Chapter 193: A Third Meeting, Questions in the Valley of Heavenly Demons

That voice carried a trace of curiosity, and faintly, a touch of anticipation.

The fall of Medicine King Valley was quite different from the other two sects. When those other two were attacked, about a third of their people chose to die in battle, another third fled, and the remaining submitted—ultimately, only leadership had changed. But the sects themselves still stood.

Medicine King Valley, however, was annihilated under the outbreak of the Heavenly Demon. In that moment of crisis, the leader of Blood River Sect had made a swift and ruthless decision—he activated the Blood River Grand Formation, sealing a thousand miles in blood!

Apart from a few quick-reacting Golden Core experts and a handful of late-Foundation or perfected Foundation cultivators, everyone else—Golden Core, Foundation Establishment, and Qi Condensation cultivators alike—was trapped inside the formation and devoured by the Heavenly Demon.

Now, that place had become a true demonic land—renamed the Valley of Heavenly Demons. There was no hope for revival. Unlike the others, Medicine King Valley had been severed at the root.

Only a handful of disciples escaped that calamity. So why was someone now searching for a master—one who was a Golden Core level alchemist?

Could they be one of her disciples?

Or perhaps a disciple of one of her fellow senior brothers?

Either way, if it truly was someone from Medicine King Valley, she… she had to take a look.

A beautiful woman dressed in flowing red robes stepped out. She had a delicate red flower between her brows, her features ethereal and untouched by the mundane world. Her expression was calm, though the slightest sorrow seemed etched in her beauty. Her aura revealed she was at early Golden Core stage.

“Fairy Hong, why bother going in person?”

A calm male voice came from outside the courtyard.

There stood a young man in red robes, his eyes flashing as he smiled lightly. “I’ll go grab the boy. If he’s your disciple or from Medicine King Valley, all’s well. If not—we kill him.”

Hong Fairy glanced at him with a serene gaze. “Why shed blood unnecessarily? The boy seeks his master in earnest—what crime is that? Let me go. If I recognize him, good. If I don’t, he won’t even know I was here.”

The man chuckled. “You truly are kind, Fairy. Shame on me, how brutal I must seem. In that case, I’ll accompany you. A Golden Core alchemist’s disciple, and from Medicine King Valley? Rare indeed. Perhaps it really is someone familiar.”

She didn’t reply. Her figure lifted a foot into the air and stepped lightly onto the clouds, flying off.

The man laughed and followed, flames beneath his feet propelling him into the air.

In the Fire Market, Yu Xian remained meditating. After an hour passed, he sensed someone approaching the door—deliberate, steady steps, hiding nothing.

A knock came.

“Fellow Daoist, are you there?”

Yu Xian opened the door calmly, already expecting something like this.

A mature woman stood there with a smile. “Fellow Daoist, you are indeed here.”

Yu Xian’s expression was placid. “Your tracking methods are impressive. Might I ask what your intention is? Have you come to tell me about the Golden Core alchemist I’m looking for?”

“Tracking?” the woman laughed proudly. “In Fire City, everyone’s information is under our control. There’s no need for such tricks.”

Yu Xian remained silent, watching her.

Her smile froze. She coughed lightly and said, “Well, no, I haven’t found the Golden Core senior. I just came to ask—do you need any other information? The price is negotiable.”

Yu Xian frowned and replied flatly, “No need.”

He shut the door on her stunned face.

From the shadows, a red-robed young man watched. “Is he from Medicine King Valley?” he asked.

Hong Fairy’s brow twitched slightly, then she nodded. “He is.”

“Oh? So it’s true?”

He grinned. “He’s not your disciple, right?”

She didn’t respond.

Why was she here, in this place? Fire Sect was practically a subsidiary of Blood River Sect, and Blood River Sect hated Medicine King Valley with a vengeance.

Too many grudges: alchemical scams, ruined foundations, fake treasures, overcharged herbs… all old debts.

So how could she live here in peace?

Yu Xian rose and bowed. “Junior Yu Xian greets the senior.”

She rested her cheek on her hand, gazing at him. “Tell me… how did you escape the Valley of Heavenly Demons?”

“There was a small teleportation array,” Yu Xian said honestly. “I found it by chance and used it.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

She stared at him. “The other disciples? How did they die?”

Yu Xian looked confused. “What disciples?”

“The other Medicine King disciples who entered with you. How did you kill sixty of them… while only at mid-Qi Condensation?”

“What?” Yu Xian frowned. “Kill sixty? When we entered, everyone scattered. I ran far from the group and never saw anyone again.”

“Oh, right!”

He quickly added, “Senior, that Gu Hanfeng, he was no good—he practiced demonic arts!”

“Oh?”

She raised an eyebrow.

“Yes!” Yu Xian said earnestly. “All six others with me were practicing a demonic technique he passed down—the Devilheart Incantation. It floods you with demonic energy! How could a righteous sect like Medicine King Valley have such a technique?”

“Gu Hanfeng was possessed by a Heavenly Demon. It’s understandable he knew such things,” she said quietly. “But the seal in the valley—how did it break? How did you get out?”

A crushing pressure settled over Yu Xian, Golden Core-level killing intent like a mountain upon his shoulders.

So Gu Hanfeng had long been possessed?

Then… where was he now?

“Senior, I already said—I found a teleportation array by chance. I swear on my life. If I lie, let me die without peace, never able to reincarnate!”

The air shifted slightly.

That kind of oath wasn’t made lightly.

To cultivators, especially those who’d touched the Dao, vows like this were binding under heaven.

She sighed faintly.

If his master were really here, he would have shown up himself.

Clearly, this Golden Core expert who knew alchemy wasn’t Yu Xian’s master.

He had to leave—quickly. Staying longer would only invite danger.

Even if everything he said was true, others might not believe it.

Perhaps once the alchemist confirmed he didn’t know this “disciple,” he might assume Yu Xian was a spy and decide to silence him.

But just then—a knock at the door.

This time, Yu Xian sensed nothing until the sound came. No aura, no presence. Whoever it was stood just beyond the door.

Only someone at peak Foundation Establishment… or higher?

Yu Xian’s mind raced.

He stepped back, preparing his spells and techniques.

Then, he opened the door in one swift motion.

There stood a red-robed woman of stunning beauty, her expression serene and distant.

Yu Xian froze.

He recognized her instantly.

Hong Shao.

The Second Elder of Medicine King Valley.

He’d met her once on Ascension Island… and again in the depths of the valley, when she promised him safe passage if he retrieved a fifth-rank spiritual herb.

Seven years had passed.

And now… she was here?

Was she the mysterious Golden Core alchemist?

Hong Shao walked in without a word, the door closing behind her. A gentle scent followed her into the room.

She passed Yu Xian and sat at the tea table.

So it really was her.

Not some mysterious stranger. Not a hidden master.

It was Hong Shao all along.

“He’s the disciple of Gu Hanfeng, who died in the jaws of the Heavenly Demon,” she said calmly.

“So it’s fate,” the red-robed man sighed. “Poor boy. His master’s dead, and he’s still searching. Loyal to the end.”

“Will you see him or let him go?” he asked.

“I’ll see him,” she replied.

“You think I’m guarding you?” the man laughed bitterly. “I’ve made my feelings clear. I’ll wait till you recover… and understand me.”

He turned and left.

She watched him go.

“Yu Xian,” she murmured to herself.

He had grown.

But his face hadn’t changed too much. With a Golden Core cultivator’s memory, recognizing him was easy.

He was the only survivor of Ascension Island.

One of the few who had ventured into the Valley of Heavenly Demons to gather fifth-rank herbs.

And he was still alive?

Of the forty-plus disciples who went in… not a single one had returned.

But he had.

And now he was at mid-Foundation stage?

She pondered this, then walked to his door and knocked gently.

Inside, Yu Xian sat cross-legged, his thoughts racing.

That earlier woman’s visit had changed everything.

Now, he knew the Golden Core alchemist wasn’t his master.

They just wanted to see his face. Confirm who he was. Make sure he wasn’t some spy or threat.

He sighed.

He had to move—fast.

But then came the knock.