Chapter 25: The Azurewater Pearl’s Secret and a Familiar Name

“Little demon, the Mountain God’s condition is deteriorating rapidly. Her periods of slumber are growing longer and longer. If we don’t find a way to suppress it soon, the Mountain God might never awaken.”

“How could this be…?”

‘This is Cloudfall Mountain?’

‘This must be Long Zhi, nearing adulthood. Her growth seems to have progressed significantly since I first fell into slumber.’

Bai Jiujiu hovered in mid-air, a slight frown marring her features. For some inexplicable reason, the lower half of her body had transformed into a small, curving tail, making her entire being resemble a drifting specter.

She recalled the vengeful spirits that had just entered her body, wreaking havoc on her mind and flesh.

Yet, Bai Jiujiu had long grown accustomed to such intensity.

In the past, when she guided her five mischievous disciples, each of them had secretly mastered various heretical and morally corrupt demonic arts behind her back. These included brainwashing, altering common knowledge, hypnosis, implanting suggestions, and even modifying physical bodies.

Naturally, Bai Jiujiu became their favorite target for practice.

Consequently, when it came to soul control and maintaining her sense of self, Bai Jiujiu possessed a wealth of experience, enough to make her want to vomit blood.

Moreover, though Bai Jiujiu didn’t practice demonic arts, she was still a formidable overlord of the Eight Thousand Realms, possessing genuine cultivation. It wasn’t so easy for vengeful spirits to commandeer her body.

Not to mention, the Azurewater Pearl, which suppressed negative states, resided within her body. This very pearl was revered as a national treasure by the powerful Great Chu Empire, which boasted countless magical artifacts and cultivators.

This was precisely why she had boldly allowed the vengeful spirits to enter her body. Her objective was clear.

Through these spirits, she intended to access Long Zhi’s memories, to understand what had transpired during her two centuries of slumber, and to discover the deeds of her troublesome disciples.

“Is there any way to awaken Her Majesty?”

“What you must do is diligently refine the souls within your body. Transform your physical form into a cauldron as soon as possible, and from it, extract the Black Soul Elixir. This is the sole key to Bai Jiujiu’s awakening.”

Long Zhi appeared to be conversing with someone. The other party seemed to be a woman of similar height, but her face was inexplicably blurry, making it impossible to discern her features.

Crucially, this woman was not a demon; she was a human.

Bai Jiujiu’s frown deepened. ‘When did a human appear on my Cloudfall Mountain? It’s one thing for the patrolling imps to miss her, but why didn’t Su Ling’er report this to me?’

It was true that at the time, Su Ling’er was her only disciple on the mountain, and she was merely a three-tailed fox, her strength not particularly formidable.

But this was a human female! A woman!

Given Su Ling’er’s sense of smell, comparable to a dog’s, coupled with her unique innate talent that amplified her scent detection for female creatures a thousandfold, the little fox would undoubtedly appear the moment a strange woman showed up on the mountain.

‘And from their conversation, was it the Black Soul Elixir that those vengeful spirits made me swallow earlier?’

‘Was this woman behind it?’

Bai Jiujiu’s expression turned grim. She had never imagined that while she slept, a human would be so audacious as to deceive the little demons on her mountain.

‘What in the world was Su Ling’er doing?!’

“Jiu’er, is what you say truly real?”

Speak of the devil, and she shall appear. No sooner had Bai Jiujiu thought of Su Ling’er than the latter materialized before the human and the demon.

‘This woman, her name is Jiu’er?’

‘Such a familiar name. I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere before.’

Jiu’er turned, unhooked a wine gourd from her waist, and, with her back to Bai Jiujiu, tilted her head back to take a deep swig.

An unusual, rhomboid red gem was embedded in the wine gourd, quite a rare sight.

She truly lived up to her name, Jiu’er, a woman who genuinely loved wine.

From Su Ling’er’s recent question, it seemed the two knew each other, but certainly weren’t close.

Otherwise, Su Ling’er wouldn’t have used such a hesitant tone. Typically, Su Ling’er only adopted an arrogant and overbearing demeanor when dealing with enemies or family.

Towards strangers, Su Ling’er would always appear this way.

Based on information Bai Jiujiu once acquired in exchange for a recently discarded undergarment, Su Ling’er’s mother was ostracized by her clan from a young age due to her bloodline. Later, while pregnant with Su Ling’er, she fled to Cloudfall Mountain.

Under Bai Jiujiu’s unwavering resolve to nurture a considerate little fox demon, Su Ling’er successfully transformed into a foul-mouthed imp.

‘Truly, I ruined another one back then…’

“There’s no rush now. You’ll need to cultivate to six tails, and we’ll also have to wait for the Great Chu Empire’s imperial great-grandson to ascend the throne. That will be the optimal time for our move.”

“I asked if the Azurewater Pearl can truly awaken my master from her perpetual slumber.”

“Of course, it can. This Azurewater Pearl descended from the shattered firmament alongside a meteor during the Calamity of the Heavens eight thousand years ago. It is the purest and clearest substance in the world, capable not only of purifying all impurities and defilement but also of expunging the seven emotions and six desires, leaving one utterly detached and with an empty soul.”

“Those with impure hearts cannot even see it, let alone use it.”

“It was originally wielded by Kuanling Tianzun, one of the Eight Immortals. Six millennia ago, during the Immortal-Demon War, Kuanling Tianzun inexplicably perished, and the Azurewater Pearl fell into the hands of a young beggar. With the pearl, the beggar cleansed the evil thoughts of those around him and purified the lingering malevolent spirits from magical artifacts. Step by step, he unified the south, establishing the now majestic Great Chu Empire, and the Azurewater Pearl was enshrined as a national treasure. Unfortunately, once he ascended the throne, he could no longer perceive the Azurewater Pearl. It was left on a shelf, and the ability to see it became the standard for selecting a crown prince. Alas, the Great Chu Empire has almost completely forgotten this rule now.”

Bai Jiujiu felt as though she had just heard many astonishing revelations.

‘That little fox cub, Su Ling’er, knew all this and never told me!’

This was the first time Bai Jiujiu had learned the origin of the Azurewater Pearl within her body. It also explained why the current Great Chu Empire was expending such vast resources to place bounties on her and Su Ling’er.

She felt increasingly certain that coming into Long Zhi’s memories had been the correct decision.

“We are demons. How can you guarantee that we can retrieve this Azurewater Pearl, and how can you ensure it will be effective for Master? Most importantly, why should we trust you?”

“Rest assured, Bai Jiujiu will certainly be recognized by the Azurewater Pearl. Having single-handedly guarded Cloudfall Mountain for a thousand years, she has long been acknowledged by the living beings within the mountain. How could she not be recognized by the Azurewater Pearl?”

Jiu’er lifted her left hand to pull open her outer robe, her right hand still clutching the wine gourd. From her waist, she took out a wrist guard and a small porcelain bottle, tossing them to Su Ling’er.

“And to retrieve the Azurewater Pearl… here, these are the Myriad Bloom Hand and the Pseudohuman Pill. They allow you to take objects from the void without leaving any trace. Unfortunately, these are mere replicas from your fourth senior sister; with my current strength, I cannot make the genuine articles submit to me, but they are sufficient for retrieving the Azurewater Pearl. The Pseudohuman Pill will allow you to disguise your aura as a human for one hour, during which you can also use human magical artifacts.”

Su Ling’er caught the two items, looking at Jiu’er with a hint of suspicion.

When it concerned Bai Jiujiu, she couldn’t be careless.

“If it’s truly that simple, why didn’t you seek out my senior sisters?”

Since the other party understood her and her master so well, why entrust the task of saving her master’s lifelong happiness to her?

Su Ling’er didn’t believe that the other party would be unaware of her four senior sisters.

“Oh, them? I met them a long, long time ago. Although it seems I wasn’t the one who actually met them, the one who inherited the memories knows this: they tried very hard, both to conceal Bai Jiujiu’s true identity and to change her fate.”

“Truly a touching bond between master and disciples…”

“What is your name?”

Faced with Su Ling’er’s sudden interruption, Jiu’er showed no annoyance. Instead, the corners of her lips curled into a slight, confident smile.

“My name is Jiu’er. If you want the full name, it should be…”

“Bai Jiu’er~”