Chapter Nineteen: Still Alive

Everyone stared blankly at the scene before them. All the beasts on the mountain had been wiped out, and not only that—even the plants and grass atop the mountain had been reduced to ash by lightning. What kind of power could possibly accomplish such a feat?

Though they had no idea where Shen Qingyun had drawn such strength from, the fact that he could wield it meant, in the end, that he was stronger than any of them.

The black smoke had vanished without a trace.

At the summit, a massive pit had been blasted into the earth by the divine thunder.

They approached the edge and peered inside. Instantly, every face turned pale; they stumbled away in disarray, doubling over and retching. Only Shen Qingyun seemed utterly unmoved, as if he had long grown accustomed to such sights.

Within the pit stood a great cauldron, and inside it, nothing but churning crimson blood—and human limbs.

“So, this is the handiwork of a demon?” Shen Qingyun murmured to himself.

The disciples of Azure Cloud Sect gathered together at a distance, keeping far from the pit, not daring even to glance in its direction.

“Since the demon has disappeared, why don’t we just take the cauldron back as proof of our task?” After a long silence, Fang Qiyang, who had barely spoken, finally raised his head and spoke in a placid tone.

This time, no one immediately agreed. Instead, everyone hesitated. The contents of the cauldron were simply more than they could stomach.

“Senior Brother Fang speaks sense. The mission differed from what the sect had told us. We’ve accomplished more than enough. The cauldron can serve as proof of our success,” Zhou Weiqing said after a brief pause. “Or perhaps the sect misjudged the situation, and we’ve exceeded expectations.”

The group exchanged uncertain glances. The words made sense, but the problem remained: who would retrieve the cauldron?

Each of them had someone in mind, but none wished to say it aloud for fear of losing face.

Fang Qiyang had no such reservations. To him, everything Shen Qingyun had done was only natural.

“Junior Brother Shen, I’ll trouble you to fetch the cauldron,” Fang Qiyang said, turning to Shen Qingyun, who had not once joined their discussion.

Shen Qingyun glanced at him with a look that made his meaning plain: “Are you an idiot?”

Fang Qiyang’s expression stiffened, then contorted into a forced smile. “What do you mean by that, Junior Brother Shen?”

Shen Qingyun crossed his arms. “Nothing much. I just want to ask—do you have any brains at all?”

“You—!” Fang Qiyang’s anger boiled over at being so insulted before everyone.

Don’t think that just because you saved us, you can disrespect me. That’s not something you can rely on!

Shen Qingyun ignored whatever retort he might have had, letting out a cold laugh. “A brain is only useful if you use it. But you, perhaps, don’t have one to use.”

“Do you know why that demon seized the common folk and threw them into this cauldron?”

“Do you know why the demon went to such lengths to trap you all with a formation?”

A series of questions left Fang Qiyang speechless. He swallowed his outrage and replied coldly, “Then why don’t you tell us?”

“I said you had no brains, and it’s true,” Shen Qingyun scoffed.

“I once read that humans are favored by the heavens, born with spirit and intelligence. We are smarter than any other race. Yet when other races possess intelligence to rival humans, they don’t stop there—they continue to seek ways to grow more clever, to survive better in this world.”

“Compared to humans, they know all the more how precious intelligence truly is.”

“What are you driving at?” Fang Qiyang’s face darkened. Was this not just a veiled insult?

“Nothing else.” You know it yourself.

Shen Qingyun gave him a sidelong glance and continued, “The demon was supposedly at the Spirit Aspect level—yet it relied on a formation to keep you all trapped. Did you never wonder why?”

At this, the group fell into thoughtful silence.

“You mean to say, Young Master Shen, that the demon never had the power of the Spirit Aspect realm?” Qiao Xinran asked.

“Exactly.” Shen Qingyun looked at her approvingly. “Think about it—if you had such power, would you go to so much trouble just to catch a handful of Foundation Establishment cultivators?”

Wouldn’t it be easier to just act directly?

“If something so simple required such effort, it could only be for the sake of the ‘demon’ it spoke of, or for some other purpose.”

“We need not dwell on its precise intentions.”

“Do you all understand what I’m saying?” Shen Qingyun asked.

At his words, realization dawned across their faces. Indeed, if the demon truly had such power, would it have bothered with all this talk?

Their respect for Shen Qingyun’s insight deepened.

“But even so, the demon’s been slain,” Fang Qiyang said coolly. “What use are your suppositions now?”

“When did I ever say I killed the demon?” Shen Qingyun replied with a mocking smile, looking at Fang Qiyang as if he were a fool.

A sudden tension swept through the group. They felt a chill creep along their spines. For a long moment, only the cold wind stirred. At last, reassured by the absence of any further disturbance, they allowed themselves to relax.

“Junior Brother Shen, you jest. We all saw with our own eyes the divine thunder you summoned, obliterating it completely,” Wu Qing said with a laugh.

Shen Qingyun shook his head and addressed Qiao Xinran and Qiao Xinyu, “In the cultivation world, the last thing you should trust is your eyes.”

The sisters’ expressions grew solemn, understanding that Shen Qingyun was teaching them a lesson.

He then strode toward the pit, glancing over his shoulder in challenge. “Still dare to come closer?”

Everyone present was proud to the bone, and valued their dignity above all. Without thinking, stung by Shen Qingyun’s words, they stepped forward before their minds had even caught up.

As Fang Qiyang drew near, Shen Qingyun suddenly snatched the sword from his hand—his Sky-Piercing Halberd was no longer usable.

“What are you doing!” Fang Qiyang shouted in outrage at the loss of his sword.

Shen Qingyun paid him no mind. Channeling spiritual energy, he sent a blade of sword light slashing at the base of the cauldron.

The strike exploded into the ground, sending shards of rock flying. With one of its legs severed, the cauldron tilted, spilling its gruesome contents—blood and severed limbs—onto the earth.

At the sight, the disciples’ stomachs churned once more.

Shen Qingyun remained calm. “If you wish to keep hiding, my next strike will not be a warning.”

No sooner had he spoken than a strange, shrill cackle rose from beneath the cauldron: “Ke ke ke, I never expected—never imagined that one so young could be so shrewd!”