Qin Yun watched it happen before his very eyes in shock and anxiety. He immediately asked, "Why did his soul dissipate? He Qian was imprisoned here by us, completely isolated from the external world. How did the Empyrean Lord instantly kill him across distant space?"
Qin Yun was considered quite knowledgeable.
For example, he knew that even the most esoteric hex spells of the magus lineage were impossible to slip under the noses of a Skygod, Skyimmortal, or Bodhisattva. They would have been insulated.
"Qin Yun," said Human Emperor solemnly. "This can mean only one thing."
Ancestral Master Zhang, Patriarch Bai, and Bodhisattva Mahākāśyapa had solemn expressions as well.
"What thing?" Qin Yun followed up with the question.
"The fiendcelestial world that He Qian belongs to has a Skyfiend of the Mental Demon lineage," said Human Emperor with all seriousness. "For instance, the Daoist school of thought has the talisman amulet Dharma spells, the Physical Establishing Sage, as well as the sword immortal lineage. As for the fiendcelestial system, it has many variations. Some cultivate their bodies, blood, or sins. And the most mysterious and strangest of them all, according to legend… is the Mental Demon lineage."
"The Mental Demon lineage?" Qin Yun was puzzled. "I've always heard how important it is to cultivate one's mind or one might develop a mental demon. But the fiendcelestial system has a Mental Demon lineage that focuses on doing just that?"
"Yes," said Bodhisattva Mahākāśyapa with a nod. "The Mental Demon lineage has an arduous cultivation path so it is rarely encountered! None of us have met one before. We have only heard of it."
"The moment He Qian mentioned your daughter… his soul was instantly pulverized," said Patriarch Bai. "That leaves only one possibility. His soul had been planted with a Mental Demon Seed. To easily do so to a peak third Firmament fiendcelestial, the one who did it must be at the Skyfiend realm. A Mental Demon lineage Skyfiend enjoys a very high status, one far above ordinary Skyfiends."
Ancestral Master Zhang said softly, "Most importantly, as Mental Demon Skyfiends are very rare, the methods they have at their disposal are very strong in influence. In a head-on clash, they could be directly killed by even slightly weaker opponents. Therefore, most Mental Demon Skyfiends follow fiendish experts for protection."
"The fiendcelestial world He Qian came from has not only a Mental Demon Skyfiend, but also a powerful existence that the Mental Demon Skyfiend serves?" said a flabbergasted Qin Yun.
"It's very possible that that is the case," said Human Emperor with a nod. "Eighth Zhu and Ninth Hong are both reincarnated immortals. According to them, just their group alone had nine immortals that reincarnated to our world. It was because a mighty figure had predicted that our world will face a great catastrophe. That also means the potential for great merit, which was why they chose to reincarnate into our Great Chang world."
Ancestral Master Zhang added, "We have been constantly guessing what great catastrophe would befall our world. Now, from the looks of it, it's very likely that it's the fiendcelestial world of He Qian! Just discovering that they have a Mental Demon Skyfiend and a terrifying existence he is subordinate to means their strength is very real. Perhaps, they have even more dangerous existences we have yet to discover. Our only advantage is our geographical location!"
"Then, how do we deal with them?" asked Qin Yun.
Patriarch Bai shook his head and said, "We don't even know the particulars of our enemies. We can only try our best to prepare. As for the great catastrophe, it might not even be the fiendcelestial world in question."
"Perhaps we might be working ourselves up over nothing," said Bodhisattva Mahākāśyapa with a smile. "The Empyrean Lord of this fiendcelestial world might be that Mental Demon Skyfiend. Although they have unfathomable means and are great at influencing people, their direct combat strength is nothing to be afraid of."
"Haha, Brother Zhang's Divine Firmament Lightning Dharma is the natural nemesis of Mental Demons," said Patriarch Bai.
"I also wish that it's only a Mental Demon Skyfiend." Ancestral Master Zhang smiled as well.
But everyone knew that it was very likely the Mental Demon Skyfiend was only one of the subordinates in the fiendcelestial world.
"There's still Jing Fei," said Qin Yun immediately. "He too is a reincarnated fiendcelestial."
"He has probably also been planted with a Mental Demon seed," said Human Emperor. "We won't be able to gain anything from interrogating him, so he is of little value."
"Since he is of no value, let's give it a try. Perhaps something might be obtained before his soul gets pulverized." Qin Yun looked at Bodhisattva Mahākāśyapa. "Senior Mahākāśyapa, sorry for troubling you."
Bodhisattva Mahākāśyapa nodded in response. "Alright, we'll give it another try."
Jing Fei was pulled into a room.
"I really do not know a thing." Jing Fei looked pleadingly at Qin Yun and Bodhisattva Mahākāśyapa.
He knew very well that there were many things he could not say with the Mental Demon seed inside of him. The moment he said something confidential, the Mental Demon would trigger and pulverize his soul!
Therefore, they had to endure no matter how much torture was inflicted on them.
"…" Bodhisattva Mahākāśyapa sat cross-legged and constantly chanted the sutras as they filled Jing Fei's mind.
Jing Fei gradually turned calm and even smiled.
"Go ahead and ask," said Bodhisattva Mahākāśyapa.
Qin Yun looked at Jing Fei. "Tell me where my wife, Yi Xiao, is imprisoned. Just tell me the address."
"She might be at—" The moment Jing Fei said that, his eyes widened as he recovered his clarity of mind.
"No—" He let out a painful scream as his soul struggled against the separation from his body. With a boom, it completely shattered and, like He Qian before him, his soul was pulverized.
The fiendcelestial Moquan who had descended into Jing Fei's body truly met an aggrieved end. He was given the chance to descend early because he had many missions to do! He planned on completing them to gain great merit…
But he was captured the moment he descended.
Now, his soul had been pulverized.
Qin Yun watched this play out in complete silence.
"The Mental Demon seed is planted right in their soul. Just the thought of saying something will allow the Mental Demon seed to detect it and obliterate their soul," said Bodhisattva Mahākāśyapa with a sigh.
"He said 'she might be at.' Clearly, Jing Fei was only guessing," said Qin Yun. "But back when I asked He Qian, his reply did determine one thing—My daughter is still alive. Back when my wife was captured, she was still pregnant. According to my wife's guess, her pregnancy would last three years. Since my daughter is alive… it means He Qian's announcement to the world that he had killed my wife is fake. My wife is still alive and she managed to give birth to my daughter."
"Yes." Bodhisattva Mahākāśyapa nodded.
"Xiaoxiao and my daughter are still alive," thought Qin Yun. "But where are they?"
Following that, Qin Yun and Bodhisattva Mahākāśyapa walked out of the room. Ancestral Master Zhang, Patriarch Bai, and Human Emperor looked over but Bodhisattva Mahākāśyapa shook his head gently.
"Qin Yun," said Ancestral Master Zhang. "The fiendcelestial world orchestrating this are the true enemies. They ordered your wife's abduction years ago. However, they should lack the strength to descend into this world. They can't even kill you despite wanting it! Only when they have the strength to come to our Great Chang world will they really use your wife and daughter against you. Until that day, they should be safe."
"Who knows when they will take action? A hundred years from now? Ten years from now? Or even three from now?" Qin Yun shook his head. "That is all an unknown. I have to quickly amass a superior-grade Numinous treasure. I need to rescue my wife and daughter before they mobilize."
Qin Yun left the Divine Firmament Chapter.
Although he now knew that both his wife and daughter were still alive, it only made him more anxious! He did not know what their lives were like at the moment.
"Xiaoxiao, and also, Daughter… I will definitely do my best to rescue you. Our family will definitely be reunited." Qin Yun looked at the distant green mountain ranges before riding a cloud into the distance. He continued his search for hidden opportunities in the world.
Time flew by.
In a blink of an eye, it was early summer of the next year.
Qin Yun had been back from the Great Chu world for a year. His Grotto-heaven Sword Calabash's Sword Qi had been been filled once again.
A beam of light flew towards the West Sea.
"I wonder if I'm able to crack the Ancient Skydragon Palace's final array formation with the Grotto-heaven Sword Calabash's Sword Qi." Qin Yun flew the entire way.