Chapter 142: The Lunatic of the Ninth Realm

Chu Huaixu, upon hearing this, looked at Han Shuangjiang, whose brows faintly arched, and smiled as he said:

"I was just spacing out. You wouldn’t really think I was staring at you, right?"

Heh, self-centered woman!

Alright then, though not bad-looking at all…..

Fine, fine, I’ll admit it—you really do fit my taste in beauty.

Big Ice Block, upon hearing this, couldn’t be bothered to deal with him and simply lowered her head to continue drinking.

【At this point, I hope readers can remember our domain: Taiwan Novels → 𝕥𝕨𝕜𝕒𝕟.𝕔𝕠𝕞】

Seeing that her cup was empty, Chu Huaixu refilled it for her.

"Peng一一!"From somewhere, fireworks suddenly flared into the sky.

During festivals, the Dao Gate was always lively beyond compare. Chances were, these fireworks across the heavens were officially released, just to add to the excitement.

Overall, Chu Huaixu felt the Dao Gate’s atmosphere was still quite worldly, more human than celestial.

Only, in such a way, one always felt that those high-ranking Dao Gate elders didn’t quite look the part of lofty figures.

The young girl sitting opposite him instantly turned her head toward the splendid fireworks in the sky. Her slightly hazy, wine-touched eyes lit up brightly in an instant.

At this moment, she appeared so vivid, though it was night, yet in the glow of the fireworks, she was dazzlingly radiant.

Clearly, these fireworks must have truly been released by the Dao Gate itself.

For they were far too grand.

But thinking about it, it made sense. With the Eastern Continent Grand Competition ongoing, and it being the Mid-Autumn Festival, plus so many foreign guests present, hosting a firework show was only natural.

"Peng—一!"

The entire firework display seemed to reach its cli-max at this very moment.

All kinds of gorgeous blossoms of light spread across the entire night sky!

Among them, one burst of fireworks was especially massive.

"Chu Huaixu, look quickly!"

After drinking, Han Shuangjiang was obviously livelier than usual.

But only just so—from a normally aloof person, she became more like an ordinary girl.

Yet when she turned her head, she realized the other was still smiling at her instead of watching the grandest of the fireworks.

And Dead Fox was truly wicked.

Just now, when he stared at her, he absolutely refused to admit it.

But this time, he showed himself utterly honest. There was the subtle tug-of-war between man and woman within this.

"Don’t look at me with such eyes. Fine, I admit it—I really am looking at you right now." He spoke with a smile all over his face.

At these words, Han Shuangjiang was momentarily stunned. Four eyes met, and a strange ripple stirred in her heart.

She swiftly turned her head away, pretending to continue admiring the fireworks.

But in truth, the corner of her eyes secretly kept stealing glances at Chu Huaixu, to see whether he was still watching her.

It was a very strange feeling.

If he was looking, she would feel somewhat nervous, even a little shy. Her long, jade legs beneath the table would tense slightly,

yet her toes would lightly tap against the ground.

But if he was not looking, she seemed to feel a slight disappointment.

Fortunately, Chu Huaixu still gazed with a smiling expression, using the purest of eyes to admire the beauty before him.

Many loved to use the phrase “fleeting as fireworks” to describe their beauty.

"Indeed, beautiful things are always short-lived."

But to him, the lively and spirited Big Ice Block after drinking—such a sight could not be seen in ordinary days.

On the other side, in the Inner Sect, at the Gentleman Temple.

Compared with the bustle outside, the Gentleman Temple seemed rather quiet.

Here, as the core of the Inner Sect, there were not many members.

Of the elder generation, only two remained, while Xiang Yan’s generation was busy with sect affairs.

Aside from them, there were only the youngest batch of True Disciples left.

At present, the number of True Disciples within the Gentleman Temple was indeed quite few.

After all, Shen Man and Chu Yinyin had taken no disciples, and the quotas of Nangong Yue and others were also not filled.

At this moment, Dao Gate’s Little Martial Uncle, Jiang Zhi, carried a jar of spiritual wine and pushed open a door he seldom touched.

Clearly, though he had known the one inside that courtyard the longest and shared the closest bond, he seldom went to visit.

Or rather, he did not dare to visit.

Among their generation of Gentleman Temple True Disciples, many practiced the sword, numbering nine in all.

These nine even cultivated a Sword Formation together, their cooperation seamless.

In their youth, they made a name for themselves, being jointly called the Nine Swords of the Dao Gate.

At that time, the Sword Fortune of Xuanhuang seemed to favor the Dao Gate.

Within the Gentleman Temple, the Way of the Sword flourished!

These nine sword cultivators utterly suppressed the Sword Sect, leaving them unable to lift their heads.

In that generation, among the【Four Great Divine Swords】, the Dao Gate claimed three!

Even the Sword Sovereign of the Sword Sect could only rank fourth. How glorious that was!

Now, the animosity between the Dao Gate and Sword Sect still carried remnants of that history.

The Sword Sect, thinking themselves strong again, naturally leapt out from time to time, wishing to reclaim their lost face.

As the youngest disciple of this Dao Gate generation, Jiang Zhi in his youth was no more reliable than Chu Yinyin.

Until the opening of the fifth layer of the Origin Spirit Realm, when the dream that haunted Jiang Zhi’s life came to pass.

The fifth layer of the Origin Spirit Realm was unlike the first four, which had almost no limit to numbers.

Yet this layer was special. The Heavenly Dao’s power within was exceedingly chaotic. Even ordinary cultivators of the Seventh Realm might explode and die within mere breaths upon entry!

Thus, unless one was as strong as Shen Man, the Eighth Realm was the true threshold to enter the fifth layer.

That night, Dao Gate’s experts all but emptied out, with nineteen going in total.

Of the Nine Swords of the Dao Gate, eight entered as well.

Only Jiang Zhi did not go, having been gravely injured while subduing demons during a descent from the mountain.

The final result was一一【Eight swords went, five returned】.

"Only the Fifth Sword一一Zhong Ming came back."

"The only one who returned, Fifth Senior Brother, turned into a lunatic."

"A….. lunatic of the Ninth Realm!"

"The other senior brothers and sisters—none came back."

No one had anticipated that this fifth layer would be so perilous!

Jiang Zhi, in his life, never wished to recall that night.

That Fifth Senior Brother, who had always been the gentlest, loved making pastries for everyone, had become so foolish and deranged.

As the youngest disciple, Jiang Zhi was always the most troublesome among their generation in the Gentleman Temple, often punished.

Yet even when punished, he never thought himself wrong, only sulking in anger.

Fifth Senior Brother would then make pastries for him.

However, that night, guarding the entrance to the【Origin Spirit Realm】, Jiang Zhi saw such a scene—

Fifth Senior Brother held in his hands a necessary item for ascending to the Ninth Realm一一【Fragment of Xuanhuang Origin】, a silly smile on his face, drool even at the corner of his lips.

Just like how he used to hand pastries to his Little Junior Brother, he kept laughing and repeating: "For you, for you, for you…."

Inside a refined little courtyard, Jiang Zhi, clad in white robes, sat before an old man with disheveled hair.

Where the old man sat, restrictions filled the space, formations carved into every corner.

On his limbs hung black iron rings.

These iron rings were inscribed with complicated, obscure runes that flickered with eerie light.

The four rings were not meant to bind the old man’s actions,

but only to prevent him from suddenly going mad again and harming himself.

Since emerging from the Origin Spirit Realm, Zhong Ming’s Sea of Consciousness had been gravely damaged, his divine sense severely impaired.

His mental world had collapsed.

Pill-refining grandmasters across the Xuanhuang Realm had examined him, but still no cure could be found.

"Fifth Senior Brother, today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. How about, instead of making Ding-sheng Pastries, you make mooncakes?" Jiang Zhi sat at the table, watching the old man busying himself.

But he turned a deaf ear, stubbornly continuing to make Ding-sheng Pastries.

The old man’s face always carried a faint smile. Compared to years ago, he was a bit better now—he no longer drooled as much.

Jiang Zhi poured himself wine as he took a few steps closer.

"Fifth Senior Brother, let me be honest with you. The pastries you’re making now… they’re really awful." he said.

The old man raised his eyes to glance at him, still the same as ever—either ignoring people entirely or repeating the last few words spoken.

He laughed loudly, but his hands never stopped moving, his mouth repeating over and over: "Awful! Awful! Awful!"

Jiang Zhi was helpless and could only let him be.

After all, no matter how bad the pastries tasted, he would still finish them.

He returned to the table and continued pouring spiritual wine for himself.

Drinking as he talked, he chattered endlessly, telling all the recent "strange events" that had happened within the sect to the old man, regardless of whether he understood.

Jiang Zhi spoke of Xu Ziqing, of Han Shuangjiang, and even mentioned Chu Huaixu.

He recounted the foolish things he and Li Chunsong had done as well, all telling them to Fifth Senior Brother.

He spoke of the sword on the mountain and also of what Chu Huaixu had carved upon the Gentleman’s Monument.

"Now, Xu Ziqing has already become a Sword Attendant. I passed down to him some secret techniques. That sword should be able to restrain him."

"However, its overall power may still have declined somewhat."

"As the Heaven’s Mandated One, he ought to shoulder this burden."

"As for that Chu Huaixu… well, I don’t particularly like him anyway. Perhaps Ninth Senior Sister… forget it, I won’t bring that up."

"Fifth Senior Brother, now that we have the Dao Ancestor’s Sword, I feel somewhat more at ease, able to calmly prepare for the fifth layer."

"I believe the first and second layers of the Origin Spirit Realm should pose no problem." He sounded as if reporting on duties.

But the old man, never stopping his hands, again began repeating the last words.

"Problem, problem, problem……"

Jiang Zhi smiled helplessly, shook his head, and kept drinking.

One cup after another, with large amounts of spiritual wine down his throat, his eyes gradually blurred, the drunkenness rising.

Yet after a while, the busy old man suddenly clutched his head with both hands, his face contorting in pain, expression becoming feral.

Zhong Ming, hair disheveled, seemed deranged. His eyes widened, and he shouted madly: "Fake! All fake!"

"Everything is fake, all of it fake!"

"No one died, no one died…"

"I died! It was I who died!"

Jiang Zhi hurriedly stood up, though he was somewhat used to such scenes by now.

A mighty oppressive aura spread from the old man.

The Ninth Realm spiritual power within him began to grow violent!

All the formations in the courtyard were instantly activated.

On his limbs, the black iron rings—the obscure runes upon them shone brighter and brighter.

They pressed down upon the old man, preventing him from doing anything extreme.

He was clearly a survivor of salvation, yet now he was forced to remain trapped in this "cage".

After about half an incense’s time, the old man gradually returned to calm. As if nothing had happened, he once again began smilingly making pastries.

Jiang Zhi let out a sigh, his eyes instead filled with endless sorrow.

For the other had gone mad, become foolish, while he remained painfully clear-headed.

He returned to the table, grabbing the spiritual wine and pouring it fiercely down his throat.

Soon, his gaze grew even hazier, drunkenness overtaking him.

"I didn’t want the【Fragment of Xuanhuang Origin】. Before you entered, I already said it—I didn’t care whether or not I entered the Ninth Realm."

It was as if he were conversing with his senior brothers and sisters, as if hearing their replies.

"Alright, alright, I admit—I overestimated myself. I know that helping me obtain【Xuanhuang Origin】was incidental. The main thing was that the Origin Spirit Realm must not be lost, that it had to hold back the arrival of the Great Calamity."

"But you couldn’t… you couldn’t… just leave only me and Fifth Senior Brother behind, could you?"

"The pastries he makes now are truly terrible. Too terrible, too terrible…"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the old man walked over with a small plate of Ding-sheng Pastries, placing it before him, his face full of expectation.

Jiang Zhi’s face stiffened. He picked them up and shoved them into his mouth. After chewing a few times, he gulped down spiritual wine to force them down his throat. Barely managing to finish it all, he only grew more drunk.

Yet the old man went off to make more.

"Fifth Senior Brother, enough! Truly enough!"

"I still have to gather with the juniors later, another meal to eat."

The old man paid him no heed, not responding at all.

Jiang Zhi shook his head, the drunkenness ever heavier.

Before his eyes, it seemed as if figures appeared one after another.

On this Mid-Autumn Festival day, naturally he too wished for reunion.

"With you all gone, how can I finish eating it all alone?" he gave a bitter smile.

"He always makes portions for twenty people…"

Before Jiang Zhi’s eyes appeared a delicate figure.

That lively girl he thought of day and night seemed to be pointing at him, laughing.

"Little Junior Brother, you used to fight to eat more. Now you can eat all you want! Hahaha!"

"Too terrible, too terrible…" Jiang Zhi, drunk, repeated the words, then gradually sank his head onto the table.

He buried his plain face into his arms, still mumbling nonstop.

"You’re all gone, only I and a lunatic remain."

"So now it’s left to me to become the Master of the Gentleman Temple."

"But you all knew how terrible my temper was."

"If you were all still here, and if Fifth Senior Brother had not gone mad, the Master’s seat should have been chosen from among First Senior Brother, Third Senior Sister, Fifth Senior Brother, or Sixth Senior Sister…"

"Xiang Yan has mentioned it to me many times."

"But I am his Martial Uncle. I said I won’t take it, and I won’t!"

"The position of Master—any of you would be more suited than me. More suited, more suited. I am not suited, not suited……" This Little Martial Uncle of the Dao Gate kept repeating, as if thoroughly drunk.

Once again, the old man placed a plate of Ding-sheng Pastries on the wooden table.

His face still wore that smile, as he once again habitually repeated the last words of others.

Zhong Ming looked at his Little Junior Brother with a laugh, pointing at him as he said nonstop:

"Suited, suited, suited!"

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