Chapter 16: The First Glimpse of the True Demon’s Shadow

Ji Yao was unaware that she had already drawn suspicion. While not the whole truth, some assumptions were close. For instance, there was indeed a hidden trove, but it was a burrow, not a cave-dwelling. As for the most precious item—regrettably, it was no longer there, for it now resided with Ji Yao herself.

A divine artifact! Could anything surpass it? Yet, unfortunately, such a treasure had its master. Though it rested with her, it did not belong to her. Not only was the artifact unusable, but it had to be concealed from prying eyes. To make matters worse, she was bound to obey the commands of the artifact’s true owner.

The girl in black knew she could not linger here any longer. Though the spot was deserted, it was still close to Guangqiang City, and their recent skirmish had surely drawn attention. No one intervened only because the so-called great cultivators disdained to concern themselves with the quarrels of mere Qi Refinement disciples, dismissing the scene with a glance. Those hoping to profit lacked the strength to do so.

Moreover, in half a month, the Seven Sects would hold their disciple selection. Each day, mortals and cultivators flocked to the city, bringing the usual tide of petty crimes and untimely deaths. With such numbers, maintaining order was impossible. As long as the fighting did not spill into the city or reach its gates, few would bother to interfere. Cultivators of means rode conveyance arrays or flying vessels straight into the city. Those forced to walk were either mortals or penniless, insignificant disciples.

Gold and silver meant nothing to the city’s residents; after all, Guangqiang was the greatest city of the Northern Wastes, inhabited mostly by cultivators. Even the few mortals within had ties to cultivators or held some status in the mundane world. What prideful resident would stoop to disgrace themselves over mere coin? And as for the destitute cultivators who came on foot—what valuables could they possibly carry?

Such unrewarding endeavors drew little interest. Would city dwellers venture out for them? Unthinkable—unless someone had fallen on truly desperate times. Otherwise, a mortal could still find lodging in certain inns for a handful of coins. But if a cultivator could not even muster that, cultivation was beyond their reach.

Ji Yao was an exception. Who would have thought that, at such a time, a minor cultivator would abandon the safety of the city and wander outside?

The girl in black was less concerned with being discovered than with someone sensing the aura within her black cauldron. Though the Mican Realm was not locked in open conflict between Daoists and demonic cultivators, Daoist disciples still carried an innate sense of superiority, believing themselves orthodox and viewing demon cultivators as heretical. There was no love lost for demonic practice, especially since many demon cultivators were notoriously violent, resorting to any means for resources and indulging in murder as they pleased. Inevitably, some self-styled guardians set themselves the task of eradicating evil.

Little did they realize that some Daoist methods were far more ruthless than those of the demon cultivators. Human greed knows no bounds.

Yet demon cultivators were still human; their path was simply another way. They were not all deserving of death. But true demons—if encountered by Daoist disciples—were to be destroyed without exception.

And within the black cauldron the girl carried, there resided such a being—a true demon! Though feeble, it was a true demon nonetheless: formless, incorporeal.

When Ji Yao had appeared, the girl in black had been feeding this demon. Its sustenance was the flesh and blood of living things, but as it was still weak, it could only absorb blood for now. Ji Yao’s misfortune was to cross paths with her at that moment. The girl had only meant to pass through, but the demon’s hunger had turned to backlash, demanding blood to quell it.

She had been feeding it the essence of spirit beasts, but by the time she neared Guangqiang City, such beasts had vanished from the vicinity. The demon’s impatience grew, and as a few mortals passed nearby, she seized them, dragging them into the wild, overgrown grass. Having just sated the demon and meaning to dispose of the bodies, she noticed someone’s approach. Swiftly, she stowed the bodies away and went out to confront Ji Yao.

What followed was the scene already described. Now, Ji Yao had escaped, and the girl in black, having lost interest in pursuit, chose another direction to dispose of the corpses.

After vanishing from her room, Ji Yao entered the Sumeru realm. The sudden rush of pure spiritual energy roused her a little, and she managed to pull out the fine jade bottle she had first acquired, pouring a single drop of millennia-old Azure Essence into her mouth.

Barely had she replaced the bottle before exhaustion overtook her, and she fainted once more.

When she finally awoke, ten days had passed. Ji Yao found every part of her body aching.

She had grown complacent, forgetting that this was the world of cultivation—and even more, forgetting the blade hanging over her head.

Without Situ Jing’s constant warnings, her vigilance had waned. In truth, Situ Jing had saved her once again.

She recalled the final, massive stone—had it truly struck her, even with spiritual energy for protection, she would have been crushed flat then and there.

She could have hidden in her space, but Ji Yao, almost reflexively, resisted the idea.

She remembered clearly: the moment the stone struck her back, her spiritual power scattered, darkness encroaching on her vision as she coughed up blood. Then, a force not her own surged in her mind, gathering swiftly at her back and shooting out to meet the falling stone.

Her collapse was, in fact, the recoil from that force. Had that power not shattered the stone, she would have been buried beneath it.

That power was all too familiar: it was the same trace of spiritual light Situ Jing had embedded in her mind when first teaching her the method.

Thinking of Situ Jing, Ji Yao glanced at the study. The once radiant stone disk now lay dull and gray upon the desk, betraying nothing of its true identity as a divine artifact.

Ji Yao had countless questions for Situ Jing. But when would she awaken?

The girl in black wielded a most unusual technique, her spiritual power wild and violent. Stranger still was the cauldron, from which Ji Yao sensed a chilling, bloodthirsty aura.

Moreover, this girl had known her former self—the original owner of this body, a girl named Ji Xiaoliu. They seemed to have been very familiar.

Who was this girl in black; whence had she come? And where was Ji Xiaoliu?

Could her suspicions be true? It was all well and good to be a bystander, but when the drama involved oneself, things became awkward indeed.

Yet there was no one who could answer her now, nor did she dare ask anyone else.

With a sigh, Ji Yao forced herself to sit cross-legged on the meditation cushion, swallowed two fasting pills, and closed her eyes to begin circulating her cultivation method, gently nourishing her battered meridians.

Fasting pills were truly awful—utterly tasteless!

Where had Ling Ru gone? She must have reached the sect by now, surely.

When would she herself be able to seek the source of wood? This poison was like a ticking time bomb, endlessly fraying her nerves.

As she cultivated, Ji Yao felt herself drifting into sleep. Otherwise, how could she spare the energy for such idle thoughts?

Elder Situ, please wake soon! How I miss you!

Five days later, as dawn broke, a clamor roused Ji Yao from her sleep. Opening her eyes, she felt momentarily lost, as if unsure whether she was awake or dreaming.

She shook her head to clear the haze. How had she left the Sumeru space and ended up asleep on her bed?

Then she remembered: last night, after waking from cultivation, she had returned to her room in the small courtyard so as not to miss the appointed day, and lifted the soundproofing array.

Today was the day the Seven Sects recruited disciples in the Northern Wastes!