Yang Yun...
Yun Jin narrowed her eyes.
To be honest, he was the one she feared the most right now. Even the man from Sky City ranked below him on her list of concerns. If Yang Yun and that Demon Soul managed to succeed, the entire small world would be thrown into chaos.
"His strength's grown a lot since he entered the Demon Realm," Yuan Yuan analyzed. "With those demonic patterns, I'm afraid even Ji Wusi might get absorbed."
Yun Jin's expression turned cold.
That Demon Soul had tried to absorb Bai Yiran back then and failed. After that, instead of charging into the Central Continent, he'd returned to the Demon Realm.
She had a bad feeling about that.
Most likely, the powerful experts of the Demon Clan had already been picked off by the Demon Soul, one by one.
After absorbing their strength and combining it with the power of those demonic patterns, even someone like her Master, Ji Zhēnzūn, might end up consumed.
The Demon Soul clearly thought himself invincible now, which was why he dared to step foot into the Central Continent.
And once here, his goal was simple. He wanted to absorb the top human cultivators, turn them into nourishment for his demonic patterns, and use that energy to reach the absolute limit of this world's power.
After that—he'd shatter the spatial barrier and summon the outer-realm demon race.
The Demon Soul's plan was meticulous. Unfortunately for him, whether it could succeed depended entirely on whether she'd allow it.
Back then, Yun Jin hadn't gone after him in the Demon Realm.
First, because that cursed Blood Moon was too strange. It cut off her connection to the Five Elements, and the moon's eerie energy would've corroded her from within. If she'd made a mistake there, things could've gone terribly wrong.
Second, she didn't see a reason to stop him at that time. If he wanted to absorb demon experts, so be it. Let the dogs fight each other.
She just had to sit back and wait for the right moment.
But now, that Demon Soul had actually dared to come to the Central Continent. He was walking straight into his own grave.
Yun Jin's face remained calm.
Yang Yun's personal strength wasn't what concerned her most. The real problem was those demonic patterns that seemed alive. They could grant him terrifying power boosts, but no matter how high he climbed, there was still a ceiling.
She wasn't afraid.
Yang Yun's goal was to reach the pinnacle of this small world's power.
Her strength, on the other hand, was already brushing against that limit. Unless he somehow managed to absorb every expert except her, there was no chance he could threaten her.
Yun Jin watched the Demon Soul's movements closely and asked, "Where is he now?"
"In the Xuandan Region," Yuan Yuan said quietly. "Among the Four Holy Lands, Xuandan Gate has the weakest combat strength, but it's full of alchemists. Their spiritual cultivation's actually the highest. If he wants to absorb strong cultivators, that's the best place to start."
Of course, "weakest" was only relative.
Even if Xuandan Gate's combat prowess didn't match the other three Holy Lands, their alchemists still crushed most sects with ease. And since everyone knew Xuandan Region had the best alchemists, plenty of experts often visited for pills.
So, choosing Xuandan Region as his first hunting ground showed the Demon Soul wasn't entirely brainless.
Yun Jin watched the map projection. The Demon Soul was heading straight for Xuandan Gate. His cultivation was already sky-high, and to advance further, he had to absorb absolute top-tier experts—and most of those resided inside the Gate.
But Xuandan Gate was protected by a divine artifact, so he couldn't just storm in.
She thought for a moment. If she were him, the best plan would be to lure the top experts out of the sect, then annihilate them all in one strike.
Still, where would he get the confidence to draw out all of Xuandan Gate's powerhouses?
"Yuan Yuan, record his movements onto a Memory Stone for me," Yun Jin ordered. "Keep monitoring him. Don't let him out of your sight, and report the moment something happens."
Yuan Yuan immediately obeyed.
Not long after, Yun Jin took the Memory Stone and left.
She arrived at the Mission Hall, browsed through Xuandan Gate–related tasks, and picked one marked with an A rank.
[A-rank Mission: A New Path — The Trouble of Man Sen
Mission Description: Man Sen seeks to forge a new path for combat alchemists, but he's realized the power-boosting pills are far too costly, making this method impossible to popularize.
Mission Goal: Help Man Sen overcome his dilemma.]
The task caught her interest.
Forging a new path was always easier said than done. If the mission had required her to actually complete that path, it wouldn't just be A-rank—it'd probably be at least S-rank.
But the goal was simply to help Man Sen overcome his confusion.
That gave her plenty of room to maneuver. After all, how he overcame it didn't matter. As long as he stopped being troubled, it counted. Even if he decided to give up on the idea altogether, that still meant he wasn't confused anymore.
Yun Jin grinned. She accepted the mission on the spot. It'd been a while since she last saw this senior uncle. It was about time they reconnected.
She activated the teleportation function and vanished from the Mission Hall.
Before leaving, she sent a quick message to Qing Yun.
Qing Yun stared blankly at the glowing token in his hand.
"Master, I'm coming to see you!"
Qing Yun: "???"
Yun Jin… she was coming here?
Wait, how was she planning to get in?!
Hold on—don't tell him she was using the Mission Hall's transport system again?!
His expression darkened.
Over the past six months, disciples of the Wushuang Sect had become far too active.
They claimed to be taking missions, but in truth, they were popping up everywhere. Even the protective grand formation of the sect couldn't stop them. If Xiao Jin hadn't given advance notice, half the sect might've panicked by now.
Still, because of Wushuang Sect's tendency to "descend from the heavens to deliver justice," the general atmosphere of the Central Continent had improved quite a bit.
Qing Yun stroked his beard thoughtfully.
Xiao Jin's personally coming this time... could it be another "heavenly descent of justice"?
No way.
In the current human realm, who could possibly warrant her personal attention?
He guessed she'd come looking for him soon, so he decided to wait patiently.
Meanwhile, Yun Jin located her target and appeared right outside Man Sen's cave abode. She sent in a talisman, then waited quietly.
A short while later, the cave door opened, and a weary-looking Man Sen stepped out. When he saw Yun Jin, he barely had the energy to react. "Sect Master Yun, your reputation's really something these days."
He'd heard so many stories about her lately that his ears practically grew calluses.
Yun Jin chuckled. "Martial Uncle, I heard you've been troubled about developing the path of a combat alchemist?"
Man Sen blinked, then seemed to remember something. "Ah, right, you took the mission. Come on in."
Everyone was already used to Wushuang Sect disciples showing up for missions. They had good conduct and usually ended up helping more than causing trouble, so people had long since stopped questioning it.
Yun Jin smiled and followed him inside.
===
I'm thinking about picking up a new novel to translate soon, and right now I'm considering two titles: "The Fortune Pawn Shop: A Life to Sale" and "I Built My Own Inheritance."
The first one follows a girl named Ning Xia, who only has one week left to live. She suddenly inherits a mysterious pawnshop with one rule: give what you value most, and you'll receive what you desire most. It's eerie, dramatic, and full of emotional deals and secrets. I really love the premise.
The second story is about Su Wan, whose phone suddenly updates with this game called "My Ancestors' Era." Inside it, she can interact with people from the past and help them survive, build their family, and improve their lives. Every time she succeeds, she receives real antiques in the present.
Then her parents call her home to inherit the family property, and she realizes the incredibly wealthy and powerful family she helped build in the past... is actually her own. The fortune she is about to receive is the direct result of her own actions. I find this concept super fun and refreshing.
Both novels are currently serialized and have around 100 chapters, so they're still relatively short. I think I can catch up to the latest raw chapter within a week. As usual, I'll publish the translations on my AO3 account, and I'll share more detailed previews on Discord before I officially start.
The second novel is written by Chen Yuqing, who also wrote "With Double the Initial Opportunities," "This Isn't Exile, It's Clearly a Vacation," "I Turned Trash into Treasure in the Cultivation World," and "Space Check-in: I'm Farming in the Apocalypse." I've read some of their work before, and honestly, I might pick up another one in the future. Like Feng Ling, they focus on strong female MCs and No CP stories, which is exactly my taste.
I know my schedule is a little chaotic right now. On Webnovel, Stealing Luck, True Heir (Feng Ling's), and Troublemaker's Guide are all running low on drafts, and my AO3 projects How I Fed and My VR Games haven't been updated in a few weeks. Plus, I'm still busy organizing the Discord server and updating more than 100 C.AI characters (help me lol). It's a lot all at once, and I really need more time to get everything sorted before things go back to normal. It might take a month, maybe even longer.
I'm really sorry for the messy update schedule recently, especially on Webnovel, since I used to update pretty consistently. Thank you for your patience and for understanding. It means a lot to me. ♡