Zong Jun seemed to be really, truly angry this time and left Ye Ming ignored for many days in a row.
Because of this damn body, Ye Ming had to dedicate himself to acting miserable, even when he was alone. He would like to express that after three days, he was already tired as a dead dog.
As it turned out, solo performances were the scariest of all…
[Ye Ming: Are you sure someone’s going to come right now? I’ve already screamed myself hoarse! I pulled a muscle! How about I take a quick break?]
[888: I recommend against it. What if Zong Jun suddenly comes? What if Ye Yin suddenly comes? They’re bigshots of the cultivation world. If they want to come, they’ll appear in a split second. I can alert you in advance, but can you guarantee that you’ll be able to put together the best possible performance in such a short span of time?]
[Ye Ming: …]
[888: Grit makes success. It’s not worth it to expose a crack in your performance just for the sake of a short moment of relaxation, is it? Also, I believe you’re a very strong-willed person. This is nothing.]
[Ye Ming: …] That made so much sense that he couldn’t actually refute it, but why did he always have the feeling that 888 was deliberately messing with him?
After thinking about it, Ye Ming relented. After all, both of these bigshots were difficult to deceive. So he let his head droop, his black hair cascading down and hiding half of his face, and let out quiet moans of pain.
He couldn’t openly slack off, but he could still slack off in little ways. At least if someone came over, they wouldn’t immediately see his face.
Right then, Ye Ming’s eyes were unfocused, his eyelids fighting to stay open.
Finally, it was 888’s voice that roused him, because Ye Yin had finally arrived.
Ye Ming was so moved he nearly started weeping. He’d been waiting for this big brother for a very long time now. If he still didn’t come, Ye Ming was going to faint (fall asleep) again!
Ye Ming quickly adjusted his expression and saw shadows creeping into the main hall. Then, a handsome white-haired man slowly walked inside. He seemed to be one with the shadows, silent as a ghost.
The reason Ye Yin stayed at the Devil’s Palace was to see Ye Ming. But Ye Ming was one of Zong Jun’s people, and considering Zong Jun’s unrelenting feelings for him, if Ye Yin was hasty about coming into contact with him, he would be inadvertently poking Zong Jun’s most dangerous button. Thus, Ye Yin restrained himself and pretended not to care, while searching for a more appropriate opportunity to approach him.
That day, after he’d left, he attached a strand of his divine sense to a sparrow, using the sparrow as his eyes to constantly monitor the state of affairs here. Indeed, Zong Jun never came, so Ye Yin finally appeared.
Ye Yin walked into the main hall and saw Ye Ming leaning against the stone pillar. The blood on his shoulder had dried by now, and the bone-piercing spike secured him in place. He seemed to be in pain and was making quiet noises with his head lowered.
Maybe it was because he’d been tortured for too long, but even when Ye Yin appeared, Ye Ming didn’t react at all, remaining motionless.
Ye Yin finally arrived in front of Ye Ming and gently lifted the long, black hair that fell on the side of his face.
The lofty man’s eyelashes were lowered, his eyes were filled with pain and blankness, and his lips were bitten bloody. He seemed to have finally sensed someone’s arrival, and his long, curved eyelashes slowly lifted. As he looked attentively at the man in front of him, a shred of clarity returned to his eyes.
But after seeing Ye Yin, the complex jumble of pain and hope in his eyes slowly disappeared, leaving behind only apathy and indifference.
Ye Yin smiled softly and studied Ye Ming meaningfully. After living for so long, what magical treasure or spiritual object of the Immortal Cloud Realm didn’t he know? He could tell what was going on with Ye Ming’s body with practically a single glance and generally understood what Zong Jun had done to him.
He also knew what was truly torturing him.
How pitiful…to be treated like this by the one he loved. For this cold, proud, and indifferent man, it must be very painful and unbearable.
Ye Yin dipped his head a little and said, smiling, “It’s me. Are you disappointed?”
Ye Ming had already gone through several days and several nights of painful suffering. At times, he was barely conscious, and at times he was clear-headed. Right now, he just so happened to be able to cling onto a shred of awareness, and directed a cold look at Ye Yin.
This was the Tianhai Palace Master, who very ambitiously wanted to ally with Zong Jun…Although Zong Jun was now the Demonic Lord with a drastically different nature than before, his goals were different from Ye Yin’s. Strictly speaking, Ye Yin was a greater threat to the Immortal Cloud Realm; he wanted to use the entirety of the Immortal Cloud Realm to help himself attain his own heavenly Dao.
But he was powerless to do anything about it now.
Ye Ming lowered his eyes again, ignoring the person in front of him.
Avid interest appeared in Ye Yin’s eyes, however. After all, in his long, long life, this was the only person that he found unpredictable. In the past, he attached himself to Ye Ming’s body and watched as he ignorantly cultivated the Unified Path that Ye Yin left behind, thinking it was a rare manual he had happened upon by chance.
That wasn’t much…What really piqued Ye Yin’s interest was how surprisingly compatible Ye Ming was with his cultivation technique. The rate at which he cultivated the Unified Path was slightly faster than even Ye Yin’s own!
Indeed, it was stunning.
The Unified Path was created by Ye Yin in response to his inspired emotions. With this cultivation method, even an average person could obtain extraordinary power. Only, it did have some impact on one’s mood—whenever there were gains, there were sure to be losses—and they would abandon several of their seven emotions and six desires in order to acquire even greater power.
But what use were those superfluous seven emotions and six desires? In life, one would suffer the turmoil of the secular world; they were nothing more than the heavens’ trial for mortals, a hindrance on a cultivator’s path…Ye Yin believed that to give them up would allow one to have a purer Daoist’s heart and thus better glimpse the origin of the great Dao.
The more apathetic and unwavering one’s dedication to the Dao, the quicker one could cultivate this method.
Ye Ming was positively born for this cultivation method. Originally, his cultivation had reached a bottleneck, but after acquiring the Unified Path, he made a breakthrough and began to rise in cultivation stage again and again, at a speed that astonished even Ye Yin. He cultivated very rapidly, but the spiritual spring was only an external influence, while his Daoist’s heart was the root of it.
Not only did he possess a one-in-ten-thousand-years heavenly spiritual constitution, he also possessed this Daoist’s heart. Soon, he would be able to cultivate the Unified Path to the apex, the seventh level.
As for what was beyond the seventh level, not even Ye Yin had gotten that far. But he had a strange, inexorable feeling that if he could establish the eighth level, there would be hope of achieving the Dao. What was the pinnacle of the heavenly law? He really wanted to know.
Precisely because of how quickly Ye Ming cultivated, Ye Yin was on one hand delighted, but at the same time, he believed that Ye Ming’s feelings for Zong Jun weren’t sincere, because he truly had the purest Daoist’s heart he’d ever seen—and was also the most heartless person he’d ever seen.
It was as if he had absolutely zero concern for the world. To him, all things were nothing more than clouds drifting past. He was wholly devoted to seeking transcendence.
His mindset was so far departed from worldly affairs that it even put Ye Yin to shame.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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How could Ye Yin know Zong Jun’s name? After Zong Jun transformed into a devil, he abandoned his original name and form. No one apart from himself should be able to recognize him. So how could Ye Yin know?
Now that Ye Ming was finally willing to look at him, Ye Yin smiled faintly. “In fact, I’m very surprised as well. Not only is he still alive, he’s resurrected you, too.”
Ye Ming’s lip quivered, and he finally asked with a cold, hoarse voice, “Who…are you?”
Instead of answering the question, Ye Yin asked his own. “Back when you killed Zong Jun, why did you give upon continuing to practice the cultivation method? By then, you must have felt a hint of the power of the heavenly law, right? Transcendence must have felt like it was right at your fingertips. Such a splendid experience…why would you give up on it?”
Ye Ming’s pupils constricted. Finally, he was unable to remain unaffected. The painful memories of three thousand years ago promptly resurged in his mind.
Why did he give up?
When he and Zong Jun returned from the ruins, having reaped the benefits of the spiritual spring and cultivation manual, his cultivation base experienced successive breakthroughs. The peculiar experience was addictive. He felt like as long as he continued to cultivate, never stopping…he would be able to reach the pinnacle without any obstruction and discover the secrets of the heavenly law.
He couldn’t control himself. He became even more devoted to his cultivation, so much so that he started to treat Zong Jun coldly in favor of it…One time, after awakening from seclusion, he suddenly had this feeling…that as long as he got rid of his worries, without those restraints, he would be able to break free from his fetters and achieve a new life.
He’d never felt something so strongly before. It was like he’d been taken over by some mysterious power and changed into something that no longer resembled himself…When he left the doors of seclusion and saw the love that filled Zong Jun’s eyes, he only felt apathy and revulsion. The path to reach the heavens had room for only one person.
All of a sudden, he was fed up with Zong Jun’s persistent, unremorseful pursuit, his utterly unreserved care, and his love and protection.
In the blink of an eye, all was as different as heaven and earth.
Every cause had its effect on the immortal path. Since he bore Zong Jun’s love and promised to be his cultivation partner, they were no longer two people who had nothing to do with each other, but rather two partners with intertwined fates. He would be a burden to him…The only way to break his fetters was to kill this person, let him vanish like smoke into thin air. Then, naturally, he wouldn’t have any karmic ties anymore.
Without hesitating, he ran his sword through Zong Jun and looked into his disbelieving eyes. Suddenly, his entire body felt lighter. Now that he’d gotten rid of his karmic ties, he could pursue the great Dao alone.
He was so very close to succeeding.
But why did he give up in the end?
Ye Ming stared fixedly at Ye Yin. He hadn’t told anyone about any of this, and no one knew of it. To this day, not even his sect members or his shifu knew why Zong Jun died.
It made even less sense for Ye Yin to know.
“Who are you,” Ye Ming repeated.
Ye Yin looked at Ye Ming for a short moment and broke into a playful smile. Quietly, he said, “You cultivated my cultivation method, yet you still don’t know who I am.”
“Your cultivation method?” Ye Ming’s expression flickered.
Ye Yin’s fingertip trailed down Ye Ming’s face; the action was somewhat suggestive. In a deep tone of voice, he said, “That’s right. You likely don’t know what you were cultivating, but you probably noticed something wrong later, and you’ve surely also heard my name before.”
Ye Yin leaned close to Ye Ming’s years and quietly said two words.
The expression in Ye Ming’s eyes was disbelieving. The Tianhai Palace Master was the Master Sage Ye Yin, who’d fallen ten thousand years ago? Not only was he not dead, he was living very well. Had Ye Ming been cultivating his infamous Unified Path?
Ye Ming’s thoughts were going a mile a minute. Everyone in the Immortal Cloud Realm knew about Ye Yin’s life, but no one knew that he was in fact still living, and was now the Tianhai Palace Master.
Then how were the ruins that Ye Ming and Zong Jun went to related to him?
Ye Yin smiled. “I’ve already told you a lot. For the sake of fairness, shouldn’t you answer one of my questions? If you tell me what I want to know, I’ll tell you what you want to know.”
Ye Ming closed his eyes. He was in shock and intense internal conflict.
He’d always known there was something wrong with that cultivation method. When he killed Zong Jun and watched as the man he loved died in front of him, leaving behind a lone, masterless spiritual sword on the ground, an enormous sorrow jolted him awake.
Finally, he realized that something was wrong with him. But no matter what the reason, he’d already made his choice—and his mistake—and regret couldn’t change that.
But only now did he realize that things were perhaps not so simple.
Ye Ming opened his eyes again and glared at Ye Yin. “I gave up because that wasn’t what I wanted. Even if I had continued, I was bound to fail.”
Ye Yin was completely puzzled, and his confusion was reflected in his eyes. “Why do you think you would’ve failed? Shouldn’t you have been more successful? You can only walk farther after cutting away all your karmic binds. Mortal emotions are nothing but a burden.”
Ye Ming looked into Ye Yin’s eyes and slowly said, “Now it’s your turn to tell me why you know about all this.”
Ye Yin smiled. This person seemed to be very clear-headed, despite the torture he’d suffered. It seemed only Zong Jun was different to him. “That’s very simple. When you two came to the ruins, I stuck to your side, so I know everything about you,” he said frankly.
Ye Ming’s expression changed drastically. So he’d been latching onto him ever since then? Suddenly, he realized something, and his voice shook the slightest bit. “What…what did you do?”
Ye Yin immediately understood what Ye Ming was thinking. Smiling, he said, “I didn’t do anything to you. If I had to say…I probably just allowed you to focus better on cultivation.”
After all, at the time he was completely set on taking over Ye Ming’s body. How could he bear to watch as such a perfect body was hindered by love and emotions, instead of growing to become of use to Ye Yin? Only, what had gone beyond his expectations was that…he didn’t have to do much at all, and Ye Ming was already cultivating extremely quickly. All was going as he desired.
Ye Ming closed his eyes, pained. Only now did he find out that Ye Yin was a part of everything. It was too bad that he and Zong Jun had been utterly clueless all along.
He blamed Ye Yin…but he hated himself even more.
He hated that he was bewitched by the heavenly Dao, thus losing himself and killing his loved one. The cultivation method was only an external influence; ultimately, it came down to the fact that his own obsession ran too deep.
Ye Ming laughed at himself derisively and asked Ye Yin, “Do you think that if you abandon everything, you’ll be able to attain the heavenly Dao?”
Ye Yin replied, “Isn’t that the case?”
Ye Ming looked at him with pity. “If you give up everything and have no earthly cares anymore, would you still be a person? Wouldn’t you just be a slave ordered about by the heavenly law and consumed by power? You were born as a human, yet you disdain being human. You abandoned your very self, and you still want to be acknowledged by the heavenly law?”
Ye Yin’s expression finally changed, and he looked unwaveringly at Ye Ming.
Ye Ming’s voice was cold and vaguely disdainful. “Then in my opinion, your cultivation is nothing more than a defect. And true strength is not obtained by abandoning everything you love. What’s the point in continuing to cultivate when there’s only a dead end ahead?!”
Ye Yin’s eyes were ice-cold and his smile long gone. He looked down at Ye Ming with disdain, his ruthless attitude apparent. “Ignorant child! Utter nonsense!”
This was the true Ye Yin.
Ye Ming looked back at him fearlessly, not caring at all whether he was the Master Sage Ye Yin of ten thousand years ago, or if he was the Tianhai Palace Master of today that dominated entire regions. To him, he was nothing more than a pitiful creature that the heavenly law had made a fool of. He didn’t succeed ten thousand years ago, and he still wouldn’t now!
Ye Yin’s expression grew even darker. His lips twitched, as if he wanted to say something, but he immediately seemed to hear something and quickly left, vanishing into the shadows.
He left just as silently as he came.
Ye Ming startled slightly, but he soon realized that Ye Yin must’ve left because he noticed something. So he bore the pain and turned to look at the door. Sure enough, he saw Zong Jun walking over from a distance.
Though it had only been a couple days since they’d last seen each other, it felt like a lifetime ago. Ye Ming’s heart was filled with complex emotions.
Ye Yin’s appearance had caused an enormous shock to his state of mind. He’d never known that Ye Yin was a factor in everything all along…But honestly, there wasn’t much point to him knowing now, was there? Could he possibly use that to beg for Zong Jun’s forgiveness?
He ridiculed Ye Yin for being bewitched by the heavenly Dao, for being the heavenly Dao’s slave, but wasn’t he the same way?
They were both nothing but wretches that had lost themselves.
Ye Ming’s eyes were sorrowful.
Zong Jun had ignored Ye Ming for a few days, but knowing that Ye Ming likely couldn’t hold up anymore, his heart ended up softening, and he came after all. Only, he didn’t show any of that on his face and instead stared coldly at him and asked, “How has your self-reflection gone?”
Ye Ming remained silent. Ye Yin’s arrival made him once again recall all the little details of the past, including the feeling in that split second that he wielded his sword.
Even the final look in Zong Jun’s eyes, right before he died.
Ye Ming looked anguished.
Zong Jun, however, thought it was because he was in pain. He paused, then finally waved his hand, letting Ye Ming down from the stone pillar. He reached out and pulled him to his chest. Coldly, he said, “Don’t worry, I won’t let you die.”
Ye Ming let out a quiet, self-mocking laugh. This wasn’t the first time he’d heard Zong Jun say that. There was no love left in his heart; there was likely only obsessive hatred. And maybe it was precisely that obsession that kept Zong Jun alive in those difficult circumstances.
And his only purpose in living was to make Ye Ming suffer the same pain he did, that was all.
That’s the price I ought to pay…
Zong Jun carried Ye Ming away from the main hall and placed him onto the bed. He undid the robes at his shoulder; a deep, bloody gash ran through his body. Zong Jun wrinkled his eyebrows. He’d been really infuriated at that time…but looking at Ye Ming now, he felt oddly agitated. Was he still feeling sorry for this person, even at this point?
When he killed Zong Jun, didn’t he ever consider that he…would also hurt…?
Zong Jun clenched his fists and applied medicine for Ye Ming, then he left.
………………
Day by day, Ye Ming became more and more absent and obedient, as if he’d completely resigned himself to this life. No matter how Zong Jun treated him, he didn’t care.
The two of them returned to their previous pattern of interaction.
He was without freedom, without dignity, only waiting pathetically for his master’s pity.
[Ye Ming: I think Ye Yin’s going to come again. He’s thought it over for many days and should have it figured out by now, right?]
[888: Yeah, I can tell he’s pretty conflicted.]
[Ye Ming: Hahahaha, even I thought my speech was so rousing that even the deaf could hear it. I made a lot of great points, didn’t I? Didn’t I put on a super amazing performance?!]
[888: …] Actually, the first time you heard the spicy chicken’s fallacious reasoning, it was pretty effective at conning you…
[Ye Ming: When he’s about done mulling it over, I’ll let him meet our Zongzong. Next time he comes, help me out a little bit. Cause a slight delay in the time it takes for him to notice Zong Jun. Just half a breath’s time is enough. My innocence is relying on him! After all, Zongzong might not believe that stuff if I say it myself, and there’s not much of a shock factor, either. Ah, men. They need a bit of excitement in order to feel interested ^_^]
[888: Hehe…]
The wounds on Ye Ming’s body had healed long ago. His body was a spiritual tool to start with, which meant his self-healing ability far surpassed that of a normal human cultivator. On top of that, he had Zong Jun’s spiritual power to nourish him, and there was already no longer any trace of his injury.
His injury had healed, but other marks remained.
Zong Jun seemed to really enjoy seeing Ye Ming underneath him in a variety of humiliating positions. This man used to be so haughty and looked so inviolable. Even when they dual cultivated, he remained aloof.
Zong Jun used to never mind it. He loved this man and lowered himself until he was practically level with dust. From the start, their feelings weren’t equal. It was inevitable that the other was investing more.
That Ye Ming was willing to become his cultivation partner, willing to accept his feelings, was in itself a great charity to him, and he didn’t dare hope for more.
Maybe deep down, he’d never felt this man’s sincere, ardent love. He had been hesitating to believe in it…But that strike of his sword thoroughly destroyed his delusions.
This person had truly never loved him.
Zong Jun opened his eyes and looked outside at the curling clouds and fog. Then he looked back at the man next to him.
Ye Ming was still deep asleep. His hands were tied behind him, and he was covered with a blanket, but even asleep, his brows were knitted, and he seemed to be in pain.
Zong Jun watched him for a while. Then he got up and left; he had things to do today.
After that battle, the righteous cultivators had suffered heavy losses, but the demonic domain had also been greatly damaged, and many demonic cultivators were dead or injured. As the Demonic Lord, he was naturally responsible for his subordinates, and there were many things he needed to arrange at the moment.
Ye Ming continued to sleep just like that, until golden sunlight spilled inside, and he slowly opened his eyes, looking blank.
Every day when he woke up, he felt like he was in a dream. Unfortunately, this was not a pleasant dream but an endless nightmare.
His past lover had become this way, and now the two of them tormented each other to no end.
He tried to move his body, but he was still weak, and it hurt so much he wrinkled his brows. Eventually, he gave up. Just as he was going to close his eyes, the wind suddenly blew up the gauze in front of his bed; it fluttered gently, and in the next moment, a familiar atmosphere blanketed the room.
Ye Ming opened his eyes abruptly, his gaze becoming cold and clear, and he saw Ye Yin standing there, smiling, looking back at him.
This time, Ye Ming spoke first. His voice was cold and hoarse, without the slightest warmth. “You shouldn’t have come.”
Ye Yin lifted a brow and looked at him. His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Why not?”
Ye Ming said, “If Zong Jun sees you, he won’t let you off.”
Ye Yin sighed, seemingly rueful. “Of course you aren’t saying this out of worry for me, which means it must be out of worry for Zong Jun. You’re afraid the two of us will clash, and you’re not certain he can win against me. You’re afraid that in the end, both sides will lose. It turns out…you truly love him. Even though he treats you like this, you’re still giving thought to him.”
Ye Yin slowly walked up to Ye Ming and stooped to gaze at him with a smile in his eyes. “I was wrong. I thought you didn’t love him, but in fact…you love him more than anything.”
Ye Ming said, “You should leave.”
Ye Yin gazed at Ye Ming with interest. Smiling, he asked, “Why don’t I take you with me?”
Listening to Ye Ming’s words that day, he’d been moved. He’d lived for thousands and thousands of years, but this was the first time he’d been so interested in anyone. If he kept him by his side to study, perhaps it would become an opportunity for breakthrough. Even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousandth’s chance, he would not give it up.
This was the most heartless, yet most loving person he’d ever come across.
Your heartlessness allowed you to devote yourself entirely to the Dao and become strong, while your love allowed you to break free of your shackles and not lose yourself.
Such conflicting qualities appearing in the same person was extremely fascinating.
Ye Ming turned away and closed his eyes. He seemed to not want to look at Ye Yin even one more time.
Gently, Ye Yin said, “Don’t be anxious. I’ll be staying in the Devil’s Palace for some time. You can think it over slowly. If you want to leave with me, just tell me. Zong Jun won’t forgive you, anyway, so what’s the point in staying with him?”
Ye Ming seemed not to have heard a word.
Ye Yin sighed a little regretfully. But the more Ye Ming persisted, the more interested he became. It was probably precisely this steady heart of his that drove him to reach such a realization and say such words.
Ye Yin went silent for a moment and decided to leave for now, but before he could, his expression suddenly changed dramatically.
Zong Jun was back.
Zong Jun’s return was too sudden, so sudden that Ye Yin didn’t have the chance to conceal himself. He felt an immense pressure enveloping him! Zong Jun himself still hadn’t appeared, yet his incisive killing intent had already made itself known!
The author has something to say: Xiao Ye: Ye Yin has the best taste after all. He saw that my Daoist’s heart is pure and devout, that I have astonishing talent, and that I’m a good sapling for cultivation.
888: …
Xiao Ye: He also noticed my love. Laogong, forgive me already QAQ
Zong Jun: Baby, I’ve always loved you, muah muah
888: Didn’t you not care about anything because you were treating this as a game? And weren’t you just too lazy to keep cultivating because you had to leave this world???
Ye Yin is shocked: What?!
Thank you for the chapter
Caught a typo!
‘Ye Ming gazed at Ye Ming with interest. Smiling he said “Why don’t I take you with me?”’
the first Ye Ming should be Ye Yin! Other than that thank you for the chapter! 🙂
oh thank you! it’s bc their names are too similar i get confused hahaha
hhhh I’m already seeing all the angst that is coming… [thank you for the chapter ❤️]
yes! next chapter is the reveal! im trying to finish it up soon ToT
Yasss finally
Thanks a lot for the chapter
Thanks for the chapter! ^ ^)♡
The fact YM was able to cultivate the unified path because he’s heartless is honestly perfect. We been knew he was a callous bitch 😂
Turn out that Ye Ming’s face is really thick enought to drive the plot in his desired way and could decieve Ye Yin. LOL