The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 92: This Seat Returns to Butterfly Town

These words stunned everyone present.

Especially the disciples of Jade Pool Manor, their expressions changed drastically as if struck by lightning!

In the world of cultivation, third-rate sorcerers memorize incantations, second-rate sorcerers comprehend them, and first-rate sorcerers modify them.

But there was another kind of person who didn't fit into any of these categories. They were often out of reach, having already comprehended without memorization and not content with modification. Instead, they had grasped the final step:

Creation.

Some might excel in crafting unique immortal pills, others in forging peerless weapons and armor, or even drawing unprecedented spirit charm diagrams. All such accomplishments were what made them masters.

For junior cultivators in immortal sects, these masters often existed only as signatures on scrolls or crests on treasured spiritual artifacts. The young disciples of Jade Pool Manor never imagined that the person they had foolishly attempted to seize and bring to Heavenly Sound Pavilion for punishment was such an awe-inspiring deity-like figure.

Cold sweat had already drenched Li Wuxin's forehead, but as the head of the manor, he had to hold his ground. He forced a smile, his waxen, yellow face glistening with a layer of oil.

"I didn't expect such a coincidence. The Ten Thousand Waves Returning Tide was actually created by a master. Well... ha ha, I truly misunderstood Master Chu. However, during my encounter with Luo Xianxian's vengeful spirit in Butterfly Town, I obtained another item. It remains to be seen if this has any connection to Master Chu."

Chu Wanning frowned. "What is it?"

Li Wuxin waved his hand, and "Truly Clever" promptly brought over a brocaded box.

"It's a weapon."

Chu Wanning didn't say anything, only gazing at the box. After a moment, he suddenly said, "Is it a willow vine?"

"!!"

This time, not just the others, even Mo Ran was staring wide-eyed in disbelief.

Li Wuxin stammered, "H-How do you know—Could it really be you? No... What's going on here!?"

A golden light flared in Chu Wanning's palm, spreading inch by inch and coiling around the ground. As the glow softened, a willow branch with unfurled leaves appeared before everyone.

Chu Wanning, however, remained unperturbed. He was now certain that the incident in Caidie Town must have been the work of the same person behind "Golden Lake" and " Peach Blossom Spring." Thus, he said, "Village Chief Li, what's inside this box is indeed the weapon, right?"

"Yes, y-yes," Li Wuxin nearly stuttered.

The brocaded box was opened, and inside was indeed a bundle of identical vine tendrils.

Chu Wanning narrowed his eyes.

Back in Peach Blossom Spring, the "Ghost-Seeing" sword that had killed the Feathered and framed Mo Ran had already aroused his suspicion. Now it seemed his intuition had been correct.

"Lord Li," Chu Wanning asked, "may I examine this willow vine?"

Li Wuxin pondered for a moment. He privately assessed the unfavorable situation and decided it would be unwise to further offend Chu Wanning. "Master Chu, you're too courteous. I came here only to inquire about the circumstances. If you wish to examine it closely, I'd be delighted, not obstructive."

Upon hearing this, Young Master Chang grew indignant. He had spared no expense in hiring Biotan Villa to support him and help him regain his dignity. But now, with the situation turning sour, it seemed this old fellow was about to switch sides?

He shot Li Wuxin several warning glances and glared at him fiercely.

Li Wuxin, however, had no intention of responding. Mo Ran, standing nearby, observed the exchange clearly and teasingly commented, "Young Master Chang, is there something wrong with your eyes? Why are you squinting so much?"

Meanwhile, Chu Wanning took the willow vine from the box and scrutinized it meticulously.

True to his expectations, though the vine resembled both the "Heavenly Inquiry" and the "Ghost-Seeing" swords in appearance, its aura was incredibly faint. Unlike divine weapons that acknowledged their masters, this was clearly an "inanimate object."

"Plucking Heart Willow..."

Xue Meng, with his keen ears, perked up at the mention of these words. "What?"

"Both this branch and the one used to kill the Feathered in Peach Blossom Paradise were taken from the Plucking Heart Willow," Chu Wanning explained.

"AH!" Shi Mo exclaimed in surprise. "So that's how it is?"

"In Golden Success Lake, the old dragon mentioned before his death that an illusionary Gouchen's spell required a powerful Wood Spirit as its sustenance. Presumably, before the lake's destruction, he left behind several segments of divine willow. Even though the divine wood lost strength after falling, it could still maintain its power for some time."

Chu Wanning's slender fingers traced the glistening golden leaves.

"And for those that had exhausted their spiritual energy, he didn't waste them either. He'd use them to frame others or give them to his puppet minions as weapons."

As he spoke, a flame suddenly appeared in his hand, reaching out to ignite the willow vine resembling "Heavenly Question." The fire immediately ignited, reflecting in the frightened or bewildered eyes of the onlookers.

"This object is not my weapon," Chu Wanning extinguished the fire after burning a bit of the branch, casually tossing the vine away. "Heavenly Question is brimming with spiritual energy. Ordinary fire spells, let alone the Three Flames True Fire, wouldn't be able to harm it."

Li Wuxin opened his mouth, then closed it, only to reopen it after a moment, unwilling to accept the explanation.

"I've heard whispers about the incident in Peach Blossom Land, that Young Master Mo of the Summit of Life and Death mistakenly killed a Feathered Immortal," said Xue Zhengyong.

"Oh, I assure you, I didn't commit such a deed," Mo Ran waved his hands dismissively.

Xue Zhengyong's expression darkened, his stance unwavering. "I have already explained this to the other immortal sects – it was not my nephew who did it. Lord Li, if you persist, do not blame me for being rude."

Seeing this reaction, something stirred within Mo Ran, and he froze for a moment. A hidden depth seemed to pass through his usually smiling eyes. He muttered, "Uncle..."

Chu Wanning interjected, "There were indeed misunderstandings and conspiracies surrounding the Peach Blossom Land incident. At the time, I was unable to defend my disciple. But since you have come seeking answers, I am willing to recount the entire story to the guests of Lotus Pond Manor."

Amidst flickering lamplight, Chu Wanning condensed the story of Jin Chengchi and the Peach Blossom Spring into a concise narrative. When he finished, the disciples of Azure Lake Manor were left with their jaws dropped. Li Wuxin, in particular, was drenched in sweat, stammering for a moment before reluctantly asking, "Grandmaster Chu means that there is someone in this world who has almost mastered one of the three forbidden techniques, the 'Jeweled Chess Game'?"

"Indeed."

"How is that possible? That's a forbidden technique! Not even the leader of the largest sect in the world, the Confucian Wind Sect, could obtain a scroll containing such a technique!"

Chu Wanning replied, "My words are not empty. Whether or not you choose to believe them is up to you."

"It's impossible," Li Wuxin said, his face pale as he laughed shakily, as if by treating it as a joke, he could convince himself otherwise. "If someone truly mastered the Jeweled Chess Game, wouldn't the world fall into chaos? Wouldn't everything in the cultivation realms be rewritten?"

As the Transcendent Immortal Emperor from his previous life, Mo Ran was somewhat displeased. "That fellow only knows how, not that he's proficient. If he were truly an expert, would this world still be at peace as it is now?"

Li Wuxin's long beard quivered as he prepared to speak, but suddenly a flash of sword light darted across the entrance. A blood-soaked disciple of the Biotao Manor tumbled off their flying sword, vomiting a gush of scarlet before raising their tear-streaked face towards Li Wuxin and crying out, "Master Li, it's terrible! The barrier you set up above Caide Town has been breached! Evil spirits have surged forth, and our senior brothers have used their very flesh and blood to erect a temporary barrier, managing to keep the malevolent ghosts within from escaping. But...all thirty of our Biotao Manor senior brothers guarding the boundary have perished. I alone survived, coming to deliver this dire news..."

He took a few deep breaths before suddenly breaking into an uncontrollable howl.

"Lords of the Estate! Haste to ignite the signal beacons and alert all sects in the Upper Immortal Realm! Every deceased soul within that township has been ensnared and manipulated by forbidden arts, yes, forbidden arts!"

"What?!?"

Li Wuxin stumbled backward, colliding with a wall pillar. His entire being appeared as pale and withered as a corpse freshly risen from its coffin.

"We cannot hold on alone...," the disciple's face, streaked with blood mingled by tears, streamed with snot and tears as he cried out, "Master of the Estate!"

Suddenly, he caught sight of Xue Zhengyong and immediately bowed repeatedly towards him.

"Master Xue, I implore you all to come with us! My senior brothers... I... I am deeply remorseful..." He spoke incoherently for a while, then suddenly closed his eyes and raised his face skyward, overwhelmed by sorrow.

"They're all... dead!!"

The grand hall fell into a deathly silence, only to erupt into an uproar moments later.

Xue Zhengyong remained calm in the face of crisis and promptly instructed Madame Wang to send a message to the other eight major sects in the Upper cultivation realm. He then ordered Xue Meng to gather the elders.

"Chu Wanning?"

"There's no time to lose. I'll go first."

"But you don't know sword summoning..."

Before Chu Wanning could reply, Mo Ran intervened, eager to meet the individual who had "mastered" the precious chess game.

"Uncle, there's no need to worry. I'll control the sword and go with Master."

Chu Wanning gave him a glance but didn't say anything, which was taken as silent consent.

The two of them stepped out of the hall together. Shi Mo, with a pale face, stood rooted to the spot for a moment before suddenly realizing, "I... I will also..."

But by the time he rushed out of the Wu Mountain Hall, Chu Wanning and the others had already flown away on their swords. Coincidentally, Xue Zhengyong called for him to return and not run off alone. Shi Mo had no choice but to go back and find Xue Meng, waiting for the second batch to depart with them.

Gazing once more at the Azure Pool Manor, Li Wuxin, who had long been accustomed to a life of luxury and prestige, had never encountered such a major event. However, the elder, despite his pride, took a deep breath and promptly instructed others to attend to the disciple who had delivered the message. He also contacted the other elders of the sect and mobilized their forces, preparing to march on Butterfly Town once more to reclaim their dignity.

The group set off from the Summit of Life and Death in a grand procession, like a hundred streaks of shimmering meteors hurtling towards Butterfly Town. Perched atop his sword, Li Wuxin soared through the clouds, stealing glances at the disciples of this major sect in the Lower Realm.

Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that he would one day lead an army into battle alongside this group of "ragtag disciples" whom he held in contempt. His emotions were a tangled mess for a moment.

But as their journey neared its end, and the dense clouds ahead parted, revealing a blood-red malevolent light shooting up into the sky, Li Wuxin's thoughts about the Upper and Lower Realms vanished entirely.

In the sky, a massive red light array, as vast as Butterfly Town itself, pulsed incessantly. The enormous formation was divided into a grid pattern by beams of light, resembling a chessboard. Upon this ethereal board, the ghostly silhouettes of deceased townsfolk stood suspended in mid-air, like wooden figurines or clay sculptures. With five hundred households and thousands of residents, the scene resembled a lush forest of human flesh.

Li Wuxin gasped, "This, this is truly… the Zhenlong Chess Game!"

Xue Zhengyong's expression was also grim. He said to Li Wuxin, "Village Chief Li, I'll lead my people to the southeast. It would be much appreciated if you could head northwest. The other major sects haven't arrived yet. Butterfly Town will have to rely on us for the time being."

Li Wuxin truly had no heart to quibble over the term "us." He nodded and said, "Alright, alright."

Xue Zhengyong saluted him with a formal gesture, then descended on his flying sword, leading the group down from the sky. They landed in the southeast of Butterfly Town, where the protective barrier formed by the Blood and Flesh Sect's disciples of Crystal Lake Manor was on the verge of collapse, its aura severely weakened. Through the semi-transparent barrier, one could glimpse the restless horde of corpses within.

"Chu Wanning!"

Spotting a man in flowing white robes and a young man clad in blue-silver armor standing ahead, Xue Zhengyong called out loudly, "What's going on? Can't this barrier be repaired?"

Chu Wanning had been there for quite some time. As the world's premier master of boundary seals, his presence should have fixed the damaged formation, leaving Xue Zhengyong utterly perplexed.

To his surprise, Chu Wanning ignored him. Just as Xue Zhengyong was about to call again, Mo Ran turned around and gestured to him silently.

"Shh, Uncle, don't make a sound. Come here."

Xue Zhengyong approached, asking, "What's the matter?"

"Don't disturb him."

Mo Ran pointed at Chu Wanning.

The man stood there with his eyes closed and palms pressed together, his lips pale and devoid of color.

Xue Zhengyong was startled. He placed a finger on Chu Wanning's neck and said with alarm, "Disembodied Soul Spell?"

"Yes, it's full of ghosts—thousands of them. But we can't see Luo Xianxian; she must be deep inside. The situation hasn't been fully investigated yet, and he doesn't know what the person behind it all is planning this time. That's why he wants to find Luo Xianxian himself and question her."

"Bloody ghosts, what's there to ask?!" Xue Zhengyong slapped his thigh in frustration. "We need to reinforce the barrier right now!"

"Absolutely not!" Mo Ran exclaimed sternly. "Master used the Soul Separation Spell to temporarily detach his soul and enter because it's filled with the dead in there. That way, he wouldn't alert any spirits. Reinforcing the barrier now would endanger Master's life!"

"What?!" Xue Zhengyong hurriedly said. "Nephew, you stay here and guard. I'll go talk to Li Wuxin!"

Mo Ran nodded and added, "If Master returns to his body, I'll ignite the blue spell in the air immediately. Then, we'll seal off the four directions together. But if I don't light it up, Uncle mustn't let them fix the barrier. Otherwise, Master, who only has his soul inside, won't be able to protect himself from being devoured by the ghosts."

"I got it, I got it!" As Xue Zhengyong's voice faded, he had already darted several feet away.

Mo Ran lifted his gaze and looked at the collapsing barrier.

"It's about time, Master. You should've found Luo Xianxian by now."

He turned his face and, without realizing it, held onto Chu Wanning's cold hand out of worry. He gazed at Chu Wanning and whispered softly,

"It's almost over..."

At that moment, Shi Mo, Xue Meng, and the others landed around them. Standing among the crowd, they lifted their heads and saw the two men with clasped hands in front of the barrier. They were stunned at first, then their faces paled. They clenched their lips and slowly turned their heads away.

Author's Note:

Ahem, a warning is in order!

The upcoming content will unravel the first wave of revelations about their past lives and kick off a crucial climax in the story. Both main characters will encounter pivotal turning points in their lives. A gentle reminder: the final blow to the Master and the initial heartache for the puppy are on the way. For the sake of maintaining narrative cohesion, there will be minimal side-story updates until this arc concludes.

Promise me, no matter how intense the plot gets, you won't attempt any hazardous stunts like swallowing steamed buns whole. Thank you! Thank you! If you have any dissatisfaction, please vent it on Puppy Version 1.0 (qaq) or join forces with Mengmeng to form a dog-punishing squad... The buns are innocent = =

Many thanks to all the CEOs! I'll now make a nervous exit...