Tang Muxi opened her eyes to find herself in a vast underground cave.
The cave was cold and chilling, devoid of sunlight, and very dim.
The stone walls around her were damp and smooth, occasionally flowing with an almost imperceptible force.
In the center of the cave was a pure power ice pool, somewhat similar to Tang Muxi’s cold pool, but the energy here was clearly more concentrated and even colder.
It emitted layers of ice sand, crystal clear and shimmering, and just from a distance, one could feel the extreme cold power emanating from within.
A gentle force radiated from the depths of the icy mist, like twinkling stars, occasionally spreading a dazzling halo.
Hidden beneath the ice sand, it was hard to see clearly, but in the dim cave, only the bright flashes from the depths of the ice mist stood out, making it incredibly alluring.
Even without probing, a refreshing and chilling power seeped into her body along with the scattered light.
Tang Muxi was momentarily stunned, feeling an incredibly familiar aura coming from there.
It was comfortable and pleasant, soft and exquisite, as if it were of the same root and origin as her, irresistibly drawing her in…
But as she slightly shifted her body, she discovered that green vines were tightly binding her, leaving her unable to move at all.
Tang Muxi: “… Why is this pesky vine still clinging to me! Hey, hey, are you tired of this? You grab me and then bind me? I only poked you once, how stingy.”
Tang Muxi’s limbs were firmly tied, unable to move, so she could only speak.
However, as if out of spite, upon hearing her insult, the vine became even angrier and tightened its grip in a show of force.
The rustling of its branches and leaves produced tiny sounds, clearly putting in a lot of effort.
But Tang Muxi was wearing a magic robe, of high-grade Xuan rank, reinforced with the tough bones of a Mirage Beast and cold pool water, which could almost withstand the attacks of a Nascent Soul.
This vine had not used any spiritual power, relying solely on brute strength to bind her, and aside from the initial pressure, there was no other unusual sensation.
Tang Muxi chuckled, “Fool, you silly thing, even if you wrap me up for a lifetime, you won’t hurt me. Once I rest for a bit, when I get out, I will definitely use my spirit sword to chop off all your branches and leaves, turning you into a bare, slippery green vine.”
If she could get up, she would definitely be standing with her hands on her hips, full of bravado.
Upon hearing that she wanted to chop off its branches and leaves, the vine became even more furious and lunged at her with claws bared.
Its leaf-like branches violently scraped against Tang Muxi’s skin, but after all, it was just brute force; despite looking fierce, it couldn’t actually harm her, all of it blocked by her protective spiritual power and magic robe.
Seeing it infuriated and unable to do anything to her, Tang Muxi felt quite relieved.
She wanted to tease it some more, but suddenly, she heard a voice coming from within the ice pool.
“Hmph, you little girl are quite eloquent, wanting to shave my spirit plant clean. What, haven’t you stolen enough from the mountains?”
The voice was hoarse and dry, as if it had eaten sand, sounding old and filled with a sense of decay and withering.
It was an old woman.
Tang Muxi was startled, realizing she hadn’t sensed the woman’s presence!
She quickly released her spiritual sense to probe into the ice pool, but before she could delve deeper, she was blocked by an indescribable force.
The woman sneered, “You dare to release your spiritual sense in front of me before reaching the Nascent Soul? Aren’t you afraid of death?”
Reaching the Nascent Soul means the primordial spirit has cultivated into an infant form, equivalent to having a second life.
Tang Muxi was horrified, knowing that this person’s power was far beyond her own, and no longer daring to act recklessly.
After swallowing hard for a while, she awkwardly laughed, “Elder, you jest. The younger generation… the younger generation was just speaking casually, it shouldn’t be taken seriously.”
Wen Fei was taken aback and felt a bit annoyed.
How dare this person call her an old lady just because her voice was damaged?
She darkened her expression and decided not to pay him any more attention.
However, even though she ignored him, the other party was intent on tarnishing her reputation.
Tang Muxi felt anxious for a while, and when she realized there was no further news from Wen Fei, she felt uncomfortable and couldn’t help but ask, “May I ask why you brought me here?”
Since the green vine belonged to her, it must have been intentional, right?
But she clearly had never provoked the other party.
“Me? Don’t wrongfully accuse me. I’m just a frail old woman, why would I tie you up?”
At this point, she scoffed in anger and said, “You should look for problems within yourself.”
Tang Muxi was increasingly confused by her words, but sensing no malice, she calmed down a bit in her heart: “I am just a junior, I hope you can enlighten me.”
“You took away the spiritual plants from the mountain in large quantities. With the food supply for the green vine reduced, it naturally gets angry and took it out on you. What’s wrong with that?”
As if to echo her words, the green vine wrapped around her stirred restlessly for a moment.
“If you feed the green vine some of the plants and return some of the spiritual plants to the mountain, it will be satisfied and won’t bother you anymore.”
So that’s how it is.
Tang Muxi felt a bit embarrassed and flushed; it turned out she had over-harvested and starved other creatures.
“The juice of the green vine is highly toxic, your ankle…”
The old woman initially didn’t want to speak again, but thinking of that drop of juice, she felt compelled to warn her.
Unexpectedly, before she could finish her sentence, she noticed that the juice on Tang Muxi’s ankle had all been absorbed into her skin, and there was no sign of any abnormality, causing her to frown deeply.
Tang Muxi waited for a while, not hearing any follow-up, and couldn’t help but ask, “What about my ankle?”
“Nothing, just consider it my ramblings.”
Wen Fei buried her doubts deep in her heart.
Seeing this, Tang Muxi said, “Thank you for your guidance.”
Having found a solution, she no longer hesitated.
She took out some and offered it to the green vine, which immediately loosened its grip.
The vibrant green vine coiled around the spiritual plants and devoured them clean in no time.
It seemed extremely hungry, gobbling up the food, and after finishing, it still looked a bit unsatisfied, slowly extending a vine towards Tang Muxi.
Was it asking for more?
Tang Muxi: …
Fine, it was her fault to begin with.
Tang Muxi simply took out some more.
While feeding the green vine, she quietly surveyed her surroundings.
The cave was vast, with a frozen pond in the center, and it was incredibly dim all around; she had no idea how to get out.
There were treasures in the middle of the frozen pond, but with the senior guarding it, it was unlikely they would be handed over to her.
Tang Muxi pressed her lips together.
“Have you been here all along, Senior?” she asked.
“It’s so peaceful.”
“Peaceful?”
Wen Fei chuckled hoarsely a couple of times, as if mocking her.
“Ever since those two clueless fools arrived, there hasn’t been a moment of peace. One wants to empty the mountains, and the other wants to split the rocks, stirring up a storm of chaos. If they could just be satisfied and leave, I might regain my peace.”
Tang Muxi lowered her head, feeling a bit embarrassed, and rubbed her nose without saying anything further.
Leaving was out of the question; her Senior Sister still needed to nurture the drought demon.
The green vine was starving and devoured over ten spirit plants in one go before finally stopping, slowly retracting back into the icy pond, soaking in the water.
It occasionally splashed a few droplets, looking as comfortable as could be.
Tang Muxi couldn’t help but click her tongue, realizing that this creature had quite a high level of intelligence, rivaling that of the Imprisoning Demon Sword.
The vine that had sprouted spirit plants should theoretically be able to use spiritual power, but for some reason, it had lost all its strength.
Tang Muxi pondered for a moment, then glanced at the misty icy pond and asked, “I haven’t learned your name, Senior. Would you mind sharing it…?”
In truth, she was more eager to meet her in person to ask if she would be willing to exchange treasures from the water.
Her little treasury still held quite a few earth-grade treasures; perhaps one of them could impress the Senior.
But right now, the Senior’s impression of her was a bit poor, so she couldn’t be too eager for quick results; she needed to take it step by step.
Knowing the name was just the first step.
Wen Fei fell silent for a moment, then snorted coldly, “No need.”
Suddenly, she exerted her strength and directly moved Tang Muxi away.
By the time she regained her senses, she was already standing at the entrance of a dark canyon.
Tang Muxi pursed her lips, thinking to herself that this person’s temper was truly strange.
Reluctantly glancing at the canyon, she turned and left.
The moment she stepped out, their breaths connected, and Jiang Yin immediately sensed her presence, letting out a sigh of relief.
As soon as the thunder tribulation was over, she hurried to find her.
The sky was overcast with dark clouds, yet not a drop of rain fell.
Tang Muxi walked leisurely, and as soon as she arrived at Floating Immortal Island, she saw a figure rushing towards her.
With a graceful figure and flowing red robes, though she couldn’t see the person’s face clearly, she could feel the bold and unrestrained aura emanating from them.
It was Jiang Yin.
She was still infused with the power of lightning, her skin slowly healing under the influence of her own strength, while her aura became even more stable and unfathomable.
No wonder the sky was filled with dark clouds; it turned out that Senior Sister had broken through to the Golden Core stage.
Tang Muxi stood in place, and when Jiang Yin rushed over in a flurry, she smiled and said, “Congratulations on your breakthrough, Senior Sister.”
From the time she established her foundation in the Tianji Secret Realm to now breaking through to the Golden Core, it had only been four or five months.
Such talent in cultivation was truly enviable.
No wonder she was a formidable figure; even if I consumed the Primordial Spirit Fruit, I wouldn’t be able to catch up to her.
“Do you have something to discuss?”
When Jiang Yin arrived, she didn’t seem concerned about the breakthrough at all.
Instead, she anxiously pulled Tang Muxi to check her over, ensuring she was safe before she couldn’t help but ask.
Tang Muxi was taken aback, and upon realizing, she felt a warmth in her heart.
“I’m fine, but I did encounter a small situation.”
Seeing Jiang Yin’s puzzled expression, Tang Muxi recounted her recent experience in the canyon.
After listening, Jiang Yin furrowed her brows tightly.
“I had no idea there were such people in the mountains.”
But soon, she recalled the earlier instructions from Wen Mingyu and began to ponder.
“I don’t know either, but the elder was very kind and told me how to get rid of the green vine. However, her temperament was a bit strange; when I asked her name, she didn’t answer and just kicked me out.”
Tang Muxi pouted, feeling a bit down.
“I’ll go again tomorrow to see if I can exchange for the treasures in the ice pool.”
Jiang Yin sighed and pinched her cheek.
“You little money-grubber.”
The old person in the mountains… probably had a deep connection with the demon race.
“The elder doesn’t seem to like us, so don’t speak directly about your requests tomorrow,” Jiang Yin reminded her.
“Ah?”
Tang Muxi frowned.
“But if she won’t tell me her name, what should I do?”
“You said that the green vine has lost its spiritual power?”
Tang Muxi didn’t understand why she was asking this but nodded, “Yes, it has gained intelligence but can’t use its spiritual power. I suspect it has lost its spiritual energy.”
Jiang Yin understood and smiled.
“The spiritual plant is probably the elder’s spiritual pet, influenced by her.”
The ability to cause a spiritual pet to lose its spiritual power…
Tang Muxi widened her eyes in disbelief.
“Are you saying the elder’s cultivation has dissipated… but I clearly felt a barrier blocking my consciousness!”
“So what?”
Jiang Yin shook her head.
“Did you feel any pressure? Have you seen her come out of the ice pool?”
Tang Muxi was left speechless.
“That ice pool has pure power. If she doesn’t want to tell you her name, she might be avoiding others and healing here. But we’ve been here for several months, and her spiritual pet still has lost its power. It seems the treasures in the ice pool can’t heal her injuries and can only maintain the status quo. When you visit again tomorrow, don’t speak directly about the exchange. Instead, use the excuse of feeding the green vine to gather some information and inadvertently reveal your bargaining chips.”
