PID Chapter 110

(5/5) Extra Update ~

<(˶ᵔᵕᵔ˶)>

 

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Noticing that the turbulence in Chu Jinglan’s sea of consciousness had finally subsided, Xiao Mo breathed a sigh of relief. His efforts to transfer spiritual energy into Chu Jinglan’s sea of consciousness hadn’t been in vain.

 

Controlling a large-scale illusion was exhausting and demanding. Xiao Mo stopped playing his flute and popped two seventh-grade energy-replenishing pills into his mouth. As the pills dissolved, spiritual energy slowly replenished his dantian and meridians.

 

He sent Qiuqiu to assist Mo Zhi at the Great Perfection stage battlefield, knowing that the outcome of that battle would determine the ultimate victor. After all, whichever side’s Great Perfection cultivators prevailed would decide the fate of the conflict.

 

Even if there were unexpected changes, Chu Jinglan would undoubtedly step in to ensure victory for the human cultivators.

 

Xiao Mo wasn’t sure how things were progressing on the Great Perfection battlefield, but the Divided Spirit stage skirmish was nearing its conclusion.

 

He infused a large amount of spiritual energy into his Phantom Moon Core artifact, launching another wave of attacks on the enemies’ spiritual consciousness. Even if he couldn’t fully drag their minds into the illusionary realm for burial, any gaps in their defenses would be seized upon by other cultivators.

 

Though taxing, Xiao Mo’s mastery over Phantom Moon Core grew increasingly refined. A demon equipped with a magical artifact capable of resisting spiritual attacks had held out for quite some time but finally succumbed to Xiao Mo’s relentless assault. The moment they faltered, Xiao Mo followed up with his flute melody.

 

Amidst the hauntingly beautiful flute music, blood splattered as the demon stiffened and collapsed lifelessly—defeated within the illusion that had invaded their sea of consciousness.

 

Xiao Mo never missed an opportunity.

 

The golden chain on Xiao Mo’s wrist swayed as Chu Jinglan struck down several more enemies on his end. Though his spiritual energy radiated an intimidating presence, it remained stable and unperturbed—his state of mind clearly solid and requiring no concern from others.

 

After nearly half a day of slaughter, Xiao Mo finally released the illusionary realm. They had wiped out nearly a hundred enemies. When the illusion dissipated, scattered corpses lay strewn across the ground, blood soaking into the earth. The remaining cultivators either dragged their weary bodies or supported injured comrades as they retreated to rest.

 

The Great Perfection battlefield still raged on. Xiao Mo found a spot to meditate and recover his energy but didn’t retract the golden chain. Chu Jinglan stood silently beside him.

 

Xiao Mo bore no injuries nor bloodstains on his body. Chu Jinglan simply stood guard over him quietly. As soon as Xiao Mo finished meditating, a cultivator approached him—but Chu Jinglan’s gaze immediately snapped toward them like a vigilant wolf guarding its territory. Even the faintest disturbance seemed enough to make his pupils narrow sharply.

 

The approaching disciple froze under Chu Jinglan’s piercing gaze. However, given that everyone had just come off the battlefield drenched in blood and tension, he interpreted it as residual battle nerves and carried on with his intentions. Bowing respectfully to Xiao Mo, he said: “Thank you, Daoist friend. If not for you, I’d likely have been doomed during their self-destruction.”

 

The disciple had been too close to the explosion earlier. Without the opportunity Xiao Mo had created, he would have undoubtedly been caught in the shockwave of the self-destruction.

 

Xiao Mo responded calmly, “In battle, we’re supposed to look out for one another. It’s no trouble.”

 

His courteous reply only deepened the disciple’s gratitude. “If there’s anything I can help you with, please don’t hesitate to ask!”

 

Xiao Mo noticed the disciple’s identity token marked him as being from Yaori Sect. He did have a question in mind but felt it wasn’t appropriate to ask in front of Chu Jinglan. So he used a voice transmission: “There is something I’d like to ask. You can respond using voice transmission as well.”

 

The spiritual energy fluctuations from the voice transmission couldn’t escape Xianzun Chu Jinglan’s perception. Watching his Dao companion whispering with someone else right in front of him, Chu Jinglan cast a light yet deeply penetrating glance at Xiao Mo.

 

The gaze wasn’t heavy, but it was undeniably profound.

 

Xiao Mo had no intention of letting Chu Jinglan misunderstand. Turning to him, he said with a smile: “It’s about your gift. There aren’t many surprises left, so give me this chance to keep some suspense, alright? Hmm?”

 

With Chu Jinglan’s cultivation level, he could have easily eavesdropped on their voice transmission. But as soon as Xiao Mo said this, Chu Jinglan’s intense gaze froze momentarily. He coughed lightly and turned his face away in what appeared to be a natural motion—though there was a hint of awkwardness in his demeanor. “Hmm,” he murmured softly.

 

Xiao Mo caught the flicker of avoidance in Chu Jinglan’s eyes and couldn’t help but smile. He tugged gently on the golden chain around his wrist, slowly wrapping it around his own hand. With each loop, he controlled it so that the chain tightened ever so slightly on Chu Jinglan’s end. The sensation of the chain brushing against their skin seemed to travel straight to their hearts.

 

Through voice transmission, Xiao Mo asked the Yaori Sect disciple: “The Tianyuan Secret Realm is within Yaori Sect’s territory. Are you familiar with it?”

 

The disciple nodded. “Very familiar. I even have a map if you need it.”

 

“I already have a map,” Xiao Mo replied. “What I want to know is where I can find spiritual threads for weaving.”

 

The disciple hadn’t personally collected spiritual threads before, but some of his sectmates had. After thinking carefully, he said: “Some people have gathered them near Xuan Lake and Crimson Cliff.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

The disciple felt that merely answering one question wasn’t enough to repay Xiao Mo for saving his life. Since Xiao Mo mentioned going to the Tianyuan Secret Realm and he was heading there as well, he promised to assist Xiao Mo if they met inside the realm. Xiao Mo accepted his goodwill with a smile and expressed his gratitude.

 

More disciples came forward to thank Xiao Mo—one after another. By the time Chu Jinglan tapped his fingers lightly on his arm ten times, quite a few people had gathered around Xiao Mo. However, Xiao Mo only whispered with the Yaori Sect disciple earlier; all his other conversations were open for everyone to hear—including Chu Jinglan.

 

Some disciples sat down after expressing their thanks, using the time to heal their injuries while glancing at the distant spiritual light and energy fluctuations. “I wonder how things are going over there.”

 

The escort team for Fenxiu officially consisted of thirty people on paper, but once the ambushers revealed themselves, it became clear there were far more involved behind the scenes. Otherwise, suppressing hundreds of enemies would have been impossible. The Divided Spirit cultivators didn’t know that Xianzun Chu Jinglan was present among them; none of them felt relaxed enough to believe victory was assured yet—the tension was so high that even healing felt difficult.

 

Xiao Mo considered spreading out his spiritual consciousness to check on the situation but was stopped by Chu Jinglan, who placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

 

Through voice transmission, Chu Jinglan said: “I’ll handle it.”

 

Xiao Mo nodded in agreement.

 

Chu Jinglan’s ability to investigate the battlefield without alerting other Great Perfection cultivators made him the ideal choice for reconnaissance. Watching Chu Jinglan’s calm expression as he observed, Xiao Mo relaxed—knowing that their side must be holding an advantage.

 

By evening, the distant fluctuations and spiritual light finally subsided. A Great Perfection cultivator began approaching their group from afar. The Divided Spirit cultivators immediately raised their weapons and prepared themselves defensively.

 

Was it an enemy—or one of their own?

 

As everyone remained on high alert, the first thing to appear in their line of sight was… a bird.

 

The group froze for a moment, but someone quickly reacted: “Hong Lan Daoist friend, isn’t that your sect’s beast from Du-E Sect?”

 

On the battlefield, Qiuqiu had been a majestic and imposing Golden Flame Flowing Fire Phoenix. But as it flew back, it had already reverted to its smaller bird form. Holding its little head high and looking proud, it landed on Xiao Mo’s shoulder, ready to be praised—only to notice all the other cultivators staring at it in unison.

 

Qiuqiu blinked, then puffed up its feathers and said confidently: “Of course we won.”

 

A brief silence followed before the cultivators processed its words. Cheers erupted immediately, with some even collapsing onto the ground in relief. Finally able to relax, many found they had no strength left to move.

 

The Great Perfection cultivators arrived shortly after. Xiao Mo noticed that most of them were injured, indicating that the battle had been far from easy. However, none of them were seriously harmed, and Fenxiu was still alive—though unconscious in the prison carriage.

 

Yue Ming surveyed the surviving Divided Spirit cultivators. The casualties were better than expected, and his expression softened as he said: “Sit down where you are and begin meditating to recover. The next ambush team will arrive shortly to take over escorting Fenxiu for the second half of the journey. We’ll head to Yaori Sect to recover.”

 

Everyone immediately acknowledged the order. While some of the Great Perfection cultivators gathered nearby to discuss matters further, Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan left the group of meditating Divided Spirit cultivators and approached them.

 

Xiao Mo took out some high-quality medicine and distributed it among them. Yue Ming’s hands were still trembling as he accepted a bottle but couldn’t hold back any longer—he turned his head and spat out a mouthful of blood.

 

Xiao Mo was startled. “Are you seriously injured?”

 

“No,” Yue Ming replied stubbornly before downing the potion in one gulp. “I’m a mid-stage Great Perfection cultivator who just killed someone at peak stage—getting hurt like this is well worth it.”

 

Xiao Mo observed Yue Ming’s spirited demeanor. Though his words were tough, he didn’t seem to be forcing himself too much—so he likely wasn’t in critical condition. Meanwhile, Mo Zhi stepped forward and casually jabbed Yue Ming with a needle.

 

Yue Ming immediately spat out another mouthful of blood with a loud “wah!”

 

Mo Zhi said nonchalantly: “I’ve picked up a few useful medical techniques from Chu Xia—no need to thank me.”

 

Yue Ming couldn’t speak properly after coughing up that clot of blood, but his furious glare clearly conveyed his complaint: Couldn’t you have warned me before stabbing me?!

 

Xiao Mo shook his head helplessly. “Have all the targets been dealt with?”

 

From the moment they decided to transfer Fenxiu, the human side had prepared a list of names they hoped would appear during the ambushes. The goal was to lure these individuals out into the open. With so many Great Perfection cultivators showing up today, there had to be some on that list.

 

Since Yue Ming couldn’t speak at the moment, Jun Bushu answered: “It’s about as expected. However, for Lingxiao Sect, one particular enemy has yet to show up.”

 

Xiao Mo immediately understood: “Su Baimo.”

 

Jun Bushu nodded slightly: “Yes.”

 

Yue Ming finally recovered enough to speak again. Wiping the blood from the corner of his lips, he said, “If he missed today, it’ll be difficult to gather so many Great Perfection cultivators together to attack human cultivators again. If Su Baimo still wants to target Fenxiu, his only chance will likely be after Fenxiu is imprisoned in Yaori Sect.”

 

“We’ve already announced that once Fenxiu reaches Yaori Sect, he’ll be executed shortly afterward. If even that doesn’t draw Su Baimo out, then it’s clear that celestial demon blood holds no appeal for him.”

 

The announcement had been made two days ago, which was why they faced such a fierce counterattack today.

 

Jun Bushu sighed. “If he doesn’t show up this time, who knows when Lingxiao Sect will be able to retrieve our stolen treasure.”

 

Xiao Mo asked curiously, “Can’t you calculate where he is?”

 

Jun Bushu shook his head. “His fate is too peculiar. I’ve tried using items he left behind in Lingxiao Sect for divination, but I can’t see anything clearly.”

 

Yue Ming patted him on the shoulder. “We’ll get it back eventually.”

 

The replacement escort team soon arrived. After handing over their responsibilities, Xiao Mo and the others boarded a flying boat, significantly shortening their travel time to Yaori Sect.

 

Having just fought one of the most dangerous battles of this mission, they could finally rest and recover in a safe place. Yaori Sect had thoughtfully arranged accommodations for everyone.

 

The three members of Du-E Sect were housed close to one another. After settling Mo Zhi into his room, Xiao Mo turned to the disciple from Yaori Sect who was leading them and said, “We only need one room for the two of us.”

 

The disciple noticed that Xiao Mo had been glancing around since they arrived. While there were indeed fewer houses in this area, each room was exquisitely furnished with beautiful surroundings—clearly meant for hosting esteemed guests. There was no way Yaori Sect would neglect Du-E Sect’s people.

 

Worried that Xiao Mo might misunderstand and think there weren’t enough rooms due to the influx of visitors, the disciple quickly explained: “Daoist friend, we have plenty of rooms available—you don’t need to worry.”

 

“Oh, that’s not what I meant,” Xiao Mo said with a smile. “He and I are Dao companions—one room is enough.”

 

The disciple suddenly understood and opened the door for them with a polite gesture. “Ah, I see. In that case, please come in.”

 

After a moment’s thought, he added considerately: “The bed inside is very spacious—please rest assured.”

 

…Well, there was no need to emphasize that particular detail. If you hadn’t mentioned it, no one would have thought about it.

 

 

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1 Kofi = 1 Extra Chapter