Outside the ancient Nascent Soul ruins, hidden deep in the forest, Zheng Shaosi and the others had already been waiting for some time alongside a Nascent Soul elder.
"Elder, Junior Sister just sent word. That group has exited the ruins," Zheng Shaosi reported respectfully.
"I see. I'll take care of them myself. Consider this a great merit for your team," replied the elder.
This speaker was He Xuzi Zhēnjūn, a Nascent Soul cultivator from Xuanming Sect's older generation. He had originally left the sect on personal business and happened to cross paths with Zheng Shaosi's group when they sought help. Fortunately, he was willing to assist and came along.
He had already set up a formation outside the ruins. Anyone stepping into it would trigger the trap—powerful enough to restrain even another Nascent Soul cultivator, let alone these lowly Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators.
As they waited, a crack suddenly split open in the defensive array surrounding the ruins. Several cultivators tainted with demonic qi emerged one after another.
"That's Chu Ke… Elder Chen Qing's disciple. I never thought he would fall into demonic cultivation," Xie Mofeng muttered with a heavy sigh.
It seemed even those once praised for their righteous hearts could abandon their principles when tempted by power.
"I remember when he first entered the sect. He passed the heart trial with the highest score."
"This is the path he chose," someone said quietly.
As Chu Ke and his group tried to flee, golden chains suddenly shot out and bound them tightly. A mocking voice followed.
"Trying to run? Where do you think you're going, you little devils?"
He Xuzi Zhēnjūn's eyes were filled with contempt. To him, any cultivator who would trade their morals for selfish gain was no longer worth saving. With a flick of his hands, he broke the restraints holding Wang Quan and the other captive disciples.
Zheng Shaosi and his companions immediately rushed over to help. They had already checked the survivors with the Demon-Revealing Mirror to ensure no trace of demonic qi lingered before freeing them.
He Xuzi narrowed his eyes, gaze locking on Chu Ke's storage pouch.
"That demonic qi… it must be the so-called Demon Lord."
He reached out and snatched the pouch. Upon opening it, he found what he expected—a still-beating heart. The Demon Lord possessed an immortal body. Even a single drop of blood could regrow his form. And this heart, brimming with dense demonic energy, was clearly close to full maturity. If it had another month to incubate, it might have completed its transformation. The mortal realm would have descended into chaos.
Without hesitation, He Xuzi summoned his true fire and incinerated the heart, erasing every trace of its aura with lightning qi.
"No! The Demon Lord!" Chu Ke howled as if possessed. His eyes turned blood-red, the madness of the demon bursting forth from within.
"You overestimate yourself," He Xuzi sneered. He snapped his fingers, and the golden chains tightened, leaving Chu Ke's face purple from the pressure.
"If I didn't want to question you, I'd have killed you already."
He formed several golden characters with his fingers, sending them into the bodies of the bound demonic cultivators. Instantly, their bodies glowed with golden light and all resistance vanished.
"Interrogate them. Use recording stones to capture everything. Once you're done, get rid of them. We can't risk keeping such people alive."
"Yes, Elder!"
Zheng Shaosi and the others acted without delay, pulling out their recording stones to begin questioning. They asked everything—how the demonic plot started, what their true goals were, and the origin of the ruins.
Once they had extracted every shred of useful information, He Xuzi reached out with one hand. The golden chains constricted, instantly crushing the demonic cultivators into bloody mist. He followed up with a fireball, burning the remains to ash, ensuring no piece could be used to reform the Demon Lord's heart.
"Clean up the area and prepare to enter the formation," He Xuzi ordered. His eyes glinted as he looked at the grand formation ahead, his breath quickening.
He stepped forward to examine the array. Even after all these years, the ancient fourth-tier formation still pulsed with power. No wonder demonic cultivators had mistaken this as the lair of a powerful predecessor.
He studied the formation's patterns carefully, his mind constantly calculating.
Zheng Shaosi and the others stood silently behind him, not daring to disturb.
"He Xuzi Zhēnjūn is obsessed with formations. Once he's locked onto one, not even eight oxen could drag him away," someone whispered.
…
Meanwhile, within the fourth stone chamber, Chen Jinshu had just entered. Another wooden box sat at the far end, but this one was different. Covered in dense black runes, it radiated malice at a glance. Chen Jinshu hesitated. Was it worth the risk?
Xiao Yin echoed her doubt through their mental connection, sensing something ominous.
She trusted her instincts, and Xiao Yin had never failed her. That luck aura wasn't for nothing.
"Two treasures are already more than enough. With them, Golden Core will be smooth. It's better to leave now and focus on cultivation."
Just as she turned to leave, the wooden box abruptly opened on its own. From within burst a swarm of black flying insects, buzzing toward her like a cloud of mosquitoes. About the size of bees, pitch black and numerous enough to blot the light. Her face turned pale. She immediately used her Rainbow Step technique to flee.
But the insects were even faster.
Left with no choice, she activated her master's defensive artifact. Then her heart sank—the insects' venomous secretions were corroding the barrier.
"Not good!"
She made a dash toward the exit, the swarm chasing like a dark tornado. Just before reaching the doorway, she was overtaken. With no other option, she vanished into her spiritual plant space.
"These bugs are insane…"
She had seen a senior brother's body devoured down to the bones. If she had been caught even once, she wouldn't have survived. Even peak Golden Core barriers couldn't hold these insects off.
This was truly a terrifying place left behind by a Nascent Soul cultivator. Thinking of her fellow disciples outside, she quickly sent them a message detailing the situation and warning them about the insects. The others were stunned when they received it. Fear crept into their expressions.
"Not good. Junior Sister has been surrounded by some kind of venomous swarm. They even bypassed Master's top-tier defensive artifact."
"We need to break the array and get her out now!"
"But if we break the formation, those insects might escape and attack nearby civilians."
"We should ask the Elder."
They hurried to find He Xuzi, who was still absorbed in analyzing the formation.
"Elder! Junior Sister is in danger. She's been trapped inside, surrounded by deadly insects. We don't know how long she can hold on."
"And the ruins? Have we identified them?"
"It was discovered by Chu Ke. Because of the insects nearby, he assumed it was the remains of a demonic cultivator and tried to nurture the Demon Lord inside."
"A demonic cultivator, huh?" He Xuzi's expression darkened. If this ruin truly belonged to a rogue cultivator who had reached late Nascent Soul, it meant their talent had defied the Heavens. The tribulations of forming the Core and then breaking into Nascent Soul were death traps even for the righteous. To have survived both as a heretic… such a person must have been monstrous.
Still, now wasn't the time to speculate.
"I'll set up a ward. Four of you stay behind and maintain the seal. We cannot let anything escape from that ruin. Otherwise, disaster will follow."
He passed out several formation flags, chanting quickly. Golden script surrounded the entire outer layer of the ruins.
"Void Gate, open!"
A glowing portal appeared, and toxic mist and insects tried to rush out, only to be pressed back by his power.
"Hold this. Watch how I cast the seal."
Wen Yushu quickly mimicked the gestures, managing to take control of the portal.
"The rest of you, come with me."
…
"Your senior brothers and sisters are coming," Yinshanqu reported from within the space. "Should we go out?"
"Yes. If I hold on a bit longer, they'll reach me."
Chen Jinshu activated her protective barrier and exited the spiritual plant space. The moment she appeared, the swarm of black insects latched onto her shield like flies to sugar, nearly sealing her in darkness. She swallowed a pill and channeled her spiritual energy to maintain the shield, feeling it drain faster than she could recover.
Her heart filled with hope. "Please, let them come soon."
Not long after, Zheng Shaosi and the others spotted a massive golden sphere wrapped in buzzing insects.
"Junior Sister! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine! Thank you for coming!" Her voice was faint but filled with gratitude.
She had tried to survive alone. In the end, they were the ones who saved her. He Xuzi Zhēnjūn stepped forward and released a beam of true fire from his palm. The insects it touched were immediately reduced to ash. As the swarm thinned, Chen Jinshu, pale and trembling, finally came into view.
"Are you alright?" Bu Yuanxiang asked, worried. She took out a fragrant incense used to repel insects and lit it in a handheld censer.
The moment the scent spread, the nearby insects dispersed. True fire was fatal to them. Once the last were burned away, Chen Jinshu staggered into their arms. Bu Yuanxiang caught her and checked her condition, frowning.
"You've been poisoned… more than once."
Chen Jinshu recalled inhaling hallucinogenic powder earlier, then being exposed to the acidic venom in the insect swarm. The doses were small but had taken a heavy toll. She quickly pulled out a second-tier antidote pill and swallowed it.
The lotus birthmark on her forehead glowed faintly, purifying the remaining toxins and transforming them into spiritual energy. She had almost forgotten the lotus mark had detoxification powers too. But her body was still weakened and would need time to heal.
"You two stay outside. We'll go in with the Elder to investigate."
"Be careful. That glowing passage is where the Demon Lord was nurtured. There are illusions and poison traps," Chen Jinshu warned.
"Thank you for the warning."
Even as she was escorted out, her mind was still a little dazed. Once they reached Guanghan Immortal City, she finally felt herself stabilize. At least she no longer looked deathly pale. She forced a smile and tried to appear healthy. If her mother saw her in such a state, she would surely be heartbroken.
"Junior Sister, you really did us proud this time. Not only did you help most of the disciples escape, you also exposed a demonic hideout."
"I dare not take credit. If not for the Elder and everyone's support, I couldn't have made it," she said modestly.
The sect's reward would surely be generous, but she didn't intend to take it all. Some of the injured senior brothers had come at her invitation, and they deserved compensation too. In the end, it had all worked out. Otherwise, she would have felt guilty for a long time.
Back in Guanghan Immortal City, a sweeping purge had just concluded. All remaining demonic cultivators had been identified and executed by the Golden Core elders. The entire city felt a mix of relief and lingering fear.
===
Zhēnjūn is the formal title for Nascent Soul