A head-on collision is suicide, but open attacks are easy to dodge while hidden arrows are hard to guard against.
The various signs from Su Wan’er after her seclusion, along with the faintly sensed subtle atmosphere between Heavenly Sword Peak and Jiaoyue Peak…
This Shen Mo probably has many secrets on him, and his situation is far from as stable as it appears on the surface.
Shen Mo, an excellent furnace… a Pure Yin Body, best for nourishing yin spirits and corpse souls.
If we use his bones, blood, and soul as a guide to refine you…
She slowly crouched down, her cold fingers brushing over the collapsed skull of a Corpse Puppet.
A cruel curve lifted the corner of her mouth.
“Who knows, perhaps I can not only restore you to your original state but also elevate you to the next level, giving birth to a true… Corpse King?”
“When that time comes, Qin Shuying, let’s see how arrogant you can still be!”
She laughed softly, the sound especially eerie in the sealed chamber.
“Guards!” she barked toward the empty shadows of the underground palace.
A blurry black shadow materialized silently, kneeling on one knee.
His aura was obscure, clearly a death warrior also practicing sinister cultivation methods.
“Go, investigate for me!” Yun Fuling’s voice was piercingly cold.
“Check all of Shen Mo’s recent movements, who he met, where he went. Even the slightest anomaly, record it for me!”
“Yes.” The shadow acknowledged and then merged into the darkness, vanishing.
Yun Fuling paced to the edge of the churning dark green pool, looking at her own distorted reflection in the water.
“Perhaps I should make good use of the… delicate relationship between him, Qin Shuying, and his good Dao Companion Su Wan’er.”
“I heard that Su Wan’er treasures him dearly after her seclusion… If she knew that her good sister had ulterior motives toward her husband…”
“Or perhaps, make Shen Mo himself willingly seek my protection?”
Yun Fuling walked over to the two damaged Corpse Puppets, crouched down, and extended her intact hand to feel their cold, stiff, sword-scarred shells.
A flash of pain passed through her eyes, quickly replaced by deeper ruthlessness.
“Don’t worry, I won’t let you die in vain,” she whispered like a snake’s tongue. “I will make those who harmed you pay with blood…”
“Master.” A voice came from the shadows.
It was her newly accepted disciple. After Zhou Yunying’s death, the Zhou family sent a replacement.
This one was smarter than Zhou Yunying and more sensible.
Her name was Zhou Heng, a cousin of Zhou Yunying.
After Zhou Yunying died, the Zhou family, fearing they would be implicated, sent this daughter of a branch family to Chaoyun Peak overnight.
She was much smarter than Zhou Yunying, at least knowing what to ask and what not to ask.
“News from the Luoxia Mountains—the matter of semi-demonization has blown up.”
The corner of Yun Fuling’s mouth lifted slightly.
Yun He went to the Luoxia Mountains. She knew that.
That Legacy Elder’s semi-demonization was her own doing.
“And Heavenly Sword Peak?” she asked.
“Peak Master Qin has been staying indoors lately, said to be in seclusion for a breakthrough. The Spirit Crane in the Spirit Beast Garden laid an egg and hatched a silver-haired girl who calls Shen Mo master.”
Yun Fuling’s brows furrowed.
Silver-haired girl?
Calls Shen Mo master?
Yun Fuling suddenly smiled.
The smile was faint, but the faintness hid a knife. “Interesting.”
She turned and walked to a corner of the chamber.
There stood a huge bronze cauldron filled with pitch-black liquid, exuding a decayed aura.
She reached out, took a Talisman from her sleeve, and gently tossed it into the cauldron.
The moment the Talisman entered the liquid, the entire cauldron shook violently.
The black liquid churned and boiled, countless bubbles rising from the bottom.
Every bubble that burst emitted a high-pitched cry like a baby’s wail.
“Master?” The disciple’s voice trembled slightly.
Yun Fuling ignored her.
She just watched the churning liquid, a dark glint flashing in her eyes.
What was soaking in this cauldron was the Beast-Transformation Bloodline she had collected over the years from the Luoxia Mountains.
The Legacy Elder was just the beginning. That bloodline would infect, spread, and proliferate like a plague.
She whispered closely into the ear.
The disciple was stunned. “Master?”
Yun Fuling didn’t explain. She waved her hand and said, “Go.”
……
Several days had passed since the silver-haired girl broke out of her shell and transformed in the Spirit Beast Garden.
The entire Jiaoyue Peak was tight-lipped about this strange occurrence. Under Su Wan’er’s strict orders, only a few core Elders knew about it.
To the outside world, they claimed she was an orphan girl with a special Spiritual Root, adopted by Su Wan’er during her early travels.
Qingyin Pavilion.
Unlike the warm, soft, and plain residence where Shen Mo lived, this place felt more spacious and cold.
White jade steps, cold jade desks, and the walls were inlaid with Clear Heart Jade that gathered water and wood Spiritual Qi.
The air constantly carried a faint, cold fragrance like pine needles after snowfall.
The Spiritual Qi concentration here far surpassed other places.
It was layered with soundproofing and protective formations.
Han Yi had changed into a close-fitting light green robe.
Her silver hair was carelessly tied back with a hairband, a few stray strands playfully hanging by her cheeks, making her ice-carved, jade-like face appear even purer.
She followed behind Su Wan’er, walking barefoot on the cold, smooth white jade floor, leaving faint, moist footprints.
“Sit.” Su Wan’er sat down on a cushion behind the cold jade desk and pointed to another cushion opposite her, her tone flat.
Han Yi looked at the cushion, then at Su Wan’er, and didn’t move.
She didn’t like this cold place, nor did she like this cold woman taking up the time she could be spending with her master.
Su Wan’er didn’t urge her either, just quietly watched her.
Her gaze wasn’t sharp, but it carried the insight unique to a Nascent Soul cultivator.
She saw the most primal imprint deep within her ignorant consciousness.
She was evaluating—evaluating the potential and disposition of this unexpectedly transformed Spirit Beast, as well as… its excessively close bond with Shen Mo.
“Your master is not a cultivator. His cultivation is shallow, and he knows little of the path of cultivation. Since you have already transformed and awakened your intelligence, you need proper guidance to unleash your bloodline potential and avoid straying down the wrong path or… being taken advantage of.”
Her words carried deep meaning. “Let me examine your bone structure and Spiritual Power. What do you say?”
Han Yi frowned. She could sense that Su Wan’er’s words seemed to hide another meaning, but she didn’t quite understand.
But “examine” didn’t sound like something good.
She shook her head, very decisively. “No. Han Yi is fine.”
Su Wan’er wasn’t surprised by her refusal.
Transformed Spirit Beasts are naturally proud and extremely wary of strangers, especially since this one clearly had a hatchling-like attachment to Shen Mo.
She wasn’t anxious. She changed her approach.
“You have just been born into this world. Do you know what heaven and earth are? What cultivation is? What power is? You possess icy-cold Spiritual Power—do you know how to use it, how to increase it, and how to avoid harming yourself and those you care about?”
This string of questions stunned Han Yi.
Su Wan’er knew she was being a bit impatient.
But she knew she didn’t have much time left and had to explain everything at once.
“Originally… I have always been worried about his safety. His personality is too soft, his cultivation too low. This Cloud Hidden Mountain looks like a blessed immortal land, but in reality… the undercurrents are turbulent. I was in seclusion for seven years, and I already owe him much. After emerging, I thought I could protect him well and make it up to him, but now it seems…”
She paused, her gaze resolute. “I’m afraid… I can’t even protect myself anymore.”