Page 49

An obsession that ran too deep could harm both body and mind.

But Yin Fan's obsession centered on him... after that matter, if he escaped the Heavenly Dao's restraints, this obsession could be resolved.

Yin Fan leaned against him, breathing steadily. After a moment, he lifted his head slightly, only to freeze abruptly. His fingers touched Wu Fei's eyes. "Senior brother, your eyes..."

At some point, the blood-red color in those eyes had vanished. Yet his now clearly defined black-and-white eyes were not as clear as before, instead revealing a profound darkness.

Yin Fan's heart sank. He knew this did not mean Wu Fei had overcome his inner demon, but that he had fallen deeper into demonic corruption.

Wu Fei smiled without a word. Though he had fallen into demonic corruption, he could hardly go around with two red eyes all the time. He could not help marveling at how many curious things the cultivation world possessed-even something that could change the color of one's eyes.

Naturally, he could not tell Yin Fan this. Holding Yin Fan's wrist, he massaged it with just the right pressure. Rather than explain his eyes, he maintained their intimate position and asked what had happened after he passed out that day.

After recounting what had happened that day, Yin Fan said, "They never saw you fall into demonic corruption, senior brother."

At the time, Wu Fei had collapsed against him with his back to the many sect leaders and the Devil Venerable, so no one besides him and Fu Hong behind him had seen Wu Fei's blood-red eyes.

Hearing this, Wu Fei gave a noncommittal hum. He did not particularly care. What he intended to do next would inevitably let everyone know he had fallen into demonic corruption, so he had nothing to fear even if they had seen.

Then he remembered something, and a cold glint flashed through his eyes. "What about Liu Yuexuan?"

Although there was no conclusive evidence that Liu Yuexuan had awakened her memories from the book, he could not continue letting this ticking time bomb exist.

Yin Fan said, "After she went mad, Qi Gu took her back to the Heavenly Sword Sect. I sent people to investigate. She really has gone mad."

This was within Wu Fei's expectations. Under those circumstances, the Obstruction Devil had absorbed every last bit of Liu Yuexuan's obsession and her seven emotions and six desires. She could only have ended up either witless or mad.

As for that altar...

"Liu Yuexuan mistook the altar."

Wu Fei had seen this in the Obstruction Devil's memories. The altar foretold by the Heavenly Secrets Fate Disc should have been the nine-tiered altar deep beneath the sea, not this seven-tiered one.

Yin Fan realized what he meant. "It was the altar beneath the sea."

The two altars were so similar that Liu Yuexuan had mistaken one for the other.

"That's right. That very altar," Wu Fei said. The nine-tiered altar beneath the sea was the one that could summon something capable of suppressing Yin Fan, while the seven-tiered altar was used to suppress the Obstruction Devil.

Later, he would have to return to the Flame Spirit Realm to destroy that nine-tiered altar...

"Oh, there's one more thing," Yin Fan suddenly said. "Senior brother, do you remember those cultivators who were hunting Fu Hong that day?"

After speaking, he stared intently at Wu Fei, watching his expression.

Wu Fei understood perfectly, but let none of it show. "I remember." Presumably, the measure he had left behind had taken effect.

Sure enough, Yin Fan said, "Who knows what those people encountered, but one after another, they either developed sores in their mouths and on their tongues or started drooling uncontrollably. They looked wretched, and it kept recurring, yet no medicine could cure them."

Hearing this, Wu Fei said casually, "That sounds like retribution for incurring the Karmic Obstruction of Speech."

"The Karmic Obstruction of Speech..." Yin Fan looked at Wu Fei, his gaze shifting slightly. Deep inside, he harbored a guess that made his heart tremble. The Karmic Obstruction of Speech seemed far too much like a Buddhist cultivator's method. Could Wu Fei have done it for him...

He wanted to ask whether this had anything to do with Wu Fei, yet for some reason, a voice deep inside stopped him.

His scattered thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a palm settling gently on his head.

Watching his expression, Wu Fei understood what he was thinking, but offered no explanation. He merely raised his hand and slowly stroked Yin Fan's ink-black hair.

He had indeed left the power of speech karma on those people. If they watched their words and actions afterward, nothing would happen. But if they spoke maliciously, they would suffer karmic retribution. Its severity and duration would depend entirely on the evil power generated by their speech karma.

They had only themselves to blame.

But this involved Wu Fei from before his "fall into demonic corruption," so he could not speak frankly about it for now.

Wu Fei raised his hand slightly, and the gauze curtains draped over them lifted in the breeze. Then he took Yin Fan's hand, his gaze lingering for a moment on the Buddhist prayer beads he had given him, which Yin Fan wore around his wrist. His movements grew gentler still. "Junior brother, won't you show me around your Devil Palace?"

In the northern Devil Domain, the battle between Devil Venerable Yin Fan and the former Devil Venerable of the Northern Region had left a fissure a thousand li long. The new Devil Palace had been built near this fissure as a display of the Devil Venerable's might.

Two figures, one black and one white, now stood above the bottomless fissure. Unlike before, however, Wu Fei wore Buddhist robes with colorful patterns on a black background, while Yin Fan wore pale white robes.

Back in the main hall, Wu Fei had taken off the white Buddhist robes he had always worn and changed into the black Buddhist robes Yin Fan had once praised. Coupled with his current bearing, they made Yin Fan's gaze remain fixed on him.

Yin Fan's heart stirred. "Senior brother..."

Wu Fei's lips curved slightly. "Do you like it?"

Yin Fan's eyes flickered, and he answered frankly, "I do."

That day, the Buddhist disciple had approached through the gentle moonlight with a faint touch of worldly warmth. The sight had been etched into his heart.

"As long as you like it." At his answer, Wu Fei's smile deepened, and he unhurriedly straightened his Buddhist robes.

Once he had finished, Wu Fei looked at Yin Fan, who waited beside him. With a slight movement of his hand, he took a white spirit robe from his storage ring.

Yin Fan paused. "What's this?"

"When I passed a spirit clothing shop before the Heavenly Dao Assembly, I felt this spirit robe would suit the Devil Venerable the moment I saw it." As he spoke, Wu Fei held the robe out to Yin Fan.

Still somewhat dazed, Yin Fan accepted the robe. Only then did he react, delighted surprise rising on his face. "Senior brother, did you buy this especially for me?"

Stroking the black xiao on his string of Buddhist prayer beads, Wu Fei nodded.

The disciples of the Buddha Spirit Sect mostly wore white Buddhist robes as their uniforms. Wu Fei himself had grown tired of wearing them, but the instant he saw this spirit robe that day, Yin Fan's figure had flashed through his mind.

A thought had suddenly crossed his mind: dressed in it, Yin Fan would surely be as radiant as the moon, as graceful as a roaming dragon.