After galloping continuously for who knows how many miles, Li Fei felt the sharp whistling of wind in her ears as the scenery around her blurred past like flowing water. Lei Xiuyuan finally slowed down, his chest heaving violently as if utterly exhausted. Just as he was about to find a clearing to rest, strange cries suddenly erupted around them. Dozens of winged serpents circled overhead, their forked tongues flicking in and out, occasionally emitting eerie shrieks—a truly menacing sight.
Li Fei hurriedly tried to dismount. These were Ferocious Beasts known as Ming Serpents—swift, agile, and venomous. They had to be countered with the Bronze Wall Technique.
Suddenly, Lei Xiuyuan extended his right hand, golden light flickering in his palm as a dull, ancient-looking sword slowly materialized—a blade forged through the Supreme Harmony Art?
The next moment, the sharp whistling in her ears returned—no, it wasn’t the wind, but the piercing, bamboo-flute-like sound emanating from the sword. In an instant, the blade erupted with dazzling brilliance, too radiant to behold, and shot forth with unparalleled sharpness. The Ming Serpents shattered upon the slightest graze of its edge.
Li Fei suddenly recalled her Master’s words: the pinnacle of Metal Element Immortal Techniques lay not in forging Divine Weapons, but in conjuring countless blades rivaling them through the Supreme Harmony Art alone. Had Lei Xiuyuan already glimpsed this threshold? Though only one sword had manifested, it dominated the battlefield with invincible might. The sharp, flute-like sound reminded her of Long Jing Yuanjun’s Mystic Sword back in Green Mound—Divine Weapons seemed to emit this very howl, as though alive.
The sword danced fluidly in a full arc before returning, circling around the two of them in every direction, then dissolved into golden light before their eyes. The Ming Serpents that had surrounded them moments earlier now lay in pieces, their broken bodies raining down in a gruesome black downpour.
Lei Xiuyuan landed slowly, then abruptly released Li Fei and retrieved a signal flare from his robes. These were emergency flares issued by the elders—three per disciple—for summoning aid if separated.
The flare shot skyward with a whoosh, its azure flames lingering in the air for a long while.
Exhaling deeply, Lei Xiuyuan sat down heavily, his face pale. "Don’t worry for now," he murmured. "Given Deng Xiguang and the others' abilities, they won’t be in mortal danger. I need to rest a moment."
"Are you alright?" Li Fei crouched beside him, checking his Eight Extraordinary Meridians. Fortunately, there were no internal injuries—just severe depletion of spiritual energy.
He always had to push himself like this. Ji Tongzhou might be all talk about never backing down, but Lei Xiuyuan simply acted without a word. She wasn’t sure which was more exasperating.
Li Fei cast an Invisibility Spell over them, then gently grasped his wrist, channeling Wood Elemental Spiritual Energy into him to replenish his reserves. After a while, she sensed his gaze lingering on her and looked up. "What is it?"
Lei Xiuyuan suddenly smiled faintly. "Your cultivation... isn’t bad."
"Not bad" again? Li Fei shook her head. "That’s just perfunctory.""
"Would you prefer a lengthy critique?"
"...No, save your breath." Nothing good ever came from his mouth.
True to form, he fell silent, yet his gaze remained fixed on her. Li Fei grew inexplicably nervous under his stare. What kind of look was he giving her? Why was he watching her like this? If she met his eyes now, what would she see reflected in them?She suddenly felt a sense of anticipation, though she wasn’t sure what she was expecting. Summoning her courage, she raised her eyes to meet his gaze, only for him to look away again.
...What an infuriating person.
Li Fei couldn’t quite describe the emotions swirling inside her—a mix of frustration and disappointment, perhaps. She had hoped for a clear, passionate, and affirmative response from him, yet he had dodged it. The timing and place were all wrong, and she knew she shouldn’t be indulging in such thoughts, but she couldn’t help it. There was even a faint trace of resentment simmering beneath the surface.
Lei Xiuyuan was an infuriating person, she silently concluded in her heart. But then, another voice whispered softly within her: Do you really dislike him?
She couldn’t answer that. She had always been decisive in her actions and straightforward in her dealings—if things worked out, they worked; if not, she moved on. Yet whenever it came to Lei Xiuyuan, everything became tangled. The clear principles she relied on turned into a mess, and she couldn’t tell whether she was resisting this feeling or being irresistibly drawn to it.
After what felt like an eternity, her Wood Elemental Spiritual Energy was nearly depleted when Lei Xiuyuan suddenly spoke up. "Those two earlier probably weren’t Bronze Oxen. They must have been immobilized by some strange Immortal Technique to stand guard at the hall’s entrance. The moment they sensed spiritual energy from being touched, they would attack immediately—likely a measure against intruders. The Outlander Tomb is probably like the Academy’s Restricted Area, off-limits to unauthorized entry. But as long as we’re outside the Seal, we should be fine."
Li Fei was momentarily stunned. He had shifted the topic back to business so abruptly and naturally. Her mind followed along, but her heart hadn’t caught up yet. She responded vaguely, unable to think of what to say next.
Suddenly, a pale blue flame shot up in the far distance—likely from Su Wan and the others’ direction.
Lei Xiuyuan stood immediately. "Let’s go. We should regroup with them."
Li Fei murmured another agreement, unsure what else to say. Just as she was about to summon a cloud to fly, a rush of wind sounded behind her. In the blink of an eye, several No Moon Court disciples landed in the forest clearing—among them, Ying Yuankai and his group. Spotting Li Fei, they first froze in surprise, then brightened with delight.
With monstrous creatures lurking all around, Ying Yuankai swiftly cast the Bronze Wall Technique. The male disciples behind him reacted just as quickly, some restraining the creatures while others attacked. In moments, the surrounding demons were cleared out. Ying Yuankai collected their fangs and approached with a smile. "Jiang Shi Mei, Lei Shi Di, are you both alright? We happened to be nearby when we saw the signal flare and came to check."
He handed the fangs to Li Fei. "We’ve already collected enough fangs, so these are for the two of you."
Li Fei was taken aback. What was this about? They had killed the demons, yet they were giving the fangs to her? She declined at once. "Thank you for your kindness, Ying Shi Xiong, but we prefer to collect our own fangs."
Ying Yuankai didn’t seem embarrassed. He glanced back at Lei Xiuyuan, noticing his pale complexion, and asked gently, "Lei Shi Di, you don’t look well. Are you injured?"
The male disciples beside him stifled quiet laughs. They had heard he had broken through his second bottleneck and was a prodigious talent. But seeing him now—pale-faced, drained of spiritual energy, and even resorting to a signal flare for help—they couldn’t help but feel a wave of disdain. What kind of genius was this? Reduced to such a state! And dragging the prettiest junior sister into his group, putting her in danger too—utterly unreliable!Lei Xiuyuan said calmly, "Thank you, Senior Brother. We still have companions waiting in the distance, so we won't linger."
How could Ying Yuankai and his group bear to let them leave? Having finally encountered such a stunning junior sister and witnessing the fallen state of a genius, Ying Yuankai hurriedly said, "This area is teeming with Monstrous creatures. Let us escort you there."
Without waiting for their response, the group soared on clouds and indeed spotted a lingering azure flame in the far distance. Upon reaching the flame, they saw a clearing in the forest where Su Wan, covered in blood, leaned against a tree. Beside her lay Deng Xiguang, a bloody hole torn in his right abdomen, with a Healing net stretched over the wound. He groaned incessantly from the pain. The sudden arrival of so many disciples left both of them utterly astonished.
The disciples were both envious and resentful upon seeing Lei Xiuyuan's team with two female members. This guy, despite his lack of strength, dared to bring two junior sisters along! Everyone knew that capable female disciples were exceedingly rare—most were deadweight. And now they were injured! What a lack of chivalry!
Ying Yuankai immediately set up a Healing net. As a true master of the water attribute, his Healing net was exceptionally effective. Su Wan's wounds visibly healed before their eyes, and even the bloody hole in Deng Xiguang's abdomen slowly closed at a remarkable pace.
Su Wan stood up, stretching her limbs as she spoke, "I had just found Senior Brother Deng when those two Bronze Oxen caught up. I flew with him for a long time before escaping the Seal, only to run into two more Demons. Luckily, they weren't strong, and I killed them both. By the way, Senior Brother Ying, why are you all here?"
Ying Yuankai smiled faintly. "Junior Brother Lei asked for help. As fellow disciples, how could we stand idly by? You two junior sisters must have been frightened."
Su Wan gave him a long look but said nothing. She turned and tugged at Li Fei's sleeve, whispering, "Junior Brother Lei asked him for help?"
Li Fei forced a dry laugh. Initially, she had found Ying Yuankai steady and eloquent, somewhat reminiscent of Ye Ye, and had even felt a bit of goodwill toward him. But now, the difference between him and Ye Ye was like night and day. Still, he had come to their aid out of kindness, and Deng Xiguang's wound was nearly healed thanks to him.
Ying Yuankai had intended to sweet-talk the two junior sisters into joining them but couldn't think of a convincing excuse on the spot. As he pondered, he suddenly sensed an overwhelmingly fierce Demon Qi rapidly approaching from the southwest. The group reacted swiftly, immediately ascending on clouds.
The Demon Qi arrived with terrifying speed, bringing howling winds and blinding dust. Li Fei and Ying Yuankai promptly cast the Bronze Wall Technique and Mist Illusion. Suddenly, from the depths of the forest behind them came a series of wild, booming laughs. A deep, hoarse voice chuckled and said, "You've chased me all this way alone. Out of chivalry, I refrained from fighting you. Do you truly think I fear you?"
At the sound of the voice, everyone's expressions changed.
A Demon capable of human speech meant it had developed intelligence—such a creature was a Great Demon, far beyond what young disciples like them could handle alone. Who was this person the Great Demon spoke of, who had pursued it alone all this way? Was she insane?
Then, from the forest, the crisp notes of a zither rang out—a melody both graceful and laced with deadly intent. The deep, resonant tones lingered like rippling water, interspersed with sharp, high notes. The disciples felt their hearts pound and their Inner breath grow slightly chaotic just from listening.The Great Demon in the forest continued to laugh, "Useless, useless! If that old woman Qingle came herself, it might have some effect! But you?"
Several deafening explosions echoed through the woods as vast swathes of trees toppled over, branches and leaves flying wildly. The disciples could only tremble in fear—the sheer force of it was terrifying!
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