The moment they stepped into the Bailian Mountain Range, the atmospheric pressure seemed to drop to the freezing point instantly.
Unlike the bright and beautiful scenery outside, the interior of the mountain range was shrouded in mist; looking up, one could only see a vast, boundless expanse of white. The soil on the ground was black and hard, and the trees were all withered and twisted.
Zheng A sharp blade struck, and Hua Ying alertly tilted her head to avoid it.
She looked up. Not far away, Feng Jun flashed a mocking smile at her.
Hua Ying wasn’t polite either. She pressed her fingertips together, circulating the Heavenly Dust Nine Rotations technique.
Her spiritual power transformed into a sword, which, coupled with the sword techniques of the Flowing Cloud Sect, pierced toward Feng Jun. She knew this strike couldn’t wound him, so she didn’t aim for a vital point that would be easy to defend; instead, she moved with extreme speed to slice off a corner of his robe.
Feng Jun pinched the fallen scrap of cloth, a look of surprise crossing his face.
Hua Ying raised her eyebrows provocatively at him and stuck out her tongue with a smug grimace.
“As expected of the little cat raised by Yan Zhao,” Feng Jun sneered. “Just as annoying.”
“Look over there!” suddenly, a loud shout erupted from the crowd. “It’s the key!”
Upon hearing the word “key,” everyone immediately turned their eyes toward the direction of the voice.
There, perched upon a towering ancient tree, was a small beast with pale yellow fur. It looked very strange somewhat like a canine, yet also resembling a lynx. Its pale yellow fur was marked with several mottled, exotic patterns that looked even more mysterious against the backdrop of the desolate mountain scenery.
A pair of pure black eyes darted around as if carefully scrutinizing every cultivator present. Those were not the eyes of an ordinary demonic beast; they were calm, indifferent, and discerning.
No wonder Senior Sister had said that according to ancient records, no matter what form the key took, one would recognize it the moment they saw it.
The first moment Hua Ying saw the creature, a strong intuition surged in her heart: That’s it!
“Senior Sister.” She cast an inquiring look toward Yan Zhao.
Yan Zhao nodded back with certainty.
“Everyone,” Yan Zhao said in a low voice, “get ready.”
Her hand moved slowly downward, gripping the hilt of her White Jade Sword. She took a step forward, settling into a posture of readiness.
The “key” glanced at the crowd and, without looking back, leapt into the vast white mist.
The mountain forest was silent for a split second before boiling over the next.
The members of the Demon Clan were the first to give chase, with the Demon Realm following close behind, tossing out several explosive formations as they left.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Dust and smoke scattered. The disciples of the Fulei Gate, who were about to give chase, were forced to halt their steps.
Gu Ruhui shattered the demonic formation with a single sword strike, but the figures ahead had already vanished. He frowned in frustration: “Dammit!”
“Fellow Daoist Gu, do not be anxious.” Ning Shuang chanted a spell, and a lush green vine sprouted from her fingertips, spreading and growing toward the mist ahead.
“This is a tracking technique unique to our Green Mountain Sword Sect. I have already placed a mark on that key. We only need to follow the vine to find it. For now, let the Demon Clan and the Demon Realm fight like the snipe and the clam; we shall wait to reap the benefits as the third party.”
Gu Ruhui’s expression softened slightly. “Fellow Daoist Ning Shuang has excellent methods.”
However, Yan Zhao was not as optimistic as the two of them. The “key” possessed spiritual intelligence no less than that of a human; it was cunning and full of schemes, and it would not be caught so easily.
Sure enough, just as Ning Shuang was about to activate her technique, the thin vine suddenly snapped. Ning Shuang’s brow furrowed as she tried several more times, but the result remained the same it was completely ineffective.
Yan Zhao said, “We can’t wait anymore. We need to head forward and see the situation.”
“Senior Sister,” Wei Jun suddenly spoke up, “let’s split up to search.”
“There are ten of us; we can divide into three groups and investigate in different directions. This way, the probability of finding the key is greater.”
Hua Ying gave him a suspicious look.
It was actually a good idea, but why did it sound so fishy coming out of Wei Jun’s mouth?
Yan Zhao pondered for a long moment before nodding. “Fine.”
Su Chengwen, Su Chengwu, and Wei Jun formed one group and left first.
Hua Ying, Yan Zhao, and Ci Jiujiu formed a second group, while the other four disciples formed the third. The people from the Green Mountain Sword Sect and Fulei Gate followed suit, splitting their disciples into three paths to investigate different directions.
“Senior Sister, why did you agree to Senior Brother Wei?” Hua Ying whispered. “I feel like Senior Brother Wei isn’t up to anything good.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Yan Zhao said with a calm expression. “The more someone harbors ill intentions, the further away from us they should be.”
She wanted to see what other tricks Wei Jun could play. Yan Zhao didn’t care about his jealousy toward her, for only the incompetent felt such things. If Wei Jun dared to use petty tricks against her, she would naturally punish him without mercy. But if his goal was to drag all the Flowing Cloud Sect disciples down with him, she wouldn’t mind clearing the sect’s gate on behalf of their master.
The three of them walked forward for an unknown amount of time. Suddenly, Ci Jiujiu gave a soft cry, pointing at a shadow in the forest: “Senior Sister, Hua Ying, look!”
The two looked up and saw a flash of pale yellow darting through the withered branches and fallen leaves it was the key!
“Chase it!” Yan Zhao drew her White Jade Sword, her spiritual power surging as sword light wove into a net, surging toward the key.
Simultaneously, Hua Ying launched an attack from the other side with her Blue Steel Sword.
Ci Jiujiu also took out her magical treasure it looked like a book, its title page emitting a faint golden glow. As the pages flipped open, she chanted a spell, and green spiritual power outlined an array in mid-air.
With the support of the array, Yan Zhao and Hua Ying’s spiritual power was boosted by at least 20%.
The key seemed startled and glanced back at the three of them. There was a faint hint of mockery in those dark, grape-like eyes. It spotted a loophole in Yan Zhao’s sword net and, like a slippery fish, swiftly darted through it.
Yan Zhao and the others followed quickly.
The moment they stepped into a new part of the forest, the hazy mist ahead vanished completely.
Before them was a vibrant peach blossom forest. Delicate petals stretched out on the branches, and the air was thick with the sweet scent of flowers. It was completely different from the withered and twisted trees they had seen before, appearing like a dreamscape.
Hua Ying looked down; the ground beneath her feet was no longer hard black soil. It seemed to have just rained, for the ground was covered in slightly damp green grass, with dew clinging to the blades. She looked up again; the endless sky was as blue as if it had been washed, with a few white clouds hanging lazily.
It was a beautiful, dreamlike paradise.
However, the minds of the three did not relax in the slightest; they didn’t dare to move an inch. The sudden beauty before them was like a brilliantly colored venomous snake, hiding in the shadows ready to deliver a fatal strike.
“What is this place?” Ci Jiujiu asked in an extremely low whisper.
Yan Zhao’s expression tightened. Her gaze swept over the peach forest as she sheathed her White Jade Sword and said, “I suspect it is an illusion.”
A sharp laugh echoed from the void, making it impossible to tell if it belonged to a man or a woman: “Interesting little fellows.”
The voice seemed both far away and very close. “This is the first time someone has seen through the Peach Forest Illusion so quickly.”
“Unfortunately, it’s useless,” the voice continued. “From the moment you entered the peach forest, you were already in the game. If you lose yourselves in it, you can only obediently turn into fertilizer for the peach trees.”
Ding-ling-ling… A crisp bell sound rang out from all directions.
When Hua Ying opened her eyes again, the peach forest was gone, and the voice had vanished. Even the figures of Yan Zhao and Ci Jiujiu were nowhere to be found.
In the empty, vast mist, familiar architectural outlines suddenly emerged. After a while, the mist cleared.
On a mountain peak towering into the clouds ahead, the bold and grand ink characters of “Flowing Cloud Sect” reflected in Hua Ying’s eyes.
She looked down and found herself shrunk by a whole size. Her fair skin was covered in blue and purple bruises she was the young Hua Ying, the little half-demon who was bullied by others.
This was her illusion, her deeply hidden inner demon.
Accompanied by the ringing of the bells, everything before her became increasingly real. The memories in her mind began to blur, leaving only the dark childhood of being beaten and scolded without any power to fight back.
Just as the Peach Forest Illusion thought it had successfully led her into the phantom of her inner demon, the cowardly little half-demon suddenly lifted her head.
A mocking smile, completely out of character, curled on her immature face.
Hua Ying shouted, “System, strike!”
In the next instant…
Boom! The Flowing Cloud Sect constructed by the illusion abruptly collapsed.
Hua Ying held her Blue Steel Sword, her eyes curving with a smile: “Stupid, isn’t it? I have a cheat code.”