“Doulong Net” shot toward the dragon pill, easily ensnaring it.
Once it was caught, the massive shadow of Zhu Jiuyin in midair gradually faded away, leaving only the dragon-shaped Dragon Vein Essence twisting in the air, letting out soul-piercing roars.
Ji Yutang held the Falling Moon Bow, turned to glance at Li Jingyu, her face full of suspicion.
Li Jingyu raised an eyebrow and said, “What are you standing there for? We don’t have much time left.” Zhu Jiuyin left the dragon pill here to absorb the Dragon Vein Essence, so it can sense what’s happening.
Now that the dragon pill is trapped, it’ll go berserk sooner or later.
It just depends on how long those people outside Wolong Mountain can hold it off.
Thinking of this, Li Jingyu’s gaze suddenly turned deep and unreadable.
Ji Yutang frowned, her heart full of worry for her parents’ safety.
She didn’t know what else Li Jingyu was planning, but there was no turning back now.
She stomped her foot, shot Li Jingyu a glare, then transformed into her dragon form and dove straight into the Dragon Vein Essence.
The “True Dragon Transformation Scripture” on her body began to operate, drawing power from the Dragon Vein Essence.
Although her dragon arts were inherited from a senior Heavenly Dragon, and shared the same origin, the evolution of the divine dragon in her Mind Palace wouldn’t be exactly the same as that senior’s.
The dragon race still carried a trace of “demonic nature,” and cultivating as a human, if she wasn’t careful, that demonic nature could consume her.
Luckily, Ji Yutang had the Heart of the Great Dao, and cultivated the “Daode Heavenly Book” as well.
As her dragon arts ran, the heavenly book in her Mind Palace constantly shed strands of pure energy, gradually stripping away the base instincts of the demon race.
In her struggle with the Dragon Vein Essence, her body kept growing larger and longer, evolving from a foot-long hatchling into a mighty ten-zhang-long White Dragon.
Above the White Dragon, another dragon shadow was hidden in the clouds, its agile form moving freely, leaving only a flash of black and white light.
This was the Divine Dragon Dharma Form Ji Yutang ultimately condensed—the Moral Heavenly Dragon.
Her massive body gradually filled the cramped space.
Li Jingyu cast several hand seals on Zhu Jiuyin’s dragon pill, completely sealing off its aura, then crossed her arms and watched Ji Yutang with interest.
Inhaling and exhaling, yin and yang—this was the ultimate expression of the Dao.
If she could refine the entire Dragon Vein Essence, she should be able to step into the Golden Core stage.
That would be even faster than Li Jingyu herself, even though Ji Yutang hadn’t been cultivating for long.
Inside Wolong Mountain.
Zhu Jiuyin, coiled around the mountain, tensed its body, its eyes shining with a fierce light.
The moment it sensed the dragon pill’s aura vanish, it flew into a rage, lashing its tail hard against the mountain.
Instantly, the world seemed to crack open, and falling rocks, swept up by a surge of powerful magic, rushed forward like a flood.
Ji Mingcheng, Ran Jingri, and their group, trapped in the dim space, suddenly sensed the weakening of the Candle Dragon’s laws! They exchanged glances, seized the opportunity to break out of the alternate space, even taking a sneak attack from the Yan Family in the process! Thunder rumbled through the mountains, surging magic swept the area, dust filled the sky, and the entire Wolong Mountain was shattered, almost leveled to the ground.
Zhu Jiuyin soared into the air, its crimson dragon body like a blazing ribbon of fire.
“Not good, something’s happened to the Demon God!” Zheng Yang, who had been locked in fierce battle with Wang Shenyu and the others, changed expression at Zhu Jiuyin’s anguished roar.
Using the force of an incoming palm strike, he quickly retreated! Getting rid of these annoying Immortal Sect cultivators would be great, but he hadn’t forgotten his real goal was the Demon God Zhu Jiuyin born here! As soon as he withdrew, the pressure shifted to the Qingtian Sect cultivators.
Wei Jue, struck by a sword light, clutched his wound and flew into a rage.
“Wei-shixiong, sorry!” Zheng Yang’s apology was hardly sincere.
He glanced up at Zhu Jiuyin and said, “Things have changed.
Fellow Daoists, come with me to support the Demon God!” He had a talisman that could recall Zhu Jiuyin, but if he used it now, it would be a half-finished product like the Shebi Corpse before, and the Demon Sect would have to spend a fortune in resources to strengthen it.
Unless absolutely necessary, he didn’t want to go that far.
Seeing the Demon Sect cultivators retreat, Wang Shenyu’s heart leapt and he grinned at Ning Huaizhen.
“It must be that our shixiong and the others have gotten out.
Let’s go too—we can’t let these demon cultivators succeed.”
Ning Huaizhen frowned, hesitated for a moment, then nodded under Wang Shenyu’s urging.
With the collapse of the dim space, the cultivators trapped inside revealed themselves.
Their magic was unstable, clearly showing they’d taken some hits.
Especially Ran Jingri, whose shoulder had been pierced by a red light and was bleeding profusely.
As he circulated his magic, flesh and bone regrew, only to be torn open again by the fierce light.
“Ran-xiong, it’s the Yan Family’s fire arts.
You need to draw out that fire energy,” Ji Mingcheng said, glancing at Ran Jingri with a grim face.
“I’ll handle this Candle Dragon.”
“It’s nothing.” Ran Jingri held a book, flipped it gently, and a golden light fell on his shoulder.
The golden light could temporarily suppress the fire, protecting his meridians and dantian.
He looked up at the raging Candle Dragon in the sky, and the righteous energy surging from him transformed into a giant hand that slammed down on Zhu Jiuyin! Seeing this, Ji Mingcheng stopped trying to persuade him.
He wiped the blood from his lips, turned to the crazed Yan Si, and sneered.
His vast greenwood true essence turned into a blade glowing with emerald light, which he slashed down! With Ji Mingcheng’s group holding the line, Ran Jingri could focus on the Candle Dragon.
“Stop!” Thanks to Wang Shenyu and Ning Huaizhen’s interference, the Demon Sect was a step too late.
The talisman flying from Zheng Yang’s sleeve crashed into the giant hand, but the bloody, foul talisman only managed to devour a single finger before dissipating.
Zheng Yang watched helplessly as Zhu Jiuyin was caught in the giant hand, the sound of bones cracking echoing in his ears.
If the Demon God Zhu Jiuyin had advanced, these people wouldn’t have dared act so recklessly.
Zheng Yang was so angry he almost spat blood.
Seeing the fire light suppressed by greenwood energy, he gritted his teeth and forced out, “Useless!” Yan Si, already agitated from the fight, saw Zheng Yang’s group and Wang Shenyu and Ning Huaizhen behind them, and immediately understood.
He’d cooperated with the Demon Sect, but he wasn’t their lackey.
He sneered, “If you’re so capable, why did you fail?” Now the Heart of the Great Dao was lost, and he’d completely offended Ji Mingcheng’s group.
The Yan Family could handle the Ji couple, but don’t forget there’s also Ran Jingri! Yan Si’s eyes filled with malice—he had no intention of sticking around.
He gritted his teeth, ready to retreat—when a giant Tianzheng Ruler smashed down on his head!
With a “thud,” Yan Si saw stars, his head split and bleeding.
Looking up at the cold, murderous Ning Huaizhen, he suddenly remembered the past.
She’d been a fierce and combative cultivator, only softening after having a daughter.
But now, her old self had returned.
Yan Si felt a chill to his bones.
Ji Mingcheng, seeing the Tianzheng Ruler, knew Ning Huaizhen had arrived.
The murderous Greenwood Blade in his hand dissolved, and he wove a prison of dense wood energy to trap Yan Si.
“Draw a prison with the ground!” Yan Si’s pupils shrank, fire flaring around him as a three-legged incense burner flew out, pouring out fire that could burn anything.
The flames followed the greenwood energy, almost engulfing Ji Mingcheng, but he stood firm, eyes unblinking, focusing only on channeling the wood energy.
The Tianzheng Ruler crackled with light, striking Yan Si again and again.
At first, only thirty percent of its power was used, but with each strike, the force grew, threatening to surpass the Nascent Soul level.
The cultivators who’d planned to save Yan Si now retreated in alarm, afraid of being caught up in it.
“Heavenly Wave Rebound!” Yan Si spat blood, his bones and even his soul about to be shattered.
The technique’s power grew with each wave, becoming unstoppable.
Ning Huaizhen’s artifact, the “Tianzheng Ruler,” meant every strike was correcting the world.
Once fate was set, the ruler would bring justice to all! If it were just Ning Huaizhen, cultivators could escape, but with Ji Mingcheng’s perfected “draw a prison with the ground,” there was no way out! The crisp sound of blows echoed in the air.
Until Yan Si was beaten into a pile of mush, his soul destroyed.
“Retreat?” Wei Jue could see there was no hope of victory.
As a Qingtian Sect disciple, he didn’t have to worry about being blamed for failure.
He looked at Ning Huaizhen with dread—he didn’t think he, a Golden Core cultivator, could withstand what Yan Si had.
Zheng Yang also wanted to leave, but even though Zhu Jiuyin was destroyed, there was still a Dragon Vein under Wolong Mountain, and the Candle Dragon’s dragon pill was there.
If he could extract the Dragon Vein Essence, Zhu Jiuyin might be revived.
“Dragon Vein!” he muttered, gritting his teeth.
Black smoke surged around him as he shot toward the Dragon Vein.
Ji Mingcheng’s group saw this and hurriedly gave chase.
On a nearby peak.
Shi Qingchen saw the group flying this way and immediately sent a message to Li Jingyu, putting away her formation.
She couldn’t let those idiots find out they were up to something here—if the Tianhai Demon Sect came, it’d be trouble.
Inside the Dragon Vein.
Li Jingyu frowned as she got the message.
Zhu Jiuyin was even weaker than she’d thought.
Ji Yutang was still absorbing the Dragon Vein Essence and needed more time to finish.
If those people broke in, they’d probably die.
Should she stay here? Her shishu was already urging her to leave.
Emotions flickered in Li Jingyu’s eyes.
She turned as if to go, but after a moment, turned back, staring at the White Dragon.
In the end, Li Jingyu didn’t leave.
She gritted her teeth and said, “Lucky you.” She summoned the Jewel of the Rising Tides, her Life-Bound Artifact, which contained pure lunar power.
Ji Yutang cultivated dragon arts, her aura blazing and yang.
If she’d mastered the “Daode Heavenly Book,” that heat wouldn’t matter, but she’d only just started and needed time to balance the yin and yang in her body.
As the Jewel of the Rising Tides flew out, the White Dragon instinctively sought out the lunar energy.
Its claw shot out, grabbing the pearl in its palm.
Li Jingyu grunted, scalp tingling.
She suppressed the urge to take the jewel back, moved closer to Ji Yutang, and circulated her technique.
With yin and yang entwined, Ji Yutang’s refining of the Dragon Vein sped up, and she finished just as the noise outside reached them.
Ji Yutang opened her eyes and immediately sensed something was wrong.
A soft body was pressed against her back, and a cold hand gripped her neck, making her look like a prisoner.
Ji Yutang froze, about to question Li Jingyu, but before she could, several streaks of light shot in, and she fell silent.
Zheng Yang’s face turned cold when he saw the empty Dragon Vein, anger burning in his eyes.
But the Immortal Sect cultivators were even more furious! “You wretch! What are you doing? Let go of Yutang!” Ran Jingri’s face changed, shouting angrily at Li Jingyu.
Covered in foul energy, with a demonic, sinister look—who else could it be but his eldest daughter? Ji Mingcheng and Ning Huaizhen also looked grim, staring at Li Jingyu’s hand, afraid she’d use force.
Zheng Yang snapped out of it, and when he understood, he burst out laughing.
“Hahaha—” “Shizhi, feel free to leave.
We’ll handle things here,” Zheng Yang said.
He thought Li Jingyu had captured the Immortal Sect girl and taken the Dragon Vein Essence.
Li Jingyu caught the strange look in Zheng Yang’s eyes, but since they were willing to “cover her retreat,” she didn’t hesitate.
She grabbed Ji Yutang and turned into a breeze, leaving.
Ji Mingcheng and Ning Huaizhen panicked and stepped forward, but Song Wanzhao blocked their way with her long blade.
Shi Qingchen also appeared at just the right moment, shaking out her Golden Bell Wrap and smiling at Ran Jingri’s group.
“Demon Sect, damn Demon Sect!” Ran Jingri was furious—how could he not see what was happening? After Wang Shenyu explained what happened to the Ran Family, he was even more enraged, his elegant face turning red!
Outside Wolong Mountain.
Li Jingyu kept Ji Yutang restrained, not letting her go.
Ji Yutang frowned deeply.
She couldn’t sense any killing intent from Li Jingyu, so she wasn’t afraid.
She frowned and asked, “What do you want?”
Li Jingyu’s eyes sparkled, and she smiled.
“I have a Dragon Pool in my cave, but there’s no dragon in it.” Afraid Ji Yutang might cause trouble on the way, she simply used her magic to knock her out while she wasn’t expecting it, keeping her in White Dragon form.
Li Jingyu hurried on her way, while the fight under the Dragon Vein raged on.
By the time Ran Jingri, Ji Mingcheng, and the others drove off the Demon Sect and came out, Li Jingyu and Ji Yutang were already gone, and even tracking spells couldn’t find them.
Ran Jingri looked apologetically at the Ning Huaizhen couple.
“Sorry.”
Ning Huaizhen’s face was calm.
“This has nothing to do with you, Ran-xiong.” She waved her hand, looking tired.
She whispered a few words to Ji Mingcheng, and the two of them returned to Tianshui City, clearly not planning to look for Ji Yutang anymore.
“Ran-shixiong, we didn’t save A Zhu, and now even Ji Family’s niece has been taken.
What do we do?” Wang Shenyu looked worried.
Ran Jingri closed his eyes, then opened them after a while.
“The good are protected by heaven.
It’ll be fine.”
Ji Family.
As soon as Ji Mingcheng got home, he frowned and asked, “Why aren’t we looking for Xiao Tang?”
Ning Huaizhen rubbed her temples, her expression relaxing a bit.
“Xiao Tang cultivates dragon arts.
Her power hasn’t been sealed.
I think she went willingly.
Don’t forget, they traveled together before—they have a bond.”
Ji Mingcheng was stunned.
“But she’s a demon cultivator!”
Ning Huaizhen shot him a cold look, unconcerned.
“So what? She might be safer with her.
Is the Yan Family the only one in Tianshui City after the Heart of the Great Dao?”
Ji Mingcheng fell silent.
Ning Huaizhen spoke coldly again, “The Ji Family elders will have to give you an explanation for this too.”
Ji Mingcheng opened his mouth, but knew he couldn’t stop her, so he just shut up and let her go.
In Tianshui City, those ambitious wolves hadn’t been cleared out, and it really would be even more dangerous outside.
On the other side, Li Jingyu traveled south with Ji Yutang for half a month before finally returning to Huoxin Palace.
Inside the vast Transmission Hall, sixty-four murals of celestial maidens looked lifelike.
A beam of light flitted among the murals, never fully revealing itself, as if separated from the world.
“Master.” Li Jingyu stood with her head bowed.
The light glanced at Li Jingyu and sighed, “Why did you bring her back again?” Li Jingyu opened her mouth and explained, “The Dragon Vein Essence is on her.”
Huai Wanxiu let out a soft snort, clearly not buying her story.
After a pause, she said, “Fine, since you brought her back, you handle the rest yourself.”
Li Jingyu agreed readily.
On her way to the Saintess Palace, Li Jingyu ran into quite a few people.
They smiled dreamily, exuding a seductive aura, but Li Jingyu kept her eyes straight ahead, stepped onto the Eternal Bridge, and crossed the Sea of Despair.
Only then did that ambiguous, distracting aura finally fade away.
The Saintess Palace was actually just a medium-sized hall, no different in layout from the other scattered palaces, with vivid murals of celestial maidens in all sorts of poses.
They looked so lifelike, it seemed like they might step out of the walls at any moment.
Past Saintesses of Huoxin Palace would meditate on the celestial maidens here, but Li Jingyu was different.
She took out a talisman, entered the cave behind the Saintess Palace, and only when she looked up at the faint moon hanging in the sky did she finally relax a little.
She hadn’t lied to Ji Yutang—there really was a shimmering Dragon Pool in the cave.
She let Ji Yutang out, wiped away the restriction on her, and gently pushed her into the Dragon Pool.
The little silver dragon slipped into the water, its scales shining in the moonlight.
She floated in the pool for a while before her mind snapped back, and in a flash she turned back into human form, splashing water everywhere.
“You, you—” Ji Yutang glared at Li Jingyu, so angry she couldn’t speak.
Li Jingyu tilted her head.
“What about me?” After a pause, she laughed, “Didn’t I tell you? I’m a demonic cultivator.”
Ji Yutang looked wary.
“Where is this place?” Li Jingyu replied lazily, “My cave.” After a moment, she added, “I’ve already helped you extract the Dragon Vein.
Just focus on cultivating here.”
How could Ji Yutang possibly feel at ease cultivating in a demonic cultivator’s territory? Thinking of her parents, her face darkened.
She strode up to Li Jingyu, gritting her teeth.
“I want to leave.”
Li Jingyu wasn’t fazed by Ji Yutang’s threatening glare, and smiled sweetly.
“No way.” Seeing Ji Yutang’s displeasure, she added, “If I hadn’t saved you, you’d be dead by now.”
“Nonsense, you’re the one who kidnapped me!” Ji Yutang shot back.
Li Jingyu gazed at Ji Yutang and said, “Do you really think Immortal Sect cultivators could have saved you? You were refining the Dragon Vein.
If I hadn’t used my own essence to help you, you’d have gone mad from the interruption.” Ji Yutang’s disbelief was written all over her face, and Li Jingyu looked even more aggrieved.
“If you don’t believe me, try sensing for yourself—can you feel my presence?” Ji Yutang’s breath caught, and she forced herself to argue, “No.”
“I knew you wouldn’t admit it, so I recorded it.” Li Jingyu tossed out a memory stone, tapped it, and projected the earlier scene.
She stared at the White Dragon in the Dragon Vein and said, “Jewel of the Rising Tides is my Life-Bound Artifact.
When my spirit enters it, it’s basically me.
I used my Life-Bound Artifact to channel my cultivation method and gave you a lot of my own lunar essence.
So, how do you plan to repay me?” Ji Yutang stumbled back a step, bit her lip, and closed her eyes, refusing to look at the memory stone.
Turning into a dragon was just too embarrassing—she’d been like that in the Dragon Palace too! She didn’t want to admit that was her! Taking a deep breath, she looked at Li Jingyu and asked, “What do you want?”
Li Jingyu smiled.
“Do you know what that’s called?” Ji Yutang was stunned.
Seeing her reaction, Li Jingyu softly said, “Dual cultivation.”
Ji Yutang looked like she’d been struck by lightning, completely shaken by those words.
“You’re talking nonsense!” Ji Yutang snapped, trying to sound fierce but clearly flustered.
Li Jingyu lifted her eyelids and sneered, “You think dual cultivation is only what you see in those picture books? Huoxin Palace has plenty of dual cultivation methods.”
Ji Yutang’s thoughts were laid bare and she’d been looked down on, so her face turned even redder.
She stared at Li Jingyu and stammered, “You want to force me into dual cultivation?” After a pause, she added, “You cultivate turbid demonic energy, we’re not on the same path.”
“So what if we’re not? There are plenty of female cultivators in my sect who dual cultivate with Immortal Sect disciples who practice pure energy.
There are lots of ways.” Li Jingyu’s eyes glinted as she moved closer to Ji Yutang, who kept backing up until her back hit the table.
Li Jingyu played with a lock of her hair.
“Besides, who told you I only cultivate turbid demonic energy?” Ji Yutang was a little dazed, remembering their journey together—she really hadn’t sensed any demonic energy from her until she revealed her identity.
“Then, then you—” Li Jingyu said, “No harm in telling you.
I cultivate lunar true essence and practice Taishi Lineage water arts, so I have both pure and demonic energy.
Of course, I’m not like you half-baked strength cultivators.”
“But, but—” Ji Yutang was almost lost in that faint fragrance, her mind spinning.
It took her a while to snap out of it, and she shoved Li Jingyu away, annoyed.
“Whatever you cultivate has nothing to do with me!”
