That entire night, Liu Qiao’e did not rest well.
Fogveil City’s strangeness was inextricably linked to Luo Naji.
With the Soul-Returning Lamp so close at hand, and Mu Daoying deceiving her on top of that, all these matters piled up into a tangled mess that couldn’t be cut or unraveled.
Early the next morning, she went out and continued scouting the outer perimeter with Song Miaoling and the others.
Unexpectedly, on the way back, they encountered someone blocking the path.
That person wore a plain white Daoist robe, with black hair hanging down, his expression pale and gloomy, like a translucent jade beauty.
Even though her heart was thoroughly broken and she utterly hated the man before her eyes, Liu Qiao’e still unconsciously stopped in her tracks. “What are you doing here?!”
Mu Daoying’s expression was strained, and he seemed to want to say a few more words to her. “…Qiao’e.”
He had come early to the place she had to pass through on her way back to the village to intercept her, and sure enough, he spotted that petite figure that haunted his dreams.
But Liu Qiao’e’s attitude was utterly cold. “I told you, I know why you ran.”
Mu Daoying was stunned.
“The Immortal Alliance wants to kill your master, and I work for the Immortal Alliance,” Liu Qiao’e’s voice was cold as ice shards. “If I encounter him, I will surely kill him.”
He cared for his master, cared for his friends; he was the bright moon in the sky, shining upon all things, so gentle and selfless—he had never lacked for her in the first place!
He clearly hadn’t expected her to cut ties so directly either; his face paled even further.
“You’d better think it through,” she finally tossed out coldly. “And decide exactly how to choose.”
With that, she stepped past him.
She understood Mu Daoying and knew what choice he would make.
Before leaving, she glanced back at him and saw that pale shadow seemingly frozen under the tree. He seemed to feel cold, as if plunged into an ice cellar. A gust of wind blew by, his eyelashes trembled, and the pallor of his face seemed to drain away even his vitality bit by bit.
He did not chase after her. She gave a cold laugh as expected, knowing he had already made up his mind.
It was merely a faint fondness forced upon him by her—how could it compare to years of master-disciple companionship?
If it hadn’t been her back then, but Qi Mei or any other woman, he probably would have developed this faint fondness just the same.
She understood a man like Mu Daoying—an inexperienced young man, green, upright, and soft-hearted. The slightest unusual intimacy would make him fall, prompting him to shoulder responsibility at every turn.
She hated his amorousness, yet hated his heartlessness even more.
After waiting another day, Zheng Shen came to report that the lift had been repaired, and the Demonic Sect would send people tomorrow to take over. He asked for Old Mother’s instructions.
It was obvious they couldn’t send that many people down to the core of the mine, so Liu Qiao’e left a group above to provide support while she herself went down with a few elders and a batch of elite fighters.
“We’ll go down first to scout and confirm the ambush layout for tomorrow.”
The lift rumbled to life with a massive humming sound. Through the eerie blue glow from the ore, Liu Qiao’e caught sight of Mu Daoying’s figure. He looked somewhat fatigued, with faint dark circles under his eyes.
These past two days, he had probably tossed and turned, not having a pleasant time.
But that was good too—he had indeed made his choice.
He stood quietly, isolated from the crowd, sleeves hanging at his sides. He drew neither close to her and the Joyous Union Sect nor to Zhao Yange and Shen Chengyin of the Jade Purity Sect and Roaming Sword Sect.
Just a few steps away, he silently kept his distance from her.
At that moment, after a long descent, the lift finally reached the bottom. Liu Qiao’e’s gaze sharpened.
Everyone present stirred in shock and alarm.
“This is…” Shen Chengyin cried out in surprise and dismay. “How could this be?!”
“So this is the reason for the frequent tremors in the city,” Zheng Shen said with a bitter smile.
The underground spirit veins had mostly collapsed, crisscrossing like withered, rotten branches, exuding grayish-black demonic qi!
Following the paths of the spirit veins, one could see an enormous spirit core firmly wrapped at the very center.
Every spirit vein had a spirit core at its heart.
This was the spirit core of the Ren Family Village mine.
But at this moment, the surface of the spirit core had been corrupted pitch-black by demonic qi. Oily black mist flickered and flowed over its surface, and it seemed to still be pulsing slowly, pumping the demonic qi bit by bit into every spirit vein, corrupting the entire mine.
“The Immortal Alliance forces us to dig day in and day out, throwing the earth’s qi out of balance and causing frequent quakes! And indirectly leading to the spirit veins’ depletion and demonic qi corrosion.”
“Heaven’s mandate shifts, and the Demonic Sect shall rise—not just some prophecy from the Demonic Sect, but a real, tangible fact!” Zheng Shen finally couldn’t hold back his dissatisfaction and shouted excitedly.
Di Chong: “Shut your mouth! Such audacity—are you courting death?”
Zheng Shen: “No! I have to say it! Even so, I still have to say it!”
Mu Daoying gazed at that dim spirit core, and his heart stirred lightly.
Ever since parting with Liu Qiao’e that day, he had spent two days in a daze, his heart aching, his thoughts in turmoil, utterly dejected—the worst he had ever felt from childhood to now.
Seeing this spirit core now was like waking from a dream, and a vague realization dawned in his heart. Master. Mu Daoying couldn’t help but think more—could Master have left that message before precisely so that he, or rather, they, would witness this scene?
Liu Qiao’e: “Let him speak!”
Zheng Shen knelt on the ground and kowtowed several times resounding. “Old Mother, esteemed elders! The Immortal Alliance can’t keep digging without restraint like this! It’s not just our village anymore—every village is like this. Spiritual qi is depleting, and demonic qi is already spreading across the world!”
Song Miaoling murmured, “I understand what you mean, but we… Sigh…”
The Immortal Alliance’s noble families had controlled the Eastern Florescence Realm for over ten thousand years. How could they not know the folly of exhausting the pond to catch fish?
Though they were elders of a sect, how could they stand against the will of the entire sect? Even the sect master couldn’t act solely on personal whims.
Did they truly not understand, not know, not comprehend? No one who reached the position of elder was a fool.
It was just that interests were deeply intertwined; the larger the cultivation clans, the more tightly bound their benefits. They were grasshoppers on the same old war chariot, fully aware, yet none had the power to turn it around—they could only watch as it hurtled toward destruction.
“Even if the spirit veins truly depleted, there’s no reason for the demonic qi to corrupt this quickly.” Liu Qiao’e’s voice, cool as a cold spring, injected like a backbone into everyone’s hearts at this moment. “We’ll wait until tomorrow when the Demonic Sect comes to take over, then inquire further. Everyone, don’t forget why we’re here.”
“Our goal is the Soul-Returning Lamp. Don’t let this disturb your focus.”
Lai Yongle hurriedly agreed. “Old Mother speaks the truth.”
With those words, the crowd gradually dispersed, discussing where to set ambushes tomorrow and how to arrange them.
Finally, the appointed time arrived.
Before setting off, Liu Qiao’e warned Zheng Shen and those few villagers, “Handle the handover just as you always have. Ignore us.”
Zheng Shen looked troubled. “They specifically ordered us to deal with all of you… When they come, they’ll surely confirm your statuses first.”
“I don’t care what excuse or method you use,” Liu Qiao’e cut him off mercilessly. “In short, you must lure them down to the depths first!”
Seeing her resolve, Zheng Shen had no choice but to agree helplessly.
Liu Qiao’e had single-handedly saved their lives and even brought medical cultivator disciples from the group to treat them. Now, everyone in Ren Family Village, including Zheng Shen, held her in high regard.
Zheng Shen and those sturdy young villagers all agreed.
Liu Qiao’e and the others concealed their auras and hid in the blind spots of the spirit vein core underground.
The lift slowly descended. This time, Zheng Shen led three or five black-robed demonic cultivators down.
The two sides exchanged a few simple words. The lead demonic cultivator, with a demonic pattern tattooed on his cheek, took several bottles of pills from his sleeve.
“These pills aren’t ordinary—handle them with care!”
“What about the cultivators we wanted? Especially that Mu fellow…”
In the shadows.
He? Mu Daoying’s hand in his sleeve trembled slightly, breaking into a sweat.
The others’ gazes converged on him from all directions. He was only surprised for an instant before quickly regaining his composure, silently tucking his hand back into his sleeve.
Zheng Shen smiled obsequiously. “All caught. Look, they’re just ahead—they’ll be here soon.”
“What exactly are these people’s identities?” he feigned surprise. “To labor all you esteemed ones like this!”
“That Mu is specifically named from above to be killed. Why ask so many questions?”
“Old Mother.” Song Miaoling looked toward Liu Qiao’e.
Liu Qiao’e stared ahead, her face cold as frost, and gave a slight nod.
Song Miaoling received the signal and turned to gesture at the crowd.
“Kill!!”
The next second, the Immortal Alliance disciples who received the order leaped out from their hiding spots!
“What the—?!”
“Damn, ambush!!”
The demonic cultivators reacted too slowly, scrambling in panic. How could they stand against the well-prepared Immortal Alliance group? With hardly any effort, Liu Qiao’e and the others captured them on the spot.
Some demonic cultivators, in the chaos, flew into a rage and instinctively grabbed for Zheng Shen and the sturdy villagers.