Chapter 77

Chapter 77

In the end, Yi Xuan arranged for fifteen people to go out and hunt demons. He sternly instructed, "Your safety comes first. If you're not a match, withdraw immediately. Do you understand?"

His icy gaze scanned everyone with sharpness.

"Understood!" The fifteen people responded obediently, their faces filled with compliance.

Then, Yi Xuan opened a gap in the defensive formation and sent them out.

The moment the fifteen of them appeared outside the purified area, the demons surrounding it seemed like hungry wolves that had caught the scent of fresh meat. They let out howls and pounced towards them.

Those inside the purified area watched in horror, especially the Unity Sect and Qixing Sect disciples who had previously been chased by the demons. Although they were not completely terrified, the shadow cast by the high-level demons lingered, preventing them from facing the situation head-on like the battle-crazed Crimson Sky Sect disciples.

They needed to rest and regain their composure before engaging in combat.

Nie Shenxuan and Qi Jiake stood beside Yi Xuan, watching the battle unfold outside the purified area.

Of the fifteen Crimson Sky Sect disciples who went out to fight, there were thirteen male cultivators and two female cultivators.

Among the two female cultivators, one wielded a long whip, while the other was a sword cultivator. They recognized the one with the whip; she was the newest junior disciple that the Sect Master of Crimson Heaven Sect had taken in two years ago.

"Nie Fellow Daoist," Nie Shenxuan reminded, "Your little junior sister only has the cultivation of an Essence Vein Realm. Is it really safe to let her go out like this? There's still a high-level demonic fiend behind them. What if it seizes the opportunity to attack?"

Yi Xuan remained silent.

He was always an aloof and taciturn person, which likely stemmed from his practice of ice-based martial techniques. He seemed to be constructed entirely of frost and snow.

Qi Jiake chimed in, "Yes, Fellow Daoist Yi, even though they were fortunate enough to capture a high-level demonic fiend just now, but—"

Qi Jiake's "but" was left hanging.

This was because, just as they were expressing their rare concern for their teammate from the same camp, the Crimson Heaven Sect's young junior sister, Wen Qiao, whom they had been closely observing outside the purified land, bound a demonic fiend resembling a monstrous beast with her whip. Then, she punched the fiend directly.

With a splat, the fiend's head burst open like a pumpkin.

Everyone: "............"

Wen Qiao flipped her hand to retrieve the Demon Spirit Pearl within the fiend's body, discarded the headless fiend, and continued searching for her next target.

She didn't try to be overly heroic, only selecting demons she could handle - normal-sized ones with less terrifying auras compared to those towering giants. She swiftly dispatched them with one punch each and skillfully collected the Demon Spirit Beads, indicating that she had done this many times before. However, to onlookers, her actions were rather chilling.

The cultivators watching her smash demon heads like pumpkins fell silent.

"Junior Sister, be careful!" a senior brother warned.

Wen Qiao's hairs on her arms stood up, sensing danger. Her body reacted faster than her mind as she spun and darted away. At the same time, a cluster of stony golden vines sprouted rapidly from the ground at her feet, forming a defensive barrier behind her to block any sneak attacks.

A giant palm, as large as a fan, tore through the vines. A ten-zhang-tall demon pursued Wen Qiao.

In comparison, she appeared like a tiny figure. Taking advantage of her small size and agility, she continuously threw out vines to distract the demon without directly confronting it, thus avoiding injury.

However, running indefinitely was not a solution unless she retreated to the Sacred Ground.

All eyes within the Sacred Ground turned to Wen Qiao. The Scarlet Heaven Sect disciples were tense, fearing that their junior sister might be too slow to escape.

Only Ning Yuzhou remained unusually calm. His gentle gaze was fixed on the battle unfolding before him.

Wen TuTu, nestled on her shoulder, appeared as an innocuous white ball of fluff that one might mistake for a decorative fur accessory. Yet, those in the Seven Stars Sect who knew of Wen TuTu's existence couldn't help but wonder if the Scarlet Heaven Sect's junior sister was being a bit too casual. To bring a pet along in such a perilous situation seemed reckless.

As they thought this, their assumptions were swiftly proven wrong.

"Junior Sister, watch out!"

Not only did the fellow disciples in the battlefield cry out, but even those in the Pure Land joined in.

It turned out that as Wen Qiao killed scores of fiends and lured a ten-zhang-tall one to chase her, she led the fiend around the battlefield, disrupting the others and causing the less sentient fiends to become agitated and restless. Amidst the commotion, a high-ranking fiend that had been hiding among them was finally revealed.

High-ranking fiends took on human forms, making them easily recognizable.

This particular high-ranking fiend appeared feminine, seated on the back of a beast-like fiend. She wore a black robe, and her pitch-black hair, like the pervasive fiendish aura around her, danced in the wind without any luster, casting an eerie pallor over her striking face.

Upon realizing that she had been exposed, the female fiend's hair immediately flew up and lunged at Wen Qiao.

Wen Qiao leaped into action, whipping her Stone Gold Python Whip behind her back and stepping on a fiend to retreat hastily.

As her black hair attacked, it was met with the Stone Gold Python Whip, which also became entangled with it. The female fiend had abundant hair that quickly engulfed a portion of the whip, preventing its retrieval.

Wen Qiao gripped the Stone Gold Python Whip tightly, her feet rooted firmly to the ground as she engaged in a deadlock with the black hair coiling around the whip.

The current situation between the human and the demon was peculiar. The female demon sat firmly on the back of her beast-like demonic form, her hair serving as a weapon, a terrifying sight.

Wen Qiao, holding the long whip, stood firm against the black hair of the female demon in a deadlock.

Everyone noticed that Wen Qiao could hold onto the whip and match the demon's strength, demonstrating her immense arm strength.

Seeing this, the Scarlet Heaven Sect disciples around quickly came to support her, blocking off attacks from the other demons nearby.

As the deadlock persisted, Wen Tuzi, the fluffy ball hanging on Wen Qiao's shoulder, sprang into action.

With a powerful thrust from its hind legs, it dashed forward like the wind, lunging at the black hair entwined with the whip.

Its soft, pink paw pads extended sharp steel claws a few inches long. With a series of swift movements, Wen Tuzi showcased its fur-cutting skills, forcibly severing the female demon's hair.

The female demon's face twisted in anger, letting out a scream, "My hair!"

Wen Qiao pulled back the severed hair along with the whip, stomped on it, and then formed a fire spell, setting it ablaze.

Infuriated by such provocation, the female demon went berserk, howling, "I'll kill you!"

Everyone: "..."

Yi Xuan, Qi Jiake, and Nie Shenxuan, sensing the situation turning sour, hurriedly left to confront the female demonic entity while ordering the Red Cloud Sect disciples to return swiftly.

Wen Qiao effortlessly obliterated another demon.

"Little Junior Sister, hurry back," her fellow disciples urged, carrying their battle-hungry junior sister away before the frenzied female demon could harm her.

Both humans and demons, it seemed, had an inexplicable obsession with their hair, especially if they were female.

Upon returning to the sanctuary, Wen Qiao and Wen Tuzi found themselves under the gaze of everyone present.

"Well done, Little Junior Sister! And well done, Wen Tuzi," the Red Cloud Sect disciples praised as they patted their shoulders, their faces beaming with approval.

Wen Tuzi sat elegantly on its sister's shoulder, lifting its chin slightly. Its fluffy white fur made it appear particularly adorable, completely hiding the ferocity it had shown in severing the female demon's long hair earlier.

Wen Qiao consumed a Spirit Replenishing Pill and offered one to Wen Tuzi as well, instantly replenishing the essence energy depleted during the battle.

Beyond the Pure Land, three experts at the Yuanling Realm joined forces against the female demonic creature, who was no match for them. Just as they were about to slay her, she chose to self-detonate in her final moments.

The deafening explosion not only left Yi Xuan, Qi Jiake, and Nie Shenxuan covered in dust but also wiped out most of the demons that the female demon had gathered. The remaining half fled in terror, instantly clearing the area around the Pure Land.

The trio returned to the Pure Land, battered and bruised. Although they had promptly consumed healing spirit pills, their auras remained weak, rendering them unable to engage in combat anytime soon.

"Didn't expect her to go that route," Qi Jiake said, still shaken. "That demonic creature's self-detonation was comparable to a Yuanling Realm cultivator's."

"Yes, it seems these high-ranking demons possess strength equivalent to the Yuanling Realm," Nie Shenxuan added.

Yi Xuan nodded and turned to Nie Shenxuan. "There are still seven days until the trial ends. I believe you're not willing to leave just yet. Why don't we cooperate?"

Nie Shenxuan agreed without hesitation.

This was precisely what he had in mind. As a disciple of one of the three sects, he couldn't abandon the trial even if the mystic realm was perilous. His personal honor and his sect's reputation were at stake. Hence, when he discovered the presence of high-ranking demons, he never entertained the thought of quitting. Instead, he sought collaboration to endure until the end.

In his estimation, the ideal partners were the battle-crazed disciples of Scarlet Heaven Sect.

It was common knowledge that Scarlet Heaven Sect was weak in alchemy, talismans, and formations, but their martial prowess was unparalleled among the three sects. As long as he could offer something satisfactory, cooperation with them would be effortless, and he needn't worry about any underhanded tactics. Scarlet Heaven Sect had a reputation to uphold, after all.

Upon receiving Yi Xuan's response, he disclosed his intention. "We've already set up a defensive array and a small-scale Nine Revolutions Absolute Killing Array within the Pure Land. Both are of the Profound Rank. If a few high-level demonic beings were to arrive, they might not hold. We would need Fellow Daoist Nie to establish an even more powerful defensive array."

Nie Shenxuan was an Earth Rank Array Master, so setting up an Earth Rank array shouldn't be a problem for him.

Upon hearing Yi Xuan's words, Qi Jiake had a sudden realization.

He had been wondering why Yi Xuan had so readily opened the defensive array earlier to allow the Unification Sect's disciples in. It turned out that Yi Xuan had been waiting for this moment. An iceberg man wasn't terrifying; what was truly frightening was when such a man meticulously schemed against you.

Next, he saw Yi Xuan turn his head towards him.

Qi Jiake was startled. Was this iceberg man planning to scheme against him?

Sure enough, Yi Xuan spoke, "Fellow Daoist Qi, what can your Qixing Sect offer?"

"What do you mean?"

"The Unification Sect is assisting with an Earth Rank array. What about your Qixing Sect? Since we're collaborating, there should be some form of contribution, right?"

Qi Jiake knew this was coming. He had already paid a considerable price during the detoxification process, and now Yi Xuan wanted to exploit them again. He had never known Yi Xuan to be so skilled at manipulating others.

Despite his frustration, Qi Jiake, not wanting to be left out, reluctantly drew upon his reserves and produced a defensive spirit artifact of the Earth Rank.

The defense artifact was in the form of a bell. Yi Xuan took a look and said, "Perfect. It can be used by others when we hunt down the demonic creatures later."

Following that, Nie Shenxuan led a few unharmed Unity Sect disciples to set up an Earth Rank defensive array around them.

The Crimson Heaven Sect disciples retrieved the demon spirit pearls from the demons that had been blown up. All of them were Mid Rank demon spirit pearls, numbering over a hundred.

Yi Xuan divided these demon spirit pearls into three equal portions, giving one share each to himself, Nie Shenxuan, and Qi Jiake. It was a fair distribution.

Receiving dozens of Intermediate Magic Sealing Beads, Qi Jiake thought that the Scarlet Heaven Sect indeed abided by their principles. No wonder Nie Shenxuan from the Unity Sect had promptly agreed to collaborate with them.

Due to Nie Shenxuan's decisiveness, Yi Xuan also allowed Ning Yuzhou to detoxify the poisoned disciples of the Unity Sect, sparing them the need to leave the Demon Sealing Mystic Realm prematurely.

A fresh round of wails and howls echoed from the Instant Purification Area.

Upon hearing the commotion, Nie Shenxuan hurried back to witness a handsome man in a blue-and-white robe, signifying his status as a core disciple of the Scarlet Heaven Sect, applying a green ointment to a fellow disciple's blackened, bleeding wound.

"What is this?"

"A detoxifying spirit herb," Yi Xuan replied tersely. "Remember to pay. The price will be the same as what the Qixing Sect would charge."

Nie Shenxuan: "…How much?"

Yi Xuan stated a figure.

Nie Shenxuan: "We're fellow disciples from the same sect, why be so formal about it?"

"Even blood-related siblings settle accounts clearly. Besides, this herb was refined by my Junior Brother Ning himself. It contains high-grade spirit herbs and is highly effective against demonic poison. We can't let his efforts go to waste," Yi Xuan said in a rare lengthy speech, advocating for his junior brother's benefit.

Nie Shenxuan could only pay the equivalent value of spirit grass begrudgingly and resume his work.

After setting up the Earth Rank defensive array, Nie Shenxuan returned, his face filled with surprise. "Fellow Daoist Yi, I just realized that the two Mystic Rank arrays you set up earlier can actually overlap into a linked formation. Who set them up? They're a genius! To merge two unrelated arrays into a linked one, making them interconnected and enhancing the power of the formation – it's incredible!"

As an array master, the disciples of the Unity Sect had an obsession with formations. Upon seeing those two Mystic Rank arrays, they were all captivated and determined to find the genius who had set them up.

The members of Crimson Heaven Sect looked at Ning Yuzhou with peculiar expressions.

At that moment, Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao were sitting together, sharing a spiritual fruit, seemingly detached from the surrounding atmosphere.

"Ahem, it was set up by Junior Brother Ning," Yi Xuan said.

Nie Shenxuan was startled and looked closely at Ning Yuzhou.

It was a very young man with extraordinary handsomeness. Even in the cultivation world where ugliness was rare, his looks were top-notch. His smiling eyes and noble demeanor made him appear amiable, giving the impression that he would be easy to get along with.

Of course, Nie Shenxuan recognized him as one of the newly accepted disciples of Crimson Heaven Sect's Sect Master.

Could it be that because he was a genius in formations, the Sect Master had made an exception to take him in?

Nie Shenxuan hurried over and asked, "Fellow Daoist Ning, can you tell me about those interconnected arrays?"

Ning Yuzhou smiled, exuding a kind-hearted vibe, and his voice was gentle as he replied, "Of course..."

After a while, Sheng Yunshen approached Wen Qiao and whispered, observing the two engaged in an animated conversation, "Junior Sister, doesn't this scene seem familiar to you?"

Wen Qiao fed Wen Tuttu a spirit fruit and asked, "In what way?"

"When we first met Uncle Fei on Lingyao Peak, wasn't that how Junior Brother Ning got to know him?" Sheng Yunshen murmured, "Now, Uncle Fei still calls Junior Brother Ning 'Honorable Brother,' and no matter how many times our Master protests, he doesn't change it."

At this moment, Nie Shenxuan spoke with evident delight, "Ning Xian brother, hearing your words today is more enlightening than a decade of personal contemplation."

Sheng Yunshen responded, "Well, see? It's a familiar scene, isn't it? Junior Brother Ning has gained another wise elder brother."

The people around them: "......."

Wen Qiao: "......."