Chapter 345 - 340: Please, Hero, Enjoy to Your Heart’s Content

Du Youqian had very much hoped that Master Nine would struggle a bit before his death—a desperate, powerless struggle, of course.

He’d also hoped Master Nine would spit out some harsh, arrogant words laced with despair.

Then he’d hoped he would try to counterattack, only to be defeated by him once more.

That way, other Cultivators would understand just how hard he had worked, how much effort he had put in.

But in reality, Master Nine didn’t say a word.

The Sword Intent of "Annihilate" passed through the body of the Demon Zombie and struck him directly, obliterating his body, Divine Sense, and soul, leaving not even ashes behind.

Its power still unspent, it followed the connections to everything related to Master Nine, annihilating all of his backup plans and arrangements. If he had any Split Souls, it would annihilate them all as well.

If Master Nine had contingencies in the past or the future, or even in the realm of illusion, they would be annihilated too.

Although Du Youqian’s "Annihilate" Sword Intent had reached Great Success, it didn’t possess this level of power on its own—the power to strike from reality into illusion, from the present into the past and future.

This was naturally a bonus provided by the Blood Slaughter Sword itself.

With the formidable enemy vanquished, Du Youqian finally had a moment to ponder the Blood Slaughter Sword’s words. He hadn’t had time to think about it earlier—how to "add money," and what kind of "money" the Blood Slaughter Sword even wanted.

Thinking back on it now, it still felt strange.

But this wasn’t the time for deep thought.

He put away Jinhuan. Without even time for pleasantries with Master Wu Fei and the others, he first treated Jie Yu, removing the plague toxin entwined around her Golden Core.

As for the other few infected Core Formation Masters, Du Youqian lacked the strength to treat them at the moment. He could only have them take Elixirs to suppress the spread of the poison for now, promising to heal them completely later.

~~~~~~~

「Human World.」

In his quiet chamber, the Divinity Transformation True Monarch, "True Monarch Zhaoxiang Guangde," opened his glittering eyes, a hint of displeasure on his face. ’I’ve said it before: my sword and my Dao Companions are never to be lent out! Which little thief is secretly borrowing power from the Blood Slaughter Sword again? I’ve caught your trail this time. Let me just do a little calculation... and send a sword strike your way across the void!’

He didn’t even use a Treasure. He simply calculated on his fingers, and soon, a look of surprise appeared on his face.

’I... actually miscalculated?’

Refusing to believe it, he took out three old-looking copper coins that seemed to have been washed by the tides of time but bore no rust. He tossed them a few times, and when he looked closely at the result, his eyes filled with disbelief. ’Tier Seven? Impossible.’

He put away the copper coins and, with great care, took out a small earthenware pot. He grabbed a handful of yarrow stalks from it and performed another detailed calculation.

When he saw the result of the hexagram, his mouth opened and he spat out a mouthful of black blood, after which he seemed to feel much better.

’Qingxu Tongxuan Guanmiao True Monarch? But the feedback from my Divination was definitely Tier Seven... He probably hasn’t announced his promotion and updated his title yet. It should be Qingxu Tongxuan Guanmiao Emperor now. Which Great Power is this? Why have I never heard of him?’

He glanced fearfully at the Spiritual Treasure, the Blood Slaughter Sword. It rested quietly on the altar table, seemingly oblivious to his actions.

’Forget it, forget it. To suffer a loss is a blessing, to suffer a loss is a blessing... Your Majesty the Emperor, feel free to use it whenever you wish. Just give me a heads-up next time. Or if you really don’t want to... that’s fine too. I am not a petty person.’ True Monarch Zhaoxiang Guangde shook his head, closed his eyes, and resumed his Cultivation. The quiet chamber fell silent once more.

~~~~~~~~~~

KNOCK, KNOCK KNOCK.

That evening, a soft knock sounded on Du Youqian’s door.

Du Youqian already knew who was outside; the Beautiful Daoist Nun hadn’t concealed her aura.

But when he opened the door, he was still taken aback.

The Beautiful Daoist Nun stood there with her fine hair unbound, wearing a light green, cross-collared gauze dress—a stark contrast to her usual simple attire. Though she wore no makeup, she was radiant.

Du Youqian wanted to joke, ’Where did that cold, aloof, and graceful Daoist Nun who seemed like a celestial being go?’

But the sight of her eyes, shimmering like autumn waters, left him speechless. He could only swallow quietly.

The Beautiful Daoist Nun entered, closing the door behind her. She looked at Du Youqian with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. "Mr. Baili, aren’t you usually quite eloquent? Why are you silent upon seeing me today?"

Du Youqian, a thousand-year-old fox after all, simply smiled back. "Please, come in. The night is deep and the dew is heavy. I wonder why you are unable to sleep and have come to visit so late?"

The Beautiful Daoist Nun took light, lotus-like steps, swaying her hips as she walked in and sat down. "Today, you defeated a powerful enemy, saved the countless lives of Momenan, and spared the Cultivation Realm from a great catastrophe. It was all thanks to your efforts. I have come especially to thank you."

As she spoke, she gave Du Youqian a solemn bow.

The faint fragrance from her hair made Du Youqian’s heart stir.

This subtle, almost nonexistent temptation was the most alluring.

Her skin was dewy like water, and her gaze flowed, as if she had just stepped out of a bath.

He couldn’t help but wonder what the Beautiful Daoist Nun’s intentions were.

He said aloud, "There is no need for such politeness. Master Wu Fei already thanked me during the day and promised to use the full power of his sect to help me upgrade my Flying Sword Jinhuan to Tier Four. That reward is more than enough."

A smile played in the Beautiful Daoist Nun’s eyes. Her red lips parted slightly, and her voice was gentler than ever before. "Is it really enough? But *I* came especially to thank you."

"How do you plan to..." Du Youqian didn’t get to finish his sentence before he swallowed his words.

Because the Beautiful Daoist Nun, like a swallow returning to its nest, had thrown her soft, pliant body into his arms.

Du Youqian’s throat tightened. "What is the meaning of this?"

"You are the hero of Momenan. Shouldn’t you be handsomely rewarded? Rewarding a hero with a beauty is only fitting. Though my looks are plain, I am willing to offer myself to you, for the hero to enjoy as he pleases." The Beautiful Daoist Nun’s face burned crimson, as vibrant as an azalea. She was overcome with shyness as she spoke, burying her head in Du Youqian’s chest, her whole body trembling.

Du Youqian held her tight, then loosened his grip. He cleared his throat and said, "For reasons I cannot disclose, I currently have no intention of taking a Dao Companion."

The Beautiful Daoist Nun lifted her head and gave him a charmingly coquettish glare. "You... who said anything about being your Dao Companion? I simply couldn’t bear to see a hero left out in the cold, so I’m offering my body as a gift. I have only one thing to make clear to you: no matter who you think I was in a past life, I am me. I am absolutely not a substitute for someone else. If you can agree to that, then please, hero, enjoy yourself to the fullest!"

Du Youqian held back no longer. As he began to scale the peak, he chuckled in a low voice, "You’re trying to ruin my Dao Heart."

The Beautiful Daoist Nun lowered her head with a shy smile. "I am. Let’s see if your Dao Heart is firm, or if I... ah!"

Before she could finish, Du Youqian swept her up by the waist and carried her toward the bed.

~~~~~~

After studying the information obtained from the ruins of the South Sea Blessed Land, the Momenan Cultivation Realm gained a much deeper understanding of the Demon Race.

Furthermore, after being studied by multiple Core Formation Masters, the Jade Scrolls related to Master Nine and Pang Master finally had their mysteries unveiled.

It turned out that Master Nine was a peculiar life form that had spawned from the Tier Six Great Saint Incarnation after it was slain by the Blood Slaughter Sword. By racial classification, he probably belonged to the Corpse Race.

Pang Master, on the other hand, was a Split Soul that the Great Saint Incarnation had separated from itself years ago in search of a way to save itself. After the Great Saint Incarnation was slain, he saw his chance and attempted to seize the Tier Six body.

After a period of conflict, the two parties reached a temporary truce. They ultimately decided to shatter the sky and earth of this realm, leave Momenan, and use the abundant Spiritual Qi of the outside world to quickly recover their true Tier Six strength.

As for why they didn’t use the Teleportation Array... naturally, if they tried to use it while inhabiting the body of a member of the Demon Race, they would likely have been blasted to pieces on the spot.

Destroying the Teleportation Array was also a way to cut off the retreat of their subordinates. This ensured the followers they had gathered would have no choice but to obey them for a chance to leave Momenan and reach a higher Realm.

After Celestial Master Baili slew Ping Pang Master, Master Nine was ecstatic.

He was of the Corpse Race and possessed Innate Divine Abilities.

He then spent several hundred years enhancing this Innate Divine Ability, developing methods like large-scale plagues. He planned to use this apocalypse to absorb the Essence, Qi, and Spirit of Momenan’s countless living beings, which would allow him to reach Tier Six himself. For an ordinary Core Formation Master, this would be a fool’s dream, but as a member of the Corpse Race who also possessed a Tier Six body, it was entirely achievable for him.

Moreover, Master Nine had more than enough strength to kill all the Cultivators who had attacked the ruins of the South Sea Blessed Land that day.

His Plague Divine Abilities alone would have been enough to ensure all the Cultivators present that day were buried in the ruins of the South Sea Blessed Land, not to mention he had two other extremely powerful Divine Abilities he hadn’t even used.

This discovery sent a chill of lingering fear through the Core Formation Cultivators of Momenan.

If Du Youqian hadn’t slain Master Nine with a single sword strike... there would be no Momenan Cultivation Realm left today.

Even when some Cultivators from the Taihe Sect complained to Master Wu Fei that Master Wu Ai was shamelessly following Du Youqian without any official status, bringing disgrace upon the Taihe Sect,

Master Wu Fei would only say lightly, "It is what Mr. Baili deserves."

After spending the night with Du Youqian, the Beautiful Daoist Nun had intended to leave. But Du Youqian stopped her, asking, "Does the hero only deserve to be enjoyed for a single night?"

And so...

One night became another, and another.

~~~~~~~~~~

With Master Nine slain, peace finally returned to Momenan.

Thanks to a wave of official promotion, everyone in the world knew that the Celestial Master had slain the evil demon, distributed Immortal Elixirs, and saved all living beings.

Even though the population had dropped to one-sixth of its former size, the Human Dao Fortune Du Youqian received did not decrease but instead grew stronger. Moreover, this wave of Human Dao Fortune was filled with positive Emotions like gratitude, loyalty, trust, and passion.

Du Youqian’s ailment healed on its own, and he soon recovered his Peak strength.

For the next twenty years, the world entered a period of peace and recovery. With lighter taxes and less forced labor, the population grew rapidly.

A hundred years later, the world’s population had once again returned to three billion. Du Youqian, leveraging this Human Dao Fortune, had also advanced his Cultivation to Golden Core Perfection.

During these hundred years, aside from advancing his Cultivation and spending time with Fang Hua and the Beautiful Daoist Nun, Du Youqian spent most of his time studying the Divine Ability that had originally belonged to Master Nine, the one recorded by the Spring and Autumn Brush.

Although he had yet to comprehend a corresponding Divine Ability of his own, he had made some gains, creating several new Magic spells from his insights.

Their power was not as astonishing as the Plague Divine Abilities, but they still possessed immense destructive force.

Once his preparations were complete, in his 475th year, he came to the area near the passage, north of the Desolate Abyss.

Fang Hua, who was nearing the end of her lifespan, smiled without a word. The Beautiful Daoist Nun gazed at him with deep affection.

Jie Yu, standing behind Master Wu Fei, shot him a look.

Du Youqian didn’t say much to them; they had already said their goodbyes earlier.

He simply smiled at Master Wu Fei. "Friend, have you decided to venture forth with me?"

Master Wu Fei smiled. "I am nearing the end of my lifespan. It doesn’t really matter whether I leave or not; it’s impossible for me to break through to the next realm even if I reach the outside world. But before I die, I still want to go and see. To see the ancestral land of the Human Race, to see the sights of a different world... It is good for a falling leaf to return to its roots. Friend, let us venture forth together!"

A heroic feeling swelled in Du Youqian’s chest. "Let’s go!"

He walked toward the passage without looking back.

He did not look back.

Because he knew that sooner or later, he would return and bring Fang Hua, Jie Yu, the Beautiful Daoist Nun, Lin Sha, Luo Jinyu, Meng Xiao, and all the others with him.

(End of Volume Four)