Xiaoqing was silent for several seconds and said dimly, “In light of your frank and refreshing gift and thanks, I present to you a gift before you leave.”

She gently beckoned, and a bamboo stalk flew out from Xu Yangyi’s storage ring. It seemed to have no control at all. Xiaoqing didn’t speak right away. Instead, she lightly caressed and stroked the bamboo. After ages, she sighed faintly.

“So this is Heaven’s Will…”

Once she finished sighing, her expression cooled again. Furthermore… it was much more serious than before.

“Have you ever heard of the Ten Grand Immortal Physiques?”

“No.”

A shred of caution welled up on Xiaoqing’s face. “In that case… don’t resist. Open wide your spiritual sense.”

Xu Yangyi complied with her request. What meaning was there in whether or not he resisted? If Xiaoqing wished to kill him, then he would’ve already been dead countless times over. Furthermore, what worth was there in deceiving Xiaoqing, anyway?

“Azure Lotus Demonic Art…” Xiaoqing took a deep breath. Unexpectedly, her entire body slowly rose up from the cloud throne. In the instant she said these four words, Xu Yangyi only felt a jolt travel down his body! As if he was facing the entire world!

He… was just like a tiny airplane, as if he had flown over to the sun’s edge!

Hot fervor, viciousness, and madness… these were Xiaoqing’s true colors!

“Stand firm.” Xiaoqing slightly opened her eyes and gazed emotionlessly at Xu Yangyi, who had been instantly brought to a knee by a terrible oppressive force. “A man who dares threaten me as an equal. Were you such a waste, I would’ve ignited your soul into a sky lantern long ago.”

Xu Yangyi clenched his teeth hard. He wasn’t willing to lower his head in front of Xiaoqing. Perhaps this was senseless pride, but he was unwilling to! The sound of his gnashing teeth chattered audibly. It was like a great mountain was atop his head. While his legs were trembling, however, he surprisingly stood up little by little!

A trace of mild admiration flashed at the corner of Xiaoqing’s eyes, dying away in a twinkling. She closed her eyes again, and her qi almost solidified. She was like Guanyin, sitting up right in the air!

[1]

She was as dignified and stately as a gem. She was unlike a demon and more like a celestial. She almost made no seals, or perhaps Xu Yangyi’s strength of vision wasn’t able to see them. Afterwards, she tapped down.

“River Wind Dances Autumn Moon.”

Swoosh!

 A streak of qi, carrying the Spirit Ascending Bamboo, suddenly rushed into his qi sea!

It was completely different from Core Formation, without any of the enormous momentum. Instead… the Grand Dao was of the utmost simplicity, the origin begun anew. And yet, the speed gave one no margin to react at all!

Boom!

 Inside Xu Yangyi’s body, a terrible qi exploded! The Spirit Ascending Bamboo, growing only one inch per millennium, unexpectedly broke into countless pieces by the flick of Xiaoqing’s finger! But amidst all the fragments there was shockingly two items!

One… was a drop of half-green, half-red liquid. The other item was outside this drop of liquid. It was an orb of misty-green qi revolving around the droplet, akin to the Earth’s galaxy, slowly moving.

“Spirit Parasite?” Xiaoqing was slightly dazed as well. “A good item… Even in the Ancient Cultivation age, this object could not be considered oft seen. Any Spirit Parasite contains a kind of special ability. It is unknown what this one has… An added flower to a perfect brocade. Not bad.”

Xu Yangyi’s eyes shone. An object that could make Xiaoqing say “not bad” seemed to be sketched in light shades, but in the modern day it was undoubtedly something that couldn’t be sought!

Her understood very clearly what was hidden in Xiaoqing’s treasury. Not to mention anything else, but if the Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens was taken out, it was no understatement that a bloody carnage would unfold in the modern cultivation world!

[2]

However, he simply didn’t finish thinking. 

Because in the next second… following that terrible qi’s explosion, incomparable pain immediately followed!

Right now, he was a ball of mist, but the pain directly focused spiritual sense! It was just like doing an amputation surgery without anesthesia! Xu Yangyi wanted to scream and vent, yet his eyes met Xiaoqing who was coldly observing him. As a result, he rigidly gritted his teeth and didn’t yell out a word.

The drop of spirit liquid seemed to have a life of its own. From his dantian, it spread straight to his entire body! Into the cracks of every single one of his bones! It moistened his meridians and transformed his flesh and blood. It appeared as if… it wanted to change his entire body from the inside.

Crack crack crack… 

The grind of bone rang out from his body. He stood tall like an iron tower. Without warning, his body went soft, absent of the slightest strength. He tumbled onto a cloud.

“I’m reconstructing your bones. I hoped you would stand still.” Xiaoqing’s giggling echoed in his head, but he soon wouldn’t be able to hear a thing.

Moments ago, after those slivers of qi extended to each area inside his body… force was uniformly applied to all his bones. To his surprise, his bones were forcibly shattered!

Crackle… Crackle… 

Such noise seemed to linger at the side of his ears. He knew this was the sound of his bones being reconstructed. 

He was unaware of how much time passed… In his consciousness, perhaps it was an hour, but he finally clenched his teeth and climbed back up to his feet.

“There are still five minutes,” Xiaoqing said. “How do you feel?”

Xu Yangyi cycled an arcane effort. Unexpectedly, there wasn’t the slightest hair of a change.

Xiaoqing smiled and lightly beckoned. In the next second, a sharp sword oddly appeared and stabbed his shoulder with an incomprehensible speed! Yet in this twinkling, his figure strangely turned hazy! He was just like a sudden flash on a television, almost indistinguishable to the naked eye! But!

This sword… actually hadn’t injured him by a hair!

“This…” In shock, Xu Yangyi studied his hands. He dared to confirm that the thought of evasion hadn’t even been on his mind just now. Everything was of his body’s spontaneous action!

The flying sword flew back, and Xiaoqing softly flicked the sword’s length, and a dragon’s cry echoed. “Ancient cultivators and those of the modern age are completely different. They speak of natural endowments and the Dao heart. Natural endowment is split into the Five Phases. 

This

 is the best method of cultivation. Yet among the myriad talents, there are ten kinds of endowments of the utmost specialty, forming the minor world within the body. They are called… the Ten Grand Immortal Physiques.”

“Regardless of anyone, an ocean’s worth of resources is needed. However, once cultivated, the might of Minor Completion can be said to be a shedding of the mortal body and exchange of bones. This bamboo of mine was plucked from a place you simply cannot dare imagine. The Spirit Ascending Bamboo… grows one inch per millennium. Once over five inches, it can produce the Voidspirit Immortal Physique among the Ten Grand Immortal Physiques.” 

“Once at Minor Completion, any enemy attack, so long as it is not formed from qi, will be completely useless against you in the same realm. Total immunity. Like a ghost, others will see, but won’t be able to touch you. Only divine abilities using qi can strike you.”

“In other words, after Minor Completion, one will be immune to a great majority of magik treasures’ direct attacks. Against sword-cultivators, you will be their god.”

Xu Yangyi sucked in deeply. He absolutely hadn’t expected that such a miraculous thing would even exist.

“And mine?”

“Initial Completion,” Xiaoqing laughed, “But even Minor Completion will be useless against cultivators with a higher realm than you. As before, they will be able to use magik artifacts to kill you. Currently, you can only be said to possess the foundation of the Voidspirit Immortal Physique. Whether or not you can succeed still depends on you yourself.”

It was then that the entire space began to slightly fluctuate.

“Spiritual sense is falling apart?” he asked lowly.

“No… this is the collapse of the Godseal Spark’s spiritual sense. This spiritual sense battleground was jointly constructed by yours and its spiritual senses. Thus, I only have an incense stick’s worth of time… Junior, remember well for me.”

“Once you leave… fuse with your bloodline memories immediately. 

This

 is your greatest harvest this time. Remember your demon form… Wolfbane. You must definitely… definitely remember clearly the bloodline inheritance. Wolfbane… Memories of over 5,000 years ago, memories that are even older. Its knowledge, experience, arcane efforts… All is stored in your bloodline. But as of now, you are surely unable to completely unlock them. The present it brings to you even transcends any one of the Ten Grand Immortal Physiques!”

The spatial fluctuations were gradually intensifying. Xu Yangyi was originally silent, but he suddenly opened his mouth, “I want Nanzhou.”

“Is this a threat?” Xiaoqing laughed dully as she spoke. Not waiting for Xu Yangyi to reply, she narrowed her eyes and said with seemingly deep meaning, “Fine.”

“But…” She studied him deeply. “If you want this pittance, you must abandon the Wolfbane’s bloodline inheritance.”

“I have a divine ability that can forcibly part the Wolfbane from you for ten minutes. However, the place you are to go… is a thousand mountains and endless waters far away from here. And that’s not to mention the inheritance. The act of conforming will be out of reach. Once you leave, you will be unable to temporarily obtain the Wolfbane’s bloodline inheritance. Likewise, the Wolfbane won’t be able to grow. There will be no effect on your foundation. But, if you want to form the core, you will essentially be unable to create a demon core without a demon form.”

“Choose.”

“Will you take the Wolfbane and go, or will you have it stay here… hmm, and have it guard Nanzhou in your stead?”

Silence.

After three minutes passed, Xu Yangyi’s voice slowly echoed.

“This isn’t a threat.”

“This… is a condition.”

“What’s mine is 

mine

.” His voice was so serene that it was grim. A grimness that was resolute. “This is a place that I used my blood and my life to risk everything for… Here, too many have died. If this land is set aside for other people, there’ll be an eternal scar left on my heart.”

“Whoever uses me as a chess piece now must exchange their promise!”

“Oh?” Xiaoqing’s body slightly leaned forward. “Junior… you have such confidence that you can still reach the boundary of forming the core, even without the Wolfbane?”

Xu Yangyi didn’t answer, merely gazing at Xiaoqing in silence. “I have no obligation to answer your other questions.”

Xiaoqing did not reply. Strangely, she didn’t get angry either. She studied him for several seconds and suddenly let loose a relaxed sigh. “You… are not bad.”

“Begone.” She waved her hand without somewhat dry interest. “Do not bother me with your presence here.”

With Xiaoqing’s prompt dismissal, Xu Yangyi’s figure then slowly vanished from the spiritual sense space.

The outside world.

Golden light colored the entire horizon. On the other side, a sea of fire was burning the air, even bringing the atmosphere to shudder. With shuttered eyes and sealed lips, Ancientpine and Titanspirit seemed to be meditating. However, their spiritual pressures were like a high mountain or great river, leaving one without the slightest thought of resistance.

The Nalan Clan and Lou Clan all had a knee on the ground. They didn’t understand too clearly what had happened tonight. They only knew that the Dao Masters were all too terrible. Nonetheless, this mysterious plant was even worse!

Two demonic qi signatures had completely erupted and stirred the atmosphere in Nanzhou to unrest!

But all of a sudden… at this time, all the leaves on the Wolfbane made a rustling sound.

They seemed to sing in perfect harmony, like zithers. There was no wind, and the tree leaves were like a wave. Ancientpine and Titanspirit opened their eyes at the same time.

In the instant Ancientpine’s hand fell to his sword, he hesitated. In a flash, though, he held onto it with all his might. His thin and lanky figure was drawn to full height.

They could sense a qi… a weak Qi Condensation qi that was slowly manifesting at the heart of the plant.

1. Guanyin - Buddhist Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is venerated in Mahayana schools of Buddhism.

2. Reminder: Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens was Xiaoqing’s Spirit Treasure at the Tianzi Mountain treasury.

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