Chapter 42

Tang Shikou was in an excellent mood. Xue Liuli’s constitution was indeed heaven-defying—even being forcibly elevated to the Golden Core Stage, the process had been terrifyingly smooth.

She had already given up on the idea of making Xue Liuli willingly engage in Dual Cultivation with her. However, she didn’t want to use her merely as a Cauldron either. After all, a Cauldron wouldn’t last long before being ruined; Dual Cultivation was the path to longevity.

She wanted to keep her confined, a companion by her pillow. That would be rather interesting.

But Liuli didn’t see it that way.

Life is precious, but freedom is worth more—and if it comes to love… well, freedom still wins!

Tang Shikou, in her good mood, began to tease. “It’s a pity my little sister is so disobedient. It truly makes this older sister sad.”

“How sad?” Liuli reined in her smile.

Tang Shikou wanted to test her progress. She slowly extended her hand, and a ribbon of black silk shot toward Liuli. “Sad enough to want to lock my little sister away forever.”

Liuli let out a soft breath. “Fine then.”

At least it seemed Tang Shikou wouldn’t kill her. That was the best possible outcome.

Liuli flipped her wrist and drew a sword. It was the highest-grade offensive magic treasure in her Storage Ring—the Autumn Water Sword.

…

Tang Shikou and Liuli came to blows after a brief exchange of words. Knowing the Hierarch was momentarily too busy to hold her accountable for her mistakes, Bi He was still burning with shame and fury.

If the Hierarch hadn’t arrived in time, wouldn’t she have let Tang Shishi’s two accomplices escape?

Bi He stormed into the cell, tassels swinging angrily, intending to rough them up a bit.

But just as she got close, the door swung open on its own.

The frail girl she favored among them lunged straight out, throwing herself before Bi He, trembling. “Senior, you must come in and look! My Senior Sister refuses to convert to the Holy Sect—she wants to kill herself!”

Suicide? That couldn’t be allowed!

They were merely two at the Foundation Establishment Stage. Bi He wasn’t afraid of them. She grasped Lin Mengxian’s wrist and smiled. “Don’t be afraid. This older sister will go in with you and persuade her.”

Lin Mengxian gratefully clung to Bi He’s arm. “Then thank you, Older Sister.”

They entered. The door closed. Silence.

Moments later, Ye Zhenzhen brushed off her sleeves and strode out boldly.

The guard glared at her. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Ye Zhenzhen glared back, raising her hand to reveal the small token hanging from Bi He’s waist. “Senior Bi He is… ahem, busy inside. She sent me to fetch something from her room.”

“Is that so?” The guard was skeptical. He approached the door, knocked, and when no one answered, cracked it open slightly.

From within came a series of wanton moans and gasps, followed by a long tassel hurled at the door. “Get lost!”

The guard jumped, slamming the door shut, inwardly cursing. What’s there to be so arrogant about? He turned and waved at Ye Zhenzhen.

“Hurry up and scram!”

The corner of Ye Zhenzhen’s mouth twitched, and she strode away.

She bluffed her way past three more defensive lines. The moment she stepped out of the cavern, a deafening boom reached her ears.

Ye Zhenzhen’s expression turned grim. She quickly ducked into the shadows to hide.

…

Liuli stood atop a decorative rock, leaning on her sword. She turned her head and spat out a mouthful of blood with a “wah.”

Wiping her mouth, she turned back, still trying to play tricks even at death’s door. “Sister, you’re quite a bit older than me, aren’t you? Word of this—the strong bullying the weak, the elder abusing the younger—would really damage your reputation.”

“What do you propose?” Tang Shikou curved her blood-red lips.

Liuli made an extravagant demand. “How about Sister suppresses her cultivation to the Golden Core Stage and gives me a few moves’ head start?”

“I don’t think that’s much of a proposal.”

“Then I’m truly heartbroken.” As she spoke, Liuli suddenly retreated sharply and raised her hand. A Little Jade Pot appeared above her.

It tipped, and a torrent of water surged downward—she actually intended to flood the entire Black Lotus Sect!

“That’s… the Water of Supreme Goodness Pot?”

Tang Shikou wouldn’t allow such chaos. With the strength of a single hand, she blocked the endless deluge. Another wave, and a black hole appeared from nowhere, beginning to siphon the water elsewhere.

Her reaction was impossibly fast—so fast that Liuli couldn’t even use the chaos to escape. Tang Shikou gave Liuli a smile of absolute confidence, as if to say: Still struggling on the brink of death?

At that moment—this all happened within a single breath—a fiery red figure suddenly appeared behind Tang Shikou!

Ye Zhenzhen let out a fierce cry. The gale transformed into nine blades, coordinating with her sword to strike at Tang Shikou’s back with the force of a storm sweeping away clouds!

Tang Shikou frowned slightly. One more little shrimp just added a touch of irritation—not fear, but this Ye Zhenzhen was also a troublesome character. With her involvement, capturing Liuli alive would be difficult.

Ah. She could capture this one instead and make Liuli come to her willingly.

Tang Shikou turned her head. Her other hand lifted, preparing to reach through the net of wind blades to grab Ye Zhenzhen.

Right then.

Ssssss…

“Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha—!” Liuli had somehow appeared behind her, holding a small jade pot, dousing Tang Shikou in a bath of strange black water.

Tang Shikou: “…”

Her brow twitched with irrepressible fury. A terrifying smile crept onto Tang Shikou’s lips. She was about to end this cat-and-mouse game when she suddenly realized the True Qi within her body had stalled!

In that brief instant of vulnerability, Ye Zhenzhen’s sword energy crashed into Tang Shikou—but it was like an ant trying to shake a tree. It didn’t even damage her robes!

Liuli snapped her fingers. “Retreat! Follow me!”

The gap in cultivation was too vast. Ye Zhenzhen simply couldn’t threaten Tang Shikou!

Earlier, while standing on the rock and speaking with Tang Shikou, Liuli had been agonizing over how to escape when she caught sight of Ye Zhenzhen’s hem.

No time to think. Following instinct, Liuli used the Double-Sided Bronze Mirror and her spells to create a half-real, half-false Illusion Realm, disorienting Tang Shikou for a split second. And Ye Zhenzhen, being the type who would never stand by and watch an ally get beaten while she fled, erupted at exactly that moment, forcing Tang Shikou to handle attacks from both sides and leaving a brief opening.

Without hesitation, Liuli splashed Tang Shikou with some of the Nether River Flower water she had absorbed in the Secret Realm.

A head-on fight was unwinnable. The only option was to weaken the enemy’s combat power and seize a chance to flee.

Ye Zhenzhen wasn’t stupid either. She instantly switched tactics, rushing to Liuli’s back.

Liuli snapped her fingers again. Explosions rang out across the Black Lotus Sect!

“Damn it! There’s a fire over here!”

“Careful—that’s the storehouse! It can’t burn!”

“Ah—don’t come this way! There’s lightning on this path!!” The Black Lotus Sect disciples descended into chaos, utterly unable to spare anyone for pursuit.

Besides, these two were the Hierarch’s toys. Without her word, none of them dared interfere.

Liuli was gleeful. Earlier, when she’d had Bi He giving her the grand tour, she hadn’t actually been sightseeing. She had quietly planted various Talismans and magic treasures along the way.

Thanks to Tang Shikou’s generosity at the Ghost Market Auction, Liuli’s pockets were bursting at the seams.

“Right—where’s Little Meng?”

While creating chaos to block pursuers and Tang Shikou, Liuli asked Ye Zhenzhen.

Ye Zhenzhen said, “She’s still in the dungeon. Too many guards—I was afraid of being discovered, so I had to come out alone.”

“That’s a bit bad…” Little Meng was still inside. If they couldn’t catch her and Liuli, this group might take their anger out on her.

Liuli furrowed her brow, then suddenly started cursing loudly. “What?! That sickly Lin Mengxian didn’t make it out? If she doesn’t get out, we’ve lost a meat shield! When we reach the gate, we’ll have to charge it ourselves! Ugh, too little cannon fodder—what if we can’t break through!”

Ye Zhenzhen stared at her in disbelief. She opened her mouth to question her, but Liuli clapped a hand over it.

Liuli signaled with her eyes: Shut up, I’m acting!

Ye Zhenzhen: “Mmph!”

One after another—why does everyone like covering my mouth?! And what’s with your eyelid twitching—why are you rolling your eyes at me!

Escape was urgent. Ye Zhenzhen couldn’t be bothered to argue. She shoved Liuli’s hand away. “Move! We’ll rescue her after we’re out!”

The exit was just ahead. According to what Bi He had said, they’d still need to pass inspection and verification to get in or out.

The towering gate was firmly shut. Ye Zhenzhen’s heart sank. “There must be an array formation on this. How do we get out?”

“Watch me!”

Liuli drew the Autumn Water Sword and flung a thick stack of Talismans into the air. She smiled with heroic confidence, suspended in midair, pointing her sword at the sealed gate.

“I’m at the Golden Core Stage now—completely reborn!”

Ye Zhenzhen: “Golden Core?!” Your advancement speed is way too fast!

Liuli focused her mind and stilled her breath. With an explosive shout and all her strength, her True Qi detached into threads, using the Talismans as points and her sword as the carrier—she actually traced a bizarre and eccentric array formation in midair!

“That’s… a Spirit Gathering Array?” But looking closer, some parts seemed off.

Liuli pursed her lips in a smile. Fine beads of cold sweat seeped from her forehead. “Something like that. A little trick.”

Learned from the miscellany she’d obtained in the Secret Realm. The nameless senior had recorded that this method could concentrate the explosive power of multiple Talismans into a single point. As long as the caster was strong enough, it could unleash a technique that surpassed their major cultivation realm.

The catch was, this little trick had a somewhat low success rate, was expensive… and surpassing one’s realm to launch an attack would drain the caster’s True Qi completely—or even backfire and injure them. Therefore, unless cornered, it was best never to use this move.

As the Talismans on the array lit up one by one, Liuli felt the sword in her hands grow heavier than a thousand catties. She was forced to grip the hilt with both hands, her arms trembling uncontrollably.

Finally, the last Talisman ignited. Liuli swung her sword with fierce determination. The cluster of Talismans and array formations blazed with brilliant light and shot toward the Black Lotus Sect’s Mountain Gate like a meteor!

Boom—

A tremendous explosion. Dust and smoke billowed. Her internal organs and qi-blood churned. Liuli’s ears rang.

Ye Zhenzhen suddenly turned and urgently shouted something at Liuli.

Liuli slowly opened her mouth. “What’d you say? I can’t hear… eh, what did I say?”

Then, a layer of light membrane suddenly shone over Liuli’s numb body, and she flew outward like a little lightbulb. Her head was woozy—probably concussed by that big move just now. Halfway through her flight, it finally dawned on her: I didn’t move just now, so why am I flying?!

Ye Zhenzhen chased after her, shouting something while pulling medicine bottles from her Storage Ring to stuff pills into Liuli’s mouth.

Liuli flew while swallowing medicine. After finally crashing to the ground and rolling seventeen or eighteen times, her brain rattled back into place, and she regained clarity.

Once clear-headed, she couldn’t help but raise a trembling hand to touch her chest.

God. Good thing she had that life-saving trump card on her. That nameless Little Jade Token—it could block a lethal attack from the Nascent Soul Stage!

True, Tang Shikou wouldn’t kill her. But that was only when she was calm. And she could still beat Liuli half-paralyzed—which also wasn’t death.

To Tang Shikou, who merely wanted a Dual Cultivation tool, a half-paralyzed Liuli and a lively Liuli were probably no different.

But that furious strike from Tang Shikou earlier had just happened to blast Liuli right out of the Black Lotus Sect’s mountain.

Liuli scrambled up, grabbed Ye Zhenzhen’s hand, and fled with everything she had. Around them were desolate mountains and wild forests, towering ancient trees. It was only just past winter, yet the leaves here were still dense and dark green. She had no idea which way was north, south, east, or west.

“Hurry! This jade token has a built-in counterattack function. However hard she hit me just now, she got just as much pleasure back. Let’s run while we can!”

Unfortunately, Liuli had still underestimated Tang Shikou. True, she had been caught off guard by the backlash of her own attack. But to her, it was an extremely, extremely minor injury—only shocking enough to split the corner of her lip.

Tang Shikou strode unhurriedly out of the shattered, smoke-and-fire-wreathed gate. A trace of blood hung on her lip. Her tone was as cold and sinister as a vicious ghost crawling out of hell.

Even her breathtaking, soul-stealing beauty couldn’t hide that abyssal malice.

“Xue Liuli, This Seat will give you one last chance—crawl back here!”

Liuli found a moment mid-flight to glance back and make a face. “Not listening, not listening, tortoise chanting scriptures!”

Once out of the Black Lotus Sect, the world was vast. Liuli couldn’t get her bearings and feared that flying high without tree cover would expose her. So she activated Divine Movement Technique and bolted blindly in the direction away from the sect.

Tang Shikou, hindered by the Nether River Flower Poison, stood in place. Once the poison on her body dissipated, she unhurriedly looked in the direction Liuli had fled.

She had absolute confidence she could capture this little wretch who had played all her cards.

But at that moment.

Xue Liuli and Ye Zhenzhen’s auras vanished.