Chapter 31: Dream of the Demon Lord

The crimson-gold net tightened sharply under Yu Xiu’s grip, snapping shut with lethal force.
A violent explosion thundered through the cellar.
Every barrel detonated, not a single splinter escaping her snare.
From the force of the blast, Yu Xiu gauged it equal to a late-Foundation-Establishment cultivator’s strike.

Compared to the previous area—only early-Foundation in strength—the wine cellar’s difficulty had clearly risen.
Her spiritual power carried both metal and fire attributes. The liquid inside those barrels was no ordinary wine; nothing else could have unleashed such destruction.

Retracting the crimson-gold net, Yu Xiu turned back. Only scattered shards of wood and a fading puddle of wine remained.
After a moment’s thought, she deduced that Huangfu Hanrui must have faced the same assault earlier. The girl had resisted the most dangerous wave, but the lingering wine vapor had overwhelmed her, leaving her drunk and unconscious.

Yu Xiu produced a top-grade Mind-Clearing Pill. Within moments it took effect, and Huangfu Hanrui stirred in her arms.

“Da… D–Senior Sister?”
Her face was still flushed, her gaze hazy, her voice barely a murmur. “You… you’re here…?”

Yu Xiu curved her right index finger and rapped twice on the girl’s brow—a light but pointed reprimand.
“All those top-grade spiritual artifacts you carry, and you don’t think to use them?”

As the Sect Master’s only daughter, Hanrui’s storage pouch overflowed with treasures most cultivators never glimpsed in a lifetime. With such resources she should have handled a place like this with ease.
But clearly, panic had scattered her wits.

Fortunately, the Sect Master had certified this secret realm as free of life-threatening danger. Hanrui had escaped with nothing worse than disgrace.

“Eh…?” Hanrui’s eyes grew even hazier. “Spirit artifacts? Where are the artifact spirits…? Artifact spirits are so rare… I want to see…”

Yu Xiu: …
She really was thoroughly drunk.

Since conversation was pointless, Yu Xiu shifted Hanrui’s arm over her own shoulder and lifted her forward.
The difference in their heights was stark; Hanrui’s petite frame dangled, feet off the ground—practically carried.
The position was awkward, but carrying her on the back or in her arms felt too intimate. Yu Xiu disliked unnecessary contact, so this compromise would suffice.

Beyond the barrels’ sporadic assaults, the wine cellar held no further threats. Its main trial had been the explosive strength of the casks—late-Foundation level. For Yu Xiu, that posed little challenge.

After some searching she found another stone gate, identical to the one at the end of the previous cave.
Hanrui slept soundly, head lolling with each step. Carrying her through the gate was out of the question; the realm would likely separate them again. Yu Xiu couldn’t risk leaving her unconscious in unknown danger.

She set Hanrui down by the wall, far from the barrels, and kept watch.

“Fortunate indeed,” the Silver Sand Sword spoke, half-mocking, half-derisive. “Such a useless girl, yet even she stumbles into a savior and escapes disaster.”

It was clearly referring to Hanrui.
Yu Xiu didn’t respond, though a trace of concern flickered in her eyes. Hanrui had rarely ventured beyond the sect. Young and with shallow cultivation, this was her first mission since forming her Foundation—and already she had proven unreliable.

Yu Xiu’s thoughts drifted briefly to Bu Xiwei.
The Supreme Demon Lord had returned from rebirth—surely she knew what future awaited Huangfu Hanrui. Surely… the girl will improve with time?

Where is Bu Xiwei now?
When she fled the Five Elements Sect, she was in the throes of qi deviation. In the Five Elements Immortal Domain, the Demon Lord often suffered such bouts of madness. Is she faring any better now?

Yu Xiu kept her vigil for a long while, feeding Hanrui another Mind-Clearing Pill as she waited.
Eventually the girl stirred awake. Realizing her predicament, Hanrui scratched her head and offered an embarrassed smile.

“Hehe… Senior Sister, I’m sorry! Really, really sorry! I’ll be more careful from now on, I promise!”

There was no way forward except through the next trial.
Yu Xiu patiently instructed Hanrui on how to use her resources properly should danger arise again. Once certain the lesson had taken, she rose to continue.

Hanrui instinctively clutched Yu Xiu’s sleeve as they stepped through the stone gate together.
But when the spatial shift ended, Yu Xiu was alone. Hanrui’s presence had vanished.

A bleak graveyard stretched before her.
The sky lay smothered beneath a gray-black shroud, heavy and oppressive.
The ground was littered with crude, chaotic burial mounds.
Cold winds howled ceaselessly, sometimes whipping up soil in spiraling gusts.

Yu Xiu’s brows knit faintly.
If the wine cellar required at least a mid-Foundation cultivator to pass, what level of danger did this graveyard hold?

“…Miss Yu Xiu?!”

A voice—surprised yet delighted—came from behind her.
Yu Xiu turned at once.

Zuo Chi stood there.
He had clearly been in this sector for some time. His once-neat appearance was now disheveled: hair tousled, robes torn and dusty, the marks of repeated battles obvious.

Recognizing him, Yu Xiu sighed inwardly.
Among the four companions, the pairing she least wished for was Zuo Chi alone.

The reason was simple: Zuo Chi harbored feelings for her.
Though he had never confessed, he had never truly hidden it. Every time their paths crossed, the affection in his eyes was plain.

They had first met after Yu Xiu established her Foundation and became Master Chiyang’s personal disciple. She was twelve, he thirteen—just brushing the edge of childhood companionship.
From years of observation, Yu Xiu knew well: were it not for her cultivation of the Path of Emotionlessness, Zuo Chi would have spoken his heart.

Just as she disliked excessive physical contact, Yu Xiu disfavored overly close emotional entanglements. She preferred bonds like hers with Jiang Hanxing—clear, restrained, steady as still water.
But Zuo Chi’s feelings for her ran far deeper.

When she recognized his attachment years ago, she deliberately created distance. He had not forced the issue. After two years in seclusion, she assumed his feelings would have faded.

Yet on the river barge, when their eyes met again, the joy blazing in his gaze told her otherwise.