Shu Jianyue peered into the space to see what Yuchuan was doing, only to find that the Lingshi Kuang she had put inside seemed to have shrunk considerably.
And Yuchuan, somehow having climbed on top of it, was sound asleep covered in mud.
Seeing that he was sleeping, Shu Jianyue withdrew.
When Shu Jianyue collected a stalk of Ling-yao and went in again, she found that the Lingshi Kuang had shrunk once more.
Finding it strange, Shu Jianyue said a word to Chaotian and entered the space. She saw that a hollow had been formed right where Yuchuan was sleeping, just large enough to fit him.
Investigating carefully with her Mental Power, she finally realized that the Lingqi from the Lingshi Kuang was surging into Yuchuan’s body.
Like a receptacle, Yuchuan continuously absorbed the Lingqi.
Shu Jianyue wanted to inspect his body, but found herself unable to probe him, just like before.
Thinking that he could even chew on lightning, absorbing this Lingqi probably wouldn’t cause any problems, right?
Just as she was about to leave, she saw Yuchuan wake up. “Since you’re awake, why don’t you explain what’s going on?”
Yuchuan scratched his head. “Mother…”
“Mother, take Yu’er… out.” His voice was babyish, soft and sweet, carrying the adorable grogginess of having just awakened.
Shu Jianyue gave a light cough, trying her best to keep a straight face. “Do you think that’s possible?”
“I told you to reflect on your actions. How has your reflection been going?”
Yuchuan pouted at once, his voice turning even softer. “Mother, Yu’er was wrong. Yu’er… won’t dare do it again.”
“You sure admit your fault quickly, but you’ll do it again next time.” Shu Jianyue gave him an exasperated look, then stepped forward and lifted him down from the spiritual stone.
The spiritual stone that was originally like a mountain now only reached her shoulders.
“The Lingqi on this spiritual stone has almost been completely absorbed by you. Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”
Yuchuan shook his head immediately. “No, feels good.”
“Mother, go out.”
“You can’t go out yet. Mother and Chaotian are going to fight monsters, which is very dangerous. So Yu’er must wait here for Mother to come back in, understand?” Shu Jianyue said as she put him down, washed him clean, and retrieved fresh clothes to change him into.
“Also, you’re not allowed to go play in the water alone next time, understand? If you drown and no one notices, you’ll never see Mother again.”
“No, I don’t want that.” Yuchuan took Shu Jianyue’s hand and shook it vigorously, his eyes instantly turning red.
“Then Yu’er must be obedient, understand?” Shu Jianyue tossed his discarded clothes into the laundry basket, brought out some educational toys for him, and only then left the space.
Early the next morning, Shu Jianyue arrived outside the Godless Mountain together with Chaotian.
Looking at the rippling barrier before her, Shu Jianyue turned to Chaotian. “Can you break this formation barrier?”
Chaotian nodded to indicate that he could.
Deploying troops and setting up formations was Tiankong’s innate inherited skill, but Chaotian wasn’t bad at it either; after all, having spent so much time together, he possessed some natural talent himself.
Shu Jianyue only knew a bit about formations and hadn’t even truly crossed the threshold yet.
Chaotian moved back and forth a few times, and shifts could be seen appearing across the water-like ripples. Like a bursting bubble, with a gentle pop, the barrier vanished.
“Master, this barrier will only disappear for a quarter of an hour. Let us head in first.”
Shu Jianyue nodded and walked inside. The moment she set foot on the mountain, she sensed the difference here.
The restriction that prevented flight was absent here, and the Lingqi was also denser compared to the outside.
A single breath before the barrier was about to restore itself, Linglong darted inside leading two people, panting as she said, “Didn’t we agree to go together?”
Shu Jianyue glanced at the two individuals and said indifferently, “When did I ever say that?”
“Take care of the people you brought yourself. The Ying-mang Cave is halfway up the mountain, so follow along.”
The ones Linglong brought were none other than the Bear King and the Leopard King. She hadn’t needed to persuade them much; once she told them they had found a way out, the two decided to follow along.
If there was a way out, who would want to remain trapped in a cage forever?
Arriving before the Ying-mang Cave and feeling the heat wave blasting toward them from within, Shu Jianyue’s expression grew solemn.
Turning back to look at the people behind her, she said coldly, “You should have all understood this before coming. Therefore, whether we can get out, life and death are up to fate.”
With that said, Shu Jianyue sent her Mental Power probing inside, stabbing straight toward the Yingmang’s mental Sea of Consciousness.
Being a Lingshou of the Yundao Stage after all, it instantly sensed danger, and flames erupted around its body in a flash to resist the oncoming Mental Power.
Shu Jianyue knew it wouldn’t be easy to approach it this way, so her purpose was merely to lure it out.
And just as she had anticipated, the Yingmang darted rapidly toward the cave entrance.
Shu Jianyue immediately backed away and called out, “Be careful, it’s coming out.”
The others swiftly scattered back.
Seeing so many people upon emerging, the Yingmang’s large bronze eyes grew even more ferocious. “How did you all get in?”
Chaotian released the bloodline power of a Super Divine Beast and fixed his gaze upon it. “We entered this realm by mistake and urgently need to leave. Do you happen to know the method?”
The Yingmang’s pupils constricted. “A Super Divine Beast!”
“Only at the Huaxingqi, yet you reveal your identity. Aren’t you afraid this Venerable One will silence you by death?”
Chaotian narrowed his eyes slightly. “You are more than welcome to try.”
“Quite the big talk. I hope your strength matches your big mouth…” Before the Yingmang could finish speaking, it noticed that Mental Power probing toward its Sea of Consciousness once more.
Before it could react, the other party’s Mental Power had already imprisoned its own mental power.
“We harbor no malice; we only wish to know the way to leave the secret realm.” Shu Jianyue had merely intended to catch it off guard, and to her surprise, it actually worked.
Though she also wished to obtain that stalk of Chiyou Jiecao, she knew it wouldn’t be that easy.
The Yingmang turned to glare at her, acting as if unaware of that Mental Power’s presence, and said coldly, “What a fine ‘harbor no malice.'”
As it spoke, it attempted to expel that Mental Power, only to find the effort futile.
The Yingmang glared venomously at Shu Jianyue. “Aren’t you afraid this Venerable One will take you down with me?”
Shu Jianyue smiled. “That’s assuming you have the chance.”
“Tell me how to leave this place, and I will naturally release you. We have no grudges between us; is there any need to bring things to mutual destruction?”
The Yingmang sneered. “We didn’t before, but we do now.”
“This Fengjing can only be entered and never left. If you wish to leave, you must kill this Venerable One.”
It was inherently the guardian Lingshou of this space, naturally protecting it with its life.
Shu Jianyue narrowed her eyes at it, having roughly guessed its identity. To speak in such a manner, what else could it be other than a guardian Lingshou?
Scratching her chin and recalling the Shencao inside the cave, she looked at the Yingmang and raised an eyebrow. Keeping its mental power imprisoned and braving the Yingmang’s murderous glare, she turned and entered the cave, where she saw the Chiyou Jiecao swaying inside.
Bracing against the heat wave, Shu Jianyue slowly approached and whispered, “Dial down the heat a bit, or I’m going to melt.”
The Chiyou Jiecao swayed and, with a whoosh, shrank to the size of a thumb.
Seeing it so obedient, Shu Jianyue couldn’t help leaning in closer toward it. “Do you want to leave this place? I want to leave here; can you tell me how to get out?”
The Chiyou Jiecao seemed to freeze in place, its dancing flame suddenly becoming motionless, taking a long moment as if just coming to its senses.
In the blink of an eye, the Chiyou Jiecao burrowed straight into the space between her brows.