Before Li Jingyu revealed her true identity, there was a clear sense of distance between them.
This wasn’t just from her, but also from Li Jingyu.
But once the disguise was gone, Li Jingyu seemed like a different person—her gentle calmness vanished, replaced by a bit of willfulness, indulgence, and a forceful edge.
Ji Yutang had wanted to argue with her, but the moment she remembered her unconscious actions after turning into a dragon that day, her face flushed red and she couldn’t get a word out in her own defense.
She really had done that, and there was nothing to argue about.
But now things were completely different—both she and Li Jingyu were fully conscious! Cool fingertips brushed gently across her face, the soft touch seeping into her limbs, slowly becoming impossible to shake off.
Ji Yutang snapped back to herself, grabbed Li Jingyu’s hand, and tried to glare at her with a cold, unfriendly look.
“This is Tianshui City!” Ji Yutang gritted her teeth.
“I know.” Li Jingyu answered calmly.
The candlelight fell on her, the silver mask reflecting dazzling beams. Her expression was hidden behind the mask, only her eyes deep as the Great Whirlpool in the Sea Abyss.
Ji Yutang’s grip on her wrist wasn’t strong—Li Jingyu could have easily pulled free with a little effort.
But she didn’t.
Instead, she took the chance to lean closer to Ji Yutang, and while Ji Yutang was distracted, she kissed her on the dragon horn.
It was like a jolt of electricity shot up her spine, making her whole body tingle.
Ji Yutang hadn’t expected Li Jingyu to do that at all, and she felt like she was about to burst into flames from embarrassment.
Her aura surged, a long dragon shadow resonating with the Jewel of the Rising Tides, and she shoved Li Jingyu away, anger flickering in her eyes.
Li Jingyu just laughed softly, her own magic rising in response.
She didn’t meet the blow head-on; instead, the power behind her rippled like returning waves, dissolving the force of Ji Yutang’s strike.
Ji Yutang hadn’t meant to hurt Li Jingyu.
After throwing that palm, she used the momentum to retreat quickly, disappearing into the crowd in an instant.
The Jewel of the Rising Tides spun once, then sank into her Mind Palace.
Li Jingyu pressed a hand to the edge of her mask, the smile in her eyes slowly fading.
“Aren’t you afraid she’ll tell Ran Jingri about you?” a voice came from behind.
Li Jingyu turned to look at the newcomer and smiled.
“Shishu, she won’t.” She paused, then added, “Even if she does tell Ran Jingri, so what? I came here to take back my mother’s things—sooner or later, that person will find out.”
The woman in white called “Shishu” was Huai Wanxiu’s junior sister, the master of Huoxin Palace, and a Yuanshen-level expert.
This time, after returning to Tianshui City, Huai Wanxiu was worried Li Jingyu couldn’t handle things alone, so she asked her junior sister Shi Qingchen to look after her.
Shi Qingchen studied Li Jingyu for a while, then sighed.
“As long as you’re confident, that’s what matters.”
“Shishu, what’s going on with the Tianhai Demon Sect?” Li Jingyu asked.
Besides Ran Jingri, the Ran Family had several other Yuanshen-level cultivators.
If she came to Tianshui City during peaceful times, it would be hard to achieve her goal.
The Demon God Stake of the Tianhai Demon Sect had failed twice in a row, angering the elders, but they finally gave up on fighting alone and revealed their plans to the other three sects.
This time, there’s a Demon God Stake near Tianshui City, and the Demon Sect disciples guarding it aren’t just Foundation Establishment—they’ve brought out Golden Core cultivators.
On top of that, Qingtian Sect and Wangqing Sect cultivators are involved too.
Shi Qingchen smiled.
“Them? They’ve teamed up with some of the local noble families in Tianshui City.
Even though they call themselves orthodox Immortal Sects, they’re not a monolith—there are always cracks to exploit.”
Li Jingyu had expected this and just hummed in response, not taking it to heart.
Shi Qingchen looked Li Jingyu up and down.
“I thought you’d be interested in this.”
Li Jingyu said, “All cultivation families are like this.
The younger generation fighting among themselves is nothing new.”
Seeing the deep disgust for Tianshui City in Li Jingyu’s eyes, Shi Qingchen let out a soft laugh.
She said slowly, “But the reason they’re working together is related to the Ji Family—specifically, that girl just now… her Heart of the Great Dao!”
Li Jingyu’s eyes sharpened, but the glint faded after a moment.
She gazed at the city lights, answering absentmindedly.
The Heart of the Great Dao was a bridge to Gao Miao’s Path.
Ordinary cultivators could only approach Gao Miao step by step, but the Heart of the Great Dao was different—it was born from the Dao itself, a part of the Dao.
Ji Yutang cultivated the Daode Heavenly Book, relying on the Heart of the Great Dao to borrow the Dao’s power.
Dragon lanterns danced in the sky, the heavens reflecting a fiery glow.
The cheers of the people rolled like a tidal wave, sweeping away to some unknown place.
Who would have thought their Dragon Worship Festival would give birth to an evil dragon?
The street trees hung with little lanterns looked like burning trees, their branches swaying in the wind, red light flickering, looking from afar like blazing flames waving in the night.
Ji Yutang stood under a tree, her face flushed in the firelight.
The dragon horns on her forehead had faded, but the trembling feeling seemed burned into her heart, impossible to shake off.
Her eyes were misty, her tightly pressed lips a vivid red.
She glanced back—people flowed past, but Li Jingyu was nowhere to be seen, and only then did she let out a small sigh of relief.
But as soon as she relaxed, her mood sank again.
Li Jingyu had appeared in Tianshui… Was she planning to return to the Ran Family? Should she tell them about this? With a heavy heart, Ji Yutang walked home step by step.
“Why do you look so down after just going out for a bit?” Ning Huaizhen was sitting in the main hall and immediately noticed Ji Yutang’s low spirits, frowning slightly.
She didn’t ask for details, just waved her over.
“Come here, take a look at this robe.”
Ji Yutang obediently walked to Ning Huaizhen’s side.
Seeing that she was alone in the hall, she looked up and asked, “Mom, where’s Dad?”
Ning Huaizhen said lightly, “Probably out drinking with someone.
Don’t worry about him.” After Ji Yutang ran away from home, she started weaving a magic robe.
With her cultivation, it took nearly two years to finish, and it could withstand attacks from Golden Core cultivators.
Ji Yutang took the robe, gave it a shake, and put it on.
The light on the robe flowed, giving off a mysterious aura.
Gradually, it merged with her own energy, leaving no trace.
To the eye, Ji Yutang still looked like she was wearing her usual blue and white clothes.
“What’s with the pendant on your jade ornament?” Ning Huaizhen looked Ji Yutang over with satisfaction, then her gaze fell on the mismatched palace cord.
Ji Yutang thought for a moment before remembering she lost it in Dong’e City, and had been too busy to replace it.
“I’ll make a new one tomorrow.”
“Another grass braid?” Ning Huaizhen rubbed her forehead, helpless.
Might as well leave it bare.
After chatting for a bit, Ji Yutang’s heavy mood from meeting Li Jingyu eased a lot.
She looked at Ning Huaizhen and asked, “Mom, while I was gone, did anyone come to the house?”
Ning Huaizhen raised an eyebrow.
“What kind of person do you mean?”
Ji Yutang hesitated, then decided to be honest.
She told her everything that happened in the inner city, and added at the end, “He started it, and I already went easy on him.”
Ning Huaizhen’s face darkened at that, thinking of the Yan Family, and her expression soured.
When Ji Yutang was young and found to have a Scattered Spirit Body, the clan elders tried to persuade her parents to give up the Heart of the Great Dao, which infuriated them.
After that, they had little contact with the clan.
Later, they found out it was the Yan Family stirring things up.
Seeing how Yan Yuzhen kept talking about the Heart of the Great Dao, it seemed the Yan Family still hadn’t given up.
She stared at Ji Yutang.
“Even if you killed him, it wouldn’t matter.
If anything happens, your parents will back you up.”
Ji Yutang smiled, her voice soft.
“Thanks, Mom.” She paused, then added, “But I don’t want you to suffer for me.
I was careful—Yan Family won’t find any evidence.”
Ning Huaizhen acknowledged her, but her frown didn’t ease.
Yan Yuzhen’s words had put her on alert—if the Yan Family really tried something… She only had this one daughter, how could she let anyone bully her?
Outside, the streets were noisy, but inside their little world, it was peaceful.
That night, Ji Yutang stayed home.
Her spiritual energy circulated through her meridians, but her cultivation didn’t progress.
She was used to this, and just took the chance to refill her Xuanxiang Pearl.
Even though she now had dragon powers and could fight without magic, having the Xuanxiang Pearl gave her another advantage.
Early the next morning, Ji Mingcheng finally returned home.
As Ji Yutang passed by, she overheard him talking to her mother.
She changed direction and walked straight into the room.
The conversation stopped abruptly, and her parents’ stiff expressions returned to normal.
Ji Yutang felt something was off.
She frowned.
“Did something happen?”
Ji Mingcheng said, “Not really.
It’s just that Wolong Mountain outside the city suddenly collapsed.” Wolong Mountain was a small mountain outside the city, famous only because of the Zulong Temple at its base.
Last night was the Dragon Worship Festival, and the people who worshipped the true dragon all went there.
The collapse killed many people.
The festive atmosphere was gone, replaced by chaos.
But that alone wouldn’t have alarmed the cultivators—what really worried Ji Mingcheng and his wife was the discovery of thick, turbid evil energy at Wolong Mountain.
The matter of the Twelve Demon God Stakes had already spread everywhere.
Their first thought was that a Demon God Stake had been planted here, stirring up the evil energy and causing the mountain to collapse.
Ji Mingcheng’s tone was obviously evasive.
Ji Yutang looked at him suspiciously, her brow twitching.
“How did it collapse? Was it the Demon Sect?” She couldn’t help thinking of Li Jingyu’s sudden appearance—could it have been her? The thought made her heart clench, and last night’s worries resurfaced.
Should she say something?
Seeing Ji Yutang guess the Demon Sect’s involvement, Ji Mingcheng felt both relieved and emotional.
He exchanged a look with Ning Huaizhen and decided not to hide it anymore.
“No Demon Sect cultivators were found, just evil energy.”
Ji Yutang blurted out, “Twelve Demon God Stakes!” As soon as she said it, she relaxed.
During that ordeal, she didn’t know what Li Jingyu’s goal was, but it was clear she didn’t want to see a Demon God born.
She had killed Demon Sect cultivators and refined the Earth Mother’s power.
That meant the Wolong Mountain incident had nothing to do with her—she was only here for the Ran Family.
“Under Wolong Mountain, after years of worship, a Dragon Vein has formed.
If a Demon God Stake is planted there, the Dragon Vein will become corrupted and evil, damaging Tianshui City’s fortune.” Ji Mingcheng paused, then added, “Ran and I are planning to go to Wolong Mountain ourselves.”
Ning Huaizhen frowned.
“Is that really necessary?” Even Yuanshen-level cultivators rarely went out, preferring to stay in seclusion.
The Demon Sect had only sent Foundation Establishment disciples to guard the previous Demon God Stakes.
“If the Demon Sect planted a Demon God Stake outside the Taiyuan Dao Palace, would they dare send just Foundation Establishment disciples?” Ji Mingcheng retorted.
He smiled and added, “Even though Tianshui City can’t compare to the Three Supreme Palaces, there are still several cultivation families here.
The Demon Sect wouldn’t just send low-level disciples.”
Ji Yutang nodded, thinking he made sense.
She looked at him, her eyes shining.
“I want to go too.”
“Go? No way.” Ji Mingcheng shot her a look, pretending to be stern.
“You should just focus on your cultivation.”
“But there’s a Dragon Vein down there,” Ji Yutang said.
She cultivated dragon arts—if she could use the Dragon Vein to temper her body, her dragon core would definitely improve.
Normally, she wouldn’t think of touching the Dragon Vein, but if a Demon God Stake was driven in and the Dragon Vein destroyed, she might as well try to take some of its essence.
Ji Mingcheng reached out and ruffled her hair, grinning.
“We’ll talk when we get back.”
Ji Yutang turned to Ning Huaizhen, acting spoiled.
“Mom…”
Ning Huaizhen gave her a disapproving look.
This time, she didn’t give in unconditionally.
“Listen to your father.” She paused, then added, “Stay home for now.
Don’t go out.”
Ji Yutang: “…”
Less than half an hour later, the Ran Family sent someone to invite Ji Mingcheng over.
This time, those heading to Wolong Mountain included Ji Mingcheng, Ran Jingri, and other Golden Core cultivators from various noble families.
Since they cultivated in Tianshui City, they cared a lot about the city’s fortune.
If the Demon Sect was causing trouble, they had to drive them out no matter what.
In Ji Yutang’s estimation, at most a day would pass before the cultivators sent to Wolong Mountain would return.
But this time, things didn’t go as she expected—three days went by and there was still no sign of Ji Mingcheng.
She and Ning Huaizhen grew worried and sent their people to gather information, but strangely, even those sent to investigate disappeared without a trace.
At this point, how could Ning Huaizhen not guess what was happening? Her brows furrowed tightly as she said anxiously, “None of the people sent out by the other families have come back either.
Something must have happened.
There’s something strange about Wolong Mountain!” Ning Huaizhen wanted nothing more than to fly straight to Wolong Mountain right then, but when she thought of Ji Yutang, she forced herself to hold back.
“Mother, these past few days the clan elders have been constantly sending people to ask for news.
Normally, they wouldn’t care about what’s going on with us,” Ji Yutang said in a low voice.
“There’s something off!” Ning Huaizhen decided immediately.
“Let’s go to the Ran Family!” But just as the mother and daughter were about to leave the Ji Family, a thunderous explosion erupted, as if hundreds of bolts of lightning had struck right beside their ears.
Flames shot out, red fire danced wildly—the Ji Family’s barrier had actually been breached from the outside?! That was impossible among the noble families, unless a Heaven and Man realm expert had intervened! Or… someone had sabotaged the formation from within.
Realizing this, Ning Huaizhen’s heart suddenly sank.
She looked up at the cultivators flying out ahead and, recognizing one of the figures, her face immediately showed shock and anger.
“Sister-in-law, we don’t want to make things difficult for you.
As long as your niece hands over the Heart of the Great Dao, that’s all we want.” The young cultivator stood in midair with his hands behind his back, squinting at Ji Yutang as if she were a piece of merchandise.
Plenty of people coveted the Heart of the Great Dao, but before, the Ji Family couple had kept everyone in check, and after that, the girl had disappeared.
Now she was back in Tianshui, and it just happened to be the perfect opportunity—who wouldn’t say it was like heaven’s help?
“Don’t even think about it!” Ning Huaizhen snapped, a streak of blue light shooting from her brow.
This was her Life-Bound Artifact, the “Zhouliu Tianzheng Ruler.” The jade-green ruler spun in the air, growing to seven feet long.
Ning Huaizhen gripped the ruler, and the gentle aura around her suddenly turned stern and cold.
“Then forgive us for what we’re about to do.” The young cultivator smiled, but didn’t make a move.
He was only at the Golden Core stage—how could he be a match for Ning Huaizhen? He stepped aside, and a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Yan Family appeared, his greedy eyes fixed on Ji Yutang.
“When you get the chance, head for the Ran Family,” Ning Huaizhen whispered to Ji Yutang.
There were two Nascent Soul cultivators among the attackers, the rest were Golden Core and Foundation Establishment.
She was confident she could hold off the two strongest, but the rest would depend on timing.
As soon as she finished speaking, Ning Huaizhen let out a shout and unleashed the Zhouliu Tianzheng Ruler.
Waves of energy surged forward like tides, wind howled through the house like a raging beast.
Even though the Yan Family had two Nascent Soul cultivators, they didn’t dare underestimate Ning Huaizhen and joined forces to block her attack.
As for the crippled Scattered Spirit Body, with a glance, they left him to Ji Family’s Thirteenth Master.
“Uncle Thirteen.” Ji Yutang frowned at the man blocking her way.
She didn’t have much impression of her clan members—unless necessary, she never wanted to show herself in front of them.
But this uncle was different.
When she was little, he often brought her new toys to make her happy.
So it was all for the Heart of the Great Dao?
“Xiao Tang, Uncle Thirteen has already found you a replacement heart.
Even without the Heart of the Great Dao, you’ll survive.
If you don’t want to drag your aunt down, just hand it over yourself.” Ji Shisanlang coaxed her gently.
Ji Yutang felt sick just looking at his face.
She let out a cold laugh, reached out, and grabbed the Falling Moon Bow! A surge of power condensed into an arrow, roaring as it shot toward Ji Shisanlang! She was only at Foundation Establishment now—there was no way she could beat Ji Shisanlang with this move! She kept drawing the bowstring, retreating step by step toward the Ran Family as Ning Huaizhen had instructed.
She’d only just put on her magic robe, and hadn’t expected to use it so soon, facing attacks from Golden Core cultivators.
Ji Shisanlang’s eyes flashed coldly when he saw Ji Yutang still resisting.
The Yan Family cultivator beside him sneered, didn’t even bother to say a word, and sent a blast of fire-attribute energy at Ji Yutang! The wind howled, hot air clashing with cool mist, making a series of booming sounds.
Ji Yutang’s figure floated, using the force of the explosion to propel herself another arrow’s distance away!
Ji Yutang didn’t want a prolonged fight.
She was deeply worried about Ning Huaizhen, but for Ning Huaizhen, the best help she could give was to reach the Ran Family’s territory safely! Ji Yutang’s eyes were sharp, her face full of anger! Arrows turned into streaks of green light in the air, thunder flickered behind her like a true dragon’s roar! Her magic robe absorbed most of the incoming force as she sped toward the Ran Family.
“She’s wearing a magic robe—stop her.” Ji Shisanlang’s eyes darkened.
The Yan Family cultivators exchanged glances, and suddenly black chains shot from their sleeves, whistling through the air! This was a high-grade magic tool—once it locked onto a target’s aura, it wouldn’t stop until it succeeded! The chains smashed through the energy waves, broke the arrows, and were about to reach Ji Yutang when a flash of light suddenly struck down.
With a clang, the spiritual light on the chains was pecked away by some mysterious artifact, and they instantly lost their power! With a clatter, the chains broke into pieces! This artifact hadn’t come from Ji Yutang!
“Who’s there?!” the Yan Family cultivator shouted, but no one answered.
Then nine shining pearls flew in, pouring their power down to form a flowing river.
Sensing that familiar aura, Ji Yutang knew it was Li Jingyu helping her.
She took a deep breath and unleashed dozens of Divine Firmament Pure Dragon Thunder strikes into the water! Purple lightning surged through the river, turning into dozens of purple dragons that shot upward.
They moved so fast that in a flash, they were right in front of Ji Shisanlang’s group.
With their cultivation, they wouldn’t die from the attack, but they wouldn’t get off easy either! They quickly decided to dodge the surging river of lightning! Ji Yutang took the opportunity to fly into the Ran Family’s territory.
The Ran Family members, alarmed, rushed out on beams of light.
Ji Yutang breathed a sigh of relief, but Ji Shisanlang and his group looked grim.
“What now?” Ji Shisanlang asked in a low voice.
The Yan Family cultivator glared at Ji Shisanlang and snapped, “Didn’t you say she was a cripple? How can she use spells? And dragon clan techniques at that!” Ji Shisanlang gave an awkward laugh—how was he supposed to know? The Yan Family cultivator took a deep breath and said coldly, “Notify the clan, then attack!” The Yan Family only had three Nascent Soul cultivators in total.
For the Heart of the Great Dao, their elite forces had already been mobilized.
Their only hope now was the Demon Sect.
Not far away.
Li Jingyu and Shi Qingchen hid their presence, watching the scene unfold.
“She’s made it safely to the Ran Family now.
Are you satisfied?” Shi Qingchen glanced at Li Jingyu.
Li Jingyu pressed her lips together, a dark light flashing in her eyes.
She said in a low voice, “I want to see them fight.” Ran Jingri wasn’t here—this was the best chance to weaken the Ran Family’s strength!
