Chapter 25: Examination
The wind howled as it swept past the towering cliff edge.
As the sound faded, the tense atmosphere instantly relaxed.
The Eldest Young Master had actually rushed back from Ancient Abyss.
With the Eldest Young Master's command, those present naturally had no reason to continue playing house with the Third Young Master here.
Three of the four figures hovering in mid-air instantly vanished, leaving only the woman called Ying'er standing in place.
After a moment of silence, Ying'er stared at the blood-colored figure standing at the cave entrance and softly said, "Third Young Master, please come with me. The Eldest Young Master is waiting for you at the mountaintop."
"..."
Xu Yuan didn't immediately lower the hand touching his neck. Still watching the figure hovering mid-air, he called out.
"Heroine Ran, we can go now."
"..."
Hearing his voice, Ran Qingmo walked out of the cave step by step, silently taking her sword and standing beside him.
The sudden sunlight outside the cave made her eyes struggle to adjust.
She closed her eyes, then opened them.
In the brilliant sunlight, endless clouds rolled with the wind, making the world seem boundless, yet she could clearly see the man standing beside her.
Her beautiful eyes lowered slightly as she murmured, "I'm leaving."
"Mm, take care of yourself."
Xu Yuan glanced sideways, his voice calm. "My offer still stands. You can find me in Jingjiang City if you change your mind."
His words referred to the cooperation he had proposed to her back in the Buddhist temple.
Ran Qingmo's red lips parted slightly, but she merely nodded after several seconds of silence.
"Very well."
As her words fell, Ran Qingmo turned away, forming invisible footholds by using Frozen Cloud Steps beneath her feet, stepping onto them with light footsteps.
"Oh, by the way."
The sudden voice from behind made her pause.
Xu Yuan looked at her slender figure and said, "My name is Xu Yuan."
"..."
Ran Qingmo turned back to look at the man behind her, her gaze showing a hint of surprise.
His eyes curved in a gentle smile as he repeated, "I said, my name is Xu Yuan."
"..."
Her laconic response was just like when they first met. "...Mm. Okay. I'll remember that."
Clad in ink-black robes, she departed. A few leaps carried her through the air, and she swiftly dwindled to a black speck, vanishing over the horizon.
Only after watching her completely disappear did Xu Yuan slowly remove his hand from his neck.
Now he had repaid the debt he owed to Ran Qingmo.
Turning to look at Ying'er hovering in the air, Xu Yuan spoke in a flat voice, "Take me up."
The clouds before his eyes continued to roll forward until they suddenly cleared, revealing the azure sky.
In a daze, Xu Yuan had already been brought back to the top of Suspended Heaven Cliff by the masked Ying'er.
He was about to face Xu Changged but his mind was rather calm since he had already inherited the original Xu Yuan’s memories brought by the Blood Origin Heart Extinction Technique.
His identity as Xu Changtian was now unshakeable.
After bringing Xu Yuan up, Ying'er didn't say another word, simply walking ahead on her own.
Following her silhouette, Xu Yuan's black pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints.
At the mountain peak, he actually saw another enormous Seven Lives Python head.
The reason he thought "another" was because, compared to Ji Qingyue, the seven lotus flowers on this python’s head had all fully bloomed, and a huge dark green horn protruded from the top of the python's head.
Xu Yuan stared at it for a long time before finally confirming the identity of this python head.
Great, another female lead just got chopped down by Xu Changge.
Judging by its features, this python head should belong to Ji Qingyue's sister, Ji Fenghua.
The plot of Ancient Origin had barely begun, yet the princess sisters of the snake demon clan in Ancient Abyss had been completely wiped out.
The Xu Xian storyline he had played through in Ancient Origin was now completely gone.
(TL Note: Xu Xian is the protagonist of an old Chinese story, the husband of Madam White Snake. It’s a story of how a scholar fell in love with a snake demon.)
But this fleeting complaint was quickly replaced by the gravity of the situation. The deaths of two major female leads meant the butterfly effect he'd caused was already sending the plot of Ancient Origin spiraling out of control.
The future was becoming increasingly unpredictable.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Xu Yuan began to look around again.
Finally, His gaze naturally fell upon a man with a handsome face.
Xu Changge.
He sat quietly beneath Ji Fenghua's massive python head.
Dressed in blue robes with dark cloud-patterned sleeves, his skin had a subtle luminous quality, his deep eyes as unfathomable as a cold pool, and his long hair flowing slightly with the mountain breeze.
Just sitting there, he made others feel a sense of inferiority.
Some people were born to be like the moon in the night sky—gentle yet not dazzling, but still making others aware of their own insignificance.
But at this moment, none of this mattered to Xu Yuan.
What mattered was...
Why is this man holding a long and thick vine whip in his hand right now?
Recalling memories of the original Xu Changtian, an ominous feeling bloomed in Xu Yuan's chest. He immediately called out like the original owner did.
"Xu Changge, I'm warning you—"
Crack!
Before Xu Yuan could finish, the man opposite narrowed his eyes, and the vine in his hand instantly lashed out like a coiling snake toward Xu Yuan.
"..." Xu Yuan.
For fuck sake, what kind of brother is this? I’m twenty years old and he is still pulling this corporal punishment shit?
Xu Yuan hurriedly circulated his technique, channeling Yuan Qi into his eyes to see the whip's trajectory.
He dodged with a sidestep.
Crack!
The whip struck the ground next to him, immediately stirring up a cloud of dust.
As the vine retracted, Xu Yuan actually saw a deep whip mark left on the ground.
Glaring back, Xu Yuan shouted, "Xu Changge, are you for real?!"
Crack!
Xu Changge's face was calm as he lashed out with the second whip, his voice gentle and mellow. "If you think it's real, then real it is."
This time, the vine moved even faster, and Xu Yuan barely managed to dodge with all his might.
And this time, the whip mark on the ground had actually split a small rock at the edge of the cliff.
Seeing this scene, genuine anger flared in Xu Yuan. He opened his mouth to retort, but Xu Changge's third strike was already on its way.
Xu Yuan took a deep breath, extending his soul perception, and crimson Yuan Qi emerged from his hand, catching the incoming vine in mid-air.
The moment the crimson Yuan Qi appeared, Xu Changge's narrow eyes narrowed into slits.
As the crimson Yuan Qi flared from Xu Yuan's hand, blood-red flames ignited along the whip, racing up its length towards Xu Changge!
Yet Xu Changge remained seated, quietly waiting for the blood flame to reach the end, allowing this strange bloody flame to dance in his hand.
Looking at the flame, Xu Changge's deep eyes flashed with surprise before he casually pinched it, instantly dispersing the flame.
"This technique is quite good."
Xu Yuan's jaw dropped. He was about to say something, but Xu Changge stood up and waved his sleeve at him before he could speak.
Instantly, gusts of wind materialized from all directions, and Xu Yuan's body immediately became like a small boat in a violent storm at sea, uncontrollably flying toward Xu Changge.
Finally, he hovered suspended in the air two meters away from Xu Changge.
Xu Changge stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at him with a calm expression.
Xu Yuan struggled to speak but found that he couldn't move even a finger under Xu Changge's pressure.
Wordlessly, their gazes met.
After a while, Xu Yuan prudently looked away.
He had a nagging feeling that if this continued, his dear older brother might actually string him up for a proper beating.
As Xu Yuan's thoughts wandered, Xu Changge also shifted his gaze and spoke to someone nearby. "Master Juexing, would you please examine Changtian's condition?"
Hearing the name Juexing, Xu Yuan's scattered thoughts instantly focused, and his heart tightened.
Master Juexing was one of the few cultivators who could detect when a soul didn't match its body.
He says to check his body, but in reality, Xu Changge was questioning his identity.
Why? Was it because of his technique? Or because of his suicidal actions? But according to his memories, the original owner had also done such reckless things as threatening suicide before.
Before he could think further, a kind-faced monk slowly approached Xu Yuan as he hovered in mid-air.
He bowed slightly and pressed his palms together in a salute to Xu Yuan.
"Third Young Master, please forgive this poor monk's offense."
With a wave of his hand, a strange Yuan Qi invaded Xu Yuan's body from a distance.
This Yuan Qi didn't flow through the meridians, but moved along a strange path inside his body.
Although he knew that Juexing probably wouldn't detect anything, Xu Yuan still began using his technique to resist this invasion of Yuan Qi to better match the original owner’s personality.
The result was naturally futile, and this strange Yuan Qi still penetrated his body.
For a time, silence fell over the mountain peak.
As this strange Yuan Qi continued to permeate through Xu Yuan's body, Juexing's expression grew increasingly surprised.
And Xu Changge, seeing Juexing's expression, looked increasingly grim.
After a while,
Juexing slowly stepped back and bowed apologetically to Xu Yuan again.
Turning to look at Xu Changge, Juexing seemed hesitant to speak.
Xu Changge seemed braced for bad news. He took a deep breath, his voice was calm but tinged with coldness. "Master Juexing, you can speak freely about what you've found in Changtian."
As he spoke, he cast a sidelong glance at Xu Yuan suspended in mid-air.
Hearing the Eldest Young Master's tone, Juexing was momentarily startled, then immediately realized that his expression must have misled the Eldest Young Master. He hurriedly said, "Eldest Young Master, the Third Young Master's body is unharmed, it's just—"
Hearing "unharmed," something seemed to settle in Xu Changge's heart, and his eyes immediately softened as he asked, "Just what?"
Juexing glanced sideways at Xu Yuan hanging in mid-air, choosing his words carefully before speaking clearly.
"It's just that the Third Young Master, well..."
After hesitating for a long time, Juexing finally said somewhat uncertainly. "It seems that the Third Young Master has now possessed an Innate Dao Body."
"What?"
Hearing the word, Innate Dao Body, the usually composed gentleman Xu Changge finally showed a look of astonishment.
The next moment, Xu Yuan felt his body loosen and began falling toward the ground.
But before he hit the ground, a gentle wind supported him.
Then, an immense stream of azure Yuan Qi flooded his body like a flood.
The familiar feeling of invasion returned, and Xu Yuan no longer bothered to resist.
It feels like anyone can just probe around inside me with their Yuan Qi these days.
A moment later, the azure Yuan Qi withdrew.
Xu Changge stepped back, scrutinizing Xu Yuan up and down.
Xu Yuan's body had regained its freedom, and he stiffened his neck to stare back at his older brother, imitating the original body's tone, "Xu Changge, what are you looking at? Wait until my cultivation catches up to yours, and you're dead!"
Hearing this, the corner of Xu Changge's thin lips rose almost imperceptibly, as if he wanted to laugh but held it back.
Finally, he waved his sleeve and let out a cold snort. "With your useless skills? You got a little opportunity and your tail is wagging in the sky. Because of your idiotic behavior in Jingjiang City, Father had to mobilize such a large force to save you!
"...Forget it, talking to you is pointless. Ying'er! Bring me my whip!"