Chapter 53:

Cen Wuwang thought Xue Ying was being overly cautious. “No need. He’s not me.”

What was there to get familiar with? Figure out his cultivation level so they could deal with him accordingly later.

Utterly ridiculous.

As he spoke, Cen Wuwang faced Shen Jin—one a rare genius of the immortal realm, aloof and transcendent, his spirit drifting before Xue Ying with an aura of incense, creating a first-rate stage effect.

The other was the Blood Sea Demon Lord, born unruly and untamed, demonic patterns creeping from the corners of his eyes. When his crimson pupils gleamed, they carried an eerie, ghostly charm.

The two stared at each other in silence, the white-robed girl sandwiched between them, her dark hair and red lips stark against the misty veil covering her eyes. She looked pitiful, utterly alone.

This was the onlooking monk’s impression. Lixiang’s expression grew even more solemn. “It seems your master’s condition is quite severe.”

Full-blown schizophrenia—one path, one demon, dragging his disciple into the mess. The legendary tale of falling for his own disciple, unable to overcome the ethical barrier, thus birthing an inner demon. Then, his temperament drastically changed—one extreme of love, another of hate, endlessly entangled until the righteous path succumbed to evil, defeated in the end. The girl, upon learning the truth, resolutely journeyed afar, seeking the supreme dharma to purify the inner demon and restore her master to normalcy. Through countless hardships and tears, she bore it all without complaint.

Honestly, you Daoist folks really know how to play.

Rich spiritual lives, even more thrilling in practice.

Xue Ying felt Lixiang might have misunderstood something. She pointed at Cen Wuwang. “This one’s the real deal.”

Then at Shen Jin. “He’s the fake.”

Hearing this, even the usually meticulous Lixiang softened his tone. “Child, you’ve suffered.”

Protecting her master while struggling against the inner demon, enduring humiliation—just look at that little face, thin and sallow, clearly having gone through so much.

The more Lixiang thought about it, the more his maternal instincts flared. He beckoned to Xue Ying. “Come, I’ll take you to see the Buddha’s Child.”

Though misunderstandings abounded, meeting the Buddha’s Child was the priority. Xue Ying nodded, brushing off Shen Jin’s hand and walking toward Lixiang.

The moment the two separated, Lixiang immediately ordered Shen Jin seized. Patting Xue Ying’s shoulder reassuringly, he said, “Don’t worry. Our Luyeyuan Lotus Pond is unparalleled across the four realms—seven days and nights of physical transcendence rituals, complete with customized reincarnation postures, even face-down if you want. A mere inner demon? Formatting it is child’s play.”

Shen Jin nearly screamed. The Luyeyuan Lotus Pond was basically the demonic equivalent of a septic tank! If he went in, he’d come out an idiot. How could he rule the demon realm then? Desperate, he cried out, “Xue Ying!”

Annoying as he was, Xue Ying still had a conscience. She intervened. “Venerable Master, we’re bound by a magical artifact. If he’s hurt, I’ll suffer too.”

Lixiang was surprised but, after a careful inspection, assured her, “No worries. The Lotus Pond is spiritual pollution—no physical harm. The Pure Land’s Golden Lotus is quite nourishing.”

Xue Ying twitched her lips. So even you monks admit your chanting is spiritual pollution?

As a junior, she couldn’t argue further. She turned to Cen Wuwang for input, but Shen Jin seized the moment, howling at him, “Yuhengzi, aren’t you afraid I’ll spill your secrets?”

Cen Wuwang, still focused on the Yaoguang sword on Xue Ying’s back, barely reacted. “What?”

That dismissive attitude, that sidelong glance—he wouldn’t even turn his head! Shen Jin fumed. “You liked her when she was just a child! You even secretly sewed her little dresses!”

You sick pervert, lolicon, shameless old creep—ugh, disgusting!

He expected this bombshell to at least shock the onlooking monks, if not Cen Wuwang. But Lixiang and the others just nodded knowingly.

Xue Ying remained calm. She’d long known Cen Wuwang was a lolicon—he’d pinched her cheeks the first time they met. “It’s fine. I remember he sewed for Senior Brother Wen too. Senior Brother Du teased him for ages about wearing dresses.”

This wasn’t perversion—just twisted humor.

Plan A failed, so Shen Jin moved to Plan B. “You’ve spent ten years pining for Xue Ying. Don’t tell me you don’t love her?”

Back when he’d probed Cen Wuwang’s memories with a soul-searching insect, all he found was sword practice and Xue Ying, Xue Ying, Xue Ying—had she grown up? Had her swordsmanship improved? Could he fight her when he returned?

If that wasn’t love, what was?

Cen Wuwang only replied, “The pig’s fattened.”

Xue Ying’s face darkened instantly. She saw Cen Wuwang as her lifelong rival, yet he saw her as livestock. He really did look down on her.

Shen Jin tried to continue, but Xue Ying, now furious, turned on him. “Shut the hell up! Always jumping around me—don’t think I don’t know what you’re after. Trying to trick me into love again, huh? If you really like me, go kill yourself right now. I’ll buy you a coffin, float you home downstream, let you return to your roots.”

She knew she wasn’t Cen Wuwang’s equal, but Shen Jin had to force the truth out of him? What was wrong with him? She wasn’t angry at Cen Wuwang’s cruelty—she was furious at Shen Jin for poking the sore spot.

Shen Jin was stunned. “He calls you a pig, and you don’t even complain. I beg for help, and you tell me to off myself. Disciple of the Sword Immortal, do you even have a heart? Back in the Demon Lock Tower, you said you’d try cross-species romance!”

She’d dated a chicken—what was a demon? Heterosexuality? Please, she’d nearly gone gay too.

“Your swordsmanship is trash. You’re not worthy.”

Shen Jin retorted, “Fine, my swordsmanship sucks, but my spear skills are top-tier. Why am I not good enough?”

Xue Ying was merciless. “Spears? That ‘Luck E’ garbage. You want me to learn spearmanship and end up as unlucky as you?”

Shen Jin: “…”

Outmatched. So mad, so mad, so mad!

Lixiang, thoroughly entertained, suggested, “Since you two don’t get along, why not just toss him into the Lotus Pond? Cleanse him and start fresh.”

Xue Ying almost nodded before catching herself—killing the Demon Lord would mean the remaining two Taixuan Sect elders coming after her. “Venerable Master, we’re just bickering. Nothing serious. Right, Shen Jin?”

She even smiled at him and patted Yaoguang.

Shen Jin: “…No.”

He was dead serious. Furious. Disciple of the Sword Immortal, you’re done for!

“He’s Shen Jin, ruler of the demon realm. When I went there, he stole my body. Today’s visit to Luyeyuan…” Cen Wuwang paused. “Just kill him.”

Why save a demon lord? Better to cleanse him into a three-and-a-half-year-old version—obedient and useful.

Shen Jin’s survival instincts kicked in. “I am! We were just fooling around!”

Earlier, Lixiang had been eager to off Shen Jin. Now, he hesitated. He’d heard of Shen Jin—the demon who’d emerged from the Blood Sea, treading crimson lotuses, wielding the Godslayer Spear, vowing vengeance for the three clans.

Super badass.

In the end, Lixiang compromised. “The Lotus Pond’s still being cleaned. We’ll detain him for now and revisit this later.”

Xue Ying sighed in relief. As Shen Jin was led away, she prepared to meet the Buddha’s Child, but Lixiang asked, “I notice the Sword Immortal’s spirit is weak. Has something happened?”

Xue Ying explained everything, handing over the sect leader’s letter. She hoped the Buddha’s Child would accompany her to the demon realm to deal with Shen Jin’s eventual retaliation.

Lixiang was puzzled. If she feared Shen Jin’s revenge, why had she berated him earlier?

Hitting is intimacy, scolding is love? Weird relationship. As for the main issue…

“To be frank, since the upheaval of the four realms, cracks have appeared in the barrier between the demon and consciousness realms. Tainted qi has seeped in, affecting all life. We’ve exhausted ourselves sealing the cracks.”

Objectively, Lixiang and Shen Jin were sworn enemies—one screaming below, “Bald donkey, open up! I know you’re home!” The other yelling back, “For heaven’s sake, stop dumping your garbage here! I’m suffocating!”

Mutual loathing at its finest.

Xue Ying was confused. “Does the Venerable Master know the demon realm’s current state?”

The sect leader had told her—the demon realm was in dire straits, so poor they dug for roots, illnesses left untreated, death the only outcome.

Lixiang’s sharp gaze softened with guilt. “I know. A true sea of suffering.”

“Then why…?”

Cen Wuwang explained. “It’s not that we won’t help. The tainted qi affects the Asura clan most. Born of the Blood Sea, they can’t leave it. After the barrier cracked, the consciousness realm could relocate to the Daoist realm and ignore it. But the Asura, corrupted by the qi, fell into the hungry ghost path—mindless, frenzied zombies. The demon realm’s three clans bore the brunt.”

Ordinary people exposed to the qi might just get a fever. The Asura turned into super-powered zombies. A few were manageable, but an outbreak? A living hell.

When he’d first arrived in the consciousness realm, Cen Wuwang had found the Asura bizarre. They thrived in the Blood Sea, which was tainted, seemingly immune—until a certain threshold triggered their monstrous transformation.

Even Lixiang, a local, couldn’t decipher their strange biology.

Xue Ying stopped asking. Cen Wuwang could’ve taken the demon clans to the Daoist realm and sealed the consciousness realm. But how was that different from Lixiang’s approach?

Lixiang sighed. “Back then, to stop the Asura, we had to seal the demon realm. But it was just a stopgap.”

They’d settled for a terrible compromise—the demon realm endured, the monks held the line, and everyone procrastinated.

Now the demon realm had had enough, and the consciousness realm was worsening daily.

“Can’t we… talk? The sect leader’s been planning for years. Once the four realms are connected, the consciousness realm’s troubles will end.”

Lixiang didn’t answer. The scenery shifted as they walked—jade trees, golden leaves, silver flowers. At the path’s end, a green-robed figure sat on a lotus throne, golden light spreading beneath him, chanting filling the air. A few white strands draped over his chest as he meditated.

Sensing their arrival, Youtan opened his eyes, smiling serenely. “Dad.”

Someone coughed pointedly. Xue Ying flushed. “I told you to just call me by name.”

Also, Youtan’s hair had grown fast.

Youtan countered, “Didn’t we agree to address each other as equals? I call you Dad, you call me Daddy.”

Lixiang coughed harder. Under Cen Wuwang’s gaze, Xue Ying stiffly said, “Names are equal too.”

Youtan toyed with his prayer beads. “Titles are just labels. Since we mean no harm, why change? Whether cultivating or chanting, obsessing over form distracts from truth. Dad, you’re fixated.”

Now she understood why Lixiang couldn’t correct Youtan’s worldview. The Buddha’s Child was eloquent.

Offending once or forever made no difference. Xue Ying dropped the topic and got to business. Judging by Lixiang’s demeanor, this trip might be futile.

Sure enough, Youtan shook his head. “I can’t accompany you, Dad.”

Lixiang couldn’t take it anymore. Dad this, Dad that—did he, the mother, get a say? He cut in. “The demon realm’s been restless. With the cracks unstable, the Buddha’s Child must remain to maintain balance. A trip to the demon realm is impossible.”

No helping it. Xue Ying asked if Lixiang could guide her instead. She’d go with Shen Jin. Cen Wuwang knew the way—cleanse Shen Jin, swap souls in the demon realm, leave a regent behind, and she’d rise to power.

Perfect.

Lixiang agreed. “Rest a few days. I’ll arrange an escort.”

Settled. Youtan wanted to chat, but Lixiang dragged Xue Ying away. Back in the side hall, he eyed the spirit hovering near her. “Need help?”

“Huh?”

“We offer dual cultivation services.”