I Reborn on the Night I Divorced the Sword Deity, My Childhood Friend - Chapter 9

Two hours later, the human and the demon arrived at the secret realm’s exit. As expected, they saw a group of disciples from various major sects gathered before the teleportation array, their expressions grave as they whispered among themselves.

“Our Sword Sect suffered the greatest loss. The spiritual spring is gone, and several herb gardens have been cleared. Has Young Sect Master Shen truly been possessed by a demonic cultivator?” one asked. Another replied, “I suspect as much. Perhaps he was possessed long ago. Otherwise, why would he not lift a finger to help Young Master Shen when the accident happened?” A third added, “What do we do now? Should we leave and report to the sects? But if we leave now, not only will we be punished by the elders, we will lose our chance at the remaining opportunities here.”

“Exactly,” another disciple agreed. “If we leave first, will the treasures in this realm not fall into the hands of those rogue cultivators? These resources were discovered by our major sects. it would be a pity to let them have the advantage.”

As they spoke, Shen Junyu stood far off in the sky, silent and calm. Beside him, the demonic cultivator let out a cold laugh. “Treasures are born of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. They belong to those who find them. These so-called great sects have used their might to hoard everything for years, yet they truly believe these wonders are their private property. How laughable.” Realizing his words might be too broad, the demon’s brow twitched. He remembered Shen Junyu also hailed from a prestigious sect and he had inadvertently insulted him as well.

To his surprise, Shen Junyu offered no objection. Instead, he nodded. “You are right.” The demonic cultivator fell silent, casting a quiet glance at Shen Junyu. “Moreover,” Shen Junyu added with a faint smile, “I am about to become a demonic cultivator myself. Why should I care about such things?” He turned his gaze back to the demon, who had not yet fully processed the statement. “Shall we move?” Gazing into Shen Junyu’s clear, ice-like eyes, the demonic cultivator paused for a moment before his lips curled upward. “Let’s go.”

The disciples of the major sects were still hesitating, torn between reporting the news or staying for loot. Before they could reach a consensus, a golden sword light resembling a rainbow crashed down from the sky with a thunderous boom, striking the ground right in front of the teleportation array. The disciples were horrified. In the next second, a figure in flowing white robes descended, hovering gracefully before the array. Refined and elegant, with gentle features, it was the very person they had been discussing: the suspected possessed Shen Junyu.

At the sight of him, the disciples turned pale and tried to flee. With Yuan Muzhou gone, Shen Junyu was the highest-ranking cultivator in the realm, not to mention he was armed with stolen treasures. There was no way to win. Shen Junyu gave a light smirk. He pinched a sword seal with his left hand and swung the Phoenix Feather Sword. Dozens of sword energy rays fell like a dense rain, kicking up clouds of dust and blocking the disciples’ retreat.

Trapped, the terrified disciples quickly changed direction, mounting their dharma treasures to flee down a side path. However, in an instant, a swirl of black-red demonic energy billowed forth. It materialized into a human form atop a cliff overlooking the path. With one hand, he summoned a longbow made of energy. With the other, he notched a Red Flame Arrow, aiming directly down at the fleeing crowd. The wind caught the demonic cultivator’s ink-black hair, making it dance wildly. Beneath the silver mask, his dark eyes narrowed lazily. “Keep running. I dare you.”

The crowd went still. Encountering Shen Junyu was bad luck; seeing this demon was pure despair. The demonic cultivator smiled with satisfaction, then tilted his chin toward Shen Junyu. The disciples looked at each other, confused. The demon clicked his tongue impatiently. “Get over there.” Though confused and terrified, they felt the demon was far more cruel, so they shuffled back toward Shen Junyu.

Half an hour later, the disheveled disciples stood in a long line at the exit, tearfully handing over their storage rings. In truth, if they had fought together with all their might, they might have stood a chance. But these disciples of famous sects valued their lives too much. None wanted to risk injury or death. This lack of unity made them no threat at all. Shen Junyu understood this weakness well, which was why he had agreed to the demon’s plan to block the exit.

The demonic cultivator finished counting the rings and tossed them all to Shen Junyu. “You pick first.” Shen Junyu did not stand on ceremony. He selected the treasures that directly boosted spiritual power and left the dharma tools, charms, and pills to the demon. This accounted for more than 70% of the haul. The disciples watched this exchange, their mouths twitching. They were now certain Shen Junyu had been possessed. Why else would he be in league with the demon who stabbed his own brother?

They harbored deep resentment, vowing to report these two devils to their sects the moment they escaped. They were sure that once the major sects combined forces, these two would not survive. Shen Junyu finished clearing out the rings. He looked at the disciples huddled in a circle and noted, “Not everyone is here.”

“Oh?” the demon asked.

“Three Golden Core and ten Foundation Establishment disciples from the Sword Sect are missing,” Shen Junyu recited calmly. “Two Golden Core and five Foundation Establishment from the Yuheng Sect are also out there. Along with dozens from other sects and twenty rogue cultivators.” His precise knowledge sent a shiver through the captives. Had their sects’ internal information been leaked so thoroughly? Was the demonic realm truly this powerful?

The demonic cultivator found their expressions amusing, but he was genuinely curious about Shen Junyu’s mindset. Others thought he was possessed, but the demon knew better. “Since that is the case,” the demon suggested, going even further, “why do we not wait for the rest to arrive and sweep them all up at once? We have hostages now, which makes things easier. What do you think?” He watched Shen Junyu’s face closely. Shen Junyu smiled faintly and nodded. “Excellently put. I was thinking the same thing.”

While the hostages despaired, the demonic cultivator used a few drops of demonic blood to lay down a Mystic-rank restriction array around them. As the disciples watched in fear, Shen Junyu picked up a fallen branch. With slow, elegant movements, he began to make slight adjustments to the array. Every stroke was incredibly effective. Within moments, the array glowed with brilliant light, its aura surging. With just a few modifications, Shen Junyu had upgraded the array from Mystic-rank to Earth-rank.

The captives, who had been able to move somewhat freely before, now felt a crushing pressure from all sides. It became difficult to even breathe. The demonic cultivator was astonished. “You have researched the art of array raising?” Shen Junyu dropped the branch. “I know a little.” In his past life, he had learned much in the Sword Sect’s library. If he had his former cultivation level, he could even lay a Heaven-rank array. For now, he chose to keep his hidden talents quiet.

A quiet voice suddenly echoed in the demonic cultivator’s ear. “While no one is coming, I intend to try the demonic cultivation technique you gave me. Can you protect me while I meditate?” The demon snapped back to reality, looking at Shen Junyu with a subtle expression. Seeing the unshielded trust in those light brown eyes, he smiled. “Go on. I have got this.”

Inside a nearby cave, Shen Junyu sat cross-legged on a clean stone platform. He pulled out the demonic manual, which was a brief but exquisite text of barely a thousand words. He trusted the demon because their cooperation benefited both. There was no reason for a betrayal. Besides, if a fight broke out, Shen Junyu was confident he could hold his own.

He closed his eyes and began to cultivate. Being a natural genius, he soon felt a trace of cool, ethereal demonic energy gathering in his dantian. To turn from a human to a demonic cultivator, one must convert all spiritual energy into demonic energy. It required turning a Golden Core into a Demonic Core. As the first trace of demonic energy touched his core, the mark on his chest suddenly burned white-hot. It felt like a branding iron, sharp and excruciating.

Shen Junyu gasped and snapped his eyes open. He pulled open his collar to check the mark. Beneath his collarbone, the red, eye-shaped mark was pulsing with a faint, mocking light against his white skin. It was a warning.

He reached out to touch it, his face like stone. But as his finger brushed the mark, a familiar voice echoed in the cave. “Are you alright?” Shen Junyu froze.

He quietly pulled his robes shut, covering his chest. “I am fine.”

But as he looked up, he met the demonic cultivator’s dark, steady gaze. The man had clearly seen everything. A brief silence fell. Shen Junyu remained silent, his lips pursed. The demonic cultivator raised an eyebrow slowly. “Is your chest injured?”