Inner Demons

Chapter 170: Divine Dragon Dynasty Share Comments

Yue Yunzi sighed. It wasn't for his former disciple's cultivation being destroyed, nor for his other former disciple being casually eaten.

He was sighing at their stupidity.

But there was nothing to sigh about—he knew that the "stupidity" of these cultivators was intentionally cultivated by the traditions of the Daoist Orthodoxy and Sword Sect. It was not the will of one or a few people, but the result of choices made over millions of years.

He himself was a genius of heavenly talent, who began cultivating at the age of forty. Now, at one hundred and thirty-two, he had used eighty-six years to reach the True Realm.

And the one collapsed on the floor was one hundred and thirteen years old and had been cultivating for one hundred and thirteen years. He was a Daoist child from Grotto-heaven, with both parents being cultivators. But due to his aptitude, he had only reached the Illusory Realm in one hundred and thirteen years. There were many Taoist priests like him, and the requirements for Sword Cultivators were even stricter—

This was under the condition that they were almost single-mindedly focused on cultivation.

Yue Yunzi knew he was a smart person, but he also knew that if everyone in the Daoist Orthodoxy were as "smart" as him, it would have long since fallen apart. A group of "smart people" who wielded great power and were ambitious, smart people no different from those in the secular world… how could the Daoist Orthodoxy and Sword Sect still exist.

They would have schemed against and slaughtered each other long ago, creating rivers of blood.

But he still lamented their stupidity—

In his view, a power that was not considered strong had made them lose the instinct for seeking advantage and avoiding harm that everyone in the secular world possessed. He sighed again, watching Changping Zi without sorrow or joy. “Why didn't you hide properly?”The Taoist priest on the ground looked at him with numb eyes. His lips and fingers had been trembling violently before, but now they had stopped. Only his eyes still moved occasionally, emitting a desperate light.

“That was Yazi. Yazi with scales and horns.” Yue Yunzi looked at him, his tone not angry, but not comforting either. “He was once a great demon of the Great Accomplishment Profound Realm. To kill me, he would only need a single finger. Although he is heavily injured now, he is still… Yazi.”

Changping Zi could no longer speak.

Li Yunxin's single strike of Spiritual Power had pierced his Snow Mountain Qi Sea but had not completely destroyed it, so he was able to live for another half-hour—an extremely painful, unimaginably torturous half-hour. Now, the cultivator had reached the end of his life, and the pain was almost equal to the sum of all the torment he had suffered in the previous half-hour.

He stared at Yue Yunzi—hoping the other could grant him release.

But his master did not seem to have any intention of doing so.

It was only at this moment that Changping Zi realized…

This was his punishment.

But he didn't even have the strength to express remorse or anger.

“This won't do. Alas.” Yue Yunzi sighed once more, looking at Changping Zi as if he were a disappointing child. “You people are typical cultivators. Born in the blessed land of Grotto-heaven, your aptitude is better than most secular people. You start cultivating from birth, detached from worldly affairs. You probably don't even know that in this world… people will kill for a mouthful of food.”

“This is a good thing. This way, your desires are not strong, and you can focus on cultivation. Even when you later walk in the secular world, you are still high above. Your world is very difficult to shake.”

As Yue Yunzi spoke, Changping Zi's pupils began to dilate. He blinked as if in relief—he could finally escape this terrifying pain.

But his master raised his hand, and a stream of spiritual energy was injected into his body from a distance. A brief spark of life was rekindled, and along with it came a tsunami of pain—a series of the most vicious curses flashed through Changping Zi's mind… but he was not skilled in this art and didn't even really know how to curse.

Yue Yunzi didn't care about his pain, seeming only to not want to lose a listener.

In the incense burner in the room, wisps of green smoke rose. The harsh sunlight penetrated the wool carpet within a step of the doorway.

Outside the window, the trees swayed gently, rustling.

The True Realm Taoist priest lowered his eyelids.

“So I say, this won't do.” He sighed. “Smart people like me are needed. Some smart people like me are needed to do some evil things. Some smart people like me, with power, with brains, with desires, are needed to face the coming great calamity.”

“So I must become the head of a school. And that school should become a sharp blade. Not transcending tribulations, nor abandoning any desires… only pursuing the most extreme power.”

He fell silent, thought for a moment, then raised his hand again.

An even more vigorous spiritual energy was injected into Changping Zi's body. “Speak.”

Because of this stream of spiritual energy, the dying Taoist priest was finally able to speak, albeit with great difficulty amidst the extreme pain. A series of curses should have come out, but as Yue Yunzi had said, the philosophy formed over his more than one hundred years of life made him say something else: “…Without transcending tribulations, how can one advance in cultivation, how can one… achieve Supreme… Indifference…”

“It’s not necessary to go that far.” Yue Yunzi looked at him calmly. “Why must cultivation involve transcending tribulations? It's said that it's to prevent us from losing our true nature. It's said that it's to prevent us from being unable to advance.”

“But as far as I know, there is one sect, they cultivate both Daoist arts and sword techniques, and they do not transcend tribulations. They walk among the world, and their power is so great that even I am frightened. None of you know about this… I don’t know if the Two Saints know, but I do.”

“In them, I saw what people who possess great power but are not emotionless and desireless look like—a group of madmen. But us, we are a group of decrepit old men.” Yue Yunzi closed his eyes. “Madmen can change and destroy the world, but old men cannot stop them. I am willing to become a madman, and there will be many more in the Daoist Orthodoxy and Sword Sect who will become madmen—we will be the first martyrs.”

“But… Supreme…” The life force of the Illusory Realm Taoist priest began to wane again. Even Yue Yunzi could not extend his life for too long.

“Supreme Indifference? Hehe…” Yue Yunzi let out a cold laugh. “Let’s first figure out why the Two Saints have been delayed in the realm of Supreme Indifference for a thousand years without ascending!”

The light in Changping Zi's eyes finally extinguished.

Yue Yunzi looked at his corpse and shook his head compassionately. “Were you not also a martyr.”

…

…

There was no moon tonight.

But the wind was strong. The Albizia and Chinese Photinia trees outside the house had shed a tree's worth of flowers, scattering them across half the courtyard. The fragrance of the flowers mixed with the smell of the earth, creating an unexpectedly pleasant scent.

Li Yunxin sat half-reclining in a rattan chair under the eaves, casually sketching on a white paper fan with a fine, small weasel-hair brush.

He was painting a semi-impressionistic, semi-detailed landscape, which was currently only half-finished. Strictly speaking, the painting was not very skillful; the composition and use of negative space were problematic. Apart from the experienced brushwork, there was nothing to commend.

But it seemed he was just doing it to relieve his boredom. He would sketch a few strokes, then stop to think for a moment.

He was currently staying in a property belonging to the Yu Manor. It was a quarter of an hour's journey from Taoxi Road, a courtyard with three sections. The one who had arranged for him and Old Daoist Liu to stay here was a middle-aged scholar who called himself Mister Li and was extremely ugly. The most profound first impression he left on Li Yunxin was his—peculiar appearance.

But he was surprisingly polite to Old Daoist Liu, occasionally probing with his words, as if he didn't believe this Liu Gongzan was the same Liu Gongzan who had appeared at the Yu Manor that day.

He had now taken Old Daoist Liu to the front courtyard for drinking and merriment, but he never gave Li Yunxin a second glance.

In any case, he was a smart person, able to see through some of the inner workings.

He sat under the eaves, enjoying the comfortable breeze. After sketching for a while, he seemed to feel tired, so he placed the brush on a brush rest on the small side table, blew on the ink on the fan's surface, and closed the fan.

However, just as he was about to close his eyes for a while, he noticed a point of light appear on the crown of the Albizia tree in the courtyard, which was full of pink flowers.

He opened his eyes and lazily glanced at it.

He found that a bright moon had appeared on the treetop.

It was indeed a bright moon—the kind of golden, round, flat moon from a comic book, with a few wisps of clouds around it. The moon cast a soft, clear glow, illuminating the entire courtyard.

The sound of the wind suddenly ceased, and the voices from the front courtyard also disappeared.

Then, a small human figure appeared in the moon. It grew larger and larger, as if walking towards him from a distance. In a few steps, it walked out of the moon, stepped onto the white clouds by the moon's edge, and walked step by step into the courtyard.

But this person was not a fairy from the moon, but an Immortal from the moon. He looked to be in his forties, wearing a Daoist robe that was exceptionally smooth, without a single wrinkle. His five strands of beautiful beard were as black as ink, but his face was fair.

He landed in the courtyard, stood with his hands behind his back, looked at Li Yunxin, and said, "I have long heard that Lord Tongtian is of the most resolute, fiery, and decisive temperament. How has he now been reduced to living in the same place as secular people?"

Li Yunxin stared at him seriously for a while, then closed his eyes. "None of your damn business."

The visitor was not annoyed. He continued to stand with his hands behind his back and said indifferently, "It seems that's not entirely true. Now that I have revealed your identity, you are not anxious or impatient."

Li Yunxin still ignored him. Yue Yunzi then smiled faintly. "It is said that the Dragon Clan loves to make astonishing remarks. The ancients truly did not deceive me. But Lord Tongtian, lying low here, do you know this is not a long-term solution?"

After saying this, he waved his hand gently. Two colorfully dressed attendants then walked down from the bright moon on the Albizia tree, jointly carried out a soft couch, and placed it for Yue Yunzi to sit on.

"Lord Tongtian has used a good strategy," Yue Yunzi said calmly. "I previously thought that among the demons, there might be some with deep schemes, but a divine beast of Lord Tongtian's proud and untamable nature would disdain to do so. But recently, observing Lord Tongtian's arrangements, I also find them to be meticulous and steady. If it were not me, I'm afraid others would have already fallen into Lord Tongtian's trap."

This statement finally seemed to pique Li Yunxin's interest. He half-opened his eyes, revealing a strange, evil smile. A row of fine, sharp teeth flashed in the bright moonlight. "Oh? A mere little man of the True Realm can actually understand my plans? Heh. Tell me about it."

He then fully opened his eyes, his pair of demonic golden pupils fixed on Yue Yunzi. "If you're wrong, I'll eat you alive!"

Yue Yunzi laughed heartily. "Lord Tongtian has fallen to his current state, yet his might has not diminished. Truly a world-shaking great demon."

"But I already know that on that day Lord Tongtian fought with the Ghost Emperor, both his divine form and true body were severely injured, almost to the point of spiritual and physical annihilation. It is quite lamentable—that two Dragon's Sons would be one dead and one injured within a few days of each other, ah..." Yue Yunzi said, then changed the subject, "Lord Tongtian, do you know how I saw through your identity?"

"Hmph. Why would I need to hide?"

Yue Yunzi smiled faintly and said to himself, "It is said that when that old creature in Dongting first saw Lord Tongtian, your cultivation realm was comparable to that of Cong Yunzi from the Shangqing Elixir Cauldron Sect. But when he saw you again a few days ago, your cultivation had already entered the Manifestation Realm. This speed of progress is truly terrifying. However, I know that Lord Tongtian is a natural Profound Realm great demon. Your previous damage to your divine form and true body meant your cultivation was damaged—so it would naturally be quick to recover. But... this speed is still too slow."

Li Yunxin stopped talking and stared at him with a pair of fierce golden eyes.

Yue Yunzi, feeling animated, stood up from the couch and paced a few steps.

"Because Lord Tongtian wants to re-cultivate. This is a good opportunity." His tone gradually turned cold, his gaze sharp as he looked at Li Yunxin. "Lord Tongtian was notoriously infamous in the Ye and Li Kingdoms, cultivating the path of malice. Although this path allows for the fastest progress, it has many hidden dangers. Your cultivation was almost destroyed before, and you also know that the Daoist Orthodoxy and Sword Sect would definitely go to Tongtian Marsh to hunt down that Ghost Emperor—you certainly couldn't be at ease. So you fled to the Wei River."

"Then you learned about what was happening here, and you also knew that I, the Lord of Dongting, and the daughter of the Golden Peng were all suspicious of each other... Therefore, you created that Divine Dragon Cult. Then you set up deceptions in the city, killed Qingliangzi... thus making us all wary of each other, thinking that the Divine Dragon Cult was the other's handiwork. And Lord Tongtian both hid his identity and gained Votive Power. The power you've gained now is of good will, so it's no wonder your progress is slower."

"What I am saying now, is it the truth?"

Li Yunxin slowly sat up straight in his rattan chair, no longer feigning a ferocious demeanor. He stared at Yue Yunzi for a while, then sneered. "You are smarter than I thought."

"Do you know where Lord Tongtian revealed his first flaw?" Yue Yunzi said with a smile. "The first time you went to Jun Mountain to see the Lord of Dongting, when you boarded the boat, the shrimp soldier saw it clearly—you were afraid of water."

"Then that night, when you fought with Cong Yunzi, you refused to cross the water until you found a small boat. Ah... hahaha." Yue Yunzi threw his head back and laughed loudly. "The secret historical records passed down in my Daoist Orthodoxy say that although Lord Tongtian is a Dragon's Son, his true form is that of a leopard. As a member of the Dragon Clan, he dislikes water. It's actually true!"

After Yue Yunzi said this, he saw Li Yunxin on the rattan chair flinch. He then clapped his hands. "Wonderful, wonderful—I also know that Lord Tongtian has now entered the city and gone to the Yu Manor to patiently deal with secular people in order to borrow their power. To borrow the power of secular people to do good deeds like building bridges and paving roads. You thought this would not attract my attention... but you didn't know that the Yu Family thought you were my man and came to question me."

He paused after saying this, then stared at Li Yunxin. "And today, Lord Tongtian went out of the city... I'm afraid it wasn't to avoid my eyes and ears to discuss some matters. It was for..."

"The bean seeds, right?" He sneered and sighed softly. "Did Lord Tongtian take me for one of those cultivators who know nothing of the world? Little did you know that before I pursued the Dao, I was a provincial director of agriculture. Bean seeds, others may not know, but I do. When this season arrives, the farmers all hope for rain."

"When Lord Tongtian's Divine Dragon Cult has gained power in the city, and then you widely spread your followers, who will make vows to you and pray for you to bring rain..."

"At that time, when you manifest your divine power and really summon wind and rain, this Votive Power will skyrocket, won't it! It's a good scheme, but... it has now been seen through by me." Yue Yunzi took two steps, returned to the couch and sat down, looking at the grim-faced Li Yunxin. "What other schemes does Lord Tongtian have?"

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