Wei Fayan

Night lay deep over the Gobi, and ghostly winds rose on every side.

Empty-Handed's six streaks of azure Sword Qi came at terrifying speed. Though Xu Xuan maneuvered through the Thunder Marsh surrounding him and dodged three, the remaining three turned toward the spot where he reappeared.

"Just what I wanted."

Xu Xuan steadied his mind. Cinnabar Thunder sang out, and like a general seated at his command dais, he marshaled his forces and directed the molten lightning. Dragonlike bolts rose to meet the azure gleams, shaking ceaselessly as they dissolved them. Still, one streak broke through and sliced Xu Xuan's left arm.

His flood-dragon incarnation was exceptionally tough now. With his opponent yet to unleash a killing move, the wound amounted to little more than a scratch.

Empty-Handed was using an exceptionally sophisticated concealment art. His figure vanished into the night, revealing only a trace of his aura whenever he struck with his sword.

The ox-headed apparition manifested from time to time, intimidating the mind and slowing spiritual perception, but the ancient stele in Xu Xuan's Qi Sea dispelled it every time, leaving it ineffective.

"Again."

Another sword strike finally allowed Xu Xuan to pinpoint his opponent's position. He immediately drove the Marsh-Descending Soaring Dragon Art to its utmost. Relying on his dragon body's toughness, he recklessly expanded the Thunder Marsh around him, determined to settle everything in a single battle.

The surging Thunder Marsh swept Empty-Handed inside, and Xu Xuan immediately shifted to his side. Though the marsh's reach had expanded, it would not last long. He needed to decide the battle within a few exchanges.

Cinnabar Thunder leaped with excitement. Lightning surged through Xu Xuan's hand, and a hazy Violet Aura blossomed at the sword tip—the Great Thunder-Prayer Radiance, wielded through the sword move Great Marsh Cloud-Sink.

He activated the Upper Firmament Thundercloud, transforming the Thunder Marsh into a heavenly prison that locked Empty-Handed firmly in place. He even brought forth the pearl formed from the Light of the Upper Heavens, using its starlight to immobilize him.

Lightning surged, its momentum unending. Once Shock Thunder rose, it neither stopped nor rested. Sword Qi poured down like a waterfall, inexhaustible.

This strike carried almost all of Xu Xuan's essence, energy, and spirit. It was the deadliest move he could currently unleash. He had to defeat his opponent and learn the whereabouts of the Wei Household's descendant.

Empty-Handed's expression changed. With nowhere to dodge, he could only meet it head-on. He immediately invoked a secret art, and countless white bones thrust up from underground, lifting him amid a gleaming white magical light. He flicked a finger, sending an azure gleam surging upward like a bolt of silk. It was a Tin Pellet spinning endlessly.

The Tin Pellet unfolded into a sky-blue flying sword only three inches long. It was a sword pellet after all.

Ghostly winds howled, carrying the flying sword against Cinnabar Thunder. But that azure gleam was far too slight to block the attack in full.

Disaster was about to befall Empty-Handed. Yet he abandoned his defense and aimed the little sword at Xu Xuan's magical body instead, intoning:

"Where is Duxin?"

Lines of writing appeared around the sky-blue sword, and the name Duxin flashed past. Its power initially surged, becoming so intimidating that Xu Xuan felt a chill.

Once aimed at Xu Xuan's body, however, the flying sword's might abruptly plummeted. It wobbled toward him and pierced only a tiny bloody hole in his left chest.

"A false name! You-!"

Empty-Handed roared, but his voice swiftly vanished amid the lightning. Xu Xuan gave him no chance to catch his breath. The sword move struck him squarely, and purple-crimson radiance blazed forth, illuminating the ground.

The gravel was blasted into fine fragments, leaving a deep crater. Empty-Handed lay inside, his magical body scorched black by lightning and riddled like a hornet's nest by Sword Qi. Yet what flowed from him was not blood, but a murky black liquid resembling ink.

Xu Xuan was puzzled, but still stepped forward. He had held back slightly at the very end, so Empty-Handed should have a breath left in him.

"Fellow Daoist, you attacked without a thought for anything else. Have you an explanation?"

Xu Xuan chuckled and pressed his sword against his opponent's brow. A little more force would drive it through.

He had enjoyed something of an advantage in this battle. His opponent's mind-disrupting secret arts were almost useless against him, and in the end, Empty-Handed had been deceived by his assumed name. That was why he had lost.

"You're here looking for someone from the Wei Household, aren't you?"

Empty-Handed's voice was low within the crater. He actually began to laugh.

"Indeed. What entanglement do you have with the Wei Household's descendant, fellow Daoist, that you would target anyone searching for him like this?"

Xu Xuan spoke softly. He had already sealed his opponent's Qi Sea to prevent any surprises. As for the sword pellet, he naturally accepted it with pleasure. He also searched out the man's spatial storage item and glanced through it, finding a few spiritual treasures.

"Heh. Why are so many people looking for that little demon of the Wei Household?"

Empty-Handed burst into laughter, his voice like an old crow's. Xu Xuan ignored it and edged his sword tip forward, saying only:

"You should concern yourself with your own fate first, fellow Daoist. That Wei Household child should be here. Tell me where he's hidden, and I'll spare your life."

Only then did Empty-Handed speak in a subdued voice and give him a location. Xu Xuan did not readily believe him. Instead, he made Empty-Handed get up and lead him there.

After a short walk, they arrived before a cave concealed by an array. Clearly, some effort had gone into hiding it. Empty-Handed opened the array, and only then did Xu Xuan see the scene inside.

A child of about ten stood beside a woman's corpse. Two horns grew from his skull, and his pupils were a bright yellow. Looking somewhat terrified, he wore ragged cloth garments and tightly clutched a stone, both hands stained with blood.

The woman appeared to have been at Middle Fetal Breath. She wore a brocade robe, and a bloody hole had been smashed into her forehead. Her face was filled with disbelief.

"It seems mother and son finally turned against each other. I meant to move him elsewhere, but you held me up."

Empty-Handed sighed softly. The child looked over, a muddy yellow light spilling from his eyes. Looking like a demon, he let out a piercing shriek.

"What exactly is going on with these two?"

The sight unsettled Xu Xuan as well. Something seemed wrong with this descendant of the Wei Household. He did not know whether he could take him away.

"Why exactly are you looking for this Wei Household descendant blessed with the 𫅗 Sheep Fortune? Do you intend to use him for cultivation?"

Empty-Handed asked quietly, and Xu Xuan answered solemnly:

"I have no intention of harming him. On the contrary, I mean to guide him to salvation."

Empty-Handed looked surprised, then began to laugh, mocking him:

"Do you know this child's origins? He gestated for a full ten years. That old man of the Wei Household intended to possess his body, but died one day instead, leaving such Demonic Nature in this world."

"His mother was still dreaming of resurrecting the ancestor. She wanted to use her own son as a vessel, so mother and son slaughtered each other, with scarcely any regard for human bonds. Quite a few people died at their hands along the way."

Looking at the tragedy before him, Xu Xuan fell silent. He had never encountered anything like this.

"What he says is true. The 𫅗 Sheep is an evil beast. It has no admiration for kingly enlightenment, no reverence for immortals or gods. It blasphemes the sages' moral teachings and defies the demon lords' words of spiritual transformation."

Xu Xuan sighed and entered the cave, looking at the child. Ferocity glinted in the boy's eyes, but he feared the aura emanating from Xu Xuan and merely kept growling under his breath, as though he possessed almost no human understanding.

"What's your name?"

Xu Xuan reached out and gently stroked the child's yellow hair. His voice was mild as he tried his best to gain the boy's trust.

The child said nothing. His gaze was fearful, and he suddenly bit Xu Xuan's hand.

Xu Xuan did not evade him. His flood-dragon body was so tough now that ordinary blades could hardly wound it. The child, on the other hand, might as well have bitten iron or stone. Several teeth snapped, and blood flowed from his mouth.

Xu Xuan was still somewhat startled. This Wei Household descendant was only ten, yet his physical strength already approached that of a late Fetal Breath cultivator. He truly was an aberration.

The child turned to flee, roaring, but Xu Xuan seized him by the shoulders and held him immobile.

"I asked you-what is your surname, and what is your name?"

Xu Xuan infused his voice with magical power, making it boom like heavenly thunder. The child had seemed trapped in a nightmare, but now regained a measure of clarity and snarled:

"Wei Fayan."

Xu Xuan nodded and released him.

Empty-Handed looked over with a complicated expression and asked hesitantly:

"You don't truly intend to take this Wei Household descendant away, do you?"

Xu Xuan said nothing. He simply cast a spell to knock Wei Fayan unconscious, then sealed his limbs to keep him from struggling.

"People like you either covet this child's talent for cultivation or think yourselves righteous and wish to reform others. Every last one of you is a fool. You don't even understand that calamity sprouts from the smallest beginnings."

Empty-Handed's mocking voice reached him. Xu Xuan merely buried the woman, picked up Wei Fayan, and said gravely:

"Fellow Daoist Empty-Handed, if you were decisive enough, why didn't you simply kill him? Why drag things out until now?"

Empty-Handed only sighed and murmured:

"He's a child, after all. I've killed plenty of people and thought I could steel my heart, but in the end, my hand still softened. I'm a fool too."

Xu Xuan had no desire to remain entangled with him. He took out several healing pills, set them down, and said in a low voice:

"There was never any grudge between us, fellow Daoist. The seal on your Qi Sea will dissipate in an hour. Let us part here and never meet again."

With that, Xu Xuan left with Wei Fayan, without dealing a killing blow.

Under the dim moonlight, the thief circulated his energy to heal before the cave, ink continually dripping from his body.

An hour later, the seal in his Qi Sea indeed dissipated. Yet Empty-Handed showed no joy. He merely gazed into the distance, filled with emotion.

A woman appeared at the edge of the Gobi. Beautiful and gallant, she wore green and rode a paper donkey, a sword on her back. Her presence was imposing; she was clearly an accomplished Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Clear light flowed over her sword like water in a mountain stream. Its raised patterns and recessed tracery resembled pine grain and ice veins. Its guard was Chi-Dragon-Patterned Jade, and three characters engraved on its hilt read "Ancient Waters." It was actually an Ancient Artifact.

Seeing the newcomer, Empty-Handed felt that his luck today was dreadful enough. He had just sent away one fierce character, and now this woman had come. He dared say little, merely plastering his face with smiles:

"I wondered who it was. So Hidden Lady has come. My little corner of the world is poor. I've nothing to offer you."

Hidden Lady dismounted and exhaled softly. The paper donkey shrank to the size of a fist. The woman wasted no words. Her fine brows knitted, adding a touch of martial spirit to her face, and she asked quietly:

"How did you end up in such a wretched state? Who did you encounter?"

"A skilled fellow came and took the boy away. He should be the one, without a doubt. I'll go join him once I reach Foundation Establishment."

"You'd best hurry. Of all those who left the White Paper Blessed Land, you alone have made the slowest progress. The Gongsun Clan has already boarded the Great Li Song Clan's ship. I've also found an Immortal Dao sect to join, and Jingjing'er has gone to Northern Liao."

"You're all enjoying yourselves, but the decree from the blessed land had me waiting here in the Cloudsunken Desert. The opportunity finally came, yet he hasn't reached Foundation Establishment. I have to keep waiting. Until when?"

Their exchange was cryptic. They seemed to share the same origins, but now held differing views. Hidden Lady took an archaic goat-horn dagger from her robes rather than drawing her sword, and said quietly:

"The blessed land has issued its decree. We need only obey. With the Heavenly Lord above, do you dare defy it?"

Empty-Handed said no more, merely sighing:

"The stage is set. Now we wait to see when the singing begins."

The cold moon shone dimly. Wind and sand rose again over the desert, and the two figures vanished completely.

Meanwhile, Xu Xuan was eager to return to southern Red Cloud. But with another person in tow, he needed to conceal himself somewhat. He dared not travel directly by Wind-Riding, instead choosing small paths.

Several days passed before he finally reached the Li River. Xu Xuan had now concealed Wei Fayan's true appearance with a spell. After spending several days with the child, he truly had a headache.

Wei Fayan was only around ten, but his disposition was extremely vicious, much like a beast's.

Xu Xuan had tested him and found that the child was apparently not devoid of human intelligence. On the contrary, his thoughts were meticulous. Most of the time, however, he could not restrain his bestial nature.

Ever since seeing Xu Xuan take action, he had stopped resisting and become very obedient. He still occasionally enjoyed bloody meat, though, and would swallow wild creatures raw whenever Xu Xuan let his attention slip.

Naturally, Xu Xuan forbade this and began disciplining Wei Fayan, allowing him to eat only cooked food.

At the Li River, Xu Xuan surveyed the surroundings and confirmed that no one was present. He first knocked Wei Fayan unconscious, then transformed into an Azure-Scaled Treasure Carp, swallowed the child in one gulp, and submerged.

At that moment, he felt the ancient seal-script inscription for Goat-Spirit Earth-Nurturing tremble within him, as though about to fly out. A measure of understanding came to Xu Xuan. He even sensed something moving unseen, drawing him involuntarily to Heavenwater to meet Wei Fayan.

Xu Xuan was suspicious, feeling that it was the ancient stele in his Qi Sea at work. As he swam, he told Tiantuo his speculation, but the old demon laughed:

"Since it's an immortal artifact, naturally it has marvelous powers. Perhaps fate ordained that you find a suitable candidate. Don't overthink it."

"Even if an Old Devil fiercer than me were hiding inside this artifact, what of it? Could you resist? The ancient stele hasn't even manifested a spirit yet. Clearly, neither side is interfering with the other. A little Qi Refining cultivator like you should simply accept it in peace."

Xu Xuan stopped dwelling on it and swam straight toward southern Red Cloud. He again reached the place in Green Peaks where the waterways converged. The giant turtle was still there, but the Sow Dragon spirit on its back had vanished, leaving only a band of shrimp soldiers and crab generals.

With no one clearing the waterways, the aquatic creatures collided with one another, leaving everything in chaos.

Xu Xuan swam over and looked. Sure enough, they were the same little demons as last time. Curious, he asked:

"Why is the Sow Dragon nowhere to be seen? Where did he go?"

Seeing that the azure carp from last time had returned, the shrimp soldiers and crab generals were all rather frightened. They hurriedly answered respectfully:

"Reporting to my lord, we heard that the green snake lineage of Jade Flow Demon Mountain was short of hands. Lord Huayu was transferred away, and the Sow Dragon was pressed into service too."

Could this be connected to what happens later? The Demon Calamity involved all kinds of demons. That green snake couldn't have gathered them all alone. Someone must have helped him.

Hearing this, Xu Xuan formed a vague suspicion, but dared say no more. He simply prepared to return to Green Luo first.

Following the Li River, he entered Green Luo. Concealing his form, Xu Xuan swam upstream and slipped into the True Abode Hall.

Finally seeing his original body, Xu Xuan dared not delay. He had Tiantuo watch the surroundings while he activated Six Paths of Rebirth and returned to his own body.

The flood-dragon body revealed its original form and shrank to a finger's length. Xu Xuan stored it inside the Upper Firmament Thundercloud. In truth, he could wield this flood-dragon body as a weapon, but it was far too conspicuous. Naturally, he dared not reveal it.

Wei Fayan had already been spat out. He was drenched from head to toe in flood-dragon saliva.

There was still one urgent matter to resolve, and it made Xu Xuan frown.

How was he to explain Wei Fayan's origins to everyone in the sect?