Chapter Sixty-Two: Igniting the Pill

“Fox Art—Ignite the Core!”

With a soft cry, Su Xiaomu’s body burst forth in dazzling white light. A surge of pure true energy erupted from within her. Haiyue and his companions frowned, quickly retreating.

Yuan Chenglu muttered, “Such powerful true energy—what kind of secret technique is this?”

Haimu whispered, “It… it seems to be a forbidden art of the demon clans!”

Yuan Chenglu’s eyes widened. “Demon clan? That girl is a demon?!”

“Fox Art—Ignite the Core” was Su Xiaomu’s innate skill, awakened after cultivating the Primordial Heart Sutra. As its name implied, it burned her inner core to unleash her true energy, granting her a surge of overwhelming power in an instant. But all things come with a price. To burn one’s core meant only one end: death. Exchanging her life for a fleeting moment of might—this, Su Xiaomu believed, was the last thing she could do for Shi Qi.

Shi Qi lay half-conscious on the ground, his thoughts muddled, barely aware of what was happening. He could only murmur Su Xiaomu’s name.

True energy surged from Su Xiaomu’s form, coating her in a pure white aura. As that energy grew denser, it gradually shaped itself into a massive cloak in the form of a white fox, enveloping her. The unleashed power stirred up a violent gale, whipping at the emerald green dress she wore.

“Big brother, I’ll send you away now.”

Bending down, Su Xiaomu cradled Shi Qi in her arms, whispering softly in his ear. She placed him inside the Thousand-Tenacity Shield, then hefted the shield and strode toward the edge of the beach.

Suddenly, a blood-red web closed in, blocking her path. Su Xiaomu’s gaze turned icy as she swung her left claw forward.

With a ripping sound, the crimson web was torn apart, a gash appearing where her claw had struck.

Yuan Chenglu and his two companions advanced cautiously, magical weapons at the ready.

“Be safe!” Su Xiaomu murmured into Shi Qi’s ear. Then, with a sudden force, she hurled the Thousand-Tenacity Shield with her right arm. Shield and passenger traced a wide arc through the air, soaring out over the waves.

“You dare!” Yuan Chenglu shouted as Shi Qi was flung away, forgetting all caution. Spear in hand, he charged, with the brothers Haimu and Haiyue flanking him, all three rushing at Su Xiaomu.

Su Xiaomu’s eyes remained fixed on the horizon until the shield vanished beyond the sea. Only then did she turn back, a faint smile on her lips. But the moment she did, her gaze sharpened to a blade.

“You... you’re all bad people!”

With a furious cry, her claws gleaming with blinding white light, she leaped at the three attackers.

...

The Thousand-Tenacity Shield flew dozens of miles across the sky before crashing heavily into the sea.

...

-------------------------------------

Shi Qi did not know how much time had passed before he slowly opened his eyes.

The world before him shifted from blur to clarity, and the sound of waves breaking reached his ears.

“Where…where am I? So cold…”

He shivered, assaulted by a biting chill unlike anything he’d ever known. Unable to move, he could only watch as the waves crashed endlessly before him, splashing over his body.

After a while, he managed to move his fingers, slowly propping himself up and dragging his body forward. His hands and cheeks grew caked in sand, sharp stones scraping his chest raw, leaving a trail of dark, red-black blood behind him as he crawled.

It was only after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn that Shi Qi reached a rocky outcrop.

“What… happened to me?” As his mind cleared, he tried to recall the events that had brought him here.

“Weren’t Yuan Chenglu and his companions fighting me just now? That’s right—when I turned, I felt a pain in my chest, and then lost consciousness…”

He tore open his robe and saw a huge, black stone spike embedded in his chest, buried so deep only the tip protruded. From the skin around the spike, black ripples radiated out toward his shoulders and lower abdomen, while thick black blood dripped steadily from the wound—a ghastly sight.

“How did I end up here? Where is Xiaomu—where is she?!”

Panic seized him. He looked around frantically, but saw nothing but waves and rock. Su Xiaomu and her enemies were nowhere to be found. Clearly, he was stranded on a barren island.

“What on earth happened?!” He tried to force his memory, but a splitting headache wracked him, making him wish for death.

“Fox Art—Ignite the Core…” Suddenly, Su Xiaomu’s voice echoed in his mind, and realization struck.

It was Xiaomu—she had used a forbidden art to save him! She had thrown the Thousand-Tenacity Shield into the sea, letting it carry him away. All this time, he had drifted, protected from sea monsters by the shield, until the current finally cast him ashore.

With a slap, Shi Qi struck himself across the face. “This is all my fault. I was useless, careless—I brought ruin to Xiaomu… Who knows what’s become of her…”

“No—I must go back!”

He tried to control his core and circulate his true energy, but the moment his will stirred the demon core, agony stabbed through his abdomen. Blood spurted from his lips, and he collapsed in the sand.

“I’m… I’m nothing now. Useless!” He lay there, wracked by pain, his last strength spent.

Struggling upright, he leaned against the rocks. From his belt, he took out his dragon-shaped jade pendant. It had shattered, only half a dragon’s head remained, stained with dried blood—a silent testament to the battle he had just endured.

Since leaving his island home, Shi Qi had never suffered such a crushing defeat. The blow shook him to his core, sowing seeds of doubt in his heart.

Clutching the pendant, Shi Qi drifted into a troubled sleep.

...

A gurgle from his belly woke him. It was already the next morning. Rest had restored some strength, but now hunger gnawed at him.

With his true energy sealed, he was no different from an ordinary man—perhaps a little stronger, but still bound by mortal needs: he required food, warmth, and shelter, could fall ill, and injuries would not quickly heal.

Feeling the pangs of hunger, Shi Qi knew he had to find food, or he would starve before he could even think of revenge.

His stores were locked in his spatial pouch, which he could not open without true energy. He could not contact Bai Qiu or Sun Fanbai; their provisions were beyond his reach.

With a sigh, Shi Qi tucked the Thousand-Tenacity Shield under his arm. Now drained of power, it had reverted to the form of a tortoise shell. He could not stow it away, so he simply carried it.

He surveyed his surroundings. It was indeed a deserted island, most likely one of the smaller islets of the Lingyun Archipelago.

Pain still throbbed in his chest, but gritting his teeth, Shi Qi hobbled toward the island’s interior.

Before him rose a small hill, thick with trees and weeds, no path in sight. He had to inch his way up, step by step, feeling his way forward.

Halfway up, he spotted large, ripe fruits hanging from the trees. Excitement flooded him. He didn’t know what kind of tree it was, but fruit was food.

Leaping up, he plucked one, landing lightly on the ground. Even without true energy, he could still manage such simple feats. After all, he had grown up on a southern island, unlike those pampered disciples raised in sects, who would be helpless without their powers.

His stomach grumbled again, urging him on.

Shi Qi eagerly bit into the fragrant fruit—only to spit it out at once.

“Bitter as gall!” He cursed, tossing the fruit aside. “What sort of thing is this?!”

Shaking his head, he climbed higher up the slope. Soon he found a small waterfall, a slender stream trickling down from the summit. The pure fresh water stirred a faint sense of familiarity within him.

He knelt, cupping handfuls of water to his mouth. The hunger eased somewhat.

With a wry smile, he muttered, “To think that one skilled in water arts must now search for a drink—how ironic.”

Crossing the waterfall, Shi Qi continued upward. He had to explore the entire island as quickly as possible, find a source of food, and then seek a safe refuge to slowly work at dissolving the sealing spike in his chest.

As he walked, a rustling sound from the grass caught his attention.

Something alive!

Where there was life, there was meat. Shi Qi crouched, crept silently along the edge of the grass, then lunged.

Moments later, he emerged with a wild rabbit dangling from his hand.

“At last—meat,” he said with relief.

Returning to the waterfall, he found a sharp stone and fashioned it into a knife, skinning and cleaning the rabbit. Only then did he realize a pressing problem: he had no fire.

His fire-starting talismans were also sealed away in his spatial pouch.

What now? He couldn’t stoop to eating raw meat like a beast. That was his bottom line.

Left with no choice, Shi Qi gathered two sticks and tried to kindle a fire the old-fashioned way—rubbing wood together. He had never done it before; smoke rose, but no flame. Soon, he was covered in soot.

At last, after much toil, he managed to coax a fire to life. He skewered the rabbit and roasted it over the flames.

Soon, the fat sizzled and the aroma was mouthwatering. Shi Qi swallowed hungrily, at last about to eat.

But just as he opened his mouth to take a bite, a flash of white light dazzled before his eyes—the rabbit in his hand vanished.

“What just happened?!”