Li Minghan staggered from Shentu Zhajia's slap, collapsing to his knees, his expression shifting from shock to contempt as he looked back at Shentu Zhajia.
"Does that slap feel good, brother? I am now your prisoner. If you wish, you can come here every day to whip me and ease your anger. But the antidote for Qi Kuo, you will never get it. Our lives are now intertwined. You'd better hope I stay alive, or one day, if I no longer wish to live, you and your entire demon realm will go down with me," Li Minghan said with a deranged smile, blood at the corner of his mouth.
"You!" Shentu Zhajia stepped forward, raising his hand again in anger.
Li Minghan flinched slightly but forced himself to sit up straight, closing his eyes, waiting for the blow.
Seeing Li Minghan in this state, Shentu Zhajia's hand paused in mid-air. He no longer recognized this person, no longer the one who drank, played chess, and discussed swords with him. The warmth and light in his laughter and eyes were gone.
Shentu Zhajia slowly lowered his hand. "After today, I will never see you again."
He looked at the Drunken Demon Shield in his hand, an artifact he crafted with half his demonic cultivation to protect Li Minghan. As long as Li Minghan had it, he would be safe.
Shentu Zhajia closed his eyes, swallowing his pain, his fingers pale from gripping the shield tightly. With a swift motion, he embedded the Drunken Demon Shield into Li Minghan's body.
"What are you doing?" Li Minghan felt a shock within him and asked, confused.
"The Drunken Demon Shield contains half my demonic cultivation. Now, I seal it within you to ensure your safety. I won't kill you. If you wish to live, it can protect you for centuries. Our brotherhood ends here. We will never meet again." Shentu Zhajia painfully said the last words, placing a piece of fragrant wood on the stone before Li Minghan and turning to leave.
"Brother, don't go. Brother, don't leave. Shentu Zhajia, stop!"
Seeing Shentu Zhajia leave quickly, Li Minghan called out desperately, his voice echoing in the cave. For the first time, he saw cold, resolute determination in Shentu Zhajia's eyes.
His brother was his weakness, his last line of defense. He believed that no matter what he did, his brother would always keep his promise of never abandoning him. In his indulgence, he lost their bond and his pure self.
They could never go back, not since he killed the old demon lord and decided to turn against everyone. But he never intended to harm his brother.
Shentu Zhajia ignored Li Minghan's cries, leaving the cave without hesitation.
"Seal it!" Shentu Zhajia ordered, raising his hand. Several demon soldiers pushed a large boulder to the cave entrance.
Shentu Zhajia turned to face the sealed cave, pricking his finger and marking his brow with blood. He formed seals with his hands, chanting,
"The desolation binds, sorrow is born, blood dims, severing all ties, final farewell."
As he chanted, dark red demonic energy enveloped the cave entrance, merging the boulder with the mountain.
"Commander, what is this?" a soldier asked.
"The Dark Blood Severing Seal. This cave can never be opened again," Hua Qiuyuan explained.
Rescued by the Dragon Wing of Yan, the master and disciple were taken to a cabin near the Dragon Palace's shore. Mi Xingzhe soon awoke, unsure of his surroundings. Seeing his master lying on the ground, he rushed over.
"Master, Master!"
Mi Xingzhe called out, but Li Luoning remained unconscious. Looking at the cabin, he carried Li Luoning inside as rain began to pour heavily.
The cabin was fully equipped but dusty, indicating it had been abandoned for a while. Mi Xingzhe placed Li Luoning on the bed and looked around.
"Though it's a cabin, the furnishings suggest it doesn't belong to an ordinary villager," Mi Xingzhe remarked.
Having followed Li Luoning for so long, Mi Xingzhe knew a bit about medicine. He gently took Li Luoning's wrist, sensing an unstable pulse, and grew worried.
"It's raining so heavily, I can't see the path. Without his inner core and being injured, I don't know how long Master can hold on," Mi Xingzhe said, pondering before remembering something.
"This is the last of the Violet Cold Twin Pearls that Senior Sister Ruling gave me. I hope it helps," Mi Xingzhe said, placing a pearl in Li Luoning's mouth and channeling his spiritual energy into him.
However, the energy passed right through Li Luoning's body.
"What? What's happening?"
Mi Xingzhe tried again, but the energy still didn't enter, passing through Li Luoning.
"Why isn't it working? Master!" Mi Xingzhe, frustrated, tried to shake Li Luoning but found he couldn't touch him.
"What's going on? Is this the void transformation of the ethereal body? No, Master can't die. I can't let Master die," Mi Xingzhe panicked, repeatedly attempting to infuse his energy into different parts of Li Luoning's body.
After numerous tries, a spiritual force hit the jade pendant on Li Luoning's waist, emitting a dark blue light and releasing a deep blue inner core.
"This is... the Moonshadow Core!" Mi Xingzhe recognized it.
"Master hid it in the pendant. He claimed to have shattered it after the battle at Wuming Demon Mountain, but he had kept it all along," Mi Xingzhe said. Though the core was forged through demonic cultivation, it was still a true inner core.
"There's no choice now," Mi Xingzhe muttered, pushing the Moonshadow Core into Li Luoning's body.
As the core entered, Li Luoning's fading form stabilized.
"Master,"
Mi Xingzhe reached out and was relieved to find he could touch Li Luoning again.
Following the small shadow, Hua Ruoying arrived at the back mountain of the South Zhe Residence.
"I just escaped, and now you bring me back?" Hua Ruoying whispered, hiding behind a rock, blaming the shadow.
The shadow jumped and flew into a nearby crevice.
"Hey, wait!" Hua Ruoying tried to call out but hid again as two ghost guards approached.
Once the guards passed, Hua Ruoying squeezed through the crevice.
Inside the dark cave, faint torchlight flickered. She heard beastly roars and chains clinking, making her cautious.
Soon, she reached a large pit where the sounds of beasts and chains intensified.
Hua Ruoying tiptoed to a certain spot and peeked into the pit below. What she saw was a dark, snow-stepping Chimeric Beast with red eyes and green face, roaring ferociously. Hua Ruoying found the beast somewhat familiar.
"This beast... It's Little Bingo!" Hua Ruoying recognized the Chimeric Beast. Snow-stepping Chimeric Beasts were extremely rare. Noticing the star-shaped bell on its neck confirmed her suspicion.
"Why is Little Bingo here? It looks like it's been demonized. Did that little shadow bring me here to save him? If Little Bingo is here, then Yun Wan Nian..." Feeling uneasy, Hua Ruoying turned to leave but accidentally kicked a stone.
"Ouch!" She let out a small cry, immediately covering her mouth.
"Who's there?"
Two ghost guards appeared before her. "Who dares to trespass on the back mountain?" one guard demanded, pointing his spear.
"It's your aunt!" Realizing she was discovered, Hua Ruoying threw a smoke bomb and fled the cave.
The commotion alerted the guards outside, and soon they caught up with her.
"Oh? Bring her here."
Nan Zhe, upon hearing a female assassin was caught in the back mountain, had a good idea of who it was.
"Let go, let go of me." Hua Ruoying was pushed inside, her temper flaring upon seeing Nan Zhe. "Tell your guards to get their filthy hands off me," she demanded.
Nan Zhe waved his hand, and the guards released Hua Ruoying and stepped back.
She stood there, stretching her limbs, ignoring Nan Zhe.
"What were you doing in the back mountain?" Nan Zhe asked calmly.
"Nan Zhe, you bastard, what did you do to Little Bingo?" Hua Ruoying angrily questioned.
"Bingo? You mean that Chimeric Beast?" Nan Zhe nonchalantly tapped his fingers on the table.
"If Bingo is in your hands, where is Yun Wan Nian? Did you capture him too? Tell me what you did to him!" Hua Ruoying continued to press.
Before she finished, Nan Zhe stood up like a gust of wind, grabbing her by the neck.
"You care so much about that guy?"
Nan Zhe's grip tightened, lifting her off the ground. Hua Ruoying struggled to breathe, clawing at his hand.
"How come, after all this time, you're still thinking about your little lover?"
Nan Zhe seemed particularly agitated by Yun Wan Nian's name, his grip tightening further.
"Let... go..."
Hua Ruoying gasped, her face turning red, veins bulging as she felt herself about to faint.
Suddenly, Nan Zhe released her, stepping back with a look of anger and disgust.
Hua Ruoying collapsed, coughing violently, struggling to breathe. After a while, she slowly looked up at Nan Zhe.
"So what if I care about him? At least he doesn't try to strangle people to death like you!" Hua Ruoying retorted, seemingly to provoke Nan Zhe.
"Ha, don't blame me for not reminding you. Who was it that repeatedly took him away from the Liao Yin Immortal Realm? And who invented the Demon Bind? If he knew all this was related to you, do you think your relationship would be as you imagine?" Nan Zhe sneered.
"It was you! You placed him on our path back to Wuming Demon Mountain every time!" Hua Ruoying suddenly realized why she always found Yun Wan Nian on their way back.
"Your Yun Gongzi is now a wanted criminal in the Liao Yin Immortal Realm. Not only you, but the entire realm is looking for him," Nan Zhe said, his eyes revealing a mocking smile.
"A wanted criminal? Impossible!"
"Why not? Your precious Yun Gongzi is guilty of murdering fellow disciples and betrayal on the battlefield. The Immortal Lord wants to punish him, and if caught, he will be tortured," Nan Zhe said with enjoyment, tapping his mask.
"No way. Yun Gongzi is cultured and disciplined. He wouldn't kill fellow disciples or betray on the battlefield. I don't believe it. I need to find him," Hua Ruoying shook her head, refusing to believe Nan Zhe, and rushed towards the door.
With a wave of his hand, Nan Zhe sent a puff of purple smoke to knock her out. He stepped forward, catching her before she fell, gently caressing her cheek.
"What should I do with you? Still so stubborn."
---
Early morning in the Liao Yin Immortal Realm, SiTu Fanzhi was attempting to absorb the power of the Blazing Core.
"This fire-element inner core isn't used like that," O Shinan appeared silently from the side.
SiTu Fanzhi put away the Blazing Core. "Oh? Does the Apothecary Master know how to consume the core's power?"
"I know a bit. The yang energy used by Li Luoning to awaken the Blazing Core is too strong. Now isn't the best time to absorb it," O Shinan said, fanning himself.
"Then when is?"
"The Mid-Summer Festival."
"The Mid-Summer Festival?"
"The Mid-Summer Festival is the day of the Celestial Deity, the day with the most yang energy, according to the heavenly stems and branches. It's the perfect time," O Shinan said with a mysterious smile.
"There are still some days until the Mid-Summer Festival. The Immortal Lord should focus on finding Yun Wan Nian. If you get the Floating Light Seal before then, the Moonshadow Core will be easy to obtain."
"Easy for you to say. The master and disciple were saved by the Dragon Wing of Yan. Their wings are as fast as lightning. How am I supposed to find them?" SiTu Fanzhi said, frustrated, lightly hitting the table.
"The Immortal Lord need not act personally. There are those who will seek them for you."