Chapter 1 Survival

In the battle between the righteous and demonic factions at Mingling Peak, Gui Li, who had originally joined the Ghost King Sect, returned to the righteous side. Using the power of the three volumes of Heavenly Books he had obtained, and with the help of the Xuanhuo Mirror, he joined forces with the Qingyun Sect and the Fenxiang Valley to severely injure the Ghost King. After the battle, Mr. Ghost, Qinglong, and Youji disappeared without a trace. Qin Wuyan of the Wandu Sect was knocked into the valley and his fate was unknown. Jin Ping'er of the Hehuan Sect was seriously injured and was taken back to Xiaoyao Ravine by Ding Ling.

Looking across the world, the long-standing conflict between good and evil seems to be nearing its end. The demonic sect, once universally despised, vilified, and relentlessly pursued by the righteous path, is gradually weakening and heading towards extinction...

Beneath the altar of Mingling Peak, in the Demon-Suppressing Ancient Cave, Gui Li is using the spiritual energy of heaven and earth that he has just collected to try to awaken the woman who has been asleep for ten years!

A tear fell from Biyao's eye onto the Heartbreak Flower. Guili was both surprised and delighted, his eyes filled with anticipation as he stared intently into Biyao's eyes.

Biyao, are you finally going to wake up? He thought to himself, full of anticipation.

The Sorrowful Flower rose into the air, its jade-colored petals unfurling, radiating white light. Biyao remained motionless, her serene and beautiful face framed by tightly closed eyes. Suddenly, a blinding red light appeared beside the exquisite stone statue of the witch. Gui Li, stung by the lingering and increasingly intense light, could not open his eyes and quickly raised his left hand to shield them. With his other hand, he gripped Biyao, feeling her body sinking. He swiftly supported her and gently placed her on the ground.

Turning around, he thought he was dreaming, because there was nothing unusual beside the statue of the priestess Linglong, and the Sorrowful Flower had returned to normal, slowly falling from mid-air. Gui Li stood up and caught it, his brows furrowed, his eyes full of doubt.

"I've clearly gathered all the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, so why is it still not working?"

He looked down at the sorrowful flower in his hand and said softly, his voice filled with grief and despair!

Gui Li stood quietly for a while, closed his eyes, and sighed. He gently put the Heartbreak Flower back on Bi Yao's hand.

"Biyao," a slightly hoarse voice slowly spread through the air, "Are you still going to sleep? Biyao, don't you want to open your eyes and look at me?" Silence reigned, the eerie voice echoing in the vast, ancient cave. He rose and knelt heavily before the exquisite stone statue.

"Witch Goddess, you possess great supernatural powers and profound cultivation. Could you please grant me a way to revive myself, considering Biyao's deep affection for you? I will serve you faithfully and be eternally grateful."

After saying this, Gui Li stared intently at the stone statue, hoping something would appear, but nothing did. He only heard footsteps getting closer and closer outside the cave, and then a snow-white figure appeared in front of Gui Li. She bent down slightly and knelt down with Gui Li in front of the stone statue.

"Witch Goddess, please, for the sake of his years of tireless searching for a way to revive Biyao, and his unwavering devotion, please help him!" Lu Xueqi clasped her hands together in front of her chest, then bowed to the stone statue three times. Each time she rose, her clear yet gentle voice rang out: "Please help him!"

"Help him!" The pleading voice echoed in Gui Li's ears for a long time. He sighed and shook his head, saying, "Why are you doing this to yourself!"

“I’m not suffering, you’re the one who’s really suffering!” Lu Xueqi looked at him and replied with heartache.

Gui Li was stunned for a moment, about to say something, when he suddenly felt black mist rapidly spreading around them. In no time, the mist completely engulfed them. Gui Li vaguely sensed someone behind him. He picked up the Soul-Devouring Sword and placed it in front of Lu Xueqi, forcefully dispelling the surrounding black mist, but it remained pitch black. The thick black mist covered both of their eyes, making it impossible to see anything! When he used his power again, he found the mist beginning to dissipate, and he was immediately puzzled. When the black mist completely cleared and their vision became bright, Gui Li looked down at the ground, his face suddenly turning pale, and he cried out loudly, "Bi Yao! Bi Yao…!"

In the deep and quiet forest, a purple shadow flickered on a towering ancient tree. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that a handsome young man dressed in purple was perched on a branch.

The forest was filled with birdsong. Qin Wuyan slowly opened his eyes, surprised that he was still alive! He sneered and slowly sat up. He found that the tree was incredibly large. The branches supporting his body were almost as thick as his waist. Combined with the dense green leaves, this was why he had survived such a disaster!

I never imagined that there would be such ancient trees in these 100,000 mountains. They must be almost sentient!

Qin Wuyan lightly flew down from the tree and carefully surveyed his surroundings. The forest was lush with trees and thickets of grass, unlike the forest in the Death Swamp, it was free of the pervasive poisonous fog. The fragrance of flowers and grass filled the air, and the ground was faintly littered with the footprints of wild animals and birds, but there was no sign of people, not even a path.

This place is really strange! Qin Wuyan thought to himself as he slowly walked forward. Suddenly, he sensed a shadow of a light green dress flash by in front of him. Startled, he immediately gave chase.

Although he had been severely injured by Zeng Shushu and Li Xun, after the Beast God helped him recover his cultivation, his power was actually far greater than before! Previously, he was controlled by the Gu poison, which suppressed some of his power. Now that the Gu poison had been neutralized, and with the Beast God's assistance, his power had greatly increased, essentially rivaling the power of a scroll of heavenly scriptures. If it weren't for the Beast God's rapid assistance in restoring his cultivation, his body wouldn't have been able to adapt immediately, and he wouldn't have lost the battle against Zeng Shushu and Li Xun.

At the moment he fell off the cliff, he felt a sense of relief. Perhaps death was for the best. Biyao had once said that he was a villain. It is said that villains will eventually be sent to the eighteenth level of hell. If he went to hell, would he be able to see Biyao, the devoted woman who sacrificed her life for her lover and was condemned to eternal damnation for three lifetimes?

As he fell off the cliff, he seemed to see that pretty, slender figure, that girl with a charming smile and radiant eyes, her face shining like stars in his eyes. It was the purest, brightest, and most moving smile he had ever seen in the world! Unfortunately, just as Biyao had said, he was a villain and wouldn't die! Qin Wuyan thought to himself as he hurriedly chased after that figure.

Biyao, is that you?

The green shadow moved swiftly, and Qin Wuyan pursued it closely, yet dared not make a move. He hoped it was Biyao, but then again, he couldn't believe it was. If Biyao were awake, could she evade him at such speed? He shook his head, pondering this, and saw the figure stop on the grass beside a small river. Upon closer inspection, Qin Wuyan realized it was a person dressed in black! He was greatly puzzled. Among the demonic sects, the Ghost King Sect was known for its members often appearing in black, but judging from the figure's back, Qin Wuyan felt it didn't resemble anyone from the Ghost King Sect. He quietly approached and glimpsed a woman in green lying on the ground…

Who else could it be but Biyao?

Qin Wuyan couldn't resist stepping forward immediately and engaged the man in black in combat. His power had greatly increased, and with the Zhan Xiangsi sword in hand, the man in black was clearly outmatched and was quickly subdued by Qin Wuyan. He restrained the man's limbs, shielding him in front of Biyao, and held the Zhan Xiangsi sword to the man's neck, demanding sharply, "Who are you? Why is Biyao's body in your hands? Where is Gui Li? Where did he go?"

At this moment, his resentment towards Gui Li deepened. He had always thought that Gui Li would at least protect Bi Yao's physical body, but now, Bi Yao had fallen into the hands of a mysterious man in black. If he hadn't stumbled upon it, Bi Yao probably wouldn't have been able to keep her body!

Qin Wuyan glared at the man and shouted angrily, "Speak now!"

The man first looked up and gave Qin Wuyan a cold glance, but after seeing his face clearly, he suddenly laughed loudly: "So it's you! What? Is this how you treat the benefactor who helped you restore your cultivation!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Wuyan was greatly surprised, but after a moment's thought, he sneered and said, "Do you think I'll let you go just because you say that? The Beast God's cultivation is extremely high, yet you were subdued by me in a few moves. Do you think I'm stupid enough to believe your words?" The man, however, was not in a hurry to explain. Instead, he calmly said, "You're wrong! I am not the Beast God. To be precise, I am only half of the Beast God! The other half has been sealed away by Gui Li." The usually resourceful Qin Wuyan was now even more confused.

"What exactly happened?"

"If you want to know, let me go to a safe place first. I'm afraid Gui Li will find this place soon. I think you don't want Gui Li to take Bi Yao away, do you?" the man said confidently.

Qin Wuyan remained silent, his brows furrowed as he pondered this sudden and incomprehensible event.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt Miss Biyao." He looked at Qin Wuyan's expression and added.

Hearing this, Qin Wuyan became even more furious. Who was this person? It was as if he could see right through his thoughts.

"Okay! So tell me, where are you going?"

He still refused to let go of his longing for her, and kept pressing the man for answers.

"If I remember correctly, there should be a small house not far from this river after crossing it!" He said thoughtfully, his eyes fixed ahead, his tone carrying a hint of sadness.

Qin Wuyan took out a pill, grabbed the man's neck, and forced him to swallow it. He then said, "This is a Marrow-Melting Pill. Without the antidote within twelve hours, even if you are a resurrected Beast God and survive, your bone marrow will be infused with a deadly poison. It will slowly cause unbearable itching and pain throughout your body, leading to daily torment until you can no longer endure it and have to end your own life. Lead the way. If you obey, I will naturally give you the antidote within twelve hours." The man smiled disdainfully, seemingly unconcerned by Qin Wuyan's words, and turned towards the river, saying as he walked, "Then you'd better keep your word!"

Qin Wuyan was slightly taken aback, not expecting this person to give in so easily, and found it very strange. But he didn't have time to think about it further. He walked to Biyao, bent down and gently picked her up. He looked at Biyao, whose lips were still slightly upturned in her sleep, and a smile appeared on her face.

The thought of her chanting the Love Spell on Mount Qingyun, defying the heavens with the Zhuxian Sword, only to have it pierce her chest, brought a pang of heartache to Qin Wuyan's eyes. He composed himself and followed closely behind the mysterious man in black.

Before long, they seemed to have entered the depths of a jungle. The trees here were almost all the same size as the one that had saved Qin Wuyan's life. The forest was overgrown with vegetation and vines, their branches intertwined, making walking extremely difficult. After passing through the dense forest, Qin Wuyan indeed saw a small house with green walls. It looked very dilapidated from the outside, indicating that no one had lived there for a long time.

The man in black stood in front of the house, paused for a moment, and slowly opened the door with trembling hands. With a creak, a small courtyard overgrown with weeds appeared before him. What caught his eye were the two nanmu trees in the yard, their branches intertwined and their lush green leaves densely covering the blue-tiled roof. Golden sunlight shone down, scattering dappled light and shadow on the ground. At first glance, it was a pretty and unique little courtyard.

Qin Wuyan followed the man in black into the courtyard. When he opened the door, the room was spotless, as if someone had been cleaning it regularly. Qin Wuyan placed Biyao on the bed and turned around to find the mysterious man outside the room talking to the two camphor trees.

"Linglong, I'm back. I didn't know that hundreds of years had passed, yet nothing here has changed. Did you use your power to protect this place?" The man in black gazed sadly at the two camphor trees.

"Who exactly are you?" Qin Wuyan's voice rang out behind him. "Didn't I already tell you? I am half of the Beast God!" he replied, turning around.

Seeing Qin Wuyan's puzzled expression, he turned around and continued, "You are so eager to revive the Beast God, but do you know how the Beast God was created and how it was destroyed?"

"I once read in an ancient book that when the Beast God was born, it destroyed the world and slaughtered countless lives. Later, a witch from the Southern Frontier, with profound sorcery, sacrificed her own life to destroy it. Her body was transformed into a stone statue in the Demon-Suppressing Cave, suppressing the remnant spirit of the Beast God to prevent its resurrection. However, the blood of the Beast God flowed in all directions back then, and a few of my Holy Sect members in the Southern Frontier area accidentally obtained some of the Beast God's blood."

Upon hearing Qin Wuyan's explanation, the man in black sneered and said dismissively, "Blood of the Beast God? Is that so? How could a non-human monster have blood?"

"A non-human monster? No blood? How is that possible?" Hearing this, Qin Wuyan's doubts grew. This was the first time he had heard that the blood of the Beast God, which the Holy Sect had painstakingly searched for, did not exist. How did the Ghost King revive it? He himself had indeed witnessed the Beast God's resurrection, and his cultivation had been restored by the Beast God. Naturally, he did not believe the claim that the Beast God had no blood at all.

The man in black turned around, walked closer to the camphor tree in the courtyard, and gently stroked the trunk with his hand, as if he were treating someone he hadn't seen in a long time and missed dearly.