Wei Jie seemed to know Xiaoxiao’s condition. Without even asking, he turned her body around and pressed his large palm against her back, continuously transmitting spiritual power through his hand.

The true energy Wei Jie transmitted was like melting snow, immediately reducing most of Xiaoxiao’s burning sensation by more than half.

But once the burning feeling subsided slightly, Xiaoxiao wanted to go ashore and distance herself from Wei Jie. Unfortunately, Wei Jie’s large palm pressed tightly against her back, while his other hand gripped her arm, saying coldly in her ear: “Have you caused enough trouble! Don’t move! Look at yourself—you’re about to turn into a golden-scaled gecko!”

It seemed Wei Jie’s poisonous tongue was growing stronger daily, though calling her a gecko was quite apt.

But even if one’s momentum was weak, one’s mouth couldn’t be!

So Xiaoxiao pretended to be calm: “I just temporarily stopped cultivating. After I establish my sect, naturally, disciples will show filial piety, and I’ll have plenty of time to cultivate. No need to trouble you!”

Wei Jie squinted and said quietly, “Establish what sect? Carefree Joy Sect?”

Xiaoxiao gasped—she hadn’t expected this man to even know about Princess Yongning bestowing a name on her sect! How long had he been following her?

Seeing Xiaoxiao about to open her mouth to provoke him again, Wei Jie coldly scolded: “Don’t move anymore, and don’t speak, or else this spiritual power would be better used on a pig than on you!”

Seeing his poisonous tongue insulting her again, Xiaoxiao angrily turned her head slightly but could only remain still for now, letting Wei Jie transmit his continuous spiritual power to suppress the restless demonic nature in her body.

Due to his awakened divine status, Wei Jie’s current cultivation could be described as advancing a thousand li in a day. Especially when he transmitted spiritual power to Xiaoxiao, she immediately felt the man’s surging, endless spiritual power rushing over like giant waves hitting cliffs.

No wonder Qin Lingxiao had been so frightened when facing him that he immediately turned and fled on his sword. Wei Jie now possessed such an unfathomably deep aura.

That sense of disparity between a mouse facing a giant dragon could perhaps only be deeply understood by those experiencing it firsthand.

In any case, Xiaoxiao vaguely felt unable to withstand it. Overwhelmed by the spiritual power Wei Jie was emitting, she couldn’t help but vomit a mouthful of fresh blood, blood threads still at the corners of her mouth. Her whole body went limp as she fell backward into the man’s solid, broad embrace.

Wei Jie frowned, his body stiffening slightly. His instinctive reaction was to push Cui Xiaoxiao away because he intensely disliked this feeling of intimate contact with others.

But when he looked down at the girl and saw that striking crimson blood at the corner of her mouth, it temporarily suppressed Wei Jie’s urge to push Xiaoxiao away.

The tall man lifted Xiaoxiao and left the cold pond. When they reached the pond’s edge, he sat facing her, palm to palm, continuing to guide her in transforming spiritual energy.

Wei Jie now understood that Xiaoxiao’s original spiritual power was being overwhelmed by his spiritual power, somewhat unable to keep up with the rhythm.

So while transmitting energy, he gravely instructed Xiaoxiao on how to regulate acupoints and circulate energy.

Xiaoxiao also knew this wasn’t the time to sulk, so she followed his guidance, gradually directing spiritual power to flow throughout her body.

After an unknown amount of time, the golden scales that had spread to her neck finally gradually faded away, though the spiritual power enveloping her entire body continued to circulate.

Xiaoxiao felt her entire spiritual platform being cleansed, as if her whole person was soaking in warm spring water, comfortable as a baby returning to its mother’s womb—she could neither speak nor open her eyes…

Since leaving Ghost Stone Cliff, though Cui Xiaoxiao ate, drank, and played daily, she had difficulty sleeping each night.

She had originally thought it was heartbreak, but now discovered it should also be because her demonic nature hadn’t been properly suppressed, allowing it to cause mischief.

Wei Jie seemed to know her current feelings, so the large palm transmitting spiritual power never withdrew. He just opened his cold eyes, looking at the tightly closed eyes of Xiaoxiao, and said in a low voice: “Circulate energy properly and meditate, enter a state of emptiness. Your spiritual platform is severely depleted…”

Perhaps because this woman had absorbed the Demon Pearl separated from his body, when Wei Jie recovered his divine status, he inexplicably felt a connection with the Demon Pearl inside Xiaoxiao.

Usually, when the Demon Pearl lay dormant without acting up, it was manageable, but today Wei Jie could clearly sense the frantic agitation of the Demon Pearl in Xiaoxiao’s body, so he had been secretly following this woman.

Sure enough, Cui Xiaoxiao’s demonic nature had erupted. If he hadn’t arrived in time, who knew what pitiful state she might have become! This woman truly caused trouble the moment he took his eyes off her…

Just as Wei Jie was distracted by these thoughts, his forehead tightened again. This sensation of seemingly tearing his soul in half was very uncomfortable and had been frequently tormenting his spirit recently.

He didn’t want to see Cui Xiaoxiao at all, yet he always had inexplicable entanglements with this woman that he couldn’t let go of…

Thinking this, his gaze involuntarily looked toward the girl so close before him.

At this moment, her long hair was soaked through, with water droplets flowing down her pure white cheeks along her delicate chin.

Those black tresses, sinuous as serpents, clung to her slender neck, extending along her body’s curves…

Though Wei Jie had awakened his divine status, he hadn’t lost his memory. It was just that all the beautiful moments he’d shared with Xiaoxiao had become insignificant when his divine status awakened, making him too lazy to even think about them.

But now this woman sat so vividly before his eyes, with wet clothes and long hair, her body trembling slightly as she regulated her breathing…

In this instant, many memories he no longer wanted to recall surged up like a tide.

There was that moment of heart-fluttering when he transferred his Golden Core to her in the forest, their soft, warm lips lightly touching.

There was also in the royal mansion’s tunnel when he pressed her beneath him, the girl under him blushing anxiously, calling out “no” while yielding…

But most unforgettable was in the glow of sunset, when they cooked dinner for those disciples in the steamy kitchen, and she had actively embraced his waist for the first time, pressing her face to his back while softly coaxing his sulking mood.

That girl pressed against his back had said that in this lifetime, she had only been intimate with him, and he needn’t be jealous of irrelevant people…

Wei Jie stared directly at Xiaoxiao as she meditated with closed eyes. Though the blue flame mark on his forehead flashed repeatedly, it still couldn’t suppress the surging memories.

This painful, tearing sensation grew deeper and deeper, and Wei Jie’s eyes became increasingly dark.

Perhaps his mental fluctuations also affected the spiritual power transmission, and Xiaoxiao sensed it too.

She couldn’t help but open her eyes, only to discover that Wei Jie had been watching her with cold, open eyes and a gloomy expression.

Following his gaze as she looked down at herself, Xiaoxiao immediately cried out and jumped up, pulling her hands back.

When she had entered the water earlier, she wore thin clothing that was now completely soaked through—how embarrassing!

She hurriedly covered herself to retrieve her outer garment set aside. But the next moment, Xiaoxiao’s slender wrist was gripped by someone, and she was once again drawn into the man’s solid embrace…

Xiaoxiao looked up at Wei Jie with slight nervousness and humble hope, expecting that former Jie’er to suddenly return.

But the purple eyes she met were filled with murderous intent and barely contained anxiety.

The man’s throat kept rolling up and down, his head lowering more and more. Just when Xiaoxiao thought he was about to kiss her, the large palm that had been transmitting spiritual power to her suddenly gripped her throat…

Xiaoxiao couldn’t dodge his suddenly attacking hand at all—her slender neck was caught in his grip.

The sudden suffocating sensation blocked her throat. Xiaoxiao desperately clawed at his hand, angrily scolding: “What… madness has possessed you! Let me go!”

If he didn’t release her soon, don’t blame her for being impolite…

But before she could retaliate, Wei Jie suddenly released her as if burned, hoarsely shouting at Xiaoxiao: “…You, don’t appear before me! Go! Leave quickly!”

Xiaoxiao covered her throat and coughed twice, but saw that Wei Jie’s painful purple eyes seemed tinged with wisps of black, his entire being appearing sinisterly dark.

Worried about his condition, she was about to ask him more questions.

But Wei Jie had already drawn the Heaven’s Punishment Sword, gritting his teeth at her: “If you don’t leave now, don’t blame me for showing no mercy with my sword!”

Though Wei Jie’s threat was sinister and ruthless, unfortunately, the sword he raised was bound to its master. When the Heaven’s Punishment Sword pointed at Xiaoxiao, its former master, it completely lacked the sharp killing intent it showed when facing other demons, and even the ringing sound it made carried some joyful, bell-like pleasantness.

Xiaoxiao had no heart to appreciate the sword’s pleasant sound. She had never imagined there would be a day when Wei Jie would point a sword at her.

But seeing his pained expression, Xiaoxiao also recalled Tang Youshu’s words.

It seemed that every time Wei Jie saw her, he would have unbearable emotional fluctuations, which was extremely detrimental to him with his recovered divine status.

Could it be… that he had stared at her too long just now and was again suffering from emotional turmoil? Tang Youshu had said that continuing like this would cause Wei Jie to have problems!

Thinking this, Xiaoxiao immediately set aside her hurt feelings from nearly being strangled to death, turned without looking back, and fled without a trace.

Though Wei Jie had shouted for her to leave quickly, when he truly saw her flee like avoiding a venomous snake without looking back, the thought that flashed through his mind was: He had just pointed his sword at her—that woman must hate him to the bone!

Thinking this, Wei Jie’s head felt like it would split. The blue flame on his forehead was like a tight headband, forcing him to drive Xiaoxiao’s every smile and frown from his mind. Finally, Wei Jie roared in agony and again drew the Heaven’s Punishment Sword to wildly hack at the surrounding vegetation and rocks, each strike seemingly cutting through the shackles obstructing his thoughts…

When Tang Youshu hurriedly arrived, his master, raging like a madman, had already reduced most of the mountain to ruins.

Fortunately, he had come late—if he’d arrived earlier, Tang Youshu might have been chopped to pieces by his master in a violent rage.

At this moment, Wei Jie’s entire body was steaming with blackened purple energy. As if his spiritual power was exhausted, he half-leaned against a mountain rock split in half.

Tang Youshu looked at this eerily familiar scene, his heart feeling as if crushed by an iron fist. His lips trembling, he asked with shocked uncertainty: “Master, what… what happened to you?”

When Wei Jie slowly raised his head, a pair of blackened purple eyes glared at Tang Youshu with sinister darkness.

Tang Youshu couldn’t help but retreat several steps, saying tensely: “Master, you… How are you…”

Wei Jie sneered, slowly standing up, looking down, and asking: “What’s wrong with me?”

Tang Youshu couldn’t answer for a moment and could only smile apologetically with extreme caution.

But in his heart, a storm was already raging.

Because the demonic light flashing in Wei Jie’s eyes—it was too familiar!

Even after more than two hundred years, Tang Youshu had never forgotten that when Demon Lord Wei Jie’s demonic nature erupted in the past, his eyes flashed with exactly this demonic, murderous light…

But how was this possible? Clearly, in this life, all the paths to demonification had been walked by Cui Xiaoxiao in Wei Jie’s place.

Wei Jie hadn’t encountered any tribulations in this life that could change his nature. Moreover, his divine status had returned, and his cultivation had improved early on. Now he wasn’t just forming a Golden Core—he was about to manifest his Yuan Ying and enter the preparatory stage for ascension.

In this life, he had painstakingly planned and accompanied his benefactor master smoothly all the way. How could Wei Jie suddenly show signs of demonification without warning?

This… where exactly had things gone wrong? Master Wei Jie had no reason to become a demon in this life! Right, he must have seen wrong!

Tang Youshu silently wiped cold sweat, following behind his master as they quickly descended the mountain.

He was now eager to tell his master about the King of Changshan’s abnormality and ask for his decision. But Wei Jie seemed absent-minded, coldly asking: “Those disciples seeking masters are still there, right?”

Ah? Tang Youshu couldn’t react for a moment. After a pause, he understood Wei Jie was referring to those disciples who shamelessly wanted to take Cui Xiaoxiao as their master.

Why was Master asking about this? When he heard that Wei Jie wanted to take all those disciples under his wing, Master Tang, who was struggling to make ends meet, said with difficulty, “Master, why take them in? So many mouths to feed, and if they’re determined to take Cui Xiaoxiao as master and refuse, what then?”

Wei Jie slowly turned around. The blue flame above his head flickered between bright and dim, complementing the darkness in his eyes. He slightly curved his lips in a cold smile: “They can either enter my tutelage or… die. Isn’t the choice obvious?”

After saying this, Wei Jie suddenly rose on the wind and disappeared into the mountain forest, leaving only Tang Youshu disheveled in the wind.

His mouth felt somewhat sour, and he again wondered if he had done something wrong. Otherwise, why had his master, who had been fine while staying beside Cui Xiaoxiao, now shown signs of demonification under his care?

As for Cui Xiaoxiao, who had hurriedly fled from Wei Jie’s side, after finding the little fox, she immediately woke her up. Without time to explain, she hastily pulled her away.

She could hear Wei Jie’s mad sounds from the back mountain forest even from a great distance. Fortunately, when she returned, she glimpsed Tang Youshu arriving as well.

Since Wei Jie had someone to care for him, she could feel somewhat at ease.

But judging from Wei Jie’s reaction, he truly despised her now. Tang Youshu’s repeated advice for her to stay away from Wei Jie seemed to have some merit.

She couldn’t keep making people hate her and making Wei Jie so angry every time, could she?

Looking at it this way, she needed to leave Luoyi City soon. Even if she wanted to investigate King of Changshan’s background, she’d have to wait until after Wei Jie left.

So Xiaoxiao immediately took Yu Ling’er down the mountain and left.

However, Wei Jie’s breathing regulation assistance had been truly beneficial. Even running alongside Yu Ling’er in her original form, Xiaoxiao never felt unable to keep up.

Seeing Xiaoxiao’s relaxed manner as she raced through grass and trees, Yu Ling’er couldn’t help but praise: “Xiaoxiao, I feel like you’ve become more powerful again! You’re running faster than me!”

Xiaoxiao knew this was entirely the result of Wei Jie’s breathing regulation, which had stimulated her dantian’s power.

Actually, throughout this journey, her mood wasn’t as light as her physical form.

Recalling the murderous aura Wei Jie had displayed when they parted, Xiaoxiao always felt vaguely uneasy.

When the two stopped to rest, Xiaoxiao meditated to nourish herself while Yu Ling’er grew hungry.

Her pickiness about food had now reached several new levels—she was no longer the little fox who could be satisfied with just chicken breast meat.

Seeing a village ahead, but Xiaoxiao was unwilling to join the crowds, Yu Ling’er took her clan members to buy food.

After Xiaoxiao sat alone under a tree meditating for a while, she suddenly sensed other people’s presence around her.

Without speaking, she casually picked a leaf, silently formed a hand seal, and instantly, the leaf talisman transformed into fierce fire, attacking where that person was hiding.

Forced to reveal himself, the person said: “Xiaoxiao, it’s me!”

Looking carefully, Xiaoxiao saw it was Qin Lingxiao, who had fled on four swords that night.

Seeing Qin Lingxiao again in his flowing white robes, she couldn’t help but laugh: “Why are you here again? Aren’t you afraid of encountering your master Wei Jie?”

After speaking, Xiaoxiao recalled Qin Lingxiao’s escape scene and couldn’t help but chuckle.

But Qin Lingxiao now had only a head full of confusing questions, urgently seeking answers from Xiaoxiao. He didn’t even care about shame, just asked with an ashen face: “How could Wei Jie know these things? Did you tell him about past life events?”

Xiaoxiao leaned against the large tree lazily: “How could I possibly tell him such things?”

Qin Lingxiao suddenly recalled that on Tang Youshu’s body that day, he seemed to have sensed an unusual aura… Suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration and asked: “That Demon Pearl—did you ever find it? Whose body is it actually in?”

Xiaoxiao still closed her eyes without answering. Though she had left the Talisman Sect, Tang Youshu had once been her respected benefactor master. She didn’t want to betray Young Master Tang in front of Qin Lingxiao.

This Qin fellow was eager to find the Demon Pearl to save his father. If he knew the Demon Pearl was in Tang Youshu’s body, he’d probably return to trouble that master-disciple pair…

Qin Lingxiao wasn’t stupid. Seeing Xiaoxiao’s unwillingness to answer, combined with various signs of her falling out with Wei Jie, he suddenly had a bold guess.

After standing there thinking for a while, he figured out many connections. Finally, he asked incredulously while pacing: “That Demon Pearl couldn’t be in Tang Youshu’s body, could it?”

Xiaoxiao immediately denied: “No! How could it possibly be in his body!”

Unfortunately, her denial was a bit too hasty, which made Qin Lingxiao even more certain of this absurd guess!

“So the Demon Pearl is indeed attached to Tang Youshu! That skinny weakling is truly as cunning as ever! I should have thought of it—among all the senior brothers, he was the most cunning!”

Suddenly, Qin Lingxiao thought of even more. He recalled that after Wei Jie’s death, Tang Youshu, who had been most loyal to the demon lord, hadn’t seemed particularly sad and was even the first to leave Ghost Stone Cliff.

He was said to be traveling, but the Zhu Jiuyin divine statue that Wei Jie had won in a bet at Zhang Wei Mountain had mysteriously disappeared.

At the time, Qin Lingxiao was so overjoyed from gaining Wei Jie’s divine power and slaying the demon lord that he had no time to pay attention to that talentless senior brother.

But thinking about it now, Tang Youshu had seemingly anticipated Wei Jie’s death and taken the statue that could reverse heaven and earth early on. He had even taken the two Demon Pearls separated from Wei Jie’s body before his death and arranged everything.

Though Xiaoxiao wanted to sever ties with the Talisman Sect, she still didn’t like hearing people insult her former benefactor, master Tang Youshu, in front of her.

Since he had already guessed, her lies were useless. She could only warn Qin Lingxiao: “Now you should know that with Young Master Tang’s assistance, Wei Jie’s power has greatly increased, and he knows about you once slaying him. If he sees you again, he absolutely won’t spare you. If I were you, I’d hide far away and never dare appear before him again!”

Qin Lingxiao recalled Wei Jie’s murderous gaze that day. For a moment, it felt like returning to the days of being dominated by Demon Lord Wei Jie, making his whole body uncomfortable.

But Wei Jie’s divine status returning meant he would sever emotions and love; no wonder he had that cold expression of not recognizing Xiaoxiao.

Thinking this, Qin Lingxiao suddenly felt refreshed.

At least he wasn’t the only one who had lost everything. If Wei Jie one day realized he had lost Xiaoxiao, wouldn’t he desperately wish time could reverse again?

Thinking this, he sneered and couldn’t help adding fuel to the fire: “You probably don’t know yet, do you? Wei Jie is grandly recruiting disciples throughout Luoyi City. Even Ling Zhishan has been accepted into his sect! The current Wei Jie increasingly resembles the former Demon Lord.”

Having left Luoyi City in such haste, Xiaoxiao truly didn’t know about Wei Jie’s expanding influence through recruiting disciples.

But those disciple-seekers who had always followed her like shadows seemed to have disappeared since she left Luoyi City.

Could those disciples who had sworn to join the Carefree Joy Sect be so fickle that they eagerly joined Wei Jie’s tutelage after he offered some sweet incentives?

However, Xiaoxiao understood these opportunistic disciples from the Four Great Sects—they had always been unstable. If they saw Wei Jie’s profound cultivation, it wouldn’t be strange for them to change their minds and join his tutelage instead.

But thinking of Wei Jie also accepting Ling Zhishan, and recalling her deep infatuation with Wei Jie, Xiaoxiao silently sighed for her.

Though she didn’t understand Wei Jie’s purpose in accepting these people, Miss Ling might suffer again.

The former Wei Jie had just been sharp-tongued, but the current Wei Jie was poisonous, cold, and heartless.

She hoped Miss Ling had brought enough clothes when becoming his disciple, so she wouldn’t be frozen by her new master.

But what did Wei Jie mean by accepting this female disciple who had once betrayed him?

Though Xiaoxiao had questions, hearing that Wei Jie still had the energy to accept disciples after treating her injuries that day, he should be fine.

This way, Xiaoxiao could finally put down her worried heart about Wei Jie.