Chapter 39: Demon Disguise Pill Upgrades

Yan Zhichuan didn’t have the pill formula memorized, but that didn’t mean she got any leisure time either.

Fang Zhiyi had somehow scrounged up a pile of demon creatures and tasked her with refining demon pills. The Three Ways River Ruins had been cleared out by the Cave Heaven True Person, leaving behind mostly Foundation Establishment and Golden Core demon creatures for them. But the ones Fang Zhiyi had found were at least Nascent Soul level, with even some Soul Transformation demon creatures mixed in.

Yan Zhichuan got stuck on processing the “demon creatures.” She exhausted every ounce of her strength but still couldn’t break them down successfully. Only when she used the Sword of Nine Abyss did it have any effect.

But the system had said that every use of the Sword of Nine Abyss consumed energy, and that energy came from the Dao Pills she provided. Every time she used the sword, she had to replenish the system with Dao Pills. The cost was way too high like that—instead, she might as well find ready-made ones. Yan Zhichuan’s eyes gleamed, and she set her sights on Zhan Yujie.

“Senior Sister, got any free time?” Yan Zhichuan messaged Zhan Yujie.

“None.” Zhan Yujie’s reply was quick and curt. The Three Ways River Sword Duel had come to an abrupt end, but the battles in between weren’t few. She’d even taken some pills and now needed to sort through her combat insights to advance her cultivation.

“When will you be free, then?” Yan Zhichuan asked again.

“Length of seclusion uncertain.” Zhan Yujie sensed that her cultivation could take another step forward. She’d prepared the necessary resources and was just waiting to enter seclusion.

She had a sense of how much time it would take, but since she couldn’t fathom Yan Zhichuan’s intentions, Zhan Yujie simply didn’t tell her.

“Fine.” Yan Zhichuan deflated and settled for the next best thing: asking Fuyu Sha from Blade Peak. But she figured this senior sister probably wasn’t as precise in her handling as Zhan Yujie—after all, her blade arts were grand and sweeping, brutally violent. Unfortunately, she couldn’t even reach Fuyu Sha. After the Three Ways River Sword Duel wrapped up, Fuyu Sha had taken that bully mink Diao Diao and gone traveling down the mountain again.

“Rather than begging others, you should raise your own cultivation instead,” the Heavenly Dao System said coolly. Its fluffy bird face even showed a hint of schadenfreude.

“Isn’t pill refining cultivation itself?” Yan Zhichuan huffed.

“Maybe you’ve refined too few,” the Heavenly Dao System pondered. “Refine some Dao Pills first, then use them—rinse and repeat. Your cultivation will advance faster that way than if you begged Zhan Yujie to do the work.”

Yan Zhichuan: “…”

That makes no sense at all. I’ve never seen a story protagonist who had to work this hard myself.

After dawdling for the time it took to burn an incense stick, Yan Zhichuan sulkily got to work.

For several days straight, she holed up in the pill refining room. The only interruption was Fang Zhiyi coming once to pick up some Demon Disguise Pills.

Though they’d obtained the formula for the “Demon Disguise Pills,” the paths of immortals and demons differed. Refining them with orthodox spiritual power was next to impossible. After some research, the Fang sisters reached a conclusion: not only couldn’t Xuanmen cultivators refine them, even demon clan cultivators couldn’t. To take the pill without truly falling to demonic influence, the pure spiritual energy and demonic energy had to balance perfectly.

“Where did you get this formula?” Fang Zhichun asked irritably. She’d clearly come to plant Subdue Demon Spirit Grass, but she hadn’t left Fang Zhiyi’s room at all. She’d handed the seeds off to the herb planters instead. Those were the last seeds—what if they botched it?

“Don’t worry about it.” Fang Zhiyi was annoyed too, but the harder it was to crack, the more she wanted to try. After much thought, an idea suddenly struck her. She hesitated only a moment before taking out a Demon Disguise Pill and swallowing it. The pill entered her stomach, and her energy shifted in an instant. Fang Zhiyi sealed the Dharma Hall—no one outside could sense the surging demonic energy. But Fang Zhichun jumped in shock, grabbed her artifact, and hurled it straight at Fang Zhiyi.

Fang Zhiyi: “…” She dodged Fang Zhichun’s attack, rubbed her brow, and snapped irritably, “Keep refining pills!” Her hunch had been right—it did have some effect. But Yan Zhichuan, who refined it, only had Golden Core cultivation. In the hands of a Cave Heaven Daoist like her, the duration was extremely short.

The startled Fang Zhichun stared at Fang Zhiyi like she’d seen a ghost. Even after hearing the explanation, her racing heart didn’t fully calm. Her sister was taking riskier and riskier paths, growing bolder and more reckless. Doesn’t Nine Abyss Sect care?

Fang Zhiyi murmured, “This path works; it’s just that the pill’s duration is too short. Your cultivation is lower, so it might last longer on you. Here, take one.”

Fang Zhichun: “…” Her fists clenched.

Even one pill couldn’t let a Soul Transformation cultivator maintain the disguise for long. They could only estimate timings and stack massive quantities of pills.

And the only one who could refine Demon Disguise Pills was Yan Zhichuan.

Squeezed dry and refilled over and over, Yan Zhichuan’s spiritual power cycled endlessly, her cultivation advancing at breakneck speed.

Some time later, Fang Zhichun eyed Fang Zhiyi with a strange look. “You didn’t lock up a demon clan member on Medicine Peak to help refine these Demon Disguise Pills, did you?”

Fang Zhiyi smiled without answering. Fang Zhichun grew even more convinced of her guess.

Spreading this around wouldn’t end well, but Fang Zhiyi was her sister after all. Nine Abyss Sect hadn’t reacted, so Fang Zhichun buried her suspicions deep.

—

Medicine Peak, pill refining room.

Yan Zhichuan lay limply in a chair, her face pale and eyes lifeless.

“Am I dying?” she gasped weakly, her voice faint as drifting smoke.

“You’ve now reached Golden Core Second Layer, and your physical condition is excellent,” the Heavenly Dao System said, flapping its wings to urge her back to work.

“You’re just like those cannon-fodder overseers in the mines—protagonist’s gonna kill you soon.” Yan Zhichuan rolled over, covering her ears to ignore the system’s nagging.

But the system’s voice echoed directly in her mind.

Just as Yan Zhichuan sat up to throttle the provoking Little Fat Chirp, the Heaven-Penetrating Treasure Mirror lit up.

Her aloof senior sister—who she’d thought was secluding for ages—sent a single icy message.

—Open the barrier.

Yan Zhichuan’s research involved demon creatures, and to avoid alarming the peak’s cultivators and patients, Fang Zhiyi had set up barriers not even a fly could breach.

Yan Zhichuan was overjoyed. Her deathbed slump vanished in an instant. She sprang up and dashed out the door.

“From now on, in my heart, Senior Sister Zhan ranks first—even above Master,” Yan Zhichuan declared loudly.

Hearing Yan Zhichuan’s words, Zhan Yujie unconsciously pursed her lips.

No emotion welled up—instead, a subtle sense of foreboding.

It had taken her three days to break through to Golden Core Third Layer, but ten days to decide whether to come to Medicine Peak for Yan Zhichuan.

When had she ever been this indecisive?

The Heaven-Penetrating Treasure Mirror held Yan Zhichuan’s last message asking for her—no activity since.

It left Zhan Yujie uneasy. She kept telling herself it was probably something minor, already past, nothing for her to handle.

But she couldn’t shake the worry. Yan Zhichuan had gone quiet—who knew what mischief she was brewing?

Yan Zhichuan beamed from ear to ear, oblivious to Zhan Yujie’s faint tension. Her lips flapped nonstop, chattering away. One moment gushing about missing Zhan Yujie, the next whining about her miserable time on Medicine Peak—like a little sparrow.

Zhan Yujie’s scalp tingled. She quickly called a halt, arms crossed, gazing down at the grinning Yan Zhichuan. “Did Junior Sister need me for something earlier?”

Yan Zhichuan nodded vigorously. “Yes.” Without further explanation, she grabbed Zhan Yujie’s hand and dragged her at a run toward the pill refining room.

Zhan Yujie stumbled, let out a soft “hey,” and could only follow.

The moment they entered the pill refining room, Zhan Yujie was startled by the thick demonic energy spilling out. Amid piles of rare demonic plants lay demon creature corpses—still fresh, even radiating faint pressure.

“Senior Sister, help break down that demon creature, okay?” Yan Zhichuan pointed eagerly, gazing at Zhan Yujie with expectation.

Zhan Yujie: “…” She knew she shouldn’t have come.

This wasn’t from the Three Ways River—her junior sister was in Nine Abyss Sect; she couldn’t have gotten these. Must be Fu Shi’s doing? Fine then—with Fu Shi watching, her junior sister wouldn’t go too wild. After a silent pause, Zhan Yujie asked, “What are you refining?”

“An upgraded Demon Disguise Pill.” Yan Zhichuan sighed. The ones she’d refined before worked on Golden Core cultivators, but the effects weren’t great—short duration, only for low cultivation. Fu Shi’s side had made progress, but they needed her to supply massive quantities. Quantity was barely manageable, but if quality improved, wouldn’t that mean more time to slack?

Yan Zhichuan added gleefully, “Demon cultivators have infiltrated our Xuanmen everywhere, but White Jade Capital has few agents lurking in Sky Nether City—their treasures are rare, after all. If we can mass-produce Demon Disguise Pills, my name will echo across the world!”

Zhan Yujie had thought Yan Zhichuan might speak of grand strategy, only for it to pivot to “fame.” She said, “The Sect Master and Fu Shi won’t let anyone know you refined these pills.” The pills’ existence would be a secret known only to a few.

Yan Zhichuan went “oh,” disappointment flickering in her eyes. She said no more and urged Zhan Yujie to handle the demon creature.

Finish the goal early, leave Medicine Peak early.

Living people feared Death Peak more than Pure Prison Peak.

One month later.

Yan Zhichuan succeeded gloriously.

Not because she’d refined Demon Disguise Pills potent enough to satisfy Fang Zhiyi, but because Fang Zhiyi had made her own breakthrough—no more need for Yan Zhichuan’s pills; she could use her own as fillers.

The peak’s grasses and trees swayed, abuzz with life.

Yan Zhichuan breathed in the fresh air and burst out laughing.

Rare birds flitted through the mountains, their cries clear and piercing.

Zhan Yujie stood expressionless beside Yan Zhichuan. Occasionally, glancing at her dharma sword, guilt flickered in her eyes.

She’d planned to head straight back to Sword Peak, but Yan Zhichuan’s loud, ringing laughter puzzled her. “That happy?”

“Yes.” Yan Zhichuan nodded emphatically. “I’ve never been this exhausted in my life. Medicine Peak, even dogs—”

Her peripheral vision caught a familiar figure; she cut off sharply. “Medicine Peak sure is impressive.”

Zhan Yujie caught Yan Zhichuan’s quick face-change and let out a soft scoff.

Her gaze followed Yan Zhichuan’s and spotted the travel-worn Wu Jiang.

Dust-covered and haggard, her expression spoke of ordeal.

“Senior Sister Wu?” Zhan Yujie called.

Wu Jiang looked up, spotting the two. “Perfect, you’re here—follow me!”

Her tone was heavy, as if from a nightmare.

Not just Zhan Yujie—even Yan Zhichuan sensed something was wrong.

“What happened?” Zhan Yujie asked.

“Daoists have gone missing on Yingzhou Island at sea. Someone spotted traces of demon cultivators.” Wu Jiang paused, then added, “On my way back, passing through towns, I heard the Yingzhou Island immortal-seeking tale spreading like wildfire.”

Tales of immortal islands at sea were common folklore, delighting mortals without driving them to abandon all for slim odds.

Cultivators wouldn’t either—with sects dotting Nine Summers Continent, those with talent and aspiration just went to the gates. Why chase fairy dreams?

But this Yingzhou immortal-seeking wasn’t legend—it was real.

If some hidden grandmaster founded a sect at sea, it wouldn’t cause this stir. Feared it was a demon cultivator plot!