Chapter 45: A Clash of Spells

After all, the reason great sects could remain evergreen and stand tall through the ages was their reliance on generation after generation of young talents.

While killing a few green, newly recruited disciples wouldn’t deal a crippling blow to Yonglu Mountain, these three were all inner disciples. The evil cultivator had sharp eyes and was already plotting how to slaughter them to make a name for herself across the continent.

She wasn’t afraid of offending Yonglu Mountain. Even if an evil cultivator did nothing at all, they were still deemed worthy of death in the eyes of the orthodox path. Since that was the case, she might as well commit the most heinous atrocities under heaven!

Why not bind their souls to make puppets, then dismember their bodies to make shadow puppets to hang at the gates of Tinghe Villa? She would never return to this Langyuan City anyway.

With this half-demon daughter in her hands, how could her cultivation fail to skyrocket?

Xia Ying’s eyes darkened. She pulled out the protective artifact her cousin-uncle had given her to shield A’qing, drew her Zhaozhuo Sword, and unleashed her ultimate move right then and there.

That right, Xia Ying was a sword cultivator, and one who specialized in fire attacks.

In other words, her cultivation method naturally countered evil cultivators, falling only a step behind the legendary lightning spiritual root.

But even if it was a step behind, a natural counter was still a natural counter!

Seeing Xia Ying fiercely unleash her ultimate move, Bian Chunzhou, whose martial skills were mediocre but who possessed an abundance of talismans, immediately shouted, “Senior Sister, I’ll support you!”

In other words, he would seize any opening he could, barely acting as an opportunistic talisman-cultivator assassin!

Although the two had never coordinated before, with Xia Ying leading the attack, they managed to find a decent rhythm.

“Aren’t you going to help, A’xu? An evil cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment is indeed too much for you three little kittens.” To those in the Qi Refining Stage, a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator was an enemy as formidable as a mountain. But in the eyes of Venerable Chengwei, even though he had only a wisp of divine sense left, he could still instantly kill her with a single blow. “Well? Do you need your master to step in?”

Peak Foundation Establishment. She was even stronger than that evil cultivator who ran Biyu Tower. No wonder he had felt such intense malice when they were still outside the villa.

“Aren’t demons born cultivators? Why would they become evil cultivators too?”

Venerable Chengwei gave a soft snort. “You’ve asked the right dragon. Although we of the demon race are born cultivators, our talent is just like that of human cultivators, divided into various grades. Those with the bloodline of divine beasts are the strongest, followed by royal bloodlines like the phoenix, dragon, and qilin^[1]. They are born to cultivate faster than others. Even if they possess only a trace of that bloodline, they are still stronger than ordinary demons.”

“Below that, it all comes down to comprehension and talent, no different from human cultivators.”

Wen Xu understood immediately. In essence, humans and demons were no different. Once ruled by desire, they would stray from the path. These so-called demon evil cultivators probably took shortcuts because their cultivation progress was too slow.

Wen Xu’s eyes darkened. Fortunately, his talent was decent. Otherwise…

“Master, I want to try.”

Since embarking on the path of cultivation, Wen Xu had not truly fought an enemy, except for the clash with Li Zishen’s team during the entrance Mountain Exam. The incident at Biyu Tower didn’t count; at most, he had only smashed a jade slip back then.

“Wow, then give it a try.”

Though his first words were spoken in a playful tone, his next sentence turned solemn and stern. “But A’xu, you must remember. When a cultivator fights, no matter who the enemy is, they must stake their life!”

This was not the peaceful Yonglu Mountain. His disciple could be defeated, but he must never be a coward! If he lacked even this resolve, why bother cultivating? Wouldn’t it be better to return to the Mortal Realm and play at being some petty emperor?

“Therefore, unless you are on the verge of death, I will not make a move.”

Cultivators were bound to get hurt. Even if he was Chengwei’s disciple, he couldn’t stay in the greenhouse of Yonglu Mountain forever. Since that was the case, it was better to let these three youngsters taste some hardship early on.

Daring to face a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator while only in the Qi Refining Stage-their courage was commendable.

“Even so, do you still want to try?”

So if they were on the verge of death, his master would step in. That was fine then. In truth, Wen Xu was an absolute gambler who had been wagering his life since childhood. With his master backing him up this time, since he wouldn’t die, he would bet everything!

“Yes. Thank you for granting my wish, Master.”

Venerable Chengwei smiled. “In that case, Wen Xu, open your eyes and take a good look at how cultivators truly fight!”

Perceiving with spiritual energy was nowhere near as direct and objective as seeing with one’s own eyes. His disciple could pretend to be blind, but he couldn’t actually be blind!

The master and disciple conversed in their minds, but in the span of a few breaths, Xia Ying and Bian Chunzhou’s joint efforts quickly grew strained. It wasn’t that they lacked coordination, but rather that a Qi Refining cultivator fighting a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator across realms meant defeat was only a matter of time, even if the Heavenly Emperor himself showed up.

“Junior Brother, how are you holding up?”

Bian Chunzhou was in even worse shape than Xia Ying. He had just taken a hit from the evil cultivator’s palm wind, and his chest was throbbing with intense pain. Damn, this vicious evil cultivator hits hard. It’s killer, even more painful than the one at Biyu Tower.

But as a real man, how could he cry pain in front of his senior sister? “It doesn’t hurt. I’m fine.”

Xia Ying’s eyes widened in horror. “Junior Brother, watch out!”

It was too late. What should she do? Junior Brother Bian had only come to Tinghe Villa for her sake. If-

At the same time, Bian Chunzhou also sensed the evil cultivator’s incoming attack. The low-grade talismans on him were no different from tickles against this opponent. Did he have no choice but to unleash the life-saving talisman his master had given him?

Speaking of which, this life-saving talisman had been specially drawn for him by his master after their close call at Biyu Tower.

He hadn’t wanted to use it so soon-

“Hey, Wen Xuxu, you…”

“Cut the crap!”

Wen Xu took a lethal blow head-on. Although the evil cultivator hadn’t used her full strength and he had deflected a portion of the impact using the array formation on his Spiritual Fan, the sensation of being struck by that eerie, sinister power still sent his internal organs into a violent churn.

So strong!

“My, what a handsome young gentleman. I really can’t bear to ruin such a fine specimen.”

Bian Chunzhou was even more furious than Wen Xu. “You old hag! I’ll fight you to the death!” A man could be killed but not humiliated. He would protect Wen Xuxu’s chastity!

Bian Chunzhou followed the traditional path of a talisman cultivator, which involved training in physical arts to complement his talismans. This gave him a balance of offense and defense, allowing for flexible combat. Combined with his special attack method, Fire in Water, he could even hold his own against Chen Zui if he caught him off guard.

But the evil cultivator was not Chen Zui. Most of the spells she knew were sinister and vicious, and she excelled at dissolving the spiritual energy of orthodox cultivators and killing with heretical arts.

Combined with the massive gap in their cultivation bases, Fire in Water was strong, but not strong enough to severely wound an evil cultivator.

Wen Xu calmed his mind. They could not fight head-on. Their master would not intervene, and the three of them combined were not even a snack to her, so they had to find a weakness.

So, where was this evil cultivator’s weakness?

Wen Xu kept setting up formations without pause. His storage ring was piled with basic Spiritual Fans, all inscribed with formations. Some were powerful, others more ordinary, all experimental pieces he had worked on recently. Right now, he had no time to look closely. He threw them out one after another as if they cost nothing, using them just like talismans, all to force out a single opening!

Madame Shen had not expected these three brats to be so troublesome. If this dragged on any longer, she would likely alert the cultivators in the city.

No, she had to end this quickly. She needed to absorb the half-demon on the ground as soon as possible!

Seeing the evil cultivator’s gaze, Xia Ying understood instantly. She immediately controlled the Zhaozhuo Sword to stab forward, sending a blaze like the scorching sun straight toward the evil cultivator’s back, while she quickly pinched a sword hand-seal to try and slow her down.

At the same time, talismans flew from Bian Chunzhou’s hands. He had once experimented with using fire to vaporize water, finding that the power of the steam could multiply his offensive strength. However, doing so would instantly disrupt the balance of water and fire within his body. But he could not care about that now. He could only hope Chen Zuizui would hurry back with reinforcements!

Damn, it hurt!

Bian Chunzhou swallowed the metallic taste of blood rising in his throat as the power of the talismans surged from his hands. Right at that moment, Wen Xu noticed something. It was the evil cultivator’s stomach; she had subconsciously flinched away for a split second!

Whether that was it or not, he would know once he tried!

A basic Spiritual Fan definitely would not cut it. Wen Xu immediately drew the Wind-Folding Fan. Senior Brother Zheng Jin from the Refining Peak had said that if he used this folding fan well, it would serve him all the way to the peak of the Golden Core stage. Theoretically, as long as the Wind-Folding Fan accumulated enough wind energy, it could unleash an attack far exceeding his current cultivation level!

In an instant, Wen Xu activated all the overlapping formations on it. The Wind-Folding Fan had its own innate attribute, allowing it to absorb all the wind energy within a one-li^[2] radius. The moment the formations activated, the Wind-Folding Fan was instantly charged to its limit with wind power!

Ever since Wen Xu had claimed ownership of the Wind-Folding Fan with a drop of blood, he could use it entirely at will. Just as Xia Ying was about to collapse from exhaustion, Wen Xu finally found his chance: “Chunzhou, get out of the way!”

Bian Chunzhou leaned back almost without hesitation. Immediately after, a powerful formation force wrapped in fierce winds surged straight toward the evil cultivator’s abdomen!

Bang!

Did it hit?

All three of them lay on the ground, but they raised their heads at the same time, trying to see the evil cultivator’s condition through the wild, violent winds.

But… they could not see clearly.

“A’xu, it was a good idea, but… your aim was a bit off.”

His master’s voice rang in his ears, and Wen Xu knew he had failed.

But the current situation left him no time to reflect on where he had gone wrong. Wen Xu endured the pain and retreated several meters, barely dodging the evil cultivator’s counterattack.

“Wen Xuxu, how are you? Are you alright?”

That strike had indeed hit the evil cultivator Madame Shen, but unfortunately, it had missed the mark. Although it caused her some injuries, compared to the three of them, it was nothing more than a scratch.

Furthermore, evil cultivators did not rely on their own cultivation; they relied on devouring the power of others. Now that she was injured, she naturally wanted to make up for it! Conveniently, though three Qi Refining Stage cultivators were a bit meager, they could barely replenish the cultivation she had just lost.

As the wild winds dispersed, the evil energy around Madame Shen flared up. “You are quite handsome, young master, but your temper is a bit too fierce. I do not like you anymore.”

Wen Xu spat out a mouthful of bloody spit. “I’m fine.”

The three of them managed to scramble to their feet and quickly swallowed Qi Replenishing Pills and Blood Recovery Pills, but… A’qing’s condition was becoming critical! Xia Ying was burning with anxiety. For the first time, she realized how slowly time could pass. Without the help of her elders, the talent and cultivation she took pride in were so incredibly fragile!

But today, here and now, she would not back down even half a step!

“We can’t keep fighting her in turns like this.”

“Just what is her cultivation level? How is she this fierce?” Bian Chunzhou swallowed half a bottle of pills in one gulp, but his chest still throbbed with pain.

“Peak Foundation Establishment.”

Wen Xu’s mind raced furiously. He wondered where exactly he had made a mistake. Was it the formation, the folding fan, or his…

“You have sharp eyes, young master. In that case, I shall send you to the Yellow Springs first.”

Among the three Yonglu Mountain disciples, the girl’s sword countered her the most, and the boy with the talismans was slightly unusual. However, the one Madame Shen was most wary of was actually this blindfolded boy.

Most evil cultivators were highly vigilant. After all, orthodox cultivators would kill them on sight, so their ability to hide far exceeded their combat strength. Although Madame Shen had not detected any other cultivators approaching, she could not afford to delay.

She had to end this quickly. She could not afford to linger any longer.

It was time to show some of her real skills. She reached out into the air, and a pellet drum appeared out of nowhere in her hand. The drum was half the height of a person, wrapped in an ominous aura. The moment it appeared, the wailing of ghosts and howling of wolves echoed in the three disciples’ ears.

Looking closely, the two pellets hanging from the drum were actually two human heads. Their features were lifelike, one weeping and one smiling, presenting a truly horrifying sight.

“Junior Brother, don’t look! That is the Evil Drum of Sadness and Joy!”

“What?”

Xia Ying tightened her grip on her sword. “It’s my first time seeing it too. I’ve heard this drum specifically targets a cultivator’s emotions. It can evoke their deepest regrets, saddest memories, and most hateful thoughts. Once hit, a cultivator won’t have the slightest strength to fight back!”

Thud! A dull drumbeat suddenly rang out. Even though they covered their ears with spiritual energy, they could still hear it crystal clear.

No one in this world lives a life of constant smooth sailing. Even Xia Ying had a painful past she wished to forget, let alone Wen Xu. Before his youth, he had spent almost every single day struggling just to survive.

“That powerful?”

Bian Chunzhou couldn’t help but gasp in admiration, only to find himself asking, “Senior Sister? Wen Xuxu? What’s wrong with you?”

He turned to look at both sides in panic, and then… he froze. No way. Was this evil cultivator really that terrifying?

While he was panicking, Madame Shen was also astonished. “How are you unaffected?”

She was absolutely certain that her Grief Drum had taken effect. How could this be? “But it doesn’t matter,” she said. “You’re just a kid at the seventh level of Qi Refining. If you dare to dodge, I’ll kill your two sectmates right now. How about that?”

Bian Chunzhou felt like cursing. If he weren’t outmatched, today he would definitely have given her a piece of his mind. “Bring it on, you old hag! You think I’m scared of you?”

With that, he pulled out the talismans his master had given him. If he was still too stingy to use them now, he would end up taking them to his grave. Last time, to save him and Chen Zuizui, Wen Xuxu had used the protective amulet from the divine dragon. This time… Huh? As he secretly slipped a talisman into the other’s hand, he felt his palm being scratched.

He wasn’t sure. He tried again.

He was sure now! Wen Xuxu was faking it! Bian Chunzhou understood instantly. Hold on right here, buddy. I’m going to lure that old hag over! So what if he had to draw her aggro? He had to make it work, no matter what!

He charged forward blindly.

Even though it was a life-or-death battle, Bian Chunzhou suddenly calmed down. He couldn’t even feel the pain in his body anymore. He had only one thought left: Let’s kick her ass!

Madame Shen hated disciples from orthodox sects the most. Not only were they talented, but they were also incredibly hard to kill. They were only in the Qi Refining Stage, yet they were already this troublesome. She truly detested geniuses.

Why did people like this exist in the world, born to shine? What made them so special?

It didn’t matter. She just had to kill them all.

“Die!”

Madame Shen assumed the boy wouldn’t dare run. Yet… after charging so fiercely just a moment ago, he suddenly ducked behind the others. He was so fast that she immediately realized something was wrong, but it was impossible. There was no way anything could go wrong with her Evil Drum of Sadness and Joy.

Madame Shen decided to kill the two people controlled by the Grief Drum first. With a wave of her hand, she unleashed a blast of evil energy. This was her specialty. The energy was laced with corpse poison; even a tiny drop was enough to kill a Qi Refining Stage cultivator.

Seeing her move, Bian Chunzhou’s heart leaped into his throat. Without a second thought, he rushed back. Sure enough, the evil cultivator was wary of him launching a sneak attack from behind and was forced to free up her other hand to deal with him.

At that exact moment, both of the evil cultivator’s hands were raised.

Now’s the time! Wen Xu thought.

He had thought it over. The reason his previous strike had missed, aside from his own ability, was the distance. He had been too far away. At that distance, the evil cultivator wasn’t a wooden target; he couldn’t predict her movements. But it didn’t matter. As long as he got close enough… Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

The turning point occurred in a split second. With almost nothing in his mind, Wen Xu relied on his muscle memory. Channeling his spiritual energy, he unleashed his maximum strength and thrust the Wind-Folding Fan in his hand straight toward the evil cultivator’s dantian!

Not her stomach, but her dantian!

Wen Xu’s movement was incredibly fast. Even he probably hadn’t expected himself to be this quick!

It pierced through… Wen Xu’s heart pounded wildly. However, the evil cultivator was also extremely fast. She quickly retreated, and the Wind-Folding Fan only penetrated a little over three inches. With this force… With a squelching sound, Wen Xu looked up while holding the blood-dripping Zhe Feng, only to see Xia Ying thrusting her sword straight into the evil cultivator’s heart.

“You…”

Holy crap, Bian Chunzhou thought. She seemed so powerful, but who would’ve thought she wouldn’t manage to control a single one of us? You’re pretty pathetic, evil cultivator!

“How is this possible?”

Xia Ying clutched her hand. Although she had stabbed the evil cultivator, she had also taken a palm strike in return. The bones in her sword-wielding hand were likely shattered, but even so, she showed no sign of pain. “Why wouldn’t it be possible? Since I know about the Evil Drum of Sadness and Joy, how could I possibly let myself be controlled by it?”

The truth was, her uncle had placed a seal in her sea of consciousness specifically to guard against such underhanded methods of evil cultivators. As for why her two junior brothers were also unaffected, she had no idea.

Blood dripped from her fingertips down to the tip of her sword. Xia Ying was almost completely drained of strength. She stood protectively in front of A’qing, the evil cultivator in front of her blurring into double vision.

“Senior Sister, are you alright?”

Wen Xu and Bian Chunzhou rushed to Xia Ying’s side just in time. In truth, however, all three of them were at the end of their ropes. Bian Chunzhou was perhaps slightly better off, as he had taken advantage of the old hag being stabbed to swallow the other half-bottle of Blood Recovery Pills.

But even so, he couldn’t unleash any ultimate moves anymore.

What should they do? Chen Zuizui, why are your legs so short! Help! Someone, please! Even a random Foundation Establishment cultivator would do! Bian Chunzhou could feel that the combined attack from Wen Xuxu and Senior Sister Xia Ying just now had shaved off at least forty percent of the evil cultivator’s health!

The good news was that she was heavily injured. The bad news was that she still had sixty percent left!

Her health pool was way too deep. Were they really going to just wait for death? They seemed to… “She’s trying to run!”

Madame Shen indeed intended to flee. These three Qi Refining cultivators were far too bizarre. But it didn’t matter. As long as she consumed the half-demon’s essence, not only would her old injuries heal, but the wounds she received today would also recover. When that time came…

“We can’t let her take A’qing!”

Xia Ying turned back to protect her friend, who was already on the verge of reverting into an infant. Wen Xu and Bian Chunzhou gritted their teeth, deciding to give it one more shot! Accepting defeat like this was simply not their style!

Fighting to this point, Wen Xu had completely forgotten about his master’s existence. Aside from the protective jade slip, he had used every single technique and move at his disposal. His body was covered in injuries of varying severity. Even when he had been chased off a cliff, he had never been in such a miserable state.

Of course, the same went for Bian Chunzhou. Usually optimistic, he couldn’t bring himself to smile at all now.

He was so tired. It really felt like they were done for.

Bian Chunzhou and Wen Xu were struck by the evil energy at the same time. Just as the icy chill was about to invade their bodies, a powerful, righteous force descended, forcefully dispersing all the stray evil energy in the villa.

“My disciple, you look rather pathetic like this.”

Wen Xu gasped for breath, unable to speak.

Bian Chunzhou, however, widened his eyes. He, he, he, he…

He struggled to look at his friend, only to see him mouth three words. Bian Chunzhou strained to read his lips, finally recognizing what they were: I am sorry.

Sorry for what? Bian Chunzhou’s mind was in a haze. Could it be that the Divine Dragon Daddy had been here the whole time? And Wen Xuxu had known all along?

Bian Chunzhou felt his mind turn to mush. Before his consciousness faded completely, he thought he heard Chen Zuizui’s voice. Whatever, who cared? With the Divine Dragon here, it wasn’t like he could actually die.

Time to sleep. Do not disturb.

Venerable Chengwei looked at his disciple and his disciple’s friend, who had fainted together, and casually sent two wisps of spiritual energy into them.

As for the evil cultivator Madame Shen, the moment she sensed the arrival of a powerful cultivator, she fled immediately. What half-demon daughter? How could she dare covet her now? In the face of survival, everything else was secondary.

“Where are you going in such a hurry? You laid hands on my disciple and think you can just walk away? Do you think so little of me, Chengwei?”

Chengwei? Divine Venerable? It was over!

Madame Shen originally possessed a Golden Core cultivation, but her cultivation had regressed due to an injury ten years ago, forcing her to hide ever since. When she received the summons from Tinghe Villa, she thought her luck had finally turned, but she never expected that it would lead to a dead end.

Had she known, she should have been content to remain a minor demon. Perhaps she would have been happier that way.

“Divine Venerable… spare my life.”

“Spare your life? I think not.” Even though it was only a wisp of his divine sense, Venerable Chengwei casually waved his hand and directly shredded Madame Shen. Of course, her soul remained intact, to be sent to the Punishment Hall for interrogation later.

He had not forgotten that there was still a half-demon on the ground who was about to enter the late stage of differentiation.

Although Madame Shen was a demon, she was a rabbit demon, while the one on the ground…