Deep within the Hundred Poisons Mountain Range.
“Take my Whirlwind Fist!”
“Break with my Underworld Palm!”
Ora ora ora—
Bang! Swish! Boom!
“Damn it, I refuse to accept this…”
“Evil may rise a foot, but righteousness rises ten. Meet your end!”
Under the unwilling gaze of the dying demonic cultivator, the righteous sect disciple delivered the final blow.
As they ventured deeper into the mountain range, the righteous disciples began to achieve some victories.
Battling with demonic cultivators was truly nerve-wracking. Every move from both sides aimed at vital points, and a single misstep could mean instant death.
In such intense situations, some people experienced breakthroughs, overcoming long-standing bottlenecks.
However, some righteous disciples weren’t so lucky. Defeated or captured by demonic cultivators, their cultivation journeys were essentially over.
Due to the conflict between the righteous and demonic sides, the poisonous insects, snakes, wild beasts, and spirit beasts in the mountain range became restless, further escalating the chaos.
“So dangerous, meow,” Ah Miao, who was hiding in the shadows observing the battle between the righteous and demonic cultivators, muttered to herself. “I don’t dare to wander around carelessly, meow.”
After being teleported out of the cave, the little cat demon had been unconscious for a while. Fortunately, she wasn’t taken away by wild beasts as dinner.
When she woke up, she found no one around her.
With her peak Foundation Building cultivation, safely retreating from the Hundred Poisons Mountain Range shouldn’t have been a big problem.
But now, with the battle at its peak, her half-demon identity would likely lead to a bad end if encountered by either side.
So, for the past few days, she had been wandering deep within the mountain range, hoping to find some “teammates.”
If a righteous cultivator could prove their identity, the risk would be much smaller.
After the righteous cultivator finished searching the body and took away the valuable items from the demonic cultivator, Ah Miao finally dared to come out cautiously.
“This really disturbs everyone’s peace…”
She had long known that there were demonic cultivators in the Hundred Poison Mountain Range, as she was a cultivator who roamed near the mountains.
She also knew that the demonic cultivators in the mountains were not considered “orthodox” and were merely fringe figures in the demonic cultivation world.
They gathered here because many years ago, the Hundred Poison Mountain Range was a “demonic cultivator’s nest” in Qingzhou, leaving behind many demonic relics.
Just as righteous cultivators always dream of a fortuitous encounter to soar to the skies, novice demonic cultivators also hope to gain more powerful strength by riding on the coattails of their predecessors.
But how could things be that simple in this world? Opportunities and risks often coexist, and showing off too much would only invite disaster.
“Do fewer bad things in your next life, meow,” Ah Miao sighed at the demonic cultivator’s corpse. “If you must do them, first ensure you have the power to protect yourself…”
Roar—
Just as she was lamenting, “Even though I rob, ambush, and brawl, I’m still a good cat,” a deafening beast roar came from not far away.
She shivered instantly.
Judging by the momentum of the roar, it was definitely a Golden Core stage spirit beast, and one with formidable combat power!
This is bad, run!
Ah Miao turned and bolted.
“They say that deep in the Hundred Poison Mountain Range, there’s a spirit beast covered in deadly poison that loves to capture humans full of spiritual energy and won’t give up until it catches its prey…”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier!”
A strange voice, along with another somewhat familiar one, made her stop again.
Wait, this voice is…
Bang!
A beast resembling a fierce lion, with multicolored fur, broke through the tree trunks and chased from behind.
In front of it, two young girls were running at their fastest speed.
“Tang Xin?”
Ah Miao exclaimed.
“Little Meow Meow?” Tang Xin was momentarily stunned, then quickly shouted, “Why are you stopping? Keep running!”
“Got it, meow!”
Ah Miao leaped onto a tree, her body more agile than that of a human cultivator, darting back and forth among the trees while keeping an eye on the situation behind.
“Still chasing?”
Tang Xin turned around, took out her Soul Devouring Banner, and waved it with a grand gesture.
Whoosh—
A brilliant light burst forth, aiming straight at the spirit beast.
The rainbow-like light gave a healing feeling, but the fierce spirit beast immediately halted, as if facing a formidable enemy.
“What, there’s even an activation chant?”
Tang Xin frowned, reluctantly struck a pose, and shouted.
“Face your punishment!”
The light descended from the sky, shining on the beast, which immediately let out a painful growl.
A few breaths later, the spirit beast, which even Golden Core cultivators found difficult to handle, voluntarily gave up its prey and disappeared into the forest.
“Soul Devouring Banner? And it’s already absorbed souls?”
Lian Xin gasped.
“How did you manage that?”
As the top disciple of a righteous sect, secretly crafting a Soul Devouring Banner—if caught, wouldn’t that mean being paraded through the streets in shame?
“I haven’t done anything bad,” Tang Xin quickly explained. “I usually just pick up scraps… That demonic cultivator’s body was still warm, so I thought I could use it.”
The model of righteousness ran back to the demonic cultivator’s corpse, waving the Soul Devouring Banner over it.
“Not bad, not bad. It seems warmth is all that’s needed… Little Jing, look at you, losing all your vital energy because you’re dead? Is it troublesome to maintain?”
Ah Miao squatted on a tree branch, watching everything unfold, unsure whether to speak or remain silent.
Soul Devouring Banner? Where is the Soul Devouring Banner? That strange-looking staff?
Who is this new person exuding a “holy” aura? Which righteous sect’s disciple is she?
After absorbing the energy, Tang Xin put away the Soul Devouring Banner and looked at the unexpectedly encountered cat demon.
“Hmm, what should we do with this person…” Tang Xin said in a low voice.
She couldn’t let this cat demon know her “true” identity, or else how could she return to the Xuanling Sect if word got out?
“No choice, knock her out. Can’t you erase memories? Do it.”
“This secret technique is meant for humans. For non-human beings, who knows what effects it might have…” Lian Xin shook her head.
“Side effects are just side effects,” Tang Xin said with dead fish eyes. “Otherwise, we’ll have to throw her into the Poison Flower Valley to feed the bugs…”
“But, harming an innocent person for no reason…” The girl said reluctantly.
Hey, are you a demonic cultivator or what? You’re making me look like the real villain here…
“Um,” Ah Miao jumped down from the tree, blinked, and looked at Tang Xin, asking, “Are we still acting together?”
“Hmm?”
“I may be a half-demon, but I definitely keep my promises,” Ah Miao said. “I won’t abandon you halfway, meow.”
Are there really trustworthy people in the Cultivation World?
“Alright, meow,” Tang Xin thought for a moment and nodded. “But from now on, don’t ask too many questions, don’t overthink things, and definitely don’t tell anyone else, got it, meow? This is our agreement.”
“Understood, meow,” Ah Miao nodded. “Also, why are you imitating the way I talk, meow…”
