Chapter 222: Descent
Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
Boom!
Qin Yun entered the Jiang Prefecture's Wusu County in the form of a beam.
"I'm almost there." Qin Yun looked down. The vast, shimmering Cloud Lake was already underneath him. In it lived members of the Water race. Humans could coexist with the Water race living in the lake as long as they did not harm humanity.
Although the Cloud Lake was expansive, at Qin Yun's flying speed it only took him a few seconds to reach a point where he could see Nine Mountain Island. In another blink of an eye, he was already hovering above Nine Mountain Island.
"Oh?"
Qin Yun stopped in midair and looked at the Nine Mountain Island beneath him. It was silent.
"Even the array formation is gone?" Qin Yun landed on the soft wild grass of the island. There were numerous caves on the island since it was a place where a large number of demons lived. Nine Mountain Island was far more imposing than Azure Wing Gorge.
"He really fled. Even the lesser demons are gone. No one is left." After condensing the purplish-gold Golden Core, he experienced growth in his soul again, making it stronger. Now, Qin Yun could sense the surrounding thirty kilometers through his Intrinsic Flying Sword. His flying sword could also kill enemies up to five hundred kilometers out. Without the Nine Mountain Island array formation's obstruction, his psyche reached everywhere. There were no demons or treasures at all on the island.
Qin Yun turned to look at the vast lake.
There were boats on the lake filled with lesser demons paddling with all their strength. There were also lesser demons swimming, as well as avian demons flying away. Obviously, these lesser demons were the slowest of those on Nine Mountain Island.
"Sou!"
Qin Yun flashed, transforming into a stream of light before landing on the bow of one of the boats.
The demons on the boat were so shocked they jumped into the lake. As they abandoned the boat so quickly, water splashed, leaving Qin Yun a little taken aback.
"You." Qin Yun looked at one of the demons that had abandoned the boat. His sword intent domain restrained him instantly. He was a cat demon and half his body had entered the water but, due to the sword intent domain's restraint, he could not move up or down. He was fixed in place.
"Esteemed Immortal, spare me! Spare me, please!" pleaded the cat demon immediately.
"Where's Nine Mountain Island Lord?" asked Qin Yun.
"Island Lord said that he's returning to Cloudfiend Mountain. He said that Sword Immortal Qin Yun will be coming and wanted us to disperse. Many great demons have also fled," said the cat demon immediately.
Qin Yun nodded.
It was truly as he expected. Nine Mountain Island Lord's life preservation was immensely strong, yet he was not deluded into thinking he stood a chance. He decided to disband the entire Nine Mountain Island and fled.
It was said that Nine Mountain Island was Nine Mountain Island Lord's birthplace since his true body was the island’s mountain. Even so, he was rather decisive in leaving a place as important as his birth home.
"Phew."
Qin Yun departed as he transformed into a stream of light that streaked across the sky.
"Palatial Lord Essence Charm." Qin Yun contacted Palatial Lord Essence Charm through his Inspect Heavenly Token. "Nine Mountain Island Lord has fled his island. The demons on the island have scattered. The Jiang Prefecture can now pursue the demons."
"Hahaha, we have already begun mustering the troops. There is not a single great fiendish demon in Jiang Prefecture currently. We will meet zero resistance. We naturally have to eliminate the demons as soon as possible." Palatial Lord Essence Charm was very happy as well. "I have to thank you, fellow Daoist Qin. This isn’t only happening in our Jiang Prefecture, all nineteen prefectures in the world will experience great changes because of this. Daoist Qin, you have really gained boundless beneficence."
"Unfortunately, those great fiendish demons are very crafty. They immediately flee the moment they see the situation turn against them," said Qin Yun.
Fiendish demons had longer lifespans than humans.
Five centuries later, these great fiendish demons that had hidden away would mostly still be alive. They could very well reappear to plunge humanity into misery.
"Haha, as long as Daoist Qin is around, the great fiendish demons will have to hide." Palatial Lord Essence Charm said with a smile. "In the coming centuries, the commoners will live much better lives. And with your talent, you might even be able to create a Dharmic formulation that allows the sword immortal lineage to condense an Essence Soul."
Palatial Lord Essence Charm was in an extremely good mood.
In recent years, the Scenic Mountain Sect had obtained the sect's long-lost cornerstone manuals from Scenic Yang Immortal Abode! Now all they needed was time to develop the techniques. And with all the great fiendish demons in Jiang Prefecture fleeing, all that was left were lesser demons of no consequence. With that, the Jiang Prefecture's population would soar in the next few centuries! The Scenic Mountain Sect could use this growth to recruit more excellent disciples. The next few centuries would be a time for the Scenic Mountain Sect to rapidly grow.
Everything was perfectly aligned!
The Scenic Mountain Sect naturally wished to see such a situation. Even the last token of the Scenic Yang Immortal Abode, the thing that triggered this happy period, had been produced by Qin Yun. To the Scenic Mountain Sect, Qin Yun was their lucky star!
******
Deep in a desolate mountain of the Qian Prefecture, there was an array formation set up.
An infant sat cross-legged there, cultivating. The surface of his body was swirling with a fiendish aura.
With time, the infant began to grow up. Soon, he became a youth. He wore black and also had blood-colored brows.
"Phew."
The youth opened his eyes. "This body is indeed innately suitable to cultivate the fiendcelestial Dharmic formulations. It's extremely easy to cultivate now. Also, since I have prepared sufficient treasures and retained the knowledge of my previous realms, it took me just three days to return to the Connate realm."
"It's true, the Other Realm Fiendcelestial did not lie to me. That's right. He still needs my true body from before. Why would he dare lie to me? If he does try to pull anything, I'd rather destroy my true body and lead us to an internecine outcome." The youth looked at a mountain suffusing fiendish aura inside the array formation. That was his previous true body! If not for the Other Realm Fiendcelestial, he would not have learned such an intricate possession spell."
"Swoosh." The youth took out the fiendcelestial figurine from his Cosmic Bag.
Buzz.
The fiendcelestial figurine immediately resonated with distant space. With a rumble, a rift began to appear in the void.
The gigantic fiendcelestial head was watching through the rift.
"Haha, you have already returned to the Connate realm? That body I gave you isn't bad, right?" said the Other Realm Fiendcelestial.
"Indeed, I can feel that my soul is a lot emptier. Cultivation comprehension is more than a hundred times faster," said Nine Mountain Island Lord with a nod.
"Your mountain body from before made your cultivation much slower than that of ordinary demons. And this Sanguine Sea Fiend Embryo makes cultivating much faster than ordinary demons. Due to this, your cultivation speed will far exceed what it was in the past," said the Other Realm Fiendcelestial. "It's a common saying that humans cultivate quickly. Now, you are probably no longer inferior to the humans. I do have to warn you that, although you have possessed this new body, your soul has not changed! Qin Yun, who wants you dead, can instantly discover your soul's aura when he sees you. You have to be careful while you are still weak. Do not be discovered by him."
"I understand." Nine Mountain Island Lord nodded.
Powerful demons and cultivators had various means to change their looks.
Only the soul's aura could truly determine one's identity.
"This body is now yours, Fiendcelestial. I'll be leaving first." Once Nine Mountain Island Lord said that, he left the array formation quickly.
"He fled rather quickly. Was he afraid that I would kill him?"
Through the void rift, the Other Realm Fiendcelestial watched Nine Mountain Island Lord escape.
"It's time."
The Other Realm Fiendcelestial looked at the mountain body. "Only when the soul leaves willingly, leaving no resistance, can I successfully descend."
"It sure wasn't easy. How many years has it taken for a demon possessing a mountain body to appeared in this world!? He was finally willing to give me this body after I tempted him for so long."
"Alright."
The Other Realm Fiendcelestial, who had long prepared for this moment, instantly sent a faint purple light out from his glabella. The purple light traveled through the void rift with great difficulty.
It appeared close but in fact, it was extremely far away.
The purple light traversed the void with great difficulty. It was thousands of times harder than his previous sending of the weak infant body. The purple light appeared ordinary, but it was in fact the vital essence of the Other Realm Fiendcelestial after he abandoned his body. As for tunneling through the void with a body? It was something impossible for the Other Realm Fiendcelestial even if he made every sacrifice possible.
Hum!
After the purple light entered the world, the world rumbled as lightning clouds gathered. Such an existence would receive punishment from heavens the moment it descended!
However, just as the purple light entered the world, it immediately bore into the mountain that was suffusing fiendish auras. Although the lightning clouds had gathered in the sky, they quickly stopped and after some time they dispersed altogether.
The purple light entered the mountain and rapidly took it over.
After all, the original soul had departed of its own will. There was no resistance at all.
"This mountain body has long reached the level of the intent domain realm. Although this is my first descent, I can rapidly recover most of my strength." With a whoosh, the mountain transformed into a purple-robed youth. He smiled. "Excellent! I entered this world with all my memories intact. I wonder how many fiendcelestials will envy me."
"No one can recognize my aura. Even Nine Mountain Island Lord would not recognize me. I have to give myself a name, a human name."
The purple-robed youth pondered and recalled the human that had worshiped and communicated with him tens of thousands of years ago. It left a deep impression on him. "Alright, from this day forth, my name is He Qian."
"Haha. He Qian. He Qian."
The purple-robed youth stepped out with big strides. He traversed more than a thousand feet with each step. That night, he left the mountain and entered the human world.