Tang Yao sighed helplessly.
"Return to my Divine Sense for now, all of you."
As her words fell, three streaks of light vanished from the spot.
Within her sea of consciousness, the view stretched far and wide. An exquisite residence stood on the grassland, all painstakingly conjured by Vermilion Bird earlier.
These two damned things had actually come to freeload off his hard work.
At the thought, Vermilion Bird seethed.
Beside Taotie stood a sword spirit who looked like a young man, wearing an unrestrained, devil-may-care smile, wicked to the extreme, with an expression that said, "I'm already here. What can you do about it?"
Looking at the devil sword's punchable face, Vermilion Bird grew visibly angrier. Li Fire gathered on his fingers, and in the next instant, flames coiled around the devil sword!
The devil sword cried out in despair, "What are you doing?! It's so hot... hey!"
"Oh, Master, look at him! I'm part of this family too, you know!"
The devil sword deliberately put on a very green tea expression, never expecting Tang Yao to be completely unmoved by his act!
Tang Yao said within her Divine Sense, "Stop fighting for now. Oh, and from now on, just listen to Vermilion Bird."
The devil sword: "..."
Vermilion Bird promptly smiled like the principal wife. The devil sword reluctantly muttered an acknowledgment. She really hadn't fallen for his act...
*
Looking at the suddenly empty dungeon, Xiao Linyu walked over to Tang Yao without needing to be told. Tang Yao turned toward Xiao Linyu. "I have a task for you."
Xiao Linyu immediately stood at attention. "Boss! Just say the word!"
"You have a loud voice. Shout outside that the Devil Beast has been subdued."
"You got it!" Xiao Linyu swiped a hand across his nose. Boss, just watch me.
"The Devil Beast has been subdued!!!"
"Is anyone there?! The Devil Beast has been subdued! Someone come quickly!" His voice rang through the entire dungeon.
Before long, two guards arrived with keys and opened the cell door. Seeing that there were indeed only the two of them inside, and knowing that only contracted beasts could be withdrawn into Divine Sense, they treated Xiao Linyu noticeably better. "This way, please. We'll report to the valley master!"
The two were respectfully escorted out of the dungeon. After following a winding route, they reached the main hall of Perching Cloud Ravine. Before they even stepped through the door, the valley master's laughter reached them.
"Young friend, your abilities are truly remarkable! Blame me for failing to recognize talent earlier. Please forgive my earlier offenses."
After they entered the hall, the valley master stroked his beard, seated contentedly in the seat of honor. The Zhongli siblings stood beside him, while several elders occupied the secondary seats on either side.
Seeing the two enter, the valley master nodded at them with delight and asked in a somewhat excited voice, "Young friend, would you be willing to serve Free and Unfettered Valley? My dear daughter is not yet betrothed. What do you think?"
A complaining voice came from beside the valley master. Zhongli Si said angrily, "Father..."
The valley master rebuked her without mercy.
"Shut up! Do you have any idea how close you came to causing a disaster?"
Xiao Linyu looked toward Tang Yao. Only after seeing her nod did he speak. "I wasn't the one who subdued the Devil Beast. She was."
Tang Yao lowered her head, stepped forward, and cupped her hands in greeting.
The valley master was somewhat surprised. Both of them were actually beast cultivators.
It didn't matter who had subdued it. What mattered was that they could be put to use for the valley...
"Young lady, my dear son is also not yet betrothed. He will inherit the position of valley master in the future."
Zhongli Yun dared not voice his anger. A sense of being used by his father welled up within him, but her appearance was indeed the type he liked.
The young man's cheeks promptly heated up, and he remained silent.
Just then, that ethereal female voice rang out in Tang Yao's mind again, gentle and delicate. "Child, go ahead without restraint. Since I brought you here, I will help you..."
Tang Yao tightened her fingers, her courteous voice echoing through the hall.
"There's no need."
Zhongli Yun looked over in disbelief. The position of the valley master's wife...
Why would she?
This answer surprised the valley master as well.
He asked in astonishment, "Young friend, why is that?"
Tang Yao stopped speaking in riddles with them.
"The Fusang Divine Flower has been corroded by Devil Qi and has already begun to wither."
"And your Medicine God is using the blood of ferocious beasts to recover his strength! What kind of god is that?!"
Tang Yao's words were light, yet in their ears, they were like a bolt of heavenly lightning striking down.
"Nonsense!! How could the Divine Flower be corroded by Devil Qi?! Its petals strengthen the body and make one immune to all poisons. They are a medicinal catalyst that can heal all things! Where would Devil Qi come from?"
"Most importantly, you actually dare to speak presumptuously of the Medicine God!"
The valley master slammed a hand against his chair and sprang to his feet, his eyes bloodshot.
The elders glared furiously at Tang Yao and Xiao Linyu.
"You ignorant brat... today, you will pay for your words!"
Tang Yao stood straight, looking at everyone. Her voice was not loud, yet it carried great force.
"An immortal valley that takes healing the world as its duty, yet treats human lives like grass merely because outsiders accidentally overheard its affairs-you do not deserve to be called healers!"
"Were the valley residents you took to sacrifice also people you once exhausted every effort to save?"
"You know perfectly well whether the Divine Flower has changed!"
"But you have no idea whether you yourselves have changed."
Tang Yao spoke each word distinctly.
Zhongli Yun watched Tang Yao in silence. He had disagreed with his father's decisions more than once, but every time his father returned from visiting the Medicine God, he became even more brutal.
"Father! She's right. You once spent an entire day and night saving A-Yu too! Doesn't sacrificing her to the Divine Flower go against the flower's original purpose of curing every illness?"
Zhongli Si looked anxiously at the valley master, as though pleading for an answer.
"Impudent! You don't even understand sacrificing the self for the greater good!" The valley master swept his sleeve and stopped looking at Zhongli Si.
"Since you could subdue the Devil Beast, I imagine your cultivation is not low..."
"Then go cure the Divine Flower! At least you'll be of some use!" After the elder on the right proposed this, the other elders all found it reasonable and bellowed, "Guards!"
Tang Yao's expression darkened. Narrowing her eyes, she said coldly, "Foolish and hopelessly deluded."
Her hand lightly gripped the hilt of the Crimson Flame Sword. Surrounded by elders and guards, at the instant they made their move-
She drew her sword. Dazzling red light flared, sparks flickering along the blade, its might piercing the heavens like a rainbow, as though it could crush all darkness. Though she possessed only Foundation Establishment strength, within this space, her cultivation seemed to have been magnified tenfold.
Tang Yao immediately understood that the owner of that voice was helping her.
In that case, she would fight without holding back!
She raised her arm high and slashed down!
A powerful blast of flaming Sword Qi tore through the sky. Everyone scrambled to dodge. Those who failed were swept straight through the building along with the Sword Qi, their fates unknown.
The valley master and the elders watched Tang Yao warily. This woman actually cultivated both swords and beasts...
"Little Red!"
As her voice fell, a scarlet bird abruptly appeared in the hall, its wings as brilliant as flames, letting out a piercing cry.
Everyone was stunned.
"Why does that look like Vermilion Bird to me...?"
"Nonsense! How could this witch possibly have contracted Vermilion Bird!"
Tang Yao ignored them. She leaped onto Vermilion Bird's back and spoke from above.
"You are not my targets."
Before everyone's eyes, the woman and beast flew straight away. The valley master stared after them, his fingers trembling slightly.
He knew this was the divine beast Vermilion Bird.
Everyone watched the valley master, waiting for his orders.
A moment later, an unnatural red suddenly flashed through the valley master's eyes. His expression abruptly turned vicious. "Follow them!"