Neutralization.

It’s for better fusion.

Qin Yu listened carefully to everything Su Xihe said, assessing the properties of each herb.

He spent half the morning not on alchemy, but on refining, analyzing the attributes of the herbs.

Herbs with a cold bias, what would they be like.

Hot biased ones.

Mild ones.

And so on.

As Qin Yu observed the changes in the medicinal properties and listened to Su Xihe’s explanations, he gained a deeper understanding.

After half a day, he began soaking in a medicated bath while the two masters left the alchemy room, one after the other.

Heading to the front courtyard, Su Xihe shed her dignified Sect Leader demeanor and lay unceremoniously on the hammock, reading right in front of Liu Zixiao.

"Hey, doesn’t spending every day with Qin Yu worry you that he might have ill intentions?" Liu Zixiao squeezed in next to her, gently nudging her shoulder.

"Him?"

Su Xihe seemed unconcerned, casually curled her lips, and said, "He wouldn’t dare!"

Liu Zixiao glanced over with deep meaning in her eyes.

Indeed, as the Lord of the Immortal Sect, Su Xihe holds an esteemed position, high above.

But don’t forget, Qin Yu, once an unremarkable junior cultivator in Loose Cultivator City, still dared to make a move on Saintess Su Xiyue!

It’s hard to believe he wouldn’t dare.

Moreover, her beautiful sister, the first beauty, is mesmerizing even to women at times.

Not to mention Qin Yu.

Yet, precisely because of Su Xihe’s presence, Liu Zixiao herself felt no sense of threat.

Qin Yu’s talent is indeed commendable.

Though he appears idle, in reality, his cultivation hasn’t fallen behind at all.

Whether he can break through to the Golden Core Realm is uncertain, but his spiritual power will surely advance another level.

His bone age is only in the thirties, refining high tier.

Who knows what kind of sensation it will cause then.

...

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, half a year has passed.

Since moving to the Saintess Cave Mansion, Qin Yu’s days have become more carefree; he no longer has to run around like before.

Unfortunately, his dream of having the Saintess on the left and the Demoness on the right has yet to be realized.

During the day, he continued cultivation with Master, and within just half a year, he reached the late Foundation Establishment stage.

At night, he spent the first half with Lin Qianqian, Zhao Mengli, Yin Qinghe, and the second half with Su Xiyue, saving the last bit of time for Leng Ruyu.

These days are not quite divine, but better than divine!

Recently, the relationship between Cyan Mountain Sect and Demon Sect has grown increasingly close, while Hundred Sword Sect has remained eerily silent.

It is truly silence with hardly any disciples seen in the outside world.

For this, the two Immortal Sects can only maintain strict surveillance.

On this day.

There was an unexpected occurrence at the Ruins Rift.

A conspicuous crack appeared, hanging high in the sky, like a startling scar on the horizon.

At first, the crack wasn’t wide nor long, requiring cultivators to adjust their shapes and positions to enter.

However, it now expanded twice as wide, like an abyss settling there, seeming to swallow one’s spirit with a mere glance.

At the edge of the fissure, an eerie crimson mist swirled and danced like flames in the void, as if this very mist forcibly tore open the rift.

"Roar—"

That day, a sharp and extreme beast roar erupted suddenly from the usually silent Ruins Rift, piercing and potent, compelling all nearby cultivators to cover their ears, faces etched with agony.

As the roar’s echo lingered, the cultivators seemed to awaken from a dream, staring blankly at the massive rift above.

Suddenly, as though some invisible hand lifted the depths of the rift, a flood of violent crimson mist rushed out, like flames spewing from a chimney, withering everything it touched.

A highly pungent and rank scent permeated the air, reminiscent of an ancient slaughterhouse, nauseating and overwhelming.

"What...what is that?"

Some cultivators finally reacted, turning ashen, intending to flee. Others, lacking cultivation, were pinned by this unknown fear, gazing vacantly at the Ruins Rift, unable to take a step.

Following a stunned exclamation, most cultivators turned to observe, witnessing a scene they would never forget.

Encircled at the Ruins Rift’s edge, amidst the hellish, crimson mist that seemed to spill from the Gate of Hell, they saw a pair of enormous pincers extend, bracing the rift’s sides, as if to tear through the barrier of heaven and earth.

"That’s...that’s a Ruins Beast!"

A trembling shout flew through like a cold wind in a forest, instantaneously exploding in each cultivator’s mind, fear spreading like plague, corroding every inch of reason.

Although the terrifying entity wasn’t completely visible, the nauseating stench and savage aura it emitted had already engulfed the surroundings.

The massive pincers stood as tall as a person, covered in a deep, inky sheen, with the surface densely bristled with treacherous barbs, each glinting ominously in the dim light, easily able to slice a person in half.

"Roar—!"

The Ruins Beast seemed eager to break free from the rift, unleashing piercing roars, while under the cultivators’ horrified gazes, the rift’s entrance gradually widened.

Finally.

Half of its form emerged from the gap.

This was an unprecedentedly terrifying existence!

Its entire body was as black as night, colossal in size, reminiscent of a scorpion magnified countless times, a sight that instilled unparalleled pressure and fear in every cultivator present.

"Run! Escape quickly..."

At last, someone broke free from fright, fled in disarray, putting aside all composure as cultivators, clumsily retreating, some even stumbling to the ground, losing all past grace.

However, the more they panicked, the greater their dread, seemingly empowering the Ruins Beast, whose blood-red eyes glowed like lanterns with eerie light.

Whoosh—

A piercing sound suddenly erupted, someone glanced back, immediately collapsing in terror, fingers rigidly pointing to the sky, lips quivering yet unable to utter a sound, pinned by fear as if nailed to the ground, immobile.

Though the Ruins Beast hadn’t entirely broken free, its scorpion-like tail abruptly burst from the rift, piercing through several cultivators’ chests, suspending them high above ground like offerings.

Crimson blood gushed from the wounds, staining the earth beneath.

Before everyone’s eyes, the Ruins Beast didn’t kill those cultivators straight away, but brought one to its maw like a millstone.

Then, it bit down on the cultivator’s calf.

"Ah!..."

The cultivator immediately shrieked in agony.