Chapter 13

On the seventh day after Xu Xianqing was trapped in the Demon Domain, back on Cang Mountain, Ye Ming seemed to sense that something was different.

But her current cultivation was too low, so she could only rely on instinct to feel that a few little mice seemed to have slipped into her Demon Domain.

She sneered. Those fools in the Demon Domain had lost their backbone without her. Now that someone had found their lair, they probably did not even know it.

But after thinking about it carefully, the four directional lords of the Demon Domain had originally depended on her. After she had been killed by Xu Xianqing with a single sword strike ten thousand years ago, those Demon Lords should have been sealed as well.

This was the usual method spiritual cultivators used against their Demon Race.

Cang Mountain remained very peaceful. News that Xu Xianqing had been trapped in the Demon Domain had not spread there.

But Xu Yi, who was traveling outside, was different. She had arrived at Yilin Prefecture, where a tide of demonic beasts had just broken out. The cultivators in the city were all resisting outside the walls and rescuing the common people nearby. She joined this battle against the demonic beasts as well.

She was at the peak of Golden Core. In Yilin Prefecture, most cultivators were generally at the Foundation Establishment stage. Only the city lord and a wealthy merchant in the city were at Golden Core, but one was early Golden Core, while the other was mid Golden Core.

Xu Yi’s arrival added a great [bailiantales.com]boost to Yilin Prefecture’s strength, and very soon, this small beast tide was driven back.

Xu Yi remembered that many years ago, when she and Master had passed through Yilin Prefecture, Master had said that when she was young, she had once happened to pass through this place and encountered a beast tide as well.

The people of Yilin Prefecture relied on the demonic beast forest for survival, taking the beasts’ fur, flesh, blood, and inner cores.

The conflict between demonic beasts and humans could not be reconciled. Demonic beasts would always launch attacks on the nearby human settlements, both for revenge and to migrate to better places.

But the people of Yilin Prefecture lived off the mountain and absolutely could not allow the demonic beasts in the mountain to escape. Otherwise, their livelihood would be cut off. Because of that, every time they encountered an attack from demonic beasts, they would only drive the beasts back and continue trapping them inside the demonic beast forest.

Xu Yi looked at the common people beneath the city walls. Some were missing arms or had broken legs. Some had half their heads bitten off by demonic beasts. Many cultivators had also overdrawn their spiritual power and were now lying on the ground, swallowing pills while gasping harshly for breath.

The city lord of Yilin Prefecture arrived surrounded by the guard team. He cupped his hands and bowed to Xu Yi. “Many thanks, Senior, for lending your aid. Senior is a great benefactor of our Yilin Prefecture. Please enter Yilin Prefecture. We have already prepared a banquet for Senior.”

“No need.” Xu Yi had a cold temperament and did not like interacting too much with people. She had seen danger happen right before her eyes, so of course she would save them. “It was merely a small effort. There is no need to mobilize everyone. The area outside the city is in ruins, and there are still many things the city lord needs to handle. I will take my leave first.”

The city lord did not try too hard to keep her and only respectfully saw her off.

Before Xu Yi left, she looked up at the sky above Yilin Prefecture. A haze of blood qi lingered there without dispersing.

Would there ever be a day when the common people here and the demonic beast forest could coexist peacefully?

Would this blood qi ever disperse?

But these were not things she should consider right now. She had traveled outside for a long time and had seen plenty of matters like this.

A few days ago, she had accepted a task in Guangyang Kingdom: to secretly deliver a royal secret order to the Rogue Cultivators’ Alliance branch in the Southern Region.

Now, she had merely been passing through Yilin Prefecture. She had already delayed half a day and needed to leave as soon as possible.

Xu Yi flew on her sword. At present, she still did not have her own bonded artifact. Master had said that when she reached late Nascent Soul, she would help her refine one. So for now, Xu Yi only had a long sword that she found relatively easy to use.

Master said that sword cultivators were not bound by swords. When sword qi and sword intent had both been thoroughly fused and mastered, even a branch snapped off casually by hand could become a sharp blade.

She had always listened to Master, so most of the time, her sword was used for flying and rarely used as a weapon.

Many people, just by looking at [stolen content]her when she traveled outside, found it very difficult to tell that she was a sword cultivator.

In the eyes of the world, sword cultivators were probably like her third junior sister, forever keeping their swords close at hand.

Even if they put their swords away, when they encountered danger, the first thing they did was draw their swords.

Only she and Master, when encountering danger, did not immediately draw their swords. Instead, they used whatever weapon happened to be convenient.

Xu Yi traveled south. Three days later, she finally arrived in the Southern Region. She bought a map and found the Rogue Cultivators’ Alliance branch.

But today, this place seemed to be preparing for some major event. People came and went, everything was chaotic and busy, and every person’s face carried a solemn expression. Even the air here held a trace of gravity.

Gu Jingjun had just finished interrogating the disciples of Wuding Sect and was now preparing to go question the people of Lianhua Sect.

When she came out of the camp, a disciple guarding the entrance suddenly jogged over and said to her, “Alliance Leader, a female cultivator came here half an hour ago and has been watching from a distance the whole time. I do not know the reason.”

Gu Jingjun followed his line of sight and looked over. With only one glance, she grew somewhat flustered. She waved her hand, telling that disciple to leave first.

Then she walked straight toward the female cultivator not far away.

When Xu Yi saw the alliance leader of the Rogue Cultivators’ Alliance coming over, she bowed and saluted, respectfully saying, “Cangyun Gate disciple Xu Yi greets Alliance Leader.”

Gu Jingjun hurriedly reached out to stop her salute, saying in a slightly panicked voice, “There is no need to be so polite.”

Xu Yi found this somewhat strange. Master’s friend seemed far too courteous toward her. This did not seem like an attitude toward a junior. If it had been someone who did not know any better, they might have thought Alliance Leader Gu was her friend.

“Did you come to find me?” Seeing that she was not speaking, Gu Jingjun took the initiative to ask.

Xu Yi thought for a moment. “Yes. I was entrusted by Guangyang Kingdom’s Grand Minister of Agriculture to deliver this item to the Rogue Cultivators’ Alliance.”

The reason Xu Yi had not gone in all this time was because the Rogue Cultivators’ Alliance branch leader, who should have received this item, was said to be absent from the branch. She had been considering whether she should leave or hand the item to someone else.

Since the alliance leader had come out, she did not need to trouble herself anymore.

She could simply hand it directly to the alliance leader.

“This is…” Gu Jingjun looked at the wooden box and sheepskin ​stolen content​scroll in her hand, her face showing a bit of confusion.

Xu Yi said, “It is the new route map from Guangyang Kingdom’s capital to this place in the Southern Region. It avoids Yilin Prefecture. Beast tides frequently break out in Yilin Prefecture, and goods often suffer losses when passing through the area. The imperial family spent several years opening up a new route. In the future, please have the Rogue Cultivators’ Alliance use this new route when transporting goods. In addition, inside the box is a newly discovered species found by Guangyang Kingdom. This thing is extremely delicate and difficult to keep alive, but it likes absorbing demonic breath as nourishment. If it is planted on a large scale along the border of the Southern Region’s immortal-demon battlefield, perhaps it can become a source of support on the battlefield.”

After hearing Xu Yi’s words, Gu Jingjun’s heart surged with rare excitement.

Spiritual cultivators could not resist demonic breath, while the Demon Race could freely release and withdraw demonic breath at will. The reason Xu Xianqing’s ideal of coexistence with the Demon Race was so difficult to realize was because spiritual cultivators always had a kind of fear and rejection toward demons deep in their hearts.

No one wanted to keep an unstable explosive talisman beside them.

But if demonic breath could be controlled, then spiritual cultivators would have an added sense of security when facing demonic breath. In the future, they would no longer be casually suppressed by demonic breath. Instead, everything would be decided by each side’s own strength. This was already the law of this continent, the survival principle that all spiritual cultivators were familiar with. In that case, they would not reject the Demon Race so strongly.

Even a portion of demonic cultivators could be brought under control.

“How difficult is this thing to keep alive?” Gu Jingjun was widely learned and knowledgeable, but she had still never heard of this newly discovered species.

Xu Yi was just about to explain when Gu Jingjun suddenly remembered what that disciple had said earlier—that Xu Yi had already been standing here for half an hour. She could not help feeling distressed. “You have traveled all this way in haste. You must be tired. Why not go inside and rest for a while? I still have some matters to handle here. How about I come find you tonight to discuss this in detail?”

Xu Yi had only accepted this one task at the moment, and there ​stolen content​was no rush to go back and submit it, so she nodded. “Many thanks, Alliance Leader.”

When Gu Jingjun had saved Xu Yi beneath the city wall before, she had used an avatar and an alias. Therefore, at present, Xu Yi did not have much of an impression of this alliance leader of the Rogue Cultivators’ Alliance.

She only knew that Gu Jingjun was a very good person who devoted herself fully to the spiritual cultivation world, and that she was also her Master’s friend.

Master had made many friends when she was young, but Xu Yi had heard that many people later disappeared during the great war, while others eventually ascended.

Now, among those still alive, still walking through the spiritual cultivation world, and still frequently interacting with Master, there was only Alliance Leader Gu.

Xu Yi had quite a good impression of this senior.

After entering the Rogue Cultivators’ Alliance, Xu Yi took a short nap in her room. When evening came, Gu Jingjun knocked on the door from outside.

“Tell me about these things.” Gu Jingjun was actually still hesitating over whether she should tell Xu Yi that Xu Xianqing had been trapped in the Demon Domain. She had sealed off the news from the outside. After all, Xu Xianqing’s identity was no ordinary matter. She was the person who had killed the evil god and sealed the Demon Lord. Ten thousand years ago, she had been the hope of the spiritual cultivation world.

Although very few people now understood that great battle, the fact that Xu Xianqing was the backbone of the entire spiritual cultivation world had still been passed down from generation to generation. If people found out she was trapped in the Demon Domain, even if nothing had happened to Xu Xianqing yet, this news would probably stir up a great uproar.

But Xu Yi was Xu Xianqing’s eldest disciple. She had the right to know this matter.

“Alliance Leader Gu, do you have something to say?” Xu Yi saw her hesitation and difficulty, so she instinctively asked.

Gu Jingjun gritted her teeth and simply told her everything.

She had already prepared herself for Xu Yi to blame her, or for Xu Yi to lose control over the matter of her Master.

However, after Xu Yi finished listening, her face went blank for an instant. Then she calmly nodded. “I understand.”

Gu Jingjun looked at her in surprise. Her reaction was far too calm. It did not seem like she had heard news that her Master was trapped. Instead, it was more like she had heard that an irrelevant stranger had gotten into trouble in a foreign land.

Xu Yi suppressed the overwhelming killing intent in her heart and forced herself to remain sober and rational. None of it showed on her face. She only asked coldly, “Alliance Leader Gu, is there anything I can do to help rescue Master?”

Gu Jingjun withdrew her thoughts and said, “There are still more than two months. The seventh day of the seventh month is the Night of Yin Void. At that time, we can forcibly tear open the crack and rescue the three of them. I have already left my storage ring with Valley Master Leng. They will definitely have no problem enduring three months inside. It is only… right now, I am more worried about Elder Mo. When I came out, something had already happened on his side, but I do not know exactly what. I can only hope Xianqing can control the situation as soon as possible.”

“Mm.” Xu Yi rapidly thought through the matter in her mind. Then she asked, “When Master entered, was she wearing the Golden Core left behind by Mistress?”

Gu Jingjun said, “She was. She has always refused to let that [stolen content]Golden Core leave her. You can be at ease.”

Xu Yi relaxed a little. “Then that is good.”

Gu Jingjun asked, “You are not worried about her?”

“I am.” Xu Yi frowned slightly. That was her Master—the person who had raised her from childhood, taught her skills, and given her warmth and care. Now that Master was trapped in the Demon Domain, how could she not worry?

Gu Jingjun comforted her. “Don’t worry. Nothing will happen to her in the Demon Domain. Valley Master Leng is still rational. Although I do not know Valley Master Leng very well, she has traveled the Demon Domain battlefield all year round. Naturally, she has her own methods for dealing with demonic breath, so there is no need to worry too much about her either. It is only…”

As for Elder Mo of Wuding Sect.

She could not understand why Wuding Sect had sent Elder Mo here. Elder Mo was indeed quite good. In the past, his talent had not stood out, but later, he had worked very hard. After gaining an opportunity in a secret realm, he leapt from being an outer gate steward of Wuding Sect to becoming an inner gate peak master, and later rose further to become Wuding Sect’s second elder.

But Mo Xingfeng’s state of mind seemed unstable, and his Dao heart seemed easy to collapse.

The more Gu Jingjun worried about him, the more she could not understand Wuding Sect’s actions.

Originally, the arrangement had been for Wuding Sect’s sect leader to ​unauthorized copy​come. But later, the sect leader suddenly entered meditation, so they could only send the young sect leader. As a result, Wuding Sect’s young master was unexpectedly injured, and after several rounds of excuses, Elder Mo was ultimately the one who came.

Elder Mo’s cultivation was deep, so he could indeed enter. But Gu Jingjun had overlooked his Dao heart.

This matter was her responsibility. After rescuing the three of them, she would go ask forgiveness.

“Have the people of Lianhua Sect and Wuding Sect all been questioned clearly? Have you found anything wrong?” Xu Yi asked tentatively. “Are the other two sects truly without any problems?”