Chapter Sixty-Nine: Who Planted the Plum Blossoms Upon the Mountain?

Just like the inferno from before, Su Fan’s mind was engulfed in images of a sea of flames. Within that blazing ocean, a crimson orb of light fell to the very depths, swaying gently with the undulating fire. The red sphere trembled, and as the surrounding flames subsided, it gradually became less encircled by fire. Then, like an eggshell, the orb cracked open, a fissure appearing that widened with the diminishing blaze. This scene was not unfamiliar to Su Fan—he had seen it before, buried in his earliest memories.

Slowly, Su Fan felt himself becoming the very Immortal Demon who destroyed the gods, his mind saturated with the memories of Desolation. Yet his own memories were slipping away, vanishing with each passing moment. Grimacing in torment, Su Fan roared, "My memories are my very being—even if I die, I cannot lose them!"

Now he understood perfectly the intent behind Chen Luan’s actions. When the memories of Desolation filled Su Fan’s mind completely, it would mark the resurrection of the Immortal Demon. And with the power of the Immortal Demon, that being would surely rise again in glory. The scheme was as subtle as it was ingenious.

But Su Fan had no intention of waiting for death. He fought desperately to cling to a sliver of his own memory, striving to integrate the memories of Desolation, making them his own. In this way, Su Fan did everything in his power to resist.

His eyes bloodshot, his skin flushed dark red, Su Fan radiated an intense aura of murderous and demonic energy. Raising a hand to his brow, he tried to calm himself, but a stream of fire already fell before him.

Chen Luan smiled faintly. "Young friend, you are indeed exceptional. Such talent among cultivators is rare."

Suppressing the overwhelming force within, Su Fan looked at Chen Luan and replied, "No one has ever praised me as exceptional before."

Chen Luan’s smile remained gentle. "That’s only because they failed to notice your strengths."

Su Fan managed a bitter laugh and sighed. "If I were truly exceptional, how could I have been manipulated and used by you?"

Chen Luan’s smile froze. "Since you see through all this, accept this supreme gift."

Su Fan bellowed in defiance. "Never!"

Chen Luan replied, "It is already done. You are destined to become the prince of my Immortal Demon clan."

Su Fan’s head drooped as he fought with all his might to resist the erosion of his memories.

Chen Luan went on, "You harbor hatred in your heart—there must be a deep vendetta. With the Immortal Demon’s strength, if you cultivate here for a thousand years, you will sweep away all your enemies when you emerge."

Glaring at Chen Luan, Su Fan declared, "I will accomplish that myself."

Chen Luan’s voice sharpened. "So blind to your fate—when the Prince of Desolation overtakes all your memories, nothing will be done for you."

Suddenly, Su Fan burst into wild laughter. "Prince? Desolation? I am Su Fan, and I will make him my slave!"

Chen Luan, now bordering on madness, gathered flames in his hand, nearly striking at Su Fan, but Su Fan had already vanished.

Having absorbed a portion of the memories, Su Fan was now intimately familiar with the Immortal Demon’s body—more so, even, than Chen Luan, who had lingered here for ten thousand years.

Chen Luan stared in surprise at the spot where Su Fan had stood, falling into silence.

Su Fan had descended into the sea of fire, holding a heart in his hand. Forming a seal with one hand, he performed a strange incantation—not a technique used by ordinary cultivators, but reminiscent of the Immortal Demons themselves.

Pressing his finger to the heart, it instantly dissolved, leaving behind a single droplet of deep red liquid. Su Fan pointed to his brow again; a strand of purple liquid drifted out. With a gesture, the purple drop hovered in his palm.

He infused his spirit into the blood, then, with a flick of his hand, let the deep red blood fall onto the purple drop.

The deep red blood rapidly enveloped the purple, fusing into a crimson orb of light, much like the embryonic form of an Immortal Demon.

This was a technique Su Fan had gleaned from the memories of Desolation—a method to create a doppelgänger. The Immortal Demon could use a drop of his soul-blood and a single drop of inheritance blood to forge the one and only clone of his existence.

Immortal Demons differed from cultivators in that they could only ever have one doppelgänger in their lifetime, and it required inheritance blood. Only royal Immortal Demons were born with such blood; all others had to cultivate for countless ages to acquire it.

Leaving a sliver of his spirit within, Su Fan was wary of mistakes—the power of the Immortal Demon was formidable enough to make him cautious. This was also the fastest path to strength, and perhaps his only hope to save his parents.

Lightly tossing the red orb into the flames, Su Fan saw a tongue of fire flash past.

He shouted, "Take one more step forward, and I’ll seal you!"

Chen Luan truly halted, not expecting this minor cultivator to have ruined his grand design. Moreover, Immortal Demons did indeed possess the power to seal, and since Chen Luan was of the slave lineage, a second sealing would be more terrifying than death.

He stood rooted, glaring at Su Fan. "If you wish to possess the power of the Immortal Demon, you must accept my help."

Su Fan replied, "Leave here within three breaths. If I escape unscathed, I won’t trouble you further."

Chen Luan said, "You—trouble me? …"

Su Fan cut him off, "Three…"

His tone was decisive and heavy, not at all like a joke. Even Chen Luan felt a chill.

Chen Luan glared at Su Fan, but made no move to leave. "You cannot possibly assimilate the prince’s memories so quickly."

Su Fan sneered, "Is that so?"

He formed a seal, and Chen Luan immediately recognized the incantation, involuntarily retreating two steps.

With a sudden cry, Su Fan declared, "By the command of the royal Immortal Demons, I seal the body of the slave Chen Luan, the flame-wielder!"

As the words left his lips, the flames wrapping Chen Luan vanished, revealing a nearly transparent soul.

Chen Luan’s gaze lost all color; he looked at Su Fan with a complex expression. Su Fan was his own creation, yet now the tables had turned.

Su Fan’s voice was icy. "Two breaths."

Sweeping another look at Su Fan, Chen Luan withdrew from the sea of fire.

At once, Su Fan produced a snow wolf’s inner core, sitting cross-legged to recover. The sealing incantation had nearly drained him of all spiritual energy, especially since Chen Luan’s cultivation was so profound.

Casting such a seal would inevitably cause backlash. If not for his iron will, Su Fan would already have coughed up blood. Had Chen Luan lingered a moment longer or attacked, Su Fan would have had no strength to resist.

Sitting cross-legged, Su Fan slowly performed another incantation. A red orb floated before him.

Meanwhile, Chen Luan reappeared on his platform. Even with all his experience and cultivation, to be outwitted by a mere junior like Su Fan filled him with rage.

He roared, "Su Fan, you ant, you slave—how dare you steal my inheritance! What I’ve lost, I will reclaim!"

Su Fan remained seated, but suddenly opened his eyes. Now, his spirit sense could reach every corner of the Immortal Demon’s body.

He discovered someone—Liu Shaoyu. Su Fan smiled faintly, appearing beside him in a flash.

Liu Shaoyu drifted within one of the Immortal Demon’s meridians, his eyes closed as if unconscious.

Standing before him, Su Fan smiled, then, with a single gesture, swept him into a storage pouch.

Leaving a wisp of his spirit behind, Su Fan vanished from within the Immortal Demon’s body.

Chen Luan seemed to sense Su Fan’s departure and rushed toward the sea of fire—only to be struck by a tremendous force. A spiritual command echoed in his mind:

"By the power of my royal Immortal Demon bloodline, I seal the Sea of Blood. Slave Chen Luan, you shall guard this place for a thousand years."

A crushing pressure enveloped Chen Luan, and a compulsion to obey surged into his mind. He sat cross-legged, like a guardian, on the edge of the sea of fire.

Su Fan had wanted to seal Chen Luan forever, but with his not-yet-mature Immortal Demon body, a millennium was the limit. Thus, he set a thousand-year seal—if, within that time, the doppelgänger he left behind failed to mature and absorb all of Desolation’s legacy, then Chen Luan would break free, seize the inheritance, and become the royal Immortal Demon Chen Luan.

Su Fan knew well how terrifying that would be, and so a special sense of mission burned within him as he trained.

The ice lake remained as it ever was, the plum blossoms unchanged, and the people were still the same.

Hong Ling sat quietly beneath the plum tree beside the frozen lake, gazing at the water’s surface. She gently tossed a handful of plum petals; each petal fell to the water, sending ripples across its calm expanse.

Moments later, the petals had all sunk, and the lake was once again still.

Hong Ling continued to watch the water when, suddenly, ripples appeared. She leapt up, her eyes fixed on the lake.

The waves grew stronger, and suddenly, a violet figure burst from the water.

Hong Ling murmured, "Su Fan?"

Her doubt quickly vanished, and she shouted, "Su Fan—!"

Landing on the shore, Su Fan offered her a gentle smile. "These plum blossoms are as beautiful as ever. I wonder who planted them?"

The words were odd, but Hong Ling understood. "It hardly matters who planted them. What matters is that these blossoms now belong to this snowy mountain."

Su Fan replied with a laugh, "Let’s go."

Hong Ling quickly asked, "But what about our task?"

Su Fan answered casually, "It seems the sect leader isn’t much concerned with our mission."

Hong Ling looked puzzled.

Su Fan continued, "Years ago, in a small town, I saw a Tianyuan Sect shop selling a great many snow wolf pelts. But they didn’t seem to sell well, so the sect likely has plenty in reserve."

Hong Ling’s smile faded as she gazed at Su Fan, silent for a long time.

Su Fan added, "No matter who planted these lovely blossoms, those who appreciate them will always take pleasure in their beauty."

Understanding flickered in Hong Ling’s eyes. With a faint smile, she followed Su Fan, and together they walked off into the distance.