Chapter 14

The Spring Breeze Rain Transformation Art was like a built-in starter skill, but the Universe One Qi Palm was something she had learned herself!

On the other side, Chen Buyan quickly replied to Li Ruoshui: “Congratulations, Fellow Daoist.” A moment later, she added, “The Universe One Qi Palm unifies the five elements. Only after refining the qi of the Five Elements Cinnabar into one can it reach great completion. Different cinnabar deposits yield different qualities. If Fellow Daoist wishes to bring the Universe One Qi Palm to a profound level, you must select top-grade cinnabar.”

Li Ruoshui was shocked.

The manual hadn’t mentioned this. Were there so many intricacies to condensing the five elements’ qi?

Chen Buyan: “The cinnabar in the Path of No Return is top-grade.”

Seeing Chen Buyan’s new message, Li Ruoshui secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Her brows remained slightly furrowed. No wonder cultivators desperately crammed into the various sects even with the Tianyan Mirror like a heavenly net—having a guide versus going solo made all the difference. Many taboos and subtleties were passed down through master-disciple lineages.

“Fellow Daoist’s face is flushing red then pale white. Did you quarrel with someone? Need my help?” Nearby, Feng Qing noticed Li Ruoshui’s changing expression and cracked her knuckles eagerly.

Li Ruoshui: “…I get along great with everyone!”

Feng Qing grinned mischievously: “So great that they’re all betting on when you’ll be gone?” Seeing Li Ruoshui speechless, she asked curiously, “Fellow Daoist Shangshan, what is your great vow to save the world? Aren’t you going to fulfill your oath while training here?”

Li Ruoshui: “No rush.” Her body’s talent was probably quite ordinary, right? After all, others reached Heart Fixing in a dozen years or even a few, while it had taken her decades. Limited aptitude meant slower progress than others, and the backlash from the Causal Vow Dao would come later too. If she couldn’t cultivate to Cave Heaven’s foundation, could she rely on the Vow Dao for ultra-long endurance? After some random thoughts, Li Ruoshui said offhandedly to the still-curious Feng Qing, “My great vow to save the world is to stabilize Return to Ruins.”

Feng Qing: “?”

She rubbed her ears vigorously, suspecting she’d misheard. But seeing Li Ruoshui’s serious expression, she raised her voice: “You’re serious?” Why were all these Vow Dao cultivators’ oaths so outrageous? Though greater vows leveraged more power, they also led to quicker, more miserable deaths!

“Fellow Daoist Shangshan, you—” A thousand words turned into a long, winding sigh. Feng Qing’s brows knitted tightly. “Can I change my bet?”

Under the heavens, who dared claim they could stabilize Return to Ruins? It had existed since the Tianyan era began—Dao’s positive and negative depended on each other; Return to Ruins could not be eradicated. Fellow Daoist Shangshan was an independent cultivator without guidance. If she had a sect, she wouldn’t take this path!

Li Ruoshui saw Feng Qing’s expression and knew exactly what she was thinking.

Stabilizing Return to Ruins was ambitious, but not about utterly destroying it—rather, resolving the Lord of Return to Ruins born from it, which bore the duty of world-ending apocalypse.

Li Ruoshui blinked: “Feng Qing Fellow Daoist, if you pity me, treat me better. Like that bet—don’t take a single coin.”

Feng Qing coughed: “Fellow Daoist Shangshan, true to your name as the world’s foremost good. You sacrifice for the Nine Provinces, generously giving your life—you’re a model for us all. You—”

Li Ruoshui didn’t bother stopping Feng Qing and turned to leave. Now that she’d entered the Universe One Qi Palm, she needed to temper it in battle, and Ruin Spirits were her best choice.

At first, the Ruin Spirits appeared in beast forms, not too high-level. Li Ruoshui could handle them with the Spring Breeze Rain Transformation Art alone. But gradually, their appearances changed. After half a month in the valley, a goose-yellow figure appeared outside. The newcomer was quite young, adorned with jade pendants, red lips and white teeth, smiling radiantly—around Heart Fixing First Layer cultivation.

Upon seeing Li Ruoshui and the others, she performed a dao salute and introduced herself: “Joy Sect’s Guan Jingming.” She gazed at Feng Qing with a half-smile, paused for a few breaths, then said, “By order of Senior Sister Feng, I’m here to collect the 3,639 Spirit Jade Pills that Fellow Daoist Feng Qing owes my Joy Sect.”

Li Ruoshui: “?”

Feng Qing: “…”

Li Ruoshui whispered: “You really owe the Joy Sect money?”

Feng Qing’s eyes flickered guiltily: “No.” Neither she nor Li Ruoshui approached the person, instead asking, “Where’s your Tianyan Mirror? Add as friends?”

The person showed a hint of regret and sighed: “On the road, I fought Ruin Spirits, and my Universe Pouch was completely destroyed. I don’t have the Tianyan Mirror on me now.”

Li Ruoshui hadn’t seen Ruin Spirits but knew high-level ones could mimic perfectly. Cultivators often died not from defeat, but deception by their illusions. She exchanged a glance with Feng Qing and said politely, “If Fellow Daoist has no Tianyan Mirror, we must ask you to leave.” They couldn’t tell if the person had truly lost it or if it was a Ruin Spirit ploy.

The person raised her eyes: “Once Fellow Daoist Feng Qing repays the Spirit Jade Pills, I’ll leave.”

Unfortunately, the richest of the three, Yao Changliu, was still in seclusion. Li Ruoshui and Feng Qing were dirt poor. They exchanged a look, eyes gleaming with cleverness.

Without a word, they attacked. Thunderous sword cries and whistling winds filled the valley instantly. The person was prepared too—her right hand flicked, and a lotus flower drifted from her sleeve. It left heavy petal shadows in the air, turning real in an instant and blooming spectacularly.

“Fellow Daoist Shangshan, careful—it’s an illusion!”

As soon as Feng Qing spoke, Li Ruoshui knew it was an illusion.

The fragrant lotus turned into a mountain of piled Spirit Jade Pills in her eyes, silently tempting her forward.

But how could she possibly be that rich?

Visible but nonexistent—it was just taunting her!

Li Ruoshui felt deeply annoyed. She channeled the Universe One Qi Palm and slapped down like that mountain of pills! With a boom, the pills shattered like debris, but instantly morphed into razor-sharp petals swirling with killing intent! Li Ruoshui’s eyes sharpened. The Universe One Qi Palm excelled in brute force. Facing countless illusory petals, she urged her mana, sending a skyful of water droplets splashing onto them, clashing head-on.

She sensed a stagnant force. With a cold laugh, she wasn’t afraid to compete in mana. After all, the Causal Vow Dao had pushed her to peak Heart Fixing First Layer, opening twelve Law Apertures—not necessarily inferior to Second or even Third Layer cultivators. Lower dantian’s Law Apertures were forged with drugs; fuller aperture flames meant more and larger openings, but greater pain too—many waited until Third Layer to focus on them.

Raindrops dotted the petals, pushing them outward relentlessly. A few breaths later, with a bang, the petals shattered first under the force. But the rain’s momentum weakened too, leaving little by the time it reached the person. No matter—Feng Qing’s sword struck! Thunder flashed, lightning streaked, and blood splashed three feet in an instant.

A foul stench spread through the valley.

After Feng Qing’s sword beheaded her, the corpse on the ground rapidly changed. The shriveled skin clinging to white bones resembled tree bark dotted with brown spots; its flesh and essence long exhausted.

Li Ruoshui’s pupils contracted sharply, brows furrowing tightly. This was human after all, unlike the beast forms before—the impact hit harder.

Feng Qing said nothing, took a breath, then dropped her enemy sword to the ground. It dug a pit at blinding speed.

After burying their fellow daoist’s remains, Li Ruoshui and Feng Qing fell silent.

After some quiet reflection, Li Ruoshui took out her Tianyan Mirror and asked Chen Buyan: “If a Ruin Spirit fully replaces a person, does it continue that person’s life?”

Chen Buyan: “Encountered a fellow daoist corrupted by a Ruin Spirit? In a sense, it’s a continuation of life. But Ruin Spirits are born from Return to Ruins—Dao’s antithesis, destined to turn malevolent.”

“The best we can do is collect their bones and grant them release.”

“Fellow Daoist Shangshan, vital energy has been dense lately, but Ruin Spirits from the Return to Ruins Gaps are more active too. Be careful with everything. For cultivation questions, feel free to ask me.”

After chatting a bit with Chen Buyan, Li Ruoshui’s heavy mood lightened somewhat. Hearing Chen Buyan’s generosity, she joked, “Fellow Daoist, why not lecture at the Immortal Altar?” She’d checked it out—many Nascent Souls or even Cave Heaven daoists from the Three Saints Academy lectured for Nine Provinces cultivators, but Chen Buyan wasn’t on the roster.

A while later, Chen Buyan replied: “You think I should go to the Immortal Altar too?”

“Too”? Was Chen Buyan pressured? Or morally blackmailed? Rejecting PUA started with her—Li Ruoshui replied: “It all depends on your own will, Fellow Daoist.”

Chen Buyan: “I don’t like it much, but my senior sisters have high hopes for me.”

Chatting with a netizen, Li Ruoshui had no reservations. Her survival philosophy wasn’t righteous but kept her alive: “Fellow Daoist, no need to shoulder others’ expectations. If you don’t like it, don’t go. So what if you meet theirs? Like the Taiyi Sect Master, Kyushu’s white moonlight—didn’t she still die in battle in the Return to Ruins Realm? Besides, if the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up.” Li Ruoshui sighed over Sect Master Lian Rusu’s fate. Was it really necessary to go that far?

Chen Buyan: “?”

In Taiyi Sect.

Lian Rusu pressed her lips tight, pondering Li Ruoshui’s word “future.” Suddenly, she noticed Li Ruoshui’s name seal dimming—not from intent withdrawal, but forceful interference. Lian Rusu’s eyes sharpened. Checking Chu Jiangkuo, Xie Chaosheng, and others at the Path of No Return, all were the same.

Something had happened in the Path of No Return!