The Cangyuan Secret Realm was vast, with dense forests, islands, and even a wide expanse of sea. One could go anywhere, depending solely on their individual fortune.
Su Su hadn’t found Yue Fuyai but instead entered a stone forest first.
In the stone forest, bizarre rocks stood in rows. Some massive boulders looked as if they had been forcibly split down the middle, connected only by a thin line, while others resembled giant serpents with eyes as large as lanterns, their scales clearly visible.
Staring at the stones, Su Su felt a pang of melancholy. If Nine Heavens Jade were still here, it would surely explain the origins of these rocks in detail.
Not long after walking, Su Su heard the footsteps of a group of people.
Uncertain whether they were friend or foe, she cautiously shifted her steps and hid behind a massive boulder.
No sooner had her figure vanished than a man pushed a woman forward.
The man, elegant in appearance, said urgently, "Good junior sister, let your senior brother kiss you. I’ve missed you to death."
The woman, whose robes were embroidered with orchids, playfully scolded him as they flirted.
"What, aren’t you afraid Senior Sister Ding will find out? Once you leave the Secret Realm with her, you’re supposed to become Dao Companions."
A flicker of disgust appeared in the man’s eyes. "Do you really think I like her? If it weren’t for her influential father, with her looks and figure, I wouldn’t agree to become her Dao Companion even if I were blind."
The woman gasped, her hands stroking the man’s back, and said to him, "Elder Ding’s Pills are indeed excellent. You’ve taken her body, and when you gain benefits from that ugly woman later, you must share them with me."
The man eagerly began undoing her clothes. "Of course, who else would I give them to but you? Don’t worry, that ugly hag won’t find us here. She won’t know what we’ve done."
Su Su never expected that upon entering the stone forest, she would encounter such an adulterous couple.
Her gaze fell behind another jagged rock, where a slightly plump woman in a pale-yellow dress had buried her face in her knees, her body trembling slightly.
It seemed—
She wasn’t unaware; she knew everything.
Judging by the ornaments hanging from their waists, they belonged to a minor sect. Su Su remained still, having accidentally stumbled upon this scene. Calmly, she averted her gaze and looked toward the layers of rocks behind.
Something seemed amiss over there, while the adulterous couple here remained absorbed in their own world, completely unaware.
In contrast, the woman in pale yellow, like a startled little creature, immediately turned her attention toward the source of the strange noise.
Su Su thought to herself, This girl is rather pitiful, but her cultivation is truly impressive—far superior to that pair by the rocks.
Holding her breath, Su Su had initially intended to leave but now decided to stay.
In all Secret Realms, the more dangerous the place, the greater the likelihood of treasures. There must be a magical artifact within this stone forest.
To Su Su’s surprise, the woman in yellow gritted her teeth and emerged from behind the rock.
"Ling Wencheng, Ai Feihe!"
Hearing her voice, the man named Ling Wencheng panicked and hurriedly fastened his belt. The woman’s face also turned pale with fear as she looked at the newcomer and stammered, "Senior Sister Ding, let me explain, we…"
Ding Yan shot her a look of disgust. "I heard everything. There’s no need for explanations. After we leave, I’ll tell my father that the two of you are deeply in love. Right now, I just want to warn you: there’s something strange in this stone forest. If you don’t want to die, get out of here quickly!"
Ling Wencheng’s expression darkened, and he reached out to grab Ding Yan’s hand. "Junior Sister Ding, does our century of affection mean nothing to you? How can you be so heartless?"Ai Feihe also said, "Senior Brother Ling is willing to marry you—it's your good fortune. Don't be ungrateful."
Ding Yan trembled with rage but had no mind to argue with them. She turned to leave.
Ling Wencheng, afraid she would go, paid no heed to her warning and grabbed her wrist. "Junior Sister Ding..."
Su Su heard a rumbling sound growing increasingly distinct, and moments later, the strange noise was right beside them.
Su Su looked up and saw seven or eight stone monsters, dozens of feet tall, stomping over, leaving deep craters with each step. Despite their massive size, they moved with surprising agility, reaching the trio in the blink of an eye.
The stone monsters, taller than ancient trees, swung their fists downward. Ling Wencheng’s pupils contracted as he reacted. As an elite disciple of his sect, he was no amateur and swiftly dodged.
Ding Yan also reacted quickly and leaped aside.
Unfortunately, Ai Feihe, who remained behind, was struck and injured by the hurled boulder.
Only then did Ling Wencheng remember the junior sister he had been intimate with moments before. He hastily activated his sorcery, pulling her toward him, and conjured an earthen shield, intending to flee with the woman.
Su Su observed that this cultivator surnamed Ling was likely endowed with earth and wood dual spiritual roots.
Ai Feihe was shaken to the core.
But the stone monsters would not allow them to escape easily. Just as Ling Wencheng attempted sword control, one of the stone monsters reached out to grab him.
In an instant, Ling Wencheng and Ai Feihe found themselves in dire straits.
A beam of yellow light shot over as Ding Yan shouted, "Hurry and go!"
Ling Wencheng made a swift decision, reactivated his sword control, and dragged Ai Feihe into the air.
Once safe, Ai Feihe recalled something, her expression darkening as she whispered a few words into Ling Wencheng’s ear.
Ling Wencheng’s expression shifted as well. He glanced toward Ding Yan, who was trying to leave amidst the stone monsters.
After a moment’s hesitation, his eyes hardened, and he struck out with his palm.
The blow landed on Ding Yan’s shoulder, causing her to fall from the sword. As she was about to be crushed under the stone monster’s foot, Su Su dashed over and struck the monster’s head with her palm. The stone monster shattered and exploded into fragments.
Su Su pulled Ding Yan up. "Get up quickly."
Ding Yan quickly regained her composure, casting a grateful look at Su Su. When she looked up again, she found that Ling Wencheng and the other had already fled without a trace.
Clenching her fists, Ding Yan assisted Su Su in fighting the stone monsters.
Strangely, the shattered stone monsters soon reassembled and stood up once more.
Realizing they couldn’t be killed, Su Su ceased forcing the fight and pulled Ding Yan onto the top of a nearby giant rock.
She formed a hand seal to conceal their presence, enveloping herself and Ding Yan. The mindless stone monsters, unable to detect their aura, soon wandered away.
Ding Yan said, "Thank you, Fairy, for saving my life. I am Ding Yan, a disciple of the Qianluo Sect. If there is ever anything you need, I would gladly risk my life to repay you."
Su Su did not decline, as cultivation emphasized cause and effect. She replied, "I am Li Susu. Earlier, I thought you might have chosen to let them die at the hands of the stone monsters."
By "them," Su Su naturally meant the adulterous couple.
Ding Yan smiled bitterly. "My father often said that our sect is dwindling in numbers, and disciples must not kill each other."
"They tried to kill you."
Ding Yan clenched her fists. "I won’t let them get away with it!"
From her expression, Su Su knew Ding Yan would undoubtedly track down those two and kill them.
Everyone had their own convictions, and Su Su chose not to interfere further.
She nodded to Ding Yan and prepared to head deeper into the stone forest.Ding Yan said, "Fairy Li! Don't go further inside. My father once came to the Cangyuan Secret Realm and said there's an Illusion Array Formation in the stone forest. Even seniors from thousands of years ago couldn't escape it and turned into stone. All these stones you see were once living beings."
Su Su smiled at her. "Thank you, I'll be careful."
Knowing it was an Illusion Array Formation actually made Su Su unafraid. Having cultivated the Path of Ruthlessness, worldly illusion arrays had no effect on her.
Watching Su Su disappear into the stone forest, Ding Yan sighed with worry but didn't dare follow. She soared away on her sword, leaving the stone forest.
Indeed, the deeper Su Su went, the more stone statues she encountered.
Some had human forms, others demon bodies. Most wore expressions of panic and agony.
White mist shrouded the statues. Su Su raised her hand, igniting a blue flame between her fingers. The mist dispersed upon contact with the True Fire.
Su Su walked slowly inward.
The desolation of the stone forest intensified as stones began shifting rapidly. With Su Su at the center, the Illusion Array Formation activated.
Looking back, she found her entry path already lost.
But when she lifted her gaze, Su Su saw Tantai Jin sitting cross-legged on the ground, his eyes vacant.
After observing for a moment, Su Su confirmed this was the real Tantai Jin, not an illusion. He had followed her inside.
Though uncertain why he kept following her, she knew he must want something from her.
Daring to guess—was he seeking something from her for Ye Bingshang? Having spent decades together in the mortal realm, their bond must have deepened greatly.
Without her interference, his mortal life must have been smooth.
A monster born without emotions naturally wouldn't fear a mere illusion array.
Just as Su Su prepared to break the formation and leave, she noticed a gray phosphorescence enveloping Tantai Jin.
Tantai Jin trembled violently as if witnessing something terrifying. Unnoticed, he seemed suffocated by evil ghosts, his face growing numb and desperate.
The gray hue around him deepened.
Su Su looked down at him.
Curled among the stone statues, Tantai Jin's eyes reflected dark stillness. He shivered, biting his lip until it nearly bled.
Su Su paused. The once emotionless, loveless, hateless Demon God was now trapped in the stone forest's illusion, slowly turning to stone before her eyes.
While she saw only a tranquil stone forest, what horrors did he behold? After a moment's hesitation, she approached.
In Tantai Jin's wooden pupils flowed a vision of dark, icy river waters—endless and vast.
Su Su witnessed Tantai Jin from five hundred years past: the dark-robed emperor being devoured by countless evil ghosts. Instead of shaking them off, he lifted each ghostly soul to examine them.
Torrents of blood streamed from his body. Day and night, he wallowed among evil ghosts and festering blood, until only his skeleton remained.
Su Su snapped back to reality after seeing this final scene.
Tantai Jin's body had ultimately died in those gloomy waters.
"You possess Divine Marrow—why would you let evil ghosts devour your body? Were you searching for Ye Bingshang's soul?" she murmured.
Mortal souls enter the Underworld after death. How deeply must he have cherished that person? Su Su smirked faintly. Surely he wouldn't... have been searching for her own scattered soul?
She quietly watched his memories until the moon emerged. Moonlight bathed the stone forest. When it faded again, Tantai Jin would turn to stone.The Demon God who once had no heart was now killed by his own past self, so easily.
Su Su raised her hand, almost touching his cheek, but withdrew it again.
Let it be.
On the Path of Ruthlessness, she hugged her knees and sat beside him, listening as his breathing gradually weakened. Tantai Jin’s body slowly turned to stone. Su Su closed her eyes, stood up, and walked slowly deeper into the stone forest.
The red threads on her skirt shimmered faintly in the moonlight. In the end, she did not look back.
There were many things she should have loved—the tranquil years at Longze Mountain, the beautiful Heavenly Pool, even the thought of forging a new sword for Fu Ya, or the snow tonight, which seemed especially beautiful to her.
Which of these… was not better than meeting Tantai Jin?
Before the sun rose, the nearly petrified boy’s flesh and blood gradually peeled away. His blood stained the stones, and finally, the rocks shattered.
Tantai Jin opened his eyes and turned his head to look beside him. There was no one there.
For a moment… he seemed to catch the fragrance of Epiphyllum in the night air.
But in truth, there was nothing.
As his flesh and blood reformed, another wave of unbearable pain washed over him. His pitch-black eyes stared at the rising sun. Should he be grateful for this half-human, half-ghost body now, that he hadn’t died in an illusionary array?
It didn’t matter if he died, but what about Ye Xi Wu? Who would bring her back to see this world, this mortal realm again?
Deep in the stone forest, the strange rocks grew sparser, but the temperature began to rise. The crevices between the stones radiated scorching heat, with red flames blazing like churning magma.
Two Flame Beasts lay sleeping on the rocks. Their heads resembled wolves, but they had rhinoceros horns, lion-like bodies, no tails, and their fur was a vivid red.
Behind them, a dimly glowing stone slowly rotated in midair.
“It’s ‘Extreme Cold.’” Su Su had once read in the library that the Extreme Cold Profound Stone was named “Extreme Cold” but was tempered in fire, with Demonic Beasts like the Flame Beast born beside it. It could be used to forge Immortal Swords.
Before Su Su could get close, the two beasts opened their eyes. The flames on their bodies, as if extinguished, instantly reignited. The Flame Beasts, one male and one female, shared a telepathic bond. They had been dormant for a long time, and the scent of a living being jolted them awake.
Amid deafening roars, they lunged at Su Su.
The scorching heat instantly engulfed her.
Since switching her cultivation method, Su Su had never tested it. She channeled the Spiritual Energy cultivated through the Path of Ruthlessness within her, swiftly forming a white feathered fan in her hand. The fan was instantly imbued with an eerie red Karmic Fire as she attacked the male beast.
When the flames on the Flame Beast met Su Su’s Karmic Fire, it howled, its flames diminishing by a ring.
The Flame Beast no longer confronted her head-on and quickly dodged.
Though they were fire-attribute Demonic Beasts, they feared the Karmic Fire in Su Su’s hand. The feathered fan scattered firefly-like sparks, formed from Spiritual Energy. Su Su did not want to drag the fight out.
She stepped over the rocks and reached for the Extreme Cold Profound Stone.
The two beasts’ eyes gleamed with ferocity. Ignoring the Karmic Fire, they were determined to kill Su Su, even if it meant mutual destruction.
Su Su swiftly turned to face them.
The two beasts activated their Demon Cores, and in their fearless desperation, their Demonic power surged violently. Su Su was forced back several steps, crashing into the fiery rocks behind her.
The Flame Beasts spewed True Fire, engulfing her in flames.
Su Su reacted quickly, raising her feathered fan to deflect the True Fire. But in the next moment, countless golden threads bound her wrists, rendering her immovable.She lifted her head and saw a young man in black robes sitting cross-legged on a stone, smiling faintly at her.
Tantai Jin casually grasped countless golden threads—unidentifiable in material yet incredibly resilient—that tightly bound crucial meridians in the human body.
With a tug of his hand, blue light shimmered along the golden threads, carrying the essence of thunder. Tantai Jin lowered his gaze, manipulating the threads as though controlling puppets.
Su Su’s wrists were forcibly pressed back against the scorching hot stone behind her.
The young man’s face was as flawless as jade, the corners of his eyes slightly upturned, exuding a mocking amusement as if watching a spectacle.
Last night among the stone forest, he had nearly turned into a stone statue himself, yet after sunrise, he appeared completely unfazed.
Su Su had no idea when Tantai Jin had caught up with her again. He sat atop the searing magma, his expression unflinching.
"Senior Sister," he propped his chin, smiling gently before his expression turned icy. In a cold voice, he said, "Courtesy demands reciprocity. Since we’re fellow immortals, this junior brother shall return the favor."
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