Tamu Town.
"Senior Teng just left like that..."
The three survivors from the Primal Demon Temple gazed up at the sky with longing, the disappointment plain on their faces.
Just as the multitude of Demon Spirits surrounding them was about to take their lives, that vast, imposing Demon Mountain had come roaring through.
In truth, the Demon Mountain had never stopped for even a moment.
But Teng Kun had pressed down with a single palm strike, using his cultivation at the great perfection of the Six Tribulations Realm to slay every Demon Spirit gathered in town.
After that one strike, Teng Kun returned to the Demon Mountain, and the mountain vanished.
"Qin Hui from the City Guard Army is still alive."
Tong Yi frowned, still shaken by their narrow escape.
When he saw that there were too many Demon Spirits to kill, he had considered withdrawing from Tamu Town as well. Unfortunately, they were the Demon Spirit army's primary targets, and the fiercest Third-Rank Demon Spirits had all gathered around them.
They wanted to leave, but could not escape at all.
Forced to hold their ground, they watched their fellow disciples die one after another. When only the three of them remained, their lamps nearly out of oil, Teng Kun happened to pass by and casually saved them.
A moment later, the three reached Qin Hui.
Qin Hui sat crouched beside Shen Yanrong's severed body, holding the branch that gave off a faint green glow. Tiny sparks of electricity that had yet to fade still coursed over him.
He had already resigned himself to dying here in battle, yet Teng Kun had happened to pass through with the Demon Mountain and saved him as well.
"Qin Hui, please report Zhao Changfeng and Ruan Meizhen's desertion, along with Chen Jian of the Ghost-Controlling Sect, to the Demon Kingdom and the Crippled Demon Sect."
Tong Yi had said "please," but his manner made it an order that allowed no refusal.
Qin Hui's heart was cold ashes. As though he had not heard Tong Yi's instructions, his eyes remained fixed on the branch.
Tong Yi raised his voice. "Qin Hui! Remember your duty!"
Only then did Qin Hui react. In a voice so calm it held no trace of life, he replied coldly, "I will report it to my superiors."
Tong Yi nodded and said nothing more.
Before long.
The three arrived at the ice-covered rock where Zhao Changfeng had cultivated for so long. The Earth Yin Cold Spring seemed to have run dry, no longer releasing the earth yin cold qi they needed to cultivate the Profound Yin Scripture.
Apart from a few First-Rank Spirit Beasts, nothing remained here.
"Hahaha! All that effort for nothing!"
"So many fellow disciples died, and even we nearly lost our lives, all for a few First-Rank Spirit Beasts?"
The two Primordial Spirit Realm cultivators, a man and a woman, laughed in anger.
Tong Yi's face darkened. "Back to Heavenly Shield City!"
At noon.
Cui Pinyuan dug a wooden chest that radiated cold out of a patch of sand. When he opened it, two Spirit Beasts were revealed.
An Ice-Ridge Serpent and a Coldstar Fox, both Third-Rank Spirit Beasts whose entire bodies were icy cold.
Cui Pinyuan had prepared them for himself.
At certain stages, his Blazing Sun Demon Art required extreme cold to suppress it, and only third-rank Spirit Beasts of extreme cold could have the desired effect. The wooden chest was packed with frigid stones, keeping the already ice-cold carcasses from rotting for years.
"You certainly have quite a collection, Senior Cui."
Surprise showed in Zhao Changfeng's eyes as he smiled. "Third-rank Spirit Beasts. Would you be willing to part with them, Senior?"
The appearance of Teng Kun and the Demon Mountain had eased everyone's taut nerves a little.
Though they suspected something might have gone wrong in Heavenly Shield City as well, Teng Kun was, after all, at the great perfection of the Six Tribulations Realm. Hurrying over as he was, he would surely resolve the danger.
Zhao Changfeng had slain many Demon Spirits, with the Demon Cores in his cloth bag as proof. He felt those merits could at least offset his offense of fleeing Tamu Town with Ruan Meizhen.
Now that the Demon Spirit Tide crisis had been resolved, he only needed to reach Heavenly Shield City with Ruan Meizhen and find the Demon Mountain. Then they could return to the Crippled Demon Sect without trouble.
With the pressure that had followed him like a shadow gone, he was in the mood to consider other matters, and even dared set his sights on third-rank Spirit Beasts.
His cultivation had reached the late Yuanqi stage. Next, he needed to focus on cleansing and tempering his blood, making every drop brim with abundant qi-blood essence.
At this stage, he could still use the Essence-Devouring Demon Art to advance rapidly through Spirit Beasts. Third-rank Spirit Beasts would naturally lend him a helping hand.
"Part with them? What do you have to trade?"
Cui Pinyuan's face was full of mockery and disdain.
Back in the cave, Zhao Changfeng had spent all his spirit jade, spirit stones, and even the small items he had acquired on purchasing Spirit Beasts. He had no reserves left at all.
Otherwise, when Ruan Meizhen had attempted to break through to the Primordial Spirit Realm, he would not have come asking Cui Pinyuan for spirit jade again.
All the rogue cultivators were dead, but before the Primal Demon Temple had driven them back like cattle and sheep, it had stripped them of every valuable possession.
He had not managed to get so much as a single spirit stone from those rogue cultivators' bodies. How could Zhao Changfeng have done any better?
"How about low-rank Demon Cores?"
Zhao Changfeng asked with a smile.
Cui Pinyuan shook his head and said coldly, "Demon Cores are useless to me."
After a moment's thought, he looked at Chen Jian, who had remained silent, and said hesitantly, "Third-rank Spirit Beasts are still worth something. If you can help me solve that problem, I'm willing..."
The two third-rank Spirit Beasts of extreme cold could help him withstand two flare-ups of the searing Demon Flame backlash. They were what he relied on to stay alive.
The Demon Mountain's appearance meant the crisis in Tamu Town was over, and Tong Yi and the others had probably survived. As a deserter and a mere rogue cultivator, he absolutely did not dare return to Tamu Town.
He had taken out the third-rank Spirit Beasts with the intention of making a deal with Chen Jian, hoping Chen Jian could resolve his hidden danger once and for all.
"Fine. I can solve it for you, but you'll have to follow me for a while."
Chen Jian nodded lightly.
Cui Pinyuan's face fell, and he asked uneasily, "You won't kill me along the way, will you?"
Chen Jian's expression was indifferent. "If you're willing to trust me, we'll make the deal."
After carefully weighing it, Cui Pinyuan decided to take the risk. He did not forget to flatter Chen Jian. "Brother Chen, you're certain to become a Demonic Dao Magnate someday. Surely you wouldn't break your word to a mere rogue cultivator like me!"
The third-rank Spirit Beasts could only withstand two bouts of burning Demon Flame, whereas Chen Jian could end the threat forever. He had no choice at all.
"Zhao Changfeng, give me those two Third-Rank Demon Cores, and these two Spirit Beasts are yours."
"What do you say?"
Chen Jian asked at once.
"No!"
Ruan Meizhen looked rather anxious. Afraid that Zhao Changfeng did not understand the value of Third-Rank Demon Cores, she hurriedly said, "The higher a Demon Core's rank, the more valuable it is! A single Third-Rank Demon Core can be exchanged at the sect for a spirit artifact of the same rank!"
"Zhao Changfeng, Third-Rank Demon Cores are immensely useful to you. Just one could get you a third-rank Blood God Saber!"
"High-rank Slaughter Spirit Techniques, more advanced demonic cultivation arts, and more-you can exchange Third-Rank Demon Cores for all of them!"
"Don't trade with him!"
At some point, this gorgeous senior sister who stirred endless fantasies had begun genuinely taking Zhao Changfeng's side and looking out for him.
Chen Jian's gaze turned strange.
Thinking of how Ruan Meizhen was a Love Slave Xu Lang had sent away, then seeing her current devotion to Zhao Changfeng, Chen Jian found it rather amusing.
In Chen Jian's judgment, if this continued, Zhao Changfeng might well crack open a fissure in the Heaven-Stealing Seed-of-Love Demon Art Xu Lang cultivated.
"How about all the Demon Cores Zhao Changfeng collected below the third rank?"
Chen Jian asked again.
This time, Ruan Meizhen did not object. She seemed to consider the price reasonable, and Zhao Changfeng urgently needed high-rank Spirit Beasts to advance his cultivation.
Zhao Changfeng readily replied, "Deal!"
Blazing sun, cold moon.
Daylight, freezing night.
They alternated twice in succession.
Moonlight spilled down like water. The desert was cold enough to pierce the bones, just like Zhao Changfeng at that moment.
The Ice-Ridge Serpent's carcass, covered in fine, ridged spines, had shriveled only slightly, while a thin layer of ice already coated Zhao Changfeng's skin. Even the air he breathed out was a frigid white mist.
At this moment, Cui Pinyuan secretly circulated the Blazing Sun Demon Art beside him, drawing the cold poison from Zhao Changfeng's body into his own to suppress the searing Demon Flame wreaking havoc within him.
This could delay the Demon Flame's eruption and allow him to hold on longer.
Knowing that something might also have happened in Heavenly Shield City, Chen Jian was naturally in no hurry. Along the way, he let Zhao Changfeng stop whenever he wished to cultivate.
Thus, Zhao Changfeng was able to use the third-rank Ice-Ridge Serpent to temper all the blood in his body.
In principle, a third-rank Spirit Beast contained ten times as much qi-blood as a second-rank one, though in practice the difference was not quite that great.
A third-rank Spirit Beast was comparable to a Primordial Spirit Realm expert. Its qi-blood was purer and more refined, and with a little guidance and refinement, it could nourish his blood. The only trouble was that he absorbed the cold poison along with it.
Without Cui Pinyuan taking advantage of this, he would have had to repeatedly disperse the accumulated cold poison himself, forcing him to cultivate in fits and starts.
Cui Pinyuan's presence spared him that troublesome step, keeping his cultivation progress from being affected too much.
Gurgle!
Every drop of blood seemed to boil, continually refined and purified as the demonic cultivation art steamed it. Zhao Changfeng could sense that the new blood, cleansed several times over, brimmed with dense vitality.
My flesh has been tempered over and over, right down to every drop of blood. I can also use my own qi-blood to refine my middle dantian again.
This way, every strand of qi-blood in my qi-blood sea will be purer and more condensed than at the previous stage.
When I use the Blood Shadow Art again, each blood shadow will surely be able to carry more willpower. Their strength will undergo a qualitative leap!
Zhao Changfeng was secretly delighted.
Ever since arriving in this world, every day had been an extraordinary struggle. He was constantly thinking about how to stay alive.
On the way to Heavenly Shield City, he had found a rare peace of mind, and he treasured it.
Another day passed, and the four, dawdling along, finally reached the outskirts of Heavenly Shield City.
With the wooden chest on his back, Zhao Changfeng stood atop a mound with the others and gazed toward Heavenly Shield City, looking at its towering walls that resembled a gigantic shield.
"The Demon Mountain!"
"Master really is here!"
Above Heavenly Shield City, the vast, pitch-black Demon Mountain hovered silently, like an enormous savage beast crouching in place.
"There's no rush to go in. I'll use a Yin Ghost to scout first."
Chen Jian shook the Yin Ghost Spirit-Seizing Banner and released a powerful Yin Ghost he had refined. Under cover of night, it slipped silently toward Heavenly Shield City.
"It's too quiet. I don't see any City Guard Army troops posted at the gate, or any mortals coming and going."
Cui Pinyuan lowered his voice, looking extremely cautious. "Even if this gate leads toward Tamu Town, it shouldn't be this deserted."
Ruan Meizhen pressed her lips together. Now terribly tense, she murmured, "I hope... I hope nothing terrible has happened."
Her mother and elder brother were living in Heavenly Shield City. She had refused to retreat from Tamu Town because she hoped to hinder the Demon Spirits' advance on Heavenly Shield City.
With Chen Jian and Zhao Changfeng stopping repeatedly along the way, she had actually been terribly anxious. Only the thought that her master and the Demon Mountain had already gone ahead, and should be able to resolve the crisis, had allowed her to suppress her agitation.
A few breaths later, Chen Jian's face darkened, and he said quietly, "Demon Spirits are already running rampant in Heavenly Shield City."
P.S. Both chapters are up. It's the last day of the month, so brothers who still have monthly votes, don't let them go to waste! Cast them for Old Ni!