Chapter 577: The Treatment of a Great Clan's Heir

「In the faint light of dawn, inside Xun Wind Camp.」

Guo Wanjun wiggled his newly grown pinky finger. Its Qi Veins were perfectly integrated. Not only was its physical strength not the least bit inferior to the original, but he could even feel a novel sense of unimpeded flow within the digit.

Guo Wanjun let out a long breath and blurted, “This is a Divine Skill! Daoist Xing Lan, you’re not just a Six-star Medical Cultivator—you’re a powerful one at that!”

With that, he gave Song Ciwan a solemn salute.

At the same time, the Heaven and Earth Scale received another burst of energy: [Human Desires: The relief, joy, and anticipation from a Martial Arts Grandmaster of the Innate Fifth Transformation True Self Realm. Weight: One catty, nine taels. Tradeable.]

Wen Tingyu, who had been standing quietly to the side, not daring to make a sound, finally stepped forward. She was both stunned and delighted, her voice filled with reverence as she said, “Xing Lan Fairy, you’re not a Five-star Medical Cultivator, you’re a true Six-star Medical Cultivator!”

[Human Desires: The rapture, anticipation, and reverence from an Innate Fourth Transformation Acupoint Fusion Realm Martial Artist. Weight: Four catties, three taels. Tradeable.]

Song Ciwan, in contrast, was calm. She took out a few elixirs to replenish her True Qi and quickly swallowed them.

Then she said, “Grand General, General Wen, you flatter me. I still have a long way to go.”

‘If I can’t treat a Grandmaster with ease, what right do I have to call myself a true Six-star Medical Cultivator?’

“Besides,” Song Ciwan added with a faint sigh, “I used all my strength just now to regenerate a single pinky finger. If I want to treat Grand General Guo’s hidden injuries, I’m afraid it’s simply beyond my capabilities.”

She sounded very dissatisfied with herself, but her words left Wen Tingyu utterly stunned.

‘Oh, Fairy, do you have any idea what a normal Six-star is even like?’

‘Aren’t there any Six-star Medical Cultivators in Demon Suppression Pass?’

‘No, there are!’

‘It’s just that even they can’t completely heal the hidden injuries of a Martial Arts Grandmaster!’

At that moment, Wen Tingyu looked at Song Ciwan as if she were a walking treasure, completely oblivious to her own worth.

‘This Fairy is too humble, too gentle, powerful without realizing it, and so kind that she often feels indebted to others. What is to be done with her?’

Wen Tingyu was on the verge of overstepping her position and rushing forward to persuade Song Ciwan not to go to the Ancient Divine Palace.

She opened her mouth, getting halfway through her thought before stopping. “Xing Lan Fairy, you mustn’t underestimate your own value! You’re still so young. With your current medical skills, you only need to advance your Cultivation a little further, and healing a Grandmaster’s hidden injuries will be within your grasp! Fairy, the most important thing for you now is to protect yourself! You…” But she cut herself off.

She couldn’t bring herself to tell Song Ciwan to go back on her word and abandon the trip to the Ancient Divine Palace.

Finally, Song Ciwan tried once more to speak of the dangers of the Golden Core, but she discovered she still couldn’t reveal the secret directly. She could only approach the topic obliquely. “Grand General Guo, you must not go to the Spirit Realm Secret Realm. The consequences of a Human Cultivation Golden Core are no different from those of a Demon Cultivation Golden Core.”

Through her attempts, Song Ciwan had confirmed that within Demon Suppression Pass, whenever she tried to reveal the secret of the Golden Core, the curse of the Ancient Divine Insect Race would still manifest—just in a different way. It wasn’t like in other places, where she would be struck by a Thunder Tribulation.

This was perhaps because Demon Suppression Pass was a major military stronghold of the Great Zhou, and its Protective Array was powerful enough to reach the True Immortal Level.

Under the protection of such a powerful array, if a Thunder Tribulation were to descend from the heavens, it would first have to contend with the Pass’s Protective Array.

Clearly, the curse of the Ancient Divine Insect Race was not rigid; it adapted, its cunning and treachery identical to the very nature of the race itself.

Fortunately, Guo Wanjun was no fool. Some things didn’t need to be spelled out. After the previous incident, he was already on high alert regarding the Golden Core.

He simply said, “I will be sure to report this to the Grand Governor. Daoist Xing Lan, you need not worry yourself over it.”

He told Song Ciwan not to worry, but his own expression was clearly grave.

As the morning sun climbed the sky, Song Ciwan bade farewell to Grand General Guo, Wen Tingyu, and the others.

She registered as a Demon Hunter at Wind Fury Camp. Within her Vast Sea Grotto Heaven, she now carried a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact personally delivered by Yu Wenxu, as well as a Martial Arts Token from Grand General Guo.

A Martial Arts Token was an item personally crafted by an expert at the Martial Arts Grandmaster Level or higher. It could seal anywhere from one to three streams of a Grandmaster’s Martial Arts True Intent.

When released, the token was equivalent to a full-power strike imbued with the Martial Arts True Intent of a Grandmaster! It was considered a top-tier protective treasure.

Even the scions of great aristocratic families would find it difficult to obtain such a high-level protective treasure unless they were a part of the direct lineage and inner core.

Song Ciwan had once personally witnessed the Chi Hua Fairy, who carried an Immortal Sword and could summon the ancestor Beichen Sword Immortal at a moment’s notice. She never expected that she would now receive similar treatment.

And the token Guo Wanjun had given her contained three streams of Martial Arts True Intent.

She didn’t refuse Guo Wanjun’s kind gesture, but she secretly resolved to cultivate her Fetal Breathing Saint Method to the Mastery Realm as soon as possible, so she could heal the Grand General’s hidden injuries.

Her Insight Technique panel displayed: Fetal Breathing Saint Method (Masterful Skill 3,216,974 / 10,000,000)

Compared to her progress back in the Mingqiu Desert—Fetal Breathing Saint Method (Masterful Skill 2,356,419 / 10,000,000)—this practical application of her skills in treating Grand General Guo had allowed Song Ciwan to take another huge step forward in her cultivation of this Ultimate Skill.

A Supreme Skill like this, one that could even be called a Divine Skill, became progressively harder to cultivate. It had reached a point where breakthroughs could no longer be achieved by simply putting in time; they required a great deal of practical application and insight.

「Demon Suppression Pass, North Gate.」

This was the final pass out of the Human Realm. Beyond this gate lay the vast, boundless, and ever-changing Wind Mist Plain—the most brutal battlefield in the war between the Human and Demon Races, and the final resting place for countless soldiers of the West Wind Army and Demon Hunters over hundreds of years.

When Song Ciwan arrived at the North City Gate, the feeling was completely different from her time at the South Gate.

The North Gate had a different kind of bustle, as there were always exceptionally large crowds waiting to exit the city here.

It was only by coming here that one could truly understand just how many Demon Hunters there were… so many people willing to leave the prosperous Nine Provinces behind and risk their lives fighting the Demon Race.

The crowds by the gate were bustling, and the lively, everyday chatter of the Demon Hunters diluted the grim, solemn atmosphere of the mighty pass.

People would ask each other questions like, “Old Yao, that new Magical Treasure of yours looks pretty good! Where are you headed this time? Still sticking within a hundred miles of the city, or are you venturing two hundred miles out?”

Or they would invite one another: “Senior Brother Luo, the demons outside the city have been moving in larger packs lately. Why don’t our two teams travel together?”

The Demon Hunters chatted as they waited in line.

At the very front of the line, however, were not Demon Hunters, but a squad of West Wind Army soldiers.

From the ten camps of the West Wind Army, soldiers would rotate out of the pass at regular intervals, splitting into small squads to hunt demons on the Wind Mist Plain.

The Demon Hunters waited for these West Wind Army soldiers to depart first before they would follow them out of the pass.

By the city gate, Song Ciwan saw Wei Chi waiting with his three martial brothers. The moment Wei Chi spotted Song Ciwan, he hurried over happily. With a cupped-fist salute, he said with a hint of shyness, “Xing Lan Fairy, I came to see you off.”