Chapter 73: Chapter Seventy-Three: The Ten Thousand Li Illuminating Talisman

After ceasing the Dispelling Form and Concealing Aura Technique, the sweet medicinal aroma of the Crane Embryo Pill filled the entire chamber, drifting faintly from both of them.

Chen Hang bowed slightly, said nothing more, and sat down on a yellow apricot-colored reed mat, activating the fetal breathing technique to repeatedly cleanse his entire body through every orifice.

His flesh faintly emitted a pale jade glow, rhythmic with his breath, rising and falling like tides.

Only after a cup of tea’s time had passed did he slowly halt his cultivation, regulate his qi, and rise with a flick of his sleeve.

“Though the Crane Embryo Pill is named as such and supposedly aids Qi Condensation, it is merely an empty shell—once ingested, within no more than an hour and a half, it immediately transforms the user into the form of a Heavenly Demon, corrupting even the primordial spirit.”

Chen Hang’s gaze flickered, and he weighed the matter in his mind.

Luo Zhang may or may not know.

But the fat Daoist woman he brought, whom he called Ninth Sister, must certainly be aware—perhaps even an accomplice.

Today is the day the pills are complete, the fire control is perfect, and the fat Daoist woman arrived precisely at the right moment—not a moment too early, not a moment too late.

Had Chen Hang not first tested the pill within the True One Dharma Realm, and instead swallowed it outright, when the fat Daoist woman arrived, though he could not guess her true intent, his fate would surely be dire.

“It seems I cannot stay in the Fuyu Marsh anymore—perhaps even Yang Mountain won’t be safe to linger in. I must return immediately to Xiao Ganshan’s Xuanzhen Sect. Even if returning to the sect brings trouble, I have no choice…”

Chen Hang’s eyes darkened slightly.

He had remained in Fuyu Marsh for two reasons: first, to acquire a mid-grade flying sword; second, to wait for the official opening of the Jin Valley Market, when Huaiwu Cave Lord would surely bestow gifts upon the guests, and he would receive his share.

But now, this situation.

Given that Huaiwu Cave Lord is entangled with Heavenly Demons and has designs on him, let alone any gifts—he might not even keep his life.

Even if the flying swords from Baoju Zhai had not yet been transported, he could no longer afford to wait.

Returning to the Xuanzhen Sect would inevitably place him again under Yan Feichen’s watch, subject to his control; any misstep would surely invite Lei Ting’s wrath.

But within that sect, at least there was Ai Jian, a Cave-Xuan Great Alchemist…

No matter how bold and reckless Huaiwu Cave Lord might be, he would surely dare not provoke Ai Jian’s displeasure!

Though no one knew precisely which level of Cave-Xuan Ai Jian had reached, when he founded the sect thirty years ago, he had defeated at least two Cave-Xuan Third Layer Great Alchemists—his killing power was extraordinary, his reputation even more fearsome!

In the domain of such a great cultivator, no matter what hidden intentions Huaiwu Cave Lord held toward him, he would not dare act openly.

As Chen Hang pondered, several paces away, Wei Lingjiang had fully expelled the Crane Embryo Pill’s aroma from her body, forcing it out as a wisp of smoke.

Above her head, flames blazed like a blazing golden sun, radiant and brilliant.

She extended a finger, and a stream of fire, like a celestial river, separated out, encircling the wisp of smoke; within a few breaths, the smoke vanished utterly.

The entire room instantly cleared, not a trace of medicinal vapor remained.

“You’re done so quickly?”

Wei Lingjiang, seeing Chen Hang standing quietly a few paces away, was slightly startled.

Though named the Crane Embryo Pill, it was in truth a demonic bait—once ingested, the body would be seized by boundless demonic corruption, leaving the user powerless over life or death, reduced to a puppet of the unseen mastermind.

Though she had glimpsed the truth and avoided taking it, when she opened the box, she could not help but have the pill’s medicinal vapor cling to her body.

Once this strange fragrance took root in a person, it was difficult to expel within a short time.

That was also why neither of them had opened the door to let Luo Zhang and the fat Daoist woman in.

If the fat Daoist woman had smelled the medicinal aroma yet seen no signs of demonic corruption on them, she would surely grow suspicious, and then explanations would be impossible.

Yet this sweet fragrance was extremely hard to remove; as soon as Chen Hang ended the Dispelling Form and Concealing Aura Technique, there was no concealment left—it clung like a parasite—and even Wei Lingjiang had to circulate her fetal breathing for several full cycles to scrub it off.

She had not expected Chen Hang to remove it even faster than she had.

“Fast? Sister isn’t slow either.”

Hearing this, Chen Hang’s eyebrows lifted almost imperceptibly, and he gave her a slight nod:

“Huaiwu Cave Lord likely has no good intentions toward either of us. For the sake of your life and safety, Sister should leave Fuyu Marsh as soon as possible—go far away. I’ll take my leave as well.”

After speaking,

He made a faint gesture with his hand, signaling dismissal.

Wei Lingjiang froze at his words, momentarily at a loss for how to respond; after a moment of his cold, distant demeanor, a sudden, nameless fire rose within her.

“Huaiwu Cave Lord is entangled with Heavenly Demons—what do you plan to do about it?”

She stepped forward sharply and said.

Chen Hang glanced sideways at her.

She wore today a magnificent wide-sleeved Immortal’s Robe, with moon-shaped earrings and a golden dangling hairpin slanted in her hair, enhancing her radiant beauty with an unusual, striking elegance.

She had not worn her usual veil, having left in haste.

Now, her ink-painted eyebrows furrowed slightly; though she struggled to suppress it, her expression betrayed clear irritation.

Seeing Chen Hang look at her, Wei Lingjiang met his gaze coldly for a moment, but could not withstand the depth of his dark eyes, closed them briefly, drew a deep breath, then glared back defiantly, refusing to yield an inch.

“You ask me what I plan? What do you expect me to do, Sister?”

Finally, Chen Hang lowered his gaze, his eyelashes casting a faint shadow as he spoke calmly:

“Report to the Wu Guang Sect or the Divine Fire Cliff? Expose Huaiwu Cave Lord’s collusion with Heavenly Demons? We have no concrete proof—the two Crane Embryo Pills clearly cannot serve as evidence, and we’d likely be accused of slander instead.”

“Moreover—”

He said: “Even if we did, why should those great sects believe us?”

The Primordial Qi of Heaven and Earth—

When qi separates into clarity and turbidity, the primordial divides heaven and earth.

Aside from the most fundamental “Primordial,” over one hundred twenty-nine million six hundred thousand kinds of spiritual energy mostly possess distinctions of clarity and turbidity.

Most Daoist arts and techniques of the Xuanmen derive from yang-clear qi, while demonic arts similarly follow the clarity-turbidity distinction, often drawing only upon yin-turbid principles.

One is yang-clear, the other is yin-turbid.

From the scriptures, the division between Xuanmen and Demonic sects across the Nine Provinces and Four Seas appears to lie precisely here.

Xuanmen cultivators, perhaps due to exposure to yang-clear qi, often uphold virtuous and Dao-seeking hearts, but not all are radiant and pure, golden in essence, utterly free of the six desires and seven emotions, devoid of mortal attachments.

Demonic sect members, though often shaped by yin-turbid principles to revere themselves above all, their arts and techniques appear bloody and monstrous to outsiders for this very reason.

Yet those who subdue inner demons and shatter old patterns are by no means rare—especially within the Six Demonic Sects, they abound.

The distinction between Xuan and Demon is merely clarity versus turbidity.

Chen Hang would not stake his life on these Xuanmen orthodox sects, expecting them to eradicate evil and slay Huaiwu Cave Lord.

As for the Xuanmen, the Xuanzhen Sect is itself a legitimate Xuanmen school, and rumors even suggest it is one of hundreds of Dao lineages under the Yucheng Sect.

And its leader, Ai Jian, is said to be a true disciple of Yucheng, having formally entered the sect and received authentic transmission.

Yet the Xuanzhen Sect’s conduct may not be upright or honorable.

…

“I… I didn’t mean for you to report to Wu Guang Sect—they wouldn’t believe you anyway.”

Wei Lingjiang hurriedly said: “I only meant…”

Halfway through the sentence,

She fell silent, unable to continue, and then stopped speaking entirely.

She wanted to ask: we’ve at least shared life and death—how can you be so cold and heartless, indifferent to everything but yourself?

But the words died on her lips; she remained silent.

This was merely a spiritual body; her journey to the Southern Region was solely to subdue the Evil Anger Yin Victory Demon, to thwart the hidden schemes of the Ai Ancestor.

Merely a spiritual body.

Even if it perished, it would not endanger her true body in the Nine Imperial Yang Golden Palace Celestial Realm.

In that case,

How could this even count as sharing life and death…

Moreover,

Between them, perhaps in Chen Hang’s eyes, they were merely strangers who crossed paths; given his detached nature, he likely held no such thing as affection.

“… ”

Wei Lingjiang stepped back, said nothing more, her expression suddenly growing distant.

Even she could not explain why she had suddenly erupted in anger, only to cool down moments later in silence.

Her true body had already gathered thirteen great herbs and was nearing Core Formation; once complete, she would achieve the Golden Core realm through the union of Dragon and Tiger. Yet often, before Core Formation, inner demons arise to disrupt the heart-mind.

Wei Lingjiang thought.

Since meeting Chen Hang, this faint, previously unknown emotional disturbance—perhaps it was an inner demon.

…

“The mind is hard to stabilize, the nature unsettled—is this the inner demon’s obstruction?”

She sighed silently, closing her eyes slightly.

When she opened them again after a few breaths, all scattered thoughts and emotions were severed and extinguished; her eyes held only their usual calm detachment.

She looked evenly at Chen Hang, ready to propose a deal.

After all, this journey was undertaken specifically to eliminate the Evil Anger Yin Victory Demon—so she must strive to achieve that goal.

And to eliminate that demon, Chen Hang’s “Great Formless Constant Realm True Qi” was indispensable.

With his true qi, combined with the “Ten Thousand Li Illuminating Talisman” granted by the Dao Lord, Wei Lingjiang needed only a single thought to devise a strategy.

But before Wei Lingjiang could speak,

Chen Hang merely fixed his gaze on her—and shattered all her calm and composure.

Like a boulder suddenly falling from a mountain peak.

Splashing water in all directions…

“Do you think I’m rushing you away out of cold-heartedness?”

Chen Hang lowered his eyes, his gaze resting quietly on her face:

“You don’t know. I was born into the Profound Truth Sect. When something like this happens with Lord Huaiwu, the only option is to return to the sect’s mountain to avoid disaster—but I have a great enemy in the Profound Truth Sect, named Yan Feichen, the head of its three Elders. Since his daughter Yan Zhen died, he has been determined to drag me down with her, hating me with every fiber of his being…”

“Returning to the Profound Truth Sect to hide was not my choice—it was desperation. I didn’t mean to abandon you. Inside the sect, I don’t even know if I’ll survive. I’m likely to be manipulated, my life hanging by a thread, and I simply can’t protect you.”

Chen Hang said:

“Sister, you are so beautiful—like pearls among rubble. It’s impossible for you to blend in quietly. If I invited you to come with me, you’d only draw Yan Feichen’s hatred too. That would bring disaster upon you.”

Wei Lingjiang’s heart leapt sharply; her clenched fingers inside her sleeve loosened unconsciously. She stood frozen for a long while, a slow flush creeping across her face, her snow-white earlobes turning crimson.

“You think complimenting my looks can cover it up? This is clearly just damage control!”

Wei Lingjiang snorted, yet her expression suddenly lightened: “Don’t forget—you still owe me a favor. Don’t think you can slip away so easily!”

“When you listen to someone, do you never hear the second half?”

Chen Hang’s face was expressionless.

“...”

Wei Lingjiang glared at him, her fist clenching again inside her sleeve.

“You want to escape the Floating Jade Marsh to avoid disaster, but since Lord Huaiwu gave you the pill early, it means he’s been watching you all along.”

After a moment, Wei Lingjiang frowned and said:

“Even with your Dispersing Shadow and Concealing Form Technique, slipping past his notice is nearly impossible.”

The Dispersing Shadow and Concealing Form Technique was an extremely refined method for mimicking one’s qi signature.

But it could only suppress qi—it could not alter the physical form.

To the eyes of a Cave-Enlightened Alchemist, even if the qi changed, the body remained the same—this was like covering one’s ears while stealing a bell.

“What’s your advice, Sister?”

“Kill Lord Huaiwu!” said Wei Lingjiang.

Chen Hang remained unmoved.

“I mean use someone else’s blade to kill him.”

Wei Lingjiang’s lips curled slightly. “All we need is concrete proof of his collusion with the Heavenly Demons. Then we can use outside force to remove him easily.”

“Why are you so determined to kill him?”

Wei Lingjiang fell silent. She had considered hiding it, but after biting her lip and thinking, she spoke honestly.

“Lord Huaiwu has ties with an Evil Anger Yin-Sheng Demon. My sect elders cast a divination for me—it said that eliminating that demon would bring me great benefit...”

“Evil Anger Yin-Sheng Demon?”

Chen Hang smiled faintly. “Does a hermit like Wen Ning even have a sect?”

“You—”

Wei Lingjiang’s face flushed red.

“If you’re going to use outside force, then what is that force? You can’t possibly think you can kill a Cave-Enlightened Alchemist with just Qi Condensation—surely you have some leverage?”

“What if I said I had no leverage? Would you stand by me?”

Wei Lingjiang suddenly looked at Chen Hang with wide, hopeful eyes, blinking.

“Sister, you really must kill that demon?”

“Yes.”

“If you have no leverage and insist on trying to kill it yourself, you’ll just be throwing away your life.”

Chen Hang pointed to the door and said:

“Out of respect for these past few days, tell me—what kind of paper effigy do you like? If you ever come to mind during festivals, I’ll burn extra for you. That’ll settle your favor.”

"But before you die, could you please give me your Qiankun Bag?"

Wei Lingjiang’s expression froze. She couldn’t hold back anymore—suddenly leaning forward, she punched his shoulder with all her strength!

But her palm struck something like dark iron, jolting her hand with a sharp tremor. When she pulled back, her palm was bright red.

“Yes! This Ten-Thousand-Mile Seeing Charm!”

Wei Lingjiang grumpily pulled a golden-glowing talisman from her Qiankun Bag.

The talisman spun once in midair, then transformed into a three-foot-tall, hunched old man with white hair and beard. He glanced at Wei Lingjiang, then at Chen Hang, sniffed the air with his nose, and his expression instantly became a mixture of shock and amusement.

“Ancestor Fu, your disciple—”

“Damn it! It’s this Qi Condensation art!”

Before Wei Lingjiang could bow, the tiny hunched old man leapt onto Chen Hang’s shoulder, sniffed him again intently, and shouted:

“Are you wild? Your father hasn’t caught you yet? Amazing! I’ve never seen anything like this!”

“...What do you mean, Elder?”

Not only Wei Lingjiang was stunned—Chen Hang frowned too.

“You don’t know? She doesn’t know? This is getting interesting.”

The little old man’s gaze flickered between Chen Hang and Wei Lingjiang, his wrinkled face twisting into a sly grin:

“You two hooked up this fast? You’ve got your father’s style, boy—you’re a real beast! Hey, girl, I’m from the Grand Talisman Palace, but since we’re both part of the Eight Xuan Sects, I’ll give you a piece of advice.”

“If you don’t want to die uselessly, lose your reputation after death, and have your Primordial Spirit barred from reincarnation—”

The little old man pointed at Chen Hang, shaking his head, and said:

“Stay far away from this boy. Honestly, Old Ancestor is looking out for you!”