Pei Ji was still alive.
The moment Xie Linlang realized this, his emotions surged wildly.
He had always believed that Pei Ji was dead.
Xie Linlang had slacked off for so many years, struck back by Heavenly Tribulation, forced to rally his spirits once more. Though he thought of finding Pei Ji’s reincarnation and suspected Shen He might be connected to him,
Xie Linlang had grown so indolent over the years that suddenly pulling himself together—tracking the traces Pei Ji had left behind—left him deeply uneasy inside.
It was a fear that was hard to put into words.
Just a faint, ethereal hope; an excuse to stop slacking off; a man who merely resembled Pei Ji greatly. Xie Linlang had given himself a reason to persist, a way to deceive himself.
But now, that excuse had become reality.
Pei Ji was truly alive, and Xie Linlang’s persistence would surely bear fruit.
This thrill and motivation defied description.
He was like a lone traveler trudging through the dark night, finally spotting an orange lantern glowing on the distant horizon, gaining a clear direction forward.
Xie Linlang gasped for breath in great heaves. Unbeknownst to him, the metallic tang of blood had faded from his mouth, and the heavy fatigue weighing on his body had vanished without a trace—as if the news of Pei Ji’s survival was some miraculous Spirit Pill, instantly restoring him to peak condition.
As long as he could find Pei Ji, as long as he could see him again…
In a daze, Pei Ji’s figure truly appeared before Xie Linlang’s eyes.
The young man still wore a deep green robe, his black hair cascading naturally behind him. Unlike the disheveled image in the Nine Spirits Sect Master’s illusion, Pei Ji now radiated refreshment and ease from his brow to his eyes. His dark gaze sparkled with light, brimming with tender affection, joy, and anticipation.
He opened his arms slightly, as if to embrace him.
“Linlang…”
Xie Linlang felt drawn forward, stumbling ahead as if to throw himself into Pei Ji’s arms.
Splurt—
Unnoticed, the Lotus-Colored Long Rope had appeared in Xie Linlang’s hand. Its tip stretched thin into a sharp spike.
The spike plunged deep into the body of the Pei Ji before him. The figure swayed, as if struck a devastating blow, staring at Xie Linlang in disbelief.
“Linlang? You… why…”
“…You’re not him.”
Xie Linlang still gazed obsessively at the Pei Ji before him—or rather, the Heavenly Demon mimicking Pei Ji’s form.
The Heavenly Demon Xie Linlang had summoned hadn’t absorbed the Nine Spirits Sect Master’s remnant soul, nor had it been killed by his self-detonation. Instead, it had seized the moment of Xie Linlang’s emotional turmoil to bewitch him.
Xie Linlang dispatched the strand of Heavenly Demon with practiced ease. Its power dissolved into pure Demonic Qi, surging into his body to replenish his depleted meridians and Demonic Qi reserves. It even elevated his cultivation by another layer, advancing him to Qi Refining Layer 9.
Yet Xie Linlang seemed oblivious to the Heavenly Demon’s demise, staring blankly into the void.
He murmured, “If Senior Brother is alive, why hasn’t he come looking for me all these years?”
Xie Linlang knew Pei Ji well. Pei Ji was straightforward and always kept his word. If he promised Xie Linlang he would return, he certainly wouldn’t break it. Yet Pei Ji had never appeared before him again.
The power belonging to Pei Ji in the Xuanpo Sword had truly vanished back then, meaning Pei Ji had died once.
—Perhaps he recultivated like I did.
Xie Linlang thought that if Pei Ji had recultivated, there must have been a period when he couldn’t move freely.
And what had he been doing at that time?
…Oh, right—he had been using the Xuanpo Sword as a stand-in for his Senior Brother, preparing their Dao Companion Ceremony.
“Senior Brother always keeps his promises. Hearing about my Dao Companion Ceremony, he must have thought I’d abandoned him. With his fiery temper, he’d just come thrusting with his sword.”
Xie Linlang chuckled lowly. His body swayed. Though his wounds and depleted Demonic Qi had been fully restored to optimal state, his heart felt gnawed hollow by the Heavenly Demon, leaking endless cold and chill.
“So if we met again, how could he possibly embrace me?”
Xie Linlang collapsed weakly, slumping before the pile of shredded remains. His eyes were lifeless, the man plunged into utter desolation.
He was alive, yet they had never met again. Why?
Xie Linlang’s eyes reddened at the corners. He’d rather Pei Ji charge at him sword in hand than endure this—parting forever without a word.
No, what parting forever? He and Pei Ji hadn’t even had a proper farewell!
At this thought, a surge of malice rose sharply in Xie Linlang’s heart.
Demonic Qi naturally stirred the darkest, most obscure thoughts buried deep within the soul, tempting one down even darker paths.
Xie Linlang bit his lip hard, steeling his resolve.
No matter what, he had to see Pei Ji once more—even if Pei Ji killed him the next second. He needed an answer!
Xie Linlang drew a deep breath, steadying his mind. He suddenly raised a hand to pinch the space between his brows.
“Eastern Azure Wood Heavenly Emperor above, calamity of rampant growth, all things sprout wildly, yet evil thoughts proliferate…”
He silently recited the Azure Wood Art from the Treasure Tree Scripture, specifically for purifying the soul and mana after absorbing Heavenly Demon power. As the Demonic Qi circulated through his body, his irritable, impulsive, and hateful emotions gradually calmed. It was as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over his head—Xie Linlang sobered completely.
