Chapter 278 – Nine Realms Token, The Truth Behind Yi Hanqing's Descent into Madness

The moment Lu Chen pierced Yi Hanqing’s mind with the Fiend-Severing Sword, he saw a peculiar token within Yi Hanqing’s Sea of Consciousness.

The token was entirely black, seemingly crafted from some special type of wood.

Though this was Lu Chen’s first time seeing this token, he instantly recognized its extraordinary nature.

This wasn’t just because the token emitted an aura that felt strangely familiar to Lu Chen.

It was also because on this token, Lu Chen saw a bizarre half-flesh, half-bone Buddha Mother statue.

And this Buddha Mother statue was precisely the Black Lotus Buddha Mother that Lu Chen knew of.

However, as one of the Nine Realms Lords of the Ancient Fiend Nine Realms, the Black Lotus Buddha Mother only occupied one-ninth of the token’s surface.

The remaining eight sections were carved with the other Realm Lords.

Their number exactly corresponded to the Ancient Fiend’s Nine Realms.

Seeing this, Lu Chen finally understood why his current main mission was connected to Yi Hanqing.

If not for his Fiend-Severing Sword being half-physical and half-illusory, capable of entering deep into Yi Hanqing’s Divine Soul without causing harm,

He might never have discovered this hidden ‘Nine Realms Token’.

Staring at the Nine Realms Token, Lu Chen instinctively controlled the Fiend-Severing Sword to pry it out from Yi Hanqing’s Divine Soul.

But when Lu Chen’s Fiend-Severing Sword touched the Nine Realms Token, it immediately began trembling violently.

Subsequently, massive amounts of Ancient Fiend Power erupted from the token, resisting Lu Chen’s Primordial Qi and refusing to leave Yi Hanqing’s Divine Sense.

In response, Lu Chen simply snorted coldly.

The next moment, his Fiend-Severing Sword released white sword light, transforming into a massive, illusory sword prison.

Faced with Lu Chen’s terrifying Great Divine Power, the Nine Realms Token’s pitiful Ancient Fiend Power was completely ineffective, and it was quickly captured by Lu Chen.

After the Fiend-Severing Sword secured control over the Nine Realms Token, Lu Chen extracted it from Yi Hanqing’s Divine Sense with a single sword motion.

Simultaneously, Lu Chen’s main mission updated.

[You have obtained special item: Nine Realms Token. By gaining recognition from any Ancient Fiend within the token, you can open the corresponding Nine Realms Gate and travel between two realms.]

Nine Realms Token…

Lu Chen examined the token in his hand, contemplated for a moment, then stored it in his Storage Bag.

Although Wu Miao nearby was curious about why Lu Chen had extracted a token from Yi Hanqing’s head,

He wisely refrained from asking.

Moreover, he noticed that ever since Lu Chen removed the token, Yi Hanqing’s expression had gradually stabilized.

It seemed Lu Chen’s actions were definitely not harmful to Yi Hanqing.

“Senior Brother Wu Miao, please watch over Senior Brother Yi. I need to deal with the ‘rats’ lurking around.”

“Understood.”

After entrusting Yi Hanqing to Wu Miao, Lu Chen walked alone toward the surroundings.

Although Yi Hanqing could no longer be considered a disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect,

In Lu Chen’s view, even a former disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect shouldn’t be casually humiliated by mere low-level demons.

Furthermore, though Lu Chen didn’t yet understand the full picture of the situation,

Both the Nine Realms Token in Yi Hanqing’s mind and the infant he desperately protected even after falling to the demonic path suggested there was more to the story.All of this made Lu Chen feel as if there were an invisible hand behind the scenes, secretly manipulating everything.

Although Lu Chen was temporarily unclear about the identity of this force, he instinctively believed it was absolutely connected to the Immortal Fiends.

In the rain-soaked forest, after dealing with the last lurking rat spying nearby, Lu Chen immediately prepared to return to Yi Hanqing’s location. However, sensing something unusual, he suddenly turned to look in a specific direction within the forest.

To an outsider, that spot appeared empty. But in Lu Chen’s eyes, a mysterious figure clad in black Daoist robes stood calmly amidst the trees. Even with Lu Chen’s exceptional perception, he could only detect the figure’s presence without discerning their appearance or discerning their Dao lineage.

Surprisingly, the mysterious figure seemed taken aback that Lu Chen could perceive them. After a moment of contemplation, they swiftly vanished from Lu Chen’s sight. Unbeknownst to them, Lu Chen had already prepared to deploy the Fiend-Slaying Sword Formation the instant he spotted them.

The sensation of “merging with the Dao, seamless and natural” unmistakably indicated a Great Cultivator at the Deity Transformation Stage. Moreover, Lu Chen detected a trace of Ancient Fiend Power emanating from the figure—faint yet intensely condensed, starkly different from the aura of ordinary Immortal Fiends.

This brief encounter sparked countless thoughts in Lu Chen’s mind, and an inexplicable sense of crisis surged within him. Previously, he had estimated that at least five hundred years would pass from his entry into the Azure Cloud Sect to its eventual destruction—a span he believed sufficient for many preparations. But now, it seemed he had been overly optimistic.

The sect’s destruction was merely the outcome; the process leading to it was equally critical. Clearly, the Immortal Fiends had begun scheming long in advance to orchestrate these events. The figure he had glimpsed was most likely a Deity Transformation Stage Immortal Fiend concealed within the Central Province.

Fortunately, for reasons unknown, the figure ultimately chose not to attack Lu Chen. Otherwise, Lu Chen had little confidence in escaping their grasp. The gap between them was simply too vast.

After pondering for a moment, Lu Chen turned and flew back toward Yi Hanqing’s location. Shortly after his departure, the mysterious man reappeared. Gazing in the direction Lu Chen had left, he remarked with interest, “A Great Divine Power at the Golden Core Stage… What an intriguing individual.”

“Initially, upon sensing an issue with the Nine Realms Token holder, I considered whether to rectify the situation. But now, it seems the token falling into such hands might be for the best. After all, the more exceptional the talent, the better they can recognize the token’s value and perceive the shackles this world has imposed upon us…”

With these words, the mysterious man vanished into the forest, his whereabouts unknown.

“Junior Brother Lu, did something happen earlier? I noticed you’ve been frowning ever since you returned,” inquired Meow King.

After a moment’s thought, Lu Chen replied, “It’s merely a personal matter, Senior Brother Meow. There’s no need to concern yourself.”

Though sensing that Lu Chen’s “personal matter” was likely far from simple, Meow King adhered to the principle that “curiosity killed the cat” and wisely chose not to pry further.During the conversation between the two, Yi Hanqing, who had been unconscious, finally awoke.

Looking at Meow King and Lu Chen before him, he smiled bitterly and said, “Junior Brother Meow, Junior Brother Lu, I never thought that at this point, you’d end up saving my life again.”

“You two should really avoid getting involved with me now. After all… I’m hardly what you’d call a good person anymore.”

Hearing this, Meow King replied dismissively, “Getting involved? Yi Hanqing, are you overestimating yourself? Can’t you see the situation clearly?”

“We’re not here to catch up with you. Look at your current state—you’ve clearly been captured and are being interrogated by us two righteous disciples. Catch up? What is there to catch up about?”

“We righteous disciples have nothing to reminisce about with a demonic heretic like you!”

Though Meow King spoke with utmost seriousness, Yi Hanqing couldn’t help but chuckle.

Same old style, same old flavor.

People often said he had a sharp tongue, but compared to Meow King, his own words were clearly much milder.

This was true verbal artistry.

“Junior Brother Lu, I’ll leave the interrogation of this demonic cultivator to you. You’ve handled this sort of thing often and have more experience than I do.”

Hearing this, Lu Chen showed a helpless expression.

Interrogation? This was hardly any real interrogation.

It was merely a formality between them and Yi Hanqing.

“Senior Brother Yi, could you tell us what exactly happened?”

Faced with Lu Chen’s inquiry, Yi Hanqing smiled bitterly for a moment before recounting the whole story from beginning to end.

And indeed, everything aligned closely with Meow King’s initial speculation—it all started with Yi Hanqing’s childhood friend, Qu Linghong.

Although Qu Linghong had been forced to join the Demonic Path in her early years, she had ultimately spent many years within the Demonic Sect.

The cultivation manual she practiced was also an orthodox Demonic Sect technique.

The reasons she managed to survive the destruction of her Demonic Sect and avoid purge were twofold:

First, she hadn’t been in the sect for long and hadn’t stained her hands with much blood.

Second, Yi Hanqing had used his status as a True Disciple of Azure Cloud Sect’s Hidden Sword Peak to vouch for her protection.

Even so, the brand of “demonic enchantress” was deeply imprinted on Qu Linghong.

This not only prevented her from entering Azure Cloud Sect but also made most other schools avoid her like the plague.

Though Qu Linghong was aware of Yi Hanqing’s feelings for her,

to avoid dragging him down, she ultimately chose to marry a True Disciple from Heavenly Heart Villa at that time.

Had everything ended there, it would have been a decent outcome for Qu Linghong, albeit with some regrets.

But the Heavenly Heart Villa disciple’s motives for approaching her were far from pure.

Heavenly Heart Villa, despite its name, was essentially more like a cultivator family.

Most cultivators within the villa were from the Li Family clan.

Naturally, Qu Linghong’s husband was no exception.

His reason for marrying Qu Linghong had nothing to do with affection.

It was solely to cultivate Heavenly Heart Villa’s unique technique—the Forget-Heart Art.

The most notable feature of this technique was its ability to help cultivators achieve a “forget-heart, sever-dust” mental state, allowing rapid progress in cultivation.

Thus, although Heavenly Heart Villa hadn’t been established for long, it boasted numerous powerful experts.

However, cultivating the Forget-Heart Art was no simple matter.

It required first immersing oneself in worldly affairs before transcending them.The cultivation method developed by the Heavenly Heart Villa for this purpose was to have its disciples marry a mortal woman.

They were to genuinely fall in love, accompany their partner for a century, comprehend the joys and sorrows of the world, and achieve spiritual transcendence.

If every disciple followed this practice, the Forget-Heart Art of the Heavenly Heart Villa could indeed be considered a unique cultivation manual that took an unconventional path.

However, humans always seek shortcuts.

Naturally, the Forget-Heart Art also had a quick but evil path method.

This involved falling in love with someone and then tormenting them to comprehend so-called “great sorrow.”

This way, one could skip the century of companionship and rapidly advance the Realm of the Forget-Heart Art.

Qu Linghong’s husband had chosen precisely this path.

The reason he targeted Qu Linghong was that he calculated her former identity in the Demonic Path meant few would stand up for her.

Thus, within a year of marriage, Qu Linghong experienced the darkest period of her life.

She never even learned who the true father of her child was before her death.

Yi Hanqing came to know of Qu Linghong’s plight because a mortal from the Heavenly Heart Villa could not bear her tragic fate.

After accidentally learning of Yi Hanqing’s past relationship with her, this mortal secretly sent a letter to the Azure Cloud Sect.

The rest of the story was what Lu Chen and the Meow King already knew.

After arriving at the Heavenly Heart Villa, Yi Hanqing eventually found Qu Linghong, who had been tortured beyond recognition.

To see his childhood sweetheart and former white moonlight reduced to such a state filled Yi Hanqing with both rage and boundless regret.

He felt that if he had been more resolute back then, Qu Linghong might never have come to the Heavenly Heart Villa nor ended up in such misery.

The final straw that drove Yi Hanqing completely to demonhood was Qu Linghong begging him to end her life.

Faced with her pleading eyes yearning for release and his own overwhelming guilt, Yi Hanqing ultimately granted her wish.

Before her death, Qu Linghong entrusted Yi Hanqing with one final request: to care for her newborn child.

Though she didn’t know the child’s exact father, she knew the baby would carry the Li surname.

In the end, Yi Hanqing shed tears of blood as he personally ended Qu Linghong’s suffering.

From that moment on, Yi Hanqing fully embraced the Demonic Path.

From the Villa Lord of the Heavenly Heart Villa down to every mortal, livestock, and beast within its grounds, Yi Hanqing slaughtered nearly everyone he encountered, leaving no survivors.

There might have been some wrongly killed, but certainly not many.

Since Qu Linghong’s husband was the youngest son of the Villa Lord, many in the villa were aware of his actions, with some even serving as accomplices.

Yi Hanqing knew this well, which was why his vengeance was so merciless.

After hearing this account, both Lu Chen and the Meow King fell into silence.

Putting themselves in Yi Hanqing’s position, they realized they would likely have made the same choice.

Breaking the silence, the Meow King declared, “Killing a pack of beasts—these scum deserved worse than death. Nothing more needs to be said.”

“Hanqing, rest assured, if Peak Lord Leng learns of this, he will certainly not hold it against you.””Return with us now, explain everything properly to the Peak Lords. Even if other sects don’t accept this explanation, the Peak Lords will still protect you.”

Yi Hanqing smiled bitterly, “Junior Brother Meow, you don’t need to comfort me. I know exactly what condition I’m in now.”

“At this point, I can no longer turn back.”

Meow King opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately chose silence.

Because everything was indeed as Yi Hanqing said – he was now completely possessed by a Heart Demon, beyond any cure.

The massacre of Heavenly Heart Villa had become Yi Hanqing’s personal nightmare.

If this had happened to some unscrupulous Heretical Cultivator or selfish individual,

such events would likely not affect them much.

But for a orthodox disciple like Yi Hanqing from Azure Cloud Sect, even though he knew his actions weren’t utterly evil,

this matter would always remain like a thorn deeply embedded in his heart.

Noble morality was once Yi Hanqing’s greatest virtue,

but now it had become his fatal flaw.

His flawless Dao Heart was now tarnished.

After a long silence among the three, Lu Chen suddenly spoke.

“Senior Brother Meow, could you step away for a moment? I have some words I’d like to share privately with Senior Brother Yi.”

“Alright.”

After Meow King had retreated to a sufficient distance, Lu Chen used the Sword Domain of the Fiend-Severing Sword to isolate their surroundings, preventing outsiders from hearing their conversation or seeing their actions.

Lu Chen took out the Nine Realms Token and placed it before Yi Hanqing.

“Senior Brother Yi, may I ask where you obtained this item?”

Yi Hanqing stared at the token, momentarily stunned before replying, “A wandering Daoist gave this to me when I was a child. He said I was born with a natural Sword Body but destined for many hardships.”

“He said this object could help me overcome my destined calamities and turn misfortune into blessing.”

“Indeed, I was weak and sickly as a child, but after receiving this, I never suffered from serious illness again, so I’ve always kept it with me.”

“Why do you ask? Does this object contain some hidden mystery?”

Hearing Yi Hanqing’s words, Lu Chen’s eyes grew profound.

Because these words meant that someone or some organization had been scheming against Yi Hanqing since his childhood.

Perhaps Yi Hanqing’s demonic possession and Qu Linghong’s misfortune were not accidents.

Even the ‘Forget-Heart Art’ from Heavenly Heart Villa carried familiar traces to Lu Chen.

Perhaps everything from beginning to end was part of their long-planned scheme.

If not for his own unexpected intervention, the current Yi Hanqing might have completely fallen to demonhood, becoming a future Demonic Path overlord.

After pondering for a moment, Lu Chen quietly transmitted part of his conjectures to Yi Hanqing using voice transmission.

Hearing these words, the emptiness in Yi Hanqing’s eyes gradually sharpened.

“Junior Brother Lu, is this true?”

“These are merely my personal speculations, but… they’re likely ninety percent accurate.”

“Good.”

Yi Hanqing stood up, holding the infant in his arms.

In this moment, Yi Hanqing seemed to have found a new reason to keep living.

And in this same moment, the former Hidden Sword Peak Leader who could stir five peaks with his sword and dominate his generation… had returned.

(End of Chapter)