My Secret Cultivator Spouse Is the Demon Lord - Chapter 12

[Formless Sword Manual × 1]

Xu Xianqing stared at the notification, momentarily lost in thought. She naturally wanted to learn some skills to protect herself, but having a sword technique fall into her hands felt like a waste.

Taking out the manual, she flipped it open, only to realize that practicing the Formless Sword Technique didn’t require a spiritual root at all.

“System, can you really cultivate this without a spiritual root?”

[The boundless universe holds endless wonders.]

Xu Xianqing had a sharp memory and quickly finished reading the first volume. Not only did she complete it, but the contents were surprisingly easy to grasp. It merely taught a few simple postures for drawing and striking with a sword, along with basic guidance on how to handle the weapon.

Thrust, pierce, stab, cleave, sweep, point…

It listed a dozen common techniques, alongside various specialized methods…totaling several hundred distinct movements scattered throughout the text.

And each method seamlessly connected into another, combining to form a complete sword strike.

The first stance of the first form taught only a single motion: drawing the sword. However, it required absolute speed and precision, demanding that the practitioner take the enemy’s life the very second the blade left its sheath.

Xu Xianqing froze in disbelief after reading it. That seemed nearly impossible to achieve.

She continued reading the second stance of the first form, which picked up right where the first left off. The commentary provided in the text was rather tongue in cheek. The author humorously noted that if one couldn’t master the first stance, only then would they need to rely on the second stance, the third stance, or even more forms and layers. Only after practicing all the way to the tenth layer could one truly comprehend the true Formless Sword Technique.

Xu Xianqing memorized every remaining move. Since she didn’t have a sword on hand, she could only commit the manual to memory first, waiting until she obtained a blade to begin physical practice.

Just as she was absorbed in memorizing the sword manual, sounds came from outside her room.

The door swung open, and the Chief she had met earlier walked in.

“What’s your name?” the Chief asked.

Xu Xianqing answered truthfully, “This humble one is Xu Xianqing.”

“Xu Xianqing. Fine, I’ll remember that.” The Chief waved her hand, signaling for her men to escort Xu Xianqing out.

This time, Xu Xianqing didn’t refuse, but she did ask, “May I inquire about the Chief’s honored name?”

“Song Erjiao. Alright, cut the chatter. Mt. Bai’an can’t keep you, and Solitary City has no room for you either. The He Family has already tracked you to our mountain. A jinx like you should leave as soon as possible. Don’t drag my Mt. Bai’an down with you.”

Xu Xianqing remained silent and followed the bandits out. Once they reached the foot of the mountain, a bandit brought out a spirit beast horse. It was low-tier, intended purely for travel.

“The Chief ordered us to bring you here. Take your stuff and get lost.”

They handed the spirit beast horse to her. Xu Xianqing mounted the horse and bowed slightly. “Everyone, farewell.”

The bandits didn’t bother responding. Because of her, Mt. Bai’an was about to face disaster.

However, Xu Xianqing didn’t take the main road out. After riding a short distance, she doubled back on her spirit beast horse, making a detour back toward the foot of the mountain.

She had already brought about the innkeeper’s death; she couldn’t let the people of Mt. Bai’an suffer for her sake as well. Since this mess started because of her, it would end with her.

While riding, Xu Xianqing took full inventory of her current assets.

The Five Elements Puppets could be kept for self-defense, and the Nine Heavens Thunder Talismans were also crucial life-savers.

However, how to use these items required careful calculation. Though her items possessed tremendous power, her quantities were limited, and they were all one-time consumables. If she couldn’t strike a fatal blow to eliminate the He Family once and for all, she would only end up hunted again in the future.

Her mind raced with a thousand thoughts. When she finally spotted the He Family disciples guarding the base of Mt. Bai’an in the distance, she quickly dismounted.

Hiding behind a tree, Xu Xianqing observed the scene carefully.

If only I knew their strength, she thought. Without any cultivation base, she couldn’t gauge her enemies’ levels. Every single cultivator posed a fatal threat to her, filling her heart with an innate sense of awe and dread whenever she faced one.

Fortunately, the constant, excruciating pain in her heart had rendered her numb to most other feelings, dulling her fear.

[Would you like to activate Energy Inspection? Activation costs 100 points. Please reply with “Agree” to activate.]

Xu Xianqing’s eyes lit up. Although points were hard to come by, being able to gauge the power disparity between herself and the enemy would give her a massive tactical advantage.

“Agree.”

[Activating… Duration: Three Months.]

A wave of pleasant surprise washed over her. She had assumed it was a one-time use, but spending 100 points was essentially buying a quarterly pass good for three months…a fantastic deal in hindsight.

Once activated, she could see not only the energy levels of the group ahead, but also their names floating above their heads.

For instance, a patrolling servant holding a cleaver had a banner above him reading:

He Jiu | Qi Refining Stage 2 [Cultivation: 25]

Meanwhile, a squad leader who looked to be in his late forties or fifties was labeled:

He Wensheng | Golden Core Stage 1 [Cultivation: 1957]

He Wensheng seemed to be the He Family’s housekeeper. She remembered hearing about him back when she was with the Ye Family…even a mere housekeeper was at the Golden Core stage.

Xu Xianqing pulled out her storage bag and retrieved one hundred high-grade spirit stones. She moved through the area with extreme caution, balancing the need to stay hidden from the He Family with the necessity of getting close enough to lay down the grand array for the Yin-Sinking Formation.

If she possessed cultivation, she could have stayed in place and used her divine sense to weave through the mountain forest to set up the array. Or, if she were strong enough, she could have moved at lightning speed using advanced agility techniques.

Instead, she had nothing…relying solely on her own two legs. Sneaking back and forth, she carefully laid down all one hundred high-grade spirit stones.

Now, she had to wait. She needed the perfect moment when all members of the He Family gathered together, at which point she would drop the Nine Heavens Thunder Talisman as the core eye of the formation.

The activation of the Yin-Sinking Formation would happen in an instant. That split second, combined with the raw destructive power of the Nine Heavens Thunder Talisman, would reduce everyone here to ashes.

This was her very first attempt. She had no idea if anyone else in this world set up formations the way she did. Lacking any sect or master, everything she did was based entirely on her own trial and error.

Success or death…there is no middle ground.

Xu Xianqing felt a deep-seated craving for battle surging in her bones; otherwise, she wouldn’t be feeling so eerily calm right now. As she watched from the shadows, the thought of the formation activating and wiping out the entire He Family sent hot blood coursing through her veins, temporarily overpowering the agony in her heart.

Soon, as dawn approached, the He Family grew impatient waiting for Mt. Bai’an to hand over the target.

“A bunch of mountain bandits! If we don’t teach them a lesson, where is the law in this Solitary City?”

A short man with sharp, calculating eyes stepped out of the main tent.

He Renyuan | Golden Core Stage 8 [Cultivation: 8796]

Over eight thousand in cultivation power… Xu Xianqing opened her own status panel, only to see a lonely figure 5 sitting in her cultivation slot.

Even if there were hundreds or thousands of her, the Master of the He Family could crush them all with a single palm strike.

Yet, Xu Xianqing glanced over at the stats of her Five Elements Puppets:

Nascence Soul Stage Puppet [Cultivation: 100,000]

Deity Transformation Stage Puppet [Cultivation: 1,000,000]

And Deity Transformation wasn’t even the peak. Beyond that lay Body Integration, Great Vehicle, Tribulation Transmutation, Dao Querying, Dao Enlightenment, and ultimate Ascension to Godhood.

How astronomical would one’s cultivation power be after becoming a deity?

Xu Xianqing didn’t dare let her mind wander any further. She noticed movement over on Mt. Bai’an’s side…someone was quietly making their way down the mountain.

And if she could spot it, the He Family wasn’t full of fools either. The He Family Master immediately raised his hand, putting all his men on high alert.

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