Chapter 212: Old Grudges

With a faint flash of light, a ripple like water washed over, stirring up layers of undulations.

Instantly, clouds rose and mist swirled upon the mirror's surface, immediately emitting a brilliantly dazzling white beam that surged like galloping thunder and racing lightning, its speed so great it left one no time to dodge!

Seeing this, Xie Yu remained unhurried, as if he had long anticipated this scene; he merely gave the precious mirror in his hand a casual flip, causing the white beam shooting out from the mirror to project from before him, straight down toward the long jade steps below.

In an instant.

The white beam suddenly burst apart like thunder-fire, scattering into countless shimmering fragments, whereupon a strange landscape emerged.

Xie Yu fixed his gaze to observe.

Before his eyes, only blood clouds churned and overturned, covering a hundred li, with endless filthy lightning rumbling loudly; in the blink of an eye, they swept across a hundred zhang.

Within those blood clouds, countless blood-soul demons shrieked and howled, like a multitude of ghosts wailing at the heavens; their various horrific forms made any observer's heart turn cold, unbearable to look upon directly!

Xie Yu frowned slightly, reining in his gaze a fraction; a trace of imperceptible disgust and annoyance flickered in his eyes, then vanished instantly, leaving his expression unchanged.

This scene of entangling blood clouds and unceasing mournful cries lasted for half an hour before finally stopping and slowly subsiding.

"Kept you waiting, Second Brother; however, this True Person intentionally meant to leave you out in the cold—how about it, did you ever imagine today would come? That you, of the legitimate lineage, would end up specially waiting for me? Truly amusing."

Accompanied by a cold sneer.

All the blood clouds instantly contracted, converging into one spot, swallowed into the belly of a youth whose skin resembled an infant's and whose appearance was that of a beautiful woman.

After the filthy blood clouds dispersed, clear sky light suddenly poured in.

The hundred-li region returned to its original bright and beautiful state.

On a bare mountain peak, a handsome youth clad in crimson blood-robes with sleeves embroidered with wildly dancing snakes and dragons slowly retracted his Xue Xuan Gong, returning from meditation.

His eyes were dark and deep, like two bottomless abyssal pools, unfathomable and causing hearts to tremble at the mere sight.

Moreover, at the center of his brow resided a vertical pupil shaped like jade, displaying five colors that shimmered with radiant brilliance.

Though it appeared magnificent and solemn, deep within it actually hid a soaring sense of evil strangeness that lingered long, refusing to dissipate!

"The Yang Demon Wuying Dharma Eye? Congratulations, Xie Rui; you have indeed cultivated this great divine ability, fulfilling your wish..."

Having been left waiting for so long, Xie Yu showed not the slightest anger, his expression blank.

Only when his gaze shifted to the magnificent vertical pupil on the youth's brow did his expression change slightly, becoming unconsciously more solemn as he spoke slowly.

"Yes, I have finally refined this method; refining this Yang Demon Wuying Dharma Eye cost me considerable effort, but with this great divine ability at my side, I can add a few more points of confidence when proving my Dao and forming my Primordial Spirit."

Hearing this, Xie Rui laughed loudly, swept his long sleeves, and spoke.

Amidst this laughter, the Yang Demon Wuying Dharma Eye on his brow seemed to echo him, emitting a sinister, chilling laugh.

Like some living creature possessing intelligence, it greedily cast its gaze upon Xie Yu, who sat cross-legged on the jade bed.

Even though they were separated by a vast distance and not truly in the same room.

Merely being greedily glanced at by this Yang Demon Wuying Dharma Eye caused Xie Yu's blood and qi to stir slightly.

It felt as though his essence and magic power would flow away for nothing, sucked dry and devoured by that evil demonic eye, while a sense of panic and unease arose in his heart, eroding his divine will.

"Truly a demonic evil art..."

Feeling his apertures stir slightly, Xie Yu's heart sank; he secretly circulated his Xue Xuan Gong several times before suppressing all internal abnormalities.

Xie Rui observed these actions of Xie Yu.

He merely twitched the corner of his lips, revealing an enigmatic smile, then slowly withdrew the Yang Demon Wuying Dharma Eye deep into his brow, hiding it from sight, and made no further move.

"Second Brother's Xue Xuan Gong is truly becoming more refined; however, no matter how much probing occurs today, it ultimately remains like scratching an itch through one's boot, unable to bring full satisfaction; I only hope to truly fight you once, for only then would there be infinite joy!"

Xie Rui raised his gaze, landing it on Xie Yu's face, and said.

"Xie Rui, I know you have always harbored resentment regarding past events, feeling unconvinced, but the clan has its own laws and regulations, which neither you nor I can control."

Xie Yu shook his head and said calmly:

"If you wish to contend with me, wait until after Chen Heng is killed and all matters are concluded; then you may naturally come to my door to seek me out, and I, your Second Brother, will personally serve tea to treat you; however..."

At this moment.

Xie Yu fell silent for a brief moment, paused, and then spoke again:

"Observing your current qi mechanism, I fear you are only one step away from forming your Primordial Spirit; judging by the Primordial Spirit Dharma Image you are plotting to cultivate, I, in my current state, fear I am not yet your match..."

Xie Rui was a secret hidden piece placed outside by the Changyou Xie clan; he was sent away from Changyou since early childhood, not allowed to regard himself as a member of the noble family, adopting a foreign surname and receiving special arrangements.

But now,

as time passed and circumstances changed,

the once ignorant young Wusheng Wusheng Tongzi had become a Daoist True Person of the Immortal Path, known by the title "Old Demon Beishan."

Commanding countless evil cultivators and demon ghosts under his banner, ruling over a region, his fierce prestige was awe-inspiring!

And Xie Yu knew

that the reason Xie Rui had requested the cultivation method of the "Yang Demon Wuying Dharma Eye" from the clan was to use this great divine ability as a foundation to cultivate the "Five Cycles Mutual Degeneration" Primordial Spirit Dharma Image!

Therefore:

Heaven has Five Cycles, Earth has Six Qi, giving birth to all things and completing creation.

If humans can know the cycles of Heaven and Earth and utilize the transformative mechanisms of Heaven and Earth to refine arts and nourish life, then their spirit will not decay, and they will achieve immortality without aging!

Among these Primordial Spirit Dharma Images, there are distinctions of four grades: Supreme, Upper, Middle, and Lower.

Once the "Five Cycles Mutual Degeneration" Dharma Image is achieved, it ranks as Upper Grade!

Moreover, even among Upper Grade Dharma Images, it is extraordinary.

Possessing unique aspects, it holds distinct marvels!

At this time,

hearing Xie Yu's words admitting inferiority, subtly showing weakness,

Xie Rui first stared blankly for a moment, then could not help but burst into laughter, clapping his hands and laughing until he bent double:

"Second Brother, oh Second Brother, you truly are a wonderful person, so adept at recognizing the times!

Others say you are narrow-minded, vengeful over the slightest grievance, and lack the nature of a pure gentleman, yet in the face of major clan affairs, you have actually restrained your temper, bowing your head to me, a lowly illegitimate son whom you have always looked down upon; truly, you have put yourself through much trouble.

No wonder the Clan Lord and several Elders hold you in such high regard, Xie Yu; you are truly a thoroughbred scion of the noble clans, always placing the clan's great affairs foremost in your heart.

If one day I come to wield the great power of Changyou, I shall also make great use of you!"

This laughter rumbled loudly, extremely vast and grating to the ears!

Were it not for the prohibitions arrayed around the palace where Xie Yu resides, which can isolate all sound and light, the sea of clouds for several li around would surely boil over as if placed within a soup cauldron.

On the jade bed.

Xie Yu, sitting motionless, flashed his eyes, gave a faint smile, and said:

"Xie Rui, both of us hail from noble clans; the wealth and luxury we enjoy in this life rely entirely on the clan's strength. Even if there was some unpleasantness in the past, with great affairs now before us, we ought to discard old grudges and work together with one heart."

Let us speak no more idle words; having talked this long, the resentment and hatred in your heart should have largely dissipated."

He asked in a deep voice:

"You suddenly summoned me today; what exactly has happened? Could it be that some change has occurred?"

Xie Rui chuckled darkly and shook his head:

"I am merely speaking on behalf of another, coming specifically to ask you one thing... Tomorrow is the time to act; after killing Chen Heng, can we preserve his primordial spirit instead of killing him swiftly?"

"Preserve Chen Heng's primordial spirit, wait... does this mean you specifically intend to humiliate and torture Chen Heng's primordial spirit?"

Xie Yu was slightly surprised; after thinking for a moment, he asked:

"These words—surely Wei Wei Wanhua did not send you to ask this, did she?"

The matter of acting against Chen Heng involved not just the single household of the Changyou Xie clan.

Several other families were also jointly participating in it.

Xie Rui, Wei Wei Wanhua, Liu Liu Zhengyan—

Originally, it was decided that Xie Rui would release a great Sumeru Son of Heaven Demon to entangle Shen Yuan Zhi, preventing him from splitting his attention, after which he would feign a struggle with Xie Yu to drag Xie Yu down as well.

As for the two, Wei Wei Wanhua and Liu Liu Zhengyan, both possessed the cultivation of True Persons of the Immortal Dao.

With these two making their move, dealing with a single Chen Heng,

in the expectation of the noble clans' people,

was truly more than sufficient!

However, Xie Yu knew that unlike Liu Liu Zhengyan and Xie Rui, these two scions of noble clans who had been placed long ago as hidden pieces wandering outside,

Wei Wei Wanhua hailed from the direct lineage of the Fanye Wei clan, a true noble daughter of a prestigious family.

Her status was transcendent, her position extraordinary!

And the reason she was willing to condescend, lowering her stature to act together with these hidden pieces to ambush and kill Chen Heng,

was not because she was instructed by her clan.

It was entirely due to an old grievance from years past with Chen Chen Yushu...

Otherwise, although Wei Wei Wanhua, due to the incident where she helped Wei Wei Lingjiang seek refuge with the Ai clan in those past years, was disliked by Wei Shao, the Clan Lord of the Wei clan, causing friction between the two sides,

yet given the connections and status of Wei Wei Wanhua's branch within the Fanye Wei clan,

even if the Wei Clan Lord wished to deliberately constrain her, it would not be so easy; considering the various forces within the clan, he would inevitably harbor reservations and could not act entirely as he pleased.

Seeing Xie Yu casually speak Wei Wei Wanhua's name, Xie Rui was not at all surprised; he merely sneered coldly and said:

"You truly know well these comrades among the noble clans, understanding quite a bit? Indeed different from me, a lonely soul and wild ghost wandering outside!"

"Among the three acting tomorrow, you and Liu Liu Zhengyan of the Chishuo Liu clan are merely following orders; only Wei Wei Wanhua..."

Xie Yu shook his head, smiling evenly:

"In these past years, Wei Wei Wanhua has already cruelly killed many of Chen Chen Yushu's descendants, not sparing even their primordial spirits, subjecting them to hundreds of tortures until they were utterly exhausted and their lamps dried out before she would cease.

In this matter of ambushing and killing Chen Heng, only she, Wei Wei Wanhua, voluntarily volunteered; for this, she even slightly softened her stance toward the Wei Clan Lord, with whom she had long harbored unpleasantness, just to gain participation, but..."

"Wait, there is one thing I do not understand: why does Wei Wei Wanhua harbor unpleasantness toward the Wei Clan Lord, and what is the story behind this?"

At this moment,

Xie Rui suddenly spoke up to interrupt, saying:

"You also know that after completing this matter, I too shall become an Elder of Changyou, my status not what it was in the past.

Yet since I wandered outside from childhood, I do not know well the stories between the various noble clans; if I expose my ignorance in future conversations, I will inevitably be mocked by others..."

Speaking to this point,

Xie Rui frowned and, with some difficulty, cupped his hands:

"Could you tell me about it?"

"This is hardly any secret; it is merely that the factions of Wei Yin and Wei Shao were in conflict, Wei Yin narrowly lost by one move, not only dying at Wei Shao's hands but also having the position of Clan Lord seized by Wei Shao."

Xie Yu smiled faintly and said:

"After becoming the Wei Clan Lord, Wei Shao originally intended to cut the weeds and dig up the roots, eliminating together Wei Yin's daughter who was born divine, but was blocked by Wei Wei Wanhua, who secretly sent Wei Yin's daughter to seek refuge with the Shangyu Ai clan, thus extinguishing Wei Shao's thoughts."

"Wei Yin's daughter is?"

"Wei Wei Lingjiang, now a true disciple of the Chiming Sect."

"So that is how it is..."

Xie Rui raised an eyebrow, suddenly understanding.

Then he paused briefly and added:

"Then regarding the matter of Chen Heng's primordial spirit, should we grant Wei Wei Wanhua's request? This woman has already asked me several times?"

"It is hard to say, hard to say... For Chen Chen Yushu's other descendants, perhaps, but Chen Heng, after all, is a disciple of the Yu Yu Yuchen Lower Courtyard..."

After pondering for a moment,

Xie Yu said helplessly:

"In this matter, I cannot make the decision either; have Wei Wei Wanhua seek out the true mastermind behind the scenes and listen to his intent!"

"Then let it be so."

Xie Ruiwei shrugged his shoulders and lazily replied with a single sound, clearly showing he did not care much for this response.

Just as he raised his hand, intending to close the communication.

Suddenly.

Xie Yu seemed to remember something and said:

"Oh, right. Within these few days, the Master Qiao clan of Mishan also has their own affairs and will stir up quite a commotion; if you happen to witness it, do not get involved."

"What affair?"

Xie Rui suddenly became interested.

"In recent years, the dispute between Clan Head Master Qiao and Master Mishi Qiao Ding over whether to defect to the Daoxiangzong Sect or to unite and declare independence has become irreconcilable and heated beyond measure."

Xie Yu stated: "Furthermore, Clan Head Master Qiao has repeatedly been humiliated by Master Mishi Qiao Ding, causing all members of his lineage to become furious; after deliberating, several advisors intend to teach Master Mishi Qiao Ding a lesson."

"Master Mishi Qiao Ding? If I recall correctly, that old man is the grandfather of the Two Qiaos... and that Little Master Qiao, Master Seven Qiao Rui, is currently cultivating at the Yu Yu Yuchen Lower Academy? You are telling me that if I see anything, I must not get involved."

"Does this mean Master Seven Qiao Rui is also going to undergo training inside the Liuhuo Liuhuo Honghua Fan Fan Dongtian?"

Xie Rui pondered thoughtfully:

"By 'teach a lesson,' could it be that Clan Head Master Qiao's people intend to kill Master Seven Qiao Rui? Such a move is incredibly bold! Do they not fear Master Mishi Qiao Ding going mad? Do they not fear punishment from Clan Head Master Qiao?"

"Two tigers cannot inhabit the same mountain; as long as Master Mishi Qiao Ding remains alive, the current Clan Head Master Qiao cannot firmly secure his high position. Killing Master Seven Qiao Rui is meant to steel Clan Head Master Qiao's resolve, forcing him to fight Master Mishi Qiao Ding to the bitter end; otherwise, continuing like boiling a frog in warm water will only further bolster Master Mishi Qiao Ding's momentum," Xie Yu said.

"I have heard that Master Seven Qiao Rui possesses national beauty; what a pity. First Chen Heng dies, then Master Seven Qiao Rui dies; your journey to the Fan Fan Dongtian is truly lively..."

Xie Rui chuckled.

Xie Yu said: "Enough idle talk; act tomorrow, and do not make any mistakes."

"A mere Purple Mansion cultivator; even if Jun Yao left him some means for self-protection, I have my own precautions, so you may rest assured!"

Xie Rui narrowed his eyes, lazily cupped his hands, and then closed the communication.

As for Xie Yu, he frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, shook his head, then closed his eyes again, entered meditation, and spoke no further words.

The next day.

Chen Heng, who was sitting in meditation within the hall, was suddenly startled awake by a disturbance; his physical body felt as though his blood were boiling, transmitting a warning intent.

He opened his eyes and thought silently:

"It has come!"

End of Chapter.