Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 197: Harvesting the World

At the same time, as Senior Brother Liu Xiangshi continued to persuade and guide him, his words were like a clear spring flowing through Chu Tianyu’s chaotic thoughts, gradually soothing his self-reproach and regret. He slowly emerged from his initial stunned state, and his thinking began to return to normal.
Seeing that Chu Tianyu had finally recovered without any terrible consequences, Liu Xiangshi’s worried heart finally settled. In truth, Liu Xiangshi didn’t know much about Chu Tianyu’s current state or what terrible outcomes might arise. All he knew was that he had to keep talking to him, pulling his thoughts and consciousness back to a normal path.
It turned out he was right! Chu Tianyu’s gaze also began to return to normal, and it seemed he could now move in sync with his thoughts. As the saying goes, eyes are the windows to the soul—this indeed holds true. Earlier, Chu Tianyu’s eyes were either blankly staring ahead or showing various expressions such as pain and frustration, changing rapidly like a carousel, clearly revealing the internal struggle and chaos within him.
“Tianyu, would you like to talk to your friends? From their voices, they seem very concerned about you. Senior Brother just explained a bit on your behalf. It’s better if you tell them yourself what’s going on,” Liu Xiangshi asked boldly, seeing that Chu Tianyu had improved significantly.
After all, emotional issues require emotional solutions. Liu Xiangshi also knew that Chu Tianyu’s sudden crisis was likely related to his friends. The girl on the other end of the phone who seemed most anxious was probably his junior brother’s sweetheart. If he wasn’t mistaken, Chu Tianyu had neglected to investigate the whereabouts of his friends or even his sweetheart after escaping and had instead focused on practicing martial arts in the maze. That was unforgivable, especially given his original personality, standards, and sense of responsibility. Even if there were so-called influences from the Ink Dragon Pattern or Moon Energy, they certainly couldn’t be an excuse for such behavior…
This was the root of Chu Tianyu’s pain, self-reproach, confusion, and even the brink of madness!
However, although Liu Xiangshi could roughly guess the truth, the full details weren’t as he thought. Only someone with Chu Tianyu’s level of skill and state of mind could barely maintain clarity, and so far, he had only shown desires for bloodshed and combat.

If it were someone else, even if they could endure such celestial energy, they would never reach Chu Tianyu’s state of living in harmony with nature, let alone have experienced the influence and tempering of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism since childhood. They would likely have gone mad or collapsed, either falling into the path of endless violence and becoming a “beast” with no self-awareness but only instinctive desires, or failing to control such power and ending up with severed tendons or self-destruction.

In fact, just the Ink Dragon Pattern and Moon Energy alone were not enough to affect Chu Tianyu to this extent. At first, he was able to maintain normalcy. After gaining basic mobility and survival skills, he tried to find Ouyang Ziyi and the others. If not for the mud blocking the way and the loss of his vital energy, which prevented him from using his lightness skills, Chu Tianyu wouldn’t have thought of taking a detour through the misty forest to find another path.

Chu Tianyu’s ultimate transformation was closely tied to the thick fog in the forest. This strange fog acted like a catalyst, triggering reactions in his Ink Dragon Pattern and Moon Energy, gradually influencing him. As he fought against the unique beasts in the forest, he unintentionally became trapped within it.

Later, after absorbing the entire Life Stone—though this was a precious treasure—history has shown that all things in the world are balanced by yin and yang. The Life Stone, full of life force, radiated positivity and good fortune, but it relied on the sinister energy of toads to envelop the entire forest, absorbing the essence of everything within it. In return, it provided the toad with endless energy and resources to enhance its powers, evade celestial disasters, and expand the range and speed of its absorption of evil energy…

So, naturally, after absorbing this energy, Chu Tianyu’s skills improved dramatically, but he also had to endure its negative effects. Coincidentally, he encountered several enemies of the Cloud Gate Sect, which finally gave him an opportunity to explode in power. The subsequent changes were then entirely logical.

Yet Chu Tianyu was still Chu Tianyu. As he gradually regained his clarity, he understood the root of his problem without his senior brother needing to explain. Calm down, his first thought was to call Ouyang Ziyi and the others again.

When Chu Tianyu heard Ouyang Ziyi’s hoarse voice once more, his heart inexplicably felt as if it were being gripped by something.

However, Ouyang Ziyi on the other end didn’t say much. After briefly describing their ordeal and rescue, she let Bai Lei and the others take turns speaking with Chu Tianyu, greeting him warmly.

With Chu Tianyu’s wisdom, how could he not see their concerns and intentions? Surely his senior brother had told them something—out of fear that they might accidentally say something overly affectionate or worried, thereby adding to Chu Tianyu’s self-reproach and regret, which could turn a good situation into a disaster. Chu Tianyu didn’t expose the truth; he knew it was better for them to escape safely than anything else! It turned out that the flood came suddenly that night. Aside from Chu Tianyu, who was sleeping on the roof of the car and was flung out, everyone else inside was lucky. The car was pushed to the side of a cliff and stopped by a cluster of dense ancient trees. Pushed by forces from both front and back, the car arched high up the cliff face. After the flood passed, it dropped back down, landing on top of several large trees, thus avoiding the tragedy of being buried along with the people inside. However, everyone in the car was affected to some extent by the impact. Bai Lei suffered a severe head injury and lost consciousness on the spot. Fortunately, Angel was there, and there were some first-aid medicines in the car, which helped them survive the crisis. Then, they waited until dawn and used the car’s elevated position to let Angel climb up the steep cliff face. Everyone was worried that even if Angel found another exit up there, as a foreign “child” in this remote area, where could she seek help? Moreover, with several of them injured or unconscious, it seemed impossible for them to leave that place. But unexpectedly, as soon as Angel climbed up, they heard her excited shouts, after which she dropped down from the cliff and disappeared. While everyone was puzzled, they heard noise from above—Angel had brought a group of locals to rescue them. It turned out that once you climbed up the cliff face and looked in another direction, there was a small village not far away. Angel was so excited because just a few steps ahead, many hunters were taking advantage of the flood and heavy rain, which had destroyed many animals’ homes and nests, to hunt for animals that were usually hard to find and make some money… After listening to their chatter, Chu Tianyu was also worried for them—it had been incredibly dangerous! “Tianyu, if you have anything to do, go ahead. We still have a lot to do. If you’re fine, we’ll be relieved. We’re okay too, so don’t worry! Remember to take care of your own affairs and come back as soon as possible!” In the end, Ouyang Ziyi took the phone and said cheerfully, trying to sound relaxed. Without waiting for Chu Tianyu to reply, she hung up the phone decisively.

They didn’t say a word about Chu Tianyu’s situation!
Facing their understanding and support, Chu Tianyu felt calm inside, but he knew how much emotion and indescribable feelings lay beneath that calm…
“Tianyu, didn’t you say that at night, you can automatically absorb moon energy? And it shouldn’t be hindered by anything in the way? Now the moon is high in the sky, shining brightly—why don’t I feel any moon energy coming through? Is it invisible? Or can only you see it?” Seeing Chu Tianyu put away his phone and look thoughtful again, Liu Xiangshi quickly brought up a topic he had long wanted to ask to distract him.
“Senior brother, I think I’m fine for now. You don’t need to worry about me anymore!” Chu Tianyu said sincerely, looking at Liu Xiangshi, who had been waiting by his side.
Liu Xiangshi didn’t say much more. He really cared for this younger disciple; since their master wasn’t around, it was his duty as a senior brother to take care of him.
Seeing the senior brother’s puzzled expression, Chu Tianyu knew he was still fixated on the matter of moon energy. In fact, he couldn’t answer that question either—why wasn’t he able to absorb moon energy naturally today? Could it be related to his mental state just now? If so, it meant that the process of absorbing moon energy wasn’t just passive or something that happened naturally, but could also be controlled manually…
Thinking of this, Chu Tianyu felt as if he’d stumbled upon some inspiration, though he couldn’t explain it clearly. So he quickly shared his thoughts with his senior brother, as he was definitely an expert in this area.
Liu Xiangshi pondered for a long time before slowly raising his head and saying, “Perhaps this is the key to resolving your situation. But we’ll need to wait for the uncles to return and discuss it properly.”
“By the way, senior brother, where did the uncles go? Why haven’t they returned yet?” Chu Tianyu asked, looking outside.
“At that time, your condition was unstable. I was afraid too many people might cause trouble, so I had them go explore the forest first. When they returned, the two uncles were excited, saying this place was like a treasure forest. They wanted to examine it carefully—they won’t go far. If anything happens here, we can use Yunmen Zhenyin to notify them.”

When Liu Xiangshi mentioned distracting the uncles, Chu Tianyu felt ashamed yet deeply moved, realizing that his senior brother had intended to risk going alone with him. If anything happened to him—whether he went mad or lost control—given his current terrifying power, even with more people around, they would just be extra sacrifices.

“Will my uncles be okay?” Although Chu Tianyu had already discovered and disrupted all the secrets of the forest, he still felt uneasy about this maze-like forest, so he asked anxiously.

Liu Xiangshi shook his head casually. “Don’t worry. In these wild forests, they’re used to this. Even at night, there’s no problem. In modern terms, they’re experts among experts in this regard!”

As they were talking, several figures appeared in the distance. Liu Xiangshi looked closely and faintly saw three figures—his uncles had returned. Truly, as soon as one thinks of them, they appear! So he immediately led Chu Tianyu out of the thatched cottage to greet them.

It was indeed his uncles. They looked excited, carrying many bags behind them, clearly having reaped a great deal. Especially upon seeing that Chu Tianyu was safe, the two elders were even happier. After entering the room, they pulled Liu Xiangshi and Chu Tianyu aside to talk.

Of course, their first question was about Chu Tianyu’s condition. Liu Xiangshi and Chu Tianyu explained the current situation and their analyses. After listening, the two uncles agreed that Chu Tianyu had been affected by evil energy, which now resided within his body. With Chu Tianyu’s cultivation level, he should be able to gradually refine or absorb it.

However, absorbing moon energy at night was a major problem. Moonlight is cold and yin, and the former form of Mo Long was a jiao, which favored such cold light. Moreover, the entire Mo Long pattern had lost its self-awareness and could only function as Chu Tianyu’s dantian, circulating energy throughout his body. So as more moon energy was absorbed, it helped its circulation, inevitably posing hidden risks that could silently affect Chu Tianyu’s nature, even possibly leading to his rebirth.

Still, they agreed with Chu Tianyu’s observations about his unusual behavior that night and his own theories, sharing Liu Xiangshi’s view that this might be the key to solving the problem.

But since Chu Tianyu’s situation couldn’t be determined yet, after discussing him, Xian Tian and Xian Feng talked about their exploration of the forest that day.

It turned out that what excited them so much was the fact that this forest, plagued for a long time by toads and the Stone of Life, had caused tremendous mutations in both its animals and plants—this was the law of survival of the fittest. In particular, the precious medicinal herbs here not only had a long history but also doubled in medicinal efficacy. They packed them up as they went, collecting them along the way…

In the following days, Liu Xiangshi and his two uncles discussed in detail the situation in Chu Tianyu’s region. They all agreed that it was better to address the issue rather than suppress it. Since the root cause lay in heaven, earth, and nature, why not seek answers within them?

Especially after that day, Chu Tianyu’s region resumed absorbing moon energy every night. After several days of observing Chu Tianyu’s region and the phenomenon of it absorbing moon energy at night, they finally decided that Liu Xiangshi should take Chu Tianyu on a journey through the mountains and fields to cultivate his mind and body, gradually reducing the side effects of the negative energy within him. At the same time, they hoped to find a way to deal with the continuous absorption of moon energy, to discard the harmful parts and retain the beneficial ones.

Chu Tianyu had no objections to their decision. Over these past two days, he had also tried to restrain a certain impulse and bloodthirst that occasionally surged from deep within him, relying solely on his willpower. After all, without true energy, he couldn’t apply or utilize many of the key techniques. In fact, Chu Tianyu was well aware of the root cause of his physical problems. He knew that if this had happened in the past, when his Purple Void True Energy was abundant, such things might not have occurred at all.

Not to mention this minor negative energy—even during the time when Mo Long possessed him, despite the intense violent energy, it couldn’t control or even affect his consciousness or thoughts. At most, its overwhelming power could control his body, but it couldn’t invade his mind at all.

So now, Chu Tianyu could only start from the basics, acting as an ordinary person who hadn’t learned any true energy techniques. Just like Bai Lei and Ouyang Ziyi, he began practicing the most fundamental Qingfeng Jue. Although it was tedious and frustrating, Chu Tianyu remained calm. The perseverance he had developed since childhood, along with the hardships and setbacks he had endured, had elevated his mental strength to a higher level.

Now, they were taking a three-pronged approach to deal with Chu Tianyu’s situation. Besides Liu Xiangshi and Chu Tianyu going out to cultivate and Chu Tianyu’s own hard work in self-discipline, the two uncles stayed behind to see if they could find something in this forest that could directly neutralize the negative energy in Chu Tianyu’s body. After all, the plants and animals here had developed some resistance over time as they fought against the mist.

At the same time, it was also an opportunity to gather rare herbs, magical medicines, and other precious resources from this place. The two uncles immediately decided to set up a workshop on the spot to brew medicines, hoping to create remedies that would be effective and helpful for Chu Tianyu’s condition, enabling him to get out of his current predicament sooner.

Chu Tianyu deeply felt the sense of family among the Yunmen members due to their concern for him. Although they had only met for a few days, the eagerness and worry shown by his uncles, seniors, and juniors for his well-being moved him so much that he was speechless. This experience gave Chu Tianyu another insight into what it meant to be cared for and have someone to rely on—a feeling he had not experienced so directly even during his time training with his masters. After all, despite his young age back then, his skills were already advanced enough that he didn’t need anyone’s help.

…

During the remaining days, they did not part ways right away. Instead, they focused on Chu Tianyu’s health, exchanging knowledge in various fields—mysticism, medicine, and martial arts—enlightening him greatly. In particular, his senior’s knowledge of diverse disciplines left even his two uncles in awe.

These days were the most relaxed for Chu Tianyu, free from any worries or responsibilities. By day, he wandered through the mountains gathering herbs; occasionally, he dealt with a few fierce beasts. At night, they would sit under the open sky, enjoying the moonlight as they had long conversations…

The two uncles and his senior, Liu Xiangshi, did not forbid Chu Tianyu from using his martial skills and supernatural abilities. As they said, such things should be guided rather than suppressed. Allowing Chu Tianyu to release his energy appropriately was better than letting it build up inside, which might lead to a sudden outburst someday.

During this time, Liu Xiangshi also encouraged Chu Tianyu to talk more with Ouyang Ziyi and the others, sharing his situation—there was no need to hide the truth. After all, since everyone was only guessing about Chu Tianyu’s condition and there was no definite diagnosis, sharing the facts would help them understand the severity of the situation and reassure them that there was no immediate danger, so they didn’t need to worry too much.

However, Liu Xiangshi insisted on one thing: he would not allow Chu Tianyu to meet with them. Whenever Chu Tianyu expressed his desire to see them before continuing his travels or even suggested accompanying them back before setting off on his own journey, Liu Xiangshi would either change the subject or come up with some half-hearted reasons to reject his request.

In fact, Master Liu also considered this from a deeper perspective. He knew too well the nature of the energy affecting Chu Tianyu. He was afraid that after Chu Tianyu met close friends like Ouyang Ziyi, he might lose control, allowing that energy to mutate through lust or during intimate moments, which would be counterproductive! So Master Liu took the opportunity to indirectly express his concerns to Ouyang Ziyi, while saying nothing about Chu Tianyu—after all, Chu Tianyu himself hadn’t thought of this aspect. If he were to bring it up rashly, it would be like waking someone who’s sleeping and then asking, “Are you asleep?”—which would only lead to worse outcomes.

In the following days, Chu Tianyu’s condition began to become increasingly difficult to control. Master Liu decided to set off immediately, heading to several places rich in spiritual energy he had visited during his past travels. Relying on the Cloud Gate Meditation Technique combined with the Clear Heart Mantra, he hoped it would help Chu Tianyu. Moreover, traveling was itself a process of hard cultivation and a good way to temporarily suppress the abnormal abilities within Chu Tianyu’s body.

Thus, Master Liu left with Chu Tianyu, bidding farewell to his senior mentors and agreeing to keep in touch—informing each other promptly if any news arose. Along the way, the tasks Master Liu assigned to Chu Tianyu were even stricter and more demanding than those during his time training with his master. Since Chu Tianyu had strong physical strength, Master Liu focused on strengthening his muscles and bones, making him expend a great deal of energy on physical labor such as clearing paths through mountains. At night, he would meditate all night long, absorbing moonlight while continuously using the Clear Heart Mantra to guide him step by step.

This journey was not only a test for Chu Tianyu but also brought many surprises for Master Liu. He never expected that taking Chu Tianyu along would yield unexpected benefits after each session of guidance and release. The reason was that some of the places rich in spiritual energy they visited were actually discovered by Master Liu alone during his past travels. Most of these places contained natural spiritual elements, and back then, they were guarded by spiritual beasts. With Master Liu’s current level of skill, he couldn’t even approach them. Now, with Chu Tianyu as a powerful force, those spiritual beasts and fierce animals all met their end. Not only did the precious treasures they guarded fall into Master Liu’s bag, but their lives were also lost. After being “tortured” by two mischievous disciples, every last one of them—whether to be cooked, boiled, or grilled—ended up in their stomachs…

Moreover, Liu Xiangshi provided Chu Tianyu with cooling, detoxifying, and gentle regulating substances suitable for entering the game, either having him swallow them directly or processing them slightly before combining them with other medications. Although this did not resolve the underlying problem immediately, it brought unexpected benefits to Chu Tianyu. Many of these rare treasures helped replenish vital energy and regulate energy pathways. With Liu Xiangshi and Chu Tianyu frantically collecting and consuming them, Chu Tianyu ended up with an “excess of nutrients,” causing the vital energy generated in his body to exceed the absorption rate of the Dragon Core. This allowed Chu Tianyu to sense signs of vital energy reaccumulating in his dantian, indirectly proving the correctness of Liu Xiangshi’s assumptions about the Dragon Core. Now, in addition to practicing the Qingfeng Jue, Chu Tianyu could also use other simple mental techniques to control his body’s energy, especially regarding the absorption of lunar energy. Using these techniques could not only speed up absorption but also, in some cases, slow it down. This discovery thrilled both Chu Tianyu and Liu Xiangshi. It seemed that as long as Chu Tianyu’s overall vital energy recovered, controlling the lunar energy in his body should be no problem. Sometimes, when certain factors caused violent energy to surge within Chu Tianyu’s body, Liu Xiangshi would arrange for some hidden evil cultivators to challenge him, allowing him to vent that accumulated violent energy through a fight. After all, those reclusive villains were highly skilled and excellent targets for Chu Tianyu. But when he encountered a few whose skills were at the Tongxuan level and beyond his current capabilities, it was simple: Chu Tianyu would “cry and beg” for them to beat him severely, using his own energy to suppress the violent energy within him. As the medium, Chu Tianyu remained unshaken no matter what happened. The direct consequence of this was that wherever Chu Tianyu and Liu Xiangshi went, not only were the rare treasures plundered, but those poor evil cultivators also met the same fate—some died, some fled, those who fought Chu Tianyu were defeated, and those who fought against Chu Tianyu suffered the same outcome… One day, after clearing another sacred mountain and driving away a certain hermit, Chu Tianyu and Liu Xiangshi planned to head to the nearby Chengcai City to get some necessary supplies, especially since Liu Xiangshi’s old phone kept breaking down and needed to be replaced.

After entering the city, Chu Tianyu felt a sense of familiarity. A few months earlier, he had also returned from the mountains, with Xue Feifei by his side. Recalling those days, Chu Tianyu was filled with memories. Back then, even the bravest heroes faced difficulties due to lack of money. Although both he and Xue Feifei carried loads of precious herbs and treasures, ordinary people wouldn’t recognize their value. Fortunately, they met Wei Yanqing, the leader of the Tianmo Sect, who helped them out of their urgent predicament. Chu Tianyu also told his senior brother about this incident as a funny story, including how he and Xue Feifei searched the streets for troublemakers, a memory that still made him smile. While Chu Tianyu and his senior brother were joking around, he witnessed something that annoyed him greatly—a single person was bullying a group of troublemakers all by himself…