“Gasp… gasp… gasp!”
Shen Ci’s chest heaved violently as she panted in disbelief and shock. What was happening?
Hadn’t she died? Died in the Demon Abyss Cliff Cave, died under her mother’s punishment.
Yet now, she could clearly feel her heart pounding wildly in her chest!
She was still breathing?
A clear voice suddenly came from ahead, “Quick, hurry up and follow!”
It was the Second Senior Brother of Shangyun Sect, Song Heyu!
Shen Ci snapped back to reality. She looked around and realized their group was desperately running. This place was… She looked back and saw a massive crimson-gold Phoenix flapping its wings in pursuit, leaving trails of blazing flames wherever it passed.
Shen Ci’s gaze sharpened. This was…
Gods and Demons Valley!
Memories flooded back like tidewaters. Wasn’t this the place where she had come for training with her senior brothers, sisters, and Shen Qingyao when she was eight years old?
While running for her life, Shen Ci fiercely pinched her own thigh. Hiss~
So painful. This wasn’t a dream. Had she… been reborn?!
Gods and Demons Valley was unpredictable and extremely dangerous, yet it contained countless rare treasures. Almost every sect’s disciples would come here for training.
Originally, neither Shen Qingyao nor Shen Ci had reached Foundation Establishment at this time and weren’t qualified to leave the mountain. But everyone loved doting on Shen Qingyao, and after her persistent begging, Shen Rong reluctantly agreed to her request. The problem was…
She insisted on bringing Shen Ci along! Claiming they could keep each other company.
Actually, with Song Heyu present, they could easily handle gathering spiritual plants here. But Shen Qingyao happened to catch a glimpse of the legendary rare immortal beast, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Phoenix – the very creature now chasing them.
It was said that clothing made from Nine Heavens Mysterious Phoenix feathers not only shone with breathtaking beauty but could also withstand ordinary attacks from Golden Core Stage experts.
Ignoring her fellow disciples’ advice, Shen Qingyao insisted on approaching the Mysterious Phoenix. Originally intending to pluck its feathers, she became greedy when she saw the Phoenix egg in its nest. How impressive it would be to raise a Nine Heavens Mysterious Phoenix as a spiritual pet.
She took that Phoenix egg.
And thus… they were being hunted.
Having just been reborn, Shen Ci had no intention of repeating past mistakes. She channeled her energy and shouted, “Shen Qingyao, return the egg to it!”
When no one ahead responded, Shen Ci yelled again, “Return it!”
A flicker of impatience crossed Song Heyu’s brow. “Shen Ci! That Phoenix egg was something Junior Sister Qingyao risked her life to obtain. We’re almost at the barriers ahead – we’ll be safe once we cross them. Just hold on a little longer!”
Hah, if she hadn’t experienced this once before, she might have believed his nonsense. What did he mean by “risked her life to obtain”? She could risk her own life if she wanted, but she was risking all their lives!
Shen Ci gathered her energy, her feet moving like wind. In moments, she overtook several disciples ahead, then flashed in front of Shen Qingyao, swiftly snatching the storage bag from her waist and immediately pulling out the Phoenix egg from inside.
Before anyone could react, she exerted force with both hands, lifted Shen Qingyao along with the egg, and threw them toward the pursuing Mysterious Phoenix.
Then, taking Shen Qingyao’s storage bag with her, she turned and ran without stopping.
Everyone was caught off guard by Shen Ci’s sudden attack.
“Shen Ci!”
Hysterical roars came from behind, but Shen Ci acted as if she heard nothing. She was eight years old this year, at the early stage of Qi Refining, while Shen Qingyao had already reached the late stage – just one step away from Great Perfection Foundation Establishment.
As for Shen Ci, she was inferior to Shen Qingyao in every aspect except one—her ability to flee was unmatched by anyone else.
Perhaps it was from her days as a beggar, when she often fought stray dogs for food, that she learned to run faster, always faster, lest her meal be snatched away, leaving her to starve for days.
So when she stumbled upon a mental cultivation method called Supreme Cloud Treading in a corner of the Shangyun Sect’s library, she began practicing it without hesitation.
They couldn’t catch up to her, especially now that they were entangled with the Mysterious Phoenix, leaving them no mind to pursue her.
Branches tore her clothes, thorns scratched her skin, but these pains were nothing compared to the suffering of her past life. Clenching her teeth, Shen Ci sprinted wildly in the direction opposite to the Sect.
She had to escape, to leave the Shangyun Sect, to put as much distance as possible between herself and those people.
Behind her, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Phoenix finally reclaimed its egg.
With a fierce beat of its crimson-gold wings, it stirred up towering flames, and a violent surge of Spirit Energy swept forth. Before Shen Qingyao could even land, she was struck hard by the blow, blood gushing from her mouth as she plummeted to the ground like a broken kite.
“Junior Sister Qingyao!”
Song Heyu’s eyes widened in fury. The youthful arrogance he always carried was instantly ignited by rage. Proud and self-assured by nature, seeing Shen Qingyao severely injured and unconscious filled him with a reckless, death-defying courage.
“Vile beast! You seek death!”
He roared, drawing his sword. The blade’s cold gleam intensified as he recklessly charged toward the Nine Heavens Mysterious Phoenix!
“Second Senior Brother! Don’t!”
The other disciples cried out in terror, but Song Heyu was already like an arrow released from its bow, leaping into the air with a fierce sword strike aimed directly at the Mysterious Phoenix.
But how could a Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivator hope to rival a Golden Core-level Mysterious Phoenix?
The Mysterious Phoenix, seemingly enraged by the group, glared with cold crimson eyes. Its wings snapped shut, and in an instant, a blazing wave of fire crashed down!
“No!”
“Second Senior Brother!”
At the critical moment, a beam of golden light shot through the air. It seemed to come alive, swiftly encircling Song Heyu and pulling him away from the Phoenix’s fiery onslaught.
The disciples cried out in relief, “Peak Lord Jiang!”
“Master!”
Jiang Mingji swept his sleeves, gathering the injured Song Heyu and Shen Qingyao, and shouted, “Go!”
The group mustered every ounce of their strength and sprinted toward the barriers, finally escaping the confines of the Gods and Demons Valley.
Once outside the secret realm, they could use sword control. Seeing Shen Qingyao’s critical condition, Jiang Mingji didn’t wait for the other disciples to recover. Holding Shen Qingyao, he soared away on his sword.
…
Shangyun Sect
“Sect Leader! Hall Master!”
“Junior Sister Qingyao is severely injured! Sect Leader, come quickly!”
Shen Rong and Ye Shuyin exchanged glances. “It’s He Yu!”
With a flick of their sleeves, they both flashed outside. When Ye Shuyin saw the blood-soaked Shen Qingyao in Song Heyu’s arms, her heart tightened.
“Yao Yao!”
Shen Rong asked in a deep voice, “Heyu, what happened? It was just a training mission—how did it come to this?”
Song Heyu dropped to his knees. Recalling the earlier scene, he clenched his fists, wishing he could kill Shen Ci with his own hands!
“Sect Leader, Hall Master, as we were finishing our training and preparing to leave the valley, Qingyao was fortunate enough to accidentally obtain the Phoenix egg of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Phoenix. The Mysterious Phoenix pursued us relentlessly.”
“We were almost out of danger!”
“But who would have thought Shen Ci would suddenly turn hostile? Not only did she snatch Junior Sister Qingyao’s Phoenix egg, but she also threw Qingyao to the Mysterious Phoenix, causing her to be attacked and severely injured!”
The companions looked at Song Heyu with some surprise—was that really how it happened? How come they remembered it was Junior Sister Qingyao who insisted on provoking the Nine Heavens Mysterious Phoenix?
“What?!”
Everyone present, including Shen Rong and Ye Shuyin, exchanged bewildered glances.