Experienced cultivators knew Demon Cultivators infiltrated, but rooting out ones skilled in illusion and disguise was a pipe dream.
“Planning to redeem them, fellow Daoist?” Yan Zhichuan’s eyes sparkled. After Fuyu Sha’s introduction, she was dying to see how Cihang Studio made people realize “turning back is the shore.”
“Junior Sister Yan.” Zhan Yujie coughed lightly, blocking Yan Zhichuan’s overly eager stare. Eyeing Jiang Cizhu’s bloodstained white robes, she said, “You’re injured, fellow Daoist.”
Jiang Cizhu waved it off. “Just a few scratches—no big deal.”
She reached into her Qiankun Pouch for a medicine vial—and came up empty, stiffening.
All her Clear Heart Pills used up?
She’d planned to reunite with her sect sisters and use incantations to purge the demonic energy from wounds, but luck wasn’t on her side—she’d finished them first.
Yan Zhichuan spotted the dilemma and offered a vial of superior-grade Clear Heart Pills.
Jiang Cizhu didn’t take it. Clear Heart Pills were scarce in the Three Ways River.
Zhan Yujie had a reputation as a Sword Cultivator.
Yan Zhichuan… unknown.
She could still fend off infection with half-learned Diamond Incantation, Subduing Demons Incantation, Clear Heart Incantation, and the like.
Zhan Yujie said gently, “My junior sister is a healer.”
Jiang Cizhu blinked, eyes lighting with hope as she stared at Yan Zhichuan. “Do you have more, fellow Daoist?”
Yan Zhichuan puzzled, “Why so many Clear Heart Pills? Using yourself as bait to farm points from Demon Creatures?”
Jiang Cizhu: “…” That’s exactly it.
“Rest a moment first, Fellow Daoist Jiang,” Zhan Yujie said.
Hiding in the cavern forever with the beast tide raging half a day wasn’t viable. They needed to break through and deal with whatever Demon Cultivator was orchestrating it.
“Senior Sister wants to end the beast tide?” Yan Zhichuan’s eyes darted as she sidled up, whispering.
Zhan Yujie frowned and murmured, “Mm.”
Yet the beast tide contained plenty of Golden Core Stage demon creatures. Forget Golden Core cultivators—even a tide of Foundation Establishment demon creatures could bring utter devastation.
She might charge through alone, but taking Yan Zhichuan with her? Impossible.
Yan Zhichuan said, “I have a way.”
Zhan Yujie: “Oh.”
Yan Zhichuan: “…” Sensing the perfunctory tone in Zhan Yujie’s voice, Yan Zhichuan panicked. She placed both hands on Zhan Yujie’s shoulders and forcibly turned her around to face her.
Zhan Yujie’s eyelids twitched.
She used full restraint to keep from slapping Yan Zhichuan’s hands away.
Yan Zhichuan caught the sudden icy glare from Zhan Yujie and casually released her. She even smoothed out the wrinkles on Zhan Yujie’s clothes as she withdrew her hands, as if she’d never touched her at all.
Zhan Yujie grabbed Yan Zhichuan’s wrist, stopping her from brushing toward her collar. Taking a deep breath, she asked, “What brilliant idea does Junior Sister have?”
Yan Zhichuan pulled out three bottles of pills.
“These are Forget-Sorrow Pills—for pain relief.”
“Demon Explosion Pills—explosive bait.”
“Myriad Poisons Pills—highly effective against demon creatures.”
“I found a martial pill in the Pharmacopoeia called the Ascending Dragon Dao-Protecting Pill, also known as Chicken Blood Pill. It fully squeezes out one’s potential. But it has a time limit and can’t be taken repeatedly, or it’ll damage your Dao foundation.”
The Demon Explosion Pills held strong allure for demon creatures. The strongest in the tide would snatch them, only to shatter into pieces amid the explosive spectacle. That would split the tide into fragments, and once the Myriad Poisons Pills rained down, the creatures would weaken further. Senior Sister would just have to work a bit harder to harvest them before the poison wore off.
Zhan Yujie frowned, seriously pondering Yan Zhichuan’s words.
A moment later, she asked, “Demon Explosion Pills and Myriad Poisons Pills—why haven’t I heard of them?”
Martial pills had poison branches, but they weren’t very effective against demon creatures.
“The Demon Explosion Pills are my improvement on a remnant formula from Medicine Peak. The Myriad Poisons Pills are recorded in the Pharmacopoeia, but one key herb, Cold Life Grass, went extinct, so the recipe was abandoned. Lucky for me, I found a stalk and refined nine Myriad Poisons Pills.”
“So, Senior Sister—” Yan Zhichuan gazed at Zhan Yujie with encouraging eyes, “go ahead with peace of mind!”
Healers were often synonymous with frailty, but she was the child of destiny—how could she be like the rest?
The Ascending Dragon Dao-Protecting Pill was something she’d just learned.
Her preparations weren’t fully stocked, so she’d exchanged for more herbs at Myriad Treasures Pavilion. That led to refining over ten extra furnaces of unusable Dao Pills.
By the time she finally produced the Ascending Dragon Dao-Protecting Pills, she collapsed like a corpse on the ground.
Jiang Cizhu’s mana gradually recovered. She quietly observed Yan Zhichuan.
At first, when she’d borrowed the Clear Heart Pills, she’d trusted Yan Zhichuan completely. But seeing those “lumps” she refined? Her eyes widened.
Is that fertilizer?
Out of politeness, she kept her bewilderment to herself.
The next day.
The corpse revived.
Yet Yan Zhichuan’s complexion remained listless, gripped by an inexplicable hunger.
The Heavenly Dao System, fearing she’d bite a demon creature right in front of Zhan Yujie, hurriedly said, “Those demon creatures rolled through mud pits and stinking holes—they’re filthy and reeking. Don’t even think about it.”
Yan Zhichuan nodded weakly.
She just felt like food was waiting for her somewhere along the Three Ways River.
“Junior Sister?” Zhan Yujie noticed Yan Zhichuan’s odd state and grew worried.
“Hungry.” With someone showing concern, Yan Zhichuan couldn’t hold back. She pouted pitifully and spoke up.
Zhan Yujie was at a loss.
She’d long since achieved grain avoidance, carrying only pills on her.
“Fellow Daoist Yan, I have some!” Jiang Cizhu pulled half a roasted chicken and a jug of wine from her Qiankun Pouch, greeting Yan Zhichuan enthusiastically.
Zhan Yujie: “…”
Yan Zhichuan stared fixedly at the roasted chicken, instantly forgetting that vague “delicacy” from who-knows-where. She took the chicken leg Jiang Cizhu tore off with one hand and reached for the wine cup with the other—but the cup was snatched away the moment it touched her palm.
“My Junior Sister is still young; she can’t drink.” Zhan Yujie said gently.
Jiang Cizhu blinked in confusion. Eighteen and still young? I’d been drinking spirit wine since I was eight.
Fearing Zhan Yujie might say, “My Junior Sister practices grain avoidance; no chicken legs,” Yan Zhichuan hurriedly stuffed the food into her mouth. Gazing at the ethereal Jiang Cizhu, she didn’t forget to ask, “Isn’t Cihang Studio all about renouncing worldly desires? How come you eat meat and drink wine?”
Jiang Cizhu replied, “Dwelling in the mortal world, aspiring to enlightenment.” She paused, then added, “Cihang Studio seeks transcendence, not monasticism. We don’t forbid wine or meat.”
Yan Zhichuan was shocked: “Then Enchanted by Cihang is all lies! Monks not falling into love’s abyss, eating vegetarian—total fakes. And those bookshops charge a fortune.”
Jiang Cizhu: “…”
Zhan Yujie subtly shifted back, pretending not to know Yan Zhichuan. She glanced at Jiang Cizhu and changed the subject: “Fellow Daoist Jiang, we’re heading out to deal with the demon creatures. What are your plans?”
Jiang Cizhu flashed a grin: “I’ll tag along.” She paused, then said, “But the tide’s too dense; hard to divide.”
Zhan Yujie: “No worries. My Junior Sister has a plan.”
Hearing this, Jiang Cizhu hesitated. If it were Zhan Yujie claiming a method, she’d follow without question.
But Fellow Daoist Yan didn’t seem all that sharp!
Still, seeing Zhan Yujie’s assured demeanor eased her doubts.
She couldn’t think of anything better anyway.
The cavern entrance lay amid a stone forest. Demon creatures squeezed in, but not in overwhelming numbers—no risk of being torn apart the moment they peeked out by ground-runners or sky-flyers.
The stone forest was like a tiny island in the vast beast tide.
They could mask their tracks while moving on the ground, but leaping into the air exposed them to the flying demon creatures overhead.
Yan Zhichuan sat atop Cloudy and unhesitatingly hurled Demon Explosion Pills at the flock of birds swooping toward them.
Amid booming explosions that filled the sky, the first giant bird to snatch one burst into a spray of blood and gore. Those nearby were flung away by the shockwaves.
Zhan Yujie seized the moment. Sword light whirled. As Great Kun spun, it whipped up a raging torrent. Sword followed sword, and by the fourth form, Waves Awaken, it was as if the heavens brimmed with a flooding river.
“Now.” Zhan Yujie called to Yan Zhichuan.
Yan Zhichuan nodded eagerly, tossing several Demon Explosion Pills and launching one Myriad Poisons Pill into the air.
In the instant the demon creatures scrambled for the Demon Explosion Pills, the suspended river crashed down like a deluge.
Sword of Nine Abysses—Suspended River!
Sword like water, water like sword.
The Myriad Poisons Pill dissolved instantly into the vast floodwaters.
The stampeding demon creatures’ auras stagnated for a moment. As they shook their heads and lurched forward, their strength was further sapped.
“The Myriad Poisons Pills have a time limit—strike now!” Yan Zhichuan urged the wide-eyed Jiang Cizhu.
Jiang Cizhu snapped back, drawing in a cold breath.
A healer? This terrifying?
Mowing down the weakened demon creatures was like cutting grass.
But people had limits; mana would eventually run dry.
After too many Demon Explosion Pills, the demon creatures seemed to gain a spark of intelligence. A few even resisted their urges on their own.
Yan Zhichuan’s expression grew grave.
One stalk of Cold Life Grass yielded only nine Myriad Poisons Pills. If they couldn’t control the tide before they ran out, the battle would turn brutal.
“Xiao Tian, go find that demon cultivator,” Yan Zhichuan ordered.
The Heavenly Dao System was an energy body anyway—being eaten wouldn’t matter.
Catching her intent, Xiao Tian bristled but flapped his wings forward after hesitating.
Zhan Yujie swallowed an Ascending Dragon Dao-Protecting Pill.
Her declining aura surged back to its peak. She stared at the demon creatures ahead, her gaze profound.
Yan Zhichuan received the system’s report and urged Zhan Yujie: “Senior Sister, head southeast three li.”
Zhan Yujie watched Little Fat Chirp vanish.
Maybe Junior Sister really can pinpoint the source? Healers do have keener senses.
Zhan Yujie chose to trust Yan Zhichuan.
“Fellow Daoist Zhan.” Jiang Cizhu’s face paled.
Her jade slip’s points skyrocketed, but at this intensity, she’d lose her life.
Trembling, she took the Ascending Dragon Dao-Protecting Pill Yan Zhichuan had given her. A gap had opened northwest—escape was possible.
But she quickly decided and chased after Zhan Yujie!
Southeast direction.
Liu Lizhu hugged her arms, swaying her head as she listened to the rumbling of the thundering beasts like a wondrous symphony.
“This area has plenty of orthodox cultivators, but our goal is the Demon Emperor Remnant Soul. No need to tangle with them,” a hunched black-robed demon cultivator said, nose covered, as it stirred the medicine pot.
The wind carried waves of maddening, disorienting fumes that drove demon creatures wild.
Liu Lizhu sneered mockingly, offhandedly: “But they’ll get in the way.”
