The Hehuan Sect cultivates alchemy; my senior sister helps me refine alchemy throughout the world.

This is a statue of a woman, over three zhang tall. The woman is clad in armor, her long hair flowing, and she holds a spear as tall as herself, its tip pointing to the sky, her posture majestic.

The woman was extremely beautiful, with a curvaceous figure, but her beauty was tinged with a chilling murderous aura. In particular, her eyes were sculpted so vividly that they seemed to be constantly staring at him.

Liu Mengli floated out of the cauldron. "Master, who is this woman? She's quite attractive, but her murderous aura is too strong."

Shen Yifei shook his head; he had no idea who this was.

Hongxiu's voice came from inside the cauldron, somewhat weak, "Young Master...this is...this is the Demon Clan's War God, Ye Ling!"

"Sister Hongxiu, have you seen her before?"

"I've never seen her. She disappeared after the war between humans and demons. But there are statues of her everywhere in the demon territory."

Shen Yifei nodded slightly. A person who can be called a god is no ordinary person.

"The Goddess of War..." Shen Yifei murmured to himself, "Just how powerful must she be?"

"Young Master, Ye Ling is the only female War Goddess in the history of the Demon Race. In the great war between humans and demons ten thousand years ago, she killed seven powerful humans at the peak of the Tribulation Transcending stage, and her fate afterward is unknown. There are rumors that she was sealed in a secret realm by humans, some say she died in battle, and others say she... sealed herself away."

"Why would she seal herself away?" Shen Yifei found this explanation somewhat intriguing. "If she was sealed away, she'd be in this secret realm, right?"

"That's possible. Young Master, if Ye Ling is really still alive, we can't afford to provoke her."

"Hmm, I definitely wouldn't dare to mess with a killing machine like that."

"Master, look at her breastplate, it's so tight it's uncomfortable for her." Liu Mengli floated to the statue's chest and gestured with her hand. "Hongxiu, it seems like all the demon women have pretty big breasts!"

Shen Yifei rolled his eyes at Liu Mengli. "This is the Demon Clan's God of War. What are you looking at?"

"Oh, Master, I love your feigned seriousness. You're either staring at the face or eyeing the chest. If this statue weren't made of stone, you probably would have already touched it."

Shen Yifei was speechless after Liu Mengli's words. He coughed twice and said, "This isn't the first time I've seen the Demon God of War. I have to take a good look. If I saw a living person, I should at least recognize them."

Hongxiu added a few words from inside the cauldron: "Young Master... Ye Ling's portrait has been circulating in the Demon Clan territory for ten thousand years. Indeed... indeed, quite a few Demon Clan men have done illicit things in front of her portrait. However, it is said that anyone who has any impure thoughts about her portrait will have a nightmare that night, dreaming that they are stabbed through the forehead by a spear."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yifei felt a chill run down his spine. "I was just looking around, I didn't mean anything by it," he muttered, and then began to examine the palace.

The palace's interior features a dome that is tens of feet high, inlaid with some gems that have lost their luster.

The four walls are covered with murals depicting scenes of Ye Ling's battles: a man with a spear, moving through thousands of troops as if they were nothing, his spear pointing to corpses strewn across the battlefield.

"He's definitely a formidable person," Shen Yifei exclaimed, then his gaze unconsciously drifted back to Ye Ling's statue.

"Brother, look at her feet!" Xinghe seemed to have discovered something.

I was so focused on looking at the top of the statue that I didn't have time to look at the bottom.

Shen Yifei looked down at the base of the statue and saw a hexagonal altar-like object with a small black crystal embedded in each corner.

The crystals are connected by faintly visible chains of runes, which eventually converge in a groove in the center of the altar.

Shen Yifei crouched down and carefully examined the groove. The groove was shallow and filled with dust, and its shape vaguely resembled a sword.

Shen Yifei stood by the altar, staring at the sword-shaped groove for a while. A bold idea popped into his mind: Should he try it with the Long Sky Sword?

The thought startled him. If he really released Ye Ling, that was a demon war god who had slaughtered seven peak Tribulation Transcending cultivators ten thousand years ago. Would his cultivation level be enough to withstand a single spear thrust from her?

"Master, are you thinking of releasing this woman?" Liu Mengli saw through his thoughts at a glance.

"What are you thinking? She's the Demon Goddess of War! What if she's released and stabs me to death?"

"Master, this groove isn't for holding swords; it's probably for blood sacrifices!"

"Blood sacrifice?"

"Yes, Sister Mengli is right. We should use a blood sacrifice to break the seal here."

"Master, have you thought this through? If you really release that old hag, the first thing she'll do is twist your head off and use it as a chamber pot!"

"Pah! Can't you say something nice? Why does my head have to be used as a chamber pot? Can't it be used for something else?!"

"Master, think about it. She's been sealed for ten thousand years. If the seal is broken, what do you think the first thing she'll do?"

"How would I know what she's up to!"

"Go to the toilet, pee, just like the first thing you do every morning when you get up..."

Xinghe, inside the cauldron, nearly burst out laughing. "Brother, if you want to release her, try using your own blood. Since you have pure royal blood, it will definitely work. That female war goddess might even kneel before you after she comes out."

Upon hearing Xinghe's words, Shen Yifei's interest was piqued again.

Shen Yifei squatted by the altar, staring at the sword-shaped groove for a long time.

He gritted his teeth, drew the Long Sky Sword, and ran his hand along the blade, blood dripping into the groove between his fingers.

One drop, two drops, three drops...

The blood in the groove quickly formed a small pool, but the altar did not react.

"Brother, that's not enough, drip some more," Xinghe urged.

Shen Yifei steeled himself, made a cut on his palm, clenched his fist, and let the blood gush out.

Blood filled the sword-shaped groove and spread along the runic chains.

The black crystals on the six corners suddenly lit up after being soaked in blood.

Then, the altar began to shake.

Shen Yifei quickly took a few steps back and gripped the Long Sky Sword tightly.

The altar at the statue's feet cracked, with fissures spreading outwards from the grooves. Rune chains snapped one by one, making a clanging sound.

The moment the last runic chain broke, the entire altar exploded.

Dust filled the air, and Shen Yifei was pushed back several steps by the blast wave, finally landing on his backside.

He covered his nose and got up from the ground. Only after the dust had settled a bit could he see the scene in the center of the altar.

The towering statue of the female warrior has disappeared, and in its place, a woman has appeared!

She knelt on the ground, her long hair falling loose and obscuring half her face. Her armor was tattered, revealing large expanses of her snow-white skin.

Shen Yifei cautiously took two steps forward. "Ye Ling, Senior Ye?"

The woman did not react.

Shen Yifei took two more steps forward, squatted down in front of the woman, and waved his hand in front of her. "Senior? Are you still alive?"

The woman suddenly moved and abruptly raised her head.

Shen Yifei was so frightened that he fell back down onto the ground.

The woman had an exquisitely beautiful face, like a statue, and was staring intently at Shen Yifei with wide eyes.

The two of them stared at each other for a full ten breaths.

The woman spoke first, "Who...who are you?"