Snow Absolute Valley was the domain of the Chi Dragon.
Unlike the snowy scene outside, there was no trace of cold there.
The valley was lush and vibrant, like a beautiful spring day.
Ji Yutang’s eyes darted around, staying on high alert, ready to unleash a Dragon Thunder at the first sign of trouble.
“Underneath this prosperity lies an undeniable aura of blood and death,” Li Jingyu said as she walked ahead of Ji Yutang, gazing at a flowerbed.
This Chi Dragon fed on humans, and beneath the ground were countless human bones.
The plants there thrived on flesh and blood.
Suddenly, she heard a rustling sound from the east and immediately sent the Jewel of the Rising Tides in that direction.
A scroll of ink painting unfurled, and the misty fog acted like a barrier, continuously weakening the Jewel of the Rising Tides.
The person hiding in the shadows stepped out, adjusting his attire, and hurriedly said, “Junior Sister Ran, wait, it’s me!
Lin Heng!”
Li Jingyu’s eyes flashed coldly, and she retracted the Jewel of the Rising Tides.
Lin Heng was the only one speaking, but another person, Qin Ruoshui, also emerged with him.
Li Jingyu remembered her current identity, blinked, and raised her sleeve towards Qin Ruoshui, saying, “Senior Brother Qin.”
After a pause, she added, “Where is Senior Sister Zhao?”
Ji Yutang silently walked to Li Jingyu’s side, her gaze lingering on Qin Ruoshui’s handsome face for a moment before frowning and looking away.
The affection between this senior brother and junior sister was truly deep.
Lin Heng sighed and said, “She was captured by the Beihai Demon Cultivators.”
It wasn’t just Zhao Hechen; many cultivators had fallen into their hands.
They had bad luck, barely escaping from the Xuanming Yin Region, only to run into the Beihai Demon Cultivators.
Normally, the Beihai Demon Cultivators would respect the reputation of the Eight Great Immortal Sects and give them some face, but this time they went crazy, capturing or killing all “abnormalities.”
After recounting his unfortunate experiences at sea, Lin Heng looked at Li Jingyu and Ji Yutang and asked, “Didn’t you encounter anything?”
Li Jingyu shook her head.
Apart from the sea beasts in the area, they hadn’t encountered any danger.
“Good luck,” Lin Heng said, giving them a thumbs-up, full of envy.
Li Jingyu smiled without speaking, but Ji Yutang asked, “This is the Chi Dragon’s lair. Are you here to find the Chi Dragon too?”
Lin Heng turned to Qin Ruoshui without speaking.
Qin Ruoshui replied, “Using the sect’s tracing technique, I sensed that my junior sister appeared here.
Unfortunately, after searching for a while, we found nothing.
The Chi Dragon was also nowhere to be found.”
Lin Heng suggested, “Could it be in the Dragon Palace?”
Creatures like the Chi Dragon, which were dragon species, aimed to grow dragon horns and evolve into true dragons.
The Dragon Palace was a sacred place for them.
Normally, Lin Heng wouldn’t make such a guess, as true dragons were rarely allowed into the Dragon Palace, but wasn’t there a rumor that something went wrong in the Dragon Palace?
With the Beihai Demon Cultivators leaderless, they naturally became indulgent.
After he finished speaking, Ji Yutang and the others remained silent.
After a while, Ji Yutang looked at Lin Heng seriously and asked, “Daoist Lin, have you been to Xuanming City since arriving in this ice field?”
Lin Heng was taken aback and shook his head.
After arriving, he immediately started searching for fellow cultivators captured by demon cultivators, leaving no time to visit Xuanming City.
Seeing his expression, Ji Yutang nodded knowingly and tossed a jade slip to Lin Heng, saying, “The situation in Beihai is best understood by the cultivators in Xuanming City.
We should first kill some demon clans as a token of goodwill and then enter the city to learn more.”
Li Jingyu glanced at Ji Yutang.
Traveling with four people was indeed more convenient than just the two of them.
“Senior Brother Qin, what do you think?”
Lin Heng turned to Qin Ruoshui, raising an eyebrow.
Although Qin Ruoshui was worried about his junior sister’s safety, they were not regulars in Beihai and were far less familiar with the area than the cultivators in Xuanming City.
Perhaps with their guidance, achieving their goal would be easier.
After a brief consideration, he nodded in agreement, “Alright.”
The jade slip contained more than just the Chi Dragon as a token of goodwill.
Even if they had backing, it didn’t matter.
Lin Heng and Qin Ruoshui, both from the Eight Great Immortal Sects, were not afraid of the threats posed by the forces behind them.
After killing four demon cultivators on the list, the four of them appeared outside Xuanming City.
The Daoist who came out was still the same as before, but upon seeing the demon cultivator’s head, the indifference on his face disappeared, replaced by a light smile.
The formation’s light flowed, and a profound and boundless aura enveloped the four, instantly leading them into the city.
“This place is no different from Jiuzhou’s cities.
Once inside, you don’t have to worry about demon clans attacking,” the Daoist said warmly.
“The Beihai Demon Cultivators are—” Lin Heng began, but the Daoist waved his hand, interrupting him, “You can find out for yourself.”
Lin Heng: “…”
There were quite a few cultivators coming and going in the city, especially during the chaos in Beihai.
Many cultivators who were originally adventuring outside had returned to the city, causing most of the lodgings, treasure houses, and blessed lands to be rented for cultivation.
After asking several places, there were no vacancies.
“We won’t be staying here long, so there’s no need to choose those blessed lands.
A regular lodging…
will do,” Lin Heng reluctantly said, “If Senior Brother Qin doesn’t mind, we can squeeze in.”
Qin Ruoshui looked up at Li Jingyu.
Lin Heng’s eyelid twitched, following his gaze, and his brow furrowed, “Senior Brother Qin, although there’s no major taboo between us, there is still a difference between men and women.
Even if we’re from the same sect, there’s no reason to share a room.”
Qin Ruoshui’s face darkened.
Lin Heng’s words made it seem like he had ulterior motives.
He didn’t mean that at all; he just remembered that Junior Sister Ran was quite averse to that person and was worried something might happen.
But in front of Ji Yutang and Lin Heng, he couldn’t explain this reasoning, so he remained silent.
Ji Yutang watched this “senior brother and junior sister” exchange glances and silently sneered.
Li Jingyu glanced at Qin Ruoshui, suppressing the impatience in her brow, and softly said, “I’ll stay with Daoist Friend Ji.”
As if that wasn’t enough, she moved closer to Ji Yutang and took her hand.
Ji Yutang instinctively tried to shake off Li Jingyu, but who knew she would secretly use a spell.
It wasn’t good to make a scene at this time, so Ji Yutang took a deep breath, constantly reminding herself of her already set “big plan,” and put on a gentle smile, agreeing, “We’ve been together all along this journey.
This time is no exception.”
Saying this, she glanced at Qin Ruoshui, her eyes holding a hint of provocation.
With this outcome, Lin Heng was finally satisfied.
He had dealt with people often, and after visiting several treasure pavilions to solve the accommodation issue, he went out alone to gather information.
In the lodging.
Ji Yutang and Li Jingyu sat facing each other.
With nothing to do while waiting, Ji Yutang took out paper and pen, lowering her eyes to seriously sketch Daoist texts.
Daoist texts were different from ordinary writing; they were manifestations of the Dao’s meaning, and writing them consumed divine intent.
But after writing “The Dao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Dao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name,” her divine intent was already exhausted.
“Do you want to take a look?”
Ji Yutang wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked up at Li Jingyu.
Li Jingyu met Ji Yutang’s gaze and shook her head with a smile.
She had been exposed to the “Daode Heavenly Book” in her childhood, but after some incidents, she could no longer delve into the Tai Shang fundamental scripture.
Her path had already been defined by the words “Tai Yin,” and it was impossible for her to change it.
