The Crisis of the Demonic Foundation Establishment

Li Xingtong looked at Lin Xingjian’s joyful expression and began to look forward to the feeling after building her foundation.

Without saying a word, she sat down next to Lin Xingjian and crossed her legs like him.

Having taken a deep breath and swallowed the Foundation Establishment Pill, she slowly closed her eyes.

Lin Xingjian stood guard beside her.

Having closed his eyes during his own advancement, he had failed to witness the unfolding spectacle.

Now, observing his junior sister, he could discern a faint, inexplicable aura emanating from her.

This aura continuously surged, threatening to twist the surrounding air, and as time passed, its glow intensified.

“You little rascal, when did you reach the Foundation Establishment stage? And you didn’t even tell your master!”

Suddenly, a sweet, cloying voice drifted from behind Lin Xingjian.

Immediately afterward, a sharp pain shot through his head.

It was Yao Guang, who had appeared silently at some unknown moment, reaching out to lightly tap his head.

“Master, you hit my head again.”

“Is it not because you departed for so long and failed to return, Master? My junior sister and I grew impatient, so I proceeded with my Foundation Establishment first, and the process was remarkably smooth.”

Lin Xingjian spoke with a helpless tone, yet a hint of a smile danced in his eyes.

He harbored a complex mix of affection and exasperation for his master.

“Alright, alright, it seems I, your master, have been meddling again.”

Yao Guang’s eyes flickered, her expression somewhat evasive, as she shifted her gaze away.

A pang of guilt struck her heart; she had indeed missed Lin Xingjian’s Foundation Establishment due to her gluttony.

Lin Xingjian, however, did not let Yao Guang’s evasiveness go unnoticed, pressing her further.

“Master, I distinctly recall telling you yesterday that my junior sister and I would be undergoing Foundation Establishment today and would require your assistance in standing guard. Be honest, did you forget?”

“Uh…”

Yao Guang immediately drew in her neck, her face etched with guilt.

“Preposterous! How could I possibly be such an irresponsible master?”

In truth, Yao Guang had, on this very day, rushed out to purchase the newly released osmanthus cakes from the Food Sect.

The osmanthus cakes were fragrant and delightfully soft.

Overcome by a moment of gluttony, she only remembered her duties after indulging herself, and hastily rushed back.

Having spent many years with his master, Lin Xingjian could instantly tell she was making excuses.

He knew that explanations were merely a facade, and a facade was nothing but a fabricated tale.

“Master, don’t try to deceive me.”

“If you act so irresponsibly again next time, be warned: I won’t give you your living allowance. In fact, I’ll even deduct from it!”

Upon hearing this, Yao Guang’s delicate, petite body trembled, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears.

“No, please don’t, my good disciple.”

“Your master is counting on you for old age support. If you deduct my living allowance, how will I ever taste all the delicious dishes recommended by the Food Dao Sect?”

“You’re practically taking your master’s life!”

With these words, the precocious Yao Guang swiftly threw herself onto Lin Xingjian’s leg, clinging tightly like a sloth, and wept with heart-wrenching misery.

Her specialty was relentless persistence; she simply wouldn’t be shaken off.

Seeing this, Lin Xingjian sighed softly.

Every time this happened, his warnings remained purely verbal.

After all, Yao Guang’s speed in admitting fault was legendary, truly textbook-level.

“Alright, alright, Master, stop crying. My pants are soaked with your drool.”

Just as Lin Xingjian was about to push Yao Guang away, a piercing shriek suddenly assailed both their ears.

They hastily looked over, only to see Li Xingtong’s face contorted in excruciating pain.

Her once fair complexion was now twisted and disfigured, and beads of sweat, large as beans, continuously streamed down her forehead.

Strange black energy ceaselessly emanated from her body, swirling and coiling around her like clusters of grotesque demonic shadows.

This sight bore no resemblance to the auspicious signs of a successful Foundation Establishment.

“Master, what’s happening to Junior Sister?”

Before Lin Xingjian could finish his sentence, Yao Guang’s previously endearing expression vanished, replaced by a gaze imbued with a chilling indifference and heightened tension.

“This isn’t good! Your junior sister is in trouble!”

Yao Guang’s voice was laced with urgency and worry.

At this moment, Li Xingtong’s situation was extremely perilous; even a slight misstep could lead her into an abyss of eternal damnation.

She swiftly rose to her feet, her hands rapidly forming incantation seals.

Potent spiritual energy surged from within her, enveloping Li Xingtong in an attempt to stabilize her condition.

Lin Xingjian dared not show the slightest slack.

He hastily circulated the spiritual energy within his body, ready to assist his master at any moment.

However, the strange black energy possessed its own consciousness, continuously resisting Yao Guang’s spiritual power, making Li Xingtong’s situation increasingly critical…

“What exactly is happening, Master? Please don’t jest with me!”

“Cease your babbling! Your master has no time for you right now!”

Yao Guang was burning with anxiety, and beads of sweat, large as beans, rolled down her forehead, soaking her usually pristine long robes.

At such a moment, there was no time for explanations; stabilizing Li Xingtong’s condition was the most pressing concern.

Yao Guang’s brows furrowed tightly, twisting into a deep ‘川’ (TL Note: The Chinese character ‘川’ resembles three vertical lines, often used to describe a deeply furrowed brow.) shape.

The woman leapt without hesitation, spiritual energy surging around her like crashing waves.

Her palms, imbued with immense spiritual power, slammed down towards the top of Li Xingtong’s head.

In an instant, a strange surge of power radiated outwards.

The black energy wildly spewing from the girl’s body seemed to meet its nemesis, gradually showing signs of subsiding.

“Master, what can this disciple do?”

Lin Xingjian rubbed his buttocks, which still smarted from being kicked; this minor pain was utterly insignificant compared to his junior sister’s safety.

“Hurry to my room, retrieve the pills from the hidden compartment above the third drawer. Remember, take the white pills on the left; there must not be the slightest mistake!”

Yao Guang shouted urgently, all the while exerting her full strength to suppress the demonic energy rampaging through Li Xingtong’s body like an unbridled wild horse.

“Your master can only temporarily suppress your junior sister’s condition right now. What she ingested was no ordinary Foundation Establishment Pill, but a Demonic Foundation Establishment Pill refined from the flesh and blood of living beings!”

Hearing this, Lin Xingjian’s face was etched with disbelief, his mouth agape wide enough to fit an egg.

Pills refined from the flesh and blood of living beings were typically only crafted by evil cultivators.

Most such pills utilized human flesh and blood.

These included organs like the liver and heart, vital essence, and even blood; some were even more malevolent, requiring the use of virgin boys and girls, or even infants still in their swaddling clothes.

It was precisely because many demonic cultivators struggled to acquire precious heavenly materials and earthly treasures, or spiritual flowers and plants, that they resorted to alternative methods, using mortals as ingredients for their elixirs.

While some powerful demonic alchemists could indeed refine pills with effects comparable to heavenly materials and earthly treasures, these were a rare few; the vast majority carried extremely harsh side effects.

The Foundation Establishment Pill Li Xingtong had ingested this time was precisely one that had been refined and resold by demonic cultivators.

‘He had truly been too negligent. Why had he not asked his junior sister where she had obtained this pill?’