Chapter 53: The Traitor’s Desperate Stand

Yan Zhichuan glanced sympathetically at the distraught Miracle Hand Sect Daoist.

Her face had paled, and deep in her heart, a biting chill had already enveloped her. She stood rooted to the spot, barely able to move.

Truly pitiful—betrayed by a sect elder.

Yan Zhichuan spectated the drama.

Zhan Yujie reached out and tugged the Daoist.

What the Daoist could think of, she naturally knew as well. Lightning thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant.

This True Person is utterly fearless in her candor!

“What does True Person seek?” Zhan Yujie asked again.

But Li Jing True Person ignored the question on his behalf. With a flick of her hand, chilling gleams bloomed as dozens of flying needles radiating dark purple light shot straight toward the faces of Zhan Yujie and Yan Zhichuan.

Yan Zhichuan had still been waiting for the “villain to die from talking too much,” but who knew Li Jing True Person wouldn’t bother explaining at all.

Facing a Soul Transformation Realm expert as mere Golden Core cultivators, they could only scurry away like rats with their heads in their hands—but no matter. She and her senior sister had come on a mission! They’d prepared for the Miracle Hand Sect Daoist, so how could they surrender without a fight?

Puffing out her cheeks, a pretty little whistle dropped into her palm. This wasn’t the Three Ways River—there were no spatial restrictions here. Without hesitation, she blew the whistle. A shrill wail pierced straight to the heavens, echoing endlessly! The instant the whistle sounded, Yan Jizhi’s avatar materialized amid the roar of wind, fire, thunder, and water.

“Hm? Yan Jizhi?” Li Jing True Person’s eyes chilled. She took a step back at the sharp sword cry, but then sneered, “Just an avatar.” Yet no sooner had the words left her mouth than a fierce sword gleam swept outward with overwhelming pressure. Booming thunder rumbled without end, and in that instant, a net of lightning appeared between heaven and earth. A massive crater formed where Li Jing True Person had stood, and she herself flashed to the side in disarray.

The chilling sword light reflected in Li Jing True Person’s eyes, a chill settling in their depths. She said, “No—that’s not right!”

A mere protective avatar for juniors wouldn’t wield such overwhelming power. Yan Jizhi had fused most of her strength into this avatar!

The whistle in Yan Zhichuan’s hand was no ordinary item—it was a treasure called the Word Spirit, infused with most of Yan Jizhi’s mana. It served both to protect Yan Zhichuan and to suppress the Demon Seed in emergencies. Yan Jizhi’s true body was actually weaker than this avatar and constantly in a state of exhaustion.

Thunderous sword qi stretched endlessly, violent sword beams radiating from Li Jing True Person in all directions. Though she channeled her mana to resist the sword strikes, a brief clash left her disheveled and dirtied, utterly embarrassed.

Seeing Yan Jizhi’s avatar appear, Zhan Yujie secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Unless something unexpected happened, the True Persons of White Jade Capital would arrive at top speed.

Li Jing True Person’s expression darkened. She hadn’t taken these people seriously—in her view, as long as she erased them, no one would know about the Foundation Establishment Pills or the Demon Cultivators. She could still remain in Miracle Hand Sect and continue her pill research. But these two seemingly ordinary Daoists were from Nine Abyss Sect, and they could even summon Yan Jizhi’s avatar. Once Nine Abyss Sect learned the truth, they wouldn’t let her off.

Fortunately, she had a fallback: she could flee into Sky Nether City.

But doing so would only make Luo Guanyin press her harder to convert her profound arts to the demonic path and refine pills for Sky Nether City’s Demon Cultivators.

That would mean all her past research amounted to nothing.

If she had a choice, she didn’t want to take that step.

The sword winds swept wildly. If it were just an avatar, she might still have a chance to fight, but this avatar wielded all the abilities of the original body. Never mind the gap between Soul Transformation and Cave Heaven—even if she and Yan Jizhi were both at Cave Heaven, a medical cultivator could never match a sword cultivator.

She made a snap decision. A talisman book shot from her sleeve—this was the Sky Nether Talisman Book, exceedingly rare, refined from the blood of space-attuned Demon Clan members. These days on Nine Summers Continent, almost no Demon Clan remnants remained.

Once activated, the Sky Nether Talisman Book could tear open space and whisk her to Sky Nether City. But it required demonic qi to activate. While returning to the orthodox path from the demonic was exceedingly difficult, for a person to fall into the demonic path and convert their orthodox true qi to demonic qi, they merely needed to yield to the demonic thoughts in their Dao heart—in an instant. Hesitation flickered across Li Jing True Person’s face.

Meanwhile, Yan Zhichuan poked her head out from behind Zhan Yujie, staring fixedly at the Sky Nether Talisman Book.

For some reason, she felt a strange craving—that clump of energy looked delicious, didn’t it?

The fire lotus pattern at her brow faintly shimmered, an eerie aura coiling around her.

The distraught Miracle Hand Sect Daoist didn’t notice, but Zhan Yujie, standing very close to Yan Zhichuan, frowned. She lowered her gaze, as if catching a flash of something. A hint of confusion surfaced in her eyes. She patted Yan Zhichuan, who was staring dead at the Sky Nether Talisman Book, and asked, “Junior sister, what’s wrong?”

“Hungry,” Yan Zhichuan said, rubbing her belly.

Zhan Yujie: “…” Fortunately, she’d already witnessed Yan Zhichuan’s “greed” at the Three Ways River and had come prepared. She fished a tough strip of meat from her Qiankun Pouch—the kind said to last forever when chewed—and stuffed it straight into Yan Zhichuan’s mouth.

Yan Zhichuan leaned back, eyes flickering.

If that jerky were any longer, would it poke right through my mouth?

In that brief exchange, Li Jing True Person in the distance had been forced into a corner.

If she fell into Nine Abyss Sect’s hands, forget continuing her research—survival itself would be questionable. A flash of resentment crossed her eyes as she fully embraced the demonic path. But the instant she activated the Sky Nether Talisman Book, a burst of red flame erupted atop it, burning away the secret runes in a blink.

Li Jing True Person, awaiting teleportation to Sky Nether City, was struck by a sword beam and sent flying, crashing hard to the ground with blood spewing from her mouth.

She stared incredulously at the now-useless scrap of paper. Had Luo Guanyin given her a fake? Or—? A chill gripped her heart as a vague notion surfaced in her mind, but before she could sort it out, a blazing streak of fire flashed across the southeastern sky. In a blink, the figure arrived.

Li Jing True Person’s heart sank.

A Cave Heaven expert—White Jade Capital’s sect master, Mo True Person.

After Yan Zhichuan left Nine Clouds Pavilion, Sui Heng had washed her hands of the matter.

But when Zhan Yujie sent word that they’d found the Miracle Hand Sect Daoist who could refine Foundation Establishment Pills, she hadn’t dared slack off and reported it to her master.

White Jade Capital’s Cave Heaven experts placed great importance on the events at Yingzhou Island and set off at once. Upon sensing that piercing sword intent that rent the clouds, they hastened even faster.

Seeing White Jade Capital’s Cave Heaven arrive, Yan Zhichuan’s suspended heart finally settled.

She pressed her inexplicably throbbing brow, cheeks bulging as she labored to digest Zhan Yujie’s “kindness.”

At this point, how could Li Jing True Person resist? Less than half an hour later, White Jade Capital’s Cave Heaven expert captured her and imprisoned her in White Jade Capital’s Town Prison.

Yan Zhichuan, Zhan Yujie, and the pitiful Miracle Hand Sect Daoist were all “invited” back to White Jade Capital as guests.

“The Foundation Establishment Pill formula was restored by True Person. Though we saw the formula, we haven’t yet learned to refine it—we merely tended the herbs here on her behalf,” the Miracle Hand Sect Daoist said with a bitter laugh. Her emotions were deeply conflicted. Without further pressing from Yan Zhichuan and the others, she spilled the whole story like pouring beans.

The wealthy merchant shared some blood ties with her, and she’d saved his life in the past. So when she heard of the Foundation Establishment Pill auctioned at Nine Clouds Pavilion’s black market, she’d asked him to bid it for her. She knew Nine Clouds Pavilion’s pills couldn’t have come from True Person and assumed someone else had developed the formula. She wanted one to study. Though it was her personal initiative, out of habit, she’d reported it all to True Person… Had True Person encouraged her research just to use her as bait to lure out and silence the schemers?

As for the Yingzhou Island incident, she truly knew nothing.

In the Town Prison.

Li Jing True Person knew full well the interrogation methods of White Jade Capital’s Hidden Dragon Division. No matter what, they’d make her talk—so she might as well confess outright.

“You’re talking about those mortals possessed by Demon Creatures? Simple. I restored a No-Self Pill for them to take. Once swallowed, it erases even the sense of self—who could then distinguish orthodox from demonic? After the Demon Cultivator seizes their shell, it remains unaware of ‘I,’ undetectable by others. But the Demon Sect has its ways to awaken them.” Li Jing True Person’s tone was flat, her gaze utterly indifferent when speaking of mortals whose shells had been invaded by Demon Cultivators.

“Why do this, fellow Daoist?” White Jade Capital Daoist fell silent for a moment before asking. Li Jing True Person hailed from a great clan and had shown extraordinary medical talent since childhood, taken as a true disciple by Miracle Hand Sect. According to White Jade Capital’s records, her path had been smooth sailing without a single setback. Now at Soul Transformation Third Layer, she’d only recently broken through and showed no signs of stagnation. Given time, she’d surely reach Cave Heaven.

“You must know about that Demon Clan awakening in Sky Nether City, right?” Li Jing True Person raised a brow and suddenly asked.

White Jade Capital Daoist nodded. “Yes.”

Li Jing True Person chuckled. “A higher Demon Clan—one of the few to awaken from slumber after the Profound Heaven Immortal Barrier was erected. She knows the glory of the cultivation world back then, and how medical cultivators once shone. The Demon Clan studied the ancient orthodox cultivators; after the medical Dao inheritance was lost, only those ancient demons retained it. They were willing to share formulas with me in exchange for a small favor—what’s strange about that?” Unfortunately, the Demon Clan were still demons with deficient understanding; the surviving formulas weren’t complete. But compared to the orthodox sects, they more than sufficed. Besides, Cave Heaven wasn’t the end—what came after? Wait to die?

White Jade Capital Daoist lifted an eyelid. “Just for it?”

Li Jing True Person nodded without hesitation. “Yes!”

The Town Prison fell deathly silent, the drip-drip of water echoing with a crisp, biting chill.

“But I have complete formulas for Foundation Establishment Pills, Dragon Blood Pills, Myriad Poisons Pills, Clear Heart Subdue Demon Pills, and more—and I’ve successfully refined them,” came a timid voice. It was Yan Zhichuan, who had followed Zhan Yujie in. After learning from the Miracle Hand Sect Daoist, she’d wanted to pry open Li Jing’s mouth to learn the real reason.

Li Jing Daoist glanced coldly at Yan Zhichuan, dismissing her words as nonsense.

Seeing her ignored, Yan Zhichuan clenched her fist.

Who are you looking down on?!

She produced a lump that was supposedly a Foundation Establishment Pill and tossed it to Li Jing Daoist in the prison. “I heard Dao Pills were long lost on Nine Summers Continent, but I don’t believe in fate or resignation. Through my tireless efforts, Dao patterns finally emerged on the refined spirit pills. Ever since, every batch has been supreme grade. That year, I was eighteen.”

Upon seeing the Foundation Establishment Pill, Li Jing Daoist’s face turned ghastly, her eyes filled with shock.

It didn’t look like a proper pill, but it bore Dao patterns and Dao rhyme!

Zhan Yujie was speechless.

She glanced at Yan Zhichuan several times. That reminiscent look of past glories… Had it really been seventy or eighty years already this year?