Conclusion

For days in that village, as part of their mission, the three of them had refrained from using any magic. Yet the sky seemed to have turned a deeper blue. During this time, Cui Yuan went out alone more and more often. Each meal she prepared grew increasingly sumptuous, a dazzling array of unnamed dishes crafted from ordinary farm vegetables.

Not only were these meals highly sought after by the villagers, but even Yan and Cisheng found their appetites whetted, eating far more than before.

Only after assessing that their remaining supplies—aside from what was left for the villagers—were nearly gone did Cisheng reluctantly prepare to return. After all, flying directly to the city-state on their cultivation and returning via teleportation wouldn't take long. So he decided to stay a little longer to teach the villagers some special farming techniques he'd swiped from the old dean.

This was Cisheng's first time formally teaching others. Even though it was just farming, he didn't dare be careless. He sampled the field soil and made detailed adjustments no less than three times beforehand. As for the simulations in his mind, they were countless!

During demonstrations, he'd always do it himself first, then watch the villagers try. If anything was off, he'd personally correct them. Matters like fertilizer preparation and a host of other tasks basically required several demonstrations. By evening, he returned drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

"How does it feel being an instructor for the first time, dear husband?" Cui Yuan asked softly, wiping sweat and grime from Cisheng's forehead.

"It's... exhausting!" Cisheng took the tea Cui Yuan offered and drank it in one gulp. "But seeing them learn is truly heartwarming!"

"Mhm! My husband has worked hard all day. Yuan-yuan will take you for a bath!" Cui Yuan snuggled into Cisheng's arms, helped him up, and led him toward a hot spring she had personally opened.

"You're very thoughtful, dear wife." The two soaked leisurely in the hot spring, leaning against the bank, enjoying this rare moment of relaxation.

Cisheng, utterly exhausted, fell asleep comfortably in the hot spring. Cui Yuan gazed at him with reluctance, cleaned him, and brought him back to the house. After settling him, she quietly set up several formations around the dwelling.

She tried to cast spells, but all attempts failed; this place had long been interfered with by something unknown. After finishing the formations, Cui Yuan took out a jade dagger Cisheng had once given her, cut her arm, and stuffed several spirit stones into the wound. This barely restored some of her cultivation. Then, with resolve, she headed toward the village.

In the sky, the clouds were a pale blue. The village burned with an eerie blue flame. From a distance, a figure seemed to stand amidst it, its gaze compelling one to involuntarily lower their head.

That night, Yan kept having nightmares, jolting awake every few minutes. Thinking it might be due to his many worries, he decided to take a walk outside to clear his mind. He pushed open the door and bumped straight into a barrier.

"What's going on?!" The noise was loud, waking Cisheng too. However, his sleep in the latter half of the night had been poor as well. Seeing Cui Yuan was absent, then spotting the barrier at the door and a large teleportation formation on the ground, he suddenly felt a sense of foreboding. Channeling all his cultivation, he shattered the barrier with several punches and rushed outside.

The sky's color had returned to normal.

Cisheng activated a spell to trace Cui Yuan's path. Scattered footprints were everywhere. Cisheng immediately decided to send Yan toward the village, while he himself followed the footprints into the dense forest.

From a distance, the village sounded lively. The villagers seemed to be celebrating something, circling a bonfire while chanting in a local dialect Yan couldn't understand.

Yan felt slightly more at ease and slowed his pace. But the closer he got, the more something felt off. They appeared to be roasting meat, yet he remembered there'd been no hunting lately, and their supplies hadn't included any. Maybe they'd caught something themselves. Pushing the thought aside, he moved forward and spotted something round hanging from a tree branch. Curious about what game they'd caught but too awkward to ask, he pulled up his hood, intending to slip unnoticed into the crowd.

Pink threads lay scattered on the ground.

His vision obscured by the hood, he pushed through the crowd to the front and looked up.

That was no game at all. Impaled on the wood were five fingers. The chunks of meat in their hands still dripped blood, skin left on—flesh-colored, smooth, and delicate.

Yan trembled all over but clung to the hope this was some beast; humanoid creatures weren't exactly rare.

Unconsciously, he stepped beneath a branch. Several drops of red liquid landed on his forehead. His breath stopped cold. The clamor around him faded to silence. His pupils dilated rapidly, and within moments sweat drenched his face. His head lifted involuntarily.

Hair once pink and lustrous had turned deathly white. Her plump cheeks had been carved from her face. Those clear, bright eyes were now gone. Only torn muscles remained on what was left of her expression, clearly twisted by agony suffered while still alive, before life finally drained away. Sinews still dangled raggedly from the severed base of her head—obviously hacked by a blunt weapon. Further up, there were clear signs of tearing: the blade hadn't severed cleanly in one blow, so the rest had been ripped off by force.

Cultivators had tenacious vitality; sometimes even decapitation didn't kill instantly. For hair that beautiful to wither so completely in such a short time…

Yan's mind went blank, unable to process what his senses told him. His body moved on its own, crimson mist coiling around him as he lunged straight at the perpetrators.

No techniques, no form—just pouncing, tearing, biting. Nothing remained but primal, bestial instinct.

Spells crashed against him with no effect. Blades pierced his body; explosions shredded his arms. Yet as long as someone remained nearby, he kept regenerating by killing.

Before long, he finally snapped back to awareness. Around him lay scattered remains and shattered limbs. Before him, he had already reassembled Cui Yuan's body. A thought surfaced unbidden.

Without hesitation, he pressed his palms to Cui Yuan's temples. His own vital energy churned violently; the red mist surged into her lifeless form in torrents. Flesh knitted. Severed wounds reconnected. Her hair slowly regained its sheen. Her skin turned supple once more. Any moment now, she might open her eyes.

Suddenly Yan was blasted back by a tremendous force. A figure resembling a rotting corpse stood before Cui Yuan, one hand clamped around her throat.

"What are you doing?!" Yan charged forward, but the corpse-like man didn't even glance at him. He merely pointed a spare finger, and Yan was slammed into the ground.

Then he turned his hand toward Cui Yuan, beginning to drain the blood from her body. At that moment, a battered and wounded Cisheng rushed over. He'd clearly endured a brutal fight, but paid it no mind—he lunged immediately to save Cui Yuan.

But dark energy suddenly spread everywhere, and a figure blocked Cisheng's path.

"Get out of my way!" Cisheng threw a punch while swiftly casting a spell. Seizing the moment the shadowy figure was distracted, he directly altered the surrounding magnetic field; the terrain and landscape shifted along with it.

The shadowy figure vomited blood, his internal organs now completely scrambled. He spat out another mouthful of organ fragments and died. However, during the opening created by Cisheng's spellcasting, the corpse had completely drained the blood from Cui Yuan's body, regaining a trace of vitality.

"You... are seeking death!" Cisheng, furious beyond measure, closed the distance instantly and threw several punches at the corpse. Runes flared around the corpse's body, intercepting all the fierce attacks, and then it teleported away, leaving only Cisheng in helpless, raging fury.

"Senior Sister..." With the oppressive force lifted, Yan finally managed to claw his way out of the dirt. He saw Cui Yuan, now a desiccated corpse, and Cisheng kneeling beside her.

Yan immediately rushed to Cui Yuan's side, slashed his own arm, and drew out the blood Jian Yiru had once replenished for him. He then prepared to forcibly refine and inject it into Cui Yuan's body.

"Yan! Stop! Withdraw your blood!" Cisheng suddenly roared angrily. "It's... it's gone! The life force is gone, the soul has scattered. Don't waste your efforts anymore..."

"I was so close! Senior Brother, just now I was so close to saving Senior Sister!" Tears streamed uncontrollably from the corners of Yan's eyes.

Cisheng deflated like a punctured ball, having no desire to say another word. He picked up Cui Yuan's dried corpse, tore a piece from the sky and draped it over her, restoring her visage. Holding her remains, he began walking back toward the sect.