"Senior Sister Ruan!"
"Senior Sister Ruan!"
Everyone's gaze naturally gathered on Ruan Meizhen. The anticipation in their eyes was plain to see; they were clearly urging her to attempt her breakthrough as soon as possible.
The pressure had already shifted from Zhao Changfeng to her.
In the morning desert, the sunlight was still mild and warm, not yet scorching.
She raised her head to gaze at the sky. Her vivid red robe hugged her skin and accentuated her figure, with only its hem stirring gently in the wind.
At that moment, a trace of hesitation shone in her beautiful, bright eyes, and her expression was complicated.
"Under the blazing daytime sun, Low-Rank Demon Spirits will be greatly weakened. Let's keep moving first."
As soon as she finished speaking, her alluring figure, which left every man present itching with desire, headed straight toward Demon Mountain. She paid no heed whatsoever to what the others thought.
Had she been completely confident, she would have attempted to break into the Primordial Spirit Realm without the slightest hesitation. Opening her sea of divine sense would bring a qualitative transformation in her combat strength.
Unfortunately, she truly had little confidence.
That being the case, she might as well exploit the Low-Rank Demon Spirits' daytime weakness and get as close to Demon Mountain as possible, then decide what to do when the cold night descended.
Now that it was truly her turn to attempt a breakthrough into a major realm, her thoughts were in turmoil too. She needed time to muster her courage.
"Senior Sister is right. Let's go."
Everyone quickly followed.
Under the blazing sun, the Crippled Demon Sect's party cast long shadows as they walked.
Zhao Changfeng brought up the rear.
His successful Realm Breakthrough had won him a slim chance at survival, but no one gave him spirit beasts or spirit stones to consume anymore. Having only just entered the Yuanqi Stage, his sea of spiritual qi was not full, and his middle dantian was completely dry.
At this stage, what he most needed was to cultivate in peace and familiarize himself with the mysteries of his new realm as soon as possible, but no one would give him the time.
Those in the early Yuanqi Stage like him needed to accumulate qi-blood in their middle dantian bit by bit, slowly filling their qi-blood sea. Once it was full, they could use that qi-blood to temper their flesh, bones, and sinews, along with their five viscera and six bowels.
Furthermore, since Yuanqi Stage cultivators could already release their spiritual qi outside their bodies, they could also begin practicing Slaughter Spirit Techniques.
The Demonic Cultivation Art is used to build foundations and advance cultivation, while spirit techniques are used for combat. The two complement each other.
Zhao Changfeng silently looked at the senior brothers and sisters ahead of him. He knew that Named Disciples who advanced to the Yuanqi Stage were entitled to ask Ruan Meizhen for a spirit technique to use in battle.
Ruan Meizhen had not mentioned it, nor had anyone else. Naturally, that was because they knew there was no point in him learning a spirit technique.
In everyone's eyes, he, Zhao Changfeng, would die tonight. Why bother?
Hmm?
Examining himself again, he was surprised to discover that a Little Bronze Cauldron made entirely of energy had reappeared within his sea of spiritual qi, which had expanded to three times its original size.
The cauldron had three legs and two handles, and hovered silently above his sea of spiritual qi.
Indistinct patterns were engraved on its body, mysterious and intricate, as though they held some profound truth of heaven and earth that tempted him to immerse his mind in their mysteries.
A faint suction arose. The Small Cauldron seemed to want to devour something, but could not find it within his sea of spiritual qi.
This cauldron was identical to the one in the cold void Beyond the Heavens. The only differences were that one was enormous and the other tiny, one physical and the other an illusory body of energy.
It had manifested once before, and Zhao Changfeng had refined it using the Lingxiao Qi-Controlling Art, coating his sea of spiritual qi in a layer of dark cyan and expanding the boundaries of that "sea."
He had never expected the cauldron to manifest a second time after he entered the Yuanqi Stage.
Astonished, Zhao Changfeng carefully examined it without betraying anything, secretly probing its mysteries.
He soon discovered that this illusory, miniature Azure Small Cauldron could no longer be refined with either the Lingxiao Qi-Controlling Art or the Essence-Devouring Demon Art. Nor could he move it with his thoughts.
The cauldron simply hovered above his sea of spiritual qi, as though it had remained motionless since time immemorial.
Strange...
Zhao Changfeng pondered for a long time and quietly tried other methods, but he still could not budge the Small Cauldron in the slightest. Having no idea what it could actually do, he could only give up in frustration.
Last night had been agonizing, and today's daylight was no different. He knew full well that nightfall meant his death.
I have to do something...
At the rear of the party, Zhao Changfeng's gaze flickered as he racked his brains for a way out. Yet even after thinking himself into knots, he remained helpless.
Run? Could he outrun these people?
Having only just undergone a Realm Breakthrough, he had neither spirit stones nor spirit beasts. Although the sea of spiritual qi in his lower dantian had expanded, it was not full, and he had yet to refine even a trace of qi-blood in his middle dantian.
He did not even have a single Slaughter Spirit Technique. Who could he possibly defeat?
After pondering so long that his head hurt without finding a solution, he could only delve into the original owner's memories to see whether they might offer some inspiration.
Does Song Ziyan really want to die?
She knows her parents' souls are inside the bead, but what is the point of stalling?
Song Zejun and Zhou Jin are such a deeply calculating couple. Did they not anticipate that Old Devil Teng would capture their daughter alive? They can communicate with Song Ziyan. Are they the ones telling her to stall?
But even if she stalls until the very end, could she really escape with her life?
Thoughts surfaced one after another, only to fade away in turn.
He put himself in Song Zejun and Zhou Jin's place, considering their thoughts and circumstances. If they were certain they still had a sliver of hope of survival, where would that hope lie?
At present, the greatest anomaly was that Demon Spirits had truly breached the world membrane and were attacking living beings throughout the Sola Desert.
Demon Spirits!
A chill crept through Zhao Changfeng's entire body, and a curious hypothesis suddenly formed in his mind.
Suppose... Song Zejun and Zhou Jin knew that Demon Spirits could pass through the world membrane and would soon appear in the Sola Desert, while Old Devil Teng would inevitably investigate the world membrane.
Then Demon Mountain would certainly be situated in the Sola Desert.
Old Devil Teng's cultivation has yet to reach the heavens. He cannot perform extraordinary techniques like the Soul-Searching Art.
If he cannot force her to reveal the Soul-Pacifying Bead's location quickly, or if Song Ziyan stalls until the end and casually gives him a false location, by then Teng Kun will already be at the edge of the world membrane. Wouldn't he have to finish the matter at hand before verifying it?
In that case, could Song Ziyan take advantage of the Demon Spirits wreaking havoc everywhere to escape with the Soul-Pacifying Bead?
Song Zejun and Zhou Jin were Three Calamities Realm cultivators. Even without their physical bodies, might they still possess considerable combat strength with the help of the Soul-Pacifying Bead inside her?
Teng Kun left with two Formal Disciples, and there isn't a single Primordial Spirit Realm cultivator on Demon Mountain now. If those two could hold out until today, their chances of survival would be extremely high!
If things really are as I imagined, their family might actually have survived had I not stuck my foot in.
Zhao Changfeng gave a soft snort. The more he thought about it, the more his heart trembled.
The treachery and cruelty of this world exceeded his expectations. He truly wanted to remain here, keeping company with these old devils and towering fiends, matching wits and courage with them and playing this game to the fullest.
"I like this terrifying world where all things compete. What a shame it would be to die so soon."
Zhao Changfeng sighed.
No! Demon Spirits! If that couple truly planned things this way, then I...
With that thought, Zhao Changfeng suddenly quickened his pace and silently moved to the front of the party. Smiling, he addressed Ruan Meizhen, who had remained quiet throughout the journey. "Senior Sister Ruan, why don't we take advantage of the Demon Spirits' daytime weakness and reach Demon Mountain as quickly as possible?"
He suspected that Demon Spirits had already infested Demon Mountain, and that most of the fellow disciples left cultivating there, along with the prisoners, had died after their souls were devoured.
If he urged everyone to reach Demon Mountain quickly, they might encounter Demon Spirits that were still lingering there. Once those Demon Spirits attacked, he would have a chance to escape.
Demon Spirits were certainly frightening, but these people were just as difficult to deal with. He might as well plunge the situation into utter chaos.
Yet Ruan Meizhen, their leader, showed no intention of even acknowledging him. She did not so much as turn her head.
"We can't get back to Demon Mountain during the daylight hours. Everyone's cultivation realm is different, after all. Stop getting ideas."
Chi Jingchen curled his lips, seeing through Zhao Changfeng's intentions at a glance, and mocked him. "Just follow us obediently. Stop throwing out random suggestions."
Unwilling to give up, Zhao Changfeng tried again. "Senior Sister Ruan! Your cultivation realm is the highest. If you left everyone behind and traveled alone, you should be able to reach Demon Mountain before dark, right?"
At those words, everyone wore an amused expression and looked at him as though watching a farce.
They all knew he was desperately searching for a chance to survive.
"I calculated the time first thing this morning. If I traveled at full speed, I would reach Demon Mountain right as night fell."
Ruan Meizhen spoke coldly.
She had already seen through Zhao Changfeng's ulterior motives. Her exquisitely beautiful figure continued forward without pausing for even an instant at his words.
"Since Demon Spirits are roaming outside in the desert, who knows whether large numbers of them have taken up residence inside Demon Mountain?"
"Rather than face a host of Demon Spirits alone at night, we're better off traveling together. At least we can look out for one another."
Ruan Meizhen's words cut off every one of Zhao Changfeng's schemes.
With even his last sliver of hope extinguished, Zhao Changfeng could not help sighing inwardly. He gave an awkward chuckle. "I hadn't thought that far ahead. I certainly wasn't as thorough as you, Senior Sister."
Ruan Meizhen snorted and ignored him.
Noon passed, then dusk. Night was nearly upon them.
The party traveled at an unhurried pace, occasionally coming across one or two corpses whose souls had been devoured by Demon Spirits. Some belonged to fellow disciples, others to rogue cultivators.
They divided up the Spirit Materials on the bodies, while a senior brother who practiced the Corpse Demon Art made full use of them, squeezing the last bit of value from the corpses.
Zhao Changfeng gained nothing and remained empty-handed.
There was no escaping what had to come. As the blazing sun quietly gave way to a cold moon, the fifth frigid night arrived all the same.
"Find places to rest. Stay alert for Demon Spirits, and don't stray too far from one another."
After leaving them with those words, Ruan Meizhen solemnly took out bottles and jars filled with venom, placing them on the sand within easy reach.
Everyone could see that, under the terrifying pressure of the Demon Spirits, she had finally resolved to attempt her breakthrough.
"Senior Sister Ruan, we'll be close by. Call us whenever you need anything."
"Senior Sister Ruan, we're counting on you!"
"You're our true hope of resisting the Demon Spirits!"
Everyone tactfully scattered. For one thing, they wanted to avoid arousing Ruan Meizhen's suspicions and making her worry that someone might try something underhanded during her Realm Breakthrough.
For another, they were at least somewhat mindful of the sect's rules. They could hardly stand around as a group watching her poison Zhao Changfeng to death. If Teng Kun found out later, he would surely have to mete out some token punishment.
Zhao Changfeng said with a cheerful smile, "Good luck, Senior Sister Ruan. May you succeed in your Realm Breakthrough this time. I'll go have a look around over there."
Ruan Meizhen, who had worn a cold expression throughout the journey, only now revealed a flower-like smile again. In a voice so sweet it was intoxicating, she said softly, "Wait. Junior Brother Zhao, please stand guard for me. You're the only one I trust."
P.S. While the book is still new, please keep reading the latest chapters. Thank you~