Chapter 101
Bald and burly, Zhang opened her mouth, but when she met Yun Suxin's cold gaze, she ultimately lowered her head and swallowed the words she wanted to say.
"I dare not. Young Master, you decide."
"Hmph, mind your place." Yun Suxin rolled her eyes.
This Liang Elder appeared to be male, but in truth, she was a woman who had once been a wandering cultivator before aligning herself with Lingxi Valley. Though she held the title of elder, it was merely a nominal position; to put it bluntly, she was just a dog kept by Lingxi Valley.
There were a few elders like her in Lingxi Valley, but they were all in seclusion.
Perhaps because her mother had not appeared for a long time, this Liang Elder had become arrogant, thinking she was qualified to speak for the Young Master.
Qualified?
The Sword Pavilion was not a band of villains.
Previously, when they had robbed Lingxi Valley's disciples, the losses were minimal—just a drop in the bucket for the wealthy Lingxi Valley. This time, they would teach them a lesson and send them back where they came from.
If they dared to offend again, they would deal with them more harshly.
With this thought in mind, Yun Suxin began to formulate a plan.
She gracefully descended from the tavern's rooftop, her steps light and deliberate as she approached the subdued Yue Qianchi. With a playful glint in her eyes, she smiled and said, "Sister Yue Qianchi from the Sword Pavilion, I hear you’re here to buy spirit herbs?"
"Yes!" Yue Qianchi retorted, her neck stiff. "Isn't Lingxi Valley open to any righteous cultivator looking to buy spirit herbs?"
"That's true," Yun Suxin conceded, but scoffed, "But I never said Lingxi Valley welcomes guests who crash into our protective illusion array."
Yue Qianchi opened her mouth, speechless.
After all, the flying boat had indeed crashed into the illusion array.
She averted her gaze, her face flushing slightly, and after a long pause, mumbled, "That was just an accident. We were all cultivating and didn’t know where the flying boat was headed..."
"No need to make excuses. Today, I’ll give you another chance." Yun Suxin summoned a golden lotus with a wave of her hand and tossed it into the air. The lotus ascended, gradually expanding. "I will draw you into the second layer of the illusion array. If you can break the array, you may enter the valley to buy spirit herbs. If you fail to break it within three days, you’ll return to your Sword Pavilion, and your flying boat will be considered compensation~"
As her words fell, the golden lotus in the sky burst open.
A soft golden light enveloped everything around them.
A strange fragrance wafted through the air, and both Yue Qianchi and Li Qingran felt the world spin.
When they regained their senses, they found themselves in a deep, secluded valley.
The flying boat had vanished, along with the burly woman and the Young Master of Lingxi Valley.
"Oh no, that woman dragged us into an illusion!" Yue Qianchi slapped her thigh, her expression grim.
"Sister, since it’s an illusion, there must be a way out," Li Qingran said, pulling Yue Qianchi's hand, still optimistic. "Let’s not rush. We need to carefully search for the flaws in the illusion; we can definitely succeed."
"It’s difficult," Yue Qianchi shook her head.
"The Lingxi Valley illusion has three layers. The first layer is a maze designed to block ordinary people and beasts from entering the valley and damaging the spirit fields. The flying boat just broke through that maze.
The second layer is an illusion array, filled with shadows and indistinguishable realities. It’s said to even trap transformation-stage cultivators for a time, let alone us.
Then there’s the third layer, a killing array. Yun Suxin probably hasn’t activated it; otherwise, our heads would have been flying in the air when we fell."
Hearing Yue Qianchi’s words, Li Qingran couldn’t help but feel a bit more worried.
Her sister wouldn’t joke about such matters.
With the Lingxi Valley illusion being so formidable, the hope of escaping was indeed slim.
But even so, they had to try.
For their master, and for herself, how could she easily give up?
Li Qingran clenched her fists and stood up.
She wanted her master to live well, to have a long life.
She wanted to meet her master, not just in projections.
That was the master she could touch, feel the warmth of.
She had to gather all the spirit herbs needed for the Hundred Herbs Detox Pill.
Seeing Li Qingran’s determined expression as she stepped deeper into the valley, Yue Qianchi followed suit. "Let’s go, let’s go! Who knows, maybe a blind cat will stumble upon a dead mouse?"
Though she said this, she felt far from optimistic.
Since the Lingxi Valley protective array was known as one of the wonders of the Cangyun Realm, it was certainly not just a simple maze.
...
"Young Master, if they can break the array, will you really let them go?"
Elder Liang gazed at the spirit crystal at the core of the flying boat, swallowing hard.
That was a spirit crystal! Any single one could sustain her cultivation for at least two months.
If she could get her hands on it...
She looked eagerly at Yun Suxin.
But Yun Suxin merely stared at the two figures stumbling through the illusion, her narrow eyes slightly squinting. "I keep my word. If they truly can break this heart demon illusion, what’s wrong with letting them buy spirit herbs?"
How difficult it was to break the array!
This illusion was the culmination of her mother’s lifelong learning.
Once inside, not only would they lose their sense of direction, but their spiritual awareness would also be compressed to the extreme. Even transformation-stage cultivators could only maintain a few hundred meters of spiritual awareness. But that wasn’t the most formidable aspect of the illusion.
Its true danger lay in its ability to evoke the fears within the hearts of those trapped inside.
Even she, the Young Master who spent every day in Lingxi Valley, would become lost.
Two disciples from the Sword Pavilion?
Qualified?
...
【Your electronic girlfriend 'Li Qingran' has entered the second layer of the Lingxi Valley illusion. Her deepest fears will be awakened...】
【Your teammate 'Yue Qianchi' has entered the second layer of the Lingxi Valley illusion. Her deepest fears will be awakened...】
【The voice transmission function has been disabled. Recharge 88¥ to forcibly enable it!】
Two notification boxes popped up on the screen.
Chen Huai'an, resting in the soft light of dawn, turned over, mumbling "Qingran baby," smacking his lips and drifting back to sleep.
...
The valley was deep, growing colder with each step.
Li Qingran had thought she would reach a dead end, but in reality, there was no end in sight.
"Li Qingran, Li Qingran!" A voice echoed in her ears.
Li Qingran looked up, following the direction of the voice, and a figure gradually solidified.
"Li Qingran, you disregard your elders and betray the sect. What punishment do you deserve?!"
Ah, a man in a green robe, looking righteous—Qingxuan Daoist.
"I am innocent." She didn’t even glance at Qingxuan Daoist, brushing past him.
"Li Qingran, didn’t you say you would always follow Senior Brother? What are you doing now?!"
Another figure appeared. Li Qingran glanced at Lu Changtian, only to let out a cold laugh.
"Li Qingran, why did you injure the junior sister?"
"Li Qingran, I gave you so many pills, and you still came back!"
"Li Qingran! You traitor!"
"Li Qingran..."
More figures blocked her path.
They mocked her, spat at her, and screamed.
But she didn’t look at them; she simply kept moving forward.
In her eyes was a beam of moonlight, within which stood a figure clad in white, white-haired, hands clasped behind his back, a sword at his waist.
That was her master.
Dancing with the sword under the moonlight, an unparalleled sword cultivator—Chen Huai'an.
Countless figures appeared, countless figures vanished.
She walked forward resolutely, not stopping for a moment.
Until two pairs of blood-stained boots appeared before her.
Those were the boots worn by soldiers on the battlefield.
"Ran'er, are you doing well? Have you been bullied in the sect? Sigh... don’t seek revenge for your parents... They just want you to be happy and live well..."
Li Qingran’s steps faltered slightly, her lips pressed together as she gazed at the elderly couple, their hair gray, supporting each other. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Father... Mother..."
"Qingran, unfilial..."
To cultivators, mortals were merely pawns.
Wars between nations were merely power struggles between sects.
Cultivators casually placed their pieces on the board, while thousands of soldiers died on the battlefield, wrapped in horsehide.
When a cultivator became angry and smashed a wine cup, it could lead to drought for miles, leaving the people in despair.
Ah, a nation is but a toy, easily destroyed in a moment's whim.
Now, she was merely a grasshopper that had jumped off the board, easily crushed underfoot.
She spoke cautiously, acted carefully. She only hoped that one day she could become a bird, so at least she wouldn’t be trampled to death.
But without entering the path of immortality, there was still a glimmer of naive hope.
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