Chapter 112: Junior Brother, Go with Senior Brother
The unexpected incident in the Meishou Mountain secret realm brought their training to an abrupt end.
The secret realm only opened for half a month at a time, and Bai Feishuang and Yu Le had already spent several days in the cave. By the time they came out, the closure of the secret realm was near.
After leaving the secret realm, they didn’t linger around Meishou Mountain and quickly returned to the Wuyue Immortal Sect.
Bai Feishuang, who had received the inheritance, went to meet the sect master before entering seclusion to study the array inheritance she had gained.
The other disciples had also made some gains and went into seclusion to reflect and cultivate. Yu Le blended in among them without attracting any attention.
Inside the sealed room in Wutong Courtyard, Yu Le set down an array plate designed to block off any leaked aura, then used spirit stones to activate it.
A faint white light spread from the array plate, enveloping Yu Le, who sat cross-legged at its center.
He had picked up this array plate at the Wuyue Immortal Sect’s marketplace. Since it was rare, it had cost him a considerable amount of spirit stones.
Once activated, the array plate could block any auras that might leak during cultivation.
If someone practiced an unusual technique, like one involving poison, this plate could prevent any harmful energy from affecting the surroundings. It was also commonly used for alchemy and crafting to contain medicinal fumes or fiery energy.
With the Dingyang Ring already on his body and this array plate in place, Yu Le was taking extra precautions. After all, he was about to absorb the demon core into his body, and he had no idea what might happen next.
The demon core slid down into his body through his mouth. The demonic energy inside it collided with the spiritual energy in his body, instantly exploding, as if cold water had been splashed into hot oil.
The Dingyang Ring on his arm flashed, forcing the demonic energy, which had almost covered the surface of Yu Le’s body, back inside.
Yu Le let out a muffled groan but, ignoring the excruciating pain that felt like ten thousand swords piercing through him, he resolutely continued to drag the demon core further into his body.
He had long known that it wasn’t easy for a cultivator to accommodate a demon core.
For a demon, the demon core would naturally fuse with the heart.
The way demons cultivated differed from the pure and ascetic cultivation of the immortal cultivators. They indulged in their seven emotions and six desires, their emotions often more intense. These desires fed the demon core, and the core, in turn, spurred even more desires.
But in his current state, the demon core couldn’t enter his heart; it rampaged through his body.
Yu Le used every method at his disposal to temporarily suppress it in his lower dantian. The demon core, foreign to him, spun within, slowly being refined.
The demonic energy, like a wisp of blue smoke, flowed into his meridians, distinctly separate from the spiritual energy.
Unlike the steady flow of spiritual energy, the demonic energy was more aggressive and turbulent. In the blink of an eye, it grew stronger, overwhelming the spiritual energy, which shimmered like thin strands of silver.
Perhaps Yu Le was indeed more suited for demonic cultivation. In just a few days, his cultivation level, stagnant for years, had shown signs of loosening.
After a few more days, his flesh and meridians were nourished by a massive amount of demonic energy, allowing him to break through from the Qi Condensation stage to the Spirit Refining stage in one leap.
However, when he attempted to push forward, he encountered new trouble.
After completing a full cycle of cultivation, Yu Le exhaled in frustration.
The demon core, which contained the years of cultivation accumulated by the protagonist Chang Que, was like a potent tonic to him. He coveted it, but if he tried to consume it all in one go, his body would surely explode.
What was even worse was that to further absorb and control the core, he would need to constantly provide demonic energy, managing both internal and external forces, in order to fully refine the demon core and fuse it into his heart.
But right now, Yu Le was still an immortal cultivator, unable to generate demonic energy on his own. He wasn’t in a region dense with demonic energy, either. How could he possibly supplement the demonic energy externally to refine the demon core?
Yu Le couldn’t help but ponder the issue.
Going to demon territory early was clearly unreliable. It was far from here, and ever since the disappearance of the demon race leader, the place was in utter chaos. With his current low cultivation level, he would be dragged into the conflicts and become cannon fodder.
Then he thought of his senior brother.
Mo Cunzhi had a unique background—he was the son of an immortal cultivator and a demon. Normally, it would be impossible for a child to be born between an immortal cultivator and a demon, yet he had been born successfully.
From birth, he had a demon core within his body. His master sealed the core and made him cultivate the immortal cultivation.
However, the demon core couldn’t be fully sealed. As Mo Cunzhi grew older and his cultivation increased, the seal became unstable, and the core continued to absorb demonic energy, affecting him in the process.
Having already successfully taken one demon core, Yu Le couldn’t help but contemplate repeating his old trick—taking his senior brother’s demon core to supplement his own.
After all, his senior brother didn’t want to be a demon anyway, and he was constantly troubled by the demonic energy within the pill. Yu Le figured he’d be doing him a favor by solving that problem.
Mo Cunzhi didn’t want to play the villain—why not let him take on that role instead?
But Yu Le quickly realized that this plan wouldn’t be so easy to execute.
Mo Cunzhi was different from the protagonist, whose powers were sealed, leaving him weak and unable to resist. Nor was he like his senior sister, who had no reason to be wary of Yu Le.
Controlling Mo Cunzhi was a fantasy. Even launching a surprise attack would likely end in failure.
Besides, Yu Le could barely absorb the protagonist’s demon core as it was. Taking another one would probably be beyond his capacity.
The demon core was valuable, but no matter how good it was, if he couldn’t use it, it would be a waste.
What he needed now was a steady supply of demonic energy, not another demon core that, once removed from its host, couldn’t absorb demonic energy on its own.
Unless his senior brother willingly injected demonic energy into him, but Mo Cunzhi was unaware of his true identity, let alone the fact that his body still contained demonic energy.
Thinking of this, Yu Le could only regretfully abandon the idea. Instead, he considered descending the mountain to find a few low-level demonic cultivators and attempt to absorb their demonic energy.
It would be more troublesome, but it was still feasible.
Having made his decision, Yu Le ended his seclusion and picked up his formation disk.
The expensive disk had already dimmed somewhat, and it would likely only last for two more uses.
He had the courage to practice demonic cultivation within the Wuyue Immortal Sect, but courage alone didn’t mean recklessness.
If he wanted to remain undetected and practice safely, a secure and hidden location was essential, along with measures to conceal his energy.
Later on, when he absorbed the demon core and tried using demonic energy, hiding it would become even more crucial.
The Dingyang Ring could only prevent his demonic energy from leaking out and being detected, but if he used it, others would still notice.
So, if he didn’t want to spend all his savings on buying isolation formation disks, he would need to find a place where the demonic energy could be shielded for cultivation.
Mulling this over, Yu Le headed cheerfully to Senior Brother Meng’s place.
“Senior Brother, I forgot to give you the spiritual herbs I picked for you in the Meishou Mountain secret realm earlier. Luckily, they’ve been well-preserved in this storage pouch and should still be useful.”
Senior Brother Meng, noticing his progress in cultivation, was immensely gratified. Seeing that Yu Le had also remembered the herbs moved him even more.
He gently expressed his concern for Yu Le and asked if he had any questions about cultivation that needed answering.
Their master was still in seclusion, and as the senior brother, Meng Qing felt responsible for guiding his junior brother.
Yu Le played along perfectly, allowing Meng Qing to fully enjoy the feeling of brotherly love and respect.
Finally, Yu Le broached the subject: “Senior Brother, I’ve now reached the Spirit Refining stage, and I’d like to descend the mountain to gain some experience.”
Meng Qing hesitated. “You want to go down the mountain alone?”
Yu Le said, “Ever since Master brought me up the mountain to cultivate, I’ve rarely left. This trip to the Meishou Mountain secret realm has taught me a lot.”
“Senior Brother, look, I hadn’t made any breakthroughs for years, but after just one trip outside, I found the opportunity to advance. It shows that one needs to go out and train more often to make progress.”
“Just like Senior Brother Mo, he’s so powerful because he often goes down the mountain to eliminate demons.”
Hearing him mention their senior brother, Meng Qing had an idea and nodded in agreement. “Very well, go back and make your preparations.”
He planned to ask Senior Brother Mo if he could bring Yu Le along the next time he went down the mountain to eliminate demons.
Yu Le obtained some pills from his senior brother and then went to visit Senior Sister Bai.
Bai Feishuang, though she had shut herself away to focus solely on studying formations, still made time to see Yu Le.
She immediately noticed his breakthrough. The frown on her face, caused by her struggles to understand the complex formation patterns, softened, and she smiled with delight.
She also expressed concern for his well-being. “Junior Brother, is your body all right?”
She still remembered when Yu Le had mysteriously fainted in the inheritance cave and worried that he might have lingering issues from the event.
After experiencing the hardships in the Meishou Mountain secret realm together, Bai Feishuang had grown closer to her junior brother.
When she heard that he planned to go down the mountain alone for training, her first reaction, like Meng Qing’s, was concern. She worried that, given his young age and his former impulsiveness, Yu Le might encounter danger if he went alone.
But she quickly added, “Your reasoning makes sense. It’s indeed time for you to train more. It’s good that you’re thinking about tempering yourself. As your senior sister, I should support you.”
Yu Le smiled like a mischievous little fox and leaned toward her. “Thank you, Senior Sister. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. I still need to train well so I can catch a spirit beast you’ll like. This time, because of the unexpected events at Meishou Mountain, I wasn’t able to catch one for you.”
Bai Feishuang’s expression softened even more as she looked at him. “There’s no need to worry about such trivial things. When you’re out in the world, remember to be cautious of others, no matter who it is, always stay vigilant.”
“You have a pure nature and haven’t shed blood before. If you encounter bad people, don’t hesitate—protecting yourself is the most important thing. Do you understand?”
To her, Yu Le looked more and more like an adorable little white fox with a soft voice.
Yu Le narrowed his eyes. “Understood, Senior Sister.”
But the more Bai Feishuang spoke, the more uneasy she became. After a moment of thought, she suddenly said, “I think Senior Brother Mo is planning to go down the mountain to eliminate demons soon. I’ll ask him to take you with him.”
Yu Le: “…”
Bai Feishuang continued, “It’s your first time going out to train, so having someone to guide you will definitely be better. Senior Brother Mo may seem serious and cold, but you’re his junior brother. When you’re out there, he’ll still look after you.”
She spoke to him as if coaxing a child, “It’s just this once. Next time, you’ll be able to train on your own.”
In her mind, she thought this would be a good opportunity for Senior Brother Mo and Junior Brother Yu to spend more time together. Perhaps it would help ease the tension between them.
She had seen Yu Le approach Senior Brother Mo a few times in the Meishou Mountain secret realm, trying to make conversation and be friendly, only to be met with cold rejection. Naturally, she felt some affection and sympathy for her junior brother.
Now that Junior Brother Yu had become so well-behaved, thoughtful, and enthusiastic, if Senior Brother Mo spent more time with him, he was bound to grow fond of him too.
Thus, atop the snowy peak, Mo Cunzhi unexpectedly received two visitors: Meng Qing and Bai Feishuang. Both came to request the same thing—to bring Yu Le along on his trip down the mountain to train.
Faced with the sincere pleas of the two people closest to him, Mo Cunzhi silently agreed.
…
On the day of their descent, both Meng Qing and Bai Feishuang came to see him off—though their true purpose was to see off Yu Le.
Mo Cunzhi had always gone down the mountain alone to eliminate demons, never informing anyone of his comings and goings, and certainly never having anyone send him off.
Mo Cunzhi stood to the side, watching as Meng Qing stuffed pills into Yu Le’s hands, giving him advice. Then, Bai Feishuang handed Yu Le her precious jade-green leaf to use as transportation, offering her own words of caution.
After they finished and left, Mo Cunzhi keenly noticed a subtle change in Yu Le’s expression.
What had been an innocent, obedient smile transformed into something noticeably more fake. A closer look at his eyes revealed a hint of amusement and calculation when they fell on Mo Cunzhi.
While his junior brother and sister were fooled, Mo Cunzhi saw through it clearly—this little junior brother held no respect or fear for him. In fact, there was a deliberate sense of provocation.
“Senior Brother, I’ll be counting on your guidance…” Yu Le said.
