Chapter 104: Conquest Success

When Jin Chuyang arrived at the Falling Rock Forest, the sun was just setting.

Night fell, enveloping the scattered natural stone pillars and casting ghostly shadows.

He spoke a question: "Immortal Zhou."

The surroundings were silent. In the next moment, the array outside the Falling Rock Forest shifted, yielding a path.

Without stopping his pace, Jin Chuyang walked inside. A woman happened to flip down from a tree and land on the ground, teasing with a laugh: "What? Do you want someone to go save your disciple?"

Jin Chuyang remained silent.

"I cannot fight the entire sect; I cannot save him," Zhou Shijin said, still maintaining her air of indifference. "However, you are his Master. People have their degrees of closeness. If it were Zora, I would likely risk everything—even if failure were a certainty."

"...You know well that I and the Demon Realm cannot coexist under the same sky." Jin Chuyang lifted his head, his face freezing cold.

Zhou Shijin laughed a few times. Acting as if she hadn't heard his words, she said to herself: "Even if I am dying, if I cannot save him, appearing rashly would only implicate Zora. She and Vane are already linked in spirit and have an even deeper connection; I will not have her fall under suspicion."

She could not save Vane. Risking everything was not even an option.

Since there was no possibility of success, she did not speak up.

Because she still had Zora.

If Zhou Shijin intervened, it would not only fail to change Vane's situation but would also drag Zora down.

Although everyone knew the relationship between Zora and Vane, it did not mean they were both of the Demon Realm.

Naturally, Zhou Shijin trusted her disciple. If Zora decided to save him in the future, once her cultivation reached a certain level, she certainly could.

Vane would not die; he would only be imprisoned. One could wait.

Sect Leader Ling Zhihuan could not budge the decisions of others regarding the established matter of Vane, but she did her best to clear Zora in matters where there was room to maneuver.

A person of the Demon Realm.

How was he a person of the Demon Realm?

In just a few short hours, the world had turned upside down, and his situation was now worlds apart from before.

Some even speculated he was a mole for the Demon Realm. The elders took the opportunity to pin several baseless crimes on him. A youth used to being a lone wolf, he had no deep connections with anyone besides Zora and a few others. The majority of disciples who did not know him personally naturally believed the rumors.

Thus, the punishment became all the more justified.

Zhou Shijin approached, a light smile on her lips: "By the way, I have accepted the mission to inspect his spiritual roots and foundation. After all, that kid is one step away from the Nascent Soul stage. Those with low cultivation are easily backbitten; they are afraid he will resist. That fellow Wanghua-jun can't bring himself to lower his face to do such a thing."

Jin Chuyang seemed to sense her intent and remained silent.

Zhou Shijin maintained her smile, her voice becoming soft yet carrying a murderous intent that filled the hall in an instant.

"...I cannot kill the Sword Sovereign, but I can kill you. You must know what should be said and what should not."

The puppet threads.

Jin Chuyang knew about the puppet threads.

And the reason she had accepted the mission to inspect his roots was entirely to prevent anyone from discovering the existence of the puppet threads, lest complications arise.

Jin Chuyang held his breath. Zhou Shijin reverted to her casual manner, saying gracefully: "So, is there anything else?"

"..."

Jin Chuyang, never one for violent emotional fluctuations, lowered his eyes and said: "I broke your disciple's mechanical bird. The writing on the letter is no longer legible. My apologies."

"What?"

Jin Chuyang briefly recounted the reason Vane had given.

Zhou Shijin said nothing. Instead, she gave a meaningful smile, giving her tacit consent.

Jin Chuyang appeared indifferent on the surface, but his mind was already in a mess. He did not notice Zhou Shijin's gaze, which looked as if she were looking at a "fool," and turned to leave.

The back of the golden-clad cultivator soon faded into the distance. Zhou Shijin's eyes curved, perfectly understanding Vane's intentions.

How novel. A person about to be punished was still there plotting, using indirect methods to protect her disciple, playing his emotionally conflicted Master like a fiddle.

Zhou Shijin did not think this was Zora's luck; she even felt it was Vane's luck.

To be able to meet someone for whom he would exert every effort without regret—did that not represent how good of a person Zora was?

Meeting Zora was a stroke of luck, his fortune. From then on, he no longer had ethereal, drifting goals; his path forward was clear, like a bird having a point to perch upon.

What a lucky thing. Many people never have the chance in their entire lives to grasp such an intense emotion capable of changing their entire life trajectory.

Zhou Shijin pressed her hand to her chest, her lips turning pale.

At this moment, her body was in a state of old age.

A lifespan of a few decades was not long; to a cultivator, it was a fleeting moment.

Yet it wasn't short either; she could even see her disciple break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

She lifted her head. The night had no stars or moon, only the cool breeze for company.

Zhou Shijin watched for a while, then suddenly lowered her head to send Zora a letter. The mechanical bird she used was much sturdier.

The bird flapped its wings, appearing lifelike. It circled once in mid-air and drifted away under its master's gaze.

After only half an hour, it flew back unsteadily.

Zhou Shijin: "?"

It was obvious that one of its wings had been reattached.

And the reattachment was terrible.

Zhou Shijin pinched the wing of the mechanical bird, speechless for a long while.

She sighed.

She really hoped that kid Vane could endure this ordeal.

Not for any other reason, but because if he died, Zora might find things inconvenient for a while and would need to learn other trivial matters.

That kid probably thought so too, Zhou Shijin realized.

If someone truly loved Vane, they would have to understand his unusual mindset.

For example, he believed the greatest impact of his death might be that Zora might never meet such a convenient servant again.

That was the real reason his desire for survival erupted.

Over the decades, because of Vane's reputation, he had attracted those who sought to use him or wished to befriend him. They thought that since Vane had friends like Song Zhihuai, they too could become another friend and gain some convenience.

Little did they know that this kid even made friends only because they were Zora's friends.

Those who thought they were acting for his own good—those self-sacrificing behaviors—didn't earn a shred of his attention.

Those who thought what he needed was devotion and self-importantly spoke warm words to him only made him feel they were stupid.

Those who were indignant because he had no friends around him only received a fake smile.

But if others truly abused him, cursed him, or wanted to kill him, he was merciless. He was not a masochist in any universal sense.

He simply seemed to be special only toward Zora.

In the end, throughout the decades, he had always been alone. Not a single newly met person had become a close acquaintance.

Zhou Shijin sighed softly again.

What an eccentric, quite like her disciple.

Inside the Dungeon.

Damp and dark.

There was the faint, crisp clinking of handcuff chains constantly colliding.

A red bead was picked up from the water, bringing with it a string of tiny splashes.

In the shallow, freezing water, the wreckage of a mechanical bird was perfectly reassembled, standing on the ground, its belly lightly tapped by the ripples of the water.

The youth focused his mind, lowering his lashes as he completed the mechanical bird. Aside from a few small parts shattered by Jin Chuyang's spiritual power, the large pieces were put back together by him.

The bird seemed to be the same as before, yet it could not flap its wings to fly.

After finishing the assembly, Vane withdrew his hand. His lashes were frosted, and his face was pale.

Is something the matter with her?

Did that letter say she had something to do and wouldn't be back tonight?

It should be.

He could deduce it. This was for the best.

Vane couldn't imagine how Zora would react if she knew about this.

Would she simply kill him?

She probably would.

Kill him before the sect could punish him, because Vane was her servant, and his execution should be led by her.

Thinking this, it was best that she didn't return, to avoid conflict with the sect.

He pondered, his gaze turning toward the mechanical bird before him. Its bright red eyes were exceptionally vivid in the darkness. Because it was missing parts, its hollow mechanical skeleton appeared deformed and sharp, incredibly haunting.

Vane, however, touched the eyes of the mechanical bird with exceptional tenderness.

He would not die.

He did not want to die.

The next day, the youth was taken to the circular platform of the execution grounds.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, some whispered as the dawn light enveloped everyone.

From atop the high platform, someone read out his crimes: "Vane, being of the Demon Realm, hid your identity to join our sect. You stole cultivation methods and secretly harmed commoners with cruel methods; your heart is to be condemned! According to the sect's laws and disciplines, Vane is sentenced to the Bone-Nailing punishment and shall be imprisoned in the Black Suspending Sea—!"

They had not torn out his soul or imprisoned him in the Drunken Lu Bay arrays to never be reincarnated; in their view, this was already a lenient sentence.

First, Zhou Shijin went up to inspect his spiritual roots and the state of the Demonic Seed.

Vane was covered in blood. His hands and feet were humiliatingly locked into his bones, and his knees were ground nearly to the bone on the floor. There were whip marks on his back from the punishment, the scent of blood was heavy, and the Demonic Seed was temporarily suppressed by the spiritual-locking handcuffs.

However, it only treated the symptoms, not the cause. No one knew how long the seed could be controlled, so someone needed to inspect it.

In a state where he could barely save himself, the youth asked Zhou Shijin in a breathy voice as she inspected his roots: "...She hasn't returned yet."

Zhou Shijin used a small trick so that no one but her would hear his voice.

The Sword Sovereign could see it, but he frowned and ultimately didn't care about such a minor trick; he was used to being in a high position and didn't care for petty schemes.

Zhou Shijin lifted her eyes and smiled: "Don't worry. She stumbled into a trap of the Tu family. The Tu family somehow hired a Nascent Soul cultivator intended for Turi Qi and had to send him to kill her. Those facing Turi Qi are just small fry, so she has a fighting chance. Naturally, Zora didn't die."

Her tone was light: "Right now... she's probably slaughtering the entire Tu family. Who knows."

Vane lowered his head to look at the ground: "...And Jin Chuyang."

Zhou Shijin's movement as she held his wrist paused, her face remaining unchanged.

She knew what he meant.

Jin Chuyang knew about the puppet threads; he remained a threat.

The disciples surrounded the high platform. There were fragments of conversation—some sad, some resentful, some indifferent.

Zhou Shijin withdrew her hand, stood up, and looked through the crowd at the distant mist. It was the direction of Xizhou.

The woman's expression was calm as she spoke imperceptibly: "You and I have only one thing in common."

Vane suddenly relaxed. A drop of blood slid down his lowered cheek and hit the ground. The chains shifted slightly with his relaxation, letting out a faint sound.

Zhou Shijin stepped down from the platform.

Vane glanced in the direction of Xizhou. The sunlight was piercing, and the voices around him announcing his baseless crimes were gradually fading away.

—Their only commonality was their total adoration of her.

"Apply the Bone-Nailing punishment—!"

Jin Chuyang, who was to one side, walked toward the circular platform, lowering his head to look at his former disciple.

Turi Qi was in Xizhou and had not yet returned to the sect. Song Zhihuai was in seclusion. But even with Yiling Ke and the others, their words held little weight before the elders. The elders were even thinking of using the opportunity to pull Jin Chuyang down. Who knew that Jin Chuyang was more shocked than anyone? He viewed the Demon Realm as an enemy and hated them to his very marrow.

—Yet his disciple was of the Demon Realm.

He had stayed in the Jintao Hall all night yesterday, his mind drifting up and down. The images of those two disciples who died unjustly kept flashing before his eyes.

Undoubtedly, he hated the Demon Realm; he wished he could eat the flesh of demonic cultivators. He couldn't help but displace his anger. Yet Vane was, after all, different from other people of the Demon Realm... he was his disciple.

Even if throughout the decades of their master-disciple relationship they had never been close, until now, aside from matters of cultivation, they rarely spoke.

Later, when Vane found his own way of cultivation, their dialogue became even scarcer.

He was not a qualified Master.

Jin Chuyang closed his eyes and pressed the bridge of his nose.

He could not let go of his hate for the Demon Realm, yet he also could not truly bring himself to hate Vane. That was why, in his moment of mental turmoil, he had said, "I am no longer your Master," and then could say no more harsh words.

...Never mind. Ultimately, Vane would not die.

The most useful thing he could do was let him live, rather than have him die during the punishment. After all, there were many ill-intentioned people; it wasn't impossible for them to use secret schemes during the Bone-Nailing punishment.

Jin Chuyang gave a self-deprecating smile.

This was the best result. With the Sword Sovereign weighing down from above, no one could truly save Vane entirely.

No one knew what Immortal Jin thought in that hall with closed doors. When Jin Chuyang emerged, he took on the task of implementing the punishment, thereby depriving the elders of leverage.

Righteousness over family, and there was no evidence of him conspiring with the Demon Realm. Moreover, everyone knew he hated the Demon Realm to his bones; everyone assumed he felt a deep hatred for Vane.

Jin Chuyang left no leverage.

And now, atop the circular platform, the bone nails in his hand emitted a dense, cold air.

In the eyes of the crowd, the Immortal flicked his sleeve, and the Soul-Bone Nails shot through the air. Without hesitation, he nailed the sharp spiritual tools into the youth's bones.

"...!" The youth suddenly bit his lip, blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth. He trembled all over, his head lowered, sweat dripping down. No one knew if there were tears mixed in.

One after another, a total of twelve Soul-Bone Nails pierced his flesh and entered his bones, leaving marks even on his soul.

Despite the lack of screams, some disciples turned their gazes away as if unable to watch.

Blood flowed onto the ground, moving slowly down the stairs of the circular platform, staining the jade steps red.

Jin Chuyang's movements were fast, yet to the crowd, it seemed a long time had passed.

The youth was panting heavily.

At the ninth nail, Vane's vision went white, and he could no longer see the color of the ground.

For a split second, he thought he would die like this.

That he would die and dissipate from the world.

He did not want to die.

He wanted to live. Not just because of an innate desire for survival, but because of Zora.

In the past, even when separated from her, he could know if she was well through the Master-Servant Oath. It was like a carrot dangling in front of him, keeping him from losing control entirely.

He was used to controlling himself. Even when it came to liking her, he exerted his utmost to control his actions and thoughts, so as not to let his feelings cause her annoyance.

Step after step, every step was restrained yet held a hint of being unable to help himself—an utter contradiction.

Now, they might never meet again.

...They could never meet again. He hadn't even accompanied her for more than a hundred years.

Would she get used to it?

Would she be implicated?

Would she find it a hassle to learn those trivial chores?

What if she could never meet a servant more loyal than him?

...Would she be sad? To taste the bitterness of grief just as she was coming to understand emotion.

Would she hate that feeling?

...

Those suppressed emotions erupted. His heart beat recklessly, no longer subject to its master's control. The thumping made his head ring, leaving it blank, as if his body were being shattered into pieces by the heartbeat.

The brink of death made him completely open the floodgates of his heart.

The youth's personality did not allow him to be indulgent, but at this moment, he was without reservation, all his emotions pouring out.

Unlike before, when he always suppressed himself, habitually suppressing his feelings—though even a little leaked out occasionally was enough to shock the heart, it wasn't his entirety.

The youth's head hung low; the crowd could not see his expression.

A drop of a tear fell to the blood-stained ground, looking like a small flower, followed by a few more, dripping along with the beads of sweat. No one realized those were tears, nor did anyone realize that Vane's expression of gritted-teeth endurance from a moment ago had become incredibly piteous.

The corners of his eyes were slightly red, and his dark pupils were wet, as if he had suffered a great grievance.

...He did not want to die.

He still wanted to see her.

After the duration of a single night, Turi Qi finally organized everything, separating the innocent from those who needed to be killed.

"Although normally such matters should be handed to the magistrate, this is my family matter and involves some minor sects. We have to solve it ourselves."

As the dawn broke, Zora met the pleading gazes of the Tu family members who had bullied the commoners and cleanly cut off their heads.

Wait. The force wasn't controlled well. It seems the corpses are too fragmented.

Senior Sister Turi had said to put the bodies on display to give the commoners an account; they couldn't be too fragmented.

It had been a long time since she killed ordinary people; she had grown quite rusty.

When Zora swung her sword again, she left only a bloodline on the person's neck.

She nodded with satisfaction.

In the distance was the sound of Turi Qi's inquiries; she was asking about the situation of those sold into the manor.

Just as the River Snow sword was stained with blood once again, the voice of the System suddenly sounded. Its tone was markedly different from usual, becoming flat and mechanical.

[Congratulations, Host. Conquest success.]

Zora was half a beat slow to stop, standing in place as a drop of blood slid down the blade, hitting the ground and creating a blood flower.

She looked toward the direction of the December Sect. The morning light reflected in her amber eyes, crystal clear and exceptionally beautiful.