgo rest and directly rush to Kunlun Mountain. Liu Si stayed behind to assist Dong Zhi.

As for Octopus Meika, everyone was too preoccupied to accommodate it, so they had to leave it at headquarters for now. Kan Chaosheng would take care of it. However, Dong Zhi was worried that the two immature monsters might cause trouble, so he asked Zhong Yuyi to keep an eye on them.

After hastily delegating important matters, Dong Zhi didn’t stop for a moment and headed straight to Long Shen’s office. He used the key he obtained from Kan Chaosheng to open the door and found the notebook Long Shen mentioned in the first drawer on the left side of his desk.

The notebook was covered with a childish and ridiculous children’s book cover titled <365 Fairy Tales>.

---

The author has something to say:

Finally, we’ve come to this point. This notebook first appeared in Chapter 4.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

For those who forgot, this notebook was lying on the bed when Dong Zhi was in the train car after being rescued by Long Shen. Unable to contain his curiosity, he snooped in it.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || Lore Glossary || >>>

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 148

“Wait a minute!”

He Yu doubted if he was experiencing auditory hallucinations, but then he thought it was impossible. He was young and energetic. How could he have a problem that only his master could have?

“Actually, are you talking about family? There’s a big difference between family and lovers!”

Yu Buhui: “…Are you questioning my language skills?”

The two of them stood in the supermarket, holding a bag of potato chips, staring at each other.

The cashier couldn’t bear to watch and was afraid they would start fighting, so she quickly said, “We still have that kind of potato chip. You don’t have to fight over it!”

She personally walked over and took out a new bag, handing it to He Yu.

He Yu reluctantly stopped.

“Today is not April Fool’s Day, right?”

Yu Buhui asked curiously, “Who has time to play with you? If I want to play, it would be with beautiful women.”

He Yu scratched his head. “I still think you’re joking with me! Look at our master. He looks like he’s not interested in worldly matters at all. It’s hard to imagine him being in a romantic relationship. If one day he starts dating you, I wouldn’t be surprised. After all, both of you are swords, and swords attract each other!”

Yu Buhui remained expressionless and picked up his phone. “I will tell Senior Brother exactly what you just said.”

He Yu quickly grabbed his phone and said with a smile, “No, no! I was just joking! Don’t take it so seriously, brother. I was just expressing my shock. How did you know such explosive news? It’s not because the boss told you, right?”

Yu Buhui: “Yes, he did tell me. We were on the plane back from Japan, sitting together. I saw him reading a book, so I took a peek. Turns out, he wasn’t reading a book, but looking at a drawing tucked inside it. The drawing was quite nice, so I asked him who drew it. He said it was Dong Zhi. I said your disciple is quite talented, not only good at vanquishing demons but also at drawing. And guess how he responded to me?”

“I don’t want to guess. Just tell me.” He Yu’s face was numb.

Yu Buhui smiled and said, “He said, not just a disciple. I asked, then what is he? He said, a lover.”

He Yu: …

Yu Buhui: “What’s with that expression? Aren’t you happy that your boss is in love? Oh, are you secretly in love with Dong Zhi?”

He Yu: “I’m in love with your head!”

Yu Buhui: “My head won’t do. It’s too handsome. You won’t have a chance.”

He Yu: “No! Don’t you find it strange? The boss wasn’t like this before. Did you completely get rid of Otowa Yasuhiko? Could it be that his lingering spirit possessed the boss?”

Yu Buhui looked at him as if he were a fool. “Then why would Otowa say that Dong Zhi was his lover when he possessed him? Do you think Otowa loves Dong Zhi?”

He Yu became frustrated. “You’ve confused me!”

Yu Buhui calmly said, “The fact is that Senior Brother and his disciple are together. You’re overthinking it.”

The two of them muttered in the supermarket at the gas station for a while, but they didn’t buy anything. The cashier was getting impatient with their expressions, and Long Shen, on the other end, called He Yu’s phone, unsurprisingly saying they needed to leave and for the two of them to come back quickly.

So the two of them didn’t even buy a bag of potato chips and walked out of the supermarket under the cashier’s almost burning gaze, returning to the car.

Long Shen still sat in his seat with his eyes closed, seemingly deep in thought. Whether it was He Yu’s imagination or not, he felt that Long Shen’s complexion seemed even paler than before. The car continued driving forward. It was a special vehicle dispatched by the Northwestern Branch. Apart from an elderly driver, only the three of them were inside. The car performed well, but the road conditions weren’t great. As the altitude increased, the scenery outside gradually changed. They had seen enough and lost interest. What interested He Yu more was the gossip between Long Shen and Dong Zhi.

At first, he didn’t dare to ask, but after enduring for over ten minutes, he felt as uncomfortable as if he were sitting on pins and needles. Unable to resist any longer, he turned his head and asked, “Boss, there’s something I want to ask you.”

Long Shen didn’t even open his eyes; it was unclear if he was sleeping or not. In the front seat, although Yu Buhui didn’t turn around, his ears perked up noticeably.

He Yu didn’t expect Long Shen to proactively ask him what was on his mind, so he continued, “Do you think the next time I see Dong Zhi, I should call him ‘Madam Long’ or ‘the Deputy Bureau’s husband’?”

Yu Buhui coughed loudly from the front seat, causing a commotion, but Long Shen lazily lifted his eyelid.

“Whatever you want.”

He Yu was shocked. With this attitude, did that mean he was accepting his words?! But with Long Shen’s attitude, he shouldn’t mind others knowing about it, right? He Yu’s eyes turned, and he smiled mischievously. “Boss, don’t blame me for being nosy and gossiping, but it’s just so unexpected. But no matter how you look at it, it’s a good thing. Me and Chaosheng used to worry that you would never marry, ah no, find someone who understands you. But now, it’s perfect. Your disciple is also your wife, killing two birds with one stone. As the representative of Team 2, I sincerely congratulate you on behalf of everyone!”

Before Long Shen could tell him to shut up, He Yu quickly continued inquiring, “How did you two reach this point? Did Dong Zhi pursue you, or did you pursue him?”

Finally, Long Shen opened his eyes and looked at him.

He Yu reflexively moved to the other side of his seat and covered his mouth, pretending to be pitiful.

What audacity! Yu Buhui looked at him disdainfully and took matters into his own hands.

“Boss, we don’t care about those conventional views. We’re genuinely happy for you.”

Long Shen’s complexion softened slightly, and along with that gentle change, He Yu’s anxious and fearful heart calmed down.

“Thank you.”

Upon hearing those words from Long Shen, the flame of gossip in He Yu’s heart began to burn fiercely once again.

“Boss, I guess it was Dong Zhi who pursued you first, right? But how did you agree to it? You weren’t moved, were you? Before that, Li Han’er also had genuine feelings for you, she persisted…”

Long Shen: “Stop talking.”

He Yu: “Huh?”

Long Shen furrowed his brows. “If you keep blabbering, I’ll throw you out of the car and let you walk to Kunlun.”

He Yu: …

Yu Buhui gave him a look that said, “You deserve it.”

Although he was curious himself, asking gossip required the right timing, location, and strategic speaking skills. He Yu’s straightforward and crude way of inquiring, fueled only by gossip, would definitely not yield any results.

The car fell silent again after Long Shen’s words, but He Yu’s attempt at pretending to be calm lasted only three seconds before he broke character. He didn’t dare to ask Long Shen any further, but he couldn’t contain himself. He picked up his phone and started sending messages one by one to the members of Team 2 from his contacts.

The first message was sent to Kan Chaosheng: [Do you know that the boss is together with Dong Zhi?]

Then to Liu Si: [I have some big news for you. The boss is dating Dong Zhi.]

Finally, to Zhong Yuyi: [Lao Zhong! Lao Zhong! Dong Zhi will be our Deputy Bureau’s wife from now on!]

Kan Chaosheng wasn’t required to go to Kunlun Mountain, as the General Administration Bureau still needed someone to stay behind. He was currently in the capital city and received the message first. Kan Chaosheng, who had transformed into a big yellow cat, lazily lounged on He Yu’s desk, swishing his tail back and forth, teasing the white cat under the desk that wanted to pounce on his tail. When the message appeared, the big yellow cat was in the middle of a gaming session, and he only spared a fraction of a second to glance at the message. He deemed it irrelevant to the matter at hand and didn’t know what He Yu was talking about, so he immediately dismissed it as spam and ignored it.

It was only after He Yu sent the messages that he realized something. Kan Chaosheng was already five hundred years old, which was considered immortal in human terms, but for monsters, five hundred years was just the age of understanding things. Kan Chaosheng’s temperament could be described as naive, almost childlike. Telling him about this was a complete mistake. Most likely, he was currently immersed in the game and couldn’t be bothered to discuss it with He Yu.

As for Zhong Yuyi, his reaction time was just too long. It wouldn’t be surprising if he only responded tomorrow.

Apart from these two people, the slightly more normal one in Team 2 was Liu Si. However, he was currently on the return journey with Dong Zhi on a ship, and the signal wasn’t good, so he might not be able to reply immediately.

But He Yu was already burning with a fervor of gossip that he couldn’t extinguish. He wished he could find someone with the same interests to discuss it endlessly, but it wouldn’t be interesting to talk to unfamiliar people. The people on Kunlun Mountain were probably already in a frenzy, so he couldn’t bother them. After thinking for a while, he reluctantly sent a message to Yu Buhui, who was in the same car.

He Yu: [I still feel like I’m dreaming right now.]

Yu Buhui: [I can tell. Your butt has been twisting and turning as if you’re sitting on pins and needles. If Senior Brother hadn’t kicked you out of the car, it would be out of sheer mercy.]

He Yu: …

He secretly glanced at Long Shen, who still had his eyes closed, showing no signs of awareness. He Yu breathed a sigh of relief and continued sending messages to Yu Buhui.

He Yu: [The boss, forget about him being in a romantic relationship. Can you imagine him looking at someone, especially a man, with tender affection? I feel like I’m covered in goosebumps.]

Yu Buhui: [Why are you, a grown man, so interested in your boss’ love life?]

He Yu: [You casually mentioned it earlier just to get me to ask, didn’t you? Don’t think I don’t see through your evil intentions!]

Yu Buhui: [Although I’m also interested, I’m not as excited as you. I can feel from head to toe that you’re radiating ‘I want the whole world to know that Long Shen is dating’ vibes. Be careful not to be scolded by Senior Brother.]

Just as He Yu finished speaking, he heard Long Shen say, “Why do you need to send text messages when you’re sitting right in front and behind each other? Can’t you just talk directly?”

He Yu stiffened, silently cursing Yu Buhui for jinxing it, unaware that Yu Buhui was also cursing him for being a gossipmonger and exposing himself.

“Boss, how did you know that we were exchanging messages?” He Yu forced a smile, not daring to lie.

Long Shen coldly replied, “Because the expressions on your faces and the smiles on your lips are exactly the same.”

He Yu forced a laugh. “We were afraid of disturbing your rest with our conversation!”

Long Shen said, “In this extraordinary time, you can say whatever you want, but don’t go disturbing people outside of Team 2.”

He knew He Yu’s nature for gossip and was certain that he would spread it everywhere.

He Yu hurriedly said, “Understood, I’ll only tell Kan Chaosheng, Zhong Yuyi, and Liu Si!”

Yu Buhui rolled his eyes in the front seat, thinking, ‘Is he stupid? He’s practically confessing.’

As expected, Long Shen glanced at He Yu, and He Yu’s body shivered. He could only reveal a silly smile.

Seeing that Long Shen didn’t show any further annoyance, He Yu couldn’t help but cautiously ask, “Boss, do you really like Dong Zhi? I mean, do you like him as a lover? Just don’t confuse your affection for your disciple with romantic love, cough cough. Of course, I’m not questioning your feelings, but I’m concerned as a friend and brother.”

After coming back to his senses, he began to worry about the two of them.

Dong Zhi was fine. He Yu could tell that Dong Zhi had admired Long Shen from the beginning. There was often no clear boundary between admiration and adoration, and it wasn’t surprising that someone as outstanding as Long Shen would be liked by Dong Zhi. As for a romantic relationship between a master and disciple, it was trivial compared to all the other issues in the world nowadays.

But He Yu couldn’t understand Long Shen’s thoughts. It wasn’t that Long Shen was very deep—on the contrary, He Yu felt that their boss was someone easy to understand. He never shied away from responsibility, and his sense of duty was even stronger than many humans’. He had his own set of principles when it came to ethics and work. From this perspective, Long Shen was pure, righteous, and principled.

The reason why He Yu found him hard to understand was because his way of doing things sometimes differed greatly from the majority. He often had unexpected behavior. Just like now, He Yu couldn’t comprehend Long Shen’s feelings towards Dong Zhi. Was it love or a mix-up of love and familial affection? Perhaps in the eyes of a sword, as long as it was affection, there seemed to be little difference between love for a disciple and love for a partner.

Long Shen tilted his head, propping his forehead with his hand. His complexion seemed a little listless, but he didn’t refuse to have a conversation with He Yu nor did he simply brush it off. Instead, he asked, “What do you think liking someone means?”

He Yu was taken aback and then said, “Um, wanting to see the person every day and being happy when you’re together, I guess.”

It was cruel to ask a single dog like him to answer this question. He Yu felt like crying and getting off the car.

He could only answer after immersing himself in his favorite game and struggling to find an answer.

Long Shen said, “When you’re unsure about which kind of liking it is, would you choose to speak up?”

He Yu thought for a moment and shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

If later on, it turned out that what he thought was liking wasn’t really liking, wouldn’t that be awkward?

Yu Buhui let out a contemptuous laugh.

Long Shen said, “Mortals’ lifespans are limited. I can afford to wait, but he can’t.”

Yu Buhui applauded. “Well said! Instead of wasting time on idle speculation, it’s better to cherish what we have now.”

He Yu was unconvinced. “But what if you meet someone you like more in the future and realize that Dong Zhi is just a relationship between master and disciple? How would you handle it then?”

Long Shen shook his head.

Just as He Yu thought he wouldn’t receive an answer, he heard Long Shen say, “No.”

Because he had already given all the little selfishness he had in this lifetime to Dong Zhi. From heaven to earth, there wouldn’t be another person like him.

After not hearing Long Shen continue speaking for a while, He Yu turned his head to look, and the other person had already closed his eyes as if he had fallen asleep.

He pursed his lips and noticed that he had received a new message on his phone.

Yu Buhui: [Pay up.]

They had made a bet in the supermarket earlier. He Yu bet that Long Shen would never voluntarily admit his feelings, while Yu Buhui bet that he would.

Obviously, Yu Buhui won the bet.

He Yu calmly added the other person to his block list and then tucked the phone into his pocket, pretending to sleep.

Yu Buhui: …Just you wait.

The relaxation in the car was just a small interlude. From night to day, and from day to evening, disregarding the driver’s rest breaks, when He Yu grew tired of looking at the scenery outside the window and couldn’t even muster interest in playing games, the car finally came to a stop.

But this wasn’t their final destination. They had stopped because they couldn’t go any further, and they needed to enter the depths of the mountains on foot to reach the Lengele Gorge.

There was a military outpost not far ahead, with soldiers on patrol. Long Shen showed them their credentials, gained permission, and they were able to continue.

Since the incident with the eye’s array, this area had been taken over by the military to prevent adventurers from accidentally entering and to ward off those with ill intentions. The Special Administration Bureau had focused all its efforts on repairing the gap in the eye’s array.

The three of them walked at a brisk pace and reached the Lengele Gorge in less than half a day. Compared to the desert sand outside, this place used to be covered in lush forests, with a spring-like climate all year round. But now, it had been mostly destroyed in the last earthquake. There were dead and withered plants and the remnants of animals along the way. Some had been charred by lightning strikes, while others had their eyes wide open, their bodies preserved but stiff, as if frozen in their final moments before death.

They soon saw familiar faces as they went deeper.

The more they walked, the more people they encountered—practitioners who had come from various places in response to the Special Administration Bureau and the various sects affiliated with the Bureau.

He Yu saw the figures of the elders from Mount Longhu and Maoshan, as well as the living Buddha dressed in a monk robe. He even saw his master, Sect Master Xin, from the Hezao Sect.

The incident this time had caused a great disturbance, and even Che Bai was sacrificed. Unable to seal the gap in the eye’s array, the Special Administration Bureau had no choice but to bring in more powerful individuals to handle the situation.

But as far as He Yu’s gaze could see, he noticed that everyone’s expressions weren’t good. The living Buddha was sitting on the ground, chanting softly, turning the prayer wheel. It didn’t look like he was setting up a formation but rather reciting scriptures for salvation. There were disciples supporting him by his side. He couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

Because halfway through the journey, he had contacted Song Zhicun and heard that with the concerted efforts of everyone, the demonic qi had been suppressed to the maximum extent. It seemed like they were on the verge of success. At that time, he had breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that there was still a chance to salvage the situation.

He Yu found Master Xin and saw that he looked exhausted, even more haggard than Long Shen. He appeared as though he hadn’t slept for days.

“Master, what’s going on? Wasn’t the gap about to be filled?” He Yu asked.

Sect Master Xin sighed. “It has split open again.”

“What?” He Yu was dumbfounded.

Sect Master Xin: “Zong Lao sacrificed himself.”

He Yu’s heart skipped a beat, and the brief relaxation he had during the journey vanished completely. “What happened?”

It was needless to say that, with such a big event, Zong Ling had been here all along. After Che Bai’s sacrifice, Song Zhicun also rushed over. It was he who took charge and gathered practitioners from various sects to assist. None of the three deputy directors were at the bureau, and the current director didn’t handle specific affairs. Zhang Xiankun, the retired former director, was appointed as the temporary acting deputy director to stay in the capital and maintain order. In addition, even Li Rui, Li Ying’s father, had rushed over to help.

After the demise of Che Bai and the Phoenix, the gap in the passage still remained, and the demonic qi continued to spread outward. Zong Ling, with her own strength, had guarded it for three days and nights, barely suppressing the outward flow of demonic qi.

Three days later, reinforcements from all sides arrived. They jointly set up a formation, led by Mount Longhu, Maoshan, the Hezao Sect, and Yuanming Palace, as the first line of defense to temporarily seal the demonic qi. Then three living Buddhas reinforced it as the second line of defense, and finally, Zong Ling personally used the Four Symbols Star-Setting Lamp to completely seal the abyss and the underworld. Long Shen and the others had traveled a long distance to deliver the Four Symbols Star-Setting Lamp to Zong Ling.

Originally, everything was going smoothly. Sect Master Xin, along with other figures such as the leader of Mount Longhu, hadn’t slept for three days and nights, tirelessly performing sealing rituals. They had finally managed to suppress the surging demonic qi. However, an unexpected incident occurred at that moment. In the dead of night, the ground of the passage suddenly cracked open, causing a large-scale collapse in the almost blocked gap. The demonic qi gushed out once again.

This time, it was even more severe than the previous eruption. The demonic qi contaminated an area of tens of miles, turning the sky into a hazy gray. It also triggered tremors in the earth and thunderstorms. Under the combined force of lightning and demonic qi, nearly all the animals near the canyon perished. The group was at a loss, and it was only when Zong Ling jumped into the pit alone, using the ancient power of the Four Symbols to barely prevent the further spread of the demonic qi. Sect Master Xin and the others were trying to reinforce the seal from the outside, which eventually led to the current state of calm.

He Yu’s face was filled with disbelief. “Zong Lao is the Four Symbols of ancient times. Is sacrificing oneself the only solution?”

Sect Master Xin replied with a heavy tone, “All beings in heaven and earth have a limited lifespan. Zong Lao’s life is nearing its end, and her divine soul has already been infused into the Four Symbol Star-Setting Lamp. Her power isn’t as strong as before. Besides sacrificing herself to seal the demonic qi, there is no other way.”

While the master and disciple were having their conversation, Long Shen and Yu Buhui had already walked inside. As they entered the valley, they could already sense the intense demonic qi. However, the closer they got to the edge of the pit, the stronger the demonic qi became. It rushed at them like a fierce wind, causing Yu Buhui’s face to pale in fear.

Most of the people present had their qi protecting them, as well as talismans and Buddhist dharma to shield themselves. For the time being, they weren’t in great danger. However, if the demonic qi continued to leak out and the gap continued to expand, not only would the animals in this area be affected, but even ordinary people outside would be in danger. It would truly become the dark world that Otowa Yasuhiko and Songen had anticipated.

Not far away, an area of collapsed ground, about the size of half a football field, appeared in front of them.

With a cursory glance, Yu Buhui noticed the presence of the leader of Mount Longhu and a living Buddha from a Tibetan sect sitting around the collapsed area. These people were all famous figures in the practitioner world, and it wasn’t easy to gather them together. However, they had come from all directions, willing to use their half-lifetime of cultivation to resist this impending catastrophe.

In the center of the collapsed pit, black demonic qi pervaded the surroundings, sometimes dense and sometimes faint. However, the people remained vigilant and didn’t relax their guard. Demonic creatures were cunning and deceptive, and even the demonic qi was adept at misleading people. Often, they would intentionally show weakness, only to launch a counterattack at the opportune moment. With many powerful individuals gathered here and the suppression from Xuanwu’s* power, the demonic qi seemed weak and on the verge of extinction.

*Also known as Zhenwu or Zhenwudadi, is a revered deity in Chinese religion, one of the higher-ranking deities in Taoism. He is revered as a powerful god, able to control the elements and capable of great magic.

Long Shen stood on the side, watching as everyone worked hard to set up the formation. He could tell that Zhang Boyuan, the leader of Mount Longhu, and Chi Sang, the Living Buddha, were the leaders of the formation. They were like the two ends of a string, maintaining the balance of the formation. If one of them were to suddenly lose control, the entire formation would collapse.

At that moment, an evil thought suddenly emerged in Long Shen’s mind. Zhang Boyuan was defenseless and no match for him at all. If he were to approach him now, it would only take half a second to kill him. What would the situation be like afterward? If the formation collapsed and the demonic qi, which was barely contained, was completely unleashed, the demonic creatures in the abyss would break free and rampage in the human world. Everyone here would become sacrifices to the demonic creatures.

Many people have had this experience: once a certain thought arises, it takes root like a seed in the ground and cannot be removed.

Long Shen had never experienced this before. He never had uncontrollable thoughts. However, this evil thought came on aggressively and momentarily took over his mind.

He didn’t realize that his expression had become unpredictable, and he had even taken a step forward.

“Director Long!” Song Zhicun’s voice came from behind.

Long Shen’s body trembled imperceptibly, and he closed his eyes for a moment. When he turned around, his expression had returned to normal, showing no signs of anything unusual.

“What’s the situation now? I brought the Four Symbols Star-Setting Lamp,” he said.

“It’s not looking optimistic.” Song Zhicun’s face turned serious. “After Zong Lao sacrificed herself, most of the demonic qi have been brought under control. Sect Master Zhang, the head of Mount Longhu, and the others are intensifying their formation in an attempt to completely seal the demonic qi. However, there is still a small amount of demonic qi leaking out. If we can’t come up with a better solution, even if we manage to temporarily control the situation, the passage will still collapse completely in a short time, and the gap may become even more severe than it is now.”

In simple terms, no matter how powerful the formation of these cultivators was, it couldn’t compare to the ancient stone monument. Without the stone tablet of the eye, the formation was like a bottle without its stopper. No matter how hard they tried, the new stopper they made would never be as effective as the original. Once the bottle was tilted, the water would continue to seep out. If the water pressure increased, the stopper could be washed away.

“What should we do now?” Long Shen asked.

Song Zhicun sighed and shook his head. “Now is the time when the demonic qi is weakest. I plan to hold an impromptu meeting to gather everyone’s ideas. Maybe we can come up with some solutions.”

Long Shen nodded and handed the box containing the Four Symbols Star-Setting Lamp to Song Zhicun. “That’s fine. I’ll go rest over there for a bit.”

Song Zhicun knew that Long Shen had rushed back after his confrontation with Otowa Yasuhiko in Japan. Wu Bingtian and the others could stay in Beijing to recover, but Long Shen had no time to rest. Song Zhicun said, “The red tent over there is mine. Go inside and get some rest. I’ll call you when the meeting starts!”

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<<< || Table of Contents || Lore Glossary || >>>

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 147

He quickly chased after the beauty to explain, leaving Dong Zhi glancing at their backs. Dong Zhi took out his phone and began dialing a number.

The signal at sea was very poor, sometimes interrupted, and most of the time the call couldn’t go through. But when it did connect, Long Shen’s calls remained unanswered, and the messages sent by Dong Zhi seemed to disappear without a trace. He comforted himself, thinking that Long Shen and the others might still be in Japan and hadn’t activated their original numbers yet. Their trip to Japan was both secretive and crucial, and until they achieved great success, nobody would know what happened.

However, the prolonged lack of contact still made Dong Zhi somewhat uneasy. He knew that Long Shen had faced countless dangers, and what seemed like a difficult situation in his eyes might be a piece of cake for Long Shen, especially with Wu Bingtian, Tang Jing, and the others on this trip. But subjective emotions like worry and anxiety didn’t diminish by half just because of rational analysis. Usually, he could calm himself by touching his Changshou Sword, but now it had no effect, and he felt even more restless.

After thinking for a moment, Dong Zhi dialed a different number. This time, luck was on his side, and both the signal and the call connected. It rang twice before someone answered on the other end.

He Yu’s long-lost but familiar voice came through.

“Xiao Dong Zhi?”

“It’s me, Lao He.” Dong Zhi naturally smiled. “How have you been lately? Are you still looking for the stone tablets?”

Although he and Long Shen were master and disciple, their relationship had become extraordinary. But strictly speaking, it was He Yu who had led him into the world of cultivation. He Yu encouraged him to study magical arts and introduced Dong Zhi to the Hezao Sect. Although they later traveled far and wide, in Dong Zhi’s heart, he always regarded He Yu as a dear brother and trusted friend, someone he could confide in.

“No, I’m on my way to Kunlun Mountain now. Something happened,” He Yu casually replied, and there was some background noise on his end, sounding like he was on a train or some other mode of transportation.

Dong Zhi was taken aback and hurriedly asked, “What happened?”

Instead of answering, He Yu asked him, “I heard your competition was on an island in the Atlantic Ocean where there was no cell phone signal. How come you’re calling? Are you trying to seek help from outside?”

Hearing his usual nonchalant tone, Dong Zhi relaxed a bit and thought that the “incident” he mentioned was probably exaggerated. So he played along and deliberately lowered his voice, saying, “Don’t mention it. The organizing committee prepared four islands, but there were zombies and an octopus monster. And in the end, there was even an island that turned into a sea serpent. Even the organizing committee didn’t expect that. Only one person from the Russian team and one person from the Japanese team survived. Haa, those Russians, we even had a meal with them at the hotel before!”

On the other end of the phone, He Yu couldn’t help but slightly open his mouth in surprise. It seemed that even he hadn’t expected Dong Zhi and his team’s journey to be so thrilling.

The person sitting next to him noticed his expression and frowned slightly, showing a questioning look. But He Yu couldn’t spare the time to answer and could only gesture at the person, continuing his conversation with Dong Zhi.

“Fuck, are those Americans that despicable? They did it on purpose, right? How are you guys? Is everyone okay?”

He Yu had also participated in exchange conferences, and their previous one had a significant level of danger as well. But compared to their usual missions, that danger was manageable. The heavy losses and the remnants of a ship like Dong Zhi’s team were rare occurrences, indicating an accident in the committee’s inadequate preparations. Due to this incident, it was unknown whether the next exchange conference would proceed as planned.

Dong Zhi: “We’re all fine. Zhang Song used a forbidden technique, so he got seriously injured, but everyone else is recovering well. And…”

He deliberately paused before saying with a smile, “We won the championship this time.”

At the other end of the phone, He Yu exclaimed, “Well done, Xiao Dong Zhi! You’ve made quite a name for yourself this time! Back when the boss refused to take you in, I was the only one with a discerning eye. I went against popular opinion, believing in your exceptional talent and outstanding aptitude. Even if you took a detour, I knew you would eventually surpass others and become a rising star, a late bloomer, a…”

“Alright, alright!” Dong Zhi’s head was spinning from his words. “It’s all thanks to you. I’ll make sure to reward you properly when I get back!”

He Yu didn’t take advantage of the situation as he usually did, shouting about what he wanted to eat. Instead, he said, “Then you guys stay in the US for a few more days. No need to rush back. Just defeat those Americans first; otherwise, it would be a big loss this time!”

Dong Zhi keenly sensed something unusual in his words. “He Yu, what are you doing in Kunlun Mountain? Did something happen?”

“It’s related to the stone tablets, but it’s nothing major. Zong Lao and the others are there, so what could go wrong? Take your break properly. Even if you’re an apprentice, don’t become like the boss, always busy and unable to relax!” He Yu said in his usual carefree manner.

Dong Zhi thought about it and said, “Did Master and the others return to the country?”

He Yu instinctively looked up at the person beside him, seeing the person slightly shaking their head before saying, “No, he hasn’t returned yet. Don’t worry too much. The boss is much stronger than you, and there’s Boss Wu and the others. Nothing will happen. I have to go. I’m in a meeting with someone here. We’ll talk later!”

After ending the call, Dong Zhi had a pensive expression. He knew that Zong Lao was an advisor to the Special Administration Bureau and usually wouldn’t interfere in specific affairs unless something major required their intervention. Even when dealing with the Archfiend, Heavenly Demon, and even ancient monsters like Wuzhiqi, Zong Lao and the others didn’t get involved. However, He Yu specifically mentioned Zong Lao this time, indicating that the situation must have reached a certain degree of seriousness, contradicting his earlier statement of “nothing major.”

Kunlun Mountain, stone tablets, Otowa Yasuhiko…

He silently repeated these key words in his mind, trying to connect them.

……

He Yu sneezed.

Muttering a few sentences to himself, he saw the person sitting beside him remaining silent and couldn’t help but say, “Boss, Xiao Dong Zhi isn’t a fool. If I say it like this, he will eventually figure out the truth!”

Long Shen kept his eyes closed and said nothing.

At this moment, they were on their way from the capital to Kunlun Mountain. When Long Shen and the others returned from Japan, they met He Yu, who had been waiting for them in the capital. They heard the dreadful news that came from Kunlun Mountain.

Including Long Shen, no one had expected that the few words Otowa Yasuhiko uttered before his death weren’t just arrogant threats out of unwillingness, but prophecies on the verge of becoming reality.

However, Wu Bingtian lost an arm, and Li Ying and Tang Jing were severely injured, so the only person who managed to rush over with Long Shen was Yu Buhui. Song Zhicun and the others were already waiting for them on Kunlun Mountain.

With a long and arduous journey ahead and thinking about the possible situation on Kunlun Mountain right now, He Yu became so anxious that he couldn’t even focus on playing games anymore.

“That idiot Otowa! Everything started because of him. If he hadn’t already died a thousand deaths, I would crush his damn corpse to ashes! No, crushing his bones and scattering his ashes wouldn’t be enough to vent my anger. I should bury him in Nanjing and let him hear the wailing of countless ghosts every night…”

“Stop the nonsense!” In the instant Long Shen opened his eyes, a trace of annoyance flickered on his face.

Although that tiny hint of impatience quickly disappeared, He Yu was still startled. In his impression, Long Shen was always so calm and composed. He never saw him panicking, no matter how difficult the problem was. Even though the current situation was indeed urgent, Long Shen’s reaction was somewhat unusual.

“Boss,” He Yu cautiously asked, “Are you alright?”

From the capital to Kunlun Mountain, taking a plane wasn’t as convenient as taking a train. But after reaching Tibet, they would have to transfer to a car, making the journey long and winding. People with weaker constitutions couldn’t bear it. Considering this, He Yu couldn’t help but express concern. “Did you get injured in Japan?”

Long Shen seemed to realize his own slip-up. He paused for a moment, rubbed his nose bridge, and smoothed away the weariness on his brow.

“I’m fine. How is Dong Zhi doing?”

He Yu exclaimed, “They won the championship, but it was quite dangerous. There was an unexpected accident that even the organizing committee didn’t anticipate, and they almost lost their lives.”

Long Shen couldn’t help but furrow his brow again. “Is he okay?”

He Yu: “They’re fine, but why didn’t you let me tell him that you’ve returned?”

Long Shen calmly said, “If he knew I came back from Japan and immediately rushed to Kunlun Mountain without a moment’s delay, he would definitely guess that the situation here is severe. He would also try to come back as soon as possible, but they must have been injured, and their return wouldn’t be of much help. It’s better to let them rest there and not worry too much.”

He Yu chuckled. “Boss, I have to admit my mistake. I thought when you took Xiao Dong Zhi as your disciple, you would push him to the limit. But you actually care for him so much. If I had known you were such a doting master, I would have shamelessly begged you to be my master!”

Long Shen knew that he was joking around to relieve the fatigue and tension of the journey, but he shook his head, clearly not in the mood to play along. He said, “Explain the details of the Lengele Gorge clearly.”

He Yu’s smile disappeared, and his expression became solemn.

That night, a loud explosion echoed from the depths of the Lengele Gorge, marking only the beginning. By then, everyone already knew that the eye of the Eight-Diagram Demon Sealing Array was on Kunlun Mountain. Therefore, the members of the Special Administration Bureau were stationed there day and night. But the closest to the gorge that night were Zong Ling and Che Bai, who naturally arrived at the scene the fastest.

As they rushed there without stopping, they encountered two people stumbling out of the gorge, looking disoriented and terrified. Despite Zong Ling and Che Bai’s attempts to stop them, a conflict broke out. The two Japanese individuals were no match for Zong Ling and Che Bai. Meanwhile, the seismic activity grew stronger. Rocks continuously rolled down from above, and the ground started to crack. With no other choice, Zong Ling and Che Bai had to bring the Japanese individuals deeper into the gorge while questioning them.

The two Japanese individuals struggled and resisted, even when facing death. Zong Ling tapped one of them on the forehead, causing them to become dazed and finally reveal all the information.

It turned out that these two individuals were named Otowa Kento, Otowa Yasuhiko’s great-grandnephew, and Yamashita Ryota, a disciple of Fujikawa Aoi.

The story began several decades ago.

As a commander during the Sino-Japanese War, Japanese imperial member Asaka Yasuhiko obtained an unidentified stone box from the Yangtze River. He went to great lengths to open the box and merge with the demonic qi sealed within it, gradually transforming his physical body into a demon. He managed to escape post-war trials and changed his name to Otowa Yasuhiko. Utilizing his connections and wealth, he built a massive business empire for himself.

Long Shen and his team learned about these events and confronted Otowa Yasuhiko in Japan, confirming the information from his own mouth.

However, what Long Shen and his team didn’t know, and what Otowa didn’t reveal, was that during the process of merging with the demonic qi in the stone box, he glimpsed an ancient war and discovered a secret unknown to anyone else.

In ancient times, the abyss of hell was connected to the human realm, and demons roamed without restraint. To suppress them, the Eight-Diagram Demon Sealing Array was created. What the array actually sealed was a passage to the abyss of hell, with its focal point located on Kunlun Mountain. Through his communication with the demonic qi in the stone box, Otowa learned that to break the array and completely unravel the seal, it wasn’t necessary to destroy all the Eight-Diagram Stone Tablets. Instead, destroying over half of them would naturally loosen the seal of the focal point. At that time, someone would need to go to the location of the focal point, destroy the sealing stone tablet, and release the beast that guarded it. Once the seal and the guardians were gone, the gates of hell would be fully opened to the human realm.

After transforming into a demon, Otowa began preparing for this plan. He collected ancient records from China that mentioned the whereabouts of the stone tablets. However, the records were vague at best and only provided clues. Cracking these clues and finding over half of the stone tablets to destroy them wasn’t an easy task. It was destined to be a search spanning decades or even centuries. However, it seemed that even fate sided with Otowa. As time went on and his fusion with the demonic qi grew deeper, he received more information within the qi. Meanwhile, the desires and impurities of the human world also affected the stone tablets. Some tablets didn’t even require his intervention and were damaged over the passage of time. For example, the stone tablet below Mount Shaohua loosened during a massive earthquake several hundred years ago, causing some demonic qi to escape westward and eventually leading to a catastrophic event that swept across Europe.

Later, Fujikawa Aoi and his disciple secretly went to Changbai Mountain to destroy a stone tablet, thereby summoning the bone dragon and allowing Dong Zhi to step foot into the magnificent and fantastical realm. With the death of the bone dragon and the destruction of the stone tablet, the Special Administration Bureau embarked on a journey to uncover the secrets of the stone tablets. However, they were a few decades behind Otowa and lacked direct communication with the demonic qi like he did. They could only follow in Otowa’s footsteps, passively guarding the stone tablets.

Just when the members of the Special Administration Bureau were relieved that the stone tablets beneath Yinchuan and beneath the Huai River were protected and decided to send people to Japan to deal with Otowa Yasuhiko and resolve everything, the cunning Otowa had already anticipated their plans. He deliberately set a trap to lure Long Shen and his team to Japan, diverting the attention of the Special Administration Bureau to Japan. At the same time, he sent his own people, namely Otowa Kento and Yamashita Ryota, to Kunlun Mountain to destroy the focal point and summon the guardian beast, fully opening the passage.

Upon hearing this, Zong Ling and Che Bai felt that something was amiss and pressed Otowa Kento for answers.

“If the Eight-Diagram Demon Sealing Array requires over half of the stone tablets to loosen the seal, why were you able to open it when only three tablets were destroyed?”

Mount Changbai, Mount Shaohua, and Sanxingdui—these three places had only one damaged tablet each.

Otowa Kento had idolized Otowa Yasuhiko since he was young. The details of Otowa’s transformation into a demon were known by few in his family; Otowa Kento was one of them, indicating that he had earned Otowa Yasuhiko’s favor. Otowa even promised to infuse him with demonic qi, making him an immortal humanoid creature, once he returned from Kunlun Mountain and achieved something significant.

However, despite his rigorous training, Otowa Kento was still just a human and no match for Zong Ling and Che Bai. With a single gesture from Zong Ling, he experienced intense pain in his forehead, and his whole body was tormented as if by needles. He endured it for a while but couldn’t bear it any longer, so he confessed everything.

“There is another stone tablet that has long been destroyed… you don’t know…” Otowa Kento’s face twisted as he spoke intermittently.

“Where is it?” Zong Ling questioned sharply.

Zong Ling had always been composed and elegant, rarely showing such a sense of urgency. But now, she and Che Bai rushed toward the depths of the gorge, their figures almost becoming blurred in the wind. However, they were still not fast enough. The explosions became increasingly intense, shaking the earth and causing a brilliant light mixed with surging demonic qi to burst out. It was like a volcanic eruption—an unstoppable force!

Seeing this, the color drained from Yamashita Ryota’s face. They had escaped from that place and knew firsthand the horrifying situation there. He struggled desperately to escape, but in Che Bai’s hands, not even ten Yamashita Ryotas, let alone his master Fujikawa Aoi, could do anything.

Che Bai reached behind him and applied pressure to Yamashita’s neck. Yamashita screamed in pain, and his body went limp.

Unable to endure the excruciating pain that felt like a thousand needles piercing his heart, Otowa Kento quickened his pace of speech. “It’s beneath the Dragon Hole in the South China Sea… During World War II, when Japan was at war with the United States in the Pacific… due to a torpedo’s mistake, the stone tablet buried deep under the sea was destroyed. Both Lord Otowa and I learned about it from the messages within the demonic qi…”

Zong Ling and Che Bai exchanged glances, both revealing unmasked astonishment.

In other words, Otowa Yasuhiko had long known the specific location of the focal point, but he had kept it hidden and deliberately led the members of the Special Administration Bureau on a convoluted path.

Except for Otowa, no one else knew about the stone tablet that had long been destroyed beneath the South China Sea. Holding this trump card, Otowa had set up an enormous trap and even exploited Songen’s desire to resurrect the Heavenly Demon, pulling him into the scheme to distract the Special Administration Bureau’s attention.

When the stone tablet at Mount Changbai shattered, the focal point loosened, and the seal teetered on the brink of collapse—it was all predestined. However, at that time, Otowa wasn’t yet prepared. His power wasn’t strong enough, and he feared that once the seal was lifted, he would become a stepping stone for the resurrection of a Great Demon, just like Songen. He desired the power of darkness for his own ambition, not out of selfless dedication to the darkness. Hence, he sent Fujikawa Aoi, Ming Xian, and others to destroy the stone tablets and confuse the Special Administration Bureau’s investigation, while he secretly accumulated his own strength.

It was only when the Special Administration Bureau sent people to Japan to assassinate Otowa that he deemed the timing ripe to unveil the unsealing.

Unfortunately, all of his calculations and schemes were in vain. Despite his efforts, he ultimately met a tragic end. However, once the gears of fate started turning, they couldn’t be stopped. Even if Otowa Yasuhiko were still alive, he would no longer be able to control the course of events.

From the moment the two Japanese individuals entered the depths of the Lengele Gorge and completely destroyed the seal, the situation had entered an irreversible stage.

The Lengele Gorge was like spring all year round, but beneath its beautiful scenery, hidden dangers lurked. Even the closest residents dared not enter this deadly place. When Che Bai and Zong Ling arrived at the depths of the gorge, they found a huge crater on the ground, with black demonic qi gushing out incessantly.

Merely uncovering the sealed stone tablets couldn’t cause such massive destruction in a short time. The light that Che Bai and Zong Ling had seen earlier was actually a phoenix.

It was originally buried here after its death to guard the focal point, but over the long years, it had become tainted by demonic qi, gradually transforming into a demonic phoenix.

Although the phoenix was dead, its power remained formidable, especially with the influence of demonic qi. It had evolved from a guardian beast into a full-fledged demon. With the sealed stone tablets removed and the unique climate of the area, it would take some time for anyone to notice. These two Japanese individuals, acting on Otowa’s orders, came to unearth the stone tablets and use onmyoji techniques and forbidden spells to destroy them. With the phoenix no longer suppressed, it emerged with a thunderous roar, enveloped in demonic qi!

……

He Yu provided a detailed account. Although he wasn’t present at the time, he could deduce more details from Zong Ling’s descriptions. As he narrated the events to Long Shen and Yu Buhui, it still conveyed the intense danger they faced at the time.

“So, Che Bai perished along with the phoenix?” Yu Buhui spoke softly upon hearing this.

He Yu nodded and sighed. “The phoenix is, after all, a divine beast, and it had fully transformed into a demon. The situation was critical, and the seal had already been destroyed, rendering it impossible to contain. Zong Lao said that Che Bai was already nearing the end of his life, so now he rests in peace. However, although the phoenix is dead, the passage still remains. Currently, the Special Administration Bureau, Mount Longhu, Maoshan, Yueming Palace, and my master, among many others, have already rushed over. It’s said that they are temporarily setting up a formation to control the situation, but we don’t know if they can seal the abyssal passage.”

“Let’s go and see for ourselves,” Long Shen calmly concluded the conversation.

He Yu hesitated to speak further, but Yu Buhui gave him a meaningful look, and he understood, keeping silent.

While Long Shen was resting with his eyes closed and didn’t get off the car, the vehicle stopped at a gas station. He Yu and Yu Buhui entered a supermarket one after another and took the opportunity of buying things to have a private conversation.

“Why do I feel like something is off with the boss? Did he encounter something in Japan?” He Yu asked.

“He was the one who fought against Otowa, so he might have been injured, but he didn’t show it in front of us,” Yu Buhui said. “You should know him. He keeps everything to himself and won’t reveal anything until the very last moment. Maybe you should inform his disciple privately and let him come back as soon as possible. His presence might bring some normalcy to Senior Brother.”

Although Long Shen had mentioned that he had no sect, no master, and no father, Yu Buhui referred to him as “Senior Brother”. He Yu seemed accustomed to this term and didn’t find it inappropriate.

He Yu rubbed his chin and said, “The boss told us to let Xiao Dong Zhi rest properly. Even if he comes, he won’t be able to help much.”

Yu Buhui responded, “Having loved ones around is always better than having strangers. I think Senior Brother simply doesn’t want him to worry, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he doesn’t want him to come.”

He Yu: ?????

---

<<< || Table of Contents || Lore Glossary || >>>

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 146

Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, known as the Four Symbols.

Since the establishment of the Special Administration Bureau, this lamp had been kept in the deepest corner of the warehouse, numbered 001, covered in dust for a long time. It wasn’t that others didn’t want to bring it out for use, but because it couldn’t be used before. Among the Four Symbols, only three were in place. It was only when Zong Ling infused her own divine essence that this Four Symbols Star-Setting Lamp truly came to “life”.

Zong Ling was the Black Tortoise among the Four Symbols.

“The Four Symbols determine the stars, the myriad gods gather their troops. The North Star burns the bones, the mysterious water cleanses impurities. With this lamp, extinguish a thousand evil spirits, eliminate all demons, begone!”

As Long Shen chanted the spell, each word enunciated from his mouth, the bronze mythical beasts on the corners of the lamp slightly moved, and four rays of light shone from their corners, converging into a rainbow in the center of the lamp, transforming into starlight, and condensing into a brilliant flame in an instant. Before the demonic qi had a chance to escape, it seemed to be held firmly by an invisible hand, unable to move.

The radiance of the Fixed Star Lamp grew brighter and brighter, like moonlight illuminating the night, dispelling the darkness. Long Shen released his hand, and the lamp remained suspended in mid-air, unwavering.

Otowa Yasuhiko, who was outside, immediately sensed that something was amiss. He had already sensed the demonic qi entering Long Shen’s body, indicating that the great task was about to be completed. In the next moment, an ominous premonition connected to his flesh and blood emerged. Otowa Yasuhiko hesitated for a second before deciding to retreat immediately. But it was already too late.

Just as this thought arose, he saw a surge of light in front of him, breaking through the oppressive demonic qi and rushing towards him.

Without saying a word, Otowa Yasuhiko turned around and ran!

His path was blocked.

It was a white tiger formed from condensed white mist. Its front half crouched down slightly, while its eyes were fixed on him, exuding a dangerous aura ready to strike. On his left, right, and behind him were a dragon, a phoenix, and a turtle, all formed from the same white mist. They guarded the four directions, blocking all of Otowa Yasuhiko’s escape routes. No matter how the demonic qi raged and howled, it couldn’t break through the encirclement of the Four Symbols.

Above his head, an overwhelming sword intent surged, rushing toward him with a killing intent!

Otowa Yasuhiko looked up and saw a sword light descending from the sky with unstoppable force. Wherever it passed, the demonic qi wailed and dispersed, turning to dust and disappearing in a puff of smoke. His eyes turned bloodshot as he shouted and raised the Kusanagi no Tsurugi high above his head. Black demonic qi erupted from his body in an instant. Even if the Longyuan was formidable, his demonic sword was the strongest!

The earth shook, and the mountains crumbled. People who were sound asleep in the middle of the night were awakened, but they soon became unfazed. For this island accustomed to frequent tremors, earthquakes were nothing out of the ordinary.

However, at the Atsuta Shrine, Wu Bingtian, Li Ying, and the others were filled with alarm.

The clash between the demonic qi and the sword qi caused a massive explosion. The ground cracked, bricks and stones were sucked into a vortex, and the sky was filled with lightning and thunder, as if everything in the world was about to be destroyed.

“The enchantment is about to break!” Wu Bingtian exclaimed.

The inevitable shattering of the enchantment was at hand, but breaking at this moment might not be a good thing. Under the shockwave of the explosion, no one could escape unharmed. Wu Bingtian and Li Ying hid in a relatively safe corner, watching the surroundings transform. Finally, the true world that had imprisoned them for countless days and nights was revealed. In the corner of his eye, Yin Buhui saw Tang Jing still clutching a dilapidated ancient qin, kneeling there, about to be engulfed by the explosion. He quickly rolled and crawled over, forcibly pulling Tang Jing away.

Just as he dragged him away, the shockwave swept through the spot they had just been, destroying everything in its path.

The powerful explosion quickly spread. As far as the eye could see, the trees and buildings within the shrine were reduced to ruins. Even Wu Bingtian and the others, who reacted swiftly, could only take refuge in the narrow space between two collapsed pillars.

In the distance, panicked cries for help could be heard, but Wu Bingtian and his companions were too preoccupied to attend to others. Moreover, this was Otowa Yasuhiko’s territory, and the shrine priests and shrine maidens outside must have known his true identity. They were reaping what they had sown.

Compared to the distant screams, what echoed in everyone’s ears was Otowa Yasuhiko’s unwillingness and resentment as he was forced to retreat inch by inch.

“Long Shen, do you think that defeating me will make everything fine?” accompanied by the thunderous sound of collapsing buildings, a wicked laughter resounded. Otowa Yasuhiko’s voice was hoarse as he spoke, enunciating each word. “Did you really think that all eight stone tablets had to be destroyed in the Eight Directions Demon Suppression Array to cause complete destruction? You are gravely mistaken!”

He realized that the sword qi that had trapped him and prevented his movement suddenly paused. This was undoubtedly because Long Shen had heard his words and harbored doubts.

Otowa Yasuhiko couldn’t help but laugh aloud. “You Chinese have a saying, ‘Attack the east while striking the west.*’ I lured you all here, from beginning to end. It was all part of a plan! Killing me is useless. The Abyssal Passage will open soon, and when that happens…”

*Idiom referring to a strategic tactic where one deliberately creates a distraction or diversion in one direction to mislead or confuse the enemy while the actual attack takes place from another unexpected direction.

As he spoke, the demonic energy qi from his hand holding the Kusanagi no Tsurugi engulfed his entire being, transforming into a tumultuous mass of demonic qi that merged with the sword light!

Terrifying killing intent broke through the demonic qi and surged towards Otowa Yasuhiko. His face changed dramatically as he realized in horror that his own demonic qi was gradually being consumed by the sword light. Even when he used his entire body’s demonic qi, he couldn’t mount a counterattack. It started from his limbs, then his body. The powerful demonic qi and vitality he had painstakingly cultivated and maintained every day with fresh hearts were devoured bit by bit by the sword light, leaving no trace of remnants.

No!!!

Since his transformation into a demon, he had believed that he had obtained the power of eternal life. At this moment, he truly realized that he was about to disappear completely from this world. He felt the fear that comes before death. He hadn’t witnessed the complete arrival of the dark world, he hadn’t gone to the Abyssal Hell to obtain supreme power. He didn’t want to disappear. As the one who opened the Abyssal Passage, he deserved to be rewarded!

How many people died because of him, and he took pleasure in it, enjoying the superiority of watching others struggle in pain. He had once mocked those who were cowardly and afraid of death, ridiculing them for lacking courage and integrity. However, it was only at this moment that Otowa Yasuhiko realized that he too feared death, feared disappearance.

With wide eyes and a distorted face, he exerted all his strength to struggle, but it was futile. He could only remain conscious and watch as his body, transformed by demonic qi, was torn apart bit by bit and crushed into pieces. The pain made him involuntarily scream at the top of his lungs, but amidst the explosions of the surrounding barrier, his voice seemed so insignificant.

In the intense light, Otowa Yasuhiko opened his mouth wide as tears streaked down his face. He gradually disappeared until there was nothing left. The residual demonic qi was trapped by the four divine beasts, futilely struggling, and eventually was completely crushed by the sword light, reduced to dust.

The light slowly dimmed, and the four divine beasts roared silently as they transformed into rays of light and flew back into the lamp.

Long Shen landed on the ground and bent down to pick up the lamp. The brilliant starlight on its surface had vanished, and the Four Symbols Star-Setting Lamp had returned to its old, unremarkable appearance, weathered and mottled.

The commotion of the explosion finally subsided.

Wu Bingtian’s chest heaved heavily, and a buzzing sound seemed to echo in his ears. He struggled to get up but was hindered by Li Ying’s leg pressing on his abdomen. The smoke and dust choked his nostrils as Li Ying coughed a few times. “Boss Wu, it feels like my leg is broken.”

Wu Bingtian forced a pale smile. “It’s fine. I still have an arm. As long as we’re alive, everything will be alright!”

Yu Buhui also dragged Tang Jing over. Tang Jing was already seriously injured and was now in a semi-conscious state. However, he still clenched his fist tightly, and no one could pry it open. Inside was Ding Lan’s lingering soul that Ming Xian had entrusted to him.

Seeing this, Wu Bingtian sighed. “Don’t try to force it open. Let’s take him back first and then deal with it.”

As the smoke cleared, the few of them sat or stood, looking at the courtyard that was once an enchantment had now been razed flat.

With no buildings to obstruct their view, their sight became wide open. They easily noticed that not far away, Kitaichi Eiko was lying on the ground, lifeless. Since the moment she was possessed by the demonic qi, she was no longer herself. Just now, when the sword light absorbed all the demonic qi, she died in the explosion. Fujikawa had spared no effort, sacrificing a life to revive her, but ultimately failed to realize his dream of reviving his legacy.

It wasn’t meant to be his; it never was.

As for Asaka Yasuhiko, he finally paid the blood debt he owed.

This executioner of the Nanjing Massacre somehow evaded legal judgment after the war without paying the appropriate price for the hundreds of thousands of lives he took. He even transformed into a demon, assuming a new identity, and continued to enjoy wealth and luxury in the mortal realm.

The vengeful spirits of the unjustly killed lingered day and night, crying out for justice in Nanjing, where the imbalance of karma remained unrectified. Before the tombstones, no amount of flowers could soothe the vivid memories of the mountains of corpses and rivers of blood, unable to pacify the souls beneath the earth who died with grievances. But now, this demon had finally received the retribution he deserved. He was reduced to dust and ashes, his soul completely extinguished in the manner he feared the most. From then on, he would cease to exist in the world, neither in heaven nor on earth, not even in the abyssal hell he yearned for.

Not a single thought of his remained.

A cold night wind blew across their faces, brushing past them. The calm after the great battle felt more like the beginning of a storm.

Long Shen stood silently, devoid of any joyous expression.

“Did you hear what he said before he died?”

“I heard it.” Wu Bingtian wiped his face, as if trying to wipe away the dust and exhaustion.

“I heard it too.” Yu Buhui frowned. “His implication was that he intentionally lured us to Japan and had made other arrangements against the Eight Directions Demon Suppression Array?”

“I think it’s just his nonsense talk. When a person is about to die, they will always try to grasp at any straw to save themselves!” Wu Bingtian spat. “That son of a bitch should count himself lucky for not leaving a corpse behind. Otherwise, I would bring his ashes back to Qingcheng Mountain and perform rituals every day, so that he would never find release for eternity!”

It was rare to hear Director Wu, who always spoke officially, curse so vulgarly. Li Ying couldn’t help but want to laugh.

Every part of their bodies reflected pain, but what made him slightly uneasy was not his own injuries. He couldn’t help but raise his head. The night sky was silent, the mist dispersed, but dawn was still far away.

……

Thousands of miles away, on Kunlun Mountain.

The moon reached its zenith, casting a bright light on the snow-covered mountain top, making it as bright as daylight. Zong Ling and Che Bai walked along the steep mountain road, leaving behind long footprints. This was a path that had never been artificially opened. The mountain walls were almost vertical, but the footsteps of Zong Ling and Che Bai remained steady and unhurried, as if they were strolling in a leisurely courtyard.

They had been on Kunlun Mountain for quite some time, guarding it almost day and night. However, this mountain range was vast beyond imagination. Even they couldn’t explore every corner. Until now, they had just finished traversing two peaks and were preparing to climb to the summit of the third.

“It’s been a long time since I came here.”

Che Bai stopped and looked at the contours of the mountains illuminated by the moonlight below, with a slightly nostalgic tone in his voice.

“I once thought of visiting Kunlun again before I died. I didn’t expect this wish to be fulfilled ahead of time.”

The two of them smiled at each other, sharing a smile that held countless memories and precious moments. Humans always lamented that their time was too short, wishing to go back to the past and make up for all their regrets. But people like them—how could they not have regrets? Precisely because life was long, some regrets not only wouldn’t fade away with time but would become even clearer, etched deeply in their hearts.

That was why when Zong Ling saw Long Shen struggling internally, she couldn’t help but remind him not to follow in her own footsteps and leave regrets for the rest of his life.

“My lifespan is coming to an end. I had thought that when that day approaches, I will return…”

Che Bai’s tone was calm, even with a hint of anticipation. The end of life, for them, wasn’t a regretful period but an inevitable conclusion. Being able to cultivate into human form, living for thousands of years, witnessing countless changes in the world, they were already much luckier than most creatures in the world.

But before he could finish his words, a puzzled expression suddenly appeared on his face.

It wasn’t just him; Zong Ling’s expression also froze. Both of them instinctively turned their bodies towards the southern peak.

A bright light rose there, followed by a sound.

A tremendous explosion echoed through the entire valley, creating numerous reverberations that reached them from a distance.

The magnitude of the sound wave shook even the mountain beneath their feet.

An earthquake couldn’t cause such commotion. Both of their faces changed drastically, instantly having unfavorable associations.

“What is that place?” Che Bai asked.

Zong Ling took a deep breath and slowly said, “If I’m not mistaken, it should be the Lengele Gorge.”

The moon, at some point, had been obscured by dark clouds. Thunderclouds rolled in the sky, illuminating it momentarily, but there was no storm, only consecutive dry thunderclaps. The lightning struck precisely at the locations of the recent explosions.

“This is bad,” Zong Ling murmured, gazing in that direction.

“Who was responsible for inspecting that area? How could they miss it?” Che Bai smiled wryly. “I’ll go and take a look first!”

After saying that, he didn’t retrace their steps down the mountain. He leaped directly into the shadows of the mountains and disappeared.

In the night breeze, Zong Ling seemed to let out a low sigh. The sound of her sigh blended into the wind and quickly dissipated. Then, she also followed suit and leaped down.

……

The radiant sun slowly rose from the sea surface, dyeing the dark blue water with a golden and sparkling hue, as if it had been sprinkled with a layer of gold.

Dong Zhi played with the small and exquisite golden apple in his hand, lifting it high and allowing the sunlight to cast a halo upon it.

Below him was a reclining chair with a soft cushion, a sunshade above his head, and a pair of sunglasses hanging on his forehead. If it weren’t for the lingering pain from his previous injuries, he would have thought that everything that had happened before, including the zombies on Diana Island, the octopus monster in the labyrinth, and the ancient sea serpent that formed the island, were all just a midday dream during his vacation on a ship.

“You seem unhappy.” One tentacle reached the end of the reclining chair, and the head of Octopus Meika slowly emerged.

Its eye, which had been damaged by Dong Zhi, had already healed, wrapped in a pink membrane. It was said that after a while, when the membrane falls off, its eye would grow back.

Dong Zhi smiled bitterly. “Can you give a warning before appearing next time? Showing up so suddenly, you almost scared me to death!”

Recently, the octopus had been learning Chinese. Liu Qingbo and Zhang Song didn’t have much patience and couldn’t be gentle and persuasive teachers. This responsibility fell on Liu Si’s shoulders. Li Han’er and Yang Shouyi occasionally took part as well. According to them, the octopus had a stronger language learning ability than ordinary people. Once it learned Chinese Pinyin, it could remember vocabulary and short phrases after hearing them once. It had already started using its tentacles to practice writing square characters for heaven, earth, and humans.

Dong Zhi felt that before long, the octopus might even learn how to draw talismans. At that time, perhaps he could recommend it to join the Hezao Sect as a named disciple and enhance the reputation of the sect.

As for the Ice Demon Elizabeth, she had no interest in exploring knowledge like the octopus. When she heard that Meika was going to China with Dong Zhi and the others, she immediately waved her hand and returned to the Arctic Ocean. Of course, before parting, she didn’t forget to threaten the organizing committee, demanding that they send her reward to the Arctic Ocean as soon as possible. Otherwise, she would personally go and claim it without further delay.

Perhaps due to the excessively long lives of spirits, there was no trace of melancholy between Meika and Elizabeth’s parting. Perhaps it would only be after Meika truly achieved human form that it could gradually experience human emotions.

“Su, dden, ly*.” The octopus imitated his tone, always eager to learn. “What does that mean?”

*Clarity: Dong Zhi’s comment about showing up [suddenly], the Octopus is asking what [leng bu ding] (冷不丁) means.

“It means sudden and by surprise,” Dong Zhi explained.

The octopus asked, “Then what does ‘sudden and by surprise’ mean?”

Dong Zhi sighed. “…Why are you asking countless ‘whys’?”

The octopus inquired, “What are countless ‘whys’?”

Dong Zhi’s mouth twitched. “Alright, let’s not discuss these kinds of questions. Why did you come to find me?”

The octopus replied, “No reason. I came up to bask in the sun and found you staring at the golden apple. Didn’t you win the championship? Why are you still not happy?”

Dong Zhi said, “I’m not unhappy. I just miss home.”

Wherever Long Shen was, that was his home.

He missed Long Shen.

The octopus tilted its head and looked at him, then sighed. “Humans are truly complex beings.”

Dong Zhi replied, “You have started to yearn for human society. This curiosity of yours is already similar to humans. The seven emotions and six desires are not exclusive to humans; you also have them. It’s just that because your living environment is relatively simple, your emotions won’t fluctuate as much.”

As he said this, Dong Zhi suddenly realized that the explanation he just gave actually applied to Long Shen’s change of mood. He couldn’t help but laugh.

The octopus blinked its remaining eye. “Can you slow down? I didn’t understand.”

Dong Zhi was about to tell it that it would understand in the future when he saw the American William walking over from the other side.

“Sorry to interrupt your leisurely vacation time. The organizing committee sent people to investigate, but they haven’t found any escaped zombies yet. They will continue to intensify the search,” William said as he sat down on a nearby reclining chair and let out a comfortable groan.

“I envy you Chinese the most. After winning the competition, you don’t have to worry about anything. The whole journey back is filled with eating, drinking, and relaxation. On the contrary, we still have to continue working!” William exclaimed.

Dong Zhi shrugged. “Well, you’re the host country. You chose such a place to hold the competition, yet you didn’t even know that the island was a sleeping sea serpent. You caused the trouble, so you have to deal with it. How are the Russians doing?”

William sighed. “We searched for a long time and still haven’t found any survivors. Anna is really lucky!”

This year’s competition ended in chaos, as everyone was involved in the upheaval. The death of the sea serpent didn’t mean the complete end. For the organizing committee, there were even more troublesome things waiting for them.

First, there were the zombies on Diana Island. Although Dong Zhi and the others had killed those zombies, nobody knew if any zombies had rushed into the sea when the sea serpent caused the tsunami and flooded the islands. Those infected zombies carried both demonic qi and viruses, and ordinary attacks couldn’t eliminate them. If they bit any sea creatures, and considering that the world’s oceans were interconnected, it could lead to an even greater disaster.

It was all caused by the organizing committee, so naturally, they had to clean up the mess. It was said that the Americans had almost completely sealed off the area near the incident and were conducting a thorough salvage operation. It was expected that the work would take several years to complete.

After the news of the invasion of demonic qi, which Dong Zhi and the others had brought in advance, the organizing committee didn’t pay much attention to it. They treated it as an experience during the competition. Little did they know that the remnants of the Heavenly Demon had already infiltrated their ship to the Senluo Archipelago, becoming the biggest variable in the competition. If it weren’t for Dong Zhi’s desperate effort to attract the Heavenly Thunder to kill the sea serpent, they would have all been devoured by the sea serpent by now, let alone lying here enjoying sunbathes.

Despite their efforts, all the teams suffered heavy losses. While both the United States and China had their own share of casualties, at least they were still alive. The Russian team, on the other hand, was nearly wiped out on Rose Island when Anton was possessed by the demon. Only Anna managed to escape with injuries, boarding a speedboat and surviving in the end.

It is said that due to the frequent accidents in this competition, various organizations from countries and regions have protested to the organizing committee. It is expected that the number of participants in the next competition will be significantly reduced. However, in stark contrast to this, Dong Zhi’s reputation soared.

Although Dong Zhi himself was well aware that it was the combined efforts of everyone that ultimately led to the sea serpent’s destruction by the Heavenly Thunder, including the coordinated use of forbidden techniques by Zhang Song, who was currently resting in bed, others didn’t know all the details. In their eyes, it was as if they were being overturned in the waves, exhausting all their strength, and on the brink of despair when this Easterner descended from the sky, summoning thunder and ultimately saving their lives.

After this incident, not only did the British and the French dare not pick a fight with Dong Zhi and the others again, but even during their return journey, there were always people coming over to thank Dong Zhi or invite him to their hometown as a guest. Aside from gratitude, the strong, relying on their abilities, could earn the respect of their opponents. Everyone preferred to have a powerful friend rather than an enemy or rival.

“Dong, to be honest, I’m lucky to know you.” William suddenly sighed and leaned toward him.

Dong Zhi quickly moved away before the other person could rest his shoulder on him and said with a shudder, “Your sigh makes me feel like something bad is about to happen.”

William protested, “How can my noble character be so fragile in your eyes!”

Dong Zhi:  “Just say what you want to say!”

William suddenly changed his expression to a cheerful one. “I just wanted to ask you to speak well of me to Han’er before I come to China!”

Dong Zhi was surprised. “Are you serious?”

William protested, “What makes you think I’m not?”

Dong Zhi coughed. “I thought you were joking.”

“Of course not!” William exclaimed. “I can open up my heart and show it to you!”

After he finished speaking, he realized something was wrong. There were still many people on the deck, and they all turned to look at them with strange expressions.

“William, you change your mind faster than the weather at sea. Weren’t you talking about liking Miss Li yesterday?” Lilith raised an eyebrow.

Next to her was Li Han’er, who had come to the deck with her for fresh air, and she gave William a smirk.

William was taken aback. “No, no, no, Han’er, you have to let me explain! The words I just said were not meant for him, Han’er!”

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Knowing William’s luck, he’s probably going to come to China right when the Earth Demon awakens…

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<<< || Table of Contents || Lore Glossary || >>>

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 145

In the depths of Otowa Yasuhiko’s character, there was a nearly obsessive admiration for strength. The reason he fell into madness was also because of his yearning and pursuit of great power. Long Shen’s immense power was the embodiment of his ideal spiritual weapon. In his eyes, Long Shen was like a perfect work of art. He longed to hold it in his arms, to admire and play with it every day. That was why he painstakingly created such a vast enchantment, intending to trap them inside. However, he didn’t expect Long Shen’s power to completely exceed his expectations. The opponent not only severed his surveillance, but also broke through all the barriers and reunited with their companions, forcing him to reveal himself in the end.

Of course, this betrayal also involved Ming Xian.

Otowa Yasuhiko glanced sinisterly at Ming Xian and waved his hand. Ming Xian was thrown out like a puppet with its strings cut, forcefully crashing into the wall. The impact was so strong that even the wall showed a crack.

Tang Jing clenched his fist but didn’t make a move.

Just now, Ming Xian suddenly appeared and volunteered to lead the way, with everyone following behind him. However, when he passed by Long Shen, he suddenly paused for a moment—just a short second—without doing anything. Later, when Ming Xian was leading the way, he paused again at a certain point, which was exactly where Long Shen believed the key point of the barrier was.

Long Shen knew that Ming Xian was giving him a hint, but he didn’t know if this was another deliberate loophole shown by the opponent under Otowa’s control. When his speculation coincided with the other’s hint, Long Shen decided to take a gamble.

And he made the right bet.

At the moment Otowa Yasuhiko appeared, he suddenly understood.

The so-called exit didn’t exist anywhere within this barrier. The only connection the key point had was with Otowa Yasuhiko. Otowa was the key to all the barriers. In other words, only by killing him could everything be completely ended.

This aligned perfectly with Long Shen’s intentions.

They traveled a long way to come here, not only to save people but, more importantly, for Ding Lan, Dong Jilan, and the countless innocent souls who died in the war, for those heroic spirits who still couldn’t find peace. They aimed to reclaim the blood debt from decades ago.

Whether it was Otowa Yasuhiko or Asaka Yasuhiko, they must die!

If the laws of the world were no longer able to pass judgment, then let him take action!

The brilliance of the sword intensified, as if echoing its master’s mood. The sword in Long Shen’s hand buzzed loudly, the movement and noise growing stronger and uncontrollable. It seemed eager to be released and thirsted for the enemy’s blood.

Long Shen’s figure suddenly vanished in place, and the next second, he appeared less than three meters away from Otowa Yasuhiko, with his sword slashing down fiercely!

Otowa Yasuhiko suddenly retreated. His body was ethereal and elusive, appearing and disappearing in the sword light.

The sword strike from Long Shen was incredibly powerful, causing a huge wave of energy that even Wu Bingtian and others felt the killing intent rushing towards them. They had to defend themselves with their swords, but surprisingly, Otowa remained unaffected. His figure almost transformed into a black demonic qi, within which faint white mist was intertwined.

Li Ying focused his gaze and noticed that Otowa also held a weapon in his hand. The sword’s blade resembled a cattail leaf, with a white and golden hilt and a slightly raised tip, appearing strange and peculiar, resembling both a sword and a knife.

“Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.” He heard Wu Bingtian say beside him.

“Long Shen, I have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Today, I want to see if the Longyuan Sword is stronger than my Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi!”

Otowa laughed loudly, and his demonic qi suddenly rose several feet high, carrying a fierce sword qi, rushing towards Long Shen like an overwhelming force.

The lanterns seemed to be nearby, but in reality, they were outside the barrier. Even though there was flying sand and rolling rocks inside, and a fierce wind blowing, everyone was affected by the tremendous commotion caused by the duel between the two, continuously retreating until they had no choice but to press against the base of the wall. However, the lanterns continued to flicker and sway, completely unaffected.

But the faint dim candlelight was unable to allow everyone to see the battle clearly. Otowa’s demonic qi and Long Shen’s sword light intertwined, forming a massive vortex of airflow around them, roaring and howling, turning the heavens and earth upside down. If it weren’t for the restrictions of the barrier, Li Ying had no doubt that the Atsuta Shrine would already be reduced to ruins.

He didn’t care about the existence of the Atsuta Shrine; he cared about whether Long Shen could win this battle.

Enduring and enduring, Li Ying couldn’t help but say softly, “Boss Wu…”

Wu Bingtian seemed to sense his state of mind and said, “Long Shen possesses the body of a half-immortal. No need to worry.”

Li Ying was momentarily stunned.

In the era of rampant materialism, the chance to become an immortal was rare and unattainable. Even the body of an immortal wasn’t something an ordinary person could easily covet. Li Ying recalled the anecdotes he had heard from his senior mentors and looked at Long Shen with a gaze that carried a few traces of reverential fervor.

Kitaichi Eiko slowly climbed up from the ground. She had lost her own consciousness and awareness, so naturally, she wouldn’t attempt to escape. Her mind was filled only with Otowa’s commands.

And Otowa commanded her to kill everyone present.

She staggered toward the heavily injured Tang Jing, who had fallen to the ground.

Tang Jing was severely wounded. Since the day his spirit took on human form, he had acquired a flesh and blood body. Although he had stronger vitality than ordinary humans due to his original form, that didn’t mean he couldn’t die easily.

But not dying easily didn’t mean he wouldn’t die.

Kitaichi Eiko was getting closer to him. Yu Buhui and the others were on the other side of the barrier, with the battlefield in between, and distant water couldn’t extinguish the nearby fire.

Given Tang Jing’s current condition, he didn’t even need Kitaichi Eiko to make a move. Just an ordinary person with a dagger could inflict a fatal injury on him.

Tang Jing didn’t move.

He was simply too tired.

In his thousand years as an adult, he had seen the most splendid scenery, heard the most beautiful melodies, made friends with the most generous and open-minded people. He had lived in a tent at the border of a desert and a forest, built a cottage on the summit of a snowy mountain to admire the moon. He had ventured into the most dangerous and mysterious underwater caves and soared with the Kunpeng* in the sky.

*Species of mythical magical beasts in Chinese mythology that’s a hybrid between a bird and fish. Peng is a giant bird that transformed from a Kun, a giant fish.

The one thing he had never experienced was falling in love with someone.

But that was before he met Ming Xian.

Once upon a time, he had met a shy and cheerful young man on an airplane. Pointing to the book he had casually bought to pass the time; he claimed it was his own work. Ming Xian, without any embarrassment, instead felt an instant connection and exchanged contact information.

Others might find it hard to imagine that even spirits had their worldly escapades, but Tang Jing was one of them. Perhaps his background destined him to embody the romantic and bold spirit of the Tang Dynasty, an era long lost in the river of history, but always alive in Tang Jing’s heart. He fell in love with Ming Xian like a raging fire sweeping over him.

This relationship enriched his life but also left a scar in his heart that had yet to heal.

He still maintained his carefree attitude, his love for laughter. No one felt that his brief affair with Ming Xian had any impact on him, but only Tang Jing himself knew that he could never go back to how things were before.

Because someone once said to him, “If there’s a next life, I hope we can meet again with a beautiful start, hoping that we can be pure and untainted, without a speck of dirt.”

Every time Tang Jing remembered that sentence, it pierced his heart with pain.

In countless midnight dreams, he would dream that he was still on that airplane, and Ming Xian would point to the novel placed beside him and ask, “I wrote that. Do you want me to sign it for you?” Then, countless times, Tang Jing would eagerly tell him the ins and outs of everything, revealing that he knew Ming Xian’s true identity, hoping that Ming Xian would stop in his tracks and start everything anew. But the dream always ended with Ming Xian suddenly changing his expression and attacking him, or Ming Xian disappearing, leaving Tang Jing abruptly waking up.

It wasn’t until then that he understood that beauty and youth could never stay, and moments and scenes he wanted to preserve could never be retained in this mortal realm.

Tang Jing’s fingers twitched slightly.

He could sense Kitaichi Eiko approaching from behind, but he no longer had the strength to turn around, stand up, and fight back.

However, it wasn’t an expected attack. Instead, the sound of Kitaichi Eiko’s scream reached his ears.

Tang Jing’s heart trembled.

Summoning all his strength, he managed to turn his head slightly and indeed saw a familiar figure just within reach, as close as stretching out his hand.

Tang Jing grabbed the person’s hand.

Ming Xian made no resistance, allowing him to hold on, and his body fell down, with blood spilling onto Tang Jing’s hand.

Tang Jing trembled, never releasing his grip on the hand.

“Aren’t you afraid that I’ll kill you?” Ming Xian smiled.

Tang Jing calmly replied, “You can go ahead and kill me.”

Ming Xian reached out, but instead of killing Tang Jing, he covered his mouth and spat out a glowing bead.

“This is Ding Lan’s residual soul.”

Tang Jing’s expression changed.

Ming Xian coughed a few times, his voice hoarse and weak, as if he had exerted all his effort to speak from his throat.

“When Otowa was refining Ding Lan’s soul, I couldn’t stop him. But I did my best not to absorb the power of his soul, leaving behind this trace, insufficient to resurrect him. However… it can be considered as a remembrance for you, so that you can help him transcend. I’m sorry.”

Upon hearing those last words, Tang Jing finally couldn’t hold back, and tears streamed down his face.

He carefully took Ding Lan’s residual soul and placed it in his embrace.

“Go ahead and kill me,” Ming Xian said.

Tang Jing responded without hesitation, “No!”

“Kill me,” Ming Xian smiled, his face partly calm, partly ferocious.

As he firmly held Tang Jing’s hand, warmth emanated from their grip. However, on the other side of his body, Ming Xian’s hand had turned dark and purplish. Threads of demonic qi flowed from his fingertips, and he had to desperately cling to the ground to prevent himself from losing control.

“At first, Otowa wanted a pure spirit, so he only placed a restriction inside me. But the second time he resurrected me, due to my severe injuries and depleted energy, he infused me with demonic qi. I will eventually become like Kitaichi Eiko. If you don’t kill me now, I fear I won’t be able to control myself.”

Suddenly, Tang Jing spoke, “If I kill you and destroy the demonic qi inside you, will you still survive?”

“I don’t know.” Profound exhaustion emerged from Ming Xian’s brow, and his voice gradually grew faint. Tang Jing tightened his grip on his hand, feeling the other person’s temperature growing colder, as if he was holding onto ice. “Can you take me home?”

“Okay.” Tang Jing’s throat choked, and he forced himself to remain calm.

A half-smile crept up from the corner of Ming Xian’s mouth, while the other half of his face grew increasingly fierce.

“Do it… quickly,” he said.

Tang Jing closed his eyes, no longer hesitating. Suddenly, he made his move, grabbing the other person’s neck.

The force grew stronger and stronger. Ming Xian instinctively struggled, but his remaining consciousness held him back. As Tang Jing’s grip tightened gradually, Ming Xian’s face turned purple, and his breath grew weaker. The other half of his body twitched as if trying to resist but was quickly subdued by Tang Jing. Eventually, Ming Xian’s breathing stopped completely, and the dark aura refused to stay in the body, swiftly dissipating towards Otowa Yasuhiko’s direction. Tang Jing reached out, grabbing and squeezing it, enveloping the dark aura with a white light, completely dissipating it.

As Ming Xian lay on the ground, his form gradually became transparent, eventually transforming into a three-foot-long ancient qin.

The strings were all broken, the body of the qin was damaged to the point of near fracturing, and the decorative patterns on its surface were completely worn away.

This cold and broken ancient qin no longer revealed its original appearance. Even the most skilled restoration expert would consider it severely damaged, beyond repair.

However, Tang Jing carefully cradled it in his hands, treating it as if it were a rare treasure.

“I will take you home.”

……

In the midst of a massive cyclone, the battle between Long Shen and Otowa Yasuhiko continued.

Otowa truly lived up to being an earth demon who had absorbed demonic qi from the ancient stone box. He was far more difficult to deal with than any enemy Long Shen had encountered before. Otowa’s demonic qi and the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi complemented each other, almost endless in their supply. As long as the sword was present, the demonic qi could regenerate and circulate seamlessly, leaving Long Shen helpless for a moment.

The demonic qi from the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi surged, constantly emanating from Otowa Yasuhiko’s body, sweeping towards Long Shen. Although it was temporarily blocked by Long Shen’s protective qi, it completely enveloped him, rolling and churning with black demonic qi, obscuring all light. Long Shen looked around with his eyes wide open, as if the heavens and earth were plunged into darkness, unable to see any trace of brightness.

However, it remained at this level. Long Shen remained motionless, seemingly unable to find a breakthrough, and Otowa Yasuhiko couldn’t find a flaw in Long Shen’s defenses, unable to make any further progress.

“Director Long, I have come up with a brilliant idea.”

In the unending stalemate, Long Shen suddenly heard the voice of the other person.

Otowa Yasuhiko’s tone remained unhurried, but Long Shen narrowed his eyes, catching a subtle hint of aging and hoarseness.

It seemed that this confrontation with him wasn’t an easy task for Otowa either.

Otowa was cunning and crafty. If there was an opportunity to kill the other person, Long Shen believed that neither of them would hesitate. But now, trapped in a stalemate, both Otowa and himself needed to find a defensive flaw that would shake the other’s concentration, in order to annihilate the enemy in one fell swoop.

Knowing that Otowa Yasuhiko was trying to find his weaknesses through words, Long Shen remained silent.

But Otowa continued, “Your power is the strongest I’ve ever seen in my life. However, I can tell that you’ve been stagnant for a long time, making no progress at all, right? How about I give you the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi? With its abundant demonic qi, it will help you further advance your cultivation. In this way, the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi can also be fully utilized. What do you think?”

Surrounded by the demonic qi, Long Shen adjusted his breath. Within his protective qi, Otowa couldn’t easily detect his presence or discern his life or death.

However, Otowa didn’t believe that Long Shen had no weaknesses at all. Everyone had desires—some wished for immortality, some for fame and wealth, some to return to the past, and others to resurrect their deceased loved ones. The variety of desires were endless, and as a former human, Otowa understood this well.

Although Long Shen’s true form was a sword, which meant his mentality was more steadfast than an ordinary human, not easily swayed, the previous illusions had revealed to Otowa that Long Shen wasn’t without weaknesses.

“Director Long, your disciple is just an ordinary person. He can’t be immortal like you. Sooner or later, he will grow old and may even change his heart. Mortals are always so fragile and unreliable. Only time, when frozen, can preserve everything. Even with your abilities, you cannot retain his years. However, if he possesses demonic qi, everything will be different. You can infuse him with demonic qi, making him, like you, immortal and eternal. Then, you can keep him by your side until the end of time.”

Otowa thought this idea was perfect. He didn’t actually hate Long Shen and hadn’t thought of killing him. He even admired Long Shen as a perfect weapon spirit. He was just regretful that Long Shen was born in China and had been brainwashed by the Special Administration Bureau or certain individuals, making his thinking rigid. If Long Shen was willing to absorb demonic qi, Otowa wouldn’t hesitate to offer the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. He would be glad to have another comrade.

“Why haven’t you done the same for the person you love?”

Long Shen finally spoke up, his voice transmitting through the layers of protective qi and demonic qi, sounding slightly distorted but unmistakably his voice.

Otowa thought he had struck a chord, feeling pleased. “It seems Director Long doesn’t understand me. I have lived for hundreds of years and have never loved anyone, including my parents. They were just vessels that bore me. As for wife and children, they were merely tools for procreation! Only this demonic qi you see always exists, full of vitality. If it were human lifespan, I would have long decayed in the ground. But this demonic qi has given me a second life, allowing me to experience the most wonderful flavors of the world, making my body light and powerful. I should have turned into a demon long ago. I only regret not opening that stone box earlier, so the demonic qi could have entered my body decades earlier!”

Long Shen calmly stated, “In that case, you would accumulate even more blood debts. Although you haven’t fully repaid them now, I’m not interested in waiting and then having to dismember you.”

Otowa laughed loudly. “Director Long, I’ve never understood why, even though you’re not human, you would protect their interests more than humans themselves. Have you been brainwashed and turned foolish by them? Don’t forget, you are the Seven-Star Longyuan Sword, born from the hands of Ou Yezi—a divine weapon with countless incarnations. Among them, the Longyuan Sword is undoubtedly the one that Ou Yezi poured the most effort into. There is only one of you in the heavens and the earth, yet you choose to leave behind more powerful forces and instead spend your time on useless matters. I find it pitiful for you!”

“Humanity believes itself to be the superior species, but human hearts never know contentment. In Nanjing, there was a family that took in a penniless beggar on the verge of starving to death. They fed and clothed the beggar, helped him find work to sustain himself. But that beggar, after the Japanese army entered the city, voluntarily led them and was the first to go to the house of his former benefactors. Even I look down on such an ungrateful wretch. When he was reported to me, I had him killed, and his eyes were gouged out to feed the dogs.”

At this point, Otowa sneered. “You see, if it weren’t for these wicked desires that abound, the soil for the birth of demonic qi would be gone. Compared to pure demonic qi, it is human hearts that are the most filthy and dirty. Therefore, it is not demons but humans who should be eliminated!”

Long Shen remained silent.

He couldn’t deny Otowa’s words. Human nature was indeed impure. If we talked about ingratitude, when the Tatar soldiers besieged the city hundreds of years ago, Yu Qian stepped forward in the face of danger, saving an entire city and even the fate of a country. Afterward, he was framed by petty people and beheaded. Who had stopped all of that? The history books casually mentioned “the world’s injustice”, but how could that compare to what Long Shen had witnessed with his own eyes?

“But he has never regretted it,” Long Shen suddenly said.

“Who?” Otowa narrowed his eyes.

“Neither have I,” Long Shen replied.

The light of his sword surged in his hand, breaking through the layers of protective qi and striking the demonic qi, creating a sudden gap!

The darkness trembled violently. Otowa Yasuhiko was taken aback, quickly gripping the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi and thrusting it into the ground. The demonic qi instantly spread from the sword’s edge, billowing in black clouds and raging around, not only enveloping Long Shen but also surrounding Otowa himself, forming a new barrier that blocked the view of Wu Bingtian and the others.

A massive explosion rapidly spread from the center of the battlefield. Wu Bingtian acted quickly, using his remaining hand to grab Li Ying by the collar and drag him away. However, both of them were still knocked down by the residual shockwave, and Wu Bingtian was almost crushed to death by Li Ying’s weight.

“Get off me! You’re crushing me to death!”

Li Ying apologized repeatedly, quickly crawling off his superior. Unexpectedly, another wave of explosions followed. Before he could stand up, the force of the shockwave knocked him down again, and Wu Bingtian, with old wounds not yet healed, suffered new injuries. His face turned even bluer.

Within the vortex of airflow, Long Shen furrowed his brow slightly, feeling a flicker in his heart as if he had caught hold of a certain thread in the enemy’s plan.

“Yasuhiko Asaka, you detest human nature and detest even more the experience of being born as a human. That’s why you destroyed the stone tablet and opened the array, not just because you yearn for the depths of hell, but because you want to completely abandon everything from the past and enter a new world, isn’t that right?”

The demonic qi around them trembled even more violently because of his words. Long Shen quickly turned around, trying to find a breakthrough amidst the turmoil.

“Exactly!” Otowa’s angry voice resounded. “Japan could have achieved victory in the war, but because of the weakness and incompetence of those people, the opportunity was delayed, and in the end, the war reached our homeland! We could have dominated the world, but because of those incompetent fools, we became nothing more than a second-rate country, a lapdog to the United States. If they had listened to me, we would have…”

Long Shen coldly interrupted, “We would have perished long ago.”

Otowa smirked sinisterly and fell silent. But Long Shen could sense that beyond the qi, the demonic qi was overwhelming, rushing in like a tidal wave, roaring and howling, baring its fangs and claws as if it wanted to crush and shatter him before stopping. However, under the tremendous pressure, the enemy’s inner weakness was exposed.

Long Shen released his defenses, and the demonic qi immediately took advantage of the opening, infiltrating in wisps and tendrils. Seeing his slight vulnerability, it advanced further, wrapping around his wrist and swiftly spreading from there to his arm, neck, chin, and finally seeping in through his brow. Long Shen closed his eyes.

If he didn’t enter the tiger den, how could he catch its cubs? His approach undoubtedly carried significant risks, but if he didn’t do this, he feared he would have to contend with Otowa for a long time. He could wait, but Tang Jing and the others couldn’t afford to wait.

In reality, the invasion of the demonic qi wasn’t as painful as he had imagined. He only felt a coolness on his forehead, as if something had started to move within his body, gradually gaining control over his emotions and bringing negative fluctuations.

Whether it was influenced by the demonic qi or not, Long Shen suddenly remembered his cultivation on the peak of a snowy mountain many years ago. The swirling snowflakes were no longer the greatest obstacle. The more difficult part was the endless gusts of wind that felt like knives against his face. If the wind carried snowflakes, his face should have been numb from the cold, yet he could still perceive the pain. Even though his true form was much more resilient than an ordinary human, that didn’t mean he couldn’t feel pain.

The average person couldn’t even stand it for three days, but he stayed there for a whole thirty years. It was an extremely unforgettable experience. In the early stages of his life, his unstable physical body was tempered in the wind and snow, forging an ability that matched his willpower and further strengthening his determination.

Now, the demonic qi flowed through his limbs and bones, resembling the edge between persevering and potentially giving up in the past. He had been honed in various ways, yet his spirit became increasingly clear.

In the past, what supported him to continue was his perseverance in wanting to undergo a transformation. But now…

Now, it was the belief in upholding the righteous path in the mortal world, the life and death of his comrades outside, and the unwavering determination to meet Dong Zhi once again.

A faint flame ignited within his consciousness, but in an instant, it blazed fiercely. The demonic qi lets out a howl, hastening its pace, attempting to escape from this soil that prevented its growth.

The time is now!

Long Shen swiftly took out an object and held it in his palm.

It was given to him by Zong Ling before he left the Special Administration Bureau.

The Four Symbols Star-Setting Lamp.

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<<< || Table of Contents || Lore Glossary || >>>

Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 144

The sound was annoying beyond frustration. He swept his sword again, but this time its power wasn’t as great. Under the red light, the evil spirits and demons were only pushed back a few steps and quickly closed in again. They were eager to feast on this rare opportunity of a body.

Could it be that he would perish here before becoming the head of the bureau? Wu Bingtian felt somewhat unwilling. Exhausted, he leaned on his sword. The sword light could no longer stop the relentless onslaught of the monsters. He was like a glowing, fragrant food, tempting the creatures to devour him even if it meant their own destruction.

Another swing of the sword, but this time the sword light was much weaker. The monsters were no longer afraid. The ones in front were just eliminated by the sword energy, and the ones behind came rushing forward with a roar.

A black shadow covered his head. Wu Bingtian weakly raised the long sword in his hand. His chest was heaving, his body weary and feeble, yet his heart was beating fast. His mind was in chaos. He closed his eyes, allowing his overwhelming frustration to surge through his heart. He thought to himself that this time he had failed, but even if he became a ghost, he would tear Otowa apart.

A wave of heat rushed toward him, but the excruciating pain of being devoured by countless demons didn’t materialize. Through his half-closed eyelids, he could feel the heat and light that could penetrate even the thinnest skin, compelling him to open his eyes. Before him was a bright scene, and all the monsters were vanishing under the light.

Two figures approached slowly.

At first, they were just blurry silhouettes, but gradually they became clearer, and the person in the lead was tall and familiar.

“Long Shen!”

“Boss Wu!” It was Li Ying’s voice.

Wu Bingtian had never been so ecstatic before. He sincerely welcomed Long Shen’s arrival.

When the two of them were in the Special Administration Bureau, they clashed many times. Just because Long Shen had the appearance of a hermit and seemed detached from worldly matters, it didn’t mean he wouldn’t compete with Wu Bingtian. Outsiders often thought that the head of the bureau didn’t do anything, and that Deputy Director Wu had the upper hand. In reality, the Special Administration Bureau operated under a system of checks and balances among the three of them. Wu Bingtian had also been suppressed by Long Shen on numerous occasions. Putting that aside, in terms of assigning tasks to the new recruits this time, the two of them had clashed repeatedly.

But that was internal strife, and chaos among their ranks didn’t matter. Now facing a formidable enemy, Wu Bingtian was on the verge of death. When Long Shen suddenly appeared, how could he not be overjoyed? Even someone who had resigned themselves to death wouldn’t resist such a result if they could avoid dying.

“How did you get in?” Wu Bingtian asked breathlessly.

“We killed Yamata no Orochi, tore through the enchantment, and came to your location,” Long Shen replied succinctly, with Li Ying appearing behind him.

“The legendary Yamata no Orochi?” Wu Bingtian was shocked by the words.

“Most likely. That demon beast has eight heads and eight tails. To completely kill it, all the heads and tails must be dealt with simultaneously,” Li Ying said, his face covered in bloodstains, looking even more disheveled than Wu Bingtian.

He didn’t want to recall the fierce battle they had just experienced. In order to simultaneously sever the eight heads of the giant snake, while Long Shen unleashed eight sword lights, Li Ying had to simultaneously summon eight talisman fires to burn the eight fragmented bodies, preventing their regeneration. Normally, Li Ying would grit his teeth and bring forth the eight talisman fires, but at that moment, he was heavily injured to the point where he couldn’t even use a sword. He had to almost spit out his own blood to summon the eight talismans.

Due to the light, Wu Bingtian didn’t have the intention to look at Li Ying closely. Otherwise, if he had observed carefully, he would have noticed that Li Ying’s steps were unsteady and his complexion was pale, relying solely on the medicinal pills brought by Long Shen to sustain himself. He had consumed hundreds of thousands, even millions, worth of pills from the black market. Compared to the Shangqing pills Dong Zhi had eaten, they were nothing.

“It seems that the enchantments are connected!” The two deputy directors met, and upon hearing the account of Long Shen’s experiences, Wu Bingtian immediately drew a conclusion.

“Let’s get out of here first and then discuss. Do you still have the energy?” Long Shen asked.

“I lost my arm, but I can use talismans. You can clear the way with your sword, and I’ll cover the rear with talismans,” Wu Bingtian said, sheathing his sword on his back and taking out talisman slips from his pocket. “How about Li Ying?”

Li Ying said ashamedly, “My actions may be slow.”

After all, he had suffered serious injuries and couldn’t even lift a sword, which would also affect the efficiency of his talisman usage.

Wu Bingtian didn’t waste time with unnecessary words and couldn’t spare the effort to comfort him. “Then you stay in the middle and don’t leave our protective circle.”

Long Shen said, “Otowa is observing us with a mirror. He should know that we have arrived.”

Wu Bingtian grinned. “I’ve already broken that thing. He can’t monitor us now!”

Long Shen nodded. Upon hearing these words, he no longer had any concerns. He swung his sword and slashed the countless demonic qi in front of him. In an instant, a myriad of mournful cries echoed from all directions, filled with despair and anguish. There were the cries of children and the pitiful pleas of women, but the three of them remained unaffected, steadily advancing step by step.

Wu Bingtian was at the end. His missing arm didn’t limit his movements. With his remaining intact hand, he pulled out talisman slips, chanted incantations, and the papers turned into a large number of armored soldiers that rushed towards the demonic qi.

Li Ying stood in the middle, guarding with talismans. Whenever he detected demonic qi approaching, he would burn them with talisman fires. Long Shen cleared the way in front, and with his sword light, he swept through the air, obliterating any trace of demonic qi. After breaking through the mirrored space, rescuing Li Ying, and killing Yamata no Orochi one after another, his grip on the sword remained steady and his gaze unwavering. Even the radiance of his sword and the aura it emitted were unmatched. Li Ying followed closely and realized that he had no idea where Long Shen’s physical limit lay. This man’s strength was truly terrifying.

“There’s no use killing them like this. The demonic qi will just circulate endlessly!” Wu Bingtian couldn’t help but speak up.

“Boss Wu, Boss Long just discovered a gap in the enchantment. We need to go there now!” Li Ying explained.

Wu Bingtian’s spirits lifted. “Where is it?”

Long Shen: “Not far.”

Within this enchantment, time became meaningless. Wu Bingtian didn’t even know if he had been here for an hour or two, a day or two. But he knew that his “not far” and Long Shen’s “not far” certainly had a significant difference. After walking for a while, Wu Bingtian’s remaining hand started to feel a prickling pain, a sign of extreme exhaustion. Even the efficiency of using talismans had greatly decreased. Wu Bingtian had to speak up.

“Boss Long, how much farther?” he asked.

Long Shen chuckled lightly.

The laughter wasn’t loud, but both Wu Bingtian and Li Ying heard it.

“I didn’t expect the patience of Boss Wu to be so poor.”

Li Ying was surprised that Long Shen could speak in such a teasing tone.

Wu Bingtian replied indignantly, “You try losing an arm and see. I’ve already exerted every ounce of strength I have!”

After all, they had been partners for many years. Upon hearing Long Shen’s relaxed tone, Wu Bingtian knew that the exit of the enchantment was not far away. As expected, right after he finished speaking, Long Shen shouted, “Break!”

The syllable felt substantial as it hammered on the eardrums of the other two.

Since Wu Bingtian happened to be speaking at the time, the nauseating sensation from the vibrations was greatly reduced for him. However, Li Ying wasn’t so lucky. His ears buzzed, and the sound directly pierced into his heart, causing him to immediately spew a mouthful of blood.

“Open your mouth.”

Hearing Long Shen’s voice, Li Ying instinctively opened his mouth, and a pill passed through his tongue and into his throat. The burning sensation in his chest instantly subsided.

“Oh, this is Boss Long’s private stash!” Wu Bingtian keenly observed.

Li Ying had originally wanted to ask for the name of the pill, but upon hearing those words, he silently swallowed his question. He put on an innocent and clueless expression, afraid that even if he sold himself, he still wouldn’t be able to repay the debt.

Of course, Long Shen didn’t ask him for it either. With that shout, the surroundings were instantly illuminated, and the curtain of darkness fell, replaced by flickering lantern lights and white mist.

Li Ying squinted his eyes and examined for a while before realizing that the flickering lights were actually lanterns, and the white mist was formed by humanoid evil spirits.

“Boss Long!” He turned his head towards the voice and saw Tang Jing, the director of the East China Branch, and Yu Buhui.

Everyone had finally reunited. Li Ying was very excited, and he also saw the joy on Wu Bingtian’s face.

“How are you all?” Wu Bingtian asked as the five of them quickly gathered together.

“We’re fine!” Tang Jing replied. He then noticed Wu Bingtian’s empty arm, and his voice faltered.

“Don’t get distracted. Breaking the enemy is the priority!” Long Shen seemed to sense his emotional fluctuations and reminded him in a deep voice.

One corner of the Eight-Directional Bhavacakra Formation connected to Wu Bingtian’s enchantment. With the enchantment broken and the Bhavacakra shattered, the power of the formation greatly diminished. Tang Jing and Yu Buhui’s spirits soared, taking the opportunity to make a move and eliminate two Prajna* entities.

*Often translated as “wisdom”, “intelligence”, or “understanding”.

However, Li Ying could no longer hold on. He stumbled and fell forward, but Long Shen’s keen eyes and quick hands grabbed him and gently sat him down on the ground.

“He’s dying,” Wu Bingtian said as he glanced at Li Ying.

No one considered Li Ying weak. In the situation where Ding Lan had already died, his ability to hold on until reinforcements arrived was no easy feat. Although there was the reason that Otowa Yasuhiko wanted to use him as bait, even if it were someone else, they probably wouldn’t have been able to fight their way out alongside Long Shen and Wu Bingtian.

“Don’t move, close your eyes and rest. We’ll handle things here,” Tang Jing quickly said.

Li Ying sat down cross-legged, nodding weakly.

At that moment, three white tigers leaped into the scene, roaring and pouncing towards everyone. Tang Jing caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye and noticed a slender figure.

“It looks like Eiko Kitaichi!”

Wu Bingtian was shocked. “Didn’t she suffer severe injuries and fall into a coma?”

Tang Jing sneered and briefly explained the situation. “Fujikawa brought his apprentice back to life with demonic qi, but Eiko Kitaichi ended up killing him.”

Anyone who saw Fujikawa’s fate would understand that they had brought it upon themselves. It remained unknown whether Fujikawa would regret his attempt to profit from others*.

*Plotting to skin a tiger (与虎谋皮) Metaphor referring to when someone tries to take advantage of a powerful or dangerous person or entity, often with the intention of benefiting from their resources or influence.

No onmyoji could summon more than two shikigami at the same time, but Eiko Kitaichi could. The reason she was hailed as the genius girl of their generation was precisely because of her outstanding performance in onmyoji techniques. However, she had now become a puppet of Otowa Yasuhiko, a beautiful girl devoid of expression, manipulating three shikigami to coordinate with the Bhavacakra Formation, intending to trap Long Shen and the others inside.

Just as everyone was fully focused on breaking the formation, Tang Jing heard a familiar voice say, “Follow me!”

The figure of Ming Xian then leaped into the formation, his expression anxious, urging Tang Jing and the others.

“I know the flaws in the formation, follow me!”

Tang Jing’s heart trembled, filled with uncertainty. He reached out to grab him, and Ming Xian made no resistance, allowing Tang Jing to tightly grip his arm, though he only furrowed his brows slightly.

“Otowa injected demonic qi into my body, but I still retain a part of my original consciousness. However, I don’t know how long I can hold on. Quickly follow me out before I completely lose my sanity.”

Tang Jing subconsciously took a few steps with him before remembering to turn his head and look at the others. It was during these short steps that he suddenly realized the special place Ming Xian held in his heart.

The once carefree and worldly Tang Jing, who dismissed everything in the world, found an exception in Ming Xian. He was a thorn in Tang Jing’s heart. This thorn wasn’t lethal, but it pricked his flesh constantly, causing him pain.

When Tang Jing turned his head, Long Shen furrowed his brows slightly, giving him a glance without saying anything. With the situation urgent, Yu Buhui didn’t have time to think much. Seeing Tang Jing following the other person, he quickly followed suit.

Sure enough, Ming Xian was well-versed in the formation. He led them towards one of the rooms in the courtyard. It seemed ordinary, but the Prajna Entities and shikigami did not catch up with them. They seemed to encounter an invisible enchantment and became stagnant in a certain place, only roaring and glaring at them with resentment.

The courtyard seemed small, but they had been walking for quite a while. Li Ying was starting to struggle, so Yu Buhui directly carried him on his back. Wu Bingtian, despite missing an arm, seemed to be in good spirits and didn’t need assistance from others.

“Wait,” Long Shen suddenly spoke up.

Naturally, everyone stopped in their tracks. Ming Xian suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, splattering it onto the lantern he was holding, causing the candlelight to dim slightly.

“Ming Xian!” Tang Jing exclaimed in shock, just managing to support his weakened body.

In the flickering light, he suddenly saw a faint smile on Ming Xian’s blood-stained lips. “Ming…”

The next moment, Tang Jing felt a sharp pain in his chest. He lowered his head and saw Ming Xian’s hand inserted into his body; his fingers were covered in blood. Drops of blood fell to the ground, mixing and intertwining with the blood that Ming Xian had sprayed earlier. It was unclear whose blood was whose.

The incident happened in the blink of an eye. By the time Wu Bingtian and Yu Buhui realized something was wrong and tried to intervene, Ming Xian’s figure had already disappeared from the spot, reappearing several meters away, still holding half of Tang Jing’s heart.

With half a heart, could a person still survive?

Tang Jing didn’t know. At that moment, he thought that, as a spirit that had taken human form, perhaps he could indeed survive. The cries of his other companions echoed in his ears, but those voices gradually grew distant from Tang Jing. He didn’t even know that he had fallen to the ground, only feeling a sharp pain in his chest, accompanied by a faint chill, as if a body that had just been heated was submerged in icy water during the harsh winter months.

I’ve really messed up this time. All those lighthearted thoughts have gone to the dogs. Tang Jing self-mockingly thought.

Until a finger touched his brow.

Tang Jing regained some clarity and opened his eyes to see Long Shen in front of him. “I’m fine…” Tang Jing tried to speak but coughed up more blood. He struggled to prop himself up. “All the enchantments are connected. Otowa deliberately lured us here for an ambush.”

No further explanation was needed. Everyone understood. Otowa had never shown himself, using Li Ying as bait to make Ming Xian appear. It was all part of a bigger trap to eliminate them all at once.

As soon as those words were spoken, a tremendous upheaval occurred all around them. The ground cracked, and the sky turned a fiery red. Lightning flashed and thunder roared within the clouds. The floor tiles rose into the air, swirling like a vortex in the center of a hurricane. Suddenly, everything came to a halt, and sharp edges flew toward them.

Ming Xian, who had been watching them from a distance, gradually became blurred.

“That’s the exit!” Wu Bingtian shouted.

“Yu Buhui, take them out!” Long Shen left those words behind and leaped into the air.

His speed was astonishing, merging with the sword light in mid-air. Li Ying couldn’t even see what he had done before the fragments of bricks and stones suddenly stopped and converged into a tidal wave rushing towards Ming Xian.

A path was opened!

“Let’s go!” Yu Buhui carried Li Ying in his left hand and held onto Tang Jing with his right hand. They followed behind Long Shen, with Wu Bingtian in front.

Ming Xian narrowed his eyes, seemingly surprised that his plan to capture them all had been disrupted by Long Shen. He waved his hand, and Eiko Kitaichi leaped from behind, accompanied by the Prajna Entities and shikigami, pouncing towards Tang Jing and Li Ying, who were the most severely injured among the group.

No matter how powerful Yu Buhui was, he couldn’t attend to both of them.

Li Ying felt a chilling sensation coming from the back of his head. It was dense and bone-piercing, freezing his neck and preventing him from turning to look. His body felt incredibly heavy, and he couldn’t lift his limbs. Li Ying knew that it was the pressure emitted by the approaching demon. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t be affected, but now he could only become a burden to everyone.

Just as he was about to grit his teeth and let Yu Buhui give up on him, Tang Jing’s movements were faster than anyone else’s. He swiftly turned and moved towards the back. As his palm flipped, a dazzling radiance poured out from between his fingers, freezing both the Prajna Entities and shikigami in their tracks. They howled and disintegrated into ashes.

Tang Jing spat out a mouthful of blood. Li Ying glanced at it, only to see a faint golden hue. He couldn’t help but be startled. Tang Jing had already collapsed.

Li Ying didn’t know what the radiant light Tang Jing had used to kill the enemies was, but Ming Xian saw it clearly. The ancient mirror was capable of warding off evil, and it was Tang Jing’s true body’s mirror light. He had pushed Tang Jing to the point of severe injuries and powerlessness, forcing him to reveal his true form as a last resort.

Only Eiko Kitaichi was unaffected by Tang Jing’s radiant light. After a brief pause, she flew towards Li Ying, who was defenseless. Yu Buhui acted swiftly, blocking Eiko Kitaichi’s path and engaging her in a fight within the vortex.

“Take them out first!” Yu Buhui shouted.

Wu Bingtian heard the command, but he only had one hand. He gritted his teeth and carried Tang Jing on his back, while his hand grabbed Li Ying and led them out. However, Ming Xian was waiting for them outside.

Ming Xian smiled slightly at Wu Bingtian and said, “Director Wu, you look so tired.”

Upon closer inspection, his smile only covered half of his face, while the other side remained cold and expressionless. In the dim light, his eyes seemed to be red. Wu Bingtian’s hair stood on end from his smile.

Even though Wu Bingtian believed he could deal with Ming Xian, he wasn’t confident that he could handle both Ming Xian and protect Li Ying and Tang Jing at the same time. However, Ming Xian didn’t give him much time to think. As soon as the words were spoken, Ming Xian made his move.

Meanwhile, Long Shen remained alone in the formation. After clearing the path for the others, he didn’t rush to leave. He descended from the sky and thrust his sword into the broken ground where the tiles had been destroyed. With a loud explosion, a massive shockwave spread outwards from the connection between the sword and the ground.

Regardless of friend or foe, everyone was involuntarily flipped over and thrown out, except for Long Shen, who firmly held onto the sword handle without wavering. Eiko Kitaichi and Ming Xian were impacted by the sound waves, crashing into the pillars and then falling to the ground. The others didn’t fare much better. Yu Buhui stabilized himself by plunging his sword into the ground, reaching out to grab Li Ying, preventing him from becoming a flying brick. However, Tang Jing wasn’t as fortunate. He was also lifted into the air and slammed forcefully into a wall. The impact reverberated through his internal organs, and the intense pain in his chest and abdomen made him realize that his injuries had worsened.

Tang Jing smiled wryly. Seeing Ming Xian reaching for the back of Li Ying’s head, he could only muster the strength to stand up and intervene.

A powerful radiance erupted from the connection between the sword and the ground. It was the starting point of all enchantments and the end of all entanglements. Long Shen’s target had always been Otowa Yasuhiko!

The hurricane caused by the burst of light destroyed the entire courtyard. All the dark creatures were exposed under the intense light, howling and screaming as they scattered in all directions. However, they were eventually swept up by the incoming hurricane, torn to pieces, and completely obliterated.

Eiko Kitaichi struck Yu Buhui’s shoulder with her palm, and the demonic qi immediately corroded his flesh, revealing a charred wound. Yu Buhui winced in pain, but he retaliated by kicking Eiko Kitaichi, sending her flying backward. At that moment, Eiko Kitaichi was engulfed by the hurricane and drowned in the brilliant light.

Yu Buhui quickly realized that the entire space was being torn apart by the intense light. Starting from Long Shen’s feet, a deep rift extended rapidly, like a gigantic invisible hand tearing the cracks open.

“The Seven-Star Longyuan Sword is indeed well-deserved of its reputation!”

At the end of the rift, a figure appeared within everyone’s sight. The person was short and hunched, gradually approaching amidst the intense light. He was dressed in traditional Japanese clothing, bearing all the characteristics of an old-fashioned Japanese individual. With deep facial lines and a stern countenance, he didn’t stand out among the crowd. However, at this moment, all eyes were focused on him.

Otowa Yasuhiko, who had been hiding behind the scenes, finally revealed his true form.

With an undisguised gaze of admiration and greed, he carefully scrutinized Long Shen from head to toe. “My spiritual companion, there’s no one with your heroic bearing and pride. Director Long, can you tell me the secret of your tremendous power?” Otowa Yasuhiko didn’t look at anyone else; his gaze was firmly fixed on Long Shen, seemingly unable to look away.

Long Shen ignored his question and coldly asked, “Where is Ding Lan’s soul?”

“The Seven-Star Longyuan Sword should possess such magnificence!” Otowa Yasuhiko exclaimed in admiration. However, his brows furrowed soon after. “The aura emanating from Director Long is something I have never seen in Ming Xian. In my presence, he can only behave like a dog, obediently bowing his head. I’ve wondered countless times which link went wrong, causing him to not only lack the charisma of Director Long but also repeatedly betray me.”

Upon hearing these words, Tang Jing couldn’t help but let out a sarcastic laugh.

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