Eastern Wilderness.
Gu Ling Mountain.
Brilliant light shimmered under the blazing sun. Layer after layer of seven-colored ripples spread downward, slowly pushing outward until they fused into a sturdy half-dome shield that covered ten li around.
Yao Ranran gazed at the upgraded Invincible Turtle Shell Millennial Shield and nodded in satisfaction.
She traced her fingertip across the air. The smithy's attributes unfolded before her eyes.
[Blacksmith Shop]
Level: 15
Spirit stones needed for upgrade: 0/5,000,000
Proficiency: 3,500/5,000,000 (Max proficiency has a chance of producing spirit treasures of the next grade)
Bound to: Yao Ranran
New forging blueprints unlocked: Purifying Lotus Seed, Spirit Hong Belt, Heart-Bewitching Bell, Bone-Piercing Needle, Demon-Binding Rope.
"As expected, only in troubled times is money this easy to make. In just these few days, the spirit stones I've earned were enough for several level-ups…"
Joy filled her heart, yet a faint sense of pity surfaced as well.
The world outside was in utter chaos.
There were mortals who starved to death, cultivators who withered away, and abandoned infants who perished on the battlefield. Those infants had not chosen the battlefield, they had simply been discarded there. Parents struggled to flee with their own lives, how could they possibly bring along a child?
Yao Ranran recalled the brutal scenes she had witnessed over the past days. She turned her eyes toward Longyin Village.
In winter, the village seemed peaceful and serene.
No one was busying themselves with fieldwork. Each household had built snowmen, children played outside their doors, the strong cleared snow beneath the trees, and the elderly sat gossiping about family affairs.
It was as if the entire scene had been painted onto a canvas.
The sort of beauty she usually only read about in books.
Yao Ranran let out a quiet sigh.
If the Eastern Wilderness truly fell into the hands of the demon cultivators, if Li Luoqi's demon clan invaded, even this warm and harmonious village would be corrupted by demonic qi.
In chaotic times, money flowed easily, but for lasting stability and steady income, what the world needed was peace. She lowered her head to read the letter reply in her hands. A faint smile curved her lips.
Lu Ziqian had already infiltrated the demon clan, even being planted inside Youyan Sect by Li Luoqi himself.
This was clear proof that the decline of the demon cultivators was inevitable. She too would need to start preparing for the coming age of prosperity.
Yao Ranran dipped her brush and began writing concise words across the white page.
…
Youyan Sect.
Hao Yinqin burned the letter in his hand, then tucked away his demon clan token. Looking at the man before him in the palace hall, he asked, "You are the general sent by the Demon Sovereign?"
"Yes. I am Gu Ziqian, a scholar by trade."
The man standing before the throne had a frail figure and wore plain blue robes, as though he might be carried away by the wind at any moment.
Hao Yinqin studied him, finding it difficult to reconcile the image with the reports he had received.
"You really killed that many people?"
The scholar in blue lifted his head. His features were refined and pale. Holding a brush in his hand, he replied calmly, "I have never killed anyone. They simply died under Heaven's will."
Hao Yinqin paused, then suddenly burst into raucous laughter. "Good! Good! What a peculiar demon cultivator you are!"
Clearly, this man's hands were drenched in blood. He had slaughtered his peers to rise as a demon clan general, yet he could say with such conviction that they died only as Heaven decreed.
What an arrogant, unflinching, and scheming mad scholar!
"Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha!" Hao Yinqin's laughter echoed through the throne hall.
The scholar in blue remained unmoved. To Lu Ziqian, those people had indeed deserved death. He felt no guilt for their passing. But what he had just said was not entirely true. Those other demon cultivators who sought to serve under the Demon Sovereign had not simply died by Heaven's decree.
The truth was… his master had aided him.
Shortly after leaving Longyin Village with only a travel pack, he had followed Yao Ranran's instructions to the Baiyao Cavern, a den once belonging to minor beasts but now seized by the demon clan.
Arriving at the cavern's entrance, he had done nothing, exactly as his master had taught him. He simply stood there, blankly, as though lost.
Sure enough, a demon cultivator came out and brought him inside.
As Lu Ziqian followed, he could not help marveling at how precise his master's foresight was. The Baiyao Cavern's leader seemed to take an immediate liking to him, especially to his scent. It was just as his master had said. The demons would first test for strange odors. If his scent was ordinary, he would be accepted. He had not known why, but obediently avoided eating garlic or chives.
As expected, he passed.
Not only that, the cavern's leader seemed quite satisfied with him. He spent one tense night in Baiyao Cavern before daring to cultivate.
Again, events unfolded just as his master predicted. Not a single demon cultivator suspected anything strange about his cultivation method.
He meditated openly for several days, until the cavern leader suddenly announced a battle. It was a trial among the newly joined demon cultivators. Only the final three survivors would be allowed to remain.
The announcement had been abrupt, yet Lu Ziqian felt no fear. For his master had foreseen even this.
Impressed by his composure, the leader was confident he would be among the last three.
The trial descended into chaos.
Locked in the wide cavern, Lu Ziqian knew his cultivation was shallow. He could do little but follow his master's words: hide when danger came.
Though he crouched quietly in a corner, others still came after him. Each time, he spoke calmly, stalling for time, just as his master instructed. And indeed, someone always intervened before he was slain.
In the end, every demon cultivator in Baiyao Cavern perished. Only Lu Ziqian remained.
He was the sole victor.
Yet when he emerged, even the cavern's leader had been slain by disciples of Suohong Tower.
By fortune, before his death, the leader had sent a list of his most promising disciples back to the demon clan.
Lu Ziqian's name was among them. Thus he was raised to the rank of general. The other two survivors had died, the cavern leader was gone, and no one remained to contest him.
To outsiders, his path looked smooth. Only he knew how treacherous it had truly been. Without his master guiding him from the shadows, he would have been nothing.
"Since the sect master has already met me, I shall return to cultivate." His master had said, when unsure what to say, bring up cultivation.
Hao Yinqin ceased laughing and said, "Why not meet my disciple before you leave?"
Lu Ziqian slowly shook his head. "Only by diligence in cultivation have I reached this point. Sect master, forgive me for taking my leave."
At that, Hao Yinqin did not press further. "Very well. You will meet Ye Hai sooner or later."
Lu Ziqian bowed and departed.
Not long after, Pu Yehai hurried into the hall.
Hao Yinqin chuckled, "It was only a general. Why are you in such a rush?"
Pu Yehai's face was bloodless. "Sect master, it is not about him. I wish to go to Gu Ling Mountain."