Chapter 140: Yunmeng Marsh

Within the spacious, stone palace-like hall, Xia Qing sat smiling in the seat of honor above, her gaze tinged with curiosity as she looked at Yu Tian and the quiet figure seated beside him, Yu Qiu.

On the lower level, Yu Tian and Yu Qiu sat on the left, while Xia Yunhu and Xia Yunling sat on the right. All occupied stone chairs.

“Mother, let me introduce her to you. Her name is Yu Qiu, and she is my cultivation companion,” Yu Tian said with a faint smile when he noticed Xia Qing’s gaze.

The smile on Xia Qing’s face grew even broader, and her eyes brightened. Unable to restrain herself, she asked in quick succession, “Tian’er, is that true? Miss Yu Qiu, where are you from?”

“I’m not human!” Yu Qiu’s answer nearly made Yu Tian collapse. “I am a divine beast—the divine beast Yu Qiu.”

“A divine beast?” Xia Qing’s beautiful eyes widened as she stared at Yu Qiu in astonishment. “The divine beast Yu Qiu? This…”

When Xia Yunling had heard Yu Tian say that Yu Qiu was his cultivation companion, her delicate body had already trembled, and her face had paled slightly. Now she too stared at Yu Qiu in shock before blurting out, “Then isn’t she a demon? Brother, you actually chose a member of the demon race as your cultivation companion?”

“What does it matter if I’m a demon? I am the divine beast Yu Qiu. My bloodline is countless times nobler than that of humans.” Yu Qiu’s beautiful eyes turned cold as she looked at Xia Yunling. She had sensed Xia Yunling’s hostility toward her long ago. Had she not known that Xia Yunling was Yu Tian’s sworn younger sister, she would never have remained indifferent. As a divine beast, Yu Qiu possessed her own pride—and she had never been an easy person to deal with.

Xia Yunling could not help but let out a cold laugh. “Is that so? Since you consider your bloodline so noble, why would you choose to be with my brother? He is human!”

“How I choose to live has nothing to do with you, little girl. Do not think that being Yu Tian’s sworn sister gives you the right to speak to me like that.” Yu Qiu’s voice was icy. “If you were not Yu Tian’s sworn sister, then with your pitiful strength as merely an innate lifeform, you would not even be qualified to speak to me.”

“You…” Xia Yunling sprang to her feet and angrily pointed at Yu Qiu, yet she could not find a reply.

“That’s enough, Yu Qiu! Ling’er is still only a child.” With a helpless expression, Yu Tian turned to Xia Yunling and continued, “Ling’er, Yu Qiu is your sister-in-law. Don’t be so rude. Come, apologize to your sister-in-law.”

“Apologize to her? Dream on!” Xia Yunling snorted angrily, her beautiful eyes reddening, and strode straight out.

Yu Tian frowned at the sight. Xia Qing also knitted her brows and looked at him helplessly. “Tian’er, do you truly not understand that girl Ling’er’s feelings?”

“Does she like Yu Tian?” Before Yu Tian could speak, Yu Qiu said coldly, “With her strength, she has no qualifications to walk the path of cultivation alongside Yu Tian.”

At those words, Xia Qing could not help but furrow her delicate brows, and her expression grew somewhat awkward.

“That’s enough, Yu Qiu. Say a little less. I’ve never seen you talk this much before.” Yu Tian frowned and scolded her irritably before turning to Xia Qing. “Mother, I only regard Ling’er as my younger sister. As for anything beyond that, I haven’t thought about it. I only want to devote myself to the path of cultivation and one day become a Heavenly Immortal who transcends the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations, free and unfettered.”

Seeing how he spoke, Xia Qing could only sigh. “Very well. Tian’er, you have grown up, and there are some matters Mother does not wish to interfere in. As for Ling’er, I only hope you will not hurt her too deeply.”

“Mother, I understand.” Yu Tian nodded, though inwardly he could not help feeling troubled. Matters of love had always been the most troublesome.

Afterward, Yu Tian’s life in Cloud City, within the Xia Clan’s territory, was peaceful. Aside from meditating and cultivating, he spent time with Yu Qiu or offered guidance in cultivation to Xia Yunhu and several talented younger members of the clan. His days were relaxed yet fulfilling.

Still, whenever he thought of Xia Yunling, he could not help feeling helpless and troubled. She was close to him in age—he was only a few months older. In truth, the two of them had been childhood companions, growing up together. Although Yu Tian had gone to Antan City and then entered the Black-and-White Academy to cultivate, three or four years had passed in the blink of an eye. Xia Yunling’s feelings for him had not faded; instead, they had grown even stronger.

People often said that beautiful women loved heroes. Xia Yunling and Yu Tian had been childhood companions, and Yu Tian had now become so outstanding that there was nothing strange about her falling for him.

Xia Yunling and Yu Qiu were as incompatible as fire and water. Coupled with the heartbreak of loving Yu Tian without being able to have him, this had made her temperament far colder. She no longer liked staying in Cloud City and often went out to cultivate, killing innate great demons as though she had poured all her passion into cultivation. Clearly, Yu Qiu’s remark that she was weak had dealt a severe blow to this prodigious young woman of the Xia Clan.

Watching the once pure and adorable girl transform into an icy goddess of slaughter, Yu Tian felt no better, yet there was nothing he could do. If Xia Yunling could not see through her own tribulation of love, no one could help her.

Six years passed in the blink of an eye. During that time, both Xia Yunling and Xia Yunhu became Violet Palace cultivators. Xia Yunling broke through first, and afterward went straight to the Cloud Dream Marsh, which bordered Mount Heavenly Cloud.

The Cloud Dream Marsh was a vast swamp, sparsely visited by humans, yet it gave birth to countless rare spiritual medicines and treasures. Innumerable great demons occupied it; there were even many Violet Palace great demons, while great demons of the Myriad Manifestations realm could be found in its depths. There were even rumors that a great demon of the Divine Soul realm dwelled deep within the marsh.

The Cloud Dream Marsh was a gathering place for demons and the most dangerous region around Mount Heavenly Cloud. But Xia Yunling was determined to go, and Yu Tian had no way to stop her. He could only give her as many treasures, magical artifacts, spiritual pills, and other life-saving items as possible, doing everything he could to ensure her safety.

“Hmm?”

One day, Yu Tian suddenly opened his eyes while seated cross-legged upon a jade bed in the quiet chamber. His brows drew together, and a cold gleam flashed through his eyes.

On the jade bed beside him, Yu Qiu, who had likewise been meditating cross-legged, opened her eyes as though sensing something. She asked in confusion, “What is it, Yu Tian?”

“Ling’er has encountered danger. I must go to the Cloud Dream Marsh.”

The moment Yu Tian finished speaking, he vanished.

The vast Cloud Dream Marsh was shrouded in mist even beneath a clear sky. Even a cultivator could not see very far through it.

In a deeper region of the marsh, above a broad lake, violent explosions of energy rang out. Amid the storm of power, two phantoms were hurled into the air—one large and one small.

The smaller figure was a cold-faced young woman in a black dress, the armor covering her body shattering like ice. It was Xia Yunling. The larger phantom was a flood dragon drenched in blood, its scales shattered and half its tail nearly severed.

“Damnable human girl, you have truly angered me!”

With an enraged growl, the flood dragon, more than a dozen yards long, rapidly recovered from its wounds. It opened its jaws and spat a cloud of white, freezing mist toward Xia Yunling—the terrifying chill evil nurtured within its body.

Feeling that dreadful cold, Xia Yunling’s pretty face changed slightly. She hurriedly flipped her hand and took out a jade talisman, preparing to crush it. But then a familiar figure suddenly appeared before her.

Like a gust of wind sweeping past, the terrifying chill abruptly reversed direction and surged back toward the flood dragon. A layer of ice formed over its body, freezing so violently that even its scales split apart.

The flood dragon’s eyes widened in terror. Then, as though weathered by the years, it crumbled into icy fragments that scattered downward.

“Brother!”

The coldness melted from Xia Yunling’s face. Her beautiful eyes shone as she rushed joyfully into Yu Tian’s arms.

Allowing her to embrace him tightly, Yu Tian could only reveal a helpless smile. He reached out and gently stroked her hair.

“All right, Ling’er. Let’s go. Come home with Brother.”

As he spoke, Yu Tian gently pushed her away. With a thought, he carried Xia Yunling through a spatial shift and returned directly to the quiet chamber in his residence in Cloud City, within the Xia Clan’s territory.

Feeling space change around her, Xia Yunling saw Yu Qiu in the chamber and could not help knitting her brows and letting out a soft snort. “Brother, I’m going to see Mother.”

“That girl. Who knows when she’ll finally grow up?”

Watching Xia Yunling leave, Yu Tian could only shake his head helplessly.

Yu Qiu smiled faintly. “With you indulging her like this, she naturally will never grow up.”

What Yu Tian did not know was that moments after he teleported away from the Cloud Dream Marsh, the waters of a vast, frigid pool deep within a range of connected mountains suddenly began to churn violently.

At the same time, an enraged dragon’s roar rumbled from within.

“Who? Who killed my son?”