Chapter 20

On this day, Qi Miao deeply understood just how profound a sword cultivator’s love for their sword could be.

After enduring the pain and reflecting on it, she bowed her head, wearing a repentant expression, and obediently listened to Tang Mingqin’s admonitions.

Chu Chan kept glancing at the two of them, her expression growing increasingly difficult to read. She turned slightly and whispered to the others, “This is the first time I’ve ever heard Tang Mingqin say so much.”

Qiu Tu nodded in agreement. “Me too.”

He too had never known that a sword cultivator could be so talkative.

Liu Ruzhen watched with interest, and upon hearing their comments, sneered softly, “That’s because if anyone else called their sword ugly, Tang Mingqin would have already taken action.”

But since it was Qi Miao who said it, and they feared causing some unforeseen accident by physical reprimand, they could only resort to verbal discipline.

Qiu Tu and Chu Chan were speechless.

Indeed, that was the case.

Liu Ruzhen then turned her head toward the obedient, quail-like girl and said, “Junior Sister Qi, why don’t you take out your sword and apologize to it?”

Qi Miao’s ears were filled with the sword cultivator senior brother’s nagging, so when she heard Liu Ruzhen’s words, she buried her head even deeper, pretending not to hear.

She dared not let Tang Mingqin see the light sword.

Just saying “ugly sword” in front of Tang Mingqin, who was usually expressionless and aloof, was enough to make the sword cultivator senior brother agonize and scold her for a long while.

If Tang Mingqin knew that the sword he wielded to uphold justice at this moment did not even have a proper blade… it would be unimaginable!

Qi Miao dared not think further and quietly resolved never to reveal the existence of her light sword in front of Tang Mingqin.

***

Time passed swiftly.

When the horizon in the distance darkened and then brightened again, the sky above the valley, originally dyed a fiery red, revealed a faint purple glow, silently announcing to everyone that the molten lava disaster was nearing its end.

The blazing red lava gradually retreated underground, exposing the valley walls and cliffs scorched to a gray-black hue.

Liu Ruzhen stood at the edge of the cliff and flicked a pebble from her fingertip. The small stone shot through the air and struck the ground with a dull thud, directly knocking a deep hole almost a foot deep into the valley’s main path.

Qiu Tu clasped his hands and exclaimed appreciatively, “What an awesome spectacle we’ve caught!”

Qi Miao, who was peeking nearby, looked at him curiously upon hearing his remark. “Senior Brother Qiu, is this kind of thing not uncommon in secret realms?”

Behind Qi Miao, Chu Chan shot Qiu Tu a sharp glance. When Qi Miao mistakenly thought that dangerous events like beast tides were common in secret realms, they chose not to correct her, letting the misunderstanding stand, but now Qiu Tu was dragging the conversation backward.

Qiu Tu shivered and, recovering his composure, forced a calm tone, “It’s common.”

Qi Miao sensed something was off and hesitated, “You just said ‘awesome spectacle’…”

Liu Ruzhen interrupted in a flat voice, “Senior Brother Qiu is a medical cultivator, like you, and hasn’t experienced many big storms.”

He didn’t deny Qi Miao’s words, but it sounded like he was amazed because of his lack of experience.

Qiu Tu stammered, biting his teeth to squeeze out a single word from his throat: “Yes.”

Qi Miao wasn’t so easily fooled. She stared at Qiu Tu suspiciously, trying to detect anything unusual, when someone called to her from behind.

“Daoist Qi.”

Qi Miao turned and saw a tall woman calling her.

She blinked and recognized her. “Daoist Wen?”

Wen Zuoyun smiled, “You still remember me, Daoist Qi.”

Qi Miao nodded innocently, “I have a pretty good memory.”

Wen Zuoyun was one of the cultivators she had brought along with her alchemy furnace and had also ordered a water-elemental spirit artifact from her, so of course she remembered her.

“What brings you here, Daoist Wen?”

“Are you all also preparing to leave the valley?” Wen Zuoyun glanced at them and said directly, “This beast tide was triggered by the molten lava eruption. After those beasts escaped the valley, they were blocked by the Bone-Eating River. I suspect most of them are still lingering outside the valley. If you go out now, you might encounter them.”

Wen Zuoyun paused briefly before continuing, “I’ve already arranged with others to leave together. After crossing the Bone-Eating River, we’ll split up. That way, if we encounter beast packs outside, we can watch out for each other. I came to ask if you’d like to join us.”

Qi Miao didn’t answer immediately but looked toward Liu Ruzhen and the others.

Liu Ruzhen calmly met Wen Zuoyun’s gaze. “Are you asking Junior Sister Qi?”

Wen Zuoyun wasn’t flustered at being seen through and smiled, “I’m asking Junior Sister Qi, and I’m asking you too.”

She recognized Liu Ruzhen and the others and invited them because she knew that with these talented disciples of the Cangwu Sect, their chances of success against the beasts would be greater.

Liu Ruzhen locked eyes with her for a few seconds before bowing her head and looking at Qi Miao.

The young girl listened quietly, her clear black and white eyes evidently seeing through Wen Zuoyun’s intentions.

Better that she’s not upset.

Liu Ruzhen paused and said to Qi Miao, “You decide for yourself.”

Wen Zuoyun lowered her eyelids, suppressing the flicker of surprise in her eyes.

When she arrived on the water-elemental spirit artifact, she was still shaken, the sense of having narrowly escaped molten lava still vivid. Seeing how the Cangwu Sect treated Qi Miao, she initially thought they were just taking care of a fellow sect sister, but now she realized they valued Qi Miao even more than she had imagined.

Wen Zuoyun searched her mind but found no rumors linking any Cangwu Sect artifact refiner to Qi Miao.

Qi Miao thought a moment. “Let’s go together.”

More people would feel safer.

Wen Zuoyun shook off her thoughts and smiled at them, “Better sooner than later. Let’s set off.”

The sight of over a hundred people traveling together was imposing.

Wen Zuoyun and her companions happened to walk behind Qi Miao’s group. Curious about Qi Miao, she kept glancing at the Cangwu Sect disciples.

Not looking, you wouldn’t know; looking once, you’d be startled.

The first time Wen Zuoyun looked up, Qi Miao was asking Qiu Tu about the difference between spirit beasts and demons.

Hearing such a basic question, Wen Zuoyun was silent, but Qiu Tu, after a look of speechlessness, explained calmly, not at all like the irritable temperament the rumors described.

“Wild beasts that awaken spirit consciousness but rely on instinct and continue to strengthen their bloodline by devouring others become demon beasts. Those with better comprehension who overcome instinct and absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to transform it into demonic power become spirit beasts.”

The explanation was unexpectedly thorough.

The second time Wen Zuoyun looked up, she saw Chu Chan stuffing talismans into Qi Miao’s arms.

Chu Chan explained the purpose of the talismans while doing so, then warned her to stay inside the valley for now, and after dealing with the beasts, she would take her away safely without letting her get hurt.

“…”

The third time Wen Zuoyun looked up, Liu Ruzhen and Tang Mingqin were arguing over Qi Miao.

Liu Ruzhen scowled, “She hasn’t even broken through the fusion stage yet. You want her to fight the beasts outside?”

Tang Mingqin pursed his lips and said softly, “Facing challenges head-on is the only way to grow. We’ll pick a weaker beast for her.”

Liu Ruzhen remained unconvinced, “Even a weak one is unsuitable. She’s been cultivating for so short a time. Don’t use your sword cultivator methods to force growth.”

Caught between the two, Qi Miao nodded after hearing Liu Ruzhen, then nodded after Tang Mingqin spoke, looking as if she thought both had valid points.

Wen Zuoyun: “…………”

“Agnes, we’re almost out of the valley. What are you spacing out for?” Wen Zuoyun’s companion touched her, noticing her absent-mindedness.

Wen Zuoyun snapped out of it and moved her lips, unable to describe the absurd sensation she felt.

She never imagined in her lifetime she’d witness a debate between a magic cultivator and a sword cultivator over an artifact refiner’s training methods.

No one would believe such a story if told.

***

Qi Miao tried not to offend any creditor, playing peacemaker between Liu Ruzhen and Tang Mingqin.

By the time they returned to the valley entrance, neither side persuaded the other. Only after Qiu Tu and Chu Chan gave their opinions did Liu Ruzhen gain the upper hand.

So Qi Miao was ultimately stationed at the valley entrance.

Chu Chan formed hand seals and summoned formations. As her robes fluttered, countless talismans flew into place, layers upon layers of talisman arrays lighting up beneath Qi Miao’s feet.

“All done,” Chu Chan said with satisfaction, “You stay here. Once we’ve cleared most of the beasts outside, we’ll take you out.”

Qi Miao obediently nodded.

Chu Chan rubbed Qi Miao’s head, then turned to step out of the valley and join the army hunting the beasts.

But as soon as she saw the scene outside, she was momentarily stunned.

Beyond the valley lay a vast, boundless wilderness, completely different from when they had arrived. The air was thick with the stench of blood, and the surrounding forests and trees were trampled and devastated by the beasts.

While the human cultivators were trapped inside the valley by molten lava, the beasts outside had fought for two days and nights.

Every beast left standing had devoured many of its own kind, gaining tremendous power.

They scented fresh blood as the human cultivators stepped out, countless pairs of beast eyes greedily fixed on them.

Chu Chan even spotted two demon beasts that had evolved to the Nascent Soul stage.

A snow-white long sword suddenly thrust forward.

Tang Mingqin drove back a beast lunging at Chu Chan, frowning, “Be careful.”

Chu Chan withdrew her gaze from the densely packed beasts, swallowing nervously.

How long would this battle last?

With danger imminent, she quickly suppressed her fear and said to Tang Mingqin and the others, “Give me time to set up formations.”

Upon hearing this, Tang Mingqin and the others contracted their formation, encircling Chu Chan while repelling the attacking beasts.

“Good thing we didn’t bring Qi Miao out,” Chu Chan said as she worked swiftly.

Her mastery of formations far exceeded that of ordinary talisman cultivators. In a short time, the Maze Forest Formation was complete.

As the formation activated, the cultivators immediately felt the pressure ease.

The beasts’ attacks were as swift as lightning. When they surged from all directions simultaneously, the cultivators were overwhelmed, but with the formation in place, the beasts appeared trapped in a ghostly maze, uncontrollably changing direction as they charged.

“The Maze Forest Formation…”

Wen Zuoyun recognized the faintly visible talisman array on the ground and glanced at Chu Chan’s position.

To set up such an ancient formation so quickly, the foremost formation master of the Northern Territory truly lived up to her reputation.

Everyone present were outstanding disciples from various sects and families. They seized the opportunity created by Chu Chan, and as time passed, they grew more adept at battling the beasts.

Yet Chu Chan still found them slow.

“Hurry up and kill them—I can’t hold out much longer.”

Besides the Maze Forest Formation, Chu Chan had also set up a Spirit Gathering Formation and a Four Gods Eight Mansions Star Formation, combining offense, defense, and support. The effect was excellent, but the spiritual energy consumption was astonishingly rapid. Without the replenishing pills from Qiu Tu, the medical cultivator, she wouldn’t have lasted this long.

“Hold on for another hour,” Liu Ruzhen warned, eyes scanning two Nascent Soul beasts nearby.

These were the biggest problems on the field: a four-eyed wolf demon and a poisonous-spined spider.

Both beasts were highly intelligent. Unable to attack the humans directly for the time being, they waited patiently aside, giving no chance to strike, letting the formations gradually weaken.

Chu Chan’s pupils trembled. Before she could accuse Liu Ruzhen of being heartless, Qiu Tu spoke first.

“At most another fifteen minutes. If she takes a few more replenishing pills, it’ll damage her foundation.”

Chu Chan wiped the cold sweat from her brow and sighed in relief. Having a medical cultivator in the group was truly reliable.

She looked around and finally fixed her gaze on Liu Ruzhen, eyes suspicious. “Have you been fighting seriously?”

Liu Ruzhen: “…”

He expressionlessly pointed to those tangled up with the beasts. “They’re so close, I can only use artifacts.”

Compared to artifacts, he was more skilled with direct Daoist magic and secret arts, but no matter the magic used, it couldn’t distinguish friend from foe, risking harm to their own.

A flash of sharp light appeared in Chu Chan’s eyes as she shot back, “Trash.”

Liu Ruzhen narrowed his eyes, a dangerous gleam flashing.

The sheer number of beasts was overwhelming. After fifteen minutes, Chu Chan was exhausted, and the three formations’ effects weakened significantly.

Fortunately, she had bought enough time for the others to get used to the rhythm of fighting beasts.

Not far off, the two lurking beasts suddenly moved.

The four-eyed wolf demon sprang up explosively, muscles coiled in its hind legs, and with lightning speed lunged at the nearest human. A single swipe of its claw sent the unfortunate victim flying dozens of meters.

The strike was devastating, shattering the person’s life token. The wolf demon landed and saw its prey vanished, furious, it let out a deafening howl.

At the same time, the poisonous spider shrank to the size of a thumb and blinked through the crowd, appearing before Chu Chan. Its eight crimson eyes locked onto her tightly before spurting black venom.

Chu Chan’s pupils contracted sharply as a golden light shield instantly covered her, blocking the venom.

Liu Ruzhen sneered coldly. The beast was clever enough to spot Chu Chan, who had obstructed them earlier, among over a hundred people. Once free from the formation’s control, it immediately attacked her.

He tossed a golden bell for defense to the less combative Qiu Tu and the weary Chu Chan, then swiftly strung his Cloud-Piercing Bow, drawing the string taut and releasing an arrow.

A sharp whistle tore through the air. The poisonous spider reacted swiftly, almost sensing danger the moment the arrow left the bow. It twisted its body with incredible agility, narrowly dodging the arrow.

Liu Ruzhen frowned. The Cloud-Piercing Bow was a holy-grade artifact. One arrow could pierce the clouds. This was his only way to kill a Nascent Soul beast. But the bow’s draw speed was slow, and the spider’s reflexes were too quick, making it hard to aim.

Just then, a bloodstained long sword struck fiercely at the spider, slicing into one of its legs.

The spider let out a piercing shriek and wildly flailed, severing its leg to break free from Tang Mingqin’s hold.

Tang Mingqin wiped the blood from his sword and said to Liu Ruzhen, “I’ll coordinate with you. Wait for the right moment to shoot.”

Chu Chan forced her spiritual energy into setting up a binding formation to slow the beast.

The three cultivators, all at the peak of their spiritual realm, cooperated seamlessly. This time, they successfully ended the poisonous spider’s life.

Liu Ruzhen gathered the spider’s corpse and said to Chu Chan and the others, “Let’s split the spoils.”

Chu Chan nodded weakly.

To be honest, she hadn’t contributed much and would have been embarrassed to claim any spoils in the past.

But… she was recently very poor. The day to repay Qi Miao was still far off, so every little bit helped greatly.

Tang Mingqin and Liu Ruzhen still had energy and, without resting, turned to join others in fighting the four-eyed wolf demon.

This beast was much harder to kill than the spider. Its attacks were mostly simple bites and tears, easy to dodge if fast enough, but its copper-like armor was infuriatingly tough.

No matter if sharp swords, powerful Daoist magic, or mighty artifacts struck it, the wolf demon seemed unfazed.

Liu Ruzhen and his group tangled with the wolf demon for half an hour, but couldn’t harm it at all. Meanwhile, the wolf demon’s cunning ambushes had already bitten off ten-plus cultivators.

Chu Chan watched anxiously, frowning more deeply. This fight would only wear down their spiritual energy until they fell behind.

Before she could think of a solution, a teleportation formation was precisely set beneath the wolf demon.

The beast vanished instantly.

The formation was set by a talisman cultivator, who shouted as he activated it, “Quick! Before the wolf demon returns, hurry to the far shore of the Bone-Eating River. It’ll be safe there!”

Chu Chan’s right eyelid twitched violently.

This person had teleported the wolf demon away—where could it have gone?

For forced teleportation to succeed, two connected formations must be controlled simultaneously, but this person could only access the valley’s formation!

She jumped up and shouted in panic at the three still uncomprehending cultivators, “That bastard teleported the four-eyed wolf demon back into the valley!”

“!”

Liu Ruzhen and the others turned pale, stunned, feeling as if they’d fallen into an icy abyss. Every hair on their bodies stood on end.

At that moment, their fear was hundreds of times greater than when they first saw the two Nascent Soul beasts.

***

Qi Miao considered herself very good at being a good child.

She obediently stayed within Chu Chan’s talisman formation, occupying herself by refining stones when bored and daydreaming when tired.

From noon to sunset, from bright and spirited to drowsy and sleepy.

Just as she closed her eyes to nap, a loud crash startled her awake.

She opened her eyes to see a massive wolf demon collapsed at the valley entrance.

“…”

Qi Miao’s eyes widened slightly.

Something was wrong—it was a beast.

Where were her ill-fated senior brothers and sisters?

The four-eyed wolf demon was badly thrown down. Shaking its head angrily, it glared at the valley entrance, about to charge out when it caught the scent of fresh flesh.

It suddenly turned, locking eyes with Qi Miao.

The next moment, the wolf demon pounced on her, mouth wide open.

“!!”

Senior Brother Qiu! Senior Sister Chu! Senior Brother Liu! Senior Brother Tang! Help!

Qi Miao shouted in her heart, while quickly pulling out the light sword from her storage pouch, muttering, “Stay away, stay away.”

She had never seen such a huge wolf in her life.

And one with four eyes!

The wolf demon’s rage was at its peak. The girl before it was much weaker than the others outside, who had failed to harm it. Therefore, it paid no mind to the thin, round stick she wielded.

Eat her!

Then go back and eat those humans!

It lunged furiously at Qi Miao.

The wolf demon’s speed was too fast for her to react to. Fortunately, Chu Chan’s talisman formation slowed it when it was two meters away.

Qi Miao had no time to think. Instinctively, she activated the light sword and swung at the mutated (four-eyed) wolf demon right in front of her.

Tang Mingqin’s heart pounded like a drum as he rushed into the valley. Upon entering, he froze at a scene that made his blood run cold.

The four-eyed wolf demon stood before Qi Miao, eyes gleaming cruelly, its gaping maw seemingly able to swallow the girl whole.

He charged forward to stop it, but was too far away to intervene, forced to watch the wolf demon close in on Qi Miao.

Qi Miao seemed stunned with fear, raising an unknown, seemingly powerless thin black stick above her head. At the critical moment between life and death, she closed her eyes and swung it hard.

A cold silver blade shot from the tip.

Tang Mingqin’s breath caught.

The expected scene of the girl being torn apart did not happen. Instead, the four-eyed wolf demon, which they had struggled against for so long without injury, was cleaved in two by her plain, unskilled slash.

Tang Mingqin stood dumbfounded.

He stared blankly at the wolf demon’s corpse collapsing on both sides, unable to believe his eyes.

Qi Miao’s face and clothes were stained with the wolf demon’s foul blood. She raised a hand to wipe the blood off her face, then opened her eyes and finally saw Tang Mingqin standing not far away.

Suddenly, something struck her.

Qi Miao climbed up beside the wolf demon’s body and ran toward Tang Mingqin, tears streaming, frightened and overwhelmed by the beast’s blood.

“Senior Brother Tang, if you want me to train by fighting beasts, you should have told me beforehand.”

“I was almost eaten! It really scared me to death.”

Tang Mingqin: “…”