Chapter 48 The Scheming Disciple and the Charming Master 48

Chapter 48: The Scheming Disciple and His Charming Master 48

This time, he was determined to bring Lin Huaiqing back with him.

He'd lock Lin Huaiqing away somewhere no one could find, chain him to a bed with iron shackles, and make him stay by his side for the rest of his life.

That would be his punishment.

"Master, there's still a tough battle ahead tomorrow. Let me treat your wounds!"

As Qin Du carefully took off his outer robe, the wounds on his back had stopped bleeding but showed no signs of healing.

Sacred weapons from Nascent Soul stage cultivators had a burning effect on demons—even a shallow wound would take over half a month to fully heal.

Let alone Qin Du's wounds, which were so deep they exposed bone—those would probably take a month to heal.

"Those cultivators really fight dirty. Why'd you have to spare his life, Master?"

Maybe in Lin Huaiqing's eyes, his life wasn't even as important as his senior brother's.

If he'd killed Chu Xiuyuan, Lin Huaiqing would never forgive him for the rest of his life.

He didn't want Lin Huaiqing to hate him, and he didn't want to leave himself with regrets.

At dawn the next day, the demon army arrived at the city gates, blocked by the Xuantian Sect's mountain-protecting formation.

"Master, why has the color of the protective formation changed?"

A few days ago it had been pale blue, barely visible in the sunlight if you weren't paying attention.

Today it had turned pale gold, clearly far more fortified than before.

Qin Du smiled coldly.

So his master was this wary of him, huh?

Did he really think some flimsy barrier like this could stop him?

Just as he was thinking that, Lin Huaiqing came down the mountain with a group of Nascent Soul stage cultivators.

Through the barrier, their eyes met. Neither of them said a word.

Even though he couldn't make out the expression on Qin Du's face, Lin Huaiqing could still feel the accusation in his resentful gaze. He instinctively looked away and put on a stern face:

"What's the Demon Lord's purpose in attacking the mountain this time?"

"Master knows full well in his heart. This disciple came with only one purpose."

"If that's the case, I'm afraid the Demon Lord came all this way for nothing." This time, he absolutely couldn't walk right into the tiger's den again. Unless Qin Du broke through the barrier and forcibly took him, he'd stand with Xuantian Sect through thick and thin.

"Qin Du, I don't have time for your word games. Where is my senior brother Chu Xiuyuan? What have you done to him?"

Qin Du's expression visibly shifted.

"Master's so concerned about Chu Xiuyuan. Come with me, and I'll tell you."

Lin Huaiqing's life-bound spirit sword materialized in his hand as he raised it high and shouted:

"Don't you dare! All cultivators, hear my command! Capture the Demon Lord Qin Du alive, take back our territory! Heavenly Spirit Formation—activate!"

At Lin Huaiqing's command, dozens of Nascent Soul stage experts flew out from the barrier and engaged the demon army in battle.

Lin Huaiqing led from the front, flying forward to cross swords with Qin Du.

Behind them, thousands of disciples from various sects rushed forward with all kinds of magical instruments to back them up.

In an instant, the base of Xuantian Mountain became the main battlefield of the immortal-demon war.

Qin Du's cultivation had reached the Spirit Transformation Stage, so Lin Huaiqing was obviously no match for him. Everywhere his sword landed, Qin Du had already vanished.

And Qin Du wasn't even fighting him for real—it was more like he was using the demons' elusive advantage to feed Lin Huaiqing openings.

After several failed strikes, Lin Huaiqing swung wildly in frustration, unable to even graze the hem of Qin Du's robes.

Was this the difference between a supporting character and a villain?

Not to mention that Qin Du had previously made a show of sealing his spiritual power—even without that, Qin Du could play with him like a dog.

In Qin Du's eyes, this level of combat was no different from flirting. He even had the time to pluck a small wildflower from the ground and tuck it into Lin Huaiqing's hair.

Sensing the aura suddenly closing in, Lin Huaiqing tensed up, thinking Qin Du was about to strike back.

But all he felt was a tickle on his head, and nothing else.

He instinctively touched the top of his head and discovered a small wildflower had been tucked there without him noticing.

Furious, he plucked it from his hair, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it viciously.

"Qin Du! A warrior may be killed but never humiliated! Show me what you've really got!"

"This disciple wouldn't dare. If I accidentally hurt Master, I'd only end up heartbroken myself." Qin Du's voice was both teasing and infuriating, making Lin Huaiqing burn with anger.

Lin Huaiqing sensed Qin Du's position and panted: "You... you've got the nerve to stop dodging! Just stand there and don't move!"

Lin Huaiqing drove his spirit sword in a slash, and to his surprise, the other party actually didn't move—the sword flew straight at Qin Du's chest.

If he didn't dodge now, he'd be in danger of losing his life.

Lin Huaiqing instinctively tried to pull back his sword, but it was too late. At that very moment, a powerful force halted his sword just three inches from Qin Du.

Then a tremendous pulling force yanked Lin Huaiqing directly into Qin Du's arms.

The spirit sword stood stuck in the ground, and Lin Huaiqing was completely stunned.

"It seems Master can't bear to hurt this disciple either. Why must we fight with swords?"

"Cut the crap! Let me go!"

"If Master is willing to sign a blood pact with this disciple, I'll withdraw my troops right now. The demon realm and the cultivation world will sign a peace treaty—as long as I'm in power, there will never be war between them again."

This was the best solution he'd come up with along the way.

Even if Lin Huaiqing refused to return to the demon realm with him, that was fine. As long as they signed a blood pact and became cultivation partners, they would never be separated for eternity.

Wherever Lin Huaiqing wanted to go, he would accompany him. Roaming the mountains and waters, traveling the world, being a pair of carefree cultivation partners—that would be wonderful too.

Conquering the cultivation world, unifying immortals and demons—those were the wishes of his past life.

Compared to Lin Huaiqing, they weren't worth a single cent.

But ideals are always grand, while reality is always harsh.

The future Qin Du described was bright, but unfortunately, Lin Huaiqing's mission was to ensure Mu Yunting unified the immortal and demon realms. It was not about peace at all.

"I'm sorry... this isn't what I want." Lin Huaiqing caught Qin Du off guard, unleashing a burst of spiritual power to break away from him.

Still dazed, Qin Du was struck by Lin Huaiqing's attack. Though it was only a mild electric shock, it was agonizing nonetheless.

Yet that burst of spiritual power also brought him back to his senses considerably.

So peace between immortals and demons wasn't what Lin Huaiqing wanted—then what exactly did he want?

Could it be that he wanted to unify both the immortal and demon realms?

How could he have failed to notice that Lin Huaiqing harbored such ambition?

Only now did Qin Du have to admit he had never truly seen through Lin Huaiqing.

Calmness and serenity were merely his exterior; as for the secrets hidden in his heart, Qin Du knew nothing.

Qin Du stared intently at Lin Huaiqing's face, searching for a trace of guilt or remorse on that cold and strikingly beautiful face.

Unfortunately, he failed.

Lin Huaiqing remained as composed as ever, as if nothing stirred his emotions at all.

Truly cold-hearted...

"Then, Master, why not tell your disciple what it is you truly desire?"

"I..." Lin Huaiqing was momentarily speechless.

What he wanted, Qin Du could never give him.

In an instant, dark clouds gathered densely above the Xuantian Sect, and in the blink of an eye, the tribulation clouds shrouded everything, plunging it into darkness as if it were night.

Thunder and lightning crackled within the clouds, and a bolt of purple lightning tore across the sky, striking straight down upon the Xuantian Sect's Lingxiao Peak.

It was Mu Yunting's tribulation before reaching the Spirit Transformation stage.

To his surprise, it had come a full five days early.