Chapter 29: To Quench the Hatred in My Heart!

Chu Sang had no interest in the female lead’s drama; her focus was entirely on the spirit stones.

Completing the mission earned them a reward of one million spirit stones, and with the two hundred beast heads they had slain, they could exchange them for over twenty million low-grade spirit stones in total.

That would be more than enough to buy a mid-grade spirit vein with a decent spiritual source!

“Second Senior Brother, Seventh Senior Brother, it’s time for us to go,” Chu Sang said as she threw out a flying sword.

By her calculations, the elders of the eight great immortal sects should be arriving soon. As for settling the civilians and rebuilding the city, they could leave that to others to handle.

“Chu Sang.”

Mo Qingchen called out to her, hesitating.

Seeing him step forward and reach for her arm, Chu Sang instantly recoiled, retreating three paces as if avoiding a venomous snake. Her eyes widened, “Don’t come any closer!”

This was the male lead—the character whose touch meant certain death for her, a mere supporting role. She remembered all too well that in the original story, this treacherous man had run her through with a sword.

Could they not simply forget the past, pretend not to know each other, and go their separate ways?

Mo Qingchen frowned, confused by her extreme reaction. After all, they had relied on each other for survival in the past, and she used to be so dependent on him.

“…I don’t mean any harm. I just want to talk,” his voice was dry.

“Sorry, not interested. I’ve got more pressing matters to attend to.” Chu Sang grabbed her two senior brothers and made a quick getaway, not giving him a chance to say more.

Not far away, Qin Xixue approached, seeing Mo Qingchen standing with his head bowed, his expression full of sorrow. A strange emotion stirred in her heart.

In her memory, this young man had always been distant and cold, never showing such vulnerability…

A faint smile curled her lips as she gently offered comfort, “Don’t be sad, Brother Qingchen. Second Senior Sister has already joined another sect; she has nothing to do with us anymore.”

“She’s surrounded by new people now, naturally drifting away from us…”

Though these words sounded like consolation, they were really a reminder that the distance between them had only grown wider.

Mo Qingchen’s hand clenched and then relaxed at his side. “She has changed…”

She never used to speak to him in that tone, nor would she avoid him like the plague.

Could it be that he had made a mistake?

Qin Xixue’s eyes flickered as she pulled out a bottle of elixirs and placed it in his palm. “Don’t dwell on it, Brother Qingchen. You’re injured. Here, take this top-grade Healing Elixir and recover quickly.”

It was only then that Mo Qingchen remembered his injuries. He replied indifferently, “There are only two of these Healing Elixirs. Master gave them to you.”

“Your wounds are more important.” Qin Xixue shook her head, her face full of concern.

Now that her relationship with Yan Wangxian was beyond repair, and she could even expect retaliation from him, Mo Qingchen was her only reliable support.

The young man hesitated for a moment. Over the past few years, he had been alone, with only Qin Xixue showing him concern from time to time.

As she gently held his arm, the familiar warmth made Mo Qingchen soften. In the end, he accepted her kindness. “Thank you.”

After a pause, he added, “I won’t tell Master about what happened today, but you must promise not to make the same mistake again.”

“I knew you were the best, Senior Brother,” Qin Xixue said with a sweet smile.

…

…

After receiving their rewards, Chu Sang and her two senior brothers set out to return to their sect.

Xiao Bai, a small, soft, furry ball, lay atop her head. It wasn’t heavy and actually provided some protection from the wind.

She sat cross-legged on the wide, black iron sword, casually pulling out a few spirit stones from her spatial bag and feeding them to Xiao Bai. Meanwhile, Tantai Ming let out a long sigh beside her, “We made quite a haul of spirit stones this time, but those demons never let grudges go easily. What if that demon king comes back for revenge?”

“Especially you, Little Junior Sister. You’re probably at the top of his hit list. Aren’t you scared?”

Seeing Chu Sang still calmly feeding her pet, as relaxed as ever, Tantai Ming couldn’t help but admire his junior sister’s courage!

“Scared? What’s there to be scared of? If trouble comes, we’ll handle it!” she said with a bold air, then added, “Seventh Senior Brother, do you think my Speed Talisman can outrun a Nascent Soul cultivator?”

“…Little Junior Sister, don’t worry. I’ll protect you when the time comes!” he patted his chest, making a firm promise.

Chu Sang looked touched, but when her gaze landed on his cultivation level, the light in her eyes dimmed. She turned her head to the other side and muttered thoughtfully, “What if I layer a Strengthening Talisman on top of the Speed Talisman? Maybe I could increase the speed by twenty times… That’s worth trying when we get back!”

“You don’t believe in me, Little Junior Sister?!”

Tantai Ming looked hurt. “I’m going to start forming my golden core as soon as we return. From now on, I swear I’ll train hard and break through to Nascent Soul within ten years!”

“Ten years? By then, the grass on my grave will be taller than me.”

“Five years to Nascent Soul!” Tantai Ming quickly corrected himself.

Chu Sang turned back to him and held up three fingers. “Three years to Nascent Soul. No more.”

“Three years? How is that even possible?” He widened his eyes. “I’ll barely be twenty by then. In the entire history of the cultivation world, no one has ever reached Nascent Soul before twenty!”

Chu Sang pouted, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. “Looks like I’m destined to be dismembered by the demons.”

Tantai Ming, unable to stand seeing her like this, gritted his teeth and held up three fingers. “Three years it is! I swear, I’ll reach Nascent Soul in three years!”

Instantly, Chu Sang broke into a smile and clapped his hand. “Deal! I’ll be keeping an eye on your progress during these three years. If I catch you slacking off…”

Tantai Ming shivered, remembering the fear she instilled in him not long ago. He already regretted his promise.

Why did he feel like…he’d been tricked again?

Ling Yu, watching the playful exchange between his junior siblings, couldn’t help but smile and shake his head. But the moment he met Chu Sang’s sweet and innocent gaze, he froze.

Why did he suddenly feel a bit uneasy?

Chu Sang turned to him, “Second Senior Brother, how long have you been stuck in the Golden Core stage?”

“About five years,” Ling Yu replied softly.

He had reached the Golden Core stage at nineteen and had now cultivated to the peak of the middle stage.

This kind of progress would be considered genius-level outside their sect, but clearly, their little junior sister was not satisfied.

“You see, Seventh Senior Brother will reach Nascent Soul stage in three years. Second Senior Brother, you can’t fall behind!” Chu Sang clasped his hand tightly. “How about this—we make a deal too. One year to Nascent Soul, how about that?”

Ling Yu finally understood the source of his earlier unease. Although he was at the peak of the mid-Golden Core stage, just one step away from the late stage, he knew that progressing from the late stage of Golden Core also had several sub-stages. For ordinary cultivators, breaking through could take anywhere from ten to a hundred years, and even for him, it would require several years of steady cultivation.

Yet, when faced with the hopeful and admiring gaze of his junior sister, the words slipped from his mouth almost involuntarily.

“…Alright.”

…

…

In the Demon Realm, within the imperial palace.

Yan Wangxing suddenly opened his eyes and spat out a mouthful of blood.

His blood-red eyes fixed on his hands… The explosion of his avatar had caused backlash to his main body, and as a result, his cultivation level had dropped.

He had been just one step away from the Nascent Soul stage, but now, he had fallen all the way back to the late Nascent Soul stage!

A demon servant outside announced, “Your Majesty, two demon kings have come to pay their respects. Shall I let them in?”

Yan Wangxing roared, “Get out! All of you, get out!”

He refused to see anyone. If those demon Kings found out about his current pitiful state, they would surely seize the opportunity to act against him.

Yan Wangxing immediately went into seclusion, swearing to himself—next time he saw that damned woman, he would kill her to avenge this humiliation!

…

…

As soon as they returned to Lingqing Sect, Tantai Ming immediately went into seclusion. Ling Yu, in order to break through to the Nascent Soul stage within a year, also needed to go out and train to break through his bottleneck. He left the sect early the next morning, maintaining communication through a messaging jade.

“This black egg hatched, huh? It’s a devouring beast, extinct for over ten thousand years. Even I didn’t expect this,” Wenren Yue said, tossing a handful of beast food. Xiao Bai turned its head away in refusal. Only when she painfully offered a few high-grade spirit stones did Xiao Bai graciously allow her to pet it twice.

“Have you named it yet?” she asked, her curiosity piqued.

Chu Sang scratched her nose sheepishly. “I didn’t think it was that important, so I just called it Xiao Bai.”

Wenren Yue nudged her with a sly grin, “You should know, naming a spirit beast or demon beast is important. It represents the owner’s deepest hopes for it, and it can even influence the creature’s personality and growth.”

Chu Sang looked taken aback. “Really?”

Wenren Yue continued, “Spirit beasts awaken an innate skill at birth, and devouring beasts are extremely sensitive to energy fluctuations, including spiritual and demonic energy. They even have the nickname ‘treasure-hunting beasts,’ and their innate skill is treasure hunting.”

As they spoke, a dark cloud gathered over the peak of the mountain, and the surrounding spiritual energy grew thick and heavy, clearly different from an ordinary thunderstorm.

With a loud crack, a brilliant golden thunderbolt struck down on the peak to their right.

That was where their Seventh Senior Brother was in seclusion!

There are three strikes in the Golden Core lightning tribulation.

Before the first strike had even subsided, the atmosphere changed again, and another thick bolt of lightning descended on the right-hand peak.

The lightning was alternating between the two peaks so quickly it was hard to keep up.

“Sixth Senior Brother is forming his core too,” Chu Sang remarked, shading her eyes with her hand as she gazed into the distance.

Their eyes followed the lightning strikes as they hit each peak. Since returning from the secret realm, Mu Chihui had gone into seclusion to refine pills.

He had been in seclusion for months, and now it was finally time for him to come out.

Wenren Yue asked, “Who do you think will finish first?”

“I bet on Seventh Senior Brother,” Chu Sang said.

“I’ll bet on Sixth Senior Brother. Pill cultivators’ tribulations are usually gentler than sword cultivators’.”

The two placed two spirit stones each as wagers.

When the tribulation finally ended and the smoke cleared, two figures flew out from their respective peaks.

They emerged at nearly the same time.

However, their conditions couldn’t have been more different.

Chu Sang recognized the handsome youth in green robes on the right as her Sixth Senior Brother, but… who was the charred figure beside him?

“Seventh Senior Brother, are you okay? You look… really bad.” Chu Sang hurried over and cast a cleansing spell, feeding him several spirit pills. Only then did the roasted figure slowly return to his normal self.

Tantai Ming lay sprawled on the ground in a defeated posture, barely alive.

He glared resentfully at the unscathed Mu Chihui next to him. “It’s not fair! We both went through the same Golden Core tribulation, but you’re completely fine!”

“Life is inherently unfair,” Mu Chihui said with a contemplative look. “My parents prepared a lightning-warding treasure for me long ago. A little Golden Core tribulation is nothing to worry about.”

Tantai Ming fell silent.

Jealousy truly brings out the worst in people.

Mu Chihui handed Chu Sang a bottle of pills with a smile. “Try this. It should help repair your spiritual root.”

Chu Sang’s eyes widened as she took the bottle, sensing the rich herbal aroma and concentrated spiritual energy within. Her fingers tightened. “Thank you, Sixth Senior Brother!”

Mu Chihui stretched lazily, yawning as he spoke. “I had expected to form my core in two years, but because I was tirelessly refining this pill, I broke through sooner than expected.”

Chu Sang quickly took the pill, sat cross-legged, and began refining its power.

The three of them watched her intently.

Chu Sang closed her eyes, and her consciousness entered her sea of spirit once again.

This time, she could clearly see that more sprouts were growing on her fire spiritual root, and they were rapidly flourishing. Her fire spiritual root was gradually regaining its original vibrant color.

“Phew!”

She opened her eyes, a flash of red light flickering within them.

“How is it?”

The three others eagerly asked.

Chu Sang smiled. “It worked!”

Just then, something hard pecked at her finger. She looked down and saw a fluffy, yellow chick.

Mu Chihui quickly grabbed the runaway chick. “I almost forgot about this little guy.”

“When I succeeded in refining the pill, this egg suddenly absorbed all of my pill fire in one go, and then there were three lightning strikes. I thought for sure the egg was done for, but it actually hatched ahead of time.”

“Today is truly a day of four blessings!”

Tantai Ming immediately declared, “Junior Sister, we must celebrate tonight! Let’s have hotpot!”

Mu Chihui rolled his eyes. “You’re just looking for an excuse to eat, aren’t you?”

Wenren Yue chimed in, “I want hotpot too!” After tasting Junior Sister’s cooking, she could never forget it.

Ever since experiencing Chu Sang’s culinary skills, Wenren Yue found it hard to go back to the bland meals she had grown up on, courtesy of her Second Senior Brother.

After dinner, Chu Sang dragged Tantai Ming off to the back mountain for training. From that day on, the nightly sounds of wailing and ghostly cries never ceased.

Three months later, Chu Sang had reached the late Foundation Establishment stage.