The Baofu Mouse scurried forward nimbly, letting out happy squeaks of newfound freedom.
This crystal like palace was magnificent and dazzling beyond measure, with patrollers and guards monitoring everywhere. Yi Qinglan intentionally concealed her figure, choosing only the unnoticed corners to traverse. Agile as a fleeing rabbit, she quickly followed the Baofu Mouse out of the grand hall, winding through several turns to arrive at an abandoned corner.
Turning past one last corner, she found a dead end ahead. Yi Qinglan caught up, only to see the Baofu Mouse, which had been fleeing for half the day, cowering tightly in the corner. Seeing her approach, it shrunk into a ball against the wall, staring at her in sheer terror, seemingly with nowhere left to retreat.
Yi Qinglan let out a mischievous laugh, her figure casting a long shadow over the corner as she closed in on the pitiful spiritual pet. “Why run? You can’t run anymore, can you?”
The Baofu Mouse watched helplessly as the tall shadow pressed closer and closer, its four tiny paws trembling towards the sky in resignation. Just as Yi Qinglan reached out her hand to grab it, the Baofu Mouse made a desperate, final struggle.
And vanished into thin air.
Yi Qinglan was instantly stunned.
She looked left, right, up, and down. The perfectly polished, flawless floor was as reflective as a mirror, there was indeed no sign of the spiritual pet.
How could this be?
Yi Qinglan had never raised a spiritual pet before. She reasoned that perhaps spiritual pets possessed some innate, extraordinary ability to vanish or teleport away. Letting out a helpless sigh, she felt both exhausted and annoyed after chasing the mouse for so long, only to lose it in the end. Out of sheer frustration, she pushed her arm hard against the wall.
To her surprise, the moment she pushed, Yi Qinglan felt her center of gravity shift abruptly. In a dizzying spin, she tumbled forward and crashed heavily onto the ground.
When she climbed back up, her surroundings had completely changed. Everything was pitch-black; she couldn’t see a single thing.
Sensing a soft, unusual object beneath her, Yi Qinglan reached out and felt around. It was none other than the Baofu Mouse, which she had accidentally knocked unconscious when she fell on it.
Yi Qinglan slipped the Baofu Mouse back into her sleeve, finally realizing what had happened, she must have accidentally triggered and stepped into a hidden barrier. For some reason, while the outside was as bright as day, this barrier enclosed space was pitch-black. She pinched a spell with her right hand to conjure sparks of fire. The sparks floated into the air, illuminating her immediate surroundings.
It was an extremely cramped secret chamber, no more than three meters at its widest point. Many barrels were lined up against the wall, and a nauseating, putrid stench lingered around them.
Leaning against a wall, Yi Qinglan was about to find a way out when she suddenly heard footsteps approaching from the other side, accompanied by the faint, rumbling sound of wheels.
Someone is coming in?
She hastily extinguished the sparks and looked for a place to hide, but the secret chamber was far too small, offering absolutely no cover. As the sounds drew nearer, her anxiety spiked, unsure of what to do.
With a loud clatter, the wheels crossed into the barrier. A fire striker was struck, instantly igniting a flame, followed by the sound of a man spitting on the ground and cursing, “Damn, I almost missed the hour.”
Yi Qinglan hid on the rafters of the secret chamber, holding her breath in the shadows where the firelight couldn’t reach.
The cart pulled by the man carried six wooden barrels. As the cart moved, liquid sloshed back and forth inside, emitting a foul, bloody stench.
Yi Qinglan focused her gaze. To her horror, the six barrels were filled entirely with fresh, crimson blood.
The man who had just entered sounded quite young, with a slightly chubby build. Like the guards outside, he wore a golden toad mask. His voice sounded strangely familiar. He muttered to himself to vent his frustration:
“Those old fogeys certainly know how to enjoy themselves, leaving us to do all the dirty, heavy lifting.”
Suddenly, a strange noise echoed from a corner of the secret room, revealing a pitch-black passage. Another slender man, dressed in the exact same masked attire, emerged from the opening like a snake poking its head out. He cursed, “Your brain is completely useless! The people already arrived, yet you went and forgot to bring the goods! What, did you want to use your own blood to replace it?”
“My blood wouldn’t be of any use to them.” The chubby man halted his cart, causing the liquid in the barrels to slosh violently. He stood in place to catch his breath, wiping the sweat from his forehead. A playful smirk appeared on his face. “That old monster is incredibly sharp. He can tell with a single taste whether the blood belongs to a young maiden or not.”
Monster? Blood? It sounded like these people were plotting something sinister. Yi Qinglan couldn’t help but connect this to her own harrowing experience in the dungeon. Could it be related to this place?
“Watch your mouth,” the slender man whispered. “Be careful, walls have ears.”
“What is there to fear?” the chubby man replied. “This barrier was set up by that old monster himself. It’s incredibly sturdy and secure.”
“Secure?” The slender man sneered. “Didn’t you forget to close the barrier when you went out to fetch the goods just now? It’s a miracle no one accidentally wandered in.”
The chubby man chuckled. “How could they? The outside is heavily guarded, who would come down here? Besides, with you watching over things, brother, I can put my mind at ease.”
The two chatted for a while longer before the chubby man suddenly slapped his thigh, as if remembering something. “Oh, crap!”
“What now?”
“I forgot to bring those two chicks along,” the chubby man said regretfully. “The old monster asked for them days ago. I heard he’s been researching a new method lately, suppose he won’t even need blood in the future.”
“Is that true?” the slender man asked. “How come I haven’t heard of this?”
“Ah, brother, even though you’re always serving him on the inside, your information isn’t as quick as mine since I run errands on the outside.” The chubby man’s laugh carried a hint of smugness. “A few days ago, dozens of blood slaves escaped from the Heaven-grade dungeon. Surely you’ve heard about that?”
“Of course I know about that.”
“The strange part is, with such a large batch of blood slaves escaping, there has been no reaction or punishment from the higher-ups,” the man continued. “No news says a lot, doesn’t it? In my opinion, the old method was simply too cruel and against the heavens. Every time the bloodletting day came, sigh… my conscience actually felt a bit uneasy.”
The chubby man made a pained face and clutched his chest.
“Spare me,” the slender man scoffed. “The old monster’s belly is full of bad ink, and his wicked schemes come one after another. Who knows what evil thing they are planning next. No matter how much they toss things around, they are the ones who profit while we suffer the grind.”
“Ah, brother,” the chubby man agreed, “your words hit the nail right on the head. But those two girls we just got, tsk tsk, they really are stunning. One is sharp and elegant, the other is sweet and lovely… I reckon just the two of them are worth more than those dozens who escaped. And I heard,” he lowered his voice instinctively, “they actually came from the immortal sects outside!”
Hearing his description, Yi Qinglan’s heart suddenly clenched. The description sounded exactly like Lin Wanying and Fang Shuyue, whom she had lost touch with.
“To think such beauties are going to fall into the hands of the old monster,” the chubby man lamented. “Who knows what torture they’ll endure. The old monster is powerful, yes, but when he tests new formulas, his methods are truly inhuman!”
The chubby man couldn’t help but shudder as he spoke.
“Alright, cut the chatter,” the slender man urged. “We’ve rested long enough, and the old monster doesn’t like tardiness.”
With that, the two men opened the secret passage and pushed the cart inside, one after the other.
Without hesitation, Yi Qinglan slipped in right after them before the entrance could close. The winding passage provided her with plenty of opportunities to hide.
She followed them stealthily, walking with absolute caution. The passage wound down continuously, with occasional stone steps leading deeper. As they went further, the terrain sloped sharply downward, and the faint, echoing sound of rushing water began to reverberate through the passage walls.
Are we heading underground?
Yi Qinglan pressed her hand against the rough, uneven wall, confirming the sound of flowing water. As they moved deeper, the sound grew louder, and the path ahead seemed to widen, casting a faint, dim glow.
She slowed her pace, becoming increasingly cautious to avoid detection.
After following them for about the time it takes to burn two incense sticks, the voices of the two men drifted from ahead. “We’re here. Leave them on the ground first.” Their voices sounded hollow, carrying a distinct echo.
The footsteps of the two men had long faded. Yi Qinglan waited in the darkness for a good while before slowly creeping forward.
The area was still incredibly dark, but the sound of rushing water was deafening. Suddenly, Yi Qinglan felt drops of water splashing continuously onto her head and face.
Is it raining inside this passage?
She took a tentative step forward but suddenly slipped, nearly stepping into empty space. She quickly pulled her foot back. Peering through the dim light, she realized she had exited the passage and entered a vast, open cavern.
She was currently standing at the mouth of a cave. Above her, a waterfall cascaded down, sending up sheets of misty spray. A few meters below her feet lay a deep, bottomless pool of dark water.
The two men she had followed were currently tossing a wooden raft into the water with a splash, loading the six barrels onto it, and rowing toward the center of the pool. Meanwhile, the women who had been selected on the high platform earlier were sitting in a neat row on the rocks by the edge of the pool, as obedient and docile as lifeless puppets.
Lu’e! Yi Qinglan clearly spotted Lu’e among the group of women.
She narrowed her eyes, peering toward the direction the raft was heading. In the center of the deep pool stood a massive, towering stone pillar. Coiled around it was a long, scaly tail, its color blending almost seamlessly with the stone.
As the two men approached the pillar, the giant tail began to slither slowly, followed by a resonant, earth shaking roar.
The moment the sound erupted, a sudden gust of wind swept across the surface of the pool. Ripples radiated outward from the stone pillar, whipping up violent waves.
Is that… a dragon?
Yi Qinglan stared at the scene before her, finding it hard to believe her own eyes. Although dragons were widely recorded in ancient texts, most cultivators, including herself, had never seen one in their entire lives.
Terrified by the roar, the two men dared not row any closer. They hastily poured the fresh blood from the barrels into the water surrounding the pillar and scrambled back onto their raft to make a hasty retreat.
The long tail became even more active, coiling and thrashing around the pillar with excitement, as if eager to taste the delicious offering.
Yi Qinglan watched in shock. Distracted, she took a misstep and accidentally kicked a loose stone. The stone fell into the deep pool with a loud splash.
Oh no.
Before the demon dragon could spot her, Yi Qinglan immediately spun around to bolt back toward the secret passage.
Unfortunately, the beast was far more agile than she anticipated. Sensing the breath of an unfamiliar living being, it lashed its tail violently, detached itself from the pillar, and launched its colossal body across the water, charging straight toward the cave entrance where she stood.
Yi Qinglan barely had time to stumble back a few steps before the monstrous head of the beast barged into the cave, letting out a moist, deafening roar right in front of her face. The head was grotesque and terrifying, with long whiskers, a gaping maw, jagged horns, and a long face. Two giant, bulging eyes resembling fish roe stared down at her with cold malice.
Drenched in the watery mist, Yi Qinglan frantically channeled her Flame Condensing Spell, causing a brief flash of fire to illuminate the cave entrance.
Unfortunately, the sparks were quickly snuffed out by the heavy moisture. Seeing that she could use spells, the demon dragon paused for a mere fraction of a second before lunging at her once more.
What terrible luck! Why does my spiritual energy have to act up at a life or death moment like this?
Yi Qinglan ran back the way she came with the fastest speed she could muster. However, with her aura in disarray and a sharp pain throbbing in her dantian, her steps were uneven, and she could barely tell where she was going in the dark. Behind her, the pursuit grew tighter. The squelching, scraping sound of the dragon’s slimy body rubbing against the stone walls echoed in her ears, her heart hammering wildly. She could even feel the beast’s icy breath right at her neck.
Suddenly, the dragon’s pursuit slowed slightly, and it even retreated a bit. Yi Qinglan knew it was gathering power for a fatal strike. She dared not let her guard down, but with her dantian depleted, she was reaching her absolute limit.
Accompanied by a long, deafening roar that threatened to shatter her eardrums, the demon dragon charged at her with terrifying speed. Yi Qinglan instinctively turned her head to see a monstrous, bloody maw gaping open, its long, razor sharp teeth lunging straight for her head as if to crush her to pieces.
At this critical moment of life and death, Yi Qinglan suddenly felt something cold wrap around her wrist.
I’m dead! Yi Qinglan thought in despair, assuming it was the dragon’s whiskers binding her limbs to prevent her escape.
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, the dragon’s massive head slammed violently into the cave wall.
Instead of being crushed, Yi Qinglan was pulled to the side, narrowly evading the devastating attack. Only then did she realize that someone was firmly grasping her arm, guiding her swiftly through the darkness.
A familiar, reassuring scent enveloped her. Though the figure was entirely shrouded in the dark, Yi Qinglan didn’t need them to speak to know exactly who it was.
Feng Hanyu had come to find her.