This female cultivator is indeed the demon cultivator from the Emotion Crossing Sect!
She is also the one who ordered the capture of the little girl!
And I am merely a subordinate under her command...
The demon cultivator let out a few low coughs, sounding even weaker, but her tone remained just as amused:
"That little girl really was a surprise, quite to my liking. But it’s a pity..."
Wang Po was scared out of her wits, frantically kowtowing, her forehead hitting the cold ground with a thud:
"Spare me, my lord! It’s that little demon girl who is too cunning, I... I will go capture her back right away!"
As Wang Po spoke, she tremblingly presented a storage bag:
"This is the storage bag of the Spirit Treasure Sect disciple, inside is the token of the Spirit Treasure Sect."
"No matter."
The female demon cultivator received the storage bag, her gaze under the hood seemingly penetrated through the temple walls, looking in the direction Xu Xinming left, "She can’t get far."
She paused, her voice suddenly turned cold:
"I am seriously injured now, incapable of taking action. You, go and bring her back to me intact. Remember, intact! If she dies..."
The demon cultivator did not continue, but the chilling intent to kill made Wang Po feel like she was in an ice cave.
"Otherwise... you know the consequences."
"Yes! Yes! I will obey!"
Wang Po didn’t dare hesitate in the slightest, scrambling to her feet and rushing out of the broken temple, pursuing in the direction Xu Xinming fled.
After Wang Po left, the demon cultivator slowly raised her head.
Revealing a face, though showing signs of age, still had traces of grace from her youth.
She looked in the direction Xu Xinming left, muttering to herself:
"Such temperament, such physique, such appearance. Truly a good candidate for cultivating the supreme secret technique of my Emotion Crossing Sect. Xu Qingjun... no, perhaps it should be Xu Xinming?"
"Interesting, if she didn’t escape. Then she is just a useless fool, perfect as a medicinal lead for healing injuries..."
"If she escapes, it might be worth taking some risks to teach her our sect’s supreme secret technique..."
The demon cultivator licked her chapped lips and let out several low, strange laughs, echoing in the hollow temple, lingering for a long time.
...
The wind and snow were still raging, like countless tiny ice blades beating the wilderness.
Wang Po hunched over, struggling to trudge through snow deeper than her knees.
Her cloudy old eyes stared intently at the intermittent, uneven footprints ahead, constantly cursing:
"Damn little wretch! Run! Let me see where you can run to!"
This silver-haired girl was truly ruthless, clearly only with first-layer Qi Cultivation, yet she managed to escape under her nose!
Not far ahead, a frail figure stumbled on.
It was Xu Xinming, whose arm was twisted, blood at the corner of her mouth.
Her face was pale, breath short and quick, each step she took left a deep imprint in the snow.
Though relying on a burst of ferocity and an unexpected escape strategy, she temporarily shook off Wang Po.
But heavily injured, spiritual power exhausted, she was at the end of her strength.
"Hehe... run, faster..."
Xu Xinming heard Wang Po’s footsteps and curses getting closer.
She suddenly turned around, a trace of madness flashing in her crimson pupils.
But more so, there was a near pathological excitement.
The chase and being chased seemed to bring her a kind of twisted pleasure.
The girl smiled eerily at Wang Po, tilting her lips.
Wang Po saw this, even more infuriated, sped up her pace once more.
The two chased and fled on this desolate snowy plain, like two struggling beasts in a deadlock.
"When I catch you, I’ll break your legs first!"
Wang Po, hardened in her heart, sped up her pace once more.
The wind and snow grew heavier, the world a vast expanse of white, visibility extremely low.
The footprints in the snow gradually became blurred, causing Wang Po to slow down and carefully discern.
Her heart was uneasy and restless, as the adult from the Emotion Crossing Sect had issued a life-threatening order!
If she couldn’t retrieve the girl, or if she died, her own fate... Wang Po dared not think too deeply, only feeling a chill surging from her tailbone to her crown.
"Rustle..."
Suddenly, from a barren tree thicket not far ahead came a slight noise.
Wang Po’s heart tightened, she immediately held her breath and stealthily approached.
She brushed aside the snow-covered dead branches, seeing a stiffened wild hare lying in the snow, with a small blood hole on its neck, the blood not yet fully congealed.
And beside the hare, were a few clear, small footprints!
"She even dared to stop and hunt?!" Wang Po was both shocked and angry.
Shocked by this girl’s temperament, being seriously injured and spiritual power exhausted, yet still having the leisure to hunt a hare for food?
Angry that this girl dared to disregard her so!
Following the new footprints, Wang Po continued, not far, she found traces again in a leeward mountain hollow.
In the mountain hollow, a small bonfire was lit, and a rabbit was roasting over it, sizzling and dripping with oil.
"We can only go this far, huh. You must be hungry... Ah, what a silly girl, it’s okay, you’ll be able to eat soon. Hmm, let Old Dog Chen feed you, alright? Spare him for now."
Xu Xinming ignored Wang Po, talking to herself, as she sat by the bonfire hugging her knees.
Her voice was uncharacteristically gentle.
The mystical basket was placed by her side.
Xu Xinming bent down, her fair, slender hand reached into the dark basket, as if searching for something inside.
In her scarlet pupils,
that slender hand pulled out a petite girl clad in a rabbit fur coat, her face streaked with tears, from the seemingly empty basket.
"What is that little rascal doing?"
Wang Po felt the hair on her whole body stand on end.
She slowly approached, her withered hands once again gathering Spiritual Light, ready to take Xu Xinming down —
"Boom!"
Suddenly, a deep thunder rumbled from the sky above!
Following that, a streak of light descended from the heavens at an incredible speed, landing directly between the two of them!
The snow surged, the air currents roared!
Once the light dissipated, two figures were revealed.
One was garbed in azure, his face was handsome, it was none other than the anxious Chen Ye!
The other was an elder with hair and beard as white as snow, and an ancient and simple appearance.
His aura was as deep as the sea, he was the Foundation Establishment Guardian of the Lingyin Sect — True Man Sun!
True Man Sun stood on a Flying Sword,
one hand gently supporting Chen Ye, the other holding an ancient bronze mirror.
The mirror’s surface was flowing with Spiritual Light, pointing directly at the disheveled Wang Po.
"The Demon-Testing Mirror has reacted, there’s... Demonic Qi lingering here!"
True Man Sun’s eyes, sharp as lightning, landed on Wang Po, his voice low.
Yet it caused Wang Po’s soul to almost leave her body!
She never expected that a Foundation Establishment True Man of the Lingyin Sect would personally come to investigate this place!
How is that possible?
Every day in the Market, so many die, so many go missing.
Why did it have to land on her?
It’s over! Everything’s over!
Could it be that Ping Zhuo had some extraordinary identity?
The next moment, Wang Po’s eyes trembled, she finally noticed Chen Ye.
So that’s why...
It was because of Chen Ye!
But he’s just a mere Loose Cultivator, how did he enlist a Foundation Establishment True Man?
Wang Po instinctively wanted to turn and run.
However, under the pressure of a Foundation Establishment True Man, her Third-Layer Qi Cultivation was like that of an ant, even moving her steps became unbelievably difficult.
"Hmph! Want to run, scum of the Demon Cultivators?"
True Man Sun sneered, not even bothering to glance at Wang Po.
With a flick of his finger, a seemingly weak Spiritual Light shot out from his fingertip.
That light seemed slow, yet contained a terrifying power, instantly catching up to the stumbling, retreating Wang Po, embedding in her back.
"Pfft..."
Wang Po couldn’t even let out a scream before her body fell limply to the ground like a rag doll.
She wasn’t dead, just completely immobilized on the ground.
Chen Ye watched the scene unfold before him, feeling no significant emotion.
His only concern now was the white-furred ball shivering in the snow.
"Qing Jun!"
Chen Ye hurriedly stepped forward, taking off his black cloak to wrap the fragile body tightly.
Cold to the touch, bone-chilling, the girl’s body was still trembling uncontrollably.
He checked Qing Jun’s arm injury, the bone was broken, the wound ghastly, causing his brow to furrow tightly.
Seemingly sensing a familiar warmth,
the girl, who had kept her eyes tightly shut, fluttered her long eyelashes a few times, slowly opening her eyes.
The clear, distinct eyes were filled with confusion, grievance,
and, upon seeing Chen Ye, a relieved dependency.
"Mas...Master..."
Her voice was hoarse and weak, with a thick nasal tone and sob.
"Qing Jun, hungry!!!"