Chapter 39: Lingering Yin Spirits

A meal on the Moon-viewing platform progressed Cheng Shan’s plan to gather the Hong Ying. Yang Taizai and others were busy preparing for the Great Demon Competition, not showing up for days. Hong Ying had been accompanying Cheng Shan, helping her get used to life in Tiger Wolf City.

On this evening, as the sun set, Cheng Shan, who had just learned how to fly with magical instruments, sat on the railing outside the moon-viewing platform. Facing the vast mountains, her feet dangled in the air, a gentle breeze swirling around her, creating a sense of tranquility. The golden light of the sunset painted the greenery below. Cheng Shan, holding a fruit plate, enjoyed the scenery without worrying about falling prey to tigers and wolves. After all, if her unskilled magical instrument skills failed, Hong Ying was there to rescue her.

While admiring the sunset, Cheng Shan peeled an orange and said, “Little Dou Ding said that preparing for the Great Demon Competition will take seven or eight years. What exactly are they preparing, and why does it take so long?”

Hong Ying smiled. “I’m not entirely sure, but each demon clan has its own way of doing things, scattered and residing separately. Just registering and documenting is a significant task. In addition, they need to conduct some preliminary aptitude assessments. They can’t just let all the major and minor demons of each clan flood into Tiger Wolf City; that would turn into chaos.”

Cheng Shan muttered, “Even so, seven or eight years is too long.”

Hong Ying said, “In the past, everyone handled things slowly, but I heard from Elder Yang the other day that this time the full-scale demon confrontation is scheduled for half a year from now.”

Cheng Shan, upon hearing this, jumped in shock and directly swallowed the orange seed, shouting, “So soon? Why didn’t you remind me earlier?”

“You…” Hong Ying looked puzzled at Cheng Shan. “Do you need to prepare for something too?”

Cheng Shan jumped off the railing and said, “With my cultivation of less than half a bottle of water, I have to seek last-minute solutions.”

Hong Ying couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. She never expected that the pampered young lady who could eat and sleep would be the one to refine the Zidian. After the demon confrontation, it seemed that the Zidian might change ownership.

Though Hong Ying didn’t hide her worries, Cheng Shan, with a carefree smile, hammered his chest and said, “Will you accompany me somewhere?”

“Where to?”

Cheng Shan mysteriously whispered, “Your place of birth.”

Half an hour later, as the sky darkened, the two appeared above the Demon King Valley. The valley was still covered in mist, but upon closer inspection, something seemed different; a faint greenish tint was visible in the mist. Cheng Shan stood on the Zidian, gazing into the lake for a while, her expression becoming more serious. “Go down and take a look.”

Cheng Shan, plunging towards the lake, was closely followed by Hong Ying. Passing through a thick layer of mist, Cheng Shan finally saw the lake clearly. The entire surface of the lake was covered with a layer of blue-green flames, spreading all the way to the cliffs on the edge of the lake. The fire was not large, without even smoke, but it defied the water’s flow, burning persistently.

The heart-shaped lake stone that Han Luo and Cheng Shan had visited before was now surrounded by flames. Cheng Shan had to continue hovering on the Zidian in the low air. She frowned. “This is…”

“Nine Nether Inferno Fire,” Hong Ying exclaimed, “most likely the handiwork of Ming Yan. But why would he come here and start a fire for no reason?”

Cheng Shan speculated that when she and Han Luo stayed here before, it attracted Ming Yan’s attention outside the valley. In so many days, Ming Yan could not have failed to notice the presence of Yin Li. Thinking of this, Cheng Shan couldn’t help but feel a sinking feeling. She quickly released her divine sense to search for Yin Li but found nothing. Cheng Shan had to focus her search on the lake. Ming Yan had probably expelled Yin Li into the lake, sealing the surface with his unique true fire. The Nine Nether Inferno Fire fed on air and was continuously fueled, making it difficult for Yin Li, despite her great abilities, to resist for an extended period.

Cheng Shan sneered, “Ming Yan wants to force Yin Li out.” She looked around, and if her speculation was correct, Ming Yan should be hiding somewhere nearby, waiting for a chance.

“Yin Li?” Hong Ying was surprised. “Are you talking about the mermaid Yin Li who escaped from the Demon Abyss? Is she here?”

Cheng Shan, without taking her eyes off the water, absentmindedly murmured, “Hmm.” After a while, she finally spotted a place where the fire was relatively weak. Without hesitation, she said, “Wait for me here. I’ll go down and take a look.” With that, she quickly plunged into the lake, where water and fire intermingled and disappeared in an instant.

Before, Hong Ying had witnessed Cheng Shan emerge unscathed from the sunset over the Western Sea, so she wasn’t too worried about her being harmed by Ming Yan’s true fire. She let Cheng Shan go and waited silently in midair.

Cheng Shan was submerged in the lake, avoiding releasing her divine sense to prevent contamination by the Nine Nether Inferno Fire poison. She had noticed that whenever she activated her divine sense, her sea of consciousness would merge with the water area she was in. In such a situation, any poison would become her natural enemy.

Cheng Shan reluctantly took out the jellyfish pearl Yin Li had given her to illuminate the surroundings. Relying on her eyes and limbs, she carefully searched. Just when she was anxiously searching, she suddenly bumped into an underwater reef. A silver silk dress was exposed under the rock, and Cheng Shan was overjoyed. Using the water’s force, she moved the rock aside and finally found the barely alive Yin Li, who had buried herself in the mud at the bottom of the lake.

Yin Li’s eyes were tightly closed, her face was pale, and most of her fishtail scales had fallen off, forming a bloody mess. Cheng Shan immediately lifted Yin Li, gritted her teeth, and carried her out at the fastest speed, summoning the Zidian and ascending to mid-air.

The Zidian suddenly bore the weight of two people, swaying as if it might collapse. Hong Ying quickly stepped forward to stabilize it. Cheng Shan said, “We need to take her back to Tiger Wolf City and let Little Dou Ding take a look.”

Hong Ying nodded without objection on the surface, but her mind was full of thoughts. There were quite a few rumors about Yin Li in the Three Realms, and she had heard some of them. They said Yin Li was born half human and half demon, later turned into a demon, captured by the Ghost Emperor, thrown into the Demon Abyss, and escaped during the upheaval two hundred years ago. After that, she disappeared without a trace, and no one expected her to be hiding here. For Tiger Wolf City at this time, having someone like Yin Li as an additional force was not necessarily a bad thing. However, being both demonic and monstrous and having profound cultivation, she might pose a significant challenge to the Elder Council.

As Hong Ying pondered over these thoughts with a vacant mind for a long time, she finally raised her head and realized that Cheng Shan had been stopped in front of her. Ming Yan was surrounded by flames, standing brightly in mid-air, with an indeterminate number of ghost soldiers behind him.

Cheng Shan, uninterested in idle talk, directly shouted, “Move aside. This is not your underworld!”

Ming Yan, infuriated, sneered, “It’s you again, this little girl who never gives up.”

Cheng Shan spat out disdainfully, “I didn’t want to see you. Always burning all over, why don’t you go and perform somewhere?”

Ming Yan’s mouth twitched, but maintaining his dignity, he spoke in a low voice, “After you put down Yin Li, quickly leave. I’ll let it go this time for the sake of Han Bushang.”

Cheng Shan sneered, “Just make way. I’m sparing you for now, for the sake of my master, and not for the fact that you harmed my friend.”

Just as Cheng Shan was showing off her tongue, Hong Ying had already released a signal flare to contact Tiger Wolf City and then silently stood in front of Cheng Shan. Ming Yan laughed, “Aren’t you the renowned blacksmith from Ghost City? Are you sure you want to stand together with Han Bushang?”

Hong Ying calmly replied, “

She and Yin Li are both from Tiger Wolf City. Ming Yan, as the guardian, you are interfering too much.”

Ming Yan, impatient, rubbed his forehead and waved behind him, saying, “Talking more is useless. Originally, Yin Li might not necessarily be caught alive. Since you seek your own death, don’t blame me.”

Just as the words fell, a group of ghost soldiers emerged behind Ming Yan, wielding celestial nets, and rushed towards the two. Cheng Shan, carrying Yin Li, couldn’t make a move, so Hong Ying leaped forward, transforming into a huge spear in mid-air and sweeping towards the ghost soldiers.

Ming Yan responded by engaging Hong Ying and entangling her, and the ghost soldiers turned their attention to Cheng Shan. Cheng Shan, riding on the Zidian and holding Yin Li, was unable to fight back. She felt a sense of danger, but at that moment, a long and melodious wolf howl echoed from outside the valley.

Cheng Shan’s vision blurred for a moment, and a gust of wind suddenly descended, like fallen leaves in a swift breeze, rushing into the ranks of ghost soldiers. Cheng Shan was forced to retreat continuously by the gust of wind, almost losing control of her instrument and falling off the Zidian. At this moment, the Yang Tanzai, transformed into his original sheep form, suddenly appeared by her side, looked at the Yin Li leaning on Cheng Shan’s shoulder, and said, “Who is this? Let me carry her for you.”

Cheng Shan was finally freed. She turned to look for Ming Yan, and a mix of new and old grievances surged in her heart. She couldn’t help but be angry. “Hong Ying, step aside. I’ll handle this!”