Chapter 40

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Chapter 40: Where Is Junior Brother Shen???

Wen Yun and Ye Shubai only exchanged a glance, with countless emotions understood without needing to be spoken, each knowing in their hearts.

Both he and she understood that in this brief moment, so many new memories were created.

The demon cultivator not only succeeded in his actions but also brought great luck to Wen Yun. First, he gave her 100,000 spiritual jade, then later gave her a hundred years of time. In this regard, he was indeed the most generous person to Wen Yun.

Ye Shubai asked casually, "Have you understood it?"

Without going into detail, Wen Yun understood he was referring to the law of life and death, so she nodded and said, "Although I only touched the surface, I have a vague understanding."

Ye Shubai relaxed his expression. He had been raised under the strict teachings of four masters since he was young. He never compared himself to others since he started cultivating, and the three disciples he later took in were also rare talents. Therefore, he was not sure about the level of ordinary disciples.

However, he could vaguely perceive that the Power of Rules of the world was not something everyone could comprehend. Just look at the Phoenix tree that had grown there for millions of years unharmed. Many cultivators must have come during this time, but none of them could perceive the Power of Rules it contained.

He earnestly told Wen Yun, "That’s good. The Power of Rules seems a bit difficult. Remember to comprehend it well."

She agreed, saying, "Yes, I am just starting to understand it now. I don’t know how to apply it in real battles yet."

Is it difficult?

If that demon cultivator heard this conversation, he would definitely want to tear these two people into pieces.

He read the experiences of countless top demons over thousands of years, and killed many people in the process, before finally understanding a bit of the divine law. Even though he only succeeded three or two times out of ten, he was already the most talented demon cultivator in the entire Demon Realm, giving hope to the whole clan.

Wen Yun and Ye Shubai, on the other hand, understood the law of life and death just by looking at a tree. How can they still say it was just "a bit difficult"?

Hmph, shameless!

Wen Yun, also a genius, shared a strong understanding with Ye Shubai in some aspects. She frowned, remembering something strange, "Normally, we shouldn’t have come out so quickly after going in. Why did it end right after I understood it?"

Ye Shubai couldn’t have lost his memory after that, could he?

When asked, Ye Shubai calmly removed fish bones, the sunlight reflecting in his dark eyes turned them into a beautiful amber color. He lifted his head slightly, and Wen Yun’s face appeared in his eyes.

"I’m the one who forced you out."

Wen Yun was puzzled but didn’t ask further. Instead, she quickly scanned him and asked, "Is your soul hurt?"

Ye Shubai paused, and softly said, "I sealed off the sea of divine sense myself, so everything is fine."

Wen Yun took a bite of the crispy fish tail, slowly swallowed and blinked, asking, "So you weren’t really influenced by him at all, you could let me out at any time?"

She foolishly worried that if she forced her way out, she might harm his soul and turn him into a fool.

Who would have thought Ye Shubai, the village idiot, was actually so clever!

He calmly put away the skewer of fish, not saying a word, but his attitude clearly indicated his approval.

Luckily, Wen Yun’s way of thinking was always different from others. Her first reaction wasn’t anger at being trapped in the memory world for a hundred years, but suspicion towards Ye Shubai’s intentions.

After hesitating for a moment, she couldn’t help but ask, "Are you reluctant to let me go?"

Ye Shubai, "No."

Wen Yun, with disbelief written all over her face, raised an eyebrow and continued, "I know, you must be captivated by my beauty and kindness, that’s why you’re so deeply engrossed in it."

With a furrowed brow, Ye Shubai remained silent, but in his mind he involuntarily recalled the scene of the girl in his memory world blabbering and scolding nonstop. Oh, and she used to hit the buttocks of his four masters every time she practiced swordplay.

Beauty exists, but… kindness?

He looked deeply into her eyes, unable to stay silent, and sighed, "Don’t tease me."

Wen Yun knew he was actually doing it for her own good. It was a rare opportunity given to her by the demon cultivator. During these hundred years, she not only improved her sword skills, but also understood the laws of life and death at the same level as the laws of time and space.

Who would risk damaging their soul and so openly reveal all their memories to someone else?

Only with someone like Ye Shubai, who shared a bond of life and death, would she dare to do such a thing, right?

She smiled, gently tugged at his sleeve, and whispered, "You shouldn’t have driven me out."

He seemed to have lived poorly afterwards. She thought, if only she could accompany him in those years, maybe he wouldn’t feel so bitter when looking back on those centuries now.

Ye Shubai placed his hand next to hers, allowing her to hold onto his cuff. He lowered his gaze lightly, his thick eyelashes also drooping slightly. Faint shadows were cast in his eyes, containing all emotions within.

"The memories after that are not good ones. You don’t have to go through them with me."

Wen Yun’s heart felt like it had been lightly pricked by a hot needle, it was both hot and painful.

She suddenly remembered, the most beautiful memory of Ye Shubai’s life, was actually during those seemingly dull hundred years in the eyes of others. Before that, he was an orphan with no one to rely on, and after that, he experienced countless hardships.

He seemed to sense the complex emotions in her eyes, and he brought the last piece of fish to her lips, saying, "Don’t dwell on the past, eat while it’s hot."

With the fish near her mouth, Wen Yun comfortably opened her mouth and took a bite.

Whether it was her imagination or not, she always felt that after waking up this time, Ye Shubai’s attitude towards her had softened a lot.

It felt like a kindly master and obedient apprentice, completely different from the previous indulgent owner and aloof sword spirit.

Well, the fish was too delicious, so Wen Yun gave up this time.

She decided to wait until she finished eating the grilled fish before asserting herself as the master.

The conversation between these two seemed like gibberish to Zhu Erchong and Bao Pilong standing nearby, they had no clue what was happening, they only knew that Junior Brother Ye was feeding Martial Sister Wen grilled fish.

What’s even worse is that they were already greedy people who loved food and drinks, and this Junior Brother Ye was especially despicable. Not only was he skilled at grilling fish, but he wouldn’t even share it with them after grilling it!

Zhu Erchong forced himself to sit up despite his headache, and his eyes landed on the grilled fish in Ye Shubai’s hands. He couldn’t help but swallow nervously twice, and he tactfully remarked, "Junior Brother Ye, your grilled fish skills are quite impressive. These fish look golden brown on the outside, tender and white on the inside, with a delightful aroma. I bet they taste better than the ones I grilled last time, don’t they?"

Bao Pilong, who understood him perfectly, immediately caught on and continued, "I don’t believe it. Martial Brother Zhu’s grilling skills are famous throughout the sect. Junior Brother Ye is unlikely to be better than you unless I taste it myself before comparing."

Ye Shubai calmly fed the fragrant grilled fish in his hand to Wen Yun and then spoke, "No need, I’m not as good at grilling as him."

"…" Zhu Erchong remained silent for a while, frustrated, "Junior Brother Ye, we cultivators always strive to excel in everything. Where is your pride as a sword cultivator?"

Bao Pilong sighed as well, "It’s true that everyone loves the younger martial sister. Senior martial brothers never get any benefits. I shouldn’t have competed for the position of Fourth Peak’s Elder Martial Brother back then!"

As they were conversing back and forth, a tempting aroma suddenly wafted over from the side. They looked over and saw that Ye Shubai had discreetly passed over a large serving of grilled fish.

"If you speak too much, you won’t get to eat."

He leaned against the tree, still aloof and distant, but the grilled fish in his hand was surprisingly down-to-earth.

Zhu Erchong and Bao Pilong quickly stuffed their mouths with grilled fish to stop arguing. Indeed, food is the fastest way to replenish energy. As soon as they ate the fish, they felt better.

The three of them enjoyed the meal, but Jiang Si sitting next to them looked very sad and gloomy.

Zhu Erchong, who got along well with Jiang Si, warmly invited him, "Friend, come and eat with us!"

Since Junior Brother Ye put in the effort to grill, Jiang Si just had to open his mouth to eat.

However, Jiang Si remained silent, with his head down, unmoved.

Bao Pilong felt worried and suspicious, "Friend, is everything okay? Has a demon taken over him?"

Although they had previously been knocked unconscious by Yu Qinghong… no, it was that demon cultivator, they were able to understand the situation somewhat because the demon cultivator was busy dealing with Wen Yun’s interference.

So, Yu Qinghong had been taken over by the demon cultivator! The Xie Family was indeed in league with the demon cultivator! The demon cultivator was planning to take over them too!

Given this new information, it wouldn’t be surprising if Jiang Si was taken over by the demon cultivator.

Jiang Si looked silently at the simple-minded sand sculpture sword cultivator team, feeling a bit better. He sighed deeply and finally spoke.

"I always thought I was strong among my peers, but I never expected to be defeated in one move."

"Later, after seeing Martial Sister Wen and Junior Brother Ye’s impressive skills, I felt even more ashamed. I had been boasting about being the first in the Swordsmanship Contest, but in reality, I only won because the two of them withdrew from the competition. Oh, how far behind I am!"

It turned out his confidence took a hit. The talented ones may be unbeatable in battles and also at the top among peers. Losing so badly this time, it’s possible to fall into self-doubt and feel frustrated, which is completely normal.

Were the two sword cultivator senior brothers also smiling bravely but actually suffering silently inside?

Wen Yun thought this way and looked at Zhu Erchong and Bao Pilong, who were enjoying grilled fish happily, looking as content as two satisfied cats.

"…"

Well, maybe she misunderstood the term "smiling bravely."

In fact, Wen Yun had misunderstood Zhu Erchong and Bao Pilong. They really didn’t care about winning or losing. It’s just that after meeting Wen Yun, they were first constantly challenged by this younger martial sister in daily sword practice, and then a more formidable opponent, Ye Shubai, completely outperformed them in swordsmanship.

Losing again and again, turned into an experienced player, became unbeatable.

Looking at the devastated Jiang Si, Ye Shubai said gently, "Don’t underestimate yourself. Your sword skills have improved a lot compared to your ancestors. With time, you will achieve greatness."

Jiang Si looked at the young-faced Little Bai, unable to gauge his skill level, but thought he sounded quite mature.

"This… Junior Brother Ye? I appreciate your kind words, but you have not witnessed the prowess of my ancestors. It’s better not to say such things again, thanks to Junior Brother Xie’s kindness!"

Ye Shubai, being called Junior Brother, looked steadily at Jiang Si and chose to ignore the arrogant youngster.

Wen Yun, "…"

This young man, he has truly seen your ancestors, she has also seen them. The most devout kowtower in the Dark Heaven Secret Realm back then was the one.

Fortunately, Jiang Si was open-minded and soon emerged from the shadow of defeat, getting up to snatch a skewer of grilled fish from the sword cultivator.

Wen Yun wiped her mouth and suddenly remembered something, she looked at Ye Shubai and said, "I wonder where Yu Qinghong is…"

Yu Qinghong was a young man with a bright future. He went to visit the Xie Family ancestors out of respect, but ended up being possessed. His spirit was destroyed by the demon cultivator during the possession, and now his body is in bad shape.

Wen Yun didn’t know Yu Qinghong, but she felt sorry for him. She decided to take care of his body and return it to his family for a proper burial.

Ye Shubai glanced at Wen Yun and said mysteriously, "Maybe there is a way to save him."

The others were shocked. Jiang Si and Yu Qinghong were friends, and Jiang Si was heartbroken to see his friend possessed by the demon cultivator. When Ye Shubai mentioned a possible solution, Jiang Si got excited.

Despite his damaged spirit, Yu Qinghong tried to stand up but immediately sat back down, holding his head in pain. He couldn’t hide his happiness at the prospect of being saved.

"Junior Brother Ye! Are you skilled in healing? Can you save Taoist Friend Yu?"

Ye Shubai fell silent. He didn’t want to reveal that he understood the laws of nature and had the power to control life and death. But Yu Qinghong’s spirit was still lingering, giving hope for his revival.

Ye Shubai was unfamiliar with worldly affairs and was unsure how to help without lying.

Wen Yun understood Ye Shubai’s dilemma. She suggested that the special energy in the Dark Heaven Secret Realm, created by immortals, could heal Taoist Friend Yu’s spirit. They just needed to wait for him to wake up naturally in a few years.

Indeed, when Wen Yun said that, the other three people all suddenly understood.

In the cultivation world, anything miraculous can be explained perfectly when it involves immortals.

Jiang Si gratefully said, "Thank you, Junior Brother Ye! Earlier, I misunderstood you when I saw you looking cold towards us, but you have always been willing to help, and now you are putting in so much effort for Taoist Friend Yu. You truly have a brave heart and righteous spirit!"

Zhu Erchong laughed heartily, patted Ye Shubai on the shoulder, and said proudly, "We sword cultivators all have such chivalrous hearts! As Junior Brother Shen would say, what do you call this?"

Bao Pilong chimed in immediately, "This is called – offering help in times of need with a sword in hand, justice prevails in the world by my righteousness!"

The two of them turned around with smiles on their faces and habitually asked, "Junior Brother Shen, did you grasp the essence of my statement?"

"Junior Brother Shen… Huh?!!"

The space next to them was empty, without their usual cool and handsome junior brother holding a sword.

Wen Yun, who was lying down, immediately struggled to get up. Shen Xinghai didn’t speak much except when showing off, so she had thought he was still beside her.

Shen Xinghai entered the mist but was ignored by the demon cultivator because of his low status and strength, so he never appeared throughout the story.

When everyone woke up feeling groggy, no one noticed that Shen Xinghai was missing!

Upon realizing that a team member was missing, they became worried and prepared their weapons, saying angrily, "Junior Brother Shen must have been kidnapped by the demon cultivator!"

"Quickly get up and search for Junior Brother Shen, we must not let him be taken by the demon cultivator!"

Wen Yun wanted to get up and search for the missing Shen Xinghai, but Ye Shubai stopped her.

"I searched for him before you all woke up and didn’t find any trace of him."

He said solemnly, "Although the demon cultivator escaped after you defeated him, he was heavily injured. Shen Xinghai would not be in danger if he encountered him. It’s actually you all who are in danger now that you’ve encountered the demon cultivator."

Wen Yun, using her Holy Light Sanction, knew that Ye Shubai was right.

Still worried about Shen Xinghai’s tendency to attract trouble, she whispered, "I want to go to the Magic Stone mine, search his whereabouts more carefully in the monitoring array, and find the demon cultivator’s location."

This time, Ye Shubai didn’t stop her, but he glanced at the three swordsmen nearby, frowning and said, "It could be dangerous here without our protection."

The three people who were looked down upon immediately became unhappy.

Jiang Si raised a big sword and said, "I am the first in the Swordsmanship Contest!"

Zhu Erchong drew out a treasure sword and said, "I am the second in the Swordsmanship Contest!"

Bao Pilong looked at the two of them and shouted, "I am right after them!"

With a calm tone, Wen Yun defeated them with just one sentence, "You all fell down just after encountering the demon cultivator."

The saying "to kill without drawing blood" was no more apparent than this, as Wen Yun’s words successfully shattered Jiang Si’s just-recovered confidence.

In the end, it was Ye Shubai who took action to gather this group of people onto a flying sword and led them to the Magic Stone mine.

The three people hanging on the sword were blown by the wind, their previously languid minds now somewhat awakened.

Jiang Si felt dizzy, his face trembling in the wind.

"Friend Zhu—" he hoarsely asked Zhu Erchong, "Do all of your sword cultivators fly as fast with their Sword Control Art?"

Zhu Erchong was no better off, his hair and beard were blown to the back of his head, his eyes forced shut by the wind. He loudly replied, "No! Not all of us sword cultivators are as fast as Junior Brother Ye!"

Bao Pilong shouted heartrendingly, "Junior Brother Ye, you are truly too fast!"

"Martial Sister Wen is clearly not as fast!"

"It seems only the male cultivators of The Tenth Peak are this fast!"

These three juniors were very noisy, especially Zhu Erchong and Bao Pilong.

They wondered how the once cold and ruthless sword cultivator Qingliu Sword Sect managed to raise such disciples. Each generation seemed to be inferior to the last!

Ye Shubai remained silent, infusing a stronger surge of spiritual power into his wooden sword, causing the speed of the Sword Control Art to rise to an even more terrifying level, which made the three below cry out in fear.

After falling to the ground, the three silly swordsmen rolled into a heap, lying at the foot of the mountain throwing up violently, unable to get up.

Wen Yun standing behind Ye Shubai didn’t even feel a breeze, here her mental strength recovered a bit, her condition was naturally much better than theirs.

She reminded, "I’ll set up a spirit formation to search for Junior Brother Shen, you stay here, don’t move."

The three lying on the ground waved weakly at her, now they couldn’t even speak a full sentence, and yet they hoped to keep up with studying the spirit formation?

So Wen Yun and Ye Shubai went into the mine together.

Earlier, Wen Yun only took away the small Magic Stones, the large Magic Stone was not easy to move and she didn’t know its use, so she decided to leave it there as an energy source for the magic formation.

She walked to the side of the Magic Stone and placed her hands on the transparent stone.

Ye Shubai silently watched her actions, then spoke suddenly, "Do not force yourself, I can slowly search for him in the secret realm."

Although he had immediately searched for his disciple Shen Xinghai as soon as he was missing, he could not find him. However, Wen Yun had just exhausted her mental strength, and searching for someone over a large area might be too much for her to bear.

Wen Yun turned to Ye Shubai and gave him a reassuring smile, "Don’t worry, using our magic in the formation won’t tire us out too much."

With that said, she didn’t pause for a moment and carefully infused her magic into the Magic Stone.

The unremarkable Magic Stone began to emit colorful lights, representing the different types of magic controlled by Wen Yun, from the golden light of light magic to the fiery red of fire magic. All the colors blended together, turning the entire mine into a magical wonderland.

Time passed by.

Wen Yun opened her eyes, strangely withdrawing her magic and turning to look at Ye Shubai.

She spoke, not mentioning Shen Xinghai’s whereabouts but instead asking an unrelated question, "Ye Shubai, do you remember how many days we spent in the Dark Heaven Secret Realm?"

"About twenty days."

"We entered about ten days before them, right? And after they entered, the Dark Heaven Secret Realm closed automatically, only reopening its exit thirty days later." Wen Yun rested her chin on her index finger, murmuring, "But if that’s the case, it’s strange."

Ye Shubai asked, "What’s wrong?"

Wen Yun sighed heavily and said with a serious tone, "I just found Qian Lishen and some people from the Wan family together in the secret realm, seemingly mining a middle-grade spiritual jade that you don’t like. But I only saw a few of them."

"In other words… Junior Brother Shen, Xie Xun, and the demon cultivator, they have all disappeared."

Ye Shubai frowned and said solemnly, "Could it be that Shen Xinghai was harmed by the demon cultivator?"

"It’s most likely not." Wen Yun shook her head, finally revealing the strange thing she had discovered at the beginning, "Believe it or not, the exit of the Dark Heaven Secret Realm has unexpectedly opened ahead of time."