I Reborn on the Night I Divorced the Sword Deity, My Childhood Friend - Chapter 7

Facing the demonic cultivator’s “kind” teasing, Shen Junyu offered no response. He simply retrieved a set of Yuheng Sect inner disciple robes from his storage ring and tossed them to the demon.

The demonic cultivator was clever; he instantly understood Shen Junyu’s intent. He immediately altered his appearance and donned the robes.

Together, the human and the demon walked directly toward the heavily guarded treasure cave.

A few Sword Sect disciples were chatting at the entrance, their conversation occasionally touching upon the “love-hate entanglements” between Yuan Muzhou, Shen Junyu, and Shen Siyuan.

Suddenly, Shen Junyu appeared before them, accompanied by a “Yuheng Sect disciple.”

The atmosphere fell into an awkward silence. The Sword Sect disciples, feeling a sense of guilty conscience, did not dare to speak first.

Finally, the leading disciple looked at Shen Junyu and his companion. After a long hesitation, he asked, “Eldest Young Master Shen, why are you here? Did our Young Sect Master tell you the location of this treasure cave?”

Shen Junyu’s expression was calm and composed. “That is correct. He told me. May we enter?”

Shen Junyu was not lying. The locations of the treasure caves in these secret realms were indeed shared with him in his past life by Yuan Muzhou, back when Yuan Muzhou had asked him to assist with internal affairs after their marriage.

The lead disciple felt somewhat relieved upon hearing this. He nodded but added, “Then please present our Young Sect Master’s written authorization. Once I have verified it, I will grant you entry immediately.”

Shen Junyu paused for a heartbeat. “He did not give me a letter.”

The disciple’s mouth twitched. He looked extremely conflicted. “This is…”

He could guess that Yuan Muzhou likely intended to bring Shen Junyu here personally and thus had not bothered with a letter. But with the accident involving Shen Siyuan, everything had been thrown into chaos. Without written authorization, he did not dare let Shen Junyu in. If something went wrong, he could not bear the responsibility.

The situation reached a stalemate.

Seeing the disciple’s troubled expression, Shen Junyu’s eyes shifted slightly. He cast a discreet glance at the demonic cultivator.

Understanding the signal, the demonic cultivator stepped forward, his palm already quietly gathering a swirl of black-red demonic energy.

Suddenly, a fawning voice rang out.

“Senior Brother Liang, you are being far too rigid. Would Eldest Young Master Shen truly deceive us?”

“Our Young Sect Master left the secret realm in a hurry due to an emergency. If he were here, he would surely have escorted Eldest Young Master Shen inside himself. Why would he need a letter?”

The demonic cultivator’s eyebrows twitched. He quietly dispelled the energy in his palm and watched this disciple’s performance. If they could enter peacefully, why waste time fighting?

Seeing that no one objected, the disciple smiled further. “Besides, Eldest Young Master Shen will eventually be family to our Young Sect Master. What does it matter if the Young Sect Master is not here right now? Our two sects have always been close. If Senior Brother Liang refuses this small favor, are you not intentionally creating a rift between our sects?”

Once these words were spoken, the others felt he had a point. Even Senior Brother Liang finally relented. “Junior Brother is right. I was being too rigid.”

“In that case, please, enter.”

The demonic cultivator’s lips curled into a slight smile. A pleasant surprise, indeed.

However, when the demonic cultivator glanced back at Shen Junyu, he noticed that Shen Junyu was staring at the disciple who had spoken up for him with an exceptionally cold, even somewhat obscure, gaze.

The demonic cultivator was startled. It was the first time he had seen Shen Junyu show such an expression toward a mere nobody.

Before he could look closer, Shen Junyu withdrew his gaze and said to Senior Brother Liang, “Thank you.”

With that, Shen Junyu walked straight into the treasure cave. The demonic cultivator hesitated for a split second before following.

The secret passage of the treasure cave was long, carved entirely by hand, winding toward a distant spring pool overflowing with spiritual energy.

Over the years, the great opportunities in various secret realms those that could regenerate or could not be moved—had been monopolized by the major sects. Once a disciple found such a boon, they would report it, and the sect would mark it on maps and send guards to prevent outsiders from entering.

Over time, the chances for rogue cultivators to succeed grew slimmer. Most cultivators fought desperately to join a major sect, and once inside, used every means necessary to climb the ladder.

The disciple who had spoken so flatteringly earlier was one such person—a former rogue cultivator who had sought protection under the Sword Sect and managed to become an outer disciple.

But that was not why Shen Junyu had looked at him that way.

Shen Junyu remembered that in his past life, when he had first moved into the Cloud Mist Pavilion, that disciple had been assigned there as his guard. At first, the man had been just as he was now—adept at sweet-talking and comforting him. Shen Junyu had even helped him secure many resources.

But on the night before his rebirth, it was that same disciple who told him he should give up the position of Yuan Muzhou’s Dao companion to Shen Siyuan. He had said that if Shen Junyu died, the true lovers could finally be together, and that Shen Junyu would eventually face retribution anyway.

What irony.

“We are here.”

The demonic cultivator’s words pulled Shen Junyu back from the rain-soaked memories to reality. Shen Junyu reflexively looked back.

Their eyes met. The demonic cultivator raised an eyebrow and gave a slight smile.

Shen Junyu’s long lashes fluttered as he looked away, walking straight toward the spiritual spring pool. The demonic cultivator followed silently.

The pool was built atop a volcano, shrouded in mist with exquisite scenery. The spiritual energy in the water emitted a faint glow, nearly condensing into a solid form. If one could soak in it for a few days, their cultivation would advance by leaps and bounds.

Usually, Sword Sect disciples entered in shifts based on status and seniority. Allowing Shen Junyu and the demonic cultivator to be alone here was a major exception.

However, Shen Junyu showed no intention of undressing. He stared at the center of the bubbling water for a moment, then slowly drew the Phoenix Feather Sword from his waist.

The demonic cultivator frowned, confused by the action, but asked nothing.

The next second, Shen Junyu swung his sword. A golden arc, like a phoenix, struck down, violently piercing through the entire spring pool!

The earth shook. The entire pool was split in half. Water surged, rocks flew, and the treasure cave began to tremble violently.

The demonic cultivator was shocked. He leaped into the air to avoid the rushing water while watching Shen Junyu swim against the current, parting the water to dive into the exploding eye of the spring.

Before the demonic cultivator could recover from the chaos, a white-clad figure burst forth from the waves.

Shen Junyu’s black hair was loose. He held his sword as he stood in mid-air, soaked to the bone. In his palm, he held a stone radiating a verdant green light.

The source of the spiritual spring—the Spring-Surge Stone.

The demonic cultivator looked up at the figure in white. His expression was incredibly complex—there was a spark of burning admiration, but also a lack of understanding.

Chaos erupted outside the cave as sword energy and spiritual light flew in. Hearing the noise, Shen Junyu looked down at the demonic cultivator and said calmly, “Let us go.”

The demonic cultivator raised an eyebrow, leaped up, and followed Shen Junyu.

The Sword Sect disciples rushed in, only to be stunned by the scene. They likely never expected Shen Junyu to be so reckless—to split the spring and take the stone was not just an act of greed, but a direct provocation of the Sword Sect’s authority!

How did he dare? Or had he been possessed?

Regardless, the spring was destroyed. If they did not catch him, they could not report back. The disciples roared and lunged at Shen Junyu.

Though their strength was decent, they were no match for Shen Junyu, who carried the experience of a second life. Sword light flashed, and the disciples were quickly defeated.

Shen Junyu only intended to take the treasure, not to kill. As they chased him, he merely used enough force to knock them down or unconscious.

As the majority were driven back, Shen Junyu caught a glimpse of the disciple who had once been his guard. The man was quietly retrieving a Thunder-Fire Bomb, preparing to sneak attack him from behind.

Shen Junyu’s eyes turned cold as he began to turn his blade.

But before he could strike, a lithe, tall figure leaped into the air. The demonic cultivator delivered a direct, powerful kick to the sneak attacker’s chest.

A thick layer of black-red demonic energy swirled around the demonic cultivator’s black boots. The kick was heavy. The disciple didn’t even have time to scream before crashing into the rock wall, coughing blood as he fell. His chest was caved in; his dantian and bones were clearly shattered.

It happened too fast. By the time Shen Junyu reacted, the disciple was unconscious.

The remaining disciples were terrified. They turned their swords and fled frantically, not daring to pursue further.

On the summit of the broken spiritual spring mountain, only Shen Junyu and the demonic cultivator remained.

Shen Junyu glanced at the bloody, unmoving disciple on the rocks, then looked at the demonic cultivator.

Meeting Shen Junyu’s calm gaze—one devoid of any blame, the demonic cultivator raised an eyebrow and smiled. “To kill the chicken to warn the monkeys, one must be a bit brutal. We demonic cultivators have always been this way.”

“Eldest Young Master Shen won’t mind, will you?”

Shen Junyu looked at him for a long time. Then, he lowered his eyes and shook his head, a faint smile appearing.

“Not at all. On the contrary, I feel that my choice to turn toward demonic cultivation was indeed the right one.”

The atmosphere became uncharacteristically peaceful. Gazing at the faint smile on Shen Junyu’s perfect, jade-like profile under the sunlight, the demonic cultivator narrowed his eyes slightly.

Shen Junyu did not linger. He looked toward the distance and said, “There are a few more treasure caves. Let us finish this quickly before they have time to send word out.”

The demonic cultivator snapped out of his trance. He nodded. “Alright. Let’s go.”

Before the news of the changes in the secret realm could spread, Shen Du and Yun Suyi arrived at the Sword Sect.

For a day and a night, Yuan Muzhou had not left Shen Siyuan’s bedside. He continuously channeled spiritual energy to protect the boy’s fragile dantian and heart.

Initially, Shen Siyuan had cried out in pain, but seeing Yuan Muzhou’s devotion, he now simply watched him with beautiful, pale eyes. The affection in them was nearly overflowing.

Yuan Muzhou noticed the look. Though he did not respond to protect Shen Siyuan’s reputation, he felt a surge of guilt. He had not realized Shen Siyuan had loved him so early. If he had seen it clearly in his past life, perhaps they wouldn’t have missed so much.

Fortunately, in this life, he was awake and had the chance to make amends.

A disciple announced that the Sect Leader of the Yuheng Sect and his wife had arrived. Yuan Muzhou was startled, then spoke deeply, “Please, bring them in immediately!”

As the disciple left, Yuan Muzhou stood in silence. A spark of light finally appeared in his habitually cold and gloomy eyes. Over the last two days, he had found that many things in this life were much better than the last.

For example, the experts he contacted had responded quickly, offering help. Furthermore, in his past life, Shen Du and Yun Suyi had been in closed-door cultivation on a distant mountain, making them unreachable. By the time they returned a month later, it had been too late for Shen Junyu.

But in this life, they were not away. As Shen Siyuan’s blood relatives, their aid would be immense. With their arrival, Shen Siyuan’s injuries would surely take a turn for the better.