When Destiny Brings the Demon

Now it was settled. She had always thought Sima Jiao resembled a villainous boss, and with the added demon cultivator setting on her, they looked even more like a pair from the antagonist camp. At this point, they were practically the epitome of a full villainous crew.

Liao Tingyan attempted to reason, "I think... although I'm a demon cultivator, I probably haven't done anything bad."

The eminent monk reassured her, "No need to be nervous. I know. My eyes can discern good and evil, so I can tell you are not among the wicked."

Liao Tingyan let out a sigh of relief. That had scared her—she thought the monk was here to vanquish demons.

The monk continued, "Many years ago, I once saw Sima Jiao at Three Sage Mountain. He was still young then but already displayed extraordinary intellect and insight. At the time, I gave him the Taoist name 'Cizang,' hoping he would harbor compassion for living beings and restrain his killing intent."

"I once divined his future. In the future I saw, he would become a terrifyingly evil man, stained with countless bloodshed. Alone, he would nearly overturn the entire World of Cultivation, annihilate Gengchen Immortal Mansion, and slaughter countless innocent mortals, turning fertile lands into scorched earth and paradises into hellscapes, leaving devastation in his wake and committing unspeakable sins."

Liao Tingyan: Confirmed. The monk was indeed here to vanquish demons.

The monk's tone shifted, "However, nothing in this world is absolute. Even the path of death holds a sliver of hope. Amidst his future of bloodshed and slaughter, I glimpsed a single thread of salvation. I prophesied that he would encounter a turning point—someone who could change him."

Hearing this, Liao Tingyan had a premonition.

"So I left him a prayer bead to suppress his ferocity and help calm his mind. At the same time, if he harbors killing intent, he will suffer unbearable pain." The monk calmly pointed to the red-threaded wooden bead tied around Sima Jiao's left ankle.

Liao Tingyan had noticed this bead the very first time she saw Sima Jiao at Three Sage Mountain.

"To others, this wooden bead is merely a seal binding Sima Jiao—one that no one has been able to remove since the day it was tied. But in truth, it is also a Spirit Medicine." The monk's clear eyes gazed at Liao Tingyan as if piercing through her soul. "If you can untie this 'seal,' this Spirit Medicine can save him once. If you cannot, it means Sima Jiao never encountered that sliver of hope. Today will be the end of his life."

Her premonition had come true.

This whole "fated person" rhetoric was practically standard for transmigrators. Even someone as lazy as her couldn't escape it.

Cornered, Liao Tingyan asked, "...Should I give it a try?"

The monk nodded, encouraging her with a look.

Liao Tingyan: "..."

She stepped forward to examine the red-threaded wooden bead, which didn't even have a loose end. Gripping it with both hands, she pulled—and it snapped apart effortlessly.

Was it really this easy? Was the monk messing with her?

"Does it have to be untied? Is breaking it acceptable?" She showed the monk the severed red thread.

Suddenly solemn, the monk stood and bowed deeply to her. "As expected. Since you are Sima Jiao's sliver of hope, you are also the hope for all living beings. In the future, I hope you will guide Sima Jiao toward goodness."

Liao Tingyan: "I don’t think I’m up to this task."

The monk smiled and showered her with praise, much like a shady boss forcing a difficult task onto an employee while piling on flattery.She turned to look at the 'arduous task' on the bed, considering whether she should just leave him be.

"Venerable Monk..." She turned to ask what to do next, only to find the monk had vanished on the spot.

Huh?

She stepped outside to look around but saw no one, only hearing a faint, receding voice say, "This karmic bond has now concluded. May you cherish yourself henceforth."

Done and gone—how decisive. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was just avoiding trouble.

Liao Tingyan returned inside and, after a moment’s thought, shoved the wooden bead straight into Sima Jiao’s mouth. Sure, she’d taken it from his foot, but who cared? It wasn’t her swallowing it.

After feeding him the legendary Spirit Medicine, she finally felt a bit more at ease. At least her boss had survived disaster, saved by the medicine. As for what came next—well, that was a problem for future her. A true corporate drone knew the wisdom of crossing bridges when they came to them. No point stressing over things until they were right in front of you.

She pulled out a cushion, sat down, and prepared to rest for a while, keeping vigil by the severely injured patient.

Once Sima Jiao ingested the Spirit Medicine, the bleeding stopped. Liao Tingyan also noticed the bulging veins on his body gradually smoothing out, his wounds slowly healing. He’d said his injuries were hard to mend—proof that this medicine truly lived up to its name.

Liao Tingyan tried to examine his internal condition, imagining she had X-ray vision or was some kind of CT scanner. At first, she had no clue how to do it, but after some experimentation, she managed to 'see.' What she observed was Sima Jiao’s organs, blood vessels, and meridians—all severely damaged—writhing and regenerating under the medicine’s influence.

She clicked her tongue in amazement. How had he held on this long in such a state? If not for the excessive blood loss, she might’ve thought he was perfectly fine. Who could’ve guessed his body was already this close to collapse?

Even the Spiritual Veins, which weren’t part of his original flesh but had grown after transcending mortality, were more than half shattered. His body was practically being held together by those flames—truly a body on the brink, just one step away from total ruin.

Only then did Liao Tingyan feel a belated surge of fear. She couldn’t help but stare at Sima Jiao with awe. Pretty boy or not, he was one tough bastard to endure this.

She had no idea what method the monk had used, but Sima Jiao remained completely motionless, utterly unconscious. Liao Tingyan kept watch over him all afternoon, observing as his internal and external injuries healed.

At first, she’d been worried about pursuers, but she soon realized this place was strange—it stayed perpetually bright, never darkening. She figured they must be in some other dimension, safe for the time being.

Even the big Black Snake woke up, slithering over to check on them, but Sima Jiao still hadn’t stirred. Liao Tingyan eyed his blood-soaked state and couldn’t take it anymore, so she started experimenting with her new skills again, using a water film to wash away the grime. As she floated a water orb around his hair for an automatic wash, she lounged nearby, multitasking and musing about how amazing it would be if she could bring this skill back to her world—automatic hair washing would be a dream.

After giving Sima Jiao a full-body rinse, she realized she had no men’s clothes, so she draped a skirt over him. Then she levitated him to swap out the straw on the wooden bed, laying down a proper mattress.After such a busy day, exhaustion set in. It was about time to wash up and sleep. Perhaps by tomorrow morning, this ancestor would be full of energy again, continuing his pretentious act, and she could go back to being a carefree slacker—perfect.

Just then, an abrupt change occurred. Flames surged from Sima Jiao's body, converging into a single flicker that hovered above him.

The flame opened its mouth and spoke, still in that childish, milky voice, shouting at Liao Tingyan, "What are you standing around for? He's about to die!"

Liao Tingyan: What the hell???

The flame babbled loudly, "His Soul Abode is a complete mess! He was ready to perish with his enemy earlier—even nearly burned his Divine Soul! Though his body is recovering now, his consciousness is on the verge of scattering!"

Liao Tingyan felt like an innocent doctor, completely unqualified to treat brain-related issues, yet forcibly dragged into this mess. She was utterly bewildered.

She admitted honestly, "I'm just a half-baked amateur. I don’t really understand what you mean. What happens if his consciousness scatters?"

The flame: "He dies! How is that not obvious?!"

So, the Spirit Medicine from that eminent monk earlier could heal his body but not his Divine Soul. Liao Tingyan slumped into her chair, pressing her forehead in frustration.

The flame roared at her, "Hurry up and think of something!"

Liao Tingyan groaned, "What can I do? I’m not a doctor!" Besides, though this flame had always threatened to kill "that bastard Sima Jiao," now it was suddenly in a panic.

The flame yelled, "Just go into his Soul Abode and piece his Divine Soul back together! Simple!"

It sounded like such an easy task. But Liao Tingyan didn’t trust this bratty flame.

Her skeptical glare infuriated it. Snarling, it snapped, "You think I want to save him?! I haven’t figured out how to separate from him yet! If he dies now, I die too! So hurry up and fix him!"

Though Liao Tingyan was a latecomer to cultivation, she knew the basics. The Soul Abode was the most private sanctum of a person—where their consciousness, thoughts, and Divine Soul resided. Normally, others couldn’t enter. If one’s cultivation was high enough, they could forcibly invade someone weaker, but doing so with ill intent could either cripple the target’s Divine Soul, turning them into an idiot, or outright annihilate them.

Against someone far stronger, unless they willingly opened their Soul Abode, entry was impossible. Liao Tingyan was well aware she lacked the ability to barge into this ancestor’s Soul Abode.

"Just try! He likes you, doesn’t he? Maybe you can get in!" the flame kept shouting.

Liao Tingyan: "Where did you get the idea he likes me?" She was baffled. Did this ancestor even seem like the type to like anyone? Was this flame blind… Oh, right—it didn’t have eyes.

The flame twisted indignantly. "I just know!"

"Stop wasting time! Hurry!" The flame shrieked, its childish voice thick with panic and fear. Its flicker grew weaker, as if on the verge of extinguishing.

"Damn it all." Liao Tingyan cursed under her breath, resigned. She dragged her chair to the bedside, pressed her forehead against Sima Jiao’s, and tentatively attempted to enter his Soul Abode.

Her heart pounded as she proceeded with extreme caution, fearing she might be obliterated before even reaching the entrance. Like a thief, she inched her Divine Soul forward, slow and wary.The Soul Abode was like the gateway to one's consciousness, taking different forms for different people. For those with strong defenses and aggressive tendencies, their Soul Abode could be extremely dangerous—such as Sima Jiao's. The thick barriers exuded a perilous aura. Liao Tingyan closed her eyes, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead and landing on Sima Jiao's cheek.

Within the space of the Soul Abode, Liao Tingyan tentatively extended a tiny tendril of her consciousness to touch the barriers of Sima Jiao's Soul Abode. She withdrew immediately after the brief contact, waiting for a long while, but there was no reaction.

Could it be that his Divine Soul was too severely injured to retain its aggression?

Her courage grew a little, and she pressed closer, clinging to the barriers of his Soul Abode, searching for any possible gaps... and then she tumbled right in.

It was so effortless that she began to doubt whether the warnings she had heard—"trespassing into another's Soul Abode is extremely dangerous"—were even true.

Ever since Liao Tingyan had skipped ahead to the Transformation Stage, she had been able to perceive her own Soul Abode. Hers was peaceful and leisurely, filled with gentle breezes and floral scents, like a vacation beach—so soothing it made her want to sleep. That was why she always submerged her consciousness into her Soul Abode when she slept, elevating the quality of her rest to new heights.

But Sima Jiao's Soul Abode was a realm of oppressive darkness. The only light came from flames burning across the scarred earth, raging fires and a suffocating stench of blood that evoked boundless despair and asphyxiation. Within his Soul Abode, the mass of consciousness representing his Divine Soul was fractured and peeling away layer by layer, like a withering flower.

Seeing this, Liao Tingyan drifted toward it.