Li Fei had no choice but to steer her sword into the mountain's gap. Suddenly, her body felt as if it had squeezed through a warm, viscous liquid. Bright light flooded her vision—she found herself in an enormous cavern. The walls were studded with luminous pearls, illuminating the space as bright as day.
Inside the cave was a small lake with a stone platform at its center. On the platform lay a black rock about the size of a human head, its material unidentifiable. Other than that, the cave was completely empty.
Li Fei was dumbfounded. With such a grand name like the Sweet Splendor Realm, she had expected at least a magnificent and ornate Grotto Heaven. What was this crude, barren cave? And what was that shabby rock on the platform? Was this really the dwelling of a thousand-year-old Nine-tailed Fox?
"Did you... cultivate here before?" she asked cautiously.
Ri Yan was still angry. "Only fools like you care about the grandeur of a dwelling! Cultivation only requires abundant spiritual energy! Humans are the only ones so fickle—obsessed with lavish Grotto Heavens, food, clothing, and even lusting after beauty! With so many distractions, their determination for cultivation is diluted. What can they possibly achieve?"
Alright, she had been shallow.
Li Fei guided her sword toward the small stone platform in the lake. The further she went, the more she sensed the overwhelming density of spiritual energy here. Just as the miasma in the Academy's restricted area was thick and clinging, this place was the opposite—so saturated with spiritual energy that even her sword struggled to fly swiftly.
Curious, she asked, "Ri Yan, I thought Demons cultivated using miasma. Why is your dwelling in a place brimming with spiritual energy?"
Ri Yan replied haughtily, "I am a thousand-year-old Nine-tailed Fox! How could I be compared to those lowly Monstrous creatures?"
What difference did being a thousand-year-old Nine-tailed Fox make? Wasn't he still a Demon? Li Fei didn’t understand his logic and shook her head.
As she approached the small stone platform, the little white fox eagerly leaped onto it, sniffing the rock with his pointed nose, his eyes filled with delight. Li Fei touched the black stone—its surface was rough, and upon closer inspection, she noticed faint golden speckles. It looked familiar.
She suddenly drew her stone sword. Sure enough, the blade also bore fine golden flecks, barely visible unless examined closely. Could this rock that sealed Demon Qi be the same material as the stone sword?
"This is Spirit-Sealing Rock, found only where spiritual energy and miasma are most concentrated. It can be used to seal and store both spiritual energy and Demon Qi. Your stone sword, the stone tower on the Golden Lion in the restricted area—they're all made of this rock." Ri Yan snorted. "Well, there’s only a bit of Demon Qi sealed here, but it’s enough. Girl, keep your hand on the rock."
Perhaps because the Demon Qi was now within reach, the temperamental and irritable fox suddenly seemed in better spirits. Li Fei’s designation in his mouth had also shifted from "fool" to "girl."
He really was mercurial. Li Fei shook her head and gently pressed her palm against the Spirit-Sealing Rock.
Her thoughts, however, were still with Lei Xiuyuan. Zhen Yunzi only wanted the Nine-tailed Fox hidden within her—he might not kill her immediately. But he was determined to kill Lei Xiuyuan. The time they had spent entering the Sweet Splendor Realm was more than enough for him to return and strike. What if Lei Xiuyuan died at Zhen Yunzi’s hands because of this? What could she do?
After an indeterminate amount of time, Ri Yan suddenly spoke. "Alright, let’s go."Li Fei immediately took flight on her sword, only to hear him say: "I've absorbed the Demon Qi sealed within the stone and will soon fall into deep slumber. This time I'll need to sleep for quite a while—you must be careful in all matters from now on."
What?! So soon?! And Zhen Yunzi was still outside! Li Fei cried urgently, "How long is 'quite a while'? Why so sudden..."
His ears twitched slightly as he pondered, then answered, "Months. Possibly years."
Years?! Seeing him prepare to leave immediately, his small form already beginning to dissipate into green smoke, Li Fei couldn't help but shout, "Wait! Ri Yan!"
His ears twitched again, his hoarse voice carrying warmth for the first time: "Aren't you grown enough to stop relying on me for everything? I told you not to worry. Just go out, just fly back on your sword—you won't die! If this absorption goes well, I'll be able to stay awake more often. Don't disturb me further—I'm off now."
Without hesitation, his body instantly dissolved into green smoke. Li Fei called his name several more times, but there was no response. She found it unbelievable.
How could he leave so quickly! What about Zhen Yunzi outside? What did he mean by "you won't die"? Who would ensure they wouldn't die?! Did he think they were thousand-year-old monsters like him? Zhen Yunzi might be trash in his eyes, but to them he was like a golden-armored titan!
Moreover, if he slept for several years, wouldn't that mean she wouldn't see him for years? Why didn't he mention this earlier?
Li Fei looked around blankly. The empty cave mirrored the hollowness and fear in her heart. The person she wanted to rely on had vanished without hesitation again—how long would he be gone this time?
She stood dazed in the cave for a long while, her emotions in turmoil. She had to go out—she couldn't hide here forever. What was coming would come. When she chose to learn the truth, she should have been prepared for this. Running away wasn't the solution.
Ri Yan was right—she needed to learn to walk on her own, not wait for him to wake up each time like some clueless fool who depended on him for everything.
Forcing herself to gather her wits, Li Fei flew out of the Sweet Splendor Realm on her sword. Outside, the cool breeze brushed past her. The crescent moon still hung in the sky, casting shadows through the trees and across the undulating mountains. Not a soul was in sight.
Her heart pounded as if trying to leap from her throat. What now? Was Zhen Yunzi still here? Had he waited, or had he gone back to kill Lei Xiuyuan? She wanted to return but didn't dare—if Zhen Yunzi was still following, wouldn't that put Lei Xiuyuan in danger?
She flew aimlessly for a while, mustering all her focus to heighten her senses. The surroundings were eerily quiet—no insect chirps or owl hoots in the woods. She couldn't sense anyone at all. If he wasn't following her, then he must have gone to the cottage to find Lei Xiuyuan!
Panicked, Li Fei immediately sped back to the mountain cottage on her sword. Landing in the yard, she found the door shut tight with no candlelight inside. She had no idea if Lei Xiuyuan was safe. Without hesitation, she pushed the door open and shouted, "Xiu Yuan! Are you there?"
The next moment, she saw Lei Xiuyuan sitting up in his underwear, his long hair disheveled. He looked utterly startled, staring wide-eyed at her fully dressed form with the Stone sword at her side. After a long pause, he finally murmured, "You... is something wrong?"Li Fei felt all the tension drain from her bones, a mix of excitement and relief washing over her. She rushed forward, grabbing his sleeve, on the verge of tears. "Did you bring the talisman paper? Hurry! Get dressed! We need to return to the academy!"
Lei Xiuyuan steadied her arm with a reassuring grip, his cool voice carrying an oddly calming force. "Calm down. What happened?"
She threw his outer robe over his shoulders. "Just hurry up and let's go!"
Just as Lei Xiuyuan was about to speak, he sensed something amiss. He leaped off the bed, shielding Li Fei behind him, his gaze fixed intently on the door. Outside, a figure slowly materialized, and soon, a man in a blue robe appeared in the doorway—his expression cold and stern. It was Zhen Yunzi, whom they hadn’t seen in a long time.
Lei Xiuyuan was inwardly shocked. Zhen Yunzi was actually disregarding the academy’s rules and choosing to act against them now? It seemed he had underestimated the man’s obsession with Li Fei.
He squeezed Li Fei’s hand, signaling her to use the talisman paper immediately. Both of them channeled their spiritual energy to activate it, but after a full cycle, the talisman remained unresponsive, as if it had failed. Cold sweat trickled down Lei Xiuyuan’s back, yet he straightened his posture and met Zhen Yunzi’s gaze steadily.
Keeping Li Fei firmly behind him, he spoke, "Master Zhen Yunzi, you must have been following us all along. You didn’t act earlier, likely out of consideration for the academy. But now, you’re willing to disregard everything to take away academy disciples? Aren’t you afraid of reprisal from the Immortals?"
Zhen Yunzi replied indifferently, "Zuo Qiu already knows my intentions but has remained silent—naturally, out of deference to Star Rectitude Hall. The two of you are merely the lowest disciples, barely even stepping into the immortal path. Even if they sought reprisal, it would be making a mountain out of a molehill. In the cultivation world, strength reigns supreme. I, who have been an immortal for years, am merely dealing with two insignificant disciples. Who would dare interfere?"
He seemed uninterested in further discussion. With a flick of his finger, Li Fei suddenly felt as if an invisible hand had seized her. Her vision blurred, and in an instant, she was standing beside Zhen Yunzi. Panic surged through her as she tried to flee, but her body felt tightly bound by invisible ropes, rendering her completely immobile.
She watched helplessly as Zhen Yunzi leaned closer, his icy eyes boring into her. Beneath that ruthless, desireless gaze lurked a terrifying fervor.
"You just visited the Nine-tailed Fox Demon’s lair, didn’t you? What did you take? Where is he?"
His voice, cold as the depths of the underworld, seemed to pierce her very soul, stripping away any thought of lying. She nearly answered involuntarily, but then a spark of clarity struck her. She clamped her mouth shut, biting her tongue hard. The sharp pain snapped her back to her senses, narrowly evading his Celestial Sound Word Spirit.
Blood filled her mouth from the bitten tongue, making her words slurred. "I don’t know what you’re talking about!"
Zhen Yunzi sighed silently. "I’ve been stuck at this bottleneck for over fifty years. Now, my power has deteriorated so much that even a young girl like you can resist my Celestial Sound Word Spirit."
Li Fei snapped angrily, "Your bottleneck is your own fault for being too obsessed!"
Ri Yan had once said that mastering the Celestial Sound Word Spirit required severing all emotions and desires. Zhen Yunzi’s bottleneck stemmed from his desperation to hunt monstrous creatures for refining mystical treasures, trapping him in a vicious cycle. It was his own inescapable dead end.Zhen Yunzi's eyes gleamed with a cold light as he sneered, "Did that Nine-tailed Fox Demon tell you? As I suspected, that Fox Demon has been clinging to you all along. Where is he?"
Li Fei felt his hands clamp onto her shoulders like iron pincers, his fingers digging into her bones until she thought they might shatter. Her face turned deathly pale as she trembled and gasped, "I don’t know any Fox Demon! If you can’t break through your bottleneck, it’s your own damn fault!"
Zhen Yunzi lifted her up, his voice icy. "Trapped at a bottleneck, unable to advance—how could you possibly understand such agony? Immortals and Demons have always preyed upon each other. Since you’re human, why shield a Monstrous creature?"
Li Fei felt her shoulder bones nearly crushed under his grip, the pain making her cry out. He continued coldly, "You’re coming with me. For every day you refuse to speak, I’ll shatter another inch of your bones. When every last one is broken, leaving you unable to live or die, we’ll see if you still keep silent."
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