ffsc_61

Chapter 61: Where to Bite

Draped in that ink-and-gold robe, the young talisman cultivator's figure looked sword-straight, ethereal as an immortal descended into the mortal world.

Beneath his high-bound black hair, a pair of sharp, dark eyes looked down over the land, gleaming with the cold light of talismans.

Under that vast, overwhelming majesty, all three thousand talents were pressed down, unable to lift their heads, and every talisman cultivator present was stunned to discover—none of their talismans would activate, each one losing its power the instant it was drawn!

It was as though, in this moment, in this world, all talismans under heaven answered to that one black-robed cultivator alone—as if he himself were the true master of the talisman path.

Cang Shun lay on Chen Moqing's shoulder, tail swaying gently, eyes fixed unblinking on that profile looking down over the world below.

The Sun-Moon Sky Suspension Talisman—every talisman in the world transformed into the unreachable sun and moon, and he himself became the vast sky towering above even those.

With this talisman unleashed, the talisman path of this world recognized only him.

This was the might of the Nine Thousand Prefectures' foremost talisman cultivator of the younger generation!

"Who is he really?!"

"Such a terrifying presence! I've never seen a talisman cultivator like this in my life!"

Many of the talents looked up at that ink-and-gold robed figure, hearts shaken to their core, some even losing the courage to resist.

At the edge of the valley, a sword cultivator in white bit down on the tip of his tongue, the sharp pain jolting his body and briefly breaking him free of that mountain-and-sea-like pressure. His divine sense stirred, and an ancient bronze bell rose suspended in the air, ringing out violently.

"Tianshu Sect disciples! Form the Big Dipper Sky-Plucking Array!"

The ancient bell's toll, carried by his furious shout, pierced straight through everyone's spiritual sea. The remaining Tianshu Sect cultivators' eyes sharpened at once, as if the bell had swept the chaos from their minds, snapping them back to clarity one by one.

Cang Shun glanced over—a sixth-grade peak treasure, capable of helping cultivators keep their divine sense clear, unaffected by overwhelming pressure.

"Much obliged, Senior Brother Moqi!"

"Senior Brother Moqi, please serve as the array's core, help us strike him down!"

The sword cultivator bearing the ancient bell stepped forward, sword-light bursting into flight. "Of course!"

With him at the center, every Tianshu Sect disciple drew their swords, sword-light filling the sky and splitting the valley apart, converging into a clear, rushing river of light, gathering into the shimmering form of the Big Dipper's seven stars.

Big Dipper Sky-Plucking—a sword array renowned across the Nine Thousand Prefectures, one that generations of Tianshu Sect disciples had used to suppress countless enemies, unstoppable wherever it struck!

Wanju Bubai raised his eyes, gazing without a trace of fear at that figure standing tall in the sky like the lord of mountains and rivers, fighting spirit blazing in his gaze.

This sword array—his generation of fellow disciples had drilled it over and over, who knew how many hundreds of thousands of times, until it was second nature to them!

Once, they had used this very array to spar against that Chen Moqing—the so-called foremost talent of Tianshu Sect's younger generation—and even he had been trapped within their combined Big Dipper Sky-Plucking Array for the time it took to drink several cups of tea!

"Not even Chen Moqing could break this array!"

Sword-light roared and surged into the sky as Wanju Bubai thrust his blade forward, aiming to strike down the powerful enemy before him!

"Do you dare face it!"

Even at Deity Transformation, what could one man alone do against the bond forged by dozens of his generation's fellow disciples!

This was the foundation of the great Tianshu Sect, the magnificent victory their brothers and sisters had written together, hand in hand!

In that moment, every Tianshu Sect disciple cried out as one in their hearts, united in mind and purpose, the vast sword array rising up from the earth, ten thousand sharp sword intents transforming into blazing meteors, ready to tear through the sky pressing down upon them, ready to let their sword's cry ring out across heaven and earth!

The name of Tianshu—undefeated, unbowed!

Ten thousand swords in the sky pointed as one, their cries sharp and howling—and amid that world-shattering force, a light, easy laugh fell upon the ears of every Tianshu Sect disciple: "Go easy on them, don't take it too seriously."

The ink-and-gold sleeves stirred gently as Chen Moqing raised a slender, well-defined finger and tapped once through the empty air, like an immortal reaching down from afar.

Sword intent turned to meteors, talismans rose like mountains and seas—and mountain and sea crushed the stars beneath them!

Every strand of sword-light filling the sky—shattered, all at once, in a single instant!

Eighty-nine Tianshu Sect disciples fell from the sky like rain, their swords snapped in two, dead on the spot!

The remaining talents: "......"

Heaven and earth fell utterly silent. A light breeze drifted past, and high above, that ink-and-gold robe still billowed freely in the sky.

One strike, shattering the Big Dipper Sky-Plucking Array, cutting down Tianshu Sect!

Every talent on the field looked up at that figure, unable to believe their eyes, not daring to make a sound, one single thought echoing through every mind, what the hell do you even fight that with?!

The vast silver mirrors' sea of clouds churned outside the secret realm, and every great upper-prefecture sect and clan shook at what they saw!

"A single talisman cultivator cut down every sword cultivator in Tianshu Sect?! Have my old eyes finally given out!"

"Not so—not every Tianshu Sect disciple was present. A few are still scattered elsewhere, that Xiao Jibai among them..."

"Who in the world is this person! Which sect trained him, and who brought him into the tournament!"

"What terrifying strength! I dare say even that Chen Moqing back in his day couldn't compare!"

Shenlu Sect shouted loudest of all: "This just proves talisman path stands above all other paths! Unmatched among cultivators at the same stage!"

Aboard the Chu family's light boat, Chu Langtao sat utterly dumbstruck.

So young Liu Yun really had been holding back his strength during his stay with the Chu family! No wonder he'd said, before entering the tournament, that his actions might bring trouble to the Chu family... so this was what he'd meant!

One man had struck down dozens of Tianshu Sect's sword cultivators—and not even through a hard-fought battle, but with an instant kill at the mere raise of a hand! Before the eyes of the entire assembly, he had swept away the reputation of the foremost sect in all the prefectures and ground it beneath his heel!

From this day on, whenever the world spoke of Tianshu Sect, they likely wouldn't think first of that sword path immortal venerable at the peak of Mahayana, nor even of that sword-cultivating prodigy with ten spiritual roots—but of a talisman cultivator who'd risen out of the lower prefectures, who had crushed an entire generation of Tianshu Sect's disciples single-handedly, slaughtering them as easily as stepping on a line of ants!

Ever since those eighty-nine unconscious Tianshu Sect disciples had been ejected from the secret realm, Tianshu Sect's immortal ship had gone utterly, deathly silent. The other great sects and clans held their tongues for only a moment before the discussion boiled over once more.

"Didn't that talent say his name was Liu Yun earlier?"

"What a fine name! Flowing clouds through the vast sky, heaven high and sea wide—truly, the name suits the man!"

"Talisman path mastery this far beyond reason, could he really have twelve talisman path spiritual roots?"

"A prodigy of the talisman path, dazzling enough to shake the very heavens!"

Even with Tianshu Sect's disciples eliminated, the final hundred slots still hadn't been decided, and chaos soon erupted once more within the secret realm—this time, the remaining talents simply avoided the black-and-gold-robed talisman cultivator entirely, each fighting their own battles, leaving him well alone.

Chen Moqing stood at ease amid the battlefield of a thousand, and whenever someone charged at him to attack, he'd simply trade blows with them.

After a few exchanges, he pressed a hand to his chest and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Cang Shun: "......"

In everyone's eyes, the black-robed talent who had moved with such effortless ease this entire time now looked faintly pale, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. The little bird chick on his shoulder hopped in place a couple of times, seeming quite anxious.

"...He looks like he's running out of strength!"

"Let's try taking him together!"

Not a few of the talents joined forces once more, launching a coordinated assault on the black-robed talent. This time, he did indeed seem to struggle somewhat, no longer commanding the whole battlefield as effortlessly as before.

Even as many among them kept falling one after another, the black-robed talent's condition was visibly, unmistakably worsening.

On the viewing platforms, more than a few people found themselves thinking the same thing at once: so it was true, even though he'd struck down Tianshu Sect's disciples in a single blow, it must have come at tremendous cost. That earlier ease and nonchalance had been nothing but a front.

Even so, it was still stunning enough—after all, how could anyone truly hold their own against three thousand talents single-handedly?

In the end, through "Liu Yun's" hard-won, grueling effort, the final hundred slots were decided.

"Congratulations, host. You're one of the hundred."

Xiao Jibai, in his cave: "......"

"This isn't right, is it? Is this seriously a Deity Transformation talisman cultivator?! Did the world get a patch update?! Weren't sword cultivators supposed to be the strongest build?!"

He couldn't hold back a string of curses.

"Keep it up, host. You've got this."

"......"

Xiao Jibai bit down hard on his finger, grinding his teeth. "Good thing he's not that ridiculous after all, coughing up blood by the end there. Mid Deity Transformation stage at most. Beatable!"

His eyes stayed fixed on the empty sky outside. He couldn't tell if it was his imagination, but a moment ago, he could've sworn that black-robed talent had glanced toward the very cave where he was hiding.

"I need a sword!" A sharp glint flashed through Xiao Jibai's eyes.

"You already have a sword, host. The one you redeemed with a hundred years' worth of points."

"No, not that piece of junk. I want one of the finest swords in this entire world!" Xiao Jibai shot to his feet. "With it, I'm certain to win!"

...

At the entrance to the secret realm, the wind swirled and the clouds parted as the hundred talents emerged one by one.

The moment Xiao Jibai's feet touched ground, he vanished without a trace. After him, a black-robed cultivator emerged at an unhurried pace, cradling a round little bird chick.

A crowd of powerful figures flew out at once, surrounding Chen Moqing.

"Young friend, such supreme talent, overpowering ten thousand others! My Longhu Sect happens to be in need of a closed-door disciple!"

"What is your Longhu Sect even worth, stop trying to ruin the boy's future! Young friend, would you consider joining my Shenlu Sect instead? Surely you already know that my Shenlu Sect is the foremost talisman cultivation sect in the Nine Thousand Prefectures..."

The other talents nearby watched, dumbstruck—these upper-sect powers, whom they could barely even get an audience with on ordinary days, were now openly fighting over this one person right at the entrance!

"Everyone, please, a moment's quiet."

A figure parted the crowd, walking directly up to Chen Moqing—dressed in white-and-gold robes, embroidered with flowing patterns encircled by seven stars.

The other sect elders fell silent at the sight of him. The Tianshu Sect elder spoke with an amiable smile: "Young friend, might this old one take a moment to examine you?"

Chen Moqing's expression didn't change. Holding the little snow-white beast with one arm, he extended his other hand. "Please, Elder."

The Tianshu Sect elder chuckled and placed his hand against Chen Moqing's wrist, as if taking his pulse.

Cang Shun narrowed his eyes, fixed on that aged hand.

After a moment, the Tianshu Sect elder withdrew his hand. "Young friend Liu Yun, mid Deity Transformation stage at only three hundred forty years old—truly, the young are to be feared."

His expression remained unchanged, as if he bore no grudge at all over the Tianshu Sect disciples this man had cut down—to anyone watching, it looked like nothing short of the composure befitting a great sect.

"You flatter me," Chen Moqing said, his smile light and easy. "Simple luck, nothing more."

"Young friend is so young already, bound to reach the very peak one day!" Another powerful figure from a different sect elbowed his way forward, laughing heartily. "I wonder, has young friend already taken a spouse?"

Cang Shun, wrapped around Chen Moqing's wrist: "?"

"???"

Chen Moqing calmly pressed a hand over the demon emperor, his voice remaining even in front of the crowd: "There's someone waiting for me back home. We haven't yet held our bonding ceremony."

The moment the words left his mouth, the little snow-white beast in his arms went completely still.

Turning into a furry, fluffy little log.

Once the tournament's preliminary round concluded, it took Chen Moqing half a day to politely decline the crowd of powerful figures' invitations before finally making his way back to an inn in the imperial capital of Zhou, a small log tucked against him.

In the inn's private room, Chen Moqing sat down quietly, letting the little snow-white beast hop about by the door and window, setting up a barrier to seal off the outside world.

Then it scurried back to his side, sitting itself on his lap, tail swishing rapidly, staring up at him unblinking.

Chen Moqing heard a low laugh sound by his ear. The demon emperor said nothing at all, simply gazing at him without looking away, letting out the occasional soft laugh.

Silly little log.

He lowered a finger, and the moment it drew near the little snow-white beast's head, it pounced and caught it.

The fluffy demon emperor claimed his hand for himself, pressing a kiss to his finger, glancing up at him—then, under his gaze, gave his fingertip another light nip.

No force to it, just his teeth resting lightly against the pad of his finger, giving it a small rub.

Chen Moqing thought to himself, why had he taken to biting so much again these past few days.

He fed him a dried fish instead.

Cang Shun finished off the little fish in two or three bites, then hopped up onto Chen Moqing's shoulder, burying his head into the crook of his neck without a word.

He'd said they were bonded mates.

Told to so many people!

The demon emperor mused quietly to himself, ears standing straight up, his long tail lifted high.

Chen Moqing lowered his eyes, watching this little glutinous rice ball nuzzling and butting against him, the corner of his eye lifting faintly, about to say something—

The little snow-white beast gave a light bite to the back of his neck.

No force behind it at all, just catching a small patch of pale skin at the nape of his neck between his teeth, holding on like a grown beast of prey clamping down on its favorite catch, refusing to let go, tail swishing.

Chen Moqing: "......"

If he was already bold enough to bite him now, once they were dual cultivating together later, he'd only grow bolder still.

He calmly lifted this little troublemaking ball of fluff up by the scruff, tossing it lightly aside.

Over toward the head of the bed.

He pulled the blanket over, laying it neatly down the middle between them, marking a clean line of division.

"No crossing over. Separate beds for the next half hour."

Cang Shun, sitting alone and forlorn atop the pillow: "...?"

"???"

Previous | TOC | Next