Drip-drip...drip-drip...
The water droplets hanging on the tip of a stalactite were finally pulled by the earth, and the water dripped through the stone, then once again hit the smooth depression of the marble.
Tap tap—
The sound of footsteps approaching from far away broke the thousand-year silence in the cave.
Wearing a black long dress, Gu Mingxin walked in from the cave entrance, waved her hand to condense a drop of white light with her spiritual power, and pushed it into the depths of the cave.Under the light of the spell, a pile of rubble that had been transformed into a nest of insects and rats was reflected into her red eyes.
Gu Mingxin swept her gaze across the broken pieces of stone and finally discerned the formation pattern within. She glanced at Xue'e beside her ear and said, "Finally, something useful."
"Mingxin, are you saying that I was useless before?"
Xue'e complained and puffed her cheeks, then put the Heavenly Demonic Scroll under her skirt and floated to the formation. She pursed her lips as she sized it up before pointing to two pieces of broken stones beside her. "Mingxin, there are a total of five formation stones here. Put them together and use your blood demonic spiritual energy to keep the formation together. Then, you can activate it."
Gu Mingxin nodded, walked up, and raised her left hand, using her spiritual energy to move the scattered rubble around, building blocks to recreate the appearance of this place from a thousand years ago.
Countless broken stones, supported by the blood-colored spiritual energy, gradually pieced together into five ten-foot-high stone pillars.
The pictographic seals carved by the ancient monks thousands of years ago on the surface of the stone pillars with the spirit blood of ancient beasts also reappeared, glowing with a faint red aura.Xue'e floated back and forth in front of the five stone pillars, carefully reading the ancient words above. She nodded and said, "We can enter the Southern Region through this teleportation array, avoid the protective formations there, and also travel less, so as not to be discovered by the immortals. There should be no problem..."
"Should?"
"Well..." Xue'e took out the Heavenly Demonic Scroll again. "This was discovered by an owner of the Heavenly Demonic Scroll three thousand years ago."
"And then?"
"Then... it broke..."
"?"
Swish...
Xue'e licked her finger and turned a page. "Well… The Heavenly Demonic Scroll says that the heart and spleen of that person were sent to the Northern Region, his intestines were sent somewhere in the Southern Region, his arms were left in the original place, and his head went to the Royal Palace of the ordinary people world, scaring their Emperor to death... And then he died."
Gu Mingxin blinked and tilted her head slightly.
"..."
"Mingxin, this is the safest way for you to go to the Southern Region now. Other methods are more dangerous than this. Now, all the sects in the Eastern Region are helping He Buqun and the old man Yu Yan to search for your whereabouts. If you show up, Yu Yan will definitely come. That's why I asked you to stay with Mo Chi Ling..."
"..."
Xue'e advised earnestly. "Mingxin, why don't we go back to the blood forest and stay there? What's the point of going to the Bright Star Sect? The Magical Poison Sect and the Hedonistic Sect are about to invade it. You can't show yourself in front of the demonic sects now, nor can you show yourself in front of the Immortal Family cultivators..."
The Heavenly Demon Sect had already issued a high bounty on Gu Mingxin's head. The other five great demonic sects had also sent people to search for her location on account of Yu Yan.
After listening to Ye Anping and looking for Mo Chi Ling, they ran into several demonic disciples who came over to catch her on the way. Fortunately, Mo Chi Ling appeared in time to take them to the uninhabited blood forest and hide them, otherwise that old man Yu Yan might have already found them.
Xue'e now hoped that Mingxin would obediently stay in the blood forest.
Although it was a bit boring, it was better to be safe!
"Mingxin, I know you want to see Ye Anping, but it's too dangerous outside now..."
"When have I ever been afraid?"
Gu Mingxin interrupted coldly, then walked directly to the center of the magic circle, and stretched out her arms to mobilize her blood-demonic spirit.
Seeing that she was still stubborn, Xue'e quickly floated over. "Mingxin, didn't you hear what I just said? The former owner of the Heavenly Demonic Scroll had shattered the teleportation array! Since the Immortal Holy Emperor opened up the four regions' boundaries and set up the Imperial Immortal Formation, all the teleportation arrays in the world have become ineffective, so the teleportation array that that person used was broken..."
"Xue'e, would you harm me?"
"...No."
"If there was really a problem with this ancient formation, you wouldn't have brought me here."
"Mingxin, what I mean is, it's too dangerous for you to go to the Bright Star Sect..."
Before Xue'e could finish speaking, Gu Mingxin closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then, she opened them suddenly and sent her blood-spiritual energy into the five stone pillars. She used her spiritual sense to activate the array technique.
Rumble—
The ground shook, and the stalactites on the ceiling of the cave fell and broke into pieces on the ground.
Xue'e sighed in resignation.
She felt from the bottom of her heart that it was not a good idea for Gu Mingxin to go to the Bright Star Sect now, but she knew Mingxin's character. If this girl decided to do something, it would be useless no matter how she tried to persuade her.
Since she couldn't persuade her, she would try her best to help her.
Xue'e floated above Gu Mingxin and grabbed her head. Then, she mobilized the black python's spiritual energy to envelop Gu Mingxin, helping her protect her body when she entered the array.
"Mingxin, it may be a bit uncomfortable, bear with it."
"Alright."
Gu Mingxin quieted her mind and closed her eyes. She allowed the spiritual light from the five stone pillars to swallow her completely...
...
Cicadas were chirping non-stop in the forest by the water when a loud sound was heard that shattered the stones and shook the sky.
Boom—
A figure appeared in the air and crashed into the bushes, startling birds and small rodents.
Gu Mingxin held her forehead for a long time before she stood up and brushed off the branches and leaves on her body. After looking up at the bright waning moon in the sky, her eyes widened.
The dark clouds in the Eastern Region never dispersed, and the land was desolate and covered with scars;
Most of the Central Region was covered with yellow sand, and no birds or animals were able to live there;
The Northern Region was covered in snow all year round, and the weather was cold and frozen.
But what she saw now was a vibrant mountain stream under a clear sky as the fragrance of grass and trees filled her nose, refreshing her heart.
Gu Mingxin, who had been struggling in the sea of blood since childhood, was seeing such a spring scene for the first time, and she felt intrigued.
"Is this the Southern Region… Xue'e?"
Looking left and right and not seeing Xue'e's figure, Gu Mingxin suddenly came back to her senses, and a trace of panic appeared in her eyes. She called out a few more times. "Xue'e… Xue'e!"
"I'm here!" Xue'e came out from her forehead and grinned. "I hid in your Soul Realm right after you entered the formation."
"Oh..."
"You've called me so many times, were you afraid you’ve lost me? Hehe."
Gu Mingxin immediately returned to her previous cold appearance. Looking at Xue'e carrying on her back the small wooden sword she had helped to carve, she casually changed the subject and asked, "This sword, how did you..."
"The wood in the blood forest was quite peculiar. It can be brought in your Soul Realm."
Xue'e pulled out her sword, then drew a sword flower, frowning. "Wait until I meet that golden fool next time, haha~"
Whoosh—
The wooden sword whizzed through the air.
Gu Mingxin was bewildered. "Didn't you say that neither of you could kill the other?"
"She started it!"
"...Which way is the Bright Star Sect?"
Xue'e put the wooden sword on her back and flew crookedly toward the sky. She raised her hand to her forehead and looked around, then pointed to the south, shouting, "From here, you can see White Jade City… on the main peak of the Bright Star Sect."
Gu Mingxin stepped on the tree trunk, leaped to the top of the tree, and looked in the direction pointed by Xue'e.
At the top of the Azure Mountain, a twelve-floor pavilion stood atop a floating black stone. Even though they were a thousand miles away, they could still feel the ten-thousand-year-old heritage of the Bright Star Sect.
"Mingxin, we should be at the place where the Immortal Red Moon Matriarch blew up the Dragon Cave. There is a river beside it, located upstream. If you follow the river, you should be able to avoid the detection of the Bright Star Sect's patrolling disciples. Keep in mind that this is the Southern Region. We are now isolated and helpless, so you'd better not be too high-profile..."
"So long-winded..."
Gu Mingxin rolled her eyes and summoned her flying sword, taking off in the direction of the Bright Star Sect.
Xue'e froze for a moment, then hurriedly chased after her. "Hey? Mingxin! Slow down... Don't rush. Let's first ask for information in the surrounding markets. What if Ye Anping hasn't arrived yet? You should wear a veil to hide your aura. If you run into the Elders of the Bright Star Sect, you can hide..."
Xue'e lay on Gu Mingxin's shoulder, nagging endlessly like an old granny sending her daughter to private school for the first time, irritating Gu Mingxin to no end.
However, in the end, she still followed Xue'e's instructions. She retracted her spiritual energy, changed her clothes, and wore a veil. She detected the immortal cultivators' aura and hid her tracks in the forests...
The distance of a thousand miles was covered in nearly two days and one night under Xue'e's lead.
...
An unexpected light rain covered the twelve peaks of the Bright Star Sect with a layer of blurring white mist.
Water drops hung from the willow trees on the streets of the market.
Gu Mingxin changed into a black veiled dress and fanned herself with an oil fan as she walked under the stone archway in the market. On both sides were mostly Bright Star Sect disciples wearing black-and-white robes who came here to buy and sell pills and various items.
Xue'e stood on top of her head with her eyes wide open, helping Gu Mingxin guard against anyone who brushed past her.
This place was less than ten miles away from the Bright Star Sect's main gate. If her identity as a demonic cultivator was exposed, the sect's Elders would arrive in the blink of an eye.
Without Ye Anping to back her up, if the Bright Star Sect Elders discovered her, there was a high probability of killing her.
Gu Mingxin wandered around the busy streets, dazzled by the shops selling all kinds of items. She suddenly felt the curiosity to go in and take a look.
There were also markets in the Eastern Region, but they were permeated with an evil atmosphere. Almost every alley was filled with men and women demonic cultivators who were having sex or human corpses that had been cut in pieces.
Gu Mingxin realized that she had lived for more than twenty years, but she had never visited the market once.
She didn't have many friends in the Eastern Region, and no one invited her.
When she followed her master's arrangement and went to Heavenly Gate City in the Central Region with her junior brother Xu Mo, she planned to go shopping. Still, she didn't expect to have a ‘sweet’ encounter with Liang Xiaoliu just after entering the city and before she had time to settle down.
After that, she and Lu Meimei avoided immortal cities and only stayed in some small villages. They were forced to hide because of Liang Xiaoliu's bounty.
When she and He Jiming followed Elder Fu into the Central Region, Brilliance City had already become a ruin...
—"Senior sister, let's try the Narcissus Dew from the Western Heavenly Pavilion in a while, okay? I heard the flavor is quite special."
—"Ah? Alright, there's a new shop next to Western Heavenly Pavilion selling ice cream cakes. Let's go try it. Sister Chen and the others said it tastes good..."
The sisters of the Bright Star Sect walked past Gu Mingxin, laughing and chatting.
Gu Mingxin followed the two with a sidelong glance and suddenly felt that she was a little out of place. She asked in a low voice, "Are Narcissus Dew and Ice Cream Cake some kind of pills used by immortal cultivators for cultivation?"
"Eh?"
Xue'e standing on top of her head was stumped by the question. She didn't understand much either. She thought for a while and replied, "I don't think so. It's not recorded in the Heavenly Demonic Scroll. It's probably just a kind of rouge and pastries that have become popular recently."
"Oh..."
Gu Mingxin could not help but imagine how Ye Anping would accompany that silver fool and that girl who called herself "Liang Xiaoxue" to visit such places from time to time, right?
Ye Anping should have accompanied her to such a place...
Why was Ye Anping the Young Master of the Hundred Lotus Sect? Why couldn't he be the Young Master of the Heavenly Demon Sect from the Eastern Region?
With a dejected sigh, Gu Mingxin silently held her umbrella as she walked down the street in the rain. She listened to couples flirting and laughter between friends and felt as if she was the only one left in the world.
"Mingxin, do you want to chat about something? We'll talk quietly so that others can't hear us."
"...We're always together, what's there to talk about?"
"Then, I'll tell you a story. Well… look at the Spring Pavilion in front. The Heavenly Demonic Scroll says that it was opened by the Young Master of a certain Immortal Family sect. Because he took a fancy to a girl across the street, he opened this dyeing workshop opposite the tailor shop where that girl worked..."
...
Xue'e didn't care whether Gu Mingxin listened or not, she just acted as a tour guide, accompanying her with her voice to help her alleviate the loneliness.
However, when Gu Mingxin turned the corner of the street, Xue'e's voice stopped abruptly.
Gu Mingxin, who had been silently counting her steps, suddenly stopped and looked ahead in confusion. She saw a disciple dressed in an inner disciple uniform of the Bright Star Sect blocking her path with his hands behind his back.
The disciple had an ordinary appearance, and his cultivation was only in the middle stage of Foundation Building, but he looked like a normal man in his thirties. His actual age was probably about two hundred.
Gu Mingxin became vigilant, and seeing him staring at her, she frowned. "What do you want?"
"...Senior Gu, right?"
The question shocked Gu Mingxin who widened her eyes and took a step back, looking around. The encounter with "Liang Xiaoliu" in the Central Region was still vivid in her mind.
"Mingxin, don't panic..."
The disciple looked at her in silence for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "I received a message from Senior Mo two days ago, so I came here to receive you."
"Which Senior Mo?"
"Mo Chi Ling." The disciple replied with a nod. "Senior Mo said that her junior sister will come to Bright Star Sect in a few days to get some Bright Star Spiritual Nectar for her."
As he spoke, the man took out a small storage bag and handed it to Gu Mingxin. "Here is a Bright Star Sect inner disciple uniform and a jade token that I borrowed for you. There are also some magic tools that can help you hide demonic spirit energy. With these, you should be able to enter the sect."
"..."
"However, this is limited to the sect. The Spiritual Nectar is found in the garden at the foot of the Central Peak. You have to figure out how to get in by yourself."
Gu Mingxin looked at the storage bag he had given her. "Are you an immortal cultivator?"
"Yes, and I am an inner disciple of the Bright Star Sect. A hundred years ago, I owed Senior Mo a favor at the Eastern Great Wall and now I'm repaying it."
Gu Mingxin gave Xue'e a glance, and Xue'e quickly dove into the storage bag to investigate, then rummaged through the Bright Star Sect's cultivator's storage bag at his waist. "Mingxin, all good..."
Gu Mingxin nodded. "Do you want me to say thank you?"
"No need." The disciple cupped his hands. "I don't want to get too close to demonic cultivators. Although the Bright Star Spiritual Nectar is precious, it's nothing more than an external item. But..."
"But?"
"I wonder if you could tell me how many people the Magical Poison and Hedonistic Sect have sent into the Southern Region?"
"..."
"When one pest is found in the house, there must be more than one. Previously, the City Lord found the Grand Master of the Magical Poison Sect hiding in the city. I just wanted to make some mental preparations."
Frowning, Gu Mingxin replied, "I don't know."
"...Is that so?"
The disciple did not ask any further questions as he nodded and turned to leave.
Seeing him leave, Gu Mingxin hesitated for a moment and stopped him. "Wait a minute."
"Hmm?"
"Um... Is Ye Anping in the Bright Star Sect?"
The disciple deliberated, then replied, "He should arrive today or tomorrow. Earlier, Elder Cao said that they had already arrived at the City of Dreams. The Grand Master of the Magical Poison Sect was also discovered by his cultivation partner, and the Grand Elder has already rushed over."
"Alright."
Seeing that Gu Mingxin had nothing else to say, the disciple nodded and quickly left.
Xue'e followed him to take a look, but she came back not long after while scratching the back of her head. "Mingxin, that Mo Chi Ling actually has Bright Star Sect disciples to help her..."
"What's the big deal... Ye Anping also has eyes in the six sects of the demonic sect."
"You're right... Mingxin, let's go to the forest and find a deserted place to change clothes, and then sneak in through the mountain gate!"
Gu Mingxin nodded, turned around, and left the market on her flying sword. She landed in the forest outside the city and changed into the Bright Star Sect uniform that the disciple had brought her.
However, as if by coincidence, when she just took off the black dress, seven flying swords flew from the west toward the Bright Star Sect mountain gate not far from her.
Following the three cultivators dressed in the Bright Star Sect uniform was a black-haired youth with his hands behind his back.
When Gu Mingxin saw this, she even forgot that she was not wearing clothes. She just stood there in a daze, her eyes slightly narrowed, showing a trace of admiration.
"Hmm?" Xue'e turned her head and saw Ye Anping flying in the distance, and she slightly raised her eyebrows. "It's really him... He shouldn't know that we are in Bright Star Sect, right? Hehe, did you see the golden fool?"
She drew out the wooden sword on her back and waved it, her dark eyes radiating anger.
Gu Mingxin ignored her and raised her hand to open her sleeve, revealing her palmless right arm. She controlled her right hand which was thousands of feet away to squeeze...
...
?
On his flying sword, Ye Anping was taken aback. He felt the hand placed inside his sleeve squeeze his arm forcefully. His eyes twitched slightly and he looked around.
Seeing that Zu Lingzhi, Elder Cao, and the Grand First Elder were not paying attention to him, he reached into his sleeve and pinched it back forcefully. Then, he wrote on Gu Mingxin's palm: —Something happened?
However, after waiting for a while, Gu Mingxin did not respond. She kept pinching him as if she was crazy.
"..."
Ye Anping sighed slightly. Seeing that the Bright Star Sect's main gate was not far away, he took a deep breath and prepared himself mentally.
After entering the sect, he would have to face Zu Yuan directly.
Even if everything was ready and all the conditions were fulfilled, Zu Yuan was still a Void Returning-stage cultivator. Moreover, he wanted him to give him his spiritual root. It would be a lie to say that he was not nervous at all.
Pei Lianxue saw him frowning and leaned over. "Brother, what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Ye Anping answered and suddenly, he saw Xiao Tian sitting with her legs crossed on Feng Yu Die's head, rubbing her left eye and looking confused.
Seeing him look over, Xiao Tian rolled her eyes.
"Anping, why is my right eye twitching non-stop... and I feel like someone is staring at us."
"..."
Ye Anping thought about it. After all, they were standing in front of the Bright Star Sect's main gate. That old man Zu Yuan must have been looking at them a long time ago. It wasn't strange for someone to take a peek.
So, he shrugged to signal her not to think too much.
Not long after, Elder Cao brought him, Pei Lianxue, and the others to the mountain gate. After de-activating the restrictions on the mountain gate with the Imperial Spirit Token, she turned around and said, "Lingzhi, lead Young Master Ye up to White Jade City first. The Patriarch has prepared tea and is waiting in the Heavenly Pavilion."
"Huh?" Zu Lingzhi was stunned. "Elder Cao, why don't you bring him there? I'll bring Sister Pei and the others to the guest hall..."
"Listen to me. After I send the few Black Star Sect disciples to the guest hall, I'll go discuss the matter of the demonic cultivators with Grand Elder Liu. The appearance of the Magical Poison Sect Grand Master in City of Dreams is not a small matter. Cockroaches always appear as a nest."
The bearded old man wearing the First Elder uniform beside Elder Cao smiled. "Young man, our Patriarch is quite amiable, don't be so nervous. He just heard about your Spring Phase energy and wanted to talk to you."
Ye Anping cupped his hands, smiling. "It's my honor to have a chat with the Patriarch face to face."
"Well, Miss Zu, bring him up."
"Tsk… okay."
Zu Lingzhi nodded reluctantly, raised her head, and reached out. "Young Master Ye, please!"
