Chapter 26 Last Night

Bai Yuxiao was a free-spirited and capricious individual, guided solely by his whims. He was a prodigious talent in cultivation, his magical prowess surpassing even that of his elder brother, Bai Zhuixu.

He deliberately chose Qingwu City, a place with the heaviest yin energy, and set up a Ten Thousand Souls Burial Mound outside the city. He lured most of the vengeful spirits and malevolent ghosts from the city, forcing them to battle the living creatures within the formation.

In the cycle of life and death across the eight directions, after death, souls enter reincarnation. A small portion, lingering due to resentment, unwilling to depart, transforms into malevolent ghosts, wreaking havoc on the mortal world.

However, if a cultivator forcibly extracts a living soul and uses it to cultivate the Dao, this is known as ghost cultivation.

Ghost cultivators’ power grows by leaps and bounds, but it harms both others and themselves, often classified as heretical and demonic.

Yan Chaosheng, who became a ghost cultivator through his demonic body, was the first in the eight directions.

Upon learning of Bai Yuxiao’s misdeeds, Liu Shuang was speechless. Bai Yuxiao had the audacity to disdain her—he was clearly pushing KongSang down a path of no return!

As they spoke, they disturbed Bai Zhuixu in another location. Liu Shuang quickly said, “Bai Yuxiao, keep the eldest young master calm. Don’t let him know we’re up to no good. I’ll be right back.”

Before Bai Yuxiao could stop her, Liu Shuang disappeared into the forest in a few swift movements.

Liu Shuang hurried over and was horrified upon seeing the Ten Thousand Souls Burial Mound.

The entire bamboo grove was pitch black, ghosts obscuring the moonlight, the dense yin energy lowering the surrounding temperature.

Amidst the eerie black mist, Yan Chaosheng was surrounded by countless malevolent ghosts, attempting to tear at his soul. Yan Chaosheng sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, his lips turning black.

He had already been invaded by yin energy.

If Liu Shuang hadn’t known about his origins, she might have thought, like Bai Yuxiao, that he was doomed.

On the surface, it seemed the malevolent ghosts were devouring Yan Chaosheng, but upon closer inspection, the yin energy of the ghosts near him was weakening.

Yan Chaosheng was subconsciously absorbing this ghost energy.

If this continued, instead of killing him, he would directly enter the ghost path!

Liu Shuang inwardly cursed Bai Yuxiao as a useless ally. The priority now was to stop Yan Chaosheng from entering the ghost path. If he grew powerful, KongSang would be in danger.

With a twist of her wrist, the Crimson Pearl Umbrella appeared in her hand. Relying on her yang-aligned immortal body, she walked towards Yan Chaosheng, using the umbrella as a shield.

She pushed aside the minor ghosts along the way, gritted her teeth, and entered the Ten Thousand Souls Burial Mound, finally reaching him.

The young man sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, his skin icy cold. Liu Shuang’s fingers glowed with a white light as she vanquished the evil ghosts clinging to him.

“Go away, don’t give him more power!”

The screams were incessant, the ghosts relentless. There were so many that Liu Shuang could barely keep up, fearing Yan Chaosheng would absorb too much and become a ghost cultivator. In desperation, she used the Crimson Pearl Umbrella to create a barrier, trapping herself and Yan Chaosheng inside.

Indeed, ordinary ghosts couldn’t break through the Crimson Pearl Umbrella. At dawn, when the sun rose, the formation of the Ten Thousand Souls Burial Mound would naturally dissipate.

Liu Shuang crouched to examine Yan Chaosheng. Thankfully, she had arrived in time; he hadn’t fully comprehended the ghost path.

The young man’s lips were black, his skin turning into a stiff, cold gray.

At this moment, if she were to stab him?

Liu Shuang glanced around furtively. Good, Bai Zhuixu wasn’t here. She could stab Yan Chaosheng without breaking character. Her fingers turned into sharp blades, piercing towards his chest.

Her fingers touched the young man’s chest, feeling like they had struck hard stone. Liu Shuang’s fingertips ached.

The young man’s skin seemed petrified, stiff and cold like the body of a ten-thousand-year-old zombie.

What about other areas? Could she kill him there? Liu Shuang tried his head, abdomen, and back, finding that Yan Chaosheng’s rigid body couldn’t be damaged. In other words, she couldn’t use her immortal techniques to kill him.

Liu Shuang refused to give up. What if she burned him? Surely fire could kill him?

She snapped her fingers, and bright blue flames ignited around them, licking at Yan Chaosheng’s body. He sat with his eyes closed, expressionless.

Liu Shuang increased her immortal power, making the fire burn even fiercer. The young man’s black hair contrasted with the blue flames, creating an indescribable eeriness.

“Keep burning,” Liu Shuang thought angrily. She refused to believe she couldn’t burn him to death!

Thrown into the Ten Thousand Souls Burial Mound by Bai Yuxiao, the ghosts tore at his body. Yan Chaosheng’s eyes were cold.

The ghost energy entered his body, but no wounds were visible.

He knew that without his cultivation, he couldn’t escape the Ten Thousand Souls Burial Mound. The formation was like a ghostly maze, trapping him firmly.

He wasn’t an immortal; most of the spells he knew were ineffective against malevolent ghosts.

Driven to the brink, he became ruthless. Instead of dodging, he sat cross-legged. If they wanted to devour him, he would turn the tables and devour them.

If he survived, he would never let Bai Yuxiao off the hook!

At the moment of entering a meditative state, Yan Chaosheng couldn’t help but feel a sense of irony. It was said that those in the immortal realm cared for their disciples. Yet, when he first joined KongSang with sincere enthusiasm, he was treated as worthless by the descendants of the immortals.

Immortals, demons, and the ugly human heart—what was the difference?

Yan Chaosheng didn’t expect anyone to save him. Every time he faced death, he relied solely on himself to pull through. This time, they better not expect him to return as usual!

Ghost energy was cold and lethal; ordinary mortals exposed to it would lose ten years of their lives.

For a demonic constitution, ghost energy was like a deadly poison. Yan Chaosheng felt as if his body had been thrown into a hundred feet of ice, freezing to the bone, numbing every inch of his skin and bones, his blood ceasing to flow.

All sensation was replaced by endless pain.

He couldn’t tell if it was the ghosts tearing at his soul that hurt more or his desperate, life-threatening absorption of ghost energy.

In such torment, Yan Chaosheng didn’t even know if he was alive or dead.

The wails of ghosts echoed in his ears; he didn’t know when it would all end.

Suddenly, footsteps approached.

Though engulfed in the icy ghost energy, Yan Chaosheng’s senses remained sharp. With his eyes closed, he heard light footsteps; someone had dispersed the ghosts tearing at him.

He caught a faint fragrance, like the first bloom of crabapple after rain.

The scent was close; the person crouched beside him. Then, after a brief silence, all the ghosts vanished.

Yan Chaosheng immediately recognized her. In Tai Chuan City, when they were alone, he had smelled the same fragrance on her.

It was Chishui Liu Shuang.

Yan Chaosheng couldn’t understand his own emotions. Moments ago, he had been thinking that if he survived, Bai Yuxiao, Bai Zhuixu, and even Chishui Liu Shuang wouldn’t live.

Yet, in his darkest hour, Chishui Liu Shuang had come.

Then, a small hand touched his chest.

Yan Chaosheng was stunned; for a moment, the pain from the yin energy faded, replaced by a surge of embarrassment and annoyance. He could clearly feel that hand moving over his chest, sliding across his face, his abdomen, then reaching his lower back.

Yan Chaosheng was grateful his body had stiffened; otherwise, he might have strangled her on the spot.

What was Chishui Liu Shuang doing?

He could feel but not see. Thankfully, after a few touches, she stopped. The girl snapped her fingers, and a soft blue flame ignited beside them.

Yan Chaosheng’s body, frozen like ice, every wisp of yin energy causing numbing pain, felt the warmth of the flame. Gradually, the unbearable pain subsided.

Yan Chaosheng remembered the first time he saw her at the Lotus Platform, the blue flame she lit, reflected in the Nine Thoughts Pond, like a peacock feather.

Once the flame ceased, he would surely plunge back into the cold. But after a long time, even after the sun had risen, she tirelessly continued to warm him.

When the first ray of sunlight touched them, the young man’s eyelashes fluttered, and he opened his eyes.

Years later, Yan Chaosheng would never forget this scene: under the Crimson Pearl Umbrella, the first golden light surrounded them, the myriad ghosts vanished, and sunlight filtered through the forest.

As the morning sun rose over the mortal world, the veiled girl’s forehead glistened with sweat as she steadfastly maintained the Crimson Pearl Umbrella.

The sunlight brushed her hair; exhausted from depleting her immortal power, she collapsed, falling straight into his arms.

Yan Chaosheng thought his first instinct would be to push her away, but his hand seemed to act on its own, catching her.

The Crimson Pearl Umbrella fell, hitting her cheek. Yan Chaosheng reached out and caught it.

He looked down at the girl in his arms; she was unconscious, utterly spent.

The resentment he felt towards KongSang’s people the previous night became irritating in the morning. Perhaps… she really had no part in Bai Yuxiao’s actions, and it had nothing to do with her.

Otherwise, why would she stay with him all night in a place like the Ten Thousand Souls Burial Mound, warming him?

Perhaps, as she had said at the Lotus Platform, she regretted falsely accusing him and sincerely wanted to make amends, to treat him well.

Yan Chaosheng’s face was cold, his mind flooded with countless thoughts, finally settling on her slender hands.

This little master of KongSang had an extraordinarily ugly face, but her hands were fair and delicate, her fingertips tinged with cherry pink, incredibly beautiful.

Yan Chaosheng averted his gaze as if burned, inevitably recalling how she had touched him all over last night.

An idea gradually surfaced.

Chishui Liu Shuang had treated his wounds at the Lotus Platform, stood before him in Tai Chuan City even against a snake demon, removed her immortal robe for him, and held an umbrella for him.

Now, she had taken advantage of his ghost energy absorption to touch him all over and warmed him all night in the Ten Thousand Souls Burial Mound.

Truly… shameless! He had heard that some descendants of immortals were debauched; could it be that she…

Could it be that her initial intention at KongSang’s entrance was to attract his attention, but it backfired?

Thinking this, Yan Chaosheng sneered. He wouldn’t fall for this ugly girl. Her intentions were in vain.

The Crimson Pearl Umbrella grew warm in his hand. Yan Chaosheng noticed the bracelet on his wrist, identical to the one on the girl’s fair wrist.

He pursed his lips, his face cold, and picked her up.

Since she had designs on him, outright rejection wouldn’t be beneficial. Instead, he could use this foolish young master to attain what he desired.

If KongSang’s immortal realm was like this, the other immortal realms across the eight directions wouldn’t be any better. He had to regain his cultivation, find a master, and step onto the immortal path.

The soft girl in his arms might be a suitable stepping stone. As long as he didn’t develop feelings, when she discovered the truth, she would be heartbroken—the perfect revenge.

Having justified his actions, Yan Chaosheng carried Liu Shuang back with a clear conscience.

The ghost energy entering his body had inadvertently altered his demonic constitution. His body was no longer as fragile as before, which was a good thing.

He couldn’t defeat Bai Yuxiao yet, but that was fine. He would bide his time; there was plenty of time ahead, and he would surely kill Bai Yuxiao with his own hands.

Yan Chaosheng thought coldly. As for Chishui Liu Shuang, after her heartbreak, if he was in a good mood, he might show mercy and let her live.

Liu Shuang had tirelessly burned Yan Chaosheng all night; if it were a mountain, it would have turned to ash. Yet, Yan Chaosheng was unscathed.

In the latter half of the night, unwilling to miss this rare opportunity, she intensified the flames.

Maintaining the Crimson Pearl Umbrella’s barrier required immortal power. Liu Shuang hadn’t cultivated for long, and as dawn broke, her immortal power was depleted, and she fainted.

When she awoke, she was on Bai Zhuixu’s immortal sword.

Liu Shuang sat up abruptly, looking at Yan Chaosheng. Had he been burned to death?

The young man in green sensed her gaze and turned around. Their eyes met; she clearly saw a hint of understanding in his eyes. Then, with a cold expression, he glanced at her, seemingly disdainful, and turned away.

Liu Shuang’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. If he didn’t die even after that, what could she do next?

Bai Yuxiao was also puzzled, leaning over to whisper, “What’s that guy’s deal? It’s the first time I’ve heard of someone surviving the Ten Thousand Souls Burial Mound. When he carried you back two days ago, he was fine, acting like nothing happened, and didn’t even report it to my brother.”

“You said he carried me back?”

“Yes, what were you doing last night?”

The thought of Yan Chaosheng carrying her made Liu Shuang feel terrible. She immediately cast several cleansing spells, feeling somewhat better.

Yan Chaosheng’s nonchalance often meant that the person in question was already dead in his eyes.

Liu Shuang looked at Bai Yuxiao with pity, “Cultivate well; make sure you have enough strength to protect yourself.”

Bai Yuxiao replied, “I don’t need you to tell me that. Since when do you lecture me? You can’t even protect yourself; worry about yourself.”

He adopted a gleeful tone, “Look, where are we?”

Liu Shuang looked and saw that while she was unconscious from depleting her immortal power, Bai Zhuixu had reliably brought them to the Kunlun Immortal Realm.

Bai Zhuixu maneuvered the immortal realm to stop at Kunlun’s entrance.

Before them stretched a dazzling peach grove. In the mortal world, the peach blossoms would have long withered, but Kunlun remained vibrant.

Bai Zhuixu gazed at the beautiful scene and smiled, “Since ancient times, Kunlun has used peach wood for divination. Only Kunlun’s peach grove can bloom so splendidly. The gentle nature of the flora mirrors the temper of the Ji Mo clan within Kunlun. Young master, don’t worry; the young master of Kunlun won’t trouble you.”

Liu Shuang had seldom thought about this, but Bai Zhuixu’s words made her slightly anxious.

She had previously gone to their doorstep to humiliate and break off the engagement. Would the young master of Kunlun truly forgive her?