"No one will force you." Qin Yun drank his wine in an extremely calm manner.Yu Gufeng was astounded at that moment.
"That beggar Senior I have always felt grateful for was actually the Golden Immortal mighty figure, Daoist Long Eyebrows. He had deliberately given me that opportunity," thought Yu Gufeng. "As Sword Immortal Qin said, the three major calamities I faced in the past century or so were all because the Grand Supreme sword immortal lineage wanted to test me?"
Although it was in name a test, he had straddled in a precarious dance with death.
"I nearly died in those three calamities. If I died, I"d probably have failed the Grand Supreme sword immortal lineage"s test." However, Yu Gufeng didn"t feel disgruntled about it. "Legend has it that the Grand Supreme sword immortal lineage is extremely strict when it came to selecting disciples and the Dao is not something easily instructed. It"s very normal that they have tests. If I didn"t accomplish my achievements today, Sword Immortal Qin would probably not come to me on his own initiative to take me in as a disciple.
"Which side should I choose?
"Sword Immortal Qin is the number one sword immortal in the Three Realms, but he is an Itinerant Immortal. He might die at anytime. Besides, I"ve never heard of anyone cultivating the sword immortal Dharmic formulation he created. If I were to cultivate it, I might not even reach the Skyimmortal realm," thought Yu Gufeng. "As for the Grand Supreme sword immortal lineage, it was created by the Grand Supreme Dao Ancestor. That"s a sufficiently strong backer. Besides, more than one person has become a Golden Immortal mighty figure through this Dharmic formulation. Although the Golden Immortals of the Grand Supreme sword immortal lineage are all far inferior to Sword Immortal Qin, it"s a viable path."
While Qin Yun drank, he remarked, "The Grand Supreme sword immortal lineage has quite a number of disciples, but if you were to take me in as your master, you will be the second disciple of my sword immortal lineage."
"Sword Immortal Qin, the sword immortal lineage you created hasn"t had anyone cultivate in it yet, right?" said the elder with a smile. "However, I believe that Sword Immortal Qin"s lineage will definitely thrive and become a major lineage in the Three Realms."
Qin Yun couldn"t be bothered to say another word.
The recruitment of disciples had to be consensual for all parties. If a disciple was unwilling, he wouldn"t force the issue.
"Sword Immortal Qin."
Yu Gufeng said extremely reverently, "I"ve revered you after having heard your legends and have dreamed of becoming your disciple. However, it is only today that I learned that the beggar Senior I"m immensely grateful towards is a Senior from the Grand Supreme sword immortal lineage. The sword arts I obtained previously was also handed down to me from the Grand Supreme sword immortal lineage. He"s the benefactor I"m most grateful to. If not for him, there wouldn"t be the present me. Since he"s willing to take me in as a disciple of the Grand Supreme sword immortal lineage, I find it impossible to reject him. Sword Immortal Qin, please forgive me for my lack of propriety."
As Yu Gufeng spoke, he bowed politely.
He was afraid of offending Sword Immortal Qin; therefore, he tried to mince his words as much as possible.
However, he had thought too lowly of Qin Yun. Would Qin Yun be that petty to bear a grudge on a junior for failing to recruit him?
By the side, Yi Xiao looked at Qin Yun. He placed his cup down calmly and took a look at Yu Gufeng. He nodded and said, "Since you have chosen the Grand Supreme sword immortal lineage, it can only mean that we aren"t fated. Xiaoxiao, let"s go."
Qin Yun immediately stood up. By his side, Yi Xiao and Bian Hanyu stood up as well.
"Sword Immortal Qin," said the elder with a voice transmission as he bowed slightly. "This Yu Gufeng is indeed someone our Grand Supreme sword immortal lineage had noticed a long time ago and began secretly grooming him. This is why I had to be so thick skinned as to mention my intent. Please be magnanimous and forgive me."
Qin Yun gave him a glance.
The elder continued with his voice transmission. "There"s also one thing I"d like to inform you of, Sword Immortal Qin. This Bian Hanyu beside you had once caught the eye of my Grand Supreme sword immortal lineage. We find her talented and perceptive, but later during her test, we discovered that her she has deep-set mental demons. It"s unlikely that she can transcend the Skyimmortal tribulations; therefore, she won"t be able to make much progress in the cultivation path. If you wish to teach her, be careful of her mental demons."
"Would I, Qin Yun, need you to teach me how to teach my disciple?" Qin Yun grunted coldly.
The elder"s face instantly paled as he said politely, "I have no other intentions."
"No other intentions?"
Qin Yun scoffed and waved his hand. "Return to your cave abode and think it through!"
The elder suddenly felt an immense shockwave overwhelm him.
"How would he dare—"
Following that, he felt s.p.a.ce-time distort.
When the scene before him restored to normal, he found himself falling to the ground in front of his cave abode. His face was planted into the muddy ground while Yu Gufeng stood there perfectly fine. He didn"t dare say a word as he looked at the muddied long-browed elder.
Guarding by the cave abode"s entrance, two children were astonished. "Master!"
The long-browed elder stood up immediately as the mud vanished from his body. However, his expression was ice-cold.
"Take this junior brother and settle him in," he instructed.
"Yes, Master," the two children said as they immediately arranged to settle Yu Gufeng in.
The elder stood at his cave abode"s entrance with a grim expression. He thought to himself, "Nicely done, Qin Yun. You actually came to s.n.a.t.c.h disciples from my Grand Supreme sword immortal lineage? Do you really think the sword immortal lineage you created is comparable to our Grand Supreme sword immortal lineage?"
"Junior Brother Long Eyebrows, you were too ras.h.!.+" A distant voice tore through the void and sounded in his ears. "You shouldn"t have been so provocative, especially when the person is a half-step Heavenly Dao expert. If you had provoked a fiendish expert or one with a heretic temper, you would probably have been smacked to death with one slap."
"We are all disciples of the Three Pure Ones. I didn"t say anything wrong anyway," said the elder. "Besides, the Bian Hanyu he recruited does have a mental demon in her. She"s unlikely to transcend the Skyimmortal tribulations."
"Long Eyebrows, with that temper of yours, only a Daoist expert like Sword Immortal Qin wouldn"t niggle with you."
…
Heavenly realm, Mt. Lightning Roar.
Qin Yun and his wife returned with Bian Hanyu.
"That Long Eyebrows said that you have a deep-set mental demon that will be an obstacle to your cultivation." Qin Yun sat down a looked at Bian Hanyu standing beside him. "Tell me about your mental demon."
"Mental demon?" Bian Hanyu was slightly taken aback.
Yi Xiao sat beside Qin Yun and smiled. "There"s no need to hide it from your master."
Bian Hanyu stood there, her expression seemingly adrift. Only then did she say softly, "Yes, I do have a mental demon. Master, I"d have forgotten about it if you didn"t mention it!"
"When I was young, I was practically invincible. I eventually left my hometown and went our adventuring to hone my skills… Years later, when I came back from my adventuring, I realized that all my loved ones, as well as servants and surrounding tenants, were all dead. Their corpses laid in front of me…" Bian Hanyu said softly, "All my loved ones, the aunties and uncles I was familiar with were dead. All dead.
"103 lives. I fell into a daze, spending several days with those corpses before I buried them one after another. For the next thirty years, I often dreamed of those corpses."
Bian Hanyu continued, "I cultivated as hard as I could, hoping to seek revenge like a lunatic."
Qin Yun and Yi Xiao listened.
"Later, as my realm increased, I finally figured out the culprit after sparing no cost." Bian Hanyu scoffed and said, "The murderer was a Chaos G.o.dfiend named Yuci, an ancient mighty figure. I had no idea why my family would offend him, but would the death of some mortals at the hands of an ancient mighty figure matter?
"I even feel that my oath of seeking revenge is ridiculously laughable," said Bian Hanyu. "I"ve long given up, but I didn"t realize that it has become my mental demon."
"This is a resentment of your cultivation. It"s also your greatest grudge, so how can you forget?" Qin Yun said, "Yuci is a G.o.dfiend born from the Chaos and a pinnacle mighty figure. Many of these ancient Chaos G.o.dfiends treat the Three Realms as their hunting grounds, using the living beings of the Three Realms as their prey and food. Yuci enjoys consuming souls and had happened to pa.s.s by your hometown. When he caught a whiff of the fragrance of souls, he devoured all 103 souls of your family. It"s as simple as a human casually taking a snack."
"He enjoys consuming souls?" Bian Hanyu found it unbelievable. "Just because he wants to eat, he…"
"Yes, he eats because he wants to eat." Qin Yun nodded.
"How can the mighty figures of the Three Realms watch such a fiend act so wantonly?" Bian Hanyu could not help but ask.
Qin Yun shook his head. "There are many things you won"t understand."
Bian Hanyu fell silent.
"Let"s go." Qin Yun stood up.
"Go?" Bian Hanyu looked at Qin Yun, puzzled.
"Follow me; to kill Yuci," said Qin Yun.
Bian Hanyu"s eyes instantly widened. She had once believed that she had forgotten, once believing that her oath was a joke! But when Qin Yun said, "follow me; to kill Yuci," she felt her blood boil over as her brain buzzed. This was something she had never experienced in the past five centuries. It was an unspeakable agitation and desire.
Kill! Kill!