Chapter 397: Ulterior Motives

After wasting quite a bit of time, the cultivator finally continued onward.

Following him, two more cultivators appeared one after another. Both experienced the distinct feeling of being spied on in this area, and after spending some time searching, they found the mystic treasure-grade surveillance artifact and a stone. Neither of them understood the stone’s purpose, but judging by its placement, it appeared to be part of the same set as the surveillance artifact.

As they ventured deeper into the secret realm, they experienced the same sensation of being spied on several more times, and each time it came from a surveillance artifact and its matching stone. After several more consecutive occurrences, the cultivators grew somewhat numb to it and stopped searching for its source altogether.

The sensation of being spied on varied depending on the method used, and cultivators with keen perception could even discern the subtle differences. Since these recent sensations of being spied on clearly came from the same surveillance artifact, some cultivators simply ignored them and continued exploring deeper.

Of course, there were all kinds of personalities of cultivators. At a fork in the path in the central part of the secret realm, several cultivators sensed they were being spied on. The first three simply ignored it, but the fourth insisted on flying up to the cave ceiling to search for it.

This time, though, she found neither the surveillance artifact nor its accompanying stone. Instead she was met by a barrage of flying swords!

The attack had come out of nowhere. The explosion was also accompanied by a flash of light and a soul-shaking devilish noise, which caused her movements to falter slightly. In the end, she was unable to dodge the flying swords and was pierced in four or five places. It was a fairly serious injury.

She struggled to her feet, quickly swallowed some healing elixirs, and fled at once. Such a commotion was bound to attract cultivators from the surrounding area. After all, killing was permitted within the secret realm.

By then, Wei Yuan had already moved far away from the scene and reached another area. After surveying the terrain, he selected a cave, buried a Fixed-Direction Flying-Sword Mine (FDFSM) inside, then hung a White Light Bomb and Devil Sound Bomb nearby. Once the setup was complete, Wei Yuan quickly left for his next location.

In the Great Realm, another marker was added to the edge of the secret realm’s image, bringing the total to four heads[1]. Three of them bore the Bao Clan’s emblem, while one bore the emblem of Qiongshan Immortal Island.

Shortly after Wei Yuan left, an explosion suddenly rang out behind him, followed by a tirade of angry curses and a surge of sword qi. In a shadow on the cave ceiling, a stone was quietly recording everything.

The victim this time was a swordsman. Judging by his attire, he was from the Eastern Sea Islands, but not from Qiongshan Immortal Island, which likely meant that he was an independent cultivator of the Eastern Sea. Half his body was covered in blood, and his Avatar was somewhat unstable. He was clearly seriously injured.

Wei Yuan had set this trap at the end of a cave with no way out. The cultivator had entered the cave to investigate and trace the source, only to trigger the trap at the very end. With nowhere to escape to, he naturally took severe injuries from the explosion.

He staggered out of the cave, cursing and swearing furiously, when a soft white light suddenly shone behind him, and a slender hand rested on top of his head.

Endless Buddhist chants rang in the Eastern Sea independent cultivator’s ears. His expression gradually grew serene and calm, and a moment later, a joyful smile spread across his face, as if he had attained true enlightenment. However, since his face was covered in blood, the smile looked eerie to an extreme.

Behind the man appeared a monk clad in cyan robe, whose eyes were, surprisingly, amber. His features were a mixture of delicate and sharpness, making it difficult to discern whether he was male or female.

The man bowed to the monk, then followed him deeper into the secret realm. As they walked, all the long hair on his head fell away.

In the Great Realm, another human-shaped marker was added to the records, but beneath this head, the note stated: “Seriously injured” and “converted.” Immediately, more than a dozen people split off to begin investigating.

In the distance, Wei Yuan frowned slightly. For some reason, he felt like he had seen the monk before. Moreover, when the monk had appeared, he had—whether intentionally or not—cast a glance toward the stone Wei Yuan had left behind.

This stone wasn’t one of those that deliberately gave off a trace of its presence. It had been imbued with the power of concealment. So far, no one but this monk had been able to detect it.

Wei Yuan quickened his pace and vanished into the shadows. He now had the supplies of four people in his possession, which would prove extremely useful in his final preparations. This was especially true of the three from the Bao Clan; they seemed to have set out specifically to fight against the Hlai and carried nothing but combat supplies with them, all of which had now fallen into his hands.

Wei Yuan could only offer a silent apology in his heart. He hoped he could regain some favor with the elders by killing a few more Hlai later.

In a tranquil courtyard of the Bao Clan’s ancestral land, Bao Yun sat facing a man.

The man had a striking, sharp appearance, like a giant axe capable of cleaving any obstacle that stood in his path. The radiance in his eyes was completely unmasked and frighteningly bright. There was a strange mark between his eyebrows.

He was exceptionally tall. An average-sized man would only reach his shoulders, yet his physique was sleek, slender, and without a trace of clumsiness.

His presence was like a volcano on the verge of eruption. Compared to him, Bao Yun seemed like a small tree at the foot of the mountain.

The man looked at Bao Yun, the light in his eyes growing ever brighter, and said, “Miss Yun, you are indeed a match for someone of my caliber. Once I’ve dealt with that androgynous creature who calls themselves a peacock, I’ll come to marry you right away!”

Bao Yun replied, “I don’t remember you asking for my opinion, nor do you seem to intend to.”

The man laughed and said, “Once you’ve joined my family, we’ll study the Floating World Dragon Diagram together. By then, I’ll have at least a seventy percent chance of reaching the Ultimate Unity stage, and you might reach that final step as well. Who in their right mind would refuse such an opportunity?”

“Just because the opportunity exists does not mean that someone must take it. Besides, the Exquisite Blossom Pure Land can grant me the same thing.”

The man furrowed his brows slightly and said, “The Exquisite Blossom Pure Land are a bunch of heretics and maniacs. Once you enter there, will you still be yourself? Besides, if you go there, you’ll miss out on the joy of dual cultivation. What’s the point of living then?”

“If that’s all you have to say, then please take your leave, Young Island Master.”

The man didn’t take offense. Suddenly, an unparalleled mental force descended from the heavens and immobilized Bao Yun!

He slowly reached out to cup Bao Yun’s chin, lifting it gently as he said, “I say what I want and do as I please! You probably don’t understand just how incredible the Floating World Dragon Diagram is, but someone in the Bao Clan certainly does. Why don’t you think why no elders have stepped forward to stop this yet?

“Even if I were to take you right now, no one would stop me—it’s just that the ceremonial rites and all would have to be a bit more elaborate. I’ve heard you’re a very intelligent woman, and I like intelligent women, so you’d better not do anything foolish and disappoint me.”

He withdrew his mental force and returned to his seat after that, his gaze roaming unabashedly over Bao Yun’s body.

Bao Yun’s face was slightly pale, but the surroundings were completely silent. Only the sound of the wind and birdsong could be heard. There were no human noises.

She composed herself and asked, “Have the great elders already agreed to your terms?”

“There’s still one left, but persuading one more won’t be difficult. I can manage it even without involving that peacock. It’s just that I can’t stand that effeminate guy, and he dares to harbor ill will toward you, so I absolutely must teach him a lesson.”

“Ill will?”

“Yes, that guy has ulterior motives. The way he looks at you is off—he’s probably after your body.”

Bao Yun paused for a moment, then asked, “Do you think you’re the right person to say that?”

The man laughed heartily and replied, “This son of Zhao has always acted with complete transparency. I’m not just after your body, I’m also after your primordial spirit, your fortune and your opportunities. I’m after all of you! And whatever I gain, I’ll only give back more. The fact that the elders of the Bao Clan tacitly allowed me to visit you this time is precisely because I’ve given enough, isn’t it?”

Bao Yun replied calmly, “But I don’t like you.”

The man shrugged it off. “We’ll have to spend several thousand years together in the future: Whether you like me now or not doesn't matter. Oh, if you already have someone else in your heart, then I’d advise you to cut ties with him as soon as possible. Tell him to stop pestering you and never show his face to us again. Otherwise, I will treat him as an obstacle on my path to immortality. A struggle for the Dao is a fight to the death. Can you guess how many years I’d torment him right in front of you?”

He continued, “We on Qiongshan Immortal Island wish to break this deadlock, and your Bao Clan is no different. The key to breaking it lies with you and me. If we cannot cultivate the Floating World Dragon Diagram, then our two clans will remain trapped where we are, and there’s no telling how much longer we’ll have to wait.

“However, Qiongshan Immortal Island now has me and the Floating World Dragon Diagram, and who is to say I couldn’t find another woman who is suitable to dual-cultivate it with me? Should such a time arrive, why don’t you take a guess at what I’ll do to you—and to your Bao Clan?”

Bao Yun asked, “Are you threatening me?”

The man grinned. “You could say that!”

He rose to his full height and said, “I’m going to meet that peacock first. I’ll come back for you when I’m done. Oh, that remark you just made wasn’t very smart—I don’t like it.”

1. I really, really, really want to put this as skulls. But it’s not. ☜