Chapter 57: Searching for the Missing Green Sandalwood

Junyang hurriedly picked up You Xiyue, only to realize her breathing was calm and steady—she seemed merely drunk and asleep.

“Is it really that good?” He shook the wine flask, let a drop fall into his mouth, tasted it, and smacked his lips. Aside from making him somewhat less averse to the demon clans, he found nothing particularly special about it, and it lacked spiritual energy.

Resigned, Junyang sought out an inn to settle You Xiyue in. She slept deeply; it was the first time she’d found such restful sleep without the dream mushrooms.

The first rays of morning sunlight streamed through the window. Sitting up, You Xiyue saw a small white snake curled beside her. Junyang, sensing her gaze, lifted his snake’s head, flicked his tongue, and murmured, half-awake, “Little Ancestor, you’re awake?”

“Mm.”

“How could you get so drunk?”

You Xiyue was silent. She hadn’t expected to become intoxicated; the wine felt innocuous, yet she’d still succumbed to it, and she had no memory of falling asleep.

Junyang, emboldened for once, said, “If that was the work of whoever set the formation, and I can’t beat them, we’d both be done for. Little Ancestor, you must be more careful.”

It was indeed her oversight, and she offered no rebuttal. Still, her instincts assured her the formation’s creator bore no malice.

“What about Lutan?” she asked.

“Lutan?” Junyang recalled last night. “You fainted, so I brought you to the inn and didn’t bother with him. But he’s odd—when entering the city, he cast several cleansing charms to dispel demonic energy, yet once inside, he mingled with the demon clans. Weren’t those charms wasted?”

Ignoring Junyang’s question, You Xiyue activated her divine sense and swept through the city. There was no Snow Jade, nor Lutan.

Seeing her troubled expression, Junyang asked cautiously, “What’s wrong, Little Ancestor?”

“Lutan isn’t in the city.”

Junyang’s heart began to pound.

Not in the city? If they’d lost him, finding him in the vast Immortal Realm would be nearly impossible.

You Xiyue expanded her divine sense, and her brows relaxed.

“Found him?” Junyang asked.

She nodded. “Yes, but his condition is poor.”

“Poor? Is he dying?”

“Nearly.”

She rose, seized Junyang, and with a flicker, arrived once more at Skyfire Sect.

Within the sect, though all disciples practiced cultivation, thick demonic energy clung to them, and their movements and expressions resembled those of puppets.

You Xiyue and Junyang concealed themselves, weaving through every corner of Skyfire Sect. Once she confirmed there was no bizarre formation like in Scarlet Flame City, she felt at ease and led Junyang toward the room where Lutan was held.

The closer they drew, the heavier the demonic aura became.

“Little Ancestor…” Junyang whispered, “Don’t you think this demonic energy in Skyfire Sect is… odd?”

Receiving no response, he continued, “It’s as if all sorts of demon clan scents are mixed together—sometimes the pungency of fox demons, sometimes the sourness of pig demons, even the stench of weasel demons. Feels like we’ve stirred up a nest of monsters, yet they’re all cultivators.”

“Shh…”

You Xiyue’s steps grew lighter, and Junyang quickly fell silent.

She tilted her ear toward the room, noticing a sound-proof barrier outside. If not for their proximity, it would be easy to overlook. She’d missed it during her initial divine sense sweep.

“No wonder I couldn't sense any demons—they're in this room,” she thought, somewhat irritated at being deceived.

“Is Lutan inside?” Junyang leaned forward, wary of disturbing the barrier, unable to hear anything.

“Yes, he is.”

“He’s with the demons?”

“No, but he’s nearly one of them.”

“What do you mean?” Junyang was confused.

“Lutan is about to become Demon Lutan.”

Junyang couldn’t help but let out a laugh—a quiet sound that, unfortunately, drew the attention of the demon within the room.

“Who’s there?” A strange voice drifted out.

Junyang covered his mouth, casting an apologetic glance at You Xiyue.

She remained expressionless. With a wave, she layered a superior sound-proof barrier over the existing one, then pushed open the door and strode inside.

Junyang hurried after her.

The stench inside was so overwhelming Junyang felt as if it might drive him right back out—he nearly gagged.

You Xiyue seemed unfazed, her expression unchanged.

Upon seeing them, Lutan struggled fiercely against his bindings on the floor, overcome with excitement. “Esteemed seniors, save me!”

Junyang closed off his sense of smell, glanced at the nearly naked Lutan, and asked, “Who are you calling senior?”

“You! You’re my senior!”

“Shut up!” The demon, annoyed at being ignored, unleashed a blast of demonic wind at Lutan.

Lutan was sent crashing into the wall, then collapsed to the ground, blood spewing from his mouth, his pallor worsening.

The demon had not assumed a human form; it hovered as a mass of black flames, its voice echoing from nowhere and everywhere.

“How does an unformed demon possess such power?” Junyang, despite his distaste for the demon’s appearance and odor, dared not underestimate it.

The barrier outside the door alone proved its strength; Junyang, even when close, could not hear a sound from within.

“He’s a Ten-Thousand-Demon Fire Evil Spirit, a wicked demon forged from refining and absorbing tens of thousands of demon cores!” Lutan, crouched on the floor, lifted his bloodied face, speaking with difficulty.

The Ten-Thousand-Demon Fire Evil Spirit dared not attack You Xiyue and Junyang outright; he was assessing their abilities, but that didn’t mean he would spare Lutan.

“Blabbermouth… you never learn!” A massive black vortex formed atop the Evil Spirit, spinning toward Lutan like a whirlwind.

Within the vortex, hundreds of ravenous demon mouths seemed to open and close, eager to devour.

Should Lutan be struck, he would surely be consumed completely.

You Xiyue quickly summoned the Moonlight Sword, flashed in front of Lutan, and blocked the filthy force gnawing ceaselessly.

The filth was enveloped by the lightning radiating from the Moonlight Sword, emitting crackling sounds.

Terrifying wails echoed from within the mass of filth.

Junyang circled the Evil Spirit, came to stand behind You Xiyue, and squatted to poke Lutan. “Brother, ever read storybooks?”

“What?” Lutan was bewildered—storybooks at a time like this?

“Minor characters die from talking too much!”

Junyang cast a helpless glance at Lutan; did he not grasp the situation? To expose the demon’s secrets now was practically courting death.

The mass of filth under the sword’s assault gradually dissipated into blue smoke, drifting away.

The Ten-Thousand-Demon Fire Evil Spirit let out a cackling laugh, “Looks like I’ve met a true master.”