Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
Meng Chuan left the training grounds. When he saw the servants sweeping the cave abode, he couldn’t help but ask, “Where’s Qiyue?”
“Lord, Lady Liu Qiyue left early in the morning. Lady Liu Qiyue recently cultivates until noon before returning,” said one of the servants. The rest were bowing respectfully.
“Oh.” Meng Chuan nodded slightly. “Prepare some tea and send it to my study.”
After giving instructions, Meng Chuan sat down and placed a scroll on the desk. He held down the scroll with something and began to leisurely splash ink. He drew the scene of Senior Guo Ke executing the Heart Saber Stance’s second variation. Senior Guo Ke was very old when he demonstrated the saber art. His body was already waning, but he was ultimately a Regis Godfiend. He was invincible during that period.
He drew very carefully. He drew Senior Guo Ke’s white hair and his ordinary elderly aura. He even drew the wood-chopping blade carefully.
The first time he drew Senior Guo Ke brandishing his blade, he felt something different. It gave him another perspective to the Heart Saber Stance’s second variation.
When it comes to the intrinsic beauty of the move, mine is much worse than Senior Guo Ke’s. Meng Chuan compared his and Guo Ke’s moves with an artist’s perspective and gained a new understanding of the second variation.
...
After a long time...
Upon hearing Qiyue’s voice, Meng Chuan put down his brush and opened the door to welcome her. From afar, he shouted, “Qiyue.”
Her eyes lit up. “You actually came out to welcome me today.” Liu Qiyue walked back with a quiver on her back. “Ah Chuan, I had to go to the training grounds every day to make you eat lunch. What happened? Are you done with your mad training?”
“It’s over.” Meng Chuan walked closer and nodded. “I’ve already tested all the ideas I had after cultivating the Heart Intent Saber for 11 years. I’ve also managed to attain Greater Mastery of Saber Soul. I need to cultivate slowly for now.”
It took ten years to forge a good sword. This was the same for cultivation.
The further he went, the more time he would take to improve. He needed to have sufficiently high perceptivity! Many geniuses that entered Archean Mountain would be stuck at the Realm of Soul their entire lives. They couldn’t reach the Realm of Dao even when they were on their deathbeds. Meng Chuan believed that he would be satisfied if he attained Saber Dao in 20 to 30 years.
Senior Guo Ke had only managed to create the Heart Saber Stance’s fifth variation when he was in his later years. However, he was unable to break through with his aged body. A breakthrough required three indispensable elements—body, Essence Soul, and realm.
This was how life was—it was difficult for things to go according to one’s wishes! One had to work hard to get closer to their goals.
“Ah Chuan, you have attained Greater Mastery of Saber Soul?” Liu Qiyue brought Meng Chuan to sit on a bench nearby. She said excitedly, “Doesn’t that mean you can become a Great Solar Godfiend?”
“Yes.” Meng Chuan nodded. “Actually, it’s been two months since I attained Greater Mastery of Saber Soul. However, all my attention was on the saber art. I forgot to tell you.”
Liu Qiyue said excitedly, “Ah Chuan, I have good news for you too.”
“What good news?” asked Meng Chuan.
“Last month, when I was cultivating in the Earth Fire lava Pond, I found myself very close to the Realm of Soul’s Greater Mastery. I’m getting closer and closer,” said Liu Qiyue. “I can break through within a month; otherwise, in the next five months.”
“Alright,” said Meng Chuan happily. “That’s great. After you achieve Greater Master of the Realm of Soul, we will break through to the Great Solar realm together! We will clear the Nine Mystical Caves and leave the mountain together.”
“Okay.” Liu Qiyue nodded.
Liu Qiyue’s face turned even redder due to her lies. However, her face had already turned red because of Meng Chuan’s achievement. It was normal for her to have a rosier complexion.
1“Did anything happen on Archean Mountain in the past three months?” Meng Chuan asked.
“Something major happened.” Liu Qiyue lowered her voice. “It happened eight days ago. Scholartree Mountain Pass was overrun, and there were many casualties.”
“Scholartree Mountain Pass?” Meng Chuan was shocked. “That’s a medium-sized city pass!”
Medium-sized city passes were the most dangerous in the world. It was relatively easy for a small city pass to be defended. A large city pass had a Regis Godfiend! For medium-sized city passes, they could be held if a Marquis Godfiend was deployed there. However, there were very few Marquis Godfiends. Most medium-sized city passes relied on powerful Great Solar Godfiends to defend them. They also needed a group of Godfiends to help.
Liu Qiyue nodded gently. “That’s right. The medium-sized city pass was breached. It shocked the world, and the casualties are especially heavy. There were twenty-seven Godfiends at Scholartree Mountain Pass, and Senior Brother Qian Yu was among them.”
“Qian Yu was also at Scholartree Mountain Pass?” Meng Chuan listened carefully and asked seriously, “How were the casualties?”
“Marquis Plum River quickly rushed over. When he arrived, he only managed to save a single Godfiend—Senior Brother Qian Yu! Since Senior Brother Qian Yu was a Great Solar Godfiend sharpshooter with good movement techniques, the other Godfiends sacrificed their lives to protect him. That was how he survived. As for the other Godfiends, they all died in battle. Senior Brother Qian Yu had cast forbidden spells for too long, so his body was on the brink of collapse. Even though Archean Mountain tried its best to save him, his completely collapsed dantian couldn’t be restored, despite his Godfiend Body and shattered meridians being repaired.”
“His dantian collapsed?” Meng Chuan’s heart sank. The dantian space was extremely important to Godfiends. If the dantian space collapsed, there was no way of recovering. It meant the end of one’s cultivation.
“According to Marquis Plum River, Senior Brother Qian Yu was able to use forbidden spells crazily because the other Godfiends were fending off the demon monarchs. He managed to kill 62 demons. The other Godfiends killed over a hundred demon monarchs. However, there were roughly 300 demon monarchs in that fateful battle. Some were elite third Firmament demon monarchs. They failed to hold Scholartree Mountain Pass despite using all its defensive treasures,” said Liu Qiyue. “By the time Marquis Plum River arrived, it was too late. Many powerful demon monarchs have already infiltrated our human world. The other demon monarchs stopped chasing Senior Brother Qian Yu immediately and fled back to the demon world. As for Marquis Plum River, he only managed to kill twenty-plus demon monarchs.”
Meng Chuan also knew that every time the city passes were breached, the demon monarchs would retreat to the demon world. Others would be ordered to infiltrate the human world.
“Being the only one alive, Senior Brother Qian Yu has turned mentally unstable. It’s useless no matter who talks to him.” Liu Qiyue shook her head. “His cultivation path has been severed. All his comrades died on the battlefield, leaving him the only one alive. It dealt him a terrible blow.”
Meng Chuan nodded lightly.
...
28th September.
If Archean Mountain Godfiends died in battle, they would have their names engraved on Blood Red Cliff on the 28th of the month they died.
Today, the autumn wind was bleak as rain poured.
Meng Chuan, Liu Qiyue, Yan Jin, Li Ying, and the rest of the Godfiends arrived at Blood Red Cliff. They walked into the cavern—which had gems embedded in the walls. The faint light illuminated the names on the stone walls.
The names were neatly carved on them. Names filled one stone wall after another.
All the Godfiends walked in. Everyone was very quiet and solemn. These were Archean Mountain Godfiends who had died in battle. They were heroes of humanity.
“This time, 26 Godfiends died at Scholartree Mountain Pass. Nine of them were disciples of Archean Mountain,” said Liu Qiyue via voice transmission.
Meng Chuan nodded slightly and followed the crowd.
A mid-sized city pass was under immense pressure, so the ratio of Archean City disciples was much higher. There was no choice. They would be sending a weak Godfiend to their death if they deployed them there.
In front of them, Archean Mountain Lord held a carving knife. He personally carved the names. Be it Archean Mountain, Black Sand Grotto-Heaven, or Two World Island, the sect leader would personally carve the names of their dead disciples.
This time, there were nine names. When Archean Mountain Lord carved the names on the stone walls, he felt like he was carving them on his heart. His eyes turned slightly red.
He could put a face to each disciple’s name. This was because he had personally sent every disciple off when they left the mountain. Some were extremely talented with a chance of becoming a Marquis Godfiend. Some were still young.
There was also a pair of Godfiend disciples who became husband and wife...
The other disciples watched silently as Archean Mountain Lord carved the names.
“Rest in peace.” After carving the names, Archean Mountain Lord left silently.
Meng Chuan and company stood there for a long time before leaving one by one.
When they walked out of the cave, Meng Chuan and company saw a decadent man drenched by rain walking over. He held an alcohol flask and silently walked over.
“It’s Senior Brother Qian Yu.” Meng Chuan and company recognized him. As Godfiends, they could easily isolate themselves from the rain. Even if his Quintessential Essence had dissipated, he could influence the Heaven and Earth powers to ward off the rain from his body; however, Qian Yu allowed the rain to soak his entire body.
Meng Chuan clearly remembered. Back then, it was Senior Brother Qian Yu who had provoked him outside Qiyue’s cave abode! As a member of an ancient Godfiend family, he had an air of nobility.
At a Dao Exchange, Senior Brother Qian Yu very frankly apologized to him!
When he descended the mountain, Senior Brother Qian Yu was filled with fighting spirit. He wanted to make great contributions! When he left his picture on Blood Red Cliff, he was extremely high-spirited and full of desire to fight.
Now that he was back, it was as though his heart had died.
“Senior Brother Qian,” someone shouted.
Qian Yu ignored him. He walked into the cave dazedly.
“Let’s go.” The other disciples could only sigh as they left. Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue watched for a moment before they left.
...
Deep within the cave.
Qian Yu walked to the stone wall in the deepest part and sat down. With trembling hands, he touched the names.
Every name was a good friend who had gone through life and death with him.
As fellow disciples, they sacrificed their lives for him.
The first time they met the deputy general of Scholartree Mountain Pass—Zhang Lie—he laughed loudly and said, “Junior Brother Qian, don’t worry. With I, Zhang Lie around, I will not allow a demon monarch to touch you. All you need to do is shoot your arrows and kill those demon monarchs. The more you kill, the better.”
Zhang Lie’s large figure with his huge shield vaguely appeared before his eyes. “Quick, run! We can’t hold them any longer! Stay alive! Stay alive! Do it for me!” Zhang Lie frantically held back a demon monarch.
“Hahaha, for me to have a bunch of brothers like you in my life, my life wasn’t in vain. Kill, kill, kill!” Qian Yu didn’t hesitate to use forbidden spells. As he dodged, he frantically shot arrows. A Great Solar Godfiend—a genius sharpshooter from Archean Mountain—spared no expense to kill the demon monarchs as his comrades fell.
...
“Your Senior Sister Yang and I have decided to have a child after we leave Scholartree Mountain Pass two years later. It’s really not suitable for us to have children here.” Senior Brother Yu had once sat on the city wall with him as they drank and chatted. Senior Brother Yu’s eyes were filled with anticipation as he looked forward to the day when he could have a child with his wife.
...
“Junior Brother Qian, you’re still young. You became a Great Solar Godfiend so early. In the future, you might be able to become a Marquis Godfiend. Don’t disappoint us,” said the white-haired general of Scholartree Mountain Pass, Huang Yu.
...
All these people he was close to, companions who risked shared life and death with him.
Qian Yu caressed these names, but his tears had already silently covered his face.
“All of you have left. I’m the only one left,” said Qian Yu in a hoarse voice. “I really miss you all. I really miss you. How great it would be if all of you were still alive. How great would that be!
“Hahaha, hahaha...” Qian Yu laughed and cried like a lunatic.