Since she could control both Demonic Qi and Spiritual Energy, why should she have to give one up?

She didn’t want to!

Just as she had told the Mo Yang Immortal Monarch, she wanted to fuse Demonic Qi and Spiritual Energy.

And walk her own path.

Gazing at the aggressively determined eyes before it, the Demon God’s Divine Thought was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

"Hahaha, you really are just like her!"

As the Demon God’s Divine Thought laughed, a tear slipped from the corner of its eye.

"It is I who have... perhaps it’s just been too long..."

’If the Demon God herself were here, she surely would have made the same choice.’

’She would have confidently asked, "Why must I choose?"’

’"I want it all."’

The Demon God’s Divine Thought looked at Song Wanning. "I will do everything in my power to ensure your success."

"In the past, the Demon God failed to break the shackles of the Heavenly Dao. Now, I hope you can shatter all obstacles and fulfill her greatest regret!"

Although Song Wanning’s Cultivation was low, the current Heavenly Dao was a far cry from what it once was. It was truly difficult to say who would emerge victorious.

"Thank you, Senior!"

Song Wanning stood up gratefully and gave three respectful bows to the Demon God’s Divine Thought.

Straightening up, her vermilion lips parted slightly. "This junior has one more favor to ask..."

...

Bai Yang was missing.

Several elders from the Heavenly Inquiry Sect had helped search for him, but after a few sweeps, they found no trace and had no choice but to return.

Lately, the demon beasts had been even more agitated than before. It was as if they had been provoked elsewhere and were now taking their frustrations out on the cultivators.

It was utterly exhausting for everyone.

The Heavenly Inquiry Sect wanted to find him, but the situation was critical. They couldn’t let the search for a single disciple affect the big picture.

The Sect Master went to the entrance of Song Wanning’s Alchemy Room, wondering whether he should tell her the news.

However, upon asking, he learned that Song Wanning had been in seclusion, focused on Alchemy the entire time. Each day, she only had a puppet deliver the Elixir Pills she had finished refining.

Looking at the many freshly refined Elixir Pills, the Sect Master pondered for a moment before finally turning and leaving.

’Everyone needs Elixir Pills right now. I’ll be selfish just this once and hold off on telling Junior Sister Song...’

Afterward, not only did he not inform Song Wanning, but he even warned the others not to disturb her. Then, for appearance’s sake, he sent a few more people out to search for Bai Yang.

...

Ye Chuxue emerged from her Alchemy Room, wiping the sweat from her brow with a look of delight.

Although her complexion wasn’t great, her string of recent successes filled her with such a sense of accomplishment that she didn’t feel tired at all.

But when Gu Qingyuan told her Bai Yang was missing, the bottle in Ye Chuxue’s hand instantly fell to the ground.

"How could Bai Yang be missing?"

Her face was pale as she anxiously grabbed Gu Qingyuan’s sleeve. "How long has he been gone?"

Gu Qingyuan’s eyes darkened, and a wave of disappointment washed over him. ’It seems Chuxue still cares a great deal about Bai Yang.’

Suppressing his jealousy, he said, "While fighting a horde of demon beasts, Bai Yang was forced deep into the mountains by a High-level Demon Beast. We were also pinned down by demon beasts at the time and couldn’t rescue him. By the time everything calmed down and we went to look for him, he was already gone."

Although he was unhappy about the relationship between Bai Yang and Chuxue, Gu Qingyuan had never considered leaving him to die. The situation simply hadn’t allowed for a rescue, and he felt helpless about it.

Hearing this, Ye Chuxue bit her lip, an irrepressible wave of worry rising in her heart.

Even though the two of them were in the middle of a fight and giving each other the silent treatment, and she had disappointedly thought about drawing a clear line between herself and Bai Yang, the news of his disappearance sent her heart into chaos.

’I still care about Bai Yang. I like him.’

"Does Song Wanning know?"

"The Sect Master won’t let us disturb her Alchemy. Lu Nanfeng, however, has been out searching this whole time and hasn’t returned yet!"

Gu Qingyuan replied in a low voice. Everyone was perfectly clear on the Sect Master’s intentions, but no one questioned his decision. After all, their lives were valuable too. They couldn’t let the fate of Bai Yang alone jeopardize all the other disciples.

"..."

A chill ran through Ye Chuxue’s heart again as she gained a deeper understanding of the cold-heartedness of the people from the Heavenly Inquiry Sect.

...

Taking advantage of the disciples leaving the camp for another expedition, Ye Chuxue secretly slipped out. Her master had forbidden her from searching for Bai Yang. After all, the great mountains were fraught with danger, and a single moment of carelessness could lead to one’s soul being extinguished.

But she wasn’t afraid.

She was going to find Bai Yang and bring him back. She also believed in her own luck—that she could turn any misfortune into a blessing.

Ye Chuxue plunged headfirst into the mountains. At that same moment, Bai Yang, who was buried in a pile of dung, finally showed some signs of stirring.

His fingers twitched, and an indescribable stench immediately assaulted his nostrils.

He opened his eyes to complete darkness...

It took only a breath’s time for Bai Yang to realize what was happening. With a WHOOSH, he shot to his feet.

When he saw clearly that he had been lying in feces, his pupils contracted. He then wiped his face.

"BLEGH—"

Bai Yang began to vomit violently, not stopping until he was heaving up bile. Only then did he feel slightly better.

Once he calmed down, he swung his sword and sent the excrement flying, which enraged a swarm of ants that began to chase him.

He pondered as he ran, feeling that something was off.

For some reason, he seemed to have fallen into a deep slumber, completely unaware of the outside world.

But at a certain moment, his heart had suddenly started racing, and he broke free from his constraints.

In that instant, he felt as if he had lost something very important.

’What was it?’

Bai Yang furrowed his brow, taking out an Elixir Pill and swallowing it as he ran.

He was covered in wounds, and the mountains were teeming with demon beasts. He had to find a place to hide first and wait until it was a bit safer before returning to camp.

...

Time flew by.

In the Song Family’s camp, Song Qingyun frowned as he led the disciples out.

Wan Ning had previously recalled that the incident was supposed to happen in the next day or two.

He had wanted to have the disciples lay low for these two days, but unexpectedly, the beast tide still came, and everyone had no choice but to go out and face it.

"All disciples, listen up! When you encounter demon beasts later, you must not take unnecessary risks. Your own safety is the top priority!"

"Does everyone understand?"

Song Qingyun warned them again and again, afraid they would lose their heads once the fighting started.

"Understood!"

The disciples replied thunderously, their eyes filled with excitement.

These past few days, they had been raking in profits. Even when they returned to rest, their minds were filled with images of demon beast corpses.

’Let more demon beasts come!’ they thought.

Seeing their frenzied state gave Song Qingyun a major headache.

Although he had hinted to everyone that someone was plotting against the Song Family, half a month had passed peacefully, and the disciples no longer paid it much mind...

An elder had even come to ask him who exactly was trying to harm the Song Family.

They probably all thought he was just being an alarmist. But since he hadn’t managed to expose the force behind the plot, their questions left him speechless.

On top of that, he had lost contact with Wan Ning for the past two days, which made him even more uneasy.

Pushing down his unease, Song Qingyun quickly led the disciples to the battlefield.

The demon beasts today were still of low Cultivation, clamoring as they charged the defensive line.

The disciples swarmed forward, going all out against the frenzied demon beasts.

And as Nascent Soul Cultivators, they immediately engaged the Fifth-rank Demon Beasts in battle.