Chapter 04: The Genius Cultivator
After Xiao Xing’s change of heart, its proactivity was indeed on another level. It took the initiative to inform Xie Bailu that among the group of cultivators, there were Foundation Establishment and Qi Refinement practitioners. The highest cultivation among them was peak Foundation Establishment. Fortunately, spiritual sense was limited in this demonic domain, so as long as Xie Bailu hid well, she could observe them from a closer distance without being discovered.
Xie Bailu had already been dealt a harsh blow by this new world; even someone who saved her could turn around and try to kill her. Thus, she wouldn’t rush forward recklessly.
She planned to hide and observe first, to see what this group was all about.
While the group rested, Xie Bailu and Xiao Xing conversed in low voices about demons and demonic domains.
Xiao Xing told Xie Bailu that in ancient times, this continent was home to all sorts of demons. “Demon” was a general term for a class of monsters, each with its own unique abilities. Their common trait was the ability to form their own demonic domains. No matter how powerful a cultivator was, if they couldn’t find and kill the demon, they would be trapped and die within its domain.
If the demons had continued to occupy this continent, humanity would never have become the dominant species. The once-rampant demons were driven from this land by powerful human figures through some unknown means. Only a few stragglers remained, and with the passage of time, they grew weak, no longer posing a major threat to the cultivation world.
Xie Bailu understood. So, demons are dinosaurs.
There were many types of demons. The most powerful was called the Blood Demon, while the Eye Demon was relatively harmless. However, the powerful demons had long since become legends in dusty tomes, and the Eye Demon was still quite dangerous for low-level cultivators.
The danger of the Eye Demon wasn’t that it was hard to fight, but that its true body was impossible to find. The Eye Demon’s domain was filled with eyes, and these were not mere decorations. They could transmit the whereabouts of intruders to the Eye Demon. If anyone got close, it would immediately move to another location, making it impossible to find.
Everything in the Eye Demon’s domain had eyes and was therefore inedible. Eating anything would cause mental confusion. Cultivators trapped within would eventually die of hunger and thirst, or go mad and die, becoming nutrients for the Eye Demon.
Xie Bailu looked at her storage bag. The dry rations and water inside were only enough for one more meal. She had been traveling through the wilderness for the past few days and had no chance to replenish her supplies.
Cultivators like her, who didn’t carry enough food and were too weak to have reached the stage of Bigu, would be the first to die.
After learning that the eyes were only for surveillance and posed no other immediate threat, Xie Bailu’s fear of them lessened. To desensitize herself, she even plucked a leaf with an eye on it and had a staring contest with it up close.
The eye in her hand looked very much like a human eye, with a similar structure. It protruded slightly from the leaf. Fighting back her nausea, she poked it with a twig. It was springy, a bit like jelly, and the eye even reacted to her touch by blinking.
Xie Bailu took out her dagger, and the eye’s blinking frequency instantly increased.
Xie Bailu was surprised. “Can this eye feel fear?”
Xiao Xing looked at Xie Bailu. “…Master, why don’t you find a place to wash your face first?”
Xie Bailu had been chased by Ling Song immediately after killing Qian Lang. When would she have had time to wash off the filth?
As a result, her face was currently covered in blood, and the sight of her holding a blood-stained dagger was truly quite terrifying.
Xie Bailu shook her head decisively. “There are eyes in the water too. I’m not washing!”
The thought of floating eyes staring at her while she washed her face gave her goosebumps. Besides, she didn’t dare let the water in the domain touch her face, fearing she would absorb something through contact and go mad. The little water left in her waterskin wasn’t even enough to drink, let alone wash her face. Being dirty didn’t matter; surviving came first.
Xie Bailu put the leaf down and turned her gaze to the cultivators.
There were seven of them in total. Three wore similar attire. Of the other four, two female cultivators looked alike and sat close together, likely mother and daughter or sisters. The other two male cultivators sat apart with little interaction.
Xie Bailu’s eyes fell on the three in similar clothing. They were two men and a woman. One of the men seemed to be the leader, with an arrogant expression and an impatient tone. The other man and woman flanked him in a subtly protective stance.
These three were well-dressed and likely from a major power. The other four were dressed similarly to her, probably rogue cultivators. Although the seven of them were resting together, they were divided into four small groups, meaning they had also teamed up temporarily.
Because of what happened with Qian Lang, Xie Bailu was more wary of this world and other cultivators. But as long as this group wasn’t some cohesive team of evil cultivators who only killed, she could try to approach them.
She could follow them secretly and wait for them to find the Eye Demon and break the domain, but the problem was, her predicament wasn’t just the Eye Demon’s domain, but also the menacing Ling Song.
If the domain wasn’t broken, she would be trapped and die. If the domain was broken, she would be found and killed by Ling Song. It was a true dead end. She had to seek external help to find a way out.
That meant she needed to learn more about these people, and she couldn’t do that by watching from afar.
Xie Bailu thought for a moment, then, with a pang of regret, poured out the last of the water from her waterskin onto a small piece of cloth she had torn from her undergarment. She painstakingly wiped the blood from her face.
There was nothing she could do about her clothes; she didn’t have a third set. But her face had to be visible. In front of these people, she needed to be a silly, sweet girl who had been well-protected by her “elder brother,” to make it easier to get information.
A silly, sweet girl covered in blood was a bit too avant-garde. She had to make good use of this face, which had a naturally fragile air.
As an extra precaution, Xie Bailu first meditated to recover a little spiritual energy. Before setting out, she whispered to Xiao Xing, “Don’t come out unless I call you. If there’s an emergency, like if you spot Ling Song, don’t call me ‘Master’.”
Xiao Xing didn’t know what Xie Bailu was planning, but seeing her about to make a big move, it felt a thrill of excitement. Although its new master’s cultivation was lacking, her mind was sharp.
It also whispered back, “Don’t worry, I’m very clever! My old master used to praise me!”
Xie Bailu thought to herself, Clever or not, I don’t know, but you’re definitely good at bullying the weak, fearing the strong, and sizing up a situation.
Xie Bailu gave herself one last look. Disheveled enough, harmless enough. Only then did she walk toward the group with unsteady steps.
The seven people in the temporary camp, though gathered to solve their current predicament, were very wary of each other. Few spoke across groups, only whispering to those they knew.
The arrogant male cultivator from the group of three suddenly looked in a certain direction and said, “Someone’s coming.”
His tone wasn’t particularly tense. This was a demonic domain, not a secret realm with treasures to fight over. Everyone had the same goal, so there was no need to be overly vigilant against other cultivators, unless they were pre-existing enemies.
At his warning, the others also looked over.
A disheveled female cultivator emerged from the bushes, covered in dried blood, her steps staggering as if she had just survived a fierce battle and was seriously injured.
It was Xie Bailu, approaching them on her own.
When she met their gazes, she showed a hint of surprise, then a hopeful look swept across their faces before turning to disappointment, as if she were looking for someone but hadn’t found them.
Still, she asked, “Have you seen any other cultivators? I was separated from my elder brother.”
After a brief silence, one of the two similar-looking female cultivators said, “Everyone we’ve met is here.”
Xie Bailu breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that someone was willing to talk. Seeing that these cultivators weren’t hostile—they were still sitting and hadn’t stood up in alert—she asked softly, “Can I join you?”
In a demonic domain, sticking together was standard practice. No one would refuse to strengthen a temporary alliance.
The other female cultivator, who looked like the one who had spoken, said, “Of course you can. One more person is one more bit of strength.”
Under the subtle gazes of the others, Xie Bailu walked over to the two female cultivators and sat down as if exhausted. She said in a low voice, “My name is Xie Hong. I was originally at the mid-stage Foundation Establishment, but I’m injured, so I might not be of much help, but I’ll do my best! What are your names?”
Except for the two female cultivators who were talking to Xie Bailu, the others looked away. From the moment she appeared, Xie Bailu had successfully created the image of someone who had been well-protected by her family, had little experience in the world, and was not very guarded.
In a temporary alliance like this, they would exchange names, but not details about their cultivation, let alone expose their weaknesses.
The female cultivator who had spoken first said, “We’re sisters. I’m Sun Yerong, and this is my younger sister, Sun Yetong.”
The younger sister, Sun Yetong, smiled brightly. “It’s alright, don’t worry. My sister and I don’t have high cultivation levels either.”
Xie Bailu nodded and smiled lightly, as if comforted.
Sun Yerong asked, “Were you injured in the demonic domain?”
She wasn’t trying to pry, but trust between cultivators in a demonic domain was fragile. She was worried that some ruthless person who would kill for treasure, regardless of the bigger picture, had entered.
Hearing this, Xie Bailu’s face turned pale, and she said with a tremor in her voice, “It was outside. My-my brother and I ran into a madman.”
At the word “madman,” the expressions of the Sun sisters and the others who were eavesdropping changed slightly.
Xie Bailu was not surprised. Xiao Xing had said that in this cultivation world, the first person anyone thought of when “madman” was mentioned was Ling Song.
She looked puzzled. “What’s wrong?”
Sun Yerong forced a smile. “The madman you’re talking about… do you mean that person?”
Xie Bailu was even more confused. “Who?”
Before Sun Yerong could explain, the leader of the group of three spoke coldly, “Look at you lot, so pathetic you don’t even dare to say his name. I don’t think the rumors are all that true. Only rogue cultivators like you would be scared out of your wits!”
His words were rude, and another male cultivator sitting alone couldn’t help but retort, “Teng Anxiu, haven’t you heard about the Luo Xiao Sect being wiped out three days ago? He’s not just ruthless to rogue cultivators!”
Xie Bailu’s heart stirred. The Luo Xiao Sect being wiped out, was that what happened right before she transmigrated? That Nascent Soul cultivator must have been from the Luo Xiao Sect, perhaps the sect master? With the sect master dead, it could indeed be called being wiped out.
She hadn’t seen the end of the battle, but Xiao Xing had said Ling Song was about to win before she left. And he had come after her later, completely unharmed. His opponent was most likely dead.
Teng Anxiu looked arrogant and sneered, “The Luo Xiao Sect is just a third-rate sect. The sect master was only at the early-stage Nascent Soul realm. If he faced my Teng family, let’s see if Ling Song would still dare to be so presumptuous!”
Xie Bailu suddenly looked at him with admiration. “The Teng family? Is that the Teng family of the five major families?”
The five major families were the Ling, Min, Yu, Teng, and Zong families. Xiao Xing had briefly mentioned them to Xie Bailu, but didn’t know many details.
With someone fawning over him, Teng Anxiu deigned to give her a little face and replied, “That’s right. My elder sister is exceptionally talented and has always wanted to fight Ling Song, but he keeps avoiding her. Ridiculous. Only ignorant rogue cultivators like you would make a big deal out of him!”
An idea sparked in Xie Bailu’s mind. She exclaimed in awe, “Wow, your sister is so amazing! Where is she now?”
If Teng Anxiu’s sister was here… she could get her wish and fight Ling Song, and Xie Bailu could take the opportunity to escape. It would be a win-win!
Teng Anxiu narrowed his eyes. “Why do you ask?”
Xie Bailu thought, I thought he’d be easy to get information from, but he’s quite vigilant.
The next moment, she heard Teng Anxiu say, “It’s no secret. My sister came out with me. She must have entered by now and will find us soon.”
Xie Bailu was speechless. “…” A little vigilant, but not much.
Hearing Teng Anxiu’s words, the few rogue cultivators’ faces lit up with joy. Teng Anxiu’s sister, Teng Anlan, was a famous genius cultivator, already at the peak of the Golden Core realm at a young age. With her here, a mere Eye Demon’s domain would be a piece of cake. They were saved!
Even the male cultivator who had initially disliked Teng Anxiu said, “Senior Teng Anlan is a peak Golden Core cultivator. With her here, we can all get out alive!”
Peak Golden Core, a higher cultivation level than Ling Song. But Ling Song could even defeat a Nascent Soul cultivator. Could this Teng Anlan do it?
Xie Bailu put on an expression of someone who had never seen the world and asked curiously, “Is Senior Teng Anlan that powerful? Is she invincible below the Nascent Soul realm?”
Teng Anxiu reacted strongly, frowning. “Haven’t you heard of my sister? Never mind below the Nascent Soul realm, she can even defeat a Nascent Soul cultivator!”
A wave of joy washed over Xie Bailu. She praised him sincerely, “That’s amazing! I’m so ignorant. Can you tell me about her achievements?”
Teng Anxiu didn’t need to boast. The male cultivator who had been praising Teng Anlan immediately answered, rattling off her achievements with ease. How she could hold her own against a Golden Core cultivator when she was at the Foundation Establishment stage, how she was invincible below the Nascent Soul realm when she was at the mid-stage Golden Core, and now at the peak of the Golden Core realm, she even dared to challenge Nascent Soul cultivators. Many so-called geniuses had been defeated by her.
The more Xie Bailu heard, the more excited she became. This was great! If she could fight a Nascent Soul cultivator, she could fight Ling Song. And this Teng Anlan was different from Ling Song; she only fought, she didn’t have a penchant for killing. Xie Bailu wouldn’t have to worry about being killed for no reason when dealing with her. Her hope for survival lay with Teng Anlan!
But before that, she had to confirm how much of what they said was true.
Xie Bailu seemed to remember something and asked hesitantly, “By the way, what does that madman you were talking about look like? He doesn’t happen to wear red clothes, does he?”
As soon as she finished speaking, the joyful expressions on everyone’s faces froze as if someone had pressed pause. Their expressions turned stiff, and they all stared at her with suspicion and uncertainty.
Xie Bailu focused on Teng Anxiu and saw that his face had also changed slightly. He asked urgently, “Red clothes? The madman you met was Ling Song?”
Xie Bailu was confused. “…?” Wait, from the looks of your fear, were you all just bragging just now?!