Chapter 391: 24. Bustling Tong Xuan Gate
Wei Dongliu didn’t take Jiang Liyan’s “women are fickle” theory to heart at all.
What a joke, no matter how fickle you all are, isn’t everyone still calculated by me to the death?
After leaving the Netherworld Rift, they returned to the mine and regrouped with Wen Yang, Long Xiaoqi, and others.
“Judging by the look of you two fellow daoists, it seems you have succeeded,” Wen Yang said with a beaming smile.
“Brother Wen, you don’t regret it?” Jiang Liyan deliberately asked upon seeing no trace of regret on his face, “That was the Purple Mansion’s secret medicine, you know.”
“I am well aware of the dangers beneath the Netherworld,” Wen Yang replied, unflustered, “As for regret, I had thought everything through beforehand, so why would there be any talk of regret?”
Long Xiaoqi politely feigned a smile nearby, thinking to herself that she didn’t know who was just lamenting to her with complaints like “thinking of Wei the Demon Lord’s many methods, this time I’m truly likely to succeed” and “had I known, I wouldn’t have recklessly agreed and followed Jiang Daoist into there.” Now, however, he speaks with such a serious face full of pretense, which is quite amusing.
But she also knew that humans were this kind of rubbish creature, indecisive when making choices, regretful after making them, and yet having to put on a carefree and confident face to others.
Opportunities were just like that; once missed, they were missed for good. Now, there was no point in begging Wei Dongliu to take him there again, so the only option was to put up a brave front despite the setback.
The group then departed the mine and began their journey back to Shiping Mountain.
Along the way, everyone’s thoughts were indeed different.
The Flying Asura felt the most nervous, partly because the innate fierceness of its zombie nature was tough to tame, and partly because, upon further thought, it felt that Wei Dongliu was no ordinary cultivator, which made it so anxious that it wanted to scratch its ears and cheeks.
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Jiang the Witch had also dispelled the Heavenly Demon Transformation Technique, and was now eyeing the dark-haired, starry-eyed Wei Dongliu beside her. The more she looked at him, the more displeased she felt.
That red-haired, double-pupilled, wickedly independent Dharma body was so much better. Even though this one had a refined appearance, it didn’t suit her somewhat eccentric taste.
Wen Yang, too, wore a smile on his face, chatting casually with Wei Dongliu under the guise of making conversation, inquiring about the situation beneath the Nine Serenities Underworld.
Upon hearing how Wei Dongliu breezed through the Ghost Gate, he couldn’t help but show a look of amazement and envy. As a Judge of the Nether Ghost Path, he knew all too well how troublesome those Nether Soldiers could be—playing dead when facing high-rank cultivators and causing trouble for low-rank ones, some even attacking directly.
It was probably because the Nether Soldiers were originally lost souls and wild ghosts, who had simply followed the Ghost Cultivator Path. In essence, they still adhered to the Underworld’s law of the survival of the fittest, bullying the weak and fearing the strong.
If a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator went there, they were most likely in for a tough time, which was the main reason he had been doubtful about the undertaking to the Netherworld in the first place.
However… who could have expected that when Wei Dongliu’s Demon Lord incarnation appeared, those Nether Soldiers would be as scared as quails?
Wen Yang’s heart was filled with so much regret that he almost gritted his teeth to pieces, yet he maintained an appearance of serene indifference, repeatedly inquiring about the details of the trip.
Jiang the Witch lived up to her name, guessing what he was thinking, and began to overstate things on the side, elaborating on how cultivation level grows after consuming the flower from the other shore and how one’s realm could be refined, almost making it sound as though they were about to achieve daytime ascension.
Long Xiaoqi watched the two engage in their veiled battle and couldn’t help but smile secretly at the spectacle.
Wei Dongliu, on the other hand, wasn’t so keen on such mean-spirited entertainment. When Jiang the Witch leaned in too close, saying more and more outrageous things, he pressed his hand on her head and pushed her back with a moderate force.
Jiang Liyan’s head was pat, and she immediately became furious: Was a girl’s hair something to be touched so casually?
But then, thinking about his unpredictable temperament, the displeasure in her heart quickly dissipated by more than half.
Forget it, forget it, my Demon Lord must be fond of me, so what’s the big deal with a pat on the head?
With that self-persuasion, she quickly became reconciled to it.
After returning to Shiping Mountain, Wei Dongliu went to check on his disciples’ studies.
Although they had only been out for a few days, and it was impossible for the two to have made any significant progress, where does the dignity of a master come from? It comes from examining one’s disciples.
First, he checked their progress in Breathing, and the results were naturally as expected—barely satisfactory.
Then he had them engage in a Magical Competition by the pond, clashing back and forth with flying swords and magical treasures, making for quite a lively scene.
Wen Yang and Jiang Liyan watched from the side, and, getting into the spirit, decided to bet on them. Wen Yang wagered that his Direct Disciple, Guo Jin, would win, while Jiang Liyan bet that the second disciple, Wang Cong, would not lose. They took their respective disciples aside and began to impart some secrets and tricks of Magical Competition.
Wei Dongliu sat in the seat of honor and only listened as Long Xiaoqi lazily remarked beside him:
“Brother Wei seems very open-minded, willing to let others teach his own Direct Disciples?”
“In my Myriad Laws Mystic Profound Sect, the main principle is to learn from a broad array of strengths,” said Wei Dongliu leisurely. “If the two fellow daoists teach well, why not hire them as Guest Elders for our sect in the future?”
Long Xiaoqi chuckled without saying anything, feeling secretly delighted.
Being a Guest Elder is one thing, but as the official master, you teach your disciples less often than the Guest Elders—I really wonder whose Myriad Laws Mystic Profound Sect this is.
The Flying Asura sat in a corner, far from everyone else but, being a zombie, could naturally hear the sounds of breathing from dozens of yards away, so everyone’s conversation did not escape its ears.
Seeing Long Xiaoqi’s veiled criticism that Wei Dongliu didn’t really care about his disciples, it also sneered secretly, thinking:
What does the Demon Lord need to teach disciples for? This so-called Myriad Laws Mystic Profound Sect is just a makeshift outfit he put together to pose as a human.
He just needs a Sect Leader title!
As for whether the disciples amount to anything, what does that have to do with him? This Demon Lord from Hell, does he truly think of establishing a sect in the Mortal World? Ridiculous!
With those thoughts, the Flying Asura couldn’t help but bare its teeth and grimace, looking troubled and distressed.
As a zombie that had attained Dao, its greatest desire was to ravage the Mortal World, to cause disaster in its wake, and to have a constant supply of blood meals every day.
As for following the Demon Lord back to Hell, it was utterly and completely unwilling.
However, now that the Hiltless Locust Wood Sword was in the opponent’s hand, its life and Cultivation Level were completely at the mercy of another, and since it believed it could neither outsmart nor overpower Wei Dongliu, it grew increasingly agitated and restless.
How vexing for me, the grand Asura!
Wei Dongliu was unaware of its thoughts and simply observed the lively scene before him, thinking to himself that when he first entered Mount Wutai, he was almost entirely alone, yet unexpectedly, he had now formed his own power, which was also making impressive progress.
Indeed, worthy of myself.
After seeing off everyone, Wei Dongliu then turned towards a room and said:
“Load the file, Ah Jing.”
“Luo Yan’s file?” Kunlun Mirror asked in a low voice. “Is it to go and unseal the Heavenly Weaving God Shuttle?”
“That’s right,” Wei Dongliu nodded. “Have the Nine Serenities Yin Soul Stone and the Nine Phoenix Scorching Sun Stone sent over for me.”
“I want to see just how powerful this ‘Universe Weaving Heavenly Weaving God Shuttle’, with such a domineering name, truly is!”