Chapter 2: Going Home

Excluding the vast, boundless, and unknown desolate regions, as well as countless secret realms and blessed grotto-heavens, the world is divided into two great domains.

The Myriad Laws Domain and the Demon Race Domain.

The Myriad Laws Domain is divided into nine provinces.

Within the nine provinces, there are countless cultivation sects of all sizes, but only nine Holy Lands.

The Violet Mist Holy Land of Qianye Province is one of these nine great Holy Lands.

In recent years, the Violet Mist Holy Land has even shown faint signs of becoming the leader of the nine.

And all of this is because of a Saintess named Jiang Qingshang.

Today was the first day of the Demon-Slaying Assembly. The participants were all representatives from the top sects of the various provinces. They had traveled overnight via teleportation arrays, crossing provinces to be here.

The cause of all this traced back to the final words of the Elder of Heavenly Secrets half a year ago.

[In a hundred years, Lin Xun will rise again and sweep across the world! But he will ultimately be subdued by the Saintess of the Violet Mist Holy Land!]

Although the prophecy stated that Lin Xun would be subdued by the Saintess, what if? What if there was an accident?
What if the Saintess couldn’t subdue him? What if that Lin Xun truly became an existence on par with the Heavenly Dao? How could they possibly deal with that?

Really, you couldn’t blame them for thinking this way.
Just think back to ten years ago, when that Lin Xun burst onto the scene! At just ten years old, he swept through all the geniuses of the era with an almost invincible momentum!
To say nothing of the fact that all the righteous path geniuses of the world were left traumatized by Lin Xun.

Two years later, at the age of twelve, he actually began to target the elders and guardians of the sects and Holy Lands.

At thirteen, he began challenging entire sects at their gates.

By the time he was fourteen, the sect masters of the various first-rate orthodox immortal sects were successively being pinned to the ground and humiliated.
Invincible at fourteen! That hard, black spear! That pitch-black Asura mask!

Thinking about it now, a chill ran through the hearts of the representatives attending the assembly!
How could such a monstrous person exist?!

At that time, riding on Lin Xun’s then-invincibility, how arrogant were the flames of the Myriad Demons Sect! They vigorously promoted the method of dual cultivation! That kind of cultivation technique was vulgar! Despicable! And what was that nonsense about all methods being able to prove the Dao, that one could even prove the Dao in their sleep?

They were helpless against this twisted logic, it was simply like having someone take a shit on their heads!

Even when Lin Xun mysteriously disappeared for over a year and a half, the righteous path didn’t dare to do a thing.
Not until the Elder of Heavenly Secrets’ final divination a few months ago!
Only then did they learn that Lin Xun’s “disappearance” was because he wanted to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Great Dao, and had suffered a backlash from it.

Everyone was astounded! Was this person really that monstrous?
He wanted to be on par with the Great Dao! He wanted to ascend to the heavens and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Haotian?!
But beyond the astonishment, a wave of excitement began!
A wound from the Great Dao! It would be extremely severe. That Lin Xun’s realm had probably fallen as far as it could fall! For decades, or even a hundred years, he couldn’t hope to recover!
And now! This was the best opportunity to counterattack the demonic path!

It was time to redeem the name of the righteous path!
“Annihilate the Myriad Demons Sect! Kill Lin Xun!”

In the midst of the Demon-Slaying Assembly, some hot-blooded youth stood up and shouted.

“Annihilate the Myriad Demons Sect! Kill Lin Xun!”

“Annihilate the Myriad Demons Sect! Kill Lin Xun!”

Immediately after, many other hot-blooded youths rose and shouted along.
But as the assembly, large enough to hold ten thousand people, seethed with excitement, a woman sitting before the thousands merely yawned, her ears protected by spiritual energy, looking sleep-deprived.

The stunningly beautiful young woman, tears welling at the corners of her eyes, grumbled in her heart.

In the month since they married, he hadn’t let her sleep properly a single night… Honestly, he didn’t know how to rest…

“Fellow Daoists, please be calm.”

Beside the Saintess Jiang Qingshang, the Violet Mist Holy Master stood up to speak. A Dharma voice spread throughout the venue, and the representatives from the tens of thousands of first-rate sects of the nine provinces all ceased their shouting.

The Violet Mist Holy Master was a woman, and also Jiang Qingshang’s master. She appeared to be no more than thirty years old, possessing a rich, mature charm.

“Annihilating the Myriad Demons Sect and killing Lin Xun, I’m afraid these two tasks must be undertaken separately!”

“Separately? Why? We ask the Holy Master to clarify!” A sect representative stood up to speak. In their view, wasn’t that Demon Lord recuperating in the Myriad Demons Sect? After attacking the Myriad Demons Sect, wouldn’t Lin Xun be at their mercy?

“Not so.” The Violet Mist Holy Master shook her head. “Just as the various sects and factions of the world have spies from the demonic sects, we naturally have our own as well. According to our spies’ reports, that Lin Xun is not in the Myriad Demons Sect at all! On the contrary, not only the Myriad Demons Sect, but even the other demonic sects are also searching for Lin Xun’s whereabouts!”

The moment the Violet Mist Holy Master said this, the entire assembly once again erupted into a clamor.

“In short!”

The Violet Mist Holy Master, Jiang Yuerou, swept her gaze across the entire assembly.

“Against the Myriad Demons Sect and the rest of the demonic path, we must counterattack and extinguish their arrogant flames!”

“As for the Demon Lord Lin Xun!”

“My Violet Mist Holy Land hereby issues a Demon-Slaying Order! If anyone can kill that Demon Lord, they will be an honored guest of my Violet Mist Holy Land. Tens of thousands of high-grade spirit stones, spiritual medicines, and cultivation techniques will be theirs for the choosing! If one can capture Lin Xun alive, they may choose one of the three great divine weapons of my Violet Mist Holy Land!”

“My Whisk Holy Land seconds this!”

“The Qianye Holy Land seconds this!”

“The Cold Gleam Spear Sect seconds this!”

“…”

Following the Violet Mist Holy Master’s lead, the various sects and factions in the assembly immediately responded in agreement, issuing their own Demon-Slaying Orders on the spot, afraid of being left behind.

The assembly did not disperse until near dusk!
Jiang Qingshang hurriedly flew back to her Saintess Peak.

“Qingshang.”

“Master.”

Just as Jiang Qingshang was about to set foot on the peak, the Violet Mist Holy Master called out to the young woman.

Looking at her only disciple’s stunningly beautiful face, anxious to see a certain someone, and recalling how she had been fidgeting during the assembly, restlessly tapping her feet together, the Violet Mist Holy Master sighed inwardly and shook her head.

“Qingshang, as the Saintess, you have already gone to the mortal world to observe the Dao as an ordinary person for three years.

“Every generation of Saintesses must temper themselves in the mortal world for five years. According to the rules, I will not pry into your life in the mortal world, but you have less than two years left. You must not become trapped in the mortal world, unable to leave.

“Mortals eventually grow old. Immortals and mortals, in the end, are different.”

“Thank you for your guidance, Master.”

The young woman curtsied, as graceful and moving as a willow in the wind.

“However, if immortals and mortals are truly different, then I shall lead him into immortality, or I shall enter the dust for him!”

“You…” the Violet Mist Holy Master sighed. “Forget it, forget it. This is your Dao as well. You will eventually understand my words.”

“But isn’t Master also without a Dao companion?”

“Qingshang!”

“Goodbye, Master.”

Before her master could flick her on the forehead, the young woman had already turned and entered the peak, her graceful figure causing the ten thousand flowers on the Saintess Peak to lose their luster.

“This little minx…” The Violet Mist Holy Master smiled and shook her head, but an image of him couldn’t help but surface in her mind.

“You are the Holy Master of the Violet Mist Holy Land? I hear you have never been defeated. Care for a fight?”

Carrying a long spear, no more than fifteen years old, wearing a black mask, he had said.

…

Using a teleportation array that had been established long ago, Jiang Qingshang returned to Luo City. She straightened her clothes and gracefully stepped into an academy.

Looking inside from the courtyard, she saw him in the classroom, a book in his hand, dressed in a green scholar’s robe, his every word and phrase gentle as jade.

Seeing his wife already waiting outside the door, Lin Xun put down his book. “Class dismissed.”

“Stand up!”

“Thank you for your hard work, Teacher.”

The children scattered in a hubbub. Lin Xun also tidied up his books and walked out of the schoolhouse. Under the shy gazes of his students, Lin Xun gently took her small, soft, boneless hand.

“Let’s go home.”

His wife’s cheeks flushed slightly. “Mm.”

(End of this chapter)