Reborn with infinite panels

Chapter 246 Cultivation World 35
The sky above the City of Three Realms is forever shrouded in a layer of gray mist, like a curtain formed by countless dead souls.

Jin You tightened her black cloak, her silver eyes beneath the hood scanning her surroundings warily. This city, situated at the crossroads of humans, demons, and monsters, was perpetually filled with a murky atmosphere of blood and desire.

"Mysterious Yin Ice Soul Pill, three hundred mid-grade spirit stones." The stall owner was an old demonic cultivator with a face full of wrinkles. He tapped the counter with his withered fingers, his nails as black as ink.

Jin You took out a brocade pouch embroidered with dark patterns from her bosom and poured out three high-grade spirit stones that shimmered with a faint blue light. This was the savings she had accumulated after hunting three fourth-tier demonic beasts.

The old demon cultivator narrowed his cloudy eyes, his gaze lingering for a moment on the silver strands of hair that were faintly visible beneath her cloak. "Half-demon, half-spirit?" His hoarse voice held a hint of interest. "No wonder she needs this kind of elixir."

Jin You's fingers tightened slightly, her knuckles turning white. She hated the feeling of being seen through, and even more so, she hated the probing gazes that probed her bloodline. But at this moment, she needed this elixir to suppress the conflict within her bloodline, and could only forcefully suppress the discomfort in her heart.

"Where's the goods?" she said coldly, her voice sounding as if it had been pulled from an ice cellar.

The old demonic cultivator chuckled and took out a jet-black jade bottle from under the counter. Just as Jin You reached out to take it, a sharp shout suddenly came from behind her:
"You demonic wretch, do you even deserve to trade with the spirit stones of my human race?"

A sharp sword aura pierced the air, and Jin You barely dodged it with a swift movement. The sword aura cleaved the counter in two, and the bottle of precious pills was about to fall to the ground.

Jin You's pupils contracted sharply, and almost instinctively she reached out and caught the jade bottle before it hit the ground.

But her hood slipped down, revealing a head of silver hair flowing like moonlight and her signature heterochromatic eyes—the left eye was amber gold like a demon's, and the right eye was deep purple like a demon's.

A collective gasp filled the air.

"As expected, he's a bastard!" The human cultivator who made the move strode over, dressed in a blue robe, with a jade token representing his status as an inner disciple of the Lingbo Palace hanging at his waist.

His face was handsome, but his eyes were full of contempt. "When did the Three Realms City allow such filthy bloodlines to enter the city?"

Jin You quickly tucked the jade bottle into her bosom, her right hand already resting on the short blade at her waist. She recognized this person—Lu Yucheng, a rising star of the younger generation in Lingbo Palace, notoriously hostile to foreign races.

"Senior Brother Lu, why bother arguing with such a lowly creature?" Several fellow disciples behind Lu Yucheng burst into laughter. "Judging by her appearance, she probably doesn't even know who her parents are."

Jin You felt a burning sensation rush from her chest to her head, a sign that her demonic blood was about to boil.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Making a move in the Three Realms City was a major taboo, especially since the other party was from the Lingbo Palace.

"Get out of the way." Her voice was low, and a dangerous glint flashed in her heterochromatic eyes.

Lu Yucheng sneered, his sword tip pointing directly at her throat: "Hand over what you're carrying. You demon bastard are not worthy of using what I, a human, bought with spirit stones."

Jin You felt as if the jade bottle in her arms weighed a ton. This bottle of pills was crucial to her ability to suppress her bloodline surge next month; she absolutely could not hand it over. But given the current situation…
“I paid for it, so it’s mine,” she said, emphasizing each word, while discreetly surveying her surroundings for possible escape routes.

A ruthless glint flashed in Lu Yucheng's eyes: "You're courting death!"

The sword flashed like a rainbow, aiming straight for Jinyou's heart. This sword strike showed no mercy; it was clearly meant to take her life!

Jin You dodged with ghostly speed, but the sword energy still tore her sleeve, revealing a section of her forearm covered in strange demonic runes. The surrounding crowd gasped and backed away, someone shouting, "High-level demonic runes! She's a descendant of a pure-blooded demon!"

These words were like igniting a powder keg. Lu Yucheng's eyes flashed with even more murderous intent: "So you weren't a bastard, but a spy from the demon race! Today I will act on behalf of Heaven!"

Jin You knew things were beyond repair. She abruptly drew her short blade, wisps of black energy swirling around it. The two forces clashed fiercely in the narrow alley, sword energy and demonic energy intertwining, scattering the surrounding stalls to pieces.

"Stop! Private fights are prohibited in the Three Realms City!" A guard's shout came from afar, but it was too late.

Lu Yucheng's swordplay became increasingly ruthless, each move aimed directly at vital points. Jin You gradually weakened; the demon blood and fiend blood within her began to clash due to her heightened emotions, causing her spiritual energy to circulate erratically.

In a moment of carelessness, she was stabbed in the shoulder by Lu Yucheng's sword, and blood immediately soaked half of her robe.

"Dirty demon, die!" Lu Yucheng grinned maliciously, raising his longsword high, ready to deliver a fatal blow.

At this critical moment, Jinyou felt something inside her break with a "crack".

A violent power erupted from her dantian, instantly flowing throughout her body. Her silver hair moved without wind, and her eyes turned a bottomless purple.

"You!" Lu Yucheng's expression changed drastically, but it was too late to sheathe his sword.

Jin You raised her hand and grabbed, crushing the superior-grade spirit sword in one fell swoop! Her nails turned sharp and black, and more complex magical patterns appeared on her skin.

An oppressive aura emanated from her, causing the surrounding cultivators to turn pale and retreat.

"A Demon General level?!" Lu Yucheng finally realized what kind of being he had provoked, but it was too late.

Jin You's figure appeared before him like a ghost, her dark claws piercing straight through his chest.

Lu Yucheng stared incredulously at the gaping hole in his chest, his lips trembling as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only managed to utter a few indistinct syllables:

"You are from the Bai family."

Before he could finish speaking, his body went limp and collapsed to the ground like a rag doll.

A deathly silence fell, followed by terrified screams. Jin You stared blankly at her blood-stained hands, the demonic blood within her still roaring for more killing. But her remaining sanity told her she had to leave immediately.

"Seize her! A demon has committed murder in the street, violating the rules of the Three Realms City!" The guards' angry roars came from all directions.

Jin You grabbed the fallen jade bottle and, before more people could gather around, transformed into a black shadow and darted onto the roof.

She heard the sound of arrows whistling through the air behind her and felt several specially made anti-magic arrows graze her body, causing a sharp pain.

But she couldn't care less about that now. The rampaging demonic blood within her was causing her immense pain, and she had lost several of the life-saving pills during her escape.

She could only run desperately out of the city, the torches of the pursuers behind her like a long dragon, illuminating the gloomy night sky of the Three Realms City.

When she finally escaped the city gate and jumped into the icy waters of the moat, Jin You vaguely recalled Lu Yucheng's lip movements before he died.

He was referring to the "Bai family"—the powerful demon clan that was wiped out twenty years ago by the Lingbo Palace in conjunction with other sects.

River water poured into her mouth and nose, the biting cold temporarily suppressing the boiling demonic blood within her. Jin You's last thought before losing consciousness was: her identity could probably no longer be hidden.

Jin You's eyelashes trembled in the cold, and her scarlet hair, soaked in river water, clung to her pale cheeks like congealed bloodstains.

She struggled to open her eyes, her amber pupils contracting sharply in pain—black blood was seeping from the wound in her left shoulder where the demon hunter's silver arrow had pierced her, the toxins burning in her blood vessels due to her human-demon hybrid constitution.

The flickering flames blurred into golden spots in her vision, but what truly gripped her breath was a hand resting on her forehead—

"Awake?" Si Lingle's fingertips were like jade bathed in moonlight; the coolness seeped into her skin, yet strangely suppressed the burning pain of the wound. As she leaned forward, her long, dark hair cascaded down her neck, the fragrance of her hair mingling with the scent of blood to create a warm aroma.

Jin You suddenly curled up and retreated, her beast-like vertical pupils locking onto the other person.

Si Lingle said in a calm tone, "The Witcher's silver arrows are tempered with withered bone vines. If you move even a little bit, the poison will gnaw through your heart."

Si Lingle's fingertips brushed across Jin You's shoulder, and frost instantly sealed the festering wound, the chill making Jin You shiver.

"Why did you save me?" Jin You's voice was hoarse. Her identity as a half-demon had led to her being driven out of the human race and despised by the demon race since childhood.

Si Lingle suddenly said, "I'll save you if I want to. There's no reason why."

Si Lingle rested by the You River, while the king and his companions caught fish in the river for Si Lingle to roast.

Jinyou was rescued by the king.

Si Lingle could tell that the other person had demon blood, but Si Lingle thought Jin You looked somewhat like her godmother in green, so she rescued her. Jin You stared blankly at Si Lingle—her wet clothes had already been changed into dry clothes, and Si Lingle was playing with the arrowhead she had pulled from her wound, the silver melting into liquid in her palm.

"Here, take the pill."

"Thank you, my name is Jin You."

"Yunhua," Si Lingle announced her real Daoist name.

Jinyou took the pill and swallowed it.

Afterwards, meditate and regulate your breathing.

Jin You's injuries were quite serious, but the pills that Si Lingle gave her were able to heal them.

After five days of recuperation, Jin You's injuries had only recovered to about 80%, not fully.

"Thank you for protecting me, Fellow Daoist Yunhua." Jin You couldn't understand why this cultivator would help her. She didn't have anything on her that she could scheme against.

"Fellow Daoist Jinyou, the demon blood and monster blood within you are clashing, causing disorder in the flow of spiritual energy. Haven't you thought about how to resolve this?"

"It's suppressed by taking the Profound Yin Ice Soul Pill," Jin You replied.

“Suppressing it with pills is not a long-term solution,” Si Ling said happily. “You can try taking the Blood Sea Golden Pill and then cultivate the Blood Spirit Primordial Technique.”

"The Blood Spirit Primordial Technique specializes in the transformation of Qi and blood, and can convert the power of the demon bloodline into controllable spiritual power, reducing the antagonism with demon blood."

"It can also assist in the cultivation of the 'Yu Yuan Ling Xiang Jue', which balances the violent energy in the demon blood by contracting with the spirit of a demon beast. It requires cultivation with the spirit blood of a demon beast of the same level."

"The Wuji Peiyuan Gong is a basic and stable cultivation method that can enhance the recovery ability of spiritual veins and slow down the collapse of meridians when spiritual energy is disordered. It requires long-term practice."

"While practicing these techniques, one should also soak in medicinal baths and refine the body, using spiritual blood and high-level spiritual plants (such as purple ganoderma and red ginseng) to temper the body, enhance physical strength, and increase tolerance to bloodline conflicts. This needs to be combined with body-refining techniques to accelerate the effect."

"You can keep Crimson Cloud Pills on hand. They are potent but can stabilize your meridians and alleviate meridian tears caused by disordered spiritual energy."

Jin You stared at Si Ling Le in disbelief, stunned for a long time before finally asking, "Are there so many ways to reconcile and stabilize a demon-monster hybrid?"

"Of course." Si Lingle nodded.

The cultivation techniques that Si Lingle mentioned were all ones she had seen in later generations, which she obtained when she killed demons.

As for pills, she also had them, which she obtained from the demons she had killed.

“Let’s find a safe place. I’ll give you these cultivation techniques and then prepare a medicinal bath for you to strengthen your body.”

Jin You stared intently at Si Ling Le, "Why are you being so nice to me?! What's your purpose?"

Si Lingle smiled slightly, "You might not believe it, but you look somewhat like my godmother, which is why I saved you."

Jin You hadn't expected it to be for this reason. Judging from Si Ling Le's expression, she didn't seem to be lying.

"Let's go."

Jin You stood up, and then the two flew away.

Several hours later, after finding a suitable place, Si Lingle made a hand seal and created a cave dwelling.

The cave dwelling had five rooms: one for her and one for Jinyou, and three more for alchemy, weapon crafting, and body tempering.

After everything was tidied up, Si Lingle gave Jinyou the cultivation manual and pills, telling her to start practicing.

After completing the cultivation, combine it with medicinal baths to strengthen the body.

Jin You went into seclusion to cultivate. Jin You was very intelligent, and she mastered these techniques in just ten days.

After that, I started to combine it with medicinal baths for body training.

The body-strengthening technique is the one Si Lingle practiced at Xuanwu Manor; it won't make her body bulky.

Three years passed in this way. Jin You's demon blood and monster blood were in a stable balance, and her cultivation level broke through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul stage.

Si Lingle spent the first year refining pills and crafting weapons, and then went into seclusion for the next two years, during which time her cultivation improved somewhat.

"Yunhua, I want to go back to the Demon Realm."

"I'll go with you, and we can go to the Demon Realm for some training." She hadn't been to the Demon Realm yet.

"Okay." Jin You was actually reluctant to part with Si Ling Le.

For hundreds of years, Si Lingle was her first friend.

Moreover, she also knew that Si Lingle was a person from the future who would leave this world one day.

After making some preparations, the two went to the Demon Realm.

*
Si Lingle and Jin You stood on the edge of the cliff, with surging blackish-purple mist beneath their feet, swallowing all light like the throat of a giant beast.

At the entrance to the Demon Realm stands a colossal gate forged from white bones and black iron, its lintel covered with writhing, blood-red runes that emanate a suffocating, sinister aura.

A distorted face vaguely appeared among the runes, emitting a silent roar.

Jin You gripped the Burning Cloud Fan tightly in her hand. The jade marrow on the fan ribs glowed faintly as it sensed the demonic energy. She whispered, "This barrier... is even more bizarre than the rumors suggest."

Si Lingle's face was as cold as ice. With a flick of her sword sheath, the exorcising talisman transformed into golden light and enveloped her body: "Follow me, and don't make a mistake in your footwork. The resentment here overlaps with time and space; if you're not careful, you'll be sucked into the illusion."

Before the words were finished, a screeching sound of chains scraping together suddenly came from the depths of the thick fog, as if some unseen force was watching their movements.

Si Lingle used the tip of her sword to cut open a dark purple magic circle, and the two of them leaped into it.

In an instant, the surrounding spacetime distorted into kaleidoscope-like fragments—a blood-red moon hung in the dark sky, purple clouds swirled like eddies, and stars were stained dark red, as if solidified demonic blood.

The ground beneath my feet was sometimes as hard as ice, sometimes as soft as rotting flesh. Every step brought a sweet, pungent wind, carrying the mixed scent of spider lilies and sulfur.

Jin You stumbled and nearly touched a cluster of Crimson-Eyed Demon Sunflowers growing by the roadside. The buds suddenly opened, revealing tooth-shaped petals and blood-red pupils.

"Be careful! These demonic plants feed on the souls of living people..." Before Jin You could finish speaking, Si Ling Le had already swung her sword and cut off the flower stem. The viscous black blood splattered into the air and was instantly swallowed by the rising demonic energy.

After passing the core of the barrier, the view suddenly opened up. In the distance, the mountains were like the jagged spines of a giant beast, and at the foot of the mountains, a crystal-clear blood river meandered. What flowed in the river was not liquid, but countless tiny red crystals, which made a crisp sound like wind chimes when they collided.

Nearly a hundred ghostly steles stand on both sides of the river. The ghostly faces carved on the blue stone tablets change expressions with the light and shadow, sometimes mocking, sometimes weeping.

A gray-feathered, golden-eyed eagle swept across the sky, its wingspan reaching ten zhang (approximately 33 meters). Its cry was like thunder, piercing Jinyou's eardrums.

Jin You quickly formed a hand seal, assimilating the two people's auras with the demonic energy: "Demon beings are extremely sensitive to outsiders, especially the spiritual energy on your body..." Before she finished speaking, a muffled sound came from the depths of the wasteland—the earth cracked open.

A giant bone vine, entwined with rotting flesh, burst forth from the ground, its tip revealing the face of a woman singing a seductive song.