Chapter 1: The Bride Delivered Right Out of the Gate
From the moment he was brought here from the testing plaza, Lin Feng had been completely dazed.
"How are things prepared outside?"
"Reporting to the Elder, everything is ready. We are only waiting for the Sect Master and... and the groom to make an appearance."
"Have the people from the Demon Race arrived?"
At the mention of the Demon Race, the voice outside dropped to a whisper. Lin Feng stared at the red bridal veil over his head, wanting to cry but having no tears.
*Sect Master, esteemed adults, I merely came to test my cultivation aptitude! I never wanted to get married! Did you grab the wrong person?*
The custom of bride-snatching was not uncommon on the Qingluan Continent.
Having listened all afternoon from inside the room, it seemed all too likely that this "groom" they kept talking about was, nine times out of ten, himself.
Just as Lin Feng was turning a million "whys" over in his mind, the door opened.
The bridal veil was lifted to reveal a woman as resplendent as a blooming Mudan, with bright red lips, white teeth, open and brilliant, dignified and majestic...
A flurry of descriptions raced through his mind, and Lin Feng was left dumbstruck by her stunning beauty.
"How is it?"
"It looks seven or eight parts similar!"
"Never mind that. Let's get through the immediate crisis first; we can figure out the rest later."
As the two women conversed, the thought *supple and smooth* involuntarily popped into Lin Feng's head. His gaze shifted to the other young woman, and the red veil was dropped back over his face.
*What the heck? What does that mean? Who do I look like? No, wait—who looks like me?*
"Sect Master, is this really going to work?"
"Treat a dead horse as a live horse and take it one step at a time!"
"Reporting to the Sect Master, the two Demon Kings of the Greater and Lesser Dragon Pools have arrived!"
Beneath the veil, Lin Feng was already trembling with excitement.
Getting a Sect Master for a wife right off the bat—wasn't this a bit too thrilling?
Demon Kings? Experts of the Taixu Realm?
Unable to suppress his excitement, Lin Feng instinctively clenched his fists. His thoughts were racing chaotically as he death-gripped the edge of the bed.
At a glance, he really did look quite like a nervous bridegroom waiting to be wed.
Hearing the report from outside, Shen Xuanyue frowned slightly. Exchanging a glance with her maid, she headed out the door.
"Welcome, esteemed Demon Kings! The Baishui Sect fails to extend a proper welcome!"
"Hahaha, Sect Master is too polite. My brother and I were just passing by and heard today is a day of great joy for you, so we specifically came to share a cup of celebratory wine."
Left all alone in the room, Lin Feng could no longer control his wild imagination.
*The Baishui Sect—wasn't that the overlord sect of the Qingluan Continent? No, wait, I was supposed to have been taken away by the Sect Master of the Baishui Sect; how did I end up in the Baishui Sect?*
*Wait, what is happening to me?*
With no one else in the room, Lin Feng hurried to check himself over. These hands, this body—were they no longer his old self?
What on earth was going on here? Had he been possessed?
A wave of sheer terror gripped his heart, and Lin Feng truly froze in shock.
A moment later, Lin Feng couldn't help but wail internally.
*Heavens, are you kidding me? I was good for nothing before, and now that I've changed bodies, I'm still good for nothing. Why is my life so bitter?!*
While he was lamenting the unfairness of fate, he heard those so-called Dragon Kings loudly conversing with the Baishui Sect Sect Master. Their voices carried across the wilderness, as if they were terrified someone might not notice how loud they were.
With the Demon Race and the Human Race currently at war, what were these Demon Kings of the Little Dragon Pool doing coming to the Qingluan Continent?
A sense of deep conspiracy washed over him. Lin Feng shivered and began to ponder.
Ever since the two Demon Kings had arrived, other guests were announced from time to time, and the Baishui Sect Sect Master flew out to welcome them nearly every single time. Finally, Lin Feng sensed that something was amiss.
There were simply too many big shots!
The eastern part of the Qingluan Continent bordered the Lingxu Ocean, facing the Qingniu Continent of the Demon Race across the water. Ever since the Heavenly Dao collapsed and order fell into chaos, the two races had been fighting for tens of thousands of years, and the blood feuds were long irreconcilable. Mortals on the Qingluan Continent were already intimately familiar with the powerhouse figures of both sides.
For the wedding of a sect master of a Qingluan Continent overlord sect, there were simply far too many Demon Race experts coming to offer congratulations. Human experts made up perhaps only two-fifths of the attendees—yet the Qingluan Continent was heavily garrisoned by the human army.
How could the demons dare to swagger into the Qingluan Continent to drink wedding wine?
A thought arose, and the sense of crisis in Lin Feng's heart refused to be suppressed.
At the very least, human experts—even if just making up the numbers—should have outnumbered the Demon Race experts.
"Something's wrong..."
He muttered the words under his breath.
"Oh? You feel something is wrong, too?"
Abruptly, a seductive male voice replied from within the room. Lin Feng was about to speak when he realized he had just voiced those three words out loud.
*Weren't restrictions placed on me?*
*Who is this person?*
Before he could react, a powerful Divine Soul forced its way into his Consciousness Sea.
Gazing at the chaotic expanse before him, the seductive young man's expression shifted, followed by a cold sneer.
"Shen Xuanyue, playing blind man's bluff with this seat?"
Utterly confident, he walked to the side and looked through the chaos at the terrified Lin Feng.
"Lin Feng, keep pretending. Once I shatter your Ruyi Holy Body, let's see if you can keep acting! Humph!"
*Huh? What does he mean? He mistook me for Lin Feng?*
*I've been mistaken for a Holy Body!*
*I knew it! I kept saying pies don't just fall from the sky!*
With effortless ease, the intruder shattered the restrictions placed by the Baishui Sect Sect Master and entered his "unopened" Consciousness Sea without the slightest hindrance. Lin Feng understood that whether he lived or died was no longer up to him.
His brain spun wildly, but he dared not speak rashly.
Just think: as the leader of the top ten sects on the Qingluan Continent, the Baishui Sect actually needed to snatch a lowly mortal like him to act as a decoy. Could this matter possibly be small?
It didn't matter if he died, but if he could take down a Demon Race expert—hehe, young master would make a huge profit! When the time came, the Sect Master would surely have to grant him some kind of reward, right?
The voice of the person before him matched that of the Little Dragon King outside, leading him to assume the intruder was indeed the Little Dragon King. Yet even though the opponent had already entered his Consciousness Sea, Lin Feng was entirely powerless.
With no cultivation and no Divine Soul strength, he had the will to slay the enemy but lacked the means to turn the tide.
Moving closer to Lin Feng's Divine Soul, the man reached out to knock and probe, occasionally casting spells to test him. Lin Feng could only passively endure the various sensations brought by the spell attacks while pretending to be utterly untroubled.
His gaze remained calm, studying the young man with the air of a detached bystander.
"No reaction at all? The Ruyi Holy Body is truly powerful indeed. Lin Feng, if your Lin family had laid low for another thousand years, why worry about not being able to call the wind and rain? What a pity you were too impatient."
The young man probed relentlessly, while Lin Feng merely let out a cold snort through his nose.
"Your Lin family produced seven emperors in succession; everyone under heaven knows it. They exhausted the fortune of their later generations. So what if you marry Shen Xuanyue? Is her tiny stream enough to nourish the dried-up desert of your Lin family?"
*Good grief, my ancestors were really that loaded? Seven emperors in succession? How come I never knew about this?!*
Lin Feng's Divine Soul was shaken by the news, and his chaotic Consciousness Sea finally showed a trace of a reaction.
"As expected, whenever the Seven Emperors of the Lin family are mentioned, you descendants still can't help yourselves!"
The seductive young man wore a mocking expression. Lin Feng didn't even dare ask his name.
The opponent clearly recognized him—or at the very least, had been secretly keeping tabs on him for a long time. The humiliation of not daring to do anything made him deeply miserable.
"Having cultivated for all these years, is all your effort spent merely on your tongue?"
Watching the other party cautiously probe just as he had, Lin Feng finally forced out those words.
Only he knew that his Consciousness Sea was a realm of utter chaos, completely empty.
This was neither due to some Holy Body nor because he had practiced any powerful cultivation technique.
Frowning, the young man paused and fixed his gaze on Lin Feng.
"The Ruyi Holy Body—very good, very powerful. Lin Feng, now I can confirm it: with the union of the two families, this Holy Body of yours will become impossible to keep. No wonder Shen Xuanyue, in the prime of her youth, would marry a good-for-nothing like you. What a pity, what a pity!"
He repeated "what a pity" twice, though it was unclear whether he was mocking or genuinely lamenting.
"However, if you let me take control of your body and merge with my primordial spirit, I guarantee you won't just win a beauty—you'll even awaken this useless physique of yours. How about it?"
*I'm not stupid. If I really let you in, you'll probably consume me down to the last bone.*
Faking utter indifference, Lin Feng continued to ignore him.
"You two, thank you for your trouble!"
"No trouble at all, let's take a look for now!"
Just as the situation turned perilous, Shen Xuanyue's voice rang out from outside the door, followed by a deep, resonant male voice. Lin Feng opened his mouth to shout a warning, but a gust of wind rushed into his mouth, choking him into incoherent murmurs as his vision began to blur.
The door opened. A man and a woman entered first, sweeping the room with their gazes before the middle-aged man stepped inside at Shen Xuanyue's nod.
"Heaven and Earth Wuji, Yin-Yang Dharma Mirror, Blood Spirit drifting on, Netherworld guide the way—Quick!"
The newcomer immediately cast a spell, causing erratic energies to swirl through the room and giving it a ghostly, chilling atmosphere.
The bridal veil flew off. The middle-aged man glanced at Lin Feng and raged, "It truly is Demon Race trickery! Sister, be on guard against the Greater and Lesser Dragon Kings!"
Hearing this, Shen Xuanyue did not hesitate. Her Hundred Flowers Flying Sword enveloped the entire courtyard.
"Daoist Wuji! Damn it, how does Shen Xuanyue know Wuji-zi?!"
Inside the Consciousness Sea, the young man panicked, his eyes flashing wildly.
"Lin Feng, do you want to live or die?"
*Damn it, you're the one who wants to live or die! Did I provoke you, young master?*
Apparently, the man before him held immense dread for this Daoist Wuji. Relishing the moment, Lin Feng looked at him coldly, closed his eyes, and said nothing.
"Fine, fine, fine! You don't care about the Lin family's bloodline, then go die!"
It was unclear which look of his had broken the young man's composure, but Lin Feng remained unmoving.
In truth, he was too terrified to move. Lin Feng had no doubt that before Daoist Wuji made a concrete move, this opponent could easily end his life.
Transforming into a small flood dragon, the youth lunged toward the core of Lin Feng's Divine Soul, while a pure, tranquil Daoist righteousness filled the room, wrapping around the ghostly aura.
Daoist Wuji stared intently at the images manifesting within the ghostly aura, wearing a bizarre expression.
Beside him, Shen Xuanyue watched silently without a word.
The scene before them was absolute chaos; they gleaned nothing regarding Lin Feng's past.
Yet Daoist Wuji was able to perceive the obsession buried deep within Lin Feng's heart: to wipe out the Demon Race.
It was a simple, plain dream that had taken root in a mortal's heart for over a decade, and by now, it had become an obsession.
Lin Feng was simply a mortal named Lin Feng, flesh and blood, not that Holy Body Lin Feng at all.
"So it really is possible to pass off a fake as the real thing. This little fellow bears a seven or eight-part resemblance to Lin Feng—it's just a pity for you!"
Daoist Wuji's expression turned solemn once more. Only now did he drop his pretense and confirm that Lin Feng could serve as a substitute.
"Such strong resolve! What a pity that with his mortal aptitude, entering the battlefield will only needlessly add to the casualties."
"Choosing him was precisely because his Consciousness Sea is chaotic, resembling an unopened Holy Body where outsiders can detect no flaws. Rest assured, Big Brother, after today I will treat him as my husband and care for him all his life."
They arranged Lin Feng's entire fate right down to the details, completely unaware that within his Consciousness Sea, Lin Feng had nearly died just then, only to survive because of Huayue's words.
The young man had drawn close to Lin Feng's Divine Soul, but raising his hand-blade, he lowered it again in sheer disbelief.
"Fake?"
As the dignified Little Dragon King of the Little Dragon Pool, after probing for so long, he hadn't even realized Lin Feng was a fake!
He truly was nothing more than a mortal of dull aptitude—not some special Holy Body at all!
Throwing his head back, the Little Dragon King desperately wanted to slap himself.
Within Lin Feng's Consciousness Sea, a wispy blue light squeezed its way in.
"This child's obsession runs deep. Bestow upon him a wisp of the *Clairvoyant Jade Emperor Scripture*, coupled with the Baishui Sect's nurturing, and perhaps he might yet attain some fortune!"
Daoist Wuji's expression was solemn, and Shen Xuanyue bowed to him in gratitude.
"Enough. Altering a mortal's destiny is a major taboo in cultivation in the first place. Providing some compensation to lessen the karmic burden is for the best."
***
Chapter 2: Mistaken for a Holy Body
"Many thanks, Big Brother!" Knowing what she had done, Shen Xuanyue wore a look of helplessness.
"This little fellow is hell-bent on slaying demons. Once he wakes up, explain things properly to him. The matter is of grave importance; afterward, you can simply seal away his memories."
Having given his instructions, Daoist Wuji flicked his large sleeve, and the anomalous phenomena in the room vanished.
"Big Brother, there are quite a few ill-intentioned people about today. Your younger sister has an unbefitting request: could I ask you to linger a while longer? Otherwise, I truly might not be able to keep everything under control."
Shen Xuanyue flashed a playful look. Stroking his beard, Daoist Wuji nodded with a hearty laugh.
"Such a trivial matter, why even ask? But you, you're no longer a child; it's about time you found a cultivation companion..."
Mid-sentence, he was already gone!
*No, wait! Don't abandon me!*
*It was so hard for me to bluff this guy, what am I supposed to do now that you're leaving?!*
Frenzied inside, Lin Feng forced a dry smile and raised his head.
"Brat, are you feeling quite smug?"
The Little Dragon King wore the expression of someone who had just escaped death. He hadn't expected Shen Xuanyue to be so confident that she wouldn't even probe Lin Feng's Divine Soul.
"Demon King, why lower yourself to a mere youngster's level? All of this is just like a dream!"
Feigning composure, Lin Feng put on the look of someone experiencing the novelty of a sudden great fortune.
The Little Dragon King frowned as the tranquil, pure aura around them closed in.
"Fake? Heh. Shen Xuanyue, Zhao Wuji, what is your Human Race up to?"
The Little Dragon King's eyes flickered with a playful glint.
"Kid, your luck isn't bad!"
"I just have a thick skin for survival. As a mere mortal, there's nothing remarkable about me. Since the Demon King isn't leaving now, aren't you afraid that delays will bring changes?"
As Lin Feng spoke, the Little Dragon King remained unhurried.
"The *Clairvoyant Jade Emperor Scripture*, the supreme classic of the Human Daoist sect. Are you not tempted, kid?"
Tempted? Of course he was tempted!
As long as it had to do with cultivation, Lin Feng was tempted by all of it. But without a way to step through the door, his temptation was useless.
Seeing the other's bewitching expression, Lin Feng's pupils gradually widened.
The atmosphere grew somewhat silent.
"What? The *Clairvoyant Jade Emperor Scripture*?"
Finally reacting, he let out an exaggerated cry, though he quickly shook his head.
"Demon King, please don't toy with me. What qualifications do I have!"
Retreating frantically, Lin Feng couldn't believe such a monstrous windfall had smashed down onto his head.
If the opponent hadn't mentioned it, fine; but having it pointed out made him feel like his life was in immediate jeopardy.
Everyone knew of the *Clairvoyant Jade Emperor Scripture*.
Rumored to have been compiled before the opening of heaven and earth from the primordial Grand Dao, it was one of the supreme cultivation techniques of the Human Race.
"The Heavenly Dao has collapsed and order is in chaos, yet this is the supreme classic of the Human Race. Kid, aren't you tempted?"
*What is he getting at?*
Lin Feng looked at the Little Dragon King, slowly realizing that rather than asking whether he was tempted, the other man was trying to convince *himself* to give in to his desires regarding this aura.
Realizing this, Lin Feng continued to shake his head.
"Doesn't the Demon King practice the *Demon Emperor Scripture*? Humans and demons walk different paths..."
"Humans and demons walk different paths? What do you know! All methods lead to the One—do you know what this 'One' is? It is the Grand Dao of Heaven and Earth!"
Evidently driven somewhat mad by the stimulation of the *Clairvoyant Jade Emperor Scripture*, the opponent left Lin Feng no choice but to say, "I am merely a mortal. Even if the Demon King tells me these things, I truly don't understand!"
As if a craving for validation had been abruptly choked off, the Little Dragon King instantly sobered up.
"You're right. To comprehend it, do I need the consent of a mere mortal like you?"
Laughing bitterly with a ferocious grin, the Little Dragon King transformed into a small flood dragon and charged straight at Lin Feng!
The heavens shattered, the earth spun, and the chaotic Consciousness Sea surged with monstrous waves. Lin Feng lost consciousness!
When he regained clarity, Lin Feng saw a beauty standing alone by the window!
Framed by the bright moonlight outside the window, it was already deep into the night.
The Baishui Sect Sect Master, Shen Xuanyue, was breathtakingly gorgeous!
As if something had shattered within him, Lin Feng suddenly noticed his entire body growing light. His hearing and vision sharpened, and even the chirping of insects outside the window became exceptionally distinct.
He was certain Shen Xuanyue knew he had woken up, yet she kept her gaze fixed out the window.
"Where is this?"
Feigning ignorance, Lin Feng asked blindly. The moment he tried to sit up, Shen Xuanyue said, "Do not move rashly!"
*Swish, swish, swish!*
Following her words, numerous sounds erupted from the rooftop.
"Everyone, today is my day of great joy. Isn't going to such lengths a bit too much?"
"Such a fine night and lovely scenery; we were just passing by and stopped to appreciate the view. How can you call it going too much?"
"A night of-thousand-gold is worth every bit of spring. If the Sect Master doesn't want to be disturbed, wouldn't it be more appropriate to retire into a grotto-heaven?"
"Indeed. I hear the Baishui Sect Master and the Ruyi Holy Body were childhood sweethearts. How could you be so careless about your wedding night? Could it be... you don't care at all?"
Someone sneered, and another voice picked up the thread.
"The Lin family once produced seven emperors in succession. We are all quite curious as to what fortune the Lin descendants might still hold. Bridegroom, why not come out and meet everyone?"
She remained standing by the window without moving, but Lin Feng rose and walked over.
"Oh? And what if the fortune is still there? Gentlemen, would you quietly disperse upon seeing me at the peak of my glory, or would you find me merely mediocre and instantly turn to murder to eliminate future troubles?"
Pushing open the door, Lin Feng stepped into the courtyard. The grasses and flowers were all formed of condensed sword qi—beautiful, mysterious, and dangerous.
Floating high and low in the sky were numerous figures, mostly radiating the aura of the Demon Race.
As he walked into the yard, Shen Xuanyue followed closely behind, holding a sword.
"Not bad, you aren't completely useless after all. However, with your present abilities—humph!"
Before the person's words finished, an attack struck. Lin Feng felt space freeze entirely; he couldn't move a muscle.
*Clang!*
The longsword flashing upward from behind him neutralized the crisis, and Shen Xuanyue, her face cold, shielded him behind her.
"You lot merely wish to test whether the Heavenly Emperor's bloodline has been passed down to posterity. Are you satisfied now?"
"Satisfied? Shen Xuanyue, are you joking? If not for a degenerate born of the Lin family, how could the Heavenly Dao have collapsed?"
"If not for the collapse of the Heavenly Dao, how could you and I be left gazing helplessly at the Grand Dao, unable to attain it?"
"True. For tens of thousands of years, the slaughter among our races all stemmed from the Heavenly Emperor Lin. Whether we are satisfied or not is irrelevant. Why don't you go ask the grievances buried beneath the earth whether *they* are satisfied?"
These accusations grew more terrifying one after another. Lin Feng didn't understand the collapse of the Heavenly Dao, but he understood enough to gather that the bloodshed between the various races over the past tens of thousands of years was connected to that Heavenly Emperor Lin.
*Good grief, what kind of secrets are these?!*
"Your coming here is simply out of fear that the Heavenly Emperor's bloodline might reappear, wishing to cut the weeds and eliminate the roots. You can dispense with the other excuses!"
"So what if we are? We are merely abiding by the agreements of our respective races. Weren't the disasters of that year enough?"
"Strife among the myriad races can continue, but the Human Race must never have a second Heavenly Emperor. The calamities of that era linger to this day; surely you human experts feel that more deeply than we do. Today, we can grant you the title of husband and wife, but he must die!"
Lin Feng could understand why the Demon Race spoke thus, but he never expected that many of the Human Race experts present would nod in agreement.
"Shen Xuanyue, today's battle has nothing to do with personal matters. The Baishui Sect holds the reins on the Qingluan Continent—I ask that you please take the overall situation into account!"
A human expert stepped forward to advise, and Shen Xuanyue slowly raised her longsword horizontally.
"And what if I say no?"