Chapter Thirty-Seven: Departing from the Sacred Alchemist's Estate

Long Feiyu was finally dead. Zhou Qi fell into silence. Now, only eight holders of the Celestial Profound True Lord’s soul fragment remained; whenever they crossed paths, it would be a battle to the death. Regardless of a person’s character, fortune, or morality, there could be no mercy.

The fragment of the Celestial Profound True Lord’s soul flew out from Long Feiyu’s sea of consciousness, forcibly drawn into Zhou Qi’s soul by the presence already there. In an instant, the two soul fragments merged, making the True Lord’s previously insubstantial spirit become more solid.

“How do you feel now, True Lord?” Zhou Qi asked.

“I must slumber now. I need to erase his will and absorb his memories. From here on, you must tread carefully on your own,” the True Lord replied before sinking into a deep sleep.

Zhou Qi removed the defensive talismans from Long Feiyu’s body, then burned the corpse to ashes. Probing the command token with his divine sense, he saw the ten disciples of the Immortal Companion Sect trapped in the first trial. All were at the peak of Foundation Establishment; their cultivation had not come easily. Killing them would be a waste, but releasing them wasn’t an option either. It was better to keep them for now—perhaps they would be useful in the future. Zhou Qi manipulated the formation, sending spirit stones to sustain the disciples, ensuring they would not be depleted of spiritual power.

His divine sense swept through to the fourth trial and found Han Qiaoman, idling away with nothing to do. Zhou Qi hesitated, unsure how to handle this.

Han Yuanzheng and Han Qiaoman had both treated him kindly. If he kept her locked in this immortal mansion, he would appear ruthless; if he released her, how could he avoid raising suspicion?

At the very instant of Long Feiyu’s death, Long Chengye watched as his son’s soul lamp shattered. “Feiyu is dead?” He could hardly believe it. Long Feiyu was exceptionally gifted, quick in cultivation, and clever. If everyone perished in the search, he believed Long Feiyu would be the last survivor.

Now, ten disciples’ soul lamps still shone, yet Long Feiyu’s had gone out. Something was amiss. “Sect Master Han, what of your disciples? How many remain?” he asked, forcing down his grief and anger.

“Other than Qiaoman and Zhou Qi, all the others are dead,” Han Yuanzheng replied.

“How is it that my son is dead, while they remain unharmed? His death must be linked to them,” Long Chengye said with a venomous glare, clearly ready to attack at the slightest provocation.

“Calm yourself, Master Long,” Han Yuanzheng hurried to explain, repeating the words he’d spoken earlier in hopes of soothing the man. “The situation is unclear. The Immortal’s Abode must be filled with peril—perhaps there was a killing formation. Since some have survived, we should wait a little longer.”

“I hope they have nothing to do with it,” Long Chengye replied, his eyes burning with murderous intent.

Zhou Qi gathered tens of thousands of medicinal herbs, stowing them in his spatial ring, planning to use this as his explanation. He already had his excuse prepared. Keeping Han Qiaoman imprisoned was impossible; the longer it went on, the more difficult it would be to justify. Although cultivation should be his primary concern, the thought of killing Han Qiaoman was utterly repugnant to him.

With a thought, the Holy Abode of the Medicine Immortal shrank in an instant, and he collected it into his sea of consciousness. Only the vast plaza remained, along with a thoroughly bewildered Han Qiaoman.

“Senior Sister, you’re unharmed! That’s wonderful! Where are the others?” Zhou Qi ran toward her.

“Junior Brother Zhou, you’re still alive?” Han Qiaoman was overjoyed. She had nearly lost her mind from isolation, believing she would never escape. To see a fellow disciple again filled her with hope.

“Where are the other senior brothers and sisters?” Zhou Qi asked. Could they still be outside the teleportation array?

“They’re all dead—slain by the Immortal Companion Sect. If not for a black-robed stranger saving me, I’d have been killed by Long Feiyu as well,” Han Qiaoman replied with hatred.

So all the Life and Death Sect disciples were killed by the Immortal Companion Sect. It seemed Long Feiyu had sealed his own fate. A black-robed man? Zhou Qi wondered if it had been Di Yi.

“How did you survive, Junior Brother Zhou?” Han Qiaoman asked. She hadn’t seen Zhou Qi since he’d intercepted Long Feiyu’s group and presumed him dead; his survival was a complete surprise.

“That day, after being pursued by Long Feiyu, I was saved by you and the other disciples, but was then trapped by a formation and accidentally teleported straight into the Holy Abode of the Medicine Immortal. I was told to undergo an inheritance trial: to identify a hundred thousand medicinal herbs out of a million. Believing I’d fail, I took a few tens of thousands and hid them in my ring. The Holy Abode detected this and imprisoned me. I thought I was doomed, but suddenly I was sent here to the plaza—and here you are, Senior Sister.” Zhou Qi spoke with a calm face and steady heart, explaining everything as if it were the truth.

Han Qiaoman was speechless. She hadn’t expected that, during such a critical trial, Zhou Qi would think of their sect and attempt to smuggle out herbs. If the Medicine Immortal’s Abode had been angered, he could have been killed on the spot—yet somehow he’d managed to bring so many out.

“Why haven’t we seen Long Feiyu and the others? Could it be that the Holy Abode was taken away?” Zhou Qi speculated, glancing at the now-empty plaza.

“Perhaps Long Feiyu failed the trial and was slain by the Medicine Immortal’s Abode. This place doesn’t only have a teleportation array to the Yellow Profound Domain; outsiders can enter as well. Maybe the inheritance was claimed by that young woman in the green skirt. If that’s possible, she’s the only one it could be,” Han Qiaoman replied.

Gao Shiyu? Zhou Qi feigned confusion, but inwardly rejoiced.

“We should hurry back. Father is still waiting outside. Thirteen of our Life and Death Sect disciples died exploring the immortal’s cave. If not for your haul of medicinal herbs, we’d have lost everything. I must inform my father that the Immortal Companion Sect’s disciples ambushed us—we must demand an explanation,” Han Qiaoman said, her face full of hatred.

To watch her fellow disciples slain before her eyes—though she had little personal connection with them—was unbearable. As the sect master’s daughter, if she didn’t seek justice for them, how could she face the others in the future?

The two searched the plaza and finally discovered four small teleportation arrays, labeled Heaven, Earth, Man, and Yellow. Presumably, the one marked ‘Yellow’ would take them home.

They stepped into the array and, as expected, returned to the cave where they’d first arrived. The primordial mist had cleared away—likely related to the removal of the Medicine Immortal’s Abode. The cave, though only ten miles in diameter, had previously seemed endless. Now, it was littered with the bones of humans, demon beasts, and magical creatures. A ruined teleportation array lay nearby.

Dozens of first- and second-rank demon and magical beasts remained in the cave, but they were fighting each other. Upon seeing Zhou Qi and Han Qiaoman, they stopped their battles and charged as one.

Han Qiaoman, at the seventh stage of Foundation Establishment and brimming with spiritual power, faced the exhausted beasts. Her flying sword flashed; in an instant, all the monsters lay dead. Zhou Qi, who had been eager for a fight, found himself with nothing to do—he’d barely drawn his sword before it was all over.

Han Qiaoman went to the spot where her fellow disciples had been killed, burying their remains on the spot and raising a simple grave.

Zhou Qi watched her in silence. Senior Sister Han was truly a good person. Though her actions might change nothing, her compassion was deeply moving.