This evening.

Qi Yue Pavilion.

“Xu Taiping, what’s wrong with you?”

“Xu Taiping, are you alright?”

Having just returned to Qi Yue Pavilion, Xu Taiping’s body began to shiver uncontrollably from the cold, his blood and True Qi vanishing at an alarming rate.

Baiyu and Ping’an, who had noticed this earlier, anxiously asked him.

“Wait for me, you two.”

With trembling arms, Xu Taiping opened the green gourd and released them from within.

Saying this, he took out a flask mixed with Dragon Gall Wine and, tilting his head back, guzzled down the remaining half-pot of the fiery liquor in one go.

Even though it had been diluted many times over, the medicinal potency of the Dragon Gall Wine was still present. Normally, Xu Taiping would drink at most half a pot a day, otherwise, he would feel drowsy and heavy-headed.

But now, after downing half a pot of diluted Dragon Gall Wine, he barely felt a bit warmer.

“Shivering…”

After a shiver, Xu Taiping took a long breath out.

Though his blood was still draining away, he finally felt a bit better.

The condition that had just afflicted him was exactly what Fairy Lingyue had mentioned in her letter—the downside of the Triad Ghost-Sealing Talisman.

However, even with mental preparation, he had underestimated the toll this side effect would take on his body.

Initially, when he was at the Hundred Grass Hall, he only felt a bit weak, so he wanted to settle Senior Sister and Senior Brother Four, leave a message for Senior Sister Linglong and the others, and then return to Qi Yue Pavilion.

Thus, he ended up spending a stick of incense’s time at the Hundred Grass Hall.

But it was during this brief period that he nearly lost his life due to the depletion of his blood and True Qi.

Fortunately, in a critical moment, he instinctively took a sip of the Dragon Gall Wine, which accidentally saved his life.

The Triad Ghost-Sealing Talisman was like a bottomless pit, swallowing all the Dragon Gall Wine he drank immediately.

At this rate, even if he exhausted all the power of the Dragon Gall Stone, it wouldn’t be enough to fill this bottomless pit.

After some of his blood had recovered, a trace of anxiety surged in his heart.

He thought he’d check what Fairy Lingyue’s letter said later.

While thinking this, Xu Taiping put away the flask and then, with a smile to the anxious Ping’an and the somewhat tense Baiyu, said, “Don’t worry, I’m feeling much better now.”

Hearing this and seeing that Xu Taiping’s complexion was indeed much improved from before, both of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Little monkey Ping’an leaped onto Xu Taiping and then silently nestled in his embrace.

Xu Taiping knew it was worried about him, so he gently rubbed its little head before turning to Baiyu, “There’s something I need to tell you.”

He then roughly recounted the disappearance of the Red-Haired Demon Blade and Fairy Lingyue.

“Blade realm, what is that? I’ve never even heard of it,” Baiyu said, looking at Xu Taiping in astonishment.

“To be honest, I still don’t quite understand what a blade realm is,” Xu Taiping shook his head.

Even though he had seen the blade realm with his own eyes, he still didn’t quite grasp what kind of existence it was.

Moreover, at that time, the Red-Haired Demon Blade had sworn an oath of self-restraint and had not shown him the true power of the blade realm.

“Right, when I was at the Hundred Grass Hall earlier, there was indeed a time when I couldn’t sense your presence. Fairy Lingyue also disappeared from time to time these past few days. Could it be that she was pulled into the Red-Haired Demon Blade’s blade realm?”

Baiyu recalled Fairy Lingyue’s recent anomalies.

“While I was unconscious, it was Fairy Lingyue who was entangled with that demon blade. It’s thanks to the letter and the Ghost-Sealing Talisman she left behind that I was able to seal the demon inside me,” Xu Taiping nodded.

“I knew it. That old woman was so weak that day. So during the days of your coma, she was battling with that demon blade in the blade realm,” Baiyu realized with a start.

“She didn’t even inform me, does she look down on me that much?” it then muttered a bit resentfully.

“It’s not that Fairy Lingyue didn’t inform you, but rather she didn’t want the demon blade to detect your presence. That way, you could bring me the message,” Xu Taiping shook his head.

Fairy Lingyue had also mentioned this in her letter.

Hearing this, Baiyu felt somewhat better.

“Is your current condition related to sealing that demon blade?” he then asked Xu Taiping.

“If all goes as expected, it should be related to that demon blade,” Xu Taiping said while lifting his hand and looking at the rune mark on his palm:

“I feel this seal is constantly devouring my blood and True Qi. It might be the price for sealing that demon blade.”

“Quickly check the second letter the old woman left you; there might be a solution in there,” Baiyu quickly suggested.

“I came back to read that letter. You two keep watch here; I’m heading to Fan Tower,” Xu Taiping nodded.

Even if Baiyu hadn’t mentioned it, he had already planned to read the letter.

…

Inside Fan Tower.

Xu Taiping opened the second letter from Fairy Lingyue—

“Taiping, if you’re able to open this letter, it means you’ve successfully sealed the demon blade. I’m relieved, truly relieved.”

“It was worth the effort I put into creating that Triad Ghost-Sealing Talisman.”

“You must have many questions in your heart right now.”

“Don’t worry, let’s start from when I first sensed the presence of that demon blade.”

“Actually, after you visited the injured Senior Brother Four that day, I had already noticed that the demon blade might have set its sights on you, because I could occasionally sense its aura near Qi Yue Pavilion.”

“However, I didn’t pay much attention at first because I’ve encountered many beings like the demon blade in other realms of cultivation. These malevolent spirits born from obsession are naturally subject to many constraints, such as only being able to appear at night, only being able to act against those who wield blades, and so on.”

“Also, these malevolent spirits, born from strong obsessions, often inherit a part of their original masters’ techniques and legacies. So for cultivators who want to improve their cultivation, they are an excellent whetstone.”

“That’s why I originally planned to capture it for you to test your blade once your cultivation had progressed further, which would undoubtedly benefit you.”

“That’s also why I didn’t tell you right away.”