Tamu Town lay deathly silent.
Qin Hui had sat motionless beside Shen Yanrong's corpse for a long time, neither eating nor drinking, neither sleeping nor resting.
When Zhao Changfeng and the others left, Cui Pinyuan had asked whether he wanted to come along. Tong Yi had asked the same before leaving, but he had refused them all.
After Shen Yanrong's death, Qin Hui had fallen into a state of confusion, no longer knowing what meaning life held.
Whoosh!
A streak of rainbow light suddenly arrived and landed beside Qin Hui, revealing Qin Qingyao's peerless figure.
She had pursued the enemy all the way, yet still failed to slay the high-rank demon spirit behind everything. All her efforts had come to nothing.
"Little Hui."
Qin Qingyao's voice was cool and clear. She had learned what happened before arriving and asked calmly, "What do you plan to do next?"
Qin Hui had not seen a living person in a long time. Hearing that seemingly emotionless voice, he looked up at her, then lowered his head again. His gaze settled on the jade-green length of branch. "Auntie."
"Come back to the Crippled Demon Sect with me and become my disciple."
Qin Qingyao spoke.
Qin Hui shook his head. "I'm going to the Primal Demon Temple."
At those words, Qin Qingyao knew he had made his decision and stopped trying to persuade him. She merely said, "Shen Yanrong was corrupted by a third-rank demon spirit. With her temperament, she had no chance of resisting it. Zhao Changfeng did nothing wrong by killing her."
Qin Hui frowned. "I know."
Qin Qingyao thought for a moment, then added, "If I had been in Zhao Changfeng's position, faced with that situation, I would have done the same."
Qin Hui's expression worsened. "I know!"
"Look after yourself."
Qin Qingyao said no more. She rose into the air again and departed in a streak of rainbow light, without staying to comfort her own nephew.
Mountains, valleys, and cities had all shrunk.
In Zhao Changfeng's eyes, the uneven earth spread out like an unfurled painting.
He now stood at the entrance to a cave on Demon Mountain's third level, holding the Demon Token that marked him as a formal disciple and looking down over the world below.
Demon Mountain hurtled toward the Crippled Demon Sect with a howl.
The new Demon Token merely had an extra character, "Teng," and looked otherwise unremarkable. Yet Zhao Changfeng understood the weight that character carried. He knew this token was what countless named disciples pursued with their lives on the line.
"Whether I can become a formal disciple will only be clear once we return to the sect."
Zhao Changfeng narrowed his eyes in thought.
He had just finished refining the third-rank Ice-Ridge Serpent, cleansing and tempering a portion of the blood in his body. He had not immediately used the second third-rank spirit beast because he had felt an intense craving to kill.
Here on Demon Mountain, his safety was finally assured. He no longer lived in dread of disaster striking at any moment.
And so he was no longer quite so impatient.
Hiss, hiss!
A strange sound suddenly arose.
Zhao Changfeng turned and saw that a small snake had appeared in the spacious cave, slowly slithering along.
The little snake was dark green and only as long as his arm. Its vertical pupils glowed green as it regarded him curiously.
"Brain-Devouring Snake!"
Zhao Changfeng's face drained of color. As though plunged back into that desperate situation, he instinctively reached for the Blood God Saber.
"What are you scared of?"
"You're not a Lingxiao Sect disciple anymore. You're Grandpa's new disciple."
A bright, childish human voice came from the little snake's mouth.
Then a petite figure, likewise wrapped in a scarlet robe, appeared, planting her white-jade bare feet on the snake's head.
She was a beautiful little girl, as delicately sculpted as a jade doll.
The skin exposed outside her robe resembled crystalline white jade, radiating a clear, flawless glow.
As she spoke, her little ponytail swayed gently, while her emerald-green eyes held curiosity and hunger.
That hunger left Zhao Changfeng shaken.
Lv Yang had died beneath the gaze of those hungry green vertical pupils, his brain and soul devoured.
"You are...?"
Zhao Changfeng asked despite knowing the answer.
"I used to be called Teng Ling. Now Grandpa calls me Lin'er. You can call me Teng Ling, or you can call me Senior Sister."
Having revealed her identity in a single sentence, Teng Ling flicked her little tongue and explained why she had come. "I heard you got quite a few Demon Cores, right? You have important uses for the third-rank ones, so I won't ask for those. Could you give me some low-rank Demon Cores to eat?"
Zhao Changfeng remained on guard. He stood beside the Blood God Saber, with the cave entrance behind him offering an escape.
A fifth-rank Brain-Devouring Snake was equivalent to a mighty human cultivator of the Six Tribulations Realm. With his current cultivation, he was no match for her, and he had no idea what exactly this porcelain-doll-like girl was.
The little girl stood on the Brain-Devouring Snake's forehead. Her body brimmed with astonishing energy, yet it was not made of flesh and blood.
To Zhao Changfeng, she felt somewhat like Song Ziyan, who had briefly appeared above Heavenly Shield City-the mastermind behind that entire catastrophe.
Strangest of all, the Brain-Devouring Snake was still watching him with her vertical pupils, as though another soul resided within.
"Of course!"
Zhao Changfeng swiftly took out low-rank Demon Cores one after another and tossed them toward the Brain-Devouring Snake, right at the little girl's feet.
Crunch!
Greed shone in the dark-green snake's eyes. With astonishing speed, she crunched through a dozen or so low-rank Demon Cores, then swallowed them all.
"Thanks!"
Teng Ling smiled brightly and waved at Zhao Changfeng. Her figure suddenly sank, merging into the Brain-Devouring Snake's body.
The little snake twisted her slender body and slithered out of the cave.
"A fifth-rank spirit beast, calling herself Senior Sister Teng Ling, possibly with two souls..."
Zhao Changfeng muttered, privately mourning those Demon Cores.
The Brain-Devouring Snake roamed within Demon Mountain, wandering through different caves as though patrolling her own territory.
Teng Ling, in soul form, went to Old Devil Teng's cave abode at the very top. Seeing the struggle on Teng Kun's face, she asked softly, "Grandpa, you still haven't fully suppressed her?"
A loving smile spread over Teng Kun's aged face. "You're awake again?"
Teng Ling nodded lightly, unmistakable smugness showing on her exquisitely beautiful little face. "I asked Zhao Changfeng for some Demon Cores and ate them."
Afraid Teng Kun would scold her, she emphatically added, "Low-rank ones!"
"Naughty girl." Teng Kun shot her a glare. "He has uses for low-rank Demon Cores too. Once we return to the sect, he can exchange them for merit."
"I know, but I wanted to eat them. What else could I do?"
Teng Ling blinked and said in frustration, "Grandpa, you should let me go to the Unordered Zone. There are lots of good things there, perfect for my current condition. You're always afraid of this and that. When will I ever advance?"
Teng Kun's mouth tugged into a smile. "I haven't even advanced to the Freedom Realm myself. What are you in such a hurry for, girl? If you broke through to the sixth rank, wouldn't you be stepping on my head?"
Teng Ling giggled mischievously. "It's not like I haven't done that before! Back when I still had a body, didn't you let me stand on your head?"
At those words, Teng Kun's expression darkened at once, pain filling his only eye. "Perhaps I made the wrong choice back then. If I hadn't insisted, perhaps you..."
Teng Ling flew forward and patted Teng Kun's shoulder like an adult comforting a child. "It's all right, Grandpa. We'll kill that fellow from the Primal Demon Temple in the end!"
Teng Kun abruptly rallied, baring his teeth in a sinister grin. "That's right. The two of us will kill him!"
During the journey, Teng Ling sneaked over three more times.
Each time, she asked for low-rank Demon Cores, though never many-only a dozen or so.
Zhao Changfeng's stock of low-rank Demon Cores gradually dwindled to half its original size, leaving just over forty.
They occasionally exchanged a few words, and Zhao Changfeng learned that she was suppressing the Brain-Devouring Snake's soul. After every major battle, she would weaken and fall dormant for several days.
During that time, she could restore her strength with Demon Cores.
"So Demon Cores help spirit beasts."
Looking into the distance, Zhao Changfeng suddenly saw towering mountains. Judging by the time elapsed, they ought to be nearing the sect.
"We're almost there."
As was her habit, Ruan Meizhen came in uninvited without knocking on the stone door. She stood beside Zhao Changfeng, and they looked into the distance together.
Her tall, voluptuous figure, alluring curves, and charming smile now that she had regained her composure occasionally made even Zhao Changfeng's heart stir.
The Senior Sister Ruan who had vanished for so long seemed to have returned.
Yet whenever he concentrated on examining the First Cauldron and felt willpower being generated, he knew Ruan Meizhen's heart-demon obsession had not disappeared.
"Senior Sister, have you seen that little snake?"
Zhao Changfeng asked casually.
Ruan Meizhen gave a slight start. Her captivating eyes instantly fixed on Zhao Changfeng's sharply defined face. "The Brain-Devouring Snake? Why are you bringing her up?"
Zhao Changfeng smiled. "Just a passing remark. Don't worry about it, Senior Sister."
"You'd best stay away from her!"
Ruan Meizhen's expression turned grave as she explained, "Master treats her like his greatest treasure. He values her more than his own life! That little snake is fifth rank, too. Killing us would be as easy as turning over her palm. Whatever you do, don't provoke her!"
They stood very close. Ruan Meizhen's faint fragrance drifted from her, and Zhao Changfeng's nostrils twitched slightly.
His senior sister had been behaving rather strangely lately. She came to chat with him whenever she had nothing to do, every frown and smile setting his imagination wandering. From time to time, she would even ask something rather private.
For instance: "That little junior sister of yours is quite pretty. Have you really never been tempted, Zhao Changfeng?"
Zhao Changfeng never answered.
"We're here!"
Ruan Meizhen suddenly grew excited, a blush rising on her lovely face as she exclaimed softly, "The central landmass!"
Beneath the evening glow, imposing mountains stood in a ring around an immense sinkhole that plunged deep underground.
Above the pit, a landmass floated in midair.
Chains as thick as thighs stretched from it. A small number connected to the surrounding rocky ground, while most hung straight down, extending into the unseen depths below.
Some chains resembled silver, gleaming with a cold, silvery luster. Within them, strange power flowed upward against the current like water.
Some chains looked cast from gold, with streams of scarlet blood likewise flowing upward into the floating landmass.
Other chains were made from some unknown metal, and the strange power flowing upward through them actually carried the aura of divine sense and souls.
"Spiritual power, vitality, soul energy."
Ruan Meizhen drew a light breath and explained to Zhao Changfeng, "Deep underground, all sorts of unnatural evil beings are imprisoned, along with mighty cultivators of the Righteous Dao. The chains extract their power and deliver it into the sect, supplying formal disciples like you and me, as well as the elders, for cultivation."