Li Ruoshui’s cultivation was not profound enough to sense the changes in the qi flow, so she stared at the message from Chen Buyan and asked, “What’s wrong?”
But Chen Buyan, who usually replied instantly, did not respond promptly.
Perhaps she had something to attend to? After all, Fellow Daoist Chen Buyan was a core disciple of the Three Saints Academy. Li Ruoshui thought to herself and did not take Chen Buyan’s disappearance to heart. She put away the Tianyan Mirror and focused entirely on planning her training expedition.
On one hand, it fulfilled her causal vow; on the other, every Ruin Spirit slain meant one less threat to fellow Daoists.
Deep mountains loomed like barriers, capped with white snow, stretches of verdant peaks connecting endlessly.
After Li Ruoshui and Feng Qing dealt with that Ruin Spirit, there was movement at the cave where Yao Changliu had been hiding. A mist-like green smoke surged from the cave mouth, its abundant spiritual energy sweeping over the mountain’s grasses and trees, causing them to shoot up several inches in an instant. A few breaths later, the smoke dissipated, and Yao Changliu emerged from the cave, her cultivation now at the Heart Fixing Second Layer.
“Fellow Daoist Yao.” Li Ruoshui cupped her hands toward Yao Changliu, who was surveying the wreckage in the valley, and recounted the recent events. Like Li Ruoshui and the others, Yao Changliu had heard tales of the various transformations Ruin Spirits could undergo, but truly facing one would only happen after reaching the Path of No Return. After hearing Li Ruoshui’s words, she fell silent for a long while before sighing deeply.
“In the Return to Ruins Gap, the clashing forces of positive and negative qi give birth to many treasures amid the roaming Ruin Spirits. We can leave this valley, hunt Ruin Spirits on the way, and search for things that can be sold for Spirit Jade Pills,” Feng Qing suggested. She had been patrolling the outskirts earlier because both fellow Daoists were at critical points in their cultivation and could not be left unguarded. Her sword was sharp; after a sweep, few Ruin Spirits remained near the valley.
Yao Changliu softly agreed.
Li Ruoshui had no objections.
The three left the valley and flew toward the direction marked on the map where treasures were said to emerge. Less than half a shichen after setting out, they encountered a billowing yellow dust cloud laced with an ominous red glow. A fierce wind carried a thick stench of rot from the dust, as if wrapped around several rotting corpses.
Li Ruoshui’s expression sharpened as she looked up and saw a middle-aged monk in red kasaya robes, with a ferocious expression, sitting on a jagged boulder nearby. His face was bloated with rolls of fat, making his features grotesquely terrifying. In his right hand, he held a small banner flag; with a shake, it unleashed a ten-zhang yellow dust storm mingled with eerie demonic flames.
This menacing blockade left no room for questions about whether it was a Ruin Spirit. Li Ruoshui and Feng Qing moved in perfect unison, attacking the monk at once! Amid the yellow dust and poisonous flames, Yao Changliu’s combat prowess was limited, so she stayed behind them. She activated her pill-refining copper cauldron, tossing herbs from her sleeve into it. A few breaths later, milky white smoke carrying a faint medicinal fragrance billowed out like wind-swept clouds, pressing toward the monk.
Thunderous booms echoed as dharma swords darted left and right through the yellow dust and red fire. Feng Qing’s gaze was solemn, her icy sword light streaking like a rainbow piercing the sun, trailing purple thunder light.
Li Ruoshui also unleashed her Universe One Qi Palm. Amid crackling explosions, she fiercely struck at the demon monk perched on the rock.
The demon monk’s display was impressive, but its cultivation was only around the second layer. Under the trio’s combined assault, it quickly fell into decline and tried to retreat in the opposite direction. But having encountered this evil monk, how could Li Ruoshui and the others let it escape? Li Ruoshui shouted, and a resilient cyan glow wove into an airtight net, blocking the monk’s path.
The monk’s eyes bulged, bloodshot, as it yanked out its Zen staff and smashed at the continuous cyan light ahead. But the staff sank into the glow like falling into a vortex, leaving it unable to control its body. At that moment, the thunder-wrapped sword arrived; the monk dodged desperately, avoiding vital spots, but its right arm was still severed, blood spraying three chi.
Seizing the opportunity, Li Ruoshui activated her Spring Breeze Rain Transformation Art. Countless water vapors condensed into a sharp arrow that shot toward the monk’s heart with lightning speed. The monk could not evade; a gaping hole pierced straight through its chest. Feng Qing arrived from behind and urged her sword light, decapitating the monk.
Li Ruoshui gazed at the monk and murmured, “Are more cultivators being possessed by Ruin Spirits?”
Feng Qing grunted in affirmation, then said, “Let’s see what the others training in the Dharma Realm are saying.” She took out her Tianyan Mirror, but after a few breaths, she rubbed her eyes hard, her face showing shock.
“What’s wrong?” Li Ruoshui asked.
Feng Qing replied, “Fellow Daoist Shangshan, check if your Tianyan Mirror can still communicate with the others. Everything in the Dharma Realm seems to have stalled.”
Li Ruoshui pulled out her Tianyan Mirror and saw it was indeed as Feng Qing described. Yao Changliu, who had slowly moved to their side, nodded too. “The Tianyan Mirror is broken.”
“Maybe it’s disconnected?” Li Ruoshui pondered. She had mentally prepared for this upon arrival. The Return to Ruins Gap was where heaven and earth’s qi converged chaotically—not purely Tianyan nor simply Return to Ruins. A “disconnection” seemed normal in the chaos.
Feng Qing could not figure it out either and put away her Tianyan Mirror. “Let’s keep moving. The map marks Changbai Valley as rich in treasures.”
Li Ruoshui nodded. Whatever fault afflicted the Tianyan was beyond their Heart Fixing Realm cultivation; the pressure was on Taiyi Sect.
“Then to Changbai Valley,” she echoed Feng Qing. There were no Five Elements Cinnabar there, but it held spirit herbs for forging the Perfect Golden Body. The demon cultivator had provided medicines for Shedding Mortality Realm, but Heart Fixing Realm ones needed to be gathered personally—Supreme Lingzhi and Purple Thunder Chariot were both produced in Changbai Valley. Even without Feng Qing’s suggestion, she would have gone there.
At Taiyi Sect.
As soon as Lian Rusu detected anomalies in the Tianyan network, she immediately summoned Xiang Yingshou.
The Path of No Return was guarded by Chu Jiangkuo, so Xiang Yingshou was not constantly monitoring it. Upon hearing from Lian Rusu, she paled in alarm. She tried communicating with the Taiyi Daoists on the Path of No Return, but her messages sank like stones in the sea—no response.
Xiang Yingshou frowned deeply. “I’ll go there myself.” Back when the Empire’s Nation-Securing Chart had anomalies, it started with the Tianyan network being severed. The Path of No Return was Cave Heaven level, capable of harboring Cave Heaven Realm Ruin Spirits. Those in the Return to Ruins evolved constantly; a new Cave Heaven Ruin Spirit could emerge.
Xiang Yingshou added, “Junior Sister Chu is guarding it; there shouldn’t be major issues short-term. Sect Master, no need to worry.”
Lian Rusu’s thoughts wandered, still haunted by Li Ruoshui’s “prophecy.” If anomalies truly arose in the Return to Ruins, she would enter the Return to Ruins Realm to find a solution. “Is the Return to Ruins really becoming unstable? Any news from the Return to Ruins Realm side?” Lian Rusu asked.
The Return to Ruins guards rotated every century; currently, it was a Cave Heaven True Person from Three Saints Academy.
Xiang Yingshou shook her head. “I asked; the fellow Daoists there say the Return to Ruins Realm shows no anomalies.” An inexplicable sense of foreboding stirred in her heart. Had they overlooked something? She said no more, cupped her hands to Lian Rusu, and departed as a streak of escaping light. Lian Rusu stood in the dojo, watching Xiang Yingshou’s figure vanish.
Should she… leave the dojo and head to the Path of No Return as well?
