Chapter 15: Going Against the Way

Du Ziming quickly retreated, drawing his sword to block. With a loud “bang,” the sword of Xia Chenyu was deflected. He widened his eyes, breaking out in a cold sweat, and angrily shouted, “What are you doing?”

Only then did Xia Chenyu confirm his suspicion, sighing in relief. “Sorry, I thought you were an illusion.”

“Illusion?” Du Ziming questioned, and after hearing the explanation of what happened, he rested his chin thoughtfully for a moment. “I see.”

“It seems that the box hid an illusion technique. The scroll that appeared after you broke the illusion is the real sword technique.”

Xia Chenyu thoughtfully responded, “I see… So, did you get what you wanted?”

Du Ziming proudly tossed something red over, and Xia Chenyu caught it, realizing it was a piece of coral.

“It wasn’t easy to find this,” Du Ziming said lightly.

At this moment, Shen Yongning and Yang Hanrong returned to the scene and, seeing that things had already been resolved, smiled and said, “Looks like we’re late.”

On the way back to Lingxiao Palace, Yang Hanrong grinned as she played with a turtle shell. Xia Chenyu was stunned; it wasn’t just a shell, it was a whole bag full.

“Shen Shixiong, when I refine the Zengyuan Dan, I’ll send some to you.”

“No need,” Shen Yongning replied, “Water spiritual root isn’t suitable for me.”

“You guys…” Xia Chenyu asked in confusion, “Did you kill that spinning turtle?”

Yang Hanrong nodded naturally. “Although it only had a thousand years of cultivation, it had a lot of turtle shells. It was enough for use,” she said, pinching the bag and making a rustling sound.

Xia Chenyu nodded. “Shen Shixiong went to Yuyuan but didn’t get much. It seems like a waste.”

Yang Hanrong laughed heartily. “He didn’t get much?”

Seeing the puzzled looks on Xia Chenyu and Du Ziming, Shen Yongning said flatly, “I killed a Biyue Rhinoceros.”

“Got an inner core,” Yang Hanrong continued, “and it just so happens that it’s a wood spiritual root.”

The group continued chatting and laughing as they sped on, soon arriving at Lingxiao Palace.

Anran had originally thought that as long as Xia Chenyu didn’t fall into madness while practicing the fake sword technique, that would be good enough. But after two months, he finally realized something was wrong.

“Xia Chenyu.” In the practice field, seeing the young man shatter the black gold practice dummy with a single strike, Anran coldly called out.

The young man heard the call and quickly put away his sword, flying over. He greeted, “Master, is there something you need?”

Around them, fellow disciples whispered among themselves: “That practice dummy has spiritual energy to protect it, and it’s made for disciples to practice their swordplay. He shattered it with a single strike!”

“I heard he got a top-tier sword technique.”

“That Cangling Sword is one in ten thousand, and with the sword technique, oh my…”

The murmurs reached Anran’s ears, sounding like annoying noise.

“Do that move again, this time against me,” Anran said, suspecting something, and needing to confirm his hypothesis.

Xia Chenyu looked up in surprise. “Master… Did I do something wrong?”

Anran shook his head. “The dummy isn’t enough to test the power of the sword technique. Let me be your opponent. Give it your all.”

A disciple shouted, “To have Master personally make a move—what an opportunity!”

The young man showed excitement and nodded enthusiastically, “Yes! I have offended you.”

The sword blade rushed forward, but Anran didn’t even furrow his brows. He casually blocked the sword with his palm, and the spiritual flow in his palm crackled like lightning.

Xia Chenyu felt immense resistance. No matter how hard he pushed, he couldn’t advance even a fraction of an inch.

“Give it your all,” Anran coldly said.

“Yes.” Xia Chenyu continued to pour spiritual power into the sword, but the exhaustion was beginning to take its toll.

As the young man’s brows furrowed and sweat beaded on his forehead, Anran waved his long sleeve, easily dispelling the attack.

The sword was knocked aside by the sleeve, and Xia Chenyu was thrown off balance by the force, stumbling a few steps before steadying himself with the sword.

He thought to himself that his best effort seemed as powerless as an ant shaking a tree in front of his Master. Only by personally experiencing it did he understand how powerful this immortal was.

Filled with awe, Xia Chenyu felt respect. But Anran was secretly furious.

This power couldn’t possibly come from a fake sword technique.

Where had things gone wrong? Was the one he replaced not the real one?

Taking a deep breath, Anran coldly said, “Follow me.” He turned and drifted back into the hall.

Xia Chenyu, noticing Anran’s somber face, nervously followed.

“Master…” He wondered if he had done something wrong.

But Anran immediately cut him off. “Tell me everything about how you acquired the sword technique, without missing a single detail.”

Xia Chenyu was slightly stunned but didn’t dare ask further, and recounted the process in full.

“Wait,” Anran frowned when he heard about the second formation. “You said the box had mechanisms?”

Xia Chenyu nodded, and Anran gestured for him to continue.

After hearing the entire story, Anran’s face had turned pale with anger.

Xia Chenyu felt puzzled, unsure of what was wrong, but didn’t dare to question further. Anran then asked, “Have you thoroughly studied that sword technique?”

“Yes,” the young man answered proudly, “I’ve memorized it all.”

Before the voice of the Heavenly Eye could even sound in Xia Chenyu’s mind, Anran harshly suppressed it. He didn’t want to hear the reminder about the timeline shifting, for fear that he might just tear the roof off in anger.

Anran sighed deeply and gazed at the heavens.

The entire plane seemed to be helping this child, and he had already begun to doubt the possibility of this task.

But quitting halfway was not his style. He clenched his teeth and formed a new plan in his mind.

In the original timeline, Xia Chenyu was sent down the mountain to eliminate the evil spirits in Shinan Village, but after the villagers all turned into demons, he ruthlessly exterminated the entire village, leading to his expulsion from the sect and his eventual fall into darkness.

Since this child’s cultivation now seemed difficult to suppress, why not accelerate this key event and, after he’s expelled, plant the seeds of heart demons to deal with him slowly later?

With this thought, Anran became even more determined. His previous strategy had failed, so he would simply go against the grain.

He wasn’t worried that Xia Chenyu would kill the villagers now because the villagers’ demonic transformation was irreversible. There was no other choice.

Others wouldn’t understand the reasons behind this in the original timeline, and everyone blamed Xia Chenyu for slaughtering the innocent. He couldn’t defend himself, and thus, resentment grew.

The villagers of Shinan had been controlled by demons for years, and no one had paid attention until, two years later, a young master from a government family accidentally entered the village and was harmed, which prompted the sect to investigate the matter.

Now that the opportunity was gone, Anran thought for a moment before telling his disciple, “You are now capable of handling matters on your own. How about you go down the mountain and handle something for me?”

Xia Chenyu’s eyes sparkled. “I’ll obey Master’s command.”

“There have been reports of demonic traces around Shinan Village, outside Jiancao City. Go investigate and, if you find any demons, deal with them first and report back to me.”

Xia Chenyu accepted the order and left the mountain.

Anran, however, had his doubts. He had let the child act alone previously, and things had gone awry. This time, he would follow secretly to ensure nothing went wrong.

Shinan Village was located at the border, close to an alien tribe, and seldom interacted with outsiders.

Xia Chenyu flew on his sword for most of the day before arriving. As soon as he landed at the village entrance, he felt a cold, desolate atmosphere.

A gust of chilling wind blew past the village gate’s archway, and dried grass rolled across the barren sandy ground.

As he walked along the village’s entrance path, he saw that every household had its doors and windows tightly shut, and there were no signs of life.

He could sense the demonic aura, but it wasn’t coming from a specific direction—it filled the entire village.

He walked to a house and gently knocked on the door, but no one responded. He pushed the wooden door open with a creak.

“Is anyone there?” he asked softly.

No response.

He stepped inside, and the dim light made it hard to see. He inhaled the dusty air, coughing a little, and waved his hand in front of him to disperse the dust.

Light streamed in from behind him, illuminating the ground a couple of steps ahead and the worn-out furniture.

Looking around the small house, he could see it was sparsely furnished and looked abandoned.

There didn’t seem to be any valuable clues. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly felt something move behind him. Turning around, he saw a shadow dart behind a rice jar in the corner.

Drawing his sword, Xia Chenyu gently unsheathed it, and the clear, bright sound echoed.

He stepped forward, and in the dim light, he saw a black, indistinct shape curled in the corner. Cautiously, he poked it with his sword, and the creature let out a whimper, shaking uncontrollably.

It didn’t seem like an animal.

The whimper turned into sobs. Xia Chenyu suddenly realized, crouched down, and used a fire spell to light the surroundings.

He could make out the figure of a disheveled child, hair tangled and messy.

“Who are you?” he asked softly.

The child didn’t speak, still trembling. Xia Chenyu reached out and lifted the child’s grimy face.

Two cloudy eyes stared back at him, covered by a thin film, making it hard to see the pupils clearly.

He was startled, instinctively pulling back his hand. The child, however, continued to look at him without any expression.

“Can you speak?”

The child shook his head.

What should he do? Xia Chenyu was at a loss.

Seeing the child’s cracked lips and frail form, he felt a pang of compassion. He took out his water pouch and handed it over.

“Drink some water.”

The child grabbed the pouch eagerly and drank deeply. Just then, Xia Chenyu noticed red marks on the child’s wrists.

He quickly grabbed the thin wrist to inspect it, but before he could get a good look, the child quickly pulled it back.

Xia Chenyu smiled faintly. “Where are your parents?”

The child finished the water and wiped his mouth, shaking his head.

“What about the villagers?”

The child shook his head again.

Unable to get any answers, Xia Chenyu sighed and took out a small bundle of dried food, placing it in the child’s arms.

“Here’s some food, eat sparingly.” With that, he turned to leave.

But as soon as he stepped outside, he felt the child following behind him. No matter where he went, the child followed.

He called for the child to go home, but the child acted as if he couldn’t understand and continued to follow.

Xia Chenyu helplessly sighed. “Fine, do as you wish.”

The village wasn’t big, and after turning a corner, he reached a larger building—the ancestral hall.

He was about to step inside when he suddenly heard the child behind him make a terrified sound, as if trying to warn him.

This meant something was inside. Determined, he stepped through the door, circled past the stone screen, and was immediately shocked by the sight in front of him, his heart racing and almost vomiting.

What was this…?