Chapter 136

Chapter 136: Battle Against the Demonic Cultivator 2

Though the Golden Core demonic cultivator had shed his lazy arrogance, he still held a wary fear of the lightning spiritual root cultivator. Determined to end the fight quickly, he enlarged his curved blade, effortlessly blocking Yun Xi’s second staff strike.

Yun Xi’s life-ending staff, crackling with lightning spiritual energy, collided again with the curved blade. But the disparity in strength was too great—the clash sent her flying once more, slamming directly into the cavern wall.

With a crisp shatter, the protective bracelet she’d worn on her wrist since before entering the sect broke apart. It had been a gift from her maternal uncle Feng, able only to withstand attacks at the Foundation Establishment stage. Against the might of a Golden Core cultivator, it had finally reached its limit and perished honorably.

Quickly regaining her footing, Yun Xi wiped away the trace of blood from her lips. She activated the magnolia hairpin atop her hair, a treasure capable of withstanding a Nascent Soul-level attack.

In the blink of an eye, the curved blade surged toward Yun Xi’s head, only to be stopped abruptly by a shimmering defensive barrier.

The Golden Core demonic cultivator narrowed his eyes, confirming his suspicion that Yun Xi was indeed a valuable catch. Such casually carried treasures could even repel his attacks at the late Golden Core stage.

Greed flickered in his gaze. Since she was a prized fish, the treasures on her person had to be plentiful. Cultivators always carried their wealth on their bodies, and with these spoils, he might finally have hope of reaching the Nascent Soul stage.

Meanwhile, Dian Dian had already left the battlefield. It had slipped out of Yun Xi’s boot at the moment she flipped backward. To avoid attracting the attention of the Golden Core demonic cultivator, Dian Dian cleverly stuck a concealment talisman onto itself—a third-order charm freshly crafted by Yun Xi.

Following the route Yun Xi provided, Dian Dian quickly reached the area where the cultivators were imprisoned, only to find it heavily sealed by restrictions.

More than thirty cultivators were held here—men and women alike. Most were at the Foundation Establishment stage, along with a few talented Qi Refining cultivators.

As Dian Dian scurried around the seals sniffing curiously, the cultivators inside quickly noticed it. One female cultivator’s eyes brightened as she asked urgently, “Whose spirit pet is that? Quickly send it to call for help!”

Everyone’s gaze fell on the small black-eared mouse sniffing around outside the barrier, exchanging hopeful glances.

Suddenly, a surprised voice rang out clearly among them: “Isn’t that… Dian Dian, Junior Sister Yun Xi’s spirit pet?”

“Junior sister, are you certain?”

“I’m sure! Last time in Wanruo City, we only escaped thanks to Junior Sister Yun Xi’s spirit pet and its keen nose. Senior Brother, you were severely injured at the time and probably didn’t notice.”

These two were Yu Qing Cheng and Liu Hao Tian from the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. Four years ago, they’d narrowly escaped disaster and returned safely to their sect, forcing the demonic cultivators to abandon their pursuit temporarily. However, the demonic cultivators had never fully given up their sinister desire for their looks and cultivation.

A month earlier, Yu Qing Cheng had accepted a mission from the Hundred Flowers Pavilion to find butterfly eggs in Rosy Cloud Valley, preparing for the Hundred Flowers Celebration. Out of a cultivator’s sixth sense, she’d invited Liu Hao Tian along.

Liu Hao Tian still owed Yu Qing Cheng his life and readily agreed, accompanying her to Rosy Cloud Valley by flying ship. They, too, had heard about the legendary third-stage Rosy Cloud Butterfly eggs, and after collecting some lower-stage eggs, confidently ventured deeper into the valley.

Both were highly vigilant upon entering the inner valley, refusing to form groups even with cultivators who approached them. After encountering three suspicious groups in succession, they realized something was terribly wrong. By then, it was too late—they’d been captured by Blood Ao.

Their cultivation wasn’t destroyed outright, as their captors intended to sell them for a high price. But they were force-fed Spirit Sealing Pills, rendering them defenseless, awaiting transport with the other captives.

Some cultivators imprisoned with them had been captured outright, others betrayed by their companions, like Xia You, while still others were tricked and incapacitated by their trusted friends. Everyone knew their time was limited—when the demonic cultivators had enough captives, they would soon be moved elsewhere. All secretly struggled to overcome the Spirit Sealing Pills’ effects, desperate to escape.

But their captors were thorough. Every day, they forced another pill down their throats, ensuring they remained helpless. Without spiritual energy or storage bags, even breaking the barriers would leave them nowhere to run. Despair had filled the cave—until Dian Dian appeared.

After confirming the location, Dian Dian pawed the storage bag around its neck, a special gift prepared by Yun Xi just for this mission. The next instant, a formation disk appeared—a fourth-order disk that City Lord Li had given Yun Xi as compensation.

Knowing that the demonic cultivators would never allow these prisoners to escape easily, Yun Xi had planned carefully: she would slay the weaker demonic cultivators and stall the Golden Core enemy, while Dian Dian rescued the captives.

Dian Dian’s combat strength was limited, so Yun Xi entrusted it with the fourth-order formation disk and a stack of talismans, to be used according to the situation.

Confirming the barriers couldn’t be shattered by mere talismans, Dian Dian adjusted the formation disk into attack mode and hurled it into the barrier, swiftly retreating to a safe distance.

“Everyone, move back!” Liu Hao Tian warned loudly.

Though unable to hear through the barriers, the cultivators inside could clearly see Dian Dian’s actions. Knowing this was their only chance, everyone immediately retreated to the far end of the cell.

The formation disk collided violently with the restriction, causing the entire cave to tremble as loose rocks fell from above. Every captive watched anxiously, ignoring the debris. After a tense moment, the restriction shattered under the formation disk’s power. Dian Dian dashed forward, reclaiming the disk and stowing it back into its storage pouch.

Dian Dian’s tiny black eyes scanned the freed cultivators streaming out. Its nose twitched slightly. Yun Xi had instructed Dian Dian only to find Xia You and deliver the antidote to her—the rest wasn’t its responsibility. But amid the escaping cultivators, Dian Dian caught a familiar scent. Without hesitation, it ran straight to the familiar figure.

Before Yu Qing Cheng could steady herself, Dian Dian leaped onto her robe, scrambling all the way up to her shoulder. Liu Hao Tian instinctively reached out to intercept, but Dian Dian immediately tossed a bottle of pills into his hands.

Glaring irritably at Liu Hao Tian, Dian Dian huffed angrily: “Dian Dian came to save you! Ungrateful humans, really!”

Unfortunately, neither understood Dian Dian’s squeaky complaints, though they clearly sensed it was scolding them.

Yu Qing Cheng forced a smile and said, “You’re Junior Sister Yun Xi’s spirit pet. You must be here to help us.” She spoke confidently, leaving no doubt.

Satisfied, Dian Dian nodded, pointed with its tiny claw at the pill bottle, then leaped off Yu Qing Cheng’s shoulder, disappearing swiftly into a nearby crevice.

“Senior Brother Liu, what’s in the bottle?”

“The antidote to the Spirit Sealing Pill.”

Immediately, someone exclaimed joyfully, “We’re saved!”

“Quick! Take the antidote. We need to help Junior Sister Yun Xi!”