Qin Ruoshui was disappointed that Li Jingyu didn’t take the bait, but if the unfamiliar dragon clan member beside her made a move, he could take the opportunity to observe her methods.
He stepped forward, standing in mid-air, and a bright sword pill flew out from his forehead, swirling around him like a swift light.
Ji Yutang’s eyes were calm as she gazed at Qin Ruoshui, with a powerful aura surging around her.
Techniques like the “Daode Heavenly Book” and the “Falling Moon Bow” had been displayed in front of Qin Ruoshui before, and using them would reveal her identity.
As for the “Divine Firmament Pure Dragon Thunder”—being a true dragon, it wasn’t unusual for her to use the same divine power.
“Fellow Daoist, please,” Ji Yutang said to Qin Ruoshui, her voice slightly hoarse.
Qin Ruoshui practiced the “Taiyuan Golden Fire Life Sword,” a sword intent that was continuous.
If the first wave of sword flow couldn’t be destroyed, it would grow stronger until the entire world was filled with golden fire sword intent.
The golden fire light burst forth, and from one sword light, new sword lights emerged.
Ji Yutang tentatively attacked, unleashing a Dragon Thunder, but as the sword light shattered, new sword intent emerged from within—it wasn’t enough to just disperse it; the sword intent within needed to be destroyed.
The sky was filled with golden fire, as beautiful as it was strange.
“Senior brother’s swordsmanship has improved a lot,” Ran Guzhu said, gazing at Qin Ruoshui in mid-air, smoothing her messy hair with a slight smile.
Although she didn’t know the identity of the dragon clan cultivator, judging by her aura, she was clearly at the Foundation Establishment Stage.
At this level, she was more inclined to believe that Qin Ruoshui could defeat her.
“Indeed,” Lin Heng remarked, squinting his eyes, though it had only been a short time since they last met.
Ji Yutang squinted her eyes, and as the Dragon Thunder descended, it struck a large area of sword light, but extinguishing the sword intent within wasn’t easy.
Unless she focused on one particular sword intent.
But if she only focused on one, she would need incredible speed! With this thought, she didn’t hesitate and transformed into her dragon form in mid-air.
Although she hadn’t fully condensed her dragon core, with the nourishment of the Dragon Vein Essence, she was already indistinguishable from a true dragon.
Qin Ruoshui looked seriously at the White Dragon weaving through the sword flow in mid-air.
From the powerful and vigorous blood energy, he could tell that she was on the path of strength, a path rarely taken even among the dragon clan.
Although strength cultivators were constrained by the world, this path itself was not inferior, and strength cultivators had extremely strong bodies, almost invincible at the same level.
The golden fire was fierce, seemingly grand, but it couldn’t even leave a scratch on the dragon scales.
Moreover, she had found a method, and the scattered sword flow was being broken one by one.
With a thought, Qin Ruoshui suddenly changed his move.
The scattered sword flow suddenly merged into one, transforming into a brilliant sword light, hanging in mid-air like a blazing sun.
The power contained in this sword was not small.
Ji Yutang slightly raised her head, using a divine power to control wind and rain, and suddenly the world was filled with strong winds and dark clouds, as if brewing a storm.
Qin Ruoshui snorted, and the sword light turned, slashing towards the dark clouds in mid-air.
But just as the sword light fell, a dragon claw suddenly reached out from the clouds, shattering the sword light! The dragon claw was layered with protective energy, surging like a tide.
Ji Yutang first used the “Heavenly Dragon Split” divine power to collide with the sword light, dissipating most of its power before capturing it with her dragon claw.
The sword intent was catalyzed by Qin Ruoshui’s sword pill, and as long as his life sword pill was restrained, he couldn’t exert the power of his swordsmanship.
However, the sword pill moved left and right, and although the condensed magic sword on it disappeared, it was still a sharp sword, with endless sword intent.
Seeing the majestic true dragon unharmed, Qin Ruoshui immediately recalled his sword pill.
He looked at Ji Yutang and smiled, “Fellow Daoist, you have great skills.”
With these words, he didn’t intend to continue the fight.
Ji Yutang, after all, wasn’t a demonic cultivator and had no intention of fighting to the end.
She descended from the clouds, transforming into her human form and standing beside Li Jingyu.
This small sparring session made her more aware of her current state.
With her current body, perhaps she could absorb more of the Dao rhythm from that high place? But she didn’t know if her power would be completely drained after using the “Daode Heavenly Words” method.
If there was still such a big flaw, she needed to find a way to make up for it from the dragon skills.
“Senior brother,” Ran Guzhu looked at Qin Ruoshui in surprise.
There was clearly no sign of defeat in the fight just now, so why did he stop? Not only Ran Guzhu, but even Lin Heng and the others turned to look.
“Although I won’t lose, I can’t win either,” Qin Ruoshui shook his head.
He certainly had other methods to use, but he felt that the other party also had hidden divine powers.
After taking a deep look at Li Jingyu and her group, Qin Ruoshui knew there was no chance to capture them.
After a while, he said in a low voice, “Let’s go to Ling Mountain first.”
Li Jingyu’s lips curled into an amused smile.
After Qin Ruoshui and his group retreated, she turned to Ji Yutang and said with a smile, “How do you feel? Is my good sister still your heart demon?” Ji Yutang glared at Li Jingyu, what heart demon? When she saw “Ran Guzhu” in the Earth Mother Abyss, covered in demonic energy and turned into a demonic cultivator, her heart demon had long been driven away.
“I don’t care about them anymore,” Ji Yutang emphasized.
“Then why were you staring at my good sister when she appeared?” Li Jingyu pressed on.
Ji Yutang frowned, when did she keep staring? Li Jingyu’s words were unreasonable, and she replied, “Can’t I look a little more? Besides, who I look at has nothing to do with you?” Li Jingyu sighed, not caring about Ji Yutang’s prickly demeanor, and said softly, “We are twins, isn’t it the same when you look at me?” Ji Yutang: “…” After a cup of tea’s time, the disciples of Huoxin Palace had mostly recovered their mana.
They knew Li Jingyu was going to Ling Mountain to find Feng Yuan, and each volunteered to accompany her.
After all, their purpose in crossing the Tian Ku River was Feng Yuan, who knew they would unfortunately run into the hands of the immortal sect disciples.
Li Jingyu smiled slightly and refused them one by one, only instructing them to return to Huoxin Palace quickly.
“One more person is one more help, why do you want them to go back?” Ji Yutang asked in confusion.
Li Jingyu raised an eyebrow and said, “It’s too dangerous.”
Ji Yutang: “…” Why didn’t she think it was dangerous when she brought her along? Well, she was just a prisoner, different from her fellow disciples.
Ji Yutang’s face darkened, not in high spirits, and no matter what Li Jingyu said next, she responded lazily and perfunctorily, not caring about Li Jingyu’s dissatisfaction.
About two hours later, the ethereal and elusive Ling Mountain appeared before them.
The mountain was shrouded in red clouds, but in the eyes of cultivators, every blade of grass and tree was clearly visible.
“Chi Lan in the mountain?” Ji Yutang gazed ahead, the Sacred Land of Ling Mountain Buddha’s figure manifested, towering and grand, filling the space between heaven and earth.
Originally a golden body manifestation, but with the appearance of red clouds like burning fire, the giant Buddha figure was covered with a layer of red, appearing extremely strange.
“Are you sure your junior sister is in the Pure Lotus Zen of Ling Mountain?” Ji Yutang turned to Li Jingyu, taking the initiative to speak.
Li Jingyu raised an eyebrow, smiling, “I thought you didn’t want to talk to me anymore.” After a pause, she continued, “She’s in Ling Mountain.”
“But with our strength, I’m afraid we can’t bring her back from Ling Mountain, right?” Ji Yutang continued.
The words “we” made Li Jingyu’s smile even more pronounced.
She clasped her hands behind her back and said leisurely, “Who said it’s just us?” Ji Yutang said in a deep voice, “You have more help?” After thinking for a while, she curled her lips into a mocking smile, of course, how could Huoxin Palace let a Foundation Establishment disciple enter Ling Mountain? You know, Pure Lotus Zen has quite a few Nascent Soul stage cultivators stationed there.
They don’t kill, don’t open killing precepts, but that doesn’t mean they will let demonic cultivators come and go as if it were their own courtyard.
“Don’t you think this mountain is a bit strange?” Li Jingyu continued.
Ji Yutang pondered for a while and nodded.
She looked at the red clouds, trying to discern something from them.
Li Jingyu also silently watched her until surprise and anger appeared in her eyes.
“The earth’s evil is rolling, is it the Demon God Stake again? Tianhai Demon Sect is so bold?” In Ji Yutang’s estimation, Tianhai Demon Sect would definitely avoid the Eight Great Immortal Sects when doing such things, but now they have placed the Demon God Stake in Pure Lotus Zen, are they not afraid of the other party’s wrath? “Which Demon God do you think it is?” Li Jingyu’s tone was relaxed, as if discussing the weather with Ji Yutang.
The fire energy was extremely fierce, and the surging turbid evil energy seemed to bring out the magma from the earth’s core.
Ji Yutang was no longer the young lady who knew nothing about Jiuzhou.
She said with a calm face, “Zhu Rong.” This was the fourth Demon God to manifest, no, it could only be said to be the fourth they knew of, the rest were either dealt with by the Immortal Sect or taken back by Tianhai Demon Sect.
Li Jingyu smiled, “With those idiots from Tianhai Demon Sect interfering, what I want to do is still easy to accomplish.”
Ji Yutang looked steadily at Li Jingyu and said, “The emergence of a Demon God represents a crisis, aren’t you afraid the Southern Border will be affected?”
“This is the Ling Mountain territory of Pure Lotus Zen, what does it have to do with me?” Li Jingyu raised an eyebrow in surprise, smiling, “The Twelve Demon God Stakes plan actually has a lot of benefits for our Demon Sect, I’m happy to see it succeed.”
Ji Yutang pursed her lips at these words.
Li Jingyu was a disciple of the Demon Sect, naturally happy to see the earth’s evil energy rising, but her attitude towards the Demon God was certainly different from Tianhai Demon Sect’s.
You know, she even refined Earth Mother Houtu.
These Demon Gods, revered as the incarnation of the Demon Ancestor by Tianhai Demon Sect, might be a kind of cultivation resource for Li Jingyu? “What exactly do you want to do?” Ji Yutang asked in a deep voice, finding the person in front of her truly inscrutable.
Li Jingyu smiled, “Aren’t we all doing it for the Dao?” Ji Yutang said, “Then what is your Dao?” Li Jingyu brushed her sleeves, smiling calmly, “I am a demonic cultivator, naturally it’s the demonic path.”
“But you also have a clear spiritual aura, you also practice Tai Shang Dao methods.”
“So what? Don’t Wangqing Sect cultivators also study the supreme Tai Shang mind method?” Li Jingyu blinked, looking at Ji Yutang, and said softly, “Maybe you want me to enter the immortal path?”
“What you practice has nothing to do with me—” The words “what relationship” hadn’t been spoken when Li Jingyu’s voice sounded again.
“It’s not impossible,” Li Jingyu said with a smile, and in Ji Yutang’s stunned gaze, she added, “But the Three Supreme Palaces must change hands.”
“You—” Ji Yutang’s temples throbbed, this wasn’t about entering the immortal path, it was coveting the position of the immortal sect leader, wasn’t it? Still the great greed of the Demon Sect? She glanced coldly at Li Jingyu, suddenly realizing she was crazy to talk to her about such things.
Senior Sister Yan was right, it’s easy to enter the demonic path from the mysterious, but difficult to enter the mysterious from the demonic, how could she expect a demoness to know that turning back is the shore?
“I—” Shen Zao was a bit bewildered.
She had been trying to provoke Yan Shouxia’s emotions repeatedly, hoping to see a different expression on her face.
Now that she had unexpectedly succeeded, she didn’t know how to respond.
She got up and walked towards Yan Shouxia, seeing that she seemed to be overwhelmed by anger, and quickly took the calming bell from her hand and rang it.
“Clang—” a sound echoed.
The bell’s sound rippled with Buddhist chants, like countless sharp swords piercing into the Mind Palace.
Not only Yan Shouxia but even Shen Zao turned pale.
Is this bell really for calming the mind? She pressed her eyebrows, her misty eyes looking at the calming bell, only to see the figure of a young Buddhist cultivator emerge from it, slowly solidifying into a physical form.
“Friend, you are in the sea of suffering, let this humble monk use great power and great extinction to save you!”
“The bell has rung!” By the lotus pond, Ciming’s expression suddenly turned pale.
She abruptly got up from the couch and quickly ran outside.
Feng Yuan, who was dozing off on one side, was startled awake and shouted, “Where is the little master going?” Immediately, a Buddhist seal fell, binding her entirely in place.
The lotus flowers in the pond bloomed one by one, like floating platforms in the water.
Ciming moved like the wind and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
In the meditation room.
Shen Zao retreated to Yan Shouxia’s side, her righteous aura suppressed by a strange force, unable to exert any power.
She looked at the Buddhist cultivator who emerged from the calming bell with a stern face, wondering what their intentions were.
“What do you want to do?” Shen Zao asked warily, looking at the Buddhist cultivator.
The Buddhist cultivator smiled slightly, like a compassionate Buddha, clasped his hands together towards Shen Zao, and chanted “Amitabha.” He continued, “People only know great joy, but do not understand the metaphor of the red skeleton.
This humble monk sacrifices himself to guide the two benefactors back.” The prayer beads hanging around his neck cracked one by one, and a layer of red covered his eyes, looking extremely eerie.
Although Shen Zao couldn’t understand what the Buddhist cultivator was saying, she could tell from his demeanor that he had become obsessed, no different from the monks in the previous Zen temple.
She stepped back, only to find that a barrier had been set up here, and her isolation array had become an obstacle, making it difficult to send out any messages.
The approaching figure seemed like a shadow, carrying a strong sense of aggression.
Shen Zao frowned tightly, trying to break through the restraint.
Perhaps because she was the bell holder, the impact on her Mind Palace was less severe than on Yan Shouxia, and her condition was slightly better.
But only slightly.
“Are you okay?” Taking a deep breath, just as she was about to use a secret technique to break through the strange force, two loud bangs sounded, and the entire meditation room was crushed to powder under the powerful force.
“Ciming junior sister, you’re here?” The young Buddhist cultivator looked up, his blood-red eyes gazing at Ciming, and said warmly, “Junior sister, join me in guiding the two benefactors out of the sea of suffering.”
Ciming didn’t respond.
A trace of blood appeared at the corner of her lips, and as she used her power, the turbid energy in her body backfired, aggravating her injuries.
She didn’t look at the young Buddhist cultivator, but flicked her fingers, sending out two beams of clear light that dispelled the strange energy from Yan Shouxia and Shen Zao.
She spoke softly, “Two friends, quickly leave Ling Mountain.”
Yan Shouxia frowned and asked, “What happened to Ling Mountain?” Ciming sighed and said, “An obsession has taken hold.” Pure Lotus Zen is adjacent to Huoxin Palace, and naturally, the task of converting demons falls mainly on Huoxin Palace, with the method of conversion being the metaphor of the red skeleton.
But unfortunately, the people of Huoxin Palace couldn’t manage the conversion, leading to a bit of obsession forming in the hearts of the Buddhist cultivators.
Originally, the obsession wasn’t impossible to dispel, but for some reason, it suddenly became intense and uncontrollable.
Now stationed at Ling Mountain, she can lock her fellow disciples on the mountain and use Sacred Lotus Buddha Qi to wash away the obsession, but she can’t stop people from entering the mountain.
After explaining a bit, a few traces of fatigue appeared on Ciming’s face.
She needed to stay at Bodhi Platform and couldn’t remain outside for long.
“Is it demonic cultivation?” Yan Shouxia’s heart suddenly tightened, inevitably thinking of Huoxin Palace.
Ciming didn’t deny it.
In fact, her original intention was to send the message back to Xumi Sea, but for some reason, she was stopped by her sect elders.
Although she was a Buddha child, she couldn’t openly contradict her elders.
Previously, she had secretly sent messages, but it seemed they were either intercepted by her fellow disciples or by the Demon Sect, leading to the current uncontrollable situation of red clouds drifting over Ling Mountain.
“Pure Lotus Zen is about to fall into demonic ways.” Yan Shouxia’s heart was alarmed, already having one Wangqing Sect, and if Pure Lotus Zen fell entirely, what would happen to the situation in Jiuzhou? After exchanging a glance with Shen Zao, she immediately shouted, “Go!” As for Qin Ruoshui and others, they didn’t have time to inform them one by one, only able to send out a message.
The young Buddhist cultivator looked at Ciming warmly, but when Yan Shouxia and Shen Zao were about to leave, his eyes suddenly turned deep, and he raised his hand, manifesting a red Buddha’s form, forming a lotus finger, and sent out several spells!
Ciming covered her mouth and coughed, forming a seal with her hand.
Petals fell from the sky like a celestial maiden scattering flowers, and anything touched by the petals was transformed into red lotuses, falling to the ground.
“Junior sister, you imprison a Huoxin Palace demoness for conversion, but don’t allow us to do the same?” The young Buddhist cultivator tilted his head and smiled eerily.
Ciming’s face was pale, not wanting to engage with the young Buddhist cultivator at all.
Only when she saw Yan Shouxia and the others leave Ling Mountain did she breathe a sigh of relief, turned around, and ran towards Bodhi Platform.
Bodhi Platform is the heart of the entire Ling Mountain.
As long as she guards this place, even if her senior brothers all fall into demonic ways, they won’t harm the outside world.
Hopefully, those two Confucian Sect friends can get the message out.
Returning to Bodhi Platform, Ciming’s breath was even weaker, her frail body seemingly unable to withstand such intense pain.
“Hey, little master, want to dual cultivate with me?” Feng Yuan gazed at Ciming, raising an eyebrow with a smile.
