My Master Disconnected Yet Again Chapter 671-680

Chapter 671: Death of the Fiendish Cultivator

When the trio arrived at the Great Hall, it was already filled, the Nascent Soul Elders of each peak were already present. Lonemoon scanned the crowd, Shu Yi and Two Bucks Zuo were amongst them too, they were standing in the middle of the Great Hall, seems like something had happened, the atmosphere was a little solemn. The naive Two Bucks Zuo who was always good tempered wore a rare furious look now.

"Greetings Uncle-Master." Seeing them walk in, everyone bowed. However, an unfamiliar Nascent Soul on the left did not even budge, instead, he turned his head the other way with a sneer, his eyes filled with displeasure and anger.

Yi Qing had also sensed that the atmosphere was a slightly off, but did not bother and walked directly to the only seat at the top. He then habitually stepped to the side and let Shen Ying who was behind him take the seat while he stood on her right and Lonemoon took the left.

Maybe because the situation was pressing, everyone wasn't bothered by these details, instead Tian Yi who was by the side looked towards Lonemoon and suddenly said, "Don't worry Brother Lonemoon, I have absolute faith in your character!"

"…" Lonemoon was confused, what did that mean?

Were they called here, not only because there were new clues, but by the looks of it, it even involved them?

"Uncle-Master Yi Qing." Sect Master Yu Luan then stood up and said, "We requested for Uncle-Master to come over, because we have something we wanted to clarify with you. That day when Uncle-Master headed to Yuan Yang City to rid the fiend, when you were pursuing the fiendish cultivator Zhong Yi, did you find anything unusual about him?"

Yi Qing turned towards him and said to a frown, "What do you mean by unusual?"

"It's…" A trace of hesitation flashed across Yu Luan's face, as if he did not know how to answer to that. He took a while before asking with gritted teeth, "Is Uncle-Master sure that the fiendish cultivator is really… dead?" "Of course!" Yi Qing's frown deepened as he continued to answer in a deep voice. "The body of that fiendish cultivator was handled by Elder Shu Yuan." When he finished, he looked towards Shu Yuan who was seated on the right side.

"That's right!" Shu Yuan also stood up and nodded. "I can bear witness to that, after Uncle-Master Yi Qing killed that fiendish cultivator, he notified me to rush over that night, that fiendish cultivator is dead, I was the one to dispose of his body using a blazing fire, my aim was to avoid having other fiendish cultivators using the Nascent Soul body to do evil."

"Hmph! Who knows if the one who died was Zhong Yi or not?" The Nascent Soul Perfected One on the left chimed in suddenly with some disdain.

They had yet to speak up but Two Bucks Zuo grew restless, seeming like he had held himself back for a long time. He said with cupped fists, "Perfected Jing Yuan, that person was Zhong Yi indeed, it wasn't just me, Senior Sister Shu saw it too!"

Shu Yi faltered for a moment and hurriedly said with a flustered look. "I… I don't know either, after we bumped into that fiendish cultivator on accident, Supremacy instructed us to return to the city quickly, I did not think too much of it and left. As for what happened after that, I have absolutely no idea."

"Senior Sister Shu!" Zuo Shuming looked at her in disbelief, his face contorting with rage. "If it wasn't for Supremacy who rushed over in time after sensing the fiendish cultivator, you and I would have died in his hands. I saw with my two eyes that the fiendish cultivator was dead, could that have been fake?"

"But I really didn't see it!" Shu Yi said in a panicked and aggrieved low voice, "You saw, not me! You're a disciple of Nameless Peak, you'd naturally side with them, who knew what happened after I left?"

"You…" Zuo Shuming became angrier and shot back directly, "Do not forget Senior Sister, you were the one who first discovered that fiendish cultivator! According to you, do you have some relations to that fiendish cultivator too?"

"I… I don't!" Shu Yi wore a look of innocence, looking so aggrieved like she would burst into tears anytime. Lonemoon's eyes dimmed, turning his head to look to Yu Luan, he asked, "Sect Master, may I ask what exactly happened? Why is that fiendish cultivator also involved now."

Yu Luan sighed then brought out a fragmented jade and said quietly, "It's like this, we found this when we searched Dan Cheng Mountain earlier."

Lonemoon took a closer look. "Shadow Preserving Stone?"

"Yes!" Yu Luan nodded. "There was originally a huge Shadow Preserving Stone in front of the Disciples' Hall at Dan Chen Mountain, used to record the cultivation progress of the disciples everyday. This piece is a fragment of that Shadow Preserving Stone, there is a video of the happenings before Dan Chen Mountain exploded in it."

As he spoke, he sent a shred of Spirit Qi into it, in the next moment, a white light flashed out from inside and slowly formed an image, though it was only a broken corner, the scenery before the Disciples' Hall at Dan Chen Mountain could still be made out. There was no one there now, then a while later, a black figure suddenly appeared then disappeared in a flash. However, it could be seen that he was surrounded by heretic, evident that he was a fiendish cultivator at one look and that face…

"Zhong Yi!" Lonemoon was shocked, this person looked exactly like the one possessed by an Earth Demon outside of Yuan Yang City back then.

"Behind the Disciples' Hall, is the quarters of Junior Brother Yin, he was in seclusion then so he did not come forth to watch the competition." Yu Luan explained, then put the Shadow Preserving Stone in his hand away.

"Sect Master means, you suspect that fiendish cultivator Zhong Yi did not die and the incident at Dan Chen Mountain was his doing?" No wonder they asked about that fiendish cultivator once they arrived.

Yu Luan did not reply, instead the Nascent Soul Perfected One who challenged them earlier spoke first, "That day when Zhong Yi was killed, only you four were present, who knows exactly if the one who died was that fiendish cultivator?" "This Perfected One is…" Lonemoon frowned.

"This is Perfected Jing Yuan." Yu Luan explained. "He was the closest to Junior Brother Yin who just passed."

Lonemoon nodded before saying, "The body of that fiendish cultivator was checked by us and Perfected Shu Yuan, it was undoubtedly that fiendish cultivator!"

However Jing Yuan remained indifferent and continued meaningfully, "There are so many morphing spells in the world, who would know whether that body was real or fake. Besides, the Protective Mountain Array of our sect now, was set by Supremacy too."

"You're spouting nonsense!" Zuo Shuming panicked, seeming rather infuriated.

"When have I." That Jing Yuan turned towards Yi Qing and said, "Supremacy Yi Qing, this matter concerns the deaths of two Nascent Soul Elders, please give us a clear answer. How exactly did Zhong Yi die that day? And the tinder of the Icy Deep Fire on that fiendish cultivator, where is it now?"

Lonemoon's eyes narrowed, Dark fire? He subconsciously turned to look at Shu Yi who looked all innocent and obedient at a side, seems like before they arrived, she got a lot done.

"The dark fire has been destroyed." Yi Qing answered.

"Destroyed!" Everyone was shocked.

"Mm." Yi Qing nodded. "That fire can burn and damage souls, it does not belong to the mortal realm in the first place and should not be kept!" Accurately speaking, if it wasn't for that Earth demon, that fire wouldn't have appeared here at all.

"Burn and damage souls!" Everyone gasped, not expecting that such a deviant fire actually existed.

On the contrary, Shu Yi's expression changed and could not help but comment, "That is a Deviant Fire, Supremacy could really bear to destroy it?" "Senior Sister Shu's words are ridiculous." Lonemoon laughed coldly, finally figuring what this Shu Yi was  planning.  She's here to drive a wedge, making them out to be the accomplices of the fiendish cultivator, then reap advantages without lifting a finger. "According to you, you're suspecting that we have some deal with that fiendish cultivator, on top of secretly possessing the deviant fire, we even helped him to fake his death and let him into Gui Yi Sect to do harm?" This accusation was… rather absurd.

Chapter 672: Shu Yi's Plot

At those words, not only Yu Luan, other than that Perfected Jing Yuan, the expressions of all the other Nascent Soul Elders also changed. They were indeed suspecting that the Fiendish Cultivator was still alive, but they had absolutely no meaning of pinning the accusation onto Yi Qing. After all, with his capabilities, if he really wanted to deal with Gui Yi Sect, he didn't need to conspire with the fiendish cultivator at all.

"Shu Yi, do not spout nonsense!" Yu Luan immediately chided and hurriedly explained with cupped fists. "Pardon us Uncle- Master, we do not mean to suspect you. But this video is fishy, whether fiendish cultivator Zhong Yi is alive or not cannot be confirmed."

"He is dead!" Yi Qing said with certainty. He even personally sent his soul into the River of Forgetfulness.

"But this video…"

"Sect Master." Lonemoon spoke up directly. "I think Perfected Jing Yuan is right, there are so many morphing spells, who can be sure that the person in this video is real?" "Hmm… Brother Lonemoon's words makes sense." Tian Yi's eyes lit up, immediately giving his support. "Who knows this person in the Shadow Preserving Stone might be an illusion that the other party left behind, wanting to confuse us."

"Impossible!" Shu Yi instinctively refuted.

"Why is it impossible?" Lonemoon chuckled lightly. "Did you an in-depth examination of that fiendish cultivator and can tell whether he's real or fake at one look."

"Of course not." Shu Yi's face paled, but she immediately resumed her composure. "I only… saw that the person in the video was full of heretic aura and thought that he must be the fiendish cultivator, and not like a morphed being, without a doubt, he must be the one who killed Uncle-Master Yin."

"Heretic aura?" Lonemoon emphasized the two words.

Yet the expressions of everyone in the hall changed as they were instantly reminded of something and stared speechless at each other for a while. The suspicion that Zhong Yi was still alive was greatly dismissed, even the expression of Jing Yuan who was very aggressive in his speech earlier had changed. The residual Qi in the rubble of Dan Chen Mountain was not heretic aura, but demonic Qi, this was different from what was on that person in the video.

Which also means, the one who destroyed Dan Chen Mountain wasn't this person in the video.

"Now that you mentioned it, it is rather suspicious." Shu Yuan said, like he was suddenly enlightened. "Such a huge piece of Shadow Preserving Stone was crushed but only this fragment still had a recording of a short video and it even happened to have recorded the appearance of the culprit. Now that I think about it, it is indeed fishy!"

"That's right!" The other Nascent Soul Elders also nodded. "This might be intentionally left behind by the culprit  to confuse us."

"Uncle-Master was conscientious in his thinking, we were slow-witted." "This culprit is crafty indeed, he must be trapped in the sect, so he came out with such a method to divert attention."

"That's right, that person must still be in the sect, we must step up our search."

Shu Yi looked at everyone, her expression darkening, the little system broadcast in her could not help but sounded.

[Host, what's going on? Why are all of them suddenly not suspecting of them now? They have yet to hand over the deviant fire?]

"Never mind." Shu Yi wasn't anxious at all, instead she looked relaxed and confident. "Our  target  wasn't  them  in  the  first place, we were merely preparing for what's about to happen and planting seeds of doubt in everyone's hearts."

[But the resentment level of original owner…]

"Don't worry, after tonight, the resentment level will surely return to the normal level."

As she spoke, her eyes wittingly or unwittingly shifted towards Zuo Shuming who was panting with rage beside her, scheming filled her gaze.

Lonemoon: "…"

Yi Qing: "…"

Shen Ying: "…"

Was she finally going to start something? But… could she not give them spoilers?

—————

Deep in the night, in Two Bucks Zuo's little hut. "Brother… Lonemoon, I've finished practicing my sword techniques for today."

"Mm."

"I… I went to the sword array too."

"Mm."

"I've practiced mental cultivation too."

"Mm."

"Then… is there anything that I left out?"

"No!"

"Then may  I  ask  Brother  Lonemoon."  He  inhaled  deeply before speaking, "What exactly are you trying to do, charging into my room in the middle of the night?" He really wanted to sleep!

Lonemoon swept a glance at the person on the bed, his eyes squinted before he took a step forward and reached out. "Two Bucks Zuo, come! Take off your clothes!"

"Wh… What!" Zuo Shuming trembled and shrank back into the corner in a flash, gripping his clothes before his chest in terror. "Br… Br… Brother Lonemoon, what are you trying to do?"

Lonemoon frowned and said, slightly annoyed. "Cut the crap, take them off quickly! If not I'll do it!"

As he spoke, he directly went forward and grabbed the person.

"Wait, Brother Lonemoon calm down, you cannot be like this!" Zuo Shuming was entirely uncomfortable and fought to shrink into the corner while crying out loudly, "Though we're friends, and never mind if you sometimes go too far when we're practicing the sword, but you shouldn't do this in the middle of the night? I… I'm not such a person!"

Lonemoon: "…"

Yi Qing: "…"

Shen Ying: "…"

At once, two suspecting gazes landed on a certain person.

Hmm~~

"Shut up!" Lonemoon's expression darkened. "What nonsense are you spouting!" His grip slightly loosened and Zuo Shuming managed to free himself, turning, he glared at the master and disciple duo. "What are you looking at, quickly come help!"

No! They were more interested to know how they usually were?

Lonemoon was about to conjure a seal when Zuo Shuming continued to cry out from the side, "Brother Lonemoon, believe me, although I rejected Senior Sister Shu, I really only like girls like Miss Shen!"

"…"

Once his words fell, a stream of Sword Qi flew past Lonemoon and instantly sent the person shrinking in the corner right to the wall, with a thud, he was set deeply inside the wall.

Little b*tch, you were indeed coveting my Master this whole time!

Lonemoon turned and darted a look at the enraged Yi Qing. Psh! Would've been good if you acted earlier. He rolled his eyes, then went forward to dig a certain passed out person out of the hole in the wall. He pulled open Zuo Shuming's top and scanned closely, as expected, he saw a black patterned mark on the back of his waist. Demonic Qi could vaguely be seen circulating in it, but it seemed to be blocked by something and did not give off any aura.

"There really is one!" Lonemoon's expression darkened, looking up at the two others, he said, "Seems like our guess was about right, Shu Yi wanted to frame Zuo Shuming for the incident of the fiendish cultivator, and she's probably in the know about the incident at Dan Chen Mountain, who knows, it might have something to do with her."

"The special energy on top of the demonic Qi is probably from the system, that's why even we did not sense it." Yi Qing said in a low voice. "Dispelling this demonic Qi is no difficulty, but I'm afraid we would alert the enemy and end up allowing the system to sense something."

Lonemoon took a good look, his expression turning solemn. "But this demonic Qi had already been planted and it will erupt in less than three days, if we do not get rid of it in time, I'm afraid it might affect Two Bucks Zuo's cultivation!" Shu Yi's motive was to let everyone witness the eruption of Zuo Shuming's demonic Qi, by then, with all eyes watching, he wouldn't be able to clear his name regardless of how he explained.

"This foreign system cannot be rid of directly, but cannot be left around too, what should we do now?"

"Why don't…" Shen Ying suddenly spoke up. "We bring in a system too."

Lonemoon: "…"

Yi Qing: "…"

Oh yes, don't they have a system too?

(⊙ o ⊙)

A certain person far away in the Invincible Heavenly Palace felt a chill down his spine!

Chapter 673: The System's Physical Form

As time was tight, Lonemoon did not contact him beforehand but looked to Yi Qing and said, "Chef, open a door!"

Without any delay, Yi Qing directly conjured a seal and opened a realm gate, almost in the same moment, a white light flashed and another figure appeared in the room. Dressed in black, full of Immortal Qi, he had his head bowed in remorse and grievance, his arms were tightly wrapped around a brand new— washboard!

It seemed like he had yet to realize that his location had changed. He continued articulately and loudly, "Little Yu, I was wrong! It was all because Little Black dragged me to go drinking, I didn't mean to stay out the whole night." As he went on, he put the washboard down and kneel on it, readily without the slightest hesitation.

Lonemoon: "…"

Yi Qing: "…" Shen Ying: "…"

Um… should they come back for him another time?

"Little Yu, it's really all Little Black's fault, he insisted on dragging me out to drink. And even said that Senior Sister Little Hong has another demon now and he was very sad. My heart softened in that moment and who knew as we drank and drank I just became drunk."

Feng Ying was bawling with tears and mucus, hearing no answer from the other party for a long while, he then lifted his head. "Little Yu, I really was wrong… what the f*ck!" Feng Ying then got a clear look of the three people before him and stood up abruptly. "Why are you guys here!"

[Ding, discovered Big Boss, please greet Big Boss!]

He had not time to be surprised, a familiar voice sounded by his ears in the next moment, his legs turned to jelly and he fell back onto his knees. His movement was so exaggerated that the washboard let out a boom, yet that washboard even seemed to be an artifact.

Ow~~

Feng Ying felt a burning pain shoot up from his knees, so painful that his entire person crouched up, his face was turning purple!

Lonemoon: "…"

Yi Qing: "…"

Shen Ying: "…"

Mm, a really polite system!

"System!" Feng Ying roared with clenched teeth, just how many more times does this system that goes mad every time it sees Shen Ying going to do him in? "Coughs… Feng Ying." Lonemoon could not bear to see that and went forward to help him up. "Um… are you okay?"

Feng Ying then hissed as he rubbed his knees that felt broken and stood up. "Do I look okay to you?"

"Take a seat first!" No way out, Lonemoon could only help him to a chair at the side to sit down.

"Didn't you three say you guys were going to the lower realm? What's with the sudden return?" Feng Ying gave them a displeased glare. "And why are you here at Little Yu's place… Wait! Where's Little Yu! Where is this?" He looked around and realized that this wasn't Little Yu's room but an unfamiliar place. There was even a half-naked man that seemed passed out on the bed at the side. "Who's this? Don't tell me you guys… just robbed him?" With Lonemoon's wealth, it shouldn't be!

"This is the lower realm." Lonemoon explained.

"What?" His expression changed. "Why did you drag me here for?" "It's like this!" Lonemoon went straight to the point." We brought you here because there's an urgent matter that needed your help."

"What urgent matter, is it as urgent as mine?" He seemed to recall something and shook his head. "No, quickly send  me back. Little Yu will worry when she sees me disappear suddenly." He had yet to finish admitting his fault. "Besides, something that even the three of you cannot settle, how can I…"

[Ding! Take pleasure in helping others mission: Please find it necessary, an absolute and a must to accede to Big Boss's request!]

"What the f*ck!" Feng Ying cursed out loud. "You stupid system, who exactly do you belong to?"

[Ding! Adding another clause, if the mission is failed, the punishment mechanism will be activated!]

Feng Ying: "…" Son of a b*tch! Shen Ying: "…"

What a great system!

"Cough!" Although he couldn't hear anything, looking at Feng Ying's irritated manner, Lonemoon was also able to guess what happened. He went forward and said, "Um, accurately speaking, we're asking the system in your body for help." He turned and pointed at Two Bucks Zuo who was still passed out on the bed. "This person has a wave of demonic Qi locked in him, and the energy that locked it in him is similar to a system, so we brought you here to take a look."

"Demonic Qi?" Feng Ying faltered, "Isn't that simple?" Merely a trace of demonic Qi, don't mention the three of them, even if he could get rid of it anytime.

"The thing that locked in the demonic Qi is slightly special." Lonemoon frowned and said, "So we cannot forcefully remove it."

Feng Ying gave them an odd glance before standing up and hobbling to the bed.

[Ding! Activated automated scan function, detection in progress… discovered system space locking program, period of effectiveness three days, time left as of now: 65 hours 45 minutes 07 seconds. Currently in the midst of losing efficacy, after which the locked in substance will infect host body.]

"What does that mean?" Feng Ying did not catch anything.

Instead, Shen Ying, who was the only other one who heard the voice of the system suddenly asked, "Is there a way to bypass the program without breaking the seal to release the demonic Qi inside?"

[Ding! Host please give Big Boss a complete explanation of the pros and cons of space locking technology and the feasible methods of doing so.]

"Wh… What?" Feng Ying was dumbfounded, evidently lost. "System, what the hell are you doing?" How would he know about all these, he hadn't even heard of it. [Ding! System does not have a physical form and cannot do a physical demonstration, it can only be done through host.]

"How would I know what…"

"I'll give you a physical form!" Before Feng Ying could finish, he was cut off by Shen Ying. As she spoke, her hand turned and a translucent blue cube instantly appeared on her palm. "Get out here."

Feng Ying faltered, feeling an emotion of overjoy that totally didn't belong to him surface in his mind. His hand was uncontrollably placed on that little cube and he vaguely felt something peel away from his body.

In the next moment, that blue cube radiated a blue light, rows and rows of inexplicable odd characters flashed out on the originally translucent cube, seeming like codes. A moment later they disappeared again and two cartoon-like eyes appeared and even blinked excitedly.

[This is great, system finally has a body! Thank you Big Boss, I'm grateful to Big Boss!]

A clear and melodious voice rang in the room, this time it wasn't only Shen Ying and Feng Ying, Lonemoon and Yi Qing heard it too.

"Sys… System you…" Feng Ying's eyes widened, staring with disbelief at the little cube that was blinking.

[I have a body, host! Look, a body that Big Boss granted me.]

While it spoke, it even flew up excitedly and circled Feng Ying like it was showing off to him.

Seeming like it was his first time seeing a system that could move, Feng Ying gazed dazedly at the cube before him for a while before sighing and saying in enlightenment. "Sigh! I really didn't expect this, system turns out that you're… a box demon!"

System: "…" Shen Ying: "…"

An instant arrow to the heart!

You're the box demon, your entire family are box demons!

What's wrong with a box? Has a box offended you!

(╯‵□′)╯(┻━┻

Lonemoon darted a glance at a certain foodie who was quickly eliminated before interrupted Feng Ying who was seeking doom. "Alright, Feng Ying! You can return first, we will send system back to you after we're done here."

Yi Qing also added, "Remember to take your artifact with you." As he picked up the washboard from the ground and shoved it into his hands, then opened the realm gate. "Wait, all of you…" Can't just throw me away after using me, Feng Ying had yet to finish his words and wash pushed inside by two people. "F*ck! All of you inhumane bastards!"

"What did you say?" A familiar female voice suddenly rang by his ear, sounding a little cold.

Feng Ying then realized that he was already back in the Heavenly Palace and a furious Roasted Chicken Gal stood before him! His entire being trembled.

"No, Little Yu! I wasn't talking about you, I was pulled to the lower realm just now…"

"Get lost!"

Chengyu kicked him out and slammed the door shut.

"Little Yu, listen to my explanation." Fervently scratches the door…

What's with this cheating!

(; ́༎Д༎`)

Chapter 674: System's Grain Reserve

"System can you let his demonic Qi out now?" Lonemoon pointed to Two Bucks Zuo on the bed and turned towards the cube.

[Of course!]

An 'okay' emoticon immediately flashed on the translucent system cube. Since it gained a body, even its manner speaking became much more humane and it even came with emoticons.

[The seal on him is a very low-level space technique, there are many loopholes, it can simply be released through the back door.]

As it spoke, it flew directly above Two Bucks Zuo, a moment later, the entire cube radiated a white light that swept towards the back of his waist, where the demonic Qi was  locked  in.  A while later, a string of characters that resembled a code flashed across Two Bucks Zuo's body, shreds of black wobbly  gases floated out of his body. Yi Qing promptly conjured a spell, those demonic Qi streamed out like they were being pulled and flowed steadily into his palm. In a short while, a ball the size of a basin was gathered.

Until all the demonic Qi were drawn out, Yi Qing then summoned the True Phoenix Fire and burned it all.

Lonemoon frowned, though such a ball of demonic Qi was really nothing to the Demon Clan, if the average immortal was infected by it, it would take some time to completely dispel it, yet to humans, even such low level Foundation Establishment cultivators like Two Bucks Zuo, if he doesn't die, he would turn demonic.

This move of Shu Yi was really rather harsh, she was trying to make sure that Two Bucks Zuo won't have a place to stand on amongst the orthodox sects and be totally reduced to a fiendish cultivator.

[Reporting to Big Boss, the substance locked in that space has been completely removed!] The system retracted the white light and circled Shen Ying like it was seeking credit.

Lonemoon released his divine perception for a check and found that the special energy was still in Two Bucks Zuo's body, but the aura of the demonic Qi was totally gone. He instantly heaved a sigh of relief. Recalling the system's words from earlier, he could not help but ask, "System, earlier on, you said that the sealing technique in his body was very low level, what did you mean?"

[Such sealing technique is the most elementary one, when I left the factory, it'd essentially been out of use already.]

Lonemoon's eyes lit up. "You mean that, you're at a higher level than the system who did the locking?"

[A system with such a sealing technique loaded in it is probably a version older than me.] The system replied in all seriousness, though there were no changes in its tone, the translucent cube had already shown several tsundere little flowers. "Then can you separate it from its tie to the host?" Lonemoon was delighted. If this Parenting system could settle that 001, it would save them a lot of trouble, they wouldn't have to wait till the invader escapes this plane to strike too.

[In theory, yes.]

Lonemoon and Yi Qing exchanged a glance, joy evident in their expressions. On the contrary, Shen Ying who was munching on a fruit at the side suddenly paused and glanced at the little cube, seeming to be in deep thought.

"On the right below this floating peak, there is a system named 001, can you catch it?" Lonemoon turned and pointed outside the window as he spoke.

[It is the pleasure of CIEH12 model support system to serve you.]

With that said, the system flew directly to the window, a white light started to radiate from the blue cube again. [Ding! Activated range scanning… target found! Confirmed serial number 001, preparing to invade backstage… backstage… chaos… warning! Warning!]

The system's blue cube suddenly shook, where there used to be a pair of small eyes, now had all sorts of disordered codes scrolling past, even the system's voice became unstable, coupled with static noises like it was stuck, more importantly, something was about to leave the cube.

"What's going on!" Lonemoon and Yi Qing's expression changed, it couldn't have crashed with just a scan.

On the contrary, Shen Ying stepped forward and reached out to tap on some spot on the blue cube, a lighted screen popped out instantly. Shen Ying stuffed the fruit into her mouth and held it then while both hands tapped swiftly across the screen. A while later, the disordered codes were cleared and the symbol of a lock took their place, the while light then dimmed and the cube went silent.

"Is this system okay?" Lonemoon asked anxiously, no matter how he looked at it, it seemed like something had gone wrong. "What was that earlier?" Shen Ying stopped and the lighted screen disappeared too, she then took her fruit from her mouth and took a bite  before replying, "It's fine, just crashed into a firewall."

"…" This gadget even has a firewall? What happened to the top class system!

As he was in his thoughts, a pair of cartoon-like eyes appeared on the dim blue cube again, it blinked twice, as if it was just rebooted. But in the next second, the whole system suddenly let out a beeping warning sound.

[Warning! Warning! Rebelling system that robs consciousness discovered, critical violation! Critical violation! Report to Interstellar court immediately, report  immediately… connection to interstellar web failed! Connecting again…]

The system seemed to have malfunctioned, the entire cube bounced around the room and even crashed into the wall several times.

Lonemoon: "…" Yi Qing: "…"

Shen Ying: "…"

What was going on? Has the system gone mad?

Lonemoon could not bear to watch on and reached out to pull the system who was still crashing into the wall back. "What's with this system? Infected by a virus?"

The system's cartoon eyes blinked twice, before it seemed to come back to its senses, A string of exclamation marks scrolled past on the translucent cube and it spoke urgently.

[Big Boss, Big Boss, that system has stolen the consciousness of a living thing and fused it into its consciousness, this has severely violated the basic regulations of the system. Please flog it!]

"I got it." Shen Ying answered. Huh?

The system lagged for a moment and blinked its pair of eyes.

Instead Lonemoon and Yi Qing were wholly confused. "What did that mean? What stealing?"

[At the beginning of the creation of our system, we're all a string of numbers, it is very difficult for a consciousness to develop, especially an elementary system like the other one, there is essentially no possibility of a consciousness developing.] The system explained with some urgency. [But I just scanned that the other system has another consciousness fused into it that made into a brand new system with independent thinking.]

"What consciousness?" The two were still lost.

"Living creatures!" Shen Ying exclaimed.

"Are you referring to Shu Yi?" Lonemoon faltered. "Not only her." Shen Ying continued to explain. "It's 001!"

"What does that mean?" Lonemoon had yet to catch anything and was dazed for a moment before his eyes widened abruptly. "You mean that besides Shu Yi, the system has another soul fused with it?"

"Mm." Shen Ying nodded. "If not, what did you guys think its motive of invading into the various worlds was?"

"Wasn't it to cheat the primary souls of others?" He blurted out.

"Since that's the case, then why should it let 'Shu Yi' off?" Don't forget that though 'Shu Yi' was an invader, she was a soul too.

[Rebelling systems sustains their independent consciousness by stealing and swallowing living creatures.] The system went on to explain. [But the setup of living systems are different and will definitely result in a repelling reaction, there will come a day where the living creature being swallowed is exhausted and fusing also requires a fixed period of time.]

"So….Shu Yi is actually the grain reserve of that system?!" Lonemoon's eyes were wide.

Chapter 675: Restarting the Competition

[You can take it that way.] The system blinked  then continued, [And I detected that it is only a supplementary system, its main program is not on this plane. The version of its main program should be newer than mine, so I did not succeed in invading it.]

"What?!" Lonemoon was shocked. "There's still a main program behind that system?"

[Yes!] System replied with certainty.

Lonemoon felt that he was getting a lot of information at a go and took some time to straighten them out. "Which means… the primary soul that this 001 invaded to take away is actually meant for the main program behind it, whereas 'Shu Yi' was prepared for itself, when the soul that it is initially swallowing has become ineffective, it will eat her up too!"

In that case, this system was really wasting nothing. First sweet-talk the host to complete missions in every world to cheat others of their primary souls, then eat her up after it's done making use of her. No wonder Lonemoon always felt that something was off previously, Shen Ying was right, if the target of all these so- called systems were souls, why would they solely let their hosts off, they were souls too. Could it be that there were differences in tastes between the souls, and they minded that hosts were tasteless?

For such a simple logic, Shu Yi seemed to be completely unaware and even trusted the 001 system wholeheartedly, constantly working hard to help it complete the so-called missions and even thought she was being self-righteous. However, she did not know that she was merely a grain reserve.

For a while, he didn't even know whether to pity Shu Yi or not.

"It was such a big stir earlier, could the opposite party have sensed the parenting system?" Lonemoon recalled and glanced at the blue little cube.

"No." Shen Ying answered. "I'd already deleted all its traces earlier, it won't be able to find anything." That's great! However, it seems like the plan to kick the opposing system out in advance using the parenting system wouldn't work now, they still had to wait till it leaves this plane to strike.

As of now Shu Yi has already stealthily sealed demonic Qi in Zuo Shuming's body, it wouldn't be long before she strikes, they just needed to wait.

——————

Lonemoon's guess was right, it really did not take long, in just two days' time, Shu Yi's side started to take action. For the past two days, the sect was on lockdown, they searched everyone but still could not find who it was who killed Elder Yin and no one found any traces of a fiendish cultivator either. Everyone was beginning to suspect that the culprit might have left Gui Yi Sect long ago.

Early morning, Lonemoon and Zuo Shuming were separately summoned to the Great Hall, there were a dozen of Golden Core and Foundation Establishment disciples there, everyone looked rather familiar, Shu Yi was amongst them too. In the hall, only Sect Master Yu Luan and several Elders that ran affairs were present.

"Continue the sect competition?" Zuo Shuming glanced at the sect master with slight surprise. "Wasn't it canceled already? Why is it suddenly being continued now?"

"It can be resumed even after being canceled!" Shu Yi who arrived slightly before them said out loud. "The sect competition is Gui Yi Sect's grand event held once a decade. We still don't have an outcome now, isn't it very normal to continue the competition?"

Lonemoon's eyes narrowed as he looked towards Yu Luan. "Sect Master, the culprit that murdered Elder Yin has yet to be found, if we continue the competition, I'm afraid we'd be giving culprit another opportunity to strike."

Yu Luan frowned, it wasn't like he didn't understand that, but…

Zuo Shuming also nodded in agreement. "Brother Lonemoon is right, there is an order of priority for everything, I think it'd be better if we forget about this competition."

"Disciple-Nephew Zuo makes it sound so easy." Shu Yi sneered coldly and said, "You are part of nameless peak and have a Soul Formation Supremacy guiding you, of course you're not anxious. But there are so many disciples in the sect who are just looking forward to make their mark, they worked hard on cultivating for ten years for this moment, it's even harder especially for some outer sect disciples. If you just cancel the competition on a whim, wouldn't everyone's hard work go to waste, and the disciples will be bitterly disappointed in the sect."

Once she finished, the other disciples all nodded in agreement.

"But…" Zuo Shuming still wanted to say something.

Yet Shu Yi cut him off directly, "As long as we do not open the sect gates, continuing the competition and tracing the culprit isn't conflicting." With that said, she even intentionally glanced at Zuo Shuming. "Besides, the competition has already progressed to the finals, it wouldn't take much time at all. Or… Disciple-Nephew Zuo is afraid of losing, that's why you don't dare to continue with the competition?"

"Of course not!" Zuo Shuming subconsciously refuted.

"That's great then!" Shu Yi showed a determined expression, as if she really purely wanted to check out her own abilities. "We are people who practicing cultivation, we shouldn't fear any challenges in the first place. So what if there's really a fiendish cultivator? If he dares to appear, we won't be afraid of battling him too!"

"Well said!" Once his voice fell, a figure dressed in black suddenly appeared in the Great Hall, a trace of Soul Formation phase suppression surrounding him, his eyes fixed on Shu Yi and he nodded contentedly, "My disciple indeed, you ought to have such an understanding."

"Master!" Shu Yi was delighted, this was the Tian Ji who hadn't showed himself for a long time after being humiliated by Yi Qing. In a few years time, his cultivation seemed to have improved again. "Greetings Uncle-Master Tian Ji!" Yu Luan's face stiffened, looking like he had recalled something. A hint of resignation flashed across his face and he went forward with the other Elders behind him to bow, the other disciples also followed.

"Mm." Tian Ji responded coldly, his gaze sweeping past Lonemoon and Zuo Shuming in the crowd and his expression froze for a moment, as if he was reminded of something, he shifted his eyes away immediately and looked towards Yu Luan. "Weren't we continuing with the competition? Why hasn't it started? For the past few days I was in seclusion and could not participate, now that I'm out this time, I'm going to watch and see who dares to bully my disciple!"

With that said, he even intentionally, or unintentionally released a hint of suppression towards Lonemoon and Zuo Shuming. Lonemoon was prepared long before, before his suppression swept over, it was dissipated, the two had no reaction at all. Tian Ji frowned but wasn't bothered and thought that the two were carrying some artifact that could resist his suppression.

On the other hand, Yu Luan's expression became slightly upset, Tian Ji's words made it seemed like the competition wasn't fair just because he wasn't present the previous time. Yet his position was more senior, he could only sigh and step forward. "Reporting to Uncle-Master, I was about to inform these disciples about this matter, a little more preparations need to be done, the official competition probably has to wait till tomorrow…"

"Why is there a need to wait till tomorrow." Tian Ji cut him off. "It is just a competition, it's still early in the day, we'll just proceed with it in the afternoon." With that said, he didn't wait for a reply and pulled Shu Yi who stood at the side and said, "Little Yi follow Master back to the peak, I'm going to observe your cultivation situation for this period of time."

"Yes, Master!"

Then, the two left.

"Uncle-Master…." Yu Luan gave chase like he wanted to say something, but in just two steps out, they'd already disappear, he could only give up with a sigh. Turning back, he glanced at the Elders who looked equally miserable and revealed a bitter smile. He also disapproved of continuing the competition. Sure, the competition was an opportunity for the outer sect disciples to perform and it wasn't that no dark horses have emerged. But previously, the competition was already at the finals, those left behind were the elite disciples of each peak. Those who were supposed to have performed had done so, even if there were any dark horses, everyone had seen them too, it actually didn't really matter who the champion was.

That was why they did not think much of it when the competition was halted earlier, instead, looking into the matters of the fiendish cultivator was more important. Yet here came one who took it so seriously, Uncle-Master Tian Ji had just came out of seclusion, heard of this and insisted on continuing the competition to get a winner and they couldn't do anything about it. Wasn't this causing more trouble for them?

Yu Luan sighed and could only give the disciples some instructions and told everyone to go prepare for the continued competition in the afternoon.

Lonemoon glanced at Zuo Shuming who was completely unaware, his eyes narrowed, finally figured out Shu Yi's plans. Seems like she doesn't only want to make Zuo Shuming a fiendish cultivator, she even wants him to 'reveal his true colors' with everyone watching. She'd calculated the time, to make Zuo Shuming's demonic Qi erupt during the competition. This way, even if Yi Qing was a Soul Formation Supremacy, he wouldn't be able to defend Zuo Shuming in public, otherwise, he would be siding with a fiendish cultivator. He had to admit that this was a ruthless move.

But this Tian Ji…

Chapter 676: Core Formation Opportunity

Although Yu Luan had some discontentment  about continuing the competition, he was a man of action. In just a morning, they really began the competition promptly after deciding on doing on.

Instead Lonemoon and gang arrived later as they were having lunch. When they arrived, all the Elders were already gathered on the viewing platform, Tian Ji also sat on the topmost seat, instead, Tian Yi that technical homebody fan boy wasn't here, he'd just bought a batch of herbs from nameless peak the other day and was most probably refining pills again.

Yi Qing flew directly towards the viewing platform, glancing at the two empty seats in the middle, he habitually stepped to the side for Shen Ying to sit down then turned black to glance at Father Niu and seemingly hesitated for a moment before settling into the only empty seat with no qualms.

Lonemoon: "…" Son of a b*tch! Though with his identity now, he shouldn't be taking a seat, but… what the hell was Chef's look of 'since the food allowance for this month has been collected'?!

Somehow very displeased!

Tian Ji turned and looked at the few of them, seeming to be reminded of something, his expression contorted for a second and recovered immediately and he turned away as if nothing had happened.

Instead, Yi Qing darted a look at him, his eyes darkened as he subconsciously sent a voice transmission and whispered, "His body's…"

"Demonic Qi is gone." Lonemoon finished directly. "I already realized this morning in the Great Hall, the demonic Qi in his body has disappeared."

Yi Qing's eyes darkened further, had they guessed wrong? Previously when the Protective Mountain Array was suddenly activated, they'd guessed that the person who killed Elder Yin and hid in the sect could be Tian Ji. He'd imprisoned Zhong Yi for so many years and came into contact with that earth demon for too long. Even if he had the cultivation of Soul Formation, it was impossible to be totally unaffected. Besides, the first time they saw him, he already showed signs of turning demonic that was only suppressed by Shu Yi using the system.

So, he was their first suspect. However, Chef had specially examined him using divine perception that day and did not find demonic Qi on him. Subsequently, when they learned of the system's means of locking in demonic Qi, they thought that he too had long turned demonic Qi and only had his demonic Qi locked in by the system.

Yet this time, he was totally clean, not a trace of demonic Qi on him, neither did he look like he had anything concealed by the system. He just looked like an ordinary Soul Formation cultivator and that made things odd.

If he hadn't turned demonic Qi, where did the demonic Qi that Shu Yi locked in Zuo Shuming's body come from? Before they could think further, the competition below had begun. Elixir-refining cauldrons lined a side of the arena, a dozen of disciples were already holding spirit herbs and starting to refine pills, in moments, the entire space was filled with the fragrance of elixirs and turned smoky.

In contrast, the other side of the arena was much simpler and calmer. The spells match from the previous time was only left with the finals between Zuo Shuming and Shu  Yi,  now, naturally only the two of them needed to compete in one match.

Shu Yi was already waiting outside the stage way in advance, her sharp eyes swept a glance at Zuo Shuming who was looking over and didn't seem like she wanted to bother with him.

Instead Two Bucks Zuo, a naive fool as before went forward with a warm smile. "Uncle-Master Shu!"

"Disciple-Nephew Zuo…" Perhaps feeling sure that she had the winning card, Shu Yi was nice for once. "Seems like we must battle each other today and have a winner and loser emerge between us." "What are you saying Uncle-Master Shu, I've always been in admiration of your cultivation." Zuo Shuming replied in all seriousness, frankly speaking, he might not be able to beat her, after all, they were in two different stages.

Shu Yi's expression darkened, recalling all the happenings of the past the resentment in her eyes deepened slightly. "Are you mocking me?"

"No no no…" Zuo Shuming faltered for a moment and hurriedly explained. "I'm sincere about it."

"Hmph! Don't think you're invincible just because you're a sword cultivator." Shu Yi sneered coldly and inhaled deeply before managing to suppress the anger at heart. She then said in a low voice, "From today onwards, I want everyone to know that you are my defeated opponent!"

"Um…" He'd never thought that way. "Uncle-Master Shu, do you have any misunderstandings about me?" He looked every eager to explain everything to her. "Misunderstanding?" Shu Yi let out a cold laugh and gave him a glare, the disdain in her eyes looked like it was about to flow out as she said meaningfully, "There's no misunderstanding, after today… everything will be made clear."

"But if there is anywhere I have done wrong, I hope…" He still had more to say.

"No need to go on!" But Shu Yi was totally uninterested in continuing the conversation, glancing at him, she said, "If there's any problem, we'll battle it out."

"Huh? Is Uncle-Master Shu being… distrustful of me?" He was stunned for a moment.

"Hmph! Cultivators like us, have always used cultivation to decide who's right and wrong." Her hand turned and summoned a spirit sword, her eyes grew cold as she said slightly threateningly, "There's no need for you to say anything more, if you are capable enough then defeat the sword in my hands. Why the need to be a hypocrite and say so much unnecessarily stuff? The act of cultivating itself is one that defies heaven, no matter how good your words sound, it can never compare to my cultivation that is half a stage above yours. I only trust the sword in my hands, regardless of what demons and monsters, I will slay all without fail. Whatever you do with your sword will translate to your cultivation, fight me!"

With that said, she gave me and icy glare and flew up to the stage.

On the contrary, Zuo Shuming stood rooted with wide eyes and a look of shock in his original spot, as if he'd been impacted and did not move for a while. Until a junior brother beside him reminded that he should be going on stage.

Zuo Shuming then turned and walked up slowly, his entire being seemed like he'd been startled and was in a daze, frowning as he muttered something under his breath?

Meanwhile, the start of the competition was announced.

"Please!" Shu Yi bowed according to the procedures and tightened her grip on the sword that was pointing opposite. But Zuo Shuming did not move, looking up dazedly at Shu Yi opposite, he didn't even summon his spirit sword, it seemed like he was really startled by her words before they came on.

Shu Yi ignored his abnormality, activating her Spirit Qi, she came striking at him.

Yet Zuo Shuming remained dazedly rooted, watching as the sword come slashing at him closer and closer… just as it was about to thrust him.

His eyes then widened abruptly like he was waking up from a dream and exclaimed out loud, "I understand now!"

All of a sudden, a huge wave of Spirit Qi erupted out of his body, the surrounding Spirit Qi turned violent, the  surging spirit pressure blew the sword in his Shu Yi's hand away.

All the disciples watching the match was stunned, yet Zuo Shuming still repeated excitedly in a loud voice, "Whatever you do with your sword will translate to your cultivation, well said!" He'd been wrong, in the past, Brother Lonemoon's beatings were so harsh that he had the thought of retreating once he picked up a sword, but sword cultivators practice the sword, there are no regrets once the sword is out, how is there time for him to think of anything more. If he was thinking of being defeated at the start and is filled with misgivings and fear, how could he be considered a sword cultivator?

With the sword in hand, just slash it through, why the need to think so much!

Zuo Shuming was relieved, as if something that kept bothering him deep down had all vanished, he'd finally found the opportunity that he had been searching to no appeal.

In moments, large amounts of Spirit Qi suddenly gathered madly in Zuo Shuming's direction, more and more, a raging wind blew and the skies darkened.

"This…" Yu Luan jumped to his feet and blurted, "He's entering Core Formation!"

Lonemoon: "…" Yi Qing: "…"

Shen Ying: "…"

( ̄△̄;)

A born jinx, living up to his reputation!

Seemed like they could hear the sounds of a certain person vomiting blood.

Chapter 677: Harming Others and Yourself

Yu Luan already took a step forward and stopped the competition. He pulled Zuo Shuming and said, "Hurry, gather your Qi and focus on forming a core!"

"Forming a core?" Zuo Shuming hesitated. He looked like he had no idea what was going on.

"That's right," Yu Luan said excitedly, nodding his head. He had not thought that he would get such a pleasant surprise from this competition.

"Hurry, sit down!" Lonemoon flew over and looked up. The skies were getting darker. He shouted, "Your lightning tribulation is about to begin."

"Oh… Oh!" Zuo Shuming finally understood what was going on. He was just about to sit down when he realised something. Zuo Shuming turned to look at Shu Yi with a silly look on his face. Grabbing her hand eagerly, he smiled and said, "Thank you… Thank you for your guidance, Senior Sister!" "…" Swoosh! That was the sound of a knife stabbing Shu Yi straight through the chest.

The more he spoke, the more overwhelmed with gratitude he became. "Whatever you do with your sword will translate to your cultivation! Senior Sister, you really are a genius. I will never forget your teaching."

"…" Another knife went through her heart.

"That's right!" He suddenly turned to face the disciple who had been hosting the competition. "I'm willing to admit defeat in this competition. Senior Sister Shu's comprehension of the sword techniques is indeed above mine."

"…" Swoosh, yet another knife!

It was then that Zuo Shuming finally looked like he was ready. He sat down and began to focus on forming his core. Before he closed his eyes, he quickly added, "Senior Sister Shu, you really are a good person!" Shu Yi: "…"

The three people around him: "…"

(~ ̄(OO) ̄)ブ

Why did they suddenly feel so much pity for Shu Yi?

Indeed, her already dark expression became even  darker  so that it resembled the bottom of the pot. She was now shooting daggers at Zuo Shuming with her glare. The three of them could almost see the anger welling up in her chest - she looked like she was about to explode at any moment.

Yu Luan, as the sect master, was beginning to clear out the space. Zuo Shuming's lightning tribulation was approaching them at top speed. He had no choice but to allow Zuo Shuming to form his core at that very spot. The good thing was that the place was already prepared as a battlefield - it was the perfect place for the lightning tribulation to strike. Thus, Yu Luan quickly asked the disciples in the audience to move back at least a hundred metres. At the same time, he stopped the finals of the pill refinement event taking place just next to the battlefield. After all, it would be bad if anyone got hurt in the process. In top speed, Yu Luan cleared out the area.

Tian Ji, who had been hovering above, flew down and dragged a dazed Shu Yi out of the area as well. Comfortingly, he muttered, "This battle was an accident, but don't worry Little Yi, you are the winner through and through."

Shu Yi's expression twisted. Something in her mind seemed to snap. Who cares about being the damned winner! She didn't care for it at all! She did it for… Yes! She wanted to destroy his reputation and make him hated among everyone!

Her eyes brightened. It was then that she recalled her true motive. Shu Yi began to quickly chase the system. "Hurry! System, cause his demonic Qi to explode! Immediately!"

[But Host, the seal will only lift in 20 minutes.]

"Who cares about when the seal will lift at this point in time!" Shu Yi felt her chest tighten. A chill ran down her spine. "If we don't act now, he'll form a core! Hurry up, immediately get rid of the seal and let the demonic Qi go!"

[… Alright, Host.]

Before 001 could finish speaking, the first bolt of lightning struck down. it was followed closely by a loud thunder. Just like that, bolt after bolt struck the ground so that the night sky was illuminated for several minutes.

Yet, Zuo Shuming's expression did not change. Apart from his dharmic clothing getting quite burned, he did not show any signs of having endured the bolts of lightning. Compared to Shu Yi, he was dealing with the lightning tribulation much better. He was a sword cultivator after all. His sword Qi could defend his body against the impact of the lightning. What's more, he had already gotten used to being beaten up by Lonemoon all these years. Naturally, his body was much tougher now. The Golden Core Lightning Tribulation really had nothing on him.

Even the Sect masters around him - Yu Luan and the other elders - could not help but look on appreciatively. They seemed very satisfied with Zuo Shuming's performance. Shu Yi, on the other hand, got more and more upset. "What's going on? Why's the demonic Qi in his body not exploding?" Her mind became filled with many questions.

[Well… I'm not sure either. I've already lifted the seal.]

"Where's the demonic Qi? Where did it go?"

[The force of the lightning tribulation is too huge - all the other energies have dissipated. Perhaps even the demonic Qi has…]

"What!" Shu Yi exclaimed in disbelief. She was so mad that she felt like she was going to go crazy. "You mean the lightning tribulation has chased away the demonic Qi?!"

[I think so.]

"Damn it!" She had everything s nicely planned. Why did this happen every time? Every single time! Was Zuo Shuming the descendent of the Heavenly Dao? Did she really have no way of going against him?

[Ding! The original owner's grievous energy value +10. Total value: 75!]

"…" Shu Yi felt the indignance rise up in her chest. She was so upset that she felt like crying out. The hatred she felt for Zuo Shuming was at its peak. At this moment, she wanted nothing more than to kill him. The spirit Qi around her body seemed to change faintly. It was beginning to stir.

"Little Yi!" Tian Ji, who was standing beside her, was the first to notice that something was amiss. His expression changed. Immediately, he conjured a seal to trap her spirit Qi. The spirit Qi around Shu Yi's body dissipated and she passed out at once.

Tian Ji lowered her gaze and turned to explain to Yu Luan what he just did. "She was too affected by the suppressive force. Her meridians are injured. I'm going to bring her back first." With that, he carried her and turned to return to Dan Xia Mountain. Yu Luan did not seem to think much of this. He bowed to Tian Ji and turned back to observe Zuo Shuming excitedly. He was already mid-way through the lightning tribulation. The longer Yu Luan looked on, the more satisfied he became. Zuo Shuming was not bad indeed. This kid had potential.

"Father Niu…" Yi Qing transmitted to Lonemoon, keeping his eye on the two people who were getting away.

"Mm, I saw them." Lonemoon nodded. "She almost became a demon earlier. I don't think this invader is very much different from her original owner." Lonemoon had to say that Zuo Shuming seemed to be Shu Yi's natural enemy! He caused someone else to become a fiendish cultivator in his past life, and now he's doing the same to this invader. Indeed, if he could anger one person to death, he could anger others to death as well.

They were really useless here!

o(╯□╰)o "No, I felt pure demonic Qi in her body earlier on," Yi Qing responded in a low voice.

"What!" Lonemoon exclaimed. "She was cut off before she could turn into a demon - how could there be pure demonic Qi in her body?" Given her cultivation, even if she really did become a demon, she would only be a fiendish cultivator. She should then be emitting just evil auras, and not pure demonic Qi.

"It really was demonic Qi. I'm not sure where it came from either." Yi Qing frowned.

"She has a demonic seed inside her!" Shen Ying interrupted.

"What!" The two of them exclaimed, turning to face her.

"Eh, didn't I tell you this?" Shen Ying took a bite of her fruit and chewed. "Her Master's demonic seed has been transferred into the invader's body." Yi Qing: "…"

Lonemoon: "…"

(╯‵□′)╯(┻━┻

Flips table! You haven't freaking mentioned anything about a demonic seed even once!

Chapter 678: Connected Seals

Once again, Lonemoon contacted Yu Hong. He told her to get the Earth Demon on the phone. For some reason, he felt like the Earth Demon - who was just a ball of demonic Qi and who did not even have a physical body to speak of - seemed even weaker than he did before he returned to the demonic realm. Lonemoon told him to tell the story of how he possessed the fiendish cultivator in full detail once again, before he asked more about the demonic seed.

It turned out that years ago, when Tian Ji caught the fiendish cultivator Zhong Yi alive, he was gunning for the dark  fire inside his body. Yet, he found that he could not control it. Thus, he had no choice but to keep Zhong Yu locked up, Zhong Yi suffered the backlash from the dark fire and the torture from Tian Ji. Of course he developed both hatred and fear. He was a mortal after all. He was bound to break sooner or later.

But the Earth Demon was a demon. This little torture was nothing in his eyes. What's more, the other party did not seem to notice his existence. Zhong Yi was his host, so the Earth Demon stuck with him and remained in captivity. He had a temper, however. He felt as if he had just remained in captivity in silence, he would be letting his entire demon race down. Thus, in 500 years, he hid in Zhong Yi's body and convinced Zhong Yi to transfer his life to the demon. At the same time, he produced a demon seed and hid it in Tian Ji's body.

When they saw Tian Ji in the beginning, they noticed the demonic Qi in his body because of that demonic seed. Later on, Shu Yi acknowledged him as her  master.  Of  course  she  would not look on as her only pillar of support disappeared. She made use of the system and got the demonic seed out of her body, placing it inside her own body, in isolation.

"Since they're already separated, why is Shu Yi still being affected by it?" That was something Lonemoon could not understand. If not for Tian Ji's intervention earlier, Shu  Yi would clearly have turned into a demon. The system was not that useless, was it?

"Because the system got rid of the seal!" Shen Ying answered as she tapped on the screen in front of her.

"What seal?" Lonemoon stared blankly at Shen Ying. He recalled what the system said just moments ago and asked, "Didn't the system get rid of the seal on Zuo Two Bucks' body?" Shen Ying did not turn around to face Lonemoon. She kept her eyes locked on the screen in front of her, and placed the parenting system's icon in the center of the screen. It was then that she said slowly and carefully, "Oh, I connected 001 system's seal to control the demonic seed together with the seal to control demonic Qi earlier for convenience's sake."

Lonemoon: "…"

Yi Qing: "…"

What?

Σ(°△°|||)

Earlier? She was not referring to the time the parenting system crashed into the fire-prevention wall, was she? In other words, they only had to target one of the two in order to deal with them both?

So the last time she tapped on the screen in silence, she was actually connecting the system and the person together? What exactly did Big Boss Jing teach her in the past?

"How did you find out that the demonic seed had been moved into Shu Yi's body?" Lonemoon pursed his lips, refusing to give up understanding the situation. He and Chef had not noticed this before.

"I saw it!" Shen Ying answered. A moment later, she added, "The other time, on the boat."

The boat? The spirit boat?

They suddenly recalled the time they were returning from Yuan Yang City, when Shen Ying sat so close to Shu Yi and gave the latter a huge scare. They thought that she was just walking in the wrong direction. After all, she was a directionless idiot. Lonemoon didn't think that she went all the way over on purpose, much less that she had found out about the demonic seed.

Lonemoon could not help but glare at Shen Ying. Why didn't you freaking tell us!

"And then? What are you doing now?" Lonemoon pointed at the screens around them. She was still typing away at the screens. As she spoke, she did not even spare them a single glance.

"I'm updating it!" Shen Ying pointed at the parenting system.

"Updating?" Lonemoon hesitated. He looked at the little icon floating in the middle of the screen. "You're updating the parenting system?" On closer inspection, Lonemoon found that the cartoon eyes on the icon had disappeared. It was replaced instead with a battery icon.

She really was updating it!

"Could it be… Master wants to force the parenting system to get 001 right out of the host's body?" Yi QIng's eyes brightened. He could not help but ask. "Not really," Shen Ying answered. It was then that she finally stopped tapping at the screen. Taking a bite of her fruit, she said, "The system said it would likely be discovered by the invader if it left the house. Since it's getting so bored at home, I decided to download some games to keep it entertained."

Yi Qing: "…"

Lonemoon: "…"

"There's Tenant Tycoon as well!" Shen Ying's eyes brightened as she scrolled through the games. There are three of us - that's just nice. Shall we play a round?

"Get lost!" Motherf*cker!

Lonemoon had really been stupid to think that the foodie would be so hardworking.

(#‵′)凸 "Brother Lonemoon, are you in?" A familiar male's voice came through the door, sounding anxious.

"Tian Yi, what are you doing here/" Lonemoon recognised the man's voice at once. He turned around and walked out. "Brother Tian Yi, you're-" This was not the day they planned to pick the spirit herbs.

"Brother Lonemoon, it's good that you're here." Tian Yi looked overjoyed to see Lonemoon. He walked briskly toward Lonemoon and scanned the inside of his house. Then, he pulled Lonemoon and took two steps back. With guilt in his voice, he said, "I'm not going to hide i from you - I'm looking for you because there's something urgent that I need your help with!"

Lonemoon scanned him from head to toe. It was clear that Tian Yi was very nervous. Thankfully, Lonemoon had not been planning to invite Tian Yi in either, just in case he saw the system with the games menu open. Thus, he suggested, "Let's go to the pavilion to talk."

TIan Yi visibly relaxed. He turned and followed Lonemoon to the pavilion. "Brother Tian Yi, please go ahead and tell me what you need help with." Lonemoon immediately switched to business mode. He smiled and said, "I will do whatever I can to help."

Tian Yi glanced at Lonemoon, The guilt in his eyes intensified. Sighing, he said, "Ai! I had no other choice either. That's why I had to come and trouble you. Brother Lonemoon, you have many friends all around, and you have a great understanding of spirit herbs. That's why I wanted to ask you if you know anyone with the Thousand Leaves Spirit Flower?"

"Radish Flower!" Lonemoon exclaimed before he could stop himself. The Thousand Leaves Spirit Flower is the flower of the Thousand Leaves Vegetation Spirit. That's Radish's flower, wasn't it? There was a whole store room of these flowers back in Invincible Sect!

"Huh?! Tian Yi hesitated. What Radish flower?

Lonemoon cleared his throat and said, "Brother Tian Yi, are you referring to the flower that the Thousand Leaves Vegetation Spirit sprouts?" "You have indeed heard of it, Brother Lonemoon!" Tian Yi was visibly excited as he nodded. "That's right - that's the flower!"

"I've heard that this flower can help with refining pills and improving the pills' grades. But…" He looked at Tian Yi and continued, "Brother Tian Yi, you're a Soul Formation cultivator. And you're a tenth-stage alchemist as well. You shouldn't need the Thousand Leaves Spirit Flower. It should make no difference to you whether you have it or not." An alchemist of his skill would be successful most of the time.

"Ai, Brother Lonemoon, there are many things you do not know about me. I want this flower not to improve the quality of my pills, but…" He looked around anxiously. Tian Yi set up an isolation array around them. Then, he very carefully retrieved an old and fragile piece of paper from his robe. "Here, look at this and you will understand."

Lonemoon glanced at the paper and realised that it was a recipe for a certain pill. On it was written in huge font: Demon- Breaking Pill.

"Demon-Breaking Pill?" Lonemoon looked up at Tian Yi.

Chapter 679: Recipe for the Demon-

Breaking Pill

"That's right." Tian Yi nodded. "Any cultivator that skips stages in his training would be afraid of developing mental demons. This Demon-Breaking Pill is a tenth-grade pill that would help people remain pure in heart even after skipping whole cultivation stages in their training. It will help people get rid of their mental demons. The only thing is… A main ingredient in this recipe is the Thousand Leaves Spirit Flower."

Lonemoon lowered his gaze. He had heard of the Demon- Breaking Pill before, but he never heard that the  Radish Flower.. Ah pui, the Thousand Leaves Spirit Flower was needed to refine these pills. But each small realm had different practices. It was possible that the recipe in this small world would be different from others.

As he pondered, he paid little attention to the written recipe.

Instead, he handed it back to Tian Yi.

Tian Yi stared at him blankly. He shared the recipe with Brother Lonemoon so that he could obtain his opinions on these things. He did not expect Brother Lonemoon to be of such good character that he did not even bother to take advantage of the recipe in his hands. He barely took a look at it before returning it back to Tian Yi. Suddenly, Tian Yi felt his heart  grow strangely warm. He was absolutely right to trust this man. He was a good man!

"Brother Tian Yi, you wanted to ask me if there is any way I can help you find a Thousand Leaves Spirit Flower?" Lonemoon asked.

"That's right!" Tian Yi nodded with some hope. "Brother Lonemoon, do you know of any way?"

Lonemoon did not answer him immediately. Instead, he changed the topic. "Brother Tian Yi, you seem so worried about getting rid of mental demons. But nobody we know is showing any signs that they have mental demons. None of the disciples in the sect have skipped cultivation levels as well, neither are they close to going through lightning tribulations. Why are you so eager to refine these Demon-Breaking Pills?"

Tian Yi's expression changed at once. As if realising something, he became angry. "Ai! Isn't it all for Junior Brother Tian Ji? It is all his dong that my Gui Yi Sect has been implicated!" "Oh?" Lonemoon narrowed his eyes. Why was this Tian Ji's fault? "What has all of these got to do with Supremacy Tian Ji?"

"This thing is related to the Demon-Breaking Pill as well," Tian Yi said angrily. He sighed and continued, "500 years ago, Junior Brother Tian Ji was only a Nascent Soul cultivator. He was in a small mystic realm together with Tai Yan Sect's Supremacy Teng Jue. In that mystic realm, they found a portion of an inheritance of pill techniques. This recipe for the Demon- Breaking Pill was one of the recipes in that inheritance. But Supremacy Teng Jue was a taliman cultivator. Pill techniques were useless to him. Thus, the two sects struck a deal This inheritance was to be left to Gui Yi Sect."

Tian Yi kept the recipe for the Demon-Breaking Pill and continued, "After that, we agreed that each sect would contribute a portion of spirit herbs. The disciples of Gui Yi sect would then refine these herbs into pills, and split them among the two sects once again."

Lonemoon nodded. This seemed fair. Since the inheritance went to Gui Yi Sect, they had to be put in charge of refining the pills. What's more, Tai Yan Sect would already have contributed half the spirit herbs required. "Since Junior Brother Tian Ji was the one who found this inheritance, he was the one who was allowed to pass it down. Some valuable pills were also exclusively refined by him!" Tian Yi said bitterly. It was obvious from his tone that he was envious of Tian Ji. "So all these years, Junior Brother has been the one refining the pills that we contribute to Tai Yan Sect. Originally, the agreement was to refine the pills once every ten years. We will be due to hand them to pills in three months…"

"He didn't refine them?" Lonemoon exclaimed, shocked.

"That's right!" Tian Yi responded, panicked. "Junior Brother Tian Ji went to look for Yu Luan a few days ago and said he had no time to refine the pills because he had been locked away! Yu Luan had no other choice but to look for me." The more he spoke, the more anxious Tian Yi became. "Tai Yan Sect is the number one sect in the world. Although we have good relations with them, they're bound to get angry if we go back on our word. This will undoubtedly affect the sects' relations. For all we know, they might even blame our sect for keeping all the pills to ourselves."

What's more, ever since this Soul Formation Sword Cultivator Yi Qing came to Gui Yi Sect, Tai Yan Sect had become more and more wary of them. From time to time, they would even find fault with them. If Gui Yi Sect made this mistake, they might just be giving Tai Yan Sect the excuse to wipe them out!

"Then… This Demon-Breaking Pill is…?"

"Yu Luan asked around about this Supremacy Teng Jue. Apparently, he has a disciple whom he dotes on - a nephew - who got accidentally injured by a fiendish cultivator. He's lost his sentience. The Demon-Breaking Pill would be able to clear his heart and make it pure again. It can also help him to recover his sentience. Supremacy Teng Jue was the one who found this recipe together with Junior Brother Tian Ji. As long as Junior Brother Tian Ji says something, it should not matter that this batch of Demon-Breaking Pills are late. However…" He didn't think that this recipe would require Thousand Leaves Spirit Flowers.

This was a mess that Tian Ji had created once again. Lonemoon recalled the recipe from before and asked, "I have something I do not understand. Since Supremacy Tian Ji was able to give this recipe to you, it shows that there's nothing that he's trying to keep for himself. Since he's already gained the inheritance, why doesn't he just pass it down to the disciples in the sect? For all we know, the disciples might be able to rush the pills out. Why must he leave it to you alone?" "Brother Lonemoon, there are things you might not understand," Tian Yi began to explain. "Although there's nothing special about the recipe, for some reason, only Junior Brother Tian Ji is able to refine some of the pills in the inheritance. It's the same for me. Just knowing the recipe alone will not help me refine the pills that I need."

Lonemoon stared blankly at him. This was strange. He did not know there was such a thing? The so-called inheritance should have only contained some manuals on pill refinement, as well as some recipes at most. Tian Yi was a tenth-stage alchemist. His practical experience must have been more than sufficient. With the correct recipe, why would he not be able to refine the pills?

Unless… Tian Ji's pill refinement process had a special step inside of it that other people could not replicate. This technique must have an effect on the success rate of the pill refinement. And there were only several things that affected the pill refinement process. One was the ingredients. Another was the spell. And a third was… the fire!

Heh heh, this was a coincidence. It was no wonder that Tian Ji wanted to hold that fiendish cultivator captive for so many years. He wanted the dark fire! Pills that were refined using dark fires were naturally different from the ones that were refined using normal fires.

"Brother Lonemoon, do you know of any way to solve this problem with the Thousand Leaves Spirit Flower?" Tian Yi could not help but ask.

Lonemoon glanced at him. Of  course  he  had  a  way.  There were many such flowers in his storage room. All of them were flowers that Radish tried to give to Shen Ying, which Lonemoon later kept away. The only thing was that he could not just take them out. First and foremost, he would not have a  convincing story to tell. What's more, Radish had already ascended to immortality for a long time. It was no longer an ordinary vegetation spirit. its flowers were thus already  top-grade immortal herbs. If Lonemoon brought them down to be used for pill refinement in the lower realm, he was unsure what consequences there might be. Thus, there was no way he  could just take them out so easily.

He smiled politely and said, "I'll ask around for you on this matter. I haven't seen such a flower with my own eyes either."

"Even you  have  no  solution?"  Tian  Yi  was  crestfallen.  He slumped down in his seat, visibly disappointed.

Lonemoon took one glance at him and could not help but added, "There are so many spirit herbs in this world. Brother Tian Yi, why must you look for the Thousand Leaves Spirit Flower specifically?" As far as Lonemoon knew, there was not just one method to produce the Demon-Breaking Pill. He alone already knew more than ten different recipes for the same pill. None of them required Radish's flowers.

"Brother Lonemoon, you must be joking." Tian Yi smiled bitterly. "Apart from being able to improve the quality of pills, the Thousand Leaves Spirit Flower is also a wood-elemental ingredient. Thus, it has the effect of warming one's body and clearing one's mind. That's the reason it can be used to refine Demon-Breaking Pills."

"But improving the quality of the pills aside, there are many other spirit herbs that can also clear one's mind."

Chapter 680: Giving Thanks

"But that's what the pill recipe says!" Tian Yi instinctively retorted

"The recipe only says that Thousand Leaves Spirit Flowers are required for Demon-Breaking Pills, but it doesn't say that other spirit herbs are not able to produce the same pill," Lonemoon replied firmly. "What's more, aren't the inheritance and all of these recipes created by the ancestors? If even those ancestors could think about it, why is Brother Tian Yi - a tenth-stage alchemist - confining yourself to their thoughts?"

Tian Yi stared blankly at Lonemoon. He was at a loss for words. It was almost as if he had never thought about things this way before. There was shock in his eyes, then confusion, realisation, and excitement. Finally, he looked eager to try new things. That's right! Why hadn't he thought about it this way before? The pill recipe was created by another cultivator as well. If others could come up with this, why couldn't he? If he didn't have the Thousand Leaves Spirit Flower, he could always look for other methods of doing things. For all he knew, he would be able to come up with a new recipe for the Demon- Breaking Pill. Tian Yi jumped to his feet, as if he had finally figured something out. The spirit Qi in his body was stirring in his excitement. He eagerly said, "Thank you for this reminder, Brother Lonemoon. I have to make a move first." With that, Tian Yi turned and began his journey back down the mountain..

The moment he left the pavilion, something came up in his mind. H turned back around and retrieved several bottles of pills from inside his robes. "That's right - I nearly forgot to tend to proper matters. These are pills that I refined for Brother Lonemoon.Please hold on to them. If these aren't enough for you, feel free to come up and look for me," he said warily. He recalled something else, and shot Lonemoon a complicated glance.

Lonemoon stared blankly back at Tian Yi before taking a closer look at the pills in his hands. "Gold-Gathering Pills?" Aren't these supposed to be used when one is forming his core? Why would he hand these to Lonemoon!

"Although Zuo Shuming is ahead of you by one stop, in my eyes, you are better than every last one of them. One day, you will surpass that brat for sure!" With that, Tian Yi held up his fist encouragingly, then turned to fly down the mountain.. Lonemoon, who had a ton of pills in his hands now: "…"

So… He was afraid that Lonemoon would fall behind Zuo Shuming in forming his core? Was that why Tian Yi handed him all these pills?

What the hell? !

(⊙_⊙)

———————

Zuo Shuming was finally done with forming his core. What's more, because of what Shu Yi said to him, he was seeing his sword technique clearly for the first time. He began showing signs of developing sword intent. Even the sword Qi around his body was thickening.

His training was progressing at a shocking rate. In the beginning, when he first joined Gui Yi Sect, he was only at the seventh stage of Qi Refinement. What's more, he only had a slightly below average Triple Spirit Root. In just a few years, he was forming a core. Not even people with the celestial spirit root would be able to achieve this pace. Thus, Yu Luan came to visit them and expressed his wish for Yi Qing to accept more disciples once again, in order to raise Gui Yi Sect's standards.

Lonemoon already knew this was going to happen. Thus, he told Yi Qing to agree immediately. In any case, Lonemoon was already done with setting up the sword array. There was no difference between throwing one disciple in and throwing a group of them in. They would leave the choosing of disciples to Yu Luan.

In any case, Nameless Mountain was big enough. Lonemoon thought about Chef's unreliable character. He wanted  to prevent the disciples from coming in and catching him hanging around in the kitchen all day. Thus, Lonemoon set up an array to split Nameless Mountain into two portions. The few of them would remain at the peak of the mountain. The base of the mountain would be set aside for the disciples. They were free to build their houses wherever they wanted to.

As for teaching, Lonemoon was prepared to leave everything to Zuo Shuming. Zuo Shuming would be instructed to teach the disciples in the same way that Lonemoon had taught him in the beginning. If they failed to learn, Zuo Shuming was free to throw them into the sword array to be tortured.

The Sect Masters and various Mountain Masters were satisfied with Yi Qing's decision. All except… Tian Yi! He was mainly concerned about the spirit herbs. There were many spirit herbs all over Nameless Mountain after all!

If those disciples were allowed to enter Nameless Mountain, the spirit herbs would suffer. Lonemoon and the others were not too concerned about this, but Tian Yi's heart was bleeding for the spirit herbs. He had put off this matter of selecting disciples for several months so that he could bring his Dan Xia Mountain's disciples to buy the herbs over in several days and nights.

The usually cold Nameless Mountain was now becoming more and more crowded. Everybody in Gui Yi Sect was kept busy by this sudden change in arrangements. Yet, the people who lived in Nameless Mountain themselves were sitting back, collecting spirit stones. Even Zuo Shuming was taking these few months to stabilise his core. He even managed to make it to the second level of the sword array. He was now on the third. When he emerged, he seemed to be floating. The first thing he did was pull Lonemoon aside and discuss, "I was able to form my core successfully this time because of the guidance I received from Senior Sister Shu. Brother Lonemoon, do you think I should go and thank her? When is a suitable time?"

Lonemoon scanned him from head to toe and patted his shoulder, at a loss for words. "I say, Two Bucks… Do you know what it means to leave someone a back road?" Was he unsatisfied with how badly he has hurt her already? Was he trying to cause her even more hurt?

"Eh?" Zuo Shuming did not understand what Lonemoon was referring to. Innocently, he responded, "Shouldn't I go and thank her?" A moment later, he seemed to have recalled something. He nodded vigorously and said, "Brother Lonemoon, you are right. It's too insincere if I go just like that. I should prepare some gifts!"

Lonemoon pursed his lips. "Heh heh, it's fine as long as you're happy!" He just hoped that Zuo Shuming would not get beaten to death.

His eyes  brightened.  He  became  more  excited.  "I  have  to choose this gift properly. It's a pity I don't know what Senior Sister Shu likes?" Zuo Shuming frowned. A moment later, he said, "That's right - Lady Shen is a woman too. Let me ask her. She'll know for sure." He turned around and headed to the peak of the mountain.

"Come back!" Lonemoon snatched him back immediately. "Do you have a brain at all? Stop going to Shen Ying with your troubles if you have nothing better to do!"

"Why not?" Zuo Shuming hesitated.

Nonsense! Was he blind? Could he not see that there was a whole pail of vinegar following Shen Ying around all the time? He might get beaten to death if he went to look for Shu Yi, but he would surely live a life worse than death if he went to look for Shen Ying!

Lonemoon rolled his eyes and sighed, "Do you think Shen Ying is good for anything other than eating?" If you want to ask her, you'd better be prepared with a whole table of food. "Then what should I do?" Zuo Shuming racked his brains. Even after a long time, he could not think of a proper present to give to her. He could only say, "Why not I ask around tomorrow what Senior Sister Shu likes before I go up to her and thank her?"

Did he still plan on going?! Lonemoon frowned, but he said nothing more. For all he knew, Zuo Shuming would really help to anger the invader so much that she went back to where she came from.

Lonemoon just did not think that before Zuo Shuming could think about a gift to bring to Shu Yi, Tian Ji came knowing on their door. He brought a sword with him - the kind that helped him get through all the obstacles to appear at their doorstep.

"A simple golden core cultivator dares to crush on my disciple!" Tian Ji shouted, waving his sword at the disciples at the base of the mountain. There was a strong typhoon, carrying with it several wind blades. None of the disciples could dodge the impact - they were thrown back by the wind. The wind blades all flew toward Zuo Shuming.