Chapter 63
The blood of a demonic sect grandmaster who had been immersed in the dark arts of blood talismans for many years, every drop flowing through his veins tainted with yin evil, was the perfect sacrifice for objects of utmost yin!
The moment the gauze stained with Wan Lianshi’s blood entered the jar, the previously still water surface suddenly began to churn like oil in a raging fire, gradually overflowing and spreading across the floor in rivulets.
Wan Lianshi no longer cared about the Prince Can, swiftly turning to flee towards the exit of the secret chamber.
Unfortunately, his severed arm was still bleeding, and the blood jar, having detected his blood scent, locked onto its prey like a ferocious beast. It suddenly gushed forth like a spring, the massive flow of blood gathering on the ground and rising like a giant hand to seize Wan Liansi’s body. Then, with a thousand furious roars, it dragged him into the jar.
Enveloped by the blood flow, Wan Lianshi instantly felt as if countless tentacles from the beast blood were probing into his pores, greedily absorbing his blood.
He struggled fiercely but to no avail. In the end, amid the unfathomable bloody mess, he managed to grab onto the rim of the jar with one arm and expose half his face, his eyes filled with terror as he wailed towards the approaching Prince Can, “Master…I have loyally sacrificed myself for you all these years. Even if I have no merits, I have suffered! Please spare me! I can still be of service. I…I will capture that Cui Xiao Xiao for you!”
The human skin talisman he had flung earlier was now stuck to the left side of the Prince Can’s face.
This talisman could instantly control a person, yet the Prince Can seemed unaffected as he calmly approached the blood jar.
Only the skin where the talisman was stuck had rapidly withered like a dry riverbed, becoming shriveled and mottled, even taking on a bluish-white hue like that of a corpse.
The Prince Can, with his half-human, half-demonic visage, sneered as he watched Wan Lianshi struggling in the jar and nonchalantly peeled off the human skin talisman, tossing it aside.
After removing the talisman, his skin quickly smoothed out, regaining the vitality of a thirty-year-old.
He looked down at Wanshi Lian clinging to the jar’s rim with his one remaining hand and coldly smiled, “Did you think I was unaware of your intentions? Logically, with people besieging the mansion, there is no safer place than inside. Yet you urged me to leave, what did you intend? Did you think you could take advantage of the chaos to control me for your own use?”
Wan Lianshi continued to wail and struggle, desperately proclaiming his innocence and loyalty.
But the Prince Can remained unmoved. He only drew a fine steel dagger from his waist, his smile fading as he said coldly, “If even the celestial immortals do not uphold benevolence, righteousness and trustworthiness, how can I expect such loyalty from a jackal like you? It seems I had overly high expectations…”
Before he could finish speaking, his blade had already swung down. There was a miserable scream as Wan Lianshi’s only remaining hand was severed, falling outside the jar.
Having lost his only support, Wan Lianshi was instantly dragged down into the bottomless depths of the bloody jar.
After a few bubbles rose to the surface, it fell still once more. Wan Lianshi’s body had instantly dissolved into the bloody water, sacrificed to whatever dwelled within the jar.
The Prince Can stared intently at the surface until seeing no further movement, his disappointment evident.
If someone as profoundly demonic as Wan Lianshi was useless, then what kind of sacrifice would be needed to awaken the lost page?
But just as he was about to turn and leave, the lost page that had long disappeared finally emerged slowly from the water’s surface.
The Prince Can could not help but feel excited as he stood by the jar, reaching out with his finger hovering above it, yet hesitating to make contact.
When Wei Di had originally presented this lost page, it was told to him that by writing a person’s name and birth date on it, one could know their fate, past and future.
However, this lost page did not belong to the mortal realm. Even when nourished with the finest beast blood sacrifices, each use would cause it to deteriorate. Eventually, when its divine powers were exhausted, it would become nothing more but a useless scrap of paper.
Since falling into the Prince Can’s hands, he had frequently consulted it to extend his longevity and alter the destiny charts of mortals related to him.
The last time, this lost page had become completely blank, appearing to have burnt out.
So this time, it was crucial whose name he should write…
The Prince Can pondered deeply, then finally made up his mind and swiftly wrote a name on the lost page.
But this time, instead of his own name, he wrote the three characters: “Cui Xiao Xiao”.
As for her birth date, that was easy. Qin He had already obtained it from his son Qin Lingxiao – she possessed the rare birth chart of utmost yin.
Once her birth date was noted, this lost page would reveal Cui Xiao Xiao’s entire destiny, allowing the Prince Can to uncover all her secrets.
He narrowed his eyes and stared at the blank page, and soon words began to appear on its surface…
The Prince Can read a few lines, his pupils contracting sharply: So…it was like this!
No wonder the lost page had previously described her as being born into the wrong world. She had actually traveled here from two hundred years in the future!
It was no wonder she could alter Wei Jie’s destiny and completely upend all of his careful plans.
The lost page only recorded Cui Xiao Xiao’s origins and past experiences. As for her future destiny, it remained blank, with only a few words of explanation: “One not bound by fate, destiny unknown, life and death uncertain…”
The strangest part was that when others had their names written, their experiences from the past three reincarnations would be displayed.
But for Cui Xiao Xiao, it was as if she had sprung from a rock, with a complete blank before this life and no records of her previous incarnations!
Staring at the blanks before and after, with only a few brief lines in between, it was impossible to discern what was so special about Cui Xiao Xiao that would result in such an extraordinary destiny chart!
The Prince Can stared intently at the lost page until his eyelids twitched, finally letting out a cold laugh: What an “uncertain life and death”!
He had thought that by mastering the secrets of destiny, he could control fate itself. But who could have predicted the emergence of this interloper from two hundred years in the future, with such an enigmatic destiny?
With Cui Xiao Xiao’s existence, this lost page had become completely useless.
Was this the will of the heavens, trying to obstruct him from reclaiming justice for the Xia clan?
Thinking this, he glanced at the lost page floating in the bloody water, reached out and wiped away Cui Xiao Xiao’s name. After pondering further, he suddenly recalled that Young Master Qin of Soaring Cloud Pavilion seemed to know Cui Xiao Xiao very well, so he wrote another name – “Qin Lingxiao”.
When the lost page displayed the experiences and destiny of this future leader of the prime sword sect, Qin Lingxiao of Soaring Cloud Pavilion, the Prince Can finally revealed a satisfied sinister smile.
To deal with one born into the wrong world, he would need someone from the wrong era.
Qin Lingxiao, this pride of Soaring Cloud Pavilion, was originally destined to slay the one known as Wei Jie. He would be the key to controlling the variable that was Cui Xiao Xiao!
As for what to do next, he would naturally need to carefully plan and scheme.
However, it seemed the Prince Can had overused the lost page, as its surface now displayed large and small burn holes before sinking back into the depths of the jar.
The Prince Can knew that after being in the mortal realm for too long, this page had burnt itself out and become useless.
But he had already committed to memory what needed to be recorded, so it mattered not if this lost page was ruined.
Now, he needed to go meet those insignificant pests besieging his mansion gates.
As he exited the secret chamber, the Prince Can addressed a few of his close attendants who came over, “Well? Have my instructions all been carried out?”
The attendants quickly paid their respects and said, “As ordered by Your Majesty, officials from the surrounding counties and prefectures have been summoned and will be arriving shortly.”
The Prince Can nodded slightly and said indifferently, “Temporarily move the divine Beast Statues away from the pavilions. With them present, the various sects may be unable to fully unleash their powers.”
Saying this, the Prince Can smiled faintly. Since they wished to invade his mansion and tear it apart, how could he disappoint the venerable cultivators?
Thinking this, he smoothed out his robes, hands behind his back, and strode slowly with a hint of aged weariness towards the front hall…
That day, a shocking tragedy occurred at the Prince Can’s Mansion in Luoyi City that shook the realm.
Originally, the various sects had merely angrily berated and cursed outside the mansion gates.
But then, it was unknown who struck the first blow by kicking down the gates, causing people to surge inwards.
For some unknown reason, the divine Beast Statues that had been guarding the mansion failed to activate, allowing those filled with hostility towards the Prince Can to barge in unimpeded.
Of course, the four major sects were not mere bandits out to plunder and pillage. Even after entering, they only intended to force the Prince Can to hand over the demonic sect master.
However, in the end, their actions proved even more appalling than common thieves and robbers. According to those who entered the mansion that day, they were still of sound mind initially.
But then, a strange mist seemed to waft in from somewhere, and after inadvertently inhaling it, they felt an overwhelming rage and fury. Through the haze, they vaguely saw the Prince Can and the white-haired butler come out to speak with them.
It was unknown how, but it seemed the Prince Can uttered some intolerable insults, causing others to take the lead in wanting to punish the treacherous king.
Amid the chaos and miasma, the crowd surged forward, swinging their sword qi and defensive shields to furiously strike at the Prince Can and his butler.
By the time the mist cleared and they regained their senses, they realized to their horror that the two had already been hacked into…bloody pulp!
Aside from the white-haired butler’s single hand covered in red webs, not even half an arm could be pieced back together.
It so happened that the Prince Can had summoned officials from the surrounding counties and prefectures to the mansion to discuss preparations for the Queen Dowager’s birthday celebrations. Those officials witnessed the entire gruesome tragedy with their own eyes, terrified to the point of losing control of their bodily functions.
At that time, those cultivators seemed to have gone into an insane frenzy, even intending to attack the officials who had just entered the mansion.
Fortunately, Cui Xiao Xiao of the Talisman Sect arrived with her disciples from outside the mansion. They had already sensed some strange mist dispersing from within.
So Xiao Xiao unleashed a wind-summoning talisman to dispel the miasma inside the mansion, while Wei Jie erected a qi shield to protect the paralyzed officials.
Xiao Xiao discovered that the air within the mansion was permeated with a mind-addling fragrance, so she summoned another gust of wind. After the cultivators from the orthodox path were freed from its effects and saw the two bloody masses, they were struck dumb with shock.
In this way, the four major sects had indeed committed an unforgivable atrocity!
Although the Demon Master Wan Lianshi deserved his punishment and his death was no great loss, the Prince Can, regardless of anything else, was still a prince of the imperial Xia clan and the current Emperor’s brother!
Were they, mere cultivators still bound to the mortal realm, qualified to pass such a death sentence on him?
Immediately, the disciples from the various sects who had barged into the mansion fled in a panic.
The beloved younger brother of the reigning Emperor had been so brutally slain, shocking the entire realm. Many high-ranking senior officials submitted memorials with tears, demanding that the Emperor uphold justice for the deceased Prince Can and investigate the unrestrained four major sects.
Some officials even advised that since these cultivators did not engage in production and only deluded the people with talk of immortality, if allowed to continue unchecked, it would unravel the nation. Any families found to be affiliated with the four major sects should be exiled, with their properties confiscated, in order to deter others and completely extinguish the posterity of these demonic sects.
Although the reigning Emperor had always respected cultivators, this time their siege of the Prince Can’s Mansion, carried out in front of so many officials’ eyes as they butchered the imperial prince into a bloody pulp, was truly unrestrained and unforgivable.
If he did not take action, not only would the entirety of civil and military officials object, even the Empress Dowager, his own tearful mother, would not accept any excuses.
Thus, an imperial decree was issued to “purge the heretical and eliminate the demonic sects” under the pretext of restoring proper cultivation paths.
These four major sects had presided over their hundred-year-old palaces and pavilions, forming their own separate realms.
Although their disciples possessed formidable abilities and did not fear the encirclement of mortal troops, not all of their disciples were orphans!
Many of them still had living parents, siblings, and relatives engaged in mundane livelihoods.
With the “purge of cultivation” underway, any families found to have disciples affiliated with the four major sects would have their lands and properties confiscated, with all members, regardless of age or gender, exiled to the borders. Suddenly, countless farmer households and wealthy clans found themselves implicated.
Upon hearing the news, some disciples of the four major sects, unwilling to see their relatives implicated, could only secretly bid farewell to their sects and return to their hometowns.
The Emperor was magnanimous, declaring early on that any who submitted a written confession, had not participated in the siege of the Prince Can’s Mansion, and were willing to sever ties with their heretical sects, vowing never again to join such demonic paths, would be pardoned of their crimes.
As a result, more than half of the disciples from the four major sects, including many elite members, fled their sects.
For a time, the various cultivating sects suffered devastating blows, leaving them crippled and struggling to recover.
This “purge of cultivation” persisted for over a month and showed signs of further escalation.
Suddenly, everyone began speaking of cultivation with disdain, regarding the four major sects as no different from demonic paths.
However, the Lingshan Talisman Sect, an originally declining minor sect of little renown, did not suffer any major impacts.
Although some officials had vehemently advocated including the Talisman Sect in the purge list, because the eyewitness officials confirmed that the Talisman Sect disciples had protected them and did not participate in the assassination of the Prince Can, the Emperor overruled the opposition and spared the sect from being listed in the “purge of cultivation”.
That day, not only did Wei Jie and Cui Xiao Xiao barge into the Prince Can’s Mansion to rescue the officials, but they also found their way through the secret passages to the innermost chamber with the blood jar.
Inside, the lost page was in tattered ruins, blank and aimlessly floating amidst the bloody water like a scrap of paper. Yet the chilling yin energy it emanated was unmistakable.
As a member of the Wei Family, Wei Jie immediately recognized it as an object from the underworld. With this, the task entrusted to them by Wei Jie’s ancestral grandmother finally had a lead.
However, Xiao Xiao felt that everything was progressing…too smoothly?
If the Prince Can truly was the former Emperor Xia Yuansong, how could such an old and cunning fox have died so easily in a flurry of reckless blades?
Moreover, the mist that caused the cultivators to lose their senses must have had some mind-addling effect, driving them into a frenzied rage to commit such a bloody slaughter right before the eyes of those officials.
Everything seemed as if it had been intentionally orchestrated to frame the orthodox cultivating sects.
Regardless, the four major sects had indeed committed the crime of slaying an imperial prince, and were now condemned and besieged by the imperial court. It was said that even the mountain paths leading up had been completely blocked, not a single grain of rice allowed through.
Those cultivating experts would have to sustain themselves by drinking spiritual dews and eating flower petals daily.
Moreover, after such a severe deterrent against the populace, the four major sects’ lineages would be completely severed, and no one would dare join their mountain gates ever again.
Cui Xiao Xiao had never imagined that although the four major sects avoided the slaughter at Wei Jie’s hands in this lifetime, they would still meet a slow and inglorious demise through other means.
It seemed that everything was destined, and even the appearance of an anomaly like herself could not change that.
When Xiao Xiao and Wei Jie revisited the Prince Can’s Mansion after the incident, they found all the items had been cleared out. The Prince Can’s personal belongings, including the divine Beast Statue, had all been packaged and sent to the capital.
However, it was said that the convoy transporting the items ran into trouble halfway, and the statue along with many boxes were plundered by highway bandits.
There were too many mysteries here. After discussing it, Wei Jie decided to visit the Crown Prince along with Xiao Xiao before returning to the Wei Family’s ancestral home, in order to gain some insight into the hidden circumstances.
The Crown Prince had always taken a moderate and restrained stance, although he still indulged in pleasure and leisure when appropriate.
So this time, their meeting place was the Willow Bank Pavilion outside the capital, which offered an ideal view for moon appreciation.
Layers of gossamer silk curtains hung from the pavilion. The Crown Prince stationed his attendant guards below to ensure privacy.
Then, amidst the melodious sounds of zithers and flutes, he received his two old friends.
The Crown Prince seemed to recognize Wei Jie as someone of a carefree, immortal-in-wine nature, so he specially brought a fifty-year-old vintage for them to appreciate together.
When Xiao Xiao voiced her doubts about the Prince Can’s death, the Crown Prince let out a long sigh, “Miss Cui, your suspicions are exactly the same as my own. If the Prince Can truly was the person I mentioned before, how could he have died so easily? If he really possessed some divine powers, he could have easily changed identities to continue living, instantly becoming the Prince of Nan, the Prince of Bei, or any other branch of the imperial clan we have governing over a hundred territories. How could we investigate if he took on a different identity?”
Xiao Xiao pondered and said, “Since the Crown Prince harbors such doubts, why did you severely punish the four major sects? They were merely scapegoats used by the Prince Can.”
The Crown Prince shook his head and said in a low voice, “This purge was not my father the Emperor’s intention, nor mine. It was the indignant rage of the court officials, a tsunami that swept us along in its current. With the arrow already on the bowstring, we had no choice but to loose it!”
Xiao Xiao took a deep breath. Like Wei Jie, she did not believe the Prince Can could have died so easily. After such meticulous scheming, he would never simply give up without achieving his goals.
However, those who had tasted power found it difficult to relinquish. No matter what new identity the Prince Can assumed, he would certainly have ways to continue manipulating the court.
By following this hidden thread, they would eventually be able to root him out. Hearing Xiao Xiao’s words, the Crown Prince also nodded in contemplation.
Originally, in Luoyi City, he was already shocked enough to see his supposedly deceased grandfather looking around his own age, going by the name of his imperial uncle and still alive.
But he never expected that this person, who should have died, would die again.
Moreover, his death caused such turmoil across the realm, shaking the entire court from top to bottom, as if an invisible hand was controlling everything while an invisible sword hung over his and his father’s heads. No matter where he looked in the palace or countryside, a sense of dread permeated his sleepless nights.
Now, there were certain matters that even the Crown Prince could not speak of to his father the Emperor. Fortunately, he had befriended these two young friends, Cui Xiao Xiao and Wei Jie, for he feared he would need to rely on their assistance for many future matters.
After meeting the Crown Prince, Wei Jie was to escort the lost page back to Aged Lord Peak.
This lost page had been overused previously, and the entire paper was now as tattered as if gnawed by worms, in utter ruin. If it was not returned soon, it might completely dissolve into the bloody water.
After bidding farewell to the Crown Prince and rejoining Tang Youshu and the others, Wei Jie asked Xiao Xiao if she wanted to accompany him to Aged Lord Peak.
However, Xiao Xiao shook her head, saying that since she had been away from Lingshan for too long and her master’s memorial day was approaching, she needed to return to Lingshan to perform the rites.
Seeing the solemn light in Wei Jie’s eyes, he did not insist. He only asked where exactly the Lingshan of the Talisman Sect was located, saying he would go find her after escorting the lost page.
Xiao Xiao stared wide-eyed at the sheepskin map Wei Jie took out, filled with unfamiliar place names. How would she know what Lingshan was currently called!
So she randomly pointed towards a range of mountains in the north, waving her hand in vague circles and saying, “There, it’s over there!”
Tang Youshu had just washed a basket of mountain apricots, planning to bring them for his master and master ancestor to eat. Glancing over at the area Xiao Xiao indicated, he studied it carefully before pointing at one mountain and asking, “Master Ancestor, is it this place? But it seems to be called Demon Rock Cliff. I’ve never heard it called Lingshan before!”
Tang Youshu’s casual remark caused Xiao Xiao’s mind to explode – Demon Rock Cliff?
Wasn’t that…the very place where Wei Jie from her previous life founded his demonic sect?
Xiao Xiao stared wide-eyed at the three characters on the map, once again marveling at the strangeness of destiny. Was she being compelled to go to Demon Rock Cliff first and recreate Wei Jie’s path by establishing a demonic sect?
Tang Youshu’s casual pointing had inadvertently struck a nerve, leaving Xiao Xiao speechless and staring blankly.
Seeing this, Tang Youshu hurriedly retracted his finger, full of apologies, “Master Ancestor, did I misspeak?”
Xiao Xiao regained her senses and smiled at Tang Youshu.
How ridiculous, the master is always right!
So Xiao Xiao also pointed at Demon Rock Cliff and said, “Yes, that is the Lingshan of our Talisman Sect! Initially, I felt the name Demon Rock Cliff lacked yang vigor, so I renamed it ‘Lingshan’. What do you think of this name?”
Tang Youshu had always adored praising their Master Ancestor, so upon hearing this, he immediately gave a thumbs up, “It’s a great name, it does sound more righteous than Demon Rock Cliff! Master Ancestor, so our next destination is Demon Rock Cliff…no, I mean Lingshan, right?”
