“The journey might be a bit dull and tedious, so I’ve brought you some collections of classical treatises. If you have nothing to do, read a few pages or take a nap. You might be at the Nine Saints Hall by the time you wake up.”
“I’ll feel more at ease if you’re asleep.”
Song Yao: “...”
She waved her hand dismissively. “I’m a woman of my word. If I say I won’t wander off, I won’t. Rest assured and head back.”
With that, she retreated to the center of the spirit vessel.
Before they could depart, Jiang Jin arrived in a hurry. “Why is Seventh Junior Sister leaving?”
Xie Zhou glanced at the cultivators on the spirit vessel. They shuddered and immediately bowed, prompting the vessel to take flight.
As the spirit vessel vanished into the horizon, Xie Zhou gave the Third Elder a slight nod, then turned to lead another group toward Taiqing Pavilion.
The Third Elder still felt uneasy and looked at Jiang Jin.
This boy was also a personal disciple, so there was no need to hide anything from him. He gave a brief explanation of the situation.
Jiang Jin asked in surprise, “Then why didn’t you let me go to Frost City to pick them up?”
Third Elder: “...”
He couldn’t exactly say he hadn’t even remembered the boy existed at that moment.
Moreover, although Song Yao was unreliable, he felt that letting her lead the Fifth Elder back was less likely to cause issues.
This boy had joined the sect too recently and wasn’t familiar enough yet; the Third Elder couldn’t fully entrust such matters to him.
The Third Elder patted his shoulder. “Your Seventh Junior Sister was heading back to the sect anyway, so picking them up was on her way. You stay here with me, handle the matters regarding the Beiyao Sect, and we’ll return together.”
“...Understood.”
...
“What is that?!”
“This... Is this a demon realm?!”
Hiss—
Song Yao had slept heavily through the transition, and a chorus of gasps reached her ears.
She rolled off the bed, scrambled up with a grimace, and walked outside.
Just as she opened the door, bleary-eyed, she bumped into a young disciple who was about to knock.
She rubbed her eyes and asked softly, “What happened?”
This Senior Sister was truly beautiful. The young disciple had seen her many times, but this was the first time they had spoken. Flustered, he stammered, “Se—Seventh Senior Sister, it’s outside. Look outside...”
Outside?
What about outside?
Song Yao stepped out of the room and onto the deck of the spirit vessel.
Several disciples stood inside the railing, gripping their swords with stunned expressions, their backs stiff.
Her gaze followed theirs, and she froze.
The spirit vessel was cruising high in the sky. The clouds were thin as gauze, and the outlines of the mountains and rivers below were faintly visible, like a landscape painting blurred by mist.
Yet, at the end of this vista, a dark purple mist, so thick it was almost tangible, shrouded everything. It was immense, stretching from east to west without an end in sight.
It was like a curtain stretching between heaven and earth, blocking all paths forward, piercing the clouds and swallowing most of the daylight.
The edges of the dark purple mist surged restlessly. Occasionally, faint flickers, like flashes of lightning, pulsed within before being submerged by the deeper darkness.
Was this the demon realm of Frost City?
A demon realm of this scale?
She had never seen a demon realm of this size in the Tianshu Realm, which meant the demons inside were likely powerful beyond imagination.
Furthermore, this area was right at the edge of the Tianshu Realm, dangerously close to the barrier protecting it.
If it were broken and the demons from the Earth Realm flooded into the Tianshu Realm, it would truly be a living hell.
Song Yao flicked her fingers, and the spirit vessel braked sharply, turning to descend. “Let’s go down and take a look.”
The Nine Saints Hall’s encampment was not far below.
Unable to leave the spirit vessel, Song Yao sat on the railing, swinging her legs, watching the others busily carry the Fifth Elder up and settle her into a room.
The Twelfth Elder glanced at Song Yao, standing quite a distance away, and tossed her a small booklet. “This is a map of Frost City. Take it back to the formation cultivators in the hall and have them see where the entrance to the demon realm might be.”
Song Yao: “Easy enough.”
Twelfth Elder: “The nearby sects have sent medical cultivators to help, and Mingdan Pavilion has sent some pills, but the injuries are too severe for them to be of much use. It’s better to return to the sect first and let the elders there find a way.”
Song Yao: “Easy enough.”
Twelfth Elder: “I’ve asked two senior medical cultivators and a senior from Mingdan Pavilion to return with you, in case the Fifth Elder’s condition worsens on the way. Do not wander off, and show respect to these seniors. Go straight back.”
Song Yao: “Easy enough.”
The Twelfth Elder thought for a moment, and seeing nothing else to add, she bowed to the person walking up behind her. “Young Master Huai, I’ll leave it to you.”
The man smiled and said, “Easy enough.”
Twelfth Elder: “...”
...
The vessel took off again after only half an hour on the ground.
Song Yao remained on the railing, narrowing her eyes as she observed the black mist.
According to Feng Qing, the person inside the black mist was Ye Chongguang’s Immortal Venerable and was coming for her. If he had created such a massive demon realm, it was likely to draw her out.
A trace of deep thought flashed in her eyes as she suppressed the restless serpent-patterned seal within her body.
He wanted to see her, and she certainly wanted to see him too.
If she killed him, would this seal be broken?
The corners of her lips curled up. Suddenly finding it a bit amusing, she felt a figure approach. “Daoist Lin, what makes you so happy?”
Song Yao turned her head and saw the senior from Mingdan Pavilion.
He appeared as a young man with noble features and a cinnabar mole between his brows, dressed quite luxuriously.
She turned her body sideways, propping one leg on the railing. She rolled up the booklet in her hand and casually flicked his chin with it, lazily narrowing her eyes as she studied him. “You look a bit familiar.”
“...”
Unprepared for her flirtatious behavior, the young man stepped back a few paces and helplessly bowed to her. “I am Huai An, the Master of Mingdan Pavilion.”
Song Yao: “Such a grand title?”
Didn’t they just say he was a senior from Mingdan Pavilion coming to help?
Even so, she had no intention of being polite.
“It’s not that grand of a title.”
Huai An smiled and said, “We have indeed met before. At the wedding feast for the Saintess of Beiyao Sect and the Young Master of Taiqing Pavilion, we spoke a few times.”
Song Yao tried to recall but couldn’t. She countered, “You’re so good-looking. If we had met, I would definitely remember.”
Little liar.
She clearly didn’t remember him at all.
And during their last meeting, she had been so gentle and well-behaved.
This time, she seemed like a shiftless dandy.
He didn’t call her out. Instead, he produced a pill in his hand and said with a half-smile, “I have a deal. I wonder if Daoist Lin would be willing to make it with me.”
Song Yao: “Speak.”
Huai An said unhurriedly, “This is the pavilion treasure of Mingdan Pavilion. It can cure demon toxins and all illnesses. If the Fifth Elder takes it, she will surely recover sooner.”
Song Yao glanced at it, rummaged through her spatial pouch, pulled out a piece of paper, and slapped it into his hand. “The recipe for the Qi-Replenishing Pill.”
“...”
The corners of his lips couldn’t help but twitch upward as he handed the recipe back. “That’s not what I want.”
Rate on N.U.
