Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Chapter 26 – I Can’t Understand Anything You Foxes Say

Translator: THISBRO

Editor: Nini

Proofreader: Bubbles

News of He Huan’s arrival in Sky Veil Town reached the Lin family’s ears immediately. However, they were extremely dissatisfied with the ongoing campaign after hearing about the Pavilion’s plot, and turned a blind eye to what was happening in the outside world. They thought that since He Huan returned their son, with who he had no relation, he obviously wasn’t going to do anything to Bu LingYun.

It’s been hundreds of years since a nine-tailed fox spirit was born in the Snowy Mountains, so it was a given that the spirit clans treasured Bai Chen like their own child. Ordinary cultivators already avoided having any sort of confrontation with him, but now that Calamity Crossing stage He Huan also joined in, even fewer people dared to mess with him. The Demonic Extermination Campaign was rendered useless. They could only sit by and watch as a demonic and spirit cultivator left unhindered.

Bai Chen hadn’t expected them to leave so easily. He looked back at Sky Veil Town and sighed. “Nowadays, human cultivators are becoming more and more cowardly. If it were the Xuanmen Righteous Sect a hundred years ago, even if they had to fight until their last breath, they still wouldn’t have let us leave that easily.”

“These cultivators aren’t stupid. We haven’t done anything that was completely unforgivable, so they wouldn’t risk their lives just for some momentary fame or glory.”

It was clear that He Huan understood the Jianghu much better than Bai Chen who hadn’t left the Snowy Mountains in many years. He touched his dantian to confirm that He Ku had indeed been returned before he turned his eyes to Bu LingYun. Even though she had been captured, her hand was firmly placed on the hilt of her sword. He couldn’t help but show an enigmatic smile. “However, be it the past or the present, they all want Xuanmen to be the first to fight.”

With He Huan’s level of cultivation, it didn’t take long for him to return to the Palace of Bliss. He Ku knew that it was unclear whether Bai Chen was a friend or foe, so he obediently stayed in his dantian and only used his spiritual awareness to monitor outside. Under the pressure of the Demon Extermination Campaign, the palace disciples were all fully armed and prepared for battle, nowhere could one see the carefree attitude that usually pervaded the palace. You Jiang walked forward to welcome He Huan back to the palace. He glanced towards Bai Chen’s group before asking, “Palace Master, why did you come back so early?”

He Huan didn’t elaborate on the matter in Sky Veil Town. He noticed the defensive arrangement in the palace, and casually replied, “We encountered some unexpected situations. QianRen should be returning with Xiu Niang soon, make sure to prepare for their arrival.”

You Jiang knew that QianRen was good at keeping himself hidden, so there was no need to worry about him. He couldn’t guess what He Huan wanted to do after seeing that the two people restrained by the black-clothed young man were clearly Xuanmen disciples, so he could only report the results of his own mission, “Palace Master, we weren’t able to find any traces of Bu YaoLian along all the routes leading here. Also, news from Cloud City said that Qing XuZi has come out of seclusion.”

That Xuanmen Righteous Sect’s leader exited seclusion was undoubtedly the worst thing that could happen for the demonic faction. However, He Huan’s expression remained as calm as before, rather, it was Bu LingYun who had been silent the entire journey who spoke first, “You really haven’t seen my dad?”

He Huan already knew she was Bu YaoLian and Yue LingJing’s daughter, but he thought that she was merely a sheltered young miss and didn’t expect her to have some of Xuanmen’s infamous courage. Nevertheless, when he heard her question, he neither acknowledged it nor responded. Instead, he asked her, “When did he disappear?”

Lu Wen was extremely worried as he watched his junior sister converse with this Demon Lord. However, under the careful watch of the black-clothed young man, he was unable to even open his mouth and help her. He could only helplessly stand as Bu LingYun truthfully told He Huan about Bu YaoLian’s whereabouts, “My dad left as soon as we received word of Lin Xuan’s capture. It’s already been more than seven days since then.”

Seven days?

Hearing he’s been missing this long, He Huan’s eyes finally showed a hint of emotion. So it turned out that person came to find him the moment he heard the news. This really was unexpected, he originally thought…

He was extremely familiar with how Bu YaoLian looked as a kid, it’s just that he didn’t know what he looked like now that he’d grown up. He heard that Bu YaoLian had reached the Nascent Soul stage at thirty, so his appearance must be a lot older, right? Looking at Bu LingYun’s features, he couldn’t help remembering the silly child who would always practice with him and his gaze became slightly softer. He ordered You Jiang, “Send someone to bring them to my QingYun Hall.”

Ever since ‘Miracle Hand’ broke in, You Jiang had set up layers upon layers of barriers around QingYun Hall. It was undoubtedly the most secure place in the entire Palace of Bliss. Hearing that He Huan wanted to put them there, You Jiang instantly knew that he wanted to protect them. His expression became one of dissatisfaction, but before he could even protest, Bai Chen raised his fox eyes and said, “You want to take the people I caught?”

The Snowy Mountains was currently the only power that could potentially become the demonic faction’s ally. Seeing Bai Chen’s dissatisfaction, You Jiang had thought the Palace Master would back down. Unfortunately, he didn’t know what was up with He Huan today, he just picked up a fallen willow branch and held it in his hand as he smiled. “Then will you hand them over or not?”

With He Huan’s power, he could use flower petals and leaves to hurt people. In the Snowy Mountains, Bai Chen had already witnessed him using an Ice Lotus to break through their arrays, so his current actions were clearly a threat. He was afraid that as soon as he said he wouldn’t let them go, the branch would come slashing over with the full power of a Calamity Crossing cultivator. He glanced towards Lu Wen who was absorbed in worrying over his junior sister, then towards the black-clothed young man who was awaiting his verdict. He knew that even with the Sword Saint’s godly swordsmanship it would be difficult to block He Huan, so he could only withdraw his gaze and hatefully order, “Release them.”

Seeing that He Huan didn’t even give the Snowy Mountain’s Little Prince face, You Jiang knew that it would be useless for him to say any more. Although he was still dissatisfied, he could only lead the two hostages to QingYun Hall. While technically they were to be placed in the QingYun Hall, the top floor was the master’s, so naturally, they weren’t allowed there and were locked on the first floor. Having handled their arrangements, He Huan knew he had offended Bai Chen with his actions, so he led him to the top floor.

Bai Chen was slightly angered at having his old grievances interrupted, but when he saw the two characters ‘QingYun’ he remembered He Huan’s previous identity and swallowed his anger. It could be said that they were similar in the fact that they both fell from their lofty pedestals. He commanded the one surnamed Li to carry him up to QingYun Hall.

When he arrived, He Huan had already helped himself to a boiling pot of good tea. He leaned back on the daybed as he slowly savoured it. Seeing him enter, he smiled as if nothing had happened. “I thought you wouldn’t be interested in drinking tea, so I won’t waste your time.”

Since they didn’t have much of a friendship to begin with, Bai Chen also wasn’t interested in small talk. He looked at him and coldly presented his purpose in coming, “Since there aren’t any more outsiders, I will only ask this, will you fight seriously in this battle against Xuanmen?”

He Huan didn’t seem to mind his bluntness. He narrowed his eyes and raised his gaze to look at Bai Chen. “So what if I will? So what if I won’t?”

He Huan’s cultivation method demanded that he be able to control his mood extremely well. When Bai Chen stared into his eyes, he wasn’t able to find even the faintest of his real intentions. He frowned before making his attitude towards this matter clear. “If you are willing to go all out, we of the Snowy Mountains will align ourselves with the demonic faction and provide everything we have to help you defeat the Xuanmen Righteous Sect and unify the Jianghu.”

This chapter is scrapped from readlightnovel.org

It was every sect’s dream to be able to unify the Jianghu and control the world, but He Huan still wasn’t even the slightest bit moved when he heard this. Bai Chen couldn’t guess what the other was thinking, so he could only continue, “But if you are still hung up on old attachments and will only casually deal with them, then I won’t let my people make pointless sacrifices. I will only take Yun Ce back with me, you can fight amongst yourselves.”

Now that Qing XuZi has exited secluded cultivation, it was inevitable that he would participate in the battle. He Huan had only just reached the Calamity Crossing stage, so he was still lacking if he wanted to stand against Qing XuZi. The only way he could preserve the Palace of Bliss was if he had the Fox Immortal’s help. Other than bringing Yun Ce back, Bai Chen also came with the purpose of extending an olive branch to He Huan in order to form a friendship. But he hadn’t expected that He Huan wasn’t even slightly worried, he just continued to taste his tea before he slowly sighed. “I don’t understand why both you and You Jiang believe that as long as I don’t hold back I can defeat Qing XuZi.”

“Because Qing XuZi definitely can’t bear to kill you.”

He answered very confidently. Bai Chen knew that Qing XuZi couldn’t compare to the previous two generations of Xuanmen Sect Leaders. After succeeding the position, no matter if it was a spirit or a demonic cultivator, they would be shown mercy. If he was like this towards strangers, then how could he bear to kill the child he raised? It didn’t matter that he had a high level of cultivation, his only path was death if he was lenient towards an opponent of the same level. And He Huan, for the past century, has clearly shown his resentment towards Xuanmen.

Every Xuanmen leader possessed the potential to change the world. In the past, there had been countless predecessors who had demonstrated through their lives that following the steps of Xuanmen’s leader will give them their best fate. However, in the current generation, there was actually one Xuanmen leader and two Xuanmen successors. And the problem of which side to support had come up. Previously, the Snowy Mountains thought that having good relations with Qing XuZi was their best bet, but that was until He Huan visited the Snowy Mountains.

After talking with He Huan on the Snowy Mountains, Bai Chen decided that as long as this person didn’t die, he could definitely rule the world in the future. Unlike the other two who’ve been cultivating peacefully, He Huan had survived torment and hardships ordinary people couldn’t even begin to imagine. He has carved a path of blood within the demonic faction to reach his current position. He was calm and collected. Although he was cruel to others, he was even more cruel to himself, just like the fisherman who’d established Xuanmen in the beginning. Such a person would surely emerge as the victor in troubled times.

The problem was, the person who he had originally thought to be cruel and ruthless was currently lying on a daybed, letting the scattered rays of sunlight blanket his person. He chuckled and answered, “Since he won’t kill me, then why should I kill him?”

It was also at this time that Bai Chen realized how completely he had underestimated the degree of attachment Xuanmen disciples held towards their aspirations. Even now, He Huan still hasn’t given up his desire for peace. In the past, countless people have used their lives to prove just how impossible it was to change the leader of the Xuanmen Righteous Sect. Once these successors found their ambition, they would struggle to crawl to complete it even if they were thrown into hell. He knew that he would probably return without results, but he still couldn’t help but try to persuade him, “He Huan, the Jianghu is a place of desire and hatred. Right now, the righteous and demonic factions both want to fight. Even you can’t prevent this war.”

“Why don’t we make a bet?”

He Huan was very calm, not once did he lose his smile. He thought for a bit before continuing, “If I win, you will protect my disciple. He’s got quite the loyal personality, if something happens to me, I’m worried he might lose all rationality.”

Hearing this, Bai Chen’s eyes moved, then as if having thought of something, he tentatively asked, “Have you used the Soul Splitting Technique?”

“The nine-tailed fox spirit’s unique life-saving technique really is mystical. I must thank you for passing it on to me.” Verifying Bai Chen’s guess with a smile, He Huan subconsciously moved to touch his dantian. His gratitude came from a really genuine place in his heart. At first, he didn’t expect that just the existence of He Ku would bring him so much joy. It’d unexpectedly made him reluctant to follow through with his previous plans.

“To think it was actually possible…”

Staring at him expressionlessly, Bai Chen was extremely shocked. There was a myth that nine-tailed fox spirits had nine lives. Only he knew that the reason why a fox spirit was able to resurrect itself by sacrificing one of its tails was because of the Soul Splitting Technique. The fact that He Huan was able to successfully practice this technique was already enough to prove that he was a genius. He understood the importance of what this meant and realised that he had already lost the bet. He mused, “So this was your true intention. The Heaven’s Library Pavillion never would have thought that by forcing Qing XuZi to come out, it guaranteed your success in the end.”

“I also didn’t want to go this far…”

Although he had sighed, He Huan looked indifferent from beginning to end. But now that the other party knew what he intended to do, he smiled before also expressing his purpose for bringing him up, “I am afraid that this time I might suffer some minor injuries. I’m not sure if the Young Prince would be willing to lend a hand? Make some friends?”

Sure enough, He Huan wouldn’t reject the Snowy Mountains as allies, however, the way he went about it truly exceeded Bai Chen’s expectations. He was the one who understood the Soul Splitting Technique the best, so he also knew that He Huan’s current predicament wasn’t a problem for him at all. Regardless, who would reject making friends with someone guaranteed to rise up in the world1?

Within seconds, he weighed the pros and cons. The fox spirit raised his eyebrows and smiled as he agreed to his request. “Well then, I’ll stay here for a few days. I await the day of Bu QingYun’s return.”