Chapter 507: Hongying in Peril, A Steadfast Heart
"The seventeenth of the sixth month has come!"
At the same time, far away in the wilderness several hundred li from Yushan Marketplace, a handsome man in a dark pink robe stepped slowly out from a hillside, a faint smile on his face.
"Fellow Daoist Liu Yu." Moments later, a streak of golden light flashed down from the sky, revealing a tall man in Hu clothing with a ruddy, jujube-red face.
Though this Hu-clad man looked more rugged and powerful than the handsome one, his gaze carried a hint of deference, almost like that of a subordinate. The moment he saw the handsome man, he quickly bowed, afraid of even the slightest disrespect.
"Fellow Daoist Jin Xia." The handsome man—none other than Liu Yu Daoist—nodded slightly in satisfaction and returned the bow.
The seventeenth of the sixth month—this was the day named in the secret letter as the Righteous Society’s reunion date.
It was also the perfect opportunity the two of them had been waiting for, for decades, to join forces and kill Wei Tu.
If it were an ordinary early Nascent Soul cultivator, Liu Yu Daoist alone had full confidence in killing them. But Wei Tu was an exception—he had once escaped Liu Yu’s hands unscathed.
So, to ensure the plan’s success, Liu Yu had chosen to temporarily ally with Divine Master Jin Xia here in the Kang Kingdom.
He knew well that Jin Xia also bore a grudge against Wei Tu and had his own reasons for wanting him dead.
Still… Liu Yu intended to add a few extra safeguards to the plan.
"Wei Tu should have a communication artifact to contact Divine Master Du Long and the others. Once Wei Tu is dead, perhaps I can do you a small favor…" Liu Yu Daoist smiled faintly, his words carrying a subtle hint.
Among the Kangju people were three great tribes: the Ying Ding Tribe, the She Ri Tribe, and the Feng Wu Tribe. Since their founding, each had risen and fallen in turn, with each at times subduing the other two.
Now it was the Ying Ding Tribe’s time of prosperity, producing four Divine Masters at the same time.
That number was one more than all the Divine Masters of the She Ri and Feng Wu Tribes combined!
Liu Yu did not believe for a moment that Jin Xia could feel nothing about that.
After all, if he truly saw the Ying Ding Tribe as blood brothers, he would not be standing here now, conspiring with Liu Yu to kill Wei Tu.
Just as Liu Yu had guessed, Jin Xia’s eyes lit up at his words, and he asked at once if what he’d heard was true.
"Fellow Daoist Liu Yu, are you serious?"
"You would truly help my She Ri Tribe kill Du Long and the others?"
There was an urgency in Jin Xia’s tone.
Though he knew the three tribes shared a common origin, and that the Ying Ding Tribe’s strength wouldn’t necessarily harm the She Ri Tribe as a whole, that was only on the tribal level. For him, as a Divine Master, it was another story entirely.
Nascent Soul resources were scarce, which meant everyone had to fight for them.
Decades ago, during the distribution of the Holy Spring Crystals, the She Ri Tribe, being weaker, had received far less than the Ying Ding Tribe.
"Of course!" Liu Yu Daoist nodded, giving a clear answer.
He licked his lips and said, "I don’t mind having a few more Nascent Soul corpse puppets. Righteous cultivators’ Nascent Souls are a great tonic for us demonic cultivators."
At that, Jin Xia felt a chill run down his spine. But with such a statement, he no longer doubted Liu Yu’s sincerity.
Their brief exchange ended.
Liu Yu Daoist and Divine Master Jin Xia didn’t waste time. The two immediately set out toward the route between Mirror Water Pavilion and Yushan Marketplace—an unavoidable path.
With their speed, they would reach the ambush site to capture Kou Hongying in less than half a stick of incense.
Besides, with Yuwen Lianggu keeping watch on Mirror Water Pavilion, even if they lost a little time, there wouldn’t be much risk of error.
To deal with Kou Hongying, Yuwen Lianggu alone was more than enough.
Their real target was Wei Tu—once he learned Kou Hongying was in mortal danger, he would rush over without hesitation.
...
"It’s started!"
Before long, as they neared Yushan Marketplace, Liu Yu Daoist and Divine Master Jin Xia felt the intense aftermath of a battle flaring from a valley up ahead.
They exchanged a glance and, without a word, shot up into the clouds, hiding their presence as they waited quietly for Wei Tu’s arrival.
At the same time, while keeping themselves concealed, they also split part of their focus to observe the fight in the valley.
After all, whether Yuwen Lianggu won or lost would determine if Wei Tu could be successfully lured here.
But they had barely begun watching when Divine Master Jin Xia heard Liu Yu Daoist suddenly sigh beside him.
"What a pity."
"Such a fine seedling for the demonic path."
Jin Xia blinked in surprise, turning to look at the refined, noble-looking Liu Yu Daoist strolling through the clouds as if in a garden, casually commenting on the two women below.
"Fellow Daoist Liu Yu, what do you mean?" Jin Xia asked, puzzled.
Though Liu Yu didn’t name her, Jin Xia could guess the "fine seedling" referred to Kou Hongying.
After all, of the two fighting, only Kou Hongying cultivated a demonic technique, and she was using it now.
What he didn’t understand was—Kou Hongying was nothing special, just a mid-grade spiritual root cultivator. Without Wei Tu’s backing, she’d never have become the Pavilion Master of Mirror Water Pavilion.
How could she possibly deserve such praise?
"Fellow Daoist Jin Xia, you don’t understand demonic cultivation methods."
Liu Yu Daoist smiled and explained, "Like righteous techniques, demonic techniques also value talent, but some of them focus less on talent and more on temperament."
"For example, this Xuan Tian Yin God Grand Method Kou Hongying cultivates. As long as one reaches the Golden Core Realm, one can begin practicing it. But… the cultivation process requires enduring extreme agony."
"The Xuan Tian Yin God Grand Method demands the creation of a Yin God. Once it’s formed, the cultivator can step into the Nascent Soul Realm. But to form it, one must bear the pain of soul-cutting and spirit-severing."
"At the minor accomplishment stage, it’s one soul-cut every three months and one spirit-sever every seven months, lasting 30 years. At the major accomplishment stage, it’s one soul-cut every three days and one spirit-sever every seven days, lasting 100 years. This cycle repeats until the Yin God is born."
"During this time, if one abandons cultivation even once, everything is lost."
"Right now, she’s at the minor accomplishment stage. She has no chance of reaching major accomplishment or birthing a Yin God, but for a Golden Core cultivator, her temperament is already impressive."
Liu Yu’s tone carried unreserved praise.
Even someone as experienced as Divine Master Jin Xia was stunned at both the difficulty of cultivating this method and Kou Hongying’s mental fortitude.
This was soul-cutting and spirit-severing pain. Most people might go insane after enduring it once.
To endure it for years… even Jin Xia admitted to himself he couldn’t last long, let alone 30 years.
"If she weren’t Wei Tu’s niece, I wouldn’t mind taking her as a concubine—raising her into my Nascent Soul furnace."
In the Hehuan Sect, a Nascent Soul concubine held a higher status than ordinary disciples.
If word of this spread, countless disciples would envy Kou Hongying.
Hearing this, Divine Master Jin Xia’s expression grew grim. His eyes turned cold as he sent a voice transmission to Yuwen Lianggu, telling her to strike as hard as possible—no letting the tiger back into the mountains.