“Heart of the Great Dao” means being born from the Dao, following the will of heaven, and being able to reap the Dao’s fruits even while lying down.
But Ji Yutang has a Scattered Spirit Body—if she doesn’t walk the path of cultivation, then “Heart of the Great Dao” is useless to her.
At first, Qin Ruoshui thought the Ji Family had used some artifact to let Ji Yutang temporarily wield spiritual power, but later he gradually realized that Ji Yutang had actually stepped directly into the path of physical strength.
No matter how much the cultivators of the mystical and demonic paths look down on the path of strength these days, it’s still a part of the Great Dao.
This means the dormant Heart of the Great Dao will awaken, and Ji Yutang will move to the front as a “latecomer.” So it’s not strange that Junior Sister Ran is paying attention to Ji Yutang again.
With brows sharp as swords, Qin Ruoshui’s expression was cold and stern.
He looked at Li Jingyu and said, “Junior Sister Ran, are you regretting it? Do you want to fulfill the marriage contract between the Ran Family and the Ji Family?”
Li Jingyu replied, “It’s not regret, just a fleeting thought.
The will of heaven changes, and so do my thoughts.”
Qin Ruoshui didn’t respond.
He sensed something unfathomable about Li Jingyu again, but she had no intention of continuing the conversation.
Suddenly changing the subject, she asked, “How strong were those zombies last night? Will the drought demon show itself?”
Qin Ruoshui shook his head.
“It’s a little different every day.” He glanced at Lin Heng and Ji Yutang not far away, then added, “But now that you’re here, things might be easier for us.”
Li Jingyu and Qin Ruoshui hadn’t gone far from the village.
They didn’t bother to lower their voices, and there was no barrier array around, so every word drifted clearly to Ji Yutang and Lin Heng’s ears.
Lin Heng, who didn’t care much, just looked a bit confused after hearing it, but Ji Yutang’s expression was icy, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.
It’s normal for people to want to climb higher—a talented cultivation seed and a Scattered Spirit Body, no matter how you look at it, it’s a mismatch.
She understood the choice to move up, but when it happened to her, all she felt was endless humiliation.
The two families were old friends, with countless peaceful paths to choose from, yet things still ended up like this.
“Daoist Friend Ji?” Lin Heng looked at Ji Yutang, startled by her expression, afraid she might do something rash and fall into the demonic path.
“I’m fine.” Ji Yutang replied coolly.
She looked up, staring at Li Jingyu as she walked over, her unwillingness rolling inside her like a snowball.
Ran Guzhu would never think she was wrong, because she could never deny her own “Dao.” Maybe only when she tasted the same pain herself one day would she feel a bit of regret.
“Yutang.” Li Jingyu’s voice reached her ears.
After some time apart, her tone was even more intimate than before.
Just like she said earlier—was it only after discovering Ji Yutang had become a true “Dao seed,” meeting her standards for a companion, that she acted this way? Ji Yutang forced a slightly awkward smile, fixed her gaze on Li Jingyu’s “gentle face,” and replied softly, “Daoist Li.”
Li Jingyu didn’t care about Ji Yutang’s distant attitude.
She circled around Ji Yutang, making her presence known, then joined Lin Heng and Qin Ruoshui to discuss the drought demon.
Among the Twelve Demon Gods, there was no such figure as the “drought demon”—the Immortal Sect just assumed it was a demonic cultivator using corpses for evil arts.
But Li Jingyu was from Huoxin Palace and knew more than Qin Ruoshui and the others.
Among the Twelve Demon Gods, one was called “Houtu,” and one of her incarnations was the drought demon.
The great drought at Wuqishan was clearly the work of the Demon Sect.
The Tianhai Demon Sect planted the Twelve Demon God Stakes—was it really just to stir up turbid demonic energy? If it was all for the Demon Sect, why not have the other three major Demon Sects help out too?
As evening approached, every household in the village had their doors tightly shut, as if that was the only way to pull themselves out of danger’s whirlpool.
Li Jingyu had gotten the Three Light Divine Water from Qin Ruoshui, but now wasn’t the time to refine it, so she could only use it crudely—not that she cared.
Now that the Three Light Divine Water was in her hands, there was no way Taiyuan Dao Palace would get it back.
In Wuqishan, Gao Cang looked grim.
He’d sent people out to snatch the Three Light Divine Water, but who would’ve thought “Ran Guzhu” would suddenly appear? Now they hadn’t stopped anyone, and the item had fallen into the hands of those Immortal Sect cultivators.
Sending out corpse hordes now probably wouldn’t help at all.
His gaze shifted to the drought demon in red, and he frowned.
“How much more flesh and blood do you need to finish?”
The drought demon raised a hand, showing five fingers.
“Five.” But these five had to be cultivators full of vital energy, not ordinary people.
There seemed to be only four on the other side—not enough.
Gao Cang’s eyes flickered, and he nodded.
“Then let’s lure them over.” After speaking, he turned to a junior brother and asked, “Any word from Qingtian Sect?”
Gao Cang needed help, but he was prejudiced against the women of Huoxin Palace, and the people from Wangqing Sect were too unpredictable.
As for Tianhai Demon Sect—those fellow disciples would love to see him fail and take his place, so he’d never ask them.
After thinking it over, only the brutes from Qingtian Sect were suitable—even if they failed, their flesh and blood could be used as resources for the Demon God Stake.
“Senior Brother Gao, Senior Brother Wei replied that he’ll be here in a day—seems he’s been tangled up by Immortal Sect cultivators.” The disciple looked troubled, then added, “Should we ask the senior sisters from Huoxin Palace? They’re still nearby.”
Gao Cang said coldly, “Ask those women? Can you afford the price? Are you willing to be drained dry?” The demonic cultivator gave an awkward laugh and shut up.
The senior sisters from Huoxin Palace practiced dual cultivation to boost their own power, but the one being “dual cultivated” was usually just a tool, and rarely ended well.
It was fine to go a few times, but if you owed them long-term, you couldn’t afford it.
“One day isn’t long.
It’s about time to lure them into the mountain.
The Four Yin Four Yang Soul Refining Array is ready—just waiting for them to walk in.
Disciples of the Eight Great Immortal Sects are always like this—even if they know there’s a trap ahead, they’ll charge forward for the sake of righteousness.” Gao Cang sneered and waved his sleeve.
A Demon Sect cultivator asked, confused, “Can the Four Yin Four Yang Soul Refining Array really trap them?” After all, the Demon Sect had many arrays, and this one was considered pretty useless.
Gao Cang glanced coldly at the doubting disciple.
“I have my own plans.”
In the small village, the shuffling corpse horde arrived later than in previous days.
Thick corpse poison spread everywhere, leaving nothing alive in its wake.
The talismans in the village wouldn’t have lasted much longer, but after Qin Ruoshui’s touch, their spiritual power surged again, forming a brilliant golden light that swept over the poisonous miasma.
Li Jingyu stood at the front.
The sky above was hooked by a crescent moon, the stars dim, and the yin energy heavy.
She watched the zombies, let out a soft breath, and her spiritual power surged like a tidal wave, suddenly turning into a silver waterfall that crashed down on the zombies! Amid the surging water, Lunar Heavenly Heart Thunder leapt, rumbling loudly.
With the power of the Three Light Divine Water, the zombies struck by the water instantly turned to dust, scattered by the wind.
“These zombies have no self-awareness—they’re all controlled by the drought demon.
Before, they never retreated, but now they’re shrinking back toward Wuqishan,” Lin Heng said, frowning.
Qin Ruoshui said, “Looks like the drought demon is deliberately luring us over.”
“But in this darkness, Wuqishan is probably full of danger,” Ji Yutang said, frowning.
Her fingers brushed the Falling Moon Bow, and arrows roared like wind dragons, exploding among the zombies and sending flesh flying.
The next wave of water followed, dissolving the remains tainted with demonic energy and corpse poison.
The drought demon and the demonic cultivators were all hiding in Wuqishan—that was the real source of disaster.
They’d come here to solve this problem, and though they’d delayed because of the “corpse poison,” now that they had the Three Light Divine Water, they no longer feared the filth.
A sharp light flashed in Qin Ruoshui’s eyes, and his sword light slashed into the zombie horde ahead.
He called out, “We can’t end this without reaching Wuqishan.
Even if the demonic cultivators have set traps ahead, we just have to break through.” As a disciple of Taiyuan Dao Palace, he cultivated the fearless sword and didn’t know the meaning of “retreat.”
With Qin Ruoshui taking the lead, Lin Heng rarely objected.
His spirits rose with Qin Ruoshui’s words, and he clapped.
“Well said!”
Li Jingyu smiled.
“Then let’s follow.” Since Qin Ruoshui was willing to clear the way, she let him.
She slowed her steps to walk beside Ji Yutang.
The Jewel of the Rising Tides spun, weaving long silver lights that wrapped around both of them, keeping out corpse poison and evil filth.
Seeing this, Ji Yutang’s eyes darkened and she quickened her pace.
Dragon energy coiled around her, like a silver-white true dragon hovering above, intimidating the zombies without a word.
Li Jingyu saw her reaction and smiled with interest, hands behind her back as she easily caught up with Ji Yutang, saying lazily, “Your moods swing so wildly, it’s really heartbreaking.”
Ji Yutang frowned at that, glancing sideways at Li Jingyu.
It was hard to imagine the word “heartbreaking” had anything to do with her.
She wanted to explain, but the words died on her lips.
That was Li Jingyu’s nature, her chosen Dao—explaining would just be a waste of breath.
Better to stick to her plan and maybe cut a crack in her heart.
Ji Yutang’s emotions churned, but her expression gradually calmed.
Li Jingyu tossed out another line: “After you transformed into a dragon, you clearly liked being close to me.” Her tone was as soft as a spring breeze, her eyes sparkling with laughter.
The memory of the deep sea came rushing back, and a blush crept uncontrollably up Ji Yutang’s cheeks.
A wave of panic and confusion washed over Ji Yutang.
She took a deep breath to steady herself, but the moment she met Li Jingyu’s gaze, that strange feeling surged up again.
She hurriedly looked away, planning to run from the conversation.
As for the plan she’d been mulling over, it had already vanished in an instant.
Under the night sky, Wuqishan looked like a giant beast lurking in the dark, waiting for prey.
Qin Ruoshui, running ahead, released all his stored sword marbles at once.
Brilliant sword lights flared like stars, sweeping forward with force and wind.
The zombies were no match for cultivators—under the sword light, they let out chilling screams and were instantly cut in half.
“No wonder you’re a true heir of Taiyuan Dao Palace!” Lin Heng cheered from behind.
He swiped his brush across a scroll, and the spirits of tigers, wolves, and other beasts leapt out, roaring thunderously.
The two of them fought more and more fiercely, like a spear thrust deep into enemy lines, unstoppable.
As the zombie horde recoiled in fear, a crimson figure tore through the night like a blazing sun.
He wore a red robe, with fiery eyes and fangs, corpse poison swirling around him—anything he touched died.
Flames burned at his feet, and with a roar, the fire fell like a meteor, lighting up the sky.
Qin Ruoshui avoided the corpse-poisoned fire, flicked his sword light, and instantly moved out of the fire’s range.
He looked up at the red-robed figure and said coldly, “Drought demon.”
The poisonous fire danced in the air.
The drought demon didn’t go for the kill, but instead herded Qin Ruoshui’s group into an array.
A strange smile twisted his pale, corpse-like face.
He threw back his head and let out a sharp howl, then retreated into the mountains.
Lin Heng’s eyelid twitched.
“The drought demon’s gone!” He looked at Qin Ruoshui.
“Senior Brother Qin, should we chase?”
“No need.” Before Qin Ruoshui could answer, Li Jingyu spoke up.
“There’s an array here,” Ji Yutang added.
Qin Ruoshui paused, then calmed his mind to sense the changes in the area.
After a while, he opened his eyes.
“It’s the Four Yin Four Yang Soul Refining Array.” This was a Demon Sect array for refining souls, mainly used to extract the souls of mortals.
For cultivators, it wasn’t very effective—at least, until their spiritual power ran out, the array had no effect on them.
Still, it could be used as a trap.
“Are they trying to trap us here?”
“Whatever their plan, we can’t let them succeed,” Lin Heng said with a cold laugh.
“This array seems to be powered by a very strong force?” Li Jingyu crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.
The Four Yin Four Yang Soul Refining Array wasn’t a top-tier array—every one of the Eight Great Immortal Sects had ways to break it.
But if Gao Cang set it up now, he must have something to rely on.
Was he using the demonic energy from the Demon God Stake to power it? But that energy is turbid and yang, only satisfying the “four yang”—where does the “four yin” come from? Gao Cang’s own demonic arts? Or would he fill the “four yin” after they entered the array? As the array master, Gao Cang could manipulate yin and yang—was he hoping to benefit from it and boost his own cultivation? Whatever his plan, it probably wouldn’t work.
Li Jingyu turned to Ji Yutang.
“What do you think?”
Ji Yutang pressed her lips together and didn’t answer.
When she first entered the array, she felt a bit uncomfortable, but as time passed, that feeling faded.
The array’s yin and yang rotated, and the Primordial Qi of heaven and earth was thick, like a “treasure cave” perfect for cultivation.
Her body had already started unconsciously absorbing the Primordial Qi to boost her own power.
“Is there some treasure hidden behind this array?” Lin Heng was already trying to break the array, but the result surprised him.
“Let’s rest and recover our spiritual power first,” Qin Ruoshui sighed.
The drought demon had brought them here for a reason.
In any case, as long as their cultivation was intact, they had nothing to fear.
The next morning, the drought demon didn’t appear, but Demon Sect cultivators entered the array in turns.
They ranged from mortals to foundation establishment.
They didn’t try to defeat the Immortal Sect—if things looked bad, they’d retreat immediately.
After meditating to recover, they’d come back in.
“Senior Brother Gao was right.
Once you enter the array and attune to its energy, you can get a mysterious boost,” a demonic cultivator said.
Another foundation establishment disciple didn’t answer, his eyes flickering as he changed the subject.
“I wonder when Senior Brother Wei from Qingtian Sect will arrive?”
Inside the Four Yin Four Yang Soul Refining Array, Lin Heng frowned for a long time before saying, “They come and go as they please, like they’re using us for practice.”
“I’m afraid it’s more than that,” Qin Ruoshui replied.
He glanced between Lin Heng and Li Jingyu, then said seriously, “Have you noticed you’re gradually syncing with the array? Like—”
“Becoming part of it?” Li Jingyu finished for him, smiling.
“This soul refining array can change form, merging and splitting yin and yang.
Our cultivation methods are based on yin and yang, so it’s not strange we’re syncing with the array.”
She didn’t say everything.
Gao Cang cultivated with turbid demonic energy and yin-based arts.
His body wasn’t purely yang or yin, but constantly cycling both.
That meant, as the array master, Gao Cang could reverse the array, splitting off yin energy to boost his White Cang Yin Fire Art.
Unfortunately, he misjudged Ji Yutang, thinking she was an Immortal Sect disciple who could fill the missing “four yin.” In reality, Ji Yutang cultivated the path of strength, directly absorbing Primordial Qi from heaven and earth, without the step of separating pure and impure energies.
“Being in sync with the grand formation is basically the same as being refined into it, isn’t it?” Ji Yutang asked in confusion.
As soon as she finished speaking, a thunderous boom echoed from the sky.
A figure fell like a shooting star, turning into a burly, short-haired demon cultivator with a bare torso.
“Another demon cultivator?” Ji Yutang frowned.
Li Jingyu glanced over and raised an eyebrow.
“He’s a disciple of Qingtian Sect, Wei Fuming.” This guy visualizes ancient demons and cultivates an indestructible body, which in some ways is similar to a strength-based cultivator.
“Isn’t Gao Cang supposed to be all high and mighty? Didn’t think he’d stoop to asking for help.
Tsk, is he scared because of Zhang Ren’s death?” Even though they were both from the Demon Sect, Wei Fuming didn’t hold back when mocking Gao Cang.
“Wei, my friend.” Gao Cang took a step forward, looking at Wei Fuming with a blank expression.
Wei Fuming snorted, then looked into the formation.
When he spotted Li Jingyu, his face showed a hint of surprise.
Not wanting to mess up Demon Sect business, he lowered his voice.
“Isn’t that Ji Yue? Why is she with Immortal Sect cultivators? What, does she think our Demon Sect men aren’t good enough?”
“That’s a Ran Family woman.
No wonder, the sisters are equally annoying.” Gao Cang turned his head, speaking with clear displeasure.
Wei Fuming raised an eyebrow, not thinking much of it.
“So these four are the targets?” he asked.
Seeing Gao Cang squint and nod, he threw his head back and let out a piercing howl, turning into a streak of red light as he charged into the formation.
He visualized an ancient demon ape, his body instantly growing to over three meters tall, wielding a golden staff that he swung down hard at Qin Ruoshui and the others.
“This guy’s a killer, strong as hell—watch out!” Qin Ruoshui shouted, suddenly sending out a sword beam.
The sword light spun through the air, clashing with the golden staff and making a grating, teeth-on-edge screech.
Wei Fuming was extremely arrogant, thinking he could take on four at once, but Gao Cang didn’t see it that way.
Pale flames floated around him as he signaled to his fellow disciples to join the fight.
No matter their cultivation, the Demon Sect had the numbers on their side.
Explosions boomed in their ears, magic power surging like waves, whipping up fierce winds in all directions.
Gao Cang stared intently at the battle inside the formation, his eyes gradually turning blood-red.
His blood boiled, and the pale flames in front of him suddenly flared up, giving off a chilling aura.
“It’s time.” No one knew when Hanba had appeared, standing beside Gao Cang, his voice rough and grating.
Gao Cang nodded, shifting the Four Yin Four Yang Soul Refining Formation.
Instantly, yin and yang energies merged, forming a black-and-white three-legged cauldron in midair.
They were going to use the formation as a furnace, the four yin and four yang as fuel, and burn up everyone inside!
At that moment, not only did Qin Ruoshui and Lin Heng’s group feel the pressure, even Wei Fuming suddenly felt a heavy burden.
His wild and violent nature was triggered, and he didn’t care who was friend or foe—he swung his golden staff with reckless abandon, finally smashing down with a crack and turning a demon cultivator into a bloody pulp.
Gao Cang’s eyelid twitched as he sped up the formation’s incantations.
Magic power surged around him, but deep down, a sense of unease crept in.
“Gao Cang! You’re trying to refine me?!” Wei Fuming suddenly roared, his face twisted with rage.
Gao Cang stared at him coldly, saying nothing.
In the midst of the fierce battle, his own aura gradually merged with the formation.
Four Immortal Sect cultivators plus Wei Fuming would complete Hanba’s path to advancing his realm—a good thing for the Demon Sect.
If Wei Fuming’s master found out, he probably wouldn’t blame him.
In Gao Cang’s plan, the four yin and four yang would balance, reversing the formation and releasing yin and yang energies separately—he’d absorb the yin, Hanba the yang.
But things weren’t going as planned.
Suddenly, yin and yang inside the formation were thrown out of balance! The problem couldn’t be with the turbid evil or yang energy, so the missing piece had to be among the “four yin.” Gao Cang steadied himself, did a quick calculation, and realized, “One of the four yin is missing.”
Seeing Wei Fuming go berserk and smash the yin-yang cauldron with his staff, Gao Cang’s face darkened.
He pointed, sending several wisps of ghostly fire from in front of him into the formation to make up the “four yin.” That was all hard-earned magic power, but if he didn’t do it, who knew if he’d survive once Wei Fuming got out!
Hanba also noticed the change in the formation.
His face twitched, and after a moment, he suddenly reached out and grabbed a demon cultivator from inside the formation.
He wasn’t following Gao Cang’s plan at all—he just sucked the life force out of the disciple! He moved so fast that by the time Gao Cang reacted, he’d already killed four demon cultivators.
“You—” Gao Cang’s heart trembled.
Hanba just glanced at Gao Cang coldly, then snapped the neck of the disciple in his hand with a twist.
After absorbing enough life force, Hanba’s body disintegrated, turning into a crimson light that sank into the earth.
A rumbling sound came from afar as the red light shot up, surging forward unstoppably, dyeing the land for a thousand miles blood-red.
“It’s done…” Gao Cang muttered, but his face quickly turned ugly.
This time, the ones sacrificed were Demon Sect disciples—his own people.
More importantly, his plan to use the formation to boost his own cultivation had been ruined! Taking a deep breath, Gao Cang didn’t want to face the furious Wei Fuming, so he turned and fled in a streak of light!
Li Jingyu looked down at the blood-red earth and murmured, “A thousand miles of red soil, demonized Earth Mother.” One of the twelve transformations of the Demon Ancestor is Houtu, who controls mountains and rivers, creates reincarnation, neither good nor evil.
But the current Demon Dao inheritance has changed so much—who knows what kind of Demon God the Tianhai Demon Sect has created.
Ji Yutang heard Li Jingyu’s murmur.
Her eyelid twitched as she stared at his calm face, and suddenly a sense of foreboding welled up inside her.
