Chapter 77

Chapter 77: Detonating the Devil Heart

In the cultivation world, the unspoken rule was that only those above the Nascent Soul Stage were called an Immortal Lord.

But ever since Ning Yan Zhi appeared, the rule had started to blur.

An Innate Sword Bone. Foundation Establishment at a young age. Golden Core formed like breathing. A sword heart that made even older cultivators fall silent.

Almost no one doubted he would lead the next generation of immortal sects.

And those who met him were often won over by his bearing before they even understood why.

So even though he was only Golden Core, “Immortal Lord” felt… inevitable.

Around them, the disciples who had barely recovered began whispering in excited bursts.

“So Immortal Lord Ning came to help—no wonder!”

“Thank heavens he arrived in time…”

“So strong—he cut down a berserking Nascent Soul Stage Devil Creature with one sword!”

“Is this the Innate Sword Bone? Are we even cultivating the same sword?”

Ying Shao Guang’s brows knitted.

What nonsense?

The killing blow had clearly relied on the Seven-Star Devil-Exterminating Formation. Yet the moment Ning Yan Zhi appeared with sword light, the credit shifted like sand.

Then what did he and Bai Li Xu nearly dying for the past hour count as?

Across the wreckage, Ning Yan Zhi recalled his sword light with a calm lift of his hand and walked toward them.

“Ning Yan Zhi of the Cinnabar Cloud Palace greets you,” he said, voice clear, posture respectful. “May I ask the names of the two Fellow Daoists?”

Bai Li Xu let out a breath he’d been holding. “So it’s Immortal Lord Ning. I am Bai Li Xu of the Limitless Sect.”

“And I am Ying Shao Guang of the Limitless Sect,” Ying Shao Guang added, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. He didn’t bother with warmth. “You didn’t set up the Seven-Star Devil-Exterminating Formation, did you?”

Ning Yan Zhi lowered his head in a precise salute. “I was passing through and sensed Devil Creatures causing trouble, so I came to lend a hand. I happened to see the Seven-Star Devil-Exterminating Formation taking shape.”

His gaze remained steady. “I had a sword strike that could borrow the formation’s power and amplify it. The chance couldn’t be missed, so I acted without greeting you first.”

His voice softened. “I did not intend to steal credit. I apologize.”

The explanation was smooth. The posture was humble. The tone was so sincere it left little room for suspicion.

Ying Shao Guang, strangely, felt his anger toward Ning Yan Zhi ease.

Fine. Ning Yan Zhi had acted at the right moment. Even if the crowd misunderstood, there was no way to chase down every witness and correct them without looking petty.

Credit was not worth embarrassing themselves over.

What mattered was that they lived.

Ying Shao Guang’s smile returned—thin and sharp. “We didn’t set up the formation. Fellow Daoist Ning doesn’t need to apologize to us.”

Ning Yan Zhi looked genuinely puzzled. “Oh? This formation is extremely complex. Without deep mastery, it would be impossible to control it. If it wasn’t you two, then who—”

“It was me.”

A soft female voice interrupted.

Ning Yan Zhi looked up.

Not far away, Bai Meng Jin stood holding the Yin-Yang Umbrella, her posture relaxed in the aftermath. Lanternlight and starlight caught her profile—graceful, bright, too calm for someone who had just fought a Nascent Soul Stage Devil Creature.

She looked no older than coming-of-age, skin like ice, bones like jade, as if the world had carved her carefully.

The strange part was the faint thread of devil qi around her, subtle but unmistakable.

Ning Yan Zhi’s eyes narrowed slightly.

A devil cultivator?

How could a devil cultivator walk openly, so unguarded?

“Junior Sister Bai!” Ying Shao Guang said loudly, with pointed emphasis. “I didn’t expect your formation skills to be this deep. You set up the Seven-Star Devil-Exterminating Formation in such a short time.”

His voice carried, ensuring everyone nearby heard. “Good thing you were with us, or we truly wouldn’t have known what to do.”

Ning Yan Zhi’s expression shifted. “Bai…”

Then understanding lit his gaze. “So it was you. You’re the miss Martial Uncle Chang Ling mentioned—the one who accidentally formed a devil heart.”

Bai Meng Jin’s brows rose slightly. “Immortal Lord Ning has sharp eyes.”

She looked at him—and found her mood strangely calm.

A thousand years.

In her memory, the grudge that began with betrayal and blood had lasted a thousand years.

After her rebirth, she had imagined meeting Ning Yan Zhi again countless times. She had imagined anger, bitterness, even trembling hatred.

Instead, she felt… calm.

So he had come here in her previous life, too?

Bai Meng Jin searched her memories and found a faint echo. When she first entered the sect in her past life, she had heard of a battle in Flowing Moon City—Ning Yan Zhi against a Nascent Soul Stage Devil Creature.

Back then, she hadn’t set up the Seven-Star Devil-Exterminating Formation. The price of that victory had been terrible. Ning Yan Zhi had been injured, and he had even lost the protective sword qi his master had given him.

Bai Meng Jin let out a breath that tasted bitter and almost laughed.

What kind of twisted fate was this?

In this life, she had acted early.

And still, she had ended up sewing the wedding clothes for Ning Yan Zhi.

Was this what it meant to be the Heavenly Dao’s favored child?

Compared to his luck, what did her Jade-Tempered Body even count for?

Seeing her expression, Ning Yan Zhi seemed to misunderstand. “Miss Bai…” He paused, then took out a sword-shaped jade talisman. “This is Heavenly Gang Sword Qi, crafted personally by my master. Please accept it as my apology.”

Bai Meng Jin’s gaze flicked to the talisman.

She had been thinking of that sword qi—

And Ning Yan Zhi offered it without hesitation.

Something offered by Ning Yan Zhi was not something you refused for no reason. Besides, it was a debt he would have paid in this battle regardless.

“Thank you, Immortal Lord Ning,” Bai Meng Jin said, and took it.

With the Devil Creature defeated, cleanup began.

The remains had to be handled. The devilized plants had to be destroyed. The spreading devil qi had to be purified so the mortals could return to their homes without being poisoned by lingering contamination.

Experienced disciples divided the work quickly, coordinating in efficient bursts of shouted orders.

Bai Meng Jin closed the Yin-Yang Umbrella and turned, searching for Ling Bu Fei.

She spotted him at the edge of the block—running hard from a street corner, face grim and anxious, mouth moving as if he were shouting.

She caught the words as he drew close.

“Devil heart—!”

Bai Meng Jin froze.

Devil heart?

There were only two devil hearts here—hers and the Devil Creature’s.

The Devil Creature…

Her head whipped toward the body’s remains.

A disciple was approaching the place where the devil heart should have been.

Ling Bu Fei’s voice cut through the noise at last, sharp with urgency. “Everyone, be careful! The Devil Creature isn’t dead—it’s going to self-detonate its devil heart!”

For one heartbeat, the street held its breath.

Then panic detonated.

A Nascent Soul Stage devil heart detonation could wipe Flowing Moon City off the map. With so many disciples here—and mortals just beyond the barrier—everyone would be reduced to dust.

Hands fumbled for defensive talismans and protective treasures.

Ling Bu Fei tore off a speed talisman and rushed forward, eyes fixed on the danger.

One thought filled his mind: he couldn’t cast spells, but his body held Divine Transformation Stage cultivation. If he could get close enough, he could block the blast—

Even if it shattered his body and scattered his soul.

Even if he died, at least it would mean something.

A hand seized his.

Cool. Steady. Unyielding.

Bai Meng Jin.

A low hum vibrated through the air as her spiritual power wrapped around his, forcing it to move.

Golden light flared.

A Divine Transformation Stage barrier rose—vast, bright, swallowing the street in a dome of protection.

And then—

Boom.

The world shook.

Black fog surged outward like a tidal wave. The earth groaned. The air tore.

In the chaos, Ying Shao Guang’s mind flashed with a single furious thought.

[That two-faced little bitch.]