Red Lotus

Since the four from the West Courtyard escaped last time, the Jimo Household has increased the number of guards in their dungeon, and the family head has even hired several powerful array masters to rearrange many powerful arrays.

The first to enjoy these benefits was Feng Ji.

To make him more "comfortable," the head of the Jimo Household even complied with Jimo Qing's request and built him a water dungeon.

The icy, black water relentlessly washed over Feng Ji's enormous Jiaoren tail, gradually draining his Spiritual Qi until he no longer had the strength to maintain his human form.

A series of footsteps suddenly echoed in the empty dungeon. Feng Ji looked up and, sure enough, saw a delicate hem of a garment.

His gaze moved upwards and met the imposing eyes of the Jimo Household head.

With a "snap," a Jade Slip landed in front of Feng Ji. His pupils contracted slightly, and his heart suddenly pounded wildly. It was something he had hidden deep in his Storage Bag, something that could take his life.

Feng Ji swallowed hard, feigning composure, and asked, "What is the meaning of this, Jimo Household? Why did you send me a Jade Slip?"

"You don't need to pretend. I brought the Jade Slip to see you because I know your identity—an outwardly Evil Cultivator from another realm, but a spy in the shadows!" Jimo Duange exuded an imposing aura, and a trace of blood immediately spilled from Feng Ji's lips. "Speak, who is your master, and what is his purpose in sending you here?!"

The head of the Jimo Household also believed that the other party simply wanted to seize the power of the Jimo Household.

Strangely, the other party's actions were full of loopholes. With his strength, he could have easily led the other Evil Cultivator to kill Sang Ying and the others, but he insisted on waiting for Fu Yinqiu to go out and get reinforcements before he was willing to take action himself.

If he had intervened from the beginning, by the time they broke through his magical Law Artifact and escaped, Rizhao City would probably no longer exist. This wasn't pessimism on the part of the Jimo Household head; it was simply the truth.

But Feng Ji was clearly not one to give in easily. Even after enduring so many days of hardship, he still refused to utter a single word. "I don't understand what the Jimo Household head means. I'm doing all this for profit. We Evil Cultivator are born to pursue profit."

Feng Ji, now resembling Jiaoren, appeared more refined than before, with a touch of wickedness added to his expression.

Seeing that he seemed unmoved, the head of the Jimo Household slowly spoke, "I've heard that Jiaoren are incredibly powerful, fearless in the sea, and their only nemesis is a small insect called the Fallen Star."

Feng Ji's expression suddenly changed.

"Those Fallen Star are extremely rare, and can only be found in the Cloud Mulberry Realm. I thought I would never have the chance to see one in this lifetime, but fortunately I have a good Daoist dao companion. She has many friends, including a powerful Gu cultivator."

"He has a particular fondness for strange insects, such as the Fallen Star,' which can burrow into the Jiaoren and devour their Jiaoren and blood. Naturally, he is very interested in these things. Thanks to him, I finally got to see one today..."

The patriarch watched Feng Ji's increasingly panicked expression, a gentle smile always playing on his lips.

He slightly raised his index finger, Feng Ji immediately looked at the dark pool water around him as if facing a formidable enemy.

Sure enough, tiny, silvery insects were moving rapidly in the black water. Feng Ji tried desperately to dodge them, but he still felt a tingling sensation on his tail. It was as if something had broken through his scales and burrowed into his flesh, heading towards his head along his meridians.

At this moment, Feng Ji was no longer as calm and collected as before; fine beads of sweat kept appearing on his forehead. And when he felt the excruciating pain in his head, these beads of sweat turned into large drops and slowly fell into the black water.

"It's Fallen Star, it really is Fallen Star!" Feng Ji instantly broke down. This was torture that would be unbearable for any Jiaoren. "Jimo Duange, aren't you a benevolent person?!"

Why resort to such despicable means?!

Upon hearing this, the patriarch laughed, "Why should benevolence and righteousness be used on people like you?"

The excruciating pain of being skinned and having his bones ripped out relentlessly from Feng Ji's mind. His long tail slammed violently against the walls of the water prison, tearing even his scales apart.

Even so, it couldn't alleviate the pain radiating from my brain.

Finally, Feng Ji couldn't hold back any longer. "I didn't come here just for the Jimo Household. First, help me retrieve the Fallen Star, and I'll tell you everything immediately!"

"Unfortunately, I no longer want to know." The head of the Jimo Household would not give him a chance to play tricks.

Feng Ji gritted his teeth. Despite his reluctance, the pain urged him to speak quickly, "I've come here only to sow discord among the various factions in your Immortal Spirit Realm, to disrupt your alliance, and to make you enemies!"

He practically spat out those words through gritted teeth.

"I've already told you, let me go, let me go!" Feng Ji screamed in despair.

At this moment, the Jimo Household head's expression darkened. "Who is your master?"

I can't say!

"Then I'll come back whenever you're willing to speak." With that, the head of the Jimo Household made a move to leave.

"I really can't say!" Seeing that he seemed to be really about to leave, Feng Ji hurriedly said, "That man placed a restriction on me, and I cannot mention his existence to anyone else. I'm just a dog under his command, and I know very little about him. I only know that he's not from the Immortal Spirit Realm, and his cultivation is unfathomable. Oh, right, he seems to have a Red Lotus embroidered on his sleeve..."

Before Feng Ji could even finish his sentence, he exploded into a cloud of blood.

If his cultivation hadn't already been severely damaged, even the patriarch would probably have been injured by this power.

The expensive magic robe helped Jimo Duange block the attack, and countless drops of blood slid down his body.

He took one last look at the crimson water prison, and walked out with an expression he had never shown before.

Upon seeing this, the black-robed Gu cultivator who had been waiting outside tilted his head and asked, "Did that insect fool the Evil Cultivator?"

The head of the Jimo Household nodded. "We succeeded in deceiving him, but unfortunately, we didn't know the identity of the person behind it. Feng Ji died because he triggered the restrictions within his body."

How could a Gu cultivator, who had never even left the Immortal Spirit Realm, possibly encounter such a rare insect Fallen Star?

She had simply read more books in her younger years and understood the characteristics of the Fallen Star, so she used a similar Gu worm to deceive him.

If Feng Ji had persisted a little longer, he would have discovered that the pain in his body was just an illusion, and there were no Fallen Star gnawing at his flesh at all.

Unfortunately, he no longer needs to know these things.

"It seems the enemies you'll face in the future are far more powerful than you imagine," the Gu cultivator said softly.

The head of the Jimo Household gave a bitter smile. Yes, one of the other party's subordinates had almost caused the destruction of his clan. If it weren't for Sang Ying's intervention, Jimo Household's subsequent betrayal by the Azure Feather Sect after their misfortune, it was hard to guarantee that he wouldn't have done something terrible.

Whether the Immortal Spirit Realm will be plunged into even greater suffering as a result is truly hard to say.

"By the way, I'm leaving now," the Gu cultivator suddenly added. "I've stayed in Rizhao City long enough; it's time to go home."

The head of the Jimo Household said he understood, "I remember you are currently living in Qing Zhou? Why don't you take this opportunity to accompany my daughter?"

The Gu cultivator paused, then asked, "Aren't you planning to keep Miss Sang Ying at home?" Judging from his words, it was clear he intended to send Sang Ying to Ten Thousand Daos Born!

He had known the couple from Jimo Household for quite some time and was well aware of their longing for a daughter. Now, although he didn't know where this daughter had come from, she seemed to have a special connection with them. The couple probably treated her like their own daughter.

That's why the Gu cultivator asked this question.

The head of the Jimo Household sighed helplessly, "Isn't this what she likes?"

Sang Ying had heard about the two disputes over the person long before they broke out, and immediately decided that she would switch back to her original identity to participate in the test.

Although the head of the Jimo Household was also reluctant to let her leave, considering that the person behind Feng Ji had not been identified, he thought that letting her leave Jimo Zanxing and go to Ten Thousand Daos Born was not a bad idea. That's how he reluctantly convinced himself.

The Gu cultivator didn't ask any further questions, assuming they were simply doting on their daughter, and quickly agreed to the matter.

"Don't worry, I will take good care of Miss in Qing Zhou." The way Gu Xiu addressed Sang Ying also carried a hint of doting affection for a junior.

The head of the Jimo Household smiled at him, but his unease did not lessen in the slightest.

Alas, let's just hope that the person behind Feng Ji hasn't fully grown his wings yet!

A place far, far from the Immortal Spirit Realm.

The surrounding Demonic Qi was so dense it was almost condensed into water, yet the man in white sat undisturbed.

He slightly raised his hand, his jade-like fingers plucking a broken chess piece from the mountain of chess pieces on the board.

"Another chess piece ruined, what a pity." He sighed softly, but there was no trace of regret in his voice.

Then, he gently crushed the broken black piece and threw it at his feet.

On the wide sleeve that had slipped down, a bright Red Lotus was embroidered!

A note from the author:

The meat was so delicious today (burp)! I wish everyone can eat delicious food every day!

That's all for today. See you tomorrow! ~Sparrow flaps its wings~