Conquering That Great Demon Lord [Xian Ni Fan Fiction] - Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Foundation Seizure

Zhu Xin glanced sideways. “Sister Mu Wan knows this person?”

Li Muwan quickly stepped forward to explain. “This is the elder brother who shares my cave residence. It’s all a misunderstanding.”

Hearing he was one of their own, Zhu Feng withdrew his Mystic Ice Hammer and clasped his hands. “So it’s Elder Brother Li. I’ve long admired your reputation.”

Wang Lin shifted his gaze to Li Muwan, his questioning tone thunderous. “Aren’t you returning yet?”

“Forgive my long intrusion, I must take my leave now.” Seeing the look in his eyes, Li Muwan visibly flustered as she bid farewell to the two before approaching Wang Lin on her Flying Sword.

“Senior Brother…” Li Muwan lowered her head, not daring to meet his eyes. “Why have you come?”

Wang Lin didn’t respond, simply turning his sword around to return the way he came.

He had thought something had happened to her, his heart still trembling with residual fear along the way. Seeing her acting as if nothing was wrong only angered him further.

[Soul Pearl: Fiend’s favorability decreased by 15%]

[Li Muwan: Huh? What’s wrong with the Fiend now?]

The twilight was hazy, making things difficult to see clearly. Wang Lin flew swiftly on his sword, leaving Li Muwan struggling to keep up. The jellyfish on the sea surface emitted blue light, as if containing stars within.

She pushed aside the Soul Pearl’s notification about the Fiend’s decreased favorability and couldn’t help but fly closer to the sea surface.

The school of thousands of jellyfish blinked their lights, and Li Muwan couldn’t help but marvel at the spectacular sight. Wang Lin, who had flown some distance ahead, noticed no one was following him and turned back. Seeing Li Muwan completely absorbed in watching the sea, his anger intensified.

“If you weren’t still somewhat useful, I wouldn’t care whether you lived or died.”

“What?” Li Muwan didn’t catch his words. She turned back with a smile, flying to his side and grabbing his arm. “Senior Brother, look! Don’t the lights from these Spirit Beasts resemble stars in the sky?”

“Blinking like that, they’re quite beautiful.” Her innocent, cheerful face looked up at Wang Lin’s icy expression, completely unaware of his displeasure.

Wang Lin’s gaze shifted to the arm she was almost hugging. Li Muwan waited naively for his response, but when none came, she followed his line of sight down to her tightly clinging hands.

“Senior Brother, I was momentarily overcome with joy and overstepped.” Li Muwan withdrew her hand.

“Senior Brother, have you ever seen such scenery during your previous travels?” She looked toward the glowing dots while Wang Lin’s gaze remained fixed on her profile.

Those sights were ordinary in his eyes, but the smile before him was like bathing in spring breeze, captivating one’s soul.

“Senior Brother?”

Wang Lin imperceptibly averted his eyes, speaking coldly. “No.”

Li Muwan, accustomed to this, didn’t take his attitude to heart. Her curved eyes contained the stars from the ocean depths, making one yearn for them. “Senior Brother, I’d like to watch a while longer. May I?”

“Mm.” He didn’t find the scenery particularly spectacular, but since she wanted to watch, he agreed.

The sincerity in those eyes made him unable to refuse.

The jellyfish swam across the sea surface toward the distant horizon. Li Muwan knew her limits and didn’t want to keep Wang Lin waiting too long. “Senior Brother, let’s return.”

Throughout the journey, Wang Lin remained silent while Li Muwan savored the memory of the rare sea view.

[Soul Pearl: Fiend’s favorability increased by 18%]

Only then did Li Muwan remember the earlier drop in favorability – it had returned now.

“Senior Brother, what did you say to me earlier? I didn’t hear clearly.”

“Didn’t you say you’d be right back?” Wang Lin glanced at her sideways.

Li Muwan suddenly understood – she had stayed out too long, and the Fiend had worried about her, specifically coming out to find her. “Senior Brother, were you worried about my safety and came specifically to fetch me?”

Wang Lin, his thoughts exposed but unwilling to admit it, accelerated and flew far ahead.

“No response means you admit it.” Li Muwan’s lips curved playfully upward, extremely pleased with herself.

In the cave residence, Zhu Xin and Zhu Feng were still shaken with fear.

“Zhu Xin, was that man just now the elder brother Li Muwan mentioned?”

“It should be him.”

“His Divine Sense pressure is extremely strong, making it difficult to approach,” Zhu Feng led her inside. “Li Muwan excels in Pill Crafting. Like me, he has reached the late Foundation Establishment stage. In this Sea of Demonic Cultivation, only by achieving Core Formation can one possibly survive. Li Muwan must be refining numerous Elixirs for him to assist in his Core Formation.”

“Because of me, you were punished by the sect founder, damaging your foundation and stagnating your cultivation. If you cannot achieve Foundation Establishment soon and your lifespan runs out, I won’t cling to life alone in this world.” Zhu Feng held Zhu Xin’s hand, speaking with genuine emotion.

“If we had the Foundation Establishment Pill formula and Sister Mu Wan’s assistance, my Foundation Establishment should not be a problem.”

He didn’t have the Foundation Establishment Pill formula. To achieve Foundation Establishment, sufficient Elixirs were needed. Zhu Feng’s expression turned grave; he couldn’t accomplish either. In this Sea of Demonic Cultivation, only the Foundation Stealing Art was the most brutal and direct method.

Zhu Xin didn’t have time to wait any longer.

She understood Zhu Feng’s thoughts and felt a flicker of helplessness. “Sister Mu Wan has already helped us a great deal. She is a very good person.”

“I don’t care about others, but her elder brother is no benevolent type. If we are to take action, we must plan carefully and thoroughly.” Zhu Feng’s eyes gleamed with sinister calculation.

***

When Li Muwan returned to the cave residence, Wang Lin had already entered the stone chamber. It was her fault today for forgetting the time. However, Wang Lin didn’t always return punctually even when given a specific time for his outings.

She knew Wang Lin was concerned about her safety. No matter how cold his expression, Li Muwan wouldn’t take it to heart.

“Although the Fiend has a cold face, he has a kind heart…” She gazed at the stone chamber, lost in thought for quite a while, until Xueyue came to play with her, snapping her out of her reverie.

Afterwards, Li Muwan spent several consecutive days refining pills in the cave residence, while Wang Lin never left the stone chamber. The Sound Transmission Jade Slip in her Storage Bag interrupted her just as she was about to add ingredients to the Pill Furnace.

“Miss Li, Zhu Xin is critically ill. I urgently request you come quickly.” Zhu Feng’s plea was extremely urgent. Without time to ponder, Li Muwan swiftly extinguished the Earth Fire in the Pill Furnace and rode her Flying Sword out of the cave residence.

The commotion of opening the Formation startled Wang Lin, who was meditating in the stone chamber. He had never seen her in such a frantic hurry.

A trace of golden Divine Sense followed her out of the cave residence, attaching itself to Li Muwan.

As soon as Li Muwan arrived at the cave residence, retracting her technique and landing, Zhu Feng was already standing outside, extremely anxious.

“Miss Li, you’ve finally come. Zhu Xin encountered obstacles during her cultivation, nearly losing all her cultivation. I know you excel in Pill Crafting. Is there any Elixir that can help her recover? I, Zhu Feng, will surely remember this kindness.”

Zhu Xin’s Spiritual Power was faint, surrounded by a Formation set up by Zhu Feng. Li Muwan, being quite knowledgeable about Formations, recognized it at a glance as a Spirit Gathering Array.

Li Muwan first took a Spring Return Pill from her Storage Bag and fed it to Zhu Xin. This pill could treat internal injuries and restore Spiritual Power, but it proved ineffective upon ingestion.

After a moment of contemplation, she decided to step forward to examine Zhu Xin’s condition.

But as soon as she stepped into the Formation, the original Spirit Gathering Array rapidly transformed, forming a massive vortex. Within the vortex, seven layers of Formations continuously overlapped, reinforcing the Magic Array’s power.

“This isn’t a Spirit Gathering Array,” Li Muwan suddenly realized, turning to see Zhu Feng’s cunning expression. “You…”

The powerful attractive force pulled the unprepared Li Muwan into the vortex, which contained a barrier capable of isolating space.

In the crimson space, Zhu Xin’s figure stood before her. The Spirit Gathering Array from earlier had been an illusion; the restriction now active was its true form.

As the restriction operated, several chains formed from beams of light tore through the air with roaring sounds, expanding toward Li Muwan and binding her limbs, rendering her immobile.

“Zhu Xin?” She gazed at the conscious Zhu Xin, yet her eyes held profound unfamiliarity.

Zhu Feng formed hand seals to activate the formation. “I’ve initiated the Foundation Stealing Array. Zhu Xin, proceed with the Foundation Stealing Art as I taught you, quickly.”

Li Muwan was shocked. “You two plotted against me.”

With her Spiritual Power sealed and herself trapped, she could only let Zhu Xin cast the spell. A powerful force surged into her body, violently devouring her soul.

In that moment, her bones, blood, and flesh seemed to disintegrate entirely. Pain spread throughout her body, and Li Muwan nearly lost her strength and consciousness, struggling to maintain her mental fortitude.

She was determined to understand the reason. “Zhu Xin, why are you doing this to me?Faced with Li Muwan’s questioning, Zhu Xin hesitated and halted the spell. Seeing this, Zhu Feng angrily rebuked, “Zhu Xin, what did you promise me?”

Zhu Xin wore an apologetic expression and immediately resumed the spell. “Sister Mu Wan, I’m sorry.”

“I know you are a good person, but I have no more time to wait. I was punished by the sect, damaging my foundation. I cannot achieve Foundation Establishment, and my lifespan is nearing its end. Only by using the Foundation Stealing Art can I succeed in establishing my foundation.”

“Did he force you?” Li Muwan shifted her gaze to Zhu Feng.

“I don’t want him to suffer alone in this world. Even if the Foundation Stealing Art is unorthodox and scheming for your life is unjust, he was willing to abandon the sect’s nurture and betray his masters for me. How could I abandon him and let his efforts come to nothing?”

Li Muwan was astonished. “Aren’t you afraid of destroying his Dao heart, making further cultivation progress impossible?”

Zhu Xin shed pained tears and continued the spell. “Any price is worth it.”

Another wave of force separated her bones and blood from her body, and even her Spirit Root felt as if it were being drained dry. The tearing agony was beyond description. Li Muwan’s entire form was lifted by the formation and Spiritual Power, floating mid-air.

Her peach-blossom cheeks and apricot-face turned deathly pale, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. She seemed to see her brother calling for her to return home.

On the brink of death, despair washed over her, mingled with reluctance. She had not seen her brother one last time, her senior brothers and sisters were waiting for her return, she still needed to delve into Pill Crafting, enhance her cultivationso much left undone…

She had not completed the Soul Pearl task. If she died here today, she would no longer be bound by the Soul of Life. She closed her eyes with a faint smile, awaiting death’s embrace.

In the stone chamber, Wang Lin, who was meditating with closed eyes, sensed a powerful fluctuation with his Divine Sense. With a thought, he peered through that thread of Divine Sense and saw Li Muwan trapped within a formation, spells falling upon her. Along with the nearly extracted and condensed bones and blood, it was all too familiar to Wang Lin.

“Foundation Stealing Art?”

Xu Liguo exclaimed in alarm, “Master, the little girl is in danger! She’s having her foundation stolen! What a vicious technique!”

Wang Lin’s eyes sharpened, rage evident across his features. He moved so fast he left afterimages as he exited the cave residence.

Fearing that flying on his sword would be too slow, he slapped his Storage Bag, retrieved Spirit Elixir, drank it, and accelerated further.

Meanwhile, outside the distant cave residence, Zhu Feng had previously laid formations. As he had expended most of his Spiritual Power on the spatial isolation restriction, the formations outside the cave were not particularly sturdy.

Within a quarter of an hour, Wang Lin breached them. The signal of the breach transmitted directly into his brow.

Zhu Feng grew increasingly anxious, channeling more spiritual power to accelerate the process. “Zhu Xin, hurry! We’re running out of time,” he urged.

After breaking through the formation, Wang Lin sent Xu Liguo to investigate the cave. It was empty, but his divine sense detected presences nearby.

“Come out now!” Wang Lin’s intimidating voice echoed through the cave residence. His Limit Divine Sense shattered the invisible restrictions, and as the formation took damage, the hidden scene was revealed.

Zhu Xin accelerated her soul extraction. She was mere moments away from successjust a bit more and Li Muwan would surely die. Yet as she looked upon the woman who had once helped nurse her back to health, a flicker of compassion stirred within her.

The feeling vanished in an instant. Outside the formation, Zhu Feng was exhausting himself to protect her Foundation Establishment, even as his spiritual power dwindled and blood trickled from his mouth, he persisted in maintaining the protective formation.

The restriction space shattered under the assault of Wang Lin’s small sword. When the weapon suffered spiritual backlash, it traveled back to Wang Lin himself. He spat blood but didn’t hesitate, continuing to break the formation.

“Even if you succeed in Foundation Establishment, both of you will die,” Wang Lin threatened, his flying sword gathering power as he intensified his attacks.

Xu Liguo wore a worried expression. “Master, forcing your way through the restrictions is useless! You must find the formation’s core, or people will die!”

Wang Lin cast another spell, using his divine sense to control over fifty swords that continuously assaulted the barrier formed by the restrictions.

The terrifying sounds made it impossible for Zhu Xin to concentrate. “You were prepared for this?” she demanded of Li Muwan.

Li Muwan was gradually losing consciousness. The voices she heard grew faint but familiarshe knew the fiend had come.

“Shi… shixiong…”Li Muwan’s crimson lips parted slightly as the fiend’s outline formed in her mind.” Her unfocused gaze seemed to discern the figure beyond the restrictions.

That sturdy figure blocked Zhu Feng’s attacks. After using his divine sense to completely shatter the restrictions, Wang Lin didn’t allow himself a moment’s rest.

In the next breath, his Limit Divine Sense pierced through Zhu Xin’s forehead, interrupting the Foundation Stealing Art. The extracted blood and bone pearls were forced back into Li Muwan’s body by Wang Lin, and the suspended woman fell.

“Zhu Xin!” Witnessing Zhu Xin’s instantaneous death, Zhu Feng became enveloped in rage. Like a madman, he channeled all his remaining spiritual power into the Mystic Ice Hammer. His hair crown shattered under the spiritual pressure, his loose hair flying wildly as he launched a frenzied assault at Wang Lin.

As Li Muwan was about to hit the ground, Wang Lin ignored Zhu Feng’s attack and flew to catch her, but was pushed back by the energy waves Zhu Feng released.

Wang Lin’s eyes blazed with fury he could no longer contain. “Die!”

A red flash of lightning shot from his forehead through Zhu Feng’s temple. Zhu Feng collapsed instantly, while the unconscious woman landed perfectly in Wang Lin’s outstretched arms, her limp limbs dangling helplessly.

“Wake up!” Wang Lin immediately sat in meditation, transferring spiritual power to her while retrieving several Spirit Concentration Pills from his storage bag.

As Li Muwan’s body slowly absorbed the spiritual power, she gradually regained consciousness. When she half-opened her eyes, she saw Wang Lin’s deep features contorted in concentration. Having transferred massive amounts of spiritual power and forcibly broken the formation, his divine sense was depleted, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

“Shi… shixiong…” Li Muwan’s voice was weak.

Seeing her condition improve, Wang Lin withdrew his spiritual power. Deprived of support, Li Muwan weakly pitched forward, her forehead resting against his chest.

His sword-like eyebrows furrowed more deeply, yet he didn’t pull away. Li Muwan mustered her strength to rise, only to collapse againthis time fully into his embrace.

Wang Lin’s body stiffened immediately, his arched arm tilting slightly to support her.

Their gazes met and intertwined, neither speaking a word.

Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, catching Li Muwan’s attention. She gazed at Wang Lin’s weary expression, her eyes filled with tenderness.

The fragile figure in his arms stirred a faint tremor in Wang Lin’s throat. A drop of sweat trickled down and landed on Li Muwan’s cheek, sending a tingling sensation through her. Her entire being shuddered in response.

Wang Lin noticed it all. His eyes fixed on that bead of moisture, he inexplicably raised a finger to wipe it away, lingering no longer than necessary.

The warmth from his fingertip seeped into her cheek, flushing it pink.

Feeling the subtle shift in the woman nestled against him, Wang Lin averted his gaze as though nothing had happened.

“You saved me, Senior Brother,” Li Muwan murmured softly. “How did you know I was in danger?”

Still cradled in his embrace, she could only see his profilesharp and defined, yet intimidating in its severity.

“Did you use the Death Curse Technique again?” she asked drowsily, catching the word “death” in her haze.

Wang Lin avoided the subject. “Weren’t you the one who claimed those two were kind-hearted? Yet they laid traps step by step, earning your trust only to use the Foundation Stealing Art on you?”

“The human heart is hard to fathom. I was careless in my vigilance.”

“But… they had their reasons,” Li Muwan muttered under her breath.

“Reasons?” Wang Lin let out a derisive snort. “Yeskilling to steal foundations and boost cultivation. What better reason could there be?”

Her neck had grown stiff resting in the crook of his arm. Having regained some strength, Li Muwan pushed herself up with effort.

She withdrew from his solid chest and sat facing Wang Lin, who remained cross-legged. Her eyes fell upon the two separated corpses nearby.

A lingering fear gripped her. “I was cautious and entered the formation warily, but I never imagined Zhu Feng would go so farusing his heart’s blood as a catalyst to erect that isolation barrier.”

“But Senior Brother, how did you see through his concealed space?”

“To break a barrier, one must identify its core. How did you discern it so quickly?”

Wang Lin stayed silent. He’d had no time to analyze the formation’s core. Without that strand of Divine Sense, he wouldn’t have glimpsed inside the barrier. With the Foundation Stealing Art nearing completion, his only option was to breach it by force.

Thus, the backlash from the small sword, followed by channeling Spiritual Power into her, had caused his cultivation to fall.

“A mere barrier couldn’t stop me,” Wang Lin stated tersely, unwilling to elaborate.

From within the small sword, Xu Liguo grumbled, “Bullshit! You nearly died from the backlash.”

“Weren’t you supposed to be refining pills? Why did you leave?” Wang Lin demanded in a low voice, even as he regulated his breathing.

Still weakened, Li Muwan stared absently at the wound on Zhu Xin’s foreheadleft by the intrusion of Extreme Awareness.

“Answer me,” Wang Lin pressed, his tone sharpening when she remained silent.

Li Muwan tensed her shoulders and replied haltingly, “Staying cooped up in the Cave Residence all day, refining pills with no word from you… it was stifling. Zhu Feng sent a message saying Zhu Xin’s life was at stake and asked for my help, so I went.”

She stole a cautious glance at him. Wang Lin’s expression shifted visibly, turning as piercing as glacial ice. Chilled, she turned away from his frigid gaze and mumbled, “You told me to speak, but now you’re upset because I did.”

Wang Lin heard her but chose to ignore it, closing his eyes to focus on his cultivation.

He reflected that the earlier battle had likely drawn attention from cultivators nearby. If others arrived before he recovered his cultivation, dealing with them would be troublesome. This was no place to linger.

“You sound energetic enoughyou must have recovered,” Wang Lin declared, rising to his feet. His robes swayed as he turned, leaving her with only his retreating back.

Li Muwan looked up innocently. Wang Lin had already materialized a Flying Sword beneath his feet and was preparing to leave. Growing anxious, she called out, “Senior Brother!”

Wang Lin paused. Li Muwan breathed a sigh of relief and spoke in a gentle, melodious tone, “Senior Brother…”

Only then did Wang Lin turn the sword around, raising an eyebrow as he looked down at her from his elevated position. Li Muwan seemed to catch a fleeting glimpse of smugness in his expression.

“My… my body isn’t yet capable of Flying Sword travel…” Li Muwan phrased it delicately, “I’ll have to trouble you, Senior Brother.”

“Weren’t you quite eloquent earlier?” He stood on the sword, one hand clasped behind his back.

Li Muwan thought to herself, this Fiend is truly both tsundere and vindictive. What should I do about this?