Encounter Battle, Ye Zimei

Early the next morning, Xiao Yu looked at his cultivation, already at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refinement, and his gaze lifted.

After stretching his limbs, Xiao Yu headed alone to Spirit Light Temple.

This time, he already possessed a fortune worth tens of millions.

He passed through without obstruction.

In the blink of an eye, he was escorted to Fire Monk's meditation chamber.

The chamber had ancient timber and green tiles, with wind chimes beneath the eaves swaying in the breeze.

Xiao Yu stepped inside. The furnishings were simple: only a desk, a small table, a couch, and a furnace. A few yellowed scriptures lay scattered on the bookshelf.

On the desk, smoke curled from the incense burner, and sandalwood fragrance lingered faintly.

Beside the couch, an oil lamp burned quietly. Its shifting light cast the shadow of a bronze three-legged cauldron against the wall.

Unlike the pill furnace Xiao Yu used for alchemy, this three-legged cauldron had no lid.

Xiao Yu studied the cauldron with a curious expression. Incredibly dense dharma power fluctuations emanated from within it.

It was profoundly mysterious.

Just as he reached out to touch it, someone stopped him. "Touching someone else's things is not a good habit!"

Xiao Yu turned at the sound and saw a red-bearded monk lying atop the beam.

His belly was enormous, and his eyes were like bronze bells.

The scent of wine and meat radiated from his entire body.

Xiao Yu hurriedly cupped his fists. "Junior Li Yunma... pays respects to the eminent monk Ling Huo!"

A teasing smile curled at the other man's lips. After giving Xiao Yu a couple of looks, he extended his hand. "Zi Ling took in such a glib-tongued disciple? Nothing special, are you..."

"Forget it. Take out what she gave you. I'll give her this favor, seeing as she's one of the Hehuan Seven Beauties~ Hehe~"

Feigning amiability, Xiao Yu took out the storage pouch Zhang Ziling had given him.

He felt nauseated inside. This old monk actually dared to covet his master?

Look at that bear-like mug of his...

Wasn't it just artifact forging?

He had already learned alchemy. How difficult could artifact forging be?

"Hm? Two hundred thousand spirit stones, plus a Ghost Wolf skeleton... What dharma artifact does your master want forged?"

Xiao Yu immediately cupped his fists and bowed. "Reporting to Senior, my master wishes to forge a high-grade offensive dharma artifact!"

Fire Monk immediately gave a cold laugh. Raising his hand, he collected the items into the storage pouch before tossing it back to Xiao Yu. "Go back. You think two hundred thousand spirit stones will get you a High-Grade Dharma Artifact? What do you take this place for?"

"Go tell your master to personally bring three hundred thousand spirit stones! Otherwise, there's nothing to discuss!"

"If it isn't convenient for her to come to Jiangliu City, we can change locations..."

Xiao Yu cursed inwardly. This bastard wanted to ask his master out?

"Senior... You know that the war situation is pressing. My master toils day and night and truly cannot get away, which is why she sent this disciple in her stead!"

"If this money is not enough, this disciple is willing to offer another five bottles of pills..."

Fire Monk looked at the several pill bottles Xiao Yu brought out, momentarily surprised.

After opening one and taking a sniff, his eyes turned cold. "You refined these? You're an Alchemist???"

Xiao Yu said, "That is correct... This junior is a first-grade Alchemist..."

Fire Monk's eyes rolled around. When he looked at Xiao Yu again, his eyes had narrowed into crescents.

"So your master is guaranteeing your place in next month's Ten Thousand Demons Secret Realm, right? Since you're an Alchemist, I'll grant you this favor!"

"However, you must agree to one thing: next month, you have to take my grandson with you into the Ten Thousand Demons Secret Realm!"

As soon as Fire Monk finished speaking, a watermelon-headed youth popped out from behind the bookshelf.

Xiao Yu was briefly dumbfounded, politely looking at the red-haired youth.

The red-haired youth raised his chin and shouted, "My name is Huo Feng! Third Layer of Qi Refinement!"

Xiao Yu lowered his head and cupped his fists.

Xiao Yu looked at Fire Monk in confusion. Before he could speak, Fire Monk declared, "It's settled! Next month, take my grandson into the Ten Thousand Demons Secret Realm, and I'll forge your master's dharma artifact!"

With that, Fire Monk began.

He raised his hand, gathering spiritual energy!

Fire Monk sat cross-legged beside the pill furnace.

With a thought of divine sense, flames surged within the furnace.

They transformed into rosy light.

Then he took cold iron and placed it inside the furnace.

He refined it with flame until it gradually softened and turned liquid.

Next, he placed the Ghost Wolf skeleton, spirit stone powder, pill blood, and other rare spiritual materials into the three-legged cauldron one after another.

They melded with the molten cold iron.

Xiao Yu watched with fascination, his eyes shining.

What had that operation just been...

If he had not feared disturbing the other man, he would have surely sent his divine sense into the cauldron to investigate.

Who knew how much time passed.

As Fire Monk began chanting his incantation.

The firelight in the furnace gradually withdrew, transforming into an ancient bone-chain blade.

The chain stretched several meters long. One end bore a wolf's head, while the other bore a wolf's claw.

The wolf eyes upon it still emitted a faint blue glow, lifelike as though alive.

Xiao Yu became entranced by the sight, completely forgetting the passage of time.

The red-haired youth had already finished cultivating in the courtyard, yet Fire Monk still had not finished forging the artifact.

Xiao Yu simply watched with a serious expression.

It seemed to share some similarities with alchemy, yet there were differences as well.

Without realizing it, he watched for two whole days.

As Fire Monk slapped it with his hand, several streams of dharma light instantly poured into the bone chain.

Wolf howls ran rampant!

As brilliance flowed, spiritual energy overflowed.

Fire Monk slowly exhaled. "There~ Your master's High-Grade Dharma Artifact, the Ghost Wolf Lock. Use the wolf head for close combat, and the chain blade for distant attacks."

Xiao Yu excitedly cupped his fists and bowed. "Thank you for your trouble, Senior!!!"

Fire Monk cast Xiao Yu a sidelong glance, his brows lifting again. "You want to learn artifact forging, don't you? Did you understand it?"

Xiao Yu smiled awkwardly. "No... I didn't understand... It just seemed somewhat similar to alchemy!"

After pondering briefly, Fire Monk began demonstrating. "They say side professions are worse than dogs. We artifact forgers and Alchemists often have little time to cultivate! That's why our cultivation is somewhat lower than others'!"

"I won't have you help me for nothing. Next month, take my grandson into the Ten Thousand Demons Secret Realm and catch a fire-attributed spirit beast for him. Then I'll personally teach you artifact forging. What do you say?"

"Take this copied manual of artifact forging and study it first. All right, hurry and leave. If you haven't left the city in three days, you won't be able to leave even if you want to!"

Xiao Yu accepted the dharma artifact and the copied artifact-forging manual, then gave a slight bow.

He turned and left the meditation chamber.

Before he even reached the gates of Spirit Light Temple, he suddenly saw a group of Profound Spirit Sect cultivators enter from outside.

Three Jade Maiden Sect cultivators followed behind them.

He immediately dropped to his knees amid the crowd and began kowtowing.

Seeing the storage pouches hanging at those people's waists, unease rose in Xiao Yu's heart.

They had to be carrying at least a dozen storage pouches. What were they planning to forge...

After those people all entered the meditation chamber.

Xiao Yu also left Spirit Light Temple.

After disguising himself as a woodcutter and leaving the city again, he hurried nonstop toward the Hehuan Sect Branch.

Along the way, he did not see a single Profound Spirit Sect cultivator in the sky.

The silence was somewhat terrifying.

When things were abnormal, there had to be a demon at work.

Thinking of those people carrying storage pouches, Xiao Yu's gaze grew increasingly gloomy.

Could those righteous sect bastards be planning something underhanded?

Could it be the Ten Thousand Demons Secret Realm?

Once the Ten Thousand Demons Secret Realm opened, would they launch their entire army at once?

Or did they have some other plan...

To be safe, he should report to his master first.

Just as Xiao Yu continued forward.

Three women suddenly rushed out in front of him.

Xiao Yu feigned reverence. "Immortals..."

The leading woman stared at Xiao Yu with a gloomy expression.

Her gaze was exceedingly sharp, like blades and swords.

She wore black armor over a black robe.

She hovered in the sky, looking down upon Xiao Yu.

Suddenly, a system notification sounded in Xiao Yu's mind.

[New wicked woman detected: Ye Zimei! Please have the host judge her as soon as possible!]

[Name] Ye Zimei

[Age] 23

[Cultivation] Qi Refining, Eighth Layer

[Appearance] Beauty score: 88 points, height: 169 cm, weight: 47.5 kg

[Talent] Metal-Wood Dual Spiritual Root

[Personality] Uses men as stepping stones and tools, willing to pay any price to raise her cultivation.

[Background] Outer disciple of the Jade Maiden Sect, younger sister of inner disciple Ye Zhirou

[Wicked Deeds] Has killed a total of 1,688 mortals, castrated over eighty male cultivators, and favors women over men!

Xiao Yu shuddered.

Ye Zimei...

Qi Refining, Eighth Layer?

He was practically at the branch already. How had he still run into people from the Jade Maiden Sect...

There were also two Mid Qi Refining Stage cultivators beside her.

This would be difficult...

Ye Zimei looked at Xiao Yu, the corners of her mouth rising.

She looked down at Xiao Yu with cold, lofty disdain and mocked, "Sisters, we have already slaughtered every mortal on Jiangliu Mountain. Why has another woodcutter appeared?"

"This is called waiting by a tree stump for rabbits. As long as we kill every mortal on the mountain, anyone who shows their face afterward must be a demonic-path scoundrel!!!"

Xiao Yu pretended to panic. "Um... four Immortals, hello... This commoner was merely passing through and had no intention of offending you..."

Ye Zimei laughed softly. "Where did four come from? Could it be that you've been scared out of your wits?"

Xiao Yu pointed behind the three women in confusion. "Isn't there another one over there?"

Ye Zimei froze at his words and quickly turned to look.

But when she turned around, where was anyone?

She instantly cried inwardly that things were bad.

Turning back, she saw a strange treasure map radiating sky-shrouding rosy light as it swept toward them.

Ye Zimei's expression trembled.

Looking at the treasure map emitting dazzling golden light, she saw countless incomparably beautiful fairies.

How could there be so many fairies...

"Ahhh! Save me... Senior Sister, save me..."

As a piercing scream sounded behind her, Ye Zimei's soul trembled along with it.

A Supreme-Grade Dharma Artifact!

This was actually a Supreme-Grade Dharma Artifact!!!

The next second, she saw her two junior sisters separated from head to body.

Ye Zimei flew into a rage. Biting her finger, she wiped the blood across the dharma sword in her hand and raised it toward the sky. "Damn it--!!!"

She actually forced those fairy phantoms back.

Xiao Yu rolled his shoulders twice with an amused expression. "Truly, enemies were fated to meet..."

After speaking, Xiao Yu released the Puppet Eagle and Puppet Rat.