Chapter 22: “Bring Her to Me.”

Fuyun Sect.

A shadow returned with news.

Immortal Venerable Daoling sat before a chessboard, playing against himself.

Only after the shadow finished recounting the entire event did the corner of his mouth curve up slightly. A smile that didn’t reach his eyes appeared. “So that’s how it is. Immortal Venerable Yuan Yi has truly played a masterful hand.”

The shadow then asked, “What is our next move?”

“Naturally, courtesy demands reciprocity.” Immortal Venerable Daoling spoke. “Prepare a generous gift for this seat and deliver it to Tianzhu Peak.”

As his words fell, the black piece in his hand landed. The white pieces were instantly decimated.

The shadow bowed. “Yes.”

“Who exactly could it be, to be so cruel and lawless?”

Ling Jiancheng pulled the white cloth back over the corpse’s face, his expression grim.

Fuyun Sect had received a report from villagers at the foot of the mountain, claiming that a bloodthirsty fiendish devil had appeared in their village. He had been dispatched by the sect to investigate this case.

Upon arriving at Zhuangan Village, before even getting close to the small courtyard, the thick stench wafting from inside made him wrinkle his brow.

After entering the courtyard, he was even more shocked.

The extent of the bloodiness at the scene exceeded his imagination. Both corpses were in a horrifically mutilated state, too gruesome to behold.

The deceased had died under a chaotic flurry of blades, their original features unrecognizable. An extremely heavy Evil Qi still lingered in the courtyard, unlikely to dissipate for days.

Another Fuyun Sect inner disciple stood behind him, agreeing upon hearing this: “If that’s the case, it is indeed a devilish haunting.”

A rough-looking man fell to his knees with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly towards Ling Jiancheng and the other two. “Immortal Masters! You must eliminate the Devil Boss and avenge my brother!”

Outside the courtyard, the onlooking villagers were buzzing with discussion.

Ling Jiancheng waved his hand, and Pang Er was lifted by an invisible force, unable to bow further.

You Ying, the inner disciple behind him, reassured the villagers: “Everyone, please rest assured. We Immortal Sect disciples naturally take Eliminating Devils and Defending the Dao as our duty. We will not allow the fiend to roam free beyond the law!”

Ling Jiancheng asked Pang Er, “Do you have any clues about this Devil Boss?”

Pang Er, as if grasping a life-saving straw, loudly answered: “Yes! A bandit stronghold! There’s a bandit stronghold on the mountain. That fiendish devil must be hiding inside the stronghold!”

Ling Jiancheng exchanged a glance with Junior Brother You Ying, then asked again: “Where is this bandit stronghold?”

Pang Er told him everything he knew.

Leaving the small courtyard, Ling Jiancheng instructed You Ying: “Go ask around in the village, see if there are any other clues.”

You Ying and Ling Jiancheng worked in tacit understanding. Before Ling Jiancheng even finished his sentence, a look passed between them, and You Ying understood his implication.

Before long, You Ying returned and reported to Ling Jiancheng in a low voice: “Everyone in the village tells the exact same story.”

Ling Jiancheng mused: “Then we shall go up the mountain to take a look.”

You Ying smiled upon hearing this. “Even if there really is a devil hiding on the mountain, it won’t escape Senior Brother’s fiery, discerning eyes.”

Ling Jiancheng and You Ying left the village.

A moment later, several shadows darted through the forest, following the two at a distance, neither too close nor too far.

In the jungle, branches and leaves rustled. A cool breeze rippled beneath the trees.

A woman in purple garments walked up the mountain, stopping at the foot of an attic at the peak.

The mountain wind stirred the bamboo blinds of the attic and also swung the half-pendant of a dark red yin-yang fish symbol below her left earlobe.

Her sleeves fluttered lightly as she knelt on one knee with a respectful expression, bowing her head in a grand salute towards the indistinct figure behind the bamboo blinds. “Subordinate Jiang Ying kowtows to the Devil Lord. May I ask what instructions the Devil Lord has for summoning this subordinate?”

“Only you?” A woman’s voice came from behind the blinds, its timbre obscure. “Where is Lei Shuang?”

Jiang Ying truthfully reported: “The Right Protector is traveling in Tianchen, saying she is going to meet an old friend. Her whereabouts are uncertain. The message likely hasn’t reached her yet.”

“It seems the disciples of the sect have become increasingly lax after this seat went into seclusion.”

Jiang Ying bowed her head even lower. “It is this subordinate’s poor management. Please punish me, Devil Lord.”

The person behind the blinds was silent for a moment, then shook her head. “No matter. You alone are more than capable.”

Jiang Ying listened carefully.

“Yuanqing had one direct disciple, named Ren Qingyue.” The Devil Lord strummed the guqin on her table, producing a clear, ringing sound. “Go quickly and verify for this seat whether the Soul-Condensing Bead is on this woman.”

Hearing Immortal Venerable Yuanqing’s name spoken so abruptly, Jiang Ying froze for an instant.

When the words “Soul-Condensing Bead” left the Devil Lord’s mouth, she lowered her eyelashes, her attitude reverent. “Yes, this subordinate will investigate immediately.”

Jiang Ying rose, and just as she was about to take her leave, she suddenly remembered something and paused her steps.

The person upstairs caught her instant of hesitation. “Do you have more to report?”

Jiang Ying pressed her thin lips together, hesitating no longer. “This subordinate recently heard a rumor concerning Immortal Venerable Yuanqing.”

The sound of the qin from the attic paused slightly. The woman’s voice drifted down. “Let’s hear it.”

Jiang Ying then said: “Not long ago, because the Immortal Sect Disciple Assembly is about to commence, Fuyun Sect sent that child Yuanqing brought back from the mortal world three hundred years ago down the mountain for training.”

“It is rumored this child has half Devil Clan blood. Fuyun Sect has kept this strictly secret until now. Their actions this time seem somewhat strange to this subordinate. I don’t know what Fuyun Sect is plotting behind the scenes.”

The woman in the attic suddenly opened her eyes, a sharp glint flashing through her pupils.

“Is this true?”

Jiang Ying replied: “Yes. This subordinate already sent people to verify. Among the disciples sent out from Tianzhu Peak, there is indeed a child with innate deficiency, unable to cultivate, whose words and actions are vastly different from other Immortal Sect disciples.”

After she finished speaking, a long silence came from the attic.

Jiang Ying waited patiently.

After another moment, the woman in the attic finally spoke. “Bring her to me.”

“This place is really remote. How did that guy even find it?”

The speaker was dressed like a wandering hero, a straight-bladed Tang sword held in her arms. A blue outfit, neat and efficient, with the right half of a bright yellow yin-yang fish symbol hanging from her right ear.

She used the scabbard to shield herself from the sunlight as she looked up the mountain.

The mountain was high and the path treacherous, taking advantage of the terrain—a good place that was easy to defend and hard to attack.

“The terrain’s not bad, just a bit hard to climb.”

On the way up, she passed through a forest. The woods were lush, the sound of insects chirping incessantly.

Lei Shuang’s nose twitched. She smelled an unusual fragrance, and her eyes immediately lit up. “Remote places have their benefits too. Just walking along the road, you can find a treasure.”

As her words ended, her figure vanished from the spot, reappearing in the blink of an eye over thirty meters away, under an ancient tree.

This tree was tall and large, its thick canopy providing deep shade, towering into the clouds.

She tapped the tree trunk with her scabbard.

With a thud, a golden, glittering fruit fell from the dense branches and leaves, dropping straight down towards the person under the tree.

Lei Shuang reached out to catch it.

She grabbed empty air.

A fair, clean hand, but thin as a bamboo pole, reached over from above her head and intercepted her prize.

“?”

Lei Shuang looked up.

She saw a girl with delicate features, yet her face still held an immature air, dressed in tattered clothes, hanging upside down from a branch of a nearby tree, having snatched her spirit fruit.

The girl’s thick, jet-black hair hung down like a waterfall, the ends even brushing against Lei Shuang’s shoulder.

Crunch.

The child, in that very posture, brought the fruit to her mouth and chewed noisily, her cheeks puffing out like a little squirrel’s.

Lei Shuang was astonished. “You, you’re eating it directly?!”

A mutated Bodhi Fruit—at least Fourth Tier—with violently potent medicinal properties. It couldn’t be eaten raw without at least Nascent Soul Realm cultivation.

The girl chewed the fruit in her mouth, ignoring her. She flipped herself back onto the branch, moving like a monkey, jumping from this tree to that, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Lei Shuang was stunned for a moment before suddenly reacting.

This child had appeared out of nowhere, silent and without a trace—she hadn’t even detected her!

Seeing Yan Zhao getting away, she quickly stepped forward in pursuit. “Hey! You little brat! You stole my thing, you have to pay for it!”

Yan Zhao ran far. The little fox darted out from her arms, peering back over her shoulder.

In its large, dark green eyes was an unbelievable shock.

That woman just now…

No doubt about it, she was from the Devil Sect!

Yan Zhao hopped and skipped back to the bandit stronghold. At the gate, she ran into Bi Lan and Ah Ling.

Bi Lan had already taken her leave from Feng Jin. Ah Ling was seeing her off at the stronghold gate.

“Take care on the road, Immortal Master Bi.”

Bi Lan nodded, holding up her compass. “The mountains are high and the rivers long. We will meet again if fate allows.”

With those words, she turned around.

Just as she was about to head down the mountain, she saw Yan Zhao in the distance, darting back up the mountain path like a rabbit.

Ah Ling, seeing Bi Lan stop, followed her gaze, then looked surprised. “When did Miss Yan run out?”

Bi Lan shook her head. She didn’t know either.

Then she heard Ah Ling mutter, “She actually knows to come back. Could it be she knew Miss Bi was leaving and rushed back specially to see you off?”

Bi Lan’s gaze flickered, and a smile touched the corner of her lips.

Whoosh—

Yan Zhao ran past them like a gust of wind and disappeared into the stronghold in a flash.

Ah Ling and Bi Lan: “…”

Bi Lan said helplessly, “Miss Ah Ling, I take my leave here. No need to see me further.”

Ah Ling also felt awkward and scratched the back of her head. “Mm-hmm, farewell, Immortal Master Bi.”

Bi Lan bid farewell and walked slowly down the mountain path.

Along the way, she encountered an unfamiliar hiker.

The person was looking around as she walked. As they passed each other, Bi Lan’s Divine Soul trembled. She felt an extremely obscure yet powerful spiritual pressure.

Bi Lan lowered her eyes, remaining calm and collected, continuing down the mountain.

“Hey there, young lady!” A light call came from behind.

The voice was clearly several steps away, yet in an instant, the speaker appeared right in front of Bi Lan.

Bi Lan stopped, feeling an invisible force pressing down on her shoulders, rooting her heels to the ground. Cold sweat immediately seeped from her palms.

That blue-clad woman was smiling. Her eyes swept over the style of Bi Lan’s robes. “You’re a Fuyun Sect disciple?”

Bi Lan couldn’t avoid her gaze. She didn’t know this woman’s identity or intentions, but based on that overwhelming cultivation base, she couldn’t afford to offend her.

She responded, “Yes.”

The woman clicked her tongue, her expression meaningful. But she didn’t make things difficult for Bi Lan because of her Fuyun Sect identity. Instead, she continued asking, “Since you came down from the mountain, you must know there’s a stronghold up there?”

Bi Lan: “Yes.”

“What’s the name of the Stronghold Leader?”

Bi Lan hesitated. But meeting the woman’s smiling gaze, her back was quickly soaked with cold sweat.

She had no choice but to answer. “Feng Jin.”

“Hmm.” The woman’s lips curved up. Her gaze swept over the compass in Bi Lan’s hand. She asked another question. “What is your connection to the Xuanyuan Clan, the artifact refining family of Nanchuan?”

Bi Lan’s face instantly changed color.

Seeing her not answer, the woman seemed to have already figured out the answer. She suddenly burst out laughing.

Bi Lan felt a chill run down her spine.

The woman raised a hand and snapped her fingers. The force binding Bi Lan instantly vanished.

A breeze blew up from the foot of the mountain.

By the time Bi Lan could feel the mountain wind’s chill, the woman had already disappeared from sight.

Bi Lan’s throat moved. She curled her fingers, gripping the compass tightly.

Feng Jin sat cross-legged on the wooden couch, her spirit bow resting on her knees. She held a brocade cloth, carefully wiping it.

Suddenly, the void trembled. Feng Jin’s hand, wiping the bow, stopped.

A blue silhouette appeared without warning, sitting down at the table. The yin-yang fish symbol pendant by her ear swayed gently.

She reached out and grabbed the teapot from the table, pouring herself a cup.

“I’m absolutely parched. Apart from Fog Devil Ravine, this broken mountain of yours is the hardest to find.” The woman spoke, drinking deeply from the teacup like a horse, then turned her head to look at Feng Jin. “To actually hide out in a place like this. Are you that afraid of being found by me?”