Chapter Seventy-Eight: A Temporary Alliance

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“The Melancholy Flute and Zither of the Six Marvels. So, you really have come to deal with the heretic cultivator?” The seductive woman made no further attempt to charm; standing before the silver-haired woman, her allure seemed little more than a pale backdrop, better to withdraw and not lose face.

Combat strength: seven hundred and fifty. The unremarkable glasses that had appeared without warning calculated the silver-haired woman’s base combat power—far above the peak of Foundation Establishment, nearly at the half-step Core Formation realm.

The seductive woman’s combat strength remained at three hundred and fifty; the refined man’s was still one thousand nine hundred. Nothing had changed—after all, only a day had passed. No matter how gifted they were, it was impossible to see noticeable progress in so short a time.

“You don’t know either?” The silver-haired woman’s aura began to rise, her base combat power climbing to over eight hundred. “The young master of the Demonic Sect is truly audacious—in our Qi Qi Sect, he slaughtered at will yesterday, and today he dares remain at our rear. Does he think our sect is defenseless?”

“Today, I shall see for myself the true might of the Six Marvels. It is said that only those Foundation cultivators who can face a Core Formation cultivator head-on are worthy of the title. Yet I am already at the peak of early Core Formation, not one of those inept Core cultivators.” The refined man spoke with boldness. The Mysterious Spirit Shield had been summoned, ready for the battle to come.

Though his opponents were but two Foundation cultivators, one was uncanny, the other formidable—he dared not be careless.

“We need not fight.” At that moment, the young master of the Demonic Sect, now restrained and even a bit inexperienced in demeanor, spoke. “We all seek the same heretic outcast. Why waste our true essence here? Let us join forces to eliminate the heretic first, and only then test our skills against each other. Would that not be better?”

“You wish to follow them, to find this so-called heretic? That is why you stand in my way?” Qi’s only concern now was whether Misaka Mikoto would come to harm.

Out of concern for his companion.

“Of course. Yet I, too, wished to meet you.”

“One of the infants they carry is connected to me—I want to rescue her first.”

“That would only alert the enemy, handsome. There’s no need to worry; she won’t come to harm on the way. Once we find their lair, with the four of us together, seizing the child will be easy.”

“Even if she’s captured, nothing will happen to her for a while. But is she your daughter? You seem awfully anxious.” With that, she cast a flirtatious glance three inches below Qi’s navel.

“She’s my betrothed from childhood.” Qi’s face darkened. Why did everyone assume that? Did he look so old? But calming himself, he realized his anxiety was getting the better of him.

“Were all the disciples in the branch of my Qi Qi Sect slain by your Demonic Sect?” The silver-haired woman’s voice was ethereal, but cold.

“Oh my, that I truly do not know! I wasn’t at that battlefield. But this little handsome fellow escaped from there, the sole survivor among the cultivators, did he not? He should know best.”

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Qi’s gaze remained calm. “Ninety percent self-detonated, ten percent were killed, and there was a Demonic Sect traitor named Elder Feng.”

“I see.” The silver-haired woman responded coolly, then fell into silence.

The atmosphere grew heavy once more. Did none of them care about the heretic? The others could not tell, but Qi himself grew restless.

Narrowing his eyes, he unfurled three pairs of wings and soared ahead.

The gazes of the three others lingered on those six wings, thoughtful.

...

On a certain mountain where the spiritual energy was notably dense, there lay a hidden, sinister cave. Within, a large-headed infant sat cross-legged, its head occupying more than a third of its body.

Yet, should anyone enter this cave, their gaze would not first fall upon the large-headed infant, but upon the piles of bleached bones stacked against the left wall in the light.

These bones were tiny; even the largest was no bigger than an adult’s thumb. Among them were complete hand bones, revealing that all were primate creatures—though with nothing above the neck, it was impossible to say whether they were monkeys or something else.

But a glance to the right—

Even the bravest would find their courage fail at the sight of over a hundred fist-sized, grotesque skulls, each horrifyingly twisted. These were the heads of infants, stained with blackened blood and scraps of flesh.

Each skull bore an expression of agony and terror, a testament to the horror, helplessness, and pain of being devoured alive.

There were more than a hundred such heads; some screamed with mouths wide open, others were so contorted as to seem numb. No matter their expression, one thing was the same: their eyes, wide open in innocence, reflected the gaping, bloodied maw of the large-headed infant—the source of their enforced hatred.

These ghastly heads were embedded in the left wall, their pure, bulging eyes forever watching all who entered this stone cave.

Suddenly, the large-headed infant’s eyes snapped open. With a flick of its tiny arm, a talisman blocking the cave entrance shot inside. As the talisman reached the infant, it ignited of its own accord, and a voice—impossible to tell if it was old or young, male or female—echoed through the dreadful cavern.

When the talisman burned to ash, the large-headed infant’s mouth stretched slowly, tearing to the ear; two rows of razor-sharp teeth parted, revealing a vivid, gaping maw. “They’re coming?”

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...

The sun, the size of a millstone, was already tilting westward. On the breeze, three streams of light and a swiftly moving figure approached from the horizon.

These four were, of course, Qi, the silver-haired woman, the seductive woman, and the refined man.

The mountains here were lush and the waters clear, the spiritual energy abundant—a perfect spot for a scenic outing. Yet there was no trace of buildings or caves, and the black-robed figures had vanished without a trace.

“This is the place. The black-robed ones disappeared right here. The heretic must be nearby, hidden by a concealed formation,” the refined man spoke first.

“The Dao of formations is beyond me, I must admit. What about you, handsome, or you, Lady Xiao?” the seductive woman asked.

Qi shook his head calmly. He had only just begun his cultivation journey and had never even encountered a formation.

The silver-haired woman also shook her head. “I am equally unversed in formations.”

“Allow me, young master. I have some knowledge of such matters,” the refined man said with a faint, confident smile.

“Oh? I never knew you dabbled in formations, Mister Shang. You’ve never mentioned it before.”

“My studies are shallow, hardly worth mentioning before the young master,” he replied with modest laughter.

Qi and the silver-haired woman remained silent.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, whatever the refined man did, a concealed cave entrance slowly appeared on the mountainside. Instantly, a sinister aura swept forth, chilling the air around them.