Chapter 145: The Hidden Force

Meidie’s return was prompted by a summons she had sent out. A month later, a faint shadow tore through the air and descended upon her hiding place.

It manifested into a woman clad entirely in black, her cultivation at the late stage of the Infant Transformation realm. A long, slender curved blade was strapped to her back, and her face was veiled in black silk, obscuring her features. Her aura was eerie, as if she were a literal shadow. She spoke, "Yaoying arrives late; I beg the Young Mistress to forgive me."

Meidie emerged from the cave and said, "Do not blame yourself. After all, this is the heartland of the human race."

"Young Mistress, how has your cultivation fallen to such a level?" Yaoying asked, filled with disbelief.

Meidie’s eyes hardened, brimming with hatred. "I was framed by the despicable and shameless schemes of Li Qing from the Renyi Sect and Huiming from the Temple of Compassion. Quickly, take me back to the Myriad Demon Mountain. I will have my father channel his power into me to restore my cultivation, and then I shall launch a beast tide to wipe out the Renyi Sect and the Temple of Compassion!"

Upon hearing this, Yaoying knelt to the ground. "Young Mistress, you must not return to the Myriad Demon Mountain! It is no longer what it once was. The Myriad Demon King has been suppressed in the Forbidden Land by the treacherous Shaman Demon King, who is using supreme demonic arts to refine him. If not for the Nine Glazed Lamps, the Myriad Demon King would have already melted into a pool of pus. Everything in the Myriad Demon Mountain is under his control. He is currently sending the bloodthirsty demon Mangan and Xiaoyue everywhere to find you, intending to use you as a hostage to force the Myriad Demon King into submission. Returning now would only harm the King and would be walking straight into a trap."

Meidie felt the world spinning; her head swam, and she nearly collapsed. Her father, whom she had always trusted, was being persecuted by the Shaman Demon King, and she herself had fallen to such a state.

Fortunately, she had summoned Yaoying to understand the situation at the Myriad Demon Mountain; otherwise, she would have surely doomed her father. Why had her uncle, the Shaman Demon King—the one who had doted on her most—become so cold and ruthless?

Since the incident with Li Qing, she had followed a humble human cultivator, struggling and climbing for these years. From Ge Qian, she had learned the art of forbearance and how to think calmly in any dangerous situation.

Though difficult to accept, she eventually calmed herself and asked, "How is my father now? And how did Xiaoyue escape the clutches of the devil?"

Seeing Meidie regain her composure so quickly, Yaoying held her in higher regard. "The Myriad Demon King is currently relying on the Nine Glazed Lamps, which the Shaman Demon King cannot breach. Xiaoyue has been refined by the Renyi Sect into a spirit-controlled puppet. Her consciousness has only recovered by thirty percent. It was Li Qing who took Xiaoyue, disguised as you, to see the Myriad Demon King to claim credit, but the Shaman Demon King saw through the ruse and saved Xiaoyue to use her as bait to find you. Currently, Li Qing has defected to the Shaman Demon King and has turned to deal with the Renyi Sect. This is the perfect moment for us to reap the benefits."

Meidie pondered for a moment. "It is not that simple. The priority is to save my father first before making further plans. After all, if something happens to him, I cannot possibly contend with the Shaman Demon King, who is a Spirit Refining cultivator. How much power do I still have hidden in the shadows?"

"Reporting to the Young Mistress, there are three other fourth-tier demon beasts, including myself, forty-five third-tier, one thousand second-tier, and nearly ten thousand first-tier," Yaoying revealed without reservation.

Meidie nodded. "That is still not enough to contend with the Shaman Demon King. Go, keep our forces hidden, and strive to use our resources to improve their cultivation. I will go find a friend to help; he is the only one who can turn the tide, reverse the defeat, and save my father."

Yaoying felt a flicker of joy, but also concern. "Young Mistress, please be assured, I will lead them to remain hidden and train hard. But is this friend of yours reliable? Infant Transformation cultivators, in their pursuit of the Dao, often prize profit over righteousness. Be careful he does not betray you."

"He is not yet an Infant Transformation cultivator; he is only at the Core Condensation stage. Ever since I was harmed, we have relied on each other for survival. I know his methods. All who oppose him meet a miserable end. He acts with secrecy and strikes with ruthless efficiency. To his friends, he is loyal and true, but to his enemies, he repays every debt of blood," Meidie said, her eyes alight with spirit.

Yaoying’s worry deepened. "Young Mistress, even if he is as reliable as you say, he is a human cultivator. One of a different race will always have a different heart. More importantly, his cultivation is too low to accomplish such a great task. I implore you to reconsider."

Meidie smiled slightly at Yaoying. "Do not be deceived by his cultivation level. You must know that he has entered the Dao through causality, built a foundation of heaven, practices both dharma and body, and has mastered the peerless 'Six Paths Sword Technique.' In just over a decade, starting from a mere first-level Qi Refiner, he turned me from a severely wounded wild fox into a third-tier demon beast. If not for him, I would have died a thousand times over. I have absolute faith in him, just as I trust myself!"

Yaoying exclaimed in surprise, "He has already cultivated the 'Six Paths Sword Technique' to the Core Condensation stage? Truly extraordinary. Very well, since the Young Mistress has decided, your subordinate will obey absolutely."

Meidie said solemnly, "Yaoying, once you return, consolidate our forces and keep them hidden, awaiting my orders. I appoint you as the Supreme Commander of the Myriad Demon Mountain. You need no longer hide in the shadows. Once we reclaim the mountain, we shall announce it to all demonkind. Furthermore, I will cultivate you into the second Spirit Refining expert of the Myriad Demon Mountain!"

Yaoying immediately knelt in gratitude, her voice trembling with excitement. "Rest assured, Young Mistress, I will serve with all my heart. These are pills to enhance cultivation, and a Demon Blood Break-Slash Talisman. Please, Young Mistress, keep them safe."

Meidie nodded, swallowed the storage bag and the talisman into her dantian, and waved her front paw. "Return now. I am going to find him."

Yaoying knew that Meidie was no longer the innocent little white fox; she had grown into a presence capable of shouldering the burden of the Myriad Demon Mountain. Without hardship, there is no growth. Feeling a sense of relief, she slowly faded and vanished without a trace.

Carrying the heavy burden of reclaiming the Myriad Demon Mountain, Meidie returned to the Chaos Ridge and found that Ge Qian was still in seclusion, so she began to construct a cave dwelling.

When Ge Qian heard the little white fox's story, he was not overly surprised. His deep, dark eyes studied Meidie. "From the beginning, I felt you were extraordinary, but I never imagined your background was so significant. Whoever wounded you to such an extent is no ordinary entity. Remember this: regardless of your background, in my eyes, you are still the little white fox who tends my herb garden. We will always be friends."

Meidie nodded, her heart warming. "I wanted to tell you about my ordeal and hoped you could help me."

"Say what you must. Do you not understand me by now? Anything I can do, I will not refuse. If I cannot do it, I will find a way to make it happen," Ge Qian said calmly.

Meidie recounted her experiences and the current state of the Myriad Demon Mountain, telling him everything without reservation.

As Ge Qian listened, his mind raced. The Shaman Demon King, Li Qing, He Changqi, and Huiming—the despicable schemes of these figures flashed through his mind. Li Qing wanting to take Liu Qian as a disciple could not possibly be because he valued her talent.

This man was sinister and cunning; he would never allow himself to be manipulated by the Shaman Demon King. He must be plotting to sabotage the altar construction through Liu Qian. *Very well,* Ge Qian thought, *then I have an angle to exploit.*

He spoke, "Little White, I have analyzed this. From the moment the Shaman Demon King was injured and entered the Myriad Demon Mountain, he began planning to usurp the King. Through hundreds of years of painstaking effort, he has finally seized control. His goal is clearly the Nine Glazed Lamps, but beyond that, he intends to build countless altars across the entire Xuanwu Continent to sacrifice all living beings for some despicable and shameless purpose of his own."