"Back when I first arrived in the Demon Domain, everything and everyone was unfamiliar to me. That Suanni thought I was an easy target and tried to take liberties with me. In a fit of fury, I beheaded him on the spot. That Suanni was one of the Suanni Clan's top prodigies, and having him slain right in front of all the other prodigies was an utter humiliation. Naturally, the Suanni Clan refused to let it go, and I had to stay on the run for quite a while."
"What happened after that?"
"Later, I asked Eldest Senior Sister for help to beat them back. Nowadays, the Suanni Clan is much better behaved—at least on the surface," Third Senior Sister said with a laugh. Many people were hunting her right now, and assassins secretly dispatched by the Suanni Clan could very well be among them.
Lu Yang had heard that Third Senior Sister entered the Demon Domain while in the Soul Formation stage. Slaying a demon prodigy of the same level with ease and surviving the Suanni Clan's pursuit was truly no simple feat.
The three stepped into the secret realm. Inside, yellow sand filled the sky, and giant boulders churned within howling tornadoes—anyone swept inside would meet certain death.
The winds were so ferocious that Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were nearly swept off their feet.
Moreover, visibility was extremely poor in the dust storm, and projecting one's divine sense outward was nearly impossible.
"These are Wind-Calming Pearls. Take them, you two." Third Senior Sister handed each of them an azure jade bead. Holding the beads, the two felt their bodies lighten; it seemed as though all the wind around them had ceased, allowing them to walk freely.
"It's not that there's no wind around you," the Immortal Fairy explained casually. "The Wind-Calming Pearls are releasing wind blowing in the opposite direction, clashing with and canceling out the wind around you."
"A Suanni's innate abilities lie in wind and mist. These two Wind-Calming Pearls were likely refined from Suanni skulls."
"What a fine treasure."
"Follow closely behind me, you two, or you'll easily get lost," Third Senior Sister warned loudly.
"Third Senior Sister, can you see the way ahead?"
"It's not seeing; I can feel it. After coming to the Demon Domain, I covered my eyes to train my other four senses, no longer relying on eyes or divine sense."
As cultivation increased, a cultivator's five senses and divine sense would naturally grow sharper. However, advancing further required deliberate training rather than just depending on passive growth from cultivation gains.
"Senior Sister, did you decide to train your four senses after seeing the mist between the Central Continent and the Demon Domain?" Meng Jingzhou asked, recalling the dense mist before entering the Demon Domain.
"Yes, that mist was a wake-up call."
"Then Senior Sister, do you know why the Demon Domain stands upright on the Central Continent? And what's the deal with the East Sea, the Buddhist Kingdom, and the Far North?"
"I knew you two would ask that. Time is tight right now; I'll explain it all to you once we're out."
"Time is tight?"
"Yeah. If those old fogies find out I've shown my face here, they'll definitely send people to kill me. We'd better leave the secret realm before they arrive."
"Senior Sister, did you expose your identity as a Dao Seeking Sect disciple?" As someone with the dual identity of Dao Seeking Sect disciple and Eldest Young Master of the Meng Family, Meng Jingzhou was always mindful of his personal safety, keeping Old Ba's reminders firmly in mind.
"No, not at all. I earned this manhunt purely through my own merits."
As Third Senior Sister spoke, she casually swung her ancient zither, batting away incoming boulders with effortless ease.
"We're here."
The three arrived before a stone chamber. An unknown array was laid out around the stone chamber, warding off the dust storm and tornadoes; it was so tranquil it felt like an entirely separate world cut off from reality.
Before the stone chamber crouched two Suanni statues carved from stone. Detecting the arrival of strangers, the two Suanni statues adopted defensive stances, preparing to attack.
Without so much as a glance, Third Senior Sister smashed both Suanni statues to pieces with two casual slaps. From the stone rubble, she picked up two unfinished key halves, fitted them together into a complete key, and unlocked the stone chamber.
Lu Yang's eyes narrowed. Those two Suanni statues were formidable; attacking with full force, they could unleash combat power rivaling the early Soul Formation stage for a brief period. Had it just been him and Meng Jingzhou visiting the secret realm, these two statues alone would have left them in utter disarray.
"Turns out this really was a place meant for us once we reached the Nascent Soul stage."
The heavy stone doors rumbled open. Meeting their eyes was a small pile of spirit stones alongside several dual cultivation techniques.
The Suanni Clan was a branch of the Dragon Clan, inheriting the dragons' notoriously lecherous nature. They were addicted to dual cultivation, which was precisely why that Suanni had provoked Third Senior Sister in the first place.
Aside from that, there was a dazzling array of various heavenly materials and earthly treasures.
Meng Jingzhou picked up a bronze-colored fruit. Holding it, he found it had the cool, smooth texture of jade, and he could feel the vibrant life force contained within.
"Is this Wood Platinum Jade?"
Wood Platinum Jade: a heavenly material that had existed since ancient times. The conditions required to produce it were extraordinarily harsh—only when an intelligent spiritual plant drew upon Wujin qi with its roots could it bear this fruit. It offered immense benefits to cultivators with Metal Spiritual Roots, enhancing their vitality and mastery over metal.
As far as Meng Jingzhou knew, currently only the Five Elements Sect possessed such fruit, borne from spiritual plants growing in their Metal Vein, and its yield was minuscule.
"Could it be that this Suanni killed a Five Elements Sect disciple to loot their goods...?"
"I don't think so," Lu Yang said from the side.
"Why?"
Lu Yang picked up a slip of paper beside it and gave it a shake. "Here's the purchase receipt issued by the Five Elements Sect. If there are quality issues, it can even be returned."
Meng Jingzhou: "..."
How was the Five Elements Sect's business practice more formal than his Meng Family's?
Lu Yang picked up another slip of paper. "And this is an IOU the Suanni signed. To buy this Wood Platinum Jade, he borrowed a hefty sum from a chamber of commerce. I suppose it's a bad debt now."
The Suanni lacked Qin Haoran's ability; holding the note wouldn't cause karma to shift and make the bearer the debtor.
This Suanni had merely been one of the Suanni Clan's prodigies. Competition within the clan was fierce, so some things had to be earned, seized, or borrowed by themselves!
"In that case, perfect. Take this fruit; it'll bolster your sword qi." Meng Jingzhou tossed the fruit to Lu Yang.
"All right, hurry up and stash everything with your identity jade tokens. You can sort through it at leisure once we're out." Third Senior Sister had abundant experience being hunted; judging that time was running out, she knew leaving any later would be too late.
Hearing this, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou channeled their identity jade tokens and swept up every last bit of the Suanni's legacy.
"Let's go."
Third Senior Sister took out a beast hide, had the two sit on it, and then braved the dust storm to charge out of the secret realm.
Boom!
The moment the three burst out of the secret realm, they were met with a violent barrage of attacks. The beast hide shuddered violently, nearly plunging downward.
"Demonic Sound Heavenly Maiden, let's see where you can run today!"
"Surrender your life!"
"Having done all manner of wicked deeds, today you shall surely be brought to justice!"
Several Body Integration stage experts blocked the secret realm's exit. Their fully charged strikes slammed into the beast hide simultaneously, making Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou jump in fright.
They were only in the Golden Core stage—how had they ended up enjoying Daoist Buyu's treatment ahead of schedule?
The onslaught continued. The beast hide was riddled with holes, and the three figures aboard it gradually blurred into phantom outlines.
"Not good! This is an illusion cast by a mirage pearl!"
"As if the likes of you could catch me?"
The illusion shattered. Third Senior Sister sneered, transforming into a streak of light to break through the encirclement in the confusion.
Looking at this scene, she recalled Daoist Buyu's very first lesson:
"Xiao Gan, as my third disciple, the first thing you must learn is how to run away."
Daoist Buyu's teachings had saved her from death's door time and again, playing a crucial role in her survival.
Chapter 570