Chapter 40: “Nyah-Nyah!”

Ren Qingyue had no choice but to take a Demon Core from her own Universe Pouch and give it to Yan Zhao.

The vast majority of cultivators weren’t as uncouth as Yan Zhao. They mostly used Demon Cores for Alchemy or Qi creation, providing the Five Elements power for Medicinal Pills and Magical Artifacts.

Ren Qingyue had used up all her water-attributed Demon Cores for healing her injuries. All that remained were some of lower quality.

Luckily, Yan Zhao wasn’t picky. She took whatever was given.

Yan Zhao accepted the Demon Core and casually stuffed it into her pocket. But Ren Qingyue was still holding her collar. She twisted her neck, indicating for Ren Qingyue to let go.

Ren Qingyue laid out a condition. “I’ll let go, but you can’t run.”

Yan Zhao didn’t respond.

Ren Qingyue added, “I’m not taking you back.”

Only then did Yan Zhao say, “Oh.”

The moment Ren Qingyue set Yan Zhao down, her expression suddenly changed. In a flash, she pulled Yan Zhao behind her, drew her sword without hesitation, and stared at the figure that had materialized out of thin air in the distance.

That person had appeared without warning in the pavilion. She wore a Black Robe, her aura restrained yet murderous.

A breeze swept through the courtyard, stirring the woman’s ink-black hair and fluttering the empty left sleeve of her robe.

Black Robe, one-armed, purple-gold patterns. To enter Immortal Venerable Yuanqing’s Immortal Abode as if walking into an uninhabited place—between heaven and earth, there was only one such person.

Ren Qingyue’s throat moved, and her back was instantly soaked in cold sweat.

The supreme ruler of the Devil Clan, Devil Lord Nangong Yin.

Nangong Yin had also come to the Immortal Abode?!

Ren Qingyue’s palms grew sweaty. This was an ill-omened visitor!

Who in the Three Realms didn’t know that Devil Lord Nangong Yin bore a grudge against Fuyun Sect over her severed arm? Whenever she killed disciples of Fuyun Sect, she was never merciful.

Ren Qingyue was frantic with anxiety.

Facing a formidable enemy of such unequal strength, how could she protect Yan Zhao and ensure her safe escape?

Could it be that her Shizun’s cave abode was to be the end of the road for her and Yan Zhao?

Yan Zhao was her Shizun’s child. Her Shizun ought to protect Yan Zhao.

If harm came to Yan Zhao here, how could she face her Shizun in the Nine Springs below?

Countless thoughts flashed through Ren Qingyue’s mind. She steeled herself for a desperate, final stand.

Unexpectedly, Nangong Yin spoke. “I won’t kill you. She stays.”

Ren Qingyue’s pupils constricted. She recalled the old geezers in the Sect discussing using Yan Zhao to restrain the Devil Venerable.

Yan Zhao had the bloodline of Fiends within her. That Fiend must hold a high position in the Devil Clan. Was Nangong Yin here to take Yan Zhao away and eliminate the threat?!

No!

Yan Zhao was her Shizun’s child. If handed over to the Devils, she would surely be raised to become a Little Devil.

Ren Qingyue would absolutely not allow her Shizun’s flesh and blood to be taken by Devils!

“You might as well kill me then!” Ren Qingyue raised her sword, confronting Nangong Yin. “As long as I live, I will never let anyone take her away!”

As her Shizun’s disciple and Yan Zhao’s Senior Sister, she had the duty and obligation to protect Yan Zhao and teach her well.

Nangong Yin frowned.

Her gaze moved past Ren Qingyue to Yan Zhao behind her.

Yan Zhao was nowhere near as panicked as Ren Qingyue. Facing Nangong Yin’s sudden appearance, there was no fear in her eyes, only curiosity.

She thought Nangong Yin looked familiar, and kindly too, like she had seen her somewhere before.

Her eyes, just beginning to see the world, were clear and bright, overlapping with the scenes she had witnessed in the dream.

Verifying the truth revealed in the dream wouldn’t be difficult. She just needed to check if Yan Zhao’s body contained a seal set by Yuanqing, and whether there was a birthmark on her back.

But Ren Qingyue’s obstructive attitude was clear and firm. Nangong Yin had no patience for explanations.

She took a step forward and appeared before Ren Qingyue in the next instant.

Her only remaining right hand gently pressed down on Ren Qingyue’s shoulder.

Ren Qingyue didn’t see how Nangong Yin moved. Her shoulder just sank, and then the world spun—a Spatial Transposition.

The surrounding scenery changed. She was now in the pavilion, and beside Yan Zhao stood Nangong Yin.

“Yan Zhao!!”

Ren Qingyue’s face went pale with urgency.

Nangong Yin swept her long sleeve. An invisible Qi Wall rose before Ren Qingyue, barring her several zhang away.

It was only on account of Ren Qingyue being Yan Yuanqing’s disciple that she hadn’t struck to kill.

Even at her peak, Ren Qingyue could never contend with a Mahayana Realm cultivator, let alone one universally acknowledged by the righteous cultivators of the world as a God of Slaughter.

Yan Zhao just felt the space before her darken. Ren Qingyue, who had been blocking her, was replaced by Nangong Yin.

Nangong Yin reached out her hand toward her.

That hand ultimately didn’t land on her shoulder. It was intercepted by another person who suddenly appeared.

Immortal Venerable Yuan Yi arrived a step late but acted first, seizing Yan Zhao by the collar.

Yan Zhao felt the surrounding scenery rush forward. She was pulled back by force, increasing the distance between herself and Nangong Yin.

Turning her head, she saw Immortal Venerable Yuan Yi, whose features were delicate yet whose chin was ringed with stubble. Yan Zhao blinked in confusion.

She was always a hot potato tossed back and forth, but being fought over by several people like this was a first in her life.

Yan Zhao had already been secured, yet another unexpected player had appeared halfway. Nangong Yin was extremely displeased.

Her face darkened. The ambient pressure seemed to drop several notches. The wind circling the small courtyard felt as if it could kill.

Immortal Venerable Yuan Yi shielded Yan Zhao. Having survived this peril, Ren Qingyue’s heart finally settled slightly.

Nangong Yin frowned. Her expression was like frigid frost, her voice icy. “You knew all along?”

Immortal Venerable Yuan Yi shed his usual careless demeanor. His brows were tightly knitted. He realized Nangong Yin had discovered Yan Zhao’s identity.

He cursed inwardly. How could Nangong Yin be so sharp?!

“Know what?” Yuan Yi feigned ignorance.

Nangong Yin gave a cold snort. She wasn’t going to waste words on him.

Just as the two were about to clash, more people rushed in from outside the courtyard.

The first to arrive were Tushan Yu and Jiang Ying.

The two started fighting the moment they saw each other. Jiang Ying, protecting her master, spontaneously blocked those trying to proceed further inside.

Tushan Yu’s cultivation was also high. Moreover, he held the Sacred Artifact of the Qingqiu Fox Clan. In a clash with Jiang Ying, it was hard to determine a victor for a time.

By a stroke of luck, Ling Jiancheng was the third to reach the main palace.

Seeing Jiang Ying locked in a fierce stalemate, his spirits soared. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. He spontaneously sided with Tushan Yu and joined the fray.

Jiang Ying was indeed worthy of being the Devil Clan’s Protector. Even with Tushan Yu and Ling Jiancheng joining forces, they couldn’t truly do anything to her.

Lei Shuang and Feng Jin appeared almost simultaneously. They met at the intersection but had no time to exchange greetings before Jiang Ying’s voice drifted down from the air: “Lei Shuang! You dare show yourself!”

“Mother of mercy!” Lei Shuang’s neck shrank. Her eyes widened in shock. “Why is this woman here too?!”

Thinking Jiang Ying was about to rush over and twist her ear, Lei Shuang darted behind Feng Jin to hide.

After waiting a moment, no one came. Only then did she look up and see Jiang Ying currently exchanging blows with Ling Jiancheng and Tushan Yu.

So she couldn’t spare a hand. Lei Shuang immediately puffed up with renewed bravado, straightening her back. “What are you yelling for? If you can come, why can’t I? You really are a strange woman!”

Jiang Ying was burning with fury. Her earlier composure was gone. Fighting Tushan Yu and Ling Jiancheng, she simultaneously traded curses with Lei Shuang. “You must have a death wish! Just you wait! I’ll cut off your ears and use them as a drinking snack!”

“Come on, come on!” Lei Shuang, relying on the fact that Jiang Ying was tied up and couldn’t break free quickly, stuck out her tongue and made a cheeky face. “Nyah-nyah! You think I’m really afraid of you!”

Feng Jin: “…”

What a childish brat.

The aerial battle was in a deadlock. The same Tushan Yu who had previously blocked her path and questioned her identity was also present.

Feng Jin frowned slightly and reminded Lei Shuang, “That’s the Imperial Son of the Qingqiu Fox Clan. He seems to have already guessed my identity.”

Lei Shuang continued her cheap talk. “He’s your enemy too. What’s that got to do with me?”

“…” Feng Jin’s forehead veins bulged. She smiled insincerely. “You’d better watch your tongue and build up some good karma.”

With that, she leaped into the air to lend Jiang Ying a hand.

Jiang Ying had long guessed the true purpose of Lei Shuang’s travels in Tianchen, so seeing Feng Jin wasn’t a surprise.

With Feng Jin’s help, her pressure drastically reduced. She spared a moment to shoot Lei Shuang a cold glare.

Lei Shuang’s eyes went perfectly round. Her jaw nearly dropped. She shrieked, “No way! Where’s your sense of loyalty?!”

Feng Jin’s arrow forced Ling Jiancheng to retreat. At the same time, she rolled her eyes at Lei Shuang. “You’re on your own.”

Ling Jiancheng recognized Feng Jin. Enraged, he bellowed, “It’s you! So you’re in league with them!”

Feng Jin remained unmoved. She nocked an arrow and drew her bow in one fluid motion.

The Tianqing Arrow Devil was weak in close combat when alone, but with a teammate to coordinate, her advantages could be brought to bear twelvefold.

Tushan Yu’s face finally showed a flicker of strong emotion. He glared furiously. “As I thought! You are the Tianqing Arrow Devil!”

He locked onto Feng Jin, intent on killing her to avenge the Fox Emperor’s arrow wound. However, Jiang Ying’s strength was too overwhelming. Every attack he launched was neutralized by her.

Feng Jin and Jiang Ying worked together with seamless synergy. Tushan Yu and Ling Jiancheng were instead suppressed and gradually fell into a disadvantage.

Nearby, there was also the idle, unpredictably moody Lei Shuang.

Ling Jiancheng was both anxious and furious. The Devil Sect scum were truly detestable!

Anxiety naturally bred impatience. Ling Jiancheng made a misstep with a technique, exposing an opening.

The Tianqing Arrow Devil seized this fleeting chance. She released the bowstring, sending a streak of Arrow Qi straight at Ling Jiancheng’s forehead.

Tushan Yu was pinned down by Jiang Ying and couldn’t spare a hand to save him. Just as the Arrow Qi was about to draw blood, a Compass suddenly flew in. Clang! It collided with the Arrow Qi, then spiraled back, landing in Bi Lan’s hand.

Feng Jin focused on the newcomer.

Bi Lan had arrived just in time to save Ling Jiancheng.

Ling Jiancheng was overjoyed. “Junior Sister Bi!”

Bi Lan nodded to Ling Jiancheng, calling him Senior Brother, then looked at Feng Jin.

Feng Jin also met her gaze. Their eyes met for a moment, and they tacitly said nothing.

The current situation was clear. Their opposing stances wouldn’t change because of a bit of past connection. Feng Jin was from the Devil Sect, and she, after all, was a disciple of Fuyun Sect.

Bai Jin and Lin Chao also arrived together. Seeing her cousin being bullied by villains, Bai Jin flew into a towering rage.

Ignoring the warnings of her clan elders, she immediately rushed to Tushan Yu’s side to fight alongside him.

Just as Jiang Ying broke Tushan Yu’s wind array, her palm force continued unabated, aimed directly at the crown of Tushan Yu’s head.

Bai Jin arrived in time to meet Jiang Ying’s palm strike head-on. Her cultivation was slightly inferior, so she was pushed back, but Tushan Yu had already dissipated seventy percent of the strike’s power, so she was not injured.

Lin Chao had just reached the palace gate when he witnessed this scene. Recognizing that the one exchanging a palm strike with Bai Jin was the Devil Sect’s Left Protector, a Void Refinement Realm expert, his mind went blank.

That seemingly delicate, soft, beautiful girl he had in his mind actually possessed the strength to exchange a blow with a Void Refinement Realm expert!

And he was still only at the late stage of Body Tempering, not even at Core Formation yet!

How was he supposed to protect anyone?!

Disciples from other sects and Jianghu Rogue Cultivators also gradually arrived and joined the chaotic battle.

When several Soul Formation Realm Elders of Other Sects also arrived at the palace gate, Jiang Ying and Feng Jin began to show signs of fatigue. They could no longer hold them back.

Jiang Ying fell to a disadvantage. Just as several white-bearded old men were about to injure her, a figure suddenly materialized out of thin air and blocked a palm strike for her.

Lei Shuang repelled the attacker, but Jiang Ying was ungrateful. She sneered at Lei Shuang’s back, “Why didn’t you wait until I was dead to make your move?”

“I’d like to,” Lei Shuang shrugged. “But if you died, no one in this world would oppose me. How boring would that be?”

Jiang Ying was speechless. She kicked Lei Shuang in the rear. “You really are a glutton for punishment!”