It seems the Demon Race really needs to conduct a census of its Awai population.
At the very least, they should persuade those poor monsters named Awai to change their names, just to avoid collateral damage.
[Veritas Technique: You Are Awai – Usable on targets below Venerable rank, cooldown time 60 days.]
Previously, both the True Word Art: Roll and the Killing Horse Technique had a seven-day cooldown, but this time it was 60 days.
After all, it was a Taoist Principle Forgery Skill, creating effects by falsifying the Heavenly Dao’s rules.
Greater restrictions were only to be expected.
However, the [Veritas Technique: Awai Has Died] had a cooldown of only fifteen days.
Who knew if some unlucky fellow named Awai would cross her path… Besides, she had a new idea she wanted to try out.
“What are you thinking about?” Qiao Xiaoxian asked her.
Of course, Jiang Ke’er wouldn’t admit she was racking her brains on how to harm Awai.
“I’m thinking about when you’ll get lost.” Jiang Ke’er lifted her chin and said.
“Don’t worry, I won’t stay long,” Qiao Xiaoxian replied with a bitter smile, looking at Jiang Ke’er with reluctant affection.
“That’s truly wonderful!” Jiang Ke’er’s face lit up, though for some reason a trace of sourness rose in her heart.
The air suddenly quieted, tinged with a bit of awkwardness.
Qiao Xiaoxian was the first to stand up and walk out.
Otherwise, she feared she wouldn’t be able to control herself, wouldn’t be able to stop herself from staying by Jiang Ke’er’s side, lost in this fleeting tenderness…
Now was not the time.
Parting now was so that their reunion would be even more passionate and filled with surprise.
She yearned to prove her sincerity to Jiang Ke’er as soon as possible, something that couldn’t be done with a few gentle words, so she had to stay rational.
Jiang Ke’er’s head ached from lying down so long.
She stood up, ready to take a walk outside.
She pushed open the door, inhaling the long-missed peaceful air, and was momentarily dazed.
Golden wheat swayed gently in the breeze.
A few little girls with cat ears played among the fields, pouncing back and forth at the strings of grain heads.
A woman wearing a straw hat placed the cut rice into her basket, pausing now and then to glance at the children.
The light in her eyes flowed with love and helplessness.
A great river wound its way ahead, snaking through the boundless fields.
As she gazed at the glittering surface, Jiang Ke’er almost felt as if she were seeing a giant dragon slumbering within a painting.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Qiao Xiaoxian smiled, taking Jiang Ke’er’s hand.
Jiang Ke’er was so lost in thought she forgot to dodge. She nodded, lifting her hand to wipe her eyes.
“Why are you crying?”
Jiang Ke’er didn’t deny it.
Instead, she smiled through her tears and whispered, “It’s worth it! So worth it…”
Qiao Xiaoxian looked at her, watching her messy, tear-stained, laughing-while-crying face, and quietly tightened her grip.
Jiang Ke’er, slow to react, suddenly realized and jerked her hand back as if shocked, her cheeks flushing.
“Don’t get cocky! One day I’ll kill you!”
“Sure, sure. I’ll be waiting.”
A few streaks of light fell from the sky, and Emperor Taizong of Tang landed in front of Jiang Ke’er, smiling.
“Looks like you’re recovering well.”
“Mm.” Jiang Ke’er stretched her slender arms and legs in satisfaction.
“Didn’t even leave any aftereffects—honestly, I’m a bit surprised… How’s the Taiming Sect doing?”
“All the Immortals have been driven out. The Dan Sect Alliance is destroyed. What else could it be?”
Emperor Taizong of Tang replied gruffly.
“The Great Sima Nation’s court did target the Taiming Sect, but the situation’s too tense. There are countless casualties every day. And with the Dan Sect Alliance gone, all they can do is rely on the Taiming Sect’s medical cultivators. Now, Lingyin Valley is universally recognized throughout the Divine Continent as a neutral medical institution, untouched by the tides of war.”
“That’s good.” Jiang Ke’er let out a breath of relief.
“So, when are you going to persuade the Taiming Sect to join the Demon Race’s camp?” Emperor Taizong of Tang asked.
“? Why would I do that?” Jiang Ke’er shot back.
“The Human Clan has treated them so poorly—the seed of hatred is already sown in their hearts,” Emperor Taizong of Tang said earnestly to Jiang Ke’er.
“If you go, you can definitely bring them over to the Demon Race’s side.”
Jiang Ke’er shook her head.
“You underestimate the Taiming Sect. In their eyes, there’s no real difference between humans and demons. They don’t favor the Human Clan, nor will they favor the Demon Race. They have their own internal measure… The Dan Sect Alliance’s siege was just the usual struggle for benefit, it won’t affect their judgment.”
“But the Demon Race needs them.” Emperor Taizong of Tang’s voice grew heavy.
He pointed to the wheat fields and the small village before them.
“Places like this are burned and destroyed every day. Every day, our Demon Race kin die from lack of timely aid… If Lingyin Valley’s medical cultivators concentrated their resources on us, things could change.”
“My heart aches just like yours,” Jiang Ke’er clenched her fist, “but this is the Demon Race’s own issue. The Taiming Sect has already gone above and beyond.”
Emperor Taizong of Tang let out a sigh.
“Well, the situation hasn’t reached the point of open conflict yet,” he said, sitting on a small stone bench outside the door.
“Relying on our unique talents, the Demon Race can reach places humans can’t and live there in peace… For now, most of our kin are safe. There’s no need to force your hand.”
Jiang Ke’er nodded. “Thank you for coming to save me that day.”
“I did it to save myself,” Emperor Taizong of Tang said frankly. “Saving you is saving myself.”
“What should I do now?” Jiang Ke’er asked.
“Live,” Emperor Taizong of Tang smiled. “Live, cultivate, grow stronger.”
Jiang Ke’er fell silent. She missed the Taiming Sect a little.
She had gone to the Taiming Sect back then with the intention of devoting herself to cultivation, but now, she couldn’t go back.
Still, there were some things she could do.
For example, next year, when cultivators roar and cheer for that tournament, the name they’ll shout will be—Taiming Sect, Jiang Qingyi.
In fact, although Li Yuan had raised the banner of rebellion, war had yet to break out.
Thanks to the collapse of the Heavenly Gate, immortal-level powers had vanished from the Divine Continent, and the deterrence Jiang Ke’er had displayed, the balance between the Demon Race and Human Clan in the Great Sima Nation had reached an unprecedentedly bizarre equilibrium.
Relations between the two races even appeared, on the surface, to be more harmonious than ever before.
Though bullying and small skirmishes still happened everywhere, with friction in every field, they maintained an outward semblance of harmony, with neither side drawing clear territorial lines, mingling together as they lived.
The Demon Race was building up strength, not daring to act rashly.
The Human Clan was waiting for the Heavenly Gate to be restored.
They didn’t believe the Demon Race could develop anything significant in a few years or even decades—surpass humanity? What a joke!
For years, the Demon Race had seemed foolish and clumsy.
Even when pushed to their limits, that was all they amounted to.
The Human Clan, with richer cultivation resources and inheritances the Demon Race could never match, had long since built up a snowballing advantage—there was no way the Demon Race could catch up.
What? Jiang Ke’er? Take Sword Dao as an example?
Tch! Jiang Ke’er’s Sword Dao was formidable, and rumor had it she was good at Pill Refinement too…
But Talisman, Array, Forging, Spell, Artifact Mastery, Painting Dao, Music Dao… the myriad great Daos, how many could she possibly master?
Jiang Ke’er, of course, had no idea what others were thinking.
She settled into this peaceful little village, needing a few days to carefully examine her own physical condition.
Qiao Xiaoxian hadn’t left yet, and on the very night Jiang Ke’er awoke, a searing ripple passed through her consciousness space.
That runny pool of egg liquid shivered, and an eye sprouted on the yolk.
“……”
Was it still in time to flush this egg down the toilet?