Upon Bai Sha being thrown into the Cage, the other Demon Cultivators already imprisoned inside merely glanced at her before looking away.
Bai Sha, however, looked towards the Daoist Nun who was preparing to leave and asked, “What do you people want?”
The Daoist Nun cast her an ambiguous smile and departed without the slightest intention of answering.
That condescending look in her eyes was intensely displeasing to Bai Sha.
After the Daoist Nun left, Bai Sha finally took a proper look at the other Demon Cultivators sharing the Cage with her.
A Profound Water Turtle, about the size of a bed. He possessed a tough, black shell and a dark brown body. He lay sprawled there, seemingly lost in thought.
A Tiger-Striped Seal, with yellow skin marked by black stripes. He looked somewhat ferocious and was gnashing his teeth, glaring at the human cultivators who occasionally appeared outside.
A Purple Horn Electric Eel, with a purple horn on her forehead. She had a long, black body, only as thick as a human thigh. Frightened, she was curled up in a corner, her demeanor seemingly very dejected.
These were the three Demon Cultivators locked up with Bai Sha. Beyond them, there were other Cages in the vicinity holding other Demon Cultivators.
After glancing at the three Demon Cultivators, Bai Sha withdrew her gaze. She began recalling the Raging Waves Art’s method for absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, attempting to find a way to start her cultivation.
Because of the simulator’s existence, Bai Sha didn’t panic over her current predicament. She even thought that since she was already here, she might as well make good use of the dense spiritual qi to properly cultivate. With the qi so concentrated, getting started should naturally be easier.
But as Bai Sha proceeded to cultivate on her own, the three other Demon Cultivators in the Cage couldn’t help but cast her odd looks.
It was the first time they had seen such a reaction. They couldn’t understand how Bai Sha, after being captured, could still cultivate so calmly. Wasn’t she worried at all about what fate awaited her?
‘How strange.’
The thought arose in the minds of all three Demon Cultivators.
An hour slowly passed.
Bai Sha, however, encountered a problem in her cultivation.
She understood how to draw Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi towards her, but the issue was how to make it enter her body. The Raging Waves Art had not explained this part in detail, leaving her with little clue on how to proceed.
After thinking for a moment, Bai Sha looked towards the other three Demon Cultivators in the Cage.
Seeming to sense her gaze, the Profound Water Turtle spoke in an aged voice: “I sense the fluctuations of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. Are you attempting to cultivate and step into the Qi Condensation Stage? It’s useless. Even if you become a Demon Cultivator, you won’t change our current situation here… because we are all Demon Cultivators.”
He had assumed Bai Sha was training hard to gain the power to break the Cage.
“But I still wish to become a Demon Cultivator. Could Senior offer me some guidance? I’ve drawn the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to me, but I can’t make it enter my body,” Bai Sha said sincerely.
“I am merely at Early Qi Condensation. I don’t dare accept the title of ‘Senior’.” The Profound Water Turtle sighed and then said, “If you truly wish to know, then I shall tell you.”
For the Profound Water Turtle, this was just a matter of a few words; he naturally wouldn’t be stingy with the information.
As the Profound Water Turtle spoke a few sentences, Bai Sha immediately realized what she was lacking. She once again drew in the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, and this time, she successfully guided it through her skin and into her body.
As long as she could maintain a single strand of that qi and circulate it once around within her body, it would transform into Demonic Power. At that point, she would officially have stepped onto the path of cultivation.
“Damned Wind-Thunder Observatory cultivators!”
At that moment, the Tiger-Striped Seal slammed his front flipper heavily against the Cage with a loud bang, but it failed to shake the Cage in the slightest.
“Wind-Thunder Observatory?” Bai Sha asked while maintaining her cultivation, “You know the background of these human cultivators?”
The Tiger-Striped Seal glanced at Bai Sha and casually explained, “Wind-Thunder Observatory is a cultivator sect from the Profound Verdant Continent, situated near the coast. They specialize in Talisman Crafting, which has an enormous demand for materials taken from Demon Cultivators. That’s why they frequently come to the Eastern Sea to capture Demons for crafting. Damned scoundrels!”
As he spoke, the Tiger-Striped Seal’s temper flared again. He slammed his flippers against the Cage repeatedly, producing a series of booming echoes.
Not far away, the Profound Water Turtle sighed and added, “Almost all the Demon Cultivators locked up here are either at the Early Qi Condensation stage or merely awakened but haven’t stepped onto the path. It’s no secret that cultivators capture Demons to harvest materials. Those who’ve been Demon Cultivators for a long time would never be tricked into coming here. Unfortunately, we’ve only just started on our cultivation paths and only learned of this situation far too late.”
“Eee… eee… Daddy…” The Purple Horn Electric Eel, curled up in the corner, let out the sound of a young girl crying.
The Profound Water Turtle looked at the eel and remarked to Bai Sha, “The entire body of a Purple Horn Electric Eel can be used in Talisman Crafting, and their materials are particularly well-suited to the Wind-Thunder Observatory’s specific techniques. If we are taken back there, she will most likely be the first one they butcher.”
No wonder she was so terrified.
Bai Sha glanced at the Purple Horn Electric Eel, then continued chatting with the Profound Water Turtle and the Tiger-Striped Seal.
She learned that the reason the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was so dense in this location was because the Wind-Thunder Observatory cultivators had set up a Spirit Gathering Array here. It was a type of Formation that absorbed ambient spiritual qi and concentrated it within a designated area. This had clearly been deliberately arranged to lure in Demon Cultivators.
Furthermore, she discovered that the Wind-Thunder Observatory team was actually led by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator!
There were also two cultivators at the Late Qi Condensation stage. The Daoist Nun who had captured her was named Yuan Dongxiang, and she was one of those two Late-stage cultivators.
The captured Demon Cultivators were, at most, at the Early Qi Condensation stage, while the Wind-Thunder Observatory cultivators even had someone at the Foundation Establishment Stage. This was precisely why despair filled every Demon Cultivator in the Cages.
“And that is why cultivating right now is pointless,” The Profound Water Turtle concluded after stating their situation.
“I actually think we aren’t entirely without hope,” Bai Sha said calmly. “The Wind-Thunder Observatory cultivators captured us but didn’t kill us outright. They probably intend to take us back to the Wind-Thunder Observatory. Once we arrive there, aren’t there any opportunities at all for us to escape? After all, we’re merely Early Qi Condensation at best. The Wind-Thunder Observatory shouldn’t assign a Foundation Establishment cultivator, or even those Late Qi Condensation ones, to constantly keep an eye on us, right?”
Bai Sha understood that the Wind-Thunder Observatory had sent a Foundation Establishment cultivator to the Eastern Sea as a precaution against unforeseen circumstances. Strictly speaking, the Eastern Sea was still the Demon Clan’s territory.
“What you say is true, but how could the Wind-Thunder Observatory not take precautions against us? The chances are still slim,” The Profound Water Turtle said, shaking his head.
A slight smile graced Bai Sha’s features. She was about to say something else, but then she felt the strand of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi within her body approaching the completion of a full circulation. Realizing her success was imminent, she immediately focused her mind. She decided to concentrate solely on stepping onto the path of cultivation first, before anything else.
