The words “relax” don’t seem to have much to do with Li Jingyu.
How is she supposed to relax? Why does she need to relax? Can this chaotic Wuwang City really help her relax? Or is it as Wei Fuming said, that she’s planning to find a dual cultivation partner in the city? Thinking of this, Ji Yutang felt an inexplicable discomfort.
She glanced at Li Jingyu but didn’t see the familiar faint smile on her face.
Her gaze was fixed outside the inn, as if she was… watching something?!
Ji Yutang couldn’t hold back any longer and said, “What exactly are you here to do?”
“I already told you,” Li Jingyu lowered her eyes, touched the cold scales on her wrist, and smiled, “I brought you here to relax.
You don’t have to stick to me all the time.”
She clearly said she wanted to relax herself, right? When did it have anything to do with Ji Yutang? But since she could manifest into human form, Ji Yutang didn’t hold back, slipped from Li Jingyu’s hand, and without caring about the demonic cultivators in the inn, directly manifested into her human form.
“Aren’t you going to try the wine of the demon city?” Li Jingyu raised an eyebrow, her red lips stained with a touch of wine, looking somewhat bright and distant.
Ji Yutang frowned, suppressing her wandering thoughts.
She looked down at the wine on the table, not daring to drink it.
Who knows if it might contain something harmful that could lead her into demonic ways, or if it might have some kind of curse?
Li Jingyu, however, quietly drank her wine, while Ji Yutang was distracted.
Her gaze occasionally fell outside the window, with a hint of anxiety in her eyes.
She wanted to know what Li Jingyu was looking at and also wanted to find traces of Yan Shouxia and his group.
“You’re very uneasy,” Li Jingyu spoke slowly, sighing, “Being with me makes you this unhappy.”
Not really.
The words reached her lips, but Ji Yutang swallowed them back down.
She looked deeply at Li Jingyu, sneered, and said, “You actually know that?”
Li Jingyu clutched her heart, pretending to be hurt, “It’s really heartbreaking.”
After a moment, she added, “Since you don’t want to be with me, you can go for a walk by yourself.”
Ji Yutang was suspicious.
She found it hard to believe that Li Jingyu would be so kind.
During their time together, she had already experienced her unpredictability, probably no different from other demonic cultivators.
“Are you really going to let me go?” Ji Yutang asked first.
Li Jingyu propped her chin, her gaze shifted, her eyes filled with charm.
Her fingers circled the cup, she chuckled softly, her tone gentle, like a lover’s whisper, but the meaning in her words made Ji Yutang very unhappy.
“What are you thinking? How could that be possible?”
Indeed, it was impossible, clearly just her wishful thinking.
Ji Yutang rubbed her forehead, somewhat helpless.
After a while, she asked again, “Aren’t you afraid I won’t come back?” In Li Jingyu’s eyes, filled with laughter, Ji Yutang understood the “redundancy” of her question.
This was Southern Border, of course, Li Jingyu had her ways.
Ji Yutang took a deep breath and turned to leave.
Even if it was just a moment of freedom, she wanted to grasp it.
But after being approached by nearly ten demonic cultivators, Ji Yutang no longer felt the lightness of “freedom,” but rather a deep sense of helplessness.
She certainly couldn’t expect demonic cultivators to know when to advance or retreat.
After being rejected, they often resorted to forceful means, trying to capture her, and Ji Yutang, having no choice, had to fight back.
Her actions aroused the demonic cultivators’ “admiration for strength,” attracting even more of them.
At that moment, she missed Li Jingyu immensely.
At least with her around, she didn’t have to deal with such troubles.
However, this thought quickly dissipated when she sensed a familiar fluctuation of magical power.
Just as she was searching for that trace, a faint light surged, and it seemed as if a hand reached out from mid-air, pushing her into an unfamiliar realm.
“Daoist Friend Ji.”
“Junior Sister Ji.”
Familiar voices sounded in her ears, and Ji Yutang blinked, looking at the people appearing in the small pavilion not far away.
At this moment, she wasn’t using the identity of “Lingxuan,” but her original form, so Yan Shouxia and the others recognized her.
She took a few steps forward, blinked, and didn’t respond.
“Junior Sister, don’t worry.
This is Senior Brother Lin’s painting realm, isolated from the outside world.
They can’t hear what’s happening here,” Yan Shouxia said.
After the incident at Ling Mountain, they didn’t leave Southern Border but found a secluded cave to cultivate until Lin Heng successfully entered the Golden Core stage.
He practiced the painting path, and upon forming the Golden Core, a region similar to a mustard seed space was created—called the painting realm.
It’s difficult for cultivators of the same realm to find the painting realm, which is why they dared to enter Wuwang City.
“I see,” Ji Yutang said, suddenly enlightened after Yan Shouxia’s explanation.
“How have you been during this time, Junior Sister? One of our purposes for staying here is to find you,” Lin Heng said warmly, looking at Ji Yutang.
Ji Yutang furrowed her brows, pursed her lips, and said, “I was trapped in Huoxin Palace before.” But the days weren’t too bad, her cultivation improved a lot, though she lost the freedom she wanted.
“How could there be anything good in her hands?” Ran Guzhu said coldly, scrutinizing Ji Yutang.
After a while, she added, “Let’s send her back first.”
That icy face showed little emotion, but from her cold words, Ji Yutang could tell she felt no guilt, not thinking the past was her fault.
Fortunately, Ji Yutang didn’t have much expectation from these sisters.
Her gaze swept over Ran Guzhu’s face, and she shook her head at the others, saying, “I’m afraid I can’t leave.”
She didn’t know if Li Jingyu could find the painting realm, but she didn’t think she could easily leave Southern Border.
Shen Zao’s eyes were deep, only thinking of this possibility: “Did she place a restriction on you?” Ji Yutang responded softly.
Lin Heng frowned, “That’s troublesome.”
Qin Ruoshui thought for a moment and said, “We still have to stay in Southern Border for a while, so there’s no need to rush.
We can look for a way to break the curse.”
Ran Guzhu followed, “The Heartless Book is in Li Jingyu’s hands.
I must retrieve it.” As she spoke, her gaze fixed on Ji Yutang, “You were with her, do you know the whereabouts of the Heartless Book?”
Ji Yutang was taken aback, meeting Ran Guzhu’s expectant gaze, and laughed silently.
She understood Ran Guzhu’s implication, wanting her to return to Li Jingyu’s side to find the Heartless Book’s whereabouts? She didn’t answer, and Ran Guzhu spoke again, “It’s our mother’s relic.
We should retrieve it.”
Hearing the words “we,” Ji Yutang’s face showed even more surprise.
She didn’t know how Ran Guzhu could say those words.
After some effort to suppress her anger, her face darkened, and after a while, she said, “Do you know about the Demonic Dao Assembly?”
“The Demon Sect is holding the Demonic Dao Assembly?” Qin Ruoshui asked in surprise.
Seeing Ji Yutang nod, he thought for a moment and said, “Perhaps this is our chance.
The Demonic Dao Assembly is the Demon Sect’s sacred event.
If we can disrupt it, we can take advantage of the chaos.”
“Why is the Demon Sect holding the Demonic Dao Assembly early?” Qin Ruoshui’s eyes showed deep confusion and puzzlement.
Yan Shouxia hesitated and said, “Maybe to train elite disciples?” Qin Ruoshui nodded, “It’s possible.
I need to report this back to Taiyuan Palace.”
Ji Yutang: “…” She pursed her lips, quietly listening to Qin Ruoshui and the others’ plans.
She thought the Demon Sect’s event had already been publicized, but it seemed not many knew? Even Qin Ruoshui and his group, who were constantly gathering information on the Demon Sect, didn’t know.
Why did Li Jingyu tell her about this? Why let her act at this time? Was it intentional? To use her to pass the message to the Immortal Sect? Thinking of this, Ji Yutang broke out in a cold sweat.
After exchanging contact information with the others, Ji Yutang left Lin Heng’s painting realm.
When she returned to the inn, Li Jingyu was still sitting there, seemingly unmoved.
When she met Li Jingyu’s smiling glance, she couldn’t help but feel guilty, hastily avoiding her gaze.
“How was it? Did you enjoy your walk?” Li Jingyu asked with interest, as if unaware of Ji Yutang’s resistance, and continued, “Did you meet old friends?”
Ji Yutang’s heart chilled.
Li Jingyu indeed knew about Qin Ruoshui and the others, but why hadn’t she acted yet? She wanted to ask for the truth, but when she met those eyes, she suppressed her turbulent emotions.
“Why did you come back?” Li Jingyu’s tone showed neither joy nor regret.
Ji Yutang frowned and said calmly, “Would you let me go?”
Li Jingyu said slowly, “If you never came back, I couldn’t do anything.
But now that you’re back, don’t think about leaving again.”
Ji Yutang sneered, not taking Li Jingyu’s words to heart.
After meeting Qin Ruoshui and the others, she inexplicably felt a sense of fatigue.
Without waiting for Li Jingyu to speak, she took the initiative to transform into a small White Dragon and wrapped around her wrist.
Ran Guzhu’s words were all about the “Heartless Book,” and as for Qin Ruoshui and his group, they also believed the “Heartless Book” was Li Qingxun’s relic, to be kept by the Ran Family, considered a “Tai Shang relic” in a sense.
But did they forget? Li Qingxun was killed by the Ran Family and the Three Supreme Palaces.
Besides Li Jingyu, who else was qualified to keep this artifact?
Back in Ji Yue’s cave, Ji Yutang focused on cultivation, wanting to improve her skills.
Li Jingyu was also preparing for the Demonic Dao Assembly, having no time to tease Ji Yutang.
During this time, Ji Yutang contacted Qin Ruoshui and the others a few times, but although she was with Li Jingyu, she couldn’t go out, so she knew very little.
However, Qin Ruoshui’s side sent a lot of news from the Three Supreme Palaces.
This Demonic Dao Assembly couldn’t possibly be peaceful.
Ji Yutang was a bit worried, but thinking of her background and stance, she suppressed that worry.
She neither revealed Li Jingyu’s information to Qin Ruoshui and the others nor informed Li Jingyu of the Three Supreme Palaces’ plans.
For cultivators, time is the least valuable thing.
In the blink of an eye, it was time for the Demonic Dao Assembly to begin.
“This time, I can’t take you out,” Li Jingyu looked at Ji Yutang sitting on the stone bed opposite.
After refining all the Dragon Vein Essence in the Dragon Pool, she no longer transformed into a dragon but focused on cultivating the “Daode Heavenly Book.” Seeing Ji Yutang silent, she smiled and explained, “The Demonic Dao Assembly is related to the Demon Ancestor’s relics.
At that time, the great powers of our Demon Sect will have avatars traveling, and you’ll be easily discovered.
I think you wouldn’t want to be beaten into dragon form and completely become a house-guarding beast, right?”
Ji Yutang opened her eyes, looked steadily at Li Jingyu, and sneered, “I never planned to watch it anyway.”
Li Jingyu pursed her lips, “That’s good.
You don’t need excessive curiosity.”
Ji Yutang was silent for a while, then said, “The Ancestral Source Demon Sea contains the Demon Ancestor’s remnants.
Going in is like undergoing a baptism of demonic nature.
When you come out, you’ll be more like a demonic cultivator, right?”
Li Jingyu’s eyes moved slightly.
She looked deeply at Ji Yutang and asked, “Do you care?”
Ji Yutang lowered her eyes, calmly saying, “I don’t care.
By the way, I won’t miss this chance to leave.” With the Demonic Dao Assembly starting, Huoxin Palace and Southern Border would be the emptiest.
Her cultivation had improved a lot, and she had comprehended the “true words” from the “Daode Heavenly Book.” Even if there were curses on her, she had ways to dispel them.
Li Jingyu looked deeply at Ji Yutang, “Then… I wish you freedom.” After speaking, she brushed her sleeve and left the cave without looking back.
The fluttering sleeve drew a red and black line in Ji Yutang’s eyes, gradually returning to silence.
Ji Yutang’s eyes remained fixed on the direction Li Jingyu left, taking a deep breath to suppress her chaotic thoughts.
She herself is not free, so why should she care about others’ lives? In the Law Hall, Huai Wanxiu and Shi Qingchen were both present.
“It feels too fast,” Shi Qingchen murmured softly, his eyes distant.
“Not really.
The Twelve Demon Gods—oh, no, six of the Demon Gods have already returned to the Ancestral Source Demon Sea,” Huai Wanxiu replied.
The struggle between the Tianhai Demon Sect and the Immortal Sect ended poorly, with only half of the Twelve Demon Gods being taken back to the Demon Sect, while the rest scattered across the world.
Many had opinions about this outcome.
However, for the Demon Sect, it was beneficial as the Earthly Fiend energy stirred by the Twelve Demon God Stakes increased their fortune and survival chances.
“But Jingyu—”
“Uncle, I’m fine,” Li Jingyu entered the hall, her tone light.
She glanced at the two elders seated above and smiled, “Earth Mother Houtu is the progenitor of the Twelve Demon Gods.
After refining Earth Mother, I can easily devour the other Demon Gods.
They aren’t in their complete forms now.”
Shi Qingchen looked at Li Jingyu helplessly and sighed.
The Ancestral Source Demon Sea, like the Demon God Hall, was located on the White Bone Mountain of the Tianhai Demon Sect, where every Demonic Dao Assembly was held.
The chaotic accumulation of white bones and the endless wailing of ghosts hidden in the gray smoke made the scene extremely eerie and terrifying.
Speaking of the surroundings, the Tianhai Demon Sect, which had not yet shed its cruelty and bloodiness, was even more daunting than the Qingtian Sect, let alone the Wangqing Sect, which maintained its Immortal Sect demeanor even after falling into demonic ways.
At this moment, Li Jingyu flew away from White Bone Mountain with her sect elders.
She glanced down once and then quickly looked away.
When the time of heaven and earth’s extermination comes, the first to suffer will be the increasingly rampant Tianhai Demon Sect.
In past gatherings of the four sects, disciples from the Tianhai Demon Sect and Qingtian Sect loved to seek out the female cultivators of Huoxin Palace.
But this time, it seemed they had been warned, as not a single figure was seen.
Li Jingyu thought for a moment and understood the reason.
The matter of Pure Lotus Zen had passed a year ago, but the Tianhai Demon Sect still held a grudge.
“I’m really tired of dealing with them,” said a junior sister in the seat, quickly resonating with a group of sisters, who expressed their disdain for those demonic cultivators.
Li Jingyu listened for a while, then got up and left the hall.
At the corner, she caught a glimpse of a red figure and slowed her steps.
Yun Chixin turned to look at Li Jingyu, curling her lips, but her eyes were cold, devoid of any emotion.
“Ji Yue dares to come out? Isn’t she afraid of the Tianhai Demon Sect’s disciples seeking revenge?” Li Jingyu said nonchalantly, “What’s there to be afraid of?”
“True,” Yun Chixin replied slowly, “After all, Ji Yue has done quite a few things to offend the Tianhai Demon Sect.
I thought she would have destroyed the Ran Family when she went to Tianshui.”
A strange light flickered in Li Jingyu’s eyes as she stared at Yun Chixin, mocking, “Why doesn’t Senior Sister Yun go to destroy the Spring and Autumn Heaven Palace to sever karma?”
Yun Chixin replied indifferently, “No need.”
Li Jingyu feigned realization, “Just need to kill Yan Shouxia and Shen Zao? Are they the ‘desire’ in your heart that won’t extinguish?”
Yun Chixin gave Li Jingyu a deep look, implying, “The great path is different, not my true nature, it will eventually disappear.”
Li Jingyu’s face suddenly darkened.
Yun Chixin’s expression remained cold, indifferent to Li Jingyu’s turbulent emotions.
After saying this, she turned and left with a flick of her sleeve.
“Demonic Dao Assembly, Demon Ancestor’s baptism…” In Ji Yue’s cave, Ji Yutang sat on the couch, her brows tightly furrowed.
The winner of the Demonic Dao Assembly would enter the Ancestral Source Demon Sea, gain the Demon Ancestor’s favor, and receive a demonic baptism.
Generally, such people eventually grew into great figures in the demonic path, becoming major obstacles for the Immortal Sect.
No one believed such demonic figures would turn back, and the Immortal Sect’s attitude towards them was only one: to kill them whenever possible.
There really was no turning back.
Ji Yutang murmured softly.
Just as her thoughts were swirling, the communication talisman on her lit up.
In the past, when Li Jingyu was around, she always hid it, but now she finally took it out with peace of mind.
Actually, Li Jingyu had long known, and her past actions were just self-deception, right? After a bitter smile, Ji Yutang concealed her emotions and transferred a trace of divine intent to the communication talisman to contact Yan Shouxia and the others.
“Junior Sister Ji, there are very few people in Huoxin Palace, we are coming to rescue you,” a voice as gentle as a breeze sounded.
Ji Yutang responded with an “Mm” and added, “I’ll find a way to escape.”
“Have you seen the Heartless Book?” A cold voice entered her ears, and Ji Yutang frowned, ignoring it.
She had no interest in the Heartless Book.
After communicating with Yan Shouxia for a while, Ji Yutang got up and walked towards the stone door.
She thought Li Jingyu would have set several restrictions before leaving, but when she reached there, the door opened automatically.
She proceeded unimpeded, and even when encountering disciples of Huoxin Palace, they only nodded slightly without asking much.
Are they really letting her go? Without even a word? Ji Yutang felt a strange sensation in her heart, pursed her lips, and suppressed her fluctuating emotions.
Since it was an opportunity, she couldn’t let it slip.
She quickly left Huoxin Palace while contacting Yan Shouxia and the others to set a rendezvous point.
“Isn’t it too easy to get out? Could it be a trap?” Qin Ruoshui frowned, a trace of worry in his heart.
“Even if it’s a trap, we don’t need to fear them,” Lin Heng exhaled and added, “After all, it’s not just us here.”
After the news of the Demonic Dao Assembly reached the Immortal Sect, the Three Supreme Palaces, Haoran Righteous Path, and Xumi Sea all took action.
They planned to seek justice under the name of “Pure Lotus Zen” at the start of the Yuanhui.
Since Pure Lotus Zen was considered one of the Eight Great Immortal Sects, they had a legitimate reason, not an unprovoked challenge.
Qin Ruoshui, as a true disciple of the Taiyuan Dao Palace, never questioned the decisions of his elders, but Shen Zao, more rebellious than others, secretly complained.
It was clear that Pure Lotus Zen was being used, and even after its collapse, Ling Mountain couldn’t find peace.
Ji Yutang moved quickly, meeting up with Qin Ruoshui and the others in less than half an hour.
The group first cautiously observed their surroundings, and only after confirming there were no pursuers did they breathe a sigh of relief.
After setting up a new shielding formation, Qin Ruoshui and the others discussed their next steps, but Ran Guzhu couldn’t help herself.
She stared at Ji Yutang and asked, “Where is the Heartless Book?”
Ji Yutang’s expression changed slightly as she met Ran Guzhu’s gaze, a coldness like mountain snow in her eyes.
She said, “Do you really think it’s yours?”
Ran Guzhu’s expression changed, raising her voice, “What do you mean by that? Are you speaking for that witch?”
Ji Yutang had no intention of indulging Ran Guzhu.
Looking at her face, which was ninety percent similar to Li Jingyu’s, she felt a sense of disgust.
She replied coldly, “Isn’t Li Jingyu also Senior Li’s daughter?”
Ran Guzhu sneered, “My mother was seduced by the Demon Sect and fell into demonic ways.
If her relics remain in the Demon Sect and continue to be defiled, then I am unworthy as a daughter!”
Ji Yutang sneered, “I don’t know the whereabouts of the Heartless Book.”
Ran Guzhu shouted angrily, “You’ve been with her for a while and now you’re speaking for her? Don’t forget, I am your fiancée!”
In the past, Ji Yutang was an ordinary person who couldn’t enter the path, but now she had cultivated a Golden Core, which resonated with her heart, leaving no reason to give up.
Ji Yutang: “…”
Hearing such words from Ran Guzhu, she was extremely shocked.
At the same time, she gained a new understanding of Ran Guzhu’s shamelessness.
She took a deep breath and said indifferently, “The engagement has been annulled, we have no relationship.”
Ran Guzhu wanted to say more, but was stopped by Yan Shouxia.
She vaguely sensed something, but as an outsider, it was better not to know.
She turned to Ji Yutang and said warmly, “Now that the elders of each sect have gone to White Bone Mountain, Junior Sister Ji, do you want to return to Tianshui or go to White Bone Mountain together?”
White Bone Mountain? The site of the Demonic Dao Assembly.
With the great powers of each sect clashing with the Demon Sect giants, would the younger disciples survive?
Ji Yutang couldn’t help but think of Li Jingyu, a trace of worry in her eyes.
After a moment, she met Yan Shouxia’s gaze and said firmly, “Of course, I’m going!”
