Jian Dan opened her eyes and carefully observed the teleportation process. She stood on a vibrant, multicolored band of light, which carried her forward as streaks of meteors with long tails flashed past her. The surroundings were bathed in a kaleidoscope of glowing hues, like a painted scroll.
Suddenly, the light band seemed to break, and a black vortex appeared. Propelled by inertia, Jian Dan was sucked into it, plunging into darkness.
She didn't dare let her guard down. The moment she entered the vortex, she wrapped her spiritual sense around herself and activated her defensive formation disk.
Yet, the instant she landed, a black mist-like mass shot straight toward her, aiming unerringly for her sea of consciousness.
Her defensive formation shattered under the assault, the formation stone at her waist cracking into five pieces. The black mass, having broken through her defenses, wasted no time and lunged again for her mind.
This time, Jian Dan had no chance to react. She clutched her head and collapsed to the ground as a sharp pain tore through her consciousness, as if something had been ripped away. Without hesitation, she directed her spiritual sense inward, confronting the dark energy in her own mind.
"Hehehe! It was worth waiting ten thousand years—finally, a young girl arrives!"
A sultry laugh echoed from the black mass, and a woman's figure emerged, licking her lips as if savoring a long-awaited feast.
Jian Dan, now a glowing orb within her own mind, saw the woman materialize from the black mass—twice her size. The woman was shrouded in dark mist, her features exquisitely alluring, especially her upturned phoenix eyes and the peach-blossom mark between her brows, enhancing her seductive charm. Even her voice dripped with honeyed temptation.
But Jian Dan didn't dare relax—this was a Nascent Soul, the escaped spirit of a cultivator whose body had been destroyed. At the very least, this woman had once been at the Nascent Soul stage.
Though the Nascent Soul now seemed unstable, it was still dangerous. Jian Dan knew this was a trial she had to face. As a newly formed Golden Core cultivator, she still had a fighting chance. If she failed, her body would be stolen—and after coming this far, she refused to surrender.
The shadowy figure seemed to read her thoughts and giggled lightly.
"Naïve little girl, I, Mei Ji, never fight unprepared battles. Consider it an honor that I'm taking your body today. Don't struggle pointlessly—it'll only bring you pain."
Jian Dan knew there was no room for negotiation. Without another word, she condensed into a table-tennis-ball-sized orb and charged straight at the black mass.
Since this was her own sea of consciousness, Jian Dan had the advantage—her speed was unmatched.
"Come at me, little girl!"
Mei Ji's seductive laughter reverberated through Jian Dan's mind, causing her glowing orb to waver slightly. Seizing the moment, the black mass surged forward, and Mei Ji—now in her Nascent Soul form—opened her cherry-like mouth and viciously bit down on Jian Dan's orb.
A sharp scream of pain erupted as Jian Dan's orb trembled violently.
But she couldn't afford to retreat. Gritting her will, she lunged forward, attempting to bite back—but missed as Mei Ji flickered away, darting unpredictably through her consciousness.
Black mist spread from Mei Ji's form, staining Jian Dan's sea of consciousness wherever it touched.
Horror struck Jian Dan—this was demonic energy! This Nascent Soul was a demonic cultivator!
It wasn't that Jian Dan feared demonic cultivators. Her past life's experience told her that orthodox (Dao) and Demonic cultivation were merely different paths—one refined spiritual energy, the other demonic energy. Demonic techniques were simply more ruthless, but in the end, both led to the same destination. After ascension, there was no difference.
But she had trained as an orthodox Daoist from the very beginning. Demonic and orthodox energies were two sides of the same coin—light and dark, yin and yang—fundamentally incompatible.
Her white orb shot forward with renewed speed, catching up to the black, egg-sized demonic Nascent Soul. With a fierce determination, she bit down, tearing off a wisp of its energy.
But even that tiny fragment began corrupting her own orb, turning it gray. Panicked, Jian Dan stopped chasing and instinctively activated the Primordial Chaos Sutra.
Her spiritual sense merged with the orb, and under the influence of the technique, the demonic energy slowly transformed into spiritual energy, nourishing her consciousness.
"So this is the true essence of the Primordial Chaos Sutra!"
All things in existence were born from chaos and could return to chaos. Since demonic energy also originated from chaos, it could be converted. Freed from fear, Jian Dan rampaged through her own mind, chasing Mei Ji's Nascent Soul with relentless fury, determined to devour it whole.
"IMPOSSIBLE!!!"
Mei Ji's voice turned into a shrill shriek as she realized her demonic energy could no longer corrupt Jian Dan's consciousness.
A thin layer of gray mist now permeated Jian Dan's sea of consciousness, neutralizing any demonic energy it touched. After a few clashes, most of the corruption had been purified, leaving Mei Ji's unprotected Nascent Soul exposed.