Ming Li wasn’t surprised at all by what Cheng Jingbai said and his reaction. On the contrary, she felt this response was normal.

As a Pilgrim, she had indeed killed many Earth Demons and understood clearly what thoughts Earth Demons would have when facing her. But Earth Demons were like a box that could never be fully unwrapped—just when you thought you were about to see the secret at the center of the box, you’d tear away another layer only to find yet another sheet of glossy paper beneath.

The Pilgrims were always exploring the secrets of Earth Demons.

In response to Cheng Jingbai’s words, Ming Li said: “But I’m not a Pilgrim now.”

Cheng Jingbai: “…”

That made sense.

Coming to his senses, Cheng Jingbai covered his eyes, thinking to himself: troublesome, too troublesome.

“I can’t kill you now, but there are still many ways to trap you,” Ming Li continued. “I just want to know where my junior disciple Zixi is.”

“I don’t know either,” Cheng Jingbai replied helplessly. “We also came to Nan Que for him.”

Is that so?

Ming Li’s expression grew suspicious.

Cheng Jingbai added sincerely, “You may not believe this, but we only have two objectives on this trip: kill people and steal the Infinite Mirror.”

Ming Li asked: “Kill whom?”

“Anyone,” Cheng Jingbai smiled. “As long as they’re from Nan Que.”

At this moment, the Star Force erupting from Well Mansion grew stronger. Cheng Jingbai looked toward the direction of Taiwei Forest: “I don’t have time to explain much to you now, but I don’t know anything about him that you want to know. I still need to find Zhou Xiang. You won’t stop me, will you?”

Ming Li: “I won’t.”

Cheng Jingbai immediately moved forward with Flash Shadow technique, then looked back after a moment: “Why are you following me?”

Ming Li looked at him, puzzled: “I’m also going to Taiwei Forest.”

Cheng Jingbai covered his eyes again, “How strange, ever since learning you’re Bei Dou’s Ming Li, I can’t face you with the same attitude as before.”

Ming Li didn’t mind, and instead comforted him: “You’ll get used to it. Being a Pilgrim isn’t anything special.”

Cheng Jingbai: “…”

Pilgrims aren’t special? Well, you’re truly extraordinary then!

*

Well Mansion, Taiwei Forest.

Fresh green moss covered the ground and trees densely. Thick tree roots were visible everywhere on the ground. Because Taiwei Forest was abundant with Star Force, the forest plants grew exceptionally well. Some individual branches and leaves were as large as huge umbrellas, which could conceal two adults when they drooped to the ground.

Hiding under a giant leaf, Fang Hui leaned against the tree roots intertwined on the ground, panting. He wiped away his sweat, and only after confirming there was no problem with his invisibility formation did he turn to look at the unconscious Zhou Xiang behind him.

Recalling what had happened earlier, Fang Hui felt he had never been so speechless in his life.

He had only taken advantage of the chaos in Nan Que, thinking it was a good opportunity to come to Taiwei Forest again in search of the medicinal herbs he wanted. However, as soon as he reached the entrance of the forbidden area, he saw Zhou Xiang sobbing while cutting off the arms of Well Mansion disciples.

It seemed his luck with Nan Que’s Taiwei Forest was terrible.

The first time he came, he encountered Earth Demons, and after being discovered, they brutally slaughtered the Well Mansion disciples, making his scalp tingle with fear.

The second time, he encountered another murder scene.

This time, the shock was even greater.

Zhou Xiang had always appeared to be a timid, foolish beauty who didn’t even dare to make eye contact when speaking, always hunching her shoulders and standing in the farthest corner. When someone called her name, she would either jump in fright or respond in confusion.

Her Heart Meridian was naturally at full boundary, and he had initially thought her timidity and self-restraint were because she feared her Heart Meridian power would affect others. But today he realized how narrow his thinking had been.

Zhou Xiang wasn’t afraid of affecting others—she was afraid of affecting herself.

Facing the attacks from the Well Mansion disciples, she cried in fear until several high-level disciples launched killing moves. Only then did she use her Heart Meridian spirit technique, instantly transforming into a different person.

The timid crybaby became an arrogant, bloodthirsty demoness with brutal methods. Using her Heart Meridian spirit technique “Bewitch Heart,” she made the affected Well Mansion disciples kill each other. Afterward, she went forward to gouge out their eyeballs with her hands and then, smiling sweetly, fed them to the disciples.

The sadistic killing methods made Fang Hui feel uncomfortable.

Fang Hui had intended to pretend nothing had happened and proceed into Taiwei Forest without being noticed, but the Well Mansion Dean arrived at that moment, shouting angrily at Zhou Xiang. After they fought, Zhou Xiang happened to be blasted into his invisibility formation.

Well, Mansion Dean: “Still trying to assist with an invisibility formation? Dream on!”

Fang Hui: “…”

What an unfortunate coincidence.

The Well Mansion Dean caught him and launched a fierce attack. Fang Hui reacted swiftly—he had been practicing diligently during his time in Nan Que. Moreover, Nan Que was a hundred times better than the poor and remote small city of Ji Dan, allowing his Star Force to increase rapidly. Although his stamina was still insufficient, he had mastered the Flash Shadow technique, which allowed him to create distance and repair his invisibility formation to hide again.

After hiding, he discovered that Zhou Xiang was still within his formation, now unconscious. As he fell into deep thought, he heard the Vermilion Bird announce the names of traitors throughout Nan Que.

Finding himself grouped with those who had slaughtered disciples and killed deans in an instant, Fang Hui was speechless for a moment, then realized he definitely couldn’t stay in Nan Que any longer.

When the Well Mansion Dean and others caught up, Fang Hui held his breath and concentrated. Suddenly, he noticed two figures landing, attracting the Well Mansion Dean’s attention. The arriving Fu Yuan and Black Fox Mask immediately began killing the Well Mansion disciples who had followed.

“Who?!” The Well Mansion Dean blocked their path to Taiwei Forest. “Don’t even think about taking another step forward!”

Fang Hui sighed in relief—thank heavens, the Well Mansion Dean’s attention was no longer on him.

The Well Mansion Dean held a black gold spear, and as he twirled it, a golden barrier appeared before him, spreading to block the two Bei Dou disciples’ path.

Fu Yuan and Black Fox Mask drew their swords simultaneously. The former said: “Left side.”

The Well Mansion Dean immediately strengthened the defense on the left, but saw both attackers strike the right side instead. The golden barrier shattered, and he turned his head in shock, cursing these two shameless people in his heart. He flashed, shadowed back, sweeping his spear horizontally to drive them back.

The two wielded a knife and a sword, and the clear ringing of their blades clashed against the black gold spear, sending sparks flying during combat. A red light flashed through Fu Yuan’s eyes for an instant as he activated the Eight-Eyed Demon Pupil, moving so quickly that the Well Mansion Dean couldn’t react before his Body Technique Meridian was sealed.

Black Fox Mask’s attacks were swift and fierce. Coordinating with Fu Yuan’s Body Technique Meridian-strengthening knife strike, the black gold spear emitted a harsh noise. The Well Mansion Dean was knocked far back, crashing into a giant tree.

The moss on the ground was compressed into a long imprint.

The two continued their movement without pause, immediately pursuing to give the Well Mansion Dean no chance to catch his breath.

Unfortunately for Fang Hui, the giant tree that the Well Mansion Dean crashed into was exactly where he was hiding. The Star Force from the two Bei Dou disciples’ attacks, combined with the Well Mansion Dean’s Star Force sweeping the surroundings, caused the giant tree to break and crash down with a rumble. His invisibility formation was also broken, forcing him to immediately grab Zhou Xiang and leap away.

Fu Yuan and Black Fox Mask merely glanced at Fang Hui, who had been exposed, but continued their relentless attacks.

These two were among the most talented younger generation of Bei Dou, now only a few Heavenly Boundaries away from achieving full mastery of the Seven Meridians. They had experienced the battle between the Northern Border Ghost Plain and the Wandering Tribe, and after the changes in Bei Dou, they often roamed outside. They were far more experienced than these disciples, still training in Nan Que.

Fu Yuan and Black Fox Mask hadn’t made a move against him, but the Well Mansion Dean pointed a Qi Circulation word technique at Fang Hui.

Fang Hui hadn’t awakened his Body Technique Meridian, but his physical strength was better than before. He carried Zhou Xiang and used Flash Shadow to dodge through the forest, but eventually stumbled and fell due to the extra weight.

He protected Zhou Xiang in his arms as they fell, hitting a curved tree root and letting out a muffled groan. Zhou Xiang in his arms gradually regained consciousness due to the commotion. When she opened her eyes, her gaze was clear. Fang Hui looked down and knew from her demeanor that this was the bloodthirsty Zhou Xiang with her Heart Meridian activated.

Zhou Xiang didn’t attack him. Before she could push Fang Hui away, he consciously released her and let her go. He watched as she wiped her face and stood up, frowning fiercely as she looked back at the Well Mansion Dean.

“This old man… tired of living.”

Fang Hui watched as Zhou Xiang joined the battle, wiping his face and lying on the ground, staring at the sky with despair. Surely no one would accidentally injure him now, right?

He waited for a while.

Indeed, no one did.

So could he safely search for medicinal herbs in Taiwei Forest now?

Fang Hui had just moved his finger, intending to get up, when he saw a blade flash by, cutting down the giant tree behind him.

Black Fox Mask glanced at him, seemingly silently apologizing.

Fang Hui: “…”

Forget it… to be safe, he should wait until they finish fighting.

Black Fox Mask and Fu Yuan weren’t distracted by Zhou Xiang’s participation, as their goal was the same. Zhou Xiang’s high-level Heart Meridian technique “Bewitch Heart” was only targeted at the Well Mansion Dean.

Fu Yuan sealed Star Meridian power, Zhou Xiang controlled the mind, and Black Fox Mask’s offensive pressure continued to force the Well Mansion Dean back. Just as his mind fell into a subtle state of anxiety and anger, Zhou Xiang suddenly made a careless move, exposing a weakness.

All three noticed her mistake, but neither Fu Yuan nor Black Fox Mask showed any intention of helping. The Well Mansion Dean twirled his spear and pierced Zhou Xiang’s chest. Using this force, Zhou Xiang moved closer to him, bringing them very near.

Watching from a distance, Fang Hui frowned. Before he could form any thoughts, at the moment when the Well Mansion Dean was most relaxed, Zhou Xiang, who had been hanging her head, suddenly looked up and cleanly slit his throat with her blade.

Fu Yuan’s eye twitched slightly as he watched. He knew it—his Pilgrim junior sister had once said that some Earth Demons loved this kind of sacrificial fighting style.

Black Fox Mask asked: “If she pulls out the spear, will she have to die again?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Xiang removed it herself. Her revival timing had been precisely controlled—she had acted in the instant when her heart wasn’t yet fully healed, but she had consciousness, moving faster than an Earth Demon’s flesh regeneration speed. Thus, after recovery, the spear was still embedded in her body. After pulling it out, she was left dying rather than instantly dead.

In extreme pain, she didn’t even have the strength to speak. Black Fox Mask looked at Fu Yuan, stepping back to indicate “you go.”

Fu Yuan irritably went forward to deliver a mercy kill to his partner and end her suffering.

Zhou Xiang opened her eyes again, her pupils reflecting the emerald branches and leaves of Taiwei Forest.

*

On their way to Taiwei Forest, Ming Li and Cheng Jingbai sensed another eruption of Star Force at the Dean level. Cheng Jingbai raised an eyebrow and asked, “Yumei has advanced to the Life and Death Boundary. Won’t you go there first?”

Ming Li stopped and looked back for a moment, pondering before saying, “No need, she won’t win.”

Cheng Jingbai countered: “Your Tianxuan Dean isn’t at the Life and Death Boundary, is she? Although both cultivate the Heart Meridian, everyone knows that Nan Que’s Well Mansion Yumei represents the Heart Meridian, but nobody mentions this Dean Qu.”

Ming Li said, “It would be strange if people mentioned her.”

Cheng Jingbai was puzzled: “Why?”

Ming Li smiled: “Because anyone who has witnessed the peak of her Heart Meridian is dead.”