Junior sister, keep forbear for a while, I almost become invincible as soon!

While all members of the Wuji Sect were diligently cultivating, while Chen Pingping was striving to turn the Wuji Sect into a superpower, while Yu Changfeng was deceiving Earth Chicken in an attempt to take down the Wuji Sect, and while Earth Chicken was trying to coax information out of Yu Changfeng—a peaceful and tranquil town welcomed several demon cultivators.

They came from the distant Western Wilderness, on a mission from the Ask Demon Family, searching for the legendary Demon Seed that had fallen into the human realm. They had searched all the way here, having entered the Star Sea and the Ancient Country, eventually reaching Fairy Valley. However, after a thorough search, they discovered the Demon Seed had long since departed, and so they finally set foot in this town.

A middle-aged man in black held a Star Disk, continuously calculating, "The Demon Seed is indeed here. How many more days until the Young Master arrives?"

"Very soon!" a voice came from behind.

"Leader, do we need to set up a formation?" someone asked.

"No..." The man holding the Star Disk shook his head. "This is Human Clan territory, close to Fairy Valley. If we set up a formation, we might alarm the upper echelons of the valley. Let’s find the Demon Seed first, then take action after the Young Master arrives."

There were seven of them in total. All were powerful demon cultivators from the Ask Demon Family. Their mission was to find the Demon Seed, help the Young Master secure it, and then fuse with it to nurture a Heavenly Demon within his body. If successful, the Young Master’s ascension to Demon Emperor was merely a matter of time. As such, the Ask Demon Family attached great importance to this mission.

「In a secluded courtyard on the southern side of the town.」

The Old Yellow Cow raised its head and mooed once.

Guang Xiaoyu nodded, "I know." After speaking, she lowered her eyelids, looking worried. The demon cultivators from the Ask Demon Family had followed me to this town; their ultimate goal must be me. Although I’m not afraid, if my identity were exposed... I would no longer be able to stay in the lands of the Southern Diaspora!

"Lao Huang, do you think the Sword Saint really has a way to perform Cultivating Demon?" she asked, tilting her head.

Lao Huang remained silent.

Guang Xiaoyu sighed, "He has been in seclusion for so many days. When will he come out? If the Sword Saint is successful, does that mean I can stay in the Human Clan’s realm too? I don’t want to leave, but I’m so weak right now. Once exposed, it means I must leave this place. I don’t want to leave Senior Brother." She fluttered her curved eyelashes and giggled, "How do I look in this dress? Pretty, isn’t it?"

She was like Zi Ji, seemingly a little girl who never grew up. The only difference was that Zi Ji appeared to be around eleven or twelve years old, while Guang Xiaoyu was in her early twenties, in both appearance and figure. Her features were delicate, her figure slender. Usually unadorned, she looked quite ordinary, but when dressed up in a long gown, she took on the air of a princess gracing the mortal world.

The Old Yellow Cow nodded its head.

Her smile remained as she took out a wooden sword. "Years ago, Senior Brother gave me this wooden sword, cautioning me not to use a real sword. I didn’t understand why back then, only later did I realize. A sword represents killing, the intent to kill. If used too often, it inevitably leads to a backlash from inner demons. Chen Pingping’s intention was to protect me, so he gave me this wooden sword as a constraint. Of course, this wooden sword was no ordinary item; it was raw material for a Heaven Tao Divine Weapon—Linglong Wood."

Over the years, Guang Xiaoyu had studied it carefully and discovered a great secret within the Linglong Wood: it still possessed life. This meant it could transform.

"Decaying Linglong Wood, yet not truly decaying..." Guang Xiaoyu whispered. "The raw material of a Heaven Tao Divine Weapon... once it develops Spiritual Intelligence and shows signs of transformation, it signifies the birth of a God. I won’t need any forging; it can grow to the level of an Emperor Weapon. This is unprecedented."

She was shocked but had never mentioned this to anyone. The Rotten Wood Transformation involved far too much, including the causality of the Heavenly Dao.

MOO!

The Old Yellow Cow mooed again.

Guang Xiaoyu glanced over. "I won’t lose it. It’s a gift from Senior Brother, and I will always treasure it..."

Hearing this, the Old Yellow Cow became anxious.

"Don’t worry. Even if the Rotten Wood Transformation occurs, I’ll be fine," Guang Xiaoyu said confidently. For it to reach that stage will take a very, very long time, a lengthy journey. By then, I might have already become an Emperor.

What Guang Xiaoyu was truly worried about were the Ask Demon cultivators who might appear next. If they are too powerful, I might expose too many of my trump cards. If those old figures also show up here, then I, or perhaps the Old Yellow Cow, or even Senior Brother would be no match for them. That would be fatal.

MOO!

The Old Yellow Cow shook its body.

"I won’t allow you to speak of Senior Brother like that. He instructed me to leave Fairy Valley and come here to seclude myself; he must have his reasons," Guang Xiaoyu shook her head. "Moreover, even if I were in Fairy Valley, if the Ask Demon lineage wanted to kill me, Fairy Valley wouldn’t be able to stop them." That lineage was far, far too powerful. The ’Ask’ alone was something few in the Human Clan’s lands could withstand.

The courtyard fell silent. The young woman and the cow, neither spoke. A gentle breeze, its origin unknown, rustled through, carrying a few withered leaves and stirring up dust.

A young figure approached the gate. He wore a long green robe, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes. His smile was both scholarly and gentle. Pausing at the entrance to the courtyard, he asked, "May I come in for a drink of water?"

Guang Xiaoyu opened her eyes and silently observed him, uttering no words, yet her grip on the wooden sword tightened.

"You really are the Demon Seed, too afraid even to answer me," the young man laughed. "Let me guess, which Heavenly Demon’s seed are you? The Primitive Demon God? Or the Green Demon?" He had perused many ancient records; only two Heavenly Demons were said to have descended to the lower realm—one was the Primitive Demon God, and the other was the Green Demon. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Guang Xiaoyu remained calm.

"I’ve heard that the Demon Seed of a Heavenly Demon comprehends the profound mysteries of Heavenly Demons, an extension of the Heavenly Demon’s own life. Just how much of that have you awakened?" Zhu Menting chuckled softly.

He kept talking, trying to draw Guang Xiaoyu out. But Guang Xiaoyu, wise as she was, remained mute. This left Zhu Menting somewhat vexed. The essence of the Ask Demon Family’s art was the ’Ask,’ but with his opponent refusing to speak a word, he, a young prodigy of the Ask Demon Family, was truly at a loss.

Forget it, forget it!

Zhu Menting pushed the door open and entered. "The Star Master said you would face tribulations within Fairy Valley, and yet... here you are, outside Fairy Valley. I’m quite curious—who changed your location?"

These words sparked a realization in Guang Xiaoyu, elevating her admiration for Chen Pingping to another level. Senior Brother figured this out as well? Impressive, truly impressive! Oh! I wonder if Senior Brother also predicted that my calamity isn’t over yet? she mused, purely out of curiosity.

As Zhu Menting stepped into the yard, the entire courtyard seemed to become isolated from the outside world, shrouded in a faint power. It was not Demonic Qi.

Guang Xiaoyu was startled.

"You still don’t wish to speak with me?" Zhu Menting asked with a light laugh.

"Star Power... heh," Guang Xiaoyu said, looking at him with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. "I never thought that someone from the Ask Demon Family would actually cultivate Star Power. It seems you’ve gotten quite cozy with the Star Sea, huh?"

"It’s not about getting cozy, but forming an alliance," Zhu Menting replied crisply.

"So? Are you planning to sweep across the Southern Diaspora then?"

"No..." Zhu Menting shook his head. "We of the Ask Demon Family have no interest in the lands of the Southern Diaspora; that’s the Star Sea’s dream. Our aim is ’Yu Changfeng’."

What?!

"The Star Master said that once the Demon Seed is found, it signifies that Yu Changfeng will reappear. He’s still alive, and he possesses an ancient cauldron we seek," Zhu Menting smiled. "That cauldron comes from an ancient dynasty, representing the Fate Energy of that dynasty."