The Cypress Cliffs stretched out endlessly.
After half an hour of reconnaissance by Shuai Huanmeng's multicolored spirit sparrow in the canyon, they finally uncovered some traces of the demonic cultivators.
About twenty zhang below the canyon lay a cave sealed by a massive stone door. Blood stained the area around it, and the air reeked with a foul stench. The cave's entrance was cleverly concealed by dense vegetation—without close inspection, one might easily miss it.
"These bloodstains are fresh. Likely from just a few hours ago," she muttered, her expression turning grim. The multicolored sparrow had sent her a mental message: there was the scent of female cultivators in the blood. A furious thought surged in her mind instantly.
"This must involve my disciples too."
She couldn't confirm if the demonic cultivators were alone or if they had accomplices, nor could she determine exactly what vile ritual they were conducting. After a moment of consideration, she altered her appearance. A moment later, a child-sized figure appeared where she had been.
"This transformation technique will serve perfectly."
The multicolored sparrow had limited abilities and couldn't use many spells, so she decided to investigate personally. Throwing on an invisibility robe, she leapt onto a flying leaf-shaped artifact and glided slowly down toward the canyon.
Moments later, cloaked in the invisibility robe, she examined the stone cave directly.
"A Tier-Two high-grade formation array?"
She scoffed inwardly. At the peak of the Golden Core realm, Tier-Two formations meant little to her. Her pupils shone with a special technique, piercing through layers of obstruction until she could finally see the interior of the cave. Her expression immediately darkened.
"These demonic cultivators truly have no humanity left!"
She cursed inwardly.
Inside the cave, there were seven demonic cultivators. The strongest was at the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment, while the weakest was at the eighth layer of Qi Refining. They appeared to be performing a ritual. The cave was filled with bones—some human, some beast—but mostly human.
In a corner, over a dozen female cultivators were bound and stripped of their garments. Not far from them was a massive pool of blood, bubbling ominously. At its center, a dark red, heart-like mass of flesh pulsed and occasionally dripped blood.
"Are they feeding that thing with these women?"
Shui Huanmeng narrowed her eyes at the heart-shaped mass, recalling information she'd gathered before on demonic cultivators.
"If I destroy the stone gate directly, I might alert them."
This was tricky. Having gathered the needed intel, she ascended swiftly. She then retreated to a concealed cave nearby and began transmitting messages to her disciples.
Meanwhile, beside the Crescent Moon River...
Chen Jinshu had just transferred the Moon Spirit fish fry she'd caught into her spiritual plant space and was hoping to catch a few adult spirit fish. But at that moment, she received a message from her master, Shui Huanmeng.
"Master found the demonic cultivators' nest already? That was fast!"
Without hesitation, she retracted her Shadowpeak Finch and activated her Gale Gourd, speeding toward the location her master had given. Xiao Yin led the way—she'd had it memorize her master's spiritual aura, as the surrounding mountain terrain made it nearly impossible to find the exact spot on her own.
Two quarters of an hour later, she arrived in front of a concealed cave.
"Xiao Yin, are you sure Master is in there?"
Before she could get a reply, her senior brother's voice echoed out.
"Sister, come quickly! We're dividing tasks."
"Coming!"
Entering the cave, Chen Jinshu was surprised to see her master in the form of a child. She had long heard of her master's legendary transformation techniques—seeing them firsthand, she couldn't tell illusion from reality.
"What? Don't recognize me?" Shui Huanmeng teased.
Chen Jinshu chuckled. "Of course I do. I just didn't expect your transformation technique to be this powerful. When will Master teach us?"
"Interested?"
"I doubt any of you could learn it. It requires talent—and the body must be tempered with medicine shortly after birth…"
A smug glint flickered in Shui Huanmeng's eyes. This technique was the culmination of her research after entering the cultivation world, combining worldly bone-shrinking techniques with transformation arts. It essentially reshaped the body's structure to enhance illusion spells.
After hearing this, Chen Jinshu immediately lost interest in learning it.
Shui Huanmeng chuckled and continued, "The sect has some transformation techniques. Feel free to browse—but none of them hold a candle to mine."
"Now then, back to business. I've located the demonic cultivators and confirmed their numbers."
"There are five Foundation Establishment cultivators and three Qi Refining ones."
"I'll trap them myself. Yuzhu and Jinshu, your task is to rescue the captive female cultivators. The rest of you, lie in wait around the area to intercept any who try to escape."
"Master, will you really fight them all alone?" the eldest disciple asked.
"I'm already at the peak of Golden Core. Taking care of them is like swatting flies. My concern is that they might retaliate and harm the captives in their final moments."
"Also, there's a large flesh ball inside—likely some kind of blood beast they're raising. Be ready to use sealing spells on it. I'll handle it afterward."
Half an hour passed quickly as Shui Huanmeng explained the situation and strategy to her disciples. Though the plan revolved mostly around her, Chen Jinshu and the others played crucial support roles. She wasn't sure what hidden tricks the enemy might still have, so it was safer for her to take the lead.
Before long, the group reached the cliff edge of the Cypress Cliffs.
The terrain was treacherous, the steep cliffs daunting to look at.
Chen Jinshu had seen such canyons before, but knowing what lay below still made her uneasy.
"Don't worry. They're still preoccupied with their ritual. As long as we stay hidden, we won't be noticed. Still, to be safe, I'll let the multicolored sparrow scout again," Shui Huanmeng said, releasing the sparrow.
A quarter of an hour later, she confirmed that the situation below remained unchanged. The stone gate hadn't moved.
"I'll disguise myself as a wandering female cultivator. You all lie in wait nearby and stay alert for my signal."
As she spoke, she transformed again—this time into a stunningly seductive woman, even more beautiful than before. Her aura was suppressed to the first level of Foundation Establishment, making the disguise even more convincing.
"Master, you're so beautiful!" Dai Yuzhu couldn't help but praise.
"You sweet talker. Alright, I'm off."
Whoosh!
With a gust of wind, she soared off on her flying green leaf toward the canyon.
Watching her go, Chen Jinshu gripped her Gale Gourd tightly.
"Senior brothers, I'll head out with Senior Sister!"