A Will Eternal

Massive rumbling sounds filled the Cloud Order as buildings collapsed, and freezing water poured down in all directions. Countless disciples flew out into the air and then stared down at the ice statue with its missing thumb.

After a momentary silence, there was a huge uproar.

“How could this be happening…?”

“What is that plant…?”

“Heavens! What’s going on here? How come so much strange stuff is going on…? First it was those Fantasy Pills, and now the battle god’s thumb is gone….”

Moments later, the twin Master Cloud Lightnings, Feng Chen, and the other devas shivered. Expressions flickering with madness, they erupted with rage.

“Bai Xiaochun!!”

“It was definitely you, Bai Xiaochun!!”

Heaven-shaking, earth-shattering roars could be heard as the furious devas shot toward Bai Xiaochun’s residence.

When the other cultivators from the Cloud Order heard the shouts of the devas, their eyes lit up with ferocious expressions, and they turned to look in Bai Xiaochun's direction.

“Dammit! This was definitely Bai Xiaochun’s handiwork!!”

“He’s a walking disaster! If he has it out for us disciples, that's one thing, but how could he possibly go so far as to damage the Cloud Order’s battle god statue!?!?”

“Kill Bai Xiaochun!!”

Amidst all the shouting, the devas arrived in full fury. Meanwhile, Bai Xiaochun was inside his residence, nervously watching the frigid qi pouring into the leaf.

In the blink of an eye, the leaf was seventy percent ice. Clearly, if he had enough time, then it would be a simple thing for him to create the ice leaf the baby girl had asked for.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time. When he heard the shouting outside, he quickly grabbed the leaf and threw it into his bag of holding. At the same time, he urgently told the moonflower, “Get back into seed form!”

The moonflower didn’t need any prompting. It could sense the critical danger, and within moments, it wilted and went dry. All of the life force in the plant was sucked back in until it was nothing more than a seed.

There was no time for Bai Xiaochun to look at it closely. Grabbing it, he threw it into his bag of holding along with the leaf.

It was in that very moment that a huge boom rang out, and his residence exploded.

Bai Xiaochun tumbled off to the side, looking very bedraggled. Surrounding him were countless furious Cloud Order disciples, plus the twin Master Cloud Lightnings, Feng Chen, and all the other devas. Everyone looked like they were out for blood.

“Feeling suicidal, Bai Xiaochun?!?!” the twin Master Cloud Lightnings raged. Now that Bai Xiaochun’s residence was destroyed, the withered husk of the moonflower was out in the open, visible to everyone present.

“We didn't kill you for selling those Fantasy Pills, so then you went and struck at the foundation of the north! You will die this day, Bai Xiaochun!!”

Feng Chen was so angry that his eyes overflowed with killing intent. Without any hesitation, he shot toward Bai Xiaochun and unleashed a divine ability of the trump card level.

Bai Xiaochun dodged out of the way and then shouted out in a loud voice, “Are you northerners rebelling against the lands of Heavenspan or something?!

“You’ve had it out for me from the moment I arrived! First you had your three-point covenant, and I just endured. Then after I sold some medicinal pills, you changed it to a four-point covenant!

“Now I just planted a flower, and you’re trying to say I broke the agreement?”

By now, he had decided to throw caution to the wind; he really had reached the point where he couldn’t stand the north.

“You want to attack me, so you have to come up with a bunch of excuses, don’t you!?” Unleashing the power of his cultivation base, he caused a huge face to appear up in the sky.

The twin Master Cloud Lightnings and Feng Chen were both frustrated to the extreme by the unspeakable suffering they were enduring. Bai Xiaochun couldn’t have been more annoying to them, especially Feng Chen, who had come to find that his idea of the three-point covenant was turning out to harm himself more than anyone.

Back when he came up with the idea, he could never have imagined how much of a disaster Bai Xiaochun could be. A three-point covenant wasn’t nearly enough to contain him, and in fact, it seemed to make him worse.

Even more frustrating was how sharp-tongued Bai Xiaochun was, and how special his status was. They obviously couldn’t kill him no matter how much they hated him, a fact which was profoundly vexing to all of the devas.

By now, their hearts were filled with regret. If they could go back in time, they definitely wouldn’t have placed any restrictions on Bai Xiaochun, and would have just let him do whatever he wished….

The devas weren’t the only ones who felt so torn. The ordinary disciples were both enraged, but at the same time, were wailing in their hearts. Only now did they truly realize how much of a catastrophe Bai Xiaochun could be.

“This is all Feng Chen’s fault! He started out in the Lightning Order. That's why he had Bai Xiaochun put in the Cloud Order! He’s had it out for us all along!”

“That’s right! Send Bai Xiaochun to the Lightning Order! Release the Cloud Order from this torment! Our battle god… is missing a thumb!!” The Cloud Order disciples were truly enraged, and soon, many such shouts filled the air.

When Feng Chen heard what everyone was saying, a very unsightly expression appeared on his face, and his hatred for Bai Xiaochun deepened.

When the demigod patriarch saw the deadlock, he sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Even he was starting to feel very annoyed with Bai Xiaochun.

However, it was exactly as Bai Xiaochun had said. He hadn’t violated the covenant in any way….

“I shouldn't have agreed to any covenant…. We can't keep this up. Whenever we tell him not to do something, he thinks of a way to cause a bigger disaster.” Frowning, the demigod considered kicking Bai Xiaochun out of the sect. However, considering all the restrictions they had placed on him, if they simply let him go after what he had done, it would be a huge loss of face for the north.

Having reached this point in his train of thought, a cold flicker appeared in the demigod’s eyes. Instead of making a personal appearance at the Cloud Order, he sent out a Dharmic decree!

“Henceforth, we will have a five-point covenant! Within the Nine Heavens Cloud Lightning Sect, Bai Xiaochun will not tend flowers, plants, animals, or ghosts. He will not forge equipment or concoct pills. He will not plant, refine, raise, or work with anything!!”

His voice echoed out like heavenly thunder, filling the entire sect. However, the cultivators from the Cloud Order and the devas did not react like they had in the past. Instead they were worried, and couldn’t help but wonder how long it would take before the covenant needed a sixth point, and then a seventh….

Every time Bai Xiaochun found a loophole, they would be in deep trouble. Eventually… they could even imagine a scenario in which Bai Xiaochun managed to kill them all, and destroy everything in the northern Heavenspan region.

The northerners weren’t particularly happy with the demigod’s Dharmic decree, and neither was Bai Xiaochun. As far as Bai Xiaochun was concerned, these northerners were completely outrageous. How could they possibly have added another stipulation to the covenant!?

Gritting his teeth, he decided to throw caution to the wind yet again. He opened his mouth to speak, in the hopes of getting the demigod to simply kick him out.

However, that was when a second Dharmic decree was issued!

“Heavenspan Special Guard Bai Xiaochun, despite not having violated our agreement, harmed the foundation of the Cloud Order. For this crime, he shall be exempt from the death penalty, but will not escape all punishment. Lock him up in Lightning Penitentiary! Until the Heavenspan emissary leaves, all of his freedoms will be restricted! If he resists, take his life!”

Bai Xiaochun tried to speak up in his defense, but as soon as the Dharmic decree echoed out through the sect, a burst of power shot down from the crystal coffin. It transformed into an enormous hand of lightning that grabbed him and forcibly threw him into the black cloud on the other side of the waterfall.

The devas were very excited by this, especially Feng Chen, whose eyes shone brightly. There was little need to mention the ordinary disciples, who went wild with joy upon hearing Bai Xiaochun’s fate.

“He’s finally gone!!”

“Even demigods would be tormented by the lightning in Lightning Penitentiary! Bai Xiaochun brought this upon himself!”

“This is exactly how it should be!”

Cheering filled the Cloud Order, and the devas all sighed in relief as they looked over at the black lightning cloud.

A scornful gleam passed through the eyes of the twin Master Cloud Lightnings. “No matter what heaven-toppling abilities he has, in the north, he has no choice but to bow his head!”

Meanwhile, the demigod patriarch in the crystal coffin finally breathed a sigh of relief. Looking over at the Lightning Order’s black cloud, he decided that he really had managed to save face for the north. Furthermore, he was absolutely certain that Bai Xiaochun wouldn't cause any problems in Lightning Penitentiary.

After all, the worst prisoners imaginable were locked up in Lightning Penitentiary. Although the prison wasn’t very full, even demigods who were locked up inside would be tormented to no end, much less devas.

“Things are finally going to quiet down.” The demigod patriarch closed his eyes.