V2c1: The slayer will eventually become a demon.
Since that day, when Gu Qingxue severely injured all the peak lords, causing all twelve peak lords to recuperate, the Azure Spirit Sect has been in a state of closure.
Azure Bamboo Peak, True Lord Yuehua’s residence.
“Master, here is the Spirit Tea I brewed for you.”
Carrying the Spirit Tea, Ye Kai slowly placed it on the dark red wooden table.
He glanced up at True Lord Yuehua, who was lying on the bed with her eyes closed, recuperating her cultivation technique, and planned to leave.
These days, he came regularly to deliver tea, naturally to deepen his relationship with True Lord Yuehua.
“Kai’er.” True Lord Yuehua opened her eyes slightly and called out to him.
“Master, I’m here.” Ye Kai stopped and looked at True Lord Yuehua.
“You’ve worked hard these days,” True Lord Yuehua said.
Ever since she learned that Lin Mo had cultivated demonic arts, she had been restless and unable to sleep. She hadn’t even cared as much when someone had slashed her twice.
But she couldn’t understand why Lin Mo had cultivated demonic arts…
If she had to say anything, it was ever since Ye Kai came to the Sect that her disciple’s relationship with her had grown distant…
Recalling the words, ‘You always show favoritism towards Ye Kai time and again…’
Could it be that this was the reason her disciple had fallen into demonic cultivation?
A father’s fault in the upbringing of his child, a disciple’s problem meant the master was not without fault.
But Yuehua’s Dao heart was set; even if it meant ‘slaying demons,’ regardless of the reason, she had to personally kill the demonic Lin Mo and exterminate all demons in the world, which was her Dao.
Ye Kai quickly put on an act: “You are my Master, and what I do is my duty. Besides, you have been so good to me, it is only right that I show filial piety.”
Looking at Ye Kai’s grateful expression, True Lord Yuehua relaxed her brows and said with relief, “Ye Kai, it is my fortune to have accepted you onto the mountain and taken you as my disciple.”
“It is my fortune to have a Master like you,” Ye Kai said, bowing to True Lord Yuehua.
Yuehua had been recuperating for a long time and was unaware of the situation on Azure Bamboo Peak, so she inquired, “How has Azure Bamboo Peak been during this period?”
Ye Kai put on a sorrowful expression: “Azure Bamboo Peak has been neglected. Some disciples have left, and others have dispersed. Only less than forty percent remain.”
“I wanted to help manage it, but in the eyes of these senior brothers and junior brothers, my seniority is too low, and they do not obey me.”
“Ye Kai, you have a kind heart.”
Thinking that she still needed a long time to recuperate and Azure Bamboo Peak could not be left without management, True Lord Yuehua took out a jade token: “This jade token will allow you to act on my behalf. Take it. From today onwards, you are the senior disciple of Azure Bamboo Peak.”
“This is not appropriate,” Ye Kai pretended to hesitate. “Master, there are still many senior brothers and sisters who joined the sect before me.”
“However, you are the only one I trust the most,” True Lord Yuehua said.
“I understand. Your disciple will definitely manage Azure Bamboo Peak well.” Ye Kai respectfully took the jade token after hearing this.
After Ye Kai left True Lord Yuehua’s residence, a triumphant smile curved his lips.
Everything in front of True Lord Yuehua was merely an act. With this jade token, his actions would be much more convenient.
Ever since Lin Mo had destroyed his foundation that day, Ye Kai had been searching for prey outside the sect for some time.
It was fine at first, but as the bodies of female cultivators were discovered, cultivators within a thousand-mile radius of the Azure Spirit Sect became vigilant.
It was no longer easy for him to make a move.
And now…
Ye Kai could take advantage of True Lord Yuehua’s recuperation period and start from within Azure Bamboo Peak.
Before long, after he had completely repaired his foundation, his plan would succeed.
…
In just half a month, Ye Kai used his identity as the senior disciple to easily use more than thirty disciples as nourishment to restore his foundation.
He then hid the bodies in a cave at the back of the mountain that Wanwan had previously created for him, which was protected by a barrier and magic array.
That day, Ye Kai delivered Spirit Tea to True Lord Yuehua as usual.
With the assistance of Wanwan’s secret medicine, True Lord Yuehua did not deliberately try to detect any problems with the Spirit Tea.
Furthermore, she had no reason to guard against Ye Kai at this moment.
After she drank the Spirit Tea, she felt her vision go dark.
Then she fell to the ground, unconscious.
“Finally, finally got you.” Looking at the unconscious True Lord Yuehua on the ground, Ye Kai’s expression finally broke, and he laughed maniacally.
…
Darkness.
Pitch black.
Looking up, all he could see was an endless expanse of darkness, like unground ink, so black it was boundless.
When True Lord Yuehua woke up again, she found herself in such darkness.
“Where is this place?” As Yuehua spoke, her breath was erratic, and her voice had become extremely weak.
The medicinal effects still made her head feel heavy. She tried to move, and when she slightly raised her hand, there was a clanging sound of iron chains dragging against the ground.
This is…
Yuehua finally realized that she had been imprisoned.
Her limbs were bound by profound iron chains, and her spiritual energy was sealed by an unknown medicinal power.
Her mind gradually cleared, and a pungent, unpleasant odor entered her nostrils, causing her to frown.
Recalling the last fragment of her memory, it was after she drank the tea that Ye Kai gave her.
Yuehua finally realized the problem: but she still couldn’t believe that Ye Kai had done this.
Time passed, and the persistent foul odor in her nostrils made her feel nauseous.
Facing the fear of the unknown, it was false to say she wasn’t scared at all.
Suddenly, a sound of footsteps approached from afar, and finally stopped.
Yuehua could sense that someone was standing in front of her, staring at her.
“Who are you, and why have you imprisoned me in this place?” True Lord Yuehua tried her best to remain calm, a hint of coldness in her voice.
The person did not speak. Their hand slowly reached towards her forehead, then moved down, pulling off her veil.
The person seemed to have seen her appearance clearly and let out a somewhat crazed laugh, revealing excitement in their laughter.
True Lord Yuehua’s pupils contracted. She finally knew who this voice belonged to: “Kai’er, don’t play such a joke with me. If you continue like this, I will get angry.”
Ye Kai snapped his fingers.
Flames lit up on the candle holders along the cave walls.
A face of breathtaking beauty appeared in Ye Kai’s vision.
True Lord Yuehua also saw Ye Kai’s somewhat distorted smile and couldn’t help but frown: “Kai’er, you imprisoned me to see my face?”
“See your face?” Ye Kai chuckled. “Indeed, I truly never expected that the face beneath Master’s veil would be so stunningly beautiful.”
No, he had always known.
In his father’s little notebook, there was a record of True Lord Yuehua’s appearance.
The evaluation was: A fairy, perhaps it would be nothing more than this.
True Lord Yuehua’s frown deepened. Ye Kai’s expression and tone, like that of a fairy, made her extremely disgusted. “Kai’er, if you continue like this and do not end this farce, I will have to punish you.”
“Master, it seems you haven’t understood your situation yet.” Ye Kai no longer wanted to pretend. Living with a mask was truly tiring.
How much more satisfying was it to let go of his true nature?
“Look at yourself. Your limbs are bound by profound iron, and your spiritual energy is temporarily sealed by poison. What can you use to punish me now?”
Looking at the unfamiliar Ye Kai in front of her, Yuehua asked with great confusion, “So, what do you want to do?”
“What do I want to do?” Ye Kai suddenly lowered his voice and said slowly, “Have you ever heard of ‘Demon Seeds’ and ‘Fruits,’ Master?”
Upon hearing this, Yuehua’s expression became agitated. She glared at Ye Kai, her voice rising, “Where did you learn these things?”
“Not only do I know about these things, but I also know that you have such a thing within your body,” Ye Kai said, his expression becoming more excited.
Seeing Ye Kai’s appearance, Yuehua suddenly felt disgusted and nauseous. She warned, “Kai’er, do not stray down the wrong path. Your foundation cannot be restored with my cultivation level.”
“I will find a way for you.”
“Master, I think you have misunderstood something.” Ye Kai said, a surge of spiritual energy coursing through his body. “If I wait for you to repair my foundation, I will have already died of old age. Do you think I still need to repair my foundation?”
Yuehua’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Kai’er, how did you repair your foundation?”
For some reason, a sense of foreboding arose in her heart.
“Of course, it’s thanks to our fellow disciples from Azure Bamboo Peak,” Ye Kai said, pointing to the small pile of corpses gathered in a corner, smiling maniacally. Then, black demonic energy began to emanate from his body.
Yuehua recognized the faces of those corpses.
They were indeed disciples of Azure Bamboo Peak.
Combining Ye Kai’s words with the crackling black demonic energy emanating from his body, she felt as if the sky had collapsed in an instant.
“Ye Kai, you are also cultivating demonic arts?”
Ye Kai replied as a matter of course, “What’s wrong with cultivating demonic arts? Cultivating demonic arts can repair my foundation, allow me to do as I please, make me rich overnight, and accept all of Master’s cultivation.”
In True Lord Yuehua’s ears, Ye Kai’s shocking declaration was a willing descent into the demonic path.
She couldn’t understand why both of her beloved disciples had chosen to cultivate demonic arts.
And to stand in opposition to her.
Looking at the corpses of the disciples around her, True Lord Yuehua suddenly thought of something and asked coldly, “Ye Kai, were the fellow disciples who were brutally killed by demonic cultivators recently also your doing?”
“Yes, it was me,” Ye Kai said happily. “Master, you’re not too stupid after all.”
Hearing this, Yuehua’s heart burned with anger.
Yet, she became even more confused.
She took a deep breath. “Then why did Lin Mo have to kill you, and what was the reason for him cultivating demonic arts?”
“Master, don’t you understand such a simple reason?”
“I framed him for harming fellow disciples, so naturally, he had to kill me.”
“As for whether he truly cultivated demonic arts, only he knows.”
Ye Kai remembered that Lin Mo cultivated both righteous and demonic arts.
Although he didn’t understand the meaning, from the literal interpretation, it seemed that one could choose whether or not to enter the demonic path.
Ye Kai’s words, one by one, stimulated Yuehua’s nerves.
Thinking about it carefully, Lin Mo had no reason to cultivate demonic arts.
‘Master, no matter what I say, you won’t believe me.’
‘You will only unconditionally favor Ye Kai.’
No wonder Mo’er was willing to risk his life to kill Ye Kai.
He didn’t even explain why, because in his heart, his Master wouldn’t believe him…
Indeed, in that situation, even if Lin Mo had truly said ‘Ye Kai is the demon,’ how could she have believed him?
She, as his Master, had failed terribly.
Recalling the look of complete disappointment on Mo’er’s face back then, guilt flooded her heart like a tide.
Seeing the dramatic change in Yuehua’s expression, Ye Kai eagerly added more fuel to the fire. “Perhaps he hadn’t completely fallen into demonic cultivation, and when Master struck him with that sword, he became completely demonic.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, Master, you are quite ruthless towards your disciples. That sword strike hurt me just watching…”
Wanwan, the girl in the ring, said with a smile, “You humans really like to torture people bit by bit. It’s much more straightforward for us demons.”
Ye Kai confidently replied to Wanwan, “Isn’t it interesting to watch others break down bit by bit?”
“Besides, my Master has no chance of turning the tables now, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
It was as if a bolt from the blue struck True Lord Yuehua’s mind.
If Lin Mo had truly fallen into demonic cultivation, it would be her fault.
She, who had always claimed to slaughter all demons in the world, had, because of herself, turned her best disciple into a demon.
Over the years, she had already been owing a great deal to this disciple of hers.
And now, at his most desperate moment when he was being framed, she had dealt him such a heavy blow and protected the perpetrator of the framing.
She couldn’t comprehend how much pain and despair Lin Mo must have felt at that time.
She truly deserved to die!
Countless feelings of indebtedness and remorse intertwined at this moment, causing her Dao heart to shake, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.
True Lord Yuehua then looked up at Ye Kai and said word by word, “I truly don’t understand how such kind parents as yours could have given birth to a demon like you.”
Back then, after escaping from the Demon Realm.
Upon learning the truth, she had come to hate the Demon Race to the point of no return.
However, her strength was weak, and she alone could not withstand the pursuit of the demonic cultivators and demons from Marquis Baili’s lineage.
During her escape, she had no time to cultivate, and every day she had to fight demons who knew her identity.
Until one day, she was seriously injured by a demonic cultivator at the Nascent Soul Stage.
Forced to jump off a cliff to survive.
She was then rescued by a couple.
They protected her safety for three years, which finally allowed her body to fully recover.
During that period, Old Ancestor Chu Tiange of the Demon Realm was sealed by an unknown Rogue Cultivator, causing the Demon Race to suffer heavy losses. They did not dare to wander around the Human Realm, and the situation of the demonic cultivators sent by Marquis Baili to hunt her became less and less frequent.
Ye Kai’s father then introduced her to his old friends.
And introduced her to the Azure Spirit Sect.
At that time, she also needed a safe haven to cultivate. Coincidentally, with Ye Kai’s father’s recommendation, she entered the Azure Spirit Sect.
From then on, before her strength had fully grown, she wore a veil to hide her face, fearing recognition by the demonic cultivators from Marquis Baili’s lineage.
It could be said that Ye Kai’s parents had saved her life, and their recommendation to the Azure Spirit Sect allowed her to cultivate with peace of mind. This was a great kindness to her.
Upon learning of Ye Kai’s parents’ death, Ye Kai’s father, in his will, entrusted Ye Kai to her care.
Naturally, she had to be exceptionally good to Ye Kai.
To repay this life-saving grace, she cared for Ye Kai even more than Lin Mo.
At this moment, Yuehua knew she was wrong, but she didn’t know where she was wrong.
To avenge her family of more than thirty people, she cultivated diligently to slay demons and seek revenge, what was wrong with that?
To repay the kindness of Ye Kai’s parents, she showed more favoritism towards Ye Kai, what was wrong with that?
She truly didn’t understand why she had ended up like this…
“It’s useless to say anything now, Master. Your cultivation will be received by me.”
Ye Kai had seen enough of Yuehua’s heartbroken appearance.
Following the cultivation technique that Wanwan had taught him, he used the demonic energy in his body to begin absorbing the mature fruit of the demon seed within Yuehua’s body.
“Ye Kai, you are truly a beast.” Feeling her hard-earned spiritual energy draining away, Yuehua glared at Ye Kai as if she wanted to rip him to shreds.
Ye Kai didn’t care. As he absorbed Yuehua’s cultivation, his realm climbed from Qi Refining to the late stage of Foundation Establishment.
He only stopped when he was on the verge of breaking through to the Golden Core Stage.
Breaking through to Golden Core still had to be done by himself.
He was born with the talent of a Heavenly Spirit Root, but it was incomplete before, preventing him from cultivating.
For him, breaking through to Golden Core was not a difficult task.
He sat cross-legged and began to break through to the Golden Core Stage.
He sat there for three days.
If he lacked spiritual energy, he would absorb Yuehua to replenish it.
After forging a Rank 8 Golden Core, he then broke through to the Nascent Soul Stage, and finally, he broke through to the early stage of Spirit Severing.
True Lord Yuehua, her cultivation and spiritual energy completely drained, her body gradually aged rapidly, eventually turning into an old woman with white hair.
Seeing this, Ye Kai said with disdain, “I originally planned to have your body, but now that I see you like this, I have no interest at all.”
“Since you won’t live much longer, it would be nice to let you see the joy of your disciples.”
Saying this, Ye Kai moved. In the time it took to drink a bowl of tea, he brought back two female disciples from Azure Bamboo Peak.
The two female disciples were frightened when they saw the corpses of their fellow disciples piled up in the cave.
“Ye Kai is also a demon.”
“We must inform Master immediately.”
Ye Kai licked his lips, pointed at the seemingly nearing death True Lord Yuehua, and said with a foolish smile, “Look, isn’t that your Master?”
Saying this, he tore off the outer clothes of the two female disciples in front of True Lord Yuehua.
He then performed a vivid and fragrant drama, a spectacle of a living person turning into a dried husk.
Wanwan, in the ring, watched indifferently. “This Ye Kai is quite good at disgusting people.”
Listening to her disciples’ screams, True Lord Yuehua was powerless.
This reminded her of the scene in the Demon Realm when she was helpless to resist as demons harmed her family.
Perhaps Ye Kai was bored. He brought back Shen Ke’er’s corpse as well. “Since you won’t live much longer, let’s find a disciple who was somewhat close to you to accompany you.”
“Besides, there are still plenty of nutrients in the Azure Spirit Sect waiting for me to absorb.”
As his voice fell, Ye Kai had already disappeared.
Only the aging Yuehua was left in the dark cave, lost in thought.
Ye Kai’s plan was also obvious: while the other eleven peak lords had not yet recovered, he would absorb the cultivation of more Azure Spirit Sect disciples.
In just half a month, the cave where True Lord Yuehua was located had several hundred corpses.
As most of their fellow disciples mysteriously disappeared, the entire Azure Spirit Sect was in a state of panic.
Azure Bamboo Peak was now deserted, with no disciples left.
Seeing that the other peak lords were about to come out of seclusion, Ye Kai was no longer planning to linger in the Azure Spirit Sect.
The outside world was vast, with countless opportunities waiting for him.
In the near future, he, Ye Kai, would become the overlord of this world.
Not long after Ye Kai left.
The remaining eleven peak lords of the Azure Spirit Sect successively came out of seclusion.
Upon learning that the Azure Spirit Sect had been sealed and that hundreds of disciples had disappeared.
True Lord Fengqing’s face could not help but reveal a look of solemnity.
“It seems I need to gather the other peak lords to discuss this matter.”
In the main hall of Azure Gale Peak, all the peak lords had assembled.
True Lord Fengqing noticed Yuehua’s absence and chose to send a telepathic message again.
He still received no response.
A disciple from Moon Disk Peak anxiously reported to True Lord Tianchen, “Master, Azure Bamboo Peak… there is no one left at Azure Bamboo Peak.”
At once, all the peak lords of the Azure Spirit Sect looked at each other in disbelief.
No one left, how could this be possible?
When they arrived at Azure Bamboo Peak, they were utterly stunned.
After searching for a long time, they found no trace of any disciples.
Instead, they found the corpses of many Azure Bamboo Peak disciples.
They all died in the same way as the disciples of their respective peaks, their spiritual energy drained, leaving them as dried husks.
Their first thought was that Lin Mo had returned.
But then they thought better of it.
Setting aside whether Lin Mo could recover from his injuries so quickly, even if he had recovered, why wouldn’t he have attacked them while they were still recuperating?
After all, in a one-on-one fight, apart from True Lord Fengqing, who could still contend with Lin Mo, everyone else would have been killed.
True Lord Fengqing then said, “It seems that there is another demon cultivator who has harmed our fellow disciples.”
“Or perhaps Lin Mo is not the demon cultivator who harmed our fellow disciples.”
This conjecture caused the other peak lords to ponder deeply.
However, the most important thing now was to find the group of missing disciples and True Lord Yuehua.
In the cave where Yuehua was imprisoned.
Yuehua’s breath was faint, as if her soul was about to depart.
Looking at the corpses of the Azure Spirit Sect disciples piled up like a mountain in front of her, she weakly murmured, “What… what step did I take wrong?”
During this time, she had been constantly pondering this question.
Even now, she still couldn’t figure out the answer.
“If there were no demons in the world, would such a situation arise?”
Bit by bit, she slowly began to understand.
“Indeed, all demons deserve to die…”
“Deserve to die.”
Only by slaughtering all the demons in the world would she no longer have these troubles.
She hated it, hated that she didn’t have the power to slaughter all the demons in the world.
To die like this, she truly was unwilling!
A hint of crimson appeared in Yuehua’s eyes. The demon seed, which had been dry, began to absorb the monstrous hatred wildly and slowly regained its vitality, gradually merging with her body.
As they merged, Yuehua’s body underwent new changes.
Black demonic energy erupted, and in an instant, the words ‘Slay Demons’ carved by demonic energy filled all the walls and the ground of the cave.
At this moment, Yuehua’s skin had returned to its original appearance.
But her hair was still snow-white, and her eyes were filled with crimson.
Instantly, the monstrous hatred transformed into demonic energy that broke through the cave’s barrier and pierced the clouds.
The slayer had finally become a true demon.
“All demons shall die.”
Yuehua rushed out of the cave, left the Azure Spirit Sect, and began her demon-slaying journey.
The eleven peak lords of the Azure Spirit Sect also witnessed Yuehua, who had become a demon and departed, at the moment the monstrous demonic energy erupted.
Their speed was too fast; they couldn’t keep up.
When they arrived at the mountain cave from which Yuehua’s demonic energy had erupted, they were all stunned into silence by the scene before them.
The words ‘Slay Demons’ were secretly inscribed all over the cave.
And in a corner of the cave, they saw the corpses of the missing Azure Spirit Sect disciples.
In an instant, they had found the truth.
Yuehua had entered the demonic path and taken the lives of hundreds of Azure Spirit Sect disciples.
And from this day forth, a legend circulated in the cultivation world about a pair of demonic figures who were once master and disciple.
…
