Chapter 671: Great Demon 34
Tan You certainly wasn’t going to publicize this. Plant spirits were weak and found cultivation difficult, so there was nothing wrong with them seeking powerful partners for mutual support on their journey.
Furthermore, by staying close to the plant spirits, the demonic beasts could use their tranquil auras to suppress their own inner bloodlust and violent tendencies. Moreover, if a demonic beast was injured, the plant spirits could quickly heal them.
All in all, it was a win-win for both sides.
Of course, while the young demonic beasts and plant spirits were adjusting to each other, things finally quieted down for Tan You. ’As much as the young beasts clung to her, strength was ultimately more important to them.’
Therefore, once the symbiotic contracts were all formed, everyone immersed themselves in their cultivation, and Tan You’s life returned to normal.
「Meanwhile, in a certain sect」
At the very moment Qing Ming and Xuezhi signed their symbiotic contract, Shi Miao, who was still recuperating, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, causing her two children to turn pale with shock.
Shi Qi was now at the Nascent Soul Stage. He looked at Shi Miao with concern. "Mother, are you all right? Your injuries haven’t shown any signs of healing since you returned to the sect."
Shi Yuan was quite spoiled. Hearing this, she huffed, "It must be some trick those wretched Great Demons from the Demon Market played! Why don’t we..."
"Watch your words!" Shi Miao casually wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. "It has nothing to do with the Demon Market. This is my own karma."
She sat cross-legged, rested her hands on her knees, and began to rapidly form hand seals. The higher a Cultivator’s cultivation, the more they could vaguely glimpse fragments of the future.
Shi Miao was no exception. But the more she tried to scry, the paler she became. In the end, blood began to slowly seep from her seven orifices, and with a THUD, she collapsed unconscious onto the bed.
"Mother!"
"Mother! I’ll go get Senior Uncle!"
When Shi Miao opened her eyes again, six Cultivators were seated in her immortal cave. Besides her former Daoist partner, the Sect Leader and three Supreme Elders were also present.
Seeing Shi Miao awake, her former Daoist partner merely gave her an indifferent glance, showing no intention of coming forward to help. Her children and several fellow sect members showed no surprise, evidently finding the situation unremarkable.
Shi Miao felt surprisingly all right. She pushed herself up into a sitting position on the bed. "I... What happened?"
Shi Yuan brought her a cup of tea. "You were performing a divination right before you collapsed."
The Sect Leader set down his cup. "Were you attempting to sense the Heavenly Dao?"
Shi Miao paused for a moment. "Yes. Recently, I’ve felt as if my once-flawless Dao heart has been slowly veiled by a thin mist. I can no longer see the path ahead of me clearly, so I wanted to perform a divination to understand why."
One of the Supreme Elders wore a complex expression and sighed deeply. "While you were unconscious, Shi Qian cast a divination for you. The reading was calamitous—a fate of certain death, with its origin in the northwest."
’The northwest... isn’t that where the Demon Market is?’ Shi Miao dug her fingers into her palm, wishing she could raze the Demon Market to the ground that very instant. But having just returned from there, she knew it was nothing more than a fantasy. She couldn’t possibly do it.
Even with the full might of the sect, they probably couldn’t touch the Demon Market.
The Sect Leader was more direct. "The elder from Dan Peak has already examined you and gave you an Eighth-grade Pill. You’re too gravely injured. You’re a Body Integration Realm Cultivator now; who could wound you so severely?"
"Shi Qi and Shi Yuan know nothing about this."
Shi Miao said, practically through gritted teeth, "I just returned from the Demon Market."
"The Demon Market?" The three Supreme Elders exchanged a look, their thoughts turning to the divination. "Do you have an enemy in the Demon Market?"
Shi Miao’s former Daoist partner, who had been sipping his tea, had his ears twitch at the mention of the Demon Market. Cultivators who managed to reach this level were, without exception, exceptionally intelligent.
Connecting the dots with the Demon Market, Shi Miao’s former Daoist partner, Yun Qi, understood. "Countless Half-demons have been flocking to the Demon Market recently. Is Qing Ming there as well?"
The lower-ranking disciples were unaware of Qing Ming’s existence, but the sect’s leadership and those close to Shi Miao all knew. Now, upon hearing Qing Ming’s name, the expressions on both Shi Qi and Shi Yuan’s faces changed.
As top scions of the sect, Shi Qi and Shi Yuan both considered having a Half-demon younger brother to be a disgrace. Whenever they were displeased, they would take out their frustrations on Qing Ming.
Not long ago, Shi Yuan had been unable to contain her anger. Seeing that Qing Ming was approaching his twenty-fifth birthday and thus nearing his "limit," she decided to humiliate him by having him bound and sent to an auction house.
Shi Miao was silent for a long time before she spoke. "Yes. Shi Qi and Shi Yuan sent Qing Ming to an auction, where he happened to be found by a Great Demon from the Demon Market, who then took him back."
"My injuries are from my recent return from the Demon Market."
Everyone understood. Yun Qi set down his teacup and laughed. "So, after killing your husband to prove your Dao, the karmic retribution is finally here?"
"Father!" Shi Qi and Shi Yuan cried out in unison. They both looked at Yun Qi disapprovingly, feeling his words were completely out of line.
"Father, no matter what, she is still our mother, and your Daoist partner..."
Yun Qi held up a hand. "Don’t. She’s *your* mother, not *my* Daoist partner. If I hadn’t sensed something was amiss back then, I would have become just another stepping stone on your mother’s path to power."
Hearing Yun Qi’s caustic words, Shi Miao didn’t get angry in the slightest. "It’s just a second-tier Qing Ming snake. Even if it wanted revenge, it would take thousands of years. It’s no threat."
Shi Qian looked at her. "If it’s no threat, then why did you collapse? Or perhaps I should ask, what did you see before you collapsed?"
Shi Miao’s expression turned grim for a moment as she tried to evade the question. Shi Yuan, who was still more attached to her mother, shook her arm. "Mother, please tell me! I can help you figure something out."
Shi Qi joined in persuading her. "Mother, we are strong enough now to share your burdens. Knowing you’re about to face danger, we can’t possibly stand by and do nothing."
Hearing these pointed words, Yun Qi just sneered and said nothing. The fact that both children had taken Shi Miao’s surname spoke volumes about his attitude.
With her two children pressing her and the Supreme Elders and Sect Leader also waiting for a reason, Shi Miao had no choice but to close her eyes. "I saw a colossal Qing Ming snake, and in its jaws was the shattered Bloodbane."
The words were simple, but the meaning was terrifyingly clear. Bloodbane was Shi Miao’s Lifebound Sword. If a Lifebound Sword shattered, even if its master didn’t die, they would suffer a catastrophic backlash.
When they connected this vision to the Qing Ming snake, everyone’s expression darkened.
Shi Qian’s fingers flew through another rapid calculation. "What was... the Demon Market’s attitude?"
Having confessed, Shi Miao seemed to draw strength from it, her spine straightening. "Unyielding. There is no room for negotiation."
Yun Qi toyed with his teacup. "I heard a rumor recently, one that came from the Ten-Direction Great Mountain. They say this Golden Ring Snake King has a method for purifying a demonic beast’s bloodline. I imagine those Half-demons have probably become true demonic beasts by now."
The Sect Leader looked at Shi Miao. "Is what he says true?"