Chapter 640 – Poor Little One

Edited by Ea and Molly

　　If Youshan Lingyu really had reincarnated, and he had already found his mount that he personally sealed, it meant that he had the memory of his previous life. For the entire Youshan Capital, and even the entire Nine Lands, this was a major event that could be compared to the emergence of a peerless power.

　　Tens of thousands of years ago, it was the demons headed by Youshan Lingyu that caused the whole Nine Lands to be ruined and the Taoist Sects to be in decline. After that, no one in the Nine Lands could reach the height of the Hidden Spirit Sect even though they had been recuperating for many years.

　　The name Youshan Lingyu had become a taboo word in the heavenly books. It was said that because the Dao of Heaven believed that Youshan Lingyu was sinful and not good enough to be remembered by anyone, so people of later generations had never once heard of this brilliant name that ended an entire glorious era.

　　But the people of Youshan Capital, who followed the first gods, were different.

　　They did not know when the outside world lost all knowledge about Youshan Lingyu. If anyone amongst them had never heard of the names of Youshan Lingyu and Fu Zhu, then they were definitely ones that lost their souls in the Great Immortal-Demon War and couldn’t even count to ten anymore.

　　After Lin Xuanzhi smelled the familiar evil Qi and discovered the traces of Fu Zhu, he was almost certain that it was indeed Youshan Lingyu who had returned.

　　He immediately summoned all the sects, aristocratic families, and the powerful people in the ranks of the capital, and unreservedly told the news of the return of Youshan Lingyu and Fu Zhu. The Lianying family head almost cried out and fainted on the spot.

　　The people didn’t know that Sword Venerable Chang Sheng had returned, but with the Lianying head’s status, he was enough to be included among the few people who knew.

　　He was full of expectations, waiting for the day when Sword Venerable Chang Sheng would open the Youshan seal, and they, the living dead, would reincarnate again. Then, because of the gifts, kindness, and compensation of the Dao of Heaven, they would seek a perfect next life that ordinary people could not even dream of.

　　However, after waiting for one hundred thousand years, hoping for one hundred thousand years more, and bearing the loneliness and misery of all those years, he finally saw the dawn. But, his only son died again by Youshan Lingyu’s hands right before dawn. How could the Lianying family head accept this?

　　After learning the news of his son’s complete annihilation, the head of the Lianying family nearly lost his spirit and died. It was the medicine from Lian Hua that Manager Mo immediately fed him that saved his life.

　　The mood of everyone present was heavy.

　　Even some of these old people who had lived for many years just cried out like their parents had died. It could be seen that the one thing Youshan Lingyu had left in their hearts was an indelible psychological shadow.

　　Upon seeing this, Lin Xuanzhi changed his original plan.

　　He had planned to let these famous leaders in Youshan Capital go all out to search for the traces of Youshan Lingyu in the whole city. Once they found a trace, they could immediately capture him. Lin Xuanzhi could conclude that even if Youshan Lingyu had reincarnated, his cultivation at this time would not reach one tenth or two-tenths of that before, which was a good opportunity to destroy him.

　　But in the end, Lin Xuanzhi just told these people, “If there is news about Youshan Lingyu or Fu Zhu, try to notify me as soon as possible, and I will handle the matter personally.”

　　The crowd dispersed, and Lian Hua, who didn’t attend the meeting, came over.

　　Lin Xuanzhi gently pinched his fingers and calculated. “Before, I could still feel the location of the evil Qi, but now I can’t feel it. He had dual cultivated evil Qi and demonic Qi, and he is also with Fu Zhu. How can he conceal the evil Qi?”

　　Evil Qi was the most difficult energy to hide. Fu Zhu was an evil spirit and also a walking source of evil Qi. If they didn’t have a special magic treasure, it would be hard to hide.

　　“Maybe he has a magic treasure,” Lian Hua suggested.

　　“It’s not like him.” Lin Xuanzhi slightly raised his eyebrows and shook his head. “From what I know about him, Youshan Lingyu was a person who behaved arrogantly. After cultivating evil Qi, he would be eager to show off and make people all over the world fear him. How can he hide like this?”

　　Lian Hua’s eyes flashed slightly. “Maybe it’s because his current cultivation isn’t high enough. For the sake of his life, he doesn’t dare to show up easily, so he has to be a mouse in the sewer.”

　　Lin Xuanzhi thought for a moment and said, “That’s also possible, but I always think it’s not so simple.”

　　Of course it’s not simple, Lian Hua thought.

　　In his entire life, he had only seen one person who had cultivated three energies at once — spiritual Qi, demonic Qi, and evil Qi — and that person was the current Yan Tianhen. Lian Hua said with melancholy, “If it’s not simple, what do you plan to do?”

　　Lin Xuanzhi didn’t even think about it and said, “I need to kill him here.”

　　Lian Hua was stunned. “Kill him here?”

　　Lin Xuanzhi said faintly: “Youshan Lingyu has a cruel temperament, and it’s hard to change his murderous nature. As soon as he appeared, he took people’s lives. Killing him in Youshan Capital is the best result. Once the barrier of Youshan Capital is opened, he will escape and reach the Nine Lands. Won’t it mean that the lives of the common people will be lost?”

　　“Didn’t you say that your current sword heart is your Daoist companion Yan Tianhen?” Lian Hua asked suddenly.

　　When Lin Xuanzhi heard this familiar name, he was stunned for a moment, and his slightly indifferent eyes suddenly softened. “A hundred years have passed here, but it’s only been a year on the outside. In these hundred years, although I miss him everyday and can’t wait to see him again, but I can also understand my priorities. I said before that I will guard these Nine Lands for him. I will kill Youshan Lingyu here to fulfill my oath to him.”

　　Lian Hua suddenly had an urge. If he told Lin Xuanzhi that the Yan Tianhen he missed everyday was the Youshan Lingyu that he wanted to kill, what kind of expression would be on that beautiful face?

　　But he didn’t intend to say it.

　　Because if he did, who could guarantee that Youshan Lingyu wouldn’t destroy the world again?

　　Lian Hua had never been a talkative person, and he had been waiting for so many years. So what if he waited for a few more years?

　　He didn’t believe that Yan Tianhen, who wanted to have a new life with Lin Xuanzhi and had already become his Dao companion, would be willing to waste such a good opportunity and repeat the mistakes of his previous life, which would cause him to lose Lin Xuanzhi once more.

　　When it came to fear, Yan Tianhen was even worse than him.

　　Lian Hua’s jade-like face showed a cold smile. Youshu Lingyun, let me see what will win — your ambition or your love for Chang Sheng.

　　Lin Xuanzhi sat on the tallest and largest stone on the top of the zenith.

　　The Daoist sect from his past had been submerged in the smoke of the world, and no trace could be found. The ancient powerhouses, his former teachers, friends, and confidantes had all disappeared.

　　Some of them died, some fell into a deep slumber, some were sealed, and some went into seclusion.

　　They all disappeared: leaving a person who carried a blood feud and a burden as heavy as a mountain to walk alone with difficulty.

　　Lin Xuanzhi thought of Youshan Lingyu.

　　Every time he thought of him, his inner heart demon seemed to be getting heavier. That was the child that Dao Zu had personally handed over to him.

　　At that time, Dao Zu led a little demon that couldn’t see anything and was in tattered clothes, and slowly stepped onto the white jade steps, walking up to him.

　　Dao Zu’s voice was very happy. He stroked the head of the little demon and said, “Chang Sheng, this is my disciple that I brought back from the demon realm’s abyss. When I met him, he was being bullied by other demons, so I took him away. His true form is a blood cypress tree, which I also brought with me. After today’s battle, I need to enter secluded cultivation for a hundred years before I can come out. In the future, his clothing, food, basic necessities, reading, and cultivation will all be handed over to you, his elder martial brother.”

　　That was the first time he saw Youshan Lingyu.

　　The little demon had lived in the darkness for too long and couldn’t adapt to the light of the human world for the time being. A wide black band was wrapped around his face, covering a pair of eyes.

　　The body of the little demon was dirty, and Dao Zu’s body was also dirty.

　　Chang Sheng looked at them and said, “Master, did you snatch this disciple from others? Otherwise, how can you explain the dirt and grime that you didn’t have time to wash away?”

　　Clearly, Dao Zu had won the battle and snatched the little demon, then immediately ran away as if they were being chased by fire.

　　Dao Zu, who held a high position and status in the entire cultivation world, immediately raised his fingers in a shushing motion, winking at Chang Sheng. “Don’t talk nonsense. You can ask Little Cypress if you don’t believe me?”

　　Little Cypress — that is, the little demon whose true form was the blood cypress tree, nodded cautiously but didn’t speak, as if he was afraid of something.

　　He really is a pitiful one, Chang Sheng thought at that time.

　　The demons he knew were all naturally unrestrained, arrogant, and they did whatever they wanted to, just like their nature.

　　However, the little demon in front of him was only submissive. He only dared to hold Dao Zu’s sleeve and hide by his legs, wishing to hide his small body behind Dao Zu’s back.

　　Chang Sheng couldn’t see the little demon’s eyes, but from his jittery movements and somewhat stiff expression, he could fully infer what kind of fear and anxiety would be in his eyes if the silk cloth was untied.

　　Poor thing.

　　Chang Sheng was good at dealing with children. He was Dao Zu’s first disciple. Later, his younger martial brothers, whether Lian Hua or Xi He, all joined the sect since childhood.

　　Dao Zu was very fond of all walks of life. He especially liked to go sightseeing and liked to pick up children even more, but he was not in the sect for many years. After picking up the children, he often threw them to Chang Sheng to raise. Dao Zu was in charge of killing but didn’t care about burying, so the burden of raising children was often left to Chang Sheng.

　　Chang Sheng was someone who cultivated the sword. Unless he was facing great evildoers, his sword never left its scabbard. He was a merciful person.

　　Therefore, even though he was born with a sword bone, with a cold and arrogant temperament, ice sculptured muscles, and snow cast bones, he was still able to treat these junior martial brothers with tenderness, patience, and meticulousness to give them the best life

　　Chang Sheng took the little blood cypress from Dao Zu’s hand, held his cold and slightly trembling little hand, then crouched down in front of him, at eye level with the child who just reached Chang Sheng’s waist.

　　Chang Sheng asked, “Do you have a name?”

　　The little blood cypress shook his head and let Chang Sheng hold him.

　　Chang Sheng said softly, “I am called Chang Sheng. I am the eldest disciple of the Hidden Spirit Holy Sect and your senior martial brother. From now on, I will take care of you. If you have anything you want to play with or anything you want, please tell Shixiong, okay?”

　　The little demon looked at Chang Sheng for a moment through the silk cloth. After a long time, he whispered, “What’s my name?”

　　Chang Sheng looked at the smiling Dao Zu.

　　But Dao Zu shook his head repeatedly. “I’m not good at naming people. Since you named all your younger martial brothers, this name is also up to you.”

　　Among all the disciples of Hidden Spirit Holy Sect, only the name of Chang Sheng was given by Dao Zu himself, and he also named him very casually–

　　“Master doesn’t have any requirements for you. I just hope you can live a few years longer than others, so I will call you ‘Chang Sheng’. When you have another younger martial brother in the future, I’ll leave the name ‘Bu Si’ to him.”

　　But in the end, the name Bu Si wasn’t given to anyone.

　　The junior martial brother under Chang Sheng was Jianmu. At that time, Jianmu had just gained a little intelligence, and he ran around the mountains and plains all day long. He would seek out whoever he met and duel with them, and he wished he could take a stick and stab a hole in the sky. Because he was a sacred tree, which collected the essence of heaven and earth, the young Jianmu had an extremely high cultivation. Among the ordinary cultivators, who could be his opponent?

　　Jianmu was not yet the sacred Jianmu tree at that time. He was merely a plant spirit who had gained intelligence. His name was also not Xi He, but Little Brat.

　　Little Brat thought that he was invincible all over the world. He was so lonely that he was about to destroy the world. Suddenly one day he heard that the Sect Master of Hidden Spirit Holy Sect was the most powerful man in the world, so he enthusiastically went to challenge him.