CHAPTER 32: Prone to the Ground, Toss the Thunder!

Yu Youyou’s answer was far too confident.

The wind was especially strong today, and perhaps due to the sand and grit, Baili Kongshan’s eyes narrowed slightly, making his mood unreadable.

He actually asked in return, “Dog fur?”

Why was Baili Kongshan so interested in this tuft of dog fur?

Yu Youyou pondered—could it be this sword cultivator actually had a secret fondness for fluffy things?

Well, that made sense. In most novels, cold and indifferent characters like him often had a soft side deep down.

Now that she realized they might be kindred spirits, Yu Youyou instantly felt closer: “Yes, dog fur. I picked it up near the gates of the Pill Cauldron Sect. I figure there must be a beautiful stray dog living around our sect. If you like it too, after the Four Regions Assembly, I’ll find a chance to lure it out with a bone and let you pet it?”

She spoke with caution. Giving it away was out of the question—if she actually found that dog, she was definitely keeping it. At most, she’d let Baili Kongshan pet it once or twice.

Considering Baili Kongshan had already saved them twice, Qi Nanfeng chimed in warmly, “If Senior likes it, I’ll shave the dog and bring you the fur!”

At the start, it was actually Qi Nanfeng who said it was dog fur, and later, Yu Youyou secretly took a sniff—sure enough, it did carry a scent somewhat like a canine’s.

However, it didn’t smell bad. On the contrary, it had a warm, sun-drenched cotton scent. When held in the palm and rubbed before sleep, the fragrance made it easier to drift off, as if a fragrant, fluffy white dog were lying next to her.

After seeing too many hairless, foul-smelling zombie dogs, Yu Youyou had grown quite fond of anything fluffy.

“…”

Baili Kongshan’s gaze was hard to read.

In the cultivation world, he had encountered people who tried to flatter him, feared him, even wanted to kill him—

But never had he encountered something like this… peculiar specimen from the Pill Cauldron Sect.

In the end, Baili Kongshan chose to ignore this strange creature entirely.

In the next instant, an intense surge of spiritual power burst forth from him, instantly evaporating every trace of the snake blood on his body.

The strong stench of blood dissipated completely, and the Jinghong Sword once again appeared as beautiful as though carved from ice and snow. Even the creases in his black robe smoothed out.

Though still clad in somber black, his smooth, long hair draped over his shoulders, highlighting his fair skin. In the sunlight, he looked like a clean, cold beauty as pristine as glass—no longer carrying the earlier scent of blood.

Even the sword cultivators who were already accustomed to his face couldn’t help but quietly draw a breath.

Truly, the original text hadn’t lied—compared to him, those alluring young妖族men at the black market were nothing. Even Elder Mei of the Hehuan Sect paled in comparison.

Yu Youyou, who had managed to restrain herself when facing妖族before, couldn’t hold back this time. She subtly raised an eyebrow and clicked her tongue softly in admiration.

Baili Kongshan didn’t seem to mind. Perhaps he didn’t believe anyone would dare tease him to begin with.

He raised a hand, and a surge of spiritual power gently lifted the furry bracelet from Yu Youyou’s palm, bringing it to rest in his own hand.

Then, Baili Kongshan turned around and gave the python corpse a light kick toward Yu Youyou. “It’s yours.”

Trading a corpse of a Nascent Soul-stage beast for her bracelet—not exactly bullying a child.

With one hand holding his sword and the other clutching the bracelet, he turned and walked back the way he came.

Yu Youyou froze for a moment, then turned to glance at her group.

Including the Elders, everyone was in disarray after the surprise attack from the giant python, covered in mud and weeds, looking a complete mess.

If she remembered correctly, her dirty hands had left some smudges on the dog fur just now. If she had handed the bracelet to Elder Niu in that condition, the once-white fur would’ve turned yellow for sure.

Yu Youyou suddenly had a realization.

She understood now.

She thought to herself: Senior Baili really has a warm heart beneath that cold face. He must’ve known she couldn’t take the bracelet into the Forest of Eternal Ages, so he cleaned himself up before helping her hold onto it!

Just as she thought—people who like fluffy things can’t possibly be bad.

As for that python corpse, Yu Youyou didn’t think those words were meant for her. She assumed Baili Kongshan was giving it to Yu Changan.

After all, he was the young Long Aotian. It was entirely reasonable for a Nascent Soul powerhouse to deem “this child is extraordinary” and grant him treasures. Not to mention he was so extraordinary that even the enemies of his elders were willing to show goodwill. How cool and very Ao Tian of him.

So, under the complicated gazes of the surrounding cultivators, Yu Youyou earnestly called out to Baili Kongshan’s back:

“Then I’ll trouble you to hold onto it for me, Senior Baili. I’ll come retrieve it after the Four Realms Conference—thank you!”

Also unaware of who exactly Baili Kongshan was, Qi Nanfeng leaned over and asked in what he thought was a quiet voice, “I heard sword cultivators are all broke. Aren’t you afraid he won’t give the artifact back?”

Yu Youyou was full of confidence. “No way. Aside from our Elder Ma, what kind of senior would be so shameless as to covet a junior’s artifact and a lump of dog fur? Look at him—he didn’t even care about a Nascent Soul beast corpse. Does he look like someone lacking in magical treasures?”

Baili Kongshan’s footsteps paused ever so slightly, but he didn’t turn around. He continued walking forward.

Elder Ma didn’t dare speak. “…” Yu Youyou, do you realize you nearly died just now?

The sword cultivators also didn’t dare say a word. “…” Since when was Master Baili the helpful type?

Kuang Langsheng, who had remained silent this whole time, glanced back. Once he saw Baili Kongshan’s silhouette was gone, he finally let out a breath.

He gave Yu Youyou a thumbs-up, genuinely impressed. “Junior Sister Yu, you’re a real warrior.”

Another senior sword cultivator nearby clutched her chest and whispered, “It’s the first time I’ve seen anyone talk that much to Master Baili. You’re not afraid of him at all?”

The other sword cultivators nodded in agreement—even Jiang Yuan’s gaze toward her now carried a strange touch of admiration.

Yu Youyou was puzzled. In the original text, Baili Kongshan didn’t have many scenes early on, and once his part started picking up, that section of the book had been chewed up by a zombie. So all she knew was that he had a mysterious background, often clashed with Yu Bumie, and was a cold beauty.

She wasn’t sure whether Baili Kongshan would eventually be subdued by Yu Bumie later, but for now, he was clearly an opponent.

The enemy of her enemy was her friend—a truly good person!

She asked the sword cultivators, “Isn’t he really warm-hearted? Maybe you’re all just afraid of him because he’s too strict with disciples?”

Like how students were afraid of their homeroom teacher back in school?

The sword cultivators stared at her like she was some kind of strange beast. “Warm-hearted? Where did you even get that idea?!”

Yu Youyou sighed on behalf of these clueless juniors from the Sword Sect. She looked to Jiang Yuan and asked, “Wasn’t it originally agreed that your Master would come? But he didn’t show up, so Senior Baili had to step in, right?”

Jiang Yuan hugged his sword, his expression a little sour, but still tried to defend his master. “Master must’ve reached a critical point in his cultivation…”

“Critical or not, if he agreed to come and didn’t show, that’s breaking a promise. Look at Senior Baili—he stepped up at a moment’s notice, rushed all the way to the Western Region, didn’t even catch a breath before risking his life in battle against a beast. If it weren’t for him, we’d have all been swallowed by that thing. They’re both Nascent Soul seniors—it’s not like your master’s the only one who cultivates while the rest are all free and idle, right? But did he ever once complain? Not at all!”

Yu Youyou wore a look of righteous condemnation: “No one even thanked him just now!”

Jiang Yuan: “…”

The other sword cultivators were stunned as well, unsure of how to respond.

Jiang Yuan found it difficult to tolerate anyone showing disrespect toward his Master. Especially hearing Yu Youyou so blatantly praising Baili Kongshan while implicitly belittling his own Master—he grew even more displeased.

So he spoke coldly: “To compare him with my Master—you clearly know nothing of what Little Martial Master Baili has done.”

Even Su Yizhi, who had been silent for a long time, quietly added to Yu Youyou in explanation, “It’s said that Senior Baili’s actions are rather… eccentric.”

The shield cultivators beside them also nodded, clearly having heard of this person’s notorious reputation.

“Eccentric is putting it lightly,” Jiang Yuan said expressionlessly. “It’s indiscriminate slaughter—whether cultivators or mortals, the number who’ve died by his sword is countless. When he loses control, he even butchers his fellow disciples.”

“Three years ago, there was a Senior Brother Jin on Ziyun Peak who greatly admired Martial Master Baili. He and Senior Sister Zhao of the same peak were about to become Dao companions, and just before their wedding, he paid a special visit to Martial Master Baili, hoping to invite him to officiate.”

“Martial Master Baili did indeed show up on the wedding day—only to cleave the ceremony venue in half with one sword strike. Not only did he ruin the wedding, he brutally beheaded and dismembered Senior Brother Jin on the spot. If it weren’t for the Swordmaster intervening to protect him, punishing him only with reflection beside the Prison Cliff, he’d surely have been stripped of his cultivation and expelled from the sect!”

“Pity for Senior Sister Zhao, who lost a good match. Pity for that honest and kind Senior Brother Jin, who died so cruelly by that madman’s sword on what should’ve been the happiest day of his life!”

This incident had clearly spread throughout the cultivation world. After all, killing one’s own sect members was something only demonic cultivators would do. Even the shield cultivators nodded in agreement, having heard of it too.

However, upon hearing this, a female sword cultivator frowned, as if recalling something. “If Jiang Senior Brother hadn’t mentioned Senior Brother Jin, I would’ve forgotten about something…”

“A few months ago, it was my turn to be on duty outside the sect gates. A mortal woman came with a young boy, saying she was looking for her husband, who had joined the sect. She said he’d taken all their family wealth and left home shortly after their son was born, promising to send for them once he’d settled in cultivation. But she waited ten years without a word, and so came looking for him.”

“I felt sorry for her and asked the name of the heartless man. I checked the disciple registry, but couldn’t find anyone by that name. She left crying with her child.”

The female sword cultivator hesitated. “Now that you mention it, that heartless man… seemed to have the same name as that Senior Brother Jin.”

The other sword cultivators were stunned, clearly not expecting such a twist.

In their minds, Baili Kongshan was a brooding lunatic who killed without reason—so they didn’t dare believe it outright.

But neither did they dare speak carelessly.

Jiang Yuan stiffened, clinging to his prior assertion: “The man is dead—how can we sully the reputation of the deceased!”

Yu Youyou, who had just been fed a hefty scandal, replied lazily, “So it’s fine to tarnish the reputation of the living?”

“…”

Seeing the two about to butt heads again, it was Elder Mei of the Hehuan Sect who finally stepped in to ease the tension.

She cautiously glanced around, confirming that Baili Kongshan was nowhere in sight, then relaxed and smiled: “There was a small incident just now, but the random teleportation array has been restored. Please proceed quickly.”

The cultivators from the other three regions had already entered nearly half an hour ago, and the Eastern Region couldn’t afford further delay.

So the young cultivators from the Eastern Region headed toward the random teleportation array. Once their noisy group departed, only the massive python corpse and a few Nascent Soul-stage Elders remained at the scene.

With Baili Kongshan gone, the previously silent Elders of the other three regions now turned their gazes toward the python corpse.

Even the three Nascent Soul cultivators who had returned to the sky peak were casting veiled glances at the beast’s body.

A Nascent Soul Elder from the Suspended Gourd Sect (Xuanhu Sect) seemed unable to resist. Their sect specialized in poison techniques, and the venomous fangs on that giant python were clearly highly toxic. If he could acquire them…

He took two steps forward, but recalled the terrifying might of Baili Kongshan’s sword, and hesitated, glancing up at the sky.

Su Zhenren stood watch above. Of course, he too understood the immense value this corpse held for the sect. More importantly, he could no longer sense Baili Kongshan’s presence. That madman never acted according to convention—there was no way he’d stay behind at the Four Realms Assembly just to protect a bunch of children. He must have already left.

So Su Zhenren did not intervene, but merely gave a slight nod to the younger cultivator below, signaling for him to proceed.

With permission granted, the Elder from the Suspended Gourd Sect felt more at ease. He reasoned that he only intended to take the two venomous fangs. Surely Baili Kongshan wouldn’t deny face to Su Zhenren and the Suspended Gourd Sect over that?

He walked up to the Elders of the Eastern Region, gave a perfunctory clasp of hands, and said, “Now that the beast has been slain, it’s time we discuss how to divide the spoils.”

The Eastern Region had the weakest strength overall. Normally, the Northern Region wouldn’t even deign to speak with them, let alone take the initiative.

So saying “discuss” now was more like announcing terms from a position of superiority.

Without waiting for any reply from the Eastern Region Elders, the Suspended Gourd Sect Elder was already striding toward the python corpse, speaking again as if it were settled: “My Suspended Gourd Sect only wants the venomous fangs—the rest is yours—”

At the moment he stood before the python, reaching out his hand—his voice abruptly cut off.

A sword still emanating cold air flew in from the horizon.

It was fast as a sweeping frost wind, ghost-like as it pierced through the Suspended Gourd Sect Elder’s shoulder. The fierce sword aura severed his entire outstretched arm.

Fresh blood sprayed before everyone’s eyes. A moment later, an arm fell to the ground.

“AH!!”

The Suspended Gourd Sect Elder let out a pained scream, unable to speak, clutching his severed shoulder with trembling hands.

He collapsed to his knees, frantically channeling spiritual power to heal, but the sword aura lingering in the wound was too violent—it shattered his spiritual energy the moment it touched.

He was in so much pain he nearly passed out. Struggling to crawl backward, he turned to Su Zhenren in desperation: “Ancestor, save me!”

Immortal Master Su’s expression shifted unpredictably.

He stared at the sword suspended in midair, a threat of death emanating from it. Though he was also in the Nascent Soul stage, even he was shaken by the pressure.

Sword cultivators truly lived for the kill—this was no exaggeration.

Below, an elder of the Hanging Cauldron Sect was still calling for help. Just as Immortal Master Su was about to intervene, the moment his spiritual power surged, the sword abruptly changed direction and pointed straight at him.