Eternal Immortal Clan: It All Started When I Married My Junior Sister!

6: Longing to go homeDeep in the mountains, the mist grew thicker, carrying a damp, earthy smell.

”It’s around here; it hasn’t gone far.”

Chen Xu chewed on dried meat, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone’s ears.

Chen Qingqing took a deep breath, suppressing the lingering fear in her heart, and tightened her grip on her magic sword.

The crimson glow on the sword was a bit brighter than before, dispelling some of the surrounding chill.

She looked at Chen Xu, her gaze no longer holding the previous scrutiny and arrogance, only inquiry: ”Fellow Daoist Chen, in your opinion, how should we lure it out?”

Chen Xu didn’t answer directly. Instead, he looked at Sun Xiaoyue, the weakest in the team: ”Fellow Daoist Sun, do you have any Talismans that can emit strong light on you?”

Sun Xiaoyue, feeling a bit nervous under his gaze, quickly nodded and pulled out a silver Talisman paper from her bosom: ”Yes, this is a Silver Light Talisman. When activated, it can shine as bright as day, but it only lasts for ten breaths.”

”That’s enough.”

Chen Xu nodded, then looked at the sturdy Zhao Tong, ”Fellow Daoist Zhao, can your Earth Wall Art be cast instantly?”

Zhao Tong patted his chest and said in a booming voice, ”No problem. As long as I have enough Spiritual Qi, I can raise a wall within three breaths.”

”Good.”

Chen Xu’s gaze swept over everyone as he began to lay out the plan: ”In a moment, Fellow Daoist Sun will activate the Silver Light Talisman in place. The Iron-Tongued Demon is afraid of light, so it will surely be startled. If it rushes out, its first target will definitely be Fellow Daoist Sun, who is closest to it and appears weakest.”

Sun Xiaoyue’s face instantly turned pale when she heard she would be the bait.

Chen Xu’s tone remained calm: ”You don’t need to be afraid. The moment it rushes out, Fellow Daoist Zhao will raise an earth wall in front of you. Wang Chong, attack its lower body from the left with your Flying Stone Art. You don’t need to aim for damage, just to interfere with its speed.”

He paused, then finally looked at Chen Qingqing: ”Fairy Chen, you are the main attacker. The moment it is blocked by the earth wall and its movement is hindered, that will be the best time for you to strike. Do not hold back with your Crimson Flame Sword Art.”

”What about me?”

Chen Xu placed himself last, which surprised Chen Qingqing a little.

Chen Xu pointed behind himself: ”I’m responsible for patching up any leaks, in case it has other tricks.”

This plan was simple and direct, maximizing everyone’s role.

Especially by having Sun Xiaoyue and Zhao Tong cooperate, it could both lure out the Yao Beast and ensure the safety of the bait to the greatest extent.

No one had any further objections. Even the timid Sun Xiaoyue, after seeing Zhao Tong’s sturdy arms and Chen Xu’s calm eyes, nodded heavily.

”Prepare!”

Chen Qingqing let out a low cry.

The few of them quickly spread out, taking their positions.

Zhao Tong stood close to Sun Xiaoyue, his feet slightly sinking into the mud, Spiritual Qi surging through him, ready to cast his spell at any moment.

Wang Chong and Chen Xu stood on the left and right, forming a pincer formation.

Chen Qingqing stood at the very front of the formation, her long sword held horizontally before her chest.

The crimson glow on the sword tip flickered erratically.

Sun Xiaoyue, seeing Chen Xu’s encouraging gaze, gritted her teeth and injected Spiritual Qi into the Silver Light Talisman in her hand.

”Buzz—”

A dazzling silver light suddenly exploded, instantly dispelling the thick mist within dozens of feet.

Under the strong light, the shadows in the forest had nowhere to hide.

”Hiss-ga—!”

A sharp roar came from behind a large tree not far ahead.

The sound was full of rage.

Immediately after, a greyish-green shadow, like an arrow leaving a bowstring, rushed towards the source of the light—Sun Xiaoyue—bringing with it a foul wind!

It was that Iron-Tongued Demon!

”Rise!”

Almost simultaneously with its movement, Zhao Tong roared, slamming his hands onto the ground.

”Boom!”

An earth wall, half a foot thick, rose from the ground, precisely blocking Sun Xiaoyue’s path.

The Iron-Tongued Demon was too fast; it had no time to change direction and slammed head-on into the earth wall.

”Thud!”

With a dull thud, the earth wall shook violently, a shallow pit was dented into it, and gravel splattered, but it ultimately didn’t break.

”Good opportunity!”

Wang Chong shouted, waving his hands repeatedly. Over a dozen fist-sized stones, imbued with spiritual light, rained down on the Iron-Tongued Demon’s limb joints.

The Iron-Tongued Demon cried out in pain, its movements instantly halting.

Now!

”Vile beast, die!”

Chen Qingqing cried out, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. Her long sword was no longer a probe, but transformed into a burning streak of light. She moved with the sword, thrusting directly at the Yao Beast’s head!

Crimson Flame Sword Art!

The Iron-Tongued Demon sensed a fatal threat. It abandoned its attack on the earth wall and suddenly opened its gaping maw!

Its tongue, covered in barbs, shot out again, not at Chen Qingqing, but at the empty space beside her!

It wanted to force Chen Qingqing back and create distance!

However, Chen Qingqing had already anticipated its attack. She twisted her body in mid-air, avoiding the whip-like strike of the tongue, and the momentum of her long sword attack did not diminish in the slightest.

”Screech!”

The burning sword tip fiercely stabbed into the Iron-Tongued Demon’s carapace, erupting in a shower of sparks.

The hard carapace emitted a burnt smell under the high temperature.

Although it wasn’t pierced through, the scorching Sword Qi still penetrated, causing the Iron-Tongued Demon to let out a painful shriek.

After a successful strike, Chen Qingqing didn’t linger in battle, immediately retreating to create distance from the Yao Beast.

”It’s going all out; everyone be careful!”

Chen Xu’s calm voice rang out.

Indeed, the enraged Iron-Tongued Demon became completely berserk.

It abandoned all cunning tactics, its four limbs suddenly pushing off with great force.

Its massive body charged towards the group like a rampaging war chariot, intent on crushing them.

Zhao Tong once again raised an earth wall, but this time, the berserk Iron-Tongued Demon shattered the earth wall with a single charge.

”Xiaoyue, use the Entangling Talisman!”

Chen Qingqing commanded while moving around.

Sun Xiaoyue quickly threw out two Talismans, which transformed into green light and spawned countless vines from the ground, entangling the Iron-Tongued Demon’s limbs.

But these vines could only slightly slow its speed and were soon broken by its brute force.

The battle fell into a stalemate for a time.

Although Chen Qingqing’s Crimson Flame Sword Art could restrain the opponent, it consumed a huge amount of Spiritual Qi.

Her face had already begun to turn pale.

Zhao Tong’s Earth Wall Art also couldn’t completely block the maddened Yao Beast.

Wang Chong and Sun Xiaoyue’s attacks could only serve as harassment.

The Iron-Tongued Demon seemed to have realized this. It ignored everyone else, fixating on Chen Qingqing, who posed the greatest threat, and pursued her relentlessly.

Just as Chen Qingqing swung her sword again, her old strength spent and new strength not yet generated, a cunning glint flashed in the Iron-Tongued Demon’s eyes. Its long tongue shot out at an extremely tricky angle, from bottom to top, flicking towards Chen Qingqing’s sword-wielding wrist!

This strike was both fast and vicious; Chen Qingqing had no time to change her move!

At this critical moment, a plain and unadorned figure appeared beside her like a ghost.

It was Chen Xu!

He had been moving along the edge of the battlefield, seemingly doing nothing.

In reality, he had been observing everyone’s movements and every subtle reaction of the Yao Beast.

He was waiting for this opportunity.

His notched iron sword, without any spiritual light, struck the flicking long tongue with an air of effortless mastery, arriving later but hitting first, with unparalleled precision.

”Clang!”

A crisp sound of metal striking metal.

Chen Xu felt a jolt in his tiger’s mouth, and his entire arm felt a bit numb.

But the iron sword in his hand did not fly out.

And the Iron-Tongued Demon’s tongue was also forcibly deflected by this sword.

”Hiss!”

The Iron-Tongued Demon let out a cry of pain. Although its tongue was tough, it was ultimately flesh and blood. Struck by Chen Xu’s sword, which was infused with the abundant Spiritual Qi of a tenth-level Qi Refinement Cultivator, it was left with a deep, bone-visible wound, bleeding profusely.

With its weakness severely wounded, the Iron-Tongued Demon’s ferocity instantly receded, replaced by fear.

Without thinking, it turned and tried to flee back into the depths of the mountain forest.

”Trying to leave? Too late!”

Chen Qingqing seized this fleeting opportunity.

She poured all her remaining Spiritual Qi into her magic sword.

”Flame Light Slash!”

The crimson Sword Qi surged to three feet, carrying an Aura of cutting through everything, and fiercely cleaved down onto the base of the Iron-Tongued Demon’s tongue, which it hadn’t fully retracted after its injury!

”Pfft!”

With a muffled thud, that long tongue, which had made everyone so wary, was severed at its root by this single sword strike!

”Ow—!”

The Iron-Tongued Demon let out an extremely mournful shriek, and its massive body crashed to the ground, twitching a few times.

Then it fell silent.

The mountain forest instantly returned to a deathly quiet.

Only the heavy breathing of the group could be heard.

”We... won?”

Wang Chong looked at the Yao Beast’s corpse, somewhat disbelieving.

Zhao Tong and Sun Xiaoyue also had expressions of relief after surviving a disaster.

Chen Qingqing leaned on her sword, her chest heaving violently.

That last sword strike had almost drained her Spiritual Qi.

She looked at Chen Xu, her eyes complex.

If not for that crucial last sword, she would probably have been injured.

The direction of the battle would also have been uncertain.

This man had only made one sword strike from beginning to end, yet at the most critical moment, he decided the outcome of the entire battle.

Chen Xu walked to the Yao Beast’s corpse, poked it with his sword tip to confirm it was dead, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

He put away his notched iron sword and said to Chen Qingqing, ”Fairy Chen, you killed this Yao Beast, so its corpse is yours, no problem, right?”

Everyone nodded, having no objections.

In this battle, Chen Qingqing took the primary credit, and Chen Xu was second.

They were all just assistants and were already satisfied with getting Spirit Stones.

Chen Qingqing also didn’t stand on ceremony. She stepped forward and put the valuable Iron-Tongued Demon corpse into her Storage Pouch.

Just then, Chen Xu’s gaze was drawn to a plant beside the Yao Beast’s lair.

It was a small plant about half a foot tall, with pale purple leaves and three rice-sized red fruits at the top, emitting a faint Spiritual Qi.

”purple essence grass!” Chen Xu rejoiced in his heart.

This was a Medium Grade first-order Spirit Medicine, with mild medicinal properties, most suitable for conditioning the bodies of Mortals and low-level Cultivators.

If combined with his Spiritual Rain Art, the effect would be even better.

He walked over and carefully dug up the purple essence grass by the roots.

He wrapped it in cloth and put it close to his body.

Seeing this, a hint of understanding flashed in Chen Qingqing’s eyes.

Although this Spiritual Plant was also good, for Cultivators like them who did missions all year round, it wasn’t particularly precious.

Chen Xu was willing to give up the Yao Beast Materials for this mild Spiritual Plant; his purpose was self-evident...

The group returned to Zhang Family Village and informed the villagers that the Yao Beast had been cleared.

The village chief, with the entire village, expressed their heartfelt gratitude, insisting on giving them the chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep they raised, but everyone politely declined.

They were only there for the mission and did not seek rewards from Mortals.

Leaving Zhang Family Village, the group did not stop in Shangya Prefecture City but returned directly to Qingyun Sect.

Because Chen Xu was no longer a Sect Disciple and could not fly with a sword, the others accompanied him, hiring a carriage. It took them two days to return to the foot of Qingyun Mountain.

Looking at the towering Sect gate, Chen Xu felt a mix of emotions.

A year ago, he had left here in despair, thinking he would never return in this life.

He hadn’t expected to be back so soon, and in such a completely different capacity and state of mind.

Arriving at the Outer Sect Affairs Hall, Wang Chong stepped forward and handed in the mission Jade Slip.

The Disciple in charge of registration inspected the Iron-Tongued Demon’s corpse. After confirming the mission was complete, he quickly distributed the rewards.

The total mission reward was five hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Chen Qingqing took the largest share, taking the Yao Beast’s corpse, and then voluntarily gave up her share of the Spirit Stones.

The remaining five hundred Spirit Stones were divided equally among the other five people, one hundred each.

When the bag containing one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones was handed to Chen Xu.

He could feel his steady heart involuntarily beat a little faster.

One hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones!

This money was more than he had saved in ten years at the Sect.

It was enough for him to buy medicinal Materials to condition his wife and child for several years.

It also gave his plan to break through to Earth Path Foundation Establishment its first solid foundation.

”Brother Chen, thanks to you this time. If there’s an opportunity in the future, let’s team up again!”

Sun Xiaoyue bravely said to Chen Xu.

Zhao Tong and Wang Chong also nodded repeatedly.

Even the usually aloof Chen Qingqing spoke up: ”Fellow Daoist Chen is very experienced. If you have leisure, you can always come and find us.”

This was a heartfelt invitation.

Chen Xu, however, smiled and shook his head. He put away the Spirit Stone bag and cupped his hands to everyone: ”Thank you for your kindness, Fellow Daoists. However, I have a wife and child at home who need looking after, so I’m afraid I won’t have much leisure.”

He frankly stated that he already had a family, his tone carrying a gentleness he hadn’t even noticed himself.

Everyone was stunned.

They then remembered that Chen Xu was no longer the Sect Disciple who was single-mindedly devoted to the Dao.

He was now a husband and father in the Mortal World.

Wang Chong patted his shoulder and laughed heartily: ”Alright, you rascal, you quietly had a child! Next time, you must let me see my big nephew!”

”Definitely.”

Chen Xu smiled and agreed.

All good things must come to an end, and everyone parted ways.

Wang Chong and the others returned to the Sect, while Chen Xu turned and walked down the mountain.

Looking at his unhesitating back, Sun Xiaoyue murmured in a daze, ”I really don’t understand why Brother Chen, being so powerful, would be content to go down the mountain and live a Mortal life...”

Chen Qingqing, standing nearby, also gazed in the direction Chen Xu had left, her eyes clear. She said faintly, ”He isn’t content; he has found another path.”

”Another path?”

Sun Xiaoyue was puzzled.

”What we seek is to cut off Mortal World ties, devote ourselves wholeheartedly to the Dao, and contend with heaven for destiny.”

Chen Qingqing withdrew her gaze, her tone carrying a hint of emotion, ”And what he seeks, perhaps, is to use the Mortal World as a furnace, and family as fire, to forge a Human Dao that belongs solely to him.”

”Such a Dao, I don’t understand, nor can I walk it.”

”Xiaoyue, remember this. On the path of cultivation, everyone has their own destiny. We and he, from the very beginning, were not on the same path.”

With that, she no longer lingered, turning and walking into the majestic Sect gate that, to her, signified her future in the Immortal Dao.

Outside the Sect gate, Chen Xu’s steps were light, his heart eager to return home.

In his embrace, he carried one hundred Spirit Stones and a purple essence grass—the hope he had earned for his family.

The direction of home was his Dao field.