Chapter 114: Don’t Call Me Brother Xuan Ji, I Don’t Like It

Chapter 114: Don’t Call Me Brother Xuan Ji, I Don’t Like Hearing It

The Tianchi Secret Realm was located in a rather secluded part of Wangxian Continent. Surprisingly, the Xuanxiao Immortal Sect did not participate in its opening this time.

Chi Yu followed the Immortal Sect disciples out of the secret realm, and under their protection, avoided ambushes from rogue cultivators. After parting ways with these disciples, he walked through Wangxian Continent and was soon stopped by members of the Immortal Alliance. "Esteemed senior, please wait. Judging by the style of your robe, are you a Zen cultivator from Zizai Continent?"

Chi Yu froze, a premonition striking him. "You’re not going to ask me to pay the landing fee, are you?"

The Immortal Alliance cultivator replied, "How could that be? Since you are a Zen cultivator from Zizai Continent, you are entitled to a free one-month landing qualification."

Chi Yu: "..."

The Immortal Alliance cultivator produced a jade token stamped with a golden "One" and said, "Esteemed senior, please keep this. Our Immortal Alliance leader is also a cultivator from Zizai Continent. Even after ascending to the position of Alliance leader, he has not forgotten his roots, which is why he shows such leniency toward Zen cultivators from Zizai Continent."

Chi Yu’s instincts went into overdrive. He couldn’t help but ask, "Could it be that the Immortal Alliance leader studied in Zizai Continent five hundred years ago?"

The Immortal Alliance cultivator looked slightly surprised. "Esteemed senior, how did you know?"

Chi Yu swallowed hard, his thoughts clicking into place. "Do you know the dharma name the Alliance leader used in Zizai Continent?"

"Why do you ask?" The Immortal Alliance cultivator grew somewhat wary.

Chi Yu smiled. He was young and had a tender face. If not for his Foundation Establishment sixth-layer cultivation, it would be hard for anyone to feel guarded around him. He said earnestly, "I have an elder in my family who also studied in Zizai Continent five hundred years ago. Perhaps they knew the Alliance leader?"

Hearing this, the Immortal Alliance cultivator’s guard dropped. He replied, "Of course I know. It’s Ming Xin. As for our deputy leader, Immortal Lord Qingxuan, he never changed his name. His dharma name in Zizai Continent was also Qing Xuan."

Exactly!

Chi Yu gritted his teeth hard. Qing Xuan, Ming Xin—it’s you two!

Everything fell into place.

That Qianshan Brew was something created by the Immortal Alliance, and Qianshan Brew was a blood-soaked product made from the flesh and blood of Brother Xuan Ji’s family.

Qing Xuan, Ming Xin!

According to Brother Xuan Ji’s account in the original story, the downfall of the Xie clan was due to two evil cultivators.

But he had interfered with the evil cultivators—he went alone to kill demons, and he suggested going to the Great Xia Royal Family.

This led to their early exposure, so Brother Xuan Ji hunted them down to eliminate the threat in its cradle.

Even so, someone would still step into their roles and tasks.

No wonder Brother Xuan Ji said the downfall of the Xie clan was inevitable. No matter what was done, someone would always step into the shoes of those two evil cultivators. It was simply impossible to guard against.

In such matters, things never get better, and when it comes to Brother Xuan Ji, things only get worse.

After all, the original Xie Xiyi was not such a madman.

No, how could he say that about Brother Xuan Ji? It was all because of him that Brother Xuan Ji became like this.

But Qing Xuan, Ming Xin—Chi Yu gritted his teeth in hatred. He noticed one thing: this idea couldn’t have been Ming Xin’s. He wasn’t that clever. Winning people over was too sophisticated for him.

Then it could only be Qing Xuan.

Qing Xuan—he had underestimated him.

Regret washed over Chi Yu like a tide. Once again, he realized how cruel the cultivation world was. Even if it appeared cold and conflict-free on the surface, it was never a world of herbivores.

He was too easily deceived by superficial kindness.

Chi Yu’s mind raced with thoughts, but he maintained a calm facade. "May I ask you a question?"

"What is it?"

"How can I join the big family of the Immortal Alliance?"

"..."

*

Chi Yu successfully joined the Immortal Alliance.

However, the Immortal Alliance was currently in turmoil.

"Over fifty Nascent Soul cultivators have died. That Ghost-Faced Cultivator’s strength is unfathomable. I don’t know why the Alliance leader insists on confronting him head-on."

"With so many Nascent Soul cultivators dead, the Immortal Alliance has suffered significant losses. And Wu Yunsu has defected too. It feels unsafe to stay here."

"What do you mean by that? The Immortal Alliance has given you plenty of cultivation resources. Now that we’re facing a great enemy, you don’t want to contribute?"

"It’s not like that. Since the Ghost-Faced Cultivator is so formidable, killing so many Nascent Soul cultivators despite being only at the Golden Core stage, what can we Golden Core cultivators do? Aren’t we just throwing our lives away? If that’s the case, is there any point in confronting him?"

After a moment of silence, someone noticed Chi Yu. "Hey, someone’s joining the Immortal Alliance at a time like this?"

"Are you a rogue cultivator? You look quite young—and that robe, isn’t it the style of a Zen cultivator from Zizai Continent? Kid, are you a Zen cultivator?"

Chi Yu bowed and said, "I come from the Luo Po Zen School in Zizai Continent. Greetings, esteemed seniors."

"Luo Po Zen School? Isn’t that a prestigious school?"

"The largest Buddhist school in Zizai Continent is the Anuttara Buddhist School, and the Luo Po Zen School is the best affiliated Zen school under the Anuttara Buddhist School. It is indeed prestigious."

"Didn’t the Alliance leader and deputy leader come from the Luo Po Zen School?"

Chi Yu found it somewhat amusing. In reality, they had only studied at the Luo Po Zen School and were not true disciples of the school. The requirements to be officially accepted as a disciple of the Luo Po Zen School were much stricter, and such disciples would definitely be sent to the Anuttara Buddhist School for ordination.

Unlike those like them who went there to study, they might not even have the opportunity to be ordained.

And yet, Qing Xuan and Ming Xin had been using the name of the Luo Po Zen School for five hundred years to win people over. It was ridiculous.

Chi Yu maintained a calm smile and quickly integrated into the group. He stopped wearing the disciple robes of the Luo Po Zen School and changed into the Immortal Alliance’s uniform, ethereal white cultivation robes.

The young man was handsome, with a light and upright posture. After shedding the heavily damaged blue cultivation robe and putting on the Immortal Alliance’s pristine white robe, he seemed to shine several degrees brighter, attracting even more attention.

In truth, the cultivation world was not lacking in handsome men and beautiful women, but the young man happened to be more handsome than those around him. Soon, people realized that his golden eyes added significantly to his charm.

Those golden eyes, brilliant like the sun, complemented his unrestrained and radiant smile. He lacked the gentle and peaceful demeanor often associated with Zen cultivators, instead exuding the spirited confidence of a top-tier Immortal Sect’s genius disciple.

Someone took the opportunity to pat his shoulder and quickly confirmed one thing: his bone age was only 18, yet he was already at the Foundation Establishment sixth layer.

Even among cultivators who had used chalcedony, this counted as exceptional talent.

The law of this world was survival of the fittest. Just the potential Chi Yu displayed was enough to make everyone treat him with smiles and respect.

Only after returning to the dormitory assigned to him by the Immortal Alliance did Ling Hezhou dare to speak. "Chi Yu, why did you join the Immortal Alliance?"

Chi Yu replied easily through his spiritual sense, "Naturally, to turn them against each other."

Ling Hezhou: "Huh?"

Chi Yu said, "Such a massive organization like the Immortal Alliance, just handed over to Qing Xuan and Ming Xin for free—that doesn't seem quite right, does it?"

Ling Hezhou: "...I don't understand what you're saying."

Chi Yu replied, "You don't need to understand. Just know that I've set my sights on the Immortal Alliance."

Domineering.jpg

Ling Hezhou: "..."

Ling Tian asked at just the right moment, "Didn't you say you were going to save someone?"

"Yeah." Chi Yu's voice softened. "I'm not in a hurry right now."

Of course, he wanted to see Brother Xuan Ji as soon as possible, but he also knew that the current Brother Xuan Ji wasn't in a state to communicate normally.

Suddenly remembering something, he took out that gleaming white spine from his Spatial Ring.

This was something that had come from him—no doubt about it, it must have been a gift from that Brother Xuan Ji.

A token of thanks? Or a reward?

Chi Yu wasn't sure, but strangely, he wasn't surprised either.

This twist of fate gave him a glimmer of hope.

Brother Xuan Ji had once said that his Demonic Heart needed Buddha bone to suppress it, but now, for some reason, Xie Xiyi had extracted the Buddha bone and forged it into a spine-shaped sword.

Once Buddha bone was refined into a weapon and stained with blood, it lost its Buddhist nature and could never be returned to a human body.

But the Buddha bone in his hand was gleaming and saturated with Buddhist energy, and untouched by refinement...

A brilliant light shone in Chi Yu's golden eyes. Brother Xuan Ji, perhaps it isn't me who will save you—but another you.

Identical objects cannot exist in two worlds. If another Brother Xuan Ji had refined this Buddha bone, he wouldn't have been able to bring it back.

Though surrounded by devastation and suffering, there was still hope.

Just as Chi Yu was thinking this, the temperature in the room suddenly began to drop.

Chi Yu noticed immediately. He scanned the room and sure enough, frost was creeping in from the window, carrying with it a bone-chilling aura of netherworld death energy.

There was no panic on Chi Yu's face. He simply waited quietly. Soon, a familiar black figure appeared.

It was Xie Xiyi, still dressed entirely in black. He had grown much taller compared to five hundred years ago—where they had once been almost the same height, Xie Xiyi now stood nearly a head taller, roughly around 196 or 197 cm.

This had initially been very confusing for Chi Yu, because cultivators at the Golden Core Stage couldn't alter their height or physique.

He still wore that ghost-faced mask, his crimson eyes glowing with a sinister light like hellfire. He chuckled softly, his voice vastly different from the Brother Xuan Ji Chi Yu remembered, yet when he laughed, it was just as light and pleasing, like the delicate notes of a piano. "You didn't really think hiding in the Immortal Alliance would let you escape me, did you?"

"Chi Yu..." Ling Hezhou's throat went dry. Run—!

Before he could finish, something happened that left both him and Ling Tian stunned.

Chi Yu strode confidently toward the demon, stopping just two steps away from him. His voice softened considerably: "We finally meet."

Behind the mask, Xie Xiyi's eyebrow lifted slightly, intrigued by this attitude. "You're not afraid to die? Or do you think I won't kill you?"

Chi Yu said, "How could I? I wouldn't misunderstand you like that. After all, not long ago, you forced me into a magic array."

Xie Xiyi chuckled. "Never mind. I won't kill you. My sword likes you, and I'm a good master. So, I'll spare your life. In exchange, you'll be my Sword Servant."

Chi Yu looked deeply at him and called out softly, "Brother Xuan Ji."

Xie Xiyi paused. The ferocious ghost mask tilted slightly as if looking at him. "What did you say?"

"..." Chi Yu replied, "Nothing."

"I heard you." Xie Xiyi's unique voice lost some of its predatory delight, growing more pensive. "You called me Brother Xuan Ji."

Chi Yu didn't speak, just continued watching him with those golden eyes.

"Strange." Xie Xiyi suddenly stepped closer, reaching out. Black mist instantly coiled around his hand as he gripped Chi Yu's chin, looking down at him through the mask's red pupils. "Your eyes... were they always gold?"

Chi Yu remained silent, but his eyes reddened instantly, glistening with tears. He didn't close them, just kept gazing at Xie Xiyi's mask through teary, blurred eyes.

Truthfully, he didn't hold out hope for Xie Xiyi to react to the name "Brother Xuan Ji." He clearly had no memory—otherwise, he wouldn't have forgotten so completely. But Chi Yu couldn't help hoping. "Brother Xuan Ji" was their most intimate shared phrase, their bond.

He activated the residual True Sight power in his golden eyes. With these eyes, he could sense others' emotions and aura, just like Brother Xuan Ji.

And now, he could see Xie Xiyi's inner world—a parched, barren land under a blazing sun, yet now, scattered droplets of water were falling.

As if something had been stirred.

Eyes wide in disbelief, Chi Yu whispered again, "Brother Xuan Ji?"

Xie Xiyi's grip on his face tightened slightly. "Don't say those words. I don't like hearing them."

Inside, he felt an inexplicable, pure elation welling up—different from the thrill of slaughter, deeper and more irresistible than any pleasure he'd known.

Far surpassing the joy of slaughter, far exceeding the ecstasy of using forbidden curses to empower himself.

Something was burning, making him dizzy.

Xie Xiyi still had a rebellious streak.

The first time he met Chi Yu before losing his memory, he'd had a similar reaction—equally inexplicable and overwhelming joy.

Because of his defiance, he had irrationally ignored that feeling back then.

But now, this joy and excitement seemed to rise from his very bones and primordial spirit, so intense that even his rebellious nature yielded to it.

He actually felt happy and wanted to hear him call "Brother Xuan Ji" a few more times.

This reaction felt both unfamiliar and confusing, so he pretended to be cold and spoke those words.

But such a response already proved that this approach was working.

Because the masked Xie Xiyi had always maintained an elegant pleasure.

Chi Yu couldn't help but smile, and as he did, tears fell. Xie Xiyi's fingers instinctively moved to wipe them away but halted abruptly, releasing Chi Yu's face as if touching a poisonous snake.

"Xuan Ji—" Before Chi Yu could finish, the black mist around Xie Xiyi surged violently, wrapping around them, and they vanished from the spot.

Chi Yu: "..."

Author's Note:

Black Xie Xiyi: What Brother Xuan Ji? Fleeing in defeat.jpg