The instant the stone door was pushed open, a pale blue figure slipped carefully inside.
Shi Ge narrowed his eyes. Like a hunting beast, he lunged straight toward the figure at the entrance. Chu Mingwei flicked his finger, directing the Qinglin Sword—its dazzling arc of light slashed forward, aiming to block Shi Ge’s advance. Liu Haoxue’s gaze sharpened as she darted toward the stone door.
Just as Shi Ge was about to reach the pale blue figure, it suddenly burst apart—countless droplets of water scattered through the air. From within, a small white figure leapt nimbly over Shi Ge and pounced toward Chu Mingwei.
“Senior Brother, Little Pig is here to save you!”
The voice rang suddenly in Chu Mingwei’s mind. His earlier tension melted into a smile. Since his junior brother had used Zhu Yuruan to test the danger, he must already understand the risks inside. Even if Chu Mingwei could not suppress Shi Ge, protecting his junior brother would not be a problem.
In the blink of an eye, Zhu Yuruan had already thrown himself beside Chu Mingwei, slipping behind him.
“That person at the door is way too scary. Senior Brother, you have to protect Little Pig!”
All of this happened in an instant. Another shadow flickered at the doorway—Xiao Lingyu stepped in, standing atop the Water-Moon Wheel. As the stone door shut, Liu Haoxue barely reached the entrance, only to watch helplessly as it sealed shut again, leaving her on the verge of tears.
The first thing Xiao Lingyu saw upon entering, illuminated by the glow of the Qinglin Sword, was Chu Mingwei’s expression—concern mixed with joy. Even knowing the timing was wrong, Xiao Lingyu could not help but smile.
Before that smile could fade, Shi Ge had already turned and roared, charging straight at Xiao Lingyu.
With his back against the stone door, Xiao Lingyu had nowhere to retreat. He tapped lightly on the Water-Moon Wheel; it flared with brilliant light and expanded instantly, forming a barrier in front of him. At the same moment, Chu Mingwei struck the Leihan Mirror—more than a dozen bolts of thunder roared toward Shi Ge’s back. Trapped at Xiao Lingyu’s side with no escape, Liu Haoxue spun around, and with a flash of white light, her white jade hairpin shot straight toward Shi Ge.
Attacked from three sides, Shi Ge’s fury surged. He threw his head back and roared, his body swelling once again. Xiao Lingyu’s eyes narrowed as the Shadowless Sword shot forward.
In an instant, multiple magical artifacts slammed into Shi Ge. Even with his enlarged form, though he endured the barrage, he was clearly injured—his body visibly shrinking back to normal size.
Shi Ge glared viciously at Xiao Lingyu, his body rising and falling with heavy breaths.
Seeing this, something stirred in Xiao Lingyu’s mind—a fleeting thought—but before he could grasp it, Old Ghost’s voice suddenly sounded in his head:
“Kid, be careful. That old man looks like he’s been possessed.”
“Possessed?” Xiao Lingyu paused.
To Chu Mingwei, however, it seemed Xiao Lingyu had recognized Wu Songzi. Alarmed, he stepped forward, shielding Xiao Lingyu.
“Lingyu, he’s not Martial Uncle Wu. Martial Uncle Wu has already been taken over by him.”
The moment Chu Mingwei spoke the words “Martial Uncle Wu,” Xiao Lingyu immediately understood the thought that had just flashed through his mind. His face shifted into a mix of shock and sorrow.
“Senior Brother… who is he?”
Chu Mingwei frowned. At first, he did not want to burden his junior brother, but remembering Xiao Lingyu’s connection to Wu Songzi, he answered gravely:
“An ancient demon… Shi Ge.”
“An ancient demon, Shi Ge?”
Three voices spoke at once—Xiao Lingyu was surprised that Chu Mingwei knew of ancient demons, Liu Haoxue was confused about what “ancient demon” even meant, and Old Ghost was shocked that Shi Ge was still alive.
Unaware of Xiao Lingyu’s thoughts, Chu Mingwei explained:
“He claimed it himself earlier, but there’s no record of such beings in the sect’s archives.”
Hearing the hesitation in his tone, Xiao Lingyu understood that Chu Mingwei had likely never heard of ancient demons before this either. Remembering Old Ghost’s strange reaction, he immediately pressed:
“You know Shi Ge?”
Old Ghost hesitated. “I’ve… heard the name before.”
Before Xiao Lingyu could pursue further, Shi Ge suddenly slammed both hands onto the water. Instantly, massive waves surged up and crashed toward the three of them.
Xiao Lingyu tapped the surface lightly—an enormous wall of water rose several meters high, blocking the attack. The waves collided violently with the barrier. Xiao Lingyu felt his spiritual energy churn within him, forcing him to stagger back—until he fell into a familiar embrace.
Chu Mingwei held him tightly, concern evident. Xiao Lingyu shook his head to signal he was fine.
The water wall and waves collapsed together. Forming a hand seal, Xiao Lingyu invoked, “Heavenly Water Without Trace.” The cascading water was deflected around them.
Liu Haoxue, whose skirt had been soaked, instinctively twisted her waist and turned with a coquettish glance—only to freeze when she saw Chu Mingwei holding Xiao Lingyu.
Putting everything together, resentment flared in her heart.
Damn it. All the promising male cultivators in the cultivation world are going for other men—what are female cultivators supposed to do?
No wonder Chu Mingwei hadn’t wanted Xiao Lingyu to come in. She had thought it was brotherly concern—turns out they were a pair of shameless lovers.
Recalling how she had tried to seduce Xiao Lingyu earlier without success, she quickly comforted herself—it wasn’t that she lacked charm, just that their tastes were… unconventional.
After repeating that to herself several times, she followed behind them, looking utterly dejected.
Meanwhile, seeing that the weakest among them was actually a water spiritual root cultivator, Shi Ge’s expression twisted beyond fury. With a sinister look, he suddenly retreated and beckoned—two figures flew out from the corner.
Chu Mingwei frowned and struck the Leihan Mirror again.
“Heavenly Thunder Net!”
Lightning filled the air. At the same time, Xiao Lingyu mobilized his spiritual energy.
“Ten Thousand Arrows at Once!”
As his words fell, all the water in the hall surged toward him. Countless water arrows condensed and shot toward Shi Ge with overwhelming force.
Shi Ge stared at Xiao Lingyu in disbelief. Roaring, his body expanded again as black qi surged around him. As the lightning engulfed him, the black aura began to dissipate—and for the first time, real fear appeared on his face.
Under the relentless barrage of water arrows, Shi Ge was forced back step by step, his body visibly shrinking under the pressure.
While Chu Mingwei and Xiao Lingyu fought together, a fist-sized cauldron suddenly rolled out from the swirling water.
Liu Haoxue’s eyes lit up. Anything appearing here had to be a treasure. Delighted, she reached for it—
—but a white blur flashed past, and the cauldron vanished.
She blinked, slowly turning toward the small white pig on the ground.
Zhu Yuruan lifted his head innocently, meeting her gaze. Beside him, Old Ghost instructed:
“That’s right—look more innocent, more confused. Act like nothing happened.”
Zhu Yuruan complained internally, “That thing tasted awful. If she wants it, just give it to her.”
Old Ghost exploded, “You idiot! Even ten pieces of Thunder Source aren’t worth that cauldron! No one can know it’s in our hands!”
Swallowing what was probably the worst thing he had ever eaten, Zhu Yuruan forced an innocent expression, deeply feeling that following this little monster required not just stamina—but acting skills.
After searching repeatedly with both eyes and spiritual sense, Liu Haoxue finally had to accept— the cauldron had simply vanished.
While they secretly contested ownership of the treasure, Xiao Lingyu and Chu Mingwei had already forced Shi Ge into a corner.
Seeing Shi Ge’s form shrink further, Chu Mingwei raised the Qinglin Sword, preparing the final strike.
Old Ghost suddenly shouted, “Kid, use Void! Otherwise, you won’t be able to kill him!”
Xiao Lingyu hesitated slightly. Seeing this, Old Ghost was about to urge him again—
—but Shi Ge suddenly looked up, hatred blazing in his eyes. A strange smile spread across his face as he lunged toward them.
Seeing the milky white light emanating from Shi Ge’s body, Chu Mingwei’s expression changed drastically. In a flash, he could only pull Xiao Lingyu tightly into his arms.
Boom!
A massive burst of light exploded outward. Violent spiritual energy surged wildly, but the surrounding restraints activated, forcibly containing the explosion.
The three cultivators and the pig were thrown violently into the wall. Chu Mingwei held Xiao Lingyu as they rolled several times before crashing to a stop.
Breaking free from his arms, Xiao Lingyu called out anxiously, “Senior Brother!”
Chu Mingwei smiled gently.
“Don’t worry. Thanks to the Spirit-Trapping Array, it’s only superficial injuries.”
Guilt filled Xiao Lingyu’s heart. If not for his hesitation, his senior brother wouldn’t have been hurt.
Just then, a half-human-sized green shadow flickered past.
“Demon soul!” Old Ghost said sharply. “As long as the demon soul remains, the demon race cannot die.”
This time, Xiao Lingyu did not hesitate.
“Void!”
The green shadow twisted—and vanished completely.
Turning back to Chu Mingwei, Xiao Lingyu spoke calmly:
“Senior Brother, I have something to tell you.”
Chu Mingwei looked at him with warmth and joy. Just the thought that his junior brother was willing to share his secret made him uncontrollably happy.
The two gazed at each other, full of unspoken affection.
When Liu Haoxue regained consciousness, the first thing she saw was this blindingly intimate scene.
Once again, she silently reminded herself—it wasn’t that she lacked charm. Their tastes were just… abnormal.
With Shi Ge gone, the Spirit-Trapping Array collapsed. The hall began to tremble, on the verge of collapse.
Xiao Lingyu immediately supported Chu Mingwei and rushed toward the stone door. Liu Haoxue hesitated for a moment, then grabbed Yun Souweng and followed.
None of them noticed Xu Xuan trembling in the corner.
As the hall collapsed behind them, they emerged outside. Looking up at the fractured sky and the swirling void energy, Xiao Lingyu let out a long breath.
But the priority now was finding a place to treat his senior brother’s injuries.
Just as he turned to leave, Liu Haoxue suddenly called him over.
Puzzled, Xiao Lingyu approached.
With a smile, she tossed a book into his arms—then left with Yun Souweng.
Curious, Xiao Lingyu glanced at the book—
—and his face instantly flushed bright red.
He hurriedly stuffed it into his storage pouch. When he looked back at Chu Mingwei, the latter was watching him with a knowing smile.
Chuckling, Chu Mingwei raised an eyebrow.
He wondered whether this would be one of the secrets his junior brother planned to confess.
From here on:
Dialogue is marked with “”.
Spiritual sense communication is marked with ‘’.