Chapter 35

Bai Ze Yue’s efficiency was very high. By the time Dong Xia started eating her second jar of preserved fruits, he had already sent back the intelligence to her.

“Ninety percent certainty,” he left a little room for doubt in his message, “We need to go to his lair to confirm. If he has indeed been using cauldrons for years, there must be a secret chamber to hide the cauldrons and practice cultivation away from prying eyes.”

Dong Xia was very dismissive: “I’m a demonic cultivator, I never follow rules. Even if you were only fifty percent certain, I would still take action.”

Bai Ze Yue: “…” Alright, that’s very much like a demonic woman.

“Withdraw at the appropriate time, I won’t need you,” Dong Xia ordered, “When these people from the immortal realm return to their homes, I’ll go and take down the White Cloud Sect.”

Bai Ze Yue’s ostentatious departure from the demon realm was merely to make contact with her. Once the goal was achieved, he could hide again.

Dong Xia didn’t count on this motley crew from the demon realm to help her fight, especially against Li Qing. None of them had the strength to be of any use.

Bai Ze Yue reminded her: “The Hezi Contract.”

“I have a way,” Dong Xia wrinkled her nose and cut off the transmission.

She hadn’t forgotten she was in prison just because she was eating preserved fruits and drinking wine.

After racking her brains for several days, Dong Xia remembered that she had once picked up a technique from some enemy’s home when she raided it. It was similar to puppet techniques, creating puppets that couldn’t speak but had the exact same aura as the original body.

As long as she made a puppet, said she was going to sleep, and locked the door, Dong Xia could sneak out for a few hours without Li Qing noticing.

…As long as Li Qing didn’t touch her bedside, he wouldn’t notice.

Dong Xia frowned and erased this thought from her mind.

Making the puppet didn’t require many materials, but it took several days. Dong Xia had to be careful and hide the unfinished puppet under her bed to prevent Li Qing from discovering it.

As for how to make the White Cloud Sect leave before the Question Heaven Gate, that was also simple. When the time came, she would have Bai Ze Yue create some disturbance in the White Cloud Sect’s territory.

After arranging all this, Dong Xia carefully calculated the date when the puppet would be completed and calmly waited.

Bai Ze Yue meticulously planned a grand performance of an encounter, being surrounded and attacked, and fleeing back to the demon realm in defeat. It took a full three days and was performed vividly and magnificently.

Although Dong Xia didn’t see it, just by observing the expressions of the immortal cultivators in the immortal realm camp, she knew they had definitely believed it.

After finally completely defeating the demonic cultivator army, the immortal realm crowd cheered and celebrated, even holding a banquet that night.

Dong Xia was utterly baffled: “…” What was wrong with these immortal realm people’s brains? If not now, when would they pursue and kill to the last? Holding a banquet??

Since it was a banquet, the Question Heaven Gate couldn’t refuse to participate. Li Qing also went to make an appearance.

Dong Xia followed along.

Of course, not to make an appearance, but to observe the cultivation path of the White Cloud Sect’s Sect Master again.

In the past, Dong Xia would never have paid attention to such a minor character, dealing with them in one or two moves.

But now, with her cultivation fully recovered to only thirty percent, and the puppet draining another half, she had to carefully calculate even to fight the White Cloud Sect’s Sect Master.

All because of Li Qing.

Dong Xia narrowed her eyes as she scrutinized the White Cloud Sect’s Sect Master, whose face was full of benevolence and compassion. She viciously bit a large mouthful of the peach pastry in her mouth as if it were Li Qing’s flesh.

“We’ll be able to return to Question Heaven Gate soon,” Zhu Yin said softly beside her, “You haven’t told the Sect Master about you and the Immortal Venerable yet.”

Dong Xia seriously tried to recall.

Question Heaven Gate indeed had a Sect Master, but he wasn’t very strong.

So she only remembered Yue Fu Tu, Zhu Yin, and Chu Ling.

“If you and the Immortal Venerable agree, we can meet him when we return,” Zhu Yin said, “He is, after all, the Immortal Venerable’s master.”

“Oh.” Dong Xia remembered.

Li Qing did have a master, the kind of stubborn old man who was very annoying. Even the most gentle and kind demonic cultivator was not as noble in his eyes as a murderous immortal cultivator.

Dong Xia: “…” Did I perhaps knock out two of his teeth before?

It’s better not to meet him then.

After dealing with Zhu Yin, Dong Xia circled to Li Qing’s table to take a look.

Wow, worthy of being the supreme being of the immortal realm, the table was laden with the best, most expensive, and rarest wines and delicacies.

Dong Xia subtly raised her eyes to look at Li Qing, and without any hesitation, took away a plate of jade peach cakes.

Li Qing silently pushed the Qionghua wine towards her as well, his cold white fingertips resting on the celadon wine cup, exuding an extreme desolation mixed with an indescribable hint of ambiguity.

Dong Xia didn’t think she was someone who could be bought with food and beauty.

But that didn’t mean she would refuse food and beauty.

She raised her cup and drank the Qionghua wine, of which only three jars were produced each year, each drop precious as gold. She put the cup down in front of Li Qing, then took the jade peach cakes and went to the Yin family’s table.

There were too many people from the various sects of the immortal realm, and the banquet seemed almost endless, very lively.

Dong Xia couldn’t extend her spiritual sense too far, so she just kept it within her sea of consciousness and casually observed the people around her.

As she passed by the White Cloud Sect’s Sect Master, Dong Xia’s footsteps faltered slightly.

She sensed a strange fluctuation from the White Cloud Sect’s Sect Master.

This fluctuation was extremely subtle, desolate yet licentious, not something an ordinary cultivator would have.

If Dong Xia hadn’t encountered too many people who used cauldrons for cultivation, she wouldn’t have keenly captured this trace of true energy fluctuation.

—This was very special.

Special in that… only someone who had “used” a cauldron within the past four hours would carry this trace of plundered, incongruous spiritual energy full of pain and resentment.

Bai Ze Yue’s “ninety percent certainty” at this moment evolved into “absolutely certain” in Dong Xia’s mind.

Four hours?

Not only was the White Cloud Sect’s Sect Master a disciple of good cauldrons, he was even bold enough to bring the cauldron to this camp!

—Right under everyone’s noses in broad daylight!

He dared…

Dong Xia took a light breath, pressing down the surging malice in her heart.

If it weren’t for the “Seal of Isolation” still within her, she would have made the White Cloud Sect’s Sect Master bleed in five steps on the spot.

The latter noticed Dong Xia’s pause and inquired curiously: “What’s the matter?”

Dong Xia slowly turned her face and smiled at him.

“I remembered something,” she said languidly, “Something unpleasant.”

Before the White Cloud Sect’s Sect Master could speak, Dong Xia had already started walking towards the Yin family.

The old man’s smile sank, somewhat displeased at being slighted by a mortal.

But he glanced at Li Qing sitting at the high seat and swallowed this bit of displeasure.

Why offend Li Qing over a mortal?

Dong Xia blended into the Yin family crowd, looking at Yin Chang Tian who had stood up to offer her his seat, but didn’t speak immediately.

For the White Cloud Sect’s Sect Master, Dong Xia had already made a foolproof plan.

But now, with the puppet not yet completed and all the immortal realm people present, if she acted rashly and her identity was exposed, she would face being attacked by everyone.

Dong Xia’s reason told her she should wait a few more days and proceed according to the original plan.

But once she thought of the child imprisoned somewhere in this vast camp, Dong Xia’s reason began to waver.

So close, so close.

She couldn’t wait.

“Sister Dong Xia?” Yin Qiu Shui called out to her in confusion.

Dong Xia turned her head to look at Yin Fu Guang who was just two seats away, and he was looking at her.

Dong Xia smiled, then bent down and whispered to Yin Qiu Shui: “Do you still have any ‘Moon Shadow’?”

Yin Qiu Shui, of course, was ready to do anything for her: “Yes!”

Although Moon Shadow was precious, it wasn’t difficult for the Yin family to obtain.

The moment Dong Xia grasped the Moon Shadow, she could sense a film-like spiritual energy covering her, concealing her aura.

Almost simultaneously, Li Qing’s gaze fell on her.

Stalker.

Dong Xia inwardly grumbled without raising her head, casually placing the Moon Shadow on the table.

Li Qing’s gaze withdrew.

Under the pretext of talking with Yin Qiu Shui, Dong Xia hid her hand in the shadow under the table and gently unfastened the lily of the valley bracelet from her wrist.

The immortal realm camp was too large, making it difficult to quickly find a secret chamber.

But it wasn’t difficult for Dong Xia.

She was skilled in manipulating plants, and for plants, as long as there was adequate spiritual energy, growing wildly was very simple.

Dong Xia squeezed a drop of blood from her fingertip for the lily of the valley. It obediently sucked up the essence blood, then gently caressed her wound before quickly growing and climbing away from between the banquet tables.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Dong Xia had confirmed the location of that secret chamber through the lily of the valley’s feedback.

Dong Xia found an excuse to leave her seat, skillfully hiding her figure among the crowd.

Just to save a child, it would only take a moment.

By the time Li Qing became suspicious, she would have already returned without anyone knowing.

The moment she left the banquet from the side, Dong Xia used her footwork technique to rush towards the secret chamber.

Almost everyone from the immortal realm was at the banquet, so she didn’t have to worry about being discovered.

The secret chamber was built underground in the White Cloud Sect’s Sect Master’s residence. Someone who didn’t know about it would never have guessed.

Dong Xia had used the lily of the valley’s perception to probe that secret chamber and knew that this chamber must have been hastily built. The space was extremely small, without any daylight, and there was nothing inside except a bed.

It wasn’t a place for people to live at all.

Dong Xia easily broke through the protective formations of the White Cloud Sect’s Sect Master’s residence and entered without alerting anyone.

She accurately found the hidden passage, took a deep breath, and pulled it open.

Bits of stone and earth fell down with a rustling sound. Dong Xia unhesitatingly leapt in, passing through the narrow tunnel to reach the deepest part of the secret chamber.

There was another door at the entrance of the secret chamber, which was locked.

Dong Xia frowned and spent some effort to unlock it—rather than crushing it—then pushed the door open.

She used demonic energy to create a cluster of “Nightless Flowers” on her fingertip. These flowers could emit a soft light even in pitch darkness, like a small group of flickering fireflies.

On the crude wooden bed in the secret chamber was a boy who didn’t look much older than Yin Chang Tian. He was hugging his knees and looking at Dong Xia expressionlessly, his pitch-black eyes showing no fear at all.

Dong Xia had seen too many children like this.

They may have fiercely resisted their fate at first, but most ended up in vain. After a long time, they were devastated into walking corpses.

Dong Xia almost walked the same path as them.

She had saved many people and killed many people, but ultimately couldn’t find where the source of this chain of evil was tied to.

But saving one more is still one more.

Dong Xia slowly approached and gently placed the Nightless Flower on the boy’s bruised knees: “This is called the Nightless Flower. It can alleviate pain.”

The boy’s numb gaze was gradually attracted by the light. Emerald green specks reflected in his pitch-black eyes, like dying embers about to extinguish.

Dong Xia put the Moon Shadow in the boy’s hand and activated a technique to conceal her aura.

“Let’s go,” she promised the boy in the gentlest and softest tone, “…I will kill him.”