My Wife Is The Leader Of A Demonic Cult-Chapter 260 - : A Strange Phenomenon at the Bottom of the Cold Pond

Chapter 260: Chapter 260: A Strange Phenomenon at the Bottom of the Cold Pond

Zhao Country, Tianjiang Prefecture.

The map of Zhao Country was not small compared to the nine provinces of Yan Country, comprising thirteen prefectures in total.

Among them, Tianjiang Prefecture was close to Jinghai Road, one that bordered the territories of Yan and Zhao, where Zhao Country’s hundreds of thousands of naval and land forces would converge.

Because the Black Ice Platform dominated alone, the strife within the martial world of Zhao Country was not as intense as that in the Yan Country’s martial world, but there were still several martial factions entrenched within it.

They were the White Mist Sect, the Seven Snakes Association, and Bibo Island.

Of these three great martial powers, Bibo Island’s influence was the greatest; Bibo Island harbored numerous experts who opposed Black Ice Platform. Due to its proximity to Yan Country’s Jinghai Road, these experts could infiltrate Yan Country at any time, so even the experts from Black Ice Platform were quite helpless against them.

...

Qi Xuan Dao was well aware that it was impossible for such a large Zhao Country to have no voices of opposition against Black Ice Platform, and Bibo Island might even enjoy the support of the Yan Kingdom Court. Because of this, the Platform had always suppressed Bibo Island without considering its total destruction.

Besides, there were four most powerful families in Zhao Country.

These four great families were the Qu, Wu, Wang, and Qi.

Among them, the Qu and Qi families had close ties with Black Ice Platform and controlled many of Zhao Country’s economic livelihoods, becoming the most significant families in the country some decades ago.

The Wu Family, on the other hand, was more affiliated with the Royal Family, a lineage loyal to the Emperor. The Wang Family, however, conducted itself neutrally, never taking sides and always starting with its self-interest.

As night approached, the streets became extremely sparse with pedestrians.

In a secluded courtyard, a young girl stood at the entrance.

The girl was only about four or five years old, with two little ponytails on her head, and her appearance was very cute and charming.

However, her eyes were sharp, like two pointed daggers shining brightly in front of people, a natural dissonance that would ordinarily surprise, but on this girl, it did not seem strange at all but rather fitting.

She seemed to be waiting for someone inside the door.

It wasn’t long before the wooden door slowly opened.

“Creak—!”

As the door was pushed open, Qi Xuan Dao came out in black attire and said to the girl at the door, “Senior Sister, I didn’t expect you to come.”

If there had been onlookers, they would have been extremely surprised.

Qi Xuan Dao, a late bloomer within Black Ice Platform and one of its most senior members, yet he was calling this young girl “Senior Sister,” a detail that revealed a trace of the bizarre.

This girl was also born into Black Ice Platform, but few high-ranking members had seen her; even Lv Qiujian, Qi Xuan Dao’s second disciple, had only met her once. At that time, his master Qi Xuan Dao had instructed him to address the girl as Elder Qin Shan.

Elder Qin Shan said indifferently, “You’ve always been prudent, but this time you have been truly reckless, squandering that breath of Pure Yang True Qi for nothing. You should know the eldest brother is already dead, and now our Fifth Brother has died on Blue Sky Island. There are not many left who can take charge.”

Qi Xuan Dao calmly replied, “The Ghost Swordsman was from Tian Yin; he had to be eliminated, and moreover, Eldest Brother died at his hand. Should such a grudge not be avenged? It’s just that I didn’t anticipate Jun Qinglin showing up this time and disrupting the plan. Still, there was some gain as at least now we know Jun Qinglin is still alive.”

Elder Qin Shan raised an eyebrow. “Jun Qinglin? With half his body already in the grave at his age, he couldn’t possibly affect the world’s overall situation.”

“And by killing that Ghost Swordsman this time, the Demon Sect will be convinced to form an alliance with Yan Country, surely that will affect the Third Brother’s grand plan?”

Qi Xuan Dao gave Elder Qin Shan a look but said nothing.

Elder Qin Shan huffed lightly, quite bluntly, “Don’t think I don’t know what this trip was about. That Qi Shu was one of your progeny back in the day. According to the rules, you were supposed to kill them all, but when it came down to it, you couldn’t bring yourself to do it and let him go. Later you even took him in and raised him by your side…”

Hearing this, Qi Xuan Dao felt a stir in his heart, his calm eyes narrowing into slits.

Elder Qin Shan actually knew about this!?

He thought he had been flawless, leaving no stone unturned, yet here he was, with his actions under her watchful eye.

The entire quiet courtyard was filled with a tense atmosphere.

“There is no wall in the world that doesn’t let wind through.”

Elder Qin Shan spoke indifferently, “I’ve always pretended to know nothing of this matter and have not told anyone, only hoping that you would restrain yourself and not act rashly again. But you’ve once again decided to act on your own. Do you realize that if anything goes wrong with the grand plan, you will die, and so will I? Many will die.”

Qi Xuan Dao was silent for a long time before he finally responded, “I understand.”

“It’s just one offspring; dead is dead. We can have more in the future.”

Elder Qin Shan said in a low voice, “Up next, it’s up to the Third and the Fourth. Whether the Great Yan Emperor finally takes that step, we will truly know then.”

Having finished speaking, Elder Qin Shan, with her short little legs, walked toward the courtyard entrance.

Qi Xuan Dao watched as Qin Shan’s grandmother vanished, his face showing no change, but his eyes seemed to flash with a spark of lightning and fire.

Humans, after all, are creatures of emotion.

Unless one is not human, but a puppet, or a wild beast.

……

The battle on Blue Sky Island quickly spread throughout the world and raised huge waves of discussion.

Only a few were privy to the specific details, as only four had survived, and these four naturally wouldn’t widely publicize it in the Jianghu.

Consequently, much of what circulated within the Jianghu was conjecture – rife speculations abounded. Some said that the Ghost Swordsman had killed all the Jianghu masters as well as Ye Ding, Yu Ying, and Feng Lingyue, and other renowned experts, and that a master from Black Ice Platform had suddenly appeared and severely wounded the Ghost Swordsman.

Others claimed that all the masters of Yan Country had been killed by the Black Ice Platform, and the Ghost Swordsman had barely escaped with severe injuries, with no telling when he would recover – a terrible loss for the Great Yan Martial World.

There were also those who said that the Ghost Swordsman had slaughtered widely, killing many of Yan Country’s masters and even repelled the Black Ice Platform’s top fighters.

In short, various rumors flourished, the truth indiscernible.

However, the fact that the Ghost Swordsman had been severely injured was indeed true news.

In Yan Country, on Jinghai Road, amidst the mountains of Pingyun Mountain.

The mountains nestled by the water, the water reflecting the mountains – in this serene harmony and gentle solitude, a small boat drifted by, with an elder and a youth aboard, both bearing tranquil and calm expressions.

An idle mindset like life itself, slowly cherishing the years gone by – still as water, light as mountains.

An Jing, looking at the surrounding withered trees, couldn’t help but sigh, “Time really flies; in the blink of an eye, winter is almost upon us again.”

It had been two months since they left Dongluo Pass, and his heart couldn’t help but grow concerned.

Having obtained nine strands of Heaven and Earth Spirit Essence from Feng Lingyue, Chu Yun, and Qu Renlin on Blue Sky Island, after absorbing two, his internal injuries had mostly healed, with seven strands of Heaven and Earth Spirit Essence converging in his Dantian.

An Jing planned to enter seclusion after returning to Dongluo Pass and attempt to absorb these seven strands of Heaven and Earth Spirit Essence to see if he could break through to the Three Qi Realm.

Jun Qinglin stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the uniformity of the sky and earth, and said, “In the blink of an eye, a hundred years have gone by.”

The scenery of the past remained, but the person was no longer the youth of before.

An Jing shook his head, not daring to think of what he might be like in a hundred years – whether as full of youthful vigor as he was now…

Jun Qinglin seemed lost in memories, “I remember it clearly, that summer day when the weather was unbearably hot. I was wandering in the mountains of Pingyun Mountain, resting by the cold pond ahead, when a few fierce bandits emerged, intending to rob me of my valuable belongings. Being young and hot-blooded, newly venturing into the world, how could I simply hand over my possessions? I charged at them head-on. At that time, although my cultivation was only at Fourth Grade, those Fourth Grade bandits were no match for me, and I swiftly killed them all.”

“Little did I know that the leader of those bandits was not far off, his cultivation quite high, at Second Grade. I engaged him and was quickly overmatched. Fortunately, Leng Xiansheng and his wife arrived in time, killed the bandit leader, and saved my life.”

In stories of the Jianghu, it’s common to hear tales of drawing one’s sword to help in a situation of injustice, heroes saving beauties, and performing heroic deeds. However, in reality, such events are rare in the actual Jianghu.

This is because a slight misstep could lead to death by the sword, and those without significant strength wouldn’t dare to act heroically, while it’s hard to come across those with real power in the Jianghu.

The Jianghu is a blood-drenched world.

For Jun Qinglin, though, it was fortunate to have encountered Leng Xiansheng.

An Jing said, “Leng Xiansheng, that name sounds very familiar.”

Jun Qinglin, looking at the impeccable white clouds in the sky, replied, “He is Jiang Shang’s master, the former Sect Hierarch of the Demon Sect.”

So he was the former Sect Hierarch of the Demon Sect.

An Jing realized in his heart why this figure from the Jianghu sounded so familiar.

New novel chapters are published on freewёbn૦νeɭ.com.

Jun Qinglin continued leisurely, “At that time, Brother Leng was not yet the master of Outer Heaven, just a top fighter of the Heavenly Sect, but his cultivation had already reached the pinnacle of First Grade, and he possessed great renown in the Jianghu. Not only did they save me, but they also taught me martial arts. As a grateful youth, I joined Outer Heaven.”

“What I loved most after joining Outer Heaven was drinking with the experts of the Heavenly Sect and engaging in deep conversations. The lowest cultivation among the Heavenly Sect experts was at Second Grade, and they were all older than me. Because of Brother Leng’s influence, they were very courteous to me. Each time we drank, they would not only share their Jianghu stories but also discuss martial arts with me, imparting experience and techniques. It was during that time that my cultivation began to advance by leaps and bounds.”

An Jing hadn’t expected Jun Qinglin to have joined the Demon Sect in such a manner, and that Leng Xiansheng had simply saved a fervent youth by the roadside, thus bringing a Five Qi Grandmaster expert to the Demon Sect. Perhaps even Leng himself had not anticipated this.

“Do you regret joining Outer Heaven, Great Elder?”

“I, old man, have never spoken the word regret. Do you, youngster, understand what Outer Heaven is?”

“I am eager to learn.”

“Outer Heaven, in its original meaning, is the heaven beyond our heaven, symbolizing carefree freedom, devoid of oppression and worries – where you can do what you want and go where you wish, a perfectly ideal Pure Land. This represents the complete release of the desires within one’s heart, and the desires within the heart are also known as demons. Hence, Outer Heaven is also referred to as the Demon Sect.”

An Jing was listening to Jun Qinglin’s explanation of the understanding of evil for the first time, perhaps because he lacked certain experiences and knowledge, he himself was not clear about what exactly evil was, nor did he understand what this Outer Heaven meant.

Jun Qinglin said, “Buddhism suppresses desires, while the Demon Sect releases desires; in my opinion, both are biased.”

Jun Qinglin did not continue, as some things when explained too much can misguide, and everyone has their own understanding. This was only his idea, not that of An Jing.

An Jing solemnly said, “The Great Elder speaks wisely.”

Jun Qinglin, as a Five Qi Grandmaster who could separate the rules of heaven and earth, had a profound perception of his own way.

Jun Qinglin looked into the distance at the falling leaves and said in a soft voice, “Forty-two years, it turns out that Leng brother has been dead for forty-two years, time passes so quickly…”

An Jing inquired, “How did the former Demon Sect Hierarch die?”

“There was a coup in the Heavenly Book Pavilion, and due to differing stances, he was killed by the hands of the Royal Family’s experts.”

Jun Qinglin paused for a moment, then continued, “At that time, Outer Heaven supported not the Taiping Human Emperor, but the current Crown Prince, who despite being born in an imperial family, was benevolent, loyal, and soft-hearted, with mediocre martial arts talent. How could he stand against the decisive and iron-willed Taiping Human Emperor? The coup in the Heavenly Book Pavilion seems now to have been inevitable.”

An Jing had heard about the coup in the Heavenly Book Pavilion from Lou Xiangzhen.

On the day the Emperor passed away, the now Taiping Human Emperor stormed the Heavenly Book Pavilion with numerous experts, killing the then Crown Prince along with many Princes, ultimately succeeding in ascending the throne.

This incident was supposed to be a secret, unknown to the common people.

He was surprised to learn that the Demon Sect had supported the then Crown Prince, given the general perception of the Demon Sect as one always filled with great evil and wickedness.

If the Crown Prince had succeeded in ascending the throne at that time, the Demon Sect’s subsequent status might have been like the current Zhenyi Sect, or even have had the opportunity to become the National Religion.

Jun Qinglin let out a light chuckle and said, “Later on, many things were forgotten, and you should also be aware of some. Leng brother died in that coup at the Heavenly Book Pavilion. They wanted me to succeed him as the Master of Outer Heaven, but having grown accustomed to my indolence, I did not wish to manage the affairs of the Sect. After staying in Yan Country for a few more years, I returned to the Sealing Demon Platform to enter seclusion. At that time, there were several Outer Heaven experts in the Sealing Demon Platform with very high cultivation, but soon after I entered, they all went down into the Sealing Demon Well.”

An elder and a youth idly chatted about the past, reflecting on the changes brought by time.

As the years aged, those who listened to stories became the ones telling them, and the tale-tellers became the characters in their stories.

The mountains were serene, the water pristine, reflecting the sky seamlessly.

Jun Qinglin was filled with emotion, and An Jing was full of sighs.

“Hint three: There is a cyan opportunity near the host.”

At this moment, the prompt from the Earth Book appeared again.

An Jing knew this must be the sword body of the Evil Suppressing Sword. Finding this sword body would make it five, with the final one being in Lengping.

Once the six bodies of the Evil Suppressing Sword were gathered, it would form the complete Evil Suppressing Sword, and then he could return home triumphantly.

An Jing glanced around and said, “The fifth sword body is nearby.”

Jun Qinglin asked, “Can you sense it?”

“I can sense it.”

An Jing touched his Evil Suppressing Sword.

The Evil Suppressing Sword could only sense others when they were very close, and the current sensation was naturally from the Earth Book.

As the small boat sailed forward, it quickly arrived at a cold pond.

The clear waves rippled, the tranquil azure water carrying a bone-chilling cold, and the temperature around them gradually dropped.

According to the guidance of the Earth Book, the cyan radiance was below, which meant the sword body of the Evil Suppressing Sword was beneath.

An Jing pointed to the water and said, “The sword body is down there, Great Elder, please wait here for a moment.”

“Alright.”

Jun Qinglin nodded.

“Splash!”

An Jing dove into the water, rushing towards the depths of the pond.

The ice-cold water assaulted him continuously, growing colder and more piercing the deeper he dove.

An Jing’s body had reached a level between Golden Bone and Jade Bone, so such chilling cold naturally could not affect him in the slightest.

The deeper he went, the colder the surrounding waters became, even releasing wisps of white vapor.

Before long, he landed next to a massive stone.

Embedded in the stone was an antique longsword, flickering with a cold, shimmering light that caused the waters around it to turn extremely icy. It was the blade of the Evil Suppressing Sword.

“There’s something strange here!”

Upon seeing this, An Jing’s brows instantly furrowed.

Just the presence of part of the Evil Suppressing Sword’s blade emanated such coldness that the entire pond turned incredibly icy, which was somewhat unbelievable.

After all, it was only one part of the Evil Suppressing Sword, and even a complete Evil Suppressing Sword shouldn’t be able to emit such intense cold.

An Jing approached the stone, and the Evil Suppressing Sword as if sensing his presence, also began to tremble.

“Crack!” “Crack!”

The flowing water surged violently as the huge stone suddenly shattered.

The next moment, an extremely cold black light struck towards An Jing’s mind.

Cold!

The ultimate chill!

It was as if he had instantly moved from the heat of summer to a winter filled with frost. The water around An Jing began to freeze because of the chill, and the cold continued to spread. Within a few breaths, the entire pond had frozen into a block of ice.

Under the faint sunlight, it glinted with a sparkling light.

Meanwhile, Jun Qinglin, who was standing on the boat, also noticed the waters below had frozen, and his brows raised slightly.

He didn’t know what exactly was happening below, and he didn’t act rashly.

Within the ice block formed by the pond water, An Jing was holding the Evil Suppressing Sword in his hand.

And it was from this Evil Suppressing Sword that the coldness emanated, as if it wanted to completely engulf and submerge his consciousness.

A low roar sounded, vibrating the soul.

In his mind, he could see that dark shadow approaching. It seemed human, yet not human.

At the moment of its assault, An Jing felt as if he couldn’t move, only able to watch as it invaded.

A pair of pupils clearly looked just like human eyes, but they had lost all human emotions; only ferocity, eeriness, bloodthirst, and cruelty remained.

If swallowed by this shadow, who knew what terrible things would happen.

In such a critical moment, An Jing subconsciously began to circulate the “Nameless Heart Scripture,” and immediately, a warm current emerged from within his body and surged into his mind.

Boom!

It was like a scorching light shining in his mind.

“Roar!”

The shadow, struck by the light, let out a low roar. The sound was harsh and strange, as if uttered by a non-human, sending chills down the spine and striking fear into the heart.

The shadow, like winter snow exposed to the warm sun, began to melt away, vanishing in the blink of an eye, completely dissolved by the light into nothingness.

At the same time, the cold air surrounding the pond gradually dissipated, but the entire icy pond had frozen into a large block of ice and did not melt back into water.

No one knew how much time had passed, perhaps an hour, perhaps a moment.

An Jing slowly opened his eyes and looked at the fifth blade of the Evil Suppressing Sword in his hand, then his True Qi began to circulate as he moved upwards.

“Whoosh!”

His body shot up like an arrow released from its bow, breaking through the ice of the cold pond, with shards of broken ice scattering across the world, glittering under the sunlight.

…….

PS: Don’t forget to enter the draw, brothers!