The Forbidden Path to Immortality - Chapter 134

Chapter 7: Seizing People

He’d said he’d “returned,” but it wasn’t until five days later that Li Xun reentered the Northern Qi mountains.

Much later than he’d expected. This was because something had gone against most people’s expectations.

“It’s been almost six days, and the Feather Servant hasn’t been apprehended yet?”

To avoid the expanding search zone, Li Xun had to make a long, laborious detour, entering from the southeast. This was a time-consuming and laborious process, and he was already feeling rather downhearted.

Compared to him, Shui Dielan, who had spent seven days in the Northern Qi mountains, was much more relaxed. She even had the leisure to watch the show from the sidelines, exclaiming in delight.

“It would be strange if we could catch someone who doesn’t work hard or even secretly trips up the Phoenix.” Shui Dielan, a bystander, revealed the secret in one sentence: “There are a total of fourteen people from the Four Directions of the Northern Alliance, four of whom are in the Real Person Realm, but half of them are making trouble there. It’s so funny.”

“Tripping up the Phoenix? Let’s not talk about their purpose, but they are playing tricks under the nose of the Demon Phoenix…”

“Who asked Li Douliang and Monk Wuya to come so seriously? They delayed the Demon Phoenix for five days. But that’s the end of it. Have you heard about what happened in the south?”

“The tide in Xuanhai is low? Well, I have heard something about it. It seems that the sea level in Xuanhai has dropped more than ten feet. Rumor has it that it was the result of the Western Alliance finding the secret passage leading to Xuanhai Youming City and opening the forbidden method…

What are you laughing at?”

It would have been better if Li Xun didn’t say anything. The more Shui Dielan talked, the happier she laughed, and she bent over with laughter. She held Li Xun’s shoulders and suddenly leaned over and said with a smile she had never said before: “After we finish the things here, how about we go to the south to watch the fun?”

Faced with this weird situation, Li Xun’s face turned slightly red without noticing. Fortunately, he quickly reacted and said: “It’s okay to go, but didn’t you say that Xuanhai Youming City has to be “a winding path leading to a secluded place”… “

Shui Dielan interrupted him and sneered: “That’s what makes it interesting. I want to see Ramash’s old face when he works so hard but in the end it’s all in vain.”

Seeing her gritting her teeth, Li Xun couldn’t help laughing, but he didn’t mean to refuse.

He coughed and brought the topic back to the current situation: “Xuanhai is almost at the doorstep of Li Douliang, so he naturally can’t sit idly by… Speaking of which, it’s been more than a day since Yaofeng Teng took action, why hasn’t he calmed down yet?”

“Even with such a long time as a buffer, she still can’t get away. Do you think Yu Shi is a fool? Even I haven’t seen her for two days. Maybe she has already left the Beiqi Mountain area and is free?”

Before he finished speaking, several dazzling sword lights flashed in the sky one after another. Li Xun squinted his eyes and looked, but found that these were just ordinary casual cultivators. These people were obviously unaware of the complicated situation in Beiqi Mountain and they all looked very relaxed.

Shui Dielan raised an eyebrow. “Here’s another reason. This is the largest medicinal herb distribution center in the Tongxuan Realm, with three to two thousand cultivators coming and going every day.

” “As long as Yu Shi can escape the relatively small blockade and find a crowded place to sneak in, unless the Northern Alliance can truly command millions of independent cultivators, where else can he find one?”

“Indeed, it seems everyone’s been wasting their time… By the way, after seeing the excitement these days, do you feel that Yu Shi is not in his right mind?”

Shui Dielan rolled her eyes at him. “If he wasn’t in his right mind, could you hide yourself so well?”

Li Xun knew he had asked a stupid question, but Lin Wuyou’s seemingly innocent words always left a lingering impression on him.

If he wasn’t in his right mind, why would Yu Shi have injured his own daughter and escaped, only to flee for his life instead of returning to the Northern Alliance?

After a long moment of contemplation, he finally realized his train of thought had returned. With a helpless smile, he decided to put the matter aside and focus on the affairs of Razor Peak.

First, scouting the area!

Under Shui Dielan’s masterful illusionary skills, Li Xun and she disguised themselves as two ordinary cultivators gathering herbs near Razor Peak.

This gathering lasted twenty days. During this time, Li Xun mastered the terrain within a thousand miles of Razor Peak and devised a series of escape plans.

Shui Dielan considered these actions nothing more than a fuss. Gu Yin’s deployment of the “Spirit Bamboo” to ambush the “Hundred Ghosts” was a complete joke in itself. Was Li Xun really just slapping himself in the face?

In reality, Li Xun felt he was overthinking things. Yao Feng, Gu Yin, and the others wouldn’t be participating in person for various reasons. With bodyguards like Shui Dielan and You Yi by his side, there was no reason for him to be afraid of these minor figures.

But think about the agreed date. Twenty-plus days without something to do would be utterly boring.

And while he was finding things to do, the situation in the Northern Qi Mountains had already changed.

As time went on, both the Northern Alliance and the Yin-Yang Sect had ceased their pursuit of Yu Shi. Of course, it could also be understood that the overt pursuit had ceased, while the covert investigation was in full swing.

In this competition, the vast Northern Alliance clearly had the upper hand.

Li Xun could sense that recently, the independent cultivators entering and leaving the Northern Qi Mountains were less likely to look down at the herbs and more likely to look up at people’s faces.

The vast Northern Qi Mountains were turbulent, with people dying suddenly and unexplained on the roadside almost every night. And this chaotic situation seemed unlikely to subside anytime soon.

“This is a treasure…”

Even though Li Xun had given up on the Feather Servant, he couldn’t help but sigh at the sight. The Northern Alliance’s reaction revealed how many shady secrets were tied to a single Feather Servant. And this priceless “treasure” had slipped from his fingers!

With another sigh, Li Xun straightened his back and surveyed the undulating terrain below. He and Shui Dielan were now on a plateau dozens of miles from Razor Peak. While Shui Dielan recuperated nearby, he sat on the cliffside, commanding a commanding view of the scene for dozens of miles.

With his current level of cultivation, the hills, valleys, and streams stretching across dozens of miles were all captured in his mind’s eye, along with the various traps and forbidden techniques laid out within them, all projected into his vision as a single entity. This was how Li Xun reviewed his recent work, ensuring it was flawless.

Today was already the first day of April, less than eight hours until tomorrow’s midnight.

Suddenly, an eagle’s cry echoed through the sky. Li Xun looked up and saw a gray-feathered, red-tailed eagle circling in mid-air.

The bird’s keen senses were so sharp that it instantly recognized the threat from a single glance, and it turned and fled. Li Xun laughed at this, but the laughter quickly died away.

Shui Dielan, standing nearby, was startled by his nervous reaction and opened her eyes in surprise, only to see him with his head tilted back, staring straight up at the sky. Following his gaze, she looked upward, but saw nothing to disturb her. If anything, it was the eagle’s hastily fleeing flight, and a single feather slowly drifting down.

Shui Dielan reached out to touch Li Xun’s forehead but was slapped away by him. Then Li Xun suddenly jumped up and flew forward to grab the eagle feather in his hand.

Seeing that he was crazy, Shui Dielan finally couldn’t help chasing him and grabbed his shoulder and said angrily: “Are you stupid? It’s just a feather…”

“No, it’s not about a feather.” It would

be too much to say that Li Xun was crazy. He was just lost in thought for a moment. He shook his head and smiled when he heard Shui Dielan’s scolding: “I just realized it. Looking down from the cliff, the terrain seemed familiar. Thanks to this feather, I was reminded…

” “Hey, Blood Spirit Flying Feather, this is Blood Spirit Flying Feather!”

As he spoke, the eagle feather in his hand gradually changed color, starting at the tip. By the time he finished speaking, the once pale gray feather had become a blood-red. The dazzling color permeated the feather, so intense that at first glance it seemed to glow.

Shui Dielan whistled, snatched the blood-red feather from Li Xun’s hand, and turned it over in front of her eyes, examining it over and over. At the same time, he said, “Blood Spirit Flying Feather? That name sounds familiar.”

“Well, it’s the highest level of forbidden magic in ‘Blood Godson.’ Alternatively, you might be more familiar with the Blood Spirit Feather Sword. Have you heard of it?”

Shui Dielan paused, turning her head in surprise. “Is it really the Blood Spirit Feather Sword? The thing that’s said to be able to slay immortals?”

“Slay immortals? Have you ever seen what an immortal looks like?” Li Xun waved his hand dismissively. “I also witnessed its power during the battle between Yin Sanren and Xue Sanren. Back then, the ‘Blood Nightmare Soul-Breaking Killing Tribulation’

and the ‘Blood Spirit Flying Feather’ combined their power, drawing the foul energy of millions of resentful souls into a single sword strike, effectively making it unavoidable within a radius of dozens of miles.

“But if we’re to be honest, its lethality isn’t at the level of slaying immortals. It’s just that the formation’s accumulation, smelting, and triggering mechanics are truly unique. I think…”

“Well, think about it slowly. Don’t give me a headache!”

Shui Dielan felt drowsy and sleepy at the mere mention of those forbidden magic terms. She casually tossed the blood feather away and turned away.

Li Xun clutched the blood feather with a wry smile. He turned back and carefully surveyed the surrounding terrain, the more he felt that this place was a natural setting for a “Blood Spirit Flying Feather Formation.” Only a few minor modifications to the forbidden patterns would be necessary to make it work.

At this moment, his obsession with mastering forbidden techniques surged, and an idea reached such a fever pitch that he simply called out to Shui Dielan and jumped down the cliff to prepare. Regardless

of whether it would be useful or not, it was good to personally set it up.

Time flies when one has a goal. By the time Li Xun

finished setting up the “Blood Spirit Flying Feather Formation,” it was completely dark.

Anticipating the arrival of Gu Yin’s messenger, Li Xun hurriedly changed his clothes. He had already agreed with Shui Dielan that the Razor Peak meeting would involve the lifting of a forbidden spell, so Li Xun would appear as one of the Hundred Ghosts, while Shui Dielan would transform into a spirit bamboo and await the opportunity.

However, Li Xun was puzzled by the fact that Gu Yin’s urging of Ling Zhu to “seek revenge” on Razor Peak seemed like a casual suggestion, then forgotten. Otherwise, the messenger would have at least contacted him, rather than leaving him out in the cold! He

muttered a few words inwardly, but due to his thorough preparation, he didn’t dwell on it. He estimated the time and slowly circled Razor Peak. Regardless of audience or not, he remained dedicated, displaying the demeanor of a cautious and wise cultivator.

Tonight, there was no moon in the mountains, no human voices; the mountain wind blended with the cries of birds and beasts, creating an eerie and sinister sound.

At this moment, Li Xun floated silently like a ghost under the pitch-black sky, merging with the void. Razor Peak lay diagonally below him, its snow-capped peak fragmented by shadows into twisted, sinister, and eerie fragments.

A figure, dressed like a female cultivator, was already standing on the summit, but Li Xun couldn’t see clearly from the distance. Ever since the female cultivator reached the summit two hours ago, she’d been standing on a cliff edge, surveying the scenery from above, without moving.

This female cultivator must be the messenger; judging by her demeanor, she might even be one of the Five Attendants of Miaohua.

Li Xun speculated, but he had no intention of going down to greet her, simply waiting for time to pass.

The water butterfly orchids were patrolling the area for hundreds of miles with a hundred times more advanced escape technique, sensing no movement.

Finally, Li Xun came to a conclusion: “It seems Gu Yin truly has concerns. But if she’s so determined to “deceive,” she can’t just play the Spirit Bamboo card… Tsk, what a hassle.”

As his thoughts raced, the midnight hour finally arrived. Li Xun took a deep breath, and the bottomless Nether Ring in his chest suddenly spun faster. The vast and boundless Nine Netherworld responded, and the Nine Netherworld’s earth energy erupted from the depths of the Nether Ring, transforming into the purest Netherworld Fire, which permeated the gloomy void.

The messenger on Razor Peak, sensing something, looked up in that direction. Li Xun also appeared, unhesitatingly flying towards the summit, landing beside the messenger in an instant.

As he drew closer, he realized the visitor was indeed one of the “Five Maids of Miaohua,” and a woman of lower rank, Shang Shi, whose status was only below that of the Palace Maid. Li Xun had rarely met her, but vaguely remembered her as a quiet, reserved woman, yet ruthless and merciless when in action.

But at this moment, Shang Shi was dressed in a plain gray cloth dress, her arms hanging down, her whole body devoid of any adornment, a simple, elegant maidservant’s appearance. Only the cold, dark, gleaming eyes hinted at her extraordinary qualities.

Li Xun was slightly startled by the sight of this person, but his expression perfectly expressed the reservedness of a first meeting. But just as he was debating whether to greet her first, Shang Shi decisively and swiftly pulled a purple jade box, barely an inch square, from her sleeve.

Despite the dim light on the peak, the jade box shone with a faint brilliance, evidently of immense value.

From beginning to end, Shang Shi made no move to speak. Seeing this, Li Xun simply kept his mouth shut, his gaze fixed on the jade box, not reaching out rashly.

With pure visual observation, Li Xun could tell that the jade box was carved from a single block of Dongyang purple jade, devoid of any embellishment aside from the delicate carving. A closer look revealed that within the shrouded purple aura, several strands of luminous green light, each as thick as a head, flowed, gathering and dispersing with remarkable agility.

This green light must have been the seal of the Jade Fire Flowing Glistening spell. Li Xun’s understanding of spells was limited to a cursory overview, and he couldn’t discern the profound depths. This was all he could say to confirm that the box was indeed what Madam Yan desired.

Seeing that Li Xun had carefully examined it, Shang Shi remained silent, gently clasping the jade box with both hands and extending it forward.

Li Xun, his body relaxed on the outside, yet tense on the inside, reached out to take it. Suddenly, he remembered Madam Yan’s instructions. Halfway through his palm, he flexed and stretched his fingers, moving with the changing seals. The ethereal Yin Fire extended beyond his body, then, in a profoundly mysterious manner, transformed into a shimmering emerald flame. It circled in the air with a faint “chi chi” sound. Several wisps of green smoke rose from the purple jade box and dissipated completely in the air.

Thus, the seal on the purple jade box was broken. Shang Shi, observing this, released Li Xun’s hand and took the box. His true energy seeped in, and he quickly grasped the box’s structure. With a slight push, the lid popped open.

The space inside the box was surprisingly small, consisting of only a semicircular hole in the center. A pale golden bead sat within. This must be the “Golden Pill Divine Mud” Madam Yan had mentioned. What exactly was sealed within it was beyond Li Xun’s comprehension.

He could clearly see that the outer layer of the Golden Pill Divine Mud, like the purple jade box, was entwined with a shimmering green silk thread. On the inside of the lid, a few lines of tiny characters were inscribed. A quick glance at the obscure writing revealed it was probably some kind of code, likely a codeword that no one besides Madam Yan and Gu Yin could understand.

With a calm expression, he gently closed the lid and placed the jade box in his arms. He looked up at Shang Shi, the remarkably silent female cultivator, who simply nodded slightly before suddenly moving and flying away.

Li Xun was stunned, then burst into laughter. This was such a ridiculous pantomime. If he hadn’t known the situation well, he would have been completely confused. And then, in his daze, he was stabbed to death from behind—this was probably what Gu Yin had been hoping for.

Meanwhile, Shui Dielan, from a distance, was controlling the Gu insect to vibrate at a unique frequency, indicating that Shang Shi had flown a hundred miles away, seemingly staying out of the situation.

The problem was, if she stayed out of the situation, what would happen to the jade box, which was of great importance, if something happened to the “Hundred Ghosts”?

If the seal hadn’t been properly sealed, Li Xun would have believed the jade box in his hand to be a fake. Finally, he shook his head helplessly and began to consider asking Shui Dielan to perform a double act, perhaps luring the snake out of its hole and making the situation clearer…

“Who!”

Li Xun suddenly shouted, his voice like thunder, already employing the power of the Soul-Stunning Demonic Sound. Half a step earlier, he turned his body, and a wisp of smoke shot out from the center, his robe sleeves twirling, directly above the ice layer on the side and back. Blood and flesh immediately splattered, staining the snow on the peak crimson.

“Snow chicken… No, how can snow chickens forage at night? This mountain is too high!”

Li Xun stepped forward to examine it more closely, but even with all his skill, he couldn’t detect anything wrong with the pile of flesh.

However, once the snow chicken died, the feeling of being spied on disappeared. Could it be that he had been “spying” on by the snow chicken?

As far as he knew, the Tongxuan Realm had many methods of controlling birds and beasts to deceive people. The now-decimated Hundred Beasts Sect seemed to be a prime example. He had also witnessed the Falling Feathers Sect’s “Death Bird.” With this thought in mind, he glanced around but saw nothing unusual nearby.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was amiss. He was about to call back Shui Dielan for advice.

But before he could move, the Gu worm within his body began to vibrate violently, a warning from Shui Dielan that she had spotted an enemy.

Li Xun leaped to the edge of the cliff, calculated his position, and peered over, only to see darkness.

Just as he was wondering, an icy blue light flashed in the darkness, and Shui Dielan’s aura suddenly surged and vanished. Immediately afterwards, at least five more powerful reactions erupted from that direction, still powerful even from dozens of miles away.

Li Xun froze just as he was about to react. The next moment, a bright light blazed behind him, and the entire snowy peak seemed to be ablaze, bathed in a golden-red glow.

Li Xun whipped his head around just in time to see a massive red ball of light rising from the distant horizon on the other side of the mountain. Suddenly, the world was as bright as day.

Had the sun risen?

At that moment, the so-called “strong reaction” from the other side vanished like sparks dancing on the tips of grass, vanishing beneath the glare of the “scorching sun.” The stark contrast between the two left Li Xun stunned, only to be brought back to his senses by the distant shockwave.

In an instant, most of the snow on the peak was swept away, and the sudden surge in heat melted the remaining snow into bizarre shapes. Li Xun deflected the incoming snow and finally understood what was happening over there—

“Tianzhi battles the demon phoenix… The demon phoenix has returned!”

Li Xun didn’t know if he should be proud of his foresight. He only knew that when this earth-shattering collision began, all the changes hidden in the darkness were fully revealed in the glaring light.

The apparent simplicity and calm were completely overturned, and his ability to escape unscathed depended on his ability to quickly grasp the core of the complex situation.

At this moment, he seemed to have gained something.

With a whistling sound beside him, Shui Dielan emerged, now a world-renowned assassin, clutching a bloody object. “Here, this is for you, someone trying to sneak in here. This guy’s abilities are mediocre, but some of his companions are quite capable.”

Li Xun glanced at the head she held, making no move to take it. He simply felt a familiarity, considering his previous reactions. Li Xun suddenly asked, “Pluto Sect?”

“Hit the nail!” Shui Dielan smiled, throwing the severed head away. “Two Spirit Lords and four Underworld Generals should be half of the Pluto Sect’s current strength. They think highly of you.”

Li Xun snorted. With his current level of cultivation, these people really didn’t matter. Two Spirit Lords might be a problem, but even if he couldn’t defeat them, he could come and go as he pleased. But was this also the knife Gu Yin had borrowed?

Putting that question aside for now, Li Xun turned his attention to a spot on the peak, muttering, “Please distract them, I need to do something here!”

Shui Dielan, slightly puzzled, followed his gaze but saw nothing. But now was no time for nitpicking. She curled her lips, no longer questioning, and, swept up into the air by the distant wind, vanished.

Li Xun narrowed his eyes and surveyed the magnificent battlefield in the distance. The continuous bursts of intense light showed that Tianzhi was diligently fulfilling their agreement. The demon phoenix would be unable to spare any time for a moment. Li Xun would have to handle the remaining troubles himself.

He paced a few paces at the summit, suddenly chuckling to himself, “Today I finally understand what it means to search far and wide for something, yet find it effortlessly!”

Before he could finish his words, he lunged forward, his five fingers forming claws as they sliced through the air, hissing and slamming heavily onto the already crumbling ice five feet away. The ice suddenly collapsed with a resounding rumble, revealing the rather loose earth and stone beneath.

A figure, enveloped in a shower of icy debris, brushed past Li Xun’s shoulder.

Li Xun chuckled and struck out again. This was the “Soul-Locking Hook” technique from the “Record of the Netherworld.” Yin Fire twisted and crisscrossed in the air, colliding like a chain spun from thin air, lashing out at the figure’s back. The intense heat of the Yin Fire instantly vaporized the surrounding ice debris.

The Yin Fire and the protective Qi collided with a resounding clatter. The figure shuddered and tried to use the force to escape, but the “Soul-Locking Hook”‘s return force was far stronger than its initial thrust. Li Xun drew his five fingers together, and with a bang, the Yin Fire gathered, forcibly pulling the figure back half a foot.

The figure tried to fight back, but halfway through, blood choked his mouth and he slowly collapsed.

Li Xun was startled. “So badly injured? Madam Yu, you…”

The slumped figure raised her head, her pale face as beautiful as ever, yet more fragile and pitiful than usual. Who else could have such a graceful figure but Yu Shi?

Who could have imagined that Yu Shi, pursued by the Northern Alliance and the Yin-Yang Sect for nearly a month, would be hiding beneath the ice atop Razor Peak? Had Tian Zhi not been unconsciously shielded by the shockwaves of her battle with the demonic phoenix, Li Xun might not have noticed.

While Li Xun was pleasantly surprised, Yu Shi’s expression was far more complex. She flinched as she watched Li Xun approach, but her eyes were filled with confusion. Li Xun paused, surprised, and asked, “Madam Yu?”

The call brought some clarity back to Yu Shi’s eyes. She took a breath, and when she looked back at Li Xun again, her gaze had returned to normal. Finally, she softly called out, “Master Baigui?”

She clearly remembered her encounter with the “Hundred Ghosts” before falling asleep and likely had some knowledge of his identity.

Li Xun smiled faintly, taking the opportunity to take a few steps closer to her before saying, “Madam Yu, are you alright after the offense I just caused?”

Meanwhile, a series of hissing sounds began to fade from the water butterfly orchid’s side. Li Xun glanced over, a sudden sense of alarm building in his heart as he shifted slightly. A sharp gust of wind brushed past his ear, stinging his cheek slightly.

Li Xun frowned, looking at the silver thread wrapped around Yu Shi’s fingers. He shook his head and soothed, “Madam Yu, it’s not wise to act now. You should be aware of the deep friendship between Sect Master Qin and me…”

As the last few words left his mouth, Li Xun had already pounced on Yu Shi, his palms and fingers moving with a clanging sound, determined to subdue him.

However, he still underestimated Yu Shi’s cultivation. Even though she was seriously injured, this seemingly fragile beauty still showed extraordinary tenacity.

Though her body still slumped to the ground, the silver threads on her fingers were incredibly agile, hissing as they stretched and stretched, slicing the space in front of her with a fierce and brutal force. Li Xun couldn’t find an opening to strike, and instead, concerned about her condition,

he was forced to leap away. Strangely enough, his retreat from the feather servant had weakened him, causing the previously sharp silver threads to sag. Judging by the turmoil in her face, she must have been suppressing a mouthful of blood.

“Time is running out, and I don’t have time to play with her. How about I feint a frontal attack and let Youyi sneak up from behind to finish her off?”

Li Xun knew that such a determined opponent was the most unreasonable. He didn’t care about anything else now, only focusing on getting her to a safe place as quickly as possible.

Just as he was about to summon Youyi, a second massive attack from Tianzhi and the demon phoenix swept through the rocks and ice, sending shards flying. A shrill, piercing scream pierced Li Xun’s ears. He even felt the razor-shaped peaks beneath his feet waver, threatened to break at any moment.

In this storm, the feather servant finally revealed her true state, exhausted. She groaned, unable to steady herself, and was thrown to the ground by the oncoming wind. The blood she had been holding back for so long spurted out, staining the ice beside her red.

This was a pleasant surprise for Li Xun. He hurried forward and looked down at the feather servant’s injuries.

The feather servant was still conscious, but she had no strength left to resist. She struggled with her arms, but Li Xun grabbed them. After a few unsuccessful attempts, tears welled up in her eyes.

“Why are you acting like I’m going to r*pe you…”

Li Xun, feeling completely irritated, didn’t bother to say anything more. After confirming Yu Shi’s life was safe, he was about to knock her unconscious when he noticed the beautiful woman’s lips moving slightly as she muttered something. Curious, he listened intently.

“Ji’er, Ji’er!”

Yu Shi repeated this name over and over again, leaving Li Xun bewildered. Normally, such a name was reserved for one’s own children. Could it be Qin Wanru’s nickname?

Li Xun tentatively asked, “Madam Yu, you wanted to see Sect Master Qin… Eh!”

The shift in atmospheric pressure outside him alarmed him. He abruptly straightened up and stared coldly at the empty space beyond the cliff. There, a figure hovered silently, like a disembodied ghost, looking at him with the same coldness.

Their eyes met, and Li Xun felt a sudden sense of absurdity. It was as if time had reversed, except for the fact that their positions had been reversed. The scene before him was remarkably similar to a quarter of an hour ago.

He took a deep breath, faced Shang Shi’s cold face, and forced a smile. “Sir… how did you find the time to come back?”

Shang Shi’s skirt rustled in the strong wind, occasionally revealing her curves, a striking sight. But Li Xun was more drawn to her hands tucked into her sleeves.

Shang Shi remained silent for a moment before speaking. Her voice was quite pleasant but lacked emotional fluctuations: “The things in Taoist priest’s hands are very important, so you’d better go back early.

I will take care of my fifth sister.”

“Not at all, fellow Taoist, although we have met once, I don’t know you. But I know that Madam Yu is a relative of a friend of mine. For safety reasons, I would like to escort her there. If you are worried, you can go with me. What do you think?”

Shang Shi automatically ignored these nonsense and turned his eyes to Yu Shi. There was still no emotion on his brows: “Fifth sister, the sect leader asked me to tell you that people’s hearts are treacherous. Your temperament is not suitable for the outside world after all. It’s better to return to the valley and live out the rest of your life.”

Yu Shi forced himself to sit up when he saw Shang Shi. Hearing this, he smiled sadly and shook his head slightly: “Since I have taken off the lock, I will not buckle it again. What’s more, what about my child…”

“Child?”

Li Xun instinctively felt that this “child” did not refer to Qin Wanru, but where did Yu Shi get the child?

As he pondered this, he suddenly felt Shang Shi’s gaze pierce him like a sharp blade, likely implying that he was an eyesore and was telling him to get lost. Li Xun smiled faintly, feigning ignorance but remaining silent, hoping to glean more information from the two women’s conversation.

Shang Shi thrust again, seeing no effect, his expression grew even colder, and he fell forward without a word. Li Xun couldn’t feign ignorance now. He moved in front of Yu Shi and said with a smile, “Daoyou…”

Just as he uttered those two words, a cold light flashed before his eyes. His gaze cooled, and he reached out his hand, still using the “Soul-Locking Hook” technique, meeting Shang Shi’s wrist. Both bodies trembled.

Shang Shi’s gaze was practically frozen, and Li Xun’s was no less intense.

Li Xun felt certain that even if they all wanted to fight, they would have to consider the seriously injured nearby. A stalemate would be best. He could then use this opportunity to coax the two women into revealing more information…

Eh?

Like a whip lashing through the air, Shang Shi’s aggressive kick from under her skirt shattered Li Xun’s plan. Hastily, Li Xun retreated to avoid the attack. Shang Shi, however, did not pursue, instead stringing his fingers through the air like a lute, sending a series of crisp, trembling notes through the air.

“Heart-piercing Song?”

Li Xun, diligently studying the Miaohua Sect’s numerous techniques, saw this and dared not neglect. He shouted, disrupting the rising rhythm. Then, his hands shifted into hand seals, and the ethereal Yin Fire resonated with the external energy. Countless cracks the size of a baby’s mouth opened in the void, and gray-white flames erupted from them, enveloping Shang Shi.

Of course, Li Xun knew this tactic was ineffective, so he simply bought time to leap and seize control of Yu Shi.

As expected, Shang Shi, with a flick of her palm, dispersed the Yin Fire and, swift as an arrow, rushed over. However, Li Xun was much closer, so she grasped Yu Shi’s shoulder. The Yin Fire penetrated the blocked Qi channels, knocking him unconscious.

Shang Shi saw Yu Shi fall into Li Xun’s grasp, but he didn’t stop, even more reckless. Before Li Xun could figure out how to escape, he felt a roar like a heavy drum behind him, a powerful pressure surging like a tidal wave. With

a strange cry, he unleashed his Shadow Devouring Technique with all his might, his form seemingly transformed into a shadow, reflecting the intense light in the distance, dispersing and elusive.

Shang Shi’s attack faltered, and Li Xun, with a hearty laugh, seized the opportunity to surge upward. Due to his physique, even without the Blood Shadow Demon Body, his speed was near-top-tier. Shang Shi, having lost the initiative, was in no position to catch up.

Li Xun glanced down and saw Shang Shi desperately pursuing him, the distance between them growing ever wider. He was delighted, but he remained unyielding, shouting, “Fellow Daoist, we exchanged tokens first. What are you trying to do by turning on me?”

Shang Shi ignored him, his face cold, and he pressed on. Li Xun sneered, effortlessly increasing the distance between them. He no longer cared about Shang Shi’s pursuit. He glanced back at Shui Dielan, figuring out how to rejoin them.

Farther away, the clash between Tianzhi and the demon phoenix reached a new climax, a blinding light illuminating the area for a hundred miles as if it were daylight, a sight that was astonishing. Li Xun squinted, trying to get a better look when the sky suddenly darkened. His eyes

suddenly widened, and at the same moment, a long, piercing cry pierced through the air from afar, piercing his ears and sending shockwaves through his organs. Before

he could react, a glint of green light flashed in the corner of his eye, like a wing slicing through the sky, severing the clouds and annihilating the mountains, instantly erasing any possibility of reaction.

Silently, Li Xun felt a numbness in his shoulder, followed by a shower of blood. Yu Shi, covered in blood, tumbled down, falling with her, along with Li Xun’s arm, severed at the shoulder.

Li Xun felt no pain at all. He froze in mid-air, the tumbling limbs and the gradually approaching figures of Shang Shi and Yu Shi flashed through his mind, his mind filled with a single thought:

Qingluan, Qingluan! This is Qingluan! Shang Shi’s fingers had already touched Yu Shi’s belt. Just as

she was about to exert her strength, a similar green shadow flashed before Yu Shi, who suddenly transformed into the aloof and aloof demon.

Shocked, she even forgot to change her stance. She felt only a glare of ice as her stabbing fingers, which seemed both unsightly and awkward.

A tremendous force erupted, and Shang Shi, with a painful groan, was swept away by the long sleeves of the green robe, flying several miles before coming to rest.

Qingluan stood in the air, her figure as straight as a pine tree, her green robe spotless. Beside her, Yu Shi remained unconscious, his body seemingly held flat in mid-air by a pair of invisible hands.

Qingluan’s gaze briefly scanned her before shifting to the other two in the air.

When her eyes swept over them, both Li Xun and Shang Shi felt a deep chill rising from the bottom of their hearts…

Please continue to look forward to the sequel to the second part of the Netherworld Immortal Journey.