Yan Zhichuan didn’t catch the probing tone in Zhan Yujie’s words. She reached out and snatched Little Fat Chirp back, ruffling its fluffy feathers with a bright smile. “It’s only got this much skill. Unlike Myriad Beasts Sect disciples, who can slap a cultivator flying with one palm.”
Little Fat Chirp pecked at Yan Zhichuan in protest. It wasn’t a real spirit pet! It was the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao’s will!
Zhan Yujie smiled faintly and didn’t press further.
Yan Zhichuan always had some strange gadgets on her. They must have been prepared by the sect master and Fu Shi in case she collapsed inexplicably outside.
After swallowing a Clear Heart Subdue Demon Pill, the demonic qi lingering at the wound gradually faded. Zhan Yujie sat cross-legged in meditation, but she hadn’t been at peace for even a quarter of an hour when the demonic tide surged again.
It was precisely then that Dong Rong arrived at Sea Treasure Grotto. She activated the vast demon creatures in the Small Demon Aperture to nurture her own magic treasure. As for the Xuan cultivators imprisoned within, Dong Rong didn’t care in the slightest. A sweep of demonic wind would turn them into heavy yin spirits in the painting scroll, their refined souls becoming shadows for her to command.
Wave after wave of demonic tide crashed in, the demonic qi roiling and darting like massive waves crashing down. The demon creatures birthed from these tides grew stronger in tiers, not only devouring the two living people in the chart—Zhan Yujie and Yan Zhichuan—but also consuming each other relentlessly. Roars shook the heavens and earth, like rumbling war drums shattering the thousand-li expanse within the painting.
Zhan Yujie’s expression grew grave as she held her sword horizontally before her. The demon creatures multiplied, growing fiercer by the moment. Pure swordsmanship alone couldn’t deal with them. In this situation, Zhan Yujie could only conserve her magic power as much as possible, striving to dispatch the surging horde with single strikes. Thunderous cracks rent the sky, sword light rippling like waves, yet they could never break free from the churning demonic qi.
Yan Zhichuan hefted the Medicine God Cauldron, but the demon creatures moved too swiftly for the Cauldron Formula to handle them. As the situation worsened, the usual playfulness vanished from her face. She urged the Heavenly Dao System, and with a sharp clang, a dharma sword unsheathed. A sword cry rang out, like stone cracking and avalanches tumbling, as sword qi swept through the demonic haze.
But the demonic tide’s retreat was only temporary. Outside, Cave Heaven Daoist continued his cultivation of demonic arts, making the demon creatures in the chart surge ever more fiercely. From initial swordplay clashes, they were forced to expend magic power just to resist. Amid the rising demonic influence, Zhan Yujie consumed Clear Heart Subdue Demon Pills faster and faster—her instincts told her the pills’ effects were lasting shorter each time.
After about an hour, the surging demonic tide in the chart finally ebbed.
But Zhan Yujie was already at the end of her rope. By the tide’s end, it had spawned Nascent Soul-tier demon beasts. Though reluctant to expend magic power, she’d had no choice but to fight desperately for a slim chance of survival. She knelt on one knee, her face deathly pale, cold sweat beading on her forehead. Glancing back to see Yan Zhichuan standing unharmed with sword in hand, she finally relaxed her taut nerves.
Her junior sister was fine—but that Sword of Nine Abyss—
Zhan Yujie’s thoughts had only just stirred when a rush of demonic yin qi surged through her meridians, and blood overflowed from the corner of her lips.
She lowered her gaze to see a gash torn from her left shoulder down to her chest. When did that happen?
Yan Zhichuan’s Sword of Nine Abyss had been unleashed entirely by the Heavenly Dao System through her hand, with hardly any consumption on her part.
The biggest problem was that the Heavenly Dao System had run out of energy. To deal with the endless demon creatures, she’d kept releasing sword qi until there was nothing left.
The Heavenly Dao System said listlessly, “No energy left.”
Yan Zhichuan was about to curse the useless system when her peripheral vision caught Zhan Yujie’s supported body starting to collapse! Panic flashed across her face. She rushed to Zhan Yujie’s side and caught the falling form. But her palm came away slick—pressing down revealed a glaring pool of blood.
Spirit pills and wondrous medicines weren’t much use, and what Yan Zhichuan carried were mostly pain-relief Forget-Sorrow Pills, useless against actual wounds.
As for the Clear Heart Subdue Demon Pills that cleared demonic qi—she reached to check and realized with a jolt that they’d been depleted amid wave after wave of demonic onslaughts.
She hadn’t brought much herbs into this damned place. Fortunately, there was Myriad Treasures Pavilion; the Dao Pills the system had swallowed earlier hadn’t been redeemed yet, so she could get herbs to refine.
But the demonic qi infiltrating Zhan Yujie’s meridians through the wound spread rapidly. Outside, vital energy could resist and balance it, but in this bizarre chart, demonic qi dominated. With magic power exhausted, her will alone could fend off mental demon thoughts, but not the tangible qi coursing through her veins. Once her Nascent Soul was tainted, even without succumbing mentally, she’d inevitably fall to the demonic path.
“She might fall to the demons,” the useless system wailed in alarm, staring worriedly at Zhan Yujie.
Even with Yan Zhichuan’s prodigious talent, there was no time for Zhan Yujie to wait while she refined pills.
Yan Zhichuan frowned in silence, her face somber, her brows knit in uncharacteristic seriousness.
She leaned over Zhan Yujie, the Buddha Demon Thousand Phases pendant at her neck glowing faintly.
Zhan Yujie’s consciousness hadn’t fully faded; her gaze was drawn to the light from the Buddha Demon Thousand Phases. Fu Shi gave this to her junior sister for a reason. Could this treasure absorb surrounding demonic qi? Or was she seeing wrong? If not this, maybe the Demon-Luring Lamp from Three Ways River? It should still be on her junior sister.
“Junior sister, the Demon-Lur—” But before Zhan Yujie could finish, Yan Zhichuan acted.
She tucked the glowing Buddha Demon Thousand Phases back into her collar to spare their eyes the glare.
Zhan Yujie: “…”
Lure demonic qi?
Yan Zhichuan froze, then nodded as if suddenly enlightened. She whispered, “Senior sister, forgive me.”
Without waiting for a reply, she tore open the blood-soaked collar with a rip, the sound of tearing cloth snapping the taut string in Zhan Yujie’s mind. The demonic qi spread faster within her, waves assaulting her consciousness. Her pale lips parted to speak, but Yan Zhichuan buried her head and kissed down!
Zhan Yujie was furious to the point of fainting—she’d meant the Demon-Luring Lamp!
In her emotional surge, she blacked out.
The demonic qi coiled around the hideous wound seeped into Zhan Yujie’s body like the roots of a massive tree burrowing into her limbs and meridians. It instinctively seized her qi channels, even probing toward her dantian to entangle the radiant Nascent Soul. But before it could invade, it receded like the tide, flowing back into her meridians.
The Heavenly Dao System: “…”
It tucked in its wings, even its “cheep cheep” sounding feeble.
Right—Yan Zhichuan was a Demon Seed! Even the most useless one could effortlessly manipulate demonic qi, brazen enough to nibble at the Demon Sovereign’s lingering remnants.
But—was this appropriate?
When Yan Zhichuan finally lifted her head, the Heavenly Dao System saw her smug triumph and hesitated before asking, “Is that what your senior sister meant?”
“What else?” Yan Zhichuan shot back.
Sigh. Now that senior sister had lost her fighting strength, it was up to her to turn the tide.
She scooped Zhan Yujie into a horizontal carry, searching for a cave while chattering to the system: “In the storybooks, when the second male lead gets snake venom, the protagonist sucks it out just like this. Demonic qi counts as a kind of demon poison, so what’s wrong with me doing it?”
The Heavenly Dao System couldn’t argue. After a pause, it mumbled, “Still refining pills?”
Yan Zhichuan thought for a moment. “Yes.” Her combat power came from the system; she needed to feed the broken thing Dao Pills to store energy. But for quick accumulation, she needed high-return pills like Forget-Sorrow Pills. Refining complex Clear Heart Subdue Demon Pills would be a loss.
Yan Zhichuan explained her plan to the Heavenly Dao System, which pecked at her in frustration. Still haggling at a time like this? Did she study arithmetic at Nine Abyss Sect? The Heavenly Dao System fumed, “Not refining Clear Heart Subdue Demon Pills? You want to watch Zhan Yujie fall to the demons?”
“No,” Yan Zhichuan said righteously. “Since I can handle it with my mouth, why bother with pills?”
The Heavenly Dao System was speechless.
Indeed, no purifier beat a Demon Seed.
But the issue was Yan Zhichuan—did she really not see the problem? Or was she shoving it all onto being the Heavenly Dao’s daughter?
In the cave.
Yan Zhichuan set up defenses, then sealed the entrance completely with a boulder.
The Heavenly Dao System: “Once the demonic tide rises, it’s everywhere. Can’t resist it.”
Yan Zhichuan: “…” Doesn’t she know psychological comfort?
Ignoring the useless Little Fat Chirp, she pulled out the Medicine God Cauldron and tossed in the herbs.
Pill flame lit the pitch-black cavern, casting ruddy glows on faces. The Heavenly Dao System preened its wings and curled up near where Zhan Yujie lay.
Good thing Yan Zhichuan was preoccupied; she didn’t make it recite more of those ridiculous storybooks.
After several batches of pills, Yan Zhichuan stopped.
She needed to watch her senior sister now—couldn’t squander all her magic power.
She fed the new Forget-Sorrow Pills, along with the old ones, to Little Fat Chirp in lumps.
She stayed very close to Zhan Yujie, her gaze lingering tenderly on her. Vaguely hearing a “demon” word, she slapped a Forget-Sorrow Pill onto Little Fat Chirp and leaned down to tug at Zhan Yujie’s clothes. After extracting the demonic qi, she’d used magic to heal the wound; now her senior sister’s shoulder and neck were smooth and plump, without a trace. Where was the demon qi coming from now? Did it grow from the flesh?
Lost in wild thoughts, Yan Zhichuan reached out to stroke Zhan Yujie’s bare skin.
No uneven scars, no bulging demon tumors.
Her fingertips rubbed back and forth until her wrist was gripped hard.
Yan Zhichuan looked down into Zhan Yujie’s watery, moist eyes and said delightedly, “Senior sister, you’re awake?”
Zhan Yujie: “…”
Yan Zhichuan: “The demonic qi is all extracted. Feeling better?”
Zhan Yujie pressed her lips together.
Recalling the scene before blacking out, darkness swam before her eyes again.
She released Yan Zhichuan’s hand, pushed her aside, and forced herself upright. But as she moved, the loose outer robe slipped; she clutched it hastily.
Yan Zhichuan knelt on the stone bed, crawling closer. As she leaned in, her head nearly buried in Zhan Yujie’s bosom.
Words she’d meant to say fled her mind. She simply said nothing, tilting her head up to blink innocently at Zhan Yujie.
Warm breath tickled the skin, itchy. Zhan Yujie frowned slightly and pinched Yan Zhichuan’s nape, lifting her up.
Yan Zhichuan held her breath, staring fixedly at Zhan Yujie.
Zhan Yujie shifted back slightly, meeting her gaze with scrutiny. She asked, “Junior sister, how did you do it?”
Yan Zhichuan: “Like this.”
She broke free, pounced onto Zhan Yujie, and pressed her warm lips to her shoulder.
Zhan Yujie: “!”
Caught off guard, Zhan Yujie shuddered all over, glaring at Yan Zhichuan as her earlobes flushed red.
