Cave

Just after Yun Zhen finished speaking with Yan Yue here, she saw Five Dragons Sect’s Sect Master, Mu Zhongzi, slowly making his way toward them.

It was dusk. The setting sun was blood-red.

Mu Zhongzi’s eyelids were half-lowered, and there was a hint of something sinister in his expression.

Yan Yue looked at that face and couldn’t help freezing for a moment.

She knew the Sect Master, Senior Brother, was now at the peak of the eighth realm, only one step away from entering the ninth. It was just that his last secluded breakthrough had failed.

For cultivators like them, the ninth realm was a major threshold. It wasn’t impossible for one’s temperament to change drastically right before stepping through that gate.

By the time Mu Zhongzi reached Yun Zhen and Yan Yue, the bloody cast on his face had already vanished completely.

Mu Zhongzi said kindly, “Please don’t rush back just yet, Junior Sisters. In a little while, Eunuch Guang from the Imperial Court will come speak with us.”

Yun Zhen studied his face for a long moment, then smiled faintly. “All right.”

Yan Yue asked, “Who has the Imperial Court sent this time?”

Before she could finish speaking, she saw several young disciples in Daoist robes walking over from that direction.

They had clearly just come back from the foot of the mountain, escorting a man in red robes with a pale, clean-shaven face.

Before the man even got close, Mu Zhongzi was already smiling and stepping forward to greet him. “May I ask what business has brought Your Excellency here this time?”

The man had fair skin, a smooth face, and a sharp, effeminate voice, though the corners of his mouth were lifted in a smile.

His surname was Guang, his given name Xian. He was the current Imperial Court’s most favored eunuch.

Guang Xian smiled slightly. “This year’s immortal sect evaluation is underway. I’ve heard a little news—Five Dragons Sect has been doing very well lately. There’s hope you may rank highly among the immortal sects this time.”

The elders’ gazes all turned a little more subtle.

Five Dragons Sect was one of the six great immortal sects, but in recent years it had belonged to the steadily declining kind. For a long time, it had hovered at the very bottom of the six—sometimes fifth, sometimes dead last.

Perhaps because last year, after coming out of seclusion, the Sect Master had changed dozens of outdated policies within Five Dragons Sect, and had also led the disciples under his command to take part in immortal sect events everywhere, guiding Five Dragons Sect back onto the path of revival.

No matter what, Mu Zhongzi’s administrative ability was plain for all to see.

His long robe swayed lightly in the evening breeze. “Thank you for making the special trip to inform us, Your Excellency.”

Guang Xian smiled as he glanced at Mu Zhongzi. “The Sect Master should also know that the six great immortal sects have always had the right to discuss the arrangements for the Myriad Immortals Assembly together with the Imperial Court. I’ve come this time to notify the Sect Master and several elders of that.”

The Myriad Immortals Assembly was a grand event in the cultivation world, and also a martial tournament. But unlike competitions such as the Five-Dragon Summit, which were held only within Five Dragons Sect, the Myriad Immortals Assembly brought together every sect in the world.

Its scale was extremely grand. Usually, the disciples who took part in such an event were the face of Five Dragons Sect; victory or defeat would determine the sect’s honor and disgrace.

Guang Xian: “The Myriad Immortals Assembly will begin next summer. In half a year, please come in person to the imperial capital to discuss the matter.”

Mu Zhongzi: “Of course.”

“I wonder whether Your Excellency has time to attend the farewell banquet for the Five-Dragon Summit?”

The Five-Dragon Summit had originally been arranged as a tightly packed series of events: a welcome banquet, individual matches, team matches, leisure competitions, and finally a farewell banquet.

But because of Chu Fu’s demonic descent a few months ago, the Five-Dragon Summit had been postponed, and the immortal sect disciples who had come to study had all returned as well.

For the second half of this Five-Dragon Summit, Five Dragons Sect had not sent out new invitations. Any disciples from the major immortal sects who still held invitation letters could come again to attend the banquet.

As for when the team competition would end, that depended on which sect disciple delivered three materials first.

Only after the top three disciples had submitted their materials would the upper ranks of Five Dragons Sect begin arranging the farewell banquet.

It should be sometime this month.

At the latest, the Five-Dragon Summit would conclude successfully by next month.

When cultivators traveled, they could cover eighty thousand li in a single day.

Though the Imperial Court in the central region was far from Five Dragons Sect in the southwest, Guang Xian would still have no trouble coming to attend the farewell banquet.

Guang Xian smiled, his gaze deep as he looked at Mu Zhongzi. In a soft voice, he said, “If the Sect Master sends me an invitation, then naturally I will come when the time comes.”

-

“You probably still don’t know where Drifting Ice came from, do you? Let me tell you. The immortal sword Drifting Ice is said to be one of the divine swords that slew the Demon Lord in the great war between immortals and demons a thousand years ago. The other sword is... Senior Sister’s Zhuying!”

“But why didn’t Senior Sister come to the sword-flying competition this time? Otherwise we could have properly watched the battle between Drifting Ice and Zhuying.”

“Yan Jue and Senior Sister have always been at odds. If Senior Sister had come to compete this time, the scene definitely would’ve been ugly.”

Under the crowd’s whispers, Yan Jue walked down from the arena, exhausted to the point of collapse.

Unlike the brilliance she had shown on Five Dragons Square, every step she took now felt as if her soul might leave her body.

Both her arms and legs had been injured during the sword-flying competition, and Yan Jue truly didn’t feel well at all.

She had barely left Five Dragons Square when she suddenly saw a familiar figure standing in the shade of the trees over there.

Yan Jue froze for a moment.

Qi Xianqing stood in the shadows, her long sword on her back. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, tracing a stunning line across her brows and eyes.

Yan Jue’s eyes lit up, and she walked quickly toward her. “Senior Sister, why are you here?”

Qi Xianqing had been busy handling matters this morning, and by the time she rushed over, the competition was already over.

She knew Yan Jue didn’t yet want to make their relationship public, so she hadn’t gone to Five Dragons Square. Instead, she had quietly stood below the square and waited for her.

Qi Xianqing tilted her head to look at her, her elegant brows curving. “Let me see what the champion looks like.”

Qi Xianqing had also watched Yan Jue’s match just now. She had to admit that Yan Jue had improved enormously since she first came into contact with Drifting Ice, and in a dazzling way.

Yan Jue: “Don’t tease me.”

Qi Xianqing took her hand and drew her closer. “Let me take a look.”

Yan Jue subconsciously dodged. “I’m sweaty. Don’t touch me.”

Qi Xianqing: “It’s fine. Wipe it off with a handkerchief.”

She took a snow-white handkerchief from her sleeve and gently wiped Yan Jue’s hand.

After such an intense competition, Yan Jue’s true qi had been badly depleted. Even though she had eaten some restorative items earlier, she still hadn’t recovered.

Qi Xianqing had formed a pill with Yan Jue before; her true qi could easily enter Yan Jue’s body.

Yan Jue held Qi Xianqing’s hand and felt the cool air continuously flowing into her body, making her so comfortable that she narrowed her eyes.

Her dantian quickly filled again.

Qi Xianqing: “Let’s go back to Frozen Peach Haven earlier today, all right?”

Yan Jue nodded without thinking. “All right.”

-

The two of them stopped by Five Dragons Market to get something to eat on the way back. By the time they returned to Frozen Peach Haven, it was already dusk.

Qi Xianqing: “I already drew water for you before we left. Just go bathe.”

There was a Purification Room in the courtyard of Frozen Peach Haven. Qi Xianqing usually bathed there too; as for keeping the hot water warm, a talisman was enough to solve that problem.

Yan Jue immediately said sweetly, “Thank you, Senior Sister!”

Yan Jue set up the screen and quickly went inside.

Today’s competition had left her injured, and her whole body ached.

Yan Jue washed up quickly. Though she’d done her best to avoid it, some wounds still couldn’t help but touch the water. Red flushed out around the edges of the injuries.

After finally finishing her bath, Yan Jue put on her inner robe and limped out.

Qi Xianqing was seated by the table. When she looked up and saw Yan Jue like that, her brows furrowed. “What happened to Ah Jue?”

Yan Jue held her right arm, her gaze shifting guiltily aside. “I was injured by accident during today’s competition.”

Qi Xianqing pushed back her chair and came over, her voice hoarse. “Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?”

The room was quiet.

Qi Xianqing sat cross-legged on the bed. A pale-green ointment lay beside her; wearing a solemn expression, she slowly helped Yan Jue treat her wounds. Yan Jue was mortified. She had far too many injuries on her body, especially the burn on the top of her foot from crossing the sea of fire today.

Yan Jue was barefoot, stepping on Qi Xianqing’s leg.

Qi Xianqing didn’t mind at all; she held Yan Jue’s foot and applied the medicine little by little with a cotton swab.

Yan Jue felt as if even the tips of her ears were about to burn.

After Qi Xianqing finished treating her injuries, before she could even speak, Yan Jue hurriedly changed the subject. “There’s a moon tonight.”

She jumped off the bed, put on her shoes, and went outside.

...

Yan Jue hadn’t been wrong. There wasn’t just a moon tonight, it was large and bright.

Yan Jue came to the courtyard and took that yellowed sheet of paper from her sleeve.

This was the latest clue they had obtained a few days ago in the Five Dragons Mystic Realm.

Because there had been no writing on the yellow paper, Qi Xianqing had combined it with the yin-yang hexagram they had seen beneath the Buddha statue in the ruined temple that day, and inferred that the paper might need to be read under moonlight.

The deep night sky shifted with clouds; time passed little by little. When a clear beam of moonlight finally fell on that yellowed sheet at midnight...

As Qi Xianqing had said, two lines of small characters appeared on the paper.

At the highest point of the pine forest, it should be on the southern branch.

Compared with the first roundabout clue, this hint was very simple and not hard to figure out at all.

If you removed the words it should be, it became: the highest point of the southern pine forest.

The yellow bean was on a pine tree in the southern forest, and on the tallest tree at that.

Yan Jue stared at the two lines on the paper for a long time, then suddenly felt her waist sink as Qi Xianqing wrapped her arms around her from behind. She kissed the nape of Yan Jue’s neck, then her throat.

Clingy to the extreme.

In the past, when she and Qi Xianqing were together, how had she never realized that Qi Xianqing was actually this kind of person?

Yan Jue suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Qi Xianqing. “Tomorrow in the mystic realm, you have to be half a stick of incense later than me.”

Qi Xianqing raised a brow. “Why?”

“This clue was exchanged for a hundred Spirit-Nurturing Pills, plus my contribution.”

Although it was indeed Qi Xianqing who had suggested reading it under the moon, Yan Jue still wanted to wriggle out of it a little, clinging to Qi Xianqing and acting spoiled. “I got this clue first, so you have to let us go first.”

Qi Xianqing lowered her head slightly, her hot breath brushing Yan Jue’s ear. “I won’t. What are you going to do about it?”

Yan Jue’s ears burned. She subconsciously turned her head away. “I’ll... I’ll...”

Qi Xianqing leaned in and started kissing her again in a stop-and-go fashion. Yan Jue’s breathing stalled for a moment, and her face instantly flushed bright red.

Qi Xianqing was getting bolder and bolder.

Yan Jue pinched Qi Xianqing’s collar and pushed her away. “Then I won’t let you kiss me.”

The moment she finished speaking, the surrounding area fell into a deathly silence.

Qi Xianqing looked at Yan Jue’s eyes, cool and quiet, for a long while. Her gaze shifted, then she seemed to deflate and lowered her eyes. In a slow tone, she said, “Fine. I’ll keep my distance. Half a cup of tea’s time.”

Yan Jue looked up at Qi Xianqing, little lights gradually rising in her eyes.

Qi Xianqing spoiling her like this was really... too happy-making.

The joy in her heart swelled so full it almost overflowed. Yan Jue couldn’t help herself; she stepped forward, tugged on Qi Xianqing’s collar, and lightly kissed her lips.

That soft touch landed on her lips; Qi Xianqing’s movement paused slightly.

“Thank you, Senior Sister.” Yan Jue smiled, her brows and eyes curved. Just as she was about to pull back, her arm was caught by Qi Xianqing.

Qi Xianqing gently pressed the back of her head and deepened the kiss.

Yan Jue’s monthly period still hadn’t ended, though it was almost over. After being kissed like this by Qi Xianqing, her whole body went soft and she could hardly stand. She could only barely lean on Qi Xianqing for support.

Qi Xianqing could feel her emotions.

As Yan Jue’s body gradually surged with that strange sensation, a faint flush rose on her cheeks and her gaze slowly turned hazy; Qi Xianqing, however, slowly straightened, a trace of broken laughter in her tone. “Junior Sister is still on her period. Go to sleep early.”

Yan Jue felt like dying. She grabbed Qi Xianqing’s hand tightly.

Qi Xianqing was caught off guard and stumbled back a few steps.

Yan Jue: “Can’t you...”

Her emotions were already unstable during her period. Face burning, Yan Jue managed to say something like that; her voice was almost trembling.

Qi Xianqing lifted a hand and gently stroked the girl’s cheek, patiently waiting for her to finish. “Can’t I what?”

Yan Jue’s voice was as soft as a mosquito’s buzz as she leaned toward Qi Xianqing’s throat. “Kiss me a little longer.”

Looking into those amber eyes misted with water, Qi Xianqing couldn’t help sighing inwardly.

So she really had found a treasure...

Qi Xianqing lifted her up and walked toward the room, saying softly, “Let’s go inside.”

-

Yan Jue rested in Frozen Peach Haven for the night.

Qi Xianqing’s ointment worked extraordinarily well; by the next day, Yan Jue felt that all the injuries on her body had healed.

Yan Jue didn’t want to stay with Qi Xianqing for too long. Just as a fish-belly white line appeared in the pitch-black sky, she returned to Watercloud Sect’s dormitory.

As soon as she entered, she saw what Thunderflame Sect’s Xie Zijin had sent over by white crane.

A gourd of Spirit-Nurturing Pills.

Yan Jue shook the gourd, listening to the crisp clatter of the Spirit-Nurturing Pills inside, and couldn’t help but smile.

...

Yesterday the entertainment competition had ended; today it was once again time for the team competition.

After the elders activated the mystic realm on Five Dragons Square, all the disciples summoned their magical tools one after another. In an instant, the sky was filled with multicolored auspicious light.

Yan Jue also summoned the immortal sword Drifting Ice and entered the mystic realm together with her team members.

After waves of golden light rippled before her eyes, the surrounding scene gradually cleared. What entered her vision was a deep night sky, speckled with stars.

Outside the mystic realm, it had originally been morning; but inside the mystic realm, it was actually night.

Just as the first time, Yan Jue called for everyone to land as soon as she entered the mystic realm.

Though it was a little sudden, having gone through it once already, everyone immediately and obediently landed on the ground.

Du Ying walked beside Yan Jue, still not quite understanding. “Yan Jue, do you already have an idea about today’s clue? I know that yellowed paper might have writing on it, but I really can’t understand that tai chi diagram.”

Duan Luxi also frowned slightly. “And it’s nighttime now; finding a yellow bean will be very difficult.”

Huang Yi and Song Jia also cast expectant looks at her.

At first, they had thought Yan Jue wasn’t very reliable, but after experiencing the search for the first clue, and then seeing that stylish Senior Sister Yan at yesterday’s sword-flying competition, their view of Yan Jue had changed greatly.

They even knew there were friends who hadn’t gotten the red bean hinted at by the first clue. The two of them were actually a little relieved that they could cling to Yan Jue’s thigh this time.

Yan Jue gave the four of them a look, then walked south as if nothing were the matter.

Yan Jue recognized maps quickly and accurately. After the group walked for an hour, they soon reached the southern forest.

The bright moon hung high overhead.

Stepping on the fierce wind, Yan Jue quickly reached the highest point of the entire pine forest.

It was especially easy to tell which tree in the pine forest was the tallest under moonlight. Yan Jue squinted for a while, then saw moonlight pouring like flowing water over the top of a pine tree. Looking closer...

Yan Jue’s pupils suddenly contracted.

A faint golden light was almost blending into the moonlight itself; if you weren’t careful, you really wouldn’t have noticed it.

Her robe hem snapped in the wild wind. Yan Jue didn’t dare ride her sword and only somersaulted through the air several times, moving directly onto the pine branch overflowing with moonlight.

At the very top of the pine tree, the needles were laid flat, swaying gently with the wind, and in the center of those needles sat ten spirit stones flashing with golden light.

The yellow beans.

There were ten spirit stones this time.

With every clue, a large number of people would be eliminated; only ten stones meant many people wouldn’t be able to get them.

Qi Xianqing had only given her half a stick of incense. Yan Jue didn’t dare delay and immediately took one yellow spirit stone, tucking it into her sleeve.

The other four people hurried over at this point as well.

Duan Luxi stood beneath the tree and asked in a low voice, “Junior Sister Yan, did you find the yellow bean?”

Yan Jue: “I did. See whether there’s a next clue around the tree.”

The four of them began searching, and Yan Jue also flipped down from the tree. Then she heard Du Ying suddenly shout, “Yan Jue, come here.”

Yan Jue hurried over to Du Ying’s side and saw a shallow, obvious hollow beneath the pine tree.

Yan Jue touched it with her hand. On the surface it was bark, but if you felt the area carefully, you would find the texture was extremely smooth. Combined with the clearly sunken shape, one could tell that this had probably once been a tree hollow, and that someone had forced something inside.

Yan Jue hooked her finger and pulled the object out of the hollow.

A bamboo tube.

Yan Jue shook the bamboo tube lightly; there was a faint knocking sound inside.

By moonlight, Yan Jue turned it over to look.

Roughly carved on the bamboo tube was a bean-shaped outline in emerald green.

It was a clue for the green bean.

Yan Jue frowned slightly.

The latter half of the Five-Dragon Summit wasn’t long to begin with, and the mystic realm treasure hunt had only three stages in total.

This green bean part should be the final stage.

When Yan Jue was searching for clues, her Divine Sense had been open the entire time.

At this moment, the Divine Sense spread out in the distance suddenly stirred.

Someone was approaching.

Yan Jue suddenly realized that half a stick of incense had unknowingly passed. Qi Xianqing should be leading the team members over.

Yan Jue could only pretend not to notice, quietly tucking the green bean clue into her sleeve.

Just as she stood before Du Ying, Yan Jue suddenly raised her head and caught sight of Qi Xianqing’s clear, water-bright eyes behind the pine trees over there.

In the bright moonlight, Qi Xianqing stood there in white clothes, looking over coolly and faintly, her bearing like that of an exiled immortal.

Qi Xianqing stared steadily at Yan Jue.

The girl who had been flushed red and nestled in her arms yesterday was now standing there beside the tree like a little monkey, chatting and laughing with the people around her.

If it had been the Qi Xianqing of before, she would never have imagined that one day she would become like this too; just by seeing the other person’s figure, she would be unable to control the urge to draw near.

Beside Qi Xianqing stood Xie Zijin, looking displeased, and Zhou Leng, who seemed to have something to say but wasn’t sure whether she should.

Yan Jue chatted casually with Du Ying beside her for a while, then as if only just noticing them, suddenly turned around. “Oh? You’re here.”

Clang—

Xie Zijin drew her sword, the tip pointing straight at Yan Jue. “Since we’ve come here, Junior Sister should have been prepared.”

Xie Zijin had originally thought that, given Yan Jue’s personality, she would probably still try to guard these yellow beans for a while, only to see Yan Jue give her an innocent smile before slipping off to the side.

Anyway, she had already agreed with Qi Xianqing earlier; Yan Jue wasn’t going to shamelessly go back on it at a time like this.

As she brushed past Qi Xianqing, Qi Xianqing suddenly turned her head. “Thank you, Junior Sister, for allying with me.”

Hot breath brushed her ear; Yan Jue’s body stiffened instinctively, then she huffed.

She didn’t want to deal with Qi Xianqing right now. Last night, when she and Qi Xianqing had been affectionate, it had clearly only been a simple kiss, yet it had left her unbearably heated; by the end, those improper images kept bubbling up one after another.

Yan Jue had used a stomachache as an excuse to run to the bathroom several times, and Qi Xianqing had even laughed at her.

The longer Yan Jue stayed with Qi Xianqing, the more vexing Qi Xianqing became.

Didn’t she know that teasing a little fox was a terribly wicked thing to do?

Yan Jue shot Qi Xianqing a hard glare and said flatly, “Who allied with you?”

She directly brushed past Qi Xianqing and left.

Everyone around them was shocked. They hadn’t expected this person to be so disrespectful to Senior Sister!

Du Ying and Duan Luxi were already sweating coldly.

Actually, if the team could ally with Senior Sister, they would be very happy too. Who made Immortal Lady Qi their sect’s beautiful and kind Senior Sister, a rightful Senior Sister in every sense? They were all Qi Xianqing’s admirers.

But Yan Jue had actually dared to refuse Qi Xianqing...

Xie Zijin looked as though she was about to draw her sword again, but Qi Xianqing stopped her. “The less trouble, the better.”

Du Ying watched from the side and practically teared up.

Senior Sister’s temper was still as good as ever.

Yan Jue simply ignored Qi Xianqing. She had only walked forward two steps when the black lump in her pocket suddenly whimpered.

The black lump had grown a little bigger, but it was still in its infant stage and often did inexplicable things.

Yan Jue originally hadn’t wanted to pay it any mind, but who knew it would get more and more restless.

The black lump kept burrowing around in her Qiankun pouch, and Yan Jue soon had trouble standing steadily.

The Qiankun pouch held all sorts of precious materials she had collected. If the black lump damaged them for her, that would truly be more loss than gain.

The black lump opened its wide mouth and let out a “wuao—” cry, then stamped hard with its tiny paws on the ground. It was clearly urging Yan Jue to let it out.

Yan Jue hesitated for a moment, then sent a voice transmission to Qi Xianqing: “Qi Xianqing, come here for a moment.”

The others couldn’t hear her voice transmission, but Qi Xianqing could.

Qi Xianqing hesitated briefly, then walked toward the bushes where Yan Jue was.

Zhou Leng: “Senior Sister, we—”

Before Zhou Leng could finish, she turned around and suddenly found that Qi Xianqing was gone.

Zhou Leng abruptly looked up, her gaze landing on Qi Xianqing’s back.

Heavens, why had she just walked over there without saying a word? As expected, Qi Xianqing still cared about Yan Jue’s disrespect, didn’t she?

Looking at Yan Jue not far away, with her rosy lips and pearly teeth, Zhou Leng couldn’t help feeling a deep sense of pity.

And the two of them had even gone to a place where they couldn’t be seen. Could it be that Senior Sister really wanted to find somewhere empty and properly deal with that person?

Inside the mystic realm it was night, which made it even more convenient for Qi Xianqing and Yan Jue to speak. Yan Jue and Qi Xianqing walked two steps into the trees; once they reached a place where others couldn’t see them, Yan Jue looked up at Qi Xianqing. “The black lump in my bag is moving.”

Qi Xianqing: “Doesn’t it move from time to time?”

Yan Jue: “It doesn’t usually move this much.”

Qi Xianqing: “Wait a moment.”

She took out a transmission talisman and had Zhou Leng and the others leave first.

Yan Jue also took out her own transmission talisman and contacted her teammates.

Only then did Qi Xianqing lower her eyes and look at her.

Yan Jue immediately took the black lump out.

Qi Xianqing froze slightly.

The black lump was still the soft, tiny ball it had been before, but at this moment its appearance was somewhat different.

It had opened its eyes.

The black lump’s pupils were a faint blue, vast as the stars. It curled in Yan Jue’s palm, twitching restlessly, looking a little uneasy.

Yan Jue: “It wants to go over there.”

She set the black lump down. It immediately began crawling in that direction; the grass beneath it was a little long, so it crawled with some difficulty.

But it didn’t like being held, so Yan Jue could only follow behind it and see what it wanted to do.

After much difficulty, the black lump finally reached a small stream.

The water rippled gently, clear to the bottom.

Without the slightest hesitation, the black lump jumped in and paddled forward with its tiny feet.

Yan Jue froze, then formed the water-avoiding seal and followed after it.

There were countless streams in the Five Dragons Mystic Realm, yet this one actually led into the mountain. Right now it was night, and the surroundings were desolate.

Because the mystic realm only opened for three hours, Yan Jue kept one eye on the time as she followed the black lump.

Qi Xianqing: “You’re just letting it run wild like this?” It wasn’t that Qi Xianqing was overthinking it; she always felt that ever since the black lump was born, Yan Jue had been far too indulgent with it.

Yan Jue: “...It wants to go over there. There must be a reason. Anyway, we still have time, so let’s follow and see.”

The black lump wasn’t stupid. It still had the most basic common sense.

At the very least, it couldn’t possibly know there was danger and still go charging toward it.

No one knew how long the two of them had walked through the stream before the path ahead suddenly ended.

What appeared before them was a huge cave.

A massive plaque was embedded in the cave mouth; below it, the way had been sealed off by giant stones.

The Five Dragons Mystic Realm had been arranged by mighty figures of Five Dragons Sect, but some of its features were still taken from real mountains and rivers.

When a great expert’s cultivation reached a certain level, they could simply cast a spell and move beautiful mountains and waters from the outside into their mystic realm.

The black lump stopped at the stone door, its little nose nudging it gently as it turned back to look at Yan Jue.

Yan Jue spread out her Divine Sense to make sure there was no danger around them, then turned back and exchanged a glance with Qi Xianqing.

Qi Xianqing gave a slight nod. Yan Jue stepped forward, drew out the immortal sword Drifting Ice, and in an instant the surrounding area was flooded with bone-chilling cold. The surging sword qi transformed in midair into a sharp blade of light, smashing violently into the stone door.

A huge cloud of dust rolled down. Yan Jue’s attention was entirely on the cave interior when, all of a sudden, her arm was seized hard. Yan Jue staggered back two steps as Qi Xianqing pulled her away; only then did she see that where they had just been standing, a mass of intense fire mist had appeared beneath their feet at some point.

The searing wave of heat pressed down on Yan Jue so fiercely she could hardly breathe.

It was a trap.

The black lump, however, ignored all that and kept crawling in without a care.

Yan Jue moved her lips and instinctively reached out, but Qi Xianqing caught her hand.

Yan Jue turned back and saw that Qi Xianqing’s expression hadn’t changed in the slightest. “Junior Sister Yan, the child has grown up. It’s time to let it go out and take a look on its own.”

Yan Jue: “...”

Strangely enough, the black lump’s tiny body was actually fearless in the face of flames; it went straight through.

Ever since it had stable Spirit-Nurturing Pills to eat, the black lump had spent its recent days lying in Yan Jue’s Qiankun pouch either sleeping or hiccupping; it was rare to see it this excited.

The cave was very dark and filled with a damp mist.

Dead silent.

Yan Jue followed suspiciously behind the black lump and saw it stop in front of an old jar.

At that moment, Yan Jue felt a sense of danger and subconsciously frowned, but the black lump looked droolingly eager. It opened its mouth wide and seemed to want to swallow the jar in one bite.

But it had no teeth yet; after biting at the jar for a while, it still couldn’t swallow it.

Clang—it smashed the jar apart.

The black lump was startled and immediately ran back, crying “wuwu” as it threw itself into Yan Jue’s arms.

Qi Xianqing couldn’t help looking at it. “...”

The black lump was stubborn at times, but if it got frightened, it was still very clingy.

The jar had been smashed, and there was nothing inside.

Yan Jue found that a little strange. Since there was nothing in the jar, she didn’t know what the black lump had been so excited about just now.

At that moment, from the center of the pile of broken pottery shards on the ground, a mass of thick black qi suddenly floated up.

Qi Xianqing’s brows instantly drew together. With her right hand she formed a spell, and a swath of azure light immediately blocked off the area around her and Yan Jue.

The black qi churned and spiraled in the air, gradually condensing into a ball. Slowly, the black qi gathered into a solid form; what appeared before their eyes was the dazed face of a man.

Qi Xianqing’s pupils contracted slightly.

The Sect Master...

The black lump in Yan Jue’s arms suddenly grew excited, its tiny black paws frantically scratching at Yan Jue’s arm as if it wanted to go over and devour this delicious soul.

Countless question marks surged through Yan Jue’s mind. “Why is the Sect Master here?!”

The man wrapped in black qi before them was undoubtedly the Sect Master, Mu Zhongzi; only now his expression was pained, his eyes vacant, merely a wisp of soul drifting anxiously above the shattered jar fragments.

Yan Jue reacted at once.

She hurriedly took out the jade seal.

Yan Jue had previously asked Duan Luxi to help repair this jade seal, and now it could be used again.

Yan Jue activated the jade seal; in an instant, a greenish-cyan glow enveloped that soul.

Yan Jue silently recited the mental incantation. Cold sweat appeared on her forehead, and her arms trembled slightly.

The black qi began to gather again, only to be slowly drawn back into the cyan jade seal.

Only after half an hour did the air around them clear again. The expression on Sect Master Mu Zhongzi’s face in the center of the broken pottery fragments also regained its calm.

Mu Zhongzi’s body trembled in the air, and when he suddenly opened his eyes, he saw Qi Xianqing.

Qi Xianqing had been brought up on Five Dragons Mountain by Mu Zhongzi and had grown up in Five Dragons Sect since childhood; it could be said that Qi Xianqing was someone very close to Sect Master Mu Zhongzi.

Seeing Qi Xianqing, Mu Zhongzi’s brows furrowed slightly. “Xianqing, why are you here?”

Just after recovering from his inner demon, the Sect Master’s voice was still weak. If he spoke even a little louder, it would shake. “Where am I?”

Qi Xianqing looked up. “You are in the Five Dragons Mystic Realm. This disciple also wishes to ask the Sect Master why you have appeared here?”

After hearing Qi Xianqing’s words, the man’s usually steady expression flashed with panic.