Chapter 06: Golden Core Duel
Teng Anlan’s appearance matched her cool, clear voice. However, when others looked at her, the first thing they noticed wasn’t her beautiful, ice-and-snow-like face, but the perpetually burning battle intent that surrounded her.
Facing Ling Song, whom she had long wanted to fight, Teng Anlan’s battle intent reached its peak.
Ling Song and Teng Anlan were both genius cultivators who had made a name for themselves at a young age. At least, Teng Anlan had wanted to fight Ling Song ever since she heard he had reached the Golden Core realm and often killed opponents of a higher level. Although they were both disciples of the five major families, it was strange that this was their first time meeting.
After Ling Song and Teng Anlan faced off, Teng Anxiu and the others quickly retreated a great distance, afraid of being caught in the crossfire of the Golden Core experts’ battle.
The Teng family members, including Teng Anxiu, watched the two in confrontation nervously. They believed Teng Anlan could win, yet they worried she would lose. Their feelings were extremely conflicted. After all, her opponent was the madman Ling Song!
The other rogue cultivators retreated even further. Although they were very interested in the battle between Ling Song and Teng Anlan, but…
“Sister, Xie Hong… was she… targeted?” Sun Yetong mumbled the word “madman,” her expression puzzled.
Sun Yerong said, “Didn’t you hear him mention the Five-Star Cauldron?” If she had snatched the Five-Star Cauldron, of course the madman would remember her.
The male cultivator who had been praising Teng Anlan joined the discussion. “I can’t believe it. Xie Hong actually managed to get the Five-Star Cauldron. Wasn’t the Luo Xiao Sect wiped out because they fought… that person for the Five-Star Cauldron? Everyone thought it was in his hands, but it turns out it’s not!”
He had calmed down by now. Fortunately, the madman’s emphasis on eight people wasn’t because he disliked the number, as he had guessed, but because he had noticed someone was missing.
He sighed. “I thought Xie Hong was just well-protected by her family and inexperienced. I didn’t expect her to keep the matter of the Five-Star Cauldron a complete secret.”
Sun Yetong, who had a good impression of Xie Bailu, retorted in a low voice, “Inexperienced doesn’t mean stupid. How could she go around talking about something like the Five-Star Cauldron? A divine artifact like that can turn a good person into a bad one!”
She glanced at the male cultivator, her meaning clear.
The male cultivator smiled nonchalantly. “If the Five-Star Cauldron was in front of you, would you not try to take it?”
Sun Yetong shook her head. “I wouldn’t dare to covet something that… that person has his eyes on. If you have the guts, go ahead and try.”
The male cultivator’s expression stiffened. Indeed, from the madman’s questions, it was clear he was after the Five-Star Cauldron. He would have to have a death wish to try and take it from him.
Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but sigh with genuine admiration. “That Xie Hong is really audacious, to dare to snatch something that… he has his eyes on.”
The others couldn’t help but nod. From the way Xie Hong had hidden the moment she saw the madman, she must have known who was after the Five-Star Cauldron from the start. To still dare to take it was truly bold.
At this moment, the two Golden Core cultivators, who had been in a standoff for a while, finally made their move. Teng Anlan struck with the first sword, and the rogue cultivators quickly stopped their discussion to focus on the battle. Witnessing a battle between high-level cultivators could be greatly beneficial to their own cultivation.
Meanwhile, Xie Bailu, who had been forgotten by everyone, didn’t dare to pause after landing. She quickly changed direction and ran until she found a dense thicket to hide in. After waiting for a while and not seeing Ling Song in pursuit, the human and artifact spirit temporarily relaxed.
Only then did Xiao Xing dare to speak. “That scared me to death! Good thing you reacted quickly, or we would have been finished!”
Xiao Xing was overjoyed that they had escaped once again. After all, to escape from the madman Ling Song time and time again was a miraculous feat!
But Xie Bailu was in low spirits.
She asked, “Xiao Xing, can a cultivator with a higher cultivation level remove a spiritual sense imprint left by a weaker cultivator?”
Xiao Xing replied, “That’s right. The greater the difference in cultivation, the easier it is.”
Xie Bailu thought, As I expected. If only Ling Song had arrived a little later. If she had met Teng Anlan first, what if she was a particularly nice person and they hit it off, and she was willing to help remove Ling Song’s spiritual sense imprint?
Now, she suspected Ling Song and Teng Anlan were already fighting! Ling Song hadn’t come after her, which likely meant he was held up, and the only person who could have done that was Teng Anlan, who was already close by. They would only go after the Eye Demon after they finished fighting. If she was unlucky, she would be found and killed by Ling Song in the Eye Demon’s domain. If she was lucky, once the domain disappeared, Ling Song could still easily find and kill her using the spiritual sense imprint.
Seeing Xie Bailu’s gloomy mood, Xiao Xing, who had accepted her “child of fortune” persona, comforted her, “Master, don’t worry! You’re the child of fortune. When the time comes, someone will definitely come to help you.”
Xie Bailu forced a smile. “You’re right.”
Xiao Xing could believe that, but she couldn’t fool herself. If she did nothing, she was doomed.
There had to be a third party to intervene… The problem was, meeting Teng Anxiu and the others was already a coincidence. How could there be so many coincidences that she would meet a kind, high-level cultivator again?
…Wait a minute. This was the Eye Demon’s domain. Hadn’t the Eye Demon’s presence been a little too low so far? Could she possibly use the Eye Demon?
A thought suddenly occurred to Xie Bailu. She asked, “Xiao Xing, does the Eye Demon only feed on the corpses of cultivators?”
Xiao Xing didn’t know why Xie Bailu was asking this, but it answered honestly, “No, demons eat anything with spiritual energy.”
Xie Bailu said, “Then, do you think they like divine artifacts?”
At this, Xiao Xing perked up, its plump white body swaying proudly. “Of course! Countless treasures are used in the forging of a divine artifact. Compared to cultivators, demons would definitely prefer to eat divine artifacts!”
A flicker of joy appeared in Xie Bailu’s heart. She put on a worried expression. “Then isn’t a divine artifact among divine artifacts like you in great danger? I’m so weak, not even at the Qi Refinement stage. What if the Eye Demon comes to snatch you? Wouldn’t you be taken away in an instant? The two most powerful Golden Core cultivators are probably fighting and won’t be able to pay attention to it!”
As she spoke, she saw a few eyes in the thicket blink rapidly.
So the Eye Demon’s eyes could not only see, but also hear!
Xiao Xing seemed to freeze for a moment, its white body turning to look at Xie Bailu in a daze.
It suddenly reacted and said anxiously, “Then don’t say it out loud! If you don’t say it, the Eye Demon won’t know, but now…”
It looked at the ubiquitous eyes around them and couldn’t continue. The Eye Demon was weak, but its new master was even weaker!
Xie Bailu said, “Do you think it wouldn’t know if we didn’t say anything? You’re a divine artifact!”
Xiao Xing replied immediately, “Of course! I told you, my brilliance is hidden now. Didn’t you see that the Teng family and those rogue cultivators didn’t notice me? If you hadn’t said anything, the Eye Demon would never have known I’m a divine artifact! Besides, the Eye Demon is very stupid!”
Xie Bailu saw the surrounding eyes blinking even more frequently, probably in anger.
She reminded it, “Stop cursing it. See, the Eye Demon is angry.”
Xiao Xing was exasperated. “It’s probably on its way here right now! We’re about to be eaten! Who cares if it’s angry!”
Xie Bailu said “oh” and asked a completely unrelated question. “How long do you think Ling Song and Teng Anlan will fight? Will it be as long as Ling Song’s fight with that Nascent Soul cultivator?”
Xiao Xing said anxiously, “You still have the mind to worry about such things? Run!”
Xie Bailu urged, “Answer me, quick!”
Xiao Xing froze, as if it had seen something in Xie Bailu’s eyes. It paused, calmed down, and answered seriously, “I’ve never met Teng Anlan, but I’ve heard of her. If she’s as legendary as they say, she’ll definitely last longer than that Nascent Soul cultivator.”
Xie Bailu said, “The way you say it, you don’t even consider the possibility of Ling Song losing? Teng Anlan is at the peak of the Golden Core realm, two minor realms higher than Ling Song.”
Although she said that, she didn’t actually think Ling Song would lose either. She only hoped Teng Anlan could hold him off for a while, not that she could win. Besides, even if Teng Anlan won, so what? Teng Anlan didn’t kill people. Even if she won, Ling Song could still come after her. And even a battle-worn Ling Song was more than she could handle!
Xiao Xing was agitated. “How could that madman lose? Anyone can lose, but he will definitely win!”
Xie Bailu sighed. “What can we do? He’s already become an invincible mental block in our minds.”
Xiao Xing was confused. “…?”
Xie Bailu poked Xiao Xing with her finger, sending it tumbling to the ground, and then sat down to meditate.
Xiao Xing, which had rolled far away and then rolled back, was even more confused. “Why are you sitting down? Aren’t you going to run?”
Xie Bailu explained simply, “I’m gathering some spiritual energy first. We don’t know which direction the Eye Demon is coming from. If we run blindly, we might run right into it.”
Xiao Xing thought that made sense and fell silent.
Xie Bailu felt the spiritual energy inside her. Perhaps because the Eye Demon’s domain wasn’t large, she hadn’t used up all her spiritual energy with the Divine Movement Art this time.
Her personal spiritual energy couldn’t support the consumption of the Divine Movement Art. Each time, it was a mixed consumption of her and Xiao Xing’s energy in a certain ratio. So every time she used it, Xiao Xing would be depleted a little. As an artifact spirit, it couldn’t replenish its own spiritual energy. Sooner or later, she wouldn’t be able to use the Divine Movement Art, and Xiao Xing would no longer be able to take form.
But if she didn’t use the Divine Movement Art, they would be caught by Ling Song immediately. It was the difference between immediate execution and a suspended death sentence.
Xie Bailu hadn’t meditated for long before Xiao Xing woke her up. “Something’s coming!”
Xie Bailu stepped out of the thicket and saw a snow-white rabbit lying not far ahead. The rabbit was plump and white, with a three-lobed mouth. Only its two eyes were in the right place. It was so fluffy you wanted to pet it, but the problem was—
It was huge! A white rabbit the size of an elephant was terrifying!
Yet the white rabbit seemed completely unaware of any problem with its size. It hopped toward Xie Bailu, shaking its head as if it thought it was being cute.
Xie Bailu was speechless. “…” Stop trying to be cute, giant white rabbit! Didn’t you notice the ground shaking as you run?!
Xiao Xing had said the Eye Demon could take any form, so Xie Bailu knew almost immediately that this thing, which looked like a normal white rabbit except for its size, was the Eye Demon.
“You’re the Eye Demon, aren’t you!” Xie Bailu exposed it directly.
The giant white rabbit in front of her looked up, down, left, and right, as if it had no idea what Xie Bailu was talking about.
Good grief, is it pretending to be a real white rabbit?
She was so touched, really. With that size, it could have swallowed her whole, yet it was still trying to be cute to lower her guard…
Xie Bailu said with a righteous expression, “No matter how you disguise yourself, it’s useless! I know you’re the Eye Demon! You’re after the Five-Star Cauldron, right? Let me tell you, forget it! I won’t give you the Five-Star Cauldron! Even if I’m weak, I won’t be captured without a fight! Those two Golden Core cultivators will be here soon to finish you off! If you know what’s good for you, get lost!”
Seeing that Xie Bailu wasn’t falling for it, the giant rabbit opened its mouth, revealing a set of sharp teeth, and spoke in a human voice, “Hahaha, don’t lie to me! I saw them! They’re fighting! They can’t be bothered with me!”
A flicker of joy appeared in Xie Bailu’s heart. She couldn’t be sure if Ling Song and Teng Anlan were fighting, but the Eye Demon had many eyes, so it knew. She just had to get it to tell her. Fortunately, they really were fighting, so she could proceed with her original plan.
Xie Bailu said loudly, “They’ll be done fighting soon! You’ll still die then!”
The Eye Demon laughed. “They’re far from finished!”
Xie Bailu thought, Good, that’s the information I wanted.
She pretended to be panicked and took two steps back. “Even if they’re fighting, they’ll come and kill you if they know you’ve appeared!”
The Eye Demon was triumphant. “They can’t be bothered with me! You said so yourself! Don’t try to trick me now!”
Xie Bailu thought, Xiao Xing’s information about the Eye Demon is very accurate. It really isn’t very smart. It made sense. If it had brains and skills, would it need to wear down cultivators to death? It would just attack them directly.
Now, the idea that “the Golden Core cultivators are fighting and can’t be bothered with me” was firmly planted in its mind.
The Eye Demon tried to persuade her, “If you hand over the divine artifact, I’ll let you…”
Before it could finish, Xie Bailu turned and ran.
The Eye Demon froze for a moment, then the giant white rabbit’s fur turned black in anger, and many eyes sprouted all over its body. It roared and chased after Xie Bailu.
As Xie Bailu ran, she paid attention to the Eye Demon’s speed. After realizing it wasn’t as fast as her when she was using spiritual energy, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Only then did Xiao Xing whisper, “I don’t know, but the way you were talking to the Eye Demon just now seemed a bit stupid…”
It paused, then remembered how Xie Bailu had acted in front of Teng Anxiu and the others, and it suddenly understood. “So you were doing it on purpose!”
Xie Bailu shushed it. “Shh!”
Xiao Xing quickly shut up and rolled back into the Five-Star Cauldron, watching excitedly and quietly to see what Xie Bailu would do.
Xie Bailu controlled her speed. When she saw the Eye Demon couldn’t catch up, she pretended to be exhausted and slowed down. When she saw the Eye Demon was about to catch up, she pretended to have an adrenaline rush and sped up again.
Thanks to Xiao Xing’s information, the Eye Demon had no long-range attacks, which allowed her to lead it back the way she came.
The Eye Demon’s domain was indeed not large, and Xie Bailu hadn’t run far with the Divine Movement Art, so it wasn’t long before she saw the two figures fighting in the sky in the distance.
They were too far away for Xie Bailu to see who was who, but she could feel the pressure of their spiritual energy even from this distance, which told her how intense their battle was.
She glanced back. Perhaps because they were getting closer to the two dangerous individuals, the Eye Demon hesitated, and its speed suddenly dropped.
Xie Bailu thought, This won’t do.
She let out a cry of “Aiya!” as if she had tripped over something and fell to the ground.
The Eye Demon had been about to stop, but seeing Xie Bailu fall, it was only a step away from catching her. It chased after her again.
That was a divine artifact, more nourishing than a hundred years’ worth of cultivators!
At this moment, greed overcame caution and fear. It thought, Those two cultivators look like they’ll be fighting for a long time. They definitely won’t notice me. I’ll just sneak up, swallow the divine artifact, and run. Then I’ll hide and wear these people down to death!
Xie Bailu looked back and saw the Eye Demon closing in. She pretended to scramble up in a panic and ran, closing the distance between them and Ling Song and the others.
The Eye Demon was still in hot pursuit due to its greed, but Xie Bailu knew that the closer it got to the two, the more it would hesitate. When she saw from its posture that it was reaching its limit, Xie Bailu whispered to Xiao Xing, “Trust me!”
Before Xiao Xing could react to what Xie Bailu meant, it found itself thrown into the air.
At the same time, Xie Bailu shouted, “Ling Song, the Eye Demon is trying to eat the Five-Star Cauldron!”
When the Eye Demon saw the Five-Star Cauldron flying into the air, all its eyes were fixed on the easily obtainable prize. It didn’t hear what Xie Bailu was shouting. With an agility that belied its size, it leaped into the air, its mouth wide open, ready to swallow the Five-Star Cauldron.
Facing the Eye Demon’s gaping maw, Xiao Xing screamed, “…Ahhhhhh!”
For the two who were focused on their battle, the weakling running in the distance was not worth their attention, until Xie Bailu’s shrill cry pierced the air.
Ling Song, who had been called, tilted his head to avoid Teng Anlan’s sword and looked into the distance, just in time to see an ugly black rabbit about to swallow the Five-Star Cauldron.
He frowned and swung his sword. A rainbow of sword qi shot out like lightning, reaching the Eye Demon in an instant. With a faint “pop,” the Eye Demon’s massive body was cut in two, the sword qi instantly shredding all its life force.
Because of this distraction, Ling Song failed to dodge Teng Anlan’s sharp sword strike. The sword qi pierced his abdomen. He grunted, forced his attention back, ignored the minor injury, and raised his sword to block the next attack.
With the Eye Demon’s death, the demonic domain naturally dissipated. Xie Bailu had been waiting for this. As the Eye Demon fell to the ground in pieces and the countless eyes around them disappeared, she lunged forward and grabbed the Five-Star Cauldron, quickly circulating her qi and performing hand seals, while nervously glancing at the sky.
Seeing Ling Song injured and still engaged with Teng Anlan, she felt a wave of relief. In a battle between experts, distraction was the greatest taboo. She had lured the Eye Demon over, first to use Ling Song’s concern for the Five-Star Cauldron to eliminate the Eye Demon, and second to see if she could harm him.
Fortunately, her gamble had paid off! It was a risky move. Ling Song could have just ignored her and continued fighting. But she was already in a dead end. Losing the gamble would have meant death, just like before, so there was no loss. But winning bought her more time.
Before anyone could react, Xie Bailu had already taken the Five-Star Cauldron and disappeared into the distance as a streak of white light, once again escaping Ling Song’s pursuit.