Chapter 88 Part 2

Zhong Zhanxi: “Huh? Chang Wuyu? She still alive?”

Yan Jizhi ignored her, moving to contact Blade Peak’s Shi Wujing.

Zhong Zhanxi chuckled and took Yan Jizhi’s Heaven-Penetrating Treasure Mirror. “Chang Wuyu self-sealed in Hundred Thousand Great Mountains—who knows her Phoenix’s state? If eroded, its master will fall to demon realm soon enough. Little Zhichuan’s not here to take a bite.” Under Yan Jizhi’s increasingly cold stare, Zhong Zhanxi mumbled twice more, then shut her mouth like a mute.

In Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.

Chang Zhi rolled up her sleeves, washing spirit fruits.

These fruits were extremely delicate; cleaning required mana to protect them, or they’d bruise, leaking juice. Fine for her own eating, but these were Chang Buzhi’s rations—bruised, scarred, or misshapen ones were all rejected.

Just as she popped the washed spirit fruit into her mouth, a brilliant glow floated up from the Heaven-Penetrating Treasure Mirror.

She poked at the Heaven-Penetrating Treasure Mirror. Chang Zhi looked somewhat surprised and called out to the apparition that had appeared before her, “Big Sis.”

The apparition frowned. “Mother is looking for you.”

Chang Zhi: “Huh?” Her mother was the sect master of Myriad Beasts Sect, Chang Wuyu, who had been gravely injured and was in secluded cultivation deep within the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. Aside from her sister Chang Zhen, who was acting as sect master, even Fu Shi couldn’t see her. Chang Zhi’s memories of her mother were faint; she’d been raised by Chang Zhen. And in those hazy impressions, the phoenix at her mother’s side took up most of the space.

She didn’t remember her mother much and had never imagined her mother would want to see her.

Chang Zhen looked at her little sister’s foolish expression, raised a hand to rub her brow, and reminded her, “A while back, Heavenly Balance Mansion divined the matter of the Demon Seed.”

Chang Zhi nodded and pointed at herself. “Does that mean you want me to go find the Demon Seed?”

Chang Zhen sighed at her words. “In the Peach Blossom Miasma, a Chongxu Sect cultivator arbitrarily accused a Nine Abyss cultivator of being a Demon Seed. You were in the Peach Blossom Miasma at the time too, so they’re bound to come looking for you.”

Chang Zhi’s heart skipped a beat. She’d returned unscathed from a Cave Heaven True Person’s attack, and Chang Zhen had questioned her about it then. But she’d already sworn a Heavenly Dao Oath—how could she break it? Not even for her own sister. After a moment’s thought, she asked cautiously, “Did Fellow Daoist Lin Hanzhi… die?”

Chang Zhen’s mood sank slightly.

With her little sister’s everything-written-on-her-face personality, how could she hide anything? There was definitely more to what happened in the Peach Blossom Miasma—she hadn’t told the full truth. Chang Zhen hadn’t wanted to pursue it before, but with the Demon Seed manifesting and threatening the Roots of Heaven and Earth, how could they ignore it? What Chongxu Sect claimed was very likely true. If Nine Abyss was harboring a Demon Seed, what was their goal?

Chang Zhi scooped up the dazed Little Fat Chirp and headed deep into the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains with an uneasy heart.

But just as she reached the Forbidden Ground, the sated and drowsy Little Fat Chirp suddenly snapped awake, as if sensing something. It kicked Chang Zhi away with one foot and flapped its wings like a streak of light, vanishing swiftly from her sight.

Chang Zhi: “…”

Her mother’s spirit pet had been tainted by demonic qi and was in a half-demonized state, suppressed only by the Phoenix Bloodline. Chang Zhi knew it couldn’t hurt anyone, but she still needed Little Fat Chirp for courage. She hadn’t expected it to be so disloyal, ditching her and running off!

The Forbidden Ground was pitch-black and lightless.

Chang Zhi proceeded cautiously, her ears filled with a barrage of explosive sounds, like thousands of fireworks detonating in unison. She looked up, and the scene before her brightened in an instant. Five-colored starfire rained down from all directions like a storm-tossed downpour, surging toward the ground in a vast torrent. The multicolored radiance turned into thick black mist just before hitting the earth, weaving into a half-person-tall fog ahead—gloomy and eerie.

Chang Zhi knew these were illusions conjured by the phoenix, but she still trembled in fear. She passed through the dark mist, and the first thing she met was a pair of crimson, sinister eyes. Her body went rigid, her soul seemingly seized by the evil gaze. Only when a clear, resonant voice rang in her ear did her nearly departed soul snap back into place. Pale-faced, with her scattered vision refocusing on the cultivator seated in meditation ahead, she bowed respectfully. “Mother.”

It looked like only a few zhang away, yet it felt like a starry river stretched between them, forever out of reach.

“Zhi’er.” Chang Wuyu’s voice carried weariness. She couldn’t spare much attention—even words of care were skimmed over. Bluntly, she asked, “Did you swear a Heavenly Dao Oath?”

Chang Zhi hesitated for a moment before saying, “Yes.”

Chang Wuyu continued, “One promise is worth a thousand gold. Breaking it invites heavenly punishment.”

Chang Zhi lowered her lashes. Yan Zhichuan’s origins were no simple matter. Even if not a Demon Seed, she was surely tied to the Demon Clan. But whether in the Peach Blossom Miasma or the Three Ways River before, Yan Zhichuan hadn’t harmed any Xuanmen cultivators. She must be under Nine Abyss’s strict guidance and restraint. Chang Zhi wasn’t sure if she should speak. After hesitating, she sought guidance. “What should I do, Mother?”

Chang Wuyu said, “Trust Nine Abyss.” In the time it took to exchange these words, a clanging symphony rang out, like countless pearls falling into a jade plate, crisp and resounding. Chang Wuyu’s expression shifted. Without further instructions for Chang Zhi, she flicked her sleeve, sending her out of the Forbidden Ground.

Light and shadow swirled before Chang Zhi’s eyes. Dazed for a moment, she came back to herself and looked up to see Chang Zhen. “Sis, not busy today?” Chang Zhi asked.

“Busy,” Chang Zhen replied curtly. She stared at Chang Zhi. “How’s Mother?”

Chang Zhi thought for a bit. “Very noisy.”

Chang Zhen’s face grew grave. Lowering her voice, she asked, “What did Mother tell you?”

It was hard to explain the Heavenly Dao Oath matter, so Chang Zhi only said four words: “Trust Nine Abyss.”

Chang Zhen’s brows furrowed tight. If Nine Abyss was connected to the Demon Seed, should they trust them?

Meanwhile, after striking out at Nine Abyss Sect, Chongxu Sect indeed sought out Chang Zhi. There had been many cultivators in the Peach Blossom Miasma, but only Lin Hanzhi and Chang Zhi had retained their awareness. Lin Hanzhi had already revealed the anomaly with Yan Zhichuan and mentioned Chang Zhi’s shared Heavenly Dao Oath. Chongxu Sect’s True Persons contacted the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains to lay out the stakes, but Chang Zhi answered only, “I don’t know,” to everything.

Chongxu Sect couldn’t do much with her. With only Lin Hanzhi’s testimony and Nine Abyss sure to deny it, spreading the news rashly wouldn’t help. After deliberation, they informed Li Tianshu of Heavenly Balance Mansion, asking her to divine Yan Zhichuan’s origins. Li Tianshu, deeply concerned about the Demon Seed, naturally wouldn’t overlook any lead and agreed without hesitation.

Xuanmen-Demon strife brewed, dark currents surging across the Nine Summers Continent.

But at that moment, the Path of Inheritance suddenly revealed signs of its emergence on the continent.

Offshore on Yingzhou Island.

Yan Zhichuan’s 108th attempt to snatch the Heaven-Penetrating Treasure Mirror failed. She sat across from Zhan Yujie as if nothing had happened—as if the one who’d just tried to grab it wasn’t her. Propping her cheek and tilting her head, she asked, “Did something happen?”

Though Zhan Yujie ignored messages from fellow daoists in the Heaven-Penetrating Treasure Mirror, she still kept tabs on major events. Like the prior Demon Seed and Roots of Heaven and Earth matters, or the Path of Inheritance appearing now.

After stowing the Heaven-Penetrating Treasure Mirror, she said to Yan Zhichuan, “The Path of Inheritance has appeared.”

Yan Zhichuan’s response was utterly unsurprising. “What’s that?”

Zhan Yujie explained, “A heritage vault left by Dao Fruit Realm immortals from ten millennia ago.” Back then, the Nine Summers Continent hadn’t been shattered, and its vast, dense yuan qi could support Dao Fruits. But it had been an era of Xuanmen-Demon coexistence—who knew if this sudden secret realm was orthodox or demonic inheritance? Some past ruins had been excavated by Xuanmen cultivators, reorganized into trial grounds for disciples.

The Path of Inheritance differed from those secret realms. It appeared randomly: uncertain realm restrictions, uncertain inheritance paths, uncertain Inheritance Gate locations, uncertain timings for opening and closing. They called it all down to “fate,” but “fate” could be forced to a degree.

Yan Zhichuan grew drowsy listening; the string of “uncertains” deflated her budding interest. “What does it have to do with us? Are we going to hunt down the Inheritance Gate?”

Zhan Yujie said, “Yes.”

Yan Zhichuan: “…What if it’s a demonic inheritance?”

Zhan Yujie glanced at her. “Then we must go.”

Orthodox inheritances needed claiming; demonic ones needed destroying. Either way, they couldn’t let them fall to Demon Cultivators.

Yan Zhichuan wilted. “Fine.” But her spirits quickly lifted—heading to the Path of Inheritance meant escaping this damn Yingzhou Island, right? Field training was basically a vacation! She grabbed Zhan Yujie’s sleeve excitedly. “Let’s head back to Nine Abyss first!”

Zhan Yujie lifted an eyelid. “No.”

Yan Zhichuan: “?” Her bright smile gradually stiffened into reluctance, brows furrowing with worry. Leaning toward Zhan Yujie, inspiration struck like lightning. Staring intently, she asked gravely, “Senior Sister, tell me the truth. Have you gotten into something huge?”

A flicker of reluctance passed through Zhan Yujie’s eyes. Her junior was devoted to Xuanmen, but the truth was cruel. She’d wanted to tell her several times but didn’t know how. Could her junior really show that joking toughness? With a soft sigh, she said, “Once we reach the Path of Inheritance and meet others, Junior Sister, don’t claim to be from Nine Abyss anymore.”

Yan Zhichuan paled in shock, hands gripping Zhan Yujie’s shoulders. “Are you defecting from the sect?”

No way—Senior Sister hadn’t fallen to the demonic path yet! And why drag her into a defection?

Zhan Yujie caught Yan Zhichuan’s hands. “Junior Sister, calm down. We—”

Before she finished, Yan Zhichuan slumped to the ground in despair, her expression dejected.

Little Fat Chirp perched on Yan Zhichuan’s shoulder, chirping softly, “Chirp chirp.”

Yan Zhichuan couldn’t figure it out. “Xiao Tian, didn’t we already deal with those trash? Why’s the mission still a big failure?”

The Heavenly Dao System was speechless.

Who else but you? It wasn’t a total failure—at least she hadn’t fallen to the demonic path.

Yan Zhichuan stared blankly into space, conversing with the Heavenly Dao System.

Zhan Yujie thought for a moment and changed the subject. “The Demon Seed has manifested. Easier to act separately.”

Yan Zhichuan calmed down. Demon Seed? What was that? Was it in the original plotline?

The Heavenly Dao System hemmed and hawed.

The glaring “Demon Seed” on Yan Zhichuan’s status panel was far more shocking than the initial “Pseudo-Human.”