The demon, having possessed the cultivator’s body, had gradually comprehended some of its methods. Just from his use of the evil power moments ago, his might was evident. Now, having suddenly torn off his true face, the evil energy pulsating from the demon grew incredibly dense. A chilling malice gleamed in his eyes. With a raise of his hand and a point of his finger, he split the sword light into several streams, which collided with the crimson flames and starlight sword energy.
“This demon’s aura is quite prosperous,” Yue Ying sneered, holding her umbrella in her right hand. Under the surge of her aura, strands of crimson light spun in mid-air, carrying an extremely formidable power as they fiercely poured forward with a rustling sound.
“Perhaps there’s something strange about the formation.” Wei Yunshu, while urging her sword light forward to kill, observed the movements on all sides. On the four black pillars underground, strange energies crisscrossed, continuously drawing the power of the person resisting the grand formation into their own body, replenishing the consumption from the battle, and even constantly strengthening them. The starlight-like sword energy was slightly entangled with the demon for a moment, then with a sharp sound, it turned and slashed with all its might towards the four black pillars, with no room for maneuver.
“Fellow Daoist Bo, what if the person in the formation is also a demon?” Yue Ying suddenly said, her expression serious. This young Daoist was possessed by a demon. The white-haired female cultivator who called herself “Yuan Chu” could also be one. It was known that there were disputes between demons; they would swallow each other to enhance their own strength. This was how the great demons with profound cultivation in the Demon-Hiding Cave came to be.
Hearing this, Wei Yunshu thought Yue Ying’s words had some merit. But the existence of the four black pillars, connected to the young Daoist’s aura, was also not right. Just as she was secretly pondering, Yuan Chu raised her eyes and cast her gaze, as clear as water, their way. Her eyes flowed with a lingering gentleness that seemed to want to speak yet held back. Wei Yunshu blinked, the golden mark between her eyebrows growing slightly hot. But the next moment, her attention was drawn to the talisman that flew from Yuan Chu’s body. The talisman was filled with a clear light, similar to the “Heart Holding Talisman”; holding this talisman, one would not fear being invaded by external evils. Wei Yunshu involuntarily breathed a sigh of relief, turned to Yue Ying, and said, “Fellow Daoist Yue Ying, she should not be a demon.”
Yue Ying held no malice towards Yuan Chu herself; she had only been reasonably suspicious before. Now that the truth was clear, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, “That’s good.” The “Scattering Heavenly Flowers” in her hand spun, and streaks of crimson light rose like waves, their momentum climbing layer by layer. Soon, her aura reached its peak, and as if heaven and earth paused, immediately after, a boundless crimson brilliant light leaped out fiercely, instantly piercing through the four directions and crashing towards the demon’s body. This technique of hers was called “Triple Wave.” It had three variations, each one twice as powerful as the last. When the three waves stacked, few of her peers could avoid its edge.
The demon also felt the astonishing power in the crimson light. His eyes suddenly became deep and profound, and the phantom images of four black pillars suddenly appeared behind him. He reached out and pointed forward, urging his sword energy, which instantly collided with the brilliant crimson light. The sword light and the crimson light clashed. In an instant, the void collapsed, and countless spiritual energy vortices churned, tearing the collapsing void into a shattered vortex.
Yue Ying saw the crimson light being shattered by the sword light. She did not rush, only calmly watching the demon. The first wave had not succeeded, but there were still the second and third. It remained to be seen how this demon would resist.
While the demon was fighting with Yue Ying, Wei Yunshu shifted her attention to Yuan Chu within the four black pillars. She guided her sword light and slashed at a black pillar. In a few breaths, the first black pillar shattered. But very quickly, under the pull of the other three black pillars, the shattered black pillar was restored. The rumbling explosions in her ears were incessant. The surging crimson light almost covered her entire field of vision, but the injuries did not land on the demon. Instead, they were all borne by Yuan Chu in the formation. She quickly spat out a mouthful of blood, her spirit much weaker.
“Fellow Daoist Yue Ying!” Wei Yunshu called out.
Yue Ying said calmly, “This offensive of mine cannot be stopped.”
If she wanted to rescue the trapped Yuan Chu, she had to break the four black pillars before the last round of attacks fell! This thought suddenly arose in Wei Yunshu’s mind. She took a deep breath, her eyes sparkling and bright. With a turn of her divine sense, her aura rose layer by layer. Since the four black pillars’ auras were connected, she would destroy them all at once! She shouted, using a “Three Lights Dragon Capturing Seal.” Her spiritual energy rose like a tide, its power extremely formidable. As this Dharma seal slapped towards the four black pillars, the starlight suddenly brightened, and countless brilliant lights crashed through the crimson light, rushing towards the four black pillars, as if to destroy them in one fell swoop!
The Daoist sensed Wei Yunshu’s actions, his expression changing slightly, first in astonishment, then with a surge of anger. The vast spiritual energy was like a river of stars pouring backwards, turning towards the four black pillars. And in front of him was a powerful crimson light. He had swallowed many demons and cultivators, thinking his power was formidable, but he didn’t expect the two people in front of him to be so strong. He desperately urged his spiritual energy, and one by one, strange and ancient runes lit up on the black pillars beside him. But the boundless starlight poured in, and he couldn’t stop it at all. In the end, with a resentful and angry roar, he could only watch as the four black pillars exploded!
Without the four black pillars to bear the burden, the demon had to rely on himself to resist the crimson light in front. He also knew this was a crisis of utter destruction. He completely activated all his power. The sword light in front of him suddenly split, and countless long swords formed a sword energy light screen, fiercely crashing towards the last crimson light. The shattering sounds came one after another. The demon was forced back several steps by the impact of the crimson light. Before he could stabilize his footing, he saw a starlight-like sword light instantly kill its way to his front. His figure shook, and a demonic shadow walked out from his body, while the shell remained in place to bear this blow. The demonic shadow was like a wisp of black smoke, wanting to find a chance to escape.
However, at this moment, the four black pillars had already shattered. The trapped Yuan Chu stood up, a cold light flashing in her eyes. With a surge of her aura, she raised her hand and pointed towards the demon’s body. Only a heaven-shaking sound was heard, and immediately after, the four directions were filled with a vast tide of water that had inexplicably appeared. As the demon fled, that surging and majestic water momentum pressed down, like a monstrous wave rising, completely submerging the demon. The momentum of the fierce water tide lasted for a while before stopping. Looking again, the front was empty, with no trace of the demon left. Although that demon had left, it had not surpassed the Cavern Heaven realm. Under the siege of three Cavern Heavens, it naturally had nowhere to escape.
Withdrawing her aura, Yuan Chu instantly transformed into a quiet lake. She bowed to Wei Yunshu and Yue Ying and said softly, “Thank you, two fellow Daoists, for your help.”
Ever since Yuan Chu appeared, Wei Yunshu’s gaze was inevitably drawn to her. At this moment, her gaze swept over the other’s face and was withdrawn under Wei Yunshu’s control. Wei Yunshu’s eyelids drooped, and she said warmly, “No need to thank me.”
Yue Ying also did not respond to this “thank you.” To kill the demon, she could not have held back. If Fellow Daoist Bo had not rescued Yuan Chu in time, she would not have cared about Yuan Chu’s life or death. A strange light flashed in her eyes. She said, “I see that Fellow Daoist Yuan’s Daoist arts and divine abilities are not weak. How did you end up in this situation?”
Yuan Chu sighed softly. “The body possessed by the demon was my senior brother, but I was not traveling with him. I didn’t expect the Heart Holding Talisman on him to be lost. Even the Four Absolutes Stakes were magic artifacts refined by my senior brother. It’s a pity they were seized by the demon and turned into evil objects.” As she said this, both Wei Yunshu and Yue Ying understood. She had not been on guard against her fellow sect member and had fallen into the demon’s trap. In this regard, the created beings with intelligence and the demons were so similar.
Yue Ying sighed with emotion. After introducing her origins, she asked, “Fellow Daoist Yuan came here also to accumulate merit points to enter the Wu Xiang Academy?”
“Precisely,” Yuan Chu nodded, smiling. “Most of the cultivators who come here now are probably for this. I imagine the two of you are as well. And with your two fellow Daoists’ divine abilities, you have probably accumulated enough merit points. If you can safely walk out of the Demon-Hiding Cave, then in the future, we will be comrades.”
Yue Ying: “I heard Fellow Daoist Yuan say earlier that you are from the Jade Capital Dharma lineage?”
Yuan Chu: “Yes.”
Yue Ying said curiously, “The Wu Xiang Academy is located in the Jade Capital Immortal City. I wonder how much Fellow Daoist Yuan knows about it?”
Wei Yunshu was, after all, a stranger to the affairs of the Shang Qing Divine Realm, so she maintained the principle of keeping her mouth shut and did not take the initiative to ask. At this moment, Yue Ying asked what was on her mind, and she immediately pricked up her ears to listen carefully.
Unlike the other five major heavenly domains, the direct sects had at least ten thousand years of history, and their conditions for accepting disciples were strict. Firstly, talent was a must, and then they looked at their origins. If you were not a cultivator of this heavenly domain, no matter how powerful you were, those sects would not accept you. But in the Wu Xiang Heaven domain, the news released at present was that as long as you were a dedicated cultivator, regardless of your origin or cultivation level, as long as you obtained enough merit points in the Demon-Hiding Cave, you could enter the academy to study.
Yuan Chu said softly, “The Wu Xiang Academy was established by the Emperor’s personal decree. As soon as this decree was issued, a Daoist palace enveloped in clouds and mist appeared on the Jade Capital Mountain. But before I came to the Demon-Hiding Cave, no one had entered it, so I don’t know what it’s like inside.”
Yue Ying hummed and asked again, “Is the head of the academy the White Lord?”
Yuan Chu nodded, “Yes.”
Yue Ying: “Then what about the teachers?” This was also a key point. They entered the academy to study, on the one hand, to fulfill their orders and explore the situation of the Wu Xiang Academy; on the other hand, they also wanted to receive guidance from a famous teacher. It was known that on the path of cultivation, one could be blinded by their own self. And this Dao obstacle cloud needed others to clear. In the Tian Nu Pavilion, her master and seniors could actually satisfy her, but most in the pavilion cultivated the same lineage of divine abilities and Daoist arts. They might be in a state of being in a barrier without knowing it. The Wu Xiang Heaven domain had been in seclusion and was always in rumors. Many people were curious and would want to explore it.
Yuan Chu hesitated for a moment and said softly, “I heard that most of them came from Dan Mountain.”
Yue Ying said in surprise, “Taking other species as teachers?” Dan Mountain was a treasured mountain in the Wu Xiang Dao Palace, where countless rare birds and strange monsters lived. Its leaders were the White Lord and the Black Lord. Before the Wu Xiang Academy opened its sect, the cultivators on Dan Mountain were the direct disciples of the Emperor Wu Xiang. The Shang Qing Divine Realm was dominated by human cultivators, with occasional other species. However, Xuan Qing Mountain, Tian Nu Pavilion, Tian Yuan Sect, and Wu Shou Alliance would not accept other species and strange monsters as disciples. In the Wu Shi Heaven domain, however, because the Wu Shi Venerable was the Dragon Ancestor, human cultivators were a minority.
Yuan Chu said, “In the eyes of the Emperor Wu Xiang, there is no distinction between the various races.”
Wei Yunshu’s eyes flashed upon hearing this, deep in thought. The Little Tai Sui had returned to Dan Mountain. When the Wu Xiang Academy opened its sect, would it appear?
“Forget it, we’ll know when the time comes.” Yue Ying said this, but her gaze towards Yuan Chu was still filled with a bit of expectation, trying to gather more information. After being silent for a while, she said again, “Why did the Emperor Wu Xiang think of opening the Wu Xiang Academy?” She leaned closer to Yuan Chu, completely throwing the thin Daoist to the back of her mind.
Yuan Chu had a warm expression on her face and did not show any impatience due to Yue Ying’s questioning. She said, “I don’t know the specifics. Perhaps it’s related to the changes in the heavens.”
“The heavens?” Yue Ying was slightly stunned, “Xuan Tian Ji? Ah, that’s not right. There’s no Heavenly Mystery Institute in the Wu Xiang Heaven domain, so there’s no such trouble. Could it be the breaking of Gan Yuan more than two hundred years ago?” This was the only major event in her memory that could be considered a major change and was related to the Wu Xiang Heaven domain. She had heard from her master that after Gan Yuan was broken, the White Lord appeared and took away the Sword Lord Sang Buwei. The Emperor Wu Xiang actually didn’t care about these heretical and evil theories, which was a bit alarming.
Wei Yunshu raised an eyebrow and asked, “What happened to the Sword Lord after she was taken back to Wu Xiang Heaven?”
Yue Ying turned to look at Wei Yunshu and teased, “Fellow Daoist Bo, you are a disciple under the Black Lord, yet you still have to ask others for information.”
Wei Yunshu smiled and said lightly, “I was just curious.”
Yue Ying: “To be honest, I’m also curious.” Saying this, she stared at Yuan Chu with a burning gaze.
Yuan Chu: “…” A look of helplessness crossed her face. “Although Jade Capital is the first immortal city in the Wu Xiang Heaven domain, it doesn’t mean we can know everything about the Wu Xiang Dao Palace. The White Lord brought Sang Buwei back to the Dao Palace back then. As for how she was dealt with, we can only secretly guess based on the rumors about the Emperor’s actions.”
Yue Ying urged, “How did you guess?”
Yuan Chu glanced at Wei Yunshu, who was pretending to be indifferent, and said warmly, “She should be alive.”
Yue Ying sighed with regret, “For such a character to walk the wrong path is truly a pity.”
Wei Yunshu did not answer. Before she had a firm footing, she would not easily reason with others. Raising her eyes to look at the gloomy sky in the Demon-Hiding Cave, she changed the subject, “After resolving some more demons and accumulating some merit points, we can go out.” Since the Wu Xiang Academy required merit for admission, then what was needed after entering the academy was probably also merit. There was no harm in saving more. Yue Ying also thought of this point, responded with a “good,” then looked at Yuan Chu and asked with a smile, “Is Fellow Daoist Yuan going with us?”
Yuan Chu pondered for a moment and said warmly, “Then I will have to trouble you.”
In the Demon-Hiding Cave, a group of people were hunting the demons that had already taken shape.
And outside, the Little Tai Sui, after hearing about the Langgan fruits, rushed on its journey. Now it had returned to Dan Mountain, which it had been away from for thousands of years. Looking at the lush and verdant Langgan trees, it did not feel any sense of nostalgia. It charged towards the piled-up fruits. However, an invisible light shield, like a ripple of water, spread out, instantly blocking the Little Tai Sui. The Little Tai Sui fell onto a nearby branch, stunned for a long time. Its feathers puffed up, and with an angry shriek, it charged towards the palace at the highest point of Dan Mountain.
Its speed was very fast, like a black shooting star falling straight down. When it caught sight of the white-haired, white-clothed female cultivator sitting on a swing outside the Dao Palace, it became even more angry and directly used itself as a magic artifact, smashing fiercely towards the female cultivator. Unfortunately, halfway there, the Little Tai Sui sensed that it was restrained by a soft force. It suddenly became like a light feather, fluttering down, and was pressed into the embrace of the white-clothed female cultivator, who then rubbed it vigorously.
At this moment, the Little Tai Sui’s golden eyes were filled with hot tears, its feathers messy, looking very pitiful. However, as soon as it opened its mouth, it was a furious curse, “Damn it, you stinky whitey, my Langgan—chirp—” The broken sound disappeared with the White Tai Sui’s pinch.
The White Tai Sui pinched the Little Tai Sui’s beak, as if holding its lifeblood. Its fingertips combed the Little Tai Sui’s messy feathers. A leisurely and content smile appeared on the White Tai Sui’s face, and it asked slowly, “My foolish sister, why aren’t you speaking? Don’t you like it?”
The Little Tai Sui’s eyes were about to spew fire. Its wings spread wide, its claws extended, and it clawed wildly at the White Tai Sui’s clothes. Seeing this, the White Tai Sui sighed faintly. It released the Little Tai Sui’s beak, reached out from the side, and took a Langgan fruit, handing it to the Little Tai Sui’s side. The Little Tai Sui’s struggles immediately stopped. It turned its head, its eyeballs darting around, not knowing what bad idea it was thinking.
White Tai Sui: “My foolish sister has truly suffered. Haven’t seen you in six thousand years. Did you not miss me at all?”
Black Tai Sui rolled its eyes, chirped twice, and cursed, “If it weren’t for returning to Shang Qing, who would remember you.” Its memories were blurry and fragmented. It had even forgotten its master, let alone this sister who often bullied it. In the end, it could not resist the fragrance of the Langgan fruit. After secretly glancing at the White Tai Sui, it quickly swallowed it into its belly. Then, it patted the White Tai Sui with its wings and said righteously, “This Divine Lord has suffered. I need Langgan fruits to supplement.”
This time, the White Tai Sui did not tease the Little Tai Sui. With a flick of its sleeve, one by one, Langgan fruits fell, piling up like a small mountain in the courtyard. Seeing this, the Little Tai Sui had no time to curse anymore. It flew into the pile of fruits and devoured them like a whale. After eating until its belly was round and bulging, it lay sprawled on the pile of fruits and asked, “What about Sang Buwei? Is she dead?”
The White Tai Sui’s expression changed slightly, and her eyes, as blue as a lake, suddenly became deep and profound. She hugged her arms and stared at the Little Tai Sui for a long time before smiling with an unknown meaning, “I thought you hated her the most.”
The Little Tai Sui looked puzzled. It looked at the White Tai Sui and said, “Does my hating her have anything to do with my concern for her life or death?” Seeing that the White Tai Sui only sneered at itself, the Little Tai Sui suddenly became irritable. It snorted, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t say it. I’m going to the Dao Palace to see my master.”
The White Tai Sui said faintly, “Master is not in the Dao Palace.”
The Little Tai Sui was suspicious, “Didn’t master wake up? He even issued a decree to open the Wu Xiang Academy.”
The White Tai Sui did not answer directly. She pulled the resistant Little Tai Sui out of the pile of fruits, her fingers tapping its small head several times, and said sarcastically, “Look at the Dharma seal on your body. Is your master still your master?”
As she said this, the Little Tai Sui also remembered that the Dharma contract between it and Wei Yunshu had not yet been broken. It was clearly looking for a servant, but it had turned into a useless spiritual beast. Its furry face drooped, and its spirit was visibly dejected, so much so that it didn’t even have the energy to argue with the White Tai Sui.
The White Tai Sui frowned, not used to its listless appearance. Grinding her back teeth, she said with disappointment, “You’ve been out for a while, and you’ve lost a lot of cultivation, and even your brain is broken. You don’t even know how to transform anymore.” After the two sisters yin and yang transformed, the Black Tai Sui dominated the body and possessed a small part of the spiritual power. But even if it was small, it was at the Cavern Heaven realm, not its current level. It was hard to say about other things, but “suffering” was real. Since birth, it had never encountered anything more troublesome than this.
The Little Tai Sui was in a complete daze. Its brain was buzzing. It looked up at the White Tai Sui, hummed, and said, “…Can I still transform?”
White Tai Sui: “…” She wished she could throw this troublesome sister away immediately. With a cold face, she carried the Little Tai Sui and walked towards the hall.
The Little Tai Sui’s emotions came quickly and went quickly. At this moment, it was spirited again. It twisted its head and pecked at the back of the White Tai Sui’s hand, shouting loudly, “Where are you taking me?”
The White Tai Sui did not speak, walking quickly all the way. After passing through several palaces, she finally arrived at a roaring fire pit. In the Little Tai Sui’s terrified expression, she threw the Little Tai Sui in, formed several hand seals, and said with a cold face, “Stay in the Nirvana fire.” After confirming that the Little Tai Sui would not escape, she turned and left.
Returning to the hall, the White Tai Sui sensed a slight fluctuation in spiritual energy. A bright light flashed in her eyes, and she respectfully bowed forward. Only a hazy, ethereal Female daoist with swirling spiritual energy, stepping on a jade platform enveloped in clouds and mist, stood in the hall. Her sleeves fluttered in the wind, and her jade belt was like a flowing clear water. Behind her were two auras, black and white, like fish encircling each other, solitary, ethereal, and lofty.
“Master, not long after, she will come to the Wu Xiang Academy,” the White Tai Sui said respectfully.
“I know.” The voice of the person on the jade platform was also ethereal, as if coming from the distant ends of the sky, yet it was also like a Daoist sound suddenly reflected in the mind.
“Master, why did you descend in another avatar?” the White Tai Sui couldn’t help but ask.
“I like being human very much,” the Emperor Wu Xiang said again.
The White Tai Sui was a little dazed. In her memory, this was not the first time she had heard her master say this. Her master was originally a formless Dao body, naturally without emotions or desires. But when her avatar descended to the mortal world, she learned to live like a human. And those five venerables, at the beginning of their birth, had human emotions and desires, repeatedly denounced those feelings as the ‘non-self’ and severed them, thereby approaching her master. As her thoughts wandered, a clear and cold sentence entered her ears.
“Place this stone at the mountain gate of the Wu Xiang Academy.”
The White Tai Sui suddenly came back to her senses. Her master, who was exuding immortal energy, had disappeared. What remained in place was a nearly one-zhang-tall black stone. There was nothing strange about this black stone, only a single character “Que,” exuding a sharp and resolute sword intent.
The White Tai Sui’s expression changed drastically
