Young Noble Be Monster Slaying
Chapter 916: The Silent Gears of Destiny (II)

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the cave, Chu Liang stood frozen in astonishment.

The massive golden apparition of the demonic figure before him had just claimed to be a disciple of the Mount Shu Sect from centuries ago. Though he had suspected it already, hearing the confirmation aloud still left him shaken.

A man who had vanished along with the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda five hundred years ago now stood right before his eyes.

"Esteemed Senior… you’re really Yan Renjie?" Chu Liang stared intently at the golden apparition. "But… how did you end up like this?"

"Tell me first, how is the Mount Shu Sect now?" the golden apparition asked urgently. "After the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda was lost, did the sect suffer? Has it faced… any major crises since then?"

Chu Liang answered honestly, “Our sect did go through several centuries of hardship after losing the artifact. But thanks to the efforts of generations of sect leaders and the unity of our disciples, we managed to hold our place among the Divine Nine. In recent years, we even obtained a new legendary artifact and have once again risen to the top of the immortal sects.”

"That is... truly good to hear." The golden apparition let out a long breath, as though a heavy burden had finally eased. "Mount Shu has reclaimed the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda... then perhaps the weight of my sins may finally lessen."

Chu Liang hesitated before speaking again in a careful manner. "Esteemed Senior... the artifact we obtained is called the Vessel of God. It’s a new treasure. The Demon-Suppressing Pagoda... has yet to return to Mount Shu."

As he spoke, he added inwardly, At least, not in its physical form.

"What?" The golden apparition was visibly startled. "Why… how could that be? I clearly already…"

"We came here this time precisely to find you and the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, Esteemed Senior. Could you tell me what happened?" Chu Liang asked.

The golden apparition flickered violently a few times before it gradually steadied. After a brief silence, it began to speak.

"I… I was too foolish back then. In order to save my mother, I lured in the Heaven-Devouring Bug. But in doing so… I ended up damaging the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda."

His voice grew quieter.

"It wasn’t until I stepped inside the pagoda that I realized everything had been a setup—a ploy by the demon race to rescue the Demon God. By then, it was already too late. I had committed an unforgivable mistake. In despair, I chose to remain in the pagoda, ready to die alongside it…"

"Who would have thought…" His voice trailed off.

Hearing the apparition speak in a low, sorrowful voice, pouring out the story of his past, Chu Liang no longer harbored any doubt that this man could only be Yan Renjie.

Back then, when the Demon God broke free, it tried to escape the confines of the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda and flee westward. But the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda was extremely powerful. It held fast to the Demon God’s life essence and refused to let it go.

The two forces clashed as they rose through the skies above the Divine Ruins in the northwest. There, the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda fell from the heavens and smashed into the ground, creating the massive sinkhole now known as the Thousand Pavilion Valley.

Even after suffering damage, the pagoda did not abandon its duty. It continued to suppress the Demon God’s life essence, grinding it down bit by bit.

However, the Demon God’s life essence was equally powerful. It wouldn't simply sit and await its own destruction. As it chewed through the pagoda’s outer shell, it also devoured the demons sealed within, using them to regain strength.

One was a force of divine suppression. The other was a wellspring of endless destruction. Their struggle dragged on, and both were locked in a stalemate that neither side could break.

In the end, the pagoda’s outer shell was entirely devoured, leaving behind only its true spirit. The Demon God’s life essence had also been pushed to the brink. It had become weak enough to be killed.

At that moment, both the spirit of the pagoda and the Demon God noticed Yan Renjie, who had been silently observing from the sidelines.

The spirit of the pagoda surged forward, pouring into Yan Renjie and choosing him as its vessel to continue suppressing the Demon God’s life essence. In the next instant, the Demon God also stopped devouring and followed. It was drawn by the trace of demonic power within Yan Renjie.

The battlefield suddenly became the soul of Yan Renjie, where the brutal clash between the spirit of the legendary artifact and the power of the Demon God tormented him so fiercely that he wished for death.

In this battle between a demon and a spirit within a human body, it was Yan Renjie’s own willpower that proved decisive. As the stalemate dragged on and the spirit of the pagoda began to weaken, he was the one who held firm, keeping the Demon God’s life essence suppressed in this place.

And this stalemate lasted for several decades.

In the end, the Demon God’s life essence chose to abandon the portion trapped inside Yan Renjie, severing it much like a gecko shedding its tail. However, unlike a real tail, it was the smaller fragment that escaped. Only a faint wisp of spirit sense managed to flee, while the greater part of its spiritual power remained sealed within Yan Renjie, where it was slowly worn down and absorbed by the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda.

The purpose of the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda had been to suppress and obliterate demonic creatures. However, after it fused with a portion of the Demon God’s life essence, it gained a new ability that allowed it to devour and refine.

By that time, Yan Renjie had been battered by the struggle between the two forces and was already on the verge of death. Yet, as the vessel that housed the pagoda’s spirit, he could not allow himself to die. If his life ended, the fusion would end, and the Demon God’s life essence could break free and escape into the world.

To prolong his life, Yan Renjie chose to become a demon.

At that moment, he was like a mother carrying an unborn child, doing everything she could to stay alive for its sake. Even if the only water she could find was poisoned, she would still drink it to survive. But the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda was never meant to tolerate demons. The moment Yan Renjie transformed into a demon, the Demon-Suppressing Tower turned against him and locked him in place. He was frozen and unable to move.

And so, the years passed. One century, then another. He remained sealed in that state for hundreds of years.

At last, just over a decade ago, the fusion of the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda reached completion, and a new pagoda spirit was born.

By then, Yan Renjie could no longer hold on. His lifespan had already run its course. With the last of his strength, he forced the pagoda spirit to overdraw its spiritual energy and send itself back to the Mount Shu Sect.

After that, he slowly closed his eyes.

He believed his end had come. But unexpectedly, fragments of the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda still lingered in this place, along with traces of spiritual power. No demons could set foot in this place anymore, and even his own origin essence was unable to break free. He remained here, sealed in endless suppression.

It was as if he had been caught in a long, endless dream. Only when Chu Liang arrived did he finally awaken.

After hearing the full story, Chu Liang came to understand the past and present of the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda. What remained now was the spirit of the pagoda, and to unleash its power, it needed a host.

The pagoda that had returned to the Mount Shu Sect had somehow chosen this handsome boy who had just arrived at Mount Shu. From that moment, the silent gears of destiny began to turn.

And so, the quiet rise of the wealthiest man in Mount Shu began.

The White Pagoda that now resided within him was no longer what it once had been. Rather than calling it the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, it would be more accurate to call it the Demon-Refining Pagoda.

Yan Renjie’s efforts had not been in vain. The strength that the Mount Shu Sect possessed today owed much to the power of the White Pagoda.

"What is the outside world like now?" Yan Renjie asked in a trembling voice. "Since the Mount Shu Sect has risen again, then what about the Demon God’s life essence that escaped? It has not revived, has it?"

"Hmm…" Chu Liang paused for a moment, uncertain how to explain that the two things were not necessarily in conflict.

The Demon God that had brought Yan Renjie five hundred years of torment was, in truth, already gone. The being that remained now was a totally new Demon God, quietly attending school above the ruins where the original had once been sealed. Chu Liang had even arranged for her to take math classes. Perhaps that could be considered a small gesture of revenge on behalf of humanity.

Still, after some thought, Chu Liang chose to keep things simple.

"Relations between the human and demon races have changed," he said calmly. "There is more cooperation now than there used to be. In fact, one of the main reasons we were able to find this place was because of the fox demon king, Caiyi. She wants to see you."

"Ah…" Yan Renjie trembled again.

He remained silent for a long time. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and unhurried. "She cannot come down here. The power of the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda still lingers. No demon or evil being can set foot in this place. Even if we are separated by nothing more than a wall, we will never meet again. Perhaps that is for the best. She and I were never meant to meet."

It seemed that no matter how much time had passed, Yan Renjie had never truly forgiven her.

But that was only natural. Yan Renjie had endured five hundred years of torment, all rooted in the schemes of the demon race. It was not something he could easily let go.

"My only regret is that…" Yan Renjie said bitterly, "I clearly sent the pagoda spirit back to the Mount Shu Sect… yet it still did not return. Was my strength not enough in the end? Did I fail to deliver the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda once again?"

"No, esteemed senior," Chu Liang interrupted gently, nodding. "The Demon-Suppressing Pagoda did return to Mount Shu."

"But didn’t you just say..." Yan Renjie looked at him, puzzled by his words.

"It did return," Chu Liang said again. He was just about to explain when a streak of violet lightning suddenly tore through the air and struck from behind.

Boooooooooooooooom!

The impact hurled Chu Liang more than ten zhang through the air before he crashed to the ground.

Yan Renjie, now existing only as a golden apparition, had no way to resist such a blow. He let out a cry of pain as his form disintegrated with a hiss, scattering into countless fragments of golden light.

"Esteemed Senior!" Chu Liang shouted as he tumbled and pushed himself up.

Yan Renjie turned to look at him. His gaze was steady, and within his eyes was a quiet sense of peace and relief.

"My life was filled with sin," Yan Renjie said quietly, "but now, at last, I have redeemed a small part of it. Mount Shu suffered for five hundred years, and I suffered for five hundred years. This is the heavens’ justice. Now that you have come and told me everything, I can leave without regret."

As his life essence dissipated, a soft clink echoed through the cavern, as though something had fallen to the ground. His voice faded into the air until it vanished completely, leaving only the silence of the empty cave.

From the narrow crevice above, the violet arc of lightning twisted and curled. It gathered into the form of Daoist Cangqiu. His eyes were clouded with devilish light, and a cruel grin slowly spread across his face.

"Killing you," he said in a hoarse voice, "has been more troublesome than I expected."

Though his mind had long fallen into madness, the hatred he bore for Chu Liang remained. It had only grown more frenzied.

Opposite him, Chu Liang stood tall. He had taken a direct blow from an eighth-realm cultivator, yet he rose without hesitation. His eyes were cold as he looked at the enemy before him.

"Then let’s find out," he said clearly, "which one of us will kill the other."