Jun Bufan's Boundless Ambition, Qing Xiaoyi at the Gates of the True Immortal Academy
Jun Bufan’s Boundless Ambition, Qing Xiaoyi at the Gates of the True Immortal Academy
The young man of the Demon Race stared at the unfamiliar room around him, filled with disbelief, unable to come back to his senses for a long time.
Just a moment ago, he had been in the courtyard of the Solar Palace, admiring the flowers together with Xi Yao, discussing the date of their wedding.
The two of them were both the most dazzling young prodigies of the Demon World.
Even the offspring of the other four Demon Overlords would fall slightly short in their presence.
The two were also childhood sweethearts, intimately close.
In the eyes of outsiders, they were a match made in heaven—no one in this world could be found who suited each other as perfectly as they did.
But he could not understand why Xi Yao had poisoned his wine, and then, with eyes full of icy mockery, pierced his heart through with a single sword strike.
Could it be that everything Xi Yao had done for him before was all an act, all just to murder him in the end?
Why? He could not fathom why Xi Yao would do such a thing.
“I died, but now I’ve come back to life, and the current me is also called Jun Bufan.”
“Only, my identity is no longer the Demon Overlord’s own son, but the third young master of a great clan in the Nine Realms, with mediocre talent, disfavored by my father, with an older brother and an older sister above me...”
“The Demon World has now been unified. There are no longer six Demon Overlords ruling the world in a six-way balance of power. For me, six thousand years have passed.”
“Let these six thousand years count as a dream. Now that dream has ended, and I am still Jun Bufan. And Xi Yao has risen high above, becoming the current Empress of the Demon World. But this grudge—I will not forget it. One day, I will stand before her and personally demand an answer for all of this.”
“I will avenge that sword strike.”
Jun Bufan closed his eyes, murmuring softly as he sorted through the memories in his mind.
As the Demon Overlord’s own son, and once the unrivaled prodigy of the Demon World, his capacity to accept things far exceeded that of ordinary people.
So he quickly accepted this situation.
What he most wanted to know now was what exactly had happened back then—why had the other five Demon Overlords all vanished without a trace?
The vast Demon World had actually fallen to the point of being ruled by Xi Yao.
Or was it that her ambition was so great that, in order to unify the Demon World, she did not hesitate to ruthlessly kill him? For her, this was no different from eliminating her greatest competitor.
Then what happened afterward? Xi Yao was merely a young prodigy back then—how did she make the other five Demon Overlords disappear?
One must know that the cultivation of the five Demon Overlords was far beyond anything Xi Yao could compare to. It was impossible for her to have killed them.
Could it be that all of this was the Lunar Demon Overlord’s conspiracy?
“I wonder how Father is doing now. With his cultivation, he should not be far from that realm... Could my rebirth have been arranged by Father? After all, having the exact same name is far too much of a coincidence...”
Jun Bufan kept murmuring to himself.
As he went on, divine light flickered in his eyes as he connected many things together.
The little maid beside him had also turned deathly pale.
In her eyes, the young master had suddenly been possessed—otherwise, why would he say such things?
Carelessly discussing Empress Yao Xi was a grave crime in the Demon World—at the lightest, beheading; at the worst, the extermination of one’s entire clan.
At this moment, Jun Bufan finally seemed to notice the little maid beside him.
His expression gradually grew serious as he said, “Qing Er, you must remember—never mention the things you heard today to anyone.”
“Young master, please don’t scare me like this. If these words get out, heads will roll and families will be exterminated. Although the Master of the household is currently deeply valued by Empress Yao Xi...”
The little maid’s voice trembled more and more.
“So remember—never mention it to anyone. When the time comes, neither you nor I would escape death.” Jun Bufan’s voice was unusually calm.
Only now did he recall the memories in his mind.
His current father was a great figure of one of the Nine Realms, deeply valued by Empress Yao Xi.
He had even been granted the title of Quelling Chaos King for his continuous campaigns over the years, sweeping away the remnants of the former Demon Overlords.
And he was now the son of the Quelling Chaos King.
This layer of identity made Jun Bufan feel deeply ironic.
“I understand, young master, please rest assured. I definitely won’t breathe a word of what was said today...”
The little maid nodded like a chick pecking at rice, not daring to say another word.
On this point, Jun Bufan was quite reassured.
For him now, what he needed to do was cultivate, and incidentally investigate his father’s whereabouts.
If there were any contingency plans left behind, all the better.
Even if there were none, he had no fear. He believed that with his identity as the Demon Overlord’s own son, he would rise once more.
One day, he would stand openly and righteously before Xi Yao, interrogate her, and make the events of six thousand years ago known to all under heaven, letting everyone in the Demon World clearly see—
Just what kind of true face the Empress Yao Xi they now worshipped actually had.
“This is... this is the Demon Overlord Fruit my father left for me? Why...”
Just then, Jun Bufan’s expression suddenly froze as he noticed a hazy golden radiance emerging within his Knowledge Sea.
His entire consciousness seemed to be drawn into it, utterly unable to resist.
It seemed to be an empty, void-like place, yet within it appeared an infinitely majestic figure.
It was as if a whole world existed here, boundless and endless, with Demon Race beings filling the heavens and the earth.
Roars, chanting, and sacrificial hymns blended together, forming the grand sound of a world.
Any living being, at this moment, could not help but feel the urge to prostrate in worship.
Terrifying divine light, like an infinitely vast waterfall, blotted out everything, rumbling thunderously.
“Father...”
Jun Bufan’s voice trembled as he strained to look at the blurry figure ahead.
Though seated cross-legged, it remained incomparably majestic, shrouded in endless traces of the Great Dao, indistinct and unclear.
Seated high above the Nine Heavens, overlooking the vicissitudes of the mortal world through the ages.
It was none other than his father, the Solar Demon Overlord, once one of the six supreme beings of the Demon World.
At this moment, seemingly sensing Jun Bufan’s presence, the majestic figure that had been sitting cross-legged opened his eyes.
His gaze was incomparably dignified, yet filled with peace.
“Child, you’ve come? What you see now is merely a lingering image of me. There is not much I can tell you, but you must remember—you now concern the survival of the entire Demon World. Everything within this space is what I have left for you, to help you grow quickly.”
“In the outside world, I have also arranged many means for you. You must seek them out yourself. When those powers have grown strong enough, that will be the time for you to come find me. Although by then, I will very likely already be gone... But there is one thing you must remember—never expose your identity.”
Jun Bufan was about to ask his father about what had happened all these years, but unexpectedly, the Solar Demon Overlord only told him these things.
He concerned the survival of the Demon World?
For a moment, Jun Bufan was stunned, unable to believe it.
He had thought this would be a simple revenge, but now his father told him that all of this seemed to involve something enormous.
Enormous enough to concern the fate of the entire Demon World’s survival.
“I understand, Father...” Jun Bufan nodded silently, clenching his fists.
Then, after delivering these words, the Solar Demon Overlord’s figure vanished from within this space, as if his task was complete.
Afterward, the many waterfalls of chaos before him parted.
Jun Bufan saw the scene within, and even with his experience of two lifetimes, he could not help but suck in a cold breath.
The things his father had left him were simply too numerous—just the Immortal Crystal-like substances alone were piled into small mountains.
Beyond that, there were countless immortal treasures, undying medicines, divine springs, Spiritual Roots that were nearly impossible to find, and even all kinds of rare Immortal Pills.
Within the palace, world-shaking divine formations were engraved, gathering endless spiritual energy. Treasures covered the ground, divine light soared to the heavens, and immortal mist pervaded the air like colorful fog.
Further away, there were spirit fields planted with all kinds of Heavenly Herbs, with divine springs flowing through them, most wondrous... There was simply too much—far more than all the resources he had seen in his previous life.
In particular, Jun Bufan also saw the Solar Heavenly Blade his father had left for him, radiating a brilliant, inviolable might.
“With these resources, what difficulty is there in taking my revenge on Xi Yao?”
At this moment, boundless ambition surged in Jun Bufan’s heart.
In the blink of an eye, several days passed.
Gu Changge, currently in the Southern Flourishing Heaven, was still unaware of this small incident in the Demon World.
In the days that followed, he explored several more Eternal Overcast Battlefields, but found no more Source of the Eternal Overcast within them, which left him somewhat disappointed.
Sure enough, the first time had been because of Wang Zijin, not because of him.
Except for a Fortuitous One, male or female, no one else could hope to encounter such a thing.
This also made Gu Changge temporarily set aside the idea, planning to head to the True Immortal Academy first.
Matters in the Southern Flourishing Heaven were more or less settled.
As for Ying Shuang’s affairs, Gu Changge had been keeping an eye on them, knowing that he had now made contact with that mysterious Taboo Demonic Arts organization.
This bait was serving its purpose, saving him quite some worry.
...
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.
Hongyu Heaven.
An incomparably towering, ancient mountain gate stood erect, like the first mountain since the creation of the world, exuding desolate antiquity.
Strands of Chaos Energy draped down from its surface, with hundreds of millions of rays of rosy light blooming here, incomparably sacred.
Within, mountain ranges stretched on, divine peaks towered high, as if propping up the four seas and the Eight Wastelands.
All kinds of dense immortal mist rose everywhere, displaying mystery and vastness in full.
Immortal waterfalls cascaded down, a spectacle of countless wonders. Sacred mountains and immortal islands floated in the high sky, with many immortal birds and divine beasts coming and going, fully displaying unfathomable heritage.
“So this is the True Immortal Academy? Such grandeur—it truly deserves to be called a place that creates immortals.”
“In this life, I will surely make my name here and spread it throughout the entire Beyond.”
Some young beings were full of ambition and high spirits, convinced of their own invincibility, determined to sweep aside all enemies under heaven.
“However, I’ve heard that this time, the Ten Great Ranked Disciples have already been internally decided. In terms of cultivation, they all possess strength above the Quasi-Sacred Realm.”
“Besides the Ranked Disciples, there are also Unranked Disciples, and below those are the ordinary inner and outer sect divisions. Unranked Disciples have cultivation at the Enlightened King Realm level, inner sect disciples at the Enlightened Noble Realm level, and those below the Enlightened Noble Realm can only become outer sect disciples. Such a classification is simply unimaginable in any other force. Among the younger generation, those who can become True Enlightened Realm experts—which of them isn’t a Young Prodigy? Yet here, they can only become outer sect disciples...”
“But it’s not like we have no chance of becoming Ranked Disciples. Within the academy, we can challenge the ranked seeds. If we succeed, we can obtain the same resources and treatment as them...”
“I’ve heard about this too. Among the Ten Great Ranked Disciples, aside from a few like Young Master Changge and the Successor of Mortal Palace, the rest are all young beings sealed away since ancient times. There’s even a king who was peerless across six eras. It’s said that every time he emerges, he fights the strongest of the current generation, and without exception, he has never been defeated. He’s absurdly strong.”
“I heard he intends to challenge Young Master Changge, saying that in this life, only Young Master Changge can be his opponent. What a big tone—does he not put the other Ranked Disciples in his eyes at all?”
At this moment, many young prodigies were gathered here, discussing and exclaiming incessantly before the mountain gate, feeling their own insignificance.
Even though they too had extraordinary backgrounds behind them, they still felt the terrifying heritage of the True Immortal Academy.
“Young prodigies exchanging points, come here for bone age examination. Those older than fifty years of age, don’t bother coming, lest you embarrass yourselves in a moment.”
At this time, before the mountain gate of the True Immortal Academy stood a white-robed old man with crane-white hair, a youthful face, and vigorous spirit.
His cultivation did not seem very strong, yet no one dared to underestimate him.
His gaze swept over the many prodigies before him. His voice was not loud, yet it carried far and wide.
For a time, everyone here stirred at the sound, rushing toward that spot.
After all, without a quota, no matter how terrifying their backgrounds, they would not dare to rashly intrude into the True Immortal Academy.
Rumor had it that the old monsters within the True Immortal Academy were countless, hailing from all corners of the Beyond.
Perhaps within, they might even encounter ancestors from the families behind them.
For the younger generation, entering the True Immortal Academy to cultivate was a supreme opportunity.
For those old fellows, it was much the same.
“Bone age fifty-one years old. Do you take this old man for blind? You still dare to fish in troubled waters. Men, throw him out for me...”
Suddenly, the white-robed old man’s expression turned very ugly, his brows furrowing as he berated the middle-aged man before him without the slightest courtesy.
The middle-aged man’s expression grew anxious, and he could not help saying, “I’m only over by a single day—exactly fifty years and one day old. Whether in cultivation or points, I meet the requirements. Can’t you make an exception?”
The white-robed old man’s voice suddenly turned ice-cold. “Stop wasting this old man’s time. Rules are rules. You are not qualified to break them.”
“What bullshit True Immortal Academy, not even showing this much human decency...”
The middle-aged man’s expression changed abruptly as he cursed, but before he could finish his next sentence, his eyes went wide with disbelief and terror.
The white-robed old man merely waved his sleeve, and the middle-aged man exploded on the spot into a mist of blood, body and soul annihilated.
This scene caused the previously lively True Immortal Academy grounds to fall deathly silent in an instant.
Everyone could not help but swallow, their backs turning cold.
Some cultivators who had mixed in, intending to fish in troubled waters, could not help but shudder at this moment, thoughts of retreat arising.
This was beyond merely showing no courtesy—it was paying no heed whatsoever.
The True Immortal Academy would never lack for prodigies.
“Let us continue. This is the fate of those who provoke the True Immortal Academy.”
The white-robed old man spoke again, his voice still very calm.
But it made everyone’s hearts tremble, making clear the dominance and overbearingness of the True Immortal Academy—it would pay no heed to whatever backgrounds stood behind them.
Here, the word of the True Immortal Academy was the law.
Then, the white-robed old man held up a crystalline Ancient Mirror, divine light flickering upon it in a hazy glow, radiance falling upon the crowd.
Those illuminated by it found their bones, blood, spleens, and organs turning translucent, as if becoming see-through.
Such a method could examine a cultivator’s bone age, precisely to prevent anyone from fishing in troubled waters.
At this time, in a position toward the back, a boy and a girl were speaking in low voices.
The girl looked only thirteen or fourteen years old, with a delicate, well-behaved face, fair skin, and soft hair, wearing a very plain and clean dress.
But the dress was covered in patches. Compared to the many brightly dressed, gorgeously adorned young prodigies nearby, she looked rather like a little beggar.
The boy beside her was slightly older, but only seventeen or eighteen, dressed in even shabbier clothes, looking even worse off than the girl beside him.
Many young prodigies deliberately avoided them, looking at them as if they were beggars on the street.
However, the two seemed quite accustomed to everyone’s gazes and paid them no mind.
“Big brother, the True Immortal Academy is so domineering, killing people at the drop of a hat. Maybe we shouldn’t go in after all. I’m a little scared...”
The girl said softly, somewhat worried and frightened, scared by the scene just now.
“No. We finally have this opportunity—how could we give it up? Xiaoyi, your talent is excellent. Once you enter the True Immortal Academy, you will surely be valued.”
“When that happens, avenging Grandpa and living a good life will be simple matters.”
Hearing this, the boy shook his head, a resolute look flashing through his eyes.
His name was Qing Feng, the sworn brother of the girl Qing Xiaoyi, unrelated by blood. The two had been adopted and raised by an old beggar.
Now they had traveled tens of thousands of miles, crossing mountains and rivers, to arrive at the gates of the True Immortal Academy, all so they could join it.
Because the girl Qing Xiaoyi’s talent was excellent—though she had never cultivated, ordinary cultivators were no match for her.
Hearing that the True Immortal Academy would be accepting many talented boys and girls this time, he had brought Qing Xiaoyi here.
He felt that as long as the people of the True Immortal Academy weren’t blind, they would definitely accept his sister.
And when that happened, he would follow Xiaoyi into the True Immortal Academy as her attendant to cultivate.
“I understand, big brother.”
Hearing this, Qing Xiaoyi nodded, overcoming the fear and unease in her heart with great difficulty.
Boom!
However, just then, a dragon’s roar that shook all directions suddenly came from high in the sky.
Immediately after, an incomparably enormous Azure Dragon swept across the sky.
Nine Azure Dragons pulled a White Jade Carriage, rumbling as they crushed across the heavens, their momentum astonishing, vast and surging!
Behind the White Jade Carriage followed a mighty procession of Young Prodigies, some piloting warships, some riding fierce beasts, following all the way.
The sheer scale of the entourage made many of the Young Prodigies below the True Immortal Academy’s gates catch their breath.