If Xiao Kun’s heart had previously been filled with Baleful Qi, even harboring some hatred and resentment—furious that the Heart Lamp rejected and scorched him, wondering “Why choose Hulü Guang and not me?”—that fury had now vanished without a trace.
From Hulü Guang’s thoughts, Xiao Kun instantly understood why the Heart Lamp had chosen him.
“Sorry,” Xiao Kun faced the situation squarely, realizing he must clarify things, and said, “It is my fault. Xiang Xian and I both bear responsibility.”
“No,” Hulü Guang immediately said. “The one who should apologize is me.”
“Hulü Brother, if not for your action at the critical moment, the Heart Lamp would have been seized by the enemy,” Xiao Kun said. “You also saved me from peril. By all reason and emotion, Xiang Xian and I must thank you for saving our lives.”
Hulü Guang nodded, his eyes revealing emotion.
“It was just so sudden; I never imagined it would turn out this way,” Xiao Kun continued. “But today I understand: the Heart Lamp chose you by fateful decree. This is the best outcome, the only outcome. Please do not take my prior offenses to heart.”
Hulü Guang’s expression was extremely complex, but in the end, he nodded.
Xiao Kun added, “Once we rescue Xiang Xian, we will slowly figure out a way. We will definitely teach you how to release the Heart Lamp’s power.”
“I am willing to help you all,” Hulü Guang came back to himself, patted his Broken Knife, and said. “As long as I can be of use.”
“Mm.” Xiao Kun sat down again, pondering the entire sequence of events. A moment later, he said to Wu Yingzong, “I remember you saying that before this, he successfully released the Heart Lamp’s power.”
“Exactly so,” Wu Yingzong said. He detailed the battle atop the rocky mountain to Xiao Kun.
“You were ambushed by Mr. Qin,” Xiao Kun said, “and in the end, you purified him instead.”
Wu Yingzong: “His target was Chaosheng. After the battle in Kaifeng, Chaosheng became extremely important to him.”
Though he did not know why “Mu” had twice tried to take Chaosheng, it surely related to Kunlun and the Immortal Seed.
Chaosheng: “Hulü Brother can release the Heart Lamp’s power in moments of crisis. This state is called ‘Ignite Divine Sense,’ but it cannot be consciously controlled.”
Xiao Kun knew that whether mortals or cultivators, in moments of life and death, they would erupt with immense power, as if igniting their own divine sense. Of course, this inflicted heavy damage on the soul’s power; some could not rein it in and died on the spot.
This process could neither be controlled in timing nor sustained, so great expectations could not be placed on it.
At the same time, another thought struck him.
“Xiang Xian using the Wisdom Sword is also Ignite Divine Sense?” Xiao Kun asked.
“Yes,” Chaosheng said. “He cannot fully control the Wisdom Sword either, to a certain extent. But he has a Pure Yang Body and is the Sword Holder, so when using the sword, it does not burn away all his Three Souls and Seven Poises. The Wisdom Sword only consumes the power he has at that moment. Memories depend on the souls, so when it ignites…”
Xiao Kun: “He loses consciousness! I get it!”
Chaosheng nodded.
The Sword Holder could not control the Wisdom Sword, the Lamp Keeper could not release the Heart Lamp… Xiao Kun now wanted to bash his head against a rock. No Grand Demon-Exorcist in history had it harder than him.
Xiao Kun fell silent for a moment, then asked Chaosheng, “Starting now, teach Hulü Brother cultivation. To have him simply release the Heart Lamp Light to strike down Demon Persons, how long do you think it will take?”
“This…” Chaosheng could not judge and said, “I do not know. I have not seriously cultivated either.”
Ever since being brought back to the White Jade Palace, Chaosheng had never fully learned Immortal Techniques or spellcasting. His spells along the way were a haphazard mess, all relying on his innate Shenzhou Immortal Endowment for casting.
Chaosheng looked toward Wu Yingzong. Though Wu Yingzong instinctively rejected Hulü Guang, he understood that Hulü Guang was kind and upright. His relationship with Chaosheng was purely his own overthinking, bringing himself discomfort. Hearing him speak of suicide earlier had even stirred some guilt.
Wu Yingzong: “Lord Xiao, you yourself learned spells. From cultivating True Qi to circulating Zhou Tian, to the first Finger Flame, how long did it take?”
“A year.” Xiao Kun covered his forehead with one hand, nearly in despair.
“But this is the Heart Lamp,” Chaosheng comforted. “It should not take that long.”
Wu Yingzong: “Lord Xiao is a genius. Ordinary cultivators take a decade as the limit; there will be no shorter time than Lord Xiao’s. Xiang Xian’s master, Shen Kuo, said that Finger Flame is the initial testament to circulating Spiritual Power. Once Spiritual Power is mastered, progress speeds up: Wind Technique, Water Flow Technique… until several years later, hitting the first bottleneck.”
“You have learned quite a bit of Master Shen’s true teachings,” Xiao Kun gathered his thoughts and said. “For now, let us leave it at that. We will discuss slowly after rescuing your master. We must set out.”
“He is everyone’s master,” Chaosheng suddenly said with a smile.
The atmosphere lightened considerably. Xiao Kun suddenly felt he had been endlessly mentioning Xiang Xian, countless times along the way—he had been far too anxious.
“Do not worry,” Chaosheng said. “I have the Mountains and Rivers Sheji Map. Do not fear them.”
