South of Crouching Tiger Mountain, the battlefield had long since lost its verdant glory.

Blood and fire were woven into the soil. Corpses piled up like mountains, and demonic flames soared to the heavens, scorching the clouds.

A year had passed.

Since Zhou Kai decided to bring “Xia Min” and the others to the front lines, time had flown by in a blur of endless slaughter and secluded cultivation.

BOOM!

Not far away, a petite figure wielded a pitch-black warhammer far too large for her size, smashing a demonic cultivator into the horizon.

It was Fish Baibai. She turned back, her face flushed with excitement. “Junior Brother, look! That was my ‘Big Scorpion Pounds the Ground, Little Rabbit Spits Fire’!”

Zhou Kai smiled. Over the past year, the offensive from the five great demonic sects had grown increasingly rabid, tearing at the Righteous Alliance’s defense lines like a pack of mad dogs.

Whenever Li Qiwen didn’t have specific tasks for them, Zhou Kai’s squad—consisting of “Xia Min,” Shen Hanyi, and Fish Baibai—would venture to the edge of the battlefield to hunt stragglers.

Though they called it the “edge,” it was still a death trap where Golden Core demonic cultivators frequently prowled. Fortunately, Zhou Kai had the Cicada Raiment. With his aura perfectly concealed and his Divine Sense sharpening daily, he could always sense fortune and avoid disaster.

Crouching Tiger Mountain had withstood three massive assaults in this time.

The third was particularly brutal. Cultivators from both sides were fed into the meat grinder until the earth was saturated with blood. The battle raged for a full month, darkening the heavens and blotting out the sun and moon.

Relying on favorable terrain and the Grand Defensive Formation, the Righteous Alliance held their ground and launched a counterattack. The battle lines became a tug-of-war, interlocking like jagged teeth, every inch of land soaked in gore.

Zhou Kai’s routine was simple.

He always kept “Xia Min” behind him, justifying it with a grin: “Junior Sister has the lowest cultivation, so stay safe. If the sky falls, your man will hold it up!”

This often earned him a glare of feigned annoyance from “Xia Min,” though warmth always flowed deep within her eyes.

Shen Hanyi remained an unsheathed sword. Wherever her sword light flashed, heads rolled—clean, efficient, and cold.

Fish Baibai, on the other hand, was a chaotic force of nature. She hopped around the battlefield like a deranged bunny, swinging her hammer and making demonic cultivators cry for their mothers. Occasionally, she would scream, “Junior Brother, watch me! Fire-spitting rabbit hammer!” before turning an enemy into charcoal.

The group would fight for a month, then return to Crouching Tiger City to rest and recuperate.

After all, cultivation was the foundation, and deep, intimate interactions with his confidantes were indispensable.

During this year, Zhou Kai had also crossed paths with Yun Kang, the spoiled grandson of the Heavenly Demon Ridge Headmaster.

The guy was only at Body Tempering sixth layer. He relied on his status to act like a tyrant, despite having trash talent propped up by an endless supply of pills.

Zhou Kai had attempted to assassinate him several times, but Yun Kang was always surrounded by a phalanx of bodyguards.

He didn’t want to let Shen Hanyi do it. She was too honest; she would announce her name before striking. Killing the grandson of a Headmaster would bring Nascent Soul old monsters down on their heads instantly.

So, Zhou Kai adopted a different strategy. Every time he went after Yun Kang, he used the Cicada Raiment to change his appearance, never using the same face twice. His motto was simple: “Farm safely, don’t feed, and strike from the shadows.”

Time passed swiftly, and Zhou Kai’s strength advanced by leaps and bounds.

Both his Body and Qi cultivation had reached the sixth layer, making him a veritable powerhouse at the mid-stage of the Second Realm.

The Five Emperors Prison Suppression Sutra had reached the second layer. Within his five viscera—liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys—lights of cyan, red, yellow, white, and black flowed in a cycle. Faintly, the phantoms of ancient emperors whispered in his blood, their majesty vast and terrible.

The Delusional Dao Cicada Scripture had also reached minor success. The Cicada Raiment could not only conceal him perfectly but also detach briefly to form a “decoy Zhou Kai.” It could confuse enemies and even perform simple attacks—a skill with endless tactical uses.

His spirit pets—the swarm of Split Back Katydids and the three Jade Arm Mantises—were unrecognizable from a year ago.

After being force-fed Rift Sky Pills, Mountain Suppressing Pills, and Star Sand Pills, they had all stepped into the late First Rank. The three Jade Arm Mantises were already scratching at the door of the Second Rank.

With the buff from the Lawless No Word Heavenly Scripture and the Hundred Beast Banner, even an early Foundation Establishment cultivator would be overwhelmed by them. The mantises’ lightning-fast blade legs could slice through metal like tofu, making them a nightmare to defend against.

Some of the Split Back Katydids were now venomous. Zhou Kai suspected Fu Weilun had selectively bred them to inject poison after breaking defenses. After all, normal katydids weren’t exactly known for their venom.

Shen Hanyi remained at Spirit Shaping fifth layer, her cultivation not advancing an inch. However, her Sword Intent had become terrifyingly pure. Her killing aura was sharper than ever.

Zhou Kai knew she was walking the old path—waiting for a single moment of enlightenment to soar into the heavens.

Fish Baibai, however, had been moody lately.

The cause? Zhou Kai had quietly leveled his Artifact Forging to the Third Rank, catching up to her.

The little girl had prided herself on being the unique forging genius of the group. Upon discovering her Junior Brother was secretly “grinding” to surpass her, she pouted and gave him the cold shoulder for days.

It wasn’t until Zhou Kai forged a rabbit-shaped explosive bead that automatically tracked enemies while making cute “chirp chirp” sounds that she smiled through her tears. She hugged his arm, declaring, “Junior Brother is the best!”

The one who surprised Zhou Kai the most was Li Youci.

Currently wearing the skin of “Xia Min,” the young miss was still stuck at Foundation Establishment ninth layer. Her experience bar on the System Panel hadn’t budged.

However, her Divine Sense had skyrocketed.

Zhou Kai guessed she was deliberately suppressing her cultivation to avoid conflict between her Ghost Body and True Body, focusing entirely on mental strength while waiting for the Cicada Cry Art to resolve the issue permanently.

He didn’t mind. He had already upgraded her Fire Spirit Root to Heavenly Grade and boosted her comprehension to over five thousand.

What he wanted were Li Youci and Shen Hanyi as his super-enforcers. The Cicada Cry Art was just a matter of time.

On this day, Zhou Kai and his group returned to Crouching Tiger City from the front lines.

After settling the three women, Zhou Kai pondered for a moment before heading straight for Li Yunmian’s cave abode.

His “cheap” Master merely lifted her eyelids lazily when he entered.

“Master.”

Zhou Kai bowed, then unloaded a pile of bottles and jars from his storage bag.

“These are Beauty Preservation Pills, Spirit Nourishing Pills, and Skin Firming Ointment that your disciple recently refined. A token of respect for Master.”

Li Yunmian glanced at the jade bottles, her red lips curving into a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.

“Alchemist Zhou is a grand Third Rank Alchemist now. And yet, when you have time, you send me these trinkets? Do you think I’m getting old and faded, so you’re preparing anti-aging medicine for my retirement?”

She extended a slender jade finger and tapped her cheek. “Look closely. Do I have another wrinkle?”

Zhou Kai gave a dry laugh. “Master is peerlessly elegant and eternally youthful. Your disciple is merely adding flowers to brocade.”

“Adding flowers to brocade?”

Li Yunmian chuckled, sitting up straighter. A strange light flickered in her eyes.

“I am already two hundred and ninety years old. How many more years can this skin hold up? Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth—I have all five Spirit Roots, but alas, they are all Low Grade. The Nascent Soul stage? Heh… I only dare to think about it in my dreams.”

Her tone shifted abruptly, her gaze locking onto Zhou Kai like a hook.

“I say, Zhou Kai. As a Third Rank Alchemist, sending beauty pills is fine. But why haven’t you offered any Spirit Pills to aid my cultivation?”

She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a sultry whisper.

“Could it be… you want to use that ‘Creation Spirit Yang Body’ of yours on me instead?”

Zhou Kai’s heart skipped a beat.

He kept his face neutral, maintaining his respectful smile. “Master jests. Your disciple’s meager skills wouldn’t dare show off before an expert. These pills are purely a token of my filial piety.”

“Filial piety?” Li Yunmian smiled meaningfully. “You haven’t even formally performed the discipleship ceremony.”

Zhou Kai lowered his eyes, his mind racing.

She deliberately brought up her complete set of Five Elements Spirit Roots. She hinted that Nascent Soul is hopeless. And now she’s explicitly dropping hints.

If she doesn’t have designs on my ‘Creation Spirit Yang Body,’ I’ll write my name backwards!

However, that would have to wait. He needed to max out Li Youci’s favorability first.

Zhou Kai looked up, his smile becoming even more “innocent.”

“If Master has no other instructions, your disciple will take his leave. The battles on the front line are intense, and I need to prepare.”

“Go on, go on,” Li Yunmian waved him off lazily. “If you run into people from the Desire Wonder Palace, find a way to steal their beauty pill recipes for me.”