Chapter 94: Striving to Survive

The matter of the Altar has left everyone feeling anxious; even on a remote peak like Qingtian Peak, Cheng Xi could feel the restlessness in people's hearts.

Yan Shengyu came to find her. The two had not seen each other for a long time and felt that the other had changed significantly. Yan Shengyu had become much more composed; after going down the mountain with Lu Jinfan, she had been cultivating even more diligently upon her return.

"Senior Brother Lu is truly formidable. If he hadn't discovered the traces of the Demon, I might have lost half my life."

The two had gone down the mountain to eliminate Demons, and Yan Shengyu had followed to gain experience, never expecting that a moment of carelessness would nearly cost her her life.

Cheng Xi looked at her and said, "Eliminating Demons? Is the situation down the mountain that serious now?"

"My brother says that Jindu is not peaceful lately either. Demons originally only lurked in the mountains, but now they actually dare to come down to attack humans. The Demon Suppression Pavilion is so busy all day that they don't even have time to go home." Yan Shengyu was full of worry. "Xixi, I am very afraid."

Cheng Xi looked at her. "Afraid of what? If the Demons dare to come down the mountain, just kill them."

"That is easy to say, but there are so many Demons, how can we kill them all?"

"That is why the Star Gate must be opened. As soon as the news that the Star Gate is about to open spreads, the Demons will do everything in their power to rush over. They all want to pass through the Star Gate to reach the Upper Realm, where the Spirit Essence is more concentrated and better suited for their cultivation and breakthroughs. If they can transform into human form, like Ye Wujin, then they can be considered to have achieved success in cultivation, evolving from a Demon into a Demon cultivator."

Yan Shengyu understood a little. "I heard about the Altar; was Ye Wujin setting up the Altar also to summon Demons?"

"Probably, perhaps it is a sacrifice."

"A sacrifice?"

"Do you think an Altar is so easy to set up? For an animal to cultivate into a Demon is already an act that defies the rules, so the hardest tribulation for a Demon cultivator is to cultivate a human body. Even if Ye Wujin has cultivated a human body, he is still shackled by the rules of heaven and earth; if he wants to break through, he must find another way."

"Such as setting up an Altar?"

Cheng Xi nodded.

Yan Shengyu's expression became even more solemn. "Then isn't the academy also in danger?"

"Naturally. If it weren't so, the four Deans would not have gathered here," Cheng Xi said.

Yan Shengyu was filled with worry. "Then what can we do now?"

"Cultivate well and strive to survive."

Yan Shengyu:...

What she said made so much sense that she couldn't even refute it.

But cultivation was not a matter of a single day or night. She looked at Cheng Xi. "Heaven is not with us; we were born at the wrong time, and we just happen to encounter such a critical juncture. I fear..."

I fear that before we have achieved success in cultivation, we will become stepping stones for others.

Cheng Xi looked at her. "If that is how you think, it would be better to just slit your throat with a knife; it would be less painful. The path of cultivation is inherently a struggle against the heavens. If you are afraid of even this little bit of difficulty, then you might as well go home, marry, have children, and live an ordinary life."

Yan Shengyu:...

"You're right!" Yan Shengyu instantly regained her courage. "It was my thinking that was wrong. At worst, I'll just fight him to the death."

Cheng Xi was amused. "Just keep that mindset."

"By the way, do you have a grudge against Ji Tang?"

"Ji Tang? I don't even know her, where would a grudge come from?" Cheng Xi shook her head and said.

"She has been very close to Yan Qingli lately; you must be careful. Moreover, she has been secretly inquiring about you everywhere. I don't think she has good intentions." Yan Shengyu's expression turned sour when she mentioned Yan Qingli.

Although they both shared the surname Yan, they were not from the same lineage. Furthermore, Yan Qingli thought very highly of herself, which made Yan Shengyu feel repulsed by her. Besides, she even wanted to snatch Cheng Xi's fiancé, which made her even more detestable.

"If she has the ability, let her come to my door," Cheng Xi said indifferently.

"You still need to be careful. Yan Qingli has been very close to Ji Tang lately, and I'm afraid they might do something against you."

Cheng Xi nodded. "I will be careful."

After finishing the serious business, Yan Shengyu stood up to take her leave. She was busy with cultivation now and wanted to improve herself as quickly as possible, so she did not want to waste time.

Cheng Xi stopped her, gave her one of the Storage Bags she had refined over the past few days, and shared several bottles of Pills with her.

Yan Shengyu accepted them without standing on ceremony. "I am very poor right now, so I won't be polite with you. When I strike it rich one day, I will come back to thank you."

Cheng Xi smiled and agreed. "Alright, then I shall wait."

Yan Shengyu looked at Cheng Xi. "Xixi, if you need help with anything, just come to me."

"Of course, I won't be polite."

Only then did Yan Shengyu leave happily.

After Yan Shengyu left, Cheng Xi rested her chin on her hand and stared blankly.

Baohua jumped onto the table. "Xixi, that Yan Shengyu and Ji Tang, should we go teach them a lesson?"

Cheng Xi reached out and poked her little cheek. "You're quite something now, aren't you? Always wanting to teach others a lesson."

"They are bullying you!"

Cheng Xi laughed. "What are they? They aren't even worthy of bullying me."

It was rare for Baohua to see Cheng Xi looking so arrogant, and she suddenly felt a sense of relief. That's right, what were they? Her Xixi was incredibly powerful; those two idiots weren't even worth a flick of Xixi's finger.

"Then what are your plans now?" Baohua asked again. Ever since she used the Black Flood Dragon Eye for eyes, the Qilin Bone for bones, and the Dragon Scale for hair, she had been different; the entire piece of wood had undergone a complete transformation.

For instance, her thinking was progressing very quickly now, and she could think independently.

In Cheng Xi's words, she had her own brain.

She didn't quite understand what that meant, but she liked the feeling.

She could feel that she was alive.

Cheng Xi leaned back on the lounge chair, reached out to pull Baohua over, poked her shiny, glowing hair, and only after a long while did she say, "I want to go to the Ji Family and take a look."

"Because of Ji Tang?"

"Not exactly. The Ji Family has been rooted in Wanxing City for generations; I'm afraid they know more about the Star Gate than anyone else. I think there should be more than one way to open the Star Gate."

"Then do you want to call the Prince? It's too dangerous for you to go alone."

If it were before, it would naturally be dangerous, but she had been recuperating on Wanxing Mountain for so long that her strength had recovered by half, and the Ji Family was not exactly a den of tigers and wolves to her.

"Let's see first," Cheng Xi said.

Baohua knew that Cheng Xi looked easygoing, but once she made up her mind, it was hard to change. "Then I will go with you."

"Alright," Cheng Xi readily agreed.

Baohua was happy; this was the first time Cheng Xi had agreed to take her out to do something.

"Then let's leave a note for the Prince."

Cheng Xi shook her head, "You go tell Chi Laicheng and have him pass on a word, that will suffice."

Baohua jumped down and ran off, returning very quickly.

Cheng Xi then took Baohua down the mountain; Wanxing City was right at the foot of the mountain, and they arrived in an instant.

The City Lord's Mansion was tall and imposing; even before getting close, they could feel the restrictions.

These restrictions were merely a warning and held no malice.

If ordinary commoners approached, they would be unable to pass through the restrictions, but Cultivators would not be hindered.

Stepping into the restrictions, a dense Spirit Essence rushed toward them; as expected of the wealthy and imposing City Lord's Mansion, they had actually laid out a Spirit Gathering Array that could cover the entire City Lord's Mansion—who knows how many Talisman Beads it costs to operate the spirit array every day.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a bit curious: with the Spirit Essence in the City Lord's Mansion so dense, why did Ji Tang still need to go to the Academy?