Chapter Forty-Five: A Fall from Grace
Autumn Qu’s back prickled as if standing on needles; she did not relish these gazes.
“Leader Xia, I’d like to return to the Second Squad. I won’t be going to the Heart-Refining Spring.”
It was no joke—if she went to the Heart-Refining Spring and couldn’t kill as many demon cultivators as expected, wouldn’t her abilities be exposed?
Xia Changhan’s expression showed regret. “Very well, then let’s leave the mine together, junior sister.”
Autumn Qu nodded, paying no mind to the faces of the Fifth Squad disciples. Some breathed a sigh of relief; others still harbored resentment toward her.
Once their destination was decided, Xia Changhan led the way into the branching tunnels of the mine. They wandered for some time amidst the labyrinthine passages, and all at once felt an immense pressure descending from above.
The disciples of the Fifth Squad cheered, “The Ancestor has taken action!”
“Could it be that the high-level demon cultivators from the Supreme Saint Sect broke the rules and attacked junior disciples?” Xia Changhan did not share his companions’ joy; instead, his face grew solemn.
Autumn Qu cared little for the details; she could sense Yao Zhimei was close to returning! No doubt, Yao feared that overwhelming force and dared not risk further.
Xia Changhan waved his hand. “Let’s go. The Ancestor won’t harm us.”
The group continued traversing the mine in a steady manner. Before long, daylight shone ahead.
Xia Changhan frowned in confusion. Had Jiang Shuangyan still not caught that little thief who stole the cultivation method?
He had expected that, after lingering so long in the mine’s hall, Jiang Shuangyan would have obtained the method by now. Apparently, they still had to wait.
“Leader Xia, I won’t be joining you. I haven’t reported to the Second Squad yet,” Autumn Qu said simply.
Xia Changhan, worried about Jiang Shuangyan’s situation, didn’t press further. “Very well. Take care, junior sister.”
Autumn Qu nodded and sped toward the treasury of Qunan City.
Xia Changhan and the others hurried off toward the Heart-Refining Spring in the southeast.
Once they were out of sight, Autumn Qu halted, hiding behind a rocky outcrop.
She had just sensed Yao Zhimei enter the mine, but now had no idea where she’d gone.
Autumn Qu took out her summoning order from her bosom; her battle merit still read one thousand two hundred.
It seemed that the overwhelming force had prevented Yao from slaying demons. Rather than wander aimlessly, it was better to wait for her to return!
With a turn of thought, Autumn Qu found a secluded spot, sat cross-legged, swallowed a Spirit-Replenishing Pill, and began restoring her energy.
Meanwhile.
Jiang Shuangyan and her three confidants were in hot pursuit of a young woman dressed in the robes of the Celestial Evolution Sect.
“Fellow cultivator, don’t go! We mean you no harm!”
Yao Zhimei, disguised as a Celestial Evolution Sect disciple, moved with dazzling speed, showing no intention of stopping.
Jiang Shuangyan gritted her silver teeth and continued transmitting her voice, “Fellow cultivator, please wait. I know you have the Grand Wheel Samsara Method. If you hand it over, the Jiang family will see to your smooth advancement to the Golden Core stage!”
Yao Zhimei arched her brow and replied, “Whatever method you’re talking about isn’t on me. I suggest you try elsewhere; you might find a clue.”
“As for your promise to help me ascend to Golden Core, I couldn’t care less!”
“Can’t your ambitions be greater? Why not promise to help me reach the Divine Transformation stage?”
One of Jiang Shuangyan’s confidants scoffed, “Bah, what nonsense is that woman spouting? Does she think becoming a Divine Transformation cultivator is so easily done?”
Yao Zhimei did not use sound transmission; her voice rang out boldly, reaching their ears.
To Jiang Shuangyan, this was deliberate humiliation. Rage nearly shattered her silver teeth. She transmitted to her three confidants, “Take action. As long as we get the method, her life or death is irrelevant!”
Yao Zhimei concealed her true cultivation, appearing to be in the early Foundation Establishment stage. In reality, she had already reached the Golden Core stage as a human cultivator and easily overheard Jiang Shuangyan’s orders.
She curled her lips in a smile, feigning depletion of her spiritual energy, her light flickering precariously.
Seeing this, Jiang Shuangyan and her companions grew elated, withdrawing their spells and accelerating their approach.
Yao Zhimei, in apparent panic, swallowed a pill, but the effects worked too slowly to allow her continued flight.
Jiang Shuangyan’s party quickly closed the gap.
Three confidants were overjoyed—capturing this woman quietly would be ideal!
Just as their spiritual ropes were about to entangle Yao Zhimei, she spun around with a radiant smile. In their astonishment, she unleashed a blinding gray-white light, engulfing them instantly.
Caught unprepared, their shields failed to activate, and they screamed in pain.
At the crucial moment, Jiang Shuangyan’s ornate robes shimmered with a protective glow, shielding her body.
Yet her spirit still suffered a sting from the gray-white light.
By the time the four escaped the light, Yao Zhimei was long gone.
Jiang Shuangyan’s hair was disheveled, her head throbbing as she gazed at her three confidants, whose bodies were corroded. Fury burned in her eyes.
“Useless fools! The Jiang family will never support such idiots again!”
She had chased for so long, yet hadn’t even touched the hem of that woman’s robe, nor had a chance to use her Plum Blossom Branch artifact!
Just who was she?
Jiang Shuangyan’s hair was disheveled, her head throbbing as she gazed at her three confidants, whose bodies were corroded. Fury burned in her eyes.
“Useless fools! The Jiang family will never support such idiots again!”
She had chased for so long, yet hadn’t even touched the hem of that woman’s robe, nor had a chance to use her Plum Blossom Branch artifact!
Just who was she?