Thinking back to last night, her tone had already softened, but that demoness still groped her all over. In the first half of the night, she was somewhat mindful of boundaries, but in the latter half, she simply didn't care where her hands wandered...
At this thought, her beautiful face turned fierce, her gaze icy. The low-level Vicious Beasts before her, controlled by Evil Qi and turned bloodthirsty and savage, seemed to become Incarnations of that demoness. She cut them down one by one with her sword, step by step, her skirt hem stained with blood, the blood flowing into a trickling stream.
This made the Cultivators following the Saintess behind her couldn't help but sigh in admiration: 'The Tianchi Saintess truly hates evil as much as she hates her enemies!'
"Whoosh!" The Sword Qi slashed rapidly. "Boom!" A sound echoed as the massive rock directly ahead split open, the thick accumulated snow was cleaved in two, and the robust Vicious Wolf was directly beheaded. The wolf's head tumbled down the slope, rolling until it hit the root of a pine tree before stopping.
The wolf pack, losing their will to fight, cautiously retreated step by step in the face of Ji Shengyao's relentless advance. Whimpering sounds rose one after another in the pitch-black forest.
As the Tianchi Saintess, Ji Shengyao naturally couldn't feel pity for Vicious Beasts—creatures devoid of spiritual intelligence, driven only by bloodlust.
She raised the Azure Lotus Divine Sword high. The surrounding spiritual energy seemed summoned, rapidly gathering on the blade. The Divine Sword grew brighter and brighter, its golden radiance even becoming another sun in the night.
The powerful spiritual energy fluctuations were so intense that even the Cultivators behind her couldn't help but retreat, fearing they'd need to avoid its Sharpness if this sword strike landed. A Half-Step Golden Core would likely have to steer clear. Pity the wind-up is so long.
Spiritual energy accumulated until Ji Shengyao's entire body was bathed in golden light. She brought the raised Divine Sword down heavily: 'It's time to end this!'
The Divine Sword formed a giant Golden Sword dozens of meters long, crashing toward the ground. Trees snapped instantly, rocks shattered in the blink of an eye. The surrounding Vicious Beasts were struck by the powerful energy shockwave, instantly exploding into clouds of blood mist.
Where the Golden Sword descended formed a trench nearly a meter deep. After the Golden Sword shattered, a five-meter-high golden wall rose from the trench.
Ji Shengyao couldn't help but wonder inwardly: 'If I had struck with this sword yesterday at dawn, I wonder if that demoness could have withstood it?'
But I must play it safe. If I fail, I'll be publicly bound and whipped. I'd rather have a quick death than that!
She still decided that the best plan was to flee. After all, this move has a long wind-up and requires standing still to output. A true Half-Step Golden Core would probably have seized her long before she finished charging.
"Thanks to the Saintess, the villagers of the mining village have been spared disaster!"
These low-level Cultivators, who had been providing peripheral support, all wore fawning expressions: "To have the honor of meeting the Saintess here is truly our good fortune!"
After all, many among their group were Disciples from third-rate Sects. This peerlessly beautiful Tianchi Saintess, though her current Realm was not high, had boundless prospects.
For Disciples of a Holy Land, talent is sometimes more important than current strength. This new Tianchi Saintess possessed a Saintly Body and an Unblemished Heart. Not only was her Cultivation speed extremely fast, but she even had the bone structure to potentially impact the Quasi-Emperor Realm. Naturally, the Holy Land would provide her with the Cultivation resources of a Saintess.
Seeing the crisis had been resolved, the villagers inside the village, holding torches, knelt on the snowy ground. In this world where strength reigns supreme, ordinary people have no dignity before these Cultivators. They thanked in unison: "Thank you, Saintess, and all you Immortal Elders!"
Ji Shengyao manipulated a gentle force, lifting them from a distance: "It was a mere effort, not worthy of your bows of gratitude."
Just as everyone thought everything had settled, a "thump-thump" vibration sounded from the hillside. A giant tiger king, with a build like an elephant, stood upon the slope.
A tiger's roar, deafening, faintly revealed the aura of a Half-Step Golden Core. These Cultivators with low Cultivation, even using spiritual energy to block their ears, swayed unsteadily, blood seeping from the corners of their mouths.
Those ordinary people who were slightly farther away were so frightened they collapsed to the ground, their eyes filled with terror: "Save... save us."
Ji Shengyao tightly gripped her sword hilt. She turned to glance at the inn's backyard. That demoness and this tiger demon were both Half-Step Golden Core. She treats me as her personal Cauldron, she can't just stand by and watch me die. Once she fights the tiger demon... if she gets into a tough battle to save me, I can't just abandon her, can I?
Her mind was in turmoil, but her voice remained steady: "Everyone, don't panic. Let's join forces to kill it!"
As soon as the words fell, the tiger demon pounced directly at the nearest low-level Cultivators. Under the pressure of its Realm, these Cultivators' hands holding their swords even began to tremble. With this swipe of the tiger demon's claws, at least three or four people were torn apart.
At that moment, a sword, entirely silver, suddenly descended from the sky. This sword, with unerring accuracy and force like a meteor falling, smashed directly onto the tiger demon's body.
Boom!
Where the silver sword landed formed a circular crater. A pillar of light shot straight into the sky, even dyeing the clouds golden.
The tiger demon instantly turned to ashes. A differently colored inner core flashed once and then disappeared without a trace, its whereabouts unknown.
"She's not Half-Step Golden Core, but..." Ji Shengyao's heart pounded wildly. She finally realized that demoness wasn't Half-Step Golden Core. Such power couldn't be achieved even by a Golden Core.
She thought again of the power of the Azure Lotus Divine Sword. Perhaps this silver sword was also extraordinary. But even so, that demoness was at least at the fifth layer of Golden Core or above.
"Then can I still escape?!"
Her left and right brains wrestled, forming two figures, one black, one white. The black figure thought she should obediently go back and put on the shackles: "You can't escape on your own strength. Not only will you be punished by the demoness, but you'll also alert her. Escaping next time will be even harder."
The white figure advocated escape: "You have various Medicinal Pills and Talismans given by your Master and the Sect Master. If you don't mind temporarily damaging your Foundation, take them. Can't you shake off a mere Golden Core then?!"
"Don't forget, she has a Magic Treasure that allows instant teleportation!"
"If you don't even dare to try, what right do you have to be the Tianchi Saintess? You might as well go do odd jobs in the Sect!"
Ji Shengyao looked at the pitch-black road leading into the distance, then at the brightly lit path leading back to the village. She gritted her pearly teeth, her eyes gradually losing focus.
In the end, like a frostbitten eggplant, a defeated dog, under the puzzled gazes of everyone, she took small, cat-like steps toward the inn's inner courtyard.
Seeing her figure, the demoness was even somewhat surprised: "Strange, why didn't you run?"
"Doesn't that suit your wishes?" Ji Shengyao worried the demoness might cause trouble, slaughtering all the villagers, and also feared being publicly humiliated herself. So, she took a deep breath and actively extended both hands toward the demoness: "Bad woman, put the handcuffs on me..."
She's actually disappointed I didn't run. Does she really want to whip me that much...
Unexpectedly, Wang Li extended a hand. In her palm appeared a golden mark, densely inscribed with characters formed of spiritual energy. Ji Shengyao knew this was a Heavenly Dao contract. Looking closely, it was actually a cauldron contract!
Her mind exploded with a 'boom'. How did this day come so quickly?
This was a contract acknowledged by the Heavenly Dao. Only someone far superior to the one who established it could forcibly dissolve it. If she was at the Golden Core Realm, then even her Master might not have the strength. If her strength was at the Nascent Soul Realm, then only her Ancestral Grandmother could forcibly break it. The worst outcome would require her to recuperate for a full five years, unable to circulate spiritual energy.
Looking again, this contract was exceptionally overbearing. It could actually control her thoughts, Soul, body... even control her desires.
Not only could it remotely locate her, but it could also manipulate her spiritual sea, arbitrarily pausing or operating the spiritual energy within her. Even a puppet on strings didn't have this level of control!
Wang Li still had a follow-up plan for those who came willingly, not afraid Ji Shengyao wouldn't sign! She heard that after signing a cauldron contract, a pink mark would appear on the waist. She'd have to take a good look then.