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The underground world at the bottom of the chasm.
“Is the battle over
.?” Qing Jin stood before a pavilion, silently clenching her jade-like fists. She was inwardly tense and uncertain.
The underground world was tens of thousands of feet beneath the surface. Standing here, all she heard was the sound of combat and slaughter.
“It’s already quite impressive that Su Yi managed to hold on this long,” the Pineflame Daoist said softly.
He and Qing Jin hadn't left the underground world, but it wasn’t that they didn’t want to.
Rather, just before Ma Chengkong left, he ordered the cultivators stationed here to keep an eye on the two of them. They weren’t to leave without permission.
There were four Grain Avoidance cultivators stationed near the pavilion.
“Killed? That’s impossible. If Su Yi dared come here, he’s surely confident for a reason. He would never be so foolish as to seek out his own demise,” argued Qing Jin.
Su Yi had left far too deep an impression on her.
Even when they’d first met, no matter the danger, every time people thought Su Yi was sure to lose, he’d nonetheless go on to achieve a thorough victory!
Thinking back in more detail, the Imperatorial Province’s Tea Party had been that way.
It had been like that in the Jade Capital, when Su Yi dueled Su Hongli, too!
It was because of this long record of heaven-defying accomplishments that Su Yi had long since become an unbeatable legend of the Great Zhou.
Given the circumstances, Qing Jin simply didn’t believe that Su Yi would lose!
“The world is shifting and uncertain, and times have changed. With the Celestial Prison Demon Court’s power, killing Su Yi will be no more difficult than squishing an ant,” said the Pineflame Daoist.
When he saw Qing Jin’s stubborn expression, he shook his head. “Qing Jin, accept reality. When Dharma Protector Ma comes back, apologize properly. Given his status, he won’t pursue your earlier insults.”
He paused, then added, “Serving at his side will be no different from receiving immortal destiny; you’re destined to soar. Your future is—”
“Enough!” Qing Jin was so angry that her delicate frame quivered. “I said it already: even if I die, I won’t submit to an irredeemable, vile old fiend like him!”
The Pineflame Daoist froze, stunned. He couldn’t help but lose his temper too. “Qing Jin, I’m doing this for your own good! I don’t want to see him force you!”
“For my own good?” Qing Jin’s beautiful face paled, and she felt indescribably despondent.
She couldn’t be bothered to speak to her master any further.
It was then that they heard footsteps approaching from a distance.
The Pineflame Daoist instantly perked up. “Is Dharma Protector Ma back?”
Qing Jin’s heart clenched, and her expression shifted.
But then, she realized something was amiss. Earlier, dozens of demonic cultivators had left the chasm to fight Su Yi, including Tu Baizhen, an incomparably terrifying old monster.
Even if they’d emerged victorious, how could Ma Chengkong possibly return on his own?
As soon as she realized this, Qing Jin instinctively looked up and into the distance.
A tall, slender figure was walking toward them. He was dressed in blue, calm, and detached.
The underground world was dimly lit, but when he appeared, he was like a beam of sunlight illuminating Qing Jin’s heart. She instantly lit up.
It’s him! It’s really him!
Qing Jin’s heart shook with emotion, and her delicate frame quivered. She felt like someone on the verge of drowning when a lifeboat came soaring through the waves, just in time.
“You
 You’re
 How is this possible!?”
When the Pineflame Daoist saw Su Yi, he was so stunned that his eyeballs practically popped out of their sockets. His face filled with disbelief, and he was completely dumbstruck.
Su Yi was here, but Tu Baizhen and the other Celestial Prison Demon Court experts hadn’t returned. Both the Pineflame Daoist and Qing Jin were fully aware of the implications!
The four demonic cultivators keeping watch over the pavilion discovered Su Yi, but just as they were about to attack, they felt an agonizing pain within their sea of consciousnesses. Everything went black, and awareness fled them.
Their bodies fell limply to the ground, and their life force receded like waters at low tide.
Their souls had been silently snuffed out!
When he saw this, the Pineflame Daoist shuddered. “You
 You killed Elder Tu and the others?”
“Are those your last words?” asked Su Yi.
The Pineflame Daoist froze, then gulped with great difficulty “Your Excellency, what do you mean by that?”
Splurt!
Su Yi extended a finger and tapped, leaving a bloody hole between the Pineflame Daoist’s eyes. The old man toppled over backward, landing on his back.
Qing Jin’s delicate face paled. “Young Lord Su, why did you kill my master?”
“He should have died a long time ago,” said Su Yi. “For a master to coerce his own disciple into becoming a concubine is unforgivable; he’s worse than a beast. Why spare him?”
“....” Qing Jin said nothing. She suddenly realized that Su Yi had overheard their conversation.
“Do you know where Wen Changtai and his wife, Qin Qing are imprisoned?” asked Su Yi.
“I don’t know who those are,” Qing Jin whispered. “But I do know where the Celestial Prison Demon Court keeps its prisoners.”
“Take me there.”
“Alright.” Qing Jin turned and led the way.
In the underground world, pavilions were as numerous as trees in a forest, and there were numerous palaces.
Cultivators of the Celestial Prison Demon Court were stationed throughout the underground world, but none were aware of what had happened outside.
As they made their way, Qing Jin couldn’t help but worry that they’d be discovered.
However, she quickly realized that she’d worried for nothing.
Before the demonic cultivators even discovered her and Su Yi, they toppled over. None of them got up. They died silently and without a trace. Without exception, even their souls were destroyed.
This sent waves of emotion coursing through Qing Jin’s heart.
Although she hadn’t once seen Su Yi attack, how could she fail to realize that Su Yi was the one doing this?
There’s no doubt about it. Tu Baizhen and the other Celestial Prison Demon Court cultivators are dead, and Su Yi’s the one who killed them. But doesn’t that imply that Su Yi is now capable of exterminating even Spiritual Manifestation Realm cultivators?
Qing Jin was inwardly bewildered. Isn’t that a bit too unbelievable? It’s been just a few months. How could he have become so strong?
She couldn’t help but think back to when they first met on the tower ship to the Cloudriver Prefectural Capital.
At the time, Su Yi was merely in the Blood Circulation Realm, yet he said he wanted to take her on as a maid.
Qing Jin refused without hesitation, and she was even angry. She thought Su Yi was overestimating himself.
Then there was the time they met outside the Cloudriver Prefectural Capital’s most famous brothel, the Sand-Scouring Waves. She insulted Cha Jin, only for Su Yi to slap her right across the face.
Even now, Qing Jin hadn’t forgotten how humiliated she’d felt.
She was currently overcome with uncertainty. Should she hate Su Yi, or should she feel grateful? Or should she regret refusing to become his maid?
After a while, she shook her head and cast her scattered thoughts aside.
She then looked at the infant Su Yi carried in his left arm. She couldn’t help but ask, “Is
 is that your child?”
“No. A foundling,” said Su Yi.
Qing Jin froze. “Boy or girl?”
“Girl.”
Qing Jin said softly, “When she grows up, she’s sure to be an incredible beauty.”
The infant had an innocent face with fair, shiny skin. Those who saw her couldn’t help but find her adorable.
“Yes, but she’ll be quite terrifying, too,” said Su Yi after a moment’s thought.
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The little girl was, after all, a descendant of demons, and she had Spiritdemon Goldblood, a rare, top-level talent.
She might just be an infant now, but even left to her own devices, her instincts and stubborn life force would keep her alive!
Furthermore, with Spiritdemon Goldenblood, she’d progress even without someone to teach her how to cultivate. Her sheer talent would enable her to devour spiritual power, refine her blood, and rapidly undergo metamorphosis!
“Terrifying?” Qing Jin asked in confusion. She obviously found it difficult to see how the word “terrifying” could be used to describe such an adorable little baby.
“If you like her, I’ll give her to you. How about it? When she grows up, she’s sure to be a powerhouse,” said Su Yi.
He was serious, too. He had no experience with babies. Furthermore, it would be difficult to cultivate further while lugging around such a burden.
Qing Jin’s face froze. At first, she assumed Su Yi was joking.
But when she saw the serious look on his face, she panicked and said hurriedly, “You found her, so she’s surely connected to you by fate. I couldn’t possibly take her from you.”
Su Yi thought for a moment, then nodded as if he understood. “Makes sense. After all, you’ve yet to marry. If you carry a kid around, it’ll be hard to avoid gossip. I’ll find a suitable place for her later.”
He’d only just said this when the infant pursed her lips as if she’d understood. She looked up at him, seemingly aggrieved, then babbled at him.
Qing Jin instantly felt sorry for her. “Is
 Is she hungry?”
Su Yi furrowed his brow, then took out a spirit stone and crushed it into fragments. He took one and stuffed it into the little girl’s mouth.
Qing Jin was flabbergasted. “How could you make her eat rocks?”
“Can you feed her?” Su Yi asked right back.
Qing Jin instantly reddened and shook her head.
“Without milk, we’ll just have to make do,” Su Yi said casually. “Besides, to her, objects containing spiritual energy are even more delicious than milk, and she’s capable of eating any of them.”
“She can do that?” Qing Jin’s beautiful eyes widened; she obviously didn’t believe it.
But a moment later, she froze. The little girl sucked on the spirit stone, then devoured it with great relish, her tender little face looking intoxicated.
Shortly after, she opened her mouth and spat, scattering fragments of rock the same way others might spit out sunflower seed shells.
Su Yi promptly stuffed another spirit stone into her mouth.
Qing Jin watched, and what she saw astonished her again and again. What infant likes eating spirit stones so shortly after its birth?
After a while, she sighed. “That child
 really is no ordinary baby.”
As they conversed, they arrived at a majestic, pitch-black palace carved out of a massive boulder.
There were six demonic cultivators stationed there. Rather, there had been; Su Yi had attacked their souls and killed them from a distance well before they arrived.
“Young Lord Su, the Celestial Prison Demon Court keeps its prisoners deep inside this palace,” said Qing Jin. As she spoke, she led Su Yi inside.
There was a dungeon carved deep within the palace. Inside were numerous martial artists, men and women of various ages. All were trapped in oppressive, dense darkness.
Su Yi looked around, but he saw no sign of Wen Changtai or Qin Qing.
However, as he searched, he did encounter a few familiar faces, such as the state preceptor of the Great Zhou, Hong Shenshang, and the Sea-Swallowing King, Ge Changling.
It was only after saving Ge Changling that Su Yi learned what had happened. Yesterday morning, Wen Changtai and his wife had been sent elsewhere.
Apparently, they were being taken to the Sea of Chaotic Spirits. The Celestial Prison Demon Court’s Elder Chu had plans for them!
When he heard this, Su Yi’s pupils silently constricted.