“Reliable sources say Ji Canglang didn’t stay in Taiyi Sect willingly. She was beaten into submission—one punch from that person was enough to make her suffer.”
Feng Qing made no effort to hide her schadenfreude.
Li Ruoshui’s attention lingered briefly on the love-hate entanglements between Canglang and Xie Chaosheng before she asked Feng Qing, “What happened at Demonic Prison Heavenly Palace?”
Feng Qing replied, “You’re quite perceptive. If you’re so concerned about major events in the world, why not join the Immortal Dao Seven Sects?”
Li Ruoshui shot back, “Good question. When are you going to return my Spirit Jade Pills?”
Feng Qing swiftly changed the subject. “Ji Qingye has taken control of Demonic Prison Heavenly Palace. She doesn’t just want the palace’s power; she’s also consolidating the demonic path’s forces. Any demonic cultivator who refuses to submit to the palace is executed outright. Fellow Daoists in the Dharma Realm are buzzing with discussion, speculating that Demonic Prison Heavenly Palace might set its sights on the Immortal Dao Seven Sects.”
Li Ruoshui frowned. Fine, another event not mentioned in the plot. The demonic path’s full integration was supposed to happen when Canglang returned to Demonic Prison Heavenly Palace and claimed the throne as Demon Venerable. Was Ji Qingye getting an early start on this, leaving her no time to deal with Canglang? Or had she never intended to kill her in the first place?
Li Ruoshui asked again, “What do you all think?”
Feng Qing said, “There’s no deep-seated hatred between the demonic and immortal paths, and there’s no sign that Ji Qingye has been corrupted by Ruin Spirits—the rumors in the Dharma Realm are just that. My master says the demonic path is too scattered; uniting it and directing it toward the Return to Ruins Realm is a good thing. With vital energy so abundant in the world right now, it’s the perfect time for cultivation.”
Li Ruoshui pondered this. She browsed the Dharma Realm and saw that some demonic sect members were indeed wailing like ghosts and howling like wolves, but the fact that they could even “go online” meant things weren’t completely dire. If the entire demonic path were fiercely resistant, the Dharma Realm would be filled with scenes of bloody brutality.
The Empire’s Nation-Securing Chart had collapsed, anomalies had appeared on the Path of No Return, and Demonic Prison Heavenly Palace was making covert moves… The signs of the world-ending tribulation were growing ever clearer. Yet she still lacked any real sense of involvement.
First, she needed to advance her cultivation to the Fixed Heart Third Layer and slay Ruin Spirits to fulfill this phase’s “minor vow.” As for forming her Golden Core—that could wait until she found Five Stone Marrow and cultivated the Perfect Golden Body to its second layer, matching her current level of cultivation. Forming the core required unifying the three apertures; one’s vital energy had to be perfectly complete and without leaks. The more vigorous the vital energy within during core formation, the stronger the resulting Golden Core. The Vow Dao would likely ensure a painless process, but how much energy leaked would depend on her own efforts.
With her mind made up, Li Ruoshui devoted her full attention to slaying the Ruin Spirits wandering the Path of No Return. Her cultivation progressed like grinding monsters in a game for experience—once she’d accumulated enough, she effortlessly broke through the barrier and stepped into the Fixed Heart Third Layer. She didn’t even need to use mana to refine her apertures; all thirty-six Law Apertures storing spiritual power opened fully, and a Dharma seed silently hung in the vital sea of her lower dantian.
By the time she left the Path of No Return, it was already autumn of the following year.
The Taiyi Daoists guarding the path were all unfamiliar faces. They checked Li Ruoshui’s identity, confirmed she hadn’t been corrupted by Ruin Spirits, and let her pass.
Autumn winds wafted gently, fallen leaves filling the ditches.
Li Ruoshui’s mood was relaxed. Compared to a year ago, her savings of Spirit Jade Pills weren’t much, but they were enough to get by. She’d also learned a few divine abilities. Though still at the “elementary school” level compared to Golden Core or Nascent Soul cultivators, at least she no longer had to go back to farming.
Her next goal was Five Stone Marrow.
The so-called “Five Stones” were purple quartz, white quartz, red stone resin, stalactite, and elixir mountain stone. Any one of them was a cheap, commonplace item, but adding the word “marrow” changed everything. Five Stone Marrow was the essence born from these five stones, requiring them to grow together. Major sects and great clans could cultivate their own Five Stones to produce marrow for practice, while those with Spirit Jade Pills could buy it at great expense from the Immortal Market.
Wild cultivators like Li Ruoshui had no choice but to head to places where the Five Stones naturally coexisted and harvest it themselves.
Conveniently, there was such an island in the East Sea where the Five Stones grew naturally—Tianyun Island.
Before setting out, Li Ruoshui made at least a token effort at preparation.
There were too many islands at sea, and unknown entities lurked on many without detailed records. Tianyun Island had some fame due to the Five Stone Marrow, but mentions of it in the Dharma Realm were still sparse. Li Ruoshui only knew it lay within the Empire’s sphere of influence.
After a moment’s thought, she poked her encyclopedia of a best friend.
“Tianyun Island itself holds no particular dangers, though you might run into other herb gatherers and have to compete with them.”
“Is Fellow Daoist Shangshan planning to harvest Five Stone Marrow? The best time is during the purple qi from the east—use a Golden Wind Jade Dew Plate to collect it. Otherwise, at other times or with other vessels, the medicinal potency will suffer.”
Li Ruoshui: …What’s a Golden Wind Jade Dew Plate? How much does it cost? Her eyelid twitched as she quickly searched the Tianyan Mirror. The vessel came from Tianyan Sect cultivators and was often used by major sects and clans to hold spiritual fruits for guests. One cost about a hundred Spirit Jade Pills, though it was rather ugly.
Unfortunately, Li Ruoshui was too poor to prioritize aesthetics.
“Where is Fellow Daoist Shangshan now?” Chen Buyan, considering Li Ruoshui’s predicament, offered to send her one.
Li Ruoshui instantly grew wary. In online chats, revealing your location was taboo—even with a close friend, she couldn’t fully let her guard down.
She politely declined Chen Buyan’s kindness, sold some herbs she’d dug up on the Path of No Return, and bought the cheapest Golden Wind Jade Dew Plate.
High-level cultivators could fly directly to small islands in the East Sea.
But at Fixed Heart Third Layer, even with Carefree Wander, Li Ruoshui couldn’t cross the East Sea’s islands in one go. She gritted her teeth and spent nearly a thousand Spirit Jade Pills to rent a Dragon Boat from a shipping company—that was after haggling.
Others talked of Spirit Jade Pills in the millions; she had to count them one by one.
So her best friend’s “million” wasn’t actually that much, was it?
The Dragon Boat was luxurious and imposing, with a three-story tower pavilion. Its pillars were lacquered vermilion, carved with dragons and phoenixes so lifelike they seemed ready to fly. Golden bells under the eaves swayed gently, emitting a clear chime, but it was soon drowned out by the roaring endless waves upon entering the sea. What truly measured the boat’s worth were the formations engraved upon it; the one Li Ruoshui rented matched her Fixed Heart Third Layer cultivation and could withstand a strike from a cultivator at that level.
The great vessel cleaved through wind and waves. Even at full speed, it would take three days to reach Tianyun Island.
Li Ruoshui didn’t need to steer it personally. After squeezing out the Spirit Jade Pills from her mind, she sat in the tower pavilion, meditating in peace.
Autumn winds stirred the waves, the bright moon shone like flowing silk.
Li Ruoshui circulated the Supreme Profound Penetration Scripture, her vital energy gradually becoming rounded and full. Suddenly, a sharp whoosh came from outside, as if some heavy object had struck the Dragon Boat. Li Ruoshui’s eyes snapped open, flashing with cold lightning. Her best friend had said Ruin Spirits were rare here, but rival cultivators might appear.
A midnight sneak attack, sneaky and underhanded—not a good sign! Li Ruoshui leaped from the tower, channeled her mana, raised her hand, and struck. A clear, limpid light gleamed even brighter under the moonlight, utterly transcendent. With a bang, it seized the attacker outside the boat and dragged it aboard.
It was a strange beast with a collar tag around its neck, the inscription blurred and unreadable—no telling who owned it.
There were thousands of great paths, including beast-taming cultivators who specialized in commanding yao beasts in battle.
Li Ruoshui sneered coldly. She showed no mercy to enemies, twisting the beast’s neck and tossing it into the sea.
She didn’t resume meditation but stood at the bow with hands behind her back, gazing at the clear moonlight. A gentle breeze stirred, her robes fluttering; her mind gradually cleared to serene clarity.
Li Ruoshui remained vigilant through the night, but after the beast’s inexplicable assault, nothing else happened. Still, her heart stayed tense—the beast had an owner, and she didn’t believe they wouldn’t seek revenge.
She was right. Around noon, a massive, hideous, disheveled-haired Daoist riding two azure great serpents burst from the shadows. His eyes, like copper bells, fixed deadly on Li Ruoshui, his voice booming like thunder: “You’re the one who killed my strange beast?” Without waiting for her answer, he bellowed and whipped up wind and waves.
Li Ruoshui didn’t want to judge by appearances, but the man’s brutish, ugly look and his readiness to fight at the drop of a hat made it hard not to feel disgust. His aura was strong, but his cultivation was only Fixed Heart Realm. The odds of dealing with him were high—but why fight personally when she’d paid to rent this Dragon Boat? Ignoring the Daoist, Li Ruoshui urged the boat forward, accelerating to ram straight at him.
The Daoist was startled and leaped into the air, his feet pressing off the azure serpents.
The Dragon Boat sliced like a sharp sword, brutally parting waves dozens of feet high. Wind and water roared like ten thousand raging beasts; towering waves crashed viciously back into the sea, kicking up a tumult of spray.
Li Ruoshui, standing at the bow, remained utterly dry.
The Daoist sneered, “You think this Dragon Boat can withstand a few attacks?” A pale yellow light shot from his sleeve toward the front.
Li Ruoshui peered closely and saw a shuttle-shaped strange insect speeding ahead, its power concentrated at a single point—enough to pierce the boat’s formations on impact. She frowned slightly, a cold light flashing in her eyes as she unleashed the Universe One Qi Palm fiercely at the insect. She followed with the Spring Breeze Rain Transformation Art, using mana to evaporate seawater into mist. In an instant, a vast fog enveloped the sea, shrouding the Dragon Boat and the brutish Daoist.
Visibility hampered in the fog, the Daoist sneered mockingly and flung a luminous pearl from his sleeve. But in that split second, Li Ruoshui unleashed a swath of blazing fire profound light. The tyrannical technique roared with a piercing sizzle, flames erupting as it instantly engulfed the pearl. The scorching afterflames surged onto the Daoist, eroding a huge swath of his protective true qi. Alarm chilled his heart, and he instantly thought of retreat. His lifebound spirit beast wasn’t with him, and he wasn’t alone here—why fight to the bitter end?
Li Ruoshui had watched his every move; how could she let him escape easily? Taiyi Blazing Fire Profound Light swept forward, unstoppable. She deliberately left a gap, luring him to flee through it. Sure enough, the Daoist dodged the flames and burst from the fog—only to slam headfirst into a hazy green expanse. The Universe One Qi Palm smashed down amid a chilling crack of bones. Li Ruoshui arched a brow with a smile and tossed the half-dead Daoist onto the deck.
