Snow swirled thickly as Xie Xuanyi rode his sword and caught up with Chu Lin.

He touched his fingertips to the space between his brows and directly drew out a wisp of Undying Spring Water Vapor, openly gifting it away...

Now.

The fact that he carried the secret of the Undying Spring was no longer a secret.

It no longer mattered.

Xie Xuanyi no longer needed to hide it.

He had already successfully Harmonized with the Dao, promoted to Yang God. Even if this news spread throughout the Four Realms, there were only a mere handful of Great Cultivators qualified to come demand the Undying Spring from him, few enough to count on one hand.

"This is too precious, I can’t take it!"

The Sea Surfing King recognized the Undying Spring and refused outright without the slightest hesitation.

With the Erosion Sun Swamp already destroyed, he had abandoned the thought of heading south to return home, and had resolved to remain in the Demon Country—just like Cui Zhen, he would find some remote Grotto Heaven and hide himself away for a time.

It wouldn’t be long.

Chen Jingxuan would contact him via the Ruyi Order.

With Mister’s intellect, he would soon rearrange the pieces in response to the situation in the Demon Country.

When that time came, he, this Yang God Realm Dark Child buried deep within the Demon Country’s heartland, would once more be able to play his role.

"Since Brother Chu has chosen to remain in the Demon Country, you must have already resolved to die for the great cause."

Xie Xuanyi persuaded, "In that case, you all the more ought to accept this wisp of Undying Spring."

In the battle with Sun Erosion, Chu Lin had been injured.

With this wisp of the Undying Spring, he could recover much faster.

"I’m planning to head to Great Ape Mountain."

Chu Lin still shook his head, saying, "If I accept this wisp of Undying Spring, I’m afraid it will arouse ’Ling Chenzi’s’ suspicion."

He already had a plan in mind.

Looking across the Demon Country.

The best place for him to go now... was Great Ape Mountain. It was the mortal enemy of Heavenly Phoenix Palace; once placed under Great Ape Mountain’s protection, he would no longer need to worry about the Power of the Sky Vault peering at him.

After the upheaval in Qing State.

When Chu Lin came to the Demon Country, he kept in contact with only a very small number of cultivators.

By coincidence... one of them was Ling Chenzi.

Back then it was Ling Chenzi who had taken the initiative to contact Chu Lin.

Because their experiences were simply too similar—they were both traitors of the Human Race, both Yang God Great Cultivators.

Ling Chenzi had even entertained thoughts of persuading Chu Lin to join Great Ape Mountain.

It was just that...

Chu Lin had declined.

"You’re planning to seek out Ling Chenzi?"

Xie Xuanyi frowned slightly.

"The plan isn’t finalized yet. The change in the Erosion Sun Swamp came too fast."

The Sea Surfing King said, "I still need to wait for news from the Book Tower..."

If nothing unexpected occurred, when he went to Great Ape Mountain this time, he would play the role of a gravely injured man on the verge of death.

Given Ling Chenzi’s methods and scheming.

He would definitely subject the Sea Surfing King to an extremely thorough inspection.

"Little Xie Mountain Lord, thank you for your kindness."

The Sea Surfing King said, "I am not a stubborn sort; you should keep this wisp of the Undying Spring for yourself."

At that.

Xie Xuanyi no longer tried to persuade him.

He put away that wisp of Undying Spring Water Vapor.

"Little Xie Mountain Lord..."

The Sea Surfing King hesitated for a moment, then said, "If I haven’t guessed wrong, you should also be planning to stay in the Demon Country?"

He had seen it.

Xie Xuanyi... seemed to have no intention of returning to Great Chu.

Otherwise, after killing Sun Erosion, why would he head north with him? This was already considered the heartland of the Demon Country; the Snow Mountains stretched for thousands of li in all directions. To head south back to Great Chu, even for a Yang God Great Cultivator, would require a long time Crossing the Void.

Xie Xuanyi was the Human Race Cultivator most hated by Heavenly Phoenix Palace and Great Ape Mountain.

Once he used his Divine Skills and caused a bit of commotion, he would immediately be locked onto by the Great Palace Master and the Holy Emperor!

"Yes."

Xie Xuanyi did not hide it from Chu Lin.

He said calmly, "I’d originally intended to head north again after dealing with the matter of Li Lan Mountain..."

So much for man’s plans compared to heaven’s.

Before this trip north, Xie Xuanyi had never imagined he would complete his most important breakthrough here in the Demon Country.

"This place is ten thousand li from the Northern Border Great Wall."

Xie Xuanyi gazed southward and smiled softly. "Heavenly Phoenix Palace has the Power of the Sky Vault. Once I Cross the Void, there’s no way I can escape the Great Palace Master’s Divine Thought sensing."

Even though he had Harmonized with the Dao...

At present he was definitely no match for the Strongest.

"If I ride my sword back little by little, that would be safe enough, but far too slow."

Xie Xuanyi said evenly, "I just made a deal with someone. For the next half year... I’ll be staying within the borders of the Demon Country."

The many affairs of Da Sui Sword Palace had already been settled.

As the Deputy Sect Leader, he had personally beheaded Sun Erosion, which could be considered having dealt with the foremost great menace to the Northern Border Great Wall.

For this half year.

The Northern Border Great Wall would know much peace.

"You made a deal with Cui Zhen?"

Chu Lin was slightly surprised.

He knew that Xie Xuanyi did not intend to kill Cui Zhen.

But... the fact that the two of them could actually make a deal was truly unexpected.

In Chu Lin’s impression—

Most Sword Cultivators would rather break than bend, the prime example being Zhao Tongtian of Golden Turtle Peak. If it were Zhao Tongtian in this situation, even if it meant damaging his Dao Heart, he would still have to cut down half of Cui Zhen’s avatar beneath his sword; as for making a deal, that door simply doesn’t exist!

Once the two met, it would be a fight to the death!

"This world isn’t just black or white, not only life or death..."

Xie Xuanyi only smiled. "Cui Zhen and I are destined to have a battle, but not now. Killing him now brings me no benefit."

If he drew his sword and killed Cui Zhen’s Yin Erosion Avatar, he would probably need three breaths.

The outcome held no suspense.

But this bonfire barrier was Cui Zhen’s home ground, painstakingly constructed over many years. The inside of the barrier was filled with Great Arrays; once he made a move, there was a very high chance Ye Ling would escape. If that happened, the Longevity Lamp would naturally not fall into his hands.

Better to keep things peaceful.

A bit more peaceful.

For Cui Zhen, it bought a measure of stability.

For himself, it let him harvest some future leverage.

"In fact, I stayed in the Demon Country for a reason."

Xie Xuanyi smiled and said, "If I return to Great Chu, I’ll just be one more blade of strength at the Northern Border Great Wall. Even if my Sword Qi improves no matter how much, if I want to kill Great Demons on the Northern Border Great Wall, the Demon Country still has to be willing to give me the opportunity..."

In this war, Great Chu was the defender, and the Demon Country was the attacker.

The news of Xie Xuanyi’s Harmonization had surely already spread across the world by now.

Once Xie Xuanyi returned to the Great Wall, the Demon Country would definitely adopt a different strategy.

But now it was different.

The enemy was in the light, and he was in the dark.

This decision of Xie Xuanyi’s looked similar to Zhao Chunyang back then, yet in truth, the threat it posed was greater than "Zhao Chunyang" ever had!

Back then, when Zhao Chunyang went north, his momentum was like a rainbow, and his movements were open and aboveboard.

But after Xie Xuanyi killed Sun Erosion, he disappeared without a trace.

A Great Sword Immortal who could strike at any time is far more intimidating than a Great Sword Immortal who has already gone on a killing spree.

Back then, the Various Holy Lands of the Demon Country could join forces to intercept Zhao Chunyang...

At worst,

They could just let him head south.

But Xie Xuanyi’s thinking was different.

He wanted to live in the Demon Country.

If the Demon Country was peaceful, then he would make sure it wasn’t peaceful.

If the Demon Country was already in turmoil... then he would add three more measures of fire!

"I plan to establish a Holy Land in the Demon Country."

Xie Xuanyi suddenly said, "Some time ago, I already had this idea, and I even made some deliberate preparations..."

"Establish a Holy Land in the Demon Country?"

The Sea Surfing King froze, eyes wide.

A Human Race Cultivator wanted to establish a Holy Land in the Demon Country?!

"Yes."

Xie Xuanyi smiled. "These are some of my thoughts. Just listen for a bit..."

He spoke slowly, and Chu Lin listened.

Xie Xuanyi no longer used Sword Control, and the Sea Surfing King no longer used Qi Control.

The two of them descended together, slowly landing on the ground.

They walked on through towering, precipitous mountains amid flying great snow, like two old friends who hadn’t met in years, chatting idly, reminiscing.

The life-and-death battle was over.

The two men bearing heavy burdens on their shoulders had, in an extremely rare fashion, come upon a stretch of road they could spend as they pleased.

They just kept walking like that for a long time.

Snow piled thickly on their shoulders. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Chu Lin silently listened to Xie Xuanyi’s plan. He came to a stop, his expression complicated as he looked, full of implication, at the young Sword Cultivator beside him.

"Brother Chu, what do you think?"

Xie Xuanyi looked at the Sea Surfing King.

"Is this... a plan from Mister Jingxuan?"

Chu Lin asked in an odd tone.

"Of course... not."

Xie Xuanyi was a bit speechless. "This is my own idea."

"I figured as much..."

Having received his answer, Chu Lin felt as if a weight had been lifted from his heart.

That was good.

If Mr. Jingxuan had come up with such a scheme, then it would truly have made him feel unfamiliar.

"Little Xie Mountain Lord..."

The Sea Surfing King couldn’t help but sigh. "You... think very differently from me..."

"What’s different?"

Xie Xuanyi blinked.

"You’re much more cunning than I imagined..."

The Sea Surfing King said sincerely, "Establishing a Holy Land in the Demon Country is a ghostly stratagem—this move is risky, but the odds of success are high."

He phrased it very tactfully.

But Xie Xuanyi understood; what Chu Lin meant was...

This was a rotten idea.

Rotten as it was, it might not fail to work.