The Demonic Pill’s Aftermath and a Brother’s Vow

Lin Xingjian didn’t dare to delay for even a second and rushed towards his master’s room like an arrow.

He quickly went to the drawer, tried to calm himself, and took out the milky white pill accurately as instructed.

Yao Guang quickly took the pill and carefully fed it to Li Xingtong. Gradually, Li Xingtong’s condition showed a slight improvement.

The originally ink-like, viscous side effects seemed to be suppressed by an invisible force.

Under Yao Guang’s powerful assistance, Li Xingtong’s condition completely stabilized.

The black aura slowly receded like a tide, and the girl’s previously distorted, pained expression gradually softened, settling into tranquility.

More remarkably, Li Xingtong, having endured the ordeal, emerged stronger; she absorbed the Foundation Establishment medicinal effects from the Demonic Pill, successfully entering the Foundation Establishment realm.

Lin Xingjian watched, utterly dumbfounded.

‘Wasn’t it said that this Demonic Pill was refined from the flesh and blood of living beings?’

‘Why did Junior Sister still manage to successfully establish her foundation?’

“Junior Sister, are you feeling better?”

Lin Xingjian hastily pushed aside his Master, darting to Li Xingtong’s side, his eyes brimming with concern and worry.

The girl, having just achieved her breakthrough, reacted quite differently from Lin Xingjian.

Her face was ashen, utterly devoid of color, and her body felt incredibly fragile, as if a mere breeze could topple her.

“Ouch!”

Yao Guang rubbed her hip at the side, feigning a chiding tone.

“You brat, do you only have eyes for your Junior Sister, completely forgetting about your Master?”

“Senior Brother, did I fail my Foundation Establishment?”

Li Xingtong seized the opportunity to nestle into Lin Xingjian’s embrace, clinging to him tightly.

Her voice held a hint of weakness and petulance, like a small, wounded deer seeking shelter.

“No, no.”

“Junior Sister is truly exceptional, even more formidable than Senior Brother. Had it been Senior Brother, perhaps I would have struggled to establish my foundation.”

Lin Xingjian quickly offered comfort, his eyes filled with tenderness and adoration.

“Junior Sister, let me help you to rest first.”

Lin Xingjian gently lifted Li Xingtong, carrying her towards the room.

His movements were delicate and tender, as if he held the most precious and fragile treasure in the world.

After settling the girl and covering her with a soft blanket, Li Xingtong quickly drifted into sleep.

Her breathing gradually steadied, and some color returned to her face.

Once he confirmed the girl was safe and sound, Lin Xingjian emerged from the room.

His expression was as cold as frost.

Yao Guang had been waiting for a long time, hands clasped behind her back, her expression outwardly calm, though a slight furrow in her brow betrayed a hint of internal worry.

“Master…”

Lin Xingjian’s voice was deep and hoarse, suppressing an unyielding fury.

“Your Junior Sister has suffered a great loss this time.”

“You scoundrel, why did you let your Junior Sister go purchase the Foundation Establishment pill?”

“Did you not know that your Junior Sister has rarely ventured out since childhood, making her incredibly susceptible to deception and schemes outside? Why didn’t you go yourself?”

Yao Guang’s tone held a hint of reproach, yet it was overwhelmingly laced with heartache for Li Xingtong.

“I…”

Lin Xingjian was momentarily speechless.

He had indeed been caught up in urgent matters, unable to spare the time to buy it.

This matter could not be blamed on his Junior Sister.

The true culprit was the villain who sold the pill.

As this thought crossed his mind, a chilling murderous intent flashed in his eyes, vowing to dismember that evildoer a thousand times over.

“Your Junior Sister is fortunate to possess such innate talent and intelligence; had it been anyone else, they might not have dared to continue with Foundation Establishment.”

“Regardless, the Demonic Pill’s essence was still a Foundation Establishment pill.”

“With my assistance and the pill, your Junior Sister endured the initial side effects, making the subsequent Foundation Establishment process much smoother.”

“However… this pill was formed from human blood and flesh, which means an inherent danger has undoubtedly been left deep within your Junior Sister’s dantian and spiritual roots.”

“In other words, your Junior Sister has the potential to fall to the Demonic Path.”

“Fall to the Demonic Path?”

Lin Xingjian’s face drained of color in shock, and his body instinctively recoiled a step.

A cultivator falling to the Demonic Path was not an uncommon occurrence in the cultivation world.

Many Demonic Path cultivators, who commit all sorts of evil, had most likely succumbed to this fate.

It is said that falling to the Demonic Path stems from the growth of inner demons deep within a cultivator’s heart; these inner demons bewitch cultivators, leading them to act solely for their own benefit and commit various heinous acts.

As Shadow Sect cultivators, Lin Xingjian and his peers, though they had taken countless lives and held power over life and death, possessed their own set of Heart-Cleansing Incantations that protected them from the erosion of malevolent and demonic energies.

Falling to the Demonic Path, however, was fundamentally different.

Should Li Xingtong fall to the Demonic Path, combined with the established practices of the Shadow Sect, she could very well be bewitched by inner demons, transforming into a ruthless demoness who kills without a blink.

“You needn’t be so anxious; look how frightened you are.”

“What I meant by falling to the Demonic Path is merely a possibility. As long as you keep a close watch on your Junior Sister, the chances are less than one in ten.”

Upon hearing the latter part of the statement, Lin Xingjian finally let out a sigh of relief.

The possibility of Li Xingtong falling to the Demonic Path was less than one in ten, meaning it was highly unlikely to occur.

Yet, a subtle unease lingered in his heart, a persistent dark cloud that refused to dissipate.

“Master, I…”

Yao Guang interrupted Lin Xingjian.

“I understand. You wish to avenge your Junior Sister and personally exact this retribution.”

“Precisely. I am a Shadow cultivator trained by Master. ‘If others do not offend me, I do not offend others; if they do, I will repay them ten-fold’—this has always been the Shadow Sect’s terrifying reputation, striking fear into countless cultivators.”

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Having been comfortably settled, Li Xingtong slept peacefully, her expression serene.

A faint scent of sandalwood permeated the room, adding a touch of tranquility to the quiet atmosphere.

Suddenly, the girl’s long eyelashes fluttered faintly, casting a shadow, before settling back into stillness.

In her dream, Li Xingtong encountered a girl who looked exactly like her.

She was conversing with Li Xingtong, speaking words of utmost importance.

For some unknown reason, Li Xingtong strongly resonated with the girl’s words.

Strangely… as Senior Brother’s voice reached her, she gradually forgot what the girl in her dream had said.

It merely brushed past her memory, then vanished without a trace.

Once Li Xingtong felt a little better, she opened her eyes, revealing a hint of weariness, yet her complexion had significantly improved.

A cultivator in the Foundation Establishment realm was indeed vastly different from one in the Qi Condensation realm.

She felt her body brimming with power, as if she could command all things in the world.

“Junior Sister, are you feeling better?”

Lin Xingjian’s voice echoed in the room, tinged with concern and anticipation.

“Much better, Senior Brother.”

Li Xingtong offered a slight smile, radiant and beautiful.

“Then, please tell me, from whom did you purchase the pill? The more details, the better.”

Lin Xingjian spoke directly, cutting to the chase.

He had no desire to waste time; he simply wanted to find that person and tear them limb from limb.

His eyes were filled with murderous intent, vowing to dismember the seller of the Demonic Pill a thousand times over, making them pay a grievous price for their wicked deeds.

“Senior Brother, are you perhaps going to…”

Li Xingtong looked at Lin Xingjian’s demeanor.

His cold eyes were filled with slaughter, a stark contrast to the gentle Senior Brother she knew.

“As you suspect, Junior Sister, Master has already granted me permission to handle this personally. Those who bullied you, Senior Brother will absolutely not let them off lightly.”

Lin Xingjian clenched his fists tightly, his voice firm and resolute.

He secretly swore that those who harmed his Junior Sister would pay with their blood.