Chapter 27

"Wait, please, hold on!" Fu Yun called after Cen Qianshan, forcing himself to stand. He straightened his torn robes and clasped his hands respectfully. "Thank you, sincerely, for coming to my aid, brother. But, I have to ask, how do you know my family's junior sister?"
Cen Qianshan's gaze drifted past him. "Why not ask her yourself?"
Fu Yun whipped around, and just behind a stone statue, spotted a little dumpling of a girl caught peeking at the worst possible moment.
"Zhang Er Ya! You, you get over here, cough, come out right now!"
Mu Xue, just arrived and already exposed, rushed forward and grabbed Fu Yun's arm to steady him. "Are you hurt, senior brother?"
Fu Yun was steaming inside, but with outsiders present, he could only furrow his brow and explain. "Ran into the demonic cultivator Liu Luchun. Had a little brawl. This… this gentleman here actually lent me a hand."
As the two spoke, Cen Qianshan had wandered off on his own.
He strolled along the shimmering, five-colored sea, their sibling banter echoing sweetly behind him.
"What did you promise me, hmm? Why didn't you stick with Yang Jun at camp, what are you doing here alone? Do you realize how dangerous this place is?"
"I messed up, I know, senior brother," the usually ruthless little girl had suddenly turned meek. "Don't be mad, let me help you find a place to rest, you’re bleeding so much."
"Wait, where's senior sister?"
"Senior sister went missing as soon as we entered the Sea of Desire. You stay put, don’t run off. I’ll… cough, I just need to sit for a bit, then I’ll get you out."
That warmth, human kindness, it always felt the same, everywhere.
He’d had that warmth once, too. And lost it, no one’s fault but his own.
But it didn’t matter. He’d get it all back soon.
There’s no real seawater in the Sea of Desire, just endless, shifting waves of iridescent light, stretching to infinity. Here and there, giant statues and hills poke above the glow, like lonely islands adrift in a painted sea.
The "water" now reached up to Cen Qianshan’s knees, and farther on, the sea plunged deeper, ready to swallow him whole. That rainbow-tinted ocean sang with a thousand forbidden voices, each wave murmuring promises designed to unravel him.
"Xiao Shan, come here. Hurry."
"It’s so fun down here, don’t make us wait. Be good now."
"Let me take a good look at you. Let me touch you."
Those secret, shameful desires he’d hidden so deep, dragged into the open, laid bare under the sun. All his deepest wants, his biggest fears, all the things he could never face, voiced over and over, forcing him to look straight at them.
Cen Qianshan stepped back from the sea, realizing he couldn’t risk going any further. If he wanted to cross these waters, he’d have to find the fabled “crossing boat.”
The boat was the only way through the Sea of Desire, but whether you found it or not depended entirely on luck.
In the shelter of an earthen slope,
Fu Yun watched Mu Xue, feeling all kinds of tangled emotions.
Just six years old, and the little bean was methodical, fetching water, tending his wounds, tucking a thin blanket around him, settling him down to rest. Then she sat outside, hugging a tiny sword, keeping watch.
"Don’t worry, senior brother. I’ll stand guard while you nap," she beamed at him, her little face round and earnest. "If any demons show up, I’ll shout for you right away."
He’d never particularly liked his master’s new girl disciple, not gentle with her like the junior brother, or caring like their senior sister.
But she always treated him warmly. No walls, no hesitation, just cheerful, steadfast care, never sparing herself any trouble.
It made Fu Yun feel a little guilty.
"You really won’t go back?" His voice was still hoarse.
"Nope. Master said, as long as I’ve figured out what I want, I can choose my own path." Mu Xue handed him a steaming cup. "Even if you chased me off, senior brother, I’d still follow on my own."
"You sure about that? Right now, I’m afraid I… cough… couldn’t protect you."
Cen Qianshan spent ages searching the shallows, hoping for the crossing boat, but found only that same Zhang Er Ya kid messing about nearby.
That little righteous cultivator girl had dug an earthen stove in the windbreak of a slope. On top, she’d stacked flat stones into a pointy tower, and now she crouched before the stove, feeding it wood, sending the stones glowing almost red-hot.
Cen Qianshan’s eyes widened.
Earthen oven, just like Master used to make, nothing beats the flavor of sweet potatoes and taro slow-baked in this way, crisp outside, buttery inside, with that heavenly roasted aroma. It was one of his absolute favorite things to eat. On every hunting trip, Master always made this.
Mu Xue was smooth and efficient as she killed the fire, tossed in the last of their sweet potatoes and taro, then sealed up the mouth of the stove with a layer of dirt. She grabbed a thick stick, cracked the red-hot stones so they tumbled into the stove, and finally packed wet earth over everything to trap the heat and let their treats roast to perfection inside.
“Alright, that’s it. Now we just wait and eat.” Mu Xue brushed the dirt from her hands and stood up.
It had been years since she’d last done this, but thankfully, she hadn’t forgotten how. Quite satisfying, she thought. Back in the day, Xiao Shan always drooled over this.
The thought had barely formed when she looked up and nearly jumped, there he was, that tall, long-legged guy, standing on the rise, staring her down like she’d stolen his favorite toy.
“L-little, uh, brother, you’re back?” Mu Xue blurted, almost calling out Xiao Shan by name before swallowing the “Shan” at the last second. She forced herself to use the cringe-worthy “little brother” and tried to play it cool.
Why is it that Xiao Shan could always sneak up so quietly like this?
Only someone whose primordial spirit outclasses hers could pull a stunt like that. So, his cultivation must already surpass her peak from all those years ago.
Cen Qianshan glared down, practically towering over the tiny girl who barely reached his waist.
Just a coincidence, he told himself. Pit-roasting like this was practically everywhere among mortals, nothing special at all.
He tried his hardest to convince himself. But his feet felt nailed to the ground, refusing to budge.
Then the girl cracked open the clay oven, fished out some fragrant, steaming hot food, and grinned as she offered it to him.
“My senior brother told me how much you helped him. Really, thank you.” Mu Xue broke apart a charcoal-black roasted sweet potato; the golden, steaming soft center sent a mouthwatering aroma wafting through the air. “Just came out of the oven. Stay and eat with us?”
Her eyes sparkled; she looked at him with hopeful anticipation.
She hadn’t seen Xiao Shan in far too long. She desperately wanted to steal a few more glances, exchange a few words. After they left this secret realm, bumping into each other again would be a miracle.
Her mother had implanted the Infinite Rebirth Cycle Secret Art directly into her mind. So, too, did her mother’s gentle warning echo there:
“There’s only one rule: tell no one. Ever. Or the secret art breaks, and you’ll lose your chance at reincarnation.”
Mu Xue never really understood as a child, but now she thought she finally did, her mother gave up her own chance at rebirth to pass the secret art down and protect the lonely daughter left behind in the world.
Mu Xue had no plans to give it up. She wanted lifetime after lifetime of cultivation, to eventually achieve the Great Dao, soar above the heavens, and taste true freedom, and joy, for countless years.
But after all, most demonic cultivators struck down by heavenly lightning ended up with their souls scattered to the winds. Likely, Xiao Shan never imagined she’d reincarnate as a human and end up apprenticed to the Righteous Path.
So she’d sneak a look at her little disciple from back then, maybe even share a meal together.
Even if it was just this once, that would be enough.
And just the thought made her so happy.
Cen Qianshan was silent for a long while. He took the golden sweet potato, sat down slowly, broke off a piece, and tasted it. Buttery-soft, sweet, steaming hot, exactly as it was back then.
The heat and richness rolled down his throat, scorching a burning hole right through the frozen walls in his chest.
He remembered: every time he finished, little Zhang Er Ya would scamper over, silent as a mouse, smiling as she stuffed another warm treat into his hand.
So he found himself sitting there quietly, eating piece after piece. Shoving warmth down his throat and into his heart.
“Look! What on earth is that?” Mu Xue suddenly leapt up, pointing toward the distant waters.
There was no real sea, just waves of colored light, yet atop that glimmering surface floated a tiny boat.
It wasn’t bamboo or wood; it was folded out of yellow paper, skimming over the illusory water, shimmered with a thin veil of golden light.
“A crossing boat.” Cen Qianshan stood and, in a blink, was at the water’s edge. He stepped aboard the paper vessel, which carried his weight effortlessly atop the Sea of Desire, not sinking a bit.
“Wait up!” Mu Xue called, scurrying after him, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Let’s go together, okay?”
She beamed at Cen Qianshan, then reached back to help the barely-recovered Fu Yun onto the boat.
This kid was still so small, too young to know fear.
It had been ages since anyone dared talk to Cen Qianshan so casually.
He was not the kind who handled being cramped up with strangers in a tiny boat.
But after eating so much of their food, he couldn’t bring himself to kick them off. So he endured it, silently accepting his new shipmates.
The little paper boat drifted between sea and sky, sunset bleeding red across the glimmering waves, a scene out of a dream.
Mu Xue leaned over the side, head craned as she watched the waters darken.
Rare stones glittered at the bottom, rainbow-hued, rippling with color, as vivid as the mortal world’s pleasures and distractions. She dipped her hand into the shimmering sea, hoping to catch some, but gathered only emptiness. It was all just an illusion.
“I wonder where Senior Sister ended up?” Mu Xue thought out loud, missing the absent Miao Hong’er.
Cen Qianshan, standing at the bow, surveyed the vast water and finally replied, “The Sea of Desire conjures the six human cravings: sight, sound, taste, sensation, touch, and love, the realm splits you off according to what your heart longs for most.”
He’d thoroughly researched everything about it before coming, preparing for all possibilities.
Fu Yun, perched at the stern, chimed in, “Senior Sister must’ve landed in the Sea of Taste. As for us… we’ve entered the Sea of Love.”
He and Cen Qianshan shared a glance, silently sizing each other up.
So this demonic cultivator, or was it an righteous one?, seemed so aloof and cold, yet deep down he was as mired in love as any ordinary person. Typical.
Both of them turned to look at Mu Xue sitting by the rail.
The little girl stretched her arms, still trying to scoop up handfuls of that illusory water, giggling to herself.
How did this little bun wind up in the love sector of all places?
Fu Yun coughed awkwardly, offering an explanation: “Love isn’t just romance. It could be family, friendship, or the bond between peers. Xiao Xue really treasures her brothers and sisters in cultivation.”
The sky darkened, thick with the hum of an oncoming storm.
The water turned murky. From deep below came a song, at first barely audible, then swelling, like a siren’s call, like glass chimes shattering in the wind, sometimes honeyed and enchanting, brushing softly against the innermost corners of the heart; sometimes mournful and poignant, echoing endless longing and waiting, love unfulfilled, heartbreak so sharp it hurt to breathe.
When such erratic, extreme voices keep hammering in your ears, no matter how much you try to block them out, it’s impossible not to get rattled, especially for someone like Mu Xue, still so new to all this, her mind barely trained to hold steady.
Beneath the waves, sinister currents surged. The little paper boat rocked wildly, any moment now, it felt like a thousand monstrous fiends might burst from the sea, shred the fragile vessel to bits, and drag everyone into the swirling depths of desire and chaos.
Suddenly, Fu Yun spoke: “Junior sister, you’ve already learned the Xingtin Heart Method, haven’t you?”
Mu Xue nodded blankly, not sure why her senior brother was bringing up cultivation techniques at a time like this.
Fu Yun went on, “In that case, let me teach you a secret technique of ‘Original Clarity, Never Flickering.’ If you can use this trial of desire as fuel, you might just master it, and break straight into our sect’s Dragon-Tiger Union state.”
Mu Xue froze, staring at the monstrous shapes writhing across the dark sea. “Here? Right now?”
Fu Yun said, “Yes, go ahead. You’re still so young. If your wits get tangled up by these temptations, it’ll only throw everything into chaos and help no one. Might as well enter stillness, who knows, maybe this sea of desires will actually be your chance. If you can resist their corruption, I’ll be free to fight without worrying about you.”
Mu Xue hesitated, then sat cross-legged on the trembling paper boat, trying to meditate. But the siren songs came from every direction, seeping into her mind; the rocking of the boat only made her thoughts messier, and no matter how she tried, she couldn’t quiet her spirit.
Through the seductive, haunting music, Fu Yun’s voice broke through,
“All living things, lost in distraction, mistake the waves for reality. Like tiny bubbles, drifting aimlessly on an endless sea, wandering deeper and deeper into confusion…rising and falling, caught in endless cycles, binding themselves in invisible webs… unable to break free…”
Mu Xue’s heart slowly sank into stillness. The little boat rocked on, but her body felt fused with its paper hull, calm, unmoving, utterly quiet inside.
“Shadow and light, perfectly illumined; nature’s law, flowing clear as air; original purity, never dimming; fulfilled and whole by its own design.” The mantra echoed in her mind, over and over, senior brother’s guidance ringing out like a bell.
Mu Xue listened, intent and focused, gradually coming to understand the profound meaning within.
The seductive, sinister music flooded her ears, but somehow her mind only grew quieter. She began to grasp that every flicker and flash was just illusion, unworthy of a glance, unworthy even to listen.
And then, somewhere deep inside, it was as though a second pair of eyes opened, watching herself, curled up on the paper boat, watching as her physical self seemed to peel away, exposing a heart radiant and clear as crystal.
A sudden, complete serenity bloomed inside her. Outside, the cacophony of demonic voices still raged, but they could no longer touch her peace.
As she broke through the ‘Original Clarity, Never Flickering’ state, the heart seal Master had pressed between her brows the day she’d entered the sect awakened of its own accord, and the principles of Dragon-Tiger Union unfolded in her mind.
Within her Spirit Chamber, blazing fire raged in the sky while still water flowed below. Out of the inferno soared a shining celestial dragon; from the pure, shadowy pool, a watchful tiger sprang up. The dragon and tiger tangled and merged, entwined in longing.
Two energies mingled in her core, sky and earth coming together, sun and moon melding their light. Out of this union, something golden coalesced, gleaming as liquid jade, a foundational elixir, the root from which stronger pills and, someday, her Golden Core would form.
Misfortune had become a blessing. Mu Xue had seized opportunity in the middle of disaster, stepping forward on her path once again.
Now the Sea of Desire surged with whitecaps and pounding waves. The paper boat tossed like a leaf among the breakers,
But its tiny passenger sat perfectly poised, her face serene, a gentle aura shimmering around her, with the distant echoes of tiger roars and dragon cries hanging in the air.
“What a remarkable girl,” Fu Yun sighed. “No wonder Master always said she was born for greatness.”
All around them, seductive female demons emerged from the waves, their pale, sticky fingers clawing up the sides of the boat.
Cen Qianshan drew his Frostbite, cutting through a thousand demonic bodies with a single snowy sweep.
Fu Yun unsheathed his Cold Moon sword, a crescent cold and lethal, soul-snatching on the draw.
No one knew how long the battle raged. Across the rainbow-lit sea, layer after layer of severed demon limbs and twisted bodies floated.
The ocean stretched on forever, and there seemed to be no end to the horrors lurking below.
Both fighters on the boat were now drenched in blood.
Fu Yun sank to one knee, using his sword for balance, gasping for breath. “The number one powerhouse in the Demon Spirit Realm… The stories weren’t exaggerating.”
Cen Qianshan didn’t look at him. With a single sweep, he forced all the monsters back. Blood trickled from his brow down half his face; yet his eyes burned bright with fighting spirit, not a trace of fear.
“My junior sister… she’s only been initiated three months.” Fu Yun pushed himself up, slashing down two more beasts trying to board the boat. “She barely knows how to fight, there’s so much she hasn’t learned yet.”
“If I die here, would you do me a favor?” His blood-soaked hand tightened on the sword, scarlet dripping down the silver-white blade, dyeing it as red as the moon. “Promise me you’ll get her safely to shore.”
“Deal,” the demonic cultivator replied, no fuss, no drama.
“That’s all I needed to hear. Now I can really cut loose.” The ‘gentleman among the clouds’ raised his blood-heavy arm and flung himself at the demons swarming up the boat, though his energy was all but spent, every move pure desperation.
Suddenly, a ring of light flared around the girl meditating beside him. The glow expanded, passing over her senior brother, over Cen Qianshan at the prow.
Within the halo, a dragon and a tiger twined together, circling and chasing, their roars and cries overtaking the storm, ripping a path through the demonic horde.
Then the aura collapsed, magic spent. Mu Xue opened her eyes, stood up, and pulled out an utterly ordinary little protective dagger. “You rest, senior brother. Let me take a crack at them.”
Her small frame planted itself back-to-back with Cen Qianshan, sword leveled at the oncoming swarm.
It was a feeling she knew well, fighting alongside Xiao Shan, relying on each other, guarding each other's backs in the wild. This was the life she was used to. Mu Xue could feel her blood heating up.
The only thing bugging her was how ridiculously tall Xiao Shan was now.
In this world where spiritual power was suppressed, that Dragon-Tiger barrier she'd just used when she broke through had drained everything she had. She couldn’t pull it off again.
Without her arts, fighting in the body of a six-year-old was absurdly hard.
But she refused to be that panicked, helpless kid, always begging for protection.
“I might be small, but I’ll fight until the end.” She lunged with her short sword, slicing off a demon’s arm, spun and flicked up the blade, blocking a claw headed for the boy behind her.
Every move was simple, direct, and efficient, the basics, stripped to what worked best.
Cen Qianshan wiped the blood from his eyes. In this chaotic hellscape, he felt himself slipping toward madness. Even a tiny stranger of a girl had somehow made him believe he could trust her to guard his back.
He’d only ever stood back to back with one person. That person, her soul was waiting for him to bring home the artifact.
Cen Qianshan shook blood from his hands, then suddenly laughed. “Death? I don’t fear it. The living mourn; the dead know peace. But I won’t die, not today. I still have someone waiting for me, for my return.”
“As long as I’m alive, you all still stand a chance!”
Cen Qianshan’s blade, cold as frost and crusted with blood, once sparked revolution in the Demon Realm with a single gleaming slash.
Now, his wild laughter echoed. The sword’s chill sliced through the storm of lust that threatened to swallow them whole.
The paper boat crashed headlong into a shimmering, invisible barrier.
It was as if they’d shattered through an illusion, the infinite sea of desire and the endless monsters vanished in an instant.
The paper boat leapt free, landing atop a patch of dry gravel. The sky hung in eternal sunset, wastelands and tangled grasses spread all around like the ruins of a forgotten world.
Blood-soaked, the three stood dumbfounded aboard the boat.
Mu Xue plopped down heavily, relieved to be alive. Nearly did a whole extra round of reincarnation back there.
She looked up at Cen “Xiao Shan,” covered head to toe in blood.
Wait, this kid has a crush now? What does her little disciple’s girlfriend even look like? He didn’t even think to show her off to his master first!
Cen Qianshan glanced back. That tiny six-year-old girl was staring straight at him, strange face, unfamiliar voice, a presence he didn’t recognize.
Not the one who once fought by his side, life and death bound together.
“Who… who are you?” he asked suddenly, his voice rough and raw.