Chapter 21: Settling a Past Life Feud and Counting the Spoils

Two souls tore at each other in the void of the Sea of Consciousness.

Xiao Yifeng’s soul avatar was physically smaller than Mo Tianqing’s, but it possessed a critical advantage: it was in perfect harmony with the flesh. Mo Tianqing, having detonated the bulk of his soul to escape the trap outside, was already severely weakened.

Mo Tianqing might have been a legendary Demonic Emperor in his time, but his expertise lay in the sword, not the soul. His mental combat skills were pathetic. Under Xiao Yifeng’s relentless assault, he was beaten back step by step, his soul light flickering like a candle in a gale.

The more they fought, the more terrified Mo Tianqing became. He tasted a familiar flavor in Xiao Yifeng’s soul—his own aura.

It felt like a nightmare. He shrieked in disbelief, listing the techniques battering him.

“The Formless Heart Sutra of the Formless Temple? The Soul-Severing Awl and Soul-Locking Chain of my Sacred Sect? The Ice Soul Needle? The Dao Heart Lock of the Wentian Sect?”

His voice cracked with hysteria. “And… why do I sense my own soul light inside you? Who are you?! You can’t be me! Did you devour my original self from another time?!”

“Hehehe…” Xiao Yifeng chuckled darkly, his spectral jaws clamping down harder. “Stop struggling. Once you become part of me, you’ll understand everything.”

He initiated the final devouring.

“Arghhh!” Mo Tianqing felt his very existence being ripped apart. This wasn’t the clean break of self-detonation; this was being chewed alive.

Every bite Xiao Yifeng took tore away a piece of his identity. He realized with horror that he was outmatched. He tried to flee, to burst out of the Sea of Consciousness, but the space was locked down.

“No! I refuse!” Mo Tianqing roared, his ego flaring one last time. “I am a Demon Emperor of the Tribulation Transcendence stage! Even the entire Wentian Sect couldn’t kill me back then! How can I Perish here, in the mind of a brat?!”

“Tch. And I was a Demon Lord of the Mahayana stage. Yet here I am,” Xiao Yifeng scoffed. “Mo Tianqing, you tormented me for half a life in the past. Revenge is finally mine. Hahaha! Become one with me!”

With a cold sneer, Xiao Yifeng surged forward.

Mo Tianqing let out a final, unwilling wail before he was swallowed whole.

Xiao Yifeng didn’t stop there. He methodically swept through every corner of his mind, hunting down every scrap of remnant soul until he was absolutely certain Mo Tianqing was gone.

Only then did he let out a long sigh of relief.

A Tribulation Transcendence expert was truly terrifying. Even after a thousand years of decay, and after blowing up half his own soul, Mo Tianqing had still nearly turned the tables. It had been a dance on the edge of a knife.

Suddenly, a flood of memories assaulted him.

Mo Tianqing’s life experiences, combat insights, and secrets poured into Xiao Yifeng’s mind. Some merged with what he already knew from his previous life; others were new, filling in the gaps.

His head felt dizzy and muddled, ready to split open. He didn’t dare sort through them now. That was a task for later.

He turned his attention to his Sea of Consciousness.

It wasn’t large—roughly the size of a small pond. In the center of the spiritual water stood a green lotus, surrounded by a few emerald leaves. A single, graceful flower bud stood tall, emitting a faint, pulsating glow.

Xiao Yifeng’s expression turned grave.

He remembered this lotus from his previous life. Back then, it had been nothing more than a tender sprout. Yet, even in that infantile state, it had devoured half of Mo Tianqing’s soul when the demon first tried to Seize him.

That intervention was the only reason Mo Tianqing had failed to take over his body, forcing them into a wretched coexistence.

But in his past life, the sprout had remained dormant. No matter how strong Xiao Yifeng became, it never grew.

Now, it had a bud.

Did it grow because I came back? Is this lotus the reason for my rebirth?

There was no time to ponder the mystery. Xiao Yifeng quickly withdrew his consciousness from the spiritual realm.

“Cough!”

He woke up on the cavern floor and immediately spat out a mouthful of stagnant blood. The physical backlash had broken several ribs. Again.

“Ugh…”

He struggled to sit up. Not far away, the Zhan Xian sword was still humming, greedily absorbing the scattered soul energy Mo Tianqing had left behind in the physical world. Blue runes flashed along the blade.

Xiao Yifeng ignored the sword for now. He crawled over to the pile of shattered bones that used to be Mo Tianqing.

He picked up the Storage Ring and the secret manual lying in the dust.

The manual was titled Absolute Sword Art. In the modern cultivation world, everyone used jade slips to record information. This book, however, was made of some unknown, indestructible material that had survived a thousand years of rot. It was the supreme treasure Mo Tianqing had stolen from the Absolute Sword Sect before its destruction.

Rumors claimed it contained god-tier secret techniques. In reality, the content was standard, but the material was the true treasure. Xiao Yifeng tossed it into the Storage Ring.

Normally, unlocking a Tribulation expert’s Storage Ring would be impossible for a Qi Refining rookie. The soul imprint left by the owner would shatter the intruder’s mind.

But Xiao Yifeng had just devoured Mo Tianqing. His soul frequency was now identical to the owner’s. The ring offered no resistance, opening instantly.

He reached into the bone pile again and pulled out the tattered black robe. Despite being shredded in the ancient war, the fabric remained spotless. It was a high-tier defensive artifact. Even damaged, it was invaluable. He stashed it away to repair later.

Spoils secure.

Xiao Yifeng took the Storage Ring off his finger, threaded it onto a sturdy red cord, and hung it around his neck, tucking it under his shirt.

Wearing a Storage Ring openly at the Qi Refining stage was like walking through a slum with a bar of solid gold. He couldn’t explain how he got it, and he certainly couldn’t defend it.

Finally, he looked down at the shattered skeleton and the faint, blood-written curse on the floor.

He sighed.

With a wave of his hand, Zhan Xian flew into his grip. He scraped away the blood writing, then used the blade to carve a deep pit in the stone floor. He swept the bones into the grave and filled it in.

He stared at the mound of dirt.

Who would have thought that the legendary Sword Demon, a terrifying Tribulation Transcendence expert, would end up buried in a nameless cave? Still, compared to those who Perished completely—bodies destroyed and Dao dissipated—at least Mo Tianqing had a grave.

Xiao Yifeng stood there, his emotions a tangled mess.

In his previous life, he had stumbled upon this place and, out of kindness, tried to bury the bones. He fell for the trap and was nearly Seized.

Mo Tianqing had ruined his life. The failed possession forced them to share a body. Mo Tianqing’s remnant soul tortured him daily, whispering madness into his ear, twisting his personality until he defected from the righteous path and became a devil.

Eventually, under the guidance of Master Faru from the Formless Temple, Xiao Yifeng had used the Formless Heart Sutra to finally purge the demon.

Legends said that after coexisting for so long, the two developed a mutual respect. A bond of heroes.

Bullshit.

They hated each other to the bone. Every second together was a battle for control. Mo Tianqing wanted the body; Xiao Yifeng wanted the tumor out of his head.

And yet…

After merging souls for so long, they had become inseparable. Even after purging Mo Tianqing’s consciousness, Xiao Yifeng retained his memories, his instincts, and a fragment of his soul.

For a long time, Xiao Yifeng couldn’t even tell who he was anymore.

In a way, the Xiao Yifeng standing here now—the one with the memories of a Demon Lord—was Mo Tianqing’s reincarnation. He was a hybrid. A righteous disciple with the soul of a devil.