Chapter 154: First Use (First Update)

Great Dao Sect.

"Big Sister... no, Master Bai, you're finally awake."

With a soft moan, Chu Ling cried out in joy and hurried to Bai Qiulan's side.

Bai Qiulan slowly opened her eyes, her gaze still clouded with confusion.

Her memories lingered on the moment Lu Ye had returned the Lunar Marrow Worm to her, followed by endless agony.

Only Chu Ling was here—Shangguan Huanling and Sun Ruowei were tending to Yue Hongling.

Yue Hongling had indeed shown genuine devotion to Bai Qiulan, enduring immense suffering to absorb the majority of the chaotic Chaos Venom raging within her.

Tribulation Realm...

Even after awakening, Bai Qiulan remained in the Tribulation Realm. Previously, her cultivation had plummeted due to the Lunar Marrow Worm's frenzied devouring, but the explosion of Lunar Power from the worm had restored her to her former level.

As a Tribulation Realm cultivator, Bai Qiulan recovered swiftly.

Her first thought was of the torment she had endured.

"Ling Er, why has my Lunar Venom vanished? Who did this?" Bai Qiulan asked urgently.

Chu Ling did not conceal the truth and answered honestly.

"It was Hong Ling. She used the Charming Maiden's Extreme Yin Scripture to draw out your Lunar Venom. She's still unconscious now, but Master, you needn't worry too much. The Charming Maiden's Extreme Yin Scripture is indeed a supreme secret art, fully capable of eradicating Lunar Venom. Hong Ling is recovering bit by bit," Chu Ling explained.

Bai Qiulan immediately stood up.

"I must see Hong Ling!"

"Master, take it slow..."

The two arrived at Yue Hongling's room. Before even entering, they were met with a bone-chilling cold.

Bai Qiulan saw Yue Hongling lying on the bed, her body stiff from the cold, her face twisted in pain and deathly pale. Instantly, tears streamed down Bai Qiulan's face.

"Hong Ling, why are you so foolish? I already told you—you must never use the Charming Maiden's Extreme Yin Scripture! Why did you still do it? This technique harms both you and me!" Sobbing, Bai Qiulan rushed to Yue Hongling's side, reaching out to grasp her hand.

But... where was her hand?

"Where are Hong Ling's hands?"

Bai Qiulan nearly lost her mind, shouting in horror.

Shangguan Huanling held up two stiff, frozen hands. "Big Sister Bai, they're here..."

"How did her hands break? Who cut them off?" Rage burned in Bai Qiulan's eyes.

"I did. There was no other choice. At the time, Hong Ling wanted to temporarily halt the use of the Charming Maiden's Extreme Yin Scripture, but her hands were frozen solid, making it impossible to stop. The only option was to sever them. It was truly a last resort," Chu Ling explained.

Bai Qiulan's tears fell like pearls, unceasing.

She took Yue Hongling's hands, the piercing cold seeping into her skin.

Then she touched Yue Hongling's body—even colder.

"From now on, Yue Hongling is absolutely forbidden to use the Charming Maiden's Extreme Yin Scripture, even if I die. None of you must allow her to use it. You must help me keep an eye on her, do you hear me?" Bai Qiulan said sternly.

Everyone could only nod in agreement.

"Hong Ling, why are you so foolish? Why are you so foolish? It's not worth it... This is my constitution, this is my fate..."

...

A month later.

Yue Hongling finally recovered, and her severed hands were reattached.

Her strength had actually advanced by leaps and bounds due to absorbing the corrupted Lunar Power.

She reached the sixth level of the Refining Void Realm.

"Ah, Master, don't worry anymore. Look, I'm completely fine now—no aftereffects at all! And I even turned misfortune into fortune, breaking through three minor realms in one go. The purity of my True Essence has improved too. It's really great!"

Yue Hongling said with a naive, cheerful expression.

Bai Qiulan continued to nag.

"Next time the Chaos Venom flares up, you absolutely must not use the Charming Maiden's Extreme Yin Scripture again. Did you destroy that technique? You must never let Chu Ling or Shangguan Huanling learn it!" Bai Qiulan said.

"Don't worry, I've already destroyed it!"

Bai Qiulan sighed deeply. "Having a disciple like you is truly my blessing."

"Ah, Master..."

"Oh, right, Master, where is senior brother? I haven't heard anything about him for a long time," Yue Hongling asked.

"He's in seclusion. Ever since he returned after annihilating the Eternal Sect and the YinYang Law Sect, he's been in closed-door cultivation. I heard the entire YinYang Law Sect surrendered, but he slaughtered them all," Bai Qiulan said.

Yue Hongling fell silent for a moment.

"He really is much more ruthless than in his past life. Sometimes I even wonder if he's been possessed. How can a person change so drastically?"

"Perhaps we hurt him too deeply..."

Mentioning Lu Ye, the atmosphere between them grew heavy.

"Is he about to undergo tribulation and ascend?" Yue Hongling asked.

"He already broke through to the Tribulation Realm before. With his cultivation speed, he’ll likely ascend in at most two years."

Yue Hongling panicked.

"That's too fast! Senior brother's cultivation speed is too fast. If this continues, it won't be long before he ascends to the Second Heaven. By then, we won't even be able to see his back. Master, what should we do?" Yue Hongling asked anxiously.

Bai Qiulan had no good solution either.

"No, I absolutely won't allow this to happen. Call Chu Ling over immediately—we must come up with a proper plan!"

"Alright!"

Surprisingly, Bai Qiulan didn't object.

Watching Yue Hongling hurry away, Bai Qiulan suddenly frowned and lightly bit her lip, suppressing the surging chill within her.

She couldn't help but let out a sigh.

Hong Ling helping her alleviate the Chaos Venom didn't violate any ethical norms, but could Hong Ling hold on this time? What about next time?

And the time after that?

And the time after that?

The Chaos Venom wasn't a one-time affliction but a permanent, long-term one.

Without the appearance of the Lunar Marrow Worm, she might have been able to slow the onset of the Chaos Venom by rapidly increasing her own strength.

But now, with the Lunar Marrow Worm inside her, the purest Chaos Lunar Power was being absorbed by the worm, leaving her with only lower-quality Lunar Power.

Breaking through at a rapid pace was now extremely difficult.

At this moment, an idea uncontrollably rose in her heart.

The *Chanu's Extreme Yin Manual*—it seemed the caster couldn't voluntarily interrupt it. If she found some heinous fiends and had them learn this technique, wouldn’t that spare Yue Hongling from having to help absorb it?

This way, she could also rid the world of demons and evils.

Once this thought took root, it grew wildly like weeds.

If Bai Qiulan suppressed this idea, the *Chanu's Extreme Yin Manual* would still be in Yue Hongling's hands, and she hadn’t yet figured out how to broach the subject with her without being too direct.

Soon, the four women gathered together.

They held a meeting.

Yue Hongling gave it a name:

"Operation Chase the Husband—Pre-Battle Mobilization Conference!"

Bai Qiulan, Shangguan Huanling, Chu Ling, and Yue Hongling attended the meeting.

Unfortunately, the Vermilion Bird was missing!

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