Chapter 24 Part 1

The Demon Snare Heavenly Net was a superior-grade dharma treasure, but even among the immortal sects, someone had brought along a Wave-Breaker Cone capable of tearing through the net.

After Li Ruoshui and Feng Qing seized the chance to dart in another direction, the immortal sect’s Daoist unleashed the Wave-Breaker Cone. At first, the demonic cultivators remained highly vigilant, doing everything in their power to intercept and prevent the sabotage of the Demon Snare Heavenly Net.

Precisely because of this, only a single Fixed Heart Third Layer demonic cultivator had been dispatched to guard Xie Chaosheng and Cang Lang.

The immortal sect Daoist managed to find an opening and activated the Wave-Breaker Cone. But not only did the immortal sect Daoist not anticipate it—even the demonic cultivators hadn’t expected that the Wave-Breaker Cone failed to breach the Demon Snare Heavenly Net.

Had they known the Wave-Breaker Cone couldn’t destroy the Demon Snare Heavenly Net, they never would have wasted time here. Yet due to that one moment of miscalculation, reinforcements arrived too late, allowing Li Ruoshui, Feng Qing, and the others to snatch Xie Chaosheng and Cang Lang away.

“Changbai Valley is still sealed tight. Those people can’t escape. Let’s keep searching.” When the demonic cultivators learned that Cang Lang had been rescued, they seethed with regret and hatred. Regret was useless, however; they could only try to salvage the situation. But what they didn’t realize was that their golden opportunity had already slipped away. With Feng Qing, the master digger, and Yao Changliu, who could brew medicines to conceal traces, they had no way to track Cang Lang’s aura for the time being.

Outside Changbai Valley, two Cave Heaven Realm cultivators had already arrived.

However, Lian Rusu and Chu Jiangkuo hadn’t come for the demonic cultivators. Instead, they were pursuing the trail left by that ruin spirit, which had appeared on the anomalous Path of No Return. When they forced the ruin spirit out, Lian Rusu’s sword light not only drove it into the open but also incidentally tore through the Demon Snare Heavenly Net.

Though that ruin spirit had reached the Cave Heaven Realm, its realm was unstable, and its combat prowess was lacking. Once it realized its trail had been exposed, it fled toward the core of the Path of No Return, attempting to slip back into the Return to Ruins Realm through the Return to Ruins Gap before Lian Rusu and Chu Jiangkuo could slay it. But the Return to Ruins Gap was riddled with formations; how could one freely traverse the rifts born from clashing positive and negative energies? Before the ruin spirit could return, two streaks of sword light hurtled forth, one after the other, churning it into pieces and severing it in two.

Inside Changbai Valley.

With the Demon Snare Heavenly Net torn by sword qi, communication with the outside world was restored. The immortal sect Daoist immediately called for backup and reported the despicable deeds of the demonic sect cultivators. At this point, the demonic cultivators knew they had botched everything—not only had they failed to deal with Cang Lang, but they’d also made enemies of the immortal sect Daoists. Still, they remained defiant, insisting that in the Return to Ruins Gap, it was all about skill. They might have been a bit unscrupulous, but they hadn’t violated any taboos of the Nine Provinces.

Given Feng Qing’s temperament, she would have jumped straight into a flame war with the demonic cultivators on the Dharma Realm forums. But at that moment, as she eyed Xie Chaosheng, whom Li Ruoshui had hauled out, her face flushed with excitement, her eyes gleaming. She pulled out a name seal from her creditor contacts, one stamped with the characters “Dan Li,” and sent a message: “Your Taiyi junior sister is in my hands. For 9,999 Spirit Jade Pills, I’ll send you the coordinates!”

Li Ruoshui rubbed the goosebumps on her arms and edged away from Feng Qing. “What are you grinning about?” Her mind remained on high alert, unrelaxed toward their surroundings. She vaguely sensed something off, but couldn’t grasp that fleeting thought.

Feng Qing held up the Tianyan Mirror and showed Li Ruoshui the flamboyantly scrawled message.

The Daoist named “Dan Li” promptly transferred ten thousand Spirit Jade Pills to Feng Qing, along with a note: “Three hundred and sixty-seven times.”

Li Ruoshui read it aloud, puzzled. “Is this some kind of code?”

“Oh, no.” Feng Qing casually stowed the Tianyan Mirror, chuckling merrily. “It’s how many times she wants to beat me.”

Li Ruoshui: “…” What kind of weirdos used swords? Could getting beaten make someone this happy?

The plot hadn’t mentioned anyone named “Dan Li,” nor did Li Ruoshui remember her. But earlier, she’d heard Feng Qing mention that Dan Li was Chu Jiangkuo’s personal disciple. Since they didn’t know each other, there was no need to avoid her.

Less than the time it took to brew a cup of tea later, a streak of escaping light shot through the sky. A dashing Daoist emerged from the blinding radiance. She verified her identity with the Tianyan Mirror, then shot a cold glare at the smirking Feng Qing. When her gaze shifted to Xie Chaosheng, her expression abruptly chilled.

Yao Changliu whispered, “No more danger to her life.”

Dan Li: “Thank you.” She turned to Feng Qing, her body radiating icy menace, awaiting an explanation.

Feng Qing shrugged. “The demonic cultivators did it.” She sized up Dan Li and laughed brazenly. “You Taiyi folks even meddle in other sects’ affairs? You dare shelter Ji Canglang?”

Dan Li’s eyes sharpened. “Hm?”

Li Ruoshui, lost in thought nearby, slapped her forehead. She finally remembered what felt wrong! During the earthquake, they’d fled but forgotten Cang Lang inside! She pointed. “Cang Lang’s still in the cave.” Seeing Feng Qing’s indifferent, too-lazy-to-dig attitude, Li Ruoshui fell silent, not wanting to go either.

Feng Qing: “Cang Lang is Xie Daoist’s friend.”

This concerned the Young Lord of the Demonic Prison Heavenly Palace. Even muddled as she was, Dan Li couldn’t ignore it entirely. Already at Golden Core cultivation, she urged her dharma sword forward and flew toward the cave Li Ruoshui had indicated. Amid bangs and crashes, it wasn’t long before the sword dragged out a bruised and swollen Cang Lang.

Just then, the demonic cultivators finally located them.

Spotting Dan Li’s figure, the lead demonic cultivator’s face changed drastically. Their group was at most Fixed Heart Third Layer—no match for her. Moreover, things had escalated; the other side surely knew demonic cultivators had attacked Taiyi disciples. After a moment’s hesitation, the demonic cultivator stepped forward with a salute. “That is our Demonic Prison Heavenly Palace’s Young Lord. We—”

Before he finished, Dan Li shot them a withering look and spat a crisp “Scram.”

Li Ruoshui observed Dan Li’s expression, knowing the situation had escalated into inter-sect dialogue. Whatever they decided for Cang Lang, it wasn’t her place to speak. She exchanged a glance with Feng Qing; they were in sync about declining Dan Li’s invitation.

Li Ruoshui feared exposing her Taiyi disciple identity; Feng Qing feared getting beaten.

First, they watched the fuming yet helpless demonic cultivators depart, then saw off Dan Li as she took the two “protagonists” away.

“Golden Core is so great. Look at Dan Li’s sword—resplendent as jade.” Feng Qing drawled enviously, chasing the sword’s trailing aura.

Li Ruoshui nodded in full agreement.

If she were that strong, would those demonic cultivators have dared act so arrogantly in front of her?

Feng Qing sighed on. “Saved from disaster. Are we lucky or unlucky?”

Li Ruoshui didn’t respond.

Those with low cultivation were mere extras in this world, pawns in fate’s game.

Yao Changliu said earnestly, “Lucky.” Her master had said those with bad luck could only serve as fertilizer.

Suddenly, a ribbon of smoke cloud streaked across the sky, manifesting myriad phenomena—like a rainbow dragon, or sword shadows shifting endlessly. Listening closely, one could hear tinkling jade pendants amid the clear, ethereal crane cries that soothed the soul. The mist gathered and dispersed, vaguely revealing a hazy, graceful figure. But no matter how one looked, it was like viewing flowers in the fog—utterly indistinct.

Li Ruoshui squinted. “Looks familiar.”

“No idea which Taiyi Sect Cave Heaven expert is out and about.” Feng Qing replied offhandedly. Seeing Li Ruoshui still staring fixedly at the smoke cloud, she added, “Of course it looks familiar. Cave Heaven phenomena. Even if they stuffed a pig inside, it’d seem ethereal as an immortal.”

Li Ruoshui: “…”

Her interest evaporated in one sentence.

She ignored the faint sense of familiarity and pulled out her Tianyan Mirror to check the Dharma Realm updates.

Cultivators looked up to the mighty. No sooner had the smoke cloud appeared than busybodies opened topics on the Tianyan Mirror. Li Ruoshui skimmed them, then spotted a self-proclaimed Taiyi Daoist saying: “It’s our Sect Master in person. Folks might not know, but two Cave Heaven ruin spirits appeared on the Path of No Return.”

The cultivators’ attention swiftly shifted to the ruin spirits; talk of the Taiyi Sect Master dwindled.

Feng Qing: “The Taiyi Sect Master almost never shows her face. Even my master rarely sees her.”

Li Ruoshui paused in surprise.

Did Heartless Dao cultivators avoid people like this?

After mulling it over without conclusion, Li Ruoshui refocused and asked Feng Qing and Yao Changliu, “What next?”

Yao Changliu was fiddling with her Tianyan Mirror. She looked up. “Master knows about the Path of No Return. She wants me back first.” Two Cave Heaven ruin spirits—solved or not—still left her wary of ending up like the Empire’s Nation-Securing Chart.

Feng Qing raised a brow. “I’m continuing my training.”

Li Ruoshui nodded. She planned to push her cultivation to Fixed Heart Third Layer on the Path of No Return before leaving. Slaying ruin spirits—which Return to Ruins Gap wouldn’t do? With Taiyi facing this crisis, vigilance would be maxed; more guards in each zone meant greater safety.

Before parting, Li Ruoshui asked Feng Qing to find a suitable secluded cave for cultivation and got some trace-concealing medicines from Yao Changliu.

She called it cultivation, but when it was time to settle her mind, Li Ruoshui failed to enter meditation.

She took out the Tianyan Mirror and gave Chen Buyan a brief explanation.

“Something happened on the Path of No Return. Messages couldn’t get out.”

“Dear friend, guess who I saw on the Path of No Return?”

Chen Buyan didn’t reply instantly.

Not until Li Ruoshui completed a full spirit energy circulation did the Tianyan Mirror respond.

“I know.”

“Which Daoist friend did you meet?”

Li Ruoshui’s gossiping mood reignited: “Taiyi Sect Master Lian Rusu! A Cave Heaven Daoist’s bearing is truly enviable. She must be here for her disciple, right? I hear Sect Master Lian cultivates the Heartless Dao—destined for ‘flowers wilting with unrequited feelings.’ Poor thing, nowhere to place that springtime heart.”

On the other end.

Lian Rusu hadn’t yet voiced her intended “Dear Daoist, one day you’ll step into Cave Heaven” when her gaze froze on the new message.

Fellow Daoist Shangshan… What did this mean? Why couldn’t she understand?

Chen Buyan didn’t reply. Li Ruoshui chattered on: “They say being a master is high-risk. Looks like it. No ‘honor the master’ beats double cultivation as partners.”

“If you don’t want your Dao heart shattered, guard against fire, theft, and disciples.”

Chen Buyan: “?”

She wasn’t sure whether to first explain she didn’t cultivate the Heartless Dao or to press for details.

But after her gossip, Li Ruoshui heartlessly cast aside the “tree hollow,” not needing a response.

“Buyan Daoist, I’m going into seclusion next.”

“If I survive, I’ll message you.”

Before ending, Li Ruoshui sent Chen Buyan a Dharma Transmission Jade Slip.

What laws did she know? She simply recalled from her past life’s memories all the annotations related to the Nanhua Scripture.

Her close friend was a Three Saints Academy true disciple; she’d surely like the scriptures.

—

After resolving the Cave Heaven ruin spirit on the Path of No Return, Lian Rusu had brought Xie Chaosheng and Cang Lang back to Taiyi Sect.

Without closely examining the jade slip Li Ruoshui sent, she heard a report that Xie Chaosheng had awakened and sought an audience.