Changhong Valley, deep inside a dark, sealed cave.
A melodious woman's voice drifted from afar, carrying the faint echoes peculiar to a long, narrow passageway.
"Why are you being so cautious? Even if that Qin Mo broke through, he's only in the seventh rank."
"Heh, cautious?" A leisurely chuckle sounded, followed by an airy, relaxed male voice. "Am I being cautious? I'd say I've been quite bold."
"Qin Mo left this place two days ago."
"A seventh rank is certainly beneath our notice, but Yulan, guess why that little fellow made a beeline straight here the moment he entered Changhong Valley?"
"You mean the soul ring?"
"Mm. I suspect the soul ring is in his hands. Even with a map, no one could head straight here without the slightest hesitation or delay. In all likelihood, someone was giving him directions in real time."
The winding cave stretched on. Accompanied by their conversation, two sets of light footsteps drew nearer from the distance.
As the footsteps approached, two silhouettes gradually emerged from the depths of the tunnel.
A glowing orb of light hovered gently behind them, illuminating their features.
The woman had an exquisite, alluring figure and wore Western Regions attire. Even in midwinter, she still exposed a toned midriff and fair, porcelain skin.
The man possessed handsome, elegant features, with an air of casual cynicism dancing in his brow and eyes.
Yulan pondered for a moment. "I've read in ancient texts that if it truly is a soul ring, a Saint resides within it."
Hearing this, much of Qin Weijiu's casualness receded, replaced by a faint trace of reverence. "It is precisely because I know this that I'm being so careful."
Yulan hesitated slightly. "Then this Qin Mo..."
"He cannot die," Qin Weijiu said.
His original plan had been to stay uninvolved and help neither side. Regardless of whether Qin Mo or Xu Yuan lived or died, it would stir up a blood feud between the Chancellor's Manor and Burial Village. But now, it seemed he needed to step in and secretly lend Qin Mo a hand.
After all, the young man carried a Saint upon him.
Yulan fell pensive, murmuring softly, "Yet that Bewitching Soul Fiend Physique has sent word that she hasn't succeeded. Xu Changtian most likely won't leave the city. If Qin Mo wants to save her, could he be thinking of sneaking inside?"
She paused, her gaze growing solemn. "A grand array is laid throughout Jingjiang City. Even for the two of us, entering would be perilous."
Qin Weijiu's eyes flickered for a few moments before he said, "Jinxuan can already move freely within the Xu Manor. Find an opportunity to bring her out. This Qin Mo is far more important than Xu Yuan."
He paused, a smile crossing his eyes. "Besides, that girl Jinxuan seems to harbor affection for Qin Mo as well. Forcing her to approach Xu Changtian really was asking too much of her."
"..."
The woman remained silent for several breaths before reminding him in a cool voice, "Qin Weijiu, I hope you haven't forgotten who orchestrated the events from over a decade ago. It's best you don't take this game of playing house too far."
Qin Weijiu glanced at her. "After more than ten years, one would grow fond of even a dog, let alone a human being. Rest assured, I know my limits."
"Suit yourself. Just be careful not to suffer a backlash from the Bewitching Soul Fiend Physique." Yulan chose not to press the matter further.
With that, both fell into silence.
The end of the cave gradually came into view—a chamber enveloped in hidden array markings.
After sensing the surroundings for a moment, Qin Weijiu turned his eyes toward the woman beside him. "I'll leave it to you."
With that, he sat down to the side and began regulating his breath.
Yulan gave a soft snort, extending her intent-soul to probe and perceive the layout carefully.
In the silent, gloomy space, time seemed to lose all meaning.
After an unknown interval, Yulan bent down and pressed her hand gently against the center of the array markings on the ground.
The next instant, as Source Qi surged, a sphere of light with a glowing white exterior and a pitch-black core materialized in the cave.
Without a word, the two exchanged a glance and stepped inside one after the other.
This was what they had come for.
Wealth could tempt anyone, let alone the cultivation resources of an entire secret realm.
With Qin Mo's cultivation, there were certainly many places he couldn't reach. They had come to pack up and haul away all the precious herbs and cultivation resources.
Yet upon stepping into the realm, the scene inside completely defied their expectations.
Instead of the well-ordered, paradise-like immortal realm they had imagined, all that met their eyes was an endless expanse of blood-red mist and gigantic, dark silhouettes roaming between heaven and earth...
"..."
The eerie sight caused Qin Weijiu's brows to knit tightly as he quietly began circulating his cultivation art on guard.
A golden gleam flickered in his eyes. Piercing through the mist, he saw colossal forms lumbering in the haze and bizarre shapes floating midair.
"This mist? And what is going on with these demonic beasts?"
Yulan kept scanning with her senses, then suddenly warned, "Qin Weijiu, wrap yourself in your intent-soul. Let's get down to the ground first."
Though Qin Weijiu did not know why, he immediately followed her advice, shrouding his entire body in intent-soul.
Dropping to the ground and gazing at the thick blood mist where one could scarcely see one's own outstretched fingers, Qin Weijiu asked softly, "What is this mist? Ghost mist?"
When demonic beasts and humans died in excessive concentrations in a single place without being cleansed, the dense deathly energy would slowly coalesce into ghost mist.
Yao and specters ran rampant within such mists, turning them into living hells on earth.
Yet by all logic, ghost mist should be pitch-black like ink. Why did it appear an eerie shade of blood here?
Yulan spoke with grave solemnity: "This isn't ghost mist. It's an Inter-Abyss formed by aberrant ghosts. Those demonic beasts have all been mutated by them as well."
"..."
Hearing this, Qin Weijiu narrowed his eyes, understanding at once.
Quite a few ancient texts recording the catastrophe that had ravaged the world had survived to this day, and he had naturally read some of them.
Thus, he knew what aberrant ghosts were, and what an Inter-Abyss was.
Just as ink poured into clear water would rapidly diffuse, once an Inter-Abyss formed from aberrant ghost corruption appeared, the eerie blood mist would continually taint and pollute everything within that space.
Of course, this corruption applied only to humans.
Just as ghost mist was a desolate death trap to humans yet a paradise to yao and ghosts, the aberrant ghosts of the past flourished within the environment of an Inter-Abyss.
Reflecting on this, Qin Weijiu sighed softly. "To think it's a secret realm breached by aberrant ghosts. What a pity."
The blood mist of an Inter-Abyss would rot spiritual herbs and all manner of cultivation resources. If a cultivator used them directly without proper purification, they would be mutated into aberrant monsters.
Of course, an Inter-Abyss could be cleansed.
However, this secret realm was located within Jingjiang Prefecture, where it was difficult for them to extend their reach.
In other words, they had no choice but to abandon this realm.
Yulan glanced around and asked directly, "Do we leave right now, or destroy it?"
Aberrant ghosts were an immense menace. If the mutated demonic beasts in this secret realm were released, at least an entire prefectural capital would be devastated.
Looking across the massive dark shadows lurking in the pervasive blood mist, Qin Weijiu curled his lips into a slightly wistful smile.
This was the first time he had witnessed the scenery inside an Inter-Abyss with his own eyes.
Demonic beasts corrupted and mutated by aberrant ghosts gained eternal life, yet could exist only as walking corpses.
After pondering for a long while, Qin Weijiu shook his head slightly. "Leave it for now. Qin Mo might come back. As for leaving, there's no need to depart right away. Since the Saint guided that kid Qin Mo into this secret realm, there must be something here we can use. Let's search the depths. If we can't find anything within three days, we'll head out and keep an eye on Qin Mo."
"All right."
***
Outside Changhong Valley.
"Achoo!"
A sneeze rang out from within the dense forest. Qin Mo, who was hacking through the brambles with his ancient ingot saber, suddenly paused, rubbed his nose, and muttered with furrowed brows, "Why do I feel so unsettled lately?"
The moment his words fell, a slightly teasing middle-aged male voice resonated in the depths of his mind: "Unsettled? Are you worried that Bewitching Soul Fiend Physique will be devoured by someone else first? I told you not to worry. That Xu Changtian can't lay a single finger on her."
Hearing the voice, Qin Mo ignored the teasing and his eyes lit up slightly. "Old man, when did you wake up?"
Ever since retrieving the soul-returning secret treasure, the old man had fallen completely silent.
Qin Mo, who was long accustomed to the other's constant chatter in his ear, had felt utterly out of sorts. Hearing his voice again naturally brought a burst of joy.
The middle-aged male voice was clearly in high spirits as well. "Just woke up. What, did you miss your master?"
"I never acknowledged you as my teacher," Qin Mo retorted.
The deep middle-aged voice chuckled. "You cultivate my method, take the pills I left behind, and your martial techniques were all provided by me. Now I even have to protect your life. If that's not a master, what is? Heh, back in the day, who knows how many people knelt and begged me to accept them as disciples, yet you brat don't know when you have it good..."
Qin Mo chuckled at that. "Fine, fine, I know you're amazing, old man."
"Heh." The middle-aged voice gave a soft laugh before asking, "Are you preparing to head back to Jingjiang City now?"
Qin Mo fell silent for a moment and lowered his voice. "Mm. I might need your help, old man."
The middle-aged voice understood at once. The kid was indeed planning to go rescue his beauty. He said in a leisurely tone, "What do you want me to do? A frontal assault? A mere third rank is nothing to worry about, but there are other formations in that city, so we couldn't linger for long."
Qin Mo smiled faintly. "Naturally, that won't do. I intend to slip secretly into the Xu Manor and rescue Jinxuan."
Hearing this, the middle-aged voice replied in a relaxed tone, "You want me to help conceal your aura? That's not difficult."
Qin Mo fell quiet for two seconds, his tone turning earnest. "Thank you."
A trace of laughter tinged the deep voice. "No need for thanks. If you really want to thank me, call me Master..."
Mid-sentence, he abruptly paused.
The next instant, his voice hastened slightly: "Someone is coming! Remember, do not speak to me!"
Before Qin Mo could react, the middle-aged voice fell completely silent.
It happened so suddenly that Qin Mo was momentarily dazed, unable to comprehend what was going on or why the old man's tone had turned so urgent.
Just as he was wondering,
*Rustle—*
A faint disturbance suddenly rustled the dense canopy above his head.
Then,
A graceful silhouette clad in ink-black robes appeared before him.
The sudden appearance caused Qin Mo's pupils to shrink slightly, and he instinctively took half a step back.
It was a woman.
A black veil masked her features, obscuring her face, while her figure was exquisitely curved. Straight, black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall. In her hand, she held a three-foot black sword, and over her shoulders hung a bulging travel bag.
Her quiet, placid gaze was like an ancient, unchanging cold pool.
Sunlight filtering through the canopy draped over her, casting a serene, breathtaking beauty.
The woman in black nodded toward Qin Mo and spoke softly, her voice as calm and cool as her eyes:
"Um... excuse me, do you know the way to Jingjiang City?"
"..." Qin Mo stared.
*Huh? All this fuss just to ask for directions?*
With a hint of wariness in his eyes, Qin Mo replied in a low voice, "I do."
Hearing this, a faint glint flickered in the woman's placid eyes, though her tone remained composed. "Could you tell me?"
Qin Mo hesitated briefly, then looked up to gauge the direction before pointing toward the east. "Head that way. You'll arrive in less than two days."
The woman nodded slightly, quietly took down her travel bag, retrieved a few pieces of broken silver, and bent down to place them on the ground.
"Thank you."
With that,
*Swish—*
The woman vanished abruptly, just as suddenly as she had arrived.
Silence returned to the dense forest. Qin Mo stood quietly in place for a long while before walking over to pick up the silver.
At that moment, the middle-aged man's voice, which had vanished without a trace, slowly spoke up once more: "Quite impressive."
"What is?" Qin Mo tucked the silver into his robes.
The middle-aged voice sighed with some emotion. "That little girl is already a Grandmaster before even turning eighteen. Her cultivation speed is faster than mine was back then."
Qin Mo was astounded. "A Grandmaster before eighteen?"
"Heh." The middle-aged voice gave a sudden soft laugh. "Don't be so shocked. This world is vast—vast enough that geniuses are as common as ox hairs. Of course, a girl like her would be considered one of the handful standing at the pinnacle of her generation in any era."
"..."
Hearing this, Qin Mo felt an inexplicable weight press upon his mind, and he looked down at the blade in his hand.
At roughly the same age, he had only just reached the seventh rank, while she was already a third-rank Grandmaster.
Sensing Qin Mo's mood, the middle-aged voice consoled him gently, "Don't belittle yourself. Your strength comes from deep, steady accumulation, and having cultivated my method, your future achievements will certainly be no less than hers."
Qin Mo let out a long breath. "Mm, okay."
Seeing that he understood, the middle-aged voice pressed no further, chuckling instead. "By the way, kid, why didn't you travel with her? You're heading to Jingjiang City anyway. Befriending such a woman would do you good in the future."
"If we traveled together, wouldn't you be exposed?"
"Naturally not. I just wouldn't be able to communicate via voice transmission, that's all."
"..."
Qin Mo remained silent for several breaths, then suddenly said, "Actually, I did consider traveling with her for a moment. But I had a feeling that if I went to Jingjiang City with her, I would be in danger."
The middle-aged voice sounded slightly surprised. "Why? Judging by her actions just now, she clearly isn't an evil person."
She had even paid silver just for directions.
Qin Mo shook his head. "I don't know, but an inexplicable unease lingered in my heart."
The middle-aged voice sighed softly. "Caution isn't a bad thing. When you're weak, it's best not to loiter around experts of her caliber; the slightest offense could get you struck down. Well then, I'll go back to resting. Make haste on your journey. When you enter Jingjiang City, I will awaken on my own."
Chapter 70