Before the gates of Tianyan Sect.
The moment Chu Xingchen's words fell, several streaks of rainbow light shot out from within the sect, taking positions to all sides and completely surrounding Donggua and Wukong.
Wukong ignored Donggua's hate-filled gaze and looked directly at Chu Xingchen, silently asking what was happening.
Chu Xingchen raised his hand. The next instant, Wanban streaked forward.
Wukong could not react in time. He could only watch from the corner of his eye.
Wanban had already pierced straight through Donggua. Fresh blood stained the thin layer of accumulated snow beneath her.
The overwhelming power of two full cultivation realms above Donggua meant she had no time to react. She only felt her chest suddenly turn ice-cold as the source of her spiritual power within her body instantly collapsed beyond her control.
With a dull thud, Donggua's body crumpled onto the snow.
"Now that I have seen your sincerity, I will generously assume you truly wish to turn from darkness to the light." Chu Xingchen recalled Wanban with a wave of his hand and leaped to stand before Wukong. "I have no objections to the Buddhist Sect falling entirely into your hands. But you need to tell me clearly — where are the remaining targets?"
Wukong stared at Chu Xingchen's imperious expression and drew a slow breath before speaking.
"That is only natural. But the person I went to the trouble of bringing you — you simply killed her just like that?"
Chu Xingchen sneered.
"The eradication is imminent. A small fish is useless to keep around and unpleasant to look at. What, are you reluctant to part with her?"
Donggua lay with her face pressed against the bloodstained snow. She did not dare move a muscle, even holding her breath as she focused on preventing the massive wound in her chest from healing.
Chu Xingchen's sword should have pierced her divine soul, erasing her completely. But within her Sea of Consciousness, a Flower of the Venerable had inexplicably bloomed, intercepting the soul-severing strike on her behalf.
Now she merely had a gaping hole in her chest. For a Spirit Transformation cultivator, this level of injury was not yet fatal. The real danger was the follow-up attacks meant to finish her off.
For an injury of this sort, calling it a minor wound would not be an exaggeration.
Donggua remained motionless, but her ears listened carefully to the unguarded conversation between the two men.
Terror spread through every fiber of her being.
This monk was truly a demon — that much was certain. But this demon of the Buddhist Sect had betrayed his own kind.
Chu Xingchen had abandoned the Buddhist Sect, and the Buddhist Sect's own demon had, in turn, sacrificed the other demons for the sake of the sect.
It was a transaction — and a betrayal.
And she had been the initial token of sincerity. The next tokens of sincerity would, without question, be the remaining Heavenly Demons.
The conversation between Chu Xingchen and Wukong continued.
Donggua committed every word to memory but did not dwell on them. Instead, she focused on whether she had any path of survival left.
Chu Xingchen might believe her divine soul had been destroyed, but that did not mean her remains would not be disposed of.
This was the entrance of Tianyan Sect. She could not simply play dead and make a surprise breakout — that would never succeed here.
Donggua could only place her hope in the Flower of the Venerable that had bloomed within her Sea of Consciousness.
She guided a thread of her weakened divine sense toward the flower.
Soon, a familiar voice echoed softly.
"You have a certain quick-wittedness, little one. I will give you a chance to live — whether you can seize it depends entirely on yourself."
Donggua immediately ceased all movement at these words. She did not dare ask questions, focusing only on monitoring every subtle shift around her as she waited for the so-called opportunity.
Chu Xingchen gave a perfunctory response to Wukong, who was still visibly confused. Then he turned his gaze to the Donggua lying on the ground.
The System's attribute inspection had one useful limitation — it did not work on the dead. The same principle applied to demons.
Whether she was truly dead or not was, for Chu Xingchen, a matter of a single glance.
Sure enough, the [Seed of the Desire Demon] was no simple thing. Since she was not dead, he would send her back.
Such crucial intelligence needed to be spread far and wide by Donggua herself.
And Donggua, having earned such merit, would naturally receive the reward she desired. On reflection, this could be considered a win-win.
Chu Xingchen looked at Wukong and spoke calmly.
"We will not discuss the finer details here. Let us go inside and talk. The matter here can be left to them."
Wukong glanced once more at the motionless Donggua and finally nodded in agreement.
Chu Xingchen gestured for Wukong to proceed. Then his gaze shifted to Chen Baiqing, who had been waiting quietly at the Tianyan Sect entrance. She had accompanied him here.
Chu Xingchen glanced back at Donggua on the ground, then covertly flicked his fingers.
Chen Baiqing made no movement. She only lowered her eyes slightly to signal her understanding.
Chu Xingchen made no further gestures and walked into Tianyan Sect alongside Wukong.
Chen Baiqing stepped forward and addressed the inner sect disciples hovering in the air above.
"I will need your assistance. This particular cleanup requires special handling — please follow my instructions."
The leading inner sect disciple immediately cupped his hands.
"Please speak freely, Senior Aunt."
Chen Baiqing approached a little closer but kept her distance from Donggua. She spoke softly.
"There is no need for so many people. Two will suffice. The rest of you may return to your duties."
Too many people would make it impossible for Donggua to escape even if she still had the ability to flee. Two people would ensure safety while leaving enough slack.
The team leader looked to one of his companions. The others understood and dispersed back into Tianyan Sect.
"How should we handle this body, Senior Aunt?" the team leader asked in a hushed voice.
He had not expected that disposing of a single corpse would come with such specific instructions.
Chen Baiqing glanced at the deeply cultivated team leader, then turned her gaze to another disciple standing farther away — one with a lower cultivation base. She gave her orders to him.
"Drag this corpse some distance away and burn it. Just do not pollute Tianyan Sect's feng shui. This thing carries very foul luck."
"Huh?" The team leader blinked in surprise.
Chen Baiqing looked at him.
"Is there a problem?"
The team leader hastily shook his head.
"No..."
The other disciple quickly bowed, then used his spiritual power to drag Donggua away, transforming into a streak of light and heading into the distance.
Watching the departing streak of light, Chen Baiqing followed at a measured distance.
The team leader trailed closely behind her.
Suddenly, a surge of crimson-black energy erupted from Donggua's body as she was being carried away by the Tianyan Sect disciple.
The disciple reacted swiftly, immediately drawing his spiritual treasure and slashing at the seemingly reanimated Donggua.
From within Donggua's hollow chest, a black-red flower of terrifying beauty bloomed. A wave of devastating aura pulsed outward in all directions.
It sent the sword-wielding disciple flying.
Chen Baiqing halted, watching the scene before her with calm eyes.
The team leader beside her moved to assist, but Chen Baiqing called out to stop him.
"Wait. Observe first — do not be hasty."
The team leader froze, his expression anxious. He called out urgently.
"Senior Aunt, life and death hang by a hair!"
Chen Baiqing lowered the Blue Sky Treasure Ring to her side and said nothing, her eyes locked on the scene ahead.
The wound in Donggua's chest healed rapidly. Her eyes snapped open. She did not pursue the disciple she had sent flying — instead, she immediately streaked away toward the east.
The crimson-black energy surging around her tore open a rift in space, accelerating her escape.
Chen Baiqing raised the Blue Sky Treasure Ring once more, then lowered it again.
The team leader watched Donggua vanish into the distance and pressed urgently.
"Senior Aunt, should we give chase?"
"No need," Chen Baiqing replied. She then called to the dazed Tianyan Sect disciple who was just recovering his wits. "The fault for this lies with me — it has nothing to do with any of you."
"Return to Tianyan Sect and tend to your injuries. Rest well. The mission will still be counted as completed."
The team leader exchanged a glance with his companion, then both cupped their hands.
"Thank you, Senior Aunt."
Chen Baiqing withdrew her gaze and nodded gently.
With this, the task her master had assigned was also properly completed.
[
Dear Readers,
I post multiple high-quality, human-polished chapters every day. If you enjoy the story, consider supporting the release schedule to unlock massive advanced chapter buffers!
Support Options:
$6 — Read 20+ Chapters Ahead (High-speed daily updates!)
$8 — Read 40+ Chapters Ahead + Exclusive Character Images
$10 — Read 60+ Chapters Ahead + Character Images + Patreon Community Chat
(Note: These chapter counts are guaranteed minimums. Because of my rapid update schedule, you will often get even more!)
⚠️ Apple Users: Please subscribe via your web browser (Safari/Chrome) instead of the Patreon App to avoid a 30% fee and massive payment delays.
Thank you for reading and keeping these daily releases going!
Support Here: patreon.com/Alex_Cruise
]