Zheng Xuanling walked over, glanced at the sky, and said, "It's not safe to stay here long."
Lin Tingwan nodded, then looked down at the little girl. "Are you willing to come with us?"
The girl looked up at her, her eyes filled with dependence and trust.
"I... I am."
The three left the abandoned relay station, stepped onto the clouds, and continued north.
Above the clouds, sunlight poured down. Wrapped in her clothes, the little girl curled up beside Lin Tingwan, occasionally stealing glances at her profile.
"Senior..." she whispered.
"Hm?"
"Did you kill them because of me?"
Lin Tingwan looked down at her, thought for a moment, and said seriously, "Not entirely because of you. If I hadn't killed them, they would have kept trafficking and murdering spirit cultivators. People like that deserve to die."
The little girl nodded, seeming to understand only vaguely.
After a moment of silence, she asked again, "Senior, then... what should I do now?"
Lin Tingwan looked toward the south.
There was Southern Province, where she had once cultivated, where the familiar Gazing at Immortals City lay.
"Would you be willing to go to Southern Province?"
"Southern Province?"
"Yes." Lin Tingwan said, "In Southern Province, there's Gazing at Immortals City. In that city lives a spirit cultivator named Mo Yu. He's an elder of the Spirit Race who specializes in helping young spirit cultivators. If you go to him, he will help you and teach you the methods of cultivation."
The little girl's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Really." Lin Tingwan smiled. "I've known him before. He's a reliable person."
The little girl nodded vigorously, her eyes full of longing.
Perhaps it was because she hadn't slept soundly in too long, or because the primal spiritual energy Lin Tingwan had infused into her was nourishing her body and mind, she curled up on the clouds.
Her two furry ears trembled gently with each breath. Even in sleep, she clung tightly to Lin Tingwan's sleeve, falling into a deep, peaceful slumber.
Lin Tingwan looked down at her for a moment, then reached out to tuck the stray strands of hair behind her ear.
"She needs a good long rest." Zheng Xuanling's voice was very soft. "Her bone age is less than twenty, and her cultivation has just entered Qi Refining—her foundation is still shallow. She's been through severe fright this time. If she isn't properly cared for, heart demons might take root."
Lin Tingwan nodded, but her gaze darkened slightly.
"Xuanling, I carefully examined those men's storage pouches just now." She took out a few bloodstained jade slips and probed them with her spiritual sense. After a moment, her brow furrowed tightly. "They're not ordinary rogue cultivators. There's an organization behind them."
Zheng Xuanling took the jade slips, swept them with his spiritual sense, and his expression turned cold.
"The Myriad Demons Pavilion." He spoke the name.
Lin Tingwan froze for a moment. A long-dormant memory suddenly flashed through her mind.
It was when she had just completed her transformation and was cultivating in Gazing at Immortals City, Southern Province. A few people had followed her, and she detected them. Later, she lured them out of the city and, using the terrain, quickly dealt with them.
"You remember?" Zheng Xuanling asked softly, noticing the shift in her expression.
Lin Tingwan nodded, a cold glint rising in her eyes. "Back then, they tried to capture me, but I killed them instead. As I cultivated over time, I gradually forgot about it."
She looked at the bloodstained jade slips in her hand, the cold words recording transactions. They reminded her of what she had seen in that abandoned relay station—
Inside those men's storage pouches, there wasn't only the little girl's bill of sale, but also a thick stack of ledgers recording the "goods" handled over the past three years.
The number of spirit cultivators numbered in the hundreds.
Among them, there were names, origins, destinations of sale... everything, down to the smallest detail, was recorded in the books.
"These people deserve to die." Lin Tingwan's voice was very soft, but it was bone-chillingly cold.
Zheng Xuanling looked at her. He didn't try to persuade or comfort her. He only said, "What do you want to do?"
Lin Tingwan raised her eyes. Her gaze was terrifyingly calm. "Find their stronghold. Destroy them."
Zheng Xuanling didn't hesitate. "Alright."
He immediately took out a purple-gold communication jade slip and infused it with several spirit techniques. The jade slip glowed faintly. Zheng Xuanling put it away and looked at Lin Tingwan.
"The sect will also dispatch three teams to sweep through the known strongholds separately." He said, "We still have a ledger in our hands that records some contact points not yet exposed. We can follow the trail."
Lin Tingwan nodded.
The two discussed briefly and quickly settled on a plan.
The next day, after escorting the little girl to Gazing at Immortals City, they immediately turned and flew toward a stronghold recorded in the ledger.
Three days later, a nameless mountain in the northern border.
The mountain was steep, rugged, and perpetually covered in snow. Hidden on the mountainside was a concealed cave. The entrance was shielded by an illusionary formation, undetectable to ordinary cultivators passing by.
Lin Tingwan and Zheng Xuanling stood on the clouds, looking down from above.
"This is it." Lin Tingwan stared at the seemingly ordinary cliff face, a fierce chill in her eyes. "According to the ledger, this is one of the Myriad Demons Pavilion's largest strongholds in the northern border."
Zheng Xuanling swept it with his spiritual sense and frowned slightly. "Three layers of formations, tight vigilance. Inside the cave, there are seven Foundation Establishment cultivators, two Core Formation cultivators... and many faint auras, likely imprisoned spirit cultivators."
"Can we break through by force?"
"We can." Zheng Xuanling said, "But we need to be fast. We can't let them activate the teleportation formation."
The two exchanged a glance and struck simultaneously!
Zheng Xuanling's thunder technique landed first—a silver-white bolt of lightning fell from the sky, precisely striking the illusionary formation's eye! The formation's protective barrier trembled violently, cracks spread, and within just three breaths, it shattered with a boom!
Chaos erupted inside the cave!
"Enemy attack!"
"How dare you trespass into the Myriad Demons Pavilion!"
Several streaks of light shot out from the cave, but before they could see their assailant, they were ensnared by vines as fine as strands of hair!
Lin Tingwan stood in midair, her hands forming seals as a grand formation descended. Within the cave, countless threads of vines turned into scythes of death, growing wildly. The seemingly soft vines were as sharp as blades and laced with deadly poison—
"Ah—" Cries of agony rose and fell.
Zheng Xuanling charged straight into the depths of the cave. His target was clear—the two Core Formation cultivators and the teleportation formation hidden in the deepest recesses.
Thunder exploded. Sword cries rang out like dragon roars.
Lin Tingwan sealed the perimeter, ensuring no one could escape.
Her formations had already been secretly laid out. The entire ten-li radius was enveloped. Anyone attempting to flee would be trapped by the illusionary formation, falling into an endless loop.