Chapter 140 - Arc 10: The Affairs of Sword Cave | Chapter 140: Yun Lie Kills Pan Hong
Translator: Lynn
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Pan Hong’s immediate response was to adopt a defensive posture. Concealing the malicious intent in his eyes, he averted his gaze, seemingly avoiding direct eye contact with the Golden Core stage cultivator. However, tumultuous waves of emotions surged within him.
Pan Hong had ascertained that even though Yun Lie and Xu Ziqing were due to leave the seclusion of the Sword Cave together after three days to convene, he had seized this opportunity to eliminate Xu Ziqing.
Yet, Yun Lie’s abrupt arrival, coupled with his breakthrough… Though he speculated that Xu Ziqing’s death might upset Yun Lie, he never anticipated that Yun Lie would forsake his cultivation to rescue Xu Ziqing!
Could this really be the same Yun Lie who dwelled in isolation and once enjoyed a sterling reputation?
Pan Hong struggled to believe it, a deep malevolence festering within him. Regret gnawed at him—why hadn’t he killed Xu Ziqing earlier?
Yet, no matter how intense Pan Hong’s murderous intent or sinister musings were, another frigid voice echoed in the cavern.
It was Yun Lie who spoke, his tone chilling: “Where is Xu Ziqing?”
Pan Hong was jolted, his head drooping. “I genuinely don’t know who Xu Ziqing is,” he muttered. His heart swelled with cruelty, for he believed Xu Ziqing’s plunge into the Heavenly Demon Cave spelled certain doom.
No matter how anguished Yun Lie might be, Pan Hong was convinced Yun Lie wouldn’t rush to rescue him. However, this thought barely had time to take root before a frigid sensation coursed through his brow. Subsequently, he sensed a cavity perforating his mind, from which all knowledge and spirit poured forth – even his life slipped away like a grain of sand…
At that moment, he heard a voice.
“You harbored the intent to slay my fellow disciple, yet you now feigned innocence. If you’re culpable, you won’t regret it. You should be executed!” The words were Yun Lie’s, but the sentiment imbued in them was icy.
Before Pan Hong could react, he toppled backward, crashing heavily to the ground. Gradually, his pupils dilated, and blood trickled from a small crevice between his brows. In his final moments of fading awareness, a sense of dissatisfaction lingered. Alas, he had already succumbed to death.
Yun Lie withdrew his hand, his countenance unmoving, and advanced. No visible motion accompanied him, yet Pan Hong’s wide-eyed cadaver suddenly ascended and tumbled into the Heavenly Demon Gate. In the ensuing instant, Yun Lie also stepped forward, plummeting straight downward.
Within the Heavenly Demon Cave, darkness enveloped everything, rendering it devoid of light.
Yet as Yun Lie treaded through its depths, it seemed as if daylight accompanied his every step, no hindrance impeding his path.
His Jindanqi spiritual awareness could span a thousand miles in every direction, yet within that range, there was no trace of the green-shirted youth he sought.
This wasn’t unexpected.
The Heavenly Demon Cave spanned vast expanses, its labyrinthine underground caverns intertwining like a web. Stretching from its outer layers to its core, it covered an expanse of tens of thousands of hectares. Moreover, the diverse Heavenly Demon Gates, established by various great powers in the past, imposed different constraints. Due to the teleportation mechanisms in place, the teleportation locations significantly differed between the Foundation Establishment Stage and the Golden Core Stage.
Despite being only at the early Golden Core stage, Yun Lie’s cultivation was formidable, causing him to naturally descend into a deep inner region during teleportation.
Yet, while Xu Ziqing lay beyond this radius, numerous formidable entities resided within it.
For instance, the looming behemoth—the Yaksha demon!
With a visage reminiscent of a specter and a serpentine physique, its dark green form sported rib-grown wings. Adorning its arm’s crook was a bone knife bristling with menacing barbs, a sight both horrifying and dreadful.
In the span of a blink, the Yaksha demon advanced, bone knife in hand, displaying an astonishing vigor that matched or even exceeded that of a Golden Core stage monk.
Within the time it took to draw a breath, Yaksha demons closed in from left, right, and rear, gusts of wind swirling overhead. One of them unfurled its fleshy wings, brandishing the bone knife and cleaving down with fervor.
An onslaught from all directions rendered escape impossible.
Trapped amid a quintet of Yaksha demons, Yun Lie found himself encircled akin to being besieged by five Jindan cultivators. The situation teetered on the brink, perilous and impending disaster drawing near. Yet, Yun Lie remained unmoved. Raising a single palm, he summoned a tempestuous wind, from within which an incisive sword aura surged skyward.
His lengthy black tresses swayed in the wind, with each strand resembling a keen-edged blade, a fusion of gentleness and sharpness. Subsequently, a myriad of sword qi began to coil and interweave, growing more substantial as time passed. Eventually, they congealed into numerous sword formations, which in an instant, dispersed—
“Chi chi chi—”
The sound of several penetrating strikes echoed, their resonance meandering through the subterranean stone passageway akin to a corridor.
Unperturbed, Yun Lie advanced, stepping forward with deliberation.
In his wake, Yaksha’s lifeless body plummeted, accompanied by several muted thuds that sequentially resounded, sending dust billowing into the air, and obscuring the ground.
Exhaustion had set in. Wu Anyi, Ji Rui, and Xu Ziqing decided to halt their advance within the depths of the Heavenly Demon Cave and take a much-needed rest.
Ji Rui conjured a talisman and set ablaze the crimson plants that adorned the cavern walls, proceeding to tidy up the area. Meanwhile, Wu Anyi was busy establishing protective barriers around them. Both of them had their hands full with their tasks.
Observing their occupied state, Xu Ziqing decided to tend to the ground himself.
In doing so, his attention was drawn to a desiccated corpse slumped against a corner of the wall.
The skeleton’s robe bore signs of wear and tear, yet little else remained.
As Ji Rui finished arranging the wall and noticed Xu Ziqing’s stationary stance, she approached him and remarked, “The leech-like plants must have drained this person dry.” Her gaze shifted to the corpse, which appeared stripped of any valuables. Her tone was tinged with regret as she added, “This time, someone else is benefiting from their storage bags and magical tools.”
At this point, Xu Ziqing comprehended that the plant in question was the “Zhipan1蛭 zhì : fluke / leech / hirudinea.
盘 pán: to build / to coil Grass.”
True to its name, it likely referred to the herb’s tendency to attach itself to living beings, akin to a leech. These grasses would cling to their victims, sucking their blood and life essence dry.
Initially, Xu Ziqing had contemplated inspecting the grass further, with the notion of possibly procuring some for himself. However, recognizing its nature, he decided against it. The Bloodthirsty Demon Vine, Rongjin, was already proving to be a challenge; he certainly didn’t need another entity with less spiritual acumen than Rongjin causing him further problems.
But even before Xu Ziqing could delve further into his thoughts, Ji Rui stepped forward, her hand sweeping the remains away, causing the bones to scatter and break into pieces.
Witnessing this, Xu Ziqing’s brows furrowed slightly. Regardless of the circumstances, respect for the deceased was a fundamental principle. Soon after, he let out a soft sigh, a growing sense of wariness infiltrating his thoughts. Encountering the lifeless form of a fellow cultivator usually warrants a moment of deference—even if just skirting around it. However, Ji Rui’s seemingly brusque treatment of the corpse left him perplexed.
Xu Ziqing’s gaze darkened slightly.
Could the Heavenly Demon Cave indeed be as he suspected—a place with few boundaries or constraints?
Among the three of them, Wu Anyi had finished laying down the protective barriers. The trio appeared to be accustomed to their roles as hunters within the Heavenly Demon Cave. Soon, a soft ball of talisman fire was kindled in their midst.
The fire emitted a pale red hue, casting a gentle illumination that allowed them to clearly discern the features of their surroundings.
Wu Anyi’s actions were also partially motivated by his concern for his junior sister. While one could utilize their spiritual sense to project various scenes into their consciousness, the darkness pervading the cave’s depths could still be disconcerting. Xu Ziqing, in particular, had experienced a traumatic past with darkness, so it was likely that vision would provide him with a greater sense of security. Wu Anyi speculated that his junior sister’s pleasing appearance might have been overlooked by Xu Ziqing due to his broader reliance on spiritual perception. If his junior sister were to be nearer to him now, would he still be able to maintain his detachment?
Recognizing her senior brother’s intentions, Ji Rui calmly took her seat beside Xu Ziqing. Their proximity was noticeable but not excessive.
While Xu Ziqing furrowed his brows slightly, he refrained from voicing his concern.
Wu Anyi, ever straightforward, promptly took a seat across from Xu Ziqing, positioned next to Ji Rui. He reassured them, “Having expended a significant amount of true energy during our demon hunt, I’ll let you and my shimei recover first. I’ll keep watch to prevent any potential demon ambushes.”
Upon seeing his friendly expression, Xu Ziqing nodded appreciatively, “Thank you.”
Ji Rui, displaying restraint, joined Xu Ziqing in meditation to regain their strength. After a while, Xu Ziqing was the first to open his eyes. As a wood elemental cultivator with a single spiritual root, the Wood Qi within his blood had yet to completely dissipate. This innate advantage allowed him to recover faster than Ji Rui, a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator.
Observing his speedy recovery, Wu Anyi was taken aback, reinforcing his belief in the extraordinary capabilities of disciples from larger sects. He began to estimate Xu Ziqing’s status within the Wuling Immortal Sect.
Half an hour later, Ji Rui paused her meditation. Xu Ziqing’s rapid revival surprised her and her senior brother. Wu Anyi exchanged a glance with Ji Rui, who subtly nodded in understanding. After pondering for a moment, Ji Rui offered a brighter flicker to the talisman fire and then produced two prepared second-order monster beast legs from her storage bag. She arranged the legs on a makeshift frame and began roasting them. As she did so, she suggested with a warm smile, “Fellow Daoist, it’s possible you’re not fully prepared for your first visit to the Heavenly Demon Cave. Why don’t we share this meal to rejuvenate ourselves?”
Xu Ziqing hesitated. He hadn’t made any prior arrangements. Although he had brought some Bigu Pill along during his time in the Sword Cave, those had been consumed when he was practicing swords. While alone, he could pluck herbs from his storage ring to satiate his hunger, accommodating outsiders required greater discretion.
Observing Xu Ziqing’s momentary indecision, Wu Anyi sensed his vulnerability and added with a friendly grin, “Shimei speaks the truth. Fellow Daoist Xu, though we may have encountered each other by chance, you are now our companion in this venture. Give my shimei’s cooking a try; it’s just a simple beast leg. It’s nothing significant. I hope you don’t find it distasteful.”
Having deliberated, Xu Ziqing recognized that while he didn’t particularly wish to establish close ties with these dao siblings, they had indeed extended their assistance. He couldn’t afford to be ungrateful. Thus, with a courteous smile, he responded, “I appreciate your kindness.”
Ji Rui maintained her affable expression, yet a subtle note of disappointment resonated within her.
Wu Anyi felt a similar sentiment of resignation.
Xu Ziqing, though seemingly inexperienced, displayed an unyielding reserve in his words. Was he truly oblivious to the unspoken intentions of the two seniors, or was he deliberately feigning ignorance?
The circumstances were shrouded in ambiguity. Nonetheless, their sect’s survival had been a struggle, and regardless of the emotional toll, they couldn’t squander this rare opportunity that had finally come their way.
At this juncture, Ji Rui appeared to possess greater composure than her senior brother.
Their strategy was clear—enticing Xu Ziqing through an overnight encounter. She understood that this gentleman’s temperament was quite accommodating. If she were to engage intimately with him during the night, she was confident that she could wield control over him the following day. Contemplating this plan, a rosy hue began to color Ji Rui’s cheeks. Amidst these musings, she found her attention inexplicably drawn to Xu Ziqing’s handsome countenance. Despite his youth, his appearance was remarkably captivating. Such thoughts only solidified her determination. Turning her arm gracefully, she repositioned the roasted animal’s leg.
The once pallid surface of the animal leg had turned a rich, golden brown, and as the fat dripped onto the open flame, a sizzling melody filled the air.
Fixing her gaze on the roasted meat, Ji Rui felt a surge of fervor.
This delicacy was the leg of a Juyang Red Bull—a creature born under the sun’s gaze, galloping beneath its blazing rays daily. Infused with the fiery essence of the sun, its flesh and hide exuded a potent yang energy. This inherent warmth rendered the meat a favorite among female cultivators.
Given that most female cultivators had a yin constitution, characterized by a significant accumulation of yin energy within their bodies, the balance of these energies was vital. They often partook of creatures like the Juyang Red Bull to harmonize their systems by neutralizing excessive yin and fostering bodily vitality.
However, the consumption of such meat by men bore a different implication. The abundant influx of yang energy might engender an overwhelming surge of desire, potentially leading to an unbridled ardor…
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1蛭 zhì : fluke / leech / hirudinea.
盘 pán: to build / to coil