So What If You’ve Been Reborn? - CH 31

C31. Grandmaster Huanjian

The box’s red exterior had not faded even after thousands of years, though the box itself had a few faint marks. There was even a visible dent on the top.

Shi Feng did not have any interest in the remaining jade tablets. He gently stroked the unusual marks this box carried.

A harsh, freezing aura assaulted him, leaving him no room to think. They had already drifted outside the pavilion.

—Grandmaster Huanjian was now holding a sword wrapped in layers of black cloth. This intimidating aura was emanating from the sword which had yet to be unsheathed.

“You can take the treasure, but if you want the Ten-Millennium Clambeast Pearl, that depends on my mood.”

As the black cloth loosened, releasing the wielder’s killing intent, Shi Feng tossed the box into his mustard seed storage treasure.

There were many theories about Grandmaster Huanjian’s title.

The most reliable theory, which was also the most useless, was that this demonic grandmaster used a sword as powerful as a celestial weapon. However, no one knew what the sword looked like or what powers it possessed.

Even the matter of the clambeast pearl had been something the Valley Master uttered carelessly one day, after Shi Feng joined Black Depths Valley. It was before Chen He fell off Sky-High Cliff. The matter had been mentioned purely to satisfy the other cultivators’ curiosity.

“Is it true that no one has seen the strongest demonic cultivator’s sword before?”

“The issue isn’t the sword itself,” said the Valley Master as he stroked his chin. “Grandmaster Huanjian has enough clambeast pearls to use as slingshot balls. If you get lucky, and that Ten-Millennium Clambeast Pearl isn’t on the sword—“

It was then that they realised it.

The ‘huan’ in Grandmaster Huanjian’s title was a representation, and a form of bait… [TN: ‘huan’, 浣, means ‘wash’ or ‘rinse’; related to water]

The pavilion shook, its green curtain sliced into strips by the harsh aura. Waves broke the lake’s surface, sending dozens of water jets up in the air at once and alerting the whole mansion.

There was an odd, rumbling noise hidden within the sounds of the waves.

But to Shi Feng, this sound was as clear as thunder in the middle of the night.

Shi Feng flew back once more. His true essence had already melded with the heavens and earth; in an instant, a chilling air of death spread through the area. One could only see the plum trees by the lake withering, the blossoms’ red petals scattering. Those petals crumbled to dust before they touched the ground.

TWANG.

A soft buzzing sound, and then the sword could be seen, with drops of water clinging to it.

Shi Feng’s eyes were so sharp, he could tell that these water droplets had not come from the lake—Grandmaster Huanjian’s scabbard already contained water! These crystalline beads of water clung to the sword, reflecting the strange state of the lake. The sword appeared twisted and misshapen; its true form was undiscernible.

Shi Feng lifted his palm, summoning bright white flames.

His All-Destroying Essence cut the waves off. With a loud boom, they crashed back onto the lake, destroying the viewing bridge in the process.

When the demonic cultivators in the mansion arrived at the scene, they saw the night sky devoid of any clouds, and there was no wind or snow. Mist, soils, and rocks flew everywhere. Amazingly, the disturbance resulting from the battle between these two Immortalisation-level cultivators was restricted to a small area. Not a single tile had fallen off the pavilion roof, and the remaining plum trees had not been touched in the slightest.

As the sword passed by, the white flames in its wake were extinguished. Only then did Shi Feng’s expression change.

“True Waters of the Four Seas!”

Still, it did not matter if his Wood-borne Flame could be extinguished. Not even he himself knew any ways to stop the All-Destroying Essence.

As soon as the aura approached Shi Feng, it seemed to stop in its tracks, as if trapped in a swamp.

All sorts of debris hung in the air. There were plum branches from the trees, large pieces of the shattered stone bridge—as Shi Feng’s palm swept over them, they all turned to dust.

In that instant, Shi Feng could feel the gusts from his palms being ripped apart by thousands of sword-blows; the air of death was being forcibly dispersed. However, by actively attacking, Grandmaster Huanjian was also abandoning the tight defences he had maintained.

The flows of energy were divided, one half appearing sharp and hostile, the other half appearing stagnant. Yet they would not stop battling. In the eyes of the demonic cultivators, it looked like two differently coloured true essences transformed into tremendous beasts that were tearing into each other. Whenever one of them gained a slight advantage, they would be countered at once; it was difficult to tell who had the upper hand.

“Wh, who is this?”

The demonic cultivators exchanged looks of horror.

Grandmaster Huanjian was the second greatest grandmaster of the demonic Dao, and Grandmaster Lietian, who ranked above him, was in fact his disciple; this was something most demonic cultivators knew. The demonic cultivators did not rank themselves by their cultivation bases, and an Immortalisation-level demonic cultivator could not simply make himself a grandmaster. To become a demonic grandmaster, one had to have great influence and a large following of loyal subordinates.

If Grandmaster Huanjian had not suddenly acted three centuries ago to drive the powerful Qiankun Abbey out of the central lands, if he had not allowed his influence to seep into the governance of the mortal realm after the establishment of the new dynasty, if he had not personally become the State Priest—he would have been unable to become a grandmaster even if he was the strongest demonic cultivator in existence.

Titles had little meaning. Ability was what truly mattered!

The demonic cultivators were horrified precisely because they could not fathom how there could be someone who was evenly matched against Grandmaster Huanjian.

Such life-and-death duels between powerful Immortalisation-level cultivators could last more than three days and three nights, but Grandmaster Huanjian’s track record was simply too impressive.

Three hundred years ago, Qiankun Abbey had two Immortalisation-level cultivators. Since they had favourable relations with many other sects, they managed to gather five Immortalisation-level cultivators. Grandmaster Huanjian took on all five of them alone. Two died on the spot, one died shortly after being whisked off the scene, and the remaining two cultivators retreated, heavily injured from the battle. In the present day, they had long since passed on, whether it had been succumbing to inner demons or failing to pass tribulations during ascension. Thus, Grandmaster Huanjian’s notoriety struck fear into the hearts of many cultivators.

The one who feared him most was none other than Ji Hong.

Other than Li Zan, all the people who had accompanied him to the gravel beach were dead. Though Grandmaster Huanjian had brought them back along with the treasure, Ji Hong was still on such high alert that he was uneasy.

The plan to become Huanjian’s disciple was about to succeed, but Ji Hong was still unable to rest easy.

After coming to investigate the disturbance, others were still trying to guess the identity of the intruder, but Ji Hong’s mind was already buzzing, his vision going black as he nearly passed out.

—even in the previous life, only one person would have the audacity to barge into Grandmaster Huanjian’s mansion to steal his possessions.

Chen He, who would later become Grandmaster Liyan.

“This cannot be!” Ji Hong strove to calm himself.

At this point, Shi Feng and Grandmaster Huanjian had not even exerted their full strength.

But testing the waters would only get one so far…

The blade quivered, and suddenly, the crystalline droplets suspended in the air currents burst. Everything was consumed by a white mist.

—a clambeast pearl was formed from the clambeast breath[1] exhaled by clam demons in the sea.

There was an area near some islets in the South Seas where disasters often happened. No ships dared to approach, and the area was always shrouded in mist. Here lived a great many enlightened clam demons who exhaled clambeast breath, creating any number of illusions that led sailors astray.

If something like the Ten-Millennium Clambeast Pearl existed, it most certainly came from this place.

The most dangerous places in the land were the Redwinds Desert, the Bottomless Pits of Mt. Man, and the Marine Cities of Illusion[2].

The clambeast pearl was encased in True Waters of the Four Seas. Grandmaster Huanjian’s title was a trap; the scabbard was not filled with water, and the sword did not have drops of water on the blade.

Shi Feng observed calmly, ignoring the white mist surrounding them.

He originally thought Grandmaster Huanjian had refined the clambeast pearl into a magic item and attached it to the blade, since clambeast breath had to be carefully fostered. If it was not used immediately, it had to be stored appropriately. Without powerful opponents around, Grandmaster Huanjian would not use it so easily. This was why Shi Feng had the idea to snatch it while the latter was away.

Of course, he was also trying to snatch it right now.

Suddenly, he was greeted by a vision of heavy snow; the surroundings changed into high mountains covered in ice and snow everywhere.

Familiar faces and figures passed by in front of Shi Feng. These people talked and laughed like they had done in life, but before they could talk to Shi Feng, they dissolved into mist.

Before Shi Feng’s All-Destroying Essence, the living and the dead could be easy distinguished at once.

Shi Feng even recognised the path of the sword amid the mist—truly, it was a superb celestial sword that could impede a cultivator’s senses and even trigger inner demons.

He caught the blade solidly with just his fingers.

Just as Shi Feng expected, Grandmaster Huanjian did not cover the blade in his own true essence. Even if he was stabbed by the blade, it would only injure his flesh, and his soul would be completely untouched.

“You need not show such mercy, Venerable Grandmaster.” Shi Feng frowned.

Anyone would be unhappy if the opponent went easy on them before the duel even ended.

“I did not show any mercy. You just have no inner demons.”

“It is only because my practices are unusual.”

“Even the Ghost King of Mt. Mang with his deathly Qi could not withstand a blow from my sword.” Grandmaster Huanjian was a little mopey. “I can’t be bothered to make enemies out of people with clear consciences.”

The white mist dispersed. Shi Feng was able to see the sword’s true form up close.

The blade looked colourful in the light, but it was not pretty. More accurately, its colours were like the unevenly coloured inner surfaces of a clam’s shell. It was obviously refined from a clam demon’s shell.

Shi Feng released his grip on the blade.

With a flick of Grandmaster Huanjian’s fingers, the clambeast pearl was once again surrounded by the True Waters of the Four Seas. Like a clear stream, it flowed into the scabbard along with the sword. A pearl about the size of a thumb floated in mid-air, surrounded by wisps of white mist.

“A Ten-Millennium Clambeast Pearl.”

Grandmaster Huanjian waved his hand nonchalantly.

“I still have a whole chest of those. If I count even the millennium-old and century-old clambeast pearls, I could easily fill this entire lake.”

The lake had dried up, leaving behind nothing but a huge pit.

Shi Feng glanced at the lake. He produced a few gold ingots and threw them into the pit. Then he took the clambeast pearl, leaving without a second glance.

The disturbances subsided. Snow began to fall once more, and the red-clothed figure vanished from sight; the demonic cultivators only managed to catch a glimpse of it. While they were still shocked and uncertain, Grandmaster Huanjian was already standing at the pavilion. Pointing at the gold ingots in the pit, he said haughtily, “What are you standing there for? Pick that up and find workers to repair the courtyard at once!”

“V…Venerable Grandmaster.”

“Hm?”

“If I may, who would be so fearless as to—“

“Other than the Blood Demon, the evil remnant of Beixuan, is there anyone else who wears red and is able to stop a blow from the Venerable Grandmaster’s sword?” Ji Hong suddenly spoke up. The other demonic cultivators looked at him in surprise, quickly coming to a realisation.

Ji Hong’s face was ashen, but he was very composed.

One had to stand out if they wanted to become Grandmaster Huanjian’s disciple. Grandmaster Huanjian had a strange personality, so one had to know his tastes.

In the previous life, when the cultivators had been at war, it had also been Grandmaster Huanjian who obtained the Secret Beixuan Treasure. He opened it on the spot, laughed loudly, and made his exit. The remaining ones were dumbfounded, and they only discovered the truth behind the Secret Beixuan Treasure after they fought it out and someone else seized the box.

At that time, nothing could have been more shocking, not even a heavenly tribulation being cast upon them right there and then.

—Grandmaster Huanjian’s lifelong wish was to ascend to immortality. He had seized the Secret Beixuan Treasure with the hope that it contained something to help him ascend to immortality, but there had been nothing in the end. It was probably impossible for him to not hate the Beixuan Sect.

In his mind, Ji Hong was making rapid calculations, but he maintained a respectful attitude.

“The Blood Demon is frivolous; he killed his kin and murdered his master many years ago. There is nothing he would not do.”

“Mm.”

Grandmaster Huanjian was rather cold to him. With a flick of his sleeve, he returned to his room.

Behind the folding screen, Grandmaster Huanjian sat on the steps, letting the two puppets crouch together to mutter among themselves.

“He killed his kin and murdered his master, but he has no inner demons. My, what an interesting person he is.”

“You idiot, once the Blood Demon showed himself, I could tell he wasn’t a demonic cultivator…and now we’ve seen it for ourselves!”