She is Jianxiu

However, the demon was still struggling underground. Although she felt a little tired, she could not give up all her efforts. So she groaned and forced herself to circulate her true energy. After a while, she felt a weight on her shoulder, as if something was biting her hard.

As the object slowly climbed upwards, it also tried to pull her down. Zhong Luohe broke out in a cold sweat, but she had already made a series of bold statements. If this matter failed, the feedback to her would probably shake her resolve!
Zhao Chun and the others, watching from the sidelines, could easily see the troubled look on Zhong Luohe's face. Seeing this, Wang Long rolled up his sleeves, his brows furrowing slightly, and said, "It seems that the evil spirit is not easy to deal with. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Zhong can lure it out."

It wasn't that he cared so much about Zhong Luohe, but rather that he feared this plan might fail and alert the evil spirit, causing it to hide underground and refuse to emerge. Moreover, the earth's veins connected in all directions; if that creature possessed the ability to stealthily escape, the matter would become even more troublesome.

Fortunately, after he finished speaking, the commotion on the mountain suddenly intensified. A plume of yellow smoke rose straight up with a deafening roar, and rocks rolled on the ground like a flood bursting its banks. In an instant, sand and stones flew everywhere, and the sky darkened, startling everyone into a state of heightened alertness. They held their breath and stared intently ahead.

On the most towering and precipitous mountain peak, a stream of red water surged forth, wriggling and moving along the continuous mountain range. It then gathered higher and higher, wildly unfurling thousands of limbs, like a long snake raising its half-body, as if about to crash into the figure in mid-air!
This sudden change happened extremely quickly; in the blink of an eye, the evil spirits lurking underground had already rushed out of the mountains.

Zhong Luohe was unable to move at the moment. When she saw the object flying towards her, she lost control of her mind and swayed precariously in mid-air!

At that moment, several figures flew through the air and arrived. Wang Long held a jade conch shell, and with a flick of his finger, a cloud of snow-white smoke spewed out, gently lifting Zhong Luohe from beneath him and moving her back from the demon's presence. Shen Tong, meanwhile, held up a golden scroll, and as the Crimson Water demon pounced, he struck it down with a powerful palm. In an instant, lightning flashed in the sky, and several golden bolts of lightning struck the demon without missing a beat, leaving everything in their wake charred black.

The Crimson Water Demon, severely wounded, trembled all over, though it had no mouth or nose to cry out in pain. Its crimson waves surged, and it tried to burrow into the mountains. Wan Chong and the others followed closely behind, each using their own methods to block its path, managing to cut off its retreat.

Seeing that escape was impossible, the demon of the Red Water twisted its body again, raised half of its body and crashed into the mountain. Instantly, a loud rumble was heard, and dust and smoke rose from the entire mountain range. The demon shuddered and split into countless dark red insects, which darted away in all directions.

Shen Tong narrowed his eyes, reaching into his sleeve, about to cast a spell to capture them all. Just then, he heard a soft shout, turned his head and saw Wang Long stretch out his palm, quickly swiping it across the jade conch. Countless specks of spiritual light, as numerous as hairs on a cow, emerged from the conch's mouth, flying towards the small insects on the ground. After a whirlwind of light, the Crimson Water Demon was left with only small, broken remains, clearly its fate sealed.

Wang Long put away the jade conch shell, nodded and smiled at Shen Tong, who then raised his eyebrows, took out his left hand from his sleeve, and bowed, saying, "Brother Wang's skills are amazing, I admire you."

He didn't say anything about Wang Long taking credit, but seemed genuinely pleased to have eliminated this scourge.

Wang Long frowned slightly, not believing that the other party truly possessed such a magnanimous heart. As he turned and landed on the cloud, Jiao Jiangcai and Rong Jin greeted him with joy, feeling honored by his presence and abandoning their previous hesitation.

He knew perfectly well that this was because he and his companions had acted swiftly and decisively, eliminating the Chishui demon before Zhao Chun could even make a move. This demonstrated that although they were independent cultivators, their strength was in no way inferior to that of disciples from sects.

Perhaps because they had shown off their skills in front of Zhao Chun, the expressions of these people were much better than before. Wang Long breathed a sigh of relief, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and then pushed Zhao Chun with his sleeves, laughing, "The evil spirits here have been subdued. Why not strike while the iron is hot and eliminate the remaining places as well? What does Sword Master think?"

He was feeling rather smug, but Zhao Chun had no intention of exposing him. She simply smiled and nodded, saying, "Since you fellow Daoists wish to go together, why not?"

He then ordered Wan Chong and Jiao Jiangcai to descend into the mountains and clean up the remaining demonic bodies. Only then did Zhao Chun lead the group across the clouds and travel to several places in one go, killing the demons without leaving a trace. This made Wang Long and the others even more excited, thinking that such achievements could earn them a place in the City of Swords.

In the past few days, Zhao Chun hadn't done much, at most assisting the group in blocking the road. Wang Long and the others could see that she intended to hand over the credit. Some people were grateful to her and couldn't secretly complain. The only problem was that if things continued like this, she might bring up her previous plan again, and Wang Long and the others wouldn't be able to politely refuse.

The group traversed heavy clouds and crossed a dark, hazy mist, finally arriving at the last stop in Zhao Chun's plan.

She landed and gazed at the desolate wilderness still shrouded in mist, saying to the crowd, "Everyone, be careful! This demon is no ordinary creature. It has devoured many towns along the way, causing immense suffering to the surrounding areas. It has specifically sought help from the City of Swords, saying that a cultivator who had reached the Divine Realm tried to rescue it but failed and instead perished in the process. It is no weaker than the demons we have dealt with before!"

Wang Long swept away the illusion and stood tall on the cloud. Although he remembered the words, he remained calm and composed, showing little worry. He even chuckled and said, "Sword Lord, rest assured. Since this evil demon has committed so many evils, we must not let him stay here today. We must kill him completely."

Seeing his confidence and smug expression, Zhao Chun felt only satisfaction. At this moment, she glanced at Shen Tong and could easily see the slight irritation in his eyes.

In the past few days, because she deliberately let things run wild, most of the demons she encountered were killed by Wang Long. Anyone with discerning eyes could see that Zhao Chun was intentionally promoting him so that Wang Long's influence would gradually rise and he would become the most powerful man in the world. Shen Tong thought so too, believing that Wang Long's early success had caught Zhao Chun's eye first, which was why she had promoted him so many times and used this opportunity to win over Wei Yan, who was behind him.

"If this continues, once she finalizes her plans, where will I have a place in Dingxian City?"

His gaze sharpened, and he could no longer contain his urgency. He wished he could pierce through the fog in front of him and kill the demon on the spot, because he knew in his heart that if Wang Long succeeded again this time, he would have no chance of advancement.

Zhao Chun nodded as usual, letting the group make their own move. Stepping on sword energy, she and the others disappeared into the thick fog. She had never lied to these people about the demon; the creature in the fog was indeed difficult to deal with, and casualties were inevitable if they weren't careful. Wang Long and the others might be able to join forces to kill it, but Shen Tong might not be willing to do the work for someone else.

This evil spirit is quite ferocious, and even if Wang Long and the others don't take action, Zhao Chun will not let it wreak havoc in the surrounding area.

Once Wang Long and the others entered the mist, they also sensed that this thing was somewhat unusual. So they lowered their voices and slowly moved forward, only to find that it was pitch black all around them, and the people who had accompanied them had gradually disappeared.

Suddenly finding himself isolated and helpless, Wang Long's breathing became heavy. He recalled Zhao Chun's words again, and sweat began to bead on his forehead.

Suddenly, a shadowy figure flashed past in front of him. Wang Long's eyes widened, and he waited until he could see who it was before frowning and saying, "So it's Fellow Daoist Zhong. Did you see anyone else?"

Zhong Luohe's face was deathly pale, and her breathing was rapid and chaotic. She shouted, "Quick! Quick! Your two junior sisters have been trapped by demons. Come with me to rescue them!"

Wang Long's expression changed slightly, and he said urgently, "Is that so!"

She strode forward quickly, and as she drew nearer, she suddenly raised a palm and struck at the person in front of her. Before the gust of wind could even reach them, Zhong Luohe vanished into the mist with a bang, screaming as she disappeared. Wang Long watched her run off into the distance, but didn't give chase. He simply snorted coldly and shouted, "A mere trick! How dare you show off in front of me!"

This incident allowed him to understand the methods of this evil spirit, and Wang Long calmed down, no longer as flustered as before.

Elsewhere, Shen Tong was traveling alone when, just like Wang Long, he encountered a familiar figure disguised as a shadowy figure. However, his expression was not solemn; on the contrary, he was overjoyed. He looked at the shadowy figure as if he had stumbled upon something wonderful, thinking to himself, "Is it such a demonic being? Truly, heaven is helping me!"

Above the mist, Zhao Chun surveyed the surrounding area. Unbeknownst to her, she had already spread out the Ten Directions Sword Formation, sealing off the entire territory. No matter if it was a demon from outside the realm or a Taoist cultivator, none of them could escape from it.

She crossed her arms, and then noticed a change in the formation. She grabbed Rong Jin and Jiao Jiangcai and pulled them behind her to prevent them from perishing due to their lack of strength.

In Rong Jin's eyes, she had been in a fog, fighting with the shadowy figure all the way. Even seeing a familiar face made her tremble with fear. Then a gust of wind blew, making her feel light. When the scene before her eyes lit up again, she was standing behind Zhao Chun.

She took several steps back, fearing that the two people were also demons in disguise. But after a while, Zhao Chun remained standing still and did not even glance at her. Rong Jin was surprised and mustered her courage to step forward. Following Zhao Chun's gaze, she looked down and could only see a vast expanse of ink-black water.

The two, who had been led out of the fog, exchanged a glance, both somewhat confused. Rong Jin hesitated for a moment, then shielded his junior sister behind him before daring to ask Zhao Chun, "May I ask, Sword Master, what is this?"

Zhao Chun did not answer, her eyes fixed on the mist. After a while, she flicked her sleeve and brought out two more figures.

Naturally, it was Wang Long and Zhong Luohe, their faces filled with astonishment. (End of Chapter)