Xiao Hong was slightly relieved when she realised that the Alchemists that had come along with them were all safe and sound. That relief turned into envy soon enough, though.
Why? Because the Heavens were really fucking unfair!
Apparently, these Alchemists were incredibly fortunate and had not been far from each other and Bai Hao when they were randomly teleported. Furthermore, in just two days, they had run into Qiao Xuan and a few other 7th Disaster Cultivators who had allied with him. And of course, they were protected by Bai Hao and the others.
‘What the fuck? What kinda shitty misfortune do I have?!’ Xiao Hong nearly cried. While she was getting beaten up by Cultivators and Demon Beasts alike, these bastards were being coddled and pampered like royalty!
‘I don’t mind being alone and facing danger, I should at least get some benefits, right?! Other people find powerful Inheritances, Treasures and Spirit Herbs, while all I found was a series of beatings!’ she cursed inwardly, lamenting the unfairness of it all. Her adventures had certainly been, well, ‘eventful’. But the benefits she gained from her battles could only be said to be so-so. Even in the most recent battle, she had only gotten as much as the effort she’d put in - nothing more, nothing less.
She almost raised a middle finger to the Heavens before recalling she had made a request to it, switching sides so quickly would be detrimental! So she suppressed her desire to ‘defy’ the Heavens.
Anyway, the Purple Spirit Sect’s disciples quickly gathered together under Bai Hao’s and Qiao Xuan’s lead and quickly formed a formidable force. They then ran into a small group of Demonic Cultivators and quickly dealt with them. After some interrogation, they did not find out the reason for the Demonic Path’s invasion since the ones they had caught were only 2nd or 3rd Disaster Cultivators. With the Cultivator’s penchant for keeping information from weaker Cultivators, there was definitely no way they could know what was going on.
“By the way, Junior Sister, why do these people keep sending weird looks your way?” He Ping asked, feeling somewhat weirded out by the looks of gratitude, admiration and curiosity that were sent her way. These people had come straight to her without taking the time to know what had transpired - they were rather worried for her as she was ‘weakling’ at the initial Divine Sea Stage.
“Oh, that…” Xiao Hong immediately smiled and began. Just as she was about to praise herself to the high Heavens, she was interrupted by a voice transmission from Jun Meiling:
“{Junior Sister Xiao, please come over here. Senior Brother Bai wishes to discuss something with you.}”
“Fellow Alchemists, Senior Sister Jun has requested my presence.” She told Chen Yu and the other Alchemists, her tone apologetic.
“It’s of no consequence, Alchemist Xiao,” Onee-san Qi Lijuan waved her hand to indicate she did not mind, “Since Senior Sister Jun has requested your presence, it must be important.” The other Alchemists quickly voiced their agreement.
Xiao Hong nodded gratefully before walking over to where Jun Meiling, Gu Ran, Bai Hao and that hateful Qiao Xuan stood.
***
As she made her way to them, Xiao Hong idly thought, ‘Can I perhaps hire a Demonic Cultivator to off Qiao Xuan?’ She seriously considered the feasibility of such a thing.
Upon reaching them, Xiao Hong greeted them with a sweet smile and cupped fists, “Greetings, Senior Brother Bai. Greetings, Senior Brother Qiao.”
“You’re as beautiful as ever Junior Sister Xiao,” gave her a smile that would cause girls to swoon. Even Xiao Hong - someone who only liked girls - could appreciate his looks. He was truly the male equivalent of a Jade Beauty.
“You jest, Senior Brother Bai.” Xiao Hong replied politely before she continued, not wanting to give Qiao Xuan a chance to utter a word, “Senior Sister Jun said you wanted to discuss something?”
“Indeed. I have something crucial to discuss.” Bai Hao immediately turned serious, “Now that the Mission Leaders are here and Junior Brother Gu and you are here, I’ll get straight to it.”
Bai Hao took a deep breath and quietly spoke, “The Demonic Cultivators this time were led by True Demon Cultivators… That means there are Nirvana-level Demonic Cultivators lurking around!”
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Xiao Hong froze. She subconsciously blurted out, “No way!”
“What?!” Jun Meiling was just as shocked!
Even Gu Ran’s eyes widened so much they popped out of his eye sockets!
“It is the truth!” Qiao Xuan sighed. He was just as shocked when he heard the Demonic Cultivator he’d interrogated.
A True Demon was merely the title given to a Demonic Path Cultivator at the Nirvana Stage, since the Demonic Path Cultivators wanted to be called something different and the Immortal Path Cultivators couldn’t stand being called the same as Demonic Cultivators. Thus, an odd naming convention was formed Nirvana-level and upwards.
One has to know that a True Demon or Nirvana Stage Cultivator was so strong that everyone below it could be considered an ant. A Nirvana Stage or True Demon Stage Expert could casually take on dozens of 8th Disaster Cultivators and still win! In fact, an experienced being of this level could take on even more, let’s not even talk about the geniuses that could fight above their level.
To put it into perspective, the previous blow from Xue Hun when he used the black sword was much weaker than a casual attack from Nirvana Stage being. In short, this Formation they had painstakingly set up offered as much protection as wet toilet paper. Despite being hastily set up, Xiao Hong’s Formation was extremely powerful and even the Formations used by the Sect - which had been refined hundreds of times - were only a few levels better!
So the fact that there were True Demon Stage Experts in this Realm was a massive blow.
The worst part was there were no Nirvana Realm beings among the three Sects - making them little more than lambs for slaughter!
Xiao Hong suddenly recalled Mo Qingzhu’s strange stare just before she left with Xue Hun. At that time, she merely thought she was eyeing her because she wanted revenge. Now though… She suddenly realised there was more to it.
If any of those True Demon Stage Cultivators were from her Sect - Harmonious Heavenly Bliss Sect, she was very sure their first target would be her. The extreme Physical Prowess and Zhenqi potency she had displayed were more than enough to raise a True Demon’s interest. If she was caught by a True Demon, her only fate would be to be used as a Human Cauldron for their Cultivation.
Gu Ran’s voice was extremely sombre as he asked, “How many?”
“At least three. The Demonic Cultivators we captured only know of three. Knowing the Demonic Cultivators and their ways of keeping things from their subordinates,” Bai Hao frowned heavily, “there might be more.”
All of them fell silent for a while before Bao Hao continued.
“This is why we might need your help, Junior Sister Xiao.” Bai Hao turned to Xiao Hong with hope, “Since your expertise in Array Formations is advanced enough to quickly set up such a powerful Array Formation, are you able to set up one to defend against True Demon Stage Demonic Cultivators?”
Xiao Hong frowned and gave it a few seconds of thought before shaking her head, “The most powerful Formation I can set up for now is only a Grade 2 Formation. To defend against a True Demon, I need to set up a Grade 3 Formation.
“No matter how I manipulate the Formation, a Nirvana Stage Being can easily shatter it.” She glanced at their sinking expressions, and continued, “The best I can do for now is set up a Confusion Formation.”
Her companions’s expressions did not improve at all. Using a Grade 2 Confusion Formation and hoping they would not find them under it… That was no better than leaving things to Fate. A Grade 2 Confusion Formation could only fool a Nirvana Stage Cultivator if he was being especially careless - which was unlikely no matter how they thought about it.
The small group stood in an oppressive silence, detached from their cheerful surroundings.
Jun Meiling then asked quietly, “When can Senior Brother Bai break into the Nirvana Stage?”
“It will take a while. Even if I am at the Completion of the 8th Disaster and have completely assimilated the Wind-Thunder into my Cultivation Base, I still require quite a while to achieve Nirvana. At least a month, if I have no distractions and an inexhaustible supply of top-quality Yuan Essence Pills.” Bai Hao shook his head.
“Now that the 8th Disaster Demonic Cultivators have returned, they will return and report the situation. The fact that you guys could repel so many 8th Disaster Demonic Cultivators and cause so many casualties below the 6th Disaster will definitely attract the attention of the True Demon Cultivators.
“In other words, let alone a month, we probably don’t even have half a month.” Bai Hao shook his head helplessly.
Xiao Hong’s celebratory mood had long vanished and an oppressive feeling of dread had settled on her. She felt as though a massive python coiled around her, slowly constricting her chest, slowly choking her breath out - and she was wholly unable to resist. Xiao Hong knew very well that she would be targeted - her achievements were clear for all to see. She would draw the greatest aggro.
“How about retreating?” Jun Meiling spoke up once again, even if she knew it would likely not work at all.
And indeed, Bai Hao shook his head, “Escape is a fool’s dream. A Nirvana Stage or True Demon Stage Cultivator’s senses and tracking abilities are unmatched - they would find all of us in a matter of days with their extreme speed. What’s more, the True Demon would likely be accompanied by his subordinates, who can assist in capturing us. We would be nothing more than sitting ducks by then.
“Even I cannot guarantee a safe escape.”
Another one of Xiao Hong’s trump cards became useless. Her Perfection-level Earth Burrow was also useless if she was targeted by a True Demon.