Laughter Over the Cloud Sea, Demonic Echoes from the Forbidden Grounds
Mu Xueyi's heart stirred faintly with caution, unsure why Yu Wan'ning had suddenly brought up Su Rui. Her expression remained calm and unruffled, however, as she replied coolly, "He left the mountain on his own long before I formed my Nascent Soul."
Yun Zhixun, overhearing from afar, stared in wide-eyed shock, her pretty face full of astonishment.
After all, she'd been practicing her swordsmanship on the drill grounds nonstop. If that detestable little junior brother had truly descended the mountain, how could she not know about it?
Instinctively, she swept her divine sense over the hall. With the restrictions no longer blocking it, her awareness swept through the entire structure in an instant—and sure enough, there was no sign of Su Rui.
Still, if her master said so, then it must be true. She simply hadn't noticed, that was all!
Her master had achieved Nascent Soul at such a young age, reaching a realm countless cultivators chased fruitlessly their entire lives. What astonishing talent, what breathtaking poise!
She couldn't help tilting her face upward, her eyes fixed on Mu Xueyi sparkling with starlight, brimming with undisguised awe and adoration.
To her, her master's words were truth itself.
"He really left?"
Yu Wan'ning narrowed her almond eyes and quietly released her divine sense, scanning the hall. It was indeed empty.
But she sneered inwardly, refusing to buy Mu Xueyi's story.
That lecherous thief Su Rui cultivated a profoundly eerie demonic art, complete with advanced techniques for concealing his aura. It was no surprise at all.
Tian Yunzi—the white-haired grand elder—fixed his piercing gaze on Mu Xueyi and boomed, "Xueyi, forming your Nascent Soul at such a tender age! Not only is this unprecedented in our Sword Sect's ten-thousand-year history, it's the stuff of legends across the entire Cultivation World! This is heaven's blessing on our sect. We have decided to hold an unprecedented Nascent Soul ceremony for you in one month, mobilizing the full might of the sect!"
Mu Xueyi frowned slightly, her voice clear and cold. "Thank you for your kind intentions, Grand Elder, but Xueyi prefers quiet. If possible, I hope it can be kept simple."
Another grand elder shook his head, his tone grave. "Xueyi, we know your temperament is aloof. When you formed your Core back then, we kept it low-key to avoid drawing the attention of those demonic scum. But now you've condensed your Nascent Soul. Under this world's heavenly laws that deter Deity Transformation cultivators from acting rashly, you're already one of our sect's top powerhouses. There's no need to hide your edge any longer!"
Bai Yu Zhenren chimed in. "Exactly! Besides, this celebration isn't just for you—it's to proclaim our Sword Sect's might and intimidate those demonic vermin!"
Mu Xueyi had no retort to that. If it could deter the demonic path, she couldn't refuse. She could only nod faintly. "In that case, Xueyi will follow the sect's arrangements."
Meanwhile, Su Rui had long since slipped away from Flowing Cloud Subpeak without a sound. His escaping light streaked through the cloud sea like a shadowy phantom. Even with two late-stage Nascent Soul grand cultivators present, none detected his presence.
Now, he reveled in the surging power of early-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, spiritual energy roaring through his body like a river bursting its banks—pure, exhilarating bliss.
A year ago, he'd been a mere Foundation Establishment disciple, his spiritual roots mediocre, his future dim and unremarkable, Core Formation a distant dream.
Yet now, not only was he a Nascent Soul powerhouse, he'd pinned that once-unattainable goddess Mu Xueyi—the one he'd only dared defile in fantasies—beneath him, ravaging her at will, flooding her White Tiger Steamed Bun Hole with his seed.
Even now, it felt like a dream.
But the memory of that tight, warm, silky grip—like a spiritual serpent coiling around him—stirred his blood every time, impossible to ignore.
How could any of this be a dream?
"Hahahahaha!"
Su Rui's wild, unrestrained laughter echoed through the cloud sea, laced with arrogance and triumph.
He flew at full speed toward his cave abode. Having expended so much essence and blood, he needed time in secluded cultivation to recover.
But the moment he returned, a deep, terrifying voice exploded in his mind, laden with immense pressure. "Brat, finally formed your Nascent Soul? With this venerable one's Heavenly Extreme Demonic Flame Art, it still took you quite a while."
Su Rui's heart jolted. He instantly recognized it as the upper realm's Demon Venerable, sealed in Sword Guard Peak's forbidden area!
This demon had granted him the Heavenly Extreme Demonic Flame Art, allowing him to defy the heavens and change his fate. He was grateful, but he never let his guard down.
Dealing with such a horrifying existence meant one slip could bring deadly backlash—death without even knowing how.
"Senior, you're awake?"
Su Rui's tone was respectful, but he quietly restrained his aura and steadied his mind.
"Hmph. I sensed your Nascent Soul aura and had to wake."
Su Rui's formation process had been imperceptible to this realm's cultivators, but to the Demon Venerable—who also cultivated the Heavenly Extreme Demonic Flame Art—the black flames bursting through the bottleneck were crystal clear.
Su Rui smiled faintly. "Does senior have any instructions?"
"Come to the forbidden area. I have something for you."
The Demon Venerable's voice brooked no argument.
"Understood."
Su Rui agreed without hesitation, turning his escaping light toward Sword Guard Peak's forbidden area.
He knew his rise depended entirely on this demon. Refusal wasn't an option.
At Sword Guard Peak's forbidden area, the air was chillingly dense with spiritual energy. To Su Rui's surprise, the guard on duty was none other than that chubby Wang Dazhuang.
Glancing down from midair, Su Rui muttered inwardly: This fatso won a fortune in spirit stones at the sword trial assembly, so why's he taking a low-paying guard shift like this?
Did he gamble them all away?
Su Rui chuckled to himself, dismissing it. With his early-stage Nascent Soul cultivation and aura-concealment technique, even peak late-stage Nascent Soul experts wouldn't notice him. Wang Dazhuang certainly had no clue his good brother Su Rui had passed by.
Su Rui slipped soundlessly into the forbidden area. A barrier protected it, but it was no match for him.
With a flick of his finger, the restriction parted like thin silk, opening a hairline crack.
His figure blurred, vanishing inside like a ghost.
Deep in the forbidden area, a massive black boulder loomed, its surface covered in dense runes and wrapped in countless black chains. Faint pulses of the familiar Heavenly Extreme Demonic Flame Art emanated from within.
The Demon Venerable was indeed sealed here!
The boulder radiated terrifying pressure. Cultivators below Nascent Soul would have their souls crushed a kilometer away!
Even Nascent Soul cultivators dared not approach within a hundred meters.
Su Rui could draw within ten meters only thanks to his Heavenly Extreme Demonic Flame Art-tempered soul; otherwise, he'd stop at a hundred.
Gazing at the boulder, he marveled, "Senior, no wonder you need me at late-stage Deity Transformation to free you. This boulder's pressure is immovable by Nascent Soul cultivators—probably even mid-stage Deity Transformation couldn't budge it!"
The Demon Venerable's voice emerged from the stone, tinged with pride. "Ordinary late-stage Deity Transformation couldn't touch this Heaven-Shaking Stone either. Only one cultivated to late-stage Deity Transformation with the Heavenly Extreme Demonic Flame Art can barely shatter it."
"It's called the Heaven-Shaking Stone?"
Su Rui perked up with interest.
"An upper realm treasure. No need for you to know too soon."
The Demon Venerable's tone shifted playfully. "With the Heavenly Extreme Demonic Flame Art I gave you, how's your fun in the outside world been?"
Su Rui grinned wolfishly. "Fucking amazing!"
"Jie jie jie!"
The Demon Venerable chuckled darkly, then his voice turned grave. "But you made one mistake."
Su Rui tensed inwardly but kept his composure. "What mistake, senior?"
"You helped that Mu Xueyi form her Nascent Soul, evolving her Sword Heart Transparent into Sword Heart Unity!"
Irritation colored the Demon Venerable's voice. "Sword Heart Unity is a supreme sacred body even in the upper realms! With her heavenly spiritual root, her cultivation speed won't lag far behind yours. When realms are close, even with the Heavenly Extreme Demonic Flame Art, you might not suppress her! If this realm had a technique suited to Sword Heart Unity, she'd slay you with a glance!"
Su Rui's expression shifted, a flicker of gravity in his eyes. "That terrifying?"
The Demon Venerable's tone was icy. "If I were you, I'd have killed her already! She knows you lust for her body—she'd never suspect your hand. Strike when she's off-guard, and you'd take her life easily."
Su Rui furrowed his brow, then leered. "No need to kill her, right? Why not use the Heavenly Extreme Demonic Flame Art to seize her Nascent Soul? With it in my grasp, no matter how strong she gets, she can't make waves."
The demon snorted. "You think she's like that Yu Wan'ning? With Sword Heart Unity, her soul fuses with sword intent—no technique can seize it now."
"Brat, I know you can't bear to lose that body of hers. Her beauty is top-tier, even by upper realm standards. If you really can't part with her, wipe her mind and refine her into a puppet for your pleasure. Save future headaches!"
Su Rui fell silent, complex emotions flashing in his eyes. He shook his head. "Senior, didn't you say this realm lacks techniques for her Sword Heart Unity? If so, why fear her?"
The Demon Venerable cackled oddly, amusement in his tone. "Looks like it's not just her body you're obsessed with. Fine—I chose you for that obsession with her. Since she's part of your Dao heart, I won't force you to kill her. But I won't watch you fall midway. I called you here to give you something."
Before the words faded, a beam of dark light shot from the boulder, sinking into Su Rui's brow.
Instantly, a vast flood of information surged into his sea of consciousness. What caught his eye most was the refinement method for a demonic spear called Robbery Flame.
"The demonic spear Robbery Flame is the perfect natal treasure for the Heavenly Extreme Demonic Flame Art. With this realm's materials, it'll be incomplete—less than a tenth the full power—but enough to rampage through Nascent Soul stage. You could even fight early-stage Deity Transformation!"
The demon spoke true. From the influx, Su Rui knew this spear, once forged, would double the art's techniques' might—several times stronger than Mu Xueyi's sect treasure, Ming Lan!
Suppressing his ecstatic thrill, he bowed. "Many thanks, senior!"
The Demon Venerable chuckled lowly. "No need for thanks. If you're sincere, cultivate to late-stage Deity Transformation soon and break my seal—that's the best gratitude."
Su Rui nodded firmly. "Rest assured, senior. This junior will cultivate with all my might and break through to late-stage Deity Transformation as soon as possible!"
His words rang resolute, but a thorn lingered in his heart: once this demon was free, would it turn on him mercilessly?
Regardless, Su Rui refused to leave himself vulnerable.
The Demon Venerable didn't notice his thoughts, his voice growing weary. "Good. I'm sinking back into slumber. Leave."
Su Rui took his leave, vanishing in escaping light. He left as quietly as he'd come, drawing no attention.
Back in his cave, Su Rui itched to gather materials for Robbery Flame, but the essence and blood lost to Mu Xueyi demanded recovery first.
Thankfully, the Heavenly Extreme Demonic Flame Art was heaven-defying. In just half a month—what would've taken years—his foundations fully healed.
The art included many blood-burning secrets, so its recovery methods were unparalleled.
Two days later, as Su Rui studied the gifted secrets in his sea of consciousness, his cave's barrier rippled faintly.
A visitor.
Su Rui frowned slightly. How did this woman find her way here?