Chapter 105: The Arrival of Junyang

Yangquan Town had already emptied out by more than half. Most of those remaining were righteous cultivators who had come to eradicate the demonic entities. Very few inns were still in operation, and even those were mostly vacant. The town had long since lost its former bustle; seeing it fall into such a state in less than half a month was truly disheartening.

The Immortal Realm was home to countless cultivators, yet the monsters appearing this time were particularly cunning and cruel. You Xiyue and Xue Yu had been cautioned by many elderly cultivators upon their arrival, which was exactly the situation they found themselves in now.

"Little girl, this is no place for you and your pet to come and play."

A group of men and women dressed in identical robes, varying in age, had surrounded You Xiyue. It was clear at a glance that they belonged to the same sect.

"I am not here to play," You Xiyue replied indifferently.

"Then are you here to find family?" a woman stepped forward, asking with concern. "This place was attacked by monsters. Even if you had family here, I fear they would have moved away long ago."

"That is not it, either." You Xiyue frowned slightly, clearly uncomfortable being surrounded by so many people, especially those being overly enthusiastic.

"Hey, whatever you're here for, you should leave this place immediately." This man was clearly impatient and, not wanting to waste words on her, directly demanded she leave.

You Xiyue grew even more impatient. "Just worry about yourselves."

With those words, she vanished from their sight, leaving only a swirl of dust on the ground.

"Where did that little girl go?" The group looked around, their faces etched with astonishment.

A woman who had been watching from afar in silence, her expression cold, gestured toward the direction of the inn with her sword. "She went to that inn."

"What? She teleported? Right in front of our eyes?"

The woman's tone was sharp. "She already told you to worry about yourselves. She likely has a much higher cultivation level than any of you."

"How is that possible? Senior Sister He, you must be joking. That girl doesn't even look like she has twenty years of bone age."

This group were disciples of the Spirit Seclusion Sect from the Immortal Realm. They had descended the mountain to gain experience and, upon hearing of the monsters, had rushed over to uphold justice. The woman addressed as Senior Sister He was He Miaoxue, the team leader and a once-in-a-millennium genius of the Spirit Seclusion Sect. At a thousand years old, she had already attained the Great Luo Golden Immortal stage. With a little more cultivation, she would likely reach the Profound God stage, enabling her to challenge the Divine Dragon Island and enter the God Realm. She was a cultivation prodigy unlike any other in the entire Immortal Realm.

He Miaoxue turned and headed toward the inn where You Xiyue was staying, her demeanor remaining icy. "Believe it or not, it's up to you."

The others exchanged glances and had no choice but to follow.

After entering the inn and booking a room, You Xiyue sent a jade slip to Jun Yang. Jun Yang, finally freed from his lonely vigil on Xingruo Island, popped up in the blink of an eye. When he arrived at the inn You Xiyue had mentioned and pushed open the door, his first sight was Xue Yu, and he was instantly stunned.

"What is that thing?"

Xue Yu lifted its eyelids to glance at Jun Yang before closing them again to continue its deep slumber.

"Is this Xue Yu?" Jun Yang circled the creature twice. "Little Ancestor, isn't this thing heavy to carry around?"

You Xiyue looked down at Xue Yu, who was sprawled across a stool. "It's not heavy. It walks itself."

"That's a relief..." Jun Yang exhaled. How long had it been since he last saw this cat? It had grown so much that if it stood up, it would be as large as a growing child. "What on earth does it eat to grow so big? I fed it so much before, and it didn't grow an inch."

"Just some ordinary spirit beast meat..."

Jun Yang gave You Xiyue a rare look of skepticism, wondering if it was truly just "ordinary" meat. Although he didn't voice the question, You Xiyue understood his doubt. "It is very ordinary."

"Oh..." Jun Yang decided not to dwell on the matter. "On the way here, I heard all about this town being attacked by monsters. They say the creatures have some skill, and they are quite picky—they only attack cultivators with the surname Bai who are at the Immortal Emperor level or higher."

"Yes, they are quite picky."

"Does the Little Ancestor have any leads?" Jun Yang habitually pulled out his small silver pot and poured spirit spring water for them both.

You Xiyue took the teacup and looked down. "None."

Whether she truly had none or simply refused to say, Jun Yang continued, "I heard several people named Bai died tragically. Their bodies were gnawed clean, leaving only their ghastly, contorted heads behind, still exuding demonic energy."

You Xiyue had heard this as well. Furthermore, Yangquan Town happened to have a high concentration of people with the surname Bai. There were several small clans with that name, and the first to be attacked were the heads of these very families. Each had died a brutal death, and their cultivation levels—all Great Luo Heavenly Immortals—were not low.

"The monsters even attack during the day; they are quite unconstrained." You Xiyue had gleaned this from her divine sense, which she had been using to scout the area.

Jun Yang tapped his index finger rhythmically on the table. "If they can attack during the day, then these shouldn't be called 'monsters.' It must be the work of someone from the Demon Race, right?"

"Yes. The demonic energy in the city is quite dense, making it difficult to pinpoint the location of that demon for the moment." You Xiyue withdrew her divine sense and reached out to stroke Xue Yu's soft ears. Xue Yu twitched its ears twice and continued to sleep soundly.

Jun Yang nodded, then suddenly remembered Yan Qingye's examination. "I haven't asked yet—did that kid Yan Qingye pass his alchemist exam?"

Before leaving, You Xiyue had passed by the Alchemist Association branch and overheard the final conversation between Zhuang Mo and the others.

"He is a third-tier alchemist."

"A third-tier alchemist? Should I call that kid a genius or just lucky? He blew up his furnace so many times and was struck by lightning so often on Xingruo Island without ever producing three pill patterns, yet he actually succeeded in this exam."

"Perhaps... it's a bit of both." You Xiyue acknowledged that Yan Qingye's luck did seem better than others. Those with good luck were often better suited for alchemy; just like this exam, no one would have expected him to produce three pill patterns.

Mentioning Yan Qingye naturally made Jun Yang think of someone else. "Little Ancestor, is Yuan Yibai in this town?"

Yuan Yibai's appearances were always too coincidental, and it seemed that whenever a monster appeared, Yuan Yibai was nearby, which made people suspicious.

You Xiyue shook her head. "I cannot detect him."

"You can't detect him? Does that mean he's not here?"

"Not necessarily." You Xiyue refuted. "Do you remember that demon youth?"

"..." At her reminder, he recalled that night he spent keeping watch. It had been impossible to determine if Yuan Yibai was actually in his room; that guy seemed particularly adept at concealment.

"Could he be the one doing these evil deeds?" Jun Yang had spent quite some time with Yuan Yibai—they had seen each other almost daily in the Upper Realm before Yuan Yibai suddenly disappeared—and he felt that the man wouldn't be so cruel with human lives.

You Xiyue was much more certain than Jun Yang. "It shouldn't be him."