The scattered pursuers had long vanished, yet strangely, an immense spiritual energy fluctuation persistently trailed them from afar, impossible to shake off no matter how they evaded.
Lei Xiuyuan suddenly halted. Chongyi Zhenren immediately shielded Su Wan and the others behind him, his gaze fixed on the two slender horns at Lei Xiuyuan's temples, remaining silent.
Lei Xiuyuan pointed westward and said quietly, "Fly toward Green Mound. Li Fei will explain everything when you see her."
Su Wan grew anxious. "Junior Brother Lei... What about you?"
Everyone could sense the massive spiritual energy fluctuation behind them. Could Lei Xiuyuan be planning to stay behind to handle it? Their eyes inevitably drifted to the horns at his temples. The pursuers were surely Celestials from No Moon Court, and Lei Xiuyuan—he was actually a Yaksa, notorious for their brutality. If he stayed to deal with them, did that mean he intended to kill No Moon Court's Celestials? Their gazes toward him grew uneasy.
Lei Xiuyuan smirked mockingly. "What if I kill all the Central Plains Immortals?"
The group stiffened in shock. Su Wan snapped angrily, "That's not funny at all! If you're really going to kill, you might as well start with us!"
Seeing his cold smile and silence, she wanted to argue further, but Chongyi Zhenren suddenly patted her shoulder and spoke gently, "Li Fei has always had peculiar traits since childhood, and I could never discern why. Seeing you today has finally made things clear. Are you both from beyond the Central Land?"
Lei Xiuyuan replied indifferently, "Indeed. If you wish to distance yourselves now, there’s still time."
To their surprise, Chongyi Zhenren chuckled, his initial shock at seeing the Yaksa’s true form already gone. He sighed even as he laughed. "I’ve watched that girl grow up... I don’t believe she would ever do evil."
Lei Xiuyuan turned to study them and spoke slowly, "You are the ones she cares about, so I rescued you to prevent her from being restrained. Whether you accept her concern is not for me or her to decide. I promised her I wouldn’t harm a single person. Once the Heavenly Thunder Fire Sea arrives, we’ll bid farewell to the Central Land. Who to trust is your choice. I’ve said all I need to."
Su Wan saw him leave abruptly—heading back the way they came—and cried out urgently, "Wait! What are you doing?! We still haven’t rescued Ye Ye and Changyue! You—"
Before she could finish, Lei Xiuyuan had already flown out of sight, leaving it unclear whether he’d heard her. Su Wan turned to chase after him but was stopped by Chongyi Zhenren. "No need. If he wanted to kill, he would have done so already. Why wait until now?"
Zhaomin, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. "He’s a Yaksa..."
Deng Xiguang’s jaw still hadn’t closed. Was this a dream? He slapped himself hard across the face.
Truthfully, the revelation that Lei Xiuyuan was a Yaksa was too sudden. He had exposed his true form so casually and openly, without the slightest attempt to conceal it, leaving them at a loss for words.
Chongyi Zhenren sighed. "Let’s head to Green Mound and ask Li Fei for the full story."
Zhaomin’s voice dropped even lower. "Li Fei is also from beyond..." She couldn’t finish, shaking her head with a pale face.
Chongyi Zhenren smiled. "You’ve spent six years together day and night. You should know that child’s character well. As disciples of Chongyi, we judge people not by their origins, but by their nature."Zhaomin fell silent for a moment before smiling bitterly. "Master, this disciple merely thought it strange that the child never spoke a single word to us about it."
"The more one cares, the more one fears loss. Let us go first and speak with her slowly when we meet. We must not let anyone catch up."
Lei Xiuyuan flew back a short distance when he spotted a streak of golden light flickering in the far distance. Amid the churning Cloud Sea, a pair of enormous wings faintly appeared and disappeared. With each flap, the golden light shimmered unsteadily.
As if sensing his gaze, those massive golden wings suddenly beat once. Through the misty clouds, a Golden Winged Roc abruptly pierced through the Cloud Sea. Its long, golden feathers fluttered gracefully, their shifting radiance elusive and indescribably noble yet untamed.
Was this one of the divine beasts kept by the four sect leaders of No Moon Court? No wonder it had been able to pursue them relentlessly. Legends said its vision spanned ninety thousand li—within that range, no demon, human, celestial, or beast could escape its sight, not even the tiniest ant on the ground.
Lei Xiuyuan opened his palm, and a golden light sword materialized in his grasp. He hurled it like a shooting star toward the Golden Winged Roc's chest. The creature let out a strange cry and flapped its wings to evade, then fixed him with furious eyes and charged straight at him. Lei Xiuyuan turned and transformed into a streak of golden light, speeding toward Duantu in the Yue Kingdom.
He had heard Su Wan's words. But even for him, upon learning that Ji Tongzhou was the one who had revealed Li Fei's secret, he couldn't help hesitating for a fleeting moment in his heart.
Should he kill Ji Tongzhou? Unlike Li Fei, he didn't possess such delicate, sensitive emotions. His feelings toward these childhood friends had always been faint.
Yet, in the end, there was still some sentiment.
Especially toward Ji Tongzhou. Before regaining his memories, he had been a rival, a playmate, a relationship that seemed distant yet strangely intimate. They had never truly engaged in magical combat... Thinking of this, Lei Xiuyuan couldn't help but smile bitterly. At this point, fighting Ji Tongzhou would be no different from bullying the weak. Even if his body was still too young, far from recovering its former peak, and even without Li Fei by his side to amplify his strength, dealing with a mere disciple was no different from crushing an ant.
This faintly anticipated pleasure he had harbored for six years could only come to nothing.
Rarely lost in reminiscence, Lei Xiuyuan suddenly sensed a familiar spiritual energy fluctuation ahead. He immediately halted the Spinning Tortoise Shell and saw Guangwei Zhenren standing atop his Mystic Sword, staring at him with shock and uncertainty. There was something in his gaze that made Lei Xiuyuan reluctant to meet it, and he averted his eyes.
In Guangwei Zhenren's heart, it was as if heaven and earth had overturned. The figure before him had horns protruding from his temples, golden light swirling around him—precisely the legendary, vicious Yaksa! Yet his face, his attire, were identical to his beloved disciple, Lei Xiuyuan!
His mind, always the quickest, instantly understood why Cuixuan Xianren had been so fixated and suspicious of Jiang Li Fei, and why Lei Xiuyuan had returned alone to No Moon Court. A Yaksa?! They truly were Overseas Foreigners?! He had actually taken a Yaksa as his disciple, cherished him, and painstakingly taught him for six years?!
Guangwei Zhenren felt as if thunder and lightning raged within him. The next moment, he suddenly drew the sword at his waist. The white-haired weapon spirit materialized like mist, gripping the sword and attacking with lightning speed. Though the spirit moved swiftly, Lei Xiuyuan was always faster, evading its strikes with effortless ease.Guangwei Zhenren watched as his figure flickered unpredictably, appearing and vanishing with elusive fluidity—no wonder the Yaksa had been able to slaughter an entire Immortal Sect with just two of them back then. Weapon spirits were not human, allowing them to move with such effortless ease, yet the Yaksa surpassed even them in speed and unrestrained freedom, moving so swiftly that even he could not track them clearly.
With a sweep of his sleeve, Guangwei Zhenren summoned a vast expanse of thunderclouds that enveloped the area within a ten-mile radius. The dark, massive thunderclouds coiled like an immense black snowball, encasing the heavens and earth within. Inside, thunder roared deafeningly, while blinding bolts of lightning struck down from all directions, their old and new vibrations intertwining and intensifying relentlessly. Whether human or demon, none trapped within these thunderclouds would escape—this was his renowned Immortal Technique, the Nine Heavens Profound Thunder Great Method.
Lei Xiuyuan darted through the thunderclouds, but as he found no more room to evade, a sudden golden light flared around him. He seized the weapon spirit that had been locked in combat with him and used it as a shield to break through the thunderclouds. The unfortunate weapon spirit, struck repeatedly by lightning, fell limply at Guangwei Zhenren’s feet like a tattered rag, barely alive. Startled, Guangwei Zhenren hastily retreated.
Without warning, Lei Xiuyuan landed right before him. Guangwei Zhenren raised his light sword and slashed forward, but to his surprise, Lei Xiuyuan neither dodged nor flinched. The light sword pressed against his chest, piercing less than an inch deep—yet it felt as though it had struck unyielding steel, unable to advance further.
The thunderclouds gradually dispersed. The wind rose, the clouds flickered, and the once deafening clamor abruptly fell into silence. Guangwei Zhenren’s light sword neither pressed forward nor withdrew. He simply stared fixedly at Lei Xiuyuan.
He couldn’t describe the emotions churning within him. A prodigy, unyielding and indomitable—this had been the most promising disciple he had ever taken in his lifetime. He had poured his heart and soul into nurturing him, eagerly awaiting his growth and achievements. Yet now, he had become a Yaksa—horns sprouting from his head, golden light swirling around him, his gaze icy and detached.
Why? How could he be a Yaksa? The one he had devoted everything to raising was actually the sworn enemy of the Central Land Immortals.
Guangwei Zhenren could not speak. He could only stare at Lei Xiuyuan, even harboring a weak, silent plea in his heart that this was all just a nightmare.
He watched as Lei Xiuyuan slowly clasped his hands in salute, then bowed deeply before him. Then, he knelt, retrieving the White Tiger Tail from his robes and presenting it reverently with both hands.
"Too rigid, and one breaks; strength tempered with flexibility endures," Lei Xiuyuan said softly, his voice quiet. "Thank you for your teachings, Master. This disciple will never forget them. I have failed you. Please take back this gift."
Tears suddenly streamed down Guangwei Zhenren’s aged face. Behind him, the spiritual energy fluctuations of the Golden Winged Roc signaled the approach of one of the four sect leaders—Guiyuan Zhangmen, accompanied by the divine beast. Should he disregard everything and keep this disciple here? Should he join Guiyuan Zhangmen in treating him as a dire threat, eliminating him without mercy?
There was no time to deliberate. Guangwei Zhenren harshly reclaimed the White Tiger Tail and retreated several zhang, his voice sharp as he commanded, "Go!"
This departure might unleash a tiger back into the mountains, perhaps sowing the seeds of another nightmare for the Central Land Immortals. But at this moment, he could not bring himself to act. He watched silently as Lei Xiuyuan vanished beyond his sight, his white beard and hair dampened by unending tears.
Nurturing a tiger only to invite calamity—yet here he was, weeping uncontrollably for a ruthless fiend, unable to stop no matter how hard he tried.The majestic and ethereal aura of the Golden Winged Roc halted behind him as the distant voice of Guiyuan Zhangmen carried from its back: "Guangwei, you let him go?"
Guangwei Zhenren turned and knelt, speaking softly: "Guangwei is willing to accept punishment."
Guiyuan Zhangmen sighed lightly: "Let it be."
After pursuing for half a day, he had nearly discerned the true nature of this Yaksa. For some unknown reason, it seemed far inferior to the two Yaksas from five hundred years ago. With the combined strength of himself and the Golden Winged Roc, they should be able to capture it.
Guiyuan Zhangmen slowly waved his horsetail whisk, sending several small black orbs shooting forth with incredible speed. His entire figure then soared lightly like a crane, stepping upon the black orbs to traverse miles in a single bound. After a dozen such steps, Lei Xiuyuan's golden silhouette flickered faintly amidst the clouds. Guiyuan Zhangmen tossed his whisk forward—it instantly expanded to an immense size, its countless soft bristles blooming like a flower to silently envelop the golden figure.
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