The Demon Venerable’s Wistful Desire

Translator: She.Wee

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Chapter 85: The Savior in Pink

The effectiveness of soldiers fluctuates.[1]

War has always existed in the world, seemingly never disappearing.

In the human realm, from Tang’s campaign against Jie to the chaos among feudal lords during the Spring and Autumn period, conflict has been unceasing, with war flames ever burning.

Whenever war erupts, it brings scenes of corpses strewn across the land and starvation widespread.

Human wars are characterized by the clamoring of soldiers and the neighing of horses, as warriors brandish their weapons and charge.

In the cultivation world, wars involve large-scale arrays combined with cultivators’ spells, where practitioners of different spiritual roots collaborate and counteract each other.

Despite their differences, wars in both realms share similarities.

For example, flags, drums, and horns used in mortal conflicts are also employed in cultivation battles.

On his way to Nuan Yan Pavillion, Xi Huai saw various flags—some for identification, others for formation changes.

Seeing this, he sensed trouble.

In terms of array formations, the demonic sects were always inferior to these righteous sects.

Demonic cultivators practiced diverse and bizarre techniques. Many were used to fighting alone, and in group battles, their attacks often lacked discrimination, making them unfit for such conflicts.

While they were formidable in solo combat, they became burdensome in group warfare.

Righteous sects’ cultivators were different; they were organized, disciplined, and followed orders from higher-level cultivators to the letter.

Their formations were proper and organized, unlike the chaotic and divided demonic sects. How could they compete?

Thus, Xi Huai had no choice but to risk it. He simultaneously cast spells at multiple locations, burning their flags and destroying several array towers.

After accomplishing this, he quickly retreated.

Hiding his tracks became more challenging this time. Those hypocritical Nascent Soul cultivators must have been on guard and would chase upon sensing something amiss.

His flames were unique, easily revealing his identity.

His father was probably overseeing the overall situation, and at this moment, only he could use the Hui Flame to cause havoc.

He wouldn’t foolishly fight righteous cultivators in their gathering place. Having succeeded in his disruption, he hurried towards Nuan Yan Pavillion.

Surprisingly, the first attack aimed at him wasn’t from the righteous cultivators but from Yu Yanshu. Somehow, Yu Yanshu had something that could break through invisibility, allowing him to see Xi Huai.Xi Huai paused, stopping to look at Yu Yanshu.

Yu Yanshu was startled by his cultivation level, staring in surprise for a moment before calming down and asking, “Where is Chi Muyao?!”

Yu Yanshu was more concerned about Chi Muyao’s safety.

To chase him down and inquire about his partner’s whereabouts—Xi Huai was unlikely to oblige!

Moreover, Chi Muyao had decided to change his identity, letting outsiders believe he had perished. So Xi Huai casually replied, “He’s dead.”

“You, you!” Yu Yanshu was furious, “Didn’t your Qingze Sect set up a teleportation array? Why didn’t you bring him out with you?! I thought you genuinely cared for him, but it turns out when it comes to life-and-death choices, you still choose to save yourself.”

“It’s none of your business?” Xi Huai ignored him, launching a fireball spell at Yu Yanshu and seizing the opportunity to escape.

As a Golden Core cultivator, Yu Yanshu was naturally no match for the Nascent Soul Xi Huai. The single attack left him in disarray, making it impossible to catch up to Xi Huai.

He stood stunned, looking in the direction Xi Huai left, feeling a moment of sadness.

The person he had finally deemed to be of good character and aligned with his ideals…had perished?

Was he alone again?

Was he the only odd one left in the cultivation world?

When Xi Huai entered the Nuan Yan Pavillion territory, it was a grand spectacle.

Many cultivators guarded the borders of Nuan Yan Pavillion, including Tianzun Xianyue and others. Hearing of Xi Huai mingling with the crowd and setting fires, they decided to stay and wait.

They were sure Xi Huai would come this way.

Even if Xi Huai remained invisible, someone had artifacts or techniques to break invisibility. Even taking a secluded path, he was discovered.

Numerous cultivators attacked Xi Huai simultaneously, resulting in an instant upheaval.

They knew Xi Huai might have come with Su You, and seeing only Xi Huai made them breathe a sigh of relief.

Unexpectedly, upon attacking, they found Xi Huai had reached the Nascent Soul stage.

How could that be?

He was so young! He had even entered the deadly 81 disc Array, yet advanced to Nascent Soul within it?

Could it be Su You disguised as Xi Huai?

When Hui appeared, they quickly dismissed this notion.

Tianzun Xianyue paused her attack, then shouted, “Everyone be careful, this kid has somehow reached Nascent Soul. Don’t underestimate him; he might have other tricks.”

Xi Huai was unafraid. He wanted to return to his territory and didn’t consider the many obstacles in his way significant. This was Nuan Yan Pavillion; causing trouble here meant facing the local power.

With a few casual spells, he used Nuan Yan Pavillion’s defensive array to help him fend off enemies.While counter attacking with Hui and the defensive array, he sneered, “If you don’t want those turned into wooden puppets to die, you’ll have to keep me alive and treat me as an ancestor, or I won’t save them.”

“Did you harm them?!” Tianzun Xianyue asked angrily.

“Exactly, after all, I am a demonic cultivator.”

Tianzun Xianyue’s attack hesitated for a moment, then she fiercely said, “Don’t let him in, kill him while he’s alone!”

Xi Huai thought, as expected.

After witnessing Yu Chaoluo’s inner demon illusion, he wasn’t surprised at all by Tianzun Xianyue’s decision. This group had always been this way.

The battle resumed.

Xi Huai faced off against five Nascent Soul stage cultivators, each more than a hundred years older than him, with extremely stable cultivation.

Xi Huai’s fire techniques were truly domineering. Even in such adverse conditions, he could hold his own and prevent the opponents from gaining the upper hand. Under the cover of the defensive array, he moved closer and closer to the borders of Nuan Yan Pavillion.

A sea of flames raged across the sky, its domineering momentum seemingly set to burn the heavens.

With his sword Shukuang in hand, Xi Huai struck down any enemies that approached, engaging in fierce battles on all fronts.

Suddenly, a wave of rampant vines appeared, crawling like snakes across the ground and through the forest, heading towards the Nascent Soul cultivators.

Such low-level vine attacks didn’t concern them. However, the vines were instantly ignited with the difficult-to-extinguish Hui Flame, causing them significant trouble.

Though a few vines alone were inconsequential, they kept multiplying, surging towards them like giant waves raised by a colossal whale.

Xi Huai seized the opportunity to set more fires, using the cover of the vines and flames to quickly enter the protective array of Nuan Yan Pavillion.

The Nascent Soul cultivators attempted to pursue but were blocked by the roaring Hui. After a few awkward exchanges, the Hui abruptly disappeared.

When they looked again, Xi Huai had already entered the protective array.

Tianzun Xianyue gritted her teeth in frustration, ultimately muttering angrily, “Hmph, in a few days when we break the protective array, they’ll be like turtles in a jar, destined to die sooner or later.”

With that, she left in a huff.

Xi Huai was saved by the Moon Evening Palace Master, who was also Zong Sicheng’s father.

Seeing Xi Huai, he was delighted, sizing him up, “Did you see the teleportation array? Are you unhurt? Good, you’ve reached the Nascent Soul stage. Come, let’s go see the Sect Master.”

“Alright,” Xi Huai followed the Moon Evening Palace Master towards the main hall of Qingze Sect, asking along the way, “How is the sect faring?”

“Do you want the truth?”

“Of course.”

Hearing Xi Huai’s blunt tone, the Moon Evening Palace Master laughed heartily. This kid still had his same bad temper.

“We’re severely weakened, with limited strength. Some sects have defected to us, but they aren’t very useful. The protective array can probably only last for two more days before it’s breached. When they break into Qingze Sect, we’ll have to fight hard. We might lose, but they won’t have it easy either.”

Xi Huai focused on the key point: “Will we be exterminated?”

The Moon Evening Palace Master remained silent.

It was clear they were at a disadvantage.Xi Huai had to ask, “How did you manage to set up the teleportation array?”

“Huai’er, don’t worry about that. It was our decision. Those so-called righteous sects are shameless, taking advantage of us. It’s not your fault—”

“With you saying that, how can I not blame myself?” Xi Huai replied somewhat helplessly.

“You shouldn’t feel guilty…” The Moon Evening Palace Master realized his words were counterproductive.

“I’m not feeling guilty. Even knowing the outcome, you’d still save me if we did it all over again. Similarly, I’d save any of you if you were in trouble. Nuan Yan Pavilion had already prepared for this. Even if they didn’t come this time, they would find another opportunity later.”

“Yes, your thinking is correct!”

The Moon Evening Palace Master and Xi Huai arrived at the main hall, where everyone had been waiting.

Seeing Xi Huai, Xi Lin was overjoyed and laughed heartily, “You little rascal finally knows how to come home?”

“Hiss—” Xi Huai was exasperated. This old guy always cursed him regardless of the occasion.

“Yes, I’m back,” Xi Huai dismounted his sword and stood firm, answering.

Zong Sicheng and Song Weiyue gathered around him, excitedly circling him like happy ferrets in a melon patch, while Xi Huai was the sweet, big melon.

Song Weiyue’s eyes widened, his voice rising uncontrollably, “How did you do it? You’ve reached Nascent Soul stage? As expected of you! You must be the fastest cultivator to reach Nascent Soul in the cultivation world!”

Zong Sicheng nearly cried, “Young Sect Master, I’m so glad you’re safe.”

Xi Lin’s expression darkened when he noticed Xi Huai alone, asking, “Where is that Hehuan Sect member you fancy? I heard his life lamp hasn’t gone out. Why didn’t you bring him along?”

“He didn’t come with me, but I guess he’s on his way.”

“With his cultivation, it’ll be hard for him to get here, right?”

“I guess he’ll disguise himself as a righteous sect member and blend in with the crowd, then find a chance to meet up with me. Don’t worry, he’s good at this.”

Hearing that both of them made it out, Xi Lin was still pleased, patting Xi Huai on the shoulder. He was very happy that Xi Huai had advanced to the Nascent Soul stage.

However, before he could withdraw his hand, Xi Huai grabbed his wrist and checked his pulse. [T/N: I guess?]

Xi Huai frowned after his examination, “Your spiritual energy is this depleted?”

Xi Lin quickly pulled away, “I only came out because I heard you were back. I’ll go back to my cave to meditate and recover. I can still regain some strength.”

“There are only two days left. How much can you recover?!”

“As much as I can! What else can we do? Beg for mercy and surrender when they come in, hoping they spare us?”

Looking around, Xi Huai noticed that only the Moon Evening Palace Master had come out from the thirty-two palaces of Qingze Sect. The others must also be in seclusion to recover, making him increasingly uneasy.

It seemed this was truly a severe depletion of their strength…Author has something to say: [1] Si Ma Guang (司馬光), “

The Book of Information

Reference: Ancient Warfare Author: Yuan Tingdong.

Translator’s Note:

Hey Guys it’s SheWee!!

So I recently started translating a novel called Flower Dream. It is a korean novel in an ancient setting and I felt that the vibes of TDVWD and Flower Dream are quite similar. So I would really appreciate it if you could take a look at it! For your reference I would leave the description of that novel here:

Synopsis:

Long ago, during an era when divine beasts mingled with humans and lived on Earth, a child bearing the blood of these divine beings, known as a “Shinin,” was born from the union between humans and divine beasts. The Shinin possessed miraculous powers, but the price of having such forbidden strength was high. The divine beast blood coursing through their veins induced madness.

To counter this, the divine beasts joined forces to create beings with a calming scent, known as “Hyangin,” who could stabilize the Shinin. Only the Hyangin, whose scent matched the divine beast blood, could soothe the raging blood within the Shinin.

In one such Hyangin village of the Honghwa tribe, there lived a young male Hyangin named Dan Yuha, who was discriminated against and scorned due to his parents’ crimes.

Despite this, Yuha grew resiliently into an excellent perfumer and pharmacist, thanks to the Third Prince of the Empire, Shin Ryuwon, who had saved him as a child. With a heart full of gratitude, Yuha worked hard, hoping to one day repay Ryuwon.

That day finally arrived when Ryuwon, suffering from the increasingly potent divine beast blood, came to the Honghwa village to recuperate. Yuha sought to use his talents to assist the prince. However, an incident occurred where another Yuha sneaked into Ryuwon’s chamber to seduce him, causing Ryuwon’s divine beast blood to go berserk. In his ensuing madness, Ryuwon lost his reason and ended up ravishing Yuha…

Please give it a go. Also I’ve set up a patreon and you will be able to read 7 chapters ahead there *wink wink*

Here’s the link to the novel: https://www.novelupdates.com/series/flower-dream/

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