Bao Gu wanted to nurture Bao Nianhui and broaden the girl’s horizons, so instead of teleporting directly to the gate inside the imperial palace of the Demon Realm’s Holy City, she brought the group to the teleportation gate on the city’s outskirts.
With her divine sense spread over the area, Bao Gu first detected a vast green forest filled with endless bird calls, beast roars, and the rustling of leaves in the wind. As her senses expanded, she saw that the forest was divided into several layers: the sky, the treetops, the ground beneath the trees, and the earth below. Each layer was densely packed, one above another, with uncountable members of demonkind.
Ancient trees that had cultivated into great demons rose into the clouds. Some grew in bizarre shapes, some looked savage, and some were simply enormous. They stretched into an unbroken forest, their roots sunk deep into the earth and their lush crowns enveloping the Holy City in verdant woodland.
The demon cultivators lived throughout this dense “forest” while retaining the habits of their respective species. Birds built nests in the trees, and each area of trees was inhabited by only one kind of bird. Rat clans and other underground creatures constructed palace complexes beneath the earth, crisscrossed like subterranean labyrinths. Gregarious beast clans gathered in groups and claimed vast territories, living in the open, while solitary demon cultivators marked off domains of their own.
Demonkind shared one striking trait: those who lived alone were extraordinarily powerful. The strength of the communal clans varied, but their numbers and sheer density were enough to make anyone’s scalp crawl.
The Holy City had no neat, square walls and no streets. Above it, a dome of light formed from the energy of magical formations covered the heavens, firmly guarding the land below. If not for the overwhelming density and strength of the demons here, Bao Gu might have believed she was walking through a remote, sparsely inhabited forest.
Although Bao Gu had visited the Demon Realm’s Holy City before, she had always been in a hurry and had never carefully observed it. Now that she looked closely, she discovered that the Holy City was even more powerful than she had imagined.
It had no walls or streets, yet its scale was far greater than that of any city in the cultivation world. The demons gathered here surpassed the human race by far, both in number and in cultivation strength.
When Rong Ruyu once battered the Yue Kingdom’s sealed capital until it could resist only with its city-protecting formation, there had already been countless tree demons here whose strength was scarcely inferior to Rong Ruyu’s.
The dense branches and trunks of the demon trees were claimed by tightly packed flocks of bird demons. Many of the bird demons had taken human form and dressed themselves in flamboyant clothing as they came and went through their nest-shaped treehouses.
Above the demon trees floated bird-clan palaces shaped like enormous nests. Bird demons carrying magical treasures even patrolled outside them like guards. The weakest among them was already at the late Deity Transformation stage.
High in the sky, luxurious canopied carriages drawn by magnificent birds flashed past.
Powerful demon cultivators riding formidable demon beasts could be seen racing through the forest everywhere. From time to time, groups of demon nobles escorted by numerous guards would hurry past as well. The bustle and prosperity of the scene surpassed that of any city in the cultivation world.
Yet all this splendor was concealed by the vast forest and the defensive wards that demon cultivators had set up everywhere. If a weak human cultivator came here, they might think they had merely entered an ancient forest where the trees grew unusually large. They would not see even the slightest trace of the demon cultivators—and might not even know how they had died.
As a passage between places, the teleportation gate was naturally guarded by great demons. Since it was rarely used, its sudden activation caused a tremendous disturbance and immediately alarmed its guardians. The moment Bao Gu appeared, she felt numerous powerful divine senses probing toward her.
Although she was astonished by the strength of the demon cultivators here, Bao Gu had absolute confidence in her own power and felt no fear. Still, it was necessary to intimidate the surrounding demons enough to prevent them from making a move.
She allowed a trace of her carefully concealed aura to escape while openly revealing her cultivation level.
The power of a second-level Tribulation Transcender, tempered by one Purple Cloud Heavenly Tribulation and one Blood Tribulation’s eighty-one bolts of heavenly lightning, condensed into an intense aura of a powerhouse that made demons recoil in fear.
Her slender frame seemed to contain an unimaginably terrifying force compressed into a tiny space. Once released, it would cause tremendous destruction—perhaps even annihilation.
In the Demon Realm, strength was supreme. Even though she was human, such a formidable existence was not someone the nearby demon cultivators dared to provoke. They all retreated into hiding, though they continued watching the three of them closely.
Bao Nianhui was far too young. The twelve-year-old girl was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage. In the Holy City, a weak human cultivator like her was no different from a second- or third-rank demon beast wandering into a city of the cultivation world.
Yet Bao Nianhui was completely unaware of the danger.
She looked around curiously, then turned to stare at the moss-covered teleportation gate built into the forest behind them. She looked around again and again until her eyes went round.
“Master, did we teleport to the wrong place?”
There wasn’t even a city here! The trees were enormous!
Bao Nianhui tilted her head back to look at the towering ancient trees whose crowns were too high to see. She spread her arms as if trying to hug one and thought that a tree this large would provide enough wood to build a huge ship if it were cut down.
Yay! There was a beautiful big bird in the tree. Oh, it was preening its feathers—and it had just rolled its eyes at her!
Bao Nianhui rolled her eyes back. The bird rolled its eyes at her again, so she did it once more and ignored it.
Demon beast, hmph! She would not stoop to arguing with it.
A patrol envoy tasked with guarding the Holy City was alarmed and hurried over, landing in front of Bao Gu.
“Human powerhouse, what business brings you to the Holy City of the Demon Realm?”
“I am Bao Gu, Lord of the Cleaver Token. I have come to pay my respects to Her Majesty the Empress.”
The patrol envoy looked Bao Gu up and down several times.
“Follow me. The Holy City is sacred land belonging to demonkind. Intruders will be killed without exception.”
Bao Gu nodded lightly.
“Thank you for leading us, Patrol Envoy.”
The envoy turned and led Bao Gu and the others toward the imperial palace. As it led the way, it kept a close eye on the trio. If they showed any sign of trying to shake it off and flee elsewhere, it would attack immediately.
Bao Nianhui walked beside her master and followed behind the patrol envoy, studying it curiously. It was built like a bull and vaguely resembled a human, but its features were vastly different. It looked somewhat like a lion, though it was clearly not one. A pair of branched vertical horns grew from its forehead. Its features were deep-set, and its hair resembled a loose mane, though it looked extremely hard and gleamed with a sharp sheen.
“What kind of demon cultivator are you? You look really powerful.”
Qing Ying cast her junior sister a look of profound disdain before enlightening her.
“Sky-Splitting Hou. It is a variant of the hou. An adult Sky-Splitting Hou can fight dragons—true dragons, not flood dragons like Zi Yunshu. Even with Zi Yunshu’s strength at the eighth tribulation, she would be in serious trouble against one unless she used a sacred artifact.”
The Sky-Splitting Hou patrol envoy was furious at being judged so openly. It turned around and glared at Qing Ying while releasing its fierce aura.
The instant its aura emerged, Qing Ying slapped it.
The envoy was sent tumbling more than a dozen times before sprawling on the ground. The blow forced it back into its true form, revealing a ferocious beast that looked like a cross between a qilin and a hou.
Qing Ying scolded it.
“Lead the way properly, or I’ll stew you!”
The Sky-Splitting Hou raised its head and was just about to roar for the distant patrol envoys when Qing Ying, standing far away, struck it through the air again.
The blow drove the Sky-Splitting Hou straight into the earth. It nearly had every bone in its body shattered, and the pain left it barely able to crawl.
Bao Gu had to send out a wave of power and pull it from the dirt like a potato being dug from the ground.
The surrounding demon cultivators had been watching the three of them. When they saw the Sky-Splitting Hou beaten so badly, they all retreated into hiding. Not one of them dared show their face.
In an instant, the previously bustling forest became so quiet that not even the faintest sound could be heard.
Bao Nianhui once again looked at Qing Ying with profound disdain.
“You liar, Senior Sister! You said a Sky-Splitting Hou could fight a true dragon, and you even said that Little Martial Ancestor couldn’t defeat it. Look at it! Two slaps from you and it can’t even get up!”
She then turned her disdain toward the Sky-Splitting Hou.
“All that size, and no skill!”
Bao Gu silently glanced at Bao Nianhui. To avoid frightening her little disciple, she decided not to tell her that even her master could not withstand one of Qing Ying’s slaps.
Still, she really wanted to ask Bao Nianhui one question: You have already eaten the Earth Immortal meat your senior sister stewed for you. Didn’t you ever wonder where the meat came from?
The Sky-Splitting Hou climbed to its feet and shook its head. Then, without warning, it planted all four feet and bolted with blinding speed.
Qing Ying took a single step after it. In the blink of an eye, she returned and tossed the Sky-Splitting Hou onto the ground like a dead dog.
She leaned close to it. Two searing flames suddenly flared in her pupils, and two sharp fangs protruded from her mouth. She let a sliver of her suppressed aura leak out.
“A Ba—a drought fiend!”
The Sky-Splitting Hou’s eyes bulged with terror, and its entire body curled into a ball.
Qing Ying asked,
“Still thinking of running? If you try again, I’ll eat you!”
Bao Gu could not bear to watch any longer.
“Qing Ying.”
Qing Ying responded with an obedient little “Oh.” She glanced at the Sky-Splitting Hou, which was nearly scared out of its wits, then sauntered over to Bao Nianhui.
“It’s not that it is useless. Your senior sister is simply too powerful!”
Bao Nianhui had no idea just how powerful her senior sister really was. She could only respond,
“Oh.”
Suddenly, she spotted a huge and beautiful flower nearby.
“Wow! A flower demon!”
She planted one foot and rushed toward it. The moment she moved, the flower’s roots suddenly tore free from the earth. With a series of rapid swishes, the enormous flower shot away, moving so fast that its roots kicked up a sheet of leaves.
After landing, Bao Nianhui watched the flower demon flee in astonishment.
“Ah!”
She stood there, staring blankly.
Bao Gu was speechless.
Then came a continuous rustling from all around them. Every flower and blade of grass nearby pulled itself out by the roots and scattered in all directions like an army fleeing for its life.
The commotion was so great that it sent fallen leaves and dust swirling into the sky, filling the area with smoke and chaos. Several leaves even landed on Bao Nianhui’s head.
Bao Nianhui looked up and plucked the leaves stuck to her forehead. She stared blankly around her.
“Master, there are so many flower demons here!”
After a pause, she added,
“They all ran away!”
Qing Ying said helplessly,
“Why are they running? I eat meat!”
Well, she also ate rare spiritual treasures and medicinal herbs.
Er… flowers too!
Bao Gu was speechless again. She should never have taken these two walking disasters out in public. She should have teleported straight into the inner city of the Demon Imperial Palace to find her Master’s Wife.
Suddenly, two figures came racing over from a distant hill. They moved so quickly that almost the instant Bao Gu and the others saw them, they had already landed in front of the group.
Bao Nianhui froze for a moment. Then, when she recognized them, she cried out joyfully,
“Aunt Yue! Aunt Ling’er!”
Like a happy little bird, she threw herself into Ling’er’s arms and raised her head.
“Master brought us to pay our respects to Granny Xue Qing. From now on, I can brag that I’ve met the Upper Realm Demon Emperor’s eldest princess!”
Xuan Yue looked at the three of them with exasperation and amusement.
“You scared every flower and blade of grass away!”
She waved her hand, dispersing the dust created by the rotting plants and fallen leaves.
“Mother was saying just the other day that you would be arriving soon. She had already instructed the people guarding the teleportation formation in the inner city. And yet you came through the teleportation gate in the outer city.”
Xuan Yue glanced at the Sky-Splitting Hou, which was prostrate nearby with its forelegs bent and its head pressed to the ground in utmost submission.
“You may leave.”
The Sky-Splitting Hou looked as though it had just received a royal pardon. It rolled and scrambled away at top speed.
Xuan Yue turned to watch it flee and could not help freezing in surprise.
What sort of fright had it suffered? That was a Sky-Splitting Hou! Even her current combat strength was not enough to defeat one!
Bao Gu knew that although her Master’s Wife lived far away in the Demon Realm, she had always kept close track of everything happening in the cultivation world. The incident involving the Xuantian Sect had been so serious that everyone in the cultivation world knew about it. Her Master’s Wife had naturally received the news as well.
With her intelligence, she would have guessed that Bao Gu would come, and could even guess why.
Bao Gu smiled.
“Thank you for worrying about me, Master’s Wife.”
She walked forward beside Xuan Yue and asked,
“You and your mother have made up, haven’t you?”
Xuan Yue replied,
“Mother dotes on me. Of course, all I had to do was coax her a little.”
Unlike Bao Gu, Xuan Yue made no attempt to conceal her appearance with spiritual energy. Her face was unadorned and free of makeup, yet its natural beauty was breathtaking and alluring. Her radiant eyes seemed to shimmer whenever she glanced around, and every movement, every frown, and every smile gave off a dazzling brilliance and soul-stirring charm.
Even Bao Gu, whose self-control was exceptional, was dazzled for a moment and found herself unable to resist looking at Xuan Yue’s face twice.
Ling’er looked down at Bao Nianhui, who was still a tiny little thing in her arms, and laughed.
“Oh, it has only been a few days, and you’ve already advanced so quickly! You’re at the late Foundation Establishment stage now. Not bad—not bad at all. You’re already much stronger than your master was back then.”
Bao Nianhui’s eyes lit up.
“Really? It’s all thanks to Senior Sister! She treated me to a bowl of Earth Immortal meat. After I refined it, I advanced three stages!”
Aunt Ling’er always smelled so sweet that Bao Nianhui’s cheeks grew hot and her heart raced. Feeling shy, she slipped out of Ling’er’s arms and stood straight and prim.
Ling’er’s eyes brightened as she turned to Qing Ying.
“You made meat stew again? I have some celestial treasures and medicinal herbs from the Upper Realm. My aunt gave them to me. Let’s stew another pot!”
Qing Ying’s eyes shone at once.
“Sure, sure!”
With a flip of her hand, she hauled her Heaven-Refining Cauldron out of the Blood Prison World.
“I saw so many plump demon beasts. Can we catch a few and stew them?”
Ever since obtaining such a fine cauldron, Qing Ying had wanted to stew something delicious every day.
Ling’er hesitated.
“I want to as well! I drool over them every day just watching them, but hunting is forbidden in the Holy City. My Treasure Garden has all kinds of celestial treasures and rare spiritual herbs, and it also raises demon beasts for food. Come on, my treat!”
With that, she turned and raced toward the inner city.
Qing Ying hurried after her at the mention of food.
Bao Gu was in the middle of speaking with Xuan Yue when she suddenly heard Bao Nianhui shout,
“Wait for me!”
She turned and saw Bao Nianhui leap forward. Farther ahead, Qing Ying and Ling’er had already gone a long distance with a single stride.
Bao Gu was startled.
“Where are you going?”
The moment she had looked away, all three of them had run off! Were they still going to pay their respects to her Master’s Wife?
Qing Ying called back without turning her head.
“To stew meat!”
“Senior Sister, wait for me!”
Bao Nianhui’s short legs could not catch up with the two blurs racing ahead, so she summoned her flying sword and hurried after them at top speed. The thought of Earth Immortal meat and celestial treasures had her drooling. She had completely forgotten her master.
“Senior Sister! Aunt Ling’er, wait for me!”
Ling’er called out,
“What a silly girl!”
She turned back, scooped Bao Nianhui up, and carried her away on the wind.
Bao Gu stared at the three people rushing off to stew meat, utterly stunned.
Weren’t they supposed to go see her Master’s Wife?
Xuan Yue slapped a hand against her forehead and sighed.
“Yu Mi has led them all astray.”
Bao Gu was speechless.
With Ling’er having lured Qing Ying and Bao Nianhui away, Bao Gu could only follow Xuan Yue alone to meet Xue Qing.
Xue Qing sat with her knees folded in a lakeside pavilion in the imperial gardens of the Demon Imperial Palace, dressed in a long, leisurely palace gown. Her serene, unhurried figure and the quiet lake before her formed a breathtaking landscape painting.
Bao Gu approached and bowed deeply.
“Greetings, Master’s Wife.”
Xue Qing gave a soft laugh and casually gestured toward the seat before her.
“Sit.”
With a slight lift of her fair wrist, she picked up a jade flask and poured Bao Gu a cup of fine nectar.
Bao Gu held the cup in both hands and thanked Xue Qing.
Xuan Yue said,
“I’ll go check on those meat-stewers.”
She bowed and left the two of them to talk.
Bao Gu took a small sip of the nectar and set the cup down. For a moment, she did not know how to begin.
When she thought of the split in the Xuantian Sect, a trace of melancholy crossed her eyes. Although the Sect Master and the disciples had been hounding her, she could not say that her own handling of the matter had been flawless.
Xue Qing looked at Bao Gu with amusement and asked softly,
“Did you cry in front of everyone?”
Bao Gu was speechless.
Xue Qing raised a finger and lightly tapped Bao Gu on the forehead.
“Child, you are sometimes far too earnest.”
Bao Gu remained silent.
Xue Qing continued,
“Everyone has their own fate. A person’s future is decided by their nature, and some things are fated beyond anyone else’s control.”
She tipped her chin toward a seal resting nearby. It was square, roughly three fingers wide, completely translucent, and made of a material that could not be identified at a glance.
“This is the Xuantian Seal that Xuantian gave me all those years ago. I originally intended to give it to you when you took over as Sect Master, but you…”
Her voice trailed off.
Bao Gu understood what she meant. Bao Gu had not become the Sect Master. Instead, she had appointed her senior sister as the Young Sect Master, so Xue Qing had kept the seal.
Thinking of everything that had happened to the Xuantian Sect afterward, and remembering the days when Xuantian was still alive, Xue Qing’s gaze became distant. The faint smile that had rested on her lips faded, and she seemed to lose herself in memory.
Seeing her like that, Bao Gu’s nose began to sting. Her master was gone, and her Master’s Wife had continued living by clinging to her memories.
Xue Qing’s gentle, low voice sounded again.
“Neither Xuantian nor the Xuantian Sect of old remains. Neither exists anymore.”
She looked at Bao Gu and spoke each word clearly.
“The dead are gone. Even if you rebuild the Xuantian Sect, it will not be the Xuantian Sect that existed when Xuantian was alive.”
After a pause, her voice rose slightly.
“Take this seal. Whether you use it to rebuild the Xuantian Sect or purge its ranks, either is fine.”
Her voice softened again.
“You care too deeply. That is a virtue, but it can just as easily become a flaw.”
Bao Gu realized that the Xuantian Sect had been passed down from Patriarch Xuantian. To her Master’s Wife, it was surely a cherished link to the past.
As the years passed, the things left behind by Patriarch Xuantian had vanished one by one. The remnant soul inside the Xuantian Sword was gone. Later, even the last trace of consciousness that had remained disappeared.
And now, the Xuantian Sect too…
The words “rebuild” and “purge” in Xue Qing’s speech left Bao Gu especially heavy-hearted. She understood the meaning hidden beneath them.
Seeing Bao Gu lower her head in silence, Xue Qing said softly,
“Don’t overthink it. You are you. Walk the path you want and act according to your own decisions. Receiving Xuantian’s inheritance was your own opportunity. Do not let it become a burden.”
Bao Gu nodded lightly. Her gaze fell upon the Xuantian Seal, yet it felt as heavy as a mountain. She could not even bring herself to reach for it.
Xue Qing said gently,
“Take the seal and go home.”
Bao Gu looked up.
“Master’s Wife.”
Xue Qing gave a soft laugh and shook her head.
“You carry his aura. When I face you, I have a hard time keeping my emotions under control.”
Bao Gu carried too many echoes of Xuantian.
Bao Gu could only pick up the seal, rise, and bow respectfully before turning to leave. She had taken only two steps when Xue Qing’s distant voice floated after her.
“Don’t give the Xuantian Seal away again. You can turn it into a Cleaver Token or a Cleaver Seal, or something!”
Bao Gu was speechless.
What did that mean?
She lowered her head to look at the seal in her hand, then turned back toward Xue Qing. Xue Qing merely waved her off, urging her to leave quickly.
If her Master’s Wife had not always been so gentle, Bao Gu might have interpreted the gesture as:
“Get lost. Stop bothering me!”
Bao Gu bowed once more before finally leaving.
After Bao Gu was gone, all the smile vanished from Xue Qing’s face. She let out a forlorn sigh and stared blankly at the lake before her, her eyes clouded with mist.
She wanted to tell Xuantian that she was so lonely living alone in this world, that she wished he would take her with him. But she could no longer find him.
Bao Gu had returned carrying the Xuantian Sword. She was Xuantian’s disciple, not Xuantian himself.
Yet master and disciple were alike to their very bones. Their conduct and manner of doing things were almost identical. The old Xuantian Sect had become today’s Cleaver Gang, and the old Xuantian Seal had become today’s Cleaver Token. Even the original purpose and ideals behind their foundations were the same.
The only difference was that Bao Gu had built her rise through business dealings, with violence as a secondary means, while Xuantian had carved out his foundation with the sword in his hand, killing his way forward one sword stroke at a time.
The Xuantian Sect?
Xue Qing laughed.
A sect with tens of thousands of years of heritage had changed even its name the moment it rose to prominence! The difference between a sect and a school was only one word, yet their very natures were worlds apart.
However, Bao Gu was willing to make room for Zi Tianjun, so Xue Qing did not wish to say anything more.
The Xuantian Sect of old had been almost destroyed in the bloody battle that claimed Xuantian’s life. The Xuantian Sect that continued for tens of thousands of years afterward was merely a reconstruction cobbled together by the surviving disciples. Their only purpose had been to preserve the Xuantian Sword left behind by the Sect Master.
Then, as one generation followed another, countless events from the past were buried by time and gradually forgotten.
Xuantian chose his disciples, and the Xuantian Sword chose its wielder. Neither had much to do with the Xuantian Sect.
When she had once protected the Xuantian Sect, it had only been to protect her husband’s disciples. She also could not bear to watch later generations who carried the name of his legacy and knew some of the cultivation techniques he had left behind be bullied by anyone who pleased.
But after all these years, some matters no longer needed to be mentioned.
