Entranced by the fox song, the Blood Yang Gorilla hurled himself at the girl pair, wagging its large tongue like a crude abomination.

“On your knees.” A voice of melodious impudence echoed from behind the fox girl’s mystical shroud, and immediately, the Blood Yang Gorilla dropped on its knees, standing still like a tame pet. Inside the Gorilla’s monster core, two forces clashed, both jousting for control over its existence. Its previous slave bond versus the fox girl’s bewitching song.

Her song won the fight, erasing the previous bond, and granting her absolute control over the Blood Yang Gorilla.

At that time, building on the healing and momentum she’d received from the pipa tune, Chun Xu drove the sword key across the hurricane’s sinuous pathways, at last finding the formation eye, and slamming the key right into it—the Sword Hurricane collapsed immediately, and Chun Xu’s Sword Key flew into the tomb, fusing with a long blue sword that had stayed sealed in the ground for about 10,000 years.

“Go ahead. Do your thing.” The fox girl told her green-haired partner, whose veil fluttered in the air.

“You sure? I thought you didn’t like me doing it on the Mysterious Beasts you subjugated.”

“Just the ones I find promising. I’m not a fan of subordinates that can’t take a hint. We have more than enough muscle as things stand. I don’t see the use of an overgrown creep that I’d still have to train into a worthy tool. It can die.”

“As you like, Daji. A rank-five Monster Core, and a Blood Yang one at that, is perfect for my breakthrough,” Xiao Hu said, lowered her pipa, and ambled at the Blood Yang Gorilla. Its eyes narrowed at her, looking past the veil, odd green hair, and incomprehensible scarlet eyes, to see through her identity.

“Beauty?” The Blood Yang Gorilla’s inquisitive gaze probed into Xiao Hu’s eyes, making her brows arch up.

“You know me? Mhm, I can sense a lingering connection to you. Was I your previous master? How unfortunate,” she said and placed one hand on the Blood Yang Gorilla’s chest. In her hand, Xiao Hu sensed the monster core and energies. But beyond, the pulse and the life inside the Gorilla connected to her—adding to her sorrow.

Pitch-black colors filled her sclera, and her scarlet pupils flashed with demonic energies. Confused, the Blood Yang Gorilla tilted its head left and right. Formless demonic energies sneaked into its monster core, making its heartbeat speed up, and its muscles spasm uncontrollably.

Interestingly, while Daji had it stay on its knees, her command didn’t force the Gorilla to become Xiao Hu’s offering. It could have tried to struggle—in vain as it couldn’t do much at the moment—but at least scream, rage and resist somewhat.

It didn’t.

“What I want to be, who I want to be…relies on the sacrifices of the likes of you. Will you help me find my…perfect self?” Xiao Hu asked the Blood Yang Gorilla, a murder ritual question she asked all her victims, without really expecting an answer.

But on this occasion, she got one.

The Blood Yang Gorilla’s lips curled up, and it nodded at Xiao Hu, staring at her demonic eyes with a gentle smile. 𝙛r𝚎𝐞𝑤𝚎𝗯𝗻𝗼𝐯e𝚕.𝒄𝐨𝓂

“Beaut—.” The Blood Yang Gorilla didn’t have the time to finish its last word. Xiao Hu’s Swallowing Skill kicked into gear, ripping the Blood Yang Monster Core out of the Gorilla’s chest, and leaving a gaping hole behind. The monster core flew into Xiao Hu’s dantian, dark mist oozed out of her pores, and as she refined the Yang Core, the Gorilla’s body fell limp—collapsing on the ground.

Its blood dripped out, staining Xiao Hu’s sandals. With a casual step, she flew over the corpse, the victim already out of her mind.

Just like Zi Zuixian had observed, following her breakthrough into Foundation Building, Xiao Hu unlocked a Sword Sense that carried a demented and borderline demonic will. Zuixian feared that in time, that demented will would drive Xiao Hu down the path of a demonic cultivator. But never could he expect that it’d happen so soon.

Worse, it had only been a month since Xiao Hu broke through to Foundation Building, and yet her cultivation had reached the late stage, already.

The gorilla’s monster core dissolved in her dantian, fed her Demon Heart, and made her cultivation base experience another leap. Instantly, she broke through to the peak of the Foundation Building Realm, with enough energy reserves to activate her meridians and attempt a breakthrough at Pulse Condensation.

Pleased by Xiao Hu’s progress, Daji clapped at the breakthrough—congratulating herself for the role she played in her sworn sister’s meteoric rise. After joining Daji’s banner, Xiao Hu realized that the cultivation method she practiced had become useless. She didn’t remember how to progress with that method and had no other quality tools to cultivate fast.

Both Xiao Hu’s Wailing Life Transformation and Green Immortal Sword Art operated on their own. But they first needed a catalyst. With the former, it didn’t take long before Xiao Hu realized that her grief, pain and the extreme dangers that she faced throughout her cultivation road, were the technique’s catalysts.

But with the Green Immortal Sword Art, she didn’t know what to do. Worse, the loss of her memories didn’t prevent her heart from filling her with a lingering and ever-increasing sense of rage and emptiness. Over time, these sensations paired with her demented sword will to form a Heart Demon.

With no other choice, Daji led Xiao Hu to a past demonic patriarch’s inheritance ground, helping her find a cultivation method that not only helped her become the master of her Heart Demon, but also complete her Demonic Conversion, and unlock the Swallowing Skill. By relying on that cultivation method—the Heart Demon Law—and her Swallowing Skill, Xiao Hu hunted down monster cores, using them to increase her cultivation base, and strengthen her Heart Demon bloodline.

Peacock and gals stood on their toes. Dong Ling’s eyes narrowed at Xiao Hu, and Chun Xu rose from the ground, spinning to face Xiao Hu. By the time their eyes had locked on one another, the Nameless Sword had flown out of the Sword Tomb, landing in Chun Xu’s hand—her momentum skyrocketed.