A streak of verdant light shot up from the earth.
In an instant, it split the blood river apart, cleaving straight toward Crimson Serpent.
"Damn it!"
Crimson Serpent's face was drained of color. She had never imagined that another late-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator lay hidden in ambush.
And the technique he unleashed—the Wine God's Art—was one she recognized all too well.
She raised her hands in a frantic defense, but it was far too rushed. How could such a hasty guard withstand Venti's strike, condensed after so long and poured with his entire essence?
Her barrier shattered almost instantly. A point of cold light pierced her forehead.
"Break!"
Venti gritted his teeth, twisting the flying sword. In that moment, sword intent shredded her sea of consciousness.
"Take her demon core!"
Alice cried out. Venti summoned the last of his strength, his hand turning to a claw and plunging down into Crimson Serpent's dantian.
He ripped out a demon core—blood-red like a ruby, warm to the touch, dripping with blood so corrosive it was hard to tell whether it was hers or his.
The deed done, Venti's body sagged, falling powerlessly from the sky.
The Wine God's Art was mighty, yes—but run at full force, it drained essence at a terrifying rate.
Zhongli, battered and bleeding, rushed forward to catch him. As he glanced back at Crimson Serpent, he saw a thin wisp of soul-force tear free from her body, fleeing into the distance.
Realization struck him like thunder.
"Alice! Destroy her true spirit!"
"On it!"
Alice's gaze sharpened to cold steel. She raised her hand, fury pouring forth as a ray of Radiant Light streaked across the heavens.
"No!!"
A shrill wail echoed across the land. Crimson Serpent's soul scattered to nothing.
Her body, too, could no longer hold its form. With a thunderous crash, it transformed into a thousand-meter-long serpent, smashing into the ground and raising a storm of dust.
Side by side with the Golden Eagle she had fought for centuries, she now lay in a crater—both destroyed in the same place.
Truly, an irony written by fate.
The battle finally over, the three of them landed in exhaustion.
Zhongli's manifestation of the Qingyun Invocation of Divine Manifestation faded, leaving him staggering, nearly collapsing with Venti in his arms. Only by leaning on the Staff of Homa could he keep himself upright.
Venti forced his eyes open, still mischievous enough to jest:
"Old man… don't drop me now. I'm still carrying the demon core."
Zhongli gave him a strained look, struggling to steady his breath.
"By general principle, a demon core is not so fragile."
"Eh, you never know," Venti muttered, then managed a faint grin. "That was close, though."
Zhongli nodded heavily.
"The roc was manageable… but Crimson Serpent was far beyond us. Were it not for their scheming against each other, the three of us would not have survived."
Alice approached, calmer now that Crimson Serpent had been dealt with.
"Master warned us long ago—great demons will never truly work together. Unlike us Mount Shu disciples, their very nature is greed and treachery. They cannot trust anyone but themselves."
"Crimson Serpent was once Azure Toad's subordinate, yet she plotted only to seize freedom for herself. That is the nature of demons."
Zhongli inclined his head, disdain flickering in his eyes.
A group bound together only by brute force—once given a chance, every one of them would act as Crimson Serpent had.
"This time, it was her carelessness," he admitted. "But weren't we too complacent as well? If not for sheer fortune, we nearly capsized in the gutter. In truth, our foundation is shallow—we cannot yet match true peers at this level."
"When we leave this place, we must cultivate even harder."
At his words, Alice and Venti both nodded solemnly.
Compared to them, even those beasts had mastered more techniques.
"Well, regardless… we've now lived through a real cultivators' battle."
Alice finally exhaled, then broke into a smile.
"And it turned out well enough. Venti didn't drop the chain at the crucial moment, either."
"But I've noticed something—these beasts are sly, every last one of them. Their combat is filled with tricks. We'll need to be wary of that from now on."
At that, Zhongli grimaced, recalling how Crimson Serpent had used him to do her bidding. His chest tightened with annoyance.
"Anyway," Venti coughed, regaining a little strength, "time to reap the spoils, isn't it?"
The three turned their eyes to the enormous corpses.
After death, both demons had reverted to their true forms—monsters nearly a thousand meters long, one even larger.
How were they supposed to bring these back?
A moment of silence passed, then all three exchanged glances. There was only one way.
Alice, who still had the most strength left, wielded her Radiant Light to slice the bodies apart. With some large trees, they fashioned crude frames and bundles.
Dragging the dismembered corpses together, they followed the lingering traces of Ningguang's aura.
Exhausted as they were, they knew they had to leave quickly. After such a commotion, once the formation fell, others might come investigating. Best not to linger.
Such butchery would once have weighed heavily on them. But after Crimson Serpent's threats—even talking of using soul-searching on them—mercy was the last thing on their minds.
Long after they departed, an old man appeared above the battlefield.
White-bearded, hunched, with a kindly face, he looked frail as drifting smoke. Yet each step carried him across miles as though the world itself bent for him.
He stood silently at the crater for a long moment—then burst into laughter, stroking his beard.
"Excellent! Most excellent! The old man has finally found his chance…"
"Crimson Serpent and the Golden Eagle died not in vain."
Though Zhongli and the others had covered their tracks well, traces of Mount Shu sword intent still lingered faintly.
It would be difficult to follow—but not impossible.
The old man ambled off leisurely, humming as he went.
"The Dao is never far—it lies within oneself.
All things are empty, yet nature is not.
If nature is not empty, harmony endures;
When qi returns to the source, life is eternal…"
At his chant, the entire Myriad Demon Mountains shivered. Leaves rustled in chorus, as if echoing his song.
The sound carried far, even into the forbidden grounds of the mountain range.
There, countless demon kings raised their eyes, frowning at the sky where clouds churned with both azure light and thick blood-qi.
"The old thing… has returned."
In his cave, the Fire Qilin King snorted coldly, glaring at the gathered demons below.
"Accelerate the pace! Don't let others snatch the prize first. And remember—if you catch Mount Shu disciples and others are watching, slaughter them all. Leave no survivors."
"Understood, Your Majesty!"
Voices thundered in unison.
The entire mountain range seemed to grow heavier, oppressive. The sky above the Nine Nether Secret Realm darkened as though storm was imminent.
…
Meanwhile—
Qingluan had led the others far from the battlefield to a more tranquil region.
The terrifying fluctuations behind them had finally ceased after Venti's last strike, but no one could guess the outcome. Anxiety gnawed at their hearts.
Three against two was an advantage, yes—but after feeling those dreadful auras, optimism was hard to muster.
Suddenly, Klee pointed to the ground.
"Ganyu-sis! Look! So many shiny grasses!"
Everyone turned—and their eyes widened.
A field of Starspirit Grass stretched before them, easily over a hundred stalks.
And in the middle, upon a strange boulder, bloomed a flower none of them had ever seen.
"So many?"
Keqing stared, remembering the single stalk she had obtained before. Compared to this field, her joy back then felt premature.
"Qingluan really is a treasure-hunter. To find so much so fast."
Lisa smiled, drawing their focus back from worry over the battle.
Perched proudly on Ganyu's shoulder, Qingluan chirped with pride, chest puffed out.
"You're amazing, Qingluan!"
Ganyu stroked the bird's head gently, then turned to the others.
"Shall we collect them?"
Madame Ping thought a moment, then cautioned softly:
"Of course we must. But remember what happened with the Qingyuan Fruit. Let's stay vigilant."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Xiao stepped forward to lay down a formation while the others scanned the surroundings with divine sense.
It wasn't long before their caution paid off.
"Careful!"
Xiao raised a hand, eyes fixed on the stone bearing the flower.
"That stone… something's wrong."
"You felt it too?" Keqing frowned. "I thought the strong qi came from the flower. But now…"
Before she finished, Jiang Yan's figure appeared once more, chuckling.
"You've grown cautious indeed. You're right—that stone is a rare creature of the cultivation world. A Stone Spirit."
"Born from ordinary rock, but awakened over centuries by the qi of spiritual herbs nearby. Usually not very strong."
"This one is only at the early stage of Qi Refinement."
Understanding dawned on them all.
Keqing's eyes lit with eagerness as she turned to Ningguang.
"Want me to handle it, or will you?"
Ningguang shook her head with a smile.
"I'll pass. My only technique is the Five-Thunder Talisman—if it destroyed the herbs, that would be a waste."
Keqing shrugged, double-checked the surroundings, then drew her sword.
Stepping into the Seven Stars stance, she gathered power, then thrust.
Her sword struck true, but the Stone Spirit's body was tough, and the damage was slight. Worse, the blow awoke it fully.
The stone lumbered, threatening to stomp down on the precious grass.
Keqing acted swiftly—flying swords streaked forth alongside her Heaven-Gang Sword, piercing the creature from all sides.
The stone shuddered, held for a moment, then shattered into rubble.
Only the flower remained, drifting gently to the ground.
"Master?" Keqing asked curiously.
Jiang Yan's voice was calm.
"Bone-Nurturing Flower. A vital ingredient for Rebirth Pills. Quite valuable."
At the word "valuable," everyone perked up at once.
They hurried to collect the herbs with renewed energy.
But just as they finished, a rustle rose from the jungle behind them—heavy, like something massive moving through the underbrush.
Weapons slid into hands. Hearts tightened.
The sound drew closer.
…
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