The cloud god fought with the resolve of a man prepared to die. Again and again, he met the Daoist’s cutting winds with roars and gusts of his own.
Xue Cuo, a little fluffball in the storm, was tossed about by their battle’s backdraft, before crashing into the base of the cloud with a muffled thud.
After a long moment, the white cloud twitched. A tiny hand poked out, followed by a round, fluffy white cloud that tugged on Xue Cuo’s flower-bud hair buns, dragging him out inch by inch.
Xue Cuo lay sprawled on the ground like a drowning victim.
The little white cloud panicked, zipping in circles and leaving afterimages in the air, then leapt onto Xue Cuo’s belly and bounced up and down in distress.
“Uurgh,” Xue Cuo groaned.
He opened his mouth and vomited up gulps of mist, which drifted into the sky as fluffy white clouds.
So there really were guards stationed on these clouds. No wonder Cloud God-uncle had tried to break through so many times over the years. His head must have been chopped off dozens of times!
No wonder he couldn’t remember the Goddess of the Great Loch. With a head that frequently misplaced, how could he?
Once he was done vomiting, Xue Cuo wiped his mouth and sighed.
He’d never witnessed the former glory of the Xianghuo Divine Dao. And as for its current state in Eastern Divine Lands, what a mess it was. What a reputation.
Was he really going to feed crooked practice and shady divine karma for the sake of one uncle he didn’t even know?
But a favour received must be repaid.
Besides…… the Goddess of the Great Loch……Xue Cuo suspected he was already far too entangled with her!
Ever since he stargazed over the Great Loch and grasped the Dao image of the stars shrouding the moon… ever since he’d entered the Spirit Tribunal… his connection to Her had deepened without him realising.
At this thought, he gave himself a cautious sniff and collapsed into a seated panic. “Am I… already immersed?”
He grieved for a moment, wiped away imaginary tears, and dragged himself to his feet.
Just then, he spotted a small black speck flitting across the clouds on flapping wings, seemingly searching for something.
Kong Yun had been circling the skies for ages, hunting for a suitable cloud. Hearing a strange commotion, he came to investigate. Spotting a brawl between man and god, he frowned.
The cloud god kept in Wendao Palace? What’s he doing fighting the wardens?
“Fellow Daoist Kong Yun!” Xue Cuo called out.
Kong Yun’s tail feathers bristled reflexively. He dares show himself?!
Xue Cuo stood at the cloud’s edge and tried to warn him: “Don’t fly over there!”
But Kong Yun didn’t hear. With his tail proudly flicked, he soared right over Xue Cuo’s head. Xue Cuo immediately buried his face in his hands and couldn’t bear to look.
Bang—
A round, chubby shadow was blown down by the cultivators’ clash of energies. It bounced thrice across the clouds before inertia slammed it headlong into the fluff, leaving behind a deep crater.
Xue Cuo rushed over. The hole extended several zhang deep, packed with snow-white fluff, and from its centre bobbed a cluster of teal-green feathers.
What sort of monster was this—so fat?
Baffled, Xue Cuo grabbed the tuft and, summoning every last ounce of strength, gave it a mighty tug.
Little white cloud followed, diving in and grabbing a separate handful of feathers. Together, they heaved until the round fluffball began to emerge bit by bit from the cloud, finally revealing its full, slumbering bulk.
Xue Cuo collapsed beside it, panting. When he looked up, what greeted him was the unconscious form of a plump bird, paws curled up like a sleeping chick, completely out cold atop the clouds.
He thought to himself: What kind of bird was this? Grey and scruffy. Some kind of mutated sparrow?
Still, for Fellow Daoist Kong Yun was really something to have made it all the way to Wendao Palace with this as his true form!
Xue Cuo was suddenly filled with deep admiration. Inspired by a rare bout of goodwill, he picked himself up, scaled a high point, and took aim at the bird’s belly.
Kong Yun had been careless and was caught by the edge of the cultivators’ magical shockwaves.
Dazed, he slowly opened his eyes to find himself lying on his back, completely paralysed. Then he noticed the human boy standing on the cloud above him, giving a thumbs-up as if lining up a shot.
Kong Yun croaked, “What… what are you doing?”
Xue Cuo said understandingly: “Don’t be scared, Fellow Daoist Kong Yun.”
And with that, he leapt high……and came crashing down onto the bird’s round belly.
Kong Yun went stiff. Then: “Ugh!”
A gust of cloud qi burst from his beak, drifting upwards and transforming into little white clouds. His spiritual core jolted, and for a moment, a pleasurable surge of qi ran through him.
Startled but pleased, Kong Yun flexed his claws and flapped his wings, beaming. “That felt amazing! Xue Cuo, do it again!”
Xue Cuo was happy to oblige. He climbed back up, rolled his shoulders, and launched himself into the sky again, diving straight down.
Kong Yun burped up another swirl of cloud qi and sighed blissfully. “So good!”
Just as he was about to sit up—
Bang—!
Yet another human cannonball landed right on his belly. This time, his organs rattled. He gagged, but no cloud qi came out. Glowering, he snapped, “You accursed human! Xue-whatisname, you’re taking revenge on me!”
Xue Cuo offered a sheepish grin. “Your belly looked so round—”
“You blind? I’m chubby!”
The fat bird lunged after Xue Cuo, who darted away in panic, while the little white cloud hovered protectively above his head.
Kong Yun managed to peck off a few of his hairs, and the pair soon found themselves slumped side by side atop the cloud. Xue Cuo rubbed his scalp and muttered, “No more fighting. I’ve got more important things to do.”
Kong Yun gave him a sour look and huffed: “What important thing?”
Xue Cuo stood up. “I’m going to save the cloud god.”
Kong Yun blinked. “The cloud god? You’re going to save him? With what? Don’t make me laugh. With your skills, one good gust and you’ll be blown off.”
Though still young, when Xue Cuo grew solemn, he carried a faint trace of immortal poise. He asked quietly, “So because I might fail, does that mean I shouldn’t?”
Kong Yun: “Why would you save him? The cloud god’s just a glorified beast, kept and bred here. His master can kill or spare him as he pleases. What’s it got to do with you? You were born human, you’ve already won life’s lottery. Instead of defending your kind, you trip up your own. Humans! So hypocritical it’s laughable.”
Xue Cuo took a few steps, then suddenly turned. “Was it cultivators who gained the benefit of being human? Or was it humans who gained the benefit of being human? Is everyone in this world given the chance to be human? Is everyone allowed to pursue the Dao?”
That shut Kong Yun up.
He had cultivated for a century, but demon-kind faced far greater challenges in that regard, and he hadn’t gained much wisdom. He thought he was clever until he ran into Xue Cuo, who clearly wasn’t a brainless clod.
After a moment’s silence, Kong Yun flapped his wings, his young voice clear and crisp. “Xue Cuo, you make a fair point. Tell me what you need. I’ll help you.”
Xue Cuo said, “Just fly over to pass on a message.”
Kong Yun laughed. “No big deal. Hold on!”
Xue Cuo shouted, “Kong Yun! You don’t have to take me with you!”
But Kong Yun was already soaring, gripped by sudden heroic sentiment. “My demon kin sat idly on the mountains, watching as the Xianghuo Dao gods fell, only to wither and perish themselves. Today, I, Kong Yun, shall be the one to bring warmth in winter!”
Xue Cuo crushed a talisman to shield himself from the wind. “You fat bird, fly carefully!”
“Shut it, human!”
And so, one boy and one bird dived straight into the battlefield. The gatekeeping Daoist gave a strange look. Where had these two little brats come from? The disciples in this round of trials were getting ridiculously bold.
He raised his sword, preparing to teach them both a lesson, when suddenly the flying child swooped in beside the cloud god and whispered something.
The cloud god, who just moments ago had been all “Kill me or let me through!”, promptly wiped his face and bolted, dragging his brothers with him.
In fact, he fled even faster than when he’d stormed in.
The Daoist: F*ck his ancestors.
The cloud god galloped several li into the deeper clouds, clutching the one head he had left. His emotions were in turmoil. He opened his mouth and produced a man and a bird from within.
Xue Cuo had barely stepped out when he came face to face with a gigantic face, which startled him so much that he stumbled back several paces.
The cloud god said, “Little bro, you said Her Ladyship… she isn’t gone!?”
Xue Cuo looked up. “I don’t know, but I’ve been to the Underworld. There were two ghosts with red lips and white teeth, and the stingy Great Loch Water who spanks people on the bottom.”
The cloud god’s face lit up with joy. “Really! It must be the Her. She once gave me a beating for being naughty and knocking over the five-coloured mists.”
Xue Cuo frowned, wincing like he had a toothache. “She beat you?”
A giant, four or five metres tall, spoke solemnly, like a clay statue recalling the past with wistful fondness.
The giants exchanged glances, their thoughts subtly shifting.
Sensing this, the cloud god caught his brothers’ thoughts and snapped, “I had carefree days too! What are you lot imagining? Such disrespect to Her Ladyship!”
Xue Cuo: “……”
The God in the Clouds snorted, picked up a wolf-tooth mace, and addressed Xue Cuo and Kong Yun: “Thank you, you two little bros. I have nothing else to give but my cloud essence. Today I gift it to you both. Take it and complete your task.”
Kong Yun shook his feathers, majestic and confident. “I prefer to claim things myself. There’s nothing in this world I can’t do. What meaning is there in accepting gifts? Hmph. Xue Cuo, what do you think… where’re you looking?”
Xue Cuo said, “Kong Yun, do sparrows all walk pigeon-toed?”
Kong Yun was silent for a moment, glanced down at his claws, then suddenly drew them back in anger. “You’re the sparrow!”
The boy and the bird brawled atop the clouds. Eventually, Xue Cuo admitted defeat against the pudgy demon. Both were pleased with the outcome.
Xue Cuo bid farewell to the cloud god, perched atop a small white cloud.
Kong Yun, proud and arrogant, after fighting fiercely with Xue Cuo, flew off in search of clouds to tame.
The next day, as a streak of dawn light appeared in the sky, all the disciples gathered.
In this trial, only a handful of disciples managed to capture clouds. Most returned empty-handed, and had been soundly thrashed by the cloud gods.
Xue Cuo bore a small white cloud on his head. Though it was small, it was still a cloud, and it made the rankings.
Others clenched their fists and stamped their feet in frustration. Had they only known not to be greedy, they could have formed their own tiny cloud. How splendid that would have been!
But when the moment came, regret was too late.
Xue Cuo glanced around and spotted Kong Yun, who had returned to human form, hovering over a snow-white, soft cloud the size of a meditation cushion.
Xue Cuo beamed. “Pull me up to sit on it!”
Kong Yun still bore a grudge against Xue Cuo. Seeing him, he puckered his lips and snapped, “No. Don’t you have your own cloud?”
Xue Cuo plucked the small white cloud from his head and squeezed it. It was only the size of a child’s fist. He tried to sit on it.
The little white cloud: “……”
Kong Yun’s lips twitched as he stepped aside. “Alright, don’t make a show. Get the heck on.”
Xue Cuo steadied himself with his hands and leapt up, poking and pinching the cloud curiously. “So soft! Where did you find this?”
Kong Yun was clearly pleased with himself, snorting and crossing his arms. “This is ‘Morning Cloud’. I didn’t sleep a wink last night, flying thousands of miles above the clouds till I found the perfect spot to gather cloudS. I chased it all night, waiting for dawn to break before collecting the cloud’s essence and feeding it. Only then was it tamed! Regular clouds can’t compare.”
Xue Cuo grinned. “I’m willing to take a loss. I’ll trade with you!”
Kong Yun glanced sideways, lips twitching, fists clenched. Xue Cuo blinked innocently.
Kong Yun snapped, “Get the heck down.”
The two resumed their scuffle atop the clouds. Xue Cuo, weary after wrestling the pudgy demon all night, was out of strength but managed to turn the tide with two solid punches.
Suddenly, a bell tolled.
Kong Yun growled, “I’ll kill you!”
Xue Cuo hastily covered his mouth. “Don’t speak! The Immortal’s here. Hey, he looks like my Dad.”
Above the clouds, a white-browed youth scanned the gathered disciples. Most looked miserable and injured, hardly in a state to capture clouds.
Few had succeeded, and those who had were obscure figures.
The white-browed youth frowned. Why were there no senior disciples?
Xue Cuo surveyed the scene. Only seven disciples had clouds. He said to Kong Yun, “Your cloud’s the biggest. You’re first.”
Kong Yun snorted and nodded in acknowledgment.
Sword Immortal Jun Wuwei glanced at Gu Ruhui. Though injured and pale, Gu Ruhui’s resolute character shone through, his expression detached and unburdened by the mundane world.
The white-browed youth waved his sleeves and floated before the disciples. After a few words of encouragement, one timid disciple spoke up: “Immoral Master, those clouds were too wild. We simply couldn’t catch them. It was far too difficult.”
The white-browned youth replied, “Difficult? For a cultivator to defy heaven’s will, to seize the fruit of immortality and the source of eternal blessings. Is that not difficult? Wendao Palace is already merciful. We do not accept incompetents nor run a charity. In every trial, the bottom three disciples are eliminated.”
The disciples’ hearts sank, panic spreading as they eyed one another like foes.
The white-browed youth continued, “Enough. There are rewards and punishments. The top performers will receive prizes, including access to my Sutra Library to select a mid-level scripture.”
His voice was deep and distant, and Kong Yun’s eyes sparkled.
White-Brow called out: “Ji Ping… Dan Yuanwen, Zhu Wu… Xue Cuo…”
Hearing his name, Xue Cuo leapt onto the youth’s cloud and reached out to Kong Yun, intending to pull him up.
But the youth glanced at Kong Yun and passed him by.
“The last is Gu Ruhui.”
Gu Ruhui, standing silently among the failed disciples, looked up at the Sword Immortal, then calmly walked onto the white-browed youth’s cloud.
