Two months drifted by.
Every morning, after a quick breakfast, Xiao Yifeng would ride his sword out of the sect to perform his duties.
Meanwhile, Su Miaoqing had hit a bottleneck at the peak of Qi Refining. Her days of carefree play were over; Su Qianyi and his wife had forced her into secluded cultivation to attempt her breakthrough.
Bridging the gap to the Foundation Establishment stage was a process that defied standard timekeeping. It was ethereal and elusive. For the lucky, the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment might take three or four days. For others, it could drag on for months.
Xiao Yifeng worried for her, naturally. But with two powerhouses like Su Qianyi and Lin Ziyun acting as her Dharma Protectors, the risks were minimal. In her past life, she had successfully achieved the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment. He could only hope his presence in this timeline hadn't altered her fate.
Before entering seclusion, Lin Ziyun had thoughtfully left Yifeng a stockpile of resources. For the last two months, he hadn't seen the family at all. His meals were handled by Xiao Yue, and his days were consumed by the relentless grind of duty.
Deep beneath the surface, in the pitch-black turbulence of the undercurrent.
Xiao Yifeng and Ling Sisi were in the midst of a slaughter.
Over the last two months, Ling Sisi had transformed. Her Daoist techniques were no longer hesitant flickers of light; they were potent, precise, and lethal. She now held her own, shouldering a significant portion of the burden and relieving the pressure on Yifeng.
The density of the Demon Beasts was thinning. At this rate, they would clear the nest well before the three-month deadline.
Yifeng watched her move. She was proficient, her actions effortless. She moved with the grace of an antelope hanging by its horns—leaving no trace, striking with seamless fluidity. She dispatched the beasts with a calmness that made her seem like a completely different person from the frightened girl of two months ago.
They were now dangerously close to the core. The Spiritual Qi here was thick, a lure for every beast in the river system. They had reached the source half a month ago but had only dared to step into this high-density zone today, confident in their forged synergy.
Their kill count had skyrocketed to nearly 600 beasts a day.
Ling Sisi’s face was serene as her fingers wove through hand seals. Ethereal swords materialized around her, weaving between reality and illusion, slicing through the lunging Green-Eyed Swimming Fish with ease.
"Junior Sister Ling," Yifeng called out, slicing a fish in half. "Your technique is getting terrifyingly good. You’re catching up to me."
"It’s all thanks to you, Senior Brother," Ling Sisi replied, a blush coloring her cheeks. "If you hadn't taught me so well, I wouldn't have improved this fast."
"You give me too much credit. It’s your own comprehension," Yifeng waved a hand dismissively.
"If you hadn't held the line alone, how would I have dared to practice so freely? How could that have nothing to do with you? I don't even know how to thank you." Sisi was stubborn.
Yifeng chuckled. After two months, he knew her well enough to tease her. "Well, that sounds reasonable. So, how do you plan to repay me?"
Sisi’s face turned a deeper shade of red. But this time, she didn't stutter into silence. She lowered her voice, shy but firm. "Senior Brother Xiao... how about I treat you to a meal?"
"A meal?" Yifeng laughed heartily. "Done. I'd be more than happy."
"Really? No take-backs?" Sisi’s eyes lit up.
"Of course. Someone is offering to buy me food; why would I refuse? I’m sick of the cafeteria swill."
While they bantered, their hands never stopped moving. Their coordination was seamless. They knew the vital points of the Green-Eyed Swimming Fish by heart; one sword, one kill.
"It looks like we’ll be done soon," Sisi said, glancing at the thinning herd.
"Yeah. It’s dark as a tomb down here. If I didn't have you to talk to, this grind would be unbearably boring," Yifeng admitted.
"Do you really mean that? You don't think I'm a burden?" Sisi asked, a spark of joy in her voice.
"Why would I lie? Another person is another sword. Besides—"
Yifeng’s instincts screamed.
"Careful!"
His sword snapped to the side, splitting into multiple blades of light that interlocked into a shimmering shield in front of Ling Sisi.
BOOM!
A massive, pressurized column of water blasted out of the darkness. It slammed into the sword shield, shattering it instantly.
The residual force hammered into the Two Forms Yin-Yang Sword Formation. The barrier groaned and shuddered violently. Yifeng’s sword let out a mournful keen as it was knocked back into his hand.
If not for the formation, that single strike would have crippled them. Even with it, the feedback was brutal. Yifeng felt his vital energy and blood roil within his chest, a wave of nausea washing over him.
Ling Sisi gasped, pale with shock. But she didn't freeze. Realizing the formation was their only lifeline, she immediately poured her spiritual power into the array.
"Senior Brother, are you alright?"
"Don't move," Yifeng ordered, his voice tight. "Maintain the array. We have a high-level beast."
He waved his hand, and Sisi nodded, syncing her Qi with his to bolster the barriers.
Ripples of Sword Qi rose from the formation, creating a prickly hedgehog of defense.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
More water columns hammered them from the darkness, each impact shaking the formation to its foundations.
"Not good," Yifeng muttered.
He drove his spiritual power into his blade. It swelled, transforming into a massive greatsword of condensed Qi. He didn't aim; he just swung it wildly toward the source of the attacks.
"Explode!"
The giant sword detonated mid-water.
A massive shockwave of chaotic Qi ripped through the river, churning up silt and mud, turning the water into a blinding soup.
The attacks stopped. Silence returned.
Yifeng regulated his breathing, extending his spiritual sense into the murky water. The light from their Water-Avoiding Pearls barely penetrated the gloom.
Nothing. Just a few confused Green-Eyed Swimming Fish circling them.
Then, a low, guttural roar vibrated through the water.
It started as a rumble and rose to a deafening frequency.
Suddenly, the surrounding beasts went mad. The eyes of every Green-Eyed Swimming Fish turned a glowing, bloodshot red. Their bodies contorted, undergoing rapid demonization. With jaws snapping and fins flaring, the entire swarm turned on Yifeng and Sisi.
"Dammit," Yifeng cursed. "Junior Sister, watch out! It's a Foundation Establishment beast. Only they can command the lower kin."
The swarm closed in.
"Use your token! Signal for help!" Yifeng barked. "We can't stay in the Two Forms Sword Formation. It’s stationary—we’re sitting ducks in this open water. Once you signal, we break the array. I’ll take point, you watch our backs for the big one. Understood?"
Hearing "Foundation Establishment," Sisi’s face went white, but she nodded fiercely. "Understood!"
She grabbed her identity token, injected her Qi, and fired off a spiritual distress signal.
"Done!"
"Move!"
Yifeng dissolved the defensive array. It was a gamble, but staying meant death by attrition.
He ran two fingers along his blade and hurled it forward. The sword split into over ten beams of light, spinning around them like a buzzsaw.
"Go!"
Yifeng thrust his palm forward. The sword lights coalesced into a drilling cone, tearing a path through the wall of frenzied fish.
The Green-Eyed Swimming Fish that lunged at them were shredded instantly, their blood turning the water into a green tornado.
Like a drill bit, the sword formation pierced the encirclement. Yifeng led the charge, with Ling Sisi guarding his rear, deflecting the stragglers that managed to slip past his meat grinder.