Chapter 104 – This Tragic Cultivation Genius – “Grand Elder, spare my life!” (01/06)
——– By the seaside. ——–
You Huang stood with his hands behind his back. “Yangyang, this is the last world.”
For a moment, Xie Chenyang actually felt a bit sentimental. “Just thinking that I won’t be able to role-play with my wife anymore makes me feel a little melancholic.”
You Huang: “Should I request an extension for you?”
“No, no, let’s go, Dad.”
[I really, really want to see my beloved’s true face.]
——- ——– ——
“What is this place?”
It was so dark and gloomy.
As far as Xie Chenyang could see, demonic energy swirled everywhere. Under the overcast sky, the distant scenery was indistinct, and the air was eerie and cold.
This was a cultivation realm.
For thousands of years, the human, demon, and beast clans had been in constant conflict, with endless raging wars.
Later, the human clan gained the upper hand, and the demons and beasts retreated into seclusion.
Among the human cultivation sects, the most powerful was the Wuji Sect. It was composed entirely of sword cultivators, and his original self, Qi Xiangyang, was one of the current Sect Master’s direct disciples.
Qi Xiangyang possessed a single mutated spiritual root, was highly perceptive, and had a cheerful, lively personality, making him very popular with his master and fellow disciples.
At just twenty years old, he had already formed his core and was on the verge of a breakthrough. His path of cultivation should have been smooth sailing, astonishing the world.
Yet, he fell in love with someone.
Ji Ran, the Sect Master’s son.
He was four years older than Qi Xiangyang and had been nurtured by his father since childhood, lacking nothing in terms of rare treasures and natural resources; yet, his cultivation level was one rank lower than that of Qi Xiangyang, who had only taken up cultivation later in life.
Watching Qi Xiangyang’s cultivation progress rapidly and grow increasingly favored by his father and his senior and junior siblings, Ji Ran felt a pang of jealousy.
He, too, possessed a single spiritual root—though not a mutated one, it was still exceptional. With his father’s strong support, he had already formed his core at twenty; who wouldn’t call him talented?
But what about Qi Xiangyang?
He didn’t join the sect until he was ten, yet he had formed his core by eighteen!
Watching Qi Xiangyang, now approaching twenty, stand on the verge of a breakthrough, while he himself, at twenty-four, was still a distance away from the threshold of the Nascent Soul stage, he felt a deep sense of resentment.
His father would unconsciously praise Qi Xiangyang’s high aptitude and pure spirit in front of him, and Ji Ran grew increasingly dissatisfied with him.
It was around this time that he sensed Qi Xiangyang’s feelings. Ji Ran didn’t hesitate for long and began appearing frequently in Qi Xiangyang’s life.
Qi Xiangyang wasn’t the type to hide his feelings; as he gradually became aware of his own heart’s desire, he spoke directly to Ji Ran about his feelings. Ji Ran agreed, but told him to keep it a secret from the others for now. Since their cultivation was still shallow, if they didn’t focus on cultivation and instead only thought about forming a romantic bond, they would be disciplined. He suggested that once they had both advanced in cultivation, they would then announce to everyone their intention to become Dao companions.
Qi Xiangyang, of course, didn’t refuse his suggestion.
He had already reached the threshold of the Nascent Soul stage and soon told Ji Ran that he was about to break through.
Ji Ran said he knew a good place to undergo the tribulation, leading him through a series of twists and turns into the sect’s forbidden area, the Demon-Suppressing Cliff.
As soon as Qi Xiangyang stood atop it, he sensed something amiss below, but before he could investigate further, Ji Ran told him to get ready—the tribulation clouds were approaching.
Just as he was preparing himself, he was struck by Ji Ran’s full-power attack, taken completely off guard, and sent tumbling off the cliff.
When he tried to fly back up, Ji Ran, standing atop the cliff, unleashed wave after wave of sword qi mixed with magical artifacts at him, forcing him deeper and deeper down, while the thunder tribulation rained upon him…
By the time Qi Xiangyang crashed into the bottom of the ravine, he was critically injured and on the brink of death.
The area beneath Demon-Suppressing Cliff had once been the battlefield of a great war between humans, demons, and monsters. Though many powerful beings had perished, their mingled demonic energy, beastly aura, and spiritual energy lingered for a long time, forming a chaotic mixture.
The demonic energy, beastly aura, and spiritual energy continued to mutually destroy one another, throwing the entire region into chaos.
Whether due to their sheer abundance or an anomaly in the lingering demonic energy, the spiritual and beastly energies were gradually devoured by the demonic one, transforming the area into a realm of demons and monsters that rapidly spread outward.
At that time, several great masters joined forces to seal off this place, designating it a forbidden zone, and established the Dao Sect around it.
Qi Xiangyang, attacked by the one he loved, was in a state of emotional turmoil, and the thunder tribulation raged fiercely.
Restricted by Ji Ran’s attacks, he was struck down by successive bolts of lightning. His spiritual energy dissipated, and he was on the verge of failing his tribulation, facing certain death and the annihilation of his cultivation.
Just then, the demonic energy from all around suddenly seeped into his body, devouring what little spiritual energy remained and rampaging within him.
Some of his already fractured Golden Core had been eroded and repaired by the demonic energy, turning completely black.
Qi Xiangyang did not die.
In the midst of his struggle against demonic energy, he chose to embrace his new path. From a sword cultivator, he became a demonic cultivator.
Even after embracing the demonic path, his innate talent remained undiminished.
Qi Xiangyang trained rigorously at the base of the cliff. The rampant demonic energy allowed him to progress rapidly; in just three short years, he not only stabilized his Golden Core cultivation but also successfully advanced to the Nascent Soul stage. The thunder tribulation was blocked by the Sealing Barrier, allowing him to enter the Nascent Soul stage painlessly, while the final thunder tribulation actually broke the barriers for him.
However, the breaking of the seals alarmed the Grand Elder Yun Xuefeng, who was in seclusion.
No sooner had Qi Xiangyang flown up than he was struck back by Yun Xuefeng and resealed.
From then on, Qi Xiangyang remained sealed beneath the Demon-Suppressing Cliff, enduring arduous cultivation in an attempt to break through the seal.
After reaching the Nascent Soul stage, further advancement became difficult.
Meanwhile, Grand Elder Yun Xuefeng had already crossed the threshold of Ascension and was ready to ascend at any moment.
However, he had sustained severe injuries during the previous Great War between humans, demons, and beasts, and had been recuperating all these years. Once he was restored, he would be ready to ascend.
With a seal cast by such a figure, there was no end in sight for Qi Xiangyang’s attempts to break free.
Nevertheless, the situation in the cultivation world gradually shifted. Under the influence of a prodigious young man, the hostile relations between the three races—humans, demons, and beasts—began to ease.
——– More than thirty years later. ——–
As Yun Xuefeng prepared to ascend, Ji Ran recalled Qi Xiangyang beneath the Demon-Suppressing Cliff. He explained the current state of the cultivation world to Yun Xuefeng, that the hostility between the three races had eased, and that Qi Xiangyang was, after all, a member of the Wuji Sect… He pleaded with him to lift the seal and release Qi Xiangyang.
Upon being released, Qi Xiangyang’s first reaction was to kill Ji Ran.
His “betrayal of kindness” prompted Yun Xuefeng, who was by Ji Ran’s side, to immediately strip him of his cultivation.
Afterward, Yun Xuefeng ascended, and Ji Ran took Qi Xiangyang under his charge, personally tending to him.
After years beneath the Demon-Suppressing Cliff and having been stripped of his cultivation, Qi Xiangyang had lost his former cheerful disposition; his numb, lifeless demeanor, however, stirred Ji Ran’s heart.
Ji Ran went to great lengths to find treasures that could help him recover… In short, he truly did everything he could.
In the end, he actually managed to win Qi Xiangyang’s forgiveness for his past actions. “Back then, I was immature and blinded by your excellence; I let jealousy consume me. It was my fault. You may do with me as you please, but I only hope you understand: I truly love you.”
Xie Chenyang: “Ah, these people.”
You Huang: “Still not used to it?”
Some people, after being hurt, always end up forgiving the other party because of their subsequent “kindness” or “humbling apologies.”
Though he couldn’t understand it, such people truly existed in the world.
Xie Chenyang sat cross-legged on the ground, closed his eyes, and began cultivating his demonic energy.
He was now just a hair’s breadth away from breaking through.
Three days later, Xie Chenyang stood at the base of the cliff, looking up at the thunder and lightning within the dark demonic energy above.
[Dad, I really don’t want to get knocked down by that Grand Elder the moment I go up, and then have to wait thirty years.]
You Huang: “Figure it out yourself. I can’t fight for you.”
[Can you just give me the cultivation level of someone who’s already passed the Tribulation Stage?]
You Huang: “Stop dreaming.”
[Rude!]
The tribulation lightning struck one after another.
[I’ve got it. As soon as I get up there, I’ll tell the Grand Elder that I was framed and pushed off the cliff, that I couldn’t resist the demonic energy’s corruption, and that’s why I was forced to cultivate the demonic path. I’m willing to destroy my cultivation and start over with the Sword Dao. Will he spare me?]
You Huang: “He probably would. But you’ll have to get the chance to speak first.”
[Understood.]
Xie Chenyang patiently waited for all the tribulation lightning to strike. The moment the seal broke, he gathered his qi and flew upward, spotting a figure in white robes on the cliff from afar.
Xie Chenyang gathered his qi in his dantian. “Elder, spare my life! Hear me out! I’m willing to destroy my own cultivation—”
Fortunately, perhaps having heard his words, Yun Xuefeng did not strike him down the moment he arrived, like in the original plot, but instead stared at him with a cold expression.
Xie Chenyang steadied himself. Upon seeing Yun Xuefeng, whose demeanor was as cold and desolate as frost and snow, his heart skipped a beat, and his voice shifted in pitch. “El~der.”
Yun Xuefeng: “Speak.”
Xie Chenyang quickly recounted how Qi Xiangyang had been taken advantage of by Ji Ran, who had pushed him off a cliff, leaving him clinging to life by a thread and forcing him to turn to demonic cultivation.
“So, Grand Elder, my cultivation of demonic arts is truly out of necessity,” Xie Chenyang said, looking at him with a pleading expression. “I beg you, please spare me.”
Yun Xuefeng’s voice was icy. “Beneath the Demon-Suppressing Cliff lies an ancient battlefield; the demonic energy there is the remnant of the ancient Demon Clan. You should not have–”
“Then I deserve to die?” Xie Chenyang said softly. “Grand Elder, have you ever considered why members of the Demon Clan are born with no choice but to cultivate demonic energy? The moment they attempt to cultivate using spiritual energy, demonic energy, or any other form, they suffer unbearable agony. The Demon Clan resolutely rejects all other forms of energy.”
Yun Xuefeng: “What are you trying to say?”
“Yet we humans can become demon cultivators, demon-beast cultivators… and so on. Why is that? Because the Dao of Heaven is fair. Demons and demon-beasts are born with cultivation and heritage, so the Dao of Heaven imposes restrictions on them, allowing them to cultivate only the energies they were born with.”
Xie Chenyang’s lips curved slightly. “But humans are born without cultivation; they can choose any path. The tribulations faced by demons and monsters are far more terrifying than those faced by humans…”
Yun Xuefeng’s expression remained cold; he showed no reaction to his words.
Xie Chenyang said helplessly, “Of course, these are just my own views. But, Grand Elder, if Heaven truly would not tolerate demons and monsters, none would ever be born, nor would they be allowed to ascend… Yet, surely some demons and monsters have ascended before, haven’t they?”
Yun Xuefeng: “Indeed.”
Although over the millennia, the number of demons who have ascended is far fewer than that of humans, there have been some.
“So… in my case, there’s no need to exterminate me completely, is there? Even if I wasn’t forced to become a demon cultivator, I’ve merely chosen a different path. Essentially I’m still human, and I haven’t done anything that goes against heaven and humanity, right? I believe that good and evil should be judged by one’s actions, not by one’s race.”
Yun Xuefeng: “You don’t want to give up your cultivation?”
[I’ve said all this precisely because I don’t want to become useless! How else am I supposed to deal with that scumbag? Besides, he still has thirty years before he ascends! Without my cultivation, I’ll just grow old, and then I won’t be a match for him! My beloved is such a tease. He’s asking this even though he already knows the answer.]
Xie Chenyang cleared his throat. “Grand Elder, cultivation is no easy path. I won’t do anything wrong… I’ll stay by your side the whole time. You can supervise me personally and see for yourself that, even as a demon cultivator, I’m not inherently evil… Is that acceptable?”
————- ——— ——-
Author’s Note: Once this final world concludes, we’ll return to our original world.
Edit: Krone
Proofread: Choux_choux
