Yuelong panicked. The only thing that he relied on the most, the thing that had saved his life multiple times and trained his entire life for, had disappeared. He slowly turned his head towards Murong Zi. 

“My powers, they’re gone.”

Murong Zi paused for a moment before asking, “What? How did this happen?”

“I don’t know…” Yuelong looked down at the ground in thought. 

“Do you recall anything that happened to you—” Murong Zi stopped. Her eyes went wide in realization. “It must have been the ink of the He Luo creature!”

“The ink?” Yuelong questioned. 

“Yes! I’ve read in my aunt’s handbook that the He Luo fish's flesh can be used to treat swollen wounds,” Murong Zi explained. 

“And what does that have anything to do with my powers?” Yuelong asked, skeptical of the information.

“The ink is a bodily fluid created in the body of the He Luo, so it will have similar or opposite effects to its flesh. And taking the fact that this creature also has some abilities to a certain extent,” Murong Zi continued. “They can magnify the effect of its own ink, rendering people immobile or in your case, qi blocked.”

Yuelong let out a sigh of relief. The very thought of losing something that you have cultivated for over twenty years was enough to tear down his mental state instantly. After all, he had gone through sweat, blood and tears to achieve the powers he had today.

“That’s good to know,”  Yuelong sighed. “But how did your aunt know about the properties of a species that lived in another dimension?”

“To be honest, I’m not quite sure…” Murong Zi noticed panic in Yuelong’s eyes. “But don’t worry, she’s never wrong.”

“Clang!”

A blade landed right next to Murong Zi. The two turned their eyes to the direction where the blade had come from. A large circle of demons were waving their weapons frantically in the air. At the center of the circle were Lishui disciples fighting on top of a pile of corpses.

Murong Zi’s expression went from fair to white to black. Without another word, she grabbed the blade with her feet and brought it behind her back. Her eyes darted left and right as she rubbed the bindings of her hands onto the blade.

Since Murong Zi and Yuelong practiced different styles of the Dao, they also differed in abilities. Yuelong’s abilities were a part of the “hardstyle'' where power and agility were the focus. Murong Zi’s abilities were more towards the “softstyle” and laid in the subtle toxins that she released during battle. The two’s abilities and styles were extremely different, but they were balanced in terms of fighting demons. 

“Done.” She muttered. Next, she inched the blade into Yuelong’s hands so that he can set himself free.

As Yuelong rubbed the ropes against the sharp edge of the blade, Murong Zi sat still with her hands behind her back. Her alerted eyes darted from demon to demon.

“Done.” Yuelong whispered. “I need to go save Mengjun, but first, we need to release everyone first.”

Murong Zi nodded. The two cultivators turned their attention to the nearest demon. Like a gentle petal that drifted from the height of its branch, Murong Zi gently patted the demon on his back and backed away.

Right after, the demon dropped his sword with a loud clang and collapsed onto the ground. Yuelong snatched the sword and tossed it in the air a couple times.

“A bit heavy but it’ll do…” He muttered.

The loud clatter of the fallen demon had attracted the attention of a couple demons. “Hey! The prisoners broke free!” Immediately, the entire swarm of demons had turned their heads towards the two. 

“So much for being unnoticed…” Yuelong whispered.

Although the two were outrageously outnumbered, the demons didn’t dare to strike. For each of them had seen what Murong Zi and Yuelong were capable of. 

“Don’t worry! The female doesn’t have her whip and the male doesn’t have his powers!” A demon shouted from the crowd.

This incited excitement from a group of foolhardy demons who thought they could take down the two. They charged with a battlecry, their weapons high in the air. The demons first went after the unarmed Murong Zi, thinking she would be an easy prey.

But they had completely underestimated the abilities of the Poisonous Moth. She danced between each and every strike from the demons, all whilst gently tapping them on different areas of their bodies, leaving traces of purple powder.

The demons that were blessed with a poisoned death dropped down one by one. Regardless of the demon’s species, each of their skin had turned purple and their eyes rolled back into their heads.

At first, Yuelong was slightly worried that Murong Zi wasn’t able to handle the crowd of demons. But after seeing her move swiftly in and out of the strikes, he couldn’t help but feel relieved that she was on his side. Taking advantage of the time, Yuelong sliced away at most of the bindings that held the other disciples.

“Quick everyone! Grab a weapon and destroy this nest of demons!” Yuelong exclaimed, raising his sword to the sky.

A tall figure stood up from amongst the crowd. His gray hair streaked down from his face, covering the eye bags and wrinkles underneath. “Nephew Yiheng.”

“Father…” Murong Zi said softly.

“Leader Murong,” Yuelong bowed.

The memories of Murong Teng’s sudden rage resurfaced in Yuelong’s mind. “Isn’t he still under the effects of the toxins? Now that we’re faced with demons, will he turn on me?”

As the sound of footsteps came closer, Yuelong’s heartbeat became louder and heavier. When the footsteps had stopped, he held his breath and waited.

He felt a gentle pat on his shoulder and the words, “Rise.”

Yuelong raised his head and looked at the old man in front of him. At that moment, Yuelong felt like he had achieved something he had always wanted. Being appreciated. Even if he had the title Yixiao Zhenjun, it was not given to him by the people but rather, it was given to him by the leaders of Qianyang for the sake of spreading his name. Despite the fact that Murong Teng seemed to have aged even more overnight, presently, he was a father figure to Yuelong. An old father who’s proud and happy with his son’s achievements.

“Leave the rest to us,” Murong Teng said in a weak voice.

“Father…” Murong Zi muttered.

“Leader Murong, are you feeling better now?” Yuelong asked politely.

“Don’t worry, Yiheng nephew, I’ve calmed myself down and temporarily suppressed the vicious energy within.” Murong Teng replied. “Go save your friend. We can discuss other matters after.”

Murong Teng turned around to face the horde of demons. Each one gleaming with hunger for blood. Multi-colored bubbles appeared from Murong Teng’s robes and gathered at his hands, forming into a shining sword. 

At the same time, the corpses of the deceased Lishui disciples suddenly leaped up from the pile of dead bodies and looked at their former master with crooked necks. They hopped awkwardly to the front lines of the demon horde, their limbs stiff and rigid. They had been turned to jiangshi.

The deceased Lishui disciples had died in a horrible death, bitten and abused by their fellow peers and demons. This caused them to die with a condensed energy of hatred lodged in their throat, which gave them the power of resurrection. A jiangshi’s sole purpose is to achieve peace in death, but since they are no longer alive, they do not have the mindset of a human being but rather, that of a demon’s.

“Fuhua, Yuanchen! You guys…” Murong Teng exclaimed, looking at his deceased disciples. He gripped his sword in anger and sorrow. “The best thing that your master can do for you all is to grant a peaceful afterlife…” 

Without another word, Murong Teng spun his sword in a vertical circle. Out from the circle came floating orbs of water that shapeshifted into multiple water blades. At the last moment, Murong Teng turned his head away in tears and launched the swords at the jiangshi.

A faint cry came from Murong Zi as she watched her peers struck down one after another by her own father. 

Even though he was weakened from fighting against the toxin and spending an enormous amount of energy on the attack, Murong Teng managed to take down the entire front line of the horde of demons. But faced with an entire nest of hundreds of demons, the front line was merely a single log in a wooden house.

“Yuelong nephew, do not worry about us! Go rescue your friend!” Murong Teng called out.

“Thank you, Leader Murong!” Yuelong quickly bowed. He was truly grateful for this turn of events. Never had he expected Murong Teng to take his side let alone pat him on the back!

He raced to the tunnel at the back of the cave. The sound of clashing weapons and battle cries echoed behind him. “Mengjun, please be safe,” Yuelong begged to the heavens.

A couple shapes appeared from the darkness of the tunnel. 

“Demons!”

Yuelong steadied his sword. Three demons appeared from the darkness, each of them wielding a weapon. Without letting them have a chance to strike, Yuelong attacked first. He slashed his sword at the nearest demon, cutting deep into its flesh. But without the assistance of his powers, the cut was weak and not enough to kill the demon.

The other two demons attempted to return the favor. Yuelong barely managed to dodge the first attack when the second strike came. 

A gust of purple powder blew at the three demons. They screeched in pain. As the effects of the powder went into play, the demons turned purple and their eyes rolled back. Dark liquid oozed out from their facial openings.

“Fan gong-zi! Are you alright?” A voice behind him asked.

Yuelong turned around to see Murong Zi. “What are you doing here?”

“My father said to help you since you haven’t recovered from the He Luo ink yet,” Murong Zi replied.

Another voice echoed behind them. “Shi-jie! Wait for me!”

The sound of uneven steps was followed by a panting figure. Supported by a sword acting as a cane, the pale-faced Sifei appeared.

“Sifei!? What are you doing here?” Murong Zi questioned.

“I—I was worried so I followed,” the teen replied. “The more the merrier, right?”

Yuelong ruffled Sifei’s hair. He was glad to see a possible candidate to replace him as Murong Zi’s fiance.

“Come on then, Mengjun might not be able to handle the creature for any longer.” Yuelong worried.

The three sped down the cave. Soon they came across a pair of bird-like demons. 

“Tell us where you took Mengjun!” Demanded Yuelong, pointing his sword.

“Kekeke,” the two demons laughed. “A powerless one dares to demand something from us?”

“He’s not powerless.” Murong Zi said, stepping into the view of the two demons. Without warning, she sprayed a fistful of power on the two. “Tell us where you demons took him!”

Unable to withstand the torture of the deadly powder, the demons gave in. “Please! Spare us! We were only following orders! The He Luo King ordered us to bathe the man and send him to his chambers!”

“Where are his chambers!” Yuelong demanded angrily. The moment he heard “chambers”, a fire was lit from the depths of his heart. 

“Follow the main path of the tunnel, he’s at the end of it!” The demons replied through painful cries.

Before Yuelong could answer the demons, he was pushed forward by Murong Zi. 

“Let’s go.” She said coldly, without taking a single look at the demons.

“No! Please! Lady Murong! Spare us! PLEASE!!!” The demons begged and screeched.

Their cries echoed through the tunnels. It pained Yuelong to hear such devastating cries of help but he knew that if he was a tiny bit late, Mengjun could face the fate of death.

Without turning back, the three ventured deeper into the cave. Finally at the end of the tunnel, they reached a pair of wooden doors.

“They must be in here then…” Murong Zi said.

Yuelong nodded. He didn’t want to startle the creature in case the He Luo king had any other tricks up his sleeve so he pressed his ear up to the door and listened. No sound.

Yuelong’s heart stopped. “Nothing from inside!? Is Mengjun…dead? No! No! I won’t let another one of my friends die!”

Without another thought, he pushed the doors open.

“What the—”