Chapter 685: Great Demon 48

"That won’t settle the score," Tan You said suddenly. The Buddhist cultivator from the Buddhist Sect, who was at the Ascension Stage, grew anxious. "A life for a life, isn’t that enough? Qinglian already agreed."

Tan You scoffed. "Qinglian is a fool. After so many years in your Buddhist Sect, her brain has turned to mush. That whole spiel of yours is only good for brainwashing others. How many of you can actually practice what you preach?"

Qinglian was not happy. "How am I a fool?"

Tan You replied, "Still not a fool? Jing Yue talked about trading a life for a life, but in the end, it’s just a wisp of his divided soul. If you had really agreed, you’d be the biggest fool of all."

"A divided soul?" Qinglian slowly raised her head, her gaze gradually turning fierce and menacing.

Jing Yue chanted a Buddhist mantra. "I wonder why Daoist Jin Huan would say such a thing?"

Tan You smiled. "Jing Yue, there’s no point in playing dumb right to my face. I’ve said it before: the ancient Buddhist Sect had a Secret Technique that could split a cultivator’s Divine Soul in two."

"And as far as I know, this is the Cultivation World, not the Nine Heavens. This so-called Secret Technique is only known in the Nine Heavens. So, as a Buddhist cultivator from a lower realm, how would you know of a Secret Technique from the Buddhist Sect of the Upper Realm?"

"There’s only one explanation: you are an Immortal Monarch from the Upper Realm who came down to the lower realm to undergo a tribulation—an Emotional Tribulation, at that. You just didn’t expect that even after dividing your soul and coming here, you’d still have to resort to such a low-class method. You still can’t overcome your Emotional Tribulation."

Jing Yue finally smiled. "You know too much. You know who I am, yet you’re just a Golden Ring Snake who’s barely past the tenth rank. You really think too highly of yourself. Do you actually see yourself as some kind of savior?"

Tan You laughed. "I’ve never seen myself as a savior, nor do I think my humble shoulders can carry the weight of another’s life. I just can’t stand to watch. You clearly have the power to shelter others from the storm, but you don’t."

"On the contrary, your selfish desires have only brought them more storms. I can’t save all sentient beings, but at the very least, when someone is caught in the rain, I can hold an umbrella for them, even if we only walk together for a short while."

"As long as I made an effort and was able to bring someone a moment of peace, I believe it’s worth it."

Peacock muttered, "Just listen to her. Isn’t Jin Huan well-spoken? In our Demon Market, the two with the best gift of gab are Old Niu and Jin Huan."

Old Niu quickly waved his hands. "I’m no match for Jin Huan."

Jing Yue dropped the act. "How ridiculous. A mere member of the Demon Clan, and you dare disrupt my ascension plans for today..."

"Threatening me?" Tan You’s tone was mocking. "Planning to get even after you reach the Nine Heavens? You think you’re the only one with connections up there? Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I have people up there, too."

In the Nine Heavens, a certain man in white robes let out a chuckle. He loved hearing Tan You tear people down, especially when she spoke with such veiled sarcasm. It was incredibly satisfying to listen to.

"Watching your Little Jinzi again?" a man asked, leaning over for a look. "I have to say, your Little Jinzi is truly clever. She’s even figured out the Way of Karma."

"Compared to Jing Yue, she seems more like the one with a Buddha’s heart."

The white-robed man frowned. "Don’t drag the Buddhist Sect into everything. She’s our junior. What’s all this about a Buddha’s heart?"

The other man said, "You’d better be careful. With your junior’s talent for stirring up trouble, Jing Yue will definitely be back. This so-called ascension is just an excuse. At worst, he’ll just abandon this wisp of his Divine Soul in the lower realm."

"Meanwhile, his true self is still alive and well in the Nine Heavens. When that time comes, he’ll be able to settle scores with the lower realm. Right now in the Nine Heavens, the Taiyuan Sect already has her on their list, and now you can add the Buddhist Sect to it."

"Little Jinzi is only at the tenth rank. Undergoing her tribulations was already going to be difficult. When it’s time for her to face her ascension tribulation, it’s hard to say if she’ll survive. After all, the lesser Heavenly Dao of this lower realm is already being influenced by the sects from the Upper Realm."

The white-robed man replied, "Stirring up trouble? She was righting a wrong. She has a righteous heart. If standing up for others is ’stirring up trouble,’ then there’s no justice left in this world."

"You do have a point, though. I’ll have to think of something... Yes, it’s best to have her where I can keep an eye on her. I won’t be at ease otherwise."

The other man said, "If Little Jinzi comes to the Upper Realm, my junior will be all alone in the lower realm. How pitiful..."

The white-robed man ignored him, his gaze fixed on the water mirror.

In the water mirror, Jing Yue had already torn off all pretenses with Tan You. "If you hand over the soul of this Qing Ming snake right now, I will overlook what happened today."

Qinglian slithered behind Tan You in a flash. She knew how to read the room. Now that a powerful backer from the Demon Clan had arrived, how could she possibly give up?

Tan You rejected him flatly. "Impossible. You want Qinglian simply to erase the karma left from your Emotional Tribulation. As things stand, your tribulation is still not over. You just want to completely wipe out Qinglian’s existence."

"And your so-called ’daylight ascension’ today is nothing but a complete and utter sham. You’re an Immortal Monarch from the Upper Realm, so what’s this talk about ascending? That reminds me, I find it strange... As an Immortal Monarch from the Upper Realm, can you just come to the Cultivation World as you please?"

"Does the Heavenly Dao allow such a thing?"

Before her voice had even faded, a bolt of Heavenly Thunder struck Jing Yue’s body viciously. Jing Yue swayed from the impact. The next moment, a faint, ethereal soul flew out of his physical body, while Jing Yue’s mortal form slowly collapsed onto the high platform.

Tan You looked at Jing Yue’s soul. "So this is what you really look like. An Immortal Monarch from the Upper Realm, indeed."

Jing Yue shot Tan You a venomous glare. "I’ll remember you, Golden Ring Snake. I hope you can keep being this smug forever."

’His plan had been perfect. The ’daylight ascension’ was just an act, a pretense to use the tribulation lightning of ascension to destroy Qinglian’s Divine Soul. If Qinglian disappeared, his Emotional Tribulation and the karma it generated would be completely erased, leaving him with no future troubles.’

’Even if that little bastard Qing Ming was left behind, by then, he would be in the Nine Heavens. What would the karma of the lower realm have to do with him?’

’But now, this Golden Ring Snake has ruined everything.’ Thinking this, Jing Yue gritted his teeth in hatred. ’This tribulation was a failure. Even if I return to the Nine Heavens, my vitality will be severely damaged. And this Golden Ring Snake, she dares to be so arrogant right in front of me?’

"I..."

Just as Tan You was about to speak, a familiar voice rang out. "Of course she’ll keep being this smug. I never thought that the Buddha’s Son, Jing Yue, who was supposed to be in secluded cultivation, would actually come to the lower realm to suffer an Emotional Tribulation, and using an ancient Forbidden Technique to do it, no less."

"I wonder if the Buddhist Sect will have any face left to show in the Nine Heavens after this news gets out."

Peacock stopped fanning himself, his eyes gradually widening as he clearly recalled the identity of this speaker. ’Isn’t this Tan You’s famous ancestor, whose reputation resounds throughout the Cultivation World? He really shows up to back Tan You at every critical moment.’