Chapter 406: The Dark Canyon
Ye Tian didn't bother with Sun Wukong any further and instead took the demon away from that place.
After a brief conversation, Ye Tian learned that this demon was named Xu Cailian. She wanted to become his disciple, but that wasn't something that could be easily granted.
Ye Tian looked at Xu Cailian. If she truly wanted to be his disciple, she would first have to pass his test. If she succeeded, he would take her in as his disciple; if she failed, then all would be for naught.
A short while later, Ye Tian brought Xu Cailian to the base of a waterfall.
"Do you know what your test is?"
"I'm not sure."
Xu Cailian appeared quite proud. No matter what kind of test Ye Tian had in mind, she was confident she could pass.
"Hmm, do you see this waterfall? Your test is to find a way to cut it off. If you can do it, I'll take you as my disciple. If not, then forget it."
"What? Cut off the waterfall?"
Ye Tian's words took Xu Cailian by surprise. After all, as the saying goes, drawing a blade to cut water only makes it flow faster. How could she possibly sever a waterfall?
After thinking it over, Xu Cailian realized this task was far more difficult than she had expected.
"Alright, take your time and think about it. I'm going to rest for a bit. Let me know when you've figured it out."
Seeing Xu Cailian frown in deep thought, Ye Tian found her rather amusing. He chuckled to himself. She had no idea that he had deliberately given her such an impossible task just to make things difficult for her.
This wasn't something even he could do, let alone her.
But Xu Cailian was still completely focused, continuing to think it over. After a while, she suddenly called out, "Ye Tian, I think I've got it!"
"Oh? What's your solution?"
Ye Tian looked at her, curious as to what she had come up with.
Xu Cailian quickly climbed to the top of the waterfall and blocked the flow of water with a pile of rocks. Then, she turned back with a triumphant smile. "See? I did it!"
"Huh?"
Ye Tian was speechless. He hadn't expected her to actually succeed. By using rocks to dam the water, she had indeed stopped the waterfall from flowing.
Cough, cough. "I have to admit, you're pretty clever. From now on, you'll be my disciple."
"Yes!"
Ye Tian found Xu Cailian to be a rather intelligent woman. Taking her as a disciple wasn't a bad deal after all.
"Now that you're officially my disciple, let's go."
"Yes, Master!"
With a wave of his hand, a flying artifact appeared before them. Ye Tian gestured toward it and said, "Get on!"
The artifact resembled a dragon boat. Once they both boarded, Ye Tian snapped his fingers, and the boat lifted off the ground.
"Where are we going now?"
"To find Di Jun."
"Di Jun?"
"Yes."
"What's your relationship with him?"
"Strictly speaking, he wants to grow stronger, so he sought me out to learn cultivation. He wants to defeat the Jade Emperor, and I am helping him fulfill that wish."
"Defeat the Jade Emperor? That sounds incredibly difficult!"
Xu Cailian found it hard to believe. The Jade Emperor was the ruler of the Heavenly Palace, an immensely powerful being. Could Di Jun really defeat him?
"What's so difficult about it? Don't think just because he's the Jade Emperor that no one can surpass him. In my eyes, he's not that strong."
After a while, Ye Tian arrived at the place where Di Jun was cultivating. He turned to Xu Cailian and said, "Wait here. I'm going inside to take a look."
Black smoke was seeping out from within the cave, making Ye Tian suspect that something had gone wrong with Di Jun.
Upon entering, Ye Tian found Di Jun with bloodshot eyes, his entire body seemingly engulfed in flames.
"He's gone into Qi deviation!"
Ye Tian was taken aback. He hadn't expected Di Jun to fall into a state of Qi deviation during his cultivation. Realizing the severity of the situation, Ye Tian quickly rushed forward and struck a few acupuncture points on Di Jun's body, causing him to faint.
"It seems I was negligent. Leaving him to cultivate alone like this was too dangerous."
"Xu Cailian, come in!"
Hearing his call, Xu Cailian stepped inside. She was shocked by what she saw. "What happened to him? He looks like he's in terrible condition!"
"He suffered Qi deviation during his cultivation, but don't worry. I've already subdued him. With the right treatment, he should recover."
"Really? So... this is Di Jun?"
Xu Cailian examined him closely. He was indeed a handsome man. As the leader of the demon race, she hadn't expected to find him in such a vulnerable state.
"Yes, this is Di Jun. He's already lost control, so I need to go out and gather medicinal herbs. Do you want to stay here or come with me?"
Xu Cailian didn't hesitate. "Of course I'm going with you! I don't want to stay alone with someone who's in Qi deviation. If he wakes up, I'll be in trouble."
"Alright, let's go together."
They left the cave. Ye Tian knew that to cure Di Jun, he needed to find Purple Leaf Grass. The best place to search for it was in a nearby canyon, where there was a chance of finding it.
"Let's go to the canyon."
"Yes!"
Xu Cailian followed Ye Tian as they ventured into the canyon. It was eerily dark, and the distant howls of wolves echoed through the air.
"It's so dark here… I'm a little scared!"
"You're a demon, and yet you're afraid of this?"
Ye Tian was speechless. Xu Cailian was a demon herself—why would she be afraid of something like this?
As they proceeded deeper into the canyon, a wild wolf suddenly lunged toward them. Without hesitation, Ye Tian threw a punch, instantly killing it.
"Let's keep moving!"
"Alright!"
They searched for a long time, but still hadn't found anything. The canyon was overgrown with weeds, making it difficult to locate the Purple Leaf Grass.