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Chapter 48: The Demon Emperor Left Behind

The footsteps behind them suddenly grew one lighter, and the boy and girl quietly turned back to look.

The young cultivator in white had a calm, indifferent expression, while a fluffy little ball of fur lay sprawled across his arm, mewling as it clung tightly to his fingers, refusing to let go with its paws.

"Whoa, it's a transformation!"

The boy and girl immediately ran over to Chen Moqing's side, their eyes bright as they stared at the fluffy, adorable little beast.

The boy eagerly reached out a hand: "Can I pet it?"

Cang Shun: "?"

The snow-white little beast narrowed its demonic eyes dangerously. Chen Moqing said calmly, "It bites."

"I understand now!" the girl said brightly, "He only likes being petted by you!"

Chen Moqing: "……?"

The snow-white little beast puffed out its chest and pressed itself upward into his palm.

"Chu Shan, Chu Shui, who are you talking to?"

A cold, indifferent voice rang out. The smiles on the boy and girl's faces stiffened, and they immediately turned around.

Before them, a green-robed young man in tightly bound martial attire passed by, his brows knitting slightly as he swept his gaze repeatedly over Chen Moqing and the Demon Emperor in his arms.

Seeing that the young siblings beside him seemed somewhat afraid of the young man, Chen Moqing spoke up on his own: "I am called Liu Yun. I have ties with the young family head and was invited by him to visit the Chu family."

"The young family head—hmph, wherever has he run off to now with nothing better to do, dragging back some country bumpkin from who knows where."

The green-robed young man sneered coldly and turned to leave—

Thud!

Whether his left foot had tripped over his right, the young man went face-first into the ground, sprawling flat like a dog eating dirt.

"…You didn't see that! You saw nothing!"

The green-robed young man cursed loudly, scrambled up in a hurry, and ran off without looking back.

Chen Moqing lowered his eyes slightly.

The snow-white little beast sat on his arm, lazily swishing its tail, tilting its chin up at him.

"Honored guest, please don't take offense at him," said the girl named Chu Shui, tugging at Chen Moqing's sleeve and speaking softly. "His name is Chu Qingya. Twenty years ago his sister passed away, and his temperament changed completely, he's fond of saying cutting things now."

Chen Moqing nodded slightly, unconcerned.

Twenty years ago should have been around the time the Chu family's calamity broke out—when Chu Budu had failed to return in time, causing resentment to take root in the hearts of some within the family.

After this, he also met Chu Budu's mother. Though she was the wife of the Chu family head, her words carried a warmth and kindness.

"This jade token is something my son Budu treasures dearly. That he gifted it to you as a token shows you must both be people of great kindness to him, and thus benefactors of the Chu family as well. Please, do stay in our household for some time."

"Should you wish to cultivate, the Chu family has spiritual springs in several locations. Some within the family's own lands, others elsewhere in Luowu Prefecture. The Chu family's inner treasury also holds a great many treasures; you are welcome to choose freely among them."

Chen Moqing thanked the family head's wife and politely declined her generous invitation to choose treasures from the Chu family's inner treasury, only borrowing a spiritual spring from the Chu family to cultivate in.

Beyond the sandy shoals of Luowu Prefecture, a hundred li from the Chu family estate, lay an oasis brimming with spiritual energy, further shielded by towering natural stone walls that blocked both sand dust and prying eyes.

The Chu family had already promised that this spiritual spring could be borrowed for their cultivation indefinitely, with no need to set a date of return.

The handsome man in black raised his hand and cast down a barrier, enveloping the entire spiritual spring, sealing off passage.

He snapped his fingers, and a fierce wind rose from level ground, carving and shaping the stone wall, fashioning out a cave dwelling where they could settle. As he worked, he chatted idly with Chen Moqing: "This Chu family isn't like those of the Jinwu Sect's sort."

That family head's wife earlier had truly extended her invitation with sincerity—genuine feeling versus false pretense was something told apart at a glance.

Chen Moqing said, "The Chu family has always been renowned for its family conduct. It's said that their ancestor, in the Tribulation Crossing stage, sacrificed the foundation of his own Dao as a youth to save the people of an entire prefecture, and in his later years was unable to fully recover it, which was why he unfortunately perished during his Heavenly Tribulation. In the battle at the Demon Abyss in the past, the Chu family also contributed a great deal of effort."

During the battle at the Demon Abyss, he had once fought shoulder to shoulder with the Chu family head, and had also witnessed that family head willingly take injury upon himself to personally shield a younger junior from a demon beast's fatal blow.

Now, the Chu family head was in closed-door cultivation and unable to receive guests.

Cang Shun snapped his fingers again, and the fierce wind abruptly stopped. He said with a smile, "Our den is ready."

Chen Moqing fell silent.

Atop the towering stone wall was a pockmarked, crooked stone cave, looking exactly like something clawed out by a dog.

He silently turned his head to the side. Beside him, the Demon Emperor tilted his chin up slightly, eyes bright, wearing the look of one waiting to be praised.

All that was missing was a wagging tail.

So Chen Moqing nodded: "Mimi truly is clever with his paws, a work of exquisite craftsmanship."

Behind the Demon Emperor, it seemed a tail had indeed sprouted, wagging rapidly back and forth, his eyes curved with laughter.

Chen Moqing's slender fingers moved, and a rune was completed in a single stroke—in the blink of an eye, wind swept past the stone wall, and the cave that had been pockmarked moments before was now cut smooth and even, all dust swept away, gleaming as if new.

Cang Shun watched that figure in white robes drift lightly down into the stone cave, and blinked.

Well then, he supposed his human was still a bit more impressive.

At the cave entrance, Cang Shun laid down layer upon layer of restrictions, sealing off the aura of heaven and earth, ensuring no one could intrude upon this place and disturb them.

He turned around and saw that Chen Moqing had already settled comfortably onto the stone bed just carved out, his eyes full of smiling warmth as he extended a hand toward him: "Would the Demon Emperor please guard me while I cultivate."

Cang Shun leaned over happily, transforming into one great ball of fluff and pressing against him, stubbornly insisting that his human sit upon him.

【Okay】

Chen Moqing was enveloped in warm, fluffy fur. His divine sense stirred, and a radiant golden cultivation technique appeared before him.

——The Self-Slaying Technique

The brilliant golden light carried an overwhelmingly vast aura of the Dao, one that even felt somewhat familiar—he vaguely suspected that this, too, might be something left behind in the mortal world by the first immortal to ascend to the heavens.

The Self-Slaying Technique, as its name implied, required severing one's already-formed spiritual roots and meridians, cutting away one's own cultivation and reducing oneself to a mere mortal—then, running the technique again, using its unique mental method to temper one's soul and reforge one's body.

If successful, not only would the spiritual roots and meridians be reforged, they would become even sturdier and more solid than before, as though tempered in the furnace of Heavenly Dao, forging an invincible golden body, with one's cultivation also able to return—but if it failed, this life would be reduced to that of a mere mortal, forever severing all possibility of cultivation.

Undoubtedly, this was a grand gamble.

Chen Moqing pondered for a long while, and still felt it was worth staking everything on.

Thanks to the Withered Wood Spring Revival Decree, his body and soul had already been tempered by the Dao of Heaven multiple times. He also had experience with the pain of his spiritual roots and meridians shattering completely.

Even if his cultivation were entirely destroyed, the immortal's decree would still remain his trump card.

And besides…

Chen Moqing tilted his head slightly, gazing at the snow-white fur gently pressing against his palm, meeting those crimson demonic eyes.

Within those focused, clear rubies, his brows and eyes were quietly reflected.

Chen Moqing smiled faintly: "Wait for me to come back."

【Okay】

The Demon Emperor raised his head and gently pressed against the corner of his forehead, nuzzling softly.

Then, without a word, he pressed in close and smothered Chen Moqing's face in fur.

【Just go all in without hesitation】

Your way back, I'll still be here.

Chen Moqing tilted his chin up slightly from within the fur and let out a soft "Mm."

In the silent stone cave, the young cultivator closed his eyes gently, entering full meditation, sealing himself off from the outside world.

Cang Shun lay pressed tightly beside him, his massive body coiled around him like a silently watchful snow mountain.

He did not try to talk Chen Moqing out of it. Though the Self-Slaying path was far too dangerous, he also understood clearly that this young human had been born for the sword path—though his mastery of talismans and arrays transcended the mortal world, it was his swordsmanship that truly stood at the very peak, towering above the universe, illuminating the eternal night of ages.

A hundred years of cultivation, a hundred years wielding the sword—now was the moment for the sword to return.

Within the spiritual sea, Chen Moqing's divine sense sat in silent stillness.

The spiritual sea, shimmering faintly with golden light, lay smooth as a polished mirror, without a single ripple, reflecting the straight, upright line of his back beneath his white robes.

His slender fingers pressed together, transforming into a blade, and pointed at his own dantian.

The Self-Slaying Technique—first, severing the spiritual roots.

Nine strands of talisman path spiritual roots, three severed at once!

The young human's body shook violently, and his moon-white robes were instantly stained with a layer of blood.

Pain, but not yet enough.

In the past, twelve strands of sword path spiritual roots had shattered along with his meridians all at once, every inch of his body scoured to bloody pulp by sword qi. Today's pain could not compare to that day's.

The remaining six strands of spiritual roots, severed all at once as well!

White robes turned red, seeping through with a glaring, dripping crimson. The Demon Emperor suddenly arched his body, his snow-white fur bristling violently, every inch of muscle coiled and taut like rising mountain ridges, his sharp claws driving deep into the ground, leaving behind several terrifying gouges.

A low growl echoed through the stone cave, the very air warping under the Demon Emperor's furious, oppressive might.

In this moment, Cang Shun could not restrain his killing intent at all, his mind echoed with one thought, crystal clear above all else—

He wanted that lofty, high-and-mighty Tianshu Sect to crumble and fall, trampled into mud; he wanted Yu Bai's body shattered to pieces, his sinews torn out, his skin flayed, his bones crushed and scattered to ash!

Chen Moqing could not sense the disturbance in the outside world, nor did he have any mind to. Within the spiritual sea, his divine sense trembled violently, and his fingertip moved slightly.

The Self-Slaying Technique—next, severing the meridians!

Severing his own cultivation!

The once-surging pale-golden spiritual sea rapidly dried up. His spiritual roots utterly shattered, his meridians all severed, his cultivation plummeting from Deity Transformation straight down to Qi Refinement!

He gathered his focus and calmed his breath, maintaining a single thread of clarity even amid the searing pain, immediately circulating the Self-Slaying Technique's mental method—the severed cultivation and spiritual energy did not disperse right away, but instead gathered into a radiant sphere of light, floating beside his divine sense, not yet merging back with him.

If he failed to perfect the Self-Slaying Technique, this cultivation would truly scatter and be lost forever.

His divine sense cracked bit by bit. Chen Moqing raised a pair of bloodshot eyes, their gaze sharp, as though it might pierce straight through the vast sky.

Forging the long road to ascension with flesh and blood alone, climbing upward even until his blood ran dry and his body wore away to nothing!

...

Heaven and earth's spiritual energy gathered thread by thread toward the secluded mountain cave, layer upon layer of restrictions sealing off ten li of land.

The Self-Slaying Technique progressed slowly. Cang Shun never left Chen Moqing's side for even a moment, and in the blink of an eye, twenty days had already passed.

During this time, members of the Chu family had also come to visit. Each time, he simply had his soul leave his body while his true form remained beside Chen Moqing, keeping watch over every movement.

Chu Shan and Chu Shui often ran over, hoping to catch a glimpse of that fluffy little snow-white creature from before—only to find a tall, grim-faced man instead, and they'd scamper off with a yelp. A few days later, they'd come running again to visit that gentle cultivator with the pleasant voice.

Only to be turned away again.

"Stingy!"

Cang Shun: "Go back home."

Chu Budu's mother also came by once, asking Cang Shun about Chu Budu's whereabouts—it was said Chu Budu was still in Qingyue Prefecture and had not yet returned home.

"Budu wants to stay by the side of the one he loves. I understand that too," Chu Budu's mother said with a rueful smile. "That mortal woman raised their child alone for twenty years, it truly wronged her. Once the two of them return together, the Chu family will certainly hold a grand wedding, to make up for what we've owed her all these years."

"When that time comes, we must invite you and your dao companion to attend the ceremony as well."

Cang Shun calmly accepted this, his mind still fixed on Chen Moqing. Beside his true form, the young cultivator remained silently closed-eyed, no longer bleeding, his cultivation entirely dispersed throughout his body, no different now from an ordinary mortal.

Chu Budu's mother then said with a smile, "You and your dao companion truly share deep affection, guarding him without leaving his side even during closed-door cultivation. I'll give the order for the others not to disturb you two."

After Chu Budu's mother left, Cang Shun's soul immediately returned to his true form, quietly watching over the person beside him.

Dao companion.

Among cultivators, when two hearts were as one, it was proper to declare it before heaven and earth, and become dao companions.

If he were to declare it to heaven and earth with him, it would probably summon heavenly lightning down upon them on the spot.

No matter, so what if heaven's wrath came for it. He was going to make him his dao companion, and let everyone in this world know that they were a match made by heaven and earth itself, destined for one another.

…He just didn't know whether he would agree to it?

Even if he did agree, it would probably have to wait until after his revenge was complete.

Well then, he could wait. However long it took, he could wait.

The Demon Emperor lowered his head gently, afraid of pressing down too hard and hurting the young human, only daring to press the softest part of his fur lightly against his cheek, nuzzling him with the utmost care.

His human had not spoken to him in twenty days now, so even a simple gesture like this was enough to make the Demon Emperor happily wag his tail.

After wagging it for a while, he looked at Chen Moqing's pale profile and grew unhappy again, slumping down into one big listless heap, his tail drooping to the ground as well.

The next moment, the Demon Emperor's muscles suddenly tensed.

…It was happening again.

It felt as though a thorn had burrowed into his chest, straight to his heart, sending a sharp, stabbing pain through his chest.

This intermittent stabbing pain in his heart had been growing harder and harder to ignore lately.

Cang Shun glanced instinctively at Chen Moqing, and seeing his eyes still closed, quietly let out a breath of relief, moving silently to one side of the stone cave.

Brilliant demonic markings coiled and swirled, transforming into a furnace, into which countless rare treasures of heaven and earth were cast, each becoming a supplementary material—all for the forging of a single unfinished sword.

The sword lay hidden within its iron embryo, not yet drawn to astonish the world.

Cang Shun raised his hand, and a drop of heart's blood flew out, falling into the furnace, merging into the sword embryo.

The world's second-greatest famous sword, Chenjie, had been forged from an extraordinarily rare immortal iron—across the Nine Thousand Prefectures and ten thousand years, only this single piece had ever emerged, nearly impossible to find anywhere in the world.

The Demon Emperor's fur was already a supreme treasure of heaven and earth. Though his heart's blood was inferior to that one-of-a-kind ten-thousand-year immortal iron, among the myriad spiritual treasures of this world, nothing else could compare to it either.

He wanted to forge the finest sword for this person.

A sword made with his own hands.

The Demon Emperor returned once more to the young human's side, who still sat in silent meditation with eyes closed, and lay down, gently wrapping his tail around that slender waist.

His heart no longer ached.

So he rolled over, shedding fur all over the ground, quite a bit of it sticking to the hem of Chen Moqing's robes.

The fluffy snow-white demonic beast stared silently at the fur scattered across the ground, his gaze slowly drifting upward, coming to rest on the slender fingers resting on Chen Moqing's knee.

His round demonic eyes did not blink, and he shifted a little closer.

He hasn't touched me in so long.

The beast ears atop the Demon Emperor's head drooped slightly, his head lowering, leaning forward a little more, almost close enough to brush against those slender fingers.

No hand carrying a faint fragrance descended upon his head, gently stroking him as it used to.

"……"

The Demon Emperor, his fur somewhat disheveled now, lay back down on the ground.

He wanted to see those beautiful eyes again, to hear those sweet words meant only for him.

He would wait for him—two months, three months, a year, five years… or, if it came to it, five thousand years.

In the dim stone cave, a pair of eyes like rubies glowed quietly, and the massive, beautiful snow-white demonic beast, just as before, kept solitary watch over his human.

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