Chapter Six: Xiaotian's Trick

Seeing Shi Buyi fall for the trick, Xiaotian could not help feeling secretly pleased. It raised its front paw, revealing the Pagoda Reaching the Heavens, and said, "Master, do not throw this thing around casually in the future, or I will no longer be able to follow you. Alright, go inside for a while."

Shi Buyi looked at Xiaotian suspiciously. "Go inside?"

"Yes," Xiaotian replied with a sincere expression. "There are many places to practice cultivation inside this Pagoda Reaching the Heavens, which will be of great benefit in enhancing your strength, Master! Strictly speaking, you are not supposed to enter, but my relationship with you is unusual, so naturally, you are an exception."

Having obtained Shi Buyi's consent, Xiaotian hurriedly taught him the incantation to enter the Pagoda Reaching the Heavens. "In a moment, I will use my magic to send you inside and then guard you!"

"Wait." Shi Buyi rolled his eyes. "Is there only an incantation to go in? What about coming out? Besides, didn't you say you were taking me in? Why do I have to go in by myself first?"

Xiaotian tried its best to hold back a smile and put on an innocent look. "The Pagoda Reaching the Heavens is simply like this; it can only hold one person. If I went in, you would have to wait outside, and there is no special incantation for coming out—wouldn't it be easy enough for you to just walk out yourself?"

"Is that so?" Shi Buyi looked at Xiaotian suspiciously and threatened with a smile, "You had better not play any tricks. It seems we are not that close yet, and if you anger me, I won't spare your feelings."

Xiaotian looked at Shi Buyi's mischievous smile and felt a slight chill in its heart, wondering why the master had become even more difficult to reason with after shrinking. Suddenly, it felt a trace of regret, but on one hand, it was somewhat unwilling to give up, and on the other hand, what had already been said could not be taken back. With no other choice, it braced itself and said, "Forget it, then you had better not go, as if I were trying to harm you."

Shi Buyi gazed at Xiaotian with a probing and half-smiling expression. After a long while, he let out a "hum." "Even if you want to harm me, you'd better have the ability to do so." With that, he immediately chanted a spell, transforming into a cyan-white brilliance that flew into the Pagoda Reaching the Heavens.

Xiaotian stood there in a daze for a moment before suddenly remembering something and shouting at the top of its lungs, "Oh no!"

***

Shi Jun was buried in the cave, unable to move or call out. Overwhelmed by boredom, he finally drifted off into a deep sleep, and he woke up after who knows how long. He yawned, rubbed his eyes with his hand, looked around, and suddenly froze in surprise. "Huh? How did all the weeds, vines, and other things around me disappear, and why can I move now? Have I really been sleeping for a long time? Buyi hasn't returned either. What on earth is going on?"

He closed his eyes to silently observe the condition within his body, sensing that the three streams of energy were still present. However, they were not as active as before; instead, they lay dormant in the corners, appearing extremely exhausted. All the initial uncomfortable sensations in his body had vanished into thin air, so he tentatively called out twice. "Nisu! Nisu?"

There was no response. Only his voice echoed throughout the entire cave—"Nisu!" "Nisu!"

This ill-fated witch had finally attained eternal release in a bizarre manner.

Shi Jun looked at his arm; it had finally recovered its normal skin color. It seemed the poison had been neutralized, yet Nisu had died because of his poisoning, even helping him detoxify just before her death. Thinking of this, a wave of desolation washed over Shi Jun.

If they could have sat down and communicated properly when they first met, would the outcome have been different?

First Yinguo, then Nisu—the deaths of these two spirits were both directly related to him.

Yet now was not the time for wild imaginings; there were more important matters awaiting him. Thinking of this, Shi Jun flipped over expressionlessly, sat up, stretched his limbs, and began to look around.

The plants that filled the cave were completely gone, and even the ground that had been overturned during their previous fight had magically returned to level ground. However, the entrance at the top of the cave had also vanished, yet Shi Jun did not feel suffocated. He did not realize this was because he had undergone a complete rebirth—aided by the three mysterious forces and Nisu, Shi Jun no longer possessed his original mortal constitution. He had finally preliminarily mastered the forces of the five attributes of heaven and earth. His physical body, spirit, and even his personality had unconsciously undergone changes, though it would naturally take time to fully perceive these shifts.

How to get out? Shi Jun's eyes wandered aimlessly around the cave until they suddenly landed on the treasures left behind by Nisu. For a moment, his chest felt as if it were blocked by something, and a surge of warmth rushed to his heart.

After standing silently for a long time, he finally walked over slowly, squatted down, picked up a well-preserved book, and glanced at the cover: *Exploration of the Five Elements*. He flipped through a few pages and saw that it was entirely filled with Nisu's lifetime records of five-element spells and cultivation insights. He gently placed the book to one side, stood amidst the scattered treasures on the ground, and pulled out his Myriad-Treasure Pouch.

Just as Shi Jun wanted to sort those treasures and put them away category by category, a thought crossed his mind, and the Myriad-Treasure Pouch suddenly opened automatically. All the books, elixir pills, ingredients for refining medicine, and magical artifacts scattered across the ground flew up in an orderly fashion, streaming into the Myriad-Treasure Pouch.

With a gust of wind, a small figure flew out from the pouch, landing on the ground and growing instantaneously until it was as tall as a man. It turned out to be the Silver Flame Beast, which had been hiding inside the pouch all along.

The moment Shi Jun saw Silver Flame, he asked in astonishment, "Silver Flame, why are you here?" Immediately recalling that when they left the Snow Valley, Silver Flame had already hidden inside the Myriad-Treasure Pouch according to Chiyang's instructions, he wondered why it hadn't emerged during the battle with the Butterfly Bone Dragon in the Boulder Mountains.

Silver Flame did not see Chiyang, so it shook its head in confusion and let out a sudden, loud roar. Shi Jun was immediately driven back two steps by a pungent smell of alcohol. "You... Ah, so you've been drinking!"

Silver Flame flickered its tail and turned its face away. It turned out that while feeling terribly bored inside the Myriad-Treasure Pouch, it had discovered a large stash of beer Shi Jun had placed inside and curiously drank it down. To its surprise, the beer, which had a very low alcohol content, acted like potent liquor on Silver Flame, getting it drunk. Before long, it had fallen into a deep sleep and remained completely oblivious to the events happening outside.

Silver Flame had always felt a sense of awe and aversion toward Shi Jun. Not knowing how to react when spoken to, it hesitated for a moment, then retreated far away. Spreading its wings, it searched the cave once, but failing to find Chiyang or any exit, it suddenly grew flustered. Deep sounds rumbled in its throat as it stared fixedly at Shi Jun, hoping he could give it an answer.

Seeing this, Shi Jun smiled bitterly. "Don't rush. Let me tidy up my things, and we'll figure out a way out together."

Silver Flame stared intently at Shi Jun, wondering what it was thinking. Shi Jun could not understand why Chiyang's pet held such an attitude toward him. Shaking his head, he turned around, intending to sweep all the remaining items into the Myriad-Treasure Pouch in one go.

Suddenly, Silver Flame stood frozen for a moment before tiptoeing stealthily behind Shi Jun. Its blood-red eyes stared fixedly at his back. Without any warning, its upper body suddenly reared up, and with a loud roar, it slammed its two front paws onto Shi Jun's back, opened its tooth-filled maw, and lunged to bite at his neck.

***

Meanwhile, Shi Buyi was repeatedly encountering danger and fighting fiercely inside the Pagoda Reaching the Heavens.

The Pagoda Reaching the Heavens and Xiaotian had originally been forged from the same piece of Calcined Gold. Xiaotian was the refined essence after the forging, having absorbed the vast majority of the spiritual and mental power of the Calcined Gold as its own, finally shedding its mortal shell to become an independent entity. The remaining bulk of the material customarily became the dwelling and cultivation ground of Xiaotian—the Pagoda Reaching the Heavens.

However, Calcined Gold was inherently an extraordinary treasure possessing its own independent consciousness; how could it willingly be reduced to such a state? From then on, it harbored a deep hatred for Xiaotian, yet circumstances compelled it to endure the scorching of the Immortal Realm's True Fire once again, being forged into the shape of a pagoda.

Although the Pagoda Reaching the Heavens had already fallen to a disadvantage in this struggle, it had not given up hope. Instead, it continuously accumulated power, attempting to one day devour Xiaotian and regain its original strength (which was why the pagoda was Xiaotian's only place of cultivation; Xiaotian had to defeat the pagoda in battle after battle to survive—something Shi Jun knew nothing about, and Venerable Sixian had never had the opportunity to tell him).

Because Xiaotian had "been born" not long ago, its power was not yet very strong. To make matters worse, the first master it encountered was Venerable Sixian, whose mental power was weak. Therefore, facing the nearly frantic counterattacks of the pagoda, it could only desperately expend its not-yet-powerful mental strength to barely hold on. Having managed a hard-fought draw, it had only then managed to limp along.

Had it not encountered Shi Jun, it probably would have been successfully assimilated by the pagoda long ago. This was why Xiaotian so decisively "abandoned" Sixian and transferred its allegiance to Shi Jun.

Backed by Shi Jun's mental power, Xiaotian no longer placed the Pagoda Reaching the Heavens in its eyes. Although the pagoda could also absorb Shi Jun's mental energy, it was ultimately not as formidable as Xiaotian. Thereafter, even though the pagoda's "counterattacks" grew fiercer each time, Xiaotian was also growing rapidly, successfully crushing the "conspiracies" of its homologous arch-rival every single time. Consequently, the pagoda transferred its hatred onto Shi Jun as well. It cared not that Shi Jun was now tantamount to its provider, simply lacking the opportunity to exact revenge.

Xiaotian had been lectured by Shi Buyi and felt disgruntled, leading it to trick him into entering the pagoda to teach him a lesson. Although the little creature did not regard the pagoda as much of a threat, it knew that this arch-rival had grown quite powerful of late. While Shi Buyi might not necessarily lose his life upon entering, he would certainly have to expend some effort to get back out. Calling it a cultivation ground was accurate, too, since Xiaotian itself cultivated inside the pagoda.

Yet, no sooner had Shi Buyi stepped inside than Xiaotian suddenly recalled something it had overlooked—this was the very person providing its mental energy! The pagoda had long since vowed to teach the master a lesson, and if the first few times were thwarted by its own suppression, what would happen now that the master had barged in on his own? The pagoda would surely pull out all the stops to inflict merciless torture! Heavens! This was truly asking for trouble! If anything happened to its master, where on earth could it find someone with such formidable mental power anytime soon? It would sooner or later be destroyed by the pagoda itself...

Realizing this, Xiaotian hurried to follow him inside, only to bump its forehead into a large bump before remembering that once the "war" inside the Pagoda Reaching the Heavens erupted, the pagoda doors would automatically close. Furthermore, due to its own malicious intentions of wanting to watch Shi Buyi defeat the pagoda and walk out, it had not told him the incantation to exit.

Xiaotian rubbed its bruised forehead and leaped up in exasperation. Yet no matter how it chanted spells, battered, or burrowed against it, the door of the pagoda remained tightly shut.

Watching time tick away second by second without Shi Buyi emerging, Xiaotian could no longer restrain itself. With a mighty roar, it bit the tip of its tongue, infused its mental power into the fresh blood, and shot it toward the pagoda door like an arrow.

This self-harming method proved effective. Presumably, the pagoda was locked in a fierce battle with Shi Buyi when it suddenly sensed the mental power, causing it to shift targets and absorb the mental energy to replenish its strength. Thus, the tightly sealed door finally swung open.

Overjoyed, Xiaotian soared into the sky, flew above the dense forest, took a deep breath, and sucked all the stray mental energy emanating from the monsters gathered at the edge of the forest into its belly (though meager, it was better than nothing). Then, it charged headfirst into the Pagoda Reaching the Heavens.

Although Xiaotian's efforts succeeded, its sudden abnormal maneuvers and those of the pagoda above the forest shocked the surrounding crowd of monsters, subsequently triggering the wave of enthusiastic tree-felling and treasure-hunting.

Mindful of this, Xiaotian had used magic to conceal the pagoda's form before entering, and too preoccupied with rescuing its master, it could care less about any other consequences.

Because the Pagoda Reaching the Heavens was naturally small and deliberately concealed by Xiaotian, the monsters never discovered its whereabouts. However, Xiaotian's initial move had been coincidentally witnessed by Lie Jin, Chiyang, and others hiding among the monster horde. Based on this clue, Chiyang eventually deduced Shi Jun's approximate location—perhaps living up to the old saying: "Plant flowers intentionally and they fail to bloom, plant willows unintentionally and they grow to shade."

***

Hardly had it stepped inside when Xiaotian took a heavy, unexpected blow. Regaining its focus, it shrank its neck and dared not move another inch.

Shi Buyi glared furiously at Xiaotian.

After just a short moment, this wood-carven doll resembling Shi Jun was nearly misshapen—its entire body was bruised and covered in wounds, bearing the obvious marks of a fierce battle. Yet the cyan-white brilliance radiating from it was even brighter, its two dark, bead-like eyes shot lightning, and with hands on its hips, it stood aggressively before Xiaotian.

"Master! What, what happened to you?"

Shi Buyi glared, scaring Xiaotian into a panic before it finally squeezed out a crafty smile. "Why did you come in?"

"To save you!" The moment the words left its mouth, Xiaotian realized it was a mistake and abruptly stopped. Sizing up Shi Buyi's expression, it ingratiatingly said, "I was just afraid Master's diligence in cultivation might harm your body!"

"Harm my body?" These words stimulated the battered Shi Buyi more than anything else. He suddenly sprang up, raining a flurry of small fists down upon Xiaotian...

Instinctively, Xiaotian swept its tail, attempting to dodge Shi Buyi's "savage beating," but Shi Buyi grabbed its tail, slammed it heavily to the ground, flipped over to straddle it, and rained punches down like wind while cursing: "I'll teach you to harm me! The Pagoda Reaching the Heavens has already made a full confession; neither of your intentions can be hidden from the other. You were simply harboring resentment and wanted to get back at me, you villain! Take this! And this! Take this, this, and this!"

***

Under the concerted cooperation of the monsters, one thick tree trunk after another was uprooted and tossed onto the banks. Everywhere in the deep, muddy swamp, swarms of "demon shadows" bustled about.

Having waited so long, Lie Jin and the others—transformed into the likeness of Liefan—grew somewhat impatient and muttered, "Could Shi Jun not be here? That's impossible!" The few of them waited anxiously within their bodies, constantly discussing countermeasures.

"I imagine Brother Shi must have encountered something. Shouldn't we wait a little longer and see?" Cisheng said gently.

Having witnessed Shi Jun's injury with his own eyes, Lie Jin was not optimistic about his condition. Hearing this, he said with some dissatisfaction, "What's the use of just waiting like this? We must come up with some kind of method."

Cisheng knew Lie Jin was also concerned for Shi Jun's safety, as was he himself, so he took no offense. However, Fuyao felt displeased and snapped back, "Everyone is thinking of a solution; no one is sitting idle."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Lie Jin realized his tone had been too harsh. Hearing Fuyao's remark, he merely let out a "hum."

"Sister Chiyang, what do you think we should do?" Fuyao's voice carried a hint of worry. "Big Brother Shi is so powerful, he shouldn't be in trouble, but why is there still no news?"

"Shi Jun must be injured," Chiyang suddenly said. "And according to my analysis, he should be right nearby."

Seeing that the others did not quite understand her meaning, Chiyang went on to explain: "The Pagoda Reaching the Heavens is a magical treasure already subdued by Shi Jun. Since it appeared here just now, it proves Shi Jun must be close by, because such sentient treasures never stray too far from their masters!"

"How about this? Let's stage a feint to the east and strike to the west, drawing away the majority of the crowd, and then sneak back in to search. The barrier of the Boulder Mountains is currently nominal, and the Butterfly Bone Dragon has been frightened enough not to dare provoke a war lightly. Let's simply take a gamble on this opportunity!" Chiyang's voice sounded exceptionally hoarse at that moment.

Lie Jin immediately responded, "You thought of the exact same thing as me! Good, we ought to take a gamble."

***

Everyone's attention was instantly focused on Lie Jin and Chiyang.

"Why is everyone's attention focused entirely here right now? Because of Nisu's treasure, and especially because the events that transpired here were truly extraordinary. Those crazy treasure-seekers are naturally reluctant to leave," Chiyang explained.

Cisheng grasped the point immediately and continued, "So we should artificially create a brand-new Nisu treasure for them, giving these frenzied fellows a new target to distract them and clear a space for us."

"Once the attention of the majority is diverted," Lie Jin continued, "we can calmly return to this place and search for Shi Jun's whereabouts."

Having agreed on the strategy, the group took advantage of the chaos to quietly slip out of the Boulder Mountains, rapidly soaring into midair. Following Cisheng's suggestion, they flew without looking back toward the direction of the Magpie Bridge.

***

Although these few individuals came from different backgrounds, they were all formidable practitioners who had undergone long cultivation. With deliberate execution, it did not take long before golden light pierced the heavens in the Crane Dance Valley near the Magpie Bridge.

This time, Lie Jin and the others exerted their utmost abilities—since they wanted to attract the monsters over, they had to strike the right balance. Whether real or fake, Nisu's treasures generally erupted with golden light accompanied by ground tremors before their appearance, followed by a stalemate of varying length. Most monsters entered during this window, and anyone trapped until the black Qi surged rang the knell of danger, often ending up as冤魂 (wronged ghosts) at the bottom of the cave.

The news that Nisu's treasure had reappeared spread like wildfire. More than half of the monsters gathered in the Boulder Mountains scattered with a "swoosh," leaving behind only a few reluctant fellows still searching the dense forest in hopes of a windfall. However, before long, even they abandoned this seemingly fruitless search, moving in groups of two or three toward the Magpie Bridge.

The group breathed a collective sigh of relief and quietly returned, just in time to watch the Butterfly Bone Dragon flock, led by Shuntian, flying dejectedly back toward the boulders. By now, the sky was gradually darkening, a crescent moon hung aslant on the horizon, and a gentle breeze swept the scent of blood from the battlefield in all directions. The once pristine Tianmiao Lake had vanished, the dense forest—mostly destroyed—clustered darkly in the depths of the marsh, and the banks were a shambles with uprooted trees and emerald leaves strewn across the ground.

Considering that while operating alone carried a smaller profile, the search efficiency would be poor, everyone—at Lie Jin's insistence—restumed their true forms and dispersed to search. Cisheng, A'li, and Fuyao were responsible for keeping watch, while Chiyang, Lie Jin, and the Blazing Souls entered the depths of the dense forest to tirelessly search for Shi Jun's whereabouts.

Just as they were turning up nothing and feeling at their wits' end, they saw the Blazing Souls suddenly wriggle their bodies and fly in unison toward the depths of the forest. Lie Jin and Chiyang exchanged a distant glance, a surge of immense hope welling up in their hearts simultaneously. Without a second thought, they closely followed the Blazing Souls step for step. To their surprise, upon reaching the depths of the forest, the Blazing Souls plunged headfirst downward, diving straight into the deep mire!

Could Shi Jun be hiding inside the mud?

Lie Jin stared at Chiyang with anxious eyes. Although it did not quite look like an act, he still harbored deep suspicions toward this former traitor of the Immortal Realm, thinking: *Who knows if you're just putting on a show? In any case, I will not use Shi Jun's safety as a gamble; after leaving the Demon Realm, I won't let you associate with him no matter what.*

At that moment, Chiyang had exhausted ninety percent of her spiritual power and had almost no energy left to care about anything else. Her cyan robes were caked in mud, and even her fair cheeks were dirty, yet she remained utterly oblivious, consumed entirely by anxiety because she could no longer follow the Blazing Souls down to see what was happening.

"Shi Jun must be down there!" Chiyang said urgently. "Will you take me down with you?"

"Take you down?" Lie Jin looked at Chiyang suspiciously.

Chiyang hesitated for a moment before speaking in a low voice, "I was poisoned and can no longer gather spiritual power. I have to trouble you."

Chiyang could not understand what had happened to her either; she had actually lowered her pride to speak in such a tone to someone she had just met for the sake of Shi Jun. Given her former personality, such a thing would have been utterly impossible, yet once the words were out, she felt neither embarrassment nor awkwardness.

However, Lie Jin was not one to easily trust others. He replied indifferently, "Oh, is that so? Commander Chi is an elite under the Nether Emperor; why risk yourself for my little nephew? You had better go meet up with the others first, and I will go down and take a look myself." With that, Lie Jin stopped looking at Chiyang, immediately formed a hand seal, and plummeted downward, vanishing from sight within the span of a breath.

Chiyang stared blankly at the spot where Lie Jin had disappeared for a long time, a trace of desolate bitterness curling the corners of her lips.

At that very moment, a commotion of shouts suddenly rang out from the riverbank. Chiyang frowned and quickly slipped away toward the bank in concealment. Before she had taken many steps, someone gently tugged at the hem of her garment. Turning her head, she widened her eyes in astonishment. "Huangsha? Why are you here?"

At this moment, Huangsha's once-luxurious battle armor was already tattered, his topknot was disheveled, and with a panicked expression, he pressed a finger to his lips and went "Shh." "Commander Chi, it's bad! Lord Ye... he..."

Among the Four Nether Commanders, Yecha and Chiyang shared the deepest bond. Hearing Huangsha stuttering incoherently, Chiyang instantly grew frantic. "Speak quickly! What happened to him?"

Tears welled up in Huangsha's eyes. "Lord Commander Ye... he was plotted against and harmed by Qingyan and Houtu. He's on the verge of death!"

***

After a prolonged beating, Shi Buyi finally stopped, panting heavily. Glaring resentfully at the miserable-looking Xiaotian, he spat, "You almost got me killed!"

It turned out that after Shi Buyi entered the Pagoda Reaching the Heavens, the tiny golden door had instantly closed, and he was transported to the summit of the pagoda to "accept the trial."

Unexpectedly, this pagoda, which appeared no larger than a speck, possessed a whole world within. Shrouded amidst a constantly flowing pale-yellow mist, Shi Buyi could vaguely see that he was standing on a massive hexagonal platform. At each of the six corners crouched a beast resembling a Qilin, completely golden in color, looking just like stone lions in the mortal realm. Each creature held a golden ball—some in their mouths, some atop their heads, and others stepped underfoot—remaining completely motionless and appearing as if carved from stone or wood. However, all six pairs of eyes were locked fixedly on Shi Buyi, the uninvited guest.

Shi Buyi happened to be right in the center of the platform. He scanned his surroundings, feeling somewhat baffled, and muttered to himself, "What kind of damn place is this? There isn't even an opponent. How am I supposed to practice cultivation here?"

This remark utterly infuriated the Pagoda Reaching the Heavens. Those six golden Qilins were formed from the condensation of its protective spiritual energy, having driven Xiaotian to near-destruction and nearly achieving an assimilation before they encountered Shi Jun. Now, this avatar of Shi Jun had blundered in blindly, spouting arrogant words and showing complete disregard, effectively treating it as nothing. Enraged beyond measure, it launched its attack without a second thought...