Chapter Three: A War of Words (Part I)

A trace of madness flashed through Bi Yuan’s eyes as she swept her gaze around the battlefield and smiled with satisfaction. “Well? Now you’ve seen how powerful I am, haven’t you?”

“You…” Shi Jun stared at her in utter disbelief. “You injured all those members of your own clan just to show me how powerful you are? Are you insane?”

“She’s completely mad!” Chi Yang sneered. “To think that someone like her could become a demon spirit. She’s a disgrace to the entire Demon Realm!”

The demons retreated in panic, putting as much distance as possible between themselves and Bi Yuan. The more timid among them had already fled at full speed, not daring to remain in this place of trouble for even another moment.

“So what if I am? Mortal brat, you’d better come with me obediently!” Bi Yuan shouted.

In truth, Bi Yuan had another reason for taking an interest in Shi Jun. Earth was the root of wood, but she did not know that Shi Jun possessed a special constitution. She assumed he was merely an ordinary mortal with an earth affinity. In the Demon Realm, if a demon could obtain the aid of an earth-aligned mortal during cultivation, the results would be twice as effective with half the effort.

Bi Yuan’s constitution was wood-aligned but close to fire. After cultivating for many years, she had nearly reached the limit of her abilities. If she continued, she would be in grave danger of losing control and going berserk. That was why she had chosen Snow Valley as a secluded place to cultivate. Had she not been constrained by the pact among the Four Realms and fearful of punishment from the great demon spirit Ju Lan, she would have gone to the mortal world long ago to seize several mortals for herself.

Now that Shi Jun had delivered himself to her door, she naturally had no intention of letting this supreme treasure—an ideal companion for cultivation, tribulation, and training—slip away.

Shi Jun could not even be bothered to answer her. Out of habit, he reached for his Ice Shield, only to grasp empty air. Then he remembered that the first magical treasure he had painstakingly cultivated had long since been destroyed by this madwoman. His anger flared anew.

He pointed at Bi Yuan, and unexpectedly unleashed the Chaos Spirit Art he had secretly learned from Chi Shang. Yet the hand seal vanished into the void like a stone sinking into the sea, having no effect whatsoever on Bi Yuan. In desperation, Shi Jun hastily erected a barrier and, one after another, laid down three defensive restrictions. At the same time, he thrust out both hands and cast the Water Dragon Wave.

In an instant, two azure water dragons surged from his fingertips. But the moment they burst through the barrier, hundreds of tree roots shot upward to block them. Before the dragons could even turn, the roots pierced them until they were riddled with holes. They dissolved into a torrential downpour that splashed across the ground.

Though the demons feared Bi Yuan, they were still united in dealing with the “spies.” The tree demons attacked as one and immediately broke through the Water Dragon Wave.

Having succeeded with a single strike, the tree roots—thick as monstrous serpents—instantly lashed toward Shi Jun and the others again.

“Do not hurt him!” Bi Yuan shouted.

She struck her palms together. Her ten fingers lengthened in an instant, their slender tips glowing with a ghostly blue phosphorescence. From several hundred feet away, they stretched toward the group and effortlessly seized most of the roots. Her palms closed, and great clouds of smoke billowed from between her fingers. The intense heat, formed directly from her demonic power, transformed the tree demons’ branches into vapor.

The tree demons shrieked in agony. They tried to withdraw their roots, but they were unable to do so. The demons watching from the sidelines were both terrified and resentful of Bi Yuan, the madwoman who could not distinguish friend from foe, yet none dared speak out.

* * * * * * * *

“I don’t care what happens to anyone else. This mortal brat is mine. Anyone who hurts him is declaring war on me!”

Savage fury churned in Bi Yuan’s eyes. Her voice was shrill and piercing as she looked around provocatively.

“For your own selfish gain, you slaughter the innocent without a second thought. You’re a deranged, utterly depraved lunatic!”

Although Fu Yao was being hunted by her own kind, she still considered herself a member of the Demon Realm. As a tree demon, she could no longer stand by and watch. With an angry expression, she untied a slender silver whip from her waist, flicked her wrist, and struck at Bi Yuan.

When unfurled, Fu Yao’s whip was more than ten feet long. It was made of linked sections of silver metal, its surface carved with countless intricate patterns that shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight.

She raised her hand and brought the whip down. Like a venomous dragon, the long whip sprang into the air with ghostly speed and struck Bi Yuan’s sharp claw. With a crisp snap, the claw—roughly sixteen feet long after her transformation—fell to the ground.

Bi Yuan’s face darkened with fury. “You little tree demon! You’ve got some nerve!”

A vicious glint appeared in her eyes. She opened her blood-red mouth and spat out a mass of silver-red flame. It shot toward Fu Yao’s face with terrifying speed.

Fu Yao turned deathly pale. Bi Yuan had always been extremely protective of her appearance, and having one of her claws severed had enraged her so completely that she had actually unleashed the Life-Seizing True Flame refined from her primordial spirit.

Fu Yao’s cultivation was vastly inferior to Bi Yuan’s. If even a spark of that deadly flame touched her, her body and spirit would most likely be annihilated.

Hearing Fu Yao cry out in alarm and seeing her peril, Chi Yang leaped forward without hesitation and shielded her with her body. She plucked the empty bowstring, and the spell known as Burst Current appeared upon it, spinning rapidly as it gathered power.

Chi Yang then bit through the tip of her tongue and spat a mouthful of blood onto Burst Current. Forcibly drawing the golden bow to its limit, she released the arrow with all her strength.

A thunderous explosion erupted.

The Life-Seizing True Flame collided violently with Burst Current in midair and burst apart. The golden bow snapped, and Chi Yang staggered several steps before collapsing to the ground. Her throat tightened, and she spat out a great mouthful of blood.

“Chi Yang!”

At the sight of this, Shi Jun nearly stopped breathing. His heart felt as though it were being hammered again and again, each beat bringing unbearable pain. He rushed to Chi Yang’s side, but darkness suddenly engulfed his vision. The world spun, and he lost consciousness.

“Shi Jun!”

Badly wounded and already dazed, Chi Yang saw him suddenly collapse. Her heart ached terribly. She forced herself upright and tried to lift his unconscious body, but Shi Jun’s primordial spirit possessed form without substance. Her hands passed through him, grasping nothing. The pain in her heart burst forth as tears streamed down her face.

When Bi Yuan saw Shi Jun collapse, she was startled. Her hand loosened, and the tree demons whose roots she had seized were released as though granted a pardon. Crying out in pain, they immediately withdrew toward the edge of the battlefield and fled. Their speed was like that of galloping horses—at least three times faster than when they had arrived.

Seeing Chi Yang risk her life to save Shi Jun, Fu Yao was both astonished and grateful. She hurriedly asked, “How are you? And what happened to him?”

Chi Yang seemed not to hear. Her eyes remained fixed on Shi Jun’s face, filled with concern and anxiety.

Several minutes later, a faint greenish hue flickered across Shi Jun’s face before he slowly awakened. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Chi Yang staring intently at him. He immediately sprang to his feet and cried, “How are you?”

“Hey, mortal brat, you’re not dead! That’s wonderful.” Bi Yuan had been watching from a distance the entire time. At last, she let out a long breath and greeted him cheerfully.

“Old witch, I’ll settle accounts with you later!”

The sight of the red-robed madwoman immediately rekindled Shi Jun’s fury. He turned to Chi Yang and asked gently, “How are you? You were coughing up blood just now. Are you all right?”

Chi Yang suddenly looked a little embarrassed. She smiled and nodded. “Don’t underestimate me. I’m fine now.”

“You were vomiting blood! That can be serious. With the constitution of someone from the Netherworld, how much blood can you afford to lose? No, I’m going to find those pills and give them to you. You can decide which ones you can take. Don’t force yourself to endure it!”

Seeing how composed Chi Yang appeared, Shi Jun felt somewhat relieved, but he still could not stop worrying and continued to fuss over her.

“What happened to you just now?” Chi Yang asked uneasily. “You were perfectly fine, and then you suddenly collapsed. Are you ill? Is anything still bothering you?”

“Collapsed?” Shi Jun looked bewildered. “That’s impossible. I’m as sturdy as they come. How could I collapse? Could it have something to do with my primordial spirit leaving my body?”

* * * * * * * *

Just then, a sudden commotion arose among the demons. Everyone turned to look and saw Le Tu hurriedly arriving with Chun Niang and the others.

Before long, reports began passing from one person to another. After asking a few questions, Chun Niang quickly pieced together what had happened. She stepped aside and quietly reported the news she had just learned into Le Tu’s ear.

Le Tu’s face became as still as water. He said nothing for a long while. Then his smile suddenly returned, and he cupped his hands toward Bi Yuan.

“After several decades apart, Sister Bi Yuan, you are as radiant as ever, and your cultivation has surpassed what it once was. Truly, that is cause for celebration!”

“Flatterer.”

Bi Yuan rolled her eyes at Le Tu, though she was secretly pleased. At last, a faint smile appeared on her face.

“Today, I have brought my people to apprehend Fu Yao, the traitor of the Blood Blue Clan. I would never presume to trouble you, Sister Bi Yuan. I only hope that, for the sake of our past friendship, you might show mercy and grant me this small favor.”

When Shi Jun heard this, he immediately raised his voice. “Old witch Bi Yuan, your intelligence is pitifully lacking, so you’re very easy to deceive. Let me enlighten you. Le Tu wants to capture Fu Yao solely because of the Nisu Treasure. I won’t let him have his way. If there’s a fight, then so be it. At worst, we’ll all die together. As for whether you want to be led around by this smiling bastard, that’s your own affair. I couldn’t care less.”

His outrageous speech was meant to buy them more time. First, it would allow Chi Yang to recover from her injuries. Second, he clung to the faint hope that Yasha and the others might hear the news about the hunt for the “traitor” and come rushing to help.

Moreover, if Bi Yuan also happened to covet the treasure and fell out with Le Tu, that would be even better. No matter what happened, every extra moment they could delay was precious.

Le Tu seemed only now to notice the cold, blade-like gleam in Shi Jun’s eyes, yet his smile remained warm and amiable.

“That is true. The Weeping Tree Sheds Tears, and the Nisu Treasure opens—this is already known throughout the Demon Realm. It is also an indisputable fact that Fu Yao colluded with a spy from the Netherworld and intended to sell out the Nisu Treasure. We have already held a public trial and informed everyone of Fu Yao’s crimes. How could Sister Bi Yuan possibly believe your nonsense?”

“Little Sister Fu Yao,” Chun Niang said, her beautiful eyes turning as she fanned the flames at precisely the right moment. “That day at the old clan leader’s home, you repeatedly insisted that someone had framed you. I trusted you without question and searched everywhere for evidence on your behalf. Yet now you are staying with a spy from the Netherworld?”

As she spoke, she examined Shi Jun from head to toe.

“This young man is truly extraordinary. He has form but no substance… He must have projected his primordial spirit. To possess such ability at so young an age—no wonder he is qualified to serve as a spy from the Netherworld and come to our Demon Realm to cause trouble.”

She continued speaking as she strolled about leisurely, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.

With just a few words, she had lumped Shi Jun together with Chi Yang, making it clear to Bi Yuan that the young mortal she wanted to capture alive was also a spy from the Netherworld—someone whom every demon had the right to kill.

Fu Yao stared coldly at Chun Niang. A mocking smile formed at the corner of her mouth, while murderous intent blazed in her eyes.

“Return my grandfather’s life!”

She flicked her silver whip. With a sharp crack, Chun Niang, caught completely off guard, was struck hard across her snow-white cheek.

Fu Yao’s silver whip, known as the Twin Dragons, could split into two or combine into one. Its length was coated with the poisonous substance called Affliction Powder. The instant Chun Niang was struck, her tender left cheek turned black and blue. The pain was unbearable. With a shriek, she threw herself into Le Tu’s arms.