The Scorpion had no idea what had just happened.
All it felt was an overwhelming sense of dread, followed by a suffocating pressure as deep as an abyss.
A chill ran down its back—before it could even register pain, its most prized tail had been severed without a sound.
While still reeling in shock, the Old Deer's head had already rolled twice on the ground.
The spider fared the worst, reduced to a puddle of dark green sludge splattered across the earth.
In what seemed like the blink of an eye, two Demon Kings had been effortlessly snuffed out, as if they were mere ants being crushed.
At this moment, the Scorpion felt as though it were trapped in a nightmare—only the sharp pain from its severed tail reminded it that this was reality.
Bai Xuanling landed gracefully with Li Yingling and Cui Hao in tow.
Cui Hao swallowed hard. He hadn’t even seen Bai Xuanling move, nor had he detected the slightest ripple of spiritual energy.
To him, it seemed as though Bai Xuanling hadn’t so much as shifted her stance—yet below them, three Golden Core Demon Kings now lay dead or crippled.
Is this… the true power of a top-tier cultivator?
Bai Xuanling glanced at Li Yingling, who seemed hesitant to speak, and said,
"You could’ve handled these three demons yourself. I just sped things up a little."
She wasn’t lying. During her brief stay at the sect, she had observed Li Yingling practicing his divine techniques.
Even by Bai Xuanling’s standards, those techniques were exceptional.
With Li Yingling’s talent, he had already mastered them to a decent level.
Slicing through these three mediocre Golden Core demons would’ve been easy—just a matter of time.
Pointing at the petrified Scorpion Demon King, its eyes brimming with terror, Bai Xuanling said,
"I left one alive for questioning. Once we get the information, we’ll proceed."
Li Yingling studied Bai Xuanling’s practiced demeanor and mentally translated her words: Just get a location out of it, then slaughter our way to the next target.
Now, looking at Bai Xuanling’s seemingly gentle expression…
He couldn’t help but feel a strange dissonance. And this whole "leaving a task for him" thing? Hard to describe.
Steeling himself, Li Yingling approached the Scorpion Demon King and demanded, "What brought you here? What do you know?"
The Scorpion Demon King suppressed its fear and spat out a single syllable: "Heh…"
That human woman was at least at the Nascent Soul level, if not higher.
Wiping out this demon kingdom would be child’s play for her.
To think that demons were nothing but sinners in the eyes of humans—even causing trouble in a place like this would draw the attention of a supreme cultivator, ready to crush them like bugs.
No mercy. No chance.
This interrogation was just a game. Death was inevitable—better to die with dignity than grovel like that cowardly ox.
Hearing that scornful "Heh," Bai Xuanling’s brow twitched, but she restrained herself.
This was the junior’s trial, after all. He should at least get to do something.
"No cooperation?"
Li Yingling smirked coldly and decisively pulled out one of his master’s "Tenfold Elixirs."
His master’s pills worked best when given to enemies.
Just as he was about to force-feed the stubborn Scorpion a taste of the so-called "Tenfold Elixir," a slender, jade-like hand reached over and plucked the pill from his grasp.
Li Yingling looked up in surprise to see Bai Xuanling tucking the pill into her spatial ring.
Her expression remained calm, not a trace of guilt in sight. Instead, she spoke matter-of-factly:
"I’m familiar with this elixir’s effects. No need to waste it on such a lowly demon."
Then, under Li Yingling’s stunned gaze, she casually flicked her wrist—reducing the Scorpion Demon King to the same pulpy mess as the spider.
Watching the defiant Scorpion dissolve into sludge, Bai Xuanling felt a wave of satisfaction.
She declared, "Consider the interrogation a success. We’ve learned the location of the Demon Kings’ gathering. Let’s move out!"
"Uh…" Li Yingling ventured hesitantly, "But… how do we even know where that is?"
Bai Xuanling tilted her head, puzzled.
"Huh? I’ll just sweep the area with my divine sense."
Li Yingling: "…"
Cui Hao: "…"
Cui Hao could only think one thing: The ways of a cultivation powerhouse were truly decisive and ruthless.
Yunzhou City.
Teahouse.
Two alchemy furnaces hummed steadily—one was Chu Xingchen’s shabby, makeshift setup, the other Bai Xuanling’s luxurious, top-tier model.
There was no denying it: sometimes, expensive really was better.
Even when refining the same pill with the same person, the superior furnace nearly doubled the speed.
Chu Xingchen sipped tea while chatting idly with Chen Baiqing.
Since they were only making the most basic Tenfold Elixirs, there was no need for meticulous attention. A simple refinement would suffice.
Even if the potency was slightly lacking, it didn’t matter.
Chu Xingchen knew Bai Xuanling wasn’t buying these to actually nourish anyone.
As long as the… side effects were reliable, that was enough.
Before long, the freshly refined Tenfold Elixirs began dropping from the furnaces.
Even the usually despondent Lin Luoyu had been summoned to bottle them.
Thus, the teahouse fell into a rhythm: Chen Baiqing kept the conversation flowing and poured tea, Lin Luoyu handled the bottling.
Everyone in the sect had their role.
Of course, Chu Xingchen understood the principle of scarcity.
Flooding the market would drive prices down, so for every ten bottles he stored in his spatial ring, he set aside just one on the table.
Those were the ones he’d hand over to Bai Xuanling upon her return.
Later, he could claim exhaustion and negotiate a higher price.
But just as the fifth bottle landed on the table—
Three figures materialized in the teahouse.
Chu Xingchen studied their expressions:
Cui Hao stood silent, lost in thought, much like Lin Luoyu.
Li Yingling looked like he had much to say but couldn’t find the words, his gaze shifting between Chu Xingchen and an unspoken grievance.
And Bai Xuanling…
Her face radiated satisfaction, as though she’d returned from a bountiful harvest.
Suppressing his curiosity, Chu Xingchen asked the safest question:
"Why are you back so soon?"
Bai Xuanling replied as if it were obvious, "The matter’s resolved, so we returned."
Chu Xingchen thought back to Bai Xuanling’s "Killing Intent Embodied" trait.
Translation: The matter’s resolved—because I slaughtered everything.