Chapter 350: The World's Great Dream, The Coolness of the Mortal Spring

The rain in Myriad Demon City fell and then stopped.

The air was heavy and humid. Insects and birds flew extremely low, their buzzing tremolo sounds echoing intermittently through the valley. The little monkey demon stared with wide, terrified eyes at the catfish demon wearing official robes, saying, "My Lord... this... this has nothing to do with me! I truly didn't kill the two Great Kings!"

The catfish demon's expression was calm as he said, "Hmph, you certainly know how to flatter yourself. With your meager cultivation, do you really think you could kill the Fog Demon King? I think you're just scared silly."

The little monkey demon froze, then wiped the rain from its face. "Then... then what is this for?"

The catfish demon replied, "It's just routine. All demons near Sevenfold Cliff must be investigated. We almost missed you... Do you, a monkey demon, actually live in this dilapidated mountain cave?"

The little monkey demon chuckled humbly. "It's comfortable living in the mountains."

As he spoke, two sharp cries came from within the cave. The catfish demon frowned. Looking closely, he saw they were two small monkeys. He shook his head slightly, not paying much attention, and continued to ask, "Did you notice any unusual activity the night before last? Or did any strange people pass by?"

The little monkey demon scratched its head, its eyes shifting, and gently shook its head. "There was a heavy rain all night the past two nights, so... I don't recall anything."

The catfish demon nodded, not appearing suspicious. "Are the Fog Demon King and the Hundred-faced Fox related to you?"

The little monkey demon said, "No relation. I don't know them at all."

The catfish demon nodded. "Alright. If you remember anything, be sure to tell me."

The little monkey demon nodded. It couldn't help but ask, "By the way, if I may ask, My Lord, what killed those two great demons?"

The catfish demon replied indifferently, "Blunt force trauma... Anyway, your cave is too shabby. No demon who has awakened spiritual intelligence should live so miserably. I'll find you a good place with food and lodging later."

With that, he patted the little monkey demon's head and slowly departed.

The little monkey demon thanked him profusely. Watching the retreating back in official robes, it sighed in relief and quickly slipped back into the cave.

After the catfish demon descended the mountain, a sheep demon came forward and asked, "How did it go?"

The catfish demon handed him the notes, then spread his palm and took out two hairs, examining them in the light. These had stuck to him when he patted the monkey demon's head earlier.

He spoke with a heavy tone, "There's no mistake. These are identical to the monkey hairs found on the Hundred-faced Fox. It must be that little monkey... Heh, he put on quite a show. If he hadn't left evidence, he almost would have fooled me."

The sheep demon also handed over a scroll, saying, "This monkey was in the same opera troupe as the Hundred-faced Fox and had a past conflict with it. Its relationship with the Fog Demon King is unclear, however."

"It doesn't matter, that's not important," the catfish demon said. "For now, let's not tip them off. Order people to guard this peak and report to the higher-ups. Let them decide the monkey demon's fate."

While the Nine-Spirits Primordial Saint was meditating on a stone platform, the Golden-Winged Great Peng arrived again.

"Have you made your decision?" the Nine-Spirits Primordial Saint asked.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng countered, "A once-in-a-millennium opportunity is here. Why would I miss it?"

The Nine-Spirits Primordial Saint said, "That woman is very strong. Even if I don't retrieve the sacred artifact, I'm not confident I can defeat her. Are you sure you want to try?"

The Golden-Winged Great Peng asked, "Without her, the Golden Crow would already be mine by now."

The Nine-Spirits Primordial Saint asked, "Do you want me to help you?"

The Golden-Winged Great Peng replied coldly, "I know my actions violate the oath I made back then. My decision today might even hasten the collapse of Myriad Demon City. It's enough if you don't stop me; I don't expect your help."

The Nine-Spirits Primordial Saint closed his mouth. The lion head formed from spectral fire beside his own head spoke, "I advise you not to seek your own death. The All-Arms Elder Ape, the only one who would help you, died a hundred years ago. The Myriad Demon Empress swore to mourn him until death, so she won't help you either. Without a sacred artifact, seeking trouble with that woman is a dead end."

The Golden-Winged Great Peng stood silently for a moment. The golden feathers on his back burned like fire. He lifted his raven-like face and, after a long pause, said, "I indeed cannot draw the sacred artifact, but..."

He stared at the Nine-Spirits Primordial Saint's ghost-fire head. "There are more than just four sacred artifacts in Myriad Demon City!"

The Nine-Spirits Primordial Saint suddenly opened his eyes, eighteen pairs of them all staring at the Golden-Winged Great Peng. His mane surged like raging flames. He said, "You covet the Saint's relic?"

The Golden-Winged Great Peng replied, "You and I both know well that after the Saint severed his flesh and bone, he hid that divine object in his blood and flesh, leaving it in Myriad Demon City. It's just that all these years, we haven't been able to find it."

The Nine-Spirits Primordial Saint said, "That is the Saint's divine weapon; it has long developed its own spirit. If it deliberately hides, you won't be able to find it at all... Moreover, even if you found it, how would it recognize you as its master?"

The Golden-Winged Great Peng was silent for a long time before speaking again. "Two days ago, two demons of the Purple Court Realm died in the city."

The Nine-Spirits Primordial Saint frowned. "What do you mean by that? Is a demon rebelling in Myriad Demon City?"

The Golden-Winged Great Peng shook his head. "The cause of their deaths was peculiar. Their broken bones were from blunt force trauma, but the cuts were as clean as if made by a sword... Here's the dossier for the case; you can take a look."

The Nine-Spirits Primordial Saint took the thick stack of dossiers and read through them quickly.

He, too, fell silent.

In the Demon God Hall, two ancient demon kings stood opposite each other, both seemingly lost in recollection.

The Nine-Spirits Primordial Saint finished reading the dossiers and remained silent for a long time, sitting still like a withered Buddha. His colossal, mountain-like body seemed much thinner.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng slowly spoke, his voice sharp from behind his raven-like face, reciting like an opera lyricist: "Nine transformations of refined iron, the Samadhi of the divine furnace, overturning the Big Dipper, rousing the Southern Pole... Five hundred years ago, the gods once questioned, 'Heaven and Earth are boundless, how much righteousness can your heart bear?' The Saint replied, 'Thirteen thousand five hundred catties...'"

After a long while, the Nine-Spirits Primordial Saint let out a long sigh.

In the blink of an eye, the past of myriad demons swallowing mountains and seas, shattering divine courts, was already five hundred years old. The grand and turbulent events of that era had now faded into the twilight.

The Nine-Spirits Primordial Saint said, "The Saint doesn't have long to live; otherwise, how would the divine object appear?"

The Golden-Winged Great Peng was even more pessimistic. "Even if the Saint were at full strength, what could he change? He could win against the Thunder Prison, but could he win against the laws of Heaven?"

The Nine-Spirits Primordial Saint looked up and suddenly said, "There is still a kingdom atop this peak."

The Golden-Winged Great Peng sneered, "You're placing your hopes on them?"

The Nine-Spirits Primordial Saint said, "They are currently the strongest. If they fail, no one can save this world."

The Golden-Winged Great Peng said, "Five hundred years ago, didn't the Moon God also intervene? What was the result? The Saint suppressed him, and the Moon God vanished..."

The Golden-Winged Great Peng stopped halfway, unable to say more, and sighed, "I no longer have the determination to fight against Heaven. My grand aspiration in this life is to become a Buddha with my own body, creating a golden realm. When Myriad Demon City collapses, I will swallow it and preserve the last sanctuary for the demons."

The majestic voice of the Nine-Spirits Primordial Saint sounded lonely: "In that case, go and try. Whether the divine object recognizes you as its master or not, it is your destiny. I will not interfere."

The Golden-Winged Great Peng asked, "What about you then? What exactly do you intend to do? You possess divine demonic power, yet you wish to be a stone lion, guarding a gate for a lifetime?"

The Nine-Spirits Primordial Saint's nine heads sighed simultaneously. "I don't know what I want either."

The Golden-Winged Great Peng's golden eyes burned with dark fire. "You're becoming more and more like Ke Wenzhou. I hope you can preserve your demon heart and not become like him."

The Nine-Spirits Primordial Saint calmly said, "Junior Brother Ke... The Saint once said he had a rebellious nature. But his talent was too great, and the Saint, valuing talent, taught all without discrimination, accepting him as one of his disciples. Who knew that after the Saint's death, he immediately rebelled... I will never forget this grudge. In the future, I will personally go to Sword Pavilion and break his 'foremost sword in the human realm' in half."

Ke Wenzhou is the Sword Saint of Sword Pavilion.

Five hundred years ago, during the second War of Hunting Nations, he was still a youth. Now he sat atop the Sword Pavilion's Seventy-Two Heavenly Caves, quietly gazing into the distance, lost in thought as he watched the boundless, shifting light on the sea of clouds.

He was not old; his hair was still black, his back still straight. But his body was excessively thin, his bronzed skin covering muscles that, while lean and firm, were separated by only a thin layer of skin, as if a small blade could easily cut through him.

He resembled a penitent ascetic monk, unremarkable, even somewhat aged.

Across his knees lay an ancient, rust-stained sword.

This sword was no peerless weapon, but after five hundred years of companionship, it was the most comfortable in his hand.

The Sword Saint gazed at the sea of clouds, and all the light of its dawn and dusk gathered into his pupils, turning to complete darkness.

His heart was inherently dark.

The last shred of light in his heart had left him on the day the Saint was slain.

Even today, he remembered the day he knelt before the demons, severed his divine bone, and rebelled alone. The All-Arms Elder Ape was still alive then, and he had asked himself if his actions were worthy of his sword heart.

He had replied, "A sword should always follow the strongest."

He had studied under Li He, under Qiu Ziguan, and under the most renowned sword cultivators of his time. Eventually, after many turns, he met the Saint. The Saint sat on a meditation cushion, met his gaze, and posed three questions to him concerning Heaven, Earth, and Man. He answered them all without hesitation. The Saint said nothing but agreed to take him as a disciple.

That day, he thought he had found what he sought his entire life...

Ke Wenzhou slowly closed his eyes, his hand slowly resting on the hilt of the sword. He wasn't grasping the sword, but his lost heart.

But once the choice was made, there was no turning back.

"To mete out punishment on behalf of Heaven and Earth..."

These were incredibly tempting words.

Three thousand years ago, the Dark Lord had chosen an ancient god in the human realm, sending down a vast divine oracle that made him unprecedentedly powerful, directly defeating and slaying the one previously acknowledged as the strongest in the world.

That ancient god was Yuanfu, who became a deity in that war, gained a divine position, and has sat on the divine throne ever since. When the Saint was alive, Yuanfu was the second most powerful among the twelve Divine Lords.

Now that Yuanfu is a Divine Lord, he cannot descend to the mortal realm and participate in its affairs in his true form.

So the Way of Heaven chose him.

He would be the second Yuanfu.

A month ago, Baizang also sent down a divine oracle, revealing some details about the Abyssal Severance City in Nanzhou.

A divine position had been vacant for seven hundred years.

It was time for him to take it.

Thinking this, he slowly rose, deciding on the day to emerge from seclusion.

In the evening, outside the Ancient Spirit Sect, a sword arrived from the south.

Liu Junzhuo stood on a beam of sword light, stopping outside the Ancient Spirit Sect. The cherry blossom petals beneath her dissipated, blown into powder by the wind.

Her hand touched the Ancient Spirit Sect's grand formation.

She could break it in an instant, but she did not act.

This trip was to retrieve a sword, so some politeness was due.

Liu Junzhuo stood by the entrance, quietly waiting.

Soon, a white-clad woman with sleeves full of sword energy appeared before her, looking at her in confusion. "Who are you?"

Liu Junzhuo looked at her. "And who are you? I'm looking for your Ancient Spirit Sect Master."

Lu Jiajia's heart tightened slightly. "Why are you looking for the Sect Master?"

Liu Junzhuo said, "Your sect has a disciple named Zhang Jiu. During the Heavenly Rankings, I gave him a sword and a crown. Now I wish to retrieve them."

Lu Jiajia was startled. "Are you the second disciple of the Sword Pavilion?"

"Yes." Liu Junzhuo nodded slightly, sized her up for a moment, and smiled faintly. "You're quite good."

Lu Jiajia felt slightly nervous. "Thank you for the compliment, Second Master. Well... regarding the sword and crown, please come in and we can discuss it."

Liu Junzhuo nodded and followed her into the Ancient Spirit Sect.

Liu Junzhuo looked at her back and asked, "Are you also a Sword Spirit Unity?"

Lu Jiajia assented.

Liu Junzhuo asked, "What is your relationship with Siming?"

Lu Jiajia pondered for a moment, somewhat uncertainly. "Sisters."

Liu Junzhuo asked, "And Zhang Jiu?"

Lu Jiajia seriously replied, "He is my disciple."

"Your disciple?" Liu Junzhuo was puzzled, thinking, *Though you are at the peak of the Purple Court, your disciple's cultivation seems to surpass yours...*

Lu Jiajia explained, "Yes, Sect Master Si usually engages in deep seclusion and cultivation, so I accepted him as a disciple on her behalf."

Liu Junzhuo curiously asked, "With Zhang Jiu's high cultivation, has he not harbored any ill intentions towards you, his master, or sought a more skilled teacher?"

Lu Jiajia said, "No."

Liu Junzhuo looked at her stunning, elegant figure, and jokingly said, "Then you should be careful, young lady. This disciple of yours might have ulterior motives towards you."

Lu Jiajia's eyes flickered slightly, and her hand within her cloud-like sleeve gently tightened. Her face remained impassive as she said, "Don't worry, my disciple merely respects me."

Liu Junzhuo neither confirmed nor denied, saying, "A Sword Spirit Unity body is extremely rare in the world. It's truly a pity you didn't come to Sword Pavilion to cultivate. My seventh and eighth junior brothers are also Sword Spirit Unities and highly accomplished. If you had come, I could have them give you some pointers."

Lu Jiajia didn't say much, only smiled faintly. "Thank you for your kindness, Second Master."

Liu Junzhuo said, "I know what you're thinking. At the Sea Nation Feast, my seventh junior brother lost to a woman, becoming a laughingstock, which was truly humiliating. But now he has reflected deeply, and his cultivation is not what it used to be..."

As Liu Junzhuo spoke, she glanced at her again, feeling that the woman and her sword were both clear and pure, but her sword intent was not sharp enough and still needed refining.

She changed the subject. "By the way, my name is Liu Junzhuo. 'Jun' from 'beautiful jade,' and 'Zhuo' from 'outstanding swordsmanship.'"

Lu Jiajia returned the bow, then hesitated before speaking. "My name is Lu Jiajia. 'Jia' as in 'marriage talk'."

Between the two, the temperature plummeted, and frost spread everywhere. The leisurely approaching Fish King immediately bristled, meowing, and darted away.

Liu Junzhuo stared at her, her sword-like eyes cold as snow. "You are Lu Jiajia?!"

In the Ancient Spirit Sect's guest reception room, Liu Junzhuo sat cross-legged, her hands formed into a lotus mudra on her lap, her eyelashes lowered, and her expression slightly cold.

Lu Jiajia smiled gracefully, pouring her a cup of tea. "Sect Master Si is currently in seclusion. I hope Miss Liu can wait two more days. Please forgive me if my hospitality is lacking."

Liu Junzhuo looked at her coldly. "You're the one who defeated my seventh junior brother?"

Lu Jiajia said, "I merely won by chance."

Liu Junzhuo said, "There's no such thing as 'by chance.' A win is a win. On the battlefield, it's the difference between life and death."

Lu Jiajia smiled gently.

Liu Junzhuo self-mockingly said, "If that's the case, my previous invitation for you to observe would have been a humiliation for myself?"

Lu Jiajia politely said, "Miss Liu, your kindness is very touching. Sword Pavilion is also a sacred place for all cultivators, and I deeply admire it."

Liu Junzhuo listened to her pleasantries, growing more curious. "You defeated my seventh junior brother, Zhang Jiu won my sword and crown, Siming achieved fourth place in the world... Your Ancient Spirit Sect truly produces many talents."

Lu Jiajia listened, her expression gentle and calm.

She hadn't expected the Sword Pavilion's second disciple to actually visit, but at this moment, neither Ning Changjiu nor Siming were present. She was the only one in Ancient Spirit Sect, so she had to remain composed.

Lu Jiajia said, "Miss Liu's sword and crown are within the sect. Sister Sect Master told me before her seclusion that if you came to retrieve them, I should give them directly to you. Please wait a moment, Miss Liu, while I fetch the sword."

Liu Junzhuo's slender brows furrowed slightly. "You're giving them to me so easily?"

Lu Jiajia said, "They were originally Second Master's possessions. Our sect was merely keeping them safe."

Liu Junzhuo disagreed. Seriously, she said, "Since I lost them, they are no longer mine. I cannot take them for free. Tell me your conditions."

Lu Jiajia said, "There's no need for conditions."

Liu Junzhuo said, "Then have Zhang Jiu come see me. I lost my sword to him, so he should be the one to decide."

Lu Jiajia said, "Zhang Jiu... went to train in other sects and is not currently in the sect."

Liu Junzhuo was silent for a moment. "What a pity. I had originally intended to give him three peerless sword manuals."

Lu Jiajia asked in confusion, "Why would you do that?"

Liu Junzhuo calmly said, "Just to make him give up on my junior sister."

Lu Jiajia's expression subtly changed. Her body unconsciously tensed slightly. She pursed her lips and softly asked, "Which junior sister?"

Liu Junzhuo explained, "My fourteenth junior sister, Liu Xixuan... When she entered the tower to compete with Zhang Jiu, they stayed in the tower for a day and a night. Although they didn't explicitly say so, I could tell they had feelings for each other. But this is destined to be fruitless. When you see him, Miss Lu, please talk to him properly for me and make him give up soon."

Lu Jiajia sat stiffly, her head slightly bowed, her lips parted as if to speak, but she held back. Her figure, with black hair and white robes, was exquisitely beautiful, yet there was a hint of coldness.

Liu Junzhuo noticed the anomaly and asked, "What's wrong?"

Lu Jiajia softly said, "There was such a thing... Perhaps they were just sparring with swords in the tower?"

Liu Junzhuo said, "I violated sect rules by trespassing on the Heavenly Rankings, so how could what I saw with my own eyes be false? Heh, I heard them chatting affectionately for a long time outside the door. If I hadn't stopped them, they probably would have slept together that very night."

"Oh, I understand now. I... will speak with my disciple," Lu Jiajia said in a low voice.

Another night passed.

"Ning Changjiu!"

Ning Changjiu, who was reading, suddenly flinched when his name was called. He looked up to see Lu Jiajia staring at him with cold, unfriendly eyes.

Ning Changjiu thought, *I haven't done anything wrong...*

"Senior Sister, what's wrong?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Lu Jiajia asked, "Do you know you've done wrong?"

Ning Changjiu was completely baffled. "What's wrong? What have I done? Please tell me, Senior Sister."

"Do I need to tell you what you've done?" Lu Jiajia weighed the ruler in her hand. "Reflect carefully. Confess, and leniency will be granted."

Zhao Xiang'er and Siming watched him with schadenfreude.

Ning Changjiu pondered for a moment, then innocently said, "I truly can't recall."

Lu Jiajia said coldly, "Then come here and take your punishment!"

"Huh?" Ning Changjiu was utterly stunned. "Jiajia, we've always been on the same side!"

"Call me Senior Sister!" Lu Jiajia ordered.

Ning Changjiu sighed. "Alright, Senior Sister..."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but whisper, "This Senior Sister, only her 'seniority' is left now..."

"What did you say?" Lu Jiajia's long, narrow autumn-water eyes narrowed slightly, filled with chilling killing intent. "Alright, now you have a charge: disrespecting your Senior Sister!"

"???" Ning Changjiu was utterly bewildered, thinking, *Where is my gentle Jiajia now?*

He dared not speak despite his anger. Lu Jiajia grabbed his wrist, pulled him over, and with a crisp sound, the ruler descended, striking his palm fiercely. Behind him, Zhao Xiang'er and Siming clapped with glee.

This beating cost Lu Jiajia five more sword seeds, but she didn't feel bad; on the contrary, she felt it was worth it.

Ning Changjiu, with swollen red hands, returned to his seat and struggled to turn the pages of his book.

An hour passed in the blink of an eye.

"Junior Brother, come here for a moment," Lu Jiajia said.

Ning Changjiu slowly rose and cautiously approached her.

Lu Jiajia looked at him, her eyes shimmering. She gently took his hand, examined it, sighed, and slowly said, "Senior Sister... didn't hurt you, did she?"

"If Senior Sister thinks it did, it did. If she thinks it didn't, it didn't..." Ning Changjiu was well aware of the saying that trouble comes from the mouth.

"Stubborn!" Lu Jiajia chided him, but still circulated her spiritual energy, rubbing his hand to reduce the swelling.

Ning Changjiu looked at her cool yet gentle face, momentarily lost in thought.

"Jiajia," Ning Changjiu softly called her.

"Hm," Lu Jiajia responded.

Ning Changjiu asked, "What exactly is wrong?"

Lu Jiajia calmly said, "Now that your hands are swollen, you can't go around flirting anymore."

Ning Changjiu was stunned, a surge of guilt rising in his heart. He turned his wrist, wanting to grasp her hand, but Lu Jiajia slapped his hand away and coldly said, "Don't be presumptuous, you'll lose points!"

If she kept deducting, her sword seeds would become negative.

On the other side, Zhao Xiang'er and Siming started fighting again.

Without spiritual energy to support them, their fight no longer involved techniques. Soon, they were rolling on the grass, entangled, covered in fragrant herbs.

Lu Jiajia and Ning Changjiu quickly went to break up the fight.

After separating them, Lu Jiajia used a combination of strictness and gentleness to improve their attitudes toward each other slightly, making them reluctantly address each other as Senior Sister and Junior Sister.

Lu Jiajia thought, *It seems that games for fostering friendship cannot be neglected.* So she ordered that the next class be canceled and replaced with games.

Zhao Xiang'er and Siming reluctantly got up, forced to play hide-and-seek.

After one class, their friendship hadn't improved, but she herself had lost five more sword seeds.

"Sigh, only eight left..."

Lu Jiajia was greatly distressed.

Thinking about having to deal with Liu Junzhuo during the day and then enduring frustration at the Daoist temple at night, with no peace. *Being this Senior Sister is just not worth it!*

In her sword heart, an ethereal voice resounded again: "Neglecting duties, deduct three sword seeds."

She looked up and caught Ning Changjiu and Zhao Xiang'er making some small movements under the table. Her cheeks puffed out, and she angrily exclaimed, "Ning Changjiu! I'm going to expel you from the sect!"

In the Divine Hall, Ye Changong watched in silence. Occasionally, she would smile, her smile like a fleeting glimmer of light.

"Almost time," she murmured, raising her sleeve and pointing before her. A faint, illusory moon-patterned dial began to form.

It was something like a sundial.

She gently rotated the sundial.

At the Daoist temple, the sun rose and set, spring passed and autumn came. Time accelerated rapidly, but those within it remained utterly unaware.

A grand dream of centuries, nothing more.