Chapter Nine: The Tiger Leaves the Mountain

A plaintive, mournful sound echoed behind him, conjuring in Ji Feichen’s mind the image of a gentle, yet haggard beauty.

“Is this fellow’s spectral enchantment really so profound?” The thought of the identity of the person behind him sent a chill down Ji Feichen’s spine. Quietly, he circulated his spiritual power, employing the “White Bone Visualization Method” to empty his consciousness, shielding himself from illusionary arts.

One of the reasons Ji Feichen had studied the White Bone Visualization was precisely to guard against the soul-bewitching techniques of this person behind him.

As he walked further away, the voice at his ear gradually faded. Ji Feichen breathed a sigh of relief.

“Was it Senior Sister in Blue again?” With ghostlike suddenness, Xiao Ying appeared at Ji Feichen’s side. She gazed toward a distant mountaintop, where she spotted a woman in blue standing on a cliff, gazing longingly at the moon like a goddess lost in devotion. The wild wind whipped her thin garments, as if she were waiting for Ji Feichen to change his mind.

Xiao Ying gave a crystalline laugh. “She’s gone to such lengths, and you still won’t look back?”

“I have no intention of provoking her,” Ji Feichen shrugged. “Even just speaking a word to her brings a swarm of jealous rivals eager to cause trouble for me.”

Luo Qingyi was a disciple of the Azure Branch, and also the daughter of a certain elder. It was said her mother hailed from the Heart of Heaven Demon Sect, and from childhood she’d learned arts of seduction and even secret techniques of drawing on masculine essence. Her cultivation was formidable, not much inferior to Ji Feichen’s own. Yet she delighted in relying on men, insisting on beguiling male cultivators to linger at her side and command them to do her bidding, rarely acting herself.

Moreover, this woman was far from well-behaved. Many within the Nether Sect had fought over her. Even a few Human Immortals had boasted they would take her as a concubine, but nothing ever came of it.

“And what good would it do to be entangled with her? I’d rather spend my time in the pleasure quarters!” Ji Feichen added wryly.

The Nether Sect did not preach abstinence. The pressures of cultivation required release, and most chose to vent as they saw fit. Luo Qingyi was a frequent guest at the Ink Lake, often indulging there with a crowd of male disciples. Even Liang Chuming was counted among her favored companions.

“Does senior brother mean to say that our fellow sisters are inferior to the women outside?” Xiao Ying’s eyes sparkled playfully, never leaving Ji Feichen’s face.

Ji Feichen couldn’t be bothered to reply.

Xiao Ying lingered at Ji Feichen’s side, casting a glance into the distance, then sidled closer as if by accident. “If the others do not suit you, your little sister is more than willing to serve you.”

“You?” Ji Feichen sniffed dismissively. “You cultivate the ‘Divine Moon Sutra’—you must remain a virgin. Would you dare break your vows with me? If you do so before reaching the Human Immortal realm, you’ll never glimpse the ultimate Dao in this life.”

The White Moon Branch worshipped the moon, but unlike the Mystical Sect, which revered the lunar essence and condensed moonlight, their adoration was for the Nether Moon of the Underworld. They believed that on nights of lunar eclipse, when heaven and earth are shrouded in darkness, a black moon rises, illuminating the netherworld—a moon for the dead, symbol of extreme yin and evil.

“All right, enough jest. Why aren’t you cultivating? What brings you to me?”

“Is senior brother going out for the Demon Fox of Black Moon Cave?” Xiao Ying flipped her hand, revealing a cage identical to Ji Feichen’s, along with the same talisman as he carried.

“Oh? You too?”

“Do you know what’s been happening in the sect lately?” Xiao Ying fell in step with him as they left, walking side by side.

Ji Feichen shook his head. “No idea. What about you?”

“I heard the demon fox in Black Moon Cave has cultivated for eight hundred years and practices the Heart-Moon Fox Dao.”

Ji Feichen’s brows rose, catching the implication. “The Heart-Moon Fox is one of the Seven Eastern Constellations. Its Dao, along with the Nine-Tailed Fox Dao, are the two great fox arts. The latter cultivates the tail, gaining nine and ascending to the heavens; the former refines the heart to commune with yin and yang, becoming immortal. The heart of the Heart-Moon Fox absorbs lunar essence, yet as the heart belongs to fire, it is pure yang in nature—thus, it is yang within yin, a peerless material for alchemy and forging.”

Formulas flashed through Ji Feichen’s mind. “If anyone in the Nether Sect needed the Heart-Moon Fox for cultivation, it would be the Azure, Black, and your own White Branch.”

The worship of the Heart-Moon Fox was linked to the White Branch. The yang within yin suited the Azure Branch’s ghostly phosphorescent fires. The Black Branch required the fox’s heart-blood to transform their own chilly internal energy.

Ji Feichen’s expression grew guarded, subtly widening the distance between himself and his companion.

Xiao Ying gave a wry smile. “No need for such caution, senior brother. It’s precisely because of your Black Branch that the other factions are getting involved.”

Ji Feichen had been immersed in thunder arts lately and hadn’t kept up with sect affairs. He raised an eyebrow for her to continue.

“Since ancient times, a mountain cannot hold two tigers. Uncle Blackpool of the Black Branch is preparing to refine the ‘Xuanming Seven Orifice Pill’ to ascend to the Earthly Immortal realm. Do you think your Black Branch supports him or not?”

Ji Feichen immediately saw the heart of the matter.

Celestial Immortals were nearly unheard of on the continent; Earthly Immortals were already the pillars of every great sect. One more meant a significant increase in power. On the surface, this was all for the good.

But for individuals?

If the Black Branch produced another Earthly Immortal, what would become of his relationship with the Lord of Kanming Hall? The Black Branch had only one secret realm—would it be split in two? Even among master and disciple, the demonic path bred endless strife.

After all, the demonic sects revered strength, not the rigid bonds of the orthodox. If Blackpool ascended, he would surely wrest control of Kanming Hall, plunging the Black Branch into internal conflict.

Moreover, Blackpool was a big fish raised by Ji Feichen’s own grandmaster, meant to be harvested as capital for his own ascent to Celestial Immortal. If the fish leapt ashore and “became a dragon,” stealing half that power, would the old hall master simply accept it?

In public, none dared openly impede him, but in secret, of course, they would set obstacles.

“Undercurrents run deep among the five branches; Blackpool’s ascension affects all interests.”

Some wanted him to succeed, to disrupt the Black Branch’s balance. Others preferred the status quo for stability.

Ji Feichen pondered the game behind the sect. “Our Nether Sect has seven Earthly Immortals—two in the leadership, plus the Scarlet Branch as one faction. The Yellow Branch cultivates sand, the Azure Branch fire; these two have always opposed us in Kanming Hall.”

It all came down to interests.

Both the Yellow and Kanming Halls competed for the same spiritual herbs needed for refining venomous sand. The Azure and Black Branches clashed due to the poor relations between their respective Earthly Immortal hall lords. With a chance to trouble Kanming, the Azure Branch would not miss it.

“So, every branch will send people?” Ji Feichen’s face changed. He quickly pulled Xiao Ying along to hurry their journey.

As the two left the Nether Sect, Luo Qingyi withdrew her power, her gaze flashing with cold light. Among the new disciples, Ji Feichen was one of the few who did not entangle himself with her. He had even specifically learned the White Bone Visualization to defend against her!

“To cast me aside like mud—does he think I care so much for him?” Luo Qingyi fumed inwardly, but Ji Feichen’s methods were not weak, so she dared not confront him directly.

“With his cunning, he’ll definitely muddy the waters between the Azure and Black Branches.”

Thus, Luo Qingyi held back. She doubted she could best Ji Feichen anyway.

“But I need to absorb a male cultivator’s essence to ascend to Human Immortal. If not Ji Feichen…” She considered the other disciples, but they too were not to be trifled with, equally indifferent to her charms.

Just then, someone approached the cliff, concerned at the sight of Luo Qingyi’s “pitiful” figure. “Why are you here alone, junior sister?”

“It’s nothing.” Luo Qingyi glanced, seemingly unintentionally, at the retreating Ji Feichen and his companion. The newcomer felt a pang of jealousy.

Luo Qingyi’s mother, from the Heart of Heaven Demon Sect, had mastered subtle demonic arts. During intimacy, she’d plant a demonic seed, ensnaring the partner’s will.

Only a few disciples saw through the danger and kept their distance, refusing to become her cauldron and fall under her control. With her father’s status, she caused endless trouble in the sect, and none dared stop her.

With only the faintest hint of provocation—without a word—she’d already incited jealousy against Ji Feichen.

The newcomer’s eyes flashed with inspiration. “I hear the Black Branch is in turmoil. Ji Feichen must be out for that.”

Luo Qingyi’s eyes brightened, an idea forming. With her wide-reaching network of informants, she immediately guessed Ji Feichen’s intentions.

“I haven’t left the sect in a while; why not use this chance to see for myself?” Restless, she set off with her companion in tow.

…

The Southern Wilds, famed as the Land of a Hundred Thousand Mountains, was a region of towering peaks and perilous rivers, often shrouded in miasma.

Tigerleave Mountain, where the Black Moon Cave was located, lay deep within these wilds—outside the Nether Sect’s territory. Thus, Ji Feichen and Xiao Ying moved with caution at the mountain’s base.

“We’re inside the Black Saint Sect’s territory now,” Xiao Ying whispered as she scanned the surroundings. Seeing no trace of the sect’s disciples, she relaxed a little.

Ji Feichen could only smile wryly to himself; lately, he’d been dealing with disciples from the ten great demonic sects one after another—Six-Armed Demon God Sect, Heart of Heaven Demon Sect, Pure White Lotus Sect, Radiant Sun Demon Cult, and now even the Black Saint Sect.

The Black Saint Sect was famed for its sinister, venomous curses—a most secretive of the original ten, sharing roots with the Six-Armed Demon God Sect. Both worshipped an ancient demon god; after its fall, the sect split, forming the curse-focused Black Saint Sect and the body-refining Six-Armed Demon God Sect.

“The Black Saint Sect’s poison curses are deadly—if even a trace touches us, there’s no escape.” Ji Feichen gripped his Demon Dragon Mace, flicking it lightly; the mace transformed into a dragon, coiling around him protectively.

At the sight, Xiao Ying summoned a luminous moonlight, jade discs circling her in the air.

The two cast spells, surveying the mountain.

Tigerleave Mountain was steep and jagged, its slopes littered with bizarre rocks. Black streams flowed through ravines, rising in toxic mist that wreathed the peaks. Among the crags, countless bones lay scattered, insects and snakes slithering between them, eyes fixed on the intruders.

“Tigerleave—Foxleave. The fox borrows the tiger’s might,” Ji Feichen chuckled. “This demon fox has a talent for names.”

“Or perhaps ‘Tigerleave’ means the tiger is gone, leaving the mountain masterless for the fox to take over?” Xiao Ying replied with a sultry smile. “You say the fox is clever, but I think it’s just a guilty beast.”

Jesting, the two circled the mountain and returned to their starting point.

There was no sign of human habitation or large predators—only layers of illusory mists rising from the black waters below.

“This water has been carefully prepared with poison,” Ji Feichen noted gravely, his expertise clear. “Eighteen streams of venom encircle the mountain in a winding pattern. Sunlight on the poison creates mist that shrouds the summit. Any ordinary creature wandering in would be doomed.”

The bones scattered in the mountain were proof enough.

“In these barren lands, there may be few beasts, but venomous creatures abound,” Xiao Ying remarked, holding a crimson snake whose venom was deadly. One snake was nothing to her, but the hills teemed with them—caution was advised.

After some discussion, seeing the sunset’s crimson glow and the day waning, Ji Feichen suggested, “It’s getting late. Let’s rest and try again tomorrow.”

Night brought the bright moon overhead—the Heart-Moon Fox’s domain. Ji Feichen had no wish to be ambushed in the darkness, where the fox’s powers were at their peak.

Though Xiao Ying’s Divine Moon Sutra worshipped the moon, her cultivation’s focus was the Nether Moon, not the bright one, so she agreed. The two found a safe spot to weather the night.