Chapter 145

Outside South Wall Town.

A young man in his early twenties, with a double-headed spear split in two and slanted across his back, stood upright and quietly observed the relatively prosperous small town.

Though his attire resembled that of a wandering martial hero, his skin was fair and luminous, his features three-dimensional and harmonious, his jawline delicate, yet he possessed an extremely dignified and graceful appearance.

He also unintentionally exuded a Daoist air of tranquil non-action, casual and lax.

This lifetime, the son of man and demon, Zhuge Liuyun, the righteous path has all kinds of entanglements, the demonic path also has inseparable kin ties; it's rather interesting.

Unfortunately, due to the clash of man-demon bloodlines, I only returned to my true self a year ago; the true diagram is still the same old pit, and there are still about two years until the day of the demonic clash of the seven slaughters.

The spear-bearing youth thought of this, suddenly smiled, and strode into Nanguo Town.

Afterward, he seemed to wander aimlessly around the town, stopping only in front of a clinic named Bingxin Herbal Hall.

Yet the clinic's doctor was neither a kind old man with white hair and beard, nor a middle-aged physician bearing the benevolent demeanor of a healer, but a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl in red robes.

Her features were fresh and beautiful, her brows and eyes deep, her nose bridge high and straight, carrying an aloof chill, and even without makeup she possessed a peerless beauty that could topple cities.

Zhuang Buran walked in openly, found an empty seat in the hall, sat down, and began to close his eyes and nurture his spirit.

The red-clothed girl doing the consultations initially paid no special attention, taking him for just another jianghu client seeking medicine, but after seeing batch after batch of townsfolk come for checkups, she finally realized something was off.

As the sun set westward, it finally came time to close the clinic, and the hall was left with only the spear-bearing youth.

"Your breathing is smooth and strong, indicating profound internal strength." The red-clothed girl walked up to Zhuang Buran:

"Since you have no illness or disaster, why have you come to my hall?"

The spear-bearing youth rose, speaking unhurriedly:

"I am Zhuge Liuyun, and I have come specifically to call off the engagement with my junior sister!"

Yan Hongye's eyes widened slightly, as if recalling something, and she spoke in a tone devoid of emotion:

"You have mistaken the person; I am Sima Hongye, not Yan Hongye, and certainly not your junior sister."

The spear-bearing youth didn't mind, speaking lightly:

"I have been fatherless and motherless since childhood; fortunately, my master Yan Chixia took me in, but at age five he sent me to his grandmaster, the Venerable of Spirit Peak, to study martial arts and Daoist arts, and I have not seen my master or his wife for seventeen years."

"Yet after I came of age, my master daily reminded me that once I completed my training and descended the mountain, I must promptly marry Junior Sister Hongye and bring her home."

"But over these years, the more I think, the more I feel something is wrong; given my master's dignified bearing, even if my master's wife tried her best to salvage things, the daughter she bore."

Yan Hongye's expression turned slightly cold; just as she was about to speak, she heard the spear-bearing youth say again:

"However, upon seeing my junior sister today, I realize I overthought it; her appearance, demeanor, and attire are far better than I imagined."

Zhuang Buran shifted the topic:

"Although my junior sister is extremely beautiful, I still wish to call off the engagement; we are not suited, so please spare me, my senior brother, and spare yourself as well."

Hearing his words twist and turn several times, Yan Hongye truly felt speechless.

If an uninformed bystander only heard her last sentence, they might think she was clinging shamelessly, making her icy jade-like countenance even colder by three degrees.

"I've said it, I am Sima Hongye; the promise Yan Chixia made, you go find him—it has nothing to do with me."

"Precisely because I cannot find him, I have come especially to Bingxin Herbal Hall to seek my junior sister." Zhuang Buran shook his head:

"I have spent not a few years in the Profound Heart Orthodox Sect, and from my grandmaster I have learned much about the seven-lifetime marriage destiny."

"It has been passed down since ancient times that on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month every twenty years, the day of the Lantern Festival, a phenomenon of the Heavenly Demon Clash of the Seven Slaughters appears, luring living beings into demonry."

"And a few hundred years ago, within the righteous and demonic paths, the so-called seven-lifetime resentful couple appeared; that is, on the day of the Heavenly Demon Clash of the Seven Slaughters that occurs every twenty years, the demonic path would rely on the power of the seven-lifetime resentful couple to dominate the human realm, turning it into an endless hell, causing living beings to suffer, and the demonic path would flourish."

"The founder of our Profound Heart Orthodox Sect discovered this seven-lifetime resentful couple: it takes a pair of lovers who love each other unto death, and after experiencing their unwavering love, transforms it into the deepest, most intense hatred."

"After enduring seven lifetimes, one can obtain an ancient, hard-to-find resentment, and thus on the day of the Heavenly Demon Clash of the Seven Slaughters, draw the boundless resentment of the Heavenly Demon Star to overturn the human realm."

"Therefore, a method to counter the seven-lifetime marriage destiny was devised, intending to use the true love of seven lifetimes to restrain the resentment and hatred reborn from the seven-lifetime resentful couple."

Yan Hongye said coldly:

"You know quite a lot, then why are you still coming to call off the engagement?"

"I feel that love is really unreliable." Zhuang Buran adopted a solemn, earnest expression:

"Junior sister, you are still young; never become obsessed with love and romance, for that is the greatest obstacle to our demon-slaying, Dao-upholding mission."

"As for me, I would rather believe in the martial arts and Daoist arts passed down by the Profound Heart Orthodox Sect than in the so-called seven-lifetime marriage destiny; I have heard there is a cultivation technique known only to the sect's successive patriarchs, and once mastered, its power is unmatched, capable of sweeping away all demons and monsters."

Yan Hongye's face grew ever colder:

"Do you wish to cultivate the Profound Heart Marvelous Secret?"

"Yes, unfortunately I cannot learn it from the current sect leader, Jin Guangshou." Zhuang Buran appeared thoughtful:

"I once asked my grandmaster, and also gathered from some members of the Profound Heart Sect, that eighteen years ago the seven-lifetime resentful couple descended into the world; at that time my master led the Profound Heart disciples, and the Six Paths Demon Sovereign led the Yin Moon Dynasty, launching an unprecedented righteous-demonic war."

"Many Profound Heart disciples, because our master felt compassion for the descended seven-lifetime resentful couple and thought he violated the ancestral precepts, had Jin Guangshou, in his capacity as the fifth-generation Inspector Secret Historian, strip him of his sect leader position."

"Afterward, my master and his wife abandoned their swords and retreated into seclusion; thus, Jin Guangshou likely never obtained the Profound Heart Marvelous Secret."

He said this, then shook his head slightly helplessly:

"Even if he had obtained the Profound Heart Marvelous Secret, he would likely not allow me, a former sect leader's disciple, to cultivate it."

"After all, anyone who masters this technique holds a supreme status within the Profound Heart Orthodox Sect, to the extent that even the sect leader must obey him."

"You really want to cultivate the Profound Heart Marvelous Secret?" Yan Hongye said with a cold demeanor:

"Do you also know that this is a martial art that leads to self-destruction?"

"Junior sister, your tone makes it sound as if you have cultivated it yourself."

The spear-bearing youth's words inevitably caused a ripple to appear in the depths of Yan Hongye's eyes.

Immediately, Zhuang Buran adopted a sighing demeanor:

"Over these years, while my martial arts may be top-notch, my cultivation of Daoist arts is utterly lacking."

"Our Profound Heart Orthodox Sect cultivates Daoist arts through the art of talismans; the refined spirit talismans are divided into four major levels—yellow, purple, gold, and blood—and I have only managed to reach the level of the yellow talisman."

"Know that the yellow talisman is the most basic; even entry-level disciples can attain it, to the point that ordinary people can use the spirit talisman, while the purple talisman represents a deeper grasp of the talanic way, enabling one to sense heaven and earth, mobilize the natural forces of heaven and earth for one's own use."

"As for the gold talisman level, aside from the sect leader of the Profound Heart Orthodox Sect, it is mostly the successive Four Generals of the Profound Heart who possess the qualification to break through."

As for the Blood Talisman Realm, I'm afraid only the Founding Ancestor Master has reached it; I've long heard that the Profound Heart Marvelous Secret is the culmination of the Orthodox Profound Heart Sect's martial arts and Daoist methods.

Mastering both the martial arts and Daoist methods of the Orthodox Profound Heart Sect can be called the union of Dao and martial arts.

Yan Hongye got straight to the point:

So, because your Daoist cultivation has been stuck in place, you've set your sights on the Profound Heart Marvelous Secret.

"That's right, besides wanting to call off the engagement, I just want to ask my junior sister about my master's whereabouts." Zhuang Buran said confidently.

Eliminating the Seven Lifetimes of Resentful Lovers and the Yin Moon Dynasty, protecting the righteous path of humanity, has always been the mission of the Profound Heart Sect's disciples; I believe that as long as I find him, he will surely pass on the Profound Heart Marvelous Secret to me.

I don't know.

Yan Hongye suddenly spoke, seeing the spear-bearing youth's slightly stunned expression, she said word by word:

I don't know where Yan Chixia is, and I advise you not to keep thinking about cultivating the Profound Heart Marvelous Secret.

Alright, I've said what I needed to say; you may leave now.

Immediately, the spear-bearing youth lowered his head with a gloomy expression.

In the seventeen years I've been in the Orthodox Profound Heart Sect, although I have had my grandmaster's protection, I still often hear fellow disciples say that my master is a sect traitor.

I often couldn't stand it and would fight them; at first it was fine, relying on my strong martial arts I often beat them until they were lost, but as their Daoist methods grew deeper, I was no longer a match for them.

Therefore, I want to cultivate the Profound Heart Marvelous Secret; besides wanting to fulfill the mission of the Profound Heart Sect's disciples, it's also to save face—this isn't about proving I'm amazing.

But rather to tell those fellow disciples that my master, Yan Chixia, is not a sect traitor.

The more he spoke, the more his expression fell.

Furthermore, after seventeen years of arduous cultivation, I have clearly realized that my martial arts and Daoist methods are utterly unworthy of my junior sister; that is the main reason I want to call off the engagement.

Seeing my junior sister today, I feel even more certain that my decision was correct.

Now my grandmaster has passed away, I don't want to return to the Orthodox Profound Heart Sect, and I can't find my master or mistress; it seems I'm truly a useless, superfluous person.

The spear-bearing youth took steps forward, overwhelmed with sorrow.

Junior sister, I won't disturb you any longer; farewell.

Until someone reached the gate, Yan Hongye finally spoke.

Where do you plan to go?

(End of chapter)