The smooth official road had long since become rough, pockmarked with craters of various sizes and trenches of differing depths.

Bodies lay strewn across the ground.

A cold wind blew.

Torn, blood-soaked clothes flapped in the wind.

A sharp blade, stuck point-down in the earth, was still humming defiantly before a foot viciously kicked it away.

The thick stench of blood hung in the air, refusing to dissipate.

"Senior Brother Qiu."

A handsome youth with sharp features, holding a folding fan, spoke as he gently waved it:

"These two are enchanting beauties. Don’t be in such a hurry to kill them; I have a use for them."

"I know," Senior Brother Qiu, who wore a black headband and carried a massive black coffin on his back, said in a muffled voice.

"Their belongings are mine, their bodies are yours."

"Junior Brother Zhang, no matter what good things they have on them, don’t regret this when the battle is over."

"Of course I won’t." Junior Brother Zhang shook his head and shouted to the other Cultivators in the field,

"Did you all hear me clearly? Be gentle when you make your move. If you harm these beauties, don’t blame me for being impolite."

"Yes!"

"We definitely won’t!"

"How could we bear to be rough with such stunning beauties? Haha..."

A chorus of demonic howls erupted as twenty to thirty Demonic Cultivators fanned out, surrounding the two Female Cultivators.

None of these Cultivators were weak; several of them even had Late-Stage Innate Cultivation.

Masters of this caliber.

They would normally never be found in the lands of mortals.

"Senior Sister!" Song Xi gritted her teeth.

"I’ll cover you. Take the chance to escape."

"If we go, we go together." Zhongli Changuang gently shook her head.

"Besides, even if I were alone, I might not be able to escape. It’s better to take one of them down with me if I can."

She took a deep breath. Her Cicada Wing Saber trembled lightly, deflecting several incoming attacks, as her Seven-Colored Clouds unfurled toward one of the men.

As a Core True Inheritance of the Flying Phoenix Lineage, both of the Magical Artifacts she possessed were the finest of High Grade items.

Although they weren’t true Top-Grade Spiritual Artifacts, their power was astonishing.

The Seven-Colored Clouds could be used for both offense and defense, and the Cicada Wing Saber had shocking killing power. Add to that her Cultivation at the level of Breaking Innate Seven Acupoints.

SWISH!

CLANG CLANG CLANG...

Even under the combined assault of six Demonic Cultivators, Zhongli Changuang didn’t fall behind in the slightest, even managing to trade blows.

As for Song Xi.

Her Cultivation was slightly weaker, still at Middle-Stage Innate, but she was exceptionally well-equipped and carried a large number of Spirit Talismans.

Among them were many Tier One High Grade Talismans.

But a person’s strength has its limits.

Zhongli Changuang would grow tired, and Song Xi’s Spirit Talismans would run out.

ROAR!

Several tough-skinned, thick-fleshed Copper Armored Corpses, shrouded in dense Corpse Qi, let out low growls and pounced at the two women.

SWOOSH!

Several colorful Flying Needles darted about the battlefield, shooting out from time to time.

PING...

PFFT!

In a moment of carelessness, Zhongli Changuang was struck in the waist by a Copper Armored Corpse. Her face turned deathly pale as she spat out blood and was sent flying backward.

From behind, a White Bone Whip and a Soft Tendons Fragrant Jade came crashing down on her.

"Senior Sister, watch out!"

Song Xi cried out and flew over to help, but was blocked by several snickering figures.

"Beauty, where are you off to?"

"Stay and play with us!"

"..."

"Despicable!" Song Xi yelled angrily.

"And you call yourselves people of Cultivation! You’re truly worthy of the Demon Dao!"

"You’ve already said we’re Demonic Cultivators. Wouldn’t we be letting down that reputation if we didn’t do something?" one of them chuckled, reaching out to touch her smooth chin, only to quickly retreat as her longsword struck.

They were toying with her!

Humiliating her!

...

Song Xi’s face flushed with shame and anger. Her beautiful eyes glinted as she flipped her hand and produced a Spirit Talisman.

"Watch out!"

The Demonic Cultivators seemed to be joking around, but they had never let their guard down. The moment they sensed trouble, they immediately scattered and retreated.

The Cultivators from the Celestial Corpse Sect went even further, commanding their zombies to surround them.

PFFT!

THUD!

Not long after.

The two women staggered, despair filling their eyes.

In truth, they both knew very well that if the Cultivators from the Joyful Sect hadn’t wanted to capture them alive, they would have never lasted this long.

"Junior Sister, in a moment, I’ll kill you first, then kill myself," Zhongli Changuang said, her body trembling as she lowered her eyes.

"We can’t let these demons humiliate us!"

"...Mmm," Song Xi nodded, crying.

"Senior Sister..."

"Why have they stopped?"

Just as the two women were preparing for a final, desperate struggle—and to take their own lives if they failed—they noticed that the Demonic Cultivators were all looking up at the sky with grave expressions.

In the distant sky.

A carriage was slowly flying toward them.

The carriage was borne aloft by four strange, shadowy figures, approaching the crowd at a steady, unhurried pace.

As it drew closer, a powerful Divine Soul fluctuation, one that didn’t belong to an Innate Qi Refiner, swept across the entire area.

Dao Foundation!

The two women’s faces changed drastically.

This place had long been occupied by the Demon Sect. A Dao Foundation Cultivator appearing nearby was, nine times out of ten, also a Dao Foundation expert from the Demon Sect.

If it were a senior from the Righteous Dao, they wouldn’t be so calm and unhurried.

Seeing the carriage land nearby, Senior Brother Qiu, with the coffin on his back, swallowed hard, took a step forward, and cupped his hands.

"Qiu Jiu of the Celestial Corpse Sect greets you, Elder."

"Celestial Corpse Sect?" Zhu Ju sat inside the carriage, his thoughts racing, but his voice was calm and steady.

"What is going on here?"

"We were ambushing disciples of a Righteous Immortal Sect here and have had some success," Qiu Jiu replied respectfully.

"May I ask for Elder’s name?"

"My name is Shii Xuan. I am a wandering Daoist from the Ten Thousand Mountains, here at the invitation of the Black Death Master," Zhu Ju said.

"Do you know of him?"

’Shii Xuan?’

A look of confusion appeared in Qiu Jiu’s eyes.

"Elder’s great name resounds like thunder in our ears," Junior Brother Zhang chimed in hurriedly from the side.

"This junior is Zhang Yongge, a disciple of Fairy Baimiao from the Joyful Sect. I once had the fortune of meeting the Black Death Master."

Of course, he had never heard the name ’Shii Xuan’, but who could possibly know all the Loose Cultivators from the Ten Thousand Mountains?

However, the Black Death Master had indeed thrown in his lot with the Demon Sect, so if this person came at his invitation, there shouldn’t be a problem.

The key was,

why would a Dao Foundation expert bother lying to them?

’I guessed right!’

Inside the carriage, Zhu Ju breathed a slight sigh of relief. It seemed his guess was correct; the Black Death Master had indeed defected to the Demon Sect.

He gently lifted the carriage curtain, pointed down, and said,

"That woman down there is not bad. Quite to my liking."

"This..." Zhang Yongge’s expression changed slightly. A brief struggle appeared in his eyes before he gritted his teeth and nodded.

"It is her good fortune to be noticed by Elder. This junior will naturally offer her to you."

Down below, the two women’s faces changed.

"Junior Sister."

Zhongli Changuang took a deep breath and said in a low voice,

"Falling into the hands of an old Dao Foundation Demon is still better than becoming a Furnace Tripod for the Joyful Sect. Besides, that man is a Loose Cultivator from the Ten Thousand Mountains. You might find a chance to return to the Sect."

"Go!"

"Senior Sister," Song Xi shook her head, crying.

"No!"

"If we go, we go together!"

SWOOSH!

A dim yellow light descended from the sky, landing on Song Xi. The Dust Banner enveloped her figure and began to lift her into the air.

She was the one Zhu Ju had pointed at.

"No!"

Song Xi roared.

"I’m not going! If I go, you have to take my Senior Sister with me!"

’Damn it!’

Inside the carriage, Zhu Ju’s expression was grim. He was tempted to abandon the two women and leave immediately.

He had bluffed his way past the Demonic Cultivators, but he didn’t dare use any real power.

If Song Xi didn’t stop resisting, the Dust Banner wouldn’t be able to forcibly take her away at all.

And for a Dao Foundation Cultivator, that should have been an effortless task.

’If I didn’t owe you Spirit Stones, I wouldn’t care if you lived or died!’

"Haha..." Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Zhu Ju laughed loudly and said,

"What a girl with personality. I happen to like this kind of character. In that case, both of you can come up."

"Elder." Zhang Yongge’s face paled.

"It’s fine if you take the other woman, but this one is a Furnace Tripod that an elder from my Sect has taken a fancy to."

Song Xi was one thing; just a Middle-Stage Innate Female Cultivator. Although he was reluctant to let her go, it wasn’t a huge loss.

But Zhongli Changuang was different.

Not only was her Cultivation at the Late-Stage Innate, but she was also a Core True Disciple of the Bright Void Sect’s Flying Phoenix Lineage.

There were many benefits to capturing her.

"Is that so?" Zhu Ju’s voice was ethereal.

"Do you know the consequences of lying to a Dao Foundation Cultivator?"

"Besides, so what if a fellow Daoist from the Joyful Sect has his eye on her? If he can’t bear to part with her, he can come find me and ask for her back. Do you think I would forcibly take her?"

"Elder," one of the men in the field said, his face showing displeasure.

"We’ve suffered considerable losses for these two women. For you to take them both without a word... are you looking down on our Joyful Sect and Celestial Corpse Sect?"

"Hmph?" Zhu Ju’s expression turned cold.

"How audacious!"

"A mere Innate dares to threaten me? Do you really think I’m so easily bullied?"

WHOOSH...

The carriage curtain was thrown open, revealing a figure wearing a strange mask. A two-foot-long ray of light shot out from the figure’s eyes.

Soul-Stabilizing and Soul-Slaying Divine Light!

SWOOSH!

The Divine Light ignored the hundred-meter distance and struck directly into the Sea of Consciousness of the Demonic Disciple who had broken through to the Innate Six Acupoints.

THUD!

The Demonic Cultivator’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed to the ground.

"He... he’s dead?"

The Demonic Cultivators beside him backed away, their faces filled with terror.

Even Zhang Yongge and Qiu Jiu, both at Innate Perfection, showed fear on their faces and subconsciously tensed up.

A Six Acupoints Innate was nothing in their eyes, someone they could easily kill. But to kill with a single glance was truly terrifying.

For a moment, everyone was terrified. Not a single person dared to make a sound.

"Hmph!"

Inside the carriage.

Zhu Ju’s forehead was beaded with sweat as he suppressed the feeling of weakness from forcefully channeling his Divine Soul Power and activated the Dust Banner to envelop the two women.

"Get up here, now!"

The two women snapped back to their senses, subconsciously relaxed their resistance, and were swept into the air by the dim yellow light.

......

Enveloped in the Dust Banner’s Spiritual Light, Song Xi cautiously moved her body and exchanged a glance with Zhongli Changuang.

’No restraints!’

Zhongli Changuang gently shook her head.

’The Demon in the carriage can kill an Innate who has broken through Six Acupoints with a single glance. His strength is unfathomable; we are no match for him.’

’The fact that he hasn’t placed any Restrictions on us must mean he’s absolutely confident that he has nothing to fear from any of our tricks.’

’We absolutely cannot act rashly!’

THUD!

The carriage landed on a mountaintop. Zhu Ju’s voice came from within, and—though it might have been their imagination—the two women thought they heard a hint of exhaustion in it.

"I have only recently come out of seclusion. What has been happening here?"

"..." The two women looked surprised, then Zhongli Changuang spoke, neither servile nor overbearing.

"Replying to Elder, the Dazhou Court has colluded with Demonic Cultivators and, in a short period, has successively broken through several Immortal Sects. Even the Profound Clarity Immortal Sect is on the verge of collapse. Furthermore, they have amassed a large army with the intent of attacking the Ancient Northern Pass. We Righteous Cultivators came out of our sects to intercept them upon hearing the news."

"The vicinity..."

"...has become a battlefield for the clashes between Righteous and Demonic Cultivators!"

’So the Demonic Cultivators want to capture the Ancient Northern Pass. That would cut off the escape route for Righteous Cultivators fleeing south, trapping them like turtles in a jar.’

’No wonder there are so many people of Cultivation nearby.’

After some thought, Zhu Ju asked slowly,

"Do you know the situation in Hejian Prefecture?"

"Hejian Prefecture?" Zhongli Changuang frowned.

"A Mortal city?"

"We don’t know much, but most of the nearby Mortal cities are being ravaged by Demonic Cultivators, and the Blood Flood Dragon Bandits are also active. For the most part, it’s not peaceful."

"I see." Zhu Ju seemed lost in thought, then he spoke.

"You may go."

’Huh?’

The two women were stunned.

"I have some connection with your Bright Void Sect. I saved you today for the sake of an old friend," Zhu Ju explained.

"Now."

"You can leave."

The two women looked at each other, speechless.

"What?" Zhu Ju’s voice deepened.

"You don’t plan on leaving?"

"No!" Zhongli Changuang came to her senses and said hurriedly,

"Thank you for your help, Elder. However, since you have a connection with our Sect, why do you entangle yourself with the Demon Dao?"

"Why don’t you..."

"Silence!" Zhu Ju’s voice grew stern as he shouted.

"Don’t speak such nonsense! Since ancient times, the Righteous and the Demonic have been irreconcilable. I have already shown you great mercy by saving your lives. Don’t push your luck. I’ll give you ten breaths to leave, or don’t blame me for turning ruthless."

"Ten!"

"Nine!"

"..."

"Elder, we will take our leave." Hearing his voice grow increasingly stern, Zhongli Changuang hastily cupped her hands.

She turned, grabbed Song Xi’s hand, and rushed down the mountain, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"Phew..."

Only after the two women were far away did Zhu Ju let out a sigh of relief. He flashed out of the carriage and, with a flick of his sleeve, put it away.

’This is trouble. This area has actually become a battlefield for Cultivators?’

His brows furrowed slightly as he flashed away, heading in the opposite direction from where the two women had left.

There, in that direction, was a city of Mortals.

’To get news about Mortals, it’s best to ask other Mortals.’

’Besides, after the bluff I just pulled to take the two women, the Demonic Cultivators will definitely report it. My "Shii Xuan" identity will be exposed sooner or later. Hiding in the Mortal World will also help me evade the Demon Saber’s pursuit.’