The Azure Lotus and the Guardian Serpent

Chi Qiu drew closer to the source of spiritual energy. She began to ascend the mountain, which, though tall, was not excessively steep. Demonic beasts were significantly scarcer here compared to the swamp she had just left.

In less than half an hour, Chi Qiu reached the summit. There, several crystal-clear streams trickled gently across the mountaintop. She bent, dipping her hand into the nearest stream, and felt the water’s icy, smooth touch. A remarkably potent spiritual energy permeated the flowing water, a sensation that went beyond its mere coolness.

The source of this spiritual energy must lie upstream, Chi Qiu concluded silently. She rose, shaking the water from her hands, and began to follow the stream upwards. With each step, indigo flowers unfurled gently beneath her feet.

Chi Qiu didn’t walk for long before she found the stream’s source. She stopped, her gaze sharpening as she observed her surroundings. A hundred zhang away, a mountain cave, roughly ten zhang high and six zhang wide, dominated the landscape. All the smaller streams Chi Qiu had encountered earlier seemed to originate from this single cavern.

The indigo flowers spread, a vibrant sea that stretched along the stream’s edge and continued into the cave itself. In the wilderness, spiritual plants that grew naturally were almost always guarded by demonic beasts. Within Sishui Marsh, a land overrun with such creatures, this truth was amplified.

The cave proved significantly shallower than Chi Qiu had expected. A mere dozen zhang from the entrance, she reached its end. There, an unknown force had carved out a circular chamber, roughly three to four zhang across. A deep pool lay at the heart of this space, continually replenished by several springs gushing clear water from the rock face. The overflowing water from this pool then formed the stream that flowed out of the cave.

Using the indigo flowers’ unique perspective, Chi Qiu thoroughly examined every corner of the cave. Her physical self, however, remained a hundred zhang outside, maintaining a silent vigil.

Although no footprints marred the cave floor, clear signs of demonic beast activity were present. The source of the dense spiritual energy emanated from within the deep pool. Unfortunately, since indigo flowers could not thrive in water, Chi Qiu remained unaware of what exactly in the pool was emitting such potent energy.

Chi Qiu hesitated, finding traces of a demonic beast’s presence but no beast itself. Spiritual plants, during their growth, furiously absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Only once they matured would spiritual energy begin to overflow from them.

Now, spiritual energy was overflowing profusely, with some even flowing down the mountain via the stream. This indicated the spiritual plant had clearly been mature for a considerable time. This fact, however, utterly perplexed Chi Qiu. Demonic beasts typically guarded such plants, patiently awaiting their maturity to consume them for cultivation. If it was already mature, why hadn’t the guardian beast devoured it?

“Never mind all that,” she declared. “I’ll take a chance. At worst, I can always rely on the Seven Stars Step to escape.”

During her journey, Chi Qiu had already achieved initial mastery of the Seven Stars Step. Her exceptional talent and profound comprehension, coupled with the aid of Night Ling Flowers and Sang Tea, made cultivating a seventh-grade secret art seem effortlessly simple.

We rogue cultivators must dare to strive, to forge a path to veneration, she thought. Since I’ve ventured into Sishui Marsh seeking opportunities, I cannot afford to be timid.

Chi Qiu bolstered her resolve. Then, mobilizing the spiritual energy within her body, she moved in a blur, appearing before the cave entrance in a few flashes. Stepping onto the indigo flowers, she ventured inside.

The cave was not dark at all. The chamber at its far end had no ceiling, allowing sunlight to stream in and illuminate the pool. This light reflected off the water, casting shimmering patterns across the cave walls.

Chi Qiu quickly reached the cave’s terminus. There, a one-zhang square pool of water lay at the very center, its depths unfathomable. At its heart, a pale blue lotus, the size of a face, bloomed in tranquil splendor. A delicate fragrance and potent spiritual energy simultaneously diffused from the flower.

Its slightly transparent petals layered upon one another, intricate yet perfectly ordered, as if sculpted from the finest pale blue glazed glass. Within the pistil nestled three perfectly round, plump green lotus seeds. Each seed bore naturally formed, enigmatic patterns that were so mesmerizing they could make one dizzy with a single glance.

Chi Qiu inhaled deeply of the cave’s fragrant air. She felt an immediate sensation as if her body had been cleansed, inside and out, leaving her feeling utterly refreshed.

Without further delay, Chi Qiu drew her Azure Frost Sword and moved to the pool’s edge, meticulously scrutinizing its dark waters. Her indigo flower sea had already explored the entire chamber, yet this pool remained uncharted territory. If the guardian beast truly resided here, it would undoubtedly be hidden within these depths.

Suddenly, Chi Qiu sheathed her sword and stopped. She slowly retreated until her back pressed against the rock wall. A brilliant idea had just struck her, a method to help her pluck the lotus.

Chi Qiu silently activated her divine ability, “Blooming Life.” From the scant soil within the rock crevices by the pool, tiny sprouts began to emerge, swiftly maturing into several sturdy vines.

Chi Qiu planned to weave the Night Ling Vines into a sturdy net, intending to cover the entire pool surface, leaving only the lotus outside the mesh. Then, she would employ the Seven Stars Step to pluck the lotus and make her swift escape. This strategy ensured that even if a demonic beast truly lurked within the pool, it could only watch helplessly as she vanished.

With her plan firmly in mind, Chi Qiu calmed her thoughts. She meticulously controlled each vine of the Night Ling Vines, weaving a broad net that bypassed the lotus and gradually covered the pool’s surface.

After approximately a quarter of an hour of weaving, the final two vines intertwined and knotted into place. Chi Qiu then erupted into action, moving to the pool’s side in a flash. She gripped its sturdy stem and yanked with all her might.

The lotus remained utterly unmoved.

Chi Qiu’s movement faltered in surprise. Though she now inhabited a female body and was no longer a body cultivator, her physique had been tempered by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, making it an extraordinary vessel. With the added boost of her internal spiritual energy, that pull had exerted at least several thousand catties of force. She had never imagined the lotus could be so resilient.

Splash!

The tranquil surface of the pool abruptly grew turbulent. The water churned relentlessly, as though some ferocious creature was about to surge from its depths.

Chi Qiu made an immediate decision. She drew her Azure Frost Sword, and with a single strike, severed the lotus’s stem. Snatching the lotus, she bolted towards the cave entrance without a backward glance.

Boom!

Behind Chi Qiu, water splashed violently, followed by a thunderous roar. The guardian beast had shattered the vine net in a mere instant. Its form transformed into an azure phantom, hurtling directly towards Chi Qiu.

As Chi Qiu raced down the mountain, employing the Seven Stars Step, she glanced back at the cave entrance. The guardian beast revealed itself to be an azure snake, roughly three chi wide and ten zhang long.

This Azure Snake had reached the God Concealing stage, proving far more formidable than the bear Chi Qiu had encountered earlier in Sang City. While that bear had reached the Heart Scripture Realm, it had yet to transform spiritual energy into demonic power. This particular Azure Snake, despite being considerably smaller than the bear, exuded an overwhelming demonic power that instantly stripped Chi Qiu of any confidence in confronting it.

The Azure Snake’s long tail lashed, instantly pulverizing the mountain rocks behind it into fragments. Leveraging this sudden propulsion, its speed surged dramatically, becoming significantly faster than Chi Qiu, even as she employed the Seven Stars Step.

An uncontainable fury blazed within the Azure Snake’s vertical pupils. This lotus belonged to the ruler of this mountain forest, the Great Demon, Serpent Transformation. The Azure Snake itself was merely a subordinate, assigned by Serpent Transformation to guard the precious lotus. Recently, however, Serpent Transformation had ventured deep into Sishui Marsh and had not returned. Consequently, despite the lotus’s maturity, no other demon dared to sneak in and devour it.

The Azure Snake had originally coiled its body around the lotus’s roots, diligently absorbing the spiritual energy it emitted for cultivation. Who could have foreseen the lotus being suddenly plucked? Startled, it surged from the pool, but it was a step too late, forced to watch helplessly as Chi Qiu severed the azure lotus.

The mere thought of the punishment awaiting it for such dereliction of duty intensified the Azure Snake’s hatred for Chi Qiu, the brazen thief. It thrashed its tail with desperate fury, boosting its speed to the absolute limit, determined to tear Chi Qiu into a thousand pieces.

Chi Qiu fled down the mountain, but quickly realized the Azure Snake was considerably faster than her. She swiftly changed direction, altering her course to run towards a different mountain.

Lacking limbs, the Azure Snake, though swift in a straight line, was exceptionally slow to change direction. The moment Chi Qiu altered her course, she widened the distance between them once more.

This satchel…

As Chi Qiu ran, she cast a helpless glance at the satchel on her back. The item drastically impeded her speed, yet she couldn’t abandon it. Resigned, she continued to flee with the satchel.

Hiss—

The Azure Snake behind Chi Qiu opened its massive maw, and potent demonic power condensed within. It aimed at Chi Qiu’s escape path and spat. A black streak of demonic power then tore through the air, piercing towards Chi Qiu’s back like an arrow loosed from a bowstring.

Chi Qiu had been constantly monitoring the Azure Snake’s movements. The moment she saw it slow and open its maw, she was already prepared. Her spiritual energy erupted, a shimmer of starlight flashing around her. She then took three rapid, consecutive steps, instantly changing direction three times, successfully evading the Azure Snake’s attack.

This was the profound mystery of the Seven Stars Step. According to the cultivation crystal’s descriptions, mastering the technique allowed one to take seven consecutive steps, changing direction seven times. This would leave any enemy dizzy and unable to discern one’s true movements.

Currently, Chi Qiu’s cultivation time was still short, preventing her from taking seven consecutive steps. However, merely taking three steps was barely achievable. And with just three steps, the Azure Snake was rendered helpless against her. After all, the Azure Snake was a water snake; achieving such speed on land was already difficult, let alone constantly changing direction.

The Azure Snake, aware it couldn’t catch Chi Qiu, stopped abruptly. It gathered all its demonic power, then used that power to stir the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Seeing the Azure Snake’s stance, a blaring alarm echoed in Chi Qiu’s heart. She no longer conserved spiritual energy, pushing her speed to the absolute maximum, intent only on escaping the range of the Azure Snake’s next attack.

“Hoo—”

The Azure Snake exhaled a long breath, a mixture of demonic power, spiritual energy, and its venom. This breath quickly ascended into the sky, transforming into a dark cloud several zhang in size.

The ominous cloud pursued Chi Qiu with astonishing speed. Meanwhile, the Azure Snake seemed to have expended all its strength, collapsing limply on the spot.

Chi Qiu’s heart trembled as the dark cloud caught up to her. The cloud churned, and drops of black rain, imbued with formidable demonic power, began to fall from the sky.

Chi Qiu ducked, narrowly dodging a drop of black water. The drop struck a nearby rock, instantly shattering it into fragments. Then, a deafening hiss filled the air, and the shattered rock dissolved into a puddle of black liquid.

Witnessing this, Chi Qiu’s expression turned grim. The power of these raindrops was terrifying, and they carried such potent venom. Moreover, the dark cloud seemed to have locked onto her, hovering directly overhead. What could she possibly do?

The dark cloud granted Chi Qiu no time to think. A sudden torrent of hundreds of raindrops poured down, threatening to strike Chi Qiu within a single breath.

Such dense rainfall was impossible to evade, and resisting it would surely mean instant death. Chi Qiu found herself in a desperate predicament.

The only option now was to create distance. Yet, the raindrops were already almost upon her, sealing off every direction. Only one path remained…

Chi Qiu hardened her resolve. Then, she suddenly changed direction, pushing the Seven Stars Step to her fastest limit, and leapt straight off the mountain cliff.