"Hmm?"
A sound of confusion echoed from a forbidden, uninhabited land.
A figure clad in a black cloak sat cross-legged on the clean ground.
The forbidden area was littered with the massive carcasses of Demonic Beasts. Even in death, they exuded a terrifying and powerful aura.
Yet the mysterious figure remained completely unaffected.
It must have been a mishearing.
This place was thousands of miles away from Cloud Mist Peak—how could he possibly hear Little Bai's cries?
Even if he did hear crying, it should be Sheng Sheng's cries.
Not the cries of his foolish fifth disciple.
The mysterious figure was none other than Sheng Sheng's master.
At this moment, he was quietly gazing at a spiritual flower burning like flames ten meters away.
Spiritual Qi dispersed as the petals slowly unfurled, a sign of its impending maturity.
As long as he brought the Dragon Blood Flower back, Sheng Sheng would be able to cultivate.
Once she could cultivate, Sheng Sheng would no longer suffer physical harm from Demonic Qi, nor would she be unable to speak.
A trace of warmth flickered in the master's eyes beneath his cloak.
But when his gaze swept over the covetous onlookers around him, his eyes turned icy cold.
Even though he had already slain so many Demonic Beasts and Magic Beasts, there were still demons and monsters unwilling to give up, eyeing the Dragon Blood Flower greedily.
"Ten more days until maturity."
The master had personally planted the Dragon Blood Flower and knew its maturation period well.
In two days, when even more Demonic Beasts and Magic Beasts coveting the Dragon Blood Flower arrived, he would eliminate them all at once.
This would be the perfect time to gather more resources.
Once he returned, he could give them to his disciples for their use.
Xiao Yi possessed an Ice Heavenly Spiritual Root but loved alchemy, often troubled by not having a Fire Spiritual Root.
This time, he had slain many Fire-attribute Demonic Beasts, which he could take back for Xiao Yi to refine into a new Dan Fire.
Xiao Er enjoyed artifact forging, and the bones of the Demonic Beasts would serve as excellent materials.
Xiao San was an unlucky soul with poor fortune, prone to accidents. He would need to prepare more Magic Treasures for protection upon returning.
Xiao Si excelled at Beast Taming. He planned to capture a few Great Demons for her to try taming.
Xiao Wu was too lazy but was nearing the Golden Core Stage.
The master intended to capture a few ordinary Demonic Beasts, lock Xiao Wu and the beasts in a cage together, and give him a little stimulation.
As for Sheng Sheng, aside from the Dragon Blood Flower, he also needed to prepare some gifts. A five-year-old girl needed many things, and he had to ensure everything was ready.
The master, who rarely ventured out, calmly pondered.
He had thoughtfully arranged gifts for each of his disciples.
Meanwhile, the Demonic Beasts covetously eyeing the Dragon Blood Flower collectively felt a chill run down their spines.
Yet even sensing the danger, they refused to leave.
After all, it was the Dragon Blood Flower!
Consuming it would not only grant them dragon bloodline but also elevate their Cultivation Base by a whole major realm.
Greedy desires kept them from departing.
At the same time, deep within the forest.
"Bai Xue, don't go in there! Further inside is the forbidden land of Youzhou—it's very dangerous!"
A young girl panicked as she chased a small, snow-white beast deeper into the heart of the forest.
"Squeak! Squeak!"
The small beast was adorable, resembling a rabbit but not quite, like a fox yet not entirely.
It had pointed ears, a round head, snow-white fur, and eyes as beautiful as rubies, shimmering with a dazzling glow.
The small beast was swift. Whenever the girl couldn't keep up, it would stop, lick its paws, and wait for her to catch up.
Traces of blood stained the fur around its mouth, but it quickly licked them away.
"Bai Xue, why are you so mischievous!"
The young girl finally caught the little beast and wanted to scold it with some annoyance.
"We finally found someone, how could you hurt them!"
The girl was Luo Yuyang, who had just managed to escape the control of a certain domineering man and flee back to the Cultivation World.
But she never expected that man would order his subordinates to search for her in every city.
Frightened, Luo Yuyang didn't dare enter any cities and could only find her way home alone through the wilderness.
Having been alone outside for a long time, she was overjoyed when she finally encountered a cultivator just now.
So she took the initiative to approach and befriend them, but just as they were chatting happily, Bai Xue in her arms suddenly lashed out and scratched the other person.
This filled Luo Yuyang with immense guilt.
But more importantly, Bai Xue got frightened and ran deep into the forest. Luo Yuyang could only apologize hastily before chasing after it.
If she ever got the chance to meet that cultivator again, she would properly apologize to them.
Luo Yuyang pursed her lips, thinking to herself.
"Chirp… chirp chirp…"
The adorable, soft little beast obediently nuzzled against Luo Yuyang, continuously licking her face with its pink tongue to please her.
Luo Yuyang originally wanted to discipline Bai Xue, but seeing its cute and obedient appearance, she couldn't bring herself to be harsh.
"Really, you're just taking advantage of how much I dote on you."
Luo Yuyang pretended to be angry as she spoke.
"But, where have we ended up?"
Holding the little beast named Bai Xue, Luo Yuyang looked around in confusion at her surroundings.
Within the tranquil forest were densely packed towering ancient trees, with thick vines and branches entwined around them, ancient and mysterious.
Looking up, the dense overlapping leaves formed a dark green canopy so thick that even sunlight couldn't penetrate, completely blocking out the sky, making it impossible to determine direction.
Luo Yuyang finally began to feel a bit scared: "Ba… Bai Xue, which direction did we come from?"
"Chirp chirp!"
Bai Xue chirped, extending a small paw to point in a direction for the girl.
"That way?"
Luo Yuyang tightened her hold on Bai Xue, mustered her courage, and walked forward.
She trusted Bai Xue's judgment!
After all, it was Bai Xue who had been guiding her along the way, helping her escape that man's control.
.
On the outskirts of the forest, a deceased cultivator lay on the ground.
His face was deathly pale, lips bluish, eyes staring ahead unwillingly, as if he had died with grievances.
All valuable items on his person had already disappeared.
Only his clothes remained to cover his body.
Fortunately, these clothes weren't a Magic Treasure, otherwise this person probably wouldn't even have any clothes left.
"He's been dead for an hour."
Jiang Qingfeng withdrew his probing hand, his brow furrowed tightly.
Jiang Qingjiu's gaze fell on the scratch marks on the cultivator's hand.
The scratches carried a strange blue fluorescence, with a faint, barely noticeable trace of Demonic Qi lingering around the wound.
"The cause of death is poison reaching the heart meridian…"
Jiang Qingjiu lowered her eyes; this wound closely resembled the marks on her junior sister's neck.
Jiang Qingfeng also noticed the wound: "It looks like it was caused by some kind of small wild beast, and there's still a trace of Demonic Qi lingering around the injury."
Jiang Qingjiu said: "If it involves a Demonic Cultivator, we should notify the Youzhou City guard team."
"Alright."
He was about to contact their sect members in the city to inform them.
But before the message could be sent, he saw three figures appear within sight.
The guard leading them happened to be the man who had stopped Yue Wuqian in the city.
As soon as he landed, he glanced at Jiang Qingjiu and Jiang Qingfeng before shifting his attention to the corpse on the ground.
Sensing keenly that a wisp of Demonic Qi at the wound was dissipating.
"Was it you who reported to the city just now?"
Another Youzhou City guard scrutinized Jiang Qingjiu and Jiang Qingfeng with a piercing gaze.
Jiang Qingfeng disliked being looked at with such suspicion, as if they were criminals.
He retorted irritably, "Hmph, it has nothing to do with us."
The message hadn't even been sent out before they arrived.
The Youzhou City guard looked skeptical.
Jiang Qingjiu said, "Indeed, it has nothing to do with us. We hadn't had the chance to notify anyone yet. It seems someone beat us to it."
Judging by their demeanor, the person who alerted the guard team likely made an anonymous report.
Jiang Qingjiu guessed it was the one who took the belongings from the deceased Cultivator.
"It's not them."
The man who had finished examining the corpse stood up and said.
"Judging by the wounds, it was likely done by a Magic Beast."
"Captain, can you tell what kind of Magic Beast did this?"
The young guard asked.
The man shook his head: "Unprecedented. It might have come from the Linmo Abyss."
Youzhou City's terrain is perilous, with continuous mountain ranges and Earth Veins to the front, the endless sea to the rear, the Linmo Abyss to the left, and the Dragon Fall Forbidden Land to the right.
It's practically a survival challenge in a dire situation.
Volume Two: The Turmoil of Youzhou