Winter Hunting Zhenren ran away.

At the moment the golden coffin collapsed, he transformed into a streak of white light and flew off. Pharmacist’s Wish could only see his back, which disappeared into the forest in less than five seconds, silent and without leaving a single harsh word.

The True Man of Locking Dragon dragged them to the platform of the mountain village. The mountain in front of the Demon Slaying Hall had been completely shattered, revealing a steep rock wall, as if a giant beast had taken Shu Dao Mountain as a cake and taken a big bite. However, the back of the Demon Slaying Hall remained intact; otherwise, they would have had nowhere to land.

The Foundation Establishment Ancestor did not treat them kindly just because they were of the same clan. Pharmacist’s Wish was thrown directly to the ground, but after rolling a few times, she found that the golden lock on her body had been removed, as had Beiyou’s. Only the Rabbit Heroine remained tightly bound by the golden lock, as the True Man of Locking Dragon kept her side like a beast that snatched prey and refused to let go.

"Where is Si Wuxie’s legacy?" she asked.

Beiyou immediately took out the Foundation Establishment Token, to which Pharmacist’s Wish shook her head: "I obtained the Star Shifting and Dipper Changing Disc and have already absorbed it. I’ve also absorbed the other legacy, the Body-Stabilizing Stone."

"Star Shifting and Dipper Changing with Body-Stabilizing?" Yao Shi Yue pondered for a moment. "Can this pair with Dao Foundation? ... Forget it, you’ve absorbed it anyway."

Pharmacist’s Wish felt a pang in her heart; she naturally didn’t think her sister would lie to her, which means even the True Man of Locking Dragon might not know the details of the Greedy Wolf Break Army Dao Foundation. Yet the True Man of Locking Dragon had been an ancestor following Zhou Taizu, and there were few in the Central Plains whose knowledge could compare... How could Yellow Dog possess secret intelligence even seasoned Foundation Establishment couldn’t know?

"You arrived too late," Beiyou sat on the ground, sighing. "If it weren’t for Star Rain Heroine and the Wolf Demon causing a commotion, Winter Hunting Zhenren would have run off with all the spoils long ago, which is certainly not what was agreed upon. If only I had known you were so unreliable, I wouldn’t have interfered with their karma."

"You brat, why don’t you think about when you sent the message over? I traveled day and night for three days and nights to get here on time, and you still dare to complain?" The True Man of Locking Dragon walked over and stomped hard on Beiyou’s broken leg with wooden clogs. "What, you still think you’re five or six, wearing crotch-less pants, and I’ll just spank you?"

"Old hag—I’ve been here for seven years—let go, let go, let go!"

"It’s not as if I want you to stay; you liked being a drifter and expect me to compensate for that?" The True Man of Locking Dragon picked up the Foundation Establishment Token: "Mixed Yuan Qi Magic Sword... At least this trip wasn’t for naught, and Si Wuxie didn’t refine this sword into a Demonic Path Token?"

Pharmacist’s Wish didn’t dare speak throughout, her gaze continually shifting between the True Man of Locking Dragon and Beiyou.

"Young girl, speak up if you have something to say." Despite appearing youthful like the Antlered Maiden, the True Man of Locking Dragon spoke with an old, seasoned tone. "Given you’re of the Pharmacist’s Clan, even if you misspeak, I’ll at most just teach you a lesson."

"What’s Beiyou’s relationship with the Locking Dragon Bodhisattva?" Pharmacist’s Wish asked.

"What do you think?"

"Hmm..." Pharmacist’s Wish pondered for a good while: "Bodhisattva’s paramour?"

At this, the True Man of Locking Dragon laughed heartily, while Beiyou widened his eyes, giving a bitter smile. "I’m honored the Wolf Demon esteems me so... but I’ve never had a good appearance since youth, truly unqualified to be the old hag’s paramour."

"You truly dare say anything; no wonder when we first met, you wanted to shoot me." The True Man of Locking Dragon laughed.

Pharmacist’s Wish hurriedly explained: "Back then, I was drunk and had never seen the Bodhisattva face-to-face, so..."

"No need to apologize, it’s all water under the bridge since I beat you up that time." The True Man of Locking Dragon waved her hand dismissively. "A lesson learned after a beating is sufficient... though many people dare commit the same mistake again."

"Auntie, I am quite pleased the young girl thinks I am still so full of charm, but once you reach Foundation Establishment you’ll understand it’s a different realm entirely, and even the most captivating beauties among mortals are mere ordinary powder in the eyes of those in Foundation Establishment."

"As for this kid... he also bears the Pharmacist name; in terms of relation, he’d probably be the young Emperor’s uncle. But my connection with him has nothing to do with blood, it’s simply because he taught me painting."

Even having anticipated it, Pharmacist’s Wish was still thunderstruck by these two revelations: Beiyou was actually of the Pharmacist lineage and the current Emperor’s uncle? Wait a minute, Prajna is a Zhao Family descendant, and Beiyou is a Pharmacist Family descendant, which means among the three Great Guardians of Shu Dao Mountain, only Blood Phase is truly from no significant background?

Beiyou actually taught the Locking Dragon Bodhisattva to paint? But he’s not even Foundation Establishment!

"Did you think being a Foundation Establishment Messenger means knowing everything?" Yao Shi Yue asked. "In the past, for refining tokens, I had to first master painting at a grandmaster level. In Zhou Kingdom, the individuals proficient in painting skills are few, and among them, the highest accomplishment belonged to this brat, who happened to have offended me as a child, so I had him teach me painting for three years."

"How did he offend you?" Pharmacist’s Wish found this curiosity hard to resist.

"He drew my portrait and sold it to his uncle." The True Man of Locking Dragon answered calmly.

"It’s not as you imagine it." Facing the simultaneously admiring and contemptuous gazes of Pharmacist’s Wish and the Rabbit Heroine, Beiyou thought for a moment and explained: "My uncle was curious what the True Man of Locking Dragon might look like if enamored, so I painted a picture of her in love, meaning no disrespect."

But Beiyou’s explanation was as good as none; by the way Pharmacist’s Wish referred to her, it was clear the Pharmacist Clan regarded the True Man of Locking Dragon with Bodhisattva-like respect, yet Beiyou dared paint Bodhisattva’s intimate portrait. This isn’t boldness but an absence of normal thinking, no wonder he became a Demonic Messenger, clearly born with a problematic mind.

The most unfortunate is his uncle, for having such a nephew spells bad luck for generations.

"I had no intentions regarding Si Wuxie’s legacy, but this brat sent a message to Tongtian Temple few days ago, claiming the Helan family might come to seize the Heir of Calamity, so I came." The True Man of Locking Dragon finally looked towards the Rabbit Heroine beside her: "Are you the one to inherit Si Wuxie’s Power of Calamity?"

Pharmacist’s Wish trembled, her calves quivering slightly with tension. From the start, when the True Man of Locking Dragon hadn’t released the Rabbit Heroine, she realized a possibility, but she tried not to think of it, discussing other topics to delay time until the Rabbit Heroine recovered... but what must happen will happen.

Just as with her father, just as with her sister.

"Rabbit Heroine." The Rabbit Heroine said, "Nice to meet you."

"Yao Shi Yue, everyone calls me True Man of Locking Dragon." Yao Shi Yue said, "You can also call me Aunt Yue. Now answer my question, you’ve inherited the Power of Calamity, absorbing the Disaster Stone left by Si Wuxie?"

"Yes." The Rabbit Heroine said, "What are you planning to do with me?"

"You should know how the Power of Calamity comes about, right?"

"To permanently liberate demons, completely destroy the Secret Realm."

"Liberate demons? That’s an interesting way to put it. For demons, being eliminated day after day, year after year by us Messengers, if they had thoughts and will, they might feel as if living in Eternal Hell, tortured over and over by the world, never reborn and ceaselessly continuous - eradicating them from eternal suffering is indeed a form of liberation." Yao Shi Yue keenly picked out the unusual implications from the Rabbit Heroine’s words.

"But for Messengers, for mortals, for all under heaven, the Secret Realm is our source of life, like an oasis in a desert, an island in the sea. Every Secret Realm that disappears affects thousands of Messengers and tens of thousands of people related to them, changing the world’s pattern. Millions of Messengers and billions of civilians will fight for the remaining Secret Realms, redrawing the map of the Central Plains with iron and blood."

"My uncle entrusted me with two matters before he passed," Yao Shi Yue said slowly, "First, preserve oneself, as long as the Foundation Establishment of the Yao Clan doesn’t die, the Yao Clan will not perish; Second, control the Heir of Calamity to not repeat Si Wuxie’s mistakes."

"Control?" The Rabbit Heroine tilted her head, showing no trace of fear, "I thought you’d kill me outright." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"You might not know that after you die, you will expel the Disaster Stone. Disaster Stones cannot be stored in any containment items; they can only be hidden somewhere and are too easy to steal." Yao Shi Yue said, "Moreover, it’s said that Disaster Stones have the power to sway hearts; many who have kept Disaster Stones ultimately walk the path of calamity..."

"False, false." The Rabbit Heroine interrupted, "Disaster Stones don’t have that capability; they simply desire power themselves but blame it on the Disaster Stone."

"I think so too, but it’s unnecessary to risk it. Anyway, Zhou Kingdom is vast and powerful, and there’s no lack of a place to imprison you."

Yao Shi Yue’s Golden Lock was like a scorpion’s tail, lifting the Rabbit Heroine in front of her, "You won’t die, but your life won’t exactly be living. I can’t say whether Zhou Kingdom will perish first or you will die of old age... You better hope for the latter because if Zhou Kingdom perishes, I can only take the Disaster Stone."

Thud.

The Pharmacist’s Wish fell to her knees, her forehead touching the ground. Clearly she had never knelt before; unlike the palace’s skilled eunuchs and maids, her back was too straight, her fists clenched tight—rather than a kowtow, it looked more like a wolf on the ground.

Only when she raised her tear-strewn face full of pleading did it become evident she had truly shattered her dignity, for a young girl without blood relation whom she hadn’t even known for long.

"I’ve gathered Celestial Spirits and Earthly Fiends, surely charging into Foundation Establishment within five years," Pharmacist’s Wish said earnestly, "All our tokens and gains can be surrendered to repay the Bodhisattva’s life-saving grace. After Foundation Establishment, I will certainly exhaust myself in service until my death."

"I beg the Bodhisattva for mercy!"

"Do you like kowtowing? Let me help you, then."

True Man of Locking Dragon’s sleeve produced a Golden Lock that bound Pharmacist’s Wish, lifted her high up, and then slammed her to the ground heavily!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Repeatedly thrice, causing a gigantic crack on the ground, Pharmacist’s Wish bled profusely, her life barely hanging by a Life-Saving Pill previously. Although the Golden Lock had treated some injuries, now being severely harmed again, her freshly healed wounds split open, rendering her almost unable to stand.

The Golden Lock lifted her before True Man of Locking Dragon, her face bloodied, hair sticking to her skin, bear no trace of the Wolf Demon’s grandeur, only a pitiful little girl remained.

"Do you know why I saved you?" Yao Shi Yue stared at her, "Just as you said, you have great potential in achieving Foundation Establishment as a Yao Clan descendant. Although I’m uninterested in dealing with external affairs, having another Foundation Establishment in the family is beneficial."

"But you seem to take my care for granted. Or do you think you’re a child who can get candy by rolling on the ground?"

"I..." The Pharmacist’s Wish, breathing weakly, gazed directly into True Man of Locking Dragon’s eyes, "Must..."

"I’m not interested in knowing how important she is to you; even if she were your biological daughter, it wouldn’t matter." True Man of Locking Dragon threw her aside, "You want to bargain with me, wait until you’ve achieved Foundation Establishment."

"By the way, is she Duke Jin’s daughter? Duke Jin’s entire family executed for treason?" She turned to Beiyou.

"That’s correct, she is Princess Zhaorou, the Pharmacist’s Wish." Beiyou nodded.

"Well, from now on, Duke Jin’s rebellion has been quashed; you are the new Duke Jin, with the national treasure vault open to you, able to control any military town within the Yao Clan." True Man of Locking Dragon looked at the Pharmacist’s Wish on the ground, "Given your rights, your treasure, your power, as a descendant of the Yao Clan eligible for Foundation Establishment, you’ll get what you should—not what you shouldn’t desire. Of course, whether you accept is your concern."

"By the way, I like your final expression; over the years, there have been few who dare to bare their teeth at me—even that kid Helan Shou doesn’t dare."

With that, Yao Shi Yue turned to leave, but at that moment the Rabbit Heroine suddenly called to her, "Aunt Yue."

"Hmm?"

"Are you just going to leave them here? Winter Hunting Zhenren isn’t dead yet, you know." The Rabbit Heroine reminded.

"Don’t worry, Helan Shou isn’t dead, but his Lion Wolf Armor and Moon-Stepping Boots are wasted, just repairing these two tokens would keep him busy for ten years. He wouldn’t dare to provoke me again." Yao Shi Yue said calmly, "He fears I might come and slaughter him."