Chapter 7: Phantom of the Treasure

Although Fuyao sat to one side, she heard the dialogue between Chiyang and the others clearly, and her heart sank.

That day, she had overheard that Elder Tianmu was doing everything in his power to block her nomination. Furious, she had run to her grandfather, only to accidentally discover Chiyang and Little Mischief before they had shifted their forms, and heard them mention her name.

Later, her grandfather actually told her that her deceased father had been a member of the Netherworld, and that these two spies from the Netherworld had come to their home solely to take her away. With absolutely no mental preparation, she was immediately consumed by rage.

"Grandfather! Have you been drugged by these spies? How can you spout such nonsense? No, I must inform everyone at once, capture these two spies, and see exactly what evil deeds they are planning!"

She remembered saying exactly that while standing in her grandfather’s room that day.

She didn't know how long she had argued, but her grandfather insisted that he was perfectly clear-headed and that everything he said was the absolute truth.

"If I weren't worried that the clan leader election might lead opponents to investigate your origins, why would I prevent you from participating? Someone has already set their sights on you. Do you think I am willing to let my precious granddaughter leave me?" Her grandfather had pleaded with her earnestly for a long time, finally stamping his feet in frustration, his face a map of deep, bunched-up wrinkles.

He insisted he was not senile and forbade her from telling others the truth about the Netherworld spies, shaking his beard as he said, "If you don't listen, Grandfather will never love you again!"

Filled with grief and indignation, she had dashed out of the room, running wildly until she reached the creek, where she wept bitterly, unable to understand what was happening.

It was then that a pair of fair, soft hands, delicate as spring onions, rested on her shoulders. Turning around, she saw the tear-filled eyes of Chunniang, her sworn sister since childhood.

"My dear sister, you have been wronged."

"Sister..." She remembered feeling very surprised at the time.

Chunniang explained, "Look, I had found a secret manual for refining body-guarding substitutes and wanted to share it with my dear sister, so I went to your house to find you and accidentally overheard..."

Fuyao shook her head, saying indignantly, "You know too? Do you think my grandfather has been drugged by those two spies, causing him to lose his mind? How could he spout such outrageous words?"

"Exactly!" Chunniang said with ironclad certainty. "We grew up together; how could you possibly be the offspring of a Nether demon? If you ask me, someone must be jealous of you and is framing you, not wanting you to inherit the position of clan leader."

"Then what should I do? Shall we inform everyone that there are Netherworld spies here?"

"Let me think..." Chunniang pondered for a long time before smiling sweetly. "Don't worry, I have a way. I can definitely make your grandfather regain his senses so he won't continue to be deceived by those two spies!"

That night, Chunniang gave her a white jade vial.

"My dear sister, this is a divine elixir specifically for undoing Netherworld bewitchment. Have your grandfather take it, and he will be clear-headed again. Then, I will gather the clansmen to secretly lay a net, ensuring those damned spies have nowhere to hide and cannot continue to frame my dear sister..."

"Sister, you are so kind! I... how can I thank you?"

Chunniang’s smile was innocent and charming. "Don't mention it. Remember, I will always be the sister who supports you most!"

* * * * * * * *

Grandfather, I'm sorry! Fuyao cried out silently in her heart as large tears streamed down her face.

Fuyao raised her hand to wipe her tears, then suddenly turned to ask Chiyang, "Sister Chiyang, if I truly was born of the Netherworld, what was my deceased father’s name?"

Chiyang was startled. She looked at A-Li, who wore an equally stunned expression, and replied softly, "His name was Shui Mantian."

Upon hearing this, Fuyao fell silent, though her heart felt as if a pot of water were boiling over, surging with turmoil.

While Chiyang and Fuyao were whispering to each other, Shi Jun watched the gathering crowd of demons with cold eyes, feeling secretly anxious.

"Why aren't they attacking? Are they really that afraid of that old hag?" he asked A-Li quietly.

A-Li shook his head. "It's not just that. They have likely already sent someone to invite Julan to come down from the mountains."

Shi Jun was puzzled. "Who is Julan?"

"Oh, Julan is the supreme ruler of the Demon Realm. Although the Demon Realm mostly lives in tribes or groups without a formal monarch, in reality, Julan is their leader. Furthermore, he is the only one in the world who can control this Biyuan," A-Li explained. His demeanor lacked any fear or worry, which made Shi Jun feel secretly curious.

"So, Julan must be the most powerful person in the Demon Realm, then?"

"That's correct. However, it is said that Julan has been in seclusion for a long time, and there hasn't been any news of him for quite a while," A-Li replied.

It seems even demons are fond of secluded cultivation. Shi Jun mused, "If that's the case, we cannot sit here waiting for death. We must find a way to leave before this Julan arrives."

These demons had thick hides and were impervious to blades and spears. If a powerful Great Demon Spirit appeared and called upon the crowd to swarm them, the four of them would find it hard to escape. The Yakshas had yet to appear; they either hadn't heard the news or their own situation was precarious. The only plan now was to find a way to escape as soon as possible.

Thinking of this, he suddenly remembered the Netherworld Token. Twice before, when he activated the token in the Human Realm, he had been instantly transported to the Netherworld. Perhaps this was a good method! Thinking this, Shi Jun immediately took the token from his treasure pouch, ready to chant the incantation, but was pressed down by the sharp-eyed Chiyang. "It's useless. The Demon Realm is different from the Human Realm; there are many restrictive spells set here. Opening the token here will trigger those restrictions and cause even more trouble."

"Then what do we do?" Shi Jun’s plan had fallen through, and he felt somewhat disappointed. "Are we just going to fight them head-on?"

Chiyang smiled bitterly. "What do you think?"

Shi Jun’s eyes lit up. "Right! You guys quickly get into the treasure pouch, and I'll carry you away by flying."

"That won't do. It's too risky," Chiyang said, knitting her brows.

"Why? It was very safe when I came! No one noticed me!"

Chiyang shook her head. "Although you were hidden when you arrived, your tracks are now exposed. It would be effortless for them to lock onto your primordial spirit and track you. Even though your spirit is currently out of your body, it doesn't mean their attacks won't work on you. There are countless demons that can fly. If they catch up to you in mid-air and surround you from all sides, it will be hard to escape. Doing this is even more dangerous!"

"Right now, you are injured, and with Fuyao and A-Li, plus myself, compared to their thousands of demons, it's impossible for us to win. We can't use ghost arts, we can't use the token, and now we can't use the treasure pouch. What do we do then?" Shi Jun looked at Chiyang and said gently, "I know you are worried about my safety, but it's already come to this. We either fight them, and at worst we all die here, or we take a risk, and perhaps there might be a turning point."

Chiyang bit her lower lip and slowly shook her head. "No, I cannot let you take such a big risk."

Shi Jun urged, "What 'can' or 'can't'? Maybe it will be very safe! If we hesitate any longer, it will be too late!"

Turning to look at the demon crowd, which was growing increasingly restless and impatient, Shi Jun said sternly, "Even if you don't think of yourself, think of Fuyao and A-Li. Isn't that why you came?"

"But..." Chiyang was helpless. "Under the eyes of everyone here, our action of slipping into the treasure pouch is too obvious; we can't possibly hide it. How can you escape in such a short time?"

Just as they were at an impasse, everyone’s eyes were suddenly stung by a bright light. Their vision turned completely white, and they could see nothing, hearing only the deafening roar of a massive commotion.

The change was so sudden that Shi Jun had no time to prepare; his heart leaped into his throat. He was extremely tense. When his vision finally cleared, he was shocked by the scene before him.

* * * * * * * *

In the blink of an eye, the towering snow ridge in front of them had not only vanished without a trace, but in its place appeared a massive subterranean cavern. Ten thousand rays of golden light erupted from the cavern, shooting straight into the sky.

The demon crowd that had been surrounding them surged toward the cavern with a "whoosh," jumping and dancing in excitement. Then, like lunatics, they began leaping into the cavern one after another, shouting, "The Nisu Treasure has appeared!" and "Quick, grab it!"

Biyuan, who had been in mid-air with her eyes fixed on Shi Jun, hesitated for a moment after the cavern appeared. Seeing hundreds of demons jump in, she could no longer hold back. She let out a loud cry: "Who dares to snatch things from me?" A flash of red light enveloped her body in a ball of flame, her ten fingers suddenly elongating, pulling and whipping at the demons gathered around the cavern to drive them away. Her golden eyes shot with murderous intent: "Do you think you are worthy of snatching the Nisu Treasure? Get out of my way!"

Saying this, she shouted to Shi Jun, "Mortal boy, wait here obediently! If you run away, I won't spare you!" With that, she leaped into the cavern.

The demons driven away by Biyuan were unwilling to fall behind; they jumped in one after another, shouting and screaming. At this moment, no one paid any more attention to Shi Jun and his companions.

Except for Chunniang and Letu.

Letu and Chunniang’s underlings had initially been afraid to act rashly, but seeing more and more demons jumping into the cavern, they became restless. After a moment of hesitation, they gave a shout and turned to flee.

Ever since Letu saw the snow ridge collapse under the golden light from the earth, he had been unsettled, staring intently at the cavern emitting the golden light. His sleeve was being tightly tugged by Chunniang, who pleaded in a panic, "Don't go! Please help me get the antidote..."

Letu looked around, a flash of anger on his face. He glared at Shi Jun and the others, then wrapped his arm around Chunniang’s slender waist and said softly, "Don't worry, I won't leave you behind."

"I didn't expect you wouldn't jump in with them. That is truly commendable," Shi Jun said, quite surprised that the seemingly cold and vicious Letu was so devoted that he would rather stay with Chunniang than jump into the cavern to snatch the Nisu Treasure.

Letu smiled, revealing small, neat white teeth. "How about we make a deal?"

A deal? Shi Jun was stunned. "What deal?"

"Hand over the antidote," Letu said, enunciating each word. "As long as you hand over the antidote and promise never to return to the Demon Realm, I will let you leave. How about that?"

Shi Jun and Chiyang looked at each other, surprised by Letu’s proposal.

"No way..." Chunniang hurriedly shouted to Letu, but Letu stopped her with a wave of his hand, continuing with a smile, "There's no time to consider this. It's hard to say if this treasure is real or fake. If it's fake, there will surely be a ground collapse and a massive explosion here soon. We won't be able to escape unscathed, so it's better to make a decision and leave."

"Impossible," Fuyao said decisively. "Setting aside the fact that I don't have an antidote, even if I did, I wouldn't hand it over to you despicable, shameless wretches."

A flicker of murderous intent flashed in Letu’s eyes, but it vanished instantly, and he maintained his smile: "Fuyao, how can you not have the antidote? Don't joke around."

"Do I have any reason to lie to you?" Fuyao stood up, her face full of disdain. "Sister Chiyang, let's not pay attention to them; let's leave quickly."

"Wait!" Letu called out. "Think about my proposal; otherwise, do you think you can leave so easily?"

Shi Jun shook his head. "We aren't that naive."

"Exactly," Letu sighed in relief. "This mortal fellow understands reason. Fuyao, just hand over the antidote."

"My meaning is that we aren't naive enough to believe your lies," Shi Jun laughed. "Keep those expedients for someone else. Everyone in the Demon Realm treats Fuyao like a thorn in their side; do you think a few words from you will stop them from pursuing us? If so, why were you just now bowing and scraping like a lapdog to that old hag in red? Besides, with your meager skills, you can't keep us here."

After saying this, he stood up and said to Chiyang, "Let's go."

"You want to leave without handing over the antidote?" Chunniang shrieked, her eyes full of malice, her pretty face twisted and hideous. She flicked her wrist, revealing a glistening long sword. The tip of the blade, split into two small forks like a snake's tongue, shimmered with a ghostly blue luster. "If you can use poison, can't I? At worst, we'll die together!"

With that, she leaped forward and thrust her sword at Fuyao.

"Well done! This is just the chance I needed to avenge my grandfather!" Fuyao shouted, stepping forward to meet her. The two women began to fight.

* * * * * * * *

Chunniang was anxious, fearing Fuyao would escape in the chaos. Her sword strikes were vicious, leaving no room for retreat.

Fuyao also hated this former sister who was "honey-tongued and dagger-hearted." She attacked with all her might, her silver whip cracking like a whip-lash, showing no mercy.

The two women were beautiful and graceful; although they were fighting for their lives, it looked like a dance, dazzling to behold.

Fuyao’s true skill was clearly far superior to Chunniang’s. Before long, her long whip had torn several rips in the front and back of Chunniang’s black robe, and the white scarf around her neck was whipped off onto the snow. Although Chunniang was fearful and worried about the poison taking effect, she held on desperately. Letu, seeing this, became anxious and couldn't help but launch a sneak attack, flicking his left hand to release dozens of poisonous needles at Fuyao.

Fuyao whipped her long whip, binding Chunniang’s sword, and pulled it back with force. At the same time, she leaned backward and threw a red marble with her free hand. It exploded with a "bang," turning into a dense, oval-shaped net that caught all the poisonous needles. She shouted, "A chieftain, and yet you resort to sneak attacks! How despicable!"

She released Chunniang’s sword and swung her silver whip, striking the net. Dozens of poisonous needles shot straight at Chunniang. Chunniang, caught off guard, screamed as all the needles hit her.

"Chunniang!" Letu was filled with regret and fury. A malicious thought took hold of him; he drew a massive greatsword and lunged forward.

Shi Jun hadn't expected that fighting in the Demon Realm was similar to martial arts films—mostly physical attacks with weapons. This was vastly different from the Netherworld, the Celestial Realm, or the Demon Realm, and he was quite curious, watching their every move closely.

Just then, the snow underfoot began to shake, emitting a massive roar.

* * * * * * * *

"Oh no, it's a fake treasure!" A-Li shouted. "Miss, let's get out of here!"

Letu froze, immediately stopping his charge to rush to Chunniang’s side. "Chunniang, this is no place to stay. Let's go!"

"I'm not going!" Chunniang’s eyes were almost as red as her hair. She jumped up, wanting to lunge at Fuyao again like a mad tiger, but was held back by Letu.

By now, there were few demons left who hadn't jumped into the cavern. Those who realized the situation was dire turned to run, but the intense shaking caused them to fall to the ground. Several winged demon beasts took to the sky, but a slow-moving clam demon lost its footing and fell into the cavern with a mournful cry.

Following a series of muffled explosions, dozens of winged demons and beasts flew out of the cavern one after another, their expressions terrified and disheveled.

"Let me go!" Chunniang shrieked, her hair disheveled and face tear-streaked, struggling desperately to break free from Letu’s embrace. "If she doesn't hand over the antidote, I'm dead! I can't let her go!"

The golden light in the cavern vanished abruptly, and a massive cloud of black gas surged out, spinning like a tornado and carrying the fleeing demons higher and higher.

"Fuyao, A-Li, quickly get into the treasure pouch!" Chiyang commanded. Shi Jun understood and immediately took out the pouch: "Quick!"

"What about you two?" Fuyao, who had been in the heat of the fight, looked somewhat bewildered at suddenly losing her opponent.

Chiyang urged, "Don't worry, we'll be fine!" A-Li also persuaded, "Miss, there is no time to lose, get in!"

As they spoke, Fuyao and A-Li finally entered the treasure pouch. Chiyang and Shi Jun breathed a sigh of relief and rose into the air together.

Letu held Chunniang tightly and shouted, "Don't worry, I will never let them leave just like that!"

* * * * * * * *

Hundreds and thousands of demons were trapped in the black gas, wailing mournfully. The sounds were extremely tragic.

"You get into the treasure pouch too, quick!" Shi Jun’s ears were almost deafened by the massive explosions. He shouted at Chiyang beside him, but he could barely hear his own voice.

"Wait a moment, we'll do it once we reach a safer place," Chiyang replied loudly.

Chunniang and Letu were not skilled at flying. Watching Shi Jun and Chiyang fly higher and higher, they knew they couldn't catch up. Chunniang gritted her teeth and chanted an incantation. Her feet instantly turned into tree roots, rooting into the snow, and her hands stretched upward like a sapling sprinkled with magic fertilizer. Her skin changed from snow-white to deep blue, and her red hair transformed into branches and leaves, snaking directly toward the two. As soon as they touched Shi Jun’s body, they automatically curled like snakes, binding him and Chiyang tightly.

"Want to leave? Not so easy!" Chunniang gasped, grinning hideously.

"Are you crazy? We're about to have a massive explosion!" Letu grabbed Chunniang, anxious and flustered, completely losing his earlier composure. "They won't get away! Believe me, let's get out of here!"

With a massive explosion, the deep blue ice layer of the snow valley floor shattered.

Shi Jun and Chiyang were bound tightly by the branches. Chiyang didn't seem affected, but Shi Jun’s neck was flushed red, and he could barely breathe. Yet, the seemingly delicate branches were like steel cables, binding his body so tightly he couldn't move a muscle.

"Hand over the antidote!" After transforming, Chunniang had become a massive tree with deep blue bark and blood-red leaves, flourishing with branches. Only her beautiful face remained on the trunk, appearing extremely eerie.

With a thunderous crash, a dazzling silver light diffused from the black cloud. Flesh, bone fragments, and feathers rained down from the sky like a violent storm, pummeling Letu, Chunniang, and the few remaining demons and beasts below, leaving them terrified and soul-stricken.

Red light flickered in the black gas. Biyuan had struggled to break free from the center and flew into mid-air, her face pale and fearful. It was clear she had been severely shaken; her chest heaved, and she couldn't speak a word. Her red robe was splattered with the blood of the dead demons and beasts.

Seeing Shi Jun bound by the branches, Biyuan was startled at first, then anger appeared on her face, but she was gasping for air and couldn't speak.

Seeing that even Letu, a chieftain with decent cultivation, was in such a sorry state, Shi Jun found it somewhat amusing, though he had no heart for it. He knew that once this mad woman came out, she wouldn't let him go easily, so he quickly shouted to Chiyang, "Why can my primordial spirit be captured? What do we do now?"

Chiyang smiled lightly and shouted, "Yinyan, come out!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Yinyan emerged from the treasure pouch, its four hooves stepping on small silver flames. Its body grew larger, and its white wings flapped powerfully. It circled in mid-air for a moment, then lunged forward, extending its front legs and revealing sharp, blood-red claws, instantly slicing through the branches binding Shi Jun and Chiyang.

Once freed, Shi Jun’s body began to fall, so he quickly grabbed Chiyang and ascended, rising to a height where Chunniang’s branches couldn't reach. Chiyang whistled to summon Yinyan away.

Chunniang groaned in pain, her expression changing as thousands of her branches thickened and grew, lashing out at Yinyan in the air. Yinyan circled and spat out a ball of flames. With a "puff," the dense canopy of blood-red leaves was instantly engulfed in flames.

Chunniang let out a long, piercing cry of agony.

Letu’s expression changed drastically. At that moment, the ice layer on the valley floor shook violently again. The cavern collapsed in the tremors, and a massive fissure opened up on the snow. Chunniang’s tree roots were right at the edge of the crack. With her top on fire, she was in a panic and could only lash out with her branches, causing the branches that hadn't been burning to catch fire as well. She had no strength left, lost her center of gravity, and began to tilt toward the fissure. By the time she realized it, it was too late.

"Save me!" Chunniang pleaded frantically, screaming at Letu.

Letu was anxious but not panicked. He pressed his left hand to his chest, and his black armor split apart, transforming into black iron rings that interlocked in the air. Within half a minute, it became a black chain.

Letu swung the chain, wrapping it around Chunniang’s trunk. He planted his feet into the snow, pulling her back with all his might, shouting, "Sister Biyuan, please help me!"

The earth shook again, and the fissure widened. Shi Jun, in mid-air, could faintly see that the depths of the crack were pitch black and bottomless.

Biyuan, in mid-air, adjusted her breath and snorted, "I can barely look after myself; why should I help you save this little demon?" She turned to look at Shi Jun. "Mortal boy, trying to sneak away?" She immediately flew toward Shi Jun’s direction.

"Run!" Chiyang pulled Shi Jun and shouted, "If we get caught by that old woman, we'll be in trouble!"

At this moment, the fire on Chunniang’s canopy was raging, the charred branches snapping and falling with smoke. Chunniang’s screams echoed in the valley, and Shi Jun couldn't bear it. He turned back, raised his hand, and cast a hand seal at Chunniang. A fierce wind blew, and a green dragon appeared, flying over Chunniang’s head and transforming into a downpour of rain. It drenched Chunniang and Letu, but it also extinguished the raging fire completely...