Chapter Thirty: The Fugitive from the Demon-Forging Prison

The uproar caused by the three Nascent Soul masters accepting disciples gradually subsided, and Pill Cliff Sect returned to its former tranquility.

It was said that after that day, Xing Wuya stayed at Pill Cliff Sect for only half a day longer before departing with his two new disciples in tow, while Dai Mingchi and Ji Youyun took up permanent residence at Jin Donglou’s Splendid Peak.

The days that followed were bland and uneventful for Hongjian. Each morning, she would greet her master, Yan Changqing, who sometimes inquired briefly about her cultivation progress, but more often than not merely nodded and dismissed her. Afterward, Hongjian would either cultivate on her own or seek instruction from her two senior brothers.

The one certainty was that something had indeed happened to Yao Zhen. Since she had inexplicably failed to show up on the day of the Nascent Soul recruitment, no one had seen her since.

During this time, Hongjian did run into Qi Xiuning. Somehow, Qi Xiuning already knew that Hongjian had moved to Evening Tide Peak, and upon meeting, offered her a cool, perfunctory congratulations. This attitude left Hongjian at a loss for words.

At that moment, her mind was consumed with concern for Yao Zhen’s fate. She said, “There’s still no word of Senior Sister Yao. Do you know anything…” But she trailed off, recalling that Qi Xiuning and Yao Zhen’s relationship was only superficially cordial. In private, Yao Zhen often cast disdainful looks at Qi Xiuning, who, proud and aloof herself, looked down on Yao Zhen. Still, desperate for any clue, Hongjian pressed on. For the past month, she’d spent little time in her quarters; perhaps Qi Xiuning had noticed something.

Qi Xiuning gave Hongjian a surprised glance. “Her chances are slim. You’ve moved to Evening Tide Peak, haven’t you? Why not use this opportunity to cultivate diligently, instead of worrying about such things all day?”

Hongjian was taken aback. Over the years at Pill Cliff Sect, she’d learned to keep her opinions to herself and not contradict others lightly. Qi Xiuning, watching her expression, suddenly smiled. “It seems she wasn’t entirely useless after all, to have made a friend like you.” She then grew serious. “Yao Zhen brought this upon herself, always looking for shortcuts. You needn’t concern yourself with her. Focus on your cultivation.”

Only then did Hongjian realize that Qi Xiuning indeed knew something.

Hongjian couldn’t just turn a blind eye, so she doggedly pressed Qi Xiuning for more. Reluctantly, Qi Xiuning frowned and said, “Didn’t you ever find it odd that someone with Yao Zhen’s aptitude could break through so quickly in such a short time? To be frank, I followed you two once, after the sect examination. You went off at night to practice with your brother—why you had to be so secretive, I can’t imagine, hiding in such a remote place as the Rocky Wasteland. But Yao Zhen was consorting with demonic outsiders. I always knew she wasn’t clever, but I didn’t expect her to be so foolish as to bargain with the devil.”

Hongjian was startled; so Qi Xiuning had secretly been watching her. Fortunately, during the period after the sect examination, the mysterious figure had not appeared at the Rocky Wasteland.

She couldn’t say whether she was angry or relieved. But now, the priority was to get more details. Qi Xiuning, eager to return to her cultivation, said hastily, “How would I know who she was meeting? That night, I saw her sneak up to a high point on Half-Heaven Cliff, lighting a lantern and signaling out toward the depths of the Endless Sea. If the person she awaited had arrived, how could a mere Qi Condensation disciple like me hide any longer? I had no choice but to leave.”

Hongjian’s face paled slightly. A person living in the Endless Sea… She suddenly thought of the mysterious figure who had inexplicably produced a “Moonlight Pill.” Could it be that, besides herself, he had also approached Yao Zhen?

When a living person suddenly vanished, even if just a lowly Qi Condensation apprentice, Pill Cliff Sect did not ignore it.

Yao Zhen’s quarters remained empty. After Hongjian moved out, Qu Changhe had gone in to conduct a thorough search.

A few days later, the sect issued a command: Foundation Establishment and Qi Condensation disciples were forbidden to approach the cliffs and rocky wasteland bordering the Endless Sea without permission. If they saw any suspicious strangers, they were to report immediately to their elders. Quiet rumors spread among disciples on every peak, claiming a ruthless fiend was hiding in the Endless Sea, prowling near the sect after nightfall, snatching up low-level disciples to cut out their hearts for pill refining.

At first, Hongjian thought these were nothing more than wild rumors born of ignorance. But then her second senior brother, Qin Baoxian, came specifically to warn her: “Little sister, don’t wander off. Stay at Evening Tide Peak, and make sure your brother knows not to go out at night or act alone.” He lowered his voice. “Our grandmaster received word that the guards at the Demon Refiner Prison grew careless, and a peak Golden Core cultivator escaped. That person is said to be quite sinister, with methods so vicious even Nascent Soul elders dread him. If, in these days of freedom, he manages to form a Nascent Soul, I’m afraid only the three Nascent Soul masters and our sect leader could possibly deal with him.”

Hongjian was shocked. “The Demon Refiner Prison—how could this happen? Has that person come to our Pill Cliff Sect?”

In her mind, anyone sent to the Demon Refiner Prison was a villain of the worst kind.

Cultivators believe deeply in karma, and among Daoist cultivators, few are willing to stain their hands with murder. That ancient, mysterious prison for cultivators had existed for untold years; the mere mention of it struck fear into hearts. It was said to be eternally dark and devoid of spiritual energy, so no one could cultivate. Even someone like the escapee, who entered as a peak Golden Core, would remain so until death, never advancing a step closer to Nascent Soul. This was what made it truly unbearable for cultivators—waiting to die in a black cell was worse than a swift end.

Qin Baoxian wore a bitter expression. “Exactly. Just our luck. We have two Nascent Soul elders here, yet he still dared to come.”

Hongjian couldn’t help but recall the mysterious figure. She didn’t dare believe her own suspicions and pressed, “Second senior brother, has anyone actually seen him? How can they be sure he’s here?”

Qin Baoxian was always patient with Hongjian, answering almost everything she asked. He whispered, “There’s a Mr. Ji visiting the Great Elder at Splendid Peak. You saw him at Huanhua Hall the other day, didn’t you? I heard he even wanted to take you as a disciple.”

At this, Qin Baoxian’s expression turned strange. Clearly, he felt that being accepted as Mr. Ji’s disciple would have been far better than being his junior sister, and he didn’t understand why Hongjian had refused. Seeing her eyes widen at the mention of Mr. Ji, he quickly continued, “He’s the one who said it. Even the Nascent Soul elders trust his expertise, so there must be no mistake. He said that if the escapee is to form a Nascent Soul, there’s no place better than the Endless Sea to conceal the phenomenon. And, with his history, the inner demons he’ll face during the process will be a hundredfold more severe than that of ordinary cultivators. Pressed for time, he won’t have all the dozens of rare ingredients needed for the stabilizing elixir, so he’s likely to resort to shortcuts: using monster cores from the Endless Sea beasts, fused with spiritual herbs for healing divine sense.”

“So, second senior brother, you mean he’ll target our spiritual medicines?”

“Exactly. Grandmaster has ordered that all our ‘Moonlight Pills’ be turned in for safekeeping by the sect for now.”