Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

Atop the military transport.

The young ladies sat in the troop compartment, each slowly enjoying an ice cream cone.

Yan Yu, however, was holding a mobile phone, currently looking at the materials report from the Longquan Mountain Mysterious Realm.

Since the realm itself was not very large and the terrain was simple, the first round of the search did not take too long, and results were available within half a day.

A large number of discarded swords outside the thatched cottage, which served as study samples for cultivation materials science and casting, need not be mentioned, as the combat team did not require them.

Inside the thatched cottage, there were many intact Immortal Swords. Since they lacked names, they were only categorized by number, with a detailed list of each sword's shape, size, color, and weight.

As for the level and quality of the Immortal Swords themselves, it seemed current technological levels couldn't measure them in detail.

Of course, this wasn't to say that the quality of the swords was completely unimportant, but at present, it really didn't hold much significance.

Firstly, given the low global concentration of Spiritual Energy, the tactical advantage high-quality Immortal Swords could provide was limited and not as tangible as practicing Sword Control Techniques.

Secondly, the Immortal Swords chosen by Chen Lingyun's combat team back then were indeed of good quality, something Yan Yu remembered clearly!

Besides the numerous Immortal Swords, military cultivators found a hidden chamber behind the thatched cottage, containing many tomes.

The vast majority were about the essential secrets of sword casting. Useless to individual cultivators, but of great value to the nation.

Next were the Taoist Method tomes, including the spell used by the lady in green that could summon torrents of water out of thin air, which was remarkably listed as the "Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art".

It was a strange name because "galaxy" meant "a river-like dense collection of stars", yet the spell's actual effect was to summon floods... If not for the fact that the incantations recorded in the tomes matched those chanted by the lady in green, it would be difficult to associate them together.

But Yan Yu took a particular interest in this spell.

The reason was simple: it was a pure water-element Taoist Method with effects that leaned towards containment and suppression, both of which suited Su Yunjin well.

With his past life's extensive experience, Yan Yu very clearly understood that what mattered with spells and Immortal Swords was not their inherent power level, but rather their compatibility with the cultivator, what's commonly referred to as the degree of fit.

If you asked the delicately minded Li Minghu to give up the Flying Sword for blunt Taoist bombardment spells or the fierce Zhou Hongyu to exchange Taoist techniques for the intricate and complex role of Servant Envoy, it wasn't entirely impossible, but how much of their true strength they could exhibit was uncertain.

Having sent the message to Li Weiguo, earmarking the "Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art" in advance, Yan Yu then silently began to plan.

Lin Ning was following the Sword Immortal path, the Green Bamboo Sword was already in her possession; once she learned the Sword Control Technique, the next step was to obtain a sword technique for her.

Su Yunjin was on the path of spell cultivation; the water-element Taoist Method "Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art" with its spells was enough for her early use.

Chen Lingyun was on the Servant Envoy path, but she still lacked spirit refining spells and ghosts to command... Not to worry, let the wretched woman wait a bit longer, she's quite patient.

Finally, there was himself and Zhao Yuanzhen, the two were practicing the Silken Bond Technique, playing with puppets, which was a variant within the Assistant Officer pathway.

However, as puppets were trump cards and couldn't be revealed casually, for the time being, he'd get some magical treasures for Zhao Yuanzhen to play the proper Assistant Officer role later.

He would also get an Immortal Sword for himself to pretend to be a Sword Immortal like in his previous life, serving as a disguise for his identity.

Lin Ning's sword technique, Chen Lingyun's Servant Envoy and spirit refining spells, Zhao Yuanzhen's magical treasures, and his own Immortal Sword... There was quite a list of things needed.

Luckily, the resurgence of Spiritual Energy was progressing slowly this year and there was plenty of time left, no rush.

He hoped that the "village slaughtering culprit" they were about to deal with would turn out to be an illegal ghost practitioner who harvested souls for nefarious spells, just as Chen Lingyun had guessed.

In such a case, Chen Lingyun, who planned to go down the path of using ghosts, might also obtain some suitable items.

Yan Yu pondered deeply, and without realizing it, he began to feel drowsy. Just as he was about to close his eyes for a nap, he suddenly heard Zhao Yuanzhen beside him ask:

"Want to sleep on my lap?"

"What do you mean?" Yan Yu immediately became alert.

"It looked like you wanted to sleep," Zhao Yuanzhen innocently said, patting her own closed, fair, and full thighs. "Isn't that what they do on TV? Knee pillows and all that..."

"Stop right there!" As expected, Lin Ning, the commentator, jumped out in time and anxiously explained, "Sister Zhao, knee pillows can't just be given to any man. They should only be between boyfriends and girlfriends!"

"Oh." Zhao Yuanzhen truly wanted to say, "He and I are already Dao companions, isn't that like being boyfriend and girlfriend?" But then she thought, This little thief will surely spout some nonsense like "Dao companions are not considered dating," using that as an excuse to shame and demean me!

Humh! I won't fall for that!

When Yan Yu heard Lin Ning say "boyfriends and girlfriends," he also anticipated that Zhao Yuanzhen would seize the opportunity to claim her rights, and he was already prepared to ruthlessly crush her with words—he had even thought of the exact phrases to use.

However, the Demonic Sect Enchantress merely uttered an "Oh" and nothing more, leaving him feeling like he had swung a punch into the air, devoid of strength.

Clever Demonic Sect Enchantress! She actually predicted my prediction. Her levels of cunning and deceit have indeed increased!

I told myself, how could a simpleton who only knew about eating, drinking, and having fun be the notorious Empress Yuanzhen from a previous life?

And now you've accidentally revealed your true colors, haven't you? Haha! I knew you were pretending!

Meanwhile, on the airplane back to Imperial Prince Xing's residence, Li Minghu also began to strategize and debrief the failed mission.

Since there was no full recording, all she could do was ask each team member to describe what they had seen and then compile everyone's accounts for analysis:

"...which means, Yan Yu had been hiding in the furnace behind the house from the beginning to deceive and ambush us."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"I missed it during the reconnaissance. That was my negligence," Tao Xingyuan admitted his error openly.

"No." Li Minghu shook her head, "The Wall-Penetration Technique is the least used spell among the Three Arts; it's difficult for most people to think of it. I didn't consider that aspect either back then."

Her voice paused for a moment before she suddenly said:

"The main reason for our failure this time must be attributed to Zhaojiang."

"Yes." Li Zhaojiang didn't shirk his responsibility, "Hearing your screams behind the house threw me into confusion. I left the battlefield of my own accord, resulting in Xingyuan being unable to contend with Zhao Jiuzhen, and our position completely fell apart from that point."

"Then it dragged down the other route, and in the end, the entire situation was beyond salvage," Li Minghu spoke after a moment of silence, "Yan Yu actually warned you beforehand, didn't he?"

The team members showed surprised expressions: What? Are team leaders now sharing, before the match, "I'll be using this tactic" with each other?

"Yes." Li Zhaojiang said dejectedly, "Actually, I hadn't considered that angle. But when he mentioned it, I started suspecting that he might deliberately attack you fiercely during the confrontation, to make me drop my guard. Sister, I was worried your body wouldn't hold out..."

The team members immediately had an epiphany: That's how it is. It was a tactic targeting the deputy leader's fragile health! What a filthy strategy!

"If I couldn't hold out, I could surrender by raising my hand. You shouldn't abandon the original plan just to save me," Li Minghu stated calmly, "Do I look like someone who'd be reckless with her own health? Or did you confuse me with Zhou Hongyu?"

Zhou Hongyu from Nanchuan, known for her fiery temper, was infamous for a berserk combat style of "I either kill you or get killed." But, of course, the deputy leader Li Minghu wouldn't act so recklessly.

Li Zhaojiang hung his head in dejection and said no more.

At this point, he also realized the gravity of his mistake.

The confrontation between Sister and Yan Yu was, after all, internal competition among the Rikoku Cultivators.

Even if she lost, a simple surrender would have prevented any further harm.

And judging from the outcome, the sister didn't even sustain injuries; that guy Yan Yu was clearly showing mercy!

So why did I lose my composure in the first place? If it weren't for my rush to aid my sister, the situation wouldn't have completely collapsed.

It's all Yan Yu's fault! That guy is cunning and deceitful. I absolutely can't let sister have any private contact with him!

Not even on the battlefield!