Li Jingyu didn’t stay long in the cave heaven.
She walked along the corridor, the swaying lanterns in the wind stretching her shadow.
The aura around her suddenly became unfathomable, and in the darkness of night, as her disguise fell away, she looked cold and dangerous.
But at a corner, that fierce aura around her abruptly vanished, the raging sea turning into a calm stream.
She looked up at the tall figure standing in the courtyard, silent for a long time.
When Ji Yutang noticed Li Jingyu looking over, their eyes met.
Ji Yutang felt a bit strange—why was Li Jingyu still outside at this hour? But then she remembered that Li Jingyu’s cultivation method relied on the light of the Big Dipper, and she immediately understood.
The grass and trees rustled in the night wind, and the insects hidden in the woods chirped one after another.
Ji Yutang lowered her eyes, wanting to turn and leave, but under that gaze that clung to her and refused to move away, she couldn’t take the first step.
Restlessness surged up in her heart again—her “fiancée” was her inner demon! If she couldn’t get rid of these distracting thoughts before forming her Golden Core, her path would never be pure and clear.
“Do you have something to say to me?” Li Jingyu finally broke the silence, her heavy gaze shifting away from Ji Yutang.
Ji Yutang opened her mouth, but she couldn’t let go of her misgivings, couldn’t be honest.
The words stuck in her heart just wouldn’t come out.
After a while, she shook her head and said quietly, “No.”
Li Jingyu gave Ji Yutang a deep look, clearly not believing her answer.
She could see Ji Yutang was troubled, and every time she looked at her, her gaze was complicated.
Was it because of the “good little sister”? But this situation probably wouldn’t last much longer.
She let out a soft laugh, brushed her sleeve, and said, “If it were just an ordinary altar, Senior Sister Yan and Sister Shen would have returned by now.
The fact that there’s still no news means something’s wrong.
If we don’t hear anything by tomorrow, let’s go check it out.”
The “serious business” pushed aside Ji Yutang’s “personal matters.” She let out a long breath, temporarily freed from those indescribable emotions.
She looked calmly at Li Jingyu and nodded, “Alright.”
For cultivators, a night isn’t very long.
After Ji Yutang hurried away from Li Jingyu’s deep gaze, it felt like only a moment before the Golden Crow rose in the east, tearing open the gray sky and painting it with a brilliant, dazzling glow.
Yesterday’s torrential rain had drenched all of Dong’e City, washing away the fear brought by drought and red earth.
It was as if, after that downpour, the gloomy situation would gradually clear, and the hidden evil would be driven out by the righteous immortals.
But those called “immortals” didn’t share that optimism.
From dawn until noon, there was still no word from Yan Shouxia and Shen Zao.
Those who had been calmly meditating could no longer sit still.
“There must be a change at the altar.
We should go take a look.” Lin Heng’s expression was serious, his worry for Yan Shouxia and Shen Zao plain to see.
No one objected to his suggestion.
The words “Earth Mother” felt like a mountain pressing on their backs.
It seemed not to exist in this world, yet looking at the endless red earth, it also felt omnipresent.
Earth Altar.
Nine coiling dragon pillars supported a torch, burning fiercely.
Waves of heat rolled out, and the hidden fire deep underground seemed to have been unearthed, threatening to burn the whole world to ashes.
Gao Cang stood not far away.
After building his foundation, he shouldn’t have felt the heat, but the fire waves near the altar made sweat pour down his forehead.
His Life-Bound Artifact was a ball of ghostly fire, which shrank smaller and smaller under the pressure of the heat, unable to unleash even half its power.
Luckily, the altar could draw out other forces to deal with the two Confucian Sect cultivators.
Thinking of this, Gao Cang let out a long breath.
The fire blazed brighter, and a thick, fog-like black shadow floated in midair.
It had no form and could change into any shape, but as it swooped downward, twelve ashen faces suddenly appeared, with lifeless eyes and long, blood-red tongues.
As the mist twisted, the faces warped too, their dislocated features mashed together, looking sticky and disgusting.
“Sacrificial Ghost.” Yan Shouxia’s expression was grim.
A book glowing with golden light floated above her hand, and as pure energy surged out to clash with the black mist, not only did she fail to gain the upper hand, but the pure light was gradually tainted by the darkness.
She and Shen Zao had arrived too late.
The twelve people sacrificed to the earth had already been drained of blood, leaving only their bodies.
They hadn’t even had time to collect the corpses before the ground writhed like a worm, opening up to swallow them whole.
Immediately after, the firelight gathered into this mass of bloody, murderous black mist.
Shen Zao stood shoulder to shoulder with Yan Shouxia, staring at the strange black mist, her stomach churning.
A sharp sword light briefly sliced through the mist, cutting away the part touching the pure energy.
Shen Zao turned to Yan Shouxia and said, “Didn’t the White Palace Master grant us a page from the book?”
Yan Shouxia grunted in reply, and a golden page floated from her sleeve, hovering in the air like a canopy.
Talismans drifted down from the page, forming a scripture filled with immense power: “To sacrifice to a spirit that is not one’s own is flattery.①” The golden page contained the power of a Golden Core cultivator—anything outside of “ritual” must be destroyed!
The scripture turned into golden chains, binding the formless black mist.
No matter how it changed, the mist couldn’t break through the golden light.
Piercing, shrill screams rang out, and the earth trembled as if venting all its rage!
Gao Cang had been watching the battle closely.
Seeing Yan Shouxia and Shen Zao about to break free, his expression changed.
He thrust both palms forward, sending pale ghost fire crashing down from the sky like meteors.
Suddenly, he shouted into the empty air, “Sisters, aren’t you going to help me?!”
Last night, Gao Cang had gotten a response from the Huoxin Palace disciples.
They wanted the White Cang Yin Wood Seed he carried—no need to guess, it was Ji Yue’s idea.
Gao Cang didn’t like her and didn’t want her to benefit, but compared to contacting others, this price was much lower.
After weighing his options, he swallowed his resentment and chose to cooperate with Huoxin Palace.
“There are other demons lying in wait!” Yan Shouxia’s eyelid twitched.
She hadn’t sensed any other presence before.
Were the Huoxin Palace women really that good at hiding their aura?
“We might be doomed here, but no matter what, we have to get the message—” She hadn’t finished saying “out” when four beams of clear light shot across the sky.
A strange look flashed across Shen Zao’s face.
Her eyelid twitched, and she clapped her hands and laughed heartily.
She reached for her hip, but her wine gourd was empty, so she had to suppress her craving for “wine” for now.
“There’s a strong smell of blood at the altar.
Did the Demon Sect use people as sacrifices?” Qin Ruoshui sensed the lingering aura, his face darkening as anger surged in his heart.
“So this is the Earth Altar.
Can we find traces of Earth Mother here?” Lin Heng forced down his anger and turned to ask Li Jingyu.
When it came to the Earth Altar and “Earth Mother,” none of them knew as much as Li Jingyu.
Li Jingyu said, “When the earth cracks open, the Earth Mother sleeping beneath the red soil will awaken.” Gao Cang had moved fast—the altar was built, and even the sacrifices had been offered early.
Now all that was left was for Earth Mother to digest the offerings, break free, and descend upon the world.
She glanced calmly at the female cultivator standing with Gao Cang, hiding her deep thoughts.
“Let’s deal with these demon cultivators first, then destroy the altar!” Qin Ruoshui made a quick decision.
His sword light flashed, slicing through the flames and striking at Gao Cang.
Qin Ruoshui’s sword broke the delicate balance, and both sides immediately started fighting, desperate to wipe each other out.
Spells clashed, sand and stones flew, and dust filled the sky.
The nine standing pillars were broken in the chaos, and the torch they supported suddenly toppled.
But the flames didn’t go out—they turned into a sea of fire, the light reflecting on everyone’s faces.
“The nine pillars are broken, but the altar’s fire hasn’t gone out.
Can we really destroy this Earth Altar?” Ji Yutang frowned, looking down anxiously.
Just as she was thinking, a loud crash rang out, followed by a massive tremor.
It was as if a dragon was turning underground—the endless red earth split open with deep chasms, and a strange, powerful force surged up like a flood, countless flames falling and swallowing everyone’s figures.
“This is—” Ji Yutang was shaken, scales forming all over her body.
Her instincts to command wind and rain wrapped her in water, driving away the raging fire.
Taking advantage of her opponents’ shock, she looked down into the fissure, her pupils shrinking as she unconsciously swallowed.
The ground kept shaking, like thousands of horses galloping.
A pale hand reached up from the crack, and every time it grabbed, the earth was crushed into rubble, shooting upward with terrifying force! No one spoke, but there was no need—everyone’s mind filled with the words “Earth Mother”!
“We can’t let it out—” Ji Yutang muttered.
She didn’t know what was under the ground, but the thought suddenly struck her.
The roar of Dragon Thunder drowned out the earthquake, purple-red lightning flashing in the air, shattering flying boulders.
But that hand kept climbing, steady and slow, as if it couldn’t feel pain.
“We can’t let it out!” Qin Ruoshui shouted the exact same words, losing his usual composure, his trembling voice full of shock and fear.
He was the first to turn into a streak of light and dive into the fissure!
“Senior Brother Qin!” Lin Heng’s eyelid twitched, and he hurried after him.
This crack was where Earth Mother would return, leading straight to the earth’s core.
If you fell and lost control of your movement technique, you’d be dead for sure! And that wasn’t the only danger—there was a terrifying monster inside!
Compared to the Immortal Sect’s panic, Gao Cang looked smug.
So what if they’d found the Earth Altar? The Demon Sect still had the upper hand! The firelight lit up Gao Cang’s pale smile as he tossed out a talisman from his sleeve.
The talisman shot toward the huge, terrifying hand, only to be instantly swallowed by a dark fire.
The “Earth Mother Demon God” was different from the Shebi Corpse—this was its complete form, the spell had already been planted, and now all that was left was for it to crush these Immortal Sect ants to dust.
A wave of heat hit them, the scorching air threatening to roast them alive.
Gao Cang didn’t like this environment, and there was nothing more for him to do here.
He glanced indifferently at the Huoxin Palace women who had come to help, then tossed them a brocade pouch containing the White Cang Yin Wood Seed and left without another word.
“Senior sister? Should we stay or go?” a clear, cold voice asked.
The woman called “senior sister” made a quick decision.
“Go!” Although Gao Cang left looking satisfied and confident, she’d buried something here on her master’s orders—who knew how things would turn out? They were just here to help, and now that their boss was gone, why stay?
The Demon Sect cultivators all left, leaving only the Immortal Sect disciples and the true body of Earth Mother.
Ji Yutang actually didn’t want to jump into the fissure, but Qin Ruoshui had gone down, and Lin Heng, Senior Sister Yan, and Sister Shen had followed! She frowned and jumped in after them!
The wind howled past her ears, the rumbling like the world was splitting apart.
All Ji Yutang could see was a hand—its arm was incredibly long, like an endless abyss.
Rocks flew everywhere, slamming into her body with sharp pain.
The fierce wind was like blades scraping her face.
Ji Yutang took a deep breath and turned into a small White Dragon less than ten feet long, diving down into the abyss! After about half a quarter of an hour, she finally saw the crimson bottom.
Qin Ruoshui stood with his sword, his robe torn in several places.
He and Lin Heng’s group stood there, their eyes fixed on a writhing mass of flesh, buried deep underground with only a small part exposed.
That endless arm was stretching out from its body.
“So this is the true body of Earth Mother?” Ji Yutang frowned at the flesh mass, a sudden sense of absurdity rising in her heart.
“It doesn’t seem to have fully formed—” Qin Ruoshui frowned.
“There’s a trace of Three Light Divine Water on it.
Did someone beat us here and injure it?” When he reached the abyss, he’d attacked the flesh, but it was covered in a strange soft armor he couldn’t break.
Yan Shouxia suddenly asked, “Where’s Junior Sister Ran?”
Ji Yutang paused, shook her head, and said, “I don’t know.” When she jumped down, Li Jingyu was still standing in the flames, lost in thought.
She didn’t want to think about anything related to Li Jingyu, so she focused on the flesh mass and asked, “Is there no way to destroy it?”
“Maybe we need to find its weak spot?” Lin Heng said.
Only a small part was exposed, the huge body buried underground—maybe its weakness was hidden too.
“Should we split up?” Lin Heng suggested.
The flesh wasn’t much of a threat to them, unless that climbing hand came crashing down again, but it was too busy trying to free itself to bother with them.
Just standing here wasn’t going to help.
After a moment’s thought, everyone nodded in agreement, exchanged communication talismans just in case, and began using their spells to carve paths through the abyss.
Ji Yutang chose the southern side.
Her steps weren’t exactly fast.
The deeper she went, the more she could feel a scorching heat, as if something terrifying was burning deep within the earth’s core.
She didn’t know if the others felt the same.
After leaving a few words in the communication talisman, she didn’t stop moving forward.
The cracks in the ground kept spreading, chunks of scorched earth falling away.
In one spot, flames suddenly shot up like a roaring dragon.
Ji Yutang’s eyelids twitched, and behind her, a divine dragon’s shadow coiled, casting down endless clear light that kept the flames at bay.
She didn’t know how long she’d been walking when her view suddenly opened up—not because the fissure had split wider, but because the power of creation had formed a cavern at the earth’s core.
The black-brown scorched earth was covered in web-like cracks, and at the center of the spreading web was a ghostly face imprinted on the ground.
But what shocked Ji Yutang at this moment wasn’t that terrifying, writhing face, but the white figure standing there, holding onto something for support.
Black smoke, like ropes, tightly bound her body—she was standing on the ghost face’s forehead, but as the face twisted, she was slowly being drawn toward its mouth, as if she was about to be swallowed whole.
“What are you doing here?” Ji Yutang suddenly stopped in her tracks, staring deeply at the calm-faced Li Jingyu, unable to hide the astonishment in her voice.
“You all came down, so of course I had to follow.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t so lucky.” Li Jingyu met Ji Yutang’s gaze and gave a faint smile.
Ji Yutang felt a chill run through her, an inexplicable coldness rising in her heart.
Her hand, hidden in her sleeve, clenched tight.
She took a deep breath and asked, “That ghost face—what is it?” Li Jingyu answered calmly, “It’s Earth Mother’s head.” The clear light falling from her body slowly cut away at the black smoke binding her, but every time it was cut, the smoke surged back.
Her struggle was useless, yet she maintained a composed, unruffled posture, as if she couldn’t sense the danger of being devoured by Earth Mother.
Ji Yutang knew that what she should do now was step forward and rescue Li Jingyu from the black smoke, but chaotic thoughts crashed over her like waves, replaying scenes from the past before her eyes.
Unknowingly, her eyes took on a reddish tint.
Of course she looked down on herself, but right now, she was the only one who could help her.
If she bowed her head to her—just imagining that possibility sent a strange, shuddering thrill through Ji Yutang.
“You—” Ji Yutang paused, staring at Li Jingyu, then said, “Don’t you have anything you want to say to me?” “Say what?” Li Jingyu tilted her head, looking at Ji Yutang with interest.
In the abyss, where the body of the Houtu Demon God was buried, earth fiends and foul air churned, making it easy for mind-invading demons to breed.
Ji Yutang’s current state was different from before—her mind was likely compromised, her emotions becoming extreme and uncontrollable under the influence of those demons.
“Go on, leave her here.
She looks down on you, so why should you help her?” That seductive voice echoed in her mind, quickly taking over Ji Yutang’s thoughts.
She stared at Li Jingyu for a moment, then finally turned away.
In the abyss, life and death had their own fate.
If Li Jingyu fell, wouldn’t that mean she was weaker than others? Then everything she’d said before would be wrong! Who said Scattered Spirit Body could only be useless? Who said she couldn’t enter the Dao? Who said she didn’t deserve the Heart of the Great Dao? The True Dragon Transformation Scripture was, after all, a power technique of the demon race, with a bit of the dragon clan’s unique wickedness hidden within.
The red in Ji Yutang’s eyes grew deeper and deeper; she could barely control her own transformation.
Dragon scales crept up her neck, silver scales appeared on one cheek, and a pair of delicate little antler-like horns suddenly sprouted from her forehead.
Li Jingyu stared at Ji Yutang, watching the changes in her body.
When those dragon horns appeared, her gaze suddenly grew darker.
The black smoke coiling around her seemed to be intimidated by something, shrinking back in fear, only hovering weakly around Li Jingyu.
As for the twisted face on the ground, it looked as if it had been struck by a great force, its features distorted, becoming even more hideous and grotesque.
Her heart demon was herself? No, it should be that good little sister of hers.
Did the annulment of the engagement really affect her that much? Li Jingyu curled her lips in a smile.
A few urges to touch those dragon horns rose in her heart, but she suppressed them immediately.
Her own mind wasn’t flawless either, and she was also somewhat affected by the mind demons.
The technique she cultivated was the “power of the lunar yin,” but without the supreme Daode Heavenly Book to suppress the demons! Seeing Ji Yutang about to turn and leave, Li Jingyu suddenly called out, “Xiao Tang, where are you going?” That nickname was even more intimate than the usual “Yutang,” like a soft breeze curling around her ear.
Ji Yutang’s heart suddenly trembled.
The voice that had been egging her on fell silent for a moment, and she couldn’t help but look back—what she saw in that instant was like a blow to the head, scattering all her obsessions!
The churning earth fiend energy was incredibly thick, but the black smoke around Li Jingyu had already vanished.
She’d thought Li Jingyu was Earth Mother’s prisoner, but now, hearing those heart-wrenching screams and seeing that twisted face, she suddenly realized the truth was nothing like she’d imagined! She was standing on Earth Mother’s head—not about to be devoured, but actually refining the remnants of Earth Mother’s power!
Wait, how could she be shrouded in fiendish energy, refining Earth Mother? Wasn’t she a true disciple of the Taiyuan Dao Palace? Ji Yutang felt a chill in her heart, her gaze glued to Li Jingyu, unable to look away.
The white robe, as pure as clouds and snow, was slowly being devoured by fiendish energy, turning into a red-and-black cloak.
Gold threads wound around the hem, outlining sun, moon, and stars, as if the heavens themselves were manifesting.
Strange, bewitching patterns climbed up her neck like a fleeting flower, then vanished.
But even after they disappeared, Ji Yutang could tell something was off—those were magic marks condensed from foul fiendish energy!
“Ran Guzhu?” Ji Yutang muttered, stumbling back a step, then shook her head.
“No, not Ran Guzhu! She’d never choose the demonic path!”
As soon as she finished speaking, Ji Yutang’s body suddenly froze.
The person who appeared before her in a flash brought a sweep of red and black shadow—she, she, she actually grabbed the dragon horn that hadn’t yet faded from Ji Yutang’s head!
