Chapter 3: The Unworthy Wager and the Demonic Body’s Revelation

Tribulation clouds were meticulously categorized by cultivation level, making it instantly apparent whether one heralded a Golden Core ascension.

For instance, the tribulation cloud that had appeared a month prior resembled a pool of blood, yet it bore no thunderous roar.

Such an anomaly bore scant resemblance to a Golden Core tribulation; as for the elusive Nascent Soul tribulations, their records had vanished for over a century, leaving many to forget their very appearance.

Crucially, there were no documented auspicious clouds following the tribulation, so this incident could not definitively prove the emergence of a new Golden Core cultivator, and thus, various factions paid it no mind.

***

In the southeastern territories, the exact number of Golden Core cultivators was always an open secret.

In the recent conflict, nearly all Golden Core cultivators from the Azure Mystic Sect and the Demonic Sword Sect had made their appearance, and the battle was poised to cease.

Unexpectedly, a Golden Core demonic cultivator suddenly charged forth, abducting the Saintess of the Azure Mystic Sect.

The Immortal Slaying Valley instantly lived up to the ominous implications of its very name.

***

“Sect Master, Su Qin is nominally an Elder of our sect, yet in truth, he merely uses it as an opportunity to cling on, utterly devoid of any sectarian loyalty.”

A burly man, whose body was crisscrossed with sword marks, clearly indicating the considerable injuries he had sustained that day, spoke up.

“Sect Master, your excessive leniency has allowed Su Qin to disregard sect laws in his daily conduct, and now, at this critical juncture, he even sacrifices the sect’s interests to satisfy his personal desires. It is truly outrageous.”

In this war, the Bone Painting Hall had suffered the least losses; although righteous and demonic factions were ostensibly irreconcilable, in reality, neither the Azure Mystic Sect nor the Demonic Sword Sect wished for mutual annihilation.

The goal was either to completely eradicate the opponent or to suppress them to a certain degree.

The Demonic Sect had incurred nearly a thirty percent loss in this battle; while their high-tier forces remained intact, recovery would likely take decades.

Meanwhile, the righteous path now possessed a legitimate pretext—the capture of their Saintess—and though the Azure Mystic Sect had also suffered heavy losses, they were actively mobilizing their forces.

Bai Zhenye was well aware of the situation, as was everyone present, yet someone had audaciously voiced it aloud.

Bai Zhenye let out a cold hmph, her phoenix eyes narrowing slightly. The Elder who had spoken, not even a Golden Core cultivator, instantly shivered, casting a nervous glance at Gao Pei before lowering their head.

“There is no need for you to speak; this Venerable One shall handle the matter with severity.”

This time, her anger was palpable. Beyond her usual magnanimity, she had extended invitations to him multiple times before the war, yet the fellow had consistently failed to appear.

Instead, he had skulked in the shadows, and at the height of battle, he had shamelessly indulged his carnal desires, going so far as to abduct Qi Shuyue.

“Sect Master, according to sect law, Su Qin ought to be cast into the Soul Refinement Furnace.”

A flicker of ruthless intent passed through Elder Gao’s eyes, though his countenance remained unnaturally serene.

“As for his Silver Blossom Hall, it idles away so many resources yet refuses to serve the sect. It truly ought to yield its position, compensating us for our losses.”

The moment these words were uttered, a collective gasp rippled through the grand hall, and many began to breathe more rapidly.

Bai Zhenye remained silent, her phoenix eyes observing the myriad expressions, committing each to memory.

A female Elder winked at her; it was Chu Lingge of Sehua Hall (TL Note: Sehua Hall is a faction within the Demonic Sword Sect, known for its members’ seductive arts.).

Chu Lingge had deeply cultivated the path of allure, her seductive charm naturally potent; any cultivator within a hundred meters of her would unconsciously succumb to her influence.

She seemed to be asking:

‘Girl, do you want me to smooth things over?’

Her control over public opinion within the Demonic Sword Sect was terrifyingly strong, earning her the moniker ‘Eight Treasures Fox Feather Fan’.

Bai Zhenye paid her no heed, instead coldly observing the reactions of those present.

These individuals had already unanimously agreed to kill Su Qin; their current dispute was over the allocation of Silver Blossom Hall’s resources and his female disciples.

‘Truly a bunch of stinking insects.’

Chu Lingge shook her head, speechless.

However, in the next second, the clamor in the great hall abruptly ceased, as the Elders, as if by prior agreement, all turned their gazes in a single direction, their expressions varying.

Su Qin, clad in a black robe, strode purposefully into the hall. Finding no designated seat, he quietly settled down beside Chu Lingge, an unassuming presence.

A hundred pairs of eyes converged upon him, causing Su Qin to momentarily falter in his stride.

“My apologies, traffic was terrible on the way. I’m late.”

Bai Zhenye cast a sidelong glance at him, remaining silent, while Elder Gao let out a cold hmph, a wicked smile playing on his lips.

“Might this Venerable One inquire if Hall Master Su’s… endeavors with the Saintess proceeded smoothly?”

Su Qin frowned deeply, utterly bewildered:

“What Saintess?”

“Hahaha, Hall Master Su, let us not jest,” Elder Gao chuckled with an outwardly amiable smile.

“We all witnessed it: Hall Master Su, with formidable valor, captured the Saintess amidst the chaotic armies, moving through legions as if they were empty space.”

A flicker of understanding passed through Su Qin’s eyes.

‘It seems so. This Gao Pei is just as insidious, cunning, and two-faced as his game counterpart.’

‘Smiling outwardly, he’s actually waiting for me to trip up with my words.’

Yet, he wasn’t concerned with this point. He possessed his own methods to shed the accusation of abducting Qi Shuyue. What truly mattered was Qi Shuyue’s purse; the Eight Trigrams Mirror within absolutely had to be secured.

‘Otherwise, everything that followed would be pointless.’

‘As for its whereabouts, it’s most likely in Gao Pei’s hands.’

‘Why? Because every time this fellow fights a battle, he practically scrapes the earth clean!’

Su Qin sneered, yet revealed not the slightest flaw.

“This Venerable One knows not what you speak of, Hall Master Gao. Have your eyes grown so dim with age?”

“You!”

Gao Pei slammed the table and rose, his face turning ashen. His advanced age was a fact, and his lifespan was rapidly approaching its end.

Bai Zhenye’s single glance compelled him to sit back down. Gao Pei’s eyes darted, and he once again chuckled amiably:

“Since it wasn’t Hall Master Su, then may I ask, Hall Master Su, do you dare to make a wager with me?”

Su Qin cast a disdainful sidelong glance at Gao Pei. NPCs of such meager caliber were utterly beneath his notice. Su Qin then uttered a few words, devoid of expression:

“You are not worthy.”

Gao Pei’s somewhat cloudy eyes widened, and his beard trembled.

“Wh-what? You impudent brat!”

However, it was Su Qin’s next sentence that truly ignited the entire hall.

“Not only are you unworthy, but everyone present here is unworthy.”

In less than half a second, dozens of killing moves locked onto Su Qin, various colored lights flared, only to be ultimately suppressed by an incomparably potent surge of icy qi.

Su Qin’s eyes flickered; he needed to stir up the situation to compel the Sect Master to act.

She was one of his favorite characters, known as the ‘unattainable peak flower’ who was the most impossible to conquer: Immortal Zhenye.

Though belonging to the demonic path, she had always been just.

Bai Zhenye quietly observed Su Qin, her clear, cold eyes revealing no emotion.

“Su Qin, you must clarify this matter thoroughly. Do not act foolishly.”

‘Here it comes, here it comes, the opportunity.’

Su Qin spread his hands, an expression of helplessness on his face.

“The crucial point is, I’m completely in the dark right now, unaware of what you’re even talking about.

You’re interrogating me without me knowing anything. How could such a logically confused and incoherent person be worthy of a wager with me?”

“Good!” Elder Gao slammed the table and rose.

“Then I shall make it clear to you! At that time, you must make a wager with me!”

Elder Gao then vividly recounted the events of the day, inevitably embellishing the tale and subtly hinting at implications.

Even those who had been uncertain began to firmly believe that Su Qin was responsible.

“So, you want me to prove that I wasn’t the one who abducted Qi Shuyue during the day?”

“Precisely! Do you dare to wager with me?”

“Very well. If it wasn’t me, I want the storage pouch on your person.”

The conversation having reached this point, Gao Pei’s heart skipped a beat.

‘Had Su Qin already thought of this wager? Was there truly some hidden mystery?’

‘Impossible,’ Gao Pei shook his head. ‘I haven’t received any news from those two disciples yet; they must have been silenced. The person must be with Su Qin.’

More importantly, the current situation no longer allowed him to back out.

“Fine, if it truly was you, I want your Silver Blossom Hall!”

The moment these words were uttered, everyone’s expressions instantly shifted as they grasped the implication.

With Gao Pei’s maneuver, what was originally meant to be shared by all would now belong solely to him.

‘You hold a high position, yet you are unworthy of such resources. It would be better to distribute them among those present, to strengthen the Demonic Sect.’

Gao Pei’s words caused everyone to fall silent once more.

“Sect Master, and this Elder here, I request you both to bear witness.”

Su Qin wasted no time. Bai Zhenye and Chu Lingge nodded in turn, Chu Lingge’s beautiful eyes twinkling, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

The crowd wondered what Su Qin intended to do, only to see him produce a small, pale blue dagger. Bai Zhenye recognized it at a glance as the Frozen Bone Blade (TL Note: A weapon with ice-elemental properties) she had gifted him.

Yet, they watched as Su Qin used the blade to slice an incision across his forearm.

Bai Zhenye’s delicate body trembled, her breathing becoming erratic, and her pupils losing focus.

However, they observed no blood flowing from the wound; instead, the muscle tissue beneath the skin writhed, and within merely five breaths, the wound astonishingly healed itself.

“This is…”

Chu Lingge gasped, covering her mouth in surprise. Everyone present immediately understood.

The Blood Corpse Wanderer, one of the demonic blood arts. When faced with an emergency, one could enter an undying state, continuously regenerating.

However, death was certain within a hundred days, and exposure to sunlight would also result in immediate demise.

Only when all other avenues were exhausted would a blood path demonic cultivator resort to it, as it was the last desperate measure to prolong life.

Yet, few knew that the Blood Corpse Wanderer was merely a crude imitation of the Blood Demon Spirit Body.

“H-how could this be?”

Bai Zhenye’s expression changed, her eyes unable to hide her concern. Su Qin lowered his head, appearing as frail as an elder at the end of their days.

As he had expected, not a single person in the hall recognized the demonic body.

After all, this was a secret only revealed in the later stages of the game, one that eventually led the righteous path to suffer immense casualties in their pursuit to eradicate it from the world.

“I apologize for making a spectacle. A month ago, I failed my attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, and I’ve been recuperating in my cave dwelling ever since. Only today have I regained some semblance of normalcy.”

Everyone instantly recalled the strange tribulation cloud that had hovered over the Demonic Sword Sect a month prior, and the truth became startlingly clear.

Gao Pei’s face was ashen, but under the pressure from Bai Zhenye and Chu Lingge, he still handed over the storage pouch.

But if Su Qin hadn’t been the one to abduct her, what fate awaited the Demonic Sword Sect next?

Annihilation of the sect was the answer that almost everyone considered.

Several Elders took turns offering suggestions, but all were deemed impractical and rejected by Bai Zhenye.

Su Qin scanned his surroundings, sensing that the moment was opportune.

“Ahem, I’ve just thought of a method.”

Nearly all eyes converged upon him, and Su Qin let out a soft chuckle.

“I hadn’t remembered it originally; it’s all thanks to Hall Master Gao’s reminder.”

Gao Pei was momentarily stunned; he couldn’t recall having any personal dealings with Su Qin.

“Earlier, while glancing through Hall Master Gao’s storage pouch, I noticed quite a few spoils of war, among which were an image of the Saintess and her personal purse. I have researched the creation of demonic puppets—”

“You intend to create a fake to appease the Azure Mystic Sect?” Bai Zhenye’s delicate brows furrowed slightly.

“Precisely. I am confident that it won’t be detected as abnormal for at least seven days, thus buying us some crucial time.”

“And truthfully, my time is running out. I can personally go and handle the handover with the Azure Mystic Sect.”

The crowd fell silent. This indeed appeared to be the best solution for the moment; every day gained was a victory.

After exchanging a few more polite pleasantries, Su Qin departed, and the assembly dispersed.

He failed to notice, however, a youth with concealed aura outside the hall, whose dark eyes intently watched Su Qin as he walked away.

“Xiao Chen, let’s go!”

Elder Gao, having gained no advantage and even having spoils of war extorted from him, stomped out of the great hall in a huff. The youth responded, yet a subtle curve appeared at the corner of his lips.

‘It’s actually a Blood Demon Spirit Body! To think that a mere Demonic Sword Sect would harbor such a treasure. This item rightfully belongs to me!’

As Xiao Chen followed Elder Gao away, he simultaneously activated the communication token at his waist.