Chapter 24 Part 2

Fear didn’t stop her from hoisting the Medicine God Cauldron.

She was grateful for Zhan Yujie’s training.

Sword moves were flashy nonsense, but Cauldron Art: Smash was the real deal.

The Medicine God Cauldron whirled like a tornado in her hands. Mana surged; Cauldron Fire blazed, sparks flying like meteors at the python below.

Yan Zhichuan sniffed—mmm, charred snake meat aroma.

Her stomach growled.

The Heavenly Dao System fluttered up: “Don’t even think about eating—watch out!”

A scream pierced the air, shrill and off-key.

The demonized python was smashed to pulp, but the red light bursting from its husk was the real threat!

The snake was just a puppet—the red light was the true Demon Creature!

It struck too fast.

Yan Zhichuan couldn’t swat it away. At the last second, she popped an Iron Body Pill into her mouth.

The red light was still a snake.

It bit her arm—and chomped iron. Its fangs shattered.

Yan Zhichuan’s gut rumbled like thunder.

She glared at the demonic snake, fury rising, yanked it up, and chomped it viciously.

The Heavenly Dao System freaked: “Wait, stop—put that down!”

Why eat everything? Reincarnation of a glutton?!

But what happened next was even more horrifying.

What fell into Yan Zhichuan’s stomach wasn’t the flesh and blood of that Demon Snake, but—

Demonic qi!

A moment later, Yan Zhichuan tossed the dead snake to the ground and stomped on it viciously a couple of times. She wiped her mouth and snorted, “A mere Demon Creature—nothing impressive.”

The Heavenly Dao System: “…”

It floated heavily onto Yan Zhichuan’s shoulder, patting her face lightly with its fluffy wings.

It didn’t understand.

“Why did you absorb the demonic qi?!” The Heavenly Dao System was on the verge of bawling.

Yan Zhichuan lowered her eyelashes, the Fire Lotus Mark on her forehead flickering faintly. Her expression was utterly innocent.

After thinking for a moment, she said, “Because I’m the Daughter of Heaven’s Dao, and I bear the mission to purify demonic qi!”

The Heavenly Dao System wobbled unsteadily.

It saw a new change in Yan Zhichuan’s personal information.

The line “Seems like a person” gradually faded away.

In its place were terrifying words that nearly sent it spiraling: Demon Seed.

The Heavenly Dao System glanced at her faction again—still the despairing “Adapt as needed.”

It had bound itself to a Demon Seed to redeem the fallen Zhan Yujie?

Haha, no one needed to live anymore.

Yan Zhichuan looked puzzled. “Xiao Tian, why aren’t you talking?”

This dim Darkwater Forest was crawling with venomous snakes and insects everywhere. Walking alone like this was a bit scary!

The Heavenly Dao System spoke woodenly, brainwashing itself: “You are the Daughter of Heaven’s Dao. Your task is—”

Yan Zhichuan gave a shy smile. “I know. You don’t need to keep emphasizing how special I am—I’m afraid I’ll get arrogant. My task is to kill everyone who rubs me the wrong way and restore clarity to the heavens and earth.”

The Heavenly Dao System: “…No, your mission is to eradicate Demon Creatures.”

Yan Zhichuan was unconvinced. “What’s wrong with that? I can’t stand Demon Cultivators either!”

The Heavenly Dao System was at a loss for words.

Fine, whatever made her happy.

Dim daylight filtered through the gaps in the trees, making the forest seem even more shadowy and dim.

Ahead appeared a serene, clear body of water, drifting with many aquatic plants.

Yan Zhichuan had learned her lesson.

She hung back and used up all the herbs for refining Explosive Pills, producing several batches.

She tossed one into the water. After a few breaths, a earth-shattering explosion boomed from underwater, sending water splashing a dozen feet high.

A few hideous fish floated belly-up on the surface.

Yan Zhichuan checked her rising points and mused, “If I go around bombing fish in the water, won’t the points come in fast?”

The Heavenly Dao System: “…Save the Explosive Pills.”

These were one of the few things Yan Zhichuan had—besides that mouth of hers—with serious destructive power.

Yan Zhichuan shrugged it off. “I just had a flash of inspiration for an unprecedented and unparalleled pill.”

The Heavenly Dao System: “?”

Yan Zhichuan asked sincerely, “There are spirit pills and martial pills—why no Demon Pills?”

The Heavenly Dao System: “…There might be inheritances on the Profound Heaven Immortal Barrier side.”

Yan Zhichuan: “So the Hundred Medicines Scripture’s categorization is flawed. It doesn’t even mention Demon Pills. Does that mean anything it doesn’t like just doesn’t exist?”

The Heavenly Dao System defended, “The Shennong Hundred Medicines Scripture is a Xuanmen pharmacopoeia.”

Yan Zhichuan sighed. “Know thyself and thy enemy to win a hundred battles. The predecessors were sitting at the bottom of a well, not knowing that inclusiveness is greatness.”

The Heavenly Dao System: “…”

How would Xuanmen cultivators refine Demon Pills?

She only had ideas because she was a Demon Seed!

No, wait—why could a Demon Seed cultivate Xuanmen techniques? Had Nine Abyss Sect rebuilt her foundation and forged her an immortal body? How many heavenly treasures would that consume? Might as well have chopped her at birth.

The Heavenly Dao System said weakly, “If you refine Demon Pills, you’ll be taken for a Demon Cultivator.”

Yan Zhichuan brimmed with confidence. “Just make it look like it’s not a Demon Pill.”

The Heavenly Dao System: “…”

It could only console itself that having ideas and pulling them off were two different things. It changed the subject proactively. “Zhan Yujie is moving in the opposite direction. If you don’t go find her soon, the distance will only grow.”

Between battling over Demon Pills and finding Zhan Yujie, Yan Zhichuan decisively chose the latter.

With Zhan Yujie around, gathering the herbs she wanted would be much easier.

Yan Zhichuan hurried along and finally exited Darkwater Forest at dusk.

Along the way, she’d smashed or bitten to death at least twenty Demon Creatures.

The Heavenly Dao System watched in shock as Yan Zhichuan absorbed demonic qi, half-expecting her to demonize in this sunless forest. But she didn’t.

She grinned on the surface—not demonic, but not exactly a good person either.

“You—” The Heavenly Dao System started to speak, then stopped.

Yan Zhichuan had been in Nine Abyss Sect for so many years; she probably didn’t know her own origins.

The true masters of Nine Abyss Sect hadn’t told her the truth—perhaps out of concerns. It wouldn’t be right for it to expose her now.

“Did you point me in the wrong direction?” Yan Zhichuan didn’t notice the system’s subtle turmoil. She sounded exhausted. She’d been walking almost a full day without seeing a single soul. Could Three Ways River Ruins be some man-eating beast that devoured everyone who entered?

The Heavenly Dao System was innocent. “She has legs too—she moves.”

“Then tell her to stop moving.” Yan Zhichuan pulled out the Medicine God Cauldron while acting shameless toward the system.

The Heavenly Dao System ignored her, staring in bewilderment as she tossed herbs, Demon Creature flesh, and more into the pill furnace. Her pill-forming gestures flowed like water, utterly natural.

“What are you refining?” The system asked anxiously.

“Ghostface Spider, Concealing Herb, Jade Scale Demon Snake…” Yan Zhichuan rattled them off like a menu. “My intuition tells me they can be combined into an ‘Demon Disguise Pill’—a pill that temporarily disguises you as a Demon Cultivator.”

Demon Creatures were dangerous, sure, but from her accumulated reading, the scariest threats were Demon Cultivators disguised as Xuanmen cultivators.

“As long as I’m one of them, they won’t kill me.” Yan Zhichuan spoke optimistically.

The Heavenly Dao System was speechless.

It dutifully flew up, scanning all directions.

Soon, it spotted a black dot speeding toward them and cried out in alarm: “Demon Cultivator incoming!”

Yan Zhichuan’s eyelid twitched. Just then, a batch of Demon Pills emerged from the furnace. She quickly popped one into her mouth.

“You didn’t even—” The Heavenly Dao System watched in horror. No testing? She was shoving a brand-new recipe straight down her throat? Was this some demonic inheritance?

It watched as demonic qi coiled around Yan Zhichuan, making her look like a Demon Creature cub emerging from the wild mountains and forests…

Meanwhile, the outwardly Xuanmen, inwardly demonic cultivator arrived.

It was one of the Demon Cultivators the system had detected outside Three Ways River—a loose cultivator.

A flicker of interest passed through his eyes. He raised a brow at Yan Zhichuan and lowered his voice to a gravelly tone: “Demon Cultivator! You dare come to Three Ways River?”

Yan Zhichuan crossed her arms, utterly composed. “We’re all from Sky Nether City, fellow Daoist. Drop the act.”

The cultivator didn’t doubt Yan Zhichuan at all. Seeing her evil aura brimming with demonic qi, he chuckled darkly. “Fellow Daoist, why so brazen? Showing your true form outright? Aren’t you afraid of Xuanmen cultivators spotting you?”

Yan Zhichuan bluffed shamelessly: “Spot us? I’ll just run them through with a sword.”

The cultivator grew excited. “Aside from a few big shots, the rest aren’t worth minding. But fellow Daoist, don’t forget—we have a mission this time. Best not to clash with Xuanmen cultivators.”

A mission? What mission? Didn’t Demon Cultivators have anything more important than killing Xuanmen cultivators? Yan Zhichuan’s brows furrowed slightly as she kept bluffing: “Why not grab with both hands?”

The cultivator choked, thinking, This fellow Daoist is arrogant as hell.

He smiled and changed the subject: “Fellow Daoist, have you found a lead?”

Yan Zhichuan looked relaxed. “Easy as pie.”

The cultivator eyed her suspiciously, starting to think she was talking nonsense.

It’d only been a day since entering Three Ways River—how could she have intel so soon?

Demon Creatures in Three Ways River had no consciousness and attacked Demon Cultivators too. Arriving here wasn’t like coming home.

“Oh? Where?” the cultivator asked.

Yan Zhichuan eyed him warily. “You trying to steal my credit?”

The cultivator: “…” He did have that thought, but did she have to call it out like that?

“Zhan Yujie is drawing closer,” the Heavenly Dao System said gleefully, like grasping a lifeline. Yan Zhichuan and this cultivator were both at Golden Core First Layer, but it had zero faith in her.

But it quickly realized the problem: If Zhan Yujie saw Yan Zhichuan like this, would she chop her down too?

Current Zhan Yujie wasn’t fallen—she wouldn’t spare Demon Cultivators. Even if she were, she might not be friendly to them.

The cultivator coughed lightly. “We’re all from Sky Nether City—everything we do is for Lord’s revival.”