Fang Zhiluo placed the formation plates from the storage ring into a storage pouch, tossed it to Yun Xiao, and said, “Catch this. I’ll wait for you outside.”
Yun Xiao leaped up, catching the storage pouch, and responded with a smile, “Alright.”
The beautiful, enchanting face was covered in dirt and bloodstains, and her spiritual robe had become ragged. Though she could not truly be called handsome at that moment, she still caught Fang Zhiluo’s eye.
She gazed intently at Yun Xiao, opened her lips, and said, “Be careful!”
With that said, she took out a flight talisman and rushed outside.
She had only run halfway when a crashing sound came from behind her.
Not good, the cave is about to collapse.
Fang Zhiluo abruptly stopped, looked back, gritted her teeth, and sprinted toward the exit.
The moment she exited the giant Sky-Devouring Wolf’s cave dwelling, a massive boom sounded in her ears. She looked back to see the cave instantly collapsing, and the spiritual energy, which had been isolated by a formation, scattered everywhere.
Such a huge commotion immediately attracted the attention of cultivators nearby.
Zhong Qiu and the other three heard the movement and flew over, feeling the dense spiritual energy in the air. Their expressions became agitated.
He quickly approached Fang Zhiluo, cupped his hands in greeting, and asked, “May I ask, Martial Aunt Fang, what happened here?”
Fang Zhiluo acted as if she hadn’t heard him. She stood rooted to the spot, gazing in the direction where Yun Xiao was, a hint of sadness surfacing in her beautiful eyes.
Receiving no answer, Zhong Qiu and the three others did not wait idly. They soared into the air.
Strike first to gain the advantage. With such dense spiritual energy, there might be rare heavenly treasures. If they could pick up a forgotten treasure, they would profit immensely.
Unable to discern anything from the air, the four were about to descend and investigate when two formidable spiritual energy fluctuations surged into the sky. The four were instantly blasted away, leaving behind not even complete corpses.
Sensing the danger, Fang Zhiluo immediately tore a flight talisman and retreated.
Despite this, she was still injured by the intense spiritual energy fluctuation and violently spat out a mouthful of congested blood. She raised a hand to wipe away the bloodstain on the corner of her lips and turned to look back toward the cave dwelling.
Feeling the spiritual energy fluctuation weaken, she did not hesitate to use the Lightness Art to return.
By now, many cultivators had gathered nearby. They stared intently at the collapsed area in front of them, not daring to act rashly.
As the spiritual energy fluctuations dissipated, Fang Zhiluo tore two flight talismans to arrive above the collapsed ground.
Suddenly, a slight movement came from beneath her.
She rushed down rapidly and saw a dirty hand reaching out from the rubble.
Fang Zhiluo smiled, her eyes turning red: “I knew you wouldn’t die so easily.”
Fearing that using a spell would compound Yun Xiao’s injuries, Fang Zhiluo did not dare use magic and dug Yun Xiao out with her bare hands.
Yun Xiao leaned weakly on Fang Zhiluo’s shoulder, forcing a smile: “Am I, am I not, amazing?”
In that moment of life and death, she couldn’t care less about exposing her identity and began to fight the gigantic crocodile in her demon form.
She was struck again by the giant crocodile’s tail and flung away. The dragon egg in her Spirit Beast Bag also rolled out at that moment, provocatively rolling toward the pool of water. In just a few blinks of an eye, it vanished without a trace.
She did not know what the dragon egg had done, but the gigantic crocodile became even more frenzied than before, and the injuries on its body doubled.
She had already consumed the high-grade spiritual herbs in her spatial dimension, so she set her sights on the immature green lotus in the pool.
The green lotus was valuable in its entirety. Once she obtained it, she stuffed it all into her mouth without thinking twice. The spiritual power within her body surged, and knowing this was bad, she employed a strategy of drawing firewood from under the cauldron—a desperate, risky move.
She won the gamble; she killed the giant crocodile and survived.
Thinking of this, Yun Xiao raised her hand and pointed weakly in the direction where the giant crocodile was: “Collect, collect…”
Fang Zhiluo called Yun Xiao’s name several times, but she received no response. She urgently used spiritual power to check Yun Xiao’s body, finding injuries to all her internal organs.
She fed Yun Xiao two high-grade Spring Return Pills and two Spirit Replenishing Pills. She frowned and carried the person onto her back.
Releasing her imposing pressure, she said in a cold voice: “Leave quickly.”
The cultivators present had lower cultivation levels than Fang Zhiluo, and since they hadn’t discovered anything of value, they immediately expressed their compliance and rose to leave.
Treasures were deeply tempting. There were also two or three early Nascent Soul stage cultivators who were unwilling to have made the trip in vain and insisted on staying.
Fang Zhiluo ignored them, threw out a formation plate, and enclosed the area Yun Xiao had pointed to.
This was a Grade Six Defensive Formation, capable of withstanding the attacks of three peak Nascent Soul cultivators.
She found a relatively clean spot, gently placed Yun Xiao there, and then used a spell to dig up the giant crocodile’s body herself.
She did not find the giant crocodile, but she first dug up the dragon egg.
She did not know what method Yun Xiao had used, but the blood patterns on the dragon egg had completely faded, and it looked even larger than before.
She absolutely could not allow others to discover the existence of this dragon egg. She took out the Spirit Beast Bag, intending to put the dragon egg inside, but the dragon egg evaded her, rolled next to Yun Xiao, and vanished.
Seeing this, Fang Zhiluo had no choice but to give up and continue digging for the giant crocodile.
Hard work pays off. Finally, half an hour later, she dug up the giant crocodile, which was as tall as a small hill.
A ninth-level demon beast is valuable in its entirety, no wonder Yun Xiao was still thinking of this giant crocodile before she fell unconscious.
She put the giant crocodile into the Spirit Beast Bag, put Yun Xiao on her back, withdrew the defensive formation, and returned to the cold pool.
After meditating for a night, Fang Zhiluo’s injuries were much better. She quickly bent down to check Yun Xiao’s condition.
Fortunately, Yun Xiao’s injuries were improving, but she probably would not be able to use spiritual power for a short time.
She had to set off in four days at the latest to participate in the Sect Grand Competition. What should Yun Xiao do then?
After lying down for a day and a night, Yun Xiao slowly woke up. With a slight movement, her entire body ached everywhere.
Having been constantly monitoring Yun Xiao’s situation, Fang Zhiluo heard the movement and quickly walked in, saying softly, “You have injuries to your internal organs and damaged meridians. It’s best not to use spiritual power for a month.”
“If you are willing, come with me to participate in the Sect Grand Competition,” she proposed.
With Fang Zhiluo’s help, Yun Xiao sat up from the bed, leaning against the stone wall, and said heartlessly, “A’Luo, this is the first time you’ve ever said so many words to me.”
Fang Zhiluo glared at Yun Xiao and asked, “What are you thinking?”
Yun Xiao spread her hands, not concealing her weakness: “What can I do? I am now so delicate that I cannot take care of myself. Since A’Luo doesn’t mind me, I naturally have to follow her.”
What she was thinking internally was that she must keep a close eye on A’Luo and not give Xie Yunfan any opportunity.
Fang Zhiluo glared at Yun Xiao again, her words carrying a hint of indulgence that she herself had not noticed: “Nonsense.”
Suddenly, she sensed that someone had triggered the defensive formation. She instructed, “I’m going out to see. Don’t move around by yourself.” Having said that, she quickly left the cave dwelling and used the Lightness Art to reach the edge of the formation.
“Martial Niece Fang,” Xie Yunfan greeted her familiarly.
In terms of seniority, she was indeed one rank lower than Xie Yunfan.
Fang Zhiluo exited the defensive formation and gave Xie Yunfan a slight nod: “Martial Uncle Xie.”
“Three days ago, I received a message from Martial Nephew Zhong Qiu, saying they were waiting for me here,” Xie Yunfan looked around. “Does Martial Niece Fang know where they went?”
Fang Zhiluo did not conceal anything and stated truthfully, “Two days ago, people were fighting two hundred li away, causing the mountain to collapse. Zhong Qiu and the others acted too rashly and were shaken into dust by the spiritual energy fluctuation.”
Xie Yunfan’s eyes showed surprise, but he quickly regained his composure and chastised, “It seems Martial Niece Fang was also present. Why did Martial Niece Fang stand by and do nothing?”
Fang Zhiluo frowned slightly and was about to answer when Yun Xiao’s voice suddenly rang out.
“Are you deaf, or what? Didn’t A’Luo say that they were the ones who acted too rashly? If you are so worried about them, why aren’t you shedding a single tear for them?” she retorted in a rapid-fire questioning.
She had been restless after A’Luo left, and a cultivator’s instincts are usually very accurate, which is why she came.
Feeling Fang Zhiluo’s intense stare, which caused her scalp to tingle, she knew Fang Zhiluo was angry. While delighted, she did not forget to explain: “I used the flying spiritual artifact you gave me.”
Only then did Fang Zhiluo withdraw her gaze and meet Xie Yunfan’s enraged eyes, her voice icy: “I could not save them.”
These words were like a basin of cold water poured over Yun Xiao’s head, catching her completely off guard.
A’Luo would not explain unless absolutely necessary. Was this explanation to Xie Yunfan because she did not want this matter to cause friction between the two sects, or was Xie Yunfan different to A’Luo?
She preferred it to be the former.
Ever since Xie Yunfan became the last disciple of the Venerable Cloud Splendor Sword, his path had been smooth sailing. Furthermore, because of his exceptional talent, where did he go without being revered and looked up to?
The demonically beautiful-looking female cultivator before him, whose cultivation level he could not discern, dared to ridicule him.
He locked his gaze on Yun Xiao, released his imposing pressure, and demanded sternly, “Who are you? This is a matter between Martial Niece Fang and me. What does it have to do with you?”
Yun Xiao had internal injuries and could not withstand Xie Yunfan’s pressure, instantly spitting out a mouthful of blood. Even so, she straightened her spine, unwilling to submit even slightly.
Xie Yunfan’s sudden attack was too abrupt; even with Fang Zhiluo’s speed, she was still a half-step too slow.
She supported Yun Xiao, allowing Yun Xiao to lean on her shoulder, and said indignantly, “She is my life-saver. For Martial Uncle Xie to attack her just because she spoke a couple of truths is truly contrary to the demeanor of a gentleman.”
This was tacitly approving of what Yun Xiao had said. Xie Yunfan had not clarified the facts of the matter yet blamed her, which was too rude.
If it were not for the friendship between the two sects, she would never have bothered to explain that sentence.
Yun Xiao suddenly felt that the mouthful of blood she spat out was worth it. She looked at Fang Zhiluo pitifully, complaining in front of Xie Yunfan: “A’Luo, let’s not bother with a person who only sees a small part of the big picture. One can at least debate in court, but this person is good; he directly jumped to a conclusion, rendering the court unnecessary.”
Flames of anger burned in Xie Yunfan’s eyes. How dare this person mock him again and again? She clearly did not put him in her eyes.
Fang Zhiluo looked down at Yun Xiao puzzledly. She had never seen Yun Xiao be so tactless, repeatedly provoking Xie Yunfan. Was she suggesting that the mouthful of blood she just spat out wasn’t enough?
Regardless of Yun Xiao’s thoughts, she absolutely could not let Yun Xiao get hurt under her watch.
If Yun Xiao had not urged her to leave the day before yesterday, she might have perished herself.
She supported Yun Xiao with both hands and said to Xie Yunfan, “If there is nothing else, I will take her back to recuperate first.”
Seeing that Fang Zhiluo was truly about to leave, Xie Yunfan was annoyed but did not forget the main point. He asked, “In the recent period, have you seen a female demon cultivator who uses lightning?”
With that said, Elder Qiu’s voice was transmitted: “Sense the aura on the female cultivator.”
Xie Yunfan followed the instruction but did not sense any aura from Yun Xiao.
Thinking of something, he summoned his destined sword to block Fang Zhiluo and Yun Xiao. He strode forward, stopped in front of Yun Xiao, and asked sharply, “Why are you concealing your aura? Are you perhaps trying to hide from someone?”