Chapter 116

"...You're still alive?"

The old friend from years past had changed remarkably. The youthful softness of her cheeks was long gone, her brows and eyes now carrying the alluring sharpness unique to demonic women. Only her stunned expression softened the blade-like edge honed by years of bloodshed.

Yu Li.

Yun Shuchen let out a faint, mocking laugh inwardly, but her face remained calm and indifferent.

Years ago, Yun Shuchen had vanished without a trace, and the very next day, the Demon Lord announced that she had died of illness.

Yu Li had never thought she would see her alive again. The shock and joy momentarily overwhelmed her. But catching sight of Qing Zhouxue, who radiated pure immortal spiritual energy, she asked in astonishment, "Why have you been associating with them all these years?"

Yun Shuchen stared at her levelly. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know you."

Qing Zhouxue also found it strange. The next moment, she heard her master ask, "Are you the enemy's general, madam? In the midst of this battle between our sides, coming to see me—could it be you wish to negotiate a truce?"

At the words "I don't know you," Yu Li's expression flickered with complexity for an instant. Then hearing this, her gaze halted. "...At this point, a truce is impossible."

Yun Shuchen's fingertip flicked, and a thread of water pierced through Yu Li's shoulder. Yu Li didn't dodge; she took the blow, and faint crimson bloodstains dyed the translucent water.

"If a truce is impossible, then we'll fight until one of us prevails."

Yun Shuchen's expression remained indifferent. From then on, she held nothing back in her attacks. Yu Li's fighting spirit waned; she was forced onto the defensive, and finally, a palm strike to the chest sent blood trickling from her lips as she staggered back half a step.

She had learned so much over the years—she had become far more powerful than herself.

Yu Li momentarily forgot the regret that their reunion could only be as enemies on the battlefield. Whether it was relief or something else, she couldn't quite say.

Qing Zhouxue watched the demon woman's inscrutable expression—the look she gave her master was not one of hatred, but like an old friend meeting again after a long parting.

Did her master know her?

But Yun Shuchen treated her entirely like a stranger.

Perhaps it was a case of mistaken identity.

Qing Zhouxue thought: her master had cultivated the Dao since childhood in Taichu Sect, her health was frail, and she never traveled far. How could she know anyone from the Demonic Cultivation Realm?

With that thought, she hesitated no longer. With a flick of her sword, frost bloomed cold and sharp, aiming straight for the demon woman's heart.

A patch of her robes soon froze stiff.

Yu Li did not go easy on Qing Zhouxue; her gaze hardened. Fearing that Qing'er might get hurt, Yun Shuchen sent a small water dragon slithering out from her sleeve. Channeling the Qingshuang Sword's chill, it transformed into an ice dragon that lunged at Yu Li with lightning speed, biting and tearing at her. Then it lashed its tail, sending a force backward to let Qing Zhouxue borrow the momentum and land back in her original spot.

Yun Shuchen caught Qing Zhouxue by the waist, then released her. "First, protect yourself."

The ice dragon didn't last long. It shattered at the sound of a crack, and Yu Li withdrew her hand, her expression gradually turning calm.

She cast one more glance in their direction, then finally chose not to linger and fight. Her figure dissolved into a wisp of pitch-black demonic Qi and vanished—presumably returning to her side.

This clash between Lingxu Sect and the Demonic Race was still, on the whole, slightly disadvantageous to Lingxu.

The barrier they had barely managed to erect was soon shattered once more.

Xuanchengzi ceased his spellcasting. His heart pounding, he found a high vantage point and surveyed the area around Lingxu Sect.

The Demonic Race had not attacked from one or two directions, but encircled them from all sides.

Xuanchengzi feared that the foundation of Lingxu Sect—passed down through generations—would be utterly destroyed by his own hand during his tenure as Sect Leader. If that happened, even in death, he'd have no face to face the ancestors.

Watching the sect's elite disciples fall one by one into pools of blood, some of them young faces he saw day and night, a bitterness welled up within him that he doubted others could comprehend.

If they kept fighting and somehow won, the sect would still be left crippled, a hollow shell with no successors.

The two elders from Taichu Sect were of the highest cultivation, and now they were the entire sect's only hope. But aid, after all, was only aid—they were unlikely to risk their lives for another sect, especially since eradicating these demons was no small matter.

At this moment, Xuanchengzi deeply regretted not having maintained closer ties with Taichu Sect in ordinary times.

Although they were allied sects, their only real interactions, it seemed, had been that one time he'd invited the Taichu Sect Leader for a Dao discussion, and then a scattering of disciples sent for training every few years.

The number one immortal sect they had so carefully curried favor with had fobbed them off, claiming that a new Sect Leader had recently been appointed internally, there was turbulent upheaval, and they truly had no resources to spare for outside assistance.

Such a massive sect—how could it lack the strength for external support?

Clearly, that was a perfunctory excuse.

True colors showed in times of crisis. Xuanchengzi ground his teeth in rage inwardly, but at this moment he had no choice but to bow his head and negotiate earnestly with Fairy Yun.

Yun Shuchen stood at a distance, overseeing the battle from a spot far removed from the clash, unmoving.

Her master's spellcasting required concentration and a secure environment. Qing Zhouxue remained vigilant against incoming arrows from the enemy lines and winged demonic beasts that suddenly dove from the sky.

A pitch-black creature with an eagle's beak and a human torso swooped down. She cut it out of the air with a single strike, then froze it into a block of ice that smashed into pieces upon hitting the ground.

Yue Changge, meanwhile, led the sect's disciples in guarding the perimeter, purely on the defensive—a fairly conservative strategy that resulted in zero casualties.

Xuanchengzi spotted Elder Yun's figure, earnestly expressed Lingxu Sect's gratitude, and laid out the difficulties of the current situation, his words hesitating several times.

Fortunately, Elder Yun understood well. She smiled and listened quietly. It wasn't until Xuanchengzi's words, both explicit and implicit, hinted at placing Lingxu Sect under Taichu Sect's vassalage that Yun Shuchen said, feigning surprise, "Sect Leader, you flatter me. Since we are all fellow Daoists, there's no need for such talk. But if Lingxu Sect is willing to form an alliance with Taichu Sect, helping each other in times of need, we would naturally be more than happy."

Xuanchengzi naturally dared not refuse and hastily agreed. "Alliance" sounded more pleasant, but in truth there was little difference from vassalage—they both knew it full well.

Qing Zhouxue listened quietly from the side. She felt her master had been waiting for exactly these words from Xuanchengzi.

And sure enough, after Xuanchengzi left, weeping with gratitude, Yun Shuchen pulled out a token from her waist and said something to Senior Yue.

They were about to launch a full out assault.

Qing Zhouxue tilted her head and asked, "Master, do you need me to go support the junior sisters?"

"You have something more important to do."

Yun Shuchen glanced at her. "Protect me."

With that, her eyes slowly closed.

Qing Zhouxue suddenly felt the surroundings shift in hue, and from below came, it seemed, the sound of some living thing about to break through the earth.

The atmosphere made Qing Zhouxue inexplicably nervous. She fixed her gaze on the ground, which was undulating. Beneath the layers of white snow, something brown suddenly emerged.

Perhaps not just one something, but many somethings. The soil churned and surged like a sea of clouds on that patch of ground where the demonic forces had pressed forward. Skeletal horses halted their advance, unsteady on their four snow-white bone legs.

A large-scale spell like this must weigh heavily on one's heart and mind. Qing Zhouxue frowned and glanced at her master. She had never seen her use three different Spirit Roots at once.

Now, Fire was blazing with Zhurong, and Water was still holding one side in check. The constant stirring beneath was either Wood or Earth.

Finally, a gaping hole tore open in the ground—

Qing Zhouxue didn't see a snow-white divine deer, but rather a giant serpent formed of several layers of compacted mud, bursting up from beneath the white snow, raising its head high.

Since ancient times, common folk worshipped with the heavens above and the earth below. Most things in this world lived off the land, and humans were the most devout of its worshippers.

Wood, Fire, Metal, and Water occupied the four cardinal directions, but Earth alone was different—it sat at the center.

A grey-brown serpent-hou, the Houtu, burst forth from the hole, and the sunken patch of earth instantly swallowed a vast number of demonic troops. Its thick, long tail slammed against the ground, and soon the earth turned a bright red, stained with who knew how much blood.

Yu Li, stationed at the center, saw this formation and immediately ordered all attacking lines to converge and retreat far to the rear.

The young woman who had been charging at the front lines now galloped wildly through the dust and dirt. Unlike an ordinary horse, the skeletal steed beneath her could leap over mud and debris into the air.

"General, two Da Sheng stage cultivators have arrived over there," she said, pulling on the reins with a frown. "One of them seems to be a master of spell arts. Why didn't we know about this before?"

"I always said Lingxu Sect wasn't capable of easily killing her daughter. There had to be a trick. I warned that this campaign should proceed with caution." Yu Li cursed. "She disregarded all reason and rashly ordered this expedition, only to uselessly lose a host of our sisters."

"Well..." the vanguard hesitated. "The Lord is still grieving for her daughter. She hasn't yet recovered."

Tang Wuyue had finished her grieving and washed her hands of it. Yu Li's face was cold as ice; now she alone had to bear the bitter fruit of this desperate situation.

The only silver lining, perhaps, was that she now knew the sickly young princess was still alive and well.

At least her guilt was somewhat lighter.

"Retreat," Yu Li said coldly.

At her command, all the surviving demons converged, and like storm clouds dispersing at the break of dawn, they withdrew a few li. Yet when they fell back to the boundary of the white mist, they discovered, to their astonishment, that they could not pass through.

"It seems not entirely a master of spell arts," Yu Li remarked, glancing at the woman beside her. "This is a formation—an extremely rare Five Elements Formation."

"Indeed."

All around, the light dimmed completely, and Lingxu Sect could no longer be seen.

In the thick white mist, a woman chuckled softly. "It appears the great general of Jialuo Palace is wiser than the rest."

Yu Li turned around. A graceful silhouette emerged from the darkness. For some reason, the woman's accent lingered on the word "general," laced with a trace of mockery.

"Since things have come to this, if your hatred is hard to quell," Yu Li said, meeting her gaze, "kill me. Let these troops go."

Yun Shuchen quietly held her gaze, then a hint of a teasing smile played at her lips. She didn't reply.

"These young ones are your kin as well," Yu Li said, frowning.

"Is that so?" Yun Shuchen raised an eyebrow. "My kin would not risk life and limb for Tang Wuyue."

She paced slowly past several of them.

The immense pressure of Da Sheng cultivation was naturally uncomfortable for demonic beings. The young demonic women who brushed past her endured the churning in their organs, until finally they collapsed to one knee on the ground.

As Yun Shuchen passed one of them, she keenly sensed a trace of spellwork upon her. She lowered her gaze to inspect the young woman, then removed her mask.

Her face appeared smooth to any outside observer, but Yun Shuchen waved her sleeve and dispelled the concealing spell, revealing a freely blooming lotus pattern at the corner of her eye.

One of Tang Wuyue's daughters again? How had she managed to mingle among these troops marching to battle? But this lotus mark—unless one looked closely, one could barely make out a six-petaled lotus.

Yun Shuchen was momentarily uncertain. She tilted the young woman's chin, noting the faint tremor that ran through her as she began to fear.

In the end, she released her.

Her gaze swept slowly over the crowd of demonic women, and then she smiled. "Today, this sovereign spares your lives. Go back and tell your Lord—her precious daughter died at the hands of Yun Shuchen. Should she have the courage, let her seek vengeance."

"I shall await your Lord's arrival."

With those words, the white mist dispersed, and the formation lifted entirely.

Yu Li's gaze was complicated as she cast one last grateful look at her, then led her remaining troops slowly away.

But among the moving crowd, the young woman from whom Yun Shuchen had removed the mask remained motionless for a long while, kneeling in place.

Not because she didn't want to leave, but because the woman had silently placed a binding spell on her just now. She couldn't rise.

"Having chased this far and returning empty-handed would hardly convince anyone."

Yun Shuchen said gently, "You'll do. Come back with me."