Chapter 70

Wei Rongniang returned to Huzigou, and Wei Shiqi did not know when she would leave. He did not dare to consume the flesh of the demon to replenish his energy under her watchful eye, fearing she might see through his ruse. As a second choice, he could only enter Jietian Ridge to find a safe place to continue his cultivation.

He came to the side of the white snake demon's cave, found a hidden grove of trees, and devoted himself to cultivating the Moon Howling Technique. The white snake demon was a great monster with several thousand years of cultivation. Even while sleeping in the cave, ordinary demons did not dare to approach.

Wei Shiqi worked tirelessly to compress his energy and repair his meridians. The demon flesh in the Penglai bag was consumed like flowing water, and the demon cores he had secretly retained were also refined by the *He Qi Zhi Xuan Jing*, transforming into Geng Earth Qi, which continuously flowed into his body.

His reserves were dwindling. When he used the last demon core, the Dazhui acupoint finally contained twelve times the amount of energy, trembling on the verge of complete collapse. The energy continuously impacted the acupoint, causing waves of excruciating pain. Wei Shiqi was mentally and physically exhausted, unsure of what to do next.

The Geng Earth Qi in the acupoint began to rotate slowly, gradually speeding up. The energy continuously collapsed inward, transforming into a viscous droplet that floated in the Dazhui acupoint. The pressure was gone, and the pain disappeared without a trace. This tiny droplet seemed to contain a vast sea, with tides ebbing and flowing, and the sound of waves reaching his ears. Wei Shiqi listened quietly, momentarily lost in a trance.

His mind was calm, and he forgot about the world around him. After sitting for a long time, he suddenly heard a faint footstep, stealthily approaching the cliff. Someone dared to have designs on the white snake demon's territory? The droplet in the Dazhui acupoint trembled slightly, and a pure stream of energy flowed into his ears, making the distant sound abnormally clear.

"Senior Brother, this is the place. The cave on the cliff is spewing mist, indicating that the white snake demon is sleeping. I have a Soul Calming Incense that can burn for three hours. If I blow it into the cave, it will be enough to keep it asleep for a while."

"Soul Calming Incense, no wonder you dare to have designs on the white snake demon. But the white snake demon has several thousand years of cultivation. Are you sure the Soul Calming Incense will keep it asleep?"

Wei Shiqi cautiously poked his head out and saw two people, one tall and one short, stealthily peering at the cave on the cliff. The shorter one had a topknot, and it was Sun Ergou from the Pingyuan Sect. The taller one seemed to be Shang Jianan, whom he had met once in Huzigou. It was said that he had already broken through the Sword Seed stage, and his cultivation was similar to Duan Wenhuan's.

"No problem. Senior Brother, you don't know the power of the Soul Calming Incense. Not only the white snake demon, but even a dragon couldn't resist it!"

"What if the Soul Calming Incense doesn't work on the white snake demon?"

"Senior Brother, let me be honest with you. The white snake demon won't harm anyone."

"Oh, how can you be so sure?"

"Back then, the white snake demon made a solemn vow at the Demon Suppressing Tower, planting a heart worm. It has guarded Jietian Ridge for eight hundred years for Kunlun, and it won't harm any cultivator. Otherwise, its thousand years of cultivation would be destroyed. It dares not break its vow."

"Did Uncle Qi tell you this?"

"Yes, Senior Brother, just rest assured, nothing will happen."

"Be honest, what do you plan to find in the cave?"

"To be frank, I plan to steal two snake eggs."

"What do you need the white snake eggs for?"

"Hehe, Senior Brother, you know I like to use whips. If I can refine a white snake's soul into this python bone whip, it will become a magical treasure."

"So that's your plan. Does Uncle Qi know?"

"It was my teacher who pointed this out. Otherwise, where would I get the Soul Calming Incense? Senior Brother, if you help me, I'll owe you a favor. When the time comes, we'll split the two snake eggs, one for you and one for me."

"Hmph, what use do I have for snake eggs? Fine, I'll help you this time."

"I knew Senior Brother was the most righteous! After I light the Soul Calming Incense, you go in to search for the snake eggs. I'll have the human-faced dove wait at the cave entrance. Once we get the eggs, we'll ride the human-faced dove to escape. Even if the white snake demon realizes it, it won't be able to catch up, and we'll be back in Huzigou soon."

"Not a good idea. I'll light the Soul Calming Incense, and you go in to find the snake eggs."

"Alright, no risk, no reward. I'll go."

...

The two stealthily approached the base of the cliff. Sun Ergou took out a gray, unremarkable incense stick from his sleeve, about a thumb thick and half a foot long. Shang Jianan examined it for a moment, continuously injecting energy into the Soul Calming Incense. A wisp of blue smoke rose from the end of the incense, condensing and not dispersing, floating upward and mixing with the mist spewing from the cave entrance.

The Soul Calming Incense, produced in the East Sea, was extremely rare. It was originally a method used by the Bilor Sect to deal with underwater dragons. When ignited with energy, the blue smoke would continue as long as the energy did not run out. Shang Jianan estimated he could not maintain it for three hours, so he signaled his junior brother to act quickly.

Sun Ergou took out the python bone whip from his sword bag. The skull at the end of the whip silently climbed up the cliff to the cave entrance, spreading its arms and firmly gripping a protruding rock. The two climbed onto the python bone whip, and Sun Ergou injected energy, causing the whip to shorten and lift them to the cave entrance.

Shang Jianan blew on the Soul Calming Incense, and the energy in his body rapidly drained. The blue smoke thickened and quickly drifted into the cave. After a moment, Sun Ergou picked up a pebble and threw it into the cave. The pebble rolled and bounced for a while, but the sound eventually died down without disturbing the white snake demon.

"It worked!" Sun Ergou activated the Soul Capturing Spell, and a huge human-faced dove flew up from the distant forest, spreading its wings and landing beside him. Its sharp claws gripped the rock, and it looked around with a fierce expression.

Having arranged their escape route, Sun Ergou stepped into the cave first, followed closely by Shang Jianan holding the Soul Calming Incense.

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