After Wei Jiu finished eating the pieces of dried sweet potatoes, he felt a bit less hungry.
As he moved the stone blocking the cave entrance, he said, "When we leap out of the water later, I'll use True Fire to clear the way and drive away the Immortal Devouring Bugs. But if the disciples from the Jiuhua Sect and the Kongshan Sect didn't make it down the mountain earlier, those Immortal Devouring Bugs should have increased in number due to their spiritual power. It takes a lot of elemental energy to use True Fire. When my true qi can't keep up later, place your palm against my back to help me sustain the true qi!"
Ranran nodded to indicate she understood. They then followed the secret passage back into the underwater pool and headed upwards.
Before they reached the water's surface, the buzzing sound grew louder. When they leaped out of the water, they saw that the insects, originally the size of soybeans, had grown to the size of lima beans.
As Wei Jiu had said, the people who did not make it down from the mountain had nourished these red insects with their spiritual power, and since Tianmai Mountain was a place rich in spiritual energy, everything flourished there, making their attack even fiercer.
Wei Jiu, now replenished with true qi, leaped out of the water and ignited a blazing fire, burning the insects.
His true qi made the insects even more frenzied, akin to moths to a flame, coming one after another.
Fortunately, it was already night, so the insects' speed and strength had noticeably decreased. Ranran used her stick like an oar to smash these insects to pieces.
Wei Jiu ran swiftly while igniting the fire, and Ranran and the White Tiger followed closely behind. Finally, the two of them leaped onto the White Tiger, letting it carry them forward, while Ranran placed her palm against Wei Jiu's back to sustain his true qi and keep the flames going.
In this way, the two of them, along with the tiger, leaped and dashed forward until they reached halfway down the mountain. As Su Yishui had said, the insects' attacks in the night were not as fierce.
But sensing the spiritual energy, the surrounding insects still swarmed towards them. A few with wings carrying fire fell on Ranran's neck, biting her. Perhaps the pain caused her to lose concentration, and Wei Jiu's fire weakened suddenly.
Wei Jiu gritted his teeth and said, "You! Don't lose heart!"
However, Ranran was not distracted by the pain. She patted Wei Jiu's shoulder and said, "Have you noticed that there are no Immortal Devouring Bugs gathered around that tree?"
Following her pointed finger, Wei Jiu indeed saw no trace of Immortal Devouring Bugs around a tall tree.
On that tree sat a large flaming red bird, emitting an orange-red light in the night. This was clearly the Vermilion Bird that Wei Fang and the others had wanted to capture earlier.
At this moment, it was leisurely perched on the tree, tilting its head to look at the two humans and a tiger being chased by a swarm of insects in the night.
The White Tiger beneath them, carried them swiftly towards the tree.
Ranran remembered reading about the Vermilion Bird in her master's study, from the interesting books of the Immortal Realm, which said that it was a sacred and pure bird that rotten creatures avoided.
Wei Jiu had also mentioned that these insects grew out of the corpses in the Demon Domain, so naturally, they feared the Vermilion Bird…
Thinking of this, Ranran was filled with joy and whispered, "We're saved!"
When they arrived under the tree, the red insects were indeed wary of the Vermilion Bird and didn't approach, only forming a red cloud about five meters away from the tree, buzzing. Finally, the two humans and the tiger could heave a sigh of relief and take a breather.
The Vermilion Bird stood in the tall tree, glancing down at them with a disdainful look and flapped its wings, as if it would fly away in the next moment.
Wei Jiu also realized that the Vermilion Bird was the nemesis of the Immortal Devouring Bugs.
He whispered, "Such a spiritual beast is not easy to tame. It might be better to twist its neck, smear Vermilion Bird's blood on ourselves, and maybe we can force these damn insects to retreat!"
As he said this, Wei Jiu, with murderous intent, prepared to suddenly leap and capture the Vermilion Bird.
This scene was exactly like what Ranran had seen earlier when he killed the Black Flood Dragon.
At the same time Wei Jiu was preparing to strike, the Vermilion Bird seemed to expand as if inflated, doubling in size. When it opened its mouth to screech, it revealed sharp teeth, appearing terrifying.
Ranran grabbed Wei Jiu's sleeve, "Don't try to kill it. If it flies away, we'll have to fight the insects again."
Seeing Wei Jiu still eyeing the bird sideways, she knew his evil intentions hadn't faded, so she quickly diverted his attention, "Don't you think that bird looks familiar?"
Wei Jiu looked towards the Vermilion bird, suddenly noticed a crescent-shaped white fluff on the bird's neck and recalled the cute little red bird that had cooed at the window in the illusion…
Except, back then, the fluffy chick was adorable, but now it had grown so large that he couldn't connect the two immediately.
Just then, Ranran softly spoke to the Vermilion Bird, "Divine Lord, we're in great trouble and need your help. Do you like listening to songs? I can sing for you, if you'd like?"
With that, Ranran closed her eyes, recalling the song she had heard in the illusion, and began to sing softly. Surprisingly, the melody was exactly the same as the one they had heard in the hidden cave underwater.
Her voice was melodious and her memory was good, so she sang the song remarkably well.
Wei Jiu watched speechlessly, as the girl sang with closed eyes. As the night wind blew, and the moonlight splashed upon her, he couldn't help but feel that she was so exceptionally beautiful that he couldn't tear his eyes away…
The bird, which had already taken to the air, circled once and slowly descended again, stretching its neck and looking at Ranran in surprise. In the melodious song, it seemed to recall its former master. It danced joyfully on the branch as she sang, appearing very happy.
In the midst of Ranran's melodious singing, the bird suddenly flapped its wings and circled above the tree, flying faster and faster until, with a sharp cry, it soared into the sky.
This time, its body transformed from red to dazzling gold, like a sharp arrow shooting into the sky. As it struck the clouds, the night turned into day, and finally, the clouds transformed into a golden rain showering down towards the ground.
When the myriad red insects were hit by the golden rain, they burst one by one, turning into pools of bloody sludge falling to the ground.
When Ranran stopped singing, the golden rain also ceased. After a night of fierce battle, the faint light of dawn spread, and all the rampaging red insects turned into bloody mud, not a single one left.
As the red blood slowly seeped into the ground, the earth of Tianmai Mountain began to tremble slightly.
Wei Jiu exclaimed, "Not good, the blood of these insects has contaminated the spiritual veins of this sacred place. Tianmai Mountain is about to collapse!"
Ranran tried to climb onto the tiger's back again, but at this moment, the Geng jin White Tiger, having expended too much energy defending Ranran against the Immortal Devouring Bugs, had depleted its spiritual power and once again transformed into a cat-sized creature.
As the ground shook, it lost its footing and fell into the nearby abyss.
Wei Jiu turned back to pull Ranran to leave with him, but she lunged to save the tiger, which was about to fall off the cliff.
Despite her agile skills, the ground shaking was too severe, and she also lost her balance and fell.
Wei Jiu instinctively reached out to grab her, but he was just a step too late and missed her.
Wei Jiu himself was momentarily stunned, baffled as to why he had reached out to save that annoying brat. But as he saw her falling, his heart skipped a beat, and without thinking, he acted.
The thought of that girl possibly dying like this… He couldn't help feeling… a little reluctant?
But at that moment, countless rocks and debris fell, prompting Wei Jiu to quickly hide his uncharacteristic sentimentality, swiftly leaping downwards towards the mountain base…
Meanwhile, as Ranran fell, she managed to catch the White Tiger in time. However, as she tried to stabilize herself by thrusting her stick into the cliff, it was already too late.
Just as they were about to fall off the high cliff and turn into meat patties, with a sharp cry, the Vermilion Bird, now a golden color, appeared again. In a flash, it caught Ranran and the White Tiger, then swiftly dodged the flying rocks while descending towards the base of the mountain.
Since Dun Tian had passed and turned into this vast place, the Vermilion Bird had been trapped in the mountain. Now that the toxic insects had corroded the spiritual energy field of Tianmai Mountain, the Vermilion Bird could finally break free and experience the vast world.
Ranran sat on the bird's back, tenderly holding the White Tiger in her arms, tears streaming down uncontrollably.
The White Tiger weakly raised its head, and licked the tears hanging on the girl's tender cheek. It then tilted its neck, seeming to lose consciousness…
Ranran took off her outer garment, wrapped up the little tiger, and chewed a Qi-boosting pill to feed it: Shifu's Beast Mastery Forbidden Technique was similar to the Water Demon being controlled in the Wangxiang River. However, his possession was more thorough, as he and the White Tiger were connected in life and death, meaning if the tiger's body suffered, her master would also be affected. She hoped both Shifu and the tiger would hang on and not suffer any mishaps.
Just then, Ranran inadvertently glanced down and suddenly noticed something in the stream at the foot of the mountain…
Leaving aside the catastrophe of the insect disaster high up the mountain, at this moment, the people below had already formed ranks, preparing to resist the Immortal Devouring Bugs invading from above. Mu Ranwu stood at the forefront of the formation.
The Elders who had come with their disciples to participate in the Marrow-Cleansing Pool ceremony also rushed over.
Mu Ranwu was waiting for this opportunity, the perfect chance to solidify her authority and clear her previous tainted reputation from her past life as a demonic lord.
When the righteous sects are defeated by the Immortal Devouring Bugs and in disarray, she would take action at the right moment, gaining fame and selling a favor to these righteous factions.
This plan was executing flawlessly!
Yesterday, when she flew down the mountain at lightning speed and intercepted Wei Fang and the Wen twins, she swiftly knocked them to the ground. She didn't see that boy named Gao Cang, and she didn't know if he clumsily fell into the cliff, but he definitely didn't get off the mountain.
She didn't kill Wei Fang and the others; she just knocked them unconscious. When the Immortal-Devouring Bugs come out later, these people will be the best nourishment for them.
As those insects suck enough spirit blood and grow to the size of a palm, they will start killing each other, leaving only the strongest one. As long as she, as the insect controller, control that insect king to enter her alchemy furnace and refine it bit by bit into elixirs, she can use this spiritual energies to suppress the grudge water poison in her body.
Thinking of this plan, which would eliminate both Wei Jiu and Xue Ranran, the two thorns in her side, and release her from the control of the Grudge water, Mu Ranwu felt extremely secure.
Even if Xue Ranran and Wei Jiu has won the chance to enter the marrow-cleansing pool, what use would it be? When they are being sucked dry and withered by the insects, they will probably regret coming to Tianmai Mountain…
Of course, she would still need to maintain appearances. When the Immortal-devouring Bugs swept through Tianmai Mountain, the people below the mountain also sensed it.
Fortunately, it seemed that these Immortal-devouring Bugs, being not of this realm, had triggered the spiritual shield of Tianmai Mountain, which automatically trapped them inside the mountain. Otherwise, if these insects spread all over, the people below would suffer as well.
Tianmai Mountain is located in the middle of the convergence of three major sects, and people from various major sects have already issued warnings last night. In just one night, all the experts from the Top sects have gathered to prepare for the invasion from the mountain.
When Wen Hongshan looked at this spectacle, she actually felt a little fearful in her heart. However, when she glanced at Mu Ranwu, she found that she was surprisingly calm.
Why didn't she notice that Mu Qingge's sister was such a deep-thinking person in her past life ? No wonder Mu Qingge was no match for her and was defeated by her schemes…
After a whole night, everyone watched as the "red clouds" on the mountain grew thicker and thicker. They also witnessed the tragic scene of Wei Fang and the others being sucked dry by the red insects when they barely reached halfway down the mountain, but were helpless to do anything about it.
This insect disaster was completely unexpected. It seemed that everyone who went up the mountain would not come back alive.
Late that night, Mu Ranwu finally managed to set her heart at ease. When daylight came, the insects on the mountain would begin their battle for supremacy.
She could finally rest easy…
Just as Mu Ranwu was feeling triumphant, something golden shot up into the sky from Tianmai Mountain. Then, a golden rain fell, followed by earthquakes and shaking mountains.
These sudden changes were overwhelming.
Qiu Xier looked at the collapsed Tianmai Mountain and let out a sorrowful cry, "Ranran! Hurry down!"
And Second Uncle Master rushed up the mountain when the spiritual shield loosened, trying to see if she could assist Ranran.
Unfortunately, when they rushed up, they encountered a black shadow speeding down the mountain.
That shadow was quick as lightning, heading straight for Mu Ranwu.
This black shadow was Wei Jiu. His face was full of murderous intent as he prepared to capture Mu Qingge and ask her why she had plotted against him so maliciously.
Since the key had been returned to Su Yishui, the soul oath had automatically dissolved. This damned woman had actually become so evil and vicious, so why should he even think about cherishing someone like her.
Mu Ranwu couldn't let herself be caught by him. She dodged and evaded, shouting at the same time, "These Immortal-devouring Bugs were released by this demon! In order to get a chance to enter the pool, he devised such a malicious plan! AH…"
Before she could dodge, Wei Jiu slapped her savagely.
This slap wasn't at all gentle; Wei Jiu's long black nails even left five bloody trails on Mu Qingge's fair face!
Mu Ranwu was stunned by the slap, not so much by the pain but she was shocked by the wave after wave of humiliation that followed.
In her two lifetimes, she had never had to suffer the indignity of being slapped in the face. In her past life, although she was not powerful, she was good at maneuvering through social situations and had her sister to protect her, living a life of ease and privilege.
And now, Wei Jiu, who had always coveted *her, actually struck her so mercilessly, truly igniting her anger! *Mu Qingge
On the sidelines, Wen Hongshan saw Wei Jiu descending the mountain and felt a surge of anxiety. When she conspired with Mu Ranwu, she was confident that Wei Jiu and all those who went up the mountain wouldn't be able to come back down.
Otherwise, if someone managed to reveal that the junior Gui Baqian who entered the sect through her connection, was actually the Demonic cultivator Wei Jiu—that would mean her reputation would be completely ruined, and the position of Sect leader that was within her grasp would no longer be hers.
Wen Hongshan was no longer young, she had spent much of her early life mired in meaningless emotional entanglements.
Now, Wen Hongshan finally realized that she needed to make progress in her cultivation. Only by becoming the Sect leader could she fully enjoy the advantages of the Kongshan cave's spiritual artifacts and become a great powerhouse of her generation.
But if Wei Jiu blabbed about the conspiracy between Mu Ranwu and her, and how she had deceived and murdered her mentor, schemed against her fellow cultivators, then in the entire cultivation world, there would no longer be a place for her!
So when Mu Ranwu made up the accusations against Wei Jiu and slandered him, Wen Hongshan was the first to respond, leading her disciples to confront Wei Jiu.
At this moment, the remaining Elders watched as the legacy of the marrow-cleansing pools, passed down generations, were about to be destroyed. They were aggrieved and frustrated. This demon should have been killed long ago. Now that he has entered the pool, he's like a tiger with wings. He must not be allowed to leave alive!
With that in mind, everyone took turns to confront Wei Jiu.
Inside Wei Jiu's heart, he was cursing up a storm.
The cultivation in his dantian was like a poor family's rice jar, every time there was a little bit of surplus, it would still run out in an instant. He was a good demonic cultivator, but his life was really miserable.
Initially, Su Yishui robbed him of his cultivation, and when he finally recovered enough, he disguised himself and entered Tianmai Mountain. After overcoming all obstacles and entering the Black Pool, the spiritual energy he gained was then mostly sucked away by those insects.
Now that he had just escaped death and was ready to settle scores with that damned Mu Qingge, he had to face this continuous fighting with the righteous path. The Excellency Wei's exasperation in his heart was about to burst out from the top of his head.
Right now he could only make a desperate attempt to break through…
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mu Qingge. She had incited everyone to fight against him and then hid aside, covering her injured face. It seemed she was about to scheme something else and claim credit with malicious intent…
Such a woman, a maverick in her past life, after being reborn turned out to be even more diabolical than him! It's damn unbelievable!
Wen Hongshan also noticed that Wei Jiu was running out of spiritual energy. She was suddenly delighted and turned to Mu Ranwu with a fierce look, "Quick, go and kill him!"
Mu Ranwu never fought an uncertain battle. Seeing that Wei Jiu was indeed at his weakest, she finally relaxed, drew her sword for battle, ready to make a name for herself by slaughtering the demonic cultivator in one battle.
But just then, a loud bird cry came from the sky, piercing through the air and drawing everyone's involuntary attention.
They saw a golden Vermilion bird soaring toward them from the direction of the collapsed Tianmai Mountain, dragging its long tail feathers. Everyone exclaimed, "Vermilion Bird!"
When it flew closer, they saw that there was actually a person sitting on the large bird's back.
Qiu Xier was the first to recognize the person on the bird's back as her junior sister Xue Ranran. She exclaimed with joy, "Ranran!"
At that moment, everyone also realized that the girl holding a white cat, on the bird's back was actually the female disciple of the Xi Shan Sect who had stumbled her way through the first trial before.
Wen Hongshan looked somewhat panicked as she glanced at Mu Ranwu.
If it had just been Wei Jiu who survived, it would have been easier to deal with; they could have simply framed him for everything. After all, he was a demonic cultivator, and even if he revealed the truth, they could just accuse him of framing them.
But now with Xue Ranran appearing, it wouldn't be easy to fabricate lies. She could only look at Mu Ranwu, hoping she would quickly come up with a solution.
Just then, the vermilion bird descended, and Ranran jumped down from its back. The adventures on Tianmai Mountain had left her clothes somewhat tattered and covered in mud, with her hairband undone and her long black hair cascading down her waist like a waterfall.
But when she leaped down from the bird's back holding the little white tiger, she exuded a wild and spirited aura, like a daughter of the mountain god.
As she landed on her toes, Uncle Master and Yutong hurriedly approached her, asking with concern, "Ranran, are you okay?"
Ranran shook her head and turned towards Mu Qingge, widening her eyes as she asked, "Elder Mu, why did you release the Immortal-devouring Bugs on Tianmai Mountain? Don't you know there are still fellow practitioners up there? Your actions have placed them in mortal danger!"
This statement caused a commotion among the crowd, and they all looked at Mu Qingge in disbelief.
Mu Ranwu hadn't expected Xue Ranran to be so sharp and noticed her secretly releasing the mud-sealed balls.
However, she had already planned her response, trembling her lips in confusion, "Xue Ranran, I have no grievances with you, so why are you spouting such accusations? Everyone knows that nurturing those poisonous creatures takes at least fifteen years. But twenty years ago, your master nearly scattered my soul, and since then I've been living on the tree. How could I have nurtured such poisonous things?"
Wei Jiu let out a strange laughter when he heard this, "Mu Qingge, why don't you have the same daring spirit as before? Since you dared to do it, why not admit it?"
Mu Qingge glanced at him, flicking her long hair and coldly said, "As you have said, I've always dared to admit to the things I have done. Although we've never gotten along, I truly did not release those Immortal-devouring Bugs. Are you also going to believe the slanderous words of this girl and insist on smearing my reputation?"
"Mu Qingge! Why don't you admit it? Wasn't it you who intercepted Wei Fang on the mountain, as well as us sisters, intentionally knocked us down, and then fed us to those insects?"
The golden light from the Vermilion bird was too dazzling, and it was only when a weak woman spoke up, that people realized the bird's claws were holding onto two people.
One was Gao Cang, and the other was a withered-looking woman. People strained to recognize her and realized that this elderly-looking woman was likely one of the sisters of the Wen twins.
It turned out that when Ranran was descending the mountain, she suddenly discovered that there were two people lying in the river foam at the foot of the mountain.
She had the Vermilion bird fly lower, and then she discovered it was Senior brother Gao Cang and one of the twin sisters.
However, this sister Yujie already had most of her spiritual energy sucked away by the insects and looked spent.
It turned out that when Gao Cang had doubled back for Ranran, he couldn't cross the bridge and so he went to the side, trying to see if he could walk back along the valley bottom to save his junior sister.
And so he fortuitously missed Mu Ranwu completely, and later, he found that he still couldn't cross and had to dejectedly descend the mountain. He happened to see the three people who had been knocked down.
At that time, the red insects were swarming over. In the confusion and panic, Gao Cang only managed to carry the nearer sister Yu Jie and started running back towards the tree hollow.
Senior brother Gao Cang's cultivation was very shallow, and ironically, that was a blessing in disguise. When he was bitten by the insects, he didn't suffer too much loss of spiritual energy.