The air around them was suddenly filled with her voice, as if countless people were speaking at once. Suddenly, Lady Qingyi's demonic remnant raised a hand before conjuring a sharp sword from thin air and stabbing it straight at Li Yanchu. Li Yanchu met the strike with his saber and deflected it cleanly, then followed through with a wide sweep. His blazing, razor-sharp Six Yang Force stirred a gust of explosive power. Without any hesitation, the demonic remnant immediately flung the sword forward. In midair, the sword transformed into a blood-colored dragon and roared as it lunged toward Li Yanchu. A chilling yin qi poured from its body, surging to the heavens. Li Yanchu’s saber qi was suddenly frozen in place, then shattered and devoured by the blood dragon. It was a manifestation of extreme yin qi, temporarily suppressing his pure yang inner force. “Transforming into a dragon?” Li Yanchu’s lips curled into a mocking smile. The blood dragon coiled through the temple hall, then lunged downward in a final charge. In a flash, it was cleaved in two. Li Yanchu’s Jiaoslayer glinted with lethal brilliance, and with a single slash, he severed the blood dragon cleanly. “Trying to temper my state of mind[1] with tricks ?” Li Yanchu sneered. He was using the Jiaoslayer, yet she actually summoned a blood dragon just to let it die? Ridiculous. The demonic remnant's expression twisted, and her face was now filled with even more venomous hatred. She said nothing, but her eyes betrayed caution and a hint of fear. This young Daoist was far stronger than the last time they clashed. And he hadn’t even used that terrifying lightning technique yet... This demonic remnant, formed from resentment, obsession, and lingering thoughts, lacked the clarity and composure of a proper shrine deity or seasoned cultivator. She stared intently at Li Yanchu, then suddenly turned to flee. This was Lady Qingyi’s divine soul realm, her home turf. If she put all her energy into escaping, she didn’t believe this young man could track her down. “Freeze!” Li Yanchu uttered a divine mantra, casting the Immobilization Spell. Now that he’d entered the second realm, the power of this incantation had grown immensely. The demonic remnant froze for a brief instant. In that split second, before she could shatter the bindings, Li Yanchu had already closed the gap, thereafter his saber came crashing down. The majority of the demonic remnant’s cultivation had already been suppressed by Lady Qingyi herself. Now, facing Li Yanchu’s overwhelming, unstoppable slash, she didn’t even have time to react. A deafening explosion tore through the space around them. Just like that, the demonic remnant avatar was utterly annihilated by Li Yanchu’s saber, vanishing into dust and ashes. All around, the black-and-white world began to shake violently. Explosions erupted in all directions, and the space itself showed signs of collapse. Li Yanchu now stood before the palace-robed woman who had fallen out from within the statue earlier; this was none other than Lady Qingyi’s divine will. The blood-red aura around her body had shattered cun by cun, until it fully disintegrated and disappeared. At this time, Lady Qingyi slowly opened her eyes. They were clear and bright, filled with a radiant light of wisdom and compassion. Lady Qingyi was able to gather incense offerings and become a temple deity despite having no divine status to begin with. Moreover, she outshone numerous temples and Daoist sanctuaries, becoming a renowned and flourishing sacred site known far and wide. This proved that Lady Qingyi herself must undoubtedly be someone of great wisdom and a kind heart. “You’re Lady Qingyi?” Li Yanchu asked calmly. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ n0velfire.net “Indeed,” she replied. “Thank you, fellow Daoist, for helping me slay the demonic remnant. Had you not, I fear I would never again have known a moment of clarity.” Her voice was soft and weak, but it carried a gentle power, like a spring breeze brushing the soul. “You’re too courteous, Lady Qingyi. I only came because Xu Lingsu invited me to lend a hand,” Li Yanchu said mildly. Lady Qingyi gave a faint nod. “Lingsu is my disciple. She’s suffered much over these years.” Disciple!? Li Yanchu’s brow lifted in mild surprise. Lady Qingyi rose to her feet. With that, her graceful and dignified bearing returned in full force; her presence was so commanding that one couldn’t help but feel deep respect. “A Daoist talismanic armor... A peerless divine saber... It’s truly rare for someone so young to possess such strength and fortune.” Her eyes shone with genuine approval. Hearing this, Li Yanchu gave a modest smile. “I’ve long been trapped in this place,” she said. “Though the demonic remnant has been destroyed, the soul realm remains corrupted and unstable. Fellow Daoist, help me leave this place.” There was undeniable exhaustion etched across her face. As soon as she finished speaking, the deafening explosions around them grew louder and more intense, and the entire space began to tremble violently. “What should we do? Crush the jade talisman?” Li Yanchu asked. Before coming here, Xu Lingsu had told him that if he was no match for the foe, he could crush the jade talisman to escape. Lady Qingyi shook her head gently and said, “The jade talisman only works before the divine soul realm collapses. Just now, your battle was so earth-shattering that it has fractured this space.” By “fractured this space,” she meant the world built from divine consciousness. If this were the real, physical world, Li Yanchu certainly wouldn't have had the power to damage it. She continued, “I am now extremely weakened, but I can temporarily nourish myself through your physical body, and in doing so, open a path for your escape.” The implication was clear that she needed to possess his body. But ordinary wandering spirits wouldn’t even be able to get close to Li Yanchu. His vigorous, blazing blood and qi and life force was like a roaring furnace, and touching him would be suicide. However, a temple deity like Lady Qingyi, even though technically a yin deity, was formed by incense and devotion, possessing a Golden Body. She could withstand the burning yang qi emanating from him. Still, this required Li Yanchu to open his mind and spirit voluntarily. Her divine will couldn’t forcefully possess him. Li Yanchu thought for a moment, then smiled. “Alright. Since I’ve come this far to help, I’ll see it through. Lady Qingyi, you’re a legitimate god of incense and prayer. I’ll lend you my body so you may return.” Lady Qingyi bowed to him solemnly and said, “Many thanks, fellow Daoist, for your kindness.” Her expression and voice carried a dignified grace, inspiring natural trust. “Please open your mind, Daoist Master. I only need a brief moment to recover a sliver of vitality.” Lady Qingyi smiled faintly, and her body began to grow translucent. This was, after all, her primordial spirit. Li Yanchu sheathed his Jiaoslayer, withdrew the talismanic armor, and settled his aura. He completely opened his mind and heart, as if laying himself bare. Lady Qingyi’s divine soul instantly transformed into a stream of light and shot toward the spiritual platform at the center of Li Yanchu’s brows. This was a crucial spot for any cultivator. “Aahhh!” Lady Qingyi screamed in pain. Her body trembled violently, as though suffering immense agony. In that instant, Li Yanchu’s eyes lit up with searing Pure Yang Lightning, which made it impossible to look at him directly. “Demonic wretch, you dare take the form of Lady Qingyi to deceive me?! Let me show you the might of the Five-Lightning Spell!” his voice thundered like a celestial explosion. If the real Lady Qingyi had truly needed to borrow a cultivator’s body to leave, there was no way Xu Lingsu wouldn’t have mentioned it. What was more, when he slew the so-called demonic remnant, no merit had descended from the heavens, meaning she hadn’t actually been killed at all. And if Lady Qingyi had truly been suppressed so thoroughly by the demonic will, her own strength wouldn’t be that weak. No, what was suppressed was likely her true self, while what had taken form inside the statue, the palace-dressed woman, could only be the actual demonic remnant trying to use his body to return to the mortal world[2]! Boom! Suddenly, a heaven-splitting lightning ascended. Five-Lightning Spell! 1. I translated 心境 as state of mind because 心境 refers to the combination of one’s emotional and mental condition at a given moment. While 心 literally means “heart” or “mind,” and 境 can mean “situation” or “environment,” together they convey the inner psychological and emotional landscape of a person. ☜ 2. 还阳 literally means “returning to yang” or “returning to life.” In traditional Chinese thought, “阳” represents life, vitality, and the living world, so 还阳 refers to someone coming back to life after death. Thus, I’ve translated it as return to the mortal world. ☜