Chapter 233

The sound of birdsong, coming from an unknown source, added to the profound tranquility of the place.

Nie Yinzhi sat with her eyes closed on a rock by the water’s edge, feeling the cool touch of Gu Jiang’s fingertips on her forehead.

She had chosen an extremely intricate design for the floral ornament on her forehead—a flying phoenix pattern. To complement the Honghu, she wanted white fluff to be painted on the tips of the fluttering feathers, almost as if she were deliberately trying to challenge him.

However, Gu Jiang’s crimson demonic energy accurately traced the pattern on her forehead, as if he had done it a thousand times before. It was only because Nie Yinzhi had suddenly requested it to match the Honghu that he had to put in a little more effort.

The Cuihua Sword rested in her arms, its hilt adorned with the Honghu, which flapped its burning wings. After watching for a moment, it lost interest and flew off to chase the Red Fox, teasing it.

To match the forehead ornament, Nie Yinzhi had dressed particularly elegantly today. Her crimson skirt cascaded in layers over the rock, while her ivory-white top featured pipa sleeves embroidered with vivid floral patterns.

A feather-shaped hairpin adorned her head, and with the slightest movement, the dangling tassels made a delicate chiming sound.

Gu Jiang felt that he should lower his head and kiss her now. Though there was no such impulse within him, it was indeed as Nie Yinzhi had said before—kissing her felt incredibly soothing.

There was no burning pain, nor the oppressive weight of heavenly authority.

As he bent down and his lips touched hers, Nie Yinzhi’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. She remained still, obediently maintaining the posture of acceptance. She had applied her makeup but had left her lips unadorned, as if she had prepared for this.

Gu Jiang half-closed his eyes, observing Nie Yinzhi’s subtle expressions and listening to her uneven breathing. He thought to himself with amusement that she seemed to enjoy the sensation of his tongue brushing against hers and the roof of her mouth.

Nie Yinzhi was so overwhelmed by his kiss that she nearly slipped off the rock. Gu Jiang caught her just in time and pulled her into his arms. She looked up, her gaze meeting his.

His deep, calm eyes reflected the crimson hue of her own. Nie Yinzhi’s fingers tightened momentarily on his sleeve before she released it, leaning her head against his chest to calm herself.

“Nie Yinzhi, what’s wrong?” Gu Jiang asked gently.

After sealing away his capacity for love, he had lost the ability to feel such emotions. He could not love, nor could he sense love. The things he once naturally perceived now slipped past his awareness. Unable to trust his own feelings, Gu Jiang always paid close attention to Nie Yinzhi’s reactions, using her emotions as a reference.

He was certain he hadn’t done anything to upset her.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Nie Yinzhi replied with a smile, poking his chest with her finger. “I’m waiting for you to compliment me.”

Gu Jiang secretly breathed a sigh of relief and praised her, saying her eyes looked as shiny as a puppy’s after licking a bone.

He had once compared her to a mouse and a weasel that had stolen a chicken. Nie Yinzhi had come to realize that Gu Jiang, this scoundrel of a demon, had a rather shallow vocabulary. Without resorting to animal metaphors, he seemed at a loss for words.

“Just licked a demon,” Nie Yinzhi retorted with a weak glare, then crouched by the water’s edge to apply lip color.

The water’s surface reflected the colorful barrage of comments floating above.

【So sweet, so sweet, so sweet! The demon hasn’t changed at all!】

【If his behavior is the same whether he’s sealed his love or not, does that mean he never loved her in the first place?】

【Wait, what??? Are you trying to twist this into something tragic?】

【How could that be? Did you forget about the melted demonic energy earlier?】

【I think Gu Jiang is just trying hard to act like nothing’s changed. He’s just a poor demon, why does he have to suffer like this?】

Nie Yinzhi glanced at Gu Jiang’s reflection in the water. He stood there, facing her direction, watching her intently.

After finishing her lip color, she pressed her lips together and smiled sweetly at the reflection.

They were preparing to leave this place and head to the Ten Thousand Demons Cave. Nie Yinzhi reminded him that the righteous sects already knew of their destination and would surely set up traps to capture them.

Gu Jiang smiled indifferently. “Don’t worry, they won’t be able to stop me.”

Nie Yinzhi turned to look at him. “We need to sneak in.” She didn’t want Gu Jiang to take action, as it would only intensify the heavenly authority. They couldn’t enter the Ten Thousand Demons Cave with a grand display either. To know your enemy is to be victorious, and Nie Yinzhi knew nothing about the situation inside the cave. They needed to scout it out first.

Moreover, to solve the issue with her blood, she needed to understand how it affected demonic cultivators.

Gu Jiang thought for a moment, then reached out and grabbed the Red Fox rolling in the grass. “How’s your shapeshifting technique coming along?” he asked.

Nie Yinzhi blinked, understanding his intention. She stroked the fox’s fur and immediately cast a shapeshifting spell onto its forehead.

The glowing seal merged into the fox’s fluffy head, and its body began to stretch and transform in Gu Jiang’s hands, landing on the ground as a figure identical to Nie Yinzhi.

The spiritual energy of the secret realm surged toward the figure, merging into it.

When the light dissipated, another Nie Yinzhi stood before them. The Red Fox, now in human form, looked down at itself, noticing the absence of fur. It whimpered, licking its hand before attempting to roll around in the grass as it usually did. Nie Yinzhi quickly grabbed it, preventing it from embarrassing itself in her form.

“I’m… not very proficient yet,” Nie Yinzhi admitted awkwardly.

Gu Jiang chuckled beside her. Nie Yinzhi glared at him. “If you keep laughing, I’ll turn it into your form!”

The fox in her arms suddenly reverted to its original shape, tumbling onto the grass. It circled around them before hopping off to chase the Honghu.

“I can’t transform living creatures yet, but I can do paper dolls,” Nie Yinzhi said, taking out two spiritual talisman papers from the study at Pill-Forming Peak. These were leftovers from her previous “unorthodox” experiments.

She cut out two paper dolls, drew their features, and cast the shapeshifting spell onto them. The talisman papers flew from her hands and landed on the ground, transforming into humanoid figures.

The paper dolls’ appearances were almost identical to theirs, though their eyes were lifeless, still inanimate.

They each infused a strand of their consciousness into the dolls, bringing them to life.

The Red Fox darted over, its round eyes wide as it tilted its head, looking back and forth in confusion, unable to tell them apart.

The Honghu circled around the paper doll version of Nie Yinzhi before landing on the real Nie Yinzhi’s shoulder.

Gu Jiang left the Red Leaf Blade in the oasis, its blade light maintaining a barrier that sealed the area. Nie Yinzhi had set up several humidifying arrays within the oasis, creating the illusion of occasional spiritual mist.

The righteous sects dared not approach too closely to investigate. With the two paper dolls venturing out of the secret realm daily, they could keep the sects’ attention focused here, buying them a month or so.

As Gu Jiang and Nie Yinzhi secretly made their way to the Ten Thousand Demons Cave, the righteous cultivators gathered at the Wuliang Sect were indeed devising ways to spy on the oasis and assess the demon’s current state.

The cultivators previously sent to lurk near the oasis had been driven back by Gu Jiang. This was the first time he had taken the initiative to attack them, even issuing threats. This only confirmed that his situation was dire.

The oasis born from his influence continued to expand, a clear sign of how much of his demonic energy had been eroded. Gu Jiang could no longer control his own energy, meaning his overwhelming power wouldn’t last much longer.

Unlike elders like Yan Yi and Yu Yaoqing, who had reached the Nascent Soul stage, advancing beyond the Nascent Soul level was exceedingly difficult. Yan Yi had spent a century in seclusion, yet he still couldn’t break through to the mid-stage. Their need for spiritual energy wasn’t desperate enough to risk their lives.

However, for those at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, the scarcity of spiritual energy imposed a severe limitation on their cultivation. It wasn’t just a matter of finding a place rich in spiritual energy to cultivate in solitude. There was an inherent, universal cap on the cultivation potential of all Nascent Soul cultivators.

The peak Nascent Soul cultivators, led by Luo Sheng, were constrained by spiritual energy and unable to break through. Their attitude towards Gu Jiang was much more resolute. If given the chance to kill him, they would naturally show no mercy. In the world of cultivation, the weak are prey to the strong, and the righteous and demonic paths cannot coexist. This is the root of their conflict.

After the peak Nascent Soul cultivators emerged from seclusion, the group of elders from the immortal sects, including Yan Yi, took a backseat. It was no longer their decision to make.

Yan Yi focused most of his attention on the affairs within the Cloud Scripture Sect. While Sang Wumian was not the most competent sect leader, the four secret realm fragments he left behind were of great use.

Yan Yi selected high-ranking cultivators from the sect to enter these fragments and explore the secret realms.

On the icy Reflection Cliff of the Cloud Scripture Sect, where spiritual energy had long been suppressed, the ground was barren and unable to grow even a single blade of grass. Frost clung to the dark brown soil, and the punishment formations operated ceaselessly.

Inside the cave where disciples were imprisoned for punishment, a golden array was visible. Though no flames could be seen, those trapped within it suffered the agony of being burned alive by fire.

On that day, Xiao Ling had summoned the "Returning Spring" demonic energy in front of many Cloud Scripture Sect disciples on the punishment platform, only to be struck back into her original form by a demon-sealing talisman. She didn’t know why Yan Yi hadn’t killed her. Perhaps he wanted to keep her alive to endure these punishments.

The cave entrance was sealed with a demon-sealing talisman. Whenever demonic energy approached, it would be dissolved by the talisman’s light.

Xiao Ling sat numbly in the punishment array, a trace of the "Returning Spring" demonic energy still lingering in her dantian, not yet fully expelled.

She glanced at the young man standing in the distance. An Huai came to watch her every day during her punishment, as if this was the only way to ease the hatred in his heart.

Xiao Ling sat there and let him watch. This was what she deserved. Once she had repaid her sins, she would leave this place.

She pressed her hand to her silent chest.

This could be considered a rebirth, couldn’t it?Nôv(el)B\\\\jnn