Chapter 131: The Past Has Passed (2)

Gu Xuanzhou lowered his eyes, gently rubbing the rim of his teacup with his thumb, though his peripheral vision remained fixed on the green-robed figure opposite him. His expression was calm, but a tempest surged in his heart.

He was waiting.

Waiting for Jiuyou to speak, waiting for that answer.

If Jiuyou was willing to rebuild Soul Wraith Island and return to the Demonic Path Alliance, the Demonic Path would have two Grand Cultivators at the Nascent Soul Late Stage overseeing it.

Then, any attempt by the Righteous Path Alliance to suppress them would be a fool's dream. Over the years, the Demonic Path had been suffocated by the Righteous Path, stifled at every turn when it came to resources, territory, and influence. Although Gu Xuanzhou bore the title of a Grand Cultivator, he could not hold the line alone.

Now, Jiuyou had fought his way back. At the Nascent Soul Late Stage, he had single-handedly annihilated Yuqing and escaped unscathed from a siege by dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators.

Such a man was his ally.

A faint smile unconsciously crept onto Gu Xuanzhou's lips before quickly fading. He picked up his teacup, gently blew the foam from the surface, and took a sip.

The tea had grown cold, yet he found it just right.

The opportunity for the Demonic Path's great rise lay right before his eyes.

Opposite him, Jiuyou slowly swirled his teacup, the aroma of the tea drifting out with the motion. His eyelids drooped slightly, frost seemingly condensing in his eyes. As for the schemes brewing in the mind of the man across from him, they were as clear as watching a fire; he understood them completely.

Silence hung in the pavilion for a long time.

After a long while, Jiuyou shook his head and set his teacup down. He retrieved a storage pouch from his robes, placed it gently on the stone table, and pushed it toward Gu Xuanzhou. With lowered eyes, he spoke in a flat voice.

"I must decline. I appreciate Brother Gu's good intentions."

He paused.

"When I founded Soul Wraith Island back then, it was merely to secure cultivation resources and live in peace. Now that I have stepped into the Nascent Soul Late Stage, the spiritual materials I need for cultivation are no longer ordinary items. Naturally, I have other plans."

He looked toward the azure sea in the distance.

"My return this time was simply because it is hard to leave this old place where I cultivated for nearly a thousand years. I came to settle past grievances in passing, seeking to have my thoughts and mental state flowing unobstructed on the Great Dao. Now that the past has passed, I will not stay here for long."

He pointed at the storage pouch.

"Inside the pouch are a few three-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs—a meager gift to express my gratitude. Thank you, Brother Gu, for saving my useless grandson."

Gu Xuanzhou furrowed his brow slightly at the sight. While three-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs were undeniably precious and he certainly coveted them, how could such worldly possessions compare to a mighty figure at the Nascent Soul Late Stage?

He raised his gaze to meet Jiuyou's placid, rippleless eyes and understood. The resolve of a Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivator was as firm as bedrock. Since he had made his decision, further persuasion would be futile.

He reached out, intending to take the storage pouch, but the moment his fingertips brushed the fabric, he slowly withdrew his hand and let out a long sigh.

"It was but a lift of a finger; you need not offer such a generous gift, Daoist Friend. Since Brother Jiu You has made up his mind, I naturally will not force you to stay. However, I have a presumptuous request. I wonder if you might agree?"

"Speak your mind, Brother Gu."

Gu Xuanzhou nodded.

"On behalf of the Demonic Path Alliance Endless Island, I would like to ask Brother Jiu You to do us the honor of serving as an honorary elder of our island. You need only lend us your name; you will not have to handle any sect affairs. We only need the world to know that the Demonic Path Alliance has welcomed its second true Grand Cultivator at the Nascent Soul Late Stage."

His gaze was sincere.

"Of course, I won't ask you to carry this empty title for nothing. I remember that Brother Jiu You is a ghost-path cultivator who relies on swallowing spirits and devouring souls to aid your cultivation. I have a great treasure here. As long as you are willing, this item is yours."

As his words fell, a streak of spiritual light flew from his storage pouch and slowly descended onto the stone table. The light dissipated, revealing a jade box. The lid opened, and several beams of azure light shot out from within, painting the pavilion in a deep blue glow.

Jiuyou's gaze focused.

The Heaven Flood Dragon King's Essence Soul.

He had seen with his own eyes back then when Gu Xuanzhou used the Demon Purification Platform to slay that tenth-level monster beast. He hadn't expected this man to keep the essence soul until now, much less be willing to part with it just in exchange for the title of an honorary elder.

Jiuyou's expression remained neutral, but he had already weighed the matter. 'It would be a waste to refuse.' With this, he would have three tenth-level monster beast essence souls—an unexpected delight.

He pondered for a brief moment, then reached out, gently pressed his hand against the jade box, and gave a slight nod.

Though Gu Xuanzhou's heart ached at the loss, on second thought, with Jiuyou lending his name, his own burdens would lighten significantly in the future, and the Demonic Path Alliance's confidence would multiply.

This trade was not a loss.

The two then chatted for a while longer, discussing everything from the changing landscape of recent years to their personal insights on cultivation.

Gu Xuanzhou had initially assumed that since Jiuyou had only recently advanced to the Nascent Soul Late Stage, his foundation would be unsteady. Yet, after exchanging views, he found that the man's insights into cultivation were in no way inferior to his own. Both men gained something from the discussion, achieving a deeper understanding of their respective paths.

The sky gradually darkened as twilight enveloped the surroundings.

Jiuyou stood up, cupped his hands in farewell, and turned to walk away. His figure soon melted into the night.

Gu Xuanzhou stood with his hands behind his back, gazing for a long time in the direction the green-robed figure had vanished, without speaking. He slowly lowered his eyes, his gaze landing on an inconspicuous pavilion in the distance, and let out a long sigh.

"Junior Brother... when you did what you did back then, were you also seeking to have your thoughts and mental state flowing unobstructed?"

No one answered that long sigh. Only the mountain wind moaned, slowly fading into the twilight.

...

On Beast Rearing Island, the courtyard was utterly empty, save for a rattan chair, a solitary lamp, and two figures—one old, one young.

The youth's eyes were wide, his face full of disbelief.

"Adoptive Father, you were actually the grand-disciple of Soul Wraith Island's patriarch? Is that true? Doesn't that make me the great-great-grandson of a Grand Cultivator at the Nascent Soul Late Stage?"

The old man waved his hand in annoyance, a touch of reproach on his face.

"Brat, how many times do I have to tell you? When others are around or when we're on the island, address me by my title. Stop blurting out 'Adoptive Father' left and right."

"Got it, Adoptive Father," the youth agreed with a cheeky grin before asking curiously, "By the way, Adoptive Father, your name back then was Canfeng. Why did you change it?"

The old man pointed casually toward the depths of the island where the spiritual beasts were bred.

"Isn't it because this old man watches over demonic beasts? So I became Demonic Wind."

"Ah? That casually?" the youth asked, a look of confusion on his face.

The old man didn't answer. He gently leaned back into the rattan chair. A palm-leaf fan had appeared in his hand at some point, and he fanned himself at a leisurely pace. A gentle breeze ruffled his grizzled beard and the white hair at his temples as he looked up at the star-filled sky.

High in the dark night sky, a faint, deep-blue streak of light tore across the heavens, leaving a long trail behind it as it slowly faded into the distance.

The old man's gaze followed that streak of light until it vanished at the edge of the sea of stars. The knot in his heart that he had carried for years finally seemed to unravel.

"Grievances scatter with the wind; a solitary lamp illuminates my twilight years. Sigh... I suppose this counts as... having my thoughts and mental state flowing unobstructed?"

The old man's eyes shifted as he turned to look at Xiao Yi beside him.

The youth before him stood tall and straight, his features vibrant. He radiated a booming vitality, right at the age of high spirits and boundless vigor.

A glimmer of light shone in his clouded old eyes, as if, looking through the youth, he could see his own self from a hundred years ago—equally filled with lofty ambitions and soaring spirit.

After a moment of silence, Demonic Wind chuckled softly, his tone taking on a measure of strictness.

"Enough, you spend all your time running over to my place. Look at Old Wang's son on the neighboring island; he's already reached the Mid Foundation Establishment Stage, while you're still stuck at the Early Foundation Establishment Stage. Why haven't you scrambled off to cultivate yet? When you finally reach the Golden Core stage one day, your father has a treasure here for you."

The youth's face instantly dropped upon hearing this.

"Aw, here we go again. You say that every time!"

"You dare talk back? Hurry up and leave."

"I'm going, I'm going. Take care of your health, Adoptive Father. I'll come see you again another day."

The youth hastily replied, his footsteps light as he dashed out of the courtyard. Raising a hand, he summoned a flying sword, stepped onto it, and rose into the air. His figure vanished into the night in the blink of an eye, off to play around who knew where.

Watching his retreating back, the old man smiled and shook his head.

"He's still just a useless little rascal in the end..."

The night breeze blew gently, causing the rattan chair in the courtyard to creak. The old man closed his eyes, his palm-leaf fan swaying slowly, as if fanning the embers of an old era that had long since drifted away.