Chapter 57: Acknowledgment

May 14th, 2023

Xie Huai gripped the sword in his hand tightly, his expression grave. That demonic cultivator had been hiding here, charging straight for Fang Li, as if Fang Li was his target……

But why?

It shouldn’t be so.

Fang Li was pensive. He hadn’t actually met many people after being reborn, and Xie Huai naturally couldn’t have done such a thing, so who else could it be?

Could it have been that the demonic cultivator had seen that attacking Xie Huai was hopeless, so he’d simply staked it all on going for Fang Li? Everyone knew that Xie Huai was the number one in the world, and even Du Meng could only flee in panic when facing Xie Huai. That the demonic cultivator would act this way was also reasonable…… Yet Fang Li subconsciously thought that things weren’t so simple.

The whole world knew that Wu Yimei was his trusted aide, and everything here was related to Wu Yimei.

It looked like paying Wu Yimei a visit would be absolutely necessary.

Fang Li took a deep breath.

Since that demonic cultivator was already dead, then there was no way to interrogate him, either. The priority at hand was still to rescue these people.

Right now, there was no one else in the mountain cavern, and Xie Huai destroyed the poisonous insects in one blow and scooped up the demonstone from the pool, sealing it and placing it inside a storage space. The black mist quickly dispersed, and without the obstruction of the black mist, the thread-like light restored its connection to the cavern walls as usual. Xie Huai activated the token in his hand, and the two of them appeared outside the trial domain.

Fu Junling hurried over to welcome them, saying worriedly, “Are you two alright?”

Although what he said was “you two,” his gaze was directed only at Fang Li, looking him up and down with concern. After all, Xie Huai was most likely fine, but Fang Li was a mortal, and going inside was still very dangerous to him.

But aside from looking a little pale, Fang Li looked completely fine.

Qi Ding came forward and said with gratitude, “Much thanks to Yuyi-jun. If not for you, I’m afraid those demonic cultivators would have had their way this time!”

Ji Yuyao said coldly, “What are you in such a rush to get happy over? With all those people dead, does it not count as letting the demonic cultivators have their way?”

Qi Ding’s face sank, his expression ugly.

Xin Hanzhou frowned and asked Xie Huai, “What was the situation inside? Where are the demonic cultivators responsible?”

Xie Huai said impassively, “The leader has already self-destructed.”

But he paused, then said, “But there should still be more demonic cultivators hiding inside. I’ll trouble Tower Master Qi to properly investigate the remaining people.”

Qi Ding nodded, saying, “Please be at ease, Yuyi-jun. This one will be sure to investigate thoroughly.”

Having said so, he took Fu Junling and hurried away. There were many tasks left for them to take care of. The people inside the trial domain hadn’t been released yet, and they needed to investigate them one by one. They definitely couldn’t allow the remaining demonic cultivators to walk free.

Since the Ascension Conference had become like this, naturally, it couldn’t be held anymore. The people from the other sects were also full of worry, and for a time, discussion abounded.

Although Wu Yimei had occasionally clashed with the Thousand Immortals’ Alliance these years, he had never acted against ordinary folk. For him to do something like this so suddenly, was he really going to make all of the righteous cultivators in the world his enemies?

After Qi Ding handled the remaining tasks, he quickly returned and invited all of the sect masters back to Black Star Tower.

The crowd began to confer inside the main hall.

Only then did Qi Ding ask Xie Huai, “Did Yuyi-jun discover anything inside the trial domain?”

Xie Huai held out the demonstone and said impassively, “The demonic cultivator was using this to contaminate the trial domain, isolating the domain from the outside world.”

The crowd didn’t recognize the demonstone, but everyone recognized the skeletal demonic cultivator who’d appeared at the very beginning. He was a rather well-known demonic cultivator under Wu Yimei who practiced ghoul cultivation, named Yin Kui.

Xin Hanzhou’s eyes were frigid as he said, “Yin Kui is one of Wu Yimei’s people. This matter must be related to Wu Yimei.”

Xie Huai’s brow furrowed faintly. “It’s too early to come to a conclusion.”

Ji Yuyao said coldly, “Without Wu Yimei’s orders, why would Yin Kui risk death to disturb the Ascension Conference? Would Yin Kui really dare to challenge the Thousand Immortals’ Alliance all by himself?”

Qi Ding said worriedly, “Wu Yimei was the person the demon lord trusted most back then, and he’s been at odds with the Thousand Immortals’ Alliance all these years. If it’s for the sake of taking revenge for the devil, it’s not impossible that he would do this.”

Fang Li stood silently in the corner.

In his heart, he felt that there was something odd about this matter, and it shouldn’t have been done by Wu Yimei. But Yin Kui was indeed Wu Yimei’s subordinate, and all of the evidence pointed at Wu Yimei.

A great number of people had died in the trial domain this time, and the crowd had been worked up into a fervor.

Some said that they should have Wu Yimei repay an eye for an eye.

Some said that the matter needed to be discussed at length.

After half a day’s arguing, they still weren’t able to come to a conclusion and finally dispersed at nighttime.

Xie Huai took Fang Li back to where they were staying, looking at Fang Li’s anxious expression. So, are you worried about Wu Yimei?

Xie Huai’s chest felt a bit suffocated. You really do keep Wu Yimei on your mind. But this matter was unfavorable for Wu Yimei, so it was also natural that Fang Li would worry about him……

Only, compared to Wu Yimei, Xie Huai was more worried about Fang Li. The situation inside the trial domain…… wasn’t simple.

If this matter hadn’t been done by Wu Yimei, then who was pushing things along behind the scenes?

………………………

Xie Huai remained at Black Star Tower

Qi Ding kept his promise and retrieved the Nine-Turns Wisdom Pill on the day of the full moon. He presented a transparent crystal box, and inside the box was a milky white pill. “Yuyi-jun, once you have Young Master Fang take this pill, it will be sure to cure his condition of foolishness.”

Fang Li sat to one side. Originally, he’d still been pondering over the matter of Wu Yimei, but hearing those words, his expression stiffened minutely, and he peeked cautiously at Xie Huai.

Xie Huai appeared not to have seen Fang Li’s expression. He accepted the pill and gave a nod. “Much thanks to Tower Master Qi.”

Tower Master Qi sighed, saying, “No need for courtesy, Yuyi-jun. To be able to be of service to Yuyi-jun is this humble Qi’s honor! Moreover, Yuyi-jun has done a great favor for this humble Qi this time. If not for Yuyi-jun, many more people would have surely died. This humble Qi should have prepared much more generous gifts.”

Xie Huai said blandly, “Tower Master Qi is too polite. Helping those in need is our responsibility.”

Qi Ding gave a few more sentences of praise. He was also pretty busy these days, so after that, he quickly left.

Xie Huai withdrew his gaze and held the crystal box in his hands, giving Fang Li a profound look.

Fang Li looked at the pill in Xie Huai’s hands, his scalp tingling. Was Xie Huai going to make him eat it?

If Xie Huai said it was candy again, should he eat it or not?

If he ate it, then he wouldn’t be able to pretend to be a fool anymore.

But if he didn’t eat it, then that was equivalent to exposing his own act.

This was really an impossible dilemma!

Xie Huai’s fingertips stroked the crystal box absent-mindedly as he watched Fang Li’s evasive, apprehensive gaze. Suddenly, he put away the crystal box and said coolly, “I’m afraid that giving you such a divine pill would be a waste. I still need to consider it for a while.”

Fang Li immediately let out a breath of relief.

True, it wasn’t like he was really a fool. Giving it to him was really too wasteful. Besides, he still hadn’t figured out how to face Xie Huai……

Xie Huai’s original thought was that he hadn’t wanted to pressure Fang Li too much, but seeing Fang Li’s current appearance, his temper started to rise again. This fellow sure was very clear on how to provoke his anger.

And yet, Xie Huai couldn’t do a single thing about him.

……………………………

These days, the Thousand Immortals’ Alliance had been discussing day after day, and the grand hall was full of never-ending debate. Xie Huai had been invited to join the meeting, so he didn’t have time to look after Fang Li.

Fang Li would stroll around everywhere, occasionally standing to the side to listen, and no one stopped him.

Everyone knew that he was Yuyi-jun’s future Dao companion, his identity venerated, so naturally, they were a bit more courteous toward him. Besides, right now, he was still a fool, so they weren’t afraid of him listening in from the start.

The people from Black Star Tower investigated for over ten days without sleep or rest.

Finally, they caught all of the demonic cultivators hidden within the group inside the trial domain.

Eight in total, and they were all escorted over.

Qi Ding, Ji Yuyao, Xin Hanzhou, and Xie Huai each sat at the head, and below them were sect leaders of the other sects. They were all people with some renown in the Thousand Immortals’ Alliance.

After those demonic cultivators were brought in, they were shoved to the ground kneeling, covered in blood. Evidently, they’d already been interrogated, and restrictions had been cast on them so that they couldn’t commit suicide. Right now, their faces were savage, looking at the crowd with hatred.

Qi Ding said, “We’ve already interrogated them. They were the ones who hid inside the trial domain. As soon as they entered the Mirage Star Trial Domain, Yin Kui took the demonstone to the eye of the array, and they split up to set up the eight-cornered bronze bell, causing demonic energy to cover the entire trial domain, leading to the tragedy in the trial domain.”

Xin Hanzhou looked down coldly. “Did Wu Yimei send you?”

The demonic cultivator sneered and spat, “You’re not fit to say our master’s name!”

To think they would be so arrogant even when facing their ends!

Having said that, the demonic cultivator spoke again. “Just kill us, if you have the ability. Our master will be sure to get revenge for us!”

Hearing that, the crowd was filled with rage.

Sure enough, it was Wu Yimei!

Back then, after laying siege to Hollow Ridge, Wu Yimei had taken a part of the survivors of Hollow Ridge and fled. These years, they had been hiding in the Ghost Abyss, occasionally causing trouble for the Thousand Immortals’ Alliance. If not for the fact that the Ghost Abyss was dangerous to traverse, shrouded in poison and disease year-round, and a natural fortress that was difficult to attack, and that Wu Yimei hadn’t caused any major ruckuses, how could they have allowed Wu Yimei to live until today?

But they hadn’t thought that Wu Yimei would be so mad as to provoke the righteous sects in public at the Ascension Conference. Thousands of people had died in the trial domain—the slaughter of innocents, a heavens-defying crime. They should have eliminated every single survivor of Hollow Ridge to the last back then!

In the great hall, the mob began to work itself into a frenzy, voices rising one after another, shouting to destroy the remnants of Hollow Ridge and enact punishment on behalf of the heavens.

Xin Hanzhou stood up to speak, his voice resonating. “Since Wu Yimei is looking for death, then we’ll answer his wish. It just so happens that everyone is present here today. Are you willing to march for the Ghost Abyss with me to eliminate those demons?”

Below, the sound of agreement was practically unanimous.

There was also a very small minority that hesitated. The Ghost Abyss was extremely dangerous, and it would be difficult to avoid some casualties on this trip…… But right now, the current opinion was overwhelming, and these people could only follow along and agree.

Xin Hanzhou looked at Xie Huai and smiled faintly. “Is Yuyi-jun willing to come along?”

These days, Xie Huai had been listening silently the whole time and hadn’t yet expressed any opinion. Hearing those words, he fell silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping past Fang Li in the corner. In the end, he gave a nod and said, “Naturally, I’ll come.”

Right now, all the evidence pointed at Wu Yimei. Even if he were to oppose on his own, it would be of no use, but if he went, he would have an opportunity to find out the truth.

Seeing that Xie Huai, the number one in the world, had also agreed, the people from all of the sects were even more at ease. Although Wu Yimei had very high cultivation and was one of the pinnacle-level experts of the cultivation world, he was only about the same as Du Meng.

Killing him would be as easy as breathing for Xie Huai!

With Yuyi-jun present, they would be sure to succeed in eliminating the demons this time!

Fang Li’s heart sank.

Forget the fact that he didn’t have any evidence that this situation was unrelated to Wu Yimei, looking at this frenzied mob, even if it really had nothing to do with Wu Yimei, they would probably still want to seize the opportunity to eliminate the survivors of Hollow Ridge, wouldn’t they?

It looked like the terror he’d left them back then had still been very deep……

Only, what about Xie Huai?

Exactly what was he thinking?

Wu Yimei had provoked Xie Huai again and again in the past, and last time, Xie Huai had wanted to kill Wu Yimei. If he had decided that Wu Yimei was responsible for this matter, then he surely wouldn’t let Wu Yimei go……

At this point, it was already too late to stop things. Fang Li could only go with them, and perhaps, there would be a chance to see Wu Yimei.

………………………………

The Thousand Immortals’ Alliance had a grand and imposing total of nearly ten thousand people, all of them masters from mighty sects, rushing together toward the Ghost Abyss.

The Ghost Abyss was tens of thousands of li away to the southwest. It was covered in infectious miasma year-round, and poisonous insects abounded, like a sinister haunt for ghosts, and it was a natural fortress that was difficult to attack. Back when Hollow Ridge had been defeated, Wu Yimei had brought some people to hide near the Ghost Abyss. It was absolutely impossible for normal people to approach this place, and at the time, the pursuers from the Thousand Immortals’ Abyss had been unable to follow them and had retreated. Wu Yimei was also very cautious and wouldn’t go outside rashly, which was how he’d escaped.

These years, Wu Yimei had been resting and recuperating, and his subordinates had also gathered quite a few demonic cultivators. Some of them were those who had escaped when Hollow Ridge had been defeated, and some of them were demonic cultivators who had been left with nowhere to go by the righteous sects.

In these nine years, their power had slowly grown.

Taking care of Wu Yimei wouldn’t be an easy task. If Wu Yimei hadn’t wreaked havoc on the Ascension Conference and slaughtered so many, stepping on the faces of all the righteous sects in the cultivation world, the Thousand Immortals’ Alliance likely wouldn’t be able to join forces again, either.

They were afraid that Wu Yimei would hear the news and flee, so they didn’t get too close, but instead hid themselves a hundred li away to discuss their attack strategy.

The biggest obstacle in the Ghost Abyss was the poisonous miasma.

The intense poison in the miasma here was extremely thorny. Although all of the major sects had anti-poison artifacts, it would still be difficult to give one to every person.

Within a valley in the mountain range was a swath of tents, and within one of those tents, Xie Huai was sitting in meditation, eyes closed. Fang Li was pretending to be asleep nearby, but his heart was full of worries. Xie Huai had stuck close to him the whole time, so it wasn’t very convenient to slip away……

The inside of the tent was quiet.

Xie Huai slowly opened his eyes to look at Fang Li. These days, he’d taken full notice of all of Fang Li’s concern and worry for Wu Yimei.

Wu Yimei was the faithful subordinate who’d accompanied him through his entire journey, facing life and death for him. Fang Li’s care and worry for him was natural. How could Xie Huai compare to those feelings? The corner of Xie Huai’s mouth pulled in self-mocking.

The voice of a disciple traveled in from outside the tent. “Yuyi-jun, the sect leader is asking you to attend the discussion.”

Xie Huai withdrew his gaze and got up and left.

Fang Li suddenly opened his eyes. After Xie Huai had left for a quarter of an hour, and he was sure Xie Huai wouldn’t be coming back for the moment, he left the tent.

As Yuyi-jun’s future Dao companion, even if Fang Li was a fool, everyone was beyond courteous to him. No matter where he went, nobody asked too much, and moreover, Fang Li had always been very well-behaved during this period of time, never wandering off. Those people didn’t pay too much attention to Fang Li, thinking that he was only going for a stroll as usual and would come back by himself in a bit. After all, this fool only stuck to Yuyi-jun’s side.

Just like that, Fang Li arrived at the edge of the campgrounds without a hitch.

The two disciples standing guard by the campgrounds finally did look at him in surprise and attempted to stop Fang Li from leaving, saying, “Young Master Fang, please return quickly. It’s very dangerous outside.”

But as soon as they met Fang Li’s eyes, they sank into a daze, standing there blankly, allowing Fang Li to walk leisurely past them.

After a long time, the two came back to their senses and scratched their heads. “What happened just now? Nobody came here, did they?”

At the same time, a few hundred meters away in the main tent, Xie Huai suddenly stood up.

Qi Ding and the others were just in the middle of arguing over how to launch the attack. Seeing Xie Huai stand up, they said with surprise, “Yuyi-jun, what is it?”

Xie Huai said impassively, “Go ahead and discuss. I have a little business, I’ll be right back.”

………………………

Fang Li touched his storage ring. Thank goodness he’d taken a trip to the treasure vault back then, or else he wouldn’t have a penny to his name, and even if he wanted to see Wu Yimei right now, it would be difficult.

Fang Li successfully found a poison-repelling pill and took it. This was a poison-repelling pill that Wu Yimei had personally refined, so it would be more than enough to guard against Wu Yimei’s poison. Aside from that, he also found a flying device and forcefully sent in some spiritual energy to activate it. In the blink of an eye, it swept toward the black mist enveloping the Ghost Abyss like a streak of light.

The poisonous miasma that normal people couldn’t even get close to and would be deadly if they so much as touched it didn’t have the slightest effect on Fang Li. He traveled unhindered the entire way, arriving at a tall precipice.

Below the precipice was a deep ravine, so dark that the bottom couldn’t be seen. It looked like it had been split open by a blade, and the inside was deathly silent and grave like a hellish abyss.

Fang Li’s face didn’t even twitch as he flew into it.

He landed softly on the ground, narrowing his eyes minutely. Before his eyes was a killing array composed from stone. It looked like Wu Yimei’s handiwork, but he was also very clear on how this killing array worked, so naturally, it couldn’t stop him. He walked easily past it.

Beyond this killing array was a sprawl of buildings, eerie and dark, very fitting for the style of demonic cultivators……

Fang Li hid himself and snuck inside. Listening to the conversations of the patrolling demonic cultivators, he quickly confirmed where Wu Yimei lived. It was said that after Wu Yimei had returned some few days ago, he’d been in closed door cultivation inside his dwelling the whole time, which matched up with when Wu Yimei had been injured.

Inside the cavern dwelling.

The ominous man’s face was ghastly pale without a trace of blood. Before him was a whip that had been split in two. His eyes were shut tight as he circulated his energy to treat his injuries, but his injuries this time were heavier than before, and it looked like he wouldn’t be able to recover completely for at least a few months. He recalled what he’d seen that day on Hollow Ridge.

Wu Yimei suddenly opened his eyes and threw up a mouthful of blood, full of loathing at his inability to kill Xie Huai!

His dark red eyes were full of hatred when his expression suddenly sharpened and looked coldly at the door.

The stone door was pushed open.

Who would dare to disturb him without his permission?

Moreover, there was a barrier at the entrance of his dwelling, so why hadn’t he discovered that someone had barged in at all?

Poisoned needles instantly appeared at Wu Yimei’s fingertips. Just as he was about to strike, he saw a young man walk slowly and unhurriedly inside.

The young man’s posture was languid and carefree, strolling as leisurely as if in his own courtyard. He gave Wu Yimei a shallow smile. This person—was precisely the unknown young man he’d seen in the demonic palace at Hollow Ridge.

In the blink of an eye, Wu Yimei was startled into a daze.

A bizarre yet unbelievable feeling suddenly arose from the depths of his heart. This person, just who was he……

In the time that it took for him to fall into a daze, the young man waved his hand, and the Soul-Refining Tower by Wu Yimei’s chest flew into the young man’s hand, obediently spinning in his palm, as if it had returned to its master’s arms.

The young man smiled faintly at him and said, “This lord told you, as long as you’re alive, there will be a day we meet again.”