Wen Li listened calmly. Her neck felt a bit stiff from standing, so she rotated it slightly. Noticing this, the four old men immediately took the hint and ushered her to a nearby pavilion to sit down.
“The sun is quite bright right now. Please, Senior, move over there and have a seat.”
The moment Wen Li sat down, Shengji brought her tea while Linghu Ci fanned her.
“Senior, please have some tea.”
“Senior, is this breeze strong enough? Should I fan harder?”
Wen Li waved her hand dismissively. “The intensity is fine.”
Yang Yankuan and Huo Yuntian, having nothing to do, could only stand by and stare. They hadn’t expected the other two to be such sycophants. What bothered them most was that they hadn't been given a heads-up! The fan Linghu Ci had pulled from his sleeve was clearly something he’d prepared in advance, and then there was Shengji—that man usually had such a transcendental air about him, yet here he was, brewing tea!
It was nauseating!
“Senior, I have some Dharma treasure spirit cores from the Fire Lotus Sect here. Please see if any catch your fancy.” Huo Yuntian immediately plastered a fawning smile on his face. With a face full of wrinkles, the smile wasn’t particularly pleasant to look at; in fact, it looked a bit wretched.
“Senior, these are Supreme Grade spirit peaches picked by the most skilled spirit monkeys of the Beast Taming Sect. They are truly delicious.”
Yang Yankuan also immediately pulled out the celestial sword he normally cherished with his life just to peel a peach.
He was even careful enough to use a handkerchief as a barrier so that his hand never touched the fruit.
Wen Li nearly choked on her tea. “...”
She remembered this Yang-whoever being a total stiff in the past. See? Who said stoic men didn't understand the importance of details? Now that he was facing death, he certainly knew how to perform.
Wen Li waved them off. “All of you, release your Divine Sense. I’ll take a look at your situations.”
At those words, the four hesitated for a moment. Once someone entered your Divine Sense, you were essentially a fish on a chopping block.
But they didn’t dare delay and quickly replied, “Understood.”
Wen Li raised her hand and made a sweeping motion. Closing her eyes, she sent four strands of her Divine Sense into their minds to peer into their bodies and cultivation status.
Three seconds later, Wen Li opened her eyes and looked at the four of them.
“You remember my rules, right?”
Even though she hadn't explicitly said whether she could help or not, the four were overcome with excitement. They instantly understood that she had a way and nodded frantically.
“We remember.”
The four surrendered their Soul Blood along with their bulging storage bags, respectfully presenting them to Wen Li.
Wen Li’s gaze remained indifferent as she accepted the Soul Blood and the storage bags.
From this day forward, these four were no longer the elders of the Tingyin Pavilion, the Fire Lotus Sect, or the Beast Taming Sect. They were her subordinates.
“The Qingyun Gathering begins in eight years. At that time, the four of you must personally lead your teams to the Central Province. Only then will I be able to help you break through your bottlenecks.”
There really was a way! They were saved!
“Yes, Senior!”
The four bowed and responded respectfully.
Wen Li departed, having made another fortune. She was in a good mood.
She took Zongzheng Huangyue and Hua Cishu to a secluded, scenic spot within the Tingyin Pavilion to guide their cultivation.
Hua Cishu sat beside Wen Li, attempting to draw qi into his body according to her instructions.
“Master... this is the fifteenth failure.” Hua Cishu’s brow was furrowed, and his face was slightly pale. He couldn't accept the fact that he couldn't cultivate, especially after being pummeled by Xin Jiuxian a few days ago. Zongzheng Huangyue’s mocking wake-up call had only strengthened his resolve to cultivate and grow stronger.
Wen Li spotted the core issue from the side and slapped her forehead. “Right, it seems we still have to awaken your demonic meridians first.”
Zongzheng Huangyue was nearby, quietly meditating to prepare for her breakthrough to the Golden Core realm.
Hearing this, Hua Cishu remembered his half-human, half-demon bloodline. He looked up at her with concern. “Master, but I am...”
“Don't worry. With me here, nothing will go wrong. Let me think of a way to awaken them.” Before he could finish, Wen Li patted his head to comfort him.
In the original plot, Hua Cishu didn't awaken until he was fifteen, but it never specified how it happened. Could it be that he also needed a near-death experience?
...
Western Province.
In the desert three hundred li away from the Xuandu Sect.
Two figures were locked in a fierce battle high in the sky.
Both Zhou Shuoyi and Xie Tinglan were at Golden Core Great Perfection. It was difficult to determine a victor between two people of the same cultivation level. Both were covered in wounds of varying degrees.
“Roar!”
Xie Tinglan didn't want to drag this out. He soared into the sky and transformed into his true form: a ten-thousand-zhang-tall Ancient Soaring Serpent. His black scales shimmered with a brilliant iridescent sheen under the sunlight. His crimson vertical pupils snapped open, and the two sharp horns on his head shifted as his massive body uncoiled.
Soaring through the sky, he opened his mouth and unleashed a sudden blast of bloody flames.
“You’re a demon!”
Zhou Shuoyi’s pupils shrank in shock. Before this gargantuan serpent, he was as insignificant as a grain of sand. However, he showed no fear and gave a light snort.
“What of it? Today, I’ll skin you and pull out your tendons. You’ll make perfect material for my new pills!”
“Open!”
Zhou Shuoyi sliced his palm open and released a ten-meter-long scorpion, drenching it in his blood. A dark purple armor instantly condensed around the scorpion’s body. As if driven into a frenzy, the venomous creature immediately charged at the soaring serpent.
Suddenly, Zhou Shuoyi looked toward a person rushing over from two hundred meters away.
“Who is it?!”
Yao Dai waved her hand joyfully. “Senior Brother Zhou, it’s me! I’ve come to help you kill this snake demon!”
Zhou Shuoyi recognized her; she was the Junior Sister who had joined the Xuandu Sect about a year ago.
It wasn't that he was close to her, but he’d heard of her. After all, the Xuandu Sect had countless talented pill cultivators, but she was the only one in the history of the sect who could refine poisons into antidotes and antidotes into poisons. She was considered quite the talent.
“No need. Just watch from the side,” Zhou Shuoyi said coldly, narrowing his eyes. “I don't like others interfering when I’m killing someone.”
“Alright, alright.”
Yao Dai giggled, her red dress making her look playful and energetic. “Then go, Senior Brother! I’ll cheer for you from here. I’ve heard for a long time that you are incredibly talented and powerful, the undisputed leader among us disciples. Having the honor of seeing you fight today is a great learning opportunity. I’ll be sure to share your techniques with the other disciples when I return.”
Since she was a fellow disciple, Zhou Shuoyi didn't treat her with the same icy killing intent he reserved for Xie Tinglan. He nodded indifferently.
“Watch yourself. Don't get caught in the crossfire.”
With that, he waved both hands, directing the venomous scorpion to counter Xie Tinglan’s flames.
“Okay! Go, Senior Brother! Chop that little black snake to death!”
Yao Dai’s enthusiastic cheering caught Xie Tinglan’s attention.
Hearing someone call him a ‘little black snake,’ especially when he had revealed his majestic and terrifying true form, incensed him.
“Roar!”
The serpent’s crimson vertical pupils narrowed as he spat a fireball toward Yao Dai.
Seeing an attack from a Golden Core Great Perfection cultivator coming her way, Yao Dai’s eyes widened, and she rushed toward Zhou Shuoyi.
“Senior Brother, save me! This shameless scoundrel can't stand me cheering for you!”
Zhou Shuoyi frowned. He found her a bit of a nuisance but couldn't say it aloud. He immediately shifted his position to stand in front of her.
“Get behind me!”
He began forming hand seals, launching a light shield toward the incoming flames.
In the next second.
“Urgh...”
The sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out.
“I’m so sorry, Senior Brother. I haven’t tested my poisons on that little black snake yet, so he can’t die just yet.”
Yao Dai’s eyes crinkled as she smiled, looking both innocent and wicked.
Rate on N.U.
