What's wrong with a snake that just wants to cultivate and transform?

The Blood-Soul Locking Formation, with its power to completely sever the flow of spiritual energy between its interior and the outside world, relied on a minuscule, transparent slit in the red cage, just enough for a water blade to pass through. This was how he manipulated the blade with his spiritual energy to attack. However, his opponent, with sharp perception, saw through this ploy and struck him directly through the gap in the cage.

Ji Yuebai, with a casual swing of her sword, dispatched yet another ignorant demon that dared approach her, not bothering to answer his question.

The Soul Devourer Daoist, in agony, clutched his wounded shoulder and furiously stuffed a handful of healing pills into his mouth. He glared at Ji Yuebai as if he wanted to tear her apart. He had never imagined that this young girl in the early stages of the Golden Core would be so difficult, with not only an unfathomable reserve of spiritual energy but also a frighteningly sharp instinct for attack, as though she was born for the sole purpose of battle.

He realized he could no longer afford to waste time with this infuriating girl. He noted how Ji Yuebai, within the confines of the cage, had mastered the control of her spiritual energy to an exquisite degree, not wasting even the slightest bit with each movement. Such terrifying control was not something a mere Golden Core cultivator could possess… This girl, he feared, might have the potential to ascend to the Immortalization stage.

The idea of defeating a talented individual with the potential for ascension and enslaving her soul made him smile wickedly. He made intricate and ominous hand signs, and as he finished his chant, the Blood-Soul Locking Formation was engulfed by howling winds and a dense poison fog. From the barren ground, a huge, strange shadow emerged, and with a chilling presence, a blood blade carrying a noxious breeze was hurled towards Ji Yuebai through the air.

Ji Yuebai dodged the blood blades and saw a terrifying evil spirit with pale face and deep blood tears on its cheeks reaching out its claw-like hands towards her. She moved like lightning, her sword casting a rainbow that struck with force towards its dry claws.

Her long sword, wrapped in spiritual energy, unleashed a surging wave of sword energy that exploded upon the evil spirit’s arm.

The area within the formation was instantly filled with dust kicked up by the fierce explosion of spiritual energy, smoke and dust billowing, obscuring the view.

The Soul Devouring Daoist felt a twinge of fear in his heart. He had spent years and the souls of a hundred thousand wronged souls refining this supreme evil spirit. In terms of sheer strength and offensive capabilities, it could match an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. However, it was difficult to control and often attacked indiscriminately. Although it could resurrect within the formation, each death drained a significant amount of his spiritual energy. He had been reluctant to summon it, but after that sword strike, he knew his evil spirit was still alive, though the situation within the formation remained unclear.

His minor spirits, which acted as his eyes, were instantly annihilated by the sword energy. They were now slowly crawling out of the ground, undergoing rebirth.

As the chilly wind swept through, the dust within the formation gradually settled, revealing the tense battle scene.

When Ji Yuebai’s sword struck the evil spirit’s seemingly fragile arm, it vibrated violently, the immense recoil uncontrollably traveling up to her arm and hand. She kept injecting spiritual energy into her sword to intensify her attack, but suddenly, the sword felt light in her hand.

Her long sword could no longer withstand the immense forces at play and, with a hoarse cry of agony, shattered inch by inch, falling to the ground. The explosive force at the center of the battle blew both the evil spirit and Ji Yuebai several steps back, facing each other from a distance.

Ji Yuebai looked down at the bare hilt in her hand, her brow slightly furrowed.

The Soul Devourer Daoist, upon witnessing this, let out a triumphant laugh, “Without your sword, what kind of sword cultivator are you? Even with a sword, you couldn’t break through my supreme evil spirit’s defense. Just surrender peacefully. If you kneel and beg for mercy now, I might consider granting you a quick end.”

Of course, he was lying. He planned to use her submission to refine her soul into a ghost for his enslavement, and then throw her into the Soul Refining Tower for eighty-one days of torment, to see if she could maintain her noble and untainted appearance.

Sword cultivators typically rely on swords they are accustomed to, enabling them to maximize their combat effectiveness. If a sword breaks in battle and is replaced with an unfamiliar one, their combat strength significantly diminishes. Even spare swords made by the same craftsman, identical in appearance and material, have subtle differences. The delicate interplay between the sword and spiritual energy in combat is so intricate that even a slight deviation can lead to a sword cultivator’s demise.

Thus, the Soul Devourer Daoist confidently believed that, without her usual sword, the girl’s strength would be reduced by at least twenty percent.

But in the blink of an eye, Ji Yuebai drew forth another sword, etched with intricate patterns and enveloped in a halo of ice-blue light, its sharp edge gleaming silver as it was unsheathed.

The centuries-old Xian Yuan Sword, sensing the intent to kill and the scent of blood, vibrated excitedly, humming with anticipation. Its pale blue sword spirit appeared on the hilt, eager to face off against the blood-red eyes of the spirit.

The Soul Devourer Daoist, who had defected to the demonic path for many years, immediately recognized that the sword Ji Yuebai wielded was no ordinary weapon. Secretly seething with jealousy, he couldn’t believe this young girl not only had incredible talent but also possessed a divine sword that had its own spirit.

In a flash, the massive evil spirit attacked Ji Yuebai again, now familiar with her combat style. It set a deadly trap with its blade-like claws and blocked her path with its formidable body.

But this time, it couldn’t stop her as before. Its body was pierced through by the Xian Yuan Sword, and before it could retaliate, the sword light, swift as lightning, severed its limbs and head. Its body, blasted apart by the massive explosion of spiritual energy and sword energy, dissipated into black smoke within the formation.

“Xian Yuan Sword!” Soul Devourer Daoist outside the formation suddenly recalled an image he had seen in the Tian Yuan Sect’s library decades ago.

Overwhelmed with rage, he spat out a mouthful of blood, exclaiming, “You… with your talent and this powerful divine artifact, you could easily defeat Nascent Soul cultivators above your level. Why reveal it only now? Are you intentionally trying to mock and humiliate me?”

The death of the supreme evil spirit drained him significantly, making summoning another any time soon impossible. His anger and fear caused the originally stable Blood-Soul Locking Formation to waver, its once deep red prison now fading to a light pink.

Ji Yuebai glanced at him and then at her sword, expressing in wonder, “I had no idea this sword was so powerful.”

His blood boiled with humiliation – it was a blatant mockery!

The Soul Devouring Daoist was infuriated to the point of nearly passing out. With his current state, he knew the Blood-Soul Locking Formation wouldn’t last much longer. Resigned to the inevitable but planning an escape, he stealthily began drawing the great escape talisman behind his back.

Bolstered by the Xian Yuan Sword, Ji Yuebai effortlessly sliced through the weakening Blood-Soul Locking Formation as if it were mere window paper and stepped out. Without hesitation, her sword descended upon the Soul Devouring Daoist, who sat collapsed on the ground.

The Soul Devouring Daoist, aware that the formation couldn’t hold much longer, hadn’t expected it to fail so instantaneously. The blood talisman for the great escape talisman was barely started when cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and in a panic, he begged for mercy, “Sword Master, my lady, wait! You shouldn’t waste your time on me. If you don’t go back soon, the serpent demon you’ve raised will be completely absorbed and used as nourishment.”

“What did you say?”

The air around them seemed to freeze instantly, a tangible and intense murderous intent enveloping him, rendering the Soul Devouring Daoist completely rigid.

Trembling, he revealed, “Actually, I was just a diversion sent to distract you. The real target is your green serpent demon. By devouring it, the beast can achieve its perfect transformation.”

The sword, gleaming with a cold silver light, hovered less than an inch from his neck. The Soul Devourer Daoist felt as if his heart had stopped, knowing that the brief moment of hesitation would cost him dearly.

Finally, he completed the last stroke of the great escape talisman. His aged face trembled with excitement, his fear transforming into wild arrogance, “A sword cultivator like you, consorting with filthy demons, what good end can you expect? Even if the serpent survives, the Tian Yuan Sect will never tolerate it. Just watch as it dies, heh heh heh.”

His body began to turn transparent, his form fading into the spatial rift created by the great escape talisman. But in that moment, a flash of sword light sliced through his disbelieving face. His body was cleaved in two, the upper half falling from the formation, blood and entrails spilling onto the ground.

With his last flicker of consciousness, he cursed spitefully:

“You’ll have no better end than me. I’ll be waiting for you in hell.”

…

“If you don’t come out, I’ll kill one person for every time it takes to drink a cup of tea,” Qingyi, his nails tinted with rouge, shook them disapprovingly. His black snake tongue flicked in and out with his words, presenting a rather terrifying sight.

Surrounding him were the terrified townspeople of Qingshui County, all of whom he had captured. Their faces were ashen with fear, and they dared not even breathe too loudly under his oppressive might. Paralyzed by his powerful presence, they couldn’t muster the will to attempt escape.

He swept a mocking gaze over the crowd, speaking ominously, “Come on, beg your Snake Deity to come out. If she does, I’ll spare your lives.”

The captured townspeople of Qingshui County, seeing a glimmer of hope, began to plead tearfully towards the black box.

“Please, Snake Goddess, have mercy on us.”

“Snake Goddess, I offered quite a sum as tribute last month. Please save me, and I will devote all my possessions to you.”

“We have worshipped you for so long, you can’t abandon us now, Snake Goddess.”

…

Xu Nian had been in the black box for nearly an hour, which translated to about fifteen minutes in the outside world.

She was pondering why the undead demon had gone silent, thinking perhaps it had given up struggling, when she peered through the black box to witness such a pitiful scene.

It was despicable, shameless, and utterly deceitful!

Even though she had barely regained eighty percent of her spiritual power in such a short time, and even at her peak strength as a seventh-rank demon beast, she stood no chance against this ninth-rank or higher transformed demon beast. It would be like throwing herself to the wolves.

Xu Nian hadn’t expected her opponent to resort to such a sinister tactic. In her agitation, she felt like an ant on a hot pan. But she reminded herself not to panic; time flowed ten times slower inside the black box, giving her time to devise a plan.

However, in what seemed like just half the time it took to drink a cup of tea in the outside world, she heard Qingyi say in a sinister voice:

“Oh dear, I’m getting impatient. Maybe I should start with making an example, as you humans say.”

With that, he lashed out with his tail at the nearest man. In an instant, the man’s chest was pierced through, leaving a bloody hole as his heart was ripped out, causing him to fall dead with eyes wide in disbelief. The blood that gushed out splattered on the faces of those nearest, still warm.

Witnessing this horrific scene, the crowd inevitably erupted into panic, screaming and crying in a display of human despair.

Qingyi looked on indifferently, “Shut up. If you keep making noise, I’ll kill you all.”

In their extreme terror, the people dared not make another sound. A woman, though petrified, clamped her hand tightly over her child’s mouth, fearful of drawing the demon’s attention.

Qingyi irritably wiped his tail on the clean clothes of a nearby person. Of course, he wasn’t going to kill them all – how else would he threaten Xu Nian? Capturing new humans from hidden corners would be too troublesome. Annoying as it was, he decided to make do with what he had.

His tail tapped against the black box, “I know you can see this. These humans are devoutly calling you ‘Snake Goddess’. Can you really bear to watch them all die in front of you?”

Xu Nian hadn’t expected him to act so quickly. He had mentioned a duration of a cup of tea, but his actions betrayed no such patience. Thinking within the black box, she struggled to find a way out of this predicament. The box’s time flowed ten times slower, but that wouldn’t be enough. By the time she could fully recover her powers, the townspeople would likely be dead. If all else failed, she thought to buy time and wait for Ji Yuebai’s return, who might have a solution.

Seemingly guessing her thoughts, Qingyi sneered chillingly, “You’re not thinking of buying time for that Golden Core sword cultivator to come to your rescue, are you?”

A jolt of alarm shot through Xu Nian. She couldn’t help but speak: “What have you done to her?”

Qingyi, relishing her reaction, boasted proudly, “I’m afraid you won’t be seeing her again. She’s trapped in the Blood-Soul Locking Formation set by a peak Golden Core cultivator. A mere early-stage Golden Core cultivator like her has no chance of escaping. She must be dead by now.”

Xu Nian paused for a moment, then countered, “She is not dead.”

Qingyi frowned, “You’re just deceiving yourself.”

Xu Nian wished she could cry out in relief. If Ji Yuebai had died, the soul-binding oath Xu Nian had placed on herself would have become void. However, upon inspecting her inner view, she noticed that the restriction wrapped around her heart was still in place.

This meant Ji Yuebai was still alive, and there was still hope.

Xu Nian’s words caused a flicker of restlessness in Qingyi. Seeing that the Soul Devouring Daoist hadn’t arrived to reap the lingering souls in the city, he began to worry that the early-stage Golden Core cultivator might have killed him. He cursed the useless old man inwardly.

Pressing Xu Nian further, he said, “I can’t wait any longer. I’ll count to ten, and if you don’t come out, I’ll kill the next person.”

By now, Qingyi was losing hope and simply wanted to vent his frustration by killing. As a fellow demon beast, he understood Xu Nian well. She was just a serpent using the guise of a deity to siphon faith from humans. He knew it was improbable for her to risk her life for these lowly humans.

“One,”

“Two,”

“Three,”

…

The unique, icy, and sinister voice of the demon beast echoed throughout the space.

Xu Nian found herself in a profound internal struggle. Should she sacrifice herself for these townspeople who had no real connection to her? They had a relationship based purely on mutual benefit: she provided them with help, and in return, they offered her the power of their faith to aid her cultivation. She owed them nothing.

“Six,”

No, it wasn’t about owing them anything. These people had been living peaceful lives before she disrupted them.

“Seven,”

Whether it was the demonic cultivator from earlier or this ferocious demon beast, her own sibling, it seemed she had drawn them here. She had plunged these townspeople into dire straits, and even Ji Yuebai… she had implicated her, forcing her to face off against a high-level demonic cultivator.

…

“Ten.”

Qingyi sneered at the pale, despairing townspeople. “Your Snake Goddess has abandoned you. Since she won’t come out, you all might as well die.” Losing his patience, he was about to strike the crowd.

At that moment, a flash of green light and the shadow of a snake appeared from within the black box. Dozens of ice and slicing talismans were thrown out, targeting Qingyi’s vital points.

Qingyi had anticipated such a move and had prepared accordingly. As Xu Nian attacked, he leapt into the air, dodging the talismans. To him, Xu Nian’s movements seemed as slow as a child’s.

However, the power of the talismans was surprisingly strong. The ground where he had stood was now cut open with deep fissures by the slicing talismans, and the ice talismans had frozen the ground solid. Qingyi looked at Xu Nian, surprised and wary. He hadn’t expected her to possess such powerful artifacts and planned to thoroughly loot her storage bag once he killed her.

Seeing Xu Nian with another stack of unknown talismans in her mouth, Qingyi hesitated, wary of their power. If the green snake decided to take them both down together or self-destruct, denying him the demon core and flesh, it would be a loss for him.

Xu Nian was also tense. The talismans left to her by Qi Shaochen were few, and she had thrown all her remaining attack talismans at Qingyi. The stack in her mouth now was nothing more than wind and falling leaf talismans – essentially useless. She was merely bluffing to maintain her composure.

The two siblings, one in the air and one on the ground, faced off for a long time.

Suddenly, Qingyi smiled warmly at her. “Dear sister, I was just joking with you. We’re siblings, after all. Why would I want to kill you?”

“Yeah right, siblings,” thought Xu Nian. “This is just too fake. He should have started with this act in the first place.”

Xu Nian, with talismans in her mouth, remained silent. She instinctively felt that this despicable half-human, half-demon was trying to trick her into speaking and dropping her guard, leaving her open to an attack.

Seeing his ruse exposed, Qingyi darkly threatened, “You think this will stop me?”

A sense of foreboding suddenly surged in Xu Nian’s heart.

From above, Qingyi’s voice turned seductive, “Do you really think your Snake Goddess is sacrificing herself to save you? No, in fact, the demon beasts attacking you, including me, were all drawn here by her. If it weren’t for her, your homes wouldn’t have been destroyed, and you wouldn’t have had to watch your loved ones die before your eyes.”

As a tenth-rank demon snake, he had mastered the art of beguiling and manipulating human emotions, amplifying even the slightest doubt and hatred in their hearts to unbearable limits.

The townspeople, quickly falling under his manipulative spell, shifted their once grateful gaze towards Xu Nian into one of hostility.

Qingyi, releasing his oppressive aura, said rapidly, “She’s not any Snake Deity; she’s just a filthy, incompetent snake demon who tricked you into trusting her.”

“You all worshipped her like a deity, yet she just hid away, watching you die for her!”

The anger and hatred of the people were fully amplified and stirred by his words. They clenched their fists in rage but held back due to fear of her formidable serpent form.

Qingyi added fuel to the fire, “If you help me kill her, I’ll spare your lives.”

He hadn’t noticed Xu Nian’s soul-binding oath. He was gambling that Xu Nian, who had risked her life to save these people, wouldn’t dare to use her talismans to self-destruct and harm them.

Under his beguiling influence, many overcame their fear and armed themselves with pitchforks and shovels, tentatively advancing to attack Xu Nian.

But Xu Nian couldn’t flee. Qingyi hovered above, waiting for her to expose a weakness before striking her down. Moreover, she was merely bluffing. If she focused on these humans or accidentally harmed them, revealing her heart demon oath, she would indeed be doomed.

Left with no choice, she spread her stored spiritual energy as a shield to protect herself from harm.

The first man to approach swung his pitchfork at her with all his might, only to hear a crisp snap as the fork broke on impact. Others, disbelieving, tried axes and hoes but couldn’t even penetrate her scales.

Qingyi covered his mouth in mock surprise, “Oh, I forgot how tough you are.” He then pulled out an assortment of weapons from his storage bag, plundered from cultivators he had hunted.

“Use these,” he said as he dropped the pile of weapons, which included swords, spears, and more. Each was a cultivator-grade weapon, infused with spiritual energy, capable of breaching Xu Nian’s scale defenses… The people obediently picked up the weapons and once again menacingly advanced towards Xu Nian.

Xu Nian felt increasingly desolate and helpless. She thought this might really be the end for her. “Goodbye, roasted suckling pig, goodbye, roasted lamb leg, goodbye to the beautiful clothes I never got to wear. I’ll miss you all in heaven.”