Chapter Thirty-Five: You Know, I Know, He Knows

The female immortal spoke lightly, but to overturn the Pillar of Water and Fire and then plunge once more into the depths to rescue others—how could such a feat be easily accomplished?

The Pillar of Water and Fire, also known as the “Twofold Elemental Pillar of Heaven,” is formed by gathering the primordial energies of yin and yang, condensing water and fire. It is a method by which one earth immortal suppresses another. Under its force, even the drought demoness has no power to escape, let alone Ji Feichen and Tu Shan, mere juniors.

A fruitless night passed. The next day, as Ji Feichen brushed past Tu Shan, he passed the Heaven-Sealing Talisman to her. In turn, Tu Shan gave him another treasure to conceal his aura.

It was a delicate jade mirror, flawless and pure, reflecting the vastness of the world. If one gazed into it, their features would be swapped with the image within, assuming all the characteristics of the reflected person. Tu Shan had already recorded the projections of Chen Luo and Wu He into the mirror. By activating the treasure, Ji Feichen could automatically mask all traces of his presence.

“Through this mirror, I can finally glimpse his path of cultivation,” Ji Feichen mused.

Every cultivator has a unique path, preparing to refine their Dao-fruit. Ji Feichen’s true nature was “Dragon”—he expounded the Dao through dragons, attaining supreme merit. Whether the “Mystic Demon Dragon Sutra” or the “Supreme Jade Cloud Dragon Essence,” all were tied to dragons.

Jing Xuan cultivated the Pure Celestial Light, Li Jingxun pursued the true meaning of Virtue, Qin Wu refined the Divine Sky Thunder. Anyone could see their paths clearly. Accordingly, one could devise ways to counter them.

Take Ji Feichen himself: he could readily think of a dozen ways to kill himself.

But Tu Shan, whose origins were unfathomable, remained an enigma, shrouded in mist. The Path of the Heavenly Fox was but a general term. Foxes cultivating nine tails abound, yet Ji Feichen could not discern Tu Shan’s true path.

Through their recent interactions, however, Ji Feichen—by observing Tu Shan’s Formless Divine Thunder, the Heaven-Sealing Talisman, and the mirror—had begun to form a hazy conjecture.

“Could it be the true illusion method of the Heavenly Fox, transforming myriad beings, shapeless and formless?” Ji Feichen examined the mirror, its patterns resembling white foxes weaving through clouds. But—

“Why does this look like a woman’s cosmetic mirror?” he wondered, masking his identity with the mirror and continuing his day’s work.

That evening, he and Tu Shan exchanged the Heaven-Sealing Talisman again, allowing Ji Feichen to converse with the drought demoness.

Direct conversation between Ji Feichen and Tu Shan was inconvenient. Through brief contact, they would swap the talisman, using the drought demoness as a “receiver” to communicate.

It also allowed them to judge the truth of her words.

Ji Feichen returned to his room, a slip of paper now in his hand. When he retrieved the Heaven-Sealing Talisman, Tu Shan had slipped the note to him.

“Blank paper?” Not a single character was written. Ji Feichen pondered, then summoned a thread of watery light, merging it with the moisture in the room. As the vapor settled upon the paper, faint indentations appeared.

“It was likely written on another sheet, the pen pressing through.” When the vapor wetted the paper, the uneven surface revealed the pen strokes.

On it was a record of Tu Shan’s exchange with the drought demoness:

“In seven days, the earth immortal guarding the demon-suppressing tower will temporarily leave. At the hour of noon, act to rescue.”

Seven days? Ji Feichen weighed the plan. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Knock knock knock—

Ji Feichen’s heart skipped. “Who is it?”

“It’s me.” Guo Shaoyang spoke from outside. “The master asked me to convey something.”

---

“Master is looking for me?” Ji Feichen responded, while crushing the note with a bolt of water thunder. The scraps adhered to his sleeve, hidden from sight.

Cautious by nature, Ji Feichen would never leave the slightest clue.

He opened the door for Guo Shaoyang, who glanced around but saw nothing amiss. Ji Feichen calmly poured tea. “What instructions does the master have?”

Guo Shaoyang set aside his doubts as he sipped. “The Demon-Suppressing Tower is short-handed. Several elders want us from the Immortal-Locking Tower to send a few people. You recently brought back some itinerant cultivators, didn’t you? Tomorrow, take Song Chengfeng and Zhao Shaoming to assist.”

He handed Ji Feichen three tokens.

“Song Chengfeng and Zhao Shaoming?” Ji Feichen hesitated. He and Tu Shan had originally chosen five itinerants to infiltrate.

Three were honest and simple, one was shrewd and cunning beneath a facade, and the last was eccentric to draw attention. Now, the ones to be sent to the Demon-Suppressing Tower were the cunning and the eccentric.

“Why them?”

Guo Shaoyang raised an eyebrow. “Is there a problem?”

“These two were picked by Wu He,” Ji Feichen feigned distaste. “Especially Zhao Shaoming—I’ve never liked his manner. If it weren’t for Wu He wanting to return quickly, I’d never have brought him to the Three Mountain Tower.”

Guo Shaoyang studied Ji Feichen, then smiled. “Don’t worry, just take him to the Demon-Suppressing Tower. The elders will handle the rest.”

Ji Feichen could only accept the tokens. “I’ll keep an eye on him while I’m there.”

After seeing Guo Shaoyang off, Ji Feichen prepared for the Demon-Suppressing Tower, while Guo Shaoyang went to report to the elders.

The immortals nodded. “Zhao Shaoming is a demonic cultivator. He masquerades as a Daoist, but he can’t fool us. We suspected he was connected to Chen Wu, but judging by Chen Luo’s attitude, it may just be Wu He’s doing. Still, best check carefully, lest Chen Wu be replaced.”

“No replacement, I think. I spoke with Brother Ding yesterday—he said Chen Luo is genuine.”

“Ding is close with Chen Luo, so that’s likely true. In the Demon-Suppressing Tower, we’ll need him to keep Zhao Shaoming in check and see which sect Zhao Shaoming comes from.”

“Those coming to the Demon-Suppressing Tower are likely from the Nether Sect or Heavenly Heart Demon Sect—who else?”

Guo Shaoyang listened quietly, then asked, “And Song Chengfeng?”

“He’s a true itinerant, only here because he stole a sect’s treasure and wants to avoid pursuit. If his enemies don’t come, we can keep him as a worker. The other three are innocent and may be recruited as outer disciples of the Great Sky Palace.”

After assigning roles to the five, Guo Shaoyang ordered surveillance on Wu He.

Tu Shan, knowing the situation, dared not act rashly.

“That bastard is trying to clear his name by throwing suspicion onto me!” the fox demon cursed inwardly, striving to portray Wu He as a naive youth, distracting attention in the Immortal-Locking Tower.

Ji Feichen, meanwhile, led Song Chengfeng and Zhao Shaoming to the Demon-Suppressing Tower. They registered their tokens, which allowed them to avoid the tower’s attacks.

During registration, Ji Feichen secretly slipped a note to Brother Ma.

“Beware of Zhao Shaoming?”

Ma Shixin had already heard rumors. Sending Zhao Shaoming was a ploy to lure out hidden enemies and investigate his background.

---

Life in the Three Mountain Tower was leisurely—apart from guarding prisoners, there was little to do. Rarely did a demon come to break them out, so most watched as if waiting for drama, hoping to use Zhao Shaoming as bait to catch the “big fish” behind him.

Ma Shixin crushed the note and set the three to work in the Demon-Suppressing Tower.

“Too lax. The rule forbidding itinerants from entering the tower’s heart is ignored. Are they certain the Demon-Suppressing Tower cannot be breached, or is this a deliberate lure?” Ji Feichen’s heart grew heavy, but he worked quietly.

The dim mountain interior felt all the more oppressive.

The drought demoness used the Heaven-Sealing Talisman to speak with Ji Feichen. “Yesterday I discussed rescue plans with that young man. Didn’t expect you to enter the tower today.”

“What was the result of your talk with Tu Shan?”

“I heard you practice a yin-yang dragon whisk technique?”

“Yes, you know of it?”

“The ‘Supreme Jade Cloud Dragon Essence.’” Her voice was cold, tinged with hatred.

Ji Feichen was startled, recalling her past deeds. Years ago, the drought demoness had destroyed several Daoist sects—could they have been related to the “Supreme Jade Cloud Dragon Essence?”

“The fundamental art of the Cloud Pavilion, famed as the Supreme True Transmission. Destroyed in the Great Cataclysm three thousand years ago.” She seemed to guess Ji Feichen’s thoughts. “They once opposed my journey south and fought me. But in the end, they were not destroyed by me, but another force.” She hesitated, unwilling to elaborate.

Ji Feichen mused: as Tu Shan said, there was more to the story.

“To business. The yin-yang dragon whisk is the Cloud Pavilion’s common Daoist art, said to be the root of three thousand techniques, balancing yin and yang. If you refine it to a profound level, you can use a yin-yang treasure to sever the Pillar of Water and Fire.”

Ji Feichen was about to speak, but she interrupted. “Of course, if you had such skill, you wouldn’t need to rescue me—you could escape with your own power. With yin and yang in hand, you could walk anywhere.

As it stands, use your dragon whisk technique to gently disrupt the pillar’s balance, then employ a thunder method with profound yin properties to blast a path, letting my power draw you into the underground palace. Then, you can release my talisman seal.”

“Cloud Pavilion…” Ji Feichen’s gaze grew distant. In the records of the two primordial Daoist sects, there was no mention of this sect. “Has it vanished from history?”

He pondered, then asked, “A thunder method with profound yin properties? My Gui Water Divine Thunder won’t suffice?”

“The Gui Water Divine Thunder lacks the power to affect the pillar’s yin-yang balance. Starting tonight, each midnight, I’ll secretly send my power through a strand of hair. Use the cold in the hair to refine a profound yin thunder. Advance the Gui Water Divine Thunder—it can become more than the five-element extinction thunder. Seven days may not bring much insight, but it’s better than nothing.”

With those words, a scroll of “Northern Cold Profound Yin Extreme Thunder Method” entered Ji Feichen’s mind. He immediately understood. “Ice Soul Divine Thunder?”

By harnessing cold, the Gui Water Divine Thunder could evolve into Ice Soul Divine Thunder—one strike, and a thousand miles freeze. It could freeze both body and soul, a path different from the five-element extinction thunder.

The five-element thunder breaks Daoist arts, restrains Daoist cultivators. The Ice Soul Divine Thunder freezes all living things—monster, demon, ghost, immortal, god, none escape the extreme cold.

“Correct. When I was in the north, I saw the people of the Moon Palace gather cold and yin to refine thunder. The reason I can suppress my inner fire and not be controlled by the drought demon nature is related to the cold as well.”

Were it not for the drought demoness’s unique constitution, possessing yin and cold, the Demon-Suppressing Tower would never have used her as its power source.