The Old Devil and the Little Devil

Chapter 28: The Old Devil and the Little Devil

Magic treasures, spells, talismans, formations... for a cultivator, they are essentially the same.

The foundations of the Heavenly Dao were set long ago: Yin and Yang are divided, the Five Elements are complete, and all things in the world exist within them.

Heaven and Earth are the canvas, while spiritual energy is the pigment.

Whether it is hexagrams, runes, or witchcraft incantations, they are all ways for a cultivator to paint with spiritual energy.

The basic colors are all here; what kind of picture one can paint depends entirely on one's own ability.

The reason spells are difficult to practice is that they require painting in the void.

Spiritual energy is naturally ethereal and formless, making it extremely difficult to sketch into shape with a wave of the hand. It is manageable if one focuses all their attention on careful control, but in the midst of a battle, it is a struggle of life and death, where the slightest error is the difference between survival and demise.

Therefore, one must be not only fast but also accurate.

This Immobilization Curse is not inherently complex, consisting of only seventeen runes in total, but painting them in the void with both speed and accuracy is no easy task.

Chen Ye followed the records in the scripture, using the spiritual energy within his body to carve the runes, but before the first rune was even finished, the spiritual energy he had placed earlier had already dissipated.

This was expected; spells are not so easily mastered. Without years of practice, one cannot achieve proficiency, which is why cultivators rarely throw out a mess of random spells during combat.

Those that can actually be used are likely only three or five. High-level cultivators have longer lifespans and master more spells, but they mostly rely on the ones they are most proficient with.

Chen Ye was neither impatient nor slack; he maintained a calm state of mind, practicing as he walked, and surprisingly, he made progress quite quickly.

Several hours passed, and from not being able to finish a single rune, he could now complete two in succession—a clear improvement.

However, he did not know what he was doing wrong; whenever Chen Ye practiced this Immobilization Curse, he always felt his Dantian Qi Sea being affected.

As his spiritual energy was consumed, the Qi Sea would rotate at varying speeds.

According to what Mo Ci had taught, once the Qi Sea is formed, it is very difficult to influence it through external forces. The Qi Sea completes one cycle, absorbing a portion of spiritual energy; as the energy merges into it, the Qi Sea grows stronger, and this repeats.

Later on, one cycle of the Qi Sea might absorb ten or a hundred times the spiritual energy; this is how one cultivates in the Qi Sea Realm.

A few rare treasures can shorten this process, but most rogue cultivators can only endure the passage of time to accumulate energy slowly.

Without the aid of medicinal pills, logically speaking, for a Qi Sea Realm cultivator to reach the peak, it takes thirty years at the fastest and a hundred years at the slowest.

It is extremely difficult to use one's intent to drive the rotation of the Qi Sea; only major sects possess such secret techniques. It is rumored that the famous Qinghe Sword Art has a method to accelerate cultivation, and that the original Qinghe Sect Leader went from the Qiling Realm to the Tongxuan Realm in only half a year.

Su Chunyi is at least in the Tongxuan Realm, and judging by her appearance, she is not some hundreds-of-years-old elder; she must rely on either secret techniques or pills, which is truly enviable.

But Mo Ci is just a rogue cultivator who knows nothing of such secret techniques, and naturally, Chen Ye does not either.

If a cultivator finds a place with good Feng Shui and goes into seclusion for decades, ignoring the outside world and not consuming spiritual energy, then it would naturally be faster. If one is like Chen Ye, practicing both magic treasures and spells, there is no telling how many years will be squandered.

However, sharpening the axe does not delay the work of cutting wood. Once one has mastered the means of combat, as long as one can seize suitable treasures, one can fire up the furnace to refine pills; taking pills to cultivate is much faster than quiet meditation.

As for how to choose, it all depends on the individual.

Chen Ye would definitely choose to take pills, because no matter how good one's talent is, simply grinding away time will never lead to the realm of Dao Integration and longevity.

In any case, one will have to fight others for treasures sooner or later, so he might as well practice more now, lest he be unable to win later and can only watch others take pills and ascend in envy.

And this Immobilization Curse is truly strange; it is difficult for a cultivator to actively urge the Qi Sea to absorb spiritual energy, yet painting a few runes makes his Qi Sea rotate at erratic speeds?

Although the change is not obvious, it is at least useful. If he could figure out the principle, wouldn't he be able to make it fast or slow whenever he wanted?

Is this not a secret technique that acts upon the soul? How is this happening?

Although Chen Ye had read many books, he could not figure it out for the moment and could only continue practicing, intending to ponder it carefully later.

Distracted by these thoughts, Chen Ye had already descended the mountain and was walking along the path.

Practicing as he walked, Chen Ye did not feel bored; on the contrary, he found some joy in it.

Before he knew it, he had arrived at the gates of Cui County again.

It had been several days since he left Cui County. Previously, Chen Ye had deliberately let Su Chunyi withdraw her illusion, allowing him to ride his sword light into the high sky in full view of everyone. There were many onlookers at the teahouse at the time, and after so many days, he imagined that the story of the immortal riding a sword had already spread in dozens of versions.

Returning to Cui County now, he should be able to successfully infiltrate the circles of the powerful, making his investigation much more convenient.

This bustling county town was always filled with heavy traffic, but today, something felt off.

Chen Ye looked around and discovered that the guards at the gate had doubled, and the frequency of patrolling horsemen had increased.

By the time Chen Ye approached the gate, his appearance as a young Daoist holding a black-and-white long banner was quite conspicuous, and soldiers immediately began tracking his every move.

Chen Ye did not avoid them; instead, he walked over with a smile, wanting to inquire.

The soldier had originally been looking at Chen Ye with a vigilant gaze, but when Chen Ye approached and he saw his face clearly, his eyes went blank for a moment, as if he had seen something incredible.

Chen Ye noticed his expression and immediately felt that something was wrong.

He flicked the long banner to block the man's line of sight, and by the time the banner moved away, Chen Ye had already wrapped his face tightly, leaving only his eyes exposed.

The soldier finally came to his senses, but he still stared at Chen Ye in disbelief, as if trying to confirm whether what he had just seen was real.

Chen Ye thought to himself: Master said I should cover my face; it seems she wasn't joking. But what exactly is wrong with my face?

Seeing the soldier looking him up and down, as if he were about to lift his face mask, Chen Ye quickly slipped him a few pieces of silver and asked, "This officer, this humble Daoist is new to your esteemed territory. With the defenses of Cui County so tight, has something major happened?"

Perhaps feeling the weight in his hand, the soldier, though still puzzled, whispered to Chen Ye, "Princess Hongyu is about to arrive, and we are all here to welcome her phoenix carriage. If you want to enter the city, do it quickly. We don't know when the Princess will arrive; once the messenger arrives, the city gates will be closed to all idlers."

"Princess Hongyu?"

Chen Ye remembered this name; the reason Cui County was exceptionally wealthy was that it was the fief of Princess Hongyu. However, that princess was still young and had always lived deep within the imperial palace.

Why would Princess Hongyu come to her own fief at such a critical and turbulent time?

Could it be that the forced conscription of young boys and girls was truly related to the imperial court?

Chen Ye dared not linger; he lowered his head, blended into the crowd, and walked into Cui County.

Moving forward, Chen Ye soon arrived at the teahouse he had visited earlier.

When Chen Ye left before, he had deliberately left a bundle behind. There were no special treasures inside; Chen Ye simply wanted the teahouse owner to remember him, to remember the sight of him and Su Chunyi riding sword light into the blue sky.

Returning now, retrieving the bundle was a ruse; verifying his own fame was the true goal.

But to verify this, he would likely have to show his face.

"What exactly is going on with my face?"

Chen Ye dared not act recklessly. He first bought a mirror, then found a secluded corner, removed his mask, and carefully examined his appearance.

Chen Ye stared for a long time, only to frown and reach a conclusion: "Still as handsome as ever."

In Chen Ye's view, a few days of sleeping in the wilderness had not made him any different, and his features had not changed at all.

Helpless, Chen Ye shook the long banner and called out, "Master, wake up! What exactly is going on with my face?"

Mo Ci seemed to have been annoyed into consciousness by Chen Ye and couldn't help but curse, "You wicked disciple, your master is nearly dead, and you won't even let me sleep in peace!"

"Master, you said it yourself—at this point, it doesn't make much difference whether you sleep or not."

Mo Ci raged, "You unfilial, treacherous disciple! If my cultivation were still intact, I would definitely refine your soul!"

Chen Ye didn't fall for that; he wasn't the one currently inside the Ten Thousand Soul Banner.

"Master, why can't you just say what you need to say in one sentence instead of being so secretive? If you had just explained it clearly, I wouldn't have had to wake you up. Hurry and tell me what's wrong with my face. I don't see any issues, but the way others look at me is very strange."

Hearing this, Mo Ci laughed heartily, "You brat, I told you to wear a mask, but you wouldn't listen. Now you've run into trouble, haven't you?"

Chen Ye quickly said, "Master, stop playing games. It would be better to just tell me straight, and then you can go back to your nap."

"Hmph, you didn't listen to your master's words, you deserve it." Although Mo Ci mocked him, he still explained to Chen Ye, "You have just condensed your Sea of Qi, and spiritual energy is naturally gathering, seeping into your limbs, bones, and even your skin and hair, constantly cleansing your marrow.

"Mortals cannot see spiritual energy, but because your mortal shell is constantly being baptized by it, you appear to them as if you are glowing. Not only that, but the turbid air you exhale during this cleansing process also contains residual spiritual energy. Ordinary people cannot smell this scent, but as soon as they inhale it, they naturally develop a sense of affection toward you.

"If your appearance were unremarkable, it wouldn't matter much; at most, you would just seem to have a more ethereal, immortal air. But your face... it truly possesses the charm I had in my youth, so the bewitching effect is particularly obvious. When ordinary people see you, they feel as if a god has descended to earth, and they are unable to forget you for the rest of their lives.

"If you encounter a woman with a weak will or a fragile spirit, you only need to get close and smile at her, and she will be completely infatuated and obey your every command. Many demonic sects use methods of 'plucking yin to replenish yang' that are especially effective during the Qi Condensation realm. Once your physical body finishes tempering, this glow will vanish, this fragrance will fade, and if you want to bewitch others then, you will have to use actual spells."

Chen Ye was shocked to hear this. Isn't this just a beauty filter? No, it's not just a filter; it even comes with a built-in bewitching body scent.

Chen Ye asked again, "Master, how long will this situation last?"

Mo Ci replied, "You are of the Pure Yang Body, and you are young with few impurities in your body, so it will last at most a month."

Chen Ye pondered, "A month, then? That should be enough."

This brat, what kind of devious scheme is he cooking up again?