“We owe our lives to Fairy Qiu.”

“As expected of the Holy Maiden of the Tianyao Sect. Her strength is truly extraordinary.”

“Fairy Qiu, this great kindness is something we will never forget.”

…

With the Demon Venerable slain, the crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief, offering their profuse thanks to Qiu Ruoli.

The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, forcing a bitter smile. Her tone remained calm, though it carried a hint of helplessness. “To eradicate demons and defend the Dao is simply the duty of our generation.”

Internally, however, she was exhausted. If it weren’t a life-and-death crisis, she would never have revealed that trump card so easily. It was a life-saving measure she had spent years of painstaking effort to refine.

On the other side of the battlefield, Shen Xian stood beside the Vajra puppet.

The fourth-grade construct stood silent, its metallic surface dull and lusterless. It had been completely drained of energy.

To activate it again, he would need to burn through High Grade Spirit Stones.

He stored the puppet away and secretly activated the [Void Reflecting Spirit Mirror]. His Soul Formation Divine Sense erupted with a silent roar, sweeping out to envelope the entire area.

Although the Demon Venerable was dead, there was no guarantee that other dangers didn’t lurk in the shadows.

Specifically, the threat of a demon soul’s Body Seizing weighed heavily on him. Shen Xian had to be cautious to prevent any unforeseen accidents.

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, his senses spiked. He noticed something wrong on the barren ground.

The scattered demon blood was moving. Silently, stealthily, the droplets were converging toward a single spot.

Shen Xian’s figure blurred, flashing instantly to the source of the demonic aura.

He peered into a crevice in the rocks. Hidden there was a single drop of dark red demon blood. It was translucent, like a ruby, but inside, dense networks of blood threads writhed like living worms.

He frowned slightly, raising his hand. With a grasping motion, he pulled the drop of blood into his palm.

In an instant, demonic aura surged!

A bizarre mental assault crashed into him like a tidal wave, rushing straight for his Sea of Consciousness!

However, Shen Xian was already prepared.

His sixth-grade heart technique cycled automatically. Profound Origin True Power circulated sluggishly but firmly, forming a thick mental shield around his Sea of Consciousness that slammed the brakes on the opponent’s assault.

Simultaneously, the [Li Fire True Seal] manifested between his brows. A scorching, purifying aura instantly enveloped the demon blood in his hand.

Sizzle…

The demon blood convulsed under the heavy impact. Countless internal blood threads snapped, and the remnant soul inside let out waves of miserable, silent screams.

When the soul had grown illusory and dim, on the verge of dissipation, Shen Xian suddenly stopped.

A blood lotus mark bloomed on his palm. Countless threads of his own energy wrapped around the drop, binding the now extremely weak demon soul.

He intended to use an evil technique to devour its memories. He needed to know if there were other dangers nearby.

After all, this demon soul possessed complete intelligence, far superior to the fragmented, mindless souls wandering outside.

If he could glimpse a secret or two, perhaps he could avoid future calamities.

As the blood threads tightened, Shen Xian closed his eyes and focused. A scene of bloody, fragmented images abruptly flooded his mind.

The first thing he saw was a golden sword light cleaving down from the Ninth Heaven. It carried the power to annihilate heaven and earth!

“Ugh!”

Shen Xian grunted, hurriedly averting his mental gaze.

“I can’t even look at it?” he murmured to himself, shaken.

The sword intent was too terrifying. Even witnessing it through a secondhand memory made his own spirit soul tremble uncontrollably.

He estimated that the one who launched that attack, if not an Immortal Venerable, was infinitely close to that level!

He pushed past the trauma and continued the investigation…

In the memory, when this demon was slain by the golden sword light, it had utilized a forbidden demonic secret technique. It scattered all its essence to preserve a single drop of blood, exchanging its power for a sliver of life to survive in this wretched state.

It wasn’t the only one. Many powerful demons had used this method to preserve their lives, lying dormant within this Godfiend Battlefield for eons.

“What a tenacious race,” Shen Xian frowned deeply.

He had read records of the demon race in ancient texts. He knew they fed on humans and possessed limitless growth potential.

But he hadn’t expected them to be this hard to kill. Even with their form and spirit destroyed, they could be reborn from a single drop of blood.

If he hadn’t discovered it in time, this demon might have eventually eroded a passing cultivator and quietly escaped.

Wait!

Shen Xian’s mind suddenly shook violently.

The memory showed that long before this demon woke up, many other demon souls had used the guise of “ancient inheritances” to lure humans in, seizing their bodies to escape the battlefield!

And this demon knew about it precisely because of news transmitted by demons who were already outside!

It turned out the demon race had many varieties.

This specific entity was known as a “Twin Demon.” Pairs of the same kind were bound together at the soul, sharing memories and perceptions. If one perished, the other would be damaged.

The counterpart bound to this demon had long since left the Godfiend Battlefield. It had regrouped with other demons and was currently lurking among humans!

Ice Soul Immortal Sect!

When he saw the name of their gathering point, Shen Xian felt a chill run down his spine.

He stared at the content presented in the memory with disbelief, his heart pounding in shock.

He never could have guessed this.

The escaped demons had not only successfully revived, but they had also established their own power base in the Northern Region. They were continuously absorbing other revived demons into their ranks!

After reviving, the demon in his hand had planned to head straight to the Ice Soul Immortal Sect.

And the other demon sharing its mind—its twin—was none other than Ye Qingxian’s Master.

The famously renowned Void Refinement Celestial Venerable of the Northern Region!

“So that’s how it is!” Shen Xian’s gaze turned razor-sharp, the pieces of the puzzle snapping into place. “No wonder a Celestial Venerable from the Northern Region would be so concerned about this Godfiend Battlefield!”

According to the demon soul’s memory, the Ice Soul Immortal Sect was fundamentally a front. It was a sect secretly established by demons!

On the surface, it widely accepted disciples with outstanding talent. In reality, it was a farm. They were screening for perfect vessels for Body Seizing. Any disciple with Potential who broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm would become a target!

Ye Qingxian is in danger!

The thought exploded in Shen Xian’s mind like a thunderclap.

That Void Refinement Celestial Venerable took her as a disciple precisely to prepare a vessel for its counterpart!

No!

That was his Dao Companion. How could he let some ancient filth lay a finger on her?

His gaze turned icy.

Although Ye Qingxian was a Female Emperor in her previous life and likely possessed life-preserving methods, demons were treacherous and sinister. Who knew what backup plans they had prepared?

Moreover, her current cultivation was still shallow. Facing the schemes of a Void Refinement Celestial Venerable, she would likely be defenseless.

He had to warn her immediately!

Without hesitation, Shen Xian expelled True Power from his palm. Phwum! The drop of demon blood instantly turned to ash.

His figure shot forward like lightning, speeding toward the exit of the Ten Thousand Corpses Tomb.

However, just after rushing out a few steps, he abruptly halted.

“Damn it! I don’t have her communication jade talisman!”

Shen Xian’s brow furrowed tight.

Previously, when they met on the battlefield, Ye Qingxian had told him to find her, but she hadn’t left any means of contact.

At the time, neither of them thought they would separate and meet again so soon. They assumed their next meeting would be in the Northern Region.

And once in the Northern Region, Shen Xian could have easily found her using the fame of the Ice Soul Immortal Sect.

Thinking about it now, it was a massive miscalculation.

“I hope she hasn’t left the Ancient Ruins yet…” He took a deep breath, pushing his speed to the limit.

No matter what, he had to intercept her before she returned to the Ice Soul Immortal Sect!

Not far away, the rest of the group was resting and healing their injuries.

Qiu Ruoli stood quietly in place. Her beautiful eyes were cold as frost, staring fixedly in the direction Shen Xian had vanished.

The humiliation that evil cultivator had inflicted on her… she hadn’t forgotten it for a moment.

Her pale hand unconsciously touched the life-bound bracelet on her wrist. Inside lay her final trump card, the greatest secret of the Tianyao Sect Holy Maiden.

“If there is a chance…” Her fingertips trembled slightly, a fierce killing intent flickering in her eyes.

But then, the image of that fourth-grade puppet beside him flashed through her mind. Qiu Ruoli bit her lower lip until it nearly bled.

With her current strength, she couldn’t touch him.

“However, there will be time in the future.” She slowly loosened her clenched fist, her tone dropping to an icy whisper. “Once I break through to Nascent Soul, I will personally take your life!”

The mountain wind howled, whipping her ink-black hair around her face.

That receding figure had been deeply branded into her heart, becoming an obsession she knew she must eventually sever.