After sending Yun Ye away, Bai Tu returned to his chamber to meditate and recover.

Last night, in order to help Yun Ye dispel his inner demon, Bai Tu had indeed depleted a considerable amount of his cultivation. It was unavoidable that he would need some time to properly recuperate.

Bai Tu steadied his breath, focused his mind, and entered a meditative state.

Since Yun Ye had already forgotten what happened last night, Bai Tu naturally did not dwell on it. Considering his previous life, Bai Tu had already spent nearly a century in this world. In his long existence, such an incident was hardly significant.

Moreover, they were both men.

What truly concerned him, however, was the inner demon lingering within Yun Ye.

He had known Yun Ye far longer than these mere ten-odd years. In his previous life, although he never officially took Yun Ye as his disciple, Bai Tu had frequently approached him in secret during his time at the Tianyan Sect.

When Yun Ye’s cultivation was hindered, Bai Tu would take on the guise of a master to gift him techniques. When Yun Ye encountered danger in hidden realms, Bai Tu would appear as a companion to aid him. Not to mention the countless obstacles he had secretly removed from Yun Ye’s path, both openly and covertly.

Yet, in his previous life, whether before or after Yun Ye’s descent into darkness, Bai Tu had never detected any trace of an inner demon within him.

So why was it that in this lifetime, where everything had gone so smoothly, an inner demon had appeared instead?

Reflecting on his actions, Bai Tu couldn’t help but feel that since taking Yun Ye as his disciple, he had been nothing but devoted, catering to his every need without complaint.

What more could that little wolf cub possibly be dissatisfied with?

Unable to make sense of it, Bai Tu pondered until he fell into a meditative trance. By the time he opened his eyes again, the sky had already begun to darken.

Turning his head to look out the window, he saw the setting sun painting the sky with vibrant hues of red and gold. The evening glow illuminated the mountains and forests, blending heaven and earth into a seamless, breathtakingly ethereal scene.

The name “Falling Sunset Peak” had come from this very view.

Suddenly, a green spirit bird flew in from the distance, landing on the windowsill. It spoke in a clear human voice: “The Sect Master invites Immortal Lord Zhaohua to visit Chongluan Peak for a discussion.”

The Tianyan Sect was divided into three peaks and four branches. Aside from the main peak, the western Luoxia Peak was the residence of Immortal Lord Zhaohua, while the eastern Chongluan Peak served as the home of the Sect Master, Ling Weijun. Chongluan Peak was perpetually blanketed in snow, its ethereal beauty shrouded in mist, exuding an imposing grandeur.

Bai Tu stepped into Lingyun Hall, the residence of the Sect Master, and immediately spotted Ling Weijun seated inside, leisurely warming a jug of wine.

Ling Weijun wore a pale azure Taoist robe, intricately embroidered with cloud patterns at the collar. A resplendent immortal sword hung at his waist, and his youthful face paired with white hair gave him an air of refined elegance.

“Ah, the Immortal Lord has arrived.” Ling Weijun greeted with a genial smile. “Come, try this immortal brew I recently brought back.”

He ushered Bai Tu to the table and poured him a cup of wine with great enthusiasm.

“I don’t drink,” Bai Tu said flatly. “If there’s something you want to say, get to the point.”

“Ahem, it’s nothing much…” Ling Weijun set down the wine jug. “I’ve already heard about Mu Xi’s incident. He acted improperly, so I’ve punished him with thirty lashes of the disciplinary whip and assigned him to clean the entire sect. What does the Immortal Lord think of this?”

The punishment was fair and left little room for criticism. Bai Tu nodded. “The Sect Master’s decision is sufficient.”

After a moment of silence, Ling Weijun asked. “The entrance trial for new disciples of the Tianyan Sect is in a few days. Among them are a few with exceptional talent. Would the Immortal Lord be interested in attending the trial ceremony?”

“No,” Bai Tu replied, raising his eyes to meet Ling Weijun’s. “You’re recruiting disciples, and now you want me to pick them for you?”

“T-That’s not it, it’s just…”

Ling Weijun glanced at Bai Tu’s expression and gently tried to persuade him. “I understand that the Immortal Lord dotes on Yun Ye, but that boy’s talent is limited. It may be difficult for him to inherit your mantle in the future…”

Bai Tu replied calmly. “It doesn’t matter. As long as he can live freely and happily, his cultivation isn’t important. His happiness is all that matters.”

Ling Weijun attempted to appeal to reason and emotion. “While the cultivation world may seem peaceful now, who can guarantee that the demonic clans won’t rise again? Immortal Lord, you must consider the welfare of all beings. Perhaps you should take on another disciple—”

“No,” Bai Tu interrupted plainly. “Yun Ye has a temper. If I take another disciple, he’ll get upset with me.”

Ling Weijun: “…”

“His happiness is all that matters.”

“He’ll get upset with me.”

What was this strange, overly indulgent tone? Was this doting behavior even reasonable? Not even doting on one’s own child could be this extreme!

Ling Weijun fell silent, feeling defeated. The hall grew quiet, leaving only the sound of the slow-burning fire beneath the wine pot.

After a moment, Ling Weijun’s composure finally cracked. With a heavy sigh, his face clouded with worry, he said. “Immortal Lord, I won’t beat around the bush anymore. To put it plainly, the cultivation world today is far from what it once was. If we don’t start cultivating a few disciples capable of standing on their own, what will become of this realm after our generation is gone in a hundred years?”

Ever since Bai Tu subdued the Abyss of Demons and brought peace to the realm over a decade ago, there had been no more ascensions in the cultivation world and no new prodigies of note. Worse still, even those seeking the path of cultivation had dwindled to a mere handful.

This had turned the hair of many elders in the cultivation world stark white with worry.

But Bai Tu was unmoved. “That still doesn’t justify spreading rumors in the cultivation world that I plan to take a disciple.”

Ling Weijun awkwardly rubbed his nose. “Ah, so you knew…”

Bai Tu lowered his gaze without answering. Ling Weijun quickly added, “Please don’t be upset, Immortal Lord. I truly had no other choice…”

He continued, “If you don’t wish to take on a disciple, so be it. However, I must ask you to at least attend the entrance trial for new disciples. Simply sitting at the trial ceremony will suffice; that way, our Tianyan Sect won’t be accused of deceiving others.”

This request seemed harmless enough.

After a brief moment of thought, Bai Tu agreed with a simple. “Fine.” Ling Weijun barely had time to feel relieved before Bai Tu added. “But I have one condition.”

“Please, Immortal Lord, do tell,” Ling Weijun said hurriedly.

“Have Yun Ye participate in this trial as well.”

“This…”

Bai Tu raised his eyes to look at Ling Weijun. “Is that a problem?”

“Well, it’s not exactly impossible, but the entrance trial is typically reserved for new disciples. Yun Ye has been in the sect for years—wouldn’t this break protocol?”

Bai Tu didn’t respond, his gaze calm as it rested on Ling Weijun.

The hall fell into silence for a moment. Finally, Ling Weijun let out a soft sigh. “Fine, we’ll come up with a reason to let Yun Ye join.”

The Tianyan Sect’s entrance trial took place within an illusory realm known as the Primordial Secret Realm. Bai Tu’s request wasn’t merely to give Yun Ye some experience.

In both the written records and Bai Tu’s past life, Yun Ye had once obtained a rare treasure. This artifact could temporarily conceal the demonic aura on his body, aiding his cultivation. It was also the key reason Yun Ye had been able to establish himself in the Tianyan Sect early on without his true identity being discovered.

That treasure was stored within the Primordial Secret Realm.

If there was one significant difference between this life and the previous one, it was that Yun Ye, having been directly brought to the Tianyan Sect by Bai Tu’s had not undergone the Primordial Secret Realm trial upon entering the sect.

The emergence of the inner demon might not be unrelated to this. Bai Tu couldn’t help but consider the connection.

As night fell completely, the quiet of the Discipline Hall’s study chamber deepened. The only sound was the faint scratching of a pen moving across paper.

The room was sparsely furnished, with only a few tables and desks. Yun Ye sat at a desk by the window, idly twirling a brush in his hand.

The evening bell rang for the third time, and the last disciple in the quiet chamber departed. The spacious room was now left to Yun Ye alone.

He rested his chin on his hand and gazed out the window.

The night was ink-black, devoid of stars or moonlight. The shadows of trees layered upon each other, obscuring the distant bamboo forest and mountains.

That was the direction of Luoxia Peak.

Yun Ye’s brush moved aimlessly across the xuan paper. When he snapped back to attention, the corner of the paper filled with copied scriptures now bore a finely drawn, frost-like visage.

The face was calm and emotionless, without joy or sorrow. Its beautiful almond-shaped eyes, clear and bright as water, seemed to gaze back at him.

Yun Ye’s heart thudded heavily.

He could no longer recall when his admiration for this person began. Ever since this man had saved his life, their fates had been intertwined.

But alas, Immortal Lord Zhaohua practiced the Dao of Emotionlessness, severing all emotions and desires in his path to ascension. There was no possibility between them.

Yearning without reciprocation, obsession turned to a heart demon. His master had asked him countless times: where did his inner demon come from?

…Where else could it have come from?

“Fool,” Yun Ye muttered softly with a sigh, picking up his brush to continue sketching on the paper.

One picture after another gradually took shape on the xuan paper, and as he drew, Yun Ye’s thoughts wandered further and further away.

Until a crisp whistle of a sword echoed through the courtyard.

Yun Ye snapped back to reality.

He knew that sound all too well. Raising his head, he saw a figure in pristine white robes approaching from the distant stone path.

Panic surged through him, and he hastily lowered his gaze. On the latest drawing, Immortal Lord Zhaohua’s robes were half undone, his eyes tinged with a flush of alluring color. His face bore an expression that hovered between pleasure and pain, his hand reaching out as though asking for an embrace.

——!!!

When Bai Tu pushed open the door to the quiet chamber, the first thing he saw was Yun Ye in a fluster, clutching a stack of xuan paper as if his life depended on it.

“What are you doing?” Bai Tu asked, his tone curious as he regarded Yun Ye with a faintly puzzled expression.

Feigning composure, Yun Ye calmly slid the stack of xuan paper to the bottom of the pile. Looking up, he forced a smile at Bai Tu. “N-nothing, Master. Why are you here?”

Bai Tu held up a food container in his hand.

After returning to Luoxia Peak and noticing Yun Ye was still absent, he remembered telling the young man earlier that he wasn’t allowed to return until he had copied the scripture three hundred times.

Dinner had already passed, and since Yun Ye hadn’t yet mastered fasting techniques, he’d undoubtedly be hungry by now.

Surely, there wasn’t a more thoughtful master in the world, Bai Tu thought smugly as he placed the food container on the desk.

Seeing that Bai Tu didn’t appear suspicious, Yun Ye felt relieved. He organized the papers on the desk, ensuring the incriminating drawings were buried securely at the very bottom, their contents completely hidden, before walking over to his master.

Bai Tu opened the food container and took out several dishes, their tantalizing aroma quickly filling the room.

Yun Ye lowered his gaze, watching Bai Tu’s movements as he murmured, “Master is so good to me.”

Bai Tu responded casually, “Eat while it’s still hot.”

Yun Ye sat down at the desk but didn’t pick up his chopsticks. “Aren’t you going to eat with me, Master?”

“I don’t need to…”

Yun Ye lowered his eyes and said softly, “But when I was younger, Master always ate with me.”

Bai Tu who had long since mastered the fasting technique and no longer needed to eat, found himself wavering at Yun Ye’s pitiful expression. With a softened heart, he relented, “…Alright.”

Master and disciple sat together at the desk, sharing the meal.

During the meal, Bai Tu brought up the idea of Yun Ye going to the Primordial Secret Realm, explaining that it would be a good opportunity for him to gain experience.

Yun Ye’s expression remained neutral as he nodded. “Understood.”

Bai Tu was somewhat surprised by his calm reaction. After a moment’s hesitation, he added. “You don’t need to worry. With your cultivation level, dealing with the creatures in the Primordial Secret Realm shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“But I’ve heard that the Primordial Secret Realm is extremely perilous.” Yun Ye tilted his head to look at Bai Tu, his eyes deliberately showing a hint of hesitation. “What if I encounter danger…”

Bai Tu, mistaking Yun Ye’s words for genuine fear, felt his heart soften again. In a reassuring tone, he said. “Don’t worry, I’ll be there to help you.”

In his past life, Bai Tu had also ventured into the Primordial Secret Realm.

At that time, Yun Ye had just arrived at Tianyan Sect and was a little demon who couldn’t even properly conceal his demonic aura. To avoid any issues, Bai Tu disguised himself as a junior disciple and entered the Primordial Secret Realm with him, helping him at a critical moment.

Now, in this life, Bai Tu planned to repeat the same strategy with the same intention.

What Bai Tu didn’t know was that he wasn’t the only one aware of this.

After receiving Bai Tu’s consent, Yun Ye lowered his head and focused on his meal, though his thoughts were elsewhere.

Although he didn’t know the exact reason why Immortal Lord Zhaohua wanted him to go to the Primordial Secret Realm, Yun Ye didn’t mind.

The Primordial Secret Realm had been crafted by the founding ancestor of Tianyan Sect using boundless Daoist arts. Everything within the realm was shaped by these arts, with countless transformations and hidden treasures.

The most valuable of these treasures was a personal weapon left behind by the ancestor, known as Taichu.

In his past life, when Yun Ye obtained the Taichu weapon, it was as if divine aid had been granted to him, and his cultivation advanced at an astonishing pace.

Though he didn’t want to become embroiled in the conflicts between the righteous and demonic paths in this life, he had no reason to refuse the opportunity to reclaim a weapon that suited him.

More importantly, this time, he finally had the chance to settle an unresolved matter.

Yun Ye was momentarily lost in his past memories when he suddenly heard Bai Tu’s voice. “How is your transcription of the scriptures? Let me have a look.”

With that, Bai Tu raised his hand, and the stack of paper Yun Ye had neatly placed on the table flew into his hand.

Yun Ye: !!!

=^_^=

Author has something to say: Online faceplant.jpg