Dreaming of Gathering the Stars

Dreaming of Gathering the Stars

Under a clear night sky strewn with stars, Chen Ye quietly climbed the hillside and gazed up at the brilliant, boundless galaxy.

"Master, I'm going to Cui County."

Chen Ye's sudden words struck like a bolt of thunder. Mo Ci's soul shuddered, and he couldn't help cursing, "You ungrateful disciple, have you gone mad?"

A madman was currently impersonating a cultivator from the Qinghe Sword Sect in Cui County, gathering boys and girls everywhere. Anyone with eyes could tell this was a sinister trick of the demonic path. Any demon who could use young boys and girls to cultivate had to be far stronger than Chen Ye, with unfathomable cultivation.

What's more, that streak of Qinghe sword light that had flashed across the sky like a startled swan days ago had clearly been racing toward Cui County. Right now, the righteous and demonic paths were converging there, stirring up a storm. Though they hadn't yet come to blows, Cui County had become a pot of soup on the verge of boiling over—fraught with danger.

If Chen Ye, a greenhorn little shrimp, barged in, he'd probably only add a little "seasoning" to the pot.

Chen Ye calmly explained, "Master, though I've overcome the problem of the Beast Blood Pill driving people mad, its medicinal effects have taken a severe hit, reduced by more than half. I need several times as many pills now. Even if I slaughtered every beast on these nearby mountains, I still might not gather enough."

Beast Blood Pills were already weak in effect, nowhere near a match for pills refined with human blood. Now, whenever the remnant souls escaped, they carried away most of the spiritual energy in the pills as well. The pills had barely a tenth of their potency left and were practically useless.

Chen Ye now fully understood why no one in the demonic sects had ever bothered to study a problem that seemed solvable. Thinking back, even if some senior expert had figured out the same method, they likely found it far too inefficient. Compared to killing people and using their blood to cultivate, it took far too much time and effort, so it had never made it into the demonic sect's records.

Whatever the reason, hunting in these mountains alone would never meet his needs.

Mo Ci snorted. "And what does that have to do with you going to Cui County?"

Chen Ye lifted his chin slightly and gazed into the distance. "Cui County may only be a county seat, but it's the most prosperous city in this region, and it sits at the confluence of three great rivers. Trade flourishes there, and the population is dense, so there must be livestock in abundance. I asked Zhao Hezhou about it. Many of Cui County's big landowners are wealthy merchants in the hide trade, with herds of cattle and sheep at home. Master, I urgently need a great deal of beast blood to refine pills. As far as I can see, Cui County is the only place where I can find it."

Mo Ci was speechless for a moment. The path of cultivation was full of thorns and countless hardships; a lack of resources was one of the most common obstacles.

Still, Mo Ci warned him anxiously, "If you run into a cultivator from the Qinghe Sword Sect and your identity is exposed even a little, you're dead for sure."

Chen Ye's lips curved into a confident smile. "Don't worry, Master. I'm only at the Qiling Realm. As long as I don't reveal the demonic techniques I've learned, and since I've never done anything evil, even if a cultivator from the Qinghe Sword Sect sees me, they won't immediately summon a flying sword to chop off my head."

Most righteous cultivators preferred to live apart from the world, free of desire, and devote themselves to quiet cultivation. Though every sect had its own ways, they all had to abide by one common line of justice: above all, they could not indiscriminately kill the innocent.

If someone casually branded another a demon and killed them, then got found out and caught later, they'd truly be treated as a demon and eliminated.

Ordinary people might be easy to fool, but how could the Heart-Questioning Technique of a righteous expert be so easily deceived?

Setting aside lesser heretical sects, disciples of today's renowned righteous sects had to undergo regular heart-questioning ceremonies to ensure they hadn't strayed onto the demonic path.

Any misstep in their daily conduct would be impossible to hide from the heavens. That was why righteous cultivators from great sects rarely committed crimes in a fit of pique.

Mo Ci snorted again and said to Chen Ye, "If you take me with you, this Ten Thousand Soul Banner will be ironclad proof that you're a demonic cultivator. With your meager disguise skills, you may not fool the Qinghe Sword Sect's sword-sense. You're not really planning to toss me out as a token of your loyalty, are you?"

"Master, listen to yourself. I was only joking earlier. Don't hold a grudge against your old disciple." Chen Ye answered with a grin.

"Hmph. Then what exactly are you planning?"

Mo Ci knew his disciple was clever and quick-witted; he wouldn't go throw his life away for no reason. But no matter how hard Mo Ci racked his brains, he couldn't figure out how Chen Ye could possibly deceive those sword cultivators from the Qinghe Sword Sect.

The Qinghe Sword Sect was the greatest sword sect in the world today. Back then, Mo Ci had gone to every length to conceal himself, hiding as thoroughly as he could. And yet the other party had sensed him from afar with their sword intent, then sent a fierce streak of sword light slashing toward him, nearly sending his soul to the afterlife.

That extraordinary power, capable of breaking ten thousand techniques with a single sword, was overbearing and terrifying.

But Mo Ci never expected Chen Ye's next answer to astonish him even more than the last.

"Master, I know I can't hide the Ten Thousand Soul Banner perfectly. So I'm afraid we'll have to part ways for a while."

Mo Ci's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly called out, "You ungrateful disciple, what did you say? Are you planning to abandon your master?!"

Mo Ci was currently hiding inside the Ten Thousand Soul Banner. In name, he could come and go freely, without much restraint. But his soul was so fragile that saying a gust of wind could scatter it was no exaggeration. If he left the protection of the banner, his soul would vanish in an instant.

If Chen Ye didn't take him to Cui County, was he going to leave him in this desolate shrine in the wilderness? How was that any different from killing him outright? Had this ungrateful disciple finally revealed the cold, heartless nature of a demonic sect disciple?

Chen Ye looked at the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, his expression earnest. "Master, I'd never be cruel enough to leave you out here in the wilderness. You know Zhao Hezhou and his family of three. They're all honest, decent people. I plan to entrust you to them. Zhao Hezhou's family can't live as mountain hermits forever. I'll persuade them to settle in a county in the south and have them honor you properly.

"Master, though you're terribly weak now, protecting this family of three and helping them return to a peaceful life shouldn't be difficult. Once my cultivation is strong enough, I'll come find you."

After hearing him out, Mo Ci wanted to refuse at once, but the words died on his lips. Instead, he said, "Are you really going to risk it? Cui County may not be the only place in the world where you can find plenty of livestock. We could travel farther, master and disciple together. You're still young. Losing three or five years is nothing."

Chen Ye didn't answer at once. He quietly gazed at the starry sky. After a long while, he slowly shook his head, his voice firm. "Master, if I lose three or five years this time, there's no telling if I'll lose another seven or eight next time. I may look young, but how much of my lifespan can I afford to waste?

"I want to knock on the gates of immortality. I want to gather the stars and rivers into my dreams, free beneath heaven and earth. I won't stop my cultivation for anyone, even if that person is the master who taught me.

"Master, I'll condense my dantian qi sea in the shortest time possible, then climb step by step to the very peak of cultivation. I have to go to Cui County."

Mo Ci fell silent for a long time, as though accepting this parting.

Chen Ye was about to offer a few words of comfort when Mo Ci said, "You're a greenhorn little demon. You're not ready to leave your master yet."

As soon as he finished speaking, countless strands of black qi surged out of the Ten Thousand Soul Banner and were swept away by the mountain wind in an instant.

Chen Ye was stunned. "Master! Why did you scatter all your cultivation?!"

"I've now dispersed all my demonic power. With a little concealment, I'll look like a magic treasure that's developed a spirit of its own, not a demon reincarnated. Unless someone searches my soul, even the head of the Qinghe Sword Sect won't see through it."

Mo Ci sounded rather pleased with himself, but his voice was exceedingly weak.

"But then, Master, you..."

"Yes. With this, the Ten Thousand Soul Banner can keep me alive for three more years at most."

Chen Ye couldn't help snapping, "Master, are you tired of living? What was the point of all my hard work refining the Ten Thousand Soul Banner for you?!"

Mo Ci scoffed. "I was going to die anyway. It makes no difference whether it happens sooner or later. Didn't you say you wanted to become an immortal? If you can reach the Dao Integration Realm in three years, then there's still hope for me."

Chen Ye shook his head helplessly. "You might as well ask me to become an immortal in three years."

Dao Integration was the last great hurdle before immortality. Once one crossed it, ascending to become an immortal was just around the corner. Reaching Dao Integration in three years was practically the same as becoming an immortal in three years.

Mo Ci mocked him. "What happened to all that ambition from just now? If you're already discouraged, why cultivate at all?"

Chen Ye knew it was reverse psychology, but he couldn't help agreeing. "I may not be able to become an immortal in three years, but within three years, your disciple will definitely find a way to save you."

"Foolish boy. Condense your qi sea before you start bragging. I'm going to sleep. If I weren't about to die, I'd tell you not to disturb me."

Mo Ci's voice faded away. The Ten Thousand Soul Banner was now like a scrap of cloth, with not a trace of its former wonder.

Chen Ye looked up at the radiant galaxy and said nothing more.