The three of them were eager to eliminate the Nine-Eyed Demon Race lurking in the shadows.
This demon, through unknown means, had initially parasitized the Sect Master of the Dan Xin Sect, causing a drastic change in his temperament. He became an evil cultivator, harming many fellow disciples, including Xiao Fei.
Only after the Sect Master was killed did this hidden demon reveal itself. Later, they encountered it again in the Demon Sealing Cave, nearly causing Xiao Fei and Zhu Yu to kill each other.
The Nine-Eyed Demon Race grew in strength at an astonishing rate. Almost every time they met, its power had significantly increased.
With such a powerful entity hiding in the dark, they couldn't rest easy until it was dealt with.
After much deliberation, the three of them devised an action plan.
The demonic cultivator, transformed by the Nine-Eyed Demon Race, resided within Xian City, making direct action difficult and risking alerting the city's patrolling cultivators.
Fighting and killing within the city was strictly forbidden by the Great Zhou Dynasty. If caught, punishments ranged from military conscription or demotion to mine slaves, to outright execution for severe offenses.
However, after the Nine-Eyed Demon Race possessed the demonic cultivator, it had relocated to a very secluded place, likely to conceal its secret.
This provided the three with an excellent opportunity for an assassination.
With all preparations made, the trio stealthily approached the Nine-Eyed Demon Race's residence.
Huang Feifei began setting up formations. Xiao Fei's current formation skills were on par with Huang Feifei's, but much of his knowledge came from evil cultivators, making it a perfect complement to Huang Feifei's expertise.
Zhu Yu, unfamiliar with formations, watched them work, marveling at when Xiao Fei had acquired such skill.
This boy was a genius in alchemy for the sect, and now he was also proficient in formations. In comparison, Zhu Yu felt rather inadequate.
He realized he needed to continue practicing his alchemy, as he didn't want to be seen as a mere decorative piece.
Working together, Xiao Fei and Huang Feifei quickly established several layers of protective formations around the Nine-Eyed Demon Race's dwelling.
These formations were designed to mask magical fluctuations and the surrounding perception, as well as to trap enemies. Having been evaded by the Nine-Eyed Demon Race in previous encounters, they were determined to capture it this time.
"Done!"
"Let's proceed as planned!"
The three exchanged telepathic messages and nodded at each other.
Xiao Fei and Zhu Yu hid outside while Huang Feifei went to knock on the door.
Huang Feifei had never formally met the Nine-Eyed Demon Race before. Approaching to lure it out would not raise its suspicion.
The Nine-Eyed Demon Race's residence was protected by formations. Forcing entry might lead to unforeseen complications, so luring it to open the door was the best approach.
Huang Feifei deliberately cut her abdomen with her sword, causing blood to flow profusely.
She then rushed to the main door, knocking urgently with feigned panic.
"Who is it?"
A middle-aged woman with sinister eyes cautiously opened the door. Seeing an injured female cultivator, she relaxed considerably, a hint of greed flickering in her eyes.
The Nine-Eyed Demon Race had no fixed gender; it could be male or female, adopting the gender of the body it inhabited.
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Zhang. Our secret is out, quickly! Come with me!"
The Nine-Eyed Demon Race paused. The identity it was currently using was indeed Zhang. This person must be a friend from its host's past life.
"Come in first, let's talk!"
"There's no time! You must come with me."
As Huang Feifei spoke, she reached out and grabbed the middle-aged woman.
At that very moment, Zhu Yu, hidden in the shadows, was ready. His attack was a swift, decisive blow.
A dazzling beam of sword light erupted from within him, instantly striking the middle-aged woman.
The moment the sword light appeared, the middle-aged woman realized she had been tricked. During the battle in the Dan Xin Sect, she had witnessed Zhu Yu use this very technique to instantly kill True Lord Yin Gu.
However, she now found it was too late. Huang Feifei held her tightly, preventing her from dodging or even summoning her magical artifact to defend herself.
Zhu Yu's killing blow, unleashed with all his might, was incredibly fast, leaving the Nine-Eyed Demon Race little time to react in fear.
The white light flashed, cleaving the middle-aged woman's body into two equal halves, which then fell to the ground.
However, based on their past experiences, this was not enough to kill the Nine-Eyed Demon Race.
As expected, the two halves of the fallen body rapidly decomposed and dissipated, transforming into two streams of black mist that drifted into the air, leaving only two human skins on the ground.
The black mist gradually coalesced in the air, and it seemed the Nine-Eyed Demon Race was about to reform.
At this moment, Xiao Fei unleashed a colossal Primordial Chaos Divine Thunder directly into the coalescing black mist.
"Boom!"
Instantly, five-colored lightning crackled and surged within the black mist, which seemed to ignite.
Before the power of the Primordial Chaos Divine Thunder subsided, Xiao Fei unleashed more, one after another, completely engulfing the black mist that represented the Nine-Eyed Demon Race.
The three had meticulously planned, combining their strengths for a decisive strike, and had no intention of giving the Nine-Eyed Demon Race any chance to recover.
Finally, the lightning gradually ceased, the black mist dissipated, and only a black crystal remained in its place.
"This is the Demon Crystal!"
Huang Feifei curiously examined the black crystal, enveloping it with her spiritual power before bringing it closer for inspection.
According to ancient texts, true demons left behind a Demon Crystal upon death.
Demon Crystals had numerous uses in the cultivation world. Many demonic cultivators could directly absorb the demonic energy within to cultivate.
They could also be used in alchemy, artifact forging, formation setting, puppet creation, and many other applications.
At this point, Zhu Yu, with a pale and exhausted face, struggled to approach.
While his ultimate technique was powerful, it left him extremely weak afterward, more so than cultivating with his senior sisters.
Now that the plan had succeeded, it was time to divide the spoils. If he didn't show up, he would be at a disadvantage.
Given Xiao Fei's character, Zhu Yu didn't fully trust him.
Xiao Fei took the Demon Crystal from Huang Feifei's hand and held it, showing no intention of handing it over to Zhu Yu.
"There is only one Demon Crystal here, it cannot be divided equally."
"I suggest one of us three takes the Demon Crystal, and compensates the other two with wealth. What do you two think?"
As soon as Xiao Fei finished speaking, Huang Feifei immediately agreed.
Zhu Yu pondered for a moment and could only accept. He nodded slightly and said, "You can give the Demon Crystal to me, and I will compensate both of you with additional wealth."
Xiao Fei ignored his suggestion and continued.
"There are three of us now, and everyone wants the Demon Crystal. I believe in the principle of the majority ruling.
Those who agree to Zhu Yu possessing the Demon Crystal, please raise your hands."
Zhu Yu raised his hand, glanced at Huang Feifei and Xiao Fei's expressions, and angrily lowered it, cursing inwardly.
"What a pair of adulterous lovers! Conspiring together to cheat me."
Unsurprisingly, the Demon Crystal ultimately fell into Xiao Fei's possession.
However, Xiao Fei did not let the other two suffer a loss. He compensated each of them with a bottle of valuable True Essence Pills.
Subsequently, they found more wealth in the Nine-Eyed Demon Race's residence, which the three of them divided equally.