Her fox eyes sparkled like rubies—bright, flawless, breathtakingly beautiful.
"A Spirit Transformation Talisman made from the essence of a descendant of the Red-Eyed Fox true spirit... that old scorpion freak really treats his disciple well."
As the dust cleared, Master Jiu Li stood tall in the sky, smirking like he was watching children play. In his eyes, Hu Shan and Qi Chengchu's desperate struggle was nothing but a farce.
It was true the Red-Eyed Fox descended from a true spirit on par with Divine Transformation cultivators. But a mere Spirit Transformation Talisman could only borrow a trace of that power. How could it compare to a true Nascent Soul cultivator like him?
Yet that mocking smile didn't last long. Suddenly, he looked up at the sky and his expression changed.
Above the underground palace, clouds thickened. Thunder rumbled. Lightning pulsed in the darkness, ready to strike.
"A Nascent Soul Tribulation?"
His tone turned grave.
Unlike advancing to Foundation Establishment or Golden Core, breaking into realms like Nascent Soul or Divine Transformation required overcoming a heavenly tribulation.
The Nascent Soul tribulation had only six thunder strikes, and for a mid-stage Nascent Soul like him, it shouldn't have been a problem.
However—
If he entered Qi Chengchu's tribulation range, the clouds would lock onto his aura too. The thunder would strengthen accordingly.
And its power—he might not survive it.
"Trying to scare me with a tribulation?" he sneered and quickly flew dozens of li away from the battlefield.
Then, he formed a hand seal and pulled out a silver flying hook.
Clang, clang! Clang, clang!
Infused with spiritual power, the hook shimmered brilliantly. The force it gave off shook the ground for several li around, echoing like a massive bell.
"Go!" he commanded, wiping off his aura and spiritual imprint from the hook. He aimed to kill Qi Chengchu not with his own hands, but with this weapon alone.
That silver weapon was the Spirit-Breaking Hook, a fourth-grade lower-tier attack artifact capable of breaking barriers.
If not for the burning need to avenge his wife, he wouldn't have sacrificed such a treasure.
Still, without direct control or a spiritual imprint, the hook's power was much weaker.
"Hold him off as long as possible!" shouted Hu Shan, who had taken the form of the red-eyed fox. She leapt out of the array and faced the oncoming weapon.
Her three fox tails rapidly swelled, intertwining into a thick barrier that shielded her whole body.
Boom!
The Spirit-Breaking Hook slammed into her, flinging her several li away. The tails that had blocked the blow were shaved down to bare stubs.
Blood leaked from the corner of her mouth. Her energy was scattered. Her once-sacred aura now charred and bleak.
Yet her face showed no sign of regret. She let out a giggle, twirling the hook with her pink claws.
Without spiritual control or a spiritual imprint, the hook was a one-shot weapon—and that was all it had.
That was why she had dared to agree to protect Qi Chengchu in the first place.
Unlike her, far off in the sky, Master Jiu Li looked anything but pleased.
Losing a Spirit-Breaking Hook hurt. He could endure that if it killed the enemy. But to waste it and have it fall into enemy hands—unacceptable.
"Should I waste another fourth-grade artifact?"
He frowned. It wasn't an easy decision. He didn't have many left, and if they failed again, it wouldn't just be shameful—it'd be expensive.
"You lot—get over here."
His gaze turned cold as he looked toward Ni Shihuang and her five companions, who had been lurking near the entrance to the Great Void Realm.
He didn't dare enter the tribulation range himself, but using others was still an option.
"If you six kill Hu Shan and Qi Chengchu today, I'll reward you handsomely."
He sent a low voice transmission.
The six, who had been hiding and watching the fight, immediately looked uneasy.
From the fight just now, it was clear Hu Shan now had powers on par with Nascent Soul cultivators.
Even if they succeeded, it'd be a bloody victory—and likely, some of them wouldn't make it out.
And as for that reward… chances were, Master Jiu Li would go back on his word right after the battle.
"I am a disciple of the Heavenly Maiden Sect. I beg Senior Jiu Li to spare us for the sect's sake."
Ni Shihuang stepped forward, pulling back her black cloak and revealing her face.
The Heavenly Maiden Sect was one of the five great demonic sects. Even rogue Nascent Soul cultivators like Jiu Li had to give it some respect.
Her words made his face darken.
He had just offended Tianjue Demon Palace. Pissing off another major sect right now wouldn't be wise.
"You're from the Heavenly Maiden Sect. But what about the others?"
His tone was icy.
He'd spare her, maybe—but not the rest of the group.
"This…" Ni Shihuang hesitated, at a loss for words.
She had brought this group not from the Heavenly Maiden Sect, but from the Ni family and Blood God Son's Blood family. They were a bunch of Golden Core cultivators cobbled together to help her hunt down Wei Tu and satisfy her greed.
In front of a Nascent Soul powerhouse like Master Jiu Li, the Ni family and Blood family clearly didn't count for much.
"We're willing."
"Being on good terms with Master Jiu Li would benefit our families too."
The Ni family cultivators didn't put Ni Shihuang in a difficult spot. They spoke up right away, expressing their cooperation.
Ni Shihuang turned and met their gazes. In an instant, she understood what they were thinking.
Once they entered the lightning tribulation zone, they'd technically be outside of Jiu Li's control. By then, it wasn't guaranteed they'd actually have to fight Hu Shan or Qi Chengchu.
A moment later, aside from Ni Shihuang and Blood God Son—these two being from major sects—the other four Golden Core cultivators from the Ni and Blood families were sent by Master Jiu Li to charge straight at Hu Shan.
...
A hundred li away, in the border market.
Wei Tu had sensed the distant battle at Nascent Soul level but didn't stick around out of curiosity or try to observe.
After a brief moment of surprise, he acted just like the other cautious cultivators and flew off in the opposite direction, away from the Southern Desolate Wastes.
Demonic cultivator duels weren't like righteous ones. It was common for innocent bystanders to get caught up in the crossfire.
Because of that, Wei Tu had no clue what happened afterward in the fight. He didn't know that Ni Shihuang and the others, while trying to chase him, had ended up being forced into battle by Master Jiu Li.
After leaving the border market, Wei Tu went straight for the Black Blood Marsh.
Five days later, once he reached the interior of the Zheng Kingdom and a safe area, he finally stopped. He found a random cave and sat down to recover his spiritual energy.
More than ten days passed.
Only then did Wei Tu emerge from seclusion and head to a nearby market to ask around about the fight.
Back then, in the border market, there had been others who—unlike him—were brave or arrogant enough to stick around and watch the battle unfold.
That fight, which involved a Nascent Soul cultivator like Master Jiu Li and his revenge for his wife's death, quickly became a hot topic among cultivators.
Wei Tu didn't have to look hard before he got all the details.
"Three Golden Core cultivators from the Ni and Blood families died horribly… When Qi Chengchu's tribulation failed, a mysterious Nascent Soul, possibly the Scorpion Ancestor, showed up and saved both Qi Chengchu and Hu Shan…"
"Master Jiu Li couldn't win against that mysterious Nascent Soul and had to retreat. Then Old Demon Jiuchuan arrived, flew into a rage, and started chasing Master Jiu Li all over..."
Besides those tales, Wei Tu also overheard some gossip from loose-lipped cultivators who claimed that Master Jiu Li had intentionally sent his own wife to her death. His real goal was whatever the Gui Luo Demon Lord had found inside the Great Void Realm.
Some busybodies even started talking about Jiu Li's romantic scandals in recent years.
Wei Tu found the theory plausible.
Back in the Stone Demon Tower, he had eavesdropped on a conversation between Lady Lan and Master Jiu Li's avatar. Their tone didn't seem like lovers at all—definitely not affectionate.
And if Jiu Li really wanted revenge, what was the point of killing just a single clone of the Gui Luo Demon Lord?
'Not really my business.'
Wei Tu shook his head.
He could watch the drama between two Nascent Soul cultivators from the sidelines, but it wasn't worth getting involved.
"Better to head for the Black Blood Marsh and return to Kang Kingdom. It's only been a year since I left, but I was taken by force… who knows what's changed in the Fen Shan Tribe since then…"
A trace of worry flickered in his eyes.
With someone like him—a young Golden Core cultivator skilled in both alchemy and talismans—the Fen Shan Tribe and Wei family had been thriving. No one would dare cause trouble.
But without him… anything could've happened.
...
A few days later.
Wei Tu arrived at the Black Blood Marsh.
He retraced his old route carefully, keeping a low profile to avoid danger.
At the same time, he sent Bai Zhi ahead to scout the path.
The ecosystem of the Black Blood Marsh was similar to the Blood Mirage Cave in the Great Void Realm.
It posed great danger to cultivators, but much less so to ghostly beings like Bai Zhi.
Midway through the journey.
Bai Zhi returned with a faint smile in her eyes. "Fellow Daoist Wei, I didn't expect we'd find something valuable in the Black Blood Marsh."
"About two li ahead, there's a freshly dead Golden Core corpse."
As she spoke, she tossed a storage pouch to Wei Tu.
"This pouch…"
Wei Tu caught it and noticed the character "Tao" embroidered on the pouch. His face showed a thoughtful look.
He remembered that character. It was the clan symbol of the Tao family from Han Mountain.
"Could it be Tao Chongzhou?" he muttered, instantly thinking of an old acquaintance.
Tao Chongzhou was the Tao family ancestor that Tao Fangde—an elder from the Tao clan in the Zha Ma Tribe—had asked about multiple times.