Carefree Valley remained as it had been that day, a chaotic mixture of spiritual energy, demonic energy, and filthy energy. Each step was a world unto itself, fraught with danger at every turn.
But for Nascent Soul cultivators, such obstacles were trivial. The five of them easily entered the inner valley. Seeing the fissure at the entrance of the inner valley, Mo Tiange couldn't help but recall Ling Yunhe's peculiar spirit beast.
"Fellow Daoist Ling, where is your spirit beast, Xiao Hei?"
Ling Yunhe probed his spirit beast pouch and released the vulture Xiao Hei: "Here."
Without advancing to the eighth rank, Xiao Hei was basically of no help. So, Ling Yunhe just glanced at it and put it away again.
After looking at Xiao Hei, Nie Wushang suddenly said, "Tian Ge, I remember you said you met the first person who practiced the Origin Demon Great Art, and he developed Death Qi?"
She was talking about Ren Yu-Feng. Mo Tiange nodded: "That's right."
Nie Wushang continued, "...My master also started practicing the Origin Demon Great Art very early on. The reason he ended up looking neither human nor ghost was because his understanding of the technique was flawed."
Mo Tiange thought of the ghostly appearance of Elder Songfeng. How similar it was to Ren Yu-Feng's! Could it be that the Origin Demon Great Art truly had a path leading to Death Qi?
As she pondered this, she saw Nie Wushang take out several pitch-black, crystalline stones from her robes and toss them out, landing them beside the fissure of Death Qi.
"Demonic Crystals?" Mo Tiange recognized them at a glance. These were the very Demonic Crystals Mei Feng had used to control them when they fell into his trap. It was said this substance was the main material for the Corpse Soul Technique, capable of absorbing a person's vitality and controlling their soul, turning them into a mindless puppet without their knowledge. It was a supremely sinister object.
Nie Wushang said, "Look, this thing really can absorb Death Qi."
The others saw strands of black Death Qi slowly being absorbed into the Demonic Crystals, making them appear fuller and more lustrous.
"What do you need Death Qi for?" Mo Tiange asked.
Nie Wushang pursed her lips into a smile: "A secret."
After the Demonic Crystals finished absorbing the Death Qi, the group prepared to enter the inner valley. Mo Tiange thought for a moment, then released Xiao Feng and Feifei from her spirit beast bracelet. The greatest function of this spirit beast bracelet gifted by Demon Lord Yeshuang was the ability to carry several spirit beasts without worrying about hindering their cultivation. For this reason, Qin Xi had also entrusted Xiao Feng to her spirit beast bracelet.
Seeing Xiao Feng, the three men's eyes went wide, especially Ling Yunhe's. Jing Xingzhi and Nie Wushang were somewhat accustomed to it; these two would often produce something to make others envious.
"Huh," Nie Wushang's gaze fixed on Feifei, "this one... doesn't seem to be eighth rank, does he?"
Mo Tiange said, "This is my spirit beast, Feifei. You've all seen him before. He's only seventh rank; his ability to take human form is due to other reasons."
Feifei casually clasped his hands in a casual greeting and stood to the side.
Jing Xingzhi stared at him for a good while before suddenly saying, "So it was you who subdued the remaining White Tiger's Breath?"
Hearing this, Feifei turned and studied him seriously for a moment before exclaiming, "So you're the one the White Tiger Pearl recognized as its master. You really got lucky."
Since they both carried the White Tiger's Breath, they could easily sense it on each other.
Jing Xingzhi curled his lip: "What an impolite child. I'm, after all, of the same generation as Qin Shoujing. You should address me as Martial Uncle, you know?"
"Hmph," Feifei turned his head away, "without me, would you have the White Tiger Pearl?"
"Without me, would you have the White Tiger Pearl?"
Feifei was left speechless and defeated. The others laughed.
Xiao Feng performed an elegant bow: "Xiao Feng greets you, Fellow Daoists." Although she was Qin Xi's spirit beast, she was also an eighth-rank demon cultivator. In front of Nascent Soul cultivators, addressing them as Fellow Daoists was sufficient.
After the round of greetings, the party of five humans and two demons set off once more.
"Feifei, you lead the way." Since Feifei was the one who discovered the Xuanwu Ritual Temple, Mo Tiange had no qualms about ordering him.
Feifei didn't object. Though he was temperamental and petty, he wouldn't shirk work that needed to be done. After briefly discerning the direction, he picked a path and moved forward.
Compared to their journey into Carefree Valley a century ago, their lineup this time could be called magnificent. The various perils along the way were no problem at all, and they soon reached the place where the three-headed giant apes had appeared before.
"Follow me," Feifei snapped his fingers and chose a bizarre angle, squeezing through gaps between trees and under rocks. For this, he deliberately reverted to his original form.
After walking for a while, as the path grew increasingly difficult, Jing Xingzhi couldn't help but ask, "You're not deliberately taking revenge on us, are you?"
Feifei rolled his eyes: "Do I look that bored?"
Jing Xingzhi wanted to say more, but Qin Xi and Mo Tiange suddenly stopped simultaneously: "There's a situation."
The party of five humans and two demons halted. Among them, Jing Xingzhi, like the two of them, was at mid-Nascent Soul stage. Sword cultivators focused on cultivating a single sword, granting greater power, but correspondingly, they didn't cultivate their divine sense as much. Without special secret techniques, their early warning abilities fell short of traditional spell cultivators. After a moment, Jing Xingzhi also uttered a surprised "Huh," followed by Nie Wushang and Ling Yunhe.
"How can there be so many people?" Ling Yunhe was stunned.
They all exchanged bewildered glances. Their divine senses clearly detected many Nascent Soul cultivators heading in their direction. Within Carefree Valley, the chaotic energies limited the range of their perception, but as Nascent Soul cultivators, they couldn't be mistaken about this.
If they were only Core Formation cultivators, it wouldn't be strange. The spiritual herbs and rare objects within Carefree Valley held great attraction for Core Formation cultivators. But for Nascent Soul cultivators, Carefree Valley basically posed no danger. If they needed something, they could come alone; there was no need to invite helpers, let alone so many...
"Find a place and wait for me. I'll go take a look." In an instant, Ling Yunhe made this decision.
The others looked at each other and nodded in agreement. The four of them had more or less made enemies in Yunzhong, especially Mo Tiange and Qin Xi. Their journey to the Guixu Sea had offended many Nascent Soul cultivators, each a prominent figure in Yunzhong. Only Ling Yunhe, a native of Yunzhong, had extensive connections and good relations. Cultivators in Yunzhong would mostly give him face.
Ling Yunhe made some slight preparations. The Moonlight Radiance originally held in his hand was lightly waved, scattering into countless fragments that vanished into his sleeves, causing the cuffs to shimmer with flowing moonlight. Only then did he follow the original path back towards the entrance of the inner valley.
He hadn't gone far, reaching the large tree where they had rested upon entering Carefree Valley, when Ling Yunhe stopped. He had already seen the first person.
A black cloak, surrounded by demonic energy, accompanied by a refined corpse—it was none other than Demon Lord Yueying, whom they had parted with in the North Sea not long ago.
Ling Yunhe narrowed his eyes slightly. Could it be that the leak about Carefree Valley was Demon Lord Yueying's doing? They had lingered on the North Sea coast for over half a month, so timing-wise it was possible. But what exactly was Demon Lord Yueying after? Why was he so determined to trouble them?
Following Demon Lord Yueying were several mid-Nascent Soul cultivators, both demonic and orthodox, such as Nan Guitian from the Danxia Sect, Daoist Ruyi from the Five Elements Valley, and several Nascent Soul cultivators from the Jiuyan Sect. Closely appearing after them were Demon Lord Yeshuang, Venerable Xuxiang, Han Shizhi, Juewu, Ma Laolu, and others. Lastly was a youth dressed entirely in black, with a lean face. Behind him floated a Ghost-Face Banner. The demonic energy around him was faint; if not for his astonishing aura, he wouldn't seem like a demonic cultivator at all.
Ling Yunhe identified them one by one. Having once served as the sect master of the Jiuyan Sect, he basically knew all of these people. The last one was Yang Chengji. After the upheaval in the Guixu Sea decades ago, Demon Lord Guifang perished, Yang Chengji disappeared, and Guifang City was taken over by another mid-Nascent Soul demonic cultivator. Decades later, Yang Chengji reappeared, having formed a demonic infant and advanced to the Nascent Soul stage.
Seeing Yang Chengji appear, cultivators in Yunzhong assumed he would go reclaim Guifang City. Unexpectedly, Yang Chengji did return to Guifang City, but he didn't seize the city lord position. Instead, he demanded to retrieve his private stash. How astonishing was the inheritance of a late-Nascent Soul demonic cultivator? The new Guifang City Lord naturally refused. He was a seasoned Nascent Soul cultivator, a minor realm higher than Yang Chengji, and in control of Guifang City, so he felt secure.
Under these circumstances, Yang Chengji could only choose to act. With a wave of the Ghost-Face Banner, the flags of Guifang City automatically submitted. Once the Heavenly Demon Tower was deployed, without much effort, that mid-stage demonic cultivator conceded defeat. Faced with a Demon Lord's artifact, he knew he couldn't win. Comforting himself with the realm gap, he conceded. Losing was just losing Guifang City; no external possession, however precious, was worth his life.
However, contrary to everyone's expectations, Yang Chengji did not reclaim Guifang City. Instead, as he had initially stated, he retrieved his private belongings and left Guifang City again. The new Guifang City Lord was overjoyed, but because of this defeat, he lost face greatly. Not long after, he was defeated by another mid-stage demonic cultivator, and Guifang City changed hands once more.
Yang Chengji paid no heed to these disputes. He left Guifang City and vanished without a trace. And now, Yang Chengji had actually appeared here.
Ling Yunhe's gaze sharpened. He stood under the tree, motionless.
The Nascent Soul cultivators stopped one after another beneath the tree, gathering silently.
The first to step out from the group was a cultivator from the Jiuyan Sect. He said, "Junior Brother Ling, what are you doing here?"
Ling Yunhe nodded in greeting to this person: "Senior Brother Yuan, I'm here at someone's request to settle a karmic debt. What are you all doing here?"
This Senior Brother Yuan was at mid-Nascent Soul stage, appearing to be in his thirties. He said, "We received word that an ancient ritual temple exists within Carefree Valley, so we came to investigate."
Hearing this, Ling Yunhe paused, his gaze slowly shifting to Demon Lord Yueying: "Was it Senior Yueying who said this?"
Senior Brother Yuan nodded: "Exactly."
Ling Yunhe smiled slightly and raised his voice: "Senior Yueying, after parting in the North Sea, although you were defeated, it was five of us join forces. That's normal. Surely you're not so petty?"
These words were deliberately spoken for the others to hear. Indeed, upon hearing this, all the cultivators turned their gazes to Demon Lord Yueying.
They all knew Ling Yunhe's background. He had formed his Nascent Soul only a few decades ago, just barely stabilizing his cultivation. For him to so candidly admit it was five against one, his companions' cultivation levels probably weren't too high either. That such a group could defeat Demon Lord Yueying?
Everyone found it inconceivable. Demon Lord Yueying, as one of the three great Demon Lords of Yunzhong, possessed not only cultivation but also top-tier strength.
"Hmph," from beneath the cloak, Demon Lord Yueying's voice remained steady, "No need for glib talk, young Ling. Today we are all here for the treasure. Your words are useless."
"How are they useless?" Ling Yunhe's smile was perfect, "If not for the battle in the North Sea, Senior would probably still be pursuing that Tiancan Fellow Daoist, trying to seize the Origin Demon Great Art. How could you be here now?"
The moment Ling Yunhe's words fell, Yang Chengji, standing at the very back, suddenly had a flash of light in his eyes as he looked towards them.